Happy Friday!

Happy Friday friends!

I'm finally ready to declare that I'm so totally beyond over this cold weather. I usually try not to complain about cold weather because I'm such a hot weather hater, but enough is enough. The above photo was taken from my office over the Hudson River, which was almost completely frozen earlier this week. My co-workers and I were all going nuts over this truly amazing sunset which reflected its gorgeousness over the frozen river. I know that I've posted pictures of this view a lot, but this was too incredible not to share!

So what are your weekend plans? We are going to meet my best friend's new baby tomorrow and I cannot wait to snuggle her! Tonight we have big plans to catch up on Justified. Have you been watching this final season? It's really one of my favorite shows and I will be so so bummed when it is over. This season has also been particularly awesome, which is not something that most final seasons can claim. I don't know what I'm going to do when I can no longer get my Boyd OR Jax fix (see Sons of Anarchy final season also).

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Here are some links to keep you distracted today!

Have you seen the dress? What color do you see? I'm on team gold & white 4E.

What time do you put your kids to bed? This mom claims 7 is the perfect time. (Penelope's bedtime is 8!)

I made these truly amazing flourless black bean brownies last weekend. So so good.

A look at the mobile payment app, Venmo...do you use it? We use it all the time in the office to pay for lunch.

32 will they or won't they TV couples. I love this stuff so much.

Some good Mom advice.

This post about freezing time totally hit home.

This roasted vegetable lasagna. Yum.

Simple Beauty Secret Weapon: Bold Lips

dolce & gabbana rubio (similar)/revlon colorbust lip butter in red velvet (similar)/younique lucrative lip gloss in luscious/model co in peony/estee lauder pure color in forbidden apple

One of the things that has really suffered since becoming a working Mom is my beauty routine. I really used to love getting a made up for the day, having perfectly funky manicured nails and just looking polished. Now on most days I have little time or desire to wear more than mascara. My severely baggy eyes are another story altogether.

My makeup routine has been minimized to a very light layer of foundation (sometimes this only makes it under said baggy eyes), blush and mascara. This helps but it still looks like I'm not wearing makeup on most days.

Enter my secret weapon: the bold lip.

This is my new favorite look. It takes a dull looking face and suddenly makes it seem full of life. My eyes look bluer. My teeth look whiter. My face looks more alive than undead. And I look like I gave a damn when I left the house that morning. A bold lip calls for simple makeup on the rest of your face as it demands to be the star of the show. I'm happy to oblige! I continue the above routine and then simply add some bold lipstick after I drop Penelope off at daycare for the day (that way I can smother her in kisses without worry of getting red lipstick all over her).

The above collage showcases some of my very favorite colors and formulas!

So tell me, what's your beauty secret weapon?

What time do you go to sleep at night?

 

Today's post is a little random, but it's what I'm feeling today! I didn't do What I Ate Wednesday this week because I had planned to photograph yesterday and my eats seemed eerily similar to last week's. I thought perhaps I'll take a break this round and pick it up again next week! (Christine is doing it though, if you are looking for some foodspiration!)

This week got off to a rocky start since Penelope and I slept at my parents house on Sunday night so that we could have a little Oscar party with my mom and sisters. This meant going to sleep late after that marathon of a show (and I didn't even make it until the end), and waking up extra early to drive back to Jersey City, drop P off at school and get myself to the office. Oh and I sat in a whole lotta traffic on Monday morning. So in short, I started off the week feeling pretty sleepy!

On a typical night, Penelope goes to sleep around 8, Shaun and I eat dinner at 8:30, we watch TV for a while on the couch and start getting ready for bed around 10. If I'm being honest, I usually feel pretty tired on most days, and I don't have a newborn or infant to blame. Penelope is a champion overnight sleeper. She typically sleeps 8pm - 7:15am! So I really can't complain.

For the last couple of nights in particular, we've all just felt exhausted (due to a combination of a very busy weekend and this terribly cold weather I think!), and so while P has maintained her usual 8-8:15 bedtime, Shaun and I have been eating dinner on the early side and then getting in bed before 10pm.

You guys, my life is changed! After 2 nights of this, I'm feeling a bit better and less exhausted. This morning was so much easier to wake up and get myself out of bed!  I'm not totally sure how sustainable this is, though. I don't get home until almost 7pm and I already feel like the nights are cut super short. Perhaps trying to eat dinner earlier will help elongate a short night? I'll keep you posted on these developments!

What time do you go to sleep at night? How does it affect your evening, daily mood and morning?