Chilly Days

Well, last week was a doozy for me. Spin Monday, a yummy dinner at Pylos with my Azteca reps to celebrate a large order on Tuesday, Thursday I went to my agency's charity, Gilda's Club, annual gala and Friday my sis came in town for a much needed sister night out. Then Saturday we all hung out with our friends Amanda and Mike (aka Bills' BFF and Mo's godfather) and their daughter, Maddie, who's only 4 months younger than Mo. On Sunday before my sis left the girls went to grab some bagels and smoked salmon from Russ & Daughters, then we just sat in Mudpark area and listened to their  music on the gray morning while we ate and I took a moment to realize how amazing it is that I not only live in such a vibrant area but am able to raise my daughter there. What a cool little baby to have already gone to places people travel hundreds of miles to visit. And I really need to be better about getting out for stuff like that more often.

My office is on top of the Manhattan Mall... who decided it was holiday decorating time last week apparently.

Before the Gala Preethi's Bloomberg rep treated a few of us to a blowout at Drybar. Totally cool!

Leah and I at the Gala selfie

Gilda paddles for bidding

Over $1.1 million was raised that night for such a great place!

Mo being her adorable self last Friday

I call this her "pioneer outfit". And she can finally fit into her Frye boots!

Mo's new favorite thing.

My baby playing with my first babydoll, David.

At Fung Tu, a really yummy and baby friendly (learned through someone else's baby being out on a Friday night) Chinese place only a few blocks from our place. Plus got in with no reservation on a Fri night in the LES!

At the concert!

Rural Alberta Advantage. So much fun!

So Mo has been obsessed with my necklaces. She loves to try to grab them and last weekend before we left for Mike and Amanda's place, came walking out of the bedroom with a white bead necklace that belonged to my Grandmother (and Mo's namesake). She was so cute and proud of herself for accessorizing we let her leave it on until we got to their place. So adorable!

It was so refreshing talking with Amanda about the frustrations and perceived expectations of being a working Mom and found that a lot of the issues I'd encountered were similar with her. It's tough, man, but it's also nice to know that I'm not alone in feeling the way I do.

And our kids got along famously. They were actually really great together, interacting well and even doing a little sharing. Mo loved exploring Maddie's space and especially loved it when Maddie would go crazy in her bouncer. There was even some dancing to Bruce with her godfather.

And Sunday my sis, Mo and I got bundled up and headed out for breakfast. We initially wanted to check out the new Russ & Daughter's Cafe but apparently you need to get there right when it opens or be prepared to wait. But tons of kids in the restaurant so it'll be a place we'll check out soon enough.

That's a true NYC bebe there

And she loves her smoked pastrami salmon, of course

They were also playing some really chill music in the park. It was very cool and there's also a playground. Honestly, we really need to go like every weekend!

So, while busy, this was a great week for getting back to my neighborhood roots and really focusing on how blessed I am to live in such a cool place with such a cool family. And if I didn't work I wouldn't be doing half the cool stuff I do... so I'm just going to shut up about being a working Mom now. I've also been able to make some pretty good homemade meals at home (I went through a bit of a dry spell before/after Texas) but last night I did a chicken shepards pie with collards, corn and okra and topped with a garlicky cauliflower potato mash (inspired by Melissa's veggie shepards pie). Pretty delicious and I just made it up for the most part. I've got salmon, speckled trout, Mexican chorizo, skirt steak, 3 kinds of chicken sausage and short ribs in the freezer, plus just restocked my veggies so looks like I'll be doing some good cooking for a while!

Ready to head out on this rainy day in her sparkly pink Uggs!

Upcoming:

• I'm mixing it up and doing a Barry's Bootcamp arms/abs class tonight. I'm a little scared. I hate running. Hopefully I won't die (that's actually a question in their FAQ!)
• Dinner with my super fun Estrella rep and Leah at Catch on Thursday.
• Bill is going to a game maybe Friday or Saturday night (gotta love guys planning) so I'm thinking of having an impromptu girls night, maybe. Or just having a girls night with my favorite girl.
• We have a datenight next Tuesday!!!!! Where will we go? What will we do? I'll let you know next week. I just cannot wait to spend some quality time with my fav guy too!
• And then it's Thanksgiving. I'm making my favorite oyster dressing and an apple pie for Aunt Joanie's.
• And Christmas is around the corner! Bill and I also realized last night we both planned to give each other the same gift. Ha! Well, great minds do think alike.