Mommy's Marblez

Just a quick tip...

2010-06-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today and the rest of the week really I'm going to be super duper busy so I may not be on here all that much. BUT...one great tip I wanted to share. Since I'm really busy with training for work and getting ready for my grandmothers 85th birthday, my poor son has to really fend for himself sometimes. Of course I'm always watching him, but he's got to keep himself company playing outside or inside.

I have dedicated the bottom drawer in our refrigerator to Simon. In there I have put individual cheddar cheese sticks, gogurts, and snack packs of grapes and cut up strawberries. That way when he's ready for a snack, he can go in there and get it himself. Of course he has to ask me first but they're available! Oh and I keep the banana's within his reach too. Of course he doesn't eat all of these things all day, but in those times when he's hungry (and lets face it, right now he's always hungry, he's a growing boy!) I like to keep some things handy where he can get it himself.

Fathers day

2010-06-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

I know this is a bit late in the day, but we still have 22 minutes of Fathers Day so I wanted to say "HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!" to all of our dads. I have to say I have been fortunate enough to have a wonderful father in my life. I feel sorry for so many who have not grown up with their fathers or those who's fathers chose to stay out of their lives. My dad was such an intricate part of my upbringing and someone who I have much respect for. He's our rock in our family and one that we go to for advice on BBQing, finances, and our how to guy. Much love to my papa!

Simon is extremely fortunate to have a wonderful father in his life too! My dear husband is an incredible father. Simon waits until his dad gets home from work everyday and most of the time at around 5 o'clock, I have a very happy little boy. I truly thank God for Darren being a wonderful father who loves nothing more than being with his boy and will do whatever he needs to do to make sure that we want for nothing.

As for food...almost nothing was cooked tonight. At daddy's request, I made beans on toast with an egg on top. I didn't get a picture of it because my stomach was giving me needless problems so I wanted to just go lay down. Of course dad and son ate it all up which is always nice! It's a traditional English meal that you can eat at any time of the day. It's basically toast, with baked beans (or pork & beans in tomato sauce here in the US) poured on top of the buttered toast, with an egg on top of the beans. I know it sounds weird, gross, or strange, but I assure you, once you try it, you'll like it!

As for last night, I had a request from Simon for some fried rice. I think he was thinking of the curry fried rice I make, but I made him "traditional" fried rice. I can tell you this was NOT good at all. I made it as said, but I did add some peas and carrots and this just tasted too salty and way too much sesame oil. I didn't like it one bit and neither did Simon, although daddy ate it up.

Luckily we had some yummy baked sweet & sour chicken. I have made this recipe a few times and will continue to do so because it's delicious! I did not line my pan with foil, simply because I didn't have any and to be honest, it worked out for the best. Occasionally my chicken would stick to the foil but the one time I didn't use foil and just sprayed the pyrex generously with PAM, it didn't stick. Now bear in mind this DOES make quite a bit. Enough to have at least two full meals (by full meals, enough to feed a family of four). I like to make that amount that way we can have leftovers for lunch or to use it for another dinner.

Wanna see my buns?

2010-06-18T18:40:00.001-07:00

I made my own sesame seed buns today and they turned out fabulous!! I really cannot tell you how liberating it feels to make your own food. No preservatives, nothing you can't pronounce, just basic ingredients. I don't feel chained to the grocery store and if I'm out of something, I just make it. I cut our leftover mini meatloaves in half and made mini sliders with french fries (home made of course). It was an absolute hit with the family and something that will be made on a regular basis.

In my kitchen...

2010-06-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today how my best investment ever has been my Sunbeam bread machine. I got it about two years ago from amazon.com for $35 and it has saved hundreds of dollars! Now it's double that price, but to be honest, I'd still pay it. I make bread, yeast rolls, cinnamon rolls, and have even made jam. Honestly the jam was a bit of a waste because it didn't make that much and we go through jam like crazy in our household. Anyway, yesterday was a full day of cooking and baking.

First off, I made some chili soup, which is yummy and full of fiber. I didn't have macaroni noodles but did have fideos so that's what I used and it worked just fine! I did also add some cayenne pepper to give it a bit of a kick. I've decided that weekly, I'm going to make a big container of soup to eat for lunch. Lunch has always been my downfall. I'm generally good during breakfast and mostly during dinner, but lunch has always been difficult. I sometimes wait too late to eat therefor when I finally get a chance to eat, I scarf down whatever I can and it's not good so I'm determined to eat some healthy soups. Of course healthy is the key here. There are tons of soups out there that are the equivalent of eating a cheeseburger with fries so I'm sure to look for good soups.

Then I made some buttery yeast rolls BUT...made them for cinnamon rolls. Now I know that's not healthy but I wanted to try them and wanted to make some for my husband to take to work. They turned out pretty good for my first time I must say but after putting the mixture of butter, sugar and cinnamon was very dirty. The yeast rolls are very fluffy and are meant to roll into balls to rise again, but I tried to roll them out which was okay but after rolling them up and then cutting them, my counter, knife, and myself were terribly dirty. That being said, they turned out to be pretty good for my first time.

After that I finally made my meatloaf. This was recommended by a friend and they turned out yummy! I did what my friend Dori suggested and invested in a good muffin pan. Wilton I believe and I'm really glad that I did. I had about two pounds of ground beef, a box of Stove Top Stuffing (chicken flavor), and egg and about 3/4 cup of milk. I mix it all up and made it into little balls then patted them down into my muffin pans. I had too much meat mixture to fit into the twelve slots so I got my little muffin pan that has six and three fit in there. I was going to make creamed spinach to go along with it but was too tired and time was not on my side so I just made green beans and mashed potatoes. Obviously we had too a lot of leftovers so today, I'm going to make homemade hamburger buns and use those little mini meatloaves and make sliders with french fries.

Sad

2010-06-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how silly I can really be at times. Especially when it comes to death. If someone dies that I haven't seen in a while, I am of course instantly sad when I first hear the news, but when I hang up the phone, I kind of go about my business thinking of that person and when I last saw them. In my mind, they're not gone and it's not real. To me, they're hundreds of miles away doing their thing and I'm doing mine, the way it's been done since the last time I saw them. That is until I actually see the obituary. Then, it becomes real and the sadness becomes real.

A family friend that I have known literally all my life lost her husband, Ricardo Torres, Jr. Monday. He was too young, she was too young, it's just terribly tragic. 41 years old is too young to have to plan a funeral for your husband. 41 years old is too young to die. Ricardo was married to my sisters best friend, Melissa. As I said, I've known Missy all my life and wanted to be like her when I was younger (still do lol). She met Ricardo and they married in 1995. He was a great compliment to Missy because she always had and still has a great smile with perfect teeth, just like my sister. He had an equally wonderful smile and was just a decent guy with a calming demeanor. I really cannot imagine the loss that is felt by Missy and their families and I pray for them.

May our brother in Christ finally be at peace and may the Lord accept him with open arms.

Sittin' pretty

2010-06-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

Finally, at 11:29pm I'm sitting down to "relax". Is relaxation even something we moms are able to do? I'm watching a Young & the Restless episode on DVR and trying to think what else I can do to tweak my latest English Chinese Curry recipe attempt. This one was pretty good, but definitely needs room for improvement, as with anything. You really have no idea how difficult it is to get an English style recipe for food that's not English if you get what I'm saying. We haven't been to London in about 4 years and that's the longest we've gone so naturally my husband starts missing his comfort foods. I naturally want to make him comfortable so in I go giving it the old college try.

He was gracious in his review and gave me some great constructive criticism which I already knew about the recipe but needed confirmation in his critique. I didn't have the luxury of curry paste so I had to make my own. I had a bit of coconut milk, curry powder, ground tumeric, ground cardamom seeds and a bit of cinnamon. Next time I will definitely add some honey for the sweetness and I did add some flour to thicken up the sauce. I didn't cook any veggies with this, well other than the peas that were in the recipe, but I will definitely cook some veggies. Birdseye Asian Medley is delicious and would go great with it.

I think I could probably eat Asian or Indian food every night of the week so finding new recipes is a must!

Tomorrow is my final day in the Amish friendship starter bag so I can make some yummy Amish bread. I have to say I'm really taking to cooking, especially from scratch. I don't see the need to buy anything prepackaged because it's a waste of money and definitely doesn't taste as good. In fact, a lot of the time it tastes like what it is...processed.

Speaking of bread, I'm having difficulties with my Amish white bread splitting. I found an awesome website with some great tips and I can't wait to try them. I think I'll probably be cooking a lot tomorrow...again.

As for dinner, I have no idea what will be on the agenda tomorrow. Since I plan on baking a lot, I may as well do a meat loaf, something easy. A dear friend of mine came over for dinner Saturday night and brought some mini meatloaves made with milk, egg, and stove top stuffing in 2lbs of ground beef. It was some of the yummiest meatloaf I've ever had. I usually make an Italian meatloaf but for a more traditional meatloaf, this hit the spot. I made this with a corn/cream cheese concoction (again, another friend recipe). It was a quick, easy, yet yummy dinner so I think that's what will be on tomorrows agenda.

Hey good lookin...

2010-06-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

What am I cookin'? I used to listen to Anthony Bourdain and thought that Rachael Ray was a lame chef/cook whatever you want to call her. Bourdain might know a lot about cooking, and food, but does he know how it is to cook a yummy meal on a budget with a toddler running around? Probably not. I was recently in a slump and had Food Network on TV and Rachael Ray was on. I admit her voice is a little annoying but I thought, what the hey...I'm gonna check her out. SO...I watched her and lo and behold she had an awesome recipe that used pretty much everything I had. Mind you, this is when I was watching my friends kids and I wanted to make something healthy and good, something I'd want my son to eat if he was at someones house. Anyway...she had this recipe and I made this simply by watching what was on her show.

Mind you...I didn't do the whole thing verbatim. I substituted the white wine with chicken stock, and I made instant mashed potatoes minus the apples and brie. For one, I didn't have brie and I didn't add the apples because I didn't have apples LOL. But I followed everything else the way it was written. I got glowing reviews from all at the table and it was a very simple dish. And yes...I am a Rachael Ray fan now.

And on to everyday life...I have been super busy training for a new position with Westathome. If anyone is looking to work from home, feel free to click on that link and check it out. Now that I work at home, lots of people are asking me how I do it and that is how! It's wonderful that companies like these give moms like me an opportunity to actually DO some work from home so we can be home with our little ones. I remember being small and wishing my mom stayed home with me and sometimes faking sick just to be home with her. I know she did what they had to do and I appreciate it all but I have always wanted to stay home and be with my kiddo no matter what age he is and now that he's going to start school, I feel it's double important that I am here when he gets home. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to bring in much needed money AND be home for my son. No one to answer to if he gets sick or just needs extra attention and NO office politics!!

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me and I'd be happy to help any way I can.

MAMA DRAMA!!

2010-05-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, for anyone who has been following the Real Housewives series, you KNOW how much drama they have! Well right now, I'm following two LOL ( Call me a Housewive Whore) and Holy Estrogen Batman...these chicks will fight and argue over ANYTHING!! I swear a chicken wouldn't walk on all those eggshells they've got set up!

I don't think I could ever live like that and have those "friends". Seriously, this is why I enjoy having the friends I do, because you don't have to walk on eggshells or be scared every little thing is gonna piss them off and you certainly don't have to be worried they're gonna call you out in front of a crowd! LOL Oy vey....for some reason Jill Zarin comes to mind. I'm happy in my little middle class neighborhood and yes it sucks to not be able to spend $20,000 on a shopping spree but I'd take Target any day over Saks if it means I can have real friends and real relationships!

I started posting something about this yesterday but had to promptly shut down my computer because of some nasty storms we got. I found a JOB!! Like a JOB JOB, like one where I'm hired and stuff! I still have my gig with LiveOps but I found one with more stable income and I'm so excited! I'm telling anyone who will listen!! WWW.WOMENFORHIRE.COM is awesome!! They have a lot of legitimate work at home jobs and some have small fees but none will ask you to give a considerable amount of money (to me, a considerable amount is over $100) and I have found great success with them. I'm always hearing women talk about how they'd love a work at home job and then nothing happens...well you can work at home if you don't look!!! Anyway...I'm off to make my coffee, my day is just getting started and I foresee Sams Wholesale Club in my future.

Life in general

2010-05-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

I was in such a slump the last few weeks and I am slowly forcing my way out of it. I'm really not meant to stay indoors for a long period of time, so this is unusual for me. A few great things that came out of this is I have been cooking like a champ, which my husband is super happy of and I've also been able to work some (although not enough) but now I'm ready to venture out in the the world of the living!

I have Simon's fourth birthday coming up next week which should be fun. My whole family is coming in to celebrate with us and of course we'll have a fabulous cake made from our own cake baker. I have to be honest, I'm not much of a child's party planner. I tend to forget things and someone always has to pick up my slack, but not this year! This year I'm making it simple and orchestrated. My husband and I agreed on a date ahead of time and agreed on the menu. What's on the menu? Hot Dogs, Chips, and cake. That's it. I'm slowly learning the people don't always judge you and what you give them, they'll likely accept and with pleasure! I know if I were to go to a party (and I have) with just hot dots and potato chips, I've been as happy as a clam and so has Simon!! So why in the world in my mind, do I feel the need to have a buffet of food and then I get so overwhelmed I do nothing?!? Not this year, I'm finally realizing that it's okay to have something simple yet delicious and that the parties are for the kiddos and to stop being so self conscious! It's a party, a celebration and I'm sure people will just have fun when their kiddos are having fun ;o) And the cake...ahh the cake. That is surly the piece de resistance! I'll be sure to post a picture of this masterpiece before it's completely devoured.

So what's in store for today? Making a traditional English roast. Roast beef, steamed brussell sprouts, carrots, peas and zuccini with roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding and for dessert? Custard pie!! My family will certainly be happy as will I!

Other than that, I'm gonna lay low. I went out with some friends last night to just have a couple of beers and relax. It was REALLY nice to be able to go somewhere that wasn't a grocery store or run errands and it was especially good not to have to worry about anyone but yourself. I LOVE being a mom but sometimes you just need those down time with friends that you can just hang with and not have to worry about stepping on toes or pissing off.

Ugg...how do you say "I'm sorry" enough?

2010-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

My apologies to my readers (even if there is only 1 or 2 LOL). I have been a super BAD blogger. I'm sorry!! Life has been happening and what can I say? I had to deal with it. There has been A LOT going on in my life right now and it's been pretty hectic, crazy, exciting, and tiring to say the least. First off...my mother in law left back to the UK. It was a sad couple of days for me and I cried like the big baby that I am and had to learn a new routine so I did. I have to keep in mind that she will return and we'll go and see her, I just really hate goodbyes.

Okay so then...I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!! It's a work at home job which is awesome because I never have to leave my house (like I do a lot anyway *rolls eyes*). I just go upstairs to my office, sign on and start working. It can be done. I hear a lot of people say that they wish the could find a job where they can work at home and there really is NO SECRET, you CAN find one if you truly want to!! I work for a company called LiveOps and so far so good. I won't go too much into detail as I'm sure there are some confidentiality rules to it but I can say that it is a great way for a SAHM like myself to earn some real money and never have to leave your kiddies.

I'm very fortunate enough to have met some great women & men on there that have helped me tremendously and are true inspirations. Some earn a little, others earn a lot, it all depends on YOU and what you want for yourself and your family. As of this moment, I'm earning a substantial amount but plan on working more when my son goes to school in August. I work some nights and weekends while my husband can look after Simon and it seems to work well for us. I really wanted to contribute, pay off some debt, save some money for vacations or emergencies and just have something to do and this has really been a God send.

Okay and what more? Well I've been baking my own bread since about March. I bake about two to four loaves a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) and it's been a real money saver. Not to mention the wonderful taste and smell that only homemade bread can bring. I know what the ingredients are and feel great about giving it to my family. I have been dabbling in bread making for about 2 years now and never found a recipe that worked for me. FINALLY, one of my good friends gave me this recipe that kicked ass! *Shout out to Dori!* And since then, no more store bought bread for us. I use my bread machine of course, but I just use that for the dough bit and I roll out the dough when it's finished, and put it in bread pans and bake it. Wanna know this recipe you say? It's Amish White Bread and it's delicious. If you're looking for a way to save some $$, make healthier foods for your family and want something delicious, try this! I do make some very slight modifications so if you want to know just let me know and I can give you my little mods.

Family is all good, the boy is growing every day and is using words I never thought I'd hear him say. Like "Mom, that man is awesome!!". He's really into super heros these days and his birthday is coming up so fast I can't even wrap my head around it. He'll be 4 years old! Where did the time go? I love him more and more each day and can't imagine what life would be like without him to brighten up my life. He's truly a blessing which makes me so glad that we named him after an Apostle.

On a sad note, my dear grandmother Francis is not doing so well. She's had some issues with falling a lot lately and this last fall really took her out. She's a very strong woman and has held on with all her might through congestive heart failure, a blood infection, AND pneumonia. She's doing okay right now but is a bit confused but she's amazing held on tight and still fighting! We keep her in our prayers every night and pray that she pulls through this tough period.

Anyway...I gotta cut my boys hair (another money saver). I've been cutting it since he was a year old but now that he's getting older, I need to brush up on my technique so I'm watching a Youtube video of how to cut hair and I have to say it's pretty cool!

Till next time friends! And I promise I will try not to let next time come sometime in the fall!

My pup has been sick

2010-02-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

My poor son has been sick for a little over a week now. He'll get better, and no fever, then he'll get fever again. I don't know what it is, but we're going to the doctor on Monday (hopefully they can get us in!) just to see what's going on. He's rarely sick, in fact, I think this is the first time in a year or over a year that he's been sick so I guess we were bound for an illness at some point. I feel bad for him because I can tell he's getting cabin fever and ready to be out and about and if he didn't have fever, I would take him out for a bit.

Not sure where he got it from or when but you can never tell with kids. They're always passing around germs even when we don't know it. It's amazing when you think about all the surfaces that they touch that we don't know about. Not to mention coming into contact with kids with runny noses and coughs. You just can't keep them from getting what they're going to get. I used to get all vexed when Simon was around a child that "could" be sick, you know the kids with the snotty noses and coughs that seem to always be there, but no matter what, the germs will still be there. Okay now if someone brought their child around with a KNOWN illness, yeah, I'd be ticked off, but ALL of us parents, and I don't care who you are, have taken your children out with runny noses, and coughs when you don't think they're contagious or over their illness, you can't help it sometimes!

So our week and part of last week was dealt with fever and now we're dealing with cough. I have a slight cough myself but I know for a fact mine is due to the weather change, I always deal with this. I think I have really bad allergies and probably should be on a daily allergy medicine, but I hate taking medicines, especially one you have to take daily. My pup on the other hand, never has anything so I'm not convinced his is allergies. I feel bad for my MIL though because she's been stuck in doors for weeks it seems and even she got a little bit of a head cold.

On another note...my job is almost up and running. I'm waiting on our phone line to be completed. They came over here and semi installed it but something else needed to be done. Also, I need a few more accessories then I'll be ready. I have to say, right now, I'm not too excited because I'm getting very little sleep waking up checking on Simon and checking his temp so I'm not all that thrilled at working right now, but I gotta do what I gotta do!

I'm bored.

2010-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

I'm so damn bored. I finally got my WAHM job that I wanted and what the hell am I doing? Looking at crap on the internet rather than completing my background check and checking what I need to install. I'm so pathetic. I think I'm really waiting for my real break. You know, when I win the lottery. I know I'm so lucky that I don't even have to buy a lottery ticket but once and I'll win, I'm just putting it off so I can live in no money hell.

Speaking of money...how the hell can these people on HGTV afford $500,000 1200sq. ft. homes? Does everyone outside of Texas make a huge amount of money? They say it like it's no big deal..."Well I know our budget is going to limit us. Our price range is between $400,000 and $500,000 so I know we're going to have to make some compromises." Seriously?!?!? What the hell!?

One person

2010-02-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh this blog is going to help me get out a little bit of frustration so here it goes.

I'm really tired of ONE person being able to ruing things for everyone else. Whether it be a mood, a way of doing things, prayer in school whatever, it sucks that ONE person can bring it down. There are many examples I can give of this personal and not but one such example is in our little towns elections.

We have a wonderful Gmail group for our neighborhood. It's run by a gentleman that can be a smart ass but is hilarious and he's taken it upon himself to start this group for us. It's always a wealth of information regarding upcoming community events, lost animals, a place to sell your things, crime etc...and I consider it invaluable to our small community. Unfortunately ONE woman who seems to have taken things the wrong way and has thrown a hissy fit has threatened to unravel the group. She is a mayoral candidate and the man who runs our unofficial HOA website had put up for all of us to go and meet the candidates. This chick didn't include herself so when she heard that we had a "meet and greet" she accused our little group of being a PAC and that we can be penalized.

Of course this changed everything and a disclaimer had to be added. It really ticks me off how ONE woman can take things completely the wrong way and start bitching and threatening. I have little to no patience for people like that because it's their own insecurities and issues that they reflect on everyone else and ruin things. This woman did no favors to herself or her campaign. Rather than just takes things on the chin and say "Hi, sorry I wasn't apart of the last meet & greet, but I'd like to introduce myself" she decided she was going to throw a hissy fit and make herself look like an ass therefore, she's losing votes. I sent her an email telling her so and why.

Okay...off my high horse.

Poor little Simon & I have been sick but we're on the mend, I'm just taking it easy this weekend and we're going to have to postpone the rodeo and family thing till next weekend. Next weekend is going to be a party the whole time!

This week...

2010-02-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

This week has been interesting already. I've dealt with drama, joy, and lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is the worst of the three LOL. For some reason, my dear baby boy has decided NOT to sleep. He's taking over an hour to get to bed, then we hear "mama, I have to go pee", "mama, can you come tuck me in?", "mama, are you gonna cuddle with me?". MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA!!!!!

I don't know what his problem is but I bet it has something to do with his Nana being here. I think he feels like he's going to miss something while she's here so he'd rather not sleep. Also, he's scared of "monsters". How in the world do you deal with this? I've tried the "monster spray" and praying and showing him what's in his closet and nothing is helping. I'm kind of at a loss here and him sleeping with us or vice versa is not an option. I've done my share of sleeping with him and it's not comfortable in the least!

I'm hoping and praying that tomorrow, he'll at least sleep until 7am, but with my luck, it's school tomorrow so he'll sleep in until 8:30. Tomorrow is his Valentines day party and I have to say, I suck at being a prepared parent. I just found out that Valentines Day cards were needed so now I have to get my happy ass out the door at 8am to go to Dollar General to buy Valentines cards and cut up some apples all before 8:30am. I need to get my ass in gear and pay attention to it all before he starts real school but his "school" is with a yahoo group which I completely don't understand. I'm a creature of habit and I like forums whereas google and yahoo groups are not set up like forums so you see post.post.post.post. rather than a post where all of the conversations are in one, you have to close. open. close. open to read it all. Yeah I know I'm being picky but hey, this is my damn blog so I can pick if I want to. And I must put a disclaimer...this is NOT anything against anyone who started the group, this is just MY opinion just as I don't like our HOA group on google. I like forums ;o)

So what else is in for this week...Thursday not sure what's going on then and Friday, another Valentines Day party (these are getting costly, someone in the valentines industry is sure making it's money on kids parties, that's for damn sure). Oh wait...Thursday, my family comes in!!! I get to see my mama, daddy, sister and niece!!! I cannot wait to see them, I haven't seen them since November so it's about time. Simon for sure is ready to see them. Saturday we're going to take my MIL to a rodeo and I'm sure my sister and I are gonna get into some trouble there. Anywhere there is beer and cowboys, my sister & I WILL be in trouble.

On this morning...

2010-02-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

On this morning, I am thankful for my family and friends. I just woke up with this feeling of being grateful. My parents and sisters are awesome and are always there for me no matter what and I have a group of friends here who have been awesome friends for almost two years and I'm not sure what I'd do without them. I don't know why I'm so reflective today, I hope I'm not dying! LOL

Anyway...enough mush. Last night was an awesome night! Dh & I went to the gun range and have some Indian food with our friends and had a great time! This was the first time I actually shot my 9mm and Dh was right, once you start shooting, you don't want to stop. I think we went through 86 rounds so needless to say, we need to buy more bullets. Dh wanted me to shoot the Mossberg 12 gauge and I said HELL NO! I saw him shoot it and when I saw that first burst of fire (flames and all) that put me off it big time. The blast was so loud that people came looking to see what kind of gun it was. All I know is if a burglar comes in our house and hears the unmistakable sound of that thing being prepped for shooting...they'll shit their pants and for good reason. There's no way someone would live if that thing got someone, so thieves better think twice about going into homes, you never know who's got one!

I also got to shoot our friends AK-47 and some other bad ass shot gun, one that I would love to get for Christmas or birthday. I'm glad we had our friends with us because they're really knowledgeable about guns and were able to help me along when I was shooting. One thing that wasn't so good is that I'm so damn short, I gotta learn how to aim better because I'm shooting more in the gut and penis area rather than the heart and head. I hope I never have to shoot anyone but if a thief is breaking into our house and I'm the one who shoots, his chances are pretty high that it's his dick that will be blown off.

Today...what am I gonna do today? A whole helluva lot of nothing! My MIL is making a lovely roast dinner, and I'm going to cut coupons and catch up on some much needed sleep, this time with the bed ALL to myself.

Hopefully this week will be productive, last week wasn't at all so I have to get up and get myself going. My family is coming in on Thursday so I'm so excited to see them all! We're going to have us some BBQ and go to the San Antonio Rodeo on Saturday. My MIL cannot wait to see a real rodeo. She's becoming a Texan and I doubt she'll be recognizable when she gets back to England.

Okay...gonna go cut me some coupons and get back to sleep!

Keeping my promise

2010-01-27T19:17:00.001-08:00

I'm keeping my promise! I'm actually filling out applications for work at home jobs but so far, one of them says I have to pay them (NOT!) and the second one only has full time jobs. These are all credited agencies so I'm not worried about being taken for a ride, I'm way too tight to part with my money.

I didn't get to work out today which was horrible, but I did do a lot around the house today that was needed. Today was a trying day but all you can do is try to make it better.

One good thing was that I was approached by a woman from MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) to have a Tupperware booth in March, which will be awesome! I plan on doing a raffle there for some Tupperware and maybe charging $5 per ticket which won't be too bad to get $50.00 of Tupperware.

My baby boy did awesome today. He woke up this morning saying "Good morning mama!! I had a good sleep and stayed in my bed!". Bless him! I guess not having a nap and putting him to bed at 7:30 rather than 8:30 worked. Although today I did have to give him some Benedryl because of allergies tonight. Poor thing was sniffling and sneezing because of this front we've got blowing in.

He did great in school too, not a tear shed and came out singing the cutest song! It's something like Fly Fly Tera-dactyl or something like that. He sang it all day and I even got him on camera! He ate like a champ too. I made spaghetti but it wasn't just meat and spaghetti sauce, it was ground beef with ground mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, onions and spinach so it was a veggie spaghetti sort of. It was a helluva lot healthier than our dinner last night.

Sometimes...

2010-01-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes 3 vodkas and an iPod really do help you. At least for right now, my world is okay. I know I'll have to wake tomorrow and take on my challenges but for right now, we're okay.

Currently I'm listening to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and it seems a fitting song for me right now.

Today was bad.

2010-01-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

As the title of my post says...it was bad. I had to deal with that fucking cat of ours who pee's on the landing EVERY chance that asshole gets. My husband never believes me when it comes to that bastard with fur. According to my husband, he does no wrong. Even when that little asshole is caught redpawed, he STILL doesn't believe it. Well today, I'd had enough. I put down some baking soda down on the carpet to soak up the smell and what happens? The first thing that hell on paws does is piss on it and it gets all nasty, yellow and clumpy.

So what do I do? Get the brand new Dyson and vacuum that up which was super stupid of me. It was still kind of wet and baking soda went everywhere in there. So, I had to spend the next hour and a half cleaning my brand new vacuum cleaner and praying it works properly. FYI, it did and I'm a little bit wiser. I did steam clean the landing big time so I'm hoping that the smell will eventually leave with treatment. One thing's for sure, that furry bastard is out of here!!

Next...went to Sams and spent $150 on groceries. I'm praying that will last most of the month, of course that's not including bread, milk and eggs, but canned foods and snacks.

My poor baby boy didn't get a nap in today and tried falling a sleep a couple of times but couldn't stay asleep and I was trying to get him to stay awake, that way tonight, we don't have excuse after excuse to stay up and so far so good. We put him to bed around 7:45ish and it is now 8:42pm and haven't heard a peep.

So what am I doing now? I'll tell you what I'm NOT doing that I NEED to be doing...looking for a J.O.B!!! I have bitched about it long enough and this time, I'm serious, I am not quitting until I find a job. It sucks being poor!! As soon as I finish this blog, my ass is getting on here looking for a job although, I do kind of think it would be best to actually apply tomorrow because I'll have a quiet house. Husband will be at work, son will be at school and MIL will be here watching TV and I'd hate to apply for a job being tired and my resume looking like crap. You know, I'm going to wait until tomorrow but have my jobs lined up that I'll applying for. When I update this tomorrow...it will be after I have applied to some jobs!!

What's going on?

2010-01-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

So today has been a pretty good day. I can't really complain and especially after seeing the folks in Haiti, I have much to be thankful and happy for. So many times I can look at what I don't have but for now, I'm looking at what I do and am very thankful for it.

So what did I do today? This morning, I had to hurry up and get my baby boy ready for "school" and speed out the door to make it for nine. I made it in the nick of time and then had to deal with "mama!!! I don't want to stay, I wanna go home with you!!". Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It tugs at your heart and makes you mad at the same time. I didn't know what to do because I didn't want to leave him there crying and have him feel insecure, but at the same time, I didn't want to give into him and validate him. Eventually I had to just kind of push him and run out the door and wouldn't you know...five minutes later, he's fine and playing.

So went to CVS and got 3 12packs of Pepsi and four packs of Stacy's pita chips!! I was waiting for this deal since last year because Stacy's pita chips are delicious and expensive. So I paid about .15 out of pocket and burned 3ECB's which wasn't too bad for $21 worth of stuff.

After that went to the post office and sent back that nasty, good for nothing Shark Vacuum back to Euro-Pro. Then went and picked up our little monkey and he had a wonderful time at school! Right now they're into dinosaurs and so he made a couple for us and did great.

Today was successful for another reason, I went and worked out! That in itself was a feat and I'm going to attempt to workout at LEAST 3 times this week so we'll see how we do with that.

What can I say?

2010-01-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say? I haven't been on in ages!!! Needless to say, I have had a very busy few months. In fact, mentally, I'm still in 2009. So what has happened? Well, for one, I went to my hometown for a couple of weeks to assist my sister in her decorating business and that was interesting, fun and an experience. I never realized just how much thought and time is put into decorating for Christmas for the wealthy and I learned a few things about them.

First, rich people are the same as you and I. Really they are. I know they poop, pee, cough, sneeze the same as those of us with empty accounts but they're not as snobby as you'd expect. In fact, they're rather nice. I was expecting for them to have attitudes and the "old money" rarely had attitude and were probably the nicest out of the bunch. The "new money", you know, the ones who didn't have money but now have money, were the ones you had to watch out for. I think they think they have something to prove and don't really know how to act. Another difference is that "old money" or for convenience sake we'll say "OM", they don't flash their cash. They have smaller houses but inside, oh hell, inside their houses are lavish and gorgeous to say the least. They've got spectacular taste and you'd never know by looking on the outside.

"New Money" or NM, they have the big houses and poor taste. They have something to prove so they're going to show the world their new big house and when you step inside, well I guess they didn't get the memo that all rich people have personal decorators that do their houses.

Another thing I learned is people take their decorations seriously. They have fantastic decorations and the tree isn't for little Suzy's class Christmas ornament, it's for Christopher Radko and his very expensive ornaments. I have to say, a tree done up with Radko ornaments looks pretty damn hot. I guess I'll have to save the kid's ornaments for the kids tree eh? LOL

Okay so anyway...Thanksgiving was great because we were with family and it's always fun being around that lot. The food is yummy, company is good, liquor flowing...what more can you ask for?!?

So then I come back home and it's December 1. Not a moment to sit and relax. Nope. I had to get the house ready for the wine tasting party that was only four days away so my happy ass gets the clothes washed, house cleaned (my husband was awesome and tried to clean up a bit but I still have to clean it my way), and Christmas decorations up. Against all odds...I did it!!

We had our wine tasting party which was a huge success! I think I lost count as to how many people were actually here but I can tell you, everyone had a blast. I truly felt so blessed knowing I had a house full of true friends and having just gotten back from my hometown with my family...well it made me all warm and fuzzy knowing how blessed I am for my family and friends.

So...December 17. That was "D" day. That was the day my in laws were secretly flying in from London. I had prepared for this day since April and kept my mouth shut (which is no small feat!) and now, the day had come.

My husband had gone into work for a place he often freelances for and I was in direct communication with the manager of the company and had worked out with him the time that they needed to keep him occupied. They were to keep him until 7pm which would give me plenty of time to pick them up at the airport at their scheduled time of arrival which was 4:45pm. So, I wake up that morning, check continental.com for the flight status. Sonofabitch their flight is delayed by over an hour! Knowing the flight path by heart from taking it more times than I count, I knew they were going to miss their connecting flight. I was still hopeful but seriously doubtful. If they were delayed by 20 minutes, that might have been okay because they MAY have been able to make up their time, but being delayed by an hour and a half, there's no way of making up that time. Although they had over 2 hours to make their connecting flights, they still had to go through immigration, customs and run the marathon that is Bush intercontinental to get to the domestic flights so they were out of the race.

I had given them my cell phone number to get in touch with me if they were delayed so I was counting on the phone call to let me know if they didn't make their flight. So 3:30pm, no phone call so by 4pm, my BFF Katy and I head to the airport. I had told her that I don't think they made the flight but we both agreed that perhaps we'd better just go in the case that God had personally grabbed the plane and placed it in the tarmac in time for the connecting flight.

We go to the airport, we circle around too many times and finally I decided to go inside and see for myself that they were not in the airport. Sure enough, talking to a lady at baggage claim, they didn't make their flight and were scheduled to get on the mornings flight. Oh man, defeated and sad that I would have to go ONE more night keeping the secret, not to mention the thought of my in laws wondering around in an unknown airport until the next day was unbearable. I was so glad to have Katy with me because she shared in my disappointment and it was just comforting to have someone with you when you're sad.

I decided to get hold of them myself at the Houston airport to see where in the world my lost relatives are and managed to get a hold of my sister in law. I was so happy to hear her voice and know they they were okay! She told me that all of the other flights were full and that they had given her the option to go to San Antonio and without hesitation, I told her "GO!". I know they were worried about how far I'd have to drive to get them but it didn't matter at this point, I wanted to get them home where they could be comfortable.

Katy was sweet and let me drop Simon off her and I had to make up an excuse to my husband as to WHY I had to drive to San Antonio. I had told him that my cousins (of which he thought were the visitors coming in) were stuck in San Antonio and I had to go and get them. So I hear that my in laws were landing at 9 something so I'm off to the airport. Turns out, that plane too was delayed! Oh the luck! So I wait until 11 and FINALLY see them! Darren had called me a couple of times and I was out of lies. What the hell was I going to tell him? I was out way later than I expected and by this time, the only acceptable thing I could have told him was that I was either arrested or in a wreck and I know he'd be worried so I did what I had to and ignored the calls. We hauled ass home and by this time, most everyone had fallen asleep in the car because they had been up for probably around 24 hours and finally made it home.

Knocked on the door and my poor husband was waiting up for me. When he saw his family, he was speechless!! He had a confused look on his face and when he saw his mom, it finally sank in! Everyone was tired, but happy and it was priceless.

We had a wonderful two week visit with everyone and I was so happy that this was a true surprise to my dear husband. We went to Fredericksburg, ice skating, all around Austin and got some much needed family time. Our Christmas was wonderful with all the kiddos around and truly a wonderful experience.

Unfortunately two weeks came and went by rather quickly but we still have my mother in law which is awesome. Now, I'm starting to feel like I can finally relax and get my mind and body back in sync.

Denmark....You can keep Oprah!!

2009-10-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

As I sit here watching Oprah, she's doing a show regarding "The Happiest People on Earth". According to Oprah, the good people of Denmark don't have to pay for schooling, they have year long maternity leave, they don't have to pay for health care, and if they are laid off, they get up to 90% of their salary paid by the government for up to four years. Sounds good doesn't it? A regular utopia! Eureka even!!

And it gets better....they're the most "environmentally friendly" country where a third of the population rides their bikes which makes them one of the healthiest countries AND babies can actually sleep outside the restaurants while their parents eat!! It's just that safe. Wow...a country where your kids are so safe they can be left out, a country where the government takes care of everything from health care to jobs, what a utopia!!

Oh and something very "insightful" was brought up by this blond, perfect resident of utopia. She said "isn't it funny that we're the happiest country in the world and we're the least religious country in the world?" After her, all of her clones were agreeing with her on how they don't believe in God and there's no higher power. Well why would you believe in a higher power if you're already in Heaven?!? Right then and there was an eye opening moment and something Oprah didn't even touch on.

It just goes to show how "heaven" can actually be hell. Hell is the state or place of total and final separation from God and so of eternal misery and suffering, arrived at by those who die unrepentant in grave sin.

Oprah, Copenhagen chick...y'all can keep your "heaven" and go to hell.

Oh sweet hangover

2009-10-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am hungover. Got together with some friends last night and the vodka was going down too smooth. I'm so very blessed that my dear son can entertain himself and doesn't require me 24/7 and the fact that I can trust him not to tear down the house. Unfortunately, I'm a bit too liberal with the Wii on the mornings I wake up this way and before you think I'm a lush, it's maybe once a week (is that too lushy?). AND I make sure he's at home, asleep with his dad so he's in good hands.

Do you ever wake up after a night of drinking and think "what the hell did I say?". I hate that! Along with the flowing drinks, I have a flowing mouth and I don't get too mean, but I do speak my opinion without thinking. Luckily this time I didn't say anything and I didn't drunk text anyone! Oy vey...nothing like waking up seeing the evidence of your drunken haze.

Here are my rantings for the day:

Sarah Silverman....idiot.

Jon & Kate....good riddance!

Sleep....I need more of it!!

Mom guilt

2009-10-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well first off, we had the best weekend this past weekend. Going to see Thomas was wonderful (although the ride could have been better!) but just spending that time with the family was a nice thing, especially on a Friday afternoon. I really feel blessed that my husband is self employed and is able to take time of whenever he wants to and he doesn't have to miss out on family activities.

Now...on to mom guilt. I'm watching Dr. Phil and he's got the old debate of working moms vs. stay at home moms and it's such a touchy and difficult subject. On one hand, I do think that the most important job in the world is being a parent and in my opinion it is best to stay at home and raise you children. No one can raise your child better than you can, hands down. No one will love Simon more than me, no one will give him more kisses and hugs and cuddles more than me. It's important to me to have this time and we have given up a tremendous amount in order for me to say home. We've got a nice home, nice car, nice things but it hasn't been without struggle. Yes we have a little bit of debt, we can't go on vacations regularly and there are a lot of things that we miss out on so we don't have to miss out on Simon.

Now...on the other hand. There are just some things that parents MUST do in order to survive and working is one of them. Sometimes parents have to make difficult decisions and sometimes that requires working. That is a sacrifice that some moms have to make in order to make ends meet or to meet a goal or whatever. In no way do I ever think that a mom loves her children less because she's working. In fact, I know a lot of moms who loves their children dearly and work to give them the best of the best and that is what is most important to them. No parent wants their child to want for anything so they're going to sacrifice their time to ensure their children are taken care of and how can you argue with that? How is living in poverty just for the sake of staying at home helping children? It's not!

I don't understand the judgment from either end. Being a parent is difficult enough without judgment and it's important just to support one another no matter the situation. My mom worked 95% of my childhood and I was at a top notch daycare and loved it!! I had an awesome time and I was very blessed my parents were able to afford such a great institution and I have very fond memories of my daycare. If I ever had to work, I would love for Simon to stay at a place like that and you know, it may have been better for me to be in daycare.

To be honest, sometimes kids will get a better mom when she does work! I liken it to breastfeeding. Would we all like to breastfeed and give our kids the best? YES! But...sometimes we're unable to for whatever reason. For me, I lost a lot of blood and my milk never came in. I tried for five weeks to breastfeed. I had women who never even breastfed in their lives tell me how to breastfeed and it never worked. I was made to feel like less of a mom because I couldn't do it and I badgered myself for weeks! My poor baby was hungry and I wasn't enjoying the first few weeks of his life so I said "F them!" and formula fed and I do not regret it one bit. Why? Because although (according to these BF Nazi's) I was giving my child "poison" and didn't "try" enough, he was eating like no ones business, thriving and most importantly, he had a happy and less stressed out mother.

Sometimes moms who work are not working just for money but for mental stability and mental stimulation and when they work, they become better people. The important thing is a happy, well adjusted child and what does it matter how they get there? Working mom, stay at home mom...we all are doing the best that we can and we all need to do what is best for us and our families!

Exciting day

2009-10-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well today was an awesome day!! I woke up semi hungover but not too bad and had some great friends over for coffee of course. A friend of mine told me about Thomas the Tank Engine coming and I of course wanted to take Simon because he's just a fan. Well I'm so glad I didn't buy the tickets because I WON THEM!!!!!!!!!!

I fell asleep watching TV and the show "We are Austin Live" came on and I saw that they were having a segment on Thomas and there would be a chance to win. I kept watching and they had the number on TV and they were giving away three family four packs to callers number 5,6,7 and I was number 6!!!!!!!!!! God works in such awesome ways because I really didn't want to pay $54 just to go see Thomas but you don't really get chances like this too often and who knows, Simon might not be into Thomas next year so I really wanted to take him and now we can do that without having to pay.

I was bummed though when I learned that Darren might not be able to go, then a couple of friends couldn't go and it kind of burst my bubble, especially because I wanted Darren to go so bad so he could experience this with us. I started feeling really down but then he worked it out to where he can do most of his work tomorrow morning and work this weekend along with the record convention so he can go!! I know he really wanted to go but I understood his position. Making the money is a priority especially being a one income family but I'm so appreciative and grateful that he'll be able to go tomorrow. And to make things even better, some friends of ours will be there tomorrow with their kids!!! I will take a million pics tomorrow and I'm going to wake up early just to get things like food, entertainment and extra clothes since it's a two hour drive to our destination.

Another biggie happened today too!! For a couple of weeks now, we have let Simon poop in his "poo poo pull up" since we had major issues with him pooping and holding it in because he refused to poop on the potty. Well at dinner tonight, he first asked for a poo poo pull up and I told him he needed to wait a bit after dinner so then he said that he's going to poop in the potty and he did it!!!! He went all by himself and he's never done that!!! I'm so glad that we just gave in and let him do it in his own time because none of us were getting anywhere.

So all in all, today ended up really good. I'm so excited that we can all go as a family to see Thomas and cannot wait to see Simon's face. Tonight I'm getting all the camera's together to capture it all.

It's October...

2009-10-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh....October, one of my favorite months of the year. I'm not sure why because when you think about it, Halloween is kind of morbid, but I guess it's the fact that it's kind of like a new beginning. The summers here are so damn hot you really don't want to do anything and I'm NOT a fan of hot weather. So naturally, when it cools down, I celebrate it. Not only that but I love the colors of orange and black LOL!

So what has this week brought us...we had a decent week of course it was spent with family and my great friends. I really am blessed to have such supportive parents, a great husband and son, and some really good friends. They all made my birthday so special and I appreciate all of it! Especially my friends, they are like family to me...and in some cases, more like family than family! LOL They support me in all I do and I know if I ever needed something, I could call on them and they wouldn't hesitate to help us. That is a very comforting feeling!

Tupperware has been doing great for me! Thanks to my mom and my sister Rosie, I had an awesome turn out from them! In fact they had such a good turn out, I got 3 gifts from Tupperware and I can't wait to receive them! Unfortunately, there are some things on back order which I feel horrible about but it's on one of the more popular items so I hope they understand. I wish TW would give me some indication that there may be a delay but I guess if several orders are put in at once, they won't know about it. Besides, it is coming up to the Holiday season and this particular item is a good item for the Holidays.

My Simon...what can I say about my Simon? I promise I'm not trying to be a bragging parent, but my three year old is adding and subtracting!!! I couldn't believe my ears when I heard him and my husband working out addition and subtraction!! I kind of thought it may be a fluke, but this morning I started doing some basic addition and subtraction and he did it!!! We really need to start considering what we're going to do for him as far as education goes. I would love like a co-op homeschooling kind of thing but like with anything we do with Simon, we really need to look at what is best for him!

Tough week

2009-09-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

This week was good and bad. Good because God was gracious enough to give me another birthday and bad because it was a difficult week with my lovely son. Saturday I decide to make some homemade pizza for dinner and Simon wanted to help me so I pulled up a chair to the stove for him to put on the mushrooms. He tasted the homemade marinara and wanted more so I gave him a little bowl of marinara for him to eat and I had to move the chair to take one pizza out and put in another. I didn't want to disturb him so I thought I'd just move him myself. The chair went right and Simon went left and fell directly on his head onto the tile. I get shivers just thinking about that awful sight and sound and of course I picked him up immediately and just cried and cradled him. It was horrific and something I hope never happens again because I felt so bad for him. That night I couldn't sleep well because I was so afraid that there was an underlying problem and I would wake up to find him dead or in a coma and I just had to pray about it. Luckily there's a doctor in the family and he did put my mind at ease but the guilt just ate at me.

Then...on my birthday, yesterday, we had another poo poo incident. He had not poo'd in four days and I could just see he was trying his hardest not to poo. He would dig himself into the sofa just so he wouldn't have an accident and it just broke my heart so...I went and got him some liquid laxative. He is not a good medicine taker so I had to force it down his throat and he freaked out and cried and vomited three times from the gag reflex. Luckily Darren was home so he showered him while I cleaned up vomit and pee (poor baby peed in his pants) and I was so tired of the anger, frustration and guilt I've been feeling about him pooing on the potty!! I spoke to a great friend of mine (Thank you Laura!!) and she helped the both of us come to a decision to just stop tying and let him come to us when he's ready. I cried and told Simon that he can poo in a pull up and it's okay with us. I just wanted this to stop and get him regular again before it really effects him. I'm so happy with that decision because now we all relax. In fact today, I went and got him some cheap pull ups and put them on him and told him to go poo and sure enough, he did!! I just want him to be healthy and not have this as a source of anxiety.

Today has been a good day so far and I'm praying that this week will be one as well. I'm so thankful for everything and everyone in our lives and truly feel blessed.

What's new....

2009-09-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

Well this week has been a super productive and busy week. I've been babysitting of course and selling lots of Tupperware. I was able to reach my goal and am getting lots of awesome things in the process so I'm happy. I never thought I'd be in a place in my life where getting a buttload of Tupperware would make me giddy and excited for packages.

Also I found something that is absolutely awesome thanks to a Facebook friend called TweetDeck. It is SO cool because it combines your Twitter, Facebook and Myspace so you can update all three from one platform. I'm really starting to enjoy twitter too and am trying to find something to put on my blog to follow me at twitter.

Okay now to something I'm very concerned about....Swine Flu vaccinations. I know a lot of people are concerned with the H1N1 but honestly, more people die of the regular flu than H1N1 and as of fright now, H1N1's strength is decreasing! I've known a couple of people to have it and from their testimony about it, it's really not that bad. The way it's been shown in the media has been something like..."50% of the world population will be infected with H1N1" Okay, lets replace H1N1 with something like "a cold". Believe it or not, people can die of a cold because it can turn into pneumonia and people with compromised immune systems or people with no health care can die from that. For some reason or another, they are really pushing H1N1 with fear. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.

I am honestly not scared of my son getting H1N1. I AM scared of the vaccine and if there is a decision to force this vaccine. I know many people think that you can "opt out" of the vaccine, but if there is a statewide mandate pushed through from the Health Department, you CAN be forced into getting this vaccine. First of all, it's just scary that the Health Department has that much power and second, it's scary that they want to vaccinate over something that really isn't as bad as the regular flu. The H1N1 vaccine is loaded with thimerosal which is said to be taken out of immunizations for kids. Yeah, what a great job that is! Look everybody, they're taking it out of our vaccines to make it safe for us!!! Oh and wait, in order for us to be safe we need this H1N1 vaccine (loaded with thimerosal) or else we'll die!!! Somehow that nasty poison finds it's way into our bodies and vaccines. Before you make any decision regarding vaccinations whether it be for regular vaccines for you or your children or the H1N1 for your family, LOOK and READ!! It absolutely amazes me that parents just go blindly to the doctor for many many inoculations yet do not take ONCE glance at the ingredients. I'm not completely against vaccines, if you read and you decide what is best, but education is the key!

Third times a charm...

2009-09-18T04:52:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy that I've truly attempted to write this blog THREE times. It's been busy around here and it's amazing that having one more child really does make a little bit more work. Not much but enough to change your routine. I'm babysitting a friends child and really it's been kind of fun having two and a glimpse of perhaps a sibling.

Well it looks as if fall is very near. The weather has turned cooler and all of us in Texas have come out of our heat induced hibernation. It's amazing at how the weather really does have a large impact on your life. It was so hot that we didn't do a thing! We stayed indoors, playing video games, coloring, watching TV or going over numbers and letters. But now those days are over for a bit (hopefully).

So far we've been to the park more in one week than in the past 3 months and even feel like getting out for some activities. It just feels fresh. And to help that feeling, I've put out my fall/Halloween decor complete with Pumpkin mugs! I'll also be putting the Airwick cinnamon/apple air fresheners out in the house and the sugar cookie one in the kitchen. Oh man this makes me so happy!!

Simon. What can I say about my love? He says the funniest stuff to me all the time and I'm trying to absorb it all because I know this his last toddler year. I wish I had a better and smaller camera to capture it all instead of taking my mammoth 2001 digital camera. But at least I'm able to be here with him and get it all. I really feel truly blessed that I am able to be here with him to see his first years. Years I'll never be able to get back and I have to just thank God every day for this opportunity!

Bad blogger!!

2009-08-30T16:58:00.001-07:00

Oh man, I have been very busy so as you can see...there isn't anything on my poor blog.

First things first...I have been earning money!! I'm taking care of my friends daughter which is really nice for two reasons. 1) Simon loves playing with her and 2) it's money in my pocket!

Then I had my first Tupperware party this past Friday. It was a success and I earned $100 just from showing my friends Tupperware. I was nervous and that day was a packed one. If it weren't for my husband working from home, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much done because I needed him to keep an eye on the kids while I went and ran some errands.

I'm getting a hang of the whole Tupperware thing and I hope this is something I can do long term. It's pretty fun and it is a way of making money and saving people money at the same time.

I've been getting the house in order because, well because when my house is in order, I feel my life is in order. I'm coming to grips with reality. I would love to be 100% debt free and have 6 months reserves in our account but the reality is we will always have some debt. Getting out of control is one thing, but having revolving debt is another. I know I know...no debt is best but I'm being real.

I have read and read and read about Dave Ramsey and talked to a lot of women who do the program and in theory it sounds like a great and reasonable idea but to be honest...it's just not for me. The idea of putting every single penny towards paying off debt just makes me cringe because when is the fun? If we made enough to have fun and pay off debt every month well that's a different story, but we're one of the millions of families that have some debt (not a whole lot but debt is debt) that can't afford to be 100% debt free at the moment.

I know my husband would like to be and one of the reasons I'm working is to pay off debt but I don't want to pressure myself. It will get paid and there will always be that bit of outstanding, revolving debt, and I'm now okay with that. Of course this in no way means that I want to have all of our cards maxed out and us to have 50,000 worth of debt...HELL NO!! But that bit of small revolving debt doesn't bother me as much as it was. I just have a plan of how much I'm going to pay towards our credit cards per month to at least half them within the year. Luckily it's a low amount per month but it's enough to make a difference.

So it's the end of summer and I really couldn't be happier. I cannot wait until fall!! October is my absolute favorite time of the year to be honest and I know it's silly but I love all of the scary movies that come on during that time. Halloween is one of my all time favorite scary movies and probably the only movie that scares the crap out of me. I, to this day will turn the commercials when they come on for Halloween because the music and the mask scare me! Okay...so enough of the scary movies, I also love fall because the temperature drops. Drops...I didn't say gets cold. Being in Texas, we don't get the nice chill, we just get temperatures that aren't a degree below the temperature of hell. We at least will be in the low 90's or even high 80's.

After October comes Thanksgiving! Another one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together, eating, drinking, playing games etc...The colors of fall are my favorite and it just gets me all excited.

Of course the day after Thanksgiving starts the Christmas music on Majic 95.5 and that right there just makes me giddy! I know listening to Christmas music for almost a month straight is insane, but I really love almost all of the Christmas songs!! Well except for Barbara Mandrells version of Jingle Bells...she sounds like she's on speed and I have to turn the radio off for that.

Well to all of my blog readers...I am truly sorry for being such a bad blogger, I will do my best to blog as much as I can this week!!

Can't sleep

2009-08-22T03:07:00.001-07:00

Again, this is the third time this week where I am unable to sleep. I think I just might be figuring it all out but of course, sometimes lack of sleep is just as bad as being drunk so we'll see. This week has been absolutely crazy busy with friends, work, and hangovers. All in all I think it's been a successful week!

First off, I know we moms are always told to take get some "me time" but what does that really entail? I know that most moms think of "me time" as going to a spa or getting your hair done or something like that but is it just that? What about taking time out to get YOUR affairs in order? The majority of my day is making sure that my son and husband are taken care of. That they have what they need, that the bills are paid, that dentist and doctors appointments are taken care of, food is in the fridge when they need it, but how many hours in a day are devoted to what I need to take care of? I'm slowly figuring this out just as I have decided to take on my new Tupperware venture because I'm now having to make time for me and realize how much little time I have to make it.

Luckily Tupperware doesn't require hours and hours of work as if I were working in an office, it requires as much or as little time as you would like to give but it is something that I enjoy doing and just makes me realize that maybe this IS me time. This is something that I am doing to make ME feel productive and to change things up for me. Hair, nails, massages....those are all great, but for me they're not enough. I need to feel a real change, a real difference and looking good isn't going to pay things off or save money which would make me feel a thousand times better than any pedicure or manicure.

Okay so that was one thing that came to my mind this sleepless night LOL Another is making some sort of schedule. I'm on the right track, but now I need to make a schedule that is not only a real schedule but is flexible if that makes any sense. As anyone with kids knows, flexibility is a moms best friend. Since I have moved my lap top upstairs in my new office, I have found that I am on it less and playing with Simon more which is awesome, but now I need to find time to actually do some work when he's napping or sleeping rather than leaving him downstairs alone.

In addition to being productive and adding an income to this family, I also MUST (and this is a big one) MUST take time out to make healthy choices. I joined the YMCA to get some exercise and this week, I have forgotten about my all time favorite Zumba class. How silly! I was so wrapped up in thinking about other things that I have neglected a part that is not only good for me mentally, but good physically! Maybe it's all a circle and once I do one good thing, I'll roll to the next. No matter what I start with, I need to stick with it and that's one more challenge that's on my list.

Surprises!

2009-08-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well this week was sure full of surprises. First of all, I found out that we can get some great health insurance through Tupperware for $235 for both myself and my husband!! Simon's already got his own health insurance (kids GOT to have health insurance!) but we were paying close to $600 a month just for Darren and I so this is a huge help! Also, I had my announcement party last night and all of my dear friends showed up.

It's times like these that I just feel completely blessed to have such support from my friends and family. We had my show here at my house and I was taking tons of notes on how to do my parties. I've got four booked so far and I'm hoping to do well at all of them. It's so hard not to go nuts and order everything you want at once, but one thing at a time. Today I ordered a lot of little party gifts and such because that really does go a long way! Sorry if I'm talking Tupperware too much but really, that's what's going on in my life right now!

Simon has been a doll all day today. I love it when he gets into these lovey modes where he just listens and wants nothing more than to be with you. Yesterday was a three year old day and he was a bit of a chore, but thankfully that doesn't last long. I did something that wasn't very smart though...I wanted to snuggle with him so put him in our bed for nap time so I could nap with him. Well of course my naps usually last no more than 15 minutes then I'm up ready to do things and so who followed me out of the bed? You guessed it...Simon. He only got maybe an hour nap so it was early bed time for him tonight. It's one or the other, a good nap and a little bit later bed time or hardly a nap and early bed time. I need a break and some ME time, as much as I love him, it's for my sanity!

I was watching Oprah today (that's a rarity!) and it was all about school lunches and how kids eat. There were some seriously obese children on her show. It was so sad because they were high school age and already into the 300lb category. I really don't know how their parents could watch that. I know I was no thin mint but no where near that category. In fact, I look back and I was actually pretty thin! I hate that I spent so much time in my high school years thinking I was fat and being told to "watch my weight" when I was not too bad! Oy vey...if I knew then what I know now.... Anyway...the author of "Eat This Not That" was on there and you would be blown AWAY by what is actually better for you. For one thing, at Arby's the turkey and Swiss sandwich is actually WORSE for you than a roast beef with cheddar cheese!! Even Oprah was blown away. I'm really glad we don't eat out a whole lot because you really don't know what is in your food.

Another thing that really disappoints me is the school lunches. It's all fried, nasty foods with almost nil nutritional value. I know that if Simon goes to public schools, every lunch he has will be packed. Seeing as he is not a convenience food type of kid, I doubt he'd even eat the school lunches. He's so funny, he'd rather eat a home cooked meal rather than chicken nuggets from McDonalds or something. I'm very glad that he's like that but it's all he's even known. I bought a package of nuggets once from Costco, I bought a box of corn dogs from the grocery store and that's pretty much is the convenience food from his entire life. Don't get me wrong, he will eat a burger from a fast food joint every now and again, but we rarely eat out. He hates mac n' cheese and really doesn't like foods like that. I think the only convenience food type of thing he likes are hot dogs. He will chow down on some hot dogs!!

I on the other hand grew up eating junk food. It's a terrible habit to break something I'm still struggling with today. Seriously, if it weren't for Darren, I doubt I'd eat as many veggies as I do today. Now I'll pretty much eat anything and I actually love veggies. In fact, we go through about 2lbs of spinach and 2lbs of mushrooms a week not to mention all the mixed veggies we get. It's so much better for you and they actually taste good! Now it would be a lot better if they were straight from the garden veggies, but I plan on doing something like that soon so who knows!

Busy busy!

2009-08-16T09:45:00.001-07:00

It seems like this past week and weekend just FLEW by! I was busy with getting all of my Tupperware stuff together, cleaning, friends, and life in general!

This weekend was focused on booking parties and getting organized. There are so many avenues to take and things I want to do and say that I need to remember it all. I just know the things I would like to see and buy and I need to remember there are a lot of people out there who's kids are already grown or who are single so I need to remember to talk about other Tupperware items that are not focused on just kids. Things that will make peoples lives easier.

I think I'm going to order some Tupperware things for me personally. I love their kids line and all of their kids items are BPA free and are super cheap for that! I wanted to buy Simon some BPA free sippy cups at HEB and ONE frggin cup was $11.99!!! FOR ONE CUP!!! Friggin highway robbery!! I can get like four BPA free sippy cups for less than that! Not only that but the plates, bowls and lunch sets are BPA free too!!

Other than Tupperware, I haven't been doing a whole lot. This next week is going to be a busy one so I'm resting up for it. I've got a show on Monday, dentist on Tuesday, Highlights, nails an bachelorette party on Wednesday and I think there's something else going on, on Thursday but I can't remember!! I love being busy, it makes the days go by faster and makes me feel productive!

No TV?

2009-08-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day of change and reflection. Today, I brought up my lap top to my office and decided no more lap top on the breakfast table or kitchen. I think Simon will probably grow up seeing the Dell symbol more than his moms face, so I made the change. Believe me, it's not an easy thing to do. I check the computer MULTIPLE times a day and I'm pretty much 100% accessible to anyone any time of day. So I figured, that if I put my computer upstairs, I'll check it less and spend more quality time with Simon and you know....it worked!

As soon as I let that go, I noticed how much the TV was on and that took me by surprise. Today I went to get my hair cut and a friend of mine watched Simon and they rarely watch TV. I went in and it was so nice just having the radio going, the kids playing, eating a good lunch, making up their own play as kids do. Why can't I do that? My husband always tells me how addicted I am to background noise and he is so right. I guess it's a feeling of safety that something is going on even if I'm doing nothing but some mundane household chore...who knows but I do know that I'm going to make a conscious effort to keep the TV off for a good while so Simon and I can just do something together without having to hear the next advert for cheese or milk or whatever.

Childs Play

2009-08-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

It's so funny because I really think God is trying to tell me something. It's so easy to lose focus on what's really important. Especially when bills are due, schools is about to start, work etc... Well lately I've been really thinking about time and how it relates to me. Specifically how fast Simon is growing up. Part of that came from looking at old video and photos of when he was a baby, then getting a call from my older sister about her son starting college, and then from a conversation with a friend today.

It's amazing at how fast kids grow right in front of your eyes. So fast you don't even see it! I remember when I thought he'd never walk or talk, that I'd be carrying him around forever in my sling, but before I knew it, he was independent and no longer needed his stroller. Now, he's three. His last year (in what I consider) full toddlerhood. By four he'll officially be a little boy. I'm really trying to cherish this year and let him be a kid. Not get on to him too much about the small stuff (like now where he got my spoon I was cooking with and spilled tomato sauce on the floor) and most of all to play with him more.

I admit it I have sat him in front of the TV or the Wii so I can get some time on the computer. I mean, something major may happen on Facebook!! Or, I might get the all important email in my inbox! Even now...on blogger! But talking to my sisters, who are sending their boys off to college in a little over a week, I feel their sadness. I'm tearing up right now thinking about it because they were my babies too, and now they're not longer babies. They're men. Soon it will be mine. I don't want to think back about the time where Simon asked me to play with him and I didn't because I was "too busy" or something or someone else needed my attention. I want to think I did everything in my power to spend these important times with him so I won't look back with regret. I know no matter how much time you spend with them isn't enough and we do have adult responsibilities, but it takes just a small bit of time to make a big difference.

Cleaning.

2009-08-11T16:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's all I've been doing today is cleaning!! You know when sometimes you get that bug up your but where everything is dirty? The floor, the carpets, the side boards, the dishes, the bath tub etc... That's where I was today. Nothing seemed to be clean so I had a nesting phase (no I'm not pregnant) and did it all. I've been looking at my Tupperware stuff online and I'm hoping this goes well. I have to admit I'm a bit nervous because I haven't sold anything in a long while but seriously, it sells itself. I've already got people ready to place orders, just waiting for a party and that gets me all excited because I'll have something to do and organize, which is really one of my favorite things to do.

Simon has been awesome today, he's usually a good kid except for those three year old moments, but we've just been playing in between cleaning and he even let me cut his hair! I don't think any kid likes to have their hair cut but he despises having the little bits of hair all over him and so it's a race to get it all finished before he's all pissed off wanting a bath ASAP. I was able to do it and he looks so cute!!

Also...our damn salt water system is broken. We're going to have to take it back and just let the water out of the pool. I'm about sick of this damn pool but love it when it's working.

Been a busy girl today...

2009-08-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

I got my Tupperware site up and going today!!! I just played around with it and bam...there it is!

Unfortunately I didn't get to Mass today...Uggg I know that's terrible but for some reason I was so lazy and wanted to delve myself into my Tupperware site. Oh and today I was up at 5:45!! Luckily it's the weekend so Dh was here and so I went to take a lovely nap and I slept for about 2 hours!! Usually I only sleep like 15 minutes for a nap but I was so tired.

Today was a trying day with my three year old. He's older, knows what he wants and when he wants it. He doesn't throw tantrums if you tell him no or take something away, he just gets stubborn and digs his heels in. For instance, he wanted to play Legend of Zelda and I said "no" and he kept asking, and asking, then thirty minutes later, the same question. It was driving me mad! LOL So then...I saw him tearing out a page of one of his books, which is completely unlike him and I said, if you continue doing that you're going to get your books taken away! Well then he decided he wanted to be cheeky so he said "I'm gonna throw this in the trash!". Well he had NO idea who he was dealing with! I took the book and threw it away for him! That's when the crying and tantrum started and daddy took him to bed.

Now it's mommy time, drinking coffee (I'm like a little old lady), blogging, and checking my Tupperware stuff.

I did it!!

2009-08-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Great news...I'm now a Tupperware consultant!!! I signed up yesterday and everything should be coming in within 10 days so I can be ready for my first party!!!! After being out of the work force for three years, this is pretty exciting to me. I didn't miss where I worked, but I did miss having something to organize and do and using my brain for something other than what to watch and which park to go to.

My husband said he was going to make me some business cards and I plan on having a link on here to promote my business and for anyone who wants to place orders. I cannot wait to get all of my stuff in so I play with it and of course show it all off.

So...today, my wake up time was 5:45am. My dear little son decided 5:45 was the time he wanted to come in and "sleep" with us. All he did was toss, turn, sigh, talk to himself. Needless to say I was up and I finally got him back to sleep at 7am and he woke up a little after 9 and you better believe he'll be taking a nap!! I know his congestion isn't making it easy for him, but it really isn't that bad and to be honest I think he'd be up either way because he's decided he doesn't like his bed. Why? I have no idea but he'd better get to loving that thing because I'm tired!

I think today I will clean and organize and of course go to CVS. They've got some good deals, not as good as last week but still good. I hope to get some diet cokes, sun screen, high lighters, make up and whatever else. I know it sounds silly but I want to get my desk ready and organized for business. I really hope I do a good job at this.

Ahhhh a better day

2009-08-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today was full of ups and downs. First, downs. That damn pool of ours is still acting up and I'm about to drain it and then fill it up again but the husband wants to wait and try something else first. Then...my dear little angel of my life decides NOT to take a nap today. Luckily he did spend two hours in his room playing Thomas the Tank Engine quietly so I was able to get some things done. THEN...Husband comes home and gives me great news about work then gets even better!!
FINALLY a Tupperware lady calls me!!

I think I'm getting into selling Tupperware. I wanted to get some sort of part time job, I didn't want to sell Mary Kay or Avon (although I did attempt to contact a friend who sells MK and didn't get a return email but she's super busy right now so I'm not surprised, family first!) but I wanted to sell something that I for sure would use myself. With make-up, I don't buy make up, period. I get all of my make up free from CVS so why pay for something you get for free?!? I'm sure some people would but not this gal. So...my brilliant sister said "why not Tupperware!??! It's the IN thing now!" I was like you know, I recently looked on TW's website and wanted to purchase a few things but never thought about selling it! So I contacted the TW sales lady closest to me....nothing. No email, no phone call, zilch. Then I called a manager...same thing. Nothing. Zilch. My third (and in my mind final attempt) I come in contact with a woman named Antoinette. Antoinette happens to be a favorite name of mine so immediately I was like this could be good! And what do you know...she called me back.

She spent a good hour on the phone with me discussing the business and all that jazz and telling me all the great gadgets and all and how it all works and I really, really want to sell it! My only problem is...making sure I don't spend any profits on the products. I'm being 100% serious here. I could spend lots of dough on Tupperware because that shit lasts forever! Not to mention all the cool gadgets that I cannot wait to get my hands on. Things for the kitchen (my favorite), things for the kids, things for around the house, it's endless! Anyway...that made me excited and gave me something to look forward to.

Well, now I'm drinking a nice cold beer, updating my lovely blog waiting for the husband to finish his game of Zelda to put MORE salt in the pool. Ugg....I think I need more beer.

About to lose my marblez!

2009-08-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I love my son to no end. LOVE HIM with all of my heart, my soul, I would poke my eye out if it helped him in some way but GOD BLESS AMERICA I cannot deal with saying things OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! Not only that, but the same question or statement being said to me over and over again. Really...I try to ignore it. I try to answer the question or statement but the same thing gets said or asked again. I feel like Stimpy when he'd get all swollen with veins and a red face because you know it's the age and they can't really help it but holy cow it's hard to live in their world.

He's in the age of "watch this" "mom, watch this" Mom watch this" "mom are you watching this?" and every single time will be YES SON I'M WATCHING!!! I'm very happy that my son is physically and mentally able to go through this stage of growing up, but the monotony does get old.

I'm still trying to find a great, flexible way of making money and interacting with adults. I need to make my own money, need to have something to look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change being a SAHM for anything but there needs to be some hours in my day where I'm problem solving, otherwise your brain goes dead. I have great friends to hang out with and talk to on a regular basis, but as I said, I want some problem solving to begin.

Today was pretty eventful again. I went to Wal Mart and bought Simon a cheap little $2 sword that he thinks is the best thing in the world. It's better than my husbands brush that he was using to battle monsters!! I also finally went and bought clamps to put on the pool so the cover won't blow off. We're still battling a nasty pool and I'm pretty sure it isn't algae anymore, it's just dirt because it's all on the bottom. I don't think the filter is doing it's job properly so we're going to get some "DE" or Diatamacious Earth to get the filter to really work. I've heard that it works great in getting very fine particles of dirt out from the pool and that's exactly what we have because of all the wind. I'm determined to get the pool crystal clear again.

As far as dinner goes...I don't want to cook. I'm hoping my husband went to eat Indian food with one of his co-workers because then he'll still be full and won't want to eat a big dinner.

CARD NIGHT..WOOHOO!!

2009-08-05T18:08:00.001-07:00

I haven't had a whole lot of time to post or do much of anything today. Today was groceries, CVS, finishing up odds and ends. Now is my time to go and have some adult beverages and relax a bit!

We usually play Phase 10 and it's an almost weekly thing. It's totally my time to just have silly girl talk mixed in with some vodka and all of a sudden...my stresses are gone. Until the morning when the hangover and lack of sleep hit, but that's what coffee's for right?

Mommy talk

2009-08-04T19:29:00.001-07:00

I had such a great conversation with a friend of mine today about pacifiers. Simon had a pacifier until he was two and a half and that was my breaking point. Well actually my husband had mentioned that it was time and he pointed out that in almost every picture, Simon had a "baba" in his mouth and he was right.

The last time he had his "baba" was November 22, 2007!! I had heard horror stories about babies crying for days on end for their pacifiers and it being hellish. I really didn't want to put Simon through that or go through that myself. In some way, I wanted him to hold on to his baba because that was still a baby part of him and something he'd had from day one. BUT...seeing ALL of his pictures with pacifiers and a fear that his teeth and speech would be affected made me take action.

I wanted to do something that would have a great impact but nothing too harsh. I had heard putting Tobasco on the paci but hell no, I didn't want to do that to him. So what did I do? I put white vinegar on his baba! I had the vinegar in a spray bottle because I clean with it, so I just sprayed the baba and gave it to him. He immediately took it out of his mouth and said "mama it's dirty, go wash it" so I took it to the sink and washed it and sprayed it again (of course without him knowing!) and again he said it was dirty. I told him that's what happens when he gets to be a big boy, that they lose their flavor and get dirty so he had to throw it away. He went to the trash can and threw it away!! Two hours later he was napping with no baba!! That night, I thought we were going to have problems but all he said was "mama, baba dirty?" and I said "yep! Remember baba's get dirty when you're a big boy!" and that was it! No crying, no fussing, no tantrums nothing. If and when we have another baby, I most certainly would do this method again.

My CVS booty

2009-08-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

I paid a total of less than $2 for all of this stuff. With coupons and ECB's (extra care bucks) it's amazing at what you can get!

WHY did I do that?!?!

2009-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

My son was playing all by himself as good as ever. Drawing on his magnadoodle, singing to himself and I was watching Oprah about the half ton teen. For SOME reason unbeknownst to me...I turn the TV to Wow Wow Wubbzy! He was playing FINE then I put the TV on for him and he of course stops all activity to sit and watch TV. Right then and there I wanted to kick myself in the butt because I completely diverted his attention from using his own imagination to watching someone else's. I'm glad I did this. This has been a great lesson to me. Less TV all around.

I don't think TV is the devil or is evil. I actually think it's great in moderation, but I'm so used to turning on the TV for him when he's awake and I'm sure that's not a good thing. Just thought I'd share that because I'm sure I've done this several times, I just took notice of it today.

Zumba!!

2009-08-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

So this morning, I was really, really, really good and rather than lay in like I could have, I went to Zumba! Of course Simon decides to lay in and I have to admit, I was thinking about canceling so I could sleep in that much longer, but I thought about my commitment to going with my friends and that got my ass up.

I have to say I really love Zumba because even if you don't know what the hell you're doing, just shake your ass and you'll look like you do. If you don't know what Zumba is, it's basically salsa dancing incorporated into a work out and let me tell you, it IS a work out. Even if you are painfully uncoordinated, you can some how find a way to do it. There are those in the class that look like they're in a Shakira video, and those that look like Elaine from Seinfeld all together. I start off strong, then crash probably in the middle but if there's a great song then that gets me going.

So now that I'm energized from Zumba, as soon as Simon's head hits the pillow, I'm finishing my resume (yes the same resume I've been trying to finish for days now), and find a way to fix our dadgum pool! I'm so sick of it being so nasty and green and we've ran the filter AND chlorinator over and over and over!! There's GOT to be something I'm missing.

I hope to have at least 2 or 3 hours of quiet time before I'm bombarded with "can I play Mario Kart" "mama look at me" "Mama what did they say?" "mama I want some milk"...it never ends! We did have some potty training success yesterday, he pooped some in his underwear but finished off in the toilet. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but we were so happy because sometimes he'd just cut it off and hold it in, but this time he actually finished so we gave him some smarties (the English chocolate kind) and I really think our laid back approach is helping.

Okay...off to do some work.

Pool of tears...

2009-08-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

We recently purchased an Intex 16x48" pool for my son's birthday. In the beginning, it was perfect! How nice to have our own inexpensive pool just outside our door! My husband put it together (in about an hour) and then we started filling it up. It took about 10 hours to completely fill up partially because we had to turn the water off when we left but finally filled up. We put in chlorine and I have to be honest and say I hated putting the chlorine in!! It was nasty and bleh and most of all, expensive! So we also got an Intex Saltwater System. It's a lot cheaper and healthier and we were so excited!

Until...the wind blew all kinds of crap in our beautiful pool! Now it's all murky and nasty and I can't get it to get clean!! We've vacuumed it with the pool vacuum, kept the filter on for hours on end and still looks like crap. Even have been running the chlorinator (salt water system) everyday for five hours at a time. I really think it's our filter system that's not working properly and what I've been hearing is that the filters aren't working as well as they should so we'll see. All I know is I'm frustrated as all get out that we were supposed to have a low maintenance pool and it's beginning to be a hassle.

I guess I'll continue looking on the Internet for some cheap ways of getting all the nasty dirt particles out of there without having to drain the pool (NOT an option!!).

On a lighter note...I'm making my lovely pizza dough! My bread maker is making a helluva noise but soon, it's gonna be the lovely smell of dough mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Bargains...

2009-08-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here's my first entro to my lovely new blog! I love blogging, I love shopping and another love...I love shopping for free!! All of my friends and family know that. I spend lots of time during the week trying to find the good bargains out there and they pay off big time.

I am also the mother to a 3 year, very active little boy. We're 90% potty trained. We have the #1 down, but #2 is a different story. Anyone have this problem? It's probably been our main focus for weeks now because we have no idea how to get him to poo on the potty. It's seriously driven me to drink! LOL We've tried bribery, celebrating all 3 times he's done it, taking things away, time out when he poops in his undies, making him sit on the potty for a long period of time....everything!! Finally we've come to the conclusion that he'll just do it in his own time, but WHEN!??!!? I've stepped in in, had a poop trail when he pooped in the living room, had him try to put it in the toilet from his undies...oh Lord any scenario you can think of...it's happened. Anyway...that's our current situation.

I've got a great family and great group of friends that I really don't think I could do without. They all help keep me from losing my marbles and most importantly, they are all frugal like me so we usually end up doing things that cost little to no money. We have a wonderful weekly card night that beats any club any day of the week! We have loads of fun and have a great time.

My husband of 10 years is a great father to our son. He spends a great deal of time with him, doesn't mind taking care of him when he's not working, and never tries to infringe on my much needed "ME" time. Currently we're taking a downturn due to this economy, but we're trying our hardest to make the best of a lousy situation. My life can be pretty stressful, but I am very thankful for all the good in our lives.