Fall Essentials for the Busy Mama

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Fall Essentials for the Busy Mama



Peter pan t shirt / J Crew blue t shirt / Cotton t shirt / Old Navy long sleeve shirt / Skinny jeans / Gap black pants / Old Navy high heel boots / Old Navy flat shoes / Kate Spade Veranda Place Nylon Stevie Baby Bag / Open-Front Faux Fur Vest | LOVE21 - 2000060135 / Women's Gauze Diamond-Pattern Scarves | Old Navy

I put together some some of my favorite fall essentials for the busy mama on the go...all. the. time. I'm not sure how I got away without adding anything pink! ha. 

The color trends I am seeing a lot of this year are wine red/burgundy, navy and black and white!! I love a fur vest...im vest  kinda gal! I love the puffy down vests too, but I think a fur vest dresses up a plain tee or dress very nicely and effortlessly! 

Leggings...well they're my fave! dress them up or down with a tee and youre good to go! 

I love a neutral bootie with a low heel that you can possibly wear daily. And a loafer!! Right now I have a very similar gold pair from the Gap on rotation! 

I think leopard prints are a neutral and I love mixing and matching with other prints. the Kate Spade bag baby bag is similar to the one the hubs got my for my birthday and I use it as a purse/carry all bag since my little ones are still toddlers but theyre too old for my to carry around a "diaper bag"! I throw EVERYTHING in there and it all fits. AMAZING! 

xoxo

Elda 

Atlanta || Birthday Weekend Re-cap

Monday, September 29, 2014

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes via Social media! I think this was one of the best birthdays, yet! As I had mentioned before, we traveled to Atlanta to celebrate with my family. That is where I grew up and my parents still live there. My brother and sister met us there so we were all together, which is huge for us! Since we are currently living in different cities, we rarely get to be all together.


I had been looking forward to this trip for some time mainly because I still really miss living in Atlanta. There are many many things that are completely different in South Florida. I think one of the things I miss the most is the weather...in Georgia, you get all four seasons and in South Florida you get one. Summer. it gets boring after awhile.

Since my birthday falls in late September, we figured we would spend it in Atlanta and go ahead and do some fall activities that we cant take advantage of here, in Miami.

We did some outlet shopping, of course. I dont think we've ever taken a trip back to Atlanta and not hit up the outlet mall (I cant, not go to the J.crew Factory store, since the closest one to us is about an hour and a half away).


She is definitely my daughter! We couldn't keep her away from the pearls! 

We took the kiddos to an unbelievable pumpkin patch!! We got on a hayride, feed animals at the hayride stops, enjoyed the petting zoo, watched pig races, bounced in bounce houses, and took lots and lots of pictures with the pumpkins :). They had a beautiful set-up for picture taking!






This sweet boy was in HEAVEN on this old tractor!! 





The funnest Grandma in the world award goes to this lady! She jumped right into the bounce house with the kids! 



Gus and I, with my siblings and the kids! So glad they came along with us! 



Olivia is fearless! She fed the HUGE camels and LOVED it!! We are still trying to figure out where she gets it from because Gus and I were both scared of everything at her age...



AND...we took a trip up to North Georgia and had a pre-birthday lunch (without toddlers) with my siblings and some newly-wed friends of ours. The weather was absolutley perfect and the view we had from our table on the patio was just breath taking. This definitely would not have been possible without my parents helping us out with Gus and Olivia! While we up there we enjoyed a little wine tasting and explored the vineyard.





I loved the look and the feel their tasting room had! The vibe was awesome! 





The last day were there, which was my actual birthday, I got spoiled with gifts !! Gus and my family did a great job! They all know me tooo well! We hung around my parents house just recovering from the previous, crazy days! And of course, we had to sing happy birthday once again with the kiddos!



I couldn't have asked for a better birthday trip! It was honestly the best!! I was spoiled thanks to my wonderful and of course my wonderful husband who went above and beyond for me! (He surprsied me with a new Kate Spade leopard print mom bag (pictured above) ...seriously?!?! the best surprise ever! )

25 things I would tell my teenage self

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Sunday I turned 25, a quarter of a century...which if you follow me on Instagram, you will see lots of fun pictures from my Birthday weekend in Atlanta with my family! I will re-cap our visit on another post but first I wanted to share 25 things I would tell my teenage self. These are all things I have learned and looked back and seen. 

25 Things I would tell my teenage self 

1. Popularity doesn't take you anywhere in life. 
2. Listen to mom and dad, 9 out 10 times they are always right. 
3. Having a boyfriend doesnt make you more cool. 
4. Be nice to all of your peers, Kindness is what makes you a better person. 
5. Having nice things now doesn't matter. 
6. Who you are and what you do is what matters. 
7. That mission trip that mom and dad are making you go on, your high school senior spring break, yeah--you'll be glad they made you go. 
8. You'll learn things and it will change your perspective on life and the world. 
9. Break up with that boyfriend of yours--he's no good. There's a reason why your parents don't like him. 
10. Don't cake your face with makeup...just use a little bit of it to accentuate your natural beauty. 
11. Be nice to the smart kids...
12. Chances are you'll be working for them one day. 
13. Eat that brownie you're dieing to have...your jeans will still fit. 
14. Kindness is key in life. 
15. Stop frying your skin in the tanning bed
16. A fake tan is not attractive. 
17. Your future husband will ban you from it anyways. 
18. Tuck your uniform shirt in all the way...
19. You look sloppy with it half-way tucked out, not cool. 
20. Learn how to save. 
21. You'll thank yourself when you have a big girl job. 
22. Your prince charming does exist, just how you picture him.
23. You'll meet him when you least expect it.  
24. How many colleges you are applying to, doesn't matter. No-one will care when you're in college. 
25. Enjoy being young and not having any responsibilities!

xoxox
Elda 

Olivia's 18 Month Checkup + Target Thursdaye

Thursday, September 11, 2014



Miss Livey had her 18 month old check up yesterday and a re-check for her 5th ear infection. I've never mentioned this on here but sh'e on the borderline for getting tubes put in her little ears. They're basically waiting until the 6th ear infection to come around. She has had a little bit of a runny nose for the past week and normally right when she gets a cold it turns into an ear infection. So I was so incredibly nervous going into her checkup! But Thank You Jesus, it's just a little cold and her ears look GREAT!!! 



She is weighing a whopping 28 pounds ( 99% for her age), Head circumference is 97% and her height is a little over the 100% !!! (She wears between 2T and 3T clothes. This is not surprising to me as both of my babies have been big babies from the day they were born...much like my husband's family. 

No but seriously, they are like super size children hahah. Everyone thinks they are wayyyy older than what they really are! 

She had to have her finger pricked for her hemoglobin check and to all of our surprise, she didnt even move. I thought she was going to FREAK OUT, like she normally does about shots and pretty much anything else she doesnt like or get her way! (This girl has personality)

Last night I went on a late night Target run for diapers and a few necesities, SOLO!! I love my two sidekicks but it's nice to be able to browse without saying "sit down" 50 times in the span of 20 minutes were in there.

I got lots of yummy pumpkin flavored items! I'm really trying to make the most of this hot weather. okay, im done complaining about the heat. Anyways, I found these babies...





HOORAY!!! I had no idea Pumpkin spice Little Bites existed! If you love Pumpkin flavored foods i would make my way over to Target and pick some up! They are soooo delish with my morning coffee! Don't get me wrong...I love making homemade things but when you're having a crazy week (like this week, for example) these are nothing short of perfection! 

Of course, a target run cannot be a Target run without a quick run through the dollar aisle. They had just put all of their fall items out... I found all of these great fall craft things for the kids. They have all sorts of great fall foamy stickers, which Gus and Olivia LOVE! They love peeling the backs off the stickers and sticking them on paper! We make it a learning experience and review colors while we do foamy stickers!




And then of course, I ran into Sofia the First and Cars paint sets! So I just had to grab them up. Paining is another favorite over here. The best part is that this paint just wipes right off of any hard surface. I think I have wiped down their white wooden children's table more times than I can count and the paint comes off every. single. time!

 (They would both rather use their fingers than the paintbrush)

We will be traveling to Atlanta this weekend so I also found these Sesame Street notepads that come with a magic ink marker...umm hello! these are great for the car ride and they wont stain anything!! I should have grabbed a few more of these just to keep in my purse for dr appointment or church entertainment.


Gus has grandparents day Friday at his school, which is going to be the cutest thing ever! My parents fly in tomorrow night for the weekend!!! I'm so excited to spend a couple days with them even though we will see them next week back in Atlanta!

Gus is their oldest grandchild, so they are so excited to be able to enjoy some time with him at his school!

The Weekend

Monday, September 8, 2014

Happy Monday! I wasn't too thrilled about waking up this morning, considering it was raining and getting out of the house with 2 toddlers in the rain is not fun. However, by the time we were ready to leave to take Gus to school, the rain had gone away...Thank GOD!!! 

We had a nice relaxing weekend! Friday, Gus had his first field trip! I chaperoned, of course!







 How could I let my two and 1/2 year old go on a field trip on his own. It seemed like it would be a long morning for him! We went down to the children's museum...the highlight of this was getting on a big yellow school bus! He could not stop squirming with excitement when we got on! It was the cutest thing ever! I thought it was much less exciting considering the big yellow school bus had no air conditioning and the 100 degree heat in Miami is pretty much unbearable these days! 

But it was lovely to see him experience his first field trip!

Friday when the hubs got home, I let him take over and was able to get away and get my eyebrows touched up a bit. They were in desperate need of some love. That was my moment of sanity for the weekend. 

We ended up having an unexpected guest with us this weekend...my husband's cousin was passing through Miami so tagged along on our family weekend. 

Saturday we ran some errands and headed towards the beach. It is September but the temps ehre wont be getting much cooler anytime soon, if at all, so might as well make the most of it. WE have come to realize that it's the best family activity. the kids LOVE it. we have a good time and there is very little they can get into that they shouldn't. so its a win win situation. PLUS it wears them out much more than anything else so they normally pass out on the way home, for the night. 




It is September and last week I really didn't touch on it but its my BIRTHDAY month!! I will be a quarter of a century old. I am so excited that I am going to be able to spend it with my whole family this year in Atlanta. We will be roadtriping again with the kiddos. We have some pretty exciting plans! 

I think the most excited thing i'm excited about is possibly some cooler temperatures! Again, this heat is unbearable. We are taking the kids to a REAL pumpkin patch. Here all of the pumpkin patches don't have hayrides, or corn mazes and its much too hot to even be outside. I think they are both going to really enjoy the hayrides!




How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?



Easy Lasagna Bake

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Happy Thursday!! We are one day closer to the weekend!! This week has flown by! 

Weekday nights are a bit hectic around here, now that Gus is starting to go to school five days a week. I really love to cook but I normally don't have time to make a fabulously delicious meal with the toddlers running around here before Gus gets home from work. That being said I turn to "easy" and quick meals pretty regularly. I am sharing the recipe to, what has become, my favorite "go to" meal ....





Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of ground beef
1 box of Mueller's "Oven Ready" Lasagna (Best thing ever invented)
1 Bottle of Barilla Traditional Pasta Sauce
16 oz. of Ricotta Cheese (Half of a tall container)
Extra Italian Blend shredded cheese 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Season ground beef with a little salt and pepper. Cook the ground beef in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. When cooked, pour the whole bottle of pasta sauce in the pan and bring to simmer--just for a couple minutes. 

Spray your 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan then place 3 pieces of the lasagna on top of it. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese on top of the pasta. Repeat. 

When you have filled your pan all the way to the top sprinkle some shredded cheese and cover with aluminum foil. I always spray the side of the aluminum foil that is going to touch the lasagna with cooking spray, so it doesnt stick. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hr. 

This is the easiest lasagna recipe ever and the kids LOVE it and so does the hubs! So its a win win situation! 

Feel free to email me if you have any questions! 

Thoughts on Parenthood

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

We had a great long weekend~ It was a little crazy, I will have to admit! We had two 30th birthday parties. One Saturday and one Sunday and pretty much the rest of the weekend was spent at the beach! We hadnt gone down to the beach in awhile so it was really nice! Whenever we are there it feels like we kind of disconnect from our everyday routine! The kiddos had a blast! 

Last week, Gus's preschool had a back to school night for all of parents. It was a night to sort of get familiar with the other parents in your child's class and for the teachers to explain to the parents what her expectations were for the children as well as the parents. They introduced all of the staff etc... and so forth! It was nice because at Open House, when you meet your child's teacher, since the children are there it's sort of hard to really get to talk to the teachers!

All of the teachers had packets for the parents with the class schedule, curriculum topics, classroom rules, basically everything we went over. In between all of those papers, there was a handout with this write up...

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to criticize.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
if a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns what envy is.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with recognition, he learns to set goals.
If a child lives with sharing, he learns about generosity.
If a child lives with sharing, he learns about generosity.
If a child lives with honesty and fairness, he learns what truths and justice are.
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns that the world is a nice place in which we live.
If you live with serenity, your child will lie with piece of mind.


I loved this.
 I really didn't take it literally, but I did get a general message out of it. Children become who they are by example. By what they are around. By what they see. For, the most part. 

Parents are a child's first teachers. I am firm believer of that. And sometimes, we get caught up with everyday life and act on instinct or we have a sudden reaction and we sort of forget that we have little people watching our every move. 

I catch myself doing little things sometimes that I am like whoops, I wasn't supposed to do that. Little things like manners, or speaking in a certain tone of voice. or being lazy and not putting something back where it belongs.  We are all human and make mistakes.

This little write up was a great reminder for me as a mother to treat people, how I want to be treated or how I want my child to treat his peers at school. With respect, with honesty, with love. 

This got to me right at a perfect time, at the beginning of the school year. I am starting off the school year with a clean slate, as a parent. There is always room for improvement, right?!?! 
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