Happy Thanksgiving :)

Today we celebrated our Thanksgiving. No we are not weird, from a different religion, or just dont like to follow tradition. The reason we celebrated today and not on Thursday was because my mom was at the hospital with some chest pains. Everything turned out to be okay and after a huge fight with my dad about when to eat (he said thursday night without mom, I said today with mom because thanksgiving is about family) you can see who won that argument right ;)

Everything held up good in the fridge. By the time she had gone to the hospital on Wednesday I had cooked the majority of everything and prepped the rest.

This year we had :

Turkey: courtesy of the Hone Baked Ham (I loved it and they will be providing turkey for us for many years to come. My kitchen is too small, no one likes dark meat, so this turned out perfectly. Maybe next year hubby will deep fry a turkey. I always wanted to try one)

Red mashed potatoes: I just learned this year to add sour cream to them. Kids and parents raved about it.

Homemade cranberry sauce: Pioneer woman provided this recipe. It was cranberries, pom juice and sugar. All on sauce pan until it boils. Absolutely delish and mom said from now on she will never eat the can kind with the rings again.

Green bean casserole: The kids chowing down on veggies and asking for seconds. What more can you ask for??

Stuffing: Cortesy of stove top in a box because I dont know how to make stuffing.

Paula Dean trifle: This one I picked because I dont like pumpkin pie. I switched her recipe from gingerbread cake to french vanilla because again I am not a fan of gingerbread. So good. Definetly going into the recipe book.

I also wanted to make a pumpkin cheesecake, but with only us and hubby not here, I could not trust myself to that much leftovers. Maybe for Christmas.


I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Love A

Almost wordless Tuesday...

No day is completed without trying on one, or two, maybe 3? head accessories at party city ;)

What do I do all day??

It all started with me posting a question about prices on facebook about getting a housecleaner. I got some pretty mean comments about being a stay at home mom with 2 kids and that its just me being lazy.

So here is a look at what this stay at hom mom does ;)

2-4am: Tyler is chattering his teeth and dealing with night-terrors so bad it wakes me up. I go and console him until he is back asleep.
6am: Tyler comes to wake me up. I plea and offer him a pony to let me sleep in a little bit more no such luck.
6:30: roll out of bed extremely exhausted
6:30-7am : Teeth brushing, hair brushing, making my bed, getting dressed, pick up clothes off the floor of my closet.
7-7:30- teeth brushing for kids, changing and dressing both kids make Tyler's bed.
7:30-8: breakfast, separate everything I need for the day
8-9: drop Ty off at school
9-9:30: Errands for my parents (bank, post office)
9:30-10/11- Phone call from hubby then straight to the Gym
11-11:30: head home take shower, Juliet lunch, eat lunch, pull meat out for dinner, vaccum
11:30-12 : put her down for her nap.
12-12:30: Throw laundry in, translate documents for my parents, call around for prices for wood and granite or call around for whatever else they need.
12-1- time for myself (internet, phone calls to friends or family)
1-2pm: Pull laundry out, fold it, clean kitchen,
2-3: Juliet up from her nap more phone calls for parents
3-4: snack Juliet, dinner cooking
4-4:30- Grab everything else I need out the door to pick Tyler up from daycare
4:30-5- pick up Tyler from daycare stop at bank or post office or whatever else I need before end of the day
5: Tyler swimming lesson
6pm: Head home, feed the kids dinner, put away the clothes, bath, milk. kitchen cleaning.
7-7:50: watching cartoons with kids,
8pm: teeth brushing, 2 book reading, prayers,lights out both kids sleeping
8-10: time for myself, fighting to stay awake
10:30pm- phone call from husband
11pm- drag myself up the stairs and go to bed to start all over the next day.

That is when I dont have to do something else. Last night I had to go buy an entertainment center and a new dishwasher to replace the old one for the landlord. Didnt get home until almost 9:30 pm.

Starting in January I am adding going to school online. It usually takes 4 wks doing it 10-15hrs a week per class. Because I still have 10 classes to take and don't want to wait 10 months to finish, I am going to try to do it faster while Ju naps and at night after the kids go to bed.

So yeah, its not easy. I know everyones life is not easy and hectic and with a deployed husband, its harder. I don't get a day off. I don't get to take a shower in peace, I dont even get to pee in peace. I been dying to go to the movies or to have a drink with friends. It won't happen until he gets home. Its the life we chose and I love it, yeah there are things that sucks about it but I can handle it. But just because I want a house-cleaner doesnt mean I sit at home all day eating bonbons. I havent been able to watch Oprah in 3 months because of ds's swimming after school. So please the next time you think stay at hom moms do absolutely nothing, ask them. They will gladly tell you ;)

". I wish I may, I wish I might,: Have the wish I wish tonight...

Christmas is coming and since I love all holiday talk, I am following the lead of Karen (www.mygoalissimple.com ) (who followed the lead of someone else) such is the world of blogging, and if money was no object here is my Christmas list.

Take notes mom :)

1. I want him doing exactly that :



but even Santa is not that skillfull. So...

2. I would love to know that he got a job offer here :



3. An all inclusive trip to here would make me kiss each and every single reeindeer. Heck I only been dreaming about going there for the past 21 years of my life.



4. One of these to replace the 8th of a carat I got and lost when we got married would put a huge smile on my face:



5. One of these would make me run around in circles screaming (if I get this it will be 15 inches bigger than anything I ever had. 15 inches is a lot. I would actually be able to watch it without glasses. How cool would that be?? :)



6. The reason I want one of these is for my health. Being stressed out, getting frustrated and screaming at my :"I will always overheat and shutdown when you are doing something important just to enjoy you turning red" laptop, is bound to be bad for my health. So its a necessity. Right??




So that is my list. I think one or two I will get it after Christmas and after we are debt free, but even if I don't get any, I am alive, healthy, my husband got a job, my kids are healthy, I will still have a smile on come Christmas morning. So its all good. I wont stop believing or wishing :)

Love A

Keeping it busy...

While he is learning to do this (Which is taking him a long time might I add) :





I am keeping it busy by doing this :

Today is good, real good...

Every couple days I been getting complains about ds in school. He is not listening, he is not napping, he is always asking to drink too much water, he is going into the bathroom with the girls, all the norm. I been on him about it. Bribbing, threating to take him to jail,threating to pull him out of school, phone calls to his father, phone calls to his grandfather, phone calls to santa, nothing is working.
He has an amazing teacher who melts for his smiles, but even so he was driving her nuts.
I was completely out of option and ideas. Well today I went to pick him up and his teacher while starting to talk to me had tears in her eyes. Insane thoughts ran through my head. What did he do now??

Well to my surprise it was good really good. The teacher was telling me this new little girl just started class 3 days before because her parents went through a nasty divorce and now her mom had to go back to work. All she did was cry, cry and cry. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't play. Nothing. Her mom was worried teacher was worried everyone was worried.
Well my son, my big boy, whispered something into this little girls ear. She stopped crying, started laughing, sat down ate lunch with him, laid down on her mat right next to him, played with him the whole time and even started to play with the other kids too. When I went to pick him up, he wasn't allowed to leave without giving her a big old hug and promising her that he would be back tomorrow.

I about lost it when his teacher told me. We were sitting there both crying tears of happiness. That is by far one of my most proud mommy moments. Somehow a ease came over me and it was the little reassurance from up above that I need. Reassurance that even though I am not perfect, I loose my temper, my patience,I make a ton of mistakes, somehow I am raising wonderful, caring kids.

What more could anyone ask for??


ps. Dont even bother asking. His teacher have asked him, I have asked him repeatedly what he said to this little girl. What those magic words were and he wont tell. He said its a secret. He could never keep a secret but I guess this one he can and its fine by me :)

Love A

Easily amused...

My kids loves balloons. At the local grocery store they always give them out when you go through the cashier. I don't like the tears that comes after their balloons pops. Its inconsolable crying. Sometimes he opens the car window and out it flies. Just a pain.

Well browsing through etsy, I cam across this :

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/37012662

and I love it. It just came in today and its so cute. Works great, dd has been a happy camper playing all afternoon with her balloon (yeah yeah it was supposed to be a stocking stuffer, but with us going home fro Christmas , she was home she saw it I said why not?).

So if you are easily amused like me and want cute cheap stocking stuffer that they will actually play with it instead of little junk, head over to etsy.

They have this adorable octopus : http://www.etsy.com/transaction/37012660

all different kinds of magnets, wooden little cars. Just neat little stuff that will be perfect for stocking stuffing and it will actually get played with :)

I love moments like these...

You can be 4 yrs old, on top of the world,
think you know it all,
too big to let your mom buckle your seatbelt,
too big to let your mom pick your clothes,
you are always saying you can do it,
you want to pick what you eat,
what you drink,
Suggestions from mommy are boring.
You know it all,
but as you just learned that are moments when you still need mom,
it makes her very happy,
and guess what??
She will always be there for you (even if she starts laughing and runs for the camera first) =)

Almost wordless Thursday.

Finally got my camera =)




and already need a baseball bat ;)