Showing posts with label Houston. Show all posts

When mommy works late...

Monday, May 23, 2016

(Bilingual - en español)

There's no denying it's hard to work late because I miss our little girl so much, but there are some benefits - really!

You see, when I work late, my husband gets the opportunity to bond with her even more, and it's absolutely precious.

As parents, it's very important that our baby girl knows early on that she can count on us. Regardless of how hectic our days are, we want her to know we're still there for her.  Some days she may not have both of us playing with her in the living room, showering her with kisses and giving her undivided attention, but she will always have at least one of us.

So when I work late, I know she's in the best hands she can be with her daddy, and I can already see a special bond between them.

In love with daddy!
Sometimes he'll take her to Costco or Harbor Freights (Paul's favorite stores).  Other times, he'll take her to the park or just watch football with her at home.  Last week, they went to buy groceries and then Vida spent the afternoon outside watching her dad smoke salmon, which by the way was delicious! I'm working on convincing him to do a video tutorial because he's a pro!

Kicking it at Sprouts
Regardless of how they spend their evenings when I'm at work, there's no doubt Vida enjoys every minute she gets with her dad - just look at that face!

Plus, I absolutely adore the photo updates I get from my husband when he's out and about with Vida. 



Long days at work will never be easy but getting photos like these fill my heart with joy.  How do you guys manage when you work late?  I'd love to hear from fellow working moms OR dads!  

(En español)

No hay duda que es muy difícil trabajar hasta tarde porque extraño demasiado a mi pequeña niña, pero hay que ver siempre el lado positivo.

Cuando tengo que trabajar hasta tarde debido a eventos o juntas, mi esposo tiene la oportunidad de fortalecer aún más su relación con nuestra hija.

Como padres es muy importante que Vida sepa desde temprana edad que siempre puede contar con nosotros.  Independientemente de lo ocupados que estemos, queremos que sepa que aún estamos ahí para ella. Algunos días no podrá tenernos a los dos presentes jugando con ella y dándole toda nuestra atención, pero siempre tendrá al menos uno de nosotros.

Así que cuando yo trabajo hasta tarde sé que está en las mejores manos posible con su papa, y me alegra mucho ver como florece la relación entre ellos dos.

A veces, mientras yo trabajo, la lleva a Costco o Harbor Freights (sus tiendas favoritas).  Otras veces, se pasan las tardes en el parque o en casa viendo futbol americano.  Por ejemplo, la semana pasada fueron a comprar el mandado para la semana y luego pasaron la tarde afuera preparando salmón a fuego lento.

No importa como pasen el tiempo, no cabe duda que Vida disfruta de cada minuto que pasa con su papa – ¡su carita lo dice todo!

Aparte, me encanta las fotos que me manda mi esposo cuando se andan paseando.

Tal vez nunca sea fácil trabajar días tan largos, pero me llena el corazón de alegría cada vez que recibo fotos y veo que se la están pasando muy bien juntos.  

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Exploring the Children's Museum of Houston

Friday, April 22, 2016


(Bilingual - en español)

As a working mom, I look forward to the weekends and holidays to stay home with my baby girl. In April, due to bad weather in Houston, work was canceled and I got to enjoy a few extra days at home with her.

So soon as it was safe to travel on the roads, I took off to the Children's Museum of Houston to play with Vida and watch her explore her new skills.


The Children's Museum of Houston is actually HUGE - three stories and an entire outdoor section with an interactive water exhibit and an EcoStation! But because Vida is only nine months, we spent our entire time at the Tot*Spot, which is open to children from birth to 35 months only.  


Ever since Vida mastered sitting up and crawling at the Children's Museum of Denver, we've made it a point to take her at least twice a month to a museum of some sort that provides plenty of hands-on activities for little ones and ample space to explore.

Now that she can crawl, she's unstoppable! 
The Houston museum's entire Tots section is completely padded and has tons of toys for children to play with, including books and a playpen full of balls. This has helped Vida gain confidence as she practices standing up on her own and even takes a step or two while holding to our hands.  As much as we baby-proof our home, her freedom to explore the house is still limited so this is a great alternative. 



And well now she's unstoppable!  She has even started to learn how to interact with other children her age which we love.  So if you haven't already, make it out to the Children's Museum of Houston with your little ones or any museum for that matter.  I'm biased about this one simply because it's so close to us, but we've also visited the Children's Museums in Austin, San Antonio and Denver, and they're all wonderful!


Como madre que trabaja, espero ansiosamente los fines de semana y días festivos para quedarme en casa con mi bebe.  En abril, debido al mal tiempo en Houston, se canceló el trabajo y pude pasar varios días en casa con ella.

Tan pronto como lo era seguro viajar en las carreteras, nos fuimos al Museo de Niños de Houston para pasar la tarde jugando y ver como desarrolla sus nuevas habilidades. ¡El Museo de Niños de Houston es realmente enorme!  Cuenta con tres pisos de exhibiciones, incluso una sección al aire libre con una exhibición interactivade agua y un EcoStation.  Pero debido a que Vida aun no cumple al año, nos pasamos todo el tiempo en la sección Tot *Spot, que está abierta solo para niños desde nacimiento hasta los 35 meses de edad. 


Desde que Vida aprendió a gatear en el Museo de Niños de Denver, nos motivamos a llevarla al menos dos veces al mes a un museo de algún tipo que ofrezca actividades para los pequeños y un espacio amplio y seguro para explorar. 

Toda la sección Tot * Spot del Museo de Niños de Houston está completamente acolchonada y tiene un montón de juguetes, incluyendo libros y un corral lleno de bolitas como el que ven en las fotos (es el favorito de Vida). Esto ha ayudado mucho a que Vida agarre confianza en sí misma mientras practica ponerse de pie e incluso ya ha dados unos cuantos pasitos agarrada de nuestras manos.   

¡Y así ahora no hay quien la detenga!  Hasta ha comenzado a jugar con otros niños de su edad.  Así que si no lo han hecho, les recomiendo que lleven a sus pequeños al Museo de Niños de Houston o de hecho, a cualquier museo de niños.   Yo obviamente prefiero el de Houston simplemente por lo cerca que nos quedar pero también hemos visitado los museos de niños en Austin, San Antonio y Denver, y todos son increíbles. 


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Enjoying the Journey to Parenthood

Thursday, April 2, 2015


This summer my husband and I will be welcoming a beautiful baby girl! And as much as we want her to be here already, we are truly enjoying the journey because these are nine special months we want to treasure as much as possible.


So here are a few things Paul and I have done to enjoy our time as expecting parents.

Celebrate!
I'll never forget the day we had our first ultrasound.  Soon as we left the doctor's office, we treated ourselves to lunch at Perry's Steakhouse.  Not saying it was a huge celebration, but it was all we could do on a Friday during lunch before heading back to work.  But trust me, we'll never forget that lunch as it officially marked the beginning of a new and wonderful chapter in our lives.

Go on dates to baby-friendly places
Rather than looking for hip bars Downtown or hitting the best happy hours around, we now seek restaurants with nice, outdoor patios and family-friendly settings we can envision bringing Baby Coffman to this summer.  Crisp in the Heights, for example, is ideal for a Sunday brunch after church.  It offers a cozy patio, lots of shade and the most delicious sage sausage and provolone hashbrowns.

We've also picked Barnaby's Cafe off Shepherd as a future Coffman family outing for their delicious breakfast menu which includes fresh, hand-squeezed orange juice and my all-time favorite 'green eggs', plus they allow dogs on the patio!  You can't beat that!  Just make sure to get there before 10 a.m. to beat the long wait.

Plan a BabyMoon
Whether it's a whole week in the Caribbean or a weekend at a bed & breakfast, it doesn't matter just get away with your husband and disconnect for a few hours or days.  As for us, we look forward to a weekend at a beautiful resort in the Texas Hill Country next month!

Have a gender-reveal party
My mom threw us the most amazing gender-reveal party back in the Rio Grande Valley (my sweet hometown) in February, and it was just amazing!  Lots of family joined us as we eagerly awaited to open the huge box that would reveal the gender of Baby Coffman.





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Can I have 10 wedding dresses please?

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Although I've enjoyed every bit of the planning process since I said YES in August 2013, my favorite part, hands down, has been finding my dress.  So fun that I wish I could try one on every weekend!

For me, feeling like a bride in a wedding gown took two tries and many visits to bridal shops all over Houston.  My first attempt was in late December.  My mom and sister-in-law drove six hours to be here and my future mother-in-law flew in from Colorado so brunch at one of our favorite places was a must.

Brunch at Le Peep
First stop was Ventura's Bridal because I heard from many coworkers that they had a lot of variety AND very affordable prices - both true - plus excellent customer service!  If you go, ask for Penny - she's the best. Soon as we walked in, we went over budget, ideas, likes and dislikes and got down to business.


When it comes to choosing a wedding dress, moms always know best! 
At first I thought I wanted to be in a fun, princess gown so Penny brought out every puffy dress imaginable.  She was incredibly patient as she helped me slip in and out of each one.

Seriously, who doesn't like trying on wedding dresses?


Although I had plenty of 'oooohs' and 'ahhhhhs' from my amazing entourage, none of the dresses gave me the butterflies I needed to feel so from one gown, I went to the next.



While my energy started to dwindle, Penny's patience never did! Even when I decided to completely switch gears.  She just smiled, still enthusiastic, and brought out more gowns - always within my budget. These are all important qualities you'll want in a consultant. You're buying a dress for the most important day in your life, NOT a vehicle. So you need a consultant that treats you as such, not a car salesman. 

A different look, but still not my dress.
I must have tried on like 10 dresses, no joke.  As much as I wanted to buy my dress from Penny, the dress I really wanted was else where (Part II).  But I still went back one last time just to give Penny a BIG hug for being such an amazing consultant - so patient, genuine and understanding. The least I could do was write this about her so if any of you are searching for your gown, make sure to go straight to Ventura Bridal Shop and ask for Penny!

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