Love and Butter

A lot of people ask me how I’m able to accomplish so much in a day. My response is usually repeated every time when asked. “I have no freakin’ clue.” We spread our time like we spread our butter…thin. Unless you’re a butter addict like one of my friends that puts more butter on a piece of toast than the toast is thick. Disgusting.

I really don’t know how I do so much. I sacrifice sleep and sanity, that’s about as good of an answer that you’ll get from me. This is my typical day Monday through Friday…

6am: alarm goes off

6:09am: snooze

6:18am: snooze

6:27am: get out of bed

6:30-7am: shower, dress, put my face on, hair, pack lunches, etc. Not gonna lie, 3 out of 5 days I usually wear ZERO make up to work and my hair is up in a ponytail or clip

7-7:10am: wake up Dani if she’s not already awake, cuddle in bed for a few minutes, watch cartoons, hugs and kisses and goodbyes for the day

7:10am-8ish: commute to work

8ish-11am: do “work” lol

11am-12pm: run errands on lunch. Go to the bank, Target, eyebrows waxed, quick run to the grocery store if not buying frozen or fridge food, get gas, dry cleaners, grab food if lunch hasn’t been packed or if I have time to stop somewhere

12pm-4:56pm: work work work

5pm-6pm: Sit in horrific traffic on the 405 freeway. (If you’re not from Southern California and have never had to experience the 405 during rush hour, consider yourself extremely lucky.)

6pm-7pm: get home, tackled with hugs and kisses, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Look at me! Watch this! Look what I did at school! What’s for dinner? Why do I have to take a bath? I didn’t play outside today so I don’t need a bath. Can we go swimming? Can I have dessert? (All of this in a 5 minute time period as I’m trying to get undressed out of my work clothes and into jammies,) make dinner if my mom hasn’t already, eat dinner, bath time for Dani, chase a naked baby through the house trying to get jammies on her, laundry, clean, pick up the play room, vacuum, feed the dogs, and breathe.

7:15-8pm: answer Dani’s dads phone call to say goodnight, attempt to get Dani to talk to him on the phone (no interest whatsoever,) watch a movie, fold laundry, take a shower, get dressed to go see Muffin (the BF) if it’s date night, give Dani her nightly meds, get her into bed, say prayers, and lights out!

8:15pm-11ish: spend time with friends and Jonny playing Wii, Yogurtland trips, movies, whatever we do we always have a great time together. I usually finally get to bed anywhere between 11pm and 12:30am…and get up and do it all over again.

Wow. It seems to look much harder on paper than it feels. I guess I’m so used to doing the same routine day in and day out I never realized how much I did during the day. I’m very, very fortunate that I have my mom to help me take care of Dani. Because of the hour long commute I have to and from work, she’s able to make Dani breakfast, take her to school and pick her up. Her job is very flexible and she is lucky enough to be able to come in late, leave early, whatever she needs to do.

I recently asked my mommy friends how they juggle life’s daily tasks and responsibilities. Our answers were almost identical. We all pretty much do the same thing…just roll with the punches and handle our business because being a mom is our job. There have been times, like last night, where I had to go grocery shopping (because Lord forbid this kid have something other than pancakes for breakfast,) and I didn’t want to go on my lunch because they obviously would have to go in a the freezer and would be defrosted by the time I got home, and I didn’t want to stop and pick up the things I needed after work because I would rather spend time with Dani. So, after Dani fell asleep around 8:30, I went to Jonny’s apartment for face time (that’s what we call quality time,) we spent a little time together watching the World Cup while he attempted to fix my laptop which is just pissing me off to no end, and off we went to the grocery store at 10:30 at night.  Luckily Seal Beach is an awesome and super safe area so I felt totally comfortable walking through the parking lot. And you know what, Muffin and I actually enjoy grocery shopping together. We learn more about each other’s likes and dislikes while shopping together; which helps me in the long run when I want to surprise him with dinner. Luckily I have a key to his place to make that possible. But that’s a whole other topic.

How do we do it? How do I even have time to write this? In my mind right now I’m thinking about what Dani would like for Christmas, what time I should make dinner reservations at on the 5^th for Jonny’s birthday, what time Jonny, Dani and I will be going to the movies Friday for family date night, how I’m going to make it to my hair appointment on time after work (Dani will be with her dad until 7:30 tonight so I’m getting a MUCH needed hair cut,) I have a deadline that I need to meet and yet I’m writing this! Haha! And these are just this morning’s thoughts!

Ladies, we’re in a league of our own. Call me a sexist and biased, but I honestly don’t believe that a man would be able to do what we do. Just my opinion. I respect and admire every single one of you that do it all. I know that sometimes what you do goes unnoticed and you may sometimes feel unappreciated for all of your hard work (I know I have,) but I want you to know that you are AMAZING. You are raising the future of America and you’re doing a damn good job at it!

Lagging!

I’m so sorry that I’ve been lagging on the blog! The past couple of weeks have been chaotic, but I’m here! First last  Thursday, my employer blocked Blogger so I couldn’t access it. I can’t even view it! First my Facebook is blocked now this! Ugh! Then Thursday night, my little monster graduated from preschool and we had a little party at our house afterward. I take the weekends off and enjoy quality time with Dani and Jonny. This past weekend Dani was with her dad and Jonny and I spent literally the entire weekend eating and sleeping! It was WONDERFUL. I needed a weekend of nothing.

Two Friday's ago Jonny made BBQed pulled pork sandwiches in the croc pot and we had a couple friends over to have dinner and movie night. It has kind of become a once a month tradition. Jonny doesn’t give himself enough credit when it comes to cooking. It was super yummy! Props babe!

I did wake up Saturday morning before him, ate a bowl of cereal (which I made him buy me to keep at his apartment for me since SOMEONE is a lazy butt and doesn’t like when I wake him up before 8am because I’m starving,) so I got up, ate, saw that my good friend Alisha that lives around the corner from Jonny was up and on Facebook, hit her up and went for a nice little walk around Seal Beach. When I got back to the apartment, Jonny was up and we cuddled and watched TV…until we started watching a Food Network special on BBQ and fried foods. So we hopped in the car and headed to Long Beach to have lunch at Lucille’s. Delicious! The midwest part of me came out and actually got Jonny to try fried okra. After taking a little walk to try to digest the massive amount of food we ate, we took a much needed nap before getting all dressed up for date night. I love our date nights. We went to The Melting Pot. Jonny had never been there before and I’ve only been there once, and it was so nice to get all dolled up, hold hands and experience something new together. After that, we pretty much just went to bed!

Sunday was Father’s Day. A day I have mixed emotions about. Being that I have no contact whatsoever with my father and haven’t for the past 25 years, I’ve never really celebrated it. Of course when Danica’s father and I were married, we celebrated, but now that we are divorced I want to know, where is MY freakin’ Father’s Day present? Where are the Halmark cards for single moms that play both roles?! Maybe that should be my next venture. Anyways, I did get Happy Father’s Day wishes from friends and family since I’m sorry, I AM both mother and father. I have no problem saying that. Jonny is so sweet, we took the bike (his baby) out for a ride on Sunday morning to grab a cinnamon roll from Cinnabon and rode down PCH and had lunch at Ruby’s in Newport Beach. (I’m sorry that I keep writing about our beaches here in Southern California. It’s one of the perks of living here!) So that was my Father’s Day present; a nice ride on the motorcycle, lunch with my Muffin and ANOTHER nap! I could get used to this whole nap thing!

Dani finally came home on Sunday afternoon and it’s always the part of the weekend I look forward to. Knowing the feeling of that first hug after she’s been gone for two days makes missing her tolerable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have a break every other weekend and for a few hours during the week after a long and stressful day at work, but that little girl is my life. When she’s gone, my heart hurts. But unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do.

I hope all you single mommy’s had a great 2 Role Holiday and all your hubby’s had a memorable Father’s Day!

A HUGE thank you!

I want to send a MAJOR thank you to Shell from Things I Can't Say. She was sweet enough to drop me an email letting me know that the comments were not posting to my blog and is also helping me code my button correctly since I've worked on it for two days and am completely frustrated over it. So Shell...

Wednesday Romance

Lets face it, whether you're married or dating, you risk the chance of becoming "stuck in a rut." A phrase I never really understood. What is a rut anyway? Just say you're bored of doing the same ol' thing! Sheesh! ;)

I came across this blog through another and thought it was just way too cute not to share. Jonny, the BF, and I are always trying to think of fun new things to do together and I'm thinking about making this for us!

My Creative Stirrings - Can of Dates

These girls know what's up! Their blog also lists 36 ideas for activities that are really original. My personal favorite...

3. Walk to a local bakery or cupcake shop. There is something about walking to a bakery with someone you care about…maybe because I am obsessed with food? If you do not live next to a bakery then surprise your sweetheart by parking a few blocks away and packing a back pack with a blanket, games, fun drinks... If you go to a cupcake shop make sure you get a few varieties and share them.

Well Jonny, I have a project for us to do! <3

Happy Is As Happy Does...

First off, good morning! Hope you are all having a terrific Tuesday so far! As far me, it's only 8:30 in the morning, but so far, no complaints! Danica slept through the earthquake last night, woke up in a great mood, had breakfast, I was running 15 minutes late because the hugs wouldn't end when I left for work, but luckily didn't hit any traffic on the 405. Woo hoo!

Ok friends. I know there aren't a lot of followers yet being that this site is so new, but I want to involve you, the readers, as much as possible. So my question to you today is...

What makes you happy? ASIDE from your kids?

Me personally, it's been a long time since I took a time out from work, Danica's school activities, the BF, friends, laundry and housework to do what makes me happy. I can honestly say it's been well over a month. I normally get my every 2 week mani/pedi, kick back in the chair and try not to fall asleep while Emily, the greatest foot massager works wonders on my high heel wearing feet. But with graduations and deadlines, random weekend trips with the BF and not having the energy to do anything else, I've put myself on the back burner as a lot of us do.

I went shopping childless a few weeks ago so I could actually take time trying on clothes instead of having to hustle through the racks and holding blouses up to me in fear of Dani becoming bored. I also left her with my mother so I wouldn't be tempted to try clothes on her. I'm a sucker for cute little skirts and tank tops. Danica's wardrobe is larger than mine has ever been and majority of the time when I shop, it's for her. Not this time kiddo!

I encourage every mom, whether you have a newborn or a teenager, to make time for yourself. I do not want to look back on my life as a parent with any regrets; wishing that I would have done more for my child or myself. The way I see it, if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. You cannot make others happy if you yourself are not. Even something as small as reading a book in silence, trying out a new recipe, a mani/pedi date with the girls, or even just taking the dog (or cat, they do have cat leashes now. I won't judge,) for a small walk, can put you in a pleasant mood. I owe that to Danica to have her see me happy and not so stressed out all the time. I save that for work! ;)

Hello Mommies!

I would like to start my first "official" post by welcoming you to Baking & A Briefcase; a place for mommy's to share their life experiences, hopes, dreams, goals, rants and raves, and most importantly, help one another through bad times and share in the good.

The reason behind my decision to start this came from my aspects of my life. I started a personal blog just for fun, vent, and keep friends and family near and far up to speed on what was going on in my life. Due to popular demand from my Facebook friends that followed, here we are today. I am very fortunate to have a great support team that encouraged me to bring this blog to light.I can guarantee that you will be reading a lot about my team. They are my inspiration.

The name "Baking & A Briefcase" I felt was suited perfectly for me. I am a working mommy that is trying to balance work, family, relationships, friends, family, etc., in a 24 hour day. I also have been passionate about baking for as long as I can remember. More specifically, cupcakes. Ironically, cupcake is also my nickname. There's just something about them that makes people happy. I try to accomplish that on a daily basis.

Whether you are a mom working part time, full time, staying at home, married, single, divorced, young or old, this is my gift to you, to us. It is and will continue to be a work in progress; as is being a mom. I invite you to join our blog, inspire, and make some new friends along the way.

Here we go!

Okay here goes nothing! Bare with me as I get this off the ground!