Mona Alicia » Blog

Charlotte and Samantha are growing up so fast. Just like everyone’s kids. We all say it, we can’t believe how fast the time flies. I’m a little freaked out by the fact that in one year and five months I will have a teenager!

A little over a year ago I really got kind of depressed about it. So I had a little talk with myself. Instead of being depressed about missing the cute baby/toddler years I was going to focus instead on the good things. You know how when they’re babies you can’t go anywhere without packing a diaper bag? And how when you go to a restaurant you can’t even eat because you’re too busy cutting up food, or feeding a baby, or soothing a crying baby, or going to change a diaper, or something?

Well, now that my kids are older I don’t have to do those things. We can actually go out and eat without someone throwing a tantrum. And I was going to focus on that instead. So I came up with our monthly girls’ night out. We take turns picking where we go and what we do. It’s nothing fancy, sometimes we end up at Taco Bell or Chick-fil-a. We usually go out on a Tuesday night and I’ve found out by accident that Show-mars has $1.99 kids meals on Tuesday nights and McAlister’s Deli has Kids Eat Free on Tuesday nights, so sometimes we hit those places.

When it’s my month to pick I usually pick a place that the kids don’t normally like, but they don’t complain because it’s my night to pick. So I’ll usually pick somewhere that has good eggplant parmesean, like Hawthorne’s. Some good ol’ egg parm is one of my favorite dishes to eat out.

And you know that we can’t just go eat. No, I have a take a picture first. Yes, I am that photo-minded. I promised my kids it would be one shot. I put the camera on a tripod, set the self-timer, and take only one shot. No redos. Now that they know I mean it, they don’t mind taking one or two minutes for a picture. They even like looking back at them.

Anyways, since we started this in November of 2010 I realized that I have a whole year’s worth to share. So…here ya go.

It’s fun to look back, see how my old couches looked? And my plain white walls? And how one shot only means if the picture is too dark you just go with it? And how I really liked that striped shirt?

Still got the old couches. I’m trying to figure out a paint color. Painting is done! Hey, I see a pear canvas and a dresser and some new lamps with the cellophane still on them. Sometimes I really get into my posing (see March)…(and April)…(or all of them for that matter.)

I see sandals, it must be getting warmer. I haven’t worn that pink skirt and printed top since I saw that picture. Ah, a new couch I see!

Also haven’t worn those August jean capris again. See, taking pictures of oneself lends to self-improvement. Obviously Charlotte likes her blue Aero shirt. Samantha has grown from my armpit to my shoulder since we started.We’re still keeping this up, haven’t missed a month yet. Charlotte and Samantha look forward to it and remind me if I forget. I hope we never stop. I imagine us still going out for monthly “dates” when I’m old and gray. We’ll see, haha!