Category Archives: Splendid Things

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

I know I’m not the only one struggling to stay healthy during these trying times. I’m home ALL. THE. TIME so I’m eating more than usual and lord knows I’m drinking more than usual. So here are a few things that are helping me pretend to be healthy and active.

IMG_4499

OK, so I did it. A few weeks ago I finally jumped on the bandwagon and bought an Apple Watch and now I see what the hype is all about.

I love not having to have my phone next to me at all time and I love closing circles- thats when you have achieved your movement, exercise and standing goals for the day.

IMG_4498

The only thing I love as much as the watch itself is my band which I found on etsy. 

I love that its elastic and I just stretch it to put on. Bonus that it’s faux Chanel (they have other faux designers as well).

IMG_4427

This awesome Apple Watch Charger. $10 from Target!

Keeping with the vibe of this post, I have to share how much I’m loving the Peloton App.   First of all, I don’t even own a Peloton. I use the app on my Amazon Firestick and workout in my family room. I love how it has sooooo many options (I typically do yoga, strength or cardio) and that there are options as short as 10 minutes so I have literally no excuse. 30 days for free and then $12 a month is a steal!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. I’m looking forward to my first Girls Night Out (Outdoors! With peach sangria!) since February and my sister’s virtual baby shower on Sunday.  xoxo

 

Looking for something fun to do in the city? Check out the Rosé Mansion!

Posted on by

0

IMG_7188

Even going to the bathroom is a photo op!

There’s only two weeks left to check out the fun pop up event, Rosé Mansion in NYC.

In case you haven’t heard, pop up events are all the rage right now in NYC. This one is adults only (because of the drinking) and is an instagram lover’s dream come true. Since I love to help keep everyone in the loop, here is a list of all the current pop up events going on right now.

Those are all stickers behind us!
A hallway filled with purple balloons- my favorite!

Your ticket gets you a tour through the many rooms which are basically staged photo-ops. Workers attempt to teach you about rosé and you will get to sample a very small amount in each room. While we were there, on a Saturday night, no one was interested in the educational component but instead taking fun pictures was the goal.

IMG_2863

IMG_2869

We left tipsy with a ton of fun pictures and then headed to Mastro’s dinner.  It was a different way to spend a night in the city and even our husband’s had fun although I will say it was mainly groups of women. If you go, let me know how you liked it!

My Love Affair With Trader Joes

Posted on by

0

Can you be in love with a grocery store? I think it’s possible 🙂 Since moving to Fairfield and living 2 minutes away from Trader Joes, I’ve developed a great appreciation for the store and it’s unique products, great pricing, and stellar customer service.

I figured I’d share a few of my most favorite products and how I use them.

Starting at the front of the store and working my may through, this is what I grab each and every time…

Not pictured but always in my cart- inexpensive flowers, organic fruit and vegetables, nuts in large qualities, and frozen acai

IMG_5502

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Mini Pancakes- these come in a pack of three and are one of my little one’s favorite breakfasts. I usually serve them with blueberries and strawberries and a bit of maple syrup.

IMG_5504

Frozen Mangos- so delicious, right out of the freezer, as a healthy snack and perfect to use in smoothies

IMG_5422

Zucchini Fries- these are my daughter’s go-to after school snack

IMG_4834

Chocolate Covered Bananas- a perfect nibble when you want something sweet

IMG_5506.jpg

Multigrain Crackers- We use these for blueberry cheese (more on that below) and hummus

IMG_5287

Everything But the Bagel Seasoning- Can you say OBSESSED? I put this in my eggs, on toast, and sprinkled over avocado

IMG_5503.jpg

Orange Blossom Hand Soap- I use this as my kitchen hand soap. It smells great but my favorite thing about it is how it feels; the oils in it make your hands feel super soft!

IMG_5414

Lavender Scrub- great ingredients, amazing smell and my skin feels awesome after using

IMG_5423

Coffee- just good coffee 🙂

img_5507.jpg

Blueberry Cheese- someone recommended this to me and somehow, someway this has become my little one’s favorite snack (goat cheese is a bit of an odd choice for a three year old but it’s so tasty so I can understand why)

IMG_4832

Spicy Hummus- WARNING! VERY ADDICTING if you like spicy things

IMG_5421

Cereal- I always need to have on hand when my college- aged daughter is home. She like this one and the Banana Crunch Clusters.

 

Did you know Trader Joes has a website with amazing recipes using their products? Check it out!

 

Finally, here are some links to some incredible blog posts which feature more Trader Joes recipes.

 

Are there any incredible products I missed? Please share your favorites in the comments!

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

IMG_2496

What’s better than hygge?

Have you heard of Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) ? It should be everyone’s winter goal this year! Hygge is a danish word that is more of a feeling than a word– it’s finding simplicity and creating cozy moments throughout the winter months, which we all need more of. Check these articles out for the basics… How to Master the Art of Hygge, The Hygge Phenomenon and this great book, Making Winter: A Hygge Inspired Guide to the Winter Months.

Going along with the idea of Hygge, another topic I’ve been hearing about is eating and drinking only warm foods. Winter is a great time to start.

download

My oldest loves bees. It’s a passion for her and she recently did this awesome project for a college class. So what better gift than honey that not only tastes great but has amazing health benefits? Here’s what’s going in her stocking and why.

Lets talk advent calendars. When my girls were little I never did them because I wanted to stay away from excess candy. Now there’s so many non-candy options to choose from!

 

We chose this one and I’m loving it! Advent calendar from Crayola

I couldn’t leave my teen out so I picked up this 12 Days of Beauty from Target.  Target also makes many different 12 Days of Socks sets. How fun!

IMG_2662

After so many years of not buying Barbies, I must admit that picking up this year’s Holiday Barbie made me exceedingly happy. It’s a great tradition to begin- my girls were always so excited to see the special Barbie Santa would bring 🙂

Have a great weekend and enjoy the snow if you’re getting any!

*This post includes affiliate links which means if you chose to buy something I mention, please do so using the links above. There is no additional cost to you and it’s a nice way to say thank you and help offset this Mom’s addiction to Amazon Prime*

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

imgres-1.jpg

Struggling with a phone addiction? Who isn’t? Read these innovative tips to cut back.

imgres

Attention Foodies! Have you checked out The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017? The world’s best restaurant is right in our backyard! I’ve listed the other restaurants that are also in NYC- Cosme is the only one I’ve been too and I can say it most definitely IS amazing.

1. Eleven Madison Park (New York City)

17. Le Bernardin (New York City)

40. Cosme (New York City)

Best Pastry Chef: Dominique Ansel (Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC)

Speaking of food, please tell me you’ve jumped on the avocado toast bandwagon. How can something be so healthy AND delicious? Check out the below ideas from The Ambitious Kitchen for making your avocado toast even more fabulous.toast-1

IMG_8252

Finally, this moment from our Mother/daughter trip to Florida for our last college visits. Decision time!

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

IMG_8131

A fun new Cuban restaurant in Garden City with live entertainment – food was good, drinks were better, entertainment was best!

The most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had.

SERIOUSLY.  If you’re near Barclays, you must check it out!

After I enjoyed the ice cream above, I decided to kick spring off with a week of clean eating. I used to do this every month but fell out of that practice a few years ago. It’s a great way to to get back on track. Here is a great reference on meal prepping which helps A LOT.

ebf0f9f8e5ca86278b379670f16f6b8d

I also made this healthy dinner (which I make only when my husband is traveling because he would disagree that it is actually, in fact, a dinner).

Kick off Spring by trying some of these 5 rituals

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

This week has really been an amazing week for me and my family. My husband began a new job, we took a weekend trip to Florida to visit family, and Raina got into two more schools. We also listed our home! Big changes, all wonderful, are happening and I’m trying my best to embrace each moment.

irish-beer-cheese-soup-9

How delicious does this Irish beer cheese soup look? Click for the recipe.

Juliette and I absolutely love these books. She is sooooo into them and says “no, no no” when the baby is thinking about doing something bad.

IMG_8114

I love how Fisher-Price is keeping it real. The mom comes with a cup of coffee because, lets face it, how else do we function?! A wine glass might have been just too much 😉 Seriously though, this doll house is my 20 month old’s most played with toy.

IMG_7921

S’mores pancakes from Landmark Diner. I came across this list of 31 Foods To Eat on Long Island and thought I better get started.

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

imgres-1

An afternoon pick-me-up for you and a friend- now through Saturday, Macchiatos are buy 1, get 1 free at Starbucks from 2-5 each day.

Speaking of Starbucks, I grabbed this bar for the baby a few weeks ago. I was so impressed I looked for them in my local grocery stores with no luck. Amazon to the rescue! I ordered a case and I may like them just as much as she does 🙂

img_7886

This isn’t new but every time I start to use it again, I wonder why I stopped. Natural Calm is a magnesium supplement that helps with stress, helps you sleep, helps with headaches, and helps keep you regular. Read the reviews on Amazon and check it out for yourself.

Finally, with the weather warming up, I’ve got Spring on my mind. Check out the sale at Shop Bop until tomorrow. The more you buy, the more you save at Shop Bop until 3/4.

 

 

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

6a00d8358081ff69e201bb095edc37970d

This delicious Vegetable Cheddar Soup– perfect for the final days of winter.

Looking for something to do on a beautiful day in NYC? The Seaglass Carousel was amazing! My teens enjoyed it as much as my 19 month old.

img_7765

I’m loving this new-to-me app called Scannable. Scan anything with your phone! Easy enough for my tech-challenged husband to embrace. Can I finally stop scanning things for him? Only time will tell…

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Favs

Posted on by

0

Friday Favs- a spot where I share my favorite products, apps, sites, articles, and moments from the week.

Between taking an online class this week, two going down with the stomach virus, and my mom visiting from Florida, it was a busy week. Here are my Friday Favs a day late 🙂

ahr0chmlm0elmkylmkzzmy5hbwf6b25hd3muy29tjtjgymxvz2xvdmlulxvzzxitaw1hz2vzlxbyb2qlmkzuyxrpdmutcg9zdc1pbwctms02mtq1ltu4ogzhztyzodbkntk

By know I’m sure you know what an Acai Bowl is but have you heard of a Buddah Bowl?

Check out these recipes.

img_7650

If you have a toddler and play their tunes in the car, you may love this rendition of If You’re Happy and You Know It just as much as I do- and yes, I need a car wash desperately 😉

I loved reading these reminders on Ways to Raise Good Kids.

img_7721

Favorite moment of the week- getting to see a bucket list concert with my 17 year old.

I’ve loved Red Hot Chili Peppers since I was 12 when Under the Bridge came out 🙂