Thursday Thoughts

Today I am showing some love at Jennifer's link up over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom because a) there are a few things I'd like to rant about and b) I just really love her link ups.

~ I have been pretty upset these last few days...yeah sure, I'm not much of a cheery person when I am stuck in lines after hunting for perfect gifts for the family. But if there's one thing that upsets me the most, are thieves.
Nobody likes getting their sh!t stolen.
UPS dropped off some packages at my door (I was not home).
Neighbors confirmed they saw packages.
Got home.
No packages.
No one saw anything.
Upset? Pissed? You bet. It makes me so sad that people would have the audacity to take packages and that no one is neighbor-ly enough to help out.
/rant

~ On a lighter note, I thank God for the good people of Amazon who totally understood the situation. This made me feel a little better but still a little pressured to have to wait for the money to come back into my account just to get it to go back out. -.-

~ Christmas is here in 6 days!

~ My baby boy is finally 4 years old. :3 He's grown so fast...it really feels like only yesterday he was as big as E...

birthday party on Sunday

He had so much fun at his birthday party even at his surprise party at daycare! Which even if his dad wasn't able to be there, he told him all about it that very evening :)

~ ^ This means that E is almost a year old! :O As if the holidays and JD's birthday weren't enough to stress me out a little more... But regardless, my babies are growing up so fast. Where does the time go, seriously?

~ I finally got to see my final grades for the class and I passed! Just barely but I passed! :D Never again will I take more than 2 classes a semester. -.-;

What are your thoughts? How are the holidays treating you? Share and/or link up!

Sunday Social -- Week 24

1. Name 4 jobs you've had in your life.
I have only worked in four places, two of which consisted of the same thing and currently working as a secretary. The other two were front lead cashier at a supermarket and retail at Bath & Body Works (my favorite job ever, seriously.)

2. Name 4 movies you would watch over and over.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb and Dumber, Drop Dead Fred and Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me.

3. Name 4 places you have lived.

I have never moved from Miami. But I have been in different parts of Miami...(does that count?)

4. Name 4 of your favorite foods.

Pasta Alfredo, Sushi, Ceviche and wings. God, I love wings and beer.

5. Name 4 things you always carry with you.

Chapstick, eyeliner, wallet and of course my phone. I never go out of my house without these things.

6. Name 4 places you have been on vacation.
Bahamas, Washington DC, Disney (hey no matter what, that is still a vacation to me) and different beaches throughout Florida. That part makes me glad that I live here, I have various choices for going to the beach.

Thursday Thoughts

I'm showing some link-up love over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom today and I have a few things to ramble on about.

- Ok, I am not too crazy about spading/neutering your dogs. It's sad. And letting them have one litter is good enough and it's the responsible thing to do what is needed to keep them from multiplying like rabbits.
But, why would you stuff your house full of dogs and allow all the female ones to get pregnant (multiple times, I might add) and as I said, allowing them to multiply like rabbits? It's not healthy and it's unethical. >.<

- Time has flown! E is already 10 months old and she's changed so much... Arg, where did the time go? [Says every mom.]

Halloween <3

- I have neglected my blog. :( Shame on me. I basically update it with my thoughts on the ipsy bags. Hahaha, oh how I love those little bags. I have one too many to be honest.
...and there's my moment of weakness and I'm back to not caring. hahaha :P

- It's been more than a week and I am still recovering from a sore throat. I'm not at 100% yet but I am hoping I will be soon.

- Autumn is such a beautiful time. I get so sad when I see pictures of the fall leaves, snow... It still feels like summer over here in Florida. :( This is what I get for living in Miami.

- November is here and that means early Christmas shopping! :D I'm not crazy, I like starting now because I like to beat the rush and not spend so much money at once. Spreading it out makes me feel like I still have money left over.
..Yup, not crazy.

- I have also been debating what to do for JD's birthday...and E's since their birthdays are like 17 days apart. -.- Wanted to get an early start since I usually fall behind on these things...Any good ideas? Maybe doing it together?

That's it for now! What are your thoughts? Join the link up!

Sunday Social -- Week 22

1. What is currently on your wish list?
Dance Central 2/3 and the latest Just Dance games. Don't judge! For some reason those games bring me a lot of joy and that's what mommies need...something that brings them a little joy after being with the screaming children...

2. Share a new iPhone, droid, iPad app that you have recently discovered that we all need.
Recently I have discovered shopkicks. An app that gives you rewards for shopping (physically and via web)! After collecting a certain number of "kicks", you can redeem it for a reward (gift cards, etc).

3. What is a new fall tv show that you have added to your dvr?
I am an SVU fanatic and a Grey's drama geek. @.@ I have tried to watch Sleepy Hollow but something is always in the way or happens before I could watch it! D: I can only watch like a few shows...my heart can only take just a few cliffhangers at a time.

4. Share your social media links so we can follow you. (Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, etc) Tell us which is your favorite and why.
The one that I am for sure always on is Instagram @sweetsolitude. I like posting a little bit of everything!

5. What is a tv show, movie, or song that you could watch or listen to over and over and never get tired of?
I am  not a person that gets tired easily of a lot of things. Shoot, I can recite movie lines because I find that it is the one thing I am good at and because more than likely, it is a movie I have seen a bajillion times before. And songs? Yeah my iPod probably has a heart attack when I put a song on repeat.

Happy Sunday readers :)

Sunday Social -- Week 21

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?
I never dressed up as a child. I never even went trick-or-treating. I think maybe once. My mom then had a crazy moment and told me never again. I think it may have been because of the religion thing...
2. If you could go back to your childhood and dress up as something, what would it be?
I would dress up as my favorite Disney princess Aurora or Belle. Just because I can.
3. What was your favorite Halloween costume as an adult?
I dressed up as a vampire once. This was in 2008 (the first time I ever got in costume mode like ever). Had the freaky contacts and everything. It was amazing and I looked amazing ;D
4. What is your favorite Halloween candy?
All the chocolate. My son goes trick-or-treating and I snatch a lot of the chocolate bars. You know, to be sure they are safe to eat.
5. What is your favorite Halloween memory?
The first time I celebrated Halloween. I was an adult but regardless, I had fun dressing up and dancing the night away.
6. What is your favorite scary movie?
The Saw movies. I mean they are not horror, more like gore-y and creepy. I have 1-7 in my DVD collection. ;)

Thursday Thoughts...and a little bit of everything in between!

Boy, oh boy! It has been a while blogging world! But I feel refreshed and ready to start writing again :)

- I just got back from vacation on Monday and I was ever so sad that it was over. :( 3 day cruises are not enough! You get a taste and you want the whole cake! Err, ship in this case.

- JD has been tantruming a lot more often now ever since I got back...before it used to be a tantrum when I picked him up from daycare and it did a whole 180 and he cries when I drop him off at daycare. I feel so guilty that I had left him behind and now I feel like he thinks that I might leave him again. Any tips? I know it's a stage and reassure him every time I drop him off that I am coming back...but anything else I could possibly do?

- The best part of coming back is seeing that I have a stack of boxes just for me to open :) Bluum and ipsy reviews will be coming up shorty ;)

- I think I might just post some of the stuff I saw or did during my little mini vacation for those of you who want a little peek at the wonderful world of cruising. I know I did research and wanted to know a little about it before I went on my cruise. I think I want to contribute to such an insight. Plus, gives me an excuse to go ahead and show off our vacation pictures :D

- Also included in my coming home package (tantrums and subscription packages), my little E got pretty sick and had a very persistent fever...so I was pretty sleep deprived (adding to the already deprivation I had from the night before!).

- Does anybody catch up with SVU? I can seriously say that this week's episode was pretty intense and Barba once again proves that he is one of my favorite ADAs on the show (next to Alex).

- Few shows that I am currently trying to finish/catch up:
           ~ Attack on Titan: If you haven't seen this show and you love watching some anime, this is probably one of the must-see ones. I think I may even get into the manga and that's going to keep me busy for quite some time. (It's an ongoing series :O)
           ~ Grey's Anatomy: I am still on season 9. I think I may be, like, halfway done to then start season 10.
           ~ Downton Abbey: I found out they are re-airing the 3rd season in December. So this is makes the list! Cannot wait :D

What are your thoughts? Join the link up :)

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links. Unless otherwise noted.

How well do you know...?

I have not done this link up in a LONG time. I stopped like maybe a month ago...?
Anyway, I have decided to pick it back up because I think I really wanted to and plus I need something to keep myself from going crazy with the idea of JUST schoolwork. 0.0

"Random facts about your other half."

...Or maybe I like these topics this month? It took me a bit of time, the entire week mind you, to just sit and start listing EVERYTHING I know about Edward.

1. He does not like drinking something hot when eating something hot. Strange? Just a bit. But I took note of this from back when we were dating. I don't even ask if he wants a cup of coffee with his breakfast. Only if it's a bowl of cereal.

2. His lifelong dream is to see Japan. I know this because we share this dream. Japan and all its beauty.

3. He's always wanted to play in a band. Maybe this is most punk rock guys' dream...but I definitely know that this something he wants to do. With that being said...

4. There's a long list on everything he wants to do. It's the equivalent of "the flavor of the week". He always finds something new that he just HAS to do. Name it, it's probably on there.

5. He's not Edward when he is hungry.

6. He gets in a bad mood if the house is a mess. But I mean, a bad mood. He'll call me out on everything that is not clean/organized.

7. He knows a whole lot about nothing. This is very true. He is the wikipedia on random facts and could probably do very well on a trivia game show.

8. He's a generous drunk. (those rare times that he does drink) It's when I know that I may have to start telling everyone that it's getting late and we have to go home because he might just wipe out the bank account trying to show everyone a good time or refill your drink.

What can you say that you know about your spouse? Link up!

Sunday Social -- Week 18

1. What were you like in middle school and high school?
I was a very awkward child in middle school and it carried over to high school up until my sophmore year. Then I was the girl all the (nerd) boys wanted. I guess after moving to 3 different high schools, it was like a fresh start for me every year. Left a lot of broken hearts. lol
2. What were your favorite pastimes?
At the high school stage, I'd like to just read my little young adult novels and listen to music.
3. What songs were you obsessed with?
Omg. I would have to go WAY back for this. But it would have to be a mix from Alternative Rock to anything from the 80's. (I had a very broad taste)
4. What fashion statement do you look backing and cringe?
I had no fashion taste to begin with D:
5. Who was your celeb crush?
I never had one. It's not until now that I realize that I have an actual celeb crush. (JGL!)
6. What was your favorite movie?
Is and always will be Hook. But there's a whole lot more to that list but if I had to pick one...

Happy Sunday!

Friday's Letters

Since I haven't posted in a LONG while...I decided to participate in this week's Friday's Letters. 

Cheating? Maybe. But I don't mind. I pass by her blog a lot and I love seeing her new bundle of joy :D

Dear Friday, you are the last Friday of the month and this also means that I am one week closer to my cruise <3 Excited? You bet your happy ass I am.

Dear Carnival Cruise, I am excited to finally get to see what the fuss is about cruising that makes people go crazy for. It's the all-you-can-eat, isn't it?

Dear E, you are getting so big I can't imagine what it's going to be like when you are talking and walking around like your brother. I love seeing how he makes you so happy and how excited you get when he comes back from "school". It brings tears to my eyes...

Dear JD, you are such a great big brother and such a good little (oops, big) boy. You are such a sweetheart and such a great kid and I'm not just saying that. Seriously. You're great. I am one lucky momma.

Dear Edward, I love you. That is all.

Dear me, you should stop slacking from your workout mode. One whole week without stepping foot in the box*, shame. You bring shame!

Dear Breaking Bad, I am one episode away from being completely caught up until your series finale. Can I just say, your creator, is the devil.

Dear SVU, WHAT A GREAT EPISODE. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START THE SEASON.

Happy Friday readers.

Day 9 BLOGTEMBER

"A self portrait"

After much thought and several of "no", "ew", "what the hell...?"'s, I finally took one. I NEVER take pictures of myself anymore. I mainly take pictures of the kids, well, because they come out great in every picture! I for one, have terrible luck in self portraits.

...I should smile more.

Online shopping?

"Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop."

I am not a big online shopper. I usually prefer to buy things that I can touch and try out so then I can REALLY decide that I like it and not because it is eye candy to me!

BUT.

There are a few exceptions. Two actually.

Forever 21

I get emails from them daily. And I always keep an eye out for FREE SHIPPING on any order. I am in love with their necklaces and I have a TON. <.< Especially their owl necklaces.

courtesy of forever 21's website

I can't say no. I just can't. (I have this one actually. -.-) And I promise you that I walk into the store and my husband always threatens me with: "If you walk out with a necklace, I swear to God, I will throw it out when you're not looking."

-.-;

JustFab

Another one of the exceptions. I don't own a lot of heels. I discovered this website a while ago, but never bought any shoes. Then they had a BOGO sale.

I flipped.

courtesy of justfab

This is actually what may be my next purchase. :O I know that buying shoes online are a bit of a gamble but thankfully this website has an awesome guarantee and I am one satisfied customer!

What are your go-to websites? Maybe there are a few that you'd like to share and perhaps have great online sales! Or link up and join the fun :)

ENFJ = ?

I took a personality quiz my second semester of college. I think it was one of those Personal Effectiveness classes. I don't remember, my first year of college was a blur. (not because of parties, by the by!)

Looking back on my old score, I am still almost exactly the same! Still a ENFJ :P

What the hell does that mean???? What do letters have to do with personality?

More like personality types. I know that the test consists of a few questions in different areas regarding personality so depending your preference, you'll score more in one area than the other. Let's start with the first letter:

E = Extrovert vs Introvert.
Pretty self explanatory in my opinion. I tend to more extrovert than introvert but only with 12% preference for extrovert. That is pretty spot on. I like to socialize and do well in social settings. But of course, I enjoy being alone when I can and I'm okay with it.

N = INtuition vs Sensing.
I am a future planner, not a spur of the moment kind of person. I like to plan my days out and follow protocol. I don't think of today because I already thought of it yesterday. Which is not always a good thing, because I miss the finer details (the big picture person). I just know where I'm going and not about the how.
Also a 12% preference over sensing.

F = Feeling vs Thinking.
Although I look at the big picture, I am using my feelings instead of thinking objectively. I don't really like to use logic because I am concerned with the social implication of my decision making.
I have a 38% preference for this.

J = Judgment vs Perception.
Just like in intuition, I am a careful planner because I like predictability. I need the sense of control.
I have a 63% preference. (Explains my nature VERY well)

According to Wikipedia:

Extroverted feeling types seek continuity through harmonious relationships and collective values. They excel at picking up on values, simply because shared values are what create harmony. Some will profess the importance of tough-minded logic, justice and scholarly debate because their environments have these shared values. They tend to adopt the collective values of those in their social group.

I think it was pretty accurate then and now my score on this personality type test.

What about you? Are you an ENFJ? Or are you something else? Do you find this to be scary accurate? Tell me all!

Sunday Social -- Week 14

1. What is your favorite fall activity? 
I think hands down, I love the pumpkin carving. I've done it EVERY year with Edward since we got married and it's been a tradition ever since.  JD loves it and loves it even more since last year when he got to scoop out the insides (not my favorite part actually)

2. Do you follow a football team? If so, which one and why?
I am a Dolphins girl by default. I have followed them since I was a little girl and still been a fan since then. None of that bandwagon business for me, GO FINS!

3. What is something fun about fall in your area?
I live in Miami, the fall doesn't exist really. But I do like that it gets a few degrees chillier (I mean 80 degrees by midday).

4. What are your favorite fall staple outfits?
Boots, boots and more boots. I also like it when I get to keep my cardigan on all day. I cannot wait for such a day!

5. What things are you looking forward to most about this coming fall season?
Halloween with E. Oh I cannot wait to see that kind of costume I am going to put her in! I am thinking a little strawberry. Or maybe even this:

via
I'd die from the cuteness and the nerd inside me will melt.

6. What is your favorite fall holiday? Tradition?
See Question one. Other than that, I like Halloween just to see the kids trick-or-treat which is also a tradition in our household.

Happy Sunday readers!

Five on Friday...and MORE!

It's Friday! Oh my...I can't believe this week has passed by so quick! It seemed like so long ago that I was waiting for my birthday and now I'm officially 24 as of Sunday!

You're a baby!

So I'm told. But that doesn't bother me. I've always been the baby of every group of people I'm in. It's weird to be the oldest one @.@ I've already got that problem with being the oldest of 3.

My birthday/labor day weekend consisted of BBQ, beach, presents, cake and milestones! My baby E has officially started standing up (grabbing on to something of course) and she's unstoppable! She's also got her second tooth popping out so you all know what that's like: drool central.

On to my Five on Friday for this week:

{ONE}

I am LOVING my new coffee maker! As I have mentioned in previous posts, I was resorting to making coffee the old fashioned way, which meant that I wasn't having any coffee some mornings due to rushing out the door. Then birthday morning, BAM! I've got myself a new coffeemaker! I am in love!

Who wants a coffeemaker for their birthday?

ME.

{TWO}

My munchkin JD. He's been so patient with me and so loving...it's unfathomable how much a child loves their mom. Because I know I love him from heaven and back <3

{THREE}

Date Nights <3 This is so important as a couple to get away from it all for a bit. Although we came home before 12 (damn, I think it was even before 10), we enjoyed a little bonding time with each other. I think he's more than aware of how chattery I get after a couple drinks. Oops. lol

{FOUR}

via ipsy website

OMGOSH OMGOSH OMGOSH! September is my favorite month because Fall is near and because it's the month I was born in. I love love LOVE the spoilers (I will post those up soon) and the bag is a sapphire blue which is the birthstone of the month. I CANNOT WAIT TO HAVE THAT BAG IN MY HANDS!

{FIVE}

Shame shame shame on me for not catching up yet! D: I know that it's pretty repetitive: drama = someone dying + someone has sex + something traumatic happens to important character.

So sue me, I like watching it especially in my down time. But more importantly than me missing out is SVU coming VERY VERY soon. 

via tumblr

Thanks for stopping by!

Me, the REAL story.

I am joining Jenni in her #BLOGTEMBER challenge for September.

Get it? Blogging + September? XD

So I'm gonna have fun with this. I know with all of school fogging my brain up, I will need some sort of something to help me relax my brain and exercise the creative part ;)

Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Don't mind if I do.

I came from my parents. They decided it was a good idea to spawn children and I was the experimental one.

OK, that came out a bit raw. But, seriously. I was born in Florida where the weatherman is wrong about 70% of the time and you are advised to take rain boots and umbrellas with you in your car at all times.

When I turned the ripe ol' age of 13, my life pretty much went into a spiral of emotions and downhill in attitude issues and god knows what other things that make 13 years old crazy. Please tell me that there was something in our drinking water! I was rebellious and gave my parents (although they were divorced) hell and more grey hairs than they'd like to mention.

Although I was a handful, I had people in my life that looked out for me. My grandmother (maternal) was one of them. As a child of Hispanic parents, getting scolded by your grandmother was beyond normal and she was the one that put me in line plenty of times. But at the same time, sympathized and listened to what I had to say. She's the one who would make me reflect and taught me how to. My grandfather (her husband) would use the word "dosificar" (pronounced do-see-fee-kar) which means to learn to prioritize and would urge me to really learn to this as it would help me learn what is really important (school) and what is not (boyfriends).

"Pfft. As if!" said my 16 year old self.

Both of these people would give me such great advice but as the dumbass I was with the know-it-all attitude...I went through a lot of pain. A huge heartache. And some more pain. Some could've been avoided, others...well. That's another story.

Then I met my (future) husband. He slowed my roll and encouraged me to be a better person. Then all my grandparents' lesson came flooding back in and I started to let myself become who I really wanted to be and channeled that teenage anger into something else.

Life is hard. I won't deny that. There are things I wish I could change about myself, I mean, who doesn't, but then again those are qualities that I wouldn't wanna change because they are my battle scars. Like my caution towards other people or my lack of patience (short fuse, etc).

But as of now, I'd prefer to keep learning life lessons and keep shaping myself to become the example to my children would want to look up to. And I'm not just saying that, I really want to live up to it.

52 Weeks of Blogging with A Purpose; Show & Tell Monday -- Week 12

What being a mom looks like:

Typical E, putting things in her mouth which can be a pain when you look away for one second and find her putting something new into her mouth that she REALLY shouldn't.

Luckily her cousin took it as her playing with his face. Because otherwise, I think this kid might start crying.

She'll grab onto something and won't let go. Another pain when she's holding on to something she shouldn't.

 Where he goes, she goes. This is not a joke.

 How can you not fall in love with a baby's smile? Even at the crack of dawn?

 Before I took this picture, he was crying and screaming because E was playing with eggplant toy. 3 year olds. Am I right?

No matter what. No matter how much they cry, how much they whine...even if you find yourself falling at the edge of your bed because all the kids wanted to sleep in your bed with you and your spouse...Seriously. I think these moments that you are able to capture of pure happiness and joy are what make this worthwhile.

Sunday Social -- Week 13

It's that time again ;) for another Social Sunday:

1. What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer? I didn't really get a chance to go out this summer (bummer) but thankfully I was able to enjoy some time off from school and do a few fun things with my kids. Just not the beach. I am NOT beach ready...
2. What was your favorite outfit look/clothing item of the summer? I finally got the perfect shorts to wear! I love them, they are so comfortable and they flatter me in every single way :D 
It's the crossfit.
I got so many compliments, I just need to introduce my legs to the sun a little more...<.<
3. What is one thing you wish you’d gotten to do this summer? I really REALLY wished I could've done that Marco Island trip...but Edward's job never gave him the chance to get out. T_T Now school's back and it makes me a little sad...
4. What was your favorite song of the summer? Hands down: Blurred Lines. I am loving and blasting this song every chance I get ;D
5. What was your favorite movie/tv show of the summer? Unfortunately, most TV shows don't come back until the fall...but Netflix is wonderful. Breaking Bad is definitely on my top list and I can't wait to catch up to the last season.
Seriously, I don't mind being the last one to know everything.

Happy Sunday bloggers! Enjoy, cause I know I will be! ;)

Five on Friday Link-Up

OK I'll bite. I have always wanted to join up since this week there are plenty of things that I am loving and you all know how much my brain likes to ramble on...

{ONE}

My baby MOVES! She's on the go and no one can stop this unstoppable force! ...Except sleep.

{TWO}

I think I'm getting to the point where Crossfit is the part of the day I look forward to. Which actually is a good thing! I used to loathe and complain about going and now I think of it as a day in the park. A park where I get extra sweaty. lol

{THREE}

The view from my classroom. I know I should be 100% focused on the lesson of the day but seriously. I can't help it if I can daydream a bit and zone out to all the things I am thinking at that particular moment...

{FOUR}

I went to try this for a week. 2 meals for $75/wk delivered right to your doorstep. Healthy eating which tastes SOOO good. I love it! Who knew healthy eating could not taste so bland? It's too good, in fact...

{FIVE}

courtesy of http://www.creativereview.co.uk

MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND! Which also falls with Labor Day weekend so that means party party party! No, not really. 

But it does mean that I get to celebrate being home with the kids and the hubby :) And that is something definitely great to look forward to :D

Have a great Labor day weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

My oh my. Labor day weekend is upon us which I am sure that many of you aren't even really here here. You're just...there.

Confusing?

Anyway, so I am linking up today to Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for a little Thursday Thoughts:

- It's a little refreshing to be getting back into the grind of school. I think a little change in the environment is a good thing because doing the same old thing can get a bit boring.

- I miss my JD. I haven't really spent too much time with him these last few weeks since I started going to CF at night and since he started his little daycare trial. D:
I have noticed a few changes in his behavior:
1) He's eating. A lot. Which is a big deal because he's been super picky when it comes to food and now he eats everything with no problem! I mean he still has the whole vegetable thing going on but other than that he's improved in his eating habits.
2) He's socializing a lot more. I mean, he's not a social butterfly but his mannerisms have been showing a lot more since he's had to put everything we taught him into play.

- I also miss E. Since the daycare is right next door to aunt-in-law's (do we say that? I know Hispanics have a word for it) house and that's where my MIL has been staying so it's easier than having JD waiting for me to go get him at the daycare. So E just stays with her grandmother and I have the freedom of getting work done a lot faster than if the kids were with me. The sad part is, I still don't get a lot of work done because I end up calling every couple of hours to see how my little E is doing. D: Typical mommyhood.

- As for my CF progress, I can tell that I have been making some. Every week that passes by, I see some sort of improvement in my strength and my endurance levels. Which believe me, after being sedentary for so long... there's bound to be some sort of change in my stamina.

Note: I do CrossFit not to lose weight, but to build strength and endurance. I want to be fit, not thin.

That's it for now, what are your thoughts? Share and link up!

52 Weeks of Blogging with A Purpose; Show & Tell Monday -- Week 11

Every one who isn't a parent does the same thing after hearing that kid in the middle of the grocery store (you all know the one). "I would never this or I would never that." I found myself eating my words after being a parent, but not all my words thankfully. There's a few that you might be nodding your head to as we go down the list and agree that we are guilt of such things...

I said I would never...

...bribe my kid. I'm not a horrible parent to be bribing my kid from time to time. If it gives me at least 5 minutes of quiet time when we are somewhere that we need to be silent (and not kid-friendly), the least I can do is bribe him with my phone, iPod or a piece of something yummy (not candy or anything with sugar, the last thing I need is for him to be even more up the wall). I'm sure a few of you can relate.

...be that mom to let my kid be the screaming kid. JD screams...loud. And I mean he has (or had) this ear-piercing scream that would make most moms want the ground to swallow them whole because it sounded like you just beat the shit out of your kid. I had such a difficult time when those terrible twos came along (and threes? they don't tell you about the threes). Believe me, it became more and more frustrating when I really wanted to give him something to cry about. But instead of reinforcing that behavior with my (very obvious angry) tone, I ignored him. I did. I let him scream and cry it out in the shipping cart while I kept shopping. My behavior analyst professor would be pleased. After a lot of patience and the dirty looks from fellow shoppers, it (THANKFULLY) went away. Now of course there's other things that I wish would change (sigh), but it part of his growing experience and mine as well.

...be a stay-at-home mom. The idea of staying home and being a housewife instantly made me cry. I hated the idea of it. Instead I am a work-at-home mom. I am still home with the kids and I wouldn't change it for the world. I have the ability to see my kids grow and to still provide for the family. Of course that'll change once JD starts Pre-K. Oh, the feels. D:

...let my kid stay up late. Ok, I have been pretty good at keeping up a routine and a night schedule. But there are nights where my husband does not get home until after 12. So sometimes JD misses him and tries to stay up to see him...of course his little self can't stay up until 12 so by 11 he is knocked out. He's so frikin sweet, that kid...

...let my kid watch T.V. I never wanted him to. But sometimes...I find myself that it's the only he'll let me get any work done. Sure, he helps me get some stuff done like picking up his toys or he "helps" me cook. But other times, he can get in the way. -_- 

What about you? Did you find one that made you think, "crap, that hit close to home"? Share some of your thoughts or link up!