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Our Time-Out Rules

Time-out. That’s a common word around here. Frankly, with a toddler, it’s just the law of the land. I had no idea how to approach “Time-out” when I first started, so after reading up, asking friends and testing out several approaches we finally settled on something that works for us. These are our Time-Out Rues (And please know that it works most of the time…but man oh man, there are days when it all comes crashing down. But all in all, it works).

In preparation for time-outs, you should do two things:

  1. Set your ground rules and have everyone in the house agree and follow them. This includes parents, grandparents, nanny, etc. Once those are set, you have to absolutely stand by them, no exceptions. Example: No jumping on the couch, no hitting, no touching the tv, etc…

  2. Designate a time-out spot. Preferably one where there is no entertainment of any kind. You must be able to supervise too, so don’t make it too secluded. A wall or a corner works just fine. And remember, time-outs exist everywhere, you just have to use your imagination. (ie playground, someone else’s home, etc).

Continue reading “Our Time-Out Rules”

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It’s All Coming Back to Me Now Breastfeeding Parody

Hey!

Soooo, breastfeeding sucked for me the first time around. I mean, like, really really sucked. Three torturous months of no sleep, 2 cases of mastitis, over supply of milk, leak pads, cabbage leaves, carrying breast milk everywhere, shitty bras and SO much pain. So I wrote a parody on the subject since now, I have baby #2 on the way and it’s inevitably “all coming back to me now”.

Here’s the story behind the video, if you’re interested:

My first born, Alfie, was born with tongue tie, a small water bubble under the front of his tongue that didn’t allow for him to latch on to my breast. Because of that, I pumped. The tongue tie disappeared after a week or so, but he was already used to the bottle, so he never latched on after that. No worries, since I was still providing breastmilk.

I kept pumping and pumping and pumping at the suggested intervals and after a month, I was tired. I was ready for all of this to be over. I had already gotten mastitis and the pain and leaking was just intolerable. I hated it. However, because of the mastitis, I couldn’t just drop the whole thing, or take a magic pill and be done with it. I had to wait another two weeks with antibiotics for the mastitis to clear out and then wean out, which would elongate the process further, much to my dismay. So I went with it. Continue reading “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now Breastfeeding Parody”

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Oh sh*t! My Toddler Locked me Out of the House!

 

There are plenty of mom wins, and there are probably even more mom #fails. I, as a new mom and trying to navigate the world of toddlerhood, have had bumps and bruises here and there and I am happy to share this particular one riiight here. Enjoy.

On an incredibly hot and humid summer day, my 2 year-old and I were in the house hanging out. He was watching TV as I was prepping our dinner and taking care of some kitchen TLC. The trash can was full (and stinky), so I made my way to the backyard to empty its contents.

As per usual, I make sure my son is preoccupied with something (in this case the TV) and then I walk out the sliding door. I shut it behind me, walk a brisk 12 steps each way, and make it around the corner of the terrace in a nice, quick, painless manner.

Only this time, as I’m on step 3 after dumping the trash bag, I hear a familiar “click” sound. I immediately recognize it as the sound the sliding door makes when it is locked or unlocked. “Oh sh*t!” I said. As I take another 2 steps to round the corner, there he is. My little innocent Alfie, with his hand on the sliding door lock, simply smiling back at me. “No way” I said to myself. I quickly tried to open the sliding door and of course… It was locked. He had locked me out…making matters worse, I had just turned on the toaster oven. Continue reading “Oh sh*t! My Toddler Locked me Out of the House!”

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Let’s SPARK Together

“All that Glitters is Gold! Only shooting stars break the mold” – Smash Mouth  

That’s right! Our hearts, our energy and our hard work is GOLD! We’re all shooting stars but we must challenge the status quo and push ourselves in order to keep shining bright and break the mold. We can only SPARK when we allow ourselves to shine. So Let’s SPARK together!

As women, we juggle a lot. A LOT. Luly B gets it. She’s one of us. A mom, a wife, an entrepreneur, a woman and a natural juggler.

I’m all about empowering women so that’s why I’m partnering with her to invite you to SPARK with Luly B for this unique event geared towards successful women of South Florida. This is more than a conference. It’s a day dedicated to meeting like minded women who support and uplift each other while we learn, get inspired and… party! Yep! On a Thursday. Why? Because we can!

Give yourself a break and join me on this very special event on May 4th. Click on this link HERE to get your tickets NOW! Don’t forget to bring your amigas! Prices increase on April 28th. 

I’ll see you there! Let’s SPARK together! #SPARKwithLulyB #SPARKbecause

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email using ZaniaSala@gmail.com

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Alfie’s Nursery

So I’ve wanted to show you Alfie’s nursery ever since he was born but it was never “perfect” and the truth is, it never is. It’s a kid’s room for crying out loud. So a year later, here it is! Ha! Imperfect. Not styled (ok maybe a wee bit) but real.

The inspiration for this room was simple, neutral and modern with a touch of color. A new baby means a lot of stuff and I’m allergic to clutter. Hence, Indid not want a lot of shelves to fill up, or too many surfaces for decor items that would only be destroyed as soon as the kid started reaching for stuff. Practical.

I’m breaking down every area below. Check it out! (All sources linked below as well. You’re welcome!)

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We bought a wide dresser from Ikea that would (1) function as a diaper changing area (2) would provide much needed (and concealed) storage and (3) give us about another foot of surface space to play with. As for wall decor, I knew I wanted something with at a large scale. I love photography and knew that this blown up photograph of a Nawa tree would do the trick. I took this picture during our honeymoon in Oahu, HI in 2011. It’s meaningful to us and thought it would be fitting in his room. Continue reading “Alfie’s Nursery”

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Zero Guilt

I’m back home after spending 12 days in France and Spain. Aaaahhh! No Alfie and no husband. Just me, my parents and brothers and friends. We had a blast.

I was freeeee! Free to do what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted. No flinging of chicken nuggets, no poop smell, and no nap time logistics. Ah! That’s the life I remember. Yep! It was awesome and I had ZERO guilt. None. Nada. Zip.

Alfie stayed with my mother-in-law back in Puerto Rico while my hubby worked. Of course I missed them both everyday and I probably bored the hell out of everyone on my trip by talking about Alfie’s shenanigans all day, but I didn’t care.

Not bringing Alfie with me was a no brainer, really. Could I have taken him along? Yes I could have and I would have handled it like a pro. But all I wanted to do was take a break and be my pre-baby self again for a while and #EatDrinkSleepRepeat and explore. I wanted to wake up at whatever time I wanted. Drink coffee at a café and watch people pass by. Relax at the beach. Walk through itty bitty streets rich in history. See fields of lavender. Have great conversations in whatever language necessary. Get lost. Eat delicious food (and some not so delicious, gulp!) and share priceless moments with my family and friends. Continue reading “Zero Guilt”

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Expect the Unexpected

Last month was a whirlwind. It was all work and no play. Here’s why…

I enjoy reading/hearing/talking about business, especially entrepreneurship, and believe that I will someday run a successful, profitable business myself.

For years, I’ve been debating whether or not to go to Business School. I’ve done research online, spoken to college reps, asked about online and full time programs, attended information sessions, bought the GMAT books and I’ve always ended up nixing the idea. I just don’t think it’s for me.

My dad, on the other hand, would love it if I went to Business School (read: slightly pressured to go). It wouldn’t be any business school though. It would have to be on the level of Columbia, Kellogg, etc. I have nothing against that. It’s just not my cup of tea.

So when he emails me one day and says, “What about this online program from Seth Godin called the altMBA?” My jaw dropped. My dad, the non-believer in online MBA education, caved a little. We both enjoy Seth Godin’s approach to business/freelancing and the power of making change happen. So, I clicked on it. It was different, short, and attractive. I applied and told no one. Continue reading “Expect the Unexpected”

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Mama’s Independence Day

You know that famous speech from President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) on the movie “Independence Day” right? It ends with a captivating and emotional, “Today we celebrate our Independence day!” Well, that’s how I feel and I bet it’s how all moms feel when we got some alone time. You with me? Today I declare this Mama’s Independence Day! Oh yeah!

After a partially disappointing first Mother’s Day, where a waiter was an @$$%^7, our food was a joke, my hubs spilled a glass of water on me while I was attempting to contain what felt like Phoebe’s puppy from “Friends” and the other patrons were looking at us as if we were evil minions, I stand by the movement to make Mother’s day a day OFF for moms all over. We ended up having a good time the rest of the day, but we need our me-time every once in a while and that’s why I’m off for three days this weekend. Woo Hoo!

It was so strange packing for this weekend! You amazing mamas know what I’m talking about… For the past year I’ve been packing diapers, bottles, onesies, noisy toys, monitors, bibs, itty bitty spoons, and occasionally forgetting some of them in which you then have to improvise (moms are improv masters, btw). This time around, there was none of that! Only bathing suits, pjs, and other beach clothes. That’s it! When I walked out of my house with only one bag in hand I felt like the chains were broken. Happy dance.

Continue reading “Mama’s Independence Day”

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The Voice

I strongly believe in following your intuition. This year, for some reason, my intuition told me that I should audition for The Voice. After 10 seasons of being on the air, and even more years of me going on these crazy auditions, now was the time for me to try this out. Why now?

I know myself well enough now to understand that I don’t need to answer the question Why. The answer to that question will reveal itself if I identify, listen and act on my inner voice’s calling. When your inner voice speaks you must listen!

Stressing about your soul’s calling will ultimately push it away and give you more stress. That’s why we have to act! Luckily I was able to identify it on time and I acted. I knew something good would come out of this no matter the outcome.

I picked my audition city and song and here I am. As I write this I am sitting on a park bench at Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia. My audition is tomorrow at 11 AM only two blocks from where I stand now, and two blocks from my hotel. Continue reading “The Voice”

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Why I Made the Transition from Full Time Working Mom to Stay at Home Mom

After being a full-time working girl for over 11 years, I am now dedicating my life to being a wife and mom. Whaaat?! After giving birth and coming to terms with motherhood, it’s crazy how priorities change. Everyone tells you about it but you can’t feel the weight of it all until it happens to you.

At first, I was hesitant about making this change. Can we afford it? Am I sabotaging my career’s future? What will I do with my time (what time?) It was a real internal struggle. There were a lot of tears, self fabricated excuses and countless conversations with my incredibly supportive husband who kept saying “whatever you want to do is fine with me”. How I love that man! I wanted him to give me the answer since I was so indecisive, but of course he knows better. The decision was entirely up to me.

The more I thought about it, the more sense leaving my job made. I wanted to enjoy my baby boy and my situation at the moment wasn’t allowing me to embrace that wholeheartedly. Work was stressing me out a lot and I had already experienced several instances or “signs” telling me that a change in career/life was coming.

Alfie and I at my previous job
Alfie and I at my previous job

I started digging deep and and asked myself some juicy questions like; Do I want to continue down this career path? What is the right thing to do? Will I be able to survive emotionally/mentally, without a full-time job? And then ultimately taking a deep breath and asking myself; Is this how I want to live my life? The answer was simply NO. Continue reading “Why I Made the Transition from Full Time Working Mom to Stay at Home Mom”