Husband, dinner birthday.
xoxogriselle
Monday, February 28, 2011
Baby Boots
For all my fabulous mommies with little bundles of joy!
I thought this was so cute that I just had to share.
These new boots come in both a rich chocolate brown and beige. They are also approved by the American Medical Pediatric Association for babies’ feet. Designed to keep your baby’s feet warm and cozy, these boots will also make her footwear the most attractive in the playgroup!
xoxo
griselle
I thought this was so cute that I just had to share. These new boots come in both a rich chocolate brown and beige. They are also approved by the American Medical Pediatric Association for babies’ feet. Designed to keep your baby’s feet warm and cozy, these boots will also make her footwear the most attractive in the playgroup!
xoxo
griselle
Ceremony Etiquette
Firstly, you will receive an invitation for their wedding. In every invitation, there is an RSVP section which reminds you to validate your presence on the wedding. RSVP means repondez s’il vous plait. It’s a French phrase for “please respond”. This is for the couple to confirm the total number of guests to the caterer, the number of wedding souvenirs, and of course, to plan their budget. It is indeed bad manners to ignore this. If you showed up at their wedding without confirming it to them and there is a shortage of the served food, then you have caused inconvenience to the bride and groom. Please always RSVP.
Also, if you have noticed, there is a ‘guest’ space on the RSVP section where you could specify if you can bring somebody with you like your wife, husband, fiance or fiancee. If there is, you can bring a date, but if there’s none, then it is proper that you come to the wedding alone. If you want to bring a child that isn’t invited to the wedding, it is also offensive. Calling to inquire about it is not appropriate either, some invitations will be numbered of guest already input, this means stick to the number required.
Be particular with your behavior when attending a wedding. Know the place of the wedding and dress appropriately. If it is a church wedding, then you don’t want to show too much skin. Also, don’t be tempted to go to the bar area if there is no invitation from the couple. They might not have planned to include liquors on their budget. If ever there is free drinks, control your alcohol intake and avoid getting drunk, this may not look to good for you.
Be sure to follow the seating arrangement that has been planned out. When you arrive, the ushers and usherettes might ask you details about your relationship with the couple. If you have been assigned a chair, be nice enough to stay on the seat for the formal program.
Gifts for the couple are a must if you are going to attend, when i mean gift I mean envelope a card with money is usually the appropriate etiquette of weddings. However, if you have failed to show up during the event, you should at least send a card wishing them all the best in their married life.
xoxo
griselle
Friday, February 25, 2011
Dinner Date
Who are we kidding, with such busy schedules in our lives and different work hours, at times we forget what truly is important and that is the one on one with the husband. Dating your husband involves setting aside time for things like candlelight dinners and not losing sight of the romanticism of the first few dates. Planning dates with your husband is a must. Ladies let's face it, most of our husbands are not this romantic love, we see on TV and in the movies, some where I read that if your spouse he is not romantic, then you will need to do all the romantic things and eventually he will learn., humm not sure how much truth to it is but this will never hurt to try.
Tonight I have a dinner date with my husband, a one on one. We must always try to make it work and teach one another!
xoxo
griselle
Balance Between Motherhood and Work
Trying To Balance Motherhood and Work,
Very often I am asked, how can you do it, working while being a committed mother at all times, which brings me to this post. Balancing a career with motherhood may feel like an impossible task. On one hand, you have all the demands of a challenging career, and on the other, you have the pull of young children at home who need your love and care. It may seem like an unattainable dream to do well in one area of your life without sacrificing the other. While it isn't always easy, you can make several adjustments in your life to achieve a better balance with your career and motherhood. I have had my times where I do fall of my path and let stress get the best of me, but as I proceed with trying to live, in each way possible a stress free life, I have put a little something together for you to not only balance your self but to cherish every special milestone in your life as well as you child's life.
I have had at times have to sit and refer back to my original plan, written by me a few years ago. (yes I keep journals in which i write as much as i can and then look back to, when my life is out of whack).
What I first had to do as a single career mother and now a married career mother was, refer back to my steps in balancing my life from years ago, in which I titled it The life of a single mother. Getting organized at home and on the job is not an easy thing , you will feel less frazzled if everything is in its place and you are not wasting valuable time searching for things that include the diaper bag, your keys or the report that is due. Use a master calendar and record every doctor appointment, play date, school activities, sports and important business meeting so you know what is coming up. Before going to bed each night, see what you have in store for the next day and set out everything you need. I until today i still think of what I am going to wear the next day and I have to lay it out on my bedroom couch. Develop consistent routines for before and after work to keep everything going smoothly and stress free.
Enlist help from your spouse, family members or paid help. I had a nanny name Gilda, at the time her help was a blessing from god although I paid her it really did change the stress and the run around with my small children at the time. The one thing I learned was to not expect others to know how i was feeling in my case overwhelmed. always try to communicate your feelings and ask your husband to assist or trade off certain parenting duties, I have learned and know that we live in an ERA where dads are very much involved then back in the grandmother days. Family members might be thrilled for the chance to spend time with your children to help care for them and give you a break. You may also eliminate stress by paying someone to clean your house or take care of chores.
My number ONE problem was that I thought I could of done it all my self, mother, career, work and being a single at the time... Today I tell you to set realistic expectations. Realize that you are only human and you cannot give 150 percent at home and on the job without burning yourself out. Focus your greatest efforts on the important things and allow yourself to do the best you can with the rest. Working for Corp world, can really take you off your path in life, at one point I thought I had to give my all and all to work, and for a few instances work turned to almost be priority number one since this was my only way of survival, but today I can really write that working for the corp world taught me how important my family and my children are to me, and how I will never make anything or anyone other than my family priority number 1.
Most important and what I still try to correct these days is maintaing the separation
between work time and parenting time. Today I tell you , try to avoid worrying about the home issues or kids while you are at work, and worrying about work responsibilities while you're at home. If you work at home, work in an area of your house that is quiet and away from the busy areas, such as the kitchen and living room. When you are spending time with the kids, focus solely on them without trying to multitask and work at the same time.
My advise to you, and the one thing that I never stopped doing and learned to do thanks to my OBGYN was to take care of yourself. It may sound easier said than done, but with the demands of a career and motherhood, you have to make time to keep yourself well rested and at some point healthy, although I can not sit here and say I eat healthy, but at some points and currently i try, specially to work out and improve my eating. Try scheduling a few single days or half days of vacation every few months and spend time doing something you enjoy. Hire a sitter every now and then to watch the kids on a weekend so you can have a date night, or evening out with the girls, depending on your age a club night would not hurt, join a book club with friends or family. Eat healthy foods, and try to get a good night's sleep every evening or at least every other day, I know it gets hard depending on your child's age.
Consider an alternative work schedule if you can, I didn't have this option but i always thought it would of been nice. If you find your current position is too demanding to strike a good balance with motherhood and your career, evaluate your options. Your present employer may be willing to allow you to work a few days from home or work reduced hours, with all the layoffs going on this might be an option your company may have. You may also find a different company with a shorter commute or hours that are more flexible that would make it easier to balance your work and home life, although I do not recommend for you to go and quit your job right now but try to work something out carefully, as you all know jobs are not easy to come by these days.
All in all, family is very important cherish and take care of it, remember moms, soon enough are kids will be grown and on their own, we must enjoy now. Your priority is your family time. My kids have made me a strong women today with out them, I think I would off never known how strong and willing I am. Bran and Liz, muah.
xoxo
grislle
Very often I am asked, how can you do it, working while being a committed mother at all times, which brings me to this post. Balancing a career with motherhood may feel like an impossible task. On one hand, you have all the demands of a challenging career, and on the other, you have the pull of young children at home who need your love and care. It may seem like an unattainable dream to do well in one area of your life without sacrificing the other. While it isn't always easy, you can make several adjustments in your life to achieve a better balance with your career and motherhood. I have had my times where I do fall of my path and let stress get the best of me, but as I proceed with trying to live, in each way possible a stress free life, I have put a little something together for you to not only balance your self but to cherish every special milestone in your life as well as you child's life.
I have had at times have to sit and refer back to my original plan, written by me a few years ago. (yes I keep journals in which i write as much as i can and then look back to, when my life is out of whack).
What I first had to do as a single career mother and now a married career mother was, refer back to my steps in balancing my life from years ago, in which I titled it The life of a single mother. Getting organized at home and on the job is not an easy thing , you will feel less frazzled if everything is in its place and you are not wasting valuable time searching for things that include the diaper bag, your keys or the report that is due. Use a master calendar and record every doctor appointment, play date, school activities, sports and important business meeting so you know what is coming up. Before going to bed each night, see what you have in store for the next day and set out everything you need. I until today i still think of what I am going to wear the next day and I have to lay it out on my bedroom couch. Develop consistent routines for before and after work to keep everything going smoothly and stress free.
Enlist help from your spouse, family members or paid help. I had a nanny name Gilda, at the time her help was a blessing from god although I paid her it really did change the stress and the run around with my small children at the time. The one thing I learned was to not expect others to know how i was feeling in my case overwhelmed. always try to communicate your feelings and ask your husband to assist or trade off certain parenting duties, I have learned and know that we live in an ERA where dads are very much involved then back in the grandmother days. Family members might be thrilled for the chance to spend time with your children to help care for them and give you a break. You may also eliminate stress by paying someone to clean your house or take care of chores.
My number ONE problem was that I thought I could of done it all my self, mother, career, work and being a single at the time... Today I tell you to set realistic expectations. Realize that you are only human and you cannot give 150 percent at home and on the job without burning yourself out. Focus your greatest efforts on the important things and allow yourself to do the best you can with the rest. Working for Corp world, can really take you off your path in life, at one point I thought I had to give my all and all to work, and for a few instances work turned to almost be priority number one since this was my only way of survival, but today I can really write that working for the corp world taught me how important my family and my children are to me, and how I will never make anything or anyone other than my family priority number 1.
Most important and what I still try to correct these days is maintaing the separation
between work time and parenting time. Today I tell you , try to avoid worrying about the home issues or kids while you are at work, and worrying about work responsibilities while you're at home. If you work at home, work in an area of your house that is quiet and away from the busy areas, such as the kitchen and living room. When you are spending time with the kids, focus solely on them without trying to multitask and work at the same time.
My advise to you, and the one thing that I never stopped doing and learned to do thanks to my OBGYN was to take care of yourself. It may sound easier said than done, but with the demands of a career and motherhood, you have to make time to keep yourself well rested and at some point healthy, although I can not sit here and say I eat healthy, but at some points and currently i try, specially to work out and improve my eating. Try scheduling a few single days or half days of vacation every few months and spend time doing something you enjoy. Hire a sitter every now and then to watch the kids on a weekend so you can have a date night, or evening out with the girls, depending on your age a club night would not hurt, join a book club with friends or family. Eat healthy foods, and try to get a good night's sleep every evening or at least every other day, I know it gets hard depending on your child's age.
Consider an alternative work schedule if you can, I didn't have this option but i always thought it would of been nice. If you find your current position is too demanding to strike a good balance with motherhood and your career, evaluate your options. Your present employer may be willing to allow you to work a few days from home or work reduced hours, with all the layoffs going on this might be an option your company may have. You may also find a different company with a shorter commute or hours that are more flexible that would make it easier to balance your work and home life, although I do not recommend for you to go and quit your job right now but try to work something out carefully, as you all know jobs are not easy to come by these days.
All in all, family is very important cherish and take care of it, remember moms, soon enough are kids will be grown and on their own, we must enjoy now. Your priority is your family time. My kids have made me a strong women today with out them, I think I would off never known how strong and willing I am. Bran and Liz, muah.
xoxo
grislle
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Loving Her Style
Olivia Palermo
I am currently loving her sytle!
I am currently loving her sytle!
xoxo
griselle
The Season
In honor of my previous post regarding weddings, below are a few pictures of my wedding along with my friend's and my cousin's wedding. They all took place with -in a month from each other back in 2008.
griselle
Wedding Season
Wedding season is soon approaching and although couples get married all year round, Spring is considered the beginning of wedding season and this runs all up too October. Below are a few of my tips. Friends, I went through the entire wedding planning situation, and the stress factor, Yes, I was what you can call your bridezilla! I did it all diets etc... below are a few tips, to keep your wedding planning sanity.... As we go along I will blog more on how to maintain your budget, where to start, what to look for, what to expect etc.. I do recommend that if you can afford, or even to guide you through, hire a wedding planner, they truly do help you keep and maintain your wedding planning sanity.
Wedding Website
A new trend in wedding planning is the wedding website. Rather than prompting friends and family to sign up with a network or navigate a virtual maze to find information, couples can display all of their wedding plans and info in one place, at one custom URL. A wedding website is a valuable asset in pre-wedding communication. Avoid all the calls from Great Aunt Ethel while she nails down hotel accommodations, just include the details on your website. Eliminate the cost of an added registry card with your invitations, and supply direct links through your couples site. You can even include a custom gallery of your courtship and engagement. The options are limitless, and will be determined by you and your web designer.
Staying Fit
Two of the most stressful things is life are losing weight and getting married…and going through them both at the same time makes for good TV. The CW’s new reality competition, Shedding for the Wedding premiered last night, in which nine overweight couples compete to lose the excess pounds and win the wedding of their dreams. The series is hosted by actress Sara Rue, who recently shed 50 pounds of her own with Jenny Craig… Check it out and take notes and shed the weigh.
Brides-zilla
Believe it or not, wedding planning doesn’t have to be like this. Don’t fall victim to Bridezilla-itis. I did and this is why I am reaching out to you. You can rise above the stress and actually have fun during this most exciting time in your life. The solution is simple – let go. Release a little responsibility and don’t let yourself get too worked up over the details.
Very Important Wedding Invitation
Wedding invitations are an important first impression for your wedding. Getting invitation right – and sent on time – can set the tone for your entire celebration. I will post as we go along a few tips to creating and sending the best invitations possible for your wedding.
Wedding Planning Check List
A wedding checklist is essential to every wedding to ensure that no detail has been missed and that things are going the way they are supposed to. The checklist usually has several time lines and the time frames usually vary as the wedding date approaches. It starts with a ‘months before’ category, translates to the ‘weeks before’ category and eventually to the ‘days before’ category. I will put together a detailed sample wedding checklist which you could use as in your own wedding.
Bridesmaids Choose Wisely
Being the bride makes you the center of attention; however, it also causes you a lot of stress because of the wedding preparations and the emotions that you are feeling. There should be a support group that can help you through these situations. This is the main duty of the Maid of Honor and bridesmaids, and most important your planner if you have one.
How To Live Happily Ever After
How many books have you read with the ending line, “…and they lived happily ever after”? Have you ever dreamed of being the couple in that book? Of course you have, we all have! Marriage can and should be all about living ‘happily ever after’ together. That is not to say that you are going to be able to live your entire lives together and never disagree or bicker, marriages are hard work, and you will have your ups and down. But, with a little bit of hard work, and some pointers, you and your spouse can indeed live or to the least live happily ever after.
xoxo
Griselle
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Trying To Stay Focus & Organzied
I have been trying to apply this to my life each and every day a little more, a few of these are just part of my life, others I am working on. I know that many of you can benefit from this as well therefore; I wanted to share.
I admit it! Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the seemingly endless streams of paperwork and wonder if I'll ever be able to organize it all. Emails, phone messages, ideas I found on the Internet, kids school papers, notes of ideas that popped into my head as I was waiting in the doctors waiting room with one of my kids, magazine clippings... I would file and file and then forget where that article was that I needed to complete, for either work or my kids project that is due with in the next few days! Ughh the busy life.
I have been an avid list-maker all my life out of necessity, juggling a 9 to 5 stressful work life, family time, trying to set and hoping to accomplish in the future a home-based business, and taking care of my home; as well as having a number of hobbies, clothing design and creation, crafts and event planning, working out, book clubs going to church, and most important maintaining a healthy family, along with running around with my kids activities, such as sports and now music class, You can see why I had and still am tying to find ways to organize my life.
For all of you super-busy people (specially moms) I have put together some handy tips to help you organize your life and keep your sanity.
1) Notables: Keep a small notebook and pen handy, wherever you are, to jot down ideas or appointments or things to do instead of trying to remember them later on.
2) Telephonery: Set a time limit to each phone call and make sure you tell your caller. That way you save yourself the stress of trying to end the phone call and it also helps the caller to condense the information they want you to hear.
3) In Waiting: Use waiting time at the dentist, meeting with your boss or while waiting for your roast to cook to catch up on reading or planning, or use the time for tidying up, filing or other tasks.
4) Help Wanted: Be sure to offer praise to a subordinate, co-worker or to a member of the family for any effort you've noticed - they'll be happy to help you when you're bogged down.
5) Don't Put It Off! If you procrastinate, you'll only get stressed out when you think about that hateful "to do" item on your list. You'll blow it out of proportion in your mind and it will become almost impossible to accomplish. Make sure you tackle the largest or most disliked job first, dividing it up into manageable tasks. Then the other jobs will be a breeze!
6) Control Bug: Delegate the tasks you have no time for or team up with someone who can help you. (See tip #4!)
7) Group Effort: Save time and footwork by collecting everything to bring with you to complete errands or to distribute in each room of the house instead of making too many trips. Make a fast list while planning out your route and be sure to plan each stop along the way so you don't have to backtrack and lose time.
8) Schedule Fun Time! Make sure you include some personal time for YOU. Allot some time in your agenda. Make an appointment for yourself and keep it, even if it's only a leisurely 20 minute bubble bath or a 15 minute walk in the fresh spring air soon to come!
9) Space Freebies: Go through any old unneeded files to free up space in your filing system or your inbox.
10) Once and Only Once: Each piece of paper should be handled only once. Read it and file it, redirect it to someone else, schedule it or toss it. Don't add it to an ever-ending pile on your desk or on your kitchen counter , in hopes that you'll get to it eventually.
11) Post-Master: Use sticky notes to write errands needed to be done. Stick them to your front door or your fridge door to remind you as you're headed out.
12) Systems Engineer: Too much time is wasted every day on searching for things. Find a system that works for you and your lifestyle and apply it. Use it religiously and you'll find new time slots you never thought you had!
xoxo
griselle
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
My Pick "Grammy's Best Dressed"
Kate Hudson
Eva Longoria
Kim Kardashian
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Hudson
Valentine's Day
Hoping you all had a wonderful Valentines day.
Re-cap of my day, well some recap. Gym in the early am, we had our wheat grass drinks, protein shake after our workout. My husband surprised me with a wonderful cleaned home, I stepped out of the house to run some errand and when i came back he had cleaned and mop the house for me, shortly after, I went to spend a little bit of time with my gordito my friends baby, had some coffee and Val cupcakes she made for me thanks Mirna you are awesome! shortly after hubby picked me up we went home got dressed and went out to dinner (hubby had reservations), the night was pretty awesome we talked and had some drinks then we went home, where i had roses and rose pedals awww, this might not sound like the most interesting night but for me it was.
Valentines Day doesn't have to be one day a year. Love with all of your heart and soul. Giving yourself completely to someone can be scary, but there is never a bad time to tell your loved one how you feel about them.
The most amazing gift you can give someone is your heart. Cherish your time together and make every day Valentines Day a special one and not just on valentines but always.
Below are some cute nighty, it is never too late for those couples that had to work and couldn't celebrate their day last night.
Re-cap of my day, well some recap. Gym in the early am, we had our wheat grass drinks, protein shake after our workout. My husband surprised me with a wonderful cleaned home, I stepped out of the house to run some errand and when i came back he had cleaned and mop the house for me, shortly after, I went to spend a little bit of time with my gordito my friends baby, had some coffee and Val cupcakes she made for me thanks Mirna you are awesome! shortly after hubby picked me up we went home got dressed and went out to dinner (hubby had reservations), the night was pretty awesome we talked and had some drinks then we went home, where i had roses and rose pedals awww, this might not sound like the most interesting night but for me it was.
Valentines Day doesn't have to be one day a year. Love with all of your heart and soul. Giving yourself completely to someone can be scary, but there is never a bad time to tell your loved one how you feel about them.
The most amazing gift you can give someone is your heart. Cherish your time together and make every day Valentines Day a special one and not just on valentines but always.
Below are some cute nighty, it is never too late for those couples that had to work and couldn't celebrate their day last night.
xoxo
griselle