A piece of advice for all you bloggers/writers out there: It's probably not a good idea to plan your writing after going to a 'Meatopia' event and gorging on an inhumane amount of meat. By the time I got home and opened the computer, I literally fell asleep mid-typing. So here I am, winding down after celebrating Maya's 4th birthday party, and determined to get this blog post up while I watch the Oscars! It's gonna happen.
This is such a very special post because Rocco and I got to wear some really fashionable swimwear, courtesy of Petit Limoi, a fun-loving children's line that exudes spontaneity, uniqueness, and a flavor for adventure (www.petitlimoi.com). And did I mention that they lend themselves to some really cool 'twinning' opportunities?! Usually I'm not a fan of matching with spouses or with kids, but after seeing the Petit Limoi's suits, I'm a new convert! I The prints are mature but still fresh in color, and I definitely don't mind coordinating after seeing their cute styles!
Take a look for yourself with these gorgeous pictures from photographer, Jenise Subervi (www.photosbyjenise.com), who I had the pleasure of meeting during one of my on-air segments. Her son made the yummiest model during a Halloween segment I hosted! Jenise specializes in family, and lifestyle portraits and she did such a wonderful job capturing such candid moments of Rocco and I at Matheson Hammock.
Can you spy the most chicest towel?! I am currently obsessed with this round towel from Vagabond Beach (www.vagabondbeach.com), the perfect accessory for the free spirit in all of us! Inspiration for these one-of-a-kind towels comes from all over the world, specifically from the beauty of nature and the wonders of travel. And 10% of every purchase, goes to a charity whose mission is to support good causes that are all for the betterment of the human race. This towel has become my go-to accessory when I head to the beach. It's great if you have kids because it's big and has ample space for toys and laying out without feeling crowded.
I love the coral and grey print on the swimsuits and especially love that this bikini gives my lady friends an extra boost! Rocco's shorts have a cozy fit and a comfortable elastic that grows with baby. Doesn't he look dapper?! The suits also come in different shades of blue (sweetly called the Raspberry and the Coconut). We are wearing the 'pomegranate' model and it's delightful! Daddies can also get into the fun and match with their little girls or little boys. Little girls have the option of donning a two piece or a one piece- both adorable! And with summer just around the corner, it's time to stock up on this season's trends! The suits are available on the brand's site.
It's been a little bit since I've done a Rocco Report and I'm so excited to bring this one to the table. We're talking Parenting Fails. We're all perfect parents until we actually become parents. We all say, "Oh, I'll never let my kid watch 10 hours of TV.." or "My kids will never eat Happy Meals," or "I'll never feed my kid sugar." And then- Bam! Your kid knows every episode of Disney Jr, and will watch for 10 hours while they say feast on their happy meals and M&Ms. As for you, you survived another day and had to eat your words!
And you know we all have those 'OMG' moments- those epic parenting fails that smack us back into that humble reality and remind us that parents aren't really that perfect to begin with. Your kid pulls an epic tantrum at a store and all you want to do is leave him there, or they made inappropriate comments to their teacher that made you want to enter the Witness Protection Program. We make mistakes. We fail- whether big or small. And at the end of it all, we laugh and we cry and realize that parenting is hard work.
I got a good 'Parenting Fail' to share, one that I can laugh about now. It's a doozy. I had just moved back to Miami from New York, I was maybe here three weeks, and I was new to this whole driving thing again. We had gotten one of these techy cars that locks on its on when the doors closed and that started with a touch of a button. Basically I was overwhelmed with all these advances and still trying to figure out the car. So one afternoon, I take Maya with me to a vet appointment, I'm heading back into the car, and it's an overcast day, and I'm trying to get everyone in the car. Maya is still not a fan of the car seat at this point so to distract her and keep her quiet, I give her my keys. Big mistake-basically a rookie mistake. I had put my purse and my phone in the front seat and only realized this when I shut the door. And then I heard it- click. The car did one of its annoying techy things and locked all the doors. WTF. Here I am, no phone, no keys, no purse, and a one and a half year old locked inside. Ok, stay calm, deep breaths. All I have to do, is show that nothing is wrong and teach my kid how to double-click the unlock button. Here I am, in the middle of a parking lot at 10 in the morning, screaming through the window with an exaggerated smile, "Maya, can you press the button for mommy please?" She would giggle and then keep clicking the locked button. This was going nowhere fast. I started to internally panic. I needed to get this kid out. I'm just frantically looking around for anyone so I could use their phone. After what felt like hours, but was probably five minutes, I see one of the nurses coming out of the office and I blurt out, "Can I borrow your phone? I accidentally locked my baby in the car!" I called 911 and they were sending help. The worst part was waiting.
At this point, a small crowd had gathered around my car. Maya was unfazed because I just kept smiling and making silly faces. The keys were on the car floor and my heart was coming out of my chest. Where was the police?! I called 911 to follow up. The minutes dragged. The seconds felt like days. I contemplated breaking the window, only we didn't have anything to break the window with. Then a few seconds later, a firetruck rolls up, sirens blaring, and two police cards trailing it. A firetruck?! My parenting star just dimmed. What kind of parent would leave their kid in the car?! I started to beat myself up. The firemen and the policemen asked me how it happened, and I was honest. I told them, I wasn't used to driving these fancy James Bond type cars that start by themselves or lock by themselves, I gave my kid the keys to play with, which by then I had realized how utterly stupid that was, and here I was! The cop's response, "What are you, from NY or something, you don't drive?" I yelled, "Yes! Exactly! I just moved from the city and I've only been driving for like two weeks." Turns out, the cop was originally from the Bronx and a sweetheart. He tried to cheer me up, but also told me that giving keys to a kid is never a good idea. I think he felt sorry for me. Ha! And thanks to the wonderful firemen, they were able to get into my car, and get Maya out without having to break a window. Seeing all these strange faces got her a little upset, but once she was in my arms, she was back to her regular self. As for me, I read the car's manual and changed all the settings. No more locked doors for this family!
And now, on to my favorite part! Fellow parents share some of their parenting fails! Let's join together and laugh at our parenting awesomeness or lack thereof.
Aileen: My toddler is terrified of the dark because he suffers from nightmares so I borrow a book from his teacher about a little critter who dreams that he drinks a potion and grows fangs and wings. Little critter then goes off to do crazy things like getting a pet gorilla. Story ends by him realizing that it was all just a dream and that dreams are not real. He had actually been safely sleeping in his mom's arms. My poor baby misses the point of the story and now every night spends 20 minutes asking if he will turn into something while he sleeps, if he will wake up to a tiger in his room, etc. Bedtime got worse and real quick.
Jennifer: Giving my kid gum on the way to school because she forgot to brush her teeth and then her getting to school and telling the teacher she didn't have to brush her teeth because her mom would just give her gum because she's always in a hurry.
Kris: My husband curses- a lot. Especially when he drives. And he listens to a lot of explicit rap music. Our toddler is always in the car with him. Sometimes he forgets not to curse, so when she's in the car and he honks the horn, she'll blurt out, "Fucking bitch!" It's mortifying.
Victoria: We lost our three year old in Lincoln Road and we about had a heart attack. It's true what they say, you can't take your eyes of your kids not even for a second. The kids were playing next to us while we were eating and the next thing we know, the two kids were nowhere to be found. We were like crazy people screaming their name and looking for them. It was a few minutes that felt like eternity. The police helped us and they were so efficient. They found them both on one of the side streets riding their scooters. I cried for 30 minutes compulsively after we found them. My little one started crying when he saw me. That was my big parenting fail.
Mayte: I threw my toddler out of the house when she was three years old. I literally packed her a bag and put her outside and closed the door. Not sure if that was a good idea, but I did it.
Melissa: I went to drop off my daughter at school, and had my little boy with me. I got in my car and drove off, and my daughter's teacher came running after me and said, "are you missing something?" Sad part is I really had to think about it.
Monica: My oldest son kept answering back and I had just about enough. I stopped the car in Viscaya and told him to get off with his backpack and walk home. His sister was freaking out and crying in the backseat so I let him back in.
Rebecca- I know that I'm not the only parent to have done this, but my kid was running her mouth and being disrespectful so I got a bar of soap and literally washed her mouth with soap. #assholeparent
Lisa- The joys of vacation, lots of family time together and the opportunity for all ….. to co-sleep once again. What damage can a week of some fun in the sun do? Let’s just say four months later, we are still sleeping together after we had made great progress prior to going on vacation. Every night we make the “back to his own bed promise,” and every morning we all wake up together. On the occasion we have put our little bed hog back in his bed, but who can resist that 3 a.m. cry for Mama? Depending on the day of the week, I kick myself for being back in this predicament or just tell myself we are still on vacation.
Jessie: My daughter had a bag of Nerds. A huge bag. I mean, at least five pounds of Nerds in a bag and she wanted to put water in it so they can swim like fish. After 1000 times of telling her no, she didn't listen so I grabbed the bag and tossed out the bag on the palmetto during 5pm traffic. Crazy, but I had had enough.
On Us:
Suits: Petit Limoi
Towel: Vagabond Beach
In Style,
Rocco's Mom
