life lately

The only thing constant in life is change. That has been the major theme in my life lately. There's a lot of changes that have happened and there are a lot more changes that are going to happen. Like most changes in life some are good, some break your heart and some there's nothing you can do about it. I've been focusing on the "silver lining" of all of these changes and situations. It's what's been getting me through some of the tough stuff. The weather in LA has been pretty warm and it's given me that itch to explore the city as much as I can with my favorite little man. I've been trying to suck up the time I do have with him. Which is one of the main reasons I haven't been blogging. Misc. projects, cooking up some yummy recipes, packing and "unplugging" has also been keeping me busy these days, Along with a new camera that my boyfriend bought me for Mother's Day. 

I've been taking Charlie to various museums all over Southern California lately. I label our museum days "educational field trips". My best friend and I used to take them all the time when we lived together. I think it's important to immerse your child in culture and take them to all sorts of places. Even if he's too young to remember museums or places I've taken him, I still find it important to do these sorts of things with him. It's fun getting to experience these types of adventures over again with your little one. Sometimes it's just the two of us and sometimes our favorite people accompany us. 

Lacma offers free children memberships up until the child is 18. When they visit the museum they're allowed to bring one adult with them for free. Score! It was fun getting to visit the children's museum there where children get "hands on" and get to create their own artwork. It was fun watching Charlie pick up a paint brush and slather the paint on the paper. He was very proud of himself. After every stroke he'd look over at me with his cheesy grin that I just can't get enough of. 

Also, if you live in the LA area and have children I recommend the Ziggler Children's museum. It's a hands on kid museum complete with story time and music hours. They have a life sized small airplane and ambulance that the kids get to play in. They also have fake homes, stores and even a small cushion area for the infant crowd. It's a child's dream and a germophobic mother's worse nightmare. Charlie had a blast just pushing around the child size shopping carts and gathering fake groceries and putting them back. 

I love this cheesy grin 

On a very very sad note, our beloved Penelope ran off last week. I was warned by the vet that since she's a stray she may have a tendency to run off. At first she had no desire to but as time went on she kept trying to escape every chance she got. Then last week it happened - she darted out the door and by the time I could scoop Charlie into my arms and run after she was out of sight. I can't tell you how many laps around the neighborhood and neighboring neighborhoods we searched through. I like to think that Penelope likes to enter people's lives and bring them joy and love and when she thinks her work there is done she finds a new home to bring love and joy to. That's me trying to have a "silver lining" outlook on it.    

a weekend in pictures

a breakfast fit for a Charlie and a Penelope 

this kid tried eating the paint and then freaked out when his hands got dirty so I busted out
the q-tips. thank god for homemade finger paint!! 

it's okay, Penelope. it's easy to get caught in my hair 

oversized pinatas are a must for any cinco de mayo party

more about 18 months

This past Monday was Charlie's 18 month "birthday". I kept getting weepy throughout the day. How is my baby almost two?! Where does the time go? I feel like we were just celebrating his first birthday! Since 18 months is a BIG deal, I decided to try to make the day extra special for him. We took Penelope on extra walks (a perk for both of them), made pizzas for lunch and dinner, took a few trips to the park, etc. Auntie Hope (one of my best friends and Charlie's god mama whom he shares a bday with) paid a visit which made us so happy. Little tidbit: We originally we're gonna have Auntie Hope take Penelope when we found her but our beloved Ringo and her weren't a fan of one another. So this is how we ended with Penelope. I have been insanely busy lately so I've not only been slacking in the blogging department but also taking legit photos with my "real" camera. I even made sure Charlie had a tinfoil hat since he missed out on one the other night except I failed miserably at trying to create one. We even finished the day off with a single somewhat healthy cupcake with a candle (that I had to blow out for him). 

Now that we're officially entering hardcore toddler years it's an interesting journey. They have so much they want to communicate but can't find the words or sometimes actions? You try to help them out as much as possible but they're still left frustrated. Toddlers live in this little world where they aren't very aware of others. Charlie can be like this but he's the ultra compassionate kind who will stop what he's doing to let you know he loves you. He does with Penelope too and it just warms my heart. Did I tell you how much I love this kid? Motherhood has been one of the biggest learning experiences. Watching your child grow from this little helpless baby into this little human being is one of the best things you could ever witness. I'm amazed with how much he's a mix of his father and I. Seriously. It's insane. This kid is so lucky to have the amount of love that he does on a consistent basis from his father and I and the people we've chosen to surround ourselves with.  

Life has already been crazy the past few weeks thanks to Charlie, rescuing Penelope and trying to get her acclimated to her new life, relationships, projects, weddings, etc. It's about to even get crazier cause we're throwing a move into the mix along with other plans that I can't currently talk about but get me so darn giddy :) So if I'm MIA that's why. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!   

snuggles with his best friend. look at that hand on penelope's paw - aww!

Since Charlie missed out on the tinfoil hat party we had recently, I constructed one
for him. I obviously need to leave the "sculpting" to John. Maybe I'm just the
"ideas" one :) 

i love them together 

Penelope & Charlie

When Penelope first entered our lives I had my hesitations towards the idea of a dog let alone taking on the responsibility of a puppy. A puppy = another toddler. You'd have to be crazy to take on both. You know how they say there is no perfect time to have a child? I'm convinced the same goes for having a dog. You just learn to adjust your life around this adorable little creature. Penelope entered our lives at just the right time. I'm currently at home with Charlie all through out the week so when he leaves to go with his papa, it tugs at my heart a bit. It's something you learn to adjust to but it's so hard sometimes to just hand him over, ya know? Now there's Penelope. She will never replace my Charlie but she brings a special joy and love to my life. She goes almost everywhere we with us and sometimes I won't go places if I can't bring her. I'm still learning to adjust to life with a small dog. She's about the size of a cat so she finds little hiding spots that give me a heart attack because I'm afraid she ran off somewhere.  

Another concern about Penelope was how she'd interact with Charlie and vice versa. I was concerned about dog bites, etc. All of those concerns have gone out the window. I basically have two little toddler running around the house one is just on four legs and the other is on two. Charlie and her play fetch with one another. Yes, I said one another. She will place something across the room and Charlie goes after it. I've learned to make similar meals through out the day so one doesn't get jealous of what the other is eating. I of course make slight adjustments to both of their meals for their dietary needs. She could care less if Charlie is trying to pet her and he gets slightly rough or he crawls over to get to something else. They're partners in crime together. It reminds me of my relationship I had with my first dog, Tippy. He was a little mutt that we found in a dumpster when we lived in Texas. He looked like a little Scottish terrier. I used to pretend he had a Scottish accent (blame lady and the tramp). Whitney Houston may have had Kevin Costner to protect her but Rachel had Tippy. 

Thank you for entering our lives, Penelope. You have no idea how much joy you bring us on a daily basis. xoxo  

Mother's Day gift ideas

Too bad they aren't french bulldog ears but these kitty ears will pass. Too cute!

 Mother's Day... the day to show your appreciation for the mama in your life with flowers and brunches. While I'm a fan of brunches I'm not a fan of flowers (they're pretty and I love the bouquets people come up with but I'm allergic - hardcore). It's holidays like these that most women in the blogging world make gift guides and I will be joining in on the fun as well. Here are some items that I'm currently drooling over. To be honest, it was hard creating this. There was nothing I was "dying" to have. Oh, and people out there buying for mother's - don't buy them presents that their child can use or that's for their child. They deserve to be spoiled. Treat those mamas out there well. They have a very tough job :)

About a month or so ago I visited the dry bar for my first time and I was blown away (pun intended).
It was kinda like heaven in there. I had an assortment of magazines at my fingertips, an adult beverage
and no one was jumping on my leg or slapping the fridge for food. I normally hate getting my hair done
(long hair = takes forever) but this is a real treat! 

i've been wanting one of these since I was pregnant. i have a cute little rhinestone one that I received
at my baby shower and i still wear it but i really want one of these stamped ones. would it be weird
to get two because Penelope has recently joined the family? yes? 

I discovered this place when I was pregnant. While I'm normally not into getting my nails done
reguarly (I pick my nailpolish off the next day) this was a nice treat and I love how clean and relaxing
this place is.

my best friend and I found this tank top as we were leaving forever 21 the other day.
safe to say we're obsessed with it. i'm sure my mom would cringe at the fact
that i'm putting this on here but c'mon! who doesn't love biggie?! 

I have always had a love for mason jars. Maybe those 3 years spent living in Texas are to blame?
While browsing on etsy I found this and I'm instantly obsessed with it.
Mason Jar + French bulldog = obsessed
I've been DYING to own a french bulldog for years now (Sorry Penelope).

love! love! love!

a mama can dream, right?

My clutch collection is a bit outdated. This would be perfect for the rare occasion I go out or even
the perfect size to throw into the diaper bag. I would give this a clutch a nice home!

I'm just throwing this on here because I always throw a laptop and a camera on any "gift idea" list I create. Why? My computer is a dinosaur. I wish I could be exaggerating but I'm not. Half the time I can't visit websites or do certain things on it because the software is outdated and it's a bit too much $$ to update. I'm sure I could replace the battery so it wouldn't need to stay plugged in all the time but I barely have enough time to take an uninterrupted shower. I'm surprised I'm able to quickly bust out this post. Oh, and my dinosaur of a computer also has a half broken cord. Yup, it's always powering down for no reason. Mama needs new computer - stat!! 

I've been wanting an SLR for years now.. YEARS! As Charlie gets older and now that I have Penelope,
I feel the need for a better camera. A mama can dream, right?