Month: May 2011

Joint family vacations

So we went on a family trip last weekend with one of best mommy friends and their twins.  I had no expectations of the weekend but to try to relax and well I'll be honest a small part of me thought maybe the kids will be so worn out they will sleep like rocks.  O.k. so the 1st night sleep didn't work great we were all in the same room which now I know isn't a good idea with a baby and toddler, one wakes up the other etc. but after 2 cups of coffee and a nice breakfast things improved… well for us.  Then my girlfriend's kids started having some meltdowns and she was without hubby for the day so both needing her at the same time proved difficult.  We decided leaving so her girls could nap was the best strategy.  I had checked out some go do places on the web before we went on our trip to Hawthorne and found a butterfly rainforest in Gainesville at UF.  We were pleasantly surprised with the museum which was FREE!!  Yes the best museum I have been to and it was kid friendly and free.  The butterfly rainforest cost $9.50 and was well worth it.  The largest one in the world or I think thats what they said.  Butterflys landed on us and birds chirped, can we say education education for our little one's!  When we got back to the house everyone was rested and the moods had changed well until we thought we could all go to a restaurant….ha ha we got some dirty looks from people who must have forgotten what it is like to have children or forgot they were once noisey and loud too.  We didn't let it stop us we just took our food to go.  On the way home we even stumbled across a upick blueberry farm and had sooo much fun picking with our girls!   All in all there was lots of laughter, swinging from a tree, and learning that you can do joint vacations just don't think your kids will sleep or be perfect while your there:) 

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflies/     Butterfly Rainforest, UF, Gainesville

U Pick Blueberries off SR 40 outside of Ocala just follow the signs

A new day a new mood…

And it ain't a great one, woke up on the wrong side of bed and with a fussy teething baby.  Madalynn finally slept the whole night but Cassidy woke up and today I am not handling sleep deprivation well.  Quite the opposite of yesterdays post, I'm grumpy, irritable and I don't like myself so much.  Fatigue really does catch up with you and my fatigue never seems to end.  I know there is always someone worse than you and to focus on gratitude but today I am just going to hope I get through the day without too many apologies to my husband. 

Focus on positivity

I have a new mission lately in my life for several weeks I have been doing a sort of life cleanse if you will.  I am reading the Happiness Project and I highly recommend it especially for mothers or anyone in need of refocusing on what truely matters and getting rid of the excess in our lives.  I started with a pile for donating, a pile for a garage sale, cleaning out the things we never use but hang on to in case it fits again or just because I feel I need it, quite the opposite is true less is more and when we let go of things weighing us down it allows for new energies to flow.  I have also started to do small things here and there when I can for my husband, last night it was stopping by Publix and getting him ice cream sandwiches just because he loves them.  I also am trying to stop nit picking and whining over small things.  He is a wonderful man and I am lucky to have him as a life partner.  I am encorporating fun everyday into my life and that of our daughters just for the joy of it, whether it is letting them get covered in fingerpaint from head to toe or getting an ice cream or just being silly it changes the mood in our house and keeps things lighter.  So far it has really changed me and although I still have my moments of flying off the handle my goal to be evermore present everyday is becoming a staple in my life.

Carraba’s Italian, Daytona Beach***** 5 stars!

My husband and I went to Carraba's for our anniversary  a week ago and can I just say it was perfection, I was stuck on getting the same entree for about 4 yrs., Mezzaluna and all of a sudden I got sick of it and tried something new, the Pasta Rambo=YUM YUM Yum, Shrimp, spinach, mushrooms in a light butter/lemon sauce on linguini.  We had the mozzarella appetizer and he had a spaghetti w/ putanesca sauce.  With two non-alcoholic drinks and everything the total was only $39…now I know why its my favorite restaurant!

Tired but grateful

I haven't had alot of time to blog lately, I cannot imagine why my baby isn't such a baby anymore she is trying to walk so I have to watch her every second and my 28 month old hasn't been sleeping AGAIN.  She woke up 3x two nights this week! I sure hope there are some people out there who can relate because I am starting to wonder why is she this way???  Was it me nursing her in the middle of the night until she was 11 months old or what.  She also has entered an if I'm not tired I don't wanna nap phase again-uuughhh I think I may be getting paid back for things I put my parents through:)   All in all life is great and my new years resolution was to not sweat the small stuff in life, so far I am doing really well with it and going with the flow most days. God has taught me alot in the last year about myself and the strength involved in being a mother but I grow more and more everyday. Have a Happy Mother's Day everyone!