A Brighter Birthday

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a fanatic when it comes to party planning, especially for my kid's birthday parties. Yes, I am one of those mothers. I choose a theme and go all out and over the top and I refuse to apologize for it! I love doing it and I enjoy treating our kids and our guests to a unique celebration. 

That being said, I am also keenly aware that there are plenty of children in this world who do not have the means to celebrate their birthdays, even in a small way. I recently found an organization based in Seattle, WA called Child Haven. It is a non-profit organization that counsels, heals, and nurtures children who have been victims of severe neglect and abuse in a therapeutic setting. One of the volunteer opportunities they offer is to participate in the Brighter Birthday Program: basically supply a child's birthday wish list that they would otherwise not receive. It immediately spoke to me since birthdays are such important milestones to me, and it broke my heart to think of a child who would have nothing to mark his/her special day. I signed up as a sponsor and in a couple of days I was contacted by Child Haven with a wish list for a little girl who is turning 2 years old on September 29. 

The wish list consisted of: 2 outfits (pants, tops, socks), a pair of shoes, a toy phone and a toy that plays music. Happily I put together the birthday gift.

I took Cruz shopping with me and he helped select the toys. I explained to him where they were going and that there are some kids whose mommies and daddies don't have money to buy them birthday presents, have a party or even have a cake. I told him that he is very lucky to not be in that situation because not everyone is as fortunate. Together we packaged the items and shipped them off to Seattle.

Although I will never meet this child, I am comforted knowing that even for one day, her 2nd birthday, she will get to feel like a normal kid and be celebrated as she deserves. 

More Candids

Just some recent snapshots of my boys :)

Nosey boy checking out the grocery bag

Going for a walk on a warm summer night

Lucas the climber

Lunch date with my hubby in Napa

Cruz and his best buddy Doren

Practicing his fine motor skills with Cheerios :)

Future ice cream scooper

Who's Afraid of 10 Miles?

This week's training was an exciting one! It was the Nike Preview - when we get to preview part of the official course and train on it. I'm not gonna lie, when Coach Doug said we'd be doing 10 miles (after just doing 7 miles the weekend before), I was pretty nauseous. I was so intimidated by the idea of 10 miles and I thought to myself, "I can't do that." I spent all of last Thursday in a mild panic attack, worrying about how I would make it through. Luckily, I got some amazing pep talks from my seasoned marathon friends Uyen and April - they had so much confidence in me and kept telling me that I could do it, that I started to believe them. And then I thought about my mom and all the battles she fought...and all the patients out there fighting blood cancers every single day and I knew that these 10 miles were nothing compared to what they faced. After allowing myself a one-day-freak-out, I shook it off and got focused.

Saturday morning I was up at 4:45, got dressed, ate a light breakfast and drove down to Fairfield to meet my teammates. We caravaned to the Marin Headlands side of the Golden Gate Bridge where we met up with our Sonoma/Napa counterparts. Unlike most of the times I've visited the GG Bridge, it was a fairly clear morning, only light winds and beautiful shining sun...it was breathtaking! Being with the TNT group always fills me with positivity just to be around a group of people whose sole purpose is to raise as much money as possible for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society - it's awesome!

One of my walking buddies Gil and I set off and the course didn't disappoint. The changing scenery was so pretty and we had such great conversation the whole time that the 10 miles just flew by, and before we knew it, it was over. I still can't believe I did it, and now I feel so empowered!

Moral of the story: fighting cancer is hard, walking 10 miles is EASY!

Now I know I'm going to be ready on October 14 and not only will I be ready, but I'm going to rock those 13.1 miles!

Sunday Funday

Today we headed into the city to attend my friend Gabi's son's 4th birthday party. It was a beautiful fall day with bright sunshine and cool air. The party was at Pump It Up, an indoor space filled with bouncy houses. Cruz and Lucas both had lots of fun running around with the other kids and celebrating with the birthday boy.





After the party we decided to grab a bite to eat. It was the perfect opportunity to try out The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, a place that's been on my to-eat list. I pass this place nearly every single day on my way to the Bay Bridge so I finally got to check it out. Its a small joint with several sandwiches, salads and a couple of soups comprising their menu. I ordered the mushroom gruyere sandwich and potato leek soup. The sandwich was super tasty but the soup was disappointing (strange texture). Randy loved the jalapeño popper sandwich paired with salt & vinegar chips.

Daddy and Lucas post-lunch

After lunch we contemplated going downtown to shop in Union Square but as we walked back to our car, Cruz asked if we could play at the small park we were parked next to. We ended up playing there for a good chunk of time, relaxing and the kids enjoying the fresh air. It was a nice way to end our weekend. Tomorrow it's back to the grind!

My big boy Cruz

Kisses for Lucas

Lucas loved swinging!

Lunchbox Chronicles

I'm sure most moms of young, school age kids, will tell you that one of the harder tasks is coming up with healthy, nutritious lunches that their kids will actually eat. This is something I gave A LOT of thought to in the months leading up to Cruz starting preschool. Luckily there is no shortage of resources on the internet that provide a plethora of lunchbox ideas. Some of my favorite sites are Momables, Pinterest, and Laptop Lunches. First I started off by getting a very cool lunchbox from Laptop Lunches that is bento-style and comes with removable containers that you can constantly change the configuration of depending on what you're packing that day. For some reason kids really like when their food is compartmentalized - maybe it's more aesthetically pleasing which makes it more appetizing? I love that this particular lunch pack comes with it's own carrying case and stainless steel spoon and fork.

So here are some pictures of Cruz's lunches from his first few days of school - looks pretty good, right? Maybe I should take more time on my own lunches!

Penne with veggie & ground beef marinara, plums, tangerine and snap pea crisps

Ham sandwich (shaped as a butterfly!), Cheetos, strawberries, tangerine

Hawaiian rolls with ham, snap pea crisps, tangerine, applesauce (pardon the orientation, couldn't get it to rotate for some reason)

Smoked ham, mozzarella cheese, multigrain crackers, apple, tangerine

So far the lunchboxes have been successful - they keep coming back empty! Here's a snapshot of my big boy at the end of his first week - still all smiles!

My Mission Moment

This week at training I shared my mom's story during our team "mission moment" - when we honor someone who has been affected by blood cancer or LLS in some way. It's a chance to remind us all, the reasons we are out there training, fundraising and working hard. It's the inspiration that drives us.

I requested to dedicate this week's training to my mom because it was held at Mare Island, a place that I frequented as a child growing up, and fittingly, it was almost always with my mom. She loved to exercise at this Vallejo waterfront, early in the morning, walking the length of it several times as we talked about anything and everything.

Here's what I shared with my team today:

I lost my mother Carina to lymphoma 7 years ago. She was diagnosed one month before my wedding day and I had no idea if she would be there to see me walk down the aisle on the most important day of my life. Thankfully, the universe gave me a break and she was released from the hospital less than a week to my wedding, after having undergone several weeks of aggressive chemotherapy. Her hair was very thin and she lost so much weight her dress had to be taken in at the last minute, but all that mattered was that she was there. And although she fought her hardest, she passed away 8 months later. When I became a mother for the first time, I found myself grieving all over again, for the grandmother my son would never have. It was at that point I knew that the best way for my son to know who she was, was to pass on the life lessons she taught me.

The most valuable lesson my mom taught me was to always lend a hand and help those less fortunate than ourselves; and that if you give to others, your reward will be tenfold. From a very early age I accompanied her as she volunteered at our church, soup kitchens, food banks, the library, and the hospital. I learned that giving was so much more rewarding than receiving, and that true integrity came not from what you do for yourself, but what you do for others.

I joined Team in Training to continue her legacy of giving, especially to those patients and families who have been affected by blood cancers. I hope that my efforts will give them the resources and support to continue fighting where my mom left off. I also hope that walking those 13 miles will honor my mother’s life, and that my two sons will now learn from my example, just as I learned from hers.

In addition to dedicating this week's training to my mom, all my teammates wore her picture pinned to their hat or shirt as they trained. 

It was an emotional but rewarding day. A big thank you to my Solano Team for the love and support!

P.S. I walked 7 miles today and had my fastest time yet - 15.4 mins/mile. Yay me!!

Never too early for skin care

As we were heading out to dinner this evening Cruz grabs his baseball hat and says "I better wear my hat so I don't get sunburned"...never mind the sun was already setting! Never too early to be safe about sun damage right?!