The Fabulous Life of Stefanie

On the crazy train! After what was surely the craziest (and most expensive) roller coaster ride of our lives, we are finally closing on our new house! We are scheduled to close at 9am on Thursday and then the movers come at noon! I cannot believe that we only have two nights sleeping in our current house left! It is crazy to think back on how much has changed since we moved in; there wasn't even a Maddie yet, well, at least not outside of my belly, and now she is ripping up and down the very same stairs that we first brought her up from the hospital. Look at that tiny little Maddie! We are all very excited to move; it is a better neighborhood, a nicer space and it is OURS, which is pretty fantastic. There is definitely going to be an impact to our budget and we will have a lot less play money for a while, but for the first time ever I am not panicking. First, it is temporary, as all money matters are and second, it is because we are putting our money into something so awe...

To me, summer in Boston is so wonderful because there has to be something to wipe away the memories of what February is like (aka the month when I think we need to move to an island in the tropics). New England has so much to offer in the summer, but you can really do a ton of fun things without ever leaving city limits (or having to get in a car)! I narrowed it down and these are the five things that I think everyone, tourist and local alike, need to do during the summer months in my fair city: Get a lobster roll. Bonus points for eating it outside with a local beer. We like Yankee Lobster for convenience and deliciousness, but you really can't go wrong with your choice when in New England whether you're a cold with mayo or hot with buttered bun type of person. Hit the beach. Since this is about what to do in Boston, I suggest going to Carson Beach in Southie. For a long time I thought it was probably pretty dirty with its view of a water treatment facility and prox...

If you haven't figured it out from this here blog, my life is pretty darn busy but I crave routine and do a pretty good job at sticking to a "regular" schedule, even if it does start at 5am and end sometime after 10pm. One of my most consistent things in life is definitely my eating. I love to eat, and love trying new foods and new restaurants but during the week I am the most boring person ever because I literally eat the same things at the same time every single day. At dinner, we get buck wild, but between 5 and 5, I am like a senior citizen. Here is a day in the life of what I am munching on: 5:00am (or whenever I stop hitting snooze) : one cup of coffee brewed at home with a hefty splash of half and half. I recently switched to the "light cream" store brand but that is as low on the fat as I will go - milk just does not do it for me like cream does. Post-run/workout (around 6:45) : second cup of coffee with cream Commute breakfast (between 7:1...

In order to get the miles in that I need/want, I do all of my running early in the morning, which also allows me to get out and back before Maddie wakes up, or at least gives me the treat of opening the front door to her sleepy eyes and crazy bed head as soon as I get back. Once in a while I run in the evenings, but it is not at all my preference and usually means a slower and shorter run. Getting up early is hard, especially when your life is as crazy busy as mine, so music is crucial to my routine. A good playlist is as imperative to my early morning runs as my cup of coffee and I have to have some good tunes to get my body moving before 6am. I thought it would be fun to share some of what is on my current playlist and what puts a little extra pep in my step when on those longer runs. And please, share your recommendations with me! Kanye: Otis and Niggas in Paris (both with Jay Z) and Mercy The Rolling Stones: Paint it Black (this song always picks my pace up by a few seconds) ...

This past Sunday we celebrated the best AIL ever with a picnic at the Boston Public Gardens followed by our annual Swan Boat ride. This year we also added riding the carousel on the Common (three times) and a trip to the Frog Pond playground. It is pretty much the best tradition ever, especially since it involves lobster rolls from Yankee Lobster . The clouds were threatening our plans when we got to the Garden, but by the time we were done and walking around the sun was shining. It was a pretty perfect way to celebrate a pretty perfect lady. It is not lost on me how fun it can be to play tourist in my own city (even if the real tourists do still kind of annoy me every other day). With all the stress and unknown surrounding our home buying situation, it is so nice just to enjoy a few hours of summer, family and of course, food. Thanks Boston, you really know how to take our minds off the chaos and fill it with fun. Helping to set up our picnic blanket. A mouth f...

My little explorer. I will be the first to (proudly) admit that I am not the outdoorsy type. I run outdoors and every once in a while I will hike, and I do love a nice outdoor cocktail on the porch, but my enthusiasm ends there. Camping is literally my idea of punishment. Soooo I was as surprised as anyone when I found myself taking Maddie to the Boston Nature Center on Friday for some outdoor exploring while her nanny took a much deserved day off. There is a program called Free Fun Fridays in which families can go to all sorts of fun places around Mass for free, but it tends to be really popular and the last couple of times any of us have tried to take advantage of it we have decided it was not worth the crowds. However, I had a hunch that this might not be as popular as the zoo or the children's museum, so I decided to give it a try after checking their schedule and seeing that this was just a couple of miles from us. Turns out, I was right! There were defin...

"Mama. put down your phone and dance like a ballerin-o wif me. Twirl Mama, twirl."  You got it baby girl. You. Got. It. Her imagination slays me. Sometimes she decides that she is a baby giraffe or baby bird and calls everyone else the same animal plus their name. She will only respond to her animal moniker in these moments and asks for grass to eat for her and her "fwends". She asks about the "new house" often and seems pretty excited for it, which I totally feel, baby girl. In the afternoons her nanny picks me up then we drop her off and pick Dada up so we have that extra time in the car to chat and review our day. She always gives her beloved nanny air "ugga muggas" (like Eskimo kisses) when we drop her off and she insists on calling Dada on the way to his work to tell him about the boats or the runners on the Charles in the few minutes before we see him. When we get home she needs a minute to sit on the porch and watch for planes...

Four weeks down and three to go before I attempt to not drown/crash/lay down before the finish line at the Boston Tri. The good news is, I know how to ride a bike and run, the bad news is that it is really hard to run when you get off a bike and the worst news is that I still pretty much suck at swimming the "right way". I am excited for the tri because I always like to have a goal to work on, but I am really more excited to have it done with so I can go back to distance training (which is so crazy, thinking back to all those frozen tears training through the polar vortex). This is definitely a grass is greener situation. I thought that it would be fun to mix up my routine of just running and (not enough) yoga, and it has been, but only to a point and the real point is that I miss my running. I went from putting in thirty plus miles a week leading up to the Maine Coast Marathon, jumped into the Johnny Kelley half a week later and then gave myself a lazy recovery period that b...

One (of many) unfortunate side effects of this home buying roller coaster has been feeling a little like we are stressing away our summer and spending a lot of time and energy on things other than the beach and sunshine. Of course I know that in the long run it will be more than worth it, but I really can't wait to just be in our new  home and get back to summer time and the livin's easy instead of INSANITY . It does look like we will be on track to close on July 31st, which happens to be the day before we go to Newport Jazz Fest, but those boxes will be there waiting for us when we get back, right? Right.  I cannot help but laugh at the way things happen, but at least it looks like it is happening so no complaints over here. If there is one thing I love, it's a time management challenge! This weekend we did manage to have a whole lot of fun despite the stress of everything living in the back of our minds. We started Friday afternoon visiting our fav...

Despite all the chaos in my life right now, I am still managing to throw myself into my book for a couple of hours on the train and before bed (ok, maybe once this week when I didn't fall asleep on the couch, but whatever) and right now I am plowing through Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety .  Reading books about anxiety can go one of two ways for me: it can make me feel better and less alone for suffering from it, and even laugh at the absurdity of it all (much like Augusten Burroughs books do) or it makes me hyper-aware that my anxiety does indeed exist, that it came from somewhere deep and dark and that it is never, ever going to be a non-factor in my life. Monkey Mind is simultaneously doing both, which is great for the laughs but holy crap not the best timing for analyzing what I secretly refer to as my "anxiety monster". I know, not a very original pet name, but it makes it a little more childlike and a little less scary to call it that when in the throes of belie...