New 'Do

No matter how many years pass by, I always feel nostalgic for the first day of school following Labor Day weekend. I always enjoyed picking out a first day of school outfit from my new clothing selection and debuting my fun school supplies (yep, if you're me, newly sharpened pencils and pretty notebooks are the epitome of cool). Though I continue with my regular day job after Labor Day and not much is changing, I do enjoy the feeling of starting fresh. It's not quite fall, but I'm ready for summer to end.

Coincidentally, this weekend I decided it was time for a change and got a nice, short haircut. Well, short for me, anyway!

I loved having long hair over the last couple of years, but it got to a point where it was too thick, heavy and flat and well, I just couldn't take it anymore! See my 19 week pregnancy photo from last week:

So when I sat down in the chair, I decided to go all in and get a nice chop. I probably lost about 4 or so inches and I'm loving every minute of it! I feel like a literal weight has been lifted off of my shoulders :) Not to mention that it took about a quarter of the time to do my hair this morning as any day last week!

So in short, I'm loving my new 'do and ready for the first day of school the beginning of fall. Bring it on!

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! Happy End of Summer!

Brunch at La Bottega + New Haircut

So before that pesky severed finger incident, Shaun and I were having a pretty fantastic weekend. We kicked it off with Friday night dinner at Crepes du Nord, followed by a full Saturday in NYC. We kicked off the day with brunch at La Bottega with my sister Kimberly and her bf Nick. Quiet, quaint, and delicious, this place was the perfect way to kick off a fun Saturday.

We started the meal with a few cocktails and a pastry basket. Admittedly it was a bit skimpy, but in the end, its skimpiness was the perfect preamble to the main event. Filled with cinnamon bun, croissant, chocolate muffin and scones, it was small yet mighty tasty.

The four of us each got a different meal, with myself as the only sweet breakfast to speak of. What can I say? I like my pancakes. These were citrusy and light. Though I'm typically a purist when it comes to my pancakes, the citrus was a welcome addition.

 

And how cute is this?! The maple syrup came in a mini log cabin. I really need to find out where to get one of my very own.

 

Shaun went with the sundried tomato and goat cheese frittata...(though you gotta love that he proclaimed my frittatas are better)

 

While Nick had the eggs and braised short ribs (oh if only I had it in me to eat some meat! I would have been all over these).

 

Kimberly had the baked eggs with pomodoro, prosciutto and ricotta which was second on my list of options to order. Does it not look like perfection?

 

Admittedly, I was so focused and happy with my pancakes that I didn't even try any of the other dishes! What is happening to me?!

After brunch, Kimberly and I left the boys to go get haircuts at Bumble & Bumble. We both got sweet gift certificates for Christmas and have been itching to use them. The only thing missing? Our sister Christine and Mom, which would have made our girls day complete! When I got home that night, I asked a certain someone (who still had all fingers in tact at this point) to take a photo of my new haircut to share with my mom all of you. It took more than a few tries to get it right...

 

 

It might not look that different, but I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders by chopping off some of my hair. I have extremely heavy hair so I was psyched to get a good stylin' and thinning of my thick locks. To give you a peak, here's what my hair looked like earlier that day...

 

Better, no?

After Kim and I left each other with extremely shiny, healthy and stylin' hair, I met Shaun for a quick dinner and a viewing of The Fighter, of which I am now obsessed. Have any of you seen it?

You already know how our Sunday was spent, but aside from that terrible incident, we had a pretty fabulous weekend. So what do you think? What is your favorite breakfast/brunch food? Do you like to go out or stay in?

Teeny Little Things That Make My Life Better

Ok, so this is not a life altering post, but honestly there are some things, teeny little things, which could easily go unnoticed, that just make my life better. This week, my new discovery which has made my existence a happier one is Goody StayPut Hair Bands.As summer approaches and I ache for long, flowing, messy yet chic surfer hair, chopping my mane is not an option. This poses a problem as I have been blessed with thick, heavy locks which few hair bands can withstand. I've tried the chic ponytail for work, because really who has time to blow dry and iron their hair every day? Not this Manhattan chick. But alas, nothing can hold this head of hair in place and therefore I arrive at work with a raging headache and looking a disheveled mess rather than a carefree, sophisticated working professional. And don't even get me started on treadmill running as hardly anything can effectively hold my hair out of my face. I mean really, what's a girl to do? Sadly, this has been a topic of much duress...until now.

I recently discovered Goody StayPut Hair Bands which just might be my new obsession. This wonderful invention looks just like a regular old hair band, but has super strength elastic, holding your hair in the exact place that you want it in an easy, pain-free way. This little devise is available in packs of 10 for under $4 and in different colors. For ladies with thick hair, this is really the only way to go. No more flyaway hairs. No more sagging ponytails. No more headaches. And most importantly, no more painful sessions of attempting a 4-wrap around hair band while effectively cutting off circulation in my middle finger. You can find them at most beauty supply stores, drug stores, and I even found mine at Target. Bonus: Included in the StayPut line are barettes, claw clips, contour combs, and headbands (thick or thin), which should come in handy for my Aruban vacation in July, where the breeze (and wild hair) is inescapable.

Such a teeny little thing, yet has made my daily life so much better.