The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Your Guide To Hot T, Navigating Mom Life, And New York. This Week: Vision Boards, Sequence, and Fainting

The Mint Chip Mama 2022 Holiday Gift Guide Wearable Blanket

Your uncensored weekly guide to mom life and the crazy inner thoughts of this tired mom of three.

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae Mom Life

Weekly Mom Life Musings

Welcome, welcome! This week was an eventful one for our health (I spent the night in the ER after fainting), but hopefully by press time everyone in my house of mirth will be fully recovered. The weather has been mild making my kids sad because all they want is for it to snow so they can play in the snow.

This week the world is talking about how they embodied the great Martin Luther King, Jr on MLK Day, That 90s Show (Do you know how much I love the 90s?!), basketball, the new Night Court on NBC, The Last Of Us on HBO, George Santos, Dolly Parton, David Crosby, Microsoft and Google layoffs, Madonna going on tour, and Alec Baldwin.

One of my 2023 goals is increasing my email list, so please sign up below. That way, each time I post something new it will come straight to your inbox. Every week I’ll be sharing answers to the same questions, like a mom blog Mad Libs. If there is anything else you want to see, just let me know!

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The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Twins Movie 80s Movie Guide

What Am I Watching? What Are My Kids Watching?

We noticed Twins is now on Netflix and jumped at the chance to show it to our kids. This is a fun 80s movie with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Besides a few “80s PG” as we call it moments – some curses and the question – “Daddy, what’s a virgin?” they loved it. We joke that the rating’s guide has changed drastically over the years.

My kids love the show Series Of Unfortunate Events on Netflix so much they started watching it again. It is one of the few shows that make a 6, 9 & 12 year old happy simultaneously which is quite the feat.

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Wildgrain Olive Oil Ciabatta

What Am I Eating?

I was not intending to talk about Wildgrain* (a bake-from-frozen) delivery service again this week but then I tasted this Slow Fermented Olive Oil Ciabatta and have not been able to think of anything since. Bread just gets me. This was one of the most of delicious things I’ve tasted in a very long time.

*$10 off your first box + FREE Croissants in every box! (Limited to the first 50 people)

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Elsewhere

What Am I Reading?

I’ve had this book – Elsewhere: A Novel by Alexis Schaitkin – on my nightstand since it came out in June. I have been dying to read it. From the first paragraph it’s grabbed me. I don’t want to put it down. There is a big mystery unfolding and I’m dying to know what the secret is in this town! But I shouldn’t be surprised that I love it. I love all of Celadon‘s books!

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: invisible load guide

What Am I Writing?

My Mitzvah Market post titled “The Invisible Load of Bar Mitzvah Planning” is quite near and dear to my heart. As a mom planning every aspect of my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah myself – and then a big trip three days later – I’m totally overwhelmed. I knew planning this (very special) event in our lives would be a lot. However, I did not anticipate all the invisible things that would come with it.

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Sequence

What Are We Playing?

Always a favorite on my annual Holiday Gift Guide, we have yet another game that my six year old consistently beats me at – Sequence. This game is easy and fun and can be played with 2 or 3 players. His favorite part is getting a one eyed Jack so he can take off one of my pieces and rub it in my face. He’s lucky he’s cute. It’s such a fun game and one both kids and adults can enjoy (my top criteria).

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: UrbanGlass Brooklyn

Where Are We Going?

One of my favorite places to go is UrbanGlass in Brooklyn. I used to glassblow at camp and it remains one of my favorite hobbies thirty years later. I found out a few years back that UrbanGlass offers seasonal open studios where you can enjoy their demonstrations, take part in their free activities, and even sign up for glassblowing if you want to try it! It’s perfect for beginners or someone who hasn’t done it in a while and wants to get back to it. They offer amazing classes for people of all ages – from kids to adults – and generous scholarship programs. If you’ve wanted to try glassblowing but never knew where to start, check out their next open house on March 12th, 2023.

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Vision Board

Old Blog Post I’m Thinking About

I love looking at my blog’s statistics and seeing what posts people are reading this week. I’m guessing with the new year people are really into making vision boards. I had so much fun making vision boards with my kids a few years back and writing this guide “Vision Boards: A Great Camp Mom Project“. It was great to combine my love of arts and crafts with my love of recycling. Plus this is an easy, free, colorful activity you can do at any time. I’ve kept this image on my blog’s homepage for years because it makes me so happy. I love all of the colors and how the big block M jumps out (Go Blue!).

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: Cruise

Before Mom Life. Thinking Of A Place I Went Long Ago

In January of 2004 my husband (then boyfriend) and I went on a cruise to the Caribbean. We went to Martinique, St. Thomas, St. John, Barbados, Aruba, and Puerto Rico. It was our second time going to Puerto Rico and we fell in love with it so much we decided to have our destination wedding there a year later. At the time of our cruise we had no money and agreed to just take whatever cabin we could get for the least expensive price. We ended up with a non-descript inside cabin and I want to say the whole cruise cost us $1,000. The room didn’t matter at all. We were young, happy to get away, and excited to sit on lounge chairs and read books.

I remember reading The Da Vinci Code – which had just come out – and I couldn’t put it down. We spent most nights walking around the track at the top of the boat amazed that we were in the middle of the ocean. We had an absolutely fantastic time and I’ve wanted to go on another cruise ever since.

The Mint Chip Mama Sundae: IG This Week

This Week’s Mom Life On Instagram:

This week I had some fun with 3D color changing moons that we’re using as centerpieces for an upcoming party. I also made a recap of our day glassblowing, and took a hike on a different part of a trail I frequent to have a little change of pace – pretending to be a tour guide.

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Published by Stacey Wallenstein

Stacey Gish Wallenstein created The Mint Chip Mama blog in 2013 to share her love and passion for giving children meaningful life experiences and helping moms like her navigate the challenges and benefits of raising children in the New York metropolitan area. Before becoming a full-time mom in 2010, Stacey spent the better part of the preceding decade as a high-end customer relationship management (CRM) professional for some of the most well-known brands in the hotel, luxury, fashion, and beauty industries, such as Harrah’s Entertainment, Chanel and Christian Dior, Inc. She managed customer loyalty programs for thousands of clients around the country and created social media strategies for a span of industries including healthcare services, restaurants, consumer packaged goods, specialty foods, local attractions and retail locations. After 13 wonderful years in Manhattan (the last three of which spent as a city mom), Stacey and her husband moved to Long Island in 2014, where they now reside with their three children (13, 9, and 7). There, she is a founding member of her local Parenting Center, which provides classes and coordinates events designed to educate and inform parents while fostering an environment of support and friendship within the community. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Stacey has been active in the New York area alumni organization for nearly twenty years, serving as a board member on the school’s University of Michigan Alumni Club of New York City. She also holds a Masters in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Please check out The Mint Chip Mama in the Press: The New York Post, Psychology Today, NY Metro Parents, New York Family, Parents Magazine, Newsday, News 12, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids, NerdWallet, Big Apple Kids Guide, and more! The Mint Chip Mama was also nominated as "The Best Blog On Long Island" for 2022 & 2023, one of the Top 20 New York Mom Blogs & Websites, and one of the Top 100 Mom Lifestyle Blogs on the web! For more updates, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.

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