Boo!! Beauty & the Mommy

This is the first year I took my little pumpkin out for trick or treat, the girl had a blast. We started out around 6:30pm so that she could still go to bed at a decent time (but things do not always go as  planned, shouldn't I know that by now?!?). There were many homes in the neighborhood which "somewhat" participated in the candies giving trandition. I found it interesting that they decided to leave pots of candies out on their porch and let the kiddos grab as much as they would like despite personally handing candies to the kids. Great idea especially when you are tired of hearing that doorbell for the 50th time, right?   My daugther's in-home daycare did a Halloween party for the kids so she basically celebrated Halloween all day long. How fun! She wore her Cinderella's dress to daycare, then Belle's dress for trick or treat in the evening.     Table decoration at daycare     Our one and only Halloween decoration   Here comes the princess - Belle     We found Belle's Dress/a crown and matching shoes (the shoes were not comfortable for walking so I let her wear a different pair for trick or treat) at a Disney's store a few weeks ago and just had to have it. It is sooooooooooooo pretty that I wish it came in my size!!

Going Natural

I am not sure since when finding safe and natural products for a little one has become a huge deal for me. Gotta thanks to the EWG (Environmental Working Group is a non-profit organization whose mission, according to their website, is "to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment) who permanently turns me into a freak for nature products brings such important awareness and opens up my eyes about products we use daily.     I don't buy everything natural and organic. Honestly, some of them are ridiculously expensive and  not always effective at all. I only purchase certain items which we use everyday such as bath products and sunscreen because your body absorbs whatever we put on your skin every single day so the bad stuff must accumulate somehow in a long term. Years after years, I am in search of new products to try. These are my recent batch of natural goodies. Will share my finding soon.       Shea Moisture Line: Baby lotion and Baby Wash were on sale at Walgreen website so I snagged extra since we can definitely use these during winter. I also got myself a conditioner and body wash. They smell AMAZING you are not going to believe there is no synthetic fragrance in these! They said it is all from flower extract.     Sunscreen is an all year round must-have especially here a (super) sunny state of Texas. I tried a few brands in the past (California Baby and Badger), most natural sunscreens leave the white-ish film and are quite difficult to blend into skin. Hope this one works well. I love using baby products. They are very gentle. Read a full list of natural sunscreen products here at Safemama.

A new sunny beginning

What can be more exciting these days other than watching The Walking Dead from episode 1 – 3 (thanks to my husband who got me hooked, now I am WAY ahead of him), trying new recipes, watching Thai TV shows on YouTube and not to mention spending more money than I intended to on “stuff”?

I thought I would be okay without blog because I could use that time to do something else. Blogging is very time consuming – we all know it. I could really use that time to sit on my butt, massage my face, cleaning my unorganized house and so on.

If you ask me why I ended my old blog after two years – I am not so sure that I could pinpoint to a single reason. It may be sheer frustrations, a lack of motivation/inspriration, a pure laziness, a strong desire for a change, shitty comments from annynomous or all of the above.

I definitely want to keep this blog as small and intimate as possible. I no longer concern how big it will get or how many people will know it. Having a huge crowd of followers used to be one of my goals but it quickly ruined my fun in blogging during the first year in blogsphere. What matters is the quality not the quantity. After two years, I realize what matters is the people who read your blog and interact with you. It is that interaction…it is that special connection that keeps you coming back for more to share, to vent, to laugh, to complain and to cry out loud. If I have one good blogging buddy who keeps me inspired and content with my blogging experience, that is all that matters. During my two years, I had experienced all facets of blogging with my old blog. Not that everything turned out to be pleasant experiences but each and every phase in blogging helped me tremendously. It helps me focus on what really matters, how I should blog and how to avoid/elimimate frustrations.

Giving up an old blog was not easy as 1-2-3 but I was happily welcomed a new opportunity and excitement.

Change – big or small it can be scary but everyone has gone through countless of changes over their lifetime, perhaps more than we could recall each and every incident. While living and following the same old routine day in and day out gives us a strong sense of security and prediction, in a deep corner of our souls we know we yearn for something “different”. To give up one’s security blanket or familarity is never easy - it requires strenght, determination and bravery to branch out to step your foot in a strange place and surround yourself with things or people you have never seen. It is like a new road you have never discovered and you do not know what lies ahead. That is when fear arises in the back of our mind. Fear stops us from opportunity to learn and adapt. Some people hold on to their fears, and turn around to the path they have long known, but some choose to embark a new journey to an unknown destination.

Big thanks to the fellow bloggers who continue to inspire me everyday through their blogs and those words of encouragement are very much appreciated. Although I am bad at replying to comment, I read all of them and appreciate you for taking the time to share bits and pieces.

You all make a “HUGE” difference.I am grateful to have each of “you”, thank you for being here.

Maysa (or Maysayon in Thai language means April) is my birth month. It marks the beginning of the summer and what else can you think of summer if not the sunshine. I would like the name of my new blog to be cheerful and uplifting. And that's how Maysa & Sunshine come together.

I am glad to be back. Now let a new adventure begin....