Sedona Girls' Trip

Over Spring Break, I also went on a girls' trip to Sedona, where we enjoyed

a beautiful lunch:

the ability to shop and look at art galleries without little ones:

2 psychics- 1 being considerably legit and the other a total phony,

2 dousings (both of which said girl by swinging in circles)... we actually met this retired psychic and his wife at dinner. Such a great people:

and then a bunch of sweetness for baby and me:

My Spring Break

I am currently finishing up my spring break, which is a week later than Cay's. Bitter sweet!!

My week consisted of a TON of cleaning... we are talking baseboards and behind stoves, etc. It's like I am nesting all of the sudden. Hopefully it sticks with me! lol. Here is my room... probably as clean as it's going to be for a while. I need to figure out what to do above my headboard if you have any ideas!? Would love to add a rug, too, to center the bed a little. I moved it over because of the nursery preparations.

I also decided to change my oil. I did (almost) everything perfectly, except for the fact that I forgot to put the lid back on and I added way too much oil. DOY. A good hour of the break was spent in the shop, then later enjoyed with Jenna (the bride to be) over a yummy, health new restaurant, BlueLemon. 

 I also went to sprouts... where I bought a ton of plants and just as much iron happy food. Being anemic sucks and it's expensive!

I went through and rescued Caydon from clothes that look like this:

(aka WAY too small)

Went to Sedona with some girlfriends, planted a garden with Cayd, and did a photo shoot (each will be their own individual post later). While editing the shoot, I ran across this photo on my compact flash. Holy emotions, batman! My boy has grown so much!!!

Surviving Valentine's Day Single and Pregnant OR Surviving Valentine's Day as a Single Mom

Let's face it, Valentine's Day is a miserable day if you are single.

Now if you're pregnant and single, or a single mom, or both on this day, it's the equivalent to putting the lemon (that you should be making lemonade with) on a bad wound. Ouch.

But... it doesn't have to be that way. Not at all. You, too, can totally enjoy the day. Trust me. It is one of my favorite days of the year and I have spent it alone for over 4 years now. I still highly anticipate this day and you should, too, regardless of how long you have been single.

You have a certain someone in your life who has taught you unconditional love, which is exactly what you're holding out for. Someone who isn't going anywhere. 

You have someone to love on and who loves you back.

I repeat.

You have someone to love on 
and 
who loves you back.

(Flashback 2 years ago... My hair was so blonde and his hair was so long!)

Over the years, I have found a few different tricks of the trade that make Valentine's Day much more bearable for us single ladies who also possess mommy hormones of some sort. Hopefully these ideas will inspire you to not just stay at home or think about the "what ifs" because, let's face it, that gets us nowhere and you have much better things to do with your time.

1. Create a tradition of some sort to do. Every year, Caydon and I go to a tempanyaki grill (a Japanese food restaurant where the chef cooks at your table and puts on a show). He looks forward to this one time that I'll spend $15 on a kid's meal, and I look forward to his expressions all year. Nope, we do not go to this restaurant any other time BUT for Valentine's Day. Now that he is older and this is established as what we do on Valentine's Day, I'd actually rather do this than go on a date with some guy I barely know. True story. You better be all that and a bag of chips to take over join our tradition.  Tip: I would suggestion an earlier than usual dinner for your little one because of both the crowds and the fact that most couples want to be child-free. That being said, I have never gotten any dirty looks from people when I take Caydon here at 4pm. And, really, if they do give you a dirty look and you gave them this curtesy, just know that you were the one making effort to be kind and keep your head high. Take out is another valid option for those with babies that get fussy/need to stay on their bed time routine. A home cooked, heart shaped dinner (red foods?) is another budget friendly option.
2. Treat yourself to some pampering. Hello, spa day!!! Since I'm budget happy right now, my cousin is coming over and giving me an hour long massage for $20 with me leaned up into my pregnancy pillow. Look around for deals via groupon or just give yourself a full on pedicure with the warm water soak. And don't forget the power of a lukewarm (not hot if you're preggo!) bubble bath. I'm also going to do attend my first prenatal yoga session, instead of just doing it post work out at the gym.
3. Buy yourself some pretties. Be it a plant, flowers, whatever you fancy. I wish peonies were in season, but I absolutely "settle" for some ranunculus right about now.  I always take Caydon to the store to pick out a bouquet of flowers for me. It completely melts me seeing how excited he is to give them to me, even if I am the one who paid. Seeing what either you picked out or what your child(ren) picked out is definitely a huge pick me up and a way to feel girly, in my book.
4. Get a gift for your little one. There is nothing like seeing your child's face lighten up, or buying something and anticipating how cute your baking baby will be when she/he uses it. Both of my babes are getting a present this year. Knowing that I have a surprise for the little people I am seriously head over heels for makes me giddy.
5. Get yourself a little something, too. Whatever you've been eyeing, treat yourself. You absolutely, 150% deserve it. I think us single mommies deserve it more than someone in a relationship because we put others first so much more often than we should have to. Single parenting, regardless of the dad's involvement, is not just a 50/50 job. It's like a 80-120/20-(neg)40 job, especially if you have an ex like my son's dad who doesn't do anything, ever, besides argue child support and owe me $40k+.  So get yourself something you've been yearning for. Why? because this mommy said so, is that enough justification? Caydon votes yes.
6. Stay busy. Play a board game, see the latest kid's movie or stay in and watch a chickflick post bedtime, read a steamy story once the kids are asleep, craft with the kids, craft by yourself post bedtime, or bake away. Whatever suits your fancy. Just don't do laundry, work, or clean because today is a day to remind yourself how much you love you, and how much your kids love you.
7. Indulge in some chocolate or your favorite dessert. Screw the diet for the day. It's VDay, and that means you deserve some chocolate. Buy yourself a high quality kind and savor the moment, preferably after kiddo bedtime.

We are independent women who know how to buy our own chocolate, gifts, and flowers. Thank-You-Very-Much.  Bonus: We know exactly what we want!

    **Extra Tip! Raid the VDay section the day after VDay. Seriously the best deals on candy all year!

Christmas Break

One of the biggest perks about teaching... the breaks. I love being able to mentor my teens and help them make their future a brighter one, but I would be completely lying to say that I don't love the ability to spend time with my boy when breaks roll around. It makes the lack of money/respect for the profession seem worth it.

This break, we also took care of Eva, Luke's daughter. I can't get enough of these two (Cay & Eva) together. They are such great kids solo, but together they are like the Wonder Pets... one helk of a cute team. They also have bundles of creativity, compassion, and energy, which makes me both even more exhausted but also keeps me totally entertained. I also hid the baby from them, which means I did my darndest to hide the fatigue and nausea, as well. Eva is also going to be a big sister via her mom's baby, and she has been super excited about that so she has kind of unknowingly created this positive energy/excitement about the other sibling she will have.

Here is a photo explosion of our break :)

Before Eva came..

 Boat Light Parade @ Val Vista Lakes (friend's party)

 Dinosaur movie. Roar!

And then Eva came into town...

Eva has such a SWEET personality!

 (someone ate it at the park!)

Caydon: "Act scared from the bugs!"  Eva: "Ok, now act happy because we're having fun!"

Our trip to the Phoenix Zoo

Dancing in leaves :)

Phoenix Zoo Lights with the gang

Hiding Under a Tent- 7 Weeks Update

Hello, bump! I can't believe how quickly I got a little pudge bump. Maybe I'm crazy paranoid since I was working hard on making it flat, but here is a pic of what is being pushed up. I'm pretty sure it's more of my organs than it is baby bump (pleeeeeease just be one baby!), but nonetheless, I'm looking a little plump and am hiding it under huge shirts since the family still is unaware:

baby/pregnancy stats:

How far along?  7 weeks! There is a possibility that I'm due around August 10 now. Who knows!? Sometime in August :)
Total weight gain/loss: Gained back the 2 pounds I have lost, but I also haven't gone to the gym lately since I've been watching Cay and Eva (Luke's daughter) for Christmas Break.

Maternity clothes? My Paige Denim pants arrived, as did a few nice and baggy maternity shirts :)
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: about 8 hours a night plus cat naps throughout the day

Labor Signs: No way!
Belly Button in or out? In

Best moment this week: Watching our kiddos play together. These kids play so well together; I am pumped to see them as "big siblings"!

Miss Anything? wine

Movement: not yet!

Symptoms: a constant headache, some nausea, and FOOD cravings! 
Food cravings: more berries, and once I craved burgers for a 24 hour time period until Luke spoiled me with them
Anything making you queasy or sick:  everything

Anything make you emotional?: Oh, yeah. Lots of kiddo shows, Christmas, and the realization that next year we will have a 4 month old getting visited by Santa
Bump Alert: more like fatty alert
Gender prediction: Girl vibes!
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy
Pregnancy Dreams: A bunch of crazies. One in particular: giant child-eating gnomes chasing our kiddos. I hid Caydon and Eva in a factory by a church, but then the smell of the growing baby sent them our way. It was nuts... and I am not even going to attempt finding it's meaning.

Fearing: this whole ordeal

 Anticipating: not having to hide this giant yet pea sized secret from the world