Three Book Reviews

Hi! I've mostly been spending time with this little bug. She is already a month old and we're just loving her to pieces!! I have been doing a bit of reading though, so here are a few reviews!

Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block was a great read! We have been very much using the practices he preaches, which are pretty much the 5 S's: Swaddling, Side/stomach, Shhhhhing, Swinging and Sucking - in that order - to get and keep your baby calm. Beckett LOVES the 5 S's, and the book had lots of tips on how to get the most out of the swing, how to use motion to calm your baby and the top 10 ways you can imitate your uterus (as that's really what it's all about - making them feel like they're still in the womb so it's not so shocking to be out this quiet, still world - it's not what they're used to. Anyway, great book! I'd say 4 out of 5. I only didn't give it a 5 because, for me, all of the historical look backs and views into other cultures was kind of lost on me - I didn't need to be 'sold' on the 5 S's, I just needed to know what they were and how to best implement them!

Rachel Schurig's Three Girls and a Baby was a free Amazon prime book on my kindle. I figured why not? I wanted something to read in the dark during my middle of the night pump sessions! This book was about Ginny and her two roommates. Ginny found out she was unexpectedly pregnant. It was a cute book in terms of the girls' friendship, the look back between the present and how her and her ex-boyfriend/baby daddy broke up/why/etc., and I flew right through it. I liked how the chapters were set up and began with little blurbs from a pregnancy book - it helped move the story along and set up each chapter. All in all, cute chick lit and i'd recommend it as a great, easy beach read! 4/5!

Rachel Schurgi's Three Girls and a Wedding is the second book (of 3) in this installment. I didn't know there were 3, but it was another free Amazon prime book (they did the full set for free!) so I got it and quickly got to reading it being that I was already so familiar with the characters. I liked it because I got to see how things turned out with Ginny from the previous book, but this book focused on Jenn, one of her roommates, and her job, how she found her boyfriend, etc. It was super cute, too, and had a little surprise story to it as well. Another great chick lit book - 4/5 again!

I'm now reading, wait for it and be surprised, Rachel Schurig's Three Girls and a Leading Man, the third book of 3 which focuses on the third roommate, Annie, and again, you get to see how things turned out with Jenn and Ginny - which is fun!

I'm feeling guilty because I have SO many printed books in my house that I've yet to read, but i'm finding the Kindle SUPER handy to read with, especially since my hands are a bit more full lately. Anyway, not sure what i'm going to read next - definitely open to Kindle recos though (especially the free ones!).

Hope you're all having Happy Sundays and enjoying springing forward!!

My Maternity Essentials: Clothing, Medicine, Sustenance, Resources & Comfort

I've found there were a lot of things I needed (some I didn't know about!), and lot of things I thought I needed that I honestly didn't. Before Beckett arrives, I wanted to take some time to post this in case it helps someone else - here goes - my 5 Maternity Essentials:

1. Clothing: My Approach . . . 

• I chose a palette focused on gray and black to keep it simple. 
• My favorite brands were Pea in the Pod, Gap Maternity, and Motherhood Maternity. Pea in the Pod fit the best, but was pricey. Gap fit pretty well, too, and was middle-of-the-road price-wise but some of their sales made them the BEST, and Motherhood was good for basics and was the least expensive. (I got Motherhood stuff at Macy's and at Destination Maternity).
• Definitely think texture: super soft materials; fit: comfortable/on the looser side/longer tops to go over leggings/definitely don't do 'tent tops' - make sure they fit along the belly so it's clear you're pregnant!, and quality: think high-quality/thicker (no see through or your belly panels or belly button will show!). 
• I personally wore my non-maternity clothes as long as I could, especially babydoll dresses and tops and pants from when my weight was 'up.' 
• Everyone is different, but I vowed to be cozy and was pretty much in all maternity clothes by 16 weeks. So, 24 weeks in maternity clothes pregnant, and from what I hear, you need maternity clothes after baby, too, while your body gets back to normal.
• I designated a 'maternity section' in my closet to avoid crying every day because nothing fit. As things get too small, I moved them to another area of the closet and bought as needed. Here is a snapshot of my maternity section as of today:

What's Fitting Today: dresses on left; leggings/tights/pants in middle; then tops; then all of the Zara vests/outwear! I also recommend a 'maternity drawer' for your underwear, bras and PJs for the same reason -  so it's separated from the 95% of your things that no longer fit!

Looking back, this was what I needed/would recommend:

Bottoms
- 2-3 pairs of black pants (bootcut trouser pant; skinny leg twill pant; get twill pants in 2 sizes); Gap & Motherhood
- 1 pair of gray trouser pants (to alternate); Motherhood
- 1 pair of stretchy skinny jeans you love that you can grow into; Pea in the Pod
- 1 pair black tights; 1 pair gray tights; 2 pair black leggings; 1 pair gray leggings; Gap tights and Pea in the Pod leggings

Pea in the Pod Leggings - they ran a buy one get one free so I got black and gray!

Black Gap pants; skinny twill

Tops

- 2 solid 3/4 length shirts: 1 black and 1 gray; Pea in the Pod
- 3 printed 3/4 length shirts: stripes in blacks, grays and color pop; Pea in the Pod
- 2 sweaters; Gap/Motherhood
- 2 tops for work (dressier; blousey)

Got 5 of  these shirts from Pea in the Pod  - they fit GREAT and were easy to dress up or down

Nicer work top to weare wtih black trouser pants; Motherhood

Dresses/Tunics
- 7 - 8 dresses (think solid black, solid gray, a couple of other solids in favorite colors and a few printed dresses to mix it up); Gap, Pea in the Pod & Motherhood
- 3-4 tunics (to go over leggings - think solid black, solid gray and a couple of prints); I also wore the leggings a lot on the weekends!

This Gap dress was originally $60; I loved it and bought 1 on sale for $45. Then it went to $16... I then bought  4 more to give me 2 Gray ones (size S and M); 2 Black ones (size S and M) and 1 Red one; wore to work and to holiday parties/showers

Gap; got this in 2 colors for work and weekends

Underwear; Loungewear

- maternity underwear (normal underwear truly didn't feel right, especially by the third trimester); Motherhood and Pea in the Pod
- Bigger bras (thankfully I borrowed from my sis; I went up a cup size)
- 2-3 maternity night gowns to grow into; Motherhood
- 2-3 pair maternity lounge pants in black and/or gray; Gap
- 4-5 maternity long sleep shirts; Motherhood
- A neutral-colored robe (non-maternity - you'll want this for lounging and, from what I hear, later at the hospital!)

Most cozy Gap pants ever; I will wear these after pregnancy!

Outerwear/Shoes
- Non-maternity knits - 4-5 sweater vests and cardigans from Zara that fit over everything throughout my entire pregnancy
- 1 coat
- 1-2 pairs of black and/or gray slip-on flats (you won't be able to do heels in the third trimester! I found Born to be a super comfortable brand); make sure to have flipflops and slippers, too - think slip-on/easy

Not me - only pic of the Zara vest I could find online! I have this in black, tan and gray (on sale for $10 each); I also got a long-sleeved gray one as well as a tan/non-hooded one - wore them the entire pregnancy - belly just popped out!

These  Shoes - but in black of course. They're cozy, stretched but kept shape and will (hopefully) be worn post-baby, too!

Other

- I had some great friends who loaned me their maternity clothes! I used their basics where I could, and mixed in their "fun stuff" with my basic wardrobe above. Definitely take the loan if it's offered - I can't thank them enough!

A borrowed top from Karly!

- GOOD sale stuff (e.g., I snagged a pair of Gap teal cords for $14 - wore them with the aforementioned black clothing) For stuff like this, I wouldn't pay the retail $60, BUT for crazy cheap it can be a fun addition to the maternity wardrobe, especially if you have parties or showers you want something different for. I wore these to work on Fridays, too!

2. Medicine Cabinet. No, you don't need a lot of medicine because you can't take a lot of medicine whilst preggo! However, these were things I used, especially towards the end:

• TUMs + Zantac; my heartburn was BAD towards the end (think being awoken from sleep to throw up); Zantac before dinner and 2 Tums after made this MUCH better
• Tylenol: I never took more than one a day, but headaches got back in the second trimester, and lower back pain got bad in the last weeks so it came in handy.
• Prenatal vitamins: Duh, take one every day. Have your doctor call in a prescription (better medicine and way cheaper than the storebought ones; also ask for samples so you can see which you like best; and remember, you take them afterwards too, especially if you're breastfeeding). 
• FiberOne: Do yourself a favor and stay regular - there is enough stomach pain going on without this problem, too!
• Not to be TMI, but also make sure to stock up on liners (ya know) and Goldbond medicated baby powder (for real; especially if you don't wear maternity underwear at first, or if your maternity tights are too big at first, or... well...the list goes on... you'll thank me). 

3. Sustenance. For me, every day was different. Meal planning didn't work well as I wouldn't want the food I made - appetite was way too  unpredictable. BUT, there were some things I needed/wanted/had to have on hand at all times:

• Fruit: specifically the pineappple/strawberry/kiwi pre-cut bucket 
• OJ: had never been a fan but I craved it and my iron was a bit low so I always took iron with it. Also good if you haven't felt baby kick; take OJ, wait 30 minutes, lay on left side and there she goes!
• Milk: again, had never been a fan, but during pregnancy I had 1 - 2 glasses a day, especially in the morning and at night (soothed my tummy)
• Cheese & Crackers: thin crisp deli crackers and deli baby swiss - amazing snack and always good and filling
• Clif bars: I ate a clif bar every day on the way into work with a big glass of milk; there was no way I could make it to breakfast, and yet didn't want 'breakfast food' at 6 a.m. - so this was perfect.
• Water: TONS of water; invest in a CamelBak if you don't already have one, and consider having water bottles on hand. I would go shopping and bring 3 water bottles with me and drink. them. all.
• Chocolates: After meals I would crave something sweet. Having little Dove chocolates on hand  helped a lot (probably saved me a ton of sugar - could have eaten a whole piece of cake had it been available!) It was also nice to have frozen yogurt or ice cream around - great nighttime, you-made-it-through-the-work-day treat!
• Cravings: Everyone has them, mine were definitely: all things Italian/tomato-based (pizza, tomato soup, spaghetti); Mexican (chicken tortilla soup; enchiladas); Asian (fried rice; egg-drop soup); sandwiches (clubs, grilled cheeses; you name it!). Just avoid buying in bulk or making big batches of a food - you may not want it the next day!

4. Resources. I know books aren't for everyone, but I really enjoyed having some on hand, and can't thank my sis enough for the loan on several! Here were my favorite resources:

All about Pregnancy

- Your Pregnancy Week by Week - liked having the option to see each week vs. month - was fun to follow along and learn about my baby and body each week. (linked to the older version I had)

- What to Expect When You're Expecting - good 'baseline' book - learned a lot from it. Some say it freaks them out, but I liked the index and found the detailed knowledge comforting! (linked to the older version I had)

- The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy - definitely nothing 'new' than the above, but very funny, real and just keeps it light. Good to read early on IMO.

- Online: Join BabyCenter - nice to get the weekly emails and see the forums and what not.

If you only want to buy one: Get the Week by Week

Naming Your Baby

- Baby Wizard - very organized; will come in handy for siblings as it recommends 'brother' and 'sister' names; is categorized well into categories like 'Antique Classics' and what not; found Beckett's name in this book!

- Cool Names - 

- Blog: Swistle Baby Names

If you only want to buy one: Get Baby Wizard

Preparing for Your Baby

- What to Expect the First Year - VERY detailed; am enjoying the month to month snapshot

- Baby Owner's Manual - got this for Austin; cute, good overview/baseline

- On Becoming Baby Wise - all about scheduling/parent-directed feeding (not for everyone!; linked to my review!)

- Happiest Baby on the Block - almost done; all about techniques to soothe your baby

- New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding - name speaks for itself. (linked to my review!

If you only buy one: Too soon to say! I'll let ya know which is the most beneficial here in a few months. :)

Other than the books and sites above, I took an online breastfeeding course through my hospital, and me and Austin took an in-person Newborn Essentials course through my OBGYN. Both were beneficial! I also received great tips, potential schedules, etc. from my sister and friends which were invaluable. Lastly, we're having Moms on Call come out to our home after a week. From their site, the focus during the consult (and additional help afterwards is on: 

• Sleeping from 9 pm to 6 am with one 30 minute feeding in the middle of the night 
• Feeding instructions that help to naturally regulate the GI system (great for GI reflux!) 
• Personalizing daytime routines and napping guidelines 
• Establishing a better understanding of baby behavior especially as it pertains to fussiness and crying
• Essential basic care from bathing to nail-clipping 
• Illness guidelines 
• Time saving tips to help families sleep, feed, laugh and love being together

I've heard amazing things about them from so many friends I trust, and can't wait to have them out. The consult comes with a book as well that I'm sure will come in handy (also comes with their swaddle blanket, and 6 months of unlimited email correspondence).

5. Comfort. No, you don't need these things, but OMG did I love them.

• Pedicures: About once a month i'd go during my lunch break for a pedicure - great on the feet and lord knows towards the end I couldn't have painted my toes if i'd wanted to.
• Chiropractor Adjustments: I would get SO misaligned, my appointments were twice as long as normal and I always felt better when I left.
• Prenatal Massage: I tried for every 3 weeks beginning at 20 weeks. Between the extra weight and general discomfort, it felt great to do something for myself and Beckett LOVED them - she moved more during my massages than any other time!
• Heat: I used this Brookstone heat/massage chair Austin had gotten me years ago - definitely needed heat on my lower back, especially in the last weeks. A heating pad would totally work.
• I also did a few accupuncture treatments and got a few foot massages - both were well worth it, but the above was the trifecta of comfort for me!

What I did NOT need:

• swimsuit (pregnant May - February; wore mine until then)
• different socks or shoes (wore mine until the end; did get a pair of black Born flats and wore those almost every day, especially towards the end)
• skirts (I preferred pants or dresses; skirts just seemed like too much trouble and tops looked weird with them)
• activewear (just wore bigger t-shirts over the same shorts; if anything go up a size in shorts)
• button-down shirts or twin sets (I was told to get these and am glad I didn't - no patience for buttons and twin sets, I feel, would have been too limited)
• a maternity/body pillow (my sis loaned me her Snoogle pillow and honestly, I just couldn't get it to work for me; the dogs were scared of it and I had a hard time getting it under the covers!)
• shapers (I had no desire to be 'shaped' or where anything that required a shaper underneath!)
• stretchmark creams and oils (I was wary of these, didn't use them, and didn't get marks; I hear you either get them or you don't and it has nothing to do with cream so I just threw caution to the wind!)
• morning sickness pops, bands, etc. (thankfully, this didn't ail me much therefore I didn't need it)
• a fetal doppler (I relied on counting kicks vs. listening to a heartbeat; I worry if i'd had that I would have been hooked up 24/7 and freaking out if i'd done it wrong)

I hope this compilation helps! And yes, I'm sure some women do fine with much less (and some may need much more!), but this was, here at the end of my pregnancy, what I feel I needed/wanted/loved having! 

Q: What are a few of your maternity must-haves? Did I forget anything?

Q: Anything you got that you didn't need? Or something you wish you'd gotten sooner?

The Swelling Will Go Down, Right? Right?

My Weekend, in a Nutshell:

Uniform: Nightgown & robe; Company: Puppers (and Austin of course); Activity: Getting my  Friday night swollen manatee feet to shrink down to normal

So... I had noticed on Wednesday that the feet and ankles were looking mighty swollen. By Thursday, it was clear they were, so I started elevating my feet at work and staying off of them. Still pretty swollen. Friday, I had a work event that my team manages. Typically in years past, i'm running around backstage with a headset on. This year, our venue (the Georgia World Congress Center) was much more organized and, thanks to one of my amazing and thoughtful team members, I was able to sit down for the most part (outside of the multiple bathroom trips, trips to the water cooler, and the 1/2 mile walk to/from the parking deck before and after the event). Between the bit of walking I had to do to get from place to place, the short visit to the networking reception, and a post-event team celebration at Biergarten, by the time I got home around 9 p.m. my feet were HUGE. Like scary big. I kind of freaked (so did Austin!) and vowed to stay off my feet all weekend and passed out!

Saturday I slept in until 7 or so and had a day of rest! I stayed propped up, only moving around to do laundry, and drank tons of water. I read half of On Becoming Baby Wise, and me and Austin caught up on our TV - Castle, The Good Wife, Shark Tank, etc. We also attempted to watch a couple of movies - none very good. My foot went down considerably - yay! I have ankles!

Sunday was very similar, although I was a bit more active. We sorted our paint, getting ready for the painters who come Thursday (yay!), and I finished On Becoming Baby Wise.

This book focused on Parent-Directed Feeding (or PDF), and how to get your baby on a schedule to give your baby and the family a good night's sleep. They went over multiple benefits. I like this book because it's somewhere in between hyperscheduling (clock-focus only) and on-demand feeding (baby cue-focus only). It takes into account both, as well as the context and allows parents to make the best assessment for the baby, while keeping in mind baby's need for food, mom's need to produce milk, etc. I won't be following it to a T or anything, but I definitely appreciated its 4 Babywise Phases, the sample schedule, ideas for waketime activities for infant and very clear 'healthy growth indicators' for each week of baby's life to ensure they're getting enough food. Definitely don't read this book if you want casual language, a cutsie/humerous voice, etc. It reads as though it was a Thesis turned into a book (I actually so think it was just because of how they're saying things like read the chart below or above when it's really on the right or left). The language is direct and it's very text book.

Austin went to the grocery store and dropped off a big donation at Goodwill (my purging has been going well!), and when he got back I made two new recipes - one in the crockpot, Crockpot Chicken & Wild Rice, and one on the stove/in the oven, Four-Cheese Spaghetti Pie. I'll post them both this week!

Q: What was the highlight of your weekend? Mine was definitely rest - I slept 8 - 9 hours each night, took naps, I just really felt like I took care of myself to get that swelling down. I also drank TONS of water (like more than the usual TON of water. :) ) I'd have to say preparing for Beckett and reading books like this is also a big highlight. I have so much to learn, but really feel more confident every day, and more excited for her arrival!!

First 2013 Weekend

Happy Monday! I hope you're having good ones. I'm trying to stay positive but am SO tired - it's getting harder and harder to make it through a full day! Especially after my super relaxing weekend, which I pretty much spent in this Maternity Uniform:

Stretchy 3/4 length shirt; huge cozy hooded sweater; stretchy knit pants with high maternity belly;  flats with no socks; no jewelry; extra ponytail holders

Friday we went over to Lincoln and Shana's for game night! We ended up chatting and catching up way more than game playing, but we did get in a few rounds of Catch Phrase - love that game.

Saturday I slept in and then just ran errands - got my oil changed at my dealership, got a piece to Austin's cupholder at his dealership, made a grocery list, had lunch at Pur Taqueria, then went home for a three-hour nap. Amazing. Then we just had a light dinner, watched some Luther episodes (great BBC show available on NetFlix and Amazon Prime!) and called it a night.

Sunday I slept in (again!) and just bummed around the house reading Beckett-preparedness books! I finished The New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding, and ended up taking about 10 pages of notes which will become my 'handy guide' - there is SO much that goes into it. I can't imagine doing it without having read this and taking that online course through my hospital. It's definitely making me feel more comfortable with the idea, the process, etc. I hope it works out as I really hope to breastfeed for as long as possible! Around 4, I finally ventured out to the grocery store, but that was about it! Then just more Luther - up to Season 2 now! (man - my life is WILD haha).

Outside of all the resting, I do feel like I made some progress toward my monthly goals! Obviously, I read the book - yay! And, I identified and healthified the two new recipes I plan to make next week, started the second book, and we have three painters coming out this week to quote - hopefully we'll paint next week!

Q: We're one week into the New year, how's yours going so far?! I've honestly been tired, like woken up tired, every day this year (boo) - but, being in 2013 means I'm that much closer to meeting Beckett so bring it on!

I'm Here; 5 Book Reviews!

So I fell off the face of the earth again - oops! Things just got SUPER busy again with work and then, honestly, on the weekends I've been COMPLETELY unplugging. No blogging, no blog reading, hardly any email checking - just complete chilling! I had a fun book club dinner, lots of fun family time at home, took a couple of personal days from work to catch up on sleep, Austin's garden is thriving, the workouts are going well, and I've been doing a ton of home organization (as always). Really though, I feel like I've just been burning myself out, then recovering. Highs and lows. One extreme to the next. I'm DEFINITELY ready for a new normal (as work has now been this way for a year), but until then, and as much as I hate this saying, I suppose it is what it is as I love what I do and know that it will improve! I do have lots of book reviews to share - 5 in fact. Reading has been a great chill activity, although sadly some of these books were read in May and i'm just getting around to reviewing. SIGH. Here goes...

So Pretty It Hurts was a great treadmill read! I typically average about 60 pages/3 miles so I can read it in about a week of workouts which is nice. It focused on a mystery where a model was found dead. Who killed her? Why? It occurred during a weekend getaway so it was very whodunit. I normally LOVE the mysteries in this series, however, I thought this was kind of wah wah. I give it a 3/5. Normally, when she is risking her life for a mystery it doesn't seem like too much of a risk. This time I got very "DON'T GO THERE BY YOURSELF, SILLY!" which I find annoying. Also, a lot of the book seemed filled up a by a side story not related to the mystery that I really didn't care for. I'll definitely give the next one a try, but this one wasn't a favorite.

I read these three in Mexico. First, A Friend of the Family was a very interesting book. I couldn't figure out where it was going. It jumped around a good bit, focusing on a father whose life had fallen apart. You don't know why though - did he cheat on his wife? Her on him? What about his son? Who was this neighbor girl and what happened?! It definitely kept my interest as the beginning of the book was the end so it was great to 'get back there' and figure out how he ended up there. It felt real- I could see myself making the same choices he did and being blindsided by the results. It kept me engaged, but the ending was a bit disappointing. I felt like it wouldn't have gone down that way and I honestly felt sorry for the main character. :( I give it a 3.5/5.

Don't Breathe a Word was awesome. It was going back and forth in time from different perspectives, focused on the disappearance of a little girl in the woods behind her house 'to the land of fairies.' There was a lot of creepiness - what are 'the fairies'? Why are the town's children so afraid of them? What happened to the girl? What happened to her dad? What will happen to the present-day characters who are trying to find out what happened? I was very invested in this book and, while it took me a minute to figure out what exactly happened there, it was good, different, surprising and suspenseful. I give it a 4/5.

Fifty Shades of Grey was a bit of a boy meets girl in a kinky S&M dream/nightmare. Very strange. Never have I had to stop reading a book to google words like 'Butt Plug' but hey, it was all the rage so me and my book club were like why not? Needless to say, our book club meeting on the topic was hilarious as we were all pretty clueless on some of the 'toys.' I will say I was most interested in why the character of Christian ended up this way, and it was also kind of  interesting to see how she went from being this seemingly normal girl into a relationship with her role as a Subordinate. I have no other 'erotica' books to compare it, too, and will say that the writing got tired (if she mentioned her 'inner goddess' one more time I was going to be pissed), but it was a decent story and definitely different than anything i'd read before. I give it a 3/5. 

Something Blue was a reread from back before I started the blog, probably '07 if I had to guess as I believe I read it during my engagement, along with the prior book in this story line Something Borrowed. While Something Borrowed was definitely my favorite, and the movie was cute, too, I LOVED a second book told from a different perspective. The WHOLE time I read Something Borrowed I was dying to know what Darcy was thinking, what she was doing, etc., after she found out her best friend and fiance were sleeping together. To be able to pick up a book beginning with that, see her turn her life around, see her give birth and become a better person - well, I just loved it. It was such a 'feel good' book and I love how optimistic the ending was about the friendship between her and her best friend. I read this on the treadmill, too, and was just reminded of how much I love Emily Giffin's books - now I want to reread them all - this one, like the one before if a 5/5 for me. I just can't get enough of Emily Giffin's books!

So that's that - 5 book reviews. It's a shame only 2/5 were 4+ ratings but I'm always looking for books to love and unfortunately you don't always know until it's over! I'm now reading Shades of Grey II and Giffin's Baby Proof (re-read).

Q: What are you reading? Read any of the above?

Settlers of Catan, Wonderful Easter Weekend, Book Review

Happy Easter & Passover! We just got back home and unpacked - we were at Austin's aunt and uncle's farm in Macon, Ga., for Easter. There were 26 of us there - crazy! Great weather, enjoyed  the sun by the pool, having a few beers, playing The Setttlers of Catan, eating (way. too. much), celebrating Austin's mom's milestone birthday, watching the Masters's, eating more, having a couple of glasses of wine, reading Christos Tsiolkas' The Slap, talking about Hunger Games with the cousins, eating more, comparing workouts with Austin's dad (he's a big fan of walking planks), riding around in the many motorized vehicles from golf carts to 4 wheelers, discussing how my favorite Clueless actress feeds her baby food from her own mouth (why, Alicia?), eating more. Yes, you see the theme - lots of eating! Great time though. And seriously - this is the best game ever:

I want to play the Settlers of Catan again right now!!

Pics coming later! In the meantime, I DO have a book review of Heather Gudenkauf's These Things Hidden. I LOVED it. It was a story told from four women's perspectives. Two are sisters, who shared a secret that left one of them in prison. And the other two? We don't know even know how they fit in. I was interested immediately and flew through it - great book, lots of twists and surprises - my favorite! It was also really sad but only left a couple of things unanswered so that worked for me. I would definitely recommend it for a short, fast read that will make you shudder and keep you guessing! I give it a 4.5/5. It would have been a 5 if the character of Christopher had been developed more - it left me guessing too much!

This week should be pretty good - I have work (obviously), book club on Wednesday and then we leave Friday for Auburn for A-day!! Looking forward to seeing our friends and celebrating AU's team! AND i'm hoping to get in lots of workouts! This past week I did two-a-days on Monday and Tuesday, then worked out Wednesday - 5 workouts/3 days -but didn't do ANYTHING on Thursday - today. So i'm excited to get into the gym tomorrow morning - I plan to run and strength train!!

Q: What are you looking forward to this week?


Q: Ever played The Settlers of Catan? What is your favorite board game? I'd never even heard of the settlers of catan - but now I want to buy a copy! It was like a mash up of the best parts of monopoly, Pit and Chinese Checkers rolled into one awesome game! I'm such a dork!

What I'm Reading Wednesday!

Hola! Hope you're all having happy Wednesdays. Mine has been pretty good, beginning with a P90X arms and shoulder workout with my co-workers - woo! Then just work, work, work before heading out early for a doctor appointment and then heading home to the fam -not a bad day!

So yesterday at work I got back to my desk from a meeting and was greeted with a copy of Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. We have a teambuilding exercise coming up and my boss had left it there for reading material. Well, when I got home, I curled up in bed and thought i'd read a few pages and see what it was all about. Before I knew it, I was done. Great, short, impactful read! Basically, it tells the story of a new leader being brought into an organization that is desperately needing a more solid executive team. It walks through, mostly in first person, how she introduced the dysfunctions, ingrained them in the team and improved teamwork (sometimes in very 'wow' ways). It's not one of those - here are the 5 dysfunctions - go and prosper! Instead, it's a real-life look at how they work, how they can be applied, why they should be applied and more. For those, like me, who did want to know what they are, here they are:

1. Absence of Trust (invulnerability) - moving towards teams where people admit mistakes, ask for help, seek input, give others the benefit of the doubt and look forward to collaborating.
2. Fear of Conflict (artificial harmony) - moving towards solving problems and discussing critical problems - lively meetings with interesting conversations and shared perspectives.
3. Lack of Commitment (ambiguity) - moving towards a team with common objectives and clarity around priorities
4. Avoidance of Accountability (low standards) - holding people accountable; asking tough questions; ensuring that poor performers want to improve
5. Inattention to Results (status and ego) - moving towards a focus on collective results, rather than individual wins.

And a little image if you prefer it - can see how they build on each other:

source: tomorrowsreflection.com 

It covered why these are important, the benefits of employing them vs. the problems of not, how they interrelate and how to work towards avoiding them. All in all, I give this book a 5/5 - fresh perspective, interesting content, actionable, etc.!

Q: Do you have a favorite teambuilding, management or workplace book?!


Q: What's the best book you've read so far this year? This is only the second book i've read - eek! I haven't even reviewed the other - i'm so behind!

Book Review, Oven Dogs

I just realized I had not posted this recipe to my new, favorite, EASY kid-like food: Oven Dogs!

Oven Chili Dogs
Makes 4 Servings (8 hotdogs total)
Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen and Blog Chef

Nutritional Information: 446 calories, 53 carbs, 16 fat grams and 22 protein grams.

LOVED. I crave food like this, but don't give in. Now I can! If only I can figure out a way to get these into football games.... that's when I really crave them. LOL But really, great taste, not soggy at all, I loved how it cooked the hot dog in the bun - very tasty.

1 serving - 2 dogs!

The recipe is over at Healthfied Kitchen! I'm sorry it took so long to link over - oops!

So during my trip to N.C., in addition to visiting a lot, chilling a lot, sleeping in and eating a lot, I read a book! I hadn't read a book since September 2011's audio book! Seriously, it was so nice to relax and read. I I really enjoyed Susan Rebecca White’s A Soft Place to Land. It was about two sisters whose parents were killed in a plane crash. How did they deal with it? Place blame? Suffer together and move on together, and apart. It focused on Atlanta and San Francisco, so fun to read about those, and it also spanned many years so it was great to see how they ended up, how the tragedy impacted them and how it brought them together and pulled them apart. I read the book in two sittings – flew through it really. I couldn’t put it down, I cared about the sisters and I wanted them to be okay! It made me think a lot about families and how changes change you, and about me and my sister, growing up together, playing games together, going from being close to distant and back again. I give this book a 4/5 – it would have been a 5 if there had been a bit more surprises. The author told us a lot of the surprises up front; I would have preferred to discover them on my own. Also, at the end, a big surprise was revealed, but then it wasn’t fully explored which was disappointing. So all in all a great book – I laughed, I cried, and I felt like I knew the characters and cared about them!

Last night I didn't get in until about 11, so it was just a quick unpack and SLEEP. Today i'm just catching up on work, blogging, laundry, etc. - not a bad day!

Q: I'm going to cook today - any recipes I should make?! I can't WAIT to get in the kitchen - let me know what you recommend!


Q: Hotdogs - yay or nay? I love them - my favorite are Hebrew National fat-free, but I also like ballpark light for a little more calories/fill!

Book Review, The Secret Circle

Herro! Hope you're all having beautiful Saturdays! I slept in a bit and am now getting ready for a surprise massage from Austin. :) He booked me a massage and pedicure today - told me to take care of me - which of course just makes me love him even more. Before heading out, I wanted to post my book review for James Patterson's Cross Country. So, it held my interest, but not necessarily because I liked it but because I just really wanted to know what would happen next. The book took Alex Cross to Africa to find a "tiger" who brutally murdered his friend and her family. There were a few twists and turns but by then I didn't care - I was just like can you please stop putting yourself in extremely dangerous situations! It was like the girl in the horror movies that's always alone and running towards woods instead of civilization. I kept going no, no, no! Why??! So it was a bit frustrating needless to say. I found myself being more interested in the plight of those in Africa (the starvation, rapes, caves, etc.) - and then when it got to the story i'd be like oh yeah... whatever - go put yourself in harm's way again - go on. I guess I just felt that I went into it for a good Alex Cross mystery, but instead was faced with an education on the horrendous conditions in Africa. All in all, I give it a 2/5 - it just wasn't what it positioned itself as - boo.

Quick recap of yesterday: Short a.m. workout (1-mile run, .25-mile walk, 10-minute arc trainer, 10-minute abs); work, work, work then straight home to my family - yay! Early night, blogging, reading blogs, watching Felicity. I just love that show. I also got a chance to see The Secret Circle. Not my favorite, not my least favorite. I'll watch it a few more times but if I don't start caring about the characters a bit more i'll have to stop. Sigh, so far fall TV which I was so excited for has been somewhat of a letdown. I still have hope though!

K - heading out to my massage then home to relax, cook a few new recipes and read my book club book - can't wait!

Q: What are you cooking up this weekend?


Q: What are you reading now? Our book club is reading Saving Ceecee Honeycutt - I haven't gotten to start it yet - looking forward to it - have heard good things!

100-Calorie Pesto, Sundays at Tiffany's Review

Hello! I hope you all had a good Wednesday! Mine was pretty good and i'm working from home today so i'm already PUMPED about not commuting - yesssss. And I have a few things to share!

RECIPE: Yes, a Pesto!
As you guys know, Austin brought in a gallon of basil on Sunday which led to us making (and freezing!) a lot of pesto. Instead of making all classic pestos, we mixed it up and tried different ones! Here is one of the ones we made and LOVED.

Lemon Basil Almond Pesto
Adapted from Tastespace
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information (with Chicken & Pasta): 418 calories, 46 carbs, 11 fat grams and 36 protein grams.
Nutritional Information (pesto only): 94 calories, 4 carbs, 9 fat grams and 3 protein grams.

Awesome. I'm a huge fan of lemon and basil anyway, so knew this would be a favorite. I was intrigued at using the almonds instead of the pinenuts, but it gave it a sweeter, nuttier flavor. I liked it a lot! This was more of a lime green than a deep green, but of course I could have added more basil. That's kind of the beauty of making your own pesto - you can add more amounts of low-calorie or no-calorie ingredients like lemon juice and basil to make it your own. We tasted as we made it (with cooked noodles - just dipped them into the blender). So while this recipe worked for us you can always mix it up! Check out the recipe at  Healthified Kitchen!

BOOK REVIEW

So yesterday I finished James Patterson's Sundays at Tiffany's. You guys! It was so cute. I loved it. While it did have a little bit of mystery in it, it was very much a cute, chick lit story about a girl whose childhood imaginary friend revisits her later in life. It explores this girl's upbringing, relationship with her mother, occupation, etc., but of course it gets super cute/exciting when you learn about what she's been up to, what he is, and they're just so sweet together. I'm a huge fan and hope to see the Lifetime movie made from it - yes, it's that kind of book! I give it a 4.5/5 - great book for what it was - a cute chick lit book that still managed to have a few twists and enough intrigue to keep me engaged. Dare I say it was one of my favorite little books?! Great beach read, too!

Now I've started James Patterson's Cross Country - seems good so far!

Q: How was your Wednesday?!  Mine was pretty good - a trip to the gym before work, a trip to the library and Trader Joe's during lunch, and in PJs by 6 - yesssssss. We watched the King's Speech - pretty good!


Q: What are you up to today? I'm contemplating the gym, but mostly it's work, work, work, then more cooking of course. :)

Margarita Pasta, Book Review

Thanks for your sweet comments, you guys! I'm LOVING  my new clothes, this land of 'separates' is definitely more challenging than dresses, but i'm  having fun mixing everything up! Will post more pics soon! So my Tuesday was MUCH more relaxing than my insane Monday - YAY! I got up early again, but only had time to run 1 mile at 6.3, walk 1/4 mile at 4 mph, and do abs, biceps, triceps and shoulders. Then I worked, worked through lunch, worked more and headed straight home to the family. Me and Austin spent a good two hours hanging up stuff. Truly - we had one of those situations with frames, canvases, art, etc. just leaning against it's ultimate spot. No longer! Pics to come. :) Here's a few more updates!

New Recipe: Yes, still cooking up a storm - here's another new one we're enjoying!

Margarita Pasta
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Real Simple

Nutritional Information: 449 calories, 56 carbs, 15 fat grams and 23 protein grams.

What's not to like? I'm a  huge margarita pizza fan so I figured i'd be a fan of this! The pasta really gets a lot of flavor from the garlic mix, and the tomatoes came out super juicy and cheesy. We thought this one reheated well, too. This was also a 20 minutes or less recipe for sure - and another yummy meatless dish. The recipe is posted over at Healthified Kitchen!


Book Review

I finished James Patterson's audio book Swimsuit. It seemed like it was going to be about a model who was abducted while on a shoot in Hawaii. But then it got weird. And more weird. I ended up liking it a lot. Basically, not to give too much away, it ended up being told in part by the serial killer, and in part by an ex-cop, journalist who ended up being contacted by the killer to write his story. Crazy! I stayed very focused on this one, always good for an audio book, and definitely was paying attention for what would happen next. Pretty gruesome murders/rapes, and there were a few like 'no way he would do that' situations, but I listened intently and was pretty happy with the book, although it did leave a few questions unanswered. All in all? 4/5 for keeping me engaged, 3/5 for actual story once it came to a close.

Now I'm listening to James Patterson and Gabriel Charbonnet's Sundays at Tiffany's. I'm about halfway through it, and just googled it and found that it was made into a Lifetime movie in 2010 starring Alyssa Millano. I'm ABSOLUTELY going to watch this! hehe So far i'm loving the book - very cute and very not James Patterson mystery thriller!

I'm also enjoying my printed book, The Wrong Mother. It's super suspenseful. I haven't had as much time to read as I'd like, but hope to read and rest tomorrow evening (work from home = 1 hour to myself when not commuting!).

Q: What have you been cooking? 


Q: What have you been reading?


Q: Lifetime movies - yay or nay? I think they're great to watch on weekends whilst blogging, cleaning my closet or folding clothes! I can't sit and watch them straight, but they're fun to have on!

New Comfort Food Recipe, Book Review, Weekly Workouts

Happy Wednesday! SO GLAD it's almost the weekend - really, this week has been creeping by. Quick recap:

Sunday: no workout, LAZY day - felt good!
Monday: a.m. workout (ran a mile, walked a 1/4 mile, 10-minute stair climber and abs. Work. Lunch workout (walked 3.5 miles). Work. Home to the family!
Tuesday: a.m. workout (ran a mile, walked a 1/4 mile, 20 minutes spinning). Work. Lunch shopping trip (Macy's & Ann Taylor). Work. Home to family + True Blood!
Today: a.m. workout (strength training - biceps, triceps, shoulders and abs). That's it so far!

I DO have a recipe to share - AWESOME comfort food (so it's creamy pasta, naturally!):

Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
Makes 4 Servings; Total Time: 20 Minutes
Adapted from Slim Shoppin' and My Bizzy Kitchen

Nutritional Information: 455 calories, 52 carbs, 8 fat grams and 40 protein grams.

Crazy creamy - almost like an alfredo sauce but better. Great comfort food, great classic chicken dish - and super easy to put together. Austin said it was almost like an 'alfredo gravy' - yum. I've started adding total time, and this one was definitely ready in less than 20 minutes! The recipe is over at Healthified Kitchen!

I finished a book during my lunch workout yesterday, Jane Green's Dune Road. I enjoyed it! My favorite of hers? No, but definitely a good beach read and kept me interested as there were a lot of shady characters and it was told from their perspective, as well as the non-shady peep's perspectives. It was mostly about Kit, a divorced, single mom, learning how to co-parent with her ex-husband, Adam, while trying to date. She got a job with a famous writer who had a mysterious past. The story unfolds as it includes her friend's situation with her husband, a woman from her past, her estranged mother, etc. I liked it! I'd give it a 3.5/5 - great for keeping you engaged, interested in the plot, but a lot of repetitive writing (like OMG you TOLD us this already) and a couple of twists I saw coming - hate when that happens!

Q: Have you ever read any Jane Green books? If so, which is your favorite? I've read almost all of hers (my sister Devon got me hooked!) - my favorite is probably Straight Talking - I haven't read it in FOREVER though!


Q: What's your FAVORITE comfort food? Mine is creamy pasta. Truly. I almost said Mac & Cheese but that is just an example of creamy pasta. hehe I also go for potatoes and rice - carbs, carbs, carbs.


Q: Does it help you to have 'total time' for recipes? I'm going to try to add to the ones's I've posted! Let me know if there's anything else i'm not posting that would be helpful!

SOYJOY Daycation Giveaway Winner, Book Review

It's almost Friday and I'm SO READY for another relaxing weekend!! Quick recap: Wednesday was pretty standard - early morning workout - 1-mile run at 6.3, 1/4-mile walk at 4 mph, and 30-day shred. Then it was work, a farewell lunch at Brio for a co-worker, then more work. I had originally planned to spin after work but alas my stomach/cramps disagreed so I went home to my PJs, bed and pain relief meds - awesome! I DID get to have a nice dinner (the new Spicy Beef Lo Mein!) and a movie with Austin but that was that! I also remembered that I never shared my book review.

Dean Koontz's The Husband (audio) was about a nice, normal guy who owns a lawn service. One day he gets a call that a ransom call - his wife has been abducted and he's been framed for her murder if doesn't come up with way more money than he has. It begins quickly, kept me engaged with twists and turns and surprises, then slowed down considerably, and then the ending was a little underwhelming. So for me, it was a good book to listen to in the car, but it wasn't the best. I'd give it a 2.5/5.

I also haven't shared who won the SOYJOY summer daycation giveaway!

Random Number Generator says the winner is Heather at Where's the Beach! Thank you for participating and sharing what you would do with a free daycation, and stay tuned for another giveaway coming soon! :)


Q: What's your take on giveaways? Do you host them/participate in them? I think they're fun - I like to host them if they come up and make sense with my blog, me and you guys! Otherwise, I pass on them. Same really goes with participating - it's fun and if it makes sense why not! 


Q: Did anything exciting happen in your world today? Mine has been pretty good/standard, although I did hear from a dear friend I hadn't heard from in a long time, and enjoyed catching up with her! 

Book Review, From Napa to Atl

Before recapping our LAST day in Napa (boo!), I wanted to share a book review. I raced through this one during our trip - Emily Listfield's The Last Good Night. I thought it was a total page turner. It was about a female newscaster with a great job and happy home. However, she seemed to have a lot of image issues, which was interesting and made her very human. She also had a secret - and someone from her past shows up to expose it. So the story unfolds by giving a major glimpse into the good and bad of being in show business, as well as her past, how she got here, and what happened in her past that's threatening to ruin her present. Lots of twists and surprises - I really enjoyed it and give this one a 4.5/5 - great pace, suspense, and well edited, but to me there were a few parts that seemed to be added for sensationalism but just made me a little uncomfortable if that makes sense. Overall, a great vacation read that I would recommend!

K - last day in Napa was Monday. Here's pics!

We got up early and I ran to the gym with Austin's dad. We worked out, then ran back to the lodge - awesome! I then got ready and packed up quickly, we needed to get to our first stop above - Staglin Family!

Here we are walking down through the vineyard to the tasting room!

We passed this on the way - can you even imagine having an entertainment area like this?! I can't!

We enjoyed our first tasting on Staglin's huge back deck overlooking the vineyard and the mountain - beautiful views!

Then it was time to tour the cave (i.e that beautiful building covered in vines in the first pic!)

Loved this shot from inside the cave to outside

Then it was back to the tasting room - I sat in front of those flowers at the table for the rest of the tastings and we seriously looked out into that view - AMAZING!

Here we are with our two other testing companions, a couple from Dallas, and our host at Staglin.

Loved this shot of Austin on the balcony overlooking the vineyard - so pretty there!

Afterwards we were running out of time! So we stopped by a couple of wineries - one we just looked at  Chateau Montelena Winery (above) and another we had a tasting at Rombauer Vineyards. 

I snaggged this in the car at about 25 mph - nice! We were headed to our last in-town stop before the airport - Hope & Grace.

This winery was named after his two daughters, Hope & Grace. We loved the wine!

Here we are outside after becoming Wine Club members! Our first winery membership - we start getting shipments in October - woo! We also bought a glass jug - so cute!

After our last stop, we headed to San Francisco to fly out on a 10:30 flight, which arrived in Atlanta on Tuesday at 6:35 a.m. We had a horrible flight - true story. I was all ready to get cozy and sleep, but an 8-year-old boy decided to talk in his outside voice and kick the back of our chairs even though we asked his mother several times for him to stop - but she just shrugged and asked him to "shhhhh." Oh my. So Tuesday was pretty much a wash: more sleeping, unpacking, laundry, getting pups (eeee!), walking around like a zombie, etc. Wednesday was my first day back at work - so I was tired. I did get up early and work out, but I wasn't feeling it. Just ran a mile, did abs and a bunch of jumping jacks and called it a workout, before heading in, working, using lunch to run to Ikea, more work, and then I hosted my boss's going away party, so I didn't get home until 8. OY. BUT, i'm glad to be back and got rest night after her party!! (and WOW am I going to miss her - but that's a whole other post!). I'll recap yesterday tomorrow - I went to a fun concert! And I have another book review to share and a recipe - woo! HAPPY FRIDAY!

Q: What's your favorite vacation read?


Q: Have you ever taken a red eye flight? Any tips?


Q: Whatcha doing this weekend?