What's Up Wednesday (January 2018)

Yeah for the first "What's Up Wednesday" of 2018!  These are my favorite linkups because I love to see what everyone is up to AND I love looking back at these posts too!  Linking up with Mel, Shay and Sheaffer HERE

Here goes nothing!

What We're Eating This Week

Monday-  Lemon Piccata Chicken Tenders with Roasted Broccoli (Recipe HERE )

Tuesday- Rob's Whole 30 Meat Sauce with Pasta for Kiddos and a Sweet Potato for Mama and Daddy.  (Recipe HERE )

Wednesday- Italian Chicken with Mushrooms and Spinach with Cauliflower Rice and Brown Rice for the Kiddos

Thursday- Greek Marinated Steak Tips with Greek Salad and Roasted Asparagus

Friday- Friday Night Pizza Night for the Fam and Mama is making dinner for Kathy (haven't decided on the recipe yet!)

What I'm Reminiscing About

Summer....our trips to our friends' lake houses...camps...the beach.  We have to sign the kiddos up for camps early here so I just put our deposit down for Diana's Triple Threat Camp and it got me to thinking and reminiscing about how much I LOVE summer!

What I'm Loving

My Lilly APS Purchases.  I plan on doing a separate post on these once everything arrives- I am still waiting on the very first item I had ordered.  Once that is in and I get myself motivated, I will try on my outfits and do a post!

 My favorite item to come in so far is the Zia Skirt in Royal Lime, Tiki Pink 

What We've Been Up To

We enjoyed all of the Christmas Festivities with Family and Friends

 

Diana left cheer to give it a go at gymnastics and she was placed on the Silver Team at Palaestra Gymnastics Academy and she is LOVING IT!

We rung in the new year at the Batsons with some of their neighbors and pals

We completed another successful Wolverines Awards Day!

We celebrated Ally's 25th Birthday!

Diana has been really enjoying basketball

Mama and Daddy enjoyed a Beatles Cover Band

and we celebrated Sam's Birthday!

Eva has been picking up the hockey stick more and more and can't wait to start a hockey program this spring!

and Diana has been loving holidays and snow days...hanging out with pals...Mama wonders if the kiddos ever go to school?  ;)

We loved watching Diana in the Winter Concert at School

Mama enjoyed the annual Team Will Kick Off

and a weekend away to Ogunquit with Mimi!

and of course the NH Winter Wine Festival!

Eva has been loving "Nastics!"

and we have been enjoying family dinners with great friends

and Diana and Kayla enjoyed their annual tradition at Disney On Ice!

What I'm Dreading

Daddy traveling next week- it is my least favorite week of the year- lonely, stressful and trying to do it all on your own is no fun- will be mommy'ing and working hard from home AND counting down the minutes until he returns!

What I'm Working On

My New Year's Resolutions- Head Down- Plugging Away- Moving Forward!

What I'm Excited About

The Olympics Starting Next Week- Yahoo!  Can't wait for the opening ceremonies and then following all of the ice skating...I may just let my littles stay up late to enjoy some of it too- we always make it a family affair :)  So proud of our country!

What I'm Watching/Reading

This Is Us

American Housewife

Teachers

Grey's Anatomy

Scandal

and Rob and I have really enjoyed the first two Tom Vs. Time Videos on Facebook.  He is a specimen and a focused one at that.  The videos really give you a behind-the-scenes look at how Tom keeps himself disciplined and focused-very inspiring

I am losing interest in Jane The Virgin and Riverdale- they are just not holding me

and I am eagerly awaiting the return of Billions next month and then The Affair and Odd Mom Out this Summer!

A few recent movies I loved watching again for the thousandth time include....

Back To The Future (in my top three of all time!)

and....because I am a sucker for wedding movies....

The Wedding Date

and I have been devouring as many Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan documentaries as humanly possible too!

and as for reading, I have been on a roll....LOVING reading this time of year....I read FOUR count 'em FOUR books in January and loved them all for different reasons...here they are....

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand

Such a heart-wrenching story about soul mates and a talent for truly matchmaking while keeping everyone on Nantucket happy, informed and entertained

A Stranger In The House by Shari Lapena

Just as good as her breakout hit, The Couple Next Door, this one kept me on my toes and kept shivers on my arms- so scary and so suspenseful- loved every minute

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pakannen

Oh wow...this was an incredible tale with twists and turns and lots of suspense...another thriller that kept me turning the pages (well on my Kindle)....reminds you that you may not know who some people really are....freaky!

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

This was our first Book Club Book and it did not disappoint.  I love stories about families...especially moms and how they raise their children in suburbia...pick up tips where I can and love delving into different characters and why they behave the way they do...this book was heart-breaking...vivid....and so real...Kristin Hannah did it again!  What a writer...enjoy her stories and all of the details in her wording...her words make her stories so beautiful

What I'm Listening To....

So I just put a playlist together for our girls trip to Fort Lauderdale...I hope to be able to add some more tunes to it but I think we are off to a great start for our hotel room dance parties...my favorite part of any girls' trip!  Here are some of the tunes that have made the cut so far....

Goodbye Stranger (straight off the I, Tonya Movie Soundtrack)- Supertramp

How Long - Charlie Puth

Cake By The Ocean- DNCE

What Lovers Do- Maroon 5

Breathless- The Corrs (going old school with some of these choices obviously)

Barbie Girl- Radio

You Make My Dreams Come True- Hall and Oates

Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

Attention- Charlie Puth

Follow you Down- Gin Blossoms

Believer- Imagine Dragons

and Pour Some Sugar On Me of course!

What I'm Wearing

Black Jersey Dress (old from Macy's), Royal Blue and Leopard Suede Pumps (old from Amazon), Kendra Scott Pendant (old from KS)

Ruffle Sweatshirt (Macy's,  Find it HERE ),  Leggings (Old from Marshall's), Toms Sneakers (Old from Ebay)

Gray Cold Shoulder Sparkly Sweater (Nordstroms, find it HERE ), Bootleg Jeans (Old INC at Macy's) 

Gray Heather Sweater (INC at Macy's Find it HERE ) 

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Mama is making dinner for Kathy on Friday night and then the whole fam (and Kathy) are heading to the Partingtons for First Friday.  On Saturday, Mama is headed to the beach with some besties for some QT and Sunday will be family time ALL day and night as we cheer on our New England Patriots in the Super Bowl! :)

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

Lots of snuggles during the cold winter month BUT hopefully the last of the winter months for this year in these parts!!  Also excited about helping a friend who is running for school board- not as fun as running Robby B's campaigns but almost ;)

What Else Is New

The Days Are Getting Longer- Can I get a What What??

Bonus Question Of The Month:

What Is My Favorite Soup?  

I would have to say Mel's Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Find the Recipe HERE

So warm and so yummy and you make it right in the crock pot!

Can't wait to read all about what you have been up to!