Finding new things to love...

This is an entire blog devoted to marriage. 

Well, maybe just to my marriage right now. 

I can't give any pointers to a "successful marriage", I don't think I would be qualified.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT have a perfect marriage and I am not pretending to either.

My husband and I are best friends. I am not just saying that. We do everything together and I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we like it that way.

I understand that is not for everyone but it works for us.

I know marriage is tricky.

You are NOT always going to feel the same love for that person 

that you did when you first started dating.

It isn't always passion and cuddles. 

It is at times: snappy comments, eye rolls,walking away, and all that drama.

However, I feel it is important to always see the good.

I think I am extremely blessed to have a God fearing man, who always strives to be a better man.

I see that he wants to provide for his family, financially and emotionally.

Sometimes it's all too easy to focus on all the faults and harbor resentment.

But the best thing for your marriage is to look at the things you love. 

I appreciate that he loves to learn new things because I do too. 

I love that he is faithful, not only to me but to his family.

I love that he treats us with respect.

I love that he does things with his son but does not forget about his daughters.

He is a great role model for his children about working hard and not complaining.

We are far from perfect but we are perfect for each other! 

We talk and try to learn from our mistakes. We fight too but we always try to work on that.

It is important to know when you were wrong and overreacted.

I have been trying to learn to put my feelings in a not so "naggy" way and just come out and say it in a way where he can understand and....sometimes he doesn't understand. That's ok because at the end we pray... we pray for our marriage and for our love to always grow for one another and we pray together. We love each other and there's no denying that. I feel that when you work through a tough situation..you don't love one another the same as the days you were dating, you love each other more than ever! 

I LOVE MY MAN! 

We're HOMESCHOOLING!

Last summer we planned on placing Russell in a school. At a private school, they tested my son's "Kindergarten readiness". I was so flattered when they went on talking about how well Russell did and how he was more than ready for Kindergarten. Even before this people told me he was smart and asked if he was in preschool. We never put my son in preschool since I stay at home it only seemed logical that I had time to teach him all the little preschool stuff. I'm not bragging about my son, I just noticed something through all of these comments. I love teaching! I always have but teaching my children brings me satisfaction and hey, obviously I'm doing a great job so far. I looked into my state laws, talked to other homeschooling mothers, and researched all that I could. Before I knew it my mind was on homeschooling overload and I loved the idea! My husband purchased a great kindergarten curriculum with an easy to follow teacher's guide and boom! that was all she wrote. The plunge has been made and I have no regrets. I am so fulfilled more than halfway through our year and my son has learned so much more than I could have anticipated! I look forward to sharing more about this journey with all of you! Thanks for reading! 

Pollo!

I recently made a really good chicken thigh recipe and I want to remember it! So here goes: Package of Chicken thighs I bought the hormone free kind from Walmart. I basically cut them in half length wise. I started the seasoning out by adding a layer of Goya Adobo to coat the top of the chicken thighs. Then a thin layer of garlic powder to coat them as well. Italian seasoning, black pepper, and I used my recipe for sofrito found in this vlog http://youtu.be/yfY0ptifepE . I used a few servings spoon full of the sofrito. Worked all the seasoning through with my hands and then covered them with aluminum foil and let marinate in the fridge. Once I was ready to cook.. I put them in a pan that had a small amount of EVOO at the bottom of it. The amount of EVOO was only enough to barely covered the bottom of the pan. I love my Rachel Ray Hard Anodized pot and pan set.Side note: I started to cook them when my rice was just starting to boil.--- I set the heat to a low-medium heat. I allowed the chicken to cook for 40-45 mins. Make sure to flip the thighs in the pan. The result was very tender and flavorful chicken thighs.. mmm I loved them and don't want to forget this recipe. Of course I paired it with Arroz con Gandules (that after years of trial and error, I have finally perfected). My only regret was not having added little cubes of potatoes in with my chicken.. it would've been perfect. I also prepared a little green salad with tomatoes. Just writing this blog makes me want to make it again. A very simple and succulent dish. I've come a long way and am proud of myself.

HELP ME!

I have no idea what to get/do for my husbands birthday! I was thinking about surprising him. Maybe with balloons and gifts at home when he returns from work. I don't know shoot me some ideas, PLEASE! What do you do for you significant others' birthday?

This was for his 25th birthday (2 yrs ago)
We had brownies with m&ms and a fire :)

It's MAY!

I'm so excited that it is May! My husband's birthday, mother's day and my mom's birthday are this month! ooo and my baby will turn 10 months on the 10th. I think one of the best things about May is that it usually warms up this month where I live! It starts looking like Spring this month.. hopefully! This year my hubby's birthday is the day after mother's day so we are trying to plan something for us. I'm excited that my husband and I have been married 6 1/2 years and have 3 very beautiful and healthy children. I'm such a sap who gets emotional just thinking about how incredibly blessed I am. Some of us are sick with the cold right now. I am hoping we all get better by next weekend. Anyways April was good to us even though it was so cold. Is there anything special to you about May? Here's some pics of April :D

Breastfeeding Success

In addition to the recent video I posted on Youtube.. I wanted to take some time and go over in a blog for those of you who prefer reading over watching videos. Of course I go into more details on my video so if you want to check that out I will link it at the end. Yesterday's "Hot Topic Tuesday" was Breastfeeding! In this post I will be talking about breastfeeding must-haves and also so tips to surviving the newborn stage in breastfeeding AKA the Cluster Feeds.

Let me begin with a little overview about my breastfeeding experiences with my three children.
1st was Russell: he only breastfed for 3 weeks. I was frustrated and confused and didn't anticipate the difficulty of breastfeeding in the first month. I supplemented way more than I needed to and just wanted to not be frustrated and enjoy my baby so I switched to all formula.. I regretted it but we still have a very close bond but he did suffer from many ear infections when he got older and ended up getting tubes in his ears.

2nd was Vivianna: She was nursed until she was 5 months. I didn't understand that babies at that age start looking around and will pull off.. I thought she wasn't getting enough. On top of that I was embarrassed to breastfeed in public even with a cover and would give her formula (didn't pump because I only had a manual and hated using it) when we went out to friends houses. That led to very full breasts!  If only I wouldn't have been embarrassed we would've lasted a lot longer.

3rd is Sarah: I am currently nursing her! She is going to be 9 months in a week. She is exclusively breastfed and I introduced baby food at 6 months. I pump with an electric pump when I have any babysitters (that very rare because she is normally with me wherever I go).

I believe my success is due to feeding on demand (not just every 2-3 hours) especially in the first months. Anytime she rooted I gave her. Another reason is not being embarrassed to nurse publicly or in front of friends and family. I use my cover but if you don't need that then by all means do what you feel comfortable with. Next, I'm going to show you what products I used and what is so great about them!

1: Nursing pillows: Boppy Pillow or MyBrestFriend

This nursing pillow provides back support, gentle contouring for baby, nice arm rest, an adjustable strap to make it tighter or looser, and a nifty pocket!

The Boppy pillow is a great pillow the has multiple uses for baby. It is very cushioned and wraps around mommy. The only downside is that it is very big so women with short torsos beware! Leaves a gap for women with smaller bellies. However, it provides great support for baby when they begin sitting and if they are going to drink out of a bottle or sippy cup you can lay them on it.

 2. Storage bags:  a must have for pumping and storing in the freezer! These give you allow you to go on a date night for a little while and are great for the working mother going back to work to make a supply.

Lansinoh has double ziplock and a convenient pour spout.









Medela has made a NEW feature.. allow you to pump directly into the bag and not the bottle and then the bag!






3: Lanolin- This helps sooth cracked or sore nipples. (I recommend to use before there is any soreness after every feeding)

This stuff was amazing! A friend of mine (Sandra) brought up a great point! You can express breast milk and rub it on your nipple. Allow it to air dry. It really does help!






4. A bottle: Obviously you want to breastfeed as much as possible but for whenever baby is with a sitter you need a bottle!

Any bottle will due. My baby took this one (Nuk) and a medela bottle.








5. Nursing cover: For those of you who prefer to be covered up.

 I personally loved this one because of the neck.. it had a nice view of the baby so you don't have to struggle trying to look and cover at the same time..These are called UDDER COVERS - plus they have really cute newer prints!



6.  I don't have a picture of one but a nursing pad is a must to catch the leaking milk and prevent leaking through to your clothing.  I LOVE Johnson's brand they are IN MY OPINION the softest and work so well!

7. Last but not least WATER.

You've got to stay hydrated while nursing so always have some nearby!






If you are interested in watching my video with more details  I posted the link below
Hot Topic Tuesday: Breastfeeding VIDEO

I'm dreaming of a warm spring!

Spring is here! I could make a bunch of sarcastic remarks about how it's not warm and still snowing but if there's anything I've learned it's to accept the cold. So, to pass the snow days, I've decided to make a list of things I want to do when the weather warms up.

1: Go to the zoo

2: Walk around the Isle in the evening a lot!

3: Take a weekend trip

4: Wear a sundress! 

5: Get some nice pics of the family... OUTSIDE! 

6: Make a garden

7: Clean the yard

8: Get out of the house!!!!

9: Ride bikes with the kids

10: Have a day long date with my love (lots of walking/possibly hiking and picnic involved) 

I'm sure there's lots more but I had to keep it simple. What are some things you want to do once the warm weather rolls around?