2016 / Mainly Marta :: A Motherhood + Lifestyle Blog

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What started as a digital diary to document a newfound journey as a stay at home mom / wife has quickly evolved into my own little corner on the internet where I share all that life brings my way -- the good, the bad, and everything in between. Thanks for stopping by; I hope you stay awhile!

12.30.2016

2017 | New Years Resolutions


2016.
It's honestly been one for the books. 
went to three protests, made a baby, 
spent 9 months being an incubator for a little human, 
went through labor, now have a son 
 adjust[ed•ing] to motherhood, 
and started this blog.
365 days just flew by.
so. darn. fast. 
seriously, where did the time go? 
regardless of where it went, 
it's time to say
goodbye. 
---


In this coming year, 
I resolve to: 
  1. drink more water. during my pregnancy, I found out that I was severely dehydrated -- which would explain the migraines I used to have before. this resolution is a must. I am aiming for about 67 ounces a day. 
  2. lose 60 to 65 pounds. everyone has a weight loss goal on their list, it almost seems cliche, but I really need to do this. I entered 2016 thinking I was going to lose the 25 pounds I gained after I got married, but then I read a positive pregnant test in late February, making my weight loss resolution nearly impossible. I gained about 45 pounds while pregnant, and even though about 10 pounds came off as soon as I gave birth, I am still overweight. I am the heaviest I have ever been and I feel ridiculous. not to mention the fact that I am getting tired of everyone commenting on how skinny I used to be. I hate the way I look in pictures too. I really miss my body and being able to fit in my clothes. I am determined to lose all the extra weight. 
  3. portion control and no eating after 7. this one kind of bounces off the previous one, but thats okay. When I was in high school and the beginning of college, I wouldn't eat full meals unless it was on a dessert plate. I'd snack through out the day, and then only drink water after 7. If I was really hungry, I'd just drink 2 bottles of water (16 oz) and then I'd be good to go. I really want to get back to that lifestyle. 
  4. start exercising again. another cliche, but still a good one. I want to exercise at least 3 times a week. I used to run in high school and it was really refreshing to get off the treadmill, look in the mirror and see sweat dripping -- it made me feel accomplished (plus, a shower after an intense workout is the best feeing). This resolution was originally to walk an hour a day, but since I live in a rainy city, that's not really reasonable -- what I do know is that I want to get back to that fit and fresh type of feels. I'll walk when the weather permits it. 
  5. learn calligraphy. something I've always wanted to do, so why not make this year the year I actually learn? 
  6. cook more home-cooked meals. when I first got married, I was always cooking, but when I got pregnant, I rarely did because everything made me feel sick. now it's time to start cooking and recording family recipes. 
  7. love on my little family as much as possible. having a healthy in tact family is such a blessing, especially in today's world. I want my son and husband to know that I love them tremendously, but not only that -- I want them to really feel it too.
  8. conquer the art of applying eyeliner. this is something I have been avoiding since the beginning of forever. I've tried a few times and have epically failed. something about eyeliner is just so intimidating. giving myself 365 days to perfect the cat eye. 
  9. take more pictures. the mission is to document everything. and to get back to artistic editing since this past year I stopped channeling my artistic self.
  10. get organized and adopt a minimalistic outlook. I want to start a bullet journal (aka, a planner) and organize! now with a baby, it's really easy to be disorganized and it can get frustrating. I want to reorganize the house and get rid of some clutter. 
  11. garden. I used to do this all the time, and I really want to get back to it. it's a great stress reliever and a good way to get vitamin d. 
  12. drink more tea. because thats the epitome of sophistication is it not?
  13. get out of bed by 8:30-9:00 am. I usually am up before 7 because I breastfeed, but it's so tempting to snuggle up with my baby and sleep in until 10:30. a good time to work out would be during Felix's morning nap. 
  14. try more "daring" make up looks. and by daring I mean, with the eye shadow because up until now, I haven't really gone further than a barely noticeable look. 
  15. establish a skin care routine. I take care of my skin, but I feel like I'm lacking consistency lately. It hasn't always been this way, but having a baby really does minimize "me time" to the point where you pass on things you maybe shouldn't. 
  16. spend more time doing devotionals. this is a resolution that I have every year and at the end of each year, I look back and wish that I would have spent more time in the Lords presence. I am wanting to do an intense study on the books people skip by -- Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 
  17. keep blogging. I want to post weekly. I started this blog to document life, and that's what I plan on doing. some of these resolutions will be blogged about -- especially my weight loss. writing about it will keep my accountable, so get ready for that and much much more!
---

happy new year everyone!

---

I hope it'll be a good one for all of us.


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12.26.2016

Baby's First Christmas


Felix's first Christmas was sort of cumbersome. I'm slowly learning that babies don't seem to care about what you've concocted in your imagination. They call the shots. It wasn't this magical day where I got to take a million pictures and where he smiled all day. Instead, it turned out to be a long day where nothing went according to plan. 

We woke up early in the morning and I put on Felix's Christmas onesie -- which he proceeded to pee through within the first five minutes of wearing it. I don't know how he did that because his diaper was completely dry while his clothes were soaked. I had to change him into some reindeer pajamas he's been wearing all month, and I cannot tell you how disappointed I was about it. It sounds ridiculous, but I was soooo excited for him to wear that Christmas onesie. 

Christmas Outfit #2
After our wardrobe malfunction and change, I started to look at news on my Facebook timeline like I do every morning as I nurse my little one.  While browsing, I found out that some teenagers from our church got into a car accident early Christmas morning while caroling. The accident resulted in one death and three injured one of which left a boy in critical condition. Upon further investigation and reading, I realized that I knew 3 of the 5 boys in the car. I woke up my husband, told him the news and we sat in silence for awhile as we thought of those poor kids and their parents. 

As the kids started to wake up excited for present unwrapping, the adults didn't share in their joy. We were all plagued with empathy for the families hurting that morning. Phone calls where being made in effort of finding out how the accident happened and how the boys where doing, but we found out very little. 

My mom made us all pancakes and then we went to the tree to unwrap gifts. The kids were excited and couldn't contain their joy as Felix decided that he wanted to nap through it all, so his gifts stayed under the tree until I gave his uncles (aged 4 and 5) permission unwrap them. 


putting presents under the tree at 11 pm on Christmas Eve


The kids had a great time unwrapping gifts and watching their eyes light up as the opened each gift was the highlight of my day. 

Felix woke up about an hour later, wanting to be fed and then he took another long nap. He literally slept the entire day and that ruined my plans for a first Christmas photo shoot. I wasn't that heartbroken about it since the outfit for those photos was a bust. 

After Christmas lunch, I took Felix to our bedroom, placed him in his bassinet and then took a nap because I was completely exhausted from running around the previous day. We slept for a few hours and woke up around the time the Christmas night service at our church was about to begin. I turned that on as I held and nursed my little one. 


The church service seemed very sad -- the entire community was hurting. It just didn't feel like Christmas. Everyone looked as if they were at a funeral. Sadness emitted from my laptop screen and the joyous message about Jesus' birth was overshadowed by the sting of a life taken to soon. 


While watching the service, my sister came in and announced that my father was running a fever which normally wouldn't concern us, but he had ACL reconstruction surgery the previous Wednesday so the thought of a possible infection was on our minds when we read the thermometer screen -- 102.6 degrees. We called the doctor, gave him medicine and luckily his fever went down.  


It was about 8:30 pm, when my husband and I decided to go visit his aunt's house like we originally planned. I got Felix dressed up and we were out of the house. It was nice to get some fresh air and see  everyone, but the topic of the night was the accident in between a few Christmas carols, snacks, and a fussy baby. 
some of the girls at the family gathering

After spending a few hours with my husband's family, Felix started to get restless, so we went home and crashed right away. This Christmas wasn't what I imagined it would be, nor was it one that I enjoyed. As I write this, I look back at all I had planned to may this a "perfect" Christmas for everyone, and while I do not see myself as superficial or consumed by tradition, I feel as if I may have gotten caught up in things that really didn't matter in the end. Being with family, having them by your side, and being able to tell them what you love them -- that is what matters. 


This Christmas has come and gone and I can honestly say I'm glad that Felix isn't old enough to remember this holiday. 

As we move on towards the new year and as we plunge through the sadness this season brought to our community, I know there is a peace that will guide us into the next year -- his name is Jesus. 

 ---- 

 Here are some Christmas photos from earlier this week 














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12.21.2016

Recipe | Traditional Romanian C-Shaped Christmas Cookies


Today, I'm sharing the recipe for my favorite Romanian cookies. Ever since I was a little girl, my mom would make these every Christmas and my whole family would munch on these goodies from the moment they came out of the oven. They make your whole house smell amazing and they're a great snack for the kids to nibble on without the mess. It's just an added bonus that these cookies are so simple to make! 

Ingredients

Salted Butter 
at room temperature: 250 grams -- about two 4 oz sticks and a tablespoon

 Powdered Sugar
150 grams -- about 5.3 oz

 Eggs 
2

 Grounded Walnuts
2 1/2 cups

 Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon

 Flour
as needed


++++ Important Notes On Ingredients Before You Begin Baking ++++


 No. 1
Make sure the butter you have is at room temperature -- if it's not, it will ruin the dough by making it hard. your goal is to have a soft, non-sticky dough that is moldable.

No. 2
About the ground walnuts. My mother has a machine from Romania that I use to ground walnuts, but you can also use a food processor to ground them -- just make sure you pulse the walnuts in the processor because if you don't, the walnuts become a paste rather than the fine shreds this recipe needs.


How To Make


Step One. 
Preset oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Step Two.
Take your 2 eggs, your grounded walnuts, your 250 grams of room temperature salted butter, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and your 150 grams of powdered sugar and place them in a mixing bowl. Mix the elements together with your hand and add flour. Start with 1 cup of flour and mix. 

Step Three. 
Keep adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl you're mixing in -- as you add flour, please note that the flour needs to be soft, so be careful.

Step Four.
The dough is ready to be molded as soon as you're done mixing, no wait time for rising and such, so break off a small chunk of dough, placing it in your hand or on the plastic board you will be rolling and molding on. 

Step Five.  
From the dough in your hand, break off another piece of and roll it into a small ball (about the size of a small ping pong ball). Place that ball on a plastic board, and with the palm of your hand, roll it into a line. Make sure it's a uniformed line because the dough is soft and you don't want it to break apart when you mold it. 

Step Six. 
Take that line that you just rolled, and form it into a C-shape and place on a backing pan. 

Step Seven. 
Fill pan with your C-shaped cookies and then place in oven. Bake until cookies turn a golden brown.

Step Eight. 
Take out of the oven and let cool. When cool, shake pan slightly until cookies slide. 

Step Nine. 
Place cookies in bowl or container until ready to serve.

 + Yields about 70 to 80 cookies + depends on how thick you make them +


To Serve 

You can eat these plain or you can sprinkle powdered sugar on them for a pretty white look. I typically place a cup of powdered sugar in a plastic ziplock bag and throw in a handful of cookies. After zipping up the bag, we gently shake the bag so the powdered sugar can coat the cookies. This method saves time and prevents a mess. Then it's time to place them on a platter, serve & enjoy!


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12.16.2016

The Little Perks of Motherhood.




Felix has been awfully fussy these last couple of days and I'm not really sure why. I've read online that some babies just have a period of fussiness during the 6 to 8 week period and that it's normal for babies his ages to be moody around that time frame (thanks for the info google). Since Felix is only 7 weeks and the fussiness isn't gut wrenching screams, I'm not really worried that something is wrong. I just feel bad because he's normally such a content happy baby and it breaks my heart to see him struggle to fall asleep and squirm in discomfort. 
These days I'm spending a good amount of time holding him to make sure he feels safe and as comfortable as possible. As I've been holding him, I've taken note of some of the things he does that just melt my heart. Here are just a few things this little babe does to pull on my heart strings.


  1. How his tiny little fingers cling to my shirt as I nurse him.
  2. This rough patch is making him very clingy, so the way he looks around for me when I'm not within his view is just precious. 
  3. When he can't find me, he slowly starts to whimper until he can see me or hears my voice.
  4. When he knows I'm about to feed him, he'll stop crying and start licking his lips or sticking his tongue out looking for food.
  5. How attentive Felix is to my husband when he comes home from a long day at work. 
  6. Our snuggles before bedtime. 
  7. Those little sleepy smiles as he dreams sweetly. 
  8. The way he coos as his sits in his bassinet waiting for someone to pick him up and play. 
  9. Our long chats after he's been fed and changed. 
  10. The way his nose wrinkles as he squirms in his sleep. 
  11. The fact that I am the only person who can calm him when he's crying loudly. 
  12. When we co-sleep, he somehow ends up snuggled up next to me even when I've placed him in the center of the bed at the beginning of bedtime. 
  13. Sometimes, the only way to comfort him is to place him on my (or daddy's) chest so he can listen to my heart beat. 
  14. The fact that sucks his lower lip after I unlatch him because he fell asleep while nursing. 
  15. Those little whimpers and coos he lets out as he sleeps. 
  16. Those kissable chunky cheeks and that little double chin are to die for. 
  17. How he places his hands across his chest looking so content with life as I rock him gently.
  18. The way he stares up at me like I am the only person in the world -- it's like he's telling me he's grateful for my snuggles and comforting embrace. 
  19. The fact that he talks to mommy effortlessly, but when it comes to everyone else, he seems to be a man of few words. 
  20. The love that is felt every time I lay my eyes on him and the way he reciprocates that love in his own unique way.

I could go on and on, but I think it is plain to see that I am completely in love with my baby. It's true that some days, motherhood is proving to be harder than I thought and while I love my son to pieces, there are some moments when I am frustrated -- not because I find his fussiness annoying, but because I can't help him feel better. But even in those very moments, this little boy is just the sweetest little thing and has his mama wrapped around his little finger. 



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12.11.2016

Meet My Little Man.


I'd like you all to meet the little man who made me a mama 6 weeks ago -- Felix Eli.


He's a mellow baby who only cries if he's hungry or needs to be changed -- otherwise, you won't hear a peep from him. He sleeps through the night like a champ, giving both mom and dad a full nights rest so we can tackle the next day. He loves his swing and being around people. He recently just started cooing too! So, mom and dad are gushing about me to everyone.

He was born with a head full of hair, and everywhere we go, everyone comments on how handsome he is & I have to agree. I know that I am probably biased because he is my baby, but I find him to be the cutest little thing on the planet.

Honestly, this little babe brings so much joy to our lives. It's surreal how much a baby changes everything. I can't believe that I carried this little guy for 9 month and that it's been almost 7 weeks since I first laid eyes on him. Pregnancy was hard on me (pregnancy + labor post coming soon) and when I think about how hard it was, I feel like it was all a hazy dream, almost like it never happened!
When I look back, I can't seem to remember a time without my little guy and quite frankly, I don't know why I'd even want to. He enhances every moment we get to spend together and he makes even the hardest parts of motherhood worthwhile. In the first couple of weeks, he'd wake me up for a feeding at 4 am and I remember being kinda cranky about it until I'd lay eyes on him. His little whimpers, as I picked him up, made all the crankiness disappear. It's true what they say -- having a baby of your own really puts into perspective a paren't love. You really don't know how much you can love someone until you see a little person looking up at you, knowing that no matter what this life may bring -- he is yours.

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12.08.2016

Hello.



Hello! I'm Marta. 
I've wanted to start a blog for sometime now, but never found the right time to do it. Finally mustered up the courage to start one because I recently became a stay at home mom/housewife.
I've been married for about a year and a half to the most wonderful man and I gave birth to the sweetest little boy almost two months ago.
Settling into motherhood has been both a joy and a bit of a life changer. I grew up around and loving children, but having one of your own really places a whole new perspective on things. It's been both a dream and a hazy memory, but it's been amazing nonetheless. With this blog, I'm hoping to document my journey as well as share it with you. Hope you stick around for the ride as I continue to embark on this wonderful little road called motherhood.
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