Friday, June 24, 2016
Thursday, June 23, 2016
6 Month Follow Up For Me
After three years of 3-6 week follow up appointments, my Thyroid medicine fluctuating up to 220 down to 150 and every dose in between, scans, bloodwork, Cancer bloodwork screening and being poked at I finally graduated to needing to see my specialist every 6 months! I walked out of my appointment with a grin ear to ear.
It's been a rough, emotional, painful, hopeful process and the kicker is this: Fall 2015 was a rough season for me. My personal life had some things going on that increased stress in my life. Ironically that's when my lymph nodes swelled and abnormal findings on my ultrasound showed up.
Things in my life started to test me more and more and finally by May was put to rest.
Things turned around. My prospective of life turned around. I started to be happier. My scans were now normal. My levels regulated. My need for Tylenol three times a day decreased. My lymph nodes went back to normal size. Life turned around.
It's time to turn your life around too! Cheers to healthy and happy beginnings!
Summer Breakfasts Are The Best: Enjoy Your Summer
Waking up late...well two of them. No plans in the morning. Fresh waffles with fresh strawberries hand picked over weekend from my sister. I even snuck in a spoonful of Cobani Greek yogurt in the waffle batter. No rushing. A movie playing in the other room "The Little Mermaid". It's the little things in life that help start the day right.
Hope you have some of these mornings where the mess doesn't bother you and you don't have to run around to get everyone out the door. Where you can actually enjoy your hot coffee without reheating it.
Summer relaxation isn't only about laying in the sun on the beach. It's about embracing the natural sunlight. Making smores past bedtime. No set plans and running around. Sticky suntan faces. Ice pops and darkeness setting past their bed time and yours.
Embrace it. Enjoy it! We look forward to this weather all year.
It's All About Balance! This Stage Of Life Is Hard
I read this article and it is spot on about being a Mom, trying to identify with who you are while caring for others,how marriages change and how important it is to find friends who help balance you! How it's ok to ask for help so you don't need to do it all alone, etc... I read this and forwarded it to all my mommy friends.
"This Stage Of Life? It's Hard" http://austin.citymomsblog.com/2016/04/20/stage-life-hard/
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
As Frustrating As It May Be Have Some Patience
Mornings start super early and although I can push some extra sleep there's always that one kid who prevents me from getting sleep.
My three year old is the first to wake up in the morning and the last to go to bed. She's quiet and super independent. She is like no other kid I have. She keeps to herself but when she wants to be heard the whole neighborhood hears her. She's the closest to me and I tend to be the toughest on her. She's super stubborn and so persistent in getting her way. Ever since she was a baby she hated to sleep.
Nap time has turned into her falling asleep on the couch and bed time is me sneaking out of her room as she doses off.
Well tonight was another late night. She never falls asleep before 9:30. Meanwhile the other two kids hit the pillow and knock out.
I am not one to cuddle at bedtime. If I am in their room I ensure them they are safe but laying next to them means I end up falling asleep and there goes my "me" time.
So tonight I bring her to bed. She's wide awake. In my head I beg please just fall asleep so I can some "me" time. I start laying next to her and by 9:45 my patience are slim to none. I crawl to the end of her bed and sit on the ground. "Mamma hold me" she says. "No it's time for you to go to bed. You had a long day. You can't do this every night I respond."
Ten minutes later I wake up. I had fallen asleep on the ground. I get up and check on the kids and notice my daughter's feet are where her head should be. I realize she fell asleep at the edge of her bed. Where my back was to her. Damn I think. That's kindof sweet.
This moment in life is tough. Early rising. Late night bed times. But these moments will pass. They will be older and more independent and different problems. We as parents have to learn to keep our patience in check. Yeah bedtime sucks but when they are asleep and so sweet is when you want to love them the
most!
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Add Color To Your Salads
Turn a boring salad into a colorful treat by adding broccoli slaw to your salad. It's full of vitamins and already shredded and comes ready to eat. Adds a great texture to salads too. Top it with whatever dressing you like! Happy healthy eating!
Best Of Shoreline 2016
Good Morning Readers! The polls for The Best Of The Shoreline are open! Be sure to vote for your favorites and you will be entered into a drawing.
2016 Best of the Shoreline
Monday, June 20, 2016
Make Memories...
This summer take the time and do things. They don't have to be expensive things. Just take the time and create memories with your children, family, friends and loved ones.
Life is short! Be sure to do things that you can look back on and smile about.
Goodie Bag Ideas That Won't End Up In The Trash
So many parties I have thrown for my daughter and always the big question : what to put in the goodie bag thats won't get thrown away.
Check Out These Fun And Unique Goodie Bag Ideas Options Minus The Bag:
No More Goodie Bags: 12 Birthday Party Favors That Won't Get Thrown Away
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Happy Father's Day Readers
Happy Father's Day to you, your husbands and fathers! Great men are hard to come by. Grateful for the good men I have in my life!
Saturday, June 18, 2016
The Spread In Norwalk CT
I haven't been here in a while and everytime I drive by it has a great crowd. Went tonight for a long overdue date night and really was delicious.
Fun Cocktails with a rustic ambiance
Fried Potato Gnocchi
We split burger that is grass fed beef and awesome tasty fries
Steak Tartare- sorry half way eaten, he couldn't wait to dive into this
MILKCRAFT Ice Cream In Fairfield CT
If you haven't tried MILKCRAFT in Fairfield then definitely make the trip. Super cool and tastey. A little on the pricey side but a great treat! I got their peanut butter and jelly on a waffle cone. So tastey with a bit of banana in it. Cone was soft and crunchy. My daughters tried vanilla on their glazed donut. Holy sweet treat but just enough! My husband got strawberry on a waffle cone. Just right on sweetness side. They even had Jed's Maple Cotton Candy. One of our favorites! I could see myself craving this place more than I should.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Connected Spiritually
Having a twin sister has it's advantages and disadvantages. One huge cool factor is we have a "sixth" sense with eachother and can feel each others pain or know when something is wrong.
I read it over and over again how twins get this gut feeling when it comes to one another.
I sometimes picked it up with other people in my life. Close and not close to me. Well since my daughters injury my foot has been throbbing. I know it's probably mental from feeling bad for her. I mentioned it to her today and she asked me how it was possible. I replied that we are connected spiritually and I am feeling her pain.
Have you ever experienced this? It's a surreal sense. Whenever I did "healings" which again I am no Pro and haven't practiced in a while, but after I would try a healing on someone I later felt their pain.
We underestimate how spiritually connected we all are to one another. A while ago a friend asked me to pray for her. She was having financial difficulties. I told her a couple of positive ways to think. A couple weeks ago she came up to me and said remember when I asked you to pray? Well we are doing great.
Was it my doing? Not sure. But by having her view the situation differently and having faith could have helped her situation.
We are all connected. It's the stress and chaos of our life that helps us not see it.
Happy National Flip Flop Day!!
I LOVE flip flops! If I could wear them everyday year round I would.
I always wanted to open a Flip Flop shop. Maybe one day I will move down south and do it. Til then I will enjoy the weather in CT and take advantage of the flip flop weather we've been having lately!
Accidents Happen! All We Want Is For Our Kids To Be Safe, Happy & Healthy!
I took the day off and planned a play date in the morning with my mommy friends. I set up the pool, they had water balloons and water guns. The kids were having a blast.
They stopped to have a snack and as they ran back barefoot I heard my oldest daughter scream. She ran back toward me. I thought she got stung by a bee. She lifted her foot and said a piece of wood got stuck in it.
I sat her down and put peroxide on it. The wood was deep in her foot. No typical splinter. I looked at my mommy friends and they said go. I put her on my back and into the car. After three shots and three stitches we left the urgent care facility.
Accidents happen! What was a fun filled morning ended with an unexpected injury.
With all the sad tragic news circulating the news we must always remember that all we want in life is for our kids to be safe, happy and healthy. We need to stop judging parents that have been faced a tragedy.
Accidents happen. Could some be prevented? Yes, absolutely! But who are we to criticize and make any parent dealing with a tradegy feel worse. Being a parent isn't easy! Always remember that!
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Clean Scans For Me...3 Years Cancer Free
I don't care what type of Cancer you have had, all cancers suck. The feeling you get in your gut when you hear your diagnosis is something no one should have to experience.
There was a suspicious findings on my neck ultrasound a couple months ago and as I drove to the radiology department in New Haven I couldn't help but get a wave of nausea. Flash backs to driving to Yale for my surgery came back to me. I felt like I was suffocating. Please please let the scans be clear I prayed walking in. Today I went for a follow up scan of my lymph nodes and it's all clear.
When I drove home I started to cry. The feeling of relief set over me. I couldn't imagine driving home thinking the Cancer came back.
When I was diagnosed I was 6 months pregnant with my second child. The song "This Girl Is On Fire" was released. It was my song to fight the fight. I heard it driving home followed by "How Wonderful Life Is When You're In The World."
Those fighting, stay strong through the fight. To the survivors I hope one day your brain forgets what you had to go through. Cancer is an enemy that won a lot of battles. Fortunately it hasn't won mine!
Dear Moms You're A Good Mom Even On Your Worse Days
I saw this and it's so true! The roller coaster ride of being a Mom. Sometimes you look in the mirror and hate the hot mess looking back at you but reality is we all have these days. You're a GREAT Mom You've got this...
Do You Really Need 10,000 Steps A Day?
Exercise is key to staying healthy. While it should be a priority it isn't always easy to accomplish with busy schedules. Try adding extra steps in your day and it's amazing the results you will see.
Article: How Many Daily Steps Do You Really Need for Better Health? http://undrarmr.co/1UlMvTY
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Summer Vacation Is Here
It's officially Summer Vacation!
Wet bathing suits drying on the deck, rolling around in the grass. Dirty piggies. Who doesn't have pants on. When I kiss them I can smell sweaty leftover suntan lotion smell on their face. Refusing to come in until it's dark out Summer vacation is here...
I remember being so pumped for Summer break. Not knowing what day or time it was. Taking it all in. Embracing wherever the day takes us.
I want them to enjoy their Summer and I want to embrace the little moments with them.
I remember being so pumped for Summer break. Not knowing what day or time it was. Taking it all in. Embracing wherever the day takes us.
I want them to enjoy their Summer and I want to embrace the little moments with them.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Cure Summer Boredom With Items From Dollar Store
I saw this article on Facebook. So clever and easy to do. Which ones will you be doing this summer? http://www.today.com/parents/how-trip-dollar-store-can-cure-summer-boredom-t97451
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Port Jefferson Great Family Getaway
My husband asked for a day out with the kids for his birthday. Now traveling any where 30 minutes or more away requires extra work on my part; having a baby in diapers and a toddler recently potty trained as well as a seven year old who doesn't enjoying walking more than she has too adds extra pressure. So he suggested we take the ferry and spend the day at Port Jefferson. Without hesitation I said sure.
Now we have been there before. Just not we all three of them.
The night before I pack extra clothes, diapers. Prepare bottles and sippy cups. Suntan lotion and sweaters. The next morning we run a little behind schedule and I think let's just get this going. The plus side about having young kids is that you can stuff the stroller with all this stuff without having to actually carry it.
We arrive at the port in Bridgeport and it's gorgeous out. We get our tickets which is $17 per adult and free for children 12 or younger. The sun is beaming and the wind is strong. The kids beam with delight as the ginormous ferry docks close to them.
On the dock there's an elevator so makes easy access to the ferry levels. We settle down and kids walk around. We take a break from the sun and walk inside to purchase a snack. The kids are smiling ear to ear.
We had no plan. I knew there was a boat show and figured we would check out we stopped at some shops. There's a farmers market taking place. Everyone is so friendly. We stop at a burger pub and enjoy lunch. Outside a band is playing. We finish up and down walk around town. It was awesome. Clean. Everyone fairly friendly. All you smell is food which even after lunch stirred up some hunger.
There are roof top restaurants. Tons of ice cream palors. We stopped by the hotel near the dock and the kids play in the little grass area. We stopped by the boat show and after hanging out for four hours we head back home.
It's an easy, kid family outing that really is nice to do. Thinking of a day away then Check it out http://www.portjeff.com
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Non-Dairy Homemade Frozen Dessert By Nutty Butty LLC
I tried their dessert at the Westport Farmers Market and it was delicious. Their orange blossom was amazing! They use coconut oil as their base and everything is vegan, and gluten free. Be sure to check them out!
Are You Staying In Your Marriage For Your Kids?
In a recent article I read
Why Staying Together For The Kids Is Harmful http://www.rebelcircus.com/blog/staying-together-kids-harmful/6 it states clearly that kids are not stupid. Kids feed off the energy they see from their parents. They see these relationships and copy them when it comes to their relationships later in life. Staying together could be harmful in the long run for your children.
The problem I see a lot and I am not an expert but usually in marriage there's a little bit of recentment that a spouse experiences. The primary care giver takes on a new role and sometimes it's too much. I also see that the children become the full focus in a relationship. The relationship between the parents gets pushed aside. I totally understand how this can happen.
Your true self goes on back burner and you take on this new role and sometimes it's not what you expected. Before you enter a marriage be sure to realize not all good will come along with it. Do pick a companion who brings out the best in you and has mutual goals and expectations out of life. Do pick someone who respects you as a person not a possession. And for the problems that occur before marriage, they will not go away after marriage or after having kids. They just get buried and eventually will make their way to the surface again.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Moms Connect With One Another
Everyone needs friends who get them, get what they are going through and laugh about the adventures of motherhood, marriage and life. Make sure you make time for that.
It doesn't take you away from things. It actually helps you deal with things. When you are able to find friendships that relate to what stage you are in life it helps you appreciate it.
I am so lucky to have amazing women in my life. Whether I am with my sisters, mom,friends or mommy friends, I learn stuff and I learn about myself. We all help one another see things differently. Take a break and make time to connect with them. It's empowering to be YOU once in a while and enjoy those around you.
Match Restaurant in SoNo Gives Back Dinner Until June 10th
Great price for a great cause! The last night for this is tomorrow night and if you can go be sure to call and make reservations, the food is amazing. We all tried all the dishes and everything was delicious.
Women's Rights
This message is very powerful. I saw it posted on A Mighty Girl's site on Facebook. As I won't voice my opinion on the latest court case I will state :No one has the right to take away someone's dignity or cause pain. We are not allowed to scar one another. We must teach our children both girls and boys that we are not allowed to harm anyone in any form.
What you do does have long lasting effects on another person. Choose your actions wisely.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Essex Train Kids Ride Free June 11th 2016
Kids Ride Free Saturday June 11th.
Essex Steam Train will be participating in the 12th Annual Open House Day on Saturday, June 11, 2016 with a "Kids Ride Free" Special Offer.
Children ages 11 and under qualify for this special offering, and must be accompanied by an adult passenger with a valid Connecticut driver's license. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn More Here: http://essexsteamtrain.com/special-events/ct-open-house-day/?src=06052016CCctopen
Children ages 11 and under qualify for this special offering, and must be accompanied by an adult passenger with a valid Connecticut driver's license. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn More Here: http://essexsteamtrain.com/special-events/ct-open-house-day/?src=06052016CCctopen
Muse Paintbar Opens in Glastonbury on June 16th
If you haven't tried Muse Paintbar yet now's your chance. It's really a fun night out for parties, couples and even kids. You don't have to be a paint expert to enjoy the experience. The one on one, step by step, experience brings painting to a whole new level.
The new Muse Paintbar will be open to the public at The Shoppes at Somerset Square for daily instructional classes and have two private party rooms for celebrations (bachelorettes, corporate functions, kid’s parties and girls’ night out) and charity fundraisers, an important part of the muse business model. More than 10 percent of each locations profits are donated back to the community to local causes and non-profits.
To sign up for a class, visit www.musepaintbar.com, scroll through the online art calendar to view each evening’s paintings, and register online. Classes average $35 per person, but prices may vary for fundraisers, special events and couples or family sessions.
About Muse Paintbar
Muse Paintbar, a trendy art studio with a restaurant and bar, hosts instructional painting sessions open to the public. The unique dining and social experience has 14 locations across the northeast including, Norwalk, CT; Foxborough, MA; Hingham, MA; Lynnfield, MA; Somerville, MA; Manchester, NH; Portland, ME; Providence, RI; White Plains, NY; Great Neck, NY; Yonkers, NY; Garden City, NY; Tribeca, NY; and opening this summer in Port Jefferson, NY. Special offerings includes private party instruction, gift certificates, fundraisers and summer kids’ camps in most locations.
Advanced reservations are encouraged. For more information, call 860-415-3300, visit www.musepaintbar.com or Like us at www.facebook.com/MuseGlastonbury.
*Information provided by Sirica Marketing & Public Relations LLC.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Monday, June 6, 2016
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Don't Drink All Your Calories: Fun Low Calorie Alcoholic Beverages
10 Best Low Calorie Cocktails: My favorite drink mojito made this list. Check out the other low calorie options to enjoy:
http://www.glamour.com/gallery/5-best-low-calorie-cocktails
20 Tasty Low-Calorie Cocktails: These all look so yummy and refreshing. Some of these I have never heard of. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/g3885/low-calorie-cocktails/?
What's your favorite low calorie Cocktail?
Cheers!
Mystic Seaport: Climb, Play & Learn
It's great all the amazing activities and places to visit here in Connecticut. Mystic Seaport has always been one of my favorites.
Now they are taking visitors' experiences to a whole new level. No more standing behind the rope. Mystic Seaport wants visitors to have some hands on fun!
Mystic Seaport now has interactive fun, where visitors don't just look but actually get to participate and learn. "Experiential Learning at Mystic Seaport.” A core part of Mystic Seaport’s mission is to bring history alive for all of our visitors. Authentic activities like barrel making and harpoon throwing teach valuable historic lessons in a fun and interactive way.
So no more saying to your children "don't touch." Check out this video to see what hands on fun you could be having!
Mystic Seaport http://stories.mysticseaport.org/interactive-fun/
*Information provided by OUTTHINK
Friday, June 3, 2016
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