Month: June 2025

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

June Recap: Sunshine, Setbacks & Small Wins

Posted on by Mama

I can’t believe June is gone already, it makes me really sad to be honest because that means only two more months of summer. Queue crying face right now! However, let’s stop thinking about that and go over the goals that were set for June. Did I accomplish anything? Let’s seeeeeeee!

  • Work on my health – both physical and mental
    • This will be ongoing for a long time, but it’s a work in progress and this month has been really great. Pretty much hit my step goal every day, except for a few and I’ve been making healthy choices with each meal and cooking solely at home. And I prefer that because I know what’s in my food. So I’d say for the month of June, success!
  • Print some photos for the house and for relatives
    • Okay, I’ve sorted through thousands of photos and I have sorted the photos for my mom, mother-in-law and my nonnas. I started a folder for Anthony and I, but only put a few in there. However, I haven’t sent them to the printer for our families, but I will!
  • Organize the basement
    • Nope, and I don’t wanna talk about it because it was me just being lazy.
  • Get some herbs for the porch and an Aloe plant for the house
    • YES! I purchased Basil and an Aloe plant and I’m so excited. I even got new pots for them that match. The basil smells incredible and the aloe is so squishy. Valeria absolutely loves them, she touches and smells them often.
  • Get my nails done
    • Yes! I went with a bright neon yellow and with my slight tan looks poppin!
  • Learn to use a Cricut
    • I have found videos and learning from them, but haven’t put it into practice. So this will be carried over to next month.
  • Write more
    • I would say that this has been fairly successful this month, so I’m pretty happy with this one.
  • Create a new wreath for spring
    • Yes! I created a beautiful Spring/Summer wreath for our front door. HOWEVER, I refuse to hang it on the outside of our front door in fears of it being stolen. Long story, but we’ve had stuff stolen from our porch. So, I am hanging it on the inside of our front door for us (well me more so) to enjoy!
  • Finish the two novels I’ve been struggling to finish and get back on track with my reading challenge
    • I finished one of the novels and have gotten in the rhythm of the other one. Hopefully I will be completing the second one within the first week of July. Wish me luck!
  • Make Father’s Day special
    • I was planning to and had everything kind of in place, but plans changed last minute and it was out of my control. So I gave my husband his gift/card when we got home, which he loved.
  • Celebrate all the birthdays we have this month
    • Yes! We did indeed celebrated pretty much all the birthdays this month. Some people are in other countries or just had a baby (congratulations to my sister-in-law who just had her baby this month, but whose birthday will also hopefully be celebrated soon!)
  • Get more sleep
    • No….this has been a failure. I’ve had some really late nights of insomnia, which has not made me feel the greatest, but working on it.
  • Spend more time outside with Valeria
    • Yes! We have tried bringing her out everyday for walks and to my parent’s place to spend in the pool. It’s been pretty great, Valeria has acquired quite the rock collection and she always brings home a flower for me.
  • Go see my husband’s side of the family
    • Yes! It was a great visit and it was so nice to catch up with everyone. The kids had a blast playing together, but they always do. They have all grown so much in such a short time.
  • Plan for my cousin to come visit
    • That’s on hold due to some unfortunate circumstances, but hopefully soon.

I’d say not too bad for the month of June and looking forward to July. Here is an extra photo to hopefully put a smile on your face, at least rainbows always make me smile.

To be fair, it was much brighter in person but my phone camera can never capture the beautiful true colours of nature.

Well that’s all for today, I hope you had a terrific June! And I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!

Posted in Recipes

Rustic, Reliable, Ridiculously Good: A Sauce to Die For

Posted on by Mama

I’m an avid home cook with just a sprinkle of delusion—I mean, who doesn’t pretend they’re a world-renowned chef in their own kitchen? Kidding… sort of. But honestly? I do think I’m not to bad in the kitchen. So I often experiment and sometimes I come out with real winners and other times it’s a complete flop. But this is a “sauce” I’ve been doing for years and it never fails me.

It’s rustic, a little sweet, tangy and light. It’s one of my favourite go-to sauces for when I have to make a quick pasta on the fly. And I usually have all the ingredients on hand, since they are staples in our home. And I find this is great with any pasta shape you like, so booooonus!

Now forgive me, but I cook like my Nonnas taught me, which is a pinch of that and a sprinkle of this, etc. So I’m going to try giving measurements to the best of my ability. Okay? OKAY! I’ll quit yapping now and get to it.

Recipe:

  • 2-3 Vine tomatoes, rustically chopped
  • 4-6 Garlic cloves, rustically chopped
  • 1 Very large Sweet Onion, rustically chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • A pinch of black pepper, small pinch
  • Approximately 1 Tbsp of Garlic powder
  • Approximately 1-2 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning

Here are some side notes before we jump into the instructions.

  1. I usually like to mix different tomatoes, so if I have some vine tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, I will do a half and half mix. You can use any tomatoes you prefer though and adapt as you like.
  2. I LOVE garlic and my husband is secretly a vampire (just kidding), but the more garlic the merrier in our house. If you don’t enjoy a lot of garlic, cut down on the amount or if you do, add more.
  3. I like sweet onions, personally for this, because it balances out the acidity of the tomatoes, however if you have another type of onion on hand, use it! The only type I don’t recommend using is red onion, but again, try at your own risk!
  4. OLIVE OIL, please! You can use other types of oil, but if you are going to take the time to make this, than a really delicious olive oil is a must. It is the base of the whole thing so why not? Plus a good olive oil has incredible flavour.
  5. Spices and Herbs are pretty simple but if you wish to pack a bit of a punch, add some red pepper flakes while it’s cooking. Also fresh is best, BUT dried are completely fine and often what I use because it’s readily available. Be creative and adapt to whatever you enjoy.

Instructions:

  1. Roughly chop all ingredients and set aside. This is rustic, so it’s okay if things are different shapes and sizes. (Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the onions…oops!)

2. Preheat the pan and add THE oil. Heat will be medium to medium high. Once hot, add in the onions first and sprinkle with just a pinch of salt. This helps to draw out the moisture and caramelize them. Cook the unions until slightly tender.

3. Add the tomatoes, garlic and spices once the onions are slightly tender. Reduce heat to medium low and let everything simmer gently. When the tomatoes have softened slightly, which takes only a few minutes, you will then take the back of the spoon or spatula (whatever you prefer to use when you cook, I personally like wooden spoons) and crush some of the tomato chunks. Leave some whole chunks.

This is the time when you’d also taste test for seasonings. Add more if necessary. Just remember, you can always add but you can’t subtract.

4. The sauce is ready when everything is tender, which is approximately 15-20 minutes. It should look like the photo above. Also, take into account the amount you are making, timing could be different.

I do suggest that you begin cooking your pasta before the sauce is ready, usually when it’s about half-way through. Drain your pasta, add a bit of sauce to the empty pot, put the pasta back in and add the remaining sauce, mix well.

Plate into bowls for your family or guests. You can also reserve some of the sauce to place on-top of bowls for a little bit extra.

I can’t claim this as an original, I’m sure some other Italian came up with this deliciousness waaaaay before I even came along. However, this is my version so if you try it, I truly hope you enjoy it!

Buon Appetito! 💋

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Story-time with My Little Bookworm

Posted on by Mama

Valeria is growing up fast and as suspected, she has finally grown into her book loving phase. She takes after her mama in that regard. But I’ve been reading to her since she was a teeny weeny, even before words had any real meaning to her. I personally think reading to a child from a very early age helps them developmentally, but I’m not doctor here so don’t take my word for it!

So she is hooked on books and often her favourite book/books changes every few weeks, but these are some of the ones she has been loving lately.

I personally love Robert Munsch books, just reminds me of my childhood. The story is fun and clever and the art is pretty amazing. But Valeria makes me laugh because every time we get to the pictures with the cave door, she knocks on the page because that’s what happens in the story. It’s priceless! Plus the ending of Paper Bag Princess has a great lesson for little girls. One of my favourites and my husband picked it up one day on his lunch break when he had to go to the office. Thanks love! Will definitely have to pick up more Robert Munsch books for sure.

Bluey is a given, she’s obsessed and Duck Duck Dinosaur I picked up on a whim from Bookoutlet.ca. (Not sure if the USA or any other country has a similar website, but I love it and get most my books there. If I can’t find a specific book, then I’ll buy it elsewhere.) Mommy and Me and Bobby’s Birthday Party are ones from my mom. All great books and all pretty engaging and sweet.

I’m sure her preferences will change soon, but thought I’d share what she’s into at the moment.

OH, I almost forgot! It’s not in the photo, but we have one those books where it’s the first 100 words and she enjoys that too, however she always gets Anthony to read that one. Why you may be asking, well it’s because she says “Main” meaning she wants him to read it in Romanian to her. It’s very sweet and something really special between them. I’ll get her to love the Italian language one day!

So that’s it for this post, but I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Cabin Fever (And an Audi I Can’t Drive)!

Posted on by Mama

Calling all my stay at home parents out there!

But do you ever feel like you are stuck in a rut, trapped in your home and continuously doing the same monotonous routine? Or am I the only one?

I love being a stay at home mom and raising Valeria, but there are days I feel like I don’t leave the house because of this or that going on. I’m very much the type of person who hates being confined anywhere, especially my own home. I suppose that’s the Sagittarius in me, always wanting to move and needing a bit of freedom. Not having my car has been a bit hard to have any freedom lately, since I can not drive my husband’s boat of a car. Damn Audi A6! *Shakes fist in mock anger* Don’t worry, I’ll eventually get my car back, nothing bad happened to it. My brother is just borrowing it.

But even to just run simple errands while she naps would be so helpful for me, but I have to rely on my husband for a lot. He’s more than happy to oblige, but I hate asking him to take me here or there. So I just don’t.

But I’m going insane! I need out and I need things to occupy my time. Anyone got suggestions of things I can do outside the house? Or just….anything? I’m just so stuck and I’m in mom mode all the time. Even my evenings are starting to be booooooooring!

Can anyone relate?

Hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Bookish Babble

Book Review: The Manor House

Posted on by Mama

Title: The Manor House


Author: Gilly Macmillan


Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery


Number of Pages: 327


My Rating: 💋💋💋💋


Book Summary:

Be careful what you wish for…

Childhood sweethearts Nicole and Tom are a normal, loving couple—until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight.

Soon they’ve moved into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn on the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. They have fancy cars, expensive hobbies, and an exclusive lifestyle they never could have imagined.

But this dream world quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool.

Nicole is devastated. Tom is her rock. And their beautiful barn —with all its smart features that never seem to work for her—is beginning to feel very lonely. But she’s not entirely by herself out there in the country. There’s a nice young couple who live in the Manor itself along with their middle-aged housekeeper who has the Coach House. And an old friend of Tom’s from school has turned up to help her get through her grief.

But big money can bring big problems and big threats. Was Tom’s death a tragic accident or was it something worse? And is her life in danger as well?

Nicole’s beginning to feel like a little fish in a big glass fishbowl.

Surrounded by piranhas.


My Thoughts:

I know this review is a touch over-do, but better late than never!

First, I enjoyed the premise of the novel and the twists and turns that it takes. It was almost a mystery inside a mystery which was pretty fun.

However, I found the start of the book to be a little bit slow, but then it picked up about halfway through. Which the second half of the novel I just couldn’t put down and my armchair detective skills were in full swing.

The characters were well developed, balanced and intriguing in their own ways. It is essentially two very different homes that play a role in the story line, which creates tension, manipulation and a bit of a spark among the two households.

The Manor is exactly what you would imagine: a majestic older home, shrouded in history and complete with secret passages ways. The patrons who live within these glorious halls are Olly, a novelist, and Sasha, a yoga instructor. The Manor comes complete with a Coach House, which is home to their housekeeper, Kitty.

Whereas it’s counterpart The Glass Barn is an super-modern home that was constructed from the ruins of an old barn building, the dream home of lottery winners Tom and Nicole. Which would eventually just become Nicole.

Tom’s oldest friend, Patrick, comes into play pretty rapidly in this tale, masquerading as a mournful friend and moral support for Nicole. Though his intentions are deceitful and manipulative to say the least. Not a fan of Patrick from the start to be honest and my assumption was confirmed as to why I wasn’t a fan. No spoilers though!

I do have to admit that I was a fan of Hal Steen and his partner Jen Walsh are two characters you kind of fall in love with almost immediately, at least I did. You have Hal; older and slightly rough around the edges cop who prides himself on being one-step ahead in the investigation and to play things extremely intelligently. He kind of plays his cards close to his chest, but he’s an absolutely gem of a character! His partner Jen is a younger cop who is bright, compassionate, sweet and full of gumption. She follows Hal’s lead, but it almost seems like they know what the other is thinking when it’s required, they play off of one another in a sense. And the slight romantic attraction between the two was adorable, kind of lightened things up a bit. But these two definitely have their hands full with this investigation; it becomes more twisted, tangled and complex as the days go by.

The conclusion is captivating to be sure and truly comes together beautifully. Let’s just say everyone got their just desserts.

I thoroughly enjoyed it none the less, and would recommend, but it’s not five Baci for me due to the fact that it was a fairly slow start at the beginning of the book. But I will definitely have to read more from Gilly Macmillan! Have to thank my cousin for lending me this read, so thank you!

Next review is a kind of a set of novels, a prequel and sequel which I’m excited to write. So please keep an eye out!

Hope you enjoyed and I’m currently reading The Countess by Rebecca Johns & The Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis.

Hope you enjoyed the review!

Ciao!!

Posted in Health & Wellness

The Check-Up Chronicles: What My Body’s Been Whispering (or Yelling)

Posted on by Mama

It’s been a bit of chaos in the house and well, Valeria’s last set of molars has decided to start making their presence known this week. It hasn’t been an easy two days with little sleep last night and a fussy baby girl. Nevertheless, it’s been….blows out air calmly….interesting.

However here’s a little health update for me, let’s roll!

Ever since the miscarriage, I haven’t been feeling my best. Scratch that, ever since Valeria was six months, my health issues started. After a lot of stubbornness on my part, I decided that it was time to focus on my health and wellness. I was tired of feeling sick, fatigued, bloated and nauseated. So when we moved, I really started to make my changes.

I changed my diet pretty drastically to be honest, started counting my calories and moving way more. I learned over time that I have trouble with tomato sauces, ketchup, dairy and most breads/tortillas except for sourdough and corn tortillas. Now I drink almond milk, only eat fresh tomato sauces (I’ll post that recipe later this week!) and try to substitute other carbs instead of bread when I can.

Unfortunately, I still haven’t been feeling the best, so I went to the doctor for a bit of a check-up. She was impressed with the weight loss I’ve achieved since April; nearly down 20 lbs I am happy to report! But with the stomach and pelvic issues I’ve been having, we are going to proceed with some further testing. Ultrasounds and blood work, which are all booked over the next few months. Hopefully everything comes back clean, but we shall see! If not though, we will proceed with the next steps.

But that’s about it, I’ve been dealing with some health things behind the scenes that no one really knew about and my body finally told me enough was enough. It was time to start truly listening and to be honest, I’m happily obliging. I want to be healthy and a good role model for Valeria. I also want to be around for her for a long, long time.

So wish me luck and I’ll keep ya posted on my journey along the way.

Hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Happy Friday the 13th!

Posted on by Mama

If you know me than this comes as no surprise that I love to celebrate Friday the 13th and it’s the only one this year. ALSO, it’s my oldest brother’s birthday, so it makes this day extra special!

A very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him!!!!

To everyone else….

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Staying Lit Without Burning Out

Posted on by Mama

This blog post may be a bit odd, but it’s a thought that popped into my head as I was watching my daughter play and speaking with my husband today.

As a parent you begin to see your child’s personality emerge very early on and it progresses rapidly as they continue to grow and learn. Valeria has such a spirit about her, absolutely fearless, funny and social. This may sound silly, but she is so independent and sure of herself it’s absolutely astonishing. And as a mother I want to protect that for her, so she can keep her already incredible personality and confidence intact. It would truly crush me to see someone, people or something try to crush her light because I know how that is.

It made me realize that as a child my “light” was slowly taken away by others and by life events. Who I am today is very different than from when I was a child. Today I’m introverted, antisocial, overly logical, blunt, insecure and anxious. I was the polar opposite as a child, funny how life works out isn’t it?

And though I can not stop life from happening to Valeria; I can hopefully teach her to be strong and confident in who she is, so she is able to get through situations with intelligence and grace. As much as I’d like to protector her, and we all know that feeling as a parent, the reality is we can’t. I pray that no one will ever try to extinguish her light, even for a second. I’ve already put people in their place, happily, when they’ve tried to criticize or say something negative toward her. She can’t fully speak for herself right now, so I will be her word warrior! Flexes her arm muscle

But it’s made me rethink my life and my personality a little bit as well. I can only be my authentic self with select individuals who I trust, love and really can handle ALL of me. With absolutely no judgement. Because let’s face it, in the society with live in now, everyone scrutinizes EVERYONE. Heck, I’m guilty of it too, we all are. But I’m tired of changing myself or hiding who I am because of people. It sucks. But how do I do that without being judged or exiled? Is it even possible? Let’s be real for a second, if people knew the things rolling around in my head and the fact I curse like a sailor most the time (not around Valeria, don’t worry!), I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be well liked. Shrugs

So the question is, can I get my light/spark back or is it dulled forever?

That’s something I’ll have to work on.

Hopefully my husband and I can teach Valeria valuable tactics to deal with situations and people so that she never loses her confidence, self-assurance and that spark that makes her special. Any advice is helpful advice, leave it in the comments if you could please!

Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get this out of my head. Can you relate at all?

I hope you have a good day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

From Bedlam to Bed Bliss

Posted on by Mama

It’s been a minute, but I wanted to give a little update on Valeria’s room. It’s been….messy to deal with to say the least, but it’s finally been sorted!

I FINALLY picked up her twin mattress about two weeks ago, if my mom brain remembers right. That following weekend my husband and I decided to surprise Valeria by putting it together while she was hanging out with Grandma. Thanks mom! As we were putting the bed together, my husband kept saying “This looks really big…” and to be honest I was questioning it too as to why it seemed so large and it was suppose to be a twin. I shrugged and said “I don’t know, maybe it’s the book shelves that make it seem bigger?” But no, it was not. They sold me a full size bed frame instead of the twin, which is not what I had asked for. We threw the mattress in the middle and I was, needless I was livid. I also wanted proof of the massive mistake.

Don’t mind the bear blanket over the window, we aren’t really allowed to put up curtains. But as you can see…this was not a very thrilling moment.

The following day I went back into the store once again and I was not keeping my cool when I first walked in, but the store manager stepped in pretty quickly. Lucky me, she and I worked together years and years ago. She managed to switch the mattress for me without any additional costs and she had switched it with a Full mattress that was in store. She even looked at my order thoroughly, after I explained my experience, and said that this should have been special handled from the start and all of this back and forth was unnecessary. I felt validated and she definitely turned things around because for the first time, I walked out of that store happy. This whole debacle was stressing and making me upset beyond belief.

We got the mattress in the house and Valeria immediately knew that it was for her. She climbed those stairs as quick as a bunny and ran to her room. Of course, she had to watch her dad and her Zio set up everything for her. I also had to order a new comforter set and mattress protector for her, but it is what it is. Thankfully those came in within two days.

So, she now has her very own bed which she absolutely adores and sleeps sooooooo well in thankfully! And she seems to love actually spending time in her room now, which I am also very happy about.

Here is a little glimpse of her bed and wall stickers, her closet is my next tackle….I have to sort through her clothes and hang things up….again. Sigh! Kids really do grow like weeds!

Cute side note here; my husband taught Valeria that the big bear is Mama Bear and the little one is Baby Bear, so every time she sees it she goes “MAMA!” (I love bears, they are my favourite animal)

Hope you are having a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

Sippin’ Iced Coffee & Smashing Goals: Hello, June!

Posted on by Mama

Well it’s June already and time for some new goals, so let’s jump right into it!

  1. Work on my health – both physical and mental
  2. Print some photos for the house and for relatives
  3. Organize the basement
  4. Get some herbs for the porch and an Aloe plant for the house
  5. Get my nails done
  6. Learn to use a Cricut
  7. Write more
  8. Create a new wreath for spring
  9. Finish the two novels I’ve been struggling to finish and get back on track with my reading challenge
  10. Make Father’s Day special
  11. Celebrate all the birthdays we have this month
  12. Get more sleep
  13. Spend more time outside with Valeria
  14. Go see my husband’s side of the family
  15. Plan for my cousin to come visit

Well that’s it for this month. If I don’t accomplish many of these goals, that’s okay because honestly I want to focus on getting Valeria outside, spending time with family and enjoying our summer. Please wish us luck!

Hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!