Hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend… we’ve kept it pretty stress-free, a little brunch action here, some dim sum action there, and lots (LOTS) of on-line shopping – mostly for the munchkin, who seems to be on the mend, whoo-hoo!!!
Speaking of cyber therapy, I wanted to share with you an awesome shopping event, à la Isabella Oliver (my all-time fav for all things maternity and nursing chic).
You’ve already seen my Facebook post about the Black Friday Sale that’s kicked off over Thanksgiving weekend. GOOD NEWS – now the sale has extended to Monday!!! And I’m talking MAJOR – 33% off ALL MATERNITY CLOTHING! Simply use code MCL36 on their website.
I’ve been a huge fan of Isabella Oliver ever since the beginning of my pregnancy, and you can find some of my previous features on the brand here, from preggo to nursing-wear – it’s a thing of beauty!
Here are some of my favorite looks from their most recent collection. One thing is for certain, preggo or not, these looks are timeless and luxe, with just the right mix of edge… I personally want EVERYTHING.
Entering our suite at the <a href="http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/en/rivieramaya" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/en/rivieramaya">Viceroy Riviera Maya</a>
As we nearing the end of November, and as the weather becomes increasingly more frigid in NYC (our one excursion of the day being brunch at Monument Lane), I can’t help but sigh and reminisce over my recent trip to the Riviera Maya of Mexico at the beginning of this month – where we shacked up in our own private villa at the Viceroy Riviera Maya.
Sun, sand, sea – great friends, fantastic scenery, and extraordinary food, what could be better?
Next week hubs and I are flying down with the little guy to the Gulf coast of Florida, where we’ll reprise our annual refuge from the cold. The countdown has officially begun!!!
After all… who doesn’t love a beach?
Sunset/ Sea-side dining at nearby Tulum (Zamas) -- seriously the best! For more features on Tulum, see here.
Morning breakfast at the Viceroy Maya, lots of flavor and spice!
This morning, we drove back into the city and had a lovely brunch with some old friends at Monument Lane, on 103 Greenwich Ave in the West Village (named after General James Wolfe, who died in the pre-Revolutionary Battle of Quebec, who knew?).
Verdict? This place is cute cute cute!!! It’s an absolute can’t miss and I can’t believe that it’s taken me this long to find it! Thanks to @maragon25 for the find.
Notes: the fare is comfort “New American Tavern.” They really know how to serve their chicken! Both the fried chicken and waffles, and kale & chicken salad were beyond delicious (though then again, how can one go wrong with chicken and waffles?). Fried chicken is hotter than hot these days (see my last review on Birds and Bubbles.
Oh, and munchkin was Mr. Charming Pants, as per usual… almost makes you forget how difficult the past few weeks have been with him being under the weather!
In keeping with tradition... a lake-side stroll with my latte in hand (also seen here and here). Mamma's wearing: coat by Dolce Vita (last featured here), Scarf from Laos, and fuzzy/comfy boots from New Zealand, Sweater from Nolan (last seen here).
Gobble gobble! The bestest (and super easy!) turkey recipe here, courtesy of Grandma Rockshic.
Little man! How did he get so big! ♥♥♥
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!
This is the third year in a row that we spent Thanksgiving back on Long Island with my folks (I’ve a feeling there may be many more local Thanksgivings in years to come, particularly while munchkin’s still young).
In truth it was a pretty quiet day, though possibly just what the doctor ordered. This mamma got to sleep in (huzzah!), and we ended up going for a drive with the little guy. The original itinerary was to cruise at the local Walt Whitman Mall (last seen here). Hey, when in Rome…
As it turns out, malls are shut on Thanksgiving day! Guess I should have known better… so we end up hanging at Legal Sea Foods next door for a cocktail (or two) and some grub (I must say, my clam chowder was darn good!). Munchkin got the fish sticks off of the kiddo menu, and he was most enamored by the corn-on-the-cob that went with his meal (really, you can’t make this stuff up). Actually, the corn episode was quite appropo, in my view, since – as hubs was explaining in the car, Thanksgiving was really all about the pilgrims of Plymouth giving thanks and celebrating their first harvest (which I’m sure involved a cornucopia of some sort… filled with corn).
For us, Thanksgiving in recent years has really become all about family. This is my third year celebrating Thanksgiving on Rockshic, see last year's and the prior year’s post. I couldn’t be happier with how far we’ve come, and the ability to share all of that with you, dear readers. Thank you for sharing this journey with me, and may there be many, many more adventures to come!
As we’re gearing up for the big Turkey day tomorrow, and as I’m finally finding a moment to stop and think a bit, I have to say that I am most grateful for the family time we’ve had together in the Berkshires (see last post here on our recent stay at the Cranwell).
In some respects, the title of this post is a bit of misnomer, since the Berkshires happened last month, and much has changed since then. Yet, in many other ways, it is particularly special right now, as it literally accounts for the last family trip we took together.
It’s hard being a parent, especially as that path is not very linear. My little guy has been not quite himself for most of November (think leakages from just about every orifice of his poor little body), and it’s definitely been weighing heavily on our entire family. For that very reason, it’s just nice to revisit these sunny, cheerful images... and relive those special vignettes, however fleeting, as we see our happy little man frolicking in full Autumn foliage, wearing the biggest smile imaginable on his face, and drinking in every new sight along his garden path with pure, gleeful delight.
It’s moments like these that you truly come to appreciate the joys of bringing a new life to this world, no matter the challenges posed, and realize that… yes, I am one lucky gal.
I won’t lie. The subject of nursing can be an incredibly personal and touchy topic, as it can certainly make your friends/colleagues (not to mention society at large) cringe in pain and discomfort (hello TMI), and yet, in reality – it really is as natural as saying – “I’m going to the store to pick up some food for my baby.”
Munchkin is now 15 months old, and I’m still pumping (nursing) away… that makes me pretty much part of a very small minority, and I’m okay with that.
I’ve been pumping pretty much right as my son was born (much to my dismay, we started at the hospital, namely because I had to have a C and my milk didn’t come in quite so fast and poor monkey was dropping weight rapidly). Once my milk did come in, however, there seemed to be plenty of it to go around (“liquid gold!!” as one girlfriend termed it).
In the beginning (during the first 1-2 months), I nursed my baby roughly 6-7 times a day, plus pumping 3-4 times, which I usually did right after nursing. To quote my neighbor and fellow mommy, “it was, literally, ALL YOU DO.”
As a working mom, however, nursing became more of a luxury, and pumping became an inevitable reality.
I’ve pretty much pumped everywhere, and anywhere. I’ve pumped on planes, at the gym, in public bathrooms (gross), dressing rooms, restaurants, airport lounges, hotel rooms, friends' houses, utility closets, the occasional mother’s room at the office (when you’re not juggling the inner-office politics amongst other intense/aggro new mums – more on that another time!), and yes… in the car (both as the driver and passenger). As a matter of fact, a funny picture springs to mind, one of hubs trying to unscrew my fully-loaded bottles, on the Interstate I-75 in Florida, from the Medela Freestyle connector, as though it were a detonating bomb about to go off (yeup it was THAT intense!).
For his part, hubs simply shrugged and said, “well I did NOT want to spill it.”
I can go on and on about the ins and outs of pumping, given how long it’s been and how integrated it’s become in my everyday life. Come to think of it, pumping is literally the ONLY thing that I consistently do every single day, which I can’t say about anything else, not even sleeping.
Between you and I, I wish there would be more of a universal understanding and sensitivity when it comes to the subject (and treatment) of nursing – though unfortunately, it’s rather hit or miss.
Personally, I’ve gotten funny/questionable looks at the airport when I travel with my pump and with my frozen breastmilk in tow (flying whilst pumping really warrants its own post btw – but I touch upon this ever so slightly in my write-up on Turks and Caicos here and here).
Once, I’ve been asked by an airport security, quite incredulously might I add – “But… where’s your baby?” Hotel and restaurant staff give me equally odd looks when I ask them to store my milk while I'm in transit. I’ve even had people knock in the bathroom, and ask me “what’s that noise?” (along with other unhelpful remarks). Worst of all? During my recent trip to Mexico (fantastic as it was), I was told, upon coming back via airport security, that I could not bring my breastmilk home with me, on the mere fact that I was not travelling with my baby. All I could remember, at that very moment, was my girlfriend placing a comforting arm on my shoulder, while I sobbed to hubs over the phone, shortly thereafter, over the loss of my hard-earned breastmilk.
Ultimately, I have to say – I’ve been very lucky and have generally felt supported whilst nursing (see here on my features on nursing essentials and nursing fashion).
As mothers, we all make our own decisions about when/if to nurse, and for how long. In my case, I feel like, as long as “the girls” are up to the task, why not treat my Nuke to a little something extra for his own benefit? I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, to be honest – but I’m going to enjoy it and rock it while it lasts!
The hot mess that is my kitchen counter. Although I do love my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boon-Grass-Countertop-Drying-Green/dp/B0032G9E0G/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=rocshisty-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=K546X5BRGPXRHN6J&creativeASIN=B0032G9E0G" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Boon-Grass-Countertop-Drying-Green/dp/B0032G9E0G/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=rocshisty-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=K546X5BRGPXRHN6J&creativeASIN=B0032G9E0G">Boon Grass Drying Rack</a> (great for storing individual pumping bits!)
Up until a few months ago, this was pretty much what our freezer looked like. I even have frozen milk stored at my in-laws in <a href="http://www.rockshic.com/my-blog/new-zealand/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.rockshic.com/my-blog/new-zealand/">New Zealand</a>. These days, things are looking a bit differently. #perseverance
Most unbelievable cheese! If you do go to Salumeria, ask for the brunet. Love love love.
It has been one tough week for this mamma. Not gonna lie, most days it feels like I’m running a marathon, at the best of times, but this week, somehow, felt especially intense. “Life sucks you’re your kid’s sick,” were hubs’ exact words. I couldn’t agree more. Because munchkin’s not 100%, it’s basically thrown the rest of our lives a bit off kilter.
One of the rare moments of refuge I had over the course of the week, was dining out with my girlfriend. It was all I could do to force myself out of the house, what with everything that was going on. Though that said, once I made it to the restaurant, I felt nothing but excitement and joy.
Salumeria Rosi is a resto that’s quite near and dear to my heart. I’ve been coming here for years and years now (dating back to 2006/2007 me thinks). Even when they’ve opened a second venue in the Upper East Side (circa 2012), my preference is still the cozy and comfortable feel of their upper west side location.
Primarily known for his small tapas plates (think along the lines of fresh and delicious cheese and salumi), chef Cesare Casella whips up some good-old fashioned & non-pretentious fare, paired with fabulous wine and fresh Italian ingredients, of course. Okay okay, so it’s heavy on the carbs (particularly the dessert bread pudding at the very end), but it was worth every single bite.
That’s the thing about dining out at a great venue, in the presence of lovely company – it rejuvenates me, renews my zest in life, and prepares me for the week to come. You can’t beat that!
Happy chicas post mani-pedi (p.s. you may recognize my partner-in-crime from another feature here). As for moi, yours truly is rocking yet another variation of the Nikki wrap-dress by Abi Ferrin. I basically bought five different version of this dress (in different patterns and colors) for New York Fashion Week. #obsessed
I have a slight confession to make – which is that I am probably not as well-groomed as I ought to be. Okay, a couple of qualifications to that statement, I *do* take care of myself, hygienically-speaking and otherwise (though I’d like to make more room/space for exercise & healthier eating habits, but who doesn’t?). However, when it comes to areas of *advanced grooming* (which in my mind equates such things as mani-pedi’s, brow wax, hair-cuts, trims, blow-outs, and all things hair-maintenance-related and the like, not to mention spa treatments), I’m just BAD, plain bad.
Like most women, this particular oversight on my part is certainly not due to a lack of desire… but rather – a lack of time.
My recent discovery is that, much like everything else that I do (gyming included), I am far more likely and motivated to do something if I have a companion to do it with (reason being, it is much more difficult to let somebody else down).
That said, I think that a spot like Townhouse Spa, located on 39 West 56th street, just slight south of Central Park, is an ideal spot for some luxe personal grooming, with ample quality girl-time to spare (the best combo!!). We were there not too long ago (okay okay, quite a while ago actually) for some champs plus mani-pedi.
It was truly a treat, as my girlfriend and I had the entire nail salon section of the spa to ourselves (read: no weird and awkward rotations between manicure and pedicure), and we were able to catch up properly on each other’s lives, along with seemingly endless glasses of bubbly, PLUS looking ready and polished when it was a wrap. The staff at Townhouse spa couldn’t have been more lovely and accommodating, and we even shared a few giggles and photos on the way out.
Suffice to say, my bestie and I were two happy puppies when it was all over… not to mention slightly buzzy from our afternoon happy-hour indulgence. Post spa & bubbly, we topped everything off with some Blue Ribbon Fried chicken in the lowest east side, as you do!
For more information of the Townhouse Spa, visit here.
Lunching on the patio of <a href="http://nelsonblue.com/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://nelsonblue.com/">Nelson Blue</a> #summerlove (Nuke baby was not quite one at that stage!)
Lamb lollis and grilled shrimp skewers... add in rosé on a hot summer day. What could be better? #noms STH / ST / SEAPRT / NYC
I’m still pretty much in shock that we’re approaching the HOLIDAYS. I know that you’ve heard me say this time and time again… but really, how is it ALREADY mid-November?
Sigh… seems like just yesterday, we were frolicking at the South Street Seaport with Nuke baby – sun, water, hand-dipped chocolate ice cream, lamb lollopops, the workd.
For a while there, the Seaport was a daily weekend destination for us, namely because munchkin had his weekly swim class right nearby on Wall Street. Plus, yours truly works rather close to the Seaport, and in reality… it really is within walking distance from our house (not that we walk there often).
What we DO indulge in, quite often, is this nice little New Zealand gastropub called Nelson Blue on Peck Slip, right at the edge of the Seaport, overlooking the historic Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a fantastic little spot, and holds tremendous sentimental value for our family (we even had our wedding photos taken there! Plus lots and lots of farewells…).
In fact, post Sandy, this lovely Kiwi resto, (the only one in Manhattan as far as I know – there’s also Kiwiana in Brooklyn), was effectively on the brink of closing (so sad). Thanks to crowdsourcing and other resourceful means, Paulie and his co-investors managed to get the restaurant up and running again (phew).
Speaking of which… we were just there about three weeks ago, when some good friends of hubs happened to pop into town. Note to self, need to go back at least once more time before the year ends!
Oh, just a typical start to the weekend with mum and dad! Strapped in a carrier, rolling taxi-style.
Hola! Though I’m officially back from Mexico, I am still very much floating in a renewed and inspired state of mind. Whilst exploring Tulum and Playa del Carmen, my travel companion/mommy-in-crime and I had loads of R&R and tête-à-tête time (in our very own personal in-villa plunge pool no less!) on the very idea of joint mommy ventures, and all of the entrepreneurial concepts that we’ve been entertaining of late. So many fabulous projects, so little time!
Speaking of adventurous endeavours, I wanted to share the following inspiration with you guys – a fantastic undertaking and one that I couldn't admire more, done by a girlfriend and fellow mommy (you might recall her here!). This lovely chica (and fashionista powerhouse) recently left her decade-plus career on Wall Street (we were colleagues for more than five years) to open up her very own Kidville in Hoboken.
How truly awesome is that!!!
Kidville, similar to TLB and Citibabes, provides some wonderful enrichment classes for mini-me’s, plus birthday parties, playrooms, mommy-dates, and much much more!
Oh, and did I mention that they have a killer boutique with super duper cute outfits and accessories for the littles to boot? Admittedly, knowing my girlfriend’s discerning taste, I am not surprised that I’m currently obsessed with most of the things that are carried in their in-house shop. After all, she does have a personal hand in curating these pieces.
So there you have it my lovelies... if you’re ever in Hoboken, be sure to swing by Kidville Hoboken for a visit with the munchkins!
In the meantime, check out these ADORABLE photos from Kidville Hoboken’s facebook page, all taken from their recent Halloween party. Yours truly is totally enthralled with that baby Darth Vardar outfit!!
Based in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rock Shic is an excerpt taken from my personal lookbook of real people around the world. It is a combination of aesthetics, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. I also offer personalized Lookbook Consulting and Styling upon request. Please contact me at rockshic (at) gmail (dot) com. Services include: Wardrobe Analysis, Closet Organization, and Personal Shopping.
