Friday, June 20, 2014

Lately.

Maybe it's the fact that this was Father's Day month, I don't really know, but lately, every time I hear a song or watch a show that reminds me of my childhood I think about my dad, the house we lived in and growing up. It's gotten me in a funky mood and I can't quite shake the feeling of missing him everyday. Every time I see an episode of Tom & Jerry or The Three Stooges or even a commercial on them, it takes me right back to a Sunday morning watching those shows with him in our living room, still in pajamas. He loved those shows. The story is on this post.

I look back and I think to myself how I should have spent more time with him, talked to him more, done more with him, but then if I keep thinking that way I'm going to drive myself crazy. Besides, he left us, not the other way around. I don't even know if I will ever see him again, being that he's halfway around the world and that makes me yearn for him even more.

Regardless, I still think about how crazy he would go over Elliot and how Elliot would love him so much. Because my dad was so great with kids. My niece was really attached to him and would cry and ask for him all the time for a few months after he left. That was hard. Once she was a little older to understand my sister finally told her. Still to this day, she talks about it and says that grandpa isn't here because he made grandma sad. Breaks my heart.

On my birthday, I got a call from him, oddly enough, right before Jack and I took off on our mini trip. I was in the car with Elliot while Jack ran inside the house to get something we forgot. When he got back, I told him my dad had called and left a voice mail, but I didn't/couldn't listen to it until a few days later after we got back. He asked about Jack and Elliot (although he doesn't know Elliot's name and referred to him as my son, another heart breaker) and begged me to please call him back. I didn't. I couldn't.

Sometimes I think about how I'm older, and how I should be able to deal with these feelings and situation better than if he had left when I was little. I can't. For me, it's almost worse. I was really, really close to my dad. When all of this happened, for a few months I refused to call him dad and referred to him as "that man" but now I realize that he will always be my dad, he just did something really wrong and it's really hard for me to forgive but that doesn't and will never mean he's not my dad. Maybe I'm being harsh and stubborn but what gets me is that to this day he doesn't think he did anything wrong. I know that people get divorced all the time and life goes on, but he left without telling us anything about wanting one. He never mentioned never coming back. I thought, we all thought he was happy. I will never understand that.

I look at my own family and I feel better. Elliot is the best little stress, sadness, anger reliever. He makes me laugh and when I make him laugh, his laughter is the best. It is contagious. Don't all of our kids do that? Except for the times they make us want to pull our hair out. :)



I needed to get this off my chest. Thank you so much for reading. :)

Monday, June 16, 2014

Father's Day Weekend.

I honestly had no plans for Father's Day (oops). I told jack that we were going to wing it and do whatever he wanted and it turned out to be a really nice weekend. It was so bittersweet as I kept scrolling down my Facebook and Instagram looking at pictures of everyone with their dads, their dads with their kids, it was sad really. This time of the year stresses and saddens me, but I couldn't let that bring the weekend down!

On Friday, I couldn't wait all the way till Sunday to give Jack his gifts and I blurted this out, like a jerk. He said okay he would open them so as a giddy little girl I went to the closet where I had hid everything already wrapped, card in hand and practically ran to the kitchen. He opened the card first, read it an cried. Just kidding, he read it, put it aside and opened up his glass. He loved it! He thought that was all I had given him and even washed it to use it and I told him that there was more. Who doesn't like the sound of that? He dug through the bag and found his second gift.

I got the pilsner from Things Remembered. I knew this is what I wanted to get him. Stuff that he would actually use and like and would last him forever. They even have ink colors now so I chose this red!



This is the second time I print Instagram pictures with Artifact Uprising and they are the absolute best. They had this wooden block that holds twelve pictures and I couldn't pass it up. I printed pics of Jack and Elliot and of Elliot alone for Jack to put in his office. We had been looking for a cool frame for him to take and just couldn't find a good one. This one is manly enough and the fact that you can put up a different pic is awesome! He loved it. He took it to work already and put it up. We plan on staining it too.



Saturday we let him sleep in of course. This boy is the silliest!!


We headed to the outlet mall to buy Jack much needed work clothes. Elliot insisted on going up and down this tiny little step. He liked this more than the actual rides. He was clearly amused by the rides. :)






I then took Jack to a spot that I've been to a couple of times where they have the best seafood, clams and oyster shots. He loved it. He wasn't so sure about the shot, he only had one and I had two. I bought some oysters and will be making my own. I'll post the recipe! They're non-alcoholic but have a whole oyster in them. They're so good I could drink ten in a row!



Elliot was the best. He ate his food, danced and talked to us. He knew it was Father's Day weekend. ;)



We headed home to rest for a while then went to Home Goods. I love that store. I've been looking for a cool centerpiece for our dining table and found the perfect items! I love these bottles and I loved the price too!



I'm not usually one to like much less buy fake plants but these look and feel real and I love the little setup! What a good man my hubby is to take me to this store on his weekend. :)



Sunday morning we woke up with Elliot like this. Now you see why we can't sleep? We put him in bed with us when he first woke up to drink his milk then fell back asleep. He is the craziest sleeper.



I made a Middle Eastern breakfast for Jack since it's his favorite. I made hummus, I'll post that recipe as well, Lebne with olive oil (thickened yogurt), cauliflower with eggs, fresh veggies and pita bread. I should have taken a picture of the aftermath. Not a crumb or leftover in sight.



Elliot ate blueberry pancakes & cauliflower and eggs.


We got a watermelon and obviously Elliot almost ate the entire thing. We spent the rest of the day hanging out, we watched a movie during Elliot's nap (which he fought for a good thirty minutes) and Jack mowed the lawn while we played with water outside. At the end of the night, Jack told me he had the best day. It wasn't much and we didn't really do much but he said it was perfect, as long as his family is with him. I agree. :)


Jack, you are the light of our lives. We are so fortunate to have you. You are an amazing father and husband and without you, we would come undone. I love seeing you and Elliot together, how he plays with you and how you make him laugh so much. I love that when Elliot says socks "toths" you think that's the cutest word you've ever heard and how you look at him and tell me he's the most beautiful boy in the world. I know you are going to teach him everything he needs to know to be successful and as good of a man as you are. We love you so much!


Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Sweet Summer Treats.

It's Wednesday and the days over here are so hot and dry with a breeze that only makes it feel worse. We are ninety-six today and after being in the hundreds, I'll take ninety-six.

Aside from all the watermelon we have been inhaling this summer, all I want in this weather is a refreshing drink without it being overly sweet because then I get even more thirsty. So I whipped up three drinks that are sure to quench your thirst along with other summer treats. Just add alcohol on the weekend to any of these and you have a delicious and pretty little adult beverage. Plus, it takes a couple of minutes to chop everything and throw it in the blender, the exact time it takes for a toddler to escape your view before you have to go looking for him. ;)

The first one is watermelon and mint. Mint is so refreshing with everything even just plain water! We bought a watermelon that wasn't all that great, sweet but kind of soft and I like it really crunchy. It's much more refreshing that way. I told Jack that this one would be used to make drinks all week. I added ice, mint and a little water. I didn't add anything else to it. It is so good.


This is made with pineapple and mint. It is my favorite! I made it a couple of times this past weekend. I blended everything and you can't beat the frothiness of the pineapple and the freshness of the mint. I could drink this all day everyday! Elliot loves this one too and if you have a toddler that doesn't like a lot of fruit, these are perfect!


I got the recipe for this one off of Pinterest I think, and it's so good for a party for kids or for adults with some vodka in it or whichever kind you like. It has sparkling water, lemonade, lemon slices, mint and blueberries.


What better than a good ol' Popsicle. I have a bag of these and freeze pops in the freezer at all times because you never know when the craving will come. Especially right now. I don't give these to Elliot but I plan on making some with some recipes from Pinterest using real fruit and if you make one of the drinks above, throw some sliced fruit in there and you have a super healthy popsicle without all of the added sugars. I saw the cutest mold at Target that I need to go back for!


My most favorite treat this summer is this boy in swim shorts without a little shirt. I just want to hug him and squeeze him all day long!! We had some fun yesterday while Jack was watering outside. I got this container and buckets at Target, filled the container with water and Elliot was hesitant at first but then he loved the feeling of water on him. It was so hot out. He sat in a big puddle of water and didn't move for a while.


Whatever it takes to stay cool right?! A water table is in the buying process but this will do for now. This kid LOVES being outdoors and I can keep him cool and entertained at the same time. Works for me!

Happy Wednesday!

Monday, June 9, 2014

A Weekend In The Life Of.

I hope you all had a great weekend!! Once again we did nothing at all and had no plans other than a few errands but it was an extremely hot but lovely weekend.

Wouldn't you want to be a kid again? To not worry, not stress about petty things or responsibility, to be able to play all day long with not a thought on your mind other than the next toy you're going to pick to play with, where you last left your paci or what trouble can you get into without mama finding out? I always think about that when I'm with Elliot and Jack and I always joke about how he better enjoy all of this time he has before he grows up and has a life full of responsibilities even though that's eons away?

Here's a weekend in the life of Elliot in pictures.

Friday started with a dance party. Cracker in hand.


I've got the moves.



Saturday we woke up bright and early and headed upstairs to let daddy sleep in and played, and made a mess. Mama can clean that up later.


We tried on the hat that grandma brought back from her trip to Mexico.



We played ship for a while.



We then headed downstairs for breakfast. Eggs with cheese, banana, pineapple and orange. The plate was empty in 10 minutes. :)



Mama bathed and dressed me and I was ready to start the day but then I decided to take an early nap. I was tired from waking up so early. Too bad for mama because she can't take a nap like I can. ;)


We headed out to run a couple of errands then got back and took silly pictures with mama. She's a mamarazzi.




I was over it after a couple. Why does she take so many pictures of me?



I needed my paci after that session.



Trying on the Santa hat is much more fun. Sorry for the blurry pic, I just can't stay still for mama to snap it quick enough.



Sunday night I snuggled with daddy before bedtime.


Then up I was on Monday morning ready to see my friends, play, eat and sleep at daycare!


Have a great day friends!

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Fun Workout Gear.

Happy Thursday! One step closer to Friday ha!

I mentioned in this post that having cute and comfy workout gear really helps in motivating me to well, work out. Maybe it is because these types of clothes make me look thinner or because they just make me feel good and make me get on that treadmill and run. Whatever it is, Old Navy is having a huge sale with 40% off their active wear and I cannot wait to get my hands on them. These are some of my favorites.


I am in love with this color. It feels so summery! This is the type of style that I like to wear, loose tops with fitted leggings or yoga pants. Right now I am very uncomfortable wearing tight tops because I'm still not there with my midsection so these tops are perfect! And like I said, the fact that they're so cute helps. 

I also need good support for the girls and these sport bras are perfect! Can you see yourself wanting to workout in any of these items? I know I can! 

This is why I love Old Navy, they're so affordable and cute. Besides these are nice enough that you can wear to go run errands or for a quick Target run! 

We are almost there!!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Our Weekend In Pictures.

Happy Monday all! Ha! Just kidding.

This weekend we promised ourselves that we wouldn't lift a finger to cook, clean or do anything that involved housework and just plopped ourselves on the bed or carpet and watched TV, movies and played with Elliot all weekend although we finished all of the laundry on Saturday so that we had the day off on Sunday. It was lovely.

So this is what happened, courtesy of my iPhone.

We let Elliot loose right before his bath on Friday and he loved it. He is the happiest in diapers. We played peek-a-boo and he pulled on the curtains so hard we thought the rod was going to fall on his head so that game ended pretty quickly. ;)



He makes the cutest faces and gestures!



That night was so nice, it was so beautiful outside, who knew the crazy hundreds were just ahead of us! So we put Elliot to bed and headed outside to water and have a beer.



I woke up early on Saturday (as if I could sleep in) and got ready for a very, very important appointment. My hair appointment. I was so excited! (ha it's the little things) and left Jack and Elliot to go to the salon. I met with my hair dresser (the best) and we got started on a long process of a mini makeover that was very much needed for this mama. I needed a complete change!


I wanted to go lighter and since my hair had a dark color, she had to bleach it to get me the color I wanted.



I love the way it turned out! It's the light brown that I wanted.



Meanwhile, Jack and Elliot played, read and played more.





And then he was looking and waiting for mama. I love him!



Saturday night we made a list of all of the projects around the house we need to take care of and will tackle over the next few weeks. Fingers crossed.

Sunday we headed to lunch but since it was a million degrees out, we ate and headed straight home. We closed all of the blinds, curtains and watched more TV. Then it was time to prep for today. This little one went to bed and Jack and I got to enjoy some quiet reading time which hasn't happened in a long time.


A glass of champagne, thirty minutes of reading and a toddler (waa!) who only woke up ONCE the entire night made for a very good night's sleep. Maybe I need to do this every night. :)


Have a great week and may it be fast and painless!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...