This past week I took a quick break from my typical mama duties and headed into Manhattan for a much needed girls night out. I grabbed my sisters and friends and headed to a beautiful holiday event hosted by Babbleboxx.

It's the week of Thanksgiving and you know what that means- loosen up those party pants because we are about to eat all the pie and drink all the holiday libations. And then we're going to wake up on Friday and get our holiday shopping on.

Schedule

Last night we packed up the car and headed north for a magical night aboard the Polar Express in Essex, CT. I had high hopes, and they were far exceeded. Madeline LOVED it; and was happily entertained for the full 90 minute train ride. It was beyond adorable- complete with singing, santa and lots of hot chocolate. Spike with some Schnapps for Mom and Dad.

Schedule

Thanksgiving is a little over a week away, and I just can't believe it. This year has flown by- especially in the past few months- and here we are, in the most wonderful time of the year.

Hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way.

And thankfully the sun has finally decided to join us here in Connecticut- making me hopeful that we'll have spring-like weather come Easter Sunday.  It's been a while since we really celebrated this holiday, bunny and all.

Schedule

Brrr. It was a cold one this week, folks. Bringing our first several dustings of snow and high hopes for a White Christmas here in Connecticut. This weekend will bring our third official holiday party. The hubs and I threw our first one the first year we lived together; then the second the following year, after we were married. A great start to what we thought would be our annual holiday shindig.

It's been a long week, but Friday is finally here; and we have lots of holiday cheer to spread this weekend. Tomorrow we have a much anticipated family outing to the city, to show Madeline NYC all decked out for Christmas. We will see family and friends and maybe share a glass of champagne, or two. And I can't wait to see our girl's face when she sees that tree- all lit up and magical. Here's to a great weekend!

December seventh and I've already watched The Santa Clause half a dozen times. I've gone through one Frasier Fir candle. There are a hefty presents wrapped around the tree. And I've baked an embarrassing amount of peppermint treats {this one included.} Anyone with me? Or am I alone on this Island of Misfit Toys?

There's just something about this season that screams "Bake all the festive treats possible while listening to Christmas music!" So, bake I must

If you're going to be cooped up in the house due to days on days of rain, it may as well be the first week of December- giving us loads of time to delve into some of our most beloved holiday traditions. And because we picked up our tree over Thanksgiving Weekend- as is tree-dition- we were all set to unwrap ornaments, trim the tree, and enjoy lazy morning and afternoons amongst our decorations. Yes, the holidays are in full swing- and not even a few days of rain can bring us down.

I'm the kind of person that always has a box of cake mix in the pantry. And generally speaking, this is something I'm not super proud of. I'd much rather be the kind of person that whips up a cake from scratch on the rare occasion a home-baked cake is needed; or the kind of person that didn't crave cake; or the kind of person that doesn't eat most of said cake in one sitting; or some combination of the three.

But being that I'm not, I had a box on hand yesterday. And on that cold and very rainy day, when my daughter was on a nap strike and happened to be fighting a cold- I've never been happier to be that kind of person.

As promised: Mom Approved Holiday Gift Guide for Boys.  As a girl mom, this one required a little more legwork- polling a few of the little fellows in our life. I included the usual suspects: legos, firetrucks, tools and super heroes. As well as a few of the less obvious gifts that I've seen win over some major hearts: teepees and headdresses, anyone?

Thanksgiving is just a little over two weeks away meaning a few very important things: Sirius's Holly station is now playing Christmas music on the daily; the Hallmark channel is running all the best cheesy holiday movies; and I am officially days away from cooking my very first Thanksgiving meal. Which, admittedly, is giving me just the tiniest bit of hostess anxiety.

It's November 1st, which means the holidays are officially right around the corner. This leaves us a little less than two months to check off all the good boys and girls off our shopping lists. The last few months of the year are always some of my favorites- bringing us holiday music, peppermint lattes, twinkling lights and all things red and green. But as the year comes to a close, things can also get a little hectic- as holiday visitors, parties and recitals can take over our already busy schedules, making it difficult to find time to pick the perfect present for each and every loved one. So in order to take the guesswork out of holiday shopping, I've rounded up my favorite gifts for girls: baby and toddler.

A few weeks ago I shared a few tips from the pros to the make the most out of your family holiday photo shoot {here}.

As I mentioned, our session with Candy Shop Photography took place in our local park- in the very spot I grew up taking my family photos. Maddie had a blast, as usual- laughing, running, and being her usual goofy self. And dad and Henry were total troopers {and dreamboats, to boot}. As you may have noticed from my distinct absence from most of my frames here and on Instagram, I'm a little camera shy- so I definitely had a few butterflies in my stomach over this year's shoot. Especially because it was at 8am, making it wholly inappropriate to have a helpful mimosa or two. To be honest, last year's was a hair before sunset, so it was a totally different story.

Every now and then Maddie Mae will give me a nice, long midday nap. And I happily receive them as a "thank you" for being her mama. Some weeks, these naps can be few and far between, but we're still working on her manners. But on those days when she does give me a little naptime "thank you," I enjoy a few extra hours of mommy-time: to fold that laundry, tidy up, get some writing done, and, sometimes, even bake a batch of homemade cookies.

When I look back on the holidays of my childhood, I have the fondest memories of our annual family photo shoots. Each year our mama would dress us in perfectly coordinating outfits- matching denims, white button downs, the occasional mixed print- and take us to our local park for our annual day of modeling. The fruits of these labors proudly displayed in our parents' homes- chambray-clad kiddos with goofy adolescent smiles. Some years were more awkward than others- in the most wonderful way possible- and I've always adored remembering different stages of our lives through those images.