Parenting can be hard...

I was told a very long time ago that I would never have children. That my best chance would be to have a surrogate because I had a one in a million chance of ever having children. Three years later, Maxine happened and five years after her, Sofia. I am a very lucky person. Those two are the light of my life...and the grey in my hair.

Nobody ever told me that parenting would be hard. That there would be up's, down's and in between's. That I would have to make decisions on the fly. That once they would start school, I would be starting school all over again, including homework. That sometimes I would have to fight for them because they are still too young to fight their own battles. That they could give me the best hugs ever. That when they would say "I love you," it would be the sweetest thing I would ever hear. That their kisses would be as sweet as they are. That a cuddle is really nice when you've had a bad day. That sometimes hearing "mommy" for the millionth time would make me want to run. Parenting is hard...hard for the mind, the body and every other way. Some parents drink a glass of wine (or two) at night to take the edge off. Some eat chocolates (me) and some, well some might just go to the gym a lot!

I wish I would have been told all of these things before hand or at least given a hint. Then I tell myself maybe the bad days would be easier to deal with but I'm not sure if I would have listened if someone would have taken the time to tell me everything. I've had a bad day and yes they happen. I get frustrated and in turn get frustrated with them. Hence I'm here writing about it. Being a parent is hard and it's ok. All the up's will make up for the down's and in between's. I just hope that at the end of the day, those two little girls will still love me and want to spend time with me when they are older and hopefully wiser than I will ever be.

Sometimes it's just hard to say no to a good deal...

Even though I work in retail, I always try not to buy things that are too trendy. Don't get me wrong, I love trendy things but most of the time I really don't think they are worth buying or more to the point paying full price for them. I usually always steer towards classic pieces that will last me a long time and not look last season. I am a huge believer in investing in a good, if not a few, pairs of jeans. And sometimes, you just end up finding a good deal in the sale rack and just can't say no even though you know it's a trendy piece. A very trendy piece that your husband will surely not approve. Like these jeans....

These are from Citizen of Humanity. The fit is amazing: skinny almost jegging type and low waisted. I don't know if they will be on the regular rotation jean pile but I think they might get close to it. 

T-Shirt // Free People

Chambray Shirt // Anthropologie

Boots // Rachel Comey

Overalls

Overalls: n. protective trousers, dungarees, usually with a bib, worn by workmen, etc. 

Now I am no workmen and these are not protective trousers but they do have a bib and are dungarees. For the longest time, I have had a love/hate relation with overalls. I love them but can't seem to find any that actually fit the way I would love them to fit or love the fit but can't get my head around to buy something ridiculously expensive. Well, I think my search is finally over. But then again I might be wrong but maybe just maybe this time I'm not. I'm trying to decide whether these are a keeper or not. I love them but I also wish they would fit a little tighter. The quality is fantastic. If anything, I will only change the size for a smaller one but overall...I am in love.

Revised...What to do when the husband doesn't like them?..

Free People Washed Denim Overall Brady Wash

Terranea Trails and The Huntington Library

The hiking trails next to the Terranea Resort are fantastic for kids. The terrain is easy for them to walk/run and they have markers along the way letting you know about the vegetation, wildlife and history. Maxine didn't want to go at first because she thought it was going to be really hard but she ended up loving it. They also have a tidal pool and although the tide was too high by the time we made it down, she still managed to run around with Sofia as they let dogs go down and there is a huge patch of sand. I can't say enough about how much the girls loved it.

The Huntington Library. What can I say but wow. This was our second time and our first with Sofia. I forced Kurt to bring the runner for her because I thought it might be too much walking and I was right. She was walking and running when she fell like it but going uphill was easier for her sitting down. The same can not be said about the rest of us and we were tired after 3 hours of walking. And we didn't get to see everything! They have a cafe which made it easy for us since I didn't want to carry to many things with us. It has such an amazing history and so much to see that it makes it worth the price. We will definitely have to go back again by the end of this year.

We finished the three day weekend by eating fried chicken and waffles at Roscoe's. Good fun, good food. 

Wreath making

I've wanted to make a wreath for a while now but have not really had the time to sit down to build one, until now. This is my Valentine's / Spring wreath. It's not what I had imagined but I think overall it came out better than expected. Keep reading more to find out how to make your own.

Wish list...

I know I know, Christmas is over but a girl can still wish for things right?! So here is my wish list for this year and it's a list I'm actually going to be working on getting. So here goes...
I want those darn Bobby sneakers from Isabel Marant. Yes, I did go ahead and bought the ones from Target (actually I got 2 pairs and they are super comfortable) but I still want the real ones. I keep going on La Garçonne's website to look at them. (Don't even get me started on that website. There are so many things I want from there that most of the time I'm left speachless... now back to the Bobby's) They are so pretty. Now I understand that they are only sneakers but to me they are the most amazing sneakers ever.
A Canon camera. To be super specific, the T3i. I've been looking at it for a year now but every single time the opportunity comes up to get it, the amount of money that I would be spending just has me walking the other way. I've decided that this year I need to get it. I just have to.
The Mini iPads. I want two. Those are not for me but for my girls. Maxine has an iTouch which she received for her birthday last year but now I think it's time to upgrade. Sofia is ALWAYS on my iPhone which in reality turned into her iPhone and has so many apps that are for her that I literally have absolutely no space for my things. And truth be told, if i buy a mini for Maxine, I think it's only fair that Sofia gets one too. I always try my best to be fair to the girls. Maybe then, when I get them, Sofia can start deleting her own pictures instead of mine.
And last but not least, the new iPhone 5. Kurt finally jumped on the bandwagon and got himself an iPhone and the difference is pretty amazing. Picture wise more than anything else. Don't get me wrong, I still love my iPhone 4 and have never had any problems with it so if the girls end up getting the minis then I will most probably wait to get a new iPhone.  Let's hope to a good year and see that I get all those things!

Gym 1 Me 0

After a long break, today I restarted my workout regimen. And what a workout. Last year I met with a trainer three times and got a workout schedule but I never really felt as though it was working out for me. I've always worked out on and off throughout the years but always end up stoping for one reason or another. Those reasons range from the getting pregnant to the girls not liking the gym, I'm tired (that's always a good one), I can't remember what I'm doing or just I don't feel like it. Years ago, I used an online program that would pretty much spit out workouts for me three times a week and they worked. I remember actually seeing results and thinking I looked pretty good so after thinking hard and long I decided I should start up the program again. Let me tell you, it was hard. Actually I don't even think hard is the right word for it. I'm sure I looked pathetic. I ran into the husband of a friend and had to ask for his help. I'm sure he thought "What on earth is she doing...?" Round two is for Wednesday and hopefully I won't look so overwhelmed. Summer is around the corner (somewhere) so I've got to get ready. I sure ain't getting any younger!!

Adventures in tubing.

We headed to the mountains this past Saturday. Felt like we needed to finish Maxine's vacation with a big hurrah. And we sure did! After getting a little lost on the way there, we managed to make it to Big Bear. The girls were so excited. Actually that's not exactly true...we were all excited. Sofia had never seen snow and Maxine had somewhat a memory of it from when we were in Tahoe years back. After driving around the village for a while, we decided to go tubing. We had so much fun! The weather was fantastic and there was barely a wait to go up the mountain. The girls are fearless, unlike me. I've never screamed so loud in my life. I'm attaching the link to where we went for those interested. Also, for next time we head up...to not forget to bring cash as most places we went to didn't take any credit cards.

http://www.bigbearsnowplay.com

New Year's Breakfast.

Is there any other way to start the New Year than with a delicious breakfast? I think not but then again if I'm wrong I'm sure you'll let me know. So we decided do go ahead and make ourselves some Overnight French Toast and what can I say...? Probably one of the best ways to start the New Year. Here's the recipe (that I've borrowed from Parade Magazine) for your own to use should you decide you want to try something new.

The end of a year is only the beginning of a new one.

Good bye 2012. It’s been good. I’m looking forward to 2013. Not so much for the resolutions because I don’t really make any but for everything else. To try a little more. Try everything a little more. Laugh more. Enjoy life more. Stress less. Maybe go to the gym more and maybe shop less… a little less. Just a little. Read more. I miss reading…and knitting and sewing. Maybe this year I’ll do more of those things and less of others. Like eating chocolates. I guess we’ll just wait and see.