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Friday Favorites – June 7th, 2019

Brooklyn Running Picture

Happy Friday! Since I was exhausted from the work week, I decided to blog during last night’s late flight back to New York. It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to share with you all my favorite things so, since this type of post is popular, I figured I’d share a few things I’ve been loving recently. In addition, if you’re a parent or preparing for maternity leave I highly recommend clicking to the post I shared earlier this week with tips for returning to work after maternity leave. I really enjoyed writing the post as it forced me to reflect on how much things have changed in the past 18 months.

This weekend I’m happy to be staying local and catching up on cuddles and relaxing. I’ve traveled 10 of the past 30 days for work which is far more than normal and more than I prefer to be away. Luckily I don’t travel for the next two weeks and look forward to spending extra time with Katie. In fact, I was supposed to run the NYRR Mini 10k in Central Park tomorrow but since I’ve been traveling I’m choosing to think of my registration as a donation and, instead, we are heading to the beach bright and early tomorrow morning for some sand and wave fun before Katie’s nap.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites. Also, if you want to learn more about my favorite things on a regular basis, follow me on Instagram and check out the Favorite Things and Beauty Favorites section on my Instagram highlights.

  • After reading a few heavier books such as Educated, Hillbilly Elegy, Bad Blood and Where the Crawdads Sing I have been enjoying a few lighter books recently. It’s fun to quickly read these Summer beach reads in the evening and work my way through multiple different books in just a week. Over the past few weeks I’ve read Normal People (3 stars), Daisy Jones & The Six (4 stars), The Unhoneymooners (4 stars) and All We Ever Wanted (4 stars).  After a few light reads, I’m starting We Were The Lucky Ones which is a highly recommended World War II book.
  • Recently my face has had some unruly breakouts along my chin due in part to stress and travel. During my facial last week, it was recommended that I start using a toner in that area as well as ensuring that I remove all my makeup each night before bed. But, the exciting part of my facial was that outside of that trouble zone, my fine lines and discoloration has improved greatly over the past few months.  The biggest change I’ve made is the use of Beautycounter’s Overnight Resurfacing peel. I use it every other night and love the glow that I see the next morning. After washing my face in the evening I apply it under my moisturizer and eye cream. Make sure to apply it to a dry face and let it absorb fully before applying any moisturizer or facial oils. I know the name is confusing but this is not a mask or peel that is rinsed off or peeled off after applying. Just go to bed and let the formula work magic.
  • I finally ordered a pair of Rothy’s after having multiple co-workers and friends rave about them. While I still love my M.Gemi and JCrew flats for work, my Rothy sneakers are an evening playground and weekend favorite. The white color can easily be bleached or washed and the insoles and support make the shoes comfortable enough for long walks or park adventures. I ordered my true size for this style and then in the pointed style, which I just ordered, I went up a 1/2 size based on reviews.
  • I love wearing Birkenstocks all Summer as they provide support when I’m walking through Brooklyn or playing with Katie. However now that Katie is obsessed with playing outside and splashing in the water I quickly realized I needed something that could survive mud and water. Luckily Birkenstock’s new Arizona EVA Essentials sandals are the perfect option. They have the same, great support that my rose gold Arizona style has but now is a water-friendly EVA material and only $39.95! I bought the white color as I knew I could wear it with anything AND use a Mr Clean eraser to spot clean.  I wore them this morning to walk Katie to nanny share and was amazed how comfortable they were and that they didn’t need to be broken in at all!
  • Summer running has arrived and that means that I’m running in shorts and tanks 99% of the time. Once again, this summer my favorite running tank is the Brooks Hot Shot Tank which is lightweight and quick-drying which makes it a perfect fit for my sweaty nature. I wore the blue one this morning and received compliments from four different people including the guy who prepared my bagel sandwich!
  • Driving in Arkansas this week, I was able to listen to a podcast during my commute each day which was a fun treat. Right now, I am primarily listening to NEWS or PARENTING podcasts. My favorite parenting podcasts are UNRUFFLED and LIFE KIT. My favorite news podcasts that Bo and I both listen to daily are NPR News Now, Up First, and The Daily.

Have a great Friday!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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Katie’s Favorite Books – 14 Months Old

Like her parents, Katie loves to read. Or, I should say that she loves to spend time flipping the pages through her books and having people read to her, especially when she’s sitting in their lap. Some days, she’ll sit and enjoy three or four books at a time while other days she loves flipping the pages before we can get the words out of our mouth. Regardless of her mood or the day, we always read at least a few books together. In fact, each night, as part of our bedtime routine, I read two or three books to Katie while rocking her. These peaceful moments are often my favorite part of the day.

I thought it would be fun to share some of Katie’s favorite books now that she is 14 months old. Some of these have been favorites since the very beginning and others are new additions.

 

Katie’s Favorite Books at 14 Months Old

  • Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes: Bo and I both love reading this book to Katie as part of the bedtime routine. The gentle rhyme seems to calm her and I love counting kissing her nose at the very end. The story is a wonderful one, helping teach children that the world is filled with all different children who still have things in common.
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar:  Somehow Katie didn’t own this book until two weeks ago. While walking through a Walmart store in Arkansas during a work trip, a number of co-workers asked me about Katie’s favorite books when we passed the book aisle. When they realized Katie didn’t own this book, they changed that immediately. It’s such a fun story and the bright colors and holes in the books keep Katie entertained. This weekend she dragged the book over to me no less than five times, hoping to hear about the very hungry caterpillar who ate too much.
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?
  • The Going to Bed Book: We have a number of Sandra Boyton’s bright, vibrant, lyrical books, but this one is my favorite. I read it to Katie every single night before bed. Unlike some “bedtime books” , I like that it is short and an easy-to-read even in a dimly lit room. Katie now enjoys turning the pages once I finish reading them and knows that it is a bed time book. Earlier today Bo lifted it out during reading time and she pushed it away, replacing it with another book.
  • Sniff, Munch & Lick Books: I bought these after seeing no less than five local moms rave about them on their Instagram or Facebook feeds. Katie loves the movement in this book as it is filled with moving animals, flaps and textures. Unfortunately, many of the heads are now taped in the book after Katie ripped them off but, she still enjoys flipping and reading the book with me even though not every animal’s beak, tail or mouth moves anymore.
  • Pat the Bunny: Personally, this book makes me laugh as it is such a classic and very retro. But, whether due to the multiple textures, flaps or fun holes, Katie has gravitated towards this book since she was very young. Ours has been hugged, gnawed, flipped and loved on a daily basis over the past few months.
  • Where’s Spot: We’ve replaced this book twice due to Katie aggressively ripping off the flaps but regardless, it’s still a favorite.
  • First 100 Words: We’ve had this book since Katie was born and originally, she seemed attracted to the bright, small, thick pages. These days we read the book slowly, trying to draw her focus to at least one of the items on each page. Some days, she just wants to quickly turn the pages and other days we almost have her repeating the words – sort of.
  • Elmo at the Zoo: Katie loves turning the pages in this book and the fun animals allow us to practice different animal sounds with her as we read the book. She pulls this off the shelf at least once a day, in hopes that we’ll read it to her and include all the fun Sesame Street and animal sound effects.

 

 

Pictures courtesy of Alexis Damen photography.

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2018 Recommended Reading List

reading

Growing up, reading was my favorite pastime. At one point, I had over 200 books lining the walls of my very small bedroom. I would stay up, far past my bedtime, reading under the covers and then, as I got older, would look forward to the weekends when I could go to the library and spend at least 20 to 30 minutes perusing the shelves, searching for the perfect next book.  Recently, I’ve returned to my original hobby and have been disconnecting each evening to read for 30 minutes before bed. Now I look forward to this time, typically from 9:30-10 each night, and have created a ritual that includes evening skin care, a cup of tea and a good book. In addition, any time we are on vacation or visiting family, my favorite way to relax is by enjoying fresh air and a good book. As you can see from the picture above, when we’re in Vermont, I love propping my feet up on the back porch, enjoying the sunset and a novel. These moments are far and few between now since Katie’s arrival, but this is still my preferred way to relax during one of her naps or when I have a helping hand.

Based on the feedback I received on Instagram and Facebook when I asked for book recommendations this weekend, I thought it would be fun to share it on the blog today and hopefully share it more regularly since I’m reading more frequently. I love getting book suggestions from friends and other bloggers, such as Grace, so why not share with you guys too?

If you’re looking for more inspiration or more frequent updates, you can follow me on Goodreads. My “to read” list is more than 100 books long as I find myself adding new books on a weekly basis; a far faster pace than I read a book these days.

The below list is a compilation of the recommendations friends, family and readers shared over the past few days. The ones with ** next to them are ones that I have read and each of the other books were recommended by at least 2-3 people, if not more. In fact, a few of them, such as The Light We Lost, were recommended by more than 20 people!

  • When Breath Becomes Air**
  • All The Light We Cannot See**
  • The Nightingale**
  • Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo**
  • The Handmaid’s Tale
  • Lilac Girls
  • A Gentleman in Moscow
  • A Man Called Ove**
  • Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
  • The Light Between the Oceans
  • A Tangled Mercy
  • What to Do About the Solomons
  • We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
  • Small Great Things
  • Present Over Perfect 
  • The Light We Lost
  • The Leavers
  • All the Ugly & Wonderful Things
  • Exit West
  • What is Not Yours Is Not Yours
  • The Heart’s Invisible Furies
  • A Simplified Life

I will incorporate my thoughts on these books as I make my way through them, most likely via Friday Favorites posts and a few dedicated book posts.

If I’m missing your favorite, leave the title in the comments and I will update this post! 

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