Xiomara Diaz

Semester Update

2010-10-13T20:31:00.003-04:00

I've gone sixteen days without a day off. That being said, I'm having a great semester. Student teaching is so much fun. I love the students. My cooperating teacher focuses on grades K-2. For those of you that don't know, I will be teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Once I finish school, I will be certified to teach K-12. She's an excellent, caring teacher that really puts a lot of time and effort into those kids.

I'm already teaching the students, but my main focus is a little boy who just came here to this country in August with no knowledge of his native language. Teaching him is like teaching a two year old the alphabet, except he's 7 years old. He couldn't even write his own name back in September. I am happy to report that that has changed and his writing is improving. Letter recognition has been difficult, but there is progress everyday.

I must cut this very short because my son is begging me to read to him and it's bedtime.

Nine more weeks left of this semester and one more semester till I graduate!

Blast from the Past!

2010-08-10T17:57:00.004-04:00

It's been almost 9 months since I've last written a post. School got the best of me. I can't promise to write frequently during the next 9 months because graduate school is kicking my butt. That said, I begin my internship this fall. I'm looking forward to it and hoping it passes in the blink of an eye.

My patience level for juggling school, work, and a home is wearing thin. I need some kind of normalcy to return. Two more semesters and I'm done. Well, I'll probably return to work on more certifications, but in due time. For now, let me work on this Master's.

On to other stuff.

My son will be THREE next month. Can you believe it? I sure can't. He's a little man that looks exactly like his daddy. Not only do they look alike, but they act alike even in their sleep. It's quite funny. He's a little chatter box beginning to switch between English and Spanish (that makes me happy since I speak more English than Spanish). He fully understands Spanish, but mostly he'll answer in English. Either way, I'm happy.

I just celebrated ten years of marriage with my hubby. I have to say the years have flown by. We celebrated by visiting the Shawangunk Wine Trail. Excellent trip! We hit up three of the eleven wineries (Stoutridge, Benmarl, & Adair). The views and the delicious wine sure made this trip out of this world. We tried eighteen different wines and came home with six bottles (I restrained myself to only six).

There's more stuff going on, but too much to write. Maybe I'll start keeping my posts short and sweet so that I could write more often. Until next time!

And the new semester begins...

2010-01-18T19:54:00.003-05:00

My month of freedom is done with. I did manage a week off from work and did absolutely nothing and worked like a maniac the rest of my break. However, I did escape to North Carolina for a weekend getaway, read seven books, and started some crocheting. Not bad, I'm impressed with all that I accomplished.

This semester is another crazy one with four courses. Two of those are linguistic classes which are pretty difficult. The month of May can't come soon enough! After this year, my school load lessens. I have two more semesters left and I graduate! Wish me luck!

To add to my tight schedule, I will begin an exercise regime. Dan and I will be going to the Grand Canyon in the summer for our ten year wedding anniversary and we want to be able to do several long, strenuous hikes. As long as I manage my time, I think I'll be able to pull it off. I want to have strength and stamina come July to fully enjoy our second honeymoon. Wish me luck on this too!

Let the challenges begin!

The Benefits of the Great Recession

2010-01-03T09:45:00.003-05:00

As I was reading the news this morning, I came across this NY Times article about how Americans are changing spending habits by buying less and doing more. Dan and I must have been experiencing this recession for the last ten years because we have always tried spending less and doing more. Not that it's always worked. We still have credit card debt and struggle every month, but we try not to over do it.

For instance, I have not gotten a manicure or pedicure in about three years. Why? I just can't bring myself to spend $20-$30 every two weeks when I could do it myself. I give myself a mani-pedi as part of me time and I enjoy it more than sitting at the salon for an hour.

Haircuts come around every four to five months instead of two. I dye my own hair. I haven't changed my hair color in a really long time and only cover my grays (yes I have tons of them). I don't buy clothes unless they are on sale and I also get a lot of my clothes altered when they no longer fit me properly.

We don't go on vacations. Actually, Dan and I have never been on a vacation. We go away for weekend getaways, but that's the extent of it. Since we are celebrating our ten year anniversary this year, we are going on a "real" vacation. I am so excited about this!

I bake a lot of my own cakes and cookies instead of buying them at the store. We go out to eat about once a month and not to anywhere expensive (this might change to every two months and to a place that has better quality food; we're tired of the so-so food). We have a decent stock of wine and liquor at home for whenever we're in the mood to have a drink. It's cheaper than going to a bar and with a two year old at home, that doesn't happen often anyway.

We hold off on buying expensive stuff until it's absolutely necessary. For instance, we desperately need new living room furniture. And honestly, I get a little annoyed when people mention to me that so and so is having a sale and we could do a payment plan. The reason we haven't gotten new furniture is because I don't want to pay for it monthly. I want to pay for it in full. When Dan and I get enough money in our savings account where if one of us lost our job or anything else that could happen, we would be fine financially, then we'll get new furniture.

We splurge on plenty. This past summer, we went to numerous state parks to hike, picnic, and absorb the scenery. We take little day trips into the city or anywhere where we could do lots of walking. We buy plenty of books and read all the time. We spend more time with each other. I have to say, I wouldn't change that for anything.

Our frugal ways have helped us tremendously now that I'm in school and can't work as often as I should. We've been able to float by. Our savings has shrunk substantially, but we haven't gone under. We enjoy plenty of quality time together and nothing is missing in our household. Can we use more money? Sure anybody can, but for now we're content. When times are better, which they will be, we'll work on the stuff we need. For now, it is what it is.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T10:12:00.002-05:00

The 00's were interesting. I got married, graduated college, lived in three different states, had a son, and started graduate school. What a ride! The 00's were better than the 90's. So I am hoping the 10's are even better and with such wonderful people in my life, I have no doubt that will be the case.

Last year's resolution was getting rid of my bye-bye arms by working out more. That did not happen at all. No working out for me in 09. Oh well.

Here are my New Year's resolutions:
1. Proactive: I need to be more proactive in my life. I have been in the last few months adhering to this and I want to continue this trend for the new year.

2. Clutter-free: This is another thing I have been practicing for a year now. Every three months, I go through my stuff and get rid of what I no longer use. My wish is to maintain clutter-free by getting rid of unwanted stuff on a weekly basis.

3. Going through my mail: This should be a part of No. 2, but it does deserve it's own number. Dan and I let the mail pile up for months and it sits on our dining room table. Yesterday, I went through it all and shredded for hours. No more of this. My table actually looks like an area where we could have dinner on instead of a storage space. I want to keep it this way.

4. Time Management: I desperately need to work on this. Lately, I've been having a difficult time concentrating and get distracted very easily. I need to focus better.

I wish all of you a very wonderful new year. May it bring plenty of joy and happiness!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T08:48:00.002-05:00

Things I'm grateful for:

1. Family: They make my existence much better with the kindness and love that is always shown to me.
2. Job: Need I say more!
3. The doors that always seem to open when I need it the most.

Everyone enjoy your Thanksgiving and eat plenty of food!!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-01T09:16:00.007-05:00

Halloween was fun! We went to the Museum of Natural History, where they sponsor a trick-or-treat event filled with treat stations, crafts, and live musical performances. Will had a terrific time and even said trick-or-treat.

I love this place! Dan and I want to go back to check out the entire museum. It was too chaotic to check out some of the exhibits with all the children running around. Will seemed to like the Asian Mammals Exhibit because he stopped to look at the animals. Great place!

Part 2 of On with September

2009-09-27T17:52:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, there was no celebration for my mom. Dan had to be hospitalized on Friday and it turns out he has infection that has caused pneumonia. He won't be released from the hospital until either tomorrow or Tuesday. I have mycoplasma pneumonia (aka: walking pneumonia).

Enough said.

On with September

2009-09-25T11:20:00.002-04:00

September is my favorite month of the year since I was a little girl. First off, my birthday is in September. Second off, school would start and I loved going back to school. Third, my mom's birthday is also in this month. Now that I'm older, I have a child whose birthday is also this month.

Having said that, this month has been one of the worst in a long time for me. My car broke down Labor Day weekend. Between renting a car to get around to and from work, prepare for Will's birthday and repairing the car, I spent about $500. Of course, let's not forget the money I spent preparing for Will's birthday.

Almost a week after Will's birthday, he got a bit sick compounded by the fact that he a reaction to the vaccine he got. I didn't have to take him to the doctor, but had to deal with a cranky two year old; not much fun I may add. He was feeling great on my birthday, but we decided to stay home just in case he had a relapse.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday, Dan wakes up feeling not so hot complaining about his chest hurting. He calls me around 3pm telling me he's having difficulties breathing. He had gotten sick at the beginning of the month with an upper respiratory inflammation, but we thought he's was getting better. At 4pm, he calls me to tell me not to go to class (I had just gotten there) because he was going to the ER. His chest hurt and really couldn't catch his breath.

I drove to the ER and waited for him to get there. He was admitted rather quickly, got hooked up to oxygen, had an X-ray done, given antibiotics, steroids, and a nebulizer. He has bronchitis now and the shortness of breath was due to an asthma attack, which by the way has never happened to him before.

Let's move on to Thursday and I wake up with chest pains. I'm having a difficult time breathing, but there's no cough associated with my chest pain. I get sent home from work and I go directly to the doctor's office. I get hooked up to an EKG machine to check my heart. The doctor thinks it's an inflammation to the wall of my chest due to either some kind of exercise I had done or stress. He sends me home with a prescription to an anti-inflammatory and tells me I can't work for the rest of the week. About an hour after I took the anti-inflammatory, I get a fever. I call him back and he tells me that now the scenario has changed and I may have pericarditis, which is an inflammation to my pericardium due to a virus that causes chest pain and fever. Either way, the treatment he sent me is fine and to take Tylenol for the fever.

So being that this month has not been that favorable to me or my family, I am choosing to end it with a celebration to my mother. Sunday is her birthday and I'm making a nice dinner for her. My sister and the kids are coming over and I'm very happy. Let this be the momentum that carries some great luck for us in the next coming months.

New Life Style this September

2009-09-23T08:38:00.003-04:00

Classes have begun for me. As you may or may not know, I'm working on a Master's in Urban Education with an ESL Specialization. Besides the ESL certification, I'm going for a Bilingual certification (it's an additional six credits because the classes for both certifications overlap). I'm also taking an additional nine credits so that I could teach adults in a community college setting.

I'm really enjoying my classes, but man is it hard juggling being a mom, wife, worker, and student. My classes are held Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and one of my classes is online. Those days I don't work. Thursday and Friday I work doubles, which means I work two twelve-hour shifts. Saturday and Sunday are always booked (at least for the next few months) with birthdays and other events. Even though I'm home most of the day on Mon, Tues, & Wed, I really don't get much of a chance to read for my classes. I'm so distracted with Will around that nothing gets done. I have to get into my own rhythm and manage my time better (which means I shouldn't be doing this right now).

Anyway, that's what's going on with me. I must go now put away the laundry and get my place somewhat organized. Ahhhhh...

Birthday Pictures!

2009-09-16T09:39:00.009-04:00

Mom and Dad:

Showing off his name:

Aunt and cousins:

Happy Parents:

There are more pictures, but it would probably take me all day to upload. Will had a great birthday. He played with all of his cousins, ate plenty of cake, and was none stop. We all enjoyed his birthday. It was a nice get together with plenty of food and treats. I definitely had tons of fun!

Happy Birthday Will!!

2009-09-11T23:26:00.006-04:00

Happy Second Birthday Will! The joy you bring everyday is absolutely incredible. You brighten up my heart and soul. I love you so much it brings tears to my eyes. I hope your birthday was wonderful. Love ya!

More About Eating Healthy

2009-08-26T18:42:00.003-04:00

I've been on a health binge. Not a bad thing, right? In my obsessiveness to eat better, I'm finding that baking is the way to go. I've been making granola bars, biscotti, and breakfast cookies. Besides that, I've made my own croutons and salad dressing. I still have bad stuff, but I really don't crave it as much as before. I'm not sure if it's because I'm adding so much more fiber to my diet that I'm just satisfied. For instance, the breakfast cookies that I've been baking have pumpkin puree, which fills me up and still satisfies my sweet tooth. Another thing I've added to my diet is yogurt.

Besides the changes I've been making, I have a different outlook on food. I don't look at it as eating, but more like fueling. That mindset is making a tremendous difference. I eat food in order to keep my energy levels up not because I feel like eating. So every 4 hrs or so, I snack on something or if it's dinner time I eat a meal. If there's no time to eat, then I continue my snacking (this is for when I'm at work). I pack my purse with very healthy stuff (whatever I've been baking) and bring it to work. I no longer reach for a roll or french fries.

With school starting on Tuesday the 1st, I foresee myself snacking more than having meals at night. Monday through Wednesday, I will be working in the morning and driving directly to class. There really won't be time to sit down and have a meal. Once I get home, I'm not going to start cooking, either. I will have to have power snacks to help me throughout the day.

By the way, I came across an article (which of course I can't find now to link) that states that women should only have 6 teaspoons of sugar a day and men 8. What? I have 3 teaspoons of sugar in my coffee! The article basically spoke about how Americans eat way to much processed foods and we're unhealthy. If you want to have more sugar, then you should exercise that way you burn off the sugar.

How am I suppose to cut out sugar? I have no idea. The article scared me. My family has a history of diabetes. Is it inevitable for me? I'm not sure. But if 6 teaspoons of sugar is all we're suppose to have, then I'm in trouble. I don't know how I feel about using Splenda (which I use on occasion) instead of sugar. I want to eat natural foods and that's not natural. I'll have to do some research on this.

Anyway, that's what's been on my mind as of late. Until next time!

Eating Less and Being Healthy About it.

2009-08-02T22:42:00.004-04:00

The other night, I waited on a mom with two young sons (around the ages of 10 and 12) who proudly proclaimed they were on a no carb diet. All three of them were very overweight. I pointed out to them the healthy options that were available and that were low carb. For starters, they each had an appetizer. Two of their entrees were casseroles without breadcrumbs and a surf and turf. They were having dinner at 10pm.

The problem is not the carbohydrates they're consuming, but the amount of food. People don't really realize how much food they eat. You should never finish a meal at a restaurant. It's too much food. I'm coming clean on this one. This morning, I had challah french toast at a diner and ate every little morsel. I did, however, get home and had a white plum as a snack and my dinner consisted of about 4 ounces of chicken breast with some couscous. I snacked on some homemade pita chips with hummus and took a bite out of a chocolate cake.

The family I waited on needs to learn how to eat less. It's not an easy task. I was very overweight for a long time. I taught myself to watch my portions. Are there days that I go overboard now? Of course. But my weight has been pretty steady for the past three years. Am I hungry now at 11pm at night? Yes. Will I eat? No.

The point is that eating less and healthier is an everyday task. If you're a food lover, you have to learn how to love other foods that are better for you. Most importantly, you have to learn how to eat less. A great way of eating healthier and less is by preparing your food for the day or even the week. For instance, today I baked honey pistachio biscotti (Ellie Krieger's recipe). I've been having a hard time with breakfast in the morning because of the lack of time and haven't been eating as much as I should, which has been leading to massive headaches. So, I baked these biscottis, which are low in fat and have breakfast for the next week. I also made spicy pita chips (Ellie Krieger's recipe) in order to have something to snack on. I'm set for this week.

I'm going to get into a habit of baking more of my stuff like chips and biscotti. I want to make my own granola bars. If Dan and I could stick to this, I'll feel good. If we teach Will good eating habits, then hopefully weight won't be an issue for him. Let's see!

Out in Nature!

2009-07-19T12:36:00.008-04:00

What a gorgeous summer afternoon! We're taking advantage of this summer to it's fullest. We went to the Palisades Intersate Park. We love this park because it starts off under the George Washington Bridge on the Jersey side, hugs the Hudson River and goes all the way into New York. There are many trails and interesting stories that date back into the 19th century. There are also guided hikes available on a practically weekly basis that are fun and informative.

There was no hiking involved this time around, but we enjoyed the scenery, laid down on big blanket, and let the breeze relax us. Take a look at the pictures:

More Energy Please!

2009-07-14T04:51:00.002-04:00

After having off of work for three days and not working hard at all yesterday, I fell asleep on my couch at around 9:00pm. Today, I'm working probably about 14 hours and I'm up from 4:00am. I have tons of energy on the weekends. All I want to do is hike or go to a park or whatever requires physical activity to the point that I drive Dan crazy. For instance, this Sunday he put his foot down and we stayed home. So why is it that when Monday rolls around, I'm ready to pass out?

I'm amazed at how some of my friends with kids have energy to workout or even go out throughout the week. I really wanted to go to the gym yesterday, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. Ugh...

My problem might be that I'm not eating enough during the day. I'm not doing this to loose weight (I haven't lost any). I'll have breakfast at work and sometimes it's only a yogurt because that's all I have time for. I don't get to eat again until 4:30. By then, I only have a small salad because I'm going home to cook. If I eat anything big, I won't have dinner. On days I work doubles I eat a normal meal during the 4:00 time, but that's my only meal. I'll have a yogurt when I get home.

I'm not sure what to do about this because I really don't have an option to change my eating schedule. I wait tables and can't just stop what I'm doing to eat something in the middle of my shift. Maybe I'll have a real meal after work instead of a salad, cook dinner for Dan, and eat something light. That may work?

Anyone have suggestions?

Three-Day Weekends are the Best!

2009-07-12T23:00:00.010-04:00

Can the summer continue being the way it's been the last two weekends? The weather has been beautiful and not extremely hot. I think it hasn't gotten past 84 degrees, which is fine by me. I dislike it much when it's sweltering.

On Friday, we picked up Dan's cousin and went to Cheesquake State Park. The place is gorgeous. There are trails to hike, a lake to swim in, bird watching, a basketball court, grilling, and countless other activities available. We went to the lake, which Will actually enjoyed. It was a bit cold for me, but nice. Will held on to me and splashed the water. We did, however, get out of the water fast when something bit my thigh. I have no idea what it was and I didn't care. All four of us got out.

Once we dried out, we went hiking. We passed a couple that was crabbing. They caught some blue crabs. Then we met up with another couple that were walking their huge dog Jacky. She decided to go for a swim. The rest of the short hike was beautiful. The forest was full of pine barrens and the trail was sandy. I wished we would have been able to do the full hike, but it was getting late.

Here are the blue crabs and if you look closely, you could see Dan taking the picture!

Will, Christopher, and myself:

Jacky swimming:

The beautiful forest:

On Saturday, we went to a pool party/bbq that my coworker had invited me to. He has three beautiful kids ranging from 3 to 8. One of my other coworkers who also has a child was invited as well. In total there were 6 adults and 5 children. We had such a great time. They live in a beautiful home in Madison, NJ. The kids spent most of their time in the backyard playing and were all very sweet to him by making sure he was having a good time.

The only pictures I have are from the pool, but they're great. Will did have an incident at the pool, though. We were in the kiddie pool with him. The deepest part was 18 inches. He was fine walking around and grabbing all of the toys that were floating around. Dan and I were sitting at the edge of the pool watching him play. He ventured into the deeper part and slipped. When he tried to get up and out of the water, he couldn't because he was too buoyant. I hadn't seen him fall into the water because at that moment I had turned my face to say something to Dan. Dan did see and immediately jumped into action as I did. The lifeguard was also very quick. We got to him and Dan pulled him out. For a second, Will had his eyes closed and wasn't breathing. He did, luckily, breathe out. I guess he was holding his breath and wasn't sure if he was out or not. He was great about the whole deal. He didn't cry and wanted to continue playing.

Here's Will playing with the water:

Let these weekends keep on coming!

May This Summer be as Wonderful as This Past Weekend

2009-07-08T00:32:00.012-04:00

What a wonderful three day weekend I had! You already know about the hike. I haven't told you about July 4th or what turned out to be a surprise day off for both Dan and I on Monday. May there be more weekends like this one this summer.

On Saturday, we had our friend Cody come over to watch the fireworks. Since we live close to Hoboken, we decided to take a walk over there. The walk was a good 40 minutes. We took an elevator down the cliff (there's a light rail stop there) and made it all the way to the downtown area. The day was beautiful and it was a great walk.

Will, surprisingly, stayed in the stroller the entire time we were making our way to the fireworks. Once we made it to our destination, he got out and ran around. As soon as the fireworks started, he stayed put and watched them. He loved them and would clap and cheer when everyone else did the same. It was adorable. I guess he was as excited as we were because he stayed awake the entire time we were there. We didn't get back home until midnight and that's when he fell asleep.

Let's skip to Monday! On Friday, I was able to switch my schedule around and got Monday off. Dan, however, was suppose to work. Well, it dawned on us on Monday morning that he should try to to take a vacation day. He texted his boss, but she didn't respond. So, he left for work. Not even five minutes after he left, he came back with the good news that she let him take the day off! So what to do on an unexpected day off? Go to the beach!

We have not been to the beach since we lived in Florida and that was about four years ago. So, I was as excited as I could be. We made it there, settled down, and applied lots of sunscreen. Will was happy until we tried going into the water. I held him as we walked towards the shore and he took one look at the water and cried. He didn't even want to stand and get his feet wet. Poor little guy! I brought him into the water, but he was not having it. Oh well, back to the sand, which he loved.

Will hated the water so much that he would cry out for me whenever I went in. He actually would run up to the water and call for me to come back in. I would come out and he would hug me. It broke my heart and I stayed out. We tried one more time getting in, but it was useless. He was miserable and I didn't want to ruin the day for him. Someday, he'll like the beach.

The day was absolutely gorgeous and we took advantage of it. We didn't leave until 8pm. Once we made it home, we unpacked and knocked out. Ahhhh.......

Our weekend was so wonderful. We always enjoy ourselves when we go out, but this weekend felt like a vacation. I loved it and hope that there are more wonderful mini-vacations in store for us.

Enjoy the pictures!

Sunny Days!

2009-07-06T06:45:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh, the sun has decided to grace us with her appearance just in time for the holiday weekend. We took full advantage of this opportunity and went on a impromptu hike yesterday. Actually, the whole trip was unexpected. I wanted to go to Bear Mountain and instead ended up at Sterling Forest State Park. We've never visited this park even though it's next to Harrimon State Park and Bear Mountain.

What a beauty! I can't believe we've never gone through this forest. The area is so large that you have to drive to the different parts of the park. The woods are so beautiful and pristine that you forget that civilization is near by. Dan and I have to come back here to do some serious hiking. Anyone want to babysit????

We made it to the visitor center, which had a beautiful lake behind it that you were able to hike. Once we were done checking out the visitor's center and got a map to the hikes available by the lake, we were off to our hike. We really weren't prepared for the hike. I was wearing flat shoes, that fortunately had a nice grip to the ground, but I felt every step I took. Will was wearing sandals, but they at least had a good grip to them. Dan was the one that was most prepared.

Either way, the hike was very short only be 0.4 miles long. The seclusion of the trail amazed me because right after taking a few steps you were what it seemed like the middle of the woods. At first, I was concerned that the hike would be a little too much for Will since it wasn't a flat trail and there were many rocks. As always, he amazes me. He was great. The spots that were difficult for him to go through, we carried him. Otherwise, he hiked it himself. He even got to go under a huge tree that had fallen. He loved it!

The end of this trail was just beautiful. We were able to sit down right at the edge of the lake. We took off our shoes and soaked our feet. The water was cool, crisp, and just so inviting. Will loved wetting his feet. If he had his way, he would have gone in. Unfortunately, we couldn't let him go because we were sitting on big rocks and it was to slippery to run around. He didn't seem to mind. He sat there with us and soaked in the sun.

Our little impromptu trip was great. We all had so much fun. The trip reignited Dan's love of hiking and there will be more trips coming up. I leave you with some pictures. We didn't have our camera with us, but snapped some pictures with our cell phones.

Enjoy!

Phili for the Weekend

2009-06-21T23:43:00.005-04:00

Dan and I have been dying to get away for at least a weekend. The last time we went away, we went to Florida when Will was seven months old and I spent the entire week sick. There was no beach or pool. Anyway, for the past month, we've been deciding on where to go. There were several options: Catskills, Poconos, Washington DC, Ocean City, MA, down the Shore, and Philadelphia.

We decided on Phili because the weekend was going to be a washout. We figured we would see the aquarium, the zoo, and museums even if it rained. The hotel we booked was in King of Prussia right outside of Valley Forge just in case it didn't rain. Everything seemed like a great plan. We got to the hotel and saw that we were across the street from the King of Prussia Mall, which is enormous. There was a Chili's across the street as well. Not bad!

We expected rain, but man the weather was awful. It was just pouring. We did make it to Valley Forge. We walked a good mile into the park and then it started pouring on us. Will kept on having meltdowns because he was strapped into his stroller the majority of the time. It was a mess. We only made it to Philadelphia for a couple of hours. We never got to see any of the sights we had planned on. We couldn't get off and walk around because of the downpour.

We did make it to Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks. They are suppose to be the best in steak sandwiches. They're across the street from each other and the lines are long. Guess what? We tried a sandwich from each place and did not care for either one of the them. You want great steak sandwiches? Then go to Dos Amigos in West New York, NJ. This place puts them to shame.

Besides all the downs we had, we did enjoy ourselves as much as we could. We watched two movies while we were rained in. We did make it into the mall and walked around a lot. The one thing I do regret is that we never got to go out to dinner at a nice place. I really wanted a sit down dinner to celebrate Father's Day, but it was impossible.

Today turned out to be the nicest day of the weekend. We got to hang out at the mall, Will cooperated, and the traffic on the way home was pretty good. We both have tomorrow off, which we need to recuperate. Overall, we had a nice time. We'll just have to go back when the rain gods are on vacation.

This One is All About Me

2009-06-16T00:14:00.002-04:00

I truly believe that you have control over your life. At times, it's difficult to swallow that pill. Life throws curve balls at you and you think there's no way you would do this to yourself. Well, you purposely don't, but you do. On days that I'm cranky or I'm plain bitchy, my day goes wrong. On days that I'm feeling fine, they tend to go better.

For quite a few years now, I've been racking my brain on why if I meditate often, try my hardest to see the best in people, always try to be as kind as possible, and have changed the way I view the world am I still stuck. Well for starters, I'm concerned on why I'm stuck, which by the Law of Attraction means that I'm attracting more situations that keep me stuck. Besides that, there's an underlying theme going on with me. I don't take care of myself.

Now, I don't mean that I'm unhealthy or that I'm some kind of a slob. On the contrary, I eat healthy most of the times and I take care of my appearance. The problem lies in feeling guilty about purchasing stuff for myself. I feel so guilty all the time. I drive myself crazy about it. For instance, my flat iron broke about a year ago. I've been agonizing about buying a new one ever since. The reason I don't is because I don't want to spend the money on it because the money could be used for something else. If I get birthday money, I tend to spend it on bills instead of myself.

This obsession I have with going without is what has me going without. It finally hit me from two weird dreams I had about a week ago. The first dream, I was told to place a plate under my bed because I had a spirit that was holding me back. It would be an offering so that the spirit would not be without. The second dream, I was in hell (not the hot one; more like an alternate reality) and was hiding from the Devil because he hated me. I specifically remember questioning my existence in hell since I had not been a bad person when alive. These dreams are my subconscious letting me know that I'm ruining my existence.

The other day, I was at the mall. I wanted to buy a new top and shoes. Since I've lost so much weight, I'm pretty much out of clothes to wear and have to rebuild my wardrobe. I know that I need to shop, but that whole guilt thing keeps me from buying stuff because it's too much money and I convince myself that I don't really need it. Well, I fought these evil demons and bought my top and shoes. I felt horrible the entire time I was trying them on and even flirted with the idea of leaving the items at the stores. Luckily, Dan was shopping with me and pushed me to get them. He can't stand how I always find a way out of buying stuff for myself. If it wasn't for him, I would own less clothes and shoes.

This particular incident also had me thinking. Why should I feel bad about buying myself stuff? I need a new top and I'm in desperate need of shoes. Why should I feel guilty? Then it all hit me: the dreams, the way my life always seems to lack (and what I mean by that is that I always state that I can't afford this or that), and my guilt. I'm the spirit that's holding me back. I'm in hell because I put myself there. It's all my doing.

I can't move forward in life until I get rid of my hang-ups. I declared to me and to Dan that I will be updating my wardrobe and will not feel guilty doing so. Of course, I'm not going on a shopping spree, but I will no longer carry that dead weight around. It's time to shed my old skin and get comfortable with the new one. I'm buying clothes that I like and need and that's the end of it! Yay!

Date Night

2009-06-05T02:53:00.005-04:00

On June 3rd, Dan and I had a date night. We've had this plan for several weeks now since we need a babysitter for the night. We are extremely lucky that my parents are always willing to babysit him. They do so while I'm at work and once in a blue moon we ask them to so that we could go out. Since we were going to a Yankee game and they were playing at night, I packed up his pajamas and extra food because the chances were that he would be asleep by the time we got home. I was working the morning shift at my job the following day, which made it pointless to drag him out of my parents' place to come back in the morning.

We had a blast. The Yankees were loosing, but we were enjoying ourselves. The stadium is beautiful. We had beer, delicious garlic fries, and nachos. Our date was wonderful. We did leave the game early, but not early enough to pick the baby up. My mom told me he was asleep and not to bother. So, we went home.

The following morning, we both went to work. I called my mom to make sure Will was doing fine. I really was missing him terribly. Everything was fine until around 5:00-6:00pm. My mother told me that he was kind of crying and very sad. My heart dropped. I finally made it to their place and walked through the door. Will looked at me, began pouting, started crying, ran to me, and hugged me. He just cried a sad cry and held on to me for about a good five minutes. I kept on apologizing to him and explaining where we had gone and he just held me. I asked for a kiss and he wouldn't give me one. I wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear.

After he let go of me, he went directly to my mother's arms and kept a very serious face. He was mad at me. He stared at me with those gorgeous sad eyes and my heart kept on sinking. I started playing with him giving him kisses and poking his nose and after about a minute of me doing that, his frown turned into a smile. He let go of my mother and gave me a kiss.

I feel so horrible for putting him through this anguish. Date nights will have to be put on hold until we find someone reliable enough that could stay at our place when we go out. No more of this sleeping over anyone's place until he's old enough to understand that we're not abandoning him. I never want to see that look on his face again. Besides, it's a lot of work for my mother. I don't want to burden her anymore than I already am.

Sigh...

NY Times Article on Kids

2009-06-02T08:22:00.002-04:00

Dan forwarded me an article from the NY Times called The Way We Live Now-Let the Kid Be. Let me tell you, it got me thinking. I'm a worry wort by nature. I worry about the simplest things even if there's no need for any concern on my part. I've toned it down over the years, but with Will around, it's creeping back up. I worry about his feelings. I don't want to see him get hurt, which is really part of life. I worry about me not educating him enough. I really worry about that one. I try not to do this, but sometimes I compare where each child is at to Will. I know, this is utterly ridiculous. He's a smart little boy. He's learning new words every single day. If I took the time and wrote down every single word he utters, it would probably be at least 100 words (personally, I think it's more). Besides talking up a storm, he knows how to tell us what he needs.

The worry wort in me obsesses with wanting to sign him up in every single class possible to ensure that he's well rounded. I get upset when I work nights now because I'm not around him and worry that he'll be scarred emotionally by this. I make sure that on the mornings I'm off or on any day off that I'm out and about with him (especially now that the weather is nicer). I want to buy him every single educational toy there is out there. He needs to be learning.

The point is that this is not healthy for any of us. He's fine and I need to accept that. I will still take him out because that's me, but I need to relax on all the other stuff. I need to be my own person, too. My free time is very limited and I just want to be able to sit down for half an hour and not have to worry about anything. I want to be myself. I think Will would want the same for me. The article is great and I suggest you take the time to read it.

I'm Exhausted!

2009-05-31T16:09:00.004-04:00

From 9 am forward, Will grabbed his shoes, walked right up to the front door, and said "Let's go". I looked at Dan and we both kind of laughed . We got ourselves ready and out we went. We grabbed some hot dogs, a burger, and a grilled cheese for Will at this place called Hirams and ate outside on their picnic tables. There was a squirrel that was stalking us or anybody for food. Will was so funny because he looked at him and told him to "go". We enjoyed the breeze and the food. What a gorgeous day!

After our lunch, we went to a park by the Hudson River in Edgewater. It had a great walkway and tons of geese. The geese were great, but not all the droppings we kept on trying to avoid. Will learned how to say the words geese and tree (btw, his vocabulary is expanding very rapidly). We had a great time and it was the perfect weather. Sorry, there are no pictures. Our camera ran out of batteries and we didn't have any backup.

The meltdown did occur and it was at Target. From the moment we got there to pretty much until we left, Will was screaming and crying. I put him down on the floor for a minute while I was deciding which cereal bar to buy. During that minute, he managed to get Pop Tarts off the shelf and the pricing plastic thingy. I, by mistake, knocked him down and he just laughed at me. After trying to put the shelving thing back on unsuccessfully, I gathered my cereal bars, the Hershey syrup, and Will and ran to Dan.

We finally made it to the car and both Will and I fell asleep. He's still out and I'm trying to do a million things at once. Wow, I'm really exhausted. It was a great day! Let's hope I still have energy to cook.

Great Day for Some Hiking!

2009-05-30T21:14:00.005-04:00

Will and I went to the State Line Lookout today. What a perfect day for hiking. It was about 80 degrees, but nice and breezy. I love this place. There are several trails to choose from and each trail is marked by the severity of the trail. We took the easiest trail for obvious reasons. I was carrying a backpack and most likely a 25 lb little guy. Besides, I don't want Will to get discouraged by harder trails. Although, I think he might enjoy the challenge.

Number one rule (at least for me and it's recommended by many hiking books) is to never hike alone. The reason is if you fall and hurt yourself there is always someone who could go back for help. Ideal number is three. One person stays behind with the injured hiker and the other person goes for help. The reason I bring this up is because I became a bit nervous as I got further into my trail. I was alone with Will and the trail became secluded very fast and we didn't come across other hikers. So, I didn't venture far into the trail. I might have traveled between 5 to 10 minutes. Of course, it took longer because we were stopping to enjoy the view. I wish Dan would have been with me. We would have gone further in and had tons more fun.

Regardless, we had a really good time. Will seems to enjoy these hikes. He runs forward and suddenly stops to stare at a plant or whatever caught his eye. I'm already envisioning the future of him hiking with us for hours. Of course, he has to still like doing so.

Besides hiking, later on in the day we went to a playground with Dan and his cousin Christopher. The guys played basketball and Will and I went up and down the slide that is until Will realized they were playing basketball. Then he went directly to the basketball court. At one point, he tried shooting the ball into a hoop. He stood directly under the hoop and through the ball up. Unfortunately, it only went up about two inches and went directly behind his head. We really need to get him a little basketball hoop for his room. He loves basketball!

What an eventful day! He's finally gone to sleep and I'm hoping that today's activities will lead to a very restful sleep. Furthermore, I hope it leads to a later awake time. Hey, anyone could dream! Enjoy the pictures!

Will's Hike

2009-05-24T18:40:00.004-04:00

I finally got the two pictures I took from our hike on Thursday on to the computer. Here's Will enjoying his walk:

He's such a big boy now. Sigh...

Mother's Day and Beyond

2009-05-24T06:34:00.005-04:00

A few years back, I went on a hike craze where I purchased a few books on hiking. One of these books is called 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: New York City. Right at the beginning of the book, there's a hiking recommendation section, which gives you a good amount of trails that are child friendly. For Mother's Day, we decided to try out one of the recommendations. We went to Croton Point Park.

The park was nice, but there was construction going on in some parts of the park. So, there were areas we couldn't get near. The trail was a walkway along the park. We were sort of confused by the map and where we were walking. There was a section of the trail that was blocked, which we didn't go through to only find out later that we should have gone pass the blocked area. Besides that and the insane amount of wind there was, we had a great time. Will ran around and played and seemed to be having fun. The view of the Hudson was spectacular. We'll have to return and picnic here. The park is great.

I've been working like a maniac. With all the training I had to do with the new job, I really haven't had much energy to do anything else. I did, however, manage to take Will on another little hike this past week. I had Thursday morning off and it was gorgeous out. I grabbed the little guy and took him to a park (I can't remember the name of it) right below the George Washington Bridge. There's a picnic/bbq area, playground, spectacular view of the City, and since it's at the bottom of the cliff by the water, it does have great hiking.

Hugging the shore line of the Hudson River, there's a trail called the Dyckman Shore Trail. I've been on this trail before, but never have gone through it completely. It was perfect for Will and I. Since it was a weekday morning, the area was nice and quiet. I was the only one with a kid there. Everyone else was either biking, jogging, or plain walking. We walked along the trail for quite some time. Will was looking at the river, the flowers, and everything else around him. He ran, laughed, and stared. I really enjoyed my time with him.

So when Will gets tired of walking, he does this thing where he begins to squat. He began doing that here, which was my cue to turn around and head back to the car. I carried him back and it must have been the sweetest walk we've had so far. He had his head on my shoulder and faced the river. He was so peaceful that he fell right to sleep. We lasted a good hour at this park. He has energy and loves the walking.

With the weather getting nicer, I'm going to take advantage and take him to every park that has kid friendly hikes, whether they are just walkways or little getaways like the trail hugging the Hudson River. He loves stretching his little legs and I love being in nature. Perfect combination! I hope his love of walking continues as he gets older and we'll go on big hikes. Hiking for me is very spiritual. I feel connected to everything. I hope he'll feel this way, too.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T22:03:00.002-04:00

I wish all Moms out there a very special day! Enjoy your kids, whether they're little or big!

Ft. Tyron Park

2009-05-03T06:29:00.005-04:00

The weather was suppose to be crappy this past Saturday, but I guess we got a reprieve. Since it was already the afternoon when the sun came out, we decided to go to a place that would be pretty close. Fort Tyron Park was the place we had decided on. Neither one of us had ever gone there, which made the excursion fun.

I'm so glad Dan thought of this place. The Cloisters is located at this park. The place is gorgeous. We didn't take a tour of the place because the weather was too gorgeous outside. We walked, ran, played, and enjoyed the afternoon. The park is really pretty with gorgeous plants and flowers, hills everywhere, and nice spots you where you could take naps or just soak in the sun.

Here are some pictures of our outing:

Enjoy!

Since it Feels Like Summer...

2009-04-26T07:32:00.002-04:00

I have set up some goals for myself this summer. First off, one of the changes happening to me starting May 5th is a new job. I'm leaving the corporate world of commuting into Manhattan everyday, working 8:30 to 5:30 for the restaurant business. Why? For starters, my fall school schedule conflicts with my work schedule. Second, I'll make more money. Third, I won't have to work as many days.

Since I'll be working less days, my main goal is to take Will out everywhere. I want him to enjoy the summer to the fullest and I want to enjoy him to the fullest. I'm so psyched about this. You can't imagine. I'm going to take him everywhere!

My second goal is to read as many books as I can. Once September rolls around, it's not happening. Right now, I'm reading a teenage book (Dan gets copies of books from his company to review and they publish teenage books) called "The Secret Circle: The Initiation and the Captive Part I." So far so good. I have a bunch of other books to read that I haven't had any chance to get to.

My third goal is to crochet or knit something. This will probably be the one goal I can't attain because it requires some type of not chasing a toddler time. Nonetheless, I will try even if it's one thing I make this summer.

Well, that's it so far for my goals. I do want to say that I'll do some kind of workout throughout this summer, but it hasn't happened for me yet. Maybe with a less rigid schedule, I'll be able to manage a workout here and there. We'll see....

Lot's to Talk About and No Time to Do So

2009-04-22T19:03:00.004-04:00

There's so much going on around me that I can't possibly put into this blog. Things are in the works that I will not mention until they come to be. I have this habit of mentioning stuff that might happen, only to have it not happen. I'm making a conscious effort (along with Dan) to keep our mouths shut. If it happens, great and if it doesn't, fine. You should always keep your wishes private that way nobody else could influence the outcome. I'm not saying that people wish me bad because that's not the case, but people have different views on things. Those different views, I believe, have an influence on outcomes. Once I have settled a few things, I'll post them.

Will surprises me every day. We took him out last weekend to a park in Brooklyn. We were meeting up with a few friends. Dan played three games of basketball with the guys and I played all afternoon in the park with Will. We had tons of fun. Will learned how to climb a fence and go up the stairs without my help. He played some basketball too.

He's a very active little boy. Can I tell you that we left our place around 10:30 and didn't get back home until around 10:00 and not once he took a nap? This kid was none stop. He ran everywhere, played everywhere, and tired Mommy a lot. By the time that Dan and I were walking to Port Authority to catch the bus back home, I could barely walk. My legs were aching so badly. Not even in my toughest workouts have I ever felt this way. I better hit the gym again to keep up with him because I'm sure he's only get more active.

Tomorrow we're taking him out again. The weather is going to be gorgeous and I'm not keeping him at home. He loves being outside. He loves walking and for long periods of times. We're taking him to a petting zoo. He should have tons of fun there and I'm sure we'll come back home with everything aching.

Well, time to go. Talk to you soon!

Pictures!

2009-04-18T07:12:00.005-04:00

I know I've been bad about posting pictures of the little guy. Here you go, enjoy!

Random

2009-04-17T06:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday turned out to be a dry, sunny day. Will was right on cue for walking. He stepped out of my parents' place and immediately wanted to walk. We reached the car and the yelling began. Trying to get a toddler into a car seat while he stiffens his body is not an easy task to endeavor. Add to that loosing my balance during the struggle and you could imagine how stressful the few minutes were. I'm amazed that I don't loose my cool. There's no blood beginning to boil or adrenaline pumping through my veins. I'm insanely calm. If this were ten years ago, this wouldn't be the case. I thought I use to be strong, but now I know I wasn't.

So off to the park we drove. Dan was meeting us there and I was excited. I love being outside and sharing this time with my two favorite people is even better. It was a bit chillier than I had expected. Will's hands were turning pink and we decided to cut the outing short. Will was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was running, yelling, grabbing grass and twigs. He was chasing us and we were chasing him.

I picked him up while he had a twig in each hand because he was trying to run off toward the street. I'm not sure how this happened but he shoved one of the twigs into my nose. My eyes immediately watered and I swore I would start bleeding at any second. Man did that suck! My nose is still raw and tender this morning. Boys....

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-04-15T21:49:00.007-04:00

After raining all day, the evening cleared up and guess what we ended up doing? Yup, some more walking. I swear, we walked more than we did the other day. This time around, I carried around the stroller. I think on our twelfth block (this is after playing on the swing and see-saw), he got antsy. Holding hands was not an option for him and walking this way wasn't an option for me.

I put him into the stroller and all hell broke loose. He threw the biggest fit he's ever thrown. There was screaming, crying, kicking off his shoes (about five times), and whining. This went on for about two and a half blocks. I stood my ground and let him throw his fit. I thought I would be self-conscious about it, but it didn't phase me. It won't be the first or last fit he'll throw. He calmed down eventually and got upset again when I was putting him into the car. By this time, I had a headache.

We made it home and by this time you could tell he was tired. He grabbed a giraffe (part of a puzzle) and shoved it under the fridge. Of course, while this is going on and I'm trying to stop him, Dan calls me. I answer the phone as if the world is falling apart. I move the fridge, it gets stuck, and I want to cry. I keep it together and go into the living room to play with him.

Dan finally got home and Will was ready to knock out. I brush his teeth and lay down with him. All that walking got to him and he fell asleep within five minutes. The walking and the giraffe under the fridge got to me too because I almost knocked out right along with him.

It's now 10:10 pm and I managed to eat two cookies, half a ham and cheese sandwich, and a Godiva milk chocolate egg with almond butter. I did manage one other productive thing and that was registering for my summer classes. Yes, I got accepted into graduate school, which I'm not sure if I mentioned it in earlier posts (probably not). This is very exciting!

I'm babbling. It's time for bed. I need to be up by 5:30 am and exhaustion is ruling my body. Good night.

My Little Guy

2009-04-14T22:31:00.005-04:00

He always seems to amaze me. I underestimate him all the time. My thought process: he's too little. Let me tell you, I need to change that quickly. He is a smart little boy and Mommy needs to wise up to that.

Will has been on this walking kick and I don't mean walking around the apartment. I mean wanting to walk outside. It's no longer satisfactory to him for me to carry him when I take him out of the car to drop him off at my mother's place. He wants to walk over. On top of wanting to walk over, he likes to walk up to her apartment, which is on the third floor.

When it's time to pick him up to go back home, he wants to walk to the car and continue walking right pass the car. It basically ends up with him throwing a fit while I'm trying to strap him into the car seat. It's not a fun experience for him or me.

Since it was so nice out yesterday and I didn't have to cook dinner, I decided that when we got home we would go for a walk. We started on our walk and I was doing my best to describe all of his surroundings from the birds chirping to the bushes he was touching. He was having a blast.

There's a park a few blocks from my apartment. The only problem with getting to this park is going down a steep hill and then coming back up. We made it to the park, but it was packed with kids playing basketball and touch football. So, I turned around and faced the hill. We began walking up and I kept on asking him if he wanted me to carry him. His response was always "no" and when I would actually pick him up, he would squirm out of my arms. Well let me tell you, he made it up that hill.

We managed walking ten blocks. Yup, he inherited my walking genes. What impressed me more was what happened when I was going to continue walking to meet Dan at the bus stop. We have to pass our house to make it there. Will stopped in front of our place, faced it, and said "up". He knows where we live!! How great is that?

He's great and I can't get enough of him.

Early Intervention

2009-04-11T18:43:00.002-04:00

Will's evaluation was today. My nerves have taken a back seat since the day his pediatrician alarmed me. Dan and I have been on him like white on rice with reading and playing. His vocabulary has jumped and (I think) he's been babbling more. Those are all good signs. But besides the vocabulary, I've been observing his actions. He's been vocal about wanting things (like water or cookies). He helps you take the groceries out of the bags. He's been pretend playing a lot, especially with the phone. He walks around the apartment pretending that he's talking to somebody.

Within 15 to 20 minutes of the psychologist and speech language pathologist watching and playing with him, they were able to tell me that he's where he should be. The 20-50 words for his age is not accurate. It's more like 10-15 words, which is where he was last month. The only thing they did notice from him was that he was quiet. We told him that he's distracted by the toys and Dan mentioned that we all tend to be quiet, which is probably why he was. They told us that we need to be more talkative. By the end of their visit, he was yapping away. They saw how he asked for water, cookies, and to go "up" for me to carry him.

We mentioned to them that we were looking for either to put him into daycare a few times a week or finding some kind of play group for him so that he's exposed to other children. They gave us some great suggestions, which we'll be checking out and they agreed that he needs exposure to other kids. They were very pleased with him and said that we're doing a great job with him and he doesn't qualify for any help. He's fine!

Although I had suspected as much, it is a relief to know it. I won't feel so bad the next time I go to the doctor and she tells me he's not up to par with his vocabulary. I'll simply let her know about today's evaluation and say that he's fine. There are no cognitive or social issues to worry about.

About him being quiet. I'm not sure how Dan was when he was a kid, but I know that I was very quiet even when I was playing. I have a feeling Dan was the same because he's that way now (not that he's playing), but you know what I mean. It might be that we passed it down to him. He keeps himself entertained for a good amount of time. He also doesn't have another kid around him to keep him talking. He's not shy because he immediately went to the women and smiled at them (especially when he saw the suitcase full of toys they brought with them).

We're really happy with their evaluation. We just have to make sure that we're more talkative and expose him more to other children. Now that the weather will be nicer, I'll make sure he's out at the park, playing with other kids. And now I'm off to find him some play groups!!

Stressful Past Month

2009-03-22T09:24:00.002-04:00

From the last time I posted, the stress levels have quadrupled (probably more). I've broken out, which I haven't experienced since high school. I've lost weight, which I don't necessarily mind. I'm six pounds away from my goal weight. If I could find the time to tone up, I would feel great. I've been having nightmares. Basically, I've been a mess.

What began stressing me was having to take the GRE, which I took yesterday. I was suppose to be in school this spring semester. I had gone to talk to the head of the department I'll be going to school at to find out more about the program I'm interested in, which is a Master's in Urban Education with an ESL certification. Since, I'm going back to the school where I have an undergraduate degree from, I was kind of hoping they would not make me take the GRE. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Since there wasn't enough time to take the GRE and get accepted into the program for the spring, she told me to apply to the certification program and whenever I'm ready to take the GRE I could and then apply to the Master's program. What's ridiculous is the difference between the certification program and the Master's program is six credits. Can you believe that? Anyway, I applied to the certification program and got accepted. I figured that at anytime I could take the GRE. So, I'll take my time with it and really prepare for it. I've taken it once in the past and did horrible. So, I wanted to have enough time to get ready for it.

I applied for financial aid and got rejected, which I didn't understand why. Well, I went back to the head of the department and she informed me that since the certification is not a "degree" program that financial aid is not available. She said that I could either pay out of pocket or take out a private loan, none of which are an option for me. I don't want to take out a private loan right now and I'm not getting rid of any money I have saved up with the way the economy is going. So, I cried and cried on my way home from school, which I must of looked ridiculous because I was on the bus and everyone was staring at me.

This was happening around the holidays. Once they were over and I was able to get my sh*t together, I decided that the only way I would be able to go back to school is if I took that damn GRE. I signed up for it as late as possible. The deadline to apply for the fall is April 1st. So, March 21st was doomsday for me. I bought my GRE test practice book and started pounding the studying. I didn't concentrate on the math part because I'm not good at it and a month and half of studying math wasn't going to help me much, but I worked really hard on the vocabulary. While there was down time at work, I would study and if I got any time at home, I studied (that didn't happen very often).

Yesterday was doomsday. I took the grueling exam and found it to be a bit easier than the material I was using to study, except of course for the math. All the studying paid off and I did decent. It wouldn't get me into Columbia or NYU, but it was more than what I need to get into the program at my school. So by the end of today, I will apply to the Master's program and financial aid. If I get accepted or not is no longer up to me. I did my part.

If I were to tell you that taking GRE was the only thing causing stress in my life, I would be lying. On March 14th, I took Will for his regular check up. Let's just say I left the office feeling like the worst mother ever. I'll start off with his weight. When I took him back in December, he was weighing 24lbs. Back then, the doctor had told me that he had gained too much weight. He went from being in the 25th percentile to the 50th. So, she had to told me to make sure that it didn't jump to the 75th percentile. Fast forward to his check up now and he lost 4 ounces and is down between the 10th and 25th percentile. I told her that he just had a stomach virus and that's probably the reason why he's lost weight. I told her that I got the same thing and lost 9lbs. But because of this, she wants to see him at 21 months instead of his 2nd birthday. She wants to make sure he's gaining weight.

I get that she has to check out the weight loss, but I was annoyed. It's four ounces. I don't stop my son from eating. He eats snacks all day long and drinks 16 ounces of milk. If I'm having dinner and he wants to eat off my plate even after he ate, I let him. He's eating real food like chicken or beef with rice and beans. He loves his cookies, ice cream, and cinnamon raisin bread. Trust me, he's eating.

On to the next thing that really made me feel like a loser and it's the more serious of the two. She asked me how many words he speaks. I told her that I wasn't sure off the top of my head, but it was around 15 words. She looked at me and said that he should be speaking 20 to 50. My heart dropped. I told her some of the words he says like he asks for water by saying "agua". So she told me that probably the reason for this is because he's bilingual and might not know what language to use. She also asked me if he did puzzles, which he hasn't. I have one puzzle for him, but Louie had chewed one of the pieces. So, I've had it put away.

Needless to say, I left the office feeling awful. How could I have dropped the ball on Will? How could I have not noticed that he's not speaking as much as he should? How could I? It's my fault. There are several things going on here and these aren't valid excuses, but it's what's going on. I get up at 5:30am, drop Will off at my parents' by 7, and finally pick him up around 6:00 to 6:30pm. I get home around 6:45 to 7:00pm and right away I start making dinner. Dan doesn't get home until after 7 and he helps me finish dinner off. We eat around 8-8:30 and then it's time for Will to go to sleep. I don't interact enough with him. He plays around me or just hangs out watching me. On the weekends, I play with him, but you know how that goes. There are tons of errands to run and tons of cleaning to do.

Since that doctor's visit, Dan and I have adjusted how we work things when we get home and I also had a long talk with my parents. I told them that he can't watch too much tv and to make sure that they label everything when they speak to him. I don't care that it's in Spanish. I just want him to speak more. I also told my mom not to anticipate his needs so much, to let him ask for stuff. The doctor thinks that's another reason for his lack of talking. We know what he wants so he doesn't find the need to let us know verbally. When we get home at night, I still start dinner, but the minute Dan gets home, he gets on with it and I sit down with Will to play. We play with the puzzles, blocks, and read books. I manage to eat a bit and then I try to give him milk (oh yeah, she wants him to stop drinking milk from a bottle, so I've been battling with him to drink milk from a sippy cup). I read to him some more and he finally goes down to sleep.

Dan and I decided that just in case there's something else going on with his lack of talking, that we would have him evaluated. If there's some developmental delay, then we'll be able to get on it immediately and help him out. Dan called Early Intervention and we're waiting to set up the appointment. We also, along with my mother, think that maybe we should put him in a daycare for a day or two that way he gets to interact with other kids. My mother says that as much as we play and teach him, he needs other kids around him. Dan and I need to figure out how to work this because money is really tight with us. My job is not secure at all. I've also been looking for like Saturday classes in my area like a Mommy and me, but my county seems to be lacking those kinds of classes.

Wow, sorry for this long post, but that's what's been going on. Let's see how this turns out. I'm hoping for the better. It's not the end of the world if he's a little behind. I just want him not to fall so behind that he has trouble around his peers. If there's more to his lack of talking, then I want him to have all the possible resources around to ensure that he's helped. I'm mad at myself for letting this go on without noticing. Well, it's a lesson learned. I'll keep you posted.

Recipe Time!

2009-02-17T20:11:00.002-05:00

Alrighty, so you're watching what you eat. You've been good, real good, but all you could think of eating is some delicious baked ziti. That bad boy will set you back a few pounds! No need to worry! Here comes a quick easy fix.

Now, I can't really take all the credit for this, because I heard somewhere (here's my disclaimer) to substitute the pasta for eggplant. Yup, you read correctly. The eggplant holds up like ziti does and it's very nutritious for you.

This is how I made it for us tonight:

1/2 box of ziti (yes, I actually used pasta, but only half the amount I would normally use)
1/2 large eggplant (cut it up to resemble the ziti)
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Newman's Own Roasted Garlic)
Part Skim Ricotta Cheese (enough to mix in with the eggplant/pasta)
1/2 lb. of shredded Part Skim Mozzarella

Cook pasta as you normally would. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Assemble all of the ingredients in a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Voila!

Even though this is a lower fat recipe, it doesn't mean you could go crazy and eat half a tray of this. There's still cheese in this, which is fattening. Portion control my friends! Portion control!

Let me tell you, this is such a yummy substitute. Dan even loved it. He was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The eggplant enhances the taste of the dish and it's perfectly tender. I think it's a genious and easy way to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet, trick your kids into eating more veggies, and lower the amount of calories you have in a day. Let's not forget how much less refined carbohydrates you're eating, too.

This is also a great recipe because it allows you to have some fun with your diet. Although, I have to admit that if you're eating healthy, you're not eating boring. There are so many different dishes you could make that are super healthy for you and don't taste like cardboard. You just have to be adventurous. Even with this recipe you could go crazy by adding some chicken (if you want some protein) or add other vegetables into the mix. Be creative. Try it out!!

Rough, Rough, and Just Plain Rough...

2009-02-06T22:17:00.002-05:00

As hectic as life seems to me for the past week, it could have been worse. On Monday morning, the president of the company I work for called a mandatory meeting (only two hours in advance). You know that's never good. Before the meeting even started, some of my coworkers started packing their desks. One of my coworkers was there for 30 years. It's just sad. I lucked out.

The meeting was gloomy. The CEO informed everyone that anyone making over $25,000 will receive a 5% deduction from their salary for the next four months and overtime is no longer allowed. Everyone just looked down when he announced that. If this is what it takes for us to hold on to our jobs for a bit longer, so be it.

The CEO kept on reiterating how the company is the leader in the industry, which it is. Within this past year, ten offices have closed and tons of people were handed pink slips. I wonder what's going on with our competitors. They are lowering their prices so much that if this company would do the same, it would go under. So, the company pays the price by loosing over $100 million worth of business. Ouch.

What I'm worried about is the end of the four months. Salaries are going right back to normal (well, there was a pay freeze this year, but whatever)after the four months and that was guaranteed by the CEO. Unless, miraculously, we get some of that business back, there will be more layoffs. I'm sorry President Obama, I won't be stimulating the economy. I need to hold on to my money because I may not have a job soon.

My boss talked to me about the situation and what it means for me. I'm the newest one in the department, which may mean that I could be next. He's lobbying for me to take over the job that the person that worked for 30 years had since I basically give him the commercial needed for him to transfer and to show me some data entry that someone in my department does (in order to fill in when he's out on vacation; he definitely will not get fired). He's hoping that with the more duties I have, the more valuable I'll be. We'll see if his theory works.

This all happened on Monday. Now on to the rest of the week. I've been significantly busier at work since the layoffs/salary reduction announcement. I guess the sales' staff is finally realizing that they actually need to work. My eyes are about to fall off from looking at so much advertisement. As a result, I've done 2 hours of overtime. But wait, there is no overtime. Right. Yeah, I'll be leaving early next week to get back those two hours.

On Tuesday night, we said our goodbyes to my sister-in-law who was headed back to Miami. She's also taken Louie (our pooch) with her. I cried so much. He's been with us for nine years and I miss him dearly. There's no one to trip over and no treats to give. Wednesday morning I was preparing my sandwich for work and turned to drop him some meat. I cried some more. I know he's missing us too and I feel awful for letting him go. I feel like a horrible parent.

He's tried biting Will several times and I can't allow that to happen. The stress I had about the dog and the baby being around each other was immense. I couldn't relax and Dan definitely couldn't either. He's back down in Florida with my in-laws who are very gracious for taking him being that they already have two dogs. I miss him.

Also on Wednesday, we went to look at an apartment. The place is very spacious and right where I would love to move. We went back on Thursday to take a second look, but it doesn't seem we'll get it. The owner is not interested in renting the place to couples with young kids. She did let us see the place so I figured she might budge. Oh well. By the way, as I'm writing this post, my neighbors are arguing loudly. There are no fists flying, yet. We so need a new place to live.

Let me end this post on a positive note.
1. I have a job.
2. My savings account has gone up.
3. My 401K is hanging in there.
4. I could be pickier about finding an apartment now that Louie has retired to Florida.
5. I've lost some more weight. I need a new hole on my belt.
6. I could finally breathe through my nose.
7. The weekend will be warm enough that I'm taking Will to the park.

Good night....

'09 Please Change

2009-01-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

Man oh man. What can I say? For starters, I have another sinus infection. Since November, this has been a recurring theme. My energy is zapped and I feel awful. This has got to end. I'm thinking about going back to the doctor and see what else I could do for this. Three months with the same symptoms is way too long.

With taking better care of myself and saving money, bringing lunch to work has been an everyday thing for me. The food I'm eating is better than say getting a sandwich at Subways. For the past two weeks, I've been really good by bringing in my own salads with my homemade dressings. I've been putting yummy stuff in there like romaine, spinach, craisins, almonds, and whatever else I think of. So the problem? Since I've been putting vinegar in my dressings and having salads for two weeks now, my mouth has sores in them (gross). I guess the acidity doesn't agree with my tummy. Of course, I didn't realize this until my mother pointed it out to me on Friday. What am I suppose to do now? She suggested I add only olive oil with salt & pepper to my salads. Ughhhhh.....My dressings are very tasteful. This sucks.

With feeling as crappy as I am right now and a combination of going to sleep late last night, I really didn't appreciate waking up this morning at 4:30 to shouting coming from downstairs. What I hear is the son coughing almost as if he was throwing up and his father yelling at him to get into the kitchen. I'm very weary when I hear shouts coming from them because it usually means a fist fight follows. For some reason, I woke Dan up and told them they were fighting again. I'm not sure why I did this. In fact while I was waking him up, I thought the same thing, but it was too late to change my mind. He looks at me, lays there for about a minute (probably less) and jumps out of bed, running towards the door. I'm not sure if he said anything to me while he was running because my ears are clogged from this sinus infection I have and I'm having a difficult time hearing, but he opens the front door (which at this moment I'm confused and scared) and starts screaming "FIRE". I didn't smell anything because again I'm all freaking clogged up.

It took me a second to comprehend what was going on and then I jumped out of bed. By this time, I hear the father downstairs yell back up that it's not a fire. His son was cooking something and forgot about it. Why is this guy cooking at 4:30 am? Anyway, the amount of smoke now entering our place is obscene. We had to open all the windows nice and wide, turn on the fans at high speed, and put on the extractor.

We go into the baby's room and of course it stinks worse there because his room is over the hallway. Our closet, which is in his room, stinks. We took him out of the room, opened his window, and turned on the fan. At this point, he wakes up, which means I'm changing his diaper and giving him milk. There's no way he's falling back to sleep without something in his belly. For some reason, we didn't freeze to death, but man my place has not warmed up yet from having those windows opened.

I cannot begin to tell you how angry we were and actually still are. Luckily, the father woke up and stopped the fire because from what Dan described, I'm not sure we would have been able to leave from the front door from the amount of smoke there was. You should have seen the smoke just entering our apartment. Our other escape route is jumping out of Will's window, which is over the porch. Not something I would like to do with a toddler in my arms. Now, I fear that this kid (he's not a kid; he's 20) will do this again. Who starts making something at 4:00 in the morning and then forgets it? What is he on? If you're that sleepy, don't eat! I'm not comfortable living here any more and will start looking for a new place to live. Between the fights and now this, we've had enough.

As you can see, I'm in desperate need for a little vacation and not a vacation where I'm sick and can't do anything, which is what happened the last time we went away. I must be focusing way too much on all the bad going on because I just keep on attracting it. I'm tired and can't really handle it anymore. Something has to change in a positive way because these last few months have not been living.

Hopefully, my next post will be positive.

I am Fitter Than Ever....

2009-01-10T23:55:00.002-05:00

But not as much as I thought. It turns out that I haven't been able to run at 6.5-7.5 mph again. My theory? I was very stressed out when I went to the gym on that day. Whenever that's the case, I could go on for hours. I remember a long, long time ago I had gotten really angry about something and biked 10 miles without even thinking about it (and not through flat terrain either). I tend to do that. I have also been sore from working out, which might add on to my lesser speed.

One thing I tried that I haven't done in a long time were squats. I have a whole story behind squats. Back when I was in college, I took a weightlifting course. The first day of class, the professor had us do chair squats (sit and get up from a chair) for two hours. There were no weights involved, but just a bunch of us sitting and standing. I can't even begin to tell you how sore I was the next few days and two days later we did it again.

Back then, I was very overweight and doing squats was a mission for me. Regardless, I did them. I didn't want to be the fat girl that couldn't hack it. And of course I was the only overweight person in class. Throughout the semester, we added weights to those squats and they weren't an issue for me.

Fast forward to now. Since I can't make it to the gym whenever I want to, I tend to do mini workouts at home. I'll do push-ups or play Wii Boxing (don't laugh, it gets me going). The other night, I decided on squats. Well, I guess my legs haven't forgotten all those hours of squats I did for this class because I had to stop myself from doing them. I could have kept on going, but I did 50. I was afraid of not being able to walk the next day. Good thing that I did stop because man was I sore the following two days.

so, I'm off to to doing some push-ups and squats before going to bed. It's been a long day. I've been cleaning (and deep cleaning; oven and furniture moving). I'm exhausted. Good night!

What a Start to the Year

2009-01-04T20:19:00.004-05:00

When I said to bring on '09 I wasn't really thinking of an ear infection and very, very sore throat. Will is the one with the ear infection. He's been miserable. My staycation was really a staycation. I haven't left home other than a quick trip to the liquor store, Shop Rite, the gym (yes, I did manage to work-out), and the doctor's visit (today). Five days off and that's it.

Dan's birthday didn't turn out to much. Will was so upset and uncomfortable that he spent the entire day on top of me. I'm not exaggerating. So my plans for his birthday didn't amount to anything. Well, at least Dan plans to celebrate his birthday for the next week. I'll make it up to him.

The sore throat affliction is mine. Yes, back in November I had strep throat. Now, my throat feels as if I have shards of glass stuck. Not fun. So, I've been gargling with some rinse you could buy over the counter, spraying with throat spray, drank got water with lemon and honey, and took a shot of brandy (btw, disgusting). My throat seems a bit better now. I'll have my hot water with lemon and honey cocktail again before going to bed. I expect to feel better by tomorrow.

Wish me luck.

Bring on '09!

2008-12-31T22:44:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I'm ending '08 alone. Dan is bartending and Will is sleeping. But before you feel sorry for me, know that I'm listening to some Metallica, drinking wine, and baking. Dan and I will bring in the New Year when he gets home from work. I have a bottle of sparkling wine (who could afford champagne this year?) and will make some yummy brushetta.

I will not be looking back to '08 at all. The past shall stay in the past with this coming year. Call it a New Year's Resolution. I'm looking forward to all of us getting out of this slump we've been in. In order to change the world you have to change first. If you mope around about how crappy '08 was, guess how '09 will be?

My next resolution is no more "bye-bye arms". Ladies, you know exactly what I mean. I've been working on it by doing some mean push-ups and playing Wii boxing. Laugh all you want, but that game works me out. I'm looking forward to purchasing Wii Fit in the very near future to continue my body make-over. Besides that, I've found a new gym partner. Normally, I don't like working out with others, but I think this will be the motivation I need. Bikini body here I come!

By the way, I went to the gym the other day and found out that I'm fitter than I've ever been. I guess that's what happens when you run around Manhattan to and from work and carry a 24 lb. toddler around. I was able to run on the treadmill between 6.5 and 7.5 miles an hour. This a feat that I've never been able to accomplish. The fastest I've been able to run was at 5.0 mph and that's alternating with walking every two minutes. I'm feeling some kind of marathon (whether the big one or little ones). Bring it on!

I'm excited about this new year (damn Metallica is good; at the moment I'm listening to One from And Justice For All). I feel that there will be good changes coming up for the Diaz family. I'm sure I'll blog about them. We'll see. Anyway, I wish you all the very best. May this new year bring you tons of happiness!!!

Big Change Coming Up

2008-12-07T08:25:00.003-05:00

You know how I'm always complaining about the little time I have to do anything? Yeah, it's only going to get worse starting next month. Why? Well, I'm heading back to school! It's official! I got my acceptance letter yesterday in the mail. What I'm going for? Technically, I'm going for certification to teach ESL. Unofficially, I am going for a Master's in Urban Education with certification in ESL. I have to take the GRE in order to get accepted into the program, which I will since you need a 2.75 GPA for the program and I graduated with a 3.76. There is no difference between the two programs just the thesis courses. So once I take the exam, I officially get accepted into the Master's program.

To say the least, I'm excited and a little bit in awe. I've always dreamed of getting a Master's, but moving between three states in a matter of a few years, my lack of making a decision on what to do next, and money it always seemed like a distant dream. Well, not anymore. I'm very proud of myself for finally making up my mind about this. I'm a little scared, but once I'm in the program I'll be fine.

It's time to go! I have a haircut to get and a need to jump into the shower. Talk to you soon!

Happy Gobble Gobble!!!

2008-11-28T09:55:00.002-05:00

What a great Thanksgiving we had! We had so much food! Let's see, we had turkey, sweet potato au gratin, yucca, arroz morro, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cappuccino spiced cookies, apple pie, cake, and ice cream. That was only for dinner. We started off the day with little hot dogs in pastry puffs, taquitos, and pizza. Needless to say, you had to roll us out of Dan's aunt's house. We truly had a great time.

You know me, on days like these I go crazy baking and cooking. The turkey was curtesy of me. Every year, I'm the designated turkey maker. I don't mind either. I know I'm patting myself on the back for this, but my turkey rocks. How could it not? I wrap it in bacon. This year, I wanted to make some different stuff. So I made sweet potato au gratin. This was by far, my favorite dish of the night. Deadly to my hips, but oh sooooo good. I'm making another batch this weekend. The sweet potatoes just melted in your mouth. The next thing I made was pumpkin pie. It was such an easy recipe, but it was also so delicious. I'll be making this quite often (after a week of serious dieting). The last thing I made, which isn't new were the cappuccino spiced cookies. I made them last year for Christmas and heard that everyone still remembered them and wanted them again. I obliged. They're so damn good.

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your four day weekend for those of you lucky enough to have off. I'll leave you with this great picture of Will enjoying pumpkin pie.

Why? Why? Why?

2008-11-11T15:12:00.003-05:00

This story breaks my heart (Child left alone in tub dies). This little girl was only 14 months old. That's how old Will is. Just the other day while I was giving him a bath, he was trying to climb out of his tub. He wasn't in the mood for a bath and stood up crying while a bathed him (something he never does). Imagine I would have a walked away? He would have climbed out of the tub and probably fallen and hurt himself badly.

I'm not sure if this woman is overwhelmed. Maybe she has too much on her plate. She has two other boys and was cooking dinner at the time of the bath. Trust me dinner could wait and so can a bath. I don't bathe Will everyday because he gets eczema behind his knees and bathing him more regularly would aggravate his condition more. I wouldn't bathe him during cooking time and I would never, never leave him alone.

This woman has to deal with the fact that she killed her daughter over something that could have been avoided. We always try to do too many things at once and it's just not worth it. Please don't leave your child unattended.

Emotions Riding High

2008-11-06T19:58:00.005-05:00

What can I say about Barack Obama being elected president? A million things. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelmed I felt when I heard CNN call it. I sat there speechless. Actually, I said "Holy crap Dan, they just called it." Amazing. I stayed up to watch McCain's concession speech, which I thought was very well put. If he would have sounded like this throughout his entire campaign and hadn't picked Palin, his chances of becoming president would have been greater. The outcome probably would have been different. I was very disappointed in how the crowd was booing, but that's a result of the negative campaigning McCain/Palin ran.

I stayed up to watch Obama's speech. Mind you, I woke up at 4:30 am to vote and he didn't begin his speech until midnight. You could imagine how delirious I was at that point being awake for 20 hours and knowing that I had to wake up at 5:30 am. Anyway, back to the speech. I saw people crying, laughing, cheering, and shocked in that crowd he was standing in front of. Jesse Jackson was standing there crying. I'm not a big fan of his, but watching him moved me. I couldn't stop crying either. Obama's speech was perfect.

I have to tell you a little story about where I voted. The place I voted at is one of the grammar schools I attended. I went to this school for half of 1st grade through part of 3rd grade. Back when I went to school there, hispanic kids were definitely the minority. Not so much now because the area I live in is probably 90% hispanic. I wasn't treated horrible, but there are few instances that stick to my head.

One of my teachers would always call me stupid and slow. If this was because of my ethnicity, I'm not sure. Needless to say, this teacher wasn't nice. I was put in a speech class for my "S." You know we hispanics tend to pronounce our S very hard. This teacher would make us read on our own. I was always done first. I read very fast. I could read very fast in English or in Spanish. Apparently, the teacher didn't believe so. She would call me a liar and make me reread and reread until the other kids in the class were done. I sometimes would sit there and cry while reading the same story four to five times.

Last but not least, I was put in a low reading group. Why? Well, I guess because my S was thick and I obviously couldn't read. God forbid anyone would ever ask me to read out loud. I hated that school. So when my parents decided to move to another town, I was happy. Guess what happened at the new school? I never had to take a speech class (I guess my S was fine) and a week after being in the low reading group, I was placed in the high reading group for the duration of my elementary years in that school. A WEEK!! Imagine that?

I can only tell you that when I walked into that school at 6:15 am I was beaming ear to ear. The irony of stepping into this school twenty-five years later to vote for an African American to be our president is beyond me. It's priceless. Listen, I'm sure this school is great now and those horrible teachers aren't there anymore or if they are they've changed their ways. I also don't hold grudges. These lessons I learned early on in my young life have shaped me in ways I never expected. What I hope that comes from this historic time that my son won't have to face discrimination like I or anybody else has. Being called a spic or made fun of because of my strange name or told that I'm lucky for being hispanic because I get to go to college for free (yah, I'm still paying my student loans) or countless of other things I've been told, won't be told to my son. It's been a long time coming.

Busy, Busy Month

2008-10-19T09:48:00.002-04:00

I can't begin to tell you how busy life has been for me this past month. And to be honest, I'm not so sure why. I could tell you that two Fridays out of the last few weeks, it took me hours to get home. One Friday was because I was stuck at work finishing some stupid project that was dumped on my lap at 4:30pm. The person who did so has a history of holding on to researches and then giving them to me at the end of day. My boss is aware of this and he's annoyed too. The other Friday had to do with the Lincoln Tunnel being closed for three hours. Yeah, not fun getting home. Oh yeah, I had a wedding to go to. The wedding was beautiful. The couple is stuck in St. John because of hurricane Omar. I think they were suppose to get back this weekend.

Will has been keeping us both busy. This past week or so, he's decided bedtime is at 10pm. And since he insists on hanging out on the floor walking around (yay), I kind of have to keep an eye on him. He's so adorable! But by 10pm, I'm ready to go to sleep and don't even bother to check my email. I'm so behind on reading blogs that I'm not sure I'll catch up. And looking for jobs? That's done in the morning at around 5:30am. What else should I do?

Well, I'm keeping this short. It's time for Will to have breakfast.

Do You Like?

2008-09-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-21T06:51:00.004-04:00

What a wonderful birthday I had yesterday! My family and friends love me!!! First off, Dan, my Mom, my mother-in-law, and my aunt-in-law all pitched in to get me the iPod Touch (16G version). Can you believe that? I was soooo taken aback when Dan gave it to me. I never in a million years thought I would get it. Especially, not the Touch. It's totally awesome how I could store my entire photo library (about 1600 pictures), go online, play games, and oh yeah listen to music. I love it, love it, love it!! Thank you so much for doing this for me. You all have outdone yourselves. I'm very touched.

My birthday gets even better than that. Dan told me to be ready by 11:30am. I had no idea why or where we were going. So, I did as I was told. He then gets a phone call from my bff, Sal, saying that she wants to give me my gift and to make a pit stop at her place. I found it fishy, but I wasn't going to think about it too much. We reach her place and she asks me to take a quick drive to Blockbuster with her. Well, as you can guess, we didn't go to Blockbuster. She took me to get my hair done! Fast forward a few hours later and my hair looks awesome! I no longer look like a beat-up mom. I look like a hot mama!!

But wait, the day got even better than that. After I was all coiffed, I found out that Guy (bff's hubby) was going to grill for me. Sal and I picked up some food and off to the bbq we went! Aren't they the best? I really have such beautiful people in my life. I love them! Thank you so much for all you did for me. I really appreciate it.

We all had a wonderful time and ate plenty of yummy food. Even Will got in on the grill action. He ate salmon. Yes, SALMON! Can you believe that? He was loving it. I kept on breaking off little flakes and giving it to him and he kept on opening his mouth for more. Now that I know this, we will have salmon very often.

Dan did have other gifts for me. He got me this gorgeous orange knitted cardigan and the book Twilight. I had heard that the movie was coming out and told him that I wanted to read the book before it did. He remembered and got it for me. Isn't he great? I love him!!!

Again, I want to thank you all for making my birthday so special. I have very special people in my life and I'm always very grateful for them. Thank you all!!

Will's Birthday Party

2008-09-17T21:43:00.003-04:00

Will's birthday party was great! There was no rain up until the very end when we were packing the cars. We all had fun. The food was great (OMG was it great). The cake even better (it had dulce de leche with peaches). My mom made a wonderful pasta de bocadito (a ham spread). Let me put it to you this way, no one left that party hungry.

The theme to the party was Blue's Clues, which is Will's favorite show. You put that on for him and he laughs the whole 25 minutes it's on. Thanks to my dear mother-in-law, the decorations were awesome. She got to the park first while Dan and I finished up some business. She put everything up. She was great! Also, Sal made all the goody bags for the kids. She had pictures of Will on them. I could always count on her for being creative!

We were the losers that showed up late (well we were picking up the food) and left our camera at home. Yes, we left our camera at home. Losers! I can't believe we did that. Thankfully, everyone else had cameras. Unfortunately, we haven't gotten all the pictures yet. I promise once I do, they will be posted.

I do have a video that my sister of us singing and my nephew blowing out his candle (cute):

I also have a picture of us at home. Will is busy trying to grab tissue paper from inside his huge gift bag.

I do want to than everyone that came by and helped us celebrate. It meant a lot to us. We had a great time and appreciate all the help we got. Thank you!!!!

Happy Birthday Will!

2008-09-11T06:35:00.002-04:00

A year ago today, my son was born. It's been one of the fastest years of my life. He's already walking and talking. When all I could remember is him being tiny. He's gone from 6lbs 15oz to 21lbs 10oz, from 20 inches to 28.5 inches, and from baby to toddler.

Happy Birthday Will! Your birth has had the most impact to my life. I love you more than you'll ever know and I'm ok with that. You won't remember this birthday, but that's fine because you'll have plenty more! I love you!!!

Catching Up

2008-09-06T20:42:00.007-04:00

What a hectic week! And it's only going to get worse this coming week. Thursday is the big day. My little guy turns ONE! Saturday is the big party and I haven't even gotten a cake for him. Worst case scenario: I'll bake one myself! It'll probably taste better. So, you won't be hearing much from me this week. Tomorrow, we're buying all the stuff needed for his party including the food I'm going to make.

Alright, enough about that. Labor day weekend was great. We didn't go apple picking on Saturday because of the morning rain. I was upset, but we had a nice time at home. Besides, we left the apple picking for Monday. On Sunday, we went to a BBQ and it was awesome! This was a Cuban style bbq with a whole pig being roasted in a Caja China. I'm not a huge pork person, but I had to have seconds on this bad boy. Wow, was it good! My mouth is watering just thinking about it right now.

Monday did not start out so great. We got lost on our way to Lawrence Farm Orchards. It took us two hours to get there. I got so tired of looking for this place that I almost gave up and then we found it. Let me tell you, I'm glad we did. My only complaint was that it was too damn hot, but the place was gorgeous. Will had a blast looking at all the different fruit they offered. He even walked around with his own pear, which he was licking most of the time.

Here are some pictures:

He didn't last long in this wagon. It wasn't so much that he was bobbling all over the place, which he was, but because he tried climbing out one of the times.

Here he is picking a plum. They were so delicious!

This is the famous pear!

We had a terrific time and can't wait to go back. Cooler weather is definitely a requisite. I can't picture myself doing this in hot weather ever again.

Randomness

2008-08-29T22:07:00.004-04:00

Budget: Since I'm buying all the things I need for Will's party, I've cut it close. I think dipping into savings will have to do or not buy any food until payday. I'm making it sound horrible, but I do have plenty of food at home (a bunch of frozen meats and plenty of pasta/rice). The only thing I need to buy is chicken for Will's (and my) weekly soup. I did splurge and ate lunch out three times this week, but that's because I woke up too late to prepare lunch. We also bought Will his birthday outfit, sneakers, a little hoody, and a winter coat. Oh well, at least gas prices are going down.

Job: I guess the hiring gods decided to hold off on getting me a job. I went on an interview a few weeks ago that looked very promising. In fact, they found me. On Monday, the dreadful call came in that the position had been filled, but they would keep me in mind if anything else comes up. So in four months that I've been looking, I've had one interview. This doesn't do much for my moral.

Weight: My pants' size has shrunk again! I have now, officially, dropped four sizes. I am doing the usual of walking 10,000 steps a day. Whenever I can, I walk. For instance, today I got off the bus on whole 1 1/2 avenues before I had to. I walked from 10th Avenue all the way to Broadway. New York City is a haven for walking.

My dinners have also become light. I'll eat, but really I'm not that hungry. Last night, I had hummus with pita chips (a good amount). Lunch was big for me (cheeseburger with fries from a diner). When it came down to dinner, I was still slightly full from lunch. Tonight has been a repeat of last night. My lunch was heavy so dinner doesn't have to be. I also became busy cleaning around the apartment, which keeps my mind not occupied on food. Now, if I could only tone up...

I think it's time for me to hit my bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day for us because we're going apple picking. I promise to take plenty of pictures!

My Men!

2008-08-27T21:55:00.008-04:00

Clean, Clean, Clean

2008-08-24T23:46:00.002-04:00

That's what I did this weekend. I feel bad that the baby didn't go out, but we have gone out the entire week. On Saturday, I spent almost the entire day shredding. Dan and I have a bad habit that we don't open our mail. When we do, if something needs to be shredded, we put it in the "shred" pile. The problem was for quite some time Will was afraid of the shredder. He would cry and have such a frightened face that we would not shred. The pile became a bag. Throughout the day, I sat there and shredded. I did so much that I filled up a garbage bag. I didn't get to finish it all, but it is manageable.

The next thing I need to attack is Will's drawers and closet. He has stuff in there that no longer fits him and I need to make room for new clothes. It's really a 15 minute job that I plan on attacking tomorrow. After I'm done with that, I'm attacking my yarn stash. I'm not aloud to buy any new yarn until I finish using what I have. Fair enough.

I'm almost clutter free! It has been a nonstop process, but I feel good about it. To be honest, I've been so busy that I haven't been able to focus on much negativity (well for the most part; there were some exceptions this weekend). I like the way I feel and I expect it to bring a lot of good my way.

Well, I'm off to bed. I can't keep my eyes open.

Clutter Free (almost)

2008-08-23T06:56:00.003-04:00

A house filled with clutter makes it difficult to remain positive. You can only focus on that clutter, which I believe makes it easy to focus on the negative aspects of your life. It's like when you're thinking of way too many things, you can't concentrate and you loose focus of what's important. By getting rid of stuff you don't need, you're getting rid of the bad baggage.

I am the type of person that holds on to clothes (unless they're really outdated). For instance, I have the terrycloth hoody jacket I bought the day I got engage. I'll never get rid of it because it reminds me of that wonderful day. But, I think it's alright to hold on to that. My drawers and closet are filled with close that no longer fit me. My underwear drawer; forget about it! I have all range of sizes of bras and undies in there. It's ridiculous and there's no room to add new stuff.

That being said, I went on a rampage yesterday. The first thing I attacked was my underwear drawer. Wow! I could actually fit stuff in there now! I may even have to get rid of the bras I have in there now because if I measured correctly, I dropped a size. The next thing I attacked was my closet. I pulled out all the pants and jeans I have in there. Out of all the bottoms that didn't fit, I believe I could get three of them tailored (thanks Lindrea!). They fit me fine from the hips down, but the waist is too big. My dresser drawers are free of outdated and big tops. You could actually see what's inside.

Now when you look at my drawers and closet, you see everything neatly folded and put away. You also see that I'm in desperate need of clothes! Well desperate is a bit of an exaggeration, but some new outfits wouldn't hurt. Dan was ecstatic when he saw what I did. He even suggested to put his bulky sweaters into my drawers since there is space now. I stopped him right there. There is space for me to fill up not him! Lol! He got the picture.

I feel very good getting rid of clothes that are just sitting there taking up space. I should have done this a long time ago. I'm hoping as I make my apartment clutter-free that I'll be able to move forward. I feel as if my state of mind, which is reflected in the clutter is holding me back on finding a better paying job. Now, I don't want you to think that my apartment is so full of stuff that you can't walk through it, but it does need some tlc. So, I'm off to cleaning before Will wakes up for breakfast.

Happiness

2008-08-23T06:47:00.002-04:00

Is this the look of happiness or what?

Evening at the Park

2008-08-19T21:42:00.002-04:00

Since I didn't have to pick up Will at my mother's today, I got home rather quickly. Dan was going to the movies with his buddies to see Tropic Thunder. I decided I was going to take Will to the park. What an awesome idea!

When we got to the park, I put him in the swing. He was laughing and watching all of the other kids around him. I think I had more fun than he did. Seeing him happy melts my heart. Once we were done swinging, I took him by the lake and fed him (he ate all of his food today; no food strike). He again was watching everyone around him and just having fun.

I then decided to walk him around the lake. I contemplated doing so because it was getting chilly, but I saw so many kids in shorts and tee shirts that I figured he would be fine. Well, I figured right! I was kind of speed walking (I need to get my exercise in). On his food tray, he had some cereal puffs that he kept on grabbing to by the fistfuls. He would raise his arms with the cereal puffs still in his hands and start screaming with joy. He was laughing so hard that I couldn't help but laugh with him. Mind you, he never lost a cereal puff on the floor.

We got home and I gave him a bottle of milk. Right when that bottle was done, so was he. Hopefully, he'll sleep the night through like last night. Now, I get some me time! Well, I'm making a macaroni salad. So, I'll be doing stuff. But anyway, if I could spend every evening like this one, I would. I love being outside at parks. I swear, I must have been a ranger in a past life. Being surrounded by nature invigorates me. I love it!!

I'll leave you with a mobile picture of Will on the swing. It's not the best, but he looks cute.

Tough Day for Mommy and Baby

2008-08-18T21:20:00.002-04:00

Today was the first time Will was taken care by someone else other than his grand parents (on a work day basis; he's been watched by family before). The lady that watched is family and a wonderful person, but Will doesn't get to see her often. She's Dan's Aunt's mother-in-law. She's like a grandmother to Dan because he's known her since he was a little kid. My parents are down in Florida on a much needed vacation with my niece and nephew. This is a big trip for my father because he's seeing his brother for the first time in 37 years. I won't touch on this story because it's really his to tell, but you could imagine how big this trip is.

Back to Will. He saw her on Saturday at his cousin's birthday party. He loved her. He threw his arms at her, laughed, and was just adorable with her. Yesterday, we went over her place to bring the playard, stroller, and food. She wanted him to get use to her and the surroundings. We hung out for probably a good hour and everything went well. Will crawled and walked (cruised) around her place.

I knew he was going to feel strange because since he's been a month old, my mother has watched him. In fact, he eats better with her than me. So when I started walking over a different building, Will had a serious look on his face. He wasn't sure what was going on. I was talking to him letting him know that he was spending the day with Titi (that's what we call her). I went in her apartment and his serious face did not go away. He did, however, smile at her at one point and threw his arms to her. I was relieved. So, off to work I went.

I didn't want to pester her with my phone calls. So, I waited until 11 to call her. Breakfast was due at around 8-8:30. I didn't want to catch her while she was feeding the baby. And feeding the baby was the problem. He was asleep when I called her and she told me that he refused to eat breakfast or drink milk (that's when I sort of panicked). I kind of expected the food, but not the milk. We left it at that she would try and feed him again when he woke up.

Well, he has to eat when he wakes up? Right? Not so much. I called her again around 2 confident that he had eaten. She again told me that he didn't eat (only half a jar of food) and refused to drink milk. He had fallen asleep again. She was going to try again when he woke up. The funny part of this story is that he never cried and was having loads of fun playing.

At this point, I decided I would give it another hour and if he hadn't eaten by then, I would go pick him up. Do you know how horrible I felt that my little guy was on a food strike? I was panicking. She felt horrible too. She kept on telling me that she just wanted him to eat.

Luckily for all of us involved, the food strike ended at 3 pm. He ate the yummy soup I made him the night before, which by the way I had for lunch today, and drank about 6 ounces of milk. What a relief! She was even able to give him another 6 ounces of milk before I got there. Poor baby!

The rest of the week, he's hanging out with us. Dan is taking off tomorrow and Wednesday and I'm taking off Thursday and Friday. Monday he's back with Grandma (and Grandpa).

On a totally different subject, I am no longer pumping. My milk supply has dwindle to the point that it's not worth dragging my electric pump all over Manhattan. I'm still nursing him in the mornings, but I have to give him the bottle afterwards. I have been giving him whole milk (I know I'm suppose to wait until he's one, but I wasn't about to start him off on formula to then switch him to whole milk in a few weeks). He's reacted very well to the whole milk. So what I do is mix half breast milk and half whole milk. He hasn't even noticed the difference. Today was very liberating in the sense that I no longer have to pump at work. My load has gotten easier. Carrying that thing around is a pain in the ass.

Well, I must go. My kitchen is a mess (like always) and I want to go to bed very soon.

So Far....

2008-08-17T07:38:00.006-04:00

I've only spent $11 for lunch this month (instead of $70 by now). I'm so proud of myself for that! I don't count the $.75 I spend on my coffee because that's my treat. Although, Dan and I did splurge on Starbucks on Friday. We did however get only one drink and shared it (actually we always do that because the amount of calories in one drink is too much for one person to have--in my opinion). This next week coming up I'm only working three days and I'm bringing lunch on those days. Probably next week I'll eat out for lunch.

Doesn't spending $16 a month for lunch sound a lot better than $140? That's a savings of $124 in one month! Now mind you, Dan is doing the same thing on his end. Our savings doubled. You know, I'm a little embarrassed that we were actually spending that much money on just lunch. The good thing is that we learned from our mistakes and we've changed our habits.

Another good thing about bringing lunch in is that we're eating healthier (well, in a sense). Eating crappy fast food stuff is not good at all (especially if you do it all the time). Since I make chicken soup for Will every week, I end up having it for most of the week. I change up what I put in it weekly, but the staples are chicken, potatoes, carrots, and brown rice. The soup I made this past week was phenomenal. I added sweet potatoes (which melt in your mouth), onions, and green peas. Needless to say, this is a very healthy lunch. I swear I bring it in Monday though Wednesday. Luckily for me, I don't get easily bored with food. This past week, I made an excellent macaroni salad. Obviously, this is not as healthy, but it yields a lot.

I will leave you with my typing partner this morning. He looks so serious in this picture and I look like I just woke up (because I did).

My Budget Works!

2008-08-13T15:47:00.000-04:00

Cutting out here and there is working out. And you ask,why shouldn't it? Even though it's obvious that becoming frugal will save you money. It's not that obvious until you actually see results. Except for my car insurance and cable bill, which get paid automatically at the end of the month, my bills are paid and I have money left over. There won't be any dipping into our savings account this pay period.

We really haven't been seriously budgeting until a few weeks ago, but I'm seeing a major difference already. Bringing lunch to work is making a huge impact on how much money we're saving. I'm still buying lunch once a week. Well, I had to do it today because I overslept and didn't have time to prepare lunch. I did, however, cut out my buying breakfast once a week. I would spend only $4.50, but that's still $18 a month that I don't need to spend.

Next month will be a bit tough because it is Will's first birthday. We're planning on a picnic, which I feel is the best option so far. I will be making most of the food. It will keep me busy, but it will also save me money.

One of my other concerns is that fall is fast approaching and I need to shop for new clothing. I have a dilemna (a good one). I've lost enough weight that only a pair of jeans and a pair of pants fit me properly and that's because I bought those last month. The rest of the clothes I own are big on me. So, I'll have to invest on some new outfits in the next couple of weeks.

Of course, I could use my credit card to buy myself a new wardrobe, but the point is not to bury myself in debt. Cash is my only option to use. I've mentioned this in the past, Dan and I are usually good with credit cards, but it's very tempting to use.

I hope that in the next couple of months, our budgeting will continue and we'll have more in our savings. A new job that pays more would be great at this moment. Will the hiring gods please hear me out?

Ahhhh....Getting Away

2008-08-10T07:16:00.004-04:00

Whenever the opportunity presents itself of taking a day trip, we do it. Our Mondays through Fridays allow us very little time to do much of anything. Our weekends are sometimes jammed packed with things to do (especially when Dan works). Summer is almost over and we haven't gone too many places (definitely not the beach and I don't think it'll happen).

This Saturday turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Dan was suppose to work, which saddened me because I knew it was going to be a gorgeous day. From around Thursday, I kept on wishing for him to stay home. On Friday night, we found out that the party he was going to work was canceled. He would have to confirm with the party coordinator Saturday morning.

As it turned out, it was canceled. I immediately told Dan that we needed to spend the day out and he agreed. The prior night, we had gone to his aunt's house where she told us about her camping trip. This camping trip took place in Bushkill Falls. She and her husband went on and on about how beautiful this place is. They even said they thought of us immediately when they saw the hiking trails available. So, can you guess where we went?

The place is gorgeous! We had such a nice time. Of course, it took us an hour from when we got there to actually start hiking (we fed the baby and I pumped). But once we started, it was absolutely great. The hikes are challenging because you are pretty much walking up and down stairs. If you notice the wooden railing next to us in the picture, the entire hike is made up of those wooden walkways. You start off at the top, end up walking all the way down, and then have to make it back up.

There are also different trails that you could take. Some last about 15 minutes and the longest one is 2 1/2 hours. We took a trail that was 45 minutes. It really took us 1 1/2 hours because we kept on stopping to take pictures and take in the beauty of the place. It was wonderful!

Will was great throughout the hike. He kept on laughing, smiling, and yelling. He would try to grab on to the leaves or anything he could get his hands on. Whenever we got close to the railing, he would look down at the water. He was so cute about it.

Next time we go, I would like to get there very early to take our time and do the red trail (the most challenging of all). Also, I think we'll wait until it's a bit cooler. We were hot! It's also quite tasking to carry the baby throughout the hike. I could have switched with Dan, but then I would have ended up with the book bag.

Besides the breathtaking views this place offers, it's very family and pet friendly park. There were dogs going up and down the trails. Little kids were also hiking along. Outside of the hiking area, you could bbq and picnic. There is also a campsite you could stay at. I'm sure there are more things to do, but we didn't have the time to do so. I would love to camp there (I've never been camping). We had a blast. If you're ever by the Delaware Water Gap, go there. You'll love it.

We Saw Him!

2008-08-07T22:23:00.002-04:00

Will has taken his first steps! He was sooooo cute about it, too. He cruises along his playard. Dan and I went crazy when we saw him. And Will? He laughed. He must think we're the goofiest people in the world. My little boy is growing so fast. Next month is his birthday. What a year!

Will Standing

2008-08-06T23:35:00.003-04:00

There! We got a picture of him standing. My parents told me that he even took his first steps today. It doesn't count unless Dan or I see him do it!!

He Knows I'm Mama!

2008-08-04T15:09:00.002-04:00

He's in his playard calling out mama and looking straight at me!!!! I love him!

PS: HE STOOD UP!!!!

Trying to Save Some Cash

2008-08-02T08:45:00.003-04:00

I know everyone shares my sentiments on this one. Where's all of our money going? Well for us, it's going to groceries. Luckily, we don't really drive all that much. Our gas tank has to be filled up about once every three weeks (and that all depends on whether we go out on the weekends). But groceries are killing us. I'm spending more money and bringing home less.

This is frustrating for obvious reasons, but more so because with Dan's new job we shouldn't be seeing our money disappear so quickly. On top of the fact that he bartends a few times a month, we really shouldn't feel this strapped. I've had to cut down on how much money we're putting away into our savings and this month I had to dip into it. This is really scary because I hope we don't have to do it again next month or do it continuously. We'll run out of money and then what?

The other day while I was at the supermarket freaking out about how much everything had gone up, this little old lady stopped and asked me about the different types of canned tuna. I don't eat tuna fish so I really wasn't that helpful, but I tried anyway. She was telling me that she wanted chunky light in water. She wanted the tuna fish so that she could eat with noodles. I showed her a can of what she wanted, but she told me that she couldn't spend the $3 on the can. So, she opted for a smaller can and grabbed one. She also told me that rice had gone up too much for her from $4 to $10.

This poor old woman on fixed income is eating tuna fish (not that tuna fish is horrible) over noodles because she can't afford anything else. Can you imagine getting to the age of 70 and not be able to buy food? You have to settle for canned tuna because that's the cheapest thing around. How sad is that? I wanted to bring her home and cook her dinner. I believe that day I spent about $180 and didn't really bring much home. I know there wasn't any meat in my cart so I can't blame it on that.

Since there doesn't seem to be any significant change in prices in the near future. Dan and I are changing our spending habits (not that we really have bad habits; seriously, we're very conservative on what we spend our money on). Dan will continue bartending a few nights a month. In October, hockey season begins so he'll be working a few games a month. As you can see, he's doing more than his fair share.

Both Dan and I are bringing lunch to work. About once a week we'll eat out, but I think I'm even going to cut that out. I make enough food throughout the week to bring in leftovers. This will save us a lot of money. I had notice that the money I was spending at lunch had gone up too. It's ridiculous. I only spend money in the morning by purchasing a small cup of coffee at my favorite cart for $.75 (no Starbucks here). Even that adds up to $15 a month. Maybe, I'll bring in a coffeemaker to work and brew my own cup. We'll see.

Another thing that we changed is where we buy our meats. This past weekend Dan went to the butcher shop (Extra Supermarket for all of you locals; great meat and cheap). I'm going to get all Cuban on you right now, so bare with me. Dan got una bola, which is a big chunk of beef and had it divided evenly into carne molida (ground beef) and bistec (thin steaks). The "bola" was $32 and it gave us about 4 lbs of ground beef and 24 steaks. Then he purchased 2 lbs of chicken breasts, which he had them slice into cutlets for less than $5. When he came home with them, we were able to slice them up some more and came out with about 6 or 7 big slices of chicken cutlets.

If we would have purchased the same amount of meat at the supermarket, there is no way in hell we would have only spent $37. No way. He also got cold cuts there, but they were priced like everywhere else. So, for all of you locals go to 55th st on Palisade Avenue in West New York. You'll be saving loads of cash and have your freezer stocked up. Or if you don't live around the area, try out your local butcher shop. I'm sure the prices are better than in the supermarket. Dan also bought vegetables there. In total, he spent about $65 and came home with many bags of food. I was impressed and relieved that we were able to save some cash and have enough meat that will last us a bit.

I can't think of anywhere else we could save some more cash. It's not like we eat out all the time (last time was a week after Father's Day when we went to New Hope, PA). We do order in about once or twice a month. So I guess, I could cut that out, too. We're definitely not spending money on clothes (only on a need basis) or anything else for that matter. The good thing is that we're not charging anything we buy. We do have some credit card debt, but nothing out of this world. Although, with the way things are going that may be a problem. But hopefully, it won't get to that.

Last but not least, I've been job hunting. The only other way we'll relieve some of this crunch is if I make more money. I won't make more money at my job. They've closed down more than half of their offices around the country. There were massive layoffs in our office a few months ago and sales are down. I'm sure there won't be any raises this year, which they have been known to put freezes on raises in the past. And of course they don't pay us market value even though the president believes he does. He also thinks we're not in a recession and it's all in our heads (seriously, he said this in a meeting). I guess he doesn't have to worry about where his money is going.

Well that's that. Let's see how this cookie crumbles.

I'm Having a Mommy Moment

2008-08-01T18:48:00.002-04:00

Will is right now in his playard trying to stand-up on his own. The only problem is that he can't reach the top of the playard to pull himself up! Sigh...I love him.

Eighth Wedding Anniversary!!!

2008-07-29T18:32:00.003-04:00

That's right! Dan and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it that much time has gone by. This year is extra special because we have someone else to celebrate with. Unfortunately, I'm sick. I had to leave work early because of this horrible headache and body ache I have. I even got a fever reaching 102 F.

That's fine though, I'll survive. Besides, Dan surprised me last night by having a nice dinner cooked for us and got us an ice cream cake, too. We weren't able to eat as adults due to a little guy who now stands up and tries to grab our food, but it was still very nice.

Happy Anniversary Dan! I hope to celebrate many, many more with you.

Cool Article on Breastfeeding

2008-07-19T00:23:00.001-04:00

Read on: Trust Hormone

Marketing That Annoys Me

2008-07-17T20:18:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, I received a big envelope from Enfamil. I opened it up to see what it was all about. As soon as I open this oversized envelope, I get smacked with the ingredients of whole milk. I open the other side of the envelope and the ingredients to their Next Step Lipil is shown. In this envelope, there is also a check for $10 to use on this product.

I was annoyed when I finished reading all the information. If I haven't used formula at all, which I guess they wouldn't know, why would I use it now? I have contemplated mixing breast milk with formula because my supply is dwindling. I still have enough milk in the freezer to last me a bit and he'll be one soon. My plan is that once he turns one, I'll start mixing breast milk with regular whole milk.

The reason I'm annoyed is because this is not the first time I get formula shoved down my throat. I have three ready to serve bottles of formula plus one can to mix that I got from the hospital. Now, I have never been tempted to stop nursing and give Will formula. It's not like nursing him has been a piece of cake. He never really liked it. I actually had stopped nursing him for three weeks and gave him pumped milk. Slowly, I restarted nursing him. I've only successfully nursed him twice outdoors. He's very fidgety and gets distracted easily. With the nice weather going on, we've been out a lot on the weekends, which I've basically given him pumped milk. The only time of the day that he will nurse without any problems is first thing in the morning (and even that is beginning to change).

As you can see, nursing has not been a piece of cake for me. Maybe if my determination to nurse him had not completely been there or I had given up because of the hard time he's given me, I would have turned to those bottles of formula sitting in my closet. Listen, I don't have anything against formula. It's an alternative to breast milk and it has tons of vitamins and minerals. I just don't agree with it being shoved into my face and undermining nursing.

So guess what I received in the mail today? A sample of this toddler formula with checks to be used to buy this product. Do you know how freaking pissed I was when I saw this and still am? When I'm thinking of giving regular cow milk, I have to worry about it not being adequate enough for Will. First, you get formula in the hospital just in case you can't nurse. A year later, don't go out buying regular whole milk. There's not enough vitamins. Give your child formula.

What this makes me want to do is continue breastfeeding for another year instead of stopping on his birthday. Breast milk is better than cow's milk or formula. And guess what? It doesn't cost a thing! The can of formula costs around $24 for 24 oz of powder. With the amount of milk Will drinks, this can would last about 9 to 10 days. I would be spending about $75 a month on this! It's insane. Besides, Will takes vitamins. I'm sure he'll be fine with whole milk.

Coxsackie Virus

2008-07-14T19:31:00.002-04:00

That's what Will has. Yup, his little throat is full of sores, which explains why he's refusing to eat. Luckily, he hasn't had anymore fever and it should be clearing up within the next few days. Unfortunately for him, there's nothing we could give him since it's a virus.

Last night was especially rough for him. He spent most of the night screaming. He slept on top of me and whenever I tried moving him, he would wake up. I hate seeing him like this. It's heartbreaking.

Hopefully, it'll be over soon. Wish him luck.

Will's Update

2008-07-14T00:11:00.003-04:00

Although his fever has gone down, he's still not feeling well. I've spent the entire weekend comforting him. He's been happy at times willing to play, but he just wants to sleep on me. Once his medicine wears out, his temperature begins to rise. So, I'm taking him to the doctor depending on how he spends the night. We shall see....

Will has His First Fever...

2008-07-12T17:32:00.002-04:00

My little guy is not feeling all to well. It's not so bad. He's sitting in his playpen playing with his piano and watching Blues Clues. He just has those droopy eyes you get when you're not feeling well. We gave him Tylenol about an hour ago, but his fever has only gone from 101.3 to 101.1.

I'll keep you updated....

What? Time?

2008-07-09T20:55:00.002-04:00

The baby is asleep, Dan is not home, and I actually have a minute to blog. Wow! I'm pretty surprised about this. As usual, things around here are hectic. But, what's new? I won't bore with the same song and dance about not having time.

I will bore you about nursing. It's seems as if the little guy is weaning himself off. I'm down to nursing him only in the mornings when he first wakes up. The rest of the time, he becomes too distracted. I think (maybe I'm wrong) he'll be dropping off that morning nursing. This week so far he's seems less interested.

As much as I want to stop, I feel guilty. Then again, what don't I feel guilty about? He will be 10 months old on Friday, which means eight more weeks of breast milk. My goal has always been to nurse for a year. I still have plenty of milk in the freezer, but my supply is dwindling. I'll keep the morning feeding until he decides he's had enough. Nursing him has not been easy for the two of us. The first three weeks I nursed him exclusively and he gave me a really hard time about it. Maybe if I would have been able to stay home longer than the five weeks, things would have been different. He really just didn't like it. The only nursing he truly enjoys is the one first thing in the morning.

My pumping supply use to be anywhere from 6 to 7 ounces of milk every three hours. I'm down to 2 1/2 to 4 ounces every four to five hours. It's a bittersweet relief that I am pumping less. Sweet because that means I won't have to lug the pump around. Bitter because I won't be providing for him like I have been this past year. This makes me sad.

Well, I have to cut this off. Dan just got home. We need some "we" time before we fall asleep in about an hour. There will be more rantings some other day.

I Can't Keep Up.....

2008-06-28T22:51:00.003-04:00

I seriously need a maid. How am I suppose to keep a tidy house, work, and be a mom? If someone has an answer, pass it on to me because I'm desperate. Now before you volunteer Dan to pitch in, he does his fair share of the work. Plus, he technically has three jobs. I can't ask him to do more. In fact, he's working tonight (and worked last night). He even put away laundry today.

So back to the maid....I need to start a "maid fund." Yeah, I don't think it'll work. I'm actually in the middle of cleaning, except I'm taking a break. I managed to have Will sit in his playpen and watch Blue's Clues for an hour (he actually sat there mesmerized). I did feel guilty. But before you go criticizing my parenting skills, I sat for a good half an hour and read to him (I try reading to him everyday). So, no he doesn't spend all day watching the television. In fact, I don't put it on for him when we're home. Anyway, I digress. He then played with his piano for a few. During that time, I cleaned every room in the apartment except for the kitchen and bathroom. I think I'll call it quits once I'm done with the kitchen.

Enough with cleaning. I can't keep up with anything else. The workout that I long for so much hasn't happened. Honestly, I don't think it will. I'm too tired. My crocheting/knitting has been nonexistent. I do, however, manage to read. I do so on the bus to and from work. I probably read about ten pages a day, but it's something.

Forget about reading blogs! Sorry guys, not that I don't like reading them, but I don't sit in front of the computer long enough to digest some of the posts and try to comment. I've given up on them (for now). I feel guilty about that, too.

Well, I'm cutting this short. The kitchen is screaming my name out. If I don't go there soon, I think there will be a mutiny. I'll leave you with this wonderful picture.

So What Have I been Up To?

2008-06-03T21:18:00.003-04:00

There's been a lot going on and not a lot at the same time. My head is spinning out of control with all that's going through my mind (work, school, work, school). I've been job searching, but not as hard as I should be. Going back to school to get a masters' degree is dancing around my head. I complain about the lack of time I have right now. Can I handle being in school again? What should I do? If I found the right job that paid me a decent amount of money, do I really need to go back? With a recession looming (or in a recession), is it wise to add to my student loan debt? How about the house Dan and I want? And baby #2?

Exercising has also been nagging me. I can't make it to the gym for the life of me. Dan's new job has required him to stay late (very often), which has been a real bitch. I'm stuck. I can't go anywhere. By the time he gets home, I'm exhausted from doing everything. His hours are getting a little better because they're fully staffed now and the slow season is now. So, maybe I'll be able to squeeze at least one workout throughout the week.

It's kind of upsetting to me this lack of exercise. The reason being is that I've lost a lot of weight. I'm the thinnest I've been in about 12 years. The problem? I'm not fit. I'm flabby. So, I don't feel good about my body. I didn't feel this way when I was over 200lbs. Why? Because even though I was fat, I worked out. Exercising is essential in my life. Without it, I feel lost.

Anyway, that's what's been going on (at least in my head). Besides that, I've been enjoying William to the fullest. He's such a wonderful baby. I love him so much. On Mother's Day, Dan got him to "write" on my card. Man, did I start crying. It was the best card I've ever received. I will keep that forever. He's finally saying "mama." Actually, he's been very talkative lately. It's fun seeing all of his little expressions and how much he enjoys having us around. He's very sweet.

I will leave you with pictures of him:

Making Time

2008-05-05T05:27:00.002-04:00

Is it me or is time flying by? It's already May! There isn't enough time in the world for me to do anything. Maybe, I just don't manage it well. How do single parents do it? When Dan works on weekends, it throws me off in such a way. Granted, I do have to admit that I did nap Saturday afternoon. Besides that, I didn't get to do anything else. For some reason, Will decided to stay up until 10:30pm. Do you think I was going to do anything at that time? I did manage to put some of my laundry away, but actual cleaning didn't happen.

Sunday wasn't that much better, but we did do food shopping. This however took up a good four hours (we went to two different places). By the time we got home, fed the baby, and put groceries away it was 10pm. At that time, I managed to clean some parts of the bathroom (yeah, not the whole thing), mop the kitchen floor and do the dishes.

And you ask about the gym? Yeah, it isn't happening. I haven't been able to go back. This makes me sooooo sad. I'll try again this week, but it's just tough and I'm exhausted. Last night, I only got 4 1/2 hours of sleep. How am I suppose to workout like this? Someone shed some light on this for me.

Lots of Stuff

2008-04-21T22:17:00.010-04:00

Can you see how tired I look in this picture? Yup, that's how I was in Miami. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what I look like right now (probably worse). No amount of make-up can cover up how tired I look or feel. This weekend that just past wasn't easy either (when it comes to sleep, anyway). This past week, I've spent it coughing at night.

Let's see what else is going on with me. Well, Dan got a new job! He started this past week. So far, he's been working late hours (he's still not home and it's 8:15 pm on a Friday). You know how it goes. When you're the new guy you have to put in the time. Besides being the new guy, they are short one other person, which adds to the stress. I'm sure things will calm down soon enough.

There's really so much going through my mind right now that I can't even begin to blog about it. I actually went back to the gym this week. I've only gone once before. The baby is 7 1/2 months old and I need to get back to somewhat of my past life. I'm not expecting things to go back to the way they use to, but I need some me time. With Dan working three jobs, it's difficult to find that time.

I'm probably one of the few people that enjoys exercising. I love the "zone" you get into right about 10 minutes into your workout. The feeling of my heart pumping really hard gets me going. I began the workout feeling sleepy and ended it feeling invigorated. I need this aspect of my life back.

So, I made a deal with Dan. I told him that on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays I will be working out. If I don't set this time aside for myself, then it will never happen. You know how it is, something always comes up. Let's see how this turns out!

Do you see this little cutie? This is Will's first time at a park! He had so much fun (we probably had more watching him). I can't wait until it's consistently nice so that we could take him to the park more often. He had a big gorgeous smile on that swing. He also had fun looking at the other kids around him. It was great!

You know who had loads of fun with him? Dad. He wouldn't stop taking pictures of Will and of walking him all around the playground showing him around. I think if Dan would have been able to. He would have gotten on the slide with him.

Btw, this post has been ongoing for days. I started it off on Monday and I'm finally done with it at 12:45 am on Saturday. Yeah, talk about my limited time. I could barely manage reading other blogs. Well, until next time!

Back in Jersey

2008-04-13T22:34:00.002-04:00

We made it back without a hitch. The flight went so well that it was an hour ahead. We landed at 8 am. Yes, we took the 6 am flight, which sucks when you have to get up at 2:30 am, nurse a baby, and drive 45 minutes to the airport. The glory of an early flight is that you have the whole day to recuperate. And that we did. Dan (he's great when it comes to stuff like this) unpacked and put away all the clothes while I tended to the baby. The three of us then took a much needed two hour nap, got up did food shopping, picked up the dog, and came back home.

With the baby sleeping (hopefully he sleeps through the night unlike this past week), I'm ready to hit the sack. I want to pump one more time before sleeping and it should be smooth sailing (well of course except for my constant cough). I think I could be in bed within the next hour.

So, our last two days were good. We went out to dinner with the family on Friday night and had a really nice time and on Saturday we had a barbecue. The entire family was over including Will's great-grandparents. It was so great seeing everyone excited about the baby. It's nice to see that he brings joy to a lot of people. He had a blast being carried by everyone. We really had a great time.

Even though there was no beach, the baby was constipated, and I've been sick, we had a nice time. There was really no resting, but at least we weren't at work. Next time we go, I hope to have an easier time. It's sad that it went quickly, but that's how vacations usually go.

I promise to post some pictures soon, but for now I need to get to sleep!

Vacation...Not so Much

2008-04-11T10:36:00.003-04:00

My idea of relaxing while in Miami has gone out the window. Our flight was wonderful. Will slept through most of it and when he was awake he was having a good old time on our laps. There was some turbulence, which sucked. Of course, the worse turulence came when I was in the bathroom changing the baby. I kept on going back and forth hitting the door and the toilet because I couldn't keep my balance while holding on to Will. Luckily, he stayed on the changing table. It was brutal and I feared going back to my seat, but by then the turbulence was manageable.

Will has only pooped once since we've been here. The poor guy has been suffering from horrible tummy aches. He only manages to fart, which seems to relieve him a bit. We're trying prunes and peaches, but nothing seems to be working. Dan is on his way to getting us some prune juice. Now, to get him to drink it is a whole other story.

He also hasn't been sleeping well. He keeps on kicking his legs really hard to the point of waking himself up. I guess he's just out of his routine and not comfortable in an unfamiliar bed. Last night, we opted for him to sleep with us and he only woke up twice. I nursed him both times and he went back to sleep.

On top of Will's tummy problems, I'm sick. I sound like a frog and my head feels like a big balloon. I'm exhausted from waking up every few hours and hacking my brains out. We tried going to the beach (this is before I got sick) and it was raining. We were also going to drive up to Naples where my in-laws have a condo by the beach and decided against it. It's not like I'll be able to lay out or the baby for that matter.

We have managed to go out a few times. They haven't been long outings. Between the baby screaming in the car for what seemed forever and the freakin traffic in Miami, we haven't gotten far. As gloomy as this all sounds, I am enjoying spending time with my two favorite guys. I love them so much. We're just hanging out inside rather than out. Oh well, we have two days left. Hopefully, things will turn around.

Got Caught Up!

2008-04-02T20:46:00.005-04:00

My evenings are filled with cooking, feeding, nursing, washing dishes, pumping (along the way), and then realizing it's already 10 pm. Yesterday was especially brutal. From the moment I got up (4:40 am) till I was able to sit down on my sofa, it was 10 pm. I couldn't believe it. So, that's how it been for me this past week. Surprisingly enough, tonight is super calm and relaxing even though Dan is not home. I'm not sure why because he's so helpful. Well, I didn't cook and that always helps.

I want to show some pictures of Will (of course). He's so much fun! I love him!! My father retired on Friday. So, I made him dinner to celebrate. Here's the two of them hanging out:

Here's my mom, dad, Will, and me:

Here are other random pictures:

And now I must go. I probably won't be posting for a bit because I am going on vacation this Sunday. Down to Miami we go. We need some relaxation and the rest of the family is dying to meet Will. I'll have pictures!

It's Friday!

2008-03-21T20:21:00.002-04:00

All week, I've been thinking that we're a day ahead. Only to be sadly disappointed upon the realization that I was wrong. Well, at least I made it. The week has been somewhat tough in the sense that Dan has had to work two nights out of this week (tonight being one of them). This shouldn't be a big deal, but let's factor in my dog, the baby, and living on the second floor (you get the picture). In addition to that stress, I started feeding the baby at night. I must admit, the feeding part is going a lot better now that he's gotten use to oatmeal.

I was hoping to go out tonight, but Dan had to work. Today was a coworker's last day and we were suppose to meet after work. The plan was (mine away) was to have Dan pick the baby up and I would get hang out a bit (I need it). But since Dan is at work, I had to rearrange my plan. So, I'm enjoying a Samuel Adams Hefeweizen in honor of her last day and me needing a little relaxation. Yes, I do occasionally indulge in a beer (I just finishing pumping and won't be doing that again for a few hours). The last beer I had was Super Bowl Sunday. Once in a while is ok.

Well, I think it's time for me to go. My beer is done and I have a sink full of dishes. My apartment needs some cleaning and I want to take advantage of the fact that the baby is sleeping. I hope you all enjoy your Easter. Chat with you soon!

Is it Friday, Yet?

2008-03-18T22:15:00.002-04:00

Wow. I am tired. On Sunday, I was watching 60 minutes (I think) and saw the segment on sleep deprivation. Your body basically needs 7+ hours of sleep a night or else you suffer memory loss, slowed reaction time, and a bunch of other stuff. Well, that makes me feel great. I could barely keep my eyes open (of course I have to blog), I need to do the dishes, and it's already 10:20pm. I don't think I'm getting my 7+ hours tonight or any night in the near future.

At least the baby is asleep now and I could move right along. When he's awake, it's tough getting things done. Speaking of the baby, he finally accepted eating food today without throwing a fit. Man, was he hating the rice cereal. I switched him to oatmeal and it didn't make a difference.

Even though I pulverize the oatmeal, it wasn't smooth enough for him. My mom figured this out and strained his oatmeal, added more milk, and gave it to him. Well, it worked. He started having dinner yesterday, which went terrible. Tonight, was another story. He was reaching for the spoon, grabbing it, and putting it in his mouth. It was very cute. He ate more than twenty spoonfuls of oatmeal and then nursed.

Tomorrow, he starts his first vegetable. I made him one big yam, which yields seven lunches. I hope he likes it. Worst case scenario, I have carrots as a back up. Either way, he'll be eating three times a day. This comes at a great time because I'm producing less milk. I don't know if I'm drying up, but I know it's less.

On another subject, I weighed myself at Will's doctor's office and was very impressed with my weight. I'm ten pounds off of my goal weight. I never thought I would loose all of my pregnancy weight and then some. I've lost a total of 25 pounds. Not bad!

Well, got to go. Chat with you later.

Happy Six Month Birthday!

2008-03-11T06:20:00.002-04:00

I hope your past six months have been great and you've enjoyed them. I love you!!!

Will's Big Day

2008-03-08T18:46:00.005-05:00

Will had his first solid meal and he turned over!!! He was so cute about it. I thought he would be spitting everything up, but he took it well. We were so excited about it (of course). Dan was busy snapping pictures. He even shot a little video, which you'll see below.

I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I want him to eat as natural as possible. So, I made his rice cereal from scratch. It's so easy to do. For any of you moms interested in making your own food, here's a website I found that is very helpful: Wholesome Baby Food. I'm not being a baby food snob. I will buy baby food, but if I could make it why not? From the recipe listed in the website, I made enough for six days. I portioned the cereal out into little bags and froze them. Each portion has more than he'll eat, but I want to make sure he'll have enough.

He's finally turning over! He now goes from his tummy to his back. Dan saw him in action and started yelling. It was so cute. Soon, he should be rolling around. It's amazing how everyday he does something new. It blows my mind.

Enjoy the video below!!

What Am I Doing Up?

2008-03-05T03:13:00.002-05:00

One of the drawbacks of falling asleep on the couch is waking up at 2am realizing that the kitchen is a mess. Besides that, having to nurse the baby because he also woke up. It's now 3:15am and I just finished pumping. It's going to be a long day.

My Funk

2008-02-27T23:41:00.002-05:00

On my way home from work, I came to the realization that I'm in the middle of a funk. How did I come to this realization? Well, I ripped my brand new jeans (the ones that I wasn't crazy about). They're not even 24 hours old and they're ripped in the knee. As I was trying to sit down on the bus, the seat in front of me was torn and had a sharp piece of metal sticking out. Of course, I caught my jeans on it.

When Dan sat down, I showed him what happened and cried. I cried and laughed because it's just absolutely ridiculous. He tried calming me down, but man those tears wouldn't stop coming down. After a while, I calmed down. What else could I possibly do? At least the rip isn't huge.

I know why this all happening to me. I'm worn out and I'm attracting all of this weird stuff. My days begin at 5 and don't end until midnight. I'm out of the house by 7 and don't get home until 7. I try to keep some normalcy around the house by making dinner so that it doesn't feel that all I do is work. It also irks me that the baby is only awake for an hour after we get home. The only times I get to enjoy him awake are on the weekends.

I need to change my frame of mind in order to start attracting some good stuff. This will be hard to do because it's hard getting out of a funk once you're in it. Meditation is out of the question. There's no way I could stay awake long enough to relax.

Anyway, time to go. It's midnight and I still have to finish the dishes. Ughhhh......

I Hate Today

2008-02-26T21:01:00.003-05:00

Today is one of those days that I want to throw things at people. In fact, the sight of people piss me off. It has been a really, really long time since I've felt this way. My morning started off with finding out that part of my laundry is missing (we have our laundry done for us). I opened the bag to grab my favorite jeans in the whole world and they weren't there. My other pair of jeans, which I don't really care for weren't there either. I don't know what else is missing, but I had someone else's laundry mixed in with mine.

This may be petty, but it ruined my day. You know why? I'll tell you. I don't have any clean jeans for tomorrow. Guess what I had to do after work? Yup, buy a pair. Do you know what happens when I try to buy jeans? I want to smack the living crap out of designers who forget that there are women out there that actually have fuckin curves!!

By no means am I heavy (anymore). I'm not skinny either. I have hips and a big butt. My tops are usually mediums. My bra size is normal (well, they're a bit bigger since I'm nursing). I fit into a size 10 (well the jeans I have at home are 10s). Apparently, there are different size 10s. I went to Old Navy and tried on 4 pairs of jeans, two 10s and two 12s. None of them fit me right, but I did buy one of them. I bought the size 12 Classic Fit Flare. They look great up until it reaches my waist. Guess what? They're huge around my waist and my underwear stick out. You would think the size 10 would fit. Nope. They were too tight and my underwear really stuck out.

How is a woman suppose to feel after trying on clothes that just don't fit right? There's nothing wrong with my body. Could I loose some more weight? Sure, but is it critical to do so? No. I felt totally not sexy or good about myself after I left there. This is so frustrating.

Get it together designers! Make clothes that fit!!!

My Guys!

2008-02-24T21:42:00.002-05:00

So What Happens When You're Experimenting in the Kitchen?

2008-02-22T22:30:00.003-05:00

You end up with a tummy ache. I was trying to make chocolate mousse, but instead I ended up with more truffles (I'll explain in a little bit). It was the best mistake I've ever made. I might have mentioned this before, but I want to start my own truffle business. In order to do so, I need to come up with my own recipe (only fair).

Well I did and not on purpose. Not to brag, but what I came up with today was fabulous. Those of you that know me, know that I don't brag about my cooking. In fact, I tend to be very critical and I'm never satisfied with the outcome. Although I have to perfect this recipe (after all, it was suppose to be chocolate mousse), I was very satisfied with the outcome.

The truffles were rolled in roasted hazelnuts that were absolutely delicious. My secret ingredient made these chocolates stand out. The flavors came together beautifully. I can't wait until my friends and family try these out. I want to see their reactions!

So how did I go from chocolate mousse to truffles? Well, I ran out of heavy cream, which didn't allow me to fluff the chocolate up as much as it should have. I didn't want to throw away the chocolate, so I rolled it up. Since I did whip up the cream, my truffles are pretty soft. I actually have to keep them refrigerated. Nonetheless, they are still yummy!

Continuing with the kitchen theme, I made a pretty good meatloaf. I'm not sure if it tastes like a meatloaf should, but it was pretty damn good. As a side dish, I made mashed potatoes. My original idea was to make potatoes au gratin, but I had run out of the heavy cream. There was no way I was going to venture out today with the storm. So, mashed potatoes it was.

Well, I don't have to worry about cooking tomorrow. We have plenty of leftovers. Baking is also out of the question. With all the truffles I've made in the last few days, the last thing I need is any more sweets.

Time to go to sleep! I'm exhausted! Even though I didn't go into work today, I never got a chance to take a nap. I've been up since 5 am. Yawn.

They Were Yummy!!!

2008-02-20T20:11:00.002-05:00

My truffles were received very well at work! The flavors blended together and smoothed out the brandy. I'm so glad they worked. Now that I've made them, I have to make them my own. Chat with you later!!!

Truffle Time (Maybe Not)

2008-02-19T22:25:00.002-05:00

For the first time tonight, I tried making truffles. Well, I faked the funk on truffles once because I had extra ganache. So, it doesn't really count. Anyway, I followed this recipe that called for brandy and a chocolate coating.

The brandy over powers the chocolate. So much so that all I could taste is the brandy and I felt it in my chest. The chocolate coating didn't workout for me. The chocolate didn't melt enough, but it was at the temp the recipe called for. Well, I dumped the chocolate covering and just rolled the truffles in Dutch processed cocoa and powdered sugar. Hopefully, the flavors will come together overnight and I'll have yummy truffles tomorrow morning.

Anyway, I have to go to sleep. Chat with you soon!

Treacherous Snow

2008-02-12T23:13:00.004-05:00

Will had his doctor's appointment today, which would have been fine except it was snowing. Normally snow doesn't scare me, but this snow was turning into ice when it hit the floor. Not an ideal driving situation to say the least. There were so many cars slipping and sliding all around me that it scared the crap out of me.

I made it to the doctor's office just fine. This is Will's first snowstorm so I snapped a picture of him (look below). The visit went great. He's gained 3 lbs. in a month! My guy is weighing 17 lbs. and 6 oz. Wow! He also took his vaccines like a little man. The first shot was for polio. He didn't cry at all. The doctor and I were amazed. The second was the pneumonia shot and she told me it was going to be painful. This one he did cry, but it lasted about 30 seconds. I was so proud of him.

By the time we were out of the office, it was really coming down. I had to warm up and clean the car. I was driving on Kennedy Blvd (for you Jersey people, you know how dangerous it could be). Everyone on the road was driving slow enough even though there was salt on the ground. As I'm reaching my block and begin to slow down, my car decides that forward is not the direction it wants to go. Yup, I spun out and pretty much faced the opposite direction.

Luckily, there were no cars next to me. I braced for the impact, but it didn't happen. For what seemed like eternity, I prayed that if a car was going to hit us that it would hit me and not the back end of the car. I sat there very motionless and calm (I did not freeze; I was praying the baby wouldn't get hurt) considering that I was waiting for the impact (I always do that in extremely stressful situations).

Nothing happened! Like I said, there were no cars around me. The person behind me was about ten feet away. When the car finally did stop, I very carefully tried straightening out the car, except there were a few cars that decided to drive past me and not let me do this. I finally did straighten up, made a right turn, and made it home.

Well, I'll leave you with this precious picture of Will all bundled up:

Random Things

2008-02-09T07:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, I attract strange situations. I'm kind of use to it. For instance, one day Dan, Cody (coworker friend), and I were walking through the subway to catch the 7 train. A homeless man is walking towards us swinging a bag. He's seems really into it. As we cross paths, he swings that bag right onto my head. Dan and Cody didn't notice because they were slightly ahead of me. What are the chances of getting smacked by a homeless man?

Yesterday, I was on my way to the bus standing in the corner waiting for the light to change. All of us that are standing on this corner are looking towards our left to see if there are any cars coming. As soon as the light turns green for us, I turn my head to walk forward and I end up eating some guy's shoulder. He hit me so hard across my nose that tears came to my eyes. It was so hard that my teeth ended up scraping his jacket. Can you believe this guy didn't even stop to ask me if I was ok? He just kept on walking as if nothing had happened. I yelled out in pain and was just amazed.

If I hadn't had my breast pump with me (it's basically a suitcase) and Will's milk in there, I would have seriously grabbed the guy and asked him what the fuck was wrong with him. This guy wasn't someone homeless where you could assume that he wasn't all there. He was a young guy dressed very nicely. A simple "I'm sorry" would have made me happy. How do you walk so close to someone that as soon as she turns her face she eats your shoulder? My nose was still red when I got to my parents' house.

Keeping with the weird theme, I was in the kitchen at my job filling up these microwavable bags with my pump stuff (they steam the stuff clean; it's pretty neat). Now, my pump bag is open and it's pretty clear what it is. This man walks in, looks at my bag, looks at me, and asks if I have something good in there. I was a bit stumped at this one and must have turned bright red. My answer was "No, I'm just cleaning up, but I did have something good." I don't know what kind of an answer that was, but I wanted him to leave me alone, which he did right afterwards. What did he mean? Maybe his wife nursed their children and he's totally in the know about this kind of stuff. I don't know, it was weird.

Hopefully, my day turns out to be normal without anyone hitting me or saying weird stuff to me. And now I must go back to sleep. I'm tired!

Will and I Surfing the Net

2008-02-07T19:55:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken from my webcam! Will likes looking online! I decided to take advantage and snap a picture!

Can you believe my little guy will be 5 months old on Monday? Why is time flying by? These last five months have been the best! I love you Will!!!

Can Anyone Say....

2008-02-04T05:30:00.000-05:00

Big Blue!What a game! Yay Giants! Last night was great all around. We had a couple of coworkers over and lots of food. I made empanadas, a mean ass chili (my own recipe) in biscuit bowls ( a la food network), and a double chocolate cake from epicurious. The guys left my place stuffed!

Another congratulations is in order to my friend Nat. Her and her man welcomed a beautiful baby girl on February 2nd. I went to visit them at the hospital yesterday and all are doing well. Caitlyn (the baby) is beautiful and yummy. She was born at 7 lbs 6 oz and a little over 20 inches. Nat and I have known each other for 24 yrs. Her daughter's birth is special to me. I wish them all the very best!

More Cooking

2008-02-02T07:21:00.000-05:00

As I said in a prior post, I try making big meals that will last a few days. My evenings are so hectic that cooking every single night is not an option. With Dan now working for the Prudential Center doing the NJ Devils, MISL Ironmen (indoor soccer), and Seton Hall Basketball games, my evenings have become even more hectic. He still also works private parties at his uncle's lodge. So, I'm home alone quite often, which makes cooking not much of an option.

The other night I decided to make a pasta, which is a spin off of a great dish I tried at Umberto's Clam House with Sal. It is bowtie pasta with bacon and peas. The one served at the restaurant had onions, which I didn't add. First of all, I had run out of onions. Second of all, it didn't need it. However, I did add chicken to it. Anyway, I made a basic bechamel sauce. This I did by melting a half stick of butter and sauteing a good amount of minced garlic (five or six cloves) for a few minutes. Then, I added about three heaping tablespoons of flour, which I mixed together until it formed a nice thick paste. I added milk (about two to two and half cups). I then seasoned the sauce with salt, fresh cracked pepper, a bit of garlic powder (I love garlic), and nutmeg. I kept on stirring the sauce until it reduced and thickened.

The rest of the ingredients are pretty simple. With the chicken, I chopped it up into small medallions, which I seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano. I sauteed the chicken with some olive oil. For the bacon, I used eight slices, which I had cut up and threw in a pan. There's not much to the bacon. The peas were thawed out, but not to the point that they were warm. I left them cold enough to have a crunch and threw them in with the pasta.

The end result was magnificent. Dan absolutely loved the pasta. I practically devoured it! I separated some for my mom, which she loved. The dish lasted for three days! Well, on the third day there was enough for one serving. Since Dan worked last night, it was all mine!!

This dish is very quick and simple. The only problem with it is that you will dirty several pots and pans, but the end result is worth it. Dan loved it so much that he wants me to write down exactly how I made it, which I guess I did now. I didn't use exact measurements on anything. I kind of went with my gut. My parents loved it so much that I promised them the next time I make it I will double the recipe for them.

Until my next recipe!

Another Pump Story

2008-02-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

At around 12 pm, I had to go the public bathroom to pump. I'm there minding my own business when I hear a woman ask very quietly what the noise was. She's obviously talking to someone else and proceeds to say that it sounds like a recorder. A recorder? If that is what a recorder sounds like, then that's the noisiest recorder I've ever heard. Just because she came up with that answer, I remained quiet and never said it was my pump.

Apparently, people are very creative when it comes to deciphering noises. At least this one didn't try opening my door. I hate the bathroom!

On a sweet note, there's this lady who always asks me how me and the baby are doing. She saw me in the bathroom at some point today with my pump and told me that I was an excellent mother. She said that she could only last a week pumping after she returned to work. It was too difficult for her. The fact that I'm still doing impressed her. She said that Will is lucky to have me. How sweet is that?

Pumping has become so part of my routine that I don't think of it as a sacrifice. It's just part of me now. I do sometimes wish I didn't have to pump, but it's not such a big deal to me. I'm happy that I'm able to do this for my little guy.

Well, got to go! I must go pick him up from Grandma and Grandpa's.

Renewed Passion

2008-01-27T00:37:00.000-05:00

I love cooking. If I had it my way, I would stay home raising my son, crocheting/knitting, and cooking. Since I don't have it my way yet, I improvise. Crocheting/knitting is basically neglected (although I did make myself a hat yesterday). Cooking is something I can't totally neglect. Besides, we do need to eat. With all the breastfeeding and pumping I do, food is very important to me. I'm starving all the time.

In order to have a home cooked meal everyday without killing myself every night at 7 pm, I try making a big meal on Sundays that will last me pretty much the whole week. Now, I can't make any sloppy thing. Remember, we'll be eating this basically every night. So, I've become creative.

Last week, I made a cheeseburger mac & cheese from scratch that was just delightful and a vegetable soup that was very savory. We spent all week eating it. On Friday night (I was home sick), I made a chicken fricassee (Cuban style) that was to die for. We'll probably have this dish again on Monday night. We're going to a wedding today, which will hamper my cooking (but well worth it).

I've been getting great recipes off of the Food Network. While I nurse the baby, I put the Food Network on and get great ideas. Besides the recipes, watching the shows on there just opens up my mind about cooking. I never realized how easy cooking is. There are so many ways of making a good home cooked meal that are just simple.

Now what I do is experiment. For example, every time I've made mac & cheese, I've changed the recipe up a bit. I've made it plain, with bacon, with beef, and I plan to make it provencal style. It doesn't matter which style I make it because they're all good. Cooking could become boring if you cook the same foods all the time.

So when you're running out of ideas, hit the Food Network. You'll end up cooking something very yummy!