Moments of Musing

Don’t count Mondays out

Filed Under: Monday, perspective, positivity //

This morning, I slept in with my husband and baby boy. When we got out of bed, we relaxed over breakfast, coffee …and planned some life goals. Not exactly your average day off but I’ll take it. 
Then I realized, this is what life is about. Being together. And ambitious. And enjoying our time. This was proof that Mondays can, in fact, be good days. Really good days.


Mondays give you the opportunity to reset your week on a good note. To make your to-do lists. To start, or continue, getting stuff done. To motivate yourself and others. To purge and be healthy following a weekend of indulging. 
To me, Mondays have always represented a new beginning. A chance to start over and to make myself better. To keep loving and living well but to push myself, too. 
I know, I know, the end of a weekend stinks. Who doesn’t wish they could chill out and do as they please 24/7? But what good does starting your week out on a negative do? I believe negativity breeds negativity and positivity breeds positivity. So if you want to have a good week, start off on a good note. 
Give Mondays a little more credit–don’t just count them out–and they just might surprise you. 

Time is a thief (AND a giver)

Filed Under: motherhood, perspective //

Recently, I was folding the baby’s laundry as he sat and played on the sofa in his room. Above him was a frame, which held some of his ultrasounds and hospital birth momentos. 

It got me thinking.

About how precious time is. And how it seemingly flies by. It takes moments quickly with regard for how we feel. Time goes on, as much as we sometimes might not want it to. We can’t press pause or rewind. We can’t truly relive the best times of our life. Once they happen, they become memories. We can only remember them. 
In these ways, time is a thief. 
But on the flip side, time also takes its “time.” There are moments we wish we could skip but there they are, happening as they should for one reason or another. Then there moments that we have looked forward to and have wanted to have more than anything before. Finally, there are treasured memories–that we can look back on to see how far we’ve come, to reflect on how we’ve felt and to enable us to grow as people. 
In these ways, time is a giver. 

So while I was a bit sad in the moment seeing my now 6-month baby sitting below his fetus and newborn memories, a feeling of gratefulness swept over me. Yes, I feel as though my pregnancy and his newborn days went by in a blink. 

But I remember how I felt in those moments and how at ease I felt with how time was progressing. How anxious and excited I was at becoming a mom. How I sometimes wanted time to speed up. And how happy I am to have him here, siting and playing idly by while I do housework. 

So here we are. Life is happening. We might not be able to pause or rewind it but we can press play and live in the present. And realize that the very presence we are living in a gift–that time has given us. 

New year, new-ish goals … new me? (2017)

Filed Under: goals, life, new year //

Linking up with Helene’s Best of 2016
New year, new me, right? Not exactly. I woke up on January 1st the same person I was on December 31st, just a more tired/ exhausted version. (Is it just me or do you also feel like the holidays are a bit draining?)
I will say I am a different person than I was a year ago. I have some new, and some of the same, goals. I have more responsibilities. I have more reason for living. And I love a whole lot more–so much I feel like my heart could burst at times.
I’m a mom now. This year, and from now on, my goals are centered around the tiny human being who is my baby:
Be more present. 
I want to put my phone down more. Watch less TV. Interact more. This has become way easier since Sebastian’s birth because he requires so much attention–and I honestly appreciate that it’s forced me to be more present. 
Be ambitious. 
I want to gain followers and page views. I want to continue to push myself and advance in my career. I want to get back into running and have a healthier diet. This year, I will continue pushing myself to be the best I can be.

Be patient. 
I have a feeling patience will be key for much of life. Patience with myself as a mom. Patience with my husband and my son. Patience with however fast or slow my progress is going. I will be kind to myself and give myself grace.
My goals from last year remain, as well:
Save more money. 
Looking back on 2016, I am happy, and feel blessed, to say it was indeed the best year ever, ever, ever. Our savings was a roller coaster because while we did hit a high, we spent more than ever before on our son. I am thankful we were able to save so much because it enabled us to finance all of our baby-related bills,  move into an apartment, and afford a couple weeks of unpaid maternity leave at the end of my 13-week leave. As always, I’d like to continue, or even amp up, our saving. 

Buy a home.
House hunting and the goal of buying a home took a backseat once my pregnancy progressed and we realized the NYC housing market was just too high for us then. We’re hoping this year will be the year we become home owners …but I am going to continue being kind to us if that’s not the case again. 

Let God. 
I have high hopes 2017 will be another great year for us, though. Once again, I will keep my faith and continue trusting that God has great plans for us. And of course, my not-so-secret “secret” goal remains: It‘s okay to let go and let life happen. 

After all, there’s only so much of life that we can plan for. 

Through the Years

Filed Under: life, new year, perspective //

This year brought the biggest and very best change: mommyhood.

As I’m preparing to enter the new year with new goals and a not-so-much-new but modified life plan, I’ve found myself reflecting on the past few years. During my reflection, I came back to my blog to read my old posts. It’s always nice to read about where I’ve been, where I’m at now, and where I’d like to be in the near future. 

While reading some of the posts, they still resonated with me. Even though life is a bit different now, I was still inspired and touched by them. Those life lessons and times have served as a guide for me at one point or another. 
Before I set life and blog goals for 2017, I figured it’d be the opportune time to share some of my all-time favorite posts with you. I’m starting with my very first post because it’s gotten me here, it’s representative of the reason I started the blog (long distance), and it shows how far I’ve come since then.


It’s pretty neat reading how much life has changed throughout the years, just as it is to see how much these succulents have grown since my baby shower.

I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane as much as I do. As always, thank you for reading and supporting this ever-evolving writing space of mine. Cheers to much peace, love and growth–both personal and professional- in the new year! xoxo

2012

2013





2014





2015
2016 

The best gift

Filed Under: Baby L, motherhood //

I once asked my dad what his favorite part of fatherhood was. His answer: seeing how happy my brother and I were on Christmas morning opening the presents he and my mom, I mean Santa, bought us.
Since Sebby’s birth my dad has often said, “Everyday is like Christmas now, isn’t it?” I suppose he now sees how genuinely excited and happy being a mom makes me and in turn, it is an extension of his favorite part of fatherhood. 

This year, I am reminded of the best gift: love. My little love of my life, who was born from my and my husband’s love. The same love that has given me so much joy and has gotten me through so much in life. My parents’ love for molding me into the mom I am today. The love of all of our family and friends who have been an amazing support system. 
Here’s to wishing you are all surrounded by much love during the holidays, and always. 
Hope you had a Merry Christmas! 
Love, my family and me