The Sunrise

[photo via]

Aiden (as we were getting ready to walk out of the apartment in the morning): Mommy, mommy... come here quickly! Look at this!

Me (trying the grab my bags, jacket, and put my shoes on): Okay. Give me a sec. I'm coming.

Aiden: Look at this!

Me: (walks over to the Living Room window, that he was staring out of.) What is it?

Aiden: Look! It's beautiful!

He was showing me the sunrise.

We live on the 11th floor, and our apartment has large windows and lots of natural sunlight. He was right. It was beautiful. Way to teach me how to slow down, smell the roses, and take it all in.


I love that kid!

Celebrating Three Years with a $25 Target Gift Card Giveaway!

To continue the three-year celebration of Mommy Delicious, I have one more giveaway (three in total... get it?) for all my fabulous readers!

A $25 Target Gift Card!

Target and H&M are two of my favorite stores. And, of course, I love the Visa. Hence, the giveaways. Okay. So about this juicy one. Here are the deets:

GIVEAWAY!
One (1) lucky Mommy Delicious reader will win a $25 TARGET Gift Card!

To enter, leave a comment below stating that you want to win (because, you're like me, and you love Target).

For one extra entry, "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook AND share this giveaway. Be sure to tag Mommy Delicious when you share on Facebook.

For another extra entry, follow Mommy Delicious on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @MommyDelicious when you tweet this giveaway.

Rules:
-- THREE entries total.
-- Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry so that it will be counted.
-- Leave your contact information in each comment so that I can reach you if you win.
-- Open to US residents only.
-- Giveaway will end on Friday, June 1st at 5pm and one winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

Celebrating Three Years with a $25 H&M Gift Card Giveaway!

The 3rd anniversary of this blog is continuing today and I'm giving away a $25 gift card to a store that I absolutely love: H&M!

The unofficial start of Summer is here (hello Memorial Day Weekend!) and it's the perfect time for us to update our wardrobe with a couple key pieces. This gift card is a little token of my appreciation to you and a way for me to say thanks.

Thanks for kicking it with me!

GIVEAWAY!
One (1) lucky Mommy Delicious reader will win a $25 H&M Gift Card!

To enter, leave a comment below stating one piece of clothing or accessory you'll buy to get your wardrobe Summer-ready.

For one extra entry, "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook AND share this giveaway. Be sure to tag Mommy Delicious when you share on Facebook.

For another extra entry, follow Mommy Delicious on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @MommyDelicious when you tweet this giveaway.

Rules:
-- THREE entries total.
-- Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry so that it will be counted.
-- Leave your contact information in each comment so that I can reach you if you win.
-- Open to US residents only.
-- Giveaway will end on Monday, May 27th at 5pm and one winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is YUMMommy! Congratulations and thanks to all those who entered. Y'all rock!

Three Years Down

This week is a very special one for this community because it marks three years that this blog has been going strong.

When I started this site, I wanted to be a voice for younger mothers all around. Then, I became a single mother. Then, I became a student-mother. And while graduate school was kicking my ass and I was coming of age and bouncing back from loosing my way in a toxic relationship, something clicked. And I figured out that this whole single mother thing can be done.

Well.

And in a meaningful way.

Don't get me wrong. This ain't easy. Everyday is not all peaches and cream and skipping through fields with daisies.

But it's been quite lovely.

That's why I share my story with you. Every. Single. Day. Because I want to be an inspiration, and let you know that, although it might not be easy, it's certainly doable.

Set your goals and get your dreams. Don't let motherhood or unexpected pregnancies or lack of degrees or toxic relationships or motherlessness or fatherlessness or the status quo stop you.

Be unstoppable.

Be a game-changer.

GIVEAWAY!
We'll be celebrating this community all week long and I'm kicking off the celebration with a $25 Visa gift card giveaway!

To enter, leave a comment below stating one goal and one thing that you're doing to fulfill that goal.

For one extra entry, "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook AND share this giveaway. Be sure to tag Mommy Delicious when you share on Facebook.

For another extra entry, follow Mommy Delicious on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @MommyDelicious when you tweet this giveaway.

Rules:
-- THREE entries total.
-- Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry so that it will be counted.
-- Leave your contact information in each comment so that I can reach you if you win.
-- Open to US residents only.
-- Giveaway will end on Friday, May 24th at 5pm and one winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is AubreyLaine! Congratulations and thanks to all those who entered. You guys are truly an amazing group!

I'm The Lucky One

Last weekend, Aiden and I had the pleasure of joining the Ugg Australia team at their flagship store in NYC's Upper East Side. They have such a cute and stylish spring/summer children's line, and Aiden and I were able to check 'em out and try 'em on.

I couldn't resist the Johney Shark kicks because they are absolutely adorable, and luckily, Aiden loved them too. They caught his eye and it was love at first sight.

Like mother, like son.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a private tour of the Central Park Zoo, thanks to Ugg Australia. While at the zoo, Aiden made it a point to blurt out every answer (whether wrong or right), talk out of turn (more often than not), and say whatsoever was on his mind (with no filter).

At first, I was busying myself with correcting him.  

Use your inside voice. 

Look him in the eye when you're speaking to him. 

Use your walking feet. 

So you're just gonna talk out of turn and blurt out all the answers? Really? REALLY?!

Then something inside me clicked. And I just stopped. And took a step back. And realized that Aiden is already polite and already well-behaved.

I don't need to be so concerned with raising a good kid that I forget I already have one. (Thanks for the reminder, Glennon Melton.)

Aiden is curious and excited about life and learning and seeing new things. Those are the exact qualities that I want my son to have. He's also sweet and kind and caring and thoughtful. Those are the character traits that I want my son to have.

While Aiden may talk out of turn every now and then, he's awesome and full of life. He's not satisfied with the status quo. I can already tell that he's going to be a mover and a shaker and a dreamer and a doer.

Heck, he already is.

Even though his other parent is not around, he's shown resilience and perseverance. He's grown so much and embraces life with such passion and excitement. Everyday he teaches me the importance of loving what I do and doing what I love. He teaches me how to brush things off, learn lessons, and move forward. 

People often tell me how lucky Aiden is to have me as his mother. Truth is, I'm the lucky one. I'm the one who's blessed with such a really special boy.

Everyday that I have the pleasure of being called his mother is a really special day.

{Disclaimer: Event attendees received a gift bag and a pair of shoes. All opinions expressed herein are my own.}

Brunch Baby, Brunch

NYC parents, brace yourselves. Your Sunday mornings just got more entertaining.

No, seriously.

A couple weeks ago, Aiden and I were invited to Brunch Baby, Brunch at Brother Jimmy's BBQ in Union Square. It is NYC's Premiere Baby Brunch Party, and it is perfect for families who love the brunch scene (as much as I do), but can't always get a babysitter to attend "adult-only" brunches.

We entered the family-friendly restaurant and headed straight to the back, which is where the brunch party takes place. Right before we entered the back room, I spotted two things: the stroller parking area that's off to the side of the party space, and the Live DJ spinning upbeat, popular hits (that also happens to be kid-friendly). Michael Jackson and The Harlem Shake? Count me in!

Aiden immediately went to the play area and became engrossed in the toys. "I like the toys; the toys are nice." I'm glad they got the Aiden stamp of approval.

I, on the other hand, immediately went for the drink menu. For $30 per adult, you can get brunch as well as all you can drink specials like mimosas, bloody marys, and beer.

The mimosa and peach sangria were strong, tasty, and deliciousness in a glass. And the food was really good. It was my first time having a BBQ sauce on breakfast foods, but it felt like good ol' southern comfort food. Oh, and kids ate for free. Delightful.

I got the chance to chat with the Brunch Baby, Brunch founders, Vicky and Chris Anderson (who was playing hits on the 1's and 2's), about their goal and vision for this super cool baby brunch party. Brunch Baby, Brunch was born when this down-to-earth couple decided that they should still be able to enjoy outings and all that NYC has to offer... even with kids in tow.

I totally agree.

Brunch Baby, Brunch is perfect for a playdate or a family-friendly boozy brunch. Afterwards, head to the Union Square playground (like we did!) and enjoy NYC while you sober up play with your children.

Visit Brunch Baby, Brunch on Facebook for more information or call 212.673.6465 for reservations. 

{Disclosure: Complimentary meals were provided in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.}

{Personal Style} Pajama-Style Pants and Pink Pumps

pants: Target; shirt, spiked bracelets, stacked bracelets: H&M; peep-toe pumps, sequined clutch: Aldo shoes; necklace: Lia Sophia; lipstick: Rimmel London Berry Rose

I'll admit: I've been skeptical about the whole "pajama-style pants" trend since I first spotted a few celebrities rocking them. I even had a few what are these folks thinking? moments.

But, after awhile, the trend grew on me. I spotted these cute and comfortable black pajama-style pants a few weeks ago and they've been on my mind ever since. So I figured that I'd give them a try one special day.

Enter Mother's Day.

I spent the day with my little guy, which is exactly what I wanted to do, and rocked these pants the entire day. Love them!

The outfit came together really nicely when I paired the pants with a button down, crisp white shirt; a pink blazer; and pink, suede peep-toe pumps for a chic look.

In a nutshell, the day was perfect. To add to the perfection, I was featured in the New York Daily Newspaper!! In print (see below). And on their website (check the link!). As... wait for it... one of NYC's Most Stylish Moms.

Seriously, somebody pinch me.

Have a fabulous week everyone. Stay stylish!