Christmas Card Out-Takes

Since I have a few Shutterfly coupon codes, I decided to hurry up and use them to order our Christmas cards for this year. That, and it takes me like a month to get them stamped, addressed and sent out, so better to get an early start.

I booked a family photo shoot with a photographer here on the island, but unfortunately, she's booked until mid-December, which wouldn't leave me with enough time to get the cards ordered and then sent out. Remember, it takes me a while to get the ball rolling. So, I took matters into my own hands and attempted to get some Christmas card-worth shots of the girls. It was a challenge, but I finally managed to get one photo of the girls to use on our card.

Here are the some of the many that didn't make the cut. As per the usual, Adri is being a clown.

Do you send out photo cards for the holidays?

*This post contains affiliate links*

Trick or Treating

After you have kids, everything you once knew about celebrating holidays changes. Where Halloween was once all about dressing up as a sexy cop and getting drunk in Miami Beach, it has now become all about holding hands and walking past the scary houses with my Disney princesses.

Halloween 2014 was by far the best Halloween I've ever had. It completely beat out my high school and college experiences and helping my two munchkins collect their own candy was far more rewarding than having my own pillow cases filled with sweets.

Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Mommy and Daddy (who was on patrol duty) set out exactly at 6:00, the start time for trick or treating on post. It was rainy and crappy, but nothing that we couldn't brave for the sake of free candy. There were TONS of kids out on the street. We paraded around our neighborhood for precisely and hour before V got too itchy in her costume and we returned home.

After a quick change, we were out on our front porch passing out candy. Something I learned about our neighborhood is that if you weren't sitting outside, the trick or treaters weren't going to waste time knocking on your door.

Veronica probably had the most fun sitting outside with us and passing out candy for two hours. I was incredibly proud that for once, she wasn't trying to hoard it all for herself and was actually sharing with others. I was also pretty surprised by how courteous all of the neighborhood teenagers were. The grand majority were great about saying "thank you."

How was your Halloween? Did you see any creative costumes?

My Solution to the Dinnertime Dilemma

I'm fairly confident that any toddler mom can tell you what a pain in the ass meal times can be. I often find myself arguing incessantly with the older two trying to get them to finish what's on their plate sometime before they become teenagers. It doesn't matter if it's a dish that they love or not, I can almost guarantee that there will be a fight to try to get them to finish in a timely manner.

On a recent grocery trip, I was scanning the aisles when a little gadget caught my eye. Hanging somewhere between Life and Lucky Charms I spotted this heifer.

Considering there are several digital timing devices built into my kitchen, it's been a while since I've used an actual timer. I figured it would be a nice visual motivator to help get the girls to hurry up and eat though.

For a few night now, we've been using our new friend to time dinner. The timer gets set to 20 minutes when we sit down. When the bell dings, dinner is over. Veronica and Adri are able to watch the clock and determine approximately how much time they have left to finish eating. To my surprise, it's actually helped!

John and I are usually done in about 10 minutes. We're then able to use the rest of the time to assist the munchkins if they're in need of an extra hand. If I notice that they're making an effort to finish, I'm willing to be lenient with the time and stick around at the table for a few minutes after the bell.If not, that's it. No more snacks or dessert.

Do you have any tricks for getting your kids to eat?

Thanks to all of the lovely ladies who have joined the MilSO Directory Map! It's starting to fill in rather nicely!

On Being A Stay At Home Mom

It's funny that today's Blogtober topic relates to what I was planning on blogging about anyway..

For almost as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a stay at home mom. As a kid, my mom always worked and I always hated it. I never got to be the cool kid whose mom went on the field trips as a chaperone. And really, because of her schedule, there weren't many functions that she was able to attend outside of school either. Work started early in the mornings, way before I was awake, which also meant an early bedtime for her.

The one experience that has stuck with me for close to 20 years was the time that my third grade class put on a little tea party event for Mother's Day. Our class got to serve lunch to our mothers and then everyone did little performances along the lines of reciting poems and telling jokes. I was in two dance performances. I was also the only child whose mom (or some sort of mother figure) didn't attend. To this day, it still makes me want to cry.

There are days where I hate being a stay at home mom. It's rough to be around the same grumpy little people around the clock, day in and day out. I get frustrated easily and sometimes even annoyed that I'm not doing more with my life. After all, I didn't spend four and a half years in college to wipe asses and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There was a point where I wanted to be some big marketing superstar stomping around in $600 shoes in a highrise office building in Miami.

Yet, I have no regrets. I get to spend all day snuggling my tiniest munchkin. I'm the one who gets to hear the excited "mommy!" when I pick up the girls from daycare. I get to run to the front window and hold the blinds open as a fire truck zooms by the house. And soon, I'll be the one at PTA meetings, doing bake sales, and chaperoning field trips. Yeah, having a second income would be great, but for now, we're doing just fine making memories.

I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything

Yesterday was the epitome of a lazy day. I didn't do a damn thing. Actually, that's a bit of a lie. I did a few things, but really, as little as humanly possible. Between Adri crawling into bed with us still and pregnancy taking over my life, I was relatively fatigued.

The one major thing that I did manage to accomplish was going to the post office really quickly to drop off a package. I was slightly surprised when I turned on the car and Bruno Mars' Lazy Song was playing. It pretty much solidified the fact that nothing else was going to get done. Nothing at all.

Basically, no f***s were given. Kinda paying for it today though. Between my 32 week appointment this morning, and Caesar's annual check up this afternoon, I need to squeeze in a couple of errands. Once again, I put off going grocery shopping, so it'll be a nightmare for me to shop since today is payday for the people with military affiliated banks. I can't remember the last time I shopped on payday, but I feel like I'd prefer to go alone on payday vs taking the girls during the day. Who knows what adventures the commissary circus will have in store..

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

What Happened to Home Videos?

I was laying in bed between John and the girls one morning over the weekend. Something that Adri did made me wonder why I don't record the girls on video very often. They're growing so quickly, and I feel like I'm missing or forgetting so much of it. I can hardly remember Veronica being Adri's age and doing all the cute little quirky things that they do. Or what her voice used to sound like and all of the words that she used to pronounce incorrectly.

In the age of Instagram, it's rare that a day goes by where I don't snap a picture or 15 of my kids, but I can't recall the last time I recorded a video. A good video, not a 10 second clip that uses half of my phone memory. Do they even make video cameras anymore? I think I can use my DSLR camera to record video, but would I be able to get hours of footage like my parents used to?

One of the more recent times that I was home, old home videos made their way on to the TV. It was embarrassing, to say the least. But at the same time, entertaining to watch old mannerisms. When I'm old and my babies are gone from the house, it'll be those sweet memories that I'll cherish most. I just have to start capturing them.

Do any of you mommas record videos of your kiddos? What do you use?

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Co-Sleeping

I'm SO over it. If you can even call it co-sleeping. I haven't been getting any sleep, so it's more like Adri sleeping in my bed while I lay between her and John.

 
When the girls were first born, I was all about co-sleeping. It just made life so much easier. I never had to actually wake up for late night feedings, because they'd just find their way to a boob and feed themselves. I wasn't getting amazing sleeping since I was worried about crushing a baby. But to me, it was decent enough and a better option than having to actually wake up and sit while trying to feed a child.

Co-sleeping lasted about 10 months with each girl. Basically until they were weaned from breastfeeding. The transition from my bed to their own was relatively simple. For the most part, we had a great routine.

Towards the end of John's deployment, Veronica made her way back into bed with me. Getting her out was a nightmare. Now we're facing the same dilemma with Adriana. She had fantastic sleep habits before we got to Hawaii, but the move here really messed her up.

Lately, it feels like I'm getting beat up in my own bed. I imagine it had to be something like sleeping next to the bundle of joy that is Johnny Manziel. Complete with the Heisman pose. A few nights ago there was an extended arm which led to a palm in my face accompanied by a knee to the stomach.

via

I've tried tiring her out more during the day in hopes that she'll stay asleep in her bed, but so far it's only delayed the inevitable. I also tried getting her to sleep in V's new big bed last night, but she wasn't feeling it. My next option might be to exile myself to the guest room or couch. I only have a few more months to enjoy mediocre sleep, before I have to start worrying about rolling over a child again.

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Busy Day

Since Adri and I started the mommy & me gymnastics class last week, Tuesdays have become our busy day.

The day begins with the unpleasant sound of my alarm going off. I'll get the girls up and get them dressed. V's school outfit has already been chosen, but I'll have to pick out something for Adri to wear (I should really just do it the night before). While V is taking care of herself, I'll help Adri out with little things like brushing her teeth.

In an effort to save us some time with breakfast, I made these banana oatmeal muffins last night. I had a few last night, and ermahgerd! They're SO good! Once we head out, there's no turning back. Adri will have a muffin in the car and V gets fed at school. As soon as we drop V off, we'll be on our way to gymnastics! After gymnastics is errand time, and hopefully we'll be home in time for lunch and a nap.

As I was baking, I  started to think about what other things I could possibly do to try and save myself time in the mornings and throughout the day. I think Monday night muffins will probably become part of my weekly routine. I quickly got it done between dinner and bath time. It only takes a few minutes to throw everything in the mixer and then into the oven anyway..

I've been building up my stash of freezer meals for when Juliana gets here. I wish I had the ability to spend a day putting dishes together, but I don't. Slowly but surely it's getting done. I know that's going to save a bunch of time once we have a newborn around. It would be fantastic if Hubs could just cook, but with his schedule, it would mean that some nights we wouldn't be eating until like 8 pm.

I feel like I'm on a roll now, and need to find some more time saving tips. With the muffins, I have breakfast not only for today, but for the rest of the week as well. My next goal might be to put together smoothie packets that I can just dump into the blender each morning. That's probably easier said that done.

Do you have any time saving tips that I can steal?

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Say Adios to Diapers - Part 1

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Pull-Ups® Training Pants and Latina Bloggers Connect.

As a parent, potty training has been one of those most frustrating experiences that I’ve had to deal with, by far. It took several attempts at potty training before it finally stuck with Veronica. Soon it will be Adri’s turn to start potty training. While I’m dreading having to go through the process again, I learned a lot the first time around that I’m hoping will assist this time.

For the first part of this Say Adios to Diapers series, I’ll be sharing some of the insight gathered from round one of potty training with V. In the second post, I’ll be talking about what we plan to do with Adri and what we’ll be doing differently from the first time.

Get the gear. When potty training Veronica, we started off by buying two things. She got a miniature potty that doubled as a stool and had a removable seat, which could be attached to the toilet, as well as “big girl pants,” aka Pull-Ups. The toddler-sized potty made it easy for her to go on her own and being able to use the seat to make the big toilet child friendly helped a bunch too.

Being in Pull-Ups versus diapers has been proven to deliver more potty training success. Not only did V feel less like a baby with wearing big girl pants, but they made it possible for her to remove them on her own when it came time to use the toilet. With Pull-Ups’ partnership with The First Years, parents can purchase a specialty potty seat for her toddler featuring a free sample pack of Pull-Ups® Training Pants.

Consistency. Continually repeating the same routine helps it to become a habit. For that reason, a trip to the potty was something that happened first thing every morning. I have to pee when I first wake up, so why wouldn’t she? I believe that getting Veronica accustomed to this first trip, made it easier for her to recognize what I felt like to have to go. And even if she didn’t use the potty for the rest of the day, this first trip was always something that happened.

Positive Reinforcement. Since the very beginning, we’ve made a big deal out of every potty occurrence that actually happened on the toilet. Celebrate the Every Flush is a ritual designed to celebrate successes in potty training. In our home, each flush was accompanied by lots of cheering and clapping. For a while, Veronica was rewarded for going on the potty with a treat, usually a piece of candy. After a while, she was getting too much candy, so we stopped that. Some parent’s choose the healthier alternative of stickers or reward charts.

The main thing that I learned with Veronica is that potty training takes some serious commitment. It didn't happen right away, and it actually took several separate attempts with breaks in between for it to catch on. For that reason, I'm not in a huge rush with Adri, yet. But I do have plans that I'll discuss next time.

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

You're Doing OK, Mom

As a mom, often times it’s difficult to know whether or not you’re doing a good job.

When you first bring your little bundle home from the hospital and you can’t figure out why they’re still crying after you’ve tried everything, it’s easy to feel like you’re failing.

The process seems to repeat itself when they hit the terrible twos. Tantrums and endless crying happening all over again. Only now, it happens in public and you get resentful glances from strangers. Once again, it’s easy to feel as though you’re failing.

And then they grow a little. They’re starting to learn their colors and shapes and ABCs. But as moms, we worry if they’re learning enough and if they’re on the same level as their peers. Am I doing enough to prepare them for school?

Then there are the times when you’re snuggling and everything in the world seems to be perfect. Their sweet little kisses give you the reassurance that you need to know that you are in fact doing a great job.

Just the other day, Adri and I were sitting around on my bed when she turned to me and said, “You’re my best friend, mom.” I died a little on the inside. It’s moments such as those that reassure me that I’m doing a decent job as a parent. Or like right now that I have a toddler softly brushing my hair as I type.

Parenthood certainly doesn’t always seem perfect, but there are always special moments to reassure us that things are in fact  going as close to perfectly as they can.

If you’re feeling mushy, take a look at this video or follow this link to view it on YouTube. Warning: it’s one of those mommy tearjerkers. For each view of the “You’re doing OK, Mom,” JOHNSON’S® Baby’s social initiative to donate $1 to Save the Children®. Save the Children® is an organization that gives children around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mommas out there tackling this crazy life the best way you know how. You’re doing OK, Mom.

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

First, Second, Third

My poor Juliana. Third child syndrome has hit hard. The kid might never own a new anything until she is old enough to go out and purchase it for herself. The oldest sibling in me didn't believe that third child syndrome could happen to me, but believe me people, it's happening. It's just so much easier (and cheaper) to do the hand me down thing from sibling to sibling. History is repeating itself, and much like my sister, who knows if Juli will even get a baby book.

Yesterday, we finally got around to setting up V's new bed. I took apart the convertible crib that's been scratched up throughout our couple of moves and put the pieces and old bedding in Adri's  room, which she'll be sharing with the new baby. Off to Target Adri and I went to buy a brand new full-sized bed set and all the fun little matching accessories for Veronica's new big girl room.

After moving everything around Adri has V's old crib mattress (since it was a much nicer one than what she had) and Juli is going to get V's old bed and Adri's old crib mattress. Lucky little lady she is. But at least V (now Juli) has the higher quality Babies R Us stuff, versus Adri's second child syndrome Walmart bedding.

When it comes to clothes, Juliana is once again going to get the short end of the stick. I've been overwhelmed trying to finish sorting the boxes of baby clothes that we have. For now, I refuse to buy any new articles of clothing for Juliana. Most everything we own is in pretty decent condition, and it's not like she'll notice that my favorite pieces are a bit more faded than the others.

Hopefully I'll remember to jot down milestones in Juliana's book (I haven't completely succeeded with Adri's), but at this point, I think she'll be lucky if she even makes it to her well-baby check ups and I remember to take pictures of her height and weight.

I feel slightly guilty, but I know in the end, the baby of the family comes out winning. I still hate my sister for not having to deal with a curfew and the insanely strict parents that I grew up with.

Today is the last day to enter the #MilSpouse Appreciation Day iPad giveaway! 

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

28 Week Bumpdate

I had my 28 week prenatal appointment on Thursday, and I'm so thrilled with how well it went. I had a ton of questions for my doctor, which he spent a great amount of time answering for me. I'm fairly certain that my appointment cut far into the following appointment.

Up to this point, I've gained just over 25 pounds. Even when I forget to take my blood pressure pills, my blood pressure has been well within a normal range. The results from my glucose screening came back perfectly. The limit for that is 130 and my levels were in the 70s. I was pretty excited about that since I've always had to do the repeat three hour test. Basically, the doctor told me that everything looked great and to continue doing what I was doing. So I came home and had two cupcakes for breakfast.

Several of my questions were related to my blood pressure issue and how it would affect the rest of the pregnancy. When I first started my pregnancy appointments, they labeled me as high-risk and said that I'd had to come from extra appointments. For now, the doctor said that everything could continue on as if it were a normal pregnancy. I will get to continue having monthly growth ultrasounds to make sure that Juliana is developing as she should be.

I've been feeling Juli moving a ton lately. She's still most active at bedtime though. At the appointment, the doctor also pointed out that I'm one of the 20% of women who can't lie flat on their backs without suffocating their baby, so she's most active when I'm lying on my side.

I haven't had any issues with sleep other than I'm still tired when I wake up in the morning. For a while, I've been staying up later to take care of blog or care package stuff, but I need to cut that out.

I'm no longer fitting in my fat jeans, so I've pretty much had to completely switch to maternity clothes. I've bought a few skirts that work for pregnancy and should fit without a belly and I plan to do that same with some dresses.

Friday I had one of those monthly growth ultrasounds, and for the most part, everything looked great. We got some amazing views of the baby's face and she definitely has the same nose and lips as Adri.

Don't forget to enter the iPad giveaway! It ends this week!

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Happy Birthday Veronica!

I can hardly believe that my beautiful baby turns four today. I'm so proud of the little girl that she's becoming. I am constantly being surprised by something new that's picked up or learned. Lately, she swears she's a little super model and is all about posing for the camera.

Since John is still away, we're postponing the celebrations for just a little bit. Luckily, I've been able to keep her from knowing that today is her actual birthday. I still plan on making the day all about her by doing whatever she wants, letting her choose the meals, and having her help bake some cupcakes. Sometime today I also plan on cracking open the baby book to add some updates, and if I'm lucky, I'll start a birthday book with a photo and little survey from each birthday.

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Stolen Moment

I'm trying to get the girls, specifically Veronica, to start going to bed to bed a little bit earlier. She gets cranky relatively easily and occasionally has a difficult time waking up in the morning. Last night, we were on the couch watching TV until about 8:30, when I turned it off, put Adri in bed, and sent V to her room to quietly play so that I could shower.

When I got out of the shower, V there was waiting (of course) and asked if I wanted to play Barbies. Almost instantly I thought, "No, you need to go to bed and I need to blog." And then I remembered an article that I had read shortly before that broke my heart.

The Carroll family woke up one morning to find that their two and a half year old Savannah, had passed away in her crib overnight. Savannah's father recalled some of the "stolen moments" that he had shared with his daughter prior to her death, such as random trips to the park or throwing coins in a fountain.

I knew I couldn't say no to my own stolen moment. V's face lit up as soon as I blurted out "sure!"

So we played Barbies.. V went to bed much later than I would have liked, but I can always try again tonight for an earlier bedtime. I could tell that she was having so much fun and her endless giggles and laughter last night were totally worth dealing with a cranky toddler today.

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

My Kid Will Never..

When you don't have or have never cared for children, it's so easy to say that your future children will never do a variety of things. Like that loud ass screaming kid at the grocery store. Yea, that'll never be your kid. I see it all the time on social media from my child-less friends. Before having kids, I used to say the same things. Becoming a parent was like a nice kick in the teeth.

These are just a few of the things I said my kids would never do.

My kids won't know what McDonalds is..

With as much as we've traveled around the country, the Happy Meal has wedged it's way into our lives. Sure, I could plan ahead and pack lunches, but sometimes that takes too much work. And lately, dinner seems to take too much work to prepare, so McDonalds it it!

My kids will never misbehave in public..

It's more like my kids will never behave in public. I've tried everything to include bribery. I've pretty much accepted the fact that trips to the store will be painful for quite some time.

My kids won't watch TV until they're older..

I'm all about the free babysitting service known as Netflix. TV is one of the things that I try hard to limit, but when I need to occupy the girls while I do the dishes or take a shower, the TV is my savior.

My kids will never make a mess of the house.. 

It's a good thing I enjoy vacuuming. I've learned that silence is dangerous.

My kids will never sleep in my bed.  

I failed at this one from the very beginning. Less than a week into parenthood, I was exhausted from getting up to feed Veronica, which led to her being given a spot between John and I. Nursing is easy when you don't have to wake up for it.

My kids won't curse or say inappropriate things..

Adri dropped an F-bomb like a champ yesterday. I take full responsibility for that one. It's my go-to word..

So, fellow mommies, what are some things you said your kids would never do? Child-less ladies, I'd love to hear what you think too!

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Names

As I mentioned last week in my pregnancy update, the husband and I are having a bit of trouble coming up with a middle name for our newest bundle of joy. Not only are we super picky, but Hubster is convinced that we have to follow this pattern, that all of our names already have. So, I'm hoping that maybe you all might be able to help us come up with an acceptable middle name for Baby J.

We decided to name Number 3 something that started with a J after Hubster's name. I don't ever mention my husband's name on the blog, so you're in for a double reveal today. I'm sure if you follow me anywhere on social media, you've probably seen me mention his name. He's John. Johnny is never going to get a little Johnny named after him, so for that reason, Baby J is Baby J.

Since we're both Hispanic, we also decided that for our kids, we wanted names that worked in both English and Spanish. The same goes for middle names. My name kinda fits in that rule, although most of the country seems to have a problem pronouncing Alejandra. If my dad from Iowa can do it, everyone else should be able to. Luckily, the people of Hawaii have my back when it comes to that.

Now, John's little "rule" is that all names have to end in A. The fact that it happened with both girls and myself is completely accidental. And actually, I had to fight to get Veronica's middle name to end with A, because he wanted to name her something else that didn't even flow.

With all of that being said, our names are:

Alejandra Emilia

Veronica Isabela

Adriana Sofia

And Baby J will be:

Juliana

I don't love that both her and Adri will end with an "ana", but I do really love the name. It's not often that I use Adri's full name, and we've already started referring to Juliana just as Juli, so it probably doesn't even really matter. All we need now is a middle name.

I'd be eternally grateful for any suggestions for a middle name for Juliana that fits the criteria (ends in A and works in English and Spanish) and flows nicely. (:

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

24 Week Bumpdate

This pregnancy just seems to be flying by (thankfully)! Today, I get to go in for my 24 week appointment. So far, the hospital has been really good about scheduling my appointments on the week mark.

Hubs and I have decided on a first name for Baby 3, who will now be known as Baby J, but we haven't been able to come up with a middle name that we like yet.

I've started to feel Baby J moving a whole lot more lately. She tends to be most active right around bedtime when I'm first laying down to go to sleep. Hubster has been able to feel her move as well, and if you watch carefully, you can even see her moving through my belly.

Speaking of sleep, it's been a tad rough lately. However, I blame that on Adri. She likes to crawl into our bed around 2 or 3 in the morning, forcing the grown ups to share one half of the mattress. I find myself occasionally waking up needing to pee in the middle of the night, but since I'm stubborn, unless I'm in severe pain, it waits until the morning.

As you can see, I'm actually starting to show. Gone are the days where I just look a little chubby. Strangers and acquaintances are starting to notice the bump. I've been living in my maternity clothes, which consists of a pair of shorts and lots workout clothes. I've been wearing dresses a lot lately, but I'm used to having thigh gap and I pretty much hate the feeling of my thighs touching. Sorry guys!

There haven't been any specific cravings, but I do love my sweets. I've noticed that the powdered doughnuts bringing on a bit of heartburn. I have a thing for noodles lately, but that's just because I got a taste of them and I want more.

I'm excited to hear my babe's little heart beat today. Both big sisters are coming along, which should be interesting. I've read about lots of negative experiences at Tripler, but so far everything has been wonderful. I've been able to see the same doctor every time and he's amazing with V and Adri. I'm sure one of them will get to help with the jelly or the heartbeat doppler.

Visit my wonderful sponsor:

Gymnastics

My biggest munchkin has been in gymnastics for a few weeks now. Yesterday, she received her first progress report for the class. All of  their little skills were rated on a scale of 0 to 3. For the most part, she did really well. She did get a couple of 1's, but they were on things that she was pretty bad at.

I'm so happy with this gym, since it's much more similar to the gyms that my sister attended when we were younger. Unlike gymnastics in Missouri, there are two coaches per class, that actually help the students follow through with their skills.

The video isn't the greatest since it's form my cell phone, and Adri grabbed the phone towards the beginning of the recording, but I'm so impressed with what my little one is doing. After class, she revealed to me that she was scared jumping from bar to bar, but I think she did a great job. She's been doing great with handstands and swinging on the bars. We really need to work on the cartwheels.

Did you do gymnastics or any other fun activities as a child?

Visit my wonderful sponsor: