DEAR ROMAN

Dear Roman,
Ahh you are still teething terribly. Those little suckers are taking their precious time to come out. The drooling is insane (hence the picture). But I must admit you are quit the trooper. You are just becoming so much fun and so much more playful! Every time I open the refrigerator you go, "MMMmmm!!" I'll take that as a compliment. You are getting the idea of brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, and scrubbing yourself in the bath. Papa likes to have you up on the counter with him while washing the dishes. I've stolen this technique and accomplish washing the dishes twice as fast (rather than chasing your speedy self) and you have another excuse to play with water. If I say "Show me your belly," you lift up your shirt and slap that big baby belly that I love so much. Papa is always trying to tame your beastly curls, but you like your hair wild and free, just like your Mama does. Oh and when I put on some fresh new clothes for the day, you run to the nearest mirror and check yourself out. You start to smile and do turns. I don't blame you though, you are such a mini-stud. You keep us exhausted now that you are becoming the wild and curious boy that is destined to explore and leave no stone unturned. But, with that exhaustion comes the endless smiles, laughs, and happy tears you give your Mama and Papa. Love you Puppy!
                                xoxoxo,
                                           Mama

CURRENTLY

LOVING: That I decided not to go to summer school. Yes, I am going to have a heavy load next fall, but I am really grateful for having all this time to spend with Roman. I get to play stay at home mommy for the entire summer. It's been fun but also very challenging. I didn't realize how much "me time" school gave me. To soley be able to have all of your focus on one subject/task at a time is something that never occurs in our house unless the little man is down for a nap. I could seriously punch my 17 year old self for thinking that I never had enough time for homework, because "I had a life" and "...things to do." I thought I would have the whole house under control this summer. Boy was I wrong. I still have to choose between having a blast with Roman or getting the laundry finished or maybe even washing the dishes. Laundry seems to never win me over. My little guy has truly become my ultimate companion. He is there by my side at all times. It will be tough for me to have that separation again once school comes along. For now, I am loving the ability to give my little mister my full attention and a fun packed summer.
READING: 50 Shades Darker, of course. I haven't been able to read it as quickly as I did the first one, so I am still in the beginning of the book. This trilogy just gives me mixed feelings. I don't think it is well written but I am completely enthralled with the story line, not to mention Christian Grey himself. He is such a great character. I know so many of you are reading it too. Don't be shy! Let me know what you think.
WATCHING: We'll today I went to go watch Magic Mike with my mother and my aunt. It was horrible! How hard is it to make a funny/ entertaining male stripper movie? Geez. I wasn't expecting Oscar performances, but the stripping, acting, and story line all failed in my book. But, thanks to Netflix I have been OBSESSED with Desperate Housewives. I watch at least two episodes a day. So good!
ANTICIPATING: I've mentioned it several times on the blog, but I am definitely anticipating our trip to Italia! It's becoming more and more real and there is no more time to fantasize about it. It's all about check lists and being prepared. The flight with Roman has got my nerves in a bundle, but we are in desperate need of some new scenery.
LISTENING TO: I've been going back to my high school days and have fallen in love with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs all over again! Karen O is just to awesome.
PLANNING: Our 4th of July activities. So far it seems like a BBQ at my parents' casa. Unfortunately, Sal has work. I've been on pinterest mode trying to find some cute and creative recipes for the occasion. I think Roman and I will cheese it and dress up in red, white, and blue. We'll see.
WORKING ON: This blog makeover. You likey? I did it all myself and I am patting myself on the back for learning all this html/css coding. It can be so tricky. I've been bringing my camera everywhere I go. Plus, I have a few things up my sleeve for this month. Excited.
WISHING: People on my street didn't jump the gun on the independence day celebrations. Fireworks and a sleeping baby don't mix.

Got this lovely idea from SometimesSweet Blog. Check it out.

ROMAN'S READ: ITALIANO

Italy is just around the corner and it is starting to finally feel real that we are actually going. The nerves and excitement have all kicked in. Prepping to leave the country is in full effect, but more than anything we are ready for some savory foods, delicious wines, and lazy beach days that are in our near future. 

Luckily, Sal's mother saves everything. I do mean EVERYTHING. So we were able to inherit some of Sal's old learning Italiano books that she had hidden away in storage. As much as I love thrifting, I think this is even better. Just because I know the history behind the items. It makes me want to save them for Roman and his possible future children. The illustrations are charming and dated, the way I like it. Plus, since most of the books are for children, it has made it fun and adorable to learn the basics so I am not completely oblivious while I'm there. 

Roman and I look through the pages just before his nap each day. The pictures catch his attention and he now understands to point at things on the page. But has he learned any Italian? No. But that's okay, right now his English vocabulary only consists of 4 words: mama, dada, baba (bottle), and hi. 

Yesterday I was flipping through the text book and found a paper with some of Sal's writing on it from when he was a pup. It was adorable to picture him as a little guy trying to learn Italiano. Awww. 

Ciao!

DIY: SHARPIE MUG

All you need is a sharpie and a porcelain mug ( I recommend the ones from Target)

make sure to practice your sketch on paper before doing it on the mug

at this point if you happen to make a mistake you can rub it out

Once it has cooled it is ready for use. Just make sure you don't put in the dishwasher or your image will magically disappear. 

enjoy.

I had seen this while I was googling coffee mugs to get Sal for Father's Day and I just had to try it. I saw it over at A Beautiful Mess Blog which is now becoming one of my favorite blog discoveries. This was fun, fast, and simple. Not to mention you can do this for a few bucks or so. There are so many creative things you can do with this and it makes a great customized gift! 

A DAY FOR PAPA

Happy Papa Day to this guy. It's his second year celebrating being the best newbie pops around. I still remember when I was pregnant during Father's Day, he wanted to celebrate it. Then he decided that his first one should be with his son not in my belly. I took them to a yogurt shop, since both Sal and Roman have never been. It was funny because I was watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians (guilty pleasure, don't judge) and they went to a yogurt shop and Sal says, "Look how cool that yogurt shop is." And I'm thinking that's what they all look like. It was then I realized he had never been to one. It was super hot out so the yogurt was perfect. We got little sample cups and went crazy trying everything, trying to create the perfect combo. We had Roman try some, he tends to be so hesitant when tasting something new. The first bite he hates everything, but soon enough he was whining the entire ride home for me to give him some of mine. I went all fruity with loads of dinosaur sprinkles, thinking of how Roman will appreciate them in a few years time. Since Father's Day we have gone twice. We are official fro-yo addicts.
Sal definitely deserves the appreciation. He works so hard for us and has put back school so I can finish up my degree and have more time with our son. He comes home every day for lunch just so he can have that extra 45 minutes with us a day. The love this man has for his son is indescribable and their bond since day one is one of the most loving and pure things I have witnessed. We love you Sal.

BEAT THE HEAT

It has been ridiculously hot over here. So hot, I can't even put Roman in my non-tinted windowed car before seven o'clock. There are only two options in this case: stay indoors with my best friend A/C or play in water. Damn I wish we had a pool. Someday. Almost everyday now we are either playing with the sprinklers,baby  pool anything to keep us cool. We set up this little water park that I had gotten last summer for him. It was too much of a hassle for his 5 minute attention span, but we had a blast splishing and splashing for those five minutes. We were chasing each other around. All you have to say is "I'm gonna get you!" and he bolts as fast as his rather large little feet allow. It resulted in millions of little baby footprints all along our backyard. It made my heart smile.

A DAY

1.We went to see Papa at work and did our first kids workshop together.
2.Puppy and I gave a little visit to my parentals.
3. We played with the dogs.
4. We took a drive to Caswell State Park and I decided to dress up since it was my birthday.
5. Roman felt the need to roam away from me.
6. We went to a kid's park for Roman and I stole some fruit from someones' tree. Sorry and Yum.
7. We found a football and he is now pro.
8. Happy child = happy mama

FRIENDS

This by all means is not the most flattering picture of us, but nonetheless it is one of my favorites. It's us in Palm Springs on the concrete floor in front of our hotel.Too many drinks? Maybe. Best time ever? YES. I have known her since the first day of sixth grade (as we always say). She is one of the very few childhood friends I have kept in touch with and for that she will always be considered a best friend. Even if I don't see her or talk to her as often as best friends should. Unfortunately she was in a severe car accident. She broke both of her legs among other injuries and has to do extensive surgery. When I found out this had happened, I was in shock. I just felt the need to know everything that had happened and wanted to know she was okay.

I hadn't seen her since her birthday in March and I wanted to see her right away so she knew I was there for her. I ended up not seeing her that day due to surgery, so we spent the night so I would see her the following morning. That night as I was trying to fall asleep all my emotions hit me at once. I completely broke down. HARD. It was such a mix of emotions, stresses, and nerves. It was hard to explain to Sal what exactly I was feeling. I just felt the need to cry. Cry because I am so happy she is alive. Cry because this happened to her. Crying over the thought of what could have happened to her. Then I realized that I was also crying from guilt. Guilt for not being the best friend I could be. For not pushing myself to put her and others more into my life, my little world.

It is definitely time for me to change that. To not be in such a small bubble. I want to be there for her and its amazing how many people/her friends are affected by this and are by her side. Not only is she smart and beautiful, she is one of the funniest people I know. It incredible to realize how much of my life she had been a part of. To reminisce over our preteen/teenage youth. Now its time to build memories of us both as adults and growing (young) women. We are all hoping for a quick and full recovery from such a horrific accident. It's amazing how unfair life can be, but it is essential to always feel grateful to be alive and live the life you desire.
Get well soon Mo, love you.

DEAR ROMAN

Dear Roman,

Now you are truly becoming more of a boy and much less of a baby. You love to give kisses and clap for doing so. Sometimes I get a kiss without even asking and it's pretty much the best thing/feeling ever. You climbed your first steps with no hands on our way to grandma's house. Current favorite summer wear is a tank and swim trunks just like papa. Someone is also becoming quite the trickster. To get me to pick you up, you will pretend your finger is stuck in a cabinet drawer or the grocery store cart. It drives me crazy until I realize its one of your tricks and then I am just so proud of how clever you are. Oh and your pretend cry is almost convincing. It seems as if all your teeth have decided to come out at the same time, so teething has been no fun and is in full effect. You love to wrestle around with me when I  am trying to do a workout video and think its hilarious to see me jumping around all sweaty. Thanks. Right now Papa and I are working on the yard and you have just been the best helper ever. You love to transport soil from the bag to bucket over and over and over again! We have been able to spend so much more time together now that I am on summer vacation from school. I feel that it is bringing us closer and as you get older day by day I feel our bond getting stronger and stronger. Papa and I are super excited that we are able to take you Italy. I can't wait for our first family adventure.We love you always.
                                                                      Mommy

PAPA'S PASTAS: PASTA CARBONARA

I have sworn off pasta until I go to Italy in hope off shedding a few (more like a lot) of pounds. So naturally the only thing I am craving is pasta! I thought instead of eating it, I would take pictures of it and share. For those who can. Sal wanting to be a chef in a past life, makes him an awesome cook, and this is one of my favorites. It's light and very simple. There will be more Papa's Pastas posts coming soon!