Dinner and a movie
Tonight, I did something I haven’t done in over a year: went to the movies! We’ve become huge fans of the red box and Netflix over the past year, and I’ve been fully convinced that if you put me in a dark theatre, I’d be asleep faster than you can say “narcoleptic.”
But, I stayed awake!
And Les Mis was everything I dreamed it would be.
As you guys know, I’m a bit of a musical theatre nerd. I live for Broadway shows and am so excited for the days I can take Liv with me to see live performances. I’m hoping none of my fellow theatre lovers will throw tomatoes at me, but Les Miserables was never my very favorite. I absolutely adore the music and plot, but always seemed to get a little antsy during the show itself. I didn’t get the least bit antsy during the movie- it was absolutely fantastic. I’m pretty sure I felt my eyes sting with tears a grand total of seven times. So beautiful- and Anne Hathaway blew me away.
After the Christmas holiday, things are settling down to normal-ish around here.
I always feel like there’s a bit of a blah slump after a holiday. After so much work and excitement leading up to the day itself, when it’s over, I find myself in a strange in-between mode. It’s the bummer feeling that comes with cleaning up after a legendary party. Does this happen to anyone else? It’s always bittersweet to pack up decorations, and try to think of where we might be living when we open them again. Instead of wah-wahing about Christmas being over, I’m going to endeavor to keep a little bit of the holiday spirit with me year-round. I feel like we should have mid-week family get-togethers more often, give to others in need, and keep a little bit of the excitement and happiness with us throughout the year.
Some things we’ve been enjoying this week, in addition to the holiday fare:
Homemade Caesar salads
(with the Pilot’s famous grilled chicken, veggies and sweet potatoes)
a day-after Christmas slow cooker chicken
(madre also made a chicken and brought it over to enjoy with veggies, wine, potatoes)
grammies galore (I’d love to show you a pic but the ones madre left at our house have gone missing)
and a fantastic breakfast-for-lunch during my break from work yesterday.
2 eggs, topped with kale, leftover chicken, salsa and tortilla.
It was fun to teach my MIL how to “pinch up” food with a tortilla this past week. No fork necessary 😉
It was really amazing to have her here with us this week and for Liv to spend time with her nana and sans stranger danger- she knew 🙂
Today the Pilot is home (wahoo!) so we’re going to enjoy the day as a family of 3… and maybe even have a date night tonight.
Have a very happy Friday!
xoxo
Gina
Just for fun: (thanks to my Mom Jovi friend for posting this!) How we felt about every song in Les Mis (Totally agree that “Do You Hear the People Sing?” was beyond legendary)
New on the Fashion page: Meg <3s Beauty Boxes
Family post: time for a switcheroo
3 mountain climbers (each side)
2 pushups
1-minute plank.
Leave a comment and let me know when you’ve finished it 🙂 I’m off to do mine now!
47 Comments
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Hey there,
I want to see that movie too! Random question, my hubs and I are having and I was wondering if you have a post about your favorite places to shop for maternity clothes and essential baby gear that you got for Liv. Thanks!
for maternity, i wore a lot of athletic clothes since they were stretchy, LOVE for two fitness, and got maternity shirts and jeans at the gap
here is our registry: http://fitnessista.com/2011/09/what-we-picked/
new mom must-haves: http://fitnessista.com/2012/01/new-mom-must-haves/
preg must-haves: http://fitnessista.com/2011/12/7-preg-must-haves/
hope this helps a little! xoxo
Thanks a million!
No shame, I will fall asleep in the theater if the movie doesn’t hold my attention. It drives my boyfriend crazy!
Enjoy your date night!
What’s a grammie?
I love Broadway plays and musicals too! My friend has a tradition of going to a play during Christmas time with her mom — maybe you and Livi will one day have a fun tradition like that. 🙂
As a fellow musical theatre nerd, Les Mis was never one of my favorites either. But the movie blew me away! Absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t want to like it because of the celebrity hype, but even the actors I weren’t sure about were incredible (like Anne Hathaway). Even more impressive that they shot all the music on set-raw emotion right there!
Day 3 done, enjoy your Friday! 🙂
Everyone is loving Les Mis! I think I need to go see it! Have a lovely family day 🙂
Aaaahhhhhhh!! Les Mis was incredible!! My brother played Gavroche in the National Tour in 2000, so we had high expectations -it lived up to them! I loved that, in a movie they can use the setting to their advantage and add more depth and meaning. I literally grew up on that musical, but I understand it so much more now!!
I don’t have commercial television, so haven’t seen the previews for Les Miserables. I now know what I’ll be doing for my birthday tomorrow. 🙂
Day 3 completed.
this is for you to watch asap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnLSG5t_dc8 😉
hope you have a very happy birthday!
We’re going to see Lincoln tonight, but now I’m wanting to go see Les Mis!! I’ve got the songs in my head 🙂 🙂
Your egg-kale-chicken breakfast looks delish! Have a fun date night!
i’m pretty sure the pilot has had enough of my rendition of “do you hear the people sing?”
I’ve been hearing such great things about Les Miserables and I really want to see it! I saw The Hobbit a few days ago and ended up being pretty disappointed, so I need to see a good movie to restore my faith in the industry 😛 Oh, and I love the idea of keeping the Christmas spirit alive throughout the year. Yes, yes, YES to excitement, mid-week get-togethers, and giving to others.
Mountain climbers?!?!? Oooooo kay….. I’ll have to do them gimpy because my foot’s still in a boot.
I totally feel ya on the post-holiday bleah. All this magic and excitement builds up and up and then…. it’s gone. This year, my way of getting through it has just been focusing on goals, goals, goals! They’re a good distraction. 🙂
Hello! Could you post your recipe for the slow cooker chicken? It looks fantastic!
I just washed and dried the chicken, put it in the slow cooker, added sprigs of rosemary, a quartered onion, and halved lemons (2) and also put 1 halved lemon and 1/2 onion inside the chicken
rubbed it with sea salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and topped with slices of herbed butter
on high for 6 hours (no need for broth as it will make its own)
xoxo
Have you ever used oranges for the chicken? It’s AMAZING!!!
it’s been a long time- thank you for the reminder!
oooooh, I cannot wait to see Les Miserables in the movie theaters! My husband and I just saw it live a few weeks ago for our anniversary. It was amazing (but I’ve always loved it!). Glad to hear the movie is getting great reviews!
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see Les Mis although I have always loved the story. I saw the play at Curan Theatre in SF, amazing! And I loved the last version with Liam Niessen so not sure why they made yet another. I probably will end up going to see how it compares.
lovin the 12 days of christmas fitness challenge you are doing!!
day 3 done
whoo hoo!
I’m so glad that Les Mis is as good as I’d hope it would be! I haven’t seen it yet but I hopefully will in the next week!
um, that breakfast for lunch plate is LEGENDARY. I may have to replicate.
I’m off to do my day 3 before I leave for Bikram. I’m pretty sure people would think I’m nuts doing mountain climbers in the studio after class haha. Then again, that could be fun….
Oh, I know the ‘post-christmas-blues’. I did not take the decoration away yet, I can’t 🙂 I even went to a christmas market today that is still in place downtown! Yay for keeping the christmas spirit up during the year! The Cesar salad looks SO good. I did the 3 exercises this morning in my morning workout, love it. Enjoy your family day!!!
I’m so glad to hear Les Mis. was everything you hoped it would be. My expectations are high & I can’t wait to see it! 😀
We went to go see my cousin’s school’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” this past November (My cousin, Jake, was the Beast!), and my aunt brought her granddaughter, Serenity, who turned five this year. She was a good little audience member, but the funniest thing in the entire show was right after intermission, where the Beast is saving Belle from all the wolves, Serenity shouted “Go, Jake!”
Hope you have that much fun with Liv when she’s old enough to understand the theater. My parents started taking my sis and I when we were around 2-3. They figured, how else are they going to learn how to behave in public if we don’t take them out? 🙂
That movie looks good! I need to get out and see one!
Just finished day 3! I’m sore from yesterday’s plank 🙂
I can’t wait to see the movie, we just have to find a baby sitter for the little one! Have you seen the old Les Mis with Liam Neeson? If so how do you think this one compares?
I absolutely loved Les Mis. My mom took me to see it when I was still fairly young and its been one of our favs ever since. I used to listen to the CD over and over. I totally get why you would want to take Liv to musicals-long lasting mother/daughter bonding. My mom and I went and saw the movie on Xmas and we both loved it. Anne Hathaway was amazing and Hugh Jackman is such a great actor. So good!
I honestly was not interested in seeing Les Mis but keep hearing such fantastic things about it I might have to check it out. I’ve never done the tortilla grab before it sounds delish!
I can’t wait to see that movie (probably on BluRay though – husband does not like spending money at the movies!)
Day 3 Done!
I cannot wait to see Les Mis! I’m hoping to go in the beginning of the New Year.
I get the same way-it’s like the post marathon blues but with Christmas instead! Luckily I’m flying out to CA for the Rose Bowl tomorrow morning to keep my spirits lifted. For me I will only be here a couple more Christmases. My boyfriend will be going Active Duty once he commissions and we’re looking at Hawaii or Ft Carson as our first duty station =)
Day 3 done!! I have to say that 1 minute plank has me shaking by the end!
IT WAS SUCH A GREAT MOVIE! And I love that review link you had- my thoughts EXACTLY. lol
I was on the fence about seeing Les Mis in the theater but everyone keeps talking about how amazing it is so I think I’m adding it to my list of must sees.
I hear you on the post Christmas slump. I’m trying to get more “wintery” decorations so that the house still feels holidayish since I don’t have to take those down for another few months. I also refuse to take the tree down before New Years!
I am not a big musical fan but after hearing you and everyone else talk about how great the movie is, I think I may need to just go see it.
The girl on the Les Mis picture looks exactly like my niece. It’s like her twin or something and spook me a little every time I see it!
the effect is probably intensified by Miss J’s refusal to brush her hair. She rocks the homeless look nearly every day.
LOVED the Les Mis movie. Had to exercise to much willpower to hold back tears whenever Anne Hathaway sang.
I can’y wait to see Les Mis!! I’m actually going to a “fancy” theatre with some girlfriends on Sunday. Recliners, Wine, and Les Mis…yes please!!
I feel ya about the after holiday slump…its kind of sad! 🙁 But luckily we have the excitement of a new year to look forward to and for me I am also looking forward to longer days and warmer weather!
I want to see Les Mis so bad! Okay, I loved reading about Liv’s first Christmas:) The pictures were beautiful! PS Now I am craving a caesar salad really badly.
I guess it’s a bit of a ‘what now’ feeling. I’ve heard really good things about that movie- I’ll have to go see it! Is it cinema worthy or would be equally as good on dvd/laptop?
Just finished day 3! Love it!
Must not save these for so late at night, oy!
I want to see it SOOO badly! Glad to hear you liked it 🙂