Threading

So, today, after like 2 months, I finally got my eyebrows done.  I wasn't waiting for any particular reason.  I just finally had a chance to go without having to deal with my toddler.  I feel like eyebrows frame your face and when they are shaped well they can make a huge difference.  There are several ways you can go about keeping them manicured-tweezing, waxing, shaving or threading.  I have tried all of these methods and thankfully my eyebrows grew back after some of my mishaps.  The method that works the best for me has been threading.  I don't have any idea how the women use a piece of thread to remove the hair, but its the coolest thing to watch being done.  I am unsure where it originated but have only seen it being done by Middle Eastern and Indian women. It seems to last longer and doesn't hurt as much as waxing.  I have been going to an Indian salon for 8 years now.  They do great work, are inexpensive ($7) and as long as I don't go on a Friday evening, I am in and out of there.


Before

After

Which method works best for you?

What we're reading 3, kind of...

Currently, I am not reading anything!  Except skimming through the occasional magazine.  Usually, its Real Simple.  During the day, I don't have time to read and in the evening, I don't feel like it.  I just want to veg out and watch a marathon of something good on TV.  Currently, we are watching The Wire.  Now that is some good TV!!!  I won't give any spoilers.  We are on the last season and I could watch all the episodes in one night, but I don't want it to end.  It's a show that follows a group of detectives and various "bad guys"-drug dealers, politicians, etc. in Baltimore. So, if you are having a break from reading and haven't already seen this show, check it out.

Onto the kids.  Currently, Mena is into Olivia and the Missing Toy and pretty much any book from the Olivia series.  The books are written by Ian Falconer .  The stories, which feature a pig named Olivia are funny and I really enjoy the minimalistic illustrations.

Idris is totally into zombie and comic books, as well as, graphic novels.  However, he has summer reading to complete, so we had to pick something off of the approved list.  He chose Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen.  It's about a boy who's new in town, who befriends some other kids and they try to prevent the destruction of an owl colony.  He's not that far into the book yet, but says "It's Cool," which translates to "I haven't made my mind up about this book yet."  Anyway, the book won a Newberry Award, so it must be pretty good.

What are you guys reading this summer?

Greenery

It's funny that I enjoy plants now.  As a child I couldn't stand them.  My mother had and still has a ton of them and they were always blocking the windows.  However, things have changed and I grew to appreciate them.   This is one of the "mini-gardens" in her place.

I love this space and look to it for inspiration.  One of the things I didn't inherit was my mother's green thumb.   It's crazy but I even manage to kill succulents, which is supposed to be one of the easiest type of plants to maintain.  I have about 7 plants and they have been the lucky bunch that have survived living with me.   They are mostly tropical plants and I have found that putting them outside until the temperature dips helps to rejuvenate them.  One plus for our yucky east coast heat and humidity!  I water them every few days or so, weather depending.  

I wish I had taken before shots, so you could see how they looked before.  I will probably be adding two more plants soon, a snake plant and something else that's hard to kill! 

Do you guys have any tips to share?

Adventures in road-tripping with a newborn and a toddler-Saratoga Springs, NY

Finally!!! The baby is napping, my daughter is out with Nana and the oldest is away at camp.  I am sitting in my childhood home which my mother has made into her own garden oasis.  I am enjoying a lovely cup of coffee and I have time to post!
Last Saturday, we drove our son up to The Adirondacks to attend summer camp.  On our way home, we stopped in Saratoga Springs, which was beautiful.
We had the younger two, so getting pics was a bit of a challenge since my daughter is still adjusting to the new baby and has become very clingy.
Anyhow, we spent time in Saratoga Spa State Park, which looks like one of those gorgeous college campus's from 80's films, but better and bigger.  There are big plush lawns and buildings from a time when beautiful architecture was appreciated.  There are geysers throughout the park and many have been tapped so you can just pull up and fill up your water bottles right there!  Which, many folks were doing.  People even pulled out there huge 5 gallon bottles (several of them at a time.)
We enjoyed walking in the springs, until my daughter didn't enjoy it.  She's at a stage where she likes something and then doesn't like it within seconds.  She's suddenly scared of bugs and the cloud of dirt that formed in the water when she moved, and a numerous amount of other things.  She has a strong personality and wants what she wants IMMEDIATELY, ha!  We also did a brief hike because my husband didn't pack the back pack to carry her and we didn't want to have to carry her all the way back.
After the park, we decided to head to the Downtown area, which was full of people and plenty of restaurant options.  We chose a Mexican restaurant and ate the quickest meal ever for several reasons.  It was noisy inside and too hot outside.  Also, it was the witching hour for Mena, so she wasn't into sitting in her high chair or with Daddy, and recently she's started doing this high pitched screaming-thing and then laughing when she's getting tired.  So we took a short walk around and grabbed some ice cream and headed to NYC.  FYI Ben and Jerry's has cotton candy ice cream that is soooooo good!
The ride home was lovely......NOT!  The baby wanted to nurse about every 45 minutes-1 hour, so a 3 hour trip turned into 5 1/2 hours by the time we hit the lovely traffic at Lincoln tunnel.  Thankfully, there was a parking spot waiting for us, which is huge here!
All in all, it was a lovely day!  We would definitely like to head back there and stay over for a few nights to enjoy the many mineral spring spas, visit the park again and try some different restaurants, but definitely not until the kids are a little older.

Making time for my girl

So the baby is finally here and.....It's a boy!!!!  Its been about a month since my last post as I have been quite busy with the  kids.  Anyway, I have learned a few tricks along these last few weeks which I will discuss in another post.  One of them has been learning how to squeeze in some much needed one on one time with my 21-month old daughter.  She is definitely in toddlerhood and although she loves her brother and is learning how to be patient, she needs her Mommy time.  So whenever I can, I try to give her my undivided attention.

Some days its impossible, and she makes do.  Today it was playing out in the backyard and a few days ago, we managed to make cookies.  The fun thing about toddlers is they enjoy doing pretty much anything.  So I do manage to get some chores done, although they take forever with my "Little Helper!"  And she loves, loves, loves going for walks.  Today, we played with her toys and then attempted to re-pot some plants.  She was scared of the earth, so I ended up repotting by myself. The gloves were a hit though!

It has definitely been more difficult to get acclimated to life with a new baby this time, but slowly, make that very slowly, we are getting there.

Do you have any tips to share?

Summer planning

It's that time of year again!  I like to sit down with my family and create a list of activities/trips we'd all like to do during the summer.  This year is slightly different because we'll have the new baby and aren't planning on taking a big trip, which has actually decreased some anxiety with having to plan and budget for it.  Also, because of this new baby and the fact that I have the entire summer off (yay...that has only happened once in my adult life!), funds are lower, so our plans can't be ostentatious!

I usually try to enroll him in day camp for a while, but he's at a weird age (too old for certain camps and too young for others), plus I will be at home so he can just hang with us.

I always check out the community paper for local events, "Like" local group pages on Facebook for great word of mouth info and check out online sites like Timeout and Uwishunu for ideas.  Also, join Living Social and Groupon for discounts.

Here's what we came up with this year.  It has pretty much the same things as last year, with a few things added in.

What summer plans do you have?

Waiting for baby...

So, I haven't posted in forever, simply because I had been so busy with work and caring for an energized toddler coupled with complete exhaustion!  I have recently gone on maternity leave, which has been great, and have finally been able to tackle my multiple home projects.  Its funny how many things can pile up when you are busy.  Plus, with the new arrival coming very soon, I had to do some organizing and clearing to make room.
As of now (I am due in a week) everything is ready and I have nothing left to do but complain!  Nature has a way of erasing the annoyances of the end of the pregnancy from your mind.  I forgot how miserable I become at his point.  Sleep is a joke, my energy has left the building, heartburn is constant and the mix of contractions, back pain, and cramping (which tease you that the big day is imminent) are all the culprits!  Also, to add to the mix, I have a super clingy toddler this go round, so everything feels that much more annoying.  As I mentioned before, I am an L&D nurse and I totally get why these women are coming to the hospital constantly, hoping to be in labor.  Alright, my venting is over!

What things did you guys do when waiting for labor to occur?