Everyday Reading

A Little Summer Shopping List

2013-05-24T06:38:00.000-05:00

One great thing about doing 31 for 31 is that I feel like I don't need nearly as many items of clothing as I've thought in the past that I do.

The other great thing is that it's helped me identify more clearly what I'm really missing in my closet. Instead of just randomly shopping, I can say, "I really need more than one pair of shorts, what with living on the surface of the sun for 5 months of the year. Also more bottles of sunscreen."

Here are a couple of the things I'm looking for to finish off my closet for the summer.

1) A pair of tennis shoes that don't look like I'm coming from the gym. I've loved every pair of sparkly, metallic shoes I've ever owned, but it had never occurred to me to buy a pair of metallic tennis shoes (or tennies, as we always called them when I was growing up), until I saw this pair on Shoe Dazzle.

via Shoe Dazzle

2) A sun hat. Bart bought me one for Mother's Day a few years ago and I wore it until it was the saddest looking thing you've ever seen in your life. It finally had to be retired this year. Ella has become a pool nut this summer, so I'm definitely going to need one.

via Target

3) A simple, long-ish necklace. Having anything heavy around my neck in the summer makes me so uncomfortable. I love these simple sets. Plus, they are inexpensive enough that if one of my darling daughters breaks it, I will only be mildly annoyed (lies. I'll be really annoyed).

via VeryJane

4) A pair of white jeans. I've ordered a bunch of pairs from Old Navy in every conceivable size, but so far have struck out. Any suggestions?

via Old Navy

5) A chambray shirt. I know I'm the last person on the face of the earth to buy one. Someone has to be the very final person to pick up on a trend. (I will also happily take this girl's hair, thank you).

via Forever 21

6) A pair of colored shorts. I've been so taken with colored pants in the last year or so (and they are so easy to wear with my endless supply of boring shirts), that I'm pretty sure I need a summer version. I'm thinking I might just hem the bright blue pair of jeans I own that are kind of an awkward length at the moment.

via KUT

This post is sponsored by ShoeDazzle. This holiday weekend, sale items are an additional 30% off (and full-priced shoes are 20% off!).

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

2013-05-23T06:01:00.000-05:00

One thing I've come to realize recently about non-fiction is that I don't have to agree with everything the author says to really find a book interesting and worthwhile.

When I read Zero Waste Home, for instance, I wasn't suddenly about to shoot for one quart jar of trash per year. But I did find a lot of the ideas worthwhile and I loved seeing how one person lives their life.

Like Gretchen Rubin says, it's sometimes more useful to learn from one person's very specific experiences than broad generalizations.

Anyway, all that aside, you've probably heard of Sheryl Sandberg and Lean In long before this review of it. If you haven't, she is the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook (and made a whopping $845 million last year), and now become something of a spokesperson for equality for women in the workplace.

You won't be surprised to know that I sit on the boards of exactly no companies (billion dollar ones or otherwise), I haven't dressed up for work in three years, and my coworkers are more likely to spit chewed raisins into my hand than to offer me stock options (my mother is wondering why I even have raisins in my house. Okay, okay, I'm lying about the raisins. It's probably chewed cranberries).

And yet, I found this book totally fascinating and useful, both as a work-at-home mom and as a parent of two daughters.

The book is part memoir, part business advice. She talks about her own path, attending Harvard as an undergrad and realizing she was in WAY over her head, later getting an MBA and then landing in Silicon Valley, first with Google and then with Facebook.

There is also a lot of discussion about women in business, balancing responsibilities between spouses, finding mentors, and some of the differences between men and women that manifest themselves in the workplace. It is full of practical advice and inspiring ways of making the worlds of work and family better for men and women alike. I told Bart after I finished that anyone with any interest in business, male or female, ought to read this.

The chapter that I found perhaps the most fascinating was titled, "Don't Leave Before You Leave." She talks about how many women, assuming they will have children in the future, dial back on their careers from the beginning. They don't shoot for big projects, assignments, or promotions, worrying that they won't be able to manage it once they have children, even if they are still years away from having children. By the time they do have children, their jobs and careers are much less lucrative, interesting, and engaging than they might have been otherwise, and so the choice is not between staying home with children or a really great job, but between staying home and a somewhat mediocre career path.

Of course, you can't predict how your life is going to play out - if and when you'll get married or have children or what your financial situation will be - and so sometimes a job you assumed might only be for a year or two, ends up being something you do for a decade or more. It seems to me that the more serious and ambitious you are about your career path, the more options will be available to you down the road.

I am really grateful that my parents were always very serious about encouraging us to pick degrees, careers, and jobs that we liked, that could support us financially, and that had some sort of upward trajectory and various options.

I also thought about if you choose a typically "family-friendly" job like teaching (which, after having worked in a school myself, I have my doubts about, but that's neither here nor there), you have intense competition from other people in similar situations. If you pursued, say, engineering and were as ambitious as possible during your full-time career, you're likely to be in a much smaller pool of people who have your skills and are interested in working part-time or on a contract basis if you decided you wanted to stay home with your children.

Hmm, four long paragraphs later. . .

I really could write at length about every chapter in this book - I have lots to say about being equal partners in parenting and household responsibilities, about balancing work and motherhood (if you happen to have interest in that topic, I have loved reading Joanna Goddard's series of interviews with 15 different moms about how they make the two work - half of them work from home and half of them work outside the home), and the differences between how women view themselves and how men view themselves (the scenario she describes at Harvard's graduation speeches describes the difference between Bart and me to a T).

I think there are so many different ways to make your life work for you, regardless of your circumstances, and even though my life is just about as different from hers as you can imagine, I found section after section to relate directly to things I'm working on in my own life. If any of you have read this, I'd love to hear what you thought.

I like to read books that are getting huge amounts of publicity and it was fun to read this one after hearing her name and book mentioned so frequently in the last couple of months. Even better that I enjoyed it so much.

Copy checked out from my local library

Homemade Thin Mints

2013-05-22T06:23:00.000-05:00

If someone had asked me two weeks ago to do a recipe on my blog using Ritz crackers, I would probably have responded with something totally snobby like, "Um, actually, I mainly focus on whole and unprocessed foods."

(You can see where this is going, right?).

Have a non-whole, processed recipe of happiness.

The night before Mother's Day, after a grocery store run, I found myself in possession of a box of Ritz crackers (I blame Bart). Also a bag of chocolate chips (I can only blame myself).

We threw the babies in bed, and ten minutes later, I was sticking two pans of knock-off Thin Mint cookies in the freezer to harden up.

This is why children think all the fun happens after they go to bed. Because it does.

We shared a few with Ella the next day. Just a very few.

Also, now that Ella has tasted Ritz crackers, I'm not sure there will be any going back (who am I kidding. Since I tasted them again, there will be no going back).

Homemade Thin Mints
(from Averie Cooks)

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
optional 1 Tablespoon shortening or coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 dozen Ritz crackers

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable liner.

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips (and the shortening or oil if you're using it - I think it just makes it a bit smoother, but you'll be fine if you leave it out too) over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

When it's completely smooth, remove from heat, and add the peppermint extract 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting between additions to make sure it isn't too strong. My chocolate got all bubbly when I added each teaspoon, but a quick stir brought it back to normal.

Drop a Ritz cracker in the chocolate, then use a fork or spoon to flip it over to coat the other side. Lift it out the chocolate, shake slightly to remove excess chocolate, and place on the baking sheet.

When all of your crackers are chocolate covered, put the pans in the fridge or freezer to harden up the chocolate. After about 15 minutes or so, they'll be ready to eat!

(I like the taste of them out of the freezer better, but they look a little nicer out of the fridge the next day because the chocolate condensates in the freezer. You choose).

Note: After worrying endlessly about it, I made a second trip to the store to buy peppermint extract. I already had mint extract, but the more I smelled the bottle, the more I felt like it was going to give me a toothpaste taste, which wasn't exactly what I was going for. Play it safe and go with peppermint extract.

Sisters Share It All: One Store, Day and Night

2013-05-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love Old Navy for many many reasons (it's close to me. It's inexpensive. There is a fake dog at the entrance which means Ella will happily go any time I want). When Landen suggested we do a little virtual shopping there, I was more than happy to oblige.

I've found that doing the 31 for 31 challenge has made me pretty picky about shopping, even when it's pretend shopping like this. I want items that work by themselves (so no sweaters as the weather gets ridiculously warm here), and also things I can comfortably wear during my daily life which mainly involves sitting at a computer, doing laundry and dishes, and reading stacks of picture books. It took me a while to pick out things that 1) had good reviews 2) were mostly on sale and 3) were things I'd actually wear in my real life.

Also, you might think, "That is a mighty casual date night outfit." Well, I'm a mighty casual girl. And also I live in Austin, where there is virtually no place you can't go in jeans. And I really love pants.

[Casual Outfit: Plaid shirt, white shorts, sandals]

[Date Night: Striped top, skinny gray zip pants, wedge sandals]

I had no intentions of actually buying anything, but then I saw these flat sandals and I've been looking for a pair like crazy. And. . .so I ordered them. My willpower is nothing if not astounding. (Shoes? Always my weakness).

(By the way, are you familiar with Ebates? If you sign up for a free account, and then go to a store's website through the Ebates site, you get a percentage of your purchase total back. They have tons and tons of stores that participate, and I've been using it for years. It is one of my favorite things in the world. Right now, you get 14% back from Old Navy (plus $5, if you're new to Ebates), so if you decide you absolutely must purchase something from Old Navy today, it'd definitely be in your best interest to sign up. Totally helped me justify my sandal purchase. And thus ends my public service announcement for the day).

Merrick and Landen probably picked out much more awesome outfits. Check out their posts:

6 Recipes You Should Try (I Mean, If You Want To)

2013-05-20T06:02:00.000-05:00

If this particular list looks a bit heavy on the snack-y type recipes, you might correctly surmise that I was doing a lot of these while Bart was in the middle of busy season and I had many many nights home alone while small children slept. The peanut butter pretzel truffles are rather hard to explain away as non-desserts, but the cookie dough blizzard and truffle squares? Legitimately non-desserts. At least in my book.

1. Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Omelet: I have spent most of my life disliking eggs, but the older I get, the more I seem to like them. And this was the best omelet I've ever had. Even Ella, who also is not much of an egg eater, scarfed down the tiny square I gave her and asked for me. I gave her a little more, but it was a sacrifice on my part. I was wary of the balsamic drizzle on top, but I put my faith in Natalie, and it was not a mistake.

2. Strawberry Balsamic and Bacon Pizza: We had people over for dinner so I needed to make two pizzas instead of the usual one, which gave me an excuse to make one of those pizzas a weird one. And whoa, this pizza was insanely good. The sauce is a balsamic reduction mixed with strawberry jam - I could have eaten it plain. Bart, who tends to worry about these kinds of unusual combinations, gave it high marks.

3. Pretzel and Peanut Butter Truffles: I do not care for pretzels plain very much, but put them in a recipe and I'm hard pressed to resist. I just dipped the tops of these in chocolate so they were much less cute, but also much easier. And you know me. . . I like easy.

4. Nutty Cinnamon Chocolate Truffle Squares: I made these about five times in the last month (although after the first time, I stopped doing the bottom layer of chocolate because it was too sweet for me and also it kept cracking off. Easier and better to just do a top chocolate layer. I use cashews instead of pecans, and I try not to eat the whole pan myself.

5. Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones: Another scone recipe. Seriously, these are the best scones ever. (Also, have you noticed I like chocolate?).

6. No-Bake Dairy & Sugar-free Cookie Dough Blizzard: For many moons, we've been using our frozen bananas to make that two-ingredient "ice cream" but this is now my preferred method for using up the frozen bananas (let's not lie - I overbuy bananas just so I never run out of frozen ones). I use vanilla almond milk and instead of bothering with making double layer cookie balls, I just throw together a quick batch of these, roll them into tiny balls, and freeze them for about five minutes.

I read over this list and feel like I am very lazy about any fussy steps in a recipe. Happily, that laziness seems to result in eating less chocolate. So maybe laziness is a quality I should continue to cultivate.

P.S. Here are previous recipes I've tried and loved.

A Whirlwind Weekend in Nashville

2013-05-18T06:13:00.000-05:00

1. I'd take you out for an early (they open at 6 a.m.) breakfast at The Pancake Pantry. You can order whatever you want, but I'd strongly recommend the sweet potato pancakes with cinnamon syrup. They are the most delicious pancakes I've ever had, which is saying something, because I don't even like pancakes. Plus, with a vegetable in the name, you almost feel healthy eating it.

2. It's famous for a reason! You shouldn't miss The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's former home. Most of the original decor in the home has been preserved, making it an authentic period museum. An audio-tour is included in the price of admission, so you'll be able to take the tour of the home and gardens at your own pace. It's a perfect antebellum experience and the whole time I felt like I had stepped into "Gone With the Wind.".

3. Calories don't count on vacation, so we'll stop in and grab a treat at The Cupcake Collection. There are seven daily flavors, as well as rotating flavors. Their frosting is to die for and doesn't taste artificial like some frosting. The sweet potato cupcake is my favorite (do you sense a theme?) and the price won't bust your wallet - these tasty treats are only $1.50 apiece, which means you can have like a dozen. While we're in the Germantown area, we can stop a few doors down at Monell's for a true Southern meal. Served family style, you are always guaranteed their famous finger-licking fried chicken and buttery biscuits, as well as other traditional favorites.

4. The weather is perfect and getting outdoors is a must. We'll take advantage of the gorgeous day at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. You can enjoy a picnic while meditating in the Japanese Garden, peruse the art on the Sculpture Trail while getting in a little exercise (to burn off all the yummy food you've eaten), or inhale the aroma of fresh herbs in the Herb Garden.

5. You're so fortunate to have an Music City insider showing you around. The locals would stone me if I didn't show you The Bluebird Cafe. This hole-in-the-wall performance venue is where Garth Brooks was discovered and where other songwriters/artists got their start. The cozy setting is very intimate; with such a small space, any seat has basically a front-row view. There are two shows a night, usually highlighting 3-4 songwriters, so both early-risers and night owls can enjoy this experience.

6. You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway that a trip to Nashville wouldn't be complete without visiting the Opryland Hotel and Grand Ole' Opry. The hotel boasts a 4.5 acre indoor garden, complete with a riverboat tour, that surrounds all of the shops and restaurants inside the hotel. Each night there are fountain shows set to various songs and the massive atrium adds an additional element of awe. The Opry is the world's longest-running live radio broadcast that showcases iconic country music stars. Performers belong to an elite membership, so you will always only see top-notch performances.

Want to share your city? Email Me!

The Half-Way Mark

2013-05-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

May is half over and hey, I'm still wearing the same 31 items of clothing.

Actually, the pair of pants I ordered were a complete disaster, so 30 (would it be cheating to add another pair of shorts? The temperature just skyrocketed up to 97 degrees today, so the sweaters I was wearing in the snow in Denver on May 1st are now shoved at the back of the drawer).

And then this blue and white striped shirt on the right I decided was just not doing it for me anymore. I liked it in theory, but in real life, it sagged out of shape within minutes of putting it on, had a neckline that I struggled to work with, and was starting to pill. Goodbye.

And one pair of jeans that I also stopped kidding myself about and put in the Goodwill pile.

So more like 28 for 31.

I've got to say, I've never had an easier time getting dressed than I have this month.

It was unbelievably simple to pack for our Utah trip and my laundry pile is a little smaller because I'm wearing things more than one single time.

I'm also not able to do my regular thing of "saving" my clothes. Because I have so few to pick from and they are pretty much ALL my favorite things, I feel completely justified in picking anything, rather than feeling like, "Oh, I'm just staying at home today, so I should waste this shirt." I know, it's blowing my mind too.

I've also been able to identify more clearly what I'd like to have in my closet, so I've ordered a couple of things that are just hanging around waiting for the calendar to tick over to June (of course, most of them were pants and these blistering temperatures are making me reconsider that plan. Should have bought forty pairs of shorts instead).

By the way, those polka-dotted shoes were a surprise gift from my mom a few weeks ago. Aren't they awesome? I told you my mom has the best taste (also, I cannot keep Ella from wearing them around the house. The minute I take them off, she's put them on and is tromping around in them).

************************************************

Elsewhere:

How to Host a Summer Reading Camp for Children

2013-05-16T06:44:00.000-05:00

If you're a long-time reader, you know how much I LOVE Ralphie. The best thing about moving back to Texas (besides the escape from Boston winters) was living close to her again. She is wonderful in so many ways, but she is especially fantastic in the mothering and educating department - I am always inspired by the amazing things she does with her girls.

Two summers ago, she hosted a great little summer reading camp for her oldest daughter. Here are all the details if you want to do your own this summer.

Hello!

Ralphie here. I am the mother of 3 delicious chickens (girls), and one of my favorite things to do is teach them how they should feel about reading.

My oldest daughter, Queenie, is a good little reader, but what's more important to me is how she feels about reading. So I do my best to maximize her interest by getting fresh books at the library every week, occupying an entire wall with forward facing book shelves, and creating a reading camp every summer.

The camp lasts for 6 weeks, and we met once a week for 2 hours. We did it in the morning simply because I had a napper, but I would imagine the afternoons work just as well.

Queenie started out inviting 6 friends to participate, then the word got out and 4 more girls were added. I also invited an older girl to be my helper. She set things out for me, cleaned up behind me, and helped teach smaller groups when we broke up.

Each week, we had a theme. Some of the themes that we did were: experiments, fairy tales, friendship, pioneers, classic picture books, etc. We even focused on a specific author, Bill Pete.

The agenda each time consisted of:

Featured Books - This was the first part and took the majority of our time. We would read any where from one chapter book to six picture books, depending on their length. We would then talk about each one, how it had to do with our theme, and make connections to what we already knew.

Activity - This activity would reinforce our theme. For Experiments week, we made oobleck. For princess week, we had our own princess academy where they had to pass of royal acts such as waving, walking with books on their head, and smiling a lot!

An activity with the theme "Bill Pete".

The author/illustrator used charcoal to draw his pictures, so the girls are trying their hand at it.

The gang. It was Queenie's birthday. (She's in the middle with her face in the cupcake.)

Snack - This were provided by the girls' parents. They did an amazing job of bringing food that went along with the theme. For our pioneers theme one mom brought homemade bread and butter, berries and beef jerky. I found that moms were more than willing to help and it really made my job so much easier!

Book Talk - For the last 20 minutes we gathered together again and I showed more themed books. I would just briefly touch on each one, giving a summary and showing pictures, just enough to spark their interest and curiosity in the book. I made a list of these books and sent them home each week so that the girls could check them out at the library or buy them. This had to be my favorite part of camp. I loved watching them get so enthusiastic about books!

Queenie was 7 (going on 8) when we created this camp. You can easily tweak things here and there to make it more age-appropriate for your child. This summer she will be doing a book CLUB, which is thrilling for her. Very grown up with chapter books and friends hosting it at their homes.

Our entire family has benefited from reading camp as the younger ones just toddled along with us. As parents we all know it is important to teach our children how to read, but don't be afraid to teach them to love it too!

She kills me.

Poached Eggs with Cheese & Chickpeas (Vegetarian Recipe)

2013-05-15T06:27:00.000-05:00

This poached eggs with cheese and chickpeas is everything I could ask for in a meal. First, it's delicious. Second, it's vegetarian. Third, it's super quick. Fourth, you make it all in one frying pan, start to finish. I love it (and when Bart took the leftovers to work with him, Ella asked, "How soon can we have that again?").

This is really good with some sort of crusty/crunchy bread to dip in it. We had some leftover naan bread from last week's Indian takeout that I put in the oven while this cooked and it got quite crispy. Toasted baguette slices or pitas would be good too.

Poached Eggs with Cheese & Chickpeas
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

Serves 3-4

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups or 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup coarsely crumbled fresh cheese (like feta or queso fresco)
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno, cooking for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add the chickpeas, paprika and cumin, cooking for about one minute, stirring to coat the chickpeas and onions with the spices.

Add the tomatoes and stir, crushing the tomatoes with the back of the spoon (or you can use a fork if that's easier). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let them simmer about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Crack the eggs on top, spacing them evenly apart.

Slide the whole skillet into the oven and let cook, 5-8 minutes, until the egg whites are opaque, but the yolks are still a little runny.

Serve immediately.

Things I (Think I) Will Never Wear

2013-05-14T06:07:00.000-05:00

Back in 2006, Merrick and I went on a study abroad program to London. It was pretty much fantastic in every way.

I remember during the last couple of weeks, we started to notice that British girls were wearing skinny jeans. And it wasn't a few, here and there. It was virtually every person, male and female.

Skinny jeans hadn't even been on my radar at all back in the States, and it was still another year or two until they really started to catch on. I remember thinking they looked so WEIRD, but by the time we left London, we could pretty much identify Americans by their flared jeans.

And less than a year later, I bought my first pair. Now I only own a single pair of NON-skinny jeans. And I never wear that pair of jeans.

Since then, I've felt wary about ever saying, "I'll NEVER wear x, y, or z" because. . . yes, I probably will.

But! There are a couple of things that I feel pretty certain I will never wear. (Remind me to come delete this post if I ever buy any of the things I've mentioned here. . .):

Overalls. I suffer from looking like a pre-teen in regular clothing. I certainly don't need to be wearing toddler clothing styles. And, also, if you're going to wear overalls, at least go to Goodwill and buy a mega-cheap pair, instead of paying a ridiculous TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT DOLLARS for this pair. I'm just saying.

via Free People

Jumpsuits. Over the weekend, Bart and I went shopping with the girls and when we walked past the display windows of Forever 21,we both just died laughing over the mannequin wearing this faded denim jumpsuit. Is this . . .prison chic? I just do not get it at all. The good news is that, like all Forever 21 merchandise, it's pretty cheap. So once you've bought this, you can at least feel okay that you only are out about $30 (you know, of course, that in my mind $30 is still pretty much a fortune to spend on any item of clothing).

via Forever 21

Shapeless dresses. I titled this photo The Bag Dress in my files. There is a lovely person I follow on Pinterest who has excellent taste, except I have never seen more photos of shapeless dresses that may possibly have been made from garbage sacks. (I hate clogs-type shoes like this photo show, too, so this is pretty much the worst outfit I can imagine).

via Maryam Nassir Zadeh

Dressy shoes with socks. Socks? Are for tennis shoes.The end.

via Shop Hers

What are you (pretty sure) you'll never wear? I won't hold you to it.

Ani: Five Months

2013-05-13T06:03:00.000-05:00

If there are five things to know about Ani at five months:

She HATES it when you eat in front of her. She'll stare at your food and watch the utensils go back and forth between the plate and your mouth. We've started trying her on a few tastes of various foods and she's not quite sure what to think about it yet.
She went on 8 airplane flights this month (this says more about how we fly Southwest (aka, no direct flights anywhere we fly) than how much traveling we actually did) and was really great on 7 of them. Bart finally got her to fall asleep on the eighth one, but it was kind of a scream-y time before that happened.
She is really ticklish and laughs uncontrollably almost every time I get her dressed (it's the having her arms put through sleeves that gets her every time).
She no longer is swaddled when she sleeps. It became obvious that she was sleeping worse because she was so obsessed with getting her arms out.
She got sick for the first time (it only lasted about a day, fortunately), and seeing her feverish and listless just about broke my heart.

(But you might also like to know that we are all just head over heels in love with her - at this point, I can't even imagine her not being in our family).

A Whirlwind Weekend in Fort Worth, TX

2013-05-11T06:22:00.000-05:00

1. I'd take you out for queso, margaritas, and dinner at Joe T. Garcia's. You can order whatever you want, but be warned the menu only has fajitas and enchiladas on it. Don't worry, you won't leave feeling deprived. We'll sit outside (well, if you visit in April or October) and enjoy the mariachi band as they pass by.

2. It's famous for a reason! You shouldn't miss The Fort Worth Stockyards, where you can buy yourself a pair of cowboy boots, pick up a cold beer, stop in the Cowboy Hall of Fame, or take a spin on the dance floor at Billy Bob's, the world's largest honkytonk.

3. Calories don't count on vacation, so we'll take a short drive to my town and stop for ice cream and candy at Hey Sugar.

4. The weather is (hopefully) perfect and getting outdoors is a must. We'll take advantage of the (again, hopefully) gorgeous day at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens or the Fort Worth Zoo. If the weather isn't cooperating, or you visit during the horrible months we call summer, I'll take you to the Kimball Art Museum.

5. You're so fortunate to have a Cowtown insider showing you around. The locals would stone me if I didn't show you Sundance Square, where we'll stop in Flying Saucer for one of the many beers on tap before seeing a show at Bass Performance Hall. If we're feeling fancy afterward, we can have dinner at Reata, Grace, or Piranha Sushi. Or, if we're not hungry but looking for a little jazz, we can walk a short block to the Scat Jazz Lounge.

6. You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway that a trip to Fort Worth wouldn't be complete without visiting Spiral Diner, one of DFW's only all-vegan restaurants. You don't have to be a plant-eater to enjoy the delicious food here. It's also very close to one of my favorite yoga studios, Urban Yoga. We can end your weekend with a feel-good work-out. Or, we could skip all that good-for-you-stuff (you are on vacation after all) and head to my favorite burger place, Fred's Texas Cafe.

Want to share your city? Email Me!

Neon Toddler Pants

2013-05-10T06:40:00.000-05:00

I wish I were the kind of parent who didn't care what my children wore in public. But. . . I do. I have never been, and sadly, will probably never be the kind of mother who dresses my children fabulously (Ralphie's children? Always look like a million dollars. Mine look more like ten dollar bills, clothing-wise), but I try to keep them looking decently well-dressed.

Things have definitely taken a turn for the worse since currently Ella is all about picking out her own clothing. She will not be convinced to wear something else, no matter how many other things I suggest.

A couple of weeks ago, she came out of her bedroom wearing such a HIDEOUSLY ugly outfit that I laughed until I cried. And since then, she's been saying, "Remember when you laughed at dat supa ugly outfit?" It's almost as if she's proud of how horrible her clothing choices are.

Yesterday's was truly atrocious. It physically pained me to take her into storytime looking like this.

Ani probably gets the better end of this deal because it makes me much more contentious about dressing her so that it's obvious I DO know how to dress a child at least in semi-matching clothing.

And have you noticed that the day you dress your child really nicely, they immediately spill or spit up on themselves? But let a child dress themselves, and that outfit will stay pristine (and hideous) all day long. I should go into the business of writing fortunes for cookies, or something.

At least I still get to dress myself.

Shirt: Shade, Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Payless

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Elsewhere:

Chipotle Roasted Vegetable Tacos

2013-05-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

Thursdays seem like a good morning to make confessions. And here is mine - I'm done with wheat tortillas. A year or two ago, I made my own tortillas any time I needed them. So I bought the whole wheat ones at H-E-B. And then, this week, I bought the regular ones on a whim, and they were so ridiculously good that I decided, enough. No more wheat tortillas.

I'll keep eating brown rice and whole wheat pasta and wheat bread, but I draw the line at tortillas. Life is just too short (and might be getting shorter . . . ).

Now that we have that out of the way, I can talk about tacos. McCormick sent me a box of taco spices (this is part of their Pinterest Taco Night challenge - there are more details at the bottom of this post) and I was instantly sold on the chipotle chile powder. With the explosion of vegetables with spring here, it was an easy call to make some vegetarian tacos with as many roasted vegetables as I could squeeze in.

I had the somewhat dubious idea to use homemade hummus in my tacos and, people, this was the best idea ever. It helped the fillings stay inside the taco where it belonged (don't you hate it when you finish a taco and discover that you actually have half your taco scattered all over your plate (and shirt)?), and it made them feel a little more substantial than a vegetarian taco might usually seem.

These were super quick to assemble, and I'm pretty certain I'll be making these all summer long to use up the random vegetables in my CSA.

You can't go wrong with a recipe that starts with a pan like this:

Chipotle Roasted Vegetable Tacos

Serves 4

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (or 3 whole tomatoes, diced)

2 ears of corn, kernels sliced off
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 large zucchini, diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon McCormick's chipotle chile powder
Kosher salt

8 flour tortillas

Hummus
2 large handfuls baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 avocados, diced
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange your vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with chipotle chile powder and salt and toss to coat. Roast for 35 minutes, stirring half-way through.

When your vegetables are done, spread a thin layer of hummus on each tortilla, sprinkle the spinach on the hummus, spoon the roasted vegetables over the spinach, and top with diced avocados and crumbled cheese.

Serve immediately.

This post is part of a sponsored program with McCormick and The Motherhood, but the recipe, opinions, and words are alllllllllll mine.

"My Favorite Part was the Airplane"

2013-05-08T15:05:00.005-05:00

This post is sponsored by Disney Story. To find out more about this brand-new story-creation app - and how it puts the power of storytelling in your hands - click here. See more stories on Twitter and Facebook.

Yesterday, our family returned from a week-long trip to Utah.

There were many great parts - a surprise visit with Bethany and her family, Bart's marathon, a birthday BBQ, attending Women's Conference with my mom, and spending time with the cousins.

On our way to the airport, we had a little conversation about our trip, and I asked Ella what her favorite part had been. Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Flying on the airplane."

I shouldn't have been surprised. She's been talking about the airplane ride for MONTHS, ever since we booked the flight.

She's been particularly enamored with the fact that they give you soda on the plane. Truly, there is nothing Ella loves more than soda.

Here is a little collection of pictures and videos in Disney's app, Story, detailing our trip from the airport parking lot all the way until we arrived in Utah (if you listen closely at the end, you'll hear Ella sing, "I'm done with taking pictures"):

Pretzel-Crusted Cookie Bars

2013-05-07T06:11:00.000-05:00

I tend to think of Boston, food-wise, as the period of my life where I discovered Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I think nearly every meal we ate that year included something from her blog.

These chocolate chip oatmeal bars were one of the very best things I made. I've made them several times and without fail, I have a bite of them and think, "these are just ridiculously ridiculously good."

And then when I saw this similar recipe that included a pretzel crust and I just happened to have a half-full bag of pretzels in my pantry and an assignment to bring a dessert to a church event, well, I couldn't resist giving it a try.

I am sad to say, I just ate the last one out of the fridge thirty minutes ago (er, I wrote this in the afternoon - I'm not eating chocolate chip bars at 6:15 a.m.).

They are amazing without the pretzel crust, but it's a very nice addition - I love the extra little buttery crunch it gives it, plus it makes them just a little more unique.

Pretzel-Crusted Cookie Bars
(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and Simply Scratch)

Makes a 9x13 pan

Pretzel Crust:
4 cups pretzels
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal (quick oats or rolled oats are both fine)
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with tin foil, leaving some excess on the sides so that you can remove the bars after baking.

Crush pretzels (you could do them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or pulse them in a food processor) until they are mostly in about 1/2 inch pieces. Stir in melted butter until they are completely coated.

Evenly distribute them on the 9x13 pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until well-combined. Add vanilla and mix again.

Add the flour, soda, and salt and stir until somewhat combined. Add oats and mix until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop the cookie dough in large clumps on top of the pretzel crust and press it evenly across the pan, making sure to press it down firmly so it adheres to the pretzel base.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until slightly golden in the corners. Be really careful not to overbake them - it's better to ere on the side of underbaking.

Remove and let cool, before removing from pan and slicing.

This post is sponsored by The Goodies Company. Get a box of snacks in the mail each month for only $7. Use the promo code BLOGVIP.

My Favorite Accessory (and Giveaway!)

2013-05-06T06:49:00.000-05:00

When I was eleven or twelve, I bought a pair of sunglasses. I was sure I was the coolest looking person alive, except that I could never ever remember to wear them.

I clearly recall thinking, "How do grown-ups remember to put these on when they go outside?!"

Now, I'm an adult living in a very very sunny location, and I am completely dependent on my sunglasses. I do not leave home without them. I don't walk to the mailbox without them. I absolutely do not drive without them.

I've gone through about five or six pairs since we moved to Texas in 2006. My last pair I dropped so many times that they no longer fit on my face very well at all, but because I am so ridiculously cheap, I couldn't bring myself to buy a new pair when, technically, this pair still worked (albeit while making me look like my face was very crooked).

Then, somehow, I lost that pair and I moved on to the equally poor solution of using Bart's which only stayed on my face if I kept my head tilted back a little. Also, I would usually forget to take them off until I got in the house and then he'd go to drive the car and wonder where his glasses were. He really liked this solution, I think.

Then Firmoo sent me a new pair of sunglasses, and Bart rejoiced.

I was a little nervous about them because I have a hard time finding glasses that don't just eat my tiny face alive, but these ones are the perfect size. They aren't too enormous, they stay on my face, and I feel much more glamorous walking around with a tricycle and two small children than I deserve to. I've just had to relearn how to drive without my head tilted backward.

My main complaint is that a brand-new pair verified for me that my face is, indeed, very slightly crooked. I liked it better when I could blame it on having dropped my sunglasses one too many times. Other than that, I love these sunglasses more than any pair I've ever owned (even the Beatles-esque oval ones I bought when I was eleven).

In fact, I love them so much, I've finally overcome my laziness and actually put these back in the case every time I'm done wearing them so they won't get scratched, bent, or otherwise meet the fate all my other sunglasses have met.

Ella will save money on sunglasses in the future by only needing them for her one eye

Because sunglasses always have and probably always will be my very favorite (and most worn) accessory, I'm happy to be able to give away 7 prizes: one pair of sunglasses, plus 6 E-vouchers for $20 off a pair of sunglasses.

To enter, just leave a comment with a link to the pair of sunglasses you'd like to win. And make sure I have a way to get a hold of you if you win!

This giveaway is open until next Friday, 5/17 at midnight, central time. Open to residents of all countries that Firmoo ships to (which is most of them - you can check which countries they ship to here. Instructions on how to place your order here. You can also have prescription sunglasses made).

A Whirlwind Weekend in Provo, UT

2013-05-04T06:39:00.000-05:00

1. I'd take you out for dinner at The Black Sheep Cafe. You can order whatever you want, but I'd strongly recommend the Goat Burger (the beef is stuffed with goat cheese and garlic!), or their specialty navajo tacos (the pinto one is my favorite). Oh, and if you get the burger, definitely go with the sweet potato fries -- they’re amazing. And if we had time the rest of the weekend, I’d take you to Communal, Pizzeria 712, and maybe even SLAB pizza (where you should definitely get a slice of pulled pork and coleslaw pizza) -- they definitely shouldn’t be missed!

2. It's famous for a reason! You shouldn't miss a trip up Provo Canyon. With biking, walking, and hiking trails, Sundance just a few miles in, and the Riverwoods Shops and Restaurants at the opening of the canyon, there is an activity for everyone. Of course it’s the best in the fall when the leaves are changing color, but really the scenery is gorgeous any time of the year.

on a walk in the canyon last fall

3. Calories don't count on vacation, so we'll stop in and grab a treat at The Chocolate. It’s a fun little chocolate shop set up in an old house, and their salted caramel chocolate cupcake will make you think you’ve died and gone to heaven. And if you have a few spare calories for the weekend, stop in at Magleby’s and get a slice of their chocolate cake. It’s definitely a close second.

4. The weather is perfect and getting outdoors is a must. We'll take advantage of the gorgeous day on Y Mountain. If you attended BYU and didn’t hike the Y during your time there, it’s a must. And for everyone else, it’s just a fun Provo activity for a beautiful day. The hike isn’t too strenuous so the whole family can enjoy it, and the scenery at the top is unbeatable.

5. You're so fortunate to have an Provo insider showing you around. The locals would stone me if I didn't take you to the BYU Creamery. It’s just a tiny little grocery store on the edge of BYU campus, but it sells the most amazing ice cream (either by the scoop or in a carton) that you definitely won’t want to pass up.

6. You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway that a trip to Provo wouldn't be complete without a stop at the BYU Museum of Art, or a BYU football game. One activity if you’re a sports fan, the other if you’re not. The art museum, although small, always has unbelievably impressive and famous exhibits from around the world. And while you’re there, stop at the museum cafe, which never disappoints. As for the football game, my husband would stone me if I didn’t recommend this. And for a crisp fall Saturday, it’s hard to think of a better activity -- especially if you stop at a concession stand and pick up a famous giant “cougar tail” maple bar!

Cougars of BYU (2006)

Want to share your city? Email Me!

Adventure

2013-05-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Bart is having a birthday.

And he will be celebrating it in a way that I would never ever ever consider celebrating my own birthday, which is voluntarily running a marathon.

I have grand plans to sit, with a snack, and watch him run. Possibly, I will sleep in while he's doing the whole first 25 of those miles (but not likely because I have children).

Last week, we went out for dinner, and Bart and I started discussion how we have changed since we've been married.

In my mind, the way I've changed most is that I'm much less fearful. I think my personality tends toward caution and safety. I worry a lot about big changes and I dislike making huge decisions (which is why we waited five years to have children). I'm more likely to stay with the status quo, even if I'm only somewhat happy, then make a leap into the unknown.

But Bart is less like that. He's the kind to say, "I can train for a marathon." He'll say, "We can make a last-minute trip to Seattle work, even with a small child." Although I was the one who was particularly enamored with the idea of moving to Texas back in 2006, I know I alone would never have actually left. He was the one who got in the car and didn't look back. He spent months encouraging me to start this blog.

Photo taken by Bethany Jackman

Bart has made me braver. He encourages me to try for things I would shy away from for fear of rejection. He's not impulsive, but he's adventurous and he's helped me to see that new and different can be thrilling and fulfilling, even if it's a little bit terrifying.

Life with him is richer and fuller than it would be without him. Choosing a life with him has meant choosing a bigger life. I'm so happy to have that not only for me, but for our girls too.

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Elsewhere:

A Mustache Baby Shower
After Nap Time (the best part of my day)
Fresh Strawberry and Almond Bars
Happier at Home book review
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel Bites
Dinner in a Dash: 10 Recipes that Start with Bacon
Chocolate Pretzel Popcorn

2 x 2 (by 2): Horsefly and Honeybee & Cindy Moo

2013-05-02T06:32:00.000-05:00

I think each year the 2 x 2 list gets better. So far, we've thoroughly enjoyed every book from the list (although we still have many unread ones!). These two were winners for both Ella and me.

In fact, by the time we returned Cindy Moo to the library, Ella could recite nearly the entire book. I wish I'd caught that on video. . . .

Horsefly and Honeybee by Randy Cecil. This is one of those little picture books that you don't want to think too hard about because it's a little disturbing.

Both Horsefly and Honeybee want to take a nap in the same flower, and they get into a fight where both of them end up missing a wing (that's a more polite way to say they rip each other's wings off, yes?). Honeybee starts for home on foot, which takes forever, and then a frog snatches her up. He's thrilled to have found some food that won't fly off, so he sticks her on a lilypad while he goes off in search of more food.

It turns out Horsefly is also sitting on that lilypad, having already been caught by the frog, but fortunately, a little teamwork helps them make their escape before they end up as lunch.

It's just a short, amusing little story. Try not to think about the violent aspects of it (much like we pretend basically every fairy tale is horrifyingly scary or evil).

Cindy Moo by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Jeff Mack. The book opens with Cindy Moo (a cow, in case you couldn't guess), listening outside the window of the farmhouse while inside one of the occupants sings "Hey Diddle Diddle."

Cindy Moo instantly becomes obsessed with the idea of jumping over the moon like the cow in the rhyme. Her fellow cows are dubious that this is possible, but Cindy Moo won't be stopped. As one try after another ends in failure, though, she starts to give up hope. Happily, on a rainy night, she discovers a way to succeed.

I thought this book was very clever and the rhyming verses were excellently done. Definitely worth a a read.

Need more picture book recommendations? Check out previous 2 x 2 posts.

Glazed Chocolate Muffins

2013-05-01T06:55:00.000-05:00

Ella and I are really good parent/child match, I think. We enjoy a lot of the same things (although her love of Candyland is 100000000x greater than mine), and she likes to be involved in what I'm doing.

A couple of weeks ago, I opened up my Carbs, Carbs, Carbs board on Pinterest and told her to pick something. She was delighted and carefully looked through each picture until she landed on these glazed chocolate muffins, and I was not sad.

After I took a few pictures (all of which she wanted to be in), she asked if SHE could take some pictures. I put the stand back on the kitchen counter, until she exclaimed, "No! I want to take pictures of the food."

Five minutes later, she returned with the camera and told me "I think I got some good ones."

It's so amusing (and a little bit stressful) to see all of my habits and quirks played back to me by a two-year-old.

Glazed Chocolate Muffins
(slightly adapted from Crunchy Creamy Sweet)

Makes 12 standard-size muffins

Muffin Batter:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

Glaze:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Tablespoon corn syrup
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 425. Grease your muffin tin.

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat oil and sugar together for 2 minutes, until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla and mix briefly.

Pour flour on top of the mixture, and then directly on top of the flour, add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until partially combined. Add milk and finish mixing until combined (but don't over mix!).

Distribute batter into muffin tin cups (each should be about three-quarters full). Bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops are cracked and bounce back when you press them gently. Don't overbake or they'll be dry, so keep an eye on them.

Let cool completely on a baking rack.

In a small saucepan, melt butter with the milk and cocoa powder and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently, then remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar (you may want to sift it to avoid lumps). Whisk in vanilla extract.

Hold the cooled muffins by the base and dip them into the glaze, letting excess drip off, before turning them right-side up and letting them set, about five minutes.

These are best the day you make them.

I couldn't leave this hilarious picture out. She kept saying, "I'm a bear and I'm going to EAT these muffins." You can see by the chocolate on her upper lip that the bear had already eaten a muffin.

This post is sponsored by The Goodies Company. Get a box of snacks in the mail each month for only $7 (use the promo code BLOGVIP).

31 for 31

2013-04-30T06:46:00.000-05:00

After much soul-searching over the weekend (read: thirty seconds of thinking before I drifted off to sleep), I decided I'm going to attempt RA's 31 for 31 challenge this month.

May is tricky in Austin (this year - I don't remember it being quite so cool in previous years during April, but I'm not complaining). Do I include sweaters? shorts? both? (both, obviously).

We'll be in Utah for a week this month, and I can't decide if that will make things easier or more difficult. Hard to cheat that week, I guess. Also, probably easier to pack.

RA left it pretty wide open as far as how you wanted to interpret 31 items, so I chose to not include shoes in that 31. I see my ideal wardrobe as pretty small as far as clothing goes, with a bigger range of shoes and accessories to rotate in and out with. If you want to call this cheating, go ahead; I will not be offended.

Also, to make it easy on myself, I'm taking everything out of my drawers that isn't listed here and putting it on the high shelf in my closet so I am not constantly thinking, "Was this one of my items?" And possibly at the end, I will just donate the entire bag without looking in it.

Either way, here are my 31 items for May. (I just typed "Mary" instead of "May." I don't know who Mary is, but she is not getting my 31 favorite items of clothing).

A shocking lack of color here, isn't there? I like neutrals.

But apparently I do like colorful sweaters.

Frankly, this is too many skirts. I am not a skirt-wearer except for Sundays. I spend too much time flopping on the couch and lying on the floor flipping Ella around or playing airplane with Ani to wear skirts most days. Oh well.

Pants are definitely the staple of my wardrobe. One of those pairs of jeans is actually shorts.

(And, if you're the counting type, you might notice this is only thirty things. I just ordered a new pair of jeans that hasn't arrived yet, so it's number 31. Unless they don't fit, in which case, well, I guess I'll be doing 30 things).

Canvas Refashion

2013-04-29T06:03:00.000-05:00

Last March, I wrote about this dot art project I did for above our table.

After about six months, Bart and I got a bit tired of it. Eventually, we decided to replace the Tube Map we'd gotten rid of when we moved from Boston, but when it arrived and we got it framed, it was too small for that space, so we found a home for it on a different wall.

But, by that time, we'd already taken down the canvas and let Ella pull off all the dots. Which meant the canvas went back to sitting against our bedroom wall for many weeks, while I decided what I wanted to do with it instead.

Then, one night, while I was browsing Pinterest, I saw this print from Etsy:


via

And I thought, "I could possibly do a version of that."

So I did.

This was a very simple project (seriously, I have no artistic ability whatsoever, so if you have a working arm, you can definitely do this yourself).

Also, it was super inexpensive, especially if you already HAVE a canvas sitting on your bedroom floor.

Here's what you need, should you wish to do one yourself:

a canvas (I bought mine from Michael's for about $20)
an art marker (I bought it at Michael's for less than $3)
painting tape
a measuring tape or ruler
an outline of a car (I used this one)
an audiobook to listen to while you draw (I picked The Age of Miracles) optional

First, drag your two small children to Michael's to buy an art marker. They will love it.

Next, bring them home and put them both down for naps. You will love it.

Using your measuring tape to make sure it's even (I measured about every three inches and made a pencil mark so I could line the tape up), put a line of tape on the bottom half of your canvas. My canvas is 36 inches tall and I taped at 10 inches.

Draw your buildings with the fine tip of the marker (I pulled the Etsy image up on my iPad so I could kind of follow along, although I didn't copy hers exactly - mine has only about 2/3rds as many buildings and as I went along, I changed up the heights, but her image was a great guide). I drew a couple of practice ones on a piece of paper, which helped a lot, although you can still tell I got better as I went along. Ah well.

I printed out the car outline, cut it out and traced it onto the board and filled it in with the marker.

Next, I put another piece of tape directly above the existing piece of tape and then a third piece of tape directly below the existing piece of tape, then peeled off the center (original) piece of tape. I then colored that strip in (it took about three times over to get it completely filled in (and I noticed that going in long horizontal strips worked better than going vertically up and down).

I peeled off the tape and put a hanger on the top back.

I made Bart hang it up for me and, ta-da! Done before either girl woke up from her nap. Also, no more bare, sad wall.

(bedhead!)

A Whirlwind Weekend in Chicago

2013-04-27T06:19:00.000-05:00

Here's what we love most about Chicago:

1. I'd take you out for pizza at Lou Malnatis. Chicago is famous for deep dish pizza, and those of us in the know will tell you: no one does it better than Lous. You can order whatever you want, but I'd strongly recommend the deep dish pepperoni pizza. Normally, I love veggies and other diverse pizza toppings, but at Lou's, going for the classic is a must (and the insider tip: ordering it with the low-fat cheese doesn't impact taste at all!).

2. It's famous for a reason! You shouldn't miss Millennium Park, home of "The Bean" - a giant reflective kidney bean that reflects and distorts the Chicago city skyline. At 42 feet tall and 66 feet long, this sculpture captivates the young and old alike and is the ultimate Chicago photo op. If you're in town in the winter, you can also go ice skating outdoors at Millennium Park, and in the summertime, there are free concerts and movies on the lawn. And of course, any time of year, you are only a few steps away from the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan.

3. Calories don't count on vacation, so we'll stop in and grab a treat at Sweet Mandy B's in Lincoln Park. They are famous for their cupcakes, which they offer in a dozen different flavors of cupcake-y goodness (there are no words...it's just that good).

4. The weather is perfect (okay, well it will be when summer comes around - don't hold the blustery winter weather against us) and getting outdoors is a must. We'll take advantage of the gorgeous day exploring Lincoln Park! Not only is there a free conservatory and free zoo (with a petting zoo and duck pond that are a hit with the kids), but if you visit on a Saturday, you can check out Chicago's biggest farmers market, the Green City Market, to grab a piece of pie from the Hoosier Mama Pie Co. or watch a cooking demonstration from a rotating cast of locally renowned chefs.

5. You're so fortunate to have a Chicago insider showing you around. The locals would stone me if I didn't show you the Magnificent Mile, Chicago's ultimate shopping destination. With several shopping malls and hundreds of stores between them, you can find almost anything you are seeking. Moms with little girls will love the American Girl store, and people-watchers will have a blast. What the locals know, however, is that some of the better shopping finds can be found on the side streets off of Michigan. Brides to be will love the Oak Street shops, Walton and Rush Street are littered with smaller boutiques, and for the thriftier shopper, you can divert down Chicago Ave. to find a massive new Nordstrom Rack.

6. You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway that a trip to Chicago wouldn't be complete without visiting Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood. It's a fabulous, trendy, hipster-filled part of town where you'll find high end boutiques, thrift stores and everything in between and amazing local eateries (a few stand-outs include the Bongo Room for brunch, iCream for a truly unique ice cream experience, and Big Star for tacos that will blow your mind. It's a bit further west than the normal tourist stomping ground, but you won't be sad you ventured off the beaten path.

Want to share your city? Email Me!

How Do I Still Own Clothing I Don't Like?

2013-04-26T06:46:00.000-05:00

You guys were so so nice to vote last week for Crawford - I appreciate it tremendously.

And, now with that out of the way, we're free to talk about much more important things like my closet.

Since reading Zero Waste Home and also rereading parts of The No-Brainer Wardrobe, I've been ruthlessly cleaning out my closet.

I thought I was down to the pretty bare minimum, but then I went through it after reading those books and filled two more (paper!) grocery sacks (plastic would be very environmentally-unfriendly, plus I have to save those for taking out diapers every day or two. . . ).

Because I'm such a miser with my money, it's hard for me to admit when something just doesn't work because it feels like throwing money straight into the garbage can. Somehow, it seems more reasonable to keep it sitting, unworn and irritating, in my closet for months or years before I finally admit that, okay! I will probably never wear this.

Apparently, I wrote about this exact same thing last April too, so clearly this is just going to be an ongoing process for me. Check back next April where I will probably be blathering about the same topic again. It'll be incredibly exciting, I promise.

RA is hosting Mission: Put Together next month, and I'm contemplating doing the part of the challenge where you pick 31 items of clothing and only wear those for the month. We shall see how brave I feel next week.

(This picture was pre-haircut; I am SO glad it's a little bit more in control now).

Shirt: Target, Jeans: American Eagle

Sweater: Downeast Basics, Shoes: Payless

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Elsewhere: