My baby girl is one! I think it’s time to officially introduce her in this blog. It’s not that I’ve been hiding her, in fact, I’ve written daily posts about our time on maternity leave #ulianasmaternityleavechronicles but it’s all been happening on Instagram. Making birthday blog posts is kind of a tradition though so I really couldn’t skip this one.

Read More Nika Turns One: First Birthday Party

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Happy Birthday to our beautiful boy Alaric! Although, he probably wouldn’t like to be called beautiful as he told me recently: “I don’t like beautiful things, I like cool things!”. Coolest kid around, the best baby, excuse me, big boy I could ask for. I love his curious nature, mischievous spirit and sweetest hugs!

Read More Alaric Turns Four + Race Car Theme Birthday Party






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Honestly, my idea of a perfect weekend is getting together with family and friends, spending time outside, eating some yummy food and just enjoying the day. Today I met up with two of my girlfriends and our kids for brunch. We went to The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker in West Hollywood, it was so much fun! The food was really good, I got a croissant breakfast sandwich with salmon and my friends had a  breakfast burrito and a banana foster french toast (it looked bomb!). Whenever we get together with the kids it’s always a little crazy though.

Read More Wild & Free






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I was tempted to start off this post by saying I can’t believe how time flies but had to stop myself cause duh! My baby boy just turned three years old! The age between two and three was probably my favorite so far despite the notorious terrible twos. I actually think it wasn’t that bad and all the funny and cute moments outweigh the tantrums which did not spare our family by any means. The past year has been a wild ride with so much progress, challenges and difficult choices along with the impossible love, laughter and fun. I’ve got the best kid ever and I am so happy and proud to be his mama.

Read More Alaric Turns Three + Construction Site Birthday Party






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My baby boy has just turned two! To say that time flies is to say nothing. This year was so much fun! Him a year ago and now are almost two different kids, he made so much progress, it’s mind-blowing! First of all, a year ago he was not even walking, we did not sleep through the night and he would only say mama occasionally. Right now he is running around, sleeps all night and says “I luh u, mama”, “no do that, mama” and probably a 100 different words and sentences in 3 languages!

Read More Alaric Turns Two + Mom’s One Line a Day Outtakes






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 Favorites of this month

1. Fitbit. First thing on my list of February favorites is Fitbit. I got a Fitbit for a Valentine’s Day and I am super excited to have it. It’s interesting to see how simple habit of walking home from work makes a big difference in contributing to the daily goal. Turns out that 10,000 steps on a regular work day is a very easy task for me if just take that trip to work and back. I like this particular activity tracker because it tracks sleep automatically. I generally like all things measurable and I like to see trends and statistics. It was fun to find out that it only takes me 1-2 min to fall asleep. The Fitbit app is really easy to use and has a lot of fun stuff like challenges, food tracker and other things.

Read More Monthly Favorites. Things I liked in February.






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The other day we went on a walk around the neighborhood like we always do. This time it was special because for the first time in weeks it wasn’t raining. We’ve always liked walking, we just grab a camera and get outside to explore. When I look at these pictures later, they make me smile.  I love capturing candid daily moments that become the sweetest memories in the future. Children do grow up too fast and it’s important to cherish those moments. Duh.

Read More Children See. Children Do. A Day in Life of a Toddler.






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Russian/Русский

Favorites of this month

1. Yogurt Maker. One my favorite things this month was a yogurt maker. Last time I visited my family, my mom was always making homemade yogurt and it really was so much more fresh and delicious than a store-bought. Following her lead, I decided to get one for us as well since my baby liked the yogurt a lot and it seems to be healthier than regular milk.

After a month of using the yogurt maker I can say that it’s become a whole family favorite and every 3-4 days I make a new batch. Prep time takes no more than 7 minutes. After mixing the milk with the yogurt starter, I pour in the jars that come with the yogurt maker, set the time for 8-12 hours depending on the milk (I usually make it overnight). Couple more hours in the fridge, it’s ready!

I’ve been telling everyone about the yogurt maker so my work friend also got one and now we always talk about what we are going to try next, what are the best toppings, etc. So far I’ve only made plain whole milk yogurt but next on my agenda is flavored yogurt and some non-dairy yogurt.

Read More Monthly Favorites. Things I liked in January.






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