A Little Bit of Silliness...

Wednesday April 6th... 5 full days in

2011-04-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

5 days. FIVE. DAYS.

Wow, it really does seem like more. So here is a summary= 4 days of awesomeness on the diet, 1 meal of cheats. Not bad. Not good, but in the grand scheme of things it is ok.

What I NEED to do... exercize. I have been lightly exercising but I really need to work at it. I have been very busy with my photos lately (which I am so thankful for) but I have totally neglected my push to work out more. I think I am kinda sorta have been using that as an excuse to not really work out.

That is going to change tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to do something for 30 minutes. SOMETHING. I think that is the only way I will be able to 'kick off' exercising. I can't be too defining. I just need to do it. I hope to bike ride but we shall see. I WILL DO SOMETHING. (If I write it often will it happen?)

Breakfast - omlet - eggs, mushrooms, havarti, onions

snack - roasted chickpeas

lunch - turkey, tomato slices with moz.

snack - roasted chickpeas

dinner - spinach salad with olive oil.

I did weight today and I am down 1 1/2 lbs. Now if I could get moving more! Tomorrow. Is the day!

Monday April 4th- Tuesday April 5th

2011-04-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

Breakfast - Eggs

Lunch - chicken, green beans

Dinner - lettuce wrap.

April 5th...

Breakfast - bacon, eggs, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms

Lunch - turkey and provolone wrap

carrots -snack

Dinner - lettuce wrap, with hummus and turkey (so tired of lettuce, so it is time to take a break from lettuce wraps)

Day 2 recap

2011-04-03T15:12:00.001-05:00

I would categorize yesterday as semi-epic-fail. I gave into pressure. I didn't eat for a LONG time. I just did wrong.

I woke up later than planned. (not late, just later than planned)

So I had to wait an hour after taking my normal medication to eat. Well, I had a sports photo shoot. So I dropped Fia off with my parents while Jack and I headed to the shoot. I do not think Jack is ready to be my tag along. Well, at least not when the team I am shooting are his age GIRLS :) The shoot was awesome. I love girls who are naturally ready to pose for team and individuals. Anyhow back to food. So by the time we get Sophia, run home change cloths for her Instructional Soccer and get back to the soccer fields. Yea, um it was lunch time.

After Fi's game she was off with her grandparents we headed to the grocery store. We were getting water and stuff for the movies. (Yes, judge if you will, we took water and a box of candies to the theater. We DID get food from the snack bar so I did 'support' the theater :)

So finally when we got home I ate:

Lunch: Chicken wrap. Better known as a bit of chicken inside a leafy piece o' lettuce. :() Not very creative but it worked.

Dinner: I gave in and had horribly, non South Beach food. I had chili, cheese fries and a burger. I did not eat most of the bun on the burger. But still.

During the Movie, after dinner snack: Dr. Pepper - I have such a hard time with this tempation. I really do. Roasted chickpeas. I am so getting that recipe because they were awesome!

So. Where do I go from here? I could keep failing or I could just admit to my failure. I could make excuses, it was my first ever drive in experience. We needed to support the theater with concessions. Blah, Blah. But I am not. I am also not going to start over my day counter. I am just moving on from here. I know that when I stop the phase or South Beach diet title I will eat not so good food sometimes. So it is what it is.

On the other hand. Drive In Theater = Totally Awesome-est Movie Experience Ever!

Today

Breakfast - None <- what is wrong with me?

Lunch - hummus, ham, celery, cucumber

snack - carrots (I know you aren't really suppose to but I don't consider it cheating!)

Dinner - hummus wrapped with turkey

Day 1- happened?

2011-04-01T18:23:00.000-05:00

I could start with excuses. Today we had to get the car registration taken care of. We had to close one bank account and open a new one thanks to some jerk living in Frisco who really wants not very nice magazines. Thanks dude for taking our account number. That we had to hurry back to school so Scott could cook hamburgers for the teachers.

BUT. I am not. So.

Breakfast: None.

Snack: pickle and hot dog without bun, a few veggie straws. not so good but better than the other choices and I HAD to eat lunch with my niece. I did however not eat with Jack but just sat with him.

Lunch: Bunless burger with 1/4 cup onion, 1/4th of an avocado and tsp of mustard. unsweet tea.

Snack: Salad, romaine lettuce, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/2 a cucumber, 5 olives, 1 tbsp of feta, 1 tsp of olive oil.
Crystal Light Wild Strawberry drink 8 oz.

20 oz water

Dinner: Chicken lettuce wrap. 20 oz water

20 oz water.

So needless to say I have to work on some stuff. I need to eat more healthy meals a day and not skip breakfast.

Exercise - walking for 20 minutes, 20 minutes of house cleaning (bend down pick up one toy, put toy away, rinse, repeat)

Bam!

2011-03-31T17:41:00.000-05:00

It is on. Really this time. We are having a fitness challenge at work. The PERFECT opportunity to finally get rid of some of this extra weight that is hanging around. No more whining about thyroid problems or pcos. Nope, just time to get it off!

So my new motto will be 'Take That Fat'!

It is on!

Starting tomorrow I am going back on South Beach Phase 1. I loved it the first time because of one reason. I can not quit candy/bad sugar otherwise. I just have the willpower of a leaf. So in order to get rid of the sugar I am going to jump start my weight loss.

I also am going to 24 fitness tomorrow. Why 24 hour? Because I still have the cutest little card a home that says something about a class action lawsuit and they owe me 3 months free. Ironically the challenge at work is 12 weeks. Imagine that. So if it works and I work out, I might keep a membership. If I don't use it, no harm right.

So starting tomorrow I will be posting EVERYTHING I eat. And EVERY TIME I exercise. It will be kind of my keeping tabs on how it is going. I am going to force myself to spend the time to get healthy.

My goals are too lose weight. I would love to drop 26lbs in the 12 weeks but don't think that is realistic. I want to lose at least 30 by August (thirty by the time I turn 30! isn't that poetic) I want to be a comfortable size 16/tight size 14 at the end of this 12 weeks. And by August I want to be a comfortable 14/tight 12.

There it is. Bam! Take That Fat!

Revisit: To Do List.

2011-02-24T22:38:00.000-06:00

As I was looking at the blog over the years I found this. It is awesome! So let's see what has been accomplished...

~~1. Travel and Camp at Yellowstone National Park.~~
2. Ride in a helicopter.
3. Quit a job.
4. Cut my hair above my chin.
5. Drive a really nice car.
6. Become totally debt free.
7. Travel for an entire month, continually.
8. Travel by plane, alone.
9. Go on a cruise.
10. Drive along the East Coast Islands in the Carolina's.
11. Learn (more) Armenian
12. Finally have the furniture I have always wanted.
~~13. Start a business.~~
14. Join a book club.
~~15. Learn to talk with random people.~~
16. Really understand more of the Bible.
17. Fly Fish.
18. Hug a tree in Yosemite
19. Watch a space shuttle launch.
20. Teach my son to ride a bike.
21. Ice Skate in NYC
22. Watch the ball drop on NYE in NYC
23. Travel through Tuscany
24. Learn to build things with wood.
25. Finish taking French lessons
26. Take my children to their first symphony.
27. Cook my way through an entire cookbook.
28. Write in a journal for an entire year.
29. Stay off the internet for a week!
~~30. Buy something irresponsible just because I want it.~~

I wonder how many can be accomplished this year :)

there will be more to come, I am sure of it! But for now, this is my lovely list.

Seven.

2010-12-10T22:40:00.000-06:00

Today you are 7.

This year is going to be full of possibilities, accomplishments, fun times, sad times and many pizza/movie nights. I can not wait to see what happens in the new year together.

I remember the moment I met you. You were perfectly mine. You helped me become a mother and in that very moment my life changed. I vowed to teach you as much as I could.

You have learned a lot while you were 6. You became a better reader. You learned to tie your shoes. You learned that you had the ability to put your thoughts onto paper. And how to hang those thoughts on the walls of your room.

You learned how to be tolerant to a pesky little sister who loves to bother you. She really just wants to be like you. I can't blame her, you are pretty cool.

You have already learned so much. You learned about love. Unfortunately you learned both sides of love but you came out with an understanding that love is good.

You have grown so much in your faith. I will never rush or push you into faith. I love the fact that you explore and question all things. Even with all the questioning your childlike faith is contagious. You proudly accept what being a child of God means and you are on your way to being a great man.

Sometimes I feel like you have been with me forever. You have done so much more than many people have. You have climbed mountain in Yellowstone. You swam with dolphins in the Florida Keys. You have traveled to 22 states and are well on your way to seeing all 50.

You love your ipod with your shows Ben10 and Avatar.

You love Alvin and the Chipmunks. I can not believe how much of a man you are but when you laugh at fart jokes or think weird noises are hilarious it shows.

You still love granola bars.

You LOVE legos.

You have started flirting with girls. (And can stop that now!)

You are still learning to ride your bicycle but are trying.

You have played a few sports but want to try something different.

You love to swim.

You do not like chocolate but you do like little debbie brownies.

You have become excellent at reading maps.

You love animals but are still timid with the puppies.

At the fair you would probably slide down the big slide 100 times if we let you.

You hate dressing up but secretly you like being handsome for church.

You love your sister.

You love ham and pepperoni sandwiches.

You love broccoli. Stems only though, not the florets.

You are you. I hope that no one will ever change the perfect idiosyncrasies that makes you Jack. I want you to know that being different is good. That some people are mean because they are hurting and don't know how to be nice.

I can not believe that you are 7.

I love you!

Whew!

2010-11-23T22:06:00.000-06:00

The house has been completely clean for 3 days now! A small mess here and there (we have kids and are not strict on putting away toys immediately) but clean.

Scott worked today with my brother-in-law to get the Christmas lights up, they got most of them up. The rest should be up tomorrow! I can not wait to put my tree(s) up. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Scott and I will have a small gathering for Thanksgiving at our house on Thursday, 14 adults and 7 children so far (I may need to look up small). I do NOT HAVE TO WORK on thursday WOOHOO! Then me and my friends are heading to camp out at Target. My goal is a new tv. I am hoping that it will work out for us! I have to work on Friday and Scott on Saturday so we don't get to rest and relax together much. But that is ok. I am so thankful that we get to spend some time together without having to do much. I love him!

Some things that I am thankful for...

My little kids! As much as I love them, I really like them.

My family. I am so thankful that my family is so involved in my children's lives! I remember being a child and only really knowing my mom's side of the family. I am so thankful that we still get together for birthday parties, holidays and special events. We might not get along all the time but my kids know who their cousins are and they love them.

I am thankful for the problems that we have had this year. Sometimes you forget how good you have it. I KNOW how good I have it. I like it!

House work!

2010-11-19T21:05:00.000-06:00

I have to clean tomorrow. I have to clean the downstairs. The entire. downstairs. It will not take long. Maybe two hours of semi constant work. I need to mop the playroom and kitchen. (And by mop I mean use the steam mop that magically makes my house beautiful). I NEED to get the house in tip top shape. Do you know why? Because Scott works on Sunday and is off on Wednesday. This means he will have Monday through Friday at home and I would LOVE for him not to have to do anything! Garage is clean, nothing to repair (no jinx please), backyard on it's way (I need to rake leaves but for some weird reason I love doing that) and after I get the last few rooms in our house clean, the house will be CLEAN!
Now we have two children who pretty much have full run of the house. I am not a parent who makes them keep the house perfectly clean. They will get out toys, then move on to other toys and leave the originals on the floor. They do pick up before we go somewhere or at night but they are kids. They need to play.

What will we do? Nothing. Nothing unless we want to! How cool is that?

I think the *real* reason that I want him to have the relaxing time is guilt. I feel bad that we are not going to visit his family Thanksgiving in Lubbock. Another knife in the gut guilt-ness, I think his whole immediate family is going. We have enjoyed at least 8 Thanksgivings together. We have been to two in Dallas, 2 in Colorado and one in Missouri. So 5 out of 8 isn't bad right? No. It isn't. I feel bad mostly because we could go. If I took off Friday we could go. But that means we I wouldn't get to go to my extended families Christmas party. And it means I wouldn't be able to Black Friday shop with my sister. AND that means if one of the kids gets sick between now and Christmas I would have to use one of my saved week off days that I have saved for the end of the year. You see, there are a LOT of I's in there.

I have one day off left for the year. I am taking the week off after Christmas, so between now and then I have 1 day! I am hardcore Black Friday Shopping with my sister on Friday and going to work after that!

So... In short... This weekend. I am going to clean our house, because my husband who works very hard is going to have a relaxing 5 days without working!

National Blog Posting Month - whoops

2010-11-08T11:36:00.000-06:00

Well, I didn't even make it four days on this blog. That is ok. I am going to move on forward from here!

To catch up:

Thursday: Stitch removal day. Not fun. She cried, but I didn't. While we were at the doctor he asked when we would like to get her flu shot. Well, since she was already mad and crying why not now! Mean parents, I know! Then we went to the resale shop (I love the resale shops) and found a Cinderella castle. Suddenly someone didn't remember that she had her stitches removed a mere 30 minutes prior.

Friday: Mom started getting a runny nose...

Saturday: Full on cold it is. Not fun, but the kids were great!

Sunday: Stayed in bed with said cold most of the day, but did get some laundry done.

and here we are... Monday, a new and busy week. Here's to it!

Not looking forward to...

2010-11-03T22:27:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is stitches removal day. Or as I dub it, father-daughter-bonding-time at the doctors office! I will be there but will have to step out when they take the stitches out. Ouch. Now she won't be able to look pitiful and tell everyone that she has "4 stichhhess"

Challenge Week 2 and 3 - Success!

2010-11-01T16:58:00.001-05:00

This week was a little bit better. I used the Lose It! app to track my food intake. It is not much fun writing down everything you eat! I tried to limit myself to under 80 grams of carbs but most days it was more like 120g. Thank is alright. I did loose a few pounds this week! I really wanted to not get on the scale for a month, so that is going to be a challenge.

This last week was also hard because I had to help organize our Fall Festival at church. I also have an annual Halloween Party for my kiddos and some of their friends. It was good, until...

Yep! That is our girl! She fell/jumped/tripped/was accidently pushed or flew onto our train table in the playroom.
I can still remember hearing someone yell downstairs that she had a hole in her head!

So instead of trick or treating we left our party and went to the er. What a new experience. It was better than I expected but I could hardly look at it! Luckily enough she had her dad and grandmother there to be closer in proximity than mommy who had a weird yuck-face.

Challenege: Week 1- FAIL

2010-10-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

But that is ok! I tried. Now I am trying harder because really, in all honesty it is not ok!

I worked out and meet my goal. That is good, but I need to do more. I don't feel tired or sore or out of sorts after a workout (a little sweat but really nada). So I need to work harder. I need, the oh so cliche, an open conversation with my body. My mind and body apparently aren't friends because they are doing everything they can to be mean to each other.

My food goal was ehhh. I didn't over indulge but I didn't do my best. I don't know food. Really. I don't. I know how to cook. I know some pretty good recipes. But I do not know food. I don't know how to eat. I don't know what food is good for me for the right reasons. I know that carrots are good for the eyes, blah blah but really what everything does.

So my 2 Goals for week 2: (oh yea, I am also going to try not to be overwhelmed so I will only have as many goals as the week I am on)

My first goal is to educate myself about food. I am tempted to visit a nutrionist, but our car was broken into so our spare money went to replacing a broken window. So I am going to educate myself the best I can using available resources.

My second goal is going to be to less harsh if I mess up. I am human. I am trying to make a lifestyle change. There will be bumps and bruises. I may fall of the wagon but I am going to try and do it the smart way. This is also going to include getting back to reality. I CAN NOT in good health loose 20 lbs in 10 9 weeks. I have hashimoto thyroiditis and pcos. It is not going to be easy. I am going to be less harsh. BUT I am going to work HARD!

p.s. Did you KNOW how many carbs are in onions? ONIONS? yea. me neither.

Challenge...

2010-10-10T07:41:00.000-05:00

10 weeks until Christmas.

20 lbs.

My challenege is going to be to try to loose 20 pounds before Christmas or 1 dress size. Sound crazy? Yes because in reality that would be 2 pounds a week. Nothing in life has changed so that mean I will still be as busy as normal. BUT. If I want change 'I' have to change.

In addition to the longterm goal I will have a few short term goals. Ready? I am not.

Week 1 -

Work out 4 days this week and walk for 30 minutes 5 days this week. Today (Sunday) until next Sunday will be my week.

Also part of my challenge will be to chronicle my food intake on that happy little iphone app that counts your calories.

Also on week 1 I am going to give up bread. I thought about doing the first two weeks of South Beach, last time I did I lost 11 lbs in two weeks (so I may resort to it). BUT I need some energy that some carbs will give me. So I will only be eating rice or couscous or beans or lentals. Wow, that list sounded a lot shorter in my head. Though it will only be 1 serving or 15 grams of carbs per day. (Scott has to have between 60-90 carbs per day due to his health issues) So it will be difficult to watch him eat all the carby goodness while I resist. Blah.

That is all. That is my weekly goal.

Today I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Sorry blog!

2010-10-08T18:53:00.001-05:00

I haven't been giving you any attention! So in an effort to make up with you I will give you a run-down of all the goings on since my last blog post in ---- JULY!

Let's see...

August

VACATION! We went to Yellowstone! I will need to blog about that sometime soon... It was an adventure!
My Birthday - 29...what will this, the last year of my twenties, bring...
J started 1st grade
J also started a new baseball team (Where Scott is no longer a coach :) His schedule just does not allow the time. I also love it because now they can enjoy baseball together)
We jumped into buying tons of our stuff back from being burglarized
The guy pawned my camera (and left it in good condition) and got caught because I saved my serial numebrs. So now the 22 year old is going BACK to prison. I pray for that kid!

September

getting back in the swing of things with the kids in school and me at work...
J hit his first ball in coach pitch! A DOUBLE :)
I wonder what in the world the person who decided that the baseball team needed white pants was thinking. They must be in cahoots with the Spray and Wash company.

Well maybe not so much has happened. At least it doesn't really look like it on ~~paper~~ ink. All in all things are going well.

Until next time little blog...

p.s. in an effort to win back your...whatever... I updated your header too! (I am sure it will be the same until at least Easter!)

A Child's Heart

2010-07-10T23:56:00.000-05:00

I have a boy. A fun loving, fart under your arm, likes gross jokes boy.

Tonight, I learned more about my boy. He has a large heart and I am afraid it will be broken.

He finished kindergarten this year. He made some friends. There are some 'friends' he doesn't really like. It makes me happy that he knows he doesn't have to like everyone but he has to be kind to everyone. I don't think he has made his 'best' friend yet. I am hoping in first grade he will find one 'really good' friend, if not a 'best' one.

Though, in kindergarten I am most certain that he found his first crush, if not love. There was a little girl in his class named Katie. Whenever I saw Katie she was very cute, a sweet looking girl. When I would ask Jack how his days were or if he played with anyone special he would blush when he said Katie's name. You could tell her really liked playing with her. He had that look. He didn't mention her name often but enough that I knew how he felt. Katie moved half-way through the year. He didn't seem too upset about it then. He said he hoped he would see her again.

Tonight as Jack and I layed talking on my bed in the dark after he did his reading we started talking about when he grows up. I told him he would find a wonderful person to marry. He said he didn't want a wife who yelled at him (he doesn't like yelling- MY boy). Then he started to get upset. He started crying. He said that he really liked Katie and missed her. He hid his head underneath the pillow. I told him it was nothing to be ashamed about. That if he missed her it was ok. He told me that he didn't think he would ever see her again. I tried to reassure him, as much as you can reassure a 6 year old.

Then... He told me that it hurt. His heart hurt and it felt like it was going to break. My heart broke at that moment. My baby was feeling emotions that I don't think he should have to feel at this age. I want him to be sweet and innocent. Now in normal life he says kissing is gross and girls are his friends. But some nights when we talk, he has mentioned Katie and gotten sad. He has never cried before tonight. I told him how me and his dad didn't know each other until we meet in college. It didn't seem to help. My baby is heart broken because of a girl.

The best part of it, is I know he is going to be a man who loves. I want him to grow up to be a sweet, kind man. One who opens the doors for women and children. I want him to want to work hard to provide for his family. I want him, when it is time to pick a woman to be his wife, to choose one not because she is the flavor of the month but because he knows his heart will hurt if he doesn't marry her. I am so thankful that my baby had the ability to love someone. I hope he doesn't get hurt too much along the way.

Question of the Day

2010-06-04T22:50:00.002-05:00

Is it better to be mediocre at something you do every day....

Or good at something you do every once in a while?

I will be posting my answer in the days to come.

Bad Blogger... Good Life...

2010-04-26T22:16:00.003-05:00

I have been so busy! I am glad. I wish I was a better blogger but who cares. I have been busy with my kiddos and family. Sickness, zoo field trips, loosing teeth and spring cleaning.

We are doing VERY well on our spring cleaning. I actually didn't want to have a garage sale but I think I have to.
The recent post are the little sisters of one of Jack's classmates. Well they were in Destination Imagination together. I am very excited to step back into more and more photography. It can be overwhelming. I am very picky. I notice so many people pick up cameras and jump into it. I don't want to do that.

I like taking my time. If I see another really bad photo session online, facebook or a blog I might scream. (Seriously it is called lighting, people!)

The Magic of Yellow Onions

2010-04-04T22:26:00.000-05:00

Easter.

This is my favorite time of year. Things become new, spring flowers and the sun comes out again. Such dramatic sights of resurrection. What was old becomes new and light brings out the flowers.

So this Easter I decided to make traditionally colored eggs for our Armenian celebration on Saturday night. I usually dye my eggs red, for many reasons. (Red symbolizes the blood shed on the cross) This year I decided to try the 'old fashioned' way. Meaning all food coloring and little dye pellets stayed away from my kitchen. (Well, they were tucked away in case this turned out horribly wrong)

So we start with YELLOW onions. Yes, yellow. I was skeptical, hence the tucked away Paas pellets.

Next you simply peel the onion skin off.

Add 4 1/2 cups of water to a pot. The reciped called for stainless steel pots but I didn't have one, make due.

Two tablespoons of white vinegar into the pot of water.

add the onion skins to the pot, bring to a boil, then redue heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Then strain the onion skins out of the dye.

Insert eggs into the dye. Now I think I should have added more water because my dye did not cover the eggs. I added water at this time.

Bring eggs to a boil. then reduce heat and let sit in pot for 15 minutes. (just like normal boiling eggs)

If the color has not set to your liking leave in water until it reaches room temperature. After reaching room temperature set the pan in the fridge until desired color has been met.

This is what your final result will look like. I did expect a deeper red. Now I only used 6 skins and the recipe called for 15. (since this was just an experiment I figured 6 would be fine)

I also rubbed some olive oil on them to make them shine.

Here is S playing with her Papa. She really got into it this year.

J and Dad playing eggs.

Happy Easter!

Camping... Attempt 1!

2010-03-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

We just spent the best day camping! I have not camped with children EVER. This was to be a brand new experience. If you have ever camped, adding children changes everything.

We decided on Tyler State Park. It was close and easy to get to. For some reason it kind of felt like going home, after all we did spend 4 1/2 years in east Texas.

We chose our campground for proximity to the lake. Just so you know, it does not have proximity to the bathroom. You could hike to the bathrooms (about 5 -8 minutes, hills and all) or drive (about 1 -2 minutes from tent to toilet). We like to live on the edge.

This is the view from close to the lake of our campsite. There is a picnic table and grill to the right (left of the picture). Each campsite is well stocked, so really all you need is a tent and some chairs. A small water spigett is off to the side. It is equipped for a hose too!

S taking in all the nature. Well, she was waking up from a nice car ride. I love her little confused, where is the sidewalk look.

J took to camping like a fish to water. He unpacked his bag and went to work.

S caught on too. As long as we kept feeding her dried cranberries she was happy. Check out the awesome view from our tent! I think I could have stayed for a few days.

I did not beg them to sit like this! I love that even with the 4 year age difference they can have fun together.

This one is hard to see but she walked up to her brother for a hug. She loves him.

This is from day 1. We decided to take a little hike to the other side of the lake, i.e. playground. Which was one of the reasons we chose this location. These kids love playgrounds.

All in all it was a great trip!

Later I will post on How to camp with children :)

Really? Why is she growing so fast?

2010-03-08T18:37:00.000-06:00

My baby!

Let's go back.

Way back to last Saturday. (long time ago really) This was a busy day with DI, T-ball and back to DI. Emily watched S while I coached t-ball. I visited for a bit when I picked her up. She came up to me and said, "potty?" "pee pee potty?" So I asked her if she needed to go potty? She shook her head yes. Just as we made it to the bathroom, it was occupied. So we waited. S went in, I help her get her diaper off and SHE DID IT! She peed! IN. THE. POTTY.

(Now she has done this before on a fluke or just randomly) This was the first time SHE asked to go. So ever since then we have asked and she has gone. All week she potty-ed and has been great about going with few accidents. (though we are not pushing her)

Fast forward to this past Sunday. She was dry until the afternoon. (I'll give her a break since she was playing at Grandmother and Grandaddy's house, she forgot). She went while at nursery during church. Monday morning we woke up dry. We have been going on the potty all the times she has had to #1 and #2. She rocks! She was completely dry when I dropped her off at her aunts house at 2:30!

GREATNESS! I hope she did well.

By the Way, she will be 2 in two weeks!

Valentine's Day and Anniversary Goodness!

2010-02-16T19:25:00.000-06:00

Scott and I celebrated our seven year anniversary on Feb. 14th, 2010. (Yes we were married on Valentine's Day, but really how it happened isn't a typical V-day wedding) My gracious mother-in-law ~~offered, was begged~~ offered to watch our kiddos so we could go out. Wow. I haven't used the words go out in a LONG TIME. We just aren't going out people. Well, we are but with our kids. So on Saturday night we made sure Grandmother was ready for pizza and movie night with the kids. Alvin and the Chipmunks was the choice of both (AGAIN!)

We did not make reservations anywhere, again as we are not fancy peeps. I did not want to go to a chain restaurant. So we decided on the little Greek restaurant in the shopping center across from the mall. This little Greek restaurant has a bit of history with me. While I was pregnant with S one of my cravings happen to be gyros. Late Sunday night as I flipped through one of those mail coupon books I came across a b1g1 coupon. I called. The closed in 15 minutes. I ordered and ran over. It was great! The owners are very nice and the food was very good. Two big +'s for me. So that is where we went for our anniversary. We had the 'Valentine's Plate'. (Which is one of the 'for-two' dinners with an added dessert)

Lamb, rice, mousakka, salad, gyro meat and feta. OH THE FETA! I was in heaven. The did not disappoint me. After our lovely meal we headed to the only place two parents on a night out should go, Half Price Books. It was really nice to look around without chasing a baby from the children's section.
Valentine's Day turned out to be quite busy. That is ok. I made a quick happy dessert for the family. Any guesses on what it is? (pardon the ikea plate/ aka kids cutting board)

Yep. Twinkies and strawberries. What does it say about us as parents that both our children ate the strawberries and left the twinkies? But they were cute and heart shaped. WIN!

Snow. In. Dallas.

2010-02-11T12:58:00.000-06:00

WooHoo!

Winter Wonderland of the golf course.

S playing in the snow.

J taught her how to make snowballs.

This was at 10:00 am. Let see how much more we might get!

Vacation Planning #2... Blue Ridge Parkway

2010-02-05T22:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am behind on my vacation planning trip idea thingy. Whoops.

For our second scenario: Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Rental Car for 9 days: Elt. SUV from Budget $495 (with applicable discount)
Gas: $650 (this is a driving trip)
Route:
Leave Saturday Morning-
Dallas to Chattanooga, TN: 782Miles/ 12H 6M
Overnight Hotel : $62 per Expedia

Sunday-
Chattanooga to the beginning of the BRP at Ravensford, NC: 149 miles/ 3H 41M
Ravensford to Asheville via BRP: 88.9 miles/ 2H 39 M (excluding stopping)
Overnight Hotel: $100

Monday: Hang around Asheville. Visit Biltmore.

Tuesday- Asheville to Roanoke via BRP: 270 Miles/ 8H
Hotel: $100

Wednesday- Roanoke to Charlottesville via BRP: 140 Miles/ 3H 48 Minutes
Charlottesville to Gaithersburg, MD via fastest route possible: 126 Miles / 3H (in Traffic)
Overnight at family: Free

Thursday: Hang out with family/ visit DC area.

Friday: Begin to venture home. Gaithersburg area to Nashville, TN via Cincinnati: 763 Miles/ 12H
overnight: $100

Saturday: Nashville, TN to Dallas via fastest route possible: 662 Miles/ 10H 23M

Food: $300
Extras: $400

Total Cost: $2207

Though looking at this on 'paper' = way to much time in the car for a two year old. Maybe when she is 4.

Blue Ridge Parkway score right now out of 5 (I am researching 5 different vacation scenarios) is 1 (being the lowest and least likely to happen).

February...

2010-02-01T22:30:00.000-06:00

What a great month! Yep. I said it. A GREAT MONTH!

Ok. I am not sure why but I am hoping this will be a great month?

So let's sum up January:

J had a great time on winter break.
I had a great time with the kiddos sleeping until about 8:30 every day!
We did our taxes and are getting money back. (not as much as last year but we are getting something!)
I had a horrible case of the flu. Although, had a great husband who took care of the kids and kept the house --- yea, kept the house.
I was able to take my first ever newborn photos of a wonderful friends baby.
I made a long wishlist of things I would like to buy. (I have no plans on being able to spend money on wants in the near future though)
S started pre-school. Two days a week for 4 hours we have alone time. Odd. I feel bad for doing it but am glad she is doing well.
J had his reading comp. eval and tested at level 1 in reading. That was shocking to us, so we pumped up our reading time with him. His wonderful teacher said she would like to re-do it because she didn't think it was right. He tested at a level 5. Whew. Though we are still going to keep his upped reading practicing at home.

What is going to happen in Feb?

DI tournament at the end of Feb.
t-ball practice starts
I have to rescue the house from my week of the flu
LOST! (I am addicted!)

It should be a GREAT month! or I may tell myself that until I really believe it!

Flu...or maybe not...or maybe so

2010-01-23T19:06:00.000-06:00

Wednesday: slight headache. feels like sinus pressure

Wednesday night: Home from work, take temp. 102.9

Wednesday midnight: 103

Thursday Morning: 103.4

Cold medicine. makes it bounce up and down but not below 101.

Friday: still above 101

seriously the earliest doc appoint is at 4?

Sleep/wait it out.

Wait at doc for 1 hour argh. Nose swab negative but it still might be the flu.

"I will prescribe tamiflu, if it works it was the flu if it doesn't come back Monday.

Saturday: fever between 99 and 101. not too bad

maybe after the full tamiflu I will feel better.

Best... Action

2010-01-14T22:38:00.000-06:00

Prayer!

I am a faithful person. I am not sure I am by nature. I like to question the what I am told. I like to understand things from all sides and points of view. I also don't like being told to believe something without reason.

This is going to sound funny but I don't want my kids to choose my religion just because that is what Scott and I believe. I want them to WANT to believe in our religion. If they don't believe and make the concious choice to believe themselves then I don't know if it will be true.

Anyhow. (By the way, you know that movie the Break-up. "I want you to WANT to do the dishes." "Why would I WANT to do dishes" Yea that had nothing to do with anything but hey this is my thoughts!)

In the past few months I have seen the power of prayer. Not many people ever have to opportunity to actually see it. I think I was blessed. I think I needed it. (I know that is selfish but whatever)

The first way I saw prayer was through a child. I have only meet this child a few times but I know his mom. Scratch that, knew and kindda still know due to social networking, we went to high school together. This child got very sick. There were many times they thought he wouldn't make it hours. Once I heard the news, via facebook, I started praying. I also asked my friends to pray. Prayer spread throughtout many people. You could feel these prayers. The child is a survivor due in large part to his prayer warriors (and wonderful doctors!). People who prayed constinently for him. Some had never met him. That didn't matter.

Another has been on-going. It has been in me. I have taken the time to stop and pray when I need to. Not when someone else needs me to. If I hear that someone is sick or having a rough time. They don't need to ask. I already prayed.

My brain is wandering. Goodnight!

What is funny is that I have learned so much and accepted it. I have learned that sometimes you pray for specific actions. Other times you pray that God's will happens and that God makes the people around understand. Sometimes you just pray not wanting a resolution, sometimes you do.

Best... Vacation planning #1 and letdown...

2010-01-13T21:47:00.000-06:00

I know this isn't a nice BEST.

Here is my first vacation plan... Yellowstone...

Car rental - $549.33
Gas - guestimating $600 (I like to overbudget the gas, it helps you not getting stuck somewhere!)

Driving - Dallas - Salina, KS - Denver, CO - Caspar, WY- Dubois, WY - Yellowstone! Total mileage 1491m. or in Texas speak: 1 day 2 hours. (yes. 26 hours! one way!)

Now is the fun part. Lodging.

This is where I am now realizing that I don't think we can afford to go to Yellowstone. The lodging is CRAZY! You know, it doesn't help that we plan on going during the busy season. Still man! If only I was comfortable sleeping in a cabin and using communal showers/toilets. Which is funny because, I AM!

BUT... I don't think my 2 year old is. OR my 6 year old who is used to getting up and going whenever he needs. I am not making 58 trips to a communal toilet!

So here is the most reasonable for me. Lake Yellowstone. Frontier Cabin. 5 nights - $750

Meals - We can survive on around $300 for the week.

Etc. Expenses - $400 (you know park fees, stick souvenior that we can afford by stopping on the side of the road and picking it up!)

So. Roundabout total for a vacation for a family of 4 to Yellowstone....

$2599

Huh. Not bad. Now that I look at a total it is kind of do-able. We spent a couple hundred less than that going to Key West. But then again we also spend a day at Disney. Swam with Dolphins. Saw a shuttle on the launch pad. and did nothing for the other 3 days. (scratches head with a slight eyebrow raise)

Though would it be worth it with a 2 year old at Yellowstone? or wait til she is 3 or 4? If we wait we could 'swing' by Mount Rushmore!

Best...Photo of the Day...

2010-01-12T22:26:00.005-06:00

Today I had a new BEST. I was able to photograph a friends newborn. (Well, he is three weeks old!) Due to unforseen circumstances, this was the earliest I could get my hands on him.

Isn't he cute!

Oh! The cheeks!

This photo says alot to me about life.

This little guys parents are faithful Christians. I know they wouldn't admit or agree but they really are a family to look up too!

Best... use of the brain at work.

2010-01-11T22:18:00.000-06:00

I am trying to find a new vacation spot to visit this year. Why is this such a hard decision? I want to go somewhere new.

I want to go somewhere we have never been before. Which should be easy since we haven't been many places. So why on earth is this so difficult?

Oh yea, we forgot and cut down the money tree that used to grow in our backyard. I guess we got too tired of racking up the dollar leaves.

If you have any experience trying to plan a fun family vacation for two children on a relatively tight budget please toss me your ideas.

I like classic places. I REALLY want to go to Yellowstone. I am just not sure between the car rental, gas and hotels if it will be a reality this year. (Remember we are also on a three year debt pay off plan).

J wants to go to the mountains. I do too. But will S have a good time. She will only be 2? Should I not worry if she does and focus on the fact that J will? Is he going to lose valuable age appropriate travel because S is too young?

No. She will have fun anywhere (as long as Dora and Diego go). So let my planning begin. From now until Spring break, each week I am going to post one possible vacation plan. Then during Spring break we will decide where to go. Since our vacation will be in August it will not be late.

So for the first week.... expect Yellowstone coming up!

Best...blogger iphone app?

2010-01-10T22:59:00.001-06:00

We'll see. This is my first attempt from my phone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Best...Sad Day

2010-01-09T21:39:00.000-06:00

Today was the funeral service for a man who I have only known for 7 or 8 years. I remember meeting him for the first time when Scott and I visited his dad's church while we were dating. Scott, though, had him in his life from before he was born. (As far as he knows).

It is always incredibly difficult when someone we know dies suddenly. It is hard to explain. My friend said it best, "It feels like a punch to the stomach." That is right. You can't explain it. But. There is quite a bit of difference when the person has lead a godly life. A presence is in the church that is comforting. I can only remember one funeral that I have been to that was not filled with spirit. The funeral was cold. There was blame. There was hurt that caused resentment. You can't explain to someone with no faith what you experience.

But today. Today was different, at least to me. The church was filled with a family of believers. Through the sorrow and pain, you could feel the love surrounding people. We know where he is now. There is no doubt.

So my favorite things about our friend who has begun his eternal life...
- he was funny.
- he could take sarcasm and dish it out.
- he was married for 52 years!
- he was a good example that I am glad my husband was able to grow up around.

Best....exact moment of every week?

2010-01-08T22:34:00.000-06:00

Give it a guess? Yes, you! A real guess!

Hum... what is the best moment (actual moment) of people's week?

I know what the best moment of my weeks are. Specifics. I love 11:00pm on Friday nights! If you know me then you know why I love this time. If not I will tell you. It is the time I get off work for the weekend.

Yep you read that right. I don't get off work until 11:00pm on Fridays. I work an odd 2nd shift. You know what I like most... It is the beginning of the weekend. I get to spend weekends with my family.

weekend + family = the best time in my life.

I love those little nuts. I love that every Saturday night is movie night. I know that I could go out with my husband for some alone time. Why? When I can spend that time at home with all 3 of my favorite people!

Best... Christmas Present...

2010-01-07T21:47:00.000-06:00

My little S-bug! Oh what a little girl you have become!

One of bug's new favorite things is to call people on the phone. We call daddy when he is at work, nana, grandmother and grandaddy. Thank goodness for speaker phone.

She had to get in her new chair she got for Christmas from grandmother and grandaddy.

Then she had to get into her conversation.

Look at that TOE!!!

Such as sweet little pixie girl!

Oh how do we survive the teen years if she is already doing this now?

Best... Food Splurge!

2010-01-06T21:51:00.001-06:00

I love mac and cheese!

I love the blue box. I don't want to. I have tried all the homemade recipes. I don't know what it is, but all the ingridents look good individually. Just not ever together.

Who cares! I love my box!

Now this mac n' cheese is good. Very good.

It comes in cute little bunny shapes.

It tastes better than the blue box.

And it comes in different shapes and flavors.

One of the non-published great things about this mac.. It re-heats beautifully.

I have never been able to reheat the blue box. I am sure you can, but I can't.

Seriously, try it. It is goood.

Best... Last Day of Christmas

2010-01-05T23:48:00.001-06:00

"On the first day of Christmas..."

Everyone has heard the song, right? I know I hear it multiple times during the Christmas season. Well, retail outlets have brainwashed the public to believing that the 12 days of Christmas happen before Christmas.

WRONG!

Christmas Eve night is the FIRST day of Christmas.

Night? Why night you say? Well in old'n times the new day begins at sunset, not midnight.

So the last day of Christmas is Epiphany. January 6th. A wonderful day of food and family. The offical (at least in our house) end of the holiday season. This is one of my favorite Armenian holidays. (You know I love Easter!) History lesson, it marks the day the Magi visited the infant Jesus.

So many people forget this day. They don't celebrate it. To many people just do not know about it.

So on the night of January 5th, we eat. No, we feast. We have smoked whitefish, rice, dolma, koo koo, yogurt, fresh cucumber salad, lavash, wine (some people), cracker bread and dessert.

Most recipes you can find online. Easy right, there are tons of people who have these recipes.

EXCEPT Koo Koo! My families Armenian Koo Koo!

What is koo koo you say? It is spinach, cilantro, parsley goodness! Yea, I know what you are thinking, 'How can any of these things be good together, they are all garnishs right'? Nope. So here is a short pictorial recipe.

Cilantro. 2 bunches.

Wash. Chop off Stems. Put in food processor.

Process :) Empty into large mixing bowl.

Repeat

Parsley. 2 bunches.

Wash. chop off stems. Process. Empty into bowl.

Onions.

Wash. Chop off tips (white). Process. Empty.

Spinach. 1/2 a bunch!

Wash. Chop. Process. Empty.

Now you should have everything in the mixing bowl.

Add a pinch of salt, ok more than a pinch. I would say a tablespoon.

Tablespoon of pepper.

Teaspoon of flour.

pinch of garlic powder.

12 eggs.

Yes, 12 eggs. A carton.

Mix.

Heat a deep pan on the stove with 1 cup of olive oil.

Now for this recipe you need two pans because you cook one side and flip it over. I bet you could get away with using just one, but it is easy to use two.

Heat the olive oil first then add mixture.

Cook for about 5 -7 minutes.

Until firm but not burn on the bottom.

Flip.

Cook until bottom is lightly brown but not burn.

(I know, not an exact science)

But then this is what you get...

Yum!

Love it!

Best... Plan of Action!

2010-01-04T20:36:00.000-06:00

Ok. It is only 4 days into the "Best" challenge and I am already fishing. Not a good way to start of a month o' blogging.

BUT. A big but(t), well literally and figuratively. I have had a few things on my mind lately. I need to get moving. Physically. I need to move my body so much more than I do now.

My job doesn't help. I sit. I sit for EIGHT hours a day. I sit in front of tv. I sit in front of MANY tv's. Just a rough glance there are...23 actively moving tv screens within my small 11 foot long cave. (Yes the urge to snack all day long under a blanket is present every day!)

In college I was active. We ran, played tennis, swam (oh how I loved my swimming class at school) and hiked all the time. Now after being married for 7 years, time and fat has caught on.

As hard as it is to admit. It stinks.

Yes, I had two kids via c-section. Yes, I do have one little medical condition that makes weight loss very hard. But ( <--- you see there it is again) those are just excuses. I am tired of excuses.

I don't excersize enough. I eat well. We are above average on healthy eating. It is movement that I crave. Now it is hard. We are on a budget so a gym membership is out of the question. There are kids. Have you ever tried to work out with a 1 year old hanging to your leg? Or a 5 year old who can do better push ups than you and likes to tell you that?

Not easy my friend. Not easy!

So somehow. someway. I. am. going. to. make. it. this. year.

I AM going to get it off! (or at least set into motion the tools and ability to get it off)

Best... Cleaning Appliance

2010-01-03T21:43:00.000-06:00

Oh joy! Yes, you are!

Oh how you clean my floor better than any other mop and elbow grease has EVER!

You are small, easy to use. Though it did cost quite a bit for someone with a brain...

(I got you on sale on black friday or we wouldn't be friends either!)

But look!

LOOK at my beautiful, (yes, plain non-updated, came with the house) tile floor!

It may not be exactly what we want but boy is it CLEAN!

Best... Way of Relaxing

2010-01-02T18:53:00.000-06:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I have some crazy work and life hours! The kids are up (well, need to be up) by about 6:30 am for breakfast and to get ready for school. The things is I don't get home from work until 11:30pm. After straightening up the house, making sure things are ready for the next day and sitting down a bit, it is midnight.

Yep, busy little life. Then add in DI, gymnastics, grocery shopping, cleaning yard work, helping out a J's school and church. It feels like we have no time to get it all done.

I know this is a blessing but sometimes it is just tiring!

Until todays BEST... napping!

I have never been the kind of person who can nap for 15 minutes. I need at least an hour for a nap to be affective.

Today... Today was the day.

J was playing upstairs and S was napping for about an hour. So I decide to try for a nap. I didn't sleep well last night. I think our ceiling fan is too loud (well it was last night!). So I turned it off and opened the window. The high today was 50 so not really too cold. I shut the curtains so a nice gentle breeze came through the window.

Boy was that what I needed today! A good nap can really cure a lot of things! Bath's are a close second. Nothing and I mean nothing can beat snuggling up in a cool bed into your warm sheets with no interuptions!

Best...of 2009... in ornaments...

2010-01-01T22:50:00.001-06:00

This month's blog theme is 'Best'.

This might get difficult!

Everyday this month I *will* post a blog related to the Best. I will also blog about the other stuff and junk going on around this crazy house and family. Such as my goal to 'try' to eliminate most processed foods out of our diet. (Not all! I am not that hardcore, yet. Maybe, next year.

So today is... The Best of 2009 through Christmas Ornaments.

Yes, I am weird and I know it.

Our visit to Florida was one our my favorite vacations, EVER. It was the furthest Scott and I have been with the children, that didn't include any extended family. It was suppose to but Granddad's job doesn't stop for vacations!
We survived the drive from Dallas to Key West (whew!) with our kiddos. They are great travelers. During our trip to Florida we saw it ALL. Swam with dolphins, drove through the Keys, feed the tarpons, kayaked in the ocean, saw crabs on the beach, almost saw the sea turtles, saw Disney AND went to the Kennedy Space Center!
We almost saw a launch, but it was rescheduled. What can ya' do? I vote for just hanging out in Florida until one is able to launch. Who really needs a job, food, shelter?

December of 2009 brought snow to Dallas. TWICE! We had a white Christmas! I don't know if I have ever had one. The kids loved it! Due to books, movies and pretty much all stories, J thinks that you are suppose to have snow on Christmas. Well, I didn't have to explain the heat and location of Texas in relation to the jet stream this year!

Another of my Best of 2009! My lovely husband! Boy do I love him. He is caring and sweet. Not to mention how he loves to make fun of me, kindheartedly though. He is a firefighter. He is strong. He cooks dinner for my babies every night he is off work and tucks them into bed after reading their stories. He also takes out the trash AND does dishes.
I'm not gonna give this one up!

My baby. My little spunky monkey. There aren't many words to describe S. Goose. Goonie. Sister. Spirited. Loving. Happy. Naked. Strong willed. Stubborn. Kind. Lover of Dogs. ALIVE.
She is a toot. When we asked God for a baby. He gave us one that makes every day a new adventure.

And finally my boy. My J. Brother. Sweet. Sensitive. Loving. Superhero. He is the biggest helper. He is learning to test his boundaries. Learning to read, helps in the kitchen. His imagination is unbelievable. He wants to be an astronaut, super secret spy and an inventor. I am sure he will do it!
Until next time.

As one year closes...

2009-12-31T19:55:00.000-06:00

This has been a pretty good year. Luckily we have not had any life changing revelations or directional changes. We have been happy and content for almost the entire year.

*Almost*

Now we have had our moments: tight on money, busy schedules, etc. Compared to what some people go through we are doing great.

We have two of the happiest children.

Our boy started kindergarten. He does not love school but he is good at school. That is all I can really ask for. I mean come on, wouldn't you rather be at home all day in your pajamas instead of in school? That's what I thought! He is doing very well in school. I am so proud of him. He has made some friends, some classmates he doesn't like. I really like that he is ok at expressing that he doesn't like some of the people. We all don't like people. He is learning that you have to work with people no matter what. All in all, our boy is doing well.

This year he was able to swim with dolphins. I hope it is a memory that will last a long time. He was very timid around the dolphin. Yeah, I know they are kind of scary upclose, especially to a 5 year old. He added Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to his list of states visited.

Our baby girl has grown this year too. She turned one, ~~walks~~ no runs everywhere. She is into as much as she possibily can be, sassy with attitude. I love that little monkey. One of her favorite spots is on top of the table. She is a toot who loves everything unless she doesn't. Boy will she let you know if she doesn't. She is our naked child. With the turn of a head she can get off any and all clothing, shoes, socks, duck taped diapers. There is nothing that is on that girl unless she wants it to be. Stubborn? Just a bit.

So to this past year, thanks for being good to our little family. We had a great time driving to Key West, having holidays with family, working (well, you know), sending our first born to school and just having fun with our babies.

To this next year, please be good to us. We will do our best to enjoy the time we have as a family. Not to overschedule our lives with our children's activities, but to enjoy the little time we have together.

It was a good one 2009, bring on 2010!

To Do...

2009-12-30T21:25:00.003-06:00

How many people make to do lists?

Everyone, right?

Since the movie the bucket list it seems everyone and their little toes are making them. So the little voice in my head that says, 'dude! go for it!' needs to be silenced.

So here this is it. My continuing list of things I would like to do, things I need to do and things I could only dream of doing.

1. Travel and Camp at Yellowstone National Park.
2. Ride in a helicopter.
3. Quit a job.
4. Cut my hair above my chin.
5. Drive a really nice car.
6. Become totally debt free.
7. Travel for an entire month, continually.
8. Travel by plane, alone.
9. Go on a cruise.
10. Drive along the East Coast Islands in the Carolina's.
11. Learn (more) Armenian
12. Finally have the furniture I have always wanted.
13. Start a business.
14. Join a book club.
15. Learn to talk with random people.
16. Really understand more of the Bible.
17. Fly Fish.
18. Hug a tree in Yosemite
19. Watch a space shuttle launch.
20. Teach my son to ride a bike.
21. Ice Skate in NYC
22. Watch the ball drop on NYE in NYC
23. Travel through Tuscany
24. Learn to build things with wood.
25. Finish taking French lessons.
26. Take my children to their first symphony.
27. Cook my way through an entire cookbook.
28. Write in a journal for an entire year.
29. Stay off the internet for a week!
30. Buy something irresponsible just because I want it.

there will be more to come, I am sure of it! But for now, this is my lovely list.

No Audio...?

2009-12-29T21:12:00.002-06:00

Come on now commercials, where is your audio?

Huh?

And while I am at it to all the television producers out there, please don't leave audio out of your programing for over 7 seconds due to dramatic effect! If you need a 10 second blank area during your program, fire your writer or music director!

Come on now guys!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T11:17:00.006-06:00

As you can tell this holiday season has been busy! I haven't had any time to post a blog. But I have been thinking about it!

Does thinking about it make it better?

No? I didn't think so.

I was off for FOUR days in a row! Actually 6 but I don't count the weekends that I am normally off. We didn't go anywhere on a vacation, I got to just be off work and at home. Priceless I tell you!

Christmas Eve we visited with my family (mom's side), it is a tradition. We had a great time, kids played, parents talked and when we left to head home it was SNOWING! In North Texas! Can you believe it?

So when we got home, THIS!

Beautiful! I kept thinking it wouldn't stay until the morning. For once, I was very glad I was wrong!

So we were able to wake up to this on Christmas morning!

The kiddos had a wonderful morning with more presents than I care to think about. This year, though, mom and dad made out well as well. In years past it has been all about the kids but we are finally getting to a place where parents are getting some nice presents as well! Luckily we don't have many big purchases a year, though I do want a new lens before spring! I will have to work, work, work to get it!

Next up... New Year's!

Let the Games Begin!

2009-11-19T19:06:00.002-06:00

The search is on!

Black Friday, a holiday in it's self in my book, is coming up oh so soon, NEXT WEEK. I am very excited!

I don't know why I like it? The crowds, the rush, the crazy people screaming, yelling and throwing cabbage patch dolls.

The middle class love that people have for their children to wake up early, or stay awake all night, to score some nice gifts for bargains. Or on the other hand, just savy shoppers who want to get the most for their money. Yep that's me!

I heart black friday!

It all started a few years ago. My friend from church, Kimberly, took me out on my maiden shopping adventure. It was great! I loved it! The madness of grown adults camped out by a $10 toy is awesome. So from that point on, say 4 or 5 years ago, I have only missed one Black Friday. Last year the kids and I flew to Denver to have Thanksgiving with Scott's family. Since he worked we got to fly and ride back with his mom and dad. (Great time! I love my family) But I hated missing the "Nuh-o you di-un't" that my sister got to witness.

So this year, BRING IT ON! I am planning out my game plan. See where I want to go, what I want to buy. The only problem, Toys R Us' sale this Friday and Saturday is better than most of the Black Friday deals.

What's a girl to do?

Random Photos from my iPhone

2009-11-11T21:22:00.005-06:00

I heart the Photoshop for iPhone app :)

And these two little silly peeps...

And this face!!!

Oh, and THIS face... :)

What to buy your child for Christmas?

2009-11-10T20:28:00.002-06:00

I have no idea. Luckily, my boy loves the Toy R Us big toy book. But I think he loves it a little too much. He has circled quite a few items.

Hum.. I am going to have to go in and tell him he needs to limit his goals. Yeah, that is gonna be a great conversation.

I can not believe...

2009-11-09T21:41:00.001-06:00

That Christmas is 7 weeks away!

AHHH! The things I need to buy!

How much can we do as Mother's?

2009-11-08T21:32:00.001-06:00

This question seems to be brought up everywhere. There are always perfect answers to this question. You need to be able to do lots of things. You need to keep your house beautiful, kids happy, husband happy and make sure you do it with a smile.

Our house is not, by far, the best kept. But my son doesn't freak out if he spills his water in the kitchen. He knows that if he wants to play with my measuring spoons and water he can. When he tells me what fractions they are and that four of the 1/4th tsp equals 1 tsp, then I KNOW I am doing it right. But it still hurts when I see anothers house that is perfect. How can they keep their house perfect with no spots on the carpet?

Some days I wish I had a housekeeper but I realize that I can do it all. I can do all that I am able to do. And I mostly do it well. When I don't, well whatever. Who is going to judge me? God. And I doubt that God will chastis me for not having things put up or arranged perfectly. He is going to see that we pray with my child and he adds that prayers for the sick and needy. The only one who matters sees that I am taking the time to take my kids places and to be with them when I am.

See, I wasn't even able to blog every day this month, but I am not going to let it get me down! What is the point? I am going to still relax because today I had a great day with the ones I love.

And because my baby got on stage at church tonight to sing a song that he didn't know. And that he wasn't scared because he knew he was singing for Jesus. I have the best 5 3/4 year old there is!

I need more TIME

2009-11-05T21:28:00.004-06:00

I know everyone says this but I feel like I have no time to do anything! There is so much to get done...housecleaning, homework with kids, teaching S about the world around her, spending alone time with my husband (and not counting when they kids go to sleep) and finding time to take the children's pictures.

I really need to take my own kids pictures. I haven't been able to leap out there to doing more photography, with my tonsillectomy, other health problems and then being thrown into taking care of the fall festival. I just can't seem to throw myself out there. Oh well. Next year is a new year and hopefully I can keep things under control. I just keep reminding myself that I have kids to care for, a household to keep running -smoothly, and a FULL TIME JOB, that keeps me out at all hours.

Fasting is, well going...

2009-11-04T21:25:00.000-06:00

We have been doing well, finding new recipes, not breaking down and eating that tiny teaspoon of mustard that I REALLY wanted!

But we are doing ok, but I REALLY WANT A SWEET! Anything sweet.

Halloween Pictures

2009-11-02T21:41:00.003-06:00

November Blog Posting Month

2009-11-01T19:25:00.004-06:00

Due to the fun I had last year posting every day for the month of November, I am going to do it again!

Aren't you excited? I know I am.

My month of November should be a good one. We are fasting for 21 days at church. No read meat, eggs, processed foods or anything like that. So today we had old fashion oatmeal with honey (our only sweet we are allowed), it was NOT good. I ate it because I was hungry and not going make anything else

Rain, Rain...

2009-10-13T22:32:00.004-05:00

I love the weather lately. I am a huge fan of rain. I love the way it feels. I love splashing in puddles with J. I love how it makes you want to snuggle up with your family.

I love how my house can de-cave.

You see in the great Texas weather in the summer our house can get warm. So we have wonderful blackout curtains EVERWHERE! Seriously it looks like night when everything is pulled tight. I especially love it when the temps get so high our electric bill gets in the unbearable range.

But now with winter on the bring, the curtains are open! Windows are windows again!

I do feel bad that the kids can't play outside but I am happy.

Day 12: The evil sneeze.

2009-09-21T20:19:00.002-05:00

Great day! Low 2 pain level. I can almost drink an entire gulp. But it is actually more like a big sip.

UNTIL,

6pm when I sneezed! Oh my goodness! Scabs went flying around in my mouth and it started to bleed.

Oh, how I don't like blood in my throat. Very scary but it wasn't bad. I am terrified to sneeze again.

I only have one more day until I go back to work.

Day 8 - 11: Busy, sick, not feely good days

2009-09-21T20:11:00.003-05:00

Day 8:

Throat pain: Yes. Not so bad, but still annoying. Scabs coming off, ouch.

Day 9: My first day alone with the kids. Scott had to go back to work. It was a little hard getting up, but I did. I didn't take pain medicine until after S and I got back from dropping J off at school. I am down to only one during the day. S napped well though, so it wasn't so bad. Pizza for dinner but I didn't eat any. I am still a little chicken. I tried sleeping on my bed, ouch! laying flat still hurts too much. pain level a good 3.

Day 10: Oh busy day. Gymnastics, t-ball practice and a birthday party. Let's just say by the birthday party I had my fever. I have seemed to get a fever when I do too much. My very own body telling me I don't feel good! Other than that. I went back to sleeping on the couch. It seems to feel the best. throat pain level still good 3.

Day 11: I actually feel better, everything except my throat. But my throat felt like a 2. Not so bad I might feel normal some time! I hope so.

Day 7: Tonsillectomy

2009-09-16T18:13:00.003-05:00

I am REALLY tired of blogging about my tonsillectomy. I am really tired of being really tired from my tonsillectomy. I am just ready for this recovery process to be over.

The problem with recovery for me is the fact that I am not patient. I am really trying to learn. It is hard for me. I would much rather be mowing the lawn, steam cleaning the floors, picking up stuff, finishing my paiting projects but I can't do any of that. I have to sit and relax. I have been able to play with S but I get tired very easily. She is a good sport though, she likes to just sit in my lap.

So instead of today complaining that my pain level is at a nice 3 and giving details about how the scabs are starting to peel off. I am going to tell you what a great husband I have!

He has been supportive during this entire process. He has gone out of his way to make me comfortable. He has taken 110% control of all things house and child related. I know that some people will say, isn't that what he is suppose to do, well yes it is but he has been so great about it. Also, I am greatful for it. I don't like asking him to do everything, so he does without me asking. He doesn't complain or sit on his rump until piles of things need to be done.

Now I have tried to do my part, I keep my one glass of water clean :) I also try to stay out of his way by sleeping A LOT too.

So as I wrap up this cute little post about how great my husband is. I can only think of ways to make him comfy and happy when I am all better. Humm, not too hard to come up with something!

Day 6: Ouch.

2009-09-15T23:57:00.003-05:00

Well, I hate to say it but it's true. There is some not nice pain after day 5. Yes. There I said it. Now it isn't horrible, but it is pretty much the worst sore throat pain you can ever imagine. Plus the fact that you can't eat anything and can hardly drink anything. And then there is the fact that the scabs are starting to move or come off, or just dance around in the back of your mouth hurting really bad.

So yea, that is it. I have slept a bit today. I did get to take J to school, not bad. I didn't get to pick him up. I will try again tomorrow. Who knows. One website said that one day you wake up feeling normal again. Oh, I can't wait for that day!

Day 5: Pain medicine, oh how I love thee...

2009-09-15T00:11:00.003-05:00

Really! I do. You don't really notice how much you love it until you sleep through your next dose. Then wake up in P A I N! Yep, bad. I would say a pain scale of 7 or 8. Ouchie.

I started taking only one pill, which hurt but wasn't so bad. I am trying to ween of the medicine. We will see how it goes!

Today was uncomfortable compared to other days. I just couldn't get comfy. I went with Scott to pick J up from school. I was alright until we got in the car to head to his doctor appointment. The kiddos had their flu shots today, yea! I got car sick and just plain didn't feel good. That is until I crawled back up onto my couch with my eyes closed. I really underestimated what kind of surgery it is when I think, oh it is nothing just tonsils. Um. No silly, that is still a major surgery. I guess I just don't want to be a whiner. You know the kind who gets all complainy over little things. I really am not a fan of the complainer.

Another quick odditie from today. Tonight when I took my pain medicine I took two so I could sleep well. Man did it feel good. I was able to eat some rolls and not cry whilst eating. Then it hit me and I was out. It is weird this medicine doesn't make me drowsy, it knocks me out. Because here I am awake only 2 hours after being knocked out. I am still tired but I don't feel like I did. Weird huh!

I suppose we will see how tomorrow feels? Hopefully better because I don't want to take more time off work but I do want to heal properly. I will decide on Wednesday if I need a few more days or not.

Day 4: Don't get too comfortable!!!!

2009-09-14T11:10:00.002-05:00

There really isn't much different from day 2 to day 4. My tonsils are still gone, the old home they used to live in is very sore and now my lovely jaw came to join to sore party.

Yes just like the doctor warned about if you do not eat a lot then your jaw will get sore. That was not just a warning. I tried eating something else, some very smushy french fries. I ate 3 and that was torture. I fall back on my old faithful jello.

Today I also tried some mashed potatos and a peice of bread. It was pretty good. I needed to drink after each bite but it worked.

So like I said, there is just not much different. I am still tired, hungry and sore. My pain level is (with medicine) about 2 to 3. I still have the same feelings I did with a very sore throat or strep. Without medicine the pain level jumps to about a 6 or 7. The pain also radiates to the ears and back of the jaw.

It can only get better from here right?

Day 3: Oh sleep, oh sleep

2009-09-12T15:19:00.003-05:00

Day 3 started off a little painful. I didn't sleep very comfortably, so I think that affected my throat. Scott had to work today, so my favorite mother-in-law was kind enough to take care of me and the kiddos!

I think the kids are having a great time since she is here. I have felt more tired today than yesterday. I am not sure if it is the medicine, pain or rain. I really wish I could be outside enjoying this weather. The high is suppose to be only 75. Since I haven't been out of my chair much, I don't really know. I did take a shower today. That was nice, a little dizzy but it was nice to feel refreshed.

So far my pain level is only at 3 or 4. It is not unbearable, but it does kind of hurt to swallow. It is only 3:30 pm so I will see how the rest of my day goes. Right now I just feel like going back to bed. Well, my recliner chair that is acting as a bed since I don't wnat try laying down.

UPDATED: 9:00pm

So much of the same. Sleepy, tired, hungry, sore. The words that describe me. My pain level is really not bad right now. Sometime today I was able to breath out of my nose again. This makes life considerably easier. I do feel like there is food in the back of my throat or something just sitting back there. You can't really fix that. I drink my water or fluids regularly. I don't feel as if my mouth is drying out at all. When I swallow, I feel sore from the back of my throat around my tongue and towards my teeth. It doesn't hurt per se, but it is not easy. I have not had to take care of the kids today, again thanks to my mother in law. I have been in an out of sleep. It is nice to feel so rested. I have also not slowed down on my pain medicine yet. When I get to the end of a cycle I can feel my tongue start to swell up. I am pushing it a little but not much to begin with. I am not trying to be a tonsillectomy hero, I just want to make it through the pain. I am pretty sure I can handle it.

One funny fact is that I have not been able to read any part of the two magazines I bought. I planned on enjoying them, but I can't seem to focus on any part of them. Which is funny that I am writing this. I don't know how funny it will be to read in a couple of days when the medication has worn off. Oh well. I only ever found one descriptive blog about how the pain would feel so I want to make sure people aren't terrified to have this done. It really isn't so bad.

Day 2: Adios Tonsils

2009-09-12T00:30:00.003-05:00

Day 2 started off decent. I woke up every few hours to either take medicine and drink water or just to drink water. From what I had read it would feel like I was trying to drink lead with a brick at the back of my throat. It actually felt like I had a sore throat and was drinking water.

A few things I have learned today:

Somewhat cool water is best as oppose to water with a lot of ice.

My neck feels better on the inside when I have ice on the outside.

There are tons of fast food commercials on tv when you can't eat real food.

In the morning my pain level was about a 4. I would say, moderately discomfortable but it was not so bad that every time I swallowed I wanted to cry. My teeth felt a little sore when I pushed them with my tongue. The doctors said I would feel that because of the instrument used to keep my mouth open. I google it, before the surgery (I wouldn't recommend that!)

Scott got the children off to school. Today was picture day for J. I am really not too sure about what he was wearing but it was a polo shirt. S went for a second day of SunShine School (Thanks Em and Mrs. Mary) so Scott could help out with picture day. In return we saved $30 on pictures. Not a bad deal.

I was home alone from 7:45am until about noon. I kept up with my drugs and fell asleep on and off. I fell asleep for eating my eggs. So when I woke up they were nice and cold. It is kind of funny waiting for your food to get cold. Usually we are trying to eat before it gets cold. Anyways. I can eat eggs as long as I take a sip of water after every bite or so. That is kind of funny. They tasted good. The eggs did feel like they were lingering in the back of my throat. Nothing a little water couldn't handle.

I tried some regular pudding but it seemed to not make it down ok. I put it back after one bite. I could eat the yoplait whips though. They were light enough to make it down and not hurt.

The rest of day 2 was pretty much like the beginning of day 2. Drink, medicine and sleep, ice pack, tiny bits of potato soup, water, sleep.

Scott's mom came over today. Since Scott will be working tomorrow (saturday) we felt he could go to work as long as I had someone to wrangle the children. Sandy and my mom voluneteered to do some wrangling. So Sandy is staying over here from tonight (Friday) until Scott gets home on Sunday morning. I hope her beautiful grandkids are still beautiful when she leaves :) Though we did get another good report on S from school. It seems when she walked into the sancutary for chapel, she realized where she was. Then proceeded to scream DADDY and run to the piano. Poor S-Bug! When she got over the fact that Daddy wasn't actually there, she did start singing with the other kiddos. The only difference is S only has about 20 words. Oh well, she can praise however she wishs!

So with that I am going to end the boring non-eventual, non painful day 2.

I would like to thank the ladies at our church who brought me some potato soup and Scott and the kids chicken. I really liked my soup, but their chicken smelled so good. I didn't try it though. A bit scared.

I would also like to thank Ms. Mary who brought me popsicles! You can always tell a true friend when she knows I can't say much but comes over anyways! I really like the popsicles.

(Also I would like to apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. It is one am and I am on some REALLY good medicine!)

The crazy adventures through a Tonsillectomy...

2009-09-11T17:23:00.003-05:00

When I finally gave in to having my tonsils out, I started internet scare-search. What is scare-search you say? It is where you look up conditions on the internet and scare yourself from what other write. I found 1 detailed blog on tonsillectomies. I found MANY message boards though. So I vowed to write on my blog about each day of my recovery from my tonsillectomy.

Day 1: Dooms-Day

My appointment was schedule for 7:30 am, please be at the hospital by 5:30. Ok easy enough, then the day before I keep getting calls telling me later and later times. My final arrival time became 9:00 am and surgery would be at 11:00am.

Scott and I take J to school and drop S off with Emily. (I am very blessed to have family to help me during these times!)

We arrive at the hospital and wait for the final registration. It is funny how our doctors office said they hospital would bill us yet when we make it there the patient rep forcefully asked us for our payment in full. When I told her that I wouldn't be able to make the fully payment today, she gave me the whatever-you-are-a-loser-who-can-not-pay stare. She then said she could split it into three payments. Ok, we settled on that. Then I ask her what happened to the people who couldn't pay that much when they come it. And in the nicest I'm-already-swiping-your-debit-card type way she said, "Oh then we just bill the person and they can pay later!" OUCH!

After I was duped into paying my third before my insurance negotiated rate I was called back to pre-op. Standard procedures, put this little tiny cloth on that ties in the back. The only problem with that is that my arms don't work backwards and I couldn't tie it. Then I had to pee in the cup, to make sure I wasn't pregnant. I told my nurse if I was, then I would be getting a refund on a very painful procedure!

My nurse told me that she would bring my husband back there to wait with me. So by the time Scott gets back there, they are calling me up to go to the room. Scott didn't have to wait alone though, his dad came to sit with him. Have I mentioned how awesome my parents and in-laws are?

Due to a lack of bedding, I am taken to a bed in the post-op recovery room. This is NOT the place you want to be PRE-op. I heard more than my fair share of growning and pain. Yes, this is the place to make someone wait for 30 minutes. It really helped me get pumped for surgery!

My doctor came to visit a couple of times, then the anesthesiogist came in and introduced himself. My surgery nurse came in and said it was time. By this time my nerves were jumping out of my skin. All I remember is reading on the internet about the pain people were in afterwards. How unbearable and horrible it was. Then I remembered, wait I have to get an IV first, I hate iv's.

Now I am wheeled into O.R. 1 and asked to move over to the smaller table. Freezing cold room, I tell you! Anesthesiologist started my iv, which wasn't bad, he was pretty good at it then I looked over at my nurse and saw there were two of her. Then looked up at the nice pretty lights that had also double in number.

Then....

I woke up in recovery asking for water. I hadn't opened my eyes yet, I just knew I was sitting somewhat up and I was asking for water. So my post-op nurse gave me a small glass of water, which was not unbearable. I just felt like I had a sore throat. And compared to my strep that I have had really wasn't worse than that. I then opened my eye. Yes, I said eye. For some reason I could only open one at a time. I heard my nurse tell me that I woke up "right" after surgery. I didn't remember a thing! I know that you don't but for some reason in the back of my head I think I might not get put under the right way. Yea, I know too many movies.

So I was moved downstairs in to the recovery room. I asked for some more water and my new nurse asked if I wanted a popsicle. YES! Then she asked if orange was ok. Um, I am not picky, just give me something cold. But I didn't say it like that :) So had a popsicle which was great, then a little water, then another popsicle. I woke up feeling very thirsty. She also gave me some liquid medicine. It was not bad at all. I was nervous about going home to pills but at the time I didn't care. ( I think that is why they dope you up before leaving) Then she asked if I needed to go to the bathroom. I said no. She said, you have to go to the bathroom before you go home. I told her she should have lead with that. I got up, not dizzy or queezzy at all. Did my business and was told I could get dressed and go.

The ride home was hot. It was rather a warm day. We arrived home at around 2pm. I had everything ready so I climbed into my chair with my ice packs loosely around my neck. Scott went to go fill my perscriptions and pick up the kiddos.

My throat felt like there was something in the back of it but didn't hurst too bad. I didn't not expect to not be able to breathe out of my nose though. I don't remember that being said in any blogs. Scott later told me when my doctor came out to see him that she said I might be in slightly more pain that other patients because they were HUGE. He said she got very animated trying to explain how big they were. She also told him how they were putting pressure on my vulva so that would be more swollen that if they weren't so big.

The kids got home, J ran over to hug my arm. That boy is very considerate. S went straight to a nap. I was told he had fun at school. I am glad.

Later that evening I had some popsicles and then I had some very cooled down potato soup, made from instant flakes. It was very good! I kept drinking my water. My pills aren't hard to take as long as I just let the water flow.

Swallowing feels odd, but nothing worse that a sore throat. I am going to keep the ice packs around my neck until I feel I should take them off, which my doctor said about 2 days would be fine, but just stay comfortable.

Scott and I slept downstairs, closer to the ice and reclining chairs. I read somewhere that you shouldn't lay flat for the first two days. We woke up every 4 fours for medicine and every 2 hours to drink some fluids. I will not let myself get dehydrated. Apparently that is bad and I would rather not know how it feels!

I would say Day I was a success!

Last Weekend

2009-08-21T22:08:00.004-05:00

This weekend marks the end of 'baby' time for J. He will be starting kindergarten on Monday! I can't believe it. I am not sure if I am any more nervous than he is. He seems so laid back and ready to for school.

Though there have been some bumps getting us there. The other day Scott and I were cuddling with our big kid and began explaining to him what school would be like. We told him he could eat in the cafeteria or bring his lunch from home. The would get to go to the playground to play. He would learn a lot of things!

Then we ask him if he had any questions or if he had any concerns about going. He said, "When do I get to watch my shows?" Oh poor baby! Your life of tv watching is over! I am a fan of television. Um, hello, yea I get paid for it! I allow him probably more tv than he should watch but not too much. I am excited that he loves Batman and questions what the real powers of Wolverine. But I am so much more excited about school.

Going to school offers children so much. It isn't 100% about the education. It is the getting along with others. Being nice even though you are having to work with someone you don't like. Rules of the playground. How to deal with mean kids. How to deal with mean teachers. How to be the man we want him to be when we aren't around. I know we can teach him a lot. I mean we have multiple BA's between us. We can't teach him what we don't know though. That is why I am excited to send him off for hours a day.

I can't wait to hear what he did that day. Who is choosing for friends. What special things he is doing in school.

And not to mention the fact that WE WILL BE SO INVOLVED! That is my goal and it is already coming true! Scott is going to be PTA PRESIDENT! Yea. Kind of cool! He is such a devoted dad! I love it.

Some people have commented that it is odd. He is a MAN (really?)! Then you get the people who are so excited because him stepping up might bring more dads to be involved in their child's life. I hope so! Every parent should want to do all they can to be involved in their kids lives!

How to do prepare - Road Trip

2009-08-16T14:49:00.004-05:00

What is the best thing to do when preparing for a long car tip? Make a LIST.

List what you think you need. List what you hope you need. List what you might-possibly-but-probably-won't need.

When you travel with children you think you need so much to keep them occupied. You don't. What I do is let them pick their own toys they want to take. I tell Jack he has his backpack that he can put whatever he wants in it. He has to carry it, so I tell him not to make it too heavy. Then while we are on vacation he knows what toys he has. He plays well with them.

S is a bit too young to pick her own toys so we packed many different kinds of toys to keep her happy. And like any good little sister, all she wanted was whatever Jack was playing with.

For the car the best invention in the last 10 years is the portable dvd player. We use it as a last resort. When we have been in the car for 10 hours and they are a little bored with their toys but can't quite fall asleep. Boom! Bust out the dvd player and it will either just keep their interest or put them to sleep.

Another quality toy, Leap Frog LMAX learning pad. It is basically a Nintendo DS for kids. What is wrong with wonderful educational games? Nothing. AND it has a place for headphone jack. So when So was asleep J could still play without waking her up! Greatness!

It is cliche, I know. But the best things for the kids when on a long car trip: toys, movies and FOOD. It is kind of like traveling with some sort of caged animal behind you. If they start to get loud or dangerously active, just throw some food back that way and happiness resumes.

Until Next time...

Road Trip - 2009

2009-08-12T20:45:00.004-05:00

So we have been planning a road trip since about April. The reason for our road trip was to see a shuttle launch. Unfortunetly due to circumstances beyond our control our launch got pushed back until the end of August. Well Scott couldn't change his vacation so we had to work with what we had. Our first plan was to go from Dallas to Savannah, Ga to Cape Canaveral, Fl. Well after the launch was delayed we decided to change up our plans.

I love doing things out of the ordinary, being different. One day I was looking at an old National Geographic Traveler, greatest drives of a lifetime. FLORIDA KEYS. So I was dead-set and determined to make that ~~two~~ three hour drive. So our plan was to leave *earlyyyyy* on Saturday, spend the night half-ish way then drive the rest of the way to Key West.

So I planned and planned. Looked at tripadvisor more than any crazy mother should. Picked a hotel, picked a different hotel, counted pennies, picked a third hotel, wondered if we really could live on hot dogs for a couple of weeks and then it all feel into place. We would still go to the Cape Canaveral area, more specially south to Melbourne Beach. We found the best family hotel Doubletree Hotel Melbourne Beach! (Seriously, it was perfect for our family of four).

So with that in mind I am going to post a series recap of our vacation. I will begin today detailing for anyone who thinks they can not travel with children (even TODDLERS!) for long distances. I am detailing to remind people that you can have an old fashioned family vacation. To shout from the rooftops that you can even do it on a semi shoe-string budget.

So hold on to your hats as I fish into my memory that longggggggg car ride, amazing views, fun snuggles with my baby, getting knocked down in the Atlantic with my boy and having a overall perfect vacation with my family.

p.s. we still like each other after this vacation!

Change

2009-07-23T20:32:00.003-05:00

Isn't it funny how change happens?

It happens daily to each and every human on earth. I love it. I have the tiny bit of excitement in my gut when things go terribly wrong. I love the problem solving. How are we going to change the road that we were on. I happily accept change in most parts of my life. Other part, I despise it. Loathe it. These parts of my life are when you are thrust into change where you can not see past the day you are on. Not that these are bad changes, just different points in my life where I didn't know what was going to happen next.

One of these moments happened at high school graduation (or around that time) but I knew where I was going. I was just nervous. That changed the moment I walked across the stage.

I have always know what I want to do in life. Isn't funny how some people just know. I never changed my major in college. AND I work in the field I majored in. Crazy. I know SO many people who wasted their years on a degree they do not use. (Though remember I am one for going away to college, so it isn't all lost). I love my job. Not always the hours, but I love my job. I still do not want to change it, just add to it.

I have always had the love of photography. From the first photography class I took at SFA. I loved it. Fell hard, I tell ya'! But with anything change got in the way. I focused more on the television side of journalism (obviously I chose correctly). I let the print/photojournalism fall down a bit (still majored in it but it went down a bit). Then fell in love, got married, had a beautiful little boy, graduated and then moved back home. Isn't funny though how you think back on things. My first out of college job was as a photographer/videographer for DCCCD. Then I moved to my current career. (I can still remember how happy I was when I found out). Photography fell again. So in an effort to bring it back. I am going to start a part-time portrait photography business. Why not, right? I have the ability, knowledge and heck even the degree. If it fails, oh well, at least I can tell J and S I did what I wanted.

Major life lesson to those two. Don't be afraid of failure! It happens. It is going to happen. Get ready for it.

So with that it is going! Call me if you want a session!

Fun. Family. Fourth.

2009-07-08T16:03:00.003-05:00

I have to say sometimes I do get tired of hosting family functions. That is until people start showing up.

I love having family over at our house to celebrate events. I am very big on celebrating life events with food, family and fun. Growing up we always had family birthdays. It was a given. It still baffles me when families do not have family birthday parties. We are adults who still have family birthday parties. Now as adults I would rather it be a less present oriented more celebrate family and life. It is slowly starting to turn this way.

Our 4th of July celebration was scheduled to begin at 5 ish, so I began trying new recipes early. I figured I could prepare things and then just pop them in the oven at the last minute. Worked well. Though S and I didn't quite have the most relaxing day, but that is ok. It was worth it!

I think we had the perfect blend of way too much food but good times with family.

The best part... We don't have another family event for a while! Yes! A bit of a break. Though we were going to remodel our downstairs bathroom. It is going to have to wait. We are investing that little bit of money into August!

I don't know what it is about us but we love our little family. I can't imagine spending time without them! They are the perfect blend of sweet and sassy.

Here is hoping for a restful July. And one that isn't too hot. Our poor A/C has been working overtime.

No Ranting today

2009-07-02T22:52:00.000-05:00

Well, ok just one little rant!

Why are some drivers so bad? Today while going to work I turned off a one way street onto a two way street. Well a man in a small car pulled infront of me in my lane! URGH! And then a car pulled behind him. Thing is, I was already in the lane! Downtown Dallas drivers! URGH!

Having some fun...

2009-06-23T18:18:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I guess we have been just having too much fun in our little family.

J is in swim lessons. He took to the water like a little fish. He really likes it, so much so that he has signed up for the next level of swim lessons. I am glad that he likes it.

S now has 5 teeth. She is also talking up a storm. Mostly it is babbling, but she can say Mommy, Daddy, (J, go, more, uh oh, nana, papa, ball, bye bye and some others.

Scott and I are doing well, working hard. Sometimes I wish that we could be off during the summer months like the kids will be. We just didn't choose that kind of career did we? Oh well.

So that is pretty much the last couple of weeks in a nutshell. I am going to *try* and blog more... Get some of the silly things that are on my mind out. (it is hard to watch the news all the time without forming opinions on what is going on around you).

Stay tuned...

Summer

2009-06-09T18:18:00.004-05:00

I love summer-time. Playing outside, pools, bbq, family, fun and fireflies. I have enjoyed finding fireflies with J. Scott has caught a couple, so J has seen them up close. So cool.

So this Saturday I am going to have a garage sale. I am nervous, feel like I am not ready for it but whatever. I am going to do it! Tomorrow I will clean out the upstairs. Everything that is garage sale material is being stored in the dining room. Thursday (while S sleeps) I hope to get some of the garage done. Then Friday will be a total catch up day to get ready. I am kind of nervous but what can I do. I am going to have it in the front yard. I need to make signs and go to the city for sign permits. Why is it so difficult? But I don't want to not have a permit and have the code lady pull up my sign!

2009-06-05T22:31:00.006-05:00

Here is a quick picture post.

We had our annual photo for the grandparents. It was nice. The kiddos looked great!

I love S's hair! I love being able to put pigtails in it!

And noticeably missing are my wonderful nieces. Not gonna comment on that any further!!!!!

J had his last day of preschool! How exciting! On the last day they hold a picnic...

S really enjoyed the swings!

Katie! Finally a picture with her not telling me "No!"

Jackson and Bryce! I am going to miss that boy. He is quite funny!

J and his school mates climbing.

And last but not least........ Mr. Brian was able to HOLD S! And I have proof!

If you don't already know. S does NOT like Mr. Brian. For the longest time, every time she sees him she would scream. Not sure why? But it was funny. Then slowly, she would just bury her head in us, so he couldn't see her. Then she would look with only one eye. The one day she just didn't run crying! I thought we were making progress! Finally he got a smile. And now... Well, see for yourself. She finally got brave enough to see him up close.

Silly baby!

Brain Freeze?

2009-05-14T21:31:00.004-05:00

Yes, I seem to have a brain freeze lately! My brain seems to be overflowing with so much stuff right now. Ahh, I need to get it out!

Well, that helped! In my head, I just yelled all that stuff.

So what has been going on lately? Um...

I registered J for Kindergarten! Can you believe it! My baby is going to start kindergarten in 3 and a 1/2 months! I am so happy for him. He is very excited.

He is still playing t-ball. I am very proud of him, he has gotten better and still likes going. So he has two more weeks of Sunshine School. Then the very next week he will have his Children's Theater Class! This time he is old enough for class from 9 am until 1:30pm. He has to take a lunch with him. I love that he remembers this class from prior years. He asked today what date does the audience get to come and watch :) My baby!

Then he will have swim lessons... Then he will rest for a while and enjoy summer. Then we will take a vacation! Yea!

Well what about S? I don't know what she will do this summer? Maybe swim lessons? She will start gymnastics in late September :) Yea! Mommy and me time! I still remember the first time I took J to his first gymnastics class! Wow, that was almost 4 years ago and he has had classes every week since! Ok, so the mind jumble in my head just realized that his gym has cost nearly $2400! Ok. mind is running again.

Ok, time to go back to work and figure out what kind of hotel we can afford and where the best place to stay is! But at least we can get IAFF discounts :)

Random Updates...

2009-04-22T20:27:00.003-05:00

I haven't updated in a while, but I am going to try to give any quickie family updates that I can...

- I finally took Easter pictures of the kiddos. I think I got some that I am happy with.

- S has been getting into everything! She loves climbing the stairs and she is very careful going back down.

- J is doing great. He starts kindergarten in about 4 months... He is so ready! He has some new Dick and Jane reader books. He is really working hard reading. Of course I am so proud of him.

- Family...hum, well we are all doing good. I love updates that include no drama. We have been saving money for some projects around the house. It is really fun working on the house.

- Work.... Work is still work. I love my job. A lady left a note on my car asking if I backed into hers. Um, no. I would have tried to find her if I did! I understand that she was just trying to find someone.

So that is the past week or so in a couple of sentences. Pictures to come, I hope!

Fire...

2009-04-14T21:18:00.002-05:00

There are times when I forget that Scott is a firefighter. Seriously. I just think in my head oh, he's at work. I really forget what he does.

Then there are times when I notice things he does. For example, a couple of months ago, a car was crushed by a gravel truck. I have the ability to watch straight from the cameras here at work, so I got to see a lot of the footage. I notice Scott was there. Then a little while later he called, said he took some pictures. Ok, so that isn't a big deal right. He worked a major wreck, it happens.

Then less than a week ago, there are wildfires on the other side of Fort Worth. I know that they will send a group from Dallas. I never in my wildest dreams thought Scott would go. I mean hello, there are 50-something stations in Dallas, there are a lot of choices. So when Scott calls to say, he is on the list to go, but it doesn't look likely. I think nothing really of it. Then he calls to say, he has to meet up at the Academy at 7:00, he is going. (it was 6:20) So I get on the phone with Emily to go get him extra insulin and snacks. He is diabetic but that will not get in his way of being a firefighter. So my lovely, excellent sister jumps in her car and takes him the things he needs. He is off. I didn't get to see him before he went, I didn't see him at all, since he left for work at 6:00am that morning. But still, I don't worry. I know he could be there a while. I am ok with that. He loves his job. I love mine. We support each other. Scott fought so many grassfires in Nacogdoches, that I know he knows what he's doing.

He gets home, safe and sound. Just a little tired.

But then... On Easter morning in Houston, two firefighters died in a one story house fire. A vet and a rookie (on his very first fire). I don't know these guys or their families. But I feel like I do. I know that they probably thought like I do, that they are fine. It is so cliche but you never know!

I know in a few months I will go back to not noticing that Scott is a firefighter, well except the soot smell and stained clothing. I will fall back into my routine. I love what he does. Well, I love that he loves what he does.

I will post some pictures of my wonderful fireman from the wildfires.

The Joy of....Cleaning...

2009-04-08T15:48:00.003-05:00

It is therapeutic. Well at least to me! It is hard for me to get rid of things that were my babies.

But I have learning that there is nothing they can really do with an old bouncy seat. Yes, they can make each other fly through the air but you know... nothing productive!

So I have spent a good amount of time gathering things for a garage sale. I have a very love/hate relationship with garage sales! I love getting the space cleared and making a little bit of money. I hate when people sneer their noses at the great clothes that my child wore the first time they went to the mountains!

(Except for the fact I kept special clothes like that in my ONE box I am allowing myself to keep!)

But you get the idea. I have memories of my babies in all the clothes, so when someone sneers at them and says, "25 cents?" expect me to snap back, "No! It is a dollar!" Because if it doesn't sell at this garage sale, I will sell it at a consignment sale that I will get my dollar!

Ok. That was nice and therapeutic also!

Today, I moved all the garage sale items to one side of the garage. This by no means means (funny words <-- ) that my garage is "clean" to the standard I want it to be. But it does look good! I have a couple of areas I still want to go through before this weekend. But I am well on my way!

Behind...

2009-03-30T20:07:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like you are playing catch-up with your daily life? I have felt like this lately. I am not sure why. Actually, I have a pretty good idea why but do not want to admit it.

First off, S turned 1! I can't believe how much she has grown over this past year. I know that sounds like a cliche, she went from existing in mommies tummy to a walking, babbling ball of energy. She is EVERYWHERE. She is a climber. She climbs on anything but her favorite is the couch and staircase. I love it. She just gets into whatever she wants and doesn't care if we say no. She is so alive! And she is in love with her brother! They have that connection that I dreamt about when I was pregnant. It is a great. J likes to play with her and she loves to play with him.

I could talk about S and J all day. But I will not, so don't worry. So next comes the stress of the economy. Now, fortunately, we have not been much affected by the current economic problems. We know how quickly it could happen though. My company announced a couple of weeks ago they were planning layoffs. I really like the company I work for, except for the fact that they are sometimes brutal with layoffs. So in the midst of S turning one, Scott's truck getting up there (13) and starting to show it's age, I was worried about maybe being laid off. Yea. Great. Just what I wanted extra stress.

Well thankfully, I was not laid off. But people who I have worked with for a couple of years were. It is hard to be here when everything changes. But there is nothing I nor anyone else can do about it.

So... here I am now. Feeling overwhelmed with things to do, t-ball, getting J ready for kindergarten, work, S (just being her) and wondering if we have handled major decisions in the best way. I think we have. It really is just hard starting off. (Again, with the cliche) I think we are doing good. Now if a couple of thousand wants to fall out of the sky and hit me on the head, go right ahead!

So goodbye for now. I will be blogging more since it does help with relaxation.

Tomorrow, J's first t-ball game!!!! I am so excited!

1...

2009-03-22T07:44:00.004-05:00

It is hard to imagine that S is 1. This year has gone by so fast. Mostly because S is the best baby, hardly cries, loves to play, has the best personality. I think J's first year went by slower, but then again now he is 5!

Here are a few pictures from my wonderful S's Alice in Wonderland Party.

So little time, so much to do...

2009-02-20T18:01:00.004-06:00

That is how I feel lately. There is always something to do. I don't try to do everything but sometimes if you miss on thing, then a pile started and I just get swamped. I need to get on the ball and plan more about S's party.

I need to start prep for Easter. I can't believe how fast it will be here. I want to things to be great.

But lately I have been feeling like things are just piling up and it is hard to stay on top of it all. Either there is just something to do or when I am ready to get down and dirty in housework, Scott has had a long night at work and wants to sleep. It is a talent to be able to clean and entertain an 11 month old at the same time. Especially when she does NOT like the vacuum.

So what is a person to do? I don't know. I need to make my plan to get on top of everything. I used to have time at work to plan my week but since our move at work (3 weeks ago) things don't always work right and there is more to do until the rest of the production dept. moves. Then things like last night happen and machines just quit working. What to do? Things are slowly starting to die down. I am hoping that it will begin to get some sort of routine back in my day!

We are half of our scheduling problem. I said back in January that I wanted to work out or walk more. Well I just haven't. There are no excuses for it other than I just haven't been keeping up with it like I want to. I need to but *something* else always creeps up. I need to work on that! It is going to be a challenge but I really do.

And sometimes we just forgo cleaning for a picnic at the arboretum. Why not? Our kids won't be little for long. When they are bigger we might not have the time to just go for a Wednesday lunch picnic. I want to enjoy them as much as possible.

So my plan as of, um, well today. I AM going to get things in order! I am going to get on top of garage sale items. The clutter that is sufficating our home, old things that we don't use or clothes that we are too big for. I AM going to get my workout in, even if that means spending the full amount of money to get a bike trailer for S to sit in. I AM going to figure out how to do everything that I need to do even if Scott isn't available to help. (Can you blame the guy, they are busy down there!)

That is it. I AM!

Oh, yea, did I mention that we are going to start tee-ball?! And this weekend starts the TWO HOUR practices on Saturday and Sunday! But at least during the week he won't have practice just a game or two...

So thankfully my mom and dad will be watching S during his first practice, since Scott will be at work and I don't even want to try to hold her for two hours! It is so hard because I hate asking someone to watch her when I really could do it but it would just make it easier to not.

It's been a while!

2009-02-11T20:56:00.003-06:00

Well we got all moved to our new/old building. Not so bad, it is smaller than what we were used to. The equipment is newer and some is older. It is ok. Hard to get used to but we are getting there!

S got her first TOOTH! Yea! She is getting so big so fast! It is hard to keep up with her. She is trying to walk.

J has his first loose tooth. But he is afraid to pull it!

Gotta get back to work for a while!

Quickie Recap

2009-01-21T22:41:00.003-06:00

I have been busy and not busy all at the same time. So here is a quick update of what's going on...

* J finally got better! It was not strep, which was good. But still why was his fever 102 up and down for 4 days? Doc thinks viral infection but told us to keep him on the antibiotic that he pres. in case it had anything to do with crazy peanut butter crackers J devours (he only had a fever no other salmonella symptoms so it really isn't that). They did say to bring him in immediately if his fever returns. But he is not complaining about anything so I am thinking just a stinky viral infection too.

* S is 10 months old! I am starting to plan her party, which will be a Mad Hatter Tea Party! I have found cool daisies on Oriental Trading's website, so it will be flowery and magical!

* I am having my nieces birthday this weekend and it is cool because my house is in such good shape! I love it!

* We completed our Fasting! We made it! We are keeping some of the diet but not all, I do like my dairy and meat! It is funny how limiting your food intake really does clear up other aspects of your life.

* Taxes = almost done! I love the new S credits! Plus the extra $300 stimulus since she was born in 2008.

Well that seems to be it! Oh yea, we are moving into the next building on 31st (work) so it should be interesting!

Sick Little Man...

2009-01-16T22:14:00.004-06:00

My little boy is sick. He has been sick since Wednesday night. He has a fever that goes up and down with Motrin (up to 102.9, 103 today). We visited our very favorite doctor today and he ruled out Flu (which was good because he just got his flu shot two weeks ago). And has semi ruled out Strep, he didn't trust the rapid test, so we are waiting for the other. But since it is the weekend it will be Monday before we know. So we have to keep the kids separated and treat J as contagious. Luckily he is on antibiotics and he likes his pallet upstairs.

So I stocked up on Gatorade to make sure the little man gets his fluids. Poor Baby! And of course my silly, sneaky girl keeps trying to get to the stairs, I guess to see her brother. He really is a super hero to her!

Prior Planning...

2009-01-13T22:06:00.002-06:00

Prevents Poor Performance....

So with that, I am trying to start planning my baby girl's birthday party. Yes it is early but really it is only 65 days until her birthday. In that time, we will be moving our work space (31st as of today). I will have Valentine's Day, Home improvements, Spring Break, Anniversary, Super Bowl and whatever else I have to start planning.

Now the questions swirling in my head... What kind of party?

Plain Party City girl 1 Pary

Spring Flowery Party

Mad Hatter Tea Party

Pink Party

Princess Party

Since this will really be the only party she can not decide what she wants, I am confused. This will most likely be the only party I can decide on for her. Everything else from here on out I will just have to go with what she wants. I got comfortable with boy parties! Baseball, Blues Clues, Thomas, Buzz and Batman!

Cleaning Part 1 of (who knows)= check!

2009-01-12T21:37:00.002-06:00

J's harry potter closet is cleaned out! Now it will need one more overhaul at a later date but it is good for now!

Next up kitchen!

Silly kids

2009-01-11T23:12:00.003-06:00

J:" i use a tennis racket like this..." ( he plays air guitar)

Dances around a bit then i hear this. "i still got it" and he sits the racket down!

Blah.

2009-01-10T22:28:00.002-06:00

Well with more enegry my blogging brain freeze might have returned... Or all my brain is saying is Laundry, laundry, laundry, Burger King, Laundry, laundry...

Since I can't go to Burger King, I guess second place for me is Laundry! YEA!

P.S. Who wears all these clothes? I know who buys them *snicker*. I might have a problem! The first step is admitting it right? Just wait to spring and S is walking, oh the sandels!

Not so bad!

2009-01-09T21:28:00.003-06:00

Day 2 is down and we survived! I have found some great vegan recipes that work. Not so bad!

No headache today, thank goodness! And it is FRIDAY! WOOHOO! I plan on hanging out with the kids. Maybe a visit to Mamo's house. When the kids go to bed tomorrow I plan on cleaning out my Harry Potter closet! Put all the family games away in there so they have a home. That will also be a good place to put stuff that is J's that S doesn't need to mess with. Eventually I guess backpacks can live there too, and shoes!

Oh the plans for my little Harry Potter Closet!

Day 1 : Daniel Fast

2009-01-08T21:40:00.003-06:00

Today was hard. There is nothing more about it that I can say. I don't know what is harder, doing this fast or the worry of Scott doing it.

A slight backstory: We contacted Scott's endocrinologist before we decided to do this. We did not want, in anyway, to harm his health. If you didn't know, Scott is type 1 diabetic. I really trust his diabetes doctor's at UT Southwestern. So far they have far surpassed any expectations that I have. So when we heard back that it was in fact really healthy for him, as long as we strictly followed his calorie/carb/blood sugar levels.

So for us, this is where we started. More than the normal how many starches are in a certain food group, guestimate size of portions. He takes care of his diabetes and really knows his food groups. He gets to go to diabetes management classes that help him. I don't. I never got to take classes on how to prepare diabetic meals. I don't get to go every 3 months to find out exactly what needs to be done. Well, in the past 3 days I have had a crash course! Let me tell you, I can almost by heart give serving size of carbs and calories for our normal fruits and veggies. It is weird. What I don't know, I will soon thanks to some helpful books my mom is going to give me!

Also we have been checking his blood sugar every hour to make sure it stays in normal range. It has gone down a low (for him) a couple of times but still not bad. Scott's blood sugar has actually stayed in a normal persons range most of the day. So tomorrow will be hard for him, but as I have told him this is a spiritual walk that for him does not necessarily mean he has to stick to it. If he needs something he is going to take it because his body is different.

He had a headache for a while today, so did I. From what I have read online it is one of the many fun things that will be going on while our bodies detoxify. I cleaned out our pantry and fridge of most of the processed foods. I didn't throw it away but I packed pantry food and put it in a box in the corner of the dining room. I couldn't believe what all we had in there! We have a drawer for J in the fridge since he is not on the diet.

So while, for me, I might get a headache, I can get past it. Why? Because I have a lot on my side! I will not give into temptations that my body may be going through because the spirit is with in me working hard.

I may be weak, but he is strong!

Brain Freeze Part Two?

2009-01-07T21:33:00.008-06:00

I mean really! I am getting tired of having so many thoughts in my head that I am unable to finish!

I got my notebook, so I have begun writing them down again. It really does help to clear out my head but now I am just overloading with thoughts!

So hear is some of my randomness that is or isn't really important but that is floating around in my head:

* J: has got to focus on some of his silliness. When I am trying to teach him to read and spell, he gets the sillies and tries to joke. I know that he can spell his three letter words but for some reason he says he doesn't know or uses completely different letters?

* S: Sweet little girl has her first ear infection, she is grumpy and upset but cuddly

* Seriously Larry Flynt, you are SERIOUSLY going to waste Congresses time by asking for a porn industry bail out?

* My poor minivan: What is that noise that you are making as I drive? I am going to HAVE to take you back to the shop to check. You didn't start making a noise until had your tires changed? Did you want your brakes done too?

* I really need to get on the ball and rake my leaves

* I have so much cleaning out that I need to do. I need to rid us of all the junk in our lives! (Of course, part of that is to earn the money for my sweet little camera that I am going to get!)

Brain freeze...

2009-01-06T22:17:00.002-06:00

That is what I have today. A blogging brain freeze.

So all I have to offer today is did you know that 1 head of boiled cabbage with not salt has 786% daily value of vitamin C?

I didn't either!

Epiphany = Check....

2009-01-05T23:38:00.004-06:00

Today I got to stay at home and have a nice Texas icy day at home. And then I cooked Armenian food for my family. I have to say, I didn't do so hot on the dolma. I usually make it better? I think it was because I didn't use my usual rice and not enough dill! Time to make a trip to the Central Market Spice aisle!

So this official ends my crazy weird days off for the holidays. I am kind of bummed about going back to the normal schedule of M - F but I guess with the impending doom, I mean move, it should stay interesting.

Not to mention I am so excited about the week of inauguration! But not for the actual inauguration, I can not wait for LOST to come back on! And I get LOST and Burn Notice in the same week! I love my TV! What a great week of it!

Daniel's Fast

2009-01-04T23:38:00.003-06:00

We are going to participate in a church wide Daniel Fast. If you don't know what that is here is:

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ‘Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.’ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.”

Well there is alot more too it, so if you want more info google, Daniel Fast.

Ok so Scott is very excited to do this, me not so much. I guess I just love my meat that it will be hard and challenging. Well that is the name of the game this New Year, right? So starting on Thursday (Jan. 9) we will begin a total veggie/fruit/nut and water diet. Yea! J and S will NOT be affected by this, they also will NOT be participating (although with the exception of bread J kind of does this now, since we eat organic peanut butter) So it will be even more tempting since we will have to fix them food to maintain their health while not eating it ourselves.

I wonder if I will make it?

Change: Weather

2009-01-03T20:17:00.001-06:00

So today it was around 78 degrees, tomorrow should be in the low 40's. That is some change for ya'!

Texas weather gotta love it!

Coolest thing since sliced bread... Sliced Christmas Tree!

2009-01-02T22:41:00.002-06:00

I love a deal. So much so that I frequently browse the outlet section at JcPenney online. Sometimes you find just what you want, like my oh-so-Pottery-barn-esque chandelier in my dining room.

So today I am browsing and low and behold look what I found!

A Half Christmas tree. I did some googling and found a site where a woman thinks it is an abomination. I think it is GREAT! I am half (no pun intended) tempted to buy it for the kitchen! It would be perfect to be flat against the wall! Then I would have a Christmas tree in every room of my downstairs! (Minus the half bath, a full size tree will just not fit!)

So cool or just plain weird? If I get it at least it could be a good conversation piece!

P.S. Or get two and place them on opposite sides of a wall, heheheh!

Change.

2009-01-01T23:21:00.004-06:00

That is the watchword of the month. Every day I will be posting and it will have some relevance one change. It might not be within our family, state or even country. Though I will keep the posts what I think and my honest opinions.

So to start. Today is a worldwide day of change. The beginning of a New Year. Is the last year wiped clean? Does the clock ticking away second by second, by pause (leap second) by second make this moment different than the last moment?

Yes, it does. I think it doesn't only happen on January 1st though. Every moment has an instance of the present, then it becomes the past. It might be a hurtful, harmful or ugly past but it does quickly become the past. You can not change that. Nothing you can do or wish for in the few precious present moments we have or the daydreaming future moments will change what has already happened.

So what now? Now you live. If you make a mistake it might be painful to you or others. There is something you can do though to correct future mistakes, CHANGE.

I want to change my weight. Honestly. Has it been difficult for me? Well I could answer yes but that would be a lie. It would only be a lie because I haven't changed enough of what I can to make this happen. Yes we a lot of organic foods. We have pretty balanced meals. But I don't exercise like I should. Why? I don't know. Well that there is a lie that just crept up also. I know why I haven't exercised. I haven't REALLY wanted to! I have wanted to spend every moment that I don't have cooking, cleaning or working just being with S and J. I know that we will probably not have any more babies, so I am really enjoying S! I know that next year I will not get to see my son more than a hour a day (when he wakes up before school) except on weekends because of my work schedule! I know that it will be heartbreaking for me and for him. I know that I love my job and do not want to change but have to figure out a balanced life? (Let me tell you how much of a pain I will be volunteering at that school!)

So today on this first day of the New Year, I am going to change. I am going to enjoy my little morning time walking with my children. Yes I will get my exercise AND get to spend my time with my loves.

December 31st, 2008

2008-12-31T20:53:00.003-06:00

Well, this is it! This is the last day of 2008. I really think we were on fast forward this entire year!

It has been a very blessed one! Our biggest blessing was our beautiful daughter S.

S, S, S! She is a toot! If anyone knows J, then you know it is in their blood. I guess the perfect mixture of Scott and I are two silly, stubborn, matter of fact, happy and intelligent little people.

You know, everyone always wishes for things in the New Year and makes resolutions that they promise they will keep. I don't think I keep resolutions very well, but maybe I can try.

So my wishes for the New Year are:

* Our family to have peace with their lives. I hope that our family as a whole and each individual family member will not wish for what is crazy but realize what they have is a blessing.

* For our friends to be blessed with the joys that so many people take for granted. It is a hard road.

* For J who will be going to his first years of school to open his mind to learning. To be able to socialize well with the other children and not to loose the boy his today to try to fit in with smelly-gross-nose-picking children.

* For S to keep learning so much so fast. But I want S not to grow so fast. Let me keep holding you until you fall asleep sometimes. Snuggle with you and enjoy your big slobbery, wet open mouthed kisses.

* For Scott to have a great year. To not work so hard and enjoy the time we have together. To keep being the wonderful husband that he is.

* For me to try and be the mother and wife that I want to be and should be. To not get so frustrated at people when they are clearly making wrong decisions. To not give more of myself than I will receive to people who do not care.

Ok, now on to some resolutions:

Weight: This will be my big one this year. Baby weight needs to disappear! I am going to challenge myself to work out 4 days a week for three months. (Little goals!)

Eating: To eat more fruits and veggies. I eat a good amount now but it is still not enough of a variety.

Cleaning: Boy I don't like messy things but sometimes get overwhelmed. I want to really set in my routine so that I am not cleaning all weekends! I want to free up my weekends!

Wants: I am going to inventory the house and have a MAJOR garage sale! I am saving up to buy my dream camera! I do not want to take money from our family. I can not knowingly spend that much money if it is not purposefully set aside. If I can save/earn at least $500 I don't mind using $150 from our money. I want my camera!

Well that is it! I hope everyone have a great New Years! Ours will have started of good. Scott is working on the rescue tonight, so if you live in Oak Cliff please don't get into any wrecks or get too drunk or shoot guns outside. Heart attacks and normal medical issues are ok but not stupidity!

Shots... and maybe too much tv?

2008-12-29T23:56:00.004-06:00

J had his 5 year check up today! He did great. He was very very nervous but it is kind of to be expected. His doc ask him some questions about his birthday, he explained it perfectly except that he explain his 4 year old party not his 5 year old party? Hum, yes very nervous little boy.

The check up went well, he seems just fine. And no shots! Wait, no, he hasn't had a flu shot yet! Whoops! So he got a flu shot today. So if you don't have or haven't had children in a long time here is how that went.

Doctor: The nurse will be in in just a minute to give you one shot.

J: Ok
waiting patiently, even told me where he was going to get the shot.
Nurse: Hello, could you sign here and initial here, here and here...
J: Am I going to get my shot?
N: Yes, raise your pant leg up (he was wearing windpants) and sit back on the table.
J would not lean back! So I had to help him, which I think in his mind was more like strapping him down.
Me: J it is ok just lean back (gentle force to get him to lean back)
J: NOOOOOOOOO! I can't BREATHE! I can't BREATHE! I CAN't BREATHE!
N: It's over.
J: (Scream, cry in pain. Hops of the table limping, holding his leg.) Then two seconds outside of the door says
That wasn't so bad, I'm ok now!

So either Noggin has started airing medical dramas or he knows what to say to try to get the nurses attention.

NaBloPoMo, again?!?!

2008-12-29T00:00:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am going to try this again! I did it in November (even if some of the post were seriously lacking any content). So let's see if I can make one post per day for the entire month of January.

It really helps that I don't have two vacations plus a major Holiday to contend with this go 'round.

Anyone going to join me?

Christmas...

2008-12-28T20:43:00.005-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! It felt jam packed but then really the little time off from work has been great!

First the 23rd I worked overnight. I am really glad I don't have to do that all the time! So I got off at 7 on the 24th. I had to get a little more shopping done but was dead tired. So I went home to catch some zzz's. Then we had to get the shopping done and get ready for going to my grandmothers.

Had a good time with the family... Though we are going to have to really sort out the "drawing names" ordeal since poor Kate got left out!

Scott, of course, had to work on Christmas Day (though technically I did too {Thanks Larry!}) so we decided to keep Christmas on Christmas. J is really into the fact that Christmas is on it's specific day. I know when he and S get a bit old we can move days around but for now we will just have to make due! So we got the kids to bed, then started straightening up and getting everything ready! We didn't have "santa snow footprints" this year. I figured since the high was suppose to be in the upper 60's and since Mom would have to clean it all up alone before guest arrived, that the snow must have melted in the chimney.

So we sat our alarms for 4:30am! Boy was that hard to wake up to. We wanted to wake J up kind of cool. We tried having Scott ring the bells we had in front of his room. (In hopes that J would hear think it was Santa and come running into our room) Well J is a hard sleeper. He grunted and rolled over. So finally I went near his room and rang those little bells so loud that S woke up, which helped J wake up. After a few minutes of just being upset that someone woke them up, they realized what it was.

J ran downstairs and started looking around. S, well, she almost fell asleep on my shoulder. J was so happy though. Presents were open and loved. Dad went to work and I went to cooking.

Family began to arrive, we ate, we sat, we talked. I had a really good time just being with family. After it was all over I had a mound of dishes. Em took J to meet the new puppies that they got. S pooped out in her bed so I did dishes.

I thought to myself, you know there are two ways of looking at this pile of dishes. 1). Man, why do I have to clean it all up by my self when I could be sitting on the couch watching tv?
2) Wow, I have a great, huge, obnoxious, loving family who got to spend a holiday sitting around my house eating some pretty good food (hence the dishes) all while enjoying each others company.

Well it wasn't until I actually put the last dish away that S woke up. So I didn't choose which way I was going to look at the mound-o-dishes. Hey there is always Easter :)

Why is it difficult?

2008-12-18T21:34:00.004-06:00

Ok so before you go any further this is a woman-ly post. Well to be correct a woman-ly and mother-ly post...

Go back now if you are not prepared...

Ok, well why is nursing such a difficult thing? It is excruciatingly emotional to start. Once you get the hang of it then it is very easy. Then your baby decides it is time to wean. Yes that is right, not really my choice but S's. She would rather sit holding her own bottle than take the time to nurse. Which is fine because I had all kinds of stereotypical thoughts about nursing from the beginning. I didn't want to if the baby: got teeth, could walk for it or could ask for it. Well 1 out of 3 is the beginning. What can you do? So we made it 9 months without having to buy more than 1 can of formula! And we made it 8 months before we opened that one can!

She doesn't mind at all having a bottle or formula. So of course the emotional side gets left on Mom. Not to mention the kind of painful side. I guess I can take it pretty soon she will be on regular milk and real food!