Four Things

 

I was pretty excited when Ashley from A Silver Twig tagged me to participate in the Four Things survey. I love these things! So fun! I found Ashley's blog after she posted the article, Why Your Crush on My Husband is Not Ok, and really loved her style. Many of her topics resonate with me, and I'm happy to have made a new 'blog' friend in Ashley! So without further ado, here's my four things!

Four names people call me:

1. Rachel

2. Mommy

3. Ray

4. RH --->I work with 2 other Rachels in a 13-person company!

Four jobs I've had:

1. Brand director at a brand licensing agency

2. Brand licensing coordinator for a major children's brand

3. Slide label girl at a large architecture firm

4. Intern in daytime television PR

Four movies I have/would watch more than once:

1. You've Got Mail --->like a zillion times actually

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation --->a holiday staple

3. Wedding Crashers --->a beloved basic cable classic

4. Despicable Me & any other animated film #momproblems

Four books I would recommend:

1. The Pillars of the Earth--->one of my all-time favorites

2. The Outlander series--->I'm knee deep in book #3

3. The Girl on the Train--->read it in under 24 hours

4. The Goldfinch--->a commitment but oh-so-good, esp. since most of it takes place in New York

Four places I have lived:

1. Old Bridge, NJ --->where I grew up

2. Manhattan --->I went to NYU

3. Jersey City --->our first apartment

4. Jersey City --->we bought an apartment in a different neighborhood

Four places I have visited:

1. Aruba --->our annual family vaca

2. Madrid, Spain---> our last big vacation before we had Penelope

3. Charleston, South Carolina --->my sisters and I took my mom for girls weekend last year

4. Tallinn, Estonia

Four places I'd rather be right now:

I'm happy where I am, but am also suffering from severe wanderlust!

1. New Orleans, LA

2. Paris

3. Napa Valley

4. being touristy in just about any city

Four Favorite Foods

1. pasta --->any variety but esp. spaghetti

2. chocolate cupcakes w/vanilla frosting

3. red wine

4. peanut butter --->on a spoon works for me

Four TV shows I watch:

1. Shameless

2. Jeopardy ---> our nightly staple.

3. Game of !@#$ing Thrones

4. Outlander

Four things I'm looking forward to in 2015:

1. Family vacations --->this year it's Aruba & Delaware

2. My sister's wedding

3. Sitting by the pool and swimming with Penelope

4. My aunt & uncle's annual PA camp out --->which reminds me, I need a new air mattress!

Four things I say all the time:

1. What is it, my love? --->when talking to Penelope

2. I can't. --->as in, I can't even. literally.

3. I love that/I hate that

4. Where's my little sweet p? --->to which Penelope responds "right here!" and I die.

Four people I'm tagging:

I hope you ladies will join in!

1. Christine @ I hate running

2. Lauren @ Keep it Sweet

3. Emily @ a nutritionist eats

4. Sues @ We Are Not Martha

Celebrations

Back in November, my sister Kimberly got engaged to her boyfriend Nick and they will be getting married this September! We are all so very thrilled for them and can't wait to officially welcome Nick into our family. This past weekend, Nick's sisters hosted a small party for the families and bridal party to officially meet and kick off all of the joyful celebrations to come. It was such a lovely party and I took lots of photos. Today I'm sharing some of my favorite pics!

Congratulations Kimberly & Nick!

Tips for Dining Out With Kids

Before Penelope was born, I swore to myself that we would do our best to keep doing things that we loved doing as a family of 2. Like going out on a Saturday night, attending parties and gatherings and dining out. We just decided we'd be one of those families who continue to do things - and not miss out on life because we had a child. It's easier said than done, but in the 2+ years since P was born, we've gone on road trips, camping trips, vacationed in Aruba (twice), vacationed in Siesta Key, and gone out to countless restaurants for meals. This past weekend we did it again for Shaun's birthday brunch and it was happily another success! Today I'm rounding up some tips that have helped us when dining out with P!

Bring a snack that you know your child will eat. We order food for P, or share ours with her, but I always have a pack of fruit snacks or string cheese in her bag so that I ensure she is occupied by some sort of food.

Pack coloring books & crayons. It's an old standby and it works. I keep a small container of crayons and a Sesame Street coloring book on hand specifically for on-the-go. Even better, bring a sheet of stickers.

Order food you know he/she will eat. On Sunday, Penelope got an order of mixed fruit, a side of fries and a cup of orange juice. Not the most conventional, but trying to enjoy a meal at a restaurant is not the time for arguing about healthy food choices. I know that P will never ever in a million years turn down fruit or juice and so that was a no brainer and she was immediately excited to be at the restaurant. She also asked for fries and I obliged. Also we ordered the juice as soon as we were seated so that she could immediately enjoy it and be occupied!

Bring your own plastic plate and kid utensils. P is pretty good with real forks and glass plates, but I like to bring her own stuff just so that no one has to worry about it.

Be willing to get up and walk around. Even kids with the greatest of attention spans get antsy sitting for a long period of time. We let her take a trip around the restaurant to explore and I even brought her to the ladies room with me. She loved getting to wash her hands. And then she was ready to sit back down when we got to the table.

Bring out the big guns. I'm talking about the technology - the iPhones, iPads, tablets. I never go out to eat without my iPad fully charged for Penelope. This is a last resort, but one that works if it is needed. I have a bunch of games downloaded for her as well as a few movies. In a worst case scenario, I'll pull it out for her to chill for a few minutes with a movie while we finish eating. I don't love doing this because it feels like just parking my kid in front of a screen, but the reality is that she doesn't use the tablet all that much these days, and I'm not opposed to it for 10-15 minutes while we finish a nice meal.

So those are the rules we live by while dining out. What do you think?

Do you dine out with your kids?

What are your tips for keeping them - and you - happy in the process?

also: do you eat with your kids? and what do your kids eat?