Tag: mom

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

From Sunshine Walks to Crayon Walls

Posted on by Mama

With the beautiful weather we’ve been having lately, we’ve made more of an effort to get out and enjoy the sunshine with Valeria. Some days it’s just short walks thanks to the humidity; other days it’s pool time at Grandma’s or a visit to the park. Whatever the outing, one thing is clear—she’s definitely an outdoorsy kid.

But of course, we’ve had some gloomy days sprinkled in, which means indoor playtime. I don’t know about other parents, but doing the same activities over and over can really drive you a little nuts. Valeria has grown bored of most of her toys, so I’m thinking of putting some of the older ones away and rotating new ones in. That said, she’s never really been a “toys” kind of kid—if that makes sense. I’m at a bit of a loss.

I recently bought her some big chunky blocks to play and build with, but most of the time she wants my husband or me to build things for her. We try to encourage her to do it herself, but after stacking a couple blocks, she loses interest.

I’ve also tried getting her involved in the kitchen—something I read is great for keeping little ones busy while teaching basic kitchen skills and safety. We made cornbread muffins the other day, which was a blast! She had her own little spoon and bowl, and even got to wear her own mini apron. It helped pass the time, but not for long.

I also bought her crayons and coloring books, but once she discovered she could draw on the walls… well, those had to disappear for a while.

Honestly, I’m at a bit of a loss. I’m not one to just park her in front of the TV all day. I love reading and playing with her whenever I can—and so does my husband. We’ve tried a lot of things, but I’m running out of ideas.

If anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears!

Now I’m off to jot down some ideas for a potential Etsy business with my cousin and chat with my mom about a contract position where she works. More on that soon.

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

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Lions, Tigers and Bears….Oh It’s a Zoo Day!

Posted on by Mama

On July 4th, we went to a smaller zoo that was about an hour away from us. Valeria has taken a real liking to all kinds of animals (she gets her love of animals from her mama), so we thought a zoo day would be perfect. Plus my parents wanted to come along so added bonus for Valeria, since grandma had the week off for vacation. I’ll scatter a few of my favourite photos throughout the post, as always I’m not going to post much of my daughter.

We left fairly early in the morning, but by the time we drove the hour to get there – the place was packed with cars. Not really a surprise, to be fair, since school is out for the summer and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. The zoo is a small one compared to Toronto, but needless to say it had a lot to see and a lot to do! We started off walking around half of the zoo – we saw goats, cows, monkeys, bears, pigs, lions, tigers, zebras, a camel, ostrich and even caught a glimpse of a wolf. Wolves are my husband’s favourite.

Grandma was nice enough to grab us some feed for the animals so we can feed the omnivores and herbivores. Valeria loved feeding the goats. I was able to capture the attention of my beloved bears, who were fast asleep until I threw some food in the cage for them. Beautiful black bears to be exact (though I love all bears, they are my all time favourite), and I just feel a kindred spirit to these gorgeous fur balls. I know crazy right? But they didn’t get up for anyone else, and others were feeding them too. Coincidence? Maybe, but I’m going to pretend like I’m special just this once.

Valeria was having a ball and she wanted to go into every single cage, looking at me and Anthony going “In, in!” And we’d have to tell her no, it’s too dangerous we can’t go in there. She got really upset when she couldn’t get up close and personal, especially with the ones who could tear you apart. She did, however, get her mind off that when we circled back to the goats to feed them. Oh how excited she was that the goats were eating out of her hands.

Once we were done, we took a quick bathroom break – handwashing thoroughly and a diaper change and than off to the picnic area we went, hoping to score a picnic table in the shade. We were indeed successful! We got a solo table right under a big tree, we grabbed the cooler from the car and had a little lunch. It was great because it was right by the splash pad, swings and playgrounds. They even had one of those big bouncy jumping pillow things for the kids, I have no idea what they are called. Did I say this place was amazing yet? It had a lot for kids to do, it was incredible!

Valeria did her rounds, even went to try the splash pad with daddy (I made sure she had a bathing suit that day, with a change of clothing for once she was finished. Prepared mom alert) and she hated the cold water! After a few attempts there, she wanted to play at the playground and we happily obliged. I took her to the toddler play area and she quickly made a friend with a little blonde girl. They took turns going down the slide and playing peek-a-boo through the play house window. It was very cute! She makes friends so easily. Alas, we had to go finish the zoo, so we said bye to her little friend and off we went.

We put everything back in the car and went into the second half of the zoo. There we saw lemurs, all sorts of reptiles, chickens, llamas, kangaroos, peacocks and mini horses. Chickens are Valeria’s absolute favourite animal. So when she saw them she squealed and got so excited, even started making chicken sounds. The white chicken in the photo immediately came to the fence when she started doing it. It was hilarious and I was able to capture a video.

We also went into the souvenir shop and of course we couldn’t leave without a little something. Two small stuffed animals for Valeria, a magnet for the fridge and a cute little crystal for me.

My parents had an absolute blast and my dad would have walked around with Valeria to see it all again, but alas the long day caught up to her and she was exhausted. No nap will do that to you! We piled in the car and Valeria immediately passed out for the hour long car ride – mom and I chatted the whole way, dad was driving and chatting with Anthony, who occupied the passenger seat.

All in all, it was truly a wonderful and fun day and I’m so glad we could spend it with my parents. Hoping to do more trips with the family, not just my side but Anthony’s as well. Would love to take his mom for a day trip (or two) with us this summer.

Hope you enjoyed a small glimpse into our trip and more to come!

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

Ciao!

Posted in Monthly Goals and Recaps

Fireworks & Fresh Starts: July Goals Incoming

Posted on by Mama

Well it’s July 1st and time for a new set of gooooooals! Let’s get to it!

  • Work on my health – both physical and mental
  • Print some photos for the house and for relatives
  • Celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday
  • Clean the spare room and organize
  • Organize the basement
  • Learn the Cricut
  • Finish the novel I’ve been struggling with and get back on track with my reading challenge
  • Get more sleep
  • Organize and tidy Valeria’s closet
  • Visit family
  • Do some day trips with Valeria
  • Attending my Ultrasound appointment
  • See my doctor regarding test results
  • Clean my fridge
  • Set-up our dry erase calendar for July
  • Write up my book reviews for the month
  • Start a new puzzle

Not a bad list if I do say so myself, so hopefully I will be a little more successful in completing a large portion of my list. It’s probably going to be a busy July, just because we really want to get out and about with Valeria. So I will have to complete these in-between our activities this month.

I’m also hoping we can go to a farmers market at some point this month, but I’m not putting that on the list. It’s just a hopeful for me. Maybe I’ll look at different farmers markets we can possibly venture to. I’ll let ya know how that goes!

Anyway, I’m going to enjoy more of this sunshine now that Valeria is up from her nap and my husband is off today due to the holiday (Canada Day). If your off today I hope you are enjoying the incredible weather and spending time with friends and family.

For everyone else, I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!!

Ciao!

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 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!!