Baby Shower Fun!

Do you remember how you felt when you had your baby shower? I was recently researching an article for Baby in Bloom about baby showers and it brought me back. I was registered at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby which I was very happy with. Buy Buy Baby even gives you a goody bag with samples for baby when you register.
My theme was butterflies and flowers because this was what I picked for my nursery's theme. The cake was a three tier creation with butterflies and flowers on the edges and the favor was a single serve cupcake that was a mini version of the big cake:

My centerpieces were made by a good friend of mine. She bought the baskets and put foam in it and placed fresh flowers and white twigs with white lights that were battery powered and she decorated the twigs with pacifiers and butterfly hair clips. They looked great! We gave the centerpiece to the oldest person at each table at the end of the shower.

Did you do anything fun for you baby shower that you would like to share? Email me pictures at lliarpac at gmail.com. Here are some pictures from 2 showers I recently attended: 

Candy theme for a double baby shower (for a girl and boy)

Flower cupcakes and DIY favors for another baby shower I went to. The little bags were made of burlap and inside was homemade body/foot scrub with little baby food jars filled with ginger-flavored treats (good for nausea in pregnancy)

Guess the Baby shower game

Be sure to visit Baby in Bloom for advice on how to plan your baby shower!

Home Made Lasagna Rolls

I had seen the recipe for lasagna rolls on the internet recently and decided to give it a try. You can make them with just cheese or add shredded chicken, beef or spinach if you like. The first time I made them I used chicken but this time I used only cheese.

They are real simple to make and here is the step-by-step directions:

1. Cook the pasta for the recommended time. I usually like Ronzoni because they don't fall apart easily after you cook them. Try to keep them al dente because they will further cook in the oven.

2. After they are cooked, place them on a flat surface:

3. Add ricotta cheese (you may mix the ricotta with a beaten egg in order to make the rolls stick better) and mozzarella along the pasta.

4. Gently roll the lasagna and place side by side in an oven pan/tray:

5. Add sauce and extra cheese on top and cook in oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Enjoy!

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The Liebster Blog Award

Baby in Bloom has been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Growing Up Madison. Thank you so much! I appreciate the nomination! The Liester Blog Award is an award given to bloggers with less than 200 followers in order to show your appreciation for them and to help them gain more readers.

Please visit my other blog/website www.babyinbloom.net about pregnancy and the postpartum.


In order for me to accept my nomination, I have to do the following things:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated me
2. Nominate 5-11 blogs that have less than 200 followers
3. Answer all questions posted by the nominator
4. Share 11 random facts about myself
5. Create 11 questions for my nominees
6. Contact my nominees and let them know I nominated them

Here are the blogs I want to nominate:

1. Rosel's Mom Diary
2. Simple Mama
3. Finding the Story
4. Laced up with Lipstick
5. Mummy Zen

Now here are the questions I have to answer:

Why did you start blogging? I originally started Baby in Bloom because I enjoy writing about pregnancy and keeping patients up to date on what they should be doing in their pregnancies. As far as my personal blog, I started blogging because I enjoy writing about everyday things and connecting and networking with moms.

Where would you live if you could anywhere on Earth? I would want to live somewhere warm near a beach with perfect weather. Probably somewhere in the Caribean like Turks & Caicos or the Bahamas

Who is the most important person in your life? The most important person in my life is my little girl. She relies on me for everything and I want to give her the world.

What is your favorite movie? This is a hard question, but one of my favorite movies is The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith because it teaches a great lesson.

What is your favorite book? My favorite book? Hard to say because I don't do much leisurely reading. I read mostly medical articles, blogs and current events.

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself? Understanding, driven and funny.

What would you say is a girls best friend? A loving husband

What can't you leave the house without? My cell phone of course

Do you have any hidden talents? Party planning, maybe?

Who's your favorite superhero? Wonder Woman. She reminds me of childhood.

What super villain would you be? Catwoman I guess, but I don't care to be a super villain.

Now here are 11 random facts about me:

1. I became a wife, mom and stepmom all in one year's time.
2. I speak 3 languages: English, Italian, Spanish
3. I have never lived out of New York City
4. I can hoola-hoop for long periods
5. I met my husband on facebook
6. I have a yearly tag sale at my house
7. I can't start the day without a cup of coffee
8. I have been to Italy, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos and Cancun.
9. My favorite dessert is tiramisu
10. I am a picky eater but I have recently been more adventurous
11. The backseat of my car is filled with sippy cups, toys and coloring books.

Here are my questions for you:

• Why did you start blogging?
• What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time and why?
• What has been something challenging you have had to overcome in your life?
• What is your biggest pet peeve?
• If you could be a famous person, who would you be and why?
• What food do you never get tired of?
• What is your biggest accomplishment?
• Who is the most important person in your life?
• If you could live in another country for one year, where would it be?
• What is a product that you can't live without?
• If you could go back to school for something, what would it be?

A Night on the Town: A Date with my Husband

This past weekend I went to see Juanes in concert called Loud and Unplugged at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. For those of you who don't know who he is, he is a Colombian latin rock/pop singer. His songs are a combination of upbeat music mixed with ballads about love. The concert was great! He did various covers including Bob Marley's Could You Be Loved and Joe Arroyo's La Rebellion  . The music and lights were amazing and the crowd loved him!

The best part of all was I got to spend time with my husband alone while his sister babysat. We really enjoyed ourselves. My advice to all couples with children: make time for yourselves! Try to make an effort at least once every one or two months to go out as a couple without the kids and enjoy yourselves! This will help keep your relationship alive, not to mention give you a well deserved break from the everyday.

Radio City Music Hall

The Crowd

Looking forward to planning some more evenings like this one!

10 Ways to Make Your Body Summer-Ready

In honor of the first day of summer and the summer solstice I will share with you some tips to look good this summer.

1. Get a tan. Having a nice even skin tone can make you look fit and can hide imperfections like varicose veins and cellulite. Beware of the sun's rays though and pick a safer way to get a tan. Self tanners and spray tans can do the job. 
2. Reduce cellulite. Reduce the amount of processed foods you eat because eating refined sugars, starches and high salt attributes to the appearance of cellulite. Eat healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables along with plenty of water and this will reduce your cellulite. Try massaging your troublesome areas daily to help rearrange the cellulite and give a smoother appearance. 
3. Exercise! Of course exercising will make you look tone, reduce the appearance of cellulite and make you summer-ready. Running or brisk walking several times a week for 20-30 minutes is a good way to start.
4. Choose clothing in colors that compliment your skin tone. Determine what type of skin tone you have. Generally, most people fall into 3 categories: cool, warm and neutral. People with cool skin tones usually have mostly bluish veins on their wrist or upper arm. If you fall in this category then greens, blues and pinks look better on you. If your veins are mostly greenish then you have a warm skin tone. Warm-toned people look best in reds, browns, and yellows. If your veins are an equal amount of blue and green or don't appear either, then you are likely a neutral tone and most colors look great on you!
5. Take care of your face and hair. The sun can be brutal on your face and hair so be sure to cover up and use sunscreen (30+) if you are going to be out for long periods of time this summer. Wear a hat to the beach and a cover-up when you have prolonged exposure to the sun.
6. Accessorize! Have an excuse to go shopping! Sunglasses, hats, beach bags and chunky jewelry are neat ways to add to your look.
7. Keep well groomed. I think this goes without saying....
8. Get a manicure and pedicure. Pick a summer color for your nails that brings out your skin tone. Colors that generally look good in the summer: pinks, lavender, orange, and yellows. A nice french manicure always looks nice. 
9. Natural make-up. Don't wear too much make-up this summer. A nice fresh face always looks prettier.
10. Smell nice. Start with a good deodorant that lasts all day and add a nice summer scented perfume.

Have fun!

My Garden is Growing!

A little over two weeks ago I planted lettuce, tomatoes, green pepper, basil and strawberries. Well its finally growing and I am about to eat my first salad! 

What are some easy plants to care for and which give good results? Here are my recommendations:

• Tomatoes: There are a few different types of tomatoes you can plant. Among there are cherry, beef and Roma tomatoes. I planted all three and the plants have doubled in size in a little over two weeks. I am waiting for  the tiny yellow flowers to grow and eventually the tomato. Remember to space your tomatoes apart and tie them to sticks when they get tall so that they don't tip over.
• Lettuce: This was my first time growing lettuce and so far the results are really good. The plant has nearly tripled in size and tonight I was able to make a salad with it. It was delicious!
• Green Peppers: So far the green pepper plants are growing but I'm not sure how long it will take before the green peppers start to grow. I will keep you posted.
• Strawberries: The strawberry plant is growing nicely and I think the strawberries will be here soon. I would definetly recommended strawberry plants for beginners because they grow pretty quickly and  require little care.
• Basil: Everyone should have basil in their gardens. It is ready to use from day one and it can add taste to salad, pastas, meats and much more.

Here is a picture to show the progress: 

6/2/13: clockwise from top: basil, strawberries and lettuce.    

Lettuce on 6/20/13

Strawberries on 6/30/13: little growing strawberries seen!

Weekend Photo Challenge: Daddy's Weekend

June 15-June16 Daddy's weekend went well. We spent Saturday throwing a birthday party for our four year old which went great! The kids loved it. A clown and Minnie Mouse were part of the fun. Face painting and magic tricks were also entertaining. On Sunday, we woke up early, had breakfast, and played soccer in a nearby open area. The kids loved it and I watched and took pictures as they all played and worked up a sweat. Afterwards we came home and showered and went out for a delicious lunch. Here are some of the highlights in pictures:

Back on Track

I am disappointed that I missed the last 3 days of my 15-Day-Blog-Challenge but I am ready to catch up again now. I had a rough 3 days, feeling a little under the weather and also been very busy with work and home getting everything ready for the weekend coming up. My stepdaughter's 4th birthday party is this Saturday and I have been making her goodie bags, ordering food, shopping for cake decorations and finally booked a clown and a character. Also, Sunday is Father's Day, as you know, so I coordinated a little get-together for my husband, children and extended family to go out to eat at an Italian restaurant: No cooking or cleaning, thank goodness! There are even a few surprises for my husband lined up that I am sure he will love.

Ok, now for an update on my fitness challenge. We went to whole foods and bought some healthy snacks which I am enjoying. I discovered some really tasty snacks like these winterfruit crackers and this delicious Adriatic fig spread. I have brought healthier things to work likely fruits and nuts so that I won't be tempted to make a bad choice in the hospital cafeteria or gift shop. Working out has been a challenge this week but hopefully next week will be easier.

Did you know that eating unhealthy food can actually shrink your brain? This is because people that eat unhealthy foods usually have a diet low in omega 3s and certain vitamins and minerals. There is even a link between making bad choices in diet and developing Alzheimer's Disease. Also recently in the news: women who have low Vitamin D levels are more likely to develop fibroids. Eating healthy should be on every one's to-do list, even if you are not trying to lose weight.

The 15-Day Blog Writing Challenge

Photo Weekend Challenge: Something Relaxing

6/8/13-6/9/13 Today my husband and I went out to lunch at a Cuban restaurant and left our youngest with her grandma. It was nice because we got to go shopping and have lunch at a nice mall. The weather was perfect! Then we played in the backyard with our little munchkin. She enjoyed blowing bubbles and playing in her toy car while we sipped coffee and watched the clouds pass by.

On Sunday we went to a street fair in Queens, which wasn't relaxing at all: very overcrowded and smoky (from various vendors grilling meat, frying dough, etc). We managed to have a good time though. We ate in one of the restaurants which was pleasantly under-crowded since everyone was outside.

The watermelon looked delicious! We were stuffed from our meal but later on in the evening we went to buy some at the supermarket.

Not Our Generation

Do you ever wonder what the children that are growing up today will be like when they grow up? Chances are if you are in your late twenties, thirties and older, you had a very different life than the children that are growing up today. Kids today have devices like iphones, ipads, tablets, computers at their fingertips. They can use search engines like google to look things up that they are curious about, while we had to wait for a trip to the library if we weren't lucky enough to have a set on encyclopedias in our homes.
This generation will enter kindergarten knowing far more, especially technology wise than we did. They will be able to look up answers to questions easily as they grow older which will fill them with far more knowledge than we had at that same age. Will this make our children wiser or more likely to suceed in life? How will this affect their SAT scores, their career paths and what kind of adults they will be become?
Will this have a negative effect on them? Should we be protecting them from too much technology? Should we allow them to be kids and play games like kids do? This is something to think about.
I guess only time will tell.


What about cell phones? Can they really cause cancer? Please limit you and your children's contact with cell phones. Never store them on your body (eg in a bra or in your pocket). Keep them in your purse and off your body if possible.

This is day four in my 15-day Blog Challenge

The 15-Day Blog Writing Challenge

DIY Personalized Birthday Goodie Bags

This is day four in my 15-day Blog Challenge

Eliana's 4th birthday party is coming up so I decided instead of the usual boring loot bags from the store, it would be nice to make a loot bag. The theme of the party is "princess" and the colors of the supplies (eg. plates, napkins, etc) are different shades of pink. I went to a craft store and bought a baker's dozen of plain brown bags.

I also purchased photo corners, decorative jewels, pink craft paper, and girly birthday stickers. I cut the craft paper into 4x4 inch squares and glued them to the bags and attached the 4 photo corner stickers. I wrote "Eliana's 4th Birthday" and added the jewels and stickers.

The goodie bag looks cute and original and I know Eliana will love it! I want to add glitter and more stickers to make it stand out. What do you think?

I am going to fill them with pink tissue paper, healthy snacks, bubbles, and toys!

Finished product!

The 15-Day Blog Writing Challenge

I am giving myself a fitness challenge

This is day three in my 15-day Blog Challenge.

I am giving myself a fitness challenge because I am tired of this extra weight that I gained after my pregnancy that I was never able to get rid of. It's not alot of weight but I don't like how its arranged itself on my body. I basically need to lose about 10 to 15 pounds. Along with losing the weight, I want to feel better and look better and to do this I need to change how what I am putting into my body.

1. Less Sugar! Ok so I no longer put 3 or 4 sugars in my coffee every day like I used to do. I am down to 1 to 2 sugars. I am going to work on putting less than that. On weekends, I don't put any sugar because I use my vanilla creamer but I have to remember to buy the low sugar one. Of course it goes without saying, no cookies, cakes, etc. Ok so I had some OREOS the other night but that has to stop!

2. Lots of Water. I want to make sure I drink at least four 8 oz servings of water per day. I dont know what happened, I used to drink alot of water but recently I haven't. I am going to take my Camelbak water bottle to work and fill it every chance I get.

3. Eating healthy. I need to make better food choices. I am going to add some superfoods to the diet again and avoid eating unhealthy and high calorie foods. 

4. Exercise. I am going to work out 3 to 4 times a week. I have a treadmill in my basement and I need to use it! My husband and I are going to be supportive of each other and make this happen. We are also going to take advantage of the weather go out for runs.

5. Take my vitamins. I need to start taking my vitamins again. I am sure my body lacks some minerals and vitamins and can use some extra calcium, vitamin D and biotin. 

6. Manage stress better. Managing stress is very important. Stress releases cortisol in your body which does all sorts of bad things to you including making it difficult to lose weight.

I think that sums it up for now. The first day of my challenge will be tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes! 

The 15-Day Blog Writing Challenge

Photo-a-day challenge just for mommy

This is Day 2 of my 15-Day Blog Challenge

Here is some photo fun just for me. I love photography and love my iphone so this challenge will include fun pics taken with my iphone. Thanks for the cool challenge! http://www.theidearoom.net/2013/05/june-photo-a-day-challenge-2013.html



Day 1: Breakfast

Arepa with fried egg with mozzarella cheese

Day 2: In my hood

View from my office window

Day 3: Color

Beautiful flowers from the hubby

Day 4: Play

Waiting to be played with

Day 5: Road

Road to NYC

Day 6: Lawn

Day 7: Reading

Day 8: New

Day 9: My Smile

I know it says my smile but this smile was too cute to pass up 

Day 10: Pet

Day 11: Chocolate

How I Plan to Celebrate Summer

I am excited that the warm weather is finally here and that the summer activities can begin! I am looking forward to doing some fun activities with my family this summer. One of the best family getaways we will go on is a trip to a horse ranch in upstate NY. We went last year and had an awesome time so we plan to visit in July. I want to make it a yearly thing, at least until the kids outgrow it. Where else can you enjoy all-inclusive meals (including outdoor BBQs and late night snacks), ride horses, go to the pool, go to art class, sing karaoke, watch entertaining shows, play baseball, go to the arcade and even play jeopardy! By the way, I played jeopardy last year and won! The kids loved it and so did we.


I am also looking forward to having friends and family over for BBQs at our place. We hosted a few last year and it was great. We have already had 2 so far and its only June 3! In 2 weeks we will be having another party in the backyard to celebrate my step-daughter's 4th birthday. Then there is 4th of July which we plan on either going to watch the fireworks and eating somewhere or having a few people over and celebrating at home.

I plan on a few lazy summer days, relaxing by the pool or at the beach with a good book. It has been a while since I have been able to do that. There is something so soothing and calm about being able to feel the heat and the wind on your body while reading and sipping a cold drink. Our youngest child will be almost 3 so my husband and I might be able to enjoy a weekend getaway to ourselves.

Summer will be over before you know it. Late August and early September will already feel different. I plan to make the best of it while I can!

This is Day 1 of my 15-Day Blog Challenge.