Remember You?

I recently came across an article from Parents.com, "3 Signs You've Forgotten About You". This caught my eye because as parents, and especially mothers, we tend to put ourselves last and put our kids, spouses and work ahead. After the cooking, cleaning, laundry and work, the only thing you hope for is to have more than 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. And that's never guaranteed.

When I came across the above-mentioned article, I was intrigued by the signs that made the list, since I've hit all three, multiple times in fact. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. According to Parents.com, the following are three signs that YOU have been forgotten:

• You're not getting everything done
• You are tired and/or get sick frequently
• Your patience has bid you adieu

I experience two out of the three every single day. Every mother thinks she's the only one that feels this way. Well, it looks like there is at least one other mother (moi) feeling the exact same way. In fact, I am 99.9% sure that every mother feels the same way at one point or another (or most likely more often). So in order to feel less like a failure we attempt to do even more, which of course backfires, sending us on a spiral into further misery.

Sometimes the right answer seems counter-intuitive. In my post on the Five Things I Learned in My Five Years of Parenting, I list out things we as Moms can do to make us the best Moms we can be. My Mom always tells me that children need healthy Mothers. To be better for others, we need to be good to ourselves. So taking care of ourselves should be a priority. As a follow up to the five things I've learned, I wanted to list out some things we as Moms can do to clear our heads and replenish our energy.

• Get a few girlfriends together for an evening out - you'd be surprised how much this can do for the psyche. (Try to make this a habit.)
• Coloring books for adultsare all the rage - calms the nerves and focuses the mind
• Try to run errands on your own - having alone time is a scarce commodity for parents. Any chance to have some time for oneself is greatly welcomed. A run to the grocery store or even taking out the garbage offers a chance for a little bit of tranquility.
• Last but certainly don't let it be least, make time for the spouse. The relationship that brought your children into the world should be nourished to maintain a thriving family.

I am always open to new ideas and suggestions. I'd love to hear what you do to unwind and replenish. Please do share in the comments below.

Until next time...

Five Things I Learned in My Five Years of Parenting

I am just about one month shy of being a parent of a 5 year old. In these five years, I've become a parent of not only one but two boys. Transitioning from one child to two makes you reflect on what it was like having just one child, and ponder how in the world you'll manage everything that's already on your plate, plus the needs of another, whole human being. This is the time when you start to prioritize and strategize.

After having my first child, I tried to be everything I was before child and manage everything that came with having a child. As crazy as that plan is with one child, with two children, it is just not humanly possible. Unless of course, you're not one that requires sleep. After having my second child, more and more I started coming to terms with the fact that I can't be everything to everyone, all of the time. With this realization, I started letting go of things that caused me heartburn.

• Guilt comes with the territory - feeling guilty about what you did or didn't do is just part of being a parent. Guilt about not having enough patience because you don't take enough time for yourself to regroup. Guilt because you take time for yourself and don't spend enough time with the kids. I accept and embrace that guilty feeling as part of my daily life but I don't allow it to overwhelm me.
• Asking for help is NOT frowned upon - they say, "it takes a village to raise a child". On some level I agree with this sentiment. It is perfectly OK to ask for help. I've been lucky enough to have parents nearby that are able and willing to help. I am a strong believer in kids building a bond with their grandparents. Grandparents get a chance to bond with the kids and you get a break, and a chance to catch up on things you haven't had a chance to get to. Sounds like a win-win in my book.
• Taking "me" time is a necessity - It's a chance to step away and get in touch with yourself as a person, and not just yourself as a parent. "Me" time allows me to be a better, more patient parent. I see it only as a positive. 
• Everything won't get done every day - In an earlier post I mentioned how hubby and I try to manage our weekly to-dos and chores. One of the things he said to me as I was getting ready to get back into the working world was, "it's OK if everything doesn't get done every day". And you know, he is right. It's all about setting realistic expectations. The more realistic the expectations, the less unnecessary stress you'll endure. If we got three things done today but didn't get to a pile of laundry, it's not the end of the world. It'll still be there, waiting for us tomorrow. 
• Skipping soup one day, won't kill the kids - I come from a culture where not having soup everyday is almost a sin. On a weekly basis, I wrecked my brain over what kind of soup I should make that week. Because the kids need to have fresh soup available at all times, and if they don't, I've failed as a parent. This is quite a burden to carry. In reality, making fresh soup every three days is just not feasible, and if the kids don't have soup for a few days, they really will be fine. In fact, they might thank you for the soup break.

I would love to hear your stories, What have you learned from your parenting adventures? 

Until next time...

2 bedrooms + 2 kids = ...

...clutter and chaos.

When we purchased our 2 bedroom condo, it was intended to be a starter home for 5-7 years, tops. Well, here we are, 8 years and 2 children later. Still here, with no prospects for an expansion. The sad truth of living in an area with a million-job economy is that everyone wants to be here. The limited supply of living space translates into irrationally high real estate prices. What this means is that a moderately-sized home now has a million plus price tag, and that's just the asking price. This moderately-sized home ultimately gets sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars over that million plus price tag. For a dual-income family this means chasing an unreachable target.

And so, a family of four makes the most of their 2 bedroom condo. The question is, how do you make the most of this space, without feeling like you are stepping on each other, allowing the kids to have some kind of space of their own, and attempting to keep things organized and uncluttered? As a child, I never lived in a space bigger than two bedrooms with my parents and older brother. In fact, for the first 9 years of my life, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Yet somehow, everything had its own place.

Trying to make due with what we have, I am always on the lookout for organization ideas and keep track of them on a pinterest board, which I created specifically for this purpose. When we were adding furniture, we looked for multi-purpose items. Our couches have storage conveniently hidden underneath. Perfect for extra toys or other items not in everyday use. The entertainment center is not just for the TV but also has shelving for books and a separate area to display the nicer bar ware. When purchasing my son's big boy bed, we opted for a twin with storage underneath. Since the boys have to share a room, this added additional drawers to fit all their bedding and pajamas. And of course there are drawer dividersto keep everyone's drawers in order. The best thing we ever did was to customize the existing closets in the condo. It is amazing how much more we were able to squeeze out of the existing space. We drew out the plans for our closets ourselves, but the Easy Closets website seems like a nifty idea.

Ultimately, life is what you make of it. I've become a big fan of Apartment Therapy. Especially their small spaces section. Always interesting to see how others make the most of their spaces. I recently came across an article that showed the life of a family with four children making the most of a two bedroom apartment, and so, it's all possible with a little planning.

If you can relate to the above, how do you make the most of your space? Share in comments below. I can't wait to see what other tips I can pick up!

Until next time...

What is Your Maternity Style?

Pregnancy has been dubbed as the time when women get fat and put their lives (and fashion style) on hold until the baby is born. Yet, why should that be the case? In today's day and age, fashion and style expanded to maternity wear. Gone are the days of mumus and shapeless wear. The modern pregnant woman has options, and can and should continue to be fabulous and stylish. What's even better, you can be fabulous and stylish without breaking the bank. Motherhood Maternity is no longer your only option. Here are some great options for your maternity wear needs.

If skinny jeans are your thing, H&M is a great place to stock up on maternity skinny jeans. Speaking from experience, they look great and are still very comfortable. I've found some great tops and dresses at ASOS. You can't go wrong with Target. In those last few weeks of pregnancy, when even my maternity clothes don't seem to fit, Target was my go-to place.

If you're lucky enough to retain the same shoe size throughout your pregnancy, shoe shopping is one thing you can indulge in, if clothing is not your thing. There is no better time like the present, with black Friday on our doorstep.

So, what's your maternity style? Share your favorite maternity wear stores and finds in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Until next time...

Maximize Your Baby Registry with Minimal Stuff

I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog. I'd like to say that it was to reflect and revitalize but the reality is, I was just trying to survive. Being a mother of two doesn't make things twice as hard but it certainly makes the balancing act that much harder to balance. I'd like to think that my return to the blog is a sign that I am able to keep all the proverbial balls in the air (most of the time at least).

After one child, my perspective and expectations were quite different, not to mention easier to manage, with baby #2 on the way. Now a mother of two for over a year, I'd like to think that I've become a little wiser and a lot more open to going with the flow. As all mothers know, when kids are in the mix, nothing ever works out as planned.

I struggled somewhat with the direction that I wanted to take this blog, this outlet. Over the last year, there was another waive of pregnancies in my circle and a few first-time expectant mothers reached out with questions regarding various aspects of life with children. After answering similar questions from various mothers-to-be, I realized that this is the perfect way to share what I've learned so far along my  short journey as a parent with those that are coming up behind me. With that, let's jump in with both feet and start at the beginning.

The question that is at the top of most first-time expectant mothers' minds, after they've survived the harrowing first trimester and are safely on their way to the remainder of their pregnancy, is..."what do I put on my registry?"

When I was pregnant with my first son, I received a very good piece of advice in regards to my registry, "keep stuff to a minimum". The baby industry is booming, kids come with an overwhelming amount of "stuff". It makes me wonder how the kids of my generation (from the old country) survived without some of the things that are currently available. With this being said, I've answered the baby registry question a number of times and wanted to summarize what, in my humble opinion, are needed items, so that the new mother has all the necessary tools, without that feeling of drowning in stuff. Everything is a personal preference of course, but if you're overwhelmed by the available options, here are a few pointers to keep you on track.

• Opt for a pack'n playinstead of a bassinet. After the first initial months of your infant sleeping in your room, this can be used as a travel bed on those future family vacations.
• A wipe warmermay sound bourgeois but your baby will thank you for not applying ice cold wipes to their touche.
• When picking an infant car seat, opt out for the lightest possible one.
• To make it easier to lug the baby around in that infant car seat, I suggest getting a stroller that's car seat adaptable. Just as everything else, there are many stroller options. My trusted strollerlasted me through both children. The second time around, I opted for a car seat adapterto make things easier.
• Aden + Anais swaddle blanketswere everything I never knew, I always wanted. These are so soft and large enough to easily swaddle the baby.
• I would also recommend getting a few of the easy swaddlers. These were a life saver.
• I personally opted out of getting a diaper geniebut that's a personal decision.
• I would also suggest waiting until the baby is born to choose your preferred diaper brand. Hospitals tend to provide enough for the first day or two. You never know what size you'll need.
• The baby bathrobeis a complete waste but those hooded towelswill come in very handy.

These are a few of my tips to get you going on your baby registry adventures. For those that have been down this road, I would love to hear your feedback on what has worked (or not) for you. Looking forward to seeing your suggestions and feedback in the comments below.

Until next time...

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel...

I've never focused on Hanukkah in the past. This was a good excuse to make some latkes and light some candles, mostly when I didn't forget to (which was every couple of days). Probably nothing to brag about but when you don't really grow up with it, it's hard to make this a natural part of life.

Having your own children changes one's perspective a little. Even though religion has never been part of our lives, I'd like them to have some basic knowledge of the cultural aspect of our background. Plus, the holiday season is always fun. The more holidays you celebrate the better. When December came around and Christmas became the primary topic of discussion in preschool, I wanted to convey to my son that we don't celebrate Christmas at home. I explained that we celebrate the New Year, with a New Years tree (very similar to Christmas tree but after Christmas, with gift opening on New Years day), and lightly touch upon Hanukkah. My preschooler didn't disagree. He thought about it and asked if he could still celebrate Christmas in preschool. I saw no reason to say "no".

The best way to get into the holiday spirit for a child is to do various craft projects related to said holiday. My little guy gets very enthusiastic at the mention of the word "project".  This year, this chic Mama was ready. I happened to come upon a great little crafting kit at Michaels (no longer available at there unfortunately). Two crafts in one kit. A suncatcher menorah and dreidel to put on the window. The little guy was busy for two evenings for about a half an hour each evening. He was so proud of his creation, he absolutely had to show it off in preschool. Now it's proudly displayed on our window.

School Lunches Series-Part II

As promised, I am sharing some more details about the preschool lunches I pack for my big, little guy.

On a daily basis,  I wake up and throw together a meal for my child to eat at preschool. Initially, this task gave me a great deal of anxiety. My child was used to home cooked meals three times a day, plus two snacks. I wanted to make sure that the shock of going to a new school was minimized as much as possible. Three, short months later, this task became pretty routine.

Every day, I include veggies, fruits and a "main dish". Snacks are provided by the preschool, so at least I get a break there. Below is the breakdown of my son's lunchbox with an actual lunch included.

The actual lunch box contains a box inside it. Within the box there is a tray. I would assume that this tray is meant for a standard-sized sandwich (I call it the second floor). I bought some square silicone cupcake liners to help with organizing the food. I tried different variations of packing, but ended up with the following. Veggies on top (usually includes tomatoes and cucumber slices).

Fruit on the bottom floor. It's winter season, so persimmons and mandarines are the fruit of choice. Often enough, my son asks for a banana. The banana goes into the main lunchbox, (as shown below).

In this scenario, the main meal is wrapped in foil to preserve warmth. This time it's a "burrito". This includes a meat, such as left-over chicken from previous night's dinner, as well as cheese (whatever is available in the fridge, usually havarti). To complete the entire ensemble, I add a napkin and a separate bottle of water (not shown here).

Stay tuned for more quick, healthy, warm and hearty lunch food ideas.

Show and Share

I was really surprised to find out how much time commitment preschool requires. I kind of thought, you drop them of, they have a great fun day of playing, learning and making friends, and then you take them home. Turns out there are all kinds of volunteer opportunities and other activities that just can't be skipped. Otherwise, the only one that suffers is that same sweet kid, who is full of life and excitement about all the little things that seem mundane to us adults, yet are eye opening experiences to him.

With that said, every week is "show and share" day. A theme is selected by the teachers that is in line with the topics covered that month, and each kid has to bring something related to the theme. My child gets very excited about "show and share" day, so I have to make sure he has something to bring. This week the theme is Stars. Of course the homework lies primarily with the parents, to find that item that matches the theme. After going over everything in the house, I realized, that surprisingly, we have nothing with stars, or stars of any kind. As a result, Mommy crafting skills to the rescue. Since I can't do everything for him, I did everything to the point where he can take over. Thankfully, all supplies were on  hand:
-scissors...Check
-construction paper...Check
-origami paper...Check
-popsicle stick...Check
-elmer's glue stick...Check

The result, a future star is born...

All that's left is for him to glue it all together.

School Lunches Series-Part I

Another start to the week, time to put together lunch for preschool. (So far, thankfully, only one.) Ever since my oldest received a Thomas the Train lunch box for his second birthday, I was really excited to put it to use. That is of course, until the time came when I actually needed to put it to use. Up until a few months ago, his lunches, breakfasts and snacks were taken care of by his daycare during the work week (no lunch box needed). Obviously, a huge load off my mind. But with preschool, came home-made lunches.

Months before preschool even started, I was anxiously researching lunch packing options. Optimal foods to use for his lunches, as lunches aren't heated or refrigerated by the school. What do you pack for a kid who is used to eating a nice, warm, home-made soup for lunch, on an almost daily basis? To say that I felt anxious is to say nothing at all. I googled and researched, and came across some great ideas (e.g. Momabeles blog). When the time came, I was ready. The first lunch, which consisted of a chicken quesadilla, tomatoes, cucumbers and fruits was a hit. From there, things became easier. I developed a sort of system of lunch packing, based on the layout of our lunch box. 

Quesadillas, or really any meat wrapped in a tortilla with cheese (and warmed up), is the easiest. Pigs (always nitrate-free of course) in blankets are easy to pack. Warm options always go in a thermos. Since my child only eats cucumbers and tomatoes from the raw veggies category, he gets those everyday. Fruit options include two or three different options. During the winter season, lunch is heavy on mandarines, persimmons and apples. I have a whole pinterest board devoted to kids school lunches. However, often enough, lunch is dinner leftovers. Stay tuned for Part II, where I will display the Thomas the Train lunch box with an actual lunch.