The Daily Birch: Lately

"Life is going to get easier in the new year,"  I said to myself. "I'm going to have more time to blog, to take care of my self, and to get organized!" I excitedly thought to myself. 

Seven weeks in to 2017 and I finally started to put my plan together to achieve just that.

I spent the better half of December, and a good chunk of January, sick. By the time I started feeling better our house was overrun by the holidays, two months worth of clutter piled on top of already existing clutter, and unpacked boxes scattered around the house from our move in July. 

On a mid-January morning I woke up feeling claustrophobic and spent the whole week scrubbing, decluttering, and organizing the house. I had barely scratched the surface but I was finally able to breathe. 

Stop to snap the sunset. (February 10, 2017)

Setting small habit forming goals has been my MO the past two months. Increasing water intake, decreasing alcohol consumption, spending more times outdoors, and hitting the gym have been helpful in reducing my anxiety. I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt crippling anxiety this year. Granted, there are daily stress inducing events but I've been able to handle them...for the most part.

My daily gratitude journal has been a blessing, specifically on days when it feels like nothing good happened. There are days when I don't want to reflect, I don't want to be grateful for anything, and all I want to do is just quit. But that's never an option and pushing through and finding ten things to be grateful for helped me end those bad days on a good note. Because let's be honest, I (and we) have a lot to be thankful for and we are truly blessed. Every bad day, and every challenge, makes us stronger and helps us handle the next day and the next challenge with new found strength. 

Finding time to blog again. :) 

Listening to minimalist moms podcast.

Learning to do more with less.

Reading Grace, Not Perfection. This book is helping me re-think the structure of my days and how I organize my life (family, friends, house, etc.). Highly recommend it!

Working on my consulting website and looking for my next digital marketing client! If you or someone you know needs help with digital and social media marketing strategy, content creation, and daily maintenance, let me know! 

What are your favorite life organizing books, podcasts, bloggers, worksheets, etc.?

Life With a Toddler (a Visual Essay)

Toddlers do the darnest things, including ours! There's never a shortage of entertaining moments, from her lining up the animals from the Little People Big Zoo on the lower stair step looking up towards the top to hiding half a pancake in an empty kitchen drawer.  

The other day the kid did a few funny things in a short period of time so I captured it in my Instagram sorry. If you missed it, don't fret! Here it is again: 

What are some of the funniest things that your toddler has done?

Levine Museum of the New South (with a Toddler)

Monday was a dreary rainy day. It was also a bank holiday and a day off for many, including Brandon. After days of being stuck at home due to illnesses we were ready to get out of the house, rain or shine. 

We decided on a late morning visit to ImaginOn so that the kid could run around, have sensory overload, and take a long nap in the afternoon.

When we arrived Uptown, the Seventh Street parking deck was empty and there were only a few souls at the 7th Street Public Market. I got my usual at Not Just Coffee and we set out across the light rail tracks to the library. 

It was closed.

It was raining so we had to think quickly and find a museum within walking distance. And then it hit me: The Levine Museum of the New South! It's been forever since our last trip there and I knew that the kid would enjoy the interactive exhibits.

It's an interesting time in the history of North Carolina, specifically when it comes to politics, so getting a crash course review of our past was much needed. Necessary, even. 

The museum takes you from the history of cotton fields to skyscrapers with well laid out facts and interactive exhibits that make learning fun but without sugarcoating the truth. 

Our kid is definitely too young to get the most out of the museum, however, she got a chance to explore freely and learn as much as a 20 month old kid could. 

It's important to learn about and remember our past because the moment we forget is the moment when history repeats itself. 

Vanilla Sugar Latte | Not Just Coffee

Levine Museum of the New South

Levine Museum of the New South

Touch and feel the cotton. | Levine Museum of the New South

Cotton Mill, a view from the window. | Levine Museum of the New South

Belk's | Levine Museum of the New South

Levine Museum of the New South

Levine Museum of the New South

Hello? | Levine Museum of the New South

My biggest nightmare. | Levine Museum of the New South

Event Space at the Levine Museum of the New South

My One Word for 2017

Last year I struggled to find my one word. This year's word came to me a few short weeks ago, in a middle of a group text conversation with my nearest and dearest. It was right there in front of me all along:

Gratitude.

Give it. Receive it. Find it. Express it. 

I realize that I am not very good at expressing gratitude, at times coming off ungrateful when I'm anything but. Other times I experience extreme moments of pessimism and refuse to see the good. Taking a breath and seeing the good and being grateful is a necessary exercise, for the mind and the soul.

This year I'm keeping a journal and writing down ten things every night that I am grateful for that day, recalling all the little moments of the day, and I am looking forward to reading them all on December 31st. 

Cheers to a year of gratitude!

The first page of my gratitude journal. Collect moments, not things.

What is your one word for 2017?

22 Uptown Restaurants I Want to Try in 2017

What do you do when you consider yourself a foodie and realize you have only been to a teeny tiny fraction of the restaurants in town? You make a list and vow to try as many as possible (or all of them) in a calendar year. 

This is a three part list that includes restaurants I've never been to, restaurants I haven't been to in years (marked with an asterisk *), and restaurants that are my favorites. Only the new-to-me restaurants are included in the total count. 

Still with me? Good!

I will update the list with links to blog posts about my experience and what I ate as I check off places on the list.

And now, in no particular order, the list! 

Uptown

1. BLT - I love a great steak and potato dinner. Also, did somebody say signature popovers?! Located inside the chic Ritz Carlton, it's a must on my list!
2. Alexander Michael’s - I'm ashamed to admit that this restaurant has been on my wishlist for at least five years and I have yet to go there. Rumor has it the place is like Cheers, where everybody knows your name.
3. Murphy's Kitchen & Tap - You had me at Shepherd's Pie.
4. Stoke - The food and the cocktails look amazing and the giant doughnut cake is Instagram worthy. It's no wonder that locals flock to this hotel restaurant and bar, located inside the newly renovated Charlotte Center City Marriott. 
5. Coco And The Director - This coffee shop, located inside Charlotte Center City Marriott, has a cool decor, a coffee bar, and carved to order sandwiches. Sign me up! 
6. Luce - Some of my fondest memories are of my trip to Northern Italy when I was a teenager. Most of those memories include food, which is why this restaurant is high on my list!
7. Poplar Street Tapas Cafe & Wine Bar - Inspired Peruvian tapas? Yes, please! The ceviche is my top priority. 
8. 204 North - There are very few restaurants in Charlotte that serve fried green tomatoes. This is one of them. 
9. City Lights Rooftop Bar - Located on top of Le Meridien Charlotte, the bar offers a great view of the Charlotte skyline. And any place with a view of my favorite skyline gets top billing on my list!
10. Evoke - I've been dying to try this restaurant since it opened a few years ago. The marinated baby beets salad, Peruvian ceviche, and gnocchi top my must try list.
11. Chili Man - Everybody knows about Vic and his hot dog cart uptown and I can't wait till it's warm enough for him to be back out on the streets so I can finally try his legendary dogs.
12. Halcyon - I've only been here once for a cocktail and it was one of the best I've ever had. Based on that I assume the food is just as good. 
13. Valhalla Pub and Eatery - I'm part Scandinavian so there are several items that I would love to try: the Norwegian Meatball plate, the Norwegian Burger, and the Swedish Hash. Skål!
14. Something Classic Cafe - Their catering is top notch and I've heard amazing things about the cafe. Expect me to live there if their roast beef ciabatta sandwich is the same as what they have as part of their catering packages.
15. The Cellar at Duckworth's - A "secret" underground restaurant and bar,  you say? Count me in! 
16. McNinch House - This prix fixe, reservation only, restaurant is one of (if not THE) most romantic restaurants in town. Someone tell my husband this is where I want to go for our wedding anniversary in October.
17. Mert's Heart & Soul - A soul food classic and another Uptown spot with fried green tomatoes. Count me in!
18. Cowbell Burger & Whiskey Bar - Confession: I used to hate burgers. But that was before I discovered artisan burgers. Now I'm converted and love trying out burger focused restaurants. I'm on a Umami kick so that's the burger that I must try on my first visit.
19. The Asbury - modern, rustic, Southern. If you don't get hungry reading the menu, you're not human. 
20. Tavolo - Reasonably priced Italian fare located inside the old Cosmo location. 
21. Green's Lunch - I've walked past this place more times than I could count. They've been around since 1926 and serve breakfast and lunch.
22. Cafe Siena - Another restaurant I've walked passed on numerous occasions, another restaurant I must try this year.

Favorites

• Aria Tuscan Grill* - One of my favorite restaurant in town and it's been forever since I've ate there. The chef's table is a must. It's also my top pick for Restaurant Week. 
• Bentley's Restaurant On 27* - Another Charlotte classic, another restaurant I have not been to in almost a decade. Come for the crab cakes, stay for the view.
• Blue* - A classic restaurant with the best Sea Bass in town. Come for dinner, stay for the jazz. It's also where my now husband and I celebrated our engagement many many years ago.
• Mimosa Grill* - The last time I ate here was in 10 B.I., better known as the era Before Instagram, so there's no photographic evidence to remind me what it was that I ate. I remember the night, but that's a whole different story.
• The King's Kitchen - This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in town and it's a non-profit. Eating for a good cause never felt so good.
• Dandelion Market - an old favorite for tapas and cocktails and dance parties. 
• Basil Thai - another favorite that never disappoints. Get the Basil Duck and Pad Thai and thank me later. 
• 5Church - equal parts chic, fun, and delicious. My favorites are the Lamb Burger, the 60 second steak, and the Viper. Seasonal dishes are not to be missed!
• VBGB Beer Hall and Garden - Sure it's a bar (with an extensive collection of craft beer taps) but their food is great, too! They have best soft pretzel in town and have other standout dishes such as the potatoes latkes, fried pickles, and totchos.
• Room 112 - One of my favorite "secret" spots for sushi Uptown with a great hot food menu.
• Sea Level - Their signature namesake oysters are delicious and the corn fritters are hands down the best corn fritters I've ever had.
• Malabar - The tapas are the delicious, the wine selection is great, and the paella is my favorite.
• Rhino Market & Deli - Take thee straight to the back of the store and order yourself a grilled cheese, it's the best in town! 
• Pinky's Westside Grill - This place turned me into a fried pickle lover. My go to is the White Trash burger with a side salad or the Buffalo Shrimp salad. If you're a corn dog lover, this is your spot! They're hand dipped in house and there's also a vegetarian version. 
• Bernardin's - This is one of my new favorite restaurants in town. I love the atmosphere, the food, and Susan the bartender. 
• Pure Pizza - I'm obsessed with the Chorizo pizza and the bourbon honey for dipping the crust.
• Fahrenheit - I know this is going to sound crazy but my favorite thing on the menu is the wild mushroom pizza. Shh, don't tell Chef Rocco. 
• Bonsai Fusion - Another favorite sushi spot, tucked away at 7th Street Market. Always fresh, always delicious!
• K.O. Sushi - Speaking of take-out sushi, this is another favorite of mine. Grab a couple of rolls and enjoy lunch al fresco at Romare Bearden Park.
• Chima Brazilian Steakhouse - There are other Rodizio style restaurants in town but this one is hands down the best. 

Look, I'm just as surprised as you by some of the restaurants on the list! And to think this is only Uptown! I will be tackling the remainder of the neighborhoods throughout the year so make sure to check back!

Huge thanks to the following lists for inspiring me:

• Yelp's 2016 Top 50 Places to Eat in Charlotte
• Charlotte Magazine's 25 Best New Restaurants: 2017
• Eater's 18 Hottest New Restaurants in Charlotte, NC

What is your favorite Uptown restaurant and why?

A look back on my word for 2016

My word for 2016 was best. Do what's best and live the best life. This year was good. Great, even. But it wasn't my best. Best may have not been the best word to live by in 2016. What I needed was an action word...

It was a challenging year on many fronts but challenging is not necessarily bad. Challenges help us grow, they shape us, and they make us stronger.

The biggest challenge for me this year was dealing with anxiety. Sometimes severe anxiety. The kind of anxiety that takes over your whole being and paralyzes you. But I learned how to function and push through it even though every fiber of my body was resisting. Allowing myself to drop everything and just breathe has helped immensely. Being open about my anxiety and talking about it has helped a lot, too. 

This year we moved into a new house, celebrated five years of marriage, and patted ourselves on the back for keeping our little monster alive and well for a whole year and a half. We celebrated wins and learned from the losses. We grew stronger.

I feel like we have a lot of uncertainty ahead of us in 2017 but as long as our core is strong, and we survived 2016, we can survive anything.

Eighteen Month Well Visit

They say time flies when you're having fun. It also flies when your two-naps-a-day kid becomes a one-nap-a-day kid and you're ready to take one after lunch yourself. Going non-stop from seven in the morning till one in the afternoon is exhausting as is, it's even more exhausting when that time is spent entertaining and chasing a toddler, working, and keeping the house from burning down. 

The transition from two naps to one happened over a two day period around sixteen months. On Monday she refused her afternoon nap, on Tuesday she refused her morning nap, and by Wednesday we were down to one. 

There was a lot of Googling and Pinning happening the first week to find ideas for sensory play, dexterity exercises, and local options for toddler entertainment. I will be sharing our favorites in the near future!

The eighteen month check up was even more difficult than the fifteen. The doctor was running behind so the kid and I spent forty-five minutes watching Peppa Pig on the computer in the exam room, anticipating the pocking and the prodding... and the kicking and the screaming. 

Thankfully, she is all caught up on her vaccines until her two year well visit and the only one she received was the flu shot. She is still at a moderate risk for RSV but because she is not high risk, the insurance company refuses to cover the vaccine. 

The kid is on track developmentally in some ways and a little behind in others. We need to work on getting her off the nipple bottle for milk intake and prepare ourselves for potty training in the upcoming months. We also hope that she'll start talking more in the near future and increase her vocabulary. She understands everything we tell her but refuses to speak. Pointing and screaming is still her go-to for communicating her needs. 

The stats:

• Weight: 22.7 lbs (20th percentile) - double digits, y'all!!
• Height: 32 in (50th percentile) 
• Head: 47 cm (55th percentile)

The kid:

Baby's First Haircut

There comes a time when your toddler's mullet (read: first baby hair) gets so out of control that you need to take care of it. Or more accurately, hand your kid over to a professional to take care of it for you.

I heard about Snip-its in Huntersville, a salon for children, from a blogger friend and decided to give it a try. 

But first, coffee.

The haircut was quick, but not quick enough for our little one. She doesn't like to be restrained (who does?!) and she was not comfortable with a stranger near her head. My mom and I tried to calm her down but our efforts fell short. It was a traumatic experience for all of us.

But then it was over and the kid recovered and acted as if nothing happened as soon as she was free to run around.

We stopped by Eez Fusion for post haircut cocktails and sushi for the adults and tonkotsu ramen soup for the kid.

My favorite thing about Eez is their build-your-own sushi menu!! 🍣
Roll 1: tuna, jalapeño, cucumber and avocado.
Roll 2: salmon, yellow tail, Thai basil, asparagus, and mango.

Sashimi is bae.

Does the haircut experience get better? Please lie to me and say yes.

Loaded Grits Bowl

While everyone is on a health kick putting everything into bowls (smoothies, salads, etc.), I'm putting all kinds of not-so-healthy things into mine.

This is a quick and easy recipe inspired by a brunch I attended a week ago. One of the girls brought a loaded grits casserole to the party and I've been craving it ever since. It's crazy to me that I'm craving grits because it was on the short list of foods I hated as a kid. However, lately I've been giving the foods on that list a second chance and I have yet to be disappointed.

Easy Loaded Grits Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup quick grits, salt to taste

1 pound pork sausage

1/2 cup jalapeno pimento cheese

2 green onion stalks, chopped

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

I use Quaker grits, Jimmy Dean's premium all-natural pork sausage, and Queen Charlotte's Pimento Cheese Royal, however, feel free to substitute your favorite brands!

Directions:

Cook the grits using the instructions on the package. 

Break up and cook the sausage using the instructions on the package. (14-16 minutes on medium heat or when the internal temperature reaches 160°F)

Chop the green portion of the green onion stalks and slice the tomatoes in half and set aside.

Assemble the bowls to include each ingredient.

Enjoy!

This is an easy recipe that you can make with almost anything that you have on hand (bacon instead of sausage, shredded cheese instead of pimento cheese, etc.). It's delicious and filling! 

Skincare in your 30's

It's been a little over a month since I've vowed to take better of myself. The first week was great but then daylight savings happened, it got cold, and I fell into a dark hole of despair. Okay, okay, that's a bit dramatic... but the Seasonal Affective Disorder struggle is real.

Two years ago I attended a blogger event at Carolina Facial Plastics where I learned a lot about skin care from Dr. Kulbersh and his team. I left the event dizzy and with pages of notes. Later, I learned that my dizziness was caused by pregnancy, I just didn't know it...yet.

One of the biggest takeaways from the event was that it's all about prevention. Take care of your skin now and you're less likely to need injectables and surgical intervention later. You can read more about the event on Jen's and Brittany's blogs. 

Between crossing over the 30 year mark and having a kid, my skin routine of almost ten years is no longer cutting it. It's been on my mind for a while, however, the sheer amount of products in the market is overwhelming. My goals for skincare include slowing the aging process and getting rid of discoloration with an end goal of being comfortable in my (naked, make up free) skin.

My journey began earlier this fall when Beautycounter partnered with Target to bring their products to the masses for a limited time. Most of the good stuff was sold out by the time I learned about the skin care line, however, I managed to snag two sets. The first set included a cleanser and daily moisturizer and the other included an eye cream and a night cream. This was as much a test for me to see if I can stick to a (new) routine as it was for the product itself.

Beautycounter for Target

The results were okay, but I may be at fault here. My skin looked and felt better, however, I think it would have been even better if I used the products regularly. I also noticed that I did better in the morning than at night. I'm open to trying other Beautycounter products because I love that their goal is to achieve great results with all natural ingredients.

This month I'm trying dermalogica. I purchased a trial kit after my massage appointment and I'm excited to see the results!

dermalogica skincare set for normal to dry skin.

What skincare products/lines do you use and love?

P.S. Want to work together? I'm open to collaborations and sponsorship opportunities. Contact me at birchcollective at gmail dot com!