Do Less

Margaret, check out her blog here, a friend from a message board showed me this amazing website called Productive Parenting. Everyday it sends you an activity to do with your child. I love it because while Kiley and I something everyday educational and fun, it's always nice to throw in something new.

They sent out an email this morning that really made me think. We all go crazy making so many New Years Resolutions. We can't keep up with them because we make so many, we go crazy trying to make them all work. So just do less this year. Don't make a ton of resolutions!

Worry about what your kids know and not what they can't do. Worry about what you can do and can achieve and not what you can't do or achieve. Worry less about the guilt you feel when you can't get something accomplished because of time. Make less commitments so you have more time to your self and your family.

Make senses, huh?

2010: A Year In Pictures & Small Words

2010, was a life changing year. I became a Mommy! It was the most breathtaking moment ever, hearing your baby cry for the first time. I may have gotten a lot less sleep this year, but it's worth it all and I wouldn't change it for the world!

January-
We started out the New Year in St. Lucia.

February-
We told everyone that didn't already know that we were expecting a baby! (We only told family that were expecting). Chris turned the big 29.

March-
We started working on the nursery. We picked out and purchased our furniture.

I took my first "bump" picture.April-

We found out that we had a healthy baby girl!!

May-
We had a busy May with lots of birthdays and of course the start of cottage season! Though May had some sorrow as my 85 year old grandmother who I was extremely close with passed away.

June-
We were just as busy, with my sister in laws bridal shower and good friends of our got married!

Gosh, do I look pregnant in this picture or what. Not to mention it was like a 1,000 degrees out this day!

July-
We made our last trip up to the cottage till Kiley came, just because we didn't want to go into labor while on the island.
37 weeks pregnant:

We revealed Kiley's nursery to the world.

I also had my fabulous baby shower.
My yummy,beautiful cake:

Belly pic-

August-
The month we we've been waiting for, for the past 9 months. Being pregnant for the first time you totally don't know what to expect going into labor. I've heard that labor comes when you least expect it and that surely was true for me. Chris and I went for my birthday dinner at Davio in Philadelphia, the waiter kept joking around that after such a good meal I'd go into labor. We played along with the joke. Never did I think that he would be correct. We came home and decided to walk the dog, well low and behold as we were about 2 houses away I felt something running down my leg, so we came home and sat down, and it happened again. At this point I figured I'd better call my OB, well 38 hours later this sweet, precious baby girl was born:

Last bump picture, 39 weeks and 1 day:



September-We learned what becoming parents was all about. We also got invited by Shop Rite to go to the NYC Food and Wine Festival. We met some awesome people, including Keely and Emily and their husbands. We also got to meet Tyler Florence, Ellie Krieger and Rachel Ray.

Kiley also had her first trip to the cottage:

My sister in law got married:

October-
Kiley had her first Halloween

November-We celebrated Thanksgiving with our families, Kiley had her first Thanksgiving.
We also started giving Kiley rice cereal. She had her first trip to the aquarium.

December-
I ran my first 5k! We had a great Christmas!

Kiley also started swimming classes and The Little Gym, she also got to play in her first snow storm!

We hope everyone has a safe, happy and healthy 2011!

Small Bits

• I've been cleared to work out again, so stay tuned for a weight loss/work out program I'm coming up with and hope some bloggers join me. =)
  
• I ran the other day for the first time in 9 months and it felt awesome!
• Kiley started to smile, stay tuned for pictures!
• My sister in law Lyndsay is getting married this weekend, we are all so excited!
• Kiley is sleeping so much better, we are getting about 3-4 hour stretches, up for an hour and then back down for another 3-4.
• I'm still breastfeeding, but supplementing with formula. Kiley was getting enough from me for each feeding, she's now eating 4 ounces at a time, every 2 hours, so she now gets 3 ounces of breast milk and and 1 ounce of formula. At night time she is completely feed from the breast.
  
• Kiley is finally starting to fit into newborn size clothing, so glad she is able to wear more of her outfits now!
  

Where have I been?

I promise you I haven't forgotten about this blog. The past few weeks just went a little crazy! As most of you know, I took a year off of teaching because I started my own wedding business. I decided that teaching is what I do want to do and that the wedding business will just be a side job, so I started looking for teaching jobs earlier this year for this upcoming school year, and nothing was out there. With school districts making cuts, it's a very hard time for teachers to find jobs. Luckily, two weeks ago I got a phone call from a school to come in an interview for a kindergarten teacher position! I was offered the position and in less then 3 days, I had to come up with lesson plans and get a classroom in order!

So I've been a bit cranky, but I defiently am enjoying my class so far. I'm not used to getting up and working all day and then coming home and continuning to work on lesson plans, etc.

So, yes, I'm still here, and no I didn't give up on this blog. I'm going to *start* to reguraly post again.