I love you too, sweetie!

I absolutely love this video!
He's not even 3 here yet. It was back when Barney ruled, not the Transformers and Power Rangers

Fall

I haven't blogged for so long! Life has been busy as we are trying to get used to the new schedule. Anthony seems to really like school. As for me, I think it's a bit too much for a 5 years old.

First of all, homework. Every day it takes us over 30 minutes to complete it. He gets 5 tasks daily! Honestly, I do not remember getting homework until I was in the 2nd grade. And we're talking about K! And the tasks do not make too much sense to me, either. Here  are some examples:

* Draw a picture of a rule you follow in the cafeteria
* Write what is the difference between you and your teacher (I like that they have to write!)
* Read a book and draw all the characters

and so on......

We do complete each task diligently, but I feel like reading to him would be much more useful. We do read a lot, he loves books

Another thing that I was a bit irritated about is the "warnings" that he brings from school every other day.
* Warning for not following instructions (the teacher asked to put a book on the shelf, he put it on the desk)
* Warning for being too active (c'mon now! It's a 5 y.o. boy!!!!)
* Warning for talking during class
I spoke to his teacher about those warnings, and she said everyone got those. Then what's the point?

Ok, you got it! I am one of those mommies who worry too much about their only child. But he's my SONshine, I can't but worry!

Boys gone handsome Part 2

Now that Anthony is in real school, I need to make sure he's dressed appropriately. They do not wear uniforms, but I wouldn't put a dinosaur shirt on him, since it'll probably become a distraction. For his school clothes I chose Hannah Andersson.Love this brand! Their cotton is still of very high quality (unlike Gap, which disappointed me so much lately), clothes are designed to spend a day in.

First and foremost, we bought a back pack and a lunch box. These were not my faves, but my husband and Anthony both voted on them, so I had to surrender:

The back pack is awesome! I love the padded adjustable straps and VERY light weight.  The lunch box is pretty roomy, can be attached to the back pack. It is insulated inside and has some outside pockets for snacks.
AND... these are pretty unique. You don't see them much in school.

I love Hannah's t-shirts. We are in Georgia, so the t-shirts are worn until November sometimes.
Stripes are usually my favorites. Look at this one!

Isn't that cute?

Hannah Andersson never disappoints me. But I am lucky to have a store nearby, as their shipping charges are pretty high (for those buying on-line)

What is your favorite brand that your SONshine wears to school?

Anthony goes to kindergarten

I can not believe my baby boy, my SONshine, the love of my life is a kindergartner now. He's riding a "real yellow bus" every morning to school. First couple of days were so hard for me! I came home from the bus stop and cried.

I wonder if every mom has this kind of emotions seeing her baby off to school for the first time. I really would love to hear from others!

I know you'll make your mommy very proud, Anthony! You're smart, kind and gentle. I couldn't wish for a better son than you!

Thank you, Lord, for my family, for my beautiful son and loving husband. I can't thank you enough!

Boys gone handsome ... Part 1

I want my SONshine to always look good. I mean, who doesn't, right? The truth is, though it's much easier with girls than boys.

Look and compare boys' and girls' clothing departments at any store and you'll see what I mean.

I had a little girl's mommy said to me once: "You're so lucky you have a boy! You don't have to care what to dress him in every day - just jeans and a t-shirt".

 Well, I can't agree with that. Anthony always looks sharp, no matter if he's going to Church, school or playground. I refuse to have "that's just a boy" attitude. I know, some moms are rolling their eyes at me right now. Oh, well. That is how I am

I buy a lot of clothes. Too much? I guess, you could say that. I sell it on Ebay after Anthony grows out of it. That is exactly how I han afford buying some higher-end clothes - I sell them after I use them!

My all-time favorite brand is Mini Boden. I just love their quality and wearability. Mini Boden t-shirts with appliques are always fun. Anthony absolutely loves them.

Another thing I buy from them all the time is their jersey baggies shorts. I buy them in all colors year after year.

I have to add, that I buy them at the end of the season for the next year 80% of the time, when they are deeply discounted. This way after I am done with them, I can get my money back after I re-sell them on Ebay. Like, last week I placed a huge order for next summer. Some shirts were discounted to $7, and shorts to $10!

Happy 5th Birthday!

My SONshine turned 5 yesterday. I can't believe how fast time flies. I thank our Lord every day for such a wonderful gift I have been given.

My little boy, I hope you know how much you're loved. I will never get tired of kissing your precious face. I will never have enough of your tight hugs. I will never love anyone more than I love you. My love to you grows with every new morning. Sometimes it's so intense that it hurts.  You make my life lighter brighter and happier. Thank you for being you! Thank you for showing me what MOM's love is.

It is SO HOT!

Weather, I mean.
I love heat. I love to feel hot sun rays on my skin. Summer is my favorite season, and here, in GA, it lasts at least 6 months.
What to do with my SONshine when it's so hot? We love water.
Unfortunately, our subdivision does not have a pool. So, we have to think of where to go to splash. The closest and the cheapest to us is downtown Norcross (little town we live in). It has a fountain where kids can splash for free.

The one thing I do not like about it is that it is so crowded. Big kids run around not paying much attention to the little ones.

We also have 2 mini aqua parks pretty close. You do have to pay to get in there, but it's not much for the county residents. This year we haven't been there yet, but here are some pictures from the previous years

1. Best Friend Park. It features an outdoor leisure pool with zero-depth entry, giant water slide and water play structures

2.  West Gwinnett Park Aquatic Center. It features a zero-depth entry, two giant water slides, river channel, bubble bench, vortex, spray bar, and water play structures.

What I do not like about these parks is that they can close pretty unexpectedly (e.g. someone peed in the pool, or their radar shows that thunder is coming), and they do not refund you the money. It happened to us twice. Once we just got undressed and didn't even get a chance to get into the water, the second time we were there for about 15 minutes. That, to my mind is very unfair. But they were firm, and the money was not refunded.


Sometimes we would go to the river. The Chattahoochee River is 5 minutes from our house. Its fast water is very cold, though. That's the thing I do not like about it. It doesnt't bother my SONshine, though!

Lake Lanier is about 40 minutes drive from us. It's a lot of fun, too!

Spraygrounds are everywhere now! For just $1  you can spend there all day (we usually spend no more than 45 minutes there)

Monday Morning

Today is Monday, my day off. I am going to the doctor's today for my physical. I have a list of questions to ask. I have noticed, every year the list becomes longer and longer. Am I getting old? LOL
I also have a great news! Since I found out I am obese 12 days ago I lost 6 lb. Not as much as I would love to, but not bad at all. I started eating breakfast, and signed up for My Fitness Pal. This site is so great! I encourage everyone to try it out! I got a phone application as well, and it has a scanner, so you can scan the barcode of any food you eat to add it to your daily food diary. Now, off to the gym! (yeah, that too...)

Weight Loss struggle

I always was a skinny girl. Could eat anything anytime and not gain a pound. Everything changed when we moved to the United States. In 9 years I went from 110 lb to 190 lb. Yeah, I had my SONshine, but not only that. There are several reasons that got me where I am now.
1. I got a car. We live in Atlanta suburb, where there's no public transportation. I drive everywhere. In Belarus (that is my home country) I walked everywhere.
2. We started eating out a lot. Back home eating in a restaurant is ridiculously expensive, and we could afford it monthly, not every week, sometimes twice a week. And, let me tell you! The portions of food there are at least 5 times smaller than here.
3. Fast Food. I am not a fan, but it is so freaking convenient sometimes!!!

So, I started gaining weight. I loved my new life and absolutely refused to admit I was getting bigger and bigger. By the time I got pregnant in 2006 I weighed 140 lb  (that's from 110 lb in 2003)

I was really good during my pregnancy. When tests showed I had gestational diabetes, I was put on a very strict diet. But, by the time I had Anthony, I weighed 152 lb. The scale became my worst enemy. The numbers never went down, they were slowly creeping up. I tried all possible diets.
I started with Weight Watchers. I must say, this is when my diet really worked. I started losing weight. But I very soon got tired of counting points, going to the meetings etc. So, I quit.

After WW there were:

* Atkins
* South Beach
*Dukan Diet
*Sonoma Diet
* Phentermine appetite suppressant.

I always lost weight on those, but gained it right back.

There's a list of different DIETS HERE

I think I'm just lazy. I can't stick to a diet. I hate this word!!!! I love food too much.

The wake up call was 10 days ago during my routine OB GYN exam. I was told I am obese 
I cried for 2 days! I do not want to be obese! I do not want my SONshine to be embarrassed by me.  I want to again be in the pictures and wear cute clothes!  I have to do it this time. For me and for my SONshine!

Selling on Ebay

When Anthony started outgrowing his clothes, I tried out selling them on ebay. I kind of liked it, though I barely made any profit. This is when I stumbled upon this amazing group of women who call themselves "Storks".


 This is an amazing forum. Everybody is super friendly and helpful. I fell in love... A couple of months later I had an ebay store.

Daddy's day

Today is Father's day and I would like to tell you how wonderful my hubby is. His name is Pavel, he goes by Paul here, in the States. From day one Anthony was born he was there for him. He was the one to hold him first, to feed him first, to rock him to sleep first. He is awesome!!!
 * he is a very intelligent man
 * he has a great sense of humor
 * he is loving and caring
 * he is handsome
 * he always keeps the house clean
* he lives for me and Anthony
 I could keep going, really! Happy Daddy's Day, sweetheart!We love you!

First days are no fun!

When Anthony was born, I didn't fall in love with him right away. I guess, I am not one of the majority of moms who claim it was love from the first sight. I know, that's what every mom is expected to say, to do... It wasn't me. I was annoyed and irritated. Maybe it was because I was still under drugs (I had a c-cection), maybe something else. But I WAS VERY IRRITATED. I do believe I am not the only one feeling that way, but no one wants to admit they didn't love their child from the moment they saw him. It took me a while to get used to my new life. I cried every single day. I was tired and exhausted. Me and my husband do not have family here, in the US, so it wasn't like we could call a grandma and ask her to come help. We were all by ourselves.
Anthony cried a lot. We lived in an apartment complex with many maintenance issues. That July of 2007 we had no AC (it's Georgia in July!!! 105 F), and the elevator was broken (we lived on the 2nd floor, and it was a nightmare for me to take the baby and the stroller downstairs after the c-cection). So, Anthony cried. And because he cried, I cried. And feeling my frustration, he cried even more. I was tired, sleep deprived and unhappy. They call it "Postpartum Depression".
My friends and hubby were great. One Monday my good friend Loreen came over and told me to get dressed. "We're going out for lunch!" - she said. "With the baby?" - I gasped. "Everyone is taking babies everywhere now" - she wouldn't take a "no" for an answer. So we went to a mexican restaurant. I even had a margarita! (she was driving). That was the first time I felt much better.

My dear friend Loreen at the hospital. Anthony is one day old

My best friend Katya with Anthony (2 weeks old)

It's a boy!!!

I have a SONshine, the love of my life. He came to this world 5 years ago and became everything for me and my husband. Everything we do, we do for our SONshine, our precious Anthony.

I always wanted a baby girl. Had a name picked up, had plans made for her. So, when we found out we were having a boy, we could not believe it. It was something we didn't even consider!!! LOL. Ok, I cried right there, in the doctor's office when I heard the news. (blushing).

I remember going straight to the mall after the doctor's visit and buying tons of baby boy clothes. I came home,  put the tiny outfits on the floor to make a circle, sat inside of that circle and thought: "Ok, boys' clothes can be as cute as girls'". So funny! But that was the first step loving the idea of having a little boy, a little SONshine.