Merry Christmas

This is shaping up to be one of the best Christmas seasons ever. Now that my daughter is two, we can actually watch the holiday specials all together as a family. This is likely the only year we'll be home enough to get through see them all in one year. There are several movies I've been waiting to watch as a family and now we are a captive audience, literally. So far we've watched these:

But we still have plenty to go:

 

 

                    

I absolutely cannot wait until my kids are old enough to watch Home Alone and my all time holiday favorite, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Best Holiday Albums

Christmas music is my favorite. If I were a journalist, I would want to be reporting on all the best (and worst) Christmas music, movies, concerts, shows, and events. I truly am concerned that people are missing out on the most festive beautiful holiday music out there. Here are the best I've ever heard, and I've heard them all.

11. Nsync's album is more popular and I enjoy it, but it is still a quickly thrown together money grab compared to this lovely album chock full of beautiful harmonies. Best Song: God Rest You Merry, Gentleman

10. The greatest of all time in a capella music, it's no mystery why Take 6 won a Grammy for He Is Christmas. Best Song: O Come, All Ye Faithful

9. Obviously a classic for any Christmas fan with ears, Christmas Interpretations has one of the best, if not the best, versions of Silent Night ever recorded.

8. This is my most nostalgic and only subjective choice. Sandi Patti was played more in my house when I was a small child than anything else and so The Gift Goes On will always be one of my favorite Christmas songs.

7. I never owned this album, but since we got Alexa a few years ago Jackson 5 has been on constant holiday rotation. Best songs: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and Give Love on Christmas Day

6. You might think I'd rank this album higher, but I am greedy. When Christmas Comes and Christmas Time is in the Air are perfection, but I wanted even more original songs. If Mariah had recorded one of the best Christmas songs she's ever written, Where Are You Christmas?, for this album, I have a feeling it would have topped the list.

5. With six Christmas albums under their belt, it'd be hard to ignore this festive quintet. My first Pentatonix concert was with my husband at the theater at Madison Square Garden and not at holiday time. Their encore was That's Christmas to Me. These people embody EVERYTHING that Christmas is all about.

4. It was hard to choose between this and The Preacher's Wife soundtrack because there is so much overlap. I decided that the soundtrack isn't really a Christmas album. We are so blessed to have these songs to share with our children. Not seeing Whitney Houston or Michael Jackson in concert is my biggest musical regret. Of the ten artists on this list, I feel fortunate to have seen six perform live. Best Song: Who Would Imagine a King

3. The most slept on Christmas album of all time, Someday at Christmas performed by Stevie Wonder ranks somewhere in my top 3 Christmas recordings ever. What Christmas Means to Me is also a banger.

2. My Kind of Christmas is hit after hit after hit. Xtina sings my all time favorite version of Angels We Have Heard of High. I also give her credit for recording a solid version of This Christmas before everyone started doing it. The first performance of that song I ever paid attention to was when Jamie Foxx did it on In Living Color and no one has beat that one for me.

1. The Queen of Christmas. Bow. Down.

Getting Organized

 So seven lazy Susans later and my house is still an organizational nightmare. Clea and Joanna suggest starting with a drawer, but since I have the equivalent of 90,000 drawers to organize I feel like I just need those ladies to come to my house. I'm going to attempt to take it step by step with the goal that my house will be fully functional with everything labeled by Thanksgiving 2021. How fantastic would it be to have the house completely organized before taking five bins and a Christmas tree down from the attic? That reminds me: buy ornament organizers. In case you think I'm exaggerating, these are the problem areas that need attention.

1. the laundry room. This room is the catchall of the house. C is determined to put built-in-shelving in their next year which will help but for me this is the most daunting of all my spaces. It terrifies me.

2. coat racks. We have racks for each of the kids and one for ourselves but there still isn't room for all the bookbags, hats, jackets, purses, etc. I have to figure this out but it's certainly the least of my problems.

3. the kitchen. The kids' section was the first thing I organized and some other cupboards look good, but this room is only slightly less daunting 

• two utensil drawers
• refrigerator
• freezer
• tupperware cupboard
• cabinets above the fridge
• spices
• pots & pans cupboard
• bakeware cupboard
• pantry # 1
• pantry # 2 

4. the entertainment center

5. the bookshelf in the living room, another catchall

• space on top of shelves
• shelves
• cupboards under the shelves

6. C's (my five year old) room

• closet
• the top of his chest of drawers
• the top of his bookshelf
• walls

7. W's (my two year old's room)

• bookcase
• chest of drawers
• drawers underneath futon
• walls

8. dining room closet

9. my closet

10. my husband's closet

11. master bath

• drawers
• counter

So that's more like 30 areas, but with two toddlers it might as well be 90,000!

What I Really Want

We're not even through October and I've already taken the kids to Southern Belles Farms and Sleepy Hollow Farms to see pumpkin patches as well as to Hillcrest Orchards in Elijay to go "apple picking." Farms aren't really my thing. Hiking and other outdoor activities are only fun if I've been stuck in an office for months. My favorite things to do are attending (1) Mariah Carey concerts, (2) Disney theme parks, (3) and Broadway shows. Seriously. I have season tickets for Broadway in Atlanta. I gave up my Disney World annual pass because of the pandemic. I saw Mariah in Vegas in February. 

Antisocial introverts who believe rural areas and suburbs are a legitimate place to live cannot understand my pain. I'm over this. I've been thinking a lot about what I really want in my life. Too much of my energy goes into my toddlers. If I were to truly take care of myself those children would not be hungry or filthy or worse. 

So I thought and thought about what I would like my life to look like from 2022 forward and this is it.

(1) I want to live in super clean home where everything is in its place at the end of the day so I can have peace. The Home Edit is amazing and I plan to get this place organized over the next year come hell or high water. 

(2) I want to see all the things on my bucket list while my body is still fully functioning. I want for my kids to see enough as kids that they have a better idea of where they want to spend their hard earned vacations than I did. This means going to at least one new location per year.

(3) I want my kids to have the chance to try a lot of things: swimming, ballet, tap, gymnastics, piano, violin, soccer, tennis, golf, t-ball, and basketball.

(4) I spent enough time in volunteerism as a child and young adult to cover me for two lifetimes. I hope to let go of that tendency and focus my energy on taking care of my family and myself. Yes it's great for kids to see you helping others so I will do it for their benefit. Hopefully opportunities to serve their school communities will provide opportunities for that.

(5) I want to read at least 20 contemporary books every year.

(6) I want to create standing dates like (1) family movie night on Sundays (2) family game nights on Saturday nights, (3) monthly game nights with friends, (4) and monthly movie nights with friends.

(7) This ambition goal will get easier as W gets older but date night every other week is a must! We are doing it now at home by with takeout by candlelight after the kids go to sleep but getting dressed up to stay home is bleak dahling.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey

Clearly I have been knee deep in this autobiography all day. Spoiler Alert. This is her best quote:

"I got swept away by a short stop, but only God Almighty is My All."

All Dressed Up With No Place to Go

I pride myself on not buying my daughter clothing. Aside from Christmas outfits and accessories, we mostly get second hand clothes from a fashionable neighbor and, occasionally, a chic cousin. My daughter is turning two years old next month so I decided to pull out all the 2T clothes with tags that my sister and I have purchased during Lilly Pulitzer or Janie and Jack sales etc over the past couple years. Imagine my surprise to find we accumulated all of this:

National Parks

The two things my son misses most about life before Covid 19 are being at school with his friends and going on trips. The only trip we've taken in the last five months was to my sister's small town in South Carolina. It was fun, but planning all the trips I want to take him on when things return to normal is super. I love to plan so much. So here are the ten national parks I want my kids to see before leaving the nest.

1. Everglades National Park, FL

2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN 

3. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

4. Haleakala National Park, HA

5. Zion National Park, UT

6. Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

7. Acadia National Park, ME

8. Yellowstone National Park, ID

9. Grand Teton National Park, WY

10. Yosemite National Park, CA

Completing this list would also get me four states closer to visiting all 50.

A Woman's Right to Shoes

Living in NYC taught me the necessity of proper footwear for achieving one's best life. I never owned rain boots before moving there and now I don't understand how I survived without them. Taking a car does help but second rate cities and suburbs are not immune to puddles. I've decided to take the Finnish approach to raising children. According to the Finnish, outside play is so important that there is no inappropriate weather for play, but instead lack of appropriate attire. This philosophy is getting expensive since I have two toddlers. Nevertheless, it's totally worth the money to keep their feet warm, dry, etc no matter the weather or activity. I've curated a list of the eight shoes my little girl needs at all times so she's ready for anything. Fortunately friends and family have been generous with hand-me-downs for my daughter so I don't have to buy every pair in every size.

(1) Natives - I discovered these awesome shoes with my son. They're comfortable enough to run and jump and play but also double as water shoes because they dry so quickly. 

(2) Mary Janes - I prefer to have these in red so they can be worn at Christmas time.

(3) Ballet flats - These can still be Mary Janes but I try to get them in a neutral color like tan or gold so that she can wear them with anything.

(4) Sneakers - Every day sneakers for the cold fall and winter months are a must.

(5) Rain boots - I prefer Hunter, but we've gotten lots of different brands.

(6) Uggs - I know they keep my feet cozier than anything else so I consider them a necessity.

(7) Snow boots - My daughter's only experience with snow was a tiny bit last October in Denver so she really hasn't needed them but you never know when Atlanta will have a fluke snow storm. My 4 year old has lived through two.

(8) Flip Flops - Just in case we're heading to the pool or beach and don't want to take the Natives.

The Politician Season 2

What a dream cast blessed us for season 2 of the Politician. Bette Midler and Judith Light together is more than we deserve but I am thankful to Netflix and Ryan Murphy for this gift. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that setting the show in New York City was like scrumptious icing on an already perfect cake.

The pastor at Buckhead Church quoted Tennessee Williams this morning. I thought I should share this important truth because it reflects such a deep understanding of America.

"America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans.

Everywhere else is Cleveland." -- Tennessee Williams

Hope

Lift every voice and sing

'Til earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the list'ning skies

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march on 'til victory is won

-- James Weldon Johnson, J Rosamond Johnson

If I Could Escape

What a draining 84 days this has been. If you need an escape I can highly recommend:

(1) Douglas - Hannah Gadsby's new special on Netflix

(2) Any book by Jasmine Guillory

(3) Never Have I Ever - (Mindy Kaling's new series on Netflix)

(4) Classy Girls Wear Pearls - a beautiful lifestyle blog I've been following for years

(5) thelesliejordan instagram - actor Leslie Jordan's instagram account

(6) Lizzo

(7) Disney+ - What a Treasure Trove!

(8) The Read podcast (This is not an escape. It's just good.

(9) Chobani Flip in mint chocolate chip flavor. It is the only thing consistently available at Kroger and yummy yogurt.

(10) A bounce house water slide combo. This escape is for the kids but happy kids = happy mama.

What I'm Reading

These are the best books I've read since being in quarantine.

I've never read a better autobiography.

I see why this has topped the bestseller's list. It's just a good read that would appeal to most people.

These are fun mysteries because they take place in Los Angeles and the protagonist just happens to be from Augusta, Ga.

Day 36 of Social Distancing

So tonight C and I were watching the Earth Day episode of Mixed-ish and Rainbow is chastising her friends for using hairspray cans because of CFCs and the ozone. And I was all “That doesn’t make sense. This show takes place in the 80s and CFCs were banned in aerosol cans in 1978.” C said “No. They still had CFCs then.” He doesn’t realize it yet, but we’re in a huge fight right now.

Basketball

Monday night C and I went to see the Hawks vs. Grizzlies. It was super fun. I love the energy of a basketball game! C is from Memphis so we are Grizzlies fans. My husband tried to get a pic with the Hawks mascot but the Hawk took one look at my Grizzlies shirt and was like nah. My husband just pointed to the scoreboard and laughed. We had really good seats and C caught two Hawks shirts. Not sure what we'll do with those. I kind of wish we were Hawks fans so we could get season tickets. I was so happy we won since this was a Christmas present and it would have been a bummer for our team to lose. It's also nice that we're only a short uber ride away from the arena. If C and I did stuff like this every week, I might actually like it hear.

The Wedding Date

Talk about a page turner. The Wedding Date is not a book for someone who has anything important to do. Once I started reading it I was unable to sleep or care for my children until I finished the book. This love story is such a fantasy made so much more compelling because of the characters' realistic insecurities. I'm so excited to read the three other books by Jasmine Guillory. The only problem is that this book is not really part of a series that focuses on the same characters. I could read many more books focusing on this couple.

I'm hoping to start a book club with other moms in the neighborhood. My mind is turning to mush and I never get out of the house without kids so I'm hoping to kill two birds with one stone. 

Pearls

"Pearls are always appropriate." - Jackie Kennedy 

I wholeheartedly agree. Many of mine have taken a hiatus given the grabbiness of my kiddos but it doesn't stop me from admiring all of these reasonably priced ones.

disco pansy ring from Kate Spade

Oysters Rockefeller Ring from Kiel James Patrick

Oysters Rockefeller Ring in silver

pearl hair clips from amazon

Hello Dolly!

This week C and I went to see the Broadway classic Hello, Dolly! I'm still forlorn over not seeing Bette Midler in it on Broadway, but such is life. Carolee Carmello, who I'd previously seen on Broadway in Urinetown (2004) and Finding Neverland (2015), did a fantastic job. I was probably smiling ear to ear the entire time. One of the dancers was fabulous and did what seemed like a never ending string of pirouettes. The crowd went wild. If all the shows that came to The Fox were of this caliber I would not be complaining. Previously, I'd only seen the movie version with Barbara Streisand which I thoroughly enjoyed. Nevertheless, I believe this is a story best told on stage for a live audience. C was not as enthusiastic because he's more into current shows like Hamilton and Come From Away. Is it wrong for me to want to go out like this on a weekly basis? I guess it's not so much wrong as it is unrealistic. 

Mr. Nice Guy

I just finished Mr. Nice Guy and at the end I cried. No one else would as it's a light fun beach read I selected based purely on Kevin Kwan's (of Crazy Rich Asian fame) glowing review. This book was a love letter to New York if I've ever read one and not in a dated Woody Allen or outrageously unrealistic Sex and the City way. The authors' love for New York was current, palpable, sincere, and best of all plebeian.

The references to so many places where I once dined and partied - Gramercy Tavern, 11 Madison Park, Momofuku Ko, Death & Co, Le Bain to name a few - let me know how intimately these writers know the city. My heart aches for Manhattan below 25th street. The vantage point was also that of transplants from Anywhere, USA which is the only one I truly care about. After almost four years removed from the most important, fun, thrilling place on earth, this was a bittersweet reminder of all I'm missing but was once favored enough to experience.

I Like Big Bows

Blackwatch Daphne dress

The Back

This was my first purchase from Tuckernuck and I already wore it taking C out for his birthday dinner. It's rare I see clothing that stands out to me these days, but the bow on the back of this dress spoke to me.

The Band's Visit

Season tickets to Broadway in Atlanta shows at the Fox Theater were a condition of moving here. Broadway is one of my greatest loves and it's painful not to be able to just hop on the Subway and go see the latest hit show. Instead I'm stuck seeing a random assortment of shows years after release with a second rate cast at a theater too large for decent viewing. Nevertheless, the chance to see this caliber of musical theater is a blessing. Last year I finally saw Hamilton and it was actually easier to get tickets here than in New York.

The Fox Theater is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen and also the most enormous. For reference there are 1232 seats in the Nederlander Theater where I saw Rent eight times on Broadway. The theater here has 4665 seats. That means that approximately 25 percent of the seats are great to decent. The other 75 percent are too far to see anything without binoculars.

Last week we saw The Band's Visit for C's birthday. It was a solid show that I would not have picked out of all that Broadway has to offer. The musicians were spectacular. The acting and singing was good. The story was ho hum. The entire show takes place over one night and there is not enough character development to make you care much about any of the characters. It was enjoyable and that's about it.

Atlanta requires a positive attitude. Low standards also help.