Gucci Gucci Goo! feat. J Lo's Twins

While I'm not huge on paying $1million dollars on clothes for Chunks I was super excited to see the cutest ad ever this morning! Jennifer Lopez and her twins are the new face of Gucci's children's line which is slated to hit stores next month. Of course designers are now learning where the big bucks are (children's wear) and I think they scored big time in these adorable faces as their models.

But Gucci does have a big heart and they are donating $1 million dollars to UNICEF as well as  J Lo's charity. The ad was shot in Malibu and the kids look perfect with Mommy and the camera.

Gucci recently posted a few views from the line on their facebook page and the looks are definitely cute and some even tempting :-).

What is your take on designer labels and babies? Would you spend Gucci money on your toddler?

Fall Fun!

A close second in my fav seasons is Fall (Summer of course being the 1st). Something about the change in the air and the warm colors the trees take gives a new kind of energy to the city and me actually. So when the weather started to change, I immediately knew the first thing Chunks and I had to do, APPLE PICKING!!! I originally planned to do it with some girlfriends and their kids but everyone's schedule was so busy and then there was a lot going on on this end that we kept putting it off, but last weekend we finally made it to Apple Ridge Orchards in Warwick, NY.

Apparently we were late in the season because they had very slim pickings, only Golden Delicious, perfect for baking but not a Gala (my personal fav). Another orchard we called had an automated message telling us all their apples were picked and there were no more pumpkins, so we considered ourselves lucky and got to picking. The orchard is pretty well laid out and we found that in the spring they have a pretty nice peach and raspberry selections. We were determined to enjoy ourselves though, and make the most of what was there.

Chunks and the Mr were excited since it was their first time and they did a pretty good job spotting the full trees. The apple cider and cider doughnuts were ok too.It was a beautiful day but next year we'll remember to go in September. 

 

For some reason this is the time that, more than ever, I find myself looking for new recipes and bringing back out old favs and getting back in the kitchen. I found a new recipe that I'll try this weekend to challenge my old skills and maybe learn some new, stay tuned to the next Yummy Monday!

What kind of Fall Fun do you and your family look forward to?

A Wise Woman Builds Her House...

So in rebuilding our relationship, The Mr and I have turned to our church for guidance and counseling. We've been given some honest and real talk on what it is to be married and maintain a Christian marriage and through this we've been able to honestly talk about things we were keeping to ourselves that helped in widening the crack in our friendship. Recently, I found a great blog that hit on what EXACTLY was the glitch in our marriage: the 3 Ps.

The author's mother gave her this advice on her wedding day and I wish someone told me these things on ours but it's so timely and God sent at this moment that I had to share it.

Plan, Pray, and Play Together!

Every couple should share their 5 year plan and update that plan together. Of course, life happens and some plans get changed, canceled, or postponed but we should always see it together, understand it together, and work to getting to our individual and joint goals together, and be sensitive to each other when things don't work out as planned. This is my best friend, he should be included in my plans-as far fetched as they may be sometimes, but in excluding your spouse you put yourself in a position to feel "all alone" in the relationship. Your fault, not his! ::eye opener for me::

• Lesson #1: You are a TEAM! Plan together and see it through TOGETHER.
• Lesson#2: A man's pride is way more vulnerable than any woman's emotion.

When we started out and even in the very beginning of our marriage, God was the true center of our relationship. We prayed together and about almost every major decision in our relationship, including this marriage but somewhere along the lines this got lost. Time to GET IT BACK! He put us together, He's kept us so far, why leave Him out? Obviously, we can't do this on our own. A major plus, when Chunks see his parents turning to the Lord in this, he too will follow.

• Lesson#3: There are 3 people in a marriage: The Husband, The Wife, and God. No moves should be made unless the 3 speak first!
• Lesson#4: Pray, Pray, Pray without ceasing!

Play together! The Mr and I are truly best friends, we could hang anywhere, with anyone, or do absolutely nothing but watch movies all weekend and have a GREAT time! Between our schedules, tending to Chunks, and everything else, this too fell to the side. We both saw it happening but just thought it would "work" itself out and we'd get back to normal. NOT SO! As hard as we're working to move up in society, we need to work on keeping each other happy. Remember who we were before the name change and spend time with those people every now and then.

• Lesson #5: Remember who you were before you got married and let those people hang out.
• Lesson #6: Thank You's go a LONG way. Just acknowledging the little things make a world of difference.

What are some things you've learned since becoming a wife or through your long term relationship?

Raising an NYC baby...what I've learned so far.

I moved back to NYC when Chunks was a little over 6 months, life in Philly was miserable and stagnant and I needed to get back to where I could breathe. I've always dreamed of raising a family in NY because growing up here was really special for me and I felt like anyone coming from here was just so much more well rounded than those I had met in undergrad and even grad school that were from other areas. I loved that we were more street smart, we had a little more cultural knowledge, and our swag was just different. I knew it was expensive and I knew there were some jerks but there were so many other things I hadn't accounted for when I moved back with hubby and baby in tow...

1- An umbrella stroller like our Uppa Baby is a MUST have! Living in the city is a get up and go lifestyle with so much to see, do, and teach little one that fighting with a huge travel system on and off the train is more than annoying to you and everyone else squeezing into the train car. A plus is to find one with a cup holder that folds in IDEAL!

2- Huge diaper bags? FORGET 'EM!!! This can also get cumbersome while on the go and will
force you to focus on the unnecessary and accidentally forget some of the essentials. I started out with a deluxe bag that I received at my shower but, you live and you learn and then there's Skip Hop. It's compact but holds everything and has a patented clip that allows you to hang it on the back of any stroller. It stays flat and hangs just low enough to keep everything in arms reach.

3- Speaking of diaper bags, I got a crash course in what is essential and what was just taking up space maybe my 3rd week back in NYC.  Quick Anatomy of what an NYC mom's diaper bag should look like:

• 4-5 Diapers (even if you'll only be out for an hour or two, you never know when an explosion might happen)
• travel wipes and diaper cream
• a meal and a half, if you're doing formula take a small bottle already mixed and another with just the formula and a bottle of water to mix as needed. If you're breastfeeding, as I did, you can either take the milk in storage bags to prevent spills or a good nursing cover and safety pin to secure it to you. NO FLASHING :-)
• a change of clothes for baby and an extra shirt for yourself, spit ups, diaper blow outs, and spills happen and baby's not the only one that needs to be comfortable.
• a blanket: SUMMER: hot swings, laying out in the park for lunch. WINTER: extra bundling.
• a favorite toy you won't mind losing. Chunks didn't care for things swinging over him so we stuck with animals and such that he could hold, but be forewarned, they do get tossed.

4- I heard some of the stories but didn't really believe until now, research which schools you would like your child to attend the minute you find out you're expecting. Ok, maybe not that early but start fast and look hard. Save up and do your research because finding a Pre-K is just as daunting as the undergrad app in NYC. You learn such amazing things along the way and meet some great people and really in a city like this, where your child starts out actually does affect where they'll go in the future.

5- New Yorkers are really nice people and can be great to Mommies with Babies. Chunks talks to everyone-on the train, in stores, everywhere. Instead of rolling their eyes or ignoring him, they wave, ask how he's doing, some have even offered money lol. Surprisingly, I've been offered seats several times, so against popular belief NYC is a pretty nice place.

I thought of these things while speaking to a friend who recently learned she was expecting and I do not regret my decision on moving back here and raising my little NYer.

What are some mommy-tips you've picked up since your little one arrived?

Chunks @ 4 mo.

Playing Catch Up

So I've been missing for a little while due to a few reasons but in total: LIFE. The wireless service in the house has been a little messed up for quite sometime and then we had a crazy rain storm and so we finally decided to call in Verizon and get them to fix the router, modem, and line up. That in itself was a headache.


THEN!! I was faced with the prospect of becoming a divorced, single mom. I debated whether or not to share this here on the blog but I thought about it and I want this to be an honest sounding board and so I'll fill you in and maybe someone will read this and not repeat these slip ups. The Mr and I have been a little disconnected for some time and I believed it was because we left his hometown of Philadelphia and moved to mine, here in Brooklyn. It's more my family and friends and although we had talked about moving here for a while before we actually did I just thought he needed sometime to get adjusted. Well, things weren't moving as fast as he would have liked it for him school/career-wise, and when this isn't good for him then life isn't good for ANYONE (especially me). So we got into a series of arguments and then one day it was just really bad. I went to work that night, came home the next morning (around 5:30a) and found that he had packed all of his things and went back to Philadelphia.


I was BEYOND heated! for more than one reason but mainly because while my cousin was here at the house and he told her he was leaving, she was leaving for work also and so Chunks would have been in his crib by himself, had I been 10 minutes later because she didn't know when he said he was "leaving" it meant LEAVING.


Well several arguments, bad words, and a little tear-shed later we finally met for Chunk's christening with our pastor and ministers and have decided to work on it. It's been a week and while I thought I had this marriage thing down, turns out I had so much more to learn!!! We've been together for 5 years but there is so much more that we have to explore about each other and about this marriage thing. I've gained some pretty good friends on Twitter, who "listened" to me tweet my grievances regarding him and this. I've also learned so much about myself.

For one, my first pang of pain came from the thought that Chunks would have to give that "My mother raised me all by herself.." speech when he runs for President. I can't tell you how pissed this made me! The other that no matter what, I AM that mom that refuses to allow anything to throw my little guy off, we remained scheduled as usual, we joined a little gym, and spent a lot of time at the library and playground. He's an amazing little boy and while I'm working on my marriage because I truly love my husband and we've vowed to remain loyal to making this work I'm doing this all for my guy, to show him how it's supposed to look.


A new found appreciation and respect go out to all the single mothers/dads raising amazing babies on their own!! You women/men are ROYALTY to me, super-heros even. Stay tuned to how we deal with this young marriage and all the twists and turns of marriage counseling...

Yummy Mondays-Grilled

I have a HEALTHY eater on my hands! For a 14 month toddler, Chunks' palate is already pretty advanced and he's very interested in what's going on on the big table. He looks for full meals and little kiddie snacks don't really cut it for my guy but sometimes life gets too crazy for full gourmet lunches so I often turn to a good old fashioned sandwich. A few weeks back Chunks and I attend a mom-blogger event hosted by the non-profit group Go With the Grain for a Sandwich Night with the Deen Brothers. The event was to get moms new and creative ways to build healthy sandwiches their growing kids would enjoy and that would save time at lunch time. Of course we had to attend!

The Southern charm oozed out of these guys and they seemed so at home in the kitchen, I guess they are Mrs. Paula's sons. We listened to sweet stories of their time in the kitchen with their mom and their own kids and they showed us creative ways to get some healthy sandwiches to our growing kids and even some ways to get them involved in the process. It was a fun day for everyone and Mr Chunks enjoyed himself with all the treats and sandwiches around and I got to meet a lot of bloggers I've been following for a while now.

The winning sandwich for us was their Crunchy Super Kids Sandwich which is an ingenious mix of peanut butter, bananas, and granola on a cinnamon raisin bread. I took the recipe home and made it for Chunks' lunch, I didn't have granola so I used crunchy peanut butter and it was a hit for him and the Mr.. Try out the recipe or check out their other sandwich ideas and let me know how it goes for your little ones!

Crunchy Super Kids Sandwich

Ingredients

8 slices raisin bread

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 banana, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup granola (use your kid's favorite)

Instructions:

Packed with protein, sweetness and crunch! Your kid's new favorite sandwich. 

Spread butter on one side of each slice of raisin bread. Spread peanut butter on the other side of four of the slices. Top the peanut butter with thinly sliced bananas and honey. Sprinkle granola over honey and top with remaining slices of bread (butter side up). 

Heat a griddle to medium hot. Grill sandwiches are golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Serve warm.

I Miss You Guys!

HI GUYS!!

First let me apologize for being away from this blog for so long. I've written a lot of posts but I'm having the wireless service in the house re-wired and that led to alot of other issues, so I don't have access to the internet at home which SUCKS! I'm actually stealing a little time from the office before the bulk of my night gets started.
A lot has happened, so great events, some not so sweet changes but I promise to be back soon to give you all an update. Thank you to everyone that still checks in and that tweets with me on twitter (Thank God for the  Blackberry or I would be completely lost lol).
See you soon, I'm still stopping by blogs when I can so keep them coming as I'm living my blog life through you :-)