Author Archives: Christina Rivas

Unknown's avatar

About Christina Rivas

You can't change the waves, but you can learn how to surf.

33 Days of Happy

I know I did math for a living, but I now change diapers for a living so it’s possible that today isn’t really day 33 but let’s go with it.

Today I took Lucas to the park in the sunshine for our “Special Wednesdays” outting. Love having a special day with my special Mini Me.

20140507-224839.jpg

Happiness Unplugged

I left the house all afternoon without my phone, this should prove to you when I say that I’ve been a little “unplugged” lately. I’ve read 2 kindle books, taken my kiddo to lunch and get cupcakes, and done some sewing, all without my phone. I was so used to not checking things that going to bed last night I knew I had something going on today but for the life of me I couldn’t remember what and was just waiting for the “where are you?!” Phone call. It came. Twice.

So anyway, on Saturday, we went to Livonia (a suburb of Detroit). We went to the state’s nicest mall and walked around for a while, took my computer to the Microsoft store (read: “teach me how to use this. Don’t judge me.”) and then went to a fun dinner before heading over to Angel’s college friend’s house for a party. It was all so much fun!

20140506-212316.jpg

On Sunday, we came home and did nothing. Yep, nothing. I let the dishes pile up, we had leftovers, and we all hung out in the family room while I read on my kindle until it died and then I read on my kindle app on the phone. I didn’t take any photos because no one showered or got dressed. You’re welcome.

Yesterday I made tacos for cinco de mayo, finally cleaned my kitchen, and finished my kindle book. We also tried (and failed) at our first attempt to put Lucas in a toddler bed. You win this round, kid.

20140506-212556.jpg
I took Lucas to the store after the world’s worst toddler nap to pick up stuff for tacos. The only way he would stay calm was if he sat in the basket of the cart and played with the can of beans and the box of rice. Pick your battles.

20140506-212714.jpg

Today, I took Lucas to lunch downtown Kalamazoo with Heather and her daughter. Then we got awesome cupcakes and I went home because I had pushed nap time by about 2 hours at this point. On my way home to put Lucas to bed he fell asleep in the car. To anyone with a toddler who wakes up the instant that you move him and never goes back to sleep and then melts down and screams all evening: take my lead. Roll the window down, grab a folding chair and beer, and tailgate nap time

20140506-213014.jpg

28 Happy Days

My phone is dead (as in dead, dead, dead, I hope no one is having a mental breakdown and trying to contact me but if you are I’m not ignoring you) so there’s no photo today.  I finished sewing together the denim quilt that my mom and I started.  Next stop: batting and backing before it makes a permanent home on my son’s “big boy” bed.  Since he’s still rocking the crib, I have time to convince my mom to come back and help me finish it.

In other news, I found out today that this is the first time the weather in Southwest Michigan has been below 50 in May since 1909.  Fun, right?  The high today was 43.  I am ice.  I am one with the ice.  I turned on the oven just so I could open the door and stand in front of it.

 

I’m totally the snowman and folks here are just too afraid of my reaction to tell me that summer will never come.  sigh….

26 Happy Days

The quilt that my mom and I are making!! It’s cut from old jeans that my mom has been storing for years. And while we were laying it out I decided where it’s going to go when we’re done: as the bedspread for Lucas’ full size bed when he’s done with his crib.

20140428-225141.jpg

23 Happy Days

Well I have to say, so far this “100 Happy Days” is doing it’s job to change my point of view. Now, as part of my bedtime routine, I’m all: brush teeth, wash face, post my happy on the blog. I lay in bed with my last thoughts being about all of the things that day that made me happy: coffee in silence before Lucas woke up, a clean house, watching my toddler destroy the clean house, sewing with my friend, drinks with an Irish family, a night out with ex-pat moms, etc. so tonight, my happy is that this idea of finding something that makes you happy every day for 100 days, and that it’s actually making me happy again. Lack of snow helps, but I think I have to credit this a lot of forcing me to look at everything positively.

And because I heart my little destructive toddler, he’s a close second. Here’s what happened with I left his dresser unattended: it spit out all of his clothing. Must be time for a new dresser that behaves.

20140425-233658.jpg

20140425-233705.jpg

20140425-233719.jpg

Days 21 and 22

I was having too much fun enjoying myself yesterday to stop and blog. So here’s yesterday’s happy thing(s): a new haircut and another Special Wednesday with my 20 pound boyfriend at the children’s museum.

20140424-120527.jpg

20140424-120539.jpg

20140424-120547.jpg

20140424-120601.jpg

And for today’s happy thing, I just found this online and love it. It’s a really quick read by a humor mommy blogger as an answer to someone’s rather rude post to her regarding her body: A Letter To Anyone Unhappy With Their Body

It never hurts to have a reminder that we’re awesome just the way that we are.

Smile on, friends.