blue lights flashing in my rear view mirror

i was given some kohls cash at christmas time and needed to use this free money before january 1st. i went to kohls the other day and was frustrated since the store was so picked over from christmas that i left empty handed. i was still hopeful that i would be able to find something at another store.

so yesterday while my dog was at the vet (again. a super long story which i'm too frustrated to repeat) and my in-laws had my kids, i decided to give kohls in clovis a try. i walked around and around the store looking for something for me. i rarely ever buy things for me so this was special. i was getting very frustrated since i just couldn't find anything (by the way, kohls has a massive clearance on kids clothes if anyone is in need) i finally walked in the home goods section and found these decorative hour glasses. they were really kinda pretty and they were 75% off. after not finding anything i was interested in i decided these would be pretty cool for our homeschooling. i calculated in my head they would be about $10.00 more than my $10.00 kohls cash if i bought all three of them so although i wasn't buying something for me, i was using my free money so i was happy. when i got to the register, they rang up at only 40% off and not 75% off. the young man at the register went ahead and adjusted my bill told me my total, $10.32, i paid and as i was walking to my car, i realized i didn't use my kohls cash. i was soo mad!! i grabbed my receipt to go back in and use it when i realized what had happened. my hour glasses rang up at 40% off THEN he adjusted it with a 75% off. SCORE one for me!!

i decided to keep my cash and head back later, lol. after chuckie came home, i went out to the riverpark kohls (3 different kohls in 3 days, lol) as i was turning off of blackstone onto the kohls street, i noticed blue flasing lights in my rear view mirror. i immediately looked around looking for someone that did something wrong, lol. i pulled over for him to pass and he followed me!! it was then that my heart dropped. i knew i didn't do anything wrong. i wasn't speeding, i used my blinker, i stopped completely, i wasn't even listening to the radio so i was confused plus i never even saw him. then he came to my window and asked if i knew my plates were expired. i told him i did, but i never received them in the mail. they were paid though. he was really nice and asked for my licence. i handed it to him and dispatch confirmed that they were paid. he kindly suggested i call dmv. we talked about locking mail boxes, his siren/lights, etc for a few minutes. then he said he hoped i had a good evening, i said the same and told him to stay safe. he stopped looked back and thanked me for saying that and then left. after hearing all the stories that my husband comes home with, the term 'stay safe' is increasingly coming up more and more in my vocabulary. i wasn't upset he pulled me over, i was glad to see that the police are actively out there protecting us. if you don't do anything wrong then you won't get in trouble.

as far as kohls, i gave up and found a 2 pack of melmo (elmo) sleeper jammies with cupcakes on them for abigayle for $10.20. plus a pair of panties for 70 cents. kohls cash used, baby girl THRILLED, no ticket = successful trip (finally)

abigayle

i overheard this conversation the other day and i find myself thinking about it and smiling. thought i should share with you.

after we moved from san pedro to my aunts house i was sore and tired. i decided to sneak and take a bath at her house and since our house doesn't have a tub (and her's is HUGE) it very well could be my last in a really really long time. i didn't want 'company' since all i wanted to do was relax so i asked chuck to distract ab's. i knew she' find me in no time at all and this is what i heard,

ab's - 'mama'
ab's - 'mama'
ab's - 'mama'
ab's - 'maaamaaaa'
ab's - 'mmmmaaaaammmmmaaaaaa'
ab's - 'Mmmmmaaaaammmmmmaaaaaa'
this continues... you get the picture.
i hear this fading in and out as she searches all the rooms,
she opens the bedroom door, i sink really low in the tub.
she doesn't see me =)
ab's - 'MAAAAMMMMMAAAA'
i feel a little guilty.
ab's - 'MMMMMMAAAAAMMMMMMMAAAA'
she leaves
ab's - 'MMMMMMAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAA'
daddy - 'ab's, mama cannot hear you right now.'
ab's - 'oh'
daddy - 'why don't you just go play'
ab's - 'no'
silence
ab's - 'dada'
daddy - 'what'
ab's - 'dada'
daddy - 'what'
ab's - 'dada'
daddy - 'what'
ab's - 'dada'
silence
ab's - 'dada'
silence
ab's - 'dada'
silence
she toddles off
i hear her playing with brayden.

heehee... i thought it was funny.
maybe you had to be there, lol.

coffee

a few random things that has happened lately.

we've been staying at aunti sandi's house. she hasn't yet stayed the night but there is still time for her to show up and chat =-) THANKS for letting us intrude!!

our renters called and said they were moving out early!!

mom retired!!

chuckie and i went to san pedro on saturday and finalized everything from our lease. HUGE relief to have this finally done.

mom watched all three kids for us while we were traveling and she said she realized why i didn't drink coffee... i didn't have time, lol. her coffee pot actually shut off before she had time to pour herself one cup before it got cold, it stays one for 2 full hours!! heehee

our renters have been 98% out of our house since saturday, we are hoping to get in friday and saturday but... we'll see.

the kids have really really been having a hard time with this move. they are anxiously awaiting our move back into their home. they have been very touchy, misbehaving, having bad dreams, scared, not understanding why we can't decorate christmas stuff in our house, etc... we have to drive by the house every time we go out and about. hopefully we can get in soon enough to decorate and enjoy a few christmas traditions.

since the kids have been having a hard time and daddy is away working, we decided to surprise mimi and popi and head up the hill and stay the night =-) we decorated a gingerbread house, sleigh, tree, little house and a big train. the kids had sooo much fun, well... we had a ball too! i've never decorated a real gingerbread house before, we've always used graham crackers so this was a new and very fun experience =-)

hopefully we'll get to move home soon and stay getting back to our normal routine =-)

internet

i have internet access again!! my aunt read my blog and loaned us her laptop, complete with internet access!! THANK YOU!!! we have settled in over here and the kids are catching up on all their sleep. chuckie started his first official day at his new job and loves it! he came home in a towing shirt (complete with reflective stripes) that had the name rafael on it. first time i've kissed another man in 10 years, heeehee. he is definitely the whitest rafael i've ever seen, lol. anyways... he said work was great and he thinks he's really going to enjoy working there.

we've been crazy busy but i'm hoping things will calm down and we can start enjoying this time together with our family. i went to the grocery store today (was a little flustered) got in the car and started driving home. didn't realize i was actually headed home and not aunt sandi's house until i was in our old neighborhood, lol. old habit, i guess, lol.

we've moved

we are now residents of fresno again =-) our move was long and very very hard. thankfully we had reinforcements once we arrived in fresno!! a HUGE THANKS to both our parents for helping unload!! we are staying at my aunts house and i am shocked to find that she doesn't have internet, lol. she actually uses a wireless that she hooks up to her computer so she has entered the 21st century but that also means we cannot 'share'. so... i'll be away from the blog/facebook/email for a few weeks. i'll be able to check it now and then when i'm at one of our parents house but other than that we can only be reached by our cell phones. until then... enjoy your christmas traditions with your families!!

moving

well... i've been absent from here due to the fact that we are moving again. yes, you read that right, i said we are moving. if you've been following this for awhile, you'd know that last year at this time, we started this adventure. my husbands job cut his pay drastically the week of thanksgiving. we looked into commercial dive school and he was enrolled by december, we moved to new jersey in january and lived there until the end of june. moved back to fresno, since our house didn't sell, found a job in long beach, ca and headed over here. this is waaaay too many moves for us. the kids have a hard time adjusting, i have a hard time getting motivated plus this time here in long beach has not been a good experience at all. we've struggled financially, struggled with the area, but most of all we've struggled with chuck's job. this move is a very very good move for us. this job seems to be a great job, God's hand is definitely guiding us here but i'm soooo tired of moving. yesterday we finished loading the trailer here in san pedro and headed to fresno. we dropped off my car, unloaded our trailer and then headed straight back here to san pedro. we left at 10:00 in the morning and arrived at midnight. long long day, especially for the kids in the car. today we have tons and tons of work to day. we've got to pack and clean and move things out to the garage to get ready for the uhaul. i'm nervous we're not going to get everything done in the amount of time we have. loading a whole house into a uhaul with just my husband and i, plus the three little helpers that do more damage than good in the process. then i have to scrub this house from top to bottom and drive 5 hrs to fresno, all within one day. rest for a few hours and unload everything into a storage unit for a few weeks. chuck will then start working at the new company, then we hang out until our renters are moved out and we move back just in time to celebrate christmas.

there is sooo much more to this move but i'm so busy i just don't have time to explain everything. i'm excited and i'm sad all at the same time. i'm excited to be coming back home. home were family is, home where new friendships are, home where our church is, home where the comforts of knowing where everything is, home where things are cheaper, home where my husband and i will be happy again. sad because we have to pack and move everything we own again, twice, sad because this is happening the week of christmas and i feel our kids are going to loose out on all the anticipation and 'funness' of christmas. they are asking about a christmas tree and lights outside houses. our christmas crafts and christmas traditions. very very few of these things will happen for us this year. although they won't really remember, i don't want this christmas to be a dud for them. christmas was always so special and such a fun time as a child, i don't want it to be a disappointment to them. especially since we've had such a difficult year. we've drug our kids from one side of the united states to the other, away from their friends and family and grandparents. we've lived in a teeny tiny apartment, back to our familiar home, and then tore them from their home to their uncles house and hotels for a few weeks then here at the beach. thankfully i'm homeschooling but things have been hard. this move is going to be great for our family, i just wish it would have happened last month. wish us the best of luck, and i'll post as soon as i can after we are settled. merry christmas to everyone!!

Dear Jesus

Blake has been praying the cutest prayers lately.

This is from tonight:

Dear Jesus,

I hope Daddy doesn't see a raccoon tonight, but...

I hope I get to see a raccoon.

I've seen a raccoon on TV before

but I really want to see a REAL raccoon.

I hope Daddy gets a new job

and I can live in my old house again.

I hope Jesus feels good today.

I hope Jesus doesn't have to die again.

I hope I'm a good boy tomorrow.

Jesus name,

Amen

I just love this little boy!!

we're home

we are finally home again... what a long trip that was. all three kids slept 12 + hours last night and then abigayle and blake took longer than 2 hr naps today. we had a blast though! 3 birthday parties for 5 very special people in our lives!! we ate some good food, laughed until our bellies hurt (thank you sierra) and got a great lead on a job that just might take us back home. we have to continue to trust that God has a plan and hopefully we figure out where we are supposed to go soon. this job my husband has is absolutely horrible. we are praying for some answers soon. hopefully... hopefully... this will work out.

computers

we've had such bad luck lately. with all the computer issues we've had i guess we just needed to add one more to the list. haven't been blogging lately since my computer power cord broke. we have two laptops and both were out of service, kind-of. the borrowed computer screen is still mysteriously showing a ton of static rectangles. i plugged it into our monitor and the rectangles transferred so i know it is not the monitor but something internal. i could read posts on facebook if i scrolled down and then back up and then back down until i could figure out what people were saying. sorry for all the errors on my part since i couldn't even see what i was typing. our laptop's power cord only worked if you pushed it with your finger, held your tongue out to the left, raised your right hand and could type really fast since you really only have about 30 seconds before it would shut down. thankfully i found one on ebay for $11.00 and now it works!!

tomorrow i'll be cooking and baking like a crazy woman. i'm actually looking forward to it! i'm not going to tell you what i'll be cooking, in fear i won't accomplish it all, lol. headed to oakhurst on wednesday. we will be celebrating 5 birthdays this weekend. popi, bailey, mark, uncle johnny and paige - all within a week and a half. i think everyone will like their gifts this year =-) but i'm most looking forward to seeing family and talking with other adults. we still don't know anyone down here so unless my husband is home, pammy is available or my mom is traveling home from work, i get to talk to my kids. san pedro is very very clicky and unless you've been born and raised here you're not going to get anywhere with anyone. hopefully i'll have some yummy goodness to share with you soon =-)

laundry soap

i've started making my own laundry soap and have been more than pleased with it. i actually think it takes stains out of the kids clothes better than regular laundry detergent. i wanted to share the recipe with everyone, just in case you want to jump on the 'hippie ban wagon too' as my husband calls it, lol.

homemade laundry soap
grate bar soap. i use the small section of box cheese grater. doesn't it look pretty??

dissolve soap in water over medium low heat. the house starts to smell really good at this point =-)

once everything has dissolved you add water to a bucket, add the soap mixture, more water, stir and let set over night. abigayle helped me make my last batch and wanted to pose.

grate 1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)

in a saucepan add 6 cups water and grated soap. heat until dissolved over medium low heat. once soap has melted, add borax and washing soda and heat until dissolved.

add 4 cups water to a 5 gallon bucket. pour in soap mixture and 1 gallon plus 6 cups water. stir, cover and let set for 24 hours.

use funnel to transfer soap to old laundry detergent jugs, milk or juice jugs. shake well and use 1/2 cup per load. can use this for HE machines or regular washing machines.

borax can be purchased at walmart or target. you can use any less fragrant bar soap like dove or ivory but fels naptha is recommended. fels naptha and washing soda can be purchased online or at ACE hardware. if your local ace hardware doesn't carry it in stock you can have them order it to the store without paying for shipping. i calculated out the costs using ace hardware prices and borax purchased at target and found a 5 gallon bucket of detergent (double the recipe above) costs $2.80 to make!! you can add fragrance to it if you'd like or just use fabric softener.

to make your own fabric softener sheets you can buy 1 bottle of your favorite liquid fabric softener and pour it into a bucket. fill the container with water 2 more times and add to bucket. cut sponges in half and float in liquid. squeeze out additional fabric softener and add to dryer. reuse sponges. i actually have mine in an old ice cream container since i don't have room for buckets.

if you have any questions, just ask. we love the savings and how nice it cleans!

bargain shopper!!

i've been a bargain shopping fool these last few days, lol. yesterday i went to kohls to get a few birthday presents. found great deals and exactly what i wanted. the kids were still in a descent mood so i ventured into the little girl section. ab's has been blessed with hand me down's, yard sale finds and mimi and popi's generosity since we started this adventure in our lives. unfortunately she thought it would be fun to grow and no longer fits into her winter clothes, lol. when her new dresser arrived, i went through her clothes and found she had 3 long sleeved shirts. not going to be enough. i went walking through the regular sale items and found that prices for clothes have either increased or it is just the area we live in now but there was no way i was going to pay $12.00 for a shirt for her. i quickly went to the clearance and hit a jack pot!! i found so many good deals, i just had to take advantage of. my one splurge item was the black corduroy dress with the lady bugs on it. it is so incredibly cute in person =-) everything else was between $4.00 and $9.00 and everything has two pieces except the jeans. she got a few more items but i couldn't get them in the picture. by this time the boys were starting to be done but i decided to push a little harder.

i went to the boy section to find great deals for brayden too!! i didn't take pictures of them since boy clothes are not as pretty as little girl clothes =-) i found some long sleeved shirts. he has a few from last year from mimi and popi and some hand me downs from bradley that fit but the poor kid needed a few more. i managed to find him shirts from $4.00 to $6.00 a shirt. considering he is in the boy section and not the toddler section this is an especially great deal!! all i need for him is a few more pants and he will be set. i looked at my receipt after i was finished and realized i had saved just over $320.00.

i needed to go to michaels to finish gathering supplies for christmas presents and had a coupon until thursday. something has come up every evening this week so i decided to venture out this morning with all three kids in tow. not something i was looking forward to, michaels + three kids wanting to touch everything while i think = not a fun time. if we were just headed to gather craft supplies or christmas decorations i wouldn't mind taking them at all but this was waaaay more than that. they ended up sitting on the floor in the middle of the isle and i was able to make my decisions and leave. used my coupon and only saved 80 cents, lol. 80 cents would have been worth waiting till next week when my husband could have helped.

anyways... the salvation army is located right next door to michaels and although i donate there quite often, i've never been in a store. they had huge signs on the outside saying that all furniture and clothes were 40% off today and today only. i thought i'd go check it out since brayden needed jeans. i found him 5 pairs in great condition and only paid $10.00!! now that is a bargain and i'm smiling cause all my kids have clothes for winter and it didn't break the bank =-)

happy halloween

i must admit, i was very anxious over this halloween. we haven't had great experiences with halloween in the past and honestly, i'd be a happy camper if we could pass up this holiday. a few years ago people jumped out at our kids, chased them, etc, and it was not something i wanted our kids to have to experience again. they had nightmares for weeks. we didn't actually trick or treat for a year or two after that. we would still carve pumpkins and have halloween treats but didn't dress up and go trick or treating. last year we were in such a nice neighborhood in fresno (nothing like the neighborhoods we used to trick or treat in). all these little old ladies handing out candy so it looked like something we would try again. on the day of halloween, i rounded up some costumes i had at home, dressed up the boys and their cousin and away we went. things went smoothly and they had a blast.
this year was a different story. i was far from that neighborhood, my husband had to work and might not be home, i know 3 of my neighbors and no one else in this entire town. plus the previous owners used to go all out and massively decorate the house and pass out candy. i was afraid we might get egged and bombarded with trick or treaters. i was secretly hoping halloween was going to be on saturday so we could head back to fresno and not even be here. but... this was something i had to face. we decided to let our kids trick or treat this year. we were going to head out early, then come home and camp out in the bedroom and have a movie night. abigayle went as minnie mouse. her original costume didn't fit and i dug through her closet and found this cute outfit. she has never successfully wore it more than just a few minutes before taking it off so i was a little concerned but she left it on and quickly figured out this trick or treating business =-)

when we asked brayden what he wanted to be for halloween he said a cowboy, but quickly decided to change his mind when he saw the 'american solider pants' hanging on the rack. mommy liked this idea since they are real clothes and can be used all year =-)

blake stuck with the cowboy theme and i must say... he is a super cute cowboy most days! he prefers to wear wranglers on a daily basis and loves button up 'cowboy' shirts anyways so this was a very natural costume for him.

we stuck with our plan and trick or treated for a while then headed to our room and dug into the candy. all in all it was fun especially since my husband got off of work in enough time to join us!! brayden took off and i couldn't get a good picture of him trick or treating but here are a few of the other two.

abigayle was timid at first but then figured out that if she held out her bucket, they would give her candy so she would wait patiently until her candy was given, say thank you and walk away. one time she didn't see a man actually give her candy so she stood there waiting and waiting and waiting. we finally had to go get her and she cried her little eyes out. she thought she had gotten left out. honestly... that man should have given her another little candy but... oh well. it was really cute!

blake was a little scared the whole way through. he'd only approach a house if we would walk up with him. he sure enjoys his candy now though =-)

here they are, my american solider, my cowboy and my minnie mouse.

free amazon gift cards!

i have stumbled across an opportunity to make a few bucks without hardly even trying and i'd like to share this opportunity with you so you can start earning too. there is a company called swagbucks. they are a search engine like google. the concept is really pretty simple - search your normal searches through their engine like facebook, my blog (lol), your email, etc and randomly earn 'swagbucks'. you can also do selected surveys, daily polls or even special offers if you'd like but nothing is required. i'm averaging about 50 swagbucks daily. you turn your swagbucks in once you find something you'd like to purchase in the swagshop. i'm choosing to purchase amazon gift cards. i received enough swagbucks to get a $5.00 amazon gift card in just 8 days!! that is like FREE money to me! i just learned that there are hundreds of stores online that when you make a purchase (as long as you were logged into their store through the swagbucks homepage) you get double swagbucks per dollar you spent. so, if you needed to buy something at walmart online, you'd go to swagbucks homepage, click on shop, type walmart, then shop. if you spent $20.00 then you earn 40 swagbucks!

i have a friend who started this and within the first 15 days earned $150.00 in amazon gift cards.

it is free to join, you give about the same amount of information as you give facebook and i haven't received a single email from them. i searched and searched to see if it was a scam and how it really works from various sites and the only major complaint i found was that sometimes the swagbucks won't credit to their account. so... you might not get the 8 swagbucks you earned every once in a while - no biggie if you ask me.

i'm excited to see how many gift cards i can earn and super excited to start using them to get free stuff!! this is a referral based company so if you choose to sign up, please please please sign up under this link. http://swagbucks.com/refer/threelilmacs if you alter away from this link, i will not be given credit. if you were to sign up under me, i would receive matching swagbucks you earn from your searches too. =-) then if you are happy and want to share with your friends, you will get extra swagbucks for their searches.

so basically this is really really simple. instead of using the google toolbar, you use the swagbucks toolbar and randomly receive swagbucks that you can turn into gift cards or items available at their store. if you have any questions, please ask =-)

on a side note, i've been doing this for only 8 days. goggle has already sent me a message asking me to please start using their search engine again. obviously they are making money off of my searches but since they won't give me any free stuff... i'll just stick with swagbucks instead.

grocery store

ever since i was old enough to drive, i became the designated 'grocery shopper'. i used to get wired looks from fellow shoppers and i'd laugh. here i was, a 16 year old girl with an absolute huge grocery cart filled to the top with all kinds of food. must have been a strange sight. my mom has never been a fan of grocery shopping so once i was old enough, she gladly passed over the car keys and a blank check. she even set it up at the store for me to write a check for her. looking back... i totally should have taken advantage of this, lol. anyways... i honestly don't mind shopping. i don't even mind taking the kids with me as long as they are in good moods. thankfully they prefer chicken tenders or pretzels over candy so feeding them to make them happy and our shopping trip faster is totally fine in my books.

blake has been having several difficult days lately. i'm not sure why he is acting out. he is sleeping 10.5 - 11.5 hrs per day so he is within the normal range, i've been trying to give him extra special attention to make sure he knows he is loved and not feeling left out and trying every trick in the book. actually, i've started a new book so hopefully i'll be able to learn a little more and dig a little deeper in his little mind. i want him to be happy and enjoy his days, not whining and sad. on one of our special outings, i took him to target. as we were walking out he said, 'mommy, look over there. i see a hotel truck' can anyone guess what that might be??

anyways... i haven't wanted or had the energy to attempt to go grocery shopping this week. when chuck came home i decided to take off. this trip was quiet and kinda funny. i had a lot to get (my cabinets were pretty bare). food prices are higher here than fresno or even new jersey but the people are so nice. the meat counter guy is young, kinda scrawny, face filled with acne but the nicest, most respectful young man you could ask for. they have an older gal who pushes a cart around offering different products to try like grapes, popcorn, yogurt, etc. she is nice and super quiet. she can sneak up on you and surprise you when she starts talking. then there is the deli gal. she is older, dark stringy hair under her hair net. she looks like she should be a lunch lady (sorry mom) and she talks with a very strong german accent. she doesn't chat with you while she is working and doesn't move very fast, but she looks you right in the eye and wishes you a great evening with a crocked smile. she makes me smile =-) the checkers are all super nice (except one of the managers that i complained about) and nice to talk with while checking out.

all in all our alberstons over here is really nice. i had two favorite parts to tonight's shopping trip. the first was the 75-80 year old, gray haired, very slow moving woman who smiled and eyes twinkled with the 'i'm proud to be drug free' ribbon attached by a broach to her sweater and also when i saw the $245 dollar bill drop to $150 after my coupons and bonus card. i feel so much better knowing my cabinets are full and there is plenty to eat. plus we will be having a yummy new dish tomorrow night!!

oh... did you guess what the 'hotel truck' was? a huge motor home. =-)

computer issues

well... i've taken a bunch of pictures, thought of a bunch of topics to write about and now we are having computer issues. while teaching school today, blake was given a break to play with abigayle while brayden and i started our reading lesson. i heard a loud bang, walked into the living room to see if everything was ok, no one said anything was wrong so i went back to teaching. later i noticed our laptop on the floor. i picked it up to turn it on and it won't turn on. i asked why it was on the floor and blake admitted to kicking it from the couch to the floor. nice huh?? i'm hoping it'll be able to be fixed or at least just turned back on so i can recover my pictures.

our other computer, which was just handed down to us about a month ago just all of a sudden started freaking out too. last night, the screen just decided it wasn't pretty enough i guess cause it started displaying static rectangles all over. there are 10 rows of 23 rectangles on the monitor right now. i'm having a very difficult time seeing what i'm writing.

so... i'm bummed. bummed for so many reasons. my car blew a tire on the way home this weekend and we had to be towed (we were missing one part and the tow truck driver didn't have it either). that means when we can afford to buy another set of tires we will have officially bought tires for every vehicle we own this year. our truck, my suburban, our box trailer and our enclosed trailer. i'm bummed that things are so tight financially that i just cannot hardly breath. i'm bummed that both our computers are busted and cannot properly search for my husband a better paying job. i'm bummed that fresno doesn't have a need for commercial divers so we can live back home. i'm bummed that even though i went to the grocery store, bought ONLY the things we had to have, i still spent $80.00 and i didn't even buy any meat. why does living in southern california have to be so darn expensive?? i can guarantee, we won't be living here for too much longer, we dislike it with a passion. i have many more 'i'm bummed' but that'll just have to wait. i'm very thankful for our health. i'm very thankful for the support we have from my parents. i'm very thankful for the love we have as a family. i'm very thankful for my ability to cook and bake yummy food from scratch making healthy food even cheaper for us. i am very thankful for my husband, who works so hard for us. i am very thankful that even though times are tough i have faith that there is a reason, that God has a plan and that we will survive.

sorry if there are more typos than normal. i cannot hardly see the screen.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl!! Two years ago today, the birth of our precious baby girl completed our family. She was loved beyond words from the moment she was conceived and even more beautiful than we could imagine. And I can honestly say... we love her more and more every day!!

Today we are not really celebrating. Of course we'll sing many many times today and let her open a present but Daddy is working and then we will be traveling up to Fresno for the weekend to celebrate with family. Ab's never really got a first birthday party so this party is really important to me. Unfortunately two very special families are not able to make it to this party either. You will be missed! This will be the first day Chuck will have off since he started and the first time he'll be able to go 'home' since we've moved. We are looking forward to this little trip.

My day will be filled with packing, cleaning and searching. I know this is silly but I've misplaced my camera battery and it has finally died. Hence the lack of pictures on here lately. Please pray I find it so I can record this special day. Also pray for safe travels.

As always... when I'm out of the house I'll not be posting so, we'll talk again Monday when we get back. Hopefully pictures and a yummy menu will be in order =-)

Abigayle is turning 2 tomorrow and I'm amazed as to how fast time has flown by. I'm excited to see her grow but sad all at the same time. She is our last and I just don't want my baby getting any bigger. My boys can just stop growing too. I'd be completely happy if they all just stayed the same.

We had such a wonderful week up in Fresno last week with both sets of grandparents and it seems as if this week back has been so fast. I'm not caught up on laundry or dishes but we've been doing some great school work to make up for the lack of it last week. We are headed back up tomorrow night (arriving really late) but then the official celebration begins for Ab's with all the family. She loves Tinkerbell or as she calls her Bell-Bell so I'm making her a Tinkerbell cake with sparkles and all. We are super excited about this little trip!! Not only do we get to see both sets of grandparents (which makes my heart happy to see my kids playing with all of them) but also Aunts, Uncles and the Uncle Lala who is really an aunt but has a funny name, lol. but we also get to see all kinds of cousins and the best part is that my husband actually gets to join us this time!!! Not only will the drive be nicer but we will all be together for several days with makes me very happy!!

I'll remember my camera this time and hopefully be able to post pictures from both trips when I get home. Thanks to Curt he took pictures and put them on a CD for me from last week. Thanks!!

menu

As of yesterday at about 3:00 I finally have Internet again!! Time for some catch up!!

My menu is the first up - Chuck was sent to San Francisco for a few days for work so the kids and I headed up to Fresno!! We had such a blast, but that'll have to be for another post since I have stories to tell BUT I wasn't able to make but one or two meals from last week so my menu is pretty much the same as last week. I'll post a new one once I head to the grocery store later this week.

I've posted on Face book a few times about baby Ewan. If you haven't read this mommy's blog, please take a minute and read a little and pray for this family. My heart just aches for her and it has made me appreciate even the bad days I've had lately. www.team-ewan.com

loss of internet

well... my internet is down

stealing from the neighbor.

will get back to blogging when i get things up and running again =)

enjoy your days!!

our weekly menu

well... i've finished our menu.

now i'm hungry.

saturday - homemade biscuits and gravy, picnic lunch and picnic dinner
chuck's company is having a picnic. should be fun!! hamburgers, hotdogs, tritip, etc.

sunday - pumpkin pancakes, crockpot chicken lettuce wraps (pf changs copy cat recipe), salsa chicken tacos with mexican rice and beans.

monday - zucchini bread, salsa chicken burritos, crockpot pork chops with apples, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

tuesday - oatmeal, fish sticks and homemade mac n cheese, homemade make your own pizza's, spinach salad with warm dressing.

wednesday - cereal, winnie casserole, taco soup with homemade cornbread (still looking for a great cornbread recipe if anyone has one)

thursday - pancakes, winnie casserole, leftovers.

friday - oatmeal, sandwiches, backyard fire pit chili dogs and marshmallows.

snacks this week - carrots, celery with peanut butter, apples, bananas, sunflower seeds, shell your own peanuts, yogurt, raisins and homemade chex mix. i typically provide two snacks a day.

frozen burritos

i've started really trying to cut down our food costs around here. i hate the fact that healthy food costs more than unhealthy food. it's no wonder why there are so many overweight americans around. a bag of chips costs less than crackers or even a bag of carrots. even though money is tight right now, i'm still not willing to compromise on healthiness. albertsons had whole wheat pasta (all shapes) on sale for $1.00 a box. i bought all they had and got a rain check for 15 more =) i've stopped buying boxed, canned or premade foods all together except kraft mac n cheese but i found a recipe that the sauce can be made in the microwave last night that sounded great. hoping to try it this coming week and eliminate everything.

to help curb our costs, i've learned that if i meal plan everything, not just dinners, i have less last minute craziness trying to come up with something for breakfast and such and less waste in my fridge. so this is my goal this weekend - come up with an extensive meal plan, buy groceries and start saving. i'm also going to start posting my menu's. i haven't decided what day but i'm hoping some of you will find planning your meals less irritating since i'll be posting mine AND i'm hoping you'll start posting your menu's or great recipes you have.

until i have everything squared away over here i wanted to share with you a tip i've learned and come to love!!

i now make frozen burritos for fast, protein filled breakfasts.
sausage was on sale so i crumbled and fully cooked the sausage. i then added 12 eggs, milk and pepper to the pan and cooked until done on medium low heat. while that was cooking i put 6 hash brown patties in the oven. i prefer homemade hash browns but my husband likes the store bought hash browns and since i was making these for him i decided to make them the way he prefers. =-)

i began assembling egg mixture, 1/2 a hash brown and cheese in large tortillas and rolled them with two layers of stretch tight.

i made 12 yummy burritos, plenty big enough for a man. i placed them all in the freezer and now had enough breakfast for my husband for 2 work weeks (and then 2 for me). they thaw out great!! not soggy or chewy, i'm most impressed with how easily it was to make a ton of breakfasts for my husband. most mornings i just don't get out of bed early enough to make him breakfast and lunch and if it were only up to him, he'd just skip it so... this has been great!! i'm going to try frozen english muffins with canadian bacon, egg and cheese this week. hopefully he'll enjoy those as much as he has these.

9 years

today is our nine year anniversary. i definitely married the right man and even though things have been tough with all these moves and a new career, we are definitely ment to be together!!

i'm hoping to post some pictures of our wedding. i think it would be fun to show you all what we looked like. =)

bucket

abigayle wanted in the bucket blake was nice enough to help
she is getting a little scared at this point

screaming now
i mean honestly... who wouldn't be scared?

one leg in the bucket

the other leg sticking straight out

and being man-handled by your brother

honestly, i'm surprised the bucket didn't tip over.
she made it!!

blake pushes her in

then so kindly helped her out

it was so sweet to see them play happily together!!

beyond hot

well yesterday was beyond hot over here. yes, i grew up in the valley and yes, i've dealt with many hot days but yesterday was soooo bad. between the weekend being 100 degrees while we were sick and then yesterday being, and i'm not joking, 106 degrees AT THE BEACH, it was miserable. the actual 106 degrees is really not that unusual for valley weather and it really isn't that bad if you have an air conditioner, fans or other methods of cooling yourself but here at the beach, we don't have air conditioning at, we don't even have overhead fans an any room except our bedroom and the breeze was still. the house was so hot and we were sweat buckets!! after loosing probably 5 lbs in sweat, i loaded up the kids and we headed to target to enjoy their air conditioning for about an hour. we just mainly wondered around since brayden wasn't feeling well and i was still not feeling great. we looked at all the toys and found some great ideas for abigayle for her birthday, got daddy some medicine and bought new toothbrushes so we won't get sick again. after target i made milkshakes to help cool us off and turned on the sprinklers for the kids to play in. they had so much fun!!!

abigayle would try to sit on the sprinkler. it was too funny!! and blake loved to run and jump over it. see the rainbow?

here's brayden jumping through the sprinkler, and rainbow!

wet brayden.

i wonder where abigayle learned to sit on the sprinkler, lol.

wet blake.

wet brothers, having a super fun time playing!!

although... now that i look at this picture more, brayden doesn't look too thrilled. they were actually having so much fun standing there and talking about how much they love playing together. oh well... i still love these boys!!

totally

i'm totally... tired of being sick. feeling much better today but would love to have more energy.

i'm totally... hot!! it is not hot like fresno hot, but it is very hot for san pedro. plus the breeze has stopped, my house doesn't have overhead fans and it doesn't have an air conditioner. there is no escaping the heat, plus when you are sick, it just makes it miserable.

i'm totally... tired of cleaning. i feel like i clean and clean and clean but nothing is ever clean long. i've been sick for the last two days and the house has gone to pot. i totally should be cleaning right now but have no energy, thinking about napping with the kids =)

i'm totally... enjoying living right next to the beach. the weather is usually perfect.

i'm totally... loving how cute my kids are. i might be a little partial but they do the cutest things =)

i'm totally... loving my dog right now. sally, my golden retriever, has fallen in love with me all over again, lol. she constantly follows me everywhere, even in the bathroom. i went to take a bath yesterday and heard her scratching on the door just before i climbed in. she came in and laid down right next to the tub for the first few minutes, then wanted to give kisses. i thought she was thirsty so i filled a bath toy boat with cold water but she didn't want it, she only wanted to give me kisses. so instead dog licks on my face, i offered her my leg, lol.

i'm totally... still in love with my husband!! even though he doesn't like to cuddle when he is hot or when he is sick (yes, he is still sick too) and all i want when i'm sick is to cuddle... i still love him. plus, sally cuddled with me so i still got my cuddles in, lol.

love this man

I just love this man!!

We were ment to be together...

through thick and thin...

He is my soul mate.

coffee

i'm 30 years old with three young children. i can't remember the last night i've slept all night without waking, i rarely get a nap and hardly ever get to sleep in. i clean and cook and clean and teach and clean and the kids destroy faster than i can keep it all in order. i see all these other mommies enjoying coffee, looking awake and energized and no matter how many ways i've tried it, i just don't like it. i've wanted to love it, i've even wanted to just like it but honestly it tastes like dirt. yes... i said dirt. i've tried it cold, i've tried it hot. i've used creamer. i've used sugar. i've used folgers and every other brand i could find. i've tasted coffee from starbucks and other 'professional' coffee shops and none has even remotely been what i would consider tasty. i will admit i love love love the way it smells though. i walk down the coffee isle in the grocery store just to smell the yumminess. i just wish it tasted the way it smelled. oh... that would be so yummy!!

i think my husband secretly loves to watch me try coffee or even tea for that fact. he'll tell me that his cup tastes really good and he's sure i'd like it. i'll take a sip and i just can't help but make funny faces at the disgusting taste in my mouth (and to set the record straight wine makes me make these horrible faces too, actually worse than coffee or tea, lol). i always see him smile and laugh and i'm sure he now does this on purpose.

you know... as i think about this, i think maybe my mom sat him down before we got married and told him about this. as far back as i can remember, my mom drank coffee. her coffee preferences have changed over the years but it has always been coffee in the mornings and after desert at family get togethers. she also enjoys hot chinese tea. i honestly don't remember her ever asking me to try coffee but i remember, oh... i don't know... probably about 800 times to taste chinese tea. we'd be sitting at a chinese restaurant with that little teapot on the table and those tiny little chinese cups and she'd say and i quote, "LeAnna, you should try this. I know you don't like tea, but this tea is really good." so... i'd try it. all 800 times i'd try it and all 800 times i'd make funny faces, she'd laugh and i'd say i'd never try it again. until next time of course.

mom likes starbucks, cold, something with whipped cream and carmel and who knows what else. i try it every time, make my funny faces, laugh and just drink my hot chai. yes i know chai is tea but it tastes more like pumpkin pie that any tea so... i like it =) while mom was visiting this weekend she insisted we stop at the coffee bean. i honestly don't mind stopping, just spending time with my mom is the fun part. we go in and i see pumpkin coffee displayed on the wall. i try to convince her to order it since i LOVE pumpkin but know i probably won't like it so i'm not willing to order it myself. she refuses. flat out refuses and says she wants to order hazelnut. hazelnut, really?? i don't like the way hazelnut tastes or even smells but that's what she orders. she asks if i want a taste. can you guess what i said? yep... i said ok. i take a very small taste (i've learned over the years to take very small sips) and... are you ready... it was good. i thought maybe i may have tasted some part not blended with the coffee so i took another taste, and then another and OH MY GOODNESS... THIS STUFF IS GREAT!! seriously it tasted like a coffee milkshake sent from heaven!!! i could have drank that entire cup. i held back and shared with my mom considering she did buy it and it was hers but now i'm thinking about that wonderful sip (or four) and thinking that there is hope for me. i wonder what makes their coffee blended drinks so different? i wonder what the pumpkin one tastes like? i wonder if it'll taste that good next time? i wonder if i were to drink that much coffee if i'd feel the caffeine work??!! i wonder when i can try it again? until i can, i'll have to look at this yummy picture and drool.

dinner

i made a fabulous dinner the other night. i'm talking lip smacking good, kinda dinner!! i was at the meat counter buying chicken and noticed ribs on sale. i originally planned on putting them in the crock pot since that is the only way i know how to cook them but i decided to try something new and bake them in the oven. i'm always willing to try something new at least once, you never know... you might find something amazing!!

i googled some recipes and then came up with this:
equal parts sugar and salt plus pepper or paprika to taste
pat mixture on both sides of meat
place in 9x13 pan
add water 1/2 way up the ribs
place in 250 degree oven for 1 hour
turn over and cook for an additional 1 hour.
drain liquid and slather with bbq sauce
increase heat to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
let me just tell you... they become finger licking good!!

the potatoes were wonderful too. super simple but super yummy! i just cut cleaned and chopped the potatoes, added oil, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and lots and lots of garlic. i baked it in my broiler and kept a close eye on it so they wouldn't burn. i turned them frequently and they were perfect. thanks pammy for the great potato recipe!

i must admit, there wasn't much talking during dinner that night. we were focused on eating =)

potty training

well... it's about time i got down to potty training abigayle. she's been showing signs since new jersey but honestly diapers were so much easier on that super duper long drive from new jersey to california, then we didn't know how long we were going to stay in cali or where we were going to end up. can you imagine stopping every hour for her to go potty or the backtracking we could be doing with all the moving and confusion? but now that we are settled i'm ready to give up diapers.

wow... give up diapers?? i've been changing diapers for over 5 1/2 years, every single day.

i should own stock in huggies, lol.

potty training is going great!! they say boys are harder than girls but since my boys potty trained so easily i had my doubts that it would go as smoothly but she's doing it!! i don't use the fancy potty chairs that sing with toys and such, i will not use pull-ups and i don't use treats or bribes, i just took off her diaper and let her run around naked or in a little dress. she's had very few accidents and they've all been when she's put on an outfit and forgotten, lol.

we went to the grocery store yesterday, i, of course, threw a diaper on her and she proceeded to tell me every time she had to go potty. it was four times throughout our shopping trip, lol. can we say hydrated??!! i'd tell her she can go potty in her diaper and she'd push her little lips out and move her eyebrows down and tell me 'no'. she wanted her potty, lol. once she starts holding it for longer periods of time, we'll start venturing out without diapers all together!!

i only posted the picture of her going potty, i have more, you know... for bribing purposes later, lol.

homeschool

we've decided to home school our children.

i know some of you might think we are crazy

but to be honest...

we kinda think we are crazy too.

but at this point in our lives

this is what is best for us and our children.

judge or don't judge

agree or don't agree

it doesn't matter.

i promise my children will turn out great!!

i've been teaching preschool stuff

off and on for quite some time now

but brayden is officially

old enough to start kindergarten.

the schools here in san pedro

just started school on monday

so our official home school has also begun.

blake was very excited to officially start preschool

but was very upset when his tower of counting blocks fell.

he quickly got over it and did great the rest of the day!

brayden has a much longer attention span

and is doing great!!

he is remembering what i previously taught

and really enjoys school

as long as we stay at home.

for some reason, i only took pictures while doing math
but i'll take more pictures and post our other
project and lessons as we go along.

they are enjoying learning
and ask for more school work every day!

now... if i can only get them to ask for more chores everyday
my life would be sooo much easier, lol.

mommies sick day

so... like i said yesterday,

i had a massive migraine.

i used to get these often but thank God

i haven't gotten but a few since i've been

pregnant and/or nursing

during the last 5 1/2 years.

i hate, hate, hate taking anything

that might affect my babies.

i don't even like taking tylenol or anything stronger

so... i'm very thankful.

but... last night was a completely different story.

yesterday started off fun and exciting.

we did school

(i'll post pictures and explain soon)

then headed off to run our errands.

everything went smooth expect my

headache continued to get worse

and worse

and worse.

until i finally took some tylenol.

it was so bad the tylenol didn't even phase it.

i would have been in tears

except that only makes it worse

i know from past experience.

thankfully chuck made it home

and helped with the kids

and gave me stronger meds.

my kids were so sweet.

beware... below is a picture.

i don't look great but it shows how mommies

take sick days.

here i lay,

in a massive amount of pain,

nursing (and yes, she is really nursing) ab's to sleep,

holding an icepack,

with blue bear and kitty kitty

on my lap to make me feel better.

and here is a picture of the 'presents'

i received to make me feel better too.
can you see the joy, uh, pain on my face?
brayden spent probably 15 minutes
collecting things around the house to make these presents for me.
he was so proud of his presents
and just new they were going to make me feel better.
the presents were sweet
but the cuddles i got after were so much greater.

thankfully today,
the pain is gone
but as anyone who has had a migraine knows
the next day... you feel like a mack truck has run you over.
tomorrow will be better.