ashleyd /

Vermont Weekend Recap

manchester vermont

This weekend we packed our things and headed up to Vermont for a relaxing weekend in Manchester, Vermont.

Long time readers, will know that this our home away from home. My family has a home in Manchester which we spend many weekends at during the Summer and Fall months. Since my family rents out the home for the entire winter, we have discovered a few different spots in Manchester over the years for winter weekend getaways.

Due to work meetings, we didn’t leave NYC until late Thursday evening. We stopped for dinner in Larangeville, a small town about an hour hour and half outside the city, just off the Taconic Parkway.  Thanks to the help of Yelp, we dicovered a small Bronx style pizza restaurant, Sonny’s Ristorante & Pizzeria. We enjoyed a delicious pizza and salad before hitting the road again.

Bronx Style pizza

Thursday night Bo and I stayed at the Equinox Resort, a full-service resort in the heart of Manchester.  The perfect way to begin a long weekend, we slept in and relaxed at the spa on Friday before meeting our friends at noon for lunch at Marsh Tavern. equinox

Following lunch the guys headed to ski while we relaxed with Eloise at the pool and then headed to our house for the weekend.  The small, mountain home provided the perfect home for a relaxing weekend.  Friday evening after the guys skiied, we enjoyed a double date at Ponce Bistro, a BYOB restaurant in town.  An eclectic restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, the cuisine is influenced by the owner’s Brooklyn and Puerto Rican roots. Since we all enjoy sharing and tasting as much of a menu as possible, we shared three appetizers and three entrees between the four of us. The rice and beans, thai scallops and beef stroganoff were our favorite dishes.

mountain views

Since both Elizabeth and I are pregnant, neither of us could ski this weekend. While the guys skiied at Stratton we shopped around town, entertaining her two year old daughter, Eloise, for hours by making snow angels, exploring town and reading books at the amazing Northshire Bookstore.

bookstore

Saturday afternoon a family friend watched Eloise while we relaxed with prenatal massages at the Equinox Spa and lunch at Cilantro’s.  A fresh, green, local Mexican fast food restaurant, their taco salads were incredible and packed with flavor.

cilantro's manchester

Saturday night we spent the evening playing games with Eloise and watching the Australian Open before cooking an Asian inspired dinner together and heading to bed early.

This morning we woke up and parted ways bright and early, as Bo and I headed back to the spa for a few more moments of rest and relaxation before driving back home.

It was a wonderful weekend in the mountains that has us planning and scheming our next Vermont weekend. I have a feeling Baby Girl Diamond will be enjoying a few Summer weekends up in Vermont, taking in the cooler weather and fresh air, during my maternity leave.

Your turn: What did you do this weekend? If you have children, did you travel for weekend trips while they were quite young? 

 

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Staying Hydrated and Satiated During the Second Trimester

As you guys know, I’m almost half way through my pregnancy. I pinch myself on a daily basis in disbelief that I’ve been on this wild ride for more than four months!

IMG_0360

Even though I am feeling energized these days, there are a few things that remind me daily that I am definitely growing a baby girl.

  • Early morning workouts aren’t very frequent. I used to be the queen of morning workouts, often waking up before 6 AM to workout before enjoying coffee, breakfast and work. These days, I find myself pushing snooze anytime I set the alarm for earlier than 7:30 AM.
  • I’m ALWAYS thirsty. Regardless how much water I sip throughout the day, I can’t seem to quench my thirst.  I try to ensure I have access to water throughout the day, keeping water at my desk and on my bedside table. The other thing that is helping is keeping our refrigerator stocked with sparkling water.
  • As of last week, I am ALWAYS hungry. Trust me, I’ve read enough books and spoken with enough doctors and friends to know that many people start eating for two WAY too early OR tend to eat for four instead of two. I am being concious of what I put in my body, but also listening to my cravings and hunger cues.  This means that I’m packing more snacks than ever before when I head to the office, gym or even out to run errands.

After trying to figure out the best way to answer my pregnancy cravings, I’ve found that eating lots of fruit helps me satiate both hunger and thirst. Whether it’s fresh grapefruit at breakfast or berries and yogurt for dessert each evening, I’m always just a few hours away from my next serving of fruit. Luckily, these handy Del Monte Fruit Refreshers are perfect for grab-and-go snacks that pack in the flavor without the unwanted additives like high fructose corn syrup, GMOs, artificial flavors or colors!

IMG_0359

If I’m heading out for a workout, I’ll toss it in my bag to enjoy right after class. When I’m in our WeWork office I keep a pack in the fridge for easy snacking. They are currently available in four different flavors:

  • Red Grapefruit in Guava Water (holy yum!)
  • Pineapple in Passion Fruit Water
  • Mandarin Oranges in Coconut Water (love the coconut water twist)
  • Grapefruit & Oranges in Pomegranate Water

These handy snacks are like fruit cups for grown ups – not too sweet and packing in a full serving of fruit in each 100 calorie cup. Around 3:30 each day, I find myself enjoying one of these alongside a handful of almonds and cup of tea.  Next time you’re at Target, Walmart or your local grocery store I suggest tossing a pack in your cart. You’ll thank me when these give you an afternoon pickup when you need it most.

IMG_0361

To learn more about Del Monte’s Refreshers product line, visit www.delmonte.com, or visit their Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook channels.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Del Monte . The opinions and text are all mine.

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Baby Diamond – Week 17

Good evening! I hope you all are having a great week. Today seemed like it would never end. I was at my desk working non-stop for more than 12 hours and seriously feel as if I could fall asleep right as I type this post. Even though I’m feeling great, my hunger and exhaustion reminds me multiple times during the day that I’m 19 weeks pregnant. Yup, we hit 19 weeks yesterday so we are just a week away from half way – CRAZY. I am going to upload two pregnancy posts this week so I can catch up. Hope you guys enjoy and, as always, keep sending any questions to me via Twitter, leaving comments or sending me an email.

17 week pregnancy

Baby Size: Navel Orange

Weight Gained:  At my doctors appointment I found out that I have only gained 10 pounds. It seems the 12 pound gain I showed during my last appointment must have been caused by retaining water weight or I ended up losing weight over the past four weeks since my activity level increased from my first trimester. My doctor says I’m right on track and feels that as long as I continue eating and working out as I have been, I’ll be right on track to gain a healthy amount during the rest of my pregnancy.

Workouts: I had so much fun working out this week before I came down with a stomach virus for weekend. The week’s workouts included Bar Method, Flywheel, my first private prenatal Pilates class, an elliptical session at the YMCA, prenatal tower Pilates class and OrangeTheory.

img_0836

Cravings: My cravings evolved a bit this week as I was hungry non-stop. I found myself craving ALL the fruit and vegetables in addition to sparkling water, popsicles, and Mediterranean food. I think I had homemade Greek salads or Cava Grill salads three times this week!

cava grill

Food Aversions: Unfortunately, brussels Sprouts or any other vegetable with a strong smell when cooked, like broccoli, don’t appeal to me.

Symptoms: The only real symptoms I felt this week were dry skin, breast tenderness and hunger.  

Sleep: Sleep started to become difficult as I sleeping on my back is no longer comfortable. I tried using pillows to keep me comfortable, but ended up borrowing my friend’s Snoogle. This helped make my time in bed on Saturday and Sunday while I was sick SO much more comfortable.

Wearing: So far my daily wardrobe continues to be a JCrew tissue turtleneck, AG maternity jeans and a wrap sweater or vest. By the end of the week I was sick of this clothing and logged on to StitchFix, requesting a maternity box. I can’t wait to share the items with you as the box was the perfect way to add a few new things to my wardrobe! I also went through my workout clothing and now have only one drawer of workout clothes that fit.

Other random things from the week: Unfortunately, I learned first hand just how weak a preganant woman’s immune system is. Even though I scrubbed our home and slept in a separate room, I still came down with the stomach virus Bo had earlier in the week. While he was able to fight off the virus after a day, I was in bed and unable to hold down food for almost four days.

Your turn: Any questions? Anything that you loved during your second trimester or any tips? 

Share Button
Follow: