Maybe the Best May

The month of May has gone by in the blink of an eye!  I can't believe there are only 5 more days until summer vacation!  I have had an amazing month!

My family took me to the beach for Mother's Day. I was able to chaperone my daughter's 5th grade dance, her band field trip and her field trip to Busch Gardens. My husband chaperoned my son's 8th grade trip to Universal Studios and we spent the rest of that weekend in Orlando lounging poolside and visiting the Magic Kingdom. This past weekend we went back to the beach for our 16 year wedding anniversary where we swam, avoided stingrays, soaked in the beautiful weather, and even caught a 15-inning Tampa Bay Rays game! (Full disclosure: we left after the 10th inning.)

Here are some pics of our beautiful month so far:

This summer is going to be bitter-sweet for me.  Both of my kids will be entering new schools in the fall.  My son is starting high school and my daughter starts middle school.  I officially no longer have babies. Our schedule next year is going to be insane, with my son's first bell ringing around 7:10 a.m., and my daughter not starting until 8:20--even though the schools are right next door to each other and 8 miles away from my house.  (Seriously, what kind of masochistic school board do we have out here?!)

My goal is to spend as much time with my kids and have as much fun as humanly possible in the 75 measly days we are given between school years.  I will be starting a #100happydays project on instagram that will spill into the beginning of the new school year, highlighting at least one happy moment in each day.  I hope this inspires you to do the same.

I will also have a lot more free time this summer...more on that after this weekend...

Finally, I will be giving myself a pass (or as my friend Autumn calls it, a Summer Card) when my lofty goals do not go as planned.  La Casa de AquaSeventy6 will be a "guilt-free zone" this summer, or as guilt-free as a Catholic Cuban-American mom can be.

I want to be chill, like this guy, the most interesting kangaroo in the world:

How has your May been? What are your big summer plans? Meet any interesting marsupials lately? Tell me in the comments!

Moms just wanna have fun, too

It's been the weirdest week ever, and it's only Wednesday.  For all of the ups there have been an equal number of downs. Just today I was given some news that has taken some time to sink in.  It's both good news and bad, and at the same time it's neither bad nor good.

It's something that I've been wanting to happen, yet unexpectedly, made me a little sad.  I will share this news in the next couple of weeks when everything is said and done.  In the mean time, in case you were wondering, it has nothing to do with pregnancy.  (I'm 38 people...there are cobwebs on these here ovaries!)

I can share that this news will mean bigger and better things for AquaSeventy6, and for that I am STOKED! Stay tuned....

~~~~~
One of my ups this week was my monthly girl's night out. Mention GNO and visions of dance clubs and male reviews, jager shots and streaked mascara come to mind....yeah, none of those.  In our late mid-30s, we try to maintain a level of decorum that won't leave our teenagers horrified or scarred for life when opening their social media accounts.  "Hammered-mom-at-a-bar" is not a good look, ladies--at least not for me...anymore...at this age. ;)

Instead we choose a nice restaurant where we can have a glass of wine (or a Captain and Coke), bitch chat about our hubbies, brag about discuss our kids' recent accomplishments, complain talk about our jobs, but mostly just laugh and have a nice time. (Sans kids, sans hubby.)  Our kind of GNO may not be one for the Richter Scale, but it's much needed and suits us just fine.

At the end of the night, it was so awesome to see my friend Kristy pull out her keys and slip her AquaSeventy6 Key Ring over her wrist.  Love it!

So, how do you unwind with your amigas?  Tell me in the comments!  xoxo

Mother's Day

There's nothing I love more than being a mom.  With all of its ups and downs, I wouldn't trade in one moment of the last 14.5 years of my life.

I realize I've had it much easier than some other mothers.  My kids are healthy and happy.  Our family is intact, never having dealt with grave illness or divorce. My kids love me, and tell me so.  I adore them and never go more than a few hours (minutes) without reminding them of it.

At 14, my son still hugs me. At 11, my daughter still snuggles with me.  They don't talk back (often), or curse (that I know of), and have NEVER, EVER said "I hate you!" (to my face).

Am I a perfect mom?  No way!  Just last night I flipped out because someone drank my last can of Coke (I realize how insane this is) and made one teenage boy feel REALLY bad about it.  UGH!  I suck. (So, maybe I would trade in just that one moment.) But, for the most part, I consider myself a good mom, and I would wager my kids think so, too.

This Mother's Day, I don't want a present or fancy dinner.  All I want is to thank God for giving me the gift of my children and the opportunity to be their mother.  If I could ask for one Mother's Day gift, it would be to grow old enough to watch my children have their own children and love them as I much as they have been loved.

Happy Mother's Day, friends!  Hug your kiddos tight! xoxo

Warm Fuzzies

After a rough weekend, and waking up to a mile-long 'to do' list, my spirits were considerably brightened upon opening my inbox.

This first email was from a client from my weekend position as manager of an event venue:

"Hi Yvette,
I am sending a note to tell you thank you for my daughter's 5th birthday party. Everything was so well organized and so beautiful. The girls and the parents loved every moment. Your services exceeded my expectations. I'm also appreciative for how gracious you were about the last-minute additions.
Most importantly, my daughter said how much I was the best mommy ever because of how happy she was with her birthday party.
You definitely have earned a customer for life. I will be coming back for your services soon. Thanks again for everything!"

Seriously!  How great was that?!  Later this afternoon I received a text from a friend who ordered some items for Teacher Appreciation Week:

"Just opened my package. Thanks! They are adorable!"

And, upon arriving home from picking my kids up from school I received this email:

"Yvette - THANK YOU so much for the beautiful wet bag and gift!  I was so excited to open my package and find a new small bag that I can use for my make up (and in a pattern that I love!), because I had just returned from a business trip and my current makeup bag came home with a hole in it.  Perfect timing!!!  You do beautiful work.  Thanks again!"

Oh, how it warms my heart to get these love notes! It also reminds me that one nice word can brighten someone's entire day and I plan to pay it forward!