mama's sanity

TAX REFUND PLANS

2012-01-23T20:49:00.003-05:00

With January coming to an end, a lot of people are looking forward to Tax Season. And yes we are among the many Americans who eagerly await out Tax Refund. We had a lot of plans this year with the tax money. Since we have been hosting a lot of family gatherings and holidays, we thought about getting a bigger table for our dinning room. With the in mind I went to look at amish furniture online. I went in search for a dinning room table but instead, I feel in love with the "BAY HILL DINING NOOK". Its beautifully crafted and finished. That dinning nook set would open up our kitchen and leave a big space. I can envision it already in my head. When Ralph's see's it I am pretty sure he will want to replace the table set we have in the kitchen. It will have to wait until we get our tax money. But, I am hoping to get my hands on the dining nook. If not this year maybe the following year...

CHOICES

2012-01-23T20:40:00.004-05:00

Jeez! It's almost the end of the month already? It was just yesterday that we welcomed the New Year. Time flies so fast. With Christmas over and out of the way its time to look forward to another occasion. The next big thing for Ralph and I, is our upcoming 5ht wedding anniversary on Valentines Day. Yes, it will be a double celebration. I have to be quick on my feet this time though. We really didn't get anything for each other last Christmas, instead we focused on the kids. This time around want to surprise my husband of 5 years with something special. Googling gifts for him sounds like a good idea. I already know what he wants but I can't afford it. But going thru a list of gifts for him will broaden my choices of what to get for me. Time is on my side, all I have to do is bide my time and try to get it out of him what he wants.

WHAT AM I?

2012-01-20T20:31:00.000-05:00

It was one of those family night where we opened some of the toys the girls got from Christmas. They had been antsy waiting for us to play this game. We actually had so much fun playing this game the first time. It was Ralph, Grandma, Kayla, Kaitlyn and Me in the family room. We were just laughing our heads off trying to guess the card on our forehead. We had to help Kaitlyn out on asking questions. We really didn't follow the whole set of rules of the game. It was so fun to see us all together playing as a family, my girls thought it was the best night ever! Do you guys have a family night?What games do you play?

BRONCOS HAR

2012-01-17T22:29:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Wm Rowe

This past Christmas, my siblings and I decided to draw names instead of getting gifts for every person. It saved us a lot of money since our family has grown so much in the recent years. We all still buy presents for our parents, but I think it was a lot less stressful not having to shop for each person. I drew my brother’s name, and at first I had no idea what to get him. Then my sister told me that he was talking about wanting a Denver Broncos hat. It is a good thing that we have a clear TV bundle because I went home that day and searched online until I found the perfect hat for him. My brother is picky about hats, so I knew that he would want one that is adjustable on the back and also has mesh on the back. There are not that many Broncos hats that fit that description, but I was able to find the perfect hat and had it shipped to my house in time for Christmas day. My brother was so excited when he opened it and wore the hat all day on Christmas.

FLEXING AT GYMNASTICS

2012-01-17T22:19:00.002-05:00

Kaitlyn is the only with dark hair.

My little girl during Tuesdays at Gymnastics. Last year we decided to enroll both girls in gymnastics. Kayla did Girls Scouts for 2 years and wanted to try out gymnastics. Seeing that Kaitlyn will want to follow in her big sister's footsteps we also enrolled her. Both of my girls are actually doing very good. Kaitlyn is improving every session but has a tendency to get distracted and not pay attention to what the coach is showing them. She gets so amazed at what other older children can do that she stares at them. Still, she is almost ahead of everybody in her class. I am so proud of my girls and I hope they do better and work harder.

FROM MILD TO WILD

2012-01-17T21:20:00.003-05:00

I thought we were going to have a mild winter, wrong!!!!! Mother Nature was just tricking us into thinking that. We have had a warm weather for winter and it has allowed me to walk to my favorite store and enjoy my hobby of couponing. Then Bam!!! All of a sudden temp drops down to the 20's and its get so freaking cold out. I am not such a big fan of winter. I guess the only consolation is that I don't have to wake up early in the morning and go to work. My husband does though. I worry about his health and his safety. I specially get worried about his health and safety when they have escort assigning riding the police motorcycle. My worries are if he is wearing a hat, is he warm enough, is his hand freezing, does he have gloves and so on. My gift to my husband should have been an alpinestars gloves for him to wear while he is on this assignment. His hands have to be warm and comfy in the cold so he has a good grip on the handle while they are riding. Since I didn't really give him anything for Christmas I could still get him one. I am pretty sure I can find one for him and of course for me as well. I just hope that my husband is warm and comfortable on days that he has to be at work in the freezing weather.

HIS SONGS

2012-01-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone but I want to take this time to share some of the photo's taken last Christmas morning with my two beautiful girls.

This year was our turn to have Kayla from Christmas Eve until Christmas day morning. On Christmas eve the kids were so excited for morning to come so they could find out what Santa got for them. We had the kids sleep in our room and we had a sleepover. Ralph got up to go downstairs and put all the toys under the tree. I was so exhausted! I really was and it probably showed when I tried to get up. My husband offered to do it all himself and I just laid back down with the kids. Come morning the kids were so antsy to go downstairs. I had to wake up my MIL first and make sure she was going to be in the playroom before the kids started opening gifts. Both girls almost ran down the stairs and screamed when they saw the many presents under the tree. They waited patiently as their dad handed them toys one by one. Both kids got big toys and little toys. They all oohed and ahhhhed when they opened presents.

This was one of the highlights of the gifts they got. A Justin Beiber singing toothbrush!! They were so happy they got it. They could not wait to try it out and brush their teeth to his songs. All in all it was a great day for us and the kids.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

2012-01-04T23:45:00.003-05:00

Before anything else I want to say a big shoutout:

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!!

I have been extremely busy and preoccupied. My cousin and her family from Chicago flew in right after Christmas. We have just been catching up and just spending quality time. We also went to our NJ relatives to welcome the New Year. We got home at around 5 am. in the morning. It was all worth it since I got to bring home some very delicious Filipino food.

Tonight, I helped my cousin pack since they will be leaving early tomorrow. I am going to miss them. Convincing my cousin to move here to DE won't be as hard. She is a registered nurse for 16 years and I am positive that she can get any Licensed Nurse Jobs in our area. All she has to do it move here and we can be closer. The main reason I give why she should move here is we have no tax! And we can go couponing together! We have a big thing in common now that we are couponing. It's to early to tell if she will move but I am pretty sure that within 3 months they will be back again for a visit.

DEBT NO MORE

2011-12-30T00:50:00.004-05:00

Christmas has come and gone. It's not time to clean up all the mess and start loosing some holiday weight. Scratch that! For parents with kids like us, its time to call on debt free solutions so we can start out new year with great ideas on how to be debt free. With the holidays so close together one can't help but spend not just on gifts but also on food for family dinners or parties. We are so broke that its not even funny. Ralph has been talking to me over and over about his plan on being debt free or at least financially stable in 8-10 months. He still needs work on trying to buy to much, he is slowly getting there with my help. Cross our fingers and toes, that next year will be a great and fruitful year for all of us.

DECKED OUT

2011-12-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

After 2 years of not being able to take the kids to the Christmas lights we finally took them back again this year. There is this house somewhere in the city where he decorates his whole land with lights. You can even see his house and lights from the road, that is how bright and big it is. The girls were both so excited to be back. Kaitlyn was less than 2 years old the last time we went. The expression on their faces is priceless. They all ooohed and aahhhed at all the lights. The girls also got an extra treat when Santa came out and sat down for all the kids. It never gets old seeing the joy and wonder in your kids faces. I know that they will remember and maybe one day they will also bring their kids to this house like we did to them.

TREASURE IN COINS

2011-12-21T00:17:00.002-05:00

With Christmas so close people are spending almost everything they got down to their last penny. While most people are spending I read about this one guy who saved pail full of pennies in his shed. I don't know if you would consider him an avid collector but if you are saving pennies dated before 1960 I would think that classifies him as one. He better have a morgan dollar price guide to help him keep track of valuable coins. There have been many stories of people cashing out on rare and old coins they found laying around of have been in the family for years/generations. Ralph has a small stash of old coins but nothing has turned up good so far. We are holding on to it, who knows we may end up cashing out on them in the future!

FOR POPS

2011-12-11T21:36:00.003-05:00

Its getting colder and colder by the day. I am in a funk, winter and I are sworn enemies, lol. Still at least I don't have to go to work early in the morning or drive in treacherous weather in the winter months. The one thing that is getting me going is the thought that Christmas is right around the corner.

As for my previous post, we have already bought toys for the kids but have yet to wrap them up. It's going to be a pain in the neck wrapping them up, lol. With the kids toy out of the way it will give me more space in my brain to think about what to give to other family members. I want to give something special to my SIL grandfather "POPS", he is 90 years old and is still healthy as an ox. Last year we gave him a coat. This year i wanted to give him something that he is really interested in. My SIL mentioned that he collects coins and so what better gift to give than the silver eagles to add to his collection. He would love it, I am sure of that. For my MIL she wants a coat this Christmas and a coat she shall get. As for the hubby, I haven't completely decided yet. A few ideas are brewing in my head. I know I have to pick soon but not before I pick his brain about what he would really like to get.

TOYS SETTLED

2011-12-09T21:37:00.002-05:00

Two more weeks to go and its going to be Christmas!! Thankfully we have already bought all the kids presents so we didn't have to join in on the last minute shoppers. We have yet to sort out the toys though and wrap it up. Its going to be a pain in the neck wrapping it but it has to be done. With the kids toys out of the way I can finally think about what to get my husband and MIL for Christmas. I forgot what I got him last year. Maybe I'll buy him a perfume or a dvd collection set of his favorite movie. As for MIL I'll probably just take her out.

3 months ago I mentioned to my husband that I should get a diamond every year that we have been married. I was only teasing him. Contrary to the saying "Diamond is a girls best friend" I am not obsess with owning one. Sure, I already have a small diamond engagement ring but I am not in a hurry to replace it. But, if hubby can afford it I wouldn't mind hinting for him to look at diamond earrings for women. It doesn't have to be overly expensive. Just something that we won't cry over if I ever loose it. And why earrings? You can always wear it with anything. I am not holding my breath for that though. There will be a time for that, when we are financially stable.

SWEETARTS ANYONE?

2011-12-09T21:10:00.003-05:00

Wonka Sweetarts anyone? Sweet tooth didn't strike me but there was such a good deal on the wonka sweetarts that I couldn't resist. Not only where they cheap, the kids love them. A few have already gone missing and I wonder who the culprit is. The older sister or the younger one? I have yet to catch the culprit,lol . My candy stockpile will only grow bigger and bigger as the holiday season draws near and even more so by the end of the holiday season. The candies and chocolates will be on sale or clearance. I have more chocolates I didn't include in the photo. This will also be a good stocking stuffer for my little munchkins. You can get 6 giant wonka sweetarts for $1.50 plus you get a $1 off coupon after. So the next transaction of 6 giant chewy sweetarts or candy will only be $.50 now thats awesome.!

ON YOUR SIDE

2011-12-07T19:31:00.003-05:00

Its hard to believe that last Thanksgiving my side of the family was here at our house. It may have been crowded, jammed but it was crammed with love and good laughter. I have never laughed so much in my life, I really had a good time. My other cousin talked about setting up a business. With today's economy still tethering I won't be so confident about setting up a new business venture. But like they always say "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". For those individual living in NC is home to raleigh business lawyers that can really help. Not only do these lawyers practive corporate law, zoning and land use regulation but they also do pro bono. I am not very knowledgeable of the law and it always pays to have someone by your side who knows the ins and out of the law.

COUNT DOWN TO SUMMER?

2011-12-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a week since my cousin and her family left for Chicago. For 3 straight days the house was full of laughter, giggles and squeals of delight. Now, all I hear is a deafening silence. I miss having my nieces here and my cousin. I have already made my cousin promise to come visit in the Summertime. Our backyard will be the perfect place with our swing set, swimming pool and the newest addition, the trampoline. She was a little bit concern about the swimming pool. Of course I assured here that it would be safe even if the kids are out of the pool since we have a swimming pool safety fence, not only does it provide safety but it also gives us privacy from prying eyes. Her concerns were immediately silenced when I told her about the safety fence surrounding our pool. I cannot wait until summer again. Winter hasn't even officially begun yet here I am wishing for summer. Looking forward to summer helps me deal with the cold winter months ahead.

WINGS, TUTU'S AND WANDS

2011-11-28T21:25:00.000-05:00

I purchased those 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Halo an online store had a great deal going on. Knowing that my little niece will be here for Thanksgiving I wanted to get them something special. When I saw these I couldn't resist it. The whole cost for that was $21 shipped. I knew my girls would love wearing a fairy costume and no doubt so will my nieces. So I got each of them a set. The girls squealed with delight when I took it out and handed it to them. They immediately dressed up. With me being so busy trying to finish cooking and making sure everyone was having a good time I forgot to take a picture of the girls. Not just that, we didn't have any picture on Thanksgiving at all. Not a single shot of picture! We were just having so much fun that we forgot to capture the moment. It really didn't bother me because I will remember it forever. The important thing was my girls had a blast playing dress up with their cousins and just having fun.

THE LETTER

2011-11-21T20:58:00.001-05:00

My oldest is growing up! It feels like it was just yesterday she was still idolizing Diego! Kayla has moved on to something more, she is besotted with Justin Bieber. Like most girls she has taken a fancy towards him. I don't know what young girls like about him. He looks sound and looks like a girl to me. When we got Kayla her Karaoke machine on her birthday we also got her a Justin Beiber cd. The first time I heard him sing I thought it was a girl. The girls were hurt when I said he sounded like a girl, lol. Anyway, I saw this letter my oldest Kayla wrote for Justin .

If your wondering what she meant "the other side" she was referring to the back of the paper. Its one of my printable coupons. At least they were already expired. She wanted me to mail this but I had no clue what address to mail it to. I am just going to keep this as a souvenir and show it to her when she is older.

COVER IT

2011-11-17T16:28:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving is almost here. I can almost hear the turkey baking in the oven covering the entire house with the heady scent of food. We are hosting this years Thanksgiving dinner. Its going to be a jam packed house with my brother-in-laws coming and my relatives from NY and Chicago.

I am on a tizzy where to start cleaning first. The past week have been so stressful for both my husband and I. Almost two weeks ago we got a letter from our home warranty insurance that they were not renewing our coverage. If they decide to drop us we won't be able to get another insurance to cover us. Ralph had to think quick and called them back. It stressful. Being a homeowner, one of the major thing to consider about is getting a Home warranty insurance. This helps cover the cost of anything major breaking in the house. Like our roof had to be fixed due to water damage and the replacement of the siding due to fire damage from our grill malfunctioning. Its very important to have a Home warranty. If you are recent homeowner or a longtime homeowner and have no Home warranty insurance, its high time you get one. American Home Shield is one the premiere home warranties company with over 30 years of experience and hundred of reliable contractors. As a homeowner you have to cover all the basis you so you and your family is protected.

CHORES, PRESENTS AND WHAT ELSE?

2011-11-12T22:34:00.004-05:00

Check out my little helper/assistant for the day, Kaitlyn. She just wouldn't stop following me around the house and trying to help me out. Apparently she was in a very helpful mood on this day, lol. Doing the laundry is one of the few things that she really loves helping me with. With her being so short she would not see over the washing machine so she got one of her chairs in the playroom as her stool. Once she had a good spot she started loading up the machine but not before posing for a quick photo. We did a whole lot on this day. Next time it will be Kayla's turn as she was in school. Don't worry Kaitlyn, pretty soon you will be doing your own laundry thus, less work for mama. They have chores set up already and we pay them every two weeks. Some parents would disagree about paying them but hey, its one way of teaching them responsibility and value of a dollar. They also know that Christmas is coming up and Santa always brings extra pressies for good little girls.

Speaking about gifts, we really don't know what to get them this year. Sure they point things they want on TV but this year I want them to really appreciate what they got. Its almost the middle of the month and not only do I have to think about the girls presents but also about our mail lady and sanitation people. If you're like me and want to give something personal click here and see all the good stuff being offered. At least I still have a month to plan out what to pick. Have you bought any Christmas presents yet?

TRICK OR TREAT 2011

2011-11-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

My two trick or treaters. As you guessed, Kaitlyn is dressed up as Dorothy Gale in Wizard of Oz. Kayla is dressed up as a Leopard Girl. She picked it herself. I don't want to be biased but my kids looks so adorable. Kayla was the fiercest Leopard I saw and Kaitlyn the most adorable Dorothy. Like most kids they were excited for Halloween. Kayla kept counting down the days until they could dress up and go trick or treating. This year their were more houses that participated in he candy giving and more kids were out.

As we were doing our round we came across a mother and son team who had no costume on whatsoever. The mom was around 30 years old and she was also trick or treating. We could not believe our eyes. I know things are hard but they could have dress up in something, anything. Their were also a bunch of teenagers in group not in halloween costume. When Ralph saw that he called his mom at our house and told her that she was not to give out anything to any teenagers unless they are in costume. Save the candies for the kids in costumes. On the lighter side we did come across a handful of teenagers in costume. One was so creative. She was all dressed up in purple and had little purple balloons stuck all over her body. I didn't get it right away until Ralph told him that she is a grape, lol. It was creative. We also saw a boy dressed up as a TV and he looked so cute. Over all we had a great time and the kids bags was full to bursting. It was almost like we never gave out candies, what we gave out we only got it back via the kids trick or treat haul. Oh well more for me and daddy to eat, lol

BEADS

2011-11-05T23:20:00.003-04:00

Did I ever mentioned that Kaitlyn only had 2 kids at her birthday party? I did invite her friends but they couldn't make it. I felt so bad for her. Good think Ralph's family came to the rescue and came down for the date to celebrate with them. My house specially the playroom was a complete disaster. I didn't really mind the mess until...... Andrew's 2 year old son got a hold of Kaitlyn's box of beads. I heard it fall to the ground and heard the beads spread out all over the place. I was so afraid to look at the mess. It was all over the playroom floor and rug. I couldn't very well get upset specially when little Andrew blinked his big brown eyes with very long lashes at me. Looking at his eyes made me so jealous of how long and think his eye lashes are. Maybe I could still achieve that long lashes with eyelash growth then maybe I could just bat my eyelashes and my husband would come to my beck and call, lol. But anyway, his dad, Ralph and Kaitlyn picked up most of the beads. Thankfully he didn't put any beads in his mouth. Lesson to that? Never take your eyes off a two year old.....

SHOE FETISH

2011-11-02T23:10:00.000-04:00

Guess who has a shoe fetish???? My 4 years old daughter is! A girl can never have enough shoes, lol. She is just like my Mama. When she was still married she had tons of shoes. Had shoes for every occasions, styles and color. Kaitlyn takes after her. Ralph bought her this one for her their birthday. She saw this at BJ's one time and her daddy remembered. The day after her birthday she couldn't decide what shoes to wear. To solve the problem she would wear one shoe for a few hours and change. Now, her shoes are littered all over the house. She is a girly girl and loves anything that sparkles, pink, shoes, bags, dolls,jewelry and makeup. Her sister is nothing like her. Kaitlyn is probably the only girl grandchild of my MIL that really plays and like dolls. Don't get me wrong, Kayla loves to dress up as well but she prefers to play with dinosaurs, horses and other animals. She never really plays with dolls not like Kaitlyn. I think another Imelda Marcos is in the making, lol

THINKING AHEAD

2011-10-28T23:49:00.000-04:00

Another birthday over and done with. My husband a year wiser and my daughter a year older, lol. I felt bad for my husband's birthday this year. He didn't get anything from me at all! I didn't even bake a cake or cupcake. At least I got him one thing that he specifically requested. His ice cream birthday cake. Ralph has been such a trooper, he was celebrating with us in spite of being tired with him just getting off from work. He is such a good husband, father and a provider. Since he is no longer in his 30's we have been talking frequently about his life insurance and work insurance in case something happens to him. He wants me to be prepared and know where everything is. I think he may even be checking more online life insurance for us. I never thought about life insurance up until I married him and came over here in the US. I guess being married and having kids change your prospective in life. Death scares me, even more so now that I am a parent. At least if things comes to that, I know my kids will be provided for. My husband will make sure of that.

SAME BIRTHDAY!!!

2011-10-22T23:40:00.000-04:00

Here are this months Birthday Celebrants!

I just wanted to say Happy Happy Birthday to my wonderful and amazing husband Ralph. You are a year wiser and you still make my heart flutter!!! And to my youngest Kaitlyn, I just want to say you are finally a year older. Try not to grow up to fast baby. The world will still be out there for you, try to enjoy being a baby of the family. I love you both so much!!!

BIRTHDAY FOR MY 2 LOVES

2011-10-17T22:43:00.004-04:00

In 5 days my little girl will no longer be such a little girl at 4 years old. According to the princess bruiser she will be a big girl then. My heart really aches like silly. I feel like I am loosing her, I don't want her to grow up just yet. She is already mature for her age and is in such a hurry to grow up. It is also my husbands birthday, his 42nd birthday. I have not gotten anything for him, at all. He does not expect anything from me. Why? Because 4 years ago when our youngest was born on his birthday I told him that she was my gift to him for the next 18 years, lol.

Talk about getting the shorter end of the deal huh? He supports and spends money on them and yet he does not get anything at all. I feel so guilty! It hard finding a gift for him since he won't really say what he wants. One of the many gift ideas that come to mind is a new watch,like maybe a new watch from tacticalwatch.com for Luminox navy seal watches would be great. If I get that or any other watch I know he will be very happy. He is a police officer and with his line of work doing chase and arresting people his watch gets so battered. So I guess a watch would be perfect for his birthday. Now, I will have to find the right one and make the time to buy and wrap it.

DANCE DANCE

2011-10-17T08:51:00.000-04:00

Here is my little Diva dancing her heart out. This was taken about 2 months ago. She just started asking me to put music on so she could dance. Once she started she just kept going on. I had to secretly take a video of her so she won't get distracted at first but she didn't mind at all. She is so different from her older sister in so many ways. I know for a fact that my little girl is in such a hurry to grow up. Why? So she could do more things with her sister.

Enjoy the video!

INFRONT OF ONE

2011-10-16T21:19:00.005-04:00

I have been spending a lot of time in front of the computer lately. I blame it on my reason addiction to couponing and reading other blogs that give you tips on great bargains. I get so engross on reading coupon blogs after blogs that I forget the time. My entire focus is on the monitor. But it sucks when a fly lands on our computer monitor. Why? Because our computer monitor is also a touch screen and it is very sensitive. So, when a fly or a gnat lands on the monitor it follows it. Its really funny sometimes, on minute your typing something and the next your on a different screen and you wonder why. We have about 3 computer monitors in our basement. I am currently looking at a site where you send old electronic gadgets, cellphones, game system and they pay you for it.Who knows we may just keep it in case one of Ralph's relatives need it.

EMPTINESS

2011-10-14T00:27:00.004-04:00

Its been almost 2 months now since I had my laparoscopy and hysteroscopy surgery. This month was the first time we went back trying to have a baby. It has been really rough on me, only women who are going thru the same thing I am can understand! Its been specially tough last month with 3 moms that I know gave birth. I picture myself being pregnant again and again in my mind. When I go to the mall and come across discount maternity dresses I can't help but feel depress. My mind can process feelings that I should not be depress since I have had the chance to be a mom already. My heart on the other hand can't process and understand the WHY?. Why am I not getting pregnant? Why? Why ? Why ?. Sure I have heard many of my friends say it will come and I just have to relax and wait. Its easy for them to say coz they are not in my shoes. I am done listening to them. I have kept quiet for the simple reason that I am tired of explaining and defending my feelings.

I used to be one of those women who just give unsolicited advice to women who are trying. I didn't know that some of the things I said were very offensive and hard to understand. Now I know what it feel like and I have learned to be more compassionate and be considerate to how they may be feeling. I for one do not know If I will be able to have another baby again. We are still trying and I don't know when my heart will be ok. My arms and womb feel empty and conceiving is the only way I think that could be filled. Its hard to say if I will ever get over this feeling if I don't get pregnant. I know for certain that I am still one of the lucky to have been blessed with a child of my own.

SLEEPING WITH

2011-10-12T00:15:00.000-04:00

For close to 3 weeks, both my girls have been sleeping in their room by themselves. Since I can remember I have been sleeping in our girls room. Don't fret dear husband and I are still good (wink :). My reason for sleeping with my kids was for convenience on my part, I got more sleep knowing my kids was safe with me and they wake up less knowing that I am in the room with them.

I don't know what got into me but I decided I had to go back sleeping with my husband and letting my kids grow up. It was hard! For a week I could not sleep straight because I kept waking up listening to the baby monitor for sound from their room. Another reason was Is I had to get use to sleeping with my husband and his sleeping habits. He tosses around so much and wakes up many times in the night due to heart burn. I am a light sleeper so every time he tosses I get disturb from my slumber. He likes to sleep in a cold room and I did not! I like it warm or just with a cool breeze. I hate to think what the room will be like in the winter, lol. But anyway, my kids survived and I survived. I had separation anxiety but got over it. I still feel bad coz I want to sleep with them as long as I can because I know in it won't last. Soon they will have their own little world. I hope I will still be close to my kids in five years or so when they reach the dreaded puberty!!!!

NOT SIMPLE

2011-10-09T20:39:00.003-04:00

Since we are already in the ber months, have you any gift ideas to give to your husband, BIL, brother or a close friend? Every Christmas I have such a hard time buying gift for Ralph as well as his birthday. He doesn't really ask for anything. This year I really want to outdo myself and get him something he can use. If you have a male in your life that loves doing handy work in your house or is just a tinker,how about tool set, how do books, abrasives file and deburring tools or a tool belt. Men are not as picky as us women. As for my husband I still have no clue what to get him. I need to know asap so that I have time to save up. Maybe pestering him everyday will make him think. What do you think?

PROUD US

2011-10-08T22:40:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday at gymnastics was interesting. Kayla as always did great. Kaitlyn on the first week was very shy and didn't really get some of the routine to be done. It was her first time to be in an environment where she is with kids her age and was told what to do. But last Thursday she did excellent! She listened, followed the rules and did the routine and exercise. Then as they were doing one of the routine she said something to one of the couch/instructor that had me laughing so hard. One of their routine was on the parallel bar. Each of them had to hang on to the bar and swing twice before jumping on the marker. As a safety measure one of the instructor was holding on to the kids waist as they hang on so that they wouldn't hurt themselves when they do the dismount. When Kaitlyn did the second round she said to the instructor " I can do it myself". I was on the viewing deck and I could hear her. I laughed so hard! She is one spunky little girl. I shouldn't have been surprised since she is one independent little girl. Likes doing things on her own but, she does get frustrated quickly.

Both girls are improving weekly and we are just so proud of both our girls. We have been told that some of the couch are keeping their eyes out on Kayla and her performance. Its just amazing to see how they strive and flourish. We are proud parents!

SWEET DEAL AT TARGET

2011-10-07T00:19:00.004-04:00

See those goodies in the picture? I got those cheap thanks to Target coupons and other manufacturer's coupon. I watched Extreme Couponing on television and I sorta got addicted to it, well I am not that addicted just a bit, lol. Seriously how can you get all that stuff for under $12 dollars? Half of me is still skeptical about couponing and saving but, half of me is loving it. It really does save you money if you buy stuff that you keep using or will need in the near future. I am still learning the art of couponing but I love the fact that Target is one of the many stores I can grab some hot deals. Not only does Target have the regular printable coupons, they also have the e-coupon or the mobile coupon that can be send thru your smart phone. I just used that today. I was wringing my hands, hoping that it will work and it did. If you pay close attention to sales and have coupons you can score hot deals for a fraction of the actual cost. The receipt is the proof. I can't wait until I get my hands on more goodies, lol..

NOT FRIENDS

2011-10-07T00:06:00.003-04:00

Things have changed for us financially. It has gotten a little time with me having no babysitting income coming in. The boy I usually babysit is already of school age. I do miss having him and his sister here at the house. They were like my kids, lol. With less money coming in I had to find another way to get some money coming in. Like most unemployed I did look for a job openings. Most of them were for positions like Network Administrator Jobs, Paralegal, Administrative Assistant and much more. I have no training for such position. I do know a few people who can land some of those jobs. It got me thinking about going back to school. The thing is, I am not sure if I will pass the math test. Honestly I would probably not even rank in the high school level when it comes to math. Numbers and I are not friends, lol. How about you? Ever thought about going back to school or get proper training for most profession?

BRIBING THE IN-LAW

2011-10-02T23:57:00.001-04:00

Here is my princess bruiser hamming it up for the camera. We were at Shoprite, was there for close to 3 hours. This was when I started couponing in the beginning of the month, hahaha.. With my MIL as my chauffeur I felt so bad about being at the store that long. I told her I was just buying a couple of stuff. She didn't think I was going to be that long. It was after dinner and we were all starving! To appease my MIL I bribed her dinner at a Chinese buffet which happens to be just a few steps from Shoprite. Nearing closing time is not a good time to go on a buffet. Almost all the food were either gone or has been sitting on the serving dish a while. Still, we stuffed ourselves and we got a good laugh about our 3 hour adventure.

1O1 WAYS USE OF YOUR DOG - 1

2011-09-27T21:42:00.000-04:00

This will just be a quick post of the 101 ways of dog use, lol. We have a Labrador Retriever who is 112 lbs. He is Kaitlyn's best friend and buddy when her sister is not around. I don't regret getting our dog Sunny, he is the gentlest, loving and sweet dog. He takes all the abuse he gets from his big sisters. This taken after we got back from walking Kayla to the bus stop. Sunny just laid there like he had nobody sitting on him,lol. I guess if your only 37 lbs sitting on a dog 3x your size doesn't make a difference.

IT IS DONE!

2011-09-22T23:00:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot to share my kids newly organized playroom. It took me the whole day cleaning, weeding out old, broken toys and organizing. And putting down that mauve area rug. With the Winter season coming along I had to make sure to put down the new rug I got at Home Depot. Having hard wood floor in the winter is not so good. The kids would have to be sitting, playing,laying down and running on a cold floor. I couldn't have that, I had to make sure my kids were comfortable in their playroom seeing that they will be staying in it most of the time.

With that done all I have to do is wait until it looks like its been hit by a tornado. So far the kids have maintained the playroom. It's not as good as when I clean up but its pretty close. They know that they can make a mess but they have to clean it up. For sure I know that before the end of this year I will be weeding out toys again to make room for the gifts they will get this Christmas..

DAY OF PLAY

2011-09-18T22:31:00.000-04:00

Last Sept 17, 2011 my friend Krista and I took our kids to the city to join the "KIDS DAY OF PLAY". We also went last year and the kids had so much fun with so much goodies to take home. This year it wasn't as extravagant, lesser moon bounce, lesser booth and not much giveaways. The weather wasn't as cooperative, it was cold and everyone was wearing a coat, sweater or jacket. It was a different scene from last year where we were sweating like pigs as we trudged along the from booth to booth. Kaitlyn stopped at a couple of booth's to do some arts and craft. She just had to stop at the booth were they were doing free nail polish for girls. As we waited for her to get her nails done I happen to mention to my friend that if there was a make-up booth she would want to go there. Well, she heard me and demanded that I take her to the make-up booth,lol. I had to break her little heart and tell her that there was none. Most moms won't agree with me but I let my little girl wear make-up providing that we are inside the house. I really don't see anything wrong with it. She knows that she is not allowed to wear make-up outside the house. For me, its harmless unless you give it a bad connotation.

We didn't stay long as long as last year. The kids had a great time and also got a few goodies to bring home. It was good but the sound and volume level was unbearable specially near the section where they had a stage. We wanted to see some little girls do their dance performance but the sound and volume was just to much for our ears. It was the same thing last year. I wonder if they are aware that kids have sensitive hearing and it could damage their hearing. I know I am not over reacting because both my friend and I were getting headaches from the volume. The important thing is that we looked, got goodies, and conquered.

STEP BY STEP

2011-09-13T22:24:00.002-04:00

Do you know how entertaining and frustrating it is at the same time to have a very independent child? It is safe to say that my youngest is very independent and advance in some areas. We noticed that at an early age she was showing signs of being more advance than her older sister at that age. By the time she was 2 years old she was already dressing herself,combing her hair, potty trained and much more. Her grandma had to buy step stools so Kaitlyn would stop climbing the kitchen counter and the bathroom sink on her own. It scared her to think that Kaitlyn could hurt herself trying to get down or climb up without the proper support. With Kaitlyn being so tiny and petite she really needs a step stool. We have about 4 step stools around the house. One for the bathroom upstairs,one for the bathroom downstairs, one in her grandma's bathroom and another one in her bedroom. It has allowed her to be more independent, reach and do things on her own. It still makes me nervous but she knows not to reach for stuff that is way way beyond her reach. There are days that I am so happy that she is so independent but there are also days that I regret her being so independent specially when she wants to do it her way or nothing at all.

FIRST DAY OF GYMNASTICS

2011-09-09T21:35:00.000-04:00

After weeks of excitement and anticipation my girls finally had their first gymnastic class last Sept 1,2011. We decided to enroll both the girls in gymnastics. Kayla has had gymnastic experience from her Summer Camp while she was with her mom. Knowing Kaitlyn, she would want to do gymnastics as well to be with her sister. At first i really wanted to enroll Kaitlyn in dancing but we couldn't find one right away. I didn't have the time and the strength to research and visit places as I was still recovering from surgery. The place itself is huge. That is only 1/4 of the whole entire place, not even.

We got there early and it was packed. So many little girls of different colors, shapes, and sizes,lol.. Their were also little boys but there were more girls.Ralph and I were worried about Kaitlyn, this will be her first experience to be in a setting wherein she will be with other kids and will have to listen to her instructor. She was shy for the first 10 minutes but eventually warmed up. I was a little disappointed with her instructor/coach. She didn't have the kids in control and it was like she was just teaching 2 kids in the class. We didn't like the fact that she didn't follow through with the kids and they didn't get to do all the routines with the other kids being unruly. Since it was the first day, we decided not to say anything about it and will just see how things went after that.

Kayla on the other hand was amazing. She dived right in, made friends and was actually one of the best in her group. She listened well and followed instruction to the T. It was so tiring going from one end of the observation deck to the other end to see how the sisters are doing. All the same I think it was a great first day of gymnastic for my girls.

2 FOR 1

2011-09-06T00:04:00.000-04:00

With one birthday down we have 2 more to go. At least on the last 2 birthdays for this year we get to celebrate it only once. I guess that's the beauty of having two people born on the same day. Last year Ralph and Kaitlyn's birthday was just a simple one with family. This year Kaitlyn is turning 4 years old. Since her birthday is close to Halloween I asked her who she wanted to be this year. Not hesitating at all she yells " Jessie". She was "jessie" the cowgirl last year from Toy Story. This year she wants to be a cowgirl again. Should I be making plans on a western themed party? I bet my family and friends would get a kick out of receiving a Western Party Invitations in the mail. I think who ever we invite will have fun dressing up in western outfits. Will the other birthday celebrant be happy with a western themed party? Who knows but, knowing my husband he will do what will make his kids happy. With that said I will have to look at Ralph schedule to see if we can have a birthday party for both him and Kaitlyn this year. If not maybe we can make it for Kaitlyn's 5th birthday party.

BIG HAIR

2011-09-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

Look whose sporting a big hair. My youngest is your typical girlie girl. She loves to wear make-up, nail polish,dress up and or course get her hair done. Yes, I do let my 3 year old wear make-up. I don't really see a reason not to when she is just in the house.

Kaitlyn loves to look beautiful and will always ask me if she looks pretty or beautiful. I want to instill in her that she looks beautiful no matter what. With this picture I just took out her french braid and combed her hair. She loved the fact that her hair looked so full and big. All she did was flip her hair and just enjoyed the puffiness of her hair. Kaitlyn looked like a Hawaiian dancer ready to dance the hula. With naturally curly hair I wonder if she will embrace her curls or scorn them when she gets older. I hope she embraces everything that she is and know that she is beautiful inside and out.

FEED

2011-08-31T21:17:00.004-04:00

Another birthday down and 2 more to go before the end of the year. Yesterday's party went off without a hitch. We just had hot dogs,fries and chicken wings. Of course it wouldn't be a birthday party without the cake and cupcakes. One of my friends had 3 cupcakes and hates me for making them so good. I even told her that I am bad for her diet as I will keep trying to feed her. Its in the Filipino nature to try and feed friends, guest or relatives when they come over. My friend has lost a lot of weight over the past 2 years and she intends to loose more. She is at the point now that she is not loosing weight at all. I asked her if she ever thought of taking appetite suppressant so as not to crave as much. I wonder how those things really work. Does it suppress your desire to crave for food, or do you still crave it but not as much. I haven't really met anyone who has tried that but I am mighty curious. That is probably what Ralph and I need, but we will have to do more research on that.

ITS GREAT TO BE 8

2011-08-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

LOOK WHO JUST TURNED 8!

Today is a double celebration. Not only is it the first day of school as a 3rd grader for Kayla but its also her Birthday!!. School was suppose to start yesterday but in light with Hurricane Irene, schools were closed Monday. I cannot tell you how amazing it is to watch our daughter grow up. She was only 3 years old when I came into her life and now she is 8 years old. How time flies. We have grown not just in size but we have grown in love and understanding. Kayla has accepted me in her life with no questions asked and welcomed me with open arms. I love you so much Manang (big sis). All daddy and I want from you is to stay healthy, loving, kind and patient. And remember to never give up, always try because Winners never quit and quitters never Win!

Happy Happy Birthday Manang Kayla, we love you

SPROUTING WEED

2011-08-30T21:45:00.003-04:00

I never realized that going clothes shopping for my kids can be so darn expensive. It doesn't help when your daughter is sprouting up like a weed. Growing out of her clothes like it was nothing. We have found ourselves buying clothes for her every 6 months. And now that its back to school we have again gone clothes shopping. This time I am making sure that I get clothes like jeans 2 size bigger so she can still use it until the end of winter. Thank goodness my oldest is still at an age where she really doesn't care what brand her clothes are. As long as she has something sparkly, animated funny t shirts, colorful graphics she is A-ok. In the winter time I have tried dressing her up in long sleeved shirts with matching scarfs and sweater but they end up in her bag. There are times she likes to look girlie girl but most times she prefers it simple, comfortable for her to play and get dirty with. She is only a kid after all...

ROLL N' MORE

2011-08-30T21:37:00.004-04:00

It's been a couple of days since my surgery. I am still recovering and still feel the twinge of the laparoscopy incision on my belly. After waking up in the recovery room and getting my body dragged into the bathroom, I realized when I looked down my belly I need a fast acting fat burners to get rid of the rolls on my belly. It is expected after surgery I would be bloated but It only seem to make my stomach bigger and got me depressed. If I had a less fat in my belly maybe I wouldn't be so stiff and sore. Walking around, I feel like I am 4 months pregnant. I don't think I can stay like this. If I can find a holistic and natural way of burning fats I am on the wagon in a heart beat. It is so depressing when you have such a hard time loosing weight.

KIDS AND QUAKES

2011-08-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

Last August 23, 2011 both my children experience their first ever earthquake. I doubt my kids felt something but I sure did. Kayla was busy playing her DSi on the couch while I was busy getting Kaitlyn ready to put on her helmet. Kayla was a little bit shook up after she realized that we just had an earthquake. It scared her because she things what happened in the movie 2012 is going to happen. I had to explain to her that it was just a movie and visual effects to make the movie more scary but that will rarely happen in reality. I hope not!.. As the oldest she knows that she is in charge of taking care of her sister in the event that I am not around. She knows that if an earthquake is to happen again she is to look for her sister and find a table they can go under or go outside. I know my kids are still young but It is vital that they know what to do in some emergencies. It was a scary day and we laugh at the end of the day. The important thing is, we are all fine and that my kids learned something new.

ALL WRAPPED UP

2011-08-16T11:43:00.000-04:00

My little Filipino/Italian princess burrito. Kaitlyn enjoy the attention of her sister as well as our neighbor Tracey. On this day It was just Kaitlyn and Tracey playing as Kayla was with her mom. It's funny to see a 3 year old hanging out with an 11 year old kid. Kaitlyn is more comfortable hanging out with older girls that kids her age.

They just got out of the pool when Kaitlyn asked Tracey to wrap her up like a burrito. She is very game for everything, loved the thought of being wrapped up like a cocoon. When she sees a towel now she wants to be wrapped up all the time, lol. My burrito is growing up so fast...

LASTING MARK

2011-08-12T23:01:00.003-04:00

Did I ever share the little accident I had in one of the department stores in my country last year? Well, I was looking for a blouse to wear for my high school reunion. I opted to go to the department store closest to our house. There were so many cute outfits I wanted to try on but I was short for time. As I was walking and browsing through the merchandise I got scratched very bad by a display rack. I was bad that I was bleeding and it left a scare on my forearm. If I wasn't in a hurry that time I would have made a complaint. It was dangerous and someone could have gotten hurt bad. What they needed was a top of the line Wire display racks that has smooth edges. That incident ruin my morning. I should have complained to the manager and brought it to their attention. I was furious with myself when we got home, I remember calling my husband right away and telling about the 1 inch cut I got at the store. At least it wasn't anything major but it really did leave a lasting mark on me.

LEARNING JAPANESE IN A FILIPINO ITALIAN HOME?

2011-08-10T22:47:00.000-04:00

Look who wants to be the next Karate Kid, move over Hillary Swank. I swear having girls is never boring. They have so much drama, dram and more drama. One minute they are playing dress up the next they are want to be someone. My kids are so funny, Kayla has been teaching her little sister how to speak Japanese. She is currently teaching her sister to say
"Konnichiwa. (kon-nee-chee-WAH) ". I don't know why she has interest to learn Japanese all of a sudden. My kids should learn either Italian or Filipino, lol. I don't think they know what "Konnichiwa" means. I think its funny specially they have been wanting to play karate. Maybe they will excel if we enroll them in any Martial Arts class. Both my girls are very athletic and very well coordinated. I will have to ask Kayla more if she is really interested to learn coz if big sister wants to do it,lil sister will follow.

MY RIGHT HAND

2011-08-07T14:37:00.004-04:00

Do you have someone who can depend on when you really need it? I am fortunate that I do have someone other than my husband to help me around. My MIL is my number one girlfriend. She and I get along very well that we talk about anything under the sun. I love her more now that she is so devoted to my kids. I feel bad for her due to her RA (rheumatoid arthritis). Its a crippling disease but at least she has that all managed. Like most senior citizen my MIL has bladder problems. At first I didn't understand why she was using sanitary pads when she didn't have any more monthly cycle. She then explained to me that it not a sanitary pad but a urinary incontinence products that she uses and buys at our nearest stores. Aside from having what she calls a "small bladder" her RA she is as healthy as an Ox. I love her to death and I know she loves me. I am one of the fortunate one to have such a loving and understanding Mother-in-Law.

RUGRATS AT WATERPARK

2011-08-04T14:27:00.000-04:00

My two little rug rats near the ticket booth of Jungle Jim's Water park. We went last July 26, 2011. Since we can't afford to go out of state fr a vacation we just opted for the beach a week before that and then the Water park next. We really didn't have to take the kids as we have a swimming pool in the backyard. My kids have their own little paradise. If they want sand, they have the sandbox, if they want swing, slides, monkey bar, we have a swing set with monkey bars and slides in our backyard. They want to swim, we have the swimming pool. They want to run around or have a tent, we have a big backyard for that. My kids are luckier than most kids in other sense. They are not deprived of anything. Still, it was heartwarming to see them enjoy and laugh at the water park. We were suppose to go to Disney this year but we couldn't afford it. Maybe in a couple of years..

APPS

2011-08-01T11:46:00.003-04:00

Having an IPhone4 has really made a big difference. When I get stump with something all I have to do it whip out my iPhone and google it. Its been a big help with looking for certain items when I am on the go. One of the many reasons I love the phone is the many apps I can download that I can really use. I have an app that allows me to earn points with the help of barcode scanner. I also have an app that I can download movies, it helps when your kids get fidgety, it gives them something to watch. In 3 days it will be a year since we got out phones. Can't wait to upgrade next year to a newer and better iPhone.

MY BEACON

2011-07-28T22:31:00.004-04:00

Since the start of the Summer season we have had about 5 play date for the kids. Seeing that we had the pool, big yard, swing set it was all here at our house. Its on those times when I really appreciate my MIL. She is already retired and receiving social security benefits so she helps me with the kids. At time she is my chauffeur, temp babysitter and just someone who will listen to me. It hasn't been so easy for her being retired and just getting social security but its enough to help with her daily needs. If it wasn't for her RA she would be working right now. I am so thankful to my MIL and my kids love her so much.

BLOWING TO LIFE

2011-07-26T14:39:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that I am now _ _ yrs old! How come I don't remember some of my younger years? Sign of old age? I think not, life was just uneventful so I had no recollection of them. Every birthday since I married my husband I have had a big celebration on my birthday. Last year it was memorable as celebrated it in the Philippines together with my mom, step dad, sis, and my other relatives in the Philippines. A few months before my birthday I had planned of having a big bash and invite the whole family to a BBQ pool party. By the start of June I still didn't have any solid plan on what to do on my birthday. Was it times way of telling me that something was bound to happen that will change all my plans? As my birthday crept closer and closer I still could no decide weather to have a low key celebration of have all the family come over for a party. It was all taken out of my hands when my Grandfather died on July 6, 2011. My heart was just not into celebrating my birthday with my recent loss. Ralph did take me to dinner the night before my birthday as he had to work on the day of. We did have a low key celebration at all but that didn't mean it wasn't memorable . As I blew my candles I knew that life is never going to be the same. Life will go on, what matters now is how we celebrate it.

STOPPING ARGUMENTS

2011-07-24T16:38:00.001-04:00

Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker

Having Satellite has saved more arguments in my house than I can dare to count. Ever since my children were able to choose their own television programming, my wife and I have been sticklers about making sure that they watch television with us in the room. We just don’t want them to be choosing shows that are unsuitable and inappropriate for their age group. So, we only allow our kids to watch shows from the TV in the family room. This is a great way to supervise your children's shows, but it was also causing a lot of fights when our son and daughter wanted to watch different programs at the same time. My son was wanting to make sure he got to see his Seinfeld episodes, and my daughter just has to watch “The Bachelorette.” Getting Satellite from EXPERTSatellite.com helped to alleviate that problem while still being able to monitor our children’s shows. Plus, now I can record all of my games while they are watching “Dancing With the Stars.” So the way I see it- everyone’s a winner!

GRAPE ESCAPADE

2011-07-20T16:23:00.001-04:00

What would you say if your 3 year old daughter asked you if she could pick grapes? You would immediately think that she probably meant those bushes that grow those round pulp that look like grapes. I assume that Kaitlyn found those so I told her it was ok for her to pick them but she was not to eat them as they are not good to eat and could be poisonous. She was happy that she went inside to get a tupperware for her grapes. I didn't really pay to much attention to where she was going in the backyard. To my surprise she came back with her tupperware to show me the "grapes" she picked. My eyes got so round when I looked down and saw that it was indeed green grapes. She really was telling me the truth that she was picking grapes.Curiosity got the better of me so I asked her to show me where she got them. She made a beeline towards our neighbors fence and started climbing up and reaching for grapes. It was then that I saw bunch after bunch of grapes. I had to have a taste to make sure they were real, lol. It was surprisingly sour. They were not ready for the picking. Since I didn't want my daughter to get in trouble with the owner of the grapes I decided to text our neighbor. I let her know that Kaitlyn climbed the fence and noticed the grapes, picked them. I also apologized for what she did. Of course our neighbors love my kids and she told me it was fine and that she can have as much as she wants. I am so glad that our neighbor Ms. Janice isn't mean, prissy and anal. She is actually a very nice lady. Now that Kaitlyn knows that she can have as much as she wants she would just go over the fence and pick them, lol. I had to tell her that the grapes still needs a few more days so they can ripen and it will taste sweeter. So I guess we will be having free grapes, lol...

JULY

2011-07-16T16:27:00.003-04:00

July is a special month for me. Its my birth month as well as a few members of my family. My sister and I have our birthday less than 10 days apart. Last year I celebrated my birthday in the Philippines with my family. It was so much fun with food and drinks aplenty. However we left before my sister had her birthday. This year I haven't decided what to get for her. Knowing my sister she would appreciate anything from Personal Creations. She has always been sentimental and is never picky about any gifts she receives. I could also order something personal for my grandma to commemorate the death of my grandfather. She would really appreciate a gift that is not only unique but personalized. With everything that has happened this month I still believe in my heart that my grandfather would want us to remember him with laughter and not with sadness. From now on, July will be the month of birthdays and the start of remembrance in memory of my grandfather.

NO TO 2

2011-07-14T16:17:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday my friend Mahlou came to visit. We spend almost the whole afternoon walking around the mall. She even got me to buy a new bathing suit. As we were trying them on I was crest fallen, I no longer look good in a two piece. I have tried dieting but fail, walking and exercising. What I haven't tried though is the workout zumba that even my cousin is raving about. She also happens to be a zumba instructor and swears that it will make me loose weight. Its an exercise with a twist, you have fun actually doing it. We took so long in the fitting room but finally found something that looked halfway decent on each of us. If only I didn't love food so much I wouldn't be in this predicament, lol. But as the saying goes, " no pain no gain". Food and I will have to get a separation in the Summer and will reconcile around winter, lol..

SWIM THE NIGHT AWAY

2011-07-14T16:01:00.000-04:00

With the weather getting hotter by the day, there is nothing sweeter and more relaxing than going in for a dip at night. Since Summer is in high gear it means we can't go night swimming until it gets dark. Ralph got lights for the pool so we would enjoy swimming more at night. It's not very often that the kids go night swimming with us. As for Ralph he swims at night when he can't sleep. I will only go night swimming with my hubby when the kids are asleep and if the temperature is just right. Usually the air is a little bit cold but once you get in the pool it feels like bath water. When the water is that warm I would not mind swimming the night away, just floating around. What sucks is when you get out of the water and the air hits you full on. I shiver so hard and have to get all wrapped up in the towel. Anyway folks we should be enjoying more time in the pool and by the end of the season we will be as tanned as ever, lol

GIGGLING ADULTS

2011-07-13T22:28:00.004-04:00

Yesterday a good friend of mine dropped me a visit. She is from New York. I was thinking of telling her not to come due to my grandfather's passing but she has already bought her train ticket. And knowing my grandfather he would probably say for me to have a good time. We picked her up bright and early yesterday. We were actually giggling like a couple of teenagers when we caught site of each other. Most of the morning and afternoon was spent just walking around in the mall admiring stuff and trying on different outfits,lol. It was when we were trying on bathing suit that I got discouraged. I saw how jiggly my other body parts were. What I need is a diet pills for women. Even though I looked jiggly we still managed to laugh at ourselves. I have got to really start cutting down on my portion like I tell my husband. I should practice what I preach and do the same thing. I want to not try so hard so that it won't turn out to be an epic failure. On the other hand I did find a good two piece bathing suit that looked decent on me. I'll have to keep on working to loss weight. Slowly but surely this time.

REST IN PEACE "LOLO"

2011-07-10T23:21:00.000-04:00

This post is dedicated to my late Grandfather ILDEFONSO O. MAGALASANG.

I thought Tuesday was just going to be any ordinary day, wrong! After hosting the 4th of July BBQ we had a very lazy day. Woke up really really late, had lunch, in the pool and hanging out with the hubby. Little did I know that my world was going to turned upside down. It was after 8 p.m. that I got two calls my aunt and cousin in Chicago. My aunt left a message so I listen to that first. I was shaking when I heard the voice mail. I was afraid that something had happened to my mom or my grandpa. I hurriedly called my aunt while I was in the kitchen. She answered with such a sad voice. I knew right then that I was bad.

She started crying and finally uttered the most devastating news I had to hear "Lod, your " lolo" passed away this morning"(Lolo is what we call our grandpa in my country) I couldn't say anything. I just sobbed my heart out on the phone crying with my aunt. I just kept on crying and crying. This is the first time ever I have experience this kind of loss. It was gut wrenching and so deep that you wonder if it will ever heal. I cried for my grandpa, for my grandma, I cried for everybody's loss. But most of all I cried because I was not able to say goodbye. No one had a chance to say goodbye to him. My heart goes out to my grandma who was not able to say she loved him one last time. They were each others best friend and lovers for 61 long years.

To my Grandpa "lolo" Thank you so much for all that you have done, your sacrifices, and lessons will forever be etched in our hearts. I want to say so much but my heart is just so broken. I miss you so much....

Until we see each other again "lolo", I will be forever proud to have been your granddaughter. We love you and will live for your memories and celebrate your life...

OUR 4TH OF JULY

2011-07-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Whew, what a day it has been. Both Ralph and I were running like a chicken with its head cut off. We woke up quite early to get ready for family coming over. Ralph did his thing preparing for the BBQ and he gave me a "honey do list". What the heck? I'm the one whose suppose to give him this list. But anyway food was a plenty. We had bbq chicken, ribs both pork and beef, potato salad, corn on the cob and deserts. We were all full but we had another guest who came late. It was POP's, my SIL grandfather. He was in the casino. Our talk started all over again with Pops regaling us of stories from his past. Pops is a very interesting guy, his 90 yrs old, he goes for long walks, he coins (probably morgan dollar coins), he drives and his a very loving man. I hope that when Ralph and I grow old we will live as long as him. He is a very intertaining old man. To cut this post short we all had a jolly good time celebrating the 4th of July

HATS AWAY

2011-06-26T22:38:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn is my side kick all the time. My MIL always say that Kaitlyn is my mini-me. I guess she is, we are always together since she doesn't go to school yet. One of the many things we really love to do and have bonded quite well is window shopping. She loves going to the mall just to look around. Trying out stuff here and there. Like the one in the picture, she tried on so many hats. After trying one on she would ask for me to take a picture,lol. She is such a rip. Sparkly things are her very weakness. When we go to a certain store and there is something sparkly 9 out of 10 she will go over and look it over. Like most kids she ask if I could buy it. By now my little girl is used to my saying "we'll buy it when we have money". Sure I can afford it, I want her to learn that she can't get anything she wants and that going to the mall doesn't necessarily mean shopping. Even though we don't buy stuff she still loves it and never gives a temper tantrum when she can't have what she wants. I have not brought my oldest with me to the mall as she goes to school and in the summer she is with her mom most of the time. Mondays & Tuesdays are the days where we usually go. I wonder if Kaitlyn will remember our window shopping when she gets older. Will she bring her kids to the Mall as well? Who knows.....

DOCU WHAT?

2011-06-21T22:23:00.000-04:00

Father's Day has come and gone yet I can't help that my husband deserves another one. I gave my husband such a lame Father's day gift. Interested to know what I got him? I got him a Lady Gaga cd. My husbands favorite song so far is Poker face and that applies to the kids as well. I feel so bad that it was the only thing I gave him. We didn't even go to dinner. I wracked my brain on what to get for him but I just couldn't think of any that time. Then I remember that Ralph has so many documents in the basement and he also them on the computer and his flash drive. The document management system would have been the perfect gift to give him. He types up his own motions for court since he represents himself regarding the custody battle for his daughter. From time to time he types up documents for a motion and he prints them all out and forgets about them. I should have gotten it for him. Its not to late to get it as Father's Day should not be limited to one day a year, it should be everyday.

MELT THAT FAT

2011-06-18T23:46:00.000-04:00

I don't know what happened to my husband but he just started talking to me about weight loss pills. Could it have been my husbands way of telling me I am fat or that both or us are fat? It's hard to admit but I have gained a lot of weight and I don't want to do all the hard work. Ralph mentioned a couple of weight loss pills, fat reducer like Apidexin. He is curious about what it is all about and went to read on more at buyapidexin.com. Ralph wants to check out the other weight loss pills, fat reducer, diet pills out in the market. I think he is very willing to try one and if he does I may try it as well. If only loosing weight was as easy as breathing, I would be 2 dress sizes down, lol.

CHANGE OF PACE

2011-06-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

Do you believe that change happens for a reason or that we can change the pACe of how we spend our time on a daily basis. I used to spend almost all my time in front of the computer. My husband was at the point one time of threatening to turn off the computer or putting a pass code on it just so I would not be able to use it. The computer took my time away from my kids, husband and my household chores. A lot of things started falling behind. I guess you could say I was addicted to surfing online, playing games, blogging and watching movies. It got worse when my husband got me my very own laptop, now I could go anywhere in the house with my laptop in tow. My laptop is about 3 years old now and is in need of a good clean up or needs to be replaced. For sure I can't afford to buy one as of this moment but I still look around online. Maybe next year I'll find some gateway laptops at a great price. Although my laptop is still working albeit on the slower side but that not really a major problem. If I keep up with the virus scan and disc cleanup, maybe I can get a couple more years out of it. At least now if ever my laptop does croak on me, I won't be to distraught as I haven't been online that much. My addiction for surfing and being in front of the computer all the time has waned.

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

2011-06-11T23:16:00.003-04:00

Just a few hours ago, Ralph and I head on over to our neighbors house. We were eating dinner when we heard an alarm go off. At first we thought it was just a car alarm so we didn't pay any attention. It wasn't until after dinner when Ralph went outside the front with the kids. He noticed that our neighbors strobe light was flashing. He had a suspicion that it was their house alarm we heard earlier. So he want and checked out the property seeing that our neighbors were not home. He didn't see anything a miss but he still called our neighbor to alert them. They were out at a camp ground somewhere. I had forgotten that they have a good size motor home. My MIL talks about getting one but Ralph said with gas prices sky rocketing and motor home repairs we would not be able to afford nor maintain it. But at least if we do decide on buying one we have a neighbor to ask when things go wrong. Anyway back to the neighbors alarm, everything seemed to be fine. As it turned out the lightning earlier caused the alarm to trip. Our neighbor called Ralph a while ago to let him know that everything good and thanked him for calling him. That is what I love about our little nook in our development, neighbors watch over each other.

CANCELLED VISIT

2011-06-11T23:09:00.002-04:00

I was brimming with excitement yesterday when I got a hold of my cousin Sigred. The first thing I asked her was when she would be coming down again. She laughed saying that I must have ESP since she was just doing that, coming down to visit. I asked right away when and told me she would come the next day. After a few minutes of talking and planning what to make for lunch and dinner I hang up. Ralph was happy to see that my cousin was coming down. After a few hours I got a call from her. I kinds knew it wasn't good so I braced myself. She had to cancel seeing that the friend who was giving her a ride down here had car trouble. I was disappointed but its not something that we can control. Things happen for a reason. She did promise me that she will come down and spend a couple of days with us. That made me happy and I look forward to seeing her again. There is nothing like having family come over, specially one you don't see often.

WORRIES

2011-06-08T22:46:00.000-04:00

I don't know what has gotten into me lately but I have been talking to my husband about the future of our kids. I get sick to my stomach thinking about what will happen to my youngest if both Ralph and I pass away. You may wonder I just said youngest, Kayla is my stepdaughter and I know that if something did happen to me and Ralph she will always have her mom. Ralph and I talk about the life insurance of the kids and well as ours. I honestly don't know much about our life insurance but that doesn't stop me from asking him questions. Like asking him what is term life insurance?. My husband would gladly and patiently explain to me what it is. It scares the heck out of me thinking about leaving my children, wondering what will happen to them. I know we have family that will always watch out for them but as a parent you still have that anxiety. All we can do is stay as healthy as we can and leave everything to God.

STAINED DECK

2011-06-04T23:01:00.001-04:00

With Summer here we are spending more and more time outside. If we are not inside you can find us out in our back yard swimming in our pool. It's a good thing that we had a deck build so that we can have parties and eat outside. Our deck is only 3 years old but it need to stain the wood yet again. Ralph is not liking the thought of doing it again. I wondered why when all we have to do is stain the wood like we did the last time. He mentioned something about using abrasives to level out old stain left on the deck. I don't know if we can afford to get new stains for the wood. It will have to wait for next year's tax money. Our deck still looks fine but it would look better with new stains.

BIG HELPER

2011-06-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

Presenting my little big helper. At 3 1/2 years old she loves to help me out and be a big helper. It also helps that she loves corn and would gladly help me take off the corn husk to reveal the sweet corn inside. She loves the thought of being able to peel the husk one at a time. My baby is growing up so fast, it scares me. One of Kaitlyn reason for helping out as well is that how she gets compensated, lol. Like most kids they love to ask for toys, In order for them to get new things we decided its about time they do chores and earn a few coins here and there. If you are doing something Kaitlyn will chime in asking if you need help. She willingly volunteers herself but tells you that she is a big helper so she can get money to buy new toys. I explain to her that she has to help every time specially when her help is needed. I told her that she won't be getting coins every single time she helps out but when she does chores the right away she gets a reward. Since she doesnt really know the value of money I just grab a handful of coins from the coin bowl on the kitchen counter. She would scream in delight when she gets paid and shows off her money to anyone who would listen. Eventually she will just leave it around and forget about it. I would just pick up the coins and put them back again in the coin bowl ready for the next time I have to pay her, lol. Don't worry, I don't pay my kids everytime. I believe that kids should do chores and know how to keep house. I just hope that her enthusiasm for helping will stay until she reaches puberty, lol..

WHATS IN A WEDDING

2011-05-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

Not having one filipino friend around sucks. Most of my friends are from all over the place. Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, New Jersey, Florida, San Diego, Las Vegas and so on. Even though my friends are spread throughout we keep in touch. Lately, I have been spending time with my American friend Krista. She is divorced and has one kid who I happen to babysit sometimes. We are complete opposites but we have so much fun when where together. She is probably the only close American friend I have. We talk about a lot of stuff including our kids, marriage, shopping and gossip, lol. I need to set her up with a great guy. I would joke to her constantly that if she did get married to a guy I fixed her up with she would have to give me a few Wedding Shower Invitations as I have never been to one since I got here 2006. I have never been invited to an American Wedding and that is the reason why I want to be invited to her future wedding, whenever that may be, lol. Maybe one I start working and make friends I may one day get a wedding invite, lol. Hey its not like I have been to any wedding, I have been a bridesmaid 9 times but I am just curious about how things are done different. Call me naive but I want to find out and learn. After all, I will be living here in America for a long long time...

MOTIVATION

2011-05-25T23:15:00.000-04:00

With Summer blazing a hot trail, I am getting frantic about loosing weight. I don't need to loose a lot but I need help on my stomach area. I have tried exercising and eating healthy but it is very hard to stay focus. If I was not trying to get pregnant I would not mind getting help, like taking diet supplement like slimvox. But seeing that I need to keep my system clean of any medication be it supplement or priscription, I guess I will have to go with just eating healthy and keeping up with the exercise routine. Its just frustrating when you work so hard but you don't get the result you want. It kind of deflates my will to go on and my motivation to keep doing it. I never thought I would say this but, being and staying healthy is not an easy thing to do.

OUR VISION

2011-05-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

The basement. I still can't get over the fact that we have finally cleaned up the big mess of boxes and junk in our basement. It was an accumulation of boxes, broken knick-knacks, junks and old stuff. We wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of Ralph's nephew A. J. We worked for 4 hours straight and it paid off. After 4 years we can finally see the floor of our basement. After hauling out all that needed to be thrown out Ralph and I just stood in our basement and went wild with our imagination on how we want to use the space in the basement. Ever since we wanted to have the basement finished so it can be used as an entertainment area. A place where the kids can hang out. Ralph talked about putting a small pool table in the basement for his enjoyment. I don't with his vision as long as it doesn't occupy a big chunk of space. When he went to buy pool supplies he stopped by a billiard supplies store. He just went to look since we can't afford anything yet. As for my vision I want carpet, a nice big couch and great entertainment center for watching a movie and also a space for both of the girls toys. It's something that Ralph and I want to do in the next 3-5 years. Hopefully sooner than that, if not at least our basement is not full of junk anymore, lol

SOON TO BE OURS

2011-05-19T14:34:00.000-04:00

Even though it has been raining the past few days that hasn't dampen my excitement for Summer. I don't really like rain that much but I don't mind as long as its warm out. We have been getting things organized in preparation for the warmer weather. Ralph went to NJ a week ago to help his older brother out with some legal stuff and documents. He was just happy to help his brother out. With his brother looking for a new place he gave Ralph his outdoor firepit that he hasn't used. We have been wanting to get one for the porch for two years now. Having an outdoor fire pit would be perfect in the summer evenings. The kids can make smores at night while Ralph and I sit down and enjoy the night away. I can't wait until Larry can bring it over. I should have told Ralph to bring it with him when he left his brother's house. Anyway, we still have a few more weeks until Summer is in full swing.

EGGS AND FAMILY

2011-05-15T22:26:00.000-04:00

Better late than never. This was the whole cartoon of eggs we colored and decorated last Easter. We only bought the eggs since we still had a couple of boxes for coloring eggs. It was a good thing that I didn't throw them out last year. Well, I rarely throw out stuff anyway. We colored egg mostly for Kaitlyn's benefit. We wanted her to experience the Easter activities even though her sister was not with us. Kaitlyn had a blast putting the eggs in the colored water and did a pretty good job staying clean. I was in charge of putting names on the eggs. The top egg that spell Mema is for my MIL which is what Kaitlyn calls her and of course the bottom eggs is our family. Next year it will be more fun as we will have both girls with us to help do the egg hunt, and egg coloring. Did your kids get to color eggs this Easter?

THROUGH THE LENS

2011-05-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

In my country no matter what the occasion or gathering, picture taking is always part of the activity. It drives my husband crazy that I take pictures of anything and everything. Most times he things its hilarious about how much I take pictures. Before we had our Iphone4, we went through about 3-4 cameras within 4 years. That's one new camera every year. I have considerably slowed down about taking pictures but it was only for brief time. Now that FB is very popular it has given me the opportunity to take more picture of post more picture of me and my family. I have new camera that I haven't really used. A friend of mine suggested I look into fuji finepix and read the review. I may have to ask my husband to read the reviews for me so he gets the hint that I want a new camera, lol. As for now, I am happy with what I have and who knows come Christmas I may put it on my wish list.

JUST ENOUGH

2011-05-08T22:41:00.003-04:00

A the weather warms up people are gearing for the Summer days to come. I for one can't wait for Summer to come. I may have started my exercise to get my body ready for Summer but who cares. All I know is that I want to feel the warm of the sun on my face and body and not have to carry a jacket/sweater when out and about. With the warm weather the kids are more outside than in. A week ago we ordered new tires for Kaitlyn's Barbie Jeep. We had to order it online since we didn't know if we could buy the parts in a store near us. Ralph did all the ordering online. He said that if the kids were a little bigger and if he could afford it, he would buy an ATV. I have been fascinated with ATV and would not mind owning one. Ralph then had to check out how much it cost. He also checked out the ATV Parts to see how if parts are readily on stock in case something broke. Knowing my husband, if we could have afforded it he would not blink twice about buying it, lol. I guess having just enough is a blessing or else we would have an ATV by now, lol.

BREAKING OUT

2011-05-04T22:11:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a problem with breakouts and acne? I only had one major acne breakout when I was about 17 years old. I think it was from stress, dust, sleeping habits and most of all prolonged exposure to the sun. At first I really didn't put to much attention to it until my grandma brought it to my attention. I was understandably upset that I had let the breakout spread and did nothing to stop it. Thank goodness i got it under control. With two young girls I can't help but worry if they will get severe, slight or no break outs at all. At least in today's age and medical advancement they have a good choice of medication to treat it. There is one product though that I would like to get. Its not for me but for my cousin who suffers from severe breakout. It helps to find out that accutane reviews is easy to understand and not hard to look up. I wouldn't mind buying it for myself but seeing that I am trying to get pregnant its better that I stay away from any kind of medication for now.

GREEN LIGHT

2011-05-02T22:04:00.000-04:00

Ever since my husband got the green light by his doctor to drive after his neck surgery he has been taking me anywhere I want, lol. It's important for him to drive again and see the limitations his surgery has brought forth. The very next day that he got the all clear to drive he drove his mom to his brother's house which is about 35-45 min. away from the house. He drove to see if he could that long drive in the car. My MIL had help with my BIL get a personal loan and had to co-sign for them. Ralph was also eager to show his brother the newly healed scar on his neck. The only stayed for a couple of hours. I guess you could say they felt guilty for not bringing me and Kaitlyn with them, lol. When they got home it was a relief to know that Ralph can handle long drive after his surgery and I could see the joy in his eyes to be able to drive again and not rely on his mom to drive him anywhere.

ANNUAL EGG HUNT

2011-05-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

Easter Egg Hunting at our house has turned into an annual event. This is our 3rd year to host an Easter Egg hunt for both our girls and a few close friends. Rain or shine we had to do the egg hunt. From L-R Kelly, Joey, Aiden, Tracey and Kaitlyn. Our oldest daughter is not in the photo as she is with her mom for her entire Spring break. We did the actual egg hunt on Black Saturday. We figured that everybody has plans for Easter so we decided to do it a day earlier. I filled up all the egg the night before and also baked cupcakes for the kids to snack on after the hunt. The kids had so much fun looking for the eggs, shouting the color of their recent find and putting them in their respective baskets. After the egg hunt we all went inside for some cupcakes. The kids emptied out all the eggs to check how much candy loot they got. I am just happy that the kids got to enjoy it. It was bittersweet for Kaitlyn as she kept asking for her sister. Next year it will be more fun since both my girls will be present. I hope you guys had a good Easter!

NO LOW PANTS

2011-04-26T21:43:00.003-04:00

With today's young generation everything is different. How they talk, how they look, music they hear and most of all the clothes they wear. I am very finicky when it comes to clothing. I make sure my kid wear clothes that fit them. I am enjoying the fact that I still get to pick their outfits for now. Before long I won't have any say in what they wear anymore. As long as my kids look decent and covered I have no problem at all. Have you seen how some kids dress these days? I have nothing against people wearing hip hop clothes, what I don't like is seeing young boys and men wearing pants that clearly is way to big for them. Hip hop clothing can be cool but pants that are way down to the butt that shows underwear is not cool at all. In fact I find it quite offensive. Its just a matter of preference I guess.

EGG HUNT 3 YEARS IN A ROW

2011-04-26T00:18:00.000-04:00

So many things happened in the past few weeks. I know I have not been updating all my blogs but I am back. To start I just wanted to say Happy Happy Easter to everyone. I hope we all had a great Easter celebrating with family. We sure did.

For 3 years now we started hosting an egg hunt in our backyard. Kayla is with her mom as per the court order. Even though she is not here we had to continue on with the tradition we have started. It wouldn't have been fair on Kaitlyn had we not had an Easter Egg Hunt. It was almost like a last minute invite to our closest friend. The weather was not really cooperating but the egg hunt went off without a hitch. Every one had a blast hunting for eggs and eating them after. The only thing I told the kids after the egg hunt was they could take whats inside the egg but they all had to leave the egg so that the Easter Bunny can fill up the empty eggs for next years hunt.

WHEN THE STORK WILL COME

2011-04-11T18:49:00.002-04:00

I haven't been online much lately except to talk to my mom and sister online via Skype. All we talk about is my sister's baby. My sister had what you could say a difficult pregnancy. She had high blood pressure and was also bleeding on on her 1st trimester. If I'm not mistaken she was even given a progesterone supplements to help stop the bleeding and onset of early labor. I have read that Progesterone supplement can also be given to women in preparation for pregnancy, for labor and also for women who don't bleed regularly. I have my OBGYN appointment this coming Wednesday. I have been on the fertility pill Clomid for the pat 3 months. Unfortunately, I have not been able to conceive. I was very depress last year. I started Clomid last January and surprisingly I have not gotten depress about not conceiving. I still get sad but I am in a better place today than I was last year. I know eventually I will get pregnant but when, who knows. Only time will tell.

MUCH AWAITED HOMECOMING

2011-04-10T18:16:00.000-04:00

Meet my little niece Alyssa Joy. She is 1o days old today. Isn't she just adorable? Alyssa is still in the hospital though, she had Jaundice. Its common among new born babies. Jaundice is when newborn babies skin and the white of their eyes look yellow. It happens when their is too much Bilirubin in your babies blood. Some babies get them, some very mild and some very high. In Alyssa's case her Bilirubin was on the higher side so she had to stay in the hospital longer under a special light to help break down the Bilirubin in her body. After 5 days under the special light her Bilirubin went below the normal range which is very good. My sister thought that she could go home for sure but she developed an infection. They took blood from her again to find out the cause and where the infection is from. Poor baby girl, I feel so bad for her. But good news, she will be discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. I can't wait to see her on the computer and see my mom holding her grandchild in her arms. Alyssa was unexpected but she is a blessing for sure.

MUCH TO DO.

2011-04-06T21:19:00.003-04:00

It's April and we are gearing up for another Holiday where we center the activities around the kids. We kind of started a tradition of having an Easter Egg Hunt with our kids friends in our backyard. Thankfully we have a big yard to scatter all the candy filled eggs for the kids to hunt. Every Easter we always try to get Easter stuff for the kids. This year it would be nice If we could give them something personal. My girls are getting older and I think they would appreciate the gesture. I was just checking out Personal Creations Easter online and found the perfect creation for the girls. I like the all in One Easter Basket with the polka dot liner and the personalized names. This way the girls won't fight over who has the bigger basket or the prettiest one. Its better that they get the same thing but with the color that they like. It comes with all the candies a kid would expect the Easter Bunny to leave for them. I still have so many things to do to prepare for the Egg Hunt. I also have to find all the eggs, buy candies, fill them up, learn to mow the lawn with the riding mower and make Easter cupcakes for the children to eat after the hunt. I hope I can do all of it, wish me luck!

EYE FRAMES

2011-04-02T20:54:00.008-04:00

Looking for the right prescription glasses and frames can be such a big hassle. I found that out when my husband broke his prescription glasses from his accident. Ralph is very picky when it comes to his prescription glasses and frames. He said that its important to find the right frame not for looks but for comfort. We have been so a couple of places to look for a certain frame that he wanted. I should mentioned to him that Zenni Optical has variety of frames for different kinds of glasses. I have been to the website and it makes shopping for glasses fun and easy. Since my husband is looking to replace his glasses, prescription glasses from Zenni Optical would be an easy choice.

I took it upon myself to look at the website and found the perfect rimless glasses for him. It kinds looks like the last glasses that he had. This type of frame is what he likes, it makes it look like he is not wearing glasses at all. I don't think my husband will need any more convincing on my part once he reads the article about Super Saver - Buying glasses online. Glasses don't come cheap but with Zenni Optical that is not a problem. They have affordable high quality stylish frames, anti scratch coating for glasses, full UV protection, thin and light 1.57 index lens and more. So if you or any of your loved ones are tired of buying over priced sunglasses, Zenni Optical is your right choice.

TEA TIME!

2011-04-02T20:54:00.003-04:00

This is the reason why my girls adore their dad, he gamely plays with whatever they want. This time Kaitlyn dragged the table, chairs and her mismatched toys in the family room so she can have a tea party. She was the hostess and had so much fun pouring water in her daddy and sisters cup. I even got them cookies to eat while they pretended to drink tea water, lol. I love watching my husband play with the girls. It makes me realize even more how lucky I am to have found a man who puts his family first and loves his children. He may be working a lot but that doesn't stop him from spending quality time with his girls when he is home. For me it matters not that he is not home all the time, what matters most is what he does with his time when he is with us.

PEACE OF MIND

2011-04-01T19:16:00.000-04:00

One of the things that Ralph and I wanted to do is to get a home alarm system for our house. We live in a pretty quite neighborhood but we got shook up when someone stole something from our car. Fortunately the thief didn't do any damage to the van and only took the GPS that was on the dashboard. As a police officer , my husband worries about us when he is at work. We call each other several times a day. I did get quite paranoid when that incident happened and Ralph saw how worried I was. He just needs to find out which among the many home security systems is best for our family. When we do get one, I will sleep much better at night knowing that we are protected. It will also give me peace of mind going on a vacation or a long road trip knowing that our house is secured. I have seen many peoples lives turned upside down from home invasion and I don't want my family to go through any of that. Getting a home security system is the only thing that will put my mind at ease.

YO GABBA GABBA FAN

2011-03-27T14:44:00.001-04:00

One of Kaitlyn's favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba on Nick Jr. At first I was so creeped out with DJ Lance but as you know I also get stuck watching it and the show kind of grew on me. Pretty soon I was singing and dancing along with my daughter. It taught her how to count and sing and dance. My favorite is the one with Jack Black as their special guest. So without further delay here is Kaitlyn doing her crazy dance,lol

FAMILY NIGHT OUT

2011-03-24T22:25:00.005-04:00

Taking the kids to the movies a couple of weeks ago was a good family bonding for us. We haven't been out much with the kids so we wanted to do something for them. Deciding weather Kaitlyn come with us or stay home with her grandma was not easy. She is 3 1/2 years old but we were not sure how she would react inside the movie house. Will she sit long enough for the movie to finish? We'll before we took the girls I had a little talk with them. I told them that when the movie starts we can't talk loud and we can't keep standing. I wasn't worried about Kayla as she has been to the movies house with Ralph and her mom many times.

Ralph and I looked at each other when we finally got there. We found a sit where the 4 of us could sit together. I was on the outside, Kaitlyn, Ralph and Kayla. Kaitlyn was excited to be their. Then all of a sudden she turns around and asks me about the light coming out the wall somewhere behind us. I told her that it would be where the movie will show.It makes me wonder if movie houses use lcd dlp projector for the movies.When I was younger I used to love going to the movies late at night with my mom or my dads relatives in our pajama. I loved it. There was something magical about it. Kaitlyn had a good time at the movie house and she did pretty good for her first time. As for big sister, she is already a pro at it that she even took her sister to the potty (ralph followed them to be sure). I am so proud of my eldest! All in all we had a great time and we are looking forward to watching "RIO" together.

ANOTHER SCARE

2011-03-23T20:55:00.001-04:00

Yesterday my MIL was rushed to the ER when she went for her routine RA treatment at the doctors. We had just gotten back from the mall when Ralph got a call from the doctors office informing him about what happened to his mother. He was assured that she is fine but will be taken to the ER for precautionary measure. You see, she passed out after she was given an IV treatment for her RA(Rheumatoid Arthritis), her blood pressure went down. I got so worried when I found out. When she got home I talked to her about her health and if she would consider taking hgh human growth hormone. I told her she would greatly benefit from HGH supplement. All she has to do was ask her doctor if it wouldn't interfere with her current medication. At 69 years old and I want her to be healthy and well balanced. I told her to look into it and read the review online and to let me know what she thinks.

WHAT'S WITH THE EYES?

2011-03-23T19:27:00.000-04:00

Just one of those days where I like to take pictures of the kids as well as the dog. This time the photo looked scary and weird. Sunny wanted to go out but I took a picture of him first. It's the flash reflected in his eye. I showed it to the girls and they laughed and tried to scare each other saying that Sunny is an alien. To me, he looks like he is possessed by some demon and gave him that green glare. But I know that Sunny is the best dog we hoped for. His a little bit on the fat side. I only feed him twice a day sometimes only once when we give him table food. Could it be the table food that making him fat or his lack of exercise? Our backyard is big, I do see him running around but I think he needs more. Once the weather gets warmer again, I am planning on taking him out with us when we go for a walk. That is going to be quiet a challenge as we haven't trained him with a leash. He doesnt mind the leash but he pulls you. And I can't let that happen, he would drag me down the street, lol. Hopefully we will be out more as the weather warms up and we can make him run for his toys so he can trim down a bit. Don't worry baby boy, we still love you!

APRIL SURGERY

2011-03-23T13:01:00.000-04:00

Health is indeed wealth. Last year we had a little bit of a scare when Ralph developed a cyst on his behind. It got inflamed and infected that he could barely walk. Thank God is was nothing and he had surgery to remove the cyst. He was out from work for almost 3 months. Early this month we celebrated the 1st anniversary of the partial removal of his cyst. We celebrated but something health wise was on all our mind. Over 4 years ago, my husband was in an accident when he was on duty. A car t-boned him and the driver side of the police car was hit. With that, Ralph sustained an injury to his neck. That injury is now creating a health scare once again. He was out from work again for a few weeks due to neck and shoulder pain. My husband was visibly upset and scared. He was scared that he may be disabled. As a family we had to talk about it and discuss certain things like if he will be getting disability insurancefrom his work in case he gets disabled, will he be able to work or will he be forced to retire. Ralph wasn't to happy with his current surgeon so we went to the Rothman Institute to consult a specialist.

Ralph's injury was bad. If he would get into another accident that cases whip lash on the neck, he might end up as a paraplegic. The specialist was very thorough and explained to us the pros and cons of surgery. He recommended surgery to remove the C5-C7 of the disc on his neck. If all goes well, Ralph will be back to work on light duty two weeks after his surgery. With that, a decision was made for Ralph to get the surgery as soon as possible. I am terrified and scared but I know his Doctor is one of the best. God has always been good to us and I know He will keep him safe.

SCOOTERIFFIC

2011-03-20T12:27:00.001-04:00

At times like these when its warm and sunny, I let the kids out in the front to play. Everyone is has his/her own thing going on. Kayla is on her scooter, Kaitlyn on her bike, Joey on another scooter , Kelly on another scooter and Tracey our neighbor in another scooter. I guess you could call it's a SCOOTERRIFFIC day. That is why I love our development so much is that my kids can come out and play and not worry about gang bangers and cars shooting down the road. The neighbors around our area knows that their are kids so they slow down when they come down our bend of the street. The kids also know that when they see a car coming or going they have to stay clear of the street/road and stay on the sidewalk until it stops or leaves. We do stay out with the kids when they are outside and just keep an eye on them. Usually something always happens like someone not sharing a toy, a game and most of all getting the dreaded boo boo's. The kids are already excited that Spring is here and can't wait till it gets warm enough to open the pool.

GREEN HEADED GIRLS

2011-03-17T08:36:00.000-04:00

That is our eldest Kayla. I honor of St. Patrick she is wearing a green bob cut wig and a green plaid shirt/blouse to school. I couldn't resist taking a photo before I walked her to the bus stop. I wonder if she is going to come home still wearing the wig or will it be in her backpack. I guess I'll find out later when we go to her school to see her get an award as a Wilbur Winner in their school.

Kayla wasn't the only one showing her love for St. Patty's day. Presenting Kaitlyn, my green headed, boots wearing ballerina. She wanted to wear this outfit to Kayla's school. I don't see any reason why not. So we are heading off to Kayla's school in a little bit but we just wanted to show our love for St. Patrick.....

TRIP TO THE MOVIES

2011-03-13T13:58:00.006-04:00

My two girls hamming it up for the camera. This was taken yesterday on our way to the movie house. The girls both wore dresses and had their respective face hair on, lol. Kayla is doing her I love you sign and Kaitlyn couldn't quite make it so she had the number 4 sign instead, lol... This was Kaitlyn first time to the movie house and we were kind of worried how she will react. Will she sit still, will she be able to sit through the entire movie? We were just going to take it one step at a time. We got their early and played a few games in the arcade. They also managed to post for more picture.

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They both enjoyed posing with the cut out poster. Daddy didn't mind holding them up while I took the photo. My girls are so lucky to have such a devoted dad.Kaitlyn did great inside the movie house. They both enjoyed watching "Rango". We are planning to take the kids again to watch "Rio" the trailer was so funny that it had everyone inside laughing.

2ND DELIVERY

2011-03-09T21:53:00.001-05:00

Another package left at our door Yesterday! Monday was the cereal dispenser and my icing kit and now this! Kaitlyn was so excited and just wanted to open the box since she could see what it was. I already have the same toy organizer but I wanted to get another one. My kids have so much toys and pieces get scattered all over the house. The organizer helps them put away their toys and separate it so its visible with easy access. CSN Stores shipping is really fast, I had my doubts about the store but not anymore! They won me over by the free and fast shipping.

With the new sort and store toy organizer I did the assembly myself with no help from the hubby. All I needed was my little assistant Kaitlyn and a cordless screw driver. I was so proud of myself for successfully assembling it without any problems at all. I not only have one sort and store toy organizer but two! If you have kids with lots of toys with many accessories and small part, honey can do sort and store toy organizer with 4 large and 8 medium sized bins is perfect for $49.00. So here are some photos. The organizer on the left is the new one and the one on the right is almost a year old.

FAMILY DISCUSSION

2011-03-09T13:31:00.001-05:00

My MIL just turned 69 and she is still as independent as ever. She does have RA, it affects her mobility sometimes but that doesn't stop her from doing things on her own. She has good days, bad days, and very bad days. On her good days she takes me to the mall or stores and just hangs around the house. On her bad days she stays indoors and stays in her room most of the time. On her very bad days she talk about death. She talks about funeral planning and her life insurance. That happens when we are having dinner. I think its a discussion that a family should do. It can be a very sensitive topic but its part of life and it has to be said and ironed out. My MIL is still healthy but she feels much better knowing that her kids and her grandchildren know what she wants done in the event of her passing. But we all know that she is as healthy as a horse and will have many more years of great living with us.