Tag: family

Thanksgiving: out with the old, in with the new

Posted on by jplatt27

We’re doing something new this Thanksgiving! Can you tell I’m excited??

Since our parents live 10 mins apart, Mike and I have done a double thanksgiving for the last few years, eating at his parents’ at 1 and my dad’s at 4 or 5. Yeah, it’s a lot.

I had complained in years past how it’s a lot of food and my stomach hurts just thinking about it. Which remains true. But last year I realized how lucky we are that we don’t have to choose. That we are able to see both families at the holidays.

None of the above has changed. My stomach still hurts thinking about a double Thanksgiving and we are still lucky that we don’t have to choose and can see both families at the holidays.

But Thanksgiving shouldn’t be about portion control or keeping your eye on the clock. Thanksgiving is about sharing a delicious meal and quality time with people you love.  And we don’t have to see both families or eat two meals on Thanksgiving to honor this holiday.

Here’s what I want to do on Thanksgiving: eat and drink to my heart’s delight, move to the couch for the infamous turkey nap, and wake up to have more pie.

So the double Thanksgiving ends this year.

I decided we will eat at Mike’s parents’ house and take our time. Maybe we’ll make our way over to my dad’s or my mom’s later in the evening–maybe we won’t.  Regardless, we’ll make sure we spend time with everyone we love over this nice long weekend.

[two questions] in-laws

Posted on by jplatt27

What is your spouse or significant other’s relationship with your family like?

When my sisters were here, Becca said that Mike is “very hands-off.” I’d say that’s pretty accurate.  He loves my family and my family loves him and when we’re all together it’s wonderful. If my siblings ask Mike for his input, he’ll share it but otherwise he just accepts them and supports them as they are. I think there is a high level of trust between my family and Mike and they very much value his opinion. Mike loves them too. When I asked Mike his thoughts on this question he said their relationship is “strong but unspoken.”

Compare and contrast your family with your in-laws.

I often say that my family and Mike’s family couldn’t be more different.  My family is loud and crazy, Mike’s is quiet and reserved.  Mike’s family is very interconnected and relies on each other to make decisions while in my family everyone kind of does their own thing and reports back their decision. Conversation with Mike’s family is very civilized and organized and with my family it’s very lively and bouncing all over the place.

This anecdote perfectly illustrates the difference between our families: I once called Mike crying about a fight I had with my parents and he said “can I call you back? we’re playing Scrabble.” Haha.

But the thing our families have in common is the most significant: family is very very important to all of us. Our families are both warm and loving.  We may show our love for each other in different ways but the love runs deep in both families.

 

five memories and one for good luck

Posted on by jplatt27

It’s my mom’s birthday today. In honor of her birthday I’d thought I’d share some of my favorite memories related to my mom.

1. I remember her sitting on the windowsill in my room and singing “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

2. One Valentine’s Day we came home from school to find tie-dyed Ty teddy bears sitting at each of our spots at the kitchen table. It made me so happy.

3. One fall night my mom and I watched Carrie just the two of us. We sat on the couch under a blanket with all the lights turned off (we “made a movie theather”) and it was pitch black outside, maybe even thunderstorming. It was so scary but so fun at the same time.

4. Late middle school I was having a really hard time. My mom stuck a note in my lunch, a little card with a pastel landscape on the front. I don’t remember quite what it said but it was short and sweet and written in pencil. It was something along the lines of “keep your head up, you don’t have to make decision now” and at the bottom “I love you, Mom.” I remember exactly where I was in the hallway when I read this.  It was so comforting and helped me feel at peace.

5. About this time my first year in DC my mom came down for a visit. I was still teaching and having a really hard time. We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and sat outside for an early dinner. Then we walked back to my apartment (about 2 miles), stopping for a pumpkin pie on the way back. We ate half of it that night just the two of us. I think she brought me Ugly Betty on DVD too. Having that show to watch really gave me an escape.

6. A couple years ago I called my mom to rant about Mike. I went on and on about how he couldn’t wash dishes and that I’d find them back in the cabinet dirty. It was driving me crazy. This rant was full of hysterics, yelling, tears, the whole bit. I remember sitting in my bedroom talking to her on the phone and she said “honey, you have to pick your battles, maybe you do the dishes etc” my response was “I don’t have many battles to pick so I choose this.” She laughed, said that was true and that it was a good thing. Then she asked “are you sure this is about the dishes? Could this be about something different?” How did she know?? She hit the nail on the head. I really wanted to be engaged and was sad that we weren’t. It was so comforting that she opened up that conversation and just let me cry about not being engaged without judgement.

Do you want to wish my mom a happy birthday?  

You can do so by sharing a memory with your mom. Call, email, text, write, post it on my Facebook wall and tag your mom–wrap it however you want–but let your mom know you’re thinking of her and that that memory means something to you.

four sisters

Posted on by jplatt27

I had a great time last weekend and this weekend was just as good!

My sisters were here!

We didn’t really do much–we just wanted to be together and that’s exactly what we did.

We spent Friday and Saturday nights just lounging in my apartment, calling our brother on speaker phone for a lively discussion on Friday and watching the Kardashians and Married to Jonas on Saturday.

We had lunch at Matchbox on Saturday followed by dinner at Open City on Saturday night and great conversations flowed during both meals.

I love these girls. I hope that one day we’ll all live close to each other and have be able to hang like that all the time.

Imagine having a baby

Posted on by jplatt27

Friday night Mike and I were out to dinner and I had this thought “I can’t imagine us having a baby right now.” (Yes, I realize this seems contradictory to what I told you two weeks ago.)

For some reason this image of us carrying a baby in a car seat walking down Barrack’s Row popped into my head as I sat at a high-top table in the window at Matchbox, enjoying a glass a wine across from my husband on a gorgeous Friday evening.

Initial Reactions

OMG, I can’t imagine carrying a baby around, I thought. I can’t imagine having to worry about someone else 24-7.

Half the time I’m too tired to wash the dishes after dinner, where will I find the energy to take care of a baby?

I can hardly get myself together in the morning; I’m always doing a million things. How will I be able to get a baby ready for the day when half the time I’m rushing to get a lunch together before I head out the door. (I almost missed the bus the other day because Justin Beiber was on the Today Show. I mean, hello?! Does that sound like mom material to you? I think not.)

I know that you make room in your life for a baby, that your routine and schedule just shift to make it work. But I don’t want to not be able to do things we like to do because we have a baby and his or her schedule trumps everything.

And no, of course your life doesn’t have to stop when you have a baby. You can still be social and do things, just take the baby with you.

I was actually surprised and inspired by the number of couples I saw with babies strapped on them as we hiked in Great Falls. Yes! I want that to be us.  I want to still be out and about when we have a baby.

I’d love to hold a baby and cuddle with a baby–someone else’s baby that I can give back.  That would be nice.

But having a baby indefinitely… I can’t wrap my head around that.

After thinking about this for almost a week, here’s why…

I enjoy my life as it is right now and feel like I’m on the cusp of some major self discovery. I struggled a lot after college graduation trying to figure everything out and felt very lost at times.  But I’ve learned so much about myself in the last 6-9 months, and am starting to see the light at the end of my quarter-life crisis tunnel. I’m really enjoying this time, being selfish and focusing almost all of my energy on myself and what I want.

When I imagine having a baby, I’m older and have my act together.  I have a solid routine, my apartment is clean. I’m full of energy.  I can stay up til 10. I imagine I’m like 35 or what I think I’ll be when I’m 35: totally with it and put together. I like to feel like I’m with it and put together right now and that I’ve got a lot of things figured out, but where I’m at currently and the level I see myself at when I’m a mom are a few steps apart.

And right now, I’m really enjoying the process of figuring it all out.

_____________________

[as you can imagine I have many more thoughts where these came from…perhaps a part II and even III are in order]

Letter to Oprah

Posted on by jplatt27

When I was a kid,  I wanted to send Oprah a letter telling her that I had the best mom ever. For some reason, I thought Oprah was the person that would recognize and appreciate this and would honor my mom appropriately.  Here’s what I would’ve written:

Dear Oprah,

I’m writing to tell you about my mom.  She’s the best mom in the world. My mom has 5 kids and she does everything for us. She makes sure we get all our homework done and that we have snack. She lets us watch TV and have icecream before bed. She makes sure we all go to bed on time. My mom is very organized.  She has a calendar book to keep track of everything. She takes us to all of our activities: band, karate, soccer. She lets us have friends over all the time. She gives us allowance for our chores and we each have a saving cup and a spending cup.  We usually use our money for the icecream man. She is always there for me and my brother and sisters. 

My dad works long hours so my mom has to do most things for us herself.  And she doesn’t complain.  She does everything for us because she loves us. My mom doesn’t take much time for herself or do many things just for her.  I’d love if you could do something to celebrate my mom.  Maybe send her on a cruise or to come visit your show and have everyone cheer and clap for her.  She really deserves it. 

Thanks, Oprah.

Joanna

 

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

A Wonderfully Ordinary Wednesday Evening

Posted on by jplatt27

Last night was a really good night.  It may seem like it’s nothing special because it was just a Wednesday night at home but these kinds of nights are kind of out-of-the-ordinary for me. So, this ordinary, run-of-the-mill Wednesday night filled with normal things and with a blend of relaxing and productivity is very special to me.

Warning: this post is full of digressions and small details.

I got home from work and immediately sat down at the computer to do some writing.  I even sat there with my jacket on for a little while.  Usually I come home and change my clothes first. thing. But I was motivated and wanted to jot my ideas down while they were fresh so I did.  I wrote for about 20 minutes or so until Mike got home.

I greeted him: “Hello! What are you doing?”

He responds: “Just walking in the door.”

Me: “Why are you laughing?”

Mike: “Because I just walked in the door, that’s what I’m doing.”

Riight.

Usually we get started on dinner right away but I suggested we get in bed for a bit. I took off my skirt and cardigan and climbed into bed in my underwear and blouse. It was one of those ahh, this bed is soo comfortable feelings where you just melt into the bed and your stress falls away. Mike changed out of his work clothes and joined me and had the exact same reaction until he said “can you move over? I’m not liking this…” I readjusted.

We basked in the glory of our comfortable bed and our little reprive. Mike said “My feet are cold, let me get in here” as he put his cold feet between mine.  We snuggled in together.

I was about to doze off when he asked me how my day was.

“It was good,” I said sleepily.

“Now’s not a good time to chat?”

“No, I’ll chat.  If I want to chat at all I better do it now since the Flyers are on tonight and you won’t be available then.”

I told him about my day, a small accomplishment at work. Then, he shared about his day.  Then…

“Do I still have that thing in my nose?” I ask holding my nose open and pointing.

“What thing? I don’t see anything.”

“Like right there. I can feel it, it hurts kinda.”

“Close your nostril.”

We stayed in bed for a while chatting briefly and cuddling.  This 30 minutes in bed was such a nice break from the usual.

I volunteered to make dinner while Mike relaxed on the couch. He was excited when I offered and I was happy to do it.

While making dinner I boiled some eggs, something I’d been meaning to do all week.  And when I cracked them for breakfast this morning they were perfect.

Here’s the method we used from Real Simple. Yes, we had to Google because neither of us knew the right way and when I called my mom she didn’t answer.

It’s funny–that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I imagine my mom not being here anymore and me wanting to call her for something. That I won’t be able to call her to tell me how to boil an egg. And I never wanted to Google it because of that. But as I was thinking about this last night I’m like I Google a million other things. It’s fine to Google things there’s a method for.  What will be really sad is when my mom isn’t there for me to call when I’m sick (like I did every day I was sick last week–she’s probably glad I’m better) or when I’m upset or need help with my future kids. It’s fine to Google how to boil an egg.

We watched an episode of Modern Family while we ate BLT’s.  We’re watching from the beginning on Netflix. It was the Valentine’s Day episode in the second season.

Then I hopped up to do my project: make chocolate chip cookie dough peanut butter cups for book club on Friday. Mike did the dishes quick while I read through the recipe and collected the ingredients.

I worked happily on these little gems, squealing with delight as they started to come together. Mike was yelling in anger at the Flyers.

In between the three phases I wrote a blog post and did the dishes. I finished the peanut butter cups, finished the dishes, finished the blog post and got in bed to read.

Lights out at 9:55. Good. night.

I’d love to know:

What’s a great Wednesday night for you?

What are some things you call your mom for?

 

My Marvelous March {Giveaway winner}

Posted on by jplatt27

The month of March was pretty good to me. Though it was filled with periods of anxiety, mostly it was filled with exciting things and people I love.

We started the month with a visit from Mike’s parents.

I coached my first Girls on the Run practice.

I paid off my credit card.

Daylight savings came.

I spent a week in St. Lucia with my sisters.

I came back and had some time to myself while Mike was in Disney.

I found out that Jess is bringing the Business with Intention Workshop to DC in May and I signed up.

Because I get paid bi-weekly and there were five Fridays in March, I got an extra paycheck this month.

I paid off my first student loan, accelerating my debt snowball.

I spent the last day of the month exploring DC with my sister Chrissy, some of her friends from school, my dad and his girlfriend Debbie.

I hosted my first giveaway!

Giveaway Winner

The winner of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is Sarah! Please send your mailing address to thingsafterrings@gmail.com.

I’d love to know:

What was good about your March?

St. Lucia Recap

Posted on by jplatt27

I spent a fun-filled, sun-filled, week with my sisters and Sarah, Melissa’s girlfriend, in St. Lucia last month.

Now that we’re older and live kind of far from one another (me in DC, Melissa in Florida and Chrissy and Becca 3 hours apart in PA), it’s rare that we get to spend much time together.  Of course, now that we’re actually friends, we rarely see one another. So when Chrissy and Becca’s spring breaks fell on the same week this year, we took the opportunity to go on vacation together.

We had a really really good time.  We talked. We laughed. We laid on the beach and then by the pool.  We ate a lot.  Napped a lot.  Read a lot.  I emailed back and forth with Mike. I didn’t blow dry my hair or wear makeup the entire week. It was glorious.

Chrissy, Becca, and I shared a room for the week and it was kind of like a slumber party.  One night Chrissy plucked my eyebrows, making me bleed only once, and yanking a thick piece of skin one other time. I straightened Becca’s hair before dinner out one night. We talked about our relationships, watched the Bachelor finale. You know, girl stuff.

We went on two cool excursions off the resort. Mid-week we went SNUBA diving: a combination of scuba and snorkeling. It was amazing to see the schools of fish rushing by me…they swam so fast and so close to me.  Incredible.

On our last day we did a triple adventure: jeep ride, zip-lining, and hiking to a waterfall.

The triple adventure was awesome.  We rode in a jeep on the way there and the tour guide gave us some information about the island. He asked two questions and I answered them both right: 1) What is the best part about St. Lucia? The people! 2) Why are there so many bananas in St. Lucia? No monkeys!

The zipline was super fun.  There were 12 lines total, some higher, longer, faster than others.  It was so cool to be flying over the jungle. And it really wasn’t that scary.  Luckily we moved through the course pretty quickly.  I think if I had too much time to think about how high we were it would’ve been a lot scarier. But we were the first group on the course in the morning so we went right on each one.  After the zipline, we drove a short way and hiked down into the jungle to see a waterfall.  We brought our suits and climbed up onto the rocks in front of it for a photo shoot.  It felt very Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue like. Then we drove about an hour in the jeep back to the resort, caribbean music playing and the wind in our hair.  Good good times.

 

It was a good week.  A really good week. Did we get on each other’s nerves?  Of course we did.  We’re sisters. Would I vacation with all 3 of my sisters again? Definitely.

 

 

See you in a week!

Posted on by jplatt27

I’m off to St. Lucia!  I’m looking forward to lots of sun, relaxation, strawberry margaritas, and quality time with my sisters.  I landed in Florida last night and I’m already completely relaxed.  After just one night with my sisters, I’m so glad we’re doing this.

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to get lost in a good book so I never travel without a boatload of reading material. I got a couple books from the library, picked up a new one from Barnes and Noble, and added one from my shelf.  I used a gift card from Christmas to buy the whole first season of Downton Abbey for my iPad (LOVE traveling with this!) which will be perfect if I get antsy on the plane. Mike got me a little travel kit too: a copy of Women’s Health and some peanut M&Ms. So I’m all set!

I hope I’ll be able to blog from the resort but I’m not sure if that’s in the cards.  If not, I’ll be sure to share pictures when I get back!

In the meantime, I hope you have  a great weekend!  Oh, and Happy Daylight Savings!