Leon the swimmer

Leon's first ever swimming class was A LOT of fun.  He had the biggest smile as soon as he and I got in the pool.  I thought he would be a bit scared being in a huge pool for the first time but he did great.  He showed total confidence until the instructor used him as an example and submerged his head in the water unexpectedly.  Of course he got frightened and from then on- he was stuck on mama like glue and expectedly so- he began to get scared of the instructor.  Lucky for us- the instructor was only subbing that day.  I'm hoping the gal who teaches the class regularly will be gentler.
I love our local YMCA.  There are so many activities for young kids and a lot of workout options that I find so appealing.  The other day I took a Zumba class- my first ever.  I shook my 'lil booty like it was no ones business and I had a blast.  So much fun while working out!
The photo above was taken by Chris before we left home for the class.

dessert party

Here are some pictures from a dessert party we catered last Saturday.  It was a success!  Everyone oooh and aaaaah'd over all the delicious sweets.  All the hard work was definitely rewarded by happy faces- and satisfied bellies.  

chocolate fountain surrounded by various treats for dipping- fresh strawberries and bananas, rice krispies,  marshmallows, butter cookies, salted pretzels, angel food cake bits, mini donuts.  Butterscotch pudding layered with crumbled sea salt chocolate cookies in individual trifles.

assorted cookies  (some vegan) -  and in the chafing dish are three kinds of ice cream sandwiches.  We placed dry ice in the chafing dish to keep the sandwiches frozen.  It worked like a charm!

Now that Leon is down to one nap a day, he and I are always looking for something fun and exciting to fill our day.  We went to The Grove the other day, did some window shopping and Leon played with water by their little fountain.  He really LOVES the water.  I should start looking into some swimming classes for him.

so much for the TP

It's hard to get upset at Leon even when he unrolls an entire roll of toilet paper.  He came out of the bathroom so happy and proud of himself with toilet paper wrapped all over himself.  It was so adorable.

sweets surround me!

Literally!  I've been in sugar, chocolate, whipped cream and cookie heaven ever since I started working on my current catering job- a dessert party.

mini trifle- butterscotch pudding layered with sea salt chocolate chip cookies

safe to eat "raw" cookie dough topped with a mini chocolate chip cookie

It's always so much fun whenever I can express creativity through food.  More photos to come!

Get Goopy

Get Goopy at WonderKids from Anna Cherubini on Vimeo.

I created this video from today's Get Goopy workshop at Leon's daycare.  Every little one (except Leon)  was having so much fun making a mess.  All kinds of sticky stuff everywhere and no adult saying no or cleaning up.  FUN.

Leon wasn't sure about all the sticky goo.  He dipped his hand in wet cornstarch and looked up at me immediately with a "this is gross" look on his face.  I'm learning plenty about him as the days go by.

it smells like bread!

I've been obsessed with baking lately.  It's often sparked by my disappointment of baked goods I buy from the store.  The so-so quality and taste of what is readily available in grocery shelves motivate me to bake, make it better and use fresh, high quality and organic ingredients if possible.

Not only are the results so much better in taste- it also turns out to be cheaper than buying from the store and preservative free.  You can't lose so if you have the time- definitely try making it yourself.

Almond Vanilla Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Artisan Rosemary Bread

me- very proud of my freshly baked rosemary loaves

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of my baking adventures.  More to come!

A current photo of my sweet boy.  He is more and more active each day, literally getting into everything and climbing everywhere.  It's a fun and very scary stage we are in at the moment.  I tend to underestimate his abilities still thinking that he is just a baby.  Time and time again he proves me wrong.  We were at Target the other day, I placed him securely in the cart with the safety straps on.  As I was pushing the cart along the isle he reached out and was able to pull a glass container off the shelf.  It shattered all over the floor!  I checked him immediately to make sure he didn't have any cuts and thank goodness he was fine.  I had a little cut on my leg that I felt later on.  Man, I have got to get with the program.  My 'lil Leon is growing up and is not so little anymore.