Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts

I Can't Get No (Job) Satisfaction: Stephen Kellogg

Friday, May 23, 2014
Like many of you, I struggle daily with creating/maintaining my ideal "work-life balance". I have two young children and due to high cost of living in my area, I am not in a position where I can stay home. I am also not willing to move because my entire family is here and that support system is what keeps me sane.

When my kids are sick, or have school events, etc... those feelings of unhappiness with my job start to creep in. A friend sent me this video that was a great motivation to change my mindset while at work. I love the strategies that he presents. Take a look!


My favorite quote from his presentation:

"Climb Ladders Worth Climbing"

Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge

Thursday, May 15, 2014
I thought I would share this fun summer reading challenge launched by Scholastic!

Since our oldest just turned 4, we are starting thinking of ways we can prepare him for kindergarten. We have already experienced some hot and muggy weather, so this is great indoor activity to begin with when it gets too hot to go out.

The older Aaron gets, the more engaged he is with us in reading. His favorite book right now is Corduroy by Don Freeman, which is on the Summer Reading Book List

We are going to start by following step 1 of Scholastic's recommended steps to prepare for a successful summer reading adventure. We are going to do an inventory of our current library and donate any books our kids may have outgrown to make room for new favorites. 

For more information: 

A Brothers Bond

Tuesday, May 6, 2014
We have done a lot of celebrating over the last couple of weeks. Our first born just turned 4! I still can not believe it! It feels like we hit a milestone! Next year he will be in kindergarten! Then, the little one turned the big ole O-N-E! With that big birthday came the accomplishment of sleeping through the night. We got to experience a glorious week of sleep and got the chance to feel well rested and wake up from our zombie haze, only to go back to waking 2-3 times a night because of teething. :) C'est la vie!


What has been amazing to witness is the bond these two are forming. They know they are brothers!
They have begun fighting over toys, and for our attention but they have also realized they are part of the same unit, they are in this together and it's the two of them against the world! It's marvelous.

My prayer is that this bond, that will only grow stronger, will never leave them. No matter how old they get, and what life may bring them, that they know they will always have each other and that is the best gift their daddy and I could have ever given them!

xoxo

Blessed

Wednesday, March 19, 2014
There are days when I feel run down. When the husband is out of town. There are days when I feel like me working full time really gets in the way of me being a good mom. The are days when I am just tired. But even in those days, I know I am blessed. I am so blessed to have my little family.

They are healthy and happy! a handful but oh so cute!!! 



The little one is will be 1 soon! It's a little bitter sweet. I remember the high we were all on when we first brought him home, then it got "real". Going back to work was a huge adjustment. Getting a home routine was hard, we are finally ALMOST there. It's getting easier and easier to manage. We are finally getting to really enjoy these two! 


The older one is something else! He is just the silliest boy ! i love his personality so much! He is very much into superheroes right now.

I am just blessed.

Quick Tips for the Sleep Deprived Mom

Monday, February 24, 2014
My first child did not sleep through the night until he was almost 2 and my second child is 10 months old and its not looking like he will be sleeping through the night anytime soon. Since I am a full time working mom, getting through the workday and the evenings is not always easy. There are days I am dragging. A couple of things that have finally started working for me are:

Sleep deprivation
source

1. Getting a solid 4-5 hours of sleep
I gave up on hoping and wishing for eight hours. I found I function of a good 4-5 hours and that is what I aim for. Of course, that baby doesn't always cooperate but that is why my husband is there.

2. Coffee
I love Coffee and Coffee loves me. Coffee is my best friend.

3. Get all the chores out the way as early as you can
I do not wait for the kids to go sleep to get things done. My husband and I take turns playing with the boys or doing certain chores while they are awake. We try to prepare for the next day as much as we can during this time too.

4. Go to bed when they go to bed
I go to bed as soon as the little is asleep so I can get as much sleep as possible. That is why I try to knock out everything I need to do while they are awake, so I can go to sleep and not think about what I need to do.

5. Let the house be messy sometimes
Sometimes you just have to accept that your house will be a mess. The only thing I worry about is dishes in the sink and everything else can wait until I am well rested and the weekend. Kids needs and your sanity are first and foremost. Those who love do not care about my mess, just like I wouldn't care about theirs.

Other tips:

Exercise: I am lucky if I have the time to get exercise in, but I do know that exercising can give you the energy you need.

Unplug: I do not get on my ipad or computer 30 minutes before bedtime. I find I have a harder time falling asleep if I am pinning stuff on pinterest before going to sleep. ;)

Halloween 2013

Friday, November 1, 2013
This is the fun stage. Aaron understood the fun of dressing up and trick or treating. He is still talking about his costume. This morning he woke up and asked if it was still Halloween. This is the fun stage. They make me happy.


New Addition

Thursday, June 27, 2013
It's been quiet on the blog since life has been so busy lately.

We welcomed a new little guy to our family.  He was born a couple weeks early but is an amazing, amazing guy! We are so in love.

 
 
Aaron did need a little time adjusting to this new life but he is now just head over heels for his little brother.
 
 
 
We feel so blessed and so lucky to have these two. Life is just too perfect right now! It just makes me want another one! ;)
 
 
 
He really is our little superhero!
 
 
-XoXo



The Anatomy of a Toddler’s Tantrum

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Pissed off one minute...
Happy the next ...

I just wish I would have known, how soon these start! He’s 17 month for goodness sakes!

He's still cute though! :)

Milestone: First Haircut

Thursday, October 6, 2011
The baby ain't a baby no more!

At 17 1/2 months old we took the bug for his first haircut! He did great, I didn't. He sat in the chair as if he was in spa getting a massage and I cried watching my boy go from baby to toddler!

It also looks as if he loves his new look, he loves to go look at himself in the mirror and is just being a little show off.

Here is a quick before shot:


and here is his after:


sniff sniff. My Big Boy!


Love Motherhood

Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Even though I don't need anything other than my son to tell me how to love motherhood, this is a nice quote! I love pinterest!


I took 85 pictures last night

Friday, July 1, 2011
I took little guy to the park last night after I got off work. Weather was perfect. Sun was still out. He loved it. I'm happy I had my camera with me. I got to capture that smile of his. That smile that I think about 24/7.


Have a Happy 4th & Stay Cool!! It's supposed to be close to the 100's in the DC area so I'm thinking POOL!!!




Am I ready for baby #2?

Friday, June 24, 2011
When I see things like this? I think YES I AM!!!! I can't wait until we have a baby girl. There are so many cute things out there for little girls, unfortunately that isn't the case for boys grrr.

In all honesty, we're not quite ready for baby #2 yet but I can at least start my must have list for when Leah comes (yes, I already know my future baby girl's name, hehe)



Shoes by Joyfolie.
Image source.

A Day in the Life of a Full Time Working Mama Pt. II

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
So yesterday I posted about what our weekday's look like, but I lied! I wish it went that smooth!!
My morning today went like this:

6:45: I wake up
6:50: Aaron wakes up
7:00: I leave Aaron on his chair while I go take a quick shower
7:05: Aaron sees the bathroom door open and gets excited, he comes in & starts dumping all his toys in the bath tub while I'm in the shower!
7:15: I don't have time to get his toys out of the shower, so I just go get ready.
7:55: Managed to get myself AAANND Aaron dressed! I get his diaper bag ready!
8:00: I try to leave the House but Thomas comes on and Aaron screams that I dared take Thomas away.
8:05: Turn the TV off and head out the door, get stuck in traffic. lovely. Drop Aaron of @ my mom's.
8:40: Arrive at metro station:
9:30: arrive to work, 30 minutes late. bahumbug!

I don't even remember if I turned out all the lights in my apartment when I left this morning! lol

A Day in the Life of a Full Time Working Mama

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged. Let's see between working full time, house hunting and spending time with my little family I have been busy! But I am not complaining, I have been productive!  The past month, I have done a little spring cleaning and have gotten rid of a lot of items in my home. I gave away lots of baby items and set aside items I want to sell. We also got our carpets cleaned & I got down on my knees to clean those baseboard! The old me would never have done that, but the momma me, the wife me - was happy to get on my knees to clean our home for my family to enjoy.

My busy schedule is pretty much like any working mom's, but I wanted to share with you anyway. Here is a glimpse of a what a work week looks like for us:

Hubby gets up super early and is out of the house by 6:20am.

6:30 a.m.- I get up and start getting ready before Aaron wakes up. Shower, hair etc...
7:00 a.m.- wake up Aaron and give him about a thousand kisses, sing good morning songs to him  while changing his diaper. Then I take him in the living room, sit him on his little chair while he drinks his bottle & watches The Wiggles. While he's doing that I finish getting ready.
7:20 a.m.- Get Aaron dressed, get his diaper bag ready and then Aaron gets to play a bit.
7:50 a.m.- I try to be out the house by his time to take Aaron to my mom's and leave to work.
8:20 a.m.- Get on the train and head to work. The train ride is where I catch up on my reading. I love kindle! It's also where my frustration lies! Shout out to WMATA!
9:00 a.m.- 10: a.m.: once at work, I reply to emails and phone calls and get ready for meetings in the day.
10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.: I work for a small non profit that advocates for women's choice in childbirth, I am currently working on some social media & SEO projects, I take this time to check in with colleagues, check my google alerts etc...

NOON: LUNCH & call to say hi to Aaron.

1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.:
Meetings & web updates. Did I mention I'm also the webmaster at my job. In the non-profit world you wear a lot of hats.
5:00 p.m.: I head home. I used to stay late almost daily but now that I am a mom, I can't wait to see the little guy!
6:00 p.m. - arrive at metro stop and head to get Aaron.
Hubby is usually home by now and helps me tremendously by doing the dishes, laundry if there is any and getting bottles ready for Aaron!!!! <3
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.- I arrive home and start dinner. I really hate getting home so late because after dinner there isn't much time left to be with Aaron during the week. 
8:00-8:45 p.m.- After dinner this is the time we have with Aaron to play, read to him and bath him or even go out for a little walk.
9:00 p.m - bed time for the little guy, he falls asleep on my chest every night. This I won't give up cause I love it!
9:00 -11:00 pm- straighten up around the house, have time with my husband and catch up on shows.
11:00 pm: I'm done! I go to sleep and get my rest for the grind tomorrow.

I am lucky that my bosses are pretty awesome, If there are days where I need to change my hours or work from home, they work with me. It helps that they are mothers also! I do long to be a say at home mom, it's just not in the cards for us right now, maybe in a couple years, they are things we want to do first like buy a home, get out of debt and I'd like to go back to school.

Well that is mostly what my day's look like, If I am M.I.A, I guess you now have an idea why. :)

Working mama's out there, do you have any time management tips for me? I'd love to hear them!

image source: examiner

Super A turns 1! (Loaded with pics)

Monday, May 16, 2011
Well, the kid is officially 1.

His birthday was on 4.27 and we celebrated with a small group of close family & friends on May 7.

Since we live in an apartment, we went to a nearby state park and the weather was perfect!

It was a first come, first serve situation so I was there super duper early but it worked out great.

The party was super duper budget friendly!! I spent about $150.00 Total for a party with about 30 attendees!

For my affordable menu, click here.

I saved money by starting at the dollar store first! and that is where I got all the serving pieces. Then Sam's club and target. EASY!

Now for pics & details.
__________________________________________________________________

First up is inspiration.

I thought I wanted to do a dinosaur theme but when I came across this party on Hostess with the Mostess blog, I thought it was perfect! My husband is a nerd and still reads comics, so it fit us perfectly!

Luckily, Anders Ruff Etsy Store, was selling the printable pack for others to use! YAY!

So here was our invite:

Love it! She has two options, the invite & a printable pack that includes water bottle lables, cupcake toppers etc... I got them both baby!










We knew the park would keep the kids busy but we also got some super cool masks from target that the kids could decorate themselves, bubbles and superhero bands as favors. Here is the activity table all set up:





Here is the Birthday boy having fun with his birthday banner:



Like his outfit? :)

I found these plastic tubs that are pretty sturdy at target for $5.99 each and they held the water & drinks. I'll use them for toy storage now!

Cupcakes, mmmm

Cupcakes & smash cake were ordered from our local Safeway grocery store. At $8.00 a dozen, it's a great deal!

He did not care about his smash cake :(

so we tried to show him

He still didn't get it and was more concerned that we were all looking at him lol

Here's his what are you looking at face:
The adults decided to play around with the cake instead

All in all it was a great day! Kids running around the park, the ladies lounging on the field talking while the man play football, Aaron being carried by aunts, uncles & cousins and loving it! I can't wait until next year, though I hope it doesn't come around as fast as this birthday did. sniff sniff. my baby is growing up.

I leave you with my favorite pic:



<3
 
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