Schoolin'

I understand this makes me a bit of a freak, but I genuinely enjoy school (so long as it is on my own terms, I can complete everything while Carter is asleep, and it's not too hard - does that still qualify as something I enjoy?). Anyway, I complain about it constantly, and talk about how absolutely ecstatic I will be once my undergrad is done (this May, woohoo!), but deep down, I know I will be somewhat sad to not have to be accountable for a few easy assignments every week. I just finished writing a mini-essay, and honestly, writing notes, collecting ideas and forming those ideas into opinions are things I truly love to do! Yes, I'm a weirdo, but what the heck will I do during Carter's naps once I'm done?! I will need a new challenge!

In other news: Carter just woke up early from his nap! My computer time has been cut short, as I am listening to him call for me from his crib. I'm sorry, but if I don't get a full two hours of nap time, I'm the one acting like a toddler without a nap by the end of the day. Wish me luck!

Shopping!

Yesterday was one of the greatest days of 2011 thus far. What did we do all day? We shopped like madmen! What did we shop for, you may ask? Clothes! Lots and lots of needed clothes; and when I say needed, I really mean needed. The last time I had been shopping for myself, I was six months pregnant, and for some odd reason I refused to spend money on actual maternity clothes, so I went to Target and bought myself a boat-load of maxi dresses in size large. So now my closet is riddled with too-big dresses which are completely inappropriate for the season, and clothing I wore post-pregnancy (a.k.a. pre- March 2009. Yuck.). It was ridiculous! For the last few weeks I have been complaining about my lack of clothing options shamelessly, so Chad decided that in order to put an end to my shrieks of horror every time I scrounged through my closet, it was time to take action. Off to the Spectrum we went!

The only rule I placed upon myself for the day was TO ABSOLUTELY NOT even pick an item off the rack if it was black or grey. That was part of the problem with my old clothes: everything was so monotone in color I wanted to scream. Unfortunately, this rule was more difficult to follow than I anticipated, as I naturally gravitated towards all things black. Luckily, Chad was there to strike me down and keep me on track! God bless that man! So now, spread upon our lovely bed, are colorful, billowy shirts, a skirt (something I have not worn since the sorority days), a cute skinny braided belt, two pairs of pants and two pairs of close-toed flats. One exciting thing about the day: I bought my first pair of True Religions! It was quite exciting! I was super hesitant, but Chad was rooting me on, so what can a girl do? I surrendered and now I'm happy I did. 

Oh yes, and as we speak, I'm wearing my bright yellowish-greenish cardigan, with another pair of new jeans (these ones were somewhere around fifteen bucks from Forever 21. What can I say? I'm cheap). So, all-in-all, it was an exciting day!

Mommy talk

Today I taught two classes at 8:25 and 9:35 at the fabulous Purebarre, and I'm happy to say I experienced an abnormal amount of mommy talk. There just so happened to be tons of moms in both of my classes, and I had the pleasure of talking to almost every single one of them about their little ones! It's so nice to get out of the house for a few hours and actually connect with other people outside of the immediate family group. Although I love my often times hilarious conversations with my mom, sister and mother-in-law, it's still nice to meet new people who live basically the same life I do.

Oh my gosh, one of the moms I talked to today had an eight week old baby (it was her first time leaving the babe), and she looked so amazing it was ridiculous. Before I started class, the receptionist told me that one of the ladies who walked past me just had a baby and that it was her first class back. As I was teaching, I was scanning the room trying to figure out which lady could possibly have just given birth. Every single person in there looked fabulous! After class she asked me if she had heard correctly that I had a fourteen month old. I said yes, and asked her if she was the one who had just had a baby, and she said yes! Her body gave away absolutely no clue that she was postpartum. I told her she looked ridiculous amazing and she lifted up her shirt to show me a perfectly, non-stretch marked stomach and said, "well, I have a little bit left to go." Seriously, she could not even gather a full finger pinch of skin. She told me that she did kick boxing through her entire pregnancy. It was insane!

Anyway, moral of the story: work out while pregnant. It. Is. Worth. It.

More fun, if not more excess

Picture me skipping to the tune of "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Yes, the Christmas song. Well, that's exactly the song I always feel a tendency to burst into once February rolls around the corner and, dare I say it? Girl Scout cookies come into season! I literally look forward to this time of year all year long! Nothing can deter my excitement when I drive past a lovely Girl Scout troupe selling these beloved morsels of goodness, and dagnabbit, one of the most important things I have accomplished in my marriage is swinging Chad over to the dark side: an insatiable need for all things Girl Scout cookie related! So, a few minutes ago, while Chad is being a productive human being sitting in a classroom, I decided it was time for me to excessively consume 4 samoas (they are now called "caramel delights," but in my heart they will always be samoas!) and 3 thin mints! I think it's safe to say I should call it night from everything and anything containing calories.

new new new new NEW!

Lately we have been having a ball. Life is sweet, the coffee is fabulous, and family life could not be better. Here are a few of the most interesting stuff we have been doing lately:

* I have cut back my McCafe's to twice a week. My consumption of medium caramel frappes was getting out of hand. It got to the point where I literally NEEDED the coffee or else I was risking my mental well-being for a day. After one full day of a constant headache, I feel that I have broken my dependence upon these devilish things! I am trying to whittle my obsession down to just a nice treat, twice a week. Yesterday I almost broke down and bought one, but I stayed strong! There's nothing wrong with brewing my own coffee, and it took a near mental break down to figure that out!

* We bought a new desktop computer! Chad's laptop has been slowly dying for about two years, and I did what you're never supposed to do in laptopland: I never took out the charger. So, my precious laptop has died, and it was time to move on. Luckily, my thrifty husbo bought an external hard drive right before the big crash, and we have successfully transfered all important documents and pictures to the new computer. We also took a trip to good ol' IKEA (Chad's arch enemy), and got a nice little desk. It's now stationed in our bedroom, for lack of a better place, and we love it. It's nice sitting at an actual desk instead of on the couch while surfing the web! I feel so professional (if you can count updating your facebook status as a noteworthy task of professionalism).

* While Carter was at the Aquarium of the Pacific with Grandma Cisneros on Sunday, Chad and I attended our lovely friend Ashley Jupin's birthday brunch! It was so much fun seeing everyone! It had been so long since we had hung out with our peeps! Good times, good times :)

* One of my best friends - WHITNEY THOMAS - is now Miss. Placentia! I'm so excited for her! Of course it was the pageant I wasn't able to attend which crowned her queen of all the land! Anyway, she is competing in Miss. California in June! Woohooo for Whitney!

In much more notable news, Carter has been . . .

* Walking around like a maniac.

* Opening and closing all doors.

* Mastering the words "car," "dog," "duck" and "fish." :)

* Trying his hardest to open every single container in the pantry.

* The most interesting thing to observe each and every single day :)

And there you have it. Some happy news from the Cisneros household :)

Needing some inspiration

Man, am I low on inspiration lately. I keep wanting to write about something interesting, but I've been so busy/exhausted/lame lately that I haven't gotten around to it. So, here are a few thoughts running through my mind at the current moment:

1. Bridget Jones Diary is quite possibly one of the most hilarious movies on Earth.

2. I tried to manually make myself some coffee this morning and I believe I discovered one universal truth: paying $3.50 for someone to make it for you and have it taste 100x's better is worth the investment.

3. I have fallen off the bandwagon of my style revolution. Case in point: I'm sitting here in my robe instead of skinny jeans and boots. Why can't my sister be my personal stylist?

4. I really dread laundry day (which is today, and once again, I'm sitting here in my robe, not doing the laundry).

5. We are going to Disneyland tomorrow and we can't wait :) The hubby is attending an awards brunch (so proud!) in the morning while I'm at work, then the little man and I are going to head over to meet him. It will be a fun day, and hopefully I'll be coming home with some blog-worthy information :)

Slow times in January

We are perpetually sick around here. First Carter had a small cold, then I got the small cold while he seemed to get better, and then just the other day he came down with croup cough. Up until his diagnosis I had never heard of that, but I guess it's one of the worst things that can happen to your upper respiratory system. Poor little man had THE WORST cough, at which point I took him to the doctor where they had to give him a steroid :(

Anyway, now that I mashed up his steroid in his apple sauce, the croup is gone, but now he has the world's worst cough/runny nose/horrifyingly sad whine. I feel terrible for him! It's just sad to watch :(

And that's what's been going on around here! It's been rough but we are lucky he's never had such an intense cold up until this point :)

Culinarily challenged

Hi, my name is Nicole, and I am culinarily challenged.

And by this, I mean I entered into married bliss without one ounce of knowledge regarding liquid vs. dry measuring cups, I had no idea what the heck "reducing" meant, and I once caught my dish towel on fire while attempting to remove our fourteen pound turkey from the oven (luckily, the fire went right out once I stood up, as I was completely freaked out; needless to say, I now own oven mitts).

Anyway, the road to culinary know-how is slowly but surely shaping up. I no longer feel  uneasy whenever faced with a night of food-preparing. Talk about a load off the old shoulders! I can confidently attribute this new found knowledge to my mother. See, you can learn a thing or two from those parents! Like I've mentioned before, she bought me two new cooking books for my birthday. I have had so much fun recreating Giada's brilliance, I'm mad at myself for not buying a few books on my own!

Case in point: if your spirits are low everyday around 4:00 or 5:00ish because you're at a loss as to what to make for dinner, buy yourself a cook book. Read the little excerpts above each dish from the author, and soon enough, you will be cooking up a storm!

One little tip: before buying your book, flip through a few of the recipes. Try to buy from a chef who uses many of your same ingredients that you buy on a daily basis. For example, I always buy chicken and mushrooms at the store, no matter what. Giada just so happens to have a million recipes with chicken and mushrooms. It's nice because I don't feel like I'm going super far out of my way just to make a good meal.

I still have a ways to go, but at least I'm not gagging at my own creations anymore!