****SPARKLE****

Can you see my teeth a SHINING out there? Oh yeah, so now that we know unemployment is immenent... we are getting all of our checkups, refilling all perscriptions and making sure everyone is in tiptop shape. Jason and I had our dental checkups today. The dentist commented that we all have GREAT teeth and whatever we are doing to keep it up! Mind you, the last time I went in was 2005... so that is good news!

We are FINALLY finishing the painting in our room today... it just bites that we have limited time to work on it. Today is nice and sunny, not too hot as of yet so Jason just finished the 2nd coat of primer and I am gonna go do the corners. WE WILL BE MOVING OUR BED IN THERE TONIGHT. I am sick of sleeping on the floor.

Still no luck finding a nightstand... but I will eventually find one I am sure.

Have a fabu day!

Humph...

Didya have a good 4th? We TOTALLY did! Hung out with some long lost friends... bbq'ed, swam and watched some amazing fireworks. Yanno what? I didn't take ONE flipping picture. Bet you thought that would bum me out.. but honestly... most of the time I am stuck behind the camera and don't spend enough time actually ENJOYING the time with friends and family.

Painting is officially done. Touch ups have yet to begin. Taping is an EVIL thing... I don't recommend it. It pulled up all four sides of our ceiling and now we need to redo that. Otherwise it looks great! I can't wait to get everything all done and get in there. Our carpet is shot, beyond cleaning even... I think we need to seriously consider getting new stuff in there. There is a remnant place in town that we are going to check out.

My baby brother is back in Northern CA. I miss him. The night before he left we brought out Mom's ashes and had a bonfire. Cory sank his hands into her ashes and it was amazing. He took a bit of her ashes back up north to take into the Redwoods. She would have loved it there.

We got our Passports today! Well, Jason and I did. The kid's haven't shown up yet but we still have 4 weeks and they don't technically need theirs.

That is about all for me... as for my Humph... I am just in that down mode today... a bit emotional if you will. There never is one reason, it is usually a bunch of stuff piled on itself. I will snap out of it in the next few days... and a day of hair coloring, possible pizza and beering and hanging with my friend should do the trick!

Have a great weekend!

Painting has begun...

Well, hopefully. We are in the last stages of cleanup and prep for painting our room! We just vacuumed the walls and textured the last bit of wall. Now we need to inventory our painting supplies and figure out what we are missing and we will be good to go!

Yesterday we went to Torrey Pines State Beach. We loaded up the RV, the kiddos, the sand toys and boogie boards and off we went. It was SO nice down there! Not too hot, the water wasn't crazy freezing but the current was pretty strong. The kids had a blast, Jason got beat up boogie boarding, Alea got thwapt in the head with the boogie board and decided to call it a day, and I took some pretty cool pictures of it all. We bbq'ed at the RV and then headed home. Bought pizza and popcorn and had a family movie night. Watched the Bridge to Terabithia... omg... slightly tragic.. be forewarned!

Welp, we are off to grab supplies! Have a fabu day!

I have met The Universal Mother...

and now I feel blessed. I received Darshan today with Amma ... and WOW... what an amazing day. Cory and I took the kids and drove up to LA to see her at the Hilton. The kids didn't really know what to think and I wasn't sure if there would be a scene or not (whole nuther story).

We received our Exchange tickets and went to sit near where Amma was giving Darshan. It was so amazing to watch her take in so many people.... to hold them close while she whispered in their ears. We waited for quite awhile and then they put up our number. We went and stood in line, bought a small bouquet of flowers for offering and waited. I had been looking over the information booklet about Amma and found out that she was less than 2 months older than our mom was. How ironic that Cory, and now I, feel so strongly about this woman... the Universal Mother.... who was so very close to the age of our own mother.

Alea went up first and gave her the flowers, received a small hug, as did Jarrett, and then she took me in... and held all 3 of us at once. She whispered "My Daughter" over and over again and then it sounded like she switched to saying "Mom" over and over again. It was amazing.. and of course I cried... because come on.... My Daughter.... man.... My legs felt really weak and they helped me up and out of the way of the other people... we went and sat back down out of the way... wow...

While in the food court, Goldie Hawn walked by. Yeah... without a huge entourage or anything, sat down and ate with her friends... very casual and that felt nice.

So... that's about all the intelligent communication I can muster tonight... love ya

Totally hilarious...

Howdy!

How are you doing? I am doing SWELL. I have a band of roofers banging around on the roof right now. I have a team of HVAC guys installing a brand new furnace and air conditioner! I no longer have what looks like an ugly galvanized steel octopus sitting on my roof! I no longer have a leaky roof! I will SOON no longer have a super ineffecient, WAY TOO BIG, OLD & SCARY furnace running my heater and air conditioner!! I have a brand new ac unit sitting pretty in my backyard!! I have a LOT less money! LMAO

Oh yeah, and did I mention I have a husband who apparently watched one too many of those creepy BUG movie commercials and woke me up at 2am last night FREAKING OUT that there was something on him??? Like not just for a minute either. Like 20 minutes of searching the bed, searching the floor, flashlighting the ceiling... etc... omg... talk about not getting a restful sleep AFTER THAT.

So things are well here! We are on our way to a WAY MORE EFFECIENT household! WAY CHEAPER to run too. The kids are super excited because we found plates, bowls, cups and silverware in pink and blue in the dollar spot at Target. It's the little things right?

Have a great SAFE weekend!

These monthly posts are sad!

By the end of next week we will have a NEW ROOF and NEW AC Unit & Furnace!! We are in the process of cleaning up around here to get ready for it all... I am so excited! Jason finished his EMT course and passed at the top of his class! The store is doing great and the kids are finishing up school in a normal, hectic, crazy manner! All is well and of course still stressful here but hey, what you gonna do?? LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH!!

When it rains... it really frickin pours right...

Laugh or cry right? We are laughing, and taking this opportunity to do some long overdue home improvements.

So you know how I was SO excited to paint my room? Jason went to remove baseboards and his crowbar went through a soft wall. Namely the wall behind the shower... ugh... so we stopped all progress and waited for reinforcements. In the meantime, we moved our bed to the front room, and whilst sitting in there, noticed a signifigant discolored area of ceiling.. oh yeah, then it rains.. and then the ceiling drips... ugh

So now we are looking at some roof patching... possibly replacing...

Reinforcements came today by way of Claudio, who tore apart the walls and said it looked like our shower had a slow leak... and it would probably only cost us around $200 in materials to completely gut our room and insulate, then replace the walls and ceiling for a brand new room! If it will only cost us about that per room, then we are going to do it. The kid's rooms SORELY need new ceilings and insulated walls.... and it would TOTALLY save us on the heating/air bills during those months.

So here is how it breaks down... when you HAVE the money to do projects, you put it off.... when you DON'T have the money, you CAN'T put it off.. so whatcha gonna do? WORK IT.

I am surprisingly calm... hey, there is something to be said for watching all of those home improvement/flip this house shows... now it is our turn to put our backs into it! LOL

See ya.. off to demo!

Easter!!

Hope ya had a fantabulous day! Mine was great until I got into a fight with my Grandpa. Whatever. He made a rude comment to my cousin's girlfriend and I called him out on it. Chastized him like a child he said. Welp, don't make rude comments about a young girl's weight around me and think you will get away with it. PERIOD.

Other than that, our day was nice! We colored eggs in the morning, went to Aunt Nancy's and had early dinner... deviled eggs... chips and salsa... good company... lol

Have a great week!!

Howdy peeps!

Well.. peep... cuz I KNOW noone else reads this! LOL

I am so bipolar! Most of my posts are me venting, whining, bitching or moaning. No such luck today! *and I promise I am not really like this all the time*

We had a fabu day! Kiddo #2 got to go home after school with a friend, he thought that was the coolest thing EVER! Kiddo #1 and I bowled early and met our friends at a T-ball game, where I ran smack-dab into a gal I grew up with! Her son is on friend's son's T-ball team! We chatted for the longest time, it was awesome!

Came home and kiddo #2 asked me to help remove his training wheels off of his small bike. So I did, he sat down, I gave him a push and off he went! Just like that! Of course he had some minor turning problems and feet issues, but he rode around back there for a good 30 minutes and did AWESOME!!! Kiddo #1 was damn near 7 when she finally let us remove the training wheels and it was a HORRIBLE fight to get her going on her own. #2.. EASY PEASY! Of course now he is SO EXCITED to show Daddy & Papa tomorrow!

Tomorrow I work, kiddo's are going to Papa's and then I am heading to my BF's for her FABULOUS bday evening! YUMMY PIZZA AND BEER... possibly SANGRIA!!! possibly HAIR COLORING! LMAO!

I have to teach a class on Sunday at 1pm, then pick up kiddos, then head over to friend's house to make rainbow goop for the kindie class on Monday!

PHEW! Fun stuff I tell you.. and not a depressed bone in this body! LOL

See ya!

I'm feeling sad today...

Nostalgic. Hormonal. Blech.

I hate this part of my cycle. I hate feeling hopeless.. even if it is just for a few days. I hate that something ALWAYS comes up during this most sensitive time for me that makes me doubt me. That sucks. I hate how puffy my damn eyes get after I spend 30 minutes realizing how crappy I feel.

My son does NOT have ADHD. Don't you DARE say that he does, after 6 months of school has already gone by and you have NEVER given anything but praise in regards to him.

Not until now, after 2 stressful months for him because YOU are focusing solely on the truly ROTTEN children in his kindergarten class and you have NO patience left for my 5 year old (and others) who are NORMAL and get BORED when you let them sit there with nothing to do but be antsy.

Don't patronize me with comments about how "it isn't as if he isn't smart".. cuz guess what.. I effin KNOW he is smart. He can sit at the table for an HOUR and work on reading, writing and coloring... WITHOUT fidgeting. He can deduce how shit works WAY better than most ADULTS I know and will ask you a ZILLION questions until he is absolutely sure he gets it.

Don't you DARE make me feel like I am missing something... cuz I am not. So there. Vent over. Moving on.

I hope I feel better tomorrow. Jason didn't work overtime today and won't be going on his ride-along tomorrow so maybe I can actually get some decent effin sleep and snuggle with my hub for a bit.

Hmph.

Another week.. another illness! GEEZ

The kids had finally recovered from whatever nastiness was plaguing them the last 2 weeks.. only to come down with another new, lovely cold/cough/fever crudiness.

I am fighting it. BIG TIME. I have Echinacea with Goldenseal. I have Mandarin Oranges. I have Multi-Vitamens. I have HOT Apple Cider (high in Vitamen C so it says) with lemon and honey. I have Halls cough drops. I have Nyquil. I will survive. Hopefully... lol

Jason starts EMT school next week and has another ride-along scheduled for the week after. He is happy. He had a great time last week. He rode along with the Ambulance and they had several calls. I am excited that he is excited. I will be honest... I thought it might wear off and he would change his mind. Not so. Thank gawd. The problem now lies with all of the school he will need to do before he can become a firefighter. That part is scary. Not only because going back to school after 13 years is scary.. but because having a family to support WHILE going back to school is even scarier. And me.. the worrier.. constantly thinking about what we will do... welp, as I told a friend today, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Peace OUT.

Ouuuuucccchhhh....

So I have finally started taking daily multi-vitamens... along with my meds... and oh boy, excess iron is painful. I need me some Fiber pills... or something.. cuz I feel like I am DYING right now... my belly is so tender and achy and shooting pains and pleeeeze can I take some vicodin? But no.. cuz that can bind you up too... ugh... someone just put me out of my misery...

In other news.. Jason is going on his first ride-along with the fire department tomorrow. Bye Bye goateee.... helloo hotty fireman.. hehe.. well, he is not quite there yet but he will be... I have faith.. and patience....

See ya

Oh happy day...

NOT. My poor kids have been sick since last weekend... and poor Jarrett had to come home from school yesterday and miss his Valentine's party. Of course I am a stress case because his fever just wouldn't go away... and he was complaining that his tummy hurt, but not pukey hurt... and he cried all night.. it was awful. So I got very little sleep... got no Valentine's lovin AND didn't get to watch Lost last night... ugh.. LMAO

Besides that my cuz is comin to visit this weekend and we are in cleaning mode. I HATE CLEANING MODE. Especially since I know that no matter how MUCH I clean, the house is still gross. Dishes are done, laundry is done, but this place is SO DUSTY and I need to clean the floors... bathrooms... kitchen... don't even go there for the front room. That place is scary.

Oh yeah, did I mention that our favorite crazy gal from Quickutz called and asked Cindy and I if we could help her at the Costa Mesa expo this weekend? She was hoping for some help running the Make N Take and thought of us! How cool is that? VERY COOL.. but of course we both have to scramble to find child care, work out our schedules etc.

Why does everything all go down at once? LOL...

Have a fabu weekend... I will be a busy bee for sure!

What a Blast!

We had so much fun playing around at CA Adventure Park and Disneyland! It was chilly and rainy which meant that noone was there! We met a couple later in the evening and ran around with them until the parks closed! SOOO much fun! Anywho.. good to be back!

Off to LA!

For the CHA trade show! Can't WAIT! The hub and I are heading to Disneyland and CA Adventure for an afternoon alone... how fun! Last time we were there alone was our Honeymoon 11 years ago!

We shall be back on Wednesday!! Have fun!

Firefighters...

are hot. My husband is looking to become one. That makes me hot. Fires get hot. It's all hot.


Anyway... we went and signed Jason up for EMT class today. We also turned in his application at CDF for seasonal firefighter. While he doesn't look good on paper now, he will be spending the next few months getting all of the classes taken that they require. If not seasonal this year, then next year. Possibly the reserve. Either way it is going to be very busy for him, and us in the next few months. God help us.

Awwwww...

I was cleaning out the Inbox when I found this email from Alea. She sent it while I was in Vegas for the last trade show... so stinking cute!

A poem from me: You are a great mother, I love you, you have a great brother, I miss you, you are a nice person, I love you, you like to hold mice persons, I miss you, you love to scrapbook, I love you, I love to matchbook, I miss you, you are my mommy, you are my mommy.

Love Alea



I love it!!

I give up....

Ok... I guess I will give up the ghost... seems like we may have actually had the flu.

Everyone kept saying it... but I didn't believe it. We didn't show any other signs of the flu, no chills, fever, ache.. nada. And less than 6 hours after the puking ended... the hunger crept in... HUH?? HUNGER? Um.. yeah..

But alas... boy child spent night before last puking... so.. there you have it.

Oh well..

Off to a rocky start...

Welp, I was hoping to say that the New Year started off with a FABULOUS Monday.. but alas, it wasn't so! Dacia, Jason and I headed up to meet some friends for coffee and both had drinks with soy milk in them... and about 2 hours later when we headed home... well.. that was the beginning of a very LONG and painful night. The only thing we had in common yesterday was the soy in our coffee.. so I am almost positive it was bad. We don't have the flu, no other symptoms. We found out that it sucks to be sick at the same time, our poor kids get freaked out by the puking.... and we are VERY thankful that our house has 2 bathrooms.

Today we are a sorry lot. We were both FINALLY able to get some sleep around 3:30 am... but today is the first day back at school for the kids so we had to get up and get them ready. Team effort since both of us are very weak. Luckily my saviour Cindy is going to work for me and Jason may end up calling in tonight as well. We will see. For now I am heading back to bed, hoping I can sleep comfortably for a little bit... ugh..

Happy New Year!! LOL