Taking prenatals just got easier!!!

Calling all preggos, mamas, breast-feeding mamas, trying-to-conceivers, basically all women! Do I have some great news for you. I dont know about all of you but when I was first started trying to concieve my obgyn suggested I start taking prenatal vitamins. At first I was a lil confused. I had always thought you didnt start taking prenatals until after you got pregnant. WRONG. Since about 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned, some doctors and organizations, such as the March of Dimes, actually suggest any woman between 15 – 50 take prenatals every day.

So I took a little trip to my favorite place in the world, Target, and went to buy me some prenatals. I didnt exactly know the difference between the brands, so I did what any normal woman would do, I looked for the prettiest. lol. ok maybe not any normal woman, but what can I say? Im a sucker for good packaging. (that would be the designer in me speaking, btw)

Now let me just preface that Ive never been good at taking pills. For some reason I could just never swallow them, always opting for the chewable or liquid. As Ive gotten older Ive learned to be able to take pills, but the size of prenatals? Nobody warns you about those things! I like to call them horse-pills. But for the well-being of my baby one day, Ill do whats best. So I started taking them. Not everyday, but whenever I remembered.

I quickly learned that these horse-pills were not only gigantic and horrible smelling, but they also made me feel extremely nauseous. And hell, I wasnt even pregnant yet. I couldnt even imagine what it would be like to try and take these plus have morning sickness. So back to Target I went to try and find a smaller, better smelling, non-nausea, anything better prenatal option. After multiple attempts of which had no success, I basically gave up.

And then the best thing in the world happened. We found out I was pregnant! We were so excited and couldnt wait to tell everyone our good news. But in the back of my head all I could think about was the dreaded horse-pill I would have to take for the next 9 months. I even spoke with my doc about how to make the daily ritual a little less painful. She suggested eating something with or before taking it, taking it before I went to bed, or using the prescribed ones she gave me a prescription for. I do admit, out of those three suggestions, the one that worked the best was taking it right before I went to sleep. But that still was just not good enough in my eyes. Too bad I would have to just deal with it.

But ladies, you need not worry anymore, enter Premama! I wish, I wish, i repeat, I WISH, they had this product when I was pregnant.

Premama is your prenatal vitamin as a drink mix. You know, kinda like crystal light on-the-go packets? But get this, it has absolutely no flavor, this way you can add it to any of your favorite drinks! It tastes best with juice, fruit flavored beverages, iced tea and milk. You technically would be fine adding it to water, but there may be a hint of ginger taste to it. Note: You should not mix it with sodas or hot beverages. And get this, you can also sprinkle it on your breakfast cereal if you'd prefer. I personally mixed it with my Strawberry Orange Banana Crystal Light drink and honestly couldnt even tell there was anything added. Again, back to the wishing I had this long ago! But thankfully now that baby #2 is our our brains (not trying yet, but the thought is there lol) I can start taking this prenatal instead of those horse-pills.

Now you may have a couple question, and thats fine, I did too, so Ill try to give you a quick overview:

Prenatal Vitamin Powder Drink Mix

• Doctor recommended
• Nausea Relief
• Contains all the nutrients baby needs
• Gluten-free, Lactate-free, BPA-free
• 100% Natural
• Just 6 calories per serving

Premama is most effective if taken:

• While trying to conceive
• During pregnancy
• While breastfeeding

Key ingredients include:

• Biotin: May help support embryo growth
• B Vitamins: Help provide energy
• DHA Omega-3 fatty acid: Suggested to support fetal cognitive development
  and protection against postpartum depression
• Vitamin D3: Supports mom and baby’s bone health
• Proprietary Iron blend: Can help lower the risk of preterm birth and low birth-weight;
  gentle on the system
• Coenzyme Q10: May help protect against preeclampsia during pregnancy
• Choline: Used, along with folic acid, to help further protect against neural tube defects
• Ginger Root: Helps with nausea relief
• Folic Acid: Clinically proven to reduce the risk of some birth defects by up to 70%

Each daily serving of Premama may be consumed in two equally divided doses (dont worry, the each package is already split into 2 for your convenience). Processed in FDA-regulated facilities, Premama also contains USP Verified and Food and Drug Administration GRAS nutrients not typically found in combination with other prenatal supplements.

Now, for the best part of this little post, one of my lucky followers will be winning a 30-day supply of Premama! And as I mentioned before, you dont have to be pregnant to qualify ;) all women should be using this easy to take prenatal drink mix. Unfortunately, this post didnt post when it was scheduled, so you only have until tomorrow to enter (sorry).  And the winner will be announced in Fridays Letters. Also, the giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Theres lots of ways to enter, so you'll have lots of chances to win even if the giveaway is only open for a short time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
But dont worry, theres more!! All of my lucky readers are able to save 15% off using the promotion code Sweepstakes2013. You can buy and learn more about Premama here.

I hope you all enjoy, and good luck!

I received this product free to review from Premama through MomSelect. All opinions stated are my own.

fridays letters

dear hubby, valentines day is coming up and Im trying to come up with something creative for you as your gift. I know were trying to save some money where we can, so Im thinking of maybe arranging a date night for us to go out to dinner and see a movie (lucky I already have a groupon for the movies)

dear matthew, you are so close to crawling these days. You litterally rock on all fours, and then even sometimes on your tiptoes. Im excited for when you finally do, but i know once you start youre going to be all over the place. You daddy thinks youre going to walk first, but I just know you will start crawling any day now.

dear south florida, oh how I love you so! my lil trip to NYC last week really made me appreciate the nice weather we have year round. i dont know how those northern folk deal with freezing cold weather ;)

dear self, youve got alot of goals on your mind lately, and i do want you to achieve every single one of them, but try to focus on the small ones first. they are more achievable and will help motivate you to complete the larger ones. lets start with your 10lb goal (you only have 2.4lbs to go!) and spending less money (eventually we will pay those credit cards off, i promise!)

dear work, how am I ever going to get longevity with a company if you keep getting bought out?!?! the company I first started with out of college got bought by a larger corp within 1 year of me starting, luckily I was able to continue working from home for the other company, I moved within departments and was able to get 3 years with this company, and then my department got bought out last week by another company. Again Im lucky to be able to continue working from home, but Im not going to lie, the benefits are quite different. not necessarily bad, just different. Im excited for the new change, but sad that I technically start over as a new employee again :(

dear credit cards, i will NOT use you, i will NOT use you, i will NOT use you........unless its a  good deal or an emergency ;)

dear house, please clean yourself today, my mother-in-law moved back to florida last night and were hosting dinner here tonight, unfortunately I just dont have the motivation to clean

dear hubby, we really need to sit down and figure out how to divide and conquer when it comes to household chores, as previously mentioned, the house is an absolute mess! I know neither of us enjoy doing housework (come on who does?) but it still has to get done. i volunteer for laundry, dishes, and vacuuming. If you could just take trash, litter box, washing the dogs, and mowing the lawn that would be perfect! lol

dear matthew, i dressed you in the most adorable overalls today that your Aunt DeAnna got you. I couldnt believe just how big you look in them! Your Aunt Denise even said you "no longer look like a baby," when I dropped you off this morning. Please can you stay my baby just a lil bit longer?
and speaking of baby.....we got some wonderful news this week, youre going to have a baby cousin this october! Aunt DeAnna and Uncle Eric are expecting! We are so happy for them, its been a long time waiting. Shes only 5 weeks, but we couldnt be more excited!!

And i would never leave you without a cute photo. Sorry for those of you who already follow me on instagram, as youve already seen one of these..

p.s. i just noticed I am only 2 followers away from reading 100! maybe Ill have to do something special when I hit the big number!

p.s.s. go check out this awesome Jo Totes giveaway!

throwback thursday: baby shower

So let me first interrupt this normally scheduled blog post to say that my lil man is officially 4 months old today! I cant believe its already been 4 months! man time flies! If you follow me on instagram then you probably already saw this photo, but I still have to share it.

Since his 4 month checkup appointment isnt until tomorrow, I probably wont get around to doing a 4 months post till this weekend. Plus, I need to catch up on posting his 1-3 months posts. (yeah I know, Im a big procrastinator)

Now, back to this weeks throwback thursday, topic: baby shower.

 

   <a href="http://southernwifey.blogspot.com"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8171/7983096222_3d3cff74a4.jpg" border="0"></a>

So I first want to give a huge shout out to my sister, mom, & awesome friends (you know who you are) You all did an absolutely fabulous job on my baby shower!

The theme was monkeys. My sis was the host but she let me pick out my theme and do the guest list. We invited almost 85people! I think about 45 showed. The location was already decided. Like all our other family events, it would take place at my parents house. Its a great entertainment/party house with plenty of space inside and outside for family & friends to be comfortable but still involved in the party. The date was set, it would be Saturday April 21st, (I would be 33 weeks pregnant) and the invites were sent!

Invites

I actually started off the morning by getting ready at a family friends house before the party started. They happen to be out of town due to a family death, but had told me I was more than welcome to use there house to get ready. You may ask why I wouldnt just get ready at my own house? Well, you see, I love taking baths, but unfortunately due to my height, I dont really ever fit into any baths comfortably. Now add a huge round belly and I really dont fit. And see, this particular friend of ours has an absolutely awesome renovated bathroom. With.....here it comes......a huge tub! So I figured Id pamper myself!

sorry if some of you think this is inappropriate, i thought it was cute of my tummy

Once I arrived to the shower, I was overwhelmed with all the friends and family that were able to come and help celebrate the anticipated arrival of our little one. My sis had organized lots of food, drinks, decorations, and CUPCAKES!!! she knows how much I love cupcakes, and these were absolutely precious!

cupcakes from sweeter days bake shop

And the flavors were even better!!! My favorite, which was what the giant cupcake on the top was made of, was orange creamsicle. omg.to.die.for. But we also had strawberries & cream, banana cream, carrot cake, chocolate banana, and I think 1 or 2 more, but the flavors slip my mind.

Then there was a surprise delivery. I was told to go to the front door. When I opened it, here was a flower delivery guy. You see, when my sister had her baby shower, my father was out of town, and his way of showing he cared while he was gone, was to send her flowers with a cute lil note. And even though my father wasnt out of town (he was actually in the other room at the time) he still sent me flowers. If you knew my father, this is a big gesture. Hes not normally the one to show emotions.

We are so lucky that we have so many people out there that loved Matthew even before he was born. The amount of gifts we got was just overwhelming. So many things. My mom went crazy (you can see her gift is the stroller with the blue "Grandma is simply the best" outfit). My sis went crazy (pack and play not pictured). And the rest of our family and friends went overboard as well.

One of my favorite gifts was actually a personalized rocking horse from one of hubbys childhoood friends. She personalizes it for each person she gives one too. You can see the image below.

There were so many wonderful people who came. Everyone had a great time. We played a couple games including the cant say baby game and celebrity baby names crossword puzzle. We ended up not playing the dirty diaper game because someone said it was gross. I actually find it funny, and convinced my best friend to play by herself once everyone had left. But we did have advise cards that everyone filled out, I loved reading all the things people wrote. My fav was actually one from one friend who wrote another friends phone number on it and simply "call her to babysit." lol.
And I think that basically sums it all up. I had a Great time and I'll never forget all the wonderful people who helped celebrate.
What was your baby shower theme? Who hosted it and where? Any favorite gifts or memories? I wanna here.

Next week Ill be talking about all of our ultrasounds we did. We got to do two 3D ones with lots of pictures!

Show & Tell: Baby Talk

So I figured to get back in the swing of things I would start by linking up with a couple fellow bloggers.So technically Becky has it as a Monday linkup, but we all know how I like to procrastinate......

1. Tell us your favorite baby names? Aside from your own babies, if you have some :)

Of course the hubby wanted a junior so we went with Matthew. Funny thing is, I remember in like 5th grade wanting a son named Matthew and I didnt even know my husband yet. If we didnt go with Matthew I was dead set on Luke (maybe baby boy #2?) And as far as girls go I already know exactly what were going with if when the day comes, Emma Rose. Emma after my grandmother, and Rose after his grandma. I absolutely love it, and hubby agreed to it before we even found out what the sex was during my pregnancy.

2. Show me your "dream" nursery {can be your baby's nursery or one that you love}

{boys}{girls}

We actually went with a nautical theme for Matthew's nursery and i do really love how it turned out (more on that later), but maybe for baby #2 we could choose one of these themes. I think they are both absolutely precious. Totally coincidental that they both have white furniture and use grey as the accent color.

3. How many children would you like to have? How far apart?
So Ive always imagined having a full house and I do still wish for that, however I know we probably wont be able to afford a bunch a kids. My dream would be 5 (dont laugh), however realistically I can see us probably having 3. I know we both want a boy and a girl, but for some reason both hubby and I think we will end up with 3 boys. And if thats the case, I secretly think I would try to persuade hubby to try again a 4th time so I can have my lil girl ;)
As far as age gaps goes. I always said I would never have children as far apart as me and my sister. She is 6 years older than I am, and I feel like we didnt really like each other until she went away for college. However, I dont want to have children too close either, because I feel like I wouldnt be able to enjoy each one if we did it that way. Hubby and I were thinking we would ideally like them about 18months apart. We shall see.....

4. Tell us what you think the importance of parenting is?
There really is no short answer to the question. And I think many bloggers agree with me on this if you go through the linky list. But personally I really think its all about teaching your kids right and wrong, while also making memories they can look back at and know that family is something you truly cherish. Thats how my parents raised my sister and I and I think we turned out pretty good (ha, for the most part lol)

5. Show us your favorite newborn photo {can be your children or random}
I wish I could show you one of Matthew as a brand new baby, unfortunately due to him being in the NICU there are only lots of pics with wires on him :(  the really cute ones came a couple weeks lately when he was at home.
Instead I show you one I pinned on Pinterest back when I first found out I was pregnant 

 {source}

And yes, I did have a family friend crochet this adorable moneky outfit for me. And it may not be a newborn pic, but Matthew is only 3 months in this pic :)

6.  Tell us some things you promise to never do as a parent {and if you are a parent, did you stick to it}

Ill completely admit, I kept telling myself during my pregnancy that as babies I would not put my children in front of a TV.  Yep. Fail. Matthew loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins. Its basically the only way I got to take a shower in month 2.

But seeing that he is still only 3 months, we will have to revisit this questions in a couple more months.....

Now, dont forget to go link up and see what everyone else had to share. Trust me there are many of us in the same position and lots of cool nursery inspiration

hi there, its me again, only this time theres an addition

wow, I am such a bad blogger. It literally has almost been a year since Ive posted anything. Which let me tell you, ALOT has happened in that past year. Instead of trying to drag it out in a very long post, I think Ill just go through things quickly in a list:

• most importantly, Im now a mommy to a beautiful baby boy
• majority of our house renovations are finished, but separate posts will follow, kitchen and nursery are done, still waiting on that third bedroom ;)
• hubby got a new truck since his old one was a single cab and had no room for a carseat
• Im officially back at work and even though I enjoy the "me/adult" time, I hate not being with my baby all day
• my sis is watching Matthew for me, so she texts alot of pics throughout the day to hold me over
• we took our first set of family photos this past weekend and they came out absolutely adorable
• we also just booked our first family vacation in October for Epcot's food & wine festival (I know, not very baby-centered but hes only 4 months, not much he can do anyway lol)

So since this was just a quick recap, I think Ill gradually do recap posts of the past year so I can look back and remember all the details.

If youre still following my blog, thanks for sticking it with me this long!

fertility reading - scam? or for real?

I really have no excuses for it. We are always busy here at our house, so its not like we were extra busy. But for some reason Ive been slackin on blogging. Whateves....

So Im not sure if any of you trying to conceive have heard of Suzanne's fertility readings or not, but on the chatboards for TheBump, BabyCenter, etc they are talked about alot. Ill admit, I was a little skeptical about it, considering it was over the internet, and it sounded like a total scam to me. But i figured, what the heck, $8 bucks, Ill just promise not to buy 2 redbulls this week (i know bad, Im trying to stop drinking them).

Anyways, so you go to her site, use paypal to pay for a reading (i chose the $8 option) send her a pic of yourself and your TTC history. She got back to me within a week, but if you choose the free option on her facebook page, i think it takes a lot longer. So I figured Id share with you what my reading said:

Fertility Reading for Lisa
October 1, 2011

I hope this reading finds you happy and healthy. I also appreciate your patience. 
When I connect with you, I feel a strong sense of self.  I feel you have a lot of inner strength. This is to remind you that you do have the capability to complete and finish any goal you have.  I feel you have a lot of discipline, stability, and courage.  Remember this when you get tired on your journeys.  I sense a lot of positive movement forward, with that a lot of success. I do feel as we all do I feel, have some moments of weakened self confidence and self doubt.  I feel you and your partner have a strong relationship, I sense a lot of harmony there.  I feel you can almost read each other’s thoughts and finish each other sentences.
As far as fertility, I feel you are fairly regular and do ovulate.  I sense maybe you or hubby travels so ovulation time may be missed?  I feel you need to chart and use opk kits to track ovulation.  Also I see the need for prenatal vitamins, B6 and folic acid. 
I feel as though ovulation is coming soon in this cycle. I feel very positive about this cycle.  I see the month of October as the month to conceive, find out or both.  I see a girl.  I feel you will not have any early pregnancy symptoms and your BFP will come as a surprise.  I feel you will be able to take a HPT on days 10 to 12 past ovulation. I feel you will have a great pregnancy, and a very healthy baby. 
I do see another pregnancy, right away. I see the month of September 2012 as the month to conceive or find out.  I see a boy. 
Good Luck!!!

Suzanne

Surprisingly the first couple of things she said about me being strong and always finishing my goals, is fairly true. As well as the fact that I travel for work and therefore sometimes we miss our window to conceive. I also am not very confident in myself sometimes, but thats why I love my hubby. We do have a great relationship.

As far as the fertility aspect of the reading goes, we will just have to wait and see if she is right..... (i hope she is!!!)


p.s. we are finally getting some cool weather down here in south florida. It is absolutely gorgeous today!

Families are like fudge ...

"Families are like fudge ... mostly sweet with a few nuts"

If you read my most recent blog entry for A Conception Story, you may already know this, but we've had a lot of family in town the past couple of weeks on both my side and my hubby's side. Unfortunately, the visits were not for happy reunions, but for memorials for a close relative. My grandmother passed away and we will be doing a memorial for her in late June up in New Jersey where she is from. So most of the family that we saw was for Hub's uncle. 

Although it was unfortunate that the reason we were all together was to celebrate the life of a loved one, it was still nice to see cousins, aunts, and uncles that we havent seen for a while. Everyone was able to catch up on recent life events, particularly our life, our house, and the oh so talked about future "lil one." Ill be honest, I havent told most people (except for you lucky followers out there), that we are a part of the TLC thing. Not because I dont want them to know, I just would prefer to let them read or watch our journey once we "officially" start trying. Of course my mother, my sister, and his mother all know, but the rest of the family hasnt been told yet that we are going to start trying extremely soon. Which brings me to my next story....

So after the memorial we all went back to hub's grandmothers house to eat dinner. Now the memorial was from 6pm - 9pm that night, so by time we actually started eating dinner it was already 10:30. Of course, since the whole family was together everyone was enjoying the night with a few glasses of wine, a couple mixed drinks, and the inevitable few rounds of shots. I knew that we had to be at the church the following morning at 9am, and that it is approximately 35 mins from our house, so I chose not to indulge in the alcoholic festivities. Plus we still had to drive home, take showers, let the dogs out, and go to bed.

Well, the next day at the funeral when the hub's cousin (the son of the uncle who passed away) got up to give his speech in front of all the family and lots of friends he spoke about how the family shouldnt have to wait for things like this to see each other. He went on to talk about how close the family used to be and that he hates that he doesnt see his cousin for this reason, or his aunt for that reason, so on and so forth. Then he goes into saying that everyone is growing up, his cousins are getting married, his grandmother is going to be a great grandmother soon, and his aunts and uncles are going to be grandparents soon. It was actually a very truthful yet touching little speech he gave. 

After the funeral we all again went back to grandmas for some food (man these italians! all they do is eat! lol). Once everyone had calmed down and were sharing fun things again, a close friend of the family say "So I want to know, who's pregnant?" (referencing the speech his cuz gave). All of a sudden his other cousin, and one of the cousins boyfriends were both staring at me. I look at them and said "WHAT?!?!" And what do I get in response? 

"Well you did refuse every drink I tried to make you last night...." 

me:"And????.....you think IM PREGNANT?!?!?!" 

cousin: "well it kinda looked like that" 

cousins boyfriend "yeah, I thought so to..." 

cousin #3 "me too! 

me: "Well Im NOT!..(insert bunch of laughter here).....I just didnt feel like drinking because we had to get up early, and i dont like shots!"

By now everyone was cracking up. It didnt help that on top of that, my mother-in-law saw a toy chest filled with diapers, baby lotion, wipes, a bouncy seat, diaper rash ointment, etc in my spare bedroom the night before. Again, innocent coincidence. Its for my friends who just had the twin boys. Since their baby shower got canceled I havent had a chance to go to Orlando to give it to them. 

Sigh. I guess I should have been prepared for this. lol.

Needless to say, when his cousin and his girlfriend came back the following week for a planned vacation, I made it a point to have multiple drinks at dinner. lol. Dinner was then followed by a traditional stop at one of the familys favorite ice cream parlors in our city: JAXSONS. (Please, if youre ever in the south florida area, make it a point to go to this place, you wont be disappointed.) Pictures following are of my wonderful, yet slightly "nutty" family-in-laws. (and if theyre reading this, please know, I am proud to call myself part of your "nutty" family! <3 ya!)

I highly suggest requesting the marshmallow topping, it is to die for!

he actually ate that entire thing by himself

they shared a version of the above pic together and still couldn't finish it

my sundae

it looks like I barely made a dent in it

our dead soldiers (we did pretty good if you ask me) (and yes, that pitcher right there is what they serve the Root Bear Float in)

Hubs' best friend growing up, hubs, and me

All time fav photo of the night, Grams is the absolute best!

TLC: Conception Story Goodies

So as I've mentioned before, Matt and I are part of this years Conception Story on TLC.com. Its the second season and were both really excited to be involved. . .  Well at least I am. I think the hubs is more doing it because he knows I want to. But I also think that this could be really fun for him. He doesnt really express his feelings all the time, and it will be nice to hear his perspective on our journey to start a family.
You can read our first entry introducing ourselves -> here. <- And of course read the other couples stories too. We all are on the same journey, but all in different ways. But I also want to make sure that I dont just abandon my personal blog, so Im going to make sure I never really post the exact same thing on both.
So, Im going to start off with the giant box I received from one of the producers on TLC before they came here to shoot our first video.

 

 Any guesses on what was in side?

Lets just say, it felt like the box was never ending....

Lots and lots and lots of pregnancy tests, ovulation kits, fertility tests, dvds, flip flops, a coffee mug, a t-shirt and a basket with getting pregnant pamphlets and such. I layed it all out on our dinning room table for Matt to see when he got home. (I think it actually ended up freaking him out a little, this being the first time we've actually had pregnancy related items in our house lol)

On top of all this, I was also given a Flip Video recorder to do all my vlogs with (I know, Im kinda nervous about this part, seeing Ive never done a vlog before.) And the crew that came here to shoot the intro video that you'll see on the site sometimes this month, well lets just say they were way cool. One of the guys even gave us the 2 full seasons to HardTime because he did the sound work for the series. All I can say is that TLC has made the beginning of this extremely exciting and so much fun

secrets out

Remember I told you I had a secret?

♥ ♥ ♥ WELL THE SECRETS OUT! ♥ ♥ ♥

(remember to scroll to the bottom of the page and pause the music player before you hit play. 

And no thats not us in the still of the video)

Im so nervous about having my TTC journey out there for all to see. But extremely excited to actually start this journey with the love of my life

You can follow along if you'd like (no pressure, promise) by going here: TLC: Conception Story

p.s. look out for another post either later today or tomorrow morning with an update on the roof

2 day weekends

For those of you who dont know me personally, I currently have two jobs. I work full time Mon-Fri from my home, doing graphic design for a company out of state. Then on Sundays, I work as a restaurant manager where I've been working since I was 16yrs old.

Home Office

Restaurant

As long as I can remember, Ive always had 2 jobs. Ive always juggled a hectic lifestyle. From waitressing and hostessing. To Managing and my internship. To just managing and bartending, then to managing and doing my design career. Which brings me to my main point. Hardly ever do I get a real weekend. You know, the whole Sat AND Sun off.

I constantly have friends and family asking why I continue working both jobs. My originally theory behind this was, if I always keep the restaurant as a second job, I will always have something to fall back on god forbid I was to get laid off. Then it was, "well, if Im not working then Im probably spending money, and Id rather be making money than spending it!" The fall back on this is it sometimes sucks when I dont get to go with friends to the beach or concerts on the weekends. And seeing that the restaurant is only closed on Christmas Day, I dont always get holidays off with my family. And a day to myself to relax? Whats that? never had one before. My usual Saturdays off are spent working on our house, washing our cars, washing the dogs, doing laundry, etc.

So when one of our close couple friends told us they were pregnant, with TWINS! All I heard was weekend away in Orlando for a baby shower. (I know technically not a vacation, but Ill take what I can get!) So I put my request in to both jobs. Half day on Friday at the full time job, and weekend off at the restaurant. There were about 5 of us that were going to drive up to Orlando for the shower. So we were definitely making it a fun weekend. Unfortunately, we got notice about a week before the shower, that they were going to postpone the shower until after the boys were born. She had been on bed rest for about a month or two, but now she was really contracting and her doc wanted her to be put on hospital bedrest. So another one of her friends and I quick made a care package filled with magazines, candy, Belly Laughs, portable scrabble, UNO, etc, etc, and sent it to the hospital.

Although we were all really sad about the situation and not being able to visit them, I had already taken off. This meant what? A 2-day weekend for lil'ol'me? I started planning right away. Turns out Pompano Seafood Festival was happening that weekend, so Saturday? Check. And Sunday you ask? Well my sis and bro-in-law take my niece and nephew to the beach every Sun and I never get to go because of work. Not this time. So plans were made. And of course I had to take a few pictures to document my 2-day weekend. The sun was out, the sand was hot, and the water was gorgeous!

 

p.s. next time Ill remember to keep applying the sunscreen. I look like a lobster right now.