So very sweet...I've been given a couple of awards!

Lately I've made quite a few blogger friends and three of them were sweet enough to give me awards!

First, Brooke over at Crazy Mama Drama (who is my kindred spirit...I swear everything that comes out of her mouth fingers is something I would say/do) awarded me with the Versatile Blogger award.

My seven random facts are...
-I drink two cups of coffee every single morning, without fail. Not one, not three. Always two.
-I love doing laundry, but abhor the very thought of putting it away. Seriously, I just got around to putting away the laundry from last Monday and magically two more loads appeared on the crouch.


-I'm terrified of heights. Like I mentioned in SS, even watching a show or looking at a picture of someone on a cliff makes my stomach drop.


-I've been a stay-at-home mom for 10 months and 1 day...but who is counting?


-I served Pat Benatar ice cream after one of her shows in San Diego while I was working at Cold Stone.


-Six years later, I met her husband Neil Giraldo, otherwise known as Spyder, who was a regular at an office where I worked.


-When I was in middle school, I was OBSESSED with WCW wrestling. Goldberg, Sting and Rey Mysterio Jr. were my faves.

Next, I'm thanking Nicole from Me + the Moon for recognizing me with a One Lovely Blog award.

She's so sweet and is always posting pictures of her little girl, who happens to be only a month older than Jonas.

She also regularly hosts a link-up called Find and Follow Fridays if you want to find some new blogs to read!



And finally, my new friend Kim from the Bird's Nest gave me the Liebster Award! She posed some questions for me to answer so here goes...


-What is your favourite blog post that you've written so far? Link it here: Either the one about breastfeeding, or my month-by-month series for Jonashttp://www.jessandtheboys.com/2012/07/six-months-old.html, or the one about Gabriel going to preschool.
If you could re-live your high school years, would you? Absolutely.
Sweet or salty foods? A combo of both! (Chocolate covered pretzels, anyone?)
Did your family have pets when you were growing up? We did...our first and most beloved was our rottweiler, Bo. We bought him when I was 2 and he passed away when I was 13.
What is your number one can't-live-without item while travelling? Several easy reads.
Do you prefer to fly or drive when taking trips? I love flying and don't do it as often as I'd like.
What is the square root of 81? (Haha..the real question is do you like math?) 9? And based on my question mark, my answer is no.
When did you write your first blog post ever (even if it was a blog before this one)? March 25, 2010.
Do you enjoy working out, or is it something you have to make yourself do? It is something I force myself to do at this point, though I love how I feel while I'm doing it and after!
What is your favourite meal? Probably surf and turf...lobster and filet. Or filet oscar (it's French, so I think that makes me cool). Or filet and asparagus and mashed potatoes. Notice a trend?
Have you ever visited my home turf, Nova Scotia? Nope!!

Okay, so a lot of the people I follow regularly have already been given these awards so I'm going to think long and hard and get back to you all (especially since it's going to take some time to tell everyone they have been awarded, haha). Thanks peeps!

I have no willpower. I cannot make it through a weekend.

I'm finally working out regularly, you guys. Like as in, at least 3 times a week working out. As in, haven't done this since Gabriel was about 1.5 years old. And the best thing about it is that it feels really good. 

I think I'm just at the point where I'm sick of my body being weak and I miss the athleticism that I once had. BMI-wise, I'm overweight, but I know that I don't look unhealthily large and if I could just get down another 10 pounds, I'd be pretty content with the number. However, my main goal is to get to a place where I'm content with how powerful my body feels.

So I decided that I am signing up for the Color Run in San Diego in the Fall. I need something to continually keep me motivated and to have a goal to work towards. I want to be able to run the entire thing so I'm still doing the C25K (I love it, btw. Love. Love. Love.). I've also started doing a circuit training that my super-trainer mom friend gave me and it's killer!

Anyway, the whole point of this post is that I need your advice...your tips, your tricks. I have been doing really great during the week, eating healthily, lots of water and a fair amount of exercise. The problem is that as soon as the weekend hits we're on the go, usually at family parties in SD, travelling to Camarillo, and just being insanely busy. There are so many temptations and no time to work out and waaaahhh, waaaah, waaaahhh, I just can't do it on the weekends. I know, so many excuses...

How do you stay motivated and on-track while you are on the go? I really need to know!

Sunday Social [8]

-What is your dream job? Anything to do with marketing/design/editing/writing/html. I'd love to contribute to some publications online. Before I quit my job to be a SAHM, I was doing some of this stuff and I absolutely loved it. I miss it so much and love working on design for my own blog or the occasional freelance job that comes in. 

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-If you had just won the lottery and didn't need to work for money, what would you do with your time?  I would absolutely 100% travel for the summer months while my kids were on summer break. During the school year, I would volunteer - both for their school(s) and local non-profits, spend time with family, flip houses with my hub (his dream) and anything else that came our way. I'd probably still work, but it would be my own business...maybe a coffee shop/bakery/book store. Basically that is my ultimate dream.

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Doesn't that just look so amazing?

-When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A large animal veterinarian and a jockey. Until I started seriously playing sports in high school, I was very outdoorsy. I rode horses and was about to start riding competitively when I fell and seriously hurt my back. After that, I just couldn't really get back into it and started playing sports. And clearly, I'm nowhere near small enough weight-wise to be a jockey!

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-What piece career advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field? Well...technically my current profession is MOM and of course I have plenty of advice! First, make sure to take time for yourself; it makes me a better mom and wife. Get up before your kids so you can have quiet time to read, do the dishes, throw a load of laundry in, pray, drink your coffee in peace, relax before the bedlam begins...etc. Sometimes it gets lonely and sometimes you get sad, but it's okay - do one of the previous things and it helps. Make lists to keep yourself motivated. If I don't plan my day out, I don't get anything done. It's not laziness, just disorganization. Lastly, remember that your babies are only little for such a short time. Bask in their baby-ness. Snuggle with them. Forget about the dishes if it means chatting with your kids. I have learned this the hard way.

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-Biggest Pet Peeves either in life or in blogging or at work? Ungratefulness, people who only do link-ups and don't actually write, CAPTCHA, not waving in acknowledgement when someone lets you go while driving, my time being wasted, when people are late (or when my husband makes me late), laziness.

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-Biggest Fears? Something happening to my kids. Getting into a bad car accident. Mice/rats. HEIGHTS. Seriously, even watching someone looking over a high ledge on TV makes my stomach hurt.

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So yeah. Happy Sunday. 

Summer "craft:" Making popsicles

**I'm postponing my wedding story until probably tomorrow because I'm hoping to have some sort of treat for my readers along with it!

We love ice cream and popsicles in our house, especially right now while we're trying to beat the summer heat in the valley. After seeing several different posts from Pinterest about DIY popsicles, we thought we would give it a shot. This is part of my ongoing summer to-do list activity series.

First we gathered and chopped our supplies - strawberries, blueberries and grapes, as well as popsicle sticks, a couple capri suns, and some small plastic cups.

Once chopped, begin assembly.

We basically just stuffed a variety of different fruits into the cup, poured capri sun into the cup until full and shoved a popsicle stick into the fruit. Pretty simple.

We stuck them in the freezer (haphazardly, unfortunately. Now there is sticky juice all over my freezer!) and waited overnight, just to make sure they set well.

You can see little G was pleased with our yummy creation!

Please give me a minute

I realize that all has been quiet on the social media front. No new posts, very little Twitter  action...not even an Instagram photo! Well, here's the deal; it's a combination of things, really.

My brother just returned home after serving our country in the Navy for four years. He's back from Sasebo, Japan. This is the first we've seen him in over a year and a half and only the second time since he left. IN FOUR YEARS. I'm soaking up as much as possible with him and introducing him to my kiddies.

On Saturday, all of us cousins got together to have a party at Nana's house both for Mikey's return and to bid farewell to my cousins who are moving to Michigan. It's really weird to think that some of us will no longer be in California and it is so sad.

One of my best girls had her bridal shower on Sunday. It was gorgeous and beautiful and I couldn't be any more thrilled that she's marrying Adrian's best friend. It truly is the perfect situation! We drank too much sangria, had lots of laughs, kissed an "ass," drank tea, and overall had so much fun.

I got back from SD yesterday after being gone for 4 days. My house is a disaster. Laundry is piled high. I'm tired from doing so much stuff! 

To top it all off, I'm such a dummy. I forgot my camera all weekend!

And finally, I've tried to check out of all things computer/phone/technology because I was spending a lot of time on here. A lot of time wasted. Too many minutes away from my kids. I'll be back regularly, but I just need some time to catch up and think and compose and write.

Tomorrow I'll be back to share about my wedding story with Adrian and a gift we received recently. It's a good one!

A day at the races

I've always wanted to go to Opening Day at the Del Mar races but because the kick-off is on a Wednesday, we've always had work. So of course when Adrian was asked by one of his distributors if we wanted to go this year, we immediately said yes!

It was such a beautiful day out, not too warm and not too breezy. We were invited to brunch and drinks at a private home before the races started. We had plenty of time to get down to the races and missed the crazy crowded driving.

I loved seeing all of the women in their big crazy hats! I wish I would have taken some pictures because some of them were way over the top! One woman was wearing a headband to which she had attached a plate of bacon and eggs...weird, right?























We lost all of our money, which was a bummer, but we had a great time together! Next year, we will definitely plan to get seat tickets though, because the Coor's VIP party was a little too crazy for us. We wanted to be able to watch the races and lounge, whereas the atmosphere was much more conducive to basically getting wasted.

We ended the day with sushi at our favorite old stomping ground in Santee and I swear we ate at least six rolls together [we figured we might as well cram it all in since we never know when our next sushi date will be!].

Overall, it was a great date out with my husband!

Come join in the fun!

Good morning, friends!

I'm giving away a little goody over at Jess' blog, Jess is More. Make sure to enter the giveaway!

You could $20 to one of my favorite Etsy stores, Sassy Lemonade!!

Have a lovely day, all. I'm off to do some shopping because this girl is going to opening day of the Del Mar horse races tomorrow!

Full circle

This morning I woke up, put on my workout clothes, took Gabriel to school, came home and put Jonas down for a nap. I laced up my shoes, stepped on the treadmill and pushed "start." I had some country music bumping during my warm-up, but as soon as I transitioned into the running portion, I switched it to my favorite hip-hop playlist, "the funk."

In the middle of my workout, one of my favorite songs (I know, I'm lame for this), "I Got A Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas came on and instantly I was transported back six and a half months ago to the two weeks leading up to Jonas' birth. Everyday, I would put on my yoga pants, walking shoes and a sports bra during Gabriel's nap. I would step on the treadmill, listen to "I Got A Feeling," rub my belly and whisper to him I've got a feeling that tonight's going to be a good night. You see, I knew he would come early. I just knew.

I know it's super nerdy that this is the song that takes me back to those weeks, but it is. And as I ran on the treadmill this morning reflecting on our lives, considering a new business venture, mentally preparing for an upcoming move, I couldn't stop thinking about how our lives have really come full circle. Like our life together, the four of us, has found its rhythm, its beat.

For a long time, I felt like things just weren't adding up. Unhappy. Like I had lost my path or perhaps even had taken the wrong one. I questioned myself and my life. At first, I thought it was the transition from one to two children and having a newborn; after a few months, I realized this wasn't it. This transformed me into being ungrateful and bitter. It would dawn on me regularly: how can I feel bad like this with such beautiful kids and a loving husband? With a home and money to pay the bills. Food on the table and time for fun? I obviously suffered from a lot of guilt, too. The discontent was buried somewhere deep inside and I really couldn't figure out where it stemmed from.


Thankfully, my husband is full of grace and understanding. He's not perfect either, but you really do get in return what you give into the world.  After a major reality check, he told me I needed to decide where my head and heart would live in peace. There is no question that I love my family and  it was clear that I needed to change. Evolve. Grow into a better person.


This past month, I made the decision to be happy. You know that saying, fake it 'til you make it? It works and it only took days. I chose to laugh with Adrian and play. To really look at my kids and fall in love with them every day. I've made an effort to joke and talk with my husband, to not stress so much about the little things. I've been more considerate and grateful of the feelings of people around me.

I feel confident: about our life. Our choices. Our family. Our love. Our future.


I feel powerful. That I have the ability to change. To grow.


I feel happy again.

Sunday Social: Travel Edition

Regardless of how little traveling I've done, I absolutely love it. Now that I have little kiddies, it is a lot harder to pick up and run off for a weekend or plan anything that involves a plane, but that doesn't mean I don't travel in my daydreams all the time!

Best trip you've ever been on: Hands down, London and Paris. It was inspiring, culturally enriching, fun and a major step in becoming an independent woman. I went with my best friend and another roommate during my Junior year of college over Spring Break and it was an experience of a lifetime. Absolutely amazing, not to mention it was with my all-time fave travel buddy. I would go again in a heartbeat.

Best idea for a girls' trip: Well...I'd say the trip I'm going on in August would be up there as a pretty rad girls' trip. We'll be in Napa Valley for 3 days, wine tasting and spa-ing. I think also anything involving a beach would be awesome too.

Best idea for a couples trip: If it's just Adrian and I, anywhere! Somewhere we could explore but also relax...Costa Rica and Seattle pop into my head.

Best vacation on the cheap: Camping! Especially if you're going tent camping, it can be such an inexpensive vacation. What more could you ask for: food, good scenery and friends/family.

Place you want to visit most: Boston, Seattle, New York (City and upstate to visit my bff), Costa Rica, Ireland, Greece, Italy...and the list goes on and on and on...

Vacation necessities: Really depends on the place, but I would say Kindle, bathing suit (hot tub or beach?), comfortable walking shoes, camera, large purse for lugging everything around, reusable water bottle.

I started my first day of C25K and it was awesome

Last night I told Adrian I was going to start running again and that I planned to do the C25K program. He kind of snickered and said okay, suuuure. Don't get me wrong, he's supportive of pretty much everything I do or say..."Honey, I want to go to med school! We should move to France! I want to be a graphic designer! I'm never eating sugar again!" But if we had a penny for every time I said I was going to start working out, we'd be multi-millionaires. 

So anyway, this morning at 5:15 when my alarm went off...I rolled over and hit the snooze button, (HAH, you thought I was going to say I got up, right?). You know that funny thing that happens when you plan to wake up earlier than your kids, but then your kids get some sort of crazy clairvoyant magic powers and know that you're planning to be the first one awake, so they wake up 30 minutes earlier than you planned to? 

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Yup, that's what happened. Jonas woke up at 4:45, so I nursed him, put him back in his bed and then stuck my head under a pillow to try to hide from the impending screech that was bound to come from my phone, signaling that I needed to get my ass out of bed. Adrian, the good husband that he is, told me, "Ten minutes and then you're up! You have a workout to do!" So I hit him with a pillow. Not really, but almost. 

The good is that I got up and I did the first day of the C25K. It felt really good. Actually, I thought it was easy, which was kind of a shocker considering I've been running about as often as there are cold days in Hell Centro.

After my run, I was ambitious and even did a little ab/legs/arm/body workout that I pulled off of Pinterest. I stopped though when I felt eyes gazing at me and when I looked up, Gabriel was standing 10 feet away and staring, which I obviously was not expecting so I literally almost jumped out of my tennies.

The point is I got up and I did it. I'm really happy and feel energetic! Awesome! Like I could conquer the world! I'm really hoping to start making a routine out of it.

Happy Fit (I wish) Friday!

What does your workout routine look like?

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Intentional living: getting rid of cable TV

We watch a lot of tv. I talked about that here. Frankly, it's gotten a bit out of hand and we have gotten to the point where we watch practically anything. It's always on. I miss the quiet. I miss interacting with my husband in the evenings when he gets home instead of sitting mindlessly in front of the TV. I hope this will encourage us to stop wasting away our evenings and start using them to bond both as a family and as a couple.

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We have been considering canceling our Directv for a while; we're going to have some big things happening soon (will share asap!!) and we'll pretty much need every penny we can get our hands on. What with this whole Viacom business, Adrian decided that it was time and cut the cord last night! I'm pretty shocked, with football season coming up I wasn't sure he would actually go through with it...we'll see if he makes it come August.

Five really good reasons that we cut cable:


1. I miss talking to my husband at night. Like really, truly conversing with him. Now we will be forced to stare at each other's faces or sleep. Or not sleep. Maybe we'll start playing Scrabble or doing puzzles together or some other geeky-fun thing.

2. I don't want my kids thinking it's okay to watch TV all day every day. Targeted, strategic shows that I've chosen for Gabriel to watch - okay. Show after show after show rolling on our TV - not okay.

3. Hello, we're going to be saving approximately $70/month. I'll take it.

4. We still can watch the majority of the shows that we watch online. We got Netflix last month and subscribed to Hulu today. Now instead of having TV as background noise, it will be on purposefully to choose a show. We can also rent from the library, go to the theater, use Redbox, borrow from friends, buy movies that we really like...the options are truly endless if you get creative.

5. This is going to make me sound nerdy, but no/minimal commercials = less exposure to brands and material goods. Every single kids' commercial featuring the newest fad toy Gabriel asks me for. I don't like that, not because I don't want him to have things, but I don't want him to be indoctrinated by the media. I know, I'm crazy. I know.

What do you think? 

Could you go without cable?

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The plus side of this whole no nap business

In March, before Gabriel started school, I was afraid we were losing Gabriel's nap. After stomping my feet like a child and arguing with a 3-year old (futile, obviously, because the 3's are tricky business) for the last four months to force/coerce/trick/bribe him to nap, I've given it up. Put up the white flag. Thrown in the towel.

For a long time, I was able to convince him that I "needed help" putting Jonas to sleep in the afternoon to get him to lay down with me and then eventually fall asleep, but that just isn't working anymore. He gets bored and starts flicking Jonas or picking his nose and all the other weird things little boys do. The funny thing is that once he falls asleep, homeboy will sleep for 3-4 hours if I let him.

It's just not worth it, though. The fighting. It's a whole lot of energy that is much better spent on other things. Like doing a craft with him or running amuck or something. Not pressuring him to nap when he clearly has no desire to. I will say, though, it is extremely difficult to keep a 3.5 year old busy all day long. There's only so much coloring, painting, lego-ing and reading you can do while juggling a 6 month old and cleaning the house. [Suggestions for activities are always appreciated.] To be honest, boy 3pm, I wouldn't mind hiding in a closet just to get 3 seconds to think for myself without the constant chatter...not that I don't love my boy, but man, he can talk. Just add that to the list of things he gets from me...

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After I got done mourning the loss of my treasured alone time [especially around 2pm when Gabriel was playing 20-thousand-million-billion questions], it dawned on me...no nap equals early bed time. My lips curled into a devious grin. Cue the Dr. Evil laugh, mwuuuaaahahahaa. Obviously, he'll need some designated rest time so we don't go crazy, but I could definitely get used to an earlier sleep schedule...

You see, I had both children asleep last night by 7:30pm. My husband was gone. My sister moved out. Just me. No dinner dishes to clean up. It was heaven. I watched whatever I wanted to, ate my own dinner, stayed up late doing absolutely nothing.

So maybe this whole no napping business isn't so bad after all...

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Rigatoni with Basil Cream and Sausage

I had a whole Costco package of basil leftover and knew I wanted to make something with it instead of letting it all wilt away. I prefer creamy pasta sauces to tomato-based, but hate the fact that they come with the added fat. I just happened to have some Greek yogurt on hand and thought that it would make a great substitute to the traditional heavy cream. Luckily, it was a kitchen success instead of a massive failure!


This dish was beautiful. Delicious. Fragrant from the bright green basil. The right balance of salty goodness from the Italian sausage and tanginess from the Greek yogurt. It was so incredibly easy, I will definitely be making it again.

Ingredients
1 lb. rigatoni pasta
2 c. basil
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c. parmesan cheese (I used the flakey stuff, probably would be even better with fresh!)
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
5 Italian sausage links
1 tomato

Boil water for pasta, salt well. Meanwhile, start the sausage on medium heat. In a food processor (or blender), add basil, olive oil, parmesan, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper. Blend together. Once pasta is finished boiling, drain and return to pot. Add basil mixture to pasta and stir. When sausage is finished, slice into smaller pieces and add to the pot as well. Slice or dice tomatoes for the top.

Serve warm with some crusty French bread and a side salad.

Six months old

BREAKING NEWS. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED. 

And by eagle, I mean Jonas' first tooth and by landed, I mean bursting through his bottom gums!

Just so you know, I blinked and then half of a year flew by. My little chubby boy is more and more expressive, joyous and humorous every day. I just want to take bites out of those michelin rolls on his legs and little apple cheeks. His sweet little dimples make me laugh and his dino screeches definitely get my attention!

Stats

Height: 28.75 in., 98th percentile

Weight: 23.11 lb, 99th percentile

Diaper size: Size 4-5

Clothing size: 18 months

Likes: Chilling in his new (to him) high chair, splashing around in the bathtub, rolling onto his tummy, screech, chew on anything he can get into his hands

Dislikes: Being left alone or on his tummy for too long, teething, green foods except for green beans, AVOCADO (he gags), 

Special notes: We now have a sitter. And a roller. And a really big boy who now takes baths in a big boy tub and is starting to push his upper body towards the sky in what appears to be some sort of baby yoga pose. He has now eaten Mum Mums, puffs (not a fan yet), yogurt puffs (again, not a fan), apples with cinnamon, pears, peaches, zucchini with potatoes, pear with blueberries, tastes of strawberries, grapes and watermelon, mango with banana, broccoli, green beans, squash, greek yogurt and...you get the hint. A lot of stuff. He has a tooth that wants to break through any. day. now. It started right before vacation and seemed to be really bothering him but of course now that we're home, he's totally fine. He's still sleeping through the nights and naps are becoming more regular and scheduled.

One month old.

Two months old.

Three months old.

Four months old.
Five months old.

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Funk

I feel like we're still in a funk over here after our long vacation. My house isn't back to normal and there are vacation clothes, laundry and beach toys strewn around the place.

At least the routine starts back up today, somewhat. Gabriel goes back school, Adrian (hopefully) goes back to work (he's been a nasty sort of sick since we've been home), and Jonas and I are heading to San Diego for his six month well-baby visit. He picked up the same cough that Gabriel had two weeks ago so we'll see what she has to say about that.


I got up early this morning, finally, after several months of sleeping through a good morning routine, and was joined by a little accomplice...a sitting up, rolling over, raspberry-blowing accomplice who turned 6 months old on Saturday. More on that later when I post his 6-month stats and pics!

In other news, I'll be doing another no sugar two week detox, my form of trying to make myself eat a bit healthier. In the last  no-sugar stint, I realized that one month is a long time. I'm just going with 2 weeks for now. If I get to 2 weeks and still want to keep going, I will. I got completely sidetracked while on vacation, though I will say I went for a back ride and tried to be active every single day. I'm starting that today since, hey, Monday's always a good day to start something fresh.

Alright, I guess I should start rallying the troops out of bed, otherwise, they'd sleep all day long!

Happy Monday!

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Sunday Social

Because...why not...Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social Linkup.

Favorite TV show of the past: Oh man...Sex and the City, Lost (the first few seasons, the last few just got weird), Boy Meets World...to name a few.

FAVE.
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Favorite TV show currently: I watch a lot of shows. Seriously. Let me just take a gander at my DVR...Weeds, Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, Desperate Housewives,The Bitch in Apartment 23, Storage Wars, Snookie and JWOWW, Teen Mom, American Idol, Biggest Loser, Chopped, The Next Food Network Star, Iron Chef, The Best Thing I Ever Made/Ate, anything on HGTV.

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Which Reality Show would you NEVER do? Definitely American Idol. No thank you.

Which Reality Show would you LOVE to do? Amazing Race or Wipeout. Both would be so fun!

TV personality/character that you feel is most like you? Well...I like to pretend that I look as gorgeous in the kitchen as Giada. In my college years, I felt that I related emotionally to Carrie from SITC.

TV character you'd want to date?

So Kid Rock-ish. And I love me some KR bad boy.
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Happy Sunday!

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