Showing posts with label Coco Cana Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coco Cana Blog. Show all posts

Tuesday

Top 10 Last-Minute Ways To Get Your Sexy Back By Valentine's Day

 After a long day of changing diapers, putting out tantrum fires,
finger painting, cutting and gluing everything in our path, and scaling Mt. Laundry Pile,
I feel like this Valentine's Day dog.
All droopy and sleepy eyed, needing some coffee and someone to love me
in my unshowered, no make-up,
still-in-my-jammies-because-I'm-way-too-cold-to-get-dressed state.
Thank God for my AMAZING husband who loves me just the way I am!  
Cuz somedays - it just ain't pretty.
Pic by my preschooler - featuring: Bubbles The Dog



Need to get your sexy back right now and don't feel like you have the time?  Here's a list of Top 10 things you can try to get your groove back and celebrate like you did pre-kids!
  1. Remove all squeaky and musical toys from your bed.
  2. Haven't gotten around to loosing the baby weight or getting your highlights done? Light some candles. Flickering light makes everyone look good. 
  3. Move the kids into their own rooms for the night. It's kinda hard to get your sexy back with a co-sleeping preschooler, a toddler sleeping sideways, a baby attached to your breast and your baby daddy on the floor.
  4. Forgot to take that pole dancing class at your gym? Watch some Motley Crue videos on YouTube and copy some moves.
  5. Don't have dinner reservations? Search “sexy foods” on Google and hope you have some of the ingredients in your fridge.
  6. Want to watch a romantic movie to get you in the mood? Pop in The Notebook. Ryan Gosling will do it every time! Just remember to wake up your man, who's sleeping next to you on the couch, when it's time to fool around.
  7. Make a sexy playlist on iTunes. Be sure to remove all kid songs. It's hard to get in the mood to the Backyardigans theme song.
  8. Search the garage for that naughty nurse's costume you wore for your sororities Halloween party 8 years ago, and while your at it, look for the box that says “pre-pregnancy panties.”
  9. Jump in the shower, fix your hair cute, apply make-up, ditch the yoga pants (for once), find a top that isn't covered in baby barf, dig out one of your old bras (not the nursing bras you've been living in), shave off the three months' worth of hair growth from your legs and armpits, trim up any other business you need to attend to, slip into that sexy red dress and heels that haven't seen the light of day since your honeymoon, have a glass of wine at dinner and forget that you are a mom for a few hours. 
  10. Take the kids to grandma's,  turn off the lights,  jump into bed with your man and do it all night long without any interruptions. I'm talking about sleep! When you wake up rested for the first time in months you'll have more energy to get frisky.
No more excuses! Which ones do you think you'll try?


*This was originally posted on February 13, 2012 for mom365. Click here to read more of my Top Ten Lists on Mom365. Written by me, Coco Cana

Thursday

Happy Thank You Day! Come Share Your Page!

Here's a Happy Thank You Day paper plate cake.
You don't even have to jog after. Enjoy!


Hey Friends, According to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, it's Thank You Day!  (But you knew that.)

 "Thank you day is when we get to say Thank You to all of the people we love!" says Daniel Tiger.

What a sweet lil guy he is. So it's Thank You Day at My Tales From The Crib too!

I know a bunch of talented, creative people who are doing some really great stuff, so if this is you - as a Thank You to you, I'd love for you to please come share your page on our facebook page!

Add links to your blog, twitter, facebook page, website, etc. and tell us a little bit about it. I'll be picking one at random to feature on my mom's blog!  Please "like" our page to share yours.

Now let's share some love.

And Happy Thank You Day!

Your pal,
@Coco_Cana

Halloween Top Ten - But Mommy, I want to be a [fill in the blank]!


Picking my daughter's Halloween costume used to be pretty simple when she was a baby and a toddler. We liked Disney, she liked princesses - our decision was made before we even went shopping. For her first Halloween she was Tinkerbell (Mommy's pick), second she was Snow White (Daddy's pick) and for her third Halloween she chose Princess Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty. This year I thought it'd be a no-brainer - till she threw me a total curve ball. Can you guess which one? So in the spirit of Trick or Treat, here are 6 costume conflicts to let you know you're not alone.

The Toddler Boy
Your choice That cool NASA astronaut costume Dad just knew he'd love
His choice What he wore to the grocery store last Tuesday: cowboy boots, monkey PJs, torn superman cape, pirate eye patch and Buzz Light Year gloves – or he’ll throw a fit.

The Toddler Girl
Your choice A cute little bumble bee with glitter wings and black-and-yellow striped tights
Her choice The tall, bumpy red thing with fangs and one eye, aka Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba

The Preschool Boy
Your choice A fireman, because he's always wearing his favorite fireman rainboots
His choice The fairy princess costume, with wand, wings and plastic click-clack shoes his older sister wore last Halloween.

The Preschool Girl
Your choice You scored the last Rapunzel costume in town - and even took out a small loan for the long wig (not included), because Rapunzel was her all-time favorite movie... last week
Her "I want to be a bat and paint my face black."
You “Oooo, I know! How about Hello Kitty?”
Her “I want to be a bat.”
You “Cinderella?”

The Tween
Your choice The HSM cheerleading costume you just bought because she's been talking about it for months
Her choice Your 10-year-old and her friends want to be “sexy Goth cheerleaders”: purple and black hair streaks, knee-high socks, fishnet gloves (torn), black lipstick
You "Did you just say 'sexy?'"
Her Rolls eyes
You "I'm NOT returning the HSM costume!"

Infant babe

Your choice A cute round pumpkin costume, “Mommy's Little Pumpkin” socks, $35 soft leather shoes with jack-o-lanterns and a little pumpkin stem hat complete with leaf and curly vine.
Baby’s, um, choice The neon orange “This Is My Costume” onesie your husband found on sale at the drugstore on Halloween after the baby blew out her diaper, pooped out the neckhole of the poofy pumpkin costume and before you could remove the poopy diaper from the changer, donkey-kicked both feet right into the poop getting socks, shoes and legs covered. Trick or Treat?

Your turn. What was your favorite costume choice that never saw the light of the moon? What was your least favorite costume pick that rose from the dead?


(*This was originally posted on October 26, 2011 for mom365 where I landed my first gig as freelance writer for mom's blogs. This was my debut post which had 2469 views before they launched their new site and it no longer fit into their new format of either being a Pregnancy, Baby, Toddler or Preschooler Blog. So it will live on here for many Halloween's to come! ;-) Click here to read more of my Top Ten Lists on Mom365.)



Have a fun, safe & Happy Halloween!


*heart*
Coco Cana


Need a cute idea for a DIY Homemade Halloween Costume that you don't even have to sew? Click here! 




Tuesday

UPDATED - Happy Fall! Who Wants A FREE Pumpkin Spice Latte?

**SEE UPDATED NOTE BELOW**

I know you want me.





OK, you're right, I went there. No shame.

Raffle Time!

I have a $5.00 Starbucks gift card with someone's name on it for a Pumpkin Spice Latte, in honor of my absolute favey fall drink.

OK, OK, you can get whatever you want. Salted Caramel Mocha, Tazo Green Tea Latte, Orange Mango thingy...whateves.

How to enter:

Simply follow my blog.  Click on the "join" button to the right of the blog under, "The Christmas Card List" to do so. You can even use your google account now too. Then comment on this blog post to let me know you'd like to enter the raffle and after 25 total blog followers (I know, sad huh?...) I will pick a winner and announce it on my blog, my facebook page as well as on my twitter.

If you get a friend to follow too I'll enter you twice!  Three for three...you get the picture.

Already a blog follower?  THANK YOU first of all - and second, you can join my twitter or facebook page to enter.

I'll be doing Mom Of The Month stories soon too, so be sure to become a blog follower even if you don't like coffee so you can join in on all the fun!

Alrighty then I think my editor is going to pull the plug if I plug anything else.

And thanks for reading and following. I hope I bring some small ray of sunshine to your blog reading enjoyment.





**UPDATED NOTE**
Alrighty folks, I've decided to do my coffee raffle early!  Woo Hoo!  I will be throwing all 15 names into a hat and picking a winner on Friday afternoon!  (October 26th.) Are you one of the 15 names I'll be choosing from? To enter, you'll need to be a follower on the My Tales From The Crib Blog. So if you are on my facebook page or if you are following me on twitter but not yet a follower on the actual blog, make sure you click the "Join" button by Friday morning for a chance to win a FREE coffee! Who doesn't like free?  Thanks for following!

Have a fun, safe and Happy Halloween!


*heart*
Coco Cana

Tweet! Tweet! I'm on Twitter.  
Become a facebook friend! Stop by and say, "Hi!"  

Friday

A Morning of Clarity and Inspiration.

Last weekend I went to the Mom Entrepreneur Success Conference 2012 through the National Association for Balanced Moms and it was a wonderful experience. I was their caption contest winner from a picture that was posted on their facebook page (see below).  It was posted back in July 2012 when the movie Magic Mike was in theaters and there was a lot of buzz surrounding the movie so that became my inspiration for what I wrote for the caption contest.

Hello! Did you see it? OOOOOOMMMGGG! You should really see the movie if you haven't already... 

Anyhoo....

So one of the prizes to choose from was a ticket to the conference in September 2012. I'm glad I chose that prize because it was really inspiring!

Two amazing women I met that day are the ladies from Mama-Time.




They are Shaila Saint and Mollie Bennett and they offer up plenty of positive, inspiring and informative goodness for women and moms.

Need a new Monday morning ritual? 

Staring Monday, October 8, 2012 you can join them for a Mindful Mama Yoga & Reflection class that is an 8-week series. You can sign up for the whole series or you can take it whenever it fits into your schedule. They are moms too, so they are very aware that it can be difficult to get away when you have children.  So come when you can!  In this class they offer gentle yoga, journaling and a discussion along with some yummy breakfast treats!  Seriously, they had me at breakfast treats.  Classes are from 9:30-11am in Long Beach at Marina Vista Park. Click here for more info.

Looking for a fun cooking class?  

On Saturday, October 20, 2012 from 4:30-9pm they are offering, "Here Come the Holidaze" Cooking Party led by Food Network Chef, Rahm Fama!  Get tips on putting together a delicious holiday menu complete with easy entertaining ideas. Come laugh, learn and eat at PREP Kitchen Essentials in Seal Beach, Ca. Click here for more info.

Looking for a unique way to connect and spend time with your friends or mom's group?  

They do House Parties too!  These ladies seriously do it all and I'm so fortunate to have met them.  I look forward to taking their classes and joining their workshops in the future.

Their goal is to Connect, Reflect and Refuel and that is exactly what I did this past Monday in the preview class for their Mindful Mama Yoga & Reflection series.  After a busy morning of getting the kids out of the house, sitting in traffic, changing poopy diapers and diffusing the usual rush-rush morning tantrums I met these amazing women on the grass at the park (by myself!) for a morning devoted to...ME!

What a novel idea. 

I was ready for some long over due yoga stretches, discussions with other moms, breaking in my beautiful brand new journal (thanks for the birthday gift mom!) and of course yummy breakfast treats and coffee! What I wasn't ready for, or should I say, what I wasn't anticipating was what a profound impact this class would have on me in only an hour and a half. I was truly inspired by the beautiful surroundings of nature and sunshine, the positive energy of the other women that day, by the words and stories that were bravely shared, by the music that connected so deeply and of course the yummy breakfast treats!

Yes, I know I'm aware of the issue I have going on here.  

These weren't just any yummy breakfast treats either. These were the most magnificent little tarts I have ever had the pleasure of munching while doing downward dog. Ever heard of The Little Tart Bakery in Long Beach, Ca?  You have now! They do catering and they offer gluten-free and vegan tarts too!  Gotta love 'em!

So these super duper little kick ass tarts were the breakfast treats served and yummy treats they were! She brought sweet ones and savory ones - both delicious! Now that I mention it I'm bummed that I didn't take a picture of them because they were yummy and beautiful. So that was a fun treat indeed.

This class ended up being exactly what I needed. I have been feeling so stressed and overwhelmed lately (as mentioned in this post) I wasn't sure if I was really going to be able to "let go" in this class to be honest. I went with the hopes of possibly just absorbing the positive energy to be stored and channeled later when I needed it. But things don't always happen the way we might plan them out in our heads.  I've always been a Pilates girl but enjoyed yoga and meditation during both of my pregnancies. I appreciate the inward reflection yoga offers and the stillness I eventually get to during meditation. That is once I let all the chatter quiet in my brain. It takes a while usually and this class offered that. I also loved being able to have the opportunity to share with other woman and mothers who have been where I've been and who could share words of encouragement and words of understanding for where I'm going.

I wasn't expecting the tears that would burn my cheeks as they rolled down my face during the poses and breathing. I'm not surprised though. When I was studying The Pilates Method back in '05 one of the things I learned as well as witnessed with my own clients was that emotions can be released through deep breathing. It's not uncommon for someone to break out into sobs while doing the hundreds in a Pilates mat class.  It can catch you off guard if you are not prepared for it or if you didn't realize you were holding on to so much pain.

Cheap therapy I say.

So once I switched my brain to only focusing on myself (a technique that is pretty difficult for most mothers yet perfected in toddlers, young children, teenagers and actors - I kid, I kid), I was able to finally "let go."

This is what I came away with during my morning of clarity and inspiration:

"Today in the sun,
and in the breeze,
beneath the trees...

I let go.

I left the baggage and the burdens, 
I admitted the ugly truth 
...to myself
- this black hatred 
- the fear 
- the sorrow...

and I shed it.

I dropped it.

I crumpled it like a dry orange leaf poking into my hands and sent it floating away with the wind.

It drifted

and I shifted -

my body, my thoughts and my anger.

Today I'm just trying to

let it go..."

-Coco Cana


P.S. I would like to note here for all to read that out of respect for my husband and my two darling children, that they are neither baggage nor burden. They are not the source of hatred.  They are not  who or what I was referring to in my journal writing that morning.  I don't usually feel the need to justify what I write, however, I am well aware of the fact that this is going into the "forever-to-be-read-and-referenced-to-at-any-time-in-the-future-by-anyone-in-the-world" internet and I just want them to know that when and if they read this someday, I'm not talking about them here. That would break my heart if it was ever taken that way.  However, it is my goal to be as open an honest with myself as well as to my readers here on my mom's blog so I wanted to share what I jotted down while sitting in the sun on my yoga mat devouring little tarts.


So, if you are in or anywhere near the Long Beach, Ca area you really MUST check out the fabulous ladies at MamaTime and join them for some fun as well as The Little Tart Bakery!  If you do Please be sure to tell them My Tales From The Crib sent you!  Thank you and hope to see you at one of the classes!



Oh and here's the pic and my caption from the caption contest:


"Shut up! He did not just say that Magic Mike is some stupid chick flick! You tell him it's a legitimate film with quality acting and a believable story line. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh! Hello?...academy award anyone?! I laughed, I cried. It should win a damn oscar!"


kinda silly, huh?  haha.


If you would like me to review your class, your workshop or your bakery... I'd be happy to!  Please contact me via my comments section with your email and I will email you.  Thank you!


Let's keep the conversation going over on our facebook page, My Tales From The Crib!

Thursday

The next time my kids fight, I just might break out into song.

My funny friend Regina posted this on her facebook page and I just cracked up, so I had to share it here.




I have a 4 1/2 year old and an almost 2 year old (in 3 days actually!), so I find myself yelling "STOP!" quite often.  I'm either yelling "STOP!" because I'm keeping someone from running out into the street, keeping someone from reaching up to touch a hot stove or I'm keeping them from shredding a toy in half with the toy tug-of-war/screaming match that is going on over here on a daily basis.

I feel like a traffic cop with how much I'm yelling "STOP!"  So the next time I yell, "STOP!" I just might break out into song!  The tough part is choosing which one.

What's your fave?  Comment below!





P.S. This is just another example of why I loved my whole water birth/home birth experience. Regina was my nurse at the birth center.  I say, "my nurse" because at the time, she was the only nurse who took care of all the moms-to-be before the midwife came in.  She brought such comfort, joy, laughter, and light to all of my appointments!  Where before when I was going to the OB through my insurance I saw different people all the time and I could hardly get anyone to look me in the eye let alone remember my name, and then have them as a facebook friend. Heck my OB didn't even have a clue who I was when I passed him in the hallway and said, "hi" before my final appointment with him. I noticed the puzzled look on his face so I said my name to spark a memory (which still didn't ring a bell) and I was 25+ weeks along!  (That's close to 7 months pregnant for those of you keeping score at home.) That was very frustrating for me because I felt like a number. That doesn't really work for me. Especially when I'm going through one of the most life changing experiences in my life and want my voice to be heard when it comes time to push that puppy out.  I don't know about you, but I don't do well with just being a nameless, faceless number getting lost in the system.  

I met Regina at my very first appointment at South Coast Midwifery in Irvine, Ca and since she was anticipating my first appointment anyway she already knew my name when I walked in the door and was greeted with a big smile. It was the little things like that that completely made my pregnancy and water birth with my sweet lil baby boy a very magical and memorable experience. And she is still making me laugh all the time with silly posts like this one.  Thanks Regina!  So glad you were my nurse!  


BTW - If you know who made this "sign" please let me know so I can give them credit!  Because I didn't make it. I'm just sharing it. Thx!

Monday

Sibling Irony #2 Presents: Preschooler Logic


Toddler: "Nooooooo Sissy!"

Mommy: "Don't kick your baby brother."

Preschooler: "I wasn't...  

...I was just using my feet."

Sunday

Top 10 Signs You Have Officially Arrived in Toddlerville



One minute you have a tiny bundle of swaddled joy, and the next minute, that bundle is swinging from the cupboard door. If this sounds familiar to you, either you've already moved here or it's time to pack your bags.

Welcome to Toddlerville! We serve up crazy all day long!
  1. Everything is edible. The shriveled square of cheese in the corner, a Cheerio some other kid left in the shopping cart, cat food, dog poop…
  2. You’re exhausted all day long but have insomnia at 3:45am, and the only thing bouncing around in your brain is a song from The Wiggles.
  3. You have Play-Doh stuck in your hair, finger paint up to your elbows and you just sat in something sticky.
  4. The entire perimeter of your dining room table is engraved with ball point pen, and you can't get mad because it's a “picture of me giving my baby brother a love.”
  5. Tiny little hand prints cover every glass surface you own including the very top of your bathroom-sink mirror - and frankly, you’re afraid to ask about that one.
  6. You have about 25 sippy cups with multiple "leakproof" parts you can never find when you need them, and they all leak.
  7. With your eyes closed, you can recite the words to Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Pat the Bunny.
  8. Everything is a toy. The half-empty dog dish covered in slobber, your cell phone with recent calls to China, your dirty flip flop that's moonlighting as a teether and a box of condoms you keep in “the drawer.”
  9. You once thought of bubbles and chalk as a quiet backyard activity. Now you know it means mixing them into a paste and applying it as a face mask on the dog.
  10. No matter how many fresh veggies, whole grains and "green things" your child ate as a baby, you now live in the world of "beige food": chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, chicken fries, macaroni and cheese, tater tots, enough bread to choke a small horse, noodles with butter, cheese pizza (if you can leave off the sauce that would be awesome), applesauce and corn (Toddlerdom’s approved fruits and veggies) and corn-dog bites, because if you don't remove the stick, it will be used as a weapon against the baby and big sister. The only colorful thing is the milk. It now comes in pink and brown.

How about you? Are we there yet? Or are you still living over on Sweet Baby Lane?






Modern Dad Pages






*This was originally posted on November 9, 2011 for mom365 where I landed my first gig as freelance writer for mom's blogs. Click here to read more of my Top Ten Lists on Mom365.

To ad to
LarabeeUK

Friday

Sibling Irony #1 Presents: Mini Mama

It's ironic how big sissy can be loud and crazy when I'm trying to put her baby brother (a.k.a a real baby) to sleep for a nap but once her baby doll (a.k.a. a TOY) is taking a nap in the toy baby crib everyone in the house needs to tip-toe around and whisper....

Wednesday

Top 10 Unfortunate Places for Your Toddler to Throw a Tantrum


Let's face it, it's never really a good time for your toddler to throw a tantrum, but some places are just downright embarrassing (and some times are really poor timing) - especially if you've brought your child there to have fun. Even more so if you've just been talking about how good your toddler is.
Here's are the top 10 places most moms I know would rather not deal with a raging toddler tantrum.
  1. At their own birthday party.
  2. At Gymboree, where literally nothing is off limits and every single surface is climbable.
  3. At the interview for that fancy private preschool you're hoping will give you a scholarship.
  4. As you're walking through the gates at Disneyland.
  5. During family night at your new parent education class, where you've spent 6 weeks learning a bunch of new tantrum-diffusing techniques (and none of them are working). 
  6. At your first outing with the new moms' club after you just spent 15 minutes telling everyone how effective your 6-week parenting class was.
  7. When you're meeting the new sitter for the first time and you've already assured her that your child rarely throws tantrums. (Why do we always set ourselves up like that?)
  8. Standing in line to board a 6-hour flight and your toddler has already taken their one nap in the car on the way to the airport.
  9. While you're on your way to the hospital - in labor.
  10. After you've driven 2 hours to go to the zoo because all your kid has talked about is wanting to feed the giraffes, which they heard about from the neighbor kid. You've spent about $100 for parking and tickets. You've just realized that you left the lunch you packed in the refrigerator and know you'll be dropping another $30 on stale chicken strips and old french fries. You've waited forever in line to get the food to feed the giraffe (another 5 bucks), then in another line to actually feed them, and when it's finally your turn, your child is having a five-alarm meltdown because his sister got to turn the dial on the food dispenser and he didn't, and now he doesn't even want to see the giraffe's anymore, let alone feed them.
Has your sweet little angle ever thrown a tantrum so embarrassing that you just wanted to walk in the other direction, looking around the store asking, “who does this child belong to?”  Fess up!

*This was originally posted on January 21, 2012 for mom365. Click here to read more of my Top Ten Lists on Mom365.

Saturday

Monday

The Ricki Lake Show Made a Huge Impact On My Closet!


I watched the premier episode of The Ricki Lake Show today and it was really great. She's so spunky and fun and she has such a positive energy so it was really enjoyable to watch.

One of the segments was about a woman who at a young age had lost her husband while he was deployed in Iraq and he never got to meet their infant son. She was a single mom for several years but is now happily engaged. However, our pain manifests itself in many different ways whenever we have a traumatic experience or when we are dealing with stress, sadness, etc. and her's manifested itself into an extremely messy closet. She was hanging on to the past with her mess not knowing how to let it go. She kept avoiding cleaning it out and would find a million other things to do instead. Since she was a busy mom, a messy closet never took top priority. I can relate. I get so overwhelmed sometimes with being a stay-at-home-mom and the day-to-day mess of dishes, laundry and toys that major things like organizing closets, drawers and garage boxes get pushed aside.

Until today!

I was greatly inspired by The Ricki Lake Show today and the themes I took away from it were to: 

  • Just do it
  • Stop procrastinating 
  • Just start somewhere


So I looked in my closet and I started taking everything out that no longer works, no longer fits, no longer looks good, is no longer in style, etc.  Since becoming a mom, especially a SAHM my style of cute skirts and dresses with high heeled boots and funky purses has morphed into anything and everything that is comfortable and made out of cotton.  My purses are now filled with diapers, wipes and worn out baggies of sticky raisins and stale cheerios.

Then I moved on to my drawers because my kids were busy entertaining themselves with some "new-to-them" books they found in their rooms. I have been alternating books from the different places we keep them (both kid's rooms as well as a bookshelf in the livingroom) and adding in books of the season that I (try to ) keep away in a box so they are special again when the time comes.

Who wants to read about Fall and pumpkins when it's blazing hot beach weather outside?

Since they were busy doing something productive with their time (reading!) I tackled my drawers and again pulled everything out that no longer fit, no longer looked good, or was too warn out and frumpy.  So....um...now my closets and drawers are pretty much bare!  I had a lot of "frumpy mom clothes" I was hanging on to.

Which leaves me to ask, "Hey Ricki, are you doing a makeover show anytime soon?  I know of a mom who is in desperate need of a new look!  Me!"  ;-)

I was so inspired with the instant gratification of the new changes and how much less stressed out it made me feel that I tackled my daughter's room and her closet!  We made two bags: one to sell at our next garage sale and one to donate.  The stuff we were keeping we found a place for it to live, hung it up or folded it and put it away. But the bottom line here is we did not stuff it under the bed, in the closet or stash it away on the shelf to "deal with later."

We handled our mess!  

Once that was cleaned out and I got the kids on board with helping too we moved into the living room where a lot of their toys live in various baskets and boxes. I decided to move every single toy into the play room (where they should be anyway) and just left the bookshelf full of kid's books as well as a little climbing structure we keep in the house to give our toddler a clean, safe place to climb. But really it just keeps him from dive bombing the couch all of the time. Now he only dive bombs it some of the time. 

But basically we reclaimed our living room.  It felt awesome!

After putting all of the toys in the toy room I saw just how much kid stuff we have and having it all in one spot gave me a bit more clarity to go through it. I was able to see all of the duplicates, what was broken or missing from a set, what had been wandering from basket-to-basket and room-to-room in search of their long lost match or missing piece (that is never to be found because toddlers like to throw things in the trash), and what needed to be tossed, donated or sold because we've outgrown it or it no longer makes the cut. Having everything in one spot made it quicker to go through it and store it properly as well.

I was so inspired with change that I finished the dishes, started dinner and banged out a few loads of unfolded laundry... and put it all away!

Unheard of!

It took a bit longer because I was teaching my preschooler the art of folding the socks into little balls and I was teaching (or at least trying to teach) my 23 month old where the clothes go in the drawers. It turns out that I really didn't need to actually fold it once we were done with the lesson anyway, but that's OK.

The task was complete. The clean clothes were put away!

So thank you to The Ricki Lake Show for inspiring change in our house with your very first show and for helping this frazzled mama feel a little less frazzled!  You also gave me a reason to shop for some new clothes!  I learned that you just have to start somewhere and make small changes.

Small changes morph into bigger ones and soon enough you'll be done!

UPDATE 1 Day Later:
The ripple effect from my one day of cleaning and purging just a few of our "junk spots" has already made a drastic change in myself and in my family. We woke up to a clean living room and the kids woke up to clean bedrooms. The few things that were left out took minutes to put back in "their place." This started the day off calm and relaxed. It made it easier to leave the TV off because I wasn't trying to buy extra time to get things picked up while my two kids were already climbing the walls.  The house was calm and quiet even though we were wide awake and ready for the day.  I wasn't preoccupied with the thoughts of, "how in the world am I going to get this done today with the kids under foot?"  or "I have a few "free" minutes but where do I even begin?"  Instead we ate breakfast, got ready in a flash and joined some friends at an indoor play place for a few hours which left the kids happy, laughing, smiling and worn out. Both took an afternoon nap at the same time allowing me the free time to go through more boxes of...ahem...crap in the garage.

It was a good day! 

The kitchen/dining room is next.  "Yea, that's right kitchen...I'm talking to you."  It has become our dumping ground for art supplies, art projects, purses/backpacks/lunch boxes, lost toys, mail, paperwork and random things that have no business being in the kitchen on the island.

But for now I smile and exhale because the living room was an amazing work of progress!

*Are you an Organized Mom?  Please share your secrets so the rest of us (myself included) can learn a thing or two!

*heart*,



Let's keep the conversation going over on our facebook page, My Tales From The Crib!

Or join me on twitter @coco_cana

Thursday

Introducing....My Video Blog Outtakes!

I had so much fun stepping out of my comfort zone the other day to make my (first ever) video blog for the Friends Of Ricki facebook community page. It was about how The Business Of Being Born impacted my birth. And it absolutely did! After I posted it I was looking through all the other takes (10 to be exact!) and I decided to teach myself how to edit them together in imovie for a silly little video. It was so much fun! Plus my crazy husband is in part of it too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did editing it! (I'm now as obsessed with editing as I am with writing!)

A fun problem to have! ;-) 

P.S. This was my very first editing job. If you are an editor for work, for fun projects or you work as an editor in the biz please watch something from this list of films. I
f you have never edited anything before and you don't have the first clue how it's done, then for sure check out my new radical vid!


















*I'm not sure why my fonts and stuff are freaking out on here. Our computer has been going "buggy" today. 

Wednesday

A Post A Day Project Day #5 - How The Friends of Ricki Community Has Impacted My Life.

So I logged onto the Friends Of Ricki Facebook Page today to get my daily dose of positivity and I see that they are asking for videos talking about how the Friends Of Ricki community has impacted your life. I connected with this right away because recently I made my very first video blog for the FOR community talking about The Business Of Being Born, a wonderful film that spoke to me in so many ways and also had a major impact on my water birth with my youngest baby...and in the process I discovered that making a video blog was pretty darn fun too!

Here is my post talking about my Business Of Being Born video blog, A Post A Day Project - Day #4: Hoping To Share My Water Birth Story On The Ricki Lake Show!

After I posted my first (unedited) video to their FOR fb community page I decided to figure out how to edit all of my takes together to make a new video (and I had a lot of takes to choose from!)  I discovered this new found passion for editing that I kinda had a feeling would be there because I always think in movie plots complete with music (weird, I know) but now I know for sure.  I LOVE it!  

I'll post that vid here soon... 

For now, here is my newest video blog talking about how the Friends of Ricki facebook community has impacted my life as well as my life as a stay-at-home-mom and how it changes drastically from life as a young woman without kids.  I love being a mom, especially a SAHM but I'm not going to sit here and pretend that it's all sunshine and rainbows every single day and that it's not hard and frustrating and stressful at times too.

What good is that going to do anyone?

So thank you FOR and The Ricki Lake Show (which premiers Sept 10th btw!) for my newfound passion for video blogging and editing!


Monday

Someday: A Poem Inspired By My Toddler



Someday you won't need me to rock you to sleep while I stroke your hair and hum your favorite songs holding you for as long as you need me to because I know this won't last forever.

Someday your tiny body won't feel like a squishy marshmallow.

Someday you won't have that sweet baby smell.

Someday your chin won't be as soft as a baby's bum.

Someday you won't be sucking your thumb and twirling your hair as you gaze into my eyes while I make you laugh and watch your thumb fall out of your mouth.

Someday I won't lift you up to change your diaper and gasp at what a heavy baby you are.

Someday you won't cry when I leave the room and then throw your arms around my neck sobbing into the soft spot between my shoulder and cheek all because you want me to hold you.

Someday you'll be big enough to ride all of the "big kid rides" with sissy.

Someday I won't be the favorite person in your life.

Someday you won't run everywhere you go making your cheeks bounce up and down while you are making silly noises.

Someday you won't stand at sissy's door crying your eyes out because she won't let you in to play Calico Critters.

Someday mommy will let you have an ice cream cone even though daddy already has.

Someday you'll know every word to all of your favorite songs and you'll have lengthy conversations with your friends and we'll no longer marvel at your amazing vocabulary for a 1 & 1/2 year old.

Someday you won't want to hold my hand.

Someday you'll say, "Goodnight mom. Goodnight dad." And you'll walk into your room and go to bed without first needing to read, "Goodnight Moon."

Someday daddy and I will be able to eat dinner and watch a movie without any interruptions.

Someday you won't spontaneously break out into a silly dance while you are eating animal crackers.

Someday you'll stop eating all of your veggies.

Someday you'll be able to cross the street without me holding your hand or carrying you.

Someday you'll be too big for me to carry.

Someday you'll be too heavy for me to pick up.

Someday I'll be able to get rid of the diaper bag, the stroller, the car seats, the Ergo, the crib...

Someday you'll tell me that you fell in love.

Someday you won't cry in the middle of the night and daddy will bring your into our bed where you'll proceed to do downward dogs and then fall on us and jam your head into our ribs and make snow angels until you are taking up almost the entire mattress...at 3am.

Someday you'll jump off of the side of the pool and you won't need us to catch you.

Someday I'll say, "Give mommy a kiss" and instead of reaching up to kiss me you'll say, "Mooooom!  You're embarrassing me!"

Someday you won't need a high chair, a bib, a toddler spoon or a sippy cup.

Someday you and your sister will be mad at us for moving from Kauai.

Someday you won't use your entire hand as a yogurt spoon.

Someday you won't draw all over your body with markers.

Someday you won't find it hilarious to walk around the house with a box on your head while you bump into the walls.

Someday you won't need a night light or a bed time story or a favorite lovie to comfort you.

Someday you'll make yourself something to eat.

Someday you'll complain to me about your own toddler going through the "terrible two's" and I'll smile and think back to this phase of my life and I will laugh because I'll be so far removed from it, it will finally become funny....I look forward to that day.

Someday you'll want daddy to teach you how to ride his shovelhead, and we'll hold our breath as we watch you ride away.

Someday you'll have your own life, your own thoughts, your own ideas, your own worries and someday you won't want our advice.

Someday you won't need me to rock you to sleep while I stroke your hair and hum your favorite songs holding you for as long as you need me to because I know this won't last forever.

******

So today I'll cherish this life we have right now with you being my baby and me being your mommy. I'll cherish the laughter and the tears, the tantrums and the all-nighters, the Houdini-like escapes as I try to change a dirty diaper, the mad dashes down the hall to get a giggling baby into the tub and the naked baby chases after.  I'll cherish every silly whisper you breathe into my ear, every eye poke you give me announcing, "eye!  eye!" and every wet finger in my ear yelling, "ear!  ear!"  I'll continue to marvel when you say things out of the blue like, "5-4-3-2-1 Blast Off!" because you aren't even 2 yet or when you spin in a circle singing, "ashes, ashes..." I'll laugh when you stack all of your toys up on top of each other and when they don't fall over you throw your arms out parallel to the floor and yell, "Taaaa daaaaa!And above all my heart will continue to melt whenever I see you smile or laugh or run and jump, or say "thank you mommy" when I bring you your "eggy and cheeee" at breakfast, or when you reach for sissy's hand to hold, or say, "ess you mamawhen I sneeze or when you keep repeating, "thank you, thank you, thank you!" until I take the thing out of your hand that you no longer want to hold. Because you are my sweet, precious angel baby and I will still love you even when I am no longer walking this earth.

You will forever be my beautiful baby boy with the bright blue eyes and the bouncing blonde curls as you run away from me when I try to kiss you.

Love,
Your mommy



-Colleen Duncan Canavan









Post Of The Week!

Motherhood: A Poem

back breaking arms aching mind worn out and tired patience gone days are long somedays I wish I could get fired Laundry is piling an ...

Check These Out!