Bronx Dance Theatre Presents: On The Radio. Part 2 Dress Rehearsals for Big Al

It is the day before Big Al's big show and that means dress rehearsals! This year's dress rehearsals was very different for us. Usually we have our Easter Seals walk the same day of the dress rehearsals. The scheduling Gods looked down upon me and moved the Easter Seals walk to August. Thank you so much! This make life 1,000 times easier. The whole running down to Battery Park and back is out of the equation. Another thing different Big Al's and Becky's big shows are NOT on the same day. I only have to run one child around at a time. I have the pleasure of extending my Dance Mom Craze into an additional weekend. YAY! :-/

Purposely NOT looking at the camera! Super model pose.

I think I am more excited about the big event then Big Al. It's like another day for him. He is not nervous at all. He loves putting his costume on but doesn't not show me his moves. Grrr. That's ok.

Tomorrow I will be in the front row smiling so hard the tears are going to roll down my face. My Big Al had made great leaps in his development and is a dancing machine! I am very happy that I get to share his great moment with the closet people in our lives.

"And it goes like this..."

Easter Seals Walk With Me 2012

Why am I walking for Easter Seals?


In November of 2008 Big Al and I were introduced to the magical world that were behind the doors of Easter Seals Bronx CDC. I feel that our family was blessed with the seat giving to Big Al almost 4 years ago. Little Al was only two months old when Big Al entered those doors. Little did we know that in September of 2010 Little Al would start her own jounry with Easter Seals. Big Al has graduated to another school and he is an excellent student. The foundation was set for him at Easter Seals. Little Al is following his foot steps.  What they have given my children and my family means the world to me. So... I am walking and fundraising for the 4th year for Easter Seals as a thank you. The amount of money that I will be raising is not equal to the support they have given to Big & Little Al...that support is priceless.

To donate to Team Guobadia click here.

This year's walk has been moved to August 3rd and it's in The Bronx! This is very exciting because it doesn't conflict with the kids big shows and the venue is closer.

Time: 4:30 PM Registration/Check In; 5:30 PM Walk Starts


Date: Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Location: Joyce Kilmer Park and Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Description: Family Fun Walk

Mommy Give-a-way: Ready New York Ready For Hurricane Season!

I never forget last summer and all the hype that media created our Hurricane Irene. This hype scared the life out of Becky. She felt like our family was not prepared for this hunrricance that was coming. She created her very own Go Bag out of fear. I don't want my baby to be scared that we are not prepared when it's time to go! Thanks to Ready New York I am able to keep our family ready to go. Now that the summer is here it is time to update, replace and replish the items in our family go bag. That also mean another giveaway!

"With summer right around the corner, many of us are making plans to enjoy some summer fun. While you prepare your schedule for the summer months, also consider preparing for the upcoming hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, 2012. Contrary to popular belief, coastal storms and hurricanes CAN and DO impact New York City, like Hurricane Irene did last year in the Northeast.
To help New Yorkers prepare, OEM has developed Ready New York: Hurricanes and New York City, which includes general tips on how to prepare for any emergency, instructions on how to develop a hurricane disaster plan and secure your home before a storm, and a map of New York City hurricane evacuation zones."

One of my lucky readers will win one (1) Prize pack includes: Go Bag, Pocket Radio, Flashlight, First-Aid Kit, Batteries, Worker’s Gloves, Light Sticks, Emergency Blankets, and more! ($50 value)


To win you must do ALL three of the following:

1- As the City continues to rebuild and plan for the future, New Yorkers can learn to take action and prepare now by interacting with Ready New York’s Readiness Challenge tool. The Readiness Challenge takes New Yorkers through an online emergency that forces them to make quick decisions at every turn

Use the Ready New York's Readiness Challenge tool and post a comment below telling me that you used it.

2- Submit an email tomailto:aguobadia@aol.com. The email MUST included your online user-name AND your real first and last name.

3- Go over to The Awesome Mom Facebook page and click like

Here's the legal stuff:

- Prize: One Go-Kit Bag, Pocket Radio, Flashlight, First-Aid Kit, Batteries, Worker’s Gloves, Light Sticks, Emergency Blankets, and more! ($50 value)

- An outside provider will handle the fulfillment and mail the kit to the winner


- Giveaway is Open to US Residents only


- The giveaway is being provided to Mom but the thoughts and opinions are Mom's and are not influenced by the prize or prizing.

Contest ends Friday, June 8th, 2012 @ Midnight. Winners will be picked Saturday, June 9th 2012.

Good Luck!!

An Ego Boost on Mother's Day

Everyone knows that Mother's Day should be everyday. Us Awesome Mom's also know that celebrating everyday just gets in the way of our routines, schedule and Department of Education bashing. So we went for a few special days out of the year to really enjoy ourselves, Mother's Day being one of them. I never really had a huge celebrate or gathering on Mother's Day. I like being low key. Yes, it is suppose to be all about me a junk but I prefer to be the celebrated Queen on my birthday. My favorite thing to on this day is to go to a nice place to eat. I like beating the rush to City Island and getting a nice special at Sammy's where the kids eat free. Since today was an extra beautiful day in the Bronx the crowds started to make their way to City Island very early. When we drove up to the round about for the City Island entrance we knew right away that we were at getting close to that island. Too many people. I don't like waiting more then 3 minutes to get to my table. I know that is a bit much but I hate long waits. We turned back around and headed back home. Big and Little Al started to get upset. They love going to restaurants, especially Big Al. He always thinks we are going to go to Toys R Us after we eat.

When we turned back home we decided that we were going to go to a neighborhood restaurant, Antonio's Trattoria. I was hoping the whole ride back home we would be able to get a table without a reservation. Antonio's has become a hot-spot in our neighborhood. On the weekends we can not leave the neighborhood because their customers take up all the parking on our block. I really don't mind....I don't drive.

Each and every time we visit Antonio's I enjoy myself. The environment is so happy. It feels like home. The food is wonderful. Big Al always eats half the bread basket. You can never go wrong with one of the specials.

When we walked into Antonio's someone (not sure who he was) asked if we had a reservation. Oh crap! I hope we can get something without a reservation. He said that he'll be back. Suddenly, Joe came rushing to the front. Joe is the infamous bartender. He is a lively little man. He looked in the big book of reservations. He looked and looked. He looked up at us and said, "I have a spot for you but you have to be out by 5 pm." My husband and I laughed. He also said me, "I can not disappoint you on a day like today." Joe you are awesome!

We sat in the back and as we got closer to our table the group of people sitting next to the table we where going to be sitting at kind of took a deep breathe. As if to say, "Oh boy, now we have to sit next to children." I really didn't care but I do understand. I wouldn't want to sit next to crazy kids either.

As we sat down and chowed down on yummy-ness, I noticed the lady start looking around at us. These small party of four were your typical Caucasian visitors of the Little Italy of the Bronx neighborhood. They either live in Westchester, White Planes or Long Island and come down to Arthur Ave to pasta and pastries. Some come before or after a Yankee game or after a visit to NYBG. I couldn't tell what brought them to my neighborhood but their conversations were interesting.

The older gentleman got up and went to the restroom, when he return he stopped right in front of me and said, "Excuse me, I must tell you. Your children are the most well behaved kids I've ever seen." The lady jumps in and says, "You are so lucky to have suck beautiful children. You put in a lot of hard work into them. You can't even tell that we were sitting next to kids." I thanked them and smiled. I noticed during the rest of our meal the lady and gentlemen kept looking over at the kids and smiling from ear to ear. I looked around the restaurant and noticed that almost all the kids there were jumping around, making a mess and being rude to their parents.

When we were done (before 5pm of course) the couple told us again how great Big and Little Al were. We had small conversation about the kids, their schooling and autism. It turns out that the gentleman's cousin works for Easter Seals in Valhalla and he attended Big Al school...50 years ago.

This interaction with these strangers were a really big boost to my mommy ego. These strangers see all the hard work that I have put into these kids to the few moments they were near us. I am a very proud mommy.

.....We ended up going to Toy R Us.

Tales From A Mother Of A Tweenager: Random Thoughts

I think I have started the hardest part of motherhood. I started being a mother of a tweenager. *dramantic music plays* My Becky is has been a tweenager for some time now but since she is so tiny it hasn't really hit me that she is as old as she really is. She is the fourth shorest girl in the 5th grade. She is only 3 inches taller than her 5 year old brother. Don't forget ...her dad is 5-4...Hi, Erick! You can almost put her in your pocket.

I am very lucky that she is the lovable child that she is. I don't know how long this love and openess is going to last but I am going to take it while I can still get it. I have heard many many MANY stories about how nice sweet tweens turn into horrible loud mouth teens. I know that was me at some point in teenaged life.

My tweenager has started to like other little boys her age. She give me the "juicy" 5th grade gossip about who likes who and who has crushes. It was cute to hear. I remember my first crush was in 5th grade too. I am happy that we have a close bond that can share these things with me. Becky is an awesome child!

"Ooo, It's Too Hot!"

As of late Little Al has been the main topic of this mommy blog. She is the youngest of the three most awesomest kids I've ever met. (Of course I would think that since they are my kids.) She has been the main topic because her progress has been very slow. So when she does progress in the smallest of ways that's the only thing that I can think about. That does mean that progress that Becky and Big Little show should not be shared. I worry about Little Al the most because we are at the very beginning of her journey.

A few weeks ago during bath time an awesome thing happened. The routine started out the same as always. I turn on the water and get it to the right temperature. I ask Little Al to take off her shirt and pull-ups about five times. She tugs at her clothes and I end up doing it. I ask her to get in the tub and she slowly gets in. She sits down in the water and ......wait for it..... said, "Ooo, It's too cold." I turned my head and asked, "What did you say?"
With direct eye contact, "Brr, It's too cold."
"I'll make it warmer."

From that day on every time she steps into the tub she proclaims either the water is "Ooo, It's too cold." "Ooo, It's too hot." I adjust the temperature to her liking and smile.

Not only is this a big step for her speech delay it is also great for her sensory progress. She is able to feel and communicate that something is not right or safe.

Little Al & The iPad

Just about two months ago I saved up enough money to buy and iPad 2 for my family. I had wanted an iPad for what felt like forever. Our house hold has been slowly turning from a PC family to an Apple family. I have brought each iPod generations since the mini come out in 2003. I finally got an iPhone 3Gs when the 4 came out. I have yet to buy an Apple computer. I don't know if I am ready that change just yet.

Since the iPad 1 came out I read how the apps available were great tools for children, with or without disabilities. I wanted my kids to be exposed to this technology. Since I am no where near being rich and I am not going to apply for a line of credit just for an iPad I waited. I saved little by little to get it.

When the day came all the kids were excited about this new toy. I spent a few hours loading tons of apps that my favorite Autism News Lady, Margie, had suggested. I purchased a few more that I knew would be great to have. I wasn't worried about teaching the kids how to use the iPad because they had become professional on the interface because of the iPod Touch our family has. Which Big Al calls an iPhone.

Becky and Big Al both can spent hours (if I let them) on the iPad. Their attention spans are vas. They can focus and complete any task given. Little Al on the other hand...she is in her own world. She plays with her farm animals and dinosaurs or jumping around in circles.

When the iPad first get to the home she really could care less of its presence. Once I showed her the different apps that were installed she can't get enough of it. She can spent 45 minutes playing with her favorite app, Team Umizoomi Zoom into Numbers. She can stop in the middle of playtime with her animals and give me direct eye contact and say, "I want iPad." I can't say no to that. I am so happy I was finally able to give my children this experience.