A Week of Firsts
After trying to post this a million times last night, WordPress finally stopped torturing me this morning…
We had a lot of firsts this week…
1. Not only was it Maya’s first week in kindergarten summer camp…
This is the first time Maya wore a backpack to school. How cute is my little scholar?
But it was the first time I realized she wouldn’t be a little kid, talking my ear off, and demanding sparkling water forever.
For the first time I almost had a tear in my eye. But then she demanded I hold her lunchbox and our “touching moment” flitted away almost as quickly as it came.
2. This week was my first time posting anything remotely controversial. I must admit that I was a bit nervous because usually my idea of controversy involves my nightly arguments with Maya about brushing her teeth.
“You have to sing Happy Birthday TWICE while brushing Maya. Once is not enough.”
Thank you all for your feedback regarding Gisele and the breastfeeding issue. This may have been the first time my brother commented and I must say that I felt pretty special. First time that’s happened in a while.
3. Today was the first time I visited Lemonade where I met several new (to me) L.A. bloggers.
I must have driven past this restaurant 100 times but somehow I never noticed it?
In addition to seeing Lynn, Amanda and Andy, and Eden again, I met Stephanie, Becki from Hike, Bike, Eat, Katy from Katy Eats, and Megan from Healthy Hoggin’.
I was late and I’m never late! Another first but not one that I am very proud of. When I finally settled in guess who showed up to ruin my newfound calmness?
Maya.
She was dropped off by her father. This wasn’t the first time that’s happened but even I have to admit Ali had a good reason to cut his father-daughter bonding time short. In any case Maya made herself useful by taking a few photos…
This isn't the first time Maya has taken a better picture than me. It won't be the last.
I had a great time today and I can’t wait to meet all of you again. Thank you Lynn for organizing such a nice lunch.
I’m off to attend a wedding now and it’ll be my first time visiting the Four Seasons in Westlake Village. I’m sure it won’t be the first time I spend 2 hours on the freeway getting to a wedding though. I imagine Ali and I will be getting into an argument about one or more of the following: the traffic/radio station/temperature control/511/him putting on a tie BEFORE we pull up to the hotel instead of in the lobby.
But it will be the first time I attempt to keep my mouth shut. We’ll see how long that holds.
Edited to add: Ali put his tie on in the lobby…I kept my mouth shut. It was a first.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
have fun at the wedding ameena! you can never go wrong with the four seasons!!!
Her elephant backpack is way too cute!
It was a nice get together. I’m sorry I didn’t stay much longer! We’ll have to plan something else soon.
Hope you enjoy the wedding 🙂
Hahaha ohhh Maya. She’s got great photography skills 😉
Have I told you that I think your family is awesome?!? They should give you guys a teevee show. I’d watch (and I’d make the hubster watch). Oh, and Four Seasons? Can we say swanky party favors? I should call Maya and have her snag me one 🙂
Another hilarious and great post Ameena, and I know this is not the first time you’ve heard that.
Your little scholar is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE, despite your exagerated, sarcastic, and LOL efforts at making her a little less likeable (which is not possible by the way) for all our reading pleasures. I mean all that in the nicest way possible, please don’t take any offense. And I LOVE her cute knapsack with her name stitched on it! K is starting playschool this year and i teared a little thinking about the first time I’m going to drop her off. We Moms are all saps in our own little ways huh?
Hope you have a wonderful time at the wedding, dear!
Oops, just realised you already went to the wedding? I’m confused. Teehee. Either way, hope you had/have a wonderful time.
Maya’s bookbag is absolutely adorable…and wow, she is a great photographer! Future blogger, perhaps? 😉
Have a fabulous time at the wedding!
it’s tough when they start getting independent…but that is our goal…I bet she will really enjoy herself at camp…and so will you!
yay for a bunch of firsts!!!
=( we just finished the puzzle. =(
some place called “heart of india cafe”. which i am assuming is NOT legit.
he says that in this picture it looks like i’m thinking “j.c., you be stupid.”. =D
haha, loved the end. Good job on your self-control!!
And Maya is just adorable!!!! I remember getting my first back pack around that time. I felt so grown-up 😀
Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that kindergarten camp will have another “first” happen this week. I predict Maya will most likely be teaching and instructing all the other campers on anything and everything, with a special emphasis on social media and the uses of modern technology 😉
Fun blogger meet-up! Evidently all the cool people live in California. Boo hiss…
Aww, Maya is too cute with her little backpack 🙂 I still [kind of] remember my first days of kindergarden… I probably could have used an adorable elephant backpack to help me feel better, because I remember crying and crying and crying. Hope Maya is liking her new school!
And I hope you’re having/had a good time at the wedding 🙂
laughing so hard as per usual. But I am also heart-warmed. Maya and her little backpack generated a few awwwws. As did her picture taking. I love that you have a great blogging community out there in LA. It looks like so much fun. Also props on your controversial post. It was really well written and great to hear it generated some good feedback.
Love Maya’s photo skills! My little sis is often the family photographer 🙂
Maya looks so cute with her backpack! Have a great time at the wedding!
Looks like such a fun meet-up! Have fun at the wedding!
The Four seasons….sounds fancy! A meet up of bloggers sounds so very cool!! Fun.
Hope the wedding was fun! It looks like you ladies had a great time yesterday. Too bad I couldn’t be there! Maya is so adorable. I love that she’s a little photographer.
Hooray on a bunch of firsts!! Maya looks ADORABLE!!
OMG! I didn’t know it was Maya in the first pic until I started reading! Looks so different with straight hair from the back, would love to see how she looks from the front. Looking like Dora herself 😀
I like your posts. So “reality” like and not full of drama or obsessions.There is life out there people! Let the rest go!
Kindegarten? Gosh – that is going to be tough for sure! She’s growing up!
Oh my goodness, Maya with her backpack is TOO CUTE for words!! I don’t even wanna think about the day my baby boy goes off to his first day of school… even though I’m a teacher and most likely he’ll be at my school, I think I’ll still cry a river! 😉
Maya & her custom backpack are adorable! (I remember that was the cool thing to do in kindergarden, so right on 😉 )
Have fun at the wedding!
Have fun at the wedding! Your posts are so funny – you crack me up!
I love Maya’s backpack! Its so cute!
I nearly worked as a cook for the four seasons, never took the job though! I had a great time with you at the meetup, even though it was my SECOND time meeting you. It was the first time maya gave me a hug without me asking her for one!
I agree…Maya’s backpack is so cute that I am now bearing resentment towards my own mother (just kidding). But really, great choice!
that was your first time to be late! – thats great I am working on achieving my first time to be on time.
So many fun firsts! I hope Mayas Kindergardern camp is going well!
Maya’s backpack is adorable! Hope you had a great time at the wedding. The blogger meetup looked like a lot of fun!
Aw I’m loving her engraved elephant backpack.
Blogger meetups must be a really fun experience. Have a good time at the wedding!
Did Maya get a haircut?!?!?!? I am slightly obsessed with all children- your daughter included!!!
No Maya hasn’t had a haircut for a while, does it look shorter? Maybe I actually brushed it for a change and so it looks different. 🙂
hi babe, finally got to catch up on the last 4 posts, love it…maya is too cute in her glasses and can’t wait to hear her sing in spanish, such a cutie pie! your nursing article made me laugh at giselle, they do make it so easy to judge them right? i think a lot of it is hype though and trying to get buzz surrounding them, like the whole jessica simpson and chicken from the sea thing. can’t wait to hear about the wedding tonite and what u thought of the hotel, let’s talk manana!
XOXOXOXOOX
Nice meetup. Kindegarten summer “camp”..never heard of that!
How do you manage blogging Ameena? I know you only post every 2-3 days now….so what about commenting? How much time/when do you spend on it per day?
I don’t spend nearly as much time commenting as I used to. I still read a lot of blogs but there isn’t enough time to comment as much as I’d like. If only I could get paid to blog because I LOVE it.
That backpack is adorable! I love it. She looks so cute all ready like that. Oh, and is it a rule that to be a blogger in LA you have to be stunning? Because all of you at that table are gorgeous.
One doesn’t need to be stunning but they need to have good hair. Again, another reason why I don’t belong here!!
Wow – what an exciting week for you.
Hope you enjoyed the wedding!
Haha, love the firsts. I hope Maya is enjoying the camp and it is giving you a little peace and quiet during the day, although she did drop in on your lunch party. Looks like it was still a good time.
Funny as always, Ameena. Good job avoiding a fight with Ali. That’s a perfect first!
Your daughter is really too cute!
Great that you made a blogger meet up…come on up to Norcal next 😉
It must be quite a lot to take in when children go through all of the phases of life. I can’t wait to have kids, but know that when they go off to school I will see them off with some wistfulness.
I have a remark to add that may be even more controversial and I may be the first person to say this-I don’t think Giselle is pretty at all! I don’t see it one bit. (Not jealous, there are a lot of beautiful celebrities I am jealous of like Catherine Zeta Jones and Salma Hayek, but I would never want to look like Giselle)
How funny that you are the only person who wrote this…I think Gisele is one of the most gorgeous people ever!
what fun firsts! I love her backpack!
Awwww! Her little backpack is so cute! I dread the day mine starts kindergarten. It’s all she can talk about. 😦
Really late thanks for dropping by my blog! Yup, renovation kinda sucked but they’re basically done with the kitchen. It was worth the wait! I’ll be putting up new before/afters probably next week 🙂
I love Maya’s backpack–so cute! I was just at my cousin’s house the other day and I couldn’t believe he’s almost 10. I still call him “baby” though… I can’t help it.
Maya is so cute- I love her little backpack with her name on it! And is that a little lunchbox she’s holding? I remember those. She seems to be very girly too- I also loved pink when I was her age. Strange enough, I don’t own a single pink item now. Pink and I kind of grew apart.
And that looks like a really nice meet up! I’m happy you guys all got together. I feel like you must get along well with Eden because you two seem to have a similar sense of humour.
I was trying to hold off, but I must do it … AWWWW! Maya is too cute in with her little backpack with her name on it!! How did she like her first day? I can imagine the silence must be deafening 🙂 I’m glad you had a great blogger meetup! Those always look like so much fun. I hope you had a great time at the wedding, Ameena!
I would like you to contribute to my book I’m writing( moms I know have what I’m seeking)…the website is connected to my above link..
thanks, I appreciate your time!
Hey Hey Hey. I finally got some internet for a few minutes and I get to finally read your blog. I’ve missed it. 🙂
That backpack is adorable. Can a 25 year old PhD student pull it off? I hope so.
I’m so jealous you guys had a meetup. I would totally have come!!!! That’s what I get for not paying enough attention!
Maya’s photo is adorable. On a different level, as I’m not their mother, seeing my cousins for the first time in years and realizing that they’re not kids anymore (beard hair. Really) was a little difficult for me – is it trite to say that time really does fly when it comes to children growing up?
I’m glad you posted about Gisele. Then again, I’m a big fan of controversy :
Congrats on biting your tongue. I’m still working on that one, especially when it comes to traffic, Clover’s GPS loyalty and our nasty habit of being perpetually lost.
Have a great week!
Looks like such a fun meetup! And she is getting so big. I’m going to be a mess the first time M goes to kindergarten. Although, I know I will appreciate it shortly after. LOL
Looks like such a fun blogger meet up and Maya with her back pack totally cute!
Hope you had fun at the wedding!
LOL. Maya looks too cute with her backpack. Kids they grow up so fast. I wish I had a personalized backpack back them that way no one would take it.
Oooo Maya, how we enjoy watching this little lady grow! So Cute!
I would have died for a backpack with my name on it. Every time I tried to put my name on anything my mom would stop me. “A stranger could know my name then and call me” I would of course think I “Knew” them when they called my name 😐
I once was a rebel and wrote my name on my keds. Oh yes I did!
Sounds like and looks like you had a blast at your meet up!
xxoo
Hello Ameena,
My name is Song and I’ve been a big fan of your blog for months and now I finally say Hi to you. Lemonade and you guys look lovely!!! And your Maya,,,, CUTE CUTE CUTE! : )
Look forward for the next bloggers meeting!
Hello Ameena,
My name is Song and I’ve been a big fan of your blog for months and now I finally say Hi to you. Lemonade and you guys look lovely!!! And your Maya,,,, CUTE CUTE CUTE! : )
Look forward to the next bloggers meeting!