Business
Social Squares 2.0
Y’all this update is SUCH a game changer! The categories are broken out AND you can search by color so your instagram remains the dreamy cohesive palette you want.
Movies
Joker
Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks — the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he’s part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
This movie was a masterpiece. Nothing has made me miss acting as much as Joaquin Phoenix’s performance has in years. From the soundtrack to each subtle dance move to his outbursts of laughter to the costumes that set the era, every detail was stunning. This is NOT a movie of levity. But if you want to witness this horrifying, rough descent into madness I highly recommend it.
Molly’s Game
The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.
This movie is over 2.5 hours and my guy and I were riveted the ENTIRE time. I loved her story and, granted I do love anything with poker, casinos, heists, etc. I still felt that this was a top notch film. It’s written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and you can feel it in every moment (which I personally loved.)
Books
You’ve Been Volunteered by Laurie Gelman
If you’ve ever been a room parent or school volunteer, Jen Dixon is your hero. She says what every class mom is really thinking, whether in her notoriously frank emails or standup-worthy interactions with the micromanaging PTA President and the gamut of difficult parents. Luckily, she has the charm and wit to get away with it—most of the time. Jen is sassier than ever but dealing with a whole new set of challenges, in the world of parental politics and at home.
She’s been roped into room-parenting yet again, for her son Max’s third grade class, but as her husband buries himself in work, her older daughters navigate adulthood, and Jen’s own aging parents start to need some parenting themselves, Jen gets pulled in more directions than any one mom, or superhero, can handle.
This is the followup novel to Class Mom, which I absolutely loved. This one is seriously just as laugh out loud charming. This novel is really down to earth and warm and an all around fun read.
Tech
Kinder App
While in line at a haunted house, our friends told us about this free app. It’s basically Tinder for baby names. Obviously the intention is to use this app when you’re expecting, but my guy and I used it for fun. You link with your partner in the app and you literally swipe left and right on names you do and don’t like. So fun. And I loved seeing the names we agreed upon!
Food
HelloFresh
While scrolling instagram, I snagged an $80 off your first 4 weeks of HelloFresh deal so we decided to try it for a month.
I am NO contender for Top Chef, but I am working on my plating skills. Below are a few of the meals we cooked.
From Top to Bottom: Crispy Chicken with Creamy Lemon Pasta and Tomatoes, BBQ Pork Chops with Honey Butter and Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans, Monterrey Jack Burger with Onion Jam and Potato Wedges, Teriyaki Pork Meatballs with Zucchini and Carrots and Jasmine Rice
Pros:
Delicious meal combos I may not have thought of on my own.
We consistently had yummy, relatively healthy meals on the table.
It was fun getting to experiment with new ingredients and I definitely felt like an accomplished cook after a few of the meals!
The directions were super easy to follow. Granted I’m not a novice chef, but when my boyfriend would help me he found it pretty easy as well.
Fun activity to do together!
Cons:
The long-term cost just didn’t seem sustainable for us vs. buying the ingredients and cooking.
The prep/cook times on the recipe were wildly inaccurate (or we’re just weird and slow.)
Verdict: We cancelled our account. Simply because we aren’t willing to pay the regular price. There are several other first-timer offers out there for similar services though like Blue Apron, Plated, etc. and we do plan to try those as well.
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