Bye Bye Kindergarten!

Today was Adrian's Kindergarten ceremony. Such a bittersweet moment. I'm happy he's growing up and doing so well but it is sad to watch your baby grow up.

The ceremony was super cute. They sang a couple songs, one totally in spanish. Adrian has been practicing for weeks, but he had stage-fright during the ceremony and really just went through the movements. The kids were all so excited. 

Oh and there was a slide-show playing when we walked in and one of the topics was "When I grow up", of course, Adrian said football player!

So I am very very proud of Adrian for doing so well in Kindergarten. He is totally ready for first grade!!!

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!" -Dr. Seuss

Real Kids Shades Review & Giveaway!

At our house, we wear sunglasses ALL THE TIME. We were them not only as a fashion statement but to protect our eyes from the blazing Florida sun. I remember getting sunglasses for my son before he was born. I didn't want his little baby eyes to be damaged by the sun's powerful rays. He is used to wearing them now and wears sunglasses on a daily basis. 

Well, a couple of weeks ago, this amazing company, Real Kids Shades, sent us some super cool shades to try out. We received the Flex Duo, the Xtreme Sports and the Flex to try out. 

Adrian and Amberly were so excited when they saw them. They immediately went outside with their new shades. They loved them. Adrian wears his Xtreme sports to soccer and boy do they hold up. These sunglasses are sturdy. The kids can't stretch out the legs and they come in so many fun colors. Also, they are CPSIA compliant, CE certified, FDA approved and contain no lead, bisphenol A or phthalates. 

AND NOW....GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Real Kids Shades wants you to try out their shades. Enter below to win a pair, of your choosing.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday: Circus Fun

I'm not a fan of the circus, but the kids love it!

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. I had a nice relaxing weekend, just Adrian, JC and me. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. I don't believe my house has ever been so spotless. Cleaning started early Saturday morning. It was a cloudy morning and JC had left to Crossfit so only Adrian and I were home. At the first "Mom, I'm bored!", a vacuumming task was assigned:

I didn't hear "I'm bored" the rest of the weekend! I cleaned the whole downstairs on Saturday. When I was done, we went to the pool and then hung out watching movies that evening. 

Sunday morning, we decided we were going to take advantage of Memorial Day sales. We went mattress shopping!!! I haven't been mattress shopping in like 10 years. It was so fantastic to lay down in bed after bed at Mattress Firm. In the end, we chose the Simmons Recharge Mitzi 13.5" Plush Pillow Top and the company delivered within a couple of hours so we were able to enjoy our new AMAZING mattress that same night! I slept like a baby! Since, we got a new mattress, we had to get new bedding, so I went to my favorite store, Tar-jay, and picked out this comforter:

(grainy phone pic, sorry!)

Then, we went shopping for me! Yes, new clothes for me! JCP had this amazing sale and I bought a bunch of really cute stuff.

On Monday, we stayed home (once again!). Cleaning the second floor was my mission for that day. I cleaned Adrian's room, my mom's room and our room (including bathrooms). I organized and cleaned until I couldn't take it anymore. Meanwhile, my brother took Adrian out back to the lake:

Adrian hadn't actually jumped out in the lake before so he had a great time. In the afternoon, we barbecued, of course! I made ribs, chicken and corn on the cob.

All in all, I had a wonderful weekend! Can't wait for the next three-day weekend!

Yummy Treat: Fried Nutella

This is a super yummy treat we make when watching basketball games at our house. JC loves, loves, loves Nutella and these are his favorite. It is really easy and quick recipe!

All you need is:

Won-ton squares
Nutella
powdered sugar

First, I lay out all my won-ton squares and then add about 1tbsp of Nutella to each. I add a won-ton square to the top, seal and then fry for 1 minute on each side. After this, I take out each one and place on a paper-towel covered plate (to soak up the excess oil). Then, sprinkle powdered-sugar over each one and serve.

That's it! Pretty simple treat, huh?

I'm Gonna Be Lebron James!

Hello! So excited, our amazing basketball team, the Miami Heat, is in the Eastern Conference Finals! Woo hoo! JC and I were talking about this on Sunday while we were having lunch and all of a sudden, Adrian busts out with this:

In case you can't make out what he says (video is from my Galaxy), here you go:

" When I grow up, I'm gonna be on TV and I'm gonna be Lebron James!"

Yes, I had a proud mom moment. Yes, I would love for my son to be an athlete. He has it in him. I am not going to be over-bearing about it, but I do promise to be that psycho mom in the stands that gets kicked out of games! 

Does your child have a favorite athlete? Please share!!

Wordless Wednesday: Beach day

We had a BLAST at the beach!!

Confident In My Decisions

Before becoming a mother, being confident in my decisions was always difficult for me. There were so many "What Ifs?". That changed once I had Adrian. I had this sudden confidence in making decisions for him. From the moment you get pregnant, there are just so many decisions to make. After they are born, decision-making triples. Should I breastfeed or formula-feed? Store-bought diapers or cloth? Which bottles? Bedsheets? Laundry detergent? When should I start solids? As they get older, it's schooling and after-school activities and how much TV (if any) should they watch? You are totally responsible for this little person and you can only hope you are making the right decisions. 

I think what helped me become confident in my decisions was asking for advice, advice from my mom, sisters, friends, fellow moms, books, articles, etc... After listening to different pieces of information and experience, I am then able to choose what I believe is right for Adrian. Sometimes, the advice goes in one ear and out the other, sometimes I take it to heart. Sometimes it's just mother's intuition. It also has helped that so far Adrian is happy and healthy, I've obviously been doing something right! 

Confidence also comes from making a decision and sticking to it. When he was born, I didn't want to breastfeed him. I did months of research/asking around and eventually decided to formula-feed. Boy, was I given a hard time for this decision from fellow moms. I always replied the same way "It's a personal choice, I don't criticize your decision, please respect mine."  Another one was that I decided early on that Adrian will not eat candy/sweets. As a baby/toddler, never gave it to him. As a 6 year old, he doesn't even look at them and when asked if he wants, he politely answers "No thank you!" It's my personal choice, lots of parents give their kids candy or sweets, I don't. Stick to your decisions, you know what is best for your child and family!

I think we are raising kids in a "Super-parent" generation! It seems like parents are constantly trying to out do each other and just jump on the latest trend. Why? Why follow the crowds? I believe in doing what is best for my family. I want happy, healthy well-adjusted children. I will make my decisions to achieve this. 

Amanda

Back in January 1992, my sister came home with the most beautiful baby my 10-year old eyes had ever seen, my niece Amanda.

I immediately fell in love with her. As she grew older, I took her under my wing. I adored her. I did her hair, dressed her as I pleased and even had her live with me for a couple of years. We hung out all the time and I was her go-to person during her teen years (boy, I'm glad those are over!). During this time the movie Napoleon Dynamite came out and I remember thinking this is her. She was always miserable, everything bothered her, just like Napoleon Dynamite. That is now her nickname. 

When I was pregnant with Adrian, she was very angry and very jealous. I was her world and she was mine and now there was this person threatening to take over. I remember passing out from exhaustion after I gave birth to him and when I awoke the only person there was Amanda, just sitting there watching me sleep. She is tough with him, has been since day 1. She is a no-nonsense cousin. 

I will admit neither of us put as much effort in our relationship as we used to. I blame myself for that. I should visit her more often and make plans to hang out. When we do see each other, it's like no time has passed by at all. 

She is a hair stylist. I taught her everything she knows! LOL! Her style is nothing like mine (she had an orange mohawk for a while!)I've lost count of the amount of piercings and tattoos she has. Those bother me, she knows it, doesn't care. 

She is her own person. She does not care what anyone thinks about her and does what makes her happy. I've admired that about her since day one. She loves with all her might. She is an AMAZING person. 

So if you are reading this, I LOVE YOU! I have loved you from the moment you were born and will love you until the end!!

Wordless Wednesdays: Rite of Passage

Haircut at a barber shop..........a Rite of Passage for boys!

Mom. Since 2006.

Being a Mom is more than a title. It is a complete change of you as a human being. A change to your body physically, changes mentally (hello? mommy brain?), I even had changes to my personality. Being a Mom is being the world to a little being. My son depends on me for everything and sometimes, I can't stand it. I try to teach him to do his own thing and be independent. I guess that's why the baby stage was so hard for me. I loved it once he started walking and talking and could express himself.

As Adrian's mom, I am a personal chef, chauffeur, referee, cheering squad, maid, teacher, super-hero expert, jungle-gym, personal shopper, seamstress, ATM, photographer, stylist, nurse and dictionary. 

Being a Mom is definitely the most challenging job I have ever had. It has pushed me to my limit countless times. It has also shown me how to love and love unconditionally. Each new day brings new experiences, new challenges, new victories. I learn and grow daily just as much as my son does. 

I want to wish all my fellow bloggy moms a Happy Mother's Day! I hope your children take the opportunity to show you just how amazing you are! Have a wonderful weekend!!

My Love Affair With Duck Dynasty

I don't watch a lot of TV. I don't have the time and when I do, I prefer to sleep! Honestly! When I do watch TV, other than watching football or basketball (JC is a HUGE basketball fan!), I watch Duck Dynasty.

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I have a crazy love affair with this show! If you haven't had a chance to watch it, it revolves around a family from Louisiana who work together making duck-calls. The funny parts are the family interactions and anything involving Uncle Si (my favorite character). Coming from a big family myself, I know how crazy it can get having so many different personalities around all the time.

 Last night, Adrian fell asleep early and I was able to watch a marathon of episodes on A&E. I have been able to catch up on the last three seasons. One of the best parts about this show is that I watch it with my brother. We bond over watching this crazy family!  I can't wait until Season 4 starts!

Wordless Wednesday: Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo Fun!!

Our Cinco de Mayo Plans

Hello! Today I am going to share with you our Cinco de Mayo plans. We aren't having a full out party just a family lunch with the kids. I plan on decorating a table outside, wearing sombreros and taking lots of fun pics with props. Of course, we will also be having a "Taco/Fajita Bar" where the kids will be able to create their own meals (hopefully, this will get them to try new foods!). Here's the plan......

Photo Props courtesy of The Dating Divas

Fiesta Printables courtesy of The 36th Avenue

Refried Beans recipe from FavFamilyRecipes

Margarita Cupcakes (for the adults) from I Am Baker

Tortilla Bowl Taco Bar from The Yummy Life

I hope the kids enjoy my little setup. We hope to have a piñata as well, the kind you hit, not the pull-string kind.  I think it will be fun for them to actually celebrate Cinco de Mayo. If all goes well, I will post pics on Monday! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!