Tag: love

My Favorite Moments. – October ’23

Man was life life-ing this month. This post is way passed due but the first half of the school year is usually pretty busy for us PTA officers. I finally got a chance to sort out the month and pick a few of my favorite moments that brought on my happy in October!

Girl Cousin Dinner | My cousins and I never really go out alone together. We have gone out for certain occasions for each other and of course huddle together during family parties. But this month was actually the first time we went out to dinner together, just us three. We went to a Korean restaurant called Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup and it was so good! We broke bread and broke down together. Lol. It gave us space to catch each other up with our lives, shed some tears while we shared some struggles, and made each other laugh out loud. I talk a lot about being grateful to look at my friends and cherish my friendships with them because they are my chosen family. When I look at my two amazing cousins, I’m happy to say even if we weren’t bound by blood, I would still choose them as my family every time.

Field Trip | I was able to chaperone for Monroe’s class trip this fall at a farm in the Bay Area and it was so fun. When Kole was in 3rd grade, he visited the same farm and we were able to bring Monroe as a toddler with Kole’s class. Just another thing to show how quickly time is passing that Monroe got to enjoy this adventure with his own class. *quick pause while I cry a bit*
They did a little 15 minute hike and they got to explore the garden and help pick out veggies. The kids got to cut up the veggies and assemble their own veggie taco. My little foodie loved it! Of course that was his favorite part of the field trip. It was a beautiful day for this trip to the farm. A great time was had for sure!

Halloween | This year Kole was Spider-Man and Monroe was Superman. Although, Halloween is my least favorite event of the year, I was happy the boys still had the spirit and wanted to dress up and trick or treat. Not only that, but Kole went to his first dance and I heard he had a blast. Getting details from him or his cousin about the dance was like pulling teeth AND I STILL didn’t get the low down but I’m just happy he got out of his shell and went!
The kids never really minded if they went trick or treating or not, but for some reason, this year it was top on their list. We went trick or treating with our favorite people and had the best time. The adventure in the damn darkest of nights (Pacifica, you need more street lights!) and all the laughs were worth it after a long day of hosting Monroe’s school Trunk or Treat!

Best Friends | My favorite part of this month is that we got a sweet surprise visit from our best friends. We haven’t seen each other in person in such a long time and it was so nice and refreshing to finally be in the same space with them. Even though it was a quick visit, we crammed in some tea, some laughs, and I got to listen to a mini concert like the good old days. Any time with them I consider quality time for sure. Looking forward to many more times like that soon. Life’s too short! Be with your people! I freaking love them. Endlessly.

The month was so damn busy, I’m grateful I was able to stop and reflect on these beautiful and happy moments!
What brought on your happy this month?

Moments. Lately. A Game of Fate | Scarlett St. Clair Bay side. A Touch of Darkness | Scarlett St. Clair “We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.” -Anonymous

My Favorite Moments – September ’23

Since the school year has started back up, this half introvert had to channel my half extrovert and go off and socialize as a good PTA officer does. I felt this month being full of meeting new parents, smiling all through Back To School Night introductions, and having PTA meetings has drowned the hell out of me. Even though I’m really good at meeting new people, meeting new people still brings up a strong dose of anxiety. But even with that taking a huge toll on me, I’m thankful I was able to find some joy this month.

Girlfriend Coffee/Dinner Dates | I was able to grab some coffee and dinner with different girlfriends this month. That is so rare to be able to do that! With our busy ass schedules, I appreciate any time I’m able to get with these wonderful women. In our conversations we were able to make each other laugh so damn hard and believe me, we ALL NEEDED THAT. We also sat there and had deep conversations about ourselves, our mental health, struggles with our kids and families, and shed some tears. We also all hella needed THAT. The quality time I had this month with these bad ass women rejuvenated me. They made me feel loved and extremely grateful for the safe space they always offer to me.
It’s the beautiful moments with these beautiful women for me!

My Dad’s Birthday | It was my dad’s birthday this month and the family gathered together after not seeing each other for a quite some time. I was really happy we were able to come together to celebrate my dad’s many years of life and celebrate the woman you gave birth to him. No, it wasn’t her birthday too but it was her LABOR day! It’s damn special to be able to celebrate my dad turning 70 and my grandma being there to celebrate with him as well. I cherish the hell out of that moment. Happy Birthday, dad!

9/20/2023 | Ryan and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary! Look at us! We made it here! Our journey to get here was not smooth or easy. We’ve gone through some rough shit as a couple throughout the years but we still choose to look beyond ourselves, beyond our egos and choose US. Partnerships, relationships, friendships are all hard work. Sometimes giving up is easier when things get tough. He still thinks I’m beautiful no matter how I’ve changed since we first started our lives together. I still cry when he goes out of town for work. He keeps me safe. I keep him wild. “If you think this is as good as it gets, I swear you haven’t seen nothing yet.”

Farewell, Athena | I’ve been pretty involved in my kids’ elementary school for about 7 years now. In the course of my time in the PTA, I’ve formed relationships with quite a bit of teachers and staff members. There is this one teacher who wasn’t a teacher for either of my boys but she definitely holds a special place in my heart. This month she is retiring from her teaching position and she is off to enjoy every moment of her new adventures. I was so grateful to be invited to her retirement party to celebrate her many years of service in education and giving cheers to all the new amazing things she will do outside of the classroom. I will miss your amazing energy and beautiful presence onsite, Athena. Farewell, my Queen.
Schools out.
Love, Fairy Kat.

What a month! So many small and big things that made my heart full. What’s on your list of beautiful moments this September?

Moments. Lately. A Game of Fate | Scarlett St. Clair Bay side. A Touch of Darkness | Scarlett St. Clair “We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.” -Anonymous

Then Comes Marriage.

Marriage is hard. Hard as hell.
Lately I’ve been having conversations with friends and family members, watching Tik Tok storytimes, and reading books that shine a light on marital topics. We’re all at this stage where we’ve been with our partners for many years now and some have pushed through, some are still struggling, and some have been completely wrecked.

COMMUNICATION
My husband and I have finally reached a place where we aren’t fighting every single second of the day. Obviously our marriage didn’t start off like this. When you’re finally out of the honeymoon stage and throw in issues with finances, mental health struggles and children, it can rock the boat. Don’t get me wrong, the fights may have lessened but the fights can still be extreme and passionate. We are both fire signs and we always tend to light shit up. It’s just who we are. Ryan and I definitely don’t have a perfect marriage. It is absolutely far from that. We are both hella hard headed, quick with a temper, and loud as can be. But I think we’ve found a way to be a little better in our communication, which opens us up to be more forthcoming and patient in the last couple of years. We are an absolute work in progress. Honestly, as proud as I am of the couple we have become, these progressions came with a lot of struggle. It came with a good amount of times of us being unkind to each other. We were assholes to each other (and we still can be).

For a long time, we didn’t know how to communicate with each other well. I am the type of person who shuts down during a fight and he wants to keep talking about it no matter the level of anger. He never understood I needed to step away to cool off and separate myself for a bit and I never understood his need to fix things right away. As the years have gone by, we found a way to handle this divide better than we had before. Although he still tries to talk things out right then and there, his approach has evolved to also respect how I am processing the situation. He’s learned to give me the space I need which makes it easier for me to give him the conversation we need. Did we perfect this? No. Do we still make mistakes? Yes, but from what I see, we both have tried to communicate better BEFORE we reach the highest level of battle.

When we have to reveal our feelings to each other, we’ve gotten better not blaming each other for why we feel a certain way. We start off conversations like “Can I tell you something? I don’t want you take this the wrong way…” or “I don’t mean this as disrespect..” or “Can I speak freely?..”
We’ve been married for a while now and we know each other hella well. We know there are things we can say that can come out not as we intended it to. What works for us, is giving each other a warning before we spit out our true thoughts and feelings. Ryan and I are rough around the edges so we know we don’t always sound as soft as we would like. We have also learned to receive this communication as a safe opening to a possible difficult discussion.

Just because my marriage is “on good standing” status right now, it’s not lost on me that it won’t continue to go through waves. We. Are. Human. We’ve seen fun smooth years and we have also seen some years where we both have questioned whether or not we should continue our marriage. But I do know that we both love each other and both love the life we have built together. We love each other enough to know that marriages and relationships can not just survive and thrive off love alone. They also need trust, communication, action, respect, the willingness to grow together, to learn together, and to make changes where changes are needed. I’m sure we will continue to make mistakes and will possibly continue to hurt each other at times. We will probably forget things we learned to have a healthy conversation and revert back to the way we used to be during some fights. But as we currently move through our marriage, we are always trying to do the best we can and that’s how I know we are still a down duo, we are still willing and able to do the work. Together.

Moments. Lately. A Game of Fate | Scarlett St. Clair Bay side. A Touch of Darkness | Scarlett St. Clair “We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.” -Anonymous

Mom. Mommy. Mama. Mimi.

I once was very scared to have children. When I got married, I didn’t even think I would want any kids. Not only was I deathly afraid of being pregnant and birthing a human, I didn’t think I would naturally know what to do or how to love a child. I babysat a couple times at one point but that experience definitely did NOT tickle the ovaries. But once I got pregnant something just clicked. I was going to be a mom and I was….excited.

Now here I am with two children and I wouldn’t know how my life would have turned out if it changed course. I don’t even think I want to know how my life would be if I didn’t have my two boys. Being a mom still comes with crippling fear and anxiety no matter what age they are. I constantly think I am doing all the wrong things and the other half of the time I feel like I don’t even know WHAT I am doing. But what I do know is that I love my kids fiercely and I will do anything and everything for them. It really does take a village to raise these babies and if it wasn’t for these women, past and present, I don’t think I could do it.

And when I have those moments where I question my ability as a mother, I look to the women I admire the most. Not all of them may have children of their own but their maternal instincts are on high and I appreciate them all just the same. I dive into a safe space with all these women and talk about my thoughts and feelings and I appreciate their words and support.

To my mom who shows me that no matter what stage the relationship between mother and child are, the love will always be fierce. My kids never have any doubt how deep and how strong my love for them will always be. I’ve made it a point to have a little mantra with them during the tough times.

“Me: Even if I’m upset…
Them: You still love me?
Me: I still love you.”

To my aunts and grandmothers, who offered me a space to be able to come to them when I just couldn’t go to my mom for whatever reason. They let me vent about whatever was happening in my life and listened like a friend and guided me like a mother.

To the women I have met through my children’s school, the teachers and PTA patnas that have become friends. We have created bonds through these primary school years because our children are going through these growing pains together. We are able to lean on each other since we all are experiencing the same things at the same time. We all know how hard this mom thing is, and we never once thought to judge one another. These women taught me that village isn’t just in blood and I am forever grateful for their love and care for not only me but for my children as well.

Mother in law, sisters in law, mother figures to me, mother figures to my kids, cousins, sisters and other friends. The list of women who make me a better woman and mother is long. I’ve listened to their words and I’ve watched how they move. I have surrounded myself with a whole bunch of badass mamas and I can’t think of a better group of women to help me raise my boys. Thank you, each and every one of you, immensely, for being my village of women.

HMD.

Me.

I have always had a hard time putting me first. Most people I know have the same problem. We are so concerned about taking care of others, we often forget that we can’t help anyone else if we are running on empty.

Yes, it is admirable to always be of service to those in need and especially to those we love. But just like we are told on the plane, “Be sure to secure your own mask before assisting others.”

Saying “No”, “I can not”, or “I will not” always left me with huge amounts of guilt. Sacrificing my own schedule and feelings to appease a loved one was always at the top of the list. What I wanted or needed could be put at the end of the line because putting everyone else first makes me an amazing friend.

No. NO TO ALL OF THAT.

I have finally come to a point in my life where I HAVE to put myself first a lot of the time. There are some times a lot of the times where I do struggle with this but there are other things that I can make a “non-negotiable” for me to make sure I keep on track.

I have been consistent with making sure my morning routine is on point with every step checked off. I’ve learned to not always be in a rush. I do what I need to do for the kids to get their morning going and I cherish the 10 minutes I set for MYSELF. I throw on some music and do every step of my skin care. I take my time putting on every serum that can keep me looking clean and Cullen and slather every moisturizer that can keep me glowing for the gods. A Gua Sha is a FA SHO. It keeps the blood flowing and it’s such a great little face massage to start off the day!

I limit the amount of times I cancel on myself. There have been times where someone has invited me to a last minute coffee date or a lunch during a scheduled workout or during a time I set aside to read. Those things may seem unimportant to others but it’s not just the act of working out or reading, it’s me intentionally choosing an activity that I know fills my cup. I will be much better company on the next coffee run or lunch date once I bring myself some joy.

I still have a lot of work to do but I am finding opportunities to offer some peace and happiness for my mind and my soul. If I pride myself in being a ride or die for my people, I must remember to offer the same energy to myself. Love me.

Love, Me.

*Commission links listed above.

crownandcoffee reads. vol. 1

Since I have been going through so much in the last few years, I have been trying to make a conscious decision to implement activities in my daily routines that bring me joy. I have to do this to keep my spirits up and my mental above water. One of those things are getting back into reading. In 2022, I was able to dive into 7 books. I know that may not seem like a lot to some but it was a whole lot for me compared to the recent years of racking up 0 books.

I love finding articles or following book club posts to find new reads so I thought I’d share some that I got into and especially share the ones that absolutely grabbed me in and got me obsessed with the story and it’s characters. When real life is a struggle, who doesn’t like free falling into a hardcover and doing snow angels in it’s pages?!

People We Meet on Vacation | Emily Henry I loved this book. I enjoyed going on the journey with both characters from when they met to the book’s present day. It was funny. It was romantic. It was spicy. Took me a day to read. I just could not put it down!

Book Lovers | Emily Henry Another book I devoured. It was a bit slow at the very beginning but picked up pretty quickly soon after. If you love Hallmark movies, you will LOVE this book.

It Ends With Us | Colleen Hoover If you know what #booktok is, it made Colleen Hoover books go hella viral and that goes especially for this book in particular. Strong start. Strong middle. Strong end. I absolutely loved this book. It absolutely was not all sunshine and rainbows but the story will suck you in. This is one of my favorite books from Colleen Hoover so far. Fun fact: A movie is in the works!

Reminders of Him | Colleen Hoover This book – couldn’t put it down. This took me a day to read. I felt pins and needles in my heart the whole time reading. It was so good.

Verity | Colleen Hoover Another one day read for me. A. Lot. Of. Gasping. It was just too crazy to put down! I needed to know what happened next. If you like suspense and spice, this one’s for you!

What She Knew | Gilly Macmillan This one is for the crime buffs. I definitely had my detective hat on the whole time reading.

Where The Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens This book had such rave reviews, I thought I would love it. I didn’t hate but I definitely didn’t love it. It was good but I felt it was a bit slow for me.

Now go off and take a little break from real life and get lost in these stories!

Happy Reading!

*Commission links listed above.

Moments. Lately. A Game of Fate | Scarlett St. Clair Bay side. A Touch of Darkness | Scarlett St. Clair “We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.” -Anonymous

Holly Daze. 2018.

This holiday season was sure a busy one for me this year.  Since I started my holiday shopping pretty early this year, I had this idea (from Pinterest of course) to decorate my Christmas gifts my own way.  I bought Kraft paper rolls and used my paint pens to address and decorate the gifts.  Although it took a whole lot of time, it was the most satisfying holiday craft project I’ve done!  It was a great way to put my little personal touch to the holidays!

•     •     •

On to Kole’s class.  If you know me or follow this blog, then you know I can’t let a major holiday/event go with making the class goodie bags.  Last year, I made the kids little snowflake ornaments and this year I knitted mini stockings and stuffed them up with a couple of holiday candies.

His teacher and his classmates thought it was pretty cool and were all smiles so I’d say we had another class Holiday success!

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•     •     •

Everyday I start the mornings off with the news on tv.  That may not always be the best idea because of how absolutely depressing the entire world is right now, but it’s always a good idea to keep updated.  While I make breakfast for the boys, Kole is always paying attention to the news as well.  Last year he was so concerned and felt such sadness for the victims of the Tubbs Fire that he asked me if there was something we can do.  (And yes, that made me cry!)  So that was the beginning of a new family holiday tradition.  As a family, we decided to make a donation cup, which Kole decorated himself, and leave the cup in the middle of the dining table during Christmas and ask the family if they’d like to donate.

We are a small family but I know our donations helped a little and it surely did teach the kids in our family that the holidays are not only about all the gifts they receive for themselves but also how small gestures and just the act of love and care can be a huge gift to someone else.  Last year we donated to SonomaStrong Fire Relief and Recovery by Rotary.  2018 news had a whole lot of coverage on the homeless.  It’s sad how many people live on the streets here in the Bay Area, absolutely heartbreaking.  So just like last year, Kole chose a cause and he wanted to try to help the homeless somehow.  Our donations are going to a great organization started and ran by a family friend of ours called, The City Eats.  Ryan has volunteered with this organization and has even brought Kole along to help prep the meals as well.

“Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.  Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” -Dr. Seuss

With the way the world is today, I am doing everything I can to make sure I raise little gentlemen that move through this world with intentions of love and care for others everyday and especially during the holidays.

Hope you all had a magical holiday full of love and lots of Christmas lights!! 

 

Hello, Ten.

Hello, Ten.

On September 20th, 2008,  a couple of 20 somethings walked down the aisle and vowed promises of forever and always to one another.  That was us.

Ryan and I have always been honest about what our marriage is.  We are very clear that marriage is difficult.  We are no strangers to vocal public fights.  Our close friends and families are always pulled in to hear our testimonies but we never asked them to take sides.  But we try to always ask, “What could I do to make this better?”  Our friends and family know us well individually and as a couple and we have been extremely blessed to have people in our lives that believe in our love and union and support the success of it.

When Ryan and I had the conversation of marriage as an unmarried couple, we both happened to be on the same page.  When we spoke of marriage we talked about the hard work we had to put in.  Marriage is not always easy like Sunday morning.  My main focus was not about my wedding dress.  It was not about my guest list.  It was about making sure that we can make this work for as long as we vowed to make it work for.  Forever.  Forever is a long damn time.  As the times and seasons change, people change.  What we can hope for and what we can fight through is to try to not necessarily change but to grow and hopefully in our journey to grow as individuals we can grow together as husband and wife.  Always.

Last anniversary was the first one in a while where we felt good in our marriage.  Like I say about our marriage when asked, we have good years and we have our unbearable ones.  Years 7 & 8 were rough ones.  We went through a lot as a couple and those two rough ass years had divorce on the tongue.  Our kind side vs. our stubborn side were at a constant battle.  As much as we told ourselves to be kind to our partner the opposite would win and Petty Betty was the name of the game.  We just couldn’t find it in ourselves to come up with solutions and for some reason ONLY knew how to point fingers.  Then last year, around our 9th anniversary, Ryan was out of town for training.  We were getting a little bit better with communicating prior to him leaving and got so much better at it while he was away.  Our outlook on situations and on each other somehow became more positive.  Our kind side wanted a rematch and was on its way to the top.  We wanted this marriage to work, not just for our kids, but for us.

We are doing it.  Every day we are grateful we make it together to the next because not many couples do for one reason or another.  Our story is still open for new chapters.  We made it to ten!  We are still loving and supporting each other and constantly encouraging each other to be and do better.  We still can make each other laugh until we are about to pee our pants.  But most importantly after 10 years of marriage, he still knows exactly how I like my coffee and that is pure love.

Happy, Ten.

HMD. 2018.

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This year I’m going to give a shout out to my boys. After all, without them I wouldn’t be part of this motherhood club.

They have changed my life in so many ways. Never in my life have I felt so anxious. Anxiety and panic attacks come full force. I’m deathly afraid of anything just in the case they get hurt in any way or in the case I get hurt in any way. Because who the hell would take care for my kids the way I do if something happened to me? No one. Because even if their dad can take care of them just fine, he still can’t do it like mommy does. (Ask him. He’ll co-sign. I promise.) Before I had kids it was that YOLO life. Now, as a mother, it’s YOLO but LET’S BE CAUTIOUS YALL!!!!

But that’s ok with me. I always thought of myself as a selfish person in my young adult life (which I’m sure we all were). Thinking of throwing myself in front of danger for someone else made me think twice and lay out pros and cons before I actually would decide whether or not I would do that for someone no matter how much I loved and cared for them. Then I had kids.

And once I entered motherhood I had already made up my mind. I would run into a burning building for my children and I would lift any heavy machinery in my way to get to my kids. No doubt about it.

To my Kole and Monroe, I want to thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for reminding me about hope and love on dark days. Thank you for the random hugs and kisses you give. Thank you for saying “please” and “thank you”. Thank you for loving me unconditionally despite the irritation, the yelling, and especially despite the limited tech time I offer because of all the irritation you both offer me. 😒

I thank them because they made me a mom. And because no matter how much I think I am the worse mother in the world, little things like opening the door for me and giving me the green M&Ms because green is my favorite color, remind me that I’m not such a bad a great mom.

Cheers to our children for making us mothers.

And cheers to us moms. We hold the home down, we channel our inner superhero for our little ones, and we catch throw up with our bare hands. MVP.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Daily Conversations With My Kid.

With all the scary situations that have gone on in the world since Kole was born, it has brought my stress level to its highest. I have never been brought back to the calm side of the spectrum ever since I became a mother. I have considered homeschooling him and keeping him away from all people. I have considered watching his every step to make sure he never comes in close contact with a bully. But life doesn’t work that way. I can only trust in the way I raise him and have faith on how he follows through.

Ever since he started school, three years ago, I have said the same things to him during drop off and pick up. When I drop him off I always say “Be good, be kind, and learn a lot.” Every day.

I remind him to be good. Teachers work hard everyday with 20-30 of our rowdy children. As parents, reasons we often complain about our children is how they don’t listen and don’t follow through, just to name a few. And we only have to deal with 1-5 kids on average. We know the struggle and to put all these kids with all different personalities together can be stressful and tough for an underpaid teacher with whom we have entrusted with our most precious treasures for 6-8 hours a day.

I remind him to be kind. Children are sensitive and remember everything. We all know mistreatment from their peers can stick with them for a lifetime and cause uneccessary violent action. As adults in this world today we are surprised by kindness. Videos about kindness go viral like it’s a foreign action. That says a lot about the world today and it’s not a good thing. I want him to grow up knowing kindness should be normal, given and received. To everyone. From everyone.

And lastly, I remind him to learn a lot. I want him to be open to learning everything and anything. I want him to be engaged so he is always interested on learning both sides of a coin. Ask questions. Be open to the answers even if he doesn’t like them. Not only listen but to understand.

And on to our conversations when I pick him up.

I always ask..

“How was your day?”

“What did you learn today?”

“What did you do and who did you play with during recess?”

“What was your favorite thing about the day?”

“What was your least favorite?”

I know that seems like a lot but it gives me all the information I need and I get him used to knowing that, as a parent, asking him a bunch of questions are not for interrogation. It’s for conversation. To always remind him I want to know about and keep up with his life, not because I don’t trust him but because I’m truly interested. Wanting to know how his day went and what he learned are a given. But it’s important for me to know what happens during recess when the kids are left to socialize with each other on a more independent level. I want to know if the list of people he plays with change, if the list has downsized, or if it has increased. What kind of games they play and if who is in charge of these games are the same person/people or if that role changes from time to time. Hearing about his least favorite parts of the day help me figure out what makes him sad, uncomfortable, or upset so I am able to catch anything he may not express to me directly. Knowing his favorite parts help me remember the things that bring him joy.

If I can’t protect him from all the bad in the world I can only hope I am helping raise good to at least be able to spread a little bit of light in all this darkness. Let’s face it, our world is shit. I want his tomorrows to be brighter than our todays. We just have to make sure we show the love and keep the conversation up and running.