···Mama Scribble···: 2011

2011: HAPPY moments

Image

I've catalogued an entire year of all the HAPPIEST and note worthy little moments of my life.

I do you hope you enjoy and as always, thank you for reading me.

~Mama Scribble's 2011~

♥♥♥♥♥

January- My darling and eldest daughter Sabrina turned 7 and my cheeky dog, Miss Goldie turned 9!
February- I completed and turned in my Master's Thesis: 'Confessions of a Legal Secretary' A Novel. What. A. Feat.
March- I started my 12 week body transformation with P90X. Yeah!
April- I celebrated 8 years of a wonderful and fruitful marriage alongside my one and only. I love you, crazy!
May- My darling hubby turned 40!
June- I completed my kick ass 12 week program with P90X and my results were UH-MAY-ZING!
July- My sweet baby girl, Kalina turned 3! I officially graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing! Yay!
August- I grew some nerve and pitched my FIRST parenting article to Babble.com. I also turned 34!
September- Babble.com published my FIRST parenting article! Yay! I also got my IUD removed, FINALLY!
October- All three of my girls started taking Gymnastics and they LOVE it!
November- Had a great 'Stay-cation' with my little family during Thanksgiving weekend (we SO needed it!)
December- I got syndicated on BlogHer!

Here's to a whole year of wonderful moments in my life.

Even while there are always difficult times and instances,

it's always nice to remember the ones that made you laugh the hardest,

smile the sweetest, love the biggest and be contently resting on a meadow of peace.

Good-bye 2011, you have been so good to me...

2012 is going to be FABULOUS!

Will my children have great interpersonal skills?

Image

iPad, iPhone, SmartPhone, Kindle, Kindle Fire, etc...I know, I know, the list can go on.

Goodness, my children live in a saturated world of technology and gadgets and well, 140 character statements. They will NEVER know a time when technology wasn't an enormous part of their lives. Period.

The best thing that I can do NOW is cultivate and nurture excellent communication skills in them with people face to face and NOT simply over clicking 'send' because it seems to me that interpersonal skills are almost extinct today. It's a bit scary!

But these are the times we live in. I get it. The perils of technology and children. The fact that my daughters are growing up watching my husband and I constantly 'connected' and 'plugged in' to the whole gamut of social media makes me worry for them.

I worry that they will not have the ability to connect with people on a face to face level when Facebook and Twitter are the ways that even I AM connecting with people lately. I worry that they'll be 'socially' limited. I worry that they'll totally suck at communicating on a human level when they're adults. I worry that instead of resolving an issue with someone, in the flesh, that they'll simply revert to an e-mail or a text message or worse a Facebook status update. I worry that they'll be fantastic at the whole social media do's and don't's but NOT the real LIFE social do's and don't's, i.e., DO send a hand written thank you card & DON'T show up at someone's house unannounced. Do you know what I mean?

I worry.

But within all the 'worrying' I do, here is a list of what I AM cultivating and nurturing in them. For goodness sake, I can only hope that they'll have great (or at the very least, acceptable) interpersonal/communication skills.

Allow them to tell me how they feel when they feel it to my face BUT respectfully. If I respect them, they will only emulate the same behavior.
Write 'thank you' notes each time they receive a gift or are given a thoughtful gesture. Although this is not necessarily an 'interpersonal' skill, it does require 'personal' handling. It's time consuming, YES, but the rewards are endless. I'd like to know that I'm raising 'appreciative' little individuals.
Allow them to 'see' my husband and I in disagreement or pouty looking moments AND also see the RESOLUTION to our tiff, disagreement or pouty moment. What's the point of the frowns if they can't see toothy smiles and hugs and kisses later?
No matter what a situation brings forth, it is extremely important that they a) apologize & b) do it AUTHENTICALLY. None of that half assed passive aggressive garbage I often encounter! If you don't mean it then don't say it. Go cool your head off and then come back and be genuine, dammit!
Make sure that no matter what career path they choose, they NEED to be well versed, well read and well on their way to dealing with any type of person that 'strolls' down their path OR 'trolls' on their blog post, tweet, Facebook status update or Klout score. I will raise internet & social media savvy daughters. Period.

Proud to have this posted syndicated on BlogHer!

1st Vlog! Poop water delayed me

*I will apologize in advance for the poor quality and please

TURN UP your volume because

I apparently didn't want to wake the girls!

Thank you for watching :)

Without further ado...my very first Vlog!

Simple little Christmas {and some festivities}

Here in the Jubis household, there were three very sweet and very appreciative little girls that shared a very simple little Christmas day with their mama and daddy.

*The girls...Giddy & Bright*

*BUT I will now share this tidbit*

I was utterly EXHAUSTED from the night before. Actually, that would be a complete UNDERSTATEMENT as to the way I physically and emotionally felt.

My darling husband and I hosted the family Christmas party this year. It was something we decided to do because my most gracious AND self-less mother-in-law is the one that normally takes on this giant task with no 'pre' OR 'post' help. Plus, I love her dearly. We have a great relationship. She's so special and sweet and loving and she gets me. I'm lucky. And she's almost 72 years old!

Heck, I'm 34 and I was totally spent so I CANNOT imagine a women of my MIL's age doing all that alone!

(insert passive aggressive sarcasm here)
All I have to say is that I have THREE daughters and you better BELIEVE that one day, they will be assisting their mama with celebratory pre AND post help. No. Excuses. Period.

SO, since we did not go out of town this year (last year we were in Oregon with friends), we made it our task to host. The truth is that we love having people over.

The most exhausting part was preparing the entire party alone. Stuff gets really crazy with three children and limited hands. Nope, I never grew that third and fourth arm. Shucks!

My AMAZING and BRILLIANT (yes, I gloat about him with no shame) husband took the three girls and spent the entire day with them while I prepared and did what I had to do to get the house in tip top shape. He was my secret weapon. I love you, crazy! ♥

Naturally, my guests arrived at eight o'clock p.m. sharp and I was STILL in black leggings, flip-flops, a sweaty tee-shirt and my hair looking like I had stepped out of a whirl wind machine.

My dear friend (& sitter) saved my delayed self by brushing the girls' hair and keeping some things in check while I got ready. She was also my shoulder to cry and vent on when I was about to lose it in my bathroom as well. She brought me a decadent chocolate treat to ease my anxiety. Yum! She's awesome. Thank you, Grachu!

One hour later, I made my 'hostess' entrance. Finally!

All in all, the party was a sheer success! Yay! Everyone ate, laughed, talked, danced, children ran around giddy and shrieking happy sounds and then it was over. Thank. Goodness.

If you're wondering if I'd do it all over again then your answer is, Yes! I WILL do it again because as long as my sweet MIL does NOT have to work, I'm happy to host but hopefully with a WHOLE lot more help next time.

Enjoy some Christmas morning moments of my three sweet little girls now...

*Sabrina was anxious for THAT Monster High girl*

*Hubby and I spent an hour putting that little house together the night before*

*Luna loves laptops*

*Sponge Bob Lego madness*

*Felt food is fun*

*Liv Girl craze*

*Kalina has La La Loopsy fever*

*Monster High Madness*

*For the Architect in him*

*The aftermath*

Seriously considering going 'paperless' next year.

*Love*

*tiny doll fun*

*Miss Goldie was part of the fun too!*

It was simple.

It was fun.

It was quiet.

Now my work is done.

Til next Christmas!

Parenthood and the traveling Elf

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This was our first Christmas with the funny and a bit creepy little Elf on the Shelf (AKA-'Jack')

It was fun to play the 'traveling Elf' game with the girls.

I was actually pretty impressed that they totally bought the entire gig! (Shhh!)

Here are some shots of our crazy little Elf on the Shelf 'Jack'

and the wonderful things he did while waiting for Christmas.

**I dedicate this series to my lovely, sweet and talented niece, Chelsea ♥**

Cliff hanger Elf

Basket case Elf

Nutcracker patronizer Elf

Yogurt Pretzel hogger Elf

Potty time Elf

Cavity fighter Elf

Boyfriend killer Elf

Dog whisperer Elf

'Keebler' Elf

Kleptomaniac Elf

Keith Richards wannabe Elf

Today we say 'Good-bye and till next year' to our adorable, creepy and sometimes silly little

Elf on the Shelf, AKA 'Jack'

Mama's got a list!

Rice Milk
Celery
Spinach
~~Dark Chocolate~~
Almonds
Protein Bars

You guessed it! Just some of my grocery items listed up there.

Lists. I make them all the time. It keeps me ~~somewhat~~ organized. They're fueled with energy because in my world, my lists...get. things. done. No lie.

It's strange and 'magical' all at once because the 'list' itself should only be but a random scribbling that keeps my thoughts in order but no, the lists keep me on track. They keep me going. They keep me striving for more. They keep me focused.

Focused. That's another hot item on a list.

I must confess, I keep my 'private' lists away from the world. I tuck them deep within the pages of my notes. I don't talk about them. I don't share them. I don't even remember they exist half the time.

BUT, today will be different.

I share with you, my Top 10 LIST of Dreams:

Speak French fluently (been at it for 4 years but my lack of 'consistency' needs improvement)
Live in Europe for one year (or longer!)
Trace back to my paternal 'Italian' roots (two generations at least!) and claim Italian citizenship.
Get Syndicated on BlogHer.
Randomly bump into Ryan Reynolds and then ask him for directions to the nearest Starbucks.
Swim with Dolphins (if I can get over my fear of jumping into the water!)
Publish my Memoir.
Spend a Christmas holiday in Paris with my husband and three daughters and admire the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night.
Meet my 'potential' agent at a writer's conference after giving a fabulous elevator pitch of my novel.
Write for Babble.com

Oh! And it looks like I could scratch one off already!

~~4. Get Syndicated on BlogHer.~~

Nine more to go! Woo-hoo!

Brilliant and paperless

I was talking to a super sweet and super duper awesome mama friend of mine the other day and she was sharing with me how she handles the whole 'wrapping' of the Christmas 'morning' gifts.

(insert Light Bulb-'Tink')

She doesn't spend any time whatsoever wrapping ANY of her kids gifts!

None.

Zero.

Zip.

Zilch.

Nada.

I thought: BRILLIANT! A paperless Christmas!

Her theory is this: If 'Santa' brings the gifts, he doesn't NEED to wrap them plus, it looks nicer to see all the lovely items decoratively displayed under the tree for the kids to be delightfully expressing 'Oohs and Aahs.' Good point, mama friend! Kudos to you on that!

I'm out of luck on that idea because I've already wrapped every single gift for the girls. Plus, I would totally hate to rip apart all of that paper all by myself.

So much better for them to do it themselves!

I must confess, I do feel bad about wasting paper but the sound of tearing off paper from the gifts on Christmas morning kind of makes the anticipation of seeing their little faces so much more delightful.

I may just ditch the wrapping altogether next year. We'll see.

It would ACTUALLY be a laid back Christmas for me if I didn't wrap ANY gifts but then I'd have to deal with the 'I saw it first so it's MINE' drama. Pass.

PLUS, the girls are totally buying the idea that this creepy little dude, aka 'Jack', aka 'Elf on the Shelf', is the one helping 'Santa' wrap all of their lovely gifts.

Our 'Jack' hanging upside down from a corner wall by the tree. What a weirdo!

Who knows, my kids just may have ME totally buying

that THEY are totally buying the whole 'Jack' thing?

I shall continue to wonder...

Gestating and blooming with curves

I was 19 weeks pregnant with my third daughter in the photo below.

My wonderful husband captured this image.

In full bloom and proud of my gestating curves...

A magical moment in time.

Pregnancy gestates an entire state of self-awareness along with an incredible little being.

Pregnancy is special and different no matter how many times you've experienced it.

Photo Credit: Eduardo Jubis 2008

How I made my {magical red shoes}

I've been meaning to re-purpose a pair of cute flats I own.

Actually, I wanted more of a WOW factor!

They happen to be super duper comfortable as well.

Today, I FINALLY got to re-face them and they turned out magically fabulous!

{My supplies!}

I love things that SHINE so I stuck to a 'Glossy' spray paint.

Plus, shiny shoes are so much cuter!

{My subject}

I bought these 'Naturalizer' flats about 2 years ago.

I got bored of the classy 'black' look.

Variety is my style :)

{The Process}

I took newspaper and stuffed my shoe really well.

I took the 'Frog tape' and covered up all the inner edges and bottoms soles

because I don't think that red rimmed feet would look too attractive. Just sayin'! I also sprayed them outside unless you want to pass out from the fumes (I DO NOT recommend this!) Try to spray at least 6 inches from the shoe, otherwise you'll get a 'drippy' look which isn't pretty AT ALL.

Without further ado.... I present to you....

MY MAGICAL RED SHOES!

So go and try to put some bold color into a pair of boring old shoes!

Can't wait to slip my big feet into these...

Hubby's response: 'Wow!'

Me: 'Score!'

Together, we cried...

I share a reversed role with my mother. She gestated me but it seems like I've mothered her for, uh, well, 29 years (give or take a year.)

Our relationship is unique in that my mother has never really 'found' her way, thus leaning on what she considers her source of strength, me. The funny thing here is that I don't consider myself that firmly rooted. I sway like every other palm tree in a hurricane. I think she's attracted to my unrelenting WILL to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward. I just hate excuses, that's all.

She classifies her life with it being 'full of bad luck' but I call it being 'full of wrong decisions' because her choices have led her to where she is today. She's been judged, criticized, scrutinized, vilified and rejected for most of her adult life. I've watched her sink deeper and deeper into regret and consumed by her depression.

I get depressed too. More than I'd like to. She was seriously depressed while pregnant with me. I think that the hormones that were released in-utero may have affected me to some degree. I definitely have a low supply of 'happy genes.' But what do I know anyway?

My mother wrote me a card the other day.

{Mom's card. To me.}

She asked me to read it. Alone.

I did.

I was touched. No, I was grateful.

Actually, I was moved.

She thanked me for loving her. She thanked me for worrying about her. She thanked me for caring and always asking if she's eaten or how she's feeling or what's the matter when I can tell by the look on her face that she's going through a phase or episode or moment of feeling completely beaten to the ground. She told me that she knows how much I love her. She told me that I was her special girl.

It moved me.

It gave me a piece of her.

I held it and imagined her writing it. Alone. Crying. Sharing her heart.

I didn't cry.

Several days later I told my mother how much I enjoyed and loved her card to me. I let her know that it was special and honest and sweet. The strangest part for me here was that as moving and loving as this card was, there was still an unresolved void within me. Perhaps my automatic 'emotional guard' took over. I don't know? It's a peculiar emotion and all too familiar.

There was a moment given to us and I shared my feelings with her. Ones she's always known but I imagine, likes to hear every now and again. I understand this need. I was driving and she was sitting beside me.

Silence enveloped us. For several minutes.

'I know how much you love me.' She said.

I held her hand in response and together, we cried.

Little moments of mothering...

I found these old pictures and was filled with so much joy that I needed to share them here with you. Taken by my wonderful husband back in December 2006, they are little but sweet moments with my two babies when they were just that, babies (to me, at least.)

{Little moments of mothering love...}