You Might be a Mom If…

June 27, 2019 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

I got the idea for this blog post while rushing to get ready during my son’s morning nap. After all, you never know how long a child will nap for. I started thinking about how I’ve changed as a mom and things I do now that I never did prior to having my son. Some of these things are funny, some are serious, but I came up with this list in hopes that other moms could relate to it. And, also for a good laugh! Some of these facts relate to all moms, just stay-at-home-moms, all parents, moms with young babies and some maybe just to me. Here it goes…

You might be a mom if….

You’re a pro at doing things one-handed because you’re carrying a baby in the other.
You make up songs about your baby, mundane tasks, really anything at all because your baby loves it when you sing.
You go to the store with no makeup and unwashed hair, and you’re OK with that.
You need a support group of other moms going through the same thing as you.
You race to get everything done during your child’s nap
You think you can’t possibly have any more baby gear or toys and then you buy the next thing your child “needs.”
You always have spit up or baby food on your clothes, and you stopped caring about it.
You are always doing laundry. Always!
There are usually always dirty dishes by your sink.
You try many different brands of diapers and wipes, and you will find the ones that you like the best.
You didn’t know you could love this way.
You can’t wait for them to reach the next milestone (rolling over, crawling, walking, etc.) and then when they do you are like oh great! Now you have to chase after them!
Your schedule revolves around your child’s naps.
You would rather hang out with other moms versus friends without children, because they know what you are going through.
You have your good days and bad, but even the bad days still manage to have good aspects of them.
You never knew how much you needed your friends until now. Sadly, some of those friendships will fall apart post-kids.
You can’t wait to leave your house, whether it is to go to the grocery store, the park or somewhere that’s actually exciting.
You worry about money more than pre-kids and, if you do splurge, it’s usually on something for your children.
You know all the story times within a 20-minute radius, the best parks in the area and all the fun things to do with your child that is age-appropriate.
You are in at least five Moms groups on social media. In fact, your social media is mostly about parenthood these days.
You rarely get a night away, but if you do get a sitter, you are going to enjoy every minute of it (while spending a good chunk of your time talking about your children).
You know all the kid consignment stores in the area, the best seasonal consignment sales and all the stores with the best deals for baby and kids’ clothes, toys and gear.
Your house will never be clean. There will be toys and baby gear everywhere.
You never thought you could have so many conversations about baby poop.
You will find the best way to get rid of diaper rash that works for your child.
Your body will probably never be the same, but that’s OK. You made a human!
Vacations and weekends are not really breaks or time to get away anymore, but you still can’t wait for them to get here!
You get asked rude questions on your parenting judgment pretty often.
You’ll learn not to care if you get a bodily fluid on you. Little boys sure like to pee on you!
Your pregnancy brain turns into mom brain.
You figure out what works for your child, then something changes and you have to start all over again.
You cry over the littlest things. And sometimes the big things. Like on your child’s first birthday, because your little baby isn’t a baby anymore.
Your kid does something weird and you think, “I hope that doesn’t stick!”
You sometimes wish that your newborn baby didn’t fall asleep on you. And, when they get older you wish they would still fall asleep on you because you realized that you took those sweet baby cuddles for granted. (Cherish them now because they will go away. Babies don’t keep.)
You wouldn’t trade motherhood for the world. It may be hard, but it is sure worth it!

What else about motherhood would you add to this list? Share with me in the comments section!

Meeting my son.
First days home.
Baby cuddles.
My Birthday.
Matching St. Paddy’s Day Shirts.
Fun at the Park.

Getting Organized

May 7, 2019 / azlotnik / 1 Comment

You have a million tasks to do. How do you accomplish each one and not lose track? Write it down! Make a list. Keep up a calendar or an agenda. This has always been how I stay organized.

I’ve always been a list maker. Just ask my mom. I used to make lists for everything. I even have written a list of outfits I was going to wear during the week. (In my defense, I was in high school.) I have even written, “take a shower” on a list. Usually, my tasks are more substantial, but- hey whatever works to get everything accomplished!

From Paper Planner to Google Calendar

In college, I had a paper planner and wrote everything down in it. It contained all of my assignments and my social calendar. As things got digital, I tried using Google calendar. I have been regularly putting in appointments in my Google Calendar since 2015. For a while, it was working great as my only calendar. I like how it works seamlessly from the computer to your phone.

A basic planner
Google Calendar example

Recently, my husband and I synced our calendars. He was getting tired of checking with me to see if we had any plans or if I was busy doing something. It works great! I am a member of several different organizations and those also use Google Calendar. Someone in the organization who has access to the calendar can type in an event and it will show up on every member’s personal Google Calendar. I can see all my events from my sorority alumnae association and my MOMS Club, but my husband can’t. We can see only the events we personally put in there. Group events are separate.

Google calendar was working great for my calendar but not really for my to-do list. I knew I needed to make a change, which brought me to the next step in my path for getting organized.

The Bullet Journal

I am such a list maker. I was tired of having a million post-it notes everywhere, especially at work. I needed a way to keep organized that I could write down. There’s something about writing things down that keeps you more committed to the task. I knew I wanted a paper planner again. So, I did a lot of research. I looked at the Happy Planner and many other types of manual agendas, but ultimately I settled on the Bullet Journal. I no longer use a bullet journal, but I had fun with it when I did.

Two years ago, I read an article in a magazine that I used to work for. It was about how the author used her Bullet Journal and had a couple pictures of some of her spreads. It shared the website BulletJournal.com and I went to the website and checked it out.

According to BulletJournal.com, “Bullet Journal (or BuJo for short) was created by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer and author living in Brooklyn, NY. Diagnosed with learning disabilities early in life, he was forced to figure out alternate ways to be focused and productive. Through years of trial and error, he developed a methodology that went far beyond simple organization.”

A BuJo motto is “The Analog Method for the Digital Age.” It is a system for taking notes, keeping track of events and getting organized. I won’t get into the basics of how Ryder suggests you go about doing that, but you can find out more about it on his website.

What I liked about the BuJo is the ability to personalize it and make it your own. One thing I especially loved is the variety and endless possibilities of the collections. Collections are ways to organized related information. The basic collections in a BuJo are The Index, Future Log, Monthly Log, and the Daily Log. Ryder explains these in detail on his website. What I enjoyed creating was collections about anything and everything that was helpful to me. I made collections called: Books to Read, Weight Tracker, TV/ Movies & Streaming, Medical Appointment Log, Holiday Gift List/Ideas, etc. It could really be anything you wanted.

There were also ways to incorporate habit trackers into your BuJo, which really keep you accountable for making better choices. You could perhaps create a collection for habit tracking or you could add it to a regular logging page. I kept the basic core collections of the BuJo, but instead of doing a daily log, I kept a weekly log and had space for each day. I made creative spreads using a ruler, nice colorful pens, stickers, stencils, colored pencils and washi tape. It became a creative form of expression for me as well as a way to keep organized. It really became addicting and I found myself writing in it more and more. As time went on and the busier I became at work, I found that I didn’t have all the time I wanted to devote to my BuJo and would have to spend evenings and weekends working on my spreads. This is something I wasn’t willing to do long-term.

Supplies I bought:
Ruler
The Official Bullet Journal Notebook
Washi Tape (really just fancy paper tape used for decoration. I have tons)
Colored pens (I found that the kind by Micron are my favorite)
Stickers (Lots and lots of stickers)
Stencils (For drawing shapes when you can’t really draw)
Colored pencils
Pretty Post-it notes
Dual Brush pens (Hardly ever used these, sadly)
Probably even more things that I am forgetting

When creating a BuJo, all you need is a notebook and a pen to start. But, I went all out and bought the items mentioned above. At the time, I thought I really needed EVERYTHING! Now, it’s just sitting in a bag somewhere in my house…

Collection called: TV, Movies and Streaming

One thing about Bullet Journaling that most newbies don’t think about is the community of BuJo enthusiasts that are out there. Between Facebook groups and blogs, you can get so many suggestions, ideas, inspiration and help with Bullet Journaling. I joined a group on Facebook called Bullet Journal Beginners and it was very helpful. There is also a really popular one called Bullet Journal Junkies. Many others make blogs and send out monthly emails about Bullet Journaling including Ryder himself. It is all very helpful and informative.

I was very happy with it for a long time, but I liked to do it very artistically and creatively, which got too time-consuming. It got to be too much and I later stopped my BuJo. Then I became very disorganized and was back to square one. I thought, there has to be a better way. I considered someone pre-making my BuJo and then filling it in. But, I didn’t want to pay anyone and it didn’t seem logical. The creator of the Bullet Journal wanted everything to be simple. He created it so that it could be kept up with consistently without much effort. Then, people who adopted his planner/journal method came up with all these other more creative collections and ways to decorate the pages. It strews from the origin of the Bullet Journal itself. Like I mentioned before, I prefer the more artistic method to making a BuJo, but I couldn’t keep up with it. So, I began researching again.

Passion Planner

That’s when I found the Passion Planner. Now, I considered other options before purchasing a Passion Planner, such as the Scribbles that Matter Bullet Planner, an Erin Condren LifePlanner, the Happy Planner or a Commit30. But, I think what really hooked me was that they were having a flash sale and I just happened to be on the website at the right time. I spent a fraction of what a Passion Planner costs and tried something new. I was so excited for my Passion Planner to come in the mail. It was already April when I got my Passion Planner, so I started from the beginning of that month and left the beginning of my journal blank (which started in January).

Let’s take a moment to talk about the company itself and its founder, Angelia Trinidad.

According to Passionplanner.com, “We’ve all been there: uncertain about what to do in life and unsure about the next step. When Angelia Trinidad faced this anxiety after graduating from college in 2012, she decided to do something about it. She designed the Passion Planner, a personal organizer to help you simplify your life and focus on what really matters.

Since then, Passion Planner has grown into a worldwide community of dreamers, planners, and achievers. We’re dedicated to helping everyone follow their passions. As a Get One, Give One company, every planner purchased lets us give one to someone in need. We partner with nonprofit organizations to support causes from education to preserving our planet.”

There are different components of a Passion Planner. Everything is laid out on the page for you so all you have to do is fill in. There are also blank pages in the back to use for whatever you like. It’s more than a planner; it’s also a goal setting guide, appointment calendar, sketchbook, gratitude log, journal, and a sketchbook. It has personal and work to-do list outlines and weekly and daily focus. You may use it however you wish and be as creative or as minimalist as you like.

When I first started my passion planner, I was working full-time. I used my planner to plan personal and work projects and set goals. I also make to-do lists and frequently used my “space of infinite possibility” found on each weekly spread and other areas throughout the planner. I used to decorate my Passion Planner with stickers I bought from my BuJo days. You can be creative and add stickers and “flair” but you can also be simple and just fill out the pages. Now that I’m a Stay-at-home-mom, I use my Passion Planner much differently. It helps me keep up with my schedule. I’m in a MOMS Club, so we have different events throughout the week as well as my other appointments and plans going on. I also use it to keep track of my chores around the house, my to-do list and occasionally my shopping list. There is a “Good things that Happened this week” space in each weekly spread and I use that to record my son’s milestones. It is really helpful to do this each week so I can write it in my son’s baby book each month. I’m sure I will love looking back on this part of my planner in the future.

At the beginning of each Passion Planner, there is a Passion Roadmap for goal setting. You list goals and due dates for completion in 3 months, One Year, 3 years and for your lifetime. It is really helpful to keep you on track. Each month there is also a space for a mind map of tasks to do that month. I did the one at the beginning of the book last year, but not this year. It is something I keep meaning to do. There is also an end of the month reflection for each month of the year in the Passion Planner. I’ve never filled out the end of the month reflection, but I would imagine it would be helpful.

There are blank pages in the back of the planner that you can make into anything you want. I went back to my BuJo days and made a collection type page for Holiday Gifts to buy last holiday season. It really helped that my gift ideas were all in one place.

A lot of people use the Passion Planner and it is very beneficial. They have an academic version and an undated as well that come in a variety of sizes and colors. You can check out their website for their latest planners.

That pretty much sums up how I have and currently use productivity tools in everyday life to keep organized. I hope it has helped you learn more about a few different products that will help you stay on task and be productive. What types of things do you use to manage your time and achieve your goals?

The Journey to Having Nathan John

March 27, 2019 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

Nathan, just a short while after he was born.

For my whole life, I have wanted to be a mom. It was just always something I knew I wanted. I married my husband, Ryan, in September of 2013. We enjoy spending time with each other, and this year will celebrate 14 years together as a couple. Being married is wonderful, and we wanted to add to that happiness by having a child. After we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, we decided the time was right to start our family. The very next month, in October of 2017 we started trying.

I was very lucky to get pregnant on the first try and it was hard to imagine that there was life growing inside me. I found out I was pregnant right before Halloween of 2017.

We went to my Obstetrician’s office and got to hear our baby’s heartbeat and see him on the ultrasound. It was so cool to hear his tiny little heartbeat for the first time. The OB told me that my due date was early July 2018.

From our pregnancy announcement photo shoot in December 2017

I didn’t do any genetic testing before I became pregnant. My husband and I decided it was better not to know. It would just cause unnecessary worry and it wouldn’t change anything about our decision to have a baby. We did do one prenatal screening called the Harmony test. It tests for Down Syndrome and a few other genetic anomalies, through a blood test when a woman is 10-weeks pregnant. It can also tell the gender of the baby, which is pretty accurate. Over the winter holidays, we got the results back from the Harmony test I took.

Everything was normal and we were having a BOY! I will always remember the moment we found out our baby was a boy. We were standing in the kitchen, listening to a voicemail from the nurse from my OB’s office with the test results. As soon as we found out, we were jumping up and down hugging and crying. They were happy tears.

Many people refer to baby boys as “little man.” I don’t particularly care for this expression, so when talking to my son in my belly I decided to call him “Little Boy.” This would go on to be his nickname because his name was a surprise to everyone. At my baby shower, my mom made a banner that said “Little Boy” and it is now hanging in his nursery. My husband and I thought of his name months before he was even conceived on the way back from a road trip. We decided to keep his name to ourselves. The only hint we gave anyone was that he was named after a family member who had passed.

Me at about 30-weeks pregnant. Early May, 2018

I experienced some complications with my pregnancy including nausea the entire time, bad swelling, prenatal hypertension and later preeclampsia. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, most often the liver and kidneys. Preeclampsia usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had been normal.”

During one of my OB appointments, my doctor sent me to the hospital because of my high blood pressure at 34-weeks pregnant. That was the first time I had seen this doctor, since my OB practice has many doctors and whoever is on call that day is the doctor that delivers your baby. I stayed overnight at Northside Hospital-Atlanta. At that time, it was estimated I would deliver at 36 or 37-weeks pregnant due to all the complications I was experiencing.

At 35-weeks pregnant, during my OB appointment, the doctor sent me back to the hospital due to a very high blood pressure and a headache that wouldn’t go away. This is a common sign of preeclampsia and was very worrisome to my doctor. While I was resting before going to the appointment, my husband had a feeling we were having the baby. He gathered up and packed our bags for the hospital.

We arrived at Northside and were taken to a room in C-section waiting since the baby was still breech. I asked my husband what the date was. He said, “June Fourth.” I decided that was a good day to have a baby. We still didn’t know what was going on and when I would deliver our son. We filled out paperwork and I saw the on-call doctor, who happened to the same one who sent me to the hospital earlier. He said that it would be best to do the C-section that night. By that time it was about 5 o’clock in the evening. The operating room was booked for 8:30 p.m. based on my last meal. We literally found out three hours before our son was born that we were for sure having him that day. It was suspected that I had preeclampsia and the doctor wanted to deliver him then because that condition has a tendency to escalate very quickly. It can be very harmful to the mother and the baby.

I was prepped for surgery and taken to the OR, where I had my C-section. Only one support person is allowed in the OR, so my husband went with me.

The procedure went well, with no complications. Since I was only 35-weeks, there was a team from the NICU in the operating room just in case. They turned out not to be needed. The nurses wiped down our son and he was placed on my chest. I will always remember this special moment. In fact, it is making me teary-eyed as I write this. I said to my son, “Hi Nathan, I’m your Mommy.” It felt so good to see my son. The first thing I noticed was how little and cute he was. He was staring right at me and was very calm, all bundled up in his swaddle blanket. All this time, my husband was snapping pictures with his phone of our son and the anesthesiologist took the classic C-Section family photo with the sheet in the background and us in our surgical gear.

My husband left the room and followed the nurses with Nathan to weigh him in the nursery. I was then sent to recovery. My husband remembers one of the nurses saying, “I don’t think he’s going to make weight, he’s really light.” The NICU nurses said, “What are you talking about? He looks big.” She then said, “You’re used to all the really little babies.” Turns out he didn’t make weight and had to go to the transition nursery to be evaluated. Nathan John Basler was born at 9:22 p.m. on June 4,2018, weighing 4 lbs. 6 oz. and 17 inches long. He was five weeks early and considered premature. Aside from some temperature issues and a little jaundice, Nathan was perfectly healthy and was then brought into our hospital room shortly after I came back from recovery.

During our five-day stay in the hospital for Nathan’s birth, he was not eating as much as he should. The doctors at Kennesaw Pediatrics, our pediatrician practice, saw Nathan every single day he was in the nursery. Our pediatrician recommended that Nathan see a feeding therapist and hoped that he wouldn’t have to go to the NICU for poor feeding.

We saw the feeding therapist in our hospital room and she gave us some good pointers on helping him eat better. Premature babies aren’t always the best at feeding since that is one of the last skills babies develop in the womb. I had Nathan on a Monday, and Friday evening he was admitted to the NICU for poor feeding. We were thankful we had those full four days with our son in our hospital room and that he was a healthy baby boy, just needed to learn how to eat properly.

Having a child in the NICU is very hard, especially when you have to go home but your baby does not. It was a very trying time for our family. I cried at some point every single day. I just wanted our baby home. We visited him every day. My husband would wake up at 4 a.m. to go before work and I would go in the afternoon and stay until long after my husband got off work and came back to the NICU to be with Nathan. Everyone at the Northside Hospital NICU was wonderful. The doctors, nurses and staff were all great to work with and very caring towards our son. Northside is a tier three NICU, so it is one of the best there is. If our son couldn’t come home with us, we were glad he was being taken care of at Northside versus another hospital.

We were released from the NICU after 13 long days. We found out that we were going home about three hours before we did. We knew it was a possibility but didn’t think it would happen right then. Sound familiar?

We finally got to take our little boy home! The first night was exhausting. The next day, we called my parents to come over and help a little because we were so sleep deprived. Feeding him every three hours will wear you out! My husband stayed home from work for a week after he came home to be there and help care for our son.

Time went on and we got used to having him home. We took newborn photos the first week he was home, at three weeks old. On Thursday, June 28 our son had his brit milah or bris. A bris is a Jewish tradition dating back thousands of years where a baby boy is circumcised and receives his Hebrew name. Before I talk about Nathan’s Hebrew name, I’ll talk about his English name. He is named after Nathan Zlotnik, my dad’s father, who is a Holocaust survivor, and passed away at the age of 90 when I was 10 years old. His middle name, John, is named after my husband’s Great Uncle Johnny. He was like a second grandfather to my husband, especially after his own grandfather passed. They would spend his childhood summers at Uncle Johnny’s lake house in Tennessee on the water. I got to know Uncle Johnny over the years and had the pleasure of visiting the lake house too. About three years ago, Uncle Johnny passed away at the age of 90. We decided to name our son after these family members who meant so much to us, but also had other family members we wanted to honor that also were dear to our hearts.

This is where Nathan’s Hebrew name comes from. He was named Nissim Allon. Nissim is after my grandfather Nelson Zavack, who is my mom’s father. He passed away when I was about two years old, and I don’t really remember him. He meant a lot to our family. Nissim means miracle and our boy is such a little miracle.

He is also named Allon, after my husband’s grandfather on his mother’s side, Allen Morrell. He passed away before my husband was born. My in-laws named my husband after Allen Morrell and we decided to carry on that tradition. Allon means oak tree and they are strong with deep roots. We really think that describes our son perfectly. He is so strong for just a tiny little guy and has so many family members who love him.

The bris was a wonderful ceremony. It was very hard to watch my son be circumcised, but I got through it. The bris was very meaningful. I like to think that I am bringing Jewish tradition back to my family because I wanted to have the ceremony and plan to raise my son with Jewish teachings.

At his 2-month appointment, Nathan measured 9 pounds 11 ounces and his weight more than doubled since birth. He is eating well and thriving. I’m so grateful my son and I are healthy after the journey we had. I sure love being his mom.

Author’s Note: I wrote this story about my son back in August, 2018. Nathan is now 9-months-old and weighs 18 pounds! We’re planning his first birthday party for June and I can’t believe my baby is getting so big!

Nathan at 2 Months
Nathan at 9 Months
First time in a Park Swing!

DIY: Cork Board Map Of United States

July 8, 2017 / azlotnik / 2 Comments

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My husband and I like to travel and we thought it would be neat to document our trips with photos on a map of the United States. This project evolved as it went on and we had thought about it for a while. We saw numerous different ways to do this, including purchasing them outright for a considerable price. Since we are relatively crafty, we decided to make it ourselves and thought it would be a good project to do together.

It has been several months since we did this project, but I wanted to blog about how to make it in case anyone was interested in making a corkboard map of their own. In this blog post I will explain the tools you need and give step-by-step instructions of how to make it. We documented our project with pictures and have included those for you as well.

Here are all of the things you will need:

3/8 inch cork sheet (We used a 1/2 inch thick by 24 x 36 inch sheet ordered off Amazon)
1/4 inch thick piece of plywood minimum 24 X 36 inches from your local home improvement store (We used MDF, because it’s what we had at the house)
Printed map of the outline of the United States big enough to fit within 24 X 36 inches
Small push pins (We purchased these off Amazon)
Scissors
Pencil
Jig Saw (We had access to a band saw, so we used that)
Dremel tool with sanding bit
1 quart of Contact Cement/adhesive from your local home improvement store
Paint Brush
Box Cutter with new blade
2- Picture hanging kits rated for 30 pounds
Drill and drill bit for attaching picture hanging kit
Screwdriver
Hammer
Wallet sized photos of your choice from around the country

* If you want to include Hawaii, like we did, you’ll need blue spray paint as well.

Here’s how to make it:

We went online and bought the cork and push pins. The rest of the items, we either had or purchased at Home Depot. Our printed map was printed by a friend, but you can purchase your own on Amazon, or print it at FedEx Office Center. We ended up getting 1/2 inch cork and we determined that was a little too thick. That’s why we recommend getting 3/8 inch thickness if it’s available.

To start off the project, we cut out the outline of the map with scissors. We then traced the map onto the plywood with a pencil.

The next step is to cut out the map on the plywood, following the traced lines with the jig saw or band saw (if available). Make sure not to touch the lines.

When coming to tight curves, use relief cuts as shown.

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Take your Dremel tool and sanding bit, and sand the edges to smooth and fine tune the map edges. Sand down to the pencil marks.

Place the plywood map face down on the cork. Roughly mark with your pencil where the map is on the cork. Give yourself one inch of room around the map just in case.

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Now, apply contact cement/adhesive to the face up side of the plywood map following the instructions on the container.

Apply the cement adhesive to the marked area on the cork.

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Once dry, place two glued surfaces together. Press firmly following the adhesive container’s instructions.

Use a new box cutter blade, and trim excess cork from around the plywood map.

Now, use the Dremel took with sanding bit to flush up the cork to the plywood.

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The map of the contiguous United States is now complete. Now, it’s time to add your desired wall hanging fixtures. 20161222_142127 We used a wire picture frame hanging kit. We used the appropriate drill bit to make a pilot hole. Make sure to not go completely through your project with the drill bit. We then used screwdriver to install the kit per the instructions on the frame kit.

To Make Hawaii:

We used a cut off piece of the plywood and cut it into a rectangle that is 9 inches wide by 7 inches tall. We spray painted the rectangle blue. While waiting for the paint to dry, we then used our paper map to cut out the islands of Hawaii and then transferred those onto some of the leftover cork. We cut the islands out of the cork with a box cutter then sanded the edges of the cork islands with the Dremel tool. Once the blue paint was dry, we then used the contact cement (or you could use super glue) to glue the islands to the blue rectangle. We then attached a mounting loop to the back for hanging on the wall.

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Final Steps:

Figure out where you would like to put the map and Hawaii on the wall and attach necessary hardware to the wall with a hammer. Now you have an idea of what your map will look like on the wall. The only thing left is to add photos! It’s probably best to take the map off the wall while you add your photos, securing them in place with push pins. Place the map back on the wall and admire your work!

* NOTE: We would have included Alaska in our map, but we have never been there!

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Cousin Vacation: Asheville, North Carolina

June 30, 2017September 28, 2017 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

I haven’t been on vacation in a while because we are trying to live on a budget. But, this past weekend I was able to get away for a short period of time. I went to Asheville, North Carolina with my husband, cousin and my cousin’s boyfriend.

We had been talking about going on this trip since last November, when we met my cousin’s boyfriend while on a family trip to California for our grandma’s 100^th birthday. My husband and my cousin’s boyfriend really hit it off and we thought it would be fun to meet halfway between Atlanta and D.C. (where they live). Asheville is not really halfway, it’s a lot closer for us than it was for them. But, we decided it would be a good meeting point and we all wanted to visit there. After a few months of planning, it was time for the trip.

The drive wasn’t bad for my husband and me. It ended up being about three and a half hours. We live on the north side of Metro Atlanta so that helped shorten the drive some. We chose to go through backroads in the mountains to save some time and avoid morning Atlanta traffic. It was a neat drive and we ended up in Asheville around noon. My cousin had started the trip the night before and stayed over at the halfway mark in Virginia.

We had made a plan to meet at Tupelo Honey Café in downtown Asheville for lunch. This chain is in both Atlanta and D.C. (along with many other cities) but this one is the original location. I had eaten brunch at Tupelo Honey in Chattanooga, Tennessee once, and wanted to try it for lunch. Parking in Asheville is no easy task, especially around lunchtime on a Friday. We drove around for 30 minutes and then found a lot. Turned out the sign was deceiving and public parking was not available in that lot until 5 p.m. A little discouraged, we drove around for quite a while and after passing two full parking decks, finally found street parking relatively close to the restaurant. We put our name in and waited for my cousin and her boyfriend. My cousin was dropped off and waited with us outside the restaurant while her boyfriend found parking. It was so good to catch up with them over the entire weekend.

Lunch at Tupelo Honey was amazing. In fact, everywhere we ate on the trip was delicious. I guess I pick good restaurants! After lunch, we walked around the shops in Downtown Asheville. We then went back to the AriBnB to check it out and drop off our luggage. We stayed at a nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in West Asheville. It was time to go out again and we decided to not deal with parking and took Uber.

Our next stop was Urban Orchard Cidery, which is a family-owned hard cider production company and tasting room in West Asheville. It is one of only a handful of “True Cider Bars” in the nation, where you can order house made, craft hard apple cider. Asheville is known for its breweries, but my husband and I prefer cider over beer and luckily my cousin and her boyfriend enjoy cider as well. We ordered flights of cider and enjoyed trying all the different kinds. You could even mix some of them for a different flavor.

Our next stop was for dinner at the Jerusalem Garden Café in Downtown Asheville. We enjoyed delicious Mediterranean food while watching a talented belly dancer and live music. One of the belly dancer’s moves was to balance a sword on different areas of her body and that really made me nervous! Luckily she was very talented and had good control of the sword. The restaurant also had the option of sitting on the floor on pillows, but we decided to be comfortable and sit on regular chairs. After dinner, we watched the Friday night drum circle in the middle of downtown. It was really neat to see all the musicians play the drums while the crowd danced along to the beat. We walked around downtown some more, admiring the architecture and shopping in the neat and eclectic stores. We had an early morning the next morning going to the Biltmore estate, so we Ubered back to the Airbnb and called it a night.

Friday night Drum Circle

The crowd grew even larger than this

The Biltmore Estate was such an awesome experience. I had been once before when I was about 10 years old, but going back as an adult was much more fascinating. We arrived a little early so we took a lot of pictures of the outside of the estate. The Biltmore is an enormous and mesmerizing sight. Once it was time for our tour, we headed inside from room to room, up the stairs and down throughout the estate.

The Biltmore estate, a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, was the former home of George Vanderbilt. In 1898, He brought his 25-year-old bride, Edith, home to the estate for the first time after their honeymoon. Vanderbilt is known for his family’s shipping and Railroad Empire and his love for literature. The Vanderbilts were once the wealthiest family in America (mainly speaking of George’s father and grandfather). I found the history of the Vanderbilt’s very interesting. Georgie Vanderbilt lived in the estate until 1914 when he passed away due to complications from an appendectomy, leaving his wife Edith to run the household and raise their daughter. In 1930, the estate was opened to the public to increase tourism in the Asheville area. The estate is still run by Vanderbilt’s great-grandson and great-granddaughter.

I would have to say my favorite part of the tour, besides the décor was the “Designed for Drama” exhibition that was on display. Inspired by George Vanderbilt’s love of literature, Designed for Drama showcases many award-winning movie costumes from films based on favorite books in his collection. The movie costumes from films such as Jane Heir and Sherlock Holmes really felt like they belonged there in the massive home, as if they were from the era. I took a lot of pictures of the costumes and the rooms of the Biltmore. My favorite room was Mrs. Vanderbilt’s quarters. It was an oval shaped room that was the essence of femininity. I also enjoyed seeing the bowling alley and swimming pool. There are 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces in the Biltmore estate. At the time it was built, in the 1890’s, most homes didn’t even have indoor plumbing or central heating, and the Biltmore had both.

Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room

I love her bedding!

Bowling Alley

Swimming Pool

Banquet Hall

After touring the massive home, we walked through some of the Biltmore gardens. The gardens are home to some beautiful plants and flowers. My phone quickly filled up with pictures of beautiful roses, orchids, cacti and many other plants and flowers. After our walk through the gardens, we took a bus back to the car. The bus driver told us about some of the history of the estate as well as one of the many good restaurants, a buffet called Deerpark Restaurant. It seemed like great food for a good price, so we decided to give it a try. At Deerpark Restaurant you can experience “a taste of the South.” We enjoyed salads, dips, southern comforts, a carving station, decadent desserts and more. It was one of the best meals we had on our trip.

After lunch, we headed toward Antler Hill Village and Winery. We enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting and tried over 10 wines. After choosing our favorites, we bought some bottles in the wine store. Antler Hill Village has many other things to do, such as shopping, various restaurants, a petting zoo and farm, and more. We watched a fascinating glass blowing demonstration outside of one of the shops. We put on these special glasses so that you could really see into the flame as the glass was being blown into ornaments.

Wine Tasting at the Biltmore

My cousin and I really enjoyed a display at Antler Hill Village called: the Biltmore legacy, which was an exhibition of the Vanderbilt family weddings. It highlighted the details of the weddings, including the fashion. On display is the Lee family veil, which was worn by Mary Lee Ryan in 1957 at her wedding to William A.V. Cecil, George Vanderbilt’s grandson. It was also worn her cousin, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in 1953 when she married John F. Kennedy. It was really neat to see all the famous wedding dresses, veils and shoes.

Later that evening, we went to New Belgium Brewing, a cool brewery with a lively outdoor area. We also ate delicious tacos for dinner at the White Duck Taco Shop in the River Arts District. My cousin and her boyfriend had to leave early the next morning because of their long trip home. My husband and I decided to stay a little longer that day and go out to breakfast in West Asheville near the WNC Farmer’s Market at a spot called Moose Café. It’s a farm-to-table southern cooking restaurant. Stuffed, we decided to walk around the River Arts district after our meal. Since it was Sunday, many galleries were closed, but we still got to see quite a few galleries and many pieces of art on display. We watched in on a one-on-one glass blowing lesson for a bit and saw many paintings, pottery, woodworking pieces, jewelry and other one-of-a-kind art.

It was time to head home and we drove about 3 and a half hours home to Kennesaw on the same route we took on the way there through the mountains. We truly enjoyed our time in Asheville and will have to go back someday. Asheville is a great southern town to visit, and I highly recommend it.

Israel with My Love

February 6, 2017 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

This past summer, my husband and I had an amazing opportunity to go on Honeymoon Israel. On a Honeymoon Israel (HMI) trip, you can “spend nine exhilarating, romantic and memorable days exploring Israel with your partner, while building friendship and community with other couples from your city.” The experience was like nothing else we had ever done. We bonded, explored, and made friends with couples like us who are now like family. Over six months has gone by since we got back from Israel, and we still get together with the other couples and enjoy the community. HMI welcomes couples with at least one Jewish partner early in their committed relationship. On our trip, almost every couple was interfaith, so we really had a lot in common. My husband and I were part of the first Atlanta trip to go on HMI.

During the trip, they encouraged us to take notes and journal about our experiences. Almost every night I would write down what we did that day and what I thought about it. I had planned to write a story about it and hopefully getting it published in the Atlanta Jewish Times, since I’m a freelance writer for that newspaper. After we returned home, I started writing a bulleted list of everything we did while referring to my HMI program we were given. It ended up being nine pages long. I used that to write my story and spent months working on it. I edited it down and then pitched the idea to my editor at the Atlanta Jewish Times. He decided to publish it and it went to print late December of 2016. My story was called “Honeymoon Israel: 9 Days to Last a Lifetime.” Click here to read the four-page spread in the travel section of the AJT (pages 62-65). Click here to read the online article.

There were so many things we did that I did not have room to share in my article, so I will share more of what we did in this list below.

Jerusalem:

When we first arrived, we had a welcome dinner with the New York Group. We heard from Avraham Infeld that evening as well as the next morning. Avraham Infeld is the President Emeritus of Hillel – the Foundation for Jewish Campus life. He talked about the five-legged table idea and that we are all family, the Jews. He touched on Jewish identity as well. “My vision for the Jewish People is to find a way to be unified without being uniform. We can achieve this vision by constructing a “five-legged table” which allows each person to choose at least three of the following legs to express their Jewish identity: memory, family, covenant, Israel and Hebrew.”
– Avraham Infeld
We joined our friends at a bar on Ben Yihuda Street. We walked down through the shook (market) and it was very interesting seeing all the bars and the people. During the day, the shook is an actual market where they sell fruits, veggies, spices, etc. It looks completely different I hear. I didn’t get a chance to go during the day.

Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center

Touring this museum was very emotional for me, but I learned a lot.
The Avenue of the Righteous is dedicated to righteous gentiles who helped save/hide Jews during the Holocaust. There are trees dedicated to them throughout the complex and throughout Israel.
The Children’s Memorial: when you walk through it, it is like you are walking a night sky and see the stars. There is an audio recording that constantly plays the name of the children who died in the Holocaust along with where they were from. It is a very emotional piece of the museum.

Sea of Galilee:

We stayed at a hotel on a Kibbutz called Kibbutz Ginosar. We learned about the history of Kibbutz life and what it is like now. We learned about the women’s revolution regarding the children. It was interesting to know that children in a Kibbutz used to be raised by everyone. All money and goods were shared with everyone. It was very socialist. Now, about one third of Kibbutzim in Israel are still socialist.
We went to Mt. Bental and saw a panoramic view of the Golan Heights and looked from afar into Syria and Lebanon. The next day, we were told there was bombing in Syria that would have been visible from the Golan Heights.
We also went rafting down the Jordan River. There weren’t very many rapids, but it was still fun. We got stuck on rocks/ran into the shore and trees. It was very shallow water due to not enough rain. (I saw a picture of the Jordan River recently and it is much deeper now due to winter rains).

Tel Aviv:

On the way to Tel Aviv, we stopped and overlooked the ocean and went to Ceasarea, one of the land of Israel’s most important cities in the Roman period.
In Ceasarea, we saw the Herodian Theater, which is still in use today. The acoustics are awesome. Then, we saw the new excavations along the Mediterranean shore. It was so pretty to be right by the water. We put our toes in the sand and you could even see the tiled mosaic floors of the what was once the King’s quarters that lead to the sea. We also saw the arena where they raced horses. Our tour guide told us the history and made it feel like we were actually there in Roman times watching a horse race.
We did a beach cleanup project with the Zalul environmental organization. Zalul (“clear” in Hebrew) is one of Israel’s leading environmental NGOs. They are dedicated to protecting the seas and rivers in Israel.
We picked up trash on the beach. The sand was so hot, we had to bury our feet in the sand so they would not burn. Unfortunately, we got so much tar on our feet from the beach that we had to scrub it off at the hotel. I feel sorry for the maid who had to clean the tar residue from our bathtub!
While shopping in the Carmel market, we saw a woman in a shop down the street made a commotion. We think she was trying to steal. My husband saw a man kick the woman and then she caused a fight. We were very uncomfortable and left the shop as soon as we paid. We don’t know what they were yelling about because it was all in Hebrew.
The evening we flew out of Israel, we ate at a Georgian-Jewish restaurant called Racha for a late farewell dinner. It was in a historic building in Neve Zedek. It was so ornately and originally decorated with fine china dishes. They gave us dish after dish after dish. There was a lot of meat. I thought it was funny that they said “Chicken is not meat, its salad!” It was a ton of food and probably wasn’t the best meal to have right before a long plane ride. But, we enjoyed it and they had good hospitality.

We had such an amazing tour guide for our trip, Koren Eisner. He was very knowledgeable and taught us so many things. Even his voice was soothing to hear. While I was writing my story for the AJT, I asked around for quotes from various HMI staff and from Koren. He sent me a quote as a recording, and it was great to hear his voice. I couldn’t use it in my story because it was on a subject that I didn’t write about, but I thought I’d end this blog post with his quote. I asked Koren, how does the HMI tour differ from other tours that you usually do?

He said, “In my of my tour groups that I get, people are not just sightseeing, but are searching for something spiritually, religiously, culturally, historically, through a Jewish perspective, through a Christian perspective, through a Muslim perspective, etc. So, that is pretty much a motif. But, with the Honeymoon Israel groups, there is a certain sense of urgency because of the unique stage that the participants are in — getting married, having their first kids. These issues are on the table and need to be addressed. This sense of urgency creates lots of creativity. People come to these tours needing to work, needing to participate, to really have their own spiritual quest as individuals and as couples, and to the community. That is a very powerful thing, the productivity.

Another aspect is the way that people seek one another. You see the friendships, the bonding between people that happen in such a short time but go very deep because of the many things that participants share with one another. I guess it is the need to be a part of the greater community. That’s really inspiring to see. I’m truly grateful that I can play a role in such an amazing project.”

2016: A Year of Wonderful Milestones

June 16, 2016 / azlotnik / 1 Comment

2016 has been an amazing year for my family and me so far. I can’t believe how lucky we all are and how many good things we have had happened to us. Things keep getting better and better. There are a lot of changes going on, but they are all positive ones.

Earlier this year, we found out that my brother and sister-in-law are expecting! I am going to be an aunt to a sweet baby girl! Plus, the baby is due on my birthday in September. Imagine that! At least we’ll share the same birth month if not the day. I’m very excited about what this means for my family. My parents are overjoyed to be grandparents and we’re deep into planning a baby shower for her this summer. But that’s not all….

As you may have read in my last post, we found our dream home! I won’t go into that in detail, but you can read all about it here. We plan to move into the house in a few weeks. First, we need to put carpet in. We’re so happy that we found a wonderful place to live and plan to stay there for many years. It sure is a great looking house on the inside and out! It feels strange to be a homeowner but also very good. We’re really grown-ups now!

Two days after they accepted the offer on our house, we were given a huge opportunity. To give you some background information, my husband and I applied for a trip called Honeymoon Israel (HMI) at the end of last year. Honeymoon Israel is a guided trip to Israel with 19 other couples, all from the same city, mainly geared at interfaith couples. We really wanted to go, and went through the interview process. There were two trips going to Israel from Atlanta through HMI this year and we really wanted to get on the May trip. We didn’t get picked to go on either trip, but we were put on the waiting list. We thought that we would never get to go this year. But, lucky us, a couple cancelled and they offered us the spot! When we first got the email that we could go on the trip, I was very doubtful. I mean, we just went under contract on a house. But, my husband assured me that it would be OK and that we couldn’t pass up this trip of a lifetime. We got the deposit paid and registered to go. Honeymoon Israel was an amazing experience and I’ll blog about it soon. But, it was awfully strange and crazy to go on a trip like this the day after we closed on our house. You can find more about Honeymoon Israel by clicking here.

If you think it couldn’t get any better, we have more great news for my family. My dad, who lives in Texas, had planned on retiring from his job in March of 2017. He was there with my mom temporarily for a job transfer. Well, his company decided to do a voluntary layoff. That means he’ll be able to work until November of this year and then get “laid off” with severance pay for a while. My dad was very glad to be giving this opportunity, especially with the baby coming. So, at the end of November, my parents will move back to Georgia for good.

Well, 2016 has been a fantastic year, and we’re only halfway through it. I can’t wait to see what else this year brings for us and for many more great years to come. May they keep getting better and better!

Buying our Dream Home

June 12, 2016September 28, 2017 / azlotnik / 2 Comments

The summer before we got married, my husband and I moved into my parent’s house while my parents were living in Texas temporarily for my dad’s job. It put us in a nice situation to save money and we didn’t have a huge rent bill each month like we did in our old apartment. Now, my parents are coming back in November, a bit earlier than planned, so we started the process of looking into buying a home of our own. We already knew of a realtor, our rabbi’s wife, and we got recommendations for lenders. We got pre-qualified and began looking at houses.

We had wanted to live in the East Cobb area of Marietta, Georgia, but we quickly found that with our budget, we could only afford a ranch style house and not a big home like we had dreamed of. We then decided to look in the Kennesaw area. We looked at three houses and didn’t really like any of them. We decided we were going to stop looking and save up money for a few more months. Then, oh a whim, we decided to look at a house in Kennesaw a few days later that had really great curb appeal. It was kind of on the top of our budget, but it looked promising. We saw the house and slowly began to fall in love with it. It had a great kitchen, a semi-open floor plan, a decent-sized living room, plenty of room upstairs, a sunroom, a wrap around porch, a nice master bath and a fenced in yard.

I was a bit nervous to make an offer because I didn’t think we were ready for that yet. After all, we had just started looking and still had plenty of time before my parents moved back. But, we decided to put in an offer on this wonderful house. Our realtor called the listing agent and there were already multiple offers on the house, so we had to move quickly. We went back to our realtor’s office and filled out the paperwork. My realtor thought it would be a good idea to write a letter to the seller about how much we liked the house. We sent off the paperwork and waited.

At about ten o’clock the next morning, I got a call from our realtor saying she had good news- they had accepted our offer! The selling agent told our realtor that they had higher offers than ours, but they decided to go with us because they thought we were the perfect people for their house thanks to that letter. We were overjoyed!

Next came the contracts, the inspection, the paperwork from our lender, negotiation, the appraisal, etc. I would have to say that the amount of time it takes daily for correspondence when you have a house under contract is way more than you would think. Usually the paperwork or document needed is urgent, so it can be very stressful.

Everything came together and we had all our ducks in a row for our closing. It actually was a very smooth process and everything got done on time. We wired our money to the closing attorney for the closing, had the final walk-through, and before we knew it, closing day came. Closing took about an hour and a half and was surprisingly an enjoyable process. The sellers were really nice people, so that made it that much easier. It was a little daunting to see on the papers that we would be paying off our loan until 2046! Can you imagine? We’ll be paying off our 30 year mortgage until we’re in our 60’s- that is if we’re still living in the same house then. We plan to stay in the new house for at least 10 to 15 years. It’s big enough for us to raise a family there and is in a good school district.

We got done with the closing and were officially home owners! It was so nice to receive housewarming gifts from family and our realtor. We brought our parents over to our new house and showed them around. We also took pictures in front of the house and posted them on social media. It was so great to finally get to tell people that we bought a house!

When we got to our new house, we discovered that the sellers left us sparkling cider, candy, and a folder with all the manuals for appliances in the house as well as a six-page hand written letter describing everything we needed to know about the house. It included what was planted where, when rooms were painted and what color, when certain things were installed, etc. They even gave us restaurant recommendations and their email address in case we had questions. That was a nice surprise!

Next, we’ll have to carpet the house and epoxy the garage floor. Our house is essentially move-in ready, so we don’t have to do much to it before moving time. Luckily, we like the colors the sellers chose, so we don’t have to paint the walls. We’ve been going over the house and doing things little-by-little and plan to move into our new house in July. There’s no rush, since we don’t have to be out of my parents’ house for several more months. Now on to packing…

We’re so excited to own a home of own! With that comes a lot of responsibly and a lot of financial obligations. We’re officially adults! I can’t wait to be all moved in and settled. Here’s to owning and no longer renting!

Stay Tuned Part 2: Binge Watching

March 18, 2016March 17, 2016 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

Ahh, binge watching. It’s something that’s become more and more common as our media and the way we watch TV is changing. With live streaming from Netflix and Hulu, you can watch an entire season at once, sometimes in one sitting if you are truly devoted to the show.

A few years ago, I did a blog post about all the TV shows I was watching. Check it out here. Now, this part 2 is about all the shows I am streaming and binge watching. Streaming devices such as Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and TV Stick, Roku, and more are now replacing DVRs and allowing for instant access and more flexibility. Currently, I still use a DVR and Netflix as well as watch live TV. I am thinking about trying out Hulu for a little while because they have exclusive shows that you can’t watch anywhere else. However you watch, it’s still great entertainment!

This is what I’m currently streaming:

Dexter: Off air, 8 seasons
From Showtime’s website: “He’s smart, he’s good looking, and he’s got a great sense of humor. He’s Dexter Morgan, everyone’s favorite serial killer. As a Miami forensics expert, he spends his days solving crimes, and nights committing them. But Dexter lives by a strict code of honor that is both his saving grace and lifelong burden. Torn between his deadly compulsion and his desire for true happiness, Dexter is a man in profound conflict with the world and himself.”

At first I didn’t like this show. I thought it was too gory. But then the story-line and Dexter’s personality drew me in. The only thing that really creeps me out now is the intro. I know he’s just shaving, getting dressed and making breakfast, but the way they filmed it is so detailed that it just gives me a funny feeling. Despite the fact that Dexter is a serial killer, I still really like his character and am rooting for things to go his way. I’m only on season 3 of Dexter and I can’t wait to find out what else is going to happen. The final episode of Dexter aired in 2013.

Parks and Recreation: Off air, 7 seasons
From NBC’s Website: “Parks and Recreation” is a hilarious ensemble comedy that follows Leslie Knope (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Amy Poehler, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” “Baby Mama”), a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, and her tireless efforts to make her quintessentially American town just a little bit more fun.

In the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department, Leslie’s office mates include Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe, “Brothers and Sisters,” “The West Wing”), a health nut who wants to live to be 150 years old, and Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari, “Human Giant,” “Scrubs”), a fashion-obsessed wannabe player whose greatest dream is to own his own nightclub. Leslie’s boss, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman, “Children’s Hospital”), hates the very government he works for, and sports one of the most impressive moustaches on primetime television. Rounding out the cast are: Adam Scott (“Friends with Kids,” “Party Down”) as Leslie’s husband and former campaign manager, Ben Wyatt; Rashida Jones ( “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” “The Office”) as her best friend, Ann; Chris Pratt (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Moneyball”) as shoeshine boy extraordinaire Andy Dwyer; and Aubrey Plaza (“Funny People”) as Andy’s wife, April, who doubles as Ron’s sullen assistant. Also starring are Retta (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) as the fun-loving Donna Meagle and Jim O’Heir (“Castle”) as the department’s punching bag, Jerry Gergich.”

This show is so funny! I love watching the overachieving Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and hearing about all of her great ideas. All the characters are great and hilarious. I’m glad I took a chance on this show. It didn’t seem like something I would like while it was on the air. I’m currently on season 5. The final episode of Parks and Recreation aired in 2015.

Fuller House: Netflix original series, One season
From Netflix: “The Tanner family’s adventures continue as DJ Tanner-Fuller shares a home with her sister Stephanie and friend Kimmy who help raise her three boys.”

Full House was my favorite show as a child. I grew up in the 90’s and watched Full House when it was on T.G.I.F. As a child, I didn’t know how corny the show actually was. The sequel is just as corny, but it’s really a good show — at least to those who grew up with Full House. I love how some of the plots are the same as the original. Only now, the kids being all grown up and dealing with kids of their own. It’s great that they show clips of the original too, sometimes side-by-side with the current season. I thought it was hilarious when the cast called out Michelle (The Olsen twins) on how they couldn’t be there. Maybe we’ll see them on season 2 because Netflix renewed Fuller House for a second season thought to air in 2017.

Jane the Virgin: Currently on air in its second season
Online Summary: “The daughter of a teen mother, Jane Villanueva grew up determined not to repeat her mom’s mistakes. At 23 her life is on track; Jane is studying to be a teacher and engaged to a handsome detective who supports her decision to remain a virgin until marriage. Then a routine clinic visit flips her life upside down. Inseminated by a specimen meant for a patient in the next room, now-pregnant Jane is in a situation made only more-insane when she learns that the sperm donor is her boss, Rafael. As her meticulously planned life gets more like the telenovelas she loves, she faces a lot of complicated decisions about where to go from here.”

At first I thought Jane the Virgin was a bit weird, with all the narration and words appearing across the screen. But, after the fist few episodes, this show really grows on you! I am so hooked. I love watching this show and seeing all of Jane’s drama. Only season 1 is available on Netflix. Since season 2 is currently on the air, it won’t be on Netflix until October or so. I missed out on the beginning of season 2 and the CW website only has full episodes of Jane the Virgin starting mid-season. So, I’ll just have to watch my other shows while I wait patiently for October. New episodes of Jane the Virgin air Mondays at 9 on the CW.

Binge Re-watching:

The Office: Off air, 9 seasons
It’s funny what you pick up on when you re-watch a show, especially while binge watching it. I originally thought that it took such a long time for Jim and Pam to get together, but after watching this great show again, I realized it wasn’t as long as I thought it was. It’s even better the second time around. Between the pranks with Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and the comedy of Michael Scott (Steve Carell) this show has me still laughing out loud. This second time around, I have really gotten to appreciate the character of Kelly Kipoor (Mindy Kaling). I always liked her on the show, but after reading her two books (Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns, and Why Not Me?) I see what a cool person she is and it has made me want to watch The Mindy Project once we get Hulu. I wrote about The Office in my first blog post about TV. The final episode of The Office aired in 2013.

Malcolm in the Middle: Off air, 7 seasons
Online Summary: “The Cleavers they ain’t. Mom is a screaming control freak, Dad is a goofy human hairball, oldest son Francis escaped the family at a young age, Reese is just criminal, Dewey is a space cadet and young Jamie is the scapegoat. The middle kid, Malcolm (who delivers the narrative for the capers of this whacked-out clan) is a brainiac who doesn’t want to be burdened by his genius.”

I really don’t remember too much about this show besides the fact that I really liked the main character, Malcolm (Frankie Muniz). This show is about a dysfunctional family and the craziness four boys can get into. It’s pretty funny and sort of new to me since I watched only a handful of episodes so long ago. It is also notably the first memorable character for Bryan Cranston who just happens to be the main character of the next show I will write about. The last episode of Malcolm in the Middle aired in 2006.

These are shows that I have streamed in the past:

Breaking Bad: Off air, 5 seasons
From AMC’s website: “Breaking Bad follows protagonist Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico with his wife (Anna Gunn) and teenage son (RJ Mitte) who has cerebral palsy. White is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of two years left to live. With a new sense of fearlessness based on his medical prognosis, and a desire to secure his family’s financial security, White chooses to enter a dangerous world of drugs and crime and ascends to power in this world. The series explores how a fatal diagnosis such as White’s releases a typical man from the daily concerns and constraints of normal society and follows his transformation from mild family man to a kingpin of the drug trade.”

Even though this show had gore and a lot of drug use, I came to really like it. I was always rooting for Walter White, or shall I say “Heisenberg.” This show always kept me on my toes about what was to happen next. I really did not like the women in this show. Skylar (Anna Gun) and Marie (Betsy Brandt) had their flaws and were not strong female characters, in m opinion. I felt bad for Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) because he was always screwing up his life. Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) was on of my favorite characters because of his great attitude, even though he was a shady lawyer. Last year, Bob Odenkrik got his own spinoff from Breaking Bad called Better Call Saul, which is a really good show. The last episode of Breaking Bad aired in 2013.

Master of None: Netflix Original Series, 1 season
From Netflix: “New Yorker Dev takes on such pillars of maturity as the first big job, a serious relationship, and busting sex offenders on the subway.”

I really enjoyed Aziz’s original show that he produced, starred in, wrote and directed. He is one of my favorite stand-up comedians, and he was great in his role as Tom on Parks and Recreation, a show I talked about earlier in this post. Master of None is funny and entertaining. I especially liked the episodes where Dev and his friends hung out with their parents and learned interesting facts about them. Master of None was renewed by Netflix for a season 2, which should air in 2017.

Parenthood: Off air,
6 seasons
Online summary: “The four grown Braverman siblings — Adam, Sarah, Crosby and Julia — share the joys, heartaches and headaches of parenthood in their California hometown. As their parents deal with life and marital issues, the four lean on one another while tackling the challenges of modern family life in an updated reimagining of the 1989 film by the same name.”

I absolutely love this show! I wish I would have watched it while it was on the air. The Bravermans are great. Who wouldn’t want to be in their family? They all really care about one another and the show gives you such a warm and happy feeling. Parenthood is one of the best shows I have ever watched. The storyline is very interesting and it’s just a phenomenal show. If you don’t stream this, you’re missing out. The last episode of Parenthood aired in 2015.

Halt and Catch Fire: 2 seasons
Online summary: “It’s the early 1980s, and the spirit of innovation in personal computing is about to catch fire. Hot on the trail is a renegade trio — a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy — who risk everything to realize their vision of building a computer that can change the future. Not long after IBM corners the market with its flagship PC, a flaw is discovered in its operation, opening the door for competition. In steps Joe MacMillan, a former IBM executive who now works for Cardiff Electric. MacMillan plans to reverse-engineer IBM’s technology, putting Cardiff in the thick of the personal computer race. He enlists the help of engineer Gordon Clark, who dreams of creating a revolutionary computer, and Cameron Howe, a volatile prodigy who puts her future on the line to join MacMillan’s rogue project.”

This show has its share of drama, but part of the fun is that it takes place in the 1980’s so everything is reflected of that period, from the clothes, to the home décor, to the cars. What’s really interesting is seeing how the technology was back then compared to what it is now. I was just a small child in the 1980’s so I don’t know what computers were like then. I never thought I’d love a show about the 1980’s PC revolution, but I do. I enjoy all the characters, and especially Cameron (Mackenzie Davis) and her quirkiness, and Joe MacMIllan (Lee Pace) who often has a hidden agenda. Season 3 of Halt and Catch Fire airs on AMC in summer 2016.

What I am still catching on the DVR:

The Walking Dead: Everyone’s favorite zombie apocalypse show based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman.
Better Call Saul: Spinoff of Breaking Bad where Goodman is Jimmy McGill, a small-time attorney hustling to make a name for himself.
Castle: Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), a best-selling mystery novelist, and Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), an NYPD homicide detective, solve various unusual crimes in New York City.

Maybe I watch too much TV, but I don’t care! It’s entertaining!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2016 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. Some may say it’s a conspiracy for the greeting card companies, but I think of it as a day to let people know that you love them. Although, you should also do this throughout the year, of course! My brother was born on Valentine’s Day, so it’s always had two meanings for our family. I’m sure, having a Valentine’s birthday is difficult as an adult. Everyone wants to go out on dates with their Valentine, and you just want to celebrate your birthday.

As a child, I loved going to school on Valentine’s Day. I enjoyed making mailboxes, handing out cards and candy, and getting lots of Valentines. It was always the best day. The Room Mom would come, and we’d always have a party. I continued this tradition of giving Valentines in middle school and embarrassingly in the beginning of high school as well. I had been known to give suggestive Valentines to boys I liked, but now looking back on it the thought makes me cringe a little.

At home, my parents would give me a Valentine’s Day present, usually a stuffed animal or something red and pink. We would give my brother his presents and then do Valentines presents. I usually got my parents a little something too. Now, I send them a card since we don’t live in the same state anymore.

Beautiful Valentine’s Tulips, 2009

Once I met my husband in college, I always had a Valentine. I remember our first Valentine’s Day. We had just been dating for three months. We ate at Longhorn for a lunch date and Ryan got me the most beautiful flowers I have ever received. Pink roses. He also gave me a stuffed bear that said “Hottie.” I think it sang a song too. I loved it at the time but looking back, we both think it’s pretty tacky. This is our 11^th Valentine’s Day together and here are some of my favorite Valentine’s memories with my husband:

I remember:

Having lunch V-day dates in College
Ordering from Chile’s to go when we didn’t want to eat out and couldn’t decide what to do for dinner.
The year we got in a fight because he was late getting my present.
All the wonderful gifts he’s gotten me, such as flowers, the “Hottie” bear and our beloved bear from Chicago, my butterfly “designer” necklace, candy, owl jewelry, and so much more!
The time he sent me beautiful tulips to my house.
Two years ago, when we spent Valentine’s Day celebrating our friends’ marriage at their rehearsal dinner.
Last year, when we had brunch at our favorite spot, Reveille, because my husband was photographing my co-worker’s Valentine’s Day wedding later that day.

V-Day Gifts 2015

My husband’s birthday is three days before Valentine’s Day. We usually celebrate my husband’s and brother’s birthdays together since they are so close. Lately, we go out the four of us — me, my husband, my brother and my sister-in-law — to celebrate. Since my parents live in Texas, they are unable to celebrate the family February birthdays. Next year, they should be moved back and we will all celebrate together once again.

I always try to keep presents for my husband’s birthday and Valentine’s Day separate, getting him gifts set aside for each holiday. This can get expensive, especially after Chanukah and Christmas. We usually set a price limit and use Amazon Wish Lists to let each other know what we would like. This year, my husband made a BIG birthday purchase, so he said not got get him anything. I wanted to get him something for V-Day anyway, so we compromised on candy.

This year, I think we will continue the brunch tradition and dine at Reveille. We’ll do something else fun during the day as well. On February 14^th, hold your loved ones close and let that special someone know how you feel. I can’t wait to see what V-Day 2016 has in store for us! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

V-Day 2009

V-Day 2010, Chicago

Bear! 2010 in Chicago

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Happy Valentine’s Day

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