Tag: blog

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

April Recap

Posted on by Mama

I was going to take this time to answer a WordPress prompt, however I didn’t like any of them, so instead I’ve decided to do my end of April recap.

I have to say I don’t even know where the month went. My daughter turned six months, we got a new fish, we had a six month check-up and we’ve been literally nonstop every weekend. So let’s recap my “to-do” list, which is no surprise that I didn’t get much accomplished. And I’m okay with that, we had a busy month to be fair.

  • Go through my clothing and get rid of anything I no longer wear, fits or need – i.e. bring to consignment or donate – Done
  • Plan out blog posts on a weekly basis – Nah, I’ve decided to fly by the seat of my pants, but I have a few posts in mind that I’ll be writing
  • Organize: 1. My clothing (by season/active wear), 2. Get my husband to organize his clothing, 3. The living room and re-arrange – Partially done, the living room will be completed now that my husband is on paternity leave…yay!
  • Sell some household items on Facebook Market place – Trying to declutter. – This will be done now that my husband is home on paternity leave
  • Complete a few wood burning projects – one is currently in the works and the other is a gift idea – Done
  • Shave my dog…she is a mess! – Nope, soon I swear!
  • Try to get better sleep! – Nope, not this month. Valeria went through a pretty bad sleep regression.
  • Nutrition and weight loss – Will always be a work in progress, though I’ve started counting my calories again and walking twice a day now that the weather is nice.
  • With the nicer weather, start going for walks again with my daughter – Done
  • Meet my step goal – Done
  • Keep up on reading my favourite blogs daily – I’ve been struggling with this one. I need to do this right in the morning! – I try my best to do this daily, but my little one is my top priority. I do catch up on posts when I get a minute to myself so it may not be daily, but I am going to chalk this up to a Done!

All in all I’m pretty happy with the progress and I’m not going to stress about it any more. We are super busy with Valeria and a lot of family stuff going on. Things will get done when they get done.

Also, if you haven’t noticed yet, there was no book review this month either. I’ll have one for the month of May. I am still on track with my Good reads challenge though, so really not worried.

Do you have any goals for May? Or even in the next few months? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Hope you had a wonderful April as well!

Ciao!

Posted in WP Prompt

Bonus – WordPress Prompt – Spooky!

Posted on by Mama

What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

Well since I’m a child of the night, it will be no surprise that Halloween is my Holiday of choice.

I wasn’t always a fan of the spooky, horror Villains of movies as a child, but for some reason I always and I mean ALWAYS had to go all out for my Halloween costumes. It was the one night of the year that I knew, I could dress up as whatever I wanted. A silly clown (Ew I hate clowns now just FYI), a scary zombie, a witch, a princess, a court jester, a black cat, etc. The world of fantasy came alive that one night of the year. It was magical, every pun intended.

Not to mention the decorations! Oh, back when I was a kid I would BEG my mom to let me decorate our porch. Then again, when I was a kid people still carved pumpkins, decorated the porch, and actually went Trick or Treating.

I remember one year when I was too old to Trick or Treat, my friend and I decorated my porch in an obscene amount of fake spider webs with crappy plastic spiders, pumpkins, lights, faux tombstones and bones on the lawn. It… was…epic!

My friend dressed up as a witch and I was a gorilla, we thought it would be funny to scare the kids. She would hold the bowl of candy and when they least expected it I would jump out my chair and spook em. Before you call me cruel, we never did it to the little ones, only the older ones. I would wave at the little ones to let them know I was in there. Needless to say, a great Halloween and a wonderful memory.

As I got older, the Trick or Treating stopped and Halloween changed to a more “adult” version, I don’t need to explain what that means since I’m sure we are all aware of what that entails.

Now that I have a daughter, you can bet your bottom I’m going to be decking out everything for Halloween when the season rolls around. Who we kidding, our living room looked like Autumn and Halloween threw up all over there place every year prior! I’ve already got plans for my daughters Halloween costumes and family costumes incoming so look out! Plus she is an October baby!

So why do I love it? Halloween night was just always a magical, spooky, fun time and just full of costume possibilities. No matter the weather and trust me we had some cold, we always ventured out with our parents or in later years our friends. Who doesn’t want free candy? Plus, I always felt so energized after, I really can’t explain it.

Maybe I am really a child of the night or a Witch….ooooooo

That made me laugh, but in all seriousness, what isn’t to love about it? Dark, magical, mysterious, spooky, and full of possibilities.

Ciao!

Posted in Health & Wellness

My Health Scare…

Posted on by Mama

This is a topic I’ve been meaning to discuss, but also have been putting off and it’s a huge reason as to why I’ve decided to quit smoking….again.

On March 23rd, I had a bit of a health scare and the doctor’s can’t really explain what happened to me. I woke up fairly early that morning; taking care of Valeria and going through her usual morning routine, trying to prepare her diaper bag for the day trip ahead (we were suppose to go see my Godparents and Nonna for an early Easter celebration), stressing a bit because I was waiting for my husband to get home so I could get ready for the day. We were to leave the house by 10-10:30 AM, and my husband didn’t get home until 9:30. No fault of his own, the traffic in this city has become horrendous. I was stressed and in need of a cigarette.

So, when my husband got home, he took the baby to give me a bit of a break and that allowed me to have a cigarette and go speak to my mom in the kitchen briefly.

Since I was asked this question over and over again by every medical professional that day, I will let you know that I had no symptoms of illness, fatigue, nausea, tunnel vision, etc. It just kind of happened. All I remember was sitting in a dining room chair talking to my mother, than I came to; my husband panicked in my face and on the phone with a 9-1-1 operator. I couldn’t really focus, speak and it felt like I was drugged. It was so bizarre.

It took me quite a while before I was myself; I felt foggy the whole way to the hospital in the ambulance as well. All I kept asking in the ambulance was if Valeria was okay, both the EMTs were super nice and told me she was with grandma and she looked just like me. They proceeded to monitor my vitals on the way to the hospital, trying to get me to talk to them as we went along. My husband followed us to the hospital in the car. They registered me and I was put into a room pretty much immediately. Eventually they let my husband into the room with me.

They made me change into one those gowns, which are scratchy and uncomfortable, however I kept my yoga pants on, cause well…I’m a pain in the butt. They proceeded to do blood work, an ECG (test for my heart in case you didn’t know) and gave me IV fluids. I complained a bunch, wanting out of the uncomfortable bed and the tiny claustrophobic room, loud enough for the passing nurses to hear. Even asked the very kind nurse that was looking after me, if I can be discharged already….. yeah I’m that girl. I don’t enjoy hospitals, though who really does?

The doctor was very kind when she came in to chat with me though. She gave me some advice, “I know you’re a new mama, but you need to take care of yourself, not just your baby girl. Rest!” She made me laugh and instructed me to rest as much as I can, eat well and try to get some exercise in. Also she strongly suggested I quit smoking. I was already ahead of her on that one.

I was then discharged and free as a bird. Physically I didn’t feel that great at all that day. I also felt embarrassed, guilty and a whole sleuth of other emotions. I kept apologizing to everyone for missing the event, having them worry about me, etc. I thanked my mom repeatedly for taking care of Valeria while I was in the hospital.

All my tests came back great; blood work, blood pressure and ECG perfect. The whole thing can’t be explained. I even had a scheduled appointment with my family doctor on March 28th and we went over everything, it even stumped her. She is going to do some more blood work just to cover all the bases, but we shall see. The appointment was initially scheduled as a follow-up from my birth and to check my sugars, since I had gestational diabetes.

I have to admit I have not been feeling the greatest and for about a week after the episode, I was getting little dizzy spells here and there, feeling nauseated and all around blah. I’m doing much better now, with mild symptoms every once in a while.

This made me take a deeper look at myself; mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s clear I am not in a good spot like I thought I was. So, first step was quitting smoking. I’ve been doing really well too! A craving here and there, but I’ve refrained. I’ve also been avoiding places that trigger the urge to smoke or purchase cigarettes. It’s only temporary for now, but why put added pressure to an already stressful process. It’s been….*looks at her calendar*…12 days. Hurray!

I’m seeing the nutritionist once again next month, so hopefully I’ve made a bit of progress. I don’t think I posted about that visit. Or did I? Mom brain at it’s finest ladies and gentlemen. I’ll have to look back and see, but I’m pretty sure I hadn’t. Post to follow if I haven’t.

So, that’s it. That’s what happened. It was scary and eye-opening. I didn’t want my husband’s family to know, especially at Easter and be worried about me. I don’t enjoy being the center of attention ever.

I just know that I need to put in a much greater effort than before, and really focus on my well-being. I want to figure out a solution to this very strange occurrence and to my weight loss journey.

I want to be around for Valeria and this episode just shows how precious our lives actually are.

Ciao!!

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

March Recap

Posted on by Mama

Well March flew by in a flash, I don’t even know where it went to be completely honest. Than all of a sudden it was March 31st and we are celebrating Easter. Now time to recap the month, which I don’t think I did too bad on my to-do list.

  • Go through my clothing and get rid of anything I no longer wear, fits or need – i.e. bring to consignment or donate – Work In Progress: I didn’t have time to get this done, but since I have to get my summer stuff out, I’ll do this at the same time!
  • Plan out blog posts on a weekly basis – Work In Progress: I would love to say that I had any progress with this, but sadly not. I will work on this for April.
  • Organize: 1. Valeria’s clothing (by age), 2. My clothing (by season/active wear), 3. Get my husband to organize his clothing, 4. The living room and re-arrange – Work In Progress: Well I got another one off the list. I’ll sort my clothing when I get out my summer attire.
  • Sell some household items on Facebook Market place – Trying to declutter. ‘I wonder if I could become a minimalist…’ – Work In Progress: Well since I don’t have social media any more, I may need some assistance with posting these. Now to figure out who…hmm
  • Complete a few wood burning projects – one is currently in the works and the other is a gift idea – Work In Progress: I had every intention getting this done and they are sitting on my desk. However Valeria can’t be around when I’m working on it.
  • THOROUGHLY CLEAN – I need to do a deep clean of our living space. I mean scrub, dust, shine, etc. You name it, I’ll be doing it – Work In Progress: Haha….yeah that’s a big fat no. I had no time sadly, but I’ve opted for the 20 minutes a day method instead. Be one with the chaos and mess…I’ll get to this one eventually. It may be on my list for a while.
  • Begin my Sourdough starter – YES! I am so excited for this you have no idea – Completed: I did it! And I’ve been baking with it as well. Mostly muffins and a failed attempt at bread, though if you ask my husband he enjoyed it. I think I can do better, so I will! A post about that to come as well!
  • Get back to the gym and keep working on my weight loss and nutrition – Completed: Always a work in progress really, but I’ve gotten back to the gym on a regular schedule with my husband. So this goal is going to change just a little for the future.
  • Shave my dog…she is a mess! – Work In Progress: This is a bigger task then anticipated when I took a closer look. I need a weekend to do this one in stages…sigh
  • Visit the English Orthodox church in my city – Completed: This did not go great. The church was small, distracting with the kids running around and the fact that the parking lot was so small, our car got blocked in by other vehicles. We had to wait quite a while before someone came out and moved their car and that was just by pure luck. So no….to the Orthodox church.
  • Plan/prepare for Valeria’s Baptism – Work In Progress: We are putting this off for a bit. Just until we find a church we like, but she will be baptized.
  • Go to the Dentist – UGH – Completed: This was awful. My teeth felt nice and clean after, however I hate how they try to force you to book your next appointment and of course, I needed to come in sooner then recommended because I had build up…..yeah because I HATE THE DENTIST! Sorry for the outburst.
  • Get my hair touched up – Damn roots! – Completed: Felt so good to get this touched up, it was even more white/gray then before so it’s FABULOUS! I did however message my hairstylist to see if she could order me some of the purple shampoo she used, the one I have just isn’t doing the trick. Speaking of, I should book my next appointment…
  • Go to the Nutritionist – Completed: Amazing visit and looking forward to posting about that….coming soon!
  • Go to the doctor – I haven’t been since I gave birth – Completed: Appointment went well, I like my new family doctor. Will be having some blood work done, especially to check my sugar since I had gestational diabetes. Also let her know about my knee issue, which she seems to think is a tendon, so ice and ibuprofen.
  • Try to get better sleep! – Work In Progress: I’m having a bit of insomnia since quitting smoking, so this is still in progress. Valeria’s sleep intervals seems to be longer at night, so yay!
  • Drink more water – Completed: I’ve definitely increased my water intake significantly after seeing the Nutritionist and my hospital visit (post to come on that one sometime this month)
  • Keep up on reading my favourite blogs daily – I’ve been struggling with this one. I need to do this right in the morning! – Work In Progress: This one is deeming to be difficult since she is now getting up for 7-7:30, but I will get a rhythm going!

Now to recap Valeria, my precious baby girl! She turned five months in March and has proceeded to increase her mouth raspberries to every chance she can possibly get. She has also started to get up on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth. Apparently she is determined to crawl, which I believe is really early for her to be doing this. She wiggles herself on her belly to her toys now as well. Her six month check-up was moved to the end of April. She has also been trying some actual food; sweet potato puree (LOVES!), plain yogurt (she’s meh about it, I would be too with plain), avocado (not a fan) and she sucked on a piece of bacon (with our very close supervision, and she loved the taste). We will be trying more this month.

What else, our anniversary was celebrated and Easter. One brief hospital visit and that’s about it really.

Until next time!

Ciao!!

Posted in Health & Wellness

A Slip…

Posted on by Mama

I’m not proud to admit this by any means, but I had a slip…

Before I was pregnant I was a smoker, it was my coping mechanism for a lot of stress and anxiety in my life. I’ve been around smokers all my life; many of my family members are currently smokers, so for me it was a normalcy. But it’s not an excuse by any means and I chose to start smoking to alleviate the stresses in my life at a young age. Not healthy by any means I admit and a huge regret that I wish I had never started.

When I found out I was pregnant with Valeria, I stopped cold turkey, no hesitation, no questions. My little peanut was more important than having a cigarette to calm my nerves. I did extremely well, I had quit for over a year.

Then I started having anxiety, stress and all those old emotions came flooding back for various reasons. My first thought was smoking, but only socially. I discussed it with my husband, he’d never had an issue with my habit before and though he was hesitant, he said okay. I should have listened to him and not started again. Because socially than became one a day, then two and so on. Needless to say, I was smoking like a fiend and getting absolutely nothing out of it.

It didn’t solve anything and now I’m going through my detox of quitting yet again. This time, I’m determined to quit for good. I need to, I can’t keep doing this and the Nutritionist highly suggested it as well. How am I to change my life and be healthy if I’m doing something repeatedly to harm myself?

Wish me luck.

Ciao from a not so proud mama

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Laughter!

Posted on by Mama

Today was extremely chilly outside, so it was another indoor day. Valeria woke up in a good mood and to entertain her, we placed the play mat down for her to kick and touch. It has a little piano for her to kick and different sensory toys, it’s great and to watch her being able to interact with it finally is amazing. She is kicking up a storm now and able to reach up, she loves the music the piano keys creates. It’s a bonus because this entertains her AND causes exhaustion. Mommy win! Makes getting her down for naps much easier lately.

This is the play mat, it’s great!

Later in the day, after her first nap, my husband sang “Are you happy and you know it” and helped her clap her hands and she was loving it! She was having such a great time, she finally laughed! An actually full on laugh, it was so cute! We were even able to capture a video of it! The way her face lit up as she laughed, it seriously melted my heart.

There are so many emotions I’ve felt in the last three months, it’s truly unbelievable. I can’t explain it, but the best way to describe it is this; it’s as if you are watching yourself as a kid learning and growing, to see the wonder in your mini me’s face as they explore and discover their voice, their emotions, their body. Even if it’s not always great, it’s always strangely beautiful. As a parent, you watch but you also grow, learn and change as well. To be proud and astonished by the little human you’ve created, or multiple little humans.It’s seriously a blessing.

But her smile, that laughter….my God it was wondrous. Can you be too obsessed with your kid? Pft, no! Okay maybe, but c’mon people it’s my first kid of course I’m obsessed with everything she’s doing! I’m just happy we were able to capture the moment.

Alright, okaaaaaay, I’ll move along now. The rest of the day was pretty ordinary; made bread this morning, cooked bacon in the oven, feedings and naps for baby girl (with play time thrown in-between), dinner, a bit of video gaming (while she slept of course…mommy needs fun too) and the day flew by.

My husband was able to put Valeria down for the night after he came back from his Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) sparring session tonight. Not surprised, she was pretty exhausted, she only had about a half hour nap while he was gone.

Anyway, I’m exhausted myself since I was up at 7:30 this morning. Just couldn’t get back to sleep after baby girl woke up for a diaper change and quick feeding. Early bird gets the worm and all that nonsense. Honestly, just not a morning person, but who is? Seriously….

Let me know, are you a morning person? I’m a night owl personally, except for today….forced awake ugh. Now my butt is off to relax with some Bob’s Burgers and than bed.

Ciao!