Now, I'm going to be honest with you....I'm not a Domino's fan.  I'm not even a dedicated fan of any major pizzeria franchise because most of them offer the same topping options.  It's the smaller pizzerias with variety that I enjoy the most.  The thought of not having to cook or pay out of pocket to try the Domino's Pan Pizza however, sold me.  Yes my dears, I am a sucker for free food.  I ain't gonna lie.  And as much as it pains me to say this...I gotta tell you friends...this pizza kicked off the weekend on a good note.  We were surprisingly satisfied with the Domino's Pan Pizza.  I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.  What changed my perception of Domino's pizza was the bread.  It was perfectly soft and airy and light.  Not too much sauce or cheese, and just the right amount of toppings.  They aren't kidding when they say it's "made with fresh never-frozen dough."  

My Domino's Pizza was well worth this small post even if I didn't get paid to write a review.  Not only did it feed me and my family of 4, but it sent me on my way to a much needed night out with some of my online blogging friends in the Bay Area who I had never met in person before.  This was my first night meeting all but one of them.   Such a great night!

From left to right: Arati Desai Wagabaza of Supper Me; Heather Eatherton of Mama Dish; Maya Bisineer of ThinkMaya; Chrissy Watson of The Outlaw Mom; Jen Berlingo of Paint Cut Paste; Rachelle (pronounced Raquel) Doorley of Tinkerlab; and Me :) 

The following day my hubby took the kids to do some errands and I went to get a pedicure.  Later I met up with my cousins and Nina and went out to dinner.  Right away I ordered a pitcher of sangria because it was Saturday, and Mother's Day weekend, and I was at a restaurant without kids and a designated driver.   Whaaaaaat!

Speaking of designated drivers, I gotta thank my cousin Amanda for always being my personal DD.  She can be a punk sometimes but she's got a big heart, and our lives would be dull without her.  Shh..Don't tell her I said that.  She makes the best cakes by the way.  I'll share some pictures of her work when she finally opens up her panaderia or pasteleria, I don't think she's decided yet. 

Then this magnificent creation from heaven that has been the only dessert to bring forbidden-in-public expressions out of me was ordered.  You saw it on Instagram.  Holy mother of all things dessert, this one takes the cake.

Saw The Great Gatsby with my Nina that same night.  I love this scene.

Woke up on Mother's Day to these books and flowers.  Score!!  

Breakfast was made. YAY!  Another point for the hubby!

Paid a lovely visit to my Mother-in-Law before heading over to my Mama's.

Took random picture of my pink toes.  I don't get pedicures much.

And that is all.  My Mother's Day weekend began with food, and ended with food.  

The best Mother's Day weekend so far I must say.

We did it!  We made our own handmade paper.  Not the ideal kind for letters or doing your homework on, but it turned out to be a pretty cool experiment.  The end result resembled that same soft cardboard paper that eggs come in at the grocery stores.  It was almost identical to that.  In fact we probably could have pressed it into a shape at some point in the drying stage and it would have stayed in that shape.  Hmmmm.....that actually sounds like a good idea!  I wish I would have thought of that sooner.  Well, nonetheless this was a great lesson for young children in how paper is recycled, which is what this whole project was about.  As for our tree of choice to plant in honor of Earth Day..... 

We chose an apricot tree!   It's a cute little four foot tall tree, and I wish that I had some pictures to share of us planting our tree, but two out of four in this household decided they want to keep the tree in our patio.  Well, more like two out of three since our toddler has no say in where the tree goes.  Originally we were going to plant it in Nana's backyard (since we don't have one), but the little Miss fell in love with it, named it, gave it hugs, checks on it everyday, and doesn't want to part with it now.  So, now I need to get it a bigger pot, find the best spot for it, and pray we get into a house with a yard by the end of this year so we can give it a proper home.  Wish me luck and a nurturing green thumb!  

The paper on the other hand was a huge success!  

I got some water boiling in a medium size pot, once it started boiling I took it off the burner , turned it off, and we added lined paper from an old notebook (a little at a time) that we tore into small pieces ourselves.

We let it sit there for 24 hours.

The next day we blended the soggy paper with our handy dandy hand blender without taking any water out.  Hand blenders are AWESOME by the way!! 

Here's where the fun REALLY got started!  This paper making project was so much more fun than I anticipated because of the sensory element in this part of the process.  

They squished, poured, scooped, squeezed, dropped, and did it all over again.  They had such a blast!  I didn't even care about whether or not the paper would come out anymore.  Just seeing how much enjoyment they got out of this whole project was a reward in itself.

But, natural instincts took over and what I thought was going to be a lost cause, turned out to be a child-centered project gone right.  I handed them the materials and they genuinely explored on their own terms.  It was beautiful.

It's okay if you don't get all the water out either.  In fact, it helped to have it more moist than dry when spreading and shaping the paper, so don't worry about that.  As long as you can manage it with your fingers and it isn't crumbling up or dripping excessively, don't worry about wringing out all the water beforehand.  Pressing the paper when you're all done will take care of the excess water. 

It took another day and a half to dry even with the warm weather.  The amount of time it took was worth the wait though because it showed my 5-year-old how much time goes into making recycled paper.  I'm not sure what we'll do with it yet, but I do know we'll be molding the paper next time - maybe something for Mother's day?  

What shapes would you make?

Earth Day is around the corner and I am thrilled to be introducing this Global celebration with my 5-year-old.  Earlier this week we watched a few short videos about recycling and where the non-recycleables go when we throw them away (via the Waste Management Solutions website).  I introduced the recycle symbol above and explained to her that anything with that symbol can be recycled into something else.  One of them happened to be a recycled cardboard packaging used for mushrooms.  I even showed her a few examples of items in our home with that symbol and had a quick sorting lesson.   

Last year we didn't make a big deal of Earth Day because I didn't feel she was ready to take in the scientific details (also I didn't think she would remember much about it anyway).  We planted some seeds and enjoyed a nature walk in honor of Earth Day, but nothing beyond that. This year however, she is ready.  She's a curious little cat in fact, and just the mention of Trees becoming Paper, intrigued her enough to sit through the following videos.  She had no idea that paper originated from trees.  When I asked her if she knew where paper comes from, she said "the store" (of course).  Then I asked "but how do you think it's made?"  She just shrugged her shoulders and said "I don't know."  I felt so bad that I had never explained it to her before.  

I knew at that point this would be our main topic for discussion.  She LOVES to be outside.  She's my wild child - hair down, barefoot and climbing trees whenever possible.  I swear everyday she's asking "Mom, can we go on a picnic today...let's go somewhere...it's a beautiful day...can we go to the park, the beach, Great America?"  Not always at the same time or in the same order, but boy is she persistent on getting her daily dosage of vitamin D.  The girl lives to be outdoors! 

So, I sat her on my lap in front of my laptop and immediately googled "How is paper made from trees?"  The YouTube video below was the first search result.  We watched it once quietly, then again to answer some of her questions.  Take a look.

At the end of this first video I pointed out all the rolls of paper and said, "each one of those rolls is brand new paper that was made from many trees.  What do you think about that?"  She stayed quiet for a moment with an almost sad but confused look on her face.  No answer.  I added, "what do you think will happen if people keep cutting down trees and don't plant new ones?"  She thought for a moment longer and then her face lit up a little before saying "I know, God will give us more!"  "Yes", I said, "but humans use so much paper everyday that God can't keep up with planting enough trees everyday.  She needs help."

Hoping to put it into a better perspective for her, I asked a more serious question that would affect her directly.  "What if we go camping and all the trees are gone?  Would you still want to go camping?"  She nodded no.  "Neither would I" I said, "because there wouldn't be any shade to rest under, or homes for the birds and squirrels.  Can you think of someone who can help plant more trees for our planet?"  She looked at me, a little more relaxed now but not sure of her conclusion, pointed at herself, and in a quiet voice said "me?"  "YES!" I said with a smile.  "We all can help.  You, me, brother, Daddy."  

I then asked her "what do you think will happen if we never recycled paper and keep using trees to make paper?"  Her answer was "well, we won't have any trees left......but we can plant some more trees."  "Yes" I said, "and you know what else we can do? We can recycle old used paper to make new paper so we don't have to cut more trees down.  We can save a lot of trees by recycling!  Would you like to see how recycled paper is made?"  "Yeah!"  she replied.  

A few minutes later we were watching an episode of How It's Made on handmade paper.  Have you ever watched this show?  I love it!

I have to admit It was pretty cool watching paper being made this way as opposed to the first video above.  Watching trees being shredded didn't sit well with my conscience.  After watching this second video however, we both became excited about making some of our own paper!  The process seems simple enough, right?  Just in case, I searched for some other paper making examples and ended up at one of my favorite blogs called Tinkerlab by Rachelle Doorley.  She has a good example of how to do this at home.   

After all this talk about saving trees and recycling I wasn't sure how much of it she understood and absorbed.  I didn't want to continue and end up losing her interest so I left it at that and figured I would wait for her reactions. Not more than a minute passed before she asked, "can we go buy a tree and plant one today?"   She got it!  At the least, I think she did.  Even if all she got out of all this was that planting trees is a good thing, I'm good with that (for now).  

"Of course! I would love to plant a tree with you" I answered, "but let's wait a few days to think about what kind of tree we want to plant,  what do you think?"  She agreed and was off to find some paper to use for our paper making project.    

Stay tuned for an update on what type of tree we chose, and definitely come back to see how our paper turned out!

In the meantime, visit Tinkerlab for a great list of Earth Day activities for children.  

This post is brought to you by....my Tia's lemon tree.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeze.

A few peelings make good garbage disposal fresheners 

Remove the seeds, keep the pulp.

The only downfall to lemonade - sugar is required.

Purified H2O yo!

Ta Daaaa!!

That's all.

A Wordless Wednesday picture.
Broken till further notice :(

Working a full nine hour shift at work everyday on the other hand, also stinks.  I ain't gonna lie to you friends.  Now that I'm working full-time outside my home, I miss having breakfast with my kids.  I miss taking my little guy out of his crib when he wakes up from nap and having cuddle time on the couch with him until he's fully awake (he's a slow-to-wake kind of guy).  I miss our outings and discovering new parks. BUT....it's time to move on and help my family move forward.  Staying at home wasn't beneficial to our financial well-being, nor was it beneficial to my mental health anymore. 

If you are someone debating on becoming a SAHMom (or Dad) by choice, I have some advice for you.  Work at finding a balance!  I know that's easier said than done, trust me, I know.  It took me a long time to realize most of these tips (some of them just recently).  Reflecting back to being a SAHM, this is what I've learned...

Be sure to make some time for yourself.
Going to the grocery store or running some household errands is not the same thing!  Some mamas just need a little space and time away from being the CHO (Chief Household Officer) to appreciate her babies.  Go out on dates with girlfriends and/or your spouse on the weekends or even by yourself.  Please try to make time for yourself.  This is very important!

Get out!
Get out of the house with the kids and enjoy a nice walk, a trip to the library, the zoo, or try a new park.  Look in your free local parent magazines to find a calendar of events.  Getting out of the house often is a must.  

Don't forget to take care of YOU.
When I mean take care of YOU, I mean take care of your health, body, and  mind.  Whether it be yoga, going to the gym, dancing in your living room, eating right, or at least attempting to eat right, please remember that your health comes first.  I don't mean this in a selfish way.  It's like when a flight attendant is going through the emergency procedures just before take-off and says (if there is an emergency), to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, then your children.  In other words, take care of yourself so that you are able to take care of your children.  Know what I mean?  See your doctor if you have one, take vitamins, try and get a good night's sleep when possible.  With young kids this is one of the biggest challenges parents have, so whenever possible, try to catch up on sleep.  Even if it means taking a small nap with your kiddos during the day. 

Learn how to budget your money well!
When you have to live off one income, keep in mind that that one income can end at anytime, so learn to save.  Learn to save for those days when your spouse is ill or in between jobs, or when all of a sudden you need two new tires and a tune-up for your car.  Saving has been our biggest challenge, and there were times when we were wishing we had some money saved up for emergencies.  According to financial fitness expert Dave Ramsey, you should start with an emergency savings of at least $500.00 to $1000.00!  The amount depends on your debt (and expenses) to income ratio.  Anytime you dip into your savings, restock it with what you took out the first chance you get and save it ONLY for emergencies (The Total Money Makeover, p.102).  "Give every dollar of your income a name..." (p. 99).

Schedules ARE important.
Part of being a balanced family (or having a balanced lifestyle) means having a flexible but predictable schedule for your children.  Mostly for the purpose of fulfilling a balanced sleep schedule, nutritious meals, and a physically active day for them and yourself.  If your always going to bed late, driving around town during the day trying to run errands, paying bills and such, everyone ends up grumpy, tired, hungry, or irritated, and in some cases physically ill.  Schedule all the necessary daily happenings first, such as breakfast, lunch, nap, and dinner.  Then work around those times, or arrange for those necessities to happen accordingly wherever you happen to be.  For example if I knew it was going to be a busy morning, I would give my children a good breakfast and pack a lunch to go with us and make sure I was back home in time for nap.  That way their internal clock wasn't tweaked or interrupted.  

Don't stress over the little things.
Stop trying to keep up with Mr. Clean!  Keeping a home clean is a never ending chore.  Literally!  Clean it just enough to keep odors and bugs away, and no one is tripping on toys and clothes, but not so much that your guests feel bad if they dirty a dish or mess up the pillows on your couch.  Know what I mean jelly beans?!   

And for the biggest piece of advice I can give you.....

Enjoy it.
Enjoy the time with your children as much as possible because not many Mothers get this chance when they want it.  Children grow so fast!  Enjoy their random silly moments.  Embrace each day by hugging them, playing with them, teaching them, having small talk with them, sitting at the table for breakfast and talking about what's in store for the day.  Whenever possible, ask them what they want to do that day.  Your time with them is irreplaceable, so try to enjoy it as much as you can because in the end, their happiness will give you happiness.  

I guess what I'm trying to say here is take it easy.  Remember the good parts, and try not to stress over the little things.  It is so easy for a SAHParent to forget about themselves when they are all of a sudden in charge of running a household and raising their children for the most part of the week.  You really can lose yourself in all the responsibilities that rest on your shoulders as a SAHP.  The worst part is that the working spouse/parent sometimes has no idea how much hard work a SAHP does because he/she doesn't see what goes on during the day.  It's okay to remind them how tired you are too.   Being a Stay At Home Parent IS WORK!  Never assume your work is less valuable than that of the working parent.  EVER!  

What's your experience on this subject?  What advice would you give to a newbie SAHP?

Happy New Year!!  A little late, I know, but it's still January so I don't feel so bad.  I do feel bad for being MIA for over a month on Mommy Confessions though.  You should know my recent absence online has not been the result of me giving up or losing interest in writing.  That's far from the truth.  The truth is I just needed some time off to focus on figuring out the next step in my life right now, and to start setting the stage to setting new family goals for us this year.  Last year my resolution was to lose weight and eat better.  The bad news to that resolution is that I gave up.  The good news is that I did lose a little!  8 pounds to be exact.  It isn't much but at least I lost something right?  This year my resolution is to try to start living a healthier lifestyle in more ways than just eating right because to tell you the truth, there's something else that is bothering me.  Something that needs my immediate attention.

More importantly this year, is for us to set some financial goals.  We REALLY need to get our family into a bigger home and the only way that's going to happen is if we get the ball rolling a little faster on paying off our debt.  Not only that, but we need to get smarter about how we spend and save our money.  We are the average family, living paycheck-to-paycheck with a few credit cards, a mortgage and kids.  It's been a wonderful life so far and I am greatful for every bit of it (minus the credit cards), but now that we are parents, our priorities have dramatically changed as you can imagine.   

"My kids deserve more than I had growing up" has a different meaning to me now.  There are now requisites to fullfilling that dream.  I don't want to hand them a reward without some effort.  What I mean is, I want them to have the finer things in life if that's what they choose, but it's my job to teach them that it takes hard work, dedication, ambition, and an education to get those finer things and truely appreciate them.  In the long run I think that's what keeps people grounded and more willing to budget their earnings - by having to work for the things they want and possessing the knowledge to make good decisions with that money once they earn it.   

In order for us to teach those attributes to our children though, we (my husband and I) need to get smarter about how to handle our own money first.  We need to change our mindset and remember the following quote by Suze Orman that I like if we want to change our spending habits.

“Live below your means but within your needs.” -Suze Orman

In other words, buy what you need not what you want.  Here's a good example.  I've been itching to buy a new car because the car that I own is 16 years old and is too small for our family of four.  Now, just because I need a new car, there is no reason why I should go out and  buy a brand new fully-loaded one with someting like 3 miles on it.  A better idea in my situation would be to buy a used vehicle that is cheaper on gas than a V8 SUV, and slightly more roomier than the one we have now.  No need for flashy buttons and modern techie features like I want.   Just a reliable, gently used, price reduced vehicle that is going to last us another 16 years.  Know what I mean?  You get the drift.   

It will take some adjusting, but I know we can do this.  And to start off my new resolution for 2013, I am super happy to report that I started the year working part-time.  That was a great feeling!

Until my next update friends,

Happy saving!

Just before the Thanksgiving Holiday we brought out our  Christmas Tree and decorations.  It was a cozy day for us as we took our time hanging each ornament carefully, (the kids not so careful but excited more than anything).  This was the first year for my son to participate in this tradition during the Thanksgiving Holiday.  My daughter however is by now a pro.  She was the most excited to get started.  In fact she's the reason we brought out everything a few days earlier this year, because she had been eagerly begging us to bring our Christmas bins out of storage already.  She's a persistent little princess.  Once the tree was up, she was ready to teach her little brother a few things about hanging ornaments on a Christmas Tree.  Not long after we were done we somehow started talking about Santa Claus.  Until this Holiday season we hadn't talked too much about Santa Claus.  This year so far has proven to be different however, and she's coming at us with requests to help her start making a wish list.  This is something I was not prepared for.  Here's a confession you may be surprised to hear.

I never imagined raising my kids to be believers in the Santa Claus that we know today.  Call me what you will, but this blog is all about being honest, and to be honest, I think it's all a little silly.  The stories that we see in children's books and movies about the magic, miracles, and fantasies that surround the image of the jolly ol' man in red are wonderful, but are a far stretch from the true origins of St. Nicholas.  Please don't get me wrong, I love the idea of spreading the joyous spirit of giving, but I want my children to know where the story begins as well.  The story of St. Nicholas, who according to one of many sources, was born hundreds of years ago in 280 A.D. in patara near Myra in modern day Turkey.  He was not a man who flew above homes on a sleigh climbing down chimneys.  He did however GIVE.  He gave all that he could to help anyone in need including all good children, the poor and homeless.  It is even believed that he gave away his entire wealth and inheritances and continued to give by helping the poor and sick.

That is the image I wish to instill on my children of this saintly figure we see so ridiculously commercialized.  Someone who, rich or poor, gives from the heart first.  Too often I hear kids say "I want that for Christmas!" only to repeat their wish for a different toy seconds later.  The whole cycle of celebrating Christmas in fact begins for thousands of people literally during the Thanksgiving Holiday with the spirit of shopping.  We all rush to the stores to get the best deals on the newest toys, electronics, etc. (guilty).  What about the people who have nothing?  Where's the mad rush to help them?  It's a little harder to find people in "that" spirit for sure.   

Having the spirit of giving is what matters the most and I feel that I have failed in teaching my daughter this.  She is a wonderful little girl with a bigger heart than mine, but I feel that she also should learn and know HOW TO GIVE as well as receive.  How can I teach my children to be thankful for what they have and generous to those who have less than we do?  How can I teach them to believe in the spirit of St. Nicholas' good will toward others without killing the spirit of magic that comes with our modern day Santa Claus?  That's my goal this Christmas season.  For all of us to find the gift of giving just as rewarding as the gifts we receive under the Christmas Tree, and that St. Nicholas' spirit lives on through the gift of generosity.

1.  Am I happy?  The answer to this question has taken me longer than just a few months to find because there are so many reasons why I want to go back to work and only one that makes me want to stay at home.  That one main reason though, is the mother of reasons why any Mama who chooses to stay at home does.  To be with her children.  So in that regard, yes, I am happy to be able to spend this time with my babies.  As far as having a family daycare in my home, no, I am not happy.   
 
2.  Where is my career headed?  Who knows.  Ideally it would be beneficial to my family and career for me to remain in the field of Early Childhood Education, but where exactly?  Going back into a classroom is out of the question.  That much I do know.  So what next??  Lots to think about that's for sure.

3.  Why did I want a daycare in the first place?  A long time ago a colleague and I discussed  the pros and cons about having a daycare in our homes because we were both in the same boat.  You know, both prego, tired, depressed a little about knowing we would return to work and have to be away from our infants for 9+ hours Monday through Friday, wondering about the what-if's and such.  I remember her saying she was afraid of eventually not being able to distinguish where home began and work ended if she were to have a daycare in her home, and that there would never be a break from work.  She wanted the two separate; therefore, that life wasn't for her.  And you know what, she was right.  It is SO difficult balancing and separating the two.  After two and a half years I can honestly say that it isn't for me either.  I gave it a shot for the sake of being with my baby and testing the waters of Daycare ownership, but in the end, this job isn't for me or my family.  

4.  Do I feel at home?  This is the big one.  "The straw that broke the camels back" as they say (I think that's how it goes).  I'm done sharing my family's personal space.  Keeping the place clean and organized and up to code with licensing and Early Head Start standards is exhausting.  I gotta be honest here......I can't keep up anymore.  Not only that, but just having strangers coming into my home during enrollment (which happens whenever a child ages out of the program) and a new child wakes up my own children when they arrive at 7:30am sometimes crying, or hungry, or just really loud because they haven't learned our routine yet.  And don't get me started on the wear-and-tear on our house itself.  OMG our walls seriously need some TLC now.  Anywho, you get the picture.  I just want my home back!  I want my home to feel like MY home, not a daycare or EHS facility.   

So that's where I am at the moment.  Finally, I can see some light at the end of the tunnel in this Funk that I have been in for a little over six months now. You can read the first post on this matter here and the second one here.  Hopefully this will be the last one :). 

Thanks for listening,

Steph.

 

As if posting three buttons on this post isn't enough, I need to emphasize with caps how EXCITED, NERVOUS, and honestly a little INTIMIDATED I am about this event I will be attending in SF in December.  I must also admit that I am a little worried that I may be in over my head since the title of this conference IS "PRO"  which I feel I am nowhere near deserving that title as an amateur Blogger.  I'm not even sure what to expect from this conference yet except that I will be learning some important Blogging tips and rules, advice on Blogging professionally, monetizing my Blog and hopefully something on disclosures and ethics.  Oh and Photography tips!  I could definitely use those. 

There's so much that I want to learn and so much I would love to do with this Blog, I just don't know where to start.  Hopefully some of my questions will be answered (and then some) at BlogHer PRO.  I'm sure that whatever the agenda holds for us Bloggers at BlogHer PRO will be nothing short of inspiring, motivating, and of course educational.  I just hope I can keep up with the PRO's.  Anyway, just wanted to share this exciting news with you.  Off to bed now.  Buenas Noches a todos.