Family Fun on the 4th

BBQs, block parties, and sparklers are all part of the red, white, and blue on the 4th of July.  No matter how your family chooses to celebrate, I am sure that there are traditions in the making.

This year, we have decided to go the our city's aquarium for their 4th of July picnic and fireworks event. What better way to celebrate an already fabulous day then by spending it with the fish?  Stella is sure to have plenty to tucker her out for the night.

The biggest challenge can be keeping the kids occupied and out of trouble until the firework spectacular.  Depending on where you live, the shows can start fairly late, 9 p.m. where we live (I hope I can make it that far!)

I found some great 4th of July ideas to keep the kids busy and have fun while doing it!
Disney's 4th of July Crafts for Kids

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July!

Happy New Year!

With 2012 off to a great start, I am happy to still have the week off of work.  Granted, I muttered about having to work all the way up to Christmas Eve but having this first week off is fantastic.  The Tinker Bell Half Marathon, my event with Team in Training and The Lymphoma and Leukemia Society is a little over three weeks away so I plan on concentrating on my training runs this week.  I ran 12 miles last saturday after two weeks of being utterly and completely exhausted and sick.  This Saturday will take me to about 14 miles, my furthest distance until the half marathon.  Nerves are starting to kick in!

With the training, traveling, and cleaning up from the hoidays, hubby and I spent New Year's Eve in our pajamas, watching the countdown on TV with a giant piece of carrot cake between us.  We did make it out to dinner, but chose to come home to ring in the New Year.  That seems to be more our speed lately, and I have no complaints.

I hope all of you haute moms had a wonderful New Year and celebrated in your own haute way.  Who says pajams aren't haute?  I am excited for all that is to come this year and have started on my first resolution of the year, losing that five pounds I packed on!  I know, typical...

Happy New Year!

I've Got the Bah Humbugs

There has always been some pressure when it comes to the holidays. The pressure to decorate, find a perfect tree, send out Christmas cards, and buy the right gifts. I used to LIVE for this time of year; the holiday music, the lights, the endless shopping bags and crowded malls. Not so much anymore.

Being that this is my second Christmas as a mom, I'm feeling a different kind of pressure. The pressure to have lights up, photos with Santa taken, starting some of our own Christmas traditions. To be honest, between work, more work, training for my half marathon and just being tired, I have failed miserably. With just 5 days until Christmas, I am nowhere to being close to that partridge in a pear tree. And I am not so sure I care.

I keep telling myself that,looking back, Stella will not remember whether or not we had a tree, or what she got for Christmas this year. I can start building the memories of being loved, having family around, and being an overall exciting time without all the Christmas bells and whistles, can't I?

I read the story about all the "secret Santas" going to the Kmarts and paying off other peoples' layaways the other day. I was sobbing. Sobbing. The hubby came home and asked what had happened and I could barely choke out the story. This is what Christmas is. It is a time of giving, helping those less fortunate, being with loved ones, and spreading joy whenever possible. When did we lose sight of this? Can I bring the spirit of Christmas to my own family and teach Stella that Christmas is more than what Santa has brought her for Christmas? Or am I the true Grinch this year?

May the Christmas spirit visit me tonight...

Tis the Season

Four weeks ago I made the decision to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by running the Tinker Bell Half Marathon with Team in Training.  The decision was not an easy one but was prompted when a close friend, Adam, of our was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the early ago of 29.

Originally, I had planned on running the 5K event on the last weekend in January.  When I received news of the diagnosis, it immediately hit home, not only did I think of Adam as a brother, but having a very close relationship to my own brother, I could only imagine the impact it was having on his family.  Adam has just completed his second of six to eight chemo treatments this past week and remains in great spirits.

I am a mom, I work two jobs, and lately, I have had the majoirty of my days not end until 7 p.m. at night.  Was I crazy for trying to take on fundraising and training for a marathon in addition to all of this? After a long discussion with the hubby, we knew it was the right thing to do.  I showed up to sign-up on the very first day of training, almost a month after the rest of the participants.

The support that I have received in the past month has been amazing. People have been overly generous, and some that have supported me were a delightful surprise.  It has made me proud to be surrounded by so many caring people that are willing to step in for a wonderful cause. As I make small sacrifices to fit in my training (getting up before 5 a.m., being away from Stella even more than I already am) I know that this is truly a part of giving back and others would do the same for me.  This year, the holiday sprirt is in full force.

For more information and progress on my training and Adam's condition, please click here.



Me, Adam, and his sister Heather at an ugly Xmas sweater party
over the weekend.



Haute Mom Dilemma #57 - Falling Off the Wagon

Muffin top is not a term I am very fond of.  Especially since it can be used to describe a rather unsightly part of my body that seems to have developed somewhere during pregnancy.  Even after I lost the pregnancy weight, the annoying extra layer around my middle stayed put.  So long, low waisted jeans.

Over the past year or so, I packed on about five (ok, more like seven) pounds.  Again, normally not reason to panic, except now, those pounds are holding tight around my waist, kind of like Stella does when she doesn't want me to go to work.  But not as heartwarming.

I went back on a little diet about a month ago and along with my Team in Training workouts (have you checked out my webpage yet?) I was able to lose about five pounds!  Very exciting and the muffin top was diminished to minimal appearances.  And then came Thanksgiving.

I know I don't need to tell anyone about the damage that can be done on Thanksgiving, and if this was limited to one day it wouldn't be a big deal. As I peer in my fridge and look at the endless leftovers, it is quite apparent that the overeating may be here to stay.  And no, I don't have the willpower to fight it.  Even worse, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season known for the delightful eats throughout the entire month of December and of course, the onset of the New Year's resolutions of dieting.

What to do when trying to battle the holiday treats?  Exercise is a simple solution, and again, with my half marathon just around the corner, it should be an easy fix.  Although with the shortened days, cold weather, and busy schedules, it is easier said than done.  I did take advantage of our 80 degree weather this weekend (don't hate me) and managed to take Stella for a long bike ride. Perhaps I will just embrace the extra winter layer for now until I come up with a better solution or find some willpower.  The sad thing is, the entire time I have been writing this, the stuffing and pumpkin pie in the fridge have been calling my name.  Give me strength.

My workout partner.

Halloween Happenings

Halloween sure does change when you become a mom! I was looking through a friend's pictures from an adult Halloween party over the weekend and felt strangely disconnected.

I had done this party thing for years and this weekend was spent carving pumpkins, teaching Stella to say "trick or treat", and putting the finishing touches on our decorations. Today I will be going to Stella's Halloween party at her day care and later, ordering pizzas and having another family over to trick or treat.

I can't wait to get home and spend our first year taking Stella trick or treating, watching her expressions, and seeing her in her costume. Halloween is my favorite holiday and being a mom has brought it to a new level!

To kick off Halloween, my first article as a parenting columnist for a local newspaper came out yesterday and guess what, it's about Halloween.

Please take a look!
Gazette.com - The Mom Column

Have a happy and safe Halloween!




Pumpkin Patch Fun

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Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day all you haute moms!  I am sure you are all out enjoying the three-day weekend with your families in one way or another.  You may have some haute plans someplace, maybe you took a trip, or maybe you chose to spend the weekend at home.  Either way, I know none of you just sat around and relaxed because, as I have learned, a haute mom never does.

I am gearing up for a BBQ at our house and find myself wondering the same thing I wonder every weekend, how am I so exhausted?  We have had a great weekend with friends and short outtings and I am so stinkin' tired, I feel like I need one more day off.  How dooes that happen?  I always drag my feet about going out of town because just the thought of all the preparation makes me tired and now, after being home all weekend, I am just as pooped!  Am I the only one that this happens to or is this just part of being a mommy?  To top it off, poor Stella has had a fever since yesterday (I'm thinking teething) so she has been exceptionally needy.  Can I call for a mulligan and take this weekend over again?

Ok...phew.  I am done venting.  I feel much better now, thank you.   On another note, exhausted or not, I would like to thank all of those that have fought for our freedom.  Without them, this day wouldn't even exist.
Hope you all had a haute and safe Memorial Day weekend! 

My First Mother's Day

Exactly one year ago yesterday I was counting down the days to my due date with only two more to go. My feet so swollen that not even my flip flops fit and my ankles had permanently disappeared. I was anxious and had no idea what life had in store for me.

Almost one year of broken sleep, dirty diapers, and loads of laundry later, I celebrated my first Mother's Day. Stella was so excited that she woke up at 6:30 in the morning. This was fine with me because we were off to Disneyland for the day.

We were able to beat a lot of the crowds and get some popular rides in without too much of a wait. The sun came out mid-morning which made for a beautiful day. Disneyland even handed out carnations for all us mommies. How haute is that? Note to Disneyland: very sweet but plain pins to pin the flowers on are not handy for us mommies who carry our babies.
Back at home, I was even to take a little nap with Stella before heading out to dinner. Hubby even got me a darling little dress that I had seen in a store window a few weeks ago! Points for hubby!

I felt so lucky and honored yesterday to be a mommy thanks to my wonderful family who sent cards and my loving friends who flanked me with phone calls and texts. This will be a tough Mother's Day to beat!

Stella playing peek a boo with me while taking a break at Disneyland

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Thank You Easter Bunny!

Although we were not particularly religious growing up, Easter was alwasy one of my favorite holidays.  I have fond memories of the smell of vinegar floating through the air as I drew on my eggs with the clear wax crayon before dunking them in dye.  The Easter Bunny never failed to bring us a basket of goodies, balanced well with both fun items and candy, as only a mother could do.  A box always arrived in the mail just in time for the weekend with Peeps and other digustingly good sweets from my grandmother.  Of course, after the grand egg hunt in and around the house, the day always ended with a wonderful Easter dinner.

 Now that Stella is 3 weeks away from turning 1, we have completed our first round of all the holidays, gingerly trying to start our own traditions.  Those traditions happen to mostly follow what hubby and I experienced growing up.  For Easter, Stella got a number of baskets from both grandparents and from my sister, Auntie Amy.  She enjoyed the baskets and wrapping more than anything inside the baskets just like a baby should.  My parents came down for the weekend and got to share the holiday with Stella.  It was nice to have a family brunch and enjoy the day. After all, that's what holidays are all about in the long run.

I hope all of you enjoyed fun Easter festivities with your loved ones!

Stella with her Easter chick from Auntie Amy

Stella tearing through her Easter basket

And what am I supposed to do with a purple egg mom?

Easter brunch

Enjoying the weather

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

As I finally am starting to get back to normal, being sick is taken back over by life's daily stresses. Because I couldn't eat my milk supply dropped off, bills have to get paid, and trying to buy a bigger house still looms over me like a dark cloud (rather paying for it does). Throw taxes in there and I am in need of a cocktail and it isn't even noon yet.

But then I see this video and it reminds me, much like Stella does on a daily basis, that life is good. Sometimes you just have to enjoy it...and laugh.

Happy Easter weekend to all of you!

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