The Art of Being Busy

Lately I've come to realize that I'm a lot busier then I ever let on to be. Most of you obviously know that I'm a wife and mommy, but what many of you may not know is that I also work full time and go to school. I love blogging, I adore party planning (in moderation) and as a new homeowner I'm discovering that I also have a passion for home improvement. Most of the time I'm able to handle doing all of these things at one time, but there are days and sometimes even weeks where I just want to focus on one thing at a time (I'm feeling this way now). Recently there have been some big changes in our life; hubby got a new job, JD is going to school full time and both hubby and I are attending school, which means our little family is busier than ever. Now that the sun is still out by the time I get home from work and the fact that hubby's new job means he'll be home early and have weekends off, I feel like the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer (I do that 8 hours a day, 5 days a week) at home. I still have tons of stuff I want to blog about and I plan on keeping up with every ones blog posts, but I don't plan on blogging every day. I just want to enjoy my little family, our adventures to come and turning our house into a home!

Welcome 2012!

Although 2011 was a bit stressful it really was great year for our little family! We moved into our new home and learned the true meaning of DIY and yard work. Hubby went back to school while working full time and taking care of our little family; oh and he still managed to get really good grades, he's such a smarty pants! JD celebrated his 2nd birthday, started school and was potty trained. I celebrated my first year at my new job, opened my very own Etsy shop and actually managed to continue blogging! Well, 2012 has officially arrived and with it comes a bunch of new and exciting projects, adventures, milestones and even a few personal goals we hope to achieve. I hope you'll follow along!
Welcome 2012!

2012 Laurel Denise Planner

JD is Potty Trained!

This past weekend we realized that JD is fully potty trained! We took him out and about and even at the fair he let us know when he had to go potty. We also haven't used his easy ups for over a week now. Another thing I realized with JD's new milestone, is that he is officially not a baby anymore, he's a big boy! This realization is a little hard to adjust too, because he will always be our baby, but at the same time we are so proud of him. I have to give most of the potty training credit to hubby for deciding to just let him run around in underwear (he actually bought him his first pair) a few weeks ago and I want to thank auntie Mari and Aba for encouraging and supporting his potty training on a daily basis!

JD's 1st Day Of School

Yesterday was JD's very first day of preschool! Hubby unfortunately could not get the day off, but Abu surprised JD and myself by showing up to accompany us. I can't thank my dad enough for the support. I have to admit it was a very emotional day, JD cried a little and I cried a lot. His preschool is wonderful and made this experience a little easier by keeping us updated and even sent us pictures of JD during reading time! When we picked him up he was so happy to see us and jumped into my arms. JD really loved his teachers and kissed and hugged them goodbye before leaving and said he wanted to come back to school “later”, so I guess that's a good sign!

He didn't like that I woke him up so early!

JD's Cubby

From Follower to Friend

I've been blogging for almost two years now and I have been through good days, bad days and sometimes all around I want to quit days; but Friday I finally felt like no matter what, it was all worth it!

After JD's 1st birthday party a wonderful women named Kristin contacted me for ideas for her son Coop's carnival birthday party, it turned out that we not only had a love for planning the perfect carnival party, but a lot of other common interest and we actually only live about 20 minutes away from each other. We started an online friendship, exchanged emails on a weekly basis and even recently met up at a local flea market!

Friday Kristin started a new weekly feature on her blog A Simple Klassic Home called "You Inspire Me" and my blog was her first feature! Although I was really honored to be featured, I was more honored to read how she felt about me and about our friendship; as I read her post it brought tears to my eyes not only because it was so sweet but because I feel the same way about her. Kristin is an amazing and creative busy mom of two, who definitely inspires me on a daily basis and I thank God that blogging has brought us together!

You can read our friendship story here!

A Much Needed Break!

Today hubby and I had a very long discussion about priorities, getting organized and above all focusing on our family. The last few months since buying our home have honestly been a little stressful, we now have a mortgage, utilities, home repair and home upkeep to think about. Hubby has gone back to school and needs time to study and do homework, while still working full time. In the last week I have taken on a lot more work, responsibilities and overtime, I'm also house sitting and cat sitting for my parents while they are out of town (I miss them dearly). JD has officially begun the “terrible twos” and I feel like he is totally frustrated that we aren’t allowing him to be as independent as he wants to be. On top of all these things I've also been feeling a bit disheartened by all the pettiness and negativity I see on a daily basis, it's just sad!

So, I've decided to take a week or two off of blogging, my Etsy Shop, working on the launch of Quaintly Amusing's website, reading my favorite blogs and answering emails. I've also decided to make our life a little more private especially on Twitter and Facebook and I've made a promise to myself to completely ignore and distance myself from negative people and situations. I promise to come back with a clear mind, fresh new and baby makes three... posts including more recipes (I've had complaints about the lack of recipes) and a whole new super charming Quaintly Amusing website. Please stay tuned and take care!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

Last Friday JD woke up before I headed out for work (this rarely happens) and when I went to kiss him goodbye he started crying, he didn't want me to go! I felt so bad I didn't know what to do, he was watching the movie UP at the time and all I could think to say was "mommy will get you a balloon on her way home from work", he immediately stopped crying and gave me a kiss and hug goodbye. Being a working mom can be hard at times, especially on days like this. Someday he will understand the reasons why mommy and daddy go to work, but for now I will do my best to keep a smile on his face even if it requires a little bribery!

My side of the story...

“What you perceive, your observations, feelings, interpretations, are all your truth. Your truth is important. Yet it is not The Truth.” -Linda Ellinor

I really don't know how to begin this post, I guess I'll start by saying "never write anything you don't want people to read" and if you do "expect people to defend themselves". Today I was surfing the web, visiting party planning sites and looking up party ideas when I stumbled upon a party site and a conversation struck my interest. Well, as I read on I came across a paragraph that literally shocked me, not only did I know the author of the conversation, but the person being slandered in her paragraph was me! I started this blog for so many reasons, but none of them were to start drama or to play games, so today I'm finally going to say what I've been feeling for over a year and finally put this whole situation to an end, at least on my behave. 

I love my life, I love my family and although many people may doubt that my life is as wonderful as I portray it on this blog, it is! I've worked hard for everything I have, I didn't wake up one morning and decide that being a good wife, a good mother, a good daughter, crafty or domestic was the "in thing to do". This is me, this is who I've always been and the people who matter most to me don't seem to mind!

After I started my blog, others followed and I was so excited to be part of this new blog circle; but the excitement wore off quickly when I started to feel like my life was being copied "word for word" and "post to post".; then I began getting annoyed when I realized that I was part of some weird "one-upping" war with a fellow blogger. Well, then the rumors started, the rude comments were more obvious, but once again I let bygones be, but coming across this conversation was just what I needed to finally let go; I no longer care to play games and I will definitely keep my distance from this person and her family. The funny thing is when I started writing this post I was livid, but now I just feel sorry for her.

What would you think?

and to all those who found my son's 1st birthday to be so boring, don't worry you won't be invited to his 2nd!

A very big decision...

The hubby and I made a very big decision last year and now the time has come to follow through; we decided that this year JD will be attending Pre-School! This decision took a lot of thought and prayer because JD has never been watched by anyone who isn’t family or considered family; but we feel it’s really important for JD to have the opportunity to socialize with children his own age. JD is extremely social (unusually so for his age according to his doctor, hmmm) and loves playing with other children, he has become very interested in pretending to read books, he loves coloring and has recently even started pretend playing with his toys. We have a few interviews with potential schools this month and hopefully by February JD will be attending pre-school a couple of days (half days) a week!

JD's 18 (19) Month Check-Up

Today was JD's 18 month check-up (a whole month late) and ironically he actually got sick on the way to his appointment. JD is a strong little guy and has only been really sick twice, so it's hard for me to even imagine him being sick! I'm at work today so it was hubby's turn to take him to the doctor and keep me posted. After the appointment hubby and JD stopped by my office for a visit and JD made sure to tell me he got a "boo-boo" on his leg (shot); oh and that he wanted me to take him outside to see the "agua", I guess he isn't feeling too bad after all, thank God.

18 (19) Month Check-Up

Height: 34 1/4 inches (90%)
Weight: 25lbs 4oz (50%)
Head Circumference: 49.8 (90%)

JD received a few shots and we were informed that there's a stomach bug going around, so we shouldn't worry too much about him feeling yucky and we should just keep him hydrated. We've also been worried that JD is too skinny, but the doctor assured us his weight was just fine and that a skinny 2 year old usually means less of a chance of being an obese adult. The doctor also mentioned that JD was unusually social for his age and extremely cooperative, go figure!

JD 19 months

A picture is worth a thousand words...

As a child my family took thousands of pictures, my mom and dad actually managed a business in the 80’s which provided photo processing and one of my mom’s many talents included film development, which I'm guessing accounts for all of our pictures. I began taking pictures at a very young age and I can still remember the excitement of handing my mom a used roll of film and getting back that little envelope with all my pictures. As an adult the passion for photography only grew stronger and I never left the house without my camera and an extra roll of film, remember those days!

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

- Aaron Siskind

The hubby and I actually purchased our first digital camera together in 2005 in preparation for our trip to Argentina. We purchased a Fujifilm FinePix S5100 and that's when my life changed completely; I was literally obsessed with taking pictures. Although our Fuji is only a 4 megapixel (I've seen cameras as high as 21.1 megapixels) digital camera, it still works great and has provided us with some amazing pictures for over 5 years now.  Our latest everyday digital camera is a Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, a gift from my parents and has surprisingly made it through JD’s first year with only a few scratches and tons of little fingerprints.

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

- Elliott Erwitt

When I started blogging last year, I had a specific desire in mind, I wanted a place to illustrate our little family’s life through our pictures; in doing so I have met many moms, artists and photographers who not only share my passion for blogging but my same passion for photography and I’ve been so inspired! For almost a year now I’ve been contemplating the idea and saving my pennies in hopes of purchasing my dream camera (yes! I have a dream camera). I’ve had the pleasure, thanks to my mom's coworker and friend, of using a Nikon D50 when photographing special occasions and I must say this camera is nothing less than amazing, but unfortunately not very affordable for a complete amateur like myself. Using his camera has further fueled my love of photography and has really helped me to understand the importance of choosing the best suited and priced camera for my needs. This purchase unlike most of my purchases has definitely been one I have put a lot of thought into. I feel that I must first take the time to learn about photography, especially digital photography, before buying a camera, so in turn I'm going back to school. I have signed myself up for a few photography classes this fall and I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can and hopefully I will have my dream camera before the end of the year. Wish me luck!

I have a very good memory, but it's short. Thank god for photography. 

- John E. Burkowski

Who vacuums at midnight?

We have company coming over for dinner tonight; so, last night after putting JD to sleep I began tidying up the house, when I finally took a minute to look at the clock it was already past midnight and I still needed to vacuum! Just as I finished up in the kitchen, the hubby started vacuuming the living room (I thought he had gone to bed, but I guess he felt a little sorry for me and decided to help) and this is when the thought hit me “who vacuums at midnight”? Before having JD we would hear the neighbor upstairs vacuuming at the strangest hours of the day and honestly couldn't figure out why, but now I get it, she's a working mom with a toddler. The hubby and I both work full time and we hate doing housework on the weekend, that's our “family time” and we would rather be out and about having fun. When I was home with JD, it was much easier to keep the house tidy, I would clean early in the morning or during naps or swing time and our place always looked nice; but now that I'm back to work, the only time I have to clean, do laundry, iron and of course blog, is between 10pm and midnight (sometimes 1am). So, the answer to the question is, we do! I will never again look up in puzzlement when my neighbor vacuums at midnight and I will always be an awe of moms like my friend Vero, who works two jobs, has three boys and still manages to keep her house clean!

the mommy's new glasses...

So it's finally happened, I need glasses! The years of working in front of a computer have finally caught up with me. A few months ago I started to notice I was squinting when working on the computer and getting headaches, so I made an appointment with my optometrist and sure enough I needed "computer" glasses. I spend about 6 hours a day on the computer at work and another hour or so at home blogging, so I took his advice and finally got a pair. Well, here I am blogging and wearing my glasses at home for the very first time and I must admit they're really helping and it doesn't hurt that they're super cute and covered by my insurance too!

  Marlie

 Coach Glasses

a new chapter...

Today I started my new job! About a month ago I was offered a position with a well known doctors group here in the South Bay and after much consideration and a very long conversation with the hubby; I decided to take the position. I have worked for Torrance Memorial Medical Center for over 11 years now and I've been in my department for 9 of those years, so believe me when I say this is definitely a new chapter in my life. I’ve never been as nervous and excited as I am right now about a job! I'm still "technically" employed by TMMC and I won’t be losing my seniority, which was really important after 11 years; but now I work in my own office (no cubicle) and independently which is a very big change from working in an office with 13 other people. Even though I will miss my work family, this new job is truly a great opportunity and will give me the chance to help expand and ultimately supervise my own department. I can't thank my family enough for being so supportive and I'm so thankful to have a husband who encourages me to take chances and believes in me more than I could ever believe in myself!

if only...

first day back...

So today was my first day back at work and I made it through the day! The hubby and JD woke up early and actually took me to work, which made it a whole lot easier. Then as I walked out at the end of the day, my boys were waiting outside my building with the biggest smiles (amazingly this is the first time I teared up today)! I really thought I would hate going back to work, but I didn't, especially because I know JD is in good hands and a paycheck surely can't hurt these days (gotta get that white picket fence soon). So here I am, a working wife and mommy, hoping that things stay mellow!