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Showing posts with label personal.. Show all posts

Real Life: Dark Circles & Exhaustion

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Being a mom is great. But being a mom also means putting myself second.

I've always known that placing myself second would be pretty challenging since I love taking care of myself.  There's nothing wrong with doing things for me, but nowadays I rarely do. YES, I miss it. 
Ever since Noah came into our lives - we've been learning many things about him & ourselves.  For one, I was never a patient person. With baby, I find myself practicing patience even when I DON'T want to!  

The most challenging days are the ones where I just don't know why he's crying.  He isn't much of a crier to begin with,  unless he's tired or hungry. Go figure.  Other than that, he's pretty relaxed. When he's not hungry or tired & he cries, I get the most anxious.  I find myself trying "everything" I've learned to get him to stop, and the few times it doesn't ....I feel LOST.  I'm sure I'm NOT the only MOM to feel this way.... so, this is why I'm writing this today.  Real life has an interesting way of surprising us & making us face our our biggest fears.  Every single day I realize I'm facing new challenges & new fears while raising our son, and I can't stress enough... the importance of patience.  I'll be honest, I'm still trying to master the patience 'mode' myself.  

As I write this, another thought is running through my mind..... BUSINESS + BABY.  Believe it or not, I am still trying to manage my business while raising our son.  Yes, I have some p/t help with a nanny & family members, but I find myself letting go of one thing or the other.  Don't get me wrong, I love what I do,  but I also know that Noah will need more of my time at some point.  In my heart, I've always wanted to be a mom...but not an 'absent- mom' where work becomes more important than my family.  So many thoughts keep coming to mind about just quitting my work & focusing more on him for a few years.  Although he drains most of my energy, I love being around him & his BIG smile. He is such a blessing.

I'll be blunt, the thought of being a stay-at-home mom SCARES the heck out of me.  Why? Well, I always imagined it would be boring & lack the amount of creative outlet I'm used to.  I honestly would love to know if any moms out there quit their jobs to tend to their kids at home?  Would that be a life that would drive me crazy? OR would I embrace it?  How many moms out there are doing both??? Working & caring for their kids? or How many moms left work altogether to care for their children? -  I've been wondering about this.


-post by jen ramos
-please excuse my punctuation, I am obviously not an English major.

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TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY

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Tomorrow is August 15th, my birthday.  

Funny, I remember how much fun we had last year on this day.  I blogged about it here.
We were offered a stay-cation from the people over at Loews Regency at their hotel, which we LOVED....thank God, because we needed the rest. We were even allowed to bring our boxer Darla (miss her), she was happy & so well-behaved during our stay.  Last year around the same time, we also started our adoption process.  Mostly on faith, we went for it...not having all the funds quite yet, but believing that God would provide when the time came to hold our child.  God is fascinating, because he gives us hope & that hope leads us to our future. 

Just like in Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.



Today, I sit here in awe of the changes in my life this year.  This birthday is one I'll always remember ....because it is the first birthday I get to hold this little boy, our son.  My husband & I are so grateful.  So many birthdays went by where I prayed & blew out candles wishing for a child...and tomorrow my only wish will be that Noah would LOVE us as much as WE LOVE HIM.  For the big day, my husband has planned a few things, and as some of you may know - he's a complete charmer when he tries to impress me.  Don't believe me?  Here's what he did last year.  Getting gifts is nice - but knowing that you have LOVE, is best gift ever.

I keep wondering what the rest of my birthdays will hold for me.  If you ask me right now, I'd love to
  • travel more by road (not fond of flying)
  • continue to work on my marriage (keeping it strong)
  • get involved more with helping others in some way
  • maybe write a book & tell my story, inspire others
  • paint more 
  • keep working out & staying healthy
  • raise my son in a Godly way

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." - Proverbs 16:9 - so we shall see.

Have a great weekend everyone!




-post by jen ramos




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Our Anniversary

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Yesterday was our anniversary.  

Great timing being so close to the weekend and all.  Even though we don't technically do stuff on 'anniversaries' - we still acknowledge the date & our life together.

LOVE is a strange thing, it grows the longer you're together.  It grows into a deeper more meaningful bond....or at least it's supposed to.   I read somewhere that 'a true relationship is two un-perfect people refusing to give up on each other ' - & that is what I've learned after years of being together.

Like many marriages, ours has it's ups & downs. So, keeping it together requires effort on both our parts.  It's never a forced effort, but an effort that comes about from love & a desire to make it work. It's never an "I have to make this work",  or "I feel responsible, and have to do this" - but instead an "I love my spouse, and I want to do this." 

Looking back now, we both know our faith has played a huge part in the bettering of our marriage.  Knowing John 4:19 - “We love because He first loved us" & understanding the love of Christ has been essential to our marriage.  We must love each other like Jesus loved us, meaning we need to love in an unselfish way & put our spouse first.  YES, that has been very challenging because by default we all want to be first.  It is an "I" kind of world & we are also part of it.  However, coming to know God, we are aware of His love for us, and his laws.... & that changes many things.  The "I 's" we once valued, slowly disappear.  My husband and I are always striving to be patient, gentle, kind, and self-sacrificing....and most importantly available. We love to spend time together & always make sure to do so.  In all we do, we try find the joy.  YES, we do fail at times, but we pull ourselves back up.  In fact, God has an interesting way of reaching us when we fall, and He is always on time.

We pray together & read together - and one of the sites we enjoy visiting called 'Fierce Marriage' - written by a Christian couple, (Ryan & Selena) who say "they're just a guy and a girl who are learning how to build a marriage that is centered on Christ."  This site is truly inspiring!  We've learned many things, and recently I was deeply moved by an article Ryan from Fierce Marriage wrote called - "5 Phrases I tell My Wife, and I hope she Believes Me".

This article almost brought me to tears, as it dove into the honest expressions of a loving husband toward his wife, in the hopes that she would believe his words.  My husband is never short on expressing his love toward me in words, in fact, that is how I fell in LOVE with him.  This anniversary - we will not be taking any fancy trips (we rarely do) or getting any fancy cards or dinners, but instead committing ourselves to the love God has given us & expressing that love toward one another.

I love you husband.


Have a nice weekend everyone!
-post by jen ramos
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Teeth Whitening

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A few years ago I went to the dentist & got trays made to have my teeth whitened professionally. It actually worked pretty!  Well, 2 years later after drinking a bit more coffee & tea - I felt I could use a slight touch up. Thanks to a company called Smile Brilliant - I could now do it from the comfort of my own home. They sent both my husband & I an entire teeth whitening system, including the trays.

I have to say the process was a bit strange since we had to mix & then send our impressions back ...see below to the right. But nonetheless... it's a cool concept if you don't mind waiting for the trays to be shipped back. They will be custom-fitted to our teeth & once they arrive you can start the Whitening process. Both my husband & I tried it - he didn't like that he had to place the desensitizing gel first then wait, then wash then add the whitening gel & wait some more, then brush & rinse. He's not very high maintenance & that was a lot for him.

PROS: 
easy to do at home
no more whitening strips that are inconsistent
It's affordable compared to dentist whitening

CONS:
the whitening gel has to be left on about 1-3 hours - which tends to be long.
my teeth were pretty white as is, so I didn't see much change, although my husband did.

So, there you have it - all in all, I'd recommend Smile brilliant for anyone looking to whiten their teeth instead of using white strips or spending money on dentist whitening visits. Hope it works better for you!


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Sweet Gestures - Happy V-Day

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Last night my husband went to bed early & do I went into his bathroom & left a note on his mirror. I figured he'd see it today.  So he was gone when I woke up & I found it unusual that he wouldn't leave a note back to me - I couldn't find one anywhere! So, I sent him a text & said, did you see the note I left you?

Sometimes he's in such a rush to get to work - he misses things....



He told me he saw it & loved it! So of course I said to him jokingly, "it's so strange you didn't leave a note back, it's not like you" - he said, "I did." - I was confused - then as I'm walking over to my computer and turned it on - BAM....this pops up! (see below)

It's 'sweet gestures' like this that let us practice our LOVE for each other - making love a 'VERB' as Andy Stanley would say. 



So, will today be a day full of LOVE for you? If not, try to surround yourself with family or friends, and enjoy today no matter what. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! 


-images by jen ramos




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We Are Moved

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It's been a busy & exhausting few days. We moved into the new place on Friday & so far the living room is all set up - minus the sofa! I finally decided on sofa color from Jayson Home & Garden, but won't reveal it until it arrives. Crossing my fingers & hoping we get it in time for the Christmas Holidays. Luckily, we still have our dining table to sit on...

In the meanwhile, if you're following me on my Instagram - you'll notice I post little updates there. Here's a peek at our place & how it's looking so far. Woo hoo. 





Hope you all are well. Isn't moving a pain in the neck?? My husband says, "this is the last move." 

Now back to work & shipping items out around nov 24th! 

-images by jen ramos



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My Birthday

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Today is Aug. 15th, my birthday. 

I was born 39 years ago here in NYC.  I've been through a lot of things in my life - both good & bad and like most of you, kept on moving forward. Age didn't scare me until a few days ago when I started feeling sick & ended up in the emergency room at Lenox Hill hospital. According to the doctors, they didn't find anything obviously wrong. Great. I don't know if I should be celebrating or concerned. It did remind me (after viewing my X-rays) that I had mild Levoscoliosis of the lumbar spine. The first time I found this out was about 5 years ago. It has now brought up concerns about my health & posture.

So much so, that I decided I'll sign up for some type of stretching class & physical Therapy to perhaps slow down the curvature. It isn't obvious if you look at me, so don't count me out yet.... Anyone else have this?? I'm curious. The only thing I've experienced is lower back pain off & on, especially if I'm sitting in one position for too long.

Sure, I got a little sad, but my sadness stemmed from how my partner would look at me 'if' this got worse. Would he think I was ugly? not attractive? You know, all those ugly, awful thoughts we should really avoid but can't help but think about. After expressing my concerns to him he told me he would love me no matter what & that he thinks I'm beautiful both inside & out. I believe him, he's never proven otherwise. 

So today I celebrate, because it's another year of life that God has given me to live. Another year he has given me to celebrate with my family & friends. Another year to grow my business. It's another year he has given me to love HIM & care for others.
 


I am thankful & know that worrying will only cause the bad thoughts to start rolling in. So, I will continue to move forward and allow more love in my life & less worry.  I'm not going to lie, I'd rather be turning 25. But continuing to wish that would be living in the past & not in what life has for me today. 

As I look out my window the rain is starting to come down. As I look to my left I see a dog who loves me unconditionally & then I look at the bathroom mirror at what my husband wrote this morning. So cute.

Hope you're having a great day. I'll show you on My Twitter what my guy is cooking up for my Birthday later tonight! Can't wait.



-top image by janis nicolay
-bottom image by jen ramos
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I'm Moving!

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Hello everyone! Remember this post?

Well, my guy was just informed he got a job in NYC!  He & I sometimes chat on Skype video when he's on his lunch break & TODAY he held up this sign....
I SWEAR, my heart skipped a beat! I'm so excited to be moving!!  You see, this past weekend we flew to NYC on a last minute trip for his interviews. While there, we took advantage & viewed a few rentals. We probably saw 20 places, some nice, some not-so-nice. I felt like I was on House Hunters, narrowing it down to 3 places - all on the upper east side- our fave neighborhood.

Now, the challenge is to sell some items in my home, in my closet, sell our car, rent our home (yes, I gave in) & figure out how we're going to ship a few pieces of furniture & clothing! ....AND do this all by Jan 27th.

We need to find a moving company to move a few pieces...as I'll be SELLING my large Crate & Barrel dining table, possibly the dining chairs, my sectional sofa from West Elm, Master bed tufted leather headboard/bed, a few lamps & possibly my dark brown West Elm coffee table (which I love).  Oh yes, & our cool car.....
 
I'll be posting items FOR SALE on my blog within the next few days...however, if you see something in my home you'd like to buy, just shoot me an email & I'll let you know if I'm selling it. Wish me luck.

 Below are some photos from the trip last weekend, including the hotel we stayed in & some of the apartments we viewed!















Came across this building below & thought it was interesting. It's an actually entryway to an apt building...only in NYC.





The hotel - was called "Marmara" - it's a cool place with a nice staff located on 94th & 2nd avenue. Very affordable too! The only issue I had was with the construction on 2nd avenue, but it didn't bother me that much in the morning!  Having a full kitchen was well worth it & saved us a few bucks by cooking.They also have an AMAZING deck area, with views of the city!




 How cool is this? A chandelier in the elevator!!

-images by jen ramos


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Thinking of a Vacation...

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After working so hard this year- I'm really hoping to go on vacation & relax. So, I'm thinking sometime in the new year....any suggestions?  It can be a summer or winter getaway - spas are great too!

I'll admit, I'm NOT fond of flying more than 6 hours, so if you know know of a great place to vacation....not more than 6 hrs away, please comment! I'm sure others would love to DISCOVER new & exciting places they've never been to either!

All the photos below are from At Casa of home or hotels abroad, which I have yet to visit, maybe one day..




















-images via at casa



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