November 2023

Routines and other hacks / November 24, 2023

Black Friday 2023 + The Friday Five

Happy Friday!

1 // We had the best Thanksgiving dinner. We got to talk to my family over video chat and it was so good to see everyone, especially my sister. My uncle is now with my parents for the winter and I am happy the three of them are together. My FIL made the best turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing. My MIL, A, and O made the most perfect crustless pumpkin pie and chocolate cream cheese cake. I think we got the perfect family photos, too! Can’t wait for leftovers!

2 // Still loving LA weather. It is SO SO SO easy to get dressed and leave the house quickly.

3 // We’ve designed and ordered our holiday cards (with a Black Friday discount!). So glad to check this off the list.

4 // Holiday planning: we need to schedule a Hanukkah party! BUT our temple is having events Friday December 8th and Sunday December 10th. Will have to decide soon!

5 // I’m excited to get back into our routine. When we travel, my workouts and healthy eating are the first to go. I need to work on keeping workouts and healthy eating in my routine while traveling.

Once again, there is an overwhelming amount of sales today, but the last week’s slow release allowed me to get a big of a head start. Here are some of the sales I’ve been eyeing:

JCREW ~ 50% off everything

A great fair isle, wishing I had fun NYE party to wear this skirt to, and cute for Valentine’s Day.

GAP ~ 50% off sitewide

Very into this sweatshirt and sweatpants

OLD NAVY ~ 50% off

Love this puffer vest, the perfect everyday shirt, and an easy, elegant slip skirt.

Personal / November 23, 2023

So Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are finding some time to spend with loved ones today.

Here are some things I’m thankful for:

a healthy husband and daughters. Prioritizing our health and happiness has been the best thing we’ve done. We haven’t always gotten it right, but we continue to strive to prioritize our health and happiness. Staying active and exploring the world continue to be so so important to us. And I am grateful for finding a workout I love.
living in Park City. This connects to my first point, but we continue to love the outdoor activities the Park City offers.
therapy! Over the last year, I have worked with a therapist using EMDR therapy for birth trauma, a parenting therapist, and a personal therapist. This little team of therapists, along with my gynecologist, have helped me immensely in the past year and I look forward to continuing to move forward.
a wonderful career in mathematics education and teaching. I am so thankful for the education and support I received at UCSB, the mentorship at the Santa Barbara schools, and everything I’ve learned from my colleagues, staff, students, and families at each of the schools I’ve worked at. I am so happy to have the opportunity to volunteer in the local schools to share and learn.
and of course I am so thankful to be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and good food.

Looking forward to another year of thankfulness and gratitude.

Home / November 22, 2023

Hanukkah Pajamas 2023

Elevate your Hanukkah celebrations with our collection of chic and cozy Hanukkah pajamas.

This year, one of the gifts we will get the girls are Hanukkah pajamas. We usually give A and O pajamas on the first night of Hanukkah so they can wear them every night of Hanukkah and through the winter. Here are some of my favorites this year:

More from Target: love these matching family pajamas, these festive socks, and this graphic tee.

These from Walmart are really freaking cute.

I am loving all of the pajamas from Hanna Andersson this year:

Some more cute pajamas, matching family pajamas from Old Navy, and I love the addition of the dreidels and Stars of David on these.

For non-religion themed pajamas, I love these ski pajamas, these with animals, these are perfect for apres, gondolas for all, and these are great for the resort.

Adventure / November 21, 2023

A Playground Sandwich

Courage Bagels

With the girls at ages 4 and 6 now, the easiest and least expensive way to entertain them and get them tired out is to go to playgrounds. They are relatively independent and I don’t need to hover as much as when they were younger. We go to a combination of new and already-been-to playgrounds. It’s great to get that time outside. When visiting a new place, we love to choose a place for breakfast, a nearby playground, and a place for lunch — hence the name “Playground Sandwich.” Of course, you can replace the playground visit with any else you’d love to do or see: swimming pool, museum, amusement park, etc.

courage-bagel-menu-los-angeles — Courage Bagel Menu

On Sunday, we went to Courage Bagels. As seen on social media, it’s a bagel shop we’ve been meaning to try for a while now.

The line to order at the window was took 30 minutes and then the wait for the food was another 30 minutes. S and the girls walked around the neighborhood, purchasing plums, milk, and sparkling water at the local liquor store. Luckily, the bagels were worth the wait. Crunchy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. The flavors were absolutely incredibly. I loved the fresh dill on the Hand Sliced Smoked Salmon and the lemon on the Cream Cheese Tomato.

Bellevue Park and Playground

After our hour long plus stint at Courage Bagels, we walked over to Bellevue Playground and Park. There were two playgrounds and bathrooms (thank goodness!), plus a recreation center, two soccer/baseball fields, plus a walking track. S ran early that morning, so I walked three laps around the track to get my steps in while listening to podcasts. The girls loved the bigger playground.

playground-bellevue-los-angeles — The girls love a double swing

For the Win

After an hour at the playground, we headed to FTW (For the Win) for lunch. In the corner of a strip mall, the restaurant hardly looked appealing, but the burgers were great! We each had a cheese burger and shared fries. After lunch, we headed back to S’s parents house for quiet time.

This general formula works very well for us and we use it in our hometown and any town we are visiting. It allows us to see more of any city.