Friday, November 19, 2010

Guest Post

My next guest is my sister Gabby. She is a funny and beautiful mother of 4. She is sharing with us her Organized Pantry. Clear jars were purchased from Ikea, wicker baskets, collected and bought and different places. Gabby also added some pictures of her closet. Thanks for sharing.

Here is Gabby:

A pantry and a closet is not a place, it's “an attitude “

My pantry and my closet are my favorite places in the house.
Being organized eliminates clutter. My struggles are gone because my strategy exists.

Every item in the pantry has a consistent, assigned home.



Monday, November 15, 2010

Sewing Projects #1 and #2

Halloween was right around the corner from the day that I purchased my sewing machine, so I started to work on my first two projects. I haven't sewed since junior high, so I just quickly read the manual on how to thread the machine, and off I went. I found tutorials online on how to make my son's Halloween costume and my nieces Minnie Mouse's skirt.


Sewing Project #1
First was my sons costume. He is currently into The Mickey Mouse Club, and I wasn't sure on how he was going to be on costumes that had masks, and hats. So.... I made him a Mickey Mouse Cape, and bought him a foam sword from Michael's.

                                                      Here is my "Mouseketeer Super Hero",
                                    the mickey mouse head had his middle initial "J", adorable right?

Sewing Project #2, a skirt
I have never made a skirt, so I searched all over and found this simple skirt tutorial over at http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/. It was super simple, but it came out just a tad crooked, but that's OK, it was Halloween, and it wasn't THAT noticeable. Thanks to my niece Anna for being a good sport about it.


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Guest Post

I have been wanting to get Friends/Family on my blog whether they have blogs or not, and have them share a story, tip, recipe, and/or any great idea that they would like to share with the rest of us. I will be posting weekly, hopefully 2x a week, but for sure weekly.

So here we go.....
My first guest is my niece Stephanie, she is a young new mom, and has a beautiful baby girl named Emma. Emma was so excited come into this world, that she decided to come out super early, so early that she arrived at 27 weeks gestation and weighing in at 2.5lbs.
I asked Steph to give us a tip or two after being a new mommy.

Steph, take it away:

Being a new mommy is awesome! I went through a lot to have my baby girl Emma,but it was all worth it. It is true what they about how you forget everything once you have your baby home. Ivan and I would visit Emma in NICU ever day for 3 months, and now it is as if we never went through everything.


My advice for new mommy's is there is no such thing as a stupid question. Ask what ever your concerned about to your DR. And yes every older person in your family will give you advice,some of it is good and some times you just have to smile and nod. You will need a lot of patience, especially when waking up at 4am for feedings. Once you see that little smile, your heart melts and you wouldn't mind doing everything all over again.

                     And here is Emma at 5 months. She has been doing so well and growing fast.
                                                     Love you Emma and  Stephanie


Emma and Mommy

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

HAPPY HAPPY!!!

I just wanted to make a quick post, I got some great news today. I have been wanting to become a stay at home mom for a while now, well, ever since I had my son, who will soon be 2 in December (tear down my cheek). Due to my overspending at Target, I need to work for a little while longer.
The hubby and I have worked hard (especially the hubby, he has kept us on a budget), and I am now able to transition from a full time to a part time (jumping for joy).
My current job has accepted my request to work Mon-Wed (again jumping for joy).
I have so many plans for my Thursday and Friday days off:
1.SPEND A LOT MORE TIME WITH MY SON
2.work on crafts
3.join Stroller Strides: a mother child exercising class
4.clean my house so on the weekends we are free
5.cook home meals again
6.bake
7.take our dog for walks
8.Enjoy having 4 day weekends every week...wooo hooo!!!
and so much more.
9.One step closer to becoming a stay at home mom


So first on the agenda, on my first week with my new schedule, on Thursday I get to go to NEW YORK!!! yes my friends NEW YORK!!!.
I have never been, but my husband works in the East Coast, and they have their company Christmas party on a Friday night this year, and we were able to RSVP, and I am just so excited.
I already love my new schedule.


One last note:  if you are a working mom away from home, and hope that one day you get to be a stay at home mom, work from home, or work part time, keep your head up, keep on doing what your doing, and it will happen sooner rather than later.

Friday, November 5, 2010

No Makeup Bag

Yesterday morning I was in a bit of a rush. I normally sit in traffic for about 30 minute daily, so at that time I do my make in the car. I know, that's dangerous, but I'm going less than a mile, so it gives me something to do. Anyways, I normally leave my makeup bag in my purse, but the night before i took it out so I can change out my blush color for the next day.
I'm in the car, and I reach my traffic point, I lean over to grab my purse, and I cant find my make up bag, I look in front of the passenger sit, nope it's not there, I quickly look behind the passenger seat, nope not there either. Crap... I left it in my bathroom.  I am so worried, I want traffic to get going so I can quickly get to Target and buy, powder, blush and mascara. I already had on my foundation and eyeshadow. My eyelashes looked powdery and I was about to risk being late to work so I can stop by the store.
I came to my senses and no I cant be late for work, so I sucked it up and went to work without my finished face.
I was at my desk, trying not to make any conversations with anyone, I wasn't sure if anyone would notice, but if I did talk to somebody I felt like they were looking straight into my eyes thinking "where is her mascara?".

The day got a WHOLE lot better when I met up with my niece Anna for lunch. As soon as I got in her car, I said Hi and asked "can I borrow your powder and blush?". NO  mascara though.After that I felt soooo much better, and was able to continue with my day.

Would you be able to go out without makeup?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

A portable dvd player...2 thumbs up!!!

I love my reality tv shows, but i dont really get to watch them till late at night (when im half asleep and end up turning the tv off in the middle of a show) or because our little son wants to what mou mouse aka mickey mouse or handy manny. so...this last week we entered the portable dvd player. when I get home during the week, i sit him down at the dinner table with either dinner, or a snack, and I push play. I turn on the tv and watch my show or shows while I'm cleaning up, getting things ready for the next day, dinner, or just wanting to relax. wow,how come I didn't think of that before? not only are we both content, but I'm multi tasking at the same time. I love my ideas sometimes.
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

My New Sewing Machine

When I was in jr high i took homech classes. They were classes that would teach you how to sew, cook, crochet, needlepoint etc. I loved it, i learned how to make many things. When i first got married, i made our first Christmas stockings for us. they turned out cute. I have no idea why i never really pursued sewing till now. I see so many projects that can be done, but all i needed was a sewing machine. i didn't want a fancy expensive one, just one that would do the job. so i went to http://www.marthastewart.com/ and found one that she "hand picked", it's sold at http://www.walmart.com/ at a very reasonable price of $99 Singer 2263 Simple.  here is a picture of it and hope that soon i will be posting my projects, i cant wait. WOOO HOO!!!!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Discounts gotta love them

About 10 years ago, my favorit job was working at Strouds Linen Outlet. I loved it there. Deep down, i get happy when i buy stuff for the house, pillows, sheets, drapes, etc. When i worked there we got a 30% discount, and it was even better when stuff was on sale, we would add our discount on top of that. It was great.
Now, I now longer work there, but my sister works at Lowes and we tell her what were looking for and if it comes up on sale she calls us, we tell her to grab it and we get her discount on top of the sale price. we love that.
today i went to go visit her during my lunch hour and bought these that were already 25% off and i got her discount. All three for $12.50, great deal right?

i bought 1 of this one


and 2 of this one

Monday, October 11, 2010

Play Dough Time!!!

I was over at http://www.livinglocurto.com/ and found this great recipe for Homemad Play Dough. Super easy and fun. Amy from living locurto created this great recipe card to go with it as well. So cute.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Salmon anyone?

Here is another great recipe that I found on http://www.livinglocurto.com/.

Grilled Basil & Lemon Salmon with Tomatoes & Asparagus



Ingrediants
Butter substitute like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or 1/2 stick softened butter
1 bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped
1-2 lemons, sliced
3-4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
Fresh Asparagus
Salmon Fillets – if you have a large slab of Salmon, slice it into portions as they will be served
Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Foil
Directions
Mix the chopped basil into the softened butter and set aside
Lay out foil for each serving of Salmon you plan to make – foil should be about 12-15 inches in length
Place salmon in the center of the foil
Put about a tablespoon of the basil butter mixture on top of salmon and press down slightly with a spoon along the top of the salmon sprinkle with pepper
Place 2-3 lemon slices on top of butter mixture
Add 3 asparagus stems to the packet (rub butter mixture on top of asparagus for extra taste)
Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the diced Roma Tomatoes on top of lemon layer
Salt to taste and grind fresh pepper on top
Pull top and bottom of foil up and roll down until it seals in the center. Fold over the sides several time toward the center to seal and form the foil packet.
Place on medium heat grill for 10-12 minutes (in oven cook 20-25 minutes at 375°)
Open steaming packets carefully and enjoy!
Sides: Salad or brown rice.

For the rice, we love using the different types of Uncle Ben's 90 Second Rice


If you do the recipe, comment me and let me know how it was, and if you changed up the recipe to make it your own.

Back to Cooking!!!

My husband and I enjoy cooking. Ever since we moved out to Perris, my daily comute to work is now 3 hours daily. So, by the time I pick up my son from my mom's I dont get home till 7pm. Which has delayed my cooking during the week a lot, and I end up having a frozen dinner or something that my mom has packed up for me. Not too bad, because my husband travels a lot, so it's mostly the baby and I, but I still miss cooking.
I was talking to my friend Jammie, and she informed me that she plans her meals for the week on the weekend, does the grocery shopping, and prepares the meals for when she's ready to cook them. It's not only cheaper (your not buying groceries that you wont be using), fast, and convenient. So, that has inspired me to start planning my meals, and any left over from the night, I can take to lunch for the next day (saving more money).
I came across this great blog/website www.livinglocurto.com/weekly-meal-plans/, Not only does Amy provide great meals from her own kitchen, but her blog readers, and her friends, so theirs a variatey of meals that you will love. She also provides a pdf file that includes the meals for the week, photos, and a grocery list. I love it.
This is the first meal that i will be preparing


Spicy Turkey Crock Pot Lasagna
I hope mine looks as good as this one, and I have never done Lasagna in a crock pot.....I'm scared.
Here is the recipe, and it's originally from parents.com and directions if you would like to try it out, come back and leave me a comment when your done.




Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
15 oz. container ricotta
1 package of shredded Italian-blend cheese
 – 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
fresh ground pepper
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked and broken in half
1 large jar (26 ounces) chunky pasta sauce (your favorite kind)
1 cup water

Directions

Cook turkey in a pan. Season with Italian seasonings, salt and pepper flakes.
Mix ricotta, cheese blend and spinach in a bowl. Add a few pinches of salt and fresh ground pepper.
In a crock-pot, put a spoonful of pasta sauce to coat the bottom of the pot, then add a layer of the noodles.
Add half the meat mixture over noodles. Pour on half the pasta sauce and half the water. Spread half the cheese mixture on top. Repeat layers.
Cover slow cooker; cook on low heat 4-1/2 hours.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Free Give Away

I came across this give away that I wanted to share with you. We all love free giveaways!!!!!!!!!!!

C.D. Madison from www.enbdecor.blogspot.com is giving away. The winner of this giveaway will receive a 1 dozen of each size (9”, 12”, 18”) Round Up Lollipops! (U.S. residents only please.).

To enter
To enter, visit her shop http://www.enbdecor.com/, and then go back to her blog and leave a comment on what you would like to see added to all the goodies. Don't forget to include your name and email address so she can contact you!  Good Luck

Monday, September 27, 2010

Fearless

Recently I have noticed, that I'm paranoid a lot. Is it because I listen to the news? I hardly every used to watch or listen to the news, unless it was a commercial on TV or on the radio.
For the past year, I wanted to be in tune with the world, get to know what was going on in politics, so I started to listen to the news on my way home.
Wow, do I wish I never did that. I am so paranoid now, that I cant even sleep. Listening to all the bad incidents all over, scare me like crazy.
I'm afraid somebody is going to break into my house, I have the alarm on all the time, even during the day if it's just Jacob and I.
How come I cant be FEARLESS the way that I was before I got married, I wasn't afraid of anything. Is it because I know have a family, and I'm afraid to loose them?
I'm always thinking, what would I do if somebody broke in, how would I get Jacob and myself out safely?
Don't get me wrong, I don't walk around being scared every minute of the day, I love my life. I'm just a little bit more paranoid than I ever was.

I need tips on how to get un paranoid.....let me know if you feel the same way at times, and how you deal with it.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

for our guests

for a gal who has a husband that travels as much as mine, i get access to plenty of travel size shampoos, lotions etc. so instead of having a drawer full of these things, i have put together little sets for my guests. the little washcloths (they come in packs of five or moreat the stores) i have had that were just taking up space in my cabinet.
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Friday, September 3, 2010

diet?


as of last night, i decided to get on a diet, and lose my last 10 pounds of baby weight. 1 year and 7 months is way to long in prolonging this. so i thought to my self, "myself, how are we going to do this?" i dont want to eat a piece of wheat bread a day, i dont want to get rid of any meat, and i dont just want to eat lettuce. so i have decided to eat what i want, but not as much.
so today im am taking my lunch break and got a sandwhich which includes: veggies,poultry,bread, and dairy. at first i thought ok only eat half and save the rest for later. then i thought i cant do that, the other half will get soggy,and i will still be eating the whole thing. i ate all of it during my lunch.
i guess i will start my diet tonight at dinner!

How do you Diet?
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Thursday, September 2, 2010

Not just a formula dispenser....It's More!!!

For those of you who have these little containers at home just taking up space,
because you think your child isn’t on formula anymore, here is a Tip.
Fill each little section with different treats: gold fish, mini graham cookies,etc.
Take it with you as a snack tray and it’s less mess than carrying different bags of treats for the kiddos.
and if you dont have any kids, they are great for organizing, scrapbooking, etc.
you can find them at any store, walmart, target, babies r us, grocery stores.

Friday, August 20, 2010

It Happened To Me.....

I picked up Jacob at my moms, as I was trying to put him in the car seat, he began to fuss, so what did I do, give him the car keys to get distracted. I got him strapped in turned around to grab the diaper bag, and I ended up closing the door. I quickly turned around,and Jacob locked the car as I was grabbing the door handle. I didn't panic at first, I kept telling him to push the button, and hopefully he would get the right one and unlock the door, he didn't. My purse and cell phone were in my car. My sister called AAA and they couldn't come out due to the type of vehicle that I have, they said the only way would be for them to break open the window. they suggested I call the fire department. We called the fire department, they came out, and couldn't get the door opened, they didn't want to break open the window, and then I said " OMG I have BMW Assist, they can get it opened." I went online and got the number, and they opened it with in minutes.
Jacob was fine, I then started to cry, I was scared, relieved, and just kept thinking why did I give him the keys?
Things I realized I could have done after the fact instead of calling the fire department out:
1. NEVER GIVE YOUR CHILD YOUR CAR KEYS!!!!             
2. Call 411 for the BMW Assist number
3. Call another sibling or friend to go online and get the BMW Assist number

Thank you to the Perris Fire Department for coming out quickly and even though they didn't open the car they attempted until technology came through and unlocked my car (crazzzyyy!!).

Click on the following link, and read up on a  few tips that I would like to share after my Parent Mistake, that I will never do again: break-out-when-your-infant-or-child-is in the car thanks to babytoolkit.blogspot.com.

I hope this doesn't happen to you, but if it does stay calm, everything will be fine, and you are not a bad parent.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

To crib or not to crib?

about a month ago or so, i decided that Jacob who at the time was 19 months old, would no longer sleep in our bed. when john is away i spend my nights half asleep. keeping an eye out that he wouldnt fall off the bed, well he did , and twice.
on a sunday night, i mentioned to the hubby that the plan was to start getting jacob ready for bed at 8:15, change into pajamas, last milk feeding, read a book, and in his crib. wow do i wish it was easy as that. we knew he would cry, and that this would be our first challenge at tough love. i couldnt start that night because john said he didnt want to hear him cry, so i said fine, ill start tommorow night. heres how it went :
Monday: bedtime routine, in the crib, cried 45 minutes straight, within those 45, i went in every 15 to tell him i loved him, it was ok, sweet dreams and goodnight. kept crying, i picked him up, brought him tour bed and he held me tight and fell asleep. i nearly cried, how could i let him cry that long.
Tuesday: bedtime routine, in the crib, cried for 25minutes, fell asleep and didnt wake up till 6am. wow that was great.
Wednesday: bedtime routine, in the crib, cried for 15 minutes. fell asleep. i thought wow this easy stuff.
Thursday: same results as wednesday, and the hubby comes home late from his business trip.
Friday: bedtime routine, only this time daddy is doing it. he hasnt seen jacob all week, he rocks him, and puts him in the crib, jacob cries and dad brings him in to our bed and says " i dont like to see him cry, he will sleep with us tonight" all of a sudden im the bad guy, and i knew my routine was out the window.....

Present time: Megan and josh came down for the summer and so did my inlaws for two weeks. john worked from home, and during that time, jacob would play video games with dad and his brother until he would fall asleep, and slept withus the whole time.
now that the kids are gone, in laws are gone, and its back to the same routine, i decide to try it again.
Monday: bedtime routine, in the crib, cried and Screamed for 45 minutes. brought him to our bed.
Tuesday: same as Monday
Wednesday: sames as Mon and Tuesday, only this time, i rocked him to sleep, put him in his crib, and he woke up at 2am, picked him up and brought him to our bed.
Thursday: he fell asleep in our bed, tried to pick him up, he would cry so i put him back down.
Friday night: i didnt even try, i was exhausted from the week....

all the times that he would cry, he would call out mommy, daddy over and over. it breaks my heart, but it will be best for all of us. im trying it again tonight, wish me good luck......

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

See You Later!!

Megan and Josh left this morning back to Ontario Canada. I try to hold in my tears,
but I never can. I miss and hate that they have to go back, but we will have them
again for Christmas.

Megan will begin her hopefully Drama Free life of high school, and Josh will be entering the world of 7th grade

last night they did a little bit of school shopping, they went to Staples and Target.
They got some great deals.
Heres some photos, not great quality, took them with my Droid because i misplaced my
camera once again.




Sunday, August 8, 2010

Megan's 14th Birthday Party

candy bar
anytimes theres music, jacbo is dancing
















after the face dunk in the cake



Vegas

our next plan on our vacation agenda was to go to Vegas for a few days. We went during the week, we assumed that it would be less crowded, but it wasn't. It was so packed. We spent it at the pool, Shark Reef Aquarium, Wax Museum and a lot of walking around and eating at the buffets.


1st pic in our room


we went to go walk, and i thought could drink a margarita,
i didnt even finish half, John finished it for me :(




megan and josh wanted to get their baby brother his first Build A Bear.
Jacob chose a black teddy bear, and calls it "Bear"









wax museum, too many pics, here is some:

jacob did this on his own, and of course we bursted out laughing



After he museum, we walked around the strip,
 and into the different hotels








jacob was pooped, we felt bad for him,
we had him strapped in his stroller most of the time.







a day at the pool




on our way home, jacob decided to smell his feet and laugh afterwards



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