Daily InstaGlam
Monthly Archives: August 2013
How-To: Hit Up A Movie With A Toddler
Alright, not going to lie: taking a child under the age of two to a full-on movie in a for-real movie theater is some serious business.
All the blog posts I've read on the topic say to wait until 2 1/2 or 3 at the earliest...but you know what? I think provided you follow some basic Laws Of Common Sense And Respect For Your Fellow MovieGoer (below) this is a to-each-his-own situation, and a) we really love going to the movies, and it's a special thing for our family, and b) our son actually seems to have an unusually high attention span for anything involving motor vehicles (he can happily sit through the entirety of Cars when we watch it...over and over and over...at home).
So despite the fact that yeah, he's a little young...to the movies we go.
For The Hostess: Rosanna Alphabet Trays
I spotted these little dishwasher-safe (and adorable) trays in a store in Warwick, N.Y. last weekend...and they were so beautifully made that I couldn't believe it when I saw that they cost $12 each.
They're perfect for serving things like olives and nuts or for stashing your keys by the door, and make a great gift (try buying a few to spell out someone's name or a word).
Win A Brand-New Fall Wardrobe and T.J.Maxx In-Store Styling Session with Me!
Summer’s not over yet…but around this time of year I start getting excited about bringing my favorite autumn pieces back into rotation. As soon as it’s even close to cool enough outside, I start swapping out jeans for shorts and light sweaters for tanks, and breaking out pieces that I’ve been waiting to wear all summer long: a knit shawl, a pair of motorcycle boots, an incredible leather jacket.
Speaking of incredible leather jackets: look at this.
It’s a high-end designer piece from T.J.Maxx, and is both spectacular (as you can see) and lightweight enough to wear when there’s just the slightest chill in the air. I love the versatility of this jacket; it helps me express whatever mood (and season) I’m in, from showing off my biker-chick roots to adding a little edge to a Date Night dress.
Weekend Snapshots: At The Carnival
When I was a little kid, my parents' best friends lived in upstate New York (near Warwick, the town where we went apple-picking last fall and did our bed-and-breakfast trip a few months ago). They had two kids just a little older than me named Ali and Matt and one a little younger named Nicky, and one day every summer both families would head to the Orange County Fair.
Here's my first time ever at the fair, in 1983.
For any kid - but especially a city kid who didn't often see things like ponies and carousels - it was paradise. Obviously I thought Ali and Matt - 3 and 5 years older than me, respectively - were the coolest people in the entire world, so the fact that I was allowed to follow them around on short parent-free journeys to get a funnel cake or get our photo taken for a souvenir was exciting almost beyond what I could wrap my head around. Mostly what I remember was that the carnival felt big...impossibly big, like you could spend entire summers there and never explore it all. And the rides seemed so fancy and advanced, like something out of a Spielberg movie.
Weekend Uniform II
Weekend Uniform #2: the ever-present denim cutoffs (I own about six thousand pairs, I swear - not just wearing the same exact thing every single day of my life) paired with a so-lightweight-it's-almost-sheer muscle tank...and motorcycle boots. Because I don't want to wait for fall to wear them - and these are non-clunky enough that I don't have to.
Daily InstaGlam
Fettuccine with Sweet Tomato Sauce and Asparagus
I have a weird thing for Prego. I think it's because my mom used to use it as a base for our pasta dinners when we were growing up (just adding things like mushrooms, onions and meat to jazz it up). I mean, I totally get it: you're supposed to like 100% fresh sauce best, and yes, it's wonderful...but...
I also like Prego. I can't help it. It's sort of like McDonald's hamburgers versus the Black Label burger at Minetta Tavern: they're just totally different categories of food, and equally delicious in their own ways. I think, however, that what makes me like Prego is - rather unfortunately - the same thing that makes it a less-great option than homemade sauce: all that added sugar that's present in pretty much anything that you buy pre-made.
This pasta dish is fresh and light, and has that touch of sweetness that I'm looking for without actually being loaded up with sugar. I've been making this recipe (one of the first I ever wrote about, actually) for years, and have tweaked it to make it as straightforward and simple as possible - it takes about fifteen minutes start to finish, and is a major crowd-pleaser.
When You Come From Different Worlds
Q. Dear Jordan,
In less than a week I'm going on a big family vacation with my boyfriend. He and I are from totally different worlds: his family on both sides are pretty well off and I grew up eating discount Cheerios. I contribute as much as I can to help even the score, but I still feel like the lovable tramp dragged in from the street a lot of the time.
His parents invited me to come along on their vacation to a resort/spa/golf course and while I've accepted, I'm kind of at a loss in terms of what I should actually do once I get there. My boyfriend will be golfing every day and the women are supposed to go to the spa together. Despite the fact that we've been together for a year and a half, I feel uncomfortable not only with the idea of invading their spa/vacation time, but also the idea of letting them pay for extravagant services. My guy says they can super afford it and they "like to be generous." I really don't want to insult them by either turning down their invitations or being too cavalier, but I'm a struggling grad student, and I'm kind of at a loss.
So far, my best ideas are being the girl who cried work and sitting in our room on my laptop, making them think I'm a workaholic, or hiding away in the fitness center all day and making them think I'm an exercise addict. If there was any way for me to pay my way, I would! That would make me feel much more at ease.
Fringe Booties…For Summer?
Sure, fringed leather booties are typically an autumn thing...but I especially love them in the summer, as an alternative to flip-flops - they make even the simplest shorts-and-tank seem like you put thought into it.
(Also pictured: Alexandra Satine purse.)
