Happy 6 months, baby!

So, as many things go, time has FLOWN by. I cannot believe my little baby has gone from the tiny little thing above to a strapping, young, husky, super smiley baby! It's exciting, sad, and stressful all at the same time. Let's be real, all new mommies can attest to the fact that babies are not easy to take care of. Every day is not a sit down, play with my baby, every minute is precious kind of day. There's crying, teething, colds, hold me/rock me or else I'll cry, screaming and I can't tell you why- I could go on. Don't get me wrong the precious moments are there. Smiling and laughing, saying mama for the first time, first reactions to food, baby playing with big brother...
Overall, the roller coaster of it all, it's a fun and special time. As a parent, mother, and wife, every part of that roller coaster reminds me how strong I am, how vulnerable I can be, and how I need to go through all of this to appreciate my life.

I know I'm lucky. It just takes some living to realize it.

Happy 6 months little one!

It's that time of year! Easy Holiday Shopping and Making Holidays Memorable

When I think of Christmas, I think of getting together with friends and family, holiday music, the smell of Douglas Firs, opening presents, hot apple cider, and YUMMY food. For my family, this is the time of year for reconnecting and expressing thanks for all that we’ve been blessed with during the year.

Then, since I had kids, I think of opening presents on Christmas day and seeing the kids get so excited at all the presents- big, small, and everything in between. I love shopping for the kids and giving great gifts that suit their tastes. I don’t like getting them the same thing every year, so sometimes we end up spending more than we want or we end up getting some mediocre gift (oh no, we’re the boring Auntie and Uncle!). But if you’re thinking of what to get the kids this year, check out the KRE-O Transformers line. This is one of those go-to gifts that all the kids will like if you’re buying for kids you don’t know well or when you don’t know what to get. What little boy doesn’t like building blocks and robots? But really, any kid can enjoy these. This is why:

- The KRE-O line is great because they are affordable, WAY within reason for a tight Christmas budget.

- Kids get to build them. This means they are a functional learning toy – they have to think in order to put it together correctly.

- The whole family can play with them. We actually saw the KRE-O Transformers at the store when shopping for a birthday present. My husband and I got excited at the fact that there were Transformer products that you can actually build with your kids (since my oldest is only 3) and he could enjoy playing with the whole family.

- And to top it all off, they are Transformers! Me and my husband used to play Transformers with our friends in elementary school! To see my kids play with my old childhood toys makes me feel a bit old, but really does warm my heart. It’s like life is coming full circle.

It makes Christmas shopping so much less stressful to have a go-to list of toys to buy the kids. This is one of those toys. It’s COOL, it’s FUN, and I won’t be boring Auntie!!! Hooray! Christmas shopping just got that much easier- thank goodness!

Keeping Christmas shopping easy is key to a good holiday. The most frustrating part about Christmas is getting through the gridlock to actually buy the gifts! But easy shopping leaves so much more room for putting care and meaning into the things we do for the holidays. For me, Christmas and New Year festivities are all about traditions, meaningful moments, and quality time. I try my best to put thought into everything that we have during the holidays. MAKE EVERYTHING A MEMORABLE MOMENT!

It all starts with the tree and home decorations. Use decorations that mean something to you! We have ornaments that commemorate when we bought our home, the birth of our kids, and those with the names of our family. Decorate with music and yummies! While putting up ornaments, lights, Santas, Reindeers, and garland, play music. Make up a platter of Christmas decorated cookies and little snacks so the family can have some treats while they spread Christmas cheer in your home. That will automatically make decorating a fun Christmas memory for all.

Anything that has been traditional in my family, we try to incorporate during the Christmas meal. It’s also important to bring in new dishes and create new dishes for my blossoming family. I want them to have their own traditions to carry with them until they have kids of their own. The food seems to taste better when it has a story behind it. Most especially, let the kids help with the meal! It will keep them keep busy, let them feel like they are helping, and give them something that makes Christmas their own. The funny things they do while trying to help make food are often all the entertainment you need on a busy cooking day!

A final tip, before and during the holidays, eat a candy cane, play some holiday tunes at work, stop to enjoy a holiday display, donate or volunteer at a food bank/toy drive. Do something every day that you can’t do any other day of the year. This is a special time of year if you take the time to make it memorable. Look at everything with innocent eyes and just ENJOY the holiday treats and festivities. The holidays will be that much better if you take the time to make things memorable and really enjoy every moment.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hasbro blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points and a KRE-O gift. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Hasbro. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

My October Holiday

So I decided that this year, my birthday would really be a day about me. And I think I did a great job! I decided this day was going to be my October Holiday amongst all the activities geared toward the kids in October.

Started the day off with breakfast with the hubby at Stacks- always a winner. Triple berry pancakes and some of hubby's veggie omelet and I was set! Breakfast turned into brunch as we kept talking and let our meal extend a bit further toward afternoon. Time with the hubby these days is a present in itself :).

Then it was off for some retail therapy. I went shopping for the first time in LONG time with NO kids-- not needing to hurry home to feed or care for kids-- and all by myself. I set my own schedule and went to the stores I wanted!!! For all you mamas out there, you know what I mean when I claim Mental Liberation!! The freedom to shop for oneself is a beautiful thing and taken highly for granted these days. Needless to say I came out with many clothes, some shoes, and the feeling of being just me again. But I won't lie and say I didn't think of my family. I also came out with a jumper for baby, lunchbox for toddler, and 2 pairs of shoes for the woman who gave me life (when you're mom is a size 4 1/2 and you actually find a 4 1/2, you buy).

I promised myself I would include some true pampering on my October Holiday. I found myself getting a mani/pedi complete with parrafin wax to soften my achy feet and a gel manicure to look girly for the first time since baby was born. I must say I enjoyed every girly, selfish, all about me, relaxing minute!! It was wonderful while it lasted and I am seriously making this a monthly routine. Now if only I could cut out eating lunch for one week in the month, maybe I can afford it... Hey, 2 kids are expensive!!

I went to pick up the toddler and spend quality time with baby who were both somewhat sniffly-sneezy. I enjoyed the rest of the night with my lil guys. And that completed, what I realize now is, the perfect "new me day. Time with hubby, time for myself, relax/refresh/recharge, and time with my lil guys. That is my idea of a great holiday. Would it had been more perfect if I had the same day,say, in Hawaii? Maybe...but I'll take an October Holiday In the Bay any day :)