Happy Monday + Plans for the Week

Happy Monday, everyone!

How was your weekend?

Friday evening, we went to an Italian restaurant with my brother in law. Olívia started laughing uncontrollably at something, it was so funny to watch. We don’t know what she was laughing at but it must have been hilarious.

On Saturday, it was our 11th dating anniversary. We took the girls to the park, went grocery shopping and then had an early dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. Nothing too wild because we’re deep into our parenting era.

On Sunday, we went to our friends’ house for an early dinner. They’re almost 20 years older than us and their sons are 14 and 16, so it’s fun to see what it’s like parenting teenagers instead of a toddler and a baby. It was a really lovely evening.

And here I am today.

There’s two loads of laundry in the dryer and other two to put away. There’s another one already in the washer and I need to do the girls’ laundry today too. As hard as I try, I never seem to catch up on laundry.

The house is a bit of a mess too, since we didn’t really do much cleaning and tidying up this weekend.

So if you want me, I’ll be trying to dig myself out of the laundry pile and trying to clean the house while my toddler and my baby do their best to stop me. I’ll be back tomorrow for Top Ten Tuesday.

Have a good week!

Love,

Cheila

Photo by Pixabay

I’m Back! Happy Monday + Plans for the Week + 10 Updates

Happy Monday, everyone!

I’m back after a break and feeling much better.

Before I dive into my plans for the week, I have a couple of updates for you.

Update

I’m going back to work next month. I’m going to work only Saturdays and Sundays from early morning to about 2 pm. It’s very part time and I don’t plan on working more than 12-15 hours a week right now. Olívia is still very young and Dalila is not in daycare yet so they’re home with me all day, every day and I don’t think I can handle that plus working long hours.

Update

I finally dyed my hair. I had been complaining about needing to do it for months and I finally found the time to do it. The color is called Pomegranate Red and I look HOT. Joking. Imagine if I had that level of self esteem. I look like myself with red hair and stained towels. Because I don’t have enough laundry already. In all seriousness, I think the color suits me and I feel much better about myself if my roots and grays are not on display.

Update

I’ve been having weekly appointments with my new therapist and I definitely like her. I’m finally giving therapy and actual change and trying to be consistent with my weekly sessions. I know that I’m trying my best because I’ve even mentioned things I had never brought up with other therapists. It’s hard but hopefully worth it.

Update

I finally made bread! I’ve made it twice now and it turned out much better the second time around. It’s crusty and so delicious. Would you like the recipe?

Update

We (well, my husband) finally mowed our lawn and so I plan on spending our mornings outside with the girls if the weather is good. We’re thinking about buying a swing for Dalila’s birthday.

Update

For some reason, I’m on a declutterring and simplifying kick. I feel pushed towards making our life simpler, more organic and easier. I want to spend more time in nature, garden, use less chemicals, make things from scratch, bake more and just generally living a healthier and more sustainable life. I have an urge to throw away or sell whatever we don’t use or love and to just focus on the essentials. Is this postpartum nesting or am I changing as a person?

Update

I’ve decided I’ll be taking an afternoon for myself every month. I’ll be having a few hours to do whatever I want while the girls spend time with their dad. Because I like to make plans in advance, I decided on the last Saturday of every month, so my first Mom’s Afternoon Out will be on the 30th. I’ll probably go to the movies since I haven’t gone in a long time.

Update

Dalila had her first haircut and it went so much better than we expected. She had to sit on dad’s lap the whole time and watch the iPad thingy that they have but it wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. She looks really cute and her hair is much healthier. She even got a little first haircut diploma and I got a bit of hair to gift both her grandmothers.

Update

Olívia is now laughing. We were sitting on the floor watching Pupstruction (Dalila’s new obsession) and she must have found something really funny because she started laughing uncontrollably for the first time. I tried to make her do it again so I could film it but it didn’t work so I’ll wait for her to find something that funny again.

Update

Just a minor update but I’ve started watching One Day, a new show. I loved the 2011 movie by the same name (with Anne Hathaway) and I’m enjoying the show.

Our plans for the week include:

Father’s Day (Rui’s first as a father of two)

First day of spring

Grandma Isabel (my mom) visiting.

An afternoon with grandma for Dalila while mom goes to the dentist (I move much faster with only one baby)

Vaccine for Olívia

A therapist appointment for me

Trying magic sand for the first time for Dalila

Drying out laundry outside because the weather is lovely

And that’s about it.

I’ll see you soon.

Love,

Cheila

Happy Monday + Plans for the Week + Meal Plan

Good morning, everyone!

I haven’t slept a wink last night. Dalila has a bit of a cold and so I stayed in her room with her because she kept waking up crying every ten minutes because she couldn’t breathe properly. She’s asleep now so hopefully she’ll wake up feeling better. Olívia is taking her morning nap so I have a couple of minutes to dedicate to my blog.

*stops to get some much needed coffee*

Today I have my first appointment with a new therapist. I confess I’m a little nervous and reluctant because she’s VERY young. She’s just became a certified therapist a month ago, so she’s like 25 years old and doesn’t have a lot of experience. I thought about canceling my appointments after I learned how young and inexperienced she was, but decided I was being prejudiced and ageist so I’m giving it a try. She could be young and a wonderful professional. What would you do? Would you want a more seasoned therapist? Well, the important thing is I’m taking steps to take care of myself and my mental health. We’ll see how it goes.

I have a bunch of errands to run later today too but if Dalila is not feeling better by then, I’ll send my husband to do them for me, instead of all of us going together. I need to stop by the pharmacy, the post office and to drop off something I sold on Vinted.

What else is happening this week?

Tuesday: I really want to finally go try that tennis lesson (it’s Tuesdays at 7 pm) but it has been raining so much lately and I don’t want to go to a wet tennis lesson. Do they even have the lessons if it’s raining? No idea.

Wednesday: We have an appointment for Olívia to get her hearing checked. Her test was inconclusive because she kept sucking on her pacifier and making noise so the machine contraption was picking it up and so it was no good. The doctor is not worried about her hearing at all but she has to pass the test so we’re doing it again on Wednesday.

Thursday: Poor Olívia is getting a shot, poor thing. Pretty sure it’s against meningitis so it’s important. I’m going for my postpartum vaginal ultrasound so they can check my internal C-section scar. What a sad pair we’ll be on Thursday.

Friday: My sister is coming to stay with us so that should be fun.

Saturday: Rui is going away to spend a drunken night with his friends (they even have a group name, it’s adorable for a bunch of dudes in their 30’s). I’m happy for him because he really needs a break. My sister is staying with me and the babes so we’re having a girls night.

Sunday: It’s Election Day here and I’m absolutely dreading it. I have no idea who I’m voting for. I mean, I know I’m not voting for either the communist party or the far right but that’s about it.

As for my To-Do List, I’m keeping it short and simple and focusing on starting to sort out the garage.

Anyway, what are we eating this week?

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: I’m making omelets and we’re eating them with rice and salad.

Wednesday: Chicken, broccoli and rice.

Thursday: Pasta. Probably with bacon bits, mushrooms, olives and pesto sauce.

Friday: No clue.

And what about the blog?

Monday:

Happy Monday + Plans for the Week

Tuesday:

Top Ten Tuesday

Wednesday:

February Reading Review

Thursday:

A Day in the Life With Two Under Two

Friday:

Friday Favorites + Plans for the Weekend

Saturday:

My Negative Breastfeeding Experience and the Breastfeeding Nazis

Sunday:

Weekend Recap

And that’s it. I better go start a load of laundry. It’s darks today.

I’ll see you later.

Love,

Cheila

Photo by Maxim Matveev

Happy Monday + Plans for The Week

Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you had a relaxing weekend.

My weekend was good. On Friday, we went out for dinner and then on Saturday I went to primark (I’m slowly looking at sales and collecting Dalila’s size 24 months clothing, as she turns 2 in April and is outgrowing her 18-24 months clothes), Starbucks (I got the yummiest Golden Caramel White Hot Chocolate) and to pick up my brother-in-law who was coming to stay with us. On the way home, we picked up dinner to eat at home.

You guys, I got THE CUTEST CHICKEN MUG at Primark. Look at her:

Photo from the Primark website

Isn’t she a beauty? I collect mugs and I’m always looking for cute and different mugs. As soon as I saw her, I knew I had to have her.

I also got a cup with a lid and straw for my iced coffee, a bucket of magic sand for Dalila, a dress and a new pair of fleece pajamas for Dalila for next winter and a heartless curler set which I was promptly made fun of.

On Sunday, we pretty much just went grocery shopping, tidied up the house a bit and had grilled salmon (Dalila’s favorite) for dinner.


Now, what am I up to this week? It’s going to be an atypical week and I’m determined to make it a good one.

On Tuesday, my oldest is spending the day with her godmother. It’s the first time she’s spending the day with someone that’s not us our my mom, so I’m a bit anxious about how she’s going to take it. Hopefully, she’ll behave and enjoy playing with my friend’s daughter, who’s a year older.

On Thursday, one of my best friends is coming to spend the day with us, which is very exciting.

My mom will probably visit at some point this week too.


I won’t be sharing a to-do list or meal plan today as I haven’t had time to update either.

Will be back tomorrow with Top Ten Tuesday.

What is something you’re looking forward to this week?

Love,

Cheila

Photo by Pexels

Happy Monday + Plans For The Week + To Do List + Meal Plan

Good morning!

It’s Monday again and we must start another week.

My weekend was very lazy and not productive at all. I slept a lot while my husband spent time with the girls (I’ve been feeling more tired than usual for the past couple of weeks) and the only time I left the house was Sunday evening to go for pizza with our friends (Olívia’s godparents).

Last week wasn’t super productive either, so most of my to-do list is transferring to this week. It’s going to be an uneventful week so I’ll probably be able to focus on getting things done.

Here’s my to-do list for the week:

Health

– Schedule Olívia’s 3-month vaccinations. She went for her 2-month ones last Friday.

– Reschedule my ultrasound.

– Schedule a dermatologist appointment. (Did try last week but there were no appointments available)

– Schedule an optometrist appointment. (This can be done via an app so I’ll do it as soon as I finish this post and before I forget)

– Talk to my psychiatrist about my constant nightmares.

– Find a new therapist.

Home:

– One load of laundry per day, as usual.

– Clean bathroom, deep clean shower.

– Wash couch covers and cushions. (Putting them in the wash today)

– Wash some of Dalila’s toys. 

– Deep clean dishwasher.

– Wipe down fridge, throw away damaged fridge magnets. 

– Vacuum and mop the whole house. 

– Dust living room.

– Water plants. Transfer the ones that need a bigger pot. 

– Finally try that bread recipe. 

– Clean and organize my desk and office space so I have a dedicated place to write, plan, work, journal, etc.

Errands:

– Pick up clothes from the seamstress (we take our clothes to be ironed) and drop off more. Take a couple of pieces that needed to be mended (little rip, missing button).

– Go to the bank. (We’re going in a couple of hours)

– Drop off some other things I’ve sold on Vinted.

My Things:

– Schedule driving lessons.

– Dye and cut hair (SERIOUSLY, my roots are looking rough)

– Reply to everyone on Peanut (mom’s app)

-Create a Master To-Do List (more like combining and updating existing lists)

– Write book reviews on a couple of books I’ve finished.

– Sign up for a pediatric first aid course I missed a couple of months ago.

Blogging:

– Finish updating About Page. (In progress)

– Go through older posts, delete some, better categorize and tag others, choose some to repost. (In progress)

– Organize and rename blog categories. (In progress)


Meal Plan

(Some of it is from last week)

Monday – Pork roast with sweet potatoes and green beans.

Tuesday – Tuna lasagna.

Wednesday – Chicken soup.

Thursday – Pasta

Friday – Not planning for this day.


New Blog Schedule:

Monday: Happy Monday + Plans for the Week + To Do List + Meal Plan

Tuesday: Book Related Post

Wednesday: Mom life related post, unless I’m linking up for What’s Up Wednesday or Let’s Look

Thursday: True Crime Thursdays

Friday: Friday Favorites + Weekend Plans

Saturday: Informative or “How to” post

Sunday: Random, whatever I feel like


That’s it. That’s what’s happening this week. Hopefully, I’ll be able to be more productive than last week. And yes, I know that keeping a baby and a toddler alive is being productive but this moms needs to get more stuff done.

I’ll see you tomorrow for Top Ten Tuesday.

Love,

Cheila

Photo by Pixabay