But It’s Comin’ Down, No Sound, It’s All Around

The first snow day, sick day, air travel day, and wedding of 2025

I hope you are enjoying reading two weeks worth of content, because this is becoming the norm. It has been hard to focus. Surprisingly frigid temperatures do not motivate me to check things off of my to-do list. Also a round of sickness and going on a trip out of town got me out of my routine. Let’s see if I can recap the past two weeks, probably the coldest weeks of my life, in New York City!

Week of January Sixth

My Five Senses

Sights- Snow. We had our first big snow in NYC. By big, it only snowed a few inches, but this Southern family was excited. It started snowing when we were at home and then I had to make my way down to the Bowery for an appointment when the big flakes started coming down. It was so magical! It stopped shortly before school pick-up, but I was so excited to get the boys and see their reaction to it. I think T has only seen “snow” once. It was more of a dusting. He was around 2 at the time and S was still a newborn. S was so excited to see it. He did not know what to do! He wanted to touch it. He wanted to leave footprints in it. T, on the other hand, just wanted to chunk snowballs at me. To keep myself calm and dry, I convinced him after being hit for the fifth time, that he should aim it at the tree. T had gymnastics class, so off we went on the crosstown bus to Chelsea. A lady sitting next to us on the bus kept getting bumped by T, who just wanted to turn around and look out the window to see the winter wonderland in the city. I told him to stay still and apologized to the lady. She said she understood, she has boys, and that she gets his excitement. She then said something profound “snow days make this city look so clean and peaceful, it’s hard to not want to take it in.” The park about Chelsea Piers was covered, so T and I got some time to frolic in it before his class. I was a sweet, wet, and cold day for our family.

Smell- A lack of one. This past week I got a nasty cold. I was very congested and it got to the point I lost my voice for a few days. I spent Saturday lounging around the house and using my voice as little as possible. It was an opportune time to practice my ASL. I was so stuffy for a majority of the weekend and the next week. I am sure one of the boys brought something home.

Taste- Spicy food. When I am congested, there is nothing I want more than spicy food. I feel I can actually taste it and it helps clear my sinuses. I DoorDashed more Chinese food in hopes that it would help me feel better, physically and emotionally. And it really did.

Sounds- Minions. Over the Christmas break, S has become obsessed with minions. T, who was a minion for Halloween, was already obsessed. Any time we let them have iPad time or when we are waiting on a sibling at gymnastics the minions are in the background. The Despicable Me series is very cute, but there are only so many times one can hear “BANANA!” without wanting to scream. But if I am being honest, it is better than Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol, so I guess a win’s a win.

Feelings/Emotions- Demoralized. This week was very hard with S. I just do not remember three being like this with T. Colton said it best, that T can be bribed and reasoned with, S just does not care. There were many times I had to pick him up off the street because he was laying down and refusing to move. Do you know how hard it is to pick up a child who is wearing a puffer coat, while you yourself are wearing one as well. At one point I had to “fireman carry” him to our apartment. I just have felt like a failure as a parent this week. I told Colton that I have taken five years off to raise these amazing little boys, but their behavior is not so amazing. Have I done a good job? Has it been worth it? Has it been a waste of time? I know deep down it is not, but man there are times I question everything.

Five Things I Learned This Week

1. DoorDash drivers are out for blood in the new year.On my evening walks with Gatsby I have almost been hit by DoorDash bikers at least three times. All the DoorDash delivery people use electric bikes in the city. And this past week they have been driving on sidewalks and running through the crosswalk when I have the light. I feel I am even more vigilant on my walks because of this. Wearing a big puffer coat already hinders my peripheral vision, and now I have to play frogger on 3rd Ave. I get it, they are probably freezing out on their bike, but I would not like my obituary to mention I was run down by a DoorDash biker trying to deliver someone’s ramen.

2. Cold weather makes you never want to leave your apartment. It is really hard to motivate yourself to go on walks or go run errands when the wind chill is 4 degrees. Putting on gloves, a hat, extra layers, a puffer coat…it is a lot. It is so much easier to do DoorDash or Amazon Prime items.

3. I am 36 going on 66. This week in the “what did TikTok influence Megan to do” installment, I am learning to needle point. I kept seeing TikToks of it and it looked so peaceful. I am not taking pottery this semester, thanks to spending a lot of money on Gatsby these past few months. I knew I would need a creative outlet, besides writing this amazing substack ;) So when I saw the videos I decided to get on Etsy and order a kit. Luckily, my nana taught me to embroider and to cross stitch when I was little, so the skills to needlepoint are similar. I am currently working on an Easter egg and will let you know when I am finished.

4. No need to set an alarm in our house. I was so excited to start using my Hatch Restore when we returned to the city. But Colton might be right, because who needs an alarm when you have S?! This past week, the latest he slept was 6:12am. His average wake up time has been 5:40am. We are so tired by the end of the day. The Hatch Restore does have a high quality sound machine though. So that has been nice.

5. Buying last minute wedding guest attire is stressful. Colton’s best friend is getting married this upcoming week. We are so excited to celebrate him and his new wife. I will say, be on the “groom’s side” of a wedding ... .well information is lacking compared to when you are on the bride’s side. Colton gave his friend a typo when giving him our address, so we never got the invitation. We knew the wedding was formal, but it was not until this week that we learn it was all black attire. So during a lunch break, Colton and I took the subway to Bloomingdale’s where I thankfully found a dress and shoes. Colton did not see anything, so he hit up a Macy’s after the boys went to bed. Nothing like last minute shopping.

Things I am Loving

Nobody Wants This. I know we are late to the game on this one. I finally convinced Colton to watch it with me and we are loving it. He had a thing for Kristin Bell when he was younger, I had a thing for Adam Brody when he was on the OC. It is like we are 16 again! The show is hilarious. I highly recommend it.

Spencer and Heidi. Who knew 2025 would start off with a love of Heidi and Spencer. If you do not know this couple pairing, let me give you some background. They were on the MTV show The Hills which was a spin off of Laguna Beach. They were the most hated couple in the late 2000s. The were what we would call “fame whores.” I will say that I was never a huge fan of them during that time period. MTV did a good job of painting them as villains. In recent years, I have grown to like them and their presence on social media. Spencer is a big Swiftie (like yours truly) and he is witty. They lost their house in the Palisades fires. They have been documenting their journey on TikTok (which is it really going to be banned? I hope not!) with humor. It is very much a “laugh at my pain” situation. I have been helping them out financially by liking their videos and streaming Heidi’s very 2010s album.

Week of January 13

What a fun filled week this was! It had some lows (like T getting in trouble at gymnastics) but more highs. We left on Thursday night for a trip to Texas!

My Five Senses

Sights-A Wedding in San Antonio. This past weekend, Colton’s best friend, R, got married in San Antonio. It was such a fun weekend. Colton and R have been best friends since their days at Texas A&M University and R stood by Colton’s side when we got married. He is a great guy and it is so easy to celebrate this big moment in his life. We also got to finally meet his fiance, G, and she is fantastic. I can see how they make a great couple. We arrived in San Antonio on Friday and had a chance to unpack at the AirBNB, change, and then we walked over to the Pearl and grabbed a drink at Hotel Emma. The Pearl is a cool shopping/entertainment area built up around an old brewery and located on the River Walk. It is such a great place in San Antonio, and I am not just saying that because R was one of its main architects. We then headed over to the rehearsal and from there, back to the AirBNB where the rehearsal dinner was taking place. It was so much fun to have good food and drinks and just get to know G more and her family as well as R’s family members. I have not met his siblings and Colton had not seen most of them in years. R&G opted for a micro wedding at one of the missions in San Antonio. It was beautiful. It was literally picture perfect. We then headed to a restaurant and had the reception. The food (Mexican) was fantastic and I think everyone had a blast…and a few too many cocktails. It was so nice to be away from the boys and to celebrate R, who we loved for years, and G, who we now love.

Sounds- 70s Disco. R&G bought tickets for everyone to go to the disco dance party after their reception. They mainly played 70s music. If you know my mom, you know I grew up listening to 70s disco music. I knew every song they played and every word to every song. We grabbed a few more drinks and danced. Since Colton and I are old, we only lasted until about 10pm before we walked back to the AirBnb for the night.

Tastes- All the Mexican food. They say “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Well I say “When in Texas, eat all the Mexican food you can.” And we did just that. It started on Friday’s drive from Dallas to San Antonio. I told Colton we should stop and get tacos for lunch. Colton agreed and asked me to Google what was close by. I read off a few and one was “Don Julios Tacos.” Colton said that he heard of them and let’s go. Well Google took us to the middle of nowhere to a food truck. Let’s just say we were the only gringos in line, so I knew this place was legit. And let me tell you, it was! Probably one of the most flavorful al pastor tacos I have had and Colton’s carne asada burrito was perfect! We had Mexican at the reception on Saturday and on Sunday we met up with R&G for brunch at a panaderia. It was a perfect weekend with amazing, amazing food!

Feelings/Emotions - Happiness. It is hard to go to a wedding, spend quality alone time with your husband and celebrate Christmas with your in-laws and not be happy. I would say this past week was one of the more joyous ones I have had this month. It was a good reminder that my kids are not awful all the time and that sometimes you need a break. And it is okay and actually good to get extended time away from them. Also going to weddings make you reminisce on your wedding day and why you married the person you did.

Smells- A laundry surprise of the century! This past week I was doing laundry and I noticed that it smelled awful. I was thinking maybe the boys spilled some milk and cleaned it up and threw the towel in their basket. The further down into the hamper, the smellier it got. I then came to a pair of shorts. And oh boy. An image I will not soon forget! Let’s just say that S is like 90% potty trained. He still has accidents and if he does, he likes to clean it up on his own and not tell anyone. I am thankful I caught this pair of shorts before throwing them into the washing machine. Boys.

Five Things I learned this week

1. Every school should have an ABC fashion show. This past week, T’s Kindergarten class put on an ABC fashion show. It was a celebration of the students mastering the ability to recognize a letter, write a letter, and to say the sound that letter makes. Each child was given a letter and had to walk through the auditorium wearing a crown with their letter (in ASL) and a vest each student decorated with pictures that represent that letter. T had the letters F and V. For “f” he had fingers and frogs. And for “v” he only had a van. A large portion of the school and the staff were there, as well as parents. There was great music and tons of cheering for each child when they took the stage. T was very nervous about it, but we are so proud of him. He did a great job and it was the sweetest celebration for this kindergarten class.

   

2. De-icing a plane takes FOREVER. We flew out to Texas on Thursday night. There was no snow in the forecast for Thursday, but in our taxi to LaGuardia it started snowing. We sat on the tarmac for over an hour after our scheduled departure waiting for the plane to be de-iced. I have only ever had a plane de-iced once and that was in Denver and it did not take that long. We did not get to my in-laws house until 1:30am. We were all exhausted, minus S who slept the whole flight.

   

3. A Catholic deacon can make his own Holy water. The wedding we attended was Catholic. R comes from a very devout Catholic family. The deacon who married them also did the rehearsal and told them what to expect. Everyone ran through the readings and prayers. He mentioned that he will anoint their rings with Holy Water so they will be wet. And if there was not any Holy Water at the Mission then he would make some. I started giggling. He was a jokey guy and I just thought this was a joke. Apparently not. I only thought that the Pope had the power to make Holy Water. I might have offended this guy, but it was an honest mistake. R’s dad, who is a VERY devout Catholic, laughed with me about it and gave me a history lesson on all things Catholicism in the ride from the mission back to the AirBNB.

4. I like Colton. Isn’t it funny how having some grownup time away from your kids makes you like your spouse? Living in 1100 sqft and basically being each other’s only friend in the city is not for the weak and I feel we get on each other's nerves. It was nice to get away from the city and the kids and realize we still like each other. Having a normal amount of sleep and uninterrupted conversations does magic for a marriage.

5. I even like my kids. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and two nights away, for the first time in over six months, made me fonder of my kids. Shout out to my in-laws for watching the boys in Dallas while we went to the wedding. It could not have come at a better time because after the last week we had, with early mornings and tantrums, we all needed a reset. It has been an adjustment, where in Atlanta my parents would take one or both boys for a night or two monthly. It was good for our marriage and good for us as parents. So while I think our family is closer and we have to rely on each other for things here in NYC, it has been an adjustment. Colton and I are going on vacation in April, so I am looking forward to that!

Things I am loving

Palm Royale. This past week I did a ton of laundry. One of my goals for the new year was to try and do more smaller loads instead of one giant load on the weekend. I feel it is less daunting to fold smaller loads. I have been needing a new “clean up around the house, eat lunch, fold laundry” show and I decided to check out Palm Royale on Apple+. My mother-in-law had mentioned it a few months back and she said she enjoyed it. I really like it. It has everyone in it. From Kristin Wiig, Allison Janey, Rickey Martin, and even Carol Burnett. It is about the high society of Palm Beach in the late 1960s.

Pilates. Another goal I have for the new year is to take at least 2 or 3 pilates classes a week. I have been doing pretty good at sticking to that goal. I have even started taking the more advanced classes. It has been good for me, not only physically but also mentally. Now I just need to add more cardio in my routine. It is currently 12 degrees, so that might have to wait until it is above freezing.

I hope all my friends and family are staying warm and safe in this crazy Snowmaggedon 2.0. I will say, I feel this very cold winter has turned my blood a bit more Northern and I did roll my eyes at schools canceling for cold temperatures as I walked my kids to and from school in single digits. I understand canceling for ice, the infrastructure and familiarity of dealing with frozen roads is not there. But cold weather, come on :) I hope to actually have a timely Substack recapping this current week. May we stay healthy and it get warmer so the kids can go outside and get all their energy out!