date night

What’s In Your Purse?

Posted on June 3, 2013 Written by Tonya

I finally took the time to clean out my purse tonight and a lot of mysteries were revealed; like why it has been so damn heavy!! I was carrying around a rock for God’s sake!!

I also realized that without a doubt I am indeed the mother of a boy. See above.

I also have a bit of a lip gloss hoarding problem and a weakness for gummy candy.

Other surprises included two packages of Wet Ones, an over stuffed wallet, a bunch of trash, two pairs of glasses (one case was empty!), a magazine I swiped from a doctor’s office and will probably never find the time to read, a toy car, a pair little boy’s undies (more evidence of being a mom to a boy), 6 bangles and a pair of earrings from my last date night, an empty(!) water bottle, and a very lovely (yet unnecessary) thank you gift all the way from Canada. Thanks, Robin!

When was the last time you cleaned out your purse? Any interesting discoveries?

A Month To Remember

Posted on May 15, 2012 Written by Tonya

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram then you know I had a pretty awesome week last week.

Not only was it Mother’s Day, but after nagging (I HATE that word, by the way) my husband for us to do something different for a change, we definitely fulfilled that wish. To his credit, Todd is a great sport, up for just about anything and was as excited as I was about all of our fun activities.

This week was perfect; we had a fun play date, went to a Food Truck Fare, sweated my butt off trampoline jumping, celebrated a dear friend’s birthday at an Indian restaurant we have both been wanting to try and went out on a Duffy boat, but my favorite activity (apart from the Mother’s Day breakfast I shared with Lucas at his school on Friday) was originally a gift for Todd.

For his 40th birthday in December, I gave him 40 days of gifts (one per day) leading up to his big day and one of those gifts was a 90 minute Segway tour.

Due to scheduling conflicts and babysitter issues we hadn’t been able to book it until last week. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait! I had the goofy smile you see on my face below the entire time. Segways are super easy to use, can go anywhere and are a lot of fun.

If you have never been on a Segway, are the least bit interested and there is a place in your town that gives tours, I HIGHLY recommend it!

May is going to be a month to remember…. more details to come.

Linking up with Galit (These Little Waves) and Alison’s (Mama Wants This) monthly link up, Memories Captured.

Advice To New Mothers

Posted on September 14, 2011 Written by Tonya

I certainly do not claim to be an expert, in fact very far from it, but here are a few things I know for sure about motherhood:

1. No matter how many anti-bacterial products you use or times you wash your hands or your child’s hands throughout the day, children are a cesspool of germs and it won’t just feel like your family is sick all the time, you will be.

2. You will go DAYS, especially in the beginning without sleep, a shower, a hot meal and/or make-up. There may even be days when you barely have a free moment to brush your teeth. This is just a phase and does pass.

3. It’s okay to mourn your old life and the days when it was just you and your husband; the days before diapers, Goodnight Moon, the Elmo theme song running through your head 24/7 and apple sauce stains on your shirt. It wasn’t that long ago and anyone that tells you that they can’t remember their life before their baby, is LYING!

4. I am convinced that no matter how sweet and innocent children seem on the outside, they are deviant and cunning on the inside. They may be new here, but they’ve got your number and know all the right buttons to push. Beware!!

5. Babysitters are worth every single penny because date nights and “me time” are absolutely essential to surviving motherhood. Having large quantities of wine on hand is good also.

6. Children are a lot more expensive than you budgeted for. A lot! They grow like weeds and get bored quickly, so the more comfortable you get with hand-me-down clothes and toys, the better.

7. You will lose the baby weight. It may take six months or three years, but you will and you can IF you put your mind to it.

8. You’ll hear it a million times and eventually repeat it, too: it goes by fast, so let the dishes sit and the laundry wait and enjoy the baby days, the milestones, sweet, tender moments and the magic.

9. Trust your instincts and listen to your gut, you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for.

10. As soon as your newborn enters the world and your eyes meet theirs, you will know true love and joy as you have never known it before. Here’s hoping you can recall that gaze at 3 o’clock in the morning when your tot throws up all over his bed and then yours and then his again. Yep, that was a very long night.

Linking up this week with Stasha’s Monday Listicles, a linky right up my alley! This week’s topic: 10 Tips For New Moms was chosen by Cookies Mom.

This post was originally written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop, 5.) Advice to new mothers (September 14, 2011).

Long Live The 80’s!

Posted on February 22, 2011 Written by Tonya

My fabulous friend, Colleen turned 40 on Saturday and threw herself an 80’s-style prom party. It was an absolute blast!!

Everyone dressed up! There was lots of neon, lace, big bows, arms full of bracelets, skinny ties, flipped up collars, leg warmers and pearls. Even the 80’s cover band, that provided enough dance music to last a lifetime, Orange County’s own, Tijuana Dogs got into the spirit.

All of my girlfriends and I have been fretting about our “prom” attire for months and it turned out for many, Ebay was the way to go. Who knew?

I, on the other hand, being the pack rat that I am still have my ACTUAL Jessica McClintock prom dress! With a little alteration to the bust line, I wore it! Crazy, huh?! I couldn’t believe it still fit either. Or that I even kept it!

I tried to mimic my 80’s hair style: big and curly and make-up: blue eyeliner and mascara. Although naturally curly, my hair doesn’t quite take a curl like it used to. Even with half a canister of mousse.

The cast of characters may have changed, hopefully we are all a little wiser. There were way more beer bellies, wedding rings and crow’s feet this time around, but the music is still the same, my friends make the world a better place and I found myself wishing the party would last All Night Long, just like I did at my high school Senior prom.

THENMy prom date was my boyfriend at the time. He had just given me the watch I’m wearing as a graduation present. Lovely gift, but looks so out of place now.

NOW

Colleen and I and our rad dates.

The birthday girl and Matt, the Tijuana Dogs lead singer.

Does this pose look familiar?

Feels just like 1988!

The totally awesome birthday cake!

I must admit, I had WAY more fun at this prom than at my own back in ’91. Maybe it was the alcohol or the music, the company or the pure nostalgia of it all, but everyone had a permanent grin on their face the entire night and my legs still hurt from dancing!

One of the best parts of the whole evening was being dropped off by Todd’s mother, who was in town visiting us for the weekend.

She waited up for us too!

This post was originally for Wordful Wednesdays and if you want to link up or see some really beautiful photographs, please visit Alicia at A Beautiful Mess and see how she effortlessly turns ordinary photos into a works of art.

This post was reposted for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop, Prompt 4.) My prom dress.

What’s In Your Purse?

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