The Presidential Primaries
75% of my free time has been taken up by following the presidential primary race. I’ve watched every debate, listened to every podcast I can get my hands on, and have read many articles analyzing the race, the candidates, the voters, and the issues. I’m really excited to follow the Iowa caucuses on Monday. I’m also planning to get my absentee ballot from Ohio (shhh, don’t tell, I’m still registered there).
Finding the Perfect Neighborhood
We are pretty set on moving out of our condo this summer, but don’t have an idea of where we can live instead. There are two great communities with walkable downtowns that we really like – but they are about a 40 minute commute for Mike and one of them has pretty limited, expensive housing. Adding 1.5 hours to his work days isn’t ideal, but neither is living somewhere we can’t easily walk to things. (I’m obsessed with walkability, yes.)
Our Latex Mattress
I mentioned that we got a new mattress for Gabe from SleepOnLatex and told you I’d update you on how it feels. I’m kind of a cheapskate when it comes to most things, but I’m a total convert to this mattress (It’s the 9″ medium). It’s INCREDIBLE. Mike and I both sneak into their room when we want to take a nap because the mattress is by far the best mattress in our house now. I only wish we hadn’t just bought our king sized mattress last fall, because I want to sleep on this every night! As for the price, it’s more than I’ve ever spent on a mattress, but for something we spend a third of our days in, it’s totally worth it to make this a splurge item for me. (Plus, a good nights’ sleep can affect the rest of our day.) I never really felt a difference between mattresses, to be honest. Until this one. (Talking about it makes me want to go crawl in his bed for a nap right now.)
My Electric Toothbrush
I get a generous gift card from my in-laws every year (thanks, guys!) and I spent some of it on this toothbrush and these brush heads.
British Media
All the media I’m consuming lately has been British – The Great British Bake Off, Downton Abbey, and Me Before You. It had me researching plane tickets to London in May. And contemplating if it’s possible to raise my own kids to have adorable little British accents. And baking a lot.
LaCroix Curate
I usually hate paying for water in principle (and the hassle of the bottle deposit here in Massachusetts), but I must admit to being full on obsessed with the LaCroix curate line. I could drink three cans a day if I could afford it. They have so much flavor for being free of sweeteners. No caffeine, totally refreshing, and they won’t stain my teeth. Plus, they had some at Aldi this week!
Dunkin’s Bold Iced Coffee & Starbucks’ Flat White
Both are so very delicious. I still haven’t figured out how to tell them how much sugar to add at Dunkin, though. It’s like learning how to navigate a new world – sometimes it’s SO sweet and other times it’s perfect. Sometimes it’s 80% ice, other times, it’s perfect. But when it’s perfect, it’s SO good. It’s like a gamble.
Happy weekend! I’m off to go buy some more LaCroix because I made myself crave some.
Based on that first photo I kept waiting for the part where you were obsessed with nachos…and while the rest are totally valid, they aren’t nachos. And now (due to aforementioned photo) I am craving nachos. For breakfast, yes. So…um…thank you? ;)
xox
I am ALWAYS obsessed with nachos.
I always had a hard time at Dunkin because they seem to make everything SO DAMN SWEET by default. I don’t live anywhere near a Starbucks anymore, & while I love my (much cheaper) local joint, I definitely miss my old Starbucks habits…
Yep, I’m also totally obsessed with walkability. Nothin’ wrong with that! :)
Have you listened to the Des Moines Register ‘Three Tickets’ podcast? I’ve only listened to two so far and it’s not the best thing ever, but I did enjoy it. I’m not sure if that’s just because I ‘get’ all the references, though (both places and people).
I find it hilarious CNN is advertising full day coverage of the caucuses on Monday. They don’t start until 7pm! What are you going to talk about until then? I suppose there will be 15 candidates having ralleys in Iowa all day, but that’s not caucus coverage – that’s what they’re covering already!
I will check that out! Thanks for the recommendation. I loved seeing your posts about the caucuses – how cool to get to participate!! :) Living in Ohio, we got a lot of candidates visiting during election years (swing state!) but in Massachusetts, I’m guessing no one tries to woo us! ;)
You should totally go to London. We took our daughter there last Summer and it was excellent. The weather was great and there were so many things to do that were kid friendly. Awesome place! I would say no one you meet in real life speaks like people from Downton Abbey which is rather a shame :)
Oooh, nice! How old is your daughter? I haven’t given up on the idea yet! :)
So good to know that Rembrandt toothpaste is SLS-free! Thanks for the tip!
I am SO curious how you discovered latex mattresses! I’ve never heard of such a thing! They look so squishy…do they “crinkle” at all? Like a noisy crinkle? I always thought latex was “bad”, I guess bc so many people are allergic??? But you’ve piqued my curiosity and I want to know more :)
The company CEO actually emailed me after I wrote about conscientious consumerism and I was super interested in the product! It’s not crinkly at ALL. Feels more like a giant firm piece of foam! It’s so comfy. Natural latex is a renewable resource and naturally occurring, so not bad at all!
I am obsessed with the primaries too. I can’t stand listening to the GOP, but at the same time, I HAVE TO know what’s going on… so.
I am obsessed with nachos, too. Always.
Oh, for sure! Because one of them might be elected so I need to know who to hope gets nominated and who to be scared of. ;)
Your post made me crave for a good donut and iced-coffee. Following the presidential primaries can truly make you busy for sure.
I’m a huge fan of sparkling waters! My favorite right now is Black Cheery from Schweppe’s- no sodium, no caffeine, no calories. Perfect when I need a bit of fizz and something other than water. I haven’t read Me Before You, yet, but I think I’ll take the plunge soon. I hear great things.