Letters For Lucas

Wonders, Mishaps, Blunders and Joy.. commentary on my life as a mom in the form of letters to my son

Making Memories

Posted on Written by

Please tell me I’m not the only one in denial about it being November! Mid-November at that. WTH?

How is it even possible that Thanksgiving is a week away?

I can’t seem to get my brain wrapped around retailers promoting Christmas.

Christmas?!

Where did this year go?

After record heat for weeks, it is FINALLY boot season in Southern California!

My poor neglected blog has been a ghost town for days. All I have posted lately are letters for my weekly Letters For You series.

I’m never at a loss for ideas and have dozens of drafts started and should be working on my Thanksgiving gratitude posts and year-end round ups, but I’m not writing anything here.

Instead, I’ve been pouring my heart into articles for SheKnows, a new job that I am truly grateful to have. I am really proud of today’s post, Thanksgiving traditions to start now. I have also been…

basking in the glow of the Mumford & Sons concert my husband and I attended last Saturday night and…

celebrating three years of my Mommy & Me play group and two years of my husband and his partner opening EC on PCH and…

counting down to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 with my sister at midnight on Thursday and…

gearing up for a family vacation to Vancouver!

We leave in less than four days and my To Do list is beyond scary. I know it will all get done somehow and between now and boarding that airplane, I am going to make sure there will be moments to stop and savor like this:

 

Linking up with Galit (These Little Waves) and Alison’s (Writing, Wishing) monthly link up, Memories Captured.

Related Posts:

Fourth Photo

Posted on Written by

At first I was reluctant to join a Mommy & Me group. Lucas and I had a good thing going with our daily walks, bi- and tri-weekly outings to Target and counting down the hours until Daddy got home; why on earth would we need a playgroup? At three months old, he wasn’t even playing yet.

The first meeting we attended was at a Starbucks on a warm August morning, there were maybe 10 of us. 20 if you count our children. Our babies unable to do much else just laid in their car seat carriers. The eldest child was seven months old and gave the rest of us a preview of what was to come.

Our conversations were exactly as I had dreaded, but very much needed to be a part of; from how old was your baby when he first sat up/rolled over/discovered his feet/slept through the night/smiled and you knew it wasn’t gas? to where did you get that toy/onesie/hat/play gym and what do you think about that stroller, those diapers/burp cloths/setting up a college fund/diaper bag?

Sort of mind numbing stuff to anyone but a new mom, but all the topics that weigh heavily on the minds of novice parents as we navigate through that first crucial and confusing year of mommyhood.

It’s was comforting to share with and learn from other new moms and a relief to know that they were going through the same frustrations and concerns that I was.

Right from the start, there were a couple of moms in the group that I could see being friends with (i.e. participate in activities outside of the group) and I definitely relished in the social interaction and adult conversation!

Our group celebrated it’s third year, much like many of our children, this past September and now most members have added a younger sibling to the group. It has been a joy to see our babies grow into little people and I wish that Lucas and I could see our friends more often.

I can’t remember when Jenn joined our group but I liked her right away and her son Jackson is darling. He is the subject of the fourth shot in my Instagram queue:

Jen isn’t a blogger or on Twitter, but she is a fellow mom and friend.


This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. Prompt 5.) Open Instagram and scroll down to the 4th photo shared by a friend. Share the photo, link to the person who posted it, and let it inspire a blog post.

Related Posts:

Rainbow Ribbon Cake – Tasty Tuesdays 2

Posted on Written by

Sunday, my Mommy & Me group celebrated our one year anniversary and I offered to bring dessert.

What was I thinking?

I don’t cook, but I do enjoy baking from time to time, especially with short cuts.

I assisted my good friend Colleen when she made this cake a couple of years ago for another girlfriend’s birthday and it’s super easy, super cute and super delicious.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, Colleen!

Rainbow Ribbon Cake
From Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup canola oil
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon each flavored gelatin: lemon, orange, cherry, grape, lime, and blue raspberry
2 cups boiling water

For the decoration:
1 (12-ounce) cans white whipped icing (recipe calls for 2 cans, but 1 was plenty).
Recipe calls for colored decorating icing (yellow, orange, red, purple, green and blue), but I just kept the top of the cake white and used multi-colored sprinkles on the sides.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, and vanilla on low speed using an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl using spatula and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Divide batter into the prepared pans evenly and bake in the oven for 32 to 36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning over onto wire racks to cool completely. Trim off the tops of the cakes, to make a smooth surface.

Place 1 tablespoon of each flavor of gelatin in separate small bowls. Stir 1/3 cup boiling water into each and stir until dissolved. On the trimmed sides of the cakes, splash the different gelatin all over the cakes. Cover cakes, separately, with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. I refrigerated mine overnight and it was fine.
Remove cakes from refrigerator. Unwrap the cakes and place 1 cake on a plate or stand and spread white icing evenly on top. Place the second cake on top and finish icing cake, top and sides with the white icing.

*If you decide to use multiple colors of icing, randomly place big dollops of the colored decorating icing all over the iced cake. Using a small spatula, swirl the dollops together to create a tie-dye/rainbow effect on the cake. Otherwise, gently use hands to cover sides with rainbow sprinkles as shown in photo.

This post is for Alicia’s (A Beautiful Mess) Tasty Tuesdays. Be sure to go check out what some real cooks are up to.

post signature

Related Posts:

Kidsville

Posted on Written by

Today, Lucas and I spent the afternoon at Kidsville, a wonderful little city made just for children.
My Mommy & Me friend, Jenn told me about Kidsville and I was really excited to check it out, but I had no idea how much fun we were in for.
The place is huge and it is a child’s heaven. There’s a play kitchen, grocery store, school house, fire station, pet shop, castle, hospital, tons of toys, slides and tyke-size vehicles.
What a great way to keep cool, tire out the my little monkey and keep him safe while he explores, plays and makes new friends.
There is a $10 fee for a one day admission or $65 for a three month pass. Talk about a great deal!

File this under ‘I wish I had thought of that’.

The best is yet to be.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

We’re Walking!

Posted on Written by

Lucas’ 13th month came and went and I didn’t record (or share) any of his milestones. The biggest and most exciting of which, he started WALKING!!!

HALLELUJAH AND HIP HIP HOORAY!!


Not that I was worried or anything, but he is one of the last in our Mommy & Me group to get up and go.

He has been flirting with it for a couple of months, taking a step here and there, but finally last week, it all clicked for him and he took off. He still seems to prefer crawling because he’s a pro at it, but he can walk all over the house and it is darling to watch. I’ll try to figure out how to post a video.

The other big accomplishment of note is how vast this little boy’s vocabulary is getting and how much he understands. Here is a list of all of the words he either says, retains and/or recognizes:

Mama 🙂
Dada
Bottle
Bubbles
Balloon
Up
Uh-Oh (although he says Uh-Eh)
This
That
Yes
Pat
Diaper
Toes
Head
Belly
Bath
Dog
Banana
Book
Brush – as in his teeth and hair

I have mentioned Lucas’ little tiny stuffed monkey before and how he can pick it out of a group of several other toys (A Onederful First Year), well now he can make the monkey walk and talk and uses a high pitched little voice that simply melts my heart.

Talk about melting my heart, Lucas can now also blow kisses.

I don’t know what I would do without this adorable, smart, funny little person in my life. He brings me so much joy and fills me with a love I have never known.

The best is yet to be.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Young Love

Posted on Written by

Poor Brenna is one of the only girls in our Mommy & Me playgroup. She is as cute as a button and so sweet and demure.

Here, she and Lucas have stolen a moment to gaze out at the garden together. Lucas was obsessed with a spinning flower on a stick.
The best is yet to be.

Day 84/100

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
BlogWithIntegrity.com

What I Write About

a mother's guilt annoyances aunt leah birthdays blog books challenges conversations with Lucas DMB exercise family friends grandparents gratitude grief guest post holidays KRA Letters For You list loss love mama kat's writer's workshop memories me time milestones motherhood MSA NaBloPoMo parenthood parenting photos praise pregnancy2 question quotes SAHM school siblings simple joys TBW TDA bio travel update writing

Creative Kristi Designs