Upstream

NaBloPoMo prompt for Tuesday, January 7, 2014:
Tell us about a time when you didn’t bend to peer pressure, and you swam against the stream.

Today’s prompt feels like an interview question. I can see myself sitting across from someone’s desk and I’m wearing a sensible skirt and black pumps.

There are times in my life before I had Ale that I most certinly went against the stream. Isn’t that what your young adult life is all about? Breaking out against the grain, shattering molds. Finding yourself?

Yes, there are times when I do feel pressured by other parents to do what they are doing but I feel that they are looking for validation for their own actions- especially new mom’s. (I am guilty of this as well!) I found this true with getting advice on helping my son to sleep through the night. I heard many, many theories and variations on theories on sleep that worked for their particular family. Remember the cry it out versus the co-sleeping camps? I was pressured and recruited by both groups. However, I just took pieces from each wise mom and found my own style. I don’t think this is going against the stream. Its just compromising and finding what is best while learning from your peers.

BlogHer

AAA- App Addiction Anonymous

I have a confession to make. Sit down. You’ll need a chair.

I am a Todo list app junky. I have tried just about every Todo list app in Apple’s App Store.

There I said it. This addiction, however, goes way beyond this.

Back in September on my forever quest for the perfect Todo system I suddenly had an epiphany. I decided to put down my IOS devices for once and for all and go back to good ol’ pen and paper. I know what I need and want for a perfect Todo list/ calendar/ organization system so I decided to design it myself. I headed to the internet- Pinterest- for guidance and ideas for a DIY agenda. With a few clicks I landed at Midori- Japan . There I fell in love with the Midori Traveler’s Notebook. A brown leather agenda cover made in Thailand that is filled with notebooks made of high quality Japanese stationary. (Yes, you read that correctly- I am a Geek at heart).

The discovery of the Midori notebook lead me on a quest to find: rubber letter stamps, ink, washi tape, decorative paper, pens including a Lamy Safari fountain pen in hot pink- fountain pen ink, and stickers. In my limited free time I sat at my dinner table hand drawing calendars, stamping out the days of the month and created a nice Todo list template decorated with my washi tape and stickers.

I love the feel of the leather cover and the satisfaction that I made it. Its a pleasure to write out my todo list on paper and plan out my weeks tasks for home, work, and my blog. However, all of this creativity ends up translating into PROCRASTINATION!! Just get it done already! Stop designing a beautiful calendar for March and just email the people I need to email and write the blog post.

Here is my Midori:

Its been four months with my Midori notebook. I take it every where I go and use it frequently. The problem is its size- its the size of a thick paperback novel. This means its not close to me at all times. What is close to me at all times that I am constantly looking at? My iPhone. Which brings me back to the Apple App Store…….

Does anyone have the number for AAA- App Addiction Anonymous of New York?

NaBloPoMa for Friday, January 3, 2014
Do you have a tendency to procrastinate, or do you like checking things off your to-do list?

BlogHer-NaBloPoMo

Daily Prompt: Simply Irresistible

Tell us about the favorite dish or food that you simply cannot turn down.

I live with a toddler who has been sick for the last few days and is the world’s most picky eater. This means that today my son has not eaten much of anything. I honestly think he would rather starve to death waiting for a huge plate of spaghetti bolognese than eat a vegetable or try something new.

This is something that I simply can not understand. I love to eat. I love to try new foods. I can not remember a time that I did not enjoy food. I can also honestly say that I do not have a favorite dish that I can not live without. What I find irresistible changes from day to day and where I am and what I am doing. If I’m at work and it’s been an extremely busy day I can not pass up the box of donuts that someone brings in. I will eat a chocolate glazed donut like it was water from heaven and long for a coffee to accompany it. When I am at the beach in the south of Spain I must have pescaito frito (fried fish) and wash it down with an ice cold draft beer. Thanksgiving is coming and I am craving my mom’s herb and sausage stuffing. For dessert I’m looking forward to enjoying pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream.

I hope that my enthusiasm for food will eventually reach my little boy. Each day I present him with something new. Sometimes the food will pass the finger poke test and he will eat it. Most times he will sit stubbornly in his high chair and say “spaghetti?” or “cupcake?” in hopes that if maybe he says it three times it will become a reality. One day I am sure we will enjoy a delectable meal together. What I am most certain of is that one day he will eat us out of house and home.

Photo of breakfast in Spain- coffee with milk, churros, and toast with crushed tomato and olive oil.

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Hue of You

Little Boy Blue

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/hue-photo-challenge/

Daily Post: Home Sweet Home

When you’re away from home, what person, thing, or place do you miss the most?
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I’m currently away from home. I am in Spain visiting my husband’s family. As long as I have my husband and my son close to me I don’t really miss my home. My home is wherever they are. I am also assured by the fact that my home in New York will be there waiting for our return.

My subconscious will tell you otherwise. When I dream of home I dream of the home I grew up in with my mom. Those walls will never leave me. Even if I have my son and husband in the dream the location of “home” is where I grew up. I will always want to return to her home and curl up with her on the sofa to relish in the familiarity that has entered every cell of my body.

Daily Post: Home Sweet Home

Daily Prompt: Sorry, I’m Busy

On my days off from work I try my best to devote 100% of my free time to Ale. There are, however, days when I have to carve out time to make phone calls, pay bills, clean the apartment, and organize my life. If possible I try to do most of this during nap time. This is a one to two hour window of time to rush and get things done. If I’m super busy it will spill into the rest of the day.

This is when the working mom guilt sets in:

Guilt for doing chores and having Ale on my leg vying for my attention while I tell him to stop- Mama is washing the dishes. Guilt for using the iPad as a babysitter. Guilt for talking on the phone and making excuses for the sound of Ale playing in the background. Feeling guilty on the rare days I say – Forget it! The Cheerios can stay in the rug another day and I try to do something for myself. At the end of the day I feel like I failed miserably in my role of super mom.

These scenarios happen to all moms but I think there is more pressure on the working mom. As a working mom I have to work more than 40 hrs a week then go home and take care of my home and son as if I was a stay at home mom. This is often places way too much on my plate. In the end, it’s Ale who feels the brunt of it. He is the one who sometimes gets placed on the back burner. I greatly dislike this.

Time is so precious. Each day Ale surprises me with something new in his growth and development. I just wish there was a bit more support (family, friends, city, state and federal government) for working moms/dads so the “Sorry, I’m busy” phase is said to our children less often. This way we can enjoy each moment a bit more and be more present when we are at home.

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Tell us about a time when you should have helped someone… but didn’t.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/daily-prompt-denial/