5 on Friday + a winner

O*N*E
Well I promised that on Friday I would announce the winner of the The Little Mermaid Giveaway, so without further ado.....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Maria!!!

Please make sure to email me your address by Monday September 30th, so i can give it to the sponsor. 

T*W*O
So after seeking out some advice from a few of my favorite photography bloggers, I decided to go ahead and rent the 50mm 1.4 from borrowlenses.com. Let me just say, OMG!!! I love this thing!! I havent even really had the chance to fully use it yet on a client/subject, but i played with it in my backyard on the dogs and i think im in LOVE! I cant wait to use it tomorrow on my new nephew. Thank you Mandy for your suggestion!!! Now if only i can convince someone to buy it for me for Christmas. Only 88 days to persuade someone, who will be the lucky winner? :)

my mother-in-laws black lab, Sophie

T*H*R*E*E
Im so proud of myself for jumping back on Weight Watchers full force! And not only because i can see a difference on the scale, but also because I feel like i am making better choices. Like right now, i just went on to plan what im having for dinner because I know we are going to a mexican restaurant since its my mother in laws last night in town. I tracked all the points, yes everything down to how many tortilla chips im going to eat, so that i know i will make a better choice while im at the dinner table. go me! (oh and look for an upcoming post where i will do a complete update on my progress thus far)


F*O*U*R

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Ive been thinking about what I want Matthew to be for halloween this year. Surprisingly hubs agrees with my idea, normally he has some kind of remark on it being cheesey. But you see my mom has been calling matthew "bam bam" for quite some time now. So i think it would be really cute if he was Bam Bam from Flinstones. I could even be Betty Rubble, or Wilma Flinstone. Highly doubt hubs would be willing to dress up as Barney or Fred, but I could give it a shot. lol. My issue is, we live in south florida, and EVERY.SINGLE. costume i find for kids is like a full body suit. Dont the makers realize that my kid might die of sweat? And come on, its Bam Bam for god sake! all he needs is a little skirt-like thing and a stick! but no, all the ones i can find look like this. Not only is it a full body suit, but the whole hair thing makes it look really weird to me. So i think i might just bite the bullet and shop for the costume on Etsy. It may be a little, read ALOT, more expensive to have someone make it, but i think it will look way better. Anyone know anyone that could make me a bam bam costume? Im sure it wouldnt be too difficult, and i could probably make it, but i just dont have the time or will power to try and figure it out.

F*I*V*E
Not only have I had major baby fever lately, but i think Ive also got a case of the "i wanna bigger house" fever too. The two kinda go together. You see i want another kid soon. Like would love to be pregnant before the new year (no we are not currently trying), but we honestly dont really have a big enough house to add another kid into the mix. Technically we could enclose the carport, which is what we have wanted to do all along. But 1) we dont really have the money for that right now and 2) that still wouldnt give us the space we need. Ideally, i would love a 5bd/3bath. I know, i like to dream BIG. But think about it 1-our room 2-matthews room 3-baby #2's room eventually 4-my home office and 5-a spare bedroom, or possibly baby#3. Technically kids can share rooms, so thats always negotiable, but i need a separate room for my office. Currently its in whats supposed to be a dining room. But technically we cant afford a house like that out east where we live now, and i really dont want to live out west if i can avoid it. So basically i just have to live with my baby fever and big house syndrome until someone decides they just want to give me lot and lots of money! any volunteers? Id be happy with something like this:

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Hope everyone has a great weekend!

If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

So what wednesday

This week im saying So what if....

• I let Matthew cry for a good 15mins before i decided he just wasnt going to take his afternoon nap today
• It only took $14,000 in credit card debt for me to realize i need to tame my shopping habits
• I brought up the whole debt situation to my father in hopes he might help me out somehow, even if its only to borrow the $ from him to avoid interest...... 
• Im getting less work done for work this week because i kept Matthew home with me an extra day to save a bit of money
• I gained 4.8lbs last week, but i made up for it this week by getting rid of 5.6lbs! Woohoo!
• If i look forward to wednesday weight watchers meetings to just get out of the house and have hubby feel the full responsibility of matthew for a night
• I only mowed the front lawn today, when the back is really what needed it, but it started pouring and at least it gives me some exercise for tomorrow
• I left 2 loads of clean laundry in the living room, in hopes my mom would fold and put away while she came over to watch matthew before hubs got home
• I had a dream my birth control failed due to the use of antibiotics this month and ended up pregnant....dam baby fever....and aunt flo arrived today so no it wasnt a premonition 
• I wrote this post from my phone so the likelihood of the layout being all messed up is pretty darn good ;) (update: i went back and reformatted thursday to make it look right lol)

Dont forget to link up with Shannon and let us know what your saying So What to this week

5 on friday

I really love these 5 on Friday posts. Especually since Ive been slacking majorly in the whole blog department, this gives me a chance to catch up on the small things

O*N*E
Im officially an aunt again! my sister-in-law gave birth to a cute baby boy, Francis "Frankie" James, on Tuesday Sept 17th, 7lbs 3oz, 20inches long. This means that Matthew is also officially a big cousin! Im so happy he is going to have a cousin around the same age as him, seeing that my sisters kids are 13 and 6, these two lil boys will only be a year apart. I cant wait to see them be best buds and having lots of family get-togethers where they are running around with each other. And oh-my-aching-ovaries!!! lets just say holding him when he was less than a day old did not do any good for the looming baby fever ive been having.......

T*W*O
So with my nephew being born, and the maternity/1yr photoshoot i booked for my friend a couple of weeks ago, its really got me starting to think about turning this little photography hobby of mine into a business. My friend said that she got so many compliments on the photos i took of her lil expanding family and her lil girls 1st bday, and mentioned that she wished i had a facebook page for my photography so she could tag them/recommend me. Which then got me into thinking of a logo for my possible business. what do you think of my first idea? After playing around with my initials for a little while, i feel like it almost looks like a butterfly, and i LOVE butterflies. So im sure there could be a few tweaks, but im really liking it so far


T*H*R*E*E
More photography stuff (sorry its been on my mind alot lately), i cant really afford another lens right now and while scouring pinterest for newborn session ideas for my nephew, i came cross this site called borrowlenses.com, have any of you used it? I asked a couple of my photog friends and they all seem to recommend the 50mm as a wonderful lens to use. So im definitely contemplating whether to rent it for a week or two to try it out on my nephew. And then if i fall in love with it, maybe i can ask for it for christmas?

F*O*U*R
Ive had enough with this whole laxidasical (did i spell that right?) approach ive been having with weight watchers over the past 3-4weeks. I know the program works, i know i can do it, i know im successful with it, but im just too dam lazy. urrgghh. so this week i told myself there were no excuses. Granted ive only just said that yesterday (since wednesday was my weigh in day and i gained basically 5lbs in the past 2 weeks), but im going to track, eat healthier, exercise, and NOT step on the scale until next wednesday. so far so good. ive tracked every single little bite ive put in my mouth, i went rollerblading yesterday morning before matthew and i even ate breakfast, and im going to publix on my lunch break to stock up on healthy food. wish me luck.

F*I*V*E
Its actually starting to feel like fall around here as of this morning. As I walked matthew out to my sisters car this morning for pickup, i could feel a cool breeze and the i wasnt covered in sweat when i made it back in the house. and that says alot when you live in south florida. I love fall. Not winter, but fall. Normally right around Halloween is when i feel like our seasons somewhat change around here. But i have to to admit, i am completely jealous of you ladies who are already rocking the boots, scarves, and jeans. Oh and also those who get to go apple picking. I LOOOOOVE me some apple! I wish we had an orchard somewhere around here, but i think thats only for you northerner :( but that wont stop me from making this apple cinnamon baked oatmeal recipe. Not only is it apple, but its also weight watcher friendly. If any of you are following the plan, you must go check out Emily Bites. She has some great ww recipes that do not disappoint!!! (and you dont even have to tell your hubby its diet-friendly, he wont be able to tell!!)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

And if you havent already, go enter my latest giveaway to win a The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy!

If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

a quick update and a giveaway

Wow, you know how everyone tells you once you have kids time seems to literally fly by? Well they werent kidding. I cant believe it is already half way through September. Alots been going on around our neck of the world. Lots of projects at work, lots of random house projects (including building a swingset!), baby shower for my sis-in-law, and now she is actually at the hospital as of last night getting induced due to a liver condition they found in her. All is well so far, and I cant wait to meet my new lil nephew hopefully later today! <insert baby fever here>

But along with all that good news for me and my family, I have some good news for you, my bloggy friends, too! I have the opportunity to give one of my lucky readers The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy!

I was so beyond excited to be able to host this giveaway! We all know we love Disney around here, and The Little Mermaid just so happens to be one of my all time favorite Disney classics. Funny, I was just talking to hubby about how when I was growing up, i would have definitely considered myself a Disney kid (opposed to Nickelodeon). I think i had every classic Disney movie on VHS (omg, showing my age now with the VHS reference), but the few that stayed in my normal rotation were The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Sleeping Beauty.

And honestly, it kind of makes me sad that all my old VHS's will go to waste, and my kid(s) wont have those for their viewing pleasure since we dont own a VHS player anymore. But luckily, The Little Mermaid is coming out of the Disney Vault for the first time on Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD Digital on October 1st!

If you want you chance at winning a free copy for your kiddos (or yourself, if youre a fanatic like me lol) then just simply enter below through the rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh and you can also check out is the movie's website, which includes clips, games and activities by going here.

Good luck!

I received a copy of the movie in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

a quick update

remember that time i took an unexplained bloggin hiatus for 2 months? yeah, im not going to try and explain, lets just say, life gets in the way sometimes, and unfortunately this little blog here of mine ends up going on the back burner. No need for me to try and make excuses, ill just skip over all that and jump right back into blogging.

note: i wish I had some elaborate reason like we won a million dollars and have been vacationing for the past 2 months, or hey baby #2 is on the way and i just havent had the energy to blog, but instead you get the lame "life happens" reason, sorry.....

moving on......lets do this is bullet fashion for the time being

• Matthew turned 1 three weeks ago today! I cant believe how time has flown by so quickly. We had an awesome mickey mouse inspired birthday celebration the Saturday after his birthday. Man does this kid have alot of people who love him and want to spoil him! You should see all the new toys, to the point where im thinking of hiding a few and rewrapping for christmas? what?! dont be jealous you didnt think of it. is not like he will even know, especially if he never gets to play with them in the first place

• Speaking of Matthew turning one, i still havent published his birth story. i know total mom & blogger fail. Part 1 is complete and i should just hit publish, but if I do that it means i have to finish part 2......

• We got family photos taken a couple weeks before matthews birthday by the same photographer who did my maternity pictures. I think they turned out great and I promise to share them all with you soon!

• We also took Matthew to the beach for the first time. I know, kinda odd considering we live so close. It was a quick trip with just me and hubs, but i wanted to do the monumental "First trip" before summer came around so that my sister could take him and her kids to the beach if she wanted.

• Operation Bathroom Renovation is in full swing. We're currently living at my parents house and have been since Memorial Day weekend. The first week we were here my parents were actually still in New Jersey, but all the following weeks we've been all living under the same roof again. it was nice in the beginning, having that extra hand to help with Matthew, my laundry getting done every day (my mom has a laundry addiction), and home cooked meals on table before 6:30, but now, lets just say its time to have our own space again. Hubs is working on the bathroom as much as he can, but with him working a regular M-F 9-5 job, he only has the weekends to work on the bathroom, and the past couple of weekends have been extremely busy.

• The big project i was working on for my day job has come to somewhat of a completion. Allowing me a few extra spare moments during the day to catch up on blogging. There are a few lingering projects, but for the most part it was a great success rebranding the entire company. Looking back, i understand why i was so stressed, i mean hell i lost about 10lbs just from skipping lunch everyday for about 3 weeks, but it was all so worth it (not the skipping lunch part, i actually missed that). And because of my hard work and all the effort i put into the project, the head of the company actualy gave me the "Pony of the week" award that our company gives out each week. It was nice to be acknowledged in front of the entire company and rewarded (even if it was only a $25 giftcard) for all the hard work i had done.

• On a completely separate topic, im really starting to get the baby fever over here again. I dont know if its all the mommy bloggers who are pregnant again, the fact that I am planning my sister-in-laws baby shower for this august, or one of my best friends is pregnant again with another baby girl. But im not going to lie, my ovaries are definitely feeling the need for more babies! probably not a good time to bring it up to hubs tho, you know considering the fact that we are currently leaving with my parents again! oh yeah that thing :/

• And also, the next lingering thought in my head, that relates to the last bullet, if we do decide on baby #2 relatively soon, we will most definitely be in need of a bigger home. What am i talking about? whether we have another kid or not we need a bigger home! a 2/1 is just not big enough for us anymore, and I am way over having my office in the dining room, and in return having no dinning room!

• Weight watchers has been going really good for me lately (probably due to the whole stress thing....) and Ive lost a total of 28.2lbs. I felt extremely proud of myself at the birthday party when everyone kept complementing me on how much weight ive lost. Its always nice when someonve else sees the difference and dedication.

• That being I bought my new rollerblades but with the welcoming of summer it has been just WAAAAAAYYY to hot outside down he in SoFl. Plus my stroller isnt really made for that kid of exercise. Ive been on the hunt for a Bob Revolution SE stroller. I tried it out when I went with my SIL to register at BabiesRUs and fell in love. Im not even embarrassed to admit Ive been scouring craiglist like a mad woman. Thinking of maybe stopping by the local consignment shop too to see if they have one.

Ok so now that Ive bored you all with a not-so-quick update like I promised in the title, and no pictures, i let you know that I do have a list of posts i want to get out that include Matthews updates, Bday party, Weigh-ins, photo dumps, etc.

hopefully theyll be posted sooner than later. we shall see.

fridays letters

 

dear hubby, good luck today in the Peep Eating Contest you entered yourself into at work. I hope the impromptu shirt I made for you last night gets some laughs from your coworkers. I know it sure made for a bunch of laughs last night.

dear matthew, please know that the minute i saw that huge spider in your bedroom, i just about flipped my sh*t, but i made sure to get it all taken care of, even if I was freaking out as i put you to sleep that night, worried there might be more. but dont you worry, daddy made sure to kill it, uncle billy made sure to reassure mommy that it wasnt poisonous, and your poppy came over the next day and closed up what we think was the entry point for the critter.

dear city of imperial point, thank you so much for putting on the Easter Extravaganza last sunday. I was so looking forward to gathering some easter eggs for matthews first time, but seriously? you werent kidding when you said 10:00. I showed up at 10:00 and wasnt able to make it to the playground till 10:03 and you were already done! you honestly couldnt have waited 5 minutes just in case parents were running late? i guess i cant be too mad since Matthew wont remember this easter, but i guess i know better for next year

dear infantino, you are a great company, i already knew this, but to top things off I received a huge box from you today for winning the Easter Pinterest contest (you can check out my winning board here). Matthew is going to love all the new Go Ga Ga line toys that it is filled with. thanks again for being such a great company

dear weather, ive enjoyed you greatly over the past couple of days, cool with a slight breeze, please stay this way for tomorrow when we have to go to a Eastons 1st birthday party that is being held outside at a park. thank you.

dear iphone5, i love you. i am so happy i finally bought you back in september, but im really kicking my self in the arse for not buying one of the larger memory options, i swear I feel like I get that darn "not enough storage" message every time i try taking a picture. i guess it would help if i didnt take so many pics, oops, but thats not gonna change anytime soon. lol

dear preggo & new mommy friends, please stop posting all these cute pics of teeny babies, you are making me have some crazy baby fever over here! i know were not ready for another one yet, but those pics sure do make me miss my somewhat small baby who is now an average size 18month old (yes, i know hes only 9 months, but hes my chunky monkey)

dear hubby, i really do appreciate all the effort youve been putting in to helping me around the house, after last weeks situation im glad we were able to agree on responsibilities around the house. i hope you know I do see how much youre trying to and do realize i need to put in just as much effort as you have.

dear self, did you read that last letter? you need to start making your own effort to change/improve the things that your husband would like to see change. marriage isnt just about living together, its more than that, and it takes two to make it a long loving lasting relationship.

dear matthew, im thinking i can maybe squeeze in a mini easter photoshoot of you tomorrow morning before we head out, do you think you can corporate for mommy please? ill make sure to tell the easter bunny to stuff extra puffs in your eggs! (yes i did just bribe my son with puffs, dont act like youve never done it)

And because Ill never leave you without a pic, this is from the Easter Extravaganza (note: we arent leaving with any eggs lol)

bil, niece, me, matthew, sis

Dont forget to link up your Fridays Letters with Ashley.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!