Kate's Monthly Take - February 2020

This month started with a family trip to Disney World and will end with my husband and I on a beach. Both experiences I’m incredibly grateful for and have been high on our lists of priorities for sometime. In between the time away it’s been a whirlwind with much time spent concerned for the kids health during flu season and obsessively making everyone washes their hands, wipes their noses and takes their vitamins! Here’s hoping you and all of yours, as well as mine remain healthy until Spring rolls around.

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - February 2020

Mood

  • Be brave enough to suck at something new…such great advice especially for those of us who get stuck in something that isn’t fulfilling. I think about this is all the time but most of the time I’m not that brave. Maybe someday.

Currently Coveting

  • My husband and I are taking our first trip together in almost 5 years and we’re headed someplace tropical so I’ve been eyeing a few items. I’m just not sure how practical the items are outside of island life so I think I may just splurge on a fun pair of earrings (Coral Martinique Earrings) that I’m sure will be worn again!

Currently Coveting Kids Edition

Favorite Product

  • My hair has grown pretty damaged in the past few years. Three pregnancies and the subsequent hormones have meant that a lot has fallen out and its take a bit of a beating with blow drying and the flat iron. Bottom line is that it isn’t nearly as full as it once was so I’ve been using these Pantene Pro-V Rescue Shots to help strengthen my ends. Extremely easy to apply, love the scent and my split ends are diminishing by the week!

Design Pick

  • Jayson Home has long been my favorite design store in Chicago. Their inventory is constantly changing and always inspiring thanks to some of the best buyers around. The Buyers Section is my favorite section of their website and right now I’m loving these ikat trays.

What I'm Reading

  • Once I become hooked on a show I tend to have a hard time letting of the characters. When shows like Outlander and Poldark are based on fiction I usually start reading the books after watching the shows in hopes of finding more context, omitted scenes etc.... This is especially true this month as I’m currently reading as many books in the Poldark Saga as I can get my hands on. The series on PBS was based on 7 of the 12 books and I’m currently on book three, Jeremy Poldark.

What I’m Listening To

  • Not much new music this month…I’ve really only been listening to Audible and the book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. On the days I commute into the office audio books make my commute so much more bearable and this one is incredibly insightful yet entertaining.

What We're Reading the Kids

  • The recent President’s Day holiday spurred our interest in The President of the Jungle and provided a little lesson on the election process as well!

What I’m Watching

  • I have binged quite a few shows in weeks of January and February. Netflix’s Cheer and all five seasons of Poldark were my favorites. In fact, I’m still so obsessed with Poldark and it’s characters that I have started reading the books.

Instagram Handle

  • I love to eat cheese and I love to make a cheese board, so what could be better than watching someone create them? Following ThatCheesePlate is so satisfying for me and Marissa Mullen the handle owner/creator also has coined something called a #salamiriver that I am definitely going to try and re-create someday!

Guilty Pleasure

  • A car wash! The winter months are so hard on cars in Chicago and I get super crazy about checking the weather in order to plan our next car wash. Sure, the kids may destroy the interior the next day but a clean car (inside and out) even for just one day is worth it!

I Need A Vacation

  • The kids Spring Break is coming up at the end of next month and unfortunately, I have a work trip during their week off so we won’t be heading anywhere. However, if we were Jekyll Island, GA and the Jekyll Club would be at the top of my list. I have never been but you can get a direct flight into Jacksonville, FL and drive an hour north to the island, where family friendly fun awaits. Biking, swimming and Driftwood Beach sound like a pretty great family vacation to me!

Shit My Kids Will Eat

  • Kid Tested & Approved - If you’ve been following along on my Instagram you know that we eat a lot of soup in the winter. A couple of weeks ago a friend forwarded me this Lemony Chicken and Orzo soup recipe from Bon Appetit. Within days I had bought the ingredients and my husband whipped it together. Let me tell you this is one of the best chicken soups you will eat in your entire life and the lemon totally makes the dish! It’s lighter than your traditional chicken noodle soup, more complex and just as delicious. My kids ate it so you know it has to be decent!

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