I discovered a show called Toddlers and Tiaras yesterday. I really wish I hadn’t.  I watched a few too many YouTube clips only to come home and discover it was on TV. for three hours. I am embarrassed to admit I was entranced for two because I don’t want to increase viewership for such disgusting programming, but I couldn’t stop listening to the words of these abhorrent, selfish mothers as they twisted impressionable little girls into narcissistic brats and sad show ponies.

These moms said outrageous things to the camera and while I hope it was hammed up for “good TV,” deep down I know most of it probably wasn’t. I don’t think it was showy when one mom said, “I’m not going to say it’s like a dog show, but it’s like, ‘mine is prettier than yours’” with a slick smile. I think that was a direct glimpse into her proud and deranged mind. My heart sunk for her daughter and all the other contestants.

I was initially amazed at how much money these families drop on a hobby that gave so little in return.  Entry fees, travel expenses, dresses, talent lessons, coaches, makeup and accessories: even if your child frequently won top place it is unlikely you would recoup the cost in prize money.  It didn’t take long to realize pageantry had nothing to do with winning prizes; pageantry is a competition for the sake of winning and finding self-worth there from. I am not talking about the little girls, of course. For moms with a lot of money it’s a way to show off they have some to burn. For others it seemed obvious their self-worth came from the attention and compliments their daughters received, perhaps because no one ever told him how pretty they were.

The desire to be a pretty princess is one of the first things we learn as little girls. We don’t learn that we should want to be princesses because they have the power to do good in the world. We learn to covet their position because they are beautiful, virtuous and loved by all. What little girl doesn’t want to be loved by all?

Little girls are so impressionable; they need help to develop a strong sense of self and good self-esteem. Pageantry seems to do just the opposite because it ties a girl’s sense of self to her appearance (ever changing) and teaches her to draw her self-esteem from outside, rather than within (and so begins the quest for approval so many women struggle with). One day she will grow up. If her whole sense of self is based on how she looks, how will she deal with her body changing at puberty? How will she fair when she is no longer the prettiest girl in the room? Does she stand a chance at happiness when her youth has faded?

 If your little girl is beautiful (and what parent doesn’t think so?), make sure you tell her that and do it frequently. But also tell her that she is smart and funny, creative and a good person. Hug and kiss her until she squirms away. My mom did all those things when I was little and I still find myself in many instances where I could be a little lot gentler on myself. I am so thankful that even when I feel unhappy, unsure, or unpretty I know deep down that I am loved, I am worthy and I am a good person.

I hope those pageant girls find an interest or hobby that makes them smile, even when no one is looking.

Christmastime is full of wonderful things.

Pretty things!

Like delicate leaves plated in gold.

Exciting things!

Like the Union Square Holiday Market.

Delicious things!

Like gingerbread men and women.

Beautiful things.

Like a giant tree in the middle of your new home.Glorious things.

Like the giant tree becoming a Christmas Tree.

Merry Christmastime

I had very good intentions of starting the week off with a killer lower body workout, but I woke up with a tummy ache (I blame sushi takeout) and rolled over to find work emails from my colleague in Belgium that needed immediate attention. Hellooooooo, Monday!

Since I still can’t find my camera cable chord and left my memory card reader at home, it’s a bit difficult to do a proper weekend recap. Nevertheless, I have a iphone photos and facebook finds I’d like to share with you because a ton of wonderful things happened the past couple of days.

It began with a 5 1/4 mile run to Prospect Park with Ted on beautiful Thanksgiving morning. My workout log makes painfully obvious that I haven’t been running much since completing the amazing Rock and Roll 10K a couple of weeks ago. Thursday’s run wasn’t as hard as I imagined and it felt great. We fueled up for the big Turkey Day activities with cappuccino and water. I always look bright red and ick after a long run, but Ted seems to pull off a number of good looks post run. Here, the dino.

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal and I left no corner of my plate unfilled. All the family favs were there (hi, there, candied yams), as well as a new dish (mac and cheeeeeese) courtesy of my cousin Billy’s girlfriend. I took a really cute picture of me, my mom and her mom (a.k.a. Nana), but it’s still on my camera. In the meantime, please feel free to gawk at my dinner.

After Turkey Day, Ted and I celebrated Ted’s brother Aaron’s 21st birthday. Happy birthday Aaron!!! I drank like it was my 21st birthday. Oops.

Saturday our good friends Mr. John Pierpont and Miss Raquel Otheguy got married in Pelham, NY and it was seriously an amazing time. Raquel was stunning, John was beaming, the reception was beautiful, the food was delicious and I got to chat and dance with many law school friends I don’t see enough.

Later that night we headed back to the city for another joyous occasion: the engagement of my brother from another mother, Sean to the lovely Miss Aimee.

In the morning we managed to make it to Aaron’s birthday brunch with the whole Hawkins/Haussman clan. I must say, there is nothing like a weekend full of love and parties followed by mimosas with bagels with lox. I am a very lucky girl to have so much love and deliciousness in my life.

Yes, I should have cleaned more. Yes, I would have liked to work out more. Yes, I should have drank slightly less. But I don’t regret any of it.

Life is good.

Question of the Day: What was the best day of your long weekend? What made it so wonderful?

I missed last week’s WIAW and I was determined to make this week happen. What ensued was me chronically some of the most random (and bird like) eating I’ve done in a while.

Tuesday started out typical enough. I chomped down on a small handful of peanut butter m&ms before heading to the gym for an amazing lower body workout. (Must. throw. out. M’s.)

My upper body weight session rocked and I rewarded my body with a super  healthy and delicious (and green!) smoothie. It looks a bit scary, but when I handed Ted his he drank it down and said it was “delicious” without any coaxing on my part. He had no idea it was blended cucumber, spinach, banana, yogurt, almond milk and Amazing Grass GREEN Superfood and didn’t care when I told him afterwards.  Oh yea, i added some honey too

My decorations are getting you in the holiday spirit, no?

Mid morning I ate a small pear. I may be addicted.

Lunch was small, but awesome. I enjoyed a whole wheat quesadilla stuffed with sauted mushrooms, black beans and manchego cheese. I nibbled on some romaine and steamed green beans. 1/3 of an avocado was added to the quesadilla for some healthy, filling fat.

Work got pretty crazy so i nibbled on cucumber slices and grape tomatoes to keep me going. (When I know work is going to be crazy I throw a bunch of small things in tupperware to bring to work. Very helpful.)

By 8 I had a chance to break for dinner but the cafeteria seriously had NOTHING I would consider eating that night, so I surveyed my random office snacks. Trader Joe’s flax seed crackers it was.

Just when I was about to polish off the sleeve I remembered I had avocado left and, well, wouldn’t topping the crackers be JUST like eating chips and guac at Rosa Mexicana?!?!? (I imagined a blood orange margarita by my phone.)

Sometimes when I’m under the gun at work my coffee chugging and running around leaves no room for hunger in my brain. I honestly don’t notice it until hours have passed since my typical meal time. Looking back at yesterday I ate a fraction of what I usually do and all day I had the feeling that I needing to sloooooow down. Not my preferred eating/working style, but occasionally its necessary and I do enjoy the fast pace sometimes. When I got home I made sure to unwind with a glass of vino and make piece with the day. 

And then it was bedtime

Question of the Day: Do your eating habits change when you are super busy or under pressure? How do you make sure you eat something nutritious? (Alternatively, how can I stop eating pb m&m’s before I even wake up? Thanks.)

You could probably guess this, but we are now in my favorite time of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas time are full of fun, food, friends and family and I love it all. One of my favorite traditions is to attend the annual Thanksgiving potluck my friends Rebecca and Carly throw. It’s seriously impressive.

The potluck has wonderful memories for me because its one of the two times a year I got to see Rebecca while I was slaving away in law school (her birthday being the other). Now that I’m a working woman, it’s a little easier to get together, but there’s still nothing like the excitement (and food) of the annual friendsgiving party.

I was asked to make mac and cheese for the party and googled my heart out until I found something that made me say “mmmmmmmm.” You can find the recipe here, but be forewarned, it is labor intensive, makes a TON of mac and cheese and you WILL be dipping the unused bread crust to taste the cheese sauce. (Maybe you have more self-control than I?)I probably should have taken a before photo of the food because we  destroyed it. My top picks were the the corn bread souffle and sweet potato casserole (I LOVE that stuff).

I definitely contributed to the decimation.

There was eating, drinking and a ton of goofing around. It was really the perfect end to my week long vacation.

But let’s not close out this lovely memory without talking about desert. Erika makes an ice cream cake each year. Forget the carvel crunchies of your childhood. Forget that ridiculously expensive coldstone cake you drool over as you shell out close to 10 bucks for a cup-o-heaven. This is the real deal.

Tryptophan coma got you down? Tiramisu ice cream cake will wake you up! (Then gently woo you back to sleep because you can’t stop eating it.) Please note the smooth and perfectly coco powdered side and beautiful chocolate shaving on top. Artistry must be appreciated, people.

Cinnamon cake, coffee ice cream, chocolate chips and butter cream frosting layers… I can’t remember all the ingredients because it was a masterpiece of culinary creativity. If you are in the NYC area and are looking for something special for your next party, shoot me an email and I will put you in touch with Erika so you can experience this goodness for yourself. Friends will be impressed, I can assure you.

Christina came out strong with a carrot cake that was moist, nutty and BEAUTIFUL to boot.

I sampled a few things. (Dustin KILLED it with the pumpkin bars!)

Unfortunately, I could not clean my plate. (Shocking.)

Rebecca, Carly and the friends did a killer job this year. Thanks so much everyone!

I’m trying to go heavy on the green consumption and sweat production this week so I’m in fighting shape for Thursday with my fam. Not that I really think of eating as a sport, but this is the only time of year its acceptable to drown sweet potatoes in marshmallows and I absolutely love that. I plan to enjoy it all I hope you’re all enjoying whatever Thanksgiving traditions bring you lots of joy, staying happy and healthy throughout this time of year.

Question of the Day: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Dear friends,

I know I’ve been M.I.A. I’m really sorry about that. Work was crazy, then I went furniture shopping and then I was prepping to meet the love of my life. Ted? Of course I love Ted, but Ted doesn’t wear bows like this little lady does… (don’t be confused. Ted never wears bows. Maddy just pulls. them. OFF.)

I hope you love beautiful babies because this healthy living blog, typically featuring tons of yummy food, is about to go all baby crazy on you. (P.S. there is a LOT of Christmas coming your way as well. You are welcome in advance )

Madelynn Nicole Lorusso is my best girlfriend Megan’s 5 month old baby girl, and she is perfection. I have practically zero experience with babies. Megan let me hold her anyway.

I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t easy. But oh my GOSH was it fun.

I may be a little bias, but I really do think she is the cutest baby ever. Honest. Take a look for yourself:

She has the bluest eyes and cutest clothes

The softest hair and squishiest cheeks

My neighborhood is full of babies. Babies in animal suits and wrapped up on their well dressed mommies’ bellies or hanging from their hipster dad’s chest in a baby bjorn. You can bet I was eager to get this cutie suited up and strapped in. Major success.

Aunt Nicole LOVES Miss Maddy so so much.

And so does her mommy.

I know you all must now as well  

Maddy lives in Charlotte with her family, but I’m going to try my very hardest to be a good aunt. (iPhone will probably go a long way here. Definitely something to be thankful for!) I can’t wait to share with you all the joy of being an aunt to this beautiful baby girl.

Thanks for sticking with me through the M.I.A. week, friends.

XOXO,

Aunt Nicole