One Fine Day: THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS

THINKING ABOUT: Remember the last Thursday Thoughts post where I was certain we were SO close to Max walking?! Yeah, no. Nothing has changed. In fact, we've regressed since then. Oh, grrrrrrreat! While my parents were here, we were ALL convinced it could happen at any moment, but a certain half-pint lacks the confidence needed to take his first steps and refuses to even stand at this point. When I encourage (okay, force) him to use his walker or hold my hand, his lower half goes limp and he dramatically melts to the ground. The curious and independent child I had to watch closely a few weeks ago, wants to be held ALL the time and won't leave my sight. This paired with MORE teething is dynamite, m' dears. I'm reminded yet again that babies be babies.

THANKFUL FOR: Afternoon naps that last a little longer than expected (Here's looking at you, Tuesday!) and result in me tip-toeing around the house as I attempt to accomplish "just one more" task before the babe awakes. Afternoons like these are unpredictable gifts that make you feel like you're winning at life. Did somebody say JACKPOT?! Oh, and could we make this a weekly thing??

FEELING: While getting my roots colored last Saturday, my stylist asked how I felt about turning thirty (it's my birthday today!). I guess she had a hard time coming to terms with it herself and was surprised I didn't think much of the milestone. Over the years I've been told I was born with an old soul, which probably explains why I feel somewhat relieved to welcome this new decade. I proudly donned walking shorts and blazers in middle school, and I spent the better part of my twenties relating more to middle-aged women than my actual age group. If this means I'm one year closer to my mental age (whatever that is...), bring it on.

EATING: I'm not sure how I started following Lauren Brimley on Instagram, but she recently shared a two-week meal plan with a focus on whole foods that piqued my interest. After my parents left, I wasn't all that motivated to brainstorm this week's dinners, so I happily chose a few recipes from her plan. If you're looking for ways to mix up next week's meal plan, I highly recommend Lauren's Salsa Chicken, Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup, Honey Sriracha Salmon, Cauliflower Rice, and Seared Chicken Thighs with Confetti Hash. Since I experimented with several new recipes, I was certain there would be at least one or two that we'd find mediocre, but Flyboy and I were pleasantly surprised with each meal and plan on repeating them again in the not-so-distant future.

LISTENING TO: Max's first birthday resulted in many new and obnoxious toys (namely this and this). Now I have a fresh set of hokey lyrics to memorize, which you know I secretly love to hate. "Red, green, yellow, blue, let's follow the jungle crew!"

WATCHING: The rapid and deliciously clever banter between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore might be one of my favorite things. Ever. So when news broke this week of a possible Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix, I was instantly twitterpated! Twitterpated, I tell you! The idea of a Stars Hollow reunion has got me frolicking through imaginary piles of leaves and belting out "Where You Lead" in my best impression of Carole King. Now how can we ensure Sookie signs on for the mini-movies? This calls for a town meeting.

READING: Why am I just NOW reading this a-mazing article by Elizabeth Gilbert? Alright, never mind. Maybe I was supposed to see it today? Maybe it's exactly what I needed to read on my 30th birthday? Yes, definitely YES! Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

"So here's what I want to know: Can we lighten up a little?

Can we draft a joint resolution to drop the crazy-making expectation that we must all be perfect friends and perfect mothers and perfect workers and perfect lovers with perfect bodies and dedicate ourselves to charity and grow our own organic vegetables, at the same time we run corporations and stand on our heads while playing the guitar with our feet?

Let's just anticipate that we (all of us) will disappoint ourselves somehow. Go ahead and let it happen. Let somebody else be a better mother than you for one afternoon. Let somebody else go to art school. Let somebody else have a happy marriage, while you foolishly pick the wrong guy. (Hell, I've done it; it's survivable.) While you're at it, take the wrong job. Move to the wrong city. Lose your temper in front of the boss, quit training for that marathon, wolf down a truckload of cupcakes the day after you start your diet. Blow it all catastrophically, in fact, and then start over with good cheer. This is what we all must learn to do, for this is how maps get charted -- by taking wrong turns that lead to surprising passageways that open into spectacularly unexpected new worlds. So just march on. Future generations will thank you -- trust me -- for showing the way, for beating brave new footpaths out of wonky old mistakes. Fall flat on your face if you must, but please, for the sake of us all, do not stop. Map your own life."

LOVING: I heard about the beloved Aztec Clay Mask a few years ago when we lived in Hawaii. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked at Whole Foods (standard) and never ended up buying the magic mud mask—the primary reason for my trip. Damn you, fresh flowers and chocolate chip cookies! I guess it took Mindy Kaling's recent Instagram to jog my memory and convince me to finally buy a jar of the goodness. After several weeks of slathering my face with this clay concoction, I couldn't be more obsessed. In fact, I convinced Flyboy to try the easy at-home spa treatment with me last weekend and he couldn't get over how clean and smooth his face felt.

Enough about me. How are you feeling today? What are you up to? Thanks for stopping by!!