Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I AM...

Can I just say once again how grateful I am? For life, love, my friends & family, flowers, blue skies, inspiration.... I am so in love with my children, and my husband! I feel very fortunate to wake up each morning and KNOW I AM SURROUNDED BY LOVE.

Today I read about a woman, wife, and mother who died, leaving behind a 2 week old child. I am struck once again, with how precious and amazingly unpredictable life really is. I am reminded how lucky I am to be able to stay at home with my baby for this long, nursing her, playing with her, watching her grow, marveling at her beauty. For this gift, I give thanks... and I promise to remind myself each morning how grateful I am for every moment of my life.

I found this mantra, on iammantra.com: "I breathe consciously & tune into the natural rhythms & cycles that are occurring all around me.” I think mantras like this help me to stay centered and connected, which in turn reminds me to be grateful. I need constant reminders, as I seem to be very forgetful lately, as a result of being pulled in a million different directions. They also have a facebook page, and twitter, with daily mantras to help keep you focused. 


I also found this new meme, called Mantra Monday. I am excited to have yet another reminder helping  me to stay focused. I continue to struggle with issues, yet they seem a little smaller each day that I fill myself with the energy of the universe, all due to feeling grateful. And in my opinion, any help is a good thing!


Photobucket

Friday, September 18, 2009

Jaden EATS part 2... video!!!

I have been meaning to post this video for a few weeks! I promise to be more faithful to this blog! things have just been a little crazy this past month!



Photobucket

Thursday, September 17, 2009

THING I LOVE THURSDAY ~pigtails!

FYI: I AM A SUCKER FOR
BABIES WITH CUTE PIGTAILS!


So, I gave Jaden pigtails for the first time yesterday. I thought I should do something with all that hair! To be honest, she didn't really enjoy it at first. BUT... then I got the camera out ~my phone ;)~ and she perked right up. HAM & CHEESE... Here are a few pics...

she loves to pose for pics



she is sticking her tongue out all the time now



this one is my favorite!



we had to take the hair ties out while she took her nap, and I could only had time to put one back in, so we did it fountain style, on top of her head! She sure does love her Daddy!!


Photobucket

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Things I love Thursday...

I love skin care products. I have been called a product whore more than once. I love giving myself facials! Lately my hormones have been a little wacky...so I have been changing up my nightly routine to find a regimen that works. My forehead is oily and breaking out, and my cheeks are dry. And oh, don't even get me started on the hyper-pigmentation (dark areas of skin) on my upper lip and chin...

So I have been using my Caudalie foaming face wash every other night, alternating it with Dermalogica's Dermal Clay cleanser. I love both, but the Dermalogica cleanser has some menthol in it, and I feel so clean after I use it.

After removing the cleanser from my face with a clean washcloth for a good exfoliation, I have been using Bliss spa's Oxygen mask. It foams up and tingles... I love how amazing my skin looks after about 5 minutes. When I have more time (when Jaden actually goes to sleep at a decent hour) I go a bit further and I use Bliss Spa's Steep Clean mask. It has a dual chambered bottle that pumps out two different products. You mix them in your palms and apply to your face. It contains a mix of enzymes that are activated when you mix them together. I leave it on for about 10-15 minutes. I can feel it working!

After I rinse my face, I have been using Skin-Ceuticals B5 hydrating gel on my cheeks. Then I apply Caudalie night cream. It has a mixture of herbal ingredients that help to fade hyper-pigmentation.

Sometimes while my mask is on, I use a pumice stone on my heels and apply Caudalie Extra Hydrating Mask to my feet. I am guilty of wearing flip flops all summer and my feet get so dry. That mask works wonders on my poor feet.

I end my home spa treatment with a little bit of Young Living Peace and Calming oil on the back of my neck and lower back.

I go to bed feeling so relaxed and revived after I treat myself to this... I sleep amazing and I awaken the next morning feeling rested and ready to start my busy day with a renewed sense of self. I think that when I take care of myself I am a happier mother, wife and friend...
for more Things I Love Thursday posts visit HERE

Photobucket

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: COVER GIRL!!




TO MAKE YOUR OWN COVER CLICK HERE
FOR MORE WORDLESS WEDNESDAY POSTS CLICK HERE

Photobucket

Monday, August 10, 2009

Sunday BBQ


We had a great time at Tina's BBQ yesterday. The pool felt awesome and refreshing, it was over 90 degrees out and super humid!!
We ate good food and played with cousins. Here are some great pics Tracy took. We are having such a fun summer!








Photobucket

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wordless Wednesday "BIG DECISIONS!!"

Kids, 3/2007 San Diego
check out more wordless wednesday posts here
Photobucket

Monday, August 3, 2009

Jaden EATS!

So I felt like Jaden was wanting more than milk, so I thought I would cook up some carrots we got from Tantre' Farm last week. I steamed them, then mashed them up, and added a couple drops of milk.
I got out the ugliest bib we own, put it on her, and sat her in her exersaucer. Unsure if she would actually eat, I cautiously dipped my finger in the mixture and put it in her mouth. She nearly sucked my finger off! So i tried with the spoon, and she ate it! In fact she ate the entire portion that I had prepared. Okay, guess she liked it, and is ready for solids.
While I was feeding her, Noe and Hashanna took pics with their cell phones...

This is the pic Hashanna took...

...and this is the pic Noe took...

The next day, while Hashanna and I were grocery shopping, we were in the baby aisle, and Hashanna asked if we could get a jar of Earth's Best sweet potatoes for Jaden to try. We took it home and got out the second ugliest bib, put it on her, and fed her the sweet potatoes. She ate the whole jar! Once again the girls took some pics...




I don't know who enjoyed the experience more, Hashanna, Noe, Jaden or me?

Photobucket

Friday, July 31, 2009

Big ~n~ Little

My oldest daughter, Hashanna, holding my
youngest daughter, Jaden, at Greenfield Village
.
*photo taken with my Blackberry Storm*


Photobucket

How my Garden Grows...

Since we have so many bunnies in our backyard,
I decided on a potted garden this year.
Here are some pics I took this week...
My favorite, the late blooming Pineapple Sage.
It's crimson red blossoms attract hummingbirds and butterflies.


Tasty flowers of the Nasturtium plant are great
in a salad, due to their slight peppery flavor.


Rosemary is yummy in a pot of black beans
or potatoes cooked with peppers and onions.


These are heirloom beefsteak tomatoes.
Anxiously awaiting their maturity...


Purple Sage smells amazing.
The Parsley growing next to it
contains lots of Vitamin A.


And this is the garden guard dog, Oliver.
He unfortunately helps himself to the snap peas.
What a weird dog! He loves watermelon too.

Photobucket

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Top 5 baby items I couldn't live without


This week I found that I am in love with my baby carrier, the Mobywrap. So It has inspired me to write this post. There are so many things for babies out there, and here are my top 5 favorite things:

#5 is our Graco pack 'n play. It has a changing table connected to it. Invaluable. Keeps me from having to go all the way upstairs to change Baby J.

#4 JJ Cole diaper bag. Super sturdy, tons of pockets, lots of space to organize all my crap (cell phone, ID, credit card, lip gloss etc...) and even has space for all of the baby stuff too. LOVE IT!

#3 Weleda baby face cream... one word: AMAZING. okay one more word, NATURAL. :)

#2 Mobywrap. Such a cool baby carrier! check it out mobywrap.com

#1 Baby Einstein exersaucer. Jaden absolutely loves this thing. I don't think I could go a day without it. I certainly wouldn't get anything done that's for sure!!

Of course we all need a car seat and a stroller, changing table, etc... but I swear these 5 things make my life sooo much easier!

~check out The Diaper Diaries for more great Things I Love Thursday!

Photobucket

Sunday, July 26, 2009

The rewards are immense!

Thank you to my friend Trista for this!

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family.

Talk about price shock!

That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you want to be 'rich.'

Actually, it is just the opposite..

What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, 20 ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.

You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Photobucket