Growing Pains {sentimental mommy}

My baby is MOBILE! She's not walking yet but she is very close. It amazes how quickly she learns new things. Just over the weekend she began standing up and using object and or people around her to get to where she wanted to go. It was so incredible to watch her navigate, at times very daringly, on her little feet. She fell a few times but that did not deter her. She's only 8 months old and I already admire her determined spirit. 

Some days I really do miss my teeny tiny baby I brought home from the hospital but I do have fun with the little character she has become. I just hope she remembers (though I know she won't) all the good times we have right now. How much I love and adore and sacrifice sleep for her. So when when she's 15 and I'm not cool anymore (who am I kidding I'll always be cool) and she's tempted to think she hates me (because no child of mine would ever verbalize such a thing... I hope), I just hope she remembers that I am the woman who carried her, nurtured her, prayed for her, and will always love her more than anything. 

These are just the things I think about because I know that having a girl means inevitably we will butt heads and at some point she will think she doesn't like me. Now I know why it bothered my mom so much when I had my teenage moods. I'm glad we're close and I hope me and Ava will have a close bond as well.

I am working on a "movie" for Ava which is basically just the compilation of all the videos I made during my pregnancy culminating with her birth. (Not her full birth, that was not recorded. Just the moment when I first held her). I am really please with the way it has turned out so far. I am so excited for her to see it but I am wondering when would be the best time? Maybe before she leaves for college, or the night before her wedding, or when she becomes pregnant? I'm not sure when but I hope it'll be something she'll treasure.

Though it's sad to think about I can't help but worry about something happening to me. My biggest fear is that were something to happen to me, she'll never know how much I love her, how much I breathe for her, how much my life changed the moment I found out about her. 

...Any way I won't write too much more about it or I'll cry myself to sleep :)

My friend posted this song the other day and I thought it was very sweet.

 

Would You Be Mine?

It’s Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is a day for love and the mass purchase of flowers and chocolate. I love that Valentines Day makes people happy. I’m not a huge Valentine Day kind of girl, but I recognize it’s place in our world as a day for the celebration of all things romantic. We don’t do too much to celebrate. We’ve always had low key Valentine’s Days and I generally enjoy them. They are private and fun, like us. Tonight was no different however y husband took our tradition to a whole new level with the AMAZING dinner he prepared. It seriously was one of the best tasting meals I've ever had. I really thought he bought it, but my kitchen was evidence that he put in some hard work!

Any way, the other night for fun my husband said “I feel I should ask to be sure…”

“Will you be my Valentine?”

It was simple and cute and we definitely laughed about it, but it also made me think. That simple gesture, asking some one to be your Valentine – it seems like people have forgotten how things used to be. Back in the day during courtships men would ask women with all sincerity to be their Valentine. The thought is sweet and endearing. It makes me think of the value of a woman. In the age of “I’ll take what I can get” or "At least I got a man", I think many women, especially younger women forget how special they are. They forget how coveted the position should be. A man should adore his woman, look upon and treat her with pride and adoration. Too often I hear women describing their relationships and feel completely unable to relate. As if I’m out of touch. The truth is, we’ve probably all wasted time on a less than steller man a time or two, but never to the point of compromising your value as a woman and more importantly as a person. What is considered normal within the confines of a relationship these days is tragic. I think we need a re-education and a reintroduction to our selves and the notion of love.

Love is not perfect. And while there are no set rules for how love should manifest itself, the result should be the same across the board. A smile. Simple.

Love is reciprocal.

I do believe men deserve to be spoiled too, in ways that are pleasing to them. But I came to the realization many years ago that if I’m loving you, and you’re loving you, who’s loving me? I demanded to be treated according to my worth. The man who appreciated my stance is now my husband. If a man cannot appreciate your self respect, he is not worthy of the title of your man or intimate partner. If you’re not looking for a husband that’s cool, but you still deserve some one who cares about you and has your best interest at heart. Likewise, you should be appreciated all year round and not just on Valentine’s Day. I find it ironic when a man gets major props on social media for sending flowers on Valentine’s Day but the rest of year he is carrying on all types of reckless. The FLOTUS - Mrs. Michelle Obama said it perfectly:

I could go on but I’ll leave it right there.

Enjoy loving and being loved.

Today's Juice

The juicing continues!

Today I made my own recipe again using :

- 1 large beet

- handful of grapes

- handful of baby carrots

- 3 strawberries

- 1/2 of lime

- 1 red apple

I have to say again, the beet flavor is very powerful. Even with all of these sweeter fruits, the earthiness (for lack of a better word) of the beet was extremely prominent. It still tasted decent though. I want to grow a tolerance for beets because they are very nutritious and essential to a body cleanse. The only thing this juice did not contain was a green vegetable. I think the greener the juice probably the better but I didn't want to chance it knowing how strong the beet flavor is.

I have to say since I have been juicing (all 3 days), I feel refreshed. I can't say I've notice any major changes other than a feeling of well being. Hopefully I will be able to move on to more challenging juice combinations that contain more vegetables than fruit.

Yes I love my Juicer!

My love for shiny, steel or chrome, metal or plastic kitchen tools continues to grow.

Truthfully, I just ought to do a post on Wedding Gifts that I haven't used. 

Any way... 

I finally broke out my juicer.

When I say I love this machine... I Looooovvveee this machine! It is amazing how quickly and easily I can make fresh juice. Since opening it I've made several juices that I will share. I made a fruit punch with apples, grapes and strawberries for my husband and mother and they loved it! It tasted better than the stuff we buy.

I decided this week I wanted to detox and flush my system of the junk and toxins that I am sure have been buildng up lately. So for my first juice I followed a recipe for a system cleanse. The recipe called for:

- Apples

- Cucumbers

- Celery

- Beets

- Lemon

- Carrots

I threw all the ingredients in the juicer and in less than 2 minutes had smooth, pulp free juice. 

I'm not going to lie, the juice was fresh but a little strong for a first timer like myself. I downed it but it wasn't easy. It didn't taste horrible but it was a little strong for me.

So today I decided to do my own concotion basing it off of a recipe I saw online for green lemonade. I lemons and lemonade so I decide to use:

- lemon

- 2 apples

- handful of grapes

- 3 stalks of celery

This one was better. Not as earthy tasting.

I haven't decided what tomorrow's juice will be, but I am definitely enjoying experiementing. 

The Modern Mrs is 29!

Yes, Yes indeed.

This is my last go around the block in my 20’s.

I must say it feels good though. Growing up I couldn’t wait until I turned 29. I vividly remember my mom being 29 - I was 5. She was vibrant, beautiful, and a lot of fun. I knew when I turned 29 I wanted to be the same way. Over the years my vision of what 29 would look like changed a bit. Well I can say I am 29 and most of predictions were wrong except for the fact that I am happy, healthy, and blessed. I really could  not ask for more. I know there are a lot of things I'm working on but I am content and grateful for the here and now. I believe 29 is going to be a great age for me and 30 will be even better!

Any way to commemorate this big occasion in my world I decide to create a “30 Things I want to do before I turn 30” list. It’s actually harder than I thought to come up with 30 things that I realistically think I can fit into 361 days (at this point). So…

I’m still working on it but will gladly share once it’s complete. Once I share it publicly there’s no going back!

I must also mention that today my parents celebrate 32 years of marriage! How amazing! I am very happy for them and I wish them many many more years to come!