Like riding a bike

I am guessing that blogging is like that, once you have done it consistently you can eventually return like nothing happened. Right? Besides do you know how many thoughts have not been documented in my extended absence. Gotta remedy that :)
Spring is finally hanging out around these parts and the warm weather and sunshine really does me good. We just had family here for the past 10 days and that was awesome. We celebrated Easter and the kids were so flipping adorable. My hubs and I make some pretty amazing kids which is great since we have one more little one on the way. Our third and tiebreaker little boy is due at the end of July. Busy Busy!
Every pregnancy is different and it seems like this one has introduced a whole new level of fatigue. I am TIRED. Alternately, it could be that my daughter is 18 months and goes non-stop! Anywho, I am trying to take it all in and enjoy this final pregnancy. My husband has been so helpful and I know that he is pulling more than his share. I am very grateful for him.
Besides being a Momma of three I am looking forward to so many things in the coming months, I hope to be back to this place to share some of it.

Little Reminders

I know I am not the only one who gets overwhelmed or feels like there are not enough hours in the day to do all that needs to get done. Man do I feel all of those things pretty often! This weekend has been what the entire holiday season is for us, busy busy busy! I enjoy spending the time with the people I love and yet the reality of life is just around the corner. This weekend was full of fun family time, my cousin was here from Seattle and so we ate well and laughed a lot. It was bliss. We put her on her plane and it is back to reality. Getting ready for the work week and tackling little projects. Or not so little projects. In my never ending quest to get organized, I am tackling some of the paper clutter. Beyond the usual stuff, how long do you need to keep tax stuff for any way? I have been going through papers for the past few hours and I was feeling rather overwhelmed when I thought it would be a great time to put my little hurricane of a helper down for his nap. He flat out refused. Ugh. My plans, my plans! Anywhoo I left him alone and returned to my mounds feeling doubly defeated when I had an epiphany: instead of bemoaning how much I have to do, I should embrace how far I have come. Two big trash bags full if shredded papers are certainly testimony to what I have been able to accomplish. Quite pleased with my revelation I hopped up to tell my husband my aha moment only to discover him and our son passed out in our bed. He had gone down without me pulling out my hair over it or getting all riled up. Wow two big reminders in one afternoon. Life really is full of awesomeness.

What have you had to remind yourself about lately?

Ten for Tuesday: Confessions

Que the Usher circa 2004 , "These are my confessions..."

1. One of the best parts of my son having to wear a uniform is the perk of me solely shopping for myself at back to school time.
2. I have already been late to work once. Granted I don't teach until 2 hrs after my arrival time but still I haven't even been back to work 3 full weeks.
3. I suck at keeping date night on the calendar. My hubby and I need a matchmaker to set all of that stuff up for us. We manage to stay connected but the routine is just not us.
4. I have had the remnants of a manicure on my nails for a week longer than I should have. I plan to take care of it tonight but we shall see.
5. I love the reason to put my son to bed earlier at night. The getting into bed routine is such a chill time.
6. My bedroom is such a mess and I have NO desire to get it together.
7. I watch political shows and judge people who are not in the loop about politics.
8. I have a wee bit of an addiction to the computer and my iphone.
9. I keep my fridge clean just because I love the way all of the food looks in all of their assorted glass containers.
10. I have no desire to recreate all of the things I pin on Pinterest. I just like seeing all of the cool things out there.

So what confession do you want to get off your chest... I promise I won't tell :)

Project Purge and Restore

My major project this summer is Project Purge and Restore. I made an extensive list of things I want to do to make our house a better functioning place. I am not a naturally clean and tidy person so this is a particular challenge to me. But I am trying to turn over a new leaf and that requires reprogramming my mindset and learning things I must have missed (sorry Momma). So to that end, this summer I have cleaned and organized the pantry, cleaned and purged N's room, cleaned under the sink, cleaned the kitchen (polished stainless steel, under the sink etc), cleaned the fridge (thanks derecho) and on and on. Yeah, I have been busy :) But the little one will be back soon and I have mucho still to do.
Things I am learning in this process is that it is not easy and the changes won't automatically stick.  Also the whole family has to get on board. I plan on making picture labels for my son's room so that he can remember where his stuff belongs. My dh did buy cereal that we already had because he hasn't gotten used to the cereal being in the plastic container :0  So there is certainly a learning curve. I am also feeling more empowered and in control. I know what I have in the house, I even reused a shower curtain that I still had from my days of changing the bathroom with the seasons. It was virtually new! Great find. I have also discovered a whole wealth of resources that are just a few key strokes away. I watched a video on folding fitted sheets for Pete's sake. But seeing these drool worthy spaces are just the motivation I need.
What improvements are you making in your life?


Here's a peek, my jewelry went from this cluttered mess to the nicely organized after. A winner!

so you look up and a lot of time has passed

Sorry about being away. I have been so swamped. Then when I had a moment, I felt like being away for so long required a great post and that is some real pressure. Or I had a moment and moment seemed too short. Well, I am putting that all aside and just typing. Hopefully what I have to share will be worth it. You can humor me if it isn't m'kay :)
The end of the school year was a blur of activity and obligations. I do it to myself every single year. I leave so much writing and grading down to the wire and I like to have these creative finals. Yeah all that equals a stressed out mess. Layer on a nagging shoulder pain situation and I was begging for the school year to rap up. I did get some help from some unexpected places and my students were very cooperative. It was a busy time.
The end of the year was not all boos and self pity parties either. We had a few staff celebrations that were fun and festive. My niece graduated (if you can call it that) from the lower school and she was such a poised little graduate. She was practically the only little girl who managed to sit appropriately. I loved her white eyelet dress. It just screamed graduation to me.
Let's see, what else?  We went to Rehobeth, DE for a beach getaway. It was a nice trip and we got some sand in our toes. Certainly what the dr ordered for this lady.
We went to a fantastic wedding that truly felt like a date. My hubby and I danced the night away. Fun times.
I made a little lap quilt for my friend/co-worker who is abandoning me (she calls it retirement). It was fun to pull out the machine for someone who means so much to me. I will miss her support and encouragement :( But I am happy that she will get to sleep in and enjoy her family a bit more.
So June is off to an excellent start. If it is quiet around these parts it is just me trying to get myself in order. I do have some projects up my sleeve.

happy mother's day

i spent the day.
lounging in my pjs
with my liitle one
and a bonus (my niece)
they made big messes
while
i snoozed on and off
watching tv
and rooting for the
Heat
i loved the slow pace of the day
the artwork that my son
created
and i am pretty
thrilled with my new iphone too.


happy mother's day to all~

Just one of those days...

My day was SO busy! It was filled with friends, family and good eats so I don't have any complaints. I managed to get in some exercise, cuddletime with my fellas, church, a circus show and a visit with my sis and her family. Busy indeed.
One of the highs of this incredibly high filled day was the sermon from the visiting pastor. The gist of it is making Love an act of sacrifice and allowing others to see the God in you. It really just spoke to me. I know that there is a lot of sacrifice in my love but I am certain that I am not doing my Christian walk as much as I should. I am going to work on that one. My faith is important to me and I want others to see His   essence in me. Fantastic day indeed!
How was your Sunday?

Super delish!

Saturday Night was date night. On the agenda was an easy restaurant quality meal that left enough time to actually enjoy our date night. I found an awesome recipe on Gina's Skinny Recipes tasty and not too bad on the hips. I call that a winner.

                                               Lime Cilantro Shrimp w/rice and broccoli

sleepless in the suburbs

I am officially sleep deprived. Every night my sleep is interrupted by my son. Combine that with the fact that I try to do a million things once he goes to sleep and then I have trouble unwinding to go to sleep before 11 ish and well it is not good for me. I came home on Friday so tired. The kind of tired that overtakes you and makes you feel like someone should be walking behind you to make sure you don't put your purse in the fridge or leave your keys dangling in the front door. Thank goodness I have only done one of those things. But really I am beat. I spend far too much time complaining to my mom and bestie about it. And truth of the matter not getting enough rest is no bueno. I may not be able to control the pitter patter of little feet making the way into my bed but I can make adjustments to get more rest. I am going to use this weekend to get some things done for the week. This week my goal is to get 7 hrs of sleep. I know that falls less than the recommended amount but it is a start. Yesterday, I got 4hrs. Yeah it felt more like a nap than anything. So maybe with more planning I will be able to get in the bed a bit earlier. I hope so. There really is no gaining back lost hrs of sleep. Wish me luck on my journey and feel free to let me know you share my pain.

PS: If you have a toddler and you are getting your sleep or more than your share, don't tell me that.
PPS: If you have always had a great sleeper, don't tell me that either.
PPSS: If you don't have to wake up in the 5 o'clock hour, you can keep that to yourself.

See where I am going here!

Ten for Tuesday: My life, post child

So my life pre-child is certainly different then my life post-child. I easily have a bunch but I will try to keep this post to ten :)

1. Today we were painting and when we finished my son requested to put his work on a drying rack. No problem, my wine rack hasn't held wine in years. There are now 2 paintings drying on my wine rack.
2. Afternoon naps after work, yeah not happening.
3. I am late for work because I overslept. Now I am late for work and I have been up for hours making lunch, trying to get myself ready and TRYING to persuade a 3 yr old to do any and everything!
4. My purse. I used to carry a cute little small one and now I have a piece of luggage complete with enough food to feed a small army.
5. I haven't slept through the night in years. There is no truth to sleeping like a baby. Babies don't sleep. Toddlers don't sleep. And preschoolers, yeah they don't sleep either.
6.I bought things for myself. Myself looks pretty overlooked. (just kidding, mostly!)
7. There is a whole world of television shows and music that I had no clue about. FYI, it doesn't include Ice Cube, Jill Scott or Alan Thicke.
8. Play dates and parties. Why is it that we don't whoop it up nearly as much as adults?
9. Slow walks. I get to just move slowly so much more now. I do like that- when I am not running late.
10. Impromptu flowers (picked for me by my little one), kisses (the great abundant kind) and laughter (new and amazing laughter).

I wouldn't change this life for the world. How has someone special in your life changed you?

what a week!

between being a Momma, a wife and a working woman....I am beat!

Some real deal highlights would be all of the extra kisses from my snuggle bunny, son. The support of a great network of friends...I feel rather loved. Thank you, thank you! Baking yummy banana bread with the world's most ripe bananas. Spending some time with the windows open, letting winter out and welcoming in a new season. 81 degree days. Feels like Miami :) Crossing a few potential preschools off of the potential preschool list. Making use of my planner...cool, cool planner for next year here I come. Working really well with my hubby & allowing him to be my partner and my rock.  Removing some clutter. Feel freer already!! Chatting it up with my little cousin before she heads off to Haiti to do some dental work. She is amazing. Embracing a new hearty, smile with the same old joy.

Yes, this week has had some rough patches but the good outweighs the bad. Isn't that always what we are going for?!

Sunday Pinning

Surprise, surprise I am not talking about Pinterest either. I spent today hanging out with my son. A lot of Lego building, food prep and pretend play almost had this lady exhausted. I will admit I used an episode of Go Diego Go to recharge. Once I put the little prince to bed I decided to tackle some of the dreaded aspects of sewing. I did some cutting for a future quilt and I pinned a nice quilt sandwich. I have had this quilt top sewn for a long while and I finally got it all pinned up. I hope that this week I will get it all quilted because it is for wonderful friend of mine.

What awesome things have you managed to do this weekend?

Party Girl

There was probably never a time in my life when I left one party and high tailed it to another party. My how things change. My son was invited to not one but two birthday parties today. He woke up at 6 am like usual to get his day going. UGH! By the time it was time for the first party it was really time for a nap. Any who he had a ball and I got to chat it up with the other moms. Speaking of chatting it up, can I just tell you how much I dislike this aspect of my son going to things? The conversation is always about napping and foods and developmental milestones. I would love to discover some really neat things about these ladies. See if there is some deeper connection than the fact that we are all watching our offspring like hawks. I don't want to come off mean but I really wish these events could be more of a relaxed social experience for me. If I have to spend my entire Saturday at little parties I would love to have more stimulating conversation. And don't get me wrong, I am guilty of not bringing up more interesting topics and really the parties are not the spot for a deeper conversation. It just seems strange to spend an entire day talking about swim clubs and the like. Is this what the preschool/school years are like? I may not have gone to big time parties but I will say there have been many days when I felt like an interesting person. Today was not that day. Strange ugh. Today I felt like my son's Momma and not in the way that makes me glow. Like that was all that I had to offer to the table. Is this the norm? Was/am I expecting too much. Have all of the cool women I have met in the blog world spoiled me? Who knows. I am just glad that there are not any party invites anytime soon :) I kid, I kid...mostly!

Busy,Busy

Wow~ this week has flown by. I would like to say that I have documented and took snazzy pictures to share with you guys but...that is just not the case. I have had a wonderful four day weekend spent with lots of family time. I got my share of cuddles. I watched silly movies including Hall Pass (which was so silly and a complete time waster). I spent a bunch of time with my sister and my honorary sister. We ate delicious food including a yummy spot, Surfside in DC. We visited the MLK Memorial which was AMAZING. Introduced my son to some mounted police officers since he LOVES animals. I got some quality sewing time in. Really the list goes on and on. Tomorrow is back to reality and I am not really ready but all of the prep work (lunches done, bags packed, clothes laid out) is done so hopefully I won't go into shock.
How was your holiday weekend? What do you hope to accomplish this week?

Ten for Tuesday!

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I will share with you all 10 love lessons, cause I am mushy like that :O

1. Find small ways to share your love....I have hidden post-its when I went on a trip. He was finding post-its in his sock drawer, he loved it.
2. You don't have to love the same things, just love each other and accept that you are different.
3. Laugh at the big stuff and the small stuff and the dumb stuff...just laugh together often.
4. It may feel great to be right, but it is better to have an understanding that works for both of you.
5. Watch your wedding dvd at least once a year. Ok, I may be the only one guilty of this but I love watching the nervousness/laughs that culminated in our union.
6. Hug each other. Even my non-affectionate hubby gets that I need hugs to feel connected to him.
7. Surprise each other. There are some delicious V-day goodies in the oven right now.
8. Look good for them (and you)...if my hubby notices when I put in the extra effort, it must mean something!
9. Say your, "I love Yous" you will probably never regret saying it but you surely will regret NOT saying it.
10. Value your mate. They may not be the insert trait that your friend has but they have a whole bunch of SOMETHING that makes them amazing. Value those traits and see #'s 1-9 again. It bears repeating :)

How do you show your love for your sweetie?

Exhaustion!

I think many of us have a tendency to go and go and go no matter what our bodies tell us. I am no exception. Yesterday, I crashed. I fell asleep before 6pm and slept through until 4 am. And by sleeping through I totally mean sleeping through a little one on my back, a little one requesting some dinner, a hubby asking me about my preparedness for Thursday am and a little one back on my back happily playing with the remote control. SO after/during all that I slept like a log. It was perfect, it was amazing. It was just what the dr ordered. I feel so prepared to start my day. I don't recommend everyone check out like that. It really only works if you don't worry about how things will go when you are knocked out. I knew my hubby would be more than capable to to run the show. So take the nap. A happy wife is a happy life! Certainly a well-rested wife has to fit in that category somehow.

Date Night

Oh Date Night how I love you. Yesterday we got all dolled up and went to a wonderful birthday dinner for my brother in law. This night out was special for so many reasons. We were headed to a tasty Indian restaurant in DC, Rasikas. The food is served family style and it is so delish. Our son was headed to my friend's house and it was the first non-family babysitter. Talk about nervous! I was so nervous, my  hubby was too. Our son? He had a ball and she took him out to Dave and Buster's too. All was well. Whenever we manage to get out we have such a fantastic time. Which reminds me to make sure we get to do it a bit more.
So, do you do a scheduled date night with your honey? Do you think I am silly for being so giddy about date night? Do tell!

Easy baby quilt

Making gifts for babies is just about the coolest thing to do. First of all you know that there won't be a critical eye looking at all of the mistakes and second everything is cuter when it is tiny! So four nearly five months ago my cousin had her second baby. A little boy who I hope to get to visit in the Spring and he is just such a cutie. I have been meaning to make something for her but things just kept on getting in the way. I promised myself that after the holiday sewing was finished I would get to a gift for him. Well, guess who finished? This whole planning and doing that I am trying to implement is really working for me :)
I used a no binding quilt method that I found on Red Pepper Quilts and it was super easy to follow. I did not make a huge complex project. I really loved the robot fabric and would have just made a blanket using that but I wanted it to be a little bigger and more quilt like. So robots plus some circle fabric that I had in my stash made for a quick little quilt and the backing is sweet and cheery yellow polka dots. I love it and I hope my cousin does too!

Immensely Thankful

There are so many things that I have to be grateful for- health, family and great friends. My Thanksgiving holiday was spent taking things slow and easy. I filled each moment with great times and lots of love. One highlight was enjoying my son's birthday: he made out like a bandit. Really! People were too generous. He loved opening gifts and eating cake. He loves saying he's three and trying to get his little fingers to make 3. Still have some work to do on that one. I got to sew a bit and I am working on carving me out a little designated sewing place in my bedroom. All in all, I feel so immensely thankful for this little life of mine :)

Oh and as icing on the top I won a free quilt pattern from Lella Boutique....go me!

Ten for Tuesday Miami Edition

It is late and I am settling in from my trip so I will add pics later. Ok, this post will be all about my love for my hometown Miami.

1. November and wearing flip flops...insane but AWESOME~
2. Listening to a steel drum band- the caribbean sound really gets your hips moving.
3. Blue skies, like postcard perfect blue.
4. Black beans and rice, flank steak...yummy.
5. All of the greenery- I know I am supposed to be embracing the changes that fall brings but now I see why I can't get into fall, green grass is GORGEOUS. Especially the smell of fresh cut grass.
6.Palm trees every place imaginable.
7. My folks enjoying my son.
8. Outdoor shopping.
9. Eating lunch with the water and boats as the background.
10. 80 degree temps in November!!!

Miami is my place. There are just so many things about my hometown that make me smile. What makes you smile about your hometown ?