I woke up this morning with so much JOY....

No matter the situation don't allow the devil to come in and steal your joy away from you. God is an awesome God and He will do more than we can ever think or imagine. So get up and go get what God has for you! 

Be BLESSED!

We hit the city all by ourselves...

B and I recently trekked into the city last Thursday to meet hubby at his company annual family fun picnic event in Central Park West. Initially, I had some level of anxiety because this was my first time taking B into the city all by myself. This was a new experience for the both of us and being from Florida I didn't have to worry about public transportation because I had the liberty to drive wherever without the hassle of lugging a stroller, bumping into people, and no temper tantrums. Usually when I go into the city it's with hubby and he is there to assist me with B when he's having a temper tantrum because he refuses to get off the train, or when there are no elevators and he carries the stroller up or down the steps. However, because my hubby was so excited about this event I made the commitment to get there....despite the fact that I had to do these things alone. However, I thank God for B's travel companion, Thomas the train because it helped him to behave on the train and we were able to avoid a meltdown.

When we finally met up with hubby he asked me how did it go trekking into the city alone with a child and I told him it wasn't bad at all. Now, he wants me to meet up with him so we can chill in the city when he gets off of work. We'll see about that! Anyways, B was excited to see daddy and he had a great time playing and interacting with the other children. There was a face painter and clown at the picnic and B did really well not being afraid of clowns. We enjoyed good barbeque from Dinosaur BBQ and after the picnic we strolled around the park and the city.

Since I survived the trip and managed to avoid a meltdown from a toddler....I may give it another try! It may not go as smoothly as this trip, but we will see.  I saw so many women with their children in strollers or walking hand in hand getting on and off the subways. Heck, there are children traveling alone on the subways....but, that will not be my child! I said to myself that there is no reason why I can't do this alone and sometimes meet the hubby in the city when this everyday life for a New Yorker.  I'll keep you all posted on the next adventure into the city with a toddler.

Laters!

Back to Life....

The family and I returned from our week vacay in Jamaica last Friday and it has literally been a challenge for us to get back into the swing of things. We had an awesome time in Jamaica and did not want to return! We stayed at the all-inclusive RIU Resorts in Ocho Rios, JA. The scenery at the resort was gorgeous. Check out the pic below.....its a view of the ocean from our hotel. It was postcard ready. However, I give this resort 4 stars and the reason being is because I was not impressed with the food selections and customer service requests could have been handled a bit differently. Anywho, I don't know about you, but when we go on a vacation we like to eat GOOD.  Don't get me wrong the food was fine, but it was not "knock'em dead" good or "make you wanna slap yo mama" good. However, we did have the opportunity to go out and explore the country with our friends who were natives of the country. They took us out and about in the community to experience the authentic food of the country and we had jerk chicken that was excellent. Thats the type of authenticity I was hoping to get at the resort. 

Despite a couple of hiccups we had we really enjoyed our stay and would definitely go back. I would recommend an all-inclusive resort to anyone who is going on an extended vacay out of the country. It's well worth it. 

Below is a pictorial of some of the things we did on our vacation: 

The fam at Dunn's River

My friends and I. My godson at the bottom of the pic.

At Somerset Falls

The famous Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagoon!

Me and my boys!

The water is beautiful

It's the end of the month.....

And the time has really escaped from me since our trip to Florida! So, I'll catch you all up with pictures as far as what we've been up to in Florida and Jersey.

Daddy and B at the family reunion picnic

Play time at the picnic

Daddy took B for a swim

B enjoying his first mango

At New Jersey Children Museum

Shopping at the museum

On the computer

At the lake house in Toms River

We had a great time

Well, I have to get back to packing again. I've been packing since Sunday to ensure that I don't miss anything because I would hate to be in a different country trying to find something that I left stateside. We are leaving Friday morning for our week long trip to Jamaica.....and I am super excited!! This will be our last trip for the summer and we are making the best of it. 

I hope you all enjoy the remainder of your summer.

Take care!

Life has taken over...

This past weekend and week has really gone by quick for me. We have been so busy that I haven't really had a chance to sit down and catch my breath until now. However, I am excited because tomorrow we are flying out to Florida for a (mini vacay) my hubby's family reunion. We'll be able to get a break from little man because his grandparent's are going to be happy to see him, which means we have babysitters on deck!

Speaking of little man we had a scare with him over the weekend. B was bitten by an insect on Saturday on his wrist and it caused an allergic reaction, which made his hand and arm swell up. I was so freaked out because his arm looked deformed. Thank you Lord that his pediatrician has several offices around the city because I despise ER'. The office that was opened on a Saturday was in Tribeca in NYC and we quickly rushed over and he was seen. The pediatrician said that it appeared that he was bitten by an spider and she gave us somethings to look out for and to follow-up on Monday to ensure that the swelling went down. One of the reasons why I am really tired is because I came home after B's appointment to search for the darn critter that bit him. I cleaned my house again, but this was a deep thorough cleaning to make sure that whatever insect bit him was taken out with a vengeance and it wouldn't return again.  Well, B is doing great today and the swelling has gone down a lot and where he was bit is healing really well. However, I am definitely on critter patrol!

Well, I guess I need to start trying to pack for our trip. I really dislike packing, but its for a good cause.....it's for my sanity. I NEED A BREAK!

Laters,

P.S. Enjoy the remainder of your week and have a good weekend.

The fourth recap!

I hope everyone enjoyed their mid week fourth of July holiday!

We had a great day and the weather was cooperative....thank God! Our day started out with us sleeping in which was much needed for all of us. Once we woke up, we decided to go to the store to get a couple of items for our mini barbeque. So, we thought we had everything....but guess what?! Yes, we FORGOT to purchase a small grill. Anyways, I improvised because I refused to go back out to the grocery store and I baked the chicken and then coated it with BBQ sauce and let it broil a bit to give it some color. I made some side dishes to go along with the chicken. The hubby and child were very satisfied with the meal and they both had full tummies. After dinner we went joyriding around town and went to Liberty State Park to just stroll around. There were tons of people in site preparing to watch the fireworks show. The park is very beautiful, however, we decided to leave after a while because we wanted to get a better view of the fireworks show nearby our apartment and really didn't want to fight with traffic getting out of the park.

This was our first time viewing the NYC Macy's fourth of July fireworks show. It was held over the Hudson River and parts of NYC and New Jersey were able to view this show. Luckily, we live in Jersey City which is very close to Hudson and we walked down to the boardwalk and posted up until the show began around 9:20 pm. This was way past B's bedtime, but he hung in there for a while!

Below are some pics of how we enjoyed our time until the fireworks started:

Our view of the WTFC

Statue of Liberty at Liberty State Park

Daddy & B

I had to get a self portrait 

B is the ladies man

Caught  B jumping around 

B and another new friend

I need to watch him

Colgate clock

Alas, the show begins

At this point we had to leave because B wasn't haven't it and the pics below came out blurry 

We were so tired after the show that we all slept like babies! LOL!

Time for the fireworks!

This week our country will be celebrating fourth of July and I am happy that I will be able to enjoy all the festivities. After a week of being out of commission I am now feeling much better and ready to enjoy the fireworks that will be happening here in the City.

Last year my family and I celebrated the fourth in Florida and we cooked out and had a blast. This year is going to be a little different since it will only be us, but we are definitely going to have a good time. We have a balcony here at our apartment and the hubby is thinking of purchasing a small grill so he can barbeque. It think its a great idea because we can cook out and allow B to play around. However, I am hoping that the weather will cooperate; the forecast is showing a 50% chance of rain. Anywho, if does rain we will still make the best of it!


What are you all planning for the 4th?