Worth being tired

Thank you to my MIL for recommending Gone With The Wind. I love it, I just can't believe what I have missed all these years.  I am so thankful that I have a ways to go before I finish it. On Friday night, I stayed up until 4am reading. I had no idea that it got that late/early. It made for an exhausting Saturday, but it was worth staying up to read in peace.

Also, thank you for the audible membership. I just logged in and I am going to download this and start listening to it as soon as I finish reading.

 

I want to start a book club. I am so jealous of my mom's book club group. They actually sometimes talk about the book and even had a real author phone in and talk to them on their last group. If only I had the time and inclination.

My Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

I have been salivating over this food blog:  http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/

Jayden and I made the Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are very delicious, I think my new Chocolate Chip Cooke Recipe I will use from now on.

These recipes also look yummy. I want to have a super bowl party just so I can make all this yummy food.







Are you

Salivating

yet??

Gotta Love Target

So I went out and bought some of those cute flats I was talking about. 15 bucks at target and LOVE these shoes. Jayden found it strange I was taking pictures of my shoes.

Just wanted to give an update, I tested out the silver linings that I wrote about. They completely work! I wore my flats with no socks all day and there was no stinky smell. LOVE them!

We are planning a Valentine's Party for Grace's friends. Found these little mailboxes at Target in the dollar section. ADORABLE! I got the last of the pink ones. I still need to get 3 more. I will be back on Wednesday when their shipment of dollar items arrives.

Exciting stuff for my Saturday, it was GREAT.

Deficient in Arizona

This past year, I have been a bit obsessed with my skin and have quite a arsenal of beauty weapons right now. Which includes loads of sunscreen,  I have even switched over my all over body lotion to one that contains sunscreen. I am thinking what wonders I am doing for my skin and hopefully in 30 years I won't be such an old bag.

Welp, I got my blood work back. Apparently, I am severely deficient in Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin)! Umm, I was thinking that there probably are not too many people living in Arizona who have a Vitamin D deficiency. I guess I have been doing a good job with all that sunscreen. The doctor asked me if I have been feeling fatigued. Well, of course, I am a working mom of 3 kids. And is it me, or does it seem like everyone is fatigued these days? Anyway, I am on loads of vitamins now, so I won't be deficient much longer.

I know my kiddos are definitely not vitamin D deficient. They are outside all the time. Did I mention what a great Dad Jason is? He made this L screen and pitches to the kids.

Lucky Girl

I am the luckiest girl. You want to know why? I have the best husband.

He supports and encourages me in every way possible. He knows when to step in and when to leave me alone. After all these years, he can still melt my heart.

A few nights ago, he went to work out and I was working with the kids on homework and no one was listening so I lost it and sent everyone to bed. By the time he came home, they were all in their rooms either crying or asleep. Belive me, I was not a pretty sight and it was one of those nights you would rather forget.

When I got home from work the next evening, this is what I saw:

It was just what I needed and it melted my heart.

Too much too soon

Tonight was simply too much too soon.

Grace has been wanting to see "We Got a Zoo" and we finally had a chance to go tonight. We went to Party City first and bought some candy and then we got our tickets and popcorn and we were both excited for the movie. I love when I get one on one time with each of my kiddos.

Anyway,  I am fuming because I believe the movie was poorly rated and I wish I would have looked up some reviews on it before we went. I did check the rating and it was PG so I thought that would be okay. There was bad language, including s**t and d**k. Which Grace promptly asked me what d**k means. Granted, there were just three times those words were mentioned but little ears only have to hear these words once and then they know.

Further, at one point in the movie they insinuate that there is no Easter Bunny. Which I am so very sad about. I was really hoping to get one more year of believing with her. She is very smart, so I am sure she could read between the lines.  I was waiting for her to say something after the movie about it, but she did not. So I am just left wondering, does she know or not?

After the movie ended, we were walking through the mall, which was pretty much closed up. It was around 9:30. There were not many people around, just a few pre-teen kids hanging out. You could tell they were boyfriend/girlfriend 'couples' hanging out at the mall. They were holding hands, being silly and looked so young and stupid.

My heart just felt so sad, because I started thinking about Grace and how mad I was at the movie (and myself) for exposing her to things too early. I want her to stay 7 and believe in the Easter Bunny forever. And tonight she is still 7, but may not believe anymore. I felt like I became one step closer to her being one of those pre-teen girls at the mall at 9:30 on a Saturday night.

I felt a loss for something that has yet to come.

So when we got home, I held back the tears and I spent extra time, putting her to bed, reading her books and I told her that tomorrow we will play barbies together.

A Cluttered Life

It is a beautiful life, but it is also a very cluttered life.

It is so difficult to keep track of everything. Just keeping track of the homework and things the kids need for school and activities is enough to make my mind completely cluttered and crazy. Time is always of the essence and I am always in a mad rush to get out the door in the morning and then in a mad rush the moment I am in the door in the evening to get everything done. As I am sure, you are too!

Apparently, Zachary's class had 'Crazy Hat Day' and I completely forget to have him pack his hat. Jayden's preschool has a letter of the week, and every Thursday he has to bring a picture of something that starts with the letter. Well, every Wednesday night I am trying to remember what letter they are on and trying to find something that fits that letter. Half the time, he is already in bed while I am doing this. These are small things, but when you add 50 of these small things times 3 kids it is a challenge to make sure everyone has what they need for their day. Then when I forget about 'Crazy Hat Day' or send a giraffe picture for letter 'H' week, I feel so bad. I mean seriously bad, I mean abnormally bad. I just picture my child as the only child with out a Crazy Hat and the teacher trying to explain to the kids that Giraffe does not start with 'H'.

Add in my responsibilities at work, which my mind is always on, and it is a recipe for disaster.

I have decided that I can't rely on my brain anymore to try to keep track of everything. I am getting an Iphone and I am going to be scheduling everything on that thing.

Back to the doctor we go...

I am taking the morning off of work as I have to take Jayden back to the doctor. He is still having respiratory problems and is coughing so much at night that he throws up. If he is up all night coughing and throwing up, then that means I am up all night too. Hopefully, we can get some new medicine for him.


Wow, Jayden planted this...

The Art of Fielding

I am always sad when a really good back comes to an end.

I finished 'The Art of Fielding' a few days ago. It was very good and I recommend it. It has a interesting set of characters and the baseball parts were fun to share with Jason. He's such a good husband, he at least pretended to act interested in it.



Now I am in the usual conundrum that follows every time I devour a really good book. That is nothing now grabs my interest. I so want to find that great read again. I downloaded a few samples on my IBooks and nothing has impressed me.  So if you are reading anything great right now, please tell!

Silver Linings

Here they are! These are the ones I saw advertised that I am going to buy today!

http://www.silverliningsnewyork.com/

Makes me want to invent something!

Can't wait to get them. Check them out! Cute Video, adorable product marketing too!

Lo and Behold

Grace and Jayden have been playing together a lot lately. I think it is because she can still get away with bossing him around, and not so much Zachary anymore. This morning, they played for several hours and then they started arguing and would not stop. I told them that they could not play together anymore and I sent Jayden out to play outside. A few minutes later, I hear Grace's voice outside and they are on the swings together. She was trying to teach him how to pump his legs and swing by himself. Lo and behold, her lesson worked and he started swinging all by himself. He was so proud, and she was just as happy and proud that she was the one that taught him.

One minute they are arguing and the next sharing a great moment together. I suppose that is what siblings are all about; at all ages.

In other news, we are still a bit sick. Zachary woke me up in the middle of the night last night complaining of an ear ache. I took him to the doctor this morning and he has an ear infection. The doctor said it was extremely red and bulging and was surprised Zachary was not crying in pain. He said that it is possible that it might burst, I hope that the antibiotics don't take long to work and it can heal it before that happens. My sweet boy, I hate when they are in pain!

More things that make me happy...

I was talking to my MIL this morning and we always discuss our most recent beauty product purchases. Here are some of my other favorites right now:

OPI You Dont' Know Jacques! I love this color and have been wearing it the last three weeks.

Too Faced Extreme Lip Injection Pumping Serum. It really plumps up your lips. It kind of uncomfortably tingles when you put in on so you know it's doing something. Not sure what is exactly in this but it works!

I have been seeing some really cute flats that I want to buy, but I want to wear them without socks. I really like the look of flats without socks. But whenever I try, the shoes get so smelly after a few wears that I have to throw them away. I worked with someone once who wore flats with no socks all the time and she smelled so bad I wanted to puke every time I got near her. I have tried the little socketts but I always have to adjust them. I just saw this product advertised the other day and I think I will give them a try. It looks like they are scented liners that you slide in your shoe and then just toss after a few wears. Sounds perfect.

Able Bodied Gratefulness

I know this is a really strange title to this post, but it best sums up what I am feeling.

Jayden has been sick for about a month now with a cough that will not go away. I noticed it was getting much worse, especially at night, because he would come into bed with us and cough all night long right next to my face. On Sunday night, he was coughing so much that he threw up all over our bed. All he had eaten from his dinner that night was his peas, so that was really fun to clean up in the middle of the night. After that, I decided to take Monday off of work and get him into the doctor.

I needed to get some blood work done (for just my regular physical) so first thing in the morning, he and I went to get my blood drawn. There were so many sick people in the waiting room. You could just tell they were really sick, not patients like me just in for routine blood work, but very sick people. It started me thinking about how grateful I am for my health, I really should not take it for granted because it could be gone in an instant.

Next was Jayden's turn. Again, the room was full of really sick kids, some with disabilities. Again I was reminded how fragile life is and said some silent prayers that my family is healthy, and I am able bodied so that I can do even the basics, like pick up my kids and take care of them.

I am trying to remind myself of these important things. Because...I am getting old, despite the wrinkle revenge cream. And I am reminding myself that I am surely grateful for my able body and to let go of everything else -because...yesterday, I was plucking my eyebrows and I plucked two gray hairs. WHOA,  How could that be? This may sounds gross, but my first thought was : Does it work its way down?

My favorite things

Things that make me happy lately, I am feeling a little Oprah-ish.

My slippers, I wish I can wear them all the time. Maybe I should become one of those people who I see at the grocery store wearing their slippers. I totally get that lately. First thing when I get home, no matter what time of day or night is kick of my shoes and put on these puppies.

I have to admit that I just purchased this product due to the name. How could one go wrong with this?

A Christmas gift from my mom, it even has my name etched on it. (just to be clear, this is a clarisonic face cleanser scrubber, not any other happy type device)

Too faced make-up,

 mainly because it gives instructions on how to apply for those who are not very good at make up application.. me...



Hiking

The weather was so beautiful, we took the kids for a hike on Monday. I just love the desert mountains.

Climbing on the big boulders.

Jayden had no fear and wanted to climb the biggest ones, which kept freaking me out.

Zachary thinks he found a four leaf clover here.

Jayden discovered a rock that looks like a marshmallow

Jayden says this is his new bed

Zachary lead the way

The kids found several animal homes

Jayden kept sticking his head or fingers in these homes, he is really good at freaking me out.



Grace rests after all that climbing, she is getting so grown up.

Resolutions.?

I have never actually made a New Year's Resolution. However, I am really good at thinking about what my resolutions should be. I think of all the things that would be great to change or do, I ponder them over for a few weeks and then get bored of it and never actually carry them out in any way shape or form. Here are some of my ideas that I have been thinking about.

1. Say 'Yes' to my kids and husband more, and say 'No' to everyone else. I am a finisher, and can't rest until everything is finished. But really, nothing is every finished. So I will try to forget about the laundry and say yes to the boys when they ask me to play star wars with them. On Christmas night, after the kids went to bed, I decided to put all the Christmas decorations away. I just can't stand to have them up anymore and I start to get itchy about it. Jason asked me to wait until the morning, but no... I had to do it, which was stupid, so I will try to listen to him (at least once in a while).  I keep getting questions and pleas for help from my old job, I am sticking to my guns and saying 'No' to that.

2. Stop watching mindless (or any) TV late at night, and download some good books on my Ipad. I just started 'The Art of Fielding'. Pretty good so far.

3. Decide on a method for chores and/or allowance for the kids. It is time to instill some bigger responsibilities for the older two. I am thinking of giving them an allowance that they get no matter what, that will not be tied to chores. However, we will continue to expect them to clean their room every day and add on some additional daily things that they have to do. Allowance will serve as a money and savings lesson for them. I really need to make a plan for this one, I keep catching Jayden throwing his trash on the floor in the house. I find candy wrappers or capri-suns on floor and I know he is the culprit. I think sometimes I just pick it up and don't even discipline him because I am too tired. Hello??? Wake up! Time to teach this kid to put his trash in the trash!

4. Get back into my yoga classes. Because I need to do something for me, and I know that keeps me sane.

Maybe now that I have written these out, I will follow through - or not.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am looking forward to an awesome 2012!