Mommy Happy Hour

Don’t mind me, I’m just over here perched up on top of our AC unit with a big glass of sweet tea trying desperately not to turn into a puddle. I feel as if I spent this whole week either sweating or showering to remedy the sweating. NYC Marathon training also officially kicked off this week, so long runs on the surface of the sun were interesting to say the least. No true complaints, since I would take this any day over winter, but yep, the indoors have been looking mighty fine the past few days. Luckily, Brandon is still in summer camp for a few hours each morning, so we don’t have to brave the playground so much. The kid comes home so happily tired that I have to physically wake him up after a 2 hour nap, since he would gladly sleep the afternoon away. Summer camp – best decision ever!

So grab a cold drink (a tipsy one is always encouraged) and let’s do this:

♥ The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg – My girlfriends and I read this for our {slightly boozey} book club a few months back (shh, don’t tell that I just now got around to it). It wasn’t necessarily a self help type of book, but dealt more with discovering how our habits created rather predictable behaviors, and if it was possible to truly alter them. Admittedly, this is not a page turner. It’s full of studies and observations, but I found each and every one super interesting. Topics ranged from where we shop and eat, to how we play sports, to even how we treat others. If you are in to the whole human psyche thing, then this would definitely be a worth while read. My full review is HERE.

♥ Wait for You by J.Lynn (aka Jennifer Armentrout, who is one of my favorite authors of this genre) – This was my easy breezy read of the week. Rather typical new adult story line (if you aren’t familiar with NA, it just means that the characters are generally college age and it probably contains some parts that aren’t appropriate for younger audiences). Girl goes through traumatic experience, hot boy becomes interested in her, girl and boy work to get over her past. I pretty much feel like I’ve read this story before. This was the first in the series, and I find myself certainly wanting to know what happens next, but on its own, this one wasn’t necessarily anything special. My full review is HERE.

By the way – I’m hesitant to mention some of these more “frivolous” books for fear of looking like a, well, paperback romance reading housewife (which I am, so I’m certainly not knocking it!). I’m just trying to keep it real, and this is one of the many genres I enjoy reading. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not big on tv, and sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) I reach for books that are just fun to read and don’t take a lot of brain power. Anyways, hope you guys don’t mind my indulgence! Any one else enjoy a guilty pleasure read every once in a while?

♥ Chocolate Chip Cookies from Epicerie Boulud. Just ask anyone on the UWS, these suckers are ta-die-for.

♥ Date Night at Lafayette. This place has really gotten talked up, so Brad and I went in with high expectations. The service was good, and the people watching was definitely entertaining (lots of “I’m too cool for school” types – this is NYC, we have a few of those), but the food was sub-par. Our appetizer was inventive and tasty, but our mains and desserts were less than stellar. Brad remarked numerous times that I make much better food at home. Nice compliment, but when you are paying good money for a meal, you want it to be something that is not topped by your regular Tuesday night fare. Not in a rush to go back anytime soon.

I wore a uniform through most of my school days, so it’s probably not a surprise that I’ve developed a sort of uniform for myself over the years. Let’s talk about what I wear nearly everyday of summer (aside from running clothes):

♥ J.Crew Shorts – I seriously own these in every. single. color. They are the perfect short. Not too long. Not too short. They look great and they wash well.

♥ Susana Monaco Dresses – Comfortable and cute. Great for night or day (just change up your shoes and jewelry), and most are machine washable. I wear one of these dresses every week at least, and am always getting compliments on them. And because the material is forgiving, certain styles also work great for pregnant women (I lived in these with my first since he was a summer baby).

♥ Splendid Tank Tops – A true summer staple. A girl can never have enough flattering tank tops. In the winter, they are fabulous for layering as well.

What’s your summer “uniform?”

Have an awesome weekend!