mom-mode post #116- on christmas decor

After last year's excuse for Christmas decor I put up. I decided to get the ball rolling a little early this year. We only brought nativity scene from the States, so I had to get creative. Here's a look at our simple yet meaningful decor this year:

A small wooden bird, a picture and some modge podge = baby's first ornament. I made this before I knew my mom-in-law was mailing me a really cute Baby's First Christmas ornament. So now we have two!

Our nativity scene we brought from the States. I think my mom-in-law gave it to us on our first Christmas together. I love it.

My humble little yarn wreath. It's a little crooked, but it was made with lots of love.

A new nativity we got this year made out of turkish pottery and my poor attempt at a Martha Stewart  magazine tree. It was my first attempt. I want keep working on them until I get it right!

Our tree and the most precious gift we got this year!

Our tree is still a little skinny, but it definitely has more color than last year's (I don't think we ever took a picture)
I made this pompom garland inspired on this rainbow colored garland I saw on Anthropologie's website.  There are still few more things I'd like to add to our tree, but there just was no time to do it. Maybe next year. :)

That's all folks!
Hope you are enjoying your days before Christmas comes!

mom-mode post #115 - on losing the weight and the flab #update#

Let's have an update on how I'm doing on my pursuit of life, liberty and thinness.;)

the diet: all things considered, not bad. We went to Istanbul for a few days and with it, all the yummy foods the big city has to offer. Also, my sister arrived in town with a suitcase filled with yummy Brazilian sweets that I just absolutely could not resist.

the exercise: Jillian Michaels is back on and I couldn't be happier. The weather has turned too nasty to go out for runs. So I'm just as content with my 30-day-challenge.

the weight: it's been two weeks and I haven't had any loss. I'm ok with it, as long as I'm not gaining any. I hope this week I'll have something to show before I indulge in some Christmas treats! Reality is, there's NO WAY I'm making my set goal. But I'm happy with the direction I'm going. I'm staying active and relatively healthy. Though I hope to meet my goal before O hits the one-year mark!!!

I never though I was going to be the mom that is still fighting the baby bulge after 9 and some months. But odd as it may sound, and although I still don't fit comfortably in my skinny jeans. I am  content with how I look and more importantly, I'm very happy with the kind of mommy I've become.

mom-mode post #114 - on captured happiness.

mom-mode post #113 - on the elephant in the room

Let's talk about the elephant in the room (pun intended, ha), shall we? It's been over two weeks since I've posted any updates about my diet and exercise regimen. Reality is, there has been no updates going on. I haven't had the time to exercise (except for walking all over town running errands and trying to make it to all of my appointments and classes) and there has been no diet. Breakfast has been a piece of cake joke.
It's like the old saying, 'when it rains, it pours'. This summarizes our lives as of late. One series of events after the other. No time to breathe or rest (well, except for our anniversary date night, but I wasn't about to count calories on our special dinner!).
Right now, it's not even ten am and my whole body aches. Still sore from teaching little pre-schoolers all day yesterday. And of course, still sore from taking a turn as 'human jungle-gym' to one rambunctious 9-month-old.
Luckily I haven't gained any weight. But I haven't lost any either in the past two and a half weeks.

Here's to hoping this week will be a little more peaceful. Praying it won't snow so I can go out on one more run before the weather turns bitter cold!

mom-mode post #112 - on our fifth anniversary

"If I could travel back in time, I would travel to the most beautiful tropical island on 12/03/2005 just so I could marry [the husband] all over again. Happy Anniversary", and so read my Facebook status this past Friday. And I would do it a thousand times over. No doubt about that. Five years ago we could only dream of being where we are today. A foreign country, the sweetest baby boy... We are blessed.

The husband started the celebrations off by gifting me with something I've been wanting ever since I left my piano, some five years ago:

I immediately printed off some music and started playing. I'm SO rusty!

Yes, this is what it looks like, a handmade card. 

Not to be outdone, I presented the husband with this:

He made me promise to only get him a card because my gift was a little pricier than usual. I simply obliged.

One more shot of my special gift! I'm so thrilled!

Later that day, the husband had already arranged for a babysitter and we went out on a very special date. We went to the only  best Italian restaurant in town, went for a romantic walk and ended up with some coffee. Just the perfect way to celebrate these five years with my handsome and most awesome husband!

mom-mode post #111- on a lifetime of hairdressers

Sit tight friends, 'cause you are about to read through the story of how I found all my hairdressers (or at least through the ones that really count!)
 Like any other women, it took me a while to find the right hairdresser for my type of hair and personal taste. Mom used to take me to our friendly neighborhood hairdresser. Her skills were up to par for when all you need is a trim for your otherwise extremely low-maintenance long locks.  But one day, when I was a teenager and mom couldn't take me to get my haircut, she just set up an appointment and gave me enough money to go on my own. Off I went, savoring this little bit of independence my mom had entrusted me with, only to get to the end of my appointment with my hair still wet. I was sitting there, waiting for someone to come dry it. The lady then tells me they had added an extra charge to style the hair after a haircut. It wasn't built in in the price anymore. I begginly replied: "m'am, my mom only gave me enough for the old price, could you go ahead and style it, please? I assure you my mom or myself will come by later and pay for the remainder." Now mind you, this women had cut my hair ever since I was a little girl. In fact, she had cut my hair, my little sister's hair, my mom's hair, and even my dad's hair on occasion. "Sorry, honey, we make no exceptions." was her reply. So furiously and frustrated I left, on a humid, windy afternoon, wet-haired that quickly turned into Monica-on-a-Barbados-vacation-hair. I started crying half way home, as I started to feel the weight of all the humidity creep through every single strand. By the time I got home I was a royal mess. I had a party to go to that evening and no amount of at-home washing could fix it. It needed a professional. So my mom, being the understanding mom that she was, quickly made a few calls and soon, I had found the hairdresser that was going to style me through bad puberty hormones that made my hair extra curly, to the perfect 'beach hair'-do on my wedding day.
One week after I got married, I moved out of the country and found myself desperately seeking for a new hairdresser. One that wouldn't leave me hanging on a wet, rainy day. One that understood the peculiarities of my sometimes straight, sometimes wavy, thick black strands. After a few tries, I found one that suited my stipulations (stipulations adopted after the dreaded no-pay, no-style hairdresser incident):
-I feel pampered and not like I've been "handled" after I leave the salon.
-Keeps his/her own appearance very well-kept.
-Is familiar with modern haircuts.
-Gives you the perfect salon-style blowout, every time. The kind that you could never replicate at home.

So when I moved to yet another country, I was worried. Especially since I can barely communicate in the native language.Plus much like a teenager's self-image, a new-moms self-image is a fragile thing to mess with. AND I had heard horror stories from other foreigners that had had some not-so wonderful experiences.The first time I got my haircut here, a Turkish friend took me and all went well. It was a simple trim, anyways. But this time, I went all by myself (with a non-native speaker for support) and communicated exactly how I wanted my haircut, all by myself. I was biting my teeth with nerves, before I got there but needless to say,  after I left, I felt like I could conquer the world. For I left the salon with exactly what I had asked for:

This is the day-after hair, I took pictures the day of, but they didn't turn out so good.

And a gratuitous shot of my handsome 9-month-old! 

So this is all for now friends. I don't anticipate having to find another hair stylist anytime soon. Insert 'sigh of relief' here.

mom-mode post #110 - on O's current favorite things

I am known for having a very good memory. You know, the kind that never forgets what happened ten, fifteen years ago. That stores useless trivia information, the kind that drove my sisters crazy when I would proceed to describe exactly what happened on a cold July afternoon. I tend to remember every minute detail, even though I may forget to get the clothes in the washer way more often than I'd like to admit. But just in case one day I suffer amnesia and forget what were O's favorite things when he was eight and half months of age, here they are:

- his most favorite activity right now is top crawl up and down the hallway. He has his favorite stops: the hallway mirror, the guest bedroom door, his bedroom and the office. 

- whole-wheat pancakes have become a breakfast staple.

- as well as scrambled egg yolks for dinner. 

- his favorite sound to make? A clicking sound he makes with his tongue. And he smiles if you do it back at him.

- standing. Anywhere, everywhere, anyhow.

- he used to cry himself to sleep. Now he talks himself to sleep. We go by his room after we put him down and here him blabbing away until he's out.

- pulling up on mommy's or daddy's pants.

- his favorite toy? a vintage Disney jack-in-the-box toy his Gram found for him, just like his daddy's.

- parks. Any kind of park. As long as he's outside.

- his favorite game? He cracks up when we play horse or peek-a-boo. Or tickle monster. 

His current not so favorite thing? Grass. He doesn't like the texture of it at all. But we are working on that. We know we are currently raising him in the city, but a boy that doesn't like grass just won't make it in Galax, VA. I really do hope he will like sand. Because a boy who doesn't like sand just won't make it in Florianopolis, Brazil.