Welcome 2020… halfway through?

Posted on by JC Rizk

If you are reading this, I want to say ‘Thank you’ for coming back to my page! Hopefully you’re not too annoyed that it’s been nine months since I last wrote a post. Yikes! Here’s a little re-cap of my life since we last connected…

In November, we bit the bullet and decided to take on a complete home renovation! We stayed at our neighbor’s house for two weeks, then with my parents for two weeks, and finally again with our neighbors for another two weeks (bless these people). Then, mid-December, we took a family trip to Peru for about a month with my in-laws … six children, ages four and under, plus eight adults … it was quite the adventure! I’ll write a post just on our adventures, but take a look at this breathtaking view of Machu Picchu!

I promise, this picture does not even begin to do justice to its beauty.

Since coming back ‘home,’ we returned to our renovation and only just moved in at the end of June! This past month, we are completing some finishing touches and getting settled: we have almost all of our boxes unpacked!

Obviously, COVID-19 has kept us isolated. We pulled Bird out of her preschool; thankfully, since she’s only three, she doesn’t quite understand that she’s not going back for the foreseeable future. I am extremely grateful, that as a stay-at-home mama, I am able to keep my kids home during this time. We are still quarantining as much as possible; with the spring and summer weather, the kids and I get outside a lot: ride the bike, scooter, play in the kiddie pool, sprinkler, play in our “garden” aka dirt piles that are in my planters, and going to our local beach, where we very seldom see anyone {helps to go right after breakfast on a weekday}. The one benefit of having the renovation finished and Hubby working from home are the increased family meals we share together.

My self-care at a time like this include: running {now that it’s hot, I’ve been running in the morning before the kids wake up — I love waking up early and being more prepared and awake when the kids wake up}, organizing the house and our items in it, cooking, some yoga {although not as much as I would like}, and READING! Since my last post, which covered books read up through September 2019, I’ve read twenty books! I think covering that many books in one post would be overwhelming, but you can check all of my read books out on my Goodreads {check out the column to the right –>}. Here are some of my absolute favorites from the end of 2019 and this first half of 2020:

FICTION

  • ANY book by LOUISE PENNY. I am reading the series with Inspector Armand Gamache and I absolutely love each book, which is difficult to maintain that level of excellence in plot along the way. These are 4 and 5 star books in my opinion! Recently, I read The Cruelest Month {#3} and A Rule Against Murder {#4}
  • Same goes for books by ANN PATCHETT! I read The Dutch House, Commonwealth, and Bel Canto and loved them all. Although, if I had to choose one, I would say The Dutch House was my favorite of these three.
  • Bear Town by Fredrik Backman. There were some heavy topics discussed in this story, and I thought they were so well told in a way that supports mental health awareness. This was my first 5 star book of this year! Highly recommend.
  • A Woman in No Man by Etaf Rum. I read this book in one day, which is a challenge for me, with running after the kids and trying to make sure life keeps chugging along. This was a stunning story about three generations of women in one Arab-American family.

NONFICTION

  • The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. This book was really interesting, a bit dated, but the issues are similar issues we have today. After reading, I’m trying to help my family be more aware of what we are eating — shopping local when possible, trying to eat more sustainably, and next year, I hope to re-vamp our garden!
  • Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. I love Trevor Noah’s humor and intelligence in his stand-up and in his show, and the book presented these traits, while also providing a peek into Trevor’s life growing up. Absolutely interesting and funny — I highly recommend!
My current read, with a new tea and my trusty aloe plant!

I am currently reading The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World by Mason Funk, and I only just finished the first section, but I am already learning about so many small acts that helped shape the world as we know it today. There is still a lot more space for growth and equality in all areas of our society, including LGBTQ rights, but this book inspires me that one person can make a difference. Together, we can make significant changes! I am excited to read further.

What are you reading lately? Anything that inspires you?

First Cruise: Bermuda

Posted on by JC Rizk

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.

Organization

Posted on by JC Rizk

Update to our Marie Kondo–inspired organization of our house; this post continues to allude me because every time I think about writing it, I am overwhelmed by what we completed so far and even more so by the amount of work yet to complete! Hubby and our awesome contractor completed my “Zen Room” and it’s starting to gain its identity. We moved our sleeper sofa in there, Salvation Army picked up the clothes and books today, so you can actually see most of the floor now! I have one corner with items to sell in a yard sale, otherwise it’s clear. My yoga mats live here, as well as my yoga block; my hope is to find a large basket for these items and a blanket, so that they aren’t just leaning up in the corner of the room. My last project for this room is to refinish/paint an old glider and replace its cushions. This project is sentimental for me, as my parents rocked me in the glider, then for a short time the glider lived with my Sito and Gido {grandmother and grandfather}, and now is back with me. I think with a little face lift, it will be a beautiful piece to continue to serve our family.

Meet Vaquita {“little cow”}

I was trying to take a picture of just how empty and simplistic the Zen Room is and our Bernese decided she would make an excellent addition — I admit, she’s not wrong! In fact, this is the coolest room in the house, so it’s often her favorite to lay in, especially with the tile floor!

While I was in Connecticut with the kids, Hubby organized most of the office and then upon my return, I organized the kids’ art supplies and my scrapbooking/art supplies as well, but there is still plenty of work to be done in the office, especially regarding my paperwork. I tend to hold onto paper items under the guise of ‘you never know when you’ll need them’. Hubby then responds ‘paper is dead’, which breaks my heart a bit, but I know he’s right in this case {don’t tell him that though}. In September, Hubby and I are going on a cruise {the kids will go to Florida — thank you Abuela and Abuelo!} and when we get back, just Hubby is going down to Florida to visit for longer and retrieve the babes. Do you realize what that means?! I have several days, at home, by MYSELF! I plan to go through items I have in the garage {home decorations, sports equipment, and kids’ items} and finish organization in the office while on my own. Then maybe fit in a massage and yoga class! I’m stoked!

The last, and most overwhelming to organize will be sentimental items, especially photographs, in my case. I am thinking about getting my childhood albums transferred to digital copies and then just keeping certain physical copies once completed. I also want to then update our photo collages that we have in our hallway. We made the decision to move forward with our home renovation, which is exciting and daunting! We are hoping to start this fall or next spring — either way, coming fast and that means that I need to start packing items for storage and work on design ideas for the rooms!

Along with the organization, we’ve kept up a lot of reading in the house; I borrowed some sweet books for the kids and one for me from the library recently. Girls Like Us was an amazing novel with some interesting twists! Looking forward to reading more from Cristina Alger — for the kids, I think my favorite from these picks was My Forest is Green by Darren Lebeuf — it was about the artistic rendering of a young boy after exploring the forest near him. Bird wanted to continuously read it — I think it encouraged the adventurer inside and we went on a few nature walks collecting acorns, nuts, and flowers in the neighborhood.

Currently, I am sitting in the zen room with a full breakfast, including tea and my book, while editing this post, which can only mean one thing…. Spoiler alert: I started this post several weeks ago and I am currently in the house while Hubby and the babes are visiting with los abuelos, so please forgive the “in September” reference! I’m also ready to post about Hubby’s and my first cruise vacation and my next book review, so stay tuned!

Travel: Red Rocks

Posted on by JC Rizk

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

Posted on by JC Rizk

“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!

Question: To ski, or not to ski?

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Whoa! Two posts in one week? Unbelievable! As promised, I am back with information about where we skied and our thoughts on each resort. These reviews are from both my husband and me; bear that in mind when reading, because we have vastly different skiing abilities and viewpoints on the locations we skied.

A little background on both of us and our skiing abilities… I skied for the first time during college and then did not ski again until my husband took me, about three years ago. I’ve skied at Seven Springs in Pennsylvania, Jackson Hole {Wyoming}, and now at several resorts in Utah. I am not sure the exact number, but I have maybe a total of 15 days skiing under my belt. That is the extent of my resort knowledge: I love to view the scenery, take pictures along the way, and I am a green/blue slope skier {maybe a double blue on a good day, but only one or two runs of that a day}.

On the other hand, my husband grew up skiing in Vermont and probably could not begin to count the number of days he spent skiing. He can ski double blacks and back country and enjoys doing so, which is terrifying to me. He’s skied out West, East coast, Japan, and Europe — and loves to challenge himself with the toughest terrain! He is extremely experienced and it seems as easy as breathing to him.

Alta Ski Resort: Alta was the ski resort we skied most together. It is also where Hubby introduced Bird to her first skiing experience. Seeing their happiness when skiing together made my heart soar!

My Review: I thought that Alta was a good course for beginners. There were some areas, especially on the greens that were almost flat. However, there were plenty of places where my hubby could pop off into the woods and many harder slopes as well, but they seemed easier than some of the other mountains and I felt I could practice these slopes with confidence. My rating: ⛷⛷⛷⛷/5

Hubby Review: There was some of the best snow on this mountain that I’ve ever seen. Alta is a kinder mountain than Snowbird, with easier access to back country. Alta truly has a ski resort feel, although the jokes about snowboarders {snowboarders are not allowed} get old fast. ⛷⛷⛷⛷/5

Brighton Ski Resort: We only skied here once, on our last ski date together before leaving Utah. Unfortunately, as we began the day, Hubby realized that a pin was broken on his ski, so he had to tread lightly {my style}. That being said, we were here on a blue bird day and the views were phenomenal.

My Review: This was definitely a smaller resort and had a funky set up for the ski lifts, including one that you could only get to by skiing on flat land right next to the parking lot, but overall, was awesome! Again, this is a resort where I felt comfortable with the amount of space I had; I think these slopes (blue) were a bit harder, but I felt a lot of confidence with the room I had to go faster than I would have at other resorts. My review: ⛷⛷⛷⛷/5

Hubby Review: This is an old school ski resort with beautiful views. Brighton is on the smaller side, but a local hidden gem. ⛷⛷⛷/5

Deer Valley Ski Resort: This was by far our favorite resort in the area. The mountain itself was huge with tons of options for slopes to ski. The staff here was friendly and went out of their way to help with any questions you had or to provide their favorite slopes.

My Review: I think these slopes are probably on the easier side {greens/blues, as compared to some of the other resorts mentioned here} and I even felt comfortable skiing on some of the double blues. The views were gorgeous and the mountain was so large that no matter how many people you skied with, it felt spacious. ⛷⛷⛷⛷⛷/5

Hubby Review: Deer Valley is a groomer paradise with scenic skiing. This location has the quintessential upscale ski resort feel. ⛷⛷⛷⛷/5

Snowbird Ski Resort: Hubby skied here several times, and skied here previously. You can ski through this really neat tunnel in the mountain from Alta into Snowbird Mineral Basin area. The tunnel was really cool and showed the history of the people who built it and who first worked on the mountain. I only had one experience at Snowbird on a day that, despite the clarity in the first picture, had very low visibility. We went with our friends, visitors from back home, who are also avid skiers, and as a group, we had a lot of fun!

My Review: We skied here after a ton of powder dropped and there were a lot of people on the mountain. The slopes on this side of the mountain were definitely harder than at other resorts, plus Hubby accidentally sent us down a Black Diamond, which knocked the wind and confidence out of me a bit. Due to this experience, I would have to say this was my least favorite place to ski, but I know that Hubby really enjoys it and I would definitely try it again! ⛷⛷/5

Hubby Review: Snowbird is the place to push the limits, with advanced terrain and incredible snow. This is some of the most challenging skiing I ever attempted, but once completed it is truly rewarding. At Snowbird, you are surrounded by high level skiers and great views. ⛷⛷⛷⛷⛷/5

Solitude Ski Resort: No picture for this resort as only Hubby skied here with a friend of ours. Hubby says this is another hidden gem; it is a smaller resort with great back country and the next best thing to Little Cottonwood Canyon {where Snowbird and Alta ski resorts are located}. Rating: ⛷⛷⛷/5

Overall, we absolutely adored our time skiing in Utah, and our adventure in Utah in general. We will definitely return and check out these slopes, and maybe some news ones, in the future.

Where is your favorite place to travel? To ski?Stay tuned for more adventures and more thoughts du jour!

Home, Sweet Home

Posted on by JC Rizk

Welcome, April! No, this is no April Fool’s joke, I am finally back to writing! Between the trip back to the east coast, trying to unpack, Bird turning two {as well as fighting a double ear infection}, and just trying to get settled back home, it’s been about three weeks since I last checked in. Never fear, I hope to write several posts this week, so stay tuned!

I am happy and relieved to say that we survived our journey back home. Our original plan was to drive from Utah to Florida, then home to Maryland after visiting the abuelos. The universe had other plans.

Day one, we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground in Utah and the weather called for snow along our route. ‘Okay,’ we thought, ‘no problem. We can drive in snow.’ The problem started in Wyoming, where we saw signs that Interstate 80 was closed and we could only make it as far as Rock Springs. Mind you, we saw this at a rest stop that was past Rock Springs, but quickly learned that we had to turn back. Our Google maps and Waze started acting wonky, not updating with road closures, so we quickly stopped at a local gas station and grabbed a physical map, to check our options. Really there was only one option that would take us from I-80 to Colorado, without returning all the way to Utah, assuming we could grab the southern route of I-70 or I-40 at that point. We found a route that I thought was a main road, which it may be, but was also a dirt road… covered in snow… with blowing wind and more snow. The road less traveled, right? There probably was amazing scenery along this deserted dirt road, but with the wind and snow, we could not take full advantage of said view. After an hour and a half, we finally found civilization again only to find out that both I-40 and I-70 were closed for the night. We found a hotel close to the exit and ordered ourselves some pizza.

The universe threw us another loop when my snuggle/bed buddy, Bird, began throwing up around 11 that night. This was her first real stomach sickness and I was ill-prepared; the sickness continued about every hour to half an hour throughout the night. After the second time changing the sheets {thank you to the kind and understanding hotel staff}, I was able to get her to the trash can, to her pleas of “No, phank you” because all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Talk about heart break! We took it easy the next morning, also known as Day Two, and by late morning, she kept down some nourishment and seemed herself again, albeit tired. We also learned that the roads were re-opening and we headed out!

Just outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado

We drove through Colorado, Kansas, and since the kids were absolute champs {not sleeping much during the night helped Bird sleep during the car ride}, we decided to go as far as we could, and got as far as Missouri… and then the stomach bug/food poisoning hit Hubby. We stopped at a hotel, around 3:30 in the morning, unpacked the bare essentials, transferred the kids into their beds, and caught a couple hours of sleep. We took it easy again this morning to figure out how Hubby would recover and let Bird run around in the yard outside the hotel. At this point, we felt the screaming urge to return home, not share a potential bug with the abuelos or extend our drive any longer, and get everyone as rested as possible. We made the call to head straight for Maryland, rather than detour to Florida.

We left in the late morning and this day, day three, we traveled until we arrived in Ohio. We then made the final trek home on day four and were grateful for relatively uneventful days! Despite my love of planning and all the research I previously completed to plan this drive, I ended up canceling every one of our hotel reservations. This trip was a terrific reminder that despite all the preparation, you never know what life has in store and to appreciate the journey.

Truck, trailer, killer sunset: Kansas

We luckily were all feeling better by the time we returned home; this was about two weeks ago now. Last week, we began unpacking, which is still ongoing to be honest. I have little motivation to put things “away” because part of me thinks that it is silly to unpack things only to roust them again so soon. Organization started this past weekend: we are trying the Marie Kondo KonMari organization method — I’ve been watching her Netflix special to encourage our progress! Despite the chaos of organizing and unpacking at the same time, we came home to a limited toy selection and my kids completely do not notice! This is lovely and reiterates my need for a reorganization of all our items, which is motivational as well.

Now that we are a bit more settled, I promise to write weekly and I plan to write a couple more posts this week to make up for the last few weeks. Keep tuned in for my next couple of posts: one will be about skiing in Utah {from both my perspective and Hubby’s} and one will be about our organization progress!

Are you in the process of Spring cleaning or organizing? Do you have any travel stories? Look forward to hearing from you!

On the road again…

Posted on by JC Rizk

Hard to believe, but we are approaching the end of our adventure here in Utah. I can tell you that it won our hearts over, but more on that in a later post. This post is much more functional, as we start to pack up our belongings. Having a two year-old and a nine month-old, preparing for 36 hour drive across the country, organization is crucial. Here I am going to share my packing plans, as well as items to keep two young babes entertained and comfortable for the long days ahead.

First and foremost, it is time to pack. Sometimes it is the bane of my existence, but I am in organization mode, so I started off collecting all the clothes that we will not wear on our way to the east coast. We are making a pit-stop in Florida to visit the abuelos, so I plan to pack one bag for the family for the 3 days of hotels and traveling, as well as a separate bag for Florida. Putting aside a handful of outfits for the remainder of our days here, I started packing the majority of our clothes.

Something I do at home, and really found beneficial when packing, is the KonMari method of folding clothes. I was able to fold and pack a gigantic pile of clothes into our suitcase, then at the end I included accessories that we will not need for this last week.

By the way, the pile of clothes on the bed actually doubled in size before I was able to start folding and packing clothes! Fortunately, we are driving and do not have to worry about luggage weight because this suitcase is heavy! There are three layers of folded clothes in the big section and little accessories, belts, and socks in the thin section. Today, I also packed our paper items {kids’ scrapbooks, art supplies, tax paperwork, etc.} and some of their toys into the big bin and into the grey toy bin pictured above. More toys can be fit into the grey bin, but that can wait until early next week.

Here are the other items groups of items to pack:

  • Electronics: husband’s work computer, PS4, our family computer, cables, FireStick, etc.
  • Food items: canned goods, spices, other pantry items {I resigned myself to not cooking for the next three days, other than what we have in the refrigerator already – yay!} Baby snacks are already in a reusable grocery bag, but this needs to go in the car with us!
  • Frozen/Refrigerated items {this will wait until Tuesday night after we fill our large cooler with ice}: mostly just venison and condiments this trip!
  • Ski gear: hubby and I hope to get one more ski day in on Tuesday before we leave — fingers crossed!
  • Cribs: we will disassemble the day before we leave; Bird gets to sleep in a bunk bed for a night and Lulu will sleep in our pack and play, since we need that for the hotels anyway.
  • Miscellaneous: books, the last bit of toys, dog food and water bowls, the last bit of clothes we are wearing for the next several days.

I already started to pack what I could of the above items. Now it is time to prepare the kids’ activities for the car.

Pictured here are some of the toddler’s favorites on the ride to Utah. My favorite activity book is the scratch and sketch ‘Furry Friends’, as Bird will sometimes chew on the writing implement you give her, especially if she is frustrated with still being in the car. Having her chew on a wood stylus is highly preferable to the magic ink pen in this case {it, thankfully, has not splintered or shown any signs of doing so, otherwise that would change things considerably}. We also always have a plethora of books on hand. I am hiding a few of Bird’s favorite books, so that they seem new again when we get in the car next week.

In addition to the above activities, our friends also gave Bird some shape and color flashcards, which she really enjoys — this will make the perfect quiet activity for the car. We made whole punches in the top corner of the card and connected it with a metal ring, creating a little booklet of sorts, which I think she will really like! Also, other friends gave her a mini etch-a-sketch, which she loves! This is also packed into her unicorn backpack for the ride. For our 9 month old, who is such a chill baby {thank you, universe!} I packed a musical toucan toy, some books {that are chew proof} and teething toys. Of course, add to all of this many, many snacks and we should be good!

Our travel days are going to be about 9-10 hour driving days {meaning that does not account for stops}, so we try to leave early, after breakfast for parents, kids, and dogs. We stop once midday, which is usually the longest so Bird can run around {she likes to help Papa walk the dogs}, and I can feed Lulu. Then we all have lunch together, Bird walks the dogs with Papa again, we change what diapers need to be changed, and get back in the car. Late afternoon, we make a quick pit-stop for diaper changes, dog walk, and Lulu’s bottle, then finish off the drive with dinner once we get to the hotel. It’s quite the experience, but we were very fortunate on the ride from Maryland to Utah; the kids were absolute champs and were pretty low maintenance! We are very, very grateful and keeping our fingers crossed that this Utah to Florida trip is no different.

Preparation mode continues on my end: any suggestions on activities for 2 year old and 9 month old children in the car? Any snack suggestions?

Also, would you consider or have you completed a long road trip with the family? Where did you go and how did it go? Look forward to hearing from you all!

Bibliophile Book Review: January and February

Posted on by JC Rizk

I love to read. My favorite sweatshirt says “Bibliophile” and that is, seriously, no joke. I am the type of reader who takes hours in the bookstore {well, I used to before babies} trying to find the perfect read. I am the type of reader who loves to smell the books — yes, I am that person and I do not apologize! I am the type of reader who loves becoming absorbed into a plot and finding books I connect with, whether I adore or dislike them.

I try to read often, although some days I only get a few minutes during the kids’ naptime and maybe at the end of the night. Sometimes I get stuck on a book, especially parenting ones, where I feel too exhausted from actually parenting to read about it more, but I am also the type of reader who has to finish a book once started. Every year I make a goal for the number of books I will read and this year my goal is 25 books. I am hoping that by writing book reviews, I will continue this self care plan of reading regularly! You can read my individual reviews of these books on my Goodreads — you can find the link to in the sidebar — but I wanted to give an overview of the six books I read so far this year.

In January and February, I read the following books:

  • Farm from Home by Amanda Brooks {4 stars}
  • Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman {4 stars{
  • The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase {3 stars}
  • The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin {4 stars}
  • The Lying Game by Ruth Ware {3 stars}
  • The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan {4 stars}

Only one nonfiction this go-around, and I really loved it; Christmas gift {thank you, Mom!} and the perfect way to start the year. A life dream of mine is to pick up and move somewhere new, where life has a better work/life balance, and there is a new adventure. Since I am getting a taste of that with this trip to Utah, this book was very apropos! I also love the beautiful photography and the recipes included with the writing, so this book is one of my favorites so far this year!

The next three books on the list were all a bit on the darker side, but excellent stories about family, relationships, and all included some mystery, which usually keeps me heavily entertained. Excellent reads! I think my least favorite of the group is The Lying Game by Ruth Ware, only because I loved In a Dark, Dark Wood and this was not as compelling. That being said, it was still a great book and kept me intrigued throughout.

Last, and certainly not least, is The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, which was my favorite of the six. The writing style was such an ease to read; I felt as though I was conversing with an old friend. Plus, the plot was idyllic! Overall, a terrific selection of books; I find that I give three stars to many book selections and in the past couple months, four different novels earned four stars. What an amazing start to this year’s reading goal! Keep tuned in for more reviews — I am hoping to do an overview of my books each month from here on out, so come back next month for more!

Want to know what is in the pipeline?

This month, I switched gears from fiction to a parenting book called The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel. I was struggling to stay connected with the book these past weeks, but I think that is due to toddler tantrums wearing me down. All the more reason to read the book, am I right? So far, I really appreciate the information and the science behind how children’s brains work, as it reminds me of the information I learned in college and beyond, as my background is in education, specifically elementary education and school counseling. I think I am finally ready to commit to reading this with my full attention. The other three books in this picture are books I borrowed from my bestie — thanks Chris! — and I look forward to hopping into these for a reprieve from more serious material once I am finished.

What are you reading lately? What are your favorite reads? All suggestions welcome!

Travel Destination: Moab

Posted on by JC Rizk

Well, I am late in posting this, but it’s been a week: between a sick baby, both babes going through a mama phase, and getting ready for friends and family to visit, there’s been a bit of chaos! However, I am extremely excited about this post and wanted to take my time to do it justice.

We had an amazing long weekend in Moab! Hubby, babies, and I traveled three hours to Moab, Utah, and goodness, it did not disappoint. Saturday morning, the hubby picked the activity: a 9.4 mile long, 4×4 trail, called Fins and Things. On this trail, we saw a lot of Jeeps, many UTVs, and we decided not to rent a vehicle, but to instead take our Toyota 4runner. Oh my…

Let me begin by saying that I tend to get motion sick — even riding a fast, only several minute long roller coaster {with no flips} can give me a headache and feeling of nausea for the rest of the day. If you are in the same boat, maybe this is not the trail for you. Check out the following clip – it shows one of the many times we lost sight of the trail – terrifying and gorgeous!

The trip took us about 3 hours {with a half an hour stop to feed Lulu and let Bird run around} and although I felt slightly nauseated, the views were absolutely stunning. Also, I am thoroughly impressed with our Toyota 4runner; we kept a slow pace and definitely took our time on the jagged and steep areas, but we were able to complete the trail with the whole truck intact, albeit very muddy!

  • Snow dusted red rock
  • ^ Line of Jeeps ^
  • Look at this view! Stunning!

We then spent the afternoon in quaint downtown Moab with the dogs; our AirBnB was only several blocks away from the center of town – Bird started in the hiking backpack, but decided she wanted to walk back to the apartment on her own two feet. She recently started playing her version of the “red light, green light” game. She says “Freeze,” “Slow,” “Fast!” However, let me say there are a lot of “freeze” commands that make walking home a tad tedious, but adorable!

On Sunday, we drove to Arches National Park, which was only ten minutes away. Our goal was to hike the Delicate Arch, which starts at the Wolfe Ranch Parking Lot {for the 5k trail}. The drive to the parking lot was breathtaking, with many other stone formations that seemed just as iconic as the Delicate Arch. I really enjoyed the formation pictured above; it looked to me that it was greeting us on our arrival into the park. Absolutely remarkable!

We then started our hike up, up, and away the trail. Reviews of the trail are not joking when they say it climbs steadily upward! My hubby carried Bird in the hiking backpack and I carried Lulu in the Ergobaby; we started walking during his morning nap, but he was quite inquisitive at the beginning of the hike, as you can see from the picture above. He did eventually fall asleep and slept through the ascent, waking up exactly when we reached the Delicate Arch.

  • ^ That is our family!

The end of the hike seemed the most treacherous, as you climb along this narrow path up and around the formation, but truthfully, even though I have a slight fear of heights, this was feasible even with two small children. At the end of this path, you turn the corner and there is the Delicate Arch! We used the app AllTrails for this hike (and for our off-roading experience) and hubby and I were very pleased. Easy to use, tracks well, even in locations where cell service is not readily available, and provides the statistics at the end. If you’re looking for an app for your future hikes or off-road adventures, I recommend AllTrails.

I am extremely happy we hiked this trail in the winter. There were others on the trail, but definitely no massive crowds. The sun is warm even on a thirty degree day and I cannot imagine the heat in the summer. Lastly, we were able to take pictures relatively quickly, so we could hike back down before the kids’ lunchtime. Reviews I read advised that this hike can take 2-3 hours, as it is a moderate trail, there is no respite from the sun, and if there are crowds, I can only imagine trying to clamber up some of the rocks with others on your tail. It took us a little under two hours, hiking time, not including our time taking pictures under the arch and along the trail, as well as letting Bird out as we neared the parking lot, so she could get her fill of walking and rocks!

Honestly, I think Bird’s biggest take-away from this trip to Moab is that it re-affirmed her love of dirt and rocks! Hubby and I already decided we will come back to Moab to experience more hikes, beautiful scenery, and maybe, one day, another off-road excursion! On the way out of Moab, we stopped at Moab Giants for its outdoor Dinosaur Trail {there are other parts to this attraction that are indoor, but we had a long drive ahead of us and it was almost nap time for the babes}, where Bird wandered around, staring wide-eyed at the full sized dinosaur replicas. It was quite impressive and when we come back to Moab, we will definitely stop here to experience more of their attractions!

Can you tell that we are fans of Moab and all that it has to offer?! If this isn’t on your travel list, and you’re a fan of outdoor activities, whether you have children or not, this area has plenty to keep you entertained. We highly recommend it and it is an awesome place for children to explore nature.

What are some places that you traveled to that you recommend? What did you experience? Look forward to hearing from you as always!