Eat Well Travel Often

Source: vineetkaur.tumblr.com via Caryn on Pinterest

One of my favorite pins!  We all know I am a foodie and Vivi and I will be heading to the food capital of the world....New York.  More specifically, my grandma's house on Long Island.  We leave in a  couple of days and I'm already thinking about the food I'll be enjoying on this trip.  There really is nothing like New York pizza.  Nothing.  Or cannolis.  I can't forget to mention my Italian family's cooking.  I plan to relax by the pool, eat my way through this week, and introduce Vivi to this part of her family.  I'm so excited for her to meet her great grandparents for the first time!  The challenge is Frank and I have been doing Weight Watchers for the past month or so.  Hmmm...wonder how that's going to work out this next week?  I'll have to let you know.

Now, being the good wife that I am, I have stocked our fridge with healthy things for Frank while we're away.  Pictured above in the basket is his pre-portioned breakfasts and snacks.  Am I nice or what?  So....long story short...Frank will be losing weight this next week and I'll be gaining it.

 Till we return....

A Trip to the Zoo

It was overcast today and not that hot, so it was a perfect day to go to the zoo and check another thing off of my summer bucket list.  I can't believe it's late June, because when it gets breezy and you're in the shade, it's actually cool!  Vivi loved the zoo more than the last time we went.  They had a live animal presentation as soon as we walked through the doors, so we got to see a cute owl really close up.  I swear it kept winking at me. ;)

Now Vivi's snoozing it up, so I need to catch up on my DVR.  I LOVE summer!

Summa, Summa, Summertime!!!

Well, it ain't the Hamptons, but it will do....

It's here...it's here..it's finally here again! Since I'm not a beer drinker, this is a huge compliment.  Summer Shandy is the ONLY beer that I drink.  I'm sad when it leaves in the fall.

I don't normally shop at Bath and Body Works, but I had a gift certificate (and I'm using those, hence the summer list).  They have a new line of summer candles that I'm really digging.  This one, Sun Tan, smells like sun tan lotion.  It wouldn't work any other time of the year, but for the summer, I'm loving it.

I'm OBSESSED with these fruit bars.  OBSESSED!!!  If you are a coconut lover like I am (my wedding cake was coconut cake after all), you have GOT to try these.  And they're surprisingly not that bad for you.  Only 3 WW points if you're doing that sort of thing.  Try them, you'll love them, I promise.  And if you don't, please give me your leftovers.

Vivi, Queen of the Jungle Jim

Number 16 will also be checked off from our list numerous times this summer.  We've tried many of the area parks around our house, but this one is V's favorite.  It's the preschool playground where I work.  It's my favorite too because it's almost all shade!  Vivi likes to go up the stairs, and down the stairs, and up the stairs, and down the stairs, and up the stairs....you get the picture.  That's pretty much what we do the whole time we're at the park.  Oh well.  She's having a blast!

#19

Source: mazamag.com via Caryn on Pinterest

I'm probably going to check off #19 on my summer list many times over.  I made these last night and they were phenomenal!  This pin on Pinterest got something like 80,000 repins.  I followed the recipe exactly except that I grilled my eggplants on my panini press because we were bringing these over for dinner and we didn't have time to get the grill out just for these.  I can't stress enough how delicious and fresh these were!  The tomatoes, the basil, the garlic, the feta...it was a perfect combination of flavors!

If you'd like to try these this summer, click here!

Enjoy!

The Official List

Okay...here it is.  This is in no particular order. :)

The Official Summer 2012 List

1.  Wash comforter
2.  Read the second and third book of the Hunger Games
3.  Thursday night concert series at Utica Square
4.  Homemade popsicles in the new gadget I just got
5.  Visit Vivi's great grandparents in NY
6.  Farmer's market Saturdays
7.  Buy a wood floor cleaner and use it
8.  Seafood buffet at the casino with my teacher friends
9.  Visit cousins
10.  Splash Pass
11.  Grandpa Bob's visit in July
12.  Santa Fe wedding in July
13.  Sand and paint Vivi's new table and chair set
14.  Power wash deck
15.  Dine al fresco
16.  Go to the park
17. Go to the zoo
18. Riverside splash park
19.  Try new recipes
20.  Summer play dates with friends
21.  Play outside at least once a day
22.  Keep plants alive
23.  Put iTunes on phone
24.  Use all of my gift certificates
25.  Make lavender oil

and last but not least,

26.  Finish wedding album (this has been on the list three years and counting....)