My Version of Christmas in July

The weekend is finally here. In my eyes, every Friday night is like Christmas Eve. Endless possibilities await us, wrapped in shiny paper, too pretty to open.

Have you ever received a gift that you wished you hadn't unwrapped? One that was much more lovely with its tucked corners and perfectly placed bow?

Sometimes I feel like that about the weekend. Don't get me wrong; I am in love with the weekend, but I have this vision of what the weekend will be and when I tear open the paper, I am disappointed. Not because the gift itself is a let down, but because it doesn't completely belong to me. I always have to give it back on Monday.

My intention is always to balance family fun, household chores and some "me" time. On Saturday morning, I am very positive and energetic with many goals in mind. I think to myself, "I can totally clean the entire house top to bottom, spend quality time with Matty and hubby, read a book while working on my tan, write a poem and maybe even work on one of hundreds of artsy project ideas that I have running through my head."

By Saturday at noon though, my plan has already unraveled, which is completely fine and understandable. Having a 16-month-old and a 31-year-old (love ya honey ;) means expect the unexpected and adapt to it. But when Saturday evening arrives, the sadness sets in as I think to myself, "only one more day until this WBSAHM's fairy tale is over." And I still have toilets to clean, floors to scrub, laundry, etc. Apparently, the fairy tale is Cinderella and my glass slipper is lost somewhere under the piles of clothes that need to be folded. I get upset with myself because I can't live up to the ideal of keeping a spotless home, being a perfect mother, wife, and being ready to face the corporate world come 7 a.m. Monday, all with a smile.

"The art of living a pleasant life is constantly adjusting to circumstances."

This weekend, I will try hard not to let the little things eat me up. If I do, when I am spending time with Matty and hubby, I won't truly be enjoying myself because I will be thinking about all of the things I didn't accomplish instead of realizing that I am accomplishing the most important thing: making memories with my two favorite guys.

The New Do

The pictures below sum up Matty's feelings in regard to his first haircut:


Luckily, after sleeping on it overnight (pun completely intentional...hehe), Matty happily showed off his new do while chomping on some Cheerios and drinking his morning milky!

Senseo Giveaway

I am very excited to have come across "Thanks, Mail Carrier" today while participating in Welcome Wednesday, which is hosted by "take it from me."

"Thanks, Mail Carrier" posted a very good review of a Senseo Original Coffee Machine and she's giving one away.



It is the cutest little thing, and I hope I win it!! Being a WBSAHM requires a lot of coffee! Go here and read the review. Be sure to enter the giveaway. Good luck!

Sweet 16

Today, Matty turned 16-months-old.

Tomorrow, Matty gets his first haircut.

Tonight, Mommy is wallowing in self pity.

For weeks now, I've been telling my husband that we need to get Matty's hair cut, and now the night before, I am second guessing it.

It has to be done; his hair is a mess all of the time, but I love my lil monkey with crazy hair!

I call him baby Matty, but everyday I see just how much of "big boy" he is becoming. Before I had him, I never realized how quickly the transition from baby to boy takes place; nonetheless, I still have those locks of hair that belonged to that baby! Well at least tonight I do; tomorrow, will I even recognize the face looking back at me as I tuck him in?

Of course I will, but I'm wallowing, remember?

I think Matty sensed my sadness.

He hadn't bothered with his singing/talking rocking horse for a few months. It sits in a corner in his bedroom and sometimes he pets it, but most days, he ignores it. Tonight though, we were playing and he suddenly walks over to the horse and drags him to the center of the room. Then he clumsily tries to climb on horsey's back and reaches for me to help him. I place him on and Matty just rocks and rocks. Only he doesn't quite grasp the concept of rocking forward and backward, so he rocks side to side...it was such an awesome moment and affirmed that no matter how many "firsts" he goes through in life, he will always be my baby...

Keep On Dreaming Boy...

The world is yours, baby Matty.

Got Squash? Why Yes, I Do.

I like squash, but I'm not sure if I like it this much...

Recipe suggestions?

WBSAHM

In reading all of these awesome mommy blogs, I have come across the acronym, SAHM, which I'm sure you all know means "stay at home mom."

I guess that makes me a WBSAHM: wannabe stay at home mom :(

One day baby Matty. One day.

Get Your Own!

I had my first Geno's cheesesteak tonight. All I can say is, if you are ever in South Philadelphia, you must go there. Let me know if you've ever had one!

It was so good that I didn't even share with Matty. He had leftover tater-topped casserole. It's one of his favorites, but still, I am a selfish mommy! I promised him we will make a trip to Geno's sometime in the near future so that he can try one.

And if you've ever tried Pat's, let me know how that one was too! If you've had both, which do you prefer?

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Here's one of my favorite summer time recipes. A few years ago, my sister-in-law turned me on to this amazingly scrumptious strawberry spinach salad. It is healthy and refreshing and simple to make. Add grilled shrimp or grilled chicken to make a meal out of it!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Approx. 8 oz. baby spinach leaves
1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, cleaned, hulled and halved
2-3 Tbsp. red onion, chopped into small slivers
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp. sugar

Toss spinach leaves, strawberry halves and red onion in a large salad bowl.

Place almonds and sugar in a sauté pan. Cook over medium-low heat. As sugar melts, stir almond and sugar syrup constantly. The almonds will brown a bit and the sugar will become amber colored, be very careful to not burn the almonds. Turn them out onto a dinner plate to cool. Next, prepare the dressing.

Honey-Lime Dressing

Juice and rind of one good size lime
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
Pinch of salt

Whisk all ingredients together. Just before serving, dress the salad and toss the cooled, candied almonds over the top.

Every Girl Needs...

Today, while at Target on my lunch hour, I could not resist buying a pink plastic tiki man cup. He was only 48 cents! While checking out, I wondered how much money I had spent in my lifetime buying items simply because they were on clearance. I probably would have a huge head start on Matty's college fund with all of those "must have" bargains!

What is the silliest purchase you ever made off of the clearance rack?

My find today reminded me of a poem I wrote almost three years ago. I wrote it after coming home from a shopping trip to, you guessed it, Target!

Enjoy!

Orange Stickers

On Saturday
afternoon,
I went out
with myself,
found my
smile amidst
the clearance items.
3 hours later
driving home,
singing all the
wrong notes,
thinking
shit
I spent
too
much,
it hit me—
I am happy.
And I can't
wait to
get home
to tell him
that I spent
too much
and to pretend
to be sorry
as he pretends
to be angry.

Hear the Beat

Music is a huge part of who I am and it has played a big part in Matty's life thus far too. At the faintest sound of music, Matty starts swaying and clapping. Like most moms, I assume, I have been singing to Matty since the day we brought him home. Although most people would NOT want to hear me sing, my precious baby boy loves my voice!

Now, not that I don't enjoy The Fresh Beat Band.."we had a great day, it was a super way...", but they wouldn't have been on my playlist a year and a half ago. When I discovered these videos by two of my favorite musicians, I was ecstatic to be able to share music I would choose, with my son, in a format that would appeal to him.

Here are two videos that Matty and I adore:

Welcome Wednesday

I came across this via Bargain Mom's blog. Thanks Kai!

Hosted by take it from me, it is a fun way to gain exposure for your blog and to add to the list of blogs that you follow. Go see for yourself!

In Awe

Seriously feeling inadequate yet inspired, all at the same time tonight. Been perusing many mom blogs and there are so many beautifully designed, information filled blogs out there. My two favorites thus far are Skinned Knees and Josiah's Nest. I added their buttons to my sidebar. Please check them out. They have left me with an even stronger desire to learn the in and outs of blogging and to create something that truly expresses myself and my family.

Spoke Too Soon

I despise Monday morning.

With the weekend still whispering in my ear, I reluctantly pick myself up out of bed and get ready for work. Now before Matty came along, this was hard enough. I was never a fan of Monday morning, but now, it's even worse. Though aside from my longing to be able to stay home with Matty weighing heavily on my mind each morning, I would say that I have our routine down nicely. It's hectic, but it works for us.

Now this morning was unlike any other. I was ready to go EARLY! This never happens! Here I am with my purse, lunch bag, errand bag and diaper bag and I'm in a slight state of confusion. What am I doing again?

I hear a little voice say, "go to work." Oh yeah.

I kiss Matty and my husband, Matt, good-bye and tell Matt that I will leave the diaper bag in his car. You see, I was trying to help HIM not forget the bag. I also tell him to let the dogs (we have three pugs) in from the yard before he leaves. Matt drops Matty off at his sister's house in the morning on his way to work. We usually walk out the door together and I pass him the diaper bag, but because I had been too "on top of things" this morning, I was ready to go early.

Actually, I lie. Early isn't even really early. Let's just call it on time. And this is a big deal because on time does not normally happen either.

I began my 15 minute drive and as I neared the exit, I sent hubby a reminder via Blackberry Messenger. All it says is "dogs." To which he replied, "diaper bag?."

Expletives ensue.

Sitting on my passenger seat was the diaper bag.

I doubted his ability to remember, and in doing so, I had forgotten!

Not wanting to start the day off with a negative attitude, I laugh at myself, decide I'm lucky because I get to kiss my guys good-bye for a second time, turn left at the traffic light (my office is to the right) and take the scenic route to work. I meet them at Wawa. Although I usually drink my coffee black, I treat myself to a coffee with french vanilla creamer. Sugar makes everything better.

Remember yesterday when I said, albeit jokingly, that I was getting good at this juggling act? Well scratch that. The working mom goddesses must have been listening, and they do not have a sense of humor.

I'm Back!

Wow! It has been over a year since I posted last. To think, I hadn't even given birth to my little monkey yet! Well I think I have finally gotten a handle on being a mom, all the while juggling a full-time job, a house and a husband (haha...in your dreams, you say) and I'm ready to make a serious attempt at blogging again.

The blog name has changed to Since That Moment, which is the title of the poem in my last blog post on 3.19.2009. I found it to be fitting. I'm not the same person and this is life through my eyes, since that moment. Life is crazier, but so much sweeter.