Hair's to Friday! Tame Your Mane

This time of year, my hair is always so dry-- skin too, thanks to the winter weather.  I'm using some new products on my skin that I'll post about next week, but my hair needs help! While summer's humidity presents its own challenges, the winter means I'm contending with staticky flyaways or combatting hat head.  Time to explore some options for taming the mane...

DryBar
The always fashionable and on-the-go Natalie of Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers blogged about the opening of the new DryBar in Charleston, and I sure wish that we had one here in Upstate NY. What fun to be pampered with a girlfriend and have mimosas on a Saturday morning!  I went to the Dupont Circle  location in DC a couple of years ago and loved the experience.

via

THINKING ABOUT... Healthy body, mind and soul

I've been battling a cold and generally have been feeling fatigued for a week yet I've still tried to keep up with my "routine." But this weekend, I threw up the white flag, listened to my body and surrendered. After enjoying three long days of deep rest, reading, eating nourishing and delish food (broke the 80-20 rule!), snuggling with Sweet P and the Sailor, taking a restorative yoga class and fitting in a couple of other invigorating outdoor sweat sessions, I'm feeling refreshed.

As moms, wives, daughter, sisters, we as women in general are concerned with taking care of others and other things. Whether it's rushing kids off to activities, prepping food for the family's meals, keeping the house tidy (forget about CLEAN!), fulfilling community obligations, so much of what we do is selfless.

But what do we do to care for ourselves? How do we show up for others when we aren't taking care of ourselves? Frazzled, worn out, distracted-- certainly not present and capable of listening to their real needs. We do what we're expected to do, usually on autopilot or out of habit. There's nothing mindful or intentional about our behavior.

What do you do to hit your 'reset' button so you can be your best self? Many things just take a moment to bring awareness, adjust your perspective and remind you to live with intention.

Here's a list of things that I've found work for me...
Please add your suggestions in the comments.  

Valentine's & Galentine's Day Celebrations

I was a little behind this year on Valentine's Day since we were out of town last week. The important part is that I (sort of) pulled it together enough to help Sweet P make a homemade Valentine for her daddy, and I cooked her heart shaped pancakes with blueberries and pink M&Ms for breakfast. Not the prettiest picture but she's easy to please-- as long as she has chocolate!

The Sailor and I enjoyed special dinner of sushi for two and champagne (on a Tuesday!), which was just perfect. Then we spent the rest of the evening going through the photo books that he's made of us each year that we've been together. Pretty special day indeed!

After the fact, of course, I saw photos of some pretty awesome Galentine's Day celebrations on instagram too. Wonder where the new-ish holiday originated? Here's the story. I love the idea of entertaining gal pals with champagne, waffles, crafts and cute decorations! It probably goes without saying but connecting with friends is such an essential part of well-being. We all need a tribe, and in a perfect world, I'd be able to get together with more of my besties SO much more often! Scroll for some pretty stuff...

Check out these links for more pretty tips on planning a celebration for friends!

HGTV How to Throw a Galentine's Day Party
Domestikated Galentine's Day Decoration Round Up

Sunday Fun-day & Superfood Hot Cocoa

Good Morning! It's about time that we got some snow! The accumulation this past week makes me remember the snowy winters of my childhood. In recent years, we would get a few inches here and there, but we got dumped on this past week in the northeast.

Sweet P at Eighteen Months

Happy half-Birthday Pippa! It's been a ball watching Pippa's skills and personality develop over the past few months. She is full of spunk and energy and love! Although she's been going through a shy phase where she only wants Mom and Dad during the past couple of weeks, she is quick to warm up and fill the room with her bright light. One moment, she will be reading her lift the flap books quietly, and the next she's tearing through her play area dumping bins or shoving her toys in her play kitchen. Most of the time, it's the latter! 

Health Goals and Recipes to Get You There

We're a month into 2017 so it's time for a check in on goals! If you made a health and wellness resolution and stuck to it, you're well on your way to setting up lasting lifestyle changes.

I'm big on goal setting. Although some people prefer to stick with a few big ones, I've made a long list of resolutions every year for the better part of a decade. SMART goals-  Specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, timely. I'm pretty rough on myself when it comes to evaluating whether or not I'm on the right track. I usually revisit the goals and "grade" myself a few times a year just to be sure I'm making progress. In an upcoming post, I'll share the new tools I've found to help me get there this year.