Last night was one of the most amazing nights ever! Anel and I had our fifth wedding anniversary on September 2nd, but were too overwhelmed with a new baby and navigating that world to do anything too exciting. We went out for an easy dinner (tacos, I believe) and came home by 8pm. Now that Amalia is three months and we have the parenting thing down a little more, we were able to give our big anniversary the proper credit it deserved.
We had been planning this for a while, but last night we enjoyed the incredible 800 million-course farm-to-table tasting at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It was one of those meals that I know I’ll never forget, truly a once in a lifetime experience. I had been once before for dinner with my family over 10 years ago and have been itching to go back after watching Dan Barber’s episode of Chef’s Table. So we booked it a few months ago, thinking that we’d be ready to leave the baby for 5+ hours by then. We were right! Although it was hard not to stare at our Nest camera the whole time…
They brought us back to have two of the courses in the kitchen while we watched the chefs cook which was so cool to see. Everything from the cocktails (mine had super thin apple slice clothes-pinned to the side of the glass) to the service to the presentation was unreal. Such an incredible once in a lifetime experience!
I believe that celebrating marriage milestones is important. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day to day minutia of real life, but the fact that we’re happily married after five years, two moves, buying a home, surviving miscarriage, having a baby, and starting two businesses is an accomplishment in my book. Here’s to 5… or actually 50… more!
Of course while we were out celebrating said milestone, Amalia decided to cry for 40 minutes for our friend who was babysitting, something she has literally never done in her entire life. Once I heard that I, of course, felt insanely guilty for leaving her but then realized that it was probably good for her to be away from us for a few hours at night.
In other exciting news this week, I tried an infrared sauna for the first time to see what all the hype was about. I don’t know if it was a placebo effect or if it really worked but I felt amazing for the rest of the day and slept so well that night. If you’re local and want to try it, use code LSLOVE at Inner Light and you’ll get a free 25 minute session!
For some reason, this week a bunch of people sent me really interesting articles to read so I’m extra excited about today’s link round up. I was especially interested in this one about bloggers and sponsored posts.
Around the web
Motherhood is hard to get wrong. So why do so many moms feel bad about themselves?
Dark chocolate is now a health food… Or is it?
Bow sweater. I posted this bow sweater to Instagram (here) and people went nuts for it! I love it in white too. Plus it’s only $54 which is a great price for the quality.
On bloggers. And why so many of them are Mormon.
Influencer peddlers. How much do blog followers care about sponsored posts?
Plaid pumps. I just got the cutest pair of embellished plaid pumps for the holiday season. Is it just me or is Talbots killing it lately?
How to be an amazing influencer like me. This satire of blogger life is both kind of hilarious but also makes me sad because it completely discredits the hard work that we put into what we do.
Camel vest. How chic is this vest? I just got it and can’t wait for it to arrive so I can style it up!
Toddler model pics. This mom teased her model brother by having her toddler recreate his pics. Pure genius!
This is why you hate running. Jaceys’ post on how to enjoy running more was so interesting. I can’t wait to run again… but def waiting until I’m done breastfeeding. Nursing mamas, you know what I mean!
This week on Lemon Stripes
Fisherman Sweaters
3 Months with Amalia
Immune-Boosting Smoothie
Thanks for linking the Time article about motherhood… a very interesting read for a new mom like me (and I think for everyone). Also, thank you for your honest depiction of pregnancy and motherhood. I may not agree with every parenting decision you make (or my friend/neighbor/sister makes for that matter) but it’s really important to keep in mind that everyone is just trying to do what’s best for themselves and their kiddos! Mom shaming is so unproductive.
Thanks so much for saying that Elizabeth!! I really appreciate it xx
Running while breastfeeding will get easier as Amalia gets older, if you decide to keep it up. I ran a half when my daughter was 10 months old, and I was still breastfeeding and pumping (I pumped right before). Once you have added solids and are feeding more like 5 or 6 times a day, the leakage is less 🙂 Also, I saw your post about thinking about weaning, which of course is totally your decision. Just a note that I HATED breastfeeding before 6 months, especially after I went back to work and had to pump at work, but once they are older, it seems less like a chore. I remember telling a girlfriend I couldn’t wait to stop breastfeeding when my daughter was 4 months, and then just kind of getting a rhythm. I ended up breastfeeding until she was 14 months and weaned herself. I guess my only point is, like with all things related to kids, thing change and you never know how you will feel about things a day or a month from now 🙂
I’ve always been so intrigued by the abundance of bloggers who are Mormon, but I thought it was just me being fascinated by something I don’t fully “get.” That article was SO INTERESTING!
So interesting, right? It makes so much more sense now!
So cool that you got to go to Blue Hill!! My cousin and her husband both used to work there and it sounds so cool. I’m totally obsessed with the idea of going if I ever find myself in the area.
Kristina does the Internets
Happy (belated) anniversary! I agree that it’s important to celebrate anniversaries because it’s an opportunity to look back at your lives together and how far you’ve come.
We went to the Blue Hill in NYC for our one year anniversary back in August and LOVED IT!!!!!!!
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