Tales of Me and the Husband

and now for a story of our friday.

{top: c/o chic nova}
{pants: zara}
so, at the moment i’m nursing a sinus infection (i think) and it’s wretched.  to those of you who frequent these waters… i am sorry.  it ain’t fun.  i feel like i’ve lived off of raw vegetables and hummus (“i’m sorry if my hands smell like tahini, i was just making hommus.”  name the movie.)… trying to avoid carbs and dairy and ALL THINGS DELICIOUS to get well.  stupid.  and in august?  stuuuupid.
and then!  last friday, i broke my toe.  my pinky toe.  my poor, poor pinky toe.  i slammed it (i mean slammed) it into a door.  it was 11 am and i’d only had a few slices of apple since waking up at 7.  i’d hardly say i’m knoooown for this but it’s happened before: fainting.  just a sort of low blood sugar thing once in awhile if something gross happens to me and i haven’t eaten enough.  so i looked at my toe and just by the looks of the poor thing i knew i’d done it.  it wasn’t quite bent the right way and, i don’t know, it just did not look like its twin!  i won’t go so far to say it was a bit deformed buuuut it was a bit deformed.  i felt sweaty, i felt faint.  i asked steve to pull it because i suspected it was dislocated.   he gave it a meager pull.  i googled.  felt faint again.  ate a banana.  the whole debacle was just that.  a debacle!  the little toe is now black and blue and about twice the size of the other one but surprisingly not hurting very badly.  in fact, i’d take another broken toe over any more of this silly sinus infection.
(i’m leaving out the part where i got an x-ray and apologized profusely for even coming in at all.  my story went something like this, and repeated to everyone i saw: “i wouldn’t have come if i had known it was broken!  i know you do nothing for broken toes!  i just wasn’t sure if it was dislocated and i read that it can heal improperly if it’s dislocated…” and blah blah blah hangs head in shame blah blah.)
and that was my friday.  minus the part where steve got nearly maimed by gracie who escaped and didn’t want to be carried home by him because some neighbor girls were playing fetch with her.  i’ll save that for another day, yeah?
pass me the neti pot!

lately.

1. we’re going way back for this edition of lately, ya’ll!  that first pic was taken innnnnn june if i am recalling correctly!  bridge, get yo’ britches back on.  the school year and all its routine is a-coming.
2. parker was a debbie downer at the beach for at least the moment this picture was taken but i assure you, he seized the notion of a beach day real fast.  and not just by force.
3. nyc, high line!  see?  going way back!  (even though that wasn’t that long ago it sort of feels like a lifetime ago?)
4. the ladies (and parker) wading in a stream on our bike ride in vail.  that’s steve’s niece up there!  (and technically mine too, but her oldest brother is almost my age sooooo you know, they don’t have to (please no) call me aunt bridget or anything though they like to tease!  let’s just call us cousins.)

 5. more fun in vail.  i was practically giddy this night (and though steve’s face plays it cool, he was too.) and we were dreaming up ways to stay in vail foreva.
6. snooze.  three times in three days, ya’ll (and all different locations!).  that place is ahmayzing.  also, this picture is of ‘juan’s breakfast tacos’ but i really suggest you get the ‘omg french toast’ because it might be one of the most delicious things i’ve ever, ever, ever, ever, ever eaten.  i’m a die-hard eggs for breakfast girl but hot damn am i glad i strayed.  thank you to my friend lindsay for taking me… cause… it was awesome.  when in colorado, go to snooze!
7. lindsey and the most gigantic frog of all time.  i think he was a bit worse for the wear when we came upon him (sad).  also, she’s nutty-afraid of spiders but picks this enormous amphibian up like it ain’t no thang.  riddle me that.  (actually, i ig’d this picture and it turns out there are others of you out there.  which makes you all cray.)
8. + 9. lake and lake!  first time we’ve gotten up there all summer.  wrong.  hopefully we’ll remedy that this month before the daily grind starts in september.  also, parker got his own ice cream scoop.  big day for the little dude.
10.  i was squirting him with a water gun in this shot.  see it?  that pic gives me a bit of a chuckle.  once in awhile, us parents need to change up the rules and BE IN CHARGE.
11. the happiest scooter-er!  he loves that thing!  like major.
12. and again.  also, some of you asked!  this is the scooter we got him.  it’s kind of pricey but i got him the one with the adjustable handlebars instead of the one meant for the little, little kids.  because, adjustable!  they both lower to the same height but one will grow with him.  so, there.  he got on and basically didn’t stop all night (video proof) so, we done good.
13. hanging at a concert at the cape may ferry grounds!
14. moseyin’ along the beautiful streets of cape may.
15. and finally, our sweet travelers (not shown: lindsey reclining in the back with gracie!).  they’ve been troopers this summer.  it’s felt a little “another suitcase another hall” up in here (anyone else fall deeply in love with the evita soundtrack in, say, fifth grade?  no?  just me?).  they’ve been good, mostly all kind to each other (and us!), anddddd that concludes our summer travels.

now i plan to sit back and enjoy august.  whatever that means.

summer vacationing: the good and bad

summer’s had its best of us hunts.  and we’ve had the best of it.  we’ve savored it and spit it out.  whatever that means.  i sometimes have too great an affection for alliteration to use it appropriately (and look at that!  twice so far!).  but who cares?!  it’s alliteration!

here i sit at my mom and dad’s house while a very toddlery toddler naps in the room next to me.  on becoming two: i have seen the tantrums arise in the last few months and there were definitely growing pains in it for me, the ever reminiscent mom.  are all moms this way?  do they all clutch the past as tightly as i do?  i see some welcome each milestone so contentedly and i wonder, “why can’t i do that?”  i know that change has always been hard for me.  and not that this is especially hard but there is a definite sadness to his turning two.  i can’t pinpoint exactly why but it’s there.  the growing up and growing away hurts me a bit.  i wonder, “should i be staying in for this nap because he may never fall asleep on me like this again?”  i want to celebrate the little milestones and i could say, “oh but i am!”  though, i think i’d be lying.  i’d like him to stay little for a little while longer.  not all mothers savor the newborn days.  i don’t blame them.  the sleeplessness and wondering what’s wrong without any ability to communicate with those creatures was hard, no doubt about it.  but i mean it when i say i’d repeat zero (including labor!) to, oh, eighteen months again with that guy.  but alas, we don’t get to do that and the beat goes on.  this is sweet too, the hugs and the kisses and the laughter.  but the dramatic throwing of oneself on the ground amidst all mom and dad’s failed attempts at happiness (water?  a toy?  are you hungry?  poopy diaper?) is hard.  is it hard on you too?  i think there’s more to it here, too.  i think i worry about adding another, want to add another, should i add another, i wish i’d already added another.  all of the above in the very same breath.  i’m hard on myself.  it’s mostly silly.  i need some zen.

so, summer.  while viewed through my instagram account it sure looks picture perfect, it has had its moments!  i always need to give that reality check lest anyone think otherwise.  parenting has kicked our butts a bit this summer (mostly steve’s for sure – and the man deserves at least ten three-hour long massages before returning to work in a few weeks).  we’ve got such spread out ages, as you well know, so we’re straddling many worlds.  it’d do steve and i a world of good to take things less personally, particularly with the ages that know better.  and i know i’m being terribly vague but it just has to do.  parenting is hard.  parenting is hard.  to the parents out there, fist pump.  and, you older and wiser folks with the sagest of wisdom in all ways parenting, do share your best advice.  ðŸ™‚

ever the optimist (i’m not sure that i am though?) i must say that summer’s had its share of beauty.  if you can just breathe out what’s stressing you and enjoy it, it’s there.  it’s all there.  i have successfully done that many times.  and i remind others to enjoy it too.  i’m always doing that.  “william!  lindsey!  do you see this?  do you really see how beautiful this is???  god made this!!”  i am always pointing it out, ensuring that they’re grasping what it is they’re seeing, the good life.  i need to make sure i too am taking it all in.

anyway, here we remain at the shore.  there’s been a beach day, one that extended long into the evening  with some pizzas and beers (my favorite kind.  85% of the people leave and you’re left with a setting sun, a low tide, and quiet.  until the seagulls come determined to pluck the cheese right off your pizza.).  we haven’t yet done ice cream, but i plan to pick some fancy flavor at springer’s in stone harbor before our time is up here.  kahlua kommotion used to be my favorite but i do believe they’ve retired that one.  and steve and i are going to try to sneak out for a date at some point.  despite the fact that he’s been around all summer, i feel like time where we’ve actually looked each other in the eyes and said, “how are you doing, dear one?” has been scarce.  isn’t that the way of it.  we’re pulled in every which direction and often opposite ones.  i’m reminded of this quote by mary jean irion: {normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.  let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.  let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.  let me hold you while i may, for it may not always be so.  one day i shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.}  that quote.  i tell you what, tears practically spring to my eyes every time i read it.  and while i don’t want such pressure to enjoy enjoy enjoy every moment – there is something to be said for it.

so, summer vacationing.  the good and the bad.  it feels good to write.  i haven’t used this space for that in awhile.  the running around hasn’t allowed for it, it’s hardly allowed my brain space to think.  i may be many things, but english major will always be one of them.  the writing bit was always my favorite part.  and while it’s nearly as cathartic to let it fall on deaf ears, it’s nice to know you folks are out there reading.  so thanks, as always.  and really, i hope your summers have been grand.  even if they weren’t full of trips to any place but your backyard kiddie pool or your local zoo.  it’s in the little things, oh is it ever.

bathroom etiquette + hello.

i don’t get overly impressed by things, and i don’t try new products in my bathroom regime unless it comes with a really over-the-top review from a friend of mine who has really white teeth.  i’ve always called myself a “teeth girl” – meaning, one of those who notices teeth.  which is altogether crazy given that i really could use some work done to one of my front teeth.  a root canal years ago left it such that it doesn’t match the other close enough and if i told you it drives me crazy at leeeeeast three times a week but i’m too afraid to do anything to it lest it look worse would you call me crazy?  it’s true.  probably more than three times a week.  i mean, i could easily write a post about it including how i rue the day when i banged my tooth so hard on the pool bottom (yeah, who does that?) to damage the poor thing.  but i’m getting off track.  i’ll tell you what else gets a listening ear from me, besides the word-of-mouth.  good packaging.  and little details.  i think in my next life i’m going to be a graphic designer given how closely i pay attention to that sort of stuff.  and details!  like, would you have ever given a second thought to putting a pastry tip end to your toothpaste tube?  probably not.  but now look at the below picture.  does it not look amazing?!  like a model toothpaste squirt???  i mean, i’m quittin’ my day job (what is my day job anyway?) to become a pro toothpaste squirter.  who knew?

so, all of that nonsense leads up to these hello products that were recently sent to me.  as soon as i opened the box i was like YES.  they got the packaging bit down.  (apparently the packaging was actually designed by the BMW people!)  they were also mentioned in this month’s real simple magazine and real simple’s two thumbs up is like worth eighteen of my friend’s two thumbs up given that all eighteen of those friends have really nice, white teeth.

william and lindsey, ever the eager testers, were happy to try it out.  now here’s the thing.  we have maaaaaaany a rogue toothpaste cap in our bathrooms.  (thank you to my dear mother for letting HER much cleaner bathroom be the host of this here test lab.)  but really, open the bathroom drawers and you’ll find, oh, nothing short of 6 old toothpaste caps.  and chances are they’re permanently adhered to the corners of the drawer with old, concrete-like toothpaste.  fun stuff.  grab the chisel!  so when i noticed hello’s toothpaste IN A BOTTLE with an ATTACHED CAP that you don’t have to SQUEEZE from the back to the front like you’re milking a cow i thought, “2013 YOU NEVER CEASE TO SURPRISE ME.”  seriously, seeeeriously, this isn’t just ad-bridget talking.  it is a great idea.  steve will be pleased because he recently informed me, “you NEVER put the caps back on the toothpaste tubes.”  and i was like “WTH steve, YOU never put the caps back on the toothpaste tubes.” but alas!  hello has solved the dilemma.  bridget and steve must find something else to fight about!

on top of that, the ingredients are 99% all natural.  and they say fun things.  like the breath sprays say that it’ll improve dates.  and it says “spray and greet freely.”  i like clever little marketing that lets you know that a human with a sense of humor is the one who wrote it.  and the flavors!  mojito mint, grapefruit mint, and supermint.  mojito mint is my fave since you asked!!  

in concluuuuuusion, i really do suggest you try the hello products.  i mean, check out that website alone.  simple!  clean!  just how you like your teeth!  available at your local target, folks!  and if you go like their facebook page, grab yourself a $1 coupon (like the page and find it under the coupons section!).

this post was sponsored by hello products.  thanks for stopping by!  and thanks to william and lindsey for being toothpaste models of the day!


don’t you sort of want to try this stuff?  and tell me, do you put the cap back on the toothpaste tube?!

he’s two.

parker, you are two today!  
i love you so much.  how did i get so lucky to be your mama?  the luckiest, and i mean that.   
(being brief lest the tears come!  i am resolving to keep the tears at a minimum today!)
{my last of the bump series}
{his birth story}
{his first picture in this chair}
{his first birthday video}
and there’s a little memory lane for you.  

vail, colorado: part 2

 
alright!  the vail bit is nearing its end – the final segment, i promise!  more pictures of this beautiful place.  i hope, if you’ve not been, that i’ve convinced you that vail needs to be on your list.  
so, we did more lolly-gagging around, pinching ourselves every few minutes.  our biggest care in the world was, “what are we doing for lunch?”  that’s unusual and AWESOME.  
here’s what i’ll say about vail and then i’ll shut up and move on: vail is crazy kid-friendly.  if you’ve got kids, go to vail.  (who am i kidding – if you don’t have kids, still go to vail.)  they’re not going to get hit by cars, they’re not going to pick up cigarette butts, they’re not going to play on their wii all day (i mean, there’s a possibility of all of this, yes, but unlikely.).  there’s so much to do, so many activities that get your limbs moving.  there’s a fountain every 100 yards practically (where you can even run into  friends–hi chelsea!).  a really beautiful, stone one.  clean and meant for kids to jump in and cool off in.  there’s bikes to rent (i would highly suggest doing it!) and trails to traverse.  there’s room to run and grass to lie (lay in?  i never get this right.) in.  there’s people out, living, moving, doing.  jumping in the creek, enjoying a glass of wine, flying down the mountain on their bikes.  go to vail!
here are my official vail tips and then i’ll be done!
to eat: 
vail is expensive.  we learned this the hard way when we had a lunch that cost nearly $100 and we ordered pretty basic things.  from then on, we checked the menus first.  
// blue moose pizza is a good option because it’s really, really good and pizza isn’t terribly expensive.  couldn’t recommend it more.  we went twice in two days!  get the chicken ranch pizza.  mmmm.  also, it’s right at the big lionshead village center so there’s room for kids to roam if they get bored while waiting for the pizzas to cook!
// the little diner has delicious breakfast and a really sweet eat-in-swivel-chairs-overlooking-the-kitchen vibe to it.  it’s not a cheap breakfast by any means, but i would argue that vail doesn’t have a TON going on by way of breakfast and that this place is really, really yummy.  i had a bacon, egg, and cheese on a croissant and it was really good.  everyone liked their meals here.  
// yeti’s grind has delicious coffee (we were told it was the best place for a cup of coffee in all of vail!) and a great location.  right in front of a big turf field where fly fishing practice sometimes happens, another good place for kids to roam.  parker met the sweetest boy who shared his scooter with him.  tables outside, a few pastry options, lattes, egg wraps.  after a semi-pricey breakfast the day before, we stuck with this two days in a row.  also, where i ran into a blog friend!  (hi sara!)  apparently ryan sutter frequents it buuuut i missed him which was disappointing since the trista/ryan season was probably my fave bach season ever.  it’s gone downhill since.  whatever.
// have wine and appetizers at the mountain standard.  (and their strawberry shortcake!)  sister to sweet basil which i also heard good things about.  RIGHT on the creek and a great ambience.  and if you stay at the sitzmark lodge, you’re a stone’s throw from it!  though, everywhere is so close so it almost doesn’t matter where you stay.   
to do: 
// rent bikes.  whatever you do, rent bikes.  if you’ve got kids, they have burley trailers to hitch to the back of a bike.  i LOVED the burley trailer and seeeeeeriously want one now.  i told steve, “we could get rid of a car!  i could pack it with groceries!”  going towards east vail, there’s not a ton uphill and it goes along the golf course (real estate heaven!) and along the creek.  you see gorgeous scenery and even really cool grass-topped houses.  it was $25 for four hours per bike.  well worth it.  this was probably my favorite thing that we did.  the kids would agree.
// take the lionshead gondola up the mountain.  it’s expensive but i feel like… you sort of have to go to the top of the mountain while you’re there?  plus, you get to see the OTHER side of the mountain going opposite i-70 and it’s just legit mountain land… no people, buildings.  just nature.  adult tickets are $20 but they call $10 of it a “credit” to spend at the top of the mountain.  skip the food at eagle’s nest (not that good) and just use it on the trampoline thing, or some other activity.  or just get a beer and some chips!  what i’d like to do next time is bring a blanket and a picnic and find some out of the way place to eat.
// visit the fountains!  the creek!  the playground!  walk around.  walk from vail village to lionshead.  there’s a free bus that goes between villages practically every ten minutes (we never waited long) but the walk isn’t very long and you less touristy footing it.  buy a colorado hat!  have a latte and look up the mountain.  i half expected (and hoped) to see a bear lumbering down the mountain at some points.  no such luck even though i’m told they definitely show their faces from time to time.  
// visit a grocer and buy yogurts and fruit and hummus and veggies to snack on.  oh!  and peanut butter, jelly, and bread.  we had a fridge in our room so we could eat those sorts of things and skip a few meals out!  
i wouldn’t have had many of these tips without some kind twitter and instagram friends who knew vail better than i and told me their recommendations.  that’s truly one of the coolest parts of the whole blogging gig.  so thank you!  
and if you know vail or the surrounding area and have more tips–give ’em!
{vail part one}

vail, colorado: part 1

we’re home!  as of 3 am last night, that is.  my own bed was a welcome sight after all that travel. 
so!  colorado!  part 1 of 18!  just kidding!  now seriously… colorado definitely has some spectacular areas but vail took my breath away.  i’d been there once before, just before we got engaged, but it was one quick overnight and i didn’t get to breathe it in like i did this time.  it’s so great.  like sooooo great.  tell yourself you’re in a little swiss village, and you’d really believe it.  one of those special pinch-me-is-this-real places.
we flew into denver on the 4th, and spent some time with steve’s parents.  then, we headed out to vail for a little time in the mountains on our own.  so, here’s the vail bit!
there’s so much to love about that place.  it’s so walkable, there’s a creek running through it (freezing but refreshing nevertheless), and nearly any hotel room will have a view.  the creek’s not your thing?  okay, then look at the mountains all around you.  our hotel room at the sitzmark (beautiful and affordable!) had a balcony on the creek side, perfect for two chairs, and from your bed at night you could hear the creek falling over the rocks westward.  
one morning we were there, we woke with the sun (a toddler as your bedmate will do that) and headed out for a walk and breakfast.  we got to witness the people that maintain vail’s reputation as they went about their work: street sweepers, people watering all the plants (the flowers in vail are overwhelming in the best way possible.  each window box, lining the streets, lacing each hotel balcony–full of color!).  meticulous weeding, deliveries being made to the various eateries–one of the few times you’d see a car or truck on the main thoroughfare through the village (the no-cars rule got a big thumbs up from me).  it was fun to be up with the sun in vail.  you get the sense that the people who frequent vail know how to live.  they’ve got it figured out–much like the italians!  the sweetness of nothing: have a latte at yeti’s grind, maybe a chocolate croissant if you’re feeling decadent.  then stroll over to the pirate ship playground for the kids to run around.  if it’s hot, dip your toes in the creek, a mere stone’s throw from the playground.  admire the petunias bursting everywhere.  look up the mountain, the gondola still frozen in place from when it closed up shop the night before.  walk across the bridge, notice the dogs leaping through gore creek.  perhaps, like us, vail will make you keenly aware of your poor decision-making when it came to careers.  how do we get to do this every day??  tell us!  
no, not really.  i know that we appreciate the siestas life offers more when the daily grind isn’t always handing them out.  they come as a welcome relief to life.  life is sweet and sweeter still when you get to take trips like this one.  
there’s more on all this tomorrow.  including some specifics on our vail-favorites.  and a huge thank you to all of the people who gave me their vail insider tips! 

not another traveling with kids post, i promise. (though, for the record, i have gleaned all sorts of wisdom from those of you who have done them!)

i am like the least qualified to talk about this since this is only my third plane trip since parker’s been born and two of which were like an hour long.  this was longer, four hours, but still nothing that deserves some sort of, “we made it!” post.  still, i was semi proud of myself for not geeking out over germs and a whiny baby.  in part because, he did a really good job.  he fell asleep moments after take off and slept for a good hour and a half of the trip.  plus, we had a whole row for him to sort of move about on.  i packed playdough, crayons, coloring books, a few duplos (the boy likes to make a tower and then pretend it’s a sword while shouting, “vennyaaaa!”), a couple little lego men with the various hats and appendages that can be removed and switched around, books, and of course… snacks!  hummus and carrots and cucumbers and, for emergencies… a whole thing of blueberries!  (packed it all in these, which, i know i’ve mentioned before, but they’re literally my favorite ever.)  he shoveled those down his gullet faster than you can say… airplane? 

it also helped that like two weeks before we left, staples contacted me and asked if they could send me a samsung notebook (um, sure staples?  and thank you!).  you know how i have waxed at lennnnnnngth before about how we limit computer time and such so this was the last thing william and lindsey were expecting their ‘ol crotchety parents to reveal for the plane trip.  we saved the surprise till the morning of, and then let them each download a few apps.  we made them pack a book too – lord of the rings for william and some warrior series for lindsey – so their brains wouldn’t totally turn to mush.  i mean, i can imagine some kids machete-ing (not a word, nevertheless) every piece of fruit they see after playing a certain amount of fruit ninja… parents!  don’t let it happen to you!  so, anyway, fruit ninja and some driving games, some tetris, and hangman!  hangman was my fave.  i played a few rounds with lindsey until she did kudu and dewdrops and i was all, “lindsey, do you even know what a kudu is?”  she didn’t.  dirty hangman player, that one.  we even let parker swipe a few pieces of fruit in fruit ninja and, you know, an activity that keeps their interest for even ten minutes is like GOLD when it comes to flying.  “he wants to play with toilet water in the airplane bathroom?!  will it give us ten minutes of peace?!  ok!  give the child what the child wants for the love of god!”  and then we downloaded cars and wall-e and rocky 3 (steve’s choice.  don’t ask me.) for some potentially boring bit of the trip that might require a movie.  so, in conclusion, samsung notebook, you were clutch!  clutch!

if there’s ever an appropriate time to pull out a notebook, it’s certainly for traveling with kids.  we told them it’s “for travel” and they’re all, “yeah right!” but i am a determined mother and will win this battle.  so far, i’ve kept it stashed in my bag so that they actually look out the windows and appreciate the beauty that is colorado.  little do they know i may catch up on game of thrones on it though 🙂  and if i start speaking dothraki, so be it.

Staples provided me with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to test and review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. To pick up your own Samsung tablet, head over to Staples.com.

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