MLK Day Together

On Monday, the school was closed for the girls so it was a perfect excuse to get together with their cousin Tristan! We met up at Kids Town. It is a unique place to take your children that offers an entertaining play place with more than a dozen themed play areas that feature colorful decor, costumes, accessories and toys to encourage imagination! Everything from a construction room to a princess room. Tristan, Isabella and Giselle played for hours while Bob, Jen and I got to catch up. Afterwards, we all went out to lunch together! Needless to say, their afternoon naps were quite long because they wore themselves out playing so hard! I don't know about you.....but with this winter weather advisory that seems to never end....well, we have cabin fever! Here is a snapshot on our way to lunch.

Back to the BASICS

So....today marks the 15th day that I have not worked. On December 31st, 2013 I was "laid off." I am 35 years old and have always had a job since I was 15 years old. Perhaps it was my upbringing, but I have ALWAYS loved working. But it is BACK TO THE BASICS and let me explain. I have two kids. One just turned 3 and the other is 5. I used to work 12-13 hour days between the job and commuting. Before the long commuting days, we lived in the city and I would cook a full blown meal for dinner with all of the food groups. Back then it was Bob, myself, Isabella and Bax. Isabella was a baby, so it was easy. I would just puree some home grown veggies for dinner. We moved and it became like the movie the FAST and the FURIOUS. My life was in fast forward. And I couldn't get it to slow down....but I (we) adapted. Those fancy meals turned into quick fixes. Sure, you can cook a whole weeks worth of meals on Sunday in preparation, but if you love a fresh meal by a fancy cook, you don't "pre" do anything. You ROCK it OUT in the kitchen for hours from scratch. I fell into a rut of cooking for my children. I would get home after being gone from the house at 5:30 a.m., then I would be home by 6 p.m. and I would make chicken nuggets, pasta, hot dogs or fish sticks. Then I would give them a bath and read them stories. Bed time resulted in 9 p.m. Hit repeat times infinity. (at least for 3 years) In the past several weeks, I have received several phone calls from friends wanting to know what I am doing with myself now that I am not working.....and here is my answer.... -For starters, I no longer make my kids chicken nuggets, fish sticks or pasta for dinner times repeat. I am "re=training" them to eat whatever is on the table that I cook. And good god, this is no easy task when they have been programmed for so many years....If they don't like what I cook, they go away hungry (shame on me). It has only been less than a month and I know this is going to take time. And I am prepared to deal with this..... Little by little, we will get there... -All those times that I said "Maybe another time to my kids." I have mad hours now to create crafts with them, read that extra story or love up on them even more. -Surprisingly, when you work in either Chicago or New York City...you are sucked in to cyberspace. The internet. Facebook. Pinterest. You name it, your head is constantly online. I am learning to slow down my ROLE. I am going old school. I just checked out a few books from the library and plan to read them. I can't tell you the last time I read a book..... I am not on the internet that much and LOVE IT. Maybe its the cold weather, but it is nice to have a break. Will this last forever? We shall see. But for NOW.....I am enjoying these two ladies. Trying to make an influence in their lives AND we are stopping to smell the ROSES...... I have noticed a change in their personalities now that I am closer...

More CAKE with her PUP for her 3rd BIRTHDAY

Happy GOLDEN 3rd Birthday GISELLE Eloise!

We are talking about a very special, unique, once in a lifetime, Golden Birthday that marks the day when an age matches a birth date. All that glitters is GOLD! Giselle woke up to her room filled with golden balloons and a beautiful princess dress to wear on her birthday. I asked her if she wanted to take some photos for her 3rd birthday in her new dress...so...we did a little mini photo shoot in the living room. And she was all SMILES! After that, I took the girls to play at an indoor play place and followed it up with a nap. They were EXHAUSTED to say the least. Later for dinner, we took Giselle for her favorite food (pizza) where the balloon man made her a birthday crown. And what would be complete on a birthday without cake and ice cream!! Giselle is such a sweet, compassionate, yet TOUGH little girl! She is very social and loves to sleep and eat! If I had to look into a crystal ball, I would say this girl is going to be great in sports and may just get a scholarship in sports and ROCK IT! Thank you all for wishing her a HAPPY GOLDEN birthday and here are some pictures from her SPECIAL day today. You are only 3 once and you only have a GOLDEN birthday ONCE in your WHOLE LIFE!!!

It's a NEW YEAR -- 2014

I don't know about you, but I am pretty stoked that it is a new year! That means you wipe the slate clean and start over! They just converted my part-time position at work to full-time and that was not something I wanted to do at this point, so I got let go on December 31st. They told me if I wanted to work full-time I was more than welcome back. Um, no thank you. AND I couldn't be MORE EXCITED! I believe everything happens for a reason, even if you don't understand it. I am looking forward to not getting up at 5 a.m. To spending more time with my girls, my pup Baxie and my partner in crime, Bob. I am excited to slow life down a notch, to not wake up so early and commute an hour and a half each way and rush, rush rush. Who knows, maybe I will cross off some of those items on that never ending "to do" list. I am nervous, yet excited all at the same time. Day by day, I can't wait to see how this new year unfolds and what is in store.... Just as a new bloom spreads fragrance and freshness around.......May the New Year add a new beauty and freshness into your life. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Giselle and Isabella - A December Month to Remember

December is always a busy month for everyone I know. You decorate your house, you work, you run around. You attend holiday events and if you have little ones, you ROCK it out. Isabella and Giselle had a great month. For 25 days we played elf on the shelf with their elves Fred and Flower, hiding them around the house in a new spot every night. We made snoopy gingerbread houses. We visited Santa and for the first time, Giselle didn't cry her head off. She actually batted her eyelashes at Santa, showed those baby blues and smiled from ear to ear. We all made peanut butter kisses together and ham rolls. We decorated the tree. Made crafts. Watched holiday classics together. We ate, drank and were merry. You get it.... You can bet your bottom dollar, our Christmas decorations were down the day after Christmas. Year by year, I am getting better. In any case, here is a month of pictures in review. See YA December!!!

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!!!

There is something that is amazingly epic about a hand and a footprint to me. I LOVE hand and footprints, all shapes and sizes. It's almost as if you can stop time with them OR at least seize the moment! I never get tired of hand and footprints, just as I never get tired of HEARTS. Tonight we lit the fireplace, put on some Christmas music and then we all created a Christmas craft with the girls. I wish I could have fit baxie on the canvas but I don't trust him with paint - he has been known to do some damage! Our craft will bring JOY and MEMORIES for the years to come........