RED party play date

First of all I need to let you know it has been a crazy last few weeks. Why? We MOVED! Enough said on that subject. I am exhausted and trying to get my energy back up after a whirl wind last couple of weeks.

Lucas had a hard time the first week adjusting. He kept saying "Home Mom" ... it broke my heart. I don't know who had a harder time him or me. None the less we are all adjusting to our new "home".

Today my friend Maria threw a RED party play date! Is that not a fabulous idea? I thought so too! We had red play dough, red balloons, ladybug craft, fancy stuffed pasta shells and a yummy red velvet lady bug cupcake.

Boogie had a great time and so did all the other kids. Here is a few shots from the playdate group

Lucas freaked at the thought of eating a "BUG"! .. him squirming

Do you guys have any ideas for a fun themed play date? I am thinking about running with the color theme and having a BLUE play date .... I shall keep you posted

Pure Sweetness

So sorry I have been a little behind on blogging these last few weeks. There has been so much going on, mostly just keeping up with my little man most days.All of us stay at home mamas have moments when we say  "I am going to lose my mind! ". Today was a day full complete bliss, almost has a slap in the face to all those chaotic moments and times were I thought I couldn't do it anymore.

Every Tuesday we try and go to story time at our neighborhood library. I have to admit it has not been easy from the tantrums from not wanting to leave the house from the screams and tears because he does not want to be in the room where they are reading but instead he insists he wants to go and play at the train table instead.


I wanted him to get some social interaction with other adults and children of various ages and I hoped he would eventually warm up to the whole thing. Today was the day when it happened!

The moment I told him we were going to the library he was over joyed! Boogie was not shy as usual during story time instead he stood confidently and sang along with the Librarian  wheels on the bus go round and round, he payed attention to the librarian when she read all the books.

But what happened later was pure sweetness. My baby boy called out for one of his fellow story time friends for the very first time aloud .... almost as if he had known it all the while ... "Lauren!" he exclaimed!
He shared his trains with her, he moved out of the way for her to play on the train table - which has NEVER happened till today.

Then when it was time to leave which is usually when he will break out in tears, he looked over at Lauren and saw she was saying goodbye and then he said goodbye as well and was ready to go home. Outside he grabbed her hand and they held each other hands like any long time friends would do.

Pure sweetness was what I felt all over along with Donna Lauren's mom, we squeaked with enjoyment has we witnessed our children engaging on a deeper level.

No worries I pulled out my camera and snapped a few pictures to share with you all.

Have you and your LO had any tiny or huge milestones lately that you like to share? I love to hear them!

Summer Family Pictures

As I promised, I wanted to share a few more pictures from our summer family pictures. The shoot was at Honeymoon Island one of our favorite beaches here in Tampa Bay. 

We had a great time and I am glad we were able to get a few good shots of our ever so on the move toddler. 

Have a great weekend! 

I love you more today then yesterday

A few weeks back we had the honor to take some pictures with our good friend +Iphigenia. I will definitely share the rest of the pictures of the photo shoot soon. For now here is one of my favorite shots of the session.

I just wanted to drop a few lines tonight on how much my love for my little boy has grown these last few weeks. You know you think you love them when you first see them for the very first time, but for me that love was not instant, in fact it took me a long time to finally get there. Lucas was not an easy newborn, in fact the first time he slept through the night he was a year old. I know that can be very normal but it is not normal for an adult not to sleep. I have no idea how I even function .. ha ha. I give BIG kudos to all the mamas who have sleepless nights, hang in there they do eventually sleep longer hours and you will eventually sleep again ... I promise.

My heart today is so full of love for Boggie and can barely hold it in. I want to climb a mountain and scream "I am on top of the world!" instead I will just blog it cause that's what blogging is all about.

These days I break out in tears of joy when I look at Boogie or when he accomplishes something new and amazing. I feel like I really know him and he knows me... our love is deep and all it take is a look for him and I to know how much we love each other. It's incredible! I really can not compare it to anything I have ever experienced, I feel completely blessed to be is mother.

Motherhood has so many ups and downs, it is not easy one bit. In fact most of us would agree it's the most challenging thing we have ever done. But with that said it's unrepeatable!  

Mamas simply STOP and enjoy today. Take in every little look, cuddle and memories your making together with your LO that will make your BAD days tolerable.

Happy Hump day - XOXO

Boggie and Mama

Coffee my drug of choice

Today has been a long day ... a 5am wake up call, watching yet another train movie at 7 am  and a forcing Boggie to take a nap for half and hour. Have you ever been around a tired toddler? Let's just say they act like an emotional drunk person, not pretty! I ended up using our miracle potion that Tia +Veronica Ledbetter  gave us, it works wonders! I just massage a few drops of lavender oil on his head and feet and massage him down with him and that usually does the trick, I guess toddlers have stress to?

The good news is they are alot cuter .. the toddler that is. I had enough time to  jump in the shower and wash my hair, the was the first time in 2 days! Can you Mamas relate? You know it's a good day when you can take a shower. The point of this story is that somewhere in between this first day of August I forgot my coffee!!!

I am currently paying for it with a terrible headache. The Hubsters tells me it's withdraws and to give it two days and it will pass. He seems to think he is a recovered caffeine addict and I should follow suit. Um I don't think so, I love coffee .. it's smell, taste and how it makes me feel ... AWAKE!


I actually read this article today on Dr.OZ's blog about how coffee drinkers have a less suicidal rate ... can I hear a woot woot!?

I do love Starbucks, my drink of choice is a double shot soy latte or iced coffee late afternoon. What's your drink? Have you taken advantage of the afternoon treat receipt? Now that's a sweet deal for any coffee addict out there.

Boogie is finally down for the night and I am sipping on my iced coffee, luckily I have my very own Starbucks a block away- Good night

Trains and more Trains

Boggie absolutely adores TRAINS or as he calls them"CHOO CHOO!!" His little heart skips a beat and he tries to catch his breathe as he yells out "CHOO CHOO!" on the top of his lungs whenever he sees or hears a train .... it's pretty AWESOME!

I am not sure when it started but I think he was about a year old when this passion for trains began. 

What's pretty amazing is how much my father loved trains, he grew up jumping on and off of trains through out his child hood. One of his last wishes was to ride a train across North America, that never happened but we managed to take him on a short little train ride, he was not impressed at all. I think he wanted to ride a train for days not hours!!

I see the same thought process in Boggie. He is not happy just playing with a train for a few hours his WHOLE day revolves around trains if I let him. He plays with his train set, we watch Thomas and Friends movie and even will go the mall just to ride the train.

This mama it's pretty darn proud of my son and I love to see what a passionate and determined little boy he is becoming.

I found this adorable wooden train by Melissa and Doug for $14.99 at TJMaxx. If you have not checked out Melissa and Dougs toy line you should. They have the best wooden toys for kids (not just trains) and most of them are very educational and age appropriate for toddlers which provide hours of FUN! 

Does your little one have a favorite toy? What was your favorite childhood toy?

Starbucks and Toddlers

In case you haven't experienced this yet with your LO, at two years old they want to be just like you.

They want to wear your shoes, clothes and in my case my son even grabbed one of my bras from my drawer and tried putting it on. I couldn't help but sit back and watch him! He managed to but one arm in through a strap and then he threw it across the room. He is so smart and wise (wish I could do that with my bra son) bras are stupid.

It's flattering how much they look up to us has parents and want to imitate us, but when your trying to get something done and you can't oblige them ...... the dun dun dun.... TANTRUMS can creep up REAL quick and we all know those are not very pretty when your in the middle of let's say Starbucks?!

When Lucas and I go to Starbucks of course he wants to have what mommies is drinking,a double shot soy latte and NOOOOO I do not give him coffee instead I ask for a small cup with a lid (it makes a perfect sippy cup) with half filled (don't want them spilling it all over) of soy milk. Boggie is happy and that means Mama can enjoy her drink too ... ah. Little tips like this can make a world of a difference in toddler life.

Do you have any tips or tricks up your sleeves Mamas when your out in about with your LO? What does your little one like to drink or eat when out in about? Are you glad the treat receipt is back? I am!

What's the funniest thing they have tried on lately from your closet?

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend

Till next time

XOXO - Boggie and Mama

Tantrum Tuesday

Boggie is officially in tantrum mode and boy is it CRAZY! Today we went to our usual storytime, he sat quietly and afterwards we went over to the children section where there is a train table. If I haven't mentioned this before, Boggie is OBSESSED with trains .. like OBSESSED ! He wakes up saying Choo Choo ... he plays with trains for hours wants to watch Thomas the Train all day long.

So back to the tantrum story after playing at the table for about an hour it was close to noon and it was time to go have lunch and take a nap. I always tell him "One more minute" Simply because he understands the number one has time and it's easy way to give him a concept of time. 

He went NUTS, which is normal for him but then I fought to get him in the car for about 15 minutes what seemed like an hour!

That was just the first of many in the day. One thing is for sure Boggie is a very passionate individual and his determination is powerful. Great quality as a man not a TODDLER. 

I am so impressed by his focus and drive when he wants to do something. Despite all the tantrums we had today, he always pushes me to new boundaries I never knew I could go. My patience is stronger then ever, and his screams in public are less embarrassing then ever. I feel more and more confident in my parenting skills then never before and for that thank you Boggie!

The end of the evening he cuddle with his papa in his tent for story time and my heart melted as I looked at my son and all the changes and growth he is going through, this experience is truly AMAZING! 

My Bob

When I turned thirty my life has I knew it turned upside down and I felt like I was a Pinata and was taking a beating with a stick over and over, I wonder every minute how long I could  keep it all together? I eventually broke into a million pieces.

My marriage of seven years came to an end with a divorce a year later. This situation defined me, and still is a big part of who I am today.When this happened it felt like a death, the death of my x-husband that is. Although he was alive, he was no longer the man I loved and knew ... he was gone ... everything was gone. My core was rocked, my sense of who I was and my faith was shattered like a broken mirror. I couldn't see much of anything clearly at the time, it was one of the most dark times in my life.

I had lost complete control of what felt like everything in my life except for my hair. Hair you may say? Yes something as trivial as hair was a big deal back then.I decided I would cut it really short one day because I could, and that haircut made me feel like I had regained just a little bit of control when everything else in my life was chaos. My new haircut empowered me it gave me hope for the future.

Funny how a haircut can do that? But it really did! Sometimes when things get tough its good to step back and look for the small things that we can change or do to make us feel better. SELF LOVE is so important. 

Of course the hair did not solve all my problems but what it did do was give me confidence. Confidence in a new future and that I could move on and I DID. Eventually I found my way to a new a new chapter in my journey of life. Of course with the help of my creator Jehovah, my close friends, Derek and family. But I will never forget what that little BOB haircut meant to me and how it made me feel. 

In August I will be thirty five, MUCH has happened in those five years. My hair grew for one, lol. Now I am a mother, a wife again ( I remarried 3 years ago to an amazing man Derek). Suddenly as my next birthday approaches I felt a little overwhelmed, I started to feel "old" and to think to myself half my life is over! I know ... I know....all silly thoughts .... 35 is the NEW 25 right? SURE! Okay whatever make you thrity somethings sleep better at night.

 I did what I had once done oh so not long ago, I chopped my hair and got a bob haircut.

What do you do when you feel a little down? Does a haircut make you feel anew? Or is it just me?

Hello Monday

Today Boggie woke up bright eye and bushy tail at 6 am and said "Mama PLAY!". I think he dreams about playing, ah what a beautiful life my baby has. I smiled and kissed him and said "Ask Dad" .... my way of getting a few more minutes of shut eye.

Mondays are always bitter sweet, Dad has to go back to work and our time together as three comes to an end. 

On the other hand it's Boggie and Mamas special little time to cuddle and play and see what adventures we can find during the week!

After playing for 20 minutes this morning he crawled back into bed with me and said "Chee Chee" (what we call breastfeeding) He still BF occasionally whenever he wants, and that is perfectly okay with me. These days EBF it less and less, he seems to be weaning himself  off and that works just fine.

After a little while he fell asleep again snuggled up against me. Now this is a perfect Monday morning and a perfect way to start out our week.

What are you up to this week?

First cut is the deepest

Whah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My baby boy got his first haircut today after much resistance on my part!! I couldn't come to seeing his little locks of curls being cut off, but it was probably cause I knew the reality of it all ... it would be the end of an era!

The little baby I anticipated the arrival of for 9 months (months that seemed like a billion years) is now almost TWO?!?!?!?!

It's been done, the little lockets of curls were placed in a little baggie and now I will be one of those weird mamas who will pull out the bag of baby hair and show it off to all who enter my house after my son has left.

                                               Boggie and his NEW LOOK!

Summer fun!

Happy weekend everyone! Hope you all are enjoying some time outside with the your little ones and friends.

We've been really enjoying this summer with Boogie. Last year it seemed like he was still in the BLOB stage (that what my friends and I call the infant stage) Toddler years can be a lot more fun! Yes I said it (it was a good day here) , although this age is super tough in some aspects (toddler tantrums and attitude mostly) it's a lot better in many ways.... you'll see!

Boggie is saying tons of new words everyday and lots of phrases. On the top list ... his favorite phrase at the moment is "I DID IT!" and I love hearing him say such positive reinforcement to himself. You can never have to much confidence. He much rather skip a nap most days now and  says "PLAY MAMA!" all day long. It's really an awesome time in our lives! What is your little toddler saying these days?

Dad had July 4th off so we schedule a family photo shoot that morning ( I will share those pictures with you soon) and then we had breakfast at our favorite little local spot in Dunedin, Florida called Sweet Pea's Cafe.

 If your in Tampa Bay and are looking for something locally owned and operated with simple organic choices definitively check out Sweet Pea's Cafe, I recommend there iced coffees and breakfast sandwich, Boggie loves there buckwheat strawberry pancakes.

Do you have any local kid friendly restaurants in your area? Or organic cafes? Love to hear about your faves in case we are ever in your neck of the woods. Have a great weekend.