Making The Most of Summer Staycation

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little upset when I came to terms with the fact that Aiden and I weren't going to have the opportunity to go on a vacation vacation this summer. But, since I had last week off, I decided not to be a Debby Downer, but instead to make the most of the time that I had with my baby.

We literally explored all over NYC and experienced something different every. single. day. By the end of the week, it certainly felt like we'd gone on a luxurious vacation. Right here in our beloved city.

On the first day of our staycation, we hit up the pool at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 2. It was a lot of fun and a perfect way to stay cool. For free.

The second day, we headed to the Bronx Zoo, which we haven't been to in quite some time. It was great to finally check out the Dinosaur Safari ride that's been all the rave this year!

The third day, we headed a bit north of the city to finally check out Legoland Discovery Center in Westchester. I've been meaning to take Aiden there since last year, but I never made the time. Until our staycation. And I'm so glad I did because little guy had an absolute blast building cars, racing those cars, checking out the 4D movie, playing in the laser training camp, and going on the rides. Over and over and over again!

The fourth day was pretty low-key. I had my good friend's 30th birthday celebration to attend, but earlier in the day, I grabbed lunch in the city with my homegirl. We had a good time catching up about all things love and life. I brought Aiden along and he seemed to just be happy that he didn't have to order from the kids menu. #JustSaying

For the fifth day, which was the fourth of July, we went to dinner at Dinosaur BBQ (the only way to dine out for the 4th!) and then we headed to the Brooklyn Bridge to check out the fireworks show. We got there early and was able to get a great spot, which was absolute perfection. I'm a little biased, but I definitely think it's one of the best fireworks show ever.

Peep the red, white, and blue! 

Brooklyn Bridge

What's a staycation without a day at the beach?! That's exactly where we headed on Day Six -- to Long Beach on Long Island! Sun, sand, and the sound of the ocean was all I needed to rest and relax. Apparently it was all Aiden needed for climbing on rocks, playing ball, and running from waves. A total win for the both of us!

I'm rocking my MiracleSuit swimsuit and loving it!

The last day before it was time for me to head back to work (and Aiden to start summer camp), was a chill day. I packed a picnic bag, and we headed to Pier 6 and caught the ferry to Governor's Island.

Maxi Love

I've been back at work for a couple days now and I'm already missing all the fun Aiden and I got to have on our staycation. With all the things that I have to do and all the demands of my career, sometimes it's just nice to drop everything and spend some quality time with my fave little guy. It really puts things into perspective for me and helps me remember what's really important.

I ended my week full of love and joy and peace. And completely content. With life and motherhood. And that, to me, was better than any vacation we could have taken.

Peace and love, y'all.

Why It's Important to Push Pass Your Comfort Zone

The panelist

For some time now, I've been thinking of taking this brand and blog offline by doing speaking engagements or inspirational talks. When I initially thought of the idea, I got really, really excited. But then fear and doubt crept in.

What would I talk about?

Who would I talk to?

Who would listen to me? 

Would I have anything of value to add to the conversation? To the topic? To the event?

And, most importantly, would others come away from it inspired?

At some point, I figured out that I just kept asking myself those questions because it was my mind's way of staying in my comfort zone and protecting myself from possible failure.

But what about possible success? What about things actually going well and right?

When I was asked to speak on a panel a few weeks ago, I took it as a sign. I mean, someone out there thought that I had something to contribute to a group of women out there so why should I continue to let self-doubt creep in?!

I'm so happy that I accepted the challenge because the event on Friday was amazing. I was the only younger mom on the panel and the only single mom on the panel. I was poised, graceful, funny, and most importantly, informational. Several audience members came up to me at the end of the event and thanked me for sharing my story, for representing for the younger moms in the audience and for the single moms in the audience.

It was such a blessing to be able to contribute and I'm feel so grateful for the opportunity. I don't say this to toot my own horn or to fish for compliments. I say it because I've come to realize that this is exactly why it's important to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and share your story with your whole heart -- because you never know who you will inspire when you do.

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band at The Bronx Zoo

Still looking for something to do the 4th of July weekend?! The good folks over at The Bronx Zoo have got you covered!

The Latin Grammy winning group, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band will be performing live at The Bronx Zoo on July 4th, July 5th, and July 6th! Head over to the Grizzly Corner at 12:30pm, 2pm, or 3:30pm in order to check out this popular children's band that features indie music sounds that are rooted in their whimsical and child-friendly imaginations.

The jamming group recently made live appearances on CNN, Sprout, and Univision. Plus, they're coming straight off a nationwide tour. So, get ready for a hip-shaking, heap-bopping, dance party explosion of indie fresh pop rock beats at this interactive show. Oh, and don't worry, the kids will have fun too.

Giveaway!
In order to celebrate the awesomeness of this husband-wife duo, one (1) lucky Mommy Delicious reader will win a prize package that includes the following: priority seating, a photo opportunity with Lucky Diaz and Band following the performance, a Lucky Diaz CD, and other special goodies.

To enter: 
"Like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook and share this giveaway on Facebook.

One winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, July 3rd.

Good luck! And happy jamming!

Taking Time For Me with Netflix

Aiden graduated a couple weeks ago and now that school's out and Summer's here, that can only mean one thing: our schedule has gotten jam-packed with picnic invitations and BBQ invites and graduation celebrations and lots and lots of summer-themed children's activities.

Not only can it get a little overwhelming, but it can also get a little too child-centered. For me.

My solution? Take some time out to meet up with my girlfriends at happy hour, brunch, dinner, or exciting concerts. And when I'm alone, one thing that I can do is indulge a little by streaming my favorite TV shows on Netflix. (Scandal, anyone?)

Or... I can jump on the bandwagon for the most talked-about shows. This month, the lovely folks over at the Netflix Stream Team sent me a lovely canvas bag filled with all things Orange is the New Black. And it got me excited enough to check out what all the fuss is about with this show.

So... in the midst of playdates and shuttling Aiden to and from summer camp and all the kid-friendly activities that'll make his summer awesome, I'll be taking a little time for myself. With warm sugar cookies, strawberry ice cream, and good TV shows that I can stream on Netflix.

How will you take time for yourself during the Summer months? What shows are you streaming on Netflix?

{Disclaimer: As a member of the Netflix Stream Team Ambassador Program, this post is being sponsored by Netflix. All opinions expressed herein are my own.}

All You Have To Do Is Try

That's what I find myself telling Aiden more and more these days.

Aiden's a perfectionist. And he's also used to things being fairly easy for him, particularly in terms of school work. Until this point, learning letter-sound recognition, learning sight words, and learning to sound out other words have come fairly easy for him. Until this point, reading has been fairly easy to him. And fun for him.

But now that he's learning how to read "harder" words -- and it's not coming to him as fast as he'd like -- he's getting frustrated. Same goes with math concepts. Now that he's being encouraged to explore more difficult math concepts, he gets frustrated when he doesn't "get it" right away. Same goes with tying his shoelaces. If it doesn't come out nicely tied the first time he attempts to do it, he gets frustrated.  Eventually, he ties it, but it's usually after a mini meltdown that stems from his frustration.

Sigh.

Here's the thing: I'm okay with Aiden being frustrated over things. It's a good life lesson, because sometimes things aren't going to come as easily as we would like them to come... but we gotta keep going in order to get the outcome that we want. (Granted, I may have to check myself and check my own level of frustration when things get like that, but the end result -- and the celebration -- is totally worth it. To me anyway.)

And check this: I'm less concerned with Aiden reading harder words right now or understanding more difficult math concepts. Or tying his shoelaces perfectly. He'll learn them eventually, in due time, and at his own pace. But, what I am concerned with is him staying in the trenches, trying and failing and then trying some more. Learning how to do his best. Recognizing when he's not doing his best. Learning how to do his best even when he doesn't like something. Or doesn't want to do something. Being persistent and resilient and showing perseverance. Having grit.

Because, in this world, nothing will take the place of persistence. And teaching Aiden this life lesson doesn't start when he's an adult and gets a rejection letter from, say, a job that he applies for. It starts now. At age six. With the "smaller" things in life.

I've made many mistakes in my life, but one thing I've learned for sure is to be persistent and resilient. And, if I don't teach Aiden anything else, I'll teach him the importance of those two things.

{Dating Tales} I Miss Being Single

Okay, okay... maybe that tittle is a little provocative. I don't miss being single per se, and I definitely don't miss the bang ups and hang ups and bad dates (although they made for some funny blog posts) and the missed opportunities of the dating scene.

But I do find that as I'm learning to navigate this relationship with The Guy -- and all the responsibilities that go along with being in my first functional adult romantic relationship -- I do miss feeling competent at what I'm doing.

Does that make sense?

Lemme explain...

I got real good real fast at being single, partially because being single only had to do with me. Now, I'm here, learning the ropes of what it means to be in a solid relationship and it's more that just me. In fact, more often that not, I'm learning that it's not about me. It's about us. And what's best for the both of us.

Growing pains. At its finest.

And while I've been so focused on my relationship (and motherhood and work and adjunct professoring and blogging and speaking engagements), I've neglected my friendships over the past few months.

(Is that normal? Please tell me that that's normal!)

And don't even get me started on the fact that I'm so used to things going south that I've been waiting for something bad to happen in this perfectly fine and good relationship.

(Is that normal? Please tell me that that's normal too!)

Oh... and I really miss my friends. The hanging out, the trying out of new restaurants and neighborhoods in NYC, the rooftop lounges... it's what made me feel safe and sane, and quite frankly, keep my ish together. In essence, it's what made me me. And I miss that. And, more importantly, I miss them.

My solution? Get some balance in my life that includes nurturing my friendships. So I've been making plans with them -- all of them -- over the next few weeks. Brunch with A and T this week, brunch with LB over the weekend, happy hour with Linds next week, and the On The Run tour with K, K, and L the week after next. (And, please believe, there's more where that came from!)

The Guy is great and I'm so happy we found each other, but I know myself well enough to know that I need my friends in my life -- on a consistent basis -- as well. I'm still learning how to successfully navigate this relationship thing. So I guess these feelings are normal and expected, right?

(If they're not... humor me.)

Sigh. We complain when we're single and we got something to say when we're all boo'ed up too.

Bear with me, y'all. I'm still a work in progress.

That Time I Was Invited to Speak On A Panel

Yup. You read right.

This Friday, I'll be joining Tiffani of MyMommyVents as she hosts Candid Conversation: An Intimate Discussion About Our Post-Baby Bodies.

When I started this site, I vowed to tell the story of who I am -- fully, completely, and with my whole heart. Over the years, that has included my break-up with Aiden's, er, other parent, my single mom struggles, my grad school struggles, my dating struggles, and so much more.

Now, I'm taking the conversation offline to discuss a topic that's so near and dear and intimate to all of us -- that post-baby body. The other panelists and I will be letting it all hang out -- talking about the challenges, mysteries, and triumphs of our bodies, post-babies. And, of course, we'll be answering any questions guests may have.

If you'll be in the NYC area, visite the website to get your tickets so that you can join in on the love and laughter.

See you there!