November Highlights 2014

Welcome back Wendy where have you you been? Well I'm glad you asked. I know I have been away from my blog for some time now and a lot has happen this pass month that I have been beyond grateful for. In today's post I decided to share my most memorable moments in the month of November of 2014. I was pretty busy in my kitchen as well but I'll explain more in this blogs. I went through my phone photo gallery to look back at some pictures i took in the month of November and below are a list of moments that I want to share...some may be mommy related and others are more family related..the point is that they were special to me.

Family Taco night: 

It was a Wednesday night instead of the famous traditional "Taco Tuesday" we had tacos on Wednesday. For once it was a night where mommy wasn't hurting her self in the kitchen or in attempt to burn something.  It was a quick and easy dinner to make and prepare....plus the girls were independently making tacos like the big girls that they are. Joannelly wanted tacos a week before that night and it turn out to be a big success in the kitchen....click here --> Taco Blog

Birthday/Big Hero 6:

Last month Disney premier the movie "Big Hero 6" about a robotic health care provider was created then after a tragedy the robot was in the care of a 14 year old boy named "Hiro" It was a beautiful made family movie and it came out three days before my birthday (Nov. 10) I thought that was a perfect opportunity to take mommy out to the movies for her birthday.  The girls were more excited about the movie than mommy turning a year older. We had our family movie and dinner date by New Rochelle in NY.  click here ---> BIRTHDAY vlog

Baby Zoey/she turned 5 months:

So as you know by now I have a huge obsession with my latest niece..I adore her with all my heart. This month I have spent so much time with her and I couldn't ask for the best moments with her. Watching her grow and learn new things she just give me baby fever to the max and takes me back to memory lane of when my girls were 5 months. I have seen this baby come out from the most darkest place in a mother's body, I have seen this before with my first niece but it wasn't as much intensive as the birth of my fourth niece. I have the same love for all my nieces but I feel we shared a moment a special one at that.

Lunch with the little sister:

It was the day of my birthday and I had lunch with my sister over at Olive Gardens..it was our first time eating there (didn't know they had complementary wine taste) I wish I hadn't forgotten the name of the type of wine the waiter gave me..after we ate our lunch I was grilling at the pumpkin pie cheese cake on the menu that the minute my waiter asked "would you like anything else?" I look straight at her and she knew exactly what my heart wanted. Next thing I know I heard a bunch of waiters with my slice of pie singing "Happy Birthday" to me. I was at peace with my pretty pretty baby, slice of pie and a glass of some good wine I had.

2 Frozen party plus 2 other parties: 

First thing I want to mention was that I thought "Beaver Fever" was bad but Frozen fever is just to overwhelming.  Don't get me wrong I LOVE Frozen, the girls and I would watch the movie over and over till the point we couldn't "Let it go" but it gets tired at one point like these sisters are not the only Disney princess out there. But I don't mind giving the little princesses what they want. In the month of November the girls and I attend to two Frozen parties. We also went to another party for my little cousin who turned 3 and the girls grandfather who turned 60. Click here --> Frozen vlog

NYC Mommy Meetup:

As a YouTube mommy vlogger, I love watching other YouTube mom's and YouTube vloggers. The 411mommas had a mommy event with venders for kids and mommies. There was a performance and a panel filled with other YouTube mommy vlogger/bloogers. I was able to share this moment with my best-friend and she could have been the perfect person to go with it. She accepts the fact the I do YouTube videos, blogging and support me through it all. We really enjoyed ourselves a lot and left home with AMAZING goodie bags for mommy and for the kiddos too! 
Click here -->  mommy meetup vlog

Cake cupcake cake-pops:

In a week never did i thought I would be so busy in my kitchen and my oven so over heated in three days. I had two orders in one week. I guess it was a good experience for when I launch my baking business. I was impressed with myself that I was able to complete that much work in just a week. And I was very pleased with my end results, it inspired me to see that my dreams can come true with a lot of hands on work believing that the outcome would be much more then one could imagine.

Night out with the big brothers:

After the second Frozen party,  daddy and I needed a night out away from anything kid-related environment.  We ended up going to a pub downtown where a cousin of mines works. I realized there is so much more in the night life then just a night out in a club. I wanted to experience bar hopping and an adult environment where can be enjoyable without someone looking down at you. The night out with the big brothers was a pleasant night with some beers and wings.

Thanksgiving Potluck:

This was the night I agreed to bring pies and cupcakes to the girls school Thanksgiving Potluck.  It was a nice night for the kids to have a big family Thanksgiving with their other scholars and teachers. There were so many dishes and ridiculous amount of pumpkin pies. It was a crazy night for me because it was the same week I did my two baked orders and the potluck was the night before the day of the two deliveries.  In the end it was fun, crazy getting there,  chaotic with noisy kids and the food was so delicious.

Thanksgiving week: 

This pass week the girls had the entire week off from school. To me it meant an entire week of drinking extra coffee in the morning and tons of sleep because I didn't have to wake up so early (5:45 am)  I did a few clips of the week base on what we did each day as part of a YouTube video I'm working on for my channel.. Lovelynelly23. The week went by fast and the last few days was spent with my older sister and the kids in my house for three days.

Christmas list:

As I mention before the last three days of the girls Thanksgiving vacation my older sister spent it at my house. We planned a post Thanksgiving dinner for the kids but it turned into a lighting of my Christmas tree.  I had the nieces and nephews including the girls to create a Christmas list to send to Santa, I ended up with like seven 3-page Christmas lists. That was fun, the kids got a chance to decorate the tree and I helped light up the tree.  It wasn't as exciting as the Rockefeller tree but at least they got to enjoyed each other company before going back to school.

These moments are close to my heart and I love that it happen in November. Hopefully this month (December ) we can end the year with a bang! I want precious memories before a new year starts and I hope I could share them with my readers. And don't forget to click on the links mentioned in this blog post to watch my YouTube videos I do with my girls on the weekends.

Until the next Blog..

Our Summer

Since the last post, I've been contemplating on doing the things i needed to do. looking at my dashboard of all the drafts i have yet to complete on, so i decided to just combined them all into one post. I have a lot on my plate right now to spending so much ( not really) time on one that is 3 weeks old. Don't get me wrong i love writing on my blog, i just days where i am least paying attention to it.I'm still dealing with the lost of my job, however i keep putting myself out there, just like my motto for this year "Make it Happen"
How back to this past summer that the girls and i had. This summer wasn't an all out of this world summer but it wasn't a bad one either. I can say the girls have enjoyed their summer, needless to say it wasn't that hot they some how made it their summer. Back in June daddy and i took the girls Lego Land Discovery Center in Westchester ( although i could use a trip to California) It was a friend of mine that told me about so it was our first trip their. So we went and it was an amazing adventure. I grew up with Lego because my brothers and cousin would stay playing with Lego so it was nice to share that experience with my girls. As a family we were pretty busy at Lego-land, the girls enjoyed the Lego class and especially the Lego-land indoor playground. Our fourth of July was an incredible family getaway  to Pennsylvania, we spent the weekend going to Hershey Park. I came to the realization that i love road trips and wish my family did that more often. Joannelly is really a thrill-seeker, we didn't go on all the rides but that didn't stop JoJo. There was this one ride where it looks like you will end up with a headache even though its a ride for kids, Amelia on the other hand did not like that ride at all.

Despite the fear that Amelia had about that roller coaster she was brave enough to ride...i have really brave girls!! Before we went to P.A. my older brother had plan a BBQ for his youngest son 3rd birthday and guess what the theme of the birthday....LEGO! I also made my nephew some lego cupcakes for his birthday, i love baking so i was excited to make the cupcakes for him. Last month my older sister and i had planned to go to a Hindi Color Festival at Staten Island, somehow our time management wasn't so great that we ended up in Staten Island for just Panera Bread, can't complain the girls got a chance to the Statue of Liberty for the first time. Its these unexpected trips that makes every minute worth cherishing.


The rest of the summer was spent with one of my nieces, i was babysitting until she started school in Sept. The remaining summer was spent at my local playgrounds and eating free summer meals. I tried to keep our summer fun and affordable even with my financial concerns. I know the girls had fun, we also got a chance to go to a couple of fun birthdays which most of them where circus theme. The one moment that changed our lives and couldn't be any grateful to have in our family is the birth of my baby niece Zoey! she is the most adorable human being the world. we just can't get enough of Zoey and i am very proud of sister so far doing a great job as a new mother( i guess since is known as the fossil aunt).

Overall our summer was a pleasant summer, we enjoyed being around family, lots of sun, beaches, BBQ and memories we can keep embracing as we get older. Good bye Summer of 2014 you wasn't as hot as we all expected but we did enjoy the time we shared. Now that school had started the year is still not over.

Until the next Blog...

Spring Break Vaca Day 5 "Cousin Date Day"

This NYC weather is driving me crazy! Its the middle of April and i'm feeling cold! Like I kept telling people, i am  not a  weather woman but we will have a long summer. Today was day 5 of our Spring Break activities and i'm pretty sure you all reading along thinking to yourself "oh how i wish I was those little girls" or "I would love to do that with my kids". Its funny because these are the same comments I've been getting since I started my plan. Its all about creating a plan and making sure the plan fits your budget to how much you decide to spend, most importantly do your research, I know I did. It is a lot of work to be planing and monitoring all these activities which is why I got some help. Thankfully hubby was off from work today we were able to go the aquarium today, despite the breeze weather, I made sure the girls were learning something and having fun. My niece was also off from school so I brought her with us didn't want her to stay home bored. Because of Sandy and new renovations that were going on, we really didn't see much. 

   The girls love the idea of watching fishes in a huge fish tank was amazing to them but for daddy he was making sure the girls weren't bumping into people which was impossible because it was crowded. I just want to clarify that I am not doing these vacation posts to brag about what my girls did on their spring break but help parents plan trips that are easy and affordable to do with their kids. Not many parents know what to do with their kids because either they don't have the time to search or not sure whats suitable for their child's age. I'm not rich or spend crazy money, i am just blessed to have what i have and fortunate enough to share this experience with my readers. After we finished watching whatever sea animals were able to see, we walked right over to the boardwalk to grab some lunch. I can't wait till we come back in summer to Coney Island and enjoy the attraction and the beach. I remember when I was little I came to Coney Island with my mother, brothers and a few of my cousin. I wasn't sure where I was but I do remember the beach by the boardwalk it was beautiful sun and hot sand. As weird as this weather was today I know the girls had a good time. So now i end this blog here for another adventure awaits for tomorrow. ....

Until the next Blog....

Spring Break Vaca Day 3 "Broadway Show Day"

           Today was the biggest surprise for the girls today. The plan for today was to see a Broadway musical show, which better than Cinderella!!! with Fran Drescher and Carly Rae Jepsen. The girls were very tired but excited to see the show, I guess because of the Disney story of Cinderella that they know not the Broadway version.  This morning I didn't get to clean up the house only because I was a little moody and tired from yesterday's work oh I also got the "time of the month".  When we women get our period its kinda like an off switch to our mood...everything bothers us and it makes everything we do around our surroundings so frustrating.  My mood today was off because the girls woke up extremely early.. well Jojo did and then Amelia. I was not ready to deal with children at 7 am especially on a vacation day, as a mother I shouldn't say that but as a human being its the truth. I thought maybe if I turn on the t.v. in my room (yes I do have a t.v. in my room for those days when its just me and the girls at home) maybe just maybe the girls would stay in my bed to watch t.v. while I rest for another hour. Yeah that didn't last long only one episode of Doc Mcstuffin and they were out of my room playing. Ok I got up made breakfast,  printed out our reference to pick up our tickets then i read that we had to be at the theater an hour before the show, it was 11 and I had 2 hours to get ready to be downtown by 1. That didn't sound to appealing it sound more like chaos rushing the girls to get ready and be at theater at 2. 

         As i mentioned in my pass blog about transportation, in the city we have local buses and express bus that travels from one borough to another. So desperate times calls for desperate measures, we took the express bus, its cost us triple the price of the local bus fare. We got to the theater, sat in our seats while we waited for the show to began. Lets keep in mind most Broadway musicals are about 2 hrs long so I was proud in keeping the bathroom breaks down pack and snacks only because I brought our own made lunch from home. This was the girls first Broadway show and my second (my first show was off Broadway a class trip many many years ago) so the girls didn't know what to expect. As tired as they were, they skipped nap-time, they really enjoyed themselves.  The show was amazing and funny, its a show you never expected certain part of the story to happen which makes it unique.  We laugh a lot and clap a lot despite all of that I too enjoy myself, Jojo was so into the story and Carly too. Amelia on the other hand was busy keeping herself awake didn't work cause she took a nap on my shoulders.  

           The experience was memorable cause all I kept thinking to myself that this was something my mother (who is no longer with us) would wanted us to explore different things with our children. And the fact that she admired Fran Drescher in the show "The Nanny" to now being able to see Fran in person then share it with the girls just made it even more special. To me its hard doing these adventures with my girls without my mother because she wanted to take us to do these kind of adventures that we are doing now with own children. I know if she was still with us she would have enjoyed school shows, graduation,  birthdays and family vacation trips. But the funny thing about all of this is that its exactly what she wanted for us to do with our own kids, is to have these experiences as they got bigger. I love her for teaching us that no matter who we become in life never forget where you started from. So our adventure continues tomorrow and I want to apologize if these post are late its just that I feel more free writing when everyone is asleep. If you are following us on our Spring Break vacation blogs I really appreciate you taking the time to read about the girls experience. 

Until the next Blog....

Surprise Spring Break Vaca Day 2 "Mommy had to work Day"

Well today wasn't really a big surprise, the girls had to stay with their grandmas cause I had to work. The plan for today was suppose to be a play date with one of Amelia close friend from school but it got cancel. I hate canceling dates on people its not something I like to do but in certain  cases it just has to be done. No biggie,  its OK the world is still going around. Anyways the good part about this is that something cool happen on our way to grandmas. When you are living in the city the best way to travel is through public transportation, maybe your transportation is not as great or clean but it does takes us where we need to go. In our case it was an hour and half from a bus to a train to our destination..Washington Heights. When traveling with kids can be a little difficult whether its with a stroller or you have more than one kid. And it can be scary, the kid gets left behind at the station or in the train, even worst falls into the tracks. We should always be cautious with our little ones in any situation.  OK we woke up this morning, me being the last one to wake up, fed them breakfast, got them bath and dressed to be out the door. So that took us about 3 hrs to complete. This rain was not our friend today, it was so windy we couldn't hold up our umbrellas.  By the time we were out the door the girls were getting sleepy being that this weather does make you wanna stay home all cozy up watching t.v. all day. 

35 minutes later now we are on the train, it took me a good minute to realized an ad. When I saw my eyes pass through this ad we spotted one of our favorite You Tuber Rosanna Pansino from Nerdy Nummies! If you have no idea who i'm talking about then let me explain....she does baking videos inspired by video games (since she loves video games) or anything nerdy. So if your kid has a birthday coming up who love video games check out her channel and your treats would be the life of your kids party.

              Now back to our day, I was able to drop off the girls at grandma and manage to get to work an hour early. This meant a stop at Target. I think Target is a drug because it has everything and it gets you coming back for more. So I was there getting all the Easter goodies for Sunday, just so you know as part of my preference I am not making any Easter baskets for the girls this year instead ill make some bake goodies!!. (A post of that while be up in the future) Then I bought a notebook to keep track of my sister's baby-shower, after all I am in charge of such a beautiful occasion. I did my 4 long hours of work to get home with none other...... SNOW!! Its spring time and it clearly states "April showers brings May flowers" but why more snow, the good thing is that the snow is not sticking to the ground. To end my night I was surprised to have read from a text message my husband sent me that Joannelly lost a tooth, so he wanted to award her with a little something (obviously mommy did the work for him) I also took some time to prepare our lunches for tomorrow's adventure. I learned from my older sister that everywhere she went she would always pack a lunch, it may seem weird but in some cases it would save you a lot of money.  Especially if you live in the city with small portion for a big price, unless you know a spot that's worth the price then your tummy and wallet would be happy. I like preparing things the night before that way in the morning all I have to worry about is making breakfast and cleaning up. When coming back from a trip the last thing I want to worry about is cleaning up because i'm going to be tired from being with the kids all day. So now that everything is ready to be packed tomorrow i'm going to get my rest for tomorrow adventure.

 

Until the next Blog...

Weekend beauty finds

Here are my weekend finds at Duane Reade! After work i need to buy some "girly" things for myself. Most of these stuff i wanted to try and others i just needed. I like posting these thing because every mommy needs a time to buy something for herself. I know i'm not the only one but when i go to buy something for me i come home with bags full of stuff for the kid, then i'm thinking "Oh yea i was suppose to buy deodorant!" So ALL these stuff is ALL for mommy!..lol

1. Beauty cotton rounds
2. Lemisol Feminine Wash
3. L'oreal Ever Curl gel
4. Almay Eye Make-up remover
5. Wet n Wild Mega Protein Mascara
6. Miss Jessie's Creme de la Creme
7. Naked Protein Zone Mango 
8. Nice! Bunch Burnt Peanuts

Until the next Blog!..

Queens Farm Fall Family Fun

Hey Bloggers

We went to the Queens County Farm and it was pretty enjoyable.  We went with my older sister, her friend and the girls cousins. Our plan for this adventure was to do the corn maze but I wanted to the pumpkin picking. We did the maze and boy I didn't expect us to take about an hour and forty minutes to get to the end of this corn maze but we did. We were  exhausted and excited that we reach the end. I didn't think doing the maze would take up too much of our time so we ended up getting our pumpkins in the shop. The day ended with a ride back home asleep.

I hope you enjoy these pictures and until the next blog...