Lessons learned

They say money can’t buy happiness, but I am pretty sure we just bought some of it.

Lessons learned Life Reflections Parenthood

I am a dreamer. I am also a believer of chasing your dreams. I’ve chased a few of my own. Some with successful results and some not – those are the ones you learn the most from. I also believe in supporting and pushing others to follow their own dreams. In this story, someone else’s dream affected me directly and I was happy to play a role to help make it happen. 🙂

Back in 2007 when we started considering having kids, Becca had what could’ve been a very successful career in business. However, I’ve always thought that teachers were special people with special qualities and I thought Becca had all those qualities and had the potential of being an awesome teacher! (I was proven right later). At that time, she started toying with the idea of teaching in order to spend more time at home and eventually when our kids grew of age, she could be involved in their school life. We thought more about it due to the fact that Hillsborough County was in need of teachers, and the timing was just right. The easy decision would’ve been to remain in her position, move up the ladder of Corporate America, etc, etc BUT we had a bigger plan in mind. A plan that could allow Becca to eventually fulfill her dream of being a mom; a mom that could be involved with the kiddos.

That summer we (she) took the plunge. And no surprise, she was AWESOME at it. Kids loved her. Teachers loved her. Administrators loved her! A few years later she was offered an Assistant Principal position and although she hesitated taking it because she would miss the classroom and the kids, she took on the challenge and rocked that position as well. (you see the trend here? ;))

Last year, we were given the opportunity to chase her big dream for the first time. Chasing it required some sacrifices – mostly financial as our kid’s school is a small private school that is not in need of APs so she would need to teach – but we could not chase it in 2014. We had a lot going on with the babies on their way, short notice, etc… Although disappointed, we think it was the best thing. That extra year allowed us to plan ahead to make the transition in 2015. We needed to come up with ideas on how to supplement Becca’s new income so we could maintain our lifestyle. Also, the arrival of the babies meant more expenses! Food, daycare/nanny, etc. We had to plan for all of it and make sure we would be ok. It was also a good year for Becca to begin her transition of her AP role in her school (a school she loved and is so grateful for). During her pregnancy with the twins, they were so amazing to her- being very flexible with her schedule, out-of-school duties, etc. We are forever grateful to them not only for that last year, but for the entire time Becca was a part of the school.

This summer (2015) when the opportunity rose, we were ready. We had a business in place (www.PackLessPlayMore.com), we had the nanny situation for Santi, Emi and Ale taken care of, and Nati and Nico had successfully finished their first year at their new school! I am not going to lie, going into it was a bit scary. As much as you plan, you never knew how things are going to settle in, how “accurate” our financial planning was, how crazy (or not) things would be, etc.

Well…. I can now tell you with confidence that it has been AWESOME! Becca is so happy! The kids are SO happy their mom works at their school! Becca feels so fulfilled teaching again and loves that she can see our kids throughout the day, have lunch with them, be available if they need her, etc… I am kind of jealous but so happy for all of them. Yes, we are a couple of tens of thousands of dollars short compared to last year, but every penny is worth it. Being able to chase and achieve a life dream has no price – it only brings satisfaction, smiles, happiness and that, for us, is what life is about. Being happy together.

So yes, people say you can’t buy happiness, but I am pretty sure we just bought ourselves a huge chunk! Cheers to dreaming and chasing dreams!! God bless.

Sometimes I seriously wish I had boobs!… tonight especially!

being a father Fatherhood Happy Number 7 Lessons learned life with twins Parenthood

It is 11:52pm. I am now writing this post because of the damn debacle I just went through is relatively fresh in my mind..

Yes, you read it right… sometimes I wish I had boobs because at times it seems is the only thing that would soothe the twins… and believe me when I tell you, the thought of getting boobs is not as crazy as the amount of patience and insanity required to deal with 2 crying babies at the same time and feeling helpless! So yes, I would take the temporary boobs if available. Of course they need to be fully functioning milking boobs type. I am definitely not looking for the ones that would make me look hot with a low cut shirt…;)

Anywho, back to tonight’s mayhem! Some background story first. So, the twins (6.5 months old) don’t sleep through the night yet. And before you consider sending me advice, please know that I’ve read books, articles, systems, strategies, schedules , you name it, and have even consulted our pediatrician looking for help… To my comfort (NOT) he told me some babies don’t sleep through the night until 18 months old!!! PLEASE don’t let this be me… But in the meantime I’ll do whatever we can to try to get them there. We could all use some solid back-to-back hours of sleep. I feel as if I’ve lived on interrupted sleep for the last 6+ years… oh wait! I have! (enter joke of having 5 kids in 6 years here).

So, after much research, we moved the twins upstairs to their own cribs. They slept together downstairs but just as my other 3 kids, they are horrible sleepers and cannot stay still through the night and kept waking each other up…. So with their move upstairs, we decided to feed them formula when they wake up around midnight. Formula takes longer to digest and hence they are full longer… or so we think/thought.. And of course I (Andres) would give it to them so Becca can sleep and she can get them once they wake up AGAIN around 4ish…

Instead of going to bed and having to wake up at midnight to go prep the bottles when they wake up. I’ve stayed awake so I can prep them close to midnight hoping to avoid a crazy ass fit that could potentially wake up all other 3 kids and then we are in huge trouble… So big that I don’t even want to EVER let it happen to find out…

Tonight however was different. They woke up around 11:30. I wasn’t freaking ready. And it would be ok if they would just wake up like normal people but they wake up as if someone is pinching them or if they just had a nightmare about Jason chasing them with the chainsaw and was really fu*%$&g close to catch them. That’s how they wake up! Insane.

Tonight was also unusual because since I am usually ready and prepared, I don’t let them wake up each other. Before the other wakes up and starts crying, I have the other in my arms and with a bottle in their mouth. Boom. But nope, not tonight… Tonight I had to let them cry together, freaking loud as hell, until I came back from the kitchen with their bottles. But that was just the beginning! As I raced upstairs, I came to their cribs and saw both of them screaming to the top of their lungs… I picked up Emi, shoved a bottle in his mouth and I leaned over my face so I could hold the bottle with my chin. Once I got that settled, I had to somehow feed Alejandro. So I leaned over his crib with the bottle and was able to feed him. There I was, my left arm holding Emi, my chin holding Emi’s bottle and my right arm/hand feeding Ale lying on his crib. But Emi had to take me to the “Difficulty Level B” like in the Atari 2000. He kept putting his hand on the bottle and pulling it down… all my leverage was with my chin so of course the bottle fell off his mouth and he was not having it! He screamed like crazy! My only way to stop him was to let go off Ale’s bottle, fix Emi’s bottle so he can drink and then putting the bottle back in Ale’s mouth before his screaming got out of hand…. This same thing happened 3 times! Bottle down, babies crying, me juggling babies and bottles and then figuring out a way to burp them at the same time so they could sleep.

Top top it all, why is it that every time you have your hands busy something feels itchy on your body but you can’t itch it!!! So frustrating!

So, while struggling through the feeding and dealing the best I could with my crazy overreacting yet OMG so cute babies, I thought of how much easier it would’ve been if I had boobs to feed the guys and being able to feed them 2 at a time!! It would save me a lot of headaches, probably gotten me more sleep and help me keep my sanity!

Since probably my wish will not come true, I will continue to wish the babies would sleep through the night instead of waking up screaming bloody murder!! Good night.

Sincerely,

Helpless (and boobless) in Florida.

Our first family beach day! 8 details that helped us pull it off!

Beach with kids Fun with kids Happy Number 7 Holiday Fun Lessons learned Life as Party of 7 life with twins Parenting Milestones Parenting multiples parenting tips party of seven Raising multiples Raising Twins Weekend Fun

This past week, Nico and Nati were on their spring break, which meant Becca took care of 5 kids by herself most of the week since I had to go to work. To give her a break and get the kids out of the house, we decided to go to the beach! Here is a list of 8 things that made our first beach day as a party of 7 a success!

Time Flexibility: Although we knew some people would be getting to the beach at 9:30, we did not stress to get there at that time.. Given the fact Emilio and Alejandro had a rough night (and therefore so did Becca and I), we had gone to bed late so we let the kids sleep in. Life with kids does not always work as planned, so being flexible and not sweating the little things help. We believe kids work better in a non-pressured environment. No rush. No stress. No fights. 🙂 The beach will be there no matter what time we show up.

A full baby is a happy baby.. a hungry baby – not so much! J . Prior to our departure to and from the beach, we made sure the babies were fed (tried to time it around their 3-4 hour schedule). This helped for a much more enjoyable beach day and for quiet car rides. 😉

Planning what to bring: As simple as it sounds, beach outings require items such as beach chairs, tent, umbrella, change of clothes, snacks, cooler, towels, sand toys among others… it ends up being a ton of stuff, so packing most of the stuff the night before (or at least having a plan of “attack” in the morning) helps for an easier and more efficient morning… This was our first time with 5 kiddos. We had to pack extra for the babies and because we knew we would be at the beach for a while — it’s not worth going through the crazy hassle for just 1 hour of fun. Which brings me to my next point..

“Plan” how long to stay at the beach: Ha! This sounds easy on paper. As parents we know most of the time things don’t go as planned, hence #1 on the list is very important. But it is good to estimate how long you’ll stay – Will you be there long enough to need lunch? Are you planning on having lunch by the beach? (do you need a change of clothes). In our case, will we be at the beach long enough so the babies would need to be fed again? Having an idea helps you prepare for things to come as the day goes by, when prepared (or semi-prepared) things flow more smoothly.

Shade, shade, shade (and don’t forget sunscreen): I must admit, I overplanned for shade this time around. I brought a canopy/tent (like this one), a cocoon for the babies to protect them from sand and sun (we have a fisher price version of this item), and a beach umbrella. Becca planned well and applied sunscreen on our other 3 kids and the boys always wear rash guards with SPF to protect them from the sun. Now, Dad is a different story… I forgot to apply sunscreen and paid the price the couple of days after. Dumb move on my part. Plan for shade. The sun is fun, but can also be harmful. Plus it’s good to have a shady spot after being in the sun for a while. Don’t forget sunscreen!

Keep an eye on the kids and relax: Huh? Yes, it can be done. As long as we know where our kids are at all times, we can relax, have a beer, talk to other adults and chill out. Some parents overprotect their kids and make the outings annoying for their kids and for everyone around them… The kids will be kids, they like to jump waves, make sand holes, run around without being careful, etc etc. We make sure we keep an eye on them, supervise and correct if/when needed and then let them get back to having fun.

Don’t sweat the sand: Sand will be everywhere. As much as you rinse off by the beach and shake all items prior to putting them back in the car, sand will find its way to be everywhere… It is what it is. I am not going to lie, it took me a while to come to peace with that and I have learned not to sweat it anymore. I have 5 kids… the days of a clean car at all times are long gone (actually not sure if they were ever there J).

Enjoy the beach and enjoy the kids: We don’t get to go to the beach every day. The beach offers so many cool things you can’t find anywhere else and is such a different “playground” for the kids! Plus, it offers super cool photo ops capturing the kids having a blast with their friends and siblings. We always come back from the beach with fun memories and a TON of pics to prove it (as seen below :)) .

More and more we are becoming comfortable experiencing things as a family of 7- as parents of 5 kids under the age of 6 and as parents of 6 week old twins. We don’t shy away from life. We embrace it. We learn and confirm we can do it! Yes, it is not the easiest and it has its challenges but the rewards and memories make every second worth it.

CHEERS TO LIFE!

OUR WEEK – A BALANCING ACT

being a father Children Milestones Fun with kids Happy Number 7 Lessons learned Life as Party of 7 Life Reflections life with twins mother of multiple Parenting Milestones Parenting multiples party of seven Raising multiples Raising Twins Weekend Fun

Throughout our six years of parenting, we’ve never been a family committed to a “structured routine”. We have been more a “go with the flow” type and that has worked for us. Yes, of course, there is a “loose” routine that we try to adhere to, but we are very flexible since every day brings on new challenges.

With Emi and Ale, things have been more structured, and although we still don’t follow a strict schedule, we do make sure they are doing things like eating and “sleeping” at the same time… otherwise Becca would be feeding a kid every hour on the hour… but that’s a whole other post.

Since Becca’s family left, we’ve been working on returning to our normal routines and making sure everyone is able to participate in their extracurricular activities. Nati attends modern dance, ballet and gymnastics, Nico rides BMX strider every other week (or we try to) and he started his soccer season once again and Dad plays Ultimate Frisbee with the Florida Masters team (33+ years of age).

I am not going to lie.. it has been hard for Becca to haul all 5 kids to dance and gymnastics, but luckily I’ve been able to take off early 2 days of the week so I can attend Nati’s gymnastics and coach Nico’s soccer team. In addition, we juggled this weekend so I could run errands for our business on Saturday morning, and then I headed out to Gainesville for our team’s practice/tryouts… Plus it doesn’t end with just their activities… we then rush home to prep/eat dinner, get lunches ready, do homework, put kids to bed, etc etc.

Last week, Nati was also asked to participate in her school’s Open House event. She and other kids from her kindergarten class showcased a few of the awesome things they’ve learned this year, and some of her art was even featured! She was so proud, and deservingly so.

Nati’s Art featured at the Open House

Nico and Santi helping get Emi and Ale to the Open House. 🙂

I mention the above because Becca told me Nati wanted to participate and asked me if we could make it. I said: “If it is important to her and she wants to do it, we’ll make it happen”, and so we did. And we always do. We believe it is important for everyone to be able to do what they want (within reason) and feel the support of the family (all of us).

I know it was hard on Becca this weekend when I left her with all 5 kids so I could go practice (Nico was supposed to come with me but bailed last minute because the weather was crappy… smart man). We knew it would be difficult, but Becca understands how important it is to me and it had been on our calendars for quite some time now. She was a champ and I was SO appreciative of her sacrifice so I could enjoy what I love.

Due to so many accidents on the interstate, I was re-routed through the country roads. So relaxing.

Horse farms in Ocala, FL on my way to Gainesville.

This past week was a great learning week for us. It taught us that although it will not be easy, we can still manage to fit in what everyone loves to do and do it with everyone’s support. Yes, there are sacrifices being made, but that’s what we do for the people we love. After this week we feel ready, very ready. Bring it on life.

This picture sums up the crazyness levels at home. LOL.

Strike a pose. Policemen version.

Some of our favorite pics from the week/weekend.

I AM PRETTY SURE I MARRIED “SUPER MOMMA”!

Fun with kids Happy Number 7 Lessons learned life with twins mother of multiple Parenting Milestones Parenting multiples party of seven

If I were to tell someone that I have 3 week old twins – that’s right, not one but two newborns – plus 3 other kids under the age of 6 at home and my wife has yet to complain and/or act tired, people wouldn’t believe me.. Trust me, it is TRUE!

Becca has not only been Miss Amazing with every single one of her 4 pregnancies (very few complaints, zero to none weird cravings, etc), she also shines when it comes down to motherhood! Her level of patience with the kids and tackling all her responsibilities is to admire… and one virtue I wish I had more of… When shit hits the fan at home, I am usually the one to lose it first. Hehe.

Yeah, probably her many years as an Assistant Principal at a middle school and being surrounded by kids and loud noises helps… but man, she is good!

For the past couple of weeks we’ve had the privilege to have her mom and step dad at our home helping us out with the babies and with the other 3 kids (holding babies, changing diapers, taking kids to school and extracurricular activities, etc). But the day they left, Becca was put to the test. For the first time in 3 weeks, she would have to take care of Emilio, Alejandro AND Santiago at home, then pick up Nico and Nati from their school, take Nati to her dance class (wait for her with the other 4 kids in tow) and then head back home.

Knowing how daunting this was going to be, I offered help and offered to leave work early to go at least pick up Nati from dance class. She turned my offer down saying “I got it. I am going to have to do it someday, so I might as well start today”… I even gave her 1 more hour to change her mind but my phone never rang and I never got a text….

Not only did she rock the entire ordeal, but as I walked into our house, she was cooking dinner! And on top of that it was yummy!

I was crazy impressed and proud of her. Once again she tackled it head first, no ifs or buts about it. Rocked it. Her assertiveness gave me a peace of mind and a “we got this” feeling. Felt good.

Thanks Super Momma. You Rock. We are so lucky to have you. Keep on rocking. 🙂

P.S – the 2 graphics used on this pots were taken from Google Images… I claim no rights on these and definitely don’t want to get sued for using them – so there.

What they are not telling you: Pregnancy is hard on men too!

being a father Lessons learned Life Reflections Parenting multiples Pregnant with Twins

Yes, I admit it, it is much tougher on women as they have to endure the body changes, fatigue, lack of sleep, deliver the baby (or in our case babies!), etc, etc, etc. However, it takes a village! It is a long ass process… 9 months (or 10 months as my wife will correct me) of constant support, stepping up our game to cover some of the tasks previously performed mostly by our wives, helping to parent the other 3 kids AND tending to the needs and mood swings of our lovely pregnant wife 🙂 Love you babe.

I am going to go ahead and say it: It is f**ing hard and gets tiring too! Yes, my body is not going through insane changes like my wife’s, but my mind and time management is out of whack! Because a pregnant women’s energy is being consumed by the baby, they often (and deservingly) need more “down time”. This is where our role becomes more important and more tasks are added to our list. It seriously feels like I don’t have time for anything else other than coming home to cook, have dinner with my family, spend an hour or so together, clean up the house (toys everywhere), get kids ready for bed, read, practice phonics, and then back downstairs to finish up cleaning or go to bed. Rinse and repeat the next day. And No Free passes – it’s all got to get done. Thankfully, at home we have a very good team (see previous post here) and Becca, as pregnant as she is, carries a good amount of weight (pun intended) on our daily home chores.

I am thankful that Becca is an amazing pregnant woman; she is a trooper– she is active and rarely complains. Also, during all 4 pregnancies she has not had any middle of the night cravings where I need to leave the house to find a Hot Fudge Brownie with Ice Cream or some crazy stuff like that…. Her cravings are much more manageable, very few and they usually happen at lunch or dinner times (pizza, chipotle, five guys, etc.). Her Coca Cola craving is the only one that is a bit out of hand 😉 especially since it HAS to be fountain soda so there’s no way for me to be proactive and have a 2 liter handy in the house…

Needless to say, at the end of the day it is all worth it. The return on investment is astronomical, but I am not kidding… it is hard on everyone– I am sure other fathers can relate. AND consider this a warning for those men that don’t have kids yet — Yes, she is the one carrying the baby, but the weight you need to carry around the house will also get heavier.

And this is only the pre-game show…. The real deal will begin once the babies are born. Bring it! 🙂

NOTE TO SELF: LET THEM BE KIDS.

Fun with kids Lessons learned Life Reflections Parenting Milestones Parenting multiples Uncategorized Weekend Fun

This weekend I had to remind myself to let my kids be kids….

Sometimes as parents we try to control situations, most of the time for our kids’ safety, but too often we try to control them to make things more convenient for us… avoiding situations that could disrupt our day, cause a little chaos, etc…

On Sunday, we went outside to ride bikes and scooters; however my kids changed their mind and decided they wanted to play in our backyard instead… We have what I think is a pretty cool backyard with a pool, a nice treehouse with a slide, and some swings in the back…a pretty fun area for a kid. My first thoughts were…. “Hmm… if we go back, I am going to have to clean up the swings… also, I may have to go back inside to get mosquito repellent (they get bad at times), this may be a pain….”

After a couple of failed attempts trying to convince the kids to stay out front and ride their bikes, I gave up. We swung for a bit and then went to the treehouse to slide… This meant I had to wipe the slide clean (had to go get Lysol and a towel)…

While the kids played in the treehouse, I took advantage of the time, cracked open a beer and proceeded to clean our pool. Since it needed some water I opened up the hose and dropped it in the pool. This was their queue to play with water!! My first reaction was “Guys, please don’t play with the water– you are going to get wet, we are going to have to get new clothes, you are going to get cold, yadda yadda yadda”… After they were initially careful due to my annoying directions, they later began to be more careless with the water… I caught myself wanting to tell them to stop but then I thought “what the heck!, what’s the worst that can happen?? They get wet. So what?!! Let them be kids. Let them have fun!”

They had a blast! They got soaked! They got a ton of things wet and even ended up without their bottoms on the shallow end of the pool (which is freezing based on my “I am a baby with cold water” standards). I had a great time watching them be kids- they couldn’t stop laughing and played wonderfully together. It was a great wake up call for me to relax and to let the kids be kids. It was a win-win for all of us and an awesome way to spend our Sunday as a family.

Thank you kiddos for continuing to teach me how to be your dad; I love you.

A great reminder to myself to let my kids be kids!

20 conventional and unconventional things I am thankful for.

General Lessons learned Life Reflections Parenting multiples Uncategorized

At first, the idea of writing 20 things I am thankful for sounded like a lot… but when I began to write them I realized the list could’ve been much much longer… Regardless, here is my list of 10 conventional and 10 unconventional things I am thankful for:

God: for guiding, protecting and keeping my family safe.
Becca: for being the best teammate ever in the game of raising kids, for being my rock, the supporter of my dreams but yet the one that brings me down to earth when I dream too much 😉
Nati, Nico, Santi and our 2 baby boys that will join us soon. For bringing so much joy into our lives, for being one of the main reasons I do a lot of what I do, for being an inspiration, for reminding me to be foolish and not take life so seriously, for being kids, and for seeing everyone for who they are, not what they look like. Among many other things.
Our family: For being the support system around us. For loving our kids unconditionally. For being there when we need you.
Our health: because we’ve been fortunate enough to have healthy children and have managed to stay healthy ourselves. I value that a lot!
Our friends: For helping us build memories. For sharing laughs. For listening. For not judging. For genuinely wanting us to be happy. The feeling is mutual.
My work family: For allowing me to do what I love while being myself 100% of the time.
Woolly Mammoth/Ultimate Community: For keeping my competitive spirit and the love for team sports alive. Woolly: for pushing me. For being one of the main reasons I exercise – for giving me a goal to work towards. For showing me, ourselves and others how working in unity towards one goal and under one mission can turn into huge accomplishments. For being the only place I can party barefoot without people making comments about my bruised or non-existent toe nails 🙂 (inside joke)
Our small business (packlessplaymore.com – shameless plug), for allowing me to live my entrepreneurial dream. For challenging me on how to grow the business, how to reach more people, how to better our service, etc.. For supporting our family financially.
YMCA Trainers: For teaching me how much fun it is to workout as a team.
Al Gore: For inventing the internet ;)… I have no idea what I’d do without it!
Facebook (although I am more of an Instagramer): For allowing me to connect with family and friends around the world. If it was not for FB I would have no idea how everyone is doing and wouldn’t be able to enjoy watching their families grow and cheer them on their accomplishments.
Taylor Swift: For reminding us that sometimes you just got to “Shake it off”
College Basketball/March Madness: For being the most exciting sport to watch and the best tournament in the World! Ok…the World Cup is better but March Madness is every year!! Go KU!
Pacifiers: You have no idea how many “oh sh*t he/she is going crazy!” have turned into peaceful and manageable situations… Yes, getting rid of them could be a pain in the a** but definitely worth it when looking back!
Disney World: For providing my kids with magical moments and ever lasting smiles. For allowing us to enjoy in awe their joy and happiness. That’s what it’s all about.
Single Malts and/or Beer: For being the best “decompressing” partner at the end of the day. No matter how rough of a day it was at work or with the kids.
Netflix: For calming my kids down any place, any time. For turning a crappy situation into a not-so-crappy. Sh*t going crazy? Whip out the phone/tablet and put on Netflix. Want them to take a nap while driving? Whip out the good’ol Netflix. Oh yeah, and for allowing me to watch shows & movies I never had the time to watch (and still don’t but at least it gives me peace of mind there is an option).
Miley Cyrus: For reminding me that raising girls is a complex thing… And for giving me perspective on what NOT to do.
Music/ukulele/Youtube: Ran out of room so last one is bundled up. Music for the good vibes. Ukulele.. because it allows me to think there is hope in the world and I may be able to play an instrument. Youtube: for posting tutorials on “how to play the ukulele”.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Me time” is just as important. Weekend Lessons and fun.

Lessons learned Life Reflections Parenting multiples Pregnant with Twins Weekend Fun

This weekend started off rather early for me. I had to do a delivery for a client in Indian Rocks in the morning so I started my day earlier than I wanted to, but it was worth the effort – on my way to pick up the equipment I found a Colombian Bakery and although I did not have time to stop on my way there, I made sure to stop on my way back. Around 10:30am I was back home with some yummy bakery treats for everyone!

The rest of our Saturday got busy doing stuff around the house. We finally got ready and left the house for lunch with the idea to go to Target and let the kids pick what they wanted for their Christmas list for Santa… That plan got interrupted by a lady that was interested in some of the clothes we had for sale from our failed yard sale so we went and met her instead…

At that point, the kids had started to get restless; we needed to find an activity for them or else our afternoon drama would be intense! We needed a playground and we needed it quick! Energy HAD to be burnt! 🙂 Thankfully we remembered there was a playground close to our meeting point so we headed there for a good 45 minutes.. the weather was kind of crappy so we left before we had planned…

Once home, the kids continued to play as Becca and I were trying to finish up stuff around the house… in one instance and after many times of asking the same thing from the kids and frustrated by no one following directions, I snapped… raised my voice and sent everyone to their room – not gonna lie, not my brightest moment… but I felt that my frustration was building for hours!!… Rightfully so, Becca was disappointed at me, we had a small discussion about it and she went up with the kids…. I headed to the kitchen, poured me a single malt and went to my room to practice learning the ukulele…. And while playing is where I learned my lesson…

First of all, I learned I need to work on my patience with the kiddos – sometimes I forget how young they are and I expect too much of them. I honestly need to make a conscious effort about it. I am admitting my issue and going on record so this blog can hold me accountable for my improvement.

The other lesson I learned is that sometimes we need to be “selfish” and spend some “Me time”. Before you judge me, listen up. Just like spending time with the kids is a main priority, spending time as a couple and spending time with yourself is just as important. To be able to be happy and joyful around the kids at all times, one must be happy with themselves and with each other. I really enjoyed taking 1 hour to myself to play and to just “disconnect” for a little. By the time I was done, I had time to reflect on my stupid reaction, I was able to spend time doing something I like to do for myself and was able to get back to my kids and family with a “fresh” new attitude and had a great night thereafter.

So although it is very easy to get consumed by “kid time”, as adults we need to make an effort to work on our relationship with our significant others and ourselves. We need to find a little time to fulfill our happiness as individuals and as a couple. Whether it is time throughout the day or late at night once everyone is asleep, the key is to find the time and make it count. Trust me, it transcends to the relationship with our kids and our home’s harmony.

Our Sunday was a lot of fun, we spent our morning at home being lazy followed by an awesome lunch at a local place that offers my 3 favorite things when wanting to hang out: outdoor eating, live music and beer. The kids had a blast jamming to the tunes played by the band and enjoying the nice Florida sunshine and breeze.

From there we went to a playground to get some exercise and then back home to cook dinner and get ready for the night. By then, we were ALL tired.