We have been the biggest fans of the Chicco Bravo travel system since Jane was an infant– the stroller and car seat are probably our most used baby products we’ve had since she’s been born. The brand just launched a new version of this model that has many of the same features – like the quick fold mechanism that is SO key when you’re juggling a squirmy toddler and a bag of groceries in the parking lot – but it’s smaller and lighter. Now that Jane is bigger, we were looking for something a bit more flexible to throw in the car with us for quick errands and weekend trips, so I jumped at the chance when Chicco offered for us to try these new wheels out!
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Let me let you in on a little blogger secret. When it’s super quiet on this site, it usually means that something good is coming soon! I’ve been busy working away on lots of spring content (you know, that season in between winter and summer where the weather starts to get warmer?) and can’t wait to share all of it. I’ve also been working on some behind the scenes projects for my cookbook– lining up some fun events for the fall and working on some website changes – it’s going to be exciting. We did have a few brief hours of sunshine and warmth yesterday and I’m happy to report I ignored about a dozen important items on my to do list and took Jane to the playground. We ran around in circles, picked daffodils, played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, and it was bliss. Here’s hoping for a few more days like that in our future, and in the meantime, here is some weekend reading for you!
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Wow! The last two days have been an absolute blur of excitement and energy after I finally got to share the big news about my upcoming entertaining cookbook! I have been in complete awe of all of the love and comments and calls and texts that came pouring in after I got to share this news. The book writing process can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, and I’m happy to say that I’m riding the high of the coaster right now. If you haven’t gotten a chance to yet, you can check out more of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble where it’s available for pre-order, and read a bit more about how this all came to be in my blog post sharing the news. After you do that, keep on reading for a few more fun links from the week:
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One of my more well-known personality traits is my complete inability to keep a secret. I really can’t help it, when I hear good news I want to shout it from the rooftops! Which is why it’s a giant surprise that I have been keeping this major secret under wraps for months. The day is finally here that I can tell you the BIG NEWS! I wrote a book! I’ll type it one more time because I honestly can’t believe it myself: I wrote a book! It’s an entertaining cookbook called New England Invite: Fresh Feasts to Savor the Seasons and it will be published this fall – October 2018!
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It’s been kind of a quiet week around here, which is rare but also welcomed. It gave me a bit of time to do some planning for spring, to take a beat and look for some fresh inspiration, and of course spend lots of playtime with Jane (she just got into coloring with crayons and it’s making me SO happy). It was also the perfect week for that quiet, because it’s been a blustery, snowy, winter wonderland in these parts. Spring better get its act together and make a debut next week, but in the meantime feel free to hibernate with a few links and posts below! 
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It’s a rainy, stormy day in these parts so I plan to be indoors, tackling some projects at home (reorganizing my disaster of a pantry/prop closet is number one of the list!). Wrapping up the week with a few updates and links (Oscars party ideas, travel news, and my reading list!) before I sign-off for the weekend! 
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This little Q+A experiment was such a fun thing to work on! I put out a call on instagram for any burning questions that readers might have about my experiences blogging over the last 8 or so years. I was at first surprised anyone actually filled out the submissions form for questions, and I was even more surprised that my siblings had the self-control not to submit dozens of silly/fake questions (good job guys!). What surprised me even more was how many of the same questions popped up repeatedly; it means everyone is curious about the same things: photo styling and editing, blogging as a job (and as a mom!), and advice for those who are just starting out. Scroll down to read all of my answers, and if you have other questions leave them in the comments! 
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This week has flown by for me, thanks to a last-minute road trip. Perhaps the best part of working for myself this year has been the ability to make plans last minute and have some spontaneous adventures. Sometimes I forget that perk of being my own boss, but this week was a good reminder that a few nights spent working early mornings and late evenings can be so worth it when you balance it with a little bit of mid-week fun. Jane and I packed up our bags and drove down to New York on Monday to surprise my grandmother for her birthday. She was so surprised, it was great to see my family, and I got a little bit of work done while I was down there thanks to my mom helping out with Jane. We got back home just in time for a Valentine’s Day celebration, and now it seems the week is already over! To wrap things up, I have a few fun links to share in this installment of the download:
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The last time I shared a Jane update was at 6-months, and it’s amazing how much can change in such a short period of time. Jane turned one a little over two weeks ago and it feels like the perfect time to share another big update, mostly because I love having these posts for myself to look back on and see what she was like, and because I always find it so interesting to hear what other kids and moms are going through at different ages. For starters, I can’t believe she’s actually one. This was simultaneously the absolute longest year of my life, and the fastest that time has ever passed; the first year of parenthood is a full-fledged time warp. At Jane’s birthday party a few of my girlfriends gave Mike and I presents (wine) to celebrate surviving the first year. It was the nicest acknowledgement because ohmygod some days it feels like will we actually survive? Now that she’s officially in toddler mode, I feel like we have our footing and are, in fact, surviving. Yet, everyday is a totally new ballgame with her. Infant life was all about nighttime exhaustion, the “will she sleep?” gamble every single evening as the sun sets. Toddler life is much more about daytime exhaustion; constantly running after her and saying on repeat: “Don’t touch that! Don’t put that in your mouth! That’s a no-no!” I joke, but it’s actually so much fun at this age to see her mind moving at lightening speeds as she’s figuring things out. 
We woke up to a surprise little snowstorm this morning in our neighborhood, which meant all of the day’s plans got thrown up in the air. I didn’t mind it too much though, after having some friends over last night for a little Galentine’s Day craft night, I was onboard for taking it slow and hibernating with Jane today. We read books, played in the snow, and took every.single.toy out in the playroom to tire her out so I could work during her nap time (which seems to be shrinking these days, help!). So before my energetic little snow bunny wakes up, I thought I’d share a few random things going on around here: 
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