Monday Musings

Did you enjoy your weekend? Ours was full of fun (and sugar) with two of Carrie's friends' birthday parties -- one at a bowling alley and one at a dance studio. Steve and I were talking about how it's so sweet to see C with her little pals these days. They hold conversations, have inside jokes, and play pretend together. 

We were also noticing how much Haddie is really playing these days. She makes little figurines walk around and even makes her own sound effects, entertaining herself for 30 minutes at a time. 

Anyway. I wanted to share a few thoughts, interesting links, and favorite things to get this week started on the right foot. Enjoy!

+ Today is World Kindness Day. And, man, do we ever need it... am I right? If I could teach my girls to be one thing, it would be kind. Not to be confused with "nice." In fact, when teaching them, I make a point of telling them to be kind instead of "be nice." The definition of the word nice is: pleasant, agreeable, satisfactory. I don't really wish for my girls to be any of those things. But the definition of kind is: having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature. I think we could all give and receive more kindness on a daily basis. Here's a short history of the day and some ideas for celebrating it.

+ Ricotta Toast. I would like to go ahead and dub this the new avocado toast. OMG... it's so delicious, friends. I bought some ricotta for a meal we had over the weekend and had leftovers and, well, you've got to try this. A couple of ways I've enjoyed it: 

- Honey wheat toast, ricotta spread on top, a drizzle of honey, sliced almonds or pistachios

- Wheat toast, ricotta spread on top, cracked pepper and a shake of garlic salt

+ The Rockefeller Tree. I think I'll tune in to the tree lighting and festivities on Wednesday, November 29th, will you? This year the tree comes from State College, PA, not too far from where I'm from and somewhere I've visited a few times. When I was growing up, we'd always read this book about the tree at Christmas -- the hardcover is just $1.99 at B&N right now! The perfect stocking stuffer. :)

+ Behind the Scenes. This is the most random thought, but I watched the "behind the scenes" and "making of" clips of Moana with C and H yesterday that come along with the movie and we were all entranced. It bought me a half hour more of entertainment and was educational and fascinating! I have honestly never thought about what goes into making an animated film and since it's mostly the type of movie I watch these days, I have so much more appreciation for them.

+ This Article Had Me in Tears. It just drives home the spirit of giving, not just during the holidays, but every day. I plan to put together an entire post dedicated to opportunities to give this season and beyond.

Have a good rest of your Monday, friends!