Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving Eve and as I sit here watching my mom prepare for tomorrow's feast I know I have a lot to be thankful for:

 My Amazing Husband

 My daughter

My unborn child

 My family

and the list could go on and on....

So, I hope that you too have a wonderful day tomorrow...!!!

Maya

Terrible 2s..

Ahhh..Help! What happened to my little girl and how can I get her back? Seriously..

Ms. J's tantrums have been on 100% and her new favorite word is "No". I don't know what to do but my patience is tested daily. For example, today I had to go register at the hospital and she acted the fool. Even though I brought her Nabi tablet she wanted to play with the stuff on the desk. When I placed her beside me the tantrum started and she bucked until she fell on the floor.. Geezzz.. Luckily the lady was understanding and finished my paperwork quickly.

Again, I don't know what to do. My mom always raves about how well behaved I was as a child and I guess I expected my toddler to be the same. I know, I know this behavior is normal I just wasn't prepared for it.

 I've been stern with her but I find it hard not to spend the day saying "no,no,no" or raising my voice. I'm just overwhelmed and its embarrassing when we are in public.  With another baby on the way I need any suggestions to help prevent this from becoming worst. Though I'm preparing for it to anyway...

CVS Haul....

This week CVS is running some great deals on tide pods and diapers (spend $30 recieve $10 gift card). So, i woke up early before heading to church to snag some things before the other couponers got to them! I had a 20% off coupon but misread it and because everything was already on sale it only took .72 off..I wasn't happy about that at all..

Anyway I still think I did pretty good for a newbie. I brought all of this for $28 (recieved 1 ecb) and it retails $79. Picture doesn't include 2 cases of water and one Palmolive dish soap.. 

I'm pretty happy with my haul. I brought one bag of tide pods on saturday for $2 and got the rolls of paper towels for free(cvs card promotion). On Sunday I purchased the tide pods and diapers for $26 recieved a $10 gift card. Then I used the gift card to purchase everything else. 

My laundry and dish soap stockpile is growing! 

Maya

Coupon Newbie..

For the past couple of months I've been trying to find ways to save. So I decide to try using coupons and I must say I wish I had started sooner.

Now, I'm no pro but I have found some decent deals on household and grocery items. For example, this week I snagged 5 Mott Juices for 1.25 ea which is 1\2 what they typically cost. How?? Well, Target is running a sale on Mott's 2\$4 and I used 2\.75 off coupons making them 1.25 ea. 

Where do I find my coupons and deals? 

Well I started following krazycouponlady.com, southernsavers.com and a coupon group on BBC. On Sundays I purchase a newspaper or two. There are also a couple coupon sites you can print additional coupons from (klip2save.com , coupons.com. etc). I also register my store rewards cards to gain more rewards and have access to digital coupons. 

I hope to get better at using coupons but so far I am happy with my little stockpile.

I've been able to get free dish detergent, soap and great deals on laundry detergent, toothpaste and hair products (not featured)! With a baby on the way I hope to snag some great deals on diapers and wipes. Wish me luck.. !! 

Maya

Monday Mani..Red Velvet Lounge

So I've been having some issues with my nails these past weeks. Not only did three break but I've also been dealing with them trying to peel. I've dealt with this issues before so I guess it time to take a break from painting my nails for a couple weeks, boo.

But.. I do have a manicure to share before I take a break! For this manicure i choose a red polish from the Fergie Wet and Wild line. 

A020 Velvet Lounge

This is my first time using this polish on my nails (Ben isn't a fan of red nails, o well) and it's very pretty. I did have to use several coats of polish but it went on smooth.  I love wearing this red on my toes and will probably rock it for a couple weeks! 

Hope these issues with my nails resolve themselves quickly.

Have a lovely Monday! 

Maya

Adventures with Ms. J: Halloween Fun

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! Ours was very low key because my husband had to work. So, I took Jayda to a truck a treat event at our church and she had a blast! We dressed her up as a bumble bee and I'm proud to say that I made her tutu. My first time making one and I was very impressed how awesome it turned out!. Check out the picture...

 I loved seeing her face light up when we approached each car and was handed candy to put in her pumpkin. She is such a big girl now I just can't believe it.


I must admit I have been concerned about her language development because she doesn't talk as clear  as some 2yr old. I can understand the majority of things she says but most is still gibberish. I have to remind myself that children development at their own pace. Right now she loves singing songs, planes, the colors pink/red and the numbers 9/10! Every time we walk down stairs she says "9, 10" lol..super cute.  Jayda is 100% potty trained during the day and wears pull ups at night.

I am still in the Mom's group and I signed Jayda up for toddler time at the Library (starting Wednesday), which should be interesting. I hope she sits still for story time and is willing to participate in the group activities.

Anyways, hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend.

Maya

28 week Pregnancy Update..

Well, Hello 3rd trimester! Saturday I turned 28 weeks, like where has the time gone? Seems like I just announce this pregnancy and here I am in the home stretch. Today I went in for the glucose test. I chose the orange drink for the glucose test and it was way better than I remember. I get my results on Monday, fingers crossed I passed! I can't imagine not being able to indulge during the holidays.

Its also time for me to register at the hospital. So next weekend I plan to tour the women's center and register. I also saw my doctor today and my belly is measuring right at 28wks, baby's heartbeat is in the 150s and she was kicking the doppler during the examine! I now see the doctor every 2 weeks but will continue to do these updates every month unless I have some news to share.

Anyway,  my belly is definitely getting bigger as you can see in the picture below.

How far along:  28 weeks and 4 day

Baby is the size of a: large eggplant about 14 1\2 inches and a little over 2lbs. 

Total weight gain:  18lbs

Maternity clothes: ..Its still pretty warm here so I'm still living in maxi dresses, skirts and leggings but I've worn my mat. jeans a couple time.

Stretch marks:.. Still no new ones. I've started using Trader Joe's organic coconut oil which has help soothe the itching.

Cravings: Chinese food, dried mango and dried pineapple.

Symptoms:..OMG heartburn has been really bad. My friends suggest tums and I think I might have to invest in some. I sure hope the wivestale is true and Ms. A comes out with a head full of hair..

Labor signs:..Thankfully none yet! 

Looking forward to... Visiting family for Thanksgiving and having my baby sprinkle!

Maya

Inspirational Quotes.

I haven't really feeling like myself these past couple of days, guess it's the hormones. 

So instead of a manicure I'm sharing some inspirational quotes. 

Hope everyone had a lovely Monday.

Maya

Monday Mani...I'm a Flirt

Hi y'all, its time for another Monday Mani. This week I'm wearing one of my favorite fall polishes from the Sally Hansen Extreme Wear line called Flirt.

Isn't this a beautiful rich burgundy? Perfect for this fall and winter!

Maya

Nail Wrap Haul..

Hi Guys!! I stopped by the dollar tree  today and found some awesome deals on Essie nail wraps. These wraps retail from $9-$10 so snagging them for a buck is awesome!

 I only brought 2 because these designs stuck out to me. As you can see I also picked up some by the brand Edge. I can't wait to try these out and don't worry I'll let y'all know how long they last!

Enjoy your Thursday!!

Maya

Monday Mani.. Disturbia

Happy Monday!! I'm super excited to share this manicure with you this week! I have been trying to find new ways to jazz up my manicures so I tried some nail wraps. I actually purchased these wraps some months back but never used them. Now I wish I would have tried them out earlier. I really love how this manicure turned out.  I chose to only use the wraps on two nails and I used my favorite dark purple to compliment the design.

Wet and Wild Disturbia

Isn't this Mani HOT!!?? The wraps were easy to put on and I just used a  top coat to add shine. This Mani lasted a whole week and the wraps didn't lift and I only experienced minor tip wear. Removal was also easy, all i had to do was peel the wrap off. I definitely plan to see what other nail wraps I can snag for a dollar!!

So if your looking for a cheap way to jazz up your nails check out the nail aisle at your dollar store..

Maya

Random...

Disclaimer: This post is not saying I'm not extremely thankful for the opportunity to stay at home.


Today I've been thinking about how my career plans have changed and how I'll be a stay at home mom for the next 2 years. I remember having such high hopes of finding a job when we moved to SC a year ago. I applied to numerous jobs and went on as many interviews ...but no bites..  See, I've always been very financially independent so when months passed and I didn't have any job offers it was pretty depressing.

Even now I feel kind of down thinking about not having a job/career. When I talk to my working friends I feel like I'm missing out on advancing in a career. I'll admitted I question if I'll even have a decent career again.

Now, I didn't do anything spectacular when I did work. Many of my jobs after college were at mental health clinics and my last job was working at a child development center, aka daycare. So I just worry with the gap of employment and how it will make it difficult to find a job using my degree because we all know experience is key to landing a lot of jobs.

I have been doing some volunteer secretarial work at my church. I format the monthly newsletters and design flyer's to advertise upcoming events. So that keeps my mind busy.

Ugh, i guess this is just a random post expressing my concerns about something that I don't have to deal with for another 2 years...

Hope everyone has a blessed week..I know the weekend always goes by so quickly

XOXO

Maya

Monday Mani...Crackled..

Last week I found some crackle polish on clearance for 75% off and decided to give it a try. I've been wanting to do something different to my nails and this looked like a great way to make my mani edgy. Plus I was inspired by this picture...

So, as you can see from the picture this polish is supposed to be used over a solid polish to create a crackled look. I decided to pair it with a light gray polish and I think it came out okay. The polish didn't crackle as much as I thought it would but it still gave me the edge I wanted.

 OPI Berlin there done that

Sally Hansen- Crackle top coat

I brought this crackle polish in black, white and sliver. I'm going to do another mani using this polish to see what happens if I use a thinner layer but either way at least it was 75% off.... 

Maya

Halfway Mark..

Well, I can't believe I'm halfway through the pregnancy already. Last Saturday I turned 22 weeks and so far this pregnancy has been going smoothly. My morning sickness eased up at 16/17 weeks and I've started to gain back the weight I lost. 

Check out the bump action! 

How far along: 22. 5 weeks

Baby is the size of a : Spaghetti Squash (8 in) and 1 pound

Total weight gain: about 9 or 12 pounds-ish.. 

Maternity clothes:...Not yet! Its still rather hot here in SC ao maxi dresses, skirts and leggings have saved me so far but I did purchases 2 pairs of maternity jeans for the fall/winter. 

Stretch Marks:..no new ones but this reminds me that I need to purchase some more Shea butter.

Best moment of the week: My husband being able to feel Baby A move. He was deployed during my pregnancy with Ms. J.  So,  it is an amazing feeling to have him here to experience everything he missed. 

Cravings:... Pizza and sweets. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate but I could eat chocolate anything right now! I was the same way with eldest DD.

Belly button in or out:.. Its been working its way out since 16weeks!

Symptoms:..I've been experiencing some hip pains but only on my left side. Also dealing with headaches every now and then.

Labor signs:...thankfully not yet! Little mama can bake a lot longer..

Looking forward to...getting started on the nursery. The girls will be sharing a room and luckily I don't have to do too much!

Maya

Monday Mani.. Through the Grapevine

Happy Monday!! Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was busy but I had fun visiting my family and friends back in NC. I even managed to find time to repaint my nails a beautiful purple.

Wet and Wild Through the Grapevine

Unfortunately this manicure is already starting to chip...but I did do my nails 30 minutes before heading to my best friends baby shower and I forgot to put on my base/top coat. So that might have been the reason it's chipping so soon. Any how this is a beautiful color and I plan to wear this polish again.


Enjoy your day..


Maya

Monday Mani..Haze of Love

Hi Guys!! Surprised to see me so soon? I decided to move my manicures to Monday since I normally do my nails on the weekend. So, lets get to it! This weeks manicure features one of my favorite polishes to wear during the fall season.

Wet and Wild Haze of Love

Isn't she lovely! Now only if the weather would cooperate I'll be in fall heaven.

What is one of your favorite nail colors to wear in the fall? I'll love to hear about them!

Maya

Longtime No See!!

Hi guys!! I know its been a long time since I posted. I mean really, who neglects their blog like this?? I guess me! Anyway, life has been moving right along so the best way to update you is through pictures...

~In July Jayda and I celebrated our birthdays!!

I turned 29 and Jayda turned 2!!~

~ I entered the second trimester of pregnancy in August and we found out we are having another GIRL! ~

~Doesn't Jayda seem excited about her little sister??!!~

~I also decided it was time to join a Mom's Group and so far so good. ~

Well guys, that about sums up what's been going on in my life these past months. I plan to get back into the swing of things and will try to post more often. I guess I do need to post a pregnancy update! So look out for that.


Maya

Wednesday Mani...2 for 1

Happy Hump Day! During my absence I still painted my nails so I have a couple manicures to share with you. The first features a orange/coral polish by sinful colors named Hazard.

Sinful Colors Hazard

 I only have one other orange/coral polish so I had to pick up another. This one isn't as shiny as my other polish and seems to be more of a bight orange color to me. What do you think? 

The second manicure features a pretty nude polish by Elf .

ELF  Nude

I've been on the hunt for a nice nude polish and I think I might have found it. I like how it is more of a pinkish then brown color which would probably be too dark for my skin tone. I really liked this polish and rocked it for a couple weeks.

Well that's it Guys! Til next time...

Maya

I'm Back!!

Miss me?? I know, I haven't posted in a while but a lot has been going on.  In my last TTC Update post I spoke about getting my hormone levels tested. Well I got the test results back and guess what??!!

I'm pregnant again!!

We are super excited but very cautious.  I've had some more hormone labs drawn and everything is progressing nicely. I  also had an ultrasound after Memorial day and I saw a beautiful baby with a heartbeat.

My estimated due date is January 17, 2015.  I've only told my mom, sister and y'all but I plan to find a cute way to tell the rest of the family at 12 weeks.

Today I'm 9 weeks and 3 days.  I started experiencing all day nausea around 6 weeks and it hasn't let up yet. Other then the nausea I feel really good. I have another appointment next month and will update y'all then.

I really can't believe how quickly everything happened and I can't wait to share this experience with you!

Talk to y'all tomorrow! I actually have a new Mani to post!
XOXO

Maya

Adventures with Ms. J: Children's Museum..

I'm back! I just have to show y'all how much fun Ms. J had at the Children's Museum today for Wee Wednesdays. I really like the program and Ms. J loves to play, dance and do the art and crafts. I'm working on her sitting for story time but she is still young and a busy body! I just figured it would be a great way for her to interact with other children and learn to share! Plus, we can possibly meet a new friend!

 Ringing the bell on the pirate ship

 Giving tea to Ms. Teddy

 Story time

 Dancing 

 Strawberry Art/Craft

Til next time....

Hope you have a fabulous Wednesday!!

Maya

Wednesday Mani..Sparkling Raspberry Sorbet

What's up!! It's Wednesday so you already know what that means..time for a new mani! The polish I used this weekend was given to me during a secret Santa exchange last year but this is my first time using it. I'm in love with this beautiful wine color!

Elf Raspberry Sorbet

Isn't it lovely??! I even added W&W Sparkle for a little bling. I'm upset i didn't try this polish sooner. Luckily my gift came with 12 mini polishes which I can't wait to try!!

So be on the look out ... ;-)..

Maya

TTC Update...

Figured I'll give a quick update about whats been going on with TTC #2. Well I had a couple doctor appointments last week to check my beta (pregnancy hormone) levels and I'll get the results Tuesday..My period was scheduled to come on last week but she was a no show. I will confess that I am really hoping that I'm pregnant again...

We weren't as cautious after the miscarriage so anything is possible right???

Anyway that's about it....I'll update you if we get any good news!!

Maya

Wednesday Mani..Mint Apple

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was very relaxing which was a nice change. Over the weekend I brought a couple new polishes because I noticed that my collection has a lot of "fall" colors. I found a nice mint green for this weeks manicure and here it is..

Sinful Colors Mint Apple

I still don't know how I feel about this color on me. It is really pretty color. I guess I have to see if it grows on me.. What do you think? 

Maya

Wednesday Manicure: OTD top coat

A couple weeks ago I purchased a new fast dry top coat from CVS named Out the Door and OMG. This top coat has to be the best one I have tried. Not only do I like the way it dries my nail quickly but my manicures are lasting longer then 2 days, Yay! Anyway, this weeks manicure features a beautiful mauve color that I think could be worn throughout the year.

Wet&Wild Bite the Bullet

                         
I have quiet few Wet & Wild megalast polishes in my collection and I'm always impressed with them. I only had to apply two coats to achieve this look and the new wider brush made for a smooth application.

Have you tried the Wet &Wild megalast line? If so, what do you think about the new wider brush?

Til next time!!..

Maya 

Ready to try again..

So just a little TTC update. My husband and I have decided to immediately start trying for our rainbow baby. I know, its hasn't been a month since the miscarriage but I feel emotionally at peace.

I had a doctors appointment 2 weeks ago and he gave us the green light to try again once my period returns. So now we wait! My doctor feels confident that we will conceive again quickly. I sure am praying it does but if it takes longer then 4 cycles he wants me to set up a fertility appointment for testing.

Why start fertility test??

Well I only have one ovary and it took us 2 yrs, many doctor appointments/tests and fertility drugs before I conceived my daughter.

So, I've been preparing my body for my second miracle baby, (Yes, I'm speaking it into existence!) by continuing my prenatals w/added folic acid/DHA. I've also cut down on my caffeine and alcohol intake.

I plan to document this journey and hopefully this will turn into pregnancy updates!!

That's all for now!!

Maya

Bereaved Mother's Day

Do you know what today is??

 For many today is known as Bereaved Mother's Day in honor of women who have loss a child(ren).

Dealing with the death of a child is hard and sadly many women are overlooked on Mother's Day because they don't have a living child. Thankfully this day was created for mothers who keep their children in their hearts.

Happy Mother's Day to any mother who is going through this emotional journey of loss and infertility.

Maya

Wednesday Mani.."Hollywood"

It's that time again! So to keep up with the spring theme I chose a pretty pink. I brought this polish back in the fall when my local Ulta was having a sale on O.P.I. polish. Now, I'm that girl who doesn't like to spend more then 3 dollars on polish but I heard good things about this brand and decided to give it a try. This is my first time using this polish on my fingernails and I think I've found my new favorite pink polish. 

O.P.I  My address is "Hollywood"

Also, despite washing dishes and doing light housework this manicure lasted  for 4 days without the polish chipping! Who doesn't love a no-chip manicure.. 

Maya

Get to know me : 20 Questions Tag…

So since I shared such a personal experience with you I figured why not share more about myself, Enjoy..

1.How old are you?

I'm 28 until July.

2.How tall are you?

I'm 5'3.

3.How long have you been married?

We've been married almost 5 yrs, which I can't believe. I guess time really does fly when your having fun!

4.What's your favorite color?

I have more then one favorite, purple and black.

5.What's your favorite drink?

Dr. Pepper, please..

6.What's your favorite movie?

Love and Basketball. I could watch this movie everyday!

7.What's your zodiac sign?

I'm a Cancer.

8.Do you participate in sports?

Nope but I love to watch college football, Go War Eagles!

9.What is your favorite song at the moment?

Jealous by Beyonce

10.What's your favorite holiday?

Christmas! It's just something about that time of the year that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside :-).

11.Do you have any siblings?

Yes, I'm the oldest of 3.

12.Have you traveled out of the country?

Not yet but I'm hoping to one day!

13.Who are your favorite YouTubers?

I have so many but I LOVE watching GabeBabeTV.

14.Have you graduated from college?

Yes!

15.Do you have any pets?

Yes, We have a 55 gallon fish tank with 25 African cichlids.

16.What phone do you have?

I have a Iphone 5s

17.Do you have any tattoos?

Nope

18.What are some of your favorite TV shows?

Right now, The Game, Hannibal, Bates Motel, Sleepy Hallow, Devious Maids and ratchet reality TV!

19. What type of car do you drive?

Honda Accord

20. Do you speak any other languages?

I can speak a little bit of Spanish but who can't??

Maya

Angel Baby..

My husband and I received the best news on March 16^th; I was pregnant with baby # 2. We were overjoyed with happiness and started talking about baby names, announcing to the family and I even brought a cute maternity dress for the summer. Well 2 weeks later I started spotting. I went in to see my doctor and the ultrasound showed a beautiful baby with a heartbeat. So I figured I would be one of those pregnant women who dealt with spotting issues, nope. Later that evening the spotting got heavier and on Wednesday April 9^th my doctor preformed another ultrasound that confirmed that our baby was gone, I had miscarried.

That was one of the saddest days of my life.

I have battled with the why, how and what could have been. I have cried looking at that ultrasound picture remembering the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.  

This all had to be a bad dream but then I woke up and it was real. We loss a baby...

 I will always remember the sound of your heart beating...

Love You ,

MaMa

Wednesday Mani..

I have a lot of nail polish (over 60 bottles) that my husband thinks I don’t use so what better way to prove him wrong then to create Wednesday Manicures. A win, win for me because I love painting my nails and I’ll have a reason to buy more polish, score!

Since it’s starting to feel like spring down here in SC I chose one of my favorite peachy-pink nail polishes by LA Colors called Nectar.

                                                              with flash

                                                                no flash

Isn’t this the perfect color for spring?! I think so! What’s your favorite spring nail color??

Maya 

Finally...

What’s up , its Maya B!!

I’ve wanted to create a blog for a while and decided what better time than now. I’m an Army wife who has recently relocated for the 4^th time in 5yrs, lol. Crazy right?? I’m also a stay at home mom to a very active toddler, so I figured with all these changes why not blog about it! 

I don't have a outline for this blog but here you will get a glimpes of my life. I love to paint my nails, spend time with family and shop. I enjoy reading blogs and I could spend hours watching YouTube videos. I'm not a fan of cooking but i like trying new recipes and I'm working on a healthier lifestyle. 

So hope you enjoy this blog as I share a piece of me...

Maya