"Walk to End Alzheimer's"

Yesterday we participated in the "Walk to End Alzheimer's", an annual event organized by the Alzheimer's Association and sponsored by the company I work for. 

The walk is a 5K event around Coral Gables, which is an amazing place to walk since the scenery is so beautiful....

Our company had over 100 walkers and we were able to raise $3000 on top of our corporate sponsorship... I was the proud captain of our team and was happy to see such success...

I should also say that I'm super proud of myself for "running" half the time and making the 5K in less than 45 min.. that's amazing considering I NEVER run, even though I should!  I felt inspired and have decided to get back into running and exercising.. that's how fun it was!

Halloween and stuff...

Halloween is such a fun holiday for the kids.. they get to dress up, pretend play and their most favorite part, collecting candy and eating it... It doesn't get much better than that if you're an adventurous toddler..

For my girls, Halloween has been really fun this year...they have had many celebrations and have thoroughly enjoyed their costumes..

On Thursday they had a school party... they went trick or treating around the other classrooms and collected a bunch of candy..

On Saturday we attended a Halloween-Birthday party for the Zarrillo girls, daughters of our friends Enzo and Connie.. they were turning 3 and 1 and got to celebrate their birthdays with an awesome costume party.. Although it rained A TON, we were able to enjoy the festivities...

 Here's the Zarrillo family.. singing Happy Birthday with the girls...

 ...and here's daddy with Gaby... we weren't too original this year as far as costumes go (for us), but we did put on a couple of wigs to play the part...

... Halloween is tomorrow so we will see how that goes... I hope it's just as fun as every other year!

My blog is 3 years old!!

"A World of My Own" is turning 3 years old today! Wow!  It surprises me to realize that I have been able to keep this up for so long...it also makes me very happy and satisfied...
This blog is my outlet, my diary, my personal journal and a way to share a piece of my life with everyone that cares to read about it...
When I started blogging I doubted myself and thought I'd get bored rather quickly.. but here I am.. 3 years later, still going strong...
I hope to print this blog up one day and give it to my girls as a gift.. I can only hope they'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it..
If you're a follower, thank you!  If you're a visitor, than you!  If you're a friend, thank you!.. for putting up with me and helping me share a piece of my life with the cyber world!
Happy blogging!...here's to many more blogger birthdays!

Wordless Monday...

Orlando weekend...

We had such an amazing weekend in Orlando.. we just love going there... it's such a great place to spend time as a family..

This time we took the girls to Islands of Adventure @ Universal Studios.. it was the first time we took them to this theme park and let me say they had such a blast...

The park has an awesome kid section with a "Cat in the Hat" theme.. there's tons of kiddie rides and colorful stores... The parents get to enjoy the crazy roller coasters in the park, so it's a fair deal...

We also got to visit "Hogwarts", which is the Harry Potter section that was opened less than a year ago.. so much fun!

Today, we took the girls to Disney's Hollywood Studies, which is always a sure bet.  Olivia got to ride the "Hollywood Tower of Terror", which is her favorite ride ever... We also got to enjoy the parade and watch some of the girls' favorite shows....

This was such perfect trip also because the weather was so beautiful and the crowds were super light.. Definitely the best month to visit Disney and the rest of Orlando's theme parks!

What a hit!  Let's do it again!!!

Wordless Monday...

Gaby is 27 months!

My sweet princess is 27 months today.. that's just 9 months shy of 3 years old.. Time keeps flying and I keep enjoying every one of her milestones.. it's so much fun to have this little cutie around...
She is so amazing and such a joy! She loves laughing and is in a good mood most of the time (despite her cranky personality)... She's very assertive and extremely determined to get her way, which bothers me some times, but I guess I should be proud of her for being so mature....
She enjoys music and has started to make up songs, which she sings all day long... She also enjoys cartoons, being outdoors and playing with her sister...
She isn't potty trained yet, but is very well ahead of the curve when it comes to things such as talking, motor skills, etc..
I'm so proud of her and I love her to pieces....
Happy 27 months, Gaby!

Potty training....

"Potty Training" has become such a sore subject in our house... I feel like it's never going to happen for Gaby and I'm already feeling frustrated which is SO unlike me!
She is 2+ years old and isn't remotely interested in the potty.. at least at home she isn't... Her teacher at school tells me she goes at least once or twice during the day and she obviously knows the concept because she tells me as soon as she has a soiled or wet diaper..she just isn't having it!
So.. what's going on??? Uggh!! I really wish I knew.. All I know is that I feel like we're so behind in this department.. When Olivia was this age, she was DONE with diapers.. and while I totally know I should not compare my two children, I do believe that Gaby has all it takes to be potty trained already and she is just refusing for some odd reason....
I'm really starting to lose my patience and feel angry about it... I know in the big picture this doesn't matter.. I mean, I know she won't use diapers forever, but why can't she stop using them NOW?
If you have any suggestions on how to potty train a stubborn toddler, please send them my way... Should I go the pull-up route? Should I be more strict?  Should I force her??
I need some tips...;)

Wordless Monday...

Hispanic Heritage Month

October is "Hispanic Heritage Month", which is celebrated across the United States in most schools.  Of course being in Miami, this celebration is even more significant since there are so many Hispanics living in this area... For us, it is very important that our kids understand where their parents come from and that they learn the basics of their heritage to hopefully carry over to their kids and so on..

This past Friday, we attended a Hispanic celebration at the girls' school, which was filled with a showcase of several Hispanic countries including typical foods, costumes, music, etc.  Each classroom had a country assigned, which made it really fun....

Gaby's classroom had Venezuela, which is our country... it was fun to see her dancing to Venezuelan music and enjoying some of our typical foods.. very cute..

This is a picture of the girls with their friend Isabella, taking a stroll around the Mexican classroom...

 ..and this is Olivia in her classroom, which was in charge of representing Peru... she even made a special project and learned some history about the Peruvian flag... very interesting..

Busy week

I've been away from my blog this week.. I feel guilty but I promise I have a good excuse...
First off, I'm super overwhelmed with school work, to the point where I wonder what the hell I was thinking when I decided to go back to grad school because this is so insane...
Second, my in-laws are in town so that always keeps me busy...
...and to top it off, this has been a rainy and very nasty week weather wise, so my inspiration is almost non-existent.... pathetic, I know..but SO true!

I will be back to blogging soon! ;)

Wordless Monday...

Pechy's baby shower

Yesterday we celebrated my friend Pechy's baby shower, which I organized along with a few friends.. Pechy is due with baby girl #2 at the end of November and I couldn't be more excited... We've been friends for over 13 years and we've seen each other creating our little families.. it's always great to celebrate these wonderful events....

Baby Julieta will join big sister Melissa, who is super excited for her arrival...

The baby shower was great and Pechy was super happy with all her friends and wonderful gifts.. so much fun!

This is the Cadena-Garcia family, eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby Julieta!

Happy Birthday, Martyna!

Happy Birthday to my great friend Martyna, who turns 31 today... I was blessed enough to be able to celebrate with her and some close friends...

We've been friends for almost 15 years and I hope God blesses us with many more years of friendship!

Happy Birthday, Martyna! I love you!

Valeria's 5th birthday

Today we attended Valeria's 5th birthday, celebrated at the Miramar Aquatic Center...

The theme was "Hello Kitty" (my favorite), so I really enjoyed all the decorations and ambience.. too cute!

The girls had an amazing time with their little friends playing in the water, going down the slides and then hitting the piñata.. it was great!

Happy Birthday, Valeria!