Baby Boy to Little Man

When did my sweet little baby boy turn into an amazing little man? It's like I blinked and there he was!!



I was so lucky to spend so much time home with him. And I really convinced myself that as long as I saw him hit his major "first" milestones, I would feel better about going back to work. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Brandon will turn 2 in just 2 short months and recently he started to become this other person. He has his own thoughts, and desires, likes and dislikes and an amazing imagination.

He's starting to really talk and communicate and interact. I had no idea what I'd be missing all those hours at a desk.

Just today on our way home, we stopped at Lowes. I carried him through the parking lot and when we got into the store, I put him down and said, "okay, hold Mommy's hand." He wrapped his little fingers around my index finger and we walked hand-in-hand to the kiosk that makes keys. First we past the fans. The look on his face was like he hit the mother load. When we reached the key place, he handed the man the key and watched as the machine did it's job. The man handed Brandon the key and he grabbed it and held onto it. When we got to the register, I let him scan the key and even use the debit machine. The lady at the front was hysterical!!

Every day this little man does something new and exciting. The only difference is I'm missing it now. I looked at the folders on my computer labeled for his pictures. During his first year I took/collected 1,162 pictures of him. For year 2 I have only 375. I've missed over 800 moments...working.

So here is my plea. Follow my blog, share me with friends and pass me around. Help me on my path to becoming a writer/sahm so I can be around for all the moments that make up my Little Silly Life.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Insection

So, I took a sick day off from work yesterday with all intentions of lying on the couch, watching Lifetime and relaxing. I felt awful Monday and didn’t want to push myself. Mom took Brandon for a sleep-over so I could rest. And rest I did…8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I don’t think that I’ve done that in 22 months!!

I woke up around 6:30am (even without being woken up) and got Chris up for work. Well, I didn’t do our normal routine the night before so he needed something ironed for work. I dragged out the ironing board and iron and started ironing. Well, out of the corner of my eye I saw something scurry across the floor. Was it really something or were my sleepy eyes playing tricks on me? Rather than take the chance, I slid the ottoman out of the way, and there it was, this hideous centipede looking thing at least 2 inches long. Eeeeewwwww, gross. We typically don’t get bugs with the cats (the only good thing about them). They usually catch them before we even see them, but I think even they were afraid of this one.

I grabbed the nearest shoe and BAM!!! Son of a bitch!!! I missed (no surprise, my aim totally sucks). Now this thing ran further under the chair. So here I am at 6:45 in the morning, moving furniture and chasing a bug (mutant bug) around the living room. I moved the chair, looked under the area rug and saw NOTHING!!! Great, where is it hiding?

At this point, Chris got out of the shower and came out to see what all the commotion was all about. I told him and he said, “It probably ran under the baseboard.” Was that supposed to make me feel better? This little freak of nature was still in my house, lurking and waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Not this time bug.

Finally, I saw it run!! GO, GO, GO!!! I grabbed a shoe again and BAM!! SPLAT!! Got ya sucker!!! Crisis averted.

Needless to say, my day of rest turned into a day to Spring clean. I was totally grossed out. I am so happy to have a clean home again. I miss being home and everything always being this clean. Hmmm, we may have to do something about that. SOON!!!!

Are You Kidding Me?

This one is definitely blog worthy. I can almost hear the jaws of mothers and women hitting the floor already. So, brace yourselves, this is a doozy. You might want to even sit down.

Last night after Brandon was in bed, Chris and I turned on the news to see what the weather would be like for the following day. I stood there and ironed, yes very domesticated I know, and we watched news story after news story before the weather finally came on. Well, after the weather was a broadcast of a  very disturbing story. I literally had to stop ironing or I may have burned a hole in the seat of Chris' pants.

I warn you, this is your last chance to sit down cause here it comes....

Baby dolls these days are becoming more and more realistic. They eat, cry, burp, talk and some (if your lucky and your child has one) even pee and poo. Okay, I think the pee and poo are a little over the top. Now I gotta buy diapers for a fake doll too?? Anyway, apparently a toy company in Spain doesn't think that these dolls are real enough!! Berjuan, the offending toy company, as come up with a doll that is even more realistic. Bebe Gloton, or gluttonous baby, looks like any other toy doll, except this one is meant to simulate breastfeeding!!! If you just fell over, I remind you that you were warned. Yes, the Bebe Gloton literally simulates breastfeeding. The doll comes with a bra-like halter top featuring flower petals positioned over where the child's nipples would be. OMG, pasties for kids?? WTF??

The doll then latches on to the petals and emits a suckling sound. When the doll has finished "nursing", it will cry until it has been burped. I repeat OMG WTF!!!

Berjuan claims that the doll was designed to promote breast-feeding and the bond between mother and child. And I agree, breast-feeding is a completely natural act between mother and child to provide nourishment and yes, bond. But by no means should a child be nursing a child. And there are parents that actually think this is okay!!!

The news story made me physically ill. Toys for children should be appropriately themed, this is not an appropriate theme. Below is a picture. Ugh, vomit.

Haircuts and Snow

One of the greatest things about having my cosmetology license is the money I'm able to save us and our family and friends. I mean, let's face it, we all like to look nice and get our hair and nails done, but it can become quite expensive. My uncle cuts my hair because cutting your own hair is a little difficult, trust me, I've done it. And I don't trust anyone else with my hair!! If you live near Middletown, NJ, you have to go visit The Getaway Salon on Route 35 in Middlestown (732) 671-6067. Go see Tommy (the uncle) or Joey.

I've been cutting my hubby's hair for almost as long as I have known him (WOW 12 years), Dad's hair every 2 weeks like clock work. I cut and color Mom's and sometimes even my Mother-in-Law and neighbor. One other benefit is being able to cut Brandon's hair. It's great to sit him infront of the TV in his booster seat and do what I gotta do. After, he can go right in the bath and get cleaned up. He even helps vaccum up the hair!!! Uncle Tommy did his first hair cut, but his hair grows like a weed and it's easier to just cut it.

Here is a picture of him before we got started:

So Serious...

So, yesterday, my gym partner, Stephanie, and I started going to the gym again after like 3 months. Yes, that long!!! She got sick, I got sick, Brandon got sick, she stayed sick (forever), I got sick.....well, you get it. So we decided to start again. We did our cardio and a good little ab workout. We quickly realized just how out of shape we had gotten over the last 3 months. UGH!!!! But we did it!!!

Needless to say, I think we are single handedly responsible for the scene that the Northeast woke up to his morning. 4 days into Spring and snow?? What other explaination could there be??

 A much different scene than yesterday's Spring themed photos.

I was going to go to the gym today after work, but since they are calling for more snow tonight and into tomorrow, I hoped if I didn't go, the snow would stay away. I'm SO done with winter.

A Taste of Spring

It's hard to think about Spring when we had a dusting of snow yesterday and we are expecting more tomorrow. UGH....I am so ready for it to be warm and sunny and see life again. I am betting most of you are too. So I have taken a few pictures around the places that I go, to give us all a little taste of Spring and hold us over until Mother Nature stops teasing us. Enjoy!!!

The Daffodils in the garden outside of my job.

A little Morning Glory peeks out from underneath the Ivy

Tulips in my Mom's garden getting ready to show their vibrant colors.

The buds on the creeky old tree in Mom's front yard.

The beginning of the Forsythia bushes. These bloom to a gorgeous, bright yellow.



Sundaes on Saturday

Yesterday I hosted a Thirty-One Gifts party. My very good friend Shannon is a represenative, so I had a party to help her out and get my hands on the adorable stuff that Thirty-One has and the prices are super reasonable. It was fantastic!! Mostly because I got to see Shannon. Her and I haven't seen each other in YEARS...like 14 of them!! We met back up again on Facebook a few years ago when we were both pregnant with our boys. Her son, Connor, is about 4 months older than Brandon. Even though we had not been in touch for so many years, we picked up right were we left off...just older. Ironically, we both had very similar pregnancies. One day we were yapping on Facebook, and she mentioned that she started with this rash, PUPPS...basically an allergy to the male DNA of your pregnancy. The very next day, I started itching in one spot on my belly. It kept itching and itching and itching. We were talking and naturally she thought it was all in my head, turns out I had the rash too. We bonded over the agony of the itch. Seriously, we were miserable.

Anyway, the day was so much fun and I hope my guests had as much fun as I did. To introduce all the products Shannon had with her, we played a slogan game and gave out raffles. We all got to hang out and yap and shop and eat ice cream sundaes.

Anyway....Here are some pictures from the day.

Me and Shannon

The display...look at all those bags!!!

Very fun patterns

The sundae toppings

It's all about the ice cream

Yummy fruit

Shopping!!!

Shannon doing her thing

Great day with great friends

Super cute monogramming

My hostess gift. Love it!! Even after all this time she knows me so well.

You can't go wrong with M&Ms

Check out the Thirty-One website at http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/. I promise you will go crazy for everything!! If you want to place an order, host a party or even have a catalog party, go to her website http://www.mythirtyone.com/ShannonAlvarez/ and contact her.

Party Prep & Well, Mom Rocks!!!

Tomorrow I am hosting a Thirty One party. No, I'm not turning 31, been there, done that. Thirty One is a collection of bags, lots and lots of bags, that can be customized by pattern and embelished with embroidery. I seriously want one of everything...the reason for hosting the party. Free stuff and discounts, LOVE IT!!! You can visit their site at http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/. And I really think you should.

Anyway, I had dinner at Mom's last night. Our traditional St. Patty's Day feast. No one else eats it, so Mom buys the smallest one she can every year and cooks it with all the fixin's, just for us. It was super yummy.

As we sat after dinner yappin', I started making a list of the things that I needed for not only my party, but for our regular weekly grocery shopping. And 'cause I tell my mom everything, I started telling her what I was making and doing and yadda yadda yadda. She tells me that she has styrofoam bowls left from some party that we did, most likely Brandon's birthday this past summer and offered them up. Great, less money to spend, every little bit helps. She then got out dessert plates, plastic spoons and coffee cups and stirrers, even better. Then went in her cabinet and got the chocolate chip cookie dough, oatmeal raisin cookie dough (she even had the raisins) and rainbow sprinkles. She went into the 'frig and asked if I wanted the 3 sticks of butter (they dont' use it) and it was just enough for the cookies and the banana bread. She then went over to the counter and grabbed a few bananas that she wouldn't get a chance to eat. She seriously rocks.

I've been living out of my parents home for 7 years now and it always amazes me that no matter what I need, she has it, somewhere...If you have a need, you can bet she either has it or knows where you can get it cheaper. Moms are awesome that way.

Happy St. Patrick's

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

-          Irish Blessing

I love St. Patrick's Day. Although I am only part Irish, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, right? I wear green, I eat corned beef and cabbage and I hope that I find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or just win the lottery, than I can buy the pot of gold, no rainbow needed.

What I cannot bring myself to do is eat a green bagel 'cause to me, here is something creepy about eating something that is intentionally meant to resemble mold. I know, it's an over-exaggeration, I have food issues. I don't drink a green beer, not appealing, but Irish Car Bombs, well now that's an entirely different story. I don't like Guinness and I don't like Bailey's, but together, they make a wonderful couple.

What I am really looking forward to is dinner with my mom tonight. She makes the best corned beef ever!!! And St. Patty's Day is the only time of year I get to eat cabbage and it's mom's and it's yummy. And the red bliss potatoes, drowned in butter. Ok, seriously slavating over here. Although this year, the meal may be a little healthier (mom has lost almost 50 lbs.), I can bet it will be just as yummy and I can't wait!!

For all of you that will be taking part in festivities today, be safe and have a Car Bomb for me!!

A New Beginning

Welcome to my new blog. If you have come over from Girls Blog Out, thank you for following me on my journey, if you are new to my blog, welcome and I'm happy to have you along for the ride. 

I initially thought that I would make my first post something profound and thought provoking. But there was a moment last night that we had as a family that keeps playing over and over in my mind and I thought that would be more appropriate and it really explains what makes my Little Silly Life what it is.

I sat in the chair with Brandon reading his favorite book before giving him his bedtime bottle. Chris lay across from us on the couch. As we read through his book, which is counting based, I asked him to find the number 5. He found it!!! I thought it was a fluke so I starting asking him to find 1-4 (which are located on different pages) and he found every one of them!!! Our boy is so smart. Then as Brandon drank his bottle, he was doing the movements to Itsy Bitsy Spider. I started singing the song and he did the movements right along with it. How adorable? And as he lay there trying to fall asleep, he kept repeating mamamamamamam, dadadadadadada over and over is this little whisper. Chris and I were cracking up!! It was then that I realized how big he is getting and how much joy he has brought to our lives. He is amazing. And with him in our life, it makes it even a little more silly.