~Tiffany Sosa~

Entrepreneur family OR gypsies

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:58:03 -0400

I had a conversation today with another mom about schools and moving. At the time I was polite and all, but it was one of those conversations that I was left feeling a bit stung.

She had told me she moved this past September. It is the school district right next to our current one so I asked her if she was going to be switching her childrens’ school next year.

“OH NO!” she replied “Absolutely not! It is way too difficult for the children. They need to grow up with the same friends. It’s hard enough for them to switch classes with new classmates. I would never switch schools!”

I completely agreed and said so. It’s absolutely beneficial for them to stay in the same school with the same kids. I’m really hoping to achieve that…after this one last move, but this time it’s just outside the city back to the suburbs and where my kids can still see their Brooklyn friends. City life is just not for us. We are a backyard BBQ/bonfire/large garden family.

The part that stung a bit was that she knew I had moved a few times in the last few years. So I felt a bit judged. But I know she probably didn’t mean anything by it. At least, I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. The part that hurt a little more is…I really wish my children had that and that I knew that this was it, but I don’t.

But also, I’m really glad that they had the living experiences that they did. I’m so thankful that my children had the opportunity to live in one part of the country where we would pick fruit from the orchards and can and bake with them. They had more of a “farm” living and they also had the beach right on the lake to go to on the weekends. They got to have bonfires and cookouts and parades in our hometown of Holland, Michigan. I’m so glad that they got live on the other side of the country where their backyard was the mountains, well foothills, that they could hikw anytime they wanted and were accompanied by huge boulders right in the middle of the magnificent Pearl St. that they could climb on while watching the street performers every single day and take in the unending beautiful sun and breeze in Boulder, Colorado. And now I’m thankful that they get to experience the city with it’s diversity and learning to step up to the plate in order to be the best you can be and all the amazing sites and history that NYC has to offer. We didn’t anticipate this many moves, but with my husband’s startup/entrepreneurial life, this is what it is (thanks honey), and I’m thankful for it all because we’ve gotten to experience life outside of the “bubble” and learn and grow from that.

Also? Children transition so well. They’re so flexible when they’re younger. Do they really miss a few specific friends once in awhile? Yes, but do they forget them after time and move onto other friends? Yes. It’s easier while they’re younger. And I’m thankful to have a wonderful, strong, loving relationship with their father that creates an extremely strong and happy foundation for our children.

So folks, home is where the heart is….but, yeah, it’s time to plant some roots….right after we get a suburb commuter’s distance out of the city ;D

My Little Builders

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:00:06 -0400

Maddox needed a new dresser, so of course I ran to our local Ikea and got him a dresser. I love Ikea. Maddox loved his new project. He put together himself!

He said he was building his cage. I agreed.

Jaden helped out too

Maddox’s favorite part….hammering!

trains, bridges, and water taxis

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:00:05 -0400

We had what was probably one of the best days in NYC/Brooklyn ever. A neighbor mom/friend took me, my boys, and her 2 little girls on a fun field trip after school. We took a subway train to the Brooklyn Bridge, walked OVER the bridge to Pier 17/South Street Seaport on NYC side of the harbor, then we took a water taxi back to Brooklyn back on the subway train home.

First of all, the Brooklyn Bridge. Oh.My.Gosh.

Just look at this view!

The kids absolutely loved it, even though it was so absolutely stinking cold up there!

My neighbor friend did warn us to STAY ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WHITE LINE, otherwise we would get our heads chopped off by the bicyclists. Only one near heart attack episode that was quickly righted

Then to the South Street Seaport/Pier 17.

It’s this huge red building on the harbor side. I love it and can’t wait to go back when it’s warmer. It reminds me of those colonial harbors in the movies. It has the brick streets and restaurants with outside tables, and large boats that look like pirate ships. It was so cool. Then you can go into the big red building that is South Street Seaport where they have 3 floors of shops and a large food court with a wrap around balcony with chairs that you can sit on outside and enjoy the views. Of course we had to grab an ice cream cone…

Then we walked the boardwalk and hopped on the water taxi!

It was such an amazing adventure. I can’t wait to do it again…. on a warmer day :D

Mighty Milers!

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:00:05 -0400

I am so proud of Jaden. There is a program at his school called Mighty Milers. It encourages children to be active and builds their self-esteem. They run miles at school. Nobody is on any of the kids saying “you need to run”. It’s completely up to them. They get rewarded with different things based on how many miles they run during recess. You know, that time where other kids are playing on the monkey bars? Jaden, along with a bunch of other kids, forgo their normal recess activities to run during one of the recess periods. They can stop running whenever they want. According to Jaden, it’s so much fun!

He’s been talking about wanting to earn his Tshirt and medal for a few weeks now, and folks, HE DID IT! You should have seen his face when he showed me. I honestly about cried right in front of all his classmates and other parents. This is something he did. On his own. No one else helped. It’s completely his, and I couldn’t be more proud.

I love you, buddy. You are my hero.

He Lost A Tooth!

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:19:53 -0500

My youngest has lost his very first tooth. This is a bitter sweet moment for me. Not sure if I want to cry or be very excited. Whaaaaa!!!

When my oldest son’s tooth was loose, I couldn’t wait to pull those little suckers out for him. I was so incredibly excited! Then I realized, a little too late, that his sweet little boy smile would never be the same again. I remember Maddox would *CRY* every time Jaden lost a tooth because he wanted to lose his too. He tried to refuse to brush his teeth because we told him if he doesn’t take care of them they will fall out. Now, my baby, for all I know my VERY. LAST. baby just lost his first tooth. He will never have his cute little boy smile again. He will grow and grow until he’s taller than I am, move out, find some nice girl (he’s already girl crazy), and make a family of his own sniff! sniff! Ok, breathe. I know. That’s the way it should be. I really am so happy for him and I love how stinking excited he is right now. He feels all grown up now. Too cute!

"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its..."

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:22:13 -0500

““Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” ~Albert Einstein”

Stress management - what do you do?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:05 -0500

ugh…. stress management…. not my strongest point. I tend to be a worrier, unfortunately. It’s getting better because,well, first step: I’ve realized that it IS a problem-thanks for the wakeup call ALL OF LAST YEAR-and I am actively working on it every day, but jeez louise, even if my mind says you’ve got a handle on it, my body says uh uh uh you are internally freaking out. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m stressing out until I’ve realized I haven’t taken a good breath for the past 15 min or - all of a sudden, for no good reason, my stomach starts going crazy on me. Thankfully, I am finding wonderful ways to help manage it and become more mindful.

Here’s are 10 tips that help me:

1) yoga/pilates - instead of doing a high energy intense workout, I’ve switched to something that soothes my mind and works my body, giving my whole self more energy

2) get some fresh air. Honestly. I live in an area where your feet are your wheels, unless you want to wait forever for a public bus. So even when I’m just quick running across the street to grab something from the grocer, I find my mood picks up and I feel a little “lighter”.

3) read. Read something that inspires you - not some drama or murder story that has you on the edge of the seat - those are great for fun - not stress management. I’m currently reading a book called Buddhism for Mothers and I noticed a difference in myself right away.

4) be in the moment. I understand that we all have pasts and futures to think about. Like the wise saying goes You can’t change it. Don’t worry about the future, prepare and let it go. All you really have is this moment. Right now. Be a part of that.

5) breath. When anxiety starts to come - stop, take a moment and just take a few deep breaths in and out. That’s all. When my children were toddlers and in the middle of or about to begin a tantrum (yes you can tell when they’re coming) I told them to take a deep breath. It worked every.single.time.

6) laugh. Even if it’s about something completely ridiculous. I don’t know about you, but somewhere along the way of this crazy ride, I started to take life way too seriously. Just laugh. If it means turning on some silly cartoon or videos on youtube, throwing on music and dancing a goofy dance with your family or by yourself, or whatever - just laugh.

7) and this is a big one for me - do something that you used to love when you were younger. Were you obsessed with building model airplanes? Do it again. Were you one that would draw anywhere anytime just for fun? Do it again. For me, it was cooking, but especially baking. If you’ve read my previous posts, I’ve obviously picked that back up and it’s like therapy to me. I can’t believe I had stopped. So whatever it was, do it again.

8) take an extra 5 minutes in the shower, just because it feels good.

9) journal - take time to reflect and learn about yourself. You might notice a pattern or trait that could help you deter stress or anxiety

10) VERY important - ask yourself some good quality questions about whatever the issue, or you think, the issue is. Maybe you just need to eat something. Maybe it’s just that time of day, your blood sugar’s down and so EVERYthing and EVERYone is bothering you. Or if there is an issue, how important is what you’re worrying about REALLY? Maybe it’s not as important as you had originally made it out to be. If it is, is there anything you can do about it? If there is, what steps are you going to take and when. Set a deadline. When there is nothing else you can do, you need to let it go and be ok with whatever the results are, because there is nothing else you can do to change it. As the quote on my cup says, that my very dear friend gave me, ”Life isn’t about waiting out the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”.

So there’s a few of the things that help me. What do you do to manage stress and anxiety?

Oh, and here’s a list of things you should STOP doing:

~Worry will not strip tomorrow of it’s burdens. It will only strip today of it’s joy~

Baked Oatmeal! Have you ever heard of it? It’s delicious!...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:20:08 -0500

Baked Oatmeal!
Have you ever heard of it? It’s delicious! Crumble it up with some steamed milk and it’s SUCH a delicious breakfast

The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:41:25 -0500

The thought manifests as the word;

The word manifests as the deed;

The deed develops into habit;

And habit hardens into character;

So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love

Born out of concern for all beings. ~ the Buddha

Excerpt from a wonderful book Buddhism for Mothers

Ninjago Cupcakes!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:35:00 -0500

We just got done celebrating my youngest son’s 6th birthday. Lots of “oh my gosh, how did that go by so fast?” and “I don’t care about the number, that little guy is still my baby” moments. This age is so stinking fun, though. He’s now at the age where I can actually participate and *gasp* enjoy playing with the toys with him.

Oh, come on, you know you don’t always enjoy playing with their toys with them OVER and OVER again.

Luckily, Maddox is obsessed with everything Lego, which is just so fun. He is especially into Lego Ninjago. If you’ve never heard of them they are Lego ninjas that each have a story and personality about them and they now even have a cartoon, so those little lego figures are VERY real to him.

So in the spirit of all things Lego, I made Ninjago cupcakes!

By the way, I was thrilled at how quickly and easily I could get these made.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Ninjagos:

cupcakes

can of white colored frosting

tube of red frosting (wilton)

tube of black frosting (wilton)

yellow & blue food coloring (gel is best)

*you can also replace all the colors EXCEPT black and yellow with your choice of colors, obviously :)

sandwich baggies

a toothpick for those “oops!”

First, make the cupcakes. Don’t worry, you can use a box. I won’t tell, and honestly, does it really matter? These cupcakes ROCK. I did add some candy in the middle of the batter to give it a little extra pizazz, though. ;)

Then I used two different kinds of frosting. I used a premade red and black, because if you’ve ever tried to make red with dye, you know how difficult it is and HOW MUCH of the specialty dye you have to use to get it red - not pink - and then it has a slightly off taste. The same goes for black.

I also used a can of white buttercream frosting so that I could dye it the other colors I would need. Use food coloring GEL to make blue and yellow frosting to go with the black and red. Now all that’s left is to just use simple ziplock baggies and just barely snip off the top for the black and a little bit more for the blue.

So let’s do this!

I started with a swipe of yellow where the eyes will be put, underneath the mask.

To add the mask you want to surround and slightly overlap the yellow leaving just enough to leave him “peeking” thorugh it. Honestly, the canned frosting was a lot smoother to use than the stuff in a tube.

Now, you can leave it like this, but I wanted to make a bit of a nose for him. I tried using a chocolate chip pressed into the cupcake and frosted over it. That worked pretty well, but I realized it was much easier to just add a bit more frosting in the middle like this

Finish it off by adding the eyes and eye brows. Make sure to make the eyebrows a little “tough” looking like this

And FINISHED! I promise that these will definitely make your child look like a rockstar. According to Maddox, who walked home with a huge smile on his face,his classmates were raving how great they looked and asked if he could bring them in “every day”. Yay!

- Mission Accomplished -

EASY & Delicious Apple Crumb Pie with an Almond Crust

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:20:00 -0500

I have found an awesomely delicious, slightly different from your mom’s, apple pie. It’s an apple CRUMB pie. With an ALMOND CRUST. Yummm!! It’s so easy. No rolling pin necessary.

Please forgive the crappy pictures. Obviously I need to work on it.

Now, I am PICKY when it comes to apple pie. I won’t eat the stuff out of the store. For me, it has to be HOMEMADE. I also hate that apple pie filling in a can. It’s disgustingly sweet and if you’re going to make a homemade pie, and it’s this easy, why not take a few extra minutes and cut your own apples. One of my favorite places in the world to go is Crane’s Orchards back in my home state of MI, so this was just an obvious, but now that I live in NY I went to my local grocer and bought some apples.

Here’s the trick to a good apple pie. APPLE TYPE MATTERS. You don’t want an apple that’s too watery, like the Macintosh. Those are good for applesauce, and I don’t particularly care for the overly tart green apples. This time I chose to try out Cortlands and I really enjoyed it. They were only slightly tart, how I like, and they definitely held their shape. I actually wouldn’t mind a little more soft of an apple, but these were great.

Now, make sure you read the recipe all the way through FIRST. Believe me, it’ll help you when you’re following the instructions. Also? If you’re a non-baker or beginner baker and are already intimidated by making an apple pie from scratch, don’t worry about a few steps. It’s easy.

You can make the crust ahead of time if you’d like. Just pop it, covered, in the refrigerator, until you’re ready to use it.

So here’s what you need,

Almond Crumb Crust

*1 1/2 C (cups) all-purpose flour

*1 C plus 2 tbsp. (tablespoons) almonds, finely ground

this means measure the almonds FIRST, then grind them. You can do that in your food processor, blender. Heck, if you really need, a plastic bag and a rolling pin. Just get them as fine as you can.

*1/2 C plus 2 tbsp sugar

*1 tsp (teaspoon) salt

*1 1/2 sticks or 3/4 C UNsalted butter, ROOM TEMP., cut into small pieces

Here’s what to do….don’t worry, remember, it’s EASY

In a large bow, mix together the flour,ground almonds, sugar, & salt. If you have a pastry blender, grab that, otherwise you can use two knives and cut, or I used a whisk and “mashed” the butter until it looks like course crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Now, use your fingers and squeaze the mixture together to make pea size pieces. You can refrigerate this now, if needed

I know….beware the crappy pictures. Sorry!

Otherwise…. preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let’s keep going!

Now take a little more than half of the crumbs and press them into a 9-inch pie plate on the bottom and up the sides.

Toss it in the freezer for at least 15 min. while you do the next part, which is……

Preparing the Apples! Yummm!!

*3 1/2 lb. apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced. You can use different kinds, which I love to do, or you can use all the same ones. As I mentioned before, Cortlands are great, so are Macoun, Jonagol, Empire, and rome

*1/3 C sugar

*3/4 tsp. ground nutmet (YUMM)

*1/4 tsp salt

*2 tbsp. UNsalted butter, cut into small pieces

You can toss the apples with around 2 tbsp. lemon juice to stop the apples from going bad.

In a bowl mix the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Then add the apples, and toss together to coat the apples. Now grab your pie crumb shell and pour the apples in it, mounding them slightly in the center.

Dot with butter.

Sprinkle the remaining crumbs and clumps over the apples to completely cover it. Now, also pretty important.

Put the pie pan on top of a cookie tray to catch if anything drips, and that goes for any pie baking you do. Once you’ve done that you can pop it in the oven. You want to bake it for 1 hr, rotating it half way through so it bakes more evenly. I do this when I bake pretty much anything. The best way for me to remember is to set the timer for the half way point, in this case 30 min., rotate it, then set the timer for another 30 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

ENJOY!

Oh, the pie can be kept at room temp for, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

Cooking School!

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:51:00 -0500

I am so excited! I have recently rediscovered my passion for cooking and baking. I.Love.It! Food gives me all those warm happy cozy feeling. It’s a way for me to express my love and appreciation for others. It’s something I’ve been doing since I was young and incidentally as a teenager became the cook in the family, which was a role I LOVED. Now I want to learn how to REALLY cook. I want to know the hows and the whys you’re supposed to do what the recipe tells you to do, and more, I want to CREATE my own delicious food.

So, I am taking the next step.

I’m allowing myself to be completely obsessed and immersed in all things culinary, which honestly isn’t a far cry from what I already am. I’ve decided to start with taking local classes. I discovered the New York Culinary along with a place called The Kitchen that has some great topics that they cover in their classes.

Also? I purchased some highly rated really-teach-you-how-to-cook cookbooks. Not just a bunch of books with a bunch of recipes. They just arrived today. See!!

I’m CRAZY excited.

Whether you like her or not, the woman knows how to cook. I’m planning on adding a few others to my repertoire including Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and everything I find by the New York Culinary Institute.

I’m also contacting the local culinary schools (yes, we have the famous Le Cordon Bleu here) to see what all is involved along and a few other logistics. You know, being a parent, if we will stay in NYC area or not, and, of course loans/scholarships, etc. If after all this, it’s something I want to continue to pursue, then it’s back to school I go! So excited right now. Who cares if I’ll be the oldest one there or not? Surely not, right? Maybe?

I, however, know I do NOT want to spend my life working in a hot restaurant with late nights and long hours. Yuck! How about a culinary teacher, a food writer, a food stylist, or possibly open up my own bakery/cafe. Who knows? I’m just gonna follow my passion and see where it leads.

I want to teach my lil guys to shoot for the stars and believe that dreams come true. That’s a lesson that sinks in deeper by observing their parents than by talking their ears off don’t you think? So kids, watch me soar.

The Chocolate Room

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:12:43 -0500

oh.my.gosh you guys. I have discovered a wonderful place. A place that smells and tastes so good that you forget any and all problems in the world. A place filled with the most heavenly deliciousness you could imagine. A place that gets your insulin maker pumping. A place filled with chocolate. Wonderful, delicious, sweet chocolate.

Yesterday, I took Maddox (5 yr son), along with Jaden, to get his haircut at Lulu’s, a fun place that sells toys and kids can watch movies while getting their haircut.

Afterwards, we went out for hot chocolate. Not just any hot chocolate, but REAL hot chocolate. I took them to a place called the Chocolate Room on 5th Ave. here in Brooklyn. http://www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com/

This place is famed for their chocolate cake, which was featured in Oprah’s O Magazine, but this time I really wanted to try their hot chocolate and oh. my. goodness. I was not prepared for what they gave us. It wasn’t that powdered stuff out of a can that gets watered down. This was LIQUID CHOCOLATE in a cup. Delicious! You can even get a hot chocolate float. Jaden got a vanilla ice cream hot chocolate float and Maddox got a mint ice cream hot chocolate, and I had mexican hot chocolate. HEAVEN. I could barely drink the whole cup it was so rich and delicious. It reminded me of the deliciousness that oozes out of a molten chocolate cake. sigh… I can’t wait to go back and try their Oprah famed cake.

I wonder if they have a punch card for frequent visitors. I have found paradise.

Sick Day

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:26:40 -0500

It’s holiday break. I had it all planned out. We were going to spend the whole day at the well reviewed Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Woot!

Then, last night, my poor Jaden (8 yr son) got a fever. And? Woke up with one.

So, sick day for us.

Fever, headache, his eyes hurt, and upset tummy.

Now, we don’t mess around with upset tummies. He asked if he could lay in the bathroom and I gladly agreed. Sleeping bag and pillow all set up comfy. (Don’t worry, thankfully, I had just scrubbed the bathroom “just in case”.)

My poor little guy.

And that’s where he”s been most of the day. Thankfully the bathroom facilities weren’t required by his stomach so I put him in his bedroom to sleep the rest of the day.

To be honest. I’m not that disappointed about missing out on the museum. It’s kind of nice having a cozy day in. My youngest son (5 yr.) got to play video games, we watched movies. And of course, I have to have chicken noodle soup cooking. I had it planned, but Jaden must know from previous experiences that sick days = homemade chicken noodle soup because he asked and I did. Mmmm….smells so yummy.

And I don’t want to admit it, but aside from the sick part, sick days are nice. It feels so nice to take care of him. Parenting isn’t easy, but sick days? Sick days I’ve got down. They need lots of love and snuggles, comfy cozies, and some homemade chicken noodle soup.

And who doesn’t love a day full of snuggles from their “big boy”?

Purpose, Passion, & Play = Really, Truly Living

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:42:00 -0500

With my new transition in life going from a stay-at-home mom to kids in school FT, I’ve been asking myself “what the heck now?” I’ve been really introspective in figuring out what my next adventure will be and I’ve been struggling with pure happiness. The last few years have been a bit of a struggle for me emotionally as we have gone through a few country-wide moves, more goodbyes than I ever want to have, along with all the ups and downs of a startup life. I’ve always tried to carry myself with the grace and dignity of Jacqueline Kennedy or Grace Kelly, but I know I’ve had a few too many failings to want to admit to.

Lately, I’ve gotten pretty sick of myself. You know what I mean? Playing the whole victim thing and asking myself very unhelpful questions. This is not my normal. My friends (affectionately) refer to me as bubbly and happy. Always having something in the oven, cracking jokes, thrill seeking, daring. So I’ve been trying to figure out what the heck happened and more importantly, how do I get it back?

I realized that I’ve been missing 3 key ingredients to a successful life… purpose, passion, and play. I started taking myself WAY too seriously and had put my identity in my children and husband, as I can imagine a lot of SAHM’s do. Once they didn’t need me so much anymore I felt lost and purposeless. I denied myself the simple pleasures of the things that I enjoy so very much. I stopped baking all kinds of fun treats, I cooked only out of obligation, I stopped sewing and crafting and anything that wasn’t what I considered “work”. I read a LOT less than I’d like. I stopped laughing.

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I DO THIS?!

False Guilt. If I wasn’t contributing in the way I thought I should then I shouldn’t be having fun. Also, while my husband was in the do or die stage of his startup company, working hard and going through some trials, I felt I definitely shouldn’t be enjoying MY life. Crazy. I know. But that’s how I thought. Maybe empathizing TOO much. My typical, but growing personality type is unfortunately that of a people pleaser. Hardly able to say no to someone, never wanting to ask for help, and I’ve been accused of apologizing way too much by many many friends. ugh. So it’s easy to see how I fell into this trap.

Thankfully I have a great group of friends throughout the country, along with a very supportive husband who challenges me to always dream and be the best version of myself.

Through introspection and doing the best I can to ask myself quality questions I’ve figured out a few keys to happiness and a successful life and how to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Very importantly, play again. Through play we discover who we are. We learn about the world around us. We figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives and have a good reason to do it. It makes us happy, which makes the quality of life much much sweeter. Who wants to spend the rest of their time on this planet sulking, depressed, and miserable? I’ve got way too many years left to live it that way. I have a feeling that through play, we find our purpose and our passion. Why do it if you’re not going to do it with purpose or passion? If you must go to work, do it with passion. Do it with purpose. Do it with the best darn quality you can give. Give yourself the benefit of that point of reference to say ” I did this and it was the absolute best I could give.” I want the quality of my life to be the absolute best it can possibly be. I don’t want to live just to die. I want to live to really truly passionately live. With purpose. With passion. And for heaven sakes, with a lot of laughter and play.

So live. Really truly passionately LIVE. For no one, but yourself. Through that you will be a wonderful contribution to not only your own life, but to anyone’s life that you may cross paths with.

So now, I’m off to make some Candy-Bar Fudge. Happy Happy Holidays!

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man....

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:51:42 -0500

Ok, so I have to share this with you. I’m not getting paid to plug it or anything. I just loved it after seeing it tonight and have just ordered it online myself and I just HAD to share it with anyone who has children or akins themselves to being a superhero. Come on, you know you do.

It’s a book. For children. And its awwwwsommme! It probably caters more to boys (I have 2 sons) or tomboy girls. I saw it and just had to grab it from barnesandnoble.com. It’s called

“The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man”.

It’s about this man who is a super cool kid-friendly superhero with a secret identity. He uses so much energy throughout the day fighting crime that it comes to a point where he gets so tired he’d like to kick a wall or act out in a not nice way. Kind of like certain people of a certain size and certain age range and he explains what his superhero self does in such a cool fun way!

Here is a link to a sneak peak to get a feel…

http://search2.barnesandnoble.com/BookViewer/?ean=9780061914621

His secret identity IS revealed at the end and I’m sure pleases all children.

I plan on reading it and using it as a friendly reminder when my little guys are about to lose their cool. I hope it works!!

LOOOOVVE IIIT!!!

Ok, so I’ve told you about it. I hope you check it out and enjoy!

Cupcake Class!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:36:56 -0400

There’s this great place around the corner called Butter Lane Cupcakes…

They have kids classes where you MAKE the frosting and decorate cupcakes with other kids! So of course we HAD to sign up!

It was Halloween theme; hence the costumes and “blood red” frosting chock full of candy. So fun….

Yes, folks, that’s the Green Lantern and his amazing cupcake

Sweet Success!! (and a hairnet. Woot!)

Parade and Pumpkin Sail of NYC!!!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:45:00 -0400

This past weekend was quite the whirlwind. Subways, costumes, walking and more walking, carved pumpkins and a lighted Pumpkin Parade and Sail in Central Park!

I, probably like a lot of moms, had this special evening played out perfectly in my head, because as well all know, it always goes according to plan. LOL! Our pumpkins were carved and ready the day before, so we just needed to get our costumes on, walk down to the subway, hop on and we would be there. Then we would do all the crafts with pumpkin carving, sports, and all the other great Halloween projects in store for us, but alas, that is not how it played out.

We ended up running late with kids wanting this and not that and sibling bickering. You know how it goes. So we ran all the way to the farthest subway station possible WITH our THANKFULLY smaller soccer ball size pumpkins, enjoyed a nice quiet moment on the subway, and then rushed off to Central Park where all the fun festivities were taking place.

When we got there, however, my boys didn’t really want to do all the crafty activities. They saw some other kids their age and wanted to run in the grass and play. Something we could have done NEAR OUR HOME. Honestly, at first I was quite disappointed. After all, I had it all played out in my head and it was PERFECT. It was going to be GREAT! After a few minutes of watching my boys running and laughing and playing and then watching my husband laughing at them, I realized all of the stuff I had planned just didn’t matter. What mattered is that my family was enjoying the precious and little time that we have together. Always finding ways to make each other laugh and sneak in hugs and kisses whenever possible. What mattered is that my family is happy and healthy and we always enjoy each other no matter what we’re doing.

Now with all that said, this is what we saw……

Gorgeous, right? Oh, and yes, that’s a witch pulling all the awesome jack-o-lanterns!

What are some of your plans for Halloween?

growing up...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:54:00 -0400

We have a routine every morning. I wake up. Wake my kids up and do all the things every parent does to get their kids ready for school ON TIME in the morning. Feed them, remind them to get dressed, remind them to brush their teeth, remind them to put their shoes on, etc., and when I say “remind” I mean nag. Then we walk to school. First my oldest to his 2nd grade class and them my kindergartner to his class.

Well today was different. Today we get to school and J (my oldest) runs into 3 of his classmates and starts walking with them to his class. UPSTAIRS. WITHOUT ME. He was walking shoulder to shoulder and they were all sounding like little chipmunks chatting back and forth and they were so cute. And he was walking away from me. GULP. I swear for a split moment, as I watched him, those busy halls with people bumping their way through other people and trying to get to their classes in time, were no more. Time literally stood still. All I could do was watch my baby grow up from infancy and walk away all grown up.

OK, so great. Now I’m about to cry.

So I called out his name and waved goodbye and told him I loved him, trying not to embarrass him, but he flashed me his huge smile and nodded and said “love you too, mom”.

Waterworks in 3…2…1…WHAAA!

I wanted to stomp my feet and shout “STOP GROWING UP!” But of course that’s not gonna happen. We all grow up…

and we never stop…

As I was walking home and reflecting, I realized he at least has his next 10 yrs or so decided for him. He goes to school where I put him in and everything else is just icing on the top. His life is set for awhile. Mine, on the other hand, has just evolved. I am a stay-at-home-mom, but now I have no children to stay at home FOR. That chapter in my life is closed (temporarily, hopefully. Here’s looking at you, honey), but that’ll be another few years probably. I now have time to do all the great things in my life all us SAHMs complain we wish we could do. I can go to school, or take fun foodie, crafty hobby classes, get a part time job, or start a career, and just be something for MYSELF. But now that it’s here, I’m a little bit lost. Unsure. I wonder if this is partly what empty nest feels like.

There are some certainties, though. I am certain I want the flexibility to chaperone their field trips and volunteer in their classes. I want to be the “soccer mom” and have time to make them fun snacks and delicious home cooked healthy meals. I am certain that whatever I do, it has to add value to my life as well as others. I am certain that when my children come home I want to feel fulfilled and energetic instead of doing something that robs me of my peace and happiness. These are my values and goals that I hold to myself only.

So now, it’s time to play and explore another layer of myself. I’m growing up too…

what's new...A LOT!!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:11:00 -0400

So, we’ve moved. To New York. In a little neighborhood/borough in Brooklyn called Park Slope. It’s the perfect family neighborhood. I swear it’s like living on Sesame Street, brownstone buildings and all. In other words, it’s fantastic for our family. So, obviously, I’ve been a bit busy to write, but I’m back at it.

We have had quite a ride the last year and a half. All the ups and downs of a startup/startup family + more, but that has made me so much more thankful for the people in my life and having made it here. We are always growing and there’s always more to do, but right here right now is happiness. For any startup/startup family to have made it this far is HUGE. So HELLO NEW YORK!

So New York…. what’s it like? It’s pretty amazing. I’m from a wonderful town in Michigan, called Holland, which is a sweet little tourist town filled with tulips, a church on every corner, etc. It’s my hometown. Very peaceful and quiet…..AND I MOVED TO NEW YORK! Thankfully, we had moved to Boulder, CO for a year in between. It’s a great transition town. It’s a cross between a town and city, is filled with wonderful loving people that welcome new people with open arms, and is a walking town, which I love. So we got a little more prepared for New York living.

It’s still definitely still a culture shock. There aren’t any big box grocery/have it all stores that I’m used to (here’s looking at you Meijer, and honestly, I miss. Thankfully and amazingly, though, there IS a Target. PHEW! So, yeah, it’s an adjustment, but the more I find out and get integrated, the more I love it. I’m so thankful for the opportunities that my children and I have now that we live here.

One of my favorite things about here is this amazing park called Prospect Park, www.prospectpark.org which is filled with great activities inc. a zoo, a boathouse, cafes, etc. It’s breathtaking.

There’s also a survival website for all us parents called park slope parents. So, I’m looking forward to meeting other people through that. Relationships are just absolutely essential for survival, and being a startup wife (to an amazing guy, might I add) and the ONLY girl in the house, friends are crucial to sanity LOL! So cheers to meeting new people and enjoying allI that life has to offer (and maybe a nice little break with the holidays coming up).

Any ideas on surviving in the city or a new city? Share the insights!