This is my space for all the things that I love, things that are close and personal to me: motherhood, my babies, family, and special moments. Here are some posts that’ll give you a glimpse into my happy, lovely, yet sometimes awkward world:
{Wordless Wednesdays} Food + Family = Love
My uncle from Vegas was in town and the family had an impromptu get together that turned out to be a wonderful and delicious feast. The most memorable part was seeing everyone together in the kitchen, cooking together, and enjoying each other’s company. Food + Family = Love. It was all so yummy.
WARNING: Do not read if you are hungry! I tried posting this after dinner as a courtesy since the following post contains graphic images of delicious food, but it’s a little late now and you might be hungry again. I apologize in advance if this makes your tummy grumble…
Here’s a photo of us before the chow fest began. I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t want to see an “after” photo. LOL
Are you having a food coma just by looking at all the food? I was actually posting as it was happening, so don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!
xoxo // gracielle.
{Throwback Thursday} Our Wedding Playlist
Our wedding was 4 years ago from yesterday (09.11.09), but it literally feels like it was just yesterday. It was one of the best days of my life because it was filled with love, joy, and good vibes all around. A big part of what made the wedding so special is the music that played from start to finish. Here are the songs that Jeffrey and I hand-picked for our wedding playlist:
Ceremony processional – Clair de Lune // Debussey
Live performance sung by Francis Perfecto during the ceremony – You (Wedding Song) // DnH
Bride and Groom entrance at the reception – Good Life // Kanye West
Cake Cutting – Ice Cream // Sarah McLachlan
Father/Daughter Dance – Daughters // John Mayer
Mother/Son Dance – A Song for Mama // Boyz II Men
First Dance – Still in Love // Brian McKnight
Bouquet Toss – Single Ladies // Beyonce
Garter removal – Bump n Grind // R. Kelly
Garter Toss – Party Like a Rock Star // Shop Boyz
This was the song of the summer that year – I Gotta Feelin’ // Black Eyed Peas
We had an awesome DJ – thanks to Jay Funk from Kiss FM. He mixed it up from oldies all the way up to current music so that all generations could dance the night away. He even stayed for an after-set and spun until 1:30am after the power outage.
Photo creds go to Jay Crihnfield.
Lastly, happy 4 year anniversary to the best husband ever, my Jeffrey. I love you everyday!!
xoxo // gracielle.
Jazmine & Andrew’s Wedding
This past weekend, we celebrated Jazmine and Andrew’s wedding. The reason why I love this couple is because they started off as kids, literally, having their son Jordan when they were just teens. Then, after a few years of hard work and dedication they are now both successful, working young professionals and wonderful parents to their little Bubba. It was not only a celebration of Jazmine and Andrew’s marriage, it was confirmation to us all that anything can happen when you put your trust in God, put your family first, and work hard towards your goals. Congrats, you two crazy love birds!
I think there were about a dozen moments where I almost started to cry, but then again just about everything makes me want to cry. Here are my favorite moments of the wedding festivities:
Zavier the Coin Bearer
I can’t get enough of my Lil’ Man Z in his oversized tux! He was fighting me while I was trying to get him in his dress shoes and jacket. I don’t blame the poor guy after wearing crocs and t-shirts all summer.
I thought he wouldn’t walk down the aisle, but to our pleasant surprise – he did! I hid from him as soon as we arrived at the church, so when it was his turn to walk they told him to go and find his mommy. It worked! Here’s a video – you can hear him saying, “Where’s Mommy? Where’s Mommy?” the whole way down:
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Dress – what dress? That’s a nice suit!
The bride looked beautiful in her wedding gown, but it was a little overshadowed by Jeffrey’s suit. Everybody was talking about the 3-piece vintage suit that he got a the thrift store for $6!
Don’t cry, just pop and lock.
The wedding was emotional time for father of the bride, Tito (Uncle) Nel. When he was giving his speech and on the verge of crying, the deejay started to play techno music. Tito Nel instantly snapped out of his emotional state and he started to pop and lock, then continue his speech once his emotions were in check. Well played, deejay! Well played.
During the Father/Daughter dance, they broke out into a routine and electrified the crowd! Check out the robot action:
“Excuse me, we gotta go dance.”
We were all sitting patiently at the reception for the bridal party to make their grand entrance, when all of a sudden Arielle and Jericho (4 years old) excused themselves from the table to hit the dance floor. They are best buds that haven’t seen each other for a few months. The danced together, hand in hand, on an empty dance floor to Sinatra’s “Come Fly with Me.” It was the sweetest thing I’ve seen. Sorry for the blurry pictures.
Oh, and here’s a family portrait of us that night. 3 out of 4 of us looking at the camera ain’t bad:
Congrats again and cheers to Jazmine and Andrew!!
xoxo // gracielle.
How to Pronounce Gracielle
Gracielle.
Pronounced “GRAY-shull.”
Rhymes with “facial.”
But you can call me “Grace.”
I hate my name. It is spelled one way, but pronounced another. It’s so complicated that people had to start calling me “Grace” when I was in the 3rd grade. I thought it was only a temporary name and that once people get to know me, they would eventually call me by my real name. Turns out, only .0005% of the people I meet really take the time to get to know me so the world pretty much knows me as “Grace.”
I did a little research on my name and here’s some depressing, yet not surprising news:
Gracielle hasn’t been listed in the top 1000 names since, umm…NEVER.
I hit rock bottom with my name when I was listening to a morning radio show about a year ago. They were talking about a new spa treatment for women for their private parts and they called it a “vajacial.” I nearly drove off the side of the road because I thought they said my name on the live radio in reference to the vagina-facial. Fortunately, that service has not taken off enough for the general public to associate my name with vaginal rejuvenation spa treatments.
Now that I’m 30, I think it’s time to reclaim my original name but do it the right way with the correct pronunciation. Jeff says it’s a little too late for me to do a name change, but 30 is not too late for anything. Plus, I meet new people all the time so going forward, I can introduce myself with my new name. But don’t worry, everyone who already knows me can be grandfathered in and call me by whatever they’ve been calling me. I won’t take offense to that!
I made Jeffrey practice with me:
Me: Ask me what my name is.
Jeff: What?
Me: C’mon. Say, “Hi, what’s your name?”
Jeff: (eyeball roll) Hi. What’s your name?
Me: My name is Gracie-elle. Grah-ceil.
Jeff: ?
Me: Gray.C.L.
I’m working on it. Just be patient with me as I figure out the pronunciation of the name that I will go by for the last two-thirds of my life. It has to flow and sound like I mean it – no hesitation. In the meantime, I’ll just use this as my name:
Best.name.EVER.
xo // gracielle.
Chicago, You Taste Good.
…and so do you, Robin Thicke. Ha ha! I wish.
http://instagram.com/p/bu6SsQTHBy/
Jeff and I had a date sans A&Z at the Taste of Chicago where we caught Robin Thicke in concert. Just 24 hours before that, I got a serious beat down at work – so an afternoon full of food, music, food, beautiful weather, food, dancing, wine, and more food in my favorite city with my favorite guy was definitely in order.
It was a perfect sunny, breezy day. We both felt so incredibly light, literally, because we could just get up and go without having to fuss with car seats, strollers, etc. There were even moments where we held hands – just like how couples do on a real date.
We parked our car near the Blue Line and Jeff bought my favorite tacos in the whole wide world from Taco Burrito King. I ate it on the train while reading the Red Eye. That’s wassup:
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We ran into some friends and had a little time to kill before the concert, so we munched on corn and then a frozen chocolate covered banana. Estelle was the opening act for Robin Thicke. She killed it:
I was up dancing and singing along, with the energy of the city of Chicago running through my veins and it felt good. All the toddler whining, stresses from work and being a busy working mother faded away…that is until I looked down at my feet at my poor neglected, nasty ass crusty toes. Eww.
http://instagram.com/p/bu6o_9THCS/
Then Robin Thicke came out – lookin oh so fine in his suit – and errbody went crazy for one my favorite songs of the summer 2013:
As much as I love Robin Thicke, the rest of his set was just…meh. His songs are sloooow and sleepy time. It would have been perfect for a dark lounge or jazz bar with candles and wine. See what I mean:
I still enjoyed it, I just didn’t think the outdoor venue at the Taste of Chicago didn’t mesh well with his slow, sexy vibe. He turned it up again and performed Blurred Lines again to close out the show.
Oh, and what’s the Taste of Chicago without a little guilt-free pigging out? We maxed out on BBQ pulled pork sliders, African jerk chicken, toasted ravioli, up until they stopped serving food.
http://instagram.com/p/bu7FvhTHC2/
WE SHUT IT DOWN! So thank you Chicago & Robin Thicke for a wonderful date night with my hubs.
http://instagram.com/p/bpjr8bTHOw/
What was the last date you went on? I’d love to hear it!
xo // gracielle.
Fourth of July 2013
We had an all-American 4th of July this year: Fireworks, BBQ, and a day off of work! I’m not going to lie, that last one was my favorite part besides freedom, liberty, and all the other patriotic reasons why we celebrate the 4th of July.
We caught fireworks last Saturday nearby our old townhome. It’s my favorite place to catch fireworks because it’s never crowded and they set off the fireworks so close to the crowd, that it literally feels as if the fireworks are exploding on top of your head. A&Z, however, didn’t share my enthusiasm:
I love how their emotions are so clearly displayed on their little facial expressions. Actually, Arielle LOVED it and kept jumping up and down screaming, “Holy cow!!” Not sure where she got that phrase from. Zavier didn’t like it so much. He mumbled “boom, boom” when the first few fired off, but then started crying like a baby. Poor thing. I guess when you’re 2, loud explosions that are falling on your head aren’t such good idea of fun. You’ll like ’em next year, Zavie. I promise.
For the actual Independence Day, we headed over to Jeff’s side of the family to enjoy barbecue, biking, and popsicles. Here are the pics. Enjoy!
How’d you celebrate Independence Day this year? I’d love to hear it!
xo//gracielle.
Friday Faves: Songs of Summer 2013
Happy first day of summer!! Pack your emergency summer fun kit and get in the car, roll down the windows, and turn up the stereo to my favorite songs of summer 2013!
These jams have a fresh sound, yet old skool groove that make me feel sexy and sophisticated and forget that I’m a frumpy mother of 2 cruising around in a minivan.
Yes, I’m talkin’ ’bout Robin, Bruno, and Pharrell – LOVE those guys.
Now, let’s dance.
Blurred Lines // Robin Thicke
Treasure // Bruno Mars
Get Lucky // Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams
Is it just me, or do these songs feel throwback-ish kinda like an image on Instagram?
Mommy A-Z in Madison, WI
This past weekend we took a family trip to Wisconsin Dells. We were supposed to hit up a birthday party that Sunday on our way home, but it was an additional hour out of the way. Instead, we made a spontaneous decision to make a pit stop in Madison, WI to check out the scene and grab some lunch. I’m so glad we did!
Madison is a college town, home of the University of Wisconsin Madison Badgers (not to be confused with the Crazy Nasty Ass Honey Badger). It had a small town slash urban vibe to it. For the middle of WisCOWsin, the crowd was surprisingly diverse, young and hip. I was honestly expecting to see a bunch of country cheese-heads, no offense.
We stumbled upon State Street, which connects the state Capitol with the University, and it was filled with local shops and restaurants. We literally spent the afternoon people watching and window shopping. There were lots of people around, but it wasn’t too crowded. Also, I thought it was odd, yet pleasant that there weren’t many cars on the street by so it was easy to get around just by walking with the kids in their stroller.
The shops were filled with eclectic items and unique items and kind of had an Urban Outfitters and Antropologie-esque aesthetic. Well, those 2 stores were actually there also, but I skipped ’em because I wanted to check out the local specialty shops. Check out some of the goodies:
Rings – 2 for $6 @Earthbound Trading Co.
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D&G Shades – $15 @ Bangles & Bags
http://instagram.com/p/ao6fTpTHAB/
CUPCAKES!
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Happy Father’s Day, Jeffrey!
http://instagram.com/p/ao7HqVTHBM/
There were so many restaurants and so much variety in terms of ethnic cuisine that we had a hard time deciding on where to dine. There were sandwich shops, Italian, Greek, Mediterranean, Indian, Japanese, Thai…but we ended up eating at Diego’s Mexican Bistro. Eh, it wasn’t all that great. That was the only bummer of the entire day.
We took a turn at the end of the street and BOOM – Hello, Lake Mendota! Did you know there was a lake there? I didn’t. Boy, those lakes could sneak up on ya when you least expect it! The walkway was still under construction, but it was beautiful nonetheless. There were lots of people soaking up the summer sun, enjoying view of the boats and duckies, and grabbing food/drinks at the nearby food stand.
http://instagram.com/p/ao7U_VTHBt/
At the other end of the street was the Capital Building so we took some pictures there, too.
Overall, we had a lovely afternoon in Madison, WI. It’s rich in culture, but without the hustle-bustle of a large city like Chicago. It’s quaint and charming, but not old and touristy like Wisconsin Dells. Check it out this summer when you get a chance…maybe add it to your 2013 summer bucket list!
Have you been to Madison, WI before? Did I miss any special attractions or do you have any restaurant recommendations for next time? Let me know!
Thanks for reading.
T-birds Wisconsin Dells 2013
It’s round 2 in Wisconsin Dells for us this year! We went earlier this year for A&Z’s birthday celebration. Now we’re baaaaack – but this time we went with the T-birds (Jeffrey’s side of the family).
This time around is so much better because of the weather, the accommodations, and being surrounded by family – just as they say: the more the merrier! It’s so great to watch A&Z play with their cousins. They’re all pretty close in age and they get along so well. Cousins are like having instant best friends for life. Here they are getting ready to hit the water park:
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I totally missed out on the first day of swimming because I got stuck working. The next day, I jumped in the pool with my swimming buddy Zavier for a few minutes, but then he fell asleep on me! Must have been that wave simulator that rocked him fast asleep:
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I ended up chillin’ next to him poolside and enjoyed this 42 oz drink of Mango Margarita goodness:
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After a long day of swimming, we checked out the outlet mall and grabbed dinner at Buffalo Phil’s.
http://instagram.com/p/am-RP0THAS/
Things tend to take a long time when traveling in a large group, but this dinner was ridiculous – 3 hours! My buddy fell asleep again on me, this time om my lap:
http://instagram.com/p/ao4Nn_zHMd/
When Zavie wasn’t sleeping, I enjoyed myself as much as I could despite his terrible-two tendencies:
http://instagram.com/p/ao4wwHzHNK/
It was a short and sweet trip with lots of laughs and family fun! Thanks for reading.
Have you ever been to Wisconsin Dells? It’s the Waterpark Capitol of the World. Boom.
Throwback Thursday: 25 Random Things About Me from 2009
I found a list of 25 Random Things About Me that I wrote in 2009 when I was looking through my old Facebook “Notes”. (Interestingly, I was already showing hints of my blogger tendencies by using FB Notes back then!) That was 4 years ago when I was only 26! It’s pretty much the same to this day, except for #7 – No, we didn’t name our daughter Kordapia and #14 – EWW! Jon Gosselin…Barf! But when I read #25 I nearly cried. This just goes to show that dreams really do came true…
Here’s a pic of me at 26 and 7 months preggers with Arielle…about the same time I wrote this post:
1. I wrote a rap song about my friends and we called ourselves Homebase Crew. I rapped it to them on one of the last days of school freshman year. I’m still close friends with most of those girls to this day. That must mean I had mad skillz.
2. Everytime I eat canned peaches I think of the time when my big sister and I were playing when little kids (approx 7 and 5 yrs old, respectively) – she had me pinned on the floor and we were laughing and the peach fell out of her mouth onto my face.
3. I called Jeffrey my “boyfriend” for 9 years. In the short span of 4 months, I called him my “fiance,” then “husband,” then “baby daddy” but not necessarily in that order.
4. My eyebrows grow pointing downwards and span across every square centimeter of my eyelids.
5. I wore braces for 5 years.
6. My feet are an exact replica of my mom’s feet, but mine are a very proportionate, size-and-a-half bigger.
7. Jeff keeps saying that we’re going to name our daughter “Kordapia.” I have a fear that I’m going to be so exhausted and drugged up from giving birth that when they ask me to name her, I’ll accidentally say “Kordapia” out of habit or since the name has been engraved in my head.
8. I wish for the day when the sounds of tpang and akon are phased out of the radio airwaves. Their electronic voices are like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.
9. I tell people that I’m allergic to nuts, but I can eat peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and chestnuts.
10. I have freckles on my lips. When my aunt asked, “Eww what’s wrong with your lips??” My dad came to my defense and told her I had chocolate-chip lipstick. I thought that was nice of him.
11. I think life has been so much sweeter since we’ve been married. I can’t explain why…it just feels sweeter.
12. I won the best handwriting contest in the 3rd grade.
13. I have a runny nose every day of the year.
14. I certain phobias on toothpaste. I get the heebiejeebies from the gunk that builds up around the part the toothpaste squeezes out of. I made my sister clean it, now I make Jeff clean it. Jeff chases me around with it on his finger just to get a reaction out of me. I also can’t stand it when people walk around the house brushing their teeth. I can’t even look at you if you do that, or I’ll have to leave the room.
15. I call my dog Coconut “Sweetheart of the Universe.” It’s a big title for a little dog, but it suits him well.
16. I play songs on the piano and sing for my family. It’s never the entire song because I lose patience about half-way through learning the song, but they seem to enjoy it nonetheless.
17. I was in swing choir in 5th grade called “Pizzazz” but my dad called it “Pizza ass.” I used to get mad, but it’s pretty funny now that I think about it.
18. In addition to the surprise ending of House Hunters (i.e. Did they pick house 1, 2, or 3?), I find it amusing to see if the host Suzanne Whang is wearing bangs or no bangs. Kinda like my hairstyle these days…bangs or no bangs? I like to keep y’all guessing…
19. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 and I’ve been secretly developing a crush on Jon ever since he got his hair plugs.
20. My sister and I call the remote control “Kompschops,” but Jeffrey and I call it the “Mote-ree.” I have no idea why or where they came from
21. I only got 4 Bs in college. I liked the As and graduated with a 4.0 Major GPA. I had 2 majors and graduated from 2 colleges.
22. I can’t eat sushi because I’m allergic to seafood, but Jeff lets me pretend that I’m getting ready to eat sushi by letting me mix up the wasabi and the soy sauce because it’s part of the experience.
23. My first car was a black 1999 Nissan 200SX that I called “PuttPutt.” I thought it was ready to crap out and sold it to Jeff’s cousin for $500. It lived on for a number of years and they even took it on long road trips. I feel bad that I gave up on my PuttPutt too soon.
24. I cried during the episode of Ren and Stimpy when their friendship ended after Stimpy gave Ren his butt fat so that Ren could get implants on his pecs.
25. I daydream about me and my family living in a real house. This townhouse is fine for now, but I would like a single family home one day. It’ll have a fenced in yard for Coconut to run around and play. I’ll have 2 kids and a garden too. Jeff would say the same, except his version would have 4 kids. Yikes!
What were you like four years ago? Did much change since then? Did your dreams come true?
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow Mommy A-Z on Facebook for updates and extras.
More random things about me:
10 Reasons Why I Might Start Crying
Something is seriously wrong with my PMS schedule because I want to cry. ALL. THE. TIME. I swear, ever since I turned 30, the most ridiculous things make me want to cry. As the tears start welling up in my eyes I mentally punch myself in the face and tell myself, “Seriously? You’re going to cry over THIS?! You’re an idiot. Man up and choke those tears back, woman!” and then I snap out of it and save myself from reaching for the tissues. Maybe because of all the stress as a working-mother, or because I make babies cry. Who knows.
I couldn’t bring myself to post a picture of me crying, so I just used Clare Danes’ crying face because she does it best.
Here are 10 reasons why I might start crying:
- Someone is playing classical songs on my piano and it’s filling my house up with music. It’s so beautiful and reminds me of my grandma, I want to cry but stop myself before Jeff’s family makes fun of me.
- I have not experienced a warm, sunny day in over 1 month. Nothing but gloomy skies, cold weather and/or rain every single day. This is depressing, I want to crawl into my bed cry.
- I’m watching a movie. Any movie – happy, sad, musical, or comedy – I usually do cry, but wipe my tears quickly before anyone sees.
- My nanny is offering to help with some laundry and dishes. I actually do cry at the tremendous sense of gratitude and give her a big hug.
- I’m watching Glee and Rachel just hit that note. I stop myself from crying to prevent the self-loathing that would immediately follow.
- My kids are hugging each other. I’m so blessed and my heart feels like its going to flutter right out of my chest. I hold back the tears because I don’t want to have to answer 100 questions from Arielle on, “Mommy, why are you crying? Do you have owie? Are you sad? Why do you cry when me and Zavie hug?”
- I’m at church and feel spiritually inspired. I typically do cry, because I usually go to church by myself so I don’t care.
- All I want to do is plant flowers in my garden, but EVERYTHING in life is preventing me from doing so (weather, events, work, weather, kids, money, emergencies, weather, travel, weather, nighttime). I almost cried today, but Jeff promised me that we can plant them tomorrow when he saw the look on my face.
- This kid on Ellen is so darn cute! I’m not even his mother, but I’m so proud of him that I want to cry. He met Bruno Mars and I’m so jealous, I really might just cry.
- I cannot tell if that is poop or chocolate on the carpet. This is disgusting, I want to cry.
So there you have it. Do you think I’m going crazy? Don’t say yes because I might cry. Anything unusual set off your water works lately? I’d love to hear it!
Summer Essentials for Emergency Fun
I’m still waiting for summer weather to arrive since we’ve seen nothing but rainy or cold days for the past 2 months. In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead and pack up my bag of “Summer Essentials for Emergency Fun.” What’s that, you ask?
It’s for those spontaneous moments where the weather is just perfect, you get out of work early, and a friend calls you and says, “Hey, I just bought a boat – you wanna take a ride out along the coast towards Block Island?” or your girlfriend decides to join a beach volleyball league and is short a team member for the final tournament and you need to fill in due to your epic spiking skills…but aww, man! Son of a 8!76H, mother-effer – you left your bathing suit at home! It’ll take too long to go home and fetch it, so now you’ve missed out on some summer fun and your day – and possibly the rest of your entire summer – is spoiled as a result.
ENTER: The Summer Essentials for Emergency Fun – all the key items you need for an impromptu day at the beach or pool packed in your car, just in case an amazing opportunity arises such as a bathing suit, towel, sunscreen, hat, flip flops, and sunglasses:
OK, so maybe those exact scenarios might not ever happen in your lifetime (or mine). The notion of “Summer Essentials for Emergency Fun” came about during my carefree, pre-baby days. For example, Jeff and I would visit the city and pass by North Beach and regret not having our bathing suits with us to bask in the sweet Chicago sun. (Summers in Chicago are the best!) I also recall having to run and buy a bathing suit after work because my friend was over at a friend’s house who just so happened to have to have a pool.
I actually posted about those instances back when people were on Myspace and Facebook didn’t even exist (OMG, I’m giving my age away). One of my friends took my summer advice seriously and it changed that particular summer and all her subsequent summers forever. As a matter of fact, she posts on my Facebook at the beginning of every summer to personally thank me. Here’s her actual testimonial:
Just because I have kids doesn’t mean that surprise summer fun opportunities are no longer in our near-future. I do pack a huge bag with all our bathing suits, towels, change of clothes, etc. for all of us. Actually, it’s more likely to happen when kids are involved – for example, if someone turns on the sprinklers at a family BBQ all the kiddos go nuts! One time, I met my friend at a park and there was a splash pad for kids to run around in for free. Arielle was all over that action thanks to her super prepared awesome mom.
So go on and pack your Summer Essentials bag so that you’re prepared for any beach or pool opportunities that are thrown your way this season. This just might be the best advice you’ll get all summer. You can thank me later!
Oh Shoot. Did I Spend Time with My Kids Today?
I have been pulling long hours during the week because of the high visibility projects that I’ve been working on. So after a long day of being a full-time working mother and coming home for dinner, cleaning, watching TV to numb my mind, getting the kids ready for bed, and finally closing my eyes and going to bed so I can do it all again the next day…this terrorizing thought pops into my head:
OH SHIT. DID I SPEND TIME WITH MY KIDS TODAY?
I mean, I kissed them when I got home and fed them dinner. But what about when I was cooking dinner and put on a TV show to keep them out of the kitchen? Or after dinner when I closed the door to the office so I can pay bills without them interrupting me?
Then I panic about what a bad mother I am. How is it possible that I’m so busy that I don’t have time to spend with my kids?
Then I rationalize – OK, well I got home at 6 and they go to bed at 9. 3 hours isn’t much time to do anything.
Then, I scrutinize every minute and think through the evening’s events…
- We played outside before dinner and rode around the cul-de-sac
- We cuddled on the couch and watched Glee or New Girl together and sang, “Hakuna Matata” during the commercials
- I tried practicing writing letters with Arielle
- I read them a nice story before they went to bed
Alright, those count. I did spend time with my kids today. I’m a decent mom. Breathe, tomorrow I will spend more time with them.
Being a full-time working mother does not lend itself to an abundance of hours in the day where spending quality time with the kids is something that just happens. I have to make a conscious effort to be present with the kids – in the moment to hear them laugh, watch them play, and study their precious little faces and mannerisms. So I come down hard on myself with guilt and doubt and ask myself each night, “Did I spend time with my kids today?” I’m glad I do because if I don’t, it’ll all just pass me by.
Although, I don’t think the guilt, panic, and doubt need to be part of the equation. If I can set boundaries and be more disciplined on how I spend my time at home, I think I can ease up on myself a bit. Here’s what I can do to make sure I spend time with my kids each day (or be more consistent at stuff I’m already doing):
- Eat dinner together as a family. My mother instilled this value in our family when I was growing up. Nothing speaks more to quality time than gathering around the dinner table and sharing meal together.
- Stop dilly-dallying on my iPhone/iPad/computer to check Facebook, email, etc. I would say this is the biggest waster of my time. Anytime I get an idle moment, I take a minute or two to check Facebook to see what’s new since, oh…5 minutes ago! Lame. Those few moments add up to hours of wasted time each week.
- Do 1 activity together. All A&Z want to do is play, learn, and laugh. Those are small, simple requests that shouldn’t be hard to fulfill, so we try to take a walk, play outside, or play music. The nice thing about A&Z’s at their age (4 and 2) is that their faces clearly show that they appreciate it when you’re paying attention to them.
- Relish in the nighttime routine. A&Z look forward to our nighttime routine of brushing teeth, putting on the jammies, reading a story, and being tucked in. They soak in all the goodnight kisses and “I love you’s” and I should, too.
- Working or blogging should be done only after their bedtime. This one is hard for me. The ability to “work from home” is a double-edged sword because the lines get blurred between when I’m supposed to work and when I’m supposed to relax. I just have to remember that I’m in control of this and I need to set boundaries for myself for the sake of my sanity.
So today, did I spend time with my kids? Yes, indeed I did. No mom-guilt for me tonight!
How about you, did you spend time with your kids today? I hope these tips were helpful!
Thursdays on the Vine
This is the first installment of the newest Mommy A-Z series: Thursdays on the Vine. Last week, I posted on my favorite new mobile app called Vine, which allows you to record short ‘n sweet 6 second videos. It’s so great for capturing everyday moments of the kids in motion! You can read all about Vine from last week’s post here. You can also follow me on Vine via my Twitter account: @mommya_z.
This week features:
Arielle trying out her dance recital costume
She’s doing a tap number to “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast this Saturday.
This is How We Roll
A&Z riding around the cul-de-sac on their hot rides, tricycle and ride-on dump truck:
Zavier Throwing a Tantrum
I had to strap him down in the stroller because he was going nuts! People were asking, “What’s wrong?” And my response was simply, “He’s two.” No further explanation required!
That’s Not Chocolate
Jeff pulled the eggs out of our attic and gave them a new home a shrub in our backyard. Let’s just hope the mommy bird finds them!
Hope you enjoyed! You can find me on Vine via my Twitter account: @mommya_z, or leave a comment of your Vine account and I’ll follow you!
Zavier 2.0
Oh, boy! At two-years-old, Zavier has my heart wrapped around his grubby little finger. My favorite thing about him is that his favorite person is me! Or as he simply calls me: “Mommy.”
When he wakes up in the morning, he calls to me from his crib, “Mooommy! Mommy?”
Then, when he goes to bed, he sweetly says, “Nye, Mommy. Ah, Mommy.” (Good night, Mommy. I love you, Mommy.)
And throughout the day, he tells me things. I have no idea what he is saying, but I know he is talking to me because he addresses me directly in every sentence: “Meeh neh, Mommy.” “Ooh dat, Mommy?” “Oot snah, Mommy! Eeeee! Mommy, eeee!” He’s a lazy talker, but he tries. I just wish I knew what he’s saying half the time. I wonder if that makes a bad mom because I thought being a parent means that I understand my child’s special language. If I were to guess, he’s probably talking about one of his favorite things: Nemo, fruit snacks, or his big sis, “Aye-yell.”
Even though he doesn’t speak clearly, Zavie still knows a lot of stuff. He can point to objects and people if you ask him to identify them. He can sing the alphabet in all vowels and can also tell you what sound each animal makes. He can deliver a knock-knock joke to get girls’ attention. He can help me feed Coconut, but instead of paying him an allowance for helping – I pay him in high-fives and he’s quite alright with that. He can also respond to basic commands like, “give me the remote,” “throw your diaper away,” and “don’t hit your sister!”
He doesn’t jump and climb on stuff so I don’t need to strap a helmet on him, which is what I worried about when I found out I was having a boy. However, he still does things to make me believe that the age two is, in fact, terrible:
- Lying on the floor in public places
- Running with his eyes closed
- Banging his head on the ground when he is throwing a tantrum
- Licking the counter and fixtures at the buffet
- Growling at strangers
- Saying “hi” to the ladies, then introducing them to his mommy, daddy, and sister.
- Checking the in-betweens for of each and every toe for toe jam after taking off his socks
- Falling asleep in random places
If you want to get inside Zavier’s head for about 3 minutes, I bet this is what it’s like according to this blog post from Jason Good (click here). I think he pretty much nailed it, especially the part about pushing buttons!
Right now we’re working on keeping a clean face. He always has crust, snot, chocolate, or some kind of food on his face. Just look, the picture below has all three! Yuck. I’ll wipe it and then 5 minutes later, there’s something new and crusty in its place. We’re also working on growing out that bad haircut. LOL
So far, Zavier at 2.0 is a keeper. His big sister Arielle has such a big personality and talks so much that I think he gets often times gets overlooked. I can’t wait for everyone to appreciate what a sweet and funny lil’ guy he is, too. For example, Arielle got invited to fly to Connecticut to attend my sister’s graduation with me later this month, but Zavier wasn’t invited and has to stay home with his daddy. He won’t understand or even remember, but I do and I feel terrible about it. So sometimes I let Zavier hang out with me a little longer past bedtime for extra attention and cuddles. Shh! Don’t tell Arielle!
I love my little guy!
Arielle Rose 4.0
The average 4-year-old asks 400 questions per day. Arielle definitely exceeds 400 questions…times two! From the moment she wakes up, it’s non-stop inquiries like:
- Where are we going today?
- Why is the sun up? Where does the sun sleep?
- How did I talk when I was a baby?
- Where do you work? Why do you work?
- Why do you drive your car?
- Can I have a sleepover with my cousins?
Even if I answer the question directly, she responds with,”why?” and then “why?” again. Sometimes, I have ask her to stop asking me questions because I literally get dizzy from her interrogations.
Besides her love for asking questions, she loves boys. Seriously! Ask her who her boyfriend is and she’ll tell you that it’s Tito (uncle) Frank, who is Jeff’s cousin Monique’s boyfriend (pictured below). She thinks looks like Harry from the British boy band, One Direction, and she’s crazy about that Harry. By the way, Justin Bieber is her old boyfriend. The Biebs is, like, for babies (i.e., 3-years-old and under) and Ms. Arielle is 4-year-old. SMH.
Some people think her little crushes are cute, but I think it’s ridiculous. She’s 4, not 14! So when she asked me if she could have a boyfriend, I told her NO. Here’s how she reacted:
Other than that, she’s just a darling. She’s friendly, sweet, and well-behaved. One time, our waitress at Olive Garden described her as “smart” and “confident.” She sees the world through the eyes of a princess, where everything is fascinating, enchanting, and magical. Like when she is playing outside in the backyard, the sticks from the trees become the bow and arrow just like Princess Merida from Brave, and the play set becomes her castle just like Cinderella.
She plays well with her lil’ bro and even teaches him how to pronounce words. She started talking when she was 1.5, so her now her words and sentences are very clear. Zavier…not so much. He’s a lazy talker and only says parts of words. For example, Zavier calls our dog Coconut, “‘Naht!” and Arielle corrects him by saying, “Zavier, your supposed to say, ‘Co-co-nut!'”
Right now we’re getting ready for her first dance recital in May. We’re also working on writing letters of the alphabet and learning what it means to be thankful (not spoiled).
She also got a hair cut. The last time she got a hair cut, she was 2-years-old so it was definitely time for a new ‘do!
Oh, my sweet Arielle Rose! You amaze me everyday with your energy and cheerfulness. Even though you fall asleep in your own room, I’m delighted to wake up next to you after you crawl into our bed sometime in the middle of the night. Please continue to be a good sister and enjoy being 4. You can still get away with wearing tu-tu’s and tiara’s in public. Keep singing and dancing. I hope it becomes a part of you as you grow up, and maybe one day you will perform on stages in front of thousands of people. I’ll let you dictate what songs to play on the radio in the car as long as you sing along. Forget the boys, they have cooties. And sorry if I don’t know the answer to all of your questions. One day you’ll realize that I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll try my best. I love you so much! – MommyA&Z Birthday Weekend in the Dells
Arielle and Zavier turned 4 and 2 this weekend and we celebrated in Wisconsin Dells, WI – Waterpark Capital of the World. It probably wasn’t the best idea since the winter refuses to end and it barely hit 30 degrees each day…but it was still nice to get away 🙂
We stayed at Mt. Olympus – which is one hotel that acquired all the motels along the main strip, painted them blue and white and called it “Mt. Olympus Village.” I would describe it as “craptastic,” but Arielle described it as “the most beautiful house ever!” probably because the room came with a bunk bed. We ended up staying there because we agreed to a timeshare presentation and basically got the room for free. Hehe. I guess you get what you pay for.
We hit up the indoor waterpark at Mt. Olympus two days in a row. A&Z were too scared to ride on the slides, but they had a blast splashing around! Sorry, no pics. My camera + waterpark = recipe for disaster. No, thanks.
For Zavier’s birthday, we ate at Buffalo Phil’s where a train came by our table and brought our food. That was really fun! Jeff and I maxed on a rotisserie chicken meal with beans, coleslaw, corn bread, fries, and mashed potatoes. Yum! One thing I love about eating in the midwest are the generous portion sizes. Again, sorry no pics. My meat-loving savage instincts took priority over my blogging instincts, where all I wanted to do was devour the food instead of take pictures. Anyway, I got some cute pictures of Zavier enjoying his birthday dinner and saying hello to the train as it passed by:
The following day was Arielle’s birthday, and we spent most of the day at the timeshare presentation then at the waterpark. We ate dinner at High Rock Cafe – it was nice alternative to pizza pubs and diners, but expensive and not very kid friendly. By the time the day was over, we realized that Arielle and Zavier didn’t get a chance to blow out birthday candles! Bad mom! {disapprovingly shakes finger at self}
So we got a couple of sundaes and candles and sang happy birthday in the hotel room. We tried, but they were clearly underwhelmed:
The following day we ate at Paul Bunyan’s and filled up on pancakes, biscuits, donuts, ham, sausage, eggs, and potatoes before we headed home. It was delicious and all you can eat. This time, I remembered to take a few pictures of the food. Nom noms…
We had such a great birthday weekend! They are no longer my babies since they are now 2 and 4 years old, so I guess I have to start referring to them as my kids. They are both so very sweet, even to each other – even when I’m not looking. I caught them hugging as we were packing up to go home and it melted my heart…so I made them do it again:
Zavier’s Baby Story {MommyA-Z Flashback}
Here’s a MommyA-Z flashback from 3.23.11 of Zavier’s baby story, back when I referred to him as “Baby Bear.” I can’t believe that two years have already gone by…he surprises me everyday – just like how he surprised me with his grand entrance into this world. Enjoy!
On Tuesday morning at work, I started feeling those same faux-tractions (i.e., Braxton Hicks) that I had when I had during my failed Mission to Induce Labor this past Saturday. I tried to brush it off because I knew I was impatiently obsessing over Baby Bear’s arrival and I didn’t want to excite myself. I tied up all my loose ends at work just in case and took the afternoon off to take Arielle to see the doctor. It turned out that she had an eye infection and ear infection. On the way home, the contractions got a little bit worse so I called Jeffrey and told him to leave work before traffic hit. By the time Arielle and I got home, ate lunch, and had our nap, the contractions were gone. I felt a little embarrassed that I had another false alarm and made Jeffrey leave work early, but at least I didn’t make us go to the hospital again this time.
At 1 a.m., I woke up to contractions that actually hurt. I jumped into the shower to try to relax a little, but the contractions remained steady and grew stronger, about 4 minutes apart lasting 45-60 seconds. I woke up Jeffrey at 1:30 and he started getting everything ready. There was no way I was going to go to the hospital and have another false alarm, so we waited until the contractions lasted 1 hour until we called the doctor at 2 a.m.. They were on vacation and the backup doctor was not returning our call, so we went ahead to drop off Arielle and Coconut at HouMel’s house and made our way to the hospital.
The only thing I remember about the drive to the hospital was, “This is the longest ride ever. Really?! Jeffrey is only driving the speed limit. Hurry up!!” I think he’s pretty immune to emergency medical situations since he’s a paramedic so he was perfectly calm the entire time. Jeffrey parked illegally at the front entrance and promised the security guard that he would come right back and move the car after he dropped me off at L&D. As he wheeled me up to the 3rd floor, he thought it would be fun to role play as if he were at work in the ER wanted me to pretend that I was one of his patients. So he started asking me questions like, “Oh, is this your first baby? So, do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” I tried my best to play along, but I was in too much pain. We got to the labor room and he helped me change into my hospital gown in the bathroom. By this time, the contractions were hitting me really strong and I really really had to poop. Jeffrey wrestled me off the toilet and guided me to the bed, then he left to move the car.
From that point on, the pain was so intense that I could only yell out bits of words here and there. The nurse came in and I shouted things like, “EPIDURAL!” but she said she needed to run some tests first to see if I was a good candidate for an epidural. She told me I was about 5 cm dilated, but that this would go really fast. She proceeded to attempt to strap on all the monitoring devices, but she only got as far as the blood pressure monitor. Next thing I knew, I was screaming, “WATER BROKE! WHERE’S DOC?!!! WHERE’S DAD?!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!” Then, the baby pushed his way through and was out on the hospital bed.
It all happened so fast – my water broke at 3:00 a.m. and the baby was born at 3:01 a.m. By the time Jeffrey came back from moving the car, he had no idea that he missed the entire thing. He walked into a room and saw a flurry of nurses, a doctor sitting at the foot of my bed, and the baby being examined on a warmer in the corner of the room. He was able to snap a few pictures of the baby before they whisked him off to the NICU to run some tests. They were worried that the baby was in distress from coming into the world so quickly. He had the cord wrapped tightly around his neck twice. Also, had taken a crap inside the bag of water so he had poop in his nose and mouth when he was born so they were worried that he had gotten poop into his lungs.
By 6 a.m., they let us visit our baby in the NICU where the nurse was beaming about his progress and told us he was a champ. I finally got to hold him and feed him, then he was released from the NICU and stayed with me in my recovery room. We were eve able to take his newborn photos that morning. The following day, Baby Zavier and I were able to go home to be with big sister Arielle on her 2nd birthday.
I got my boobs back! The end of breastfeeding.
After 23 months, Zavier is officially done breastfeeding! I finally got my boobs back, ladies and gentlemen!
At the rate he was going at 18 months, it seemed like he would never ever stop. My close family and friends were getting a little worried that I’d let Zavier breastfeed until he is 5-years-old and calls my boobs by names of their own. I planned on cutting him off for good by his 2nd birthday in March to give myself time to mentally prepare myself for the ultimate battle of wills. Lucky for me, it happened on its own.
His weaning was definitely NOT based on his lack of interest that all my research on the web suggested. He still asks for it by whimpering and tugging at my shirt at least once a day. (Give him a break – it has only been one week!) Here are some of the things I’ve done over the past 6 months to get my toddler uninterested in breastfeeding:
- Stop co-sleeping. He used to need to nurse in order to fall asleep, but we finally got him trained to sleep on his own.
- Limit feedings to certain times of the day. We cut it down to key cuddle times, which was first thing in the morning and right after work.
- Stop sitting in spots around the house where he usually gets his fix. Or stop sitting next to him altogether.
- Offer up some water, snacks, and/or a his favorite TV episode of to
bribedistract him. - JUST SAY NO! He will cry, but he will live.
I thought I would celebrate this major milestone by throwing my newly freed, yet saggy girls a re-launch party (kinda like the New Girl episode where Schmidt threw his junk a party when the cast was taken off). Just kidding. It was actually just the opposite of a celebration because when Zavier stopped breastfeeding, I lost my cuddle bug. I guess that’s what they call “bittersweet.” Sad face.
On Saturday afternoon, the babies and I were getting ready or an episode of The Best Naps of Our Lives and Zavier just wouldn’t let me hold him so we could fall asleep together. He had things to do and places to go. There was no reason for him to cuddle with me without my boobs being involved. I felt so used! No matter how much I tried to hold him close, he would squirm away. I was pretty bummed out. I don’t remember going through this with Arielle.
Did you breastfeed? How’d you feel when it was finally over?
*PS I don’t have a recent picture of Zavier at 23 months. He, too, has suffered from a bad haircut. I’ll post on that soon! LOL
Valentine’s Day 2013
My Valentine’s Day was just lovely. We didn’t have anything special planned, but when I came home from work I was pleasantly surprised with a bouquet of flowers and a gourmet dinner that was prepared by my true love and personal chef. Check out the Valentine’s Day dinner specials:
Is your mouth watering yet? Starting at the top left, going clockwise:
- STEAK! Oooooh yeah, that”s grilled steak with garlic and olive oil.
- House salad
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto topped with melted mozzarella
- Corn with melted butter
- Dessert assortment
Nothing says “I love you, baby” like grilling in mid-February in 30 degree weather. It was all so delicious! He even set the ambiance with candles, wine, and music that we enjoyed in our fancy dining room:
Thank you to my wonderful husband for being so thoughtful and making Valentine’s Day dinner so wonderful! There’s no place I’d rather be than with all my sweethearts in the comfort of our own home.
How’d you celebrate Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear it!