My Not So Glamorous Life...

Private Thoughts Posted Publicly

2011-09-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

I am dealing with a major internal struggle right now. So why not share it on an open forum, where anyone can see it? But honestly, I just feel that if I let some of out "in writing" it may help me... collect my thoughts. Or deal with my feelings.
Anyways, I'm sort of lost in my world right now. I don't feel like I know exactly where my place is, or how to find it. I am a wife and a mom... and, what else? Those two roles have so completely dominated my existence, I don't know what else there is.
I quit college to get married and have babies. I kept working until my 2nd child was born, but only part time. Now I'm a stay at home mom.
My husband says no more babies. I kind of want another one. He's pretty adamant that he doesn't. An ugly crossroads to be in for sure, but I know that I can't force him to want one. And if so much of my identity has been given to being a mother, is it any wonder I'm feeling deprived of my very being by being told "no more"? And, it leads me to the question "what will I do with 'myself' once all of my children are in school?" I know it's still a few years off, but I can't help but fear that time...
Lately there have been several other decisions in our household where I don't feel as if I am as much a part of the decision making process as I used to be. Am I the one that's changed, or has my husband? I am not asking for anything extreme... a car that's not falling apart around me, where I feel 100% safe with my children in it, and a dining room table with chairs that aren't broken. Neither needs to be brand new or luxurious. Just "new to me". I'm a simple girl, with small requests. So... because I no longer make a financial contribution to this family, do I not get to make any of these decisions? I work hard in this family, and there are days that I long to be out of the home working again, among other adults.
(I know, I know... TALK to my husband about these issues. And I will. But I have to process them all within myself first.)

The "C" Word, Part Two.

2011-09-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Now for the long overdue continuation of my previous post, The "C" Word, Part One.
My mom continued to recuperate through the weekend. She was able to get moved from the ICU on Sunday into a regular room. Then she was released to go home on Monday. Considering that her skull had been cut into and her brain was operated on, I felt that was a remarkably fast recovery time!
She had 8 new prescriptions to take home. I went to my parents house to help them figure out the doses and times for each medication.
Then I started a "meal calendar" so that they wouldn't have to cook for themselves for at least 2 weeks. Friends, family, and even strangers helped with this. We were so touched by the outpouring of love and generosity for our family! And it made things so much easier on my mom and dad, who were BOTH in a state of rehabilitation.
Easter was about a week later. We had a quiet family gathering at their house for Easter. The little ones had an egg hunt, and my mom even went out and helped them with it.
About two weeks after the surgery, they went in for what they thought was a only a post-op appointment. But, as it turned out... they had the results of the pathology report ready for them that day as well.
The results: Primary CNS Lymphoma. While we were hoping and praying that the results would indicate some weird viral or bacterial infection... they were not. The mass in her brain had been, in fact, malignant.
CNS Lymphoma is "Central Nervous System" Lymphoma. Lymphoma is a blood cancer.
The next few weeks were a blur. Meal deliveries, Dr. appointments, lab tests... Mom had to have several Oncology appointments, as well as lab work, and eye exam, a PET scan, MRI's, and a Spinal Tap. These were all to try and figure out how far along the disease was. And where it started. I went to a few of these appointments with my parents, and my grandma went to some with them as well.
With CNS Lymphoma, it stays isolated to the nervous system, i.e. Brain, Spine, Eyes. All of the testing seemed to indicate that there was no Lymphoma in her spine or eyes. It must have started in her brain and not gone any further. (Though it is a type of cancer, and though it did originate in her brain... it is NOT the same as "Brain Cancer", as this is Lymphoma and they are different.)
It came to the point where treatment would be discussed. Her oncologist planned to do some intense, in-patient, chemotherapy for at least 6 months. (Two weeks in between each treatment.) The next step, if the chemo was not effective, was to be radiation therapy. This scared my mom. A lot.
I urged her to get a 2nd opinion. I explained to her and my dad how serious her disease was, and that just because they got a 2nd opinion didn't mean they had to stay at that place for treatment. They agreed to get one.
In the United States, there are only 41 accredited "Comprehensive Cancer Center's". We live in Southern California, and are withing 2-3 hours of THREE of the 41. Pretty great, if you ask me! I shared the 3 with her, and asked her to pick one. She chose UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Honestly, and of those places would have been a great choice. But this one is full of cutting edge technology and has many Dr's in the center that were placed on the Top 10 Dr's in America.
The new treatment plan? Several rounds of intense, in-patient chemotherapy. Followed by a Stem Cell transplant (using her own stem cells). Yes, cutting edge indeed!
Fast forward to now. It has been one heck of a steep climb for my mom. Those week long hospital stays were not easy on her. (although, physically, she tolerated them incredibly well. She has had no hair loss, and has actually gained weight!) The emotional aspect of having to deal with her own morality has not been easy on her, nor any of the family. But right now she is currently "In Remission". She is on her 3rd appeal with the insurance company, as they don't want to cover her Stem Cell transplant unless she has a recurrence. I guess they don't understand that the Stem Cell Transplant could PREVENT the recurrence.
She did get some advocacy help from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that will *hopefully* help her with this third appeal.
At this moment, she is in the hospital have a round of "maintenance chemotherapy"... trying to keep her in remission, since her Stem Cell Transplant has been put off during this ridiculous appeal process.
But for now, she is strong and healthy. And I count my blessings for that.

The "C" word... (part one)

2011-06-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

My mom has Cancer. Yes, the big bad C word. I have been wanting/needing to blog about this for some time, but life has turned crazy. Cancer will do that to a life. I don't have to tell you, right? It seems like everyone's been affected by it.
On April 13th, my mom took herself to the emergency room to get some symptoms checked out that she suspected may be "mini-strokes" or the precursors to a stroke. She refused to let anyone take her to the E.R.
Several hours had gone by since she went it, and I hadn't heard from her. So I started texting her. She said she didn't know what was going on but that they had run some tests. I asked her if she'd even spoke with an actual Dr. yet, and then got no response. About 15 minutes later (by now, it's about 9:15pm), my dad called me saying that we were in a bad place... and that they had found that my mom had a brain tumor. I went to pick him up to go down to the hospital where my grandma and sister were heading down as well. (My dad couldn't drive yet... only a week prior to this, my dad had a major back reconstruction surgery. It was a double surgery, where he had been operated on front and back.)
We get down there, and luckily they had given my mom some meds to calm her down. She's a very frantic type. Shortly after, she was transported via ambulance to the local trauma hospital. Her case was not a 'trauma', but they did have a state of the art neurosurgery team there. We followed the ambulance. My other sister met us down there. A Dr. came in and showed us the images from the CT scan she had. It appeared that there was either "multiple, multiple tumors" or one large tumor that was oddly shaped. Further testing would tell us more. She was admitted to the hospital. My grandma stayed with her, and the rest of us headed home. I got home about 3am. I was tired, and scared. I had to be up at 6am to get my son off to school.
That day passed in a blur. I couldn't eat. I felt sick. I was weak. I didn't know how I'd make it through the day. I went back to the hospital to be with my family.
Friday morning, the 15th, my mom had brain surgery. The removed the entire mass. They wouldn't have more information for us for at least a week, when the pathology report came back.
After surgery, we all got to see her for a few minutes. That night, mom was so drugged up, we all left her there in the ICU so she could rest and recover. The next day, my dad and grandma spent some time with her. My dad was in terrible amounts of pain (still fresh from his surgery) and asked if I'd come relieve him for a few hours. So I headed down to the hospital (thank goodness that my husband was such a saint, and played "Mr. Mom" over the course of this week...) for about 3 or 4 hours to be with my mom. It was so hard to see her that way. But she was coherent, mostly. And restless. She had taken a short walk earlier that day, and wanted another one, but they wanted her to wait. And when her dinner was served, she literally gagged on it, saying it was so gross. I could tell my being there was causing her to lose rest, so finally I told her I was leaving so she could rest.
Later that night, we get a call. The nurses said she wouldn't stay in her bed, and that if one of use didn't get down there to calm her down, she'd have to be restrained. Dad didn't feel well, and I knew grandma was tired, so off I went. That was one of the longest nights of my life... Mom was very agitated and restless. Numerous times she tried to get up, and she had several panic attacks that were hard to control. I convinced the nurses to give her something to calm her down. It worked... kind of.
Finally at about 7am my dad got there to relieve me. I drove home, trying to stay awake. When I got home, my bed had never felt better than it did that morning. Too bad I only got to stay in it for 4 hours.

(To be continued...)

Today

2011-06-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of summer vacation for us. I always find the end of the school year to be an emotional time for me... so bittersweet. For one thing, it's a very obvious reminder of how quickly time is passing, and with that, the fleeting childhood of my babies. While I love the reprive from early morning madness and rushing off to school, and homework, and whatnot, I also sometimes miss the structure we get with school time, and I usually am attached to my childs teacher, so it's sad to say goodbye.
On the other hand, we have a lot in store this summer, and I am looking forward to it!

A little less junk in the trunk...

2011-04-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

So far, I'm down about 10 pounds. I'm on week 7 of the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan. I had about a week and a half where I went off program due to some family stuff (that's another blog) that kind of threw me off, but now I'm back on track!
"Only" about 18 pounds more to go, LOL!

I love Coupon'ing!!

2011-03-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Another fantastic deal I got just last week:

For all of this I paid only $7.12 including tax at Target!
Yay me!

Time to pack away the "junk"....

2011-03-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's post regarding the "Junk in my Trunk" I decided to do something about it. So, I joined Weight Watchers. I did WW about 9 years ago, and lost quite a bit of weight before my wedding. It's an easy plan to follow, and offers a lot of flexibility. Yay!
I'll find a meeting today to get my 1st weigh in and purchase all of the materials.
I hope it goes well!!

Junk in my Trunk

2011-03-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, not so very long ago... I used to LOVE working out. I lived for it. I loved the high I got from the release of endorphins, the stress relieve, the energy, the better sleep... the 1-2 hour escape from my children....
Where, oh where, has my love for working out gone? I have some serious junk in my trunk right now... 7 months post baby, and I've lost virtually no weight. And I have close to no motivation to do so. I'm not terribly unhappy with my size right now, with the exception of not having any clothes that fit. But I know I can't stay here... I need to lose some weight. Get back in the gym. Become more conscious of what I'm putting in my mouth. Maybe writing it here will help? Sometimes writing or saying things aloud bring them more into the forefront of one's mind...
Anyways, realistically, I don't think I'll get back to the weight I was before I got pregnant with my Little Lady. However, SOME of this has got to go... At least 15 pounds.
I wonder if I can do it before my trip in July...
*sigh*

Excited!

2011-01-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

So... for a while I've been wanting to get on board with using coupons and such, but I've been slow about it. But then a friend of mine posted on her Facebook about a great deal she got, and it inspired me.
So the other day, I went to Rite-Aid and got 2 full sized boxes of Original Special K, 2 full sized boxes of Special K Red Berries, and a gallon of milk.

My out of pocket expense for ALL OF THIS was only $1.49!!! I simply could not believe it! So then I was on such a high from it, that I spent the rest of my week scoring other deals! I got Farmer John's sausage links for only $ .25 per pack! I got 6 12 packs of Pepsi for only $10! And today, I'm off to get some more deals!!

Little Lady

2011-01-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

For anyone that was following my Little Lady's blog, it has been moved to:
http://hopeandgrace2.blogspot.com

Shhhhhhhhh!!!! Don't tell my husband or my plumber...

2011-01-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I noticed that one of our toilets didn't seem to be flushing 'quite right'. Ugh... I hate toilet problems! I was relatively sure that there were no toys stuck down it (my kids aren't big on playing in the toilet... only once was this a problem, when some friends were over teaching them how to flush Hot Wheels and Little People down BOTH toilets...) so I just figured that it was one of those clogs that sometimes just happen.
By the time everyone had gone to bed, the toilet would still flush some, but it didn't have much force behind it, and it was filling almost to the top of the bowl. Yikes!
The toilet plunger we have isn't worth beans and I didn't want to have to tell my husband just yet, or call the plumber (who happens to be my best friend's husband), so I jumped on my handy dandy computer and googled "how to unclog a toilet". Several different suggestions came up. One I thought sounded like it could work was baking soda and vinegar. I gave that a try... no dice. Finally I just went to bed knowing that nobody would use that toilet until morning, so I let it be.
This morning, The Hubs got up for work & got ready in "his" bathroom, as I expected, so no worries there. When the kids got up, I told them to use "daddy's bathroom" instead of mine. Then I tried the next most common idea I found online... Dish Soap and Hot Water.
This entails getting the bowl mostly empty (flushing with the water off if you can, or bailing water out with a bucket/cup) and then squirting a good amount (1/4-1/2 cup) of Dish Soap down the toilet (the most commonly used one I found in the suggestions was Ultra Dawn, but I used what I have on hand, Ecosense Lemon Brite from Melaleuca). Let that sit for about 10-30 minutes. Then, pour hot tap water (not boiling) down the toilet from about waist high. The water should then start going down the toilet. Also, there will be suds. Continue doing this with the hot water (don't add more soap) until the water reaches normal level in the bowl without going down. By now, the suds should mostly be gone too. Turn the water back on, do a test flush to see if it's working right again. If so, YAY! If not, repeat the whole process again.
I was SUPER skeptical about this, but I thought I'd give it a try and hope for the best. And hope that I didn't piss my plumber off. But it worked! I actually think the toilet is flushing better than it has in quite some time!!
I'm very excited that I managed to fix this problem myself without having to bother my husband or plumber with it. However, I just know that both of them would have told me to NEVER try anything like that... so Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell them!

Oh mornings, how I've missed you

2011-01-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

So, at Super-Early-O'clock, I'm awakened by my Little Lady needing to be fed. Uggghhhhh, I stumble out of bed, prepare a bottle and go pluck her out of her crib. Then I settle in to feed her. Lately, after this, I have been putting myself back to bed in the mornings.
My Big Boy goes back to school this morning after 17 days of being home. So... instead of my mind turning to mush as I feed Little Lady, my mind flicks on, with all of the tasks ahead of me today. I realize that I'm up 2 hours before my alarm is set to go off... so I could go back to bed for 2 hours. However, in my experience, that just leaves me with a 'hungover' type of feeling. I don't like it. I start thinking of what quiet ways I can spend then next 2 hours.
Ahhhhh...quiet.
THIS is the time I used to keep for myself. When I would blog, read, shower. Breathe.
Hello Early Mornings, how I've missed you!

(There was a time in my life when I would have laughed in your face if you had told me I'd be a morning person...)

Until then...

2010-12-14T04:57:00.000-08:00

Blog! I miss you! I have ideas for you!!
Ok, there are quite a few things that I just have to write off until after the new year. My poor neglected blog is one of them.
However, I'm making a "New Years Resolution" right now to pay more attention to my blog after the 1st. (But I think that my attempts at structure, i.e. Marriage Monday's and Fun Fridays, are not going to reappear at that time.)
So may all of you have a very warm and happy holiday season with the ones that you love. I'll be back for the New Year.
Until then...

Marriage Matters Monday

2010-10-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

I am not a believer in love at first sight. For love, in its truest form, is not the thing
of starry-eyed or star-crossed lovers, it is far more organic, requiring nurturing and time
to fully bloom, and, as such, seen best not in its callow youth but in its wrinkled maturity.
Like all living things, love, too, struggles against hardship, and in the process sheds
its fatuous skin to expose one composed of more than just a storm of emotion–one of loyalty
and divine friendship. Agape. And though it may be temporarily blinded by adversity,
it never gives in or up, holding tight to lofty ideals that transcend this earth and
time–while its counterfeit simply concludes it was mistaken and quickly runs off to
find the next real thing.

~~~from The Letter by Richard Paul Evans

Marriage Matters Monday: On the Same Page?

2010-10-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Are you and your spouse/partner on the same page?
Sometimes, if there's a minor lapse in communication, it's really not the end of the world. For instance, if you're not on the same page about what the plans for the weekend are, a suitable compromise can be reached. But sometimes, if you're not on the same page, it can be a BIG deal. Matters such as purchasing a home, having children, saving for the future... these are all tremendous decisions that must be made together.
In my relationship, it's hard for The Hubs and I to get two words in to each other at any given time with these kids in our faces all the time, his work, my other commitments, and just... life. So we have found that it's very important to plan for time to talk. Sometimes we do it on a "date night", sometimes we just make it a point to stay up later together on a weekend night to discuss things that we feel are important to us. We may not always agree at first (This is where the compromise comes in handy). But it's a step closer to "getting on the same page".
And if we aren't on the same page as one another, we use that time to figure out why, and how we can fix it.

So... are you and your Significant Other "on the same page"?

Marriage Matters: (Wednesday?!?!)

2010-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so first off, yes, I'm a blog slacker. I should have done this Monday, or even yesterday, but here it is... "Hump Day" and I am posting.
So, this week, Marriage Matters is about the art of compromise. As far as I'm concerned, it is one of, if not THE most important things you can master in a marriage/relationship. You have to have some give and take.
A few weeks ago The Hubs and I ran into a problem, because he apparently forgot how important it is to compromise. That, along with some other thoughtless actions, caused me to react in a manner that was probably a little dramatic, but certainly got my point across. Sometimes, I guess that's what it takes.
But, it's important not to let it get to that level. Both partners in a relationship need to make their needs/wants/desires known to the other. Only then, can compromise begin.
YOU, go to that sporting event that you have zero interest in. After all... he did go to the Nutcracker Ballet with you last Christmas, LOL! Neither of you have to totally be into the other's chosen activity, but go happily and find joy in being with your partner, doing something that they love.
Learning to compromise together, from the simplest things to the deepest, most important things, can strengthen the bond that you have with one another. And really, it's one of the best ways to keep the peace.
**An important thing to remember though. When you are compromising with your partner... don't let it become something that will cause you to resent them or be bitter. If it something you feel strongly about, it is crucial that you let your feelings be known. Don't lose yourself because you are so concerned with making others happy.

So, what are ways that you use the Art of Compromise in your marriage/relationship?

Marriage Matters:

2010-10-11T14:42:00.001-07:00

Has been postponed to Tuesday this week, as the clean laundry is in piles the size of mountains. It has got to be put away.
See ya'll tomorrow!

Fun Friday!! Fall Festival!

2010-10-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the 4th Annual Fall Festival for my Big Boy's school. We are really looking forward to it, as he's excited that I'm going to let him roam with his friends, and I love any type of festivities, LOL!
There is going to be a local man doing BBQ... pulled pork sandwiches or tri-tip YUMMY! And lots of fun and games!! I'll be heading over there around 3:30pm with all 3 of the Kidlets. Then, my Mama will come join the fun for a while, and she'll bring the 2 Littles home with her while the Big and I stay behind for the rest of the evening. (Hubs will not be home from work by then...)
I'll be starting off my evening working in Big Boy's class booth, and then after that, heading over to my booth for Gold Canyon at the Business Expo. Any orders that are placed with me at the Fall Festival will have 10% of the sale going to our school's PTO!
It should be a really fun night all around!

Monday: Marriage Matters

2010-10-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Monday... we meet again.
I've decided to start addressing matters of marriage (or really, just relationships) on Monday blogs. So here we go, the first Marriage Matters Monday :)

Do you believe in Soul Mates? And if you do, and if you're married or in a committed relationship, do you believe that your spouse/partner is your Soul Mate?

As for myself~ Yes, I do believe in Soul Mates. However, I believe that most people on the planet never find their Soul Mate. I do believe that you can be fully compatible and even in love with a person that is not your Soul Mate. So... do I think my Hubs is my Soul Mate? Probably not. But I have made a promise to love and cherish him. And I truly do.

Okay readers. So answer openly and honestly with a comment below! Feel free to comment anonymously if you need to.

Have a happy week!

Fun Friday!! (weather permitting)

2010-10-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!!!
(For those of you it matters to anyways. Just last week on Facebook, I posted how, as far as I'm concerned, the weekend is just like any other days. Messes to clean, kids to fuss after, appointments to keep. No rest for the weary. In fact, The Hubs is home... so it's actually that much more that I have to tend to... *sigh*)

But, I digress. Back to Fun Friday.
Sooooo, typically on Friday afternoons, my boys go to their grandmother's house (MIL). But she had them earlier this week while I took Little Lady to an appt. So now, I will have my Little Men on this Friday afternoon. I think that we may head up the road to Oak Glen. If they still have raspberries, I'd like to pick some, but I know it's kind of late for that. I may have dropped the ball on the raspberry picking this year :(

Last Years Berry Picking Adventure!

My Boys and Me with our Berries Last September

If we are too late for raspberries though, then it will be time for apple picking! Either way, I know the Little Men would be just thrilled to go. Now, as long as the weather cooperates with us, and there are no more crazy wind/thunder/lightning storms, we'll be ok. But I'm sure as heck not driving up the mountain in questionable weather. So, we shall see what the day has in store for us...

GIVEAWAY Winner!!!

2010-09-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Ya'll missed out on a yummy GIVEAWAY!!!
Jenni wins by default!!

Yay for Jenni! Congrats!

(I have your mailing address already, so look for it within a week!)

Last chance to enter GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-09-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to enter my giveaway, now is your chance!! Please enter before NOON Pacific Time.
Visit here, to read about it: http://thisthatandtheother-justjenn.blogspot.com/2010/09/celebrating-fall-shameless-plug-for.html
If there are no more entries by Noon PST today, then Jenni wins by default ;)

What do you do?

2010-09-29T07:13:00.001-07:00

"What do you do when the only person who can make you smile, is the one who made you cry in the first place?"

Yeah... it's messed up when that happens :(

Sharing a "Mommy Blog"

2010-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you out there who read the "mommy blogs", here's a great new one to check out & follow. I've enjoyed the reading over at Mommy Madness!
Happy Reading!!

How Odd! Oh, no... it's even.

2010-09-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

I hate even years. More specifically, I hate my even years. For instance, I have nothing against 2010, as an even year. However, I could do without being 28 years old. 27 was nice. 17, 19, 23... all great! But 20, 24, 26, and now 28... not so great.
There's a very good chance that it's all in my head. Or just mere coincidence that the greatest challenges of my life happen to occur on my "even years". Either way, I'm already ready for my next birthday. Too bad it's still 10 months away...

Fun Friday!! (Date Night)

2010-09-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yay for Fun Friday! The Hubs and I are going out on a MUCH NEEDED date tonight, with NO KIDS! Thankfully my mom has agreed to take them all, and we don't really have a curfew either.
We haven't had a date in... I don't know? I can't remember. It might've been as far back as June... for our anniversary. But there may have been one since then. In any case, it's been too long, and we have lots to talk about.
So, even though I don't think she reads my blog, a BIG THANK YOU to my mama for all of her help lately!!!

Excited!

Celebrating Fall: Shameless Plug for myself AND my first GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-09-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is my favorite, but coming in at a close 2nd is Fall!!! I didn't really get to enjoy Summer this year, as I had a lot on my plate. So I intend to embrace Fall... and now it's here!
In Southern California, our fall can be questionable. But *sometimes* we get those perfect Fall days. I love visiting the Pumpkin Patch as many times as possible, going a few miles up the road to Oak Glen to pick apples and raspberries, taking a walk and crunching on leaves... and mostly all of the different scents that the season brings. Crisp, fresh air, cookies or pies baking in the oven, comfort foods, warm stew, pumpkin pie and spices, delicious coffee to drink all day long during the cool weather. All of the scents bring back such a sense of nostalgia... memories of a time before adult hood, when life was simpler, and worries were scarce.
What are your favorite things about Fall?
Which leads me to my "Shameless Plug"... As part of my 'bored housewife syndrome' (though I haven't been bored in a LONG time now) I became an Independent Demonstrator for Gold Canyon. I have adored the products for years, so I figured, why not sell it? I do demonstrate at parties for my customers, and it's a lot of fun! But, truth be told, I'm one of my best customers, LOL! All of the candles are made from the highest quality paraffin or soy. They have a wonderful line of plant-based cleaning supplies, and numerous other products for your fragrance needs. Check it out online! My website is www.mygc.com/jennifernace
So now on to the GIVEAWAY! I will randomly choose a winner for one 5oz Pumpkin Pie Heritage candle!!

Here's how you can win! You can have multiple entries:

1) Visit my website (link above) and enter a comment, telling me which scent/item you would pick if you could choose anything! (and, have you ever used any Gold Canyon before?)
2) Make a purchase from my website.
3) Refer someone else to purchase from my website (you'd have to let me know if you did this one so I know to enter you again!)
4) Anyone who makes a purchase over $50 from the website will get two more additional entries (and also, if you are going to spend over $50, get a hold of me first (jennifer.nace@gmail.com) and I can give you a promotion code for a FREEBIE!!!)

OK, now the rules!
If you are not already a follower of my blog, become one! This Giveaway is only open to followers of my blog! Also, I will only ship to the US or Canada. I will randomly choose a winner a week from today, on Sept 30th. I will announce the winner via blog either that night or the morning of the 1st.

Good Luck!

Can't you just "internet" it?

2010-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the Internet. I use it every day, many, many times. I am more prone to buy something if I can look it up online first, and I'm more apt to go somewhere if it's online as well. I get way irritated when a business doesn't have a website. That's terrible, I know. Anyone else feel the same way?
The other day my husband wanted something looked up online. He asked if I could "Internet" it.
Funniest. Thing. Ever.
So, of course, being the sweet and loving wife that I am, I jumped right on that and started making fun of him. But he did bring up a very valid point... we "google" things all the time. How can we use "google" as a verb, but not "Internet"?
So from now on, I guess I'm just going to Internet things. It is, after all, a much broader term. Because I don't ALWAYS use google. Sometimes I go right to a specific website. For instance, I could "Internet" the score of the ball game or "Internet" the weather report.

So, here's to "Internetting"!!!

Not my intention

2010-09-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

It is NOT my intention to make this a blog about my little girl. Yes, I will mention my children in it, as they are part of "my not so glamorous life", however, I do not want this to simply become 'just another mom blog'. Because, you know, I'm a wife and a woman in addition to being a mommy.
Sooooooooooo... I am moving Little Lady's blog updates to her own space. Feel free to follow if you want, but no biggie if you don't :)
http://littlelady-hopeandgrace.blogspot.com/

Now, I can get back to posting on this blog with my normal, un-glamorous routine.

Fun Friday!! Picture Day

2010-09-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Little Lady is getting her 2 month pictures done today! I sure hope she'll do something like this:

And NOT something like this:

OK, here's my EDIT of this post for the afternoon... THIS is how Picture Day went :)

After The Beginning... Reality

2010-09-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

She was born on July 15th, 2010 at 5:05 am. She made quite an entrance too... after not wanting to move down the birth canal, making Mama push on her sides and everything else. Then, she came out "Sunnyside Up". Typically, a baby is born facing the floor, face down. Little Lady wanted everyone to see her pretty face, so she came out facing the ceiling. That's probably part of the reason why she was not moving down as fast as expected... she was facing the wrong way!
But... not only was she "sunnyside up", she was also... kind of folded in half. Her legs were flipped up, and her feet were basically up next to her ears. I know, weird.
They did not plop this baby right down on my chest like you see on TV (or maybe even have had happen to you). In fact, out of all 3 of my children, only one of them was laid directly on my chest. The other two are troublemakers.
They took her to the other side of the room, to the bassinet, to get her cleaned up. I send The Hubs over to take photos while I'm laying there, helpless and numb, getting stitched up and cleaned. (This is when I posted a status update to Facebook and sent out the "She's Here" text messages, LOL!)

(you can see in these pics how her legs are straight in front of her, and not down)

Hyperextended Knees. They are bending forward...

Little Lady scored 8's and 9's on all of her Apgars, so that was good news... but, about this "folded in half" thing. They couldn't really get her stretched out. Couldn't even measure her length. At this point, they are waiting for a pediatrician to come check her out. And I have still not held my baby. Pediatrician comes.
Once everyone is all clean, and baby is weighed things are a little calmer. Less people in the room and less chaos. This is when they tell me that something seems to be wrong with her legs, or knees, or hips... or all of them? They have decided to place her in the NICU. These are nightmare words for a new mom... NICU...
But, before they took her, they did give me and The Hubs an hour. I nursed her, and we did some 'skin to skin bonding' and, even though I didn't want to share, I let The Hubs have a turn.

And then, off she went. Several Dr's came to look at her. They pretty much had no idea what was wrong with her. They sort of narrowed it down to it being her knees. Little Lady had knees that were hyperextended. They wouldn't bend, and so they stuck out right in front of her. She looked normal in the sitting position, but laying down, you could see that things weren't right. So, we were waiting until the next day, when the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon would come consult with her/us. So far, we had found out that they did Xrays, but that newborn/infant tissue is too soft to really see anything. Also, they did an ultrasound to make sure that her insides were all ok, and they were.

I left my hospital bed every 3 hours to go to the NICU and see her and nurse her.

(Here are her legs after 24 hours. Better than at birth, but still bad. One is obviously worse than the other.)

On day two, towards the end of the day the Orthopedic FINALLY comes in. She checks things out, tries to move things, looks at the rest of Little Lady's body and shows us some 'stretches' we can do on her. She agrees to discharge us since there are no other health issues with Little Lady. And we schedule follow up appointments. She tells us that it could be a syndrome called Arthrogryposis. It basically means stiff joints. She isn't so sure though, because there are things that aren't consistent with Arthrogryposis. One of these things is that she has perfect folds on the joints of her fingers, and that, for the most part the problem seems to be isolated to the knees (she also has one crooked index finger), which would not be common for an Arthrogryposis patient.

So basically, we are left with no answers, and kind of on edge, but we are ready to go home!

She was only in the NICU for 36 hours. And my hospital/insurance was very accommodating as far as not kicking me out of my room until we knew she was going to get to come home with us. And THANK GOD she got to come home with us! I would have been a total mess if I'd have had to go home without my baby girl.

So that is part two of Little Lady's story. But there's still more...

Peace out NICU, I'm going home!!!

Fun Friday!! Girls Day!

2010-08-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

The boys are off the Grandma's house today and the Little Lady and I are off to have a "Girls Day" with a dear friend of mine. Lunch and shopping :) Sounds good to me!
I think Little Lady needs a new dress...

Where to begin? At the beginning, I suppose...

2010-08-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Helllllooooooo!! I'm here :) And I have lots of catching up to do! So... I guess I'll start where I left off. I had a baby. And here is the story of it. (I am not only writing this for you to read... because you may really not care. But so that I can have the memory written out, while it is still fresh).

On Tuesday, July 13th I had an OB appt. I requested that he 'strip my membranes'. Because I was hoping it would put me into labor soon. He doesn't like doing it, but did anyways... but only 'gently'. LOL!
Well, it worked. From that afternoon, I started having random, sporadic contractions. No biggie really... I figured, Braxton Hicks. Tuesday night, my sister in law told me she would take my boys for a while the next day while she treated me with a gift certificate for some pampering... A mani/pedi (Awwww, I love her!).

Wednesday, I posted on Facebook that I was "hell bent on having this baby tonight or tomorrow". The contractions continued all morning... but not with regularity. I texted my husband that "these damn fake contractions are getting me annoyed, but not getting me to the hospital" he replied "maybe tonight". In the early afternoon, I brought by boys to the SIL's house. She told me to have the people doing my pedicure to rub all the pressure points that trigger labor contractions. I enjoyed my little pampering session... I went to pick up my boys, visited with SIL about an hour, then headed home.
I literally did not sit down after getting home. I figured that if I stayed on my feet, maybe gravity would do the work for me. I cleaned house mostly. The Hubs got home soon after that... about 4pm. I informed him that my "dumb contractions" were about 15 mins apart... so maybe I really was in labor, but that at 15 mins (and not all that strong) it could still be another day or more away. So I kept killing time... not sitting down. Soon, they were about 10 mins apart. So he started timing them for me. I cooked dinner.
He kept timing contractions, I went out in the yard to walk around, I talked for a few mins with my neighbor. By 7pm, they were 7 mins apart, and getting a little stronger. But I still wasn't all that uncomfortable. The Hubs was SURE we needed to go to the hospital. I told him it wasn't time. He was a nervous wreck... (to be fair, our first child came in only 5 hours. I was 9cm by the time we got to the hospital, so I understand why he was nervous. He didn't want to deliver our baby, LOL! And our hospital is about 40mins away.) So to put his mind at ease, at least a little, I told him I'd call Labor & Delivery. They didn't seem to think it was crucial for me to come yet. I told him that and he said the nurse was dumb. I held out.
Ok, so finally, by 8 or 8:30pm... the contractions were coming about 5mins apart, and strong enough that I decided to sit down, LOL! But I was just so scared that I was going to go into L&D with my 3rd child and they were going to tell me that it was false labor, haha!
By now... my poor husband was practically begging me to go to the hospital. Nope. I told him that it wasn't time yet, and I didn't want to be stuck in an uncomfortable hospital bed any longer than I had to be, thank you. He informed me that I'm stubborn and hard-headed.
By 9:30... I was feeling way uncomfortable, and having to breath through the contractions. They were still about 5 mins apart, but getting stronger. I told The Hubs "We'll go soon. But not yet".
At 10pm... I called my mom: "Can you come over and stay with the boys? We need to go to the hospital." The Hubs let out a huge sigh of relief.

Mom gets up to the house, I kiss my boys goodbye and off we go. By now (10:20pm) the contractions are pretty bad. 3 mins apart. I cannot stand up at all during one anymore, and I'm REALLY breathing. We get to the hospital in record time. We get out of the truck, and start across the parking lot. I'm walking. Then a massive contraction hits and I double over in pain. Poor husband. He thinks I'm collapsing and goes to catch me. I breath through it, and he grabs me a wheelchair that got left in the lot.

It's nighttime, so we have to enter through the ER and go up to L&D. Once we get there, admissions finds my record, and tells L&D nurse over the phone that I appear to be 'active'. So the nurse comes out... See's the way I'm breathing and agrees. They did not waste time putting me into an exam room or labor room. They brought be straight to delivery. While they are putting all my info in the computer, a mid-wife does an internal exam. I am already between 4-5 cm dilated. Do I want pain control? Yes please! What? The anesthesiologist is doing a C-section, I have to wait. In the meantime they put something in my IV to 'take the edge off'.

An hour and a half and one Facebook status update later... I get my epidural. Oh. My. Gosh. THANK YOU GOD for epidurals!!!!!!

Epidural got put in kind of sideways though, so my left side got SUPER numb... right side, not so numb, LOL!

A little while later, another exam shows me to be 9cm. It's about 11:30pm. So, we wait. And The Hubs and I drift in and out of restless sleep.

(It's Thursday, July 15th now!)
FINALLY around 2:30am, I am 10cm. Let's do a push on the next contraction to see how it goes. So, I push. Nurse tells me that even though I'm 10cm, baby hasn't gotten low enough in the birth canal for pushing yet. Let's wait a while.
About 3:30am, I tell the nurse that I need to have the baby before sunrise. She agrees that it's time to try pushing again. And so we push through about 3 contractions. Hard work.
Baby is stubborn. She will not drop lower. She also appears to be a little 'sideways'. Probably the reason why she's not descending. So, here's the fun part. I have to push on my side. So, they help roll me (I can't roll myself, I'm numb!) onto my left side. And I push through 3 contractions. Then, they help roll me onto my right side, 3 more contractions. Back onto my back... baby seems to have straightened out. Push again. She's finally making her way down!!!!
At this point, the nurse 'calls for backup'. A few more nurses arrive. I keep pushing with each contraction. The OB finally arrives and the fun begins. So I huff, and I puff and I... oh wait... Ok,so I push and push. Little Lady is finally making an appearance, I'm crowning. So more pushing finally her head starts to emerge. They are saying that she doesn't have much hair. More pushing. Almost there! Keep going! Ok, her head will be out on the next push. WHAT?!?!? She's 'sunnyside up' (for those that don't know... babies come out 'face down'. Looking at the floor. She was looking at the ceiling). No wonder it didn't seem like she had much hair... that was her forehead!
A few more pushes to go... and SHE'S HERE!!!!
So, after about 2 hours of pushing, my bundle of joy arrives. She is 7lbs 2oz. Born at 5:05am on July 15th. What a relief! I cried happy tears.

(There's more to tell... coming soon!!!)

I will be back sooooon!

2010-08-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, between the baby and some insane drama that she has brought to our lives (just like a girl, huh?) and the recent move... I sort of dropped off the face of the planet. BUT, I will be back within the next few days to blog again. And I have a lot to write about.
I hope you are all doing well!!!

Another peek of my new sweet pea:

(Photo by Rebecca Staley)

You forget...

2010-07-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

(sneaking in a quick post while the Little Lady is resting)

I'm on baby #3 now... you'd think it would all be familiar by now. There are things that happen when you have a baby, but you forget...

You forget how much it hurts...
You forget how tiny they are...
You forget how scary it can be...
You forget the constant parade of people in your house for the first week afterwards...
You forget how good they smell...

You forget how quickly you can fall in Love...

Where was I on Fun Friday???

2010-07-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I was falling in Love on Fun Friday...

And kept at it all weekend long :)

Help Me Please!!! (and, something on my wish list now)

2010-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, I need help. I like to play with pictures. Nothing fancy, but sometimes I would like to work with 'soft focus' or I like to go black & white, or enhance colors... For years I've been working with Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10. But I really feel like that's an outdated program at this point.
So, what do YOU use for your photo editing needs?
I guess I'm leaning towards Photoshop... but that's just mainly because that's the one I always hear about. But I want something that's user friendly, but still has ample features. I want to make my grass really green in pictures with really blue sky... how do y'all do that?
So, thanks in advance for any input!!!

Also, like I said, I like to play with pictures. I like to take them too. A lot. I'm not by any means a photographer. I have no training, and I don't pretend to be good at it. But I like doing it! And every now and again I even manage to get a pretty cool picture in there. And I totally hate the camera I have right now. It's so lame, but last year I wanted a new one and we were on a MASSIVE budget, so I got a cheap one, and now I regret not just holding out until later. *sigh* Recently I've been seeing the commercials air for the Olympus Pen. It looks like exactly what I would love to have. User friendly, tons of options... I'd probably never even come close to using this camera for the full capacity that it is intended, but here's the one I really, REALLY want:

That's all for now, it will just remain on my wish list, because I sure can't afford it right now (although, I don't think it's a bad price at all). Maybe if I want it badly enough for long enough the Hubs will get me one for Christmas this year. He really likes to get me Christmas gifts, LOL!

Husbands Birthday= Fail

2010-07-13T05:29:00.000-07:00

My husbands birthday was on Saturday. I'm real big on birthdays... well, not just birthdays, any kind of reason to celebrate anything will get me going :)
But this year, I guess I kind of dropped the ball. He wasn't expecting birthday gifts (because we are budgeting for our move at the end of this month AND the possibility of him taking days off when baby gets here), so never gave me any ideas of what he wanted. Then I took it upon myself to shop for him without asking what he wanted, and just kind of went to the store wingin' it. I got him some stuff he likes OK, but I could tell it wasn't what he would've picked for himself. And that sucks, because I typically pride myself on my gift giving abilities. Then, since the baby could've been coming (she didn't, and still hasn't), I didn't want to plan anything elaborate, so we just met up with his parents at our favorite pizza place for dinner, and went to the local ice cream shop for desert. But I could tell that was just a mediocre celebration for him as well. And I didn't even make him a cake (BAD wife!!!!). He's not a big cake eater, and a few days before that he said something that indicated to me that he didn't want a cake. But next time... I will be making a cake.

I feel really bad, because this birthday kind of had him down anyways (he's feeling old, LOL!) and then I didn't even take my usual measures to make it a good one for him. The icing on the cake I didn't make was, we were both in pretty foul moods that day, and totally took it out on one another.

I tried to make it up to him yesterday, by having a re-do birthday celebration. I made a super yummy dinner for the family, baked him a cake and decorated it with his favorite colors & bought his favorite ice cream to go with it.

But... I'm not so sure he cared. So, I guess... Operation Husband's Birthday= Massive Fail. Way to go Jenn...

I should be...

2010-07-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Right now, I should be:
~Packing boxes for the move...
~Preparing to move all utilities/services to the new house
~Working on a budget
~Paying bills
~Baking something yummy
~Dishes
~Laundry
~Cleaning the heck out of the house I live in now
~Going into labor

Instead, I'm:
~Playing on Blogger and Facebook
~Sitting in my pajamas
~Mindlessly moving things around
~Still being pregnant

Fun Friday!!

2010-07-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

The boys are going to Grandma's house and Mama's getting a pedicure, nails done, and a Starbucks!!! It might be the last time I get that kind of pampering before the Little Lady gets here ;)

I guess I should buy the Hubs a Bday present today as well... he's turning 31 tomorrow! (TeeHee!! He wanted to be done having kids at 30, but the Little Lady doesn't seem as if she's going to make her appearance before he turns 31, so I guess he's out of luck!)

Got it!

2010-07-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Now I can do some kind of planning!!
We found out today that we will be moving into the house I fell in love with! I'm so excited! I will be putting down a deposit on Friday. The move will take place either the weekend of the 24th, or the first of August. Yay!
Thanks for all of your positive wishes!!! It feels so good to not be so 'up in the air' with things! Don't know when this Little Lady will arrive yet, but at least I know about the house... which was most of my anxiety. I feel like I can breathe again now :)

June Gloom

2010-07-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here in the "Inland Empire" of Southern California, we get something that we refer to as "June Gloom". It's a frequent occurrence, during the month of June as we transition into Summer. Overcast mornings, that often don't burn off, and leave us with gray, chilly days.

We didn't have much of it this year. It appears that our "June Gloom" has rolled into July (which has been very mild so far). I suppose it's because we had an extra long winter this year... you know, with "El Nino" and all. So I think we are about a month behind on our seasons here in SoCal. This leads me to believe that we are going to have a scorching hot September and October.

Planning... or the lack thereof

2010-07-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

I am a planner. My home may not always be the most organized, because I have two young children and a messy husband (who all make messes faster than I can clean them up). But despite that, I am organized.

So, here I am. Days and/or weeks away from a new baby's arrival. But I can't plan for anything, because I have no idea when she'll get here. Not sure if I'll be able to keep that nail appt. on Friday or that hair appt on the 16th. Plans for the Hubs's Bday? Don't ask me, I might be in the hospital.
OK, so yeah, I know... every parent to be goes through this (with the exception of scheduled deliveries).

BUT, we are also about to move. Yes, that's right... within days/weeks of the Little Lady's arrival, we will be moving. We found a place we LOVE and hopefully, today, we will find out for sure if we can get in there. (PLEASE say a prayer for us, or cross your fingers, or rub your Buddha's belly... whatever!) I just feel like my family and I would be a perfect match for this house... I will be very disappointed if it doesn't work out. I'm trying to be optimistic... but I have a feeling of dread. I know if that one doesn't work out, we will suck it up and keep looking. But, oh how I love that house.

So right now, I KNOW that I am about to have a baby. And I KNOW that I am about to move. But could I tell you the who/what/when/where for either of these events? NO! And it's got me at a level of anxiety higher than I think I've ever known... I need a drink. Or a sedative. But those will have to wait until some unknown date as well...

Oh Lord, I'm afraid I'm about to lose my mind.

Somebody give me something to plan. I need to plan a party or something for late August... just to keep me busy in the meantime. Ugh.

Fun Friday!! The essence of Summertime

2010-07-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture that I actually took by mistake while adjusting my camera settings. Once I saw it, I decided to keep it, because it just seemed to scream SUMMERTIME to me!

Bare feet, green grass, sand buckets, flip flops, and beach towel... Does it get any more summer than that?

(My boys and I were at the lake with our neighbor and her kiddos the other day when I 'snapped' this photo!)

8 years ago today...

2010-06-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

8 years ago today, I married my very best friend. It hasn't always been an easy road.... sometimes I could swear to you the road was both unpaved AND uphill at the same time. But I couldn't ask for a better partner in my life. He has ultimately given me the best 8 years (but really, 12) of my life.
Here's to at least 60 more!!!!

I'm sorry... that is not the correct answer. You do not advance to the next round.

2010-06-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Why is it so impossible for men to give what is so obviously the right answer? Yes, yes, I do understand that they aren't mind readers. But honestly, a little common sense would do.
During this pregnancy I have been having MAJOR vanity issues. I'll admit, I'm a little vain. I do my hair and makeup every day and workout, because I've never wanted to be one of those wives that has 'let herself go'. Despite all the effort I put into my looks (both for myself, and my husbands benefit), he never seems to notice, or care. Anyways, the Hubs knows I've been having these issues. I feel big, I feel awkward. I feel completely unattractive and not sexy whatsoever. (He hasn't been helping with that, but that's a totally different blog, I suppose).
So yesterday he wanted to go to a store we haven't been to in years, you know... for grown ups. It's actually a very 'classy' one, in the way of that type of store, and the front half of it is much more like Frederick's of Hollywood or something. I don't feel uncomfortable walking into the place at all. Instead of a bunch of pervy looking creeps in there, you typically see couples going in together.
In any case, feeling as unattractive as I have been, I said to him:
"WHAT in that store could possibly make ME sexy right now?"
*************************
Here's what he should have said: "You are sexy right now."
And that would have totally changed the direction of where we were driving. It would have been enough for me to say "Ok, let's go"

Here's where he went wrong. What he actually said was: "I don't know...it's still fun just to go in there."

Is it just me? Or was that just a total lack of common sense? I'm not the kind of girl who constantly needs to be complimented. But I can't remember the last time he gave me a compliment on my looks. At all. And the closest thing to any type of compliment I've gotten from him in a very, very long time is "that was good, thanks" after dinner. Really? Nice...

Thank you for attending my pity party. I will try to have them as infrequently as possible. (Just needed to vent, I guess.)

Have you ever wondered...?

2010-06-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what happens if you put some eggs on the stove to hard-boil and then forget about them because you got caught up in writing your blog?

No? Well, of course not! Who on earth would do such a nonsensical thing?

Oh... me. I did (as I hang my head in shame).

Well, what happens is, your pot gets burned once all of the boiling water evaporates. Then, the eggs will begin to explode, leaving a mess on your stove, counter tops, and freshly cleaned floors.

I highly recommend NOT doing this.

Project "Neglect Boiling Eggs" = FAIL!

Notice the burned pot, messy stove from it overboiling, and the piece of eggshell there above the handle?

Egg mess all over the floor :(

Bored Housewife Syndrome

2010-06-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

I love my job.
I really, really love being a housewife and a stay at home mom. However, I also have an independent streak the size of Texas. (Which means that no matter how many people offer to stay with the kids while I catch a nap, help me clean my house, or cook a meal after the baby is born, I will say no. Because I am SuperWoman and I can do it all.)
I get bored pretty easily with the same old, same old, every day. While I thrive on routine, I also tend to get very weary of it.
I know that many housewives go through similar trials and tribulations. It's not uncommon to feel as if you've given up a part of yourself, your identity, for your husband and kids. Sometimes I feel this way and it jolts me down to my very core. I want to know... what happened to Jenn? WHERE is she? Is she still in there, somewhere? Or has it really just come down to "Mommy", "Wife" and "Homemaker".
*sigh*
So what do I do to remedy this problem that I occasionally encounter? Well, I joke that I start selling things, and making babies. And in truth, that's not really a joke. I'm pregnant with my third miracle right now. And I just recently became a demonstrator for Gold Canyon (which I am LOVING!!). The baby will throw me a curve ball for a while (and steal away another little part of me), but the Gold Canyon lets me do something that's just me... and that's what I need.

I think doing something for yourself is a vital part to being a happy housewife. How do you remedy 'Bored Housewife Syndrome'? What do you do that's just for you? Work from home? A hobby? A class you take? A group you belong to? Book club? Girls night out?

(And... in retrospect, although it sometimes feels like my family is stealing bits and pieces of my identity, I'm sure someday I'll see how really, they just added to it.)

Lazy Summer Mornings= My maternity leave

2010-06-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm ~~mostly~~ over the emotional part of my Big Boy graduating from Kinder, I am moving on to the "Enjoy the Summer" part of it.
I kept referring to these few weeks as my "Maternity Leave". Since I'm a SAHM, I don't actually get a maternity leave, but I figured that this is as close to one as I'm going to have. From the time school/T-ball ended, until the time the Little Lady gets here, will be 4-6 weeks of pretty much not having to be anywhere at any specific time. And I am luxuriating in that!!! We are having lazy summer mornings, and it is so nice. Even though I am a very early riser (4:30am anyone?) we still don't get dressed until maybe 11am or so some mornings. I love it! I love having chaos free mornings!
But (and I apologize to the world in advance) I'm thinking that this weekend I need to go get myself some sort of swim attire so that next week we can go do some summer things. In the next 2 weeks or so, I'd love to take my boys to the beach, to the local water park, and to our local regional park with a lake. We need to fit in some Summer Fun before the Little Lady gets here and turns our lives upside down for a while.
So I'll enjoy the rest of this week as relatively lazy, and then get some fun started (while trying to maintain a quota of lazy mornings at the same time).

Baby Girls Room and Personalized Name Blocks

2010-06-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

So, despite the fact that we are probably moving within 2 months or less of this new baby girl's arrival, my nesting instinct took over, and I put together her nursery. I didn't go overboard because I knew that it would probably never be utilized, but I still just wanted to have a visual of all her cute girl stuff. Remember, this girly baby business is a whole new world for me!

I made due with the tiny space I had for her things, and this is what I put together:

note the lack of a real closet... :(

I like the room, there's a few more things I would've loved to do with it, but I'll restrain myself until after we move. In any case... Do you see those blocks there on the windowsill? They are one of my absolute favorite things about this room. I just love personalized items, and these just couldn't be passed up!!

These GORGEOUS blocks came from one of my new favorite stores on Etsy.com The store is called Sweet Olivia Designs and her stuff is just to die for! She's got gorgeous, customized (handmade) wood blocks with letters, as well as picture frames, and hanging name blocks. The customer service in this shop was amazing. Leslie at Sweet Olivia was so accommodating and even honored my request to include the letter "i" in my order so I could use my blocks to say either Gracelynn or Gracie.

Leslie over at Sweet Olivia Designs had these made right away and they were shipped the very next day! I was trying to get them before a certain date, and she totally surpassed my expectations on the speed of delivery. They got to me a few days before I needed them, and I couldn't have been happier. BUT, there's more! As if it's not fun enough to get a package in the mail... opening her package was like CHRISTMAS!!!! My blocks were packaged very securely, and wrapped in tissue paper, and tied off with a lovely raffia bow. Once I opened the tissue, I found that inside of that, each individual block was also wrapped up like a little present, tissue paper and raffia bows on each block! It was so pretty, and so much fun opening each individual little gift! It seriously made my day!! There was also a lovely Thank You card in there as well. What a wonderfully customer oriented shop Leslie runs! These days, it seems like that can be few and far between. So not only did I end up with a beautiful, quality handmade product, but it was fun and enjoyable to shop for them. And the pricing was so reasonable too!

Now I just can't wait for the next baby shower... because these are going to be my new 'go-to' gift for showers!!

(My glowing review of this product was not endorsed by Sweet Olivia Designs. I just wanted to share with everyone how much I love them! In fact, she doesn't even know yet that I wrote this, haha!)

My glasses.

2010-06-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

Most people don't even know that I wear glasses. Well, that's because I'm far sighted, so I don't wear them out in public too often... the only thing I'd need them for is reading menu's, and I usually get by without them :)
My Dr. laughs at me because I'm only ~~twenty-seven~~ in my twenties and I'm far sighted... which isn't something he sees in most people until at least their late 30's. Gee, thanks Doc!
Actually, I don't even have a recent picture of me in my glasses. But here's the thing: I actually really like them. Yes, they're cute, but I don't think that's why. I think I have it figured it out. Since I'm a SAHM, I obviously don't need to wear them all day while I'm sitting at a desk job. SOOOOOO, if I AM wearing my glasses, that usually means I'm doing something I enjoy (like sitting here right now blogging, LOL!). I wear them when I'm sitting down long enough to watch TV, read a book, play on the computer.... I think the only thing I don't like wearing them for is paying bills. But even then at least I come away from it (usually) feeling like I got something done.
So that's that... I like wearing my glasses because it means I'm relaxing. Yay for glasses time!!!

Fun Friday!!

2010-06-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Sprinkler Fun~ These boys sure love to get wet!

Want it soooo bad!

2010-06-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Do you ever want something so bad you can taste it? There's something I want THAT bad right now (and it's not food, LOL!).
I guess that, for now, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope that things work out my way.

Cross your fingers for me? Pretty please :)

One (not so) Tough Mama...

2010-06-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

I did not shed a single tear the day I sent my first born child off to kindergarten. And I'm a cryer, so that surprised me. But he was SO READY to be there, that it just didn't bother me to send him off.

Here he is, the morning of his first day of kinder, about to get ready. Dancing around in his undies, bursting with excitement. See? Why would I cry?

Fast forward about nine months. The school year is winding down, T-ball is almost over and I'm very pregnant. I CANNOT wait for everything to end, so I have a few weeks of peace and quiet, with no place to be at a certain time, no rushing out the door in the morning, extended PJ days, and summer fun before the baby arrives. So there I was, counting the days until school was out. Just like a kid!

Then on the morning of the last day of school (yesterday)... it hit me. Bad. I took Big Boy to kindergarten one last time. As I drove away, a flood of emotions overtook me. I just dropped my son off at kindergarten for the LAST time. Kindergarten is for the little kids. Oh my God... he's not little anymore. WHEN did he become such a big boy? I swear, just yesterday I was smelling his sweet baby smell, and holding him close to my chest while he slept. And now, he's done with kindergarten. How did this happen?

In my typical fashion, I spent the morning running around trying to get too much done with too little time. The chaos of my morning helped take my mind off of it. I had to make a Target run, I went to Barnes & Noble to get Big Boy's copy of "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. I had to go to JoAnn's Fabrics, to get some scrapbook supplies for a project I was working on, and some fabric for my dad's Father's Day gift. Then off to the Party Shoppe to get my big boy some balloons (and horns to blow at his graduation).

So my little one and I get to the school for Kindergarten graduation just in the nick of time. I have my book, balloons and party horns so that my Big Boy will know how proud I am of him, and he seems so happy to see the goodies that were brought just for him!

The teacher starts things off by showing a slideshow set to music of the classes year together. Right away the waterworks started for me. Let me tell you, there was no going back after that! The slideshow was so cute and touching, Miss R did a really great job on it. Then she read to them from "The Kissing Hand" which is the same book she read on the first day of school. Ok... WHERE are the tissues? Seriously, where?

After finishing the story, she calls each student up individually to give them a special memory book that she made for them, as well as their Kindergarten Certificates.

(Through all of this, I'm pretty much crying). After she finishes with each student, we go outside and the two kindergarten classes get together to sing a song for the parents. Then there is a cookie & punch celebration, with lots of mingling and lots of goodbyes. (And yes, plenty of tears, mostly from mommy's).

Then my Big Boy, all of his grandma's, my Little Boy and I went out for lunch. After lunch, the boys went to spend the afternoon at my mother in law's house. I went home to work on a project for our T-ball Coach.

So there I am, in my quiet house, all by myself, reflecting. And then the tears started and they did not stop. And we're not talking leaky faucet here. It was more like the Hoover Dam broke. There was NO STOPPING that flood. At that point, I proceeded to listen to a handful of songs about babies growing up, or life passing you by and it sure didn't help. "Let Them Be Little" by Lonestar. "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney, "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins. Oh boy, why did I do that to myself?

When the Hubs got home from work, we wanted to take Big Boy out to celebrate his accomplishment, so we went bowling, and out to dinner afterwards. While at the bowling alley, Hubs notices that I'm not quite myself, and says "WHAT is wrong with you tonight?" To which I reply "Nobody told me that the last day of kindergarten is a hundred times harder than the first day of kindergarten!!!" He gave me an understanding smile, and in the sweet, ~~smart-ass~~ way of his that usually doesn't fail to make me laugh, he asks if I want to have another baby. (Uhhhh... yeah, that might be a good idea honey, LOL!)

Our boy isn't little anymore. As much as I truly love every moment of watching my kiddos grow up... it is still so bittersweet for me. I feel like the time is just slipping through my hands and sometimes I can't catch it. I'm afraid to close my eyes, even for a second, because when I open them, all of my littles will be off with families of their own.

Fun Friday!!

2010-06-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope that you all had lovely weeks. I had a crazy week (mostly in a good way), and as much as I wanted to post at least one more blog during the week, I just never got around to it.

So here we are again, Friday!

For fun (and the sake of gift-giving) this weekend, I am going to be trying my hand at several different crafts. I haven't done much of anything in the way of crafting for quite some time now, and I'm excited to pick up these new ones.

So, for my Fun Friday today, I'll be doing some SHOPPING!!! I will head to JoAnne's Fabrics (with a great coupon!), and I will also be making my way to the lovely scrap booking store we have in the next town over. And Barnes & Noble as well, for a non-homemade gift. All of this, I will be doing without kiddos!! (Ahhhh... quiet time. Time to THINK!)

Have a great weekend friends!

I love Mondays

2010-06-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

That's right, I said it. I love Mondays.

I love the return to my regular routine. I love the fresh start. I love having a day committed to catching up from the weekend. I love figuring out my to do list (whether I do it on paper, on my fancy Smartphone, or in my head). I love looking forward to the week ahead :)

I always thought I was an oddity, but I'm starting to notice lately that quite a few other SAHM/Housewives feel the same way.
Don't get me wrong... I love the family time we have on the weekends. But I also love my "regularly scheduled programming" and getting back on track for the week so that I have time to brace myself for the following weekend, which will be, inevitably, busy :)

Happy Monday! I hope everyone has a beautiful week!

Beyond thrilled with results!! Maternity Shoot/Boy pics

2010-06-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ok... I'm a little bit of a picture fiend. I love to take them, I love to be in them, and I love to look at them!

In my first pregnancy, I got only a few pictures of myself (which is a shame, because perhaps if I'd have seen how GIGANTIC I was getting I may have taken control of my weight gain, LOL!).

In my second pregnancy, I made it a point to track my belly's growing progress by taking lots of photos, and even going to the portrait studio, along with my first born, to have a little maternity shoot done. I liked the pictures, but I've seen much better.

So, this time around, I wanted to do photos again, but something more 'natural'. After all, what's more natural than a pregnant woman? I had a photographer in mind... but just wasn't sure. Then, a good friend of mine had some photos up on her Facebook page and I just adored them! I asked her about them, and it turned out that she was friends with a very talented photographer. I contacted the photographer at Photo's by Rebecca Staley and we discussed some ideas regarding what I wanted. Rebecca was amazingly flexible with her time and her willingness to travel. Together we decided on a location, and brainstormed some ideas.

The results were phenomenal! I am very impressed with the shots she got of both me (and my enormous belly) and my two boys. She was absolutely PERFECT with my kiddos... in fact, she's the ONLY photographer who has EVER gotten my little one to smile for a photo, let alone take his thumb out of his mouth. I'm so excited to share some of my favorite photos here on my blog! (below, find only a few of my favorite pics from that day!)

Rebecca Staley has gained a lifelong customer in me, and I can't wait to have her do my newborn baby girl's pictures in the near future!
(Please note that this blog post IS NOT being endorsed by Photo's by Rebecca Staley, or the photographer herself. I am simply raving about a service that had me blown away!)

Fun Friday!! (WHERE has the fun been?)

2010-06-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

TWO Friday's in a row I missed my Fun Friday post :( Why? Well, two weeks ago, I was GROUCHY! Believe me, I had nothing fun to post that day.

Last Friday, my dear Hubs was home... and he pretty much has the ability to throw a wrench into my routine.

Sooooo... here I am, two weeks later. But it's FRIDAY, so let's do something fun!!

SUMMERTIME!!!! Summertime is FUN! And according to the school calendar, it's only one more week away! I am sooo excited that we'll have a few weeks of peace and quiet around here before the new little one arrives! Some nice lazy mornings, with no agenda, and nowhere to be at any particular time. Aaaahhhh, bliss. I guess that's as close to maternity leave as I'm going to get, LOL!

So, I'm ready to hit the beach, and stick my toes in the warm sand. (Be forewarned world... I am 8 months pregnant, and am very likely going to wear a bikini top. I apologize in advance, but my body craves the sun. However, I will at least have the decency to cover up my cellulite ridden butt and thighs with a nice coverup/skirt.)

Or, break out the Slip~N~Slide!! (Too bad mommy can't get in on the fun this year, last year I had a blast doing this with my boys!)

What is YOUR favorite Summertime activity?

No!!

2010-06-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

My littlest boy just turned 3. I said it the first time around with the big boy, and I'll say it this time around too... Two year olds aren't that bad. It's the 2 1/2-3 1/2 year olds. Once they start closing in on four years old, you get your sweet kid back again.

This little man of mine... he's seriously ornery. His favorite word right now is "No". Also, he likes "Nope" and "Uh uh".
I know, I know, I'm not the only mom of a tot that does this. Because they all do this. However, his form of No-isms cracks me up! He seriously doesn't even listen to what you're saying before he tells you No. It's like it's just become a habit for him and he doesn't stop to think before saying it... I swear, I think I could say "Do you want to go to Disneyland?" and he'd reply "No!" Many times a day I have to tell him "Stop, and listen." then I ask him again and he has a much more satisfactory answer. Silly kid.

He really is an agreeable child, and very good natured (unless he's tired). So, once he can get past the No stage, hopefully we'll all be a little bit happier.

Routine Disruption

2010-06-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ask almost any housewife/stay at home mom and they will tell you that routine is a critical part of their 'job'. Many SAHM's that I know (myself included!) actually love Monday's instead of despise them, because they can return to their normal routine after the weekend.

On the weekends, my Big is home from school, and the Hubs is home from work. The Big I can handle, since he's only in 1/2 day kindergarten anyways. Not a huge change in routine having him home. But the Hubs... well, he's kind of an intruder. This sounds terrible, I know. But when he is home, it's like I'm working double time. So instead of a nice, relaxing (predictable) day, I feel the need to 'entertain' him. Or wait on him. Or babysit him. And he takes over the couch, and the kids don't get to wake up to their shows. BUT it's only for the 2 days of the weekend, so we make it work.
Last Monday, I realized that there was a 3 day weekend just around the corner. No biggie right? This only happens a few times a year. I'm sure we'll survive. Plus, we'll be busy with many festivities.

Tuesday evening, I am informed by the Hubs, that his direct supervisor is taking Thursday and Friday off. And also, that he will be going to work on another Foreman’s job because his site can't have anything done until after the holiday weekend anyways. Ok, I say. Then he goes on to tell me "but maybe I'll just tell them not to put me on so&so's job site and that I'll just take Thursday and Friday off too". So, in the midst of my dinner cooking- I freeze. Wait... did he just say what I think I said? Take THURSDAY AND FRIDAY off, in addition to the 3 day weekend. FIVE DAYS?!?!?!?! No... He couldn't have said that. I add the pasta to the water. "Ok", I say "So, like, you're gonna take a little mini-vacation? 5 days off?". “Yeah," says Hubs "That way since 'Supervisor' is gone, I don't have to float around until he gets back". I reply, "Oh... OK. So, do you have an agenda? (BESIDES driving me crazy while you're home?)" "No, just relax." says the Hubs.

Oh. My. God. Nooooooooooooo!!!!!! WHY is he doing this to me?!?!?! (These are my thoughts as I stir the pasta).

And the thoughts of this (awful?) wife were not unfounded. He drove me nuts. He did nothing but mess up the routine of me and the boys. Don't get me wrong. I truly do adore my husband. I do! But geeeezzzzz..... That was rough!

It was totally like having a guest around to entertain. I had an extra breakfast and lunch to cook... AND he panics if I leave for more than 30 minutes at a time. I have my typical errands to run and such, which he has no concept of. YES! Being a housewife/SAHM is a JOB. I have A LOT to do every single day. In addition, I've recently gone into (kind of) business on my own, and have been trying to commit some time to that, which didn't get done. So, the house cleaning didn't get its usual attention. The bill paying got put off. The grocery shopping got neglected. I didn't get to put down any of the big ideas I've had for my blog (because even if I go into the back of the house to use the PC, he comes in looking for me, like a lost puppy and starts poking around). The kids were all thrown off... *sigh* And all of this is happening by Thursday. YIKES!

I had been looking on the bright side. His mother usually takes the boys on Friday afternoons for a few hours. YAY! We'll have an afternoon date. Something to look forward to, and get us out of the house :)

Nope. Wishful thinking. She got sick. On THAT Friday. Uggghhhhh! No afternoon date :(

So, we survived. But I will say, I'm exhausted. 5 days of disruption to my routine... it wore me out. And luckily, our weekend was packed with activities (4 BBQ's in the course of the 3 days!) so that helped minimize shock of the disruption. Had those 3 days been like the first two, I may have lost it.

So here's to the return of my routine today... Hip-Hip-HOORAY!!!

Have a beautiful week, and thank you for listening to me rant!

Spring Cleaning, Nesting, or just Ants in my Pants?

2010-05-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

All week long I have been planning to write a blog about how much I despise housework, and how I'm actually a pretty lousy housekeeper (if you know me in real life, act like you never read that!). And then I had a flare up with this neck/shoulder issue of mine, and the blog got pushed to the backburner...

And then, yesterday, when I started to feel like my recovery status was up to about 85%, I started cleaning. I was trying not to over-exert myself... But I started to pick up the living room, do dishes, wipe counters... AND... the dreaded laundry. I think I did 6 loads (even folded and put away!!) yesterday and I'm still going strong! Aaaaaahhhhh! I kept cleaning until the minute I went to bed! So out of character for me.

So, did I get an urge to Spring Clean. Could it be 'nesting'? Seems a little early for that... Or maybe I just got Ants in my Pants while I was laid up with my ouchie all week? I don't know; but at least my house is clean!

I want to blog...

2010-05-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

I want to blog... but I'm in pain right now and it hurts too bad for me to type for any length of time. I have some dumb reoccuring issue in my neck/shoulder and am having an 'episode' right now, since yesterday morning. So, while I have 3 or 4 different blog ideas swimming around in my head, they will have to wait.
*sigh*

Fun Friday!! "Pack a Snack"

2010-05-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

On Fridays, I let my big boy pack his own snack for school. He calls it "Pack a Snack Friday". So no, he doesn't have to put up with my healthy snacks if he doesn't want to. I'm a firm believer in Friday splurges :)
Today, he packed himself a juice pouch, a Hostess Cupcake, and a M&M chip cookie.
I had to bite my toungue. But I let him do it.

...Maybe he'll still eat that fruit cup I snuck in there ;)

Fun Friday!!

2010-04-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!!!
Today, I'm treating myself to a pedicure :) I'll have a few hours of time off from the kiddos this afternoon and I'm in need of a little bit of pampering.

Plus, tomorrow is my Baby Shower (insert excited squeal of delight here) and so I want to have cute little piggies so I can wear some cute little sandals!

Also, I'm trying to decide what to wear to the shower tomorrow. Ideally, I want to wear a cute dress and look all pregnancy~glowy. (Ha!) But then there's this little part of me that wants to be silly and wear a stupid novelty tee...

(Okay, so the lighting is terrible, but it's really a pleasing shade of pink and the i'm a Girl sits right there in the middle of my baby gut).

In any case, I'm typically pretty anti-novelty tee... but for some reason, I kinda can't resist this one. The only thing that I wish is that it were more fitted. It's kind of a loose t-shirt, and even though I ordered a size small... it's just not very flattering.

Who care's what I wear to my shower anyways, right? I mean, besides me, LOL!

So, what do you all think? Cute/stylish spring dress. Or tacky novelty tee?

Exceptionally Good... Times Two!!!

2010-04-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days where your child is behaving exceptionally well? Sure, we all do. Every now and again, we get lucky and those little monsters of ours are pure joy to be around ;) But if you’re a mother of more than one monster... It's seems as if it's against the laws of nature for BOTH monsters to be un-monsterish at the same time. *sigh* And if you have MORE than 2 monsters? Well... I'll let you know after July rolls around.

But on Sunday (really, for the better part of last weekend), BOTH of my monsters were more like Angels! I don't know how or why it happened, but you sure won’t catch me complaining! Between my husband and me, there really was a minimal amount of fussing at the children. Perhaps it's because we were so busy all weekend that the kids didn't have time to think about acting up? But I doubt that, because as we all know... an over stimulated kid is a fussy kid.
In any case, I am so grateful for the break this allowed me, and that I was able to just simply enjoy my whole family over the weekend. What a nice gift <3

Fun Friday!!

2010-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, Happy Friday!!!
Yes, today I am posting ANOTHER baseball pic for Fun Friay. BUT this time, it's the major leagues, and not t-ball, LOL! On Sunday we will be going to the Angels vs. Yankees game :) It's the only time this year that the Yankees are going to be in Anaheim, and we bought our tickets to an almost sold out game at the last minute... so needless to say we will be in the nosebleeds. But the experience of a ball game is always fun, and we're excited to bring the boys to their first game of the season :)

The Cereal Rule

2010-04-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

I like to encourage healthy eating in my home. However, I also feel that splurges and treats are necessary as well. For both me, and my children. But, as every parent knows... breakfast cereal is a never ending battle. They want fruit loops, I want bran flakes. What to do, what to do?

A friend of mine once told me that the rule in their house growing up was that they were allowed to choose any cereal they wanted as long as the first ingredient on the label wasn't SUGAR. It could be the 2nd, or 3rd listed, just not the first.

I have adopted that strategy in my household, and it seems to have worked pretty well for us. It's a compromise... YES, my children do eat Lucky Charms for breakfast, but NO, we did not have a fight over it. So... all in all, not such a bad deal. Of course, for the most part, I tend to buy my children the store brand cereals, so that does also limit their choices as well... Mean (frugal) Mommy, LOL!

I will say though, that as much as my children love to induldge in the junky stuff (candy, cupcakes, doughnuts, cereal with marshmallows...), they equally love to nosh on healthy foods like veggies, fruit, and cheese.
Yay for my well rounded kiddos!

(Side note: I do not allow any of the 'pebbles' cereals in my house, as they are just ridiculously messy)

Fun Friday!!

2010-04-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

(Okay, on a lighter note... It's Friday, let's have some fun! I'm gonna try to do a short Fun Friday post every week... may be some fun pictures, a silly story, or fun plans for the day or weekend)

Sooooo...

Here's a fun picture of my son at his T-ball game the other night, giving the ball a good whack :)

Pity Party Blog

2010-04-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

Ugh! It's been one of THOSE weeks. You know... the one that is so bad that Monday was actually the best day of the week, because nothing had gone wrong yet? And not just for me... seems like so many people I know have just had a lousy week. Ick. Blah. Whaaa!

Anyways, it seems like stuff started going wacky on Tuesday and just snowballed from there.

And then... I don't know if it's hormones (crazy pregnant broad here...) or maybe I'm just selfish? But seriously? I feel like my job as a wife and mother has been waaaay underestimated and under appreciated this week. By both my husband and my children. I'm not sure... but I don't think my husband has really asked me much about my day a single time this week... and when I was waiting for some medical results to come in, he did show some concern... but then when I went to show him the results, he pretty much brushed me off, and THAT really hurt my feelings. I'm sure he's totally clueless too... and I'm selfish enough to think that I shouldn't have to tell him that. And still... he's never asked me about my follow up results. Seriously? WTF? It was a big deal to me and he knew it... so why the lack of interest. And my best friend had her first born baby this week and not once did he offer to watch the kids in the evening so I could go to the hospital and visit my best friend and meet her new baby. That also hurts my feelings. Apparently his time is much more valuable than mine. Basically, his entire lack of interest in me is hurting my feelings. All week he's shown little to no interest in what I'm doing, saying, or what's going on in my life. (Yes, I know that my day to day life is mundane and boring. But please, dear husband, try to remember that it is that way because I've devoted it to YOU and OUR CHILDREN. You guys are my life. I have no social life to speak of, no work to go to, no work friends to outlet to... And at the end of the workday, when you get to come home and sit on the couch with a beer... my day is nowhere near over. My job is never done...)

And the kids... oooohhhhh, the kids. They are such a delight to have separately, but this week, all they've done when they are together is fight, fight, fight. With me and with one another. Take them to McDonald's as a treat for a happy meal? They argue with me about why we can't eat there instead of take it home... Let them stay and play at the playground after school for an extra half hour? Fight me when is time to leave (I even had to carry the little one out screaming! How embarrassing!). And never did I get a thank you. Figures. And I know I've taught them better than that... WHAT is with those kids this week?

Okay. That was my pity party for the day. Now that I've vented maybe I can move on with my life and have a better day today. (God, PLEASE let me have a better day today!)

The world is still...

2010-04-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

I love the quiet of early morning, while the world is still. That hushed time of day, just before the sun comes up. Those young hours of the morning, when most beings lie asleep... those are the moments I savor each day.
These moments though, they slip quickly by, like sand in an hourglass. And all too soon the hustle and bustle of daily life resumes, leaving those peaceful moments behind like a forgotten memory.

Things I could stand to have more (or any) of... and things I could do without.

2010-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

1. I would like a drink. A beer or BIG glass of wine would be my preference, but a cosmo, margarita, etc. would suit me fine as well.

2. I would like a long, hot, bath.

3. I could stand to have more caffeine. I like my coffee, a lot. And I like my sodas too. So this one cup o'joe in the mornings... not lovin' it.

4. I could stand to have more motivation to go work out (LMAO!)

5. I would like more fried pickles.

6. I would like more sunshine.

7. I would like to sleep on my belly.

1. I could do without people treating me like I am broken, simply because I am pregnant.

2. I could do without EVERYONE touching my belly. If I know you, go for it. If you are a stranger or mere acquaintance, HANDS OFF!!!

3. I could certainly do without laundry and dishes.

Hmmmm... That may be it for now. But I wouldn't be surprised if I'm back here editing later, haha!

Spring!

2010-03-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring. "

-Bern Williams

SPRING!!!! Guess what that means boys and girls? It MEANS that it's one season closer to...... (dramatic drum roll) SUMMER!!!!!!! Yes, we are closer now to that glorious time of year that I literally think I live for.

And with it, Spring always brings the newness of the world back to us. Lovely, blooming trees & flowers (cough, sneeze, watery eyes...), delicious sunshine (bask in it!), gardening, playing in the park, cute little baby animals, baby showers, graduations, and BASEBALL!!!

Spring is a sign of 'hope'... of new things to come and new life. Change on the horizon. Spring IS the rainbow after the rain. And literally, for my family this year, as we had a long hard winter (literally and figuratively). So, while we are facing some scary new changes in the months ahead (NEW baby girl on the way, and moving to a new house), we are also facing some EXCITING new changes in the months ahead (NEW baby girl on the way, and moving to a new house)! So while the events are one in the same, they are both scary, and exciting. We are looking forward to some fresh starts in our life... which is exactly what Spring is supposed to offer :)

The Mommy Diet

2010-03-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

By no means am I a super skinny girl... I have a medium frame, so even if I starved myself, I'm sure I couldn't get 'super model skinny'. However, I do my best to live a healthy lifestyle. I workout, and TRY to eat right. I do watch my weight.

But there was a point in my adult life, where that was not the case. Before I got pregnant with my amazing first born son, I was on fertility treatments and taking a lot of hormones. Every time I took said hormones, I gained 7-10 lbs. It got really ugly, really fast. I got pregnant, and gained even more weight. And then I was blessed with a perfect baby boy, so it was well worth it. I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight at one point, but never back down to my pre-fertility treatment-weight. Over the next 2 years or so, I managed to pack on quite a bit of weight. Ick.

Then I was blessed with another pregnancy. This time however, I did not intend to become the size of a house. I started walking with my sister on a regular basis. It seemed to help! Then... I found out I had gestational diabetes. THAT was a blessing and a curse. A curse, because the less pregnancy complications, the better, right? A blessing because it really made me look at my lifestyle, and make some changes. I had weekly visits with a nutritionist, and went on a special diet. And I did a darn good job of sticking to it! After all, the health of my unborn son and me both depended on it.

So, by the time I delivered blessing #2, I was super healthy! The day after I delivered him, I already weighed less than I did when I got 'knocked up' with him.

Then, I had a 3 year old and a newborn in the house. It was significantly harder for me to stick to my diet. But my sister and I did continue to exercise together... either walking our babes in the strollers or in the pool during summer. But, between the walking, the breastfeeding (burns calories, ya know!) and The Mommy Diet, I continued to lose weight. A few months later, when it was too cold to exercise outside, I joined a gym. Now, my non-pregnant weight is right about where it was when I graduated high school... give or take 5 lbs on any given week.

So, what is The Mommy Diet? Well, basically, you eat WHAT you can, WHEN you can. It often consists of eating standing up, and finishing what's on the kids plates. So, sometimes, you'll end up eating broccoli and green salad, while other times it will be the crust off of a PB&J and a few bites of Mac&Cheese, or some cut up hot dogs. In any case, your calories will definitely stay in check, LOL! If you can, sneak in some carrot sticks, fruit, and a glass of milk here and there. A good multi-vitamin will help with the stuff you aren't getting. Most likely, you're still on your pre-natals anyways. When the kids are fussy you take them out to play, or for a walk. You spend your days chasing children, and this is how you stay fit! So, when my friends and family ask me how I get the baby weight off... I don't give them some heroic tale of my hours at the gym and my strict diet (ok, yes, I do), I simply tell them about The Mommy Diet!

It's there somewhere...

2010-03-05T06:03:00.001-08:00

I had a blog in my head last night. A topic and a rough idea written in my head. What was it all about? Good question. I'll let ya know when I remember.
*sigh* I should have written SOMETHING down about it, so I'd remember. Oh well...

A new frontier...

2010-02-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

Oh, wow... I'm having a baby GIRL. A what?!?! A GIRL. That's right.

Okay... now what do I do? Seriously. After two boys (who are the loves of my life), I have no idea what to do. I have two neices, so I've occassionaly had the opportunity to walk through the 'pink aisles' at the store. But... Oh. My Gosh... a GIRL?!?!? Yikes!

After having 2 boys, I really did not expect to here them say "It's a girl". My mother's intuition told me I was having another boy, and I felt 99% sure that I was right. I thought the hubs and I were incapable of making girls, LOL! And to be honest with you, that was OK with me. I love my boys, boys are easy, and by now I even 'get' them most of the time, even though I myself am a girly-girl.

Don't be mistaken... I am THRILLED at the prospect of having a daughter. I cannot wait to shop, and to decorate, and to dress her up and do her hair and have tea parties and go to ballet.

But... IT'S A GIRL! I am going into uncharted waters here... I have no map to guide me, and the fog is thick.

So, the adventure begins. In 13 years, ask me if boys or girls are easier. I'm sure we already know the answer to that question...

What I've learned as a Mother

2010-02-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

I wrote this blog back in 2008 and have recently dug it out of the archives. It still rings true, so I'll share.

Here are some things that I've learned since having my two boys. They have changed my life completely:

1. I have learned to expect the unexpected.

2. I have learned to expect lots and lots of messes, and to expect not to be able to clean them up right away...and to live with that.

3. I have learned to laugh at life.

4. I have learned that it never hurts to ask for more when it comes to your child. (2nd or 3rd opinions, or more tests, or whatever.)

5. I have learned how good it feels to snuggle, and I have learned how sad it feels not to.

6. I have learned that no matter how sick or hurting YOU are, it doesn't feel as bad as how you feel when your little one is sick or hurting, and there's nothing you can do about it.

7. I have learned that animal crackers and mac&cheese are miracle foods.

8. I have learned to check behind the truck for toys before backing out of the driveway, because there could be a bicycle behind you. Also, be sure the spray paint is not left in reach of your children, because they may try to give your truck a paint job.

9. I have learned how to be still as stone; because no matter how badly you want to move, or have to pee or how much you want to scratch that itch....NOTHING is worth waking up that little one that you've been trying for hours to get to sleep.

10. I have learned the true meaning of stress, I have learned the true meaning of frustration, I have learned the true meaning of worry, I have learned the true meaning of exhaustion, and I have learned the true meaning of chaos, BUT, I have also learned the true meaning of Love!

When it rains, it pours....

2010-01-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, it rained yesterday. Yes, it's supposed to pour ALL of next week. For a spoiled SoCal girl, that is the absolute epitome of misery. That's no exaggeration either. I will be miserable. Add to it that my husband typically doesn't work in the rain, (you can't build new roads in the mud) and that makes it even worse. I end up giving myself an ulcer worrying about finances, and how there probably wont be a paycheck for the entirety of next week. (Wow... that's not really something that we are in a place to give up right now.)

I yearn for the warmth of summer. I crave the heat... I'm like a lizard on a rock; the heat doesn't bother me, up to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It honestly doesn't (as long as it's a dry heat, that is. I hate humidity.)

So yesterday, I awoke to the slapping of rain on my roof. For some people, it's a soothing, comforting sound. For me, it's dreadful. I had a knot in my stomach from the time I got out of bed. I felt really nauseas, but just figured it was the pregnancy. I didn't correlate it to that bad feeling in the pit of your stomach where you know something bad will happen. So, the hubs calls and says he is rained out of work (no big surprise) and on his way home. I have a sick kiddo here at home, who's been home the whole week already, and the other one getting sick behind him. This cold that's going around is atrocious. And that was just the beginning of our terrible day. HOWEVER, for the first time ever, I think, I was able to say that I was glad my husband was home due to rain.
He is so good, so understanding, loving, supportive... calm. Exactly what somebody like me needs. He brings me down, usually in a good way. I tend to be a little on edge, I worry a lot, I'm into the details, and I try to plan ahead. It get's me high-strung and I know it. But he is typically cool, calm, and collected. He has taught me valuable lessons in life on how to just live and learn. Basically 'shit happens, crying over it wont change what is' and 'it is what it is'. So what to do? Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, learn from your mistakes and move on with your life (hopefully stronger and smarter). And so I have, and so I will. 'Stuff' does happen. It happens to good people. But getting through it is part of the journey. And as cliché as it sounds, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

So, as many people are saying these days, now is the time to Simplify. I have been so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, 2 beautiful children (and one on the way), a cozy home to call our own, food on the table, and many loving family and friends. To me, those are the important things. The rest is just... stuff. I don't intend to dwell on the things we don't have... because we have each other. Instead, I am going to embrace each day and count my blessing for everything I do have. My glass is half full.

So, when it rains, it pours. But you know what? I sure do love the pretty flowers afterwards.

The Cheer was Here...

2010-01-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened much, much later than normal, but finally, I found my Christmas cheer. Just two weeks shy of Christmas, it tiptoed softly into my heart and filled me with the welcoming warmth of the holiday. I enjoyed every last minute that I could.
I wrapped gifts, hosted a gingerbread decorating party, baked cookies, watched Christmas movies, went looking at Christmas lights, bundled up and sipped warm drinks. All in all, it was a pretty good holiday, considering some adverse situations in the family.
Now, here we are... starting a new year. The year in which my new baby will be born. And hopefully, a better year for so many people who need to see life look up a little bit.
A few pictures from our holiday:

I don't feel Elf-ish

2009-12-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

I don't feel like an elf this year. Every year, I am SO INTO Christmas. I love the shopping, the wrapping, the decorating, the cooking, the baking, the eating, the giving. I love it so much, that some friends of mine have deemed me one of Santa's Elves, LOL! I never get sick of Christmas. And this year, while I'm still doing all of my Elfly duties... my heart just isn't quite into it. For the first time in my entire adult life (okay, my WHOLE life), I cannot manage to find my Christmas cheer.

*HELLO CHRISTMAS CHEER.... WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!?!?*
~if found, please return said Christmas cheer to Jenn... she misses it dearly~

I don't know... I keep thinking the magic of the holiday season HAS to find it's way into my heart. The closest it's come thus far, was at Disneyland with all of the holiday decorations and music. It was very close to penetrating the humbug in me. But then, just like that, it vanished into the thin, cold air.

I know all parts of my family (immediate and extended) have been hit pretty hard with the 'financial crisis' this year and last. My household took a HUGE paycut... so we're all feeling the stress of that. And I know that must have some bearing on things. But we're getting through it. A few less presents under the tree this year, but honestly, the kids are still going to be thrilled with all the stuff they're getting. Hubs and I aren't shopping for eachother this year, our new floors and tickets to an Angels playoff game were our gifts to eachother. So there's that much less to wrap (and look at). But I can't imagine that's the problem here... The rain (which keeps my husband from working, which means no paycheck), family members in critical condition (my husbands grandmother on one side, and grandfather on the other), and my pregnancy hormones (despite the fact that I am overjoyed about this new life) must all be at play here. Chalk it up to stress and emotions.

OK, so suck it up. The inside of the house is decorated beautifuly, and it looks so cozy inside with my new floors. Next, I need to get the outside decorated. Then watch a few holiday movies (Charlie Brown Christmas tonight!!) and do some baking. Maybe I'll find my holiday spirit in a batch of cookies or Rice Crispy treats? Sounds good to me.

The elf in me is bound to come out soon...

What the Flock?

2009-11-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

Flamingos. Bright Pink Flamingos. A whole flock of them.

For years now, my sister Maggie and I have been talking about these flamingos. It started when we used to take morning walks together for exercise and chit chat. Right here on the street I live on is one immaculate yard. Perfect. No wayward weeds, no garden knomes or windchimes. Not a stray leaf drifting across the lawn, no oil-spots on the driveway. As unblemished as this yard was, it was also in dire need of some personality. Maggie and I would make all sorts of jokes about what we would do to the yard. We devised a 'plan' of sneaking into his yard in the dark of night and planting one single, lone, yard Flamingo. It would be epic. Of course, this is not something that had any actual intentions of doing. But it was a fun little whimsy that we had together.

Soon thereafter, in our local town newspaper we read about Flocking. A local church in our town had started a fundraiser for their youth group to go off to camp and such. For a designated fee, the youth of this church would sneak out in the quiet night hours (with adult supervision), and 'flock' the approprate yard of whomever you had choosen. Maggie and I would crack up at this fundraiser, and always said that we wanted to do a flocking on that one flawless yard. Over time, we'd see 'flockings' throughout our neighborhoods, and read about them in our newspaper.

September of 2009 rolled around and I had begun to think about what I would get my dear sister for her birthday (November 2nd). I always try to put a lot of thoughts into my gifts, and make them very well suited for my recipient. There isn't much that Maggie 'needs' so I was trying to come up with something personal. Then it dawned on me... I would get her flocked!!!
In October, I did the appropriate research, and found the church here in town that does the 'flocking'. I downloaded the order form online and filled it out. I dropped off my order form and payment at the church office. I had ordered the largest flocking package they had to offer~ 20 birds! The ladies in the office assured me that it would be no problem to have the flock at her house on the morning of her birthday. I was very excited.

Monday, November 2nd rolls around. I drive by my sisters house that morning as I'm taking my son off to school. I was very disheartened to see that there were no flamingos in the yard, and it was already 8am. I called the church and left a message asking what had happened. After all the forethought I had put into this gift, I was near tears. They could do it on another day still, but it just wouldn't be the same for me and my sister.

Then, at about 10am that morning, my mom calls me. She is excited and breathless... there are women there flocking the yard!!!!! And the best part? Maggie had just left. What great timing! When she arrived back home, her birthday flock would be there to greet her!

I got over to the house as quickly as I could and awaited my sisters return. I wanted so badly to be there for her reaction! About 20 minutes later, she arrived home. As she pulled up to the yard, I could see her face, with the look of pure surprise on it! She came into the house and we all laughed and laughed as we recounted the story of the belated flocking. She tells me that it was the best birthday gift she's ever been given. I think it was one of the most amusing gifts I've ever given as well. The flock only stays at each home for a few days, so they've migrated back to the church now, but the memories of that experience will stay with us forever!

It's in the water...

2009-11-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

"Don't drink the water", you hear people say. "I know so many people who are pregnant right now, it must be in the water"... Well, I drank the water. I found out on Saturday, November 7th, that I am expecting my third (and LAST) child. I feel so blessed to have this small miracle growing inside of me. I love my children with all of my heart, and I am beyond thrilled to be adding to my brood.
Looks like a July baby!

This first test had a line that was nearly invisible...

So, I took the advice of a friend, and used a digital test as well. Much more reassuring!

September, October...

2009-11-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

I am going to finish playing catch-up now here on the old blog-a-roo...

So, in September, we went to the pumpkin patch. Otherwise, a fairly uneventful month. Jayson began riding his bike with only 2 wheels, but still needs lots of practice.

In October, we went to the pumpkin patch again. A lot. And also to Oak Glen. We love going to the pumpkin patch every season, and this year was no exception. The boys and I went several times. A few times by ourselves, and once we even had a big picnic with Gramma Kitty, Grammy Pammy, and Papa Jay. Oh what fun it was!! Then, towards the end of the month, Matty and I went all by ourselves :) That day was so cold and blustery, the epitome of Fall.

In the beginning of October, Matty and I took a trip up to Oak Glen with Gramma Kitty. It was a fun morning.

Jayson had his first class field trip, and I was very fortunate to get to attend as a chaperone. I was so excited! The field trip was to Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen, and we had a great time tasting apples, meeting Johnny Appleseed and visiting the petting zoo!

Also in October, some friends, Ben and Amanda, invited us to go to the Nascar races with them. It was a fun day with both of our families and all of the kiddos. It was the same week that Jayson was "studend of the week" for his class. So, of course, he brought along with us his class mascot, Monk.

With October, comes the playoff games for baseball. So of course, we went to an Angels game. We had no business spending the kind of money on this game that we did, but it was such a great opportunity, and we really wanted to go. So we did. Before we went to our seats, we were able to go down and watch the players warm up and have batting practice. It was so fun being that close to the field. And then, unexpectedly, Matt Palmer (Angels pitcher) walked right up and gave Jayson a ball!!! I think Dougie and I were more excited than Jayson was, LOL!

We had great seats, including 'in-seat service' which was all new to us. We liked that, LOL! The energy in the stadium is very different during a playoff game than it is during a regular season game... sort of like an electrical current. Sadly, our Angels lost that night 10-1. That was a bummer.

The day before Halloween we hosted our 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. IT WAS A BLAST!!!! We had so much fun eating a yummy fall meal of chili and cornbread, snacking on junk, and carving our pumpkins! Already can't wait for next years party!

And then, finally, Halloween!!!

October was such a fun month for us!

Long time no blog...

2009-11-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Wow... the months have passed by in a blur and I have virtually forgotten my blog. So, here I am, moseying my way back. So much has happened since I last wrote in April. And nothing at all has happened since April. Okay, scratch that... a lot has gone on.

In May, for Mother's Day, we went to an Angel's game together as a family. It was, by far, one of my most enjoyable Mother's Day's ever. I relished the family outing, and enjoyed seeing the wonder in the eyes of my children as they went to their very first MLB game. It was the greatest!

Also in May, my boys turned 5 and 2, respectively. What big boys now! They had a joint birthday party, and that worked out nicely for both us, and the other parts of our family. We all had a great time that day, and had a fantastic cake, thanks to Grammy Pammy :)

In June, we went to another Angels game. We also took our first EVER family trip to Disneyland *SQUEAL*. Celebrated my mom's birthday, celebrated Father's Day and celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. WOW! What a month of celebrations! Also, the boys and I took a trip to the beach with Gramma Kitty so we could welcome Summertime!

In July, we had a fun Independence Day celebration at my parent's house then went to UofR for a FANTASTIC fireworks show! On the weekend of Dougie's birthday, we were camping. Then 2 weeks later, we celebrated my birthday.

August arrived... and... OUR FIRST BABY started Kindergarten! Ack!!

Also, Dougie and I went to an Angels game kids~free. That was fun!

Also, in August, we had several BBQ's, celebrated summertime, swam a lot, took the kids bowling for the first time ever :) And Dougie worked nights. Blah.

So, that about get's us through the summer months. I will blog again (and soon) with the Fall months. It's been fun so far!!!

Results!

2009-04-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

The cleanse is done! It was easier than I would have thought giving up soda and cutting down to one cup of coffee. I followed the diet plan almost exactly, except for a few exceptions where I had to substitute because of seasonal or unavailable items. It was a pretty low calorie diet, but I never found myself 'hungry'. My biggest hurdle was wanting to eat when I got bored. Other than that, it was a pretty easy program to follow.
With that being said, I will go ahead & say that I'm proud of myself and my results. :) Yay!
So here goes:
I lost just a hair over 5 pounds last week!! And some inches overall:
Lost 1 1/2 inches from belly.
Lost 1/2 inch from each thigh.
Lost 1/2 inch from each bicep (upper arm).
Also, I discovered that some of the limits that I had been setting myself on cardio workouts were just too low, and I can do so much more than I thought I could.
So, now that I know what I can do, I'm going to keep it up. I feel refreshed and renewed after my cleanse week, and I'm ready to push myself even further...

Cleanse Update

2009-04-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Sooooo, I am on the final day of my "cleanse week". It has been MUCH easier than I expected. And thus far, the results are pleasing. I've gone an entire week without soda, which is something I have NEVER done in my adult life (eeewwww, I'm an adult). I have enjoyed a lot of healthy food items, a few of which were new to me. I have lost some weight, but I'll leave those results for my final weigh in tomorrow morning. After I weigh in tomorrow I'll also be taking my measurements. Then I will blog with all my before & after stats.
Overall, I'm proud of myself for sticking to it. Following the diet plan, amping up my workouts a little (can you say sweat?) and feeling empowered by my willpower and discipline. Yay me!

Cleansing Week

2009-04-19T18:29:00.001-07:00

I feel sluggish. Not slimy, like a slug. No... not slimy at all really. Rather, I'm feeling slow. And icky. Definitely icky.
I had a relatively good week last week in terms of diet & exercise. I felt energized and was somewhat happy with the choices I made regarding what went into my mouth. I worked out several times. Five, actually.
However, there are a few habits of mine that need to be dealt with. One being my obscene intake of caffeine. Coffee & soda (diet soda, at least) are really one of my vices. Another, is eating on the go. I need to take more time to plan my meals.
Within the past few months, I have gone back to work. Coincidentally, I have gained a few pounds since then. Tragically, I have gained these few pounds (about 4-6 lbs) WORKING AT A GYM. Yes, that's right. Ironic, isn't it?
It is my belief that these pounds haven't been gained due to my working. Or my lack of doing what people do where I work (which is exercising). I suspect it is due to my new found habit of eating late at night. I get off work anywhere from 8pm to 8:30pm on some nights. I get home, say hi to the family, change clothes, settle down a bit. Maybe put the family to bed. And then, I eat some late dinner. Not only is my dinner late on these nights... but it is simply mindless eating. I am not thinking about what goes into my mouth at these moments, but merely trying to fill the void that may quiet that annoying rumbling in my tummy.
So, this week I will be starting a "cleanse". It's going to be a week of well planned out meals and very low calories (but still within a 'safe' range for female weight loss). I'm fairly active, so as long as I continue working out as usual, I don't think that I'll be needing to adjust my fitness routine. For now, that is. The diet for the week consists of a lot of raw nuts (eeeewwww, I've never been much of a nut eater), hot lemon water, TONS of raw veggies, lots of fruit, and quite a bit of fish and other very lean proteins. I'll admit, I'm relatively curious about how this diet's going to go over. But I'm pretty determined to pick up my resolve from last week. I want to feel better, and not blah. I hate blah... it's not in my nature.
So~ this week, cleanse. Reduce caffeine, eliminate mindless eating. Continue working out. Stop feeling blah. I'll be trying to do semi-regular updates (mostly for my own knowledge, comparisons & motivation) throughout the week. Here goes nothing...