After the fun (and the chaos!) of the holidays, I wanted to reflect back on some of the things that made it so special and share what I would #recommend.
Our favorite gifts for the kid-O
#1 This book, Almost Everything, is everything. I would want it even if we didn't have a kid. It's such a beautiful book with so much to learn for every age. Uncle Brian and Uncle Keith found it at a local book store in Larchmont. We love starting our day with it and a cup of coffee - Maddy's favorite pages are obviously the construction equipment and the planes, trains & autos.
#recommended [books, art, kids]
#swoon
#trèschic
#2 If you are going to have kids toys that take up entire sections of your home, it's nice when they are not-unpleasant to look at. This kitchen that grandma and grandpa gave to Maddy is "tres chic" as we taught him to say. It's not the cheapest by any means, but apparently it's got great resale value.
#recommended [toys, toddlers, design]
#gamechanger
Our favorite gift to give
Anyone with any size house should have one of these in their life. The Dyson Cordless vacuum is one of the best investments we have ever made. (I gifted it to myself one year with a crazy-good cyber Monday deal). It’s seriously a game-changer. It keeps your house cleaner between deep cleans, and is significantly more convenient than using a regular vacuum. It’s also way more powerful than any other handheld I’ve used. I love all the attachments, and the storage & charging system. We gave 2 of these bad-boys for the holidays this year.
#recommended [domestic bliss, gadgets]
#needforspeed
Adult Entertainment... board games!
I love both of these because:
I have to use my brain, which is needed as I get older.
Both games are quick. For Bananagrams, every player has to build a personal scrabble-like board until all the pieces are used. And for Spot It, each player has to discard their cards by spotting and yelling out the object on their card that matches an object on the one previously played. Each hand lasts about 5-8 minutes for both games. So there is plenty of time for cocktail mixing and snacking in between.
Super easy to #travel with and store.
Play with more than 4 people or as few as 2.
Fan favorites: After playing these games, multiple friends and family we played with bought them to have at home
#recommended [parties, groups, entertainment]
#nom
Best.Cake.Ever (from one of my favorite restaurants I’ve eaten at while traveling)
Our dear friend Brian (featured repeatedly on Elizabeth & Mott) made Hartwood's Toasted Coconut Cake for our Christmas feast. It was so good that I ate half of it myself over the course of 2 days. Don't judge until you've eaten it.
#cookingtip - Brian used a bundt cake mold instead of a traditional mold and I think it kept the cake moist (sorry to anyone that hates that word, but it was seriously moist in the way you want your cake). It also allows most bites to include the rum-infused cream-cheese frosting.
p.s. if you have never been #tulum, the restaurant Hartwood is reason enough to go.
#recommended [recipes, cookbooks, restaurants]
Holiday #traveltip
I'll get right to it - travel on Christmas if at all possible. Shorter lines. Cheaper flights. Feliz Navidad.