Category Archives: Parenting

I question myself…

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I used to question myself as a human being.  What am I suppose to be doing here on this earth with my life?  Then I became a mom/human being and started questioning myself as a parent, almost every day.  Am I feeding, cleaning, teaching, treating, and loving them well enough to avoid any damage in the future?  Yes, I’m dramatic, but I have a reason for it.  It’s my wicked and over the top mind.  It has been doing a number on me for many years and I have to work hard to Zen it down, especially for my daughters.  I have to constantly remind myself that things are not going to go as plan.  They might and that’s ok, but if they don’t, that’s ok as well.

Parenthood is a very scary world (I took my sweet time knocking at that door because I knew exactly what was in store) and if you add a worked up mind to the mix, things can go haywire.  But then comes the day where you’re shown exactly what your best efforts have put forward.  I was invited and honored this morning at my daughter’s school for their Exceptional Women Day Brunch.  My daughter’s essay was chosen, along with others in different grades and classes.  We began the celebration by sharing some of the essays that were written by the students.  My daughter stood up and read hers without a second thought, which I so admire and love about her.  She also showed everyone the drawing that she made.  Now it’s my turn to share it with you and to let you know that at least for today my mind is very peaceful and my heart is very proud.  I will remember this day when I’m questioning myself as a parent and know that I’m doing a good job.  My daughter’s teachers, advisors and coaches have provided me with this day, which I’m going to cherish.  I greatly thank them for the acknowledgement and for providing me with something to hush my mind with.

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I also want to thank my darling daughter, Olivia, for her kind and thoughtful words as well as her lovely drawing of us at the dining room table doing her homework.  🙂  I love her artwork.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Cucumbers and cookie cutters

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I had a wonderful Mother’s day with my whole family.  I was gifted (by my husband) a, wait for it, SCOOTER!  Yup, an adult size scooter.  It’s pretty awesome.  I tested it out for a little while before heading out to my mom’s house.  I almost fell, but gained control and hopped back on it.  I can’t wait to scoot some more with my girls and my hubby.  It’s an unconventional gift, but it sure beats receiving a vacuum or blender.  🙂  I was also gifted a beautiful MOM necklace from http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/mama-necklace-P187C104.aspx. by my hubby and my girls.  All and all, I had a great day.

Changing subjects so the title of this post makes sense, I came across this pin on Pinterest.

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http://pinterest.com/pin/101753272802560641/

My daughter loves cucumbers and I have a small heart shape cookie cutter so of course after seeing this idea, I had to try it out!

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As soon as I did it, I showed my daughter and she gasped at seeing the heart-shaped cucumbers.  The next day after school, she told me that her friends loved them as well and were asking her who made them, at which she proudly said, “my mom!”  Thank u to whoever came up with this idea.  I know it’s not rocket science, but it’s cute and it made my little girl happy and it’s those little things that count the most for me.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

A NOT SO PUZZLING EFFECT

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A not so puzzling effect

Her eyes dart

from piece to piece

looking for a place to start.

She takes a quick glance to see

exactly what she’s looking for.

I can’t take my eyes away

from her beautiful face.

As it comes alive with a series

of emotions

such concentration,

undivided attention,

then, sheer frustration.

“Help me mommy,” she says.

“Look for a corner,” I offer.

She has to do it on her own.

And when she fits the final piece

seriousness instantaneously

shifts into happiness

for us both.

– Angelica Mercado

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

My children are a great inspiration and when a moment occurs, in which I want to describe and keep it forever in words, I toss procrastination to the side (along with some housework, I’ll get to it eventually), sit down, and just write.  Some days it’s hard to get the right words down quickly when you have a 3 and 5-year-old beckoning every two minutes so I have to hit SAVE and walk away, but lately I’ve been getting back to my writing instead of letting it sit there in oblivion.  It’s a good feeling to get back to it.

Thanks for visiting!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

A glance at last weeks school lunch from home

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

Here’s a glance at what I made/put together for my daughter, last week, for her school lunch.  We try our best to send her off to school with a nutritious, balanced meal.  I’m glad to say that there are more days where her food containers come home empty.

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I try not to repeat the main dishes, but if I have to it’s usually the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or the pizza bagels, which are my daughter’s faves.  I give her nuggets once a week because we all know process food is not exactly healthy.  I also abide by the  recommended serving sizes.  In regards to the serving size for the nuggets I take one away (serving size is 5 nuggets, but I give her 4) because I also give her tater tots (serving size is 9, but I give her 6).  It’s all about moderation, plus including the veggies and fruits that we need.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Happy Birthday Sophia!

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

Today is a very special day for me.  It’s my daughter’s birthday.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Can I even call you that anymore?

Because today you’re 3 years old.

Your brilliance astounds us, you’re stubborn as a mule, your sweet, adorable face charms the wits out of people instantly, you’re fierce (just ask your big sister who you try to “lovingly” knock down), and you’re definitely a comedian in training, hence the picture above.

You keep me on my toes and make my nerves go haywire, but then you stretch your arms out wide and declare that you want a big hug, which is always followed up with a big, sloppy kiss on my cheek.  You coyly say “I love you Mami,” and melt my heart away.  I then want to devour you, figuratively speaking, of course (us mothers can’t help this feeling, it’s just there) and I tell you so, prompting you to say with a very serious face, “No Mami, you can’t eat me.”  Ok, maybe not today, so I tickle you instead.

You’re filling my mind with sweet memories and I hope I’ll never forget them.  Two days ago, we watched a squirrel munching away on something and you giggled with delight.  You have a love for animals and aren’t afraid to venture close enough.  Not even big dogs deter you.  You’re amazing.  On our way back from the supermarket, we spotted another squirrel.  He disappeared around the massive tree and you asked, “Where he go?” I told you to look up and there he was.  Suddenly, he turned and looked straight at us with his beady, little eyes.  I’ve never seen that before and I whispered to you, “he’s looking at us,” and you slowly backed away, making me laugh.  I couldn’t resist and said, “Run!”  We held hands and started running and laughing down the block.

You bring me joy, you drive me nuts, but most of all I’m so honored to be your mother.

I love you baby girl, ‘cause you’ll always be my baby, no matter how old you become.

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The many faces of my little girl.

There’s the “don’t-take-my-picture!” look, mischievous (that’s grandma’s lipstick on her face, which she secretly applied and got caught red-faced, HA!), and pure happiness!

Happy Birthday Sophia!  We love you!

🙂

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Spring is finally here…but I’m not ready to venture out!

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

Spring finally made an appearance yesterday, but in my opinion, it felt more like Summer.  It was hot.  I don’t like hot and my body and mind are not ready for this weather.  At least not yet.  My husband made a comment the other day that we don’t get to experience days that stay in the 60’s or 70’s weather wise.  No, it goes from 35 degrees one day to 80 degrees the next.  What the freak?  I haven’t even started packing away the winter clothes and looking for the summer ones.

It takes me awhile to adjust to the warmer weather because I’m an introvert, but my children prefer to be outside so I start negotiating with myself.  Take them outside for a little while because it’s nice.  At least 45 minutes, that’s not too bad.  You can handle that.  Repeat a couple of more times throughout the week until you’re ready to venture out more.  This is how my mind works.  This is how I convince myself to go outside, even though every fiber in my body wants to stay indoors, but I do it for my daughters because they do need some fresh air, sun, and outside playtime fun/exercise.  And I guess I need some of that as well, but don’t quote me, please.

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Speeding down the block

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Scooting and three wheeling

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Water station

As parents we sacrifice a lot and going outside your comfort zone may not seem like a big sacrifice (or deal) to some people, but it is to me.  I’m working on myself and trying to evolve for my little family.  I have a lot of quirks a.k.a. fears that I’m trying to conquer little by little, at my own pace, and I know it can be frustrating to some of my family members and friends, but in the famous words of Popeye (remember him?) “I yam what I yam.”

Please take it and don’t leave it.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

A glance at today’s school lunch from home

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.  Many thanks to those who liked my happy faces lunch.  I do enjoy making them for my daughters.  I wanted to share how I make my oldest daughter’s lunch for school.  At first, I was very scared of what I would pack for her since I’ve never packed a lunch before and I wanted to send her off to school with food that was healthy and, of course, that she liked.  This is what I packed for her today:

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I try to do as much as I can the night before.  When I’m making her Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches, I basically prep the bread by cutting the crust with a Good Bites cutter (yellow thingy above in the pic), then I seal it away in the sandwich container.  I do the same for the veggies.  I cut and place in the fridge.  In the morning I put the PB&J on the bread and a little bit of salad dressing on the veggies.  I also cut a piece of banana and put some peanut butter on it.  This is one of her faves.  I also include a snack like goldfish crackers with raisins.  As for her drink we do water one day and the next day I add a small juice box plus her water bottle so she drinks juice for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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The containers that I use held baby food once from Target’s brand Up & Up.  They’re pretty handy and stack up well in my daughter’s lunch bag.

I try to stick to serving sizes because that’s important and I do change up the menu days so my daughter doesn’t get bored with the food.  I’m always on the look out for new food ideas to include in her lunch bag, especially healthy ones, and I’m doing my best with food labels, which can be tricky.  I’m not going to say that I don’t let my daughter indulge in sweets (lollipops, ice cream sandwiches, cookies, etc.) because that would be a lie, but my husband and I try to keep her active by taking her to the park, Saturday mornings they train in Judo, and every week-day, as long as the weather is cooperating, I take her scooter with me when I’m picking her up from school so she can scoot home.  Every little bit helps and counts.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Double the fun

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Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

The other day I made my first double “happy faces” lunch.  Since my youngest, Sophia, is getting bigger, I decided to surprise her and her sister with this special lunch.  Unfortunately, Sophia, who’s a picky eater one day and a hungry little monster the next, decided that it was a “let me torture my mom by not wanting to eat anything day!”  At least, my oldest, Olivia, enjoyed her plate.

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Food used to make these happy faces:  strawberries, apples, bread w/ cream cheese, PBJ sandwiches, banana, raisins, and cheese sticks

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Autism Awareness Month (April)

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autismSpeaks

http://www.autismspeaks.org

Hello everybody!  I hope you guys are well.

It’s Autism Awareness Month and I just made a donation to autismspeaks.org in honor of my little cousin, Nicholas, who has come very far and will go even further than the stars.  He is a wonderful little boy who is loved by many, but especially by his dedicated and super mom Rosie, his hard-working dad, Waymon, and his big bro/HERO, Gabriel.  I love hearing about Nico’s accomplishments, which have been many and I’m so proud of his mom, my cousin, who takes such good care of him.  It’s TOUGH, but she has kept her ground and the rewards of that bravery and pure love come in the form of smiles, hugs, words, and songs that come out of her little boy.

I love this family so much!

If you are able to, please contribute to this cause.  Thank you!

Take good care all.

Until next time…