Wordless Wednesday

An oldie but I don't care LOL This picture was taken in 2008. It is one of my favorite pictures of my baby girl. I can't believe how much she has grown in ack two years! Time sure if flying by.

Spring is in the air

The weather yesterday was gorgeous. I was stuck inside most of the day slaving, I mean cooking away. But after I was all done the kids and I went outside for a bit to play. Shawn was napping but no worries, I'll have some pictures of him later this week.

Making wishes

Jr's first attempt at jump rope

I know it's blurry but his expression just cracks me up so I had to include it

Baby girls foot print from the wet grass

It's been a while

And I apologize for that. With Jr on Spring break I have been trying to keep the kids busy. Also on the 23rd was my husbands and my eights Anniversary. I wanted to pop on here and give an update on how we are all doing.
Jr is doing good. Enjoying his break but getting antsy and believe it or not counting down the days until he can return to school. We had an appointment with the Allergist/Immunologist on the 18th of this month. I requested to see her after a test result came back saying he would not be able to fight off bacterial pneumonia if he ever got it. Which of course freaked me out. I am so happy we saw Dr. Garcia. I have seen her twice before for my kids allergies and she is a wonderful Dr. Not one that pushes you out the door, she actually makes sure you have all questions answered. So the final result. Jr will be able to fight bacterial pneumonia. When he was tested they tested him based off the adult vaccine, not the pediatric version. The difference, well the adult version has fourteen forms of the virus and the pediatric version only has seven. And out of those seven he reacted normally to about five of them. The other two the Dr. said not to worry about because you can't expect someone to react perfectly to everything about and it's rare if they do. That was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders to say the least. Now onto his asthma. Since Jr had been sick twice since he was put on his new meds to help prevent asthma flare up and he had asthma flare ups throughout being sick she wanted to switch him. She said she also wasn't comfortable with him being on a steroid (thank goodness, I hated that!) so she switched him to Flovent inhaler. And also prescribed him Singulair. This will work to help his asthma along with his allergies. She also prescribed him Flonase and Claritin. Those are to help him during allergy season. He is only allergic to the two major types of grass and mold. Now I know when you think mold you think like black mold but he's actually allergic to airborne mold and natural mold that is in the ground. And of course he is on the regular Albuterol inhaler as needed and also before any type of physical activity.
Now I am all for Jr not being on a steroid inhaler but I hate that I have to give him four different meds every day. I don't like putting crap into my kids bodies. I don't care if I get flack for it, it's personal preference. The Dr. did say she knows it is a lot of meds but what she is trying to do is to control the asthma so when he's older he wont need all the meds and his body will be able to do it on his own. I'm just hoping these help my little man and that will happen.

The princess, Samantha is doing good. Talking up a storm every day. She is such a princess and loves anything princess but she is also a tomboy and boy do not mess with this girl cause she wont take anyone's crap! I guess that comes from having two brothers lol But she can be quite feisty. I'm trying to get that under control because this last week she has been very cranky and getting agitated easily. Her and my youngest, Shawn were fighting over a toy and she hit him with it three times leaving him with three scratches on him back :( Not acceptable in this house. If anyone has any suggestions on how to keep anger under control I am all ears cause imo time outs don't work. And don't go jumping to conclusions thinking I just throw her on a timeout without talking to her. I sit and have a long talk with her about, possibly too long but even though she's young I want to explain to her how wrong hitting is! Other then that she is doing great LOL She loves to color (yay) which I love because I love to color also and Jr could care less about it. One of her favorite things to do is change her clothes five times a day. Cute yet holy laundry batman!
Onto the baby. I don't care that he will be two in two months he is still my LITTLE baby. So there LOL He is doing great also. Also talking up a storm, saying new words all the time. He weighs as much as his sister is not more. He's only like four inches shorter then her. I'm expecting him to be taller then her soon. Yes my "little" man is quite the opposite. He will be two on May 30th. Where has the time gone? Seriously where has it gone! I swear it was just the other day I gave birth to him. He has now learned to jump and omg it is the cutest thing. I need to take video of it. He runs, full speed ahead, as fast as his little legs can go. He tries so hard to keep up with his brother and sister and it's so cute to watch them race around the house. He still has his scar on his tummy from his surgery. The Dr's said he would more then likely loose it with age but I am weird and want it to stay. It's out little reminder of how lucky he is and to never forget that. Yes I am sentimental in a weird kind of way like that.
So as you can see (read) the kids are all doing well. As I mentioned before Steve and I celebrated our anniversary on the 23rd. Eight years baby! We went out to Soup Plantation and then to a movies. And go me the whole night only ended up costing us 30 dollars. Yay for coupons and free movie passes. We stopped at Barnes & Noble after dinner, grabbed some oh so yummy coffee and of course I had to get a book. What's going to a book store without getting a book! I wish we were able to spend more time out together. It's rare when we get to go out by ourselves but I am so happy we got to go out at all.
Well that's my "little" update on how the fam is. Off to get ready for our fun filled day! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Green Works® Kids Gear Swap House Party

On April 10, 2010 @ 2:00 pm I will be hosting a Green Works® Kids Gear Swap House Party. It might help if I explained what exactly this is all about huh. Houseparty.com allows you the opportunity to apply to host parties at your house sponsored by companies such as Pull-Ups, Digorno, Oscar Meyer, etc. They send you supplies to help get your party started and they have a web site for you to do all of your party planning, including sending out the invitations, sharing party ideas with other houseparty hosts.

I was among some of the lucky one's who was approved to host the Green Works® Kids Gear Swap House Party. I am very excited about this opportunity because not only do I get to invite all my friends and family for a fun gathering but we also are getting an opportunity to bring all of their unused and old children clothing and other items that they are no longer in need of (you know like the tons of boxes I have sitting in storage FULL of clothes and toys we haven't used in I don't know, ummm three years). It's a way to clean out clutter and since it is sponsored by Green Works they will also be provided ideas of how to live a Greener life by using natural cleansing products and reducing your carbon footprint.

Now to the point of my post. I would like to invite all you local peeps (Lancaster, CA) to come on over and join us for my party. If you would like to come please contact me via email and I will send you an invitation. As mentioned above the party will be on April 10th @ 2:00pm.

If you aren't local or can't make it to the party you can have your own clothing swap with your local friends and family. Make it a fun day for everyone!

Baby gates & whatnot

Shawn has always kept me on my toes. From the time he made his early appearance in this world, and he still does today. He has to be watched like a hawk or he is seriously into everything! We have baby gates to keep the kids out of the kitchen but I'm almost to the point of not even bothering to use them anymore because they don't sure as heck don't prevent my kids from entering the kitchen. I get that thing as tight as I can possibly get it and they simply knock it over. Even the baby knows how to do it! Perfect example would be this morning. I run to the bathroom and come back to see this:

Hmmm, I wonder which kid did this???

Well there yah go. It was my littlest of buggers, Shawn.

He emptied the whole loaf of bread and very neatly laid it on the floor while he shoved as much as he could in his little mouth.

Now here's my second complaint about these so called child protectors. My pantry door has a child lock on it. Well not so much a lock but one of those tabs you have to push in in order to get the door open. It doesn't really work so well in my opinion if you can still open in two inches which is just big enough for little hands, say little 1.5 year old and little 3 year old hands to squeeze in there and grab what they want. Today it was the bread and on the way the bag caught on the door and ripped as he pulled it out.
While I did find it funny that he went to such lengths to get a piece of bread, and of course I had to take pictures, it annoys me that we have all these "child safety" products that aren't worth a damn in this household. As I type this Shawn is working on trying to knock over the gate yet again. I'll give him one thing, he is a determined little man LOL

I might have an obsession

With flowers that is. At least it's an obsession that is free! I have always loved flowers, I don't know a single person that hates them. But lately all I want to do is take a picture if I see one. Point and case:

This will eventually have a flower

Okay I am sooooo bummed that I didn't notice I had a huge smudge on my lens until I got home and uploaded the pictures! Hmmm maybe I'll have to take a trip outside tomorrow to find some trees exactly like this one LOL Oh and these are straight out of the camera seeing as my CS4 trial has expired (ahhhh).
These are just a few of the flower pictures I have. Flowers have a special meaning to me. One in particular, the Orchid. It was the flower I chose for my wedding and I ended up getting a tattoo of three orchids on my calf. The meaning behind the orchid is Love, Beauty, and the Chinese symbol for many children. So naturally I have one flower for my husband and one for my two older children. I need to go back and get my fourth flower for my youngest.
So I hope I don't bore anyone with flower pictures because with Spring approaching I might post a lot of flower and well any nature related pictures that I find beautiful.

Wordless Wednesday

Playtime with Daddy

This picture cracks me up. Shawn is obsessed with noses so he took this opportunity to try and pick Daddy's LOL

Daddy and his three babies

Holy wind batman!

Seriously it is crazy windy out here today. It was bad yesterday but today seems to be worse. Maybe I should listen to my husband when he says those exact words to me, seeing as he is going to school for Meteorological Science. One of the oh so wonderful down falls of living in the desert is the wind, of course since it is the desert not only do you get the wind but you also get a bunch of dirt flying through the air with it. Ah fun times. I have been hunkered down inside only going out if absolutely necessary. I don't know what came over me when I got the bright idea to take some pictures. While the sky is a gorgeous blue and the trees look absolutely lovely blowing in the wind I think I might have gotten frostbite on my toes. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I went outside in sandals haha. Hey I'm from CA, all I pretty much wear is sandals.
Here's just a few of the pictures I took while freezing my bum off.

Frugal Mission, part 1

I am joining in on another mission from Girly Gazette. This one (about being frugal) is something I've always wanted to do but it seems to me there are so many roadblocks, at least where I live. Printed coupons are not accepted and that's where I used to get 90% of my coupons. Amy from The Original Coupon Coach is wonderful enough to be helping everyone out with some of her wisdom. To start she has asked us these questions. Here's my responses:

1. Why do you think you spend too much money at the grocery store? I see things I like and just throw them in the cart instead of sticking to my list.
2. What are your weaknesses when grocery shopping? Something on sale LOL I also stock up on lunch items for my kids lunch and we go through dairy really fast so I stock up on that also.
3. When/how often do you normally do your grocery shopping? I typically shop every two weeks. Sometimes I will forget an item and run to the store to buy it and never leave with just that item.
4. What products do you shop for most often? I buy chicken, milk, cheese, veggies and fruits the most.
5. Are you brand loyal on any products? Not. I usually look for the cheapest brand/off brand.
   
6. At what grocery and drug stores do you normally shop? I shop at winco and occasionally Walmart Super Center and Costco for bulk items.
7. Do you currently have a grocery budget or an amount to which you would like to get your grocery spending down? My grocery budget is $200 every two weeks. I try to stay under and usually manage to keep it around $150
8. Do you cook most meals at home or do you mostly eat out at restaurants? I cook at home
   
9. Do you currently get the Sunday paper? No

I am very excited to hear all of her suggestions on being frugal, thank you Amy for helping all of us that are frugal challenged out.

The fun things to do with hair

I love hair. Maybe I should be more specific. I love my kids hair. I love doing my daughters hair in little bows and pig tails and clips and headbands. I love it all. Now Shawns hair is, well it's freaking awesome! I cannot say this enough, I LOVE his curls. I think they totally go along with his wild and crazy personality and it's just part of who he is.
Bath time is one of his favorite times. He runs to the bathroom panting like a dog and saying "bafff, bafff, BAFFF" LOL So while he sits there and enjoys the running water I mess around with his hair. While I was giving him a bath tonight I wondered how many different ways I could do his hair before he got annoyed. Tonight's lucky number would be....4. Didn't get too many but hey at least I got pics.





Okay now this picture seriously cracks me up. The water got cold for a second and he started to shiver. It was like in slow mo starting at his toes working it's way up and this was the face he made. I can't believe I actually caught it on camera. He's so gonna hate this picture when he is older.
And my favorite. My sweet baby boy and his curls :)

What is my gift?

I've made it to do three of Girly Gazettes questions for their launch of their new site. If you haven't been to the site yet go check it out! The question for today is....
What is your gift and how will you use it?

This one is easy for me. I have always seen my gift as humor. I LOVE to make people laugh. Doesn't matter who I just love it. Although the best is my kids (obviously LOL). I am one of those people who doesn't mind making a fool of myself if it will light someones face up or make their day even a tiny bit brighter. For some reason I am a horrible joke teller so I don't even go there haha. One of my favorite things to do is to dance, that in itself is hilarious because I don't have a single dancing bone in my body. Mama does not know how to get her groove on. But every time I do dance my kids laugh and laugh and join in with me.

Wordless Wednesday-Im not sleepy

My sweet baby boy did not want to go to sleep the other night. He was in there babbling away "reading" his book. I brought him out hoping to get some mommy cuddles he had something else in mind. He went and played around a bit as you can see in the pics above and then he went off and hid and made a poopy LOL Guess I knew why he wouldn't go to sleep. But hey at least I got about two minutes worth of cuddles and some alone time with my little man.

Who is in my tribe"?

Today's question from Girly Gazette is: Who is in your “tribe”. Who inspires you? Who do you turn to for inspiration and encouragement? I do not have many friends but the one's I do have a I love to death. I have many acquaintances who I wouldn't put in my tribe because well they're just acquaintances. But the few friends I have are the best. I have tons of online friends, funny I seem to bond better with people via the internet then in real life LOL

My list doesn't consist just friends. I have family listed in here because not only are they my family they are also my closest friends. Okay so the one's in my tribe are:

Gena from Fairytales & Puppy Dog Tails. She is such an awesome person and mama. She has always been there for me when I needed her and has never been one to judge. And yes I can say that truthfully. There's aren't many people who are truly like that but she is one of them.

Jenny from The Gatton Family. I have known this chikie since highschool! We lost contact for many years but finally got back in contact when I moved into the same condominium complex as her last year. I am so happy to have her back in my life. She is such a sweet person and has the cutest little boy. Seriously his eyes are to die for! She also loves my kids and is never bothered by them. Not all people are kid friendly, especially when their not their kids but she is not one of those people.

My mother. Do I need an explanation for this LOL My mom has always been an inspiration to me. Of course we have our differing opinions but when it comes down to it she will always back me up and visa versa.

My husband. Again, explanation??? LOL My husband and I have been together since I was 15 years old. This March we will be celebrating our 8 year marriage anniversary and in September will be 13 years together. HOLY CRAP, we've been together forever haha. We have both grown so much since we have been together and it's like we are one in many ways. We are both there for each other through the good times and the bad times. And trust me just like every normal couple we have had our good times but we have definitely had our amazing times too. He is my rock, my love and my best friend, who could ask for anything more.

My children. Although they are young they are my second biggest support team so to speak. No I don't lean on them for support but they are like my little cheerleaders. I love that they are so young yet they have so much love for someone and that someone is me. All I have to do is listen to one of them giggle or say I love you or give me a hug and no matter what type of mood I'm in I am instantly happier. They are the biggest blessing that have come into my life and I am so proud to be their mother.

What makes me feel fabulous

I've always been sort of a shy person. I had heard about twitter many times from friends who have accounts there but I stayed away for silly reasons. Finally a couple months ago I gave in and signed up. I am so glad I did because I have met so many incredible people through twitter. One specific person is an inspiration, Kadi. This woman is amazing. She is a wife and mother to seven, yes you read that right, seven beautiful children. This week she is holding a blogging event all about women and what makes them them and full of positivity and encouragement. This is in honor of her new site Girly Gazette I have never done something like this before and I'm very excited (also nervous cause that's just me lol). So let's get started.

Challenge #1: What makes you feel fabulous?

I will be honest, feeling fabulous is not usually my thing. I am a walking stress ball half the time. My husband works full time but his schedule is a little odd. He goes into work on Fridays and doesn't come home until Sunday evening. So our weekends are not the norm. His days off are spent with him attending classes at the local college out here. He is currently taking three classes and it occupies most of his time. Soooo, long story short I am left to run the household by myself. As my husband puts it "You're pretty much a single mom". Okay back on topic here. What makes me feel fabulous are the simple things. Here's a short list:

When my kids say good morning with smiles on their faces
My kids smiles
My kids laughs
Love and cuddles from my babies
My husband paying me a compliment
Taking a shower
Doing my makeup
Getting a hair cut (I only get a hair cut every few years, bad I know but I see that as my pampering time)
A massage
My husband cooking a meal for me
Cooking a family favorite meal & watching everyone enjoy it
Going shopping (who doesn't love a little retail therapy)
Laughing
Hanging out with friends
Having a clean house

Those are a few of my favorite things that make me feel fabulous. Stay tuned tomorrow and the rest of the week for more questions that I will be answering from the Girly Gazette