Life – Page 11 – Growing Up Savvy

Published April 11, 2016 by Nadya

Dinner à la Russe

Too pretty to eat? Almost. Evan and I went out on a dinner date to celebrate my birthday this Saturday. I didn’t want anything for my birthday except for a leisurely dinner and maybe drinks. We went to a restaurant that is a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) and Evan surprised me by bringing wines from our travels past. He brought a white from the Landmark Vineyards which we visited when we took a not-even-two-year-old Sophia to Napa and Sonoma. Evan also brought a wine we bought in Alentejo in 2003 when we drove all across Portugal and visited Evora. Spectacular as those wines were, my dinner companion, and reminiscing about our travels made this birthday celebration very special.

The girls, meanwhile, did not sulk at home—they had Grammie and Pop to entertain them. There is something unbelievably charming about grandfathers and granddaughters and especially this lovely pair right here. Beautiful as his artwork was, I found the fact that my father-in-law embraced face painting with Sophia so very endearing. I love seeing how much he loves and dotes on his granddaughters.

To round out the weekend, Evan, the girls, and I entertained at home for the first time in this house. These friends are very special for us and we were looking forward to showcasing some Azerbaijani and Russian dishes. Putting on a dinner party isn’t always easy, and even more difficult when you’ve got a clingy, hip-hugging, almost-two year old companion toddling around. We made stuffed cabbage, an Azerbaijani eggplant chicken stew, a fish baked in an agrodolce sauce, and chermoula eggplant with bulgur and yogurt. There were also homemade blintzes with a fresh fruit compote.

The kids played so beautifully together, the adults were able to socialize, and enjoy wine (from proper wine glasses). I suppose committing to unpack a box or two a week really does have its benefits. It felt great to host, to entertain, and to share food with friends. Happy Monday!

Cookery Culinary Adventures Delicious Dessert Flavors Food For Thought Hubby Cooks Life

blintzes Chicken stew Eggplant Russian dinner parties

Published April 8, 2016 by Nadya

Old or Young

Most will agree that there aren’t enough days in our lives that we devote to celebration, family, and ourselves. April is upon us, and once again, my birthday. In years past, I’ve adhered to what had become a tradition for birthday celebrations. This year is not too different in that I carved out a little bit of time for myself for a very leisurely cup of coffee and spent that time thinking on … whatever. That cup of coffee did come after making the girls’ lunch first thing before Sophia headed off to school—because birthday girl or not, I am first a #workingmom and an #e arly bird.

So how does it feel to be in my early thirties? Marvelous. I now recognize that these are the best years of my life. The kids are young (and oh so delicious) and the inconveniences of old age haven’t yet appeared. I may no longer be in my twenties but I still feel like my whole life is ahead of me, that there isn’t anything I cannot do, and more importantly, that I have a huge bucket list of things to do, places to travel to, and experiences I’d like to have. It is good to have goals and even better to have someone to share those goals with.

Food For Thought Life

balancing your life birthdays

Published April 4, 2016 by Nadya

The Early Bird

… gets the worm. Or in my case, the groceries and the cooking started. The time after the kids are in bed is my time in that I rarely cook, clean or engage in anything I consider to be a chore. Instead, I use the time to craft, relax, catch up on reading, television, and generally spend time with Evan. Chores have to get accomplished at one point or another and I have resolved that it may as well at least start with my first cup of coffee early in the morning. I am a morning person so the time doesn’t phase me.

That first cup of coffee accompanied by the quiet hum of the city as it wakes up is just magical. I tend to linger over the coffee machine looking out the window to people watch, daydream, and plan the rest of the day. That time is the highlight of the day as it is packed with endless possibilities.

Our weekend was once again busy with family events and we managed kugel, granola, oven-baked turkey meatballs, and a pear tart all before 10 am on Saturday. Good thing, too, because the girls don’t always eat what’s on offer while we are elsewhere and I often bring my own to ensure they don’t go hungry.

Sophia and Eliza have both embraced all things feminine and we have officially entered the tights and dresses stage. It is further accentuated by the jewels, necklaces, and hair accessories to ensure the most proper little girls emerge from our house each morning. Meanwhile, Evan and I emerge rather frazzled and are hoping (praying) that this is just a stage and that they shall soon see reason in our preference of leggings, t-shirts, sneakers, and all things casual and comfortable. A mom can only dream.

Life

dresses

Published March 29, 2016 by Nadya

Spring Threads from Mama

There are few things that I enjoy more than seeing the girls wear the fruits of my labor. I knitted this vest for both Sophia and Eliza. See them both here.

Crafts General Life

knitting for kids

Published March 28, 2016 by Nadya

Superhero

Mondays are tough for everyone. They are even tougher if they start at 4 AM as last Monday did for me. I had a one-day business trip to Richmond which resulted in a 4:30 AM departure so that I could drive there in time for a 9 AM meeting. My day ended earlier than I expected, but 6 PM still felt late. The best part of that very long day was coming home and seeing the surprise on the girls’ faces.

Monday was just the beginning and the week culminated with us hosting our nephew Alex at our house for a few days. His and Sophia’s spring breaks overlapped so we invited Alex to spend a bit of time with us in the city. He arrived Thursday afternoon, hands full of my sister’s hand-made hamentashen and other non-edible treats for the girls. The girls didn’t skip a beat with the face paints that he gifted them, or the hamentashen for that matter.

Evan had special plans for Friday. He took the day off and, as a surprise to them, took Alex and Sophia to the Science Behind Pixar exhibit at the Franklin Institute.

We spent Friday evening with more face painting, pizza, a trip to the ice cream parlor, cartoons, and general family togetherness.

Building with blocks, home-made pancakes, and crafting rounded out Saturday morning and Alex’s visit with us.

I could say that I felt like a superhero this week because it isn’t easy having a business trip and a house-guest all in one workweek, but the real superhero is Alex. I have rarely seen someone bear/give so much attention to these two little girls with great care and grace. It isn’t always easy being twelve and entertaining a four year old and a not-yet-two-but-already-acting-like-it. Their relationship is a deep one, rooted in love and a sense of family.

I am sad that the weekend is coming to an end, but grateful to have had such an eventful one.

Life Moments

crafts family house guests

Published March 25, 2016 by Nadya

Moment

#latergram #growingupsavvy #fridaymoment

A photo posted by Nadya (@growingupsavvy) on Mar 25, 2016 at 8:25am PDT

Life Moments

Weekly Moments

Published March 23, 2016 by Nadya

Babyccino

Sophia and Eliza really enjoy playing together. They laugh, share, and collaborate ninety percent of time and scream at each other the rest of the time. Long gone are the days where I instigate activities and play. I am most often an observer, sometimes a patient (when they’re playing doctor), and occasionally, a referee.

And while the girls enjoy each other’s company so much, I still want to have undivided time with each of them, to savor each one of them in their current age. I have found that the best way to do this, is to take each one out to a coffee shop for a babyccino. We talk as we walk there, order together, and chat about all manner of things all the while drinking our frothy concoctions.

Just the other day Sophia and I talked about the art on display at Bodhi and Eliza and I people watched at Menagerie. Eliza loved the succulents on display at Menagerie and I am pretty sure we’ll be getting some to dress up our outdoor spaces this spring/summer.

Life

babyccino coffee shops

Published March 14, 2016 by Nadya

An Oldie But Goodie

We traveled to the end of the world (okay, really it was Broad Street) to visit our old friends who just moved in to a fabulous new home. Broad street is going through an incredible renaissance. Did you know the Divine Lorraine is under new ownership? Her new steward promises to return the Divine Lorraine to her previous glory once more.

We had a lovely time visiting old friends as did the kids. Sophia bonded with their little boy while Eliza cooed about the baby. It feels like just yesterday we were hanging out with our friends in college and now we are watching our kids play. Time flies.

Sophia and Eliza visited the Philadelphia Flower Show this weekend with their Grammie and Pop. They had a great time and especially enjoyed the butterfly exhibit where everyone gets a q-tip with sugar water to help attract the butterflies.

And just like that, the weekend is over. It went by too quickly and I desperately need just one more day off. One more day to spend with the girls and Evan.

Life

flower show Time with friends

Published March 7, 2016 by Nadya

Working

These posts all start out with a working title that is almost always Working. This time around, however, the title is apropos. It has been a little over a month since we’ve moved and there have been many changes in our everydayness. Some were driven by us by choice, others by circumstance, and others still by powers entirely out of our control.

We decided that there is no better time to sleep train Sophia than in the midst of a move and deep in the dull-drums of February. The process is/was incredibly arduous as we had no intention of employing any sort of crying-it-out. I am not even sure crying-it-out is even effective or sensible for a four year old. Whatever the age, it isn’t sensible for us. Thus far, the training has helped Sophia learn how to sleep in her own bed, albeit not without waking up at least once nightly. And while Evan and I are still exhausted, Sophia seems more rested in the mornings.

We’ve also cut out all media and entertainment during mealtimes and reduced overall exposure to TV and anything image-based to 30 minutes/day for Eliza and 1 hr/day for Sophia. Unlike the sleep training, this change was instituted suddenly and without preamble. To our surprise, there was no pushback from the girls and we have been pleasantly surprised at how entertaining our dinner-time conversations have been.

Lastly, but perhaps most important change (yes, even over our own sleep), has been the drastic reduction of toys we have made available to the girls. We have sorted and pruned about 70% of the toys that the girls had on hand at our previous home. As a result, we have noticed that the girls play more with each other, craft more, and spend more time with us. With the warmer weather practically at our doorstep, we are looking forward to shifting the majority of the okay from the home to the great outdoors.

Happy Monday!

Life

new habits

Published February 29, 2016 by Nadya

A Home

A house is just a structure. A home is that structure filled with people, with aromas of home-cooked food, and for me, with flowers.

This move hasn’t been easy but we’re finally done. Not unpacked, but moved out and surrounded by endless boxes. Unpacking can, for me, be daunting and thankless especially when spring is on our doorstep and there is so much else one could do with their weekend. And so in an effort to make our house a home and cheer up a dreary task, I picked out a fresh arrangement at a local florist. The beautiful blooms instantly made the day so much brighter.

I had every intention of baking these cookies but ran out of cocoa powder. I didn’t miss a beat and instead made a beautiful sockerkaka med applen (Swedish apple cake). There are few things that are so aromatic as apples baking and vanilla-laced cake.

Last, but not least, the girls enjoyed the day with their Baba and Deda as we worked to pack, unpack, and generally finish our move. On the occasion of their births, they each got little personalized backpacks and I can’t believe they are both finally big enough to use them.

I am ready for a weekend, the relaxing kind.

Dessert Life

apple cake cake life Moments

Category: <span>Life</span>

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts: