Numi Organic Black Vanilla Decaf Tea: I first tried this tea back in October at the Green festival in D.C. I threw caution to the wind and bought a box without even tasting it. Vanilla anything tempts me, but add the intriguing black vanilla and I am sold. 2 months later I am a full-on addict. I buy them by the 6 pack through Amazon. I try to limit myself to 1 day. It is hard. I mix it with Silk soy milk and a drop of brown rice syrup. I am sure more normal people would like it with milk and honey or just plain. So good!

Snowstorms: I am craving the first snow storm of the season. Do we really get snowstorms in Virginia? The real ones; where the snow is measured by the foot rather than by measly little inches. I love how everything slows down during the storm. You simply can not do anything. You are forced to relax. Make soup, read a book, drink tea (see above) and relax and snuggle by the fire. On any ordinary day, I find it very hard to relax. It is impossible for me to sit and chill out. But, during a storm, I let everything go; every worry, every item on my never ending to-do list is ignored and I am happy. I anticipate the program interrupting breaking news- another quarter of an inch marks off the ruler of the freezing newscaster who jokes she wants to be inside where it is warm. I look forward to sharing snow days with my son. Building snowmen and forts and trying to get that last bit of snow out of our mittens.

Stroller Strides: I am a big fan of stroller strides. I get a great workout. I hang out with fellow moms.  Peanut sees his friends. When the weather is warm, he gains the freedom to roam Lubber Run park with his pals. I like that I have little excuse to miss class because the workout is as hard as I make it.  On the days that I am simply exhausted from staying up late with Peanut, I start by just going through the motions. By the end of class, I find that I am pushing myself. Sticking with stroller strides has made a huge difference in my weight loss. I am so glad that I make the time for stroller strides. 

Television: I don’t watch much, but I am very passionate about the shows I never miss:

The Amazing Race: CBS Sunday nights at 8pm. I love the Amazing Race because it allows me to feel as though I have traveled the world without leaving home. So far this season, I have seen Burkina Faso, the Netherlands and Lithuania. I have watched contestants teach and learn language from school children in western Africa. Yeah, the teams can be annoying when they bicker and it can be so nerve-wracking when the teams are vying for space on the last flight that sometimes I have to leave the room. But, it is such an exciting hour of television. I actually applied to be a contestant once. Well, twice. Odd, since I am scared to do most things they do on the show- skydive, rappel down sky-scrapers, traipse through bat caves, walk through rat infested caves; oh and fly. Can’t imagine why I didn’t get picked.

The Closer: It is a summer show, but TBS often repeats it during the year. I love the characters and the writing.  The relationships between the characters are extremely realistic. The characters seem like real people. Thankfully, the always perfect Fritz was finally brought down to earth recently. Kyra Sedgewick is amazing as Brenda Leigh Johnston. The baseball eipsode is a classic. Thank you. Thank you very much.

The Young and the Restless: Try not to hold it against me. I have been watching this soap on and off since 1988. Between 1988-2006 not much changed. I would miss entire semesters worth of shows in college, but no problem, I never had to tape an episode.  Ashley was in the same fight with Victor she was in 4 months earlier.   In 2006 when I became pregnant and decided that I must watch a soap opera, I started setting my dvr.  I watched each episode in its entirety. Good thing since the head writer had been replaced with one who wants an action-packed soap. Now, each week there is another dead body, life-changing discovery, jail sentence or person and/or his twin arriving in Genoa City back from the dead.  As ridiculous and awful as it is, I can not miss a moment. I allow Peanut to watch the opening credits with me. He loves the song and is immediately entranced. Lucky, for him, his doctor says no television. 

Boots: Can one ever have too many pairs? I have a closet full of tall black boots, short tan ones and every shade of brown. Sometimes, I just open the closet to admire them. More often than I care to admit, the sexy black boots are skipped over for the comfy beat-up UGGS. Don’t get me wrong, I love shoes in general.  As a kid, I was so excited whenever I got a new pair, I slept with them. Not on my feet, but on my pillow, next to my head as if they were an invited guest. But, boots; they hold a special place in my heart. Right now I have my eye on a pair of short Black UGGS size 6. So 2005, I know. But, why bother with another pair I won’t wear? 

The New York Rangers: I love watching all hockey, but the NYR are my boys. There was a time, pre-Peanut, when I could tell you the full name, position, hometown and stats of every player to wear blue. Now, I am lucky to remember to watch the games. I still love good hockey talk.

Alexander McCall Smith: I have read just about all of this prolific author’s books. My current favorite is the Isabelle Dalhousie series. I won’t tell you more until after you read them. Hate to spoil the fun.