It’s my first download post of the new year, which feels crazy since January is nearly over. This month has been zooming by thanks to lots of fun activities and celebrations that have been keeping us busy! We kicked off the year with our annual New Year’s Day brunch party, I had a little getaway weekend in Newport to celebrate my birthday (34! Gasp!) and this past weekend we got snowed-in with family and had a fun little party for Jane’s 2nd birthday. In a blink of an eye three-weeks of January have passed and I feel like I forgot to do all that new-years-y stuff like write down resolutions.  That’s what these posts are for though, to catch up and share all of the stuff in my brain that needs to be written down, so read on for some resolutions, my reading list, upcoming book events and more:

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I had one big personal goal last year, and that was to read more! I have always loved reading, and really fell out of the habit when Jane was a newborn (for obvious reasons, like general exhaustion). I have a really strong memory as a kid of my mom reading a book before bed each night, and my dad always reading the paper when he got home from work at our kitchen counter. It made me think about how I want Jane to see me enjoying reading too with the hopes it gives her the same excitement for books. I set a big goal to read 24 books — 2/month over the course of the year — and ended up finishing the year just shy of 30 (I finished my 30th book on January 2nd!). It was so nice to into the habit of reading again!  read more

I love to hit the ground running in the New Year – the clean slate usually gets me so energized. This week though, I did not find the motivation or rhythm I usually get at the start of the year. In fact, I started writing this blog post over Christmas vacation, and it’s taken me all week to finally hit publish! I’m starting a little slower than I’d like, but finally got my burst of energy today that helped me grocery shop and meal plan, start on my 2019 content plans, and take a look back at last year with this little recap post. It’s like a greatest-hits album of 2018, a year where I accomplished a lot! read more

We are going pretty light on Christmas gifts for Jane since she’s still little, but one tradition I’m really excited to start this year is her first stocking! Opening my stocking was one of my favorite parts of Christmas morning — we always got new socks, a toothbrush, and usually some fun little treats like hair clips and candy. I’ve rounded up 30 ideas for kids stocking stuffers, and they’re all under $10!

I pride myself on being a pretty savvy holiday shopper. I start making a list of gifts over the summer that I keep on my phone and often refer back to when I find sales or discounts, and I go down that list item by item during the big Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. This year I was actually a little late to the game with my gift-giving plans so I am still doing some shopping, and of course, looking for those good deals!I just signed up for an AAA membership for the first time this year (after my car broke down on the highway this summer I’ve been stressed about it happening again, but I have some peace of mind now that I’m a member – phew!). What I just learned though, is that AAA has way more than just roadside assistance, and that membership can get you lots of perks. This month, there are tons of special offers you can access through AAA Northeast for your holiday errands.  Here are a few ways you can save during the AAA 12 Days of Savings: read more

I just sat down to write this post and had to do a double take when I realized it was the very last day of November. The holiday season is already flying by and it seems like it just started. This week I have lots of holiday updates to share in my download — I’m listing all of my festive upcoming book events (I really hope to see you there!), linking all of my gift guides for your holiday shopping, and sharing a great charity to consider supporting this season. Hope you have a very merry weekend — we’re getting our Christmas tree and I can’t wait! read more

Every year I round up my favorite books for holiday gift giving — they’re inexpensive, thoughtful, and easy to wrap! You can find one for just about everyone on your list (PS: Amazon is offering $5 off a $20 purchase of books for the rest of the month of November — get them while the deal is still going on!).

I’m usually done with my Christmas shopping a few days after Thanksgiving because I love prepping the perfect gift for everyone in my family and plan so far ahead. This year has been a busy one though, and I’m a little bit behind on my shopping! Which is why I’m so grateful to partner with Garnet Hill this holiday season to find some of those gifts for the people still on my list. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pieces from Garnet Hill to help you with your shopping too (and they’re having some great sales too – 40% off select cashmere on Cyber Monday, and 25% off and free shipping on almost everything else on their site through 11/27!). See my gift picks below: read more