We’re going to a wedding in Duluth in June and I’ve been procrastinating booking somewhere for us to stay. We were kind of hoping we wouldn’t have to take the kids with (it’s kind of a drive and overnights as a family of five are… taxing) but it looks like we will. As a result I’ve been considering airbnb as an option. Has anyone ever done this before? How is it not just a way for people to murder you? And why on earth would anyone trust that the stranger they’re allowing in their house is not going to murder them? Maybe I’ve seen too many CSI’s, but it kind of creeps me out. Still, we could get a whole house with enough bedrooms for everyone for the entire weekend for only like $300. Please make me feel better about this. The alternative is trying to all sleep in the same room with hotel noises and ugly art.
As an early mother’s day present my husband and I picked out patio furniture the other day. Over the course of our marriage we’ve simply used adirondack chairs, camping chairs, a found picnic table, and a gifted children’s SpongeBob Squarepants table and tiny chairs as our outdoor seating and dining accommodations. I am beyond thrilled with the table and chairs we picked out from Target. Except now it’s supposed to rain for five days straight and I haven’t even gotten to sit at the table yet. Wah. We got a ridiculous deal on it all between the RED card, Cartwheel app, and the fact that the table was a scratched up display model that they gave us a great discount on. Yay Target!
While out on our patio furniture date (we really know how to live) we ate a two hour dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. As a loving gesture I let Jeron order the calamari as an appetizer. I have a general distaste for shellfish and anything with tentacles, but holy cow. This stuff was good. It wasn’t the little calamri ‘o’s that usually come (someone please tell me why they’re ‘o’ shaped to begin with) but instead seemed more like mozzarella sticks. Which I’m all about. Maybe the delicious breading just masked the squid taste? Either way, best calamari I’ve ever had hands down.
We’re also on a very pretentious signature cocktail kick. If it’s the house specialty we’re probably going to try it. That’s what led us down margarita road even though I’m not a huge fan of margaritas. I’ve really been steering away from sweet drinks in general, so I tried to get just a classic margarita on the rocks. It was just ok, the second one was better (imagine that), and Jeron’s favorite may or may not have been the strawberry blended version (what a girl).
I’m planning to talk more about my fitness journey next week, but for now I really want to know what your favorite fitness apps are. I just downloaded My Fitness Pal, which I used to use way back in the stone age before apps were a thing and you actually had to log in on the internet to use it. I love that they’ve added the feature to scan bar codes on food (even though I should be eating more food that doesn’t have a barcode) to get the calorie count. It feels really inaccurate how I’m calculating calories out through exercise on there though. I know I should probably have a heart rate monitor or something to be accurate, but that seems like a pain in the butt too. Any other fitness or food diary apps you love?
My favorite of favorites, what we’ve been eating:
Roasted brussels sprouts and crispy baked tofu with honey sesame glaze
Creamy leek and mushroom pasta
Creamy tomato soup
Penne with tomato, feta, and basil
(Meatless) Meatball subs
Cheesy lentil loaves
Penne alla vecchia bettola
Obviously I’m cramming in the comfort food before these April showers end and I just want to eat cantaloupe for every meal. Cinco de Mayo is also approaching, which is obviously my fav. So many colors. Don’t miss these round ups of recipes on the site.
10 Favorite Cinco de Mayo Recipes
15 Fiesta Worthy Cinco de Mayo Recipes
So what have you been eating? Leave me some love in the comments so I know I’m not just rambling to myself over here.
Okay, so I totally felt the same way about airbnb’s just being another way to get yourself killed by some crazy. But we stayed in one when we went to San Francisco last fall, and it was fabulous having a little more space to spread out and had a much more homey vibe to it. Plus, it actually felt cleaner than most hotels. It was a little weird because we stayed in 1/2 of a duplex; the owners were next door…but my best suggestion is read, read, read reviews. And maybe bring some pepper spray to keep at your bedside table?
Also – patio furniture is about as sexy as mother’s day gets. Enjoy!
It’s good to hear a time where airbnb worked out! Thanks Liz!