Book Review: August & September

Posted on by JC Rizk

Happy reading months: August and September were full of terrific books, including some four 4-star reads! With my mama vacation during September, I was able to sit and read during my meals, including this ‘grown up’ mac and cheese, pictured below, with avocado, arugula, asparagus, smoked salmon and beets, pictured with an equally delectable book — yum! Here are the books I am reviewing from these past two months:

  • Normal People by Sally Rooney {3 stars}
  • Something Missing by Matthew Dicks {2 stars}
  • Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger {4 stars}
  • My Cousin Rachel by Daphne DuMaurier {3 stars}
  • The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker {4 stars}
  • Still Life by Louise Penny {4 stars}
  • The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict {4 stars}
  • Educated by Tara Westover {4 stars}

Let’s start with the lower star books to save the best for last — Something Missing was a neat concept of a man who is a career thief and most of the book follows how he scopes out his “clients” and believes he has relationships with these individuals as he steals from them regularly. I rated this as a 2-star book because although the concept was interesting, I found it relatively mundane to read until the very end, where the climax and resolution happened very quickly and left me unimpressed. I will chalk it up to not being the right book for me!

Normal People was an interesting path along the relationship of two young people and their families, but I have to say that it made me sad. Not a bad thing, because I think that was the author’s intention — to show how some familial relationships and experiences can shape our actions. In books like this, I become frustrated as I want the characters to work on their issues, rather than accepting that this is the way they are, but that frustrates me in everyday life as well, so again, pretty sure it was the intention. Sally Rooney portrayed this well, but I wasn’t in the mood for it — will definitely try another book by her in the future!

My Cousin Rachel was lovely, because Daphne DuMaurier is brilliant and left me impressed and yet uncertain of everything at the end of this novel. I wasn’t as enraptured as I was when reading Rebecca in the past, so I found I couldn’t give more stars, even though it was an entertaining novel.

Moving on to some of the 4-star book reviews! I am so grateful to have so many these past couple months. I enjoyed The Only Woman in the Room, as I found this historical fiction captivating. The history behind it, I was completely unaware of, which I think is what I really enjoy about historical fiction. On a different spectrum, the fiction The Shortest Way Home was a sweet, fast read, and a refreshing story about a young woman finding her own way despite societal expectations. Educated was horrifying memoir that made me want to stop reading continually, but the author’s determination and perseverance in her life encouraged me to continue reading, and wow, what a journey. Reading about her life is definitely hard at times, but it’s also awe-inspiring to hear how she overcame her experiences. Sidenote: this was an audio book, and I really enjoyed the voice over; she did an amazing job!

Now to discuss my favorites for the past two months; both by new authors for me and obviously authors that I plan to read more of soon! Girls Like Us was an interesting mystery about an FBI agent who delves into the life of her father, as well as his unexpected death. Still Life by Louise Penny was amazing and I especially love the main character, Inspector Armand Gamache; I read a lot of mysteries and love series that keep me guessing, but I’ve never come across an inspector quite like Gamache. He is thoughtful, full of perspective and understanding, and just a really refreshing take on this type of role. I cannot wait to read more Louise Penny books! I already have one on hold for me at the local library — I can’t wait!

Exciting news is that with these last books, I met my Goodreads reading challenge: I wanted to read 25 books this year and I already have, with three months to spare! Interested to see how many more amazing reads I can find before 2020 and I plan to keep you in the loop, so stay tuned!

First Cruise: Bermuda

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Attention all! My babies are back! The house seems complete, although I have to admit that when I heard talking at 5:15 yesterday morning, my first thought was, ‘there’s someone in the house’. You know, because burglars would be having a high pitch conversation with themselves while pilfering through our items… 🤦🏽‍♀️

Other than that brief moment of confusion, we are back in full swing and the kids and I enjoyed the first day of autumn together — Bird and I enjoyed some art time while Lulu took his morning nap. We then all walked to the local park for some play time, which included playing in the dirt and with the crispy leaves {our only current taste of autumn — still feels like summer to me}, and then ended the day with some water play! Dinner tonight was delicious risotto with butternut squash and sausage; the kids loved the “hot dogs” and even though they usually love rice, were not a fan of the risotto. Hmm… one benefit of my alone time this last week was that I rebooted my ‘mama skills’ and I started meal prepping again, which helps me feel so much more on top of things. The babes did love my bacon, leek, and cheese frittata, so you win some, you lose some, I guess!

Back to happy thoughts though, when I didn’t have to stress about what my kids will and will not eat. I cannot believe that we were just getting back from our cruise about a week ago. This was the first cruise for Hubby and myself, but we went with another couple who have been on several, so it was nice to be there with people who knew the ropes!

The food was delicious, from the full meals, to the tacos, to the sweet, plentiful soft-serve ice cream — my guilty pleasure! There are a ton of activities for those who dislike sitting still {talking about you, Hubby} and also space for those who want a little more leisure. We went to one musical show, one comedy show, participated in Bingo and also the “hole-in-one” challenge {Hubby won a medal!}. Mostly, on our days at sea, I preferred to sit on the top deck in a lawn chair and read. I found that my motion sickness follows me to cruise ships and the Seabands and Dramamine didn’t quite hold it at bay; that being said, I really only suffered one night and we luckily had one really smooth day at sea, of which I was appreciative!

We spent one day in Bermuda, and it was absolutely stunning. The water was impeccable, the local art was beautiful, and the culture was fascinating! I wish we had more time in Bermuda, but we visited Hamilton, ate some local cuisine, and even saw a Gombey dance {dancers pictured to the right}! I love the vibrant colors on the island, from the Gombey costumes, to the houses, to the water. Hubby and I already agreed we would love to spend more time in Bermuda. In fact, that was my major qualm about the cruise; I am willing to try another one, but overall, I think I prefer arriving in the location of interest quicker and having a longer time to explore and enjoy rather than being cooped up on a cruise ship.

However, I really did love the views: it is extremely impressive to see only ocean surrounding you. I saw my first flying fish , and sights like the one on the left, leaving Bermuda, were stunning and will stay with me for a long time. I also was able to get a lot of reading done and it’s inspired a reading frenzy this past week, which I am loving! Now that I am refreshed from the self care this past week, I am feeling more prepared as a human, wife, and mama. Everyone needs time to take care of themselves and I am so grateful to my family for giving me this opportunity.

What are you going to do take care of yourself this week?! Stay tuned next week for my book review post for August and September.

Book Review: May, June, & July

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Sunrise in the Harbor

This past week I returned to the early morning routine and it’s unbelievable how quickly it improved my mood! Jogged several mornings with my awesome neighbor — it’s always nice to have someone to motivate you. If I didn’t have a jogging partner, I’m pretty sure I would continue to sleep in and thus continue with my previous funk. Also, I kept the ball rolling with journaling, practicing yoga and reading! In fact, these past three months were extremely productive with reading for fun:

  • Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco {3 stars}
  • Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl {4 stars}
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen {5 stars}
  • Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict {4 stars}
  • Becoming by Michelle Obama {3 stars}
  • Recursion by Blake Crouch {4 stars}
  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens {4 stars}

Let’s start with the 3 star reads: Hunting Prince Dracula was a fun, mysterious read, which I recommend to any who like supernatural mysteries, and I plan to read the first book in the series {you do not have to read the first to enjoy the second}. It may not be the first book I run to, but it was good and had a unique plot. Becoming was extremely interesting and I wanted to love it, but I was disappointed overall. It was the second audiobook that I listened to and I expected it to be phenomenal because Michelle Obama is such a dynamic speaker. However, part of me thought the writing was too descriptive and her reading was not as dynamic I expected. That being said, her history is fascinating and I wonder if this book would improve upon physical reading. I can only imagine me trying to read what I wrote off a page; I doubt it would sound as fluid as me speaking with others, and in my mind, I honestly think that was the issue. I plan to read it in the future and see if it improves upon actual reading rather than listening.

FAVORITES: The other audiobook, the first one I listened to EVER, Save Me the Plums, was absolutely incredible. Ruth Reichl writes and speaks about food in such a delectable way, that I become instantly hungry and satiated at the same time! Her history as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine was fascinating and complex. I highly recommend this book for any foodie out there! My other favorite book of these past three months was Pride and Prejudice, by the one and only, Jane Austen. This was a re-read, as it was an instant favorite back when I read it in high school. It’s slightly terrifying to think, but it’s probably been about 15 years since I last read it {insert shocked face here}! It took me a bit to get back into it, because I kept thinking about the 6 hour BBC special, starring the lovely Colin Firth, but once I got over the comparisons, I loved it as much as my teenage years.

My other three reads were impressive as well: Carnegie Maid was a quick, light read, with a nice balance of history and fiction. Where the Crawdads Sing was an emotional, heartbreaking story with several twists along the way. Out of these last reads, I especially enjoyed Recursion by Blake Crouch — this was the first book I ever read by him, and it was full of surprises and was especially thought provoking. I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future.

These books help to keep me motivated and I am currently borrowing Normal People by Sally Rooney from the library. It was highly recommended on Instagram from several bookstagrammers and it’s interesting so far; definitely a different writing style than I’m used to and I’m curious to see what I think at the end. Will let you know in the next book review post!

Enough about me, though — I am not the only one reading and receiving library books! Our public library has a summer reading program, where if kids read 20 minutes a day {or for my toddlers, if someone reads to them for twenty minutes} you mark it on the calendar and for every six days of reading for twenty minutes, you get a sticker, until you reach 36 days. We completed our summer reading challenge this week and Bird was super stoked to receive all her stickers — and the prize?! A new book from the library! Bird was thrilled to pick out a book from their selection and chose Jamberry, which is cute. Lulu, was less excited; he also loves books, but really didn’t understand the summer reading program {gosh, grow up already}, so Mama picked Barnyard Dance for him! Haha, I love that my kids are ‘readers’; we really do enjoy it as a family and often throughout the day, I see Bird and Lulu walk over to the stack of library books or to our bookshelves and just delve into stories, which makes this bibliophile mama’s heart burst! Oh, and talk about proud mama — Bird also acquired her first library card! This is probably my favorite milestone by far and she was so proud of it, walking around with it for the remainder of the day. It’s currently in our library bag {the one that looks like an old school library card… sigh, nostalgia} so that it doesn’t disappear, but I know she’ll be excited to check out our next books on her personal card next week!

What about you? What are you reading? Do you have a library close to you and do you utilize it? What are your favorite recent books?

A month later…

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Well, clearly still working on that balance component, but not apologizing, because that’s life! Today, while listening to the radio — which I do every morning — the DJs were discussing new year resolutions and asking how people were doing with theirs, since it’s about halfway through the year. This year, I didn’t make an actual resolution list, but every year my list is pretty consistent, generally relating to finding a better balance and feeling healthier: cook/eat healthier food, exercise more frequently, practice yoga, practice meditation, read more often, and recently, to be more present with the babes.

When 2019 started, I was practicing yoga in Utah {which was amazing}, meditating regularly, was cooking more regularly/healthier meals, and was definitely focused on Bird and Lulu. I definitely hit some patches since then where I wasn’t as steadfast with meeting these goals, but I am in the process of revamping my intentions for the remainder of the year. Last post, I just started a new morning routine, which helped me feel more focused and calm at the start of the day — critical for me. Last week was more of a struggle since I was on vacation, visiting my family in New England, which was amazing, but I paused on my morning routine. Plus, I ate like I was a teenager — overeating, snacking on potato chips and waaaaay too much chocolate — my body is currently punishing me by producing a major zit; I guess if I am going to act like a teenager, I get to look like one too. Haha — just being real over here!

Picture on the right: Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent

However, the weeks before vacation, I continued the morning routine and also ran a 10k — in memory of my friend who was killed back in January. What an honor it was to run and the medal has her name on it; never have I felt more proud to receive a race medal. It currently hangs front and center on my display. She was a badass, thoughtful, and hilarious mama, neighbor, and friend — always pushing her limits and motivating others to do the same. Before I became pregnant with Lulu, we talked about completing a sprint triathlon {I may have mentioned the sprint option because I’m sure she would have completed a full triathlon without fail}; my goal is to get in shape to complete one in her honor by the end of 2020.

This morning I woke up early and finished a short one mile jog in the neighborhood to get myself back on track. I was greeted with this beautiful sunrise and an almost full moon {was two days ago} peeking out from behind the clouds. I was still lethargic when I arrived back at the house, but I didn’t meditate or practice yoga, which I desperately needed. Tomorrow is a new day and I will do better!

As for my other yearly intentions, I’ve certainly kept up reading, feel better about the focus I have when with the babies, and go through spurts with cooking healthier for the family. I am getting back on track with the latter and am seriously considering starting the Whole 30 again. Hubby and I did it several years ago and absolutely loved it! Tonight, I cooked up a beautiful salmon salad inspired by a Pinterest post: shout out to Cafe Delights‘ blog and marinade!

I really enjoyed that the marinade for the salmon was the dressing as well {you split it in half for the two purposes, you don’t use the marinade as the dressing} because it made my life simpler! Such a quick and easy meal and so healthy. For future posts, you can look forward to my book reviews from May, June, and July next week, then a post about our home organization in the next two weeks! It feels like it’s been forever, but we are so close now!

Stay tuned and let me know: how are you doing on your resolutions and/or intentions for 2019?!

Travel: Red Rocks

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Colorado. Our visit there was short, but it was beautiful and absolutely peaceful. I realized this was my first major trip since Lulu was born last year and my first flight away from both him and Bird. As a mama, this was a bit nerve-racking, but I was able to be present in my journey with the hubby and our friends and enjoy the experience.

To travel is to live.

– Hans Christian Anderson

Let me start off by saying that I was able to finish an entire book on the flight to Denver, which was quite the accomplishment. That level of self-care really gave a terrific start to the weekend. Hubby and I landed in Denver on a Thursday evening and went for dinner at the Brutal Poodle, which is a ‘hard rock inspired tavern that pays homage to man’s best friend’. The food and drinks at this bar were unbelievable and we taste-tested appetizers, split two entrees, and sampled the cocktails, plus dessert. The dessert we had was Eskimo Bros Nitro Ice Cream — the bananas foster flavor — and it was the most amazing ice cream eaten to date! Hubby and I researched and it’s only available in Denver currently, so if you’re ever in the area, look them up to try it, too!

Red Rocks Amphitheater (from a distance)

The rest of our friends arrived late night, so we had a lackadaisical morning on Friday. We stayed at this amazing VRBO cabin in Morrison, Colorado, which was located on a ranch, only about twenty minutes from Red Rocks Amphitheater. Around mid morning, we all geared up and went for a small hike at Mount Falcon, which we quickly realized was adjacent to Red Rocks itself! This is a view from our trail; we hiked part of the Mount Falcon Castle Trail Loop and enjoyed the fresh air, the beautiful wilderness and the exercise!

That night, we enjoyed a gorgeous meal at the Buckhorn Exchange, which is the oldest restaurant in Denver, established in 1893! This is a steak house, with plenty to look at {taxidermy}, gads of history, and a plethora of exotic meats. Come hungry, because the portion sizes definitely do not disappoint! I enjoyed the quail, and no one left hungry; this was a neat place to come for the experience and the food.

Ms. Pickles (left) and Tito (right)

The next morning, we slept in — that’s right, folks, I slept in until 8:30 am and it was glorious! We lounged about the cabin, dipped into the hot tub, sat in front of the fire, and Hubby and I took a walk around the VRBO property. The binder the owners left advised that there were horses on the ranch and you could meet them up close and personal; these sweet horses, Ms. Pickles and Tito, were kind to let us bother their grazing.

Hubby, our friends, and me at Red Rocks Amphitheater

Before we knew it, we were off to the big event: a concert at Red Rocks! We enjoyed all the music, although Hubby was especially excited to see Stick Figure and Pepper. Stick Figure was the headliner, and I especially love that they bring their dog, Cocoa with them and she joins the band on stage! She’s an Australian Shepherd, and beautiful; she reminded me of our Aussie, Kayah, because she kept laying down with her toy directly behind the lead singer, and he would nudge into her when he backed up from the mic. Kayah loves to do that as well and often trips us as she keeps tabs on the family. The venue itself was stunning; it is neat to see from the outside, but when you’re within the massive rocks, it feels like you’re in your own fortress. Well, you, and about 9,000 of your closest friends. The concert went into the early morning, where we crashed for several hours before heading back to the airport.

Although our stay was brief, the scenery, food, and activities were exciting, and delicious; definitely a place to check out further in the future! Also, my friend was right — this short trip with just Hubby and I was a nice reprieve, although I am grateful to be back home with the babies now. Feeling lucky and appreciative for the travel opportunities, as well as the amazing family and friends who support us and watch our babies {thank you, Abuela}!

See you next week for a book review post!

Here, in the now

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“The distance is nothing when one has a motive.”

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Last week, I watched the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice {the only acceptable one to watch} as I was organizing. True, character Elizabeth Bennet is talking about actual distance in the quote above, but for me, I was energized by the thought of an organized house and I have exciting news! We finished organizing our clothes, kids’ toys, and books! Books are always emotional for me, but I am improving; I tend to borrow from the library and friends now, so I try to only purchase books that are my absolute favorites that I will reread.

Book for May, last book read, and current book!

Watching Pride and Prejudice this week inspired me in more ways than one; next month — my birth month — I am going to reread this classic! I still have my copy from when I was in high school. I fell in love with the story and with Jane Austen then: what humor and modern thinking for a woman in that time period. I also still have notes written in the margin I wrote back at the age of fifteen! I cannot wait to see what I wrote then and if any of my thoughts changed over the years. Happy birthday to me!

I meant to post this last week, but as you can see, I am back in the clutter of our home and life gets really distracting because there are what seem like a thousand items on my “to-do” list regarding organizing and simplifying our home. I am so excited to get my list done: once this happens, I will be able to relax and make more time for what I enjoy. Now, you may be thinking, ‘once you finish these projects, there will be more‘ and you are correct. However, if we can really live more simply, there will be less chaos in the house, and I will be able to focus, at that point, on just important daily events: time with family and friends, time to write, and time for self-care {reading, personal writing, trying new recipes for the family, exercise, meditation, etc.}.

This past weekend, I took a break from organizing since Hubby and I were in Colorado for several days {first trip away from the babies since Lulu was born!} to hike and see a concert at Red Rocks {absolutely amazing — more on this trip next post}. Now that we returned, I am continuing by posting more extraneous items for sale and rearranging our family room. It is amazingly fun to see my vision for the house come to life.

Hubby and I decided to do a week of salad dinners, since our weekend away was filled with fun, generous, and very filling eats. The salad pictured here is inspired by @nocrumbsleft and was absolutely delectable! Also, extremely easy, which I appreciate, since I put this together after we the kids went to bed. Continuously grateful for simple, healthy, and delicious meals.

Speaking of self care… in addition to trying something new for dinner this week, I finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman on the plane ride out to Colorado — can you say remarkable?! Loved it and will definitely review it in my book post at the end of the month. Cannot wait to talk about it! I just started The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley last night, but am already pretty enthralled with the characters, and only a handful of chapters into it so far. Will keep you up-to-date and maybe will even have time to finish before the month is over — is that too optimistic? We shall see!

What about you? What motivates you right now? I would love to hear from you!

A little bit of this and that…

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As promised, I am back to writing posts on a regular basis! I am feeling a bit scattered at the moment and I think this post reflects that, but I am all about being honest with my current status in real life, so here goes!

Flowers from a neighbor, iced mocha, and a quiet nap time to read outside — perfection!

I am excited to say that I finally finished The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel. I am sad to say this took me about two months for a book that is less than two hundred pages, but I struggled to focus on the material, because it seemed overwhelming at times. Over this past weekend, we began to see the start of amazing spring weather and I am glad I was able to take some time and literally smell the flowers. I sat outside on our bench during the kids’ nap time and knocked out a good portion of the book as well as soaking in the fresh air and sunshine. Currently, I am struggling to stay focused when I am indoors because our organization is in full swing and the chaos makes me feel chaotic. Does anyone else ever feel like that?

Our bedroom is full of clothes we are sorting, as well as baby items to sell — utter chaos! When watching the Netflix special Tidying Up with Marie Kondo everyone had their clothes organized within a week – a week?! Confused about how that gets done so quickly, but grateful that we are able to take our time. I am trying to get one area done at a time, as suggested in the reading and Netflix special, but I am waiting for Hubby to finish sorting his clothes, so I can fold everything and figure out where it all belongs. Until then, I am trying to make some time for self care, since I slipped up with that big time since we came back home. Too many projects for me to think about; a lot of things I can start, but not quite finish — chaos continues!

As mentioned back when we were in Utah, one goal for this year is to really push myself to make time for the things I enjoy and that help me relax: reading, yoga, running, cooking, writing, etc. So far that usually entails mama and baby play dates with the neighbors and their kids, which I absolutely love and it’s been divine to come back to my mama tribe! Now to make some individual time for the things I enjoy. I started this past week with doing some minimal meal planning, including the frittata pictured above. This is actually a Whole 30 recipe, which we are not doing at the moment, but I like to mix the recipes into our every day meal planning, because they are delicious. This one is extremely simple, too, which I always love!

Remember how I said it’s been a bit chaotic around here? Well, Bird’s birthday was about three weeks ago and I only just made her cupcakes this week! Even typing that makes me laugh — at least she is only two and does not know that this treat arrived late — she was just grateful for a cupcake. I love this recipe that I grabbed off Pinterest; Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream cheese icing. YUM! We made these last year for Bird’s birthday too and since then they became my favorite cupcake to make and devour. Thank you to Baker by Nature for this recipe!

Lots more to talk about, which means many more posts coming your way — next one should be about our skiing in Utah. I will do a book review post at the end of the month — good news! I’m starting a new fiction book today, so I should be able to read through that much quicker than my last and will hopefully have more than three books to write about for the past two months! I also just started ordering some clothes from StitchFix {since my wardrobe is pretty much non-existent after the Marie Kondo organization}. Working on finding clothes that I absolutely love and that bring me joy, so I will be posting about this experience soon too!

Until then, let me know, what would you like to hear about? Family? Organization? Books? Travel? Food? Something else? Would love your input!

Food for the Soul

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Let me start off by saying “Happy Valentine’s Day!” I decided to talk about something I truly love… food! All jokes aside, food can transport you into a new, or familiar, culture and can bring people together. Food makes me think of gatherings with family and friends, traveling, and exploration of all that is new.

Another, more important, love in my life is my hubby. He and I share responsibility in the kitchen, but absolutely have different methods of cooking. I love to try new recipes, but when I try something new, I stick to the recipe. Hubby, on the other hand, might glance at the recipe, but will cook his own take on that recipe. He is amazing at this and I am secretly {okay, now not so secretly} jealous of this talent. My favorite things that he makes are stir-fry and tacos – yum!

This is a picture of the last tacos hubby made: fish tacos! We tend to use lettuce a lot more than actual tortillas; a few years back we did The Whole 30 for the first time and loved using romaine or endive as the tortilla. Such a simple twist on a classic, simple meal and it is absolutely brilliant. This fish taco includes red cabbage, avocado, tomatoes, and spice – lots of heat if my hubby is cooking – these tacos were super fresh and delicious.`

Deer Valley – Park City, Utah

The hubby and I recently had some date days to go skiing – yay to finding a babysitter in Utah! On our second ski date, we went to Deer Valley, which was stunning. We took a full day and skied all over the mountain; I am a novice and ski only greens and single blues, and it was nice having so many trails available for my level across the mountain.

Afterwards, we returned to Sandy and found a Thai food restaurant right around the corner from where we are staying {hidden gem!}, called Thai Mango. The food was absolutely delicious and was reminiscent of our trip to Bali. Brief side note: hubby and I traveled to Singapore, Bali, and Australia when we got engaged – we call it our honeymoon – and it was one of the most amazing experiences. We even took a cooking class in Bali and learned how to make the infamous peanut sauce that you have with something like chicken satay; that was the appetizer we ordered and was what made us think about that amazing trip. Don’t worry, I’ll post about that trip at another time!

Here’s a picture of my Pad Thai and jasmine tea. I usually refrain from caffeine because it completely messes with my body and herbal tea is one of my favorite beverages. This jasmine tea was so delicious that I am going to try and track it down and keep it in my tea collection! Overall, this restaurant pick is what hubby and I do when we are eating out; we bring our sense of adventure and do some research. We like to search out the “hidden gems” in the area and, when abroad, try to eat like the locals. Thai Mango was a delicious and I would highly recommend if anyone is in the Salt Lake City area!

Now, tell me: what are your favorite places you visited and what restaurant/food did you try that made you do your happy dance?

Books & Meditation: Self Care Week

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Last night, for the first time in about two years, I went to the bookstore ON…MY…OWN! I took my time looking at book covers, reading excerpts from the stories, and breathing in the book smells. Yes, that is correct; I am that person in the bookstore and I do not apologize! I did not have to run around after a toddler who wants to explore or rush because it was almost time for the baby’s bottle. I love being a mother, but let’s be honest – we all downtime and time to commit to self care.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. – Buddha

These are my picks from last night’s extravaganza and I am super excited to begin! I plan to start with Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game, because I absolutely adored two of her other books: In a Dark, Dark Wood and Woman in Cabin 10. I think I read both for book clubs over the last few years and they were very fast reads – they kept me guessing, and I am hoping The Lying Game does the same.

The genre I read most often would be mystery or suspense novels; I adore becoming a part of the story, as if it is unfolding all around me and disappearing into that world. Mysteries tend to intrigue me and I absolutely treasure when a book ends and leaves me surprised. That being said, you should know I am not the type of person who reads ahead or guesses the ending. As I said, I want to be part of the story as it unfolds, not the one unfolding the story.

Continuing with the theme of self care this week, I took time to start meditating again; I used some trial sessions with the Headspace and Calm apps. Once I finish these free sessions, I will choose which one I like the best. Readers: are there any other meditation apps I should bring into the mix and try out before I make my decision? Leave a comment below and let me know!

This upcoming week I will start a weekly yoga class, as well! I will be so fit mentally, emotionally, and physically – thinking about it makes me feel giddy!

After visiting a book store, starting meditation, and signing up for yoga, I had room for even another source of self care this week: cooking! I tried a new recipe from the first book I read this year, Farm from Home, by Amanda Brooks. I made some changes to her recipe and made the Salmon Stir Fry, which came out really well and will be added to our food repertoire! Check out the recipe for more information about my cooking experience.

This week I hope you all take the time to practice some self care. Please remember to share with me any other meditation apps you may use or any comments in general. I would love to hear from you!

Happy weekend and enjoy your week!

Starting anew…

Posted on by JC Rizk

Generally in the new year I get the same itch: to start writing, to read more, to eat healthier, to be more physically fit; basically, to improve myself on all levels. As a new mama, with two children under two, I find myself focusing a lot on the babes, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. However, I also know that to be the best mama I can be, I need to work on my self-care. I often find that when several days go by where I practice little-to-no self-care, I get crankier and less patient, which is unfair to my babies, my husband, and myself.

I think I’ve started the year off right so far – only five days in and in addition to re-vamping this blog, I already finished a book since the new year, which makes me happy – check out my Goodreads updates on the right hand side to see what I am reading, along with my reviews! Also, I tried some new recipes, and signed up for some yoga classes. It’s a start!

I should also tell you that my family and I are on somewhat of a grand adventure: we decided to spend the winter away from our east coast home. In fact, we are staying in Utah for three months! Currently, we are about three weeks into our adventure and are loving the fresh air, the snow, and especially the majestic mountains.

This is the view from the local park we frequent with the kids and the dogs. It seems not to matter where we are, even someplace as simplistic as the grocery store has amazing views of these mountains!

My husband is an avid skier and has been skiing already a handful of times, and the really exciting part is that he has taken our daughter, who is not even two yet, up to the mountain. Our daughter, E, is absolutely fearless and loves this time with her papa; her favorite thing to tell him when he stops at the bottom of the hill is, “Go!” It is remarkable seeing her thirst for new experiences and her willingness to try new things.

I really enjoy cooking and especially since the kids were born, do so on a regular basis. We started the new year off right with some venison tacos!
To brag on my hubby a bit more, besides being an avid skier, he also enjoys to hunt deer and goose during their seasons back home. Before we left, he was able to get two deer, which now leaves us with a freezer full of venison. Naturally, since we drove out here, we decided to fill a cooler full of our venison and bring it with us to Utah.

This morning, we took the kids to the mountain and gave the baby his first smell of the mountain air, while the hubby took E on a few ski runs on the bunny slopes. Then the kids and I returned home while he continued to ski. For me, it was the perfect afternoon to whip up some venison stew!

It was a hearty choice and the venison was the most tender I’ve cooked yet; not sure if you’re familiar with venison, but it can dry out very easily and quickly. This was a new recipe I tried, but it will certainly go into the keeper pile! Stay tuned for a page dedicated to new recipes like this one; it’s one of my goals for the next several weeks.

Now that I feel caught up with everyone, and full from venison stew, I think I will go get some shut-eye. Tomorrow is another day and another adventure awaits!