Birthday Celebrations

As always, the end of August & first of September is a busy month for birthdays in our household. We came back from Belize and celebrate my birthday on a Wednesday. Then that weekend we celebrated Jonah's 4th birthday. Then the following weekend, we went back to the beach and celebrated James' 40th birthday (plus had another little celebration for Jonah).

So my boys are both a year older and here are my thoughts for each of them – 

JONAH – It's so great and at the same time so sad to see you get older. Gone are the days of holding the little bundle of joy in my arms. Now, you are truly a little boy who is soaking in this world, the good & the bad. You still melt my heart in different ways.

JAMES – We've been together for 15 years and I cannot believe you are 40. It seems like yesterday we were in our 20's. It's amazing how quickly the years go by.

Our trip to Belize. . .

Some highlights from our trip –

THE STORM - Tropical storm came through the first night and made the next day very windy with just a little rain. We taxi'ed down to the local market and purchased some provisions just in case - beer, rum, pineapple juice and some fresh fruit!

THE RESORT - Our resort, Mata Rocks (matarocks.com), was very cute but needed some room updates. We had A/C and a beach side bar - what more could you want :)

THE FOOD - We ate lots of great food and there was hardly a moment where we were hungry.

•  El Divino at the Banana Boat Resort - delicious ceviche and 2 for 1 Martini's on Monday
• Hidden Treasure - is truly a hidden treasure amidst an vary of little homes. Service was great      and so was the food. 
• Ak'bol beach bar - Local breakfast was tasty and smoothies were the bomb
• Elvi's Kitchen (downtown San Pedro) - Very cold atmosphere. The tuna steak special was delicious and so was the ginger/peanut salad dressing. 
• Rico's at Banyon Bay - definitely a spot to go to enjoy the views of the ocean. Enjoy the lobster tacos as well as a cold beer

OUR ADVENTURES - you got to have adventures when you are in a new country. We may good use of the free bicycles at our resort and headed out to explore

• Ak'bol Resort / a yoga retreat - I enjoyed a two hour massage while James drank on the beach. We caught a snorkeling trip from the resort for $25. They have yoga every morning on the ocean pier. Namaste!
• Snorkeling - The boat ride to the snorkel site was beautiful. I definitely think the north end of the island is more beautiful & plus it's closer to the reef. The snorkeling was great. We saw sting rays, lots of colorful fish and beautifully colored coral.
• Fishing - we got the name of a private fisherman from the waiter at Elvi's Kitchen. He picked us up at our resort promptly at 8am and we ventured out to the reef. We spent about 4hrs fishing at various areas on the reef. We catch red & yellow snapper, perggies, little groupers. Our captain fileted our fish for us on the boat and we took it to a restaurant that evening and had a feast.
• Downtown San Pedro - We biked through the town a couple times. I definitely didn't feel threatened or unsafe. We enjoyed the people watching.

NEW FRIENDS - we met a very nice couple from Portland, Oregan. We had dinner with then a few nights as well as some late (10ish) night drinking.

TRAVELING W/OUT KIDS - Highly recommended for all the mommies & daddies out there. If you have family or friend who volunteers to watch the kids, book your trip that day and get going!!!!

i love summer time...

I love summer. . . being warm, swimming in the pool, trips to the beach, cold beverages, driving with the windows down, sand in between my toes, running through a sprinkler, endless smiles, long days,  - hell I love to sweat in the summertime. Give me the heat any day over the cold. Summer makes me feel refreshed & alive. Oh, how I love summer. . . please don't ever end.

My personal QR code

I'm a geek, I know :)

My little girl is two!

Bad Mom Moments

I'm human as the next mom. I definitely make mistakes when it comes to parenting and taking care of my kids -

• I'm non-reactive when I need to be reactive and vice versa. 
• I yell
• I threaten
• I have occasionally spanked
• I have the "mom does not think that's funny look" down pat

My most recent not-so-great-mom moment was while James was out of town. I had planned a fun weekend with the kids and hanging out with friends and going here and there. I didn't slow down to realize that McKenna was developing a fever hence being really clingy, fussy & not eating. (BTW, my kids don't eat at least not while I'm around.) My thoughts were "Of course, she would be fussy while James is gone". Hello, 101 temperature, trip to the Dr and diagnosed with strep throat. I felt awful and have compensated that guilt with lots of snuggling, letting McKenna sleep in our bed and giving her popsicles.

Another moment happened last night at dinner time. This moment is probably somewhere between good & bad. We had finished dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. McKenna has eaten nothing for dinner and insisted she wanted candy. My answer was "no" and as we walked through the parking lot she threw an awful tantrum - screaming and flailing arms. As I juggled a purse, to go box, and 2 to-go cups - I scooped her up and took her to the car, screaming the whole way. I put her down next to the car as a fumbled with finding the keys - she's still screaming but now louder. James puts Jonah in the car and I try to pick up McKenna and you does not want to be touched and gets even louder. I scoop her body up and place her in the car and try to get her bucket. At this point, I'm laughing and I look at James and he's laughing. I can't stop laughing and I realize we have put on a show for the entire patio at the restaurant. Mom of the year!

To conclude, parenting is not glamorous or perfect. I'm reminded of this everyday. Parents are typically just trying to survive day to day. When I see another mom have a "bad mom moment", I try to give an encouraging smile. Luckily, the good moments out weigh the bad and my kids are typically super precious. And I'm sure I'll have plenty of more bad mom moments :)

My loves. . .