My Family - Spring 2015

Here are my favorite photos from our recent Spring 2015 family photo session.  I want to hold on to every single wonderful memory...

Thank you Leslie at Green Vintage Photography you rock!! If you are in Northern California check her out she's amazing!

Hope you are all having a fantastic day!

Friday Favorites

I am so excited for this weekend! My parents arrived today which is a treat in and of itself, and it gets even better because my husband and I are getting an overnight hotel staycation. The last time we had an overnight on our own was our babymoon in October 2012! I cannot believe its been that long. All of you who have stand-in babysitters available, BE GRATEFUL!  

In honor of our weekend plans, today's favorites are dedicated to cocktail parties and hotel staycations. 

Favorite getting ready song: Drunk in Love

Favorite Marriage Quote: It's not about Having time, its about Making time for your Spouse.

Favorite Cocktail dress: Anthropologie-Charisma Sheath dress

Favorite overnight travel bag:  Maker & Company-Everyday Waxed Canvas Tote

Favorite Staycation inspiration/idea: Keeping the romance alive and  Cup of Jo-19 Hour Vacation

http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/photo-gallery/ways-moms-keep-romance-alive#/slide-7

Favorite Date Night Perfume: Black Orchid Tom Ford

Fantasy Meal: Dinner

Let's play a game of fantasy meal.  If you could eat whatever you wanted for dinner, what would it be?  Obviously, we would not be concerned with calories or healthiness--only think about pure heavenly flavor. 

My fantasy dinner would go a little something like this:

I would start off with appetizers like truffle fries and melon with prosciutto. A few glasses of Pinot Noir would definitely be consumed. 

Truffle Fries from YardHouse, http://www.colincowieweddings.com/wedding-photos/detail/image234358?color=Green,Brown

Before my main entree, I would now have an arugula salad. I gravitate towards all arugula salads. I make a simple one at home tossed in olive oil, black pepper, a little sea salt and a dash of lemon. Simply magnifique!

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-arugula-and-fennel-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette-recipes-from-the-kitchn-202595

Now time for the irresistible deliciousness of a margherita pizza, preferably wood-fired. And a refill on my Pinot please!.

http://www.thekitchn.com/easy-recipe-classic-margherita-pizza-recipes-from-the-kitchn-174103

Lastly, for dessert, I would have a freshly baked crumble or pie (I like mixed berries, apple or raspberry) with a scoop or two of vanilla bean ice cream

http://www.hungrygirlporvida.com/blog/2012/07/20/coconut-crumble-w-summer-fruit-vanilla-ice-cream/

Mindful Monday: Books I Read in 2014

It is time to lighten it up on this Mindful Monday by talking about books. Last year I kept a list of the books I read, and it was great looking back.  I read about 25 books (I think I may be missing a few). How many books do you think you read in a year? This year why not write them down. 

As I mentioned before, during my "me" time I love going to the library. I have become an expert at placing books and videos on hold for all three of us. Now as soon as I see an interesting book, I quickly check the library's online catalog and add it to my holds if available. If its not available, then iPad reading it is.  Though I do believe there is something so wonderful about a tangible book. No matter what way you prefer to read, the important thing is that your reading.  

Below is a list of the books I read in 2014:

• Bringing Up Bebe
• In praise of Stay-at-Home Moms
• The Happiness Project
• Where'd You go Bernadette
• The Other Typist
• The Cuckoo's Calling
• French Women Don't Get Fat
• Gone Girl
• The Paris Wife
• The Alchemist (2nd time)
• Reconstructing Amelia
• Bossypants
• The Fault in Our Stars
• One Plus One
• The Circle
• The House on Mango Street
• Big Little Lies
• The Body Book
• The Hundred Foot Journey
• People of the Book
• The Goldfinch
• The One and Only
• Unleash the Power of the Female Brain
• Me Before You
• *The Conscious Parent 
• Bark George (This counts because I read it to Luna every single day)

*currently completing.

Lastly, I will leave you with this thought...

I would love to hear any book recommendations, and let me know what you are currently reading. 

Friday Favorites

This week has been exhausting. It was the first time since having our daughter that my husband has been away for more than one night, and holy cow I managed! But I may be breaking my no wine rule today.  Kudos to all the single parents out there! 

This weekend is going to be busy for us.  We should be receiving our new sofa bed for our guest room as mentioned here, and I get to go shopping for a cocktail dress. After the week I had some retail therapy will be good.  

Now time for some Friday favorites to help start us out on a fabulous weekend!

Favorite accessory: Rose Gold Geo Stacked rings.  Forever 21 may not be the best quality, but you cannot go wrong with their cheap accessories.  I have been wearing these dainty stacked rings ever since I purchased them. So why not take those 5 bucks from the bottom of your purse and go buy yourself something!

Favorite Cocktail: Sangria. I have sunny weather on the brain, and this wine lover is looking forward to trying out this "best sangria recipe."

Favorite Toddler Toy/Distraction: Little Tikes Bounce House. Seriously though...this thing is amazing! We do not own one due to space, but our friends have one in their garage and all I can say is If you have littles and space for it, then I would  budget for this baby immediately! I may have convinced my husband that Luna needs one because it is great exercise (he's all for "exercise equipment")!

Favorite Spring/Summer Dress: Alexa Chung for AG Ruffle dress. This dress does not even look like it would be great for my body shape, but I don't care. I can imagine myself sitting out back with my husband while sipping on the aforementioned sangria while Luna jumps away in the aforementioned jumper! All woman need to feel good, a shoulder baring dress is where its at.

Favorite Mama moment: Dolce & Gabbana Viva La Mamma. This fashion campaign was all over the internet, and they had me at high fashion + mamas + babies/kids. Who cares if they are gorgeous models (this article says its a bad thing), at the end of the day they are moms too. Let's love the idea and move on. 

Favorite Quote: Dr. Seuss had a birthday this week, and well he always has great things to say...

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Decor: Office/Guestroom

Since we have yet to complete our breakfast nook area, I thought I would also get you up-to-date on other parts of our home. 

This is our office/guestroom (just ignore the creepy reflection of my husband!):

This room has split personalities, and we really need to fix that.  It was originally an office, and then a guestroom with a full size bed, and now it is back to an office.  Every time my family comes to visit we find ourselves switching up the room all over again and it has become a pain in the butt.  There is no way around it, this room has to be an office and a guest room, and we will have to make it work!   

Our new plan is to put in a sofa bed for the opposite wall. Searching for sofa bed and actually deciding which one to purchase was a daunting task. We thought about going with an Ikea sofa, but comfort and budget won. 

We found a comfortable and reasonably priced sofa sleeper on sale at our local furniture store. The style and color would not have been my first choice, but sometimes you have to go with what works and what is in the budget.

This is the sofa bed we purchased. My style is a bit mid-century, but this classic chocolate brown couch will have to do in our office/guestroom. 

My plan is to style it up with some great pillows, and accents.  Below is some inspiration.

http://bliss-athome.com/2014/01/10/living-room-refresh-buh-bye-blues/

The couch will arrive this weekend so I am hoping to provide you with a full update on our office/guestroom soon! 

Mindful Monday: Inspiring our Children

Lately, I have been pondering on how I am going to be an inspiring parent to Luna.  I do not mean how to be a good parent, what I mean is inspire her mind and bring out her talents and passions. It so wonderful when I meet or read about parents whose talents and hobbies inspired their children to become who they are now. For instance, my husband's cousin and his family all play in the church band, including their young son. I think it is amazing. Their son who is about 6 years old plays several instruments, and I can see it in his eyes that his dad's passion is inspiring him to love music, play instruments and enjoy going to church. This made me think about my daughter, and how my husband and I are or are not inspiring our daughter. 

I thought what passions, talents or hobbies do I have that will instill a sense of inspiration in our daughter? Well, to be honest, mine are mostly character traits. Such as my perseverance, my strong belief that Love is the answer to everything, my studious-intelligent nature, etc. which I know are great to pass down to her. But I do not play instruments, I do not paint, I do not play sports, I do not sculpt--I basically do do not have a tangible talent/hobby that my daughter can latch onto for inspiration. I am certainly not saying I want her to be just like me or to be into the same things as I am, but I think it is so important that we parents be into something! What are you passionate about? Hobbies/talents? Check out the video below--this young girl sets it straight. 

All this thinking brought me back to my upbringing. Both my parents were not into anything really.  They were not involved in church, they were not into music, they basically had no hobbies, and I do not recall them ever really loving something (besides my  brother and I).  I know it is not for lack of talent or passion, but my parents were just trying to survive as immigrants, and their main focus became provide, provide, provide, instill good values, and hope for the best. In all their hard work, my dad did pick up a love for food and cooking, and it is what inspired me to love cooking for my family and be open to try new foods. Though deep down, I wish they would have been given the opportunity to inspire me in other ways. I know they did the best they could, and I still turned out pretty amazing (at least that is what my mom tells me all the time!).

I do not want to go through the motions and have a survivalist parenting mentality. I want to inspire my daughter. So how am I going to do this? Basically, by taking time for myself, and trying out new things until I really find my niche. For now, I will inspire her to love healthy food and cooking, not to be afraid to try new things, my love for the law and books. I will work on my passion for salsa dancing with my husband, French and my writing. 

I do not want my daughter to grow up and wonder--Mom what were you really into? What were/are you passionate about? I want he to know my passions, and to actually see me doing them, so she will be inspired to find her own.