My new beauty blog, Belle or Bust, is up and running!

Hey there!  I’m excited to announce my beauty blog, Belle or Bust, is finally up and running. As of now, I only have one post published, and my ABOUT and CONTACT ME page completed but, hey, it’s up right?!  And on Wordpress nonetheless!  Yep, I learned am learning Wordpress.  So far, I’m pretty impressed!  Of course, my beauty blog will be a work in progress as I continue to make design tweaks, layout adjustments, add plug-ins, and optimize it for search engines! 

Intermittent Exotropia Update – Time for Glasses

I haven’t done an update on Alivia’s Intermittent Exotropia for quite some time, so I thought I’d share the latest with all of you today.

Since I was sick, my husband took her to the last Ophthalmologist appointment.  Before I go into what she said, let me catch you up with what’s been going on.  As a reminder, you can read all my Intermittent Exotropia posts here to catch up.

I’d been patching Alivia’s eye for two hours a night and keeping a close watch on her deviation.  For months, the hubby and I didn't see it deviate much, so we decided to discontinue the eye exercises.  She was doing good for awhile.  Then, out of the blue, we started seeing it again.  Mostly when she was in her car seat, looking out the front of the car through the windshield to the outside.  At those times, we’d ask her to bring her eye in. Over time, she became a pro at bringing her eye in demonstrating impressive control over it which made us very happy.  Happy for us and her!

I’d say I need a vacation if my kid weren’t such a trip

Being a stay-at-home mommy to a 3 year old, while rewarding, is more challenging than anything else.  Luckily for me I’ve always had a lot of patience.  Or at least I thought I did, until Alivia turned 3 and started to prove me wrong.  And while there are days I’d like to curl up in a ball, suck my thumb, and cry myself to sleep, most days I try to see the humor in things.  I try to step out of my body as if I were an outsider watching us on TV.  I try to imagine the genre we’d fit it into on each particular day.  For instance, one day on my way upstairs to see what Alivia was doing, I found Vaseline all over her face, neck, clothes and, yep, in her hair.  It was awesome having to scurry to clean her up as we had plans to go out.  Yes, I’m being facetious.  On that day, I’d say we were a comedy; the two of us!  See, I can be easy going.  While “the episode” was rather inconvenient, who wouldn’t have laughed at the sight of their toddler all greased up with that “deer in headlights” expression on their face while mommy repeatedly asked “why would you do this?” as if it could be rationalized.  Seriously?  Of course, I’d take those days over serious ones any time.  In fact, days like those are a break from what seems to be the norm these days.  The norm being Livi doing something she’s not supposed to and mommy having to put her in her room.  If you read, Crying, and whining, and tantrums, oh my, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.  It’s been a struggle for the both of us lately. 

Crying, and Whining, and Tantrums, Oh My!

It donned on me, while I rinsed off dishes to put in the dishwasher, that I just asked my 3 year old if she was going to cry every day for the rest of her life as if she were capable of answering it honestly.  Or as if it were a fair question to ask a child that age.  

At the time, I'm sure she thought she was answering honestly as she mumbled what I thought sounded like a "yes", but I can't be sure since it got lost in the high pitch sounds of what resembled a puppy cry.  This is what it sounded like when Alivia started to whine.  Between her crying, and whining for what seemed to be the one millionth time that day, I thought I was going to lose it!  Mind you, I haven't been feeling well.  I have been fighting a sinus infection that spread through the house like a forest fire and even still, I mustered up the patience to make a silly game out of asking her not to run around the kitchen island near the hot stove.  I would physically redirect her every time she would get near the stove, turning her around and pushing her off towards her dad who would do the same thing as she approached the other side of the island.  All of a sudden, before the hubby and I knew it, she was crying and acting like her moody little self.  You can imagine my patience, at this time, was dwindling, and quickly.  I still demonstrated control when I demanded she go to her room in a relaxed and eager voice as if I were asking a waiter for the dessert menu. I can't deny that I was eager for her to go to her room so that I could enjoy some peace and quiet.  I don't know what I was thinking.  No sooner than we closed the door to her bedroom was she in full out tantrum mode.  Screaming, kicking, crying, whining, etc.! 

Parenting like the Parisians - a contributor post

I've written about French parents before. So it's not too much of a secret when I tell you that I am a Cuban American parent who j'adores French parenting (whew)! That's a whole lot of culture in that one sentence. Maybe that's because in the world of parenting, my style seems to fit in with that of Parisian parents.

 

Let me explain...

 

My ideas of being a mom, when I had my first bébé, didn't seem to fit what I had always seen. It didn’t seem very American. Much of what I knew about parenting in the states included sacrifice and identity loss. Many conversations I heard revolved around how much of yourself you had to give up, when you have kids, in order to be a good parent. I spent all of my 20's being focused on me. When I got pregnant, I believed this changed.  To completely focus on another would happen naturally when I gave birth. Like I would deliver a baby, a placenta, and a complete selfless attitude in one push. That didn't happen. Rats. By these standards, I was not a good parent.

 

10 Tips to Grow a Non-Picky Eater

Hello readers of Cropped Stories! I'm Alicia and I blog over at A Sweet Fragrance. My family and I are American-born but live as expats over in SE Asia. I blog about our life overseas, recipes I attempt to make while substituting lots of ingredients, projects I do around the house, "tot school" lessons I teach to my toddler, and lessons I learn through parenting and walking with the Lord. I hope you'll stop by my blog for a visit!

Is there anything quite more frustrating than a child who doesn't want to eat anything you put in front of him? Not even a nibble! I know of this frustration very well. Not only am I (unintentionally) raising a picky eater, I grew up being a very selective eater myself. Unfortunately, I can't blame my child's eating habits on genetics. Whether I want to admit to it or not, I'm the one who has created these picky tendencies of his.

Easy peasy cookie cupcakes!

About 2 months ago, I made a promise to myself I would start cooking more often.  Initially, I had intended to make more dinners.  I never imagined, in a million years, I would have the time or courage to start baking as well!  Over the past few weeks, I've baked a number of yummy desserts including Banana Coconut Muffins, Peppermint Biscotti with Chocolate Drizzle, Coffee Cake Cheesecake (post still to come) and, most recently, Cookie Cupcakes! 

Keeping Connections Strong when Distance is Far

Hello readers of Cropped Stories! I'm Alicia and I blog over at A Sweet Fragrance. My family and I are American-born but live as expats over in SE Asia. I blog about our life overseas, recipes I attempt to make while substituting lots of ingredients, projects I do around the house, "tot school" lessons I teach to my toddler, and lessons I learn through parenting and walking with the Lord. I hope you'll stop by my blog for a visit!

Tips for parenting two children under two!

In the last few weeks of my second pregnancy, I remember thinking one constant thought. When this kid comes out, I'm going to have two kids under the age of two running around on this earth. And the idea of that immediately wall-slammed me to this thought: I wonder if there's a way to keep this second one in my belly a bit longer, at least until he's on solids.   Unfortunately, our ObGyn said this was not "advisable."   So, when he came out a week shy of forty, husband and I hit the ground running with our pre-planned ideas of how to parent two children under two while trying not to go Cuckoo Clock bonkers in the process.

Tips for coping with depression while exploring treatment

I knew I wanted to write a post on depression, but had no idea where to begin.  I must have opened and closed my laptop several times before finding the words.  

Sometimes I write unsure of where I want my post to go.  What's the point?  Of my blog post, I mean.  Do I have one?  While the answer to that last question is yes, I usually struggle with making only one point and not 50 million.  Each sentence opens up new doors and, easily tempted, I usually find myself walking through them.  When I do, I find my post going in a million different directions making my topic no longer clear to my readers.

With that said, I am going to focus on coping with depression without the use of medication.

Pumpkin apple pecan waffles!

 

Living in the Dominican Republic has many summertime perks. We don't do summertime sadness here because, well, it's always summer. You can go to the beach in the middle of January and not freeze your patoots off. It's a nice change for this January baby to be able to plan a birthday that will not be cancelled due to the looming and fast approaching winter snowstorm of the century. Buuuuut, with an eternal summer comes an extinct autumn. I've got that autumn-time sadness. So because the Dominican Republic won't give me fall, I've got to go get her. This past weekend, for our family breakfasts, I decided to make pumpkin apple pecan waffles. We purchased a waffle maker from another abroad teacher moving to Bangladesh, so I was super thrilled to use our new to us waffle maker for my fall recipe.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice!

Hey everyone! Hope your weekend was fantastic!  I’ve got some wonderful Guest Bloggers lined up for you this week and:

So don’t forget to come back for your chance to win $100!

Julia is a busy mom of twins, a wife, and an accountant. In her "spare" time, she scrapbooks, makes cards, designs jewelry, and sneaks naps. She blogs about life, scrapbooking, card making, blogging, crafts, recipes, reviews, giveaways, social good, and anything else that makes her laugh. A Global Team of 200 moms and a Shot@LIfe Champion, she has written for US Aid, Feed the Future, Sverve, and other websites. You can join her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest.    

Do you miss them being babies & my July sponsor giveaway!

When Alivia was born, I asked my sister who has two children (one was 15 at the time and other was 13) if she missed them being babies.  She answered without hesitance “no”.  In disbelief I asked “really”?  I was both surprised and enlightened by her answer!  After briefly explaining the things she was enjoying about my niece and nephew’s current ages, she went on to say that she thought of childhood as a temporary place for the child to become their true selves, the adult person they always had been just hadn’t grown into yet.  I had to think about it for a few minutes to really grasp the concept, but I was intrigued by the idea.  Could it possibly be true? 

Vacationing in Cape Cod, MA

It’s nice to be home from vacation but only for dependable and fast internet access so I am able to do what I love: BLOG.  Otherwise, I rather be basking in the sun under a clear blue sky with nothing to worry about other than sun protection.  Alivia and I had such a wonderful 3 day vacation in West Yarmouth.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather.  And unlike previous years, the ocean was exceptionally warm and inviting.  Even better than warm ocean water and sunshine was Alivia accomplishing some HUGE milestones!  After struggling with her for 2 Summers, I finally got her to walk on the sand!  It took some serious persistence and a thick skin when she began to melt down, but I stayed strong and was relieved to have it pay off!  Of course, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get her to do it  with bare feet so I came prepared with water shoes.  And when her shoes filled up with sand, I was pleasantly surprised it only took a little distraction and some mild coaxing to keep her from obsessing over it.  In no time at all my baby was playing in the sand comfortably!  She even, for the first time, played in the ocean water (something else I had been struggling with getting her to do)!  It was amazing watching her enjoy activities that once had her running for dry land, a shower, or my arms.  And if that’s not enough, on the very last day of our vacation, my sister handed her a water bottle and she drank out of it like a PRO!   What?!  It was as if the milestones kept being thrown at my baby but she continued to hit them right out of the park!  I was so proud of her!

Easy to make Candied Teriyaki Chicken Wings!

Do you guys like chicken wings?  I sure hope so because I’ve got the best chicken wing recipe for you today!  And although it’s a cavity waiting to happen (you’ll see why), on the flip side it’s easy, quick, and finger lickin’ good!  These wings have always been a BIG hit at any event!  The trick, of course, is to cook them long enough so that the meat falls off the bone.  My hand written recipe is titled “Mom’s Chicken Wings” so I’m assuming it is in fact my moms, but I swear the first time I tried these was at my brother’s house when his ex wife made them years and years ago.  I actually mentioned this to my mom and it seemed like she wasn’t sure herself that’s why I don’t feel bad telling you all.  Of course, whatever the case may be, one thing I know for sure is that they are in a word “AWESOME”!  Oh, and addicting too!  Definitely addicting!

If you can believe it, we’ve gone through the years calling them “Mom’s Chicken Wings” but if you ask me, that doesn’t really describe them very well!  So today I name them!

Classic Pizzelles (a recipe you’re sure to love)!

In case you are unfamiliar with the name, they are Italian waffle cookies you make with a Pizzelle baker and they are absolutely delicious!  They can be made with either anise, vanilla, and even cocoa.  Our family prefers vanilla and there’s no one better at making them than my mom!  As I’m drafting this post, I’m asking my mom for tips.  Without hesitance, she answers “be sure to use Land O Lakes margarine”!  Other margarines apparently don’t measure up and the cookies will not come out nearly as good.  Another tip is to make sure the margarine is cooled before adding it to the mixture (as I’m typing this, my mom is saying “make sure you bold the word cooled under the directions”)!  Okay mom, will do!  I’ll even put it in CAPS just for you!  I got to make mom happy otherwise I won’t get any cookies.

What are your children doing to drive you nuts?

For those of us that have children, we all know that motherhood can be amazing!  It can be rewarding, fun, satisfying, fulfilling, blah, blah, blah!  Now let’s visit the flip side and discuss the things children do that challenge us and test our patience on a daily basis.  You know, the things that make you want to blow your brains out!

I know after reading that last sentence, something immediately popped into your head.  Something your child does that makes you want to pull out your hair and at the very least just annoys the fu@# out of you!  Am I right?