{sweet tooth; looking "comfortable"}

I will be the first to admit that I have a sometimes-insatiable sweet tooth. Brownies. Cookies. Ice cream. Cakes. Yep. 

Sweet tooth or not, I try my best to eat a healthy diet. Plenty of fruits and veggies, not many bad snack foods, etc etc etc. I often forgo dessert at home {unless I have free time after my son goes to bed, and make a mug cake- which I often share with hubs}. 

All that being said, sometimes there is just nothing like a warm, chocolatey, gooey corner piece of a fresh pan of brownies. {...there are four corner pieces... my mouth is watering}

I may have noticed that my sweet tooth has been getting the better of me lately... and yes, the frigid temperatures and frequent snow-fall has somewhat sucked my workout motivation out of me, and no. I'm not happy about it. 

BUT, darling hubs told me the other day that I was looking a little "comfortable" {in his defense, he did say that both of us were} and that really kicked my butt. 

At first I was pissed. {How dare he?!?}
Then, I got even more self-conscious. {If he thinks I look "soft", everyone else must think worse}. 
Then, I realized: If the man I'm married to, and have asked to be honest with me about everything, and have entrusted with the position of my life-long partner can't tell me that I've {maybe} gained a few... who can?!? After all, he also named himself as a guilty party in  winter-weight gain, so what's wrong with keeping each other in check and healthy?

The logical side of me is happy that I married a man who won't lie to my face and let me leave the house in a dress that DOES make my butt look big... {or actually let my butt get big in the first place} the emotional side of me is going to get over it- right after she finishes the brownies. 

It's time for me to get off my butt, and get back to the gym. 

{lent; negative self talk}

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Fat Tuesday! The hubs and I were pillow-deep in tissues and sick day sniffles, so I took it easy on cooking. {Which is a bummer because I was looking forward to making some amazing Emeril something-or-other full of okra and creole spice...} We had takeout.

So, since it's the first Friday of Lent I thought I'd figure out what my plans were for the next 40 days. 

I grew up in a fairly Lent observant house. Macaroni and Cheese and fish on Fridays... gave something up... went to church. The older I've gotten, I've become less of a churchgoer, but I like to think I still maintain traditions and observations. Every year at Lent, I evaluate what I could stand to sacrifice and what I could stand to improve upon. 

A few years ago, I stopped giving up chocolate or swearing or... {I felt like a little kid back in the confessional trying to come up with something bad, rather than an adult making a meaningful commitment} and started to come up with something that I could do a better job of in order to make myself the best I could be. 

This year's commitment is getting rid of negative self talk. I have a lot of ideas of what I would like to do within my career, personal life, and mommyhood and often talk myself out of them. I let myself think that things are "too hard" before I really give it a go and end up falling short of my potential. It's not good for anyone. 

So, my Lenten challenge to myself- and everyone out there- is to give up on the negativity. So often we miss opportunities and fall short simply because we talk ourselves out of it. If we all lived up to our potential, and gave 100%, imagine how awesome things could be.

Good luck!

Positive thinking also helps with stress management...

{Cycle for Survival 2014; quick NYC trip}

The "Shore Girls" 2014

This past weekend was my Cycle for Survival ride in NYC. Just like last year, it was an amazing experience- a room filled with enthusiasm, inspiration, and the most amazing energy you could ever experience. This year was different though, because of who I got to ride with. It was the first year since her diagnosis and treatment that my cousin was able to ride as a Survivor... being a part of her victory ride was pretty beautiful {even though she may say otherwise due to her hate of sweating in public}. I could not have been more proud to be there, and I am already looking forward to next year. 

I also got to stroll through the city for the first time in a long time... I haven't been up to New York in a while. In fact, I may not have been up since last year's ride. My hubs and I had planned a date day in the city last summer, but that day ended up being far from what we had planned {more on that another time}. It was nice to walk the city streets and remember just how awesome New York is. 

I got to grab lunch at the Kati Roll Company... it was recommended by one of the docs I work with, and I will definitely be stopping there again... Quick, delicious, simple, homemade Indian street food. {YUM!} My only regret is not getting more than one roll. 

{more snow; pretend summer picnic}

Love my grill pan. 

So, for anyone who lives in the Northeast... or along the East Coast in general, we're getting more wintery weather. {I think we should just move the Winter Olympics here...} No matter how much I try to enjoy the winter wonderland I'm surrounded by, I can't help but crave Spring, and the sunshine days of Summer. 

Last night, as we buckled down in anticipation of an expected 6-10 or 12, or 18 inches of snow {I love weather forecasts}, I decided we were going to at least pretend it was warm, bright and sunny... I could almost smell the sunscreen!

It was just me and Ben, since my hubs had to work last night... so I left the menu up to him. Not surprisingly, he chose hotdogs. So, we stopped at the store on the way home from school and picked up some Boars Head (Lite) hotdogs, and shredded cabbage for coleslaw.

Immediately upon walking through the door, we changed into our snuggle clothes {pjs by another name, because to a 2 year old, the idea of changing into pajamas at 5pm is meltdown material}, and fired up the grill pan. 

Pretty soon, we had dished up hot dogs, coleslaw, baked beans and sliced strawberries, and headed to the basement to snuggle up and think warm thoughts...

Believe it or not, it worked! We managed to keep the winter glum at bay {something about the bright flavor of a strawberry just makes everything better}. We even abstained from watching the Winter Olympics for the first night since they started... {because there's no snow when its warm.}

So far we've gotten 10 inches of the white stuff at our house... with more coming, I think... or maybe now it's just ice.

I hope that everyone is safe and warm! I think we're going to go play!

How awesome does this look?? 
I cannot wait to wear sundresses again!! This one is gorgeous! ...I really like this one, too.

{hot tea, cozy blankets, chick flicks; sick day}

For the past week, I've been fighting the good fight against a persistent cold... up until last night, I thought I was winning. 

After drinking countless mugs of hot tea, cups of orange juice, and as much water as I could stand- some even mixed with Emergen C to amp up my efforts- I was down for the count. 

Of course, as would only be appropriate at such times, tonight begins a three-night stretch of work for me. SO, I have taken today as a sick day... I am hoping that if I get extra sleep, laze around, and drink even more fluids, I will have the energy and health to make it through. 

Who could possibly feel crummy with a "puppy" like this to cuddle up with?!? {she snores}

My chick flick pick {say that 5 times fast!} was The Switch... very cute; a good standard romantic comedy. I loved Jennifer Aniston's apartment in the latter part of the movie... I typically love her characters' style... 

Does anyone want to make me a heaping bowl of chicken soup? ...It looks amazing... 
... This looks even better, though... Why do I always crave spicy chinese take out when I'm sick? {maybe its because someone else does the cooking and cleaning?}

{menu planning; i survived the grocery store on a saturday}

Happy Saturday! My morning started peacefully... surfing the web at 3am, and reading blogs. {Working nights leads to some odd sleep patterns}. 

At around 530, I decided that I should just give up, and get out of bed to begin my weekly ritual of menu planning and grocery list making. 

I like to cook- unless I am overtired and don't feel like it that day- and I try to make sure that the three of us are eating well. Most of all, I try to make sure that every day, we sit down as a family and have dinner together- especially now that Ben is talking about his day at school, which I do not want to miss a word of- and its nice to know that every night, no matter what our schedules are like, we have at least 10 minutes to eat together. 

Over the last few years, I've gradually come up with a system for meal planning. It has helped reduce my trips to the grocery store- I hate shopping- has made it easier and quicker to cook- because I always have a game plan- and saves some money. 

Our menu for this week-or-so. It's a busy one. This week's planning/shopping was a little heavier duty because of the Super Bowl Party we're having tomorrow night- read, we're having friends over, none of us watch football, so we'll be watching the commercials, eating and playing with our kids. 

Here's how my menu plans typically go:
Monday- meatless
Tuesday- beef
Wednesday- chicken
Thursday- fish
Friday- something fun {pizza, dressed-up hot dogs, etc.}
Saturday- something that I can spend some extra time on
Sunday- family dinner, something that tastes "homey" {meatloaf, roasted chicken, etc}

I start by writing down basic scheduling events that affect mealtimes on a blank menu page. {Ben being at school means I don't have to worry about his breakfast and lunch; me working two nights in a row means the second night needs to be a quickie meal, etc}. Keeping that close at hand, I start to scour my book of favorite recipes {happily stored in a pretty binder, like this blue one}, my Pinterest boards, email, CookingLight and the internet at large for ideas... sometimes, I just make it up. 

The biggest challenge for me is keeping it interesting. Too much of the same cuisine gets old- fast. {which leads to wasted food, and more money spent on take-out}. I like to eat- and cook- Indian, Italian, Chinese, Thai, American, German, Polish, Mexican, Greek, and more! So, I do my best to make a menu plan that allows us to enjoy some variety every week. I try a lot of new recipes, and if they work well, they get printed and added to my pretty binder. 

Keeping tomorrow a secret, the menu for next week is:
Monday- vegetable empanadas and side salad
Tuesday- chicken curry, roasted cauliflower, rice
Wednesday- crockpot pulled BBQ chicken, beans, coleslaw-type-salad
Thursday- Tilapia with pineapple salsa and broccoli
Friday- stuffed cabbage soup
Saturday- take-out/leftovers
Sunday- Wegmans Spicy Orange Chicken

This week is really screwy due to me working Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights... oh well.

Having gotten the meals planned, the next task was to get the shopping done- no easy feat with a toddler in tow on a Saturday afternoon. I had visions of my hubs and I splitting the list, playing with Ben and conquering the store with grace and efficiency... {HAH} Instead, I shopped and the boys went outside and played. 

It worked well- Ben didn't have a meltdown in the store, and I didn't have to unpack the car.

Then, we got naptime! ...and I played around on my computer...

I love this car...

Eeeek!! I missed my nap opportunity... time for some coffee...

{cereal for dinner}

Happy Friday!!

Growing up, I remember Friday nights being filled with pizza and a movie... or a low-key meal and TGIF {Full House, Family Matters and Step-by-Step} on tv. 

When I got older, I started going out with my friends or boyfriend on Friday nights... In college, Friday nights meant parties or more nights out. I started working nights/weekends, but the goal was usually to get the night off so that I could go out and have fun. 

In the past few years though, I've started to re-learn the value and fun of a low-key Friday night. Even though I don't work Monday- Friday anymore, Friday night seems to be a natural lull night... a night to unwind from the week, take it easy, change into pj's and start spending quality time with my little family.  

No crazy gourmet meals, no long lines at restaurants {Friday is made for pizza, quick fixes, and take out}. Or, you could choose- read, adorably and persistently demand- to have cereal for dinner, like Ben did tonight.  I can't think of a better ending to the week!

{That is, unless I got to have this Friday Night! ...I love this video} 

{happy humpday}

Happy Humpday! 

IT IS SO COLD! This Polar Vortex nonsense with non-stop snow and perpetual freeze is really starting to get to me. 

Sure, there are good things about cold weather... I get to wear fuzzy socks; burrow into my cozy (synthetic) down comforter; wear fun, chunky scarves; curl up with hot tea; and enjoy one glorious day of sledding/snowman making/playing in snow.

BUT... enjoying the cool air is what fall is for... and snow is really only fun the first time of the season, when you don't have to shovel it or drive in it, and can really enjoy the look and fun of it. {Can you tell the awe of the first snow has worn off?} 

In celebration of a Happy Humpday this week, I thought I'd share my warm thoughts/dreams of summer and warm sunshine to help us all defrost... grab a beach chair!

Royal Caribbean Cruise to Bahamas with my mom: 2006

Not pictured: our crazy attempt at jet skiing with me in control... which I definitely did not have the experience or upper body strength to do without being happily terrified the whole time. We saw a ton of starfish, soaked up the sun in style, and did something new- It was a great trip!!

Ben at Siesta Key Beach, Florida

My favorite beach, and one of my favorite photos... To think, I used to live within 30 minutes of a beach that has made the Best Beaches list more than once... Sand like powdered sugar, sunshine, warm blue-green water... Mmmm... It was awesome to watch him take it all in and enjoy splashing around in the same water I grew up in!

I'm feeling warmer already... :-)

...If you have to return to a cold, snowy reality, here are some fun things I found to make it more enjoyable!

The must-have snowman kit... we have yet to bust ours out of the package!

My favorite Christmas present this year.... My manatea... Fred helps me enjoy my tea with a smile :-)

Slippers... really awesomely warm, soft, cozy slippers. I wear mine all the time!