Author Archives: mszerwo

It’s been awhile…

Posted in 2020 Quarantine by

One of my 2020 goals was to write more often on this here blog.

Four months in and I’ve failed miserably.

So, it’s time to remedy that– you know, with all this quality quarantine time on my hands.

(Just kidding. Homeschooling + 4.5 year old + working from home = doesn’t work. My “free time” consists of the hours of 8:30 – 11:30 p.m., when I get to enjoy catching up on work, TV, and “me” time. That’s a whole 21 hours a week assuming I don’t fall asleep on the couch! YES!)

I have several catch-up blog posts that I’m looking forward to finishing and posting in the coming weeks. So look forward to a rapidly-aging Michael and some really great adventures!

I’m baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Love your Elf on the Shelf!

Posted in DIY, Holidays by

It’s already mid-November, which means in a few short weeks our Elf on the Shelf Train will be returning from the North Pole, to make sure our sweet boy actually stays on Santa’s “nice” list.

We met Train last year, shortly after my son’s third birthday. It was the perfect age to begin.

24 days of new Elf activity is a lot of work.

To prepare, I did my homework and created a calendar for our Elf. The hour or so I spent on Pinterest and creating the calendar was totally worth it.

I have a tendency to doze during my son’s bedtime, so the calendar was a guide to help my husband and I both to place Train, even if we didn’t want to.

I bought a couple of items to ensure our Elf’s success: a package of cotton balls, a dry-erase marker, a couple of cheap gifts (stocking stuffer type things) found at the Target One-Spot or Dollar Store.

Read our 2018 calendar here. (This includes a weekend trip to NYC, so some hotel Elf action)

Read our 2019 calendar here.  (This includes another quick trip, this time to Seattle)

Here are some of my favorite Elf poses from last year. This year I’m most excited to use the leftover spider web from Halloween to have Spider-man suspend Train.

Elf on the Shelf with North Pole breakfast

Train with his North Pole breakfast

Elf on the Shelf visits the Sprinkle Spa

Train visited the Sprinkle Spa. So relaxing!

Elf on the Shelf coloring

An easy one: your Elf can be coloring or practicing their letters!

Elf on the Shelf "Chilling" out

Just “chilling” out in the snow (cotton balls)

Elf on the Shelf reading to his dino friends

Reading a new train book to his dinosaur friends

Elf on the Shelf in the tree

Another easy one: suspended in the tree!

Elf on the Shelf racing stuffed animals

Are they racing or is the T. Rex going to eat the deer!? Elf attached with unscented floss.

Elf on the Shelf calling Santa

Uh oh… Santa wants to talk. Another easy one!

Elf on the Shelf just hanging out

Mr. Bedhead found his Elf, just ‘hanging out’

For more ideas, visit my “Elf on our Shelf” Pinterest board.

Happy Elf-ing!

There’s always the Elf Surveillance Camera if you’re not interested in the Elf.

{2019-2020} Fall TV is BACK!

Posted in Around the house by

Oh, hi. It’s been a minute.

I couldn’t miss a new season of television, so I’m back!

(How else would I program my DVR next year if I didn’t have this post to look back upon!?)

New shows that have caught our* attention: 

  • Righteous Gemstones (HBO)
  • Bluff City Law (NBC)
  • Almost Family (FOX)
  • The Unicorn (CBS)
  • Stumptown (ABC)
  • Perfect Harmony (NBC)
  • Evil (CBS)
  • Nancy Drew (CW)
  • Lincoln (NBC)

“Our” returning favorites:

  • PLL: The Perfectionistas (Freeform)
  • The Goldbergs (ABC)
  • Schooled (ABC)
  • The Rookie (ABC)
  • FBI (CBS)
  • Single Parents (ABC)
  • New Amsterdam (NBC)
  • Modern Family (ABC)
  • How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
  • Superstore (NBC)
  • Succession (HBO)
  • Bull (CBS)
  • Good Girls (NBC))
  • Riverdale (CW)
  • Simpsons (FOX)
  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
  • Last Week Tonight (HBO)
  • Succession (HBO)
  • Ballers (HBO)
  • The Detour (TBS)
  • Jack Ryan (Amazon)
  • Barry (HBO)

“We” also liked quite a few summer/off-season shows that I hope will come back next year: 

  • BH90210 (FOX)
  • Grand Hotel (ABC)
  • Blood & Treasure (CBS)
  • The InBetween (NBC)
  • The Bold Type (Freeform)

I started this post while watching the Emmy’s and realized that I should add a couple of new shows to my watch list:

  • Fleabag (Amazon)
  • Ozark (Netflix)

What else should “we” be watching??

(*Brandon is only supportive of a handful of these shows.)

Last minute {children’s} Valentine ideas

Posted in Holidays by

In case you missed it, Valentine’s day is THIS Thursday. (On Feb. 14)

If you’re a little behind and still figuring out what to do, allow me to give you some great ideas.

Assuming you have an Amazon Prime account, you’ll be able to start and finish these with time to spare!

For space lovers…

You’re out of this world!

Space ducks: unite!

For dinosaur lovers…

You’re dino-mite! Thank you for being my friend-o-saurus!

These valentines are DINO-riffic!

For construction lovers…

We bought these cars (Michael loves them so much he’s keeping some to play with!) and I made these simple tags with four fitting phrases:

Construction valentine tags

You are TONS of fun! You MOVE me! I totally DIG you! LOADS of love!

Here’s the construction tag PDF for you. Print it, cut it, tie it, and you’re set!

I totally dig you!

Finished product: construction valentines

Finished product: construction valentines

Need even more ideas? Head over to Pinterest. Happy Valentine’s day!

2018 {Year In Review}

Posted in Adventures, Buffalo!, Holidays by

While 2018 wasn’t the best year for the blog, we had a blast in real life.

It was our first full year in Buffalo, including our first winter and full summer. (Apparently Buffalo doesn’t have a spring or fall with climate change the way it is. I’m pretty sure it went from snow to sweltering this spring and same for the fall.)

2018 started off with travel. We celebrated a late Christmas in Seattle and loved catching up with everyone.

Brandon taught his first class during the spring semester. He taught a mere 550 inquiring minds. Overall it was a positive experience and he’s getting ready to teach the class again in early 2019.

Over the summer, we took advantage of our flexible work schedules to celebrate some of our good friends’ love, traveling to Arizona and the Hudson River Valley. Both trips were so much fun and will be their own blog posts in the coming year.

Szerwos take the Grand Canyon

Our introduction to the Finger Lakes, en route to the Hudson River Valley

 

For Father’s Day, we went camping at Letchworth State Park, a first for Michael. We went with our best Buffalo friends and enjoyed it. We hope to camp again next spring/summer.

Father’s Day camping at Letchworth 2018

We continue to explore Buffalo and have really perfected our tour for guests who visit. That’s a blog post for another day, too.

Niagara Falls: One stop on our Buffalo tour

Professionally, I launched Delaware Park Living in September. It’s a monthly neighborhood newsletter magazine for the residents of one of the most established communities in Buffalo. I’m the publisher of the publication, which means I get to work with the residents, business sponsors, and our central design team to make a beautiful 30-40 page magazine each month.

Presenting: Delaware Park Living

Halloween 2018 was pretty epic. I went all out and created an award-winning (seriously! I won $100 for it!) Mater costume for Michael. He continues to love playing in it. I’m working on a “how to” tutorial for the costume as there isn’t a complete one currently online. Brandon and I phoned it in and were both Waldo. We’ve already started thinking about Halloween 2019 costumes though.

Where’s Waldo? Hanging out in Buffalo!

Halloween costumes

Mater with his two besties

Michael’s day-time costume: Captain America.

Captain America with his super squad

We finished up the year with a pre-Christmas holiday trip to NYC. We’ve been there before and seeing it in all of its holiday splendor was magical. We caught up with friends, shopped the holiday pop-up markets, rode through Central Park in a horse-drawn carriage while sipping hot chocolate, and walked more than 13 miles one day, among lots of other fun things. I think we should make it an annual tradition!

Rockefeller Plaza all done up for the holidays

The only thing missing was snow! {Central Park Carriage Ride}

Merry Christmas from NYC!

We’re actually looking forward to our Buffalo winter and the snow, and all of the adventures we have planned for 2019. We can’t wait to share them with you. More posts in 2019, I promise.

What’s Michael doing these days?

Our 3.25 year old is SO active. He loves running and jumping and can move for hours… unless you want him to walk beside you on a neighborhood walk. Then his “shoes are hard” and he requires holding.

Michael knows the alphabet (both the song and capital and lower case letter identification) and can count to 20.

He’s back in swim lessons and getting more and more comfortable bobbing underwater. He loves school and has several best friends.

He’s sweet and sassy and still even likes to snuggle sometimes. Michael learned Christmas carols this year and his favorite song is Jingle Bells which he’s recently re-titled to “Jingle Smells.” He’s been using the potty since his third birthday and loves using potty words any chance he can (toot, tooty, poop, poopy, etc).

2019 resolutions

Posted in Goals, Holidays by

A new year, a new me? Not exactly. I’m pretty pleased with myself and my habits going into 2019: we’re eating less meat and more veggies, drinking a ton of water, exercising often, and living a generally healthy and happy lifestyle. (I totally nailed those 2018 resolutions!)

BUT, there is always room to spice things up a little, right?

So, without further ado, my goals for 2019:

2019 resolutions

I also want to read more, so please share your favorites in the comments below! My goal is 12 books; one per month.

What do you think? What do you have planned for 2019?

Fall bucket list {2018}

Posted in Adventures, Buffalo! by

I feel like I just wrote our summer bucket list post (which we did really well on!), but here we are: another season in the blink of an eye. Before we know it it’ll be winter! (I actually kind of liked our first Buffalo winter… call me crazy!)

Pre-snow, here’s what we’d like to do with our fall:

Actually decorate for fall.

I picked up some very large mums and the main components to make a friendly scarecrow for our front porch. The Jack ‘O Lantern lights and spiders Michael made last year are already up on the mantle and over the weekend Michael also did his annual wood painting. Last year it was leaves. This year, a pumpkin. (Available at Target.)

Painting pumpkins!

Painting pumpkins!

Go apple picking and make all of the apple things.

We celebrated the first day of fall a couple of weeks ago by apple picking! (Post forthcoming.) We we’ve already been eating all of the apple things. Mark this one accomplished!

Apple picking at Sanger Farms

Apple picking at Sanger Farms

Visit a pumpkin patch — and pick some late-season raspberries!

We had a lot of fun last year and looked forward to doing it again this year. We had an out of town visitor last weekend, so we hit up Greg’s U-Pick and picked three pints of raspberries. They were delicious!! We’re scheduled to go pumpkin patch’ing this weekend!

Late-season raspberry picking!

Go leaf-peeping

Last year we peeped leaves in Ellicottville. This year? I’m thinking Canada and taking a leisurely trip to and from Toronto! Chestnut Ridge Park is also supposed to be pretty pretty this time of year. Maybe head back to Knox State Farm? These mid-October photos are some of my favorites!

Stop the presses: We found a FALL FOLIAGE TRAIN TOUR! We’re so doing this. Yes.

Last year…

Impromptu fall photo shoot in 2017

Fall foliage at Knox Farm {circa 2017}

Halloween dinner party and trick-or-treating

We’re having friends over for Halloween trick or treating and I want to plan and execute a really fun, festive, easy dinner. Tell me what you might be dining on this Halloween, so I can borrow your ideas! Thank you in advance.

Happy fall, y’all!

2018/2019 Fall TV is here!

Posted in Around the house by

I’m a little behind in my highly-anticipated annual post on fall television. Please accept my apologies, friends. And for those shows that have already debuted? That’s what OnDemand is for.

What am I watching now? As I write this, I’m watching the series finale of Shooter (USA). Ballers (HBO), The Purge (a new one from USA), and Barry (Showtime) have also been in rotation. It seems like every year I’m less and less excited about the new shows. This year is no different. Maybe you know something I don’t? Tell me what I should be watching and help get me jazzed!

What will I be watching? Welcome back to my returning favorites:

  • The Deuce, HBO (Sept. 9, 8 p.m.)
  • Bull, CBS (Sept. 24, 10 p.m.)  
  • The Goldbergs, ABC (Sept. 26, 8 p.m.)
  • Modern Family, ABC (Sept. 26, 9 p.m.)
  • The Good Place, NBC (Sept. 27, 8 p.m.)
  • Law & Order: SVU, NBC (Sept. 27, 9 p.m.)
  • How to Get Away With Murder, ABC (Sept. 27, 10 p.m.)
  • The Simpsons, FOX (Sept. 30, 8 p.m.)
  • Superstore, NBC (Oct. 4, 8 p.m.)
  • Riverdale, The CW (Oct. 10, 8 p.m.)
  • House of Cards, Netflix (Nov. 2)

Two of my favorites will be returning mid-season:

  • Good Girls, NBC
  • Jane the Virgin, The CW 

And now for the new shows I’ll be adding to the DVR and following until I decide I hate them:

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Amazon (Aug. 31)

Author Tom Clancy introduced the character of Jack Ryan in a series of books before Ryan headed to the big screen in several films. Now the former U.S. Marine is featured in an episodic series for the first time, with John Krasinski portraying Ryan in this Amazon original thriller that centers on Ryan as an up-and-coming CIA analyst. He is thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time and uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication. That launches him into the middle of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.

Kidding, Showtime (Sept. 9, 10 p.m.)

Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, is an icon of children’s television, a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds; when his family begins to implode, Jeff finds that no fairy tale, fable or puppet can guide him through the crisis.

The Good Cop, Netflix (Sept. 21)

The Good Cop is an upcoming American television drama created by Andy Breckman based on the Israeli show of the same name created by Erez and Tomer Aviram and produced by Yoav Gross. It will consist of ten episodes, and will be released on Netflix.

New Amsterdam, NBC (Sept. 25, 10 p.m.)

Dr. Max Goodwin is brilliant, charming — and the new medical director at America’s oldest public hospital. While he’s set on tearing down the bureaucracy to provide exceptional care, the doctors and staff are not so sure. They’ve heard this before, and no one else has delivered on those promises. Not taking no for an answer, Max disrupts the status quo and proves he will stop at nothing to breathe new life into this understaffed, underfunded and underappreciated hospital — the only one in the world capable of treating Ebola patients, prisoners from Rikers Island and the president of the United States all under one roof — and return it to the glory that put it on the map. Inspired by Bellevue in New York City.

Single Parents, ABC (Sept. 26, 9:30 p.m.)

This ensemble comedy follows some single parents as they lean on each other to help raise their 7-year-old kids and maintain some kind of personal lives outside of parenthood. When the parents in the group meet Will, a 30-something guy who’s been so focused on raising his daughter that he’s lost sight of who he is as a man, they see just how far down the rabbit hole of PTA, parenting and princesses he has gone. The friends decide to band together to get him out in the dating world and make him realize that being a great parent doesn’t mean sacrificing everything about his own identity.

A Million Little Things, ABC (Sept. 26, 10 p.m.)

It has been said that friendship isn’t one big thing, it’s a million little things. That is certainly true for a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life. After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way, they discover that friends may be the one thing that can save them from themselves. 

I Feel Bad, NBC (Oct. 4, 9:30 p.m.)

Emet is the perfect mom, boss, wife, friend and daughter. OK, she’s not perfect. In fact, she’s just figuring it out like the rest of us. Sure, she feels bad when she has a sexy dream about someone other than her husband, David, or when she pretends not to know her kids, Lily and Louie, when they misbehave in public, or when she uses her staff to help solve personal problems. But nobody can have it all without making a few mistakes — and Emet’s realizing that as long as she doesn’t become her mother, it’s all going to work out pretty great.

Camping, HBO (Oct. 14, 10 p.m.)

An obsessively organized and aggressively controlling woman gathers together her meek sister, her holier-than-thou ex-best friend, and a free-spirited tagalong for a back-to-nature camping trip to celebrate her husband’s 44th birthday.

The Rookie, ABC (Oct. 16, 10 p.m.)

Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan, who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of becoming an LAPD officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis. If he can’t keep up with the young cops and the criminals, he’ll be risking lives — including his own — but if he can use his life experience, determination and sense of humor to give him an edge, he may just become successful in this new chapter of his life.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Netflix (Oct. 26)

As her 16th birthday nears, Sabrina must choose between the witch world of her family and the human world of her friends; based on the “Archie” comic. (Think Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Riverdale!)

Grand Hotel, ABC (mid-season, likely 2019)

Eva Longoria executive produces this bold, provocative drama set at the last family-owned hotel in multicultural Miami Beach. Charismatic Santiago Mendoza owns the hotel, while his glamorous second wife, Gigi, and their adult children enjoy the spoils of success.The hotel’s loyal staff round out a contemporary, fresh take on an upstairs/downstairs story. Wealthy and beautiful guests bask in luxury, but scandals, escalating debt and explosive secrets hide beneath the picture-perfect exterior. The show is based on the Spanish series.

The Gilded Age, NBC (mid-season, likely 2019)

When the population of the US doubled at the end of the 19th century, transforming America, disparities between rich and poor sparked passionate debate. Food, coal, steel and oil made fortunes for some, but seldom for the workers on the front lines of industry.

Abby’s, NBC (mid-season, likely 2019)

The oddball cast of characters that hang out at Abby’s believe everyone needs a bar to call home. Theirs just happens to be an unlicensed watering hole in Abby’s backyard, where the drinks are cheap and the laughs abound. But what really makes this place so special is Abby. She’s a tough cookie with no time for nonsense. She doesn’t allow cellphones, earning a seat at the bar takes time, and losing a challenge means drinking a limey, sugary, non-beer cocktail — and her regulars wouldn’t have it any other way.

Set those DVRs and tell me what I should be watching to help get me jazzed for the new shows!

Our Buffalo summer top 5 list

Posted in Adventures, Buffalo!, Food by

Now that we’re officially into summer, and with this being our first summer in Buffalo, we put together our Buffalo summer top 5 list: (in no particular order)

1. Eat local: berry picking & shop the farmer’s market

Brandon and I have been picking berries for years — blueberries and raspberries are our favorites, since the picking is easy (no bending required) — and Western NY has a ton of u-pick farms. Last summer we picked raspberries, apples, and pumpkins and we went strawberry-picking a few weeks ago — perfect for a 3 foot tall individual… far less bending…

Strawberry picking at Greg's U-Pick Farm in Clarence NY

Berry picking is in Michael’s blood!

Strawberry picking at Greg's U-Pick Farm in Clarence NY

Yum! Strawberries!

Strawberry picking at Greg's U-Pick

Michael loved strawberry picking

We’ve also been loving all of the farmer’s markets in WNY and have made a point to buy whatever fruits and veggies (that we’re not picking) at the local farmer’s markets. We’re having fun and really enjoying the food!

2. Patio happy hours 

Winter in Buffalo wasn’t as bad as we expected (knock on wood!) but now that summer is here — there wasn’t a spring, it was skipped this year — we’re ready to enjoy the heat and humidity that is summer in Buffalo. We’re looking forward to tackling this (year old) list of patio happy hours this summer. Sun + drink & food specials + kid in school = an excellent time.

3. Camping 

We’re already making progress on this item with our recent camping trip at Letchworth Park. It’s been 10+ years since I camped and was Michael’s first time. All-in-all, we enjoyed it. It was ~10 degrees colder than we expected at night, so we have a better idea of what to pack for next time. Also, friendly skunks and raccoons aren’t cool.

Letchworth State Park 2018

Father’s Day camping trip to Letchworth State Park

We’re looking forward to checking out: Four-Mile Creek State Park, the Adirondacks (maybe Cranberry Lake with Michael’s BFF?!), around the Finger Lakes (maybe some glamping through The Quiet Place?) and any other parks you recommend in the comments below.

4. Pool time 

We moved to Buffalo and discovered the splash park with only a week left of summer. Michael loved it and was so excited for his first visit on the 4th of July. The hours are a little wonky and really cut into nap time, but we’ll get there as often as we can!

Clearfield Pool

Michael’s new happy place

5. Play tourist

Buffalo was ranked one of the 52 places to visit this year by the New York Times. While my job allows me to drive around and explore a lot, it’s not quite the same without my boys. So, I’ve been keeping track of places I want to show to them. Here are of a few of the places I’ve already found and some that I’m eager to explore:

What am I missing? Fill me in, Buffalo. We’re still new here and know we have a ton left to do!

National Doughnut Day {2018}

Posted in Buffalo!, Exploring Seattle, Food, Holidays by

This week we’ll celebrate National Doughnut Day on Friday, June 1.

It seems like there is a new National ____ Day every day, but this is a holiday we can really get behind as doughnuts are some of our favorite foods.

In Seattle, we had our favorite shops and doughnuts: Top Pot (maple old-fashioned, apple fritter) and Daily Dozen Doughnuts (assorted dozen or a dozen sprinkled).

We love Daily Dozen Doughnuts so much they made an appearance in our wedding photos! {Photo by Mike Fiechtner Photography}

We were sad to leave them, but pleased to find that Buffalo is a doughnut city too! Buffalo also fancies itself an expert in wings (duh), pizza (the greasier, the better), and ice cream (it’s so good! That’s for another post!), among others.

We’ve sampled most of the doughnut-eries in Buffalo and Donut Kraze is hands-down our favorite shop. Brandon doesn’t have a favorite doughnut yet and always tries the classic or seasonal favorites. Michael always gets the white cake doughnut with frosting and sprinkles. I opt for the blueberry old-fashioned (it’s like eating just the crispy parts of a blueberry muffin) and a bagel egg sandwich that I share with Michael.

Weekend breakfast goals.

Michael and his favorite breakfast

As you get ready to celebrate National Doughnut Day the best way you know how, let me offer some ideas and recipes I found on the internet that are sure to be your new favorites:

Travel the Ohio Donut Trail with us? We’re legitimately looking into a trip…

S’more doughnuts

Triple dipped chocolate peanut butter doughnuts: Two of Brandon’s favorite flavors!

Catnip doughnut with pink frosting: I met the owner of this Etsy shop at Craft Camp last year and fell in love with her catnip toys, especially this doughnut!

If you still haven’t had your fill of doughnuts yet, keep reading some of my favorite doughnut posts: