holidays Archives - Only One Heidi

October 26, 2016

Boo-ing our Neighbors

October 26, 2016

When we bought our home, the one piece of the puzzle I never felt I got that I really wanted was a close-knit neighborhood. As we’ve started getting involved in our neighborhood association, I’m finding they are pretty close. Our direct neighbors seem really nice, however, we haven’t really connected with them as much as I had hoped.

I was lucky to grow up with my three best friends all living within a house of me. I had a fantastic childhood (until my parents split up in 8th grade) thanks to so many fun memories with those friends. I always had friends to hang out with – there were summer camp outs, late night swims, someone to walk to school with, and someone to hang out with on our many snow days. It was all idyllic. So when we moved in and saw a kiddo around Ethan’s age wave at us with small hands through their front window, I got excited that he might have that too.

Needless to say, the family friendship is still in the works, but they work different hours than us so we’re always two ships passing in the night. BUT I decided to Boo them anyhow. It’s not even a thing in our ‘hood but i’m going to make it so.

What I included:

–My favorite pumpkin beer for the adults
-Halloween cocktail napkins
-Fun glow sticks for trick or treating
-A autumny candle
-Halloween sticker book
-Gummy worms
-some chocolate peanut butter cups
-Some Halloween utz cheddar balls
-Fun halloween socks
-A printed “You’ve been boo’ed” sign with instructions to pay it forward (maybe they’ll boo us?!)

I picked up everything at Target in the Halloween section and the dollar spot and spent about $10-15 on each of the baskets I made. I really hope they enjoyed it!

Have you ever boo’ed your neighbors or been boo’ed?

May 13, 2014

Weekly Workouts: Half Marathon Peaking

May 13, 2014

I feel like I’m in a rut, but I’m not.

Something about so little progress with so much work is making me frustrated. Like…seriously frustrated. Stupid 21 Day Fix. Stupid Half Marathon Training. I’ve been feeling a bit ADD with my workouts lately so even though I’m working out I feel like the progress I’ve been making – or lack of progress – can’t be pinpointed on one specific habit or whatever. What i’m trying to say is I feel like i’m getting slower when I run (I’m nursing some tight calves), I don’t feel fit, the scale is staying stagnant and I’m just…in a rut.

Color me frustrated.

Anyhow, I got out of the habit of sharing weekly workouts…so let’s get back to that.

Monday – ~~3 mile run~~
Tuesday – ~~Day 8 of BBM~~
Wednesday – Day 10 of BBM
Thursday – Day 11 of BBM/ 3 mile run
Friday – Rest
Saturday – 10 mile run
Sunday – Stand Up Paddleboard class?! mayyybeee…..

How’d I do last week?

Monday – I started the Bikini Body Mommy Challenge with some moms in my group. So far I’m really liking it!
Tuesday – I did Day 2 of BBM in the AM because I had a board meeting later that evening so I couldn’t work out after work.
Wednesday – scheduled rest day since I had an event for Junior League
Thursday – 3 mile run
Friday – rest day
Saturday – 8 miles donezo. A sloppy, sweaty 8 mile run but 8 mile
Sunday – Pure Barre

We had the most perfect mothers Day weekend – full of wine, cuddles with my sweet boy, and love. I slogged through those 8 miles and fit in a Pure Barre class.

{photo via PB Annapolis}

They even had some treats for us after class including the makings for mimosas!

We spent the afternoon up at Boordy Vineyards with a picnic. Ethan worked on his standing, we shared a bottle of wine and cheered him on. It was a beautiful afternoon.

FINALLY – The winners of my Seventh Generation Goody Bags are Shaina A. & YB. And because I had an extra goody bag, I threw in a third winner – congrats Kaycee! Email me your addresses ladies at heidi (at) legallyheidi (dot) com and I’ll get your packages into the mail this week!

February 12, 2014

Keep Valentines Day Cheap & Thoughtful

February 12, 2014

Valentines Day is just around the corner, and while we don’t have plans, we’ll probably order sushi, grab a bottle of Boordy and stay in with a movie off Amazon. It’s cheaper this way, our we’ve had amazing Valentine’s Dates. But now when you add in a baby sitter, you nearly double the cost.

Way back in the day, he took me to Sequoia on the Georgetown Waterfront, the next year I’m pretty sure we went to the location of our first date – Hunan Dynasty on Capitol Hill for sushi and dumplings.

We’ve done nights in, we’ve gone out. We’ve done the pre fixe meal, and the black tie parties and everything in between. Valentines Day as I see it, is another extension of New Years Eve in terms of the ability to go all out for what? Getting laid?

Thankfully, now that we’re married it’s rather low stress. Hubs and I get each other thoughtful gifts like the year when he was in Texas and got me a baseball bat after I told him I sometimes had a hard time falling asleep because I sometimes couldn’t remember if I locked the door or not. So here are my favorite ideas on how to think outside the pre-fixe and dozen roses box.

Order in. If one of you chooses dinner, let the other choose a movie to rent and stay in cuddling under a comfy blanket. (My date night of choice as of lately!)

Keep a price limit. Keeping a price limit on gifts makes them more thoughtful. Friends of ours once mentioned that they had a $5 limit so one of them picked up a mug from Waffle House where they went on their first date.

Don’t go out on Valentines Day. Depending on how I feel since this week has been a crapshoot as far as battling this cold and now pink eye, I said I’d love to go out for a day – maybe to our favorite vineyard or out to lunch up in Baltimore. Going out the day after or the weekend after Valentines Day makes it cheaper by nature since you’re not getting the Valentines Day price gauge.

Send a surprise to the office. This may not be cheap but it doesn’t need to be done on valentines day. Hubs sent me cupcakes when he was half way through his training in Texas which was right around Valentines Day. You don’t need to order flowers or roses but maybe just surprise your valentine with lunch ordered in on you.

Look for Online Deals. If he asks for pictures, order a photo book or a nice family picture on a canvas. You can always find deals for these types of products on LivingSocial, Amazon Local or Groupon deals for Shutterfly, Picaboo, or any sites like that. Hubs asked for pictures of me, so I made him a photo book of our first five years together – everything from dating, to our wedding and gave it to him when I went to visit him in San Antonio – that gift was most certainly a hit.

Get Crafty. Listen, I pretend to be crafty and sometimes I pull it off (witnessed here) but other times, it’s a bit of a struggle. Either way, if you have crafty skills, then use them! Skim through pinterest for ideas and get creative!

What are your favorite inexpensive ways to spend Valentines Day?

December 19, 2013

Christmas Number One

December 19, 2013

We celebrated our family’s Christmas yesterday. We’re traveling to visit families in VT, and CT over the next ten days or so, so we decided to do our own Christmas. I mean, there’s no point in stuffing our car full of gifts for each other when we just have to cart them back home again right?

Ethan was completely over-stimulated by the whole event and took an hour and a half long nap before playgroup. Playgroup was more fun, and following that and the last bits of Christmas shopping for family, he napped for 2 1/2 hours. I don’t know if I’ll ever get that lucky with nap time again.

All in all, Christmas in Annapolis was a huge success. We are beyond blessed as a family.

I think the kittens were just pissed that there was nothing under the tree for them. They’re crazy enough though, they certainly don’t need any cat nip to contribute to that crazy factor.

December 16, 2013

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

December 16, 2013

Since last Wednesday, I’ve been laid up. Y’all, GI issues are the worst. It started with some aches and a bad stomach ache.

Then it got okay. Then it got worse. So bad. I’m back on the upswing, but holy jebus.

So excuse for the tumbleweeds over here the past few days, I’ve been…preoccupied.

The Good: Time with friends. Festiveness all around. Snow. Kind of. But mostly friends, family and lots of holiday cheer. Finishing the Girls on the Run 5k, nay, seeing my girls finish the Girls on the Run 5k. So proud of them all. Being a coach for Girls on the Run is such an honor and a joy, I don’t talk about it much on here, because I like to keep the privacy of the girls I coach (I’d never mention names), but this was my third season and each season just keeps getting better and better.

The bad: A first birthday party, a baby shower, a race and a cookie swap later…I think I can finally let myself recover. I hadn’t fully recovered and by Saturday night, the farthest distance I was going was the 200 feet to my bathroom. At least I had the Good Wife (my latest obsession) on Hulu Plus. I considered myself lucky to slog through the GOTR 5k this AM despite the frigid temperatures. Is it sad I’ve forgotten how cold it is to run in December? I didn’t run at all last December when I was pregnant, so it’s been two years and man! Baby it’s cold outside!)

The ugly: I’ve never finished a 5k feeling as awful as I did today. I wasn’t sure which end my insides were going to come out of. Thankfully, neither happened and somehow I made it through the afternoon. Of course I’m suffering now, but it’s not nearly as debilitating as it was Saturday night. I can’t imagine how atrocious it would be to have any long term GI issues – I can barely stand 48-72 hours. Also, because I’ve been such a silly slacker, I’m no where near my 100 mile goal. I’ll be lucky to make it to 50. The cold.

For now…

I’m on the mend, but this week, I’ll be laying off the wine and cookies as I’ve certainly had more than my fair share the past two weeks and am looking to try to detox and get whatever this bug is out of my system before we travel north at the end of the week.

December 11, 2013

A #fitmama’s wish list

December 11, 2013

Everyone keeps asking “what do you want for Christmas?”

Eff friends – half the time I don’t know what I’m going to eat in a day, let alone what I want for Christmas. Not to mention, I could never ask for stupidly priced workout clothes for Christmas (I’m looking at you lululemon), and I don’t really need any more yoga tops or leggings. I like multi-functional items. Leggings I can wear every day or to yoga or barre. I like socks that aren’t going to give me blisters or other practical accessories.

So here are a few of my favorites off my wish list:

Bobeau Wrap ($39, nordstrom.com) Confession: I have this in like two colors already but I wear it to and from classes, play dates. No it’s not running related (directly) but its a great comfy, good quality piece for to and fro and it’s a helluva lot cheaper than any lululemon piece deemed “go to wear.” Or whatever it is they call it these days.

Gap Fit Breathe Long Sleeve ($30, gap.com) I’ve heard fantastic things about Gap’s workout line, and I love this color. Not to mention, again, it’s half the cost of my favorite lululemon long sleeve tops. That’s a win in my book.

Medals Display Rack ($29, Etsy) I’ve needed a rack to hang my medals on for a while now – currently I just have a couple of nails in the wall. Granted they’re in a row. And look okay. But this (or something similar) would be better.

Race Bling ($60 EricaSaradesigns.com) – I’ve seen so many people post about Erica Sara jewelry. I absolutely love her race bling collection, as well as her mother’s jewelry collection. But for the runner in your life, pick up a charm in honor of their latest PR.

C9 by Champion Yoga Layering Top ($25 – Target.com) Because I’m a sucker for tops that can be multi-use like this one. And the price is right. And it looks perfectly cozy.

Mittens ($35 Newbalance.com) I do love my running gloves but mittens are way cooler and I’m ready for an upgrade. I don’t know if it’s just me that finds that my hands sweat so much more when they’re in gloves than in mittens but I hate being hot when I run, I always dress like it’s 10 degrees warmer than it is but I can’t stand too cold or too sweaty of hands.

Other great ideas: gift cards to a favorite studio (Pure Barre!), running socks (always a win – especially for stocking stuffers), or a gift card to sign them up for their next race!

December 10, 2013

25 days of Christmas Fun: Elf’ed

December 10, 2013

“I can’t believe you didn’t notice it!”

Sometimes I’m a bit clueless. And oblivious.

“I mean, it’s right there!”

It was. It was right there.

He made a comment on the Amazon certified frustration free packaging. “You better not be buying anything on amazon!” It came out more like a squeak. A defenseless squeak. We’re really bad at surprising each other, regularly, but this year I actually pulled a couple tricks out of my sleeve.

“I am. I’m buying all of things. In certified frustration free packaging. I’ll wrap them all saying they’re from Bernard.”

“NOPE. Bernard isn’t bringing you anything. What have you done lately? What was your random act of kindness today?” I stuck my tongue out and harrumphed him on the other side of the couch.

This Elf is going to be the death of me the next few weeks. I know he’s supposed to be hidden but I want to make him a little more obvious…a little more…I dunno. Something.

Silly husband. Silly Elf.

December 9, 2013

25 days of Christmas

December 9, 2013

So we’re a couple weeks into the holiday season and I’ve actually checked a lot of my 25 Days Before Christmas list.

So let’s recap:

Friday night I went to a cookie swap that one of my mama pals hosted – was lots o’ fun but not so fun driving to Severna Park in the crappy rain. I felt like I was 80 and could hardly see. Note to self: get new windshield wipers on the car before our next trip north.

We went to the Tree Lighting in Burlington after Thanksgiving – and saw the lights (Two birds. One stone.)

The whole night was awesome and added bonus – it snowed!

We decorated our tree – and I took adorable photos of Ethan in some cute Hanna Andersson PJ’s. He discovered the joy of wooden ornaments – his fascination in them is worse than the cats. They leave the tree alone. Homeboy is obsessed with fallen pine needles and any ornament within reach. Oh boy.

We got nice family pictures thanks to my lovely JLA pal Sarah Jane (she blogs over here!) – super shout out to her for being amazing. I know she’s still dabbling in photography but she’s got a knack for photos and beauty and has impeccable taste so I asked if she wouldn’t mind taking our pictures downtown. An exchange of wine for photos went down and the pictures turned out perfect.

{credit}

I also snagged Ethan’s first Holiday ornament – Adam and I both have ours (at least I think I have mine…) so now we have all three! Ethan’s is absolutely perfect and I love that I found it on Etsy – the homemade, wooden aspect is perfect for our tree!

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So far, it’s been a festive couple of weeks. We also took Ethan to see Santa at the Westfield (go early!); I had a crafty holiday date with Liz but more on that later since it’s a post for itself; my Mom’s group decided to go through the County to donate to a few needy families so I picked up a couple things to contribute – similar to Toys for Tots but much more localized; finally we bought the Elf on the Shelf but have yet to do anything with it. Please hold while I get my creative juices flowing. His name is Bernard in case you were wondering.

I should also note that it’s a record that my Christmas cards are ordered (waiting for them to come in so I can send them out before we leave) and 90% of my holiday shopping is donezo. This is a record.

What’s been your favorite part of the Holiday season so far?

December 2, 2013

25 Days of Christmas: Christmas Tree Lighting

December 2, 2013

We knocked off a few things of my 25 things of Christmas over the past week.

One of my favorite things during the holidays when I was growing up was going to see the lights on Church Street in Burlington – I was so excited to take Adam and Ethan this past Friday when they lit the Christmas tree and all 200,000 lights adorning the trees on Church Street.

To top off the specialness of the night – it was also snowing!

Ethan was all bundled up and was super cozy in the 20 degree weather we had. I had ordered a Bundle Me by JJ Cole for our stroller per the suggestion of a few friends of mine. I didn’t see a snow suit as a particular necessity given our infrequent visits to the great white north, so the JJ Cole fits our needs perfectly! Also the toddler size (shown) is great to get use for a couple years (or however long he hangs out in the stroller).

Thankfully we got there right before it started and left right after it was done plus we popped into many stores just to stay warm (and obviously to do some Christmas shopping…duh.) It was still so fun though – to count down and see all the lights turn on – Church Street is a beautiful, twinkling wonderland all through December and I’m so glad I got to share the experience with hubs – and baby, even though baby doesn’t appreciate it this year.

I don’t care what anyone says – Christmas tree lightings aren’t the same if it’s not 20 degrees and snowing. Just sayin’.

Do you go to your town’s Christmas tree lighting? What are some of your favorite events in your town around the holidays?