Chocolaty Goodness

Chocolaty goodness, that is the best way to describe my day today. As difficult as it was to go to work today, my co-workers made sure I had the best first day back ever! Can I just tell you what an amazing group I work with!!

I arrived at work and when I got to my desk, there were Hershey Kisses (dark chocolate ones!) and printed photographs of me and the kids from my photo site posted all over the place! Super sweet! There was also a very pretty plant from the other new mama in the group, Jade. She is off on maternity leave as well so it was really nice that she dropped the plant off for me. It was a great way to be welcomed back. And, as you probably guessed, I cried! :)

Here are a few pics. It was so awesome!






I thought that was it for my welcome back party but later on they did a fondue party too! A chocolate fountain with lots of yummy treats to dip into it. Boy oh boy I felt spoiled! It was delicious!

It was nice to see everyone today and get such a warm and sweet welcome. Thank you to my co-workers for being so supportive and understanding! It does truly make the transition much easier.

A Big Fat Mess

I had a great day with both my kiddos yesterday. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. We made pancakes together, played outside, did a few art projects, etc. At one point Gloria said to me, "Thank you mommy!" and I replied, for what? She then said, "For having a Gloria, Leo and mommy day!" That meant so much to me to hear! I just love her!

Before Leo was born I dreaded the day I'd have to leave him and Gloria and go back to work. It makes me so sad to be away from both of them so much. The weeks leading up to this point have been difficult. I don't have to tell you that, I'm sure you know. I've done my best to keep it together but, I'm afraid, I'm not very good at that. :) This morning I spent some time by myself. Leo was at my parent's house and I dropped Gloria off at school. I picked up some coffee and some breakfast and went down by the river and sat. I enjoyed my breakfast, thought about how life was going to be from now on, tried to give myself a pep talk, and...I had a little cry. Okay, that's a lie. I had a big cry! Yes, I'm a big baby. I was hoping that was the end of my fit until I went to the bank and lost it there! So embarrassing. I was opening a bank account for Leo and something just set me off. When the lady tried to console me and asked questions about my kids, it just made it worse. Dear Lord, I thought to myself, how am I going to get through the day tomorrow?!

So, yes, I go back to work tomorrow. As hard as it is, there are things I do look forward to. I am looking forward to seeing my friends and getting back into design work. I've missed working on my projects. From what I hear, there are many more for me to take on! Oh, and did I mention? I was promoted while I was on maternity leave! Tomorrow I start my new position. Definitely some things to look forward to there. :)

It wasn't easy when I went back to work after Gloria was born, or after I found a job after a year and a half of being laid off, and it isn't easy now. What I do know is that I will survive, my kids will survive and my husband will survive. We make it work and we do the best we can. One of my friends commented, "Hang in there. You've created a beautiful, loving family — that's an amazing thing!" That made me feel really good!

Even though I have been sad here and there, I have tried to keep my focus on the more positive things in front of me and stay in the moment. A recent quote that I came across really helped me through some of the hard days.

It says...You can't change the past but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.

So true!

Thank you everyone for your support and love! I couldn't be the mom I am without all of you! Especially my hubby and my parents! I know that Leo and Gloria are in good hands while I'm at work. I'm so grateful!

Pura Vida!!

What a week it has been! I've just spent the last 5 days in the most beautiful place...Luna Nueva, Costa Rica. An unforgettable experience!! Pura Vida means "Pure Life" or "Full of Life" in Spanish. Costa Rica is truly "Full of Life!"

It was a week consisting of a mix of work and play. Mostly play but definitely some productive work. I had the pleasure of going with my department at work. There were 13 of us all together between the Creative Department and Marketing.

I have a lot of photos in addition to many of the photos that other fellow co-workers took. It may take a while to get through all of them but hopefully I can post them soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a video of Gloria I had taken yesterday playing the drum I bought for her in Costa Rica. She is quite the little performer! She just lights up my life! I had a wonderful week but it was so nice to come home to my amazing husband and little girl! I missed them so much!

"Wuv You Mommy!"

A cute photo of our G looking at a Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Do you suppose she is eyeballing something for her birthday perhaps? It's just around the corner! ;)

I've finally got some photos uploaded to our May Album. Still more to come.

It has been a busy week here with my being back at work. It is definitely an adjustment for all of us that will take some time to get used to. We did really well though! Helps to plan plan plan! Something I'm good at.

It went really smoothly overall. Gloria was a superstar too! She did so great! I am very proud of her. I could tell she did miss me though. The first day I came home from work, she snuggled up in my arms and repeatedly said to me "wuv you mommy!" :) Boy do I love that little girl!!!

As far as the job, things are fantastic! I love the people I work with! I'm slowly familiarizing myself with the many products at this point. So much to learn! So far they tell me they're really impressed with my work this week. That makes me feel good. :) I feel very spoiled too with all the wonderful perks of this new job. I am so very fortunate to have this opportunity!

More updates to come. In the meantime, have a great holiday weekend everyone! Enjoy the weather, the holiday, family, food, whatever your plans!

One Day at a Time

Tomorrow is a big day for our little family. Monday is my first day at my new job. I've done my best to prepare all of us for this week ahead. It's the first week of many. A lot of adjustments all around!

I've been talking to Gloria, telling her mommy is going back to work. I've been asking her these last several days, "Gloria, where is mommy going on Monday?" She responds "mommy working all day!" Haha She added the "all day" part herself. :)

We haven't settled on a day care yet. More on that another time. For now, Tom's cousin Heather will be coming to the house this week. My brother Pete will be helping out this week too. THANK GOD for our wonderful family!! I seriously do not know what we would do without them. Gloria is very excited to see Heather tomorrow! I know they'll have a lot of fun! It helps me to know she'll be in good hands while Tom and I are at work. I'll be so excited to see my little girl though when I get home!! :)

Wish me luck!

Celebrating Closure

January 22nd marked the one year anniversary of Disney shutting down Wondertime Magazine, my previous place of employment as most of you know. A day that brought great sadness to the employees, the readers and many other people who helped make the magazine the best parent's magazine that ever was! I'm not biased or anything though. ;)

Instead of wallowing in misery, us Wondertime peeps partied on Friday instead! It was so good to see my old friends and to hear about everyone's adventures since we parted ways. Some of us have stayed in touch while others I haven't seen in quite some time. Most are still unemployed but exploring new and exciting opportunities, similar to Lauren and myself and our new business:) Its amazing to hear where people are at now. Loosing a job sometimes gives that push into something we never thought we'd venture into. As cliche as it sounds, everything happens for a reason.

Visit the Wondertime Reunion Album to see photos. I didn't take many, but there are a few.


The Wondertime Logo cake made by Eutopia Events:)