It’s my birthday!!! Yeah!!! And Starbucks’ birthday present to me is their Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee. Yep, today’s the big day for it to be released to the masses. And I am officially an addict already! If you get your Starbucks VIA packets, I really, really suggest getting the tumbler, too, it is such a great way to keep your coffee with you. Here’s a great Starbucks VIA gift pack for the Starbucks Lover. Right now they offer the coffee flavors in Italian Roast and Colombian. I love how convenient these little packets are.

a.k.a. my dad. The warden watches my parenting skills all day long. So here I am in Florida visiting with my familia and feeling the stares of judgmental eyes. I know I’m not going to do everything right…or everything they think I should do. I watch too much tv, I don’t get my son to sleep early enough, I don’t take my son outside enough, I use the computer too much, I’m not feeding my son right, the list goes on. I love my parents, but staying with them can also bring on a little tension between all of us. It’s only Day 2 without the hubby to help me out here, so I feel the full brunt of the responsibility.

So right now I am hiding out in the guest bedroom typing this post because I’m pretty sure if I sat out there right now someone would be timing how long I am spending on this computer checking my email and writing this post.

Honestly I really do love my parents…I just wish I had my own place to go to decompress from spending time with them.

Moxie Mona has been traveling all over the country this week! She stopped by our little town called Hagerstown, Maryland. Our house was just a few miles away from the Antietam Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD…you know the Bloodiest One Day Battle in American History. I won’t bore you with all that history stuff like my hubby does to me. You can go to the website to find out more.

In March 2009, Forbes named Hagerstown #59 for Best Place for Business and Careers!

I’d like to say that Moxie Mona was treated like a queen here during her stay…but with a 2 year old in the house…that’s just not going to happen. There were some battles – Moxie Mona being thrown in a fit of anger, Moxie Mona being forced fed a powder donut or more, and the occasional being put away in a dark place that no toddler could get. But she was a true champ! She never even complained.

Here was our little adventure with Moxie Mona…

Moxie Mona and Little Monkey in front of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. I wasn’t allowed to take any photos inside the museum, but boy am I glad I went during an off time. Thanks to Little Monkey, Moxie Mona and I had to hear quite a protest against being quiet and staring at art.

City Park…one of our fave places to play at. Not only do they have walking paths and several playgrounds, but they also have the Western Maryland 202 Locomotive Display and Museum and the Hager House and Museum. Moxie Mona also helped us feed the ducks…a powdered munchkin or two…is that bad for the ducks?! They seemed to like it. I broke it up and whatever Little Monkey didn’t decide to eat (mind you he’s not a fan of the powdered donuts) went to the ducks.

And no trip to Hagerstown is complete without a visit to the Hagerstown Prime Outlets! Ooooh, how I love to shop! I tried to get a shot that showed most of the outlets, but there is no way to get all the stores in one photo! The Harry & David store is my absolute favorite with NY & Co. just opening now being a close runner up. FYI-if you live nearby a Prime Outlets…ask around to see if they have any Halloween events. We scored big last year at the outlets!

I know I was exhausted from all this fun. I hope Moxie Mona enjoyed her time with us!

We have sinced moved from Hagerstown, MD and I actually miss it a little, but I’m glad I could show you our cool little city that we lived in for 4 years.

Want to see more places that Moxie Mona has been to this week?! Click on Moxie Mona’s Itinerary. She’s been busy!

Growing up in a Puerto Rican family, it seems we are taught that food is love. If you dare tell my grandmothers you aren’t hungry, you have personally offended them and you better take that plate of food that is piled to the sky…even if all you do is pick at the plate. Just smile and say thank you. Whenever we had gatherings growing up, I remember hanging out in the kitchen with my mom, sister, and aunts.

There is just something so comforting about the kitchen to me. I love to eat and I love to feed people good food. The kitchen is the first thing I want to see when we look at a moving into a new place. I have to have a big open kitchen for me to cook and enjoy my kitchen.

For me the heart of my home is my kitchen. I cook and bake my food with love. And I hope that whoever eats it will enjoy every bite. No, not every meal I’ve ever made has been edible, but you can usually see all the work I put into it. I am still a work in progress. The kitchen and I are bonding more each year. I hope to one day be able to cook without having to read through my recipes, but it works for me right now.

No, I am not ignoring everyone. These last two weeks have been crazy. We’ve moved into a new place – not real far from where we were before. The move in date got bumped up at the last minute, so things were kinda crazy. The hubby’s job has been a little exciting…to put it nicely. I can’t go into details, but let’s just say it has been keeping us on our toes. Woo hoo! I’ve been trying to unpack the house (but ants that have declared battle at our front door/front window sill have been keeping me vacuuming like a lunatic at all hours of the day), helping out the Busy Mom website. the hubby’s job constantly coming up with something, and the hubby and I are sharing ONE laptop…I am very, very much in need of a vacation.

So I apologize now for anyone that I have ignored. My inbox is swimming. Please know that I am not ignoring you on purpose, but things have been a little crazy and I’m just barely treading water. Thank goodness mine and Little Monkey’s bi-annual Florida vacation is coming up…just in time for my birthday. Nothing better than being home for my birthday…well, it would be better if the hubby could be there, but I understand that he can’t just hang out for two weeks in Florida like I plan to do for a sweet 16 party and two babyshowers.

The first few tweets I saw were a little after 8pm, saying “RIP Patrick Swayze.” I thought it was a mistake at first since this wouldn’t be the first time he was reported dead since he let the world know of his cancer. But sadly it is true, Patrick Swayze died today. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/14/entertainment/main5310962.shtml May he rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.