The trip we absolutely needed 💚🤍💚

The children and I just came back from a quick trip to Lagos, Nigeria and it was everything it was meant to be.

Family means a lot to me and for months I’ve been planning to see my cousin and her daughters and other family members. . . Something had to give because every time we tried to plan, it was always something blocking it (ticket prices/ Covid test travel fees, school schedules) as I said, it was always something.

I decided to make a move. Yes, there was a few days missed of school, but we booked and left. Seeing my family was the most wonderful experience ever, it was such a bonding and reminiscing moment. I just found myself looking around the room and just seeing so many beautiful things. … It was so priceless.

I am very close to one of my cousin’s and I couldn’t wait for the moment that my children, finally met her children. She hadn’t even met my daughter yet! & the last time she saw my son, he was just a baby! Now look how big everyone is.

The theme was definitely hearts everywhere! That’s all it was, my heart was full, and it is very much full.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in our own lives, we forget about what’s important. Family is important. Keeping God first is important. These are special and matter to me. What I took from this trip is i don’t want to be away from my family long.

My children had a blast, papa bear even surprised us there, which I did not expect, like I said – it was just everything it needed to be.

Traveling is so expensive these days which is another blog post on it’s own soon to come lol but, there are certain trips that are priceless.

Amazing Interactions.

Our family decided to go to the park. Everyone around us was having a good time, the sun was starting to set, it was just a lovely summer evening.

After a nice walk, we finally got to the playground and I couldn’t help but smile and feel genuinely happy about seeing all the children interact with each other, including my own. I honestly forget about COVID and caution. All I could hear is laughter and all I could see was positive energy.

What led me to write today was the fact that while my son was playing, a boy a bit older than him asked to play. He first approached him while my son was on the swing set and he said while I was pushing my daughter, “is this your son?” I said yes. then he asked my son, “Can I push you?.” At first my son said no, and the boy said “why not” and proceeded to push.

He enjoyed it and they were both laughing at how high he could push him on the swing. Afterwards, the boy turned around and said “do you want to play hot lava?, let’s go and don’t touch the ground.” And they were off.

This whole interaction made me smile and I was just observing. I was so fascinated by it, I even told papa bear “how amazing is this.”

It’s so important for children to be around each other because they can relate to each other in so many ways and their imaginations have no limits. I’ve seen my children play that game in our home, so I know my son was excited finding out someone else knows the same game.

How can people not learn from children, I literally said to myself, no wonder God loves children because they are just so fascinating to watch. They have different personalities, they are all trying to figure out themselves and how to do something, constantly. It doesn’t matter if it’s learning at school, just building up confidence to speak to others, or do something which will encourage another.

I cherish these learning moments from my children.

My last thought of this is, the happiness of being together. I am so glad that the world is slowly going back to how it used to be because I could tell that children missed each other and I could see how many parents were happy to be outside fully with their kids, including myself. We stay cautious of course but we are some what “free” again.

Four Years Of Motherhood 🎈

My big boy Jaden is about to be FOUR years old this Saturday!!! I’m literally going to be raising a four year old boy! Wow. Four years of motherhood! Four years of amazing memories. Four years of amazing growth, such a beautiful experience. Being a mommy to Jaden is the best thing on this earth! I wouldn’t change it for anything.

As I get older I realize this was always my path because I love being a mommy but as time goes by, I’ve found balance and I can accomplish everything I want to while still being a mommy. Of course there are sacrifices at times but it’s short lived! What’s important is that my kids know I love them unconditionally and that I’ll go above and beyond for them. Everything that I thought I couldn’t accomplish before or fell a part, are now coming together and it’s all God’s timing because maybe before I wasn’t ready or maybe I needed a different kind of motivation which I get from my children.

Life is what you make it and you have to enjoy the moments you can, create new memories daily and learn to be better each day.

I am so proud of my boy! Four years old! Smart, talkative, learning how to read (I just found out yesterday while we are doing night time stories) He’s asking questions, he tells me stories and sings songs and his brain is so creative! The list goes on and on. I am so blessed to be his mother! He’s a great big brother, who takes care of his sister and teaches her (good and sometimes naughty things lol) but their bond is unbreakable. I’m loving the little big boy he’s becoming and I know he’ll continue to do amazing things with God on his side and US.

Cheers to Papa bear and myself!

Sad Mommy :(

My last blog was about being a working contract mommy and this blog is about being a sad mommy 😦

I haven’t seen my kids for about two and half maybe three weeks soon and it’s really taking a toll on me. I miss them so much. I miss their presence and kisses and hugs and my son and daughter just following me around everywhere just because…. this is the sad part about the hustle and sacrifice. You do these things for the better but then you don’t want to do these things because of what you’re essentially leaving behind. It’s such a catch 22!

I believe all sacrifice is never in vain and there are definitely rewards for it but it’s so damn hard! In my perfect world, I’m doing nothing but taking care of my babies but I have a lot of other stuff going on so I have to keep pushing.

😦 don’t really feel like writing anymore….

Is there a groom yourself age limit?

Is there a grooming age limit for children?

I randomly came across this question while looking at the picture above.

My son Jaden loves to be pampered. Is it wrong that I let him at age three? I’m literally grooming him to enjoy good things. He loves to get pedicures on his tiny little toes and as you can see he knows what a good back massage and foot massage is. He says  “mommy, can you massage my feet or scratch my back.” Like!!! what do you know about that you little three old!

Honestly, I don’t mind treating him to mommies sweet foot massage or little back scratch. When I was younger, I remember my mom scratching my back when I asked it was the sweetest thing ever so maybe I’m just following a trait.

Am I training him up to be spoiled in this kind of way… Is it going to drive his lovely girlfriend or wife up the wall one day because he’s going to be asking for these things on demand… They do say we set up our children and then they are who they are, but I also believe that you’re never too young to enjoy something good as long as you know the value of it. I make sure I tell my son every day to be thankful, say his prayers and make sure he knows that some people don’t have things that he has and I use food as a good example. When he wants something and doesn’t feel like  eating it after he asked for it, I let him know that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a meal on their table on demand like you do so please finish up your food and it usually works. 

Everything is about moderation. Grooming is a part of life. I believe that kids should know how to put their shoes in order, know how to dress, brush their hair and teeth and know a routine and sometimes that routine consist of enjoying good things like pedicures and back massages.

At the end of the day, I know what I’m doing… I hope lol in the  meantime I will let his little three-old self, soon to be four enjoy those little things, but if I noticed him asking for something way more than often then it all comes to a stop and I’ll definitely have to deal with that consequence “C’est la vie” sometimes.

 

 

A never ending journey to a magical place. Bali, Indonesia.

For the first time, the children and I spent the Christmas/New Year season in a brand new place, Bali! Such an amazing place. The culture, the people, the enjoyment and food and touristy things… it was just one trip for the books that I will never forget. We did so much; monkey sanctuaries and snorkeling and temples & beaching… the list could go on.

Despite having a blast and literally living my best mommy life (how right?! With two toddlers there) One word NANNY! They practically cost nothing per hour I mean I was shocked at how little I had to pay for so many hours of childcare. I definitely got my money’s worth but before I get side tracked AGAIN despite having a blast, THE JOURNEY there and back was a nightmare.

First off and so sad, papa bear couldn’t make it because of passports issues! I was already two arms and two legs short of what I needed but I’m super mom and I always make it work which I did. Was it easy? Absolutely not! We were on three airplanes both coming and going and the trip took a total of 23 hours! Can you believe that! I mean who doesn’t want to enjoy paradise but 23 hours with toddlers… I realized I really must have needed that break.

Jaden and Jada did amazingly well with all that up and down flying but when that restlessness set in, let’s say I was looking for the extra help I needed from papa bear. I had to keep them busy and feed them and change them and make sure I ate and didn’t spill my wine which I did multiple times because how much space can I have with a toddler on my lap (she is about to turn two and those days are soon sadly over $$$$$) but yes, it was a lot ! From Atlanta to Canada to Hong Kong to Bali I mean can someone give me my damn motherhood of the year award already…. that’s motherhood though isn’t it! So much doing and little getting. I accept it because I do it all out of love.

Going on such a crazy long journey with the kids really made me evaluate how I do things for myself… Just as little as getting the stroller together, and making sure this bag is here and these toys are there and the drinks are here. It’s so exhausting!… But again I did it. Every single detail counts when it comes to traveling with children and sometimes you get annoyed with yourself, because you do end up taking stuff you didn’t even need anything to yourself why the heck didn’t I check that in!!! I’m just so happy that it worked out and I didn’t have a breakdown now this is just us getting to Paradise not to mention us leaving Paradise… I change the whole flight plan because I had to get my kids to west Africa and from Bali to buy his clothes and from Dubai west Africa is close so why would I take myself all the way back to the United States when I’m closer than ever. I’m  just so happy that it worked out and I didn’t have a mommy breakdown but then I did. That was just us getting to paradise not to mention us leaving paradise.

I change the whole flight plan because I had to get my kids to West Africa and from Bali to Dubai is relatively close  and from Dubai to West Africa is close so why would I take myself all the way back to the United States when I’m closer than ever right?! I got myself in so much shit lol 😆 I happen to find an amazingly cheap ticket to get us where we needed to go but the flight plan was horrific… Bali to China, to Hong Kong to Dubai. I literally flew up and down I mean what was I thinking, those were one of those I feel terrible moments because I should’ve put my kids through that even though we all survived it. Let’s just say next time no cutting corners!! I’m  paying the full price and taking the fastest route. Even though I was in China for such a short time they were giving me so many problems just to do a transit and that’s when I had my mommy break down. Immigration there was asking me for all sorts of things for no reason why does this passport have this name, why does this passport have this name, obviously I’n married mr. Immigration… Maiden name, married name! I was just so happy that they gave us our quick 24 hour transit and I could get out of there. It’s already hard enough that I was doing an Israelite journey &  I didn’t need any crap from any immigration officer’s.

When I think of everything as a whole I just think wow 😳  there can be a price to pay to make it to Paradise… But, I guess it’s all part of the journey but let me tell you something if I ever do any type of trip like that again there’s absolutely NO WAY I’m doing it alone without papa bear point blank period!!

 

Motherhood. The new decade. (Happy New Year)

Happy New Year! A new decade is amongst us and I have so much to share again. I took a break because well state the obvious I was mommy-ing, but I was also wife-ing and working! Yup that’s right WORKING (not your regular 9-5 either) but we’ll save that blog for another day.

Jaden and Jada have grown up so much, there characters are something to share. What they say and what they do and how they bond is something special and I look forward to sharing this all from my eyes in words.

Stay tuned and again,
happy new year. May we all have a great start to the new year 🥂

Another ONE 💗

Papa Bear & myself did it again. We made the accomplishment of another child surviving to ONE. Jada our little princess.

We had a fun little party at an indoor play place just like we did for Jaden at the time. Games, food & good conversation. Nothing over the top. She had a blast, her brother had a blast & so did their cousins. We both Thank God she is growing beautifully , healthy  and is already learning things at an amazingly fast pace. She knows how to say her name to her best ability and she knows how to play peek-a-boo & run if you tell her to run, she recognizes most faces she’s seen like her Nana & Grandpa and aunties, she even knows how to sing “Johnny Johnny” which by the  way is the cutest thing ever. I am happy, I don’t know anything about raising a little girl but I’m learning Day by day and if I’ve done it with my son, and continue to do so, I know I can do it….

& NOW. Down to the NITTY GRITTY.

Jada is so different than her brother, at times I thought she would be more calm… she actually more wild. She really doesn’t take  nonsense at her age. She is VERY demanding whether it be with me or her brother/father. She knows how to get what she wants just by her non speaking voice so I can only imagine when the words start coming up. Jada is adorable but she’s a handful & half. I’m catching on to her ways and I’m trying to keep up.

I don’t know if I believe in horoscopes anymore but my daughter is a Gemini & sometimes I can see both sides of her in a span of ten minutes but I’m the QUEEN of the castle & whether she likes it or not I have to firmly put my foot down lol

The relationship between Jaden & her brother  is still amazing & I think they have their communication lingo locked it. They definitely balance each other out even though Jaden will pull the big brother card at times, he has the right to though. They are both independent but also love each other’s company and it’s everything I could ever image it to be.

Jada’s development is daily and I’m just happy I can to experience it all again for the second time around… I do miss some moments, I was very on point with my son, caught everyone moment. With her, it’s just like a smooth ride of “oh you have teeth now” but for her brother it was “grab the camera, teeth, teeth, teeth.” Nevertheless I’m enjoying it all, because they are only so small for such a short time.

Banana Split 🍌

It’s 5:37am May 14th 2019. I got woken up by a crying son who thought I wasn’t around. “I want my mommy, where’s my mommy” I instantly cuddled him and said “I’m here Jaden I’m right here.” His sleepy  crying eyes started to realize that he was dreaming and he’s calmed down.

Suddenly my daughter who is still breastfeeding starts to cry because I’ve pulled her off her milk supply. She’s making all types of noises and I can tell she’s upset she’s not drinking her milk… I put her back on.

Jaden now says he wants to cuddle with me again and he wants to sleep on my chest. “I’m feeding your sister” I said and again he just got upset!

It’s times like this, I wish I was two of me. It’s so hard to give the exact attention to both of them at the same time when they both need it. They both want to be close to me, they both want to lay their head on my chest but my chest is only so big 😦 dilemmas and quick thinking. I shifted my girl to the left, I moved him to the right and I’m laying down straight so I can give them half a side each. It temporarily worked but they were both still complaining small, lucky for me the “sand man” came and put them back to sleep.

My son has now scooted over to right and my daughter is about to be scooted to the left so I can catch a few more zzz’s

Oh the joys of motherhood.