(The past few days have been hectic in the Figueroa household. Eli's sleeping pattern and habits have changed since she turned 6 months old and we are still working on figuring them out. Bear with me as I try to update the blog whenever I have a chance. Thanks)
I had done Black Friday shopping once before in Puerto Rico with my good friend and comadre Maura. I swore I would never do it again until this year. The friends with whom we spent Thanksgiving decided they wanted to do some Black Friday Shopping (something they had never done before) at some outlet mall near their house. After giving it much thought, I decided to go. It couldn't hurt, right?
This year the sales started early, very early. The outlet would be opening at 10:00 pm on THANKSGIVING DAY!! Yes, you read correctly on Thursday, not Friday. Wonder why the sale does not changes name now to Black Thursday or something along those lines as I kept reading in the news about earlier opening times. So we headed to the mall a little after 10. The ride over there was smooth without too much traffic. So we thought that maybe there was not a lot of people out. (But we passed a Toys R Us/Babies R Us store which was packed and had long lines). How wrong were we when we got to the mall - there were people already leaving with their hands full of bags from different stores! We even saw one guy carry 6-7 bags just from the Tommy Hilfiger outlet. It was not even 11:00 pm! We thought we were late and all the good sales were over. However, we did score some great deals even after my friends had to stand in line outside the Coach outlet in the cold.
Here are some of the deals we found: Coach had everything on sale plus an additional 30% of your purchase, Van Heusen had great sales as well including triple savings, Polo Ralph Lauren had 30% off throughout the store, Brooks Brothers had button up shirts for $30 (sale price for these shirts is buy 3 for $190 ish), Carter's had 50% off throughout the store plus door busters like $5 fleece sweaters that retail for $22 a piece. All of us got the gifts we needed at awesome prices! The best part was seeing the amount saved on each other's receipts. In the end, everything went smooth without any violent incident or an insane amount of people, which made me glad to have made the decision to go.
However, I saw on the news all the violent incidents during Black Friday throughout the States and even in Puerto Rico. I don't see the need to take out your pepper spray to fight over a video game console or to fight with people over electronics when you are only saving maybe $90. I even saw on the news how there were people waiting for shoppers to come out of the stores to rob them at gun point on the parking lots. Do we have to reach these extremes? What about respect to human life? In the end, is it worth it going through all that trouble?
Sunday, November 27, 2011
I am thankful for...
(I had meant to post this a few days ago, but the camera was not cooperating and I was out of town).
This amazing year and the chance to experience it with my family, including our new bundle of joy.
The ability to spend six months with our beautiful daughter and getting to experience all of her milestones, smiles, silly faces, eating solids for the first time, among other things.
My amazing husband and for all of his support.
The new friends we have made since we moved out of Puerto Rico.
Completing my LL.M. all while I was pregnant during the whole academic year and taking finals and papers just after giving birth to our daughter.
For all the trials and tribulations we have experienced, which have made us stronger and helped us grow immensely.
And for having great friends, almost like family, near us with whom to spend our Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to them, we got to experience Thanksgiving in a traditional Puerto Rican way, like we did at home. In addition, this was Eli's first Thanksgiving Day; though not with my family, it was with very good friends that reminded us of home. Thank you Lord for every new day you give us and all the new experiences!
This amazing year and the chance to experience it with my family, including our new bundle of joy.
The ability to spend six months with our beautiful daughter and getting to experience all of her milestones, smiles, silly faces, eating solids for the first time, among other things.
My amazing husband and for all of his support.
The new friends we have made since we moved out of Puerto Rico.
Completing my LL.M. all while I was pregnant during the whole academic year and taking finals and papers just after giving birth to our daughter.
For all the trials and tribulations we have experienced, which have made us stronger and helped us grow immensely.
And for having great friends, almost like family, near us with whom to spend our Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to them, we got to experience Thanksgiving in a traditional Puerto Rican way, like we did at home. In addition, this was Eli's first Thanksgiving Day; though not with my family, it was with very good friends that reminded us of home. Thank you Lord for every new day you give us and all the new experiences!
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
We got up early to cook a ham in a pineapple glaze that we love in Puerto Rico: jamón con piña. For being my first time, it turn out great!
While the ham was in the oven, I decided to make a good Thanksgiving Day breakfast: pumpkin spice pancakes!
They were delicious! In the mean time, we all sat to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as is tradition. Never again are we going to NYC to watch live. Ask me why.
This was the amazing Thanksgiving Dinner made of: arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), jamón con piña, pavo (turkey), pernil (pork), yuca al ajillo and salad. All traditional Puerto Rican dishes. For dessert, there was ricotta cheesecake, pecan pie, homemade pastelillos de guayaba and gelatto.
Here are some pictures of our lovely Thanksgiving Day.
And Eli had so much fun during her First Thanksgiving! She had her own dinner: sweet potatoes.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
1,011 and not even December?!
That is the number of violent deaths in Puerto Rico at the time I'm writing this: record breaking statistics. Like the slogan of a campaign a few years ago stated, all I can think is: Qué nos pasa Puerto Rico? (What is happening to us Puerto Rico?)
The current situation is out of control. Twelve homicides just over the weekend, which are not really surprising, but the fact that those twelve elevated the statistics to more than one thousand. And what makes it worse is the increasing trend of homicides during the day, or like we say a plena luz del día. I remember the time where most homicides were committed during the night hours and when criminals used to hide in order to commit whatever crime. Now it is a different story and they have no respect for innocent lives.
It is truly sad the stories I hear or see on the news. A few weeks ago, I was appalled when reading on Facebook how one of my friends and colleagues witnessed first hand what I just mentioned. She was driving during the day in a highway when out of nowhere she heard strange sounds. When she looked over the rear-view mirror, she realized the sounds were gun shots from one car to another right then and there. She reacted quickly by going as far right as possible and ducking in her car until everything was over. That story was all over the news: an innocent little girl was rushed to the hospital because she had received a gun shot wound. In the car, there was also a four month old baby. What evil or wrong had they done? But the criminals, that were probably after someone else, did not care.
News like this is why I strongly believe in the rehabilitation of criminals. Many of these criminals are recidivists, committing crime after crime. Why? Because the prison system did not do its job, i.e., prisons were created in the 19th Century to reform the old punishment system of torture and physical punishment and turn it into a rehabilitative system. Michel Focault Professor James Gilligan suggests, and I concur, that the government and society need to understand where does violent behavior come from and treated it as a mental health problem in order to prevent violence. If we did this, less people would become violent over time, thus reducing violent crimes. I wouldn't be surprised if we asked all these criminals in Puerto Rico about their past and conclude that they themselves were victims of violence, abuse or other similar behavior, which is why they in turn react the same way.
The fact is that something needs to be done. It is clear that there is a problem and until it is not addressed, it will go on. I just will continue to pray everyday for my family and loved ones. God bless you all!
The current situation is out of control. Twelve homicides just over the weekend, which are not really surprising, but the fact that those twelve elevated the statistics to more than one thousand. And what makes it worse is the increasing trend of homicides during the day, or like we say a plena luz del día. I remember the time where most homicides were committed during the night hours and when criminals used to hide in order to commit whatever crime. Now it is a different story and they have no respect for innocent lives.
It is truly sad the stories I hear or see on the news. A few weeks ago, I was appalled when reading on Facebook how one of my friends and colleagues witnessed first hand what I just mentioned. She was driving during the day in a highway when out of nowhere she heard strange sounds. When she looked over the rear-view mirror, she realized the sounds were gun shots from one car to another right then and there. She reacted quickly by going as far right as possible and ducking in her car until everything was over. That story was all over the news: an innocent little girl was rushed to the hospital because she had received a gun shot wound. In the car, there was also a four month old baby. What evil or wrong had they done? But the criminals, that were probably after someone else, did not care.
News like this is why I strongly believe in the rehabilitation of criminals. Many of these criminals are recidivists, committing crime after crime. Why? Because the prison system did not do its job, i.e., prisons were created in the 19th Century to reform the old punishment system of torture and physical punishment and turn it into a rehabilitative system. Michel Focault Professor James Gilligan suggests, and I concur, that the government and society need to understand where does violent behavior come from and treated it as a mental health problem in order to prevent violence. If we did this, less people would become violent over time, thus reducing violent crimes. I wouldn't be surprised if we asked all these criminals in Puerto Rico about their past and conclude that they themselves were victims of violence, abuse or other similar behavior, which is why they in turn react the same way.
The fact is that something needs to be done. It is clear that there is a problem and until it is not addressed, it will go on. I just will continue to pray everyday for my family and loved ones. God bless you all!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Weekend survivor
I can honestly say I, or rather Eli and I, survived the weekend alone: all four days of it! DH was away on a conference sponsored by the Seminary since Thursday so Eli and I had four days ALL to ourselves. And let me tell you, I was not really looking forward to it as Eli had been going through the growth spurt-teething stage, not being happy, was very clingy all the time and stopped self soothing and falling asleep on her own which she had been doing for four months now.
The first two days were tough: she kept waking up during the night and kept being really difficult when it came time to nap and sleep. I was on tears a couple of times out of frustration and when DH would call, I think he could notice it on my tone. That is how I spent Thursday and Friday. Thank God for Friday evening when a very good friend of ours, who also lives in NJ, called me to invite us for the fight on Saturday night. I gladly accepted the invitation. It took me three hours to get everything ready and head out the door, but we did it.
Saturday and Sunday were better because I had a lot of help, but she was still waking up twice or three times during the night. Up to that point, I had been sleeping about five hours straight -I had been sleeping a good eight hours each night since Eli was sleeping 11-12 hours- so it was heaven when my friend offered to help me Saturday night so I could sleep. I still woke up a few times to check up on them, but it was much needed rest!
And finally Sunday, our little pumpkin turned six months so we had to do something to celebrate: I baked a half Red Velvet Cake for her Half-Birthday! (the other half we used it to celebrate Eli's half-birthday the next day with DH). Still can't believe how fast she is growing up!
The first two days were tough: she kept waking up during the night and kept being really difficult when it came time to nap and sleep. I was on tears a couple of times out of frustration and when DH would call, I think he could notice it on my tone. That is how I spent Thursday and Friday. Thank God for Friday evening when a very good friend of ours, who also lives in NJ, called me to invite us for the fight on Saturday night. I gladly accepted the invitation. It took me three hours to get everything ready and head out the door, but we did it.
Saturday and Sunday were better because I had a lot of help, but she was still waking up twice or three times during the night. Up to that point, I had been sleeping about five hours straight -I had been sleeping a good eight hours each night since Eli was sleeping 11-12 hours- so it was heaven when my friend offered to help me Saturday night so I could sleep. I still woke up a few times to check up on them, but it was much needed rest!
And finally Sunday, our little pumpkin turned six months so we had to do something to celebrate: I baked a half Red Velvet Cake for her Half-Birthday! (the other half we used it to celebrate Eli's half-birthday the next day with DH). Still can't believe how fast she is growing up!
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| Her half cake! |
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| She is 6 months! We love you |
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Inhumane treatment?
The past few days, the news have been filled with legal events like the guilty verdict against MJ's doctor or some more perturbing like the whole Penn State issue. However, the one that struck me the most was the death of 8 Puertorrican inmates while they were being transported back to prison from the Courthouse. Why? Because the way they died was not even how animals should die. Judging from the comments made by neighbors that risked their lives to try and save these people, it seems they were left to die.
Some may jump at the word PEOPLE. Yes, just because they are inmates (included one that was just released by court since the debt that had put him in jail in the first place was paid), it doesn't mean that they are ALL bad or evil and that they are not PEOPLE. Some become criminals due to the economy, others have an addiction and do anything to keep it up (which in my opinion, should be treated as a medical condition and give them treatment to get them better), and others become criminals after they have been abused, mistreated or gone through some sort of trauma in their lives.
According to statements made by the Department of Justice, there is a protocol that correctional officers must follow in situations like these. Said protocol was not followed. First of all, due to recent rainfall one of the rivers in the Island was overflowed making it difficult to go through (I should say impossible), however, the correctional officers that were driving decided it was the fastest way to go through, and made a bad choice. I would say this qualifies as negligent or driving recklessly, falling under the crime of negligent homicide in PR's Penal Code. And second, they were handcuffed and chained by their legs to their seats which made it impossible for them to swim or try to stay afloat when the river hit the van that was transporting them. And third, when the neighbors risked their lives and tried to break the top of the van, the officers did not want to undue the cuffs for fear of escape. Seriously? These are some Pictures of the incident published in a local newspaper.
As a lawyer, we are taught about the presumption of innocence as one of the most important constitutional rights we have. Thus, I will not conclude that they are guilty because there are two sides to every story. But I do believe that this tragedy could have been avoided or at least, they could have been saved if only they were set free from the restraints.
Some may jump at the word PEOPLE. Yes, just because they are inmates (included one that was just released by court since the debt that had put him in jail in the first place was paid), it doesn't mean that they are ALL bad or evil and that they are not PEOPLE. Some become criminals due to the economy, others have an addiction and do anything to keep it up (which in my opinion, should be treated as a medical condition and give them treatment to get them better), and others become criminals after they have been abused, mistreated or gone through some sort of trauma in their lives.
According to statements made by the Department of Justice, there is a protocol that correctional officers must follow in situations like these. Said protocol was not followed. First of all, due to recent rainfall one of the rivers in the Island was overflowed making it difficult to go through (I should say impossible), however, the correctional officers that were driving decided it was the fastest way to go through, and made a bad choice. I would say this qualifies as negligent or driving recklessly, falling under the crime of negligent homicide in PR's Penal Code. And second, they were handcuffed and chained by their legs to their seats which made it impossible for them to swim or try to stay afloat when the river hit the van that was transporting them. And third, when the neighbors risked their lives and tried to break the top of the van, the officers did not want to undue the cuffs for fear of escape. Seriously? These are some Pictures of the incident published in a local newspaper.
As a lawyer, we are taught about the presumption of innocence as one of the most important constitutional rights we have. Thus, I will not conclude that they are guilty because there are two sides to every story. But I do believe that this tragedy could have been avoided or at least, they could have been saved if only they were set free from the restraints.
Laughter is the BEST medicine!
Have you heard that saying? If not, let me tell you, every bit of it is TRUE!
I have been feeling down these past few days and with reason I would say. But yesterday afternoon, for the 10-15 minutes that my daughter was laughing with me, everything seemed to go away. And how could it not? If you see the smile and laughter that my daughter has I'm sure all your problems or whatever is troubling you, would also go away. That was the highlight of my day: laughing with her and seeing her so happy. Did I mention that I love her to pieces?
I would also like to thank to everyone who reached out to me after the last post. Your comments were greatly appreciated.
I have been feeling down these past few days and with reason I would say. But yesterday afternoon, for the 10-15 minutes that my daughter was laughing with me, everything seemed to go away. And how could it not? If you see the smile and laughter that my daughter has I'm sure all your problems or whatever is troubling you, would also go away. That was the highlight of my day: laughing with her and seeing her so happy. Did I mention that I love her to pieces?
I would also like to thank to everyone who reached out to me after the last post. Your comments were greatly appreciated.
THANK YOU!
P.S. Don't forget to check out my store for all your Holiday shopping!
God Bless!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Why are you holding up the line?
I used to be one of those: people that make faces or get exasperated when someone in front of you, be it at the supermarket, stores or wherever, holds the line without knowing the real reason for it. Today, I was one of those that held up the line at the supermarket. Doesn't life have a funny sense of humor?
I, like many people, always vowed to not use Governmental help; that I would always work for everything and there would be no need. Sure, I even have thought that some people that seek this assistance are just lazy or are trying to take advantage of the system by lying or having babies left and right. Guess what? We have had to seek Government assistance and the least thing we are is lazy people.
I am not going to lie. I have struggled with this everyday since August. How can someone with so much studies and titles be seeking for help? Well, I have titles and studies and I am admitted to practice in P.R., but not in the States; my husband is studying full-time at the Seminary and works in whatever little extra time he has; we have a baby; and I cannot even find a job as a paralegal, nanny at daycare or in photography, which are the things I know. This was not how it was supposed to be - at least in my mind! I would graduate from my LL.M., take my Bar, and within a few months I would be working and cashing in the money. Not anymore. We were working on our budget the other day and we realized that it barely leaves us anything to buy groceries, let alone other things that are necessary.
This said, we applied for WIC since I am breastfeeding and we qualified. Thanks to WIC, I was able to buy some groceries today and saved almost $50. However, that made me hold the line. And I had people after me, making faces and talking among themselves as I tried to do everything as fast as I could. Interestingly enough the hold up was not due to me being slow, but the cash register registering the WIC checks. I was hurt and felt embarrassed by holding up the line, but then and there I realized the mistake I made many times before: talking without knowing the truth behind it (like the people on line were doing): that even though I have applied to MANY jobs, I'm struggling to find a job in this tough economy and the only way to provide for my family for the time being, is to get on Government assistance.
So, the teaching (or moraleja like we say in Spanish): not everyone on Government help, is lazy or is trying to take advantage of the program and other taxpayer's money. Some people are really struggling and trying to make ends meet. And as soon as I am able to, I will stop using the help because I still believe that God has a purpose in all of this and I will find a job soon (even though sometimes I struggle and think that God has forgotten about us).
I, like many people, always vowed to not use Governmental help; that I would always work for everything and there would be no need. Sure, I even have thought that some people that seek this assistance are just lazy or are trying to take advantage of the system by lying or having babies left and right. Guess what? We have had to seek Government assistance and the least thing we are is lazy people.
I am not going to lie. I have struggled with this everyday since August. How can someone with so much studies and titles be seeking for help? Well, I have titles and studies and I am admitted to practice in P.R., but not in the States; my husband is studying full-time at the Seminary and works in whatever little extra time he has; we have a baby; and I cannot even find a job as a paralegal, nanny at daycare or in photography, which are the things I know. This was not how it was supposed to be - at least in my mind! I would graduate from my LL.M., take my Bar, and within a few months I would be working and cashing in the money. Not anymore. We were working on our budget the other day and we realized that it barely leaves us anything to buy groceries, let alone other things that are necessary.
This said, we applied for WIC since I am breastfeeding and we qualified. Thanks to WIC, I was able to buy some groceries today and saved almost $50. However, that made me hold the line. And I had people after me, making faces and talking among themselves as I tried to do everything as fast as I could. Interestingly enough the hold up was not due to me being slow, but the cash register registering the WIC checks. I was hurt and felt embarrassed by holding up the line, but then and there I realized the mistake I made many times before: talking without knowing the truth behind it (like the people on line were doing): that even though I have applied to MANY jobs, I'm struggling to find a job in this tough economy and the only way to provide for my family for the time being, is to get on Government assistance.
So, the teaching (or moraleja like we say in Spanish): not everyone on Government help, is lazy or is trying to take advantage of the program and other taxpayer's money. Some people are really struggling and trying to make ends meet. And as soon as I am able to, I will stop using the help because I still believe that God has a purpose in all of this and I will find a job soon (even though sometimes I struggle and think that God has forgotten about us).
Too bad it does not rain Money.
Don't forget to check out my store!
Monday, November 7, 2011
"Run, Forrest, Run!"
That is how I feel every time I get on the treadmill; like my inner voice is shouting at me words of encouragement so I don't give up and I reach my goal. (If you have never seen Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks, you should. It's a classic!)
I was never much of a runner when I was growing up. Who am I kidding? I was never an athlete growing up, except for dancing. My asthma would always get in the way and I would feel like I couldn't breathe just a few minutes after I started running. With the dancing, I would sometimes run out of breath, but the stopping between exercises would help me to catch it back. But running the two required miles during physical education at school, that was almost impossible for me. I would always be one of the last ones to finish.
Now, it is a different story. I had decided a month or two ago that I would re-start with P90X which I had been doing before getting pregnant. However, having an infant makes it almost impossible to keep up with the rigor of the program and the hour-long workouts. So I decided that I would set a different weight loss goal: to run a mile in 9-10 minutes. I asked DH, who was teaching English at a specialized school that focused on sports, how were his kids doing. He told me that they would run a mile in 8 minutes, but for me, that seemed a little extreme. So I set up the aforementioned goal.
Running has always been hard, but I focus on my goal and that keeps me going. Also, I am in much better condition than before and don't get asthma as often. I am so excited because I started last week and ran a mile in 14:31 minutes and already today (just the third time running), I managed to cut back the time almost 50 seconds to 13:33 minutes!! Yay me! It is pretty exciting and it's a much easier goal to accomplish, plus it helps me loose the weight. I still go to zumba twice as well. So soon I will shed those last pregnancy pounds and hopefully look and feel great again!
I was never much of a runner when I was growing up. Who am I kidding? I was never an athlete growing up, except for dancing. My asthma would always get in the way and I would feel like I couldn't breathe just a few minutes after I started running. With the dancing, I would sometimes run out of breath, but the stopping between exercises would help me to catch it back. But running the two required miles during physical education at school, that was almost impossible for me. I would always be one of the last ones to finish.
Now, it is a different story. I had decided a month or two ago that I would re-start with P90X which I had been doing before getting pregnant. However, having an infant makes it almost impossible to keep up with the rigor of the program and the hour-long workouts. So I decided that I would set a different weight loss goal: to run a mile in 9-10 minutes. I asked DH, who was teaching English at a specialized school that focused on sports, how were his kids doing. He told me that they would run a mile in 8 minutes, but for me, that seemed a little extreme. So I set up the aforementioned goal.
Running has always been hard, but I focus on my goal and that keeps me going. Also, I am in much better condition than before and don't get asthma as often. I am so excited because I started last week and ran a mile in 14:31 minutes and already today (just the third time running), I managed to cut back the time almost 50 seconds to 13:33 minutes!! Yay me! It is pretty exciting and it's a much easier goal to accomplish, plus it helps me loose the weight. I still go to zumba twice as well. So soon I will shed those last pregnancy pounds and hopefully look and feel great again!
"The first requisite of success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies
to one problem without growing weary."
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
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Sunday, November 6, 2011
Got spurt?
According to different sources, babies grow through major periods of growth during their first year known as growth spurts. Typically, the baby will experience this at 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months. (However, keep in mind that every baby is different, so these dates have a margin of error). Nursing moms will experience a sudden increase of milk due to the increased milk intakes of their babies. Did I mention that moms will also experience increased tiredness and lack of sleep? Oh, and this goes for bottle-fed babies as well.
Miss Eli is going through her 6 months growth spurt. And let me tell you, it is kicking my butt! She had been STTN (sleeping through the night) since she was around 6 weeks old; I mean, REALLY sleeping through the night - up to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. But this week..OH, THIS week has been tough on DH and me. She has been waking up from 12-1am screaming, not crying, for food. And yesterday she hit it out of the ballpark: she woke up at 12am and then at 3:30am screaming for food. Needless to say, DH and I had little energy for the day today. And not only does she eat A LOT at night, but she has been nursing way more during the day. What helps me get through this is that I know that this too shall pass!
With Eli's behavior, I had been debating the past couple of days whether to start her on solids or not. I really wanted to wait until she hit the 6 month mark, but decided it was best to start her on cereal. She seems ready and sometimes is not satisfied with milk alone. So yesterday was that day: her first try of rice cereal! It was more the cereal that got all over her face than what she ate LOL. But, all in all, we think it went well. After the little bit of cereal she had, she took the longest nap ever..I think it lasted about 3 hours!
Miss Eli is going through her 6 months growth spurt. And let me tell you, it is kicking my butt! She had been STTN (sleeping through the night) since she was around 6 weeks old; I mean, REALLY sleeping through the night - up to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. But this week..OH, THIS week has been tough on DH and me. She has been waking up from 12-1am screaming, not crying, for food. And yesterday she hit it out of the ballpark: she woke up at 12am and then at 3:30am screaming for food. Needless to say, DH and I had little energy for the day today. And not only does she eat A LOT at night, but she has been nursing way more during the day. What helps me get through this is that I know that this too shall pass!
With Eli's behavior, I had been debating the past couple of days whether to start her on solids or not. I really wanted to wait until she hit the 6 month mark, but decided it was best to start her on cereal. She seems ready and sometimes is not satisfied with milk alone. So yesterday was that day: her first try of rice cereal! It was more the cereal that got all over her face than what she ate LOL. But, all in all, we think it went well. After the little bit of cereal she had, she took the longest nap ever..I think it lasted about 3 hours!
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| Doesn't it look like doll food? It all feels so tiny, it felt like it was pretend. |
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| Her initial reaction |
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| Mom, this is what I think of your cereal! LOL |
Don't forget to check out my Tiny Tillia store!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Ready, set... ROLL!
That is what Miss Eli has been doing these days. And she has mastered it! Did I mention that she will be six months soon?! I am so NOT ready for her to be mobile, yet she is already there.
Today I had her on her gym and she started rolling to her belly, then to her back again, then to her belly and then to her back again. And guess what?! She had rolled off the mat and was in the middle of the living room! All the while, she looked a me laughing like she had accomplished something great (which indeed she has done), but I am NOT ready for it. I guess I have to deal with it and start baby proofing the house and maybe getting some gates to limit her moving space. That also means that I have to vacuum every day now because she is also at the stage where she tries to put anything and everything in her mouth. She even rolled the other way, got closer to the tv stand furniture and managed to grab the Wii remote and was about to put it in her mouth. All this within 2 seconds I might add.
Oh, the joys of motherhood! I do LOVE it!
Today I had her on her gym and she started rolling to her belly, then to her back again, then to her belly and then to her back again. And guess what?! She had rolled off the mat and was in the middle of the living room! All the while, she looked a me laughing like she had accomplished something great (which indeed she has done), but I am NOT ready for it. I guess I have to deal with it and start baby proofing the house and maybe getting some gates to limit her moving space. That also means that I have to vacuum every day now because she is also at the stage where she tries to put anything and everything in her mouth. She even rolled the other way, got closer to the tv stand furniture and managed to grab the Wii remote and was about to put it in her mouth. All this within 2 seconds I might add.
Oh, the joys of motherhood! I do LOVE it!
Don't forget to check out my Tiny Tillia store!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
'Till Death do You Apart?
The buzz these past few days has been about the lightning-short marriage of Kim Kardashian to NBA star, Kris Humphries. The shocker: only 72 days of married life after a wedding that reportedly cost $10 million. Did it come as a shock to me? Nope. It was all a fiasco during the weeks prior to the big event, plus they apparently made a lot of money from it. Then again, that is what reality stars do and what snags all the "good" ratings. However, I do think the divorce and the surrounding spectacle is a total disgrace to the sanctity of marriage.
I believe that when 2 people are totally in love, they have the right to start the next step of their lives together as a married couple. And as cliché as I may sound right now, I do believe that marriage is forever; maybe because I am a devout Catholic or just because I am a hopeless romantic. Nonetheless, I view marriage as something very serious and not something to be taken lightly. Thus, my feelings towards this whole fiasco.
Then people wonder why divorce statistics are so high. If many are entering into marriage just to have the lavish WEDDING, it is obvious, in my opinion, that the marriage is not going to last. People should enter into marriage with the knowledge that it takes constant work, compromise, communication and respect. After all, it is the union of two very different people with different views and upbringings, into a single unit. Thus the promise to respect each other and be with each other in good and bad times.
I believe that when 2 people are totally in love, they have the right to start the next step of their lives together as a married couple. And as cliché as I may sound right now, I do believe that marriage is forever; maybe because I am a devout Catholic or just because I am a hopeless romantic. Nonetheless, I view marriage as something very serious and not something to be taken lightly. Thus, my feelings towards this whole fiasco.
Then people wonder why divorce statistics are so high. If many are entering into marriage just to have the lavish WEDDING, it is obvious, in my opinion, that the marriage is not going to last. People should enter into marriage with the knowledge that it takes constant work, compromise, communication and respect. After all, it is the union of two very different people with different views and upbringings, into a single unit. Thus the promise to respect each other and be with each other in good and bad times.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween everyone!
For us, Halloween came and went without much. And to think that I was so excited for Eli's FIRST Halloween so that in the end we could only get 1 good pic of her in her costume and lots of candy and no trickortreaters. You know how babies can get overtired if they miss a nap or if you don't ready the signs and they stay up for longer than normal? Well, that is what happened to us yesterday. She missed one nap and the usually happy, smiley girl turned into a screaming baby until I finally got her to sleep. On the other hand, I think it was best that way since no kids showed up so she would have been all dressed up for nothing. sigh*
Nonetheless, I was determined to get a good picture of her costume. So today I set up my camera, opened the curtains to get as much natural light as possible and got her in her costume again. I managed to get some great shots of her! I also set up to do the unthinkable task: open and clean the insides of the huge pumpkin we had gotten at the pumpkin patch weeks ago! It had been sitting in our kitchen since we got home that day because I honestly couldn't bring myself to do it. I also did the set up for that pic as well. Thanks to my May mommies for the inspiration!
I think the pics came out great. What do you guys think?
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| Do you like my costume? |
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