I'm currently a stay-at-home mom and am loving every moment of it. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, we have become attached to the hip and have both experienced a sense of separation anxiety. Of course like any parent (stay-at-home or not), I need a little "me-time" after being with my son every day, 24 hours a day...
I was finally able to steal an hour and a half of well-deserved "mommy time" yesterday. I got in my car, drove to the nearest mall and enjoyed my time walking around and shopping. I didn't have to struggle with a car seat and a stroller. I didn't have to push that stroller around or constantly tell my son "Don't touch that!" I was able to grab more than 3 items of clothing to the dressing room and take my sweet time trying them on. I didn't have to deal with an impatient toddler for that hour and a half. It was just me, myself, and I. It was probably the most peaceful time I've had to myself in a long time. No anxiety or stressing out! I even indulged in an iced coffee from Starbucks.
It's so important to have some personal time once in a while. As much as I love my son, he drives me crazy at times. It was so nice to get away and regain a little bit of what I used to enjoy so much before I had him...even if it was for an hour and a half.
Now it's back to the craziness... ;)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
a rainy saturday in may...
I was supposed to go out of town today and pay a visit to one of my closest friends and her son, but our plans changed. I'm now at home...thinking of what to do today.
One of my favorite shows in the world is Law & Order: SVU. One of the great things about it is the cast and I was so sad to hear that there were going to be changes to the main characters. Will it be the same without them? I honestly don't think so...I guess I'll just stick to the re-runs.
Friday, May 27, 2011
haircuts and vegas
What a long and busy day! I spent the day with my son, mom, and sister. We made the 30-45 minute drive to our hometown...mainly to visit one of my grandmas for her birthday...but also to run some errands and just spend some quality time together. Oh, we're going to San Diego next weekend for my cousin's wedding and my son was in desperate need of a haircut...
BEFORE:
AFTER:
On our way home the song "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston came on the radio and it made me think of my last birthday trip to Vegas with my closest girl friends. Then I started thinking about our single days- before the boyfriends, babies, and weddings. It was such a carefree time in our lives. I miss the spontaneous trips to Vegas. I miss the late nights out. I miss our drunken conversations. I miss the dinners and happy hours.
I think we're due for a get-together or GNO...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
a day at the park
I took my son to the park yesterday. We have a park right across the street from our place, but I wanted to take him to a different one just to change it up. I think he enjoyed this park better...he didn't want to leave! :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
no, no, no!
I love the age my son is right now. He's almost 2 1/2 and he amazes me every day. He's such a smart boy and is talking more and more. He's a handful of joy and energy and always makes me smile and laugh. Of course, not all my days are filled with wonderful things. There's no parenthood without a little frustration...
Being a new mom, I always knew in the back of my mind that disciplining my son would be hard. I think it was always a fear of mine that I wouldn't be stern enough to discipline because I'm the type of person who can easily give in sometimes. My son is in his "terrible twos" stage and not to mention a BOY so he is constantly all over the place. He loves to touch everything from dirt to breakable items at the store (why do they always go for those??). He jumps on the bed and sometimes if he's feeling really daring, he'll jump off of the bed onto the floor. He runs around like an energizer bunny and throws himself on the ground if he doesn't want to go somewhere.
It can be very frustrating, especially when he doesn't LISTEN. I probably say "No, Dylan" a million times a day. I don't want him to think he can get everything and do anything he wants so I'm trying to teach him the word "no". He hates it when either my boyfriend or I say it. He'll cry and make a sad face or throw his face in our laps. Sometimes he will listen, but then a minute later he'll be right back at the spot doing the very same thing I told him not to do. Ahh!
This little man has me wrapped around his fingers...so it's quite a challenge every day!
Being a new mom, I always knew in the back of my mind that disciplining my son would be hard. I think it was always a fear of mine that I wouldn't be stern enough to discipline because I'm the type of person who can easily give in sometimes. My son is in his "terrible twos" stage and not to mention a BOY so he is constantly all over the place. He loves to touch everything from dirt to breakable items at the store (why do they always go for those??). He jumps on the bed and sometimes if he's feeling really daring, he'll jump off of the bed onto the floor. He runs around like an energizer bunny and throws himself on the ground if he doesn't want to go somewhere.
It can be very frustrating, especially when he doesn't LISTEN. I probably say "No, Dylan" a million times a day. I don't want him to think he can get everything and do anything he wants so I'm trying to teach him the word "no". He hates it when either my boyfriend or I say it. He'll cry and make a sad face or throw his face in our laps. Sometimes he will listen, but then a minute later he'll be right back at the spot doing the very same thing I told him not to do. Ahh!
This little man has me wrapped around his fingers...so it's quite a challenge every day!
Monday, May 23, 2011
bridal shower
I co-hosted my first bridal shower for one of my best friends yesterday. I've never really hosted a party besides my own birthday dinners and my son's birthdays, but it was a success and a lot of fun! Being a maid of honor has a lot of responsibilities, a lot of which I didn't anticipate in the beginning. Luckily, my friend chose two maid of honors so I wasn't alone in all the planning.
My friend lives in San Diego and is having her wedding in San Francisco so she's been traveling back and forth. It was nice to see her relax and have some fun yesterday.
I've enjoyed planning her bachelorette and bridal shower. I would love to have a career in event planning. Hmm??
Sunday, May 22, 2011
writer's block
I tried to write about something tonight, but my mind is just not working right now. Maybe it's late...or maybe it's because I have to get up early (in several hours) to co-host a bridal shower event for one of my best friends. I'm excited!
On another note, I finally watched No Strings Attached and it was such a cute movie! I'm in love with Natalie Portman...such an amazing actress!
On another note, I finally watched No Strings Attached and it was such a cute movie! I'm in love with Natalie Portman...such an amazing actress!
Friday, May 20, 2011
friday night cooking
Before I had my son, I was never a cook nor did I enjoy it. Now that I have my own family, cooking has been one of my newest crafts, which I'm still trying to perfect. I love looking for new recipes and love it even more when my son and boyfriend enjoy it. Tonight I made chicken with basil cream and garlic pasta. It was so delish! I got the recipe for the chicken with basil cream from an app called BigOven on my iPhone. So easy to make and it took less than 30 minutes. For dessert, I made oreo truffles. Again, another easy (but messy!) recipe. They're cooling in the fridge right now and I can't wait to try them.
I got the recipe for the oreo truffles from this video. Try it out! :)
I got the recipe for the oreo truffles from this video. Try it out! :)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
summer gear
It was 8 pm last night and as I was folding our laundry, I noticed a lot of my son's shirts that were getting too small for him. He's almost 2 1/2 and some of them were 24 months-2T. Why was I keeping these around?? He grows so fast!
So I said to my boyfriend "Dylan's going to need more summer clothes soon!" With the nearest mall being only 5 minutes away, we decided to go right then and there. I love shopping for new clothes for my son and if you know me, I'm a bargain shopper. I hardly ever spend more than $20 on one item of clothing for him. Kids grow out of their clothes so fast so why spend a lot of money on something they're only going to wear 6 months to a year?
I usually shop at Target, Crazy 8, Gymboree and H&M. We went to the mall and instantly walked into The Children's Place. I haven't shopped there for him yet, but he's gotten a lot of really cute stuff from there as gifts. I was so happy we decided to go there! They had a lot of summer clothes on sale; muscle tees, polos, shorts, tees, sandals and swim wear for less than $10 or less. We ended up getting 10 tops, 2 shorts, and one pair of sandals for less than $100. What a bargain! I will definitely be shopping there again...
These are the sandals we got him. I love them! They look like Crocs, but I think these ones are cuter. ($6 at the store)
So I said to my boyfriend "Dylan's going to need more summer clothes soon!" With the nearest mall being only 5 minutes away, we decided to go right then and there. I love shopping for new clothes for my son and if you know me, I'm a bargain shopper. I hardly ever spend more than $20 on one item of clothing for him. Kids grow out of their clothes so fast so why spend a lot of money on something they're only going to wear 6 months to a year?
I usually shop at Target, Crazy 8, Gymboree and H&M. We went to the mall and instantly walked into The Children's Place. I haven't shopped there for him yet, but he's gotten a lot of really cute stuff from there as gifts. I was so happy we decided to go there! They had a lot of summer clothes on sale; muscle tees, polos, shorts, tees, sandals and swim wear for less than $10 or less. We ended up getting 10 tops, 2 shorts, and one pair of sandals for less than $100. What a bargain! I will definitely be shopping there again...
These are the sandals we got him. I love them! They look like Crocs, but I think these ones are cuter. ($6 at the store)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
beauty sleep!
I wanted to share this blog that Lauren Conrad wrote about getting "beauty sleep", which is 7 to 9 hours. I'm sure I speak for all mothers out there when I say how hard it is to get some sleep these days, but it's still an importance for our beauty. Enjoy! :)
thebeautydepartment.com -
thebeautydepartment.com -
potty training trials
I started my 2-year old son, Dylan, on potty training in February. I wanted to try everything I could to encourage him so I downloaded a Pull-Ups iGo Potty app on my iPhone. I set it to go off every 30 minutes and it plays this cute little song. There's even a little tracking log of whether or not he went potty. Every time he went potty, he would get a sticker and the more stickers he gets the more games he can unlock. How cool is that? I even added more incentive by rewarding him with an M&M. He loved it!
He started out really well. He didn't go every 30 minutes, but he always went to the potty and tried to go. I was so excited for him as was he. A month after he started, we moved to a new city. I read that it's not a good idea to potty-train while going through a huge change like that, so it set him back a little. Now when my app goes off or I tell him, "It's time to go potty!" he'll shake his head no. Of course, I don't want to force him if he's not ready. Now that we're settled into our new home, it's back to square one! Hopefully we'll be able to get back on track and he'll be in big boy underwear in no time!
He started out really well. He didn't go every 30 minutes, but he always went to the potty and tried to go. I was so excited for him as was he. A month after he started, we moved to a new city. I read that it's not a good idea to potty-train while going through a huge change like that, so it set him back a little. Now when my app goes off or I tell him, "It's time to go potty!" he'll shake his head no. Of course, I don't want to force him if he's not ready. Now that we're settled into our new home, it's back to square one! Hopefully we'll be able to get back on track and he'll be in big boy underwear in no time!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
to run or not to run...
I've been wanting to join a marathon for a couple years now, but was always too scared or intimidated to try it. For one thing, I'm not a runner nor do I work out on a regular basis anymore (I'm on a mission to change both of those things). There have been numerous times where I was driving and saw someone running and I always found it very inspiring...something like out of a Nike commercial. Of course, I doubted myself and thought I could never do it or do very well at it. I told myself I would do one next year, but why not now right?
My sister unexpectedly asked me the other day if I wanted to join her in the SF Giants 5K Marathon in August. My first thought was, "Yes!" My second thought was, "OMG do I have enough time to train??" I don't wanna put this off any longer so I will be joining her this year. She just finished with her spring semester at school so she and I will be following an 8-week training schedule that I found online. I'm so nervous but very excited! Wish me luck! :)
http://www.race-sfgiants.com/
My sister unexpectedly asked me the other day if I wanted to join her in the SF Giants 5K Marathon in August. My first thought was, "Yes!" My second thought was, "OMG do I have enough time to train??" I don't wanna put this off any longer so I will be joining her this year. She just finished with her spring semester at school so she and I will be following an 8-week training schedule that I found online. I'm so nervous but very excited! Wish me luck! :)
http://www.race-sfgiants.com/