{Five on Friday}: Preschool+Bows+Flashback

Friday, February 28, 2014

Happy Friday!! Yay for the weekend! Alrighty here we go:





{one} I finally switched over to the iphone 5 this week!! yay!! My phone had horrible connection in our building and all my calls would drop frequently. I was a tad scared to switch over from Android...it's going alright so far haha. I am still trying to figure it all out. I spent about half the day trying to figure out how to post on Instagram from my camera  roll, until I decided to just google it. Still trying to figure out how to attach a file to an email...I think I may have to just google this one too!




{two} I snagged up these fabulous bows for Olivia's Easter basket this week! Honeysuckle Accessories was having a flash sale on Instagram!! Woohoo! I'm obsessed with them! I'm starting to get goodies for the Gus and Olivia's Easter basket's together little by little!






{three} Did you see my book review post for "The Mother of all Meltdowns" earlier this week? This book is hilarious for mommies and mommies to be! I definitely recommend it if you want a good laugh! You can check it out here




{four} Here's a little flashback Friday for ya...This was last May at my sister's Graduation Party in Atlanta! Look at how little the kids were. Olivia was about 2 months old and Gus was about 18 months! And of course there I am with long hair and bangs. Yep, those lasted about a month until I realized I didn't have time to style bangs. They were nice for a change but they had to go!




{five} We are starting to talk preschool over here for our little guy. Starting to look at different schools and their programs. We aren't planning to put Gus in school immediately but for the near future. We want to find the best choice and fit for him...and takes time and discernment. We don't want to just put him anywhere. 

We are touring a school next week...

I am not sure how I feel about this. The little person that made me a mother going to school? It would only be part-time but still.




Have a fabulous weekend!!
  



{Book Review} : The Mother of all Meltdowns

Monday, February 24, 2014

Okay Mommies, we all have meltdowns, don't we? Feeling guilty of having them? I do. This book could not have come to me at a better time, as I am guilty of having them more frequently recently, due to the lovely terrible two's.  The Mother of all Meltdowns by Crystal Ponti is a hilarious book put together by mommy bloggers of stories of the finest and worst mommy moments ultimately ending in a "mommy meltdown" every single time. The best part is that all of these meltdown moments do not necessarily occur when these mothers' children are toddlers, half of them happen when they have grown kids!

“Are you getting sick? Where is the boy? How did you guys
get locked out?”
“WE did not get locked out. YOUR SON locked me out.”
-Jennifer Kehl

It was so nice to read something that was honest and REAL, for a change. These stories are real life stories from real moms, that actually happened. I loved that. It made me feel like I wasn't the only mom that totally lost it every once in awhile.

I was reading these stories, dying laughing and half the time I was telling myself, "yep that happened to me", or "me too, me too!!!". Sometimes, as a mother you simply just have to find the humor in the things that happen to you with your children. 

The book includes a bonus chapter, The Dirty Dozen: Coping with a mommy meltdown....Fabulous! You probably know all these tips on how to deal with these "episodes" yourself , but it's nice and comforting to hear them from a fellow mommy. One of the "Dirty Dozen"...

"Drink. Doesn’t have to be wine or liquor. In fact, it’s best to
avoid those before 10:00 a.m. A cool glass of water—splashed in
your face if you have to—can do the trick, or a quick taste of that
awesome homemade lemonade that you were saving for your
kids to use for their roadside stand might be enough to put you
back in balance."
-Melissa Swedowski

I, personally, pour myself a nice glass of Cabernet after I have had a mommy meltdown type of day. After I have put the kids to bed, of course. It tends to help me relax and solve all worries ;)

This is a must read for mommies!! It is available on Amazon.com for purchase!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

Five on {Friday}

Friday, February 21, 2014

Happy Friday!!! Wooohooo I am so glad it's Friday! I'm linking up again with Darci and the girls to list five fabulous things about this past week! Here we go...



{one} Last weekend I went out and grabbed up a bunch of pink and gold decor for Livi's Fabulous First Birthday Brunch! Eek!! I'm so excited!! There's going to be a whole lot of pink and gold. Here is some Pintrest inspiration I found for her little birthday brunch!



{two} Did you check out my Beach Essentials post for toddler's I posted earlier this week? There are so  many adorable options this year, it was so hard to choose my faves! But I managed! You can check out my favorites here!!

This little suit is just too much. We may just go have to pick it up this weekend!! I love navy and pink combinations for little girls and with polka dots...even more!



{three} Now as far as swimsuits for me...I'm considering trying a chic, one piece this year. One piece styles seem to be "in". Although I have lost all my baby weight, I feel like my body is not what it used to be. Things are not where they were before, so on and so forth. And quite frankly with two babies,this year it would be so nice not to have to worry about stuff falling out while your playing with a little one or carrying them! haha

I like the idea of a flattering one piece, however I am not sure if finding one that is flattering is going to be as easy. But we'll see. Here's one that I found I'm obsessing over



Any thoughts???

{four} I am trying to use my crock-pot for dinner more and more lately to make the whole dinner thing easier. Last night we had the Pulled Pork from The Busy Budgeting Mama! It was amazing and soooo simple!! We loved her Chicken Tortilla Soup as well!! 

{five}Are you sooo excited it's the weekend??? Because I am!!! We have a busy weekend ahead of us again!! Seriously, when do we not have a busy weekend??? hahha


Cheers to the weekend!! 






Gus & Olivia's Beach Essentials

Thursday, February 20, 2014



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Here in South Florida, beach season is literally right around the corner. Our "winters" are really like a mild Fall and Spring. It's nice sometimes but it gets old rather quickly. I have put together a little toddler beach lookbook for each of my little ones, since this year is actually the first year that I think we will actually be able to enjoy the beach since we got married. Every summer I have either been very pregnant or had a baby that can't sit up yet. I am so thrilled to have the kids enjoy lot's of beach time this year!

I saw a lot of navy and pink suits this year for little girls...which I don't mind one bit. I love that combination ;). And I love flamingos for Olivia!! What toddler mom doesn't love a shoe that you just rinse right off that isn't a foam flip flop?? The shoe that I picked out for Gus I love because it's not a flip flop. Flip flops for young ones are complicated to me. They always tend to fall off when they are walking or they "hurt". And the bow jelly sandals that I picked out for Olivia are just perfect. Well anything with a bow is but these I love because they're a neutral and she can wear them to the beach, rinse them off and wear them with a sundress the next day. I love versatile items. Especially for little ones because they grow so fast.

My kids LOVE sunglasses! They think they're great! Which makes me so happy because with the strong rays in Miami, it's so important to me to protect their little eyes.

Let's talk about the fedoras, shall we? There's nothing cuter than mini fedora's!! ahhh! Little Gus is pretty good about keeping hats on...Olivia on the other hand is the complete opposite. 

two. tough. and tougher.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014



The last few weeks have been tough, so just wanted to write from my heart with what is going on over in our neck of the woods. My son is two going on sixteen, the terrible twos have kicked in and it is no secret that they haven't been easy. They have taken a toll on me. My husband came home for lunch today and I literally had a mommy meltdown. Yep, it ended in tears.

Dealing with a toddler, or should I say two toddlers because Olivia may as well be one too, is not easy. Repeating yourself 10 times in 5 minutes is overwhelming and very frustrating. And lately, it seems like that's I do that all day everyday. Everything with my two year old is an ordeal. Changing his diaper. Eating. Writing with chalk on the furniture. (Thank God its just chalk and it comes right off but still its the principal of writing on the furniture is not allowed that I'm trying to get across). Getting dressed. It's all a constant battle. And his favorite word these days is "NO".

I love being a stay-at-home mom, I really do. To me it is so rewarding yet one of hardest things I have ever done. It's something that I have always wanted to do. And I wanted to thank my wonderful husband for giving me the opportunity to do so. Did I know it would be this hard? Absolutely not. You really have no idea what this is like until you experience it. Or at least that's how it was for me. I had NO idea what I signed up for. But you know what they say...You live and learn. And it's absolutely true. Yes, there will be good days and bad days. And every single time I see him happy or hear him say please or thank you or see him take out two yogurts, one for him and one for his sister, instead of just one, all of that frustration immediately goes away and I see the fruits of my hard work with him.

I try so hard to savor those pleasant moments I have with him. Like, this morning while Olivia was taking her morning nap he watched Finding Nemo for the first time. Him and I cuddled on the couch, still in our pj's and I just soaked in all of my happy two year old that I could.

But hey, is life easy? Nope. Is it beautiful? Yes. Have a learned a lot from being a stay at home mom? yes, PATIENCE! If God didn't know that I couldn't handle this he wouldn't have given it to me. I know he has a plan for me and my little family and that this is just a phase. Hopefully it will pass quickly. He has a plan for all of us. He knows what we can handle and what we can't. We just have to have a little bit of faith and everything will work out.

Five On Friday {Volume LOVE} + 11 months

Friday, February 14, 2014

{one} Happy Valentine's Day!! Today is the day we honor everyone we love and the love we have for them. Our signifiant others, family and friends. Love is patient and kind. Love is giving, sacrifice, happy. Love is something that can't be explained. It is also the feeling you feel when you have done a good deed for someone else. My husband represents all of that. I am so glad we ran into each other's lives



{two} My husband and I don't usually exchange gifts for valentine's day.He will usually bring flowers home or a little something sentimental but this year we did and let me just say he did pretty good! Starting with the bouquet of red and pink cake pops he ordered for me to replace the normal flower bouquet...so thoughtful! Let's just say I was so surprised! And I absolutely loved them! {brownie points for the hubs}



{three} As part of the Mr's little gift this year I ordered him a cookie set from The Baked Equation....ummmm they are AMAZING! He absolutely loved them! Typically when you get beautiful cookies they really don't taste that great but these are beautiful AND taste delicious. I had never ordered from her before but  I am so glad I did. I think I will be ordering for every holiday from now on.



{four} Our little lady is 11 months old today!!! what?!?! yes. 11 months. Next month I will have a 1 year old and a 2 1/2 old. She is climbing everywhere, standing up on her own, taking steps with help (yayyy!!), pointing at things she wants, you name it she's doing it.





{five} In honor of celebrating love-- this is a picture of my parents wedding day---25 years ago!



Cheers to love and happiness!!
Happy Valentine's Day!

GIVEAWAY WINNER

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Congratulations, Amy K.!!!
 Hooray!! You are the Winner of the BOM BOM Party Shop Giveaway!



I will be contacting you by email with your code to be able to use the gift card!

For those of you who didn't win and still want to check this wonderful party printables shop for your little ones' birthday party you can click here!


Valentine's Day {Heart Shaped French Toast Bites}

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Hello Friends! Since Valentine's Day is just a couple days away, I wanted to share a cute Valentine's Day themed breakfast idea....


All I did was make french toast and made them heart shaped by cutting them out with heart cookie cutters when they were done cooking :). The cookie cutter I used was a mini heart cutter.

You just make them how you normally would and add that extra step at the end...super simple and super cute and the best part is that they are perfect for chunky little fingers! My toddler loved to dip them in the syrup and the size was just perfect for him to just pop in his mouth. I kind of liked eating them too hahha...something cute is so much more fun to eat! 

As you can see I served them a plate with dividers with strawberries and syrup in the other sections. Strawberries are a huge toddler favorite and they are red...perfect for the Valentine's Day theme!

Enjoy!







Valentine's Day Fancies for the Momma's

Monday, February 10, 2014

Happy Monday! Don't you just love a good Monday morning? 

Today, I wanted to share some of my V-day faves for the mommy's. Let's face it being a mom is difficult, but one of the most rewarding things a woman could ever do! As mother's we do a lot for our children and Valentine's day is all about love. If you do not love yourself first, it's hard to be able to love someone else, our husbands, children, family and friends. Momma's, this valentine's day treat yourself to something you enjoy. A little something that puts a smile on your face :) 

I have gathered a few little things that puts a smile on my face and I hope you enjoy!



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ps- I just discovered this water bottle at Williams Sonoma that has a citrus reamer built into the top so you can infuse your water with lemon, lime or orange...how fabulous?!

{Family Pictures}

Sunday, February 9, 2014

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! This is just a quick little post, I couldn't wait to share some family pictures with you! These are just a few of my favorites...there are just so many good ones!

A huge thank you goes out to my friend Stephanie, well I guess we're sort of politically related. Her uncle is married to my sister-in-law, if that makes sense. So her uncle is my brother-in-law by marriage. She did such a great job with these pictures..I'm so excited to share!! 

Enjoy!








































Photo Credit: Stephanie Rodriguez

Five on {Friday}

Friday, February 7, 2014

Goodmorning! Today I'm back with Five on Friday! This has been such a great week for us here! The weather has been great down here, while the rest of the country freezes :)


{one} So Valentine's Day is right around the corner! I really love gifting. I tend to get things that are more thoughtful rather than the latest and greatest thing on the market. I've got a couple surprises up my sleeve for the hubs but I'm afraid I can't share since he reads the blog. Don't want to spoil the surprise! 

{two} Our sweet girl will be one next month. Wow, I can't believe I'm saying that. Time has flown. That being said I am starting to put together her birthday brunch. We are planning something small, tasteful and fabulous.

{three} Gus and Olivia have been playing so well together this week. This makes me so happy! Now i'm starting to see why everyone keeps telling me it was good to have them close together. Although, Olivia can't walk completely by herself just yet...she chases Gus crawling. It's the cutest thing ever! Of course, there's the hair pulling (her to him), the taking toys away from each other and not sharing but we're getting there. 

{four} Gus can sing his ABC's! I am so excited and proud that he's only 2 and knows them. I think we need to work on the pronunciation a little bit but overall he knows them pretty well!My computer wouldn't let me upload the video of him:(

{five} Have you seen the party printables giveaway I posted earlier this week? you can read all about how to enter here




BOM BOM Party Shop + GIVEAWAY

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Happy Hump Day!! Today I am going to spotlight a fabulous shop that I used for Gus' second birthday and talk about a few of the details of his party! I feel like I neglected Gus' second birthday party and didn't post any details on it. I feel so bad. Well I figured I would share a few details about his special day although it's a few months late (seriously, so embarrassing). 



I chose an Elmo theme, due to the fact that he was going through a huge elmo phase at the time. He still really likes Elmo but it isn't as intense as it used to be!


I don't know why my children don't like to smile for pictures

We had his birthday party at a great children's venue we have here in Miami called Cool-De-Sac, which is targeted more towards younger children. The activities they have is targeted more towards the fine motor skills rather than just jumping around inside moonwalks. They have a Lego area, craft/painting area, dress up area, computer station, video games, a large maze and of course a baby area for little ones under two. They also have an  interactive floor that lights up and the kids LOVED it!!


(Yes, that is my husband in the background with a beer in his hand at a children's birthday party. This place has a cute gourmet cafe and they sell beer and wine for the adults ;)

The birthday boy had a blast! He enjoyed every minute of his birthday party! 

The venue took care of the food, beverages but of course, I chose to bring some Elmo themed decor, cake and party favors. The banner I ordered from BOM BOM Party Shop on Etsy, along with the favor tags. They were PDF files and I just went to Kinko's and printed them off. I cut the banner out and put it together with matching grosgrain ribbon.



As party favors I gave out Elmo goody bags which I made and attached the favor tag to the back. And I gave out Sesame Street coloring books with Sesame Street crayons! Little Gus loves to color, so I thought it was appropriate :)

This is a blurry picture but this is what the goody bags looked like from the back
Seriously how cute are these favor tags? They were my favorite! I received the digital file for the printable almost instantly and the personalized name portion of the banner were sent over a couple days later! But still so quick! I was so pleased with the Ana's work...from the design to the customer service! 



That being said, Ana has agreed to giveaway a $25 Gift Certificate with a $30 dollar purchase to her shop, to one of my readers!! She has the cutest party printables for children...I love the baby princess collection! You can take a look at her adorable shop here

Good Luck!!
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