Rainy Monday

It's been a week since I last posted, so I did not fulfill my goal of posting more regularly, but I have been enjoying the summer. My husband is finally off for the next two weeks and we will be doing all kinds of exciting things, including today's mall trip so that the little lady can go on a carousel in the rain.

We celebrated our second anniversary yesterday by enjoying brunch in the restaurant portion of the country club/catering hall where we had our wedding reception. The photo above is the back of Lombardi's on the Sound (our reception location). It backs up to the Long Island Sound and was such a beautiful place to have our wedding. The food is second to none and brunch was no joke. It was teeming rain yesterday and our seating was at 11:00 a.m., so we were running behind in the weather. We were fifteen minutes late and THE ONLY ONES in the restaurant! It was great. We had several mimosas and filled our plates with breakfast twice before anyone else came in. We then moved onto the "lunch" portion, which included the most incredible pasta primavera I have ever eaten. The veggies were so fresh and the white sauce on the pasta was unreal. Dessert included tons and tons of fruit around a fondue station (chocolate) and all types of cakes, including a marble cake filled with cannoli that reminded me our our wedding cake.

It is absolutely gross out today, so I am hanging with little lady until her daddy comes home from the gym. We are going to Roosevelt Field so that she can go on the carousel and I can get a "little red dress" for my friend's bachelorette party. I have yet to find one that I am willing to pay for and the party is five days away. I am looking for something cute and super inexpensive since I will never wear it again!

Until next time!

Monday Musings

It's just about 12:30 here on the North Shore of Long Island and a lot has gone on in our little lives. Being home with my daughter over the summer has been AMAZING! I do not usually do the all caps, but it has been! She is the best. On nice days, we walk down to the sprinkler park, enjoy the sprinklers for about a half an hour and walk home. She has four bathing suits, which is absolutely ridiculous for an 11 month old. I had no control; they were so cute and inexpensive. Today, she wore my favorite yellow polka-dot suit.

Right now, she is eating a Baby Mum Mum cracker and watching Kai Lan (so irritating). I find about 90% of the current shows for children to be annoying, especially Dora the Explorer. I don't know what it is about that kid, but she really gets under my skin! They made a teenage version of her in a longer "movie" last night. She and her friends lost their tickets to the Shakira concert and because they were such nice girls, Shakira gave them a ride and a shout-out. That's basically the gist of the whole thing. They tried to teach that if you do good things for others, Shakira will recognize your efforts - - - oh yeah, and buying tickets to Shakira concerts helps the singer build schools for the less fortunate.

Moose and Zee, the "lesson planners" on Nick Jr. are pretty cute. My little lady loves when they come on. She is a huge Backyardigans fan. In fact, we're going to have a Backyardigans motif for her first birthday! My life has become consumed by the things my little lady loves, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Until next time!

Hiatus OVER

I started this blog with the intention of actually keeping up with it and getting into the Blog World that I have been observing from the sidelines for the past few years.

I need a place to vent, ask questions, muse, etc. My hiatus has come to an end. Actually, I should have been doing a better job with this, as I am a teacher with some time off this summer.

My little lady keeps me busy, but not too busy to write for 10 minutes a day. My husband and I are in contract on a house and because of that, I feel as if I cannot do anything.

It's not that we have a lot to do; the lawyers and mortgage people are at the helm. It's just that I am afraid that if I spend, I will not be able to afford anything once we move. I have been so frugal this summer and have not made a personal purchase (except for shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc.). It is so difficult to sit by and watch the gorgeous clothes sit unworn on the racks at J.Crew and as a result, I have avoided the mall at all costs. I have become addicted to spin class, but have neglected the weights, which is disappointing.

From now until school starts I vow to:

1) Get a better tan. <---I am totally slacking on enjoying the sun.

2) Have free fun with my little girl each day.

3) Blog at least every other day.

4) STOP WORRYING!

5) Hit the weights!

6) Read for pleasure.

7) Organize for the big move.

8) Enjoy what's left of these lazy days!

9) Find some blog friends. <----I have truly enjoyed reading about everyone's weddings, babies, condos, houses, moves, vacations, etc.; seeing the outfits worn; watching renovations and all of the other goings on in people's lives. I would love to share mine with you too.

Until I blog again!

;-)

Wordless Wednesday

Coming to the Realization

When I have a free period at school, be it my lunch or prep, you can usually find me in my classroom with the music on and perusing papers from my students. I hook my iPod up and get as much as I can done in between bites of deliciousness from all of the local eateries in the area. Today I realized that I am a mom during that time.

Yes, I know I am a mom. I wear my little girl's name around my neck with little footprints and her info on the back (from Julian and Co.). I have a car seat in my car and I loved my little girl from the moment they placed her in my arms, but I still haven't really felt like a mom! That was, until today.

I was listening to a little O.A.R. mixed with Usher and the new NKOTBSB (I don't love it, but that's another story) when The Fresh Beat Band song, "Great Day" popped up and started playing. It did not even phase me. My little lady LOVES the Fresh Beats and dancing to the music, so I put it on my iPod for her the other day for car rides. I actually got excited to hear The Fresh Beats and missed my girl! I thought, "Wow! I am someone's mom!"

It happens every once in a while - - - I realize I am responsible for this little person I helped create. I love it! She is the best. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Until tomorrow :)

What's in My Bag?

What's in My Bag? by Coach KC featuring a zip wallet

Kate Spade small shoulder bag
$276 - zappos.com

Kate Spade zip wallet
$75 - zappos.com

Kate Spade aviator sunglass
$128 - endless.com

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion in Tube
$13 - bloomingdales.com

Amazon.com: Rosebud Perfume Company Original Rosebud Salve: Beauty
$6 - amazon.com

Amazon.com: NUK Classic Silicone BPA Free Fashion Pacifier, Size 1, 2...
$4.59 - amazon.com

Wordless Since Wednesday

I have not posted since Wednesday, so I will catch up!

I am watching Confessions of a Shopaholic on TBS. It's very cute. Not a movie I would have paid to see in theaters, but so glad it's on TBS! After having just bawled my eyes out on a replay of the Sex and the City series finale. As I am watching, the little lady is jumping around in her Pack and Play, making the sweetest laugh noises.

LOFT has an incredible sale going on. I dropped in and picked up a few tops at $15 and $20 a piece. I might hit up another LOFT near me and get some shorts for $25. I am into Bermuda shorts and since I am dropping body fat, they should look super cute!

I would also recommend hitting up Victoria's Secret for a bra fitting. I did it today and it was fabulous! I picked up the INCREDIBLE bra! I will go back and get more if this week goes well with it and it looks good with all of my clothes. I only buy bras one at a time for a trial week. If I like them, I go back for more.


I also got the bronzer in the impulse buy area by the registers, so I was able to earn myself a free tank top at checkout. It's stupid and reads: VICTORIA'S SECRET BOMBSHELL. I guess it'll be a good pj top.

As I write, I am loving the movie. It's cute and mindless, so I can watch and type. Isla Fisher has amazing hair. I cannot get mine to curl or wave that way. I need to get one of those wand curling irons. I have a feeling that Isla is going to fall in love with the editor. I am in love with her "Do I need these?" mantra. I must try to use it more often!

Enjoy the weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

My little lady enjoying a baseball game with her great grandfather. :-)

Monday, Dreary Monday

It's a dreary day here on the North Shore of Long Island and I spent most of it indoors. It was a bit too warm for my Hunter Wellies, although I love putting them on at the first glimpse of a storm cloud.

I passed my dream house (for sale, by the way) on my way home from work again today. I know the owner and have watched the price dip down towards affordability, but still out of price range. It's a beautiful blue Victorian with three levels and two porches. The pictures that I put up hardly do it justice. It's my dream house because it's not over-the-top huge and it's on a block on which it stands out as individual. It's also not a block that's too "snooty."

I drive home past it every chance I get. The taxes are high too and my husband doesn't love love it, so it's a dream for me.

Until tomorrow.

The Weekend's Not Over Yet!

It's a rainy Sunday here on L.I. My husband is sleeping off his Rodizio and sangria from our delicious night out with our friends. The M's loved Luso and we, of course, did too. I was going to go to the gym for spin this morning, but I am exhausted and don't want to pass out on the bike and embarrass myself.

Last night was a lot of fun!!! I got to wear a cute outfit with cute jewelry and we were able to stop by a local bar for a drink before dinner. It was delicious! I tried using Polyvore today to put together an outfit (or the outfit from last night, I should say). I am still getting a hang of Blogger and all of the features. I guess it doesn't really matter just yet because no one is really reading...ha ha.

We went to Red Mango after dinner and I got the Sonoma Strawberry (with nothing on it). GO ATTACK PHASE! I extended the attack to the weekend (but semi-cheated with a glass of sangria). Today is the last day and tomorrow I will be eating chicken, asparagus and Chobani all day!

My computer is ready to die and I do not want to lose this post! I will edit later!

Luso Saturday by Coach KC featuring cropped pants

Ann Taylor LOFT sleeveless top
$49 - anntaylorloft.com

Ann Taylor LOFT cropped pants
$29 - anntaylorloft.com

J Crew leather shoes
$50 - jcrew.com

Kate Spade stud earring
$98 - saksfifthavenue.com

gardiner's bay quinn
$445 - katespade.com

It's Been a While...Dukan...I Have no Readers!

I am not good at blogging. I read so many blogs and I am a decent writer, but I guess I need to advertise my blog. It's been about a week since I last wrote for my blog and I have been doing some new things.

First, I am on the last two days of the Attack Phase of the Dukan Diet a.k.a. the Royal Wedding Diet of choice. After reading about it, it seems like I can actually do it. I just keep telling myself that no food will taste as good as skinnier will feel. After having my daughter, I was very lazy about my own fitness and diet. Thanksgiving and Christmas arrived and I totally overate. I didn't get FAT, but I felt gross and out of shape. Basketball season is a killer too. My team had a rough season and I did not cook. Having a three month old, teaching and coaching do not help a person feel motivated. As bathing suit season is now approaching, I am on the kick. The Dukan Diet is all about getting back to healthy eating through several phases. The fact that I have been able to do it for FOUR WHOLE DAYS is insane. My willpower is amazing to me at this point. I know that it's temporary and that on Monday I will be able to eat veggies with my protein. I am psyched. The next phase is called the Cruise Phase. I have to decide which cruise I am going to do. I have a few options. The first is five days of pure protein then five days of protein and veggies. Another option is to go every other day with a protein day or a protein and veggie day (I think this is the one I am leaning towards). Finally, there is the two day option of two days of pure protein then two days of protein and veggie then two days of pure protein then back to two days of protein and veggies etc. Apparently, I should do this until I have achieved what I would like to have as my weight and then move forward to the next phase which helps introduce more food groups. I think I can do it. It's the fact that there's an end to each phase is what is making it a good diet for me.

How boring! Diet talk. I just want to look like I never had a baby. I want to look like I used to. I think I will before the summer officially begins.

UPDATE on the spin class woman from work:
She finally recognized me and said, "Hi." I guess she really just did not see me. I met her husband. He was pretty cool and they both said they'd not ever seen me in their classes before. Maybe I look different at the gym. Who knows? At least they were cool and weren't actually rude as I had previously thought.

My blog is super boring right now. I am learning to use all of the features and will do my best to make it more exciting and post more!

I am really excited about going out to dinner tonight with my best friend and her husband. We are going to our favorite restaurant, Luso! It's a Portuguese barbecue restaurant with Rodizio (all you can eat meats). It's so delicious and so perfect for the second to last night of the ATTACK! I am so excited to have a lovely evening of adult time with our lovely friends.

I think I will post tomorrow and be more regular with my blog. I really hope I can get some readers!!! Until tomorrow...:)

Happy Mother's Day

It's officially my first Mother's Day as a mother to an actual person, not a dog! Happy Mother's Day (which is the grammatically correct way to write it) to all the moms out there, especially mine.

My mom takes care of my daughter while I work and does a better job than I could ever do!

Friday is Here Again!

Lately, I have been "workin' for the weekend" and today it's here! I have a fun-filled weekend planned for my first Mother's Day as a mommy.

Today was a beautiful Long Island day, but now it's a bit overcast. I got a lot accomplished today. I went to CVS for diapers during lunch and used a coupon...I'm trying to "extreme coupon," but I am struggling. I also picked up Mother's Day cards for our mothers and my grandmother. I also stopped by the post office and mailed out the thank you cards from my little lady's Christening. After work, I picked up my girl and went to Babies R Us to get a shower gift for a friend. She just registered and the invites have yet to go out, but I thought it was necessary to swoop in and take the good stuff so that I can give the gift I wanted!

Tomorrow, I will be shopping at the outlets with my best friend and her little minnies! I am so excited to have a big girls day and pick up some spring/summer essentials. I love the J.Crew Factory (but usually end up passing it by for the regular store). Our outlets just got a Vineyard Vines, so I am looking forward to a belt and maybe some flip flops (a dress too?). My mini-me is good on clothes, but I know I will pick stuff up for her too! Here are some things I am looking forward to finding (maybe...fingers crossed):

Vineyard Vines Plaid Patchwork Flip Flops


Vineyard Vines Pineapple Grove Dress (passed it up last time I was there, but now I need it!!!)


I ordered new Tretorns and am picking up a new pair of Jack Rogers (via the internet) today as well. The gym awaits after I put together some kind of dinner for my husband (still at work).

Enjoy the weekend and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Wordless Wednesday

<3 8/14/09 <3

Royal Wedding Friday

Today's "Royal Wedding" made me reminisce about my own nuptials. I guess one cannot help it when being bombarded with the wedded bliss of the Duke and Dutchess, or Prince and Princess.

This Tiffany commercial has a slow, more traditional wedding song version of "our first dance" in it. We had so much fun learning to dance "the hustle" to bop along to Barry White and wow the crowd (or so we hope) at our wedding. I only hope everyone can have as much fun (or did have as much fun) on their wedding days as we had.

I was not into getting a video crew at our wedding, so we did not capture our moves on film, but we have some pictures of our "first dance" and from the faces in the crowd, people looked amused. We had fun, though, and that's all that really matters.

The lovely Dutchess of Cambridge is very beautiful, but I didn't love love love her dress. To each her own, though, and I am sure her husband thought she looked gorgeous. Looks wise, she took the cake today. Sorry Wills.

Enjoy the Tiffany commercial. I love this version of the song and want to download it on iTunes, but cannot find who sings it.

Enjoy the weekend with those you love!

Almost the Weekend!

Tomorrow is Friday and in my opinion, the best day of the weekend. Yes, it's a part of the weekend. Friday is the best day of the weekend because even though there is work, the anticipation of the two days ahead heightens the experience. When I'm walking around my school (as I am a teacher), everyone is smiling - - - the kids, the other teachers, the custodians. We're all thinking about how we're going to spend the precious 48 hours ahead. It's really the best day.

In my pre-baby years, Friday nights meant all-night Happy Hours and delicious dinners with friends. Post-baby, I have done it once or twice, but I usually rush home to spend the rest of the night with my little lady. It's great. Do I miss Happy Hour? From time to time, I get hazy images of fun, but I remember the Saturdays when I Happy Hour was a little too happy and I'm over it. Waking up without a Happy headache on Saturdays outweighs whatever fun I might have had the night before.

Recently, a glass of wine and some delish dinner with my husband has been a great Friday night routine. I am sure as our little lady gets older, we may go out more. Right now, however, Fridays are perfect the way they are and remain the best day of the week.

Friday outfits are somewhat of a bone of contention with me, though. I do agree with the casual Friday idea. It is great for the morale in the workplace and keeps people comfortable, while letting them wear what they like. I cannot, however, condone SLOPPINESS. Casual does not mean sloppy. Where I work, a lot of people wear jeans on Fridays. It has never really been established whether we're allowed to or not, but I do not wear them. If I could find a pair of trouser jeans that I like, I would definitely partake in jeans on Fridays. I do not think that my skinny jeans or even my flare leg or boot cut jeans are work appropriate. I am not overweight and my jeans aren't obscene, I just think that the cuts don't work for work.

Rather than jeans and tee shirts, people should wear khakis and polos or khakis and sweaters. Trouser jeans are fine, and some people dress their boot cut jeans up very nicely with oxford shirts and adorable shoes. I am so tired of sloppy Fridays, though. If you're wearing a tee shirt that is two sizes two big and it's either tucked in and bloused or not tucked in and draping to mid-thigh, you're looking a little sloppy. Don't even get me started on running shoes with jeans. They are not my favorite. Low Chuck Taylors are super cute and so are Tretorns. Running shoes, though, are not a great jean accessory.

Happy Friday! Enjoy tomorrow!!!

My First Blog Post!

Hello! This is my first EVER post on my new blog. I am an avid reader of the (mostly preppy/shopper) bloggers out there and love to write, so I figured I should give it a go.

I don't really know where this will go, but I am excited to give it a try.

A little about me. I am a wife, mother, teacher and coach. I have a husband (he's great) and a daugher (she's great, too). He's older than me (by a year) and she's going to be eight months this week. My husband is a teacher and coach as well. We actually met coaching against each other. It's not as cutesy as it sounds; I loathed him at first, but that's a story for another time.

I coach basketball (high school varsity) and teach English. I love basketball and the kids I teach are amazing. I am so priveleged to be able to spend my days with such talented young people.


I love all things J.Crew. It's really my favorite place to shop. I try my best to seek out great bargains. . . but every once in a while, I splurge on something a little pricey. Sadly, J.Crew's crewcuts brand does not fit my little lady as of yet. I am sure she'll be decked out in it when the time comes!

I am really into getting good deals through Rue La La and used Groupon for a massage this weekend. I have to be thrifty, as we are trying to buy a house within the coming months.

I named my blog "A North Shore Pearl" because I live (and have lived since I was seven) on the north shore of Long Island. I love it here and left for a while to attend Catholic University in Washington, D.C. I love it here and I loved it there. D.C. is the only place I would rather live than L.I. Our families are mostly on L.I., so our little family will stick around for a while. The pearl part of the title comes from my favorite accessories: pearl earrings or a simple strand.

I jumped around a bit and gave some random thoughts! I just wanted to give a quick introduction in my first blog post. I hope I will get a few readers and really think this will be fun. I promise not to talk all about one thing and won't gush in every post about my little lady. One of my friends once told me that I should have my own reality show because I seem to attract interesting situations, so I guess this is the next best thing.

Until next time!