Fit Fridays!

The country is being hit by a summer heat wave.  Atlanta is in the high 90's-low 100's and guess what?  It's not even humid.  It feels like we are in Arizona.

Ernesto and I have been getting out of the house early to get our workouts in before the sun comes over the trees at the Olympic Track, just two block from our house.   Its a perfect place to do Crossfit [on the go] workouts.  We did 5 days last week and are going for 6 this week.

Im having trouble going down the stairs because my legs are sore, but I consider this a good thing.  We have been doing a lot of sprints, lunges/squats and those damn burpees.

For example:
Sprint 100 meters and do 20 air squats.  Repeat 10 times.
10 burpees, 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups.  10 rounds
Run one mile. and stop every minute for 30 walking lunges.
Run one mile for time.
(This week was 8:10 and my goal was 8:00, so I was chided by my "trainer.")

What about you guys?  are you working out in this heat?

Selling on Craigslist!

Not only do I scour Craigslist for items to buy, but I also post things I'd like to sell.  Granted, this piece above is in the 'free' section.  Ernesto wanted to just put it in a dumpster, but I told him I would list it as a "curb alert" ie: free.
It is an antique, but how could I ask money for something that has a broken leg and no cushions?  I had such high hopes for this couch when I bought it on Craigslist a back in 2010!  I even went through a whole fabric search and started to take it apart....Ernesto said I would never do anything with it and by gosh, he was right!  (I hate when that happens!)

Anyhoo, I posted this couch at 11:30am today and I was contacted before noon to arrange the pick up.   Done and done!  Furniture really goes quick.  We practically sold all the contents from our first house on Craigslist.  It's so easy.
This lady just bought a plantation house in south GA and thinks this couch (once it is re-done) will be perfect.  Im sure it will.  I still see a diamond in the ruff just as i did when I saw the ad. Unfortunately I paid $50 for it, but Im so glad someone is going to use it. 
Ernesto's trash is another [wo]man's treasure:)

ps.  listing a shaggy off-white rug (5 x 8) tomorrow. 

Nine Months Old {Mateo's Monthly Photo}

 Just on a related side note, the "monthly photo shoot" has officially gotten out of hand.  Trying to get a picture of this mobile 9 month old while sitting still was a challenge, but gosh darn it, I succeeded (after about 50 pics).  Here is a glimpse into our photo session.

Summer Summer Summertime!

When my brother Bill told me a few months ago that he and his family wanted to drive to Atlanta this Summer to visit us I got very excited!  I absolutely LOVE having family visit.

My dad asked Bill what they wanted to do in Atlanta, he said " absolutely nothing...just relax" and my dad said "well, you are going to the right house." That made me laugh. 

Although we didn't "do" much, we had the best week. We just hung out with the kids all week.  Four adults and three adorable kids!  No obligations...Espinester style!!   We all walked away with a lot of great memories and 5 million pictures to support them.  (Barbie was the original "picture ass" in our family, but I have been hot on her tail for years) 

A big thank you to Bill and Barbie for taking a chance on a potentially hell-ish 12 hour car ride with two small kids.  You did it!  (Now we will expect you here for Thanksgiving:)

Instead of listing all of the "absolutely nothing" that took place,  I thought I would share some pictures:

{morning workout at the olympic track by our house}

{cousins at pajama time}

{beautiful beautiful Eleanor rides Clifford at the splash park}

{Playing at DH Stanton Splash Park}

{The Napping House...Neto joined the kids...daily}

Bill picked up a book to read the kids and it was in Spanish.  He just went ahead and read it anyway.  If you want a good chuckle,  watch this:

{walking to get ice cream and coff coff}

{Mustache munchins}

Poor Mateo! He had just fell and hit his head, but Lukester still wanted him to sit up for the picture.  Barbie made these great mustache shirts for the kids.  They looked so cute in them.  Here we are at the zoo in a shady spot for a feeding break. 

{Merry-go-round at the zoo}

{train at the zoo}

{a goaty-goat at the petting zoo}

Every night we had the kids in bed between 730-830p.  We taught Bill & Barbie a card game [called footy-foot] that we always play with my parents. Teams were in-laws vs. siblings.  Siblings won..that's right!   Our video monitors sat side by side.

Besides playing cards and having a few drinks we laughed our a$$es off.  Have you guys ever played around with Apple's Photo Booth?  Bill started taking photos on his paddy-pad and we could not stop laughing.  Here are some favorites.

What got us started on this (other than being immature)?  Bill pulled up a pic that he had taken of my dad.  We laughed until we cried. 

I know my dad is wondering what we said about him all week.  He'll be happy to know that we had some good laughs at his expense!

Yep, overall it was a pretty cool week.  Take it from this little guy.

Happy First Fathers Day!

This year was definitely a special fathers day.  It was fun to think of it as Ernesto's day.  He is "doing a good job" as Matiti's papi and although, at times,  I may be slightly more popular because of my leche,  Mateo loves being around his papi all day.  He gives him "besos" all the time and likes being thrown in the air and tickled until uncontrollable giggles ensue.   Fathers day morning Mateo gave his papi a handmade (er, footmade?) gift.

Mateo picked out his favorite pictures of papi and him and had them printed into a book called "yo quiero a mi papi!" ( I love my papi) It turned out really cute and papi loved it.  Not surprisingly, there were many pictures of siestas taken together.  Birth to 9 months (on the 20th!) has been so much fun.

Of course a special thanks to my dad goes on the bloggy blog too!  I sent him a nice sappy card saying this, (and I know you have heard me say it before but) Dad, you are the best!  Thanks for being so supportive, funny and generous with both your love and time for my little family.  We love you so much!  ...and hope you will get down here for your June visit!

Virginia Highland Summerfest & Square!

This was my first year selling at the Virginia-Highland Summerfest and Im happy to say it was Zafiro's best show ever!!   I got very lucky with a premium booth location.  I had a corner spot right at the main entrance, very close to the band and neighbor to King of Pops!  (I had to show my support by eating 2 chocolate sea salt and one blackberry ginger popsicle! Mmm)

In addition to great placement under a huge tree, the weather was unbelievable.  This annual June festival is usually hot and sticky, but this year was just beautiful.  80 degrees and sunny.  I think that can make all the difference when it comes to shopping/trying on jewelry.   The wide street was jam packed with people...and the people watching was spectacular.  This is a major party crowd too; lots of house parties were going on during the festival, plus the margarita/hurricane stand across from my booth told me he had record sales.   I had a front row seat to the music and even stayed open 90 minutes after the artist market closed on Saturday because I still had tons of traffic. 

I don't think that I have ever been as tired as I was when the show ended last night.  I was standing for 10 hours each day.  Ernesto was with Mateo so I was there by my lonesome. Does that sound like a complaint?  It's not.  There were constantly people in my tent and I met some great customers. 

 I have been accepting credit cards for years at my shows.  I don't even want to imagine how many sales I could loose by only taking cash.  I started by entering cc info through paypal when I got home.  It was easy enough, but occasionally I would copy a number incorrectly or a card would be declined.  Then I would have to call the customer...yada yada yada.  Of course Paypal has come a long way since those days.**

Have you guys heard of Square?  This was my fourth show using the little plug in credit card reader and I have no complaints.  In fact, it works great every time.  Fast, easy and without a doubt....COOL!  Customers love it.  

Here is how it works;

Plug in the card reader to your phone [headphones jack] and open the Square app.

Enter sales amount on keypad, enter item description (or better yet, take a picture of it) and swipe card.

You have the approval in seconds and the customer signs right on the screen.  You can then email or text the receipt.  Amazing.

The rate is 2.75% per swipe for all major credit cards.  No monthly fee.  No start up fee.  Square will mail you the card reader for free.  Your sales will be deposited into your bank account the next day.  It works with iphones and Androids.  You can sign up here.  

**  Paypal also has an app and card reader for iphone,  but I heard about square first, and honestly, it's just way cooler:)

My "Must Haves" as a New Mama

I was so lucky to have 2 baby showers thrown for me while I was pregnant.  One in Ohio with my family and one with Ernesto's family in California.   When I started thinking about a baby registry, it was a bit overwhelming.  Soooooo much stuff.  What do I really need?  At the time we were living in a one bedroom apartment and did not want to fill it with unnecessary things.  All of the reviews and forums out there just overload you with opinions.  Who do you trust?  

I reached out to all my friends who were recently new mom's themselves and got a list of their "must haves."  I just went right down the list and registered.   Of course, every mother is different.  Every baby is different, therefore....lists will be different.

Now, 8 months later, I have compiled my own list.  Take it for what you will, my new mom friends. 

My #1 purchase (and splurge) The B.O.B. Revolution SE Stroller.  

No regrets, best money I've spent! This thing rides like a dream.

We bought the car seat adapter (which was an extra $50) so we could use this as our "travel system" until he was big enough to sit in it solo.  It worked out perfectly.  Of course, you must buy the cup holder too (come on B.O.B.!),  but it's a necessity, especially if you are using this thing for running/walking. 

And then you need a carseat!  This Chicco Keyfit got great reviews, and I liked the look.  Done. Easy.

Chicco Keyfit

We bought the Ergo Carrier after a few friends recommended it was [and continues to be] a great alternative to the stroller.  We bought the infant insert and little Matiti snuggled in and slept like a baby while we walked around and had our hands free.  Papi loved wearing baby in this too!  I also have the Moby wrap which I found great for around the house.

ERGO

Now all you need is the Diaper bag and you are ready to leave the house! 

I found this Skip Hop diaper bag for $2 at a liquidation sale.  But this was not a bag papi would want to carry,  so we got this bag by Diaper Dude.  Its great for both of us!  Roomy with pockets and hooks onto stroller.

Diaper Dude

At my shower in Ohio I was gifted these  Aden + Anais Swaddle Wraps.  (thanks Treff!)

Little did I know how much we would use these.  The are so light and soft, great for covers in car/stoller, cover while breastfeeding. (not that I ever did that, but they would be great for that:)  Little Mateo loved to be swaddled from the beginning and these are big enough to make a nice tight little burrito.  

Aden + Anais Swaddle Wraps

Our little Mexi-can was busting out of these pretty quickly.  The pre-made swaddlers are the best.  They are like a sleeping bag with velcro, no tucking.  You can have baby wraped up in 10 seconds flat....and he's not getting out!  We had a couple made of fleece and one cotton for the warmer nights.  I found a 2 pack of the  Summer Infant SwaddleMe wraps at TJMaxx for $7 and ended up having to buy a large size too since we swaddled for so long.  

SwaddleMe swaddlers

I may have thought it was crazy to have a video monitor, but after hearing my brother and sis-in-law talk about how much they loved it, I bit the bullet and got one too.  No regrets!  Again, this is a splurge worth the money.  If you don't have a picture and you hear noises, you are left to wonder/imagine what baby is doing.  Then you will have to go in to peek and if baby sees/hears you, it's all over.  (for an older baby)  When you have an infant, you'll want to see baby at all times anyway.  You can't imagine how good it feels just to watch them sleep.  It's piece of mind.

Summer infant video monitor

We ended up moving into our house one week after Mateo was born. (yeah.  crazy, I know!)  I had bought a co-sleeper instead of trying to squeeze the crib into our bedroom at the apartment.  But after perusing Craigslist, I found this Kolcraft Bassinet and decided to get it (for just $50!) It was less bulky, rocked and had a pull out moses basket.

It was perfect.  We were able to bring the basket from room to room.  We also took it for a weekend trip.  I pulled the bassinet right up to my bed and when I heard Mateo stir in the middle of the night I rocked him without getting up and he [usually] fell back to sleep. 

Kolcraft Contours Bassinet

Another shower gift I am greatful for was the Leachco Safer Bather.  Genius! No plastic tub here.  Baby lays in the  contour of this padded tub and you know he's comfy.  You could also use this in your sink.  When you are finished, hang it in the shower (by the provided hook) and it is dry in a couple hours.   I had never seen this thing before, so thanks to my cousin Julie for introducing me! (she has 7 kids, I would consider her a professional)

E

Leachco Safer Bather

Even if you are planning on breastfeeding exclusively, I would recommend getting a good breast pump.  It's nice to have some milk frozen or in the fridge for dear 'ol dad to take a turn feeding at night, or maybe you will just want to leave the house for a while.  I had researched breast pumps a bit, but didn't actually purchase one until after Mateo was born.  I am glad I waited.  My hospital gave my an Ameda hand pump and a bag full of all new attachments for the Ameda electric pump.

Ameda Purely Yours Ultra

Since I had all new parts, I searched for the motor on Craigslist.  I found this Ameda Purely Yours Ultra for $100.  It was used only a few months! What a score.  It sells on Amazon for $240!    It is a serious workhorse.  I could pump 5-7oz in less than 10 minutes.  No complaints.  I highly recommend it!

Breastfeeding was a bit of a challenge, (to say the least) but what made it easier was My Brest Friend (too bad I didn't discover it until 4 months in) Anyway, it is an awesome nursing pillow.  I found it to be waaaaay better than the Boppy.  It helps to position you and baby comfortably.  Saves your back and makes latching on so much easier!! 

 

My Brest Friend

Since my little Mexi-can was born in September, we did have a couple cold months when he was still tiny.  (Plus we went to Ohio for Christmas.)  I found this JJ Cole BundleMe at TJMaxx for $25 and I loved it.   No layering lots of clothes or having to tuck straps.  The bottom piece stays in the car seat and you just zip the top piece up once the baby is strapped in.

JJ COLE BundleMe

Something else you will probably want is a play mat for "tummy time."  Of course at first a blanket will do, but pretty soon, when baby's eyes start focusing on things, he will appreciate some things hanging over his head for entertainment.   I have this one, and Mateo loved it!  Black & white are supposed to be most stimulating for infants (?)

One more thing I would recommend is a swing of some sort.   I ended up getting the Mamaroo [because I got a STEAL of a deal on it] because I loved the look of it.  When Mateo was really tiny and sleeping all the time, this thing was nice for swaying/vibrating naps.  Not $200 nice though. 

MamaRoo by 4Moms

I really think a swing that has more movement would be a better investment.  Something like the Fisher Price Cradle n Swing.  When we went to San Diego, Ernesto's sister had this and Mateo loved it.  He was kicking around and having a good time.  If he was awake in the Mamaroo, he was bored.

You may want to put music/white noise for your baby.  The Ipod app White Noise Ambience is awesome.  There are 12 sounds you can play...for free.  My favorites are forest dawn (birds), evening twilight (crickets) and restaurant chatter. 

A friend recommended Baby 411 and I have found this book extremely helpful/interesting.  Of course there are many good ones out there. 

 
Clothes go on the list without saying.  So many cute things, so just have fun with it.  The only thing I might suggest is getting some of the side snap newborn shirts.  They are easier to get on baby vs. going over his head, great for layering and won't rub on umbilical cord. 

Also don't forget about yourself.  All I wore for a few months were these Targets nursing tank tops.  So comfortable.

Hope this helps some of you out there.  Im sure I forgot something, (experienced moms??) but you will figure it out once baby has arrived.  You can't be 100% prepared for everything....so why try?!  That's my motto!