Selfie with bubs... of course he's too busy with sand-play to even look up!
Brrrrr!! Baby itās cold outside!
We are bracing for a cold cold MLK weekend ahead š„¶... which Mamma is less than thrilled about.
Having said that, itās moments like these that has Mamma really missing the sunny beaches of Florida. Sure I get antsy after a good week, searching for new adventures, isnāt that what wanderlust is all about?
I wonāt lie though, there is nothing more thrilling than stepping off of a plane and heading straight to the beach, when youāve just left wintry New York behind. New York, I love you, and your possibilities are bar none, but sometimes it takes leaving you to truly appreciate all that you have to offer!
Iām also missing this little munchkin of mine... from our glorious day on the beach. We werenāt there for very long (it was too hot would you believe), but we had a blast while we were there! Plus itās always good for Mamma to catch some rays.
Christmas is over and it is now time to start packing away our ornaments and tossing out the tree! (Which always makes me quite sad to be honest). This year we ended up having a live tree in our apartment in downtown Manhattan (munchkin picked it out himself right down the street!) and a prosthetic tree in Naples, Florida ā as we always do. We typically celebrate Christmas in Florida ā as you can see from our treasured visit to Old Saint Nick on the beach.
This year marked my oldest munchkinās SIXTH Christmas celebration (gasp!), and let me tell you, he gets more and more into it every year!!! Even my little guy is getting into the groove, and I must admit, it rather puts the pressure on mamma to make sure that everything is perfectā¦ with every single detail just so! (Note that one of my big guy's present this Christmas was tickets to see the Lion King on Broadway, covered here).
In reality, anything has got to be better than what happened in 2017, where we closed on our apartment on December 22, 2017 (the day that shall forever remain imprinted in my memory). The next night, I think I flew to Floridaā¦ and come Christmas eve ā my little guy even had to go to the ER!! Eeks.
Suffice to say, I felt a bit ārushedā with getting everything ready for the holidays that year, so anything was gravy compared to that! This year, hubby was immersed in work for the most part, so it was really up to me to get everything ready (I think I must have wrapped about thirty odd presents compared to his give?).
Speaking of presents, there is something quite fascinating about them, isnāt there? Nobody what you do, you can wrap a piece of coal (quite literally), and the trimmings and packaging will still make it seem glistening and beautiful! That is life for you, isnāt itā¦ and growing up with little ones. No wonder the Sound of Music had the lyrics: āBrown Paper Packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things!ā
So here are a few of my favorite moments from Christmas Day. I must admit that after the day, there was this sort of āanti-climaticā unease that immediately set in ā whereby I asked myself, was that it? All that I just did, was that everything?! Itās hard to believe that weeks and weeks of work just dissipates in a matter of minutes, but perhaps that is just Christmas for you, and it is something that I must come to accept over time.
Thank goodness that writing about Christmas (and the general anticipation of it, in addition to the passing of Christmas afterwards), still remains. No matter that the reality, the feeling of something never escapes you!
My darling second child! Your smile simply light up my days.
The Ruffians up to no good again on the balcony. This is their constant state these days, but it's hard to imagine that just a month ago (see January 2018), my little guy was not quite walking!!!
Meanwhile back in New York, we are scooting with our school buddy! #scooterracing
Our Chinese New Year Dinner! Munchkin leaves no coconut unused... he learned from the best, he learned from his mama :) For more on our New Year Feast, see here.
Valentine's Dinner in Brooklyn. Sadly -- this fantastic little restaurant has since then shut down... but our fond memories remain!
Oh, just a random photo shoot at Essex Market in my hood... damn it feels good to be back! #LES #foreverlove
Great shot of skyline during one of our returns from Sunny Florida
I did loads of more fine dining that month... largely because I had a lot of folks to thank for landing my new gig!
New toy for munchkin for being so brave at his dentist appointment! His second ever -- his first one was here... when his little brother was still in Mamma's belly! See my "elegant expecting series -- part deux."
The unimaginable continues, which is recounting the year of 2018, which has admittedly passed. Thatās right, today is officially THE FIRST DAY OF 2019, and mammaās still lingering in the past. I donāt regret it however. 2018 was a great year, and Iām ready to pay it the tribute it deserves. Plus I have a bit of cushion to catch up to 2019, so why not?!
So here goes!
Highlights from February:
Munchkin and I went to the Childrenās Museum of the Arts in Tribeca. This is a great spot that weāve been visiting every since he was a wee little one (maybe no more than 2 years old?), and weāve loved it ever since. Munchkinās school even took them on a field trip when he was two years old, and it was just as fun as I remembered. At four years old, I would say that heās the ideal age for this museum. He was extremely prolific! Just check out some of the fine arts that heās created. One of which was even exhibited at his school! In fact, this Museum hosts some cute birthday parties (one of his school buddies had one here back in the day... I should perhaps look into doing one myself, hmmmm).
Mamma finished her interviews at her Alma Materā¦ this is something I take great pride in and itās the third year that Iāve been conducting interviews for Harvard. I find this particular Wall Street Journal quite intriguing. Moreover ā I distinctly remember writing āThank youā notes to my (now) employers, in a bout of inspiration, after interviewing those future undergraduates (Class of 2023!!!!). I distinctly remember that moment as I believe my future (now present) employers rapidly wrote back and told me that they are putting together an offer for me. There is nothing quite like that exuberant feeling of knowing that someone is giving you an offer. The rest of the month (and indeed year) was uphill from there.
It was Chinese New Year!!! The Year of the Dog. You remember my post last year when we celebrated the year of the Rooster (my year!!!). Back then I was just a (second-time) new mum, and was quite overwhelmed with it all. I was also celebrating it in Southwest Florida, which is not quite the same as celebrating it in the great city of Manhattan. Letās face it, in America ā thereās no better place to celebrate Chinese New Year than in NYCās Chinatown (perhaps with the exception of the great cities of San Francisco and LA on the West Coast). So okay, we have monopoly over the East Coast. Mamma even went over to my munchkinās school and did some book-reading on the Chinese Zodiacā¦ along with little dog New Years trinkets for his classmates (youāre welcome). For more on the celebration of Chinese New Year in 2018, see here.
As if that wasnāt enough ā I distinctly remember that the day of Chinese New Year (Friday, February 16, 2018) was the exact day that I signed my contract. A real watershed moment!!!
We even went to the āLunar New Year Celebrationā by the New York Philharmonic, celebrating the āYear of the Dog,ā complete with an on-stage performance of Ricochet, featuring ping pong champions, violin, and percussion. Ping Pong at the Philharmonic!!! How awesome is that. More on this later. I certainly would love to make this an annual family tradition!
Oh yes, of course there was my fatherās birthday ā which we celebrated in Florida. Did I mention that we made two separate trips to Florida in February (the second time our trip coincided with some good NYC friends so that was fortuitous!). That alone sounds like quite the trip. On top of that, both hubs and my dad share the same birthday, so we celebrated hubsā birthday separately (and back on Long Island no less! As we had another birthday party to celebrate). See related post on "Back to Sunny Florida."
Then of courseā¦ there is Valentineās day, Rockshic Style. As I said, February is always so full-on. This was no less true last year, but somehow this particular February was simply on fire.
On top of that, we continued to our journey of reconnecting with old friends, as we simply did not get to see many of them circa 2017 due to various circumstances. It was nice, very very nice. We even got to meet a newborn! Plus -- we hosted one of our dear friends from Summer Camp (circa 2017), had a blast, and even ventured over to the Intrepid for the day. Suffice to say that's where mamma got her inspiration to host munchkin's 5th birthday at the Intrepid!!! (See "Birthday Celebrations").
Oh yes, we also continued this journey that is āyour first day in a new apartment,ā there were leaks, elevator stalls, unfinished walls, all the kinks and discomfort that you would expect to come with a brand new apartment (new construction no less). Someone once said that the first year you let your worst enemies live thereā¦ thatās a bold statement to make but I can certainly appreciate it looking back.
Itās New Years Eve!!! Mammaās been doing some reflections, relaxing, and itās nice to rewind and relive those special moment.
My initial objective was to simply capture a few shots from every month. However, as I scrolled down memory lane, I realized that was simply impossible and so Iām endeavoring to do the impossible ā one summary for every month! I did that for 2017 as you may recallā¦ when I was on maternity leave with my second little man. Even that didnāt quite last and mama quickly lost steam after she returned to work.
Nevertheless, I am going for it!!! Here are some highlights:
We started January 2018 much in the same way we ended the month (and year for that matter)ā¦ in sunny Florida. Hubs and I continued our annual tradition by splurging on a few nights at the Ritz with our littles. It was worth every penny. We ended the trip with a nice visit to the Naples Botanical Garden, where many happy memories were made, including this one -- a night at the light show!!
There was the epic move into our new placeā¦ new keys, boxes everywhere ā looking back it seems like a completely surreal experience. I canāt even.
Mamma flew to Salt Lake City and went skiing!! All for a good cause (my good friendsā bachelor party). That said, yes ā it was nuts.
I started seriously interviewing for new gigs (after we closed on the apartment I knew it was time to make a clean break for real, it was time). To be perfectly honest I would have switched jobs sooner, had it not been pregnancy with my second plus the apartment, sometimesā¦ what can I say, life just gets in the way.
Our little man returns to his school! The same one heās been attending since he was twoā¦ after a year of forced nomadic life. It felt surreal, and I must say, he was a real champion ā completely slipped back and fitted in seamlessly.
My Rockshic Baby 2 started walking!!! He wasnāt quite able to during Christmas and BOOM! Straight into it in January. If thatās not a milestone, then I donāt know what is.
Mamma let her hair down and went to a girlsā night dinner at Chumleyās. January was quite a stressful month, so was nice to have some reprieve.
Munchkin and I flew BACK to Florida (whoa!). For more on our whirlwind weekend trip, see here. Honestly just January alone has me mucho, MUCHO exhausted.
He's baaaaaack!!! Back on the social scene #birthdaypartygalore
Brunch with some dear friends in January and then showing them our new roof-deck, where we spent many happy sunny BBQ days. Also see "Roofdeck Bunnies." P.S. I can't believe it was tee-shirt weather in January!! Guess we brought the Florida weather back to NYC.
Good morning! Today is our first day winter camp at the Naples Zoo, and a new adventure awaits us!!! (Somehow it feels like Mamma is more excited than my munchkin about all of this š¦š¾š).
For the next four sessions... Every day is going to have its own separate, dynamic theme with a focus on conserving and caring for nature and wild life. I really cannot wait to hear from my little man about todayās encounters and activities!!! š¦š±šÆ Of course, this also means more family excursions to the zoo, which mamma certainly CANNOT complain about!!
My goodness... I canāt believe how long itās been since my last entry. Busy much?
Truly though, life has been non-stop on the go, and I am suuuuuuper duper excited to say that changes are on the horizon! I canāt divulge too much right now since weāre still in the āhashing outā mode, but letās just say that 2018 is shaking out to be pretty darn good-looking, and I cannot wait! Itās about time we have some positive outlook. (Yes 2017 has been rough).
For now, however, we celebrate the weekend, being back in Florida with all of our loved ones (itās been two weeks!), and Mamma reconnecting at last with the World Wide Web (seriously!). These photos were taken during our last trip to Naples, and it was literally ā get off the plane, and straight to the beach we go. Pretty magical if you ask me!
Wishing you all an amazing weekend, and for all my hard-working folks out there, make sure to squeeze your loved ones extra hard! ā¤ļøšš»
Sending you all of the xās and oās āāļøāāļø,
Countdown time -- this is what happens when you have children :)
Just me and my favorite sidekick #momlife
The prettiest little darling, relaxing pools-side
Little man in the pool!
Fireworks on the beach... we almost made it to midnight.
Gorgeous setting at the hotel
Well hello there!!! Mamma wants to take this opportunity and wish all of my lovelies out there a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! ššš
We spent the past three days hiding out at the Naples Ritz Carlton resort, one of our favorite home away from homes whenever weāre down in the Gulfcoast ā itās now become a tradition! Yes, weāve also officially become those āresort-typeā people who basically camp in and never leave now that we are traveling with two munchkins in tow. Haha... how times have changed!
Truth be told, 2017 was a tough year and both hubs and I were more than willing to bid adieu to it. It was a year of tumultuous home delays (new constructions!!! Never again), work stresses, and all in all just series of one challenge after another. There were ups, of course, our Hampton house reprieve being one of them, but those are far and few between and all in all we say āgood riddance!ā You can read about my official farewell to 2017 here, on the Eve of Chinese New Year.
Hereās looking at you, 2018!!! New Year, new house, and a whole new horizon for Mamma... Iām excited!!! Whoās with me??
Wishing love, happiness and blessings to you all. The older I become, the more I realize that I need to appreciate the beautiful things that surround me. Besides, relaxing for a few days at the Ritz resort aināt too shabby either! The munchkins certainly did not complain.
Best Birthday Present EVER!!!! To think... this time last year he was still a wee little bean sprout growing inside of mamma's belly when we went to Kiawah
Vacations are for naps...#rockshicbaby2
A girlfriend of mine told me that she used to visit this resort when she was a little girl, and this resort used to have turtles crawling around EVERYWHERE!!! In fact, the first thing she asked me, when I told her about visiting Captiva, was "did you go to the South Seas Island Resort and were there turtles?"
He wanted to demonstrate his surfer dude moves to me... what better place than at the beach?
Watching the beautiful sunset from our balcony... and enjoying a glass of vino. What could be better?
Me and my little men... did I mention that I am one lucky girl?
The beautiful grounds of the Marina Villas
Say yes to YOLO moments!
A seriously scenic stroll!! We did quite a bit of this with the little men.
My sweet little man! Just five months old and loving the whole "fist in mouth" action #rockshicbaby2
Mornings on the dock, where we sang "Down By the Docks" by Thomas & Friends
Well well, this mamma bird basically blinks and yet another week has gone by. Whatās more, today marks the last day of June! Yes itās true, 2017 is officially half-way over (scary thought).
As I said in an earlier post, June has been so crazy for us, largely because we were all over the place ā Oregon, Floridaā¦ New York!! Thereās a part of me that still feels largely unsettled, but we are slowly but surely getting there. For starters, weāve moved the whole family back to New York, and my little man officially started Summer Camp this year, complete with some ziplining action on his very first day. Yikes!
So ā before we bid adieu to the first half of 2017, I wanted to share some significant highlights, starting with when mamma celebrated her birthday on Captiva Island at the fabulous South Seas Island Resort! This outing was particularly momentous for us, as it marked the first time that we traveled somewhere overnight as a family of fourā¦ which, not surprisingly, required far more maneuvering than a brunch outing in Tribeca.
Looking back, the entire experience on the gorgeous property of South Seas Island Resort was simply magical, though hubs and I were so sleep deprived at that stage it all felt like a bit of a blur. I realized too, by the sheer excitement of my older child, the original Nuke baby, just how long itās been since heās traveled anywhere (last time we took a long getaway trip with the little man was back in August of 2016, where we rented a lake house to ring in his 3rd birthday). Not surprisingly, this holiday was as much for his benefit as it was for mamma the birthday girl.
For starters, the resort is suuuuper kid-friendly. It encompasses a huge piece of land at the tail end of Captiva Island, complete with several restaurants, a kid center, and loads of well-maintained pools, water slides, beaches, and fun activities for the kiddos (trust me, there was certainly no shortage of "water time!"). Itās also nice that some of the accommodations come with its own standalone kitchens, a must for traveling families! From the minute we arrived, my little man plopped himself in one of the bedrooms and started to settle in as he loudly exclaimed, āweāre at new home!!!ā
As for my little guyā¦ he was just five months at that stage, and still just settling in. At this stage, I can have a sense that his personality is quite different from his older brothers. Whereas my oldest was the man about town and loooooooved going out, my younger son is much more of an introvert, a āthinker,ā if you will. He likes to quietly take it all in, and is not one to immediately jump into the crowd. Or perhaps I'm reading too much into things?
At any rate, it took our five months old a bit to settle into the new environment, but by the second day, he was certainly not complaining about his lap of luxury. Our suite was nicely nestled close to the docks and the ocean, so hubs took him on multiple strolls along the water, where he happily napped against the gentle breeze.
The best part of all? (Not counting mammaās gorgeous key lime birthday cake). Witnessing the beautiful bonding moments between my children. Itās funny, but when during the day, because my oldest goes to his little Montessori school and has such a rigorous schedule between swimming and karate, he doesnāt actually get to see his baby brother all that much (and vice versa). So really, our getaway to Captiva marked the first time that we were truly able to enjoy our family of four under one roof, in a gorgeous setting, and basking in the sun. For that alone, I couldnāt have asked for anything more, and felt like the luckiest girl in the world!
Oh, and for the record, Captiva is an absolutely AMAZING island (reminded us a bit of Shelter Island and Montauk), and I really cannot wait to go back. We didnāt get much of a chance to explore this time around, but rest assured itās been added to the list for future explorations!!!
Spot the manatee! On our last day, little man actually found one right at the dock.
Hanging at the beach shack with my boys. #MomLife
The Boys...#theLoveofMyLife
That view tho!
Dockside Dining = The Best Dining
Coconut days...
Packing and getting ready for Captiva!
Breakfast -- Island Style
My happy man -- stealing mummy's sugar... and yes, he is as naughty as he looks!
That face! So lovable... even when he is being a pain in the butt.
"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of land remote, to travel is to live."
Of course... we never go anywhere without our Babyganics sunscreen and bug spray!
A little Mimosa overlooking the Greg Norman designed TiburĆ³n Golf Course. I get to have my bubbly, and hubs gets to gaze longingly at the 18th hole, munchkins are relaxing in the shade. Now that's what I call something for everyone!
Beautiful and magical -- my oldest munchkin getting some exercise in post brunch #mothersday2017
It's my little guy's very first Mother's Day! #5monthsold #Rockshicbaby2
Yet another attempt at a group photo as a family of four! You can see that we are slowly (very slowly) getting better at this... though me thinks that a professional photographer is needed in the future, wouldn't you say?
Daddy points to all of the major-league golf players, and munchkin responds with "I've been to New Zealand!"
Loving these moments.
Happy Motherās Day!!!
I canāt express to you how special today was for meā¦ not the least because it was our first time celebrating as a family of four. Hubs booked a special patio table at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Tiburon (this place is a bit of a hidden gem so I almost feel conflicted blogging about it). We had a beautiful table overlooking the TiburĆ³n Golf Club. Iām not much of a golfer myself (shocker!), though I did make an honest effort to learn at Chelsea Piers when we were first married. True story!!
Also very trueā¦ golf is one difficult sport! It requires far more patience than I think I am mentally equipped forā¦ but thatās a whole other story.
Someday, hubs will be bringing out boys back here to hit some golf balls, Iām sure ā but for now, they are both all mine! It was the perfect, gorgeous, and most relaxing day. To be perfectly honest, I was just grateful to have an excuse to dress up a little, be pampered a bit, and get a break from looking after the kids 24-7! Both hubs and my parents really stepped up to the plate and let me sleep in this morning which was simply marvelous!
I tell ya, thereās nothing that a long beauty sleepā¦ coupled with a leisurely family trip to the Ritz Carlton, cannot fix! Am I one lucky gal or what.
Now, if only this pesky cold of mine will just make its graceful exit, then Iāll be one happy puppy!
Wishing all of my mammas out there a very special day ā it really does take a village to be a good mum, and I greatly admire each and every one of you for all that you do today and everyday!!!
Capturing that fleeting sibling magic! Tho I must say, these days the boys are getting on so much better now that my little guy is a bit more alert. #5months #bromance
Smooches from my big man outside of his Montessori School -- right before our Mother's Day Tea on Friday! šøš°šµ
I think this just about says it all doesn't it? #chocolatemagic š«šš«š
My little crafty man! Hard at work at the Naples library. #rockshicbaby1 ššš
Never have truer words been said.
Setting up the plate and making mummy tea and scones! Love love love. #montessorimagic š½
Shopping at the Mercato -- love my Paper Source! š»šš
At the Naples Library Headquarters! Ain't she a beauty?
Getting so stoked about our Mother's Day Crafts and Tea earlier this week. I wasn't kidding when I said that there was a surfeit of activities down here in Southwest Florida celebrating mommies š“
Happy Motherās Day weekend!!!
We are oh-so-pumped in this household, and in many ways, Motherās Day have already been rolling full steam ahead in this household for many, many days, ha! Below are some of my favorite local to-doāsā¦ if youāre still poking around yourself:
2) All weekend long, Naples Zoo is hosting a free admissions for mums at the zoo. Print the coupon out here. Plus, you get a 1 hour guided tour of Naples Zoo that will celebrate the incredibly mummies of the wild. Check out the tour ā on today, Saturday, May 13th
4) Miromar recently hosted a very special Motherās Day event ā which we happened to stumble upon after yours truly had her work-out with Baby Boot Camp.
5) Naples library had a super cute Mommyās Day tea recently, my little munchkin came with me and we made some fun crafts together! Love the artfully curated activities there.
6) My big boyās Naples Karate Academy is hosting a special Motherās Day Karate class ā now thereās something I thought Iād never say: āDarling! Iām off to Karate class with the boys!!
7) Little manās Montessori School also hosted a motherās day tea yesterday, which was oh-so-sweet, and I canāt wait to share with you some of my favorite moments.
8) Last but not leastā¦ and this one youāll love because itās NEXT WEEK!!!! Who doesnāt love a lingering celebration. My personal local healthy-eats guru, Delicious Raw, is co-hosting a Motherās Day event next Tuesday, May 16, at the Pavilion right on Vanderbilt Beach Road (close by the Ritz, actually!). Free ice cream for Mommies and avocado ice cream for your littles, along with complimentary mini-chair massages (see details below)ā¦ now THATāS what I call something for everyone!
Hope you ladies enjoy!!!
Nowā¦ Iām off to my very first Karate lesson, ha! What can I say... there's a first time for everything.
Based in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rock Shic is an excerpt taken from my personal lookbook of real people around the world. It is a combination of aesthetics, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. I also offer personalized Lookbook Consulting and Styling upon request. Please contact me at rockshic (at) gmail (dot) com. Services include: Wardrobe Analysis, Closet Organization, and Personal Shopping.
