Ice cream....

Yum!!

You know you are a mami when...

you haven't posted on your blog for 4 months!!  So much going on, but so much to talk about. I will be posting this week!! Promise!

You know you are a mami when...

when your 2y/o asks in a full sentence "mami, I want to watch Airplanes. Please" and you suck it up and watch it for the 2nd time within 3 hours.

Me likey... audiobooks!!

I have about an hour+ commute to work each way, so I spend a lot of time in the car. One way to pass the time is listening to audio books. It is easy, entertaining, and it makes the time fly by. Sometimes I get home, park in the garage, and stay there for a minute so I can keep listening.... from time to time my hubby comes and check on me when I do that. 

I have read many books that I love, like:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Tori Spellling Books
Fifty Shades of Gray - trilogy

----The list goes on----

But, in the last few months I have been introduced to many multi-books series that I love:

Poison Princess "The Arcana Chronicles" by Kresley Cole 
  
Photo from Audible.com

Divergent, Insurgent -- and I will listen soon to Allegiant by Veronica Roth
*Awesome narrator - same narrator as the Poison Princess... very talented!!
    
Photo from Audible.com

Naked Werewolf series by Molly Harper 
    
Photo from Audible.com

The problem with series, is that once you read them you might have to wait a few months or a year for the next book to come out.

I'm currently listening to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 

Photo from Audible.com

I got curious about this book after watching a preview of the movie a few days ago. The movie is coming out I believe October, but I couldn't wait... it looked so good, I had to know more. So far I'm hooked!!!

If you spend a lot of time in the car, give audiobooks a chance. They have an app for Apple or Andriod phones. Enjoy listening!!!

Me likey... #Iwantit

Ok, so I'm totally a reality show addict... I was going to use the word that rimes with shore, but this is a family friendly blog!! I think 2 or 3 ago the show "Most Eligible Dallas" premiered on Bravo, and I was completely hooked. Hey, I live in the DFW -- Dallas-Fort Worth area, so I can live vicariously in the Dallas cool and beautiful socialite scene through this people, right? So, I fell in love with Courtney... yes, the girl that got steamy kissed against the wall by best friend/bad boy Matt. So hot!! 

Anyway, last year Bravo gave her, her own show "Courtney Loves Dallas", where we follow her after she quit her job in retail and she becomes a full time fashion blogger. #Iwantthatjob!!! The girl might be a little ditsy in some areas of her life, but she is a smart cookie and has made a name for herself. She is collaborating with Bauble Bar on some awesome pieces. So, all that to show you this... look down, now!!

                                   Photo: What Courtney Wore http://thecourtneykerr.com/page/2/

 

Can't get enough, look, another one...

Photo: What Courtney Wore http://thecourtneykerr.com/page/7/

Yes, I want it... and I will order it. It was out of stock a few weeks ago, but now is back and in my cart. I love, love!!! You can order it here, http://www.baublebar.com/the-courtney-bib.html

I LOVE her fashion sense. Don't get me wrong, I can't wear most of the things she wears, wore, photo blogged, but I this chubby girl can love it!! 


Ok, bye!! I will be writing more often, I need to... so much to say!!


*P.S. This is a bonus, the episode of the steamy hot tub and kiss me against the wall scene... thank me later!! http://www.bravotv.com/most-eligible-dallas/season-1/videos/betrayals-a-weekend-getaway-and-more?cid=related_sfv_OCT13_A

 

Mami's has been busy...

This is I think the 2nd or 3rd time I start a blog. I decided that this time I was going to work on it a little more. This was before I decided to go back to school.

Yes, I'm back in school. This translates to I'm burned out!! A full time job, 2 boys under 2, and school is a lot to handle. But I'm doing pretty good. I'm on my second of eight classes that I have left to finish by BA. Yeeeeez, I've been working on this, it seems like all my life. But, I'm just a few months away.

I just want to have that diploma and be able to start my job search again. These days, where some many well educated people are still unemployed it is very difficult to land a job. I have tons of experience, but some jobs require a BA or a Master... yes, they say required!! Hey, I have seen receptionist jobs that require a bachelors'. That is insane!!

Anyway, it's a little past midnight and I need to go to bed. I will post more soon, so many things to talk about... kids misbehaving at school -- how do you handle it?, my guilty pleasure = reality TV, product reviews, and more!

 

I'm sooooo sorry, my son bit your kid...

I'm sure many of you moms out there have been in this position... How did you react? How much do you apologize? How much guilt/shame you carry? What do you do when your kid bite? 

Ok, this is long...

Matty was an on/off bitter at daycare while he was in the older infant room. One day he started getting bitten, he started biting, and it went downhill from there. There was one week where he bit 3 days in a row, even the poor teacher got in the middle and got grazed once. It was weird, he bit one day, he stopped for weeks, he started biting again, and then in stopped.  At home he didn't bite, so we met with the daycare management and discussed a plan. Keeping and eye on him, determine why he is biting and redirect, etc. All this time he was also getting bitten, but how can I argue too much about my kid getting bitten when he was biting as well??   

Ben is 15 months and was moved to the young toddler room about a month after his 1st birthday. The first week he was bitten, and he bit 3 times in one day. Oh-no reports were coming and fast!! Whoooaaa, not this again!! Well, after that first week he stopped, but he is getting bitten pretty often since then... about 1-3 times a week. He is also getting this, hmmmm, I will describe as pinches that break skin and take days to heal. Some times we get what they call the boo-boo reports, but some days we don't and we discover the bites and pinches at bath time. He has light tan skin and he is getting ugly bruises that eventually scar. His back and shoulders are looking terrible. He is just 1 year old people!! This is just starting!!

Anyway, we were at the birthday party of a 1 year old buddy this Saturday. It rained, so the party was moved indoors. Crazy, around 15 kids (mostly infants and toddlers) running around. Both Matty and Ben were doing great, and then... Ben bit a boy. A 6 year old boy to be exact... did I mentioned Ben is 15 months? I mean, he is big for his age, but come on!! I digress... so, Ben was playing with a toy and I was sitting behind him. From nowhere this boy comes and pulls the toy out of his hands; and I mean in an aggressive kind of way. Ben reaches for the toy, and I said "It's ok baby, play with something else", but the boy's mom said "No, they can share". Well, I didn't like the idea of my baby playing with this older boy, but whatevs! Not 1 minute pass when I see the boy reaching/pulling the toy again, and in slow-mo I see Ben head going down. I look and I say "Ben... what are you doing??". Yes, he was biting the 6 year old boy. And he did it so hard, I had to squeeze his cheeks for him to let go.

I immediately told my husband to look over Ben and I went on ER mode with the boy. I took him to the kitchen and applied ice to the area. The bite didn't break skin, but it was sooo hard that the teeth marks didn't go away for the 5++ minutes I was icing the area. 

People were stopping over... "what happened buddy? "
-He told "his" story, "the kid in red bit me". 
-His mom (an acquaintance from mommy's night out) comes over, "OMG, what happened?"
-I told her "my son bit him", before I could finish she asked "which one?"
-Me "the little one, the baby... I'm sorry"
-Me "OMG, I'm soo sorry"
-Me "They were playing, toggling for the toy and your son pulled it"
-Her, to her son "I told you to share"
-Me "I can't believe he bit him, he usually doesn't bite"
-Me "I'm sooooo sorry"
>>you get the point!! 

I apologize as many times as I could while she was standing there. Then the boy asked, "why did he bit me?", and I explained "He is just 1 year old, he is still a baby, and he doesn't talk. So, he doesn't know how to express his feelings yet. At that age, sometimes babies bite to communicate. Maybe he got scared because you are so much bigger than he is". I think I did a good job explaining, then he said "wow, he bites hard", and I said "yes, I'm soo sorry".

Eventually mom took over, but not without letting me know that she thought this was the first time he was bitten, ever!! Really mom? I already feel like crap, do you need to go there?? Anyway, I apologized a trillion times more and she took her boy away. 

I'm black, but I swear, my cheeks were bright red I was so embarrassed. At that age, kids don't understand too much about hurting other kids, so you do your best to correct them, explain what they did wrong, and eventually you have to move on. BUT, why can't you move on?? why do you start over thinking things?
*Oh, God, the other daycare kids parents are here. 
*They saw Ben biting, they are going to think he is the bitter in class. (Teacher told me he is not "the bitter" in this room)
*They are going to think we are awful parents. 
*In the next mom's night out the boy's mom is going to bring this up and other moms will look at me like "she has the kid that bites, no play dates with them".  

We were leaving the party shortly after the incident, but I asked the hubby to stay a little longer. I didn't want people to think we were running away because of the situation. I'm embarrassed as hell, but I don't want to run away. 

Awww, I hate these feelings. So... all this to ask, how do you handle biting/pushing/hitting incidents?   Do you apologize but still feel the shame? How long do you feel ashamed of what your kids do to other kids? How do you get over it? It's been a couple days and I'm still not over it.

Please share your story!!

Introducing my boys... I'm smitten!!

I LOVE WHEN THEY PLAY TOGETHER... LEARNING ON MAMI'S iPAD!

THIS HANDSOME BOY IS MY FIRST BORN... MATTHEW A.K.A. MATTY OR MATEO - ALMOST 26 MONTHS OLD.  LOVE HIM TO PIECES!!

AND, THIS CHUBBY CUDDLE BUNNY IS BENJAMIN A.K.A. BEN-BEN - 15 MONTHS IN A FEW DAYS. MY SURPRISE BABY, I COULDN'T IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT HIM!!

The kissing issue...

I have been reading everywhere about Jessica Alba and her comments about kissing your kids in the mouth. You know, she does, and why not because people kiss their dogs in the mouth too... so, what if I do, yadda, yadda, yadda! 

Quoting Redbook magazine: When asked about parental affection towards children and how some parents think kissing their children on the lips is not very savoir vive, Jessica told the magazine:

“Really? Why?! It’s your baby. People allow dogs to lick at their mouths.”

I'm from Puerto Rico, and in PR you kiss... your family, and everybody! That's how you say hello, bye, love you, etc. I never kissed my mom or dad in the mouth, but some of my friends (adults) did. Who's to judge what anyone else does?

Kissing your kids overall is one of the sweetest things in life. I love when my son comes to me and say "kiss (beso) mami" and pecks my lips... hey, sometimes I get a sloppy open mouth kiss, and I love it! 

Before I became a mom, I never thought about kissing my kids on the lips because that is something I didn't do with my parents. But kids are innocent. They don't think about how or where to kiss you, they just go for it... and it is lovely.

The way I see it, I (we, my husband and I) will continue to kiss our babies. In the mouth, in the forehead, wherever!! Until they decide that kissing mami and daddy is uncool!!

So, do you kiss your kids in the mouth? Do you judge parents that do?


*I didn't know the exact definition of savoir vive, so it is below if you need it. (Dictionary.com)
sa·voir-vi·vre 
[sav-wahr-vee-vruh, -veev; French sa-vwar-vee-vruh]

noun

knowledge of the world and the ways or usages of polite society.

FYI... In Texas most people don't kiss, but you get a guaranteed hug. I learned that the hard way. When I first move here I had more than enough awkward encounters. Me trying to kiss, kissing the air, hugs coming in... it was a little embarrassing. I'm a quick learner, so I got the hang of things pretty fast.

You know you are a mami when...

You find things like this.  Is Lighting McQueen's career going down the drain? 

When poop happens!

Today we have what we call in Texas an "ice day off". When in other parts of USA snows, we get mostly ice. Everything freezes solid, accidents, and school closures or delays happen. 

They closed the kids daycare, therefore, we have to stay and work from home. While I was working in the office I hear grunting sounds... those that we, moms, identify as pooping sounds. Sorry, poop happens!! And we are used to it, right? Right? Ben (almost 15 year old) was in the office with me, and while the sounds continue I never expected what I saw. I turned around and found Ben in this position. 

I know yoga does the body good, but seriously... I don't think that would be comfortable position. Taking a photo crossed my mind, but I think that would be over sharing. LOL

Youth revolt?

Is there such a thing called grilled cheese boycott?  I just experienced it... both boys refused to eat it!!! What is going on, they love mami's grilled cheese? 

Chicken tenders coming up!!!!  *organic of course. If they are going to eat crappy food, they should eat the best crappy food.  :-)

Crossroads... what do you want to be when you grow up?

I don't know about you, but I still ask myself that question, at least once a week. I have a job, a good job... good salary, good benefits, and nice people. I don't LOVE what I do (sales), and it is  frustrating because at this age I don't know where I should be, right? What I should be doing!

My problem is passion, I'm lacking passion. I have passion for life, for my hubs, my boys are my passion (yeah, I'm smitten. wink*wink); but I'm lacking the passion at work. I have considered changing jobs, but these days is kind of tough to look for a new job, it is so competitive, and I'm scared sh*tless of change. I have been working where I'm at for 13 years!! This is the longest stint on my resume.  As most of us do, I spent most of the day at work, so this weighs heavily on me. 

In the mean time, I started school again to finish my bachelor degree. I have been working on it for almost 20 years, yikes!! This is my third attempt at finishing my Bachelor in the last 2 years. Started school, yayy pregnant!!, falling sleeping in front of the computer, quit... repeat in a year! I couldn't keep up with work and school during my pregnancies, I couldn't stay awake long enough to read or do homework. Sooo, this is my shot at finishing the seven classes I have left. I have an AS in Advertising and many credits… enough for a bachelor’s, but not all in the same concentration. 

Like I said, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I said that to one of my friends/co-worker today, and she said "BUT, you are 41!!" LOL Yes, I'm. About to be 42 in 15 days, but who's counting? WHOOP, WHOOP!! 

So, what do you want to be when you grow up? 
I want to be a baker, a hair or fashion stylist, a dancer, a personal shopper, a business owner... hey, a girl can dream!

You know you are a mami when...

you spend 5 minutes trying to convince your 2 year old son that green is actually green and not red.

**Yeah, we are working on green. He got all the other colors right, including purple. But he really thinks green is red!

Product review - Glade® Plugins® Scented Oil Customizables™

I'm a BzzAgent. As a BzzAgent I get the opportunity to test free products and in return I give my honest review about the products. Check it out here https://www.bzzagent.com, I have experienced great items, and free!!!

Photo via www.glade.com

I got a free coupon for the Plugins Scented Oil Customizables. With 2 dogs and 2 kids running around in the house I need this!! I selected the Clean Linen & Sunny Days combination. I love clean scents and this is the perfect combination. The clean linen smells clean, fresh… like the package illustration, smells like freshly clean laundry. The Sunny Days smells slightly sweeter, but like a sunny afternoon out. :-)

The plug in cover design is very nice; it doesn't look like just a box plugged in. It gives the product a finished look that can blend in any home decor. I love the fact that it alternates the scents without having to deal with it. 

I had to adjust the fragrance because at full capacity it can be overwhelming… whoa!! But with the little dial I was able to get that happy medium place and I love it.

Originally I had it in the living room, but I moved it to a hallway near to the kids and dogs rooms and it’s perfect. You can’t tell (smell) there are dogs nearby.

Give it a try, you will like it.

You know you are a mami when...

you realize you are singing Go Diego songs 10 minutes after you drop the kids at daycare because "you forgot" to turn it off.

Thank you for stopping by...

Hola!! I'm Sharon; a wife, mom, baker, lover, blogger, and hopeful entrepreneur. And yes, I'm a smitten mami. I'm totally in love with my boys (my sons and hubby).

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and have been in Texas for 13 years now. My husband (lets' call him Mr. V for now) and I have been together for 15+ years and married for 7. We have 2 boys; our oldest son Matthew (Matty/Mateo) was born November 2011, and a few months later... surprise!!! We found out I was pregnant again, and Benjamin (BenBen) was born December 2012. My husband and boys are my life, and can't imagine my life without them. We also have 2 dogs; Harry and Mia.

In this blog you will read about parenting, my favorite things, curly hair drama, career/entrepreneurial issues, cooking, baking, and of course my family!

Read on, and if you have any questions feel free to ask... in English o en Español.