Surviving Sandy

Unless you live under a rock you know that most of the East Coast was hit by hurricane Sandy earlier this week. Well DC was no exception, however we are extremely lucky to have had no flooding, downed trees on our condo or new cars, and our lights only briefly flickered. My heart goes out to those in my old West Village hood and everyone else how are suffering the devastating loss of businesses, home, and way of life.

Thankfully we are all still in tact. At least physically. Emotionally I finally hit my breaking point last night.

Silly me thought it would be a great idea to volunteer as a parent chaperon for my daughter preschool field trip to Butlers Farm. Bad bad idea. I was just beyond exhausted for the rest of the weekend. The weekend that ended up lasting till last night!

On Sunday we got locked in the city due to the Marine Corps Marathon and couldn't make church. I'm one of those people who needs church. I need motivation to get through the next week, be surrounded by a community who embraces my beliefs and loves God the way I do, and did I mention they take your kid for Children's Church?

Got out side for a couple minutes before the rain

She wanted to do work stations like she does at school.
 This was "Take my  picture" workstation....

Due to the rain we ended up spending much of Sunday and all of Monday completely cooped up. After the winds died down and rain simmered we finally got to get out for a couple hours Tuesday and head to the Playseum in Bethesda.

Making a necklace

Painting a bird house

Pretending to be a cashier at Safeway

"Mom, even gurls can be Supa heroes" 

Painting a pumpkin, Pink of course

By last night Sophia and I were exhausted and torrential melt down (which was bound to happen) happened.

What I learned from Sandy: 

1.  When hazardous weather is approaching make sure to go to a craft store and stock up on new crafts, the old ones just won't work. 
2.  Kids love cleaning. When you want your child to be quiet give them a rag and put them to work. 
3.  Be consistent and quit making empty threats. This is why your child throws fits. 
4. My child no longer takes naps, this means when I want to take a nap its just not happening. Making the day even longer. 
5. Have a massive amount of wine available. Unfortunately for me this was not an option. I'm pregnant. But I did ask the hubby to bring me an ice cold Coca Cola. Is it good for me? Nope. Was it good and did it hit the spot? Absolutely. ;)

Hope everyone has a great and safe Halloween! Can't wait to post pics of our awesome Halloween we have planned!

XOXO

Is my bump bigger than her bump?

I am not someone who enjoys being pregnant. I like my glass (or two, okay more like three) of red wine and I don't take lightly to someone taking it away from me for a long period of time. I also take pride in taking care of my body and going to the gym. Recently neither of these things have appealed to me. I actually canceled my beloved gym membership a month ago realizing it just wasn't going to happen for me.

When pregnant with my daughter I gained a disgusting amount of weight and vowed I would NOT do that this time around. Problems with that....My cravings don't care about my weight gain, and I'm naturally a pretty small person. If I eat a cucumber it goes right to my thighs. So of course I'm getting bigger - 17 pounds bigger actually. 17 pounds that I have to shake after this baby comes out and I'm not even close to being done with this pregnancy.

I try not to get too depressed about weight gain. After all I AM pregnant. But instead I find myself comparing myself to any and every single pregnant person out there. I want to know is "my bump bigger than your bump?" Pathetic right? If the timing is right and we spark conversation naturally we ask when the other is due and each time I hope mine is before so it's obvious why I'm so big. And, whats up with these celebrities that gain like 15 pounds and then push out a 9 lbs. baby (probably naturally)? What do they eat during pregnancy?  Air? Is it their food choices or good genes? My diet is actually really great too! Since becoming pregnant even I have switched my daughter and myself over to about a 85% clean eating diet and feel amazing, but I'm still gaining the weight!

Much like last time, I have to keep reminding myself the adorable little creature that is inside me right now and how a cupcake or cookie once a week isn't going to hurt anything.

Running after two kids will surely help with getting all that weight off, and don't forget about breastfeeding!

The guy at the gym said I could always call and renew at anytime.

Am I alone in this? Or are there others out there who feel competitive about the size of their bump? 

Until next time, I'm off to snack on some fruit (insert smirk)
xoxo

Lies, Fibs, and Over Exaggeration

I think as parents there are certain situations where we over exaggerate. I am certainly guilty of it and any one who says they are 100% honest with their children about EVERYTHING, I swear is lying. 

One mom-friend who has two little girls that go to school with Sophia. Usually they are in a uniform but this particular day was free dress day. Her daughter Isabel came up to Sophia asking why she was wearing pajamas to school. Pajamas? She wasn't! Sophia was wearing a hideous pink t-shirt dress with a tutu and cupcake on it that we HAD to come home with after a recent Costco trip. The $10 it cost was well worth the wear it has had and the dress had  actually started to grow on me. However, my friend who had also purchased this dress did not feel the same way and in an effort to not have the dress worn out in public had told her daughter it was a "pajama dress." Thankfully our kids being so young this was not a big ordeal to my daughter. My friend felt bad, I felt like she was a genius. How had I not thought about this? 

Another friend, (for privacy we will call her E) over heard a conversation between her 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter that made her second guess what she told/threatened her kids....

Daughter: "My baby doll is dead." 

Son: "Why did it jump off the couch and hit its head on the fireplace?"

Daughter: "No it climbed on the counter to get a snack and then lost its balance, fell off and hit her head, and then she fell on the scissors." 

I laughed hysterically when she told me this story and the look of pure exhaustion had spread on her face. She explained that she told them these things to make sure they wouldn't ever do them! Not knowing it would ever have this kind of impact on them. 

I noticed my own fault a couple weeks ago when my mom was in the back seat with my daughter. I heard her explaining, "Grandma, if we throw a fit and move our arms out of the car seat (which she has been known to do on SEVERAL occasions) then we have to go to the police station." Oh was the only response from Grandma she got and I found myself having to explain to my own mother my parenting techniques. One afternoon in a screaming fit my daughter tried to get out of her car seat while I was driving. No where to pull over and trying to keep an eye on the road, I turned around at a stop sign and told her, "Get back in that car seat or I will drive you to the police station and they can put you back in."

Maybe you think this is mean, but this is not a blog where we judge. At all. I was desperate and it worked and now was at least traumatic enough that it hasn't happened again even though we have had multiple fits in the car. 

 As parents or maybe just mothers, I can't really speak for men, we think of the absolute worst thing that could happen to our children and we terrify them with it. I have even found myself saying, "If you run in the street, you will die." What!? Yes we shouldn't run in the street, and yes you could get hit by a car and die, but is this really how we should explain this concept to them? By threatening death? Ha. Don't run with sticks, you'll fall and stab yourself...or remember the "You'll Shoot your eye out mom?" 

xoxo

Weekend in Pictures

After a night of up all night hysterics and bad dreams (yes again) I am much to exhausted to post something lengthy and entertaining. So instead I will just post some pics of our fun filled weekend. 

We went to Cox farms if you have never been, its a must!

I will post more and better ones later again, I'm exhausted and my brain is FRIED.

xoxo

When Kids Say Embarrassing Things

I like to make Sunday's our special craft days.

Last Sunday, I was beyond exhausted and opted for family nap time (which rarely happens) rather than head to Michael's for craft supplies needed to finish our ghosts we started last week. Sophia woke up from nap and of course asked what craft we were doing. Panicking I packed us both up in the cold rain and headed off to a local pottery shop that allows you to paint there. This one was called All Fired Up in Cleveland Park neighborhood.

This is by far not a "review" on the establishment. I will probably go back because of its location, not because of the semi-rude college students (told my daughter they were booked even though there were plenty of chairs open - too close to closing time I'm guessing?) manning the place or the over priced pottery ($42 for two little things!) simply because it is close and my daughter loved it. (Okay - now my rant is over)

We walked in and got lucky and found a table to ourselves in the middle of the store. Sophia picked out a fairy figurine and I picked out a coffee cup. Trying to come up with something practical that could be used again for the $21 I was spending. As we painted, Sophia would stop every couple minutes to examine her work and tell me a some sort of story or simply say she loved me. It was great conversation and we had a great time.

Then it happened....

A heavier set woman (you know a woman that carries all her weight in her bum?) walked past us twice and I hear Sophia begin to giggle really loudly.

"Mom! (giggle giggle) That woman had a REALLY big butt!(giggle, giggle)"

Of course the store was silent. Of course everyone heard her say it. And of course it humiliated me beyond belief.

What I'm hoping is that the store heard how I handled the situation. I did not yell at her and tell her what she said was wrong. It wasn't! The woman had a big bum. She was simply making the observation. I took this as an opportunity to explain that we never comment how different people look. That looks aren't important, and what matters is how kind and happy our hearts are. I explained that God makes everyone different and he loves all of us and we should love each other for those differences too. Sometimes commenting on how someone looks could hurt their feelings.

Feeling bad, Sophia told me she was sorry. I know my daughter would never intentionally say anything to make someone sad. She is honestly one of the sweetest human beings I know. But I still wanted her to understand what someone looked like should never even be something that we noticed. Soon a time will come where everyone has to have a certain name brand jeans and knowing teenage girls, they will talk about who doesn't have the right clothes or hair, and I hope that my daughter stands up for those who don't have the right clothes and doesn't notice the physical difference in those around her.

Oh Wait I'm a Mom

I love those moments when people say, "I'm soooo glad today is Friday." Or "Yeah! Tomorrow's Friday!"

Ummm what's Friday again? For mothers/fathers who work all week (whether at home or out of the house) and your kids are either at school, with the Nanny, or at daycare all week,  its the eve of the day where you have to come up with something exciting for your kids to do all day long. 

"Sleeping in" doesn't exist.  At least not in our house. Usually by 8:30 am my daughter is dressed and asking me where are we going today? I have barely had a sip of coffee at this point and pray for the mornings when she can pour her own cereal and is more interested in watching Saturday morning cartoons than waking me up to go to the park at 6:30 am.

Friday a day when Happy Hour was a must has now become play dates or dinner at the local Mexican restaurant because you are tooo exhausted to cook from the weeks activities. You are doing everything in your power to not fall asleep in your enchilada. 

Saturday consists of a day you used to relax, maybe get some stuff done around the house, but now involves mingeling with mom's your not really fond of at the park and running kids to all sorts of activities. Or its birthday parties, which by the end of the year will eventually bankrupt you. When bedtime FINALLY rolls around on Saturday, you were more exhausted than you have been all week and pass out face down on the couch by 9 pm. Exciting right? 

I have to admit although there are moments when I wish I could go out to dinner with the girls without having to call the babysitter, I would not for a moment change my life. I know love like no other. And those moments when my daughter tells me stories in the car between activities, those are precious. The fact that this amazing little creature chose me as the person she wants to be with on a Saturday at 6:30 am makes me feel privileged. Soon she won't want to be seen with me in public let alone that early on a weekend morning. 

So for now I complain with a smirk and a smile about my weekends. I will take in every waking moment, every extra cuddle, and exhausting memory and hopefully not go crazy enough to forget them. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! 

xoxo

Things You Should Never Do While Pregnant: Get Hair Cut

You know how they say when you are pregnant with girls they steal your beauty? I did not feel that way while pregnant with my daughter Sophia. Even though my clothes were ugly, my skin was amazing, and my hair was thick and grew super long with a little wave. It was like one of those hair commercials where you think no one really has hair like that. I did though. And she she was born, all the 'extra' hair I had some how accumulated fell out and I was back to the same regular hair except it was August so I had extra frizz. 

Because my hair was so great last pregnancy I was more than eager to get my pregnancy hair back this time around. Here I am more than half way through and frustrated that it has yet to show up to the party. Instead this dull, dry, stringy, dingy brown mess has appeared  making me feel not so hot and look even fatter. 

In an effort to make myself feel better and my face look less fat, I decided to make a hair appointment. A little "Preggo Makeover." My usual stylish (who is AMAZING) couldn't get me in for even a little cut for 3 MONTHS. What?! I couldn't wait that long! I couldn't continue to feel like a massive beached whale with bad hair and chipmunk cheeks for the rest of my pregnancy. I just couldn't. 

So I did the unthinkable and cheated on my stylist. 

(Sigh) Worst Idea EVER. I will not mention the salon or the stylist but I am pretty sure he has never cut a woman's hair before. 

This was the pic I gave the stylist.....Of course Nicole Richie, because I am obsessed with her. 

 

And this is what he gave me...Ugh. I can't believe I'm even putting this up. I'm so embarrassed. 

 I have learned my lesson. A make-over or a change of look is not good half way through the pregnancy. 

I will go graveling back the my old stylist and hopes she takes me back sooner rather than later.

Words of my Daughter

Sometimes your children say really cute and sweet things....other times they don't.

(Me cracking my knuckles)

Sophia: Mom why do you do that? 

Me: I don't know its a bad habit, it feels good, and I'm getting old, I guess. 

Sophia: Your getting old? Where can I take you to trade you in for another mom whose not old? 

Me: I don't know, let's Google it.

 

Weekend in Pictures

Last week was very busy with work and after school activities, so I was really looking forward to the weekend, which surprisingly went way to fast. 

Started the weekend off right with Frozen yogurt from our favorite
yogurt place in Cleveland Park after school Friday

 Friday night my Mom invited me to the Tyson's Galleria ALL ACCESS Fashion Show benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation. It was an amazing event for an AMAZING cause. There were even four pregnant women there! Pics on that event to come later this week hopefully. Back to the rest of the weekend....

Sophia and I decided to make Cinnamon Rolls.
Don't get excited, they are NOT homemade

A Trip to Target Sophia decided to use her "allowance" to buy
her baby brother his first outfit.
Such a sweet girl. 

Not a good pic...but we decided to to do Sunday craft DAY!
We started by painting our feet to make ghosts, that
will later be our Halloween cards.

This girl loooves a good craft. 

Letting them dry but see the ghosts forming?

My mom took Sophia on night so I could get some organizing done.
This is all I got done but if you saw it before, this is a huge huge improvement!

Great ending to the weekend. Curling up with my favorite pup (she's
scared of the rain) and watching the crazy ladies of the RHONJ
as they hash it out over last season. 

All in all a great weekend. Now back to the grind of the work week.