Monthly Archives: July 2016

Day 31: Summer

Posted in connection, happily ever after, joy, memories, simple living, spark joy, working mom by

#staycation

What do you think of puzzles? I LOVE them and doing a puzzle now makes me think of vacations and downtime, because who has time to do a puzzle just for fun? I do!


My goal tonight was to build the frame and the foundation. I then wanted to turn all 1000 pieces over and lay them out so I could see what I have and begin to build patterns and group by colors, words and faces. This is comforting to me.

When Christian was little, I could play Legos with him for hours. As he would build, I would create patterns and organize all the blocks by color, shapes and sizes.  I did the same thing with Barbies when I was little, too. I liked to see all their dresses and shoes and organize them, and once everything was laid out, I was happy. 

I love patterns and to see things in their place and I like structure. And then to mess it all up again! 

What do you love to do for fun on vacation? Do you like puzzles too?  

🙂 

Day 30: Summer

Posted in Happiness, joy, simple living by

Simple joys.

I had to go into Anthropologie just to see the creative art displays.  


This one was made out of balloons and cupcake liners, tied together by string in such an artistic way. I love simple things like this. How about you?  And how do they come up with these crazy and beautiful ideas?  

Tomorrow is a new week. What do you have planned?  I hope you have a great week! 

xo Adriana

 

Day 29: Summer

Posted in nature by


The nature center was open today on my hike. We walked in to explore since we could and were fascinated by the stuffed mountain lion, and snake skins, as well as other exhibits.

The docent was very friendly and shared many stories. I’m glad we saw the mountain lion in a museum like setting and not out in the wild.

Tonight I am tired and will leave without writing much more. Good night and hope you enjoy your weekend.

xo Adriana

Day 27: Summer

Posted in family, food, Friends, Gratitude, happily ever after, intention, joy, motherhood, moving, parenting, simple living, spark joy, work life balance, working mom by

I write daily to share the little joys of living this one life we’re each given, sharing highlights from my little world, hopefully resulting in a smile, inspiration, and connection for you and me. This is my way to make the world a better place, at least in this cyberspace.

I am sad to hear about the protest in Dallas and the police officers who were killed. I am sad for the black families who lost a loved one and have lost hope of equal treatment. What can I do to make a difference? What can you do to make a difference?

I say hello when I see people and make eye contact, especially with people who don’t look like me. I want to connect to our One Love spirit, even though we might look different to each ther. I want to say, “I see you. I love you.” But that might be weird. I’m not sure what to do, except to be loving, kind, inclusive and friendly.

Today I enjoyed cooking with Jeff and preparing a spaghetti dinner for our friends. The house smelled so good and brought back memories! We enjoyed our friends and were thankful they could join us and for the delicious dessert they brought to share. 

Life is good. Be kind. Stay loving. Share.

Day 26: Summer

Posted in family, happily ever after, Happiness, motherhood, parenting, positive living, simple living, space, spark joy, work life balance, working mom by

Okay, this could be the best summer now that I’m getting the hang of relaxing and being at home-not-at-home-and-working.

We have time to be, time to relax, time to work and play and low stress. There is space, sacred space  at home and I’m finally embracing it. Hallelujah!!

So do you want to know what I’ve really loved this week?  I knew you’d ask…I am loving pet sitting for friends with Juliana. I have loved checking on the chickens everyday and filling their water and gathering their eggs with my kids. There was a simple joy in waiting for the eggs each day and awe in how this process even works. I loved watching them peck at the water tube too and hearing the clucking sounds they made.


I loved seeing the cats and their different personalities and appearance and how three different families have three different ways of feeding and raising their fur babies. I used to not be a pet lover and now I’ve changed and that’s pretty cool. I guess old dogs can learn new tricks.

How’s your summer going? What do you love about it?

nAMaste

Day 25: Summer

Posted in family, happily ever after, Happiness, intention, motherhood, nature, parenting, positive living, simple living, work life balance, working mom by

Today I decided to go up to San Francisco for the day. 2 of the 3 kids decided they wanted to join, and the last one came anyway, wishing he had more of a say in the decision. 


Only 25 days into summer and I’ve finally got the hang of this work/life/mothering teens/summer staycation thing (at least in this moment.) It helps that I work with a really cool team and don’t mind waking up super early to get my work done first thing in the morning before the kids get up.  

While being in SF, I liked being in a global city in our own backyard where people gather from all over the world. I loved seeing people walking around with their suitcases trailing behind them, which reminded me of our expat life and monthly travels. I loved seeing the tall Dutch women, exchanging dollar bills and the other traveling tourists and interesting characters. My only objective was to walk around and explore and people watch and the city didn’t disappoint. One of us wanted to seek out a bubble tea shop, while another wanted to see the Japanese tea gardens and a magic shop near Golden Gate park, and another of us wanted to see where the Bison Paddock was.  Having these destination points helped to guide our journey.

April gave me another idea of exploring the painted tile steps, which is something we hadn’t seen before and as we were driving through the West Portal, we realized they were close by and on the way to Golden Gate Park. Some of us wanted to stop, while others wanted to stick with the original plan. We practiced the art of negotiation and being kind to each other as we discussed our strong opinions in a small, confined space. I like to wander and flow with what we discover, as we discover it and not wait for another day. Luckily they all finally agreed to make me happy, which actually made them happy too. 



We also got to visit the desired bubble tea location, saw the Bison roaming, and walked outside the Japanese tea garden, but when we got to the magic shop, it was unfortunately closed this week for the 4th holiday week. Overall, it was a great and cold day to be in the city.

Life is beautiful!

Day 24: Summer

Posted in Friends, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, memories, motherhood, positive living, simple living by

Happy Independence Day, America!


It was a gorgeous day to be with family and friends and to enjoy the day together.

We helped out with our friend’s rummage sale early this morning. Afterwards, I was so lucky that everyone in my family rallied to go on a hike with me! This is a hard feat to master these days and I was  giddy with excitement!

When we got back from the hike, Jeff and I prepared some tritips to smoke on the Traeger for a neighbor’s BBQ. He tended to the steaks and when they were ready, we all joined the festivities.

Finally, we ventured out to catch the fireworks. When we thought we found a nice spot to park our blankets and chairs on the local high school’s grass, the sprinklers went on and sprayed everyone, which made me laugh uncontrollably.  I love stupid humor and innocent stupid stuff that doesn’t harm anyone, but is just uncomfortable to watch that you just have to laugh.

Today was good! The only thing we had planned today was the 5:00 BBQ. The rest of the day just flowed with the open space. Maybe, just maybe, I’m getting the hang of this.

Happy 4th of July!

Love, Adriana

Day 23: Summer

Posted in connection, family, happily ever after, Happiness, Mindfulness, simple living by

IMG_1810

C is for Creating Space. Actually, it’s C for Charlie and he was using his new wood burning tools and enjoying our staycation at home this afternoon.

As I was sitting next to him, and designing and burning images with him, he asked me if this was what I was going to write about on my blog tonight. I found it interesting that he found it worthy of sharing and that he was curious whether I would want to share our experience. I told him I’d only share it if he wanted me to, as I respect his privacy. I find myself wanting to share less about their story as I share my “happily ever after”a that we’re living together.  Some experiences I want to burn on my brain only and hold close, especially as they’re getting bigger and aren’t little kids anymore.

I was thankful for the space we created, even though I resisted doing “nothing” today. Sometimes I guess I need the uncomfortable space of nothingness to enjoy the flowing moments like these that show up when you surrender.

nAMaste

 

 

 

Day 22: Summer

Posted in connection, family, Friends, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, joy, Love, memories, parenting, positive living, rooted, simple living by


We celebrated my oldest’ birthday today, and I enjoyed watching him do all the things he chose and seeing him have fun. What he wanted most today was to hang out with family and friends, and to have red velvet cake. 🙂

Simple dreams come true.

I love being his mom, and I am thankful for another year together.

What are you celebrating this month?  Make it good!! xo