Hump Day Distractions

Wooooo Wednesday!

Hey hey hump day, welcome to my week! I woke up feeling like a minimum of 3 more hours sleep was required, but then I got my ass to Soul Cycle and it's like hey! maybe those exercise will make you happy folks are on to something (or maybe it's just the post-spin large iced coffee talking?) Either way I'm up and at em and in a great mood because tonight my fam is getting together for dinner to celebrate my Dad's birthday. My Dad is pretty awesome so celebrating him makes me smiley:) Happy Birthday Dad!!! And for the rest of you, get over the hump with some of this good stuff:

* Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel is at it again, but this time he's using milk and cookies!

* Would you, could you, make out with a stranger (on film!!)?

* Just signed up for THIS cool delivery-turned-healthy(er) site and can't wait to see how it works!

* The view from the top.

* When we look back on his two terms as President, it's possible THIS interview will be Barack Obama's greatest achievement (it's seriously laugh out loud funny, I highly recommend!)

* I'd started to suspect as much, but this deposition proves that Justin Bieber really is a spoiled little sh*t. doh!

* After recently being served roasted garlic instead of butter with my bread at an Italian restaurant and freakin LOVING it, I was excited to stumble upon this recipe.

* Don't worry. I do. 

* What a lovely and easy way to create candle light decor for your dinner!

* These moving pictures are pretty freakin cool!

* Reading THIS will change some of your favorite songs forever.

Hump Day Distractions

Eat a cookie.

This morning I woke up early (after a fitful night's sleep - anyone else in NYC get that blaring 3:51am Amber Alert on their iPhone!?) to workout. I had a great workout, then I showered and got dressed and discovered that I omitted 1 fairly essential, very "supportive" article of clothing in my gym bag... Oops. Here's to a bouncing good Wednesday:) 

* I think my parents' house by the sea might need one of THESE.

* If only we could all see the world (and enjoy Cheerios) the way these kids do (thanks Sis!)

* If any business on the planet was going to have the name "Meri Meri", I think it is fitting that it's a party supply company. (Enter for a chance to win some Meri Meri goodness HERE!)

* Well, I am generally a Happy Camper:)

* Check out THESE crazy cute shoes for kiddos to wear at the beach.

* I think somebody at Nike lost their job this week...

* My iPhone needs an ice pop. Anybody want to make one for me?!

* smörgåstårta = a Swedish sandwich cake with layers of bread separating creamy fillings = YUM.

* Lookout Cronut, there's a new dessert in town!

* It's the dog's expression in this photo that really makes it so great.

* What's that!? You want to see a ton of pictures of fluffy animals!?

Have you Heard About..?

Sharing secrets.

It has been a WHILE since I last gave you tips for being "in with the in crowd", but I think I've finally got the scoop on enough goodies to deliver the next installment of "have you heard about?" So without further adieu (and at the risk, as always, of waving an "I'm totally behind the times and completely clueless about it" flag!) here are some tid bits on what's hot with the cool kids. (See previous personal prediction home runs HERE, HERE and HERE).

*Cronuts

Introducing, the Cronut!

Move over cupcakes, there's a new pastry sensation in town! It's called a "cronut" and NYC'ers have been lining up as early as 5:30am to score 1 (maximum 2) of Chef Dominique Ansel's half donut, half croissant pastry hybrids. The final masterpiece of a reported 2 months and 10 plus different recipes, the cronut debuted on May 10, 2013 and has been the king of sweet treats ever since. Online "scalping" and delivery services have reportedly resold the $5 pastries for as much as $100 while mere mortals must wait in line hours before Ansel's Bakery opens (8am Mon-Sat, 9am Sun) to score a cronut which took 3 days to prepare and should be eaten immediately "as they have a short shelf life". Imitations and DIY attempts abound, but in order to really taste the sensation, get in line!

*Biking Around Town

Hello Citibike!

Remember when riding your bike around the neighborhood was the most awesome way to get around? Well bikes are back baby and they're taking American cities by storm. Recent bike share programs like CitiBike in NYC, Hubway in Boston, Capital BikeShare in DC and countless others are popping up across the country, seemingly determined to get more American cities on THIS list, which highlights that North America could learn a thing or two from the rest of the world about getting around on 2 wheels! Dr. H and I are newly minted CitiBike members and we couldn't be more thrilled with the program. For $98 a year we have access to any bike, at any rack in the city, any time of day or night. The handy app tells us where the nearest bike rack is (and how many bikes are available at that moment) and we have 45 minutes to ride and return the bike to any other rack in NYC. Want longer than 45 minutes? No problem, just "check-in" at a rack by parking your bike and then re-rent and continue on your way! Though the program hasn't figured out how to handle helmet safety (Dr. H and I always wear our own) biking is an awesome way to enjoy fresh air, workout a bit and get from A to B.

* Sassy Nails

Show your sparkle

As one of those women who is rarely spotted without nail polish, I'm thrilled to observe that sassy nails are so hot right now. While a classic single color mani/pedi will never go out of style, intricate designs, multiple colors, glitter and "party nails" (aka making just one finger pop with a different color or funky design than the rest of your mani) are everywhere and on every type of lady. No longer reserved for those crazy checkout line ladies sporting acrylics and rhinestones, tasteful, but fun nail art appears to have gone mainstream (inspiration on Pinterest HERE, HERE and HERE) so girlies, I say have a little fun with your fingernails this summer!

*Cards Against Humanity

Game on!

This isn't the newest news, but if you haven't played Cards Against Humanity yet, move it to the very top of the "to do" list at your next get together with friends. The self-proclaimed "party game for horrible people" is like the twisted, raunchy, offensive drunk uncle of Apples to Apples. When 1 player flips over a black card with an unfinished phrase or question (e.g., "what are my parents hiding from me?") the other players must create a word association  which they think will be the 1 player's favorite (e.g., "Grandma"; "Harry Potter Erotica"; "72 virgins" <-- some of the only examples I could find appropriate for this blog's family friendly environment!!) Guaranteed to offend everyone in the room and create a rowdy good time in the process, bring Cards Against Humanity (available for purchase HERE) to your next big kid play date.