My Faux Fur Vest Obsession

I don't know what it is, but occasionally, I get these obsessions over particular fashion pieces or trends. Since last spring, my obsession has been over faux fur vests! I was literally searching stores everywhere  IN JULY looking for a faux fur vest for the fall. Of course I couldn't find one, and when soo many vests came out everywhere once September hit, it was hard finding one that fit me right. A few months into fall, I finally found one at Francesca's (loOoOve that store...). It was a little on the pricey side, but I had to have it. So I treated myself to an early Christmas present that month. :) So glad I did! What I love about faux fur vests is how versatile they are! You can pair them with a pair of dark skinny jeans and a striped or plaid shirt, or you can get fancy with it and wear it with leather pants and heels. I love pieces that can be worn multiple ways...I feel like you can get the most out of your money that way.

Here are a few inspirational looks I love:

*You can access all the links to these outfits on my Pinterest page in the board titled "On the Blog - Outfits"*




Unfortunately, I only have one picture of how I wore mine just one time. But I've dressed it up and wore it casually before and love both looks (and the warmth)! ;)

A photo posted by Jessica Rodriguez (@iamjessicar) on Dec 26, 2014 at 6:51pm PST

Dealing with a Bossy Toddler...Like A Boss.

These terrible twos are coming up FAST, and if it's one thing I learned, my second child is NOTHING like my first! Jacob is bossy, bossy, bossy. To his defense, Vinny has snatched things and tried to bully him around since he was born, so he kinda earned the right to defend himself. At the same time, he should still know that wrong is wrong. This is as much of a learning curve for me as it is for him! Vinny was never this bossy/demanding/aggressive. LOL

Here are a few things that have worked for me when dealing with "Master Jakey." :p

1. Give them a few options. This worked for Vinny too, when he was exploring his independence. Instead of telling him what to eat or what to play with or what to do, I gave him options. A FEW options--so as not to overwhelm the little 1-2 year old. For instance, if Jacob sees Vinny eating chips (or something I don't want him to eat), and he demands to have some, I'll say no, then offer him one of his snacks (i.e. animal crackers or a granola bar--or yogurt--I always win with yogurt!) This way, I'll get him to eat something else that I approve of, and he still gets to exercise some independence by choosing what he wants.
2. Paying less attention.  I know the struggle all too well--you get so used to coddling and nurturing their every need when they are infants, that making the transition to not giving into their every cry is instantly the hardest thing in the world. Jakey is the baby of the family, and he gets all kinds of attention from everyone and their mother. Literally. I will admit, I smother him with kisses and give him all the attention in the world sometimes. My bad!! But paying less attention when he's making his demands works! I make every effort to make sure he knows he will be taken care of, but I also have to remind him that I'm the parent and he needs to listen to me when I say no. So when he cries, screams, and throws a fit, keeping my composure and ignoring his attitude works for me. Even with Vinny, I let him know that I will not be talking about it with him while he is throwing a fit, and if he needs some time to calm down, he can go to his room and we'll talk when he gets himself together. With Jacob, it's a little harder since he's younger, but he still gets the hint. I found that if you don't respond to their attitude, it is less likely they will continue to have one.
3. Teach them how to ask politely. Personally, I think that it's never too early for this! All toddlers want to do is learn things...they are sponges with everything, so this is the best time to teach them what they need to know. Acknowledge that it's not good to yell or demand things, then teach them how to ask for it politely. If they have an older sibling, you could use them to help teach the little one. For example, when teaching Jakey to say "Please" to ask for things, I'll have Vinny do it first, praise Vinny, then tell Jakey it's his turn, then praise him once he does it. Works every time. Consistency is everything with toddlers, so now that I started him with saying please, I can't stop. Like I said, they are constantly learning, so the minute he learns he can do something the wrong way, he will.
4. Teach healthy competition. Having a bossy toddler makes playing with the kids a little harder. I am constantly intercepting conversations and interactions between my two kids because one of them isn't getting their way. That's normal, I know. But sometimes it gets a little excessive. This one may be for when the baby gets a little bit older, but I'm trying to find creative ways to teach healthy competition. A good friend of mine suggested weekly game night, which I think is a great idea. For Vinny, he's controlling in the sense that he always has to win, and when he doesn't, you'll hear about it for days. What helped him was playing games where everyone was on the same playing field. He did this mainly at school, but I started playing games with him at home so I could help reinforce fairness and to teach him how to deal with losing. In doing this, he also realized very quickly that he can't always get his way.
5. Teach them to give. One of the things Jacob struggles with is taking toys from other kids. Then he gets mad when they snatch it back. We make him give it back every time, even if the other kid doesn't want it anymore. Again, consistency is the big thing here. He needs to know that it's not good to take things whenever he wants it, and how to fix the situation if he did.

Of course the best thing you can do for your bossy child is to show them proper behavior in all things. Do you always shout demands or do you say please and thank you as well? The adults and older siblings in the household are their biggest teachers.

I also believe that a bossy child has the potential to be a great leader. I think their assertiveness and aggressiveness can lead to a successful adulthood, but will be best used and appreciated if they use those traits in a positive manner. I really value the younger years and I think this is best time to teach children these values.

What are some techniques that work for you? I'd love to hear other things I can try with Boss Man Jakey! :)

Owl Be Your Valentine!

Vinny attended his first school vday dance yesterday! Okay more like a party (I mean c'mon they're in Pre-K), but they asked the girls to dress up in dresses and the boys to wear dress pants and a button up, and it was just too cute.

For the party, all the parents were asked to bring in food or items. Things on the list included pizza, cupcakes, cookies, candy, candy...candy...and more candy. And being the crafty mom that I am, I signed up for goodie bags. YUP. I basically shot myself in the foot. There were 28 kids in his class and I had to provide them with goodie bags. The good thing is, they were meant so the kids could collect all the cards and candy from their classmates, so they didn't have to be pre-filled. So there I was thinking, ohh this would be such a great craft to do with Vinny, he'd love it! blah blah blah....I ended up doing it all myself. Lol but I was happy with the end result! Take a look at my Valentines Day goodie bags for Vinny's class:

I know I could've just gone to the store and bought pink goodie bags with hearts all over them buuuuut...that's just not me. :) So I whipped out the glue gun and went to work. Here's what I used:

• Brown paper lunch bags
• Black sharpie
• Colored markers
• Scissors
• Colored paper (I chose neon colors)
• Colored foam sheets (for the wings)
• White cardboard paper (eyes)
• Heart stickers (beak)
• This template from classroomcompulsion.blogspot.com: Owl Cut Out

The parents and teachers loved them! And I was happy to see all the bags standing up in the kids' cubbies while I walked in to pick up Vinny yesterday afternoon. It would've been such a cute picture but I didn't have my phone on me. :( Anyway, it goes to show that not ALL Valentine's Day decorations have to be pink!

Dinner Date and Christian Grey

Happy Valentines Day!! It's been one crazy fun week celebrating my birthday and then Valentines Day, and I have to say, this year was one of the best! The highlight of the week:

• Christian Grey I mean Robbie and I had a successful date night last night--dinner and 50 Shades of Grey! :p

We had dinner at Ten Ten American Bistro. I had the Bourbon-glazed Salmon on top of a bed of spinach and sweet potato and bacon hash. Robbie had the short ribs and mashed potatoes (not pictured). SO GOOD. See the mouth-watering pictures below:

    

After dinner we ended the night at the movies to watch the premiere of 50 Shades of Grey, and Robbie did not know what he was getting into. LOL I kinda dragged him with me...literally. Anyway, here's my review and I'll try not to spoil it for anyone. I loved it, however I thought they could've done a little better telling the story. First and foremost--the actors did a phenomenal job, especially Dakota Johnson, the actress who played Ana. I had major doubts, as most people did, before the movie's release, but I thought she most definitely portrayed Ana very well. Jamie Dornan on the other hand, he played the stark, dark, character of Christian Grey well, but I was waiting for him to be a little more flirtatious. I remember specifically in the book Christian would comment on how "charm is everything," and Jamie didn't quite capture that for me. Lastly I would add that the movie did stay pretty close to the book when it came down to script and scenes, but they didn't tell the story like the book did (from Ana's perspective). I thought it would've been good to have Ana narrate through the movie as she did in the book. That's essentially how I fell in love with Christian in the book anyway--seeing him through her eyes. The movie didn't quite capture that, and I think if I saw the movie without reading the book first, I'd see Christian and this crazy psycho who loves kinky sex, and that's not what the book portrays at all. Well, at least not all the time. WITH THAT SAID...The movie was pretty much based on the first book, and I know that in the books there's much much more to the story and the movie, and Christian's personality does show alot more in the next part of the series, so I am anxious to see the next 50 shades movie!! 

Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day and President's Day weekend!!

Red Lips & Leopard Print

It's here!! The best day of the year. My BIRTHDAY!!!! Feels good to be 20-....something. :) Okay okay, I'm 28. It was a great birthday day and a wonderful birthday weekend with my family and my girls. :) We went to Founding Farmers. So so good! My meal was waaaay off my Weight Watchers plan BUT it's my birthday so who's really counting points anyway!

Here's a little look at my birthday outfit from this past weekend. A little red lip and leopard print action had this mama feeling a little sexy. (Subtle sexy!) ;)

*Photo Cred: The lovely Kim Q.*

This outfit was sooo comfortable. I'm not gonna deny it...I'm still struggling with some leftover chub from baby #2, but I am well on my way to getting rid of it once and for all! In the meantime, I try to find creative ways to hide it while staying comfortable. :) This romper did just that! Details are below:

Romper // Forever 21

Necklace // Charlotte Russe
( a J. Crew Bubble Necklace knock-off ;p )

Blazer // Forever 21

Clutch // Michael Kors

Heels // Nine West

Sesame Street Birthday Party

Vinny has a big birthday coming up (5 years old!!) and today he let me know what theme he wants! (I will share that with you soon, so long as Vinny doesn't change his mind! ;) ) Anyway, to get me back into event planning mode, I like to look back on events that I've done in the past, mainly for two reasons:

1. It inspires me and gets the creative juices flowing.
2. It reminds me what things I already have and how I can reuse them or use them differently.

Here's a look at Vinny's 2nd birthday. So much color and so much fun! It was a Sesame Street theme (but really Elmo theme because that's the only character he really knew and loved!). This was one of my favorite party themes to work with. It was so easy and there are so many things you can do and colors to play around with!

When doing events I find that it's easier to focus on matching colors than buying everything according to the theme. You get more options that way and I think it looks less tacky too! :)

Decorations: I bought most of my decorations from Target or Wal-Mart, most of the time they're much cheaper than Party City. I designed all the Sesame Street labels on Photoshop and attached them to ribbon to tie them around the jars and drink dispensers. I bought the banners (on the buffet table and fireplace) from Target. The chairs I found at Wal-Mart, as well as the tablecloths and tableskirts--although I think the bright blue tableskirt may have been from Party City. I already had the kids table and chairs (hand-me-down from Vinny's older cousins), I had the orange rug and pillow, and I bought the red and yellow pillows from Ikea. I find so many good (and cheap) party supplies at Ikea!!

Photobooth: The fabric for the photobooth was from Joanne Fabrics. I made the Polaroid-inspired frame out of foam board and an Xacto knife (thanks to my dad who's an artist and has all these things on hand!) I hung the frame from the ceiling using tape--alot of tape! However, for my events now, I like to use Command Strip hooks since they don't put holes in the wall and provide a sturdy hold. The backdrop is fabric draped over a large flattened cardboard box and it's leaning in a doorway. We also bought funny props and made mustache sticks for people to use in their photos. Credit to my dad for setting my friend up with the California State Penitentiary sign! :p

Party Favors: When choosing favors, I like to give kids things they may actually use and not just small toys that end up all over the floor for their parents to step on. :p Vinny's birthday is in May so the favors were things that kids can use over the summer. The buckets and bags were only a dollar each from Target (bags) and Party City (buckets)! The bags were for the infants and included soft bath books, a Sesame Street snack cup, and a bath toy. The buckets were for the toddlers and older kids and included a Sesame Street coloring book, snack cup, bubble wand, crayons, and a crazy straw. Everything was $1 or less from the Target dollar section.

Now off to plan Vinny's 5th Birthday party! Yes--I always start planning months in advance! :)

Gifts & Glamour: Valentine's Day Ready!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!! While the wings are in the oven and the steaks are on the grill, I'd thought I'd work on this post for ya. :) February is my favorite month!! My birthday is on the 9th, and the little extra attention I get five days after (Valentine's Day) is a little extra bonus. ;)

I have to admit, I get a little cheesy when it comes to Valentine's Day, especially since I had kids! BUT I also still keep it low key and budget friendly. I think all holidays are just more fun in general when you have small children--especially if you have boys! I am very lucky to have three valentines. :)

Soo I went a little pin crazy on my Valentine's Day Pinterest board. I wanted to share with you some of the things that have been inspiring me this Valentine's Day season. See below for my V-day Gifts and Glam picks, decor, and more!

V-day Gifts

I personally love the idea of making a Boudoir book. I think that's so cute for Valentine's Day, anniversary, or a birthday! It's creative, simple, and easy to do--and likely easy on the pockets if you choose to DIY it. And for the ladies, c'mon guys, jewelry is always a winner! Although I encourage jewels and diamonds, I've listed a few non-diamond options below for ya. ;)

      

V-day Glam
A few v-day outfits I love and a few specific items I'm eyeing...

  

V-day Decor
Although I tend to pack my tables for many of my events and tablescapes...I'm really a fan of simplicity. I think a simple, well-organized table makes any event or dinner special. You don't need a whole lot of stuff to make it look nice, you just need enough of the right stuff. And for Valentine's Day...I mean...you can't go wrong with roses. I also think an all white table (with white roses) would look nice too! Just don't spill the red wine. ;)

V-day Eats!
I had to post some vday food on here. I mean. Heart-shaped bacon. #FoodIsTheWayToAMansHeart

 

How cute is this for the kids?!

Valentine's Day isn't fun with a little cheesiness! (Pun Intended) ;)
What are you guys doing for Valentines Day? Whatever you choose to do or where ever you go, have fun! You'll find me in the movie theater watching 50 Shades of Grey. ;) Happy Valentine's Day!