Suffocated

I feel so freaking suffocated right now it is not even funny! I just wish that I could somehow get a break. That is all...............

So I knew this would happen sometime, I just never thought so soon!

Let me start this off by saying we got our taxes back yesterday WOOHOO!!! So I took the kids to get shoes today and I actually went to Target THREE separate times. The reason you ask well because if you have ever tried to shoe shop with three kids ten years and under or any age for that matter it is HELL on freaking wheels!!!! LOL

Now the shopping went pretty easily if I do say so myself. Took Princess first and she picked out her shoes in 5mins after trying to two different pair. Spunkmeister on the other hand took literally 30mins of looking and trying on to find a pair of shoes!! That girl is gonna be my shoe whore! lol She had to keep picking out every sparkling pair until I had to say "Today we are just here for tennis shoes" a hundred times.

With the boy we went to the boys section as normal and started trying on shoes. Well we quickly realized that we needed to be in the men's section!! So we go to the men's section and find a really cool pair of size 7 men's shoes! Get home and I realize his shoes look like they would fit me! Now I do not have small feet I wear a size 9 so now I am thinking hummmmm...... I put my shoe up to his and his shoes are bigger than mine! I try them on and sure enough my foot fits right in!!!!

OMFG I CAN WEAR MY 10YEAR OLD SONS SHOES!!!! THAT IS SOOO NOT RIGHT!

Ok I am done freaking out well maybe.........

PhotoHunt: High

This week's theme for PhotoHunt is High. I had to think about this one for a bit and search through my albums. It seems I do not have many photos I can classify as High. lol So I hope these pictures do the theme justice!

These were taken in Ruidoso, NM last year while we were on Spring Break vacation. We had a really good time and I miss living in the mountains of New Mexico. The scenery is awesome and we were high up on the mountain when I took these pictures!

For more photos and this week's PhotoHunt check out:

http://tnchick.com/

Sometimes I wonder

So the other day I made some deviled eggs. Spunkmeister does not really like them so when I offered them to the kiddos for a snack today I thought she would ask for something else. Well she did not sooooo I thought all was good and that she had grown to like them! Oh how wrong I was LOL!!

So I asked her earlier do you like them? What are you doing with the middle part of the deviled egg?

She says "No I do not like the middle part, but Samantha does and so she licks out the middle and then I eat the white part!"

OMG I thought you are not!!! lol

So what ya gonna do!

Wordless Wednesday - My mother and brother!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants check out these wonderful blogs:

5 Minutes for Mom!

Three Peas in a Pod!

Chocolate Banana Bread

I made this bread as part of our Easter spread yesterday and everyone seemed to enjoy it! There was not a single piece left at the end of the festivities! lol

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ripe mashed banana (about 3 medium ones)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Using shortening or soft butter, grease a 9 x 5-inch bread pan with a piece of bunched-up waxed paper.

2. Put a little flour in the pan, then tilt and tap the pan to coat the sides with flour. Tap out the excess.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl and then set it aside.

4. With an electric mixer, cream the butter in a separate bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar. One at a time, have your child crack each egg into a small bowl and beat it into the creamed mixture. Blend in the vanilla extract.

5. In another bowl, stir together the banana and yogurt until well mixed.

6. Blend the dry mixture and the banana mixture into the creamed mixture in thirds, alternating dry and wet to help prevent the dry ingredients from clumping. Fold in the chocolate chips.

7. With a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8. Bake the bread on the center oven rack for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 15 minutes.

9. Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool thoroughly before slicing. Makes 10 to 12 slices.

I found this awesome recipe at Familyfun.com

Easter eggs

I wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter today! I also wanted to show off the wonderfully decorated Easter eggs the kids and I made last night. We had such a great time even though we made a huge mess! lol Also I found an awesome new hard boiled egg recipe that I used last night I wanted to share.

How to boil the PERFECT hard boiled egg!

Things You’ll Need:
Fire
Eggs
Timer
Water
Saucepan with tight fitted lid

Step 1: Place eggs in the saucepan, it does not matter if it is 2 or 12 eggs, this way works. Just cover them with cold water, not too deep. Do NOT salt the water. Place on burner on HIGH heat.

Step 2: Place on burner on HIGH heat. Once they start to boil turn on the timer to 3 minutes

Step 3: When the timer goes off, quickly take off the heat, put on the lid and reset the timer to 8 minutes.

Step 4: When 8 minutes are up, take to sink and run cold water over them for about a minute, let them soak a bit to cool off. They will peel best if you set them in the refrigerator for about 1/2 to 1 hour, but you can eat them now!

Step 5: Never have green or gray yolks again!

I got this recipe from a post over at ehow.com!

PhotoHunt: Metal

This week's PhotoHunt is Metal so I spent some time looking through my albums and I think I found one that works well! This is the one of the top parts of the USS Arizona sticking up out of the ocean in Pearl Harbor. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to Hawaii with my grandparents when I was 13yrs old and this one one of the many sites I was able to see. It was very touching to be so close to where so many soldiers passed.

For more photos and this week's PhotoHunt check out: http://tnchick.com/

Wordless Wednesday - Pretty flower from the backyard!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants check out these wonderful blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom!
Three Peas in a Pod!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!!

Just wanted to post a simple recipe the kids and I made tonight in Celebration of St Patrick's Day! So here is the recipe and a few pictures of our finished project! :)

Sweet Shamrock Pretzels

Here's a tasty new twist on the traditional St. Patrick's Day shamrock -- sweet green pretzels fashioned from canned refrigerated bread stick dough and coated with a sprinkling of colored sugar and cinnamon.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Canned refrigerated bread stick dough (we used Pillsbury Original Bread sticks)
Colored sugar
Cinnamon

1. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat it with cooking spray.

2. To create the clover shape, mold 3 sections of bread sticks into hearts and press them together as shown. Attach a small stem, decorate, bake according to the package directions, and serve them up to your lucky guests.

I found this easy and quick recipe here at familyfun.com

Give Me Five Monday

This week's topic for Give Me Five Monday is:

"Give Me Five favorite green things or your favorite ways to be green or favorite things about St. Patrick's day or mix and match!"

1. Rainbows: I have always really enjoyed rainbows and St Patty's day always makes me think about them . The beautiful colors that make up the rainbow, the possibility of the pot of gold at the end, the smell of the air after a nice rain only to look up and see a gorgeous rainbow all make me smile!


2. Family time: I love to use every holiday as a way to sit down and make a craft together or bake something holiday related or even do some coloring pages! Today we made Irish Soda Bread and did several puzzles/coloring pages!

3. Emeralds: I personally think that Emeralds and Rubies are much prettier than Diamonds, but I have always been one to enjoy a bit of color! :)

4. Veges: I have always loved most vegetables and mainly the green ones! I also seem to like all the veges that most people do not like. Asparagus and Brussel sprouts are two of my favorites and I also LOVE Spinach! lol

5. Key Lime Pie: I LOVE Key Lime pie! It is one of my favorite desserts. My mom used to make it for me for my birthday every year along with some Angel food cake! YUMMY!!

For more Give Me Five Monday participants check out BeccA's Buzz!

Authentic Irish Soda bread

So I was checking out one of my favorite sites for kids crafts today looking for St Patty's day crafts and came across this awesome bread recipe! The whole family loved it and that never happens! lol It was also really easy and healthy.

Authentic Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, chilled
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

2. Cut in the butter until it is pea-sized. Stir in the raisins and buttermilk or yogurt. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, knead 1 minute, and shape into a disk.

3. Cut an "X" in the top and bake on a greased baking sheet for 45 to 50 minutes. Makes one 8-inch-wide loaf. (I made the bread on a cookie sheet and it was really neat looking!)

Ugh the Nebulizer treatments

and being in the crate scared her to death the first time. She flung herself around in there and it really upset me and her. The second treatment was not as bad had a harder time putting her in the crate, but she sat still for the treatment. I am fixing to do the third treatment and I hope it goes smoothly! Only 7 more treatments after that thank god!

She seems to be breathing much better today. Her breathing movements are MUCH less labored and not moving rapidly like they were before! Thank goodness!

So I said I would post pictures soooo here are two of the crate saran wrapped in purple wrap and hooked up to the machine! lol

Update on my kitten Max!

Well we found out two things today one is that he is a SHE! LOL She is a tabby and I knew that they are almost always female, but I found an article saying there is a rare male born every now and again! So I thought I had a rare one. LOL

No worries we are still going to call her Max short for Maxine now and not Maxwell!

She has Pneumonia and that is why she is coughing so much! So we have started her on one of the meds, but we have to wait till Friday when we get paid to get the other one. I hope that she is ok until then and the med we have is enough for the next 48hrs!

Oh and the vet said besides the Pneumonia that she is a very healthy young GIRL cat! lol

Plz still send good vibes that she heals well and quickly!!!

Wordless Wednesday - This is what happens when you give girls free reign of the makeup!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants check out these wonderful blogs:

5 Minutes for Mom!

Three Peas in a Pod!

And Miles To Go Before We Sleep!

Oh oh a meme!! :)

I was not really tagged, but have not done a meme in forever soooo I "stole" this one from Morning Glory over at Seeds From My Garden! I hope you all enjoy, it was really fun! Feel free to "steal" it from me, but if you do don't forget to link it back to me and this post! lol :)

1. What is your occupation?
Mommy, student, lover, cook, maid, dishwasher etc etc

2. What color are your socks?
They are white and Jordan's I stole them from his drawer! LOL

3. What are you listening to right now?
Well HBO is on in the background I think it is Miami Vice

4. What was the last thing you ate? Wasabi Peas

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Not really although I guess if it were an emergency I could.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Purple cause it is my favorite!

7. Last person you were on the phone with? My mom

8. Do you like the person that sent this to you?
No one sent it, but I like Morning Glory she is very nice!

9. Favorite Drink? Diet Dr Pepper

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Boxing or Nascar

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes

12.Pets? Yes we have two cats and a snake.

13. Favorite Food? I have to pick just one?!?!
I would so Cheese Enchiladas from Chuy's

14. Last movie you watched? The Wild

15. Favorite day of the year?
Gosh do not really have one. I guess if I had to pick......the first day of school would be a good one! lol

16. What do you do to vent anger? Scream and yell usually

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? My He-man and She-ra toys!

18. What is your favorite? Fall or Spring? Fall

19. Hugs or kisses? Both ;p

20. What kind of pie? Sweet potato

21. Living arrangements? Here in the house with my kiddos.

22. When was the last time you cried? Tonight about Max

23. What is on the floor of your closet? Boxes

24. Who are the three bloggers you are going to tag?
I am going to tag Diandra at Crazy Life of yet another SAHM
Dawnomite at Life and other matters
and Lisa at From Under The Laundry Heap

25. Favorite smell? Vanilla, Lavender

26. What inspires you?
Strength, patience, people with special needs and those that care for them, love......

27. What are you afraid of?
Anything bad happening to one of my kids!!

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Homemade I like onion, lettuce, mustard, green Chile and mild cheddar cheese.

Fast food I like onion, lettuce, mustard only.

29. Favorite cat breed? Just the regular ones

30. Number of keys on your key ring? 4

31. How many years at your current job? Almost 11yrs

32. Favorite day of the week?
Definitely not Monday bleh let's see how bout Saturday just cause heheh

33. How many provinces have you lived in?
Uhmmmm none, but I have lived in 3 states!

34. How many countries have you been to?
2 Mexico and USA where I live! ;p

Sad, scared and trying not to worry!

So you see my kitten Max has been acting a bit strange the last two weeks or so. He has a cough that is getting progressively worse with time and his tummy does the strangest movements. Kind of like he is having trouble breathing, but I am honestly not sure. The cough I thought was a hairball type thing cause you know he is a long haired cat sooo that makes sense right? Well than the cough continued on and became a several times a day non progressive(nothing comes up ever) type thing and now I am worried!!

We have had him since Dec and have needed to take him to the vet, but something always seems to come up. So I finished the taxes a week ago and should see the money around the first. I thought awesome we can take him in then and I can get him all fixed up. Than yesterday the cough went from twice a day to at least 5-6 times yesterday and today. He is 5-6months old and I love him to death! I am so attached to him and I am trying not to worry but am having trouble.

He shows no other weird signs at all. His coat is shiny, he is gaining weight, still has appetite, gums pink, wet nose, solid poop. Just the cough, weird stomach movements and sort of a wheezing. So my mom came over tonight to see what she thought and she thinks I need to take him in ASAP. She is loaning me the money to take him in tomorrow! Thank god and Thank you mom!!!

I am wondering if he has asthma or allergies!?

How common is that in cats?

Oh well thanks for letting me vent. I really needed to get this out! If you made it this far I appreciate it.

Please send good vibes for our vet appointment tomorrow!

Give Me Five Monday

This week's topic for Give Me Five Monday is:

"Give Me Five ways you like to de-stress, relax, wind down or kick back."

1. Hugging or tickling my kiddos - I think would be my number one way of de-stressing! I cannot really explain why exactly except there is nothing like the smell of hugging a kiddo! You get the baby shampoo, lotion, sweat, dirt, sweet smell from candy and all the goodness right there for the cuddling.

2. Sex - Honestly I find almost no better way to just let it all out than a good O! lol Seriously though for me if it has been really stressful around here a good love making session helps my shoulders relax etc! :) I think it has to do with all the endorphins released and being so close to and touching your spouse or mate something about the skin to skin contact!

3. NotSoPerfectMoms - This is the place I find myself feeling the most at home. It is amazing to me how much the women of this forum have meant to me in the past year and the great friends I have made! It is really neat to think that you can make such wonderful friendships over the internet!


4. Playing WOW - For me gaming helps me to de-stress! Yes I am big computer dork, but I love my PC games! I would have to say out of all the PC games I play World of Warcraft has to be my favorite! It can be very addictive if you are not careful, but can also serve as a nice way to vent stress! Nothing like working all day or dealing with the kids and being able to sign on and beat the hell out of things to feel better! lol


5. The cats - Just sitting down on the couch and loving on my animals is a great way to feel better about the day! I love to just hang out loving on my cats Max and Mouse and watch a little tv while listening to them purrrrrrr!

For more Give Me Five Monday participants check out BeccA's Buzz!

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen

I stole this from my friend Lisa's blog today because it was just so powerful that I had to pass it on! I hope you all enjoy and do not end up in tears at the end like I did or you know maybe that is a good thing. ;)

The Special Mother

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year thousands of mothers will give birth to a premature baby. Did you ever wonder how mothers of preemies are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

“Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron saint, Matthew.
“Forest, Majorie, daughter. Patron saint, Ceceila.
“Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron saint... give her Gerard. He’s used to profanity."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, “Give her a premature baby.”

The angel is curious. “Why this one, God? She’s so happy.”

"Exactly, " smiles God. “Could I give a premature baby a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel.”

“But does she have patience?” asks the angel.

“I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it.

“I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence that are so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I’m going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that’s not going to be easy.”

“But, Lord, I don’t think she even believes in you.”

God smiles, “No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness.”

The angel gasps, “Selfishness? Is that a virtue?”

God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she’ll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child who comes in a less than perfect way. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she is to be envied.

“She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says ‘Mommy’ for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.

“I will permit her to see clearly the things I see - ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.”

“And what about her patron saint?” asks the angel, the pen poised in mid-air.

God smiles. “A mirror will suffice.”

-Adapted from
Erma Bombeck
Motherhood The Second Oldest Profession

Special thanks to Lisa From Under The Laundry Heap

Wordless Wednesday - Old family photo

Breaking the rules a little bit with this caption! lol
This picture is of me, Missy and my little sister Emily circa 1987'
For more Wordless Wednesday participants check out these wonderful blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom!
Three Peas in a Pod!
And Miles To Go Before We Sleep!

The other side of the coin

So here it is the other side of the coin.

On one hand I am a mother. I am supposed to know it all, have my crap together, do the right thing. So many things should be different.

Instead I am a basket case I have no idea what I am doing most of the time and yet I have to pretend to have a clue so no one thinks I am insane.

It makes me wonder how many other mother's are flying by the seat of their pants?

How many other parent's do not have a clue and just act like they do?

In a way it is comforting. In a way that is kind of scary.

Then I think no one can possibly know everything and it has gotten better or easier with each child!

Life is just so confusing right now.........................

Give Me Five Monday

This week's topic for Give Me Five Monday is:

"Give Me Five links to your own past blog posts that are most memorable for you, and say why it stands out as a favorite. (in no particular order) This an experiment in 'Self Link-Love'. If you could pick 5 posts to 're-post' which one's would it be? I'm sure there are more than 5 great memorable posts we have all poured our hearts into. This is a great way to go back and relive some of them!"



1. When I was pregnant. I am going to use this because it was actually the first real time I had sat down and written about any of my pregnancies and or births. To me that makes it special because I so often have a hard time expressing the way I feel about very important things.



2. My fixation with water lilies! I just love the pictures I was able to get that day at the Botanical Gardens! Not to toot my own horn or anything, but the colors and things were so rich that day it all turned out so well I was proud of myself! lol


3. Wrapped Emotions(your favorite moment this week). I received Max the week of this post and that in itself is the most awesome thing ever!! This post has the first pics of him I ever took and when I introduced him to all of you! :)

4. I love you!

5. 10 Things I would like to accomplish this year! Just to remind myself of the things I want to do cause we all need a little kick in the ass every now and again!!

For more Give Me Five Monday participants check out BeccA's Buzz!

I am back......................

or at least I should be! lol Things had/have just become overwhelming for me lately even the small stuff and this blog here was for some reason just not making me happy. So I am going to try a different approach and see where it takes me. Today I am having one of those why is it I am the only person in this house to see the trash on the floor and the toothpaste in the sink type of days. It is probably just AF for she started her visit yesterday. Damn I hate being emotional like this......

PhotoHunt: Party

For more photos and this weeks PhotoHunt check out www.tnchick.com/

PhotoHunt