Archives for June 2013

Mommy Happy Hour

Jun282013

Happy Friday! This is actually a very exciting Friday for us because tomorrow we leave for vacation! Wahoo! Before we had kids, Brad and I would go away a lot and to some really fun places. Now, my idea of a great vacation spot is simply my parent’s house down south – built in babysitters! It also helps that they live in our favorite place (which is also where we got married – which we did before Carrie Underwood copied us!). There’s nothing like a week at the lake. I plan on doing a lot of reading and working on correcting my sad, pale state. Anyone have any good book recommendations? Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Happy Hour · Tagged With: books, breakfast, brunch, food, make-up, NYC, Restaurants, shorts, sunscreen

Hot Mama Summer Workout Wear

Jun272013

You know those women who show up to the gym dressed to the nines? Full on hair and make-up and outfits that look more appropriate on a runway than a treadmill? Yep, I am so not one of those. I look for function first and foremost from my workout clothes, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve worn make-up to the gym (probably leftover from a late night before).

But since having kids, my schedule has become significantly more packed, and sometimes it’s just easier to dress for a workout early and hope to squeeze it in at some point before dinner. This means that I’m probably going to be running errands, taking the kids to classes or the playground, and doing a number of other things that will require that I run into a least a handful of people I know. And I probably don’t want to look a hot mess.

Thank goodness so many fitness apparel lines realized many women have the same issue, and have come up with some amazing options. Here’s what I’m living in this summer:

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· Filed Under: Looking Good, Mommy, Mommy Must Haves, Running · Tagged With: athleta, clothes, hot weather, lululemon, mommy, nike, running, saucony, summer, workout gear

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Peppers

Jun252013

$Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Peppers by The Mommy Games$

I love my slow cooker just as much as anyone, but it doesn’t tend to get a lot of use in the summer. Heavy roasts and soups just aren’t appealing when it’s hot out. The convenience of being able to get out and enjoy time outside, then come home to an already cooked dinner is too good to pass up though. That’s why I’ve been in major experimental mode with all kinds of slow cooker recipes that are warm weather approved. So far, anything involving chicken has been too dried out, but this one, using ground beef, is a winner. Best of all, there’s hardly 10 minutes of prep time, and you don’t even have to turn on the stove. These peppers practically scream to be paired with a big bowl of guacamole and a cold Corona. The kids loved eating the filling (they weren’t going near the actual pepper) on top of tortilla chips. These will definitely be appearing on our table many times this summer.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Slow Cooker · Tagged With: dinner, ground beef, peppers, recipe, slow cooker, tex mex

Mommy Happy Hour

Jun212013

We are officially into the summer swing! Temperatures are finally starting to rise and the kids and I have enjoyed some much needed playground time. Playdates this week were all outside and involved lots of water balloon and bubble making. This mommy certainly earned her cocktail with all the running around we did. What about y’all? Any exciting summer time plans? Cheers, and thanks for visiting with me this week!

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Happy Hour · Tagged With: devotional, eating, hydration, jewelry, loving, mommy, NYC, running, what to read

Breaking the Boredom of Motherhood

Jun202013

There’s a lot of things people don’t tell you about motherhood. For instance, I remember being shocked that the first few months of breastfeeding a newborn meant you never get to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time. What? Why didn’t someone tell me this?? Not that I think being warned would have made it any easier, but a little heads up would have been nice. Or how time consuming solid feedings can be. Pretty sure I would have held off on those if I would have known they were going to take an hour plus! This list could go on and on, but I’m pretty sure all you moms out there know what I’m talking about.

One thing that I think isn’t talked about often is how being a mom, especially a stay-at-home one, can be, well…boring. I’m all too familiar with the “I wish I could stay at home and play legos and do art projects all day!” comment. Enter fake smile and obligatory nod. Yes, those things can certainly be fun, but I think every woman has a limit to how much of that she can take. When the most exciting thing your 5-month old does is clap their hands or shake a rattle, those days at home can seem awfully long. Many mothers, myself included, had demanding jobs and full days before they had children. Even though a mom’s day is most certainly full, it’s not necessarily full of the most exciting variety.

So let’s talk about some ways to battle the boredom:

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How · Tagged With: boredom, mommy, motherhood, things to do with kids, what to do

Apricot Almond Crumb Bars

Jun182013

I’m in a bit of denial about the fact that we are already halfway through June. The weather here has been topsy turvy, and until very recently, it’s felt more like fall than summer. As a Floridian living in the North, I crave hot summer months. While everyone else is complaining about the heat, I am happily soaking it all up. My running friends want to push our runs earlier and my mommy friends want to move our playdates inside to avoid the heat. I, however, love to get out there and get my share of the hot weather because I know it will gone all to quickly. Unfortunately, my kids seem to have inherited my husband’s Canadian blood because they become totally flushed and uncomfortable the minute the temp goes above 70. There go my visions of summer picnics!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: almond, apricot, bars, crumb, dessert, jam, snack

Mommy Happy Hour

Jun142013

One of things me and my mommy girlfriends do often is get together for mommy happy hour. We let the kids play while we happily sip libations and gab about what’s new in our lives. One of the best ways to break the boredom of being a SAHM and also stay connected to the outside world is by getting together regularly with other moms. Sometimes it’s just one other mom, and other times we have a veritable open house of moms and kids going in and out. I love having that time to chat and relax while the kids play, even if we do only have an hour before crying and whining ensues.

In that spirit, I bring you the Mommy Happy Hour series, which you can expect every Friday. Feel free to grab a drink (I won’t tell anyone if it’s before 5), hand your kid the Ipad, and see what I’m loving this week!

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· Filed Under: Looking Good, Mommy, Mommy Happy Hour, Mommy Must Haves · Tagged With: beauty finds, cookbooks, father's day, favorite things, good books, nyc restaurants, shoes, snacks, tv shows for kids

How to Start Stroller Running

Jun132013

“How in the heck do you run with that thing?!” is a question I get all too often. People see me toting the kids to and from in our ginormous (at least by NYC standards) running stroller and can’t believe I push it around the grocery store, let alone run with it. But with school out for summer, many moms, myself included, find getting in their workouts difficult. Stroller running is an awesome way to get in your cardio while the kids get fresh air. You are also showing them first hand what leading a healthy lifestyle looks like. I like to track the miles I run with my kids and can’t wait to tell them that they’ve “run” 1,000 miles or something similar when they are old enough to understand.

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