It’s my dogs’ birthday weekend! Yay! Actually, tomorrow is Teddy’s birthday and last week was Koda’s birthday. Teddy will be six years old and Koda is five year’s old. I may be a mom to a six month old little human, but I continue to make every effort for them to enjoy life like they did before Lana was born. We continue to do dog walks (plus stroller) around the neighborhood and malls, hikes, and trips to the dog park. When it comes to dining out, I heavily favor the restaurant that has outdoor dining so Teddy and Koda can join too.
My first Mother’s Day was really nice. My family came over and we had a little potluck for lunch. But later on that day, one of the foods did not sit well with and my husband. I threw up and was sick well into the following day. My husband had the same symptoms a few hours later. We have identified the food that got us sick because it was the one thing we did not feed Lana. I wanted to bring it up with my family that we got sick from that one dish, but I’ll hold back. I don’t want anyone to take it personally. Maybe the next time we hold another potluck, I’ll challenge everyone to bring a new dish — something you did not bring last time.
We are still going through the Bout of Books marathon. I am surprised to say I am still going. I thought I was going to give up on Monday when I got sick. I mean missed the morning and afternoon reading sprint that day, but I made up all the sprints reading in the evening. So far I’ve enjoyed reading. I listen to an audiobook on the way to work and the way back. Before bedtime, I read some more until I fall asleep. I just finished Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the “Real America” by Kevin Williamson. I am currently reading Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong, China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan, and Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel (audiobook) by Bernardine Evaristo. I also read to Lana as well. This month it’s centered around Asian stories. I am currently reading to her Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories and Filipino Friends by Liana Romula and Vietnamese Children’s Favorite Stories by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran.
On Tuesday, the gardeners installed the plants for the front yard. It’s not quite complete since I am still so undecided to what plants to buy and where. Right now I bought a few to start plus a young pink tabebuia tree. I am so glad I did not go on a plant shopping spree because I’ve been spending every evening after work watering all the plants in the yard to establish rapid root growth. For the pink tabebuia, I’ve been filling the tree ring. Maybe when these current batch of plants are settled then I’ll consider buying new plants.
Eat, Play, Live 
Sorry to hear about the food poisoning! 😦 But it sounds like a nice celebration – before you got sick.
Regarding plants, I’m also undecided about what plants to get! Perhaps just wait and do some research. Setting up new areas or fix up old ones is so much fun though.
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Hello, Susanne, For me, I researched and just bought a few plants. I think I’ll plan to do so as I go. I forgot to include that aside from time to care for my newly installed plants, it takes a lot of water too. Another good reason to not buy all the plants for your yard on the first go.
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Happy birthday to Teddy and Koda. Good to hear you had a nice first Mother’s Day in spite of the food issues later on. Have a great week ahead! #Weekendcoffeeshare
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Thank you, Natalie!
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Hi Julie. Congrats on your first mother’s day. Thus starts the great adventure. My wife and I have three, all now in their mid-late 20s, and loved being parents on an average of 92.4% of our days. Every now and then we’d hit a hard spot, but as our small herd settled into their teens, they needed less and less hard parenting work so we had an overall great experience and love having them around.
I hope you have a similar great run of it.
Blessings.
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