Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Tiny Hugs, Little Helpers & a Superhero Dad

Allo ladies and gents!

Today was a pretty off day to say the least. I, for whatever reason, was up at 5 AM this morning for no particular reason other than I was a bit over-heated in bed. As to not wake up my husband, I quietly snuck downstairs, lowered the heat just a notch or two and laid on the couch. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get back to sleep which was frustrating in and of itself. It wasn’t until almost 8 AM when I heard some banging and thought it was Valeria. Thank goodness I didn’t run into her room and instead checked the monitor because it wasn’t her at all. Instead our very noisy neighbours next door.

I ended up back in bed with my husband, who turned over and asked if I was okay and I briefly explained what had happened. Eventually I feel asleep and when Valeria actually woke up, he went to get her. He let me sleep for the morning, which was only until 10:30 AM. Still it was much needed and I was so thankful to him for it!

When I came down, Valeria came rushing to me, requesting I pick her up so she can give me a great big hug. It was more like cuddle hugs, but I am not complaining in the slightest. I love when she does that right in the morning. The rest of the morning was playing and watching a bit of the kid show Masha and the Bear. By 12 she was ready for her nap, so our nap routine completed and off to dream land she went.

I headed to the kitchen to spend a little time in there because I wanted to get a few things completed. I mixed up some pizza dough to rise so I could make some pizza for dinner, made pancake muffins (half were filled with jam and the others with cream cheese and jam), and cooked up some turkey breakfast sausages. I also cleaned the kitchen table and counters, got some stuff together that I can pack away and redid our magnetic calendar. By the time I was finished everything, my little munchkin was up.

We had some lunch, she tried a stuffed pancake muffin and a turkey breakfast sausage, which she was so excited about. The afternoon was a lot of play, music and jumping around. I unfortunately, passed out on the couch for an hour which was not on the agenda! By 4 PM, it was pizza assembly time!

I got my little helper in the kitchen and even got my husband involved as well. He shredded the cheese, I cut up all our toppings and began to split the dough. Valeria happily grabbed her chair and brought it over to the stove so she could help. We made her two mini pizzas first, allowing her to choose what she wanted on it which consisted of: no sauce (she is like me, just oil and some seasoning instead), the first pizza had onion, tomato, pepperoni and cheese and the second pizza had onion, pepperoni, green olives and cheese. I created the crust for her, she placed the toppings on herself with the assist of daddy as needed and her little pizzas were ready to go in the oven.

Next was my husband’s pizza, which Valeria really didn’t like the sauce on it, but she got over that quickly once she started to place the toppings wherever she wanted. She even got to eat some olives as she created her masterpiece. Once that one was done, in the oven they went at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I wasn’t overly hungry so I was okay to wait, plus my pizza wouldn’t take long anyway.

Pizza gobbled up and raved about by my husband and daughter, my turn to eat as she was off to have a bath and play in the tub a bit before bed. Once I was finished, I put the leftovers for Valeria and I away, went upstairs to hang out as munchkin had a bath and once she was done, as she says “All done bath time”, we snuggled under my blankets before getting her pajamas on for bed. Even before her bedtime hit, she was asking for milk and wanting to head to bed, so we obliged. A quick story, turned on the sound machine, night light, prayers and milk to fall asleep.

I have to say my husband was a superhero today because I was absolutely exhausted and he helped immensely by keeping Valeria busy with playtime and stories. Don’t know what I would have done without him to be frank.

Sorry this one was long, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. And I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Bookish Babble

Book Review: He Sees You When You’re Sleeping

Title: He Sees You When You’re Sleeping


Author: Alta Hensley


Genre: Fiction, Dark Romance, BDSM, Christmas


Number of Pages: 308


My Rating: 💋💋


Book Summary:

It’s the night before Christmas and I’m alone in the house…

Popular jewelry influencer Chloe Hallman is steeling herself to spend another holiday on her own. Instead, she finds herself drawn to two different guys…a smoldering hot fan of her secret, seductive online persona, and a sexy fireman named Jack who looks out for her in their NYC neighborhood.

Jack was the first responder to the accident that stole a beautiful young woman’s family two Christmases ago, and he’s been quietly guarding her ever since. When Jack uncovers Chloe’s secret account, his obsession only grows. Both he and Chloe are drawn to the darkness that mirrors their own.

My Thoughts:

You want my honest thoughts on this one?

Meh.

I feel like the author glorified stalking, which not really something I’m particularly into. The background behind why Jack, the male lead, is stalking Chloe is a bit weak in my humble opinion. It felt like every chapter was him justifying his stalking and how he couldn’t stop, which felt repetitive.

Chloe, the leading lady, is a bit annoying. I don’t really understand her actions, considering her daily job has a morality clause, but then she moonlights as a cam girl on a BDSM site. Why put your income in jeopardy to statisfy your kink? She also wants to be part of the BDSM community and clearly find a Dom so she can be edgy and dangerous, but at the same time be the proper little lady.

It felt like the author just kind of Google searched BDSM, took generic and entry level involvement like spanking, and roleplay and attempted to make it erotic and dangerous. It’s tame at best, a few spanks and having Jack growl “You’re mine.” BORING.

The slow burn romance was blah, the sex scenes were mediocre at best and the conflict, well you could see that coming from a mile away, but also the resolution was predictable and unrealistic.

I honestly felt like this was subpar and lazily written. I have the second book, but I might just pass these two along and try to sell them off. Hopefully who ever receives them, likes them better then me because I don’t think I can read through the second one if I struggled to get through the first.

Really not sure why this one was so hyped up, but I know better then to listen to “book tok” or any of that other crap again.

This is a hard PASS in my humble opinion. Do not waste your time. Also the reason why I don’t read many romance or smut novels. They tend to be a disappointment for me.

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review which will be the novel Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. This one I recently finished.

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

A Slow Morning, a Small Helper & So Much Joy

Allo ladies and gents! I hope you had a wonderful day today, I know I had a pretty good one myself with my husband and kiddo.

I woke up this morning to my kiddo downstairs with my husband, all I heard was her playing and laughing and my husband going “Hang on baby, let daddy turn on his work computer.” Then her little feet padding along the floor as she laughed and ran after him. I got up right after that, brushed my teeth and headed downstairs to start the day. I haven’t been feeling my best, but I do what I can.

I gave Valeria a great big hug, said good morning to my hubby (yes, I said hubby….deal with it *silly tongue face*) and decided quickly that I was going to make protein pancakes. I found this brand at the store a few weeks ago. I know that I could make my own, however it’s convenient and quick to just add milk to the batter. The brand is Kodiak Cakes and the one I picked up was Blueberry. It’s absolutely delicious and we all love them.

When I told Valeria I was going to make pancakes, she immediately went “ME TOO! ME TOO!” I asked if she wanted to help and she instantly went to get her chair to stand with me at the kitchen counter. I handed her the spatula, retrieved a bowl and ingredients and we got cracking. I measured out the mix, helped Valeria pour it into the bowl and did the exact same thing with the milk. She did wonderful and with my assistance, we began to mix the batter. Eventually I had to take over and finish mixing to smooth it all out. We jumped over to the stove and before you think ‘Oh no, you let her near the hot stove?!’ Well yes, I do all the time because she already knows kitchen safety. She knows when we are by the hot stove, she can be close to mommy, but not touch anything because she will get hurt. I truly believe in teaching kitchen safety to kids at a very early age, I definitely was. I was in the kitchen with my Nonna around the same age as Valeria.

Once everything was ready, she hopped off her chair, pushed it back to the table and I quickly grabbed our plates and forks. I asked if she would like to set the table and she jumped on the spot and said “YEAH!” She was very excited, so one by one I’d hand her a plate and fork and she placed it on the table. Once she was done, she yelled “Daddy time to eat!” And Antony came into the dining room for breakfast. We all sat down and had a wonderful pancake breakfast and we kept raving about all the help Valeria did in the kitchen this morning. You could tell she was very proud of herself and frankly so was I. She did such a wonderful job and I love being in the kitchen with her. It is MY happy place after all.

That was the highlight of my day, very proud mama here. The rest of the day was pretty quiet, and just did some grocery shopping after my husband was done work. Also wanted to get some chores out of the way, however I’m pretty exhausted and well…the only thing I got done was cleaning out the fridge of expired food/old leftovers. The cleaning bits didn’t happen…SIGH. It will get done! Tomorrow.

Anyway, I’m going to watch my new television obsession at the moment, reruns of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer. So good! I might read a bit before I crash for the night.

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

Ciao!!

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

New Year, Same Mom — Just Hefty January Goals

Hope you all had a wonder and safe New Years Eve and a very quiet/relaxing New Years Day. I definitely did! I’m also the humbug that took down all her Christmas decorations today, so do with that what you will!

I’m going to be setting some small goals this month, because Antony and I have made a pretty big decision and I’ll be holding off on that for now until we finalize details. And before you think “Oh my gosh they bought a house?!” There is no chance at the moment for us to buy a home in our current housing market, it’s insanity in Canada. Thanks to numerous factors…but regardless we’re still going to attempt to in the future. Or move to Europe…we’ll see which comes first!

Anywhosers, let’s crack into this months goals shall we?!

  • Go through Valeria’s clothing and place old clothing into vacuum seal bags
  • Put away any jackets or clothing of mine and my husband’s into vacuum seal bags
  • Go through my clothing and get rid of stuff I haven’t touched or worn in years! Also anything that is “tattered” and old
  • Start packing away things that aren’t currently being used from the kitchen, bedrooms, etc
  • Make a donation run!
  • Start a new book OR three
  • Finish two Animes I’m currently watching: Witch Watch & Solo Leveling
  • Attend some appointments: therapy, doctor, blood work
  • Update our fridge calendar
  • Cleaning: fridge, kitchen, living room, floors, bathrooms….OKAY THE WHOLE HOUSE!! I’ve been busy and I want to do a deep clean

And that’s where I’m going to stop because to be honest that’s already a pretty hefty list to work through this month and I haven’t exactly been feeling my best since the holidays. But wish me luck!

Hope your list isn’t nearly as bad as mine, but I hope you have a wonderful day and night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

🎄December Goals Recap: Slow Progress, Full Heart

It’s been a crazy busy Christmas season, but so worth the joy and family/friend time we had. We are so blessed to have those in our life to celebrate this time of year, to remember those up in heaven who joined us spiritually and even made a new friend OR two. Feeling really thankful and I hope each and every one of you have a blessed and wonderful holiday season!

Now this won’t be a long post, I won’t subject you to that on New Year’s Eve, but he’s a little recap of my goals. Let’s dive right in…

  • Start Christmas shopping – Right down to the wire, but accomplished!
  • Bake some Christmas cookies with Valeria – Made far too many, but total hits across the board! Will definitely only make one or two types next year.
  • Wrap gifts – Wrapped, even used ribbon and made bows for some! That’s an accomplishment for me.
  • Pick up adopted cats for mom and I – Done and done, we have now officially welcomed Guido and Raven to the clan.
  • Pick up some cat food and toys for ours – Done and he’s totally obsessed with this little soft snake toy we got him that you can wave around. ALSO, we finally found a treat he likes.
  • Go out with friends on December 9th – This was such a fun night out, I really had a blast with these ladies. I also made two new friends and we are going to start a book club the four of us. We went to dinner and horse racing, one of my horses even won a race. It was only $4, but it was a good time cheering them on!
  • Attend therapy – Always great to chat with my therapist and work things out that are bugging me. I truly adore my therapist.
  • Attend a dental cleaning…UGH – This had to be rescheduled for February since I was a bit under the weather and didn’t want to bring the dental office any potential illness during the holidays. I’m in no rush though so February works just fine for me…
  • Clean the fridge….again – I did, but this is definitely a monthly occurrence.
  • Continue to put things aside for donation – Yup, I set a few more things aside for donations, but nothing major. I didn’t focus too hard on this one this month.
  • Enjoy Christmas and New Years – Absolutely! Got to spend time with family and friends, enjoyed great food and just had some many wonderful memories. We even had Valeria leave out Christmas cookies, carrots and some milk for Santa and the reindeer. She woke up the next day to an empty Santa board and all her gifts. New Year’s Eve we’re having dinner with my parents and then home for some much need quiet and relaxation after the busy Christmas season.

I can honestly say it was a really great month and truly looking forward to seeing what 2026 will bring. Praying that it will be a great year for us!

Hope you have a wonderful and SAFE New Year’s Eve/Day wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in WP Prompt

From Center Stage to Lullabies: A Voice I Never Lost

Daily writing prompt
Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

Sorry for the delay on this one, but it was in my drafts and I really wanted to answer it anyway!

Actually yes, I used to perform all the time when I was a young kid. I would be in choir and I was the youngest person to grab a lead role in our school play, I was in grade 6. While everyone else was in grades 7-8.

I was very different when I was a kid, I was more extroverted and absolutely loved to sing. The earliest and most famous story of me performing on stage was when I was 5, my mom had taken me to a big Italian bridal shower (during the early 90’s, those were still at least a 100+ people…yup you read that right), and the bride had left the microphone on the stage. I apparently just walked up there, picked up the mic and began to sing “A Whole New World” from Aladdin and the whole crowd went completely quiet and the applause was super loud once I had finished the song. My mom, still to this day, recounts that story proudly.

I did love it, but as I got older and things happened (bullying), I stepped away from my love of singing and performing. Now, I just sing to my daughter or in the shower, more of a private crowd but still makes me feel good.

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

Ciao!!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

New Favourite Mug

It is no surprise that I am a die hard Gilmore Girls fan, like how can I not be?! It was a show done before it’s time and a show that wouldn’t even dare exist now….for many reasons. I literally re-watch the entire series every fall. I seriously can’t wait until Valeria is older so that her and I can HOPEFULLY share this love for the show.

BUT when I say that I screamed internally when I saw this from a mile away (not literally a mile away…just sayin’), I did! As a die hard fan and team Luke from the start, this had to come home with me.

It is giant and glorious and will be one of my favourite mugs forever. I would have preferred to have made a cup of coffee in it first, but when I got home from my outing with my mom, I opted for a peppermint tea instead.

I know it might seem silly, but this made me happy! Just thought I’d share a little blip from my day.

I hope you are having a joyful December, and have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Whispers in the Dark: Comforting Valeria Through a Hard Night

It should come as no surprise that you sometimes get those difficult nights with your kids. Now, Valeria has been struggling as she has her last set of molars coming in (UGH, but not nearly as bad this time around since she can let us know), but on top of that she’s going through a bit of a growth spurt. It always comes in one big wave for my baby girl and it’s not always easy, but this time it seems that her growth spurt is bothering her more than anything. She was complaining that her shins hurt and her arms, and mommy needed to kiss them better. Which I happily obliged!

However, I think last night it was kind of my fault to be frank. I suggested she get a little Finny the Shark before bed; it was around 6:15 PM and thought 15-20 minutes would be perfect. My husband and I were exhausted, so we needed a little rest, as parents do every so often. It’s a pretty low stimulation show, so I thought it would be okay…I was so wrong! She ended up watching much longer than we had intended and 7 PM rolled around real fast.

Unfortunately, I think her brain was much too stimulated when she went to bed. So my husband put her to bed around 7:15-7:30 PM because her little eyes were closing. She was asleep for about 2 hours before she popped up and began crying. She sometimes does that when she is dreaming, so we waited for a bit but she wasn’t stopping and my husband headed back into her room. I decided to ninja the camera and head to our bedroom in case I needed to go in ASAP. Sometimes she only calms down with me and than my husband can put her back to bed. Things seemed to be going well but she kept “fake sleeping” and wiggling around. Which as you know can be frustrating.

After about an hour to an hour and a half, I stepped in the room and gave my husband some much needed relief. I rubbed her back and sang to her, she seemed to calm down a bit. Then Guido (our new kitten) came in search of me and found me in her room. He decided to cuddle up with us too, which again didn’t help only because she still gets so excited to see him. I tried to get her to focus on sleep, but than Guido decided to start playing with her toys. My husband came in and got him, which upset Valeria. I picked her up and rocked her in my arms to calm her down.

We ended up going into our room with her, however she was too excited even for that. She kept saying “Mommy only…mommy only” and that was because she was a bit upset with my husband from something earlier in the day. He ended up leaving and going into her room, and I was calming her down until my eyes just couldn’t stay open any more. I must have fallen asleep because I was suddenly woken up by Valeria stand by the edge of my bed saying “Guido, up up.” The reality, was I got a little annoyed and sternly told her to come to bed or she is going back in her room. She got upset and I soothed her, but eventually she opted to go back to her own room.

Eventually, through lots of crying she finally fell asleep. My husband was very patient with her, but we were both super exhausted. We just wanted her to go to bed. Needless to say, not one of our better nights to be fair, but it’s reality.

Not every night is going to be a perfect, calm and a soothing situation where everything goes perfectly and you can help them through whatever the situation may be. Sometimes, parenting comes with frustrations, decisions that aren’t always easy and you do the best you can. The do the best you can was just that last night and I’m trying to be entirely transparent here.

We can definitely tell how exhausted she is today, but she will get a slightly earlier nap (which she hit the sack just before bed and snowing away by 12:15 PM and will HOPEFULLY have a nice long nap) and just take it easy. Also, so no electronics or television today, which to be fair she doesn’t get a lot of anyway. But, a little detox from it wouldn’t hurt.

We have a felt Christmas tree that her Buni (grandma – my husband’s mom) gave her, so we will put it up in her room and decorate that this afternoon. I’ll cut and paint her nails, since Grandma (my mom) gave her some nail stickers that are Christmas themed. We will do some reading, colouring, play with Guido and just have a calm afternoon.

Send positive energy her way today please and thank you. And I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Paws, Purrs & New Beginnings: Our Journey to Adopting Guido

It will probably come as a bit of a surprise to those who have been following me for a while, that we’ve decided to adopt a new kitten. Earlier this year I sadly lost my last two remaining girls – Willow and Salem. I vowed to not get another pet for a long time, but vows have been broken!

I started to long for the companionship of another pet, something that was coming and going over the last month or so. I kept telling myself it isn’t the right time and I don’t need the headache of finding someone to watch him or her while we’re gone. However, my husband says I manifested this one by looking at kittens every day on the SPCA website. It’s a possibility that I may have, but my witch secrets will never be revealed! Needless to say, the opportunity arose, we discussed it and ultimately felt it would be really great for Valeria to grow up with her own little cat. Best friends if you will.

Picture this….SPCA 2025…. Insert dream sequence here will you..

I had spoken with my mom regarding a cat for Christmas, she has been missing the companionship of pets as well, since her little dogs had also passed away this year. We discussed it and eventually landed on this one little precious kitten:

Cutie patootie right?! Her name is now Raven

I filled out the paperwork and got a response to come for a meet and greet. Well, I adored her as soon as we saw her and knew so would my parents. She came home and her little adventure was told in another post: https://mamaonthemove1.com/2025/12/04/tiny-paws-christmas-awe-the-sweetest-surprise-for-my-parents/, so I won’t rehash all the details. However, when we were there, the lady let us know that she had brothers who hadn’t been adopted yet. Of course that peaked my interest and I had to ask which ones and she gladly let us know. I asked if I had to reapply and she said ‘Nope, just shoot me a reply on the email you have for the adoption..”

As we left and began our trek home back on the highway, I looked up her brothers. I would have taken one of them home right then and there, however none of them were there at the moment. People graciously foster these babies until they get adopted. Still some good people out there in the world! We landed on “Croc”, as the staff aptly named him. Anthony and I discussed it and ultimately decided that it would be wonderful for Valeria and would make her incredibly happy. Also to teach her some responsibility. Plus bonus for me too! I made sure 100% that Anthony was okay with the decision and he was. I told him that would be my Christmas gift and I was done. He agreed, however I KNOW he will end up getting me another gift. Unnecessary, but highly thoughtful of him!

That day, I sent a message and we set up a meet and greet on December 5th. We let Valeria know that she will be getting a cat of her very own, even showing a picture of him to her. Which she jumped up and down, her whole body FULL of pure joy and excitement.

All week Valeria kept asking about her kitty “Guido” which is what we have named him. Friday, finally arrived and we headed to my mother-in-law’s for the day and got to spend a lot of time with my husband’s side of the family. Which again, Valeria was super excited to see her Buni and spend time with her and her cousins. But the day flew by quickly and we were now needing to leave to go get our little Guido. Our appointment was at 5 PM.

We did a quick little meeting with him so Valeria could actually see him, paperwork followed along with payment and then back in the car to hit the highway. We got home around 7 PM.

When we got home, I set up his litter box, his food dish with fresh water and brought his cat tree to his little area for the night. He was a bit skittish, but he warmed up so fast and LOVES cuddles and affection. He doesn’t seem to enjoy loud noises or being startled, but we are still really new to him. He is such a sweet boy and Valeria is obsessed. She wants him to Nani with her all the time, she also follows him around constantly. She played and watched him all last night until she went to bed.

He’s a short-haired all black cat, when we got him we thought his eyes were like his sisters – which are yellow-brown, however his are slightly different. When he was in the sunlight today, I noticed that right around is pupil he has a beautiful green colour and then it melds into an amber yellow. His ear is clipped like his sisters, apparently this is done to show that he has been neutered and chipped. In case he ever gets out and picked up by animal control. I personally love it and think it gives him this edgy, badass look. He is much bigger than his sister in size and weight. I can’t wait to see him fully grown!

Meet Guido!

When Valeria woke up this morning and I went into her room, I stated I was going to feed Guido. She of course got excited and said “Help Mommy” and of course I don’t mind her helping at all. So we took his food to his dish and the three of us watched him eat. It’s kind of comical to watch though because he does a bit of dry, than wet and just back and forth until he was full. We played with him a bit and then went upstairs to make breakfast and get ready for the day. He is definitely more vocal than his sister, he literally sat at the top of the stairs meowing until I opened the door. I let him explore and roam around the main floor. I don’t want to overwhelm him with too much, so slowly but surely letting him explore at his own pace.

He has now explored each floor to an extent, and has cuddled with all of us while Anthony read a book to Valeria. She still doesn’t know how to quite react to him wanting to sit on her lap and cuddle with her. She just goes “Mommy, go mommy” and tries to wiggle free and then pet him. She’s learning! I sense they will be best buddies, he keeps trying to grab her attention. Two babies trying to play with each other and not quite sure how to.

We will be heading to the pet store to pick up some food and toys for him and that’s about it! Eventually we will bring him to see his sister or vice versa, but for now we want him to get acclimated to his new home.

We are so happy to welcome our little Guido to the family and hopefully we will have many more stories of Valeria and his shenanigans in the future!

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

Ciao!!

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

🎄All I Want for Christmas… Is a Done Goals List

Don’t mind me chuckling quietly to the title of this post, but it’s kind of perfect since Mariah Carey’s song is infamous. ANYWHO…..

A lot of December is going to be enjoying all the gatherings with friends and family, necessary appointments and of course Christmas and HOPEFULLY a quiet New Year’s at home. Fingers crossed on that last one though, but we will see.

This months list isn’t going to bed too long, so bare with me. To be fair, I’m not sure anyone’s goals or to-do lists are very long this month. Pretty sure it’s everyone’s shopping lists that a generally a mile in length and feels like it will never get accomplished. Regardless, let’s get into it shall we?

  • Start Christmas shopping
  • Bake some Christmas cookies with Valeria
  • Wrap gifts
  • Pick up adopted cats for mom and I
  • Pick up some cat food and toys for ours
  • Go out with friends on December 9th
  • Attend therapy
  • Attend a dental cleaning…UGH
  • Clean the fridge….again
  • Continue to put things aside for donation
  • Enjoy Christmas and New Years

And that’s it, that’s all she wrote for this month ladies and gents. If I don’t get to some of it, oh well. If you don’t see me post much, just know that I am wishing you all a wonderful holiday season full of love and happiness for you and your family!

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

Ciao!!