A Feel Good Burger Romance

This past week has been insane, and finding a moment that has not already been compromised has been tough. But tonight, in honor of the very patriotic burger, we made a trip to “Junior’s Colombian Burger”. I have been hesitant to try it out as my friends have for years hyped about this place; but boy am I glad I finally made the jump! The up’s: Their sauce options! Their chipotle and Zizu sauce (secret recipe of garlicy goodness) are a must try! The burger is not only HUGE but it has potato chips and a slightly sweet pineapple sauce.

The downside is it can get messy and the lettuce and bun do get soggy which hubs wasn’t thrilled about. Overall it was a great experience, nice ambiance and certainly a burger joint I’m looking forward to trying out once again!

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Fine China: Night at the Lantern Fest

“Zoominations” is Lowry Park Zoo’s nighttime Chinese Latern festival. This was perfect Monday night play-date for our little Padwan and Zombie as the colors kept them amazed.

We got there pretty early and got to see the lanterns during sunset and later when it was fully dark out. The lights are beautiful but the park is pretty small as most animals have been put away for the day. A few pretty neat ones that we did get to see were the Indian Rhino and the Clouded leopard!

The zoo also offers two show times for the Chinese Acrobats acts at 7:00 and 9:00 pm. Hubs and our special guest Jeff got the opportunity to be a part of the show honorary circus entertainers; minus the rainbow afro. BEWARE: At-the-door prices are far higher than I would pay BUT lucky for us there’s a Groupon which gets two people in for $25.00!

While I'm sure most parents would prefer to make this a weekend trip; we like a little adventure and went for mini-road trip on a Monday night! Packed with play-mates, ice cream, lights, and animals. What’s not to love about this budget-friendly option to get the kids away from the mundane for an night!

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Just the RIGHT Amount of Edge

Since finding out I was pregnant 3 years ago I knew Homeschooling was the ONLY option for us. I work full time but I’m on the road literally every 2 months (work hard play hard, right?) I knew we’d have to make some drastic changes to our lifestyle if we chose to enter Zombie into the public or private school system. I wanted my daughter to view learning as an everyday experience not reading out of a textbook for an hour per subject. I wanted her to learn without realizing it was happening because honestly, living IS learning. I don’t want her to read about the Great Barrier Reef, I want her to scuba dive through it and experience it for herself and let curiosity be her teacher.

So BOOM you make this huge decision which by the way is the ultimate burden on your conscious and you start to question your capacity to teach this little human all they need to know to be successful in the “real world” So now where do you start?!

There are hundreds of thousands of curriculums out there to choose from, plenty of activities to keep you busy and more than just a handful of blogs to read up on the various homeschool topics. Yet with all the resources available to homeschool parents via the internet and public libraries why is it I still feel so alone and vulnerable? How will you ever know if you’re doing it right?

It’s scary how all we want as young parents is to be unique and fun and have just the right amount of edge to a life that is always in danger of becoming mundane and when you get it, the power is almost more than you can handle.

So in an act of desperation I ask, are there any parents that would be willing to meet-and-greet with this amateur homeschool mommy? I’m willing to fervently take notes on the tips and best practices you share and I’ll forever be in your debt.

Signed,

An anxious Wanderlust Momma

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Sister-Cousin: the Greatest Lifetime Sibling Replacement?

As I near my 3rd year of parental life everyone I speak with has an opinion about my decision to stop having children once I reached #1.

“She’ll have no one to play with!" “she’ll grow up spoiled!” “She’ll be all alone once you die!”

Well Let me alleviate some of your concerns.

I could rant about how it’s my body or how being a Millennial influences my decision of having kids to begin with. But that isn’t the point I want to make.

My daughter already has an older sister; my niece “La la la” and like gossiping teenagers these two speak EVERYDAY. Having a relationship that’s so close like theirs has made me realize I don’t NEED to have another child for her to reap the benefits of having a sibling! Four out of the seven days a week these two spend time together. They fight. They share. They dance and spread mischief.

I don’t intend on having anymore children because we have other goals we want to attain before even considering expanding our family. My schedule barely enables me to spend time with hubs, my toddler, school, and extra projects. How I would fit a newborn into this madness? I wouldn't know where to start!

Now please don't get me wrong. I think big families are beautiful and God bless those who can do it! For now, I’m loving the simple life.

I highly recommend this article by Katrina Alcorn on Millennials and their views on planning for children.

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Counting Stars

Zombie stood at the doorway looking doe-eyed at her new home. A new apartment, new room, and a new bed (canopy included)! She was a freshly turned one-year old and although we didn't co-sleep, her playpen sat beside our bed as we only had a one bedroom loft.

This was the first night she would be sleeping completely alone. Hubs and I bathed her in kisses and tucked her into her new fairytale bed; leaving the door just a crack open.

Within minutes through the corner of my eye I'd see tiny feet enveloped in a striped pink onesie and an elephant blanket trailing behind. Bouncy curls and hot tears trotting our way crying and shaking her head as we'd walk her back to her new room.

This went on for a month.

How we overcame the monster of independent sleeping? Well, we just stood our ground!

We'd close the door and each time she'd come out we'd hold her hand and walk her back to bed until one day we'd kiss her to pieces and shut the door and wouldn't hear of her until morning.

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