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Mommy 101

Top Moments of 2018

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The days, months, years as a parent fly by, as much as we focus on just getting through a day and look forward to trips, events and making memories, sometimes those achievements and milestones all start to blend. So, since today is the last day of 2018, I decided I want to reflect on some of our top moments in the past year.

Texas – For Spring Break we traveled to Texas and visited family and friends in Dallas and Houston. We watched a Dallas Mavericks game, went to the Houston Zoo, Space Center Houston and Kemah Boardwalk. It’s great to be able to expand their minds, show them new places and watch as they explore.

Baseball – From our farm ball team, to summer league, taking in several Oakland A’s games and ending the year with winter baseball camp, the boys definitely have a love for the game.

Photo Shoot – We booked our first lifestyle print modeling gig together, as a Mom and two sons! It’s easy work for them…they had to play with toys for the gig.

California Adventure – I had a work trip to Anaheim to check out Pixar Fest at the Disneyland Resort, and I was able to bring the boys along for the ride! It was a quick one day trip for them, fly down to SoCal in the morning, then last flight back home at night… I had to explain to them, that’s not “normal,” and that they were very lucky to have that experience.

Pre-K Graduate – Isaiah successfully completed preschool and couldn’t wait to join his big bro in elementary school.

Hawaii – The Hawaiian Islands are probably my most favorite places to visit, and this year I was able to take the boys to Maui to get their first taste of aloha. They loved it, and they think this will be a yearly adventure now!

4th of July Parade – Every year our city has an Independence Day parade and for the second year in a row, the boys were in it!

School – This fall, both of them started at the same school on the same schedule. I have a kindergartener and a first grader, seriously…this is when I’m thinking time needs to slow down!

 

Green Fish – The local swimming pool association where we live offers free KinderSwim lessons for kindergarteners in the spring and fall. It’s such a wonderful opportunity for the kids to really get comfortable in the water and swim with classmates. My boys each took it a step further by earning “green fish,” which means they can torpedo across the pool, front and back and also tread water for 5 MINUTES! I’m still beyond amazed at the accomplishment.

Disney World – An October trip to Florida gave me the opportunity to make a quick stop in Orlando to take the boys to Disney World and Hollywood Studios. We stood in line for nearly 3 hours and endured 2 rain delays while trying to get on the Slinky Dog roller coaster in Toy Story Land. I think the fact that my boys actually endured the wait and saw it through to actually get on the ride is HUGE in itself.

Turkey Trot – For the second Turkey Day in a row, my boys participated in the Oakland Turkey Trot fun run called, “Stomper’s Stomp.” There was an absolute downpour as soon as the race started, but it didn’t stop my love bugs from being the first to finish!

What a year!! And now- time to do it all again… more memories, milestones and Mom-life!

 

Haute Moms

Haute Mom: Karen Endsley

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usgirlshmName: Karen Endsley
Children: Sienna Blaise, 3 ½ years old
Hometown/Current Location: Orlando, FL/Norfolk, VA
Quick Bio: I am the host of Cooking from the Heart, a cooking show geared toward busy moms/dads who want to prepare healthy, delicious, budget-friendly meals for their families, but don’t want to miss out on precious family time, by being stuck all day in the kitchen. This is my dream gig because I love cooking and I love helping people find ways to simplify their lives. They say if you do what you love, they you will be successful, and I am thrilled to say that my “local” cooking show was picked up nationally in June and will now be available in 57,000,000 homes nationwide! It’s so exciting to think that someone in L.A. or N.Y could be making my chicken and dumplings!

All my life I’ve loved adventures. I’ve hiked the Great Wall of China, gone paragliding in the Swiss Alps, canoed in the Amazon River and also ridden through the Andes on the top of a train, among other things. After marrying the man of my dreams in my late thirties, I embarked on the biggest adventure of all, motherhood. As “older parents” our biggest challenge has been keeping up with our daughter’s energy. I love that we have learned to play again – I have an excuse to jump around inside bounce houses and go to skating rinks! And, I really love when my wonderful husband takes Sienna for a Daddy/Daughter day and I get to recharge!

You can check out the show at www.cox11.com or nationally on AMG networks. Also, I upload the shows and other recipes, tips, pictures etc on my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/KarenIsCookingFromTheHeart

Q: What is your favorite piece of advice to new Moms?
A: If there is one piece of advice I would give to a new mom, it would be “Don’t compare yourself to other mothers!” When you are in the throes of nursing, dealing with diapers, and basically surviving on 4 hours of “interrupted” sleep a night, it is easy to see other mothers apparently dealing with everything beautifully. They look great and it seem to be breezing through what you struggle to get through on a daily basis, and you feel like an utter failure. But trust me, I know this through personal experience (and lots of conversations with moms), their homes aren’t spotless, their laundry isn’t all done, and you probably just caught them on “shower day.”

Q: How would you describe your parenting style?
A: Lots of conversations and lots of love. I think it’s easier to model and explain what you expect for your child at a young age. They are such little sponges and things like manners and good behavior will become “first” nature if they know what is expected of them. When my daughter exhibits good behavior I always praise her (and often rain kisses on her). When she does something naughty, I always address it immediately –no matter where we are or what we are doing. I tell her we need to have a “conversation” and explain why the behavior was naughty, what consequences it can have and how she always has a choice when it comes to her behavior. Since we started having our conversations, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to put her in time out. Also, because she understands what is going on and has some control over her “choices,” tantrums have practically become a thing of the past.

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Q: As a Mommy what is it that you feel you do “right”?
A: As the mommy of a wonderful little girl, I think one of the most important things to do is to make sure my daughter has a great sense of self and loads of confidence. I try to reinforce this in a couple of ways. I make sure that she knows how deeply she is loved, that no matter what happens, if she has a naughty moment etc….  or even if I am frustrated with her behavior at the moment, I will always love her completely. I also try to make sure I always praise her as a whole. By this I mean I tell her she is very smart, funny, brave, kind, silly, etc… I want her to know she has strengths in many areas, so that in the future, if one aspect of her falters, she will have so much more to draw from and won’t lose confidence in herself.

Q: What is the best surprise you/ve ever done for your kids/family?
A: We moved away from home (FL) almost 3 years ago, leaving all of our family behind. My daughter is an only child and as such was very close to her older twin cousins and absolutely adores them. When I found out my 11 year old niece was going to be giving her first concert, I knew we couldn’t miss it. I don’t know who was more excited when I told her that we were not going to school that day, but instead to Florida to see her cousins. Sienna was thrilled! I also didn’t tell my sister or any of her family we were coming. My daughter and I hid on the front porch when we got to their house and my mother went in to visit. She sent the kids out to get something she “forgot” in the car, and we jumped out! The screams of delight brought my sister out of the house, and seeing the tears in her eyes made my heart swell. There was so much love! It was the best 2 way surprise ever!!!

Haute Moms

Haute Mom: Katy Widrick

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katyName: Katy Widrick
Child & Age: Audrey Saison, 16 months
Hometown/Current Location: Orlando, Florida
Quick Bio: Katy Widrick is an admitted fitness freak who blogs about Healthy Living in a Hectic World at http://katywidrick.com. A full-time television and multimedia producer (Growing Bolder, distributed nationally), Katy is also a new mom (http://bugchild.com), a triathlete, half marathon runner and vegetarian. She’s passionate about helping others use the latest tools and technology to connect with the healthy living community. While she loves green smoothies and kale, she believes in moderation in all things — including moderation. So don’t be surprised to see her with a cupcake in one hand and a large coffee in the other. Katy does not consider herself a natural athlete — she still shudders when thinking about the timed mile runs in 4th grade P.E. class — but she has fallen in love with fitness and says it has changed her life. It has also helped her maintain a 40-pound weight loss, and inspired her to become a group fitness instructor to help others become fitness freaks, too.

Q: How do you balance being a Mommy and keeping your sense of self?
A: I sweat! Keeping fitness and healthy living a priority helps me with a very stressful workload — so I run, I swim, I practice yoga, I dance and more. Having that sense of purpose helps me put everything in perspective and hopefully, it’s helping me serve as a great role model for my daughter!

Q: What is your favorite piece of advice to new Moms?
A: I’m still a pretty new mom myself, so I remember the great advice I received. Overall, I think my advice to moms (and dads!) is to not stress about stressing. 🙂 My daughter spit up frequently when she was a few weeks old and it freaked me out! Even though people were telling me everything was OK, them trying to calm me down only added to my anxiety (when I would hear “trust your instincts,” I would want to scream — “I have no instincts! This is my first time at being a mom!”). So be OK with not being OK for a while, but know that things do get much, much better. One day you’ll think — I’ve really nailed this parenting thing! And you’ll be right!

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Q: How do you incorporate fitness into your daily routine?
A: I work long days, but I make sure that fitness is a part of almost every one. Sometimes that means running on my lunch (ha!) break or arranging for my husband to pick our daughter up at daycare so I can go straight to a spin class. Often, it means working out before everyone else is up, or after they’ve gone to bed.

Q: How would you describe your parenting style?
A: I like to say I’m a Type A hippie. I had an unmedicated, hypnotherapy birth with a doula, and I am a breastfeeding, vegetarian, baby-wearing kind of mama. On the other hand, I’m addicted to technology, so I have a blog for/about my daughter, and I know I’ll be the stricter one of me and Audrey’s Daddy!

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Q: What’s your most memorable Mommy moment to date?
A: There have been so many great moments, but I think watching my daughter pull herself up to a standing position was the one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Watching her struggle and achieve something, all with a smile on her face, inspired and touched me very deeply. Now, of course, she’s off and running!

Mommy 101

Too Young to Disney?

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I recently started contemplating on when is the right time to take my boys to Disney. Well since Isaiah is still an infant, I wasn’t necessarily thinking if it was right for him, but I decided to wonder aloud on my Facebook page to see what my circle had to say about it! Raef is officially a toddler now at 16 months, and I am so anxious for him to experience all the fun perks of being a kid and I definitely look forward to all the great places I can take him…Disney being one of them! Plus, of course I’d like to take advantage of the “free” admission while he’s underage! 😉

At any rate, a great conversation ensued with parents weighing in on with first hand experience and insight on when to “Disney,” and I’m sharing some of the best responses below…

Sharmin – I took my daughter at 4 months old. We took her on almost every ride. We took her several times before she was two. My favorite was at 18 months when she was able to walk on her own and explore. She loved it! I think any age is okay for Disneyland

Larissa – My daughter’s first visit she was 6 months my son about a year old, even though they don’t remember it taking pictures is what counts…. I say you are never too young or too old for Disneyland

Marissa – We took Enzo every year…his first time at 18-months. We founds that the year he was 4 was the best year because he could remember everything and articulate what he wanted to do. But when he was 5 (almost 6) we went again and he could go the entire day (literally 8 am to close) without stopping and wanting to go back to the hotel to nap!

Monique – Good thing about before 2 is it’s free:-) you can watch the shows, go to the rides like dumbo and toon town:-) its great for memories of pictures

Amy – I’ve taken Zoe every year since she was born, wouldn’t change it for the world. The first year watching her just taken in the lights and her little smile was so precious! Do it! We even started a pin collection for her.

Reina – we took miles when he was 28 months old, which was just right for him to articulate what he experienced (well in 2-word sentences). i think younger than 2 would not be worth it, albeit memorable for you as a parent. sorry to be a party pooper… lol.

Michelle – It’s going to be a lot of work for you with no memories for them – go to a small fun park like pixey play land or fairy land in northern cal, I’m sure they have something like those in southern cal. Best ages for us were 3 & 5 and ever since then;) If you’re the one who really wants to go, then by all means go!

Alex – Daughter was a few weeks shy of her first bday when we took her and our 6 yo son. She was all smiles on several of the rides and especially loved the bird show in the Tiki room. We were there four days BUT we stayed at the Grand Californian and that makes ALL the difference in the world when doing Disney with a baby.

After reading all the feedback from my friends, I actually decided I will hold off another year until making a trip to Disneyland or Disney World. Although everyone makes a great case for going and I’m sure the photos are a lot of fun, but since I have 2 in tow, it would be a lot of “work” and I figure I can take them to a petting zoo or local park with a few rides, and the smiles would be just as big!