10 on Tuesday | Foods I Eat [Almost] Everyday

Hey, hi, hello! It's time for 10 on Tuesday and I'm on Spring Break! Woop! Woop! 

I pretty much eat the same foods almost every single day (which is not as boring as it sounds, I swear!) and heeeeere they are! 

O N E | Avocado. I can eat avocado plain, but my absolute favorite is avocado toast. I would love to open a food truck that sells fresh juice, with avocado toast on the side--there is just so much you can to with avo toast!! (do you see my passion obsession here?!).

[avocado + tomato + goat cheese]

T W O | Apple cider vinegar. (+ elderberry syrup + lemon).  AKA the "breakfast shot." This would also be included at my food truck. Hello, I need to get this thing rolling (pun intended). Every morning I mix together a tbsp of ACV, a tsp of elderberry syrup and a splash of lemon juice and water, and I never get sick. Promise!  

T H R E E | Oatmeal. My favorite way to eat oatmeal is with a dash of sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. If you think oatmeal is boring, try it with some evoo and you will change your mind. 

F O U R | Eggs. During the week, I'll eat them hard boiled as a quick breakfast or morning snack. On the weekend, Erik makes us bomblettes (bomb omlettes). 

F I V E | Bananas. I'm not the biggest fruit fan, but bananas are my fav because they're not too sweet and go wonderfully with my next favorite food...

S I X | Peanut Butter!! I basically survived on peanut butter while I was pregnant with Sofia, and just recently let her try it for the first time. Can't say I was too surprised with how much she loved it!

S E V E N | Hummus + Veggies. This is the perfect afternoon snack. A little bit of protein, salt, and crunch.

E I G H T | Cheese Sticks. Another one of my favorite snacks. And who doesn't love a cheese stick?! (or two). 

N I N E | Lean protein. Chicken, ground turkey, salmon. We eat one of those with some veggies for dinner every night. Unless it's pizza night, of course. 

T E N | Wine. Because it's usually necessary. And have you seen all the studies about the benefits of red wine?! ;)

Happy Tuesday! xo

Friday 5 | When My Husband Tweets

My husband has a Twitter. My husband is not fully aware of how Twitter works. 

His Twitter feed is a series of tweets to celebrities; and he is left utterly baffled when none of his A-list friends ever respond to him.

Today I bring to you my 5 favorite tweets composed by @erok5150.

O N E | Although Tom Schwartz once retweeted Erik (big day in our house!) Kristen Doute of Vanderpump Rules finds his wit and charm less amusing. 

T W O | Because just imaging Erik (whose preferred music is rap) jammin' to Selena Gomez makes me LOL.

T H R E E | I mean this. 

F O U R | And then this. Should I be concerned or no.  

F I V E | I'm sure getting back to Erik's tweet is on the top of Obama's to do list.

Happy Friday! 

Sofia Belle [17 Months]

17 Months on the 17th. Kind of cool, amiright?!

We are so so lucky this little lady is ours. She has brought more joy into our lives than I could have ever imagined. She is sweet, sassy, and FULL of personality. 

[17 month update]

stats: She is right around 27 lbs. and I'm not quite sure how tall she is. At her last appointment she was 31 inches, so I'm guessing an inch or two over that now.

eating: She is still a pretty good eater. Although she has decided her high chair is for the birds and she'd rather sit at the kitchen table like a big kid, which I love and hate all at the same time.

sleeping: Still sleeping a solid 12 hours. Holla! And she takes one afternoon nap which lasts about 2 hours.

likes: Elmo, bubbles, being outside, being chased around the couch, music, dancing, reading books, animals

dislikes: Taking off her shoes or if you put the wrong pair of shoes on her. Girlfriend has got OPINIONS. 

words: Little Miss says so much, and can pretty much repeat anything you say. Which is awesome until you're holding your child and drop your cell phone and yell, "SHIT!" and then pray she didn't catch what you said (she didn't! mom win!!)

Mom of the Year Moment

We’ve all had them. Those Mom of the Year Moments, where you see your kid letting the dog lick the cracker she’s eating and then eat it herself but are like, “whatever kid, build up your immune system” or when you’re sitting on the floor drinking wine and your child pummels into you and spills wine all over your clothes. And hers. Yep, those moments.

Sofia loves playing with anything and everything, except her toys (of course). However, I will give the gal some credit and say she loves books. But I digress, one of Sofia’s favorite places to play is in the pantry, which is fine and dandy because she can only reach the bottom shelf where all the spices (in plastic jars) are. Letting her fiddle with the spices buys me 5-10 minutes to prep dinner, tidy up the kitchen etc. so I don’t fight her when she insists on opening up the pantry to find her most coveted “toys.” 

While she was playing in the pantry the other day and I was unloading the dishwasher, I noticed she was blowing raspberries. “Oh how cute,” I thought, “she’s doing such a good job entertaining herself!” But then I took a closer look and realized she was just kind of spitting, and her tongue was sticking out, and she was kind of swiping it with her hand. And then I realized in her other hand was GROUND RED PEPPER. SHE GOT GROUND RED PEPPER IN HER MOUTH. (And wow! My 16 month old was able to unscrew the lid of ground red pepper!). I quickly tried to wipe off her tongue with a paper towel (because that works, right?) and gave her some milk to help lessen the heat. She recovered in a matter of minutes. Me on the other hand, took a bit longer as I let it soak in that my child ingested red pepper on my watch.

with a face like that, how can she ever get in trouble?!

Tell me I’m not the only one. What’s your Mom of the Year Moment?

10 On Tuesday | Things I Wish I Was Better At

I love a list (you should see the notes on my iPhone) so I'm linking up with Karli over at September Farm for 10 On Tuesday, and presenting you with 10 Things I Wish I Was Better At.

O N E | Organization. Overall my house is pretty clean, but almost nothing NOTHING is organized. My kitchen cabinets are a disaster, our laundry room is madness, and every closet-a catastrophe. 

T W O | Being less awkward. Small talk is so not my forte. A couple months ago, I saw one of my coworkers out at a store (she didn't see me) but I thought, "Hey! I should go say hi to her instead of avoiding her!" And immediately regretted it, because after the initial "hi!!" I was like oh god now what do I say? "It's super windy today, don't ya think?!"

T H R E E | Curling my hair. Like I'm 27 years old and I just don't get how to do it, and all the YouTube videos in the world couldn't save me.

F O U R | Braiding my hair. Along the same lines as curling my hair, I've watched dozens of YouTube tutorials (I even wasted Sofia's entire naptime once) but it's just not happening for me. 

F I V E | Baking. I am a fabulous cook, but an awful baker. And I know my problem. I hate measuring things, and that's kinda sorta necessary when baking. I once attempted to make Erik's grandma pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving, but had to throw the loaf away after I taste tested it and realized for the umpteenth time, I'm no baker.

S I X | Reading. Okay, it's not like I can't read (I am a teacher, after all) but I want to be that person who reads a new book every month or enjoys reading before bed instead of watching Vanderpump Rules. I recently (2 weeks ago) started reading a new book, but so far have only made it through the prologue...

S E V E N | Running. I soooo want to love running. The weather outside is gorgeous, it's something I can take Sofia to do with me, and overall running is just plain good for ya! But each time I try to get into running, I make it about a month before I start thinking this is really boring. Like, I've seen all these trees, bushes, and cacti before and have heard this song on Pandora 200 times.

E I G H T | Time management. Literally I can't wrap my mind around how anyone has more than one child and gets anything done. Oh wait, they probably have better time management skillz than me. (this is one I'm really truly working on getting better at because I want to do all the things!).

N I N E | Putting away laundry. According to my husband, "Laundry is so easy, just set it and forget it!" Ya okay, and then what? Wait for the laundry fairy to beam down and do the daunting task of actually putting it away? I'm trying to remedy this by doing smaller loads of laundry throughout the week instead of one huge load on Sunday, which inevitably leads to a Mt. Everest of clean, unfolded laundry for the next several days.

T E N | Singing. My singing has brought my daughter to (sad/scared) tears. Enough said. 

Monday Motivation #700by7

Hi friends! I’m teaming up with Erin from Living in Yellow to complete 700 minutes of exercise by April 7. And bonus! Anyone who logs 700 minutes by the 7th will be entered in a contest to win $100 cash. I feel like my physical activity has been lacking (nonexistent) and I haven’t been mindful of my diet lately, so this is the perfect reset. And HELLO, swimsuit season is right around the corner here in Arizona.

A couple weekends ago, my husband and I were watching Shark Tank (one of my fav shows) and the creators of Sworkit were featured. I was hooked (pun intended) immediately. Sworkit is a free app (you can upgrade for $) but so far the free version does everything I could hope for. Basically, you pick if you want a strength, cardio, yoga, or stretching routine (or you can do a combo of all 4) and then choose the time you want the workout to last for (5-60 mins). I have been getting up when my husband does for work (5AM) and completing a 20 minute Sworkit before I get ready. Sometimes it’s kind of painful and hitting snooze sounds a lot better, but I never regret it and it gives me a little burst of energy to make it through my busy day.

After work, since the weather has gotten so nice, Sofia and I go for a 30 minute run/walk around the neighborhood. I load up her stroller with puffs and a bottle of juice, and she is pretty content with that and the scenery (because girlfriend is not the biggest fan of her stroller). Bonus amusement points if we pass any woof-woofs (dogs).

The days I exercise and eat (mostly) healthy, I feel SO much better. I have more energy, I am more productive, and overall am just a more pleasant person. I don’t like the idea of “dieting” I think it’s more important to live a healthy lifestyle, and I would love to share more on what's worked for me and some of my favorite foods/meals. But that’s my plan amigos, and I hope you join me too! 

Happy Monday!

***this post is not sponsored by Sworkit, I’m just kind of obsessed***

Friday 5 // Things My Mother Taught Me

I think it's about darn time I introduce my mama to the blog! Sure, she's made some appearances here & there, but that just won't suffice. My mother is a saint and this is what she's taught me.

O N E // Birds are unpleasant creatures that should be feared. Nothing will send Susan screaming (okay, that's kinda a lie, lots of things will do that actually-shadows, "sneaking" up on her, lizards crawling up through the drain of her bathroom sink) like a bird will. There were lots of episodes in parks, on beaches, where birds invaded our territory and my mom quickly abandoned. One time, when I was about 10 years old, a bird flew into our house. My mom ran out of the house, leaving my younger sister and I not quite sure what to do...because OBVIOUSLY we were afraid of birds too. In case you're wondering, our neighbor had to come over and chase the bird out of our house with a broom.

T W O // You can make a poor man's tomato soup using ketchup and water. I have mentioned this to Erik countless times throughout our relationship, but we have yet to try the ketchup water soup. (because how expensive is normal tomato soup anyway?!)

T H R E E // Gas stoves are very dangerous and you will blow up if you use one. I had to have been 6 years old when one day my mom told me to draw a picture of myself. And then told me to rip it up. She explained to me this is what would happen if I ever touched our gas stove. I am 27 years old and I still will not touch a gas stove.

F O U R // If something is on sale (ex. 2/$5) it doesn't mean you have to buy TWO!! Silly me in the grocery store thinking that I had to throw 2 of everything in my mom's shopping cart to get deals & steals. A glaring look from mom & a quick math lesson taught me you can still get said discounts, even if you only buy one of whatever is on sale, imagine that! I taught Erik this lesson recently when he almost bought two 3 packs of gum and I threw one out of the grocery cart at checkout (because who needs that much gum?! me, probably actually). Erik looked at me confused, until I explained to him what Susie had taught me long ago. He was amazed.

F I V E // (I saved the best for last) Don't make a sex tape. I'm not kidding. She told me this. And she might try and deny, but she did. She even had a reason, "Because they always get out." 

Love you, mom!

Throwback Thursday: A Love Story

If you've read my About Me, you know my husband and I met in San Diego while we were both there on vacation. But let me take it back just a bit, because it will always be one of my favorite stories.

My BFF Sarah and I had just finished our sophomore year at Arizona State and were planning to take a weekend trip to San Diego later in the summer. However, due to unforeseen circumstances (and fate), we had to bump up our trip. So basically we decided “let’s go to San Diego THIS WEEKEND!” I remember going into the restaurant we worked at and telling our boss we wouldn’t be there for our Saturday & Sunday shifts because YOLO (and he didn’t fire us!).

We always stayed at the Banana Bungalow, which is a youth hostel right on the beach, where aside from the obvious, (meeting my future husband) some of my favorite memories were made. As soon as we checked in, we headed straight for the beach. As we're laying there, I can see the deck of the hostel, and I notice a super cute guy. I point him out to Sarah, and then, I take a picture of him. I wish so many times I still had that picture! But after Erik & I started talking and spending time together in SD, I became super paranoid that he would ask to see my camera to look at the pictures I've taken; then he would come across the picture I snapped of him on the beach and think I was a huge creeper. (No, of course he never asked to look at my camera and I kick myself for deleting that pic, because now I think it'd be so fun to have! Oh well).

That night, the bungalow hosted a party. Out on the deck, we noticed the cute guy from the beach was sitting by himself, and Sarah persuaded me to go talk to him. So I worked up some courage and sat down next to him, but as soon as I did, he got up and walked away. Erik swears to this day he was so exhausted that he never even noticed me approach him that first time.

The next day, Sarah and I headed back to the beach, with a kite. After realizing we can't fly a kite to save our lives, we went back to the bungalow. This is when Erik & I first “really” met. I don't remember exactly how we started talking, but when he mentioned he was from Washington, I told him I had a good friend who lived in Bellevue. He said, "only millionaires live in Bellevue." To which I responded, "I only hang out with millionaires,” and he proceeded to tell me he was a “half-millionaire” (instant soulmates). He offered to share the french fries he was eating with me, I was starving and love fries, so I dug right in. 

the first picture of us // May 2009

For the rest of our long weekend there, we spent a lot of time together. One night we walked to the bay with a blanket and a bottle of champagne and had a picnic, I made him a seashell necklace with the string from the stupid kite we couldn't fly, he made me a "bomblette" (a bomb omelette), and of course there was the "seaweed man." While Sarah and I were laying on the beach, Erik covered himself in seaweed and jumped on top of me (as you’ve probably gathered, we’ve always been so romantic).

After we left, I wasn't sure if I'd ever see/hear from Erik again (I was living in Arizona, he was living in Washington). But the next day, he texted me (on my Blackberry, LOL). And we texted or talked on the phone every day until I went to visit him in WA in mid-July. He told me he might be starting school at the University of Arizona in the fall. After I got back from WA, we continued talking, and I hoped every day he would tell me he'd be coming to AZ. And one day, he finally did! I was soooooooo happy. He moved here in late August and we started "officially" dating soon after that.

My life has gotten better every day since then. I truly believe it was fate we met that day in San Diego. We're now married and still living in Tucson with our daughter, and I couldn’t be happier! 

How did you meet your significant other?! I love a good love story. ;)

Weekend Happenings

Mondays are always a little rough. But they’re especially rough after a 4 day weekend (thanks Rodeo Break!!). Sofia and I spent the day at home Thursday. Everyone in our house has been kind of sick, so I thought we would take the day to recoup the best we could before the actual weekend. We had breakfast in bed, watched some Sesame Street, played with bubbles, and took a stroll around the neighborhood.

On Friday, we hit up the children’s museum. I have been wanting to take Sofia to the children’s museum ever since my class went on a field trip there in October. Girlfriend enjoyed it just as much as I thought she would! There were all her favorites: books, balls, blocks, puzzles, pretend food, bubbles, chalk, markers, paint, slides, and tunnels. I had equally as much fun watching her enjoy herself so much. Friday night, Erik surprised us and took us out on a family date. We went to a really great Asian restaurant just down the street from our house. After we put Sofia to bed, Erik and I scoured Netflix for a movie to watch (actually it’s more like Erik surfing through Netflix and me saying no to every option). We ended up agreeing on a movie called Dope, and I was shocked by just how much I enjoyed it. If you’ve never heard of it (I hadn’t) I would suggest watching it. FIVE STARS from a harsh critic right here. 

Saturday morning, we picked up some Starbucks for breakfast and headed to the park. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and Sofia just loves being ‘side! When we got home from the park, it was nap time (for her, not us, unfortunately). Erik and I had big plans. CLEAN THE HOUSE. I’m truly not a fan of the word “adulting” but I felt like we were totally adulting Saturday afternoon. That night, we decided to reward ourselves for all our hard work with some surf & turf on the patio. It was perfection.

Sunday morning Sofia and I went grocery shopping (which was an absolute disaster, but we lived to tell the tale!). Basically she decided she hated HAAAAAATED sitting in the shopping cart and needed a ball from one of those obnoxious ball displays. So now envision me holding Sofia holding a huge bouncy ball pushing a full shopping cart. Needless to say, when I put her down for her nap yesterday afternoon, I said, “eff folding laundry! I’m laying out by the pool!!” After her nap, we hit up the outdoor mall and perused around (and bought Sofia some cute new spring ensembles). We ended our night watching part of the Oscars (only made it about halfway, because boredom, honestly). Sofia made it about a tenth of the way through and it is so hilarious watching her watch a show that involve applause because little miss loves copying anything and everything. 

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Happy Monday! xoxo

Friday 5 | Life Updates Since The Blog Resurrection

Instead of making these into 5 separate blog posts, I thought I’d link up with September Farm and do it here on my Friday 5. More concise. More fun! Without further ado, this week I bring to you 5 life updates since the blog's comeback.

O N E | Erik and I got married!!! About 4 years ago, Erik & I visited one of his friends in Temecula, CA. Funny story: prior to that trip, the only person I had ever met from Temecula was a convict (yes, you read that right), so I always pictured it as a kind of shady place. Spoiler alert: IT’S NOT!!! It’s beautiful!! And full of wineries! And avocados! Could it get anymore perfect?! NO! My point is, on that trip, Erik & I decided whenever we got married, it would be at a vineyard in Temecula and on June 13, 2015, it happened.

T W O | We bought a house!! After quickly outgrowing our two-bedroom apartment, we bought our very first house this summer! There is nothing like having a baby, getting married, and buying a house all in one year!!! Everyone should try it! We moved into a great little neighborhood, with tons of parks, and have a pool in our backyard to help us survive the AZ summers.

T H R E E | Sofia turned one! (she’s 16 months now) but her First Birthday needs to make a blog appearance. The theme was pink & gold (if that can even be considered a theme…?). We celebrated with friends and family at our house. Although it was a day she’ll never remember, it was a day I’ll never forget. Oh, and Sofia and I had matching rompers. It was the best.

F O U R | I turned 27! Not super exciting, but it’s crazy for me to think I was 25 when I found out I was pregnant and Sofia was born. Like 25 seems so young…. and 27 seems…. so close to 30.

unrelated photo-but accurate depiction of how I feel being ever so close to 30

F I V E | My sister is getting married!! A couple days before Christmas, my sister’s boyfriend (now fiance--Joey) took her on a hike and proposed to her. Oh the romance! And yay! I can go to a wedding that I’m not getting married in! Because planning a wedding is something I never want to do again.

Happy Friday, friends!! xo

Sofia Belle [Sixteen Months]

Today Sofia woke up as a 16 month old. She also woke up in one of the best moods ever! Until I tried to get her dressed, everything went downhill fast from there. Sofia is obsessed obsessed with jackets. I don’t really know why, it’s a little weird, but whatevs, there are way worse things in life than a baby obsessing over a jacket. Last night, after Sofia’s bath, I put her new robe on her (baby in a bathrobe-there is nothing cuter!) but instead of calling it a “robe” I told her it was a “jacket.” Like I want to go back in time and slap myself in the face for doing that.

As soon as I tried to take it off to put her jammies on, she freaked out, but I let her wear it over her pajamas, after I was able to wrestle those on. We played a little bit more, read some books, and then it was time for bed. And I let her sleep with her robe (ahem, jacket) on. Mistake numero dos. But I thought, “what could possibly go wrong?! in the morning I’ll take off her robe and put her actual jacket on and she’ll be just fine.” 

Well well well, like I said, little miss woke up in a great mood, until I tried to take her new beloved jacket off. Literally, I have never seen a meltdown quite like this. Girlfriend was PISSED. The good ole jacket switcharoo did not go as planned (of course). She calmed down a little once we got in the car, but as soon as we got to school, it was not a pretty sight. Sofia loves school and is usually such a happy camper when I drop her off. (sometimes she even cries when we leave in the afternoon-like the kid loves daycare, which makes my mama heart so happy). But this morning she was anything but pleased to be there. She threw herself on the floor of her classroom and cried & cried. Her teacher picked her up while I left and I could hear Sofia yelling, “mama mama!” down the hall. It was THE worst. I cried. Probably more than she did. Luckily her school has cameras, so I hopped on my phone as soon as I got back into my car and could see she looked like she was already doing much better.

I ended up being late for work and when I explained to my coworker what went down this morning, I started to cry again (it also doesn’t help that Aunt Flo showed up this morning), but she hugged me (even though she prefaced the hug with, “I know you don’t like hugs”) and told me I was a really good mom, which of course, always makes a gal feel nice. I called Sofia’s daycare just to make sure she was doing okay, and she was.  

Oh this adventure of mommyhood, it’s really something else.

[16 month update]

stats: At her 15 month appointment, she was 25 lbs. 13 oz & 31 inches – 95th percentile for both (fun fact: I had my mom pull out my baby book the last time I was at my parents’ house, and Sofia & I have almost the exact same growth pattern). 

eating: She is getting a little pickier, especially at home, because apparently at school she eats everything. Her teacher told me the kids had red bell peppers the other day and Sofia was the only babe who ate them. I have tried on T H R E E separate occasions at home to give her bell peppers, but she turns her nose up at them. I even tried to give her some hummus to dip those suckers in, and she used the pepper solely as a vessel to transport hummus into her mouth (can’t even be mad at that).

Some of her favorite foods include, black beans, bananas, avocado, egg whites, pancakes, pasta with olive oil and parmesan, green beans, and crack-ahhhhhs! (crackers, of any variety).

sleeping: She goes to bed around 6:30-7 and sleeps 12 solid hours. It. Is. Glorious. Especially since she didn’t start sleeping consistently through the night (+ past 6am) until she was 10 months old.

likes: her jackets (obviously), Elmo, animals, music & dancing, reading books, mama+dada, Kobe, ring around the rosie, the park, bathtime. 

dislikes: being separated from her beloved jacket, sitting in her stroller, sitting in a shopping cart (Erik let her ride in one of those stupid carts with the little car in front of it and now every time we go to the grocery store, she sees it and yells “BEEP BEEP!!” and you must let her ride in it. OR ELSE). 

words: mama, dada, baba, woof woof (when she sees Kobe or any other dog), cow, MOOOOO!, cluck cluck, RAWR!, ooh ooh ahh ahh! (monkey), bop it (yes, she loves her bop it), jacket, on, off, up, down, hi, hello, bye bye, Elmo, no , mine, ni-ni (night-night), schooooo! (school), crack-ahhh, nana (banana) bathtime, bubbles, PAAAPA! & mama (for grandpa & grandma), ball, cheers!, bump (for when she wants you to fist-bump her), get down!, snack.

#choosingtolovemyself

Yesterday, I came across a pretty amazing campaign about choosing to love yourself, which I think is especially important now that I’m a mom to a daughter.  While I was pregnant, I had a strong intuition from early on that Sofia was a girl. At our 19 week scan, my intuition was confirmed.  On the drive home from that doctor appointment, I cried. Not because I was disappointed or sad, but because I was scared of the world my daughter would grow up in, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to teach her all she needs to know, and of course, pregnancy hormones.

But I knew the best way to show her how to love herself, was to love myself.  It’s hard not to put yourself down, be self-deprecating, and point out your flaws before someone else does. But I want Sofia to be confident.  I want her to be kind.  I want her to be independent.  I want her to be compassionate.  I want her to be herself, and love herself, ALWAYS. Even typing that all out gets me a little teary-eyed (because everything makes me cry now) and there’s still a little voice in my head asking, “will I be able to do enough to make sure she’s all those things?”

crazy hair, don't care

That’s why I’m #choosingtolovemyself.  I am the best version of myself when I am with Sofia. I am patient. I am fun. I am funny (although Sofia & Erik might disagree). I am relaxed. I am confident. She sees that I love her, and she sees that I love myself. So I can do this. I love myself. We got this, mamas (insert fist bump emoji).

xo

Bloglovin'

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

After the blog underwent a name change I was having some Bloglovin' troubles (i.e. I'm a total noob). But alas, all issues have been resolved and you can now follow the fun on Bloglovin!

P.S. Real post coming soon-I swear.

5 Lessons Learned In 9 Days

Erik comes home tonight after being out of town for 9 days (!!!!).  The good news: Sofia and I survived. The better news: only a handful of things were damaged (my ego, quite possibly being one of them).  Let me begin by giving all the praisejesushands to moms and dads who do this solo everyday. Like some sort of novice, I thought this would be super easy. I could get so much done! I would have so much free time! Oh, the possibilities!  While maybe there wasn't a whole lot of productivity going down, memories were made and lessons were learned.

Lesson #1: Don't get cocky and think you can take a solo trip to the bathroom.  Your child will find and break a full bottle of balsamic vinegar all over the kitchen floor.  Luckily no one was hurt, and unfortunately no photos of the crime scene exist, except for those that came and went on Snapchat (christinarienzo in case these kind of shenanigans interest you).

this happens a lot on Snapchat too

Lesson #2: Drink wine while sitting on the floor at your own risk. My brother and sister-in-law came for dinner one night, and before we ate, we were all hanging out in the living room playing with Sofia.  Kobe started barking, I looked over at him, and from the other direction, Sofia came crashing into me. Wine. Everywhere. Including all over my brand new VS Pink sweatshirt. Side note: after I purchased the sweatshirt, the thought of "am I too old to be wearing Pink?!" crossed my mind. Maybe now that it has been completely ruined within a matter of days, someone is trying to tell me the answer is YES.

Lesson #3: When in doubt, park it out. We started going a little stir crazy being home all day on the weekend, but the park was our sweet, sweet escape. The weather was absolutely perfect! And after each trip, Sofia came home and promptly took a nap. Win-win.

Lesson #4: Whatever you're about to reach for at the moment your child starts having a meltdown in the grocery store, double check you've grabbed the right thing...... or you will get home and realize that 12 grain bread you thought you bought, is in fact cinnamon raisin bread. Avocado toast on cinnamon raisin bread ain't too bad though---said the starving mom.

Lesson #5: Get yourself some good friends.  The kind who bring over pizza and Chinese food. The ones who hang out with you & your baby on a Saturday night and invite you to sushi on a Sunday.  My heart is seriously so full from the girls week Sofia & I had, and all our girlfriends who came to hang out with us along the way! But we are so so ready for Dada to come home!!

xo

Guess Who's Back (Back Again)

I’m baaaaaaack! And I don’t know where to begin. Should I discuss why I stopped blogging? What’s been happening since my last post? (when Sofia was THREE MONTHS OLD). Why I decided to start blogging again?!

Well. This is the blog formerly known as “Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?” and I’m Christina, the “Bubbly Brunette” behind the blog. When I was trying to come up with a more concise blog name, I enlisted the help of my husband (kind of a mistake, but also made for some good laughs). He thought up gems like “Moms Who Drop Bombs” (like what does that even mean?!). Oh, and yes! I have a husband now! Erik and I got married on June 13, 2015 at a winery in Temecula, CA. It was beautiful and we were surrounded by our closest friends and family. 

Sofia was almost 8 months old on the day of our wedding, and was just the cutest flower girl you ever did see! (biased? maybe). If you’re doing the math, you’ve figured out she is 15 months old now and I’ll save the deets on that for another (anxiously awaited, I’m sure!) post.

After signing back onto the ol’ blog earlier this week, I got kind of sad I ever decided to stop. I love having this little space to write down my memories of Sofia (even if the only other person who reads those posts is my mom). And just seeing her so itty bitty made me feel all the feels. One night (apparently around the time she was 3 months old) I woke up and thought, “oh my god! I need to get my child off the internet!” I was deep into the rabbit hole of some pretty scary articles about babies and the internet. But today, I think the good of these little spaces and big communities they build far outweigh the bad. And I just want to be another small, positive space over here at The Bubbly Brunette. So come along for the shenanigans, I promise it’ll be fun!!