The Goldfinch Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

{32} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Aaaaaand I’m still reading The Goldfinch. Haha might possibly be the longest it’s ever taken me to get through a book that I didn’t absolutely hate. LOL. I also just finished Eat That Frog, which is an excellent book about time management and making the best use out of your time. Picked up lots of great business tips in there.

writing I recently had the privilege to interview Shannon Fitzpatrick for Autism Awareness month about her son Chase and how Autism has impacted her family. Thank you Shannon for opening up about your experience, and hopefully this can help and inspire those going through something similar.

listening To Nico say “I love you too” this morning, just about MADE.MY.DAY. Love that kid.

thinking About some ideas for an upcoming post on the best exercises to do while pregnant.

smelling The deliciousness cooking at my local cafe and Monday “office” Cafe Madeline.

watching Revenge on Netflix. I had been wanting to watch this show for awhile, but didn’t want to jump in without seeing the first few seasons. So I decided to catch up via Netflix. It’s dark, but captivating!

wishing A Happy Birthday to my (pretty much) brother-in-law, Adam! Hope it’s amazing and wonderful just like you!

hoping That Nico has a fun time at his first dance/movement class today! Wish I could be there with him, but Mama’s gotta get some work done.

wearing Floral Pants from Motherhood Maternity – Tank from GAP – Blouse from Express – Polka Dot Flats from GAP Outlet

loving The sunshine! It’s been very nice out the past couple days, and I am relishing in it! Even broke out my floral spring pants this morning as you can see from above.

wanting A prenatal massage and a big huge pregnancy pillow (that I never had with my first baby). Mother’s Day? (wink wink)

needing To go shopping for some new clothes this spring. Yes, I know I have the perfect maternity clothes already in my closet from my last pregnancy, because the babe will be born at the same time of year as Nico…but can you blame me for wanting something new?

feeling Pretty good! Aside from a little back pain (which PiYo totally helps with by the way!), I am feeling pretty good during this second trimester. How I wish the whole pregnancy could be like the second trimester! Haha.

craving Ditching alllllll my cravings for processed sugar this week as I am hosting a 7-Day (No) Sugar & Squats Challenge! Today is the first day (50 squats down baby!), so feel free to shoot me an e-mail if you want in!

clicking Through apartment listings. Trying to figure out if it makes sense to move before we have our little one. We could technically squeeze in our current place, but it will be TIGHT. The problem is that finding anything bigger is going to be a huge increase in expense (my guess), and we have such an amazing deal now that it’s hard to leave. We shall see what the future brings!

HAPPY MONDAY!

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

{31} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Still reading The Goldfinch. Didn’t realize how long the book was! I am actually enjoying it, but I have been pretty sidetracked with reading business development books and other things. I will eventually finish it!

writing I recently started freelance writing for the new parenting blog started by Mom365. They are a newborn photography company who specializes in hospital photos. Their blog has tons of parenting tips and advice from moms across the country and is an excellent resource, especially for new parents. I am so excited to be included in this new venture! Here is one of the more recent posts I wrote about taking baby outside in the cold.

listening Went to brunch over the weekend at a piano bar and heard amazing music from Dylan Meek. We ended up getting his CD and have been playing it while cooking dinner this week. So relaxing!

thinking How much I miss Nico’s curls. I held off getting his hair cut for SO long. People thought I was crazy as his hair was growing into his eyes and all, but I just thought it was adorable. I did have to admit, things started getting out of control, so we finally decided to go for a haircut. I’m definitely missing those baby curls on my little boy!

smelling The chicken dinner my husband prepared for us last night lingering in the kitchen.

watching Just watched 127 Hours, which was nominated for an Academy Award a few years ago. What an incredible survival story. It was tough to watch at times, but I’m so glad we watched this amazing account of a man’s will to live.

wishing We were back in Mexico enjoying that warmth & sunshine once again! Although my stomach probably wishes otherwise haha.

hoping For a good doctor’s appointment this week. We are going on Thursday to check on our little baby for an anatomy scan to make sure he or she is healthy. Please send us love, prayers, and good vibes! We will also be able to find out baby’s gender VERY soon! We are hoping to do a fun reveal in the next week or two (not only for you, but for ourselves as well!), so stay tuned!

wearing GREEN! In honor of my Irish heritage. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m actually 50% Irish. As you can see from above, Nico is celebrating too. Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all!

loving Nico uttered these words this week… “I love you Mama.” I meeeeeaaannnn this pretty much just made my entire life! I think every mom waits to hear those three little words from their child. I admit, I prompted him to say it, and right now he loves parroting everything I say, but it was absolutely amazing all the same. 🙂

wanting One of these amazingly cool cartoon bags.

needing Support for my Lenten service project! My sorority sister, Brielle, and I decided to join together to run a family supply drive for the Thorpe Residences in the Bronx, NY. They provide food & shelter to families in transition. They are in need of everything from diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, to board games & toys for family game night. We created an Amazon Wish List that will be up until April 12th for donations, and we can also accept donations in person. Brielle and I will be hand delivering the items to Thorpe after the drive. We appreciate anything you are able to donate!

feeling How proud of how productive I was yesterday. I normally hate waking up early, but decided to force myself to stay awake (and not go back to sleep), get my workout in early, eat breakfast and get a jump start on my work for the day. I have to admit, it felt amazing, and I felt like I had so much energy to get things done.

craving A green smoothie…because it is St. Patrick’s Day afterall.

clicking Through beautiful houses in Deep Creek Lake, MD. Planning a bachelorette getaway for my bestie, Meg, and should be making a final selection on a place tonight! Whoo hoo!

On a final note, I would like to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my niece, Brittany! Hope you have a great day!

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

{29} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just started The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and so far it has my attention.

writing I have been writing a ton lately. A few opportunities have arisen lately in the writing world, and it’s all very exciting! I’m not quite ready to share yet, but keep a look out in the next month!

listening Love this song, Stay, by tyDi featuring Dia Frampton (Frank Pole Remix)

thinking We had a lovely Friendsgiving dinner at our house the other night. We decided to do a sit down and all write things we are thankful for about each other. We also had a new addition to the crew this year as my friend brought her newborn baby. I am very thankful for my NYC Upper East side loves.

smelling (and eating) lots of pumpkin pie! Mmmm.

watching The hubby and I watched 12 Years A Slave over the weekend. It was an incredible film, and also extremely heartbreaking. I was pretty much in tears the entire time.

wishing Everyone safe travels and a Happy Thanksgiving!

hoping That all my little soccer students enjoyed our session! We had our last class of the season yesterday. It was a lot of fun, and it was definitely a learning experience coaching such young children (ages 2-5) !

wearing Lots of plaid and aztec prints this fall.

loving At how quickly Nico is picking up new words. He is like a little parrot right now just copying everything we say. It’s super adorable, but I realize I also need to start watching my potty mouth!

laughing At Weird Things All BFFs do.

wanting To find some time to edit my personal photos. I am super back-logged! Maybe I will get a chance over the break, although that is probably wishful thinking.

needing To get packing. We are heading back to Maryland for the holiday, and excited to see family and friends.

feeling Motivated.

craving What else? Thankgiving food. Turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. All the essentials.

clicking Through family photos to try and pick one for the holiday card this year.

What have you been up to lately?

Hope you all enjoy the holiday week!

XO,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.