Christmas Crafts!

This year we did some crafts at my sisters, so we could leave the mess behind. LOL. I think it's a good trade, I buy everything and organize the kids and she gets the mess!

Just a few things to hang up...  they had such a good time.

Tomorrow starts our baking! Yum!

Je t'aime Mon Cheri

February 1, 2010

I can copy and paste way better than I could ever say that! That is, of course, "I love you my darling," in French. A semester of French in college and I had to google that!

Today kicks off one of my favorite months of the year. "The Love Month"! After being together over 10 *ahem* years(Wow has it been that long!), I think Hubby and I are pretty comfortable with each other and what not. Sometimes too comfortable if you know what I mean. Like ok,  sometimes I wear his underwear... And sometimes I don't shave my legs for days... And sometimes I wear his old shirt and sweats to bed... And sometimes I throw my hair up in a bun instead of combing it...And sometimes I wonder what the hells wrong with me, he should be running for hills!  But thats love.  ♥True Love♥

So, we get this great day once a year to show we're still digging each other in a bad way.  I know you should do little sweet things throughout the year, yea yea yea.  But this day is extra special!  Of course, I have no clue what I'm doing for him this year.  It's on a Sunday this year and he works nights, so will probably save Date Night for his days off.... How many of you already have plans and reservations??  I'm such a slacker.  Anyone slacking like me?

Happy 2010!!

Wow is it really 2010!! Well I sure hope you all had great holidays and made some more amazing memories with your loved ones.

2010, I can remember thinking we'd have flying cars by now. Living like the Jetsons high in the sky or something from one of those sci-fi movies with robots. But I woke up and it was just another regular day.

Get this, I had 2 weeks off straight no work, no home school ahhh it was so nice. We were able to do so many projects and get so much done. We had a lot of good, quality family time together. But this week we got back into things. I went back to work and the kids went back to school. I must say this was the break we all needed so bad. Hubby's vacation time won't come til next month or so. He was the only one that had responsibilities, lol. The kids and I slept in and went to bed late. But, we'll all be jealous of him when its his turn I'm sure.

Christmas was great the kids gifts were a hit! Nana loved her tree and everyone loved their decorations! We went a little overboard with the sweets of course but yummy! We had but one glitch in our plans. I had spent so much time on baking and making gifts I left myself very little time for making tamales. We went grocery shopping for everything a couple of days before Christmas. I started the meat the 23rd. On Christmas Eve I started the masa....... and the darn masa was bad! Yuck! So we didn't get to make the tamales we ended up having just burritos and beans. Luckily my Mom sent us home with a dozen of hers. They were tasty as always. We fought over the last couple, lol.

Our New Year has begun and my resolution to my kids was to be more patient and creative with home school. To Hubby it was to set aside more time for just us. For myself it was to become a more healthy me and tackle this anxiety, when I feel burdened and overwhelmed, give it to God and find relief. For my family it's to have more fun as a family. ♥♥♥

Peace and Love in Your New Year!

It's Alive!!!

Yes, I'm still alive! I have so many things happening right now. From the home and family to working and the HOLIDAYS!! Woo hoo!!

One of my favorite Holidays is coming up and I'm just so excited. I love Halloween for so many reasons. I love the scariness and dressing up the kids, but crafts are my thing baby! Even though I'm not home all the time any more, I have to make time for the kids and their school. I found some great websites that I could use as lessons plans about Halloween. My favorite comes from DigitalisEducation.com. It had a great Astronomy Lesson in it that was easy for all the kids to get involved with. (Ages 3-9) It had the history of Halloween in it and the mythology. Also, constellations visible on Halloween. They go over a little of solstices and equinoxes and how they relate to the seasons. All around great idea for a lesson.

We also got into the decoration making as part of Art. We made everything by hand. Banners, pictures, creepy crawlies and ghosts. All you really need are construction paper, markers, paints, crayons, glue, newspapers, cotton balls, cardboard boxes (cut up)and plastic bags... Very cheap but also very memorable. Stick the name and date on the back and you have life long treasures you can pull out every year and add to it.

On my days off we've been having "Halloween decorating parties" Little by little its come together. Our house is almost "Spooktacular". I couldn't help saying that. This coming week were going to begin the baking part of decorating. That'll be Art, Science and Math! I love it when I can bunch up lessons like that! I have some fun stuff I'm just dying to do! I really hope my camera doesn't poop out on me. I've been trying to charge it. I really want to share with everyone.

My favorite baking tricks:

Oreo cookies(without center) crumbled- as dirt

Nutter butter cookies dipped in white chocolate (dyed grey)- tombstones

Plastic bat, spider rings to press into cakes

Gummy worms

I'll be adding more as the days go on..

I'd love to hear your tricks if you got any comment them for all of us to hear♥

Thanks to all who stuck with me as I've begun juggling the work with everything else.♥

Memorial Day

♥You really need to listen to the music while you watch it♥
♥Press Play♥

In Honor of Our Fallen Heroes
Thank You ♥

Wishing All My Mommy Bloggy Buddies A Very Happy Mother's Day!

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"You Stink Mom!"

So the boys and I made up this new Holiday called "opposite day". They saw it on some cartoon and thought we need this in our lives! So I agreed May 1st would be the day for this "holiday". Well, I've heard mean things fly all day long followed by tiny giggles. But now I'm thinking "maybe it's their free day to tell mom what they really think".

What The Hell Was He Thinking??

Aprils almost at an end and do you know whats coming up??? You better know! It's our day Whoo Hoo! I don't have many male readers but nevertheless, I'm posting a "what the hell was he thinking post."

After all we ladies do for our men and kids...

After:
-the months of being uncomfortable and clumsy,
-the hours of childbirth,
-the years of never-ending laundry,
-diapers,
-puke,
-being peed on, (those boys I swear aim right for the face but then cant hit a toliet?)
-the hemmoroids,
-the stretch marks,
-baby proofing,
-the screaming and crying,
-multi-middle-of-the-night wake up calls,
-swaddling,
-breast feeding,
-fixing up broken toys & broken hearts,
-the thousands of band aids and neosporin
-the trips to the dr's to remove something you still can't figure out how they got it in there let alone why??

After all this and much much more we are rewarded for our hardwork with a day...One measley 24 hour period.

But we're gratful nonetheless. And boy do I look forward to it!

So why do guys notoriously mess this day up?? My Hubby's great about "my" days but there have been times I've ask "What the hell were you thinking?? This is MY day not YOURS"

Here's some Dontcha even think about it!

10. Don't take us to the lake to fish save that for your day
09. Don't buy a cheap-last-minute-make-no-sense-pertaining-to-us card! We're not old people sitting on a bench!
08. Don't buy those cheesy little off the street bouquets on your way home, buy my favorite flowers
07. Don't buy the mothers ring that was on "sale". Put out the extra dough for our kids birth stones (if ya don't know.. ask)
06. Save the "Greatest Mom in the World" cup for your kids to give. I'm not your Mom.
05. Don't take me to your favorite resturant. Save the Hooters trip for your day
04. A gun safe really isn't a good Mothers Day gift. Yes it's keeps the kids safer but this is MY day. Momma don't want no gun safe!
03. Don't leave the kids with me all day. Yes, I became of Mother because of them but don't mean I wanna spend the whole day with em
02. Don't not wake me up before 9am unless you have breakfast in bed planned. My day. I sleep in.
01. Don't forget the day! Write it on a post it and glue it to your forehead if thats what it takes. Put this day: May 10 in your blackberry. Have a friend remind you. Unless that friend is a man then your just screwed.

Give This Momma Some Ginkgo!

There it was 8pm Saturday night, eggs were boiled, kids were actually considering going to sleep early ( I said considering) and I was anxious to get this night over with.... When one of my kids whines "When we gonna color tha eggs"

Oops! Ok I get my butt up to prepare everything and I had not a drop of food coloring! You may ask , "how did you not prepare yourself for this!" In my defense our plans were to go to my sisters to color the eggs. But, it was hailing. Yes I said hailing in Az. Plus it was also raining, it being an outdoor event, she cancelled. So I just assumed I had some. I bake so much I'm stunned I was out! Of course now I use the gel since it lasts longer and doesn't thin out.

Back on topic, what was I soppose to do? It would be 10p by the time we got back if we went to town. So this "crafty" mom, and I use that term loosely, decides to use art paint! Of course now their inedible, but they got to paint their eggs and thats the best part, right? So here is our "art fest"......


Can I count this towards Art Class Hmmmmmm.


First is Caties Easter hair, Fabbbbbulous made completly EZ hairstyles from
The Story of a Princess and Her Hair
Believe me if I can anyone can! Even has video!


I take such Horrible pictures! Sorry.


Thank goodness for Bounty!


Trying so hard to make some sort of design with this runny stuff!


So yummy looking right?

All in all, we of course, had a blast! After all it's not really about the painting or the toys or even the food. Its about sharing this blessed event with the ones you love. Remembering the amazing event of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not only acknowleding it but praising it. Feeling humbled by it. To know that such a Love exists.

PSALMS 100:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

"Mommy, what's Easter?"

"How come bunnies only lay eggs on Easter?" "And why do we paint them" "Will our bunnies lay eggs?" Why does the "Easter Bunny give us stuff like Santa?" And how does it all tie in to being the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ?

Ya know what, I have no clue! But I know who does... this wonderful tool we all use... the web!
So before I start telling my kids the answers to some of those questions I thought I'd look 'em up! If you don't know well ya might after reading this post.

Lets start with the easiest 'What is Easter?'

It's the Christians way of celebrating of the Resurrection of Christ, but it pre dates Christianity so theres more...
Easter derives its name from Eostre a goddess of spring.

'Where do the eggs come from?'
Apparently eggs were prohibited during lent in Medieval Europe so they would boil them to preserve. So they were the main meal for Easter and gifts for children and servants.
Also, because spring brings new life and eggs are considered symbols of fertility they went together nicely.
Some Christians would paint the eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Jesus.

"Why is there a bunny?"
Again they symbolize fertility. Germans were the first to initiate the bunny laying the eggs for children to find them. The immigrants from Germany who settled in Pennsylvania brought this tradition with them.

So I guess I found out a little. Its about celebrating the new life of all on this beautiful planet. Thats kinda neat......

I love finding all my answers with the click of the mouse! Now when the kids ask "but why" in that whinny voice, I can sit them down and have them read the many pages I just printed out for them. Score one for Momma! Maybe I'll quiz them too.... Just kidding. I love the childs endless fascination with everything. Its a new world for them and just because I've settled on the old fashioned "Just because" doesn't mean I have to let them. Plus look, I learned something too!

Now to find where the heck they came up with 'Baby New Year'..........




Our Lord and Savior,
We thank thee for bearing that cross for us. For showing your love for us. Through you we have life. With you we are strong. You are the begining and you are the ending. Lord we ask you to bless those less fortunate and forgive those who do not know you, for they will. Thank you Lord for our many blessings. I ask that you cover us all in your blood. In your name I pray. Amen.

My Funny Valentine

I feel like us girls, most girls, well some girls have an inner clock counting down to our "Big Day". No not our wedding day. Shoot that only comes once a lifetime. OK maybe twice. OK whatever it ain't every year... for most. I'm talking about Valentines Day! We start thinking of what he's gonna get us, where we're going, and what are we gonna wear the minute after we celebrate New Years. At least I did. I pictured a nice day devoted to me! His loving wifie. Here's what I saw...............

He starts the morning with coffee and cinnamon rolls brought to me in bed with flowers tucked behind his back. I'd lazily get up to a clean quiet house and await my next surprise. He would then blindfold me and take me on a car ride to a spa where I'd be pampered with massages and facials. (get all purdy for him) Then a limo would show up to take us to the most romantic restaurant overlooking the beautiful Arizona mountains. We'd come home and everything would just be perfect.

Ok I know. But it's a dream. I can dream can't I?

Reality.. I have four young kids who aren't the calmest of children or the most obedient. And there ain't no way no limo is coming down this far out of town to go down two dirt roads to pick my butt up! So we'll spend it here, and that will be perfect too. He'll BBQ (the good stuff) while the kids and I bake a heart shaped cake for us all to share. We'll make my #1 guy a nice card during art class. I'll even let them use the paint! The boys will go pick momma some flowers and put them in an old bottle and I will place them lovingly in my kitchen window. Truth be told my Valentines Days stank before kids. All holidays did.

I've tried to do the romantic thing. One year I searched for the perfect card that expressed just what I was feeling at the time. It took forever! But I finally got it. It had ribbon and that soft stuff velvet aah so beautiful. It said something like your my world, everything I asked God for etc. Real sweet. Right, plus he was on the road for like two months straight so I wanted it extra special. We went out to dinner, only had a couple of kids back then, so babysitting wasn't a problem. Then it came time to give him my card. I was shocked he had one for me! Yippee! So I let him read mine first. I poured my soul into it so it took him awhile. Then MY TURN! I open the envelope and take out the card and ugh....First, it had a cartoon on it with something funny. Then I open it.... In a restaurant where every ones having their VDay dinner and all you hear is "eek eek eek" the sound of bed springs squeaking........ I cracked up so bad!! He knows me so well. We do funny not romantic whats wrong with me?