Mother's Day with Hornblower Cruises

Mother's Day has come and gone, and yet I'm still thinking about the Hornblower Cruise we took last weekend to celebrate. We had terrible, dreary weather all week, but fortunately, the sun came out on Sunday. Thank you, Mother Nature! After arriving at Pier 40 & boarding the yacht, we were seated next to a window with easy access to the all-you-could-eat brunch (a lot tastier than I expected) and as an added touch, champagne and orange juice was already on our table. Oh, and they also had masseuses giving mini massages! Clearly Hornblower knows what mamas want on their special day.

We enjoyed taking in views of the city, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Lady Liberty herself. Other than the crazy wind, which made photos a little challenging (see next to last picture- ha!), it was a perfect afternoon. A super relaxing day with my family, and truly, just what I was looking for this year.

If you're thinking about Father's Day plans already, Hornblower will be hosting a similar cruise for Dad. Such a fun afternoon -- I totally recommend the yacht life experience!

A gorgeous view of the city

Mimosas at our table - yes, please!

The chocolate fountain was a hit!

Windy, much?

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!

Disclosure: We were given complimentary tickets to attend a Hornblower cruise. All opinions are my own.

This Will Not Be a Corny Mother's Day Post

I promise.

Like many holidays, how you spend Mother's Day is different depending on who you ask. There were so many beautiful photos of mothers flooding my Facebook & IG feeds yesterday. Mothers with their children. Grown adults with their mothers. Decades-old photos of that guy you used to work with as a baby with his mother...

It's a special day, no question about it, and I love that my girls were excited to give me their handmade cards & gift in the morning (that's a bowl, by the way). I love how Millie whispered "Happy Mother's Day, Mama!" after first asking for something to eat and to turn on the TV. Just precious.

Last year, we spent the day at Storm King... it was a gorgeous spring afternoon, & I'm pretty sure it's a Mother's Day I'll never forget. I even have a Sophie + Lili portrait of the girls that was made based on a photo taken amongst the sculptures. And if I feel even the slightest bit guilty after what I'm about to tell you, I'll look back on that perfect day...

This year, my Mother's Day was a little different. First, I sat listening to the silence in my apartment while I drank the coffee Husband went out and got me. I puttered around the house. I took a long shower, & I used all these magical bottles of stuff that I never seem to get around to trying because I'm constantly getting interrupted by little cherubs. Refining sugar cleanser! Hydrating body wash! Fortifying hair cream! It was lovely and my skin now feels as soft as the girls'.

Then, I went to the movies. I saw "Far From the Madding Crowd" with Carey Mulligan, based on the Thomas Hardy novel. Carey's character's name was Bathsheba, and she was so marvelous that she made me forgive her parents' awful name choice. The story was just the sort of British period love quadrangle that I adore but never get to see anymore. And there was a super hot shepherd, which didn't bother me at all. In the slightest. Not even a little bit. Oh, and I ate popcorn. Lots of it. With extra butter.

The truth is, I don't really feel guilty. The beauty of being a work-from-home mom is that I get to spend a lot of time with my children. It's also the hard part. Because at the end of a long day, I'm usually left thinking about all the whining and crying and often-times screaming (on my part), that transpired during the day. Thank goodness for the intermittent laughter and jokes and sweetly playing and sharing together, or I'd likely have to be committed.

We all struggle with finding that "me" time to recharge our batteries, but to me, there's no better time to do it than on Mother's Day. Because let's face it, all those brunches and picnics and perfect photos don't plan themselves. Which means Mama is working on a day that's supposed to be about her.

Me, I'd rather be at the movies. Because having a little break from my children actually makes me a better mother. I was so happy to see them when I got home yesterday and hear about their special day with Daddy.

And I suppose that's a little corny after all.

a mother's day rookie

I chose not to post on Mother's Day, precisely because I wanted to limit my computer time and spend it with the people who, well, made me a mother in the first place. Deserving of that praise is, of course, the one-and-only Husband and pretty darn cute Baby S. I can say that, right? My first Mother's Day was a pretty relaxing and near-perfect one, with flowers and chocolate croissants making an appearance, zero poopy diapers changed (Husband took over on that one), and the music of my choice played in the background. We talked to our own mothers and wished them a happy day, a bit more in earnest this year, now that we've joined them in the ranks of Parenthood.


We strolled over for a yummy brunch at Moran's, and, well thought out on their part, they put us in a room with all the other families with young children. Thus, we didn't bat an eye when spoons went flying off tables (new Baby S game... picking up anything within reach and flinging it as far as her little arm can swing) or with the sound of glass breaking behind us. We only cringed and felt relief that it wasn't our kid who'd just dumped over a perfectly good bloody mary.

Later in the day, there was a replaying of Baby S delivery videos (taken with our handy dandy Flip Mino camera - you're welcome for the free publicity, Flip!). Quite frankly, I don't look at them as adoringly as Husband does. I feel sort of guilty about this. Unfortunately, when I think of Baby S' appearance into the world, all that comes to mind is PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. Intense PAIN. I would love to be one of those mothers who talks about what a beautiful experience childbirth is... but I'm just not there yet. Ask me again in a year when Childbearing Amnesia has set in and I begin to consider Baby S 2.0.

Until then, as we periodically tune in to the arrival of one pretty darn cute Baby S, I will enjoy watching Husband tear up as he sees her grab his finger for the first time. And I will know, every time I look at her, what it's like to be the mom celebrated on Mother's Day.