Be Serious

Yeah so...

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 11:00:00 +0000

I battle with coming back to the blogging world.

Some claim that the "mommy blogging" era is dead. That sucks, huh?

I read new blogs. They are all so entertaining and make me want to blog again.

I can tell you this... this is NOT going to be the ever so delightful fashion blog.

I am not going to post my "outfit of the day". Let's be honest, do you care what I am wearing? Do you care where I bought it? I don't think so.

My outfit blog post right now would look like this:
PJ pants- Old Navy {you can find similar ones here}
T-shirt- vintage (also has a large hole in the armpit. You can't buy this one, folks.)

The end. Not fun.

I still love eating. Food makes me happy so I am sure I will post about food.

I will also tell stories about my children who are now semi-grown. Big is 10. Bug is 8. I will use their nicknames because they learned how to google themselves. That was an interesting conversation.

I don't think mommy blogging is dead. I just don't think people are reading the right mommy blogs.

So here we go, bitches. Let's get this mommy blog started again.

Cheers,

HL

July Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:36:00 +0000

Now that we are 4 days into August, let me share my July favorites.

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* It's no surprise, browsing pinterest is one of my favorite past times. I found a pin that led me to Crafty and Delish with Sara. What caught me eyes were the words "MOMMY JUICE". Psh! I'm in!

What you need...
- Sweet Wine- I use moscato. Fill up about half of a wine glass
- Splash of Simply Lemonade with Raspberry
- Splash of Sprite- If it is not bubbly enough after one splash, I add another splash.

Now drink. Enjoy. Amazing.

* Turkish T beach towel

Get yours HERE. I promise you will LOVE it!!! We use it as a towel, blanket, wrap, headband... pretty much any way we can use it.

* Lokai Bracelet

Each lokai is infused with elements from the highest and lowest points on Earth. The bracelet’s white bead carries water from Mt. Everest, and its black bead contains mud from the Dead Sea. These extreme elements are a reminder to live a balanced life – staying humble during life’s peaks and hopeful during its lows.

Kind of a cool reminder.

* Herbal Essences Tea-Lightfully Clean Refreshing Shampoo & Conditioner

I am a haircare product hopper. I go from one product to another. However, this is my new go-to shampoo & conditioner. I absolutely LOVE it. My hair feels so great and smells AMAZING. I will be sticking with this combo for a while.

* Dear Carolina

I am currently reading a book that a sweet girl from my hometown wrote. If I had just 2 hours of uninterrupted quiet around here, I could have it finished. It is wonderful! If you don't have it, get it. You will not regret it. Great story, light/easy read. Every enjoyable.

* Big's Birthday

My sweet girl is officially 9 years old. She had a great birthday! She wanted to go shopping and to dinner. She got to pick out anything she wanted. She got a Simply Southern shirt, a D6 Surf Skimmer and a new pair of shoes. She also chose to have dinner at Winslow's. Fried pickles, Aunt Sadie sandwich and sweet tea to drink. The girl was happy.

She also got this gem...

My Mom and Dad got Big the Tropical Tahiti. Worth.every.penny.

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So, what were your July favorites?

Blueberries.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:49:00 +0000

"Lets go to the mountain,

Watch the flashing sea.

Lets eat blueberries,

Walk through the golden trees.

See a raven fly, big pink sky

But for now baby, the world's for you

and I"

~ Pete Francis- Blueberries

Our Tennessee Trip.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:34:00 +0000

Beau had the week of the 4th off this year. It was nice because the 4th fell on Saturday which gave us time to go on an adventure before heading to the beach.

Because everybody knows that on the 4th, you need to be at the beach.

So, he planned everything. He came home one day and said, "We are going to Tennessee for vacation."

Tennessee... home of Jack Daniel's whiskey... the "Volunteer State"... home to Dollywood...

I immediately began singing, "You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey. You're as sweet as strawberry wine. You're as warm as a glass of brandy, And I stay stoned on your love all the time."

Part of me was weary though, Tennessee... with kids... and DOLLYWOOD?

They don't even know who Dolly is.

Y'all, I underestimated Beau.

It was fabulous!

The weather was perfect. Being at 1,000 feet, this flatlands girl was in Heaven with little to no humidity.

We stayed at The Resort at Governor's Crossing.

The girls enjoyed having an indoor waterpark and an outdoor pool. We stayed at the pool every night until it closed. I also allowed the girls to hop in the hot tub for a few seconds to snap a picture. Gross but they look so cute.

On the GPS, I happened to see a place called The Roaming Gnome. When it came time for dinner, I googled and saw that it was a pub (awesome) AND it was right across the street from our hotel (double awesome).

We went over and had a delicious meal. The atmosphere was pretty cool too. There were gnomes everywhere. Even the CEILING tiles.

Day two was spent at Dollywood.

It was super fun. The girls loved it and Bug rode her first roller coaster.

We will definitely be going back.

We had lunch in the park (the lines were terribly long but the chicken fajitas were awesome). For dinner we went to Smoky Mountain Brewery. I had the Thunder Road burger. It was topped with melty blue cheese, bacon & this sweet and spicy Thunder Road sauce that was amazing. Given the name of the restaurant is Smoky Mountain Brewery, it is also a microbrewery. I had the Mountain Light and it was tasty. Beau enjoyed all the beers he tried too.

After dinner we rode over to The Island. Have no fear, there are a million things to do here. There are also a million people here.

Paula Deen just opened her restaurant at The Island. I was hoping we would get to eat one meal there but it never worked out.

Why we went to The Island?

We needed to sample Tennesse moonshine and grab a few jars.

The next day, we went to Splash Country. It was so fun! I think that it was everyone's favorite day.

If you take a trip to Tennessee and plan on visiting Dollywood, do not skip Water Country.

Day four was our day to spend in Gatlinburg. Our first stop?

I don't know who was more excited... Beau or the girls? They recently watched Forrest Gump for the first time and loved it.

The food was great! We ate it so fast, I forgot to take a picture.

The only disappointment was that they did not serve Dr. Pepper. #1 that is our favorite drink. #2 Forrest Gump drinks 15 Dr. Peppers in the movie before meeting JFK. We were shocked they didn't have it.

As we were waiting for our food, this pulled up beside our window. It was like Jack was calling out my name on a Wednesday at 1pm. I declined a date with him that early in the day. Maybe later, Jack. Maybe later.

After shopping and taking multiple wine, whiskey & moonshine samples, we were exhausted.

It was a great trip but we were tired.

So instead of going out to dinner, we ordered in pizza, watched Big Brother and went to the pool until it closed.

We had a wonderful time and we cannot wait to go back!

Memories that last.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 19:19:00 +0000

Since I was 5 years old, Atlantic Beach has been my second home.

It is kind of a tradition in our family, to scream at the top of your lungs when you see the bridge. "I SEE IT FIRST! I SEE IT FIRST!!!"

As we climb the bridge, we anticipate getting to the top just so we can make a wish. I have probably made a million wishes over the last 25 years.

With the windows rolled down, something happens when you go over that bridge to the island.

Life is not normal, everyday hustle and bustle. Life is calm. Life is relaxing. Everything about you changes on the island.

I have made so many memories at the beach. Now, I get to watch my kids make memories of their own.

We were in our first fishing tournament in July.

We fished the inshore division of the Barta Billfish Tournament.

We used Thursday as our lay-day, as we could only fish 2 of the 3 days.

We also used Thursday to relax on Shackleford Banks.

My girls have spent their whole lives at the beach. I have never worried about them getting seasick because we have never been further than Shack.

With Bug getting sick on an airplane, I felt like the odds were against her. Surprisingly, no one got sick!

Keep in mind, we did not get too far from land. We were in the ocean but we could always see land.

The first day of fishing was a success. Both girls brought in 3 bluefish each. Emma held 3rd place in the bluefish category for one day.

First catch of the day. Emma caught a lizardfish.

Resting. 7am comes way too early.

The girls with Tred Barta

Day 2, Big's goal was to catch a Spanish Mackerel.

Reeling in her 1st Spanish

Big did it! She caught at .74 lb Spanish and that girl has never been more excited!

Bug brought in another bluefish and was proud of him too!

They were stoked because at the awards ceremony, Big got a medal for weighing in a Spanish.

AND they BOTH got a medal for weighing in Bluefish. That is Buggy standing beside Tred.

The girls had an awesome time. They are already planning on fishing again next year with Jay as their captain again. They may have inherited his love of fishing.

My kids love the coast. It is their happy place. It is my happy place. I just hope they grow up and appreciate it as much as I do. I hope they know how lucky we are to live so close to one of the happiest places on Earth.

** Here's to making more beach memories that last forever.**

I have reached an ultimate low.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:37:00 +0000

Big had softball practice the other night.

It was excruciatingly hot!

"MOM I NEEEEEDDD AN ICE PACK FOR MY NECK!!! IT SO GOING TO BE SOOOOOO HOT OUT THERE!!!"

Frantically I began searching for the ice packs. Then it hit me. Caroline busted both ice packs at softball camp and got in trouble for it.

What am I going to do?
All the other kids will have ice packs, water, Frogg Togg cooling towels, etc.

My kid is going to have nothing.

We don't have time to run to Walmart.... wait!

I got it!!

"Here Big! Throw this in your bat bag. It will have to work for tonight."

"But MOM! That is your wine bag!"

"It has multiple uses, Big. Multiple uses."

With a slap on the butt and a "Go get 'em champ!" I sent her on her way.

When she came off of the field, hot and sweating, we tucked the handles in the bag and noone ever knew.

It was our little secret.

Food Spotlight: Red Fish Grill

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 13:13:00 +0000

Located on "The Jib" in Morehead City there is a little place called Red Fish Grill.

We have eaten at a lot of places and Red Fish is on the top of our list of favorites.

The atmosphere is great. The food is amazing. The service is awesome.

Photo credit: Red Fish Grill Facebook Page

The place is always packed (with good reason). They have a great wait time app they use. If there are no available tables, you leave your name and phone number with the hostess. You can walk around the waterfront and the hostess will text you when your table is ready. So nice and so convenient.

And here is a little secret: The bar is first come, first serve. If there is a table available, grab it. It is yours. Just be sure to let the hostess know to take you off of the wait list.

As for the food, prepare your taste buds for the most phenomenal meal you have had in a while.

Be sure to try the seared bacon wrapped scallops with honey chipotle sauce appetizer. Amazing!

As for entrees, be sure to ask about their specials. The specials are always wonderful. One night Beau got grilled mahi with honey chipotle sauce, bacon wrapped scallops, mashed potatoes & grilled asparagus. They also will occasionally have wahoo. If this is an option, always go for the wahoo.

The tuna tacos are amazing too. Seared tuna, assorted cabbage (like slaw), topped with that delicious honey chipotle sauce. Another secret, if you don't want tuna tacos you can request blackened shrimp tacos which are also super yum!

Beau has also had the shrimp gyro topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, & a super amazing tzatziki sauce. The side of cucumber salad was also great.

The chicken skewers are similar to the gyro. All of the pieces come seperately. The homemade pita wedges are warm bits of heaven on a plate, They are served with cucumber salad, onions, and a bowl of tzatziki sauce that you will want to bathe in.

I have to stop. I want to lick the screen it all looks and sounds so good.

Do yourself a favor and check out Red Fish Grill the next time you are down at the Crystal Coast.

711 Evans Street

Morehead City, NC

28557

Open Monday-Sunday

Seating begins at 4:30pm

Yeah, that time I took my kids to a bar.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 15:33:00 +0000

Yesterday we went for a ride.

Sometimes we just like driving around. It's weird but its our thing.

Anyway, Beau drove to the airport and we looked at the few planes that were there.

It started the discussion about my hate of flying.

"Would you fly with Daddy if he was a pilot?"

"I love him something serious, but probably not."

"Would you fly on a plane with Eric Church?"

"Yes, with medication. Lots of medication."

The list went on and on.

Bug was on my side. She was quick to remind everyone that she blew chunks all over the plane the last time she flew.

There was a moment of silence.

Then Big's voice quietly said from the backseat, "Yeah, last time Mommy flew she had to go to the bar and drink a beer."

What? Why do you remember these things??

"Yeah, she sat with an old man at the bar and made us sit at another table."

Beau was silently laughing.

"Yeah, she got us Five Guys and she drank beer so she could get on the plane."

"Yeah, she took 3 kids in a bar to drink beer with an old guy."

Oh, the things she remembers.

But at least we are making memories kids. Maybe you will thank me later in life.

When did my kids grow up?

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 13:37:00 +0000

If you follow me on Facebook, you saw these pictures yesterday.

I just can't get over how fast my children have grown.

Traveling to Tennessee

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 20:18:00 +0000

Beau was on vacation last week.

He planned a fun week in Tennessee for us.

We live in Eastern North Carolina so Eastern Tennessee is a good 7 hour car ride.

Yay. Fun times!

In the car... For 7 hours... With two fighting children.

Doesn't get much better than that yall.

Thank God for the quiet game.

On the way the girls said some of the funniest stuff.

I quickly types it in my phone to make it a blog post.

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As we approached the mountains, Bug said, "Look! It's Mt. Kilimanjaro!!" Umm... We are not in Africa Buggy.

Big: "This is just too far. Next time we are flying." Amen, sister.

Big reading road signs in the mountains: "Falling rocks. Uneven lanes. These are some scary roads." We are from the flat lands y'all.

You know you child is from a farm of community when she looks out of the window and says, "Well that corn is pitiful."

Wordless Wednesday- {Guess where we are}

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 03:34:00 +0000

The nightmare known as camp.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:53:00 +0000

I went to camp.

Yes. Camp.

I went with Big the summer between her Kindergarten and 1st grade year.

So, this year I went with Bug.

The three of us. One big happy family.

It was terrible but I put on a brave face.

It was hot. I got chigger bites. I had to clean toilets and public shower mats {gag}. AND this was my dinner the first night...

Gross. Just freaking gross.

On the first night, we did a nightly devotion as a cabin. We were laying in our uncomfortable metal beds. I wanted to cry. I wanted to call Beau and tell him I was done and to come get me.

Then the little 19 year old camp counselors were all like, "What was your favorite part of today?"

They went around to each of the 12 metal beds asking mothers and daughters.

I was 3rd to go. "Mrs. Hailey, what was your favorite part of the day?"

Without hesitation I sang, "SHOWERRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSS!!"

Giggles came from all around.

It was true. That shower was pretty awesome. Not as good as the shower after you give birth but it was definitely the number 2 best shower of my life.

Other mothers and daughters answered.

"My favorite part was being with Maria."

"My favorite part was being with Sadie."

"My favorite part was spending the WHOLE day with Lucy."

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Big turned to me, "Thanks. All the other mothers said their favorite part of the day was being with their daughters. You said SHOWERS!"

I kindly explained to her and Bug that I enjoyed being with them but that the shower I took after climbing mountains was honestly my favorite part of the day. I may have also thrown in that the other mothers just didn't have anything else to say so they had to say they enjoyed being with their daughters. Suck-ups. *eye roll*

Reason 8,420 my kids will need therapy. Sorry girls.

As retribution for my shitty response to my favorite part of the day, I dissected dried up owl vomit. I even found of biggest rodent skull in the whole class.

Suck on that other mothers.

Big opening her tin foil of owl vomit.

Bug with the biggest rodent skull in the class. You are welcome little nugget.

PS- I am probably never going back to camp. Thanks but no thanks.

Wordless Wednesday: {Siamese Squash}

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

NYC: Day Four

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

I woke up that last day silently wishing our plane would be delayed and we would have to stay just one more night.

For breakfast, we headed to Ellen's Stardust Diner.

I had heard from a friend that this was an awesome place to take kids.

HELLO?!?! Home of the singing waitstaff?? DUH! It's going to be awesome.

The waitstaff sings the entire time you are there. It is so fun and awesome. It is a 50s theme diner so that was even more cool.

The girls LOVED it and had the best chocolate chip pancakes EVER.

I had the Brooklyn Bagel. 2 scrambled eggs and bacon with melted american cheese on a toasted bagel with a side of fried potatoes.

On our walk back to the hotel, we found a little place called Caroline's.

Caroline was stoked.

We stopped at M&M's World which was neat. They have every color M&M you can think of.

Of course, we brought home M&M souvenirs.

By the time we got back to the hotel and grabbed our bags, our car was waiting to take us to the airport.

Have I told y'all how much I LOVE a car service? Love.it.

I had been anticipating our flight all morning.

Note to self: Next time I fly, I need heavy medication. Very heavy medication.

I felt like I was going to vomit in this picture. For realz.

When we made it to the airport, I had one mission on my mind... find a beer.

Of course, we were on the side of the airport with NO alcohol. I had to go back through security with 3 kids for Five Guys and expensive beers.

It was worth it. It calmed my nerves.

I was able to get on the plane without feeling like I was going to explode or rip my face off.

I sat with Bug. We sent Beau a selfie to let him know we were coming home. :-)

By this time, I was silently singing in my head... "I'm coming home... coming home... tell the world I'm coming... HOME!"

It was a decent flight. I don't know if it was the alcohol or if it was actually a good flight.

There were clouds right below us the whole time which was a huge plus for me.

You can totally lie to yourself, like I did, and tell yourself that if the plane starts going down... the clouds will catch you.

I am crazy. I know.

We had a rough landing. Imagine this... you are on a roller coaster that keeps dropping and a boat that is rocking back and forth. That was our landing.

This cute little nugget...

... blew chunks all over everywhere when we landed.

The pilot even came out and personally spoke to us. He jokingly said, "If you had had a better pilot, this would have never happened."

Amen!

We were back on NC soil.

We missed New York already but we were ready to see Beau.

Guess what I saw as soon as I got back home and ran to the grocery store?

A truck full of dead chickens.

I was definitely not in New York anymore.

Welcome home, Hailey. Welcome home.

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UP NEXT: Things we wanted to do but did not get to

NYC: Day Three

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

After planning this whole trip for my girls, I had one day that I planned more for me.

Downtown is my favorite place in the whole city.

Downtown is a whole different feel. There is the same hustle and bustle but somehow, it is slower down there.

We woke up Sunday with plans to go downtown. Yay!!

BUT, we woke up to rain.

Yuck! Rain in New York is NO fun.

We wanted to do breakfast at Bubby's in Tribeca on Hudson at North Moore.

This is my Mom's favorite place in the city. Bubby's is where John Kennedy Jr. frequented for many meals. His apartment was around the corner from Bubby's at 20 North Moore Apartment 9E. Yes, my Mom has touched the door handle and had her picture made on the front steps.

I was so looking forward to breakfast at Bubby's. I had been to 20 North Moore but never Bubby's.

I picked up my phone to check what time they opened. We were jumping out of our skins to get there.

CLOSED!

What?

Yes, CLOSED for renovations.

Rain + Bubby's is closed= DEVASTATED!

This did NOT dampen my spirits. I was in New York that is all that mattered!

We chose to take the subway downtown. I wanted the girls to experience it all.

They enjoyed the subway UNTIL a man got super loud on the train. He was preaching and my girls were NOT a fan.

Our first stop was the 9/11 Memorial. Even in the rain, it brings overwhelming emotion.

The fountains are beautiful. The names surrounding it are beautiful.

We also found the tree that stood through both buildings collapsing.

Caroline had a request for our visit downtown.

She LOVES Cupcake Wars. She also LOVES the judge on the show, Candace Nelson. Candace is the founder and pastry chef of Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world's first cupcake bakery.

Caroline HAD to go!

We went to the Sprinkles at Brookfield Place. It is located in the Hudson Eats Food Court. It was a little hard to find but after asking a hip downtown mom pushing a Bugaboo for help, she pointed us in the right direction.

We ordered cupcakes and glass bottle cokes. I had the red velvet. Insane. So good. It should be illegal for something to be so delicious.

After finishing her cupcake, Caroline shyly went up to the server and asked if Candace Nelson was there. So sweet! She had actually JUST left New York the day before. We had just missed her.

Caroline was starstruck and I loved it.

We traveled as far as we could using The World Trade Center West Concourse. It is a beautiful underground passageway which was AWESOME since it was raining.

We went as far as the concourse would take us and headed back out into the rain. We went to Century 21 on Cortlandt Street. I held a few Louis Vuitton bags and then made my way to the more reasonably priced items.

Next, we headed to Bleecker Street.

I mean look at the Bleecker Street subway signs. Fancy, huh? Coolest street in the city.

We walked down Bleecker and had lunch at John's Pizza.

It is claimed that this is the best pizza in the city. I have to agree. It was the best pizza I had ever eaten. Delicious.

We headed back out in the the rain.

For dessert we decided on macarons. I really wanted to try Magnolia Bakery but we had already eaten cupcakes earlier in the day.

We stopped in Sugar & Plumm.

I had a beautiful salted caramel macaron. It was so light and airy and AMAZING!

We headed back in the rain.

Rain. Rain. More rain.

Back to the hotel we went.

After resting and changing into dry clothes, we decided to go back down to Chelsea Market.

Big & Bug are standing under this amazing Christmas light display. Can you find them??

Nestled in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, Chelsea Market was on my list of places to visit because it is known as one of the greatest indoor food halls of the world.

HELLO?!?! Heaven on EARTH!

It was full of people eating lobster tails at little silver tables and fabulous artisan shops. It also holds a two story Anthropologie!

I would love for me and Ryan to go back and taste from every vendor in the beautiful brick building.

Like the website says, "For foodies and even casual tourists, it is possible to enter the Market at one end in the morning and not exit the other until lunchtime, without ever growing bored—and certainly without ever going hungry."

DONE! It's on my bucket list.

We sampled a few things at the market but decided on Mexican in Midtown for dinner.

We took a cab to Hell's Kitchen. At 9th Avenue at 51st Street is a little Mexican restaurant called Arriba Arriba.

Their margaritas were amazing and come in 3 sizes... Bebe, Papa & Mama. I suggest just splurging and getting the Mama. You will not regret it. 27 ounces of pure happiness.

Full of margarita, chips, salsa and food, we headed back to the hotel.

We realized it was our last night in the city.

Our heart ached for more. Just one more walk to Rockefeller Plaza.

I walked past St. Patrick's Cathedral at least twice before I saw it on our last night.

Seeing it at night was breathtaking.

The GE Building was also beautiful.

One last trip to one of my favorite places...

On our walk home, we spotted Radio City Music Hall.

We made it back to the hotel soaking wet but so happy.

One last sleep and we would have to go back to NC.

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UP NEXT: Day Four- A few last minute trips and our plane ride home

NYC: Day Two

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Waking up in the city is nothing short of amazing.

The city is never quite even when you are 23 stories in the sky.

We woke bright and early on our second day in the city.

There is a Dunkin' Donuts one block up from our hotel on West 48th.

My mom walked down (in her PJs and a coat) and got coffee for us and hot chocolates for the girls.

I had decided against breakfast at The Plaza Hotel before we went to the city.

The reviews online said it was overpriced and there was really no "Eloise experience".

Wrong but I will get to that.

Luckily, we decided to go for breakfast anyway.

We quickly called and made a reservation. By some magical chance, there was a reservation available.

We quickly dressed, hailed our first cab and we were on the way.

Big and Bug were not in love with cab rides. We had not prepared them for the crazy driving and the nastiness that comes along with cab rides i.e. their cab driver opened his door at an intersection and hocked and loogie on the street. *gag*

Fifth Avenue is a whole new world.

Everything is shiny and beautiful and grand and perfect.

We arrived in front of the hotel and I immediately got butterflies. I am at The Plaza Hotel. The freaking PLAZA HOTEL!!

We spoke to the doorman who I fell in love with. He was the epitome of a Plaza doorman.

I walked in and silently gasped at the grandness of it all. It was beautiful.

This is the floor when you first walk in

Despite all of the beauty, I kept thinking about that doorman.

I needed a picture of my girls with him. He was perfect and I loved him and I wanted my girls to take their picture with him.

We trudged back outside in the cold. He happily obliged to a picture.

Be still my heart!! Look at all of the preciousness. I mean he even has on a FUR HAT!!

We went back in and looked around. The Palm Court was beautiful and I was overwhelmed by the fact that we were going to be eating there in just a few short minutes.

We walked around the hotel. We were on a mission to find the Eloise painting. We spotted it and had pictures with it. {Hint: it is in the hallway to the left of The Palm Court} Next, we had to find the Eloise Boutique. We made our way downstairs. We stopped along the way to admire the beautiful sweets.

Breakfast was delicious! The girls got their very own PINK Eloise Breakfast menu. Here it is in PDF format.

Bug had the Central Park Pancakes with warm syrup. YUM!

Big had the Perfect Parfait. It was not her favorite. The yogurt was not flavored and she was not a fan of plain yogurt.

Here is the adult breakfast menu.

I had the choice of 3 fresh baked pastries. OMG! I chose the seasonal scones, pain au chocolat & cheese danish. SO DELICIOUS!!

Mom had cold cereal with skim milk.

Marion {mom's BFF that went with us} had the Homemade Bircher Muesli and her daughter had the adult entree of buttermilk pancakes.

The $12 glass of orange juice {which we did NOT realize cost $12} was amazing. Like, the best orange juice I have EVER tasted. 6 glasses and $72 later, we still wanted more. Good thing we stopped ourselves.

After stuffing our faces with the most delicious food, we headed back downstair to shop at the Eloise Boutique.

Eloise is a fictional character who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her Nanny, her pug dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee.

She has always been one of our favorite characters. Her books & movies are great!

The girls picked out gifts, wrote Eloise a letter and even sat on the plush couch and watched a little bit of the Eloise movie.

This is a DEFINITE if you go to the city with girls. They will love every second of it.

If you don't want to do the grand experience of The Palm Court breakfast, you can always just eat downstairs at The Plaza Food Hall. It will not disappoint. Promise.

After The Plaza, we headed across the street to FAO Schwarz.

We took pictures with the soldier that holds the door. He even suggested that the girls do two poses. Super nice guy that really loved his job.

Sadly, FAO Schwarz in Manhattan will be closing its doors in July. So, if you want to jump on the big piano like Tom Hanks or you want to meet the soldier standing gaurd at the door, you better go now.

What else did we do?

Well, the upper east side holds a 3 story candy store known as Dylan's Candy Bar.

Dylan Lauren {yes, Ralph's daughter} opened this flagship store in 2001.

You name a candy, I promise you will find it here.

AND everything is made of candy. Not.even.kidding. The STAIRS are even made of candy!

Dylan's portrait made of candy

After our sweet visit, we had to make our way back to midtown.

We had tickets to see Matilda.

We hailed a cab because walking from the upper east side to Times Square is a haul.

When we got back to the hotel, the girls were hungry. We found a little tiny pizza joint {standing room only} and got them their very first slice of New York pizza. AND we found Dr. Pepper for them. {They had been craving Dr. Pepper since we left the South}.

Matilda was wonderful!!! It was a great show for kids and my girls LOVED it.

We went to Restaurant Row to find somewhere to have dinner. Restaurant Row is on West 46th Street between 8th & 9th avenues. It is conveniently located to all of the theaters so it was a perfect time to head down there. Restaurant Row is a street packed with some of New York's best restaurants.

We decided on Da Rosina... a cute little Italian place.

I had Farfalle Cacciatora. It was a bowtie pasta with onions, peppers, mushrooms & chicken in tomato sauce. The girls had Tortellini alla Panna-- a homemade tortellini filled with ricotta cheese in a cream sauce.

After dinner, we were all exhausted.

We walked back to the hotel and tucked ourselves in our warm, cozy beds as the rest of New York buzzed away 23 stories below us.

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UP NEXT: Day Three

Downtown

NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 12:46:00 +0000

As I threw together a book for my mom for her 50th birthday, I decided to share our NYC trip with the "dot com".

New York City is one of my favorite places in the whole world!!

Traveling with children in New York City is pretty awesome too!

So here is our short 4 day trip.

You can spend 4 years in NYC and never see everything you want to see.

It is packed full of the most amazing shops, shows, restaurants, fashion... it's just amazing.

Day One

Day Two

Day Three {will post 6/11/15}

Day Four {will post 6/12/15}

NYC: Day One

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Mom & Dad decided to give the girls an experience this Christmas instead of buying tons of toys that they really do not need (and that we do not have room for).

I was excited!

We had talked about Disney (again!) and it was too stressful for me to plan (again!). How do you people go to Disney with no stress? I am curious.

So, we decided on New York. It was the perfect trip for the girls and the grown ups. We made this a girls trip but realized the day we left that Beau and my Dad wanted to go too. Next time guys!!

The girls have had a running list of things they wanted to do when they went to New York one day.

Well their "one day" became a reality.

I had everything planned out and organized but not overly scheduled.

I thought it was best to divide the city up by Midtown, Upper Manhattan, and Lower Manhattan.

Here is what I had NOT prepared myself for... flying.

Flying was an experience. I will have a post of tips for short trip flying with children.

I had only flown once before this trip and lets just say, next time I will be more prepared and more medicated. Serious.

I sent this to Ryan when I landed. #abouttohaveapanicattack

So here is our first day in the city.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day One- Midtown

We arrived at LaGuardia about 10:30ish. Car service picked us up and took us into the city. The views from LaGuardia into the city are beautiful. More than likely your driver will be driving so fast and crazy that the likelihood of you getting good pictures are slim to none. Save your time, phone memory and SD card memory. You will have plenty of opportunities to take beautiful pictures once you are in the city.

We love searching for UPS trucks wherever we go. We followed one into the city.

We stayed at the DoubleTree in Times Square. It is in the perfect location for a whole city trip. It is in the center of everything. By "whole city" I mean, we planned on exploring different parts of the city. When Sister and I go back, we will just be downtown (but that is a different story *wink*)

Our hotel gave us warm cookies upon our arrival. We had a drink and our cookie before heading out on the town. Our room was not ready until later in the afternoon but most hotels will hold your bags so that you can start sight seeing asap. Check their policy and plan on getting into the city early so you have more time to see things.

We had lunch at Junior's Cheesecake on West 45th St. between Broadway and 8th Ave.

Whatever you do, get their Russian dressing with your sandwich. It is amazing!! I had the Matzoh Ball Soup and a corned beef sandwich with russian dressing. So yummy! The girls also got a hot chocolate here and it was amazing. So thick and creamy.

Next we went ice skating at Rockefeller Center.

We did this forever. It was so fun and the girls didn't want to stop. There are lots of great shops around there too. Even if you go when the ice skating rink is closed, you should definitely go to Rockefeller Center. It is beautiful.

Next was American Girl. This was a MUST on Bug's to do list. She had her mind set that she would be buying the 2015 girl of the year at the New York store. She did and she was so happy.

Prepare yourself... this store is HUGE! We went to every floor. Lots of people like to do the bistro but we skipped it because the NYC store can get crazy. Honestly, I had other eating planned that I knew the girls would love so much more than the American Girl bistro.

We headed back to Times Square and dropped our bags off at the hotel. We decided to head to the ferris wheel inside Toys R Us on Broadway at 44th St.

Be sure to see the T-Rex upstairs. Super cool! He looks so real.

This is where I need to warn you... BEWARE OF THE CHARACTERS IN TIMES SQUARE!!! THEY WILL ATTACK YOU!!! IF YOU TAKE THEIR PICTURE WITH THE KIDS, HAVE CASH READY. THEY WILL SAY "MONEY. MONEY. MONEY." OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. NIGHTMARE! Get those dollar bills ready to shell out.

By this point, I was exhausted. Oh, AND I needed an adult beverage from the plane ride hours earlier. We decided to do dinner at Guy's American Kitchen & Bar at 220 West 44th Street between 7th and 8th Ave.

This is Guy Fieri's restaurant and it was so wonderful!

The Vegas Fries are amazing and I also had the Bacon Mac & Cheese Burger. OMG! So good!! Just typing it makes my mouth water. I also had a few PBRs. PTL!

Dessert was a few doors down from Guy's. Ben & Jerry's at 200 West 44th Street.

Ben & Jerry's is always yummy!! ;-)

That ended our first day.

A few notes. We walked everywhere. We only took taxis a few times. We used the subway to get downtown and to go a few destinations downtown (day 3). You miss so much when you ride everywhere. So, prepare your kids for the walking. I had talked to the girls about the walking and the cold. They did not complain one time. They absolutely loved the city! I feel like letting them know what to expect helped a lot.

Also, be sure to walk through the Diamond District. It is so very pretty. Lots of BEAUTIFUL diamonds EVERYWHERE!! We were so lucky that 47th Street was the cross street that our hotel was on. We were able to walk through the Diamond District a few times and it was overwhelmingly beautiful each time.

UP NEXT... The posh uptown and a Broadway musical.

Sentence starters.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 22:00:00 +0000

I am exhausted. Traveling to and from the beach for less than 24 hours is... a lot.
I wonder what we can do this summer that will be super fun and different.
I hear my husband pounding away on the desktop keyboard.
I see my dashboard FULL of drafts and need to be finished.
I want another glass of wine. I am just too tired to get it.
I am not looking forward to waking up early for 2 more days of school.

I pretend to be the best at everything.
I feel drained.
I touch the keyboard lightly. Opposite of how Beau types.
I worry about dinner. What am I going to cook?
I cry when I am angry.
I am exhausted.

I understand that the day is almost over.
I say AMEN!
I dream of a fun, relaxing summer vacation.
I try to have patience.
I hope we can go to the beach soon after the girls get out of school.
I am exhausted & excited.

That time Beau took Bug for a haircut.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 11:00:00 +0000

We were late... like always.

We were supposed to have been at softball practice 2 minutes ago and I still have to drive the 6 minutes to the field.

Bug has a dilemma. She doesn't know if she wants to go with me or her Daddy.

I push for her to go with her Daddy.

He was running to get a quick haircut and Bug needed a trim.

Tears. Screams. "I just don't know what to doooooooooo!"

"You need a trim. Go with your Daddy."

I threw her in his truck, threw Big's bat bag in the car and we were off.

Emma called while her Daddy was getting his haircut. "How did your haircut go?" I asked. "Good! I will send you a picture."

Then I get this picture in iMessage...

Is that Jim Carrey or is that... Bug?

I had a brief moment of panic.

She has... bangs.

Not the normal "long-layer-swoop-bang" we normally have.

She.has.bangs.

She looked like Lloyd freaking Christmas.

Yes... from Dumb and Dumber.

You don't believe me?

Gulp.

It's just hair, I kept telling myself. It will grow.

We got home about the same time.

Ryan walked in. Bug walked in. Both very proud.

"Buggy I LOVE your hair."

I immediately had to wash it and restyle.

I was determined to make her look more like Emma and less like Lloyd.

Shew! MUCH better! I worked with it. It turned out fine.

So Bug, when you need therapy and a story goes back to bangs when you were 6... blame your Daddy.

We know discuss how they look like Taylor Swift bangs.

Check it...

MUCH better than Lloyd.

I am a softball mom.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Say what?

I am a what?

Yes, I am a softball mom.

Big was asked to play on a team this softball season.

She is very athletic (she gets that from her Dad) and very competitive. Naturally, she jumped at the opportunity.

In a few short weeks, I have almost learned the rules of the game.

I learned what a RBI is.

I learned what "choke up on the bat" means.

I know how to repair helmets, face masks, gloves.

I picked out the cutest socks for her to wear.

I cheer when it is appropriate but never too loud.

I brought snacks and mini water bottles for the team one night.

I picked out tons of Under Armor headbands for her to wear.

I know what batting order means and that Big bats 4th.

I have seen a mom spank her child on the field.

I have seen parents climb the fence in excitement.

I have watched parents lose control and cuss in front of 7 and 8 year olds.

I am slowly learning this game now that the season is almost over.

I always said my girls would NEVER play softball. I wanted them to be dancers and cheerleaders. I was wrong. I had to eat my words again.

I can tell you one thing I will NEVER eat my words about... softball mom t-shirts. Proudly displaying Big's number on my back with "BIG'S MOM" written proudly above it. Nope. Never. Not going to happen.

I love you something serious Big, but softball mom t-shirts is where I draw the line.

And don't even get me started on the car stickers.

NEVER.

Happy

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 08:00:00 +0000

Scrolling through my Facebook news feed, I came across the quote "There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy."

It made to stop and really think about happiness.

Happiness.

What is it?

Happiness [hap-ee-nis]

noun

1. the quality or state of being happy.

2. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.

Growing up, happiness was in the simple things. So I asked myself the question, what simple things make me the most happy?

Here is my part of my list. Happiness is...

* The sound of my kids getting along

* When I find a bottle of wine in my refrigerator

* Getting a new Anthropologie catalog in the mail. It is so crisp and smells so good. I hate to even crack it open for the first time.

* Extra sauce on a pizza

* The sound of the waves

* Finding miniature seashells

* Cold coffee

* My husband's beard

* New sheets

* Finding a ladybug

* Salt air

* Chocolate

My list of the happiness could go on forever.

I look at the life we have made in the last 9 years and I am just... happy.

Simply happy.

9-1-1 is only THREE numbers!!

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Like usual, I whipped into carpool on a wing and a prayer.

I silently said 8 profanities before even making it into the actual parking lot.

I scoop up the children and rushed home like we had somewhere to be. Rushing all of the time.

On the ride home a conversation happened...

Bug: "Mom, I need your cell phone please."

Me: "Why?"

B: "Because Ashlyn gave me her phone number and I HAVE to call her."

M: "You're 6. When did you start acting 15?"

B: "I need your phone."

M: "Negative."

B: "I need your phoneeeee."

M: "Nope. You can't call her right now. She isn't even at home yet. We just left school".

B: "GIVE ME YOUR PHONNNEEEE!!"

M: "Silently saying more profanities... What's her number????"

B: "Here. She wrote it down for me."

M: "Umm. Yeah. That's not a phone number, Bug."

B: "YES IT IS!!"

M: "It needs 4 more numbers to be a phone number."

B: "You are WRONG! 9-1-1 is only THREE numbers and it works. Ashlyn's phone number is SIX numbers. It HAS to work."

Bug never did get up with Ashlyn.

Forgetful parenting

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 16:58:00 +0000

Beau decided to take vacation last week.

It would have been awesome if the kids had been out of school but... they're not. So, we did a lot of back and forth from home to the beach last week.

My bad parenting skills were put to good use when I let the girls skip school Friday so we could go back down to the coast for another long weekend.

We made it to Havelock and decided to stop for dinner.

We have passed by this restaurant a million times. Thursday night we decided to stop. Crabby Patty's is a cute little seafood joint.

Before ordering our food, Bug gasped. I quickly turned to see what in the world was happening.

"THE AR PARADE IS TOMORROW!!!!!!!"

Good job, Hailey.

Awesome.

In my frenzy to get to the beach, I forgot EVERYTHING written neatly in my planner. AR Parade included.

So, Bug missed her last Kindergarten AR parade.

Worst.parent.ever.

**Sidenote: Beau asked her if she wanted to go back home. Of course she said no but I still felt guilty that she was missing it.

On the bright side... all parents are forgetful. Let's just take a moment and thank the good Lord that I have never forgotten something super important... like my kids.

I was talking to a mom the other day and she told me a story of forgetting her child.

There is a 10 year difference between her two children. She was accustomed to only having one child when child number 2 came along.

She said that her youngest was a baby. The baby was in a stroller and the mom took her hands off of the stroller to pay for something at a register. She paid and left only later to realize she had forgotten something important... HER CHILD!!!

See... some people forget important events like AR parades and some people forget their children.

It happens.

Summer Reading.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 02:15:00 +0000

Spring break rolled around.

I jumped on Amazon and found a few books that I had been wanting to read.

I was all, "This is going to the best spring break ever." "I am going to read ALL of my books."

Too bad, I barely picked up a book.

I spent the majority of the vacation watching my children wade deeper and deeper into the water. Me & Beau would frantically wave them back. They would ignore us.

I had flashbacks of my Mom doing the same thing to me and my sister. We would wade out deeper and deeper. Mom would stand up waving us back. We would giggle, wave to her and keep swimming.

Karma is a bitch people.

Anyway, my spring break reading has now become my summer reading.

Here's what I have on my list so far:

- To Kill a Mockingbird (spring break reading)
- ~~The Glass Castle (spring break reading)~~
- Dear Carolina- a girl I know from my hometown wrote this book and I can't wait to start reading it!
- ~~Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~~
- ~~An Abundance of Katherines~~
- ~~Sharp Objects: A Novel~~
- The Adderall Diaries
- All the Light We Cannot See
- Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!
~~- We Were Liars~~
- If I Stay

Just curious... what is on your summer reading list??