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Hey there, it’s been a minute!
I don’t know about you, but the last couple of months have been a bit of a blur.
Between life, work, and everything in between, this is the first chance I’ve had to pop in and say, Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were filled with joy, and a little fun.
While this year has had a crazy start for many of us, I thought I’d take some time to recap things…
How was Christmas?
This Christmas we took advantage of some much-needed down time. With a blend of our American and Slovak traditions, we stayed local and celebrated with family and friends. The food was great, but the “sugar” was even better—no judging!! lol.
While the holidays aren’t all about the gifts we’re fortunate to receive, here were some of our favs…
For me:
Shiatsu Massage Chair Pad with Heat
Apple AirPods Pro 2 Bluetooth Headphones
For the kids:
Inflatable Paddle board for Kids & Adults
Duffle-Style Garment Bag for Travel
Wireless Charging Station for iPhone, Apple Watch, & AirPods
For my husband:
Pac-Man Counter-Size Arcade Game
GreenPan Ceramic Non-Stick 11-Piece Cookware Set
New Year’s Eve [In bed by 12:10]
Our New Year’s celebration? Low-key, as usual. We stayed in, enjoyed some cocktails, watched movies, and played games with the girls. I have to admit, staying up until midnight is a real struggle these days. I’ve fully embraced early-bird life, so my body rebels against late nights…unlike my husband. Still, it was cozy and relaxing—a perfect way to ring in the new year, though I still can’t believe how fast the old year went.
The Christmas Wonderland Takedown
January arrived, and with it came the bittersweet task of dismantling my beloved Christmas Wonderland. If my husband had his way, the decorations would be packed up by December 26th. He adores the lead-up to Christmas—the countdown, the anticipation—but once the big day is over, he’s ready to move on. Me? Not so much. I cling to my Christmas cheer until mid-January. Partly because I love the magic it brings to our home, but also because taking it all down is a monumental task.
During the holidays, our rooms are filled with lights, garland, and decorations that my eyes adjust to the festive fullness of the rooms. But when the last ornament is finally tucked away, the house feels eerily empty and lifeless, like we’ve been robbed. It also feels as if we’ve somehow doubled the square footage overnight. Still, as much as I miss the lights and sparkle, I have to admit it feels good to start the new year fresh. And now, a few weeks later, the emptiness has already worn off.
By the way, when organizing and storing décor (or anything really) these see-through plastic containers are a must-have. We also use them for storing our camping gear and the see-through feature allows us to find things a little easier.
Now, here we are in February and I can’t believe I’m still seeing homes with Christmas decorations throughout the area. Not sure if it’s hard for them to let go of the holidays, or if they’re having a harder time taking the décor down than I did.
A New, Old Tradition: Girls’ Weekend
This year, I decided to kick off a new tradition, inspired by an “old” one I had.
When we lived in Europe, I had regular girls’ weekends with some of my closest friends. Every few months, we’d pick a city, spend the weekend exploring, catching up, eating delicious food, and simply enjoying each other’s company.
Those weekends were such fun so I thought, why not bring that idea home…only this time, I’d have one-on-one time with each daughter. It’s not often we get one-on-one time, and I wanted to create an opportunity for us to connect more deeply.
So, the new girls’ weekend tradition began with my oldest daughter.
The plan? Aside from staying at the family’s lake house, there wasn’t much of one—except for letting her take the lead. I told her the weekend was all about her, and she could decide what we ate, what we watched, what we played, and how we spent our time. Naturally, she loved the idea. Mommy all to herself, and full control over the agenda? Total win in her book.
We indulged in a lot of her food favorites: Chipotle and Starbucks for the ride there, we made a pizza (easy recipe), blueberry pancakes…we even baked sugar cookies together, which made a cold, cloudy day…warmer. We capped off our food experience with McDonald’s on the ride back, a totally healthy weekend!
For movies, she chose to have a Harry Potter marathon—a choice I fully supported, being the Potterhead that I am.
When we weren’t eating or watching movies, we worked on a puzzle, played Uno, and even had a hilarious round of Truth or Dare. One of her absolute favorite parts of the weekend was our spa session. She walked me through her skincare and makeup routine, introduced me to her favorite products (including this face steamer), and we even did face masks together. We painted each other’s nails and laughed until our cheeks hurt…I loved these moments.
Both of us left feeling so happy and grateful for the time we spent together. Now, we’re looking forward to our next girls’ weekend, after my younger daughter’s turn of course. Meanwhile, as I was soaking up quality time with my oldest, my husband got to have some one-on-one time with our little one, so it was a win for everyone.
Welcome to the Show: A Circus Experience
A few days ago, I was driving and heard someone on the radio win tickets to the circus. Wait, the circus is in town? How exciting! After all these years in the U.S., I had never been to a circus here, and I decided it was time to change that.
I’ve been to the circus several times before, usually smaller traveling shows I experienced both as a kid and with my kids when we lived in Europe. And they had everything: animals, acrobats, clowns, and entertainment that felt so up close you could practically reach out and touch the magic.
Naturally, I told my husband we had to go, so he got us tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus. We kept it a surprise for the kids, adding an extra layer of excitement. On the night of the show, we headed to downtown Nashville, grabbed dinner, and then made our way to the arena.
I didn’t quite know what to expect from a more modern circus experience, but let’s just say there were some major differences:
- The venue – Instead of the intimate charm of a tent, this circus took place in the massive Bridgestone Arena. A bit of a size upgrade, to say the least!
- No animals – There were no elephants, no tigers, no lions. This was due to industry changes and laws preventing circuses from having animal performances in their show—a noticeable shift from the circuses I knew and loved. That said, there was one “animal”: an adorable robot dog named Bailey, who completely stole the show for my youngest. She immediately wanted one (even offering to pay for it herself). Unfortunately, Bailey’s price tag is probably the equivalent of a small car, so we’ll pass.
- The scale of the show – It was enormous, with a lot going on. At times, there was so much happening that I didn’t know where to look…which is probably by design so that audiences are constantly visually stimulated.
Yet despite these differences, the show was fantastic and the family loved it—the energy was infectious, the acts were mesmerizing, and the costumes were stunning. But honestly, while I agree with the reasons to not have them, I did miss the presence of animals—it felt like something was missing without them. But overall, it was a wonderful experience. All of us had a great time, and I’d recommend it to anyone—whether you have kids or not. The sheer talent and creativity of the performers left us in awe…it was definitely a night to remember.
Florida Again?? Yes Please!
The morning after our night at the circus, I had to drag myself out of bed at 4 a.m. to catch a flight for a business trip to Orlando. Waking up that early is painful on any day, but on a Saturday? It’s downright cruel. Still, you do what you have to do. Half-asleep, I stumbled to the airport and parked without the slightest idea of where my vehicle actually was—future me loved the fun little scavenger hunt when I got back from my trip.
It’s no surprise, I love Florida. I was sooo looking forward to escaping the winter chill. But, as luck would have it, Florida was experiencing a winter chill of its own. So I couldn’t even leave my winter jacket behind—in Florida! Disappointing? Absolutely. But Florida is still Florida, and even a glimpse of palm trees has a way of lifting my spirits. Thankfully, the weather warmed up as the trip went on.
On a personal note, it was nice to step away from the daily routine at home for a bit. Changing things up, even when it’s for work, can be refreshing. My husband, on the other hand, was holding down the fort with our daughters and pets…I’m not so sure he’d describe his time as ‘refreshing’.
Yeah, probably not.
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