mr independent!

how quickly my happy baby
is becoming a serious little boy.

everyday we get new surprises.
christmas day brought clapping.

a week earlier he started crawling
now containing him is becoming a challenge.

i love that he can play on his own
& now he loves to feed himself.

if you're my friend on facebook
you know i was looking for new finger food ideas.

trying to avoid the usual processed garbage.
i saw a recipe for banana pancakes using pancake mix.

i didn't have any mix on hand so i substituted
with his favorite cereal.

sliced bananas,
coated in a thin layer of cereal.

sprayed a thin layer of olive oil pam in a small pan.
cooked the banana slices for a few minutes on each side.

i broke them into halves
& quarters for santino
because i'm the crazy overprotective mom..
but he loved them!

i even tried a few
& they reminded me of fried bananas.

support.

christmas came & went in the usual blur.
yesterday was the best day of my holiday weekend.
nowhere i had to be,
nothing needed to be accomplished.

i'm so ready for the new year.
i love a fresh start.

i have so many goals this year.
i really need to organize them
& set up a plan of how to accomplish.

i plan on letting go a lot more.
finding happiness within myself..

i spend so much of my time at work
& at home talking about family.

it can be really overwhelming.
sometimes i feel so hypocritical talking about
other people's familes..
when i still have my own issues.

that's life i guess.
i wish i could do half the things i tell others to do.

write it down.
say it outloud.
be honest.
be prepared to be hurt.

instead i walk away.
i shut down.
i avoid.
i protect.

the only good thing about work,
is that it has help me to realize..
we all have some of these family issues.

taking care.

i go through an absolutely
ridiculous routine after santino's bathtime:
aveeno baby for his legs,
they tend to get extra dry.
aquaphor baby for his face,
it's extra sensitive.
butt paste for down below.
then johnsons baby lotion,
for wherever i missed.

early mornings for myself..
i'm lucky if i get lotion on 25% of my body..
and it consists of whatever was on sale.

the thought of..
when do we stop caring about ourselves?
came across my mind as i browsed baby food ingredient lists.
i've stuck to only organic so far..
i was totally boycotting gerber until i was in DE
& couldn't find earth's best.

for me?
i stick to organic milk,
but beyond that..
give me what's on sale & in season.

seriously, i spend hours each week..
picking out the best of everything for santino.
and he deserves it..
but i can't help but think..
why don't i care this much about myself.

the truth is convenience.
and funding.

but maybe if we all spent a little extra time,
picking out the best for ourselves..
we would all be a little better off.

here's to cutting out the excess
& focusing on the wholesome this new year.

keeping in the game.

the diary of a working mom.
it amazes me that i can't find time for blogging.
then again..
the game is busy.

today is a sick day in the carotenuto house.
santino picked up the daycare cold/ear infection.
we've kept him home all weekend,
and today..

since i've been back to work,
i think there's rarely been a pay period when i didn't use personal time.
luckily my job allows for an abundance of pto.

the next four weeks will now be four day work weeks,
which are so much more tolerable than five..
even though it really doesn't seem like that big of a difference.

i still bounce back&forth between
loving working
& wanting to spend more time home.

recently i hit below my pre-baby weight.
i credit bfing (though we recently made the switch to fomula.. long story // another day).
but also the working mom schedule..
up around 5:30am..
sit back down at 8:00pm when baby goes to bed.

one of my new years resolutions is to be more grateful.
some days feel like groundhog days..
same routine.. just another day.
and i find myself just making the movements.
i forget how lucky i am.

most weekends i just want to relax.
try and get a crawling backwards baby,
to crawl forward!

the holidays are upon us.
helen's hassack has been busy..
lots of vintage love & gifts left.
i did 99% of my shopping online.

i haven't even baked a cookie lately,
though i did make this yummy pioneer woman stew.

sometimes i'm more likely to use tumblr.
so check that out for vintage love!

hoping for happy holidays this year..
that's all i want for christmas.