-Three Ring Life-

New Year, Project Standings, Latest Happenings

2014-01-06T07:22:00.002-08:00

We are almost a week into the new year and so far I am just trying to get into the groove of what I want 2014 to be like for myself and my family. Since my last post I have had some major things happen. A week after my Nov 19th post I received a call from my step mom who told me that my dad was in the hospital after being rushed by ambulance when he had trouble breathing. Turned out that the 2 bottom chambers of his heart had stopped beating and they had to use the paddles and whole 9 yards to bring him back. My family and I rushed to Las Vegas to be with him and after a couple of days he was doing great but then they had to put in a pacemaker and things went south quickly. My dad crashed on the operating table and his brain swelled. The brain damage was too much for him to come back from and we lost him on December 8th. Although this has been just as hard as losing my mom in 2012 I was able to keep it together because my dad and I were at such a great place in our relationship. I have been peaceful knowing that now both of my parents are watching over myself and my family.
Using this time and experience to remember what is important and how I want my life to go. Neither one of my parents ever had a project list that didn't get completed quickly so I have been using their ways to inspire me with my ridiculously long To Do List. First off we did find plans for a new chicken coop which will be built next month, I have thrown out a lot of paperwork and rearranged my 2 car garage. I was also able to turn my garden beds and get more soil in so that they can't be planted (as soon as I get my seeds in the mail). Getting some of this clutter that accumulates without even realizing it cleared out has also been a daily task. I have been cleaning out 2 spots a day whether that is 2 drawers in the kitchen, 1 toy box & 1 cabinet or 2 drawers in the kids rooms, etc. In the last 4 days I can already see a huge improvement! The holidays, as bummed out as we were, got us off track with our diet (surprise surprise) but I have been able to reel that in too with menu planning because it saves you time, money and frustration.
I hope your 2014 is everything you want it to be and that the things on your resolution list come easy and that you are filled with inspiration, joy, good health and determination!
Happy New Year!

Will The Real Project Completer Please Stand Up?

2013-11-19T07:51:00.002-08:00

I don't know what it is in me that makes me 100% sure that I can take on way more that any person should but I love love love the feeling of being busy. Between my husband and I we have a To Do list full of great and wonderful projects but can't seem to get our schedules to calm down and therefore these projects move along at a snails pace. This problem does not just save itself for my family as I have many friends with the same problems and if this is my only frustration then I am very blessed. One thing that keeps popping in my mind is that both my dad and my husband have a saying- "Proper planning prevents piss poor performance." I've got to take this to heart and starting to plan more. If it has helped my dinner time madness by having a meal plan, doctor appointments, house cleaning, school schedules, etc. then surely it has to help with the projects, right? So here is a few of the top items on our list
-Build new chicken coop
-Repaint our two youngest bedroom
-Turn the garden beds for our Winter planting
-Finish the garages (turing the 1 car garage AKA- workshop into just a workshop and making my 2 car garage into a man cave)
-Finish the upstairs living room (we've been making a couch out of pallets)
-Get Master bathroom remodeled
Between having 4 kids, working, running a business (which includes assisting others run their businesses), working on the 15 websites we own, creating a non profit, writing an eBook, keeping up with our house, animals, wanna be urban farm and staying on track with our diet--- well its crazy! Even though I am up promptly at 5am everyday and in bed at 9:30pm I still don't think that I have enough time in the day.
So now I'm off to grab my family binder and get the section 'Projects' a good workout and get some proper planning done! Good luck to you and whatever craziness you may be facing this Fall.

Knowing Your Weaknesses is Important Too

2013-10-16T07:29:00.003-07:00

I prefer to focus on what I am good at, like most of us, but that doesn't mean that I am not aware at what I lack in. For example I can't do algebra problems, calculus, geometry but I sure as heck can pay my bills and make sure our budget is spot on! My husband on the other hand took his calculus test for a college class and passed it... without ever taking the class, amazing but yet when it comes to the bills, he's lost. My point is that none of us will ever be amazing at everything and that's ok because if you find the right partner in life or find your own balance it will help you will find balance and happiness. Again I was never created to be an EMT but I can and have made a businesses in just a few weeks. No not some crazy corporation with world domination in the plan but I have certainly helped many people find their focus for their business and got them organized. I have helped them all along the way and it makes me very pleased to assist wherever my strengths may be of assistance. I believe we would all be better off is we looked at our weaknesses and our strengths equally. Sometimes you have to evaluate what your not good at so that you can decide what you are good at.

Amazon Store

2013-08-29T22:36:00.001-07:00

I just re-did my Amazon Store and added some new items that my family and I really enjoy. Please take the time to look at it. the page is located at the top of this website. I will be adding more items as I continue to look around our lives for the products we love. If there is a product you are passionate about please let me know!

Positively Positive

2013-03-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

I heard something recently that made me think a lot about interactions with friends and/or would be friends. It was something about how we, as humans, are attracted to those who love themselves. If you love yourself and are happy with yourself then others will want to be around you. I happen to love myself, not always proud of my decision making but overall I am impressed of where I came from, what I have gone through and where I am now. When I look at my inner circle I see a lot of great people that I believe love themselves as well. Part of this seems a little basic but when you think it through it makes a lot of sense. It all goes along the lines of positive thoughts attract positive results and the same for negativity. When I think about the negative people that are somehow tied to my life I see negativity all around them and even how that affects those around them. Busting my butt the last year or so on some different projects I got advice from a great friend. She said that I should visualize these projects getting accomplished and how my life would be affected. I took the time to think each project through thoroughly from the point I was at to completion and the results I wanted. It has made a huge difference it how I feel about each project and how much I get accomplished. I have also come across ideas that I would have never thought of before. I recommend trying this, even for 5 min a day. I think this will improve your current results almost immediately. It was simple for some projects and situations and a really bitch for others but every person is different and some of my projects tested my ability to visualize how I wanted situations to go but in the end even when some things didn't go as planned I was a lot more prepared than I would have been therefor saving stress and that in itself is great! If you want more help or guidance I will put some suggested books at the bottom of this post for you to check out. Positivity is all in how we approach and view situations, projects, other people, etc. Some situations may call for you to force positive thoughts but at least your are trying to see the good in the things or situations around you. Good luck and if you have a similar story I would love to hear it!

REAL food

2013-02-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

REAL food has been sneaking into our diets for years and up until about a year or two ago I was, like so many others, fighting it. How silly would it be to have great nutritional food that didn't make us gain weight in fact if we ate it we would lose weight. Surely we would have been able to produce something better than Mother Nature??? All these new diet companies must know better than the typical gardner right? The solution to our problems had been sitting in the store all along- Fruits, Vegetable and Whole Grains! It's hard for man kind to accept that there are many things in this world that we do not need to mess with and food is one o f them. Look at how many diet companies there are out there! And all of the food companies that cater to people who want to lose weight. I finally stopped the madness in my home and went back to basics. I cut out 80% of my dairy and all of my processed food intake(which also cut out most of our GMO food). See there is a simple, basic method to this. Kangaroos drink kangaroo milk, lion cubs drink lion milk, horses drink horse milk, humans drink---- well everything! and a lot of moms don't even want to breastfeed their child, but more on my opinion on that subject in my other post Our Family Bed. Considering this article about how many puss cells are allowed in that glass of milk from Food Matters and this one from the Huffington Post about painkillers and other synthetic material that is in dairy. It is all very sad. Then we thought about eating the animal that puts out that milk... gross. There is another very simple way to think about this as well. How much land, food water, time, energy and antibiotics do we spend on one animal? What about the gas it lets out (yea I am being serious) and I am sure its not the most awesome thing to do- kill an animal- well not to my mommy self it's not, maybe someone else but anyhow you see where I am going with this? The answer for water is over 5000 gallons of water for 1 pound of beef. How many people could be fed by the same amount of food that we feed the cow? What would the health effects be on the human, the effects on the cow are wayyyy better lol and after the cow is dead there is the time it takes cutting it all up, the inspections, the packaging waste, the TRANSPORTATION, then how much will you throw out? Lets talk about medical costs. This article in the NY Times says that the cost of eating a animal based diet is the same as smoking- $50 BILLION! That is a huge amount of money and when you think about our insurance premiums going up, the rate of cancer and tumors increasing along with diseases like MS and Alzheimer's rising it was very easy for my family to say- NO THANK YOU! I heard once that if everyone in the world ate like Americans and wasted food as much as Americans then we would need 5 earths to grow the food. YIKES! In my home we only eat meat on occasion. I on average cook 1-3 meals a month that contain meat.
Since we changed over to a PLANT BASED diet, we are not vegan or vegetarian, we have all seen changes. I lost over 30 pounds in 2 months, my anxiety has gone down and I feel soooo much better. I get up earlier and my sleep is better. My husband use to take allergy medication everyday because he had itchy skin and sometimes he would sneeze and his nose would run and now he doesn't take it anymore. My kids are all adjusting fine but the two oldest sometimes look at me funny. In their dads home they eat really really bad. One night for dinner my daughter told me the family had Ramen.. that's it :( and there are sodas and energy drinks like Monsters in their home. They eat a lot of processed, unhealthy food instead of REAL food that has to be prepared and cooked (instead of coming with the option to microwave) and so when they come here having a veggie dinner or bean chili it shocks them but then they eat and they like it. My oldest daughters acne clears up a little and they both say they feel better eating like this. I think that once you know what's in your food and what causes you to feel good or bad you tend to pay attention more to what you and your family are consuming.
Being on a plant based diet takes a few weeks to get used to. It is not easy to realize that you have to work at planning your menu and really preparing and cooking your food. I think the biggest hurdle is realizing what your friends and family (and what you yourself) are/were eating and feeding their families. You all of a sudden become the food crusader! We are not stuck up or better than anyone we just don't want to feed our family processed foods, sodas and a meat based diet.
The benefits of going plant based are amazing and you feel great both physically and mentally. The impact on mother nature is pretty awesome too. Here are some movies that really started me on this path. (I am also going to post a sample of what one of my menu plans look like for a week or two and include a planner for you- COMING SOON.) Good Luck and I hope you take a few baby steps towards a plant based diet soon!

Making Dishwasher Detergent

2013-01-25T12:14:00.002-08:00

Here is the Amish Mama part of me. A few months ago we ran out of dishwasher detergent and instead of loading the kids up to run to the store for one thing I looked up how to make my own. I've tried a couple of different recipes and I have come up with my own version. It takes me about 3 min to make a mason jar full that will last me a few weeks and costs around $1.00. We run a load of dishes a day, sometimes 2. I don't have a top of the line dishwasher but it is also not falling apart so I think this should work for most of you out there. I made a couple of jars for friends around the holidays and they all say, except for one (she blames her old dying dishwasher) that it works great for them.
Here are the ingredients that I use to make the detergent.
-1 Cup Baking Soda
-1 Cup Super Washing Soda
-1 Cup Borax
-1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
-4 Kool Aid Packets
-2 Lemons & 2 Limes zest(optional)

I put all of this into a quart mason jar and shake until everything is completely mixed. I think that it looks really 'housewifey' to have this beautiful jar as the container.

The Kool Aid packets and zest make it smell so fresh! When you put it into your dishwasher you will add about 5-6 drops of your dishwashing soap onto of the mixture. I use 7th Generation and since it is not as sudsy as say Dawn is I use 3-4 extra drops.

This is what it looks like before I close the flap.

I add about a cup of vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher and make sure that my reservoir (usually used for Finish) is filled with vinegar too. We use vinegar for everything so I buy 3-4 big bottles from Costco a month.

There you have it! I love this stuff. No my dishes aren't always sparkling but they aren't cleaned with any crazy chemicals and I spend about $15-$18 a YEAR on dishwasher detergent! Soon I am going to make my own clothes detergent and I will post about that adventure as well. Please let me know if you have your own home cleaning products/recipes that you like or even some that you don't like so that I don't waste my time.

Our Family Bed

2013-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Co-sleeping or having a 'family bed' seems to be a hot topic for moms. It's 70/30 across the board, with the moms I hang out with, on having children co-sleep . (70% FOR 30% AGAINST) I would say that more dads want their beds back than moms. The reasoning for each side makes sense ~~not~~ and there are good points for each ~~not~~. I love getting asked "So is your 4 year old still sleeping with you?" And when I give my response of "Sometimes" I am usually met with some type of sympathy like my child has some illness but not to worry "She'll grow out of it soon." or I get to hear about what a struggle it was for them to get their own child into another room/bed. It is annoying to be treated like I must have something wrong with me like weak willpower or my child somehow lacks the independent gene. I do not think anyone stops to think that this is actually a choice, or that I have already gone through all of this with older children A DECADE before these moms were even rowing the motherhood boat, sigh. Then there is the statement "You're still breastfeeding!" as if I am committing a crime. I'm going to give you one guess as to why women have boobs... and if you are worried about my breastfeeding it is probably because you didn't breastfeed your children and if you did it was only for a few weeks or maybe a couple months at best and then you got lazy and sucked into the bottle hype and convinced yourself that bottle feeding was OK and gave yourself a pat on the back for the weeks/months that you lasted. The usual copouts, I mean reasons for quitting breastfeeding are "My milk dried up." "The baby wasn't getting enough milk." and "The baby wasn't latching on." I wish moms didn't lie I wish they said the truth like "Damn breastfeeding was so hard with bloody nipples and all" or "I'm too lazy to breastfeed" or "My friends didn't breastfeed so instead of supporting me in my quest to breastfeed they brought me down and told me that a bottle was better and I caved from peer pressure" Just be honest, dang.

Anyway back to the title of this post- I personally have had all 4 of my children sleep in my bed until they were old enough or ready to move onto their own bed but whenever they need to come back, they are welcome. I still breastfeed my 18 month old so he is next to me at night and sometimes our 4 year old gets in bed with us too. We are starting to plan our sons move to his bedroom, which he will share with his sister, in the next 6 months or so but if he stays with us then so be it. I'm sure that some of my passion comes from the fact that I was constantly kicked out of my parents bed and even when I was scared and wanted to sleep on their floor I ended up getting ushered back to my bedroom, scared and all. I chuck it up to my parents being alcoholics and working 'Vegas Hours' to the fact that they did not comfort me the way I wanted or needed, night or day, but that is a whole other story. So growing up and knowing that even when I got scared at night from the dark or a bad dream I was unable to find comfort from my parents. Most people would say that I was taught to "self soothe" (which I refer to as crap) and no I didn't. We carry children around in our warm tummies constantly talking to them and when they are born they are breastfed (or at least should be) and then what? We put them in a room down the hallway and left there to 'self soothe' because otherwise they maybe spoiled? Their little tummies have to eat every 2 hours and moms out there get upset and think babies should be 'trained' as if they are dogs... It makes me upset that this is how babies and children are treated. When Jesus was born did Mary and Joseph request a stall 5 doors down from theirs for Jesus to sleep in so that he could learn to 'self soothe' and that way his parents could get some sleep? NO! Babies need us! They cry because you, their mom, dad, the person that loves and cares for them, are warm and loving and you feed them- OF COURSE THEY WANT TO BE WITH YOU, duh. If anything you are teaching them that when they cry you will not be there for them. How can babies communicate with us? They cry when they need something and you are ignoring them to 'teach them to self soothe'. I can't believe that this is acceptable to parents. Sure I have had nights where I don't get a ton of sleep but my children are my priority and their happiness is so important to me. I want them to know that I am here, their dad is here, this is their home and whenever they need us they are welcome to jump in bed and snuggle up. It's called parenthood and sleepless nights are part of it just like bumped knees, dances, and report cards. If your sleep is more of a priority over your child's happiness and comfort then maybe you should reconsider having more children. This does not last forever, kids grow fast. I know that teaching kids to sleep in their room sometimes needs guidance and encouragement and its not easy (remember that I have older kids too) but my point is that you shouldn't kick your kids out of your bed or act as if they have disturbed you when they NEED their parents love and arms. Love your kids, tomorrow is not promised and I personally will always take a snuggle from my family whether its 3pm or 3am :)

2013, Year of the Circus

2013-01-01T10:48:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! My family and I had a great time saying goodbye to 2012 at our friends home. I plan on making the most of the new year and hope that I can meet all of the challenges with patience and understanding although I am sure that my circus will get out of control at times I am also sure I will pull it together when need be. I loved hearing what my children, hubby and friends are planning to accomplish in this new year. Supporting each other with our new adventures should also be one of our resolutions! The most common goals in America are to lose weight (get healthy), find love, organize finances, or organize the home, etc. You know what they are and all of these are not easy or else they would already be doing them. So I wish everyone luck with your goals and I hope that you find the courage and strength to attack these resolutions with a vengeance. I have had a couple of people write me and I love love love hearing about what you are doing so please feel free to post about your 2013!
Here are a couple of calendars that I think are beautiful and functional. A great calendar will help anyone get on track.

Organizing in the New Year

2012-12-26T13:35:00.002-08:00

Christmas is over and new Years is fast approaching. Resolutions are starting to sneak in your head and if they haven't already then they will soon. As I said in my last blog I love starting the year out with a couple of new goals instead of a crazy huge list. I am always on the hunt for new household forms, calendars and printables to keep all of my To Do's in order. There are a couple of blogs that I follow and there are always great ideas. I try to implement some of these and adjust until I find what works for our family. Tiffany at The Nest Effect has an array of free printables and helpful tips on getting your paper mess i.e.; mail, bills, files in order and staying in order! She also has a store on Etsy that will blow you away! I have not been let down by her products.
Another blog that I follow is iHeartOrganizing. I am passionate about organizing because it keeps my home running smoothly. As you may or may not know my two oldest daughters split their time between their dads home and mine. Sometimes this can be chaotic because we need to make sure that their routines are always incorporated and their spaces and rooms are ready for them. When they are here they have chores and things that we expect them to do but when they are not here I pick up their chores so some of my lists have to be easily divided and merged at any time. I love having a busy home but it also has to be clean neat. With 4 kids, 2 small businesses and this blog none of this would be possible without organization.
I am also an app junkie! 2012 brought our entire home into the Apple world. It started with an iPad for my birthday last January, then an iPhone for me, then my hubby, then spring was 2 iPod Touches for our 2 oldest for their birthday and finally a Mac replaced our old HP and most recently I was surprised by an iPad mini the day that it came out! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my mini! I am planning on doing a blog about my favorite apps but one that I highly recommend to my friends, family and clients is GetOrganized. This app contains 52 Organizing Missions and IT WORKS! Even though I am organized I was still able to use this app and it helped me get rid of a lot of clutter that I didn't see. Get Organized Wizard. If you have experience with other apps or missions I would love to hear about it!
So as the New Year is almost here I encourage you to tackle the paper monster or cleaning beast that you have been putting off! 20 min a day can take care of a lot of things that you need to get done and you will feel better knowing things are getting done rather than ignoring them.
Happy New Year!

Accomplishing goals

2012-12-18T15:18:00.001-08:00

Hot damn! I just saw my numbers for my blogs and I can't believe how much you all visit this site. There are only 2 conclusions- 1) You like what you are reading or 2) BRG has discovered my blog and stalks the crap out of it now ;) LOL I don't really care if she did but I do care that you all are taking the time to visit my site so thank you! I have had one hell of a year and I want 2013 to know that Im not scared ha ha ha! Last New Years I wanted to accomplish a few things and creating this website was one of them. Next year my goal will be to organize it and make timely posts like 1 time a week or something. I am constantly working on something for the kids, a project around the house (or some else's house), company or the latest crisis so I am sure I will have plenty to write about. I just want to challenge everyone to start looking, if you haven't already, at what you want to accomplish in 2013. I don't like overwhelming lists so I "Keep it simple stupid" and only write down 2-3 goals. If you make too many goals or try a huge lifestyle change AND 4 other things all at the same time, I don't think it will work and later you will end up with that same guilty feeling that you have before. We all know that feeling and it sucks! So if you are willing to share your goals then I would much appreciate it. My 3 goals that I will be trying to improve on are 1) Focusing REGULARLY on my websites and companies. 2) Being nicer to those that are not nice to me, even if it makes me grind my teeth. 3) Communication. I believe so strongly in communication and the older I get the more I realize that it could have fixed a lot situations. So instead of getting frustrated I am going to communicate the best that I can and 'communication' is not German for "one way" it means that I am going to hear others out and try to understand their side. BOTH WAYS, this has to go both ways in order for it to work. Now if the other party/person fails at communication then o well but I know that I will be doing my best! I hope that the holidays bring great joy to your life and that we are all ready to take 2013 by storm. CHEERS -Adrianne

Happy Veteran's Day!

2012-11-11T09:56:00.002-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day! Please take the time to remember the fallen and the ones that are in harm's way, their families and the ones that have yet to come home. It is so important that we also set the example for our children. Help someone today, be kind and get yourself out to one of the parades! Enjoy your family and friends ;)

It's Simply Complicated

2012-10-20T23:45:00.001-07:00

Many things have been sparking my interest in writing on my blog again. Food, politics, child rearing. You name it and I have an opinion! I would just like to state that I AM NOT PERFECT, I make mistakes but I think that I am growing and learning and changing. I'm trying to go off of a saying that I heard a long time ago- "Keep it simple stupid." Come on how much easier can it be? It seems to me that humans (I think mostly men) feel the need to change or interfere with things that are not broke! Or if something is broke we figure out how to insert a middle man, tax it, exploit it to the fullest and then when it all goes wrong we blame it on something else all together. Lets take for example our food. We (Americans) eat processed food with chemicals as part ingredients and then when our body starts to fail we turn to our doctor who then prescribes medication that can have horrible side effects... Before we get to far into this I would just like to point out that I am not against medications, doctors, hospitals etc. I am against bad eating habits and finger pointing at our bodies for having a flaw. Is it really that hard to look at what we put into our bodies and make the connection??? That saying, we all know it, "You are what you eat." O how true it is. My husband and I recently watched Forks Over Knives and another great movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. This adds to our movie list of Food Inc and Dive. I think that anyone who eats food should watch all 4 of these movies, twice! After cutting out 80% of processed foods, milk and meat I am happy to say that I have lost over 30 pounds and feel so much better in general. It is amazing what can happen with just a couple of changes and knowledge of what you are eating. I beg my fellow moms out there to watch these movies because we as moms are responsible for what we feed our families and what kind of eaters we raise.
Ill continue this discussion soon and get more in depth about each movie and why I recommend them so much.

Breathe in, Breathe out

2012-08-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back. It has been a roller coaster 3 months but I am ready to write again. My mom passed away after 27 days of fighting like heck to stay with us but God was ready to have her even if I wasn't ready to let her go. Although I am deeply sadden by her passing I am so happy to be able to tell you that she did eventually get off of the ventilator long enough to tell me she loved me, to ask about her grandchildren, to smile and laugh a little. I know that she fought for the few hours we had together and we, her and I, needed it so much.
Shortly after my mom passed away, school was out for the summer and my girls were here for a week and then off to camp and back again for the remainder of their summer. My 12 year old had a friend come stay with us which was supposed to be for 2 weeks but turned into close to 5 and it really made the summer more fun. I love having a busy house and having all the kids around. We did however have a run of events that is nothing short of typical in my world. In a 2 week period I managed to back into my BFF's car, flood my master bathroom to the point that our renovation for the room that was probably going to start next year- started now, find lice on all 4 of the girls hair in the house (minor but still!), get a mole removed unexpectedly from the bottom of my foot because "it looks iffy", have one of our chickens get ate by the dog next door, and a couple of other things but I will save that for another day. So Summer 2012 has just proven to me that I am even stronger than I thought :)
Through all of the craziness that I refer to as my Three Ring Life, I actually found and tried some great things since I've been MIA here and I am very excited to posting about them and giving this blog some structure. Lets hope the rest of Summer and Fall 2012 go smooth!

Priorities Changing

2012-05-18T10:57:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago my mom went into ICU with critical heart failure and went onto a ventilator and was sedated. I haven't talked with my mom (I have talked a lot TO her) in the last 2 weeks but I feel like our relationship has changed dramatically. I was so angry with her before for not being the 'perfect mom' or notmaking what I thought was great decisions while she was raising me. I have had a lot of anger bulit up that I could not move past... until now. Seeing my mom in a position where her passing is a high probablility and not being able to communicate with her has made all of those things I thought were a big deal, small.
I have been, and still am, scared that I may not ever be able to let her know how much she is actually loved and appreciated by all of us. I realized that if she wasn't the mom she was then- I wouldn't be the mom I am today. So actually I owe her a huge apology for being upset. She didn't do all of this on purpose, although her health she could have treated better. I know that she did not plan all of these things to happen and all I can do now is tell her that I love her and hope she hears me. If I am lucky enough to get to talk with her again I won't take it for granted!
My mother in law flew across the country to be with our family while we try to navigate doctor meeting and trips to a hospital 40 min away to see my mom. I wish that my in laws lived here and times like this make me wish they lived here even more! I don't want to have our family spread out across the country, I want all of us to live on the same street (think Everybody Loves Raymond lol)
So I haven't been able to blog lately because my Three Ring Life is more than just a title!

Family of 6 and still organized?

2012-04-29T09:16:00.001-07:00

Here I go with my oxymorons again- urban farming, paintetly crazy, on and on. Before I even get going on this post I have to tell you that my house is quiet, and it's kind of throwing me off balance. Im not even typing as fast as I normally do, maybe because I'm not being rushed... hmm.
I manage to stay organized even with my chaotic schedule. Most people think they can't get organized or that it takes up too much time to stay organized but they are wrong! Come on, try it ;-) there is nothing to gain but a little sanity and that is an amazing thing. Our Family Binder is a powerful tool on the road of information for our home and all the members of the family! I heard about this about a year ago and it has really helped me. The binder contains things like schedules, address and phone numbers for friends, addresses and phone numbers for the family yellow pages from dance studios to garden centers, basic medical information, cleaning schedule for the house, birthday and anniversaries, you get the point. When I need something related to any of these things, which is often, then all I have to do is pick up one binder.

My family binder looks like this-

Obviously I use Rosie the Riveter on a lot of stuff and my family binder is not any different. A calendar is a great go to item to have front and center. I color the days that we already know will be filed with a birthday, anniversary, holiday or vacation and I match the color on the bottom with the event (that's what I blocked out in the bottom white section). Then I put what the averages are for the month temp wise so that I kind of have an idea of what to expect. In the upper right section I have a list of my main projects for the month. This helps remind me what I need to focus on or accomplish. For April I had this website, my dance wear company, organize my laundry room and get the garden boxes filled with dirt. So there is the cover and I made it in Microsoft Publisher but if you are using a Mac I would suggest using the program called Pages.

The tabs of my family binder-

You can make up your own tabs that fit your family and you don't have to have 8 tabs either. Avery sells tab dividers in 5 as well, if you're feeling really frisky you can get up to 26 tabs but that would probably just get confusing unless you were combining your family binder with your coupon binder.

I found some great prices on my binder supplies and if there is one thing a busy mom needs- save time and money!!! I use only Avery because I believe that you get what you pay for and their Heavy Duty binders have never let me down. Because the company makes a great binder for a reasonable price I also use their tab dividers and I am loving them. So here are some links to get you started. Next week I will detail all of my sections and how I set them up.
If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will answer you!

Avery Heavy-Duty View Binder with 1.5 Inch One Touch EZD Ring, Black, 1 Binder (79695)

Avery Big Tab Insertable Plastic Dividers, 8-Tab Set, 1 Set (11901)

Avery 11902 - WorkSaver Big Tab Plastic Dividers, Slash Pocket, 5-Tab, Letter, Assorted-AVE11902

"That Mom"

2012-04-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

I was just talking to Thor about what my niche is with this website and guess what... I don't have one! I thought for a while that I should since it seems that I just post about whatever the heck is happening at the moment but after talking about it and saying that I don't want to be "just another mom with a borning blog about mommyhood" he said that I'm not "that mom" and I will never be. It made me feel good and at the same time I wondered for a moment if I actually strive to be "that mom", you know the one I'm talking about- Cute, ditzy, car big enough for a troop but only has 2 kids and doesn't look like she ever gave birth. Yoga twice a week, lunch with girlfriends (kid free of course) here and there, hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks at a trndy salon and new clothes/shoes everytime you see her and she is polite and happy. Truth is I admire them but I don't want to be one of them and I never will. I love my street smarts, how young I am compared to other moms, how blankly I say what's on my mind, my ability to see a full corporation out of one minor idea, I love that I encourage others and give whatever it is that I can to help them when they need it. I love where I am right now in my life and things maybe rough financially sometimes but other times it is not rough. I know I am lucky to have the things and people around me that I do have and I would not trade them for the world, not even to be one of "those moms".

Should I stay or should I go???

2012-04-20T22:29:00.002-07:00

The answer ended up being simple... Time to go. After only 14 months of being at my current job I resigned, today, effective immediately.
I loved my job, mostly the kids that I worked with but I had to do what was best for my family and myself. My boss became overbearing and harassing. After months of calling me on my days off and pawning most of his workload on me I started telling him to back off. It came to a head when he showed up in my office in the dark with a baseball hat and jacket on! Thank gosh a co worker was with me. I decided it was time to really get Human Resources attention, since they weren't responding to my multiple phone calls. I went in to Human Resources the next day and refused to leave until a represenative spoke to me. The next 2 1/2 weeks were intense as I spent time telling my story over and over again and getting the same responses- shock and aww. An investigation started, my boss was put on administrative leave, and we, the victims (yes there are multiple) and witnesses, were sworn to secrecy as we spilled the details of our boss' weird and threatening behavior. I was reassured multiple times that I did the right thing and my co-workers were proud of me for someone finally standing up to "that bully"! I was feeling pretty good about telling the uppers about my boss' horrible behavior over the last 5 months and after much thought I was 99% sure that he was out the door. Finally the programs he oversaw would be able to flourish without him holding them back. I went in for a meeting this past Wednesday and BAM, my boss was back like nothing ever happened. I was floored to say the least, and my anxiety took over- I bolted. After a couple of phone calls, driving back to my office and deep breathing, I took the rest of the day and week off. I needed to think. Well I thought and thought and thought and then I resigned. I am a good, no wait, great employee and I do not need to be worried about people hiding in the dark, or be harassed on my days off. I need to be happy so I can be a good mom and wife. My family and I are way more important to me than someone's need to feel like they are tough by picking on women and part time staff. I am feeling so much better now I feel empowered and positive! I am going to do awesome things without that part time job causing full time stress!

Back in the Saddle

2012-04-16T23:50:00.001-07:00

Ok so I have been MIA for a min, or a couple of weeks, same difference but I'm back and ready for action!
The chickens are huge and hopefully we will be seeing pellets (small eggs and I probably spelled it wrong) soon. One thing about chickens that just never crossed my mind is how much they poop! Seriously it is ridiculous and anyone who knows me knows that I can't have things messy or unorganized, let alone pooped on, ugh. Thor built a coop and it's better than either of us thought it would be! Paint and some siding and the coop will be ready for its Three Ring Life debut! During the day I let the girls, AKA our chickens, out to run and they always end up crusing around on our back patio, porch (what the hell is the difference by the way?) and they go near my beautiful picnic table and next thing I know is that I am chasing chickens away, just me and my dish towel that sits on my shoulder 99% of the time I am home. I kind of wish someone had a camera because I'm sure it is a sight worth giggling at! Anyhow so there was poop everywhere and Thor stayed home from wrestling practice to watch the kids while I went to work and somehow managed to pressure wash the back, front and sides of our house and the chicken coop AND mow the lawn! Hot damn! That man is awesome and that folks is why I married him, he knows how to multi task! :-) plus his multi tasking abilities keeps me from having a breakdown about chicken poop on our porch, patio, whatever.
The garden is sad. It is growing but I have yet to get the organic soil and actually get all the plants in their rightful places. I promise that they will have dirt this week, and since I am announcing it on here, the Internet, (to my handful of readers) then I have to follow through or I'll look like an ass. So soon you will see my dirt, organic dirt, in action, I swear!
My girls- ahh, my loves, they were here for their Spring Break and I loved it! To watch them grow into young ladies is such a beautiful thing. "Growing up is the hardest thing you'll ever do!" is what my father always told me and wow was he right! Growing up consists of so many emotions and unknowns, it's crazy! You couldn't pay me to go back to being a teen, yuck! Anyway, my girls seem to be handling it well though, given the fact that they live in two different states and all! (holy crap, right!?!) Sky says she wants to live here and I give the same answer I keep giving her, "you have to talk to your dad" I ask her if she wants me to talk to him, she says no. I suggest getting her great grandparents involved, she thinks about it and then tells me she wants her dad to go to see the family counselor with her because it is easier to talk to him that way. I told her that I think it's a great idea, even though I know he won't go for her moving out here regardless of her approach or reasoning. See as long as the girls live there, with their dad then they (dad and stepmom) win. This is all a game to the dad and stepmom, it's sad but it's true and as long as the girls are there, they win. It's not about what makes Sky and Dori happy, or who can supply more along the lines of schooling, or support with their extracurricular activities, it's about "winning". I've been told to support my girls emotionally but not to fight their dad because it just causes more problems. I'm kind of getting to the point where I feel like I am supposed to do something, I just don't know what that something is because Dori seems like she is content, but Sky is over it. I will think of something, I'm sure. Until then I hope my babies are ok and remember that I love them.
As far as everything else goes, I am writing an eBook with my talented girlfriend that knows how to sew like a pro! I am also working on my own credit repair website and my business license should be in the mail soon for my dance wear business! I have a couple of other things in the works but those are my main focuses right now, whew.
Side note- I started watching my caloric intake which is super fun (NOT) on an app called Damn Bitch, Stop Eating So Much! Just kidding, I would tell you the name but I forgot (probably from the lack of food). The thing that frustrates me is that you can add excersises to it, like choosing from activities like Boxing, Moderate Cardio, Running (ya right) for a specific amount of time, say 30 min and then the app will tell you how many calories you burned and take that off of your total calories for the day. But here is the deal- where is the excersise called "vacuuming while breast feeding"? Hmm I found "housework" and I have found "carrying infant" but not the two together while breast feeding. However there is a spot that you can make your own excersise but really, how would you calculate all that jazz? So here's a challenge to anyone wanting to find out for me, until then I give up and add 'moderate housework' which doesn't come close to how many calories I really burned, just like when I add 'light cardio' for other activities that are not represented in the excersise list wink wink ;-)
I hope you have a productive week, that's what my goal is!

Items this Ringmaster Loves Part II

2012-03-24T19:20:00.006-07:00

As I stated before, these are items that make my life or my family's lives easier or more fun.

I bought an iPad 2 a few months ago and my husband insisted that I also but this smart cover and I am grateful he did. This thing is awesome!!! It connects to your iPad via magnet on the side. The cool parts about this cover are that it is super slim, the iPad will go to sleep when you close this cover and it can conform into a stand that holds the iPad in different positions. It is a great addition to have on something that I use everyday!

Apple MC941LL/A Polyurethane Smart Cover for iPad 2 (Pink)

The next thing that I use often is our double stroller. We have given this thing a trip around Disneyland more that once and it does great everytime (I have also seen a ton of other people there with the same stroller). Our son is 9 months old and he has been using the carseat that matches the stroller since he was a month old. I have washed the cover multiple times and it still looks new. We have not used the stroller as a 'Sit N Stand' yet because our 3 year old is sleeping most times I get it out so until she is too big I will just continue using it as a... Sit N Sit? (lol, yes I amuse myself)

Baby Trend Sit 'n Stand Double Baby Stroller - Sonic

Last year we and by 'we' I mean 'I', decided that our family were going to become campers! I was so excited that I researched tents until I was almost able to recit reviews on models and makers almost as easily as I can recit my birthdate. Then came the day that I had saved enough money to actually buy the tent and I purchased the Swiss Gear Family Dome. Now for the funny part, umm we have never actually went camping... YET, but we will. We have however set the tent up multiple times and have even let our friends use it for camping and the tent is perfect! This tent sleeps 12 and I'm sure you are thinking that is probably a little overkill but if you have kept up with my blog then you know we rarely do anything on a small scale. Besides we have 6 members in our family and 4 are girls so we actually use up a couple extra spots with all the non camping items we take (or will take) camping, you know- when we actually go. Plus what if our kids want a couple of friends to go camping with us? Now our 12 person tent isn't sounding so ridiculous huh? The tent size makes us even cooler parents and we will take any bonus points we can get!

SwissGear Outdoor Montreaux Family Dome Tent

Here is one that actually makes my mom's life easier. It is the Ames True Temper Lawn Buddy. She uses this thing a lot and has had it for a few years. My mom stores her clippers, twine, seeds, garden tape and all kinds of gardening items in the little cart that she can pull around behind her. There are compartments for everything! It also has big enough wheels that she has no problem pulling it through the grass to get to the garden beds. The feature that I like the most is that she can sit on the lid and still do the planting or weeding without bending over or kneeling down. It is those kinds of qualities that make the difference. I have watched her garden all of my life and I am glad that even though she is not in the same good health as before, she can still enjoy her hobbies and this cart by Ames is the key reason she can still garden.

Ames True Temper 2466010 Lawn Buddy

OK last but not least- my Kitchenaid Pro 600 Series!!! O my I can actually hear the "O watcha makin Mom?" already and that makes me smile. I use my mixer at least 3-4 times a week. I make our bread, english muffins, cookies, pasta (raviolis, lasanga noodles, linguini, etc), cake batter and all kinds of other super yummy goodies. I use to make all these things by hand but then Christmas was close and when I was asked what I wanted I said "A Kitchenaid mixer PLEASE!" and Santa listened. If you are anything like me, I should have owned one a long time ago!

KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer KP26M1XQpm 6 Quart Pearl Metallic Large 10-speed Very Dark Grey beautiful color.

So there you have it, I love these products! I have provided links to these items in the hope that it helps you read reviews and find a great price because I firmly believe that researching and compairing before you buy an item is important and can save you time and money. If you own any of these items or do purchase them I would love to hear about your experiences. If you have questions please do not hestiate to ask.

Chicken Update

2012-03-17T14:19:00.002-07:00

First off Happy St. Patricks Day!!!

The hens are getting to look like real chickens and it is pretty cool to have them pecking around in the yard while we are doing the outdoor chores. Our 3 year old daughter is the "Mommy Hen" of the group, and who am I to argue?

This is Ariel in weed heaven. She is one of the Rhode Island Reds.

Last weekend we moved the chickens box outside to the back patio area and Thor built a chicken run out of these pieces of wood from Lowes for .75 each and some plastic chicken wire mesh. During the mornings this past week I've been going out and opening the lid on their covered box then 'Mommy Hen' and I hustle them into the run. I can tell you that our cats are not very amused by the mesh lol.

They are weed pecking machines! In the evening we let them out to run/fly around the yard before we put them back. Usually they spend this time exploring everything, trying to stay in a flock and they try to get into the house and sometimes they succeed.

Eveie in the front. She is a Plymouth/Barred Rock and she is a brave one.

Ariel and he sister Henny Penny the Rhode Island Reds.

The problem is that we do not have a shingled roof for the box or the run... And a big storm is coming through this weekend! Thor was able to put a tarp over them and secure it so the water doesn't pool. I'm sure this will be our rude awakening on how quickly we need to get the complete coop built. I could have sworn that in a previous post I bragged about how we still had another 5 weeks before they would be old enough to go outside and that would be PLENTY of time to build a coop... Oops!

Before we moved the chickens outside our other cat, Shaka, discovered that we had birds living in our house.

Some days I would find her just checking in on them

"Really?!? You won't let us in the house but you let birds in there!!!???"

I don't want anyone to worry, we do not let the cats near the chickens when they are out of the run. In fact I think the cats maybe a little baffled at how big the hens actually are... either way, we keep a close eye on the chickens.
That is my update so far. From what I have gathered the hens should start laying eggs around 5 months of age and that would be around the end of June and I already have plenty of friends that have asked for eggs ;-)

Items that this Ringmaster loves!

2012-03-06T19:29:00.010-08:00

Part 1

I was looking around at the inanimate objects that I use often because one of my girlfriends recently commented that "You always have cool stuff". I was flattered, that is an awesome compliment! When I thought about it I realized that I often put some real thought behind my purchases and usually do research for reviews and comparisons. We are not financially wealthy so when we do decide to purchase something I want to know what I am getting myself and the Fam Bam into. I am going to break down my list of things that make my life or my children's lives easier, more fun or what have you.

#1- My Canon DSLR Rebel T3i Camera
     My latest addition to my arsenal of making myself into "That Mom"! This camera has been one of our biggest purchases in a while and I have never been so happy with a camera, EVER! I really had a tough time with making the decision to put that amount of money into something that I have no experience with but luckily I have a cousin who is a professional photographer. He took the time to have a conversation with me about the pros and cons of Nikon and Canon and between the point and clicks or the DSLR. After I hung up the phone I felt comfortable diving into the world of DSLR's. If you are ready to buy a new camera I feel confident that you would like some of the reviews that I also read.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

The link below is my favorite review because he took the time to take pictures with the Nikon 6100 (Canon T3i equivalent) and to show the differences.
http://thediscerningphotographer.com/2011/08/28/nikon-d5100-vs-canon-rebel-t3i-camera-review/

This is one that upgraded his camera and is happy with his T3i
http://www.digitalcamerareviewing.com/canon/canon-eos-rebel-t3i-user-reviews/rebel-t3i-successful-dslr.html#comment-177

#2- Metal shelves in my garage
     I know that this may sound silly but I have had these 2 shelving units for a while now and we are going to be buying 2 more. They really helped to organize my stockpile and extra items in the garage. Trust me when I say that our poor garage needs all the help it can get! We actually bought ours at Costco a few years ago but I have seen them at many stores. My suggestion is to buy a couple, load them up and enjoy the new found space!

#3- 12ft Play Parachute for Kids
     This parachute has entertained everyone from my husband and I down to our 8 month old baby boy and all the kids in between (and their friends). I saw a play parachute for sale in a School Supply store about 3 months ago when I was buying some items for our kids' playroom but the problem is that they wanted almost $80 for the 12 ft parachute and over $100 for the 20 ft! I searched online and found one with great reviews and a very reasonable price. After many kids playing with it and over 2 months of being thrown around it is still in great condition! I will be buying the 20ft parachute soon because my older daughters (11 and 12) love the one we have now but they want to be able to make it "bubble up" so that they can sit down on the ground and have it hover like a dome. Check this out, you and your kids will love it!

12' Ripstop Playchute Parachute

#4- Baby Bullet!
     This is an amazing helper when it comes to making your own baby food! I understand that that is exactly what it is supposed to be but I am always happy when a product delivers on what it promises to do. I have ran out before to get something that I thought would be a great product only to find out that it sucked at doing what it said it would do. Being a busy mom it really ticks me off to have to take the item all the way back to the store. So when I asked for this a Christmas gift and here we are a few months later and it still works perfectly, I am happy! Once or twice a week I will make food for the baby and freeze part of it in the tray provided. Our household has made the switch from eating processed food to organic, fresh food and the Baby Bullet has been the perfect compliment.

Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System

I am going to stop here and review the other items that I added to my amazon list in a later post. If you have any questions, comments or reviews of the items that I discussed please feel free to leave them!

Housewives need to grow a set

2012-03-03T22:44:00.004-08:00

Don't these housewives have anything better to do? What the hell! I thought it would be interesting to see what my fellow housewives are posting out there on their blogs. It is the same crap over and over again. If I see one more headline about "Confessions of a something something Housewife" or "I'm a retro housewife" I may throw up! Here's some confessions.
A) My 3 year old daughter threw up all over my bed this morning and since it takes 4 loads of laundry to wash my bedding and I have a crazy busy life, we will all be sleeping on a bed that is half ass put together.
B) Yes I said WE WILL ALL... because we all co sleep, the 3 year old, 8 month old, the hubby and I. Why? Because we don't have the guts to get them out of our bed. They cry, we feel bad, and they are back. One day I'll fix it, today however is not the day.
C) Our house is a fucking mess! My girlfriends think I've got this whole being a housewife thing down pat, which is a huge compliment but I don't exactly. Open my cabinets and drawers and look in my office and it is uggglllyyy! I'm working on it but mean while I am busy, being a mom, working part time, starting businesses and helping friends clean up their credit reports!
D) My OCD, yes I really have OCD is a pain in the ass to my husband more than me ;-)

Those are confessions! Saying that you like a tv show or that your guilty pleasure is Bon Bons (when you're obviously chunky) are not confessions!!! No one cares that you love the color pink, write something that is interesting!
Anyhow, ugh! All I wanted was some inspiration to bring to my blog and all I got was pissed off at housewives.
My computer locked up so fingers crossed our friend who is an IT whiz will fix it. I'm heading outside tomorrow with chickens and yard work so I'll post pics. Maybe I will be a little more calm too, lol.
BTW when I say someone needs to "grow a set" I think back to Betty White saying "why would you want balls? They are tiny and sensitive. If you really want to be tough, grow a vagina!" I probably just messed that up but you get the point. After giving birth to 4 children I have to agree 110%

The Conservative Hippie

2012-03-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

I really don't know another way to explain myself sometimes. I believe we should be able to arm ourselves but do everything we can to be more green. I can picture it now, a Terminator type dude sorting his recycling lol! But in all seriousness one of my pet peeves is that some of my closest friends roll their eyes when I talk about my garden, chickens or what's in the supermarket food. The encouraging part though is that for every 1 friend that rolls their eyes there are 4 friends who feel the same way I do and are trying to grow gardens, buy organic and/or shop at farmers markets. I so badly want to point out that the ones who think that I'm a little crazy and that buying organic is too expensive are also the ones who have a $400 car payment, eat out often and drink soda like water. Then they will turn around and say that the reason for the car with a $400 car payment is because the car has great safety features or something along those lines. Hmm so putting food into your kids mouths that is not covered in pesticides or grown from genetically modified seeds isnt a saftey feature or costs too much??? To me it is all in the same boat as far as buying stuff that is good for us. Listen, I'm far from perfect and I am sure that finding something I do wrong wouldn't take long but this is my blog and my opinion. I get to be on my soap box whenever I feel like it :-) There is always a balance between costs, safety and whatever each of us finds to be important. I just don't like to be told that buying organic would cost too much so that person never buys one thing organic. Here is the deal, buy organic and don't eat as much or plant a garden to offset the costs. Gardens= nothing but positive things- time spent outside, kids get to spend time with mom or dad or both and help, plus watch what they planted grow, you get to eat healthier, get exercise and save money! I just told a friend the other day that I'm not raising 6 chickens because I think that we need that many eggs. We have 6 chickens because I want to be able to give my friends eggs often. I want more than just my family to benefit from our efforts to go green. This conservative hippie is out to arm friends with knowledge and free fresh organic eggs ;-)

Our Ladies (AKA Hens) are Growing Fast!

2012-02-28T10:26:00.001-08:00

I haven't wrote about the chickens lately but they are doing great. Growing so fast! They are 4 and 5 weeks old now, tomorrow they will be 5 and 6 weeks old. Soon we will be putting them outside a lot which means we better get a coop up and fast! The lady at the feed store said that at about 7-8 weeks old the chicks can go outside and then at about 5 months old they should start laying eggs! Eek!

From left to right- Henny Penny (Rhode Island Red), Betsy Ross (Americana or AKA Easter Eggers), Zee (Plymouth Rock or AKA Barred Rock), Rosie the Riveter (Americana or AKA Easter Eggers), Ariel (Rhode Island Red), & Eveie (Plymouth Rock or AKA Barred Rock)

What is the difference in the breads? and What's up with the names you wonder? As far as the breeds go the Americanas, Betsy & Rosie (get it?) will lay blue or green eggs, that is also why they are called Easter Eggers- and the kids in the neighborhood think they look like hawks! The Rhode Island Reds, Henny Penny & Ariel (clever huh?) should be a beautiful deep reddish brown color and will lay Large-X Large brown eggs and sometimes 2 a day! The Plymouth Rock, Zee & Eveie (Eveie is always in the other hens' business and my husband's old neighbor from his childhood home was always aware of the min we arrived and would greet him and chat up a storm, she was a riot! We had to name her Eveie.) They will look like zebras when they are full grown and will lay light brown medium-large eggs.

Hopefully this is what our egg cartons will look like this summer

This past weekend when we were working on the yard and garden stuff we decided that we should bring them outside to enjoy the warm day and play in the grass. Since we haven't filled in the planter boxes we put them in one of those. They can fly out but they only jumped on the edge and would jump right back in. They had a blast scratching around and pecking at everything that moved or looked like it maybe eatable.

Since this week is going to be in the 60's we will have to wait until the weather is a bit warmer and the sun is out to do this again. But it was awesome to see the chicks out and about in the yard. We have been talking about it so much that to see the hens take the big leap outside, even if it is for the afternoon, is exciting!