What to Pack Fast For a Last Minute Beach Trip

Summers in Puerto Rico are absolutely beautiful! 

The sun is usually shining and the water is always refreshing, whether you're headed to the river or the beach. 

But boy, is it HOT! 

90 degree plus weather almost everyday definitely calls for spontaneous trips to cool bodies of water, aka the BEACH!! 

Whether you have one week or 10 minutes, this list includes just about everything you need for an impromptu sandy getaway:

Essential

Beach Bag

Sandals 

Bathing Suit cover-up

Change of clothes (extra undies)

Sunscreen

Lotion

Brush

Leave-in hair moisturizer or conditioner

Light Weight hair spray

Hand Sanitizer 

Finger foods! (Snacks, sandwiches, hotdogs, etc.) 

Bottled Water 

2 Towels (always bring an extra)

beach chair/ mat 

Shady hat

Sunglasses  

Optional

Baby powder (For easy sand removal) 

Soccer ball/ Football/ Volley ball

Beach Pail (Sand castle is a MUST)

Reading material 

For Toddler/Kids

Sunscreen

Shady Hat

Beach Toys

Life Vest/ Water Wings

Sandals

2 Changes of clothes 

2 towels

Snacks! 

Sippy Cup 

Mini beach chair

Giant beach ball 

What Is Love?

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, the pressure is on for many, if not all of us. 

This is a special time of year when images of "love" are suddenly everywhere, shoved in our faces in every store we step foot in.

It seems that everyone is aiming to manipulate us into think that the color of love is red, pink, and white. Or that putting hearts everywhere and buying chocolates and flowers is the grandest gesture a person can  make to declare their passion and commitment to their fellow human being.

 

The bible teaches: 

That is absolutely beautiful, and it should be every person's person goal to strive for a love like the bible describes, but it is describing a perfect love (God's love), and we are far from perfect. 

While it is wonderful to give and receive gifts and candy, during Valentine's Day it is important to remember what loves truly is. 

In my opinion, true love is sacrifice.

It is about putting your needs aside and elevating the needs of those around you; this could be extended to strangers, or simply family and friends. For example; true love is waking up every 2 hours to feed your new born, or letting your spouse rest for an hour while you do the chores or make dinner. True love can also be dedicating your weekends to spending time visiting lonely strangers in the hospital. 

No matter what you do, don't forget that love means being humble and respectful and kind to all in everyday situations. 

Sometimes the best Valentine's Day gift can be the most simple.

Bible Coming To LIFE!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of the great flood, it is a very old story about a man named Noah who was the only person on Earth, literally, who did what was good in the eyes of God. God was displeased with the world He created and the evil people who lived there, so He told Noah to build an ark, a GIANT boat, in preparation for a big storm that was coming. 

God was going to make it rain! 

Not only that, but He was planning on flooding the entire planet. God simply told him that He loved him and that Noah would need to prepare. 

Unlike many of us, Noah got straight to work building the ark with his sons. Though the task at hand seemed ridiculous and impossible he was obedient. Noah didn't wait for a sign, he didn't doubt that it would rain so profusely, he didn't try to convince others that he was right; bottom line is that Noah did not WASTE TIME!

 

When God asks us to do something, we tend to procrastinate, or ignore the task all together. We think, "God would never talk to me." or "Why in the world would He tell me to do that?" The truth is, He talks to all of us everyday. We should open our ears to listen, not just hear, and once He reveals our destiny to us, we need to get started! 

A few amazing people are doing just that in Williamstown, Kentucky. The makers of the Creation Museum are working on constructing a life size Noah's ark! Their goal is for the Ark to stand as a reminder of the biblical story of Noah. Soon, we will be able to know how hard Noah and his family worked to do the same thing thousands of years ago with the guidance of God. 

Finally, we will be able to witness what happens when we fully commit to our calling from God!

The Story of Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are beautiful!

We can all agree that they have become the signature to any ideal celebration! 

For many Christians, a lit Christmas Tree symbolizes the light of Jesus shining in the darkness.  

But have you ever wondered why people decorate trees, or anything for that matter, with string of tiny colorful light bulbs?

It is speculated that Martin Luther was the first person to decorate an evergreen tree with candles. He was walking home one night and found himself fascinated but the way the stars twinkled through the evergreens. He chopped down and mount an evergreen in his home, and glued small candles to the branches to share the magic of the stars with his family. 

The tradition caught on and soon everyone was decorating their trees with tiny lit candles. Because of the extreme fire hazard, most people did not light their trees until the night before Christmas. 

Since then, Christmas lights have had major developments. 

In 1882 Edward Johnson wired red, white, and blue bulbs together and put them on his tree. His idea was a step in the right direction, but the bulbs were expensive and they had to be wired by a professional electrician. 

Finally, in 1917 Albert Sadacca decided to make the lights multicolored. He started a company called NOMA Electric Company, with his brothers Henri and Leon, which soon became the largest Christmas lighting company in the world. They used a new invention where the string of lights could be plugged in to a wall socket. 

In the 1960's the lights we all know and love became popular and are similar to the lights we use today. 

Minus the LED of course. 

Merry Christmas! ;) 

New Tiny Teeth!

Babies are always more than proud to show off their brand new set of chompers, even if they only have one or two!

 

With new teeth comes new responsibilities! 

As soon as Nico had about six teeth we decided it was time for a visit to the dentist, who was pleasantly surprised upon meeting us!

She went on about how rare it was for parents to bring their child at such an early age, and about how amazing it was for Nico to have a head start towards healthy brushing habits! 

 We even got an adorable free toothbrush! 

A little bit of advice:  

Don't forget you camera! Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way because I left my camera at home. You are NOT going to want to miss seeing your little one in that giant green chair! It is something that you will want to remember forever! 

If your child is a biter there is a trick that the dentist showed me to prevent painful injuries, on my part and on his! 

Take two fingers and put them in between the back of his gums where he does not have teeth yet. This will hold his mouth open and though he will be instinctively biting down, you won't suffer any notoriously unpleasant baby bites. Your baby will not like this. 

Your baby doesn't really like foreign objects near his mouth unless he puts it there, or unless it's food, preferably something sweet. Don't be alarmed when the dentist asks you to hold him down, and keep your cool when he starts to freak out. This is NOT going to hurt him. So, smile at him, sing to him, tell him it's okay, and remind him that the dentist is a friend when everything is over! That will make return visits easier in the future! 

 

Stay healthy and keep on smiling =) 

 

 

It's Getting Hot In Here!

 

No, it's not just you, it is really getting warmer, and the United States is not the only country being affected. The World Meteorological Organisation reported that the global average land and sea surface temperatures for the first 10 months of 2014 had soared higher than ever recorded. WMO also reported that 14 of the 15 hottest years were recorded in the 21st century. 

Global Warming is no longer a crazy, extreme theory, as once believed by many!

Now that people have finally accepted it, what are people doing about it? 

The United Nations weather agency gathered in Lima to discuss climate change negotiations in attempts to prevent the temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. 

While that is a very good thing, we have to remember that it is NOT only up to them! 

It is up to humans to collectively realize this dangerous problem and work together on the solution. 

The best part is that the things we can do to help are so simple!

Tips on bringing downs the heat:

- Change your light bulbs in your home to Energy Star qualified products.

- Carpool to work with your coworkers. Make it fun by sharing breakfast pastries and coffee!

- And one that I hope we all know, REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE!

 

How to Pack a Shoe Box: Operation Christmas Child

 

The best way to get people motivated is to lead by example! 

This is the first year that our family is participating in Operation Christmas Child and we really wanted to get it right! 

After a little research Nico and I managed to put together a wonderful box that will benefit a child in need. 

Here are some things to include in your box: 

 

  

 

 

 

We even printed a label that will allow us to see where the box is headed and who it is helping! 

(I'll be sure to keep you posted!)