Kingdom of Chaos

Crazy. Stupid. Love.

2012-01-23T09:35:00.000-05:00

This has been sitting in my draft folder since Jan 1st. Every. single. time. I open my blog and look at the posts, I see this one sitting there.. First I sigh because oh my.. and then I giggle because that chick from Easy A (and yes, I know her name but I always think of her as the chick from Easy A) is soo right.

Seriously? It's like you're photoshopped!

Definitely my favorite part of the movie. Ryan Gosling, he's not too bad on the eyes! There is absolutely nothing worse than watching a hysterically funny movie (with said hottie) with your 16yr old daughter sitting next to you & hubby sighing loudly, OMG'ing and just generally stating her attraction to said hottie above. Please child, keep that information to yourself. Your parents do NOT need to share it.

Above picture is your post of the day. A picture is worth a thousand words after all.. In this case maybe 2 thousand? You are welcome.

xoxo,

Stripper Names

2012-01-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

In an effort to maybe one of these years finally lose all this extra weight that has found permanent residence on my body, I have begun working out.

For a while I was working out a few days a week with Sasha Song (who despite the apparently stripper sounding name is in no way a stripper, feel better Sasha?) and another friend.. And then Baby X came into my life and I spend my mornings while Dimples is in preschool cuddling her instead of sweating my butt off. Good trade off in my eyes.

Our new pool/ gym opened up last month 3-4 blocks away from our house. Naturally I went and bought a year membership. I mean come on, shelling out the money for a year means I HAVE to work out, right?? uhmm no. I have not even stepped inside the gym portion yet.. Oops.. In my defense- Daddy Chaos has been having back issues and hasn't felt up to it and I ain't going alone.. lol!

Still the other friend (who is currently nameless on this blog because apparently I suck at naming friends w/o giving them stripper sounding names) also joined the pool/gym and we decided to start taking Aqua Abs class together. So for 2 nights a week I have been going to the pool with a freaking MALE college student for our instructor (really, God? Really?) to do the best workout ever. I Love it !

Tonite is Aqua Abs and I just realized that I did NOT shave my legs since last week when I started Aqua Abs.. Uhmm, I'm pretty sure some hair has grown back by now.. Being the hater of shaving that I am, I decided to just shave the bottom half of my legs and be happy with that.. I think that's okay, right? Maybe I'm just lazy..

xoxo,

MLK - from the eyes of a 6yr old

2012-01-16T21:26:00.001-05:00

Spoiled Princess tells us what Martin Luther King, Jr did -

" He spoke out because he wanted all the black children to be able to do the same things that the white children could do.. So he spoke out and it happened."

Apparently they actually do teach about MLK in our whitey white school.. I was beginning to wonder. Even a friend comment when she came over to visit last week, she had driven past the highschool and saw on the sign that we had today off.     All the schools around her have signs that said " No School Monday -- Martin Luther King Day" .   Our school had a sign that said " No school Monday-- Teacher Record Day".   Really?? We had the day off but they couldn't even acknowledge it as a real observance?    I felt moderately better that the 1st grade was taught somewhat about MLK.. Although when questioned the 2nd grade and kindergarten weren't told anything. Hmmp..

Apparently the teaching wasn't explained quite as well as it should be.   After hearing Spoiled Princess proudly proclaim her newly learned knowledge, I asked her "Great... so what does that mean? What are white children and black children?"

Her response - " I dunno. We didn't talk about that. "

sigh. We quickly started going thru the family and having her look at them and tell me whether she thought they were "white" or "black".

What color are you, Spoiled Princess?   " uhmm... white?"
Good!   What color am I?   " White!"
What color is Dimples? " Black??"
Yep!   What color is Drama Queen ?   (Drama Queen pipes in BLACK!) " uhmm, she looks white but I guess she wants to be black so she can be black ok?"

Leave it to the 16yr old to try and confuse the matter.. No she's white as can be.

What color is Fishing Pole? "Black! Ohhh, so Fishing Pole is black and he can do the same things that I do ? That's what it means?"

Yep!

"That's great! I love Martin Luther King!!"

me too. me too.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day :-)

Don't forget to check out my book giveaway right here !

xoxo,

Bad Mommy Moment..

2012-01-10T08:39:00.000-05:00

Dimples has been going to developmental preschool all year. Although he is eligible for full time (4days a week), we decided that due to his difficulties with transitions we would start with just 2days per week. It took quite some time for him to adjust to that. He would go to preschool and hold everything in , then come home and explode with tantrums all evening long. Exhausting!!

Finally in November he seemed to turn a corner. The tantrums lessened on preschool days and we all noticed how much he was finally opening up. So naturally, I decided- he now loves preschool and isn't tantruming...let's throw another day into the mix just for fun. After Christmas break we started going 3 days per week. It seemed to be going well until this week.

Suddenly he emphatically states NO!! When I mention that we have preschool in the morning.. I should note that our dev. preschool is housed in our elementary building and begins at the same time of day as the other elementary kids.. So on M,T & Th I take my 4 youngest and drop them all off together.   Yesterday I hustled the Tequila gang out of the car and as they rushed off I began getting Dimples out.   As he and I walked up to the building together, he suddenly turns to me "I carry you?!". And so I carried him the rest of the way. He went with his teachers but wasnt his normal happy bubbly self.

Today I took him inside the building to wait for the teachers to gather his classmates from the bus. It's 24* out this morning and Dimples has a hard time with cold. We stood just inside the doors as I'm rubbing his arms and hands (thru his coat) trying to get the shivering to stop. One of his teachers walked by and asked him if he was ready for school? NO!!! I go bye bye!! and he proceeded to climb me like a monkey climbing a tree and hang on for dear life.   It was then that his teacher had a light bulb moment and thought she knew what was wrong..

You see every day of preschool from the beginning, Dimples would go right into the classroom, grab the barn and proceed to put all the forks and spoons from the play kitchen into the barn. He would then sit down in his seat and guard the barn. He won't play with the other kids but he is content to sit and guard his treasure.   One day, a new student arrived at preschool. This little boy also very much liked the barn and it became a bit of an issue because Dimples- he ain't a sharin!   And so the barn disappeared into the closet not to be seen again. After a few days of adjustment, Dimples claimed a basket to put his forks and spoons in and all was well again in the world.    Well apparently, the teacher thought that enough time had passed - Let's get out the barn!!   So last week, she got the barn back out of the closet. Dimples went to school , saw the barn out and immediately yelled at her to "PUT IT BACK!!".     The barn is now safely back in the closet but alas, Dimples is no longer happy with preschool. ugh. It's the little things.

So after having heard that story, as the teachers went out to gather the other kids I sat there assuring him over and over that the barn is put away in the closet. No one can play with it. He's going to have so much fun at preschool and he can play with the kitchen and his basket of forks.. Teachers came back in and he climbs back into my lap. Finally he goes with them but stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes with a swipe of the back of his hand and sadly walked along.

I died just a little bit right there.   I wanted to scoop him up and run away with him. Let's go home where it's safe and everything stays in it's place.

Sadly, I'm now realizing that the whole barn at school also affected home life. You see, Dimples got this awesome noise machine for Christmas that projects pictures onto the ceiling. His favorite picture scene is the "Cow" (cow jumps over the moon) and every night rather than rocking he would want to "Go bed, watch cows!".   Suddenly late last week (thinking back it was Thurs which was the day of the great barn out of closet ordeal) as we got ready for bed I asked if he wanted to rock or go watch cows and he screams NO!   Every since then he refuses to let me turn the music or the lights on. "NO!!! You turn it off!!"   We've been wondering what in the world caused this change and now I'm curious to the connection.

Pooor baby.

xoxo,

Witch Way Bends - review and Giveaway!! :-)

2012-01-09T14:44:00.003-05:00

I am absolutely in love with the newest book that I get to review for you guys! And even better- it's yet another new author to add to my quickly growing list of "Must Read Everything They Write" which I actually do keep on my computer.. Yes, I'm a book geek.

The great thing about today's author is that this is her first book so I don't have to go stalk the library and Amazon to find the rest! :) Even better is how GREAT this book is.. I mean it is her first and some of my absolute favorite oldies (Nora Roberts) don't have the most wonderful beginner books.. I mean they are good but they didn't grab me by the throat.

Ok let's get on with it.. I know when I'm babbling.

Witch Way Bends (Book 1 of The Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy) by Olivia Hardin is today's book of the day.

Blurb:

Devan Stowe is a woman on a quest. She has only one thing on her mind when she teams up with Kent Crosby and his associates-- putting an end to her father's child trafficking business. Her determination takes her on a journey to discover her true strength and.. the one man she was destined to love. In his arms, she'll learn the meaning of trust, honor, and courage.   Old friends and new will come together to help Devan unlock an amazing gift that will free her from her past and open up a future full of magic, faeries and more things than she ever imagined possible.

My Take:

Witch Way Bends is a wonderfully written book! While it seems to be a paranormal thriller/mystery there is enjoy romance thrown in throughout the book that I'd definitely recommend it to my fellow romance readers. I actually read the book 3 times before sitting down to write this review because I loved it so much and that , my friends, is pure love. The book has wonderful flow, no stagnant parts that you want to skip thru (some of my favorite authors can go for 2 pages on the type of cushion on a chair- argh) and not moving so quickly that you get lost. The highs and lows are perfectly situated- I laughed, cried and even maybe "awww'd" aloud a time or two. It's hard to pick a favorite character because they were all so great. I do feel pulled to Langston and Roon though, perhaps it's a bit of the mystery they both represent that I want to know MORE!! Plus I know this is the first of 3 and am hoping that we'll learn more on all the supporting characters soon! What sealed it in my head as best book ever was my favorite quote from Devan's "imaginary friend" Roon ~ "Everything has a purpose. Pain, joy, hurt, death, life, magic- all of it fits. You are in this moment because you were meant to be." I believe that 100 percent.

The Giveaway:

Our wonderful author of the day -Olivia Hardin , who is pretty much going to become my new BFF (aka- stalking subject) has graciously offered up a book for review.. Your choice of print version or Kindle and I promise not to judge you too harshly if you choose Kindle :-)   Just fill out the thingamajig below and you're entered! Entries are accepted until Jan 30 @ 12:01am just because I want to announce the winner on my birthday in a reverse birthday celebration :-) Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feel free to stalk Olivia on facebook and twitter so you will know when the next installment of the trilogy will arrive!   If you just can't wait to see if you win the giveaway (or *sad face* you don't win) you can purchase Witch Way Bends by clicking the following links : Print (yay!)   or Kindle (boo)

*Disclosure- A printed copy (because I'm a book snob) of Witch Way Bends was provided to my by the author (Olivia Hardin) for the purpose of this review. Another copy will be provided for the purpose of the giveaway. I was not compensated in any other way and all thoughts/opinions are 101% my own!   *

xoxo,

Twas the night before...

2011-12-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

The cookies & milk are out..

The kids are all tucked in bed..

But Momma still has presents to wrap :( Will it never end?

As your Christmas present, I leave you tonite with a few pictures of pure cuteness.. Gpa Chaos got a new puppy (still unnamed- suggestions welcome!! It's a boy!) and everyone is in love :)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night! :)

xoxo,

Sweet Sixteen...

2011-12-24T21:28:00.000-05:00

Sixteen is a number that brings to mind many things for many people.

Drivers License..

First Dates...

When you are young, you can hardly wait to finally be older! First it's 13-- finally a teenager!! Then it's 16- woohoo, car time baby! Then 18- an adult at last! (ha!) Finally 21- party time = ) I think after 21, most people don't look forward to birthdays quite the same way.

When you are the parent of the child turning any of these ages you don't look forward to it with quite the same enthusiasm.

13- hormones, ugh..
16- trust them with a car?? ack!
18- my baby's growing up ;(
21- quite frankly I'm not even thinking of that age yet.. lol.

Yesterday was Drama Queen's birthday.

Look, I made that hat AND she's actually wearing it! wow.

Sweet Sixteen is here already.   It's funny how some things are ingrained into your memory. I know I say this over and over but she was my first.. It's hard to believe that my baby is 16.. Gawd I'm getting old! :-)

Sixteen seems to be the age where your parents know pretty much nothing. Where you can love them one minute and gossip like BFF's only for a switch to flip and be completely embarrassed to be seen with them the next.   I cherish the good times and try to hold back the urge to grab a soap bar to wash mouths with during the not so good :) What else can ya do?

We do 1present per year. It's something that I started several years ago and I really enjoy it.. But do you know how hard it is to try to figure out 16 presents for a 16yr old girl so she won't roll her eyes? I do believe I was actually successful this year ! Although I think her favorite thing was finally getting access to Facebook, cuz I'm a mean Momma like that.. 16 is the golden age for many things.. FB just seems to be one of them :) Who knows what I'll write next year since I doubt I'll see her again until then.. She's holed up in her room with her new laptop watching movies & facebooking.. AHH! What have I started??   At least she hasn't discovered Pioneer Trail yet :)

Happy 16th Birthday Drama Queen!

xoxo,

Tis the Season !

2011-12-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is crazy, rushed and full of stress.

I LOVE IT!

I love driving around and looking at other peoples' Christmas lights (cuz I don't have any up.. Why yes! I suck at decorating.. Although I did get the tree dug out of the basement- no ornaments, just lights that were still on it from last year. It's something at least!).    Sometimes we just all pile in the car to go drive around and find the best lights.   Family bonding time when everyone is restrained in their carseats is the BEST! ha :)

I love hearing Christmas songs on the radio (although, can we please at least wait til Thanksgiving is over before starting those?? ).   Something about Christmas songs just puts you in the spirit.. I mean who can be upset when a Christmas song is playing? I especially love it when the kids come home singing songs that they only know 1/2 the words to and the completely wrong tune.. It's adorable :)

Part of that is why I am absolutely 100% in love with this new commercial.. I have been to this mall a few times (Woodfield Mall ~ Schaumburg, IL) and think OMG how amazing would that be to be one of the mall patrons who were surprised?!   Go on, you know you can't help but watch it! :

Disclosure : "This post is sponsored by T-Mobile."
               xoxo,

Whoring it..

2011-12-09T18:40:00.000-05:00

I've taken to writing down little things the kids say that I find adorable but know with time I will completely screw up when I try to tell them in my old age. Heck I lost my phone today and that thing is usually attached to my body in some way!   (No worries, it was found and returned safe & sound- if a bit cold.) Soo, I thought I'd share a few with you :) I'm nice and sharing like that..

Dimples is finally opening up and talking more.. He rarely has conversations yet but when he says something that is completely appropriate for the situation- I LOVE IT!!

#1. At the dr's office last month, Fishing Pole said " Dimples, look at this!!" and showed him a toy. Dimples immediately smiled and said "Oh that is soo cool Fishing Pole!"     I about burst into tears. A complete sentence that was appropriate for the situation! AND he actually listened to Fishing Pole and responded.. YAY!!

#2. Just a little something that I love - Dimples was never one of those babies that would raise their arms up when they wanted picked up and say "Up!" . Usually when we go somewhere I will always hold my arms down to him and say "Do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you?"    Lately he'll come up to me, raise his arms up and say " I carry you?"    love it.

#3. Way back when Drama Queen was about 1 (omg she's going to be 16 very soon, there is a countdown calendar currently on the fridge.. ugh) I left her at my house with a friend while Daddy Chaos & I went to Bingo on base.. I had never left her before and thought I went over every single thing that said friend would need to know. About 30mins later, she calls and says "Drama Queen is fine, but she keeps walking around saying GUNK. I don't know what Gunk is and she wants it.. HELP!".. When I finally quit laughing I was able to tell her the very important thing I had forgotten-- Gunk =Milk.   Drama Queen liked to invent her own words sometimes..

#4. About a week ago (yes, I wrote the entire conversation in my planner.. lol), Drama Queen and I were sitting on the couch.. The kids were across the room at the toy box. We kept hearing Fishing Pole say something that we just couldn't quite make out..

Fishing Pole: (playing with tea set) Pour.. pour.. pour..
Drama Queen: Is he saying whore? Listen to him! It sounds like he's saying :Whore, whore, whore!
Me : No, I don't think he's saying that.. Where would he even hear that ?

Fishing Pole: pour.. pour.. pour it.. (pours pretend tea into cup)
Me: POUR!   He said POUR it!
Drama Queen: oooh.. Well it sounded like Whore it.
Me: What does that even mean?
Drama Queen: You know.. like free-balling it.. Whoring it..

OMG!! LOL! I couldn't stop the laughter.. Where the heck did she even hear the term Free-balling it.. LOL! I tell you , highschool is not what it was when I was in school.. Or I hung in the wrong crowds.. lol!.

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude -- Day 30 !!

2011-12-05T18:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it's Dec.5th and not Nov 30.. I know, I suck.. But on the good side, at least I'm finishing right?

I'm super excited about today's reason because for the first time ever, I have permission to share a picture of Miss Dilly- my surrobaby!!

Today, and every day, I am thankful for Miss Dilly. For her family choosing ME to carry her safely into this world.. I am thankful that I was able to experience something as wonderful as surrogacy and that her parents trusted me enough to carry this precious little one. It's a big responsibility, all of that trust.
Pregnancy to me was always a miraculous thing. Except for the exact moments when I was puking (ewww), I loved every minute of it. I always felt more at ease in my own body when pregnant.. Some days I think I was born in the wrong era.. I should have been back in the old days when the women were pregnant more often than not.. lol. Yes, I am crazy.

Surrogacy* was the perfect step for me when we decided that our family was complete (ha-ha!). I got to be pregnant .. to enjoy every little kick.. every movement and to know that someone was waiting to hear and enjoy every little detail with me. I remember trying to share every bit of the experience with Dilly's parents because I wanted to be sure that her mom was in no way left out. This miracle that came so easily to me, was impossible for her and it devastated me for her. I think it made the pregnancy that much more special. Something that I always took for granted myself was something to be cherished instead. Quite honestly, I'm sure it comes as no surprise to my regular readers- as selfish and horrible as it sounds- I like to be needed. Surrogacy is such an intimate need.. To carry someone's child for them, to be such a close part of their family. It's wonderful.

I love that little girl to pieces.. her entire family, in fact!! We have made friends that will be our family forever.. I am also especially grateful to Miss Dilly because I firmly believe that it was my pregnancy with her - the entire experience of helping another family in such a special way- that opened Daddy Chaos' heart to foster care.. and well I have 4 new kiddos thanks to that.

*For the record, a reminder that I am/was a Gestational Surrogate.. Which means that Dilly is 100% her parents, made from their eggs/sperm and implanted via IVF. *

xoxo,

12 days of Christmas - Graco Style..

2011-12-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

A day late.. as always..

I wanted to tell you about the 12 11 Days of Christmas over at the Graco Blog! Each day they are revealing and giving away a new prize!

Today (day 2) is 2 Graco Snugride carseats ! And if you don't know the answer to the question, follow me on twitter because I tweeted for my bonus entry! Lol!

So go win some awesome baby stuff!!

xoxo,

30 days of Gratitude - Days 24-29

2011-11-29T12:22:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is over- the leftovers are gone.

Yet again, I have slacked on the 30days of Gratitude.. I had nice posts thought up (in my head of course, who has time to type them and add pictures?) but let's just do a quickie post for 24-29, k?

I am always thankful for my kids.. I am especially thankful that each of my adopted kiddos has a biological sibling here with them. Although they don't recognize the difference, someday I think they will appreciate that they didn't lose their entire histories.. They have this small piece in each other.

Reason 24 - Drama Queen ~ My first born who has taught me how to be a mom. I am always grateful for the way she helped direct the turn in my life at such a young age. Without her, I don't know who I would be.

Reason 25- Attitude King ~ My first son.. There's something special about your first.. While Drama Queen helped me figure out how to be a mom, Attitude King helped me figure out how to be a mom to a boy because in case you didn't realize it- it's a LOT different. He has changed so much in this past year. Grown several inches and bypassed me completely.. His voice went from sounding slightly girly to a deeper rougher sound. He's growing up.

Reason 26- Spoiled Princess ~ The beginning of the Tequilla gang. Spoiled Princess was the one to give me the second chance. Drama Queen & Attitude King were both in school and she fulfilled my need to be needed. She was the perfect baby to come to us and open Daddy Chaos' heart to more children. My very first tried and true Girlie Girl.

Reason 27- Fishing Pole ~ I am always thankful so many things when it comes to Fishing Pole. He has had such a rough beginning with so many hospital stays and surgeries. I'm always thankful that he was given to us and is safe and loved.

Reason 28- Dimples ~ The baby.. No matter how old he gets, Dimples will always be the baby of the family. Heck he's now 3 1/2 and everyone still refers to him as "the baby". He was the only one of the younger 4 that we actually planned on ahead of time. I am always grateful that he is in our lives.

Reason 29- Southern Darlin' ~ my middle girl who was the last to join us.. I am thankful each and every day for that moment while waiting for court on the little boys that someone casually mentioned Southern Darlin' was in foster care in that Far Away state. I am thankful that the Far Away state is so supportive of siblings and that she was finally able to be moved to us so that now and forever she can be ours.

xoxo,

30 days of Gratitude - Day 23

2011-11-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for something many of us don't even think of until you need it.. And really, aren't those the type of things that we should be most thankful for?

Photo Credit

As I have spent the past 24 hours worshipping the porcelain gods, today I am thankful for a CLEAN toilet when I need it most.. There is nothing worse than to try to stop puking, only to be staring into a dirty toilet that makes you puke even more!

With that grossness aside, yes I realize I'm several days behind on gratitude.. So I'll just throw some up there -

Day 21- Thankful for Spoiled Princess' ability to make it to the toilet everytime she has to vomit.. Again, for those who may have forgotten- I do NOT clean puke.

Day 22- Thankful for my wonderful hubby who will run out a million times to try to find something that sounds good and will stay down.

Sigh... I hate being sick :(

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 20

2011-11-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a bit stabby today. So , rather than fill your ears with me muttering Bad words.. BAD words.. STAB, Break!! I will just remind you that I have two awesome giveaways ending this week!!

Don't forget to go sign up to win 25 free shutterfly photo cards & a copy of Craved (ebook only) , both end this week so don't be pokey!!

Moving on to things I'm grateful for.. Since I'm feeling stabby, it's a bit more difficult but hey I'm an emotional eater so I'll go with baked mac & cheese.. Yum.. I am thankful that someone figured out once upon a time that you could take mac & cheese and bake it and it's even yummier. It's one of my signature dishes and I am always required to bring it to any holiday gathering.. This year I"m thinking of making baked Mac & cheese muffins because ooh soo cute!!

Photo Credit : Allrecipes.com

After all, everything is cuter in miniature :)

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 19 #Adoption

2011-11-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

One year ago...

It snuck up on me.

These anniversaries tend to for some reason.

Not that they aren't special and I don't thank my lucky stars every day but my life , their lives are more than a court date.

One year ago today, we finally completed the adoption of Fishing Pole & Dimples.

It was a very long road fraught (I've always wanted to use the word fraught) with ups and downs worse than any roller coaster I've ever been on. But then end result is what matters. They are mine. Forever and ever.

Today I am thankful for many things. Fishing Pole & Dimples have been mine in my heart since the moment I first met them. No court date will ever change that. Still, I am thankful that although today only represents a legal court date- those boys are MINE and no one can ever take them away.   I am thankful for the joy they bring into our lives each and every day. I am thankful for no more forced visits, no more caseworkers to deal with, no more bureaucratic B.S. to have to try to swallow. It's over, our family is complete and that is something I will celebrate each and every day.

Today is National Adoption Day. Did you know that there are HALF A MILLION children in foster care right now? HALF a MILLION ! There are somewhere around 118,000 available for adoption. Waiting for a family. Put yourselves in their shoes. Legal orphans, waiting for someone to step and and say YES, you are MINE. I will love you forever, no matter what!!   Do you have it in your heart? Please take the step. Reach out and hold a little hand who so desperately needs their very own loving family.

                   xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude - Days 15-17

2011-11-17T12:50:00.000-05:00

See, I knew getting a post up every day would prove to be my downfall.

What can I say? I've been sucked into a new book ( When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey) and I've finally been taught how to make a craft! Yay! I am the least crafty person you will ever meet.. I dread when the kids bring home projects that we are supposed to "do as a family" because I have absolutely no skillz.

One of the many things that Sasha Song has sucked me into (Mops, exercising, making friends with the Crazy lady - sorry Crazy, it's gonna stick, you know it.. ) is Scrapbooking/ Craft night once a month. I've went twice so far and have to admit that I really enjoy it. I don't craft but I have fun watching what other people make & gossiping while I sit and drink my Dr Pepper :-) Still each time Awesome Crafter has tried to teach me something new. The first night it was how to make these adorable flowers out of fabric. The idea was simple but involves a glue gun which quite frankly is beyond my capabilities. She was not going to give into defeat and at the last meeting, she decided to teach me how to knit! KNIT! I have always wanted to learn how to knit.. Yes it makes me feel like a little old lady just admitting that, but it's a secret wish of mine. Granted, Awesome Crafter taught me loom knitting (my mother & sister claim it's cheating but as they don't know how to knit OR loom knit I choose to ignore them).

So I am now sucked into the knitting world, buying yarn just because it's pretty and more looms that I know what to do with. Still it's fun ..

my first attempt at a hat

So enough about what I've been doing.. Let's get into the last few days of Gratitude..

Day 15- I am grateful for friends that drag you places that you would never normally go and make you enjoy it dang it! (Hi Sasha!)

Day 16- I am grateful for new friends who seem to have faith that you can learn something when you have no faith yourself. (Hi Awesome Crafter)

Day 17- I am grateful for other new friends who despite having just learned that you previously believed others when you were told they were bat-shit crazy still are nice enough to forgive the misconception & immediately offer to help you with the 'homemade exchange' for the next meeting.. (Hi Crazy! )

See, I could have just been grateful for friends but it was so much more fun to separate why I'm grateful for each one :)

xoxo,

Late Nite Dates...

2011-11-17T12:30:00.000-05:00

This...

Just this..

Midnight cannot come soon enough for me !!

xoxo,

A Satisfying Review.. :-)

2011-11-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

I have given birth to 3 wonderful children but I am not one of those women that gives birth and in a few months is back down to pre-pregnancy weight. In fact, I have never again seen my initial pre-pregnancy weight. It’s sad, I know. Like most of us, I have tried many many different diets. One big thing I’ve noticed with most diets is that I can never stick to them.. I get bored with the food I’m “allowed” to have and end up cheating.. A Lot.. Plus there’s the whole exercise thing- who has time? Hello- 6 kids!

Still, I’ve been making some changes lately and one of them is to start working out. I did really good for about a month- working out with 2 other friends (Hi Sasha) but then Little Miss X came into my life and I cuddle her when I should be busting my booty. I definitely plan on getting my butt back in gear and working out again but I know that I need to do more.

So when I was offered a chance to review Satisfying Selections™ by Weight Watchers® Smart Ones®, naturally I was happy. Let’s start with the info before we get to my opinions..

Product Info in bullet points because that’s just fun :

30% larger portions than traditional tray meals.
Packaged as a bagged meal, featuring heartier pieces of meat and veggies than typically found in a frozen nutritional tray option.
Less than 400 calories, 8-10 Weight Watchers PointsPlus™ and 25 grams of protein.
Portion controlled for dinner.

Either steam them in the microwave or cook on the stove top and serve on a dinner plate.
Feature lean proteins, whole grains, fiber, fruits & veggies to help you build calorie-burning muscle and stay fuller longer.

Now onto my opinions, because we all know I have them!

While Satisfying Selections™ come in five different flavors (Sesame Chicken, Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo, Ziti with Meatballs & Cheese, Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese, and Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry), I have only tried two at this point. I decided to enlist Daddy Chaos in the trial in order to have a second opinion.

We tried the Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese :

yummy!

As well as the Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo:

Look at those BIG chunks of meat!

As I said above in the bullet points (you did read the bullet points, right?) , you can cook these dinners either in the microwave or on the stove top. I opted for the easiest method- nuke it, baby! Normally if given time, I might opt for the stove top method because I always feel that cooking it on a stove top makes it less- tv dinnerish.. However I was told to cook it how I most often would and normally I just don't have the extra time to spare. One thing I was especially pleased with was that when pouring them from the bag to the plate there wasn't alot of cheese left stuck to the bag. Yay! I want my food ON my plate, not waiting to be scrapped from the container. Both dinners offered a significantly larger dinner portion than I was expecting! Daddy Chaos even agreed that it was a hearty portion and filled us both up. I gave Daddy Chaos the first one (with rice) because he's a rice person, while as I am a pasta person. Once we commenced eating the meal, we both discovered that it was pretty darn tasty. Daddy Chaos reports that the rice was cooked perfectly which is hard to do in a tv dinner and his only complaint was he felt the cheese sauce wasn't as smooth in his meal as it could have been.. However, it wasn't bad either- he would buy it again. My cheese (alfredo vs cheddar) was a bit smoother... To which I say to him : nah, nah! My meal was great! I definitely wouldn't think of it as a "diet" meal. My broccoli was cooked well- soft but not mushy, I hate crunchy broccoli. Overall, I was very satisfied with both meals and would try them again. They changed my concept of a "diet" meal. Satisfying Selections™ retail for $3.69, although I got mine at WallyWorld for $3.18 so prices will vary. It was the most satisfying tv dinner I've had in quite some time. Two thumbs up :)

Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. I’ve been compensated for my time with 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Heinz.

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 14

2011-11-14T10:52:00.000-05:00

Sooo, our garage door broke. Thankfully I have a tiny garage and none of my vehicles actually fit inside it.. So we keep our 2nd deep freeze (yes, we need 2 freezers.. lol) , bikes, tools ect out there. Still we use the garage door everyday -taking trash out or just going out to the car.

So we went to leave yesterday and the silly thing wouldn't open. I thought nothing of it, a certain teen boy loves to jump up and hit things- the ceiling, the wall, the cord dangling down from the garage door opener that stops it from working... I assumed this happened and when I got home later that afternoon I told Daddy Chaos.

Unfortunately that is NOT what happened.

Late Saturday nite we all heard this super LOUD noise.. We all went to look and see what fell but couldn't find it.

Well that super loud noise was the cable BREAKING on one side of the garage door!! Eek!

So while I am not at all thankful that it broke because now we have to replace the entire door (ugh, I don't even want to know the cost!)... Today I am thankful that it broke while it was closed and not while someone was walking under it!! It could have been much worse and after all, it's just money, right?!

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 13

2011-11-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight I am thankful for old friends that become family.

When we began our foster parenting journey, we expected to help kids not add to our family.

As you know, we obviously had no idea what we were doing since we quickly added 4 more kiddos to our family!!

But beyond the kids, we added an entire family as friends.. Friends that are like family to us now.

The boys' CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and her family (Cowie & Pop-pop) have been part of our family for 5 years now.

Today was Cowie's first granddaughter's 1st bday party. Love that little girl. Some parties you go to and you sit on the outskirts not really fitting in and slightly uncomfortable.. Been there?? Not with this family. They Always make you feel comfortable and part of the family. Aunts/ uncles/ grandparents.. EVERYONE accepts you.

We had a wonderful time !

He says he's a tiger- a different tiger

Spoiled Princess' flower :)

The couple.. She is only 3 but she tells absolutely EVERYONE that Fishing Pole is her boyfriend.. lol.


Dimples & the birthday girl.. My other future Daughter-in law.. They're a cute couple , huh?!

Family is so important.. Sometimes it's not always just the family you are given, but the one that you make yourself.

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 12

2011-11-12T21:23:00.003-05:00

With 3 kiddos currently doing nebulizer treatments (Joy , oh joy).....

Tonight I'm thankful for having more than one nebulizer in order to do them in pairs!

It makes it go much faster, otherwise, we are there all dang nite it seems like :)

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 11

2011-11-11T19:57:00.000-05:00

Today is 11/11/11 which quite frankly I find freakin AWESOME.. I am a number person.. I love when there are cool dates like that = )

Today is also Veteran's day. I am thankful for each and every one of our soldiers who have offered their lives up for our freedom. I am also thankful for their families who sacrifice every day living a military life and being apart from their loved ones more often than not. I once lived that life. I am thankful that Daddy Chaos was safe while he served our country and proud of the time he gave. I have many friends and family who have or are still serving in the military but today I want to be especially thankful for a dear friend's husband. A man who has a loving wife and 5 children that he has had to leave behind time after time with TDY's stacked on top of each other and barely time to get reacquainted with his family. And for my friend who is a single mom while he is away and doing a damn fine job of it. It is people like Matt who help give us the freedoms that we have today.

I am thankful for our soldiers- past, present and future.

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 10

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry ya'll I went to bed early last nite and didn't get day 10 up! oops..

Yesterday I was grateful for pain meds! I went to the dentist for a filling (hole in my tooth, no decay, just a hole- go figure!) and let me just say that me + dentist = no way.. I hate going to the dentist.. I have panic attacks about it. Seriously. No clue why.. But I do love my dentist and he always makes sure to super duper numb me up.. Still my jaw was sore from the shots (go figure). But I'm thankful for those numbing shots because I don't want to imagine what it would have felt like w/o them!

xoxo,

Holiday Cards- A cheerful giveaway !

2011-11-09T19:26:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again..

Halloween is over and Christmas is full bloom in the stores.

I've never understood why the stores insist on tossing Christmas at us so far in advance!

Way back in the day, you had Thanksgiving and the day after was when you decorated for Christmas.. That's still how I do it at my house ! One holiday at a time I tell you! One at a time!

I've always made it a tradition to sit down and fill out my Christmas cards over Thanksgiving weekend. I don't always get them sent right out, but they are filled out darn it! Last year, I did something new which throws my whole thinking off. I ordered photo cards from Shutterfly. Ordering cards means I have to start thinking about Christmas well before Thanksgiving if I want to do my addressing on that particular weekend :)

So here I am looking yet again at all the new offerings for cards. I'm sure you're not surprised to hear that I'm having a difficult time deciding which one I like best. Decisions, decisions!! I had such a hard time when I ordered the boys' adoption announcements (made from Shutterfly's birth announcements which I customized to work for us) that I end up with way too many choices..

This my dears, is where you come in. Help a Momma choose !! And don't forget to scroll past it all for the deets on my giveaway!

Picture Tree Christmas

Customize your Christmas cards this season at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Choice #1.. I love the Christmas tree idea.. I'm not 100 % sold on the pictures I put in it (just because of the size of the pics) but I decided to use pics from our recent Disney trip for the Christmas cards this year..

Joyful Joyful Holiday Card

Create unique holiday invitations at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

I really love the black theme.. I saw several black cards which normally doesn't scream Christmas but it looks classy :)

Watercolor Ornament Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into your favorite Christmas cards!

View the entire collection of cards.

Ok, I lied.. I wanted something different so I used the 1st day of school pic of the kiddos here ;) Again, loving the black classy look..

So what do you do for holiday cards? Do you fill them out a month + in advance and have them in the mail right after Thanksgiving or do you procrastinate so much that last years cards are still waiting to go out? Not that I've ever done that or anything.. ahem..

On with the good stuff!! I am giving away THREE prizes today! YAY!! Three lucky people will win 25 free cards from Shutterfly.com ! So fill out the entry form below and cross your fingers =)

*Disclosure - This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. I was compensated with 50 free cards for participating in their Holiday Promotion. The 75 free cards offered in the giveaway were also provided by Shutterfly. Despite said compensation, all thoughts/opinions and personalized cards are 100% my own. *

xoxo,

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 9

2011-11-09T09:06:00.000-05:00

I'm doing it early today- woohoo, look at me go :-)

It's raining, it's pouring.. I got soaked trying to get the kids out of the car in the drop off line..

Yet still, today I am thankful it's raining and not SNOWING..   It is November after all.. I'm very thankful for this Indian Summer we've been given !

You see, I love snow - in theory.

It's so pretty when it's falling from the Heavens in big huge flakes..

I love the idea of snowmen & snowball fights around the snow fort..

I love the beautiful canvas it makes across the yards ..

But I detest the reality ..

It's still pretty falling, no matter what.. I can't refute that. But then it fills the streets w/ snow and ice & I never feel safe on the roads when it's around.

While snowmen & snowball fights are a beautiful dream- the reality is that the kids aren't coordinated enough to build a snowman & the snowball fights end up with someone dumping loose snow down someone else's shirt while they all scream.

The beautiful canvas only lasts until some kid/dog/ect runs across it just to ruin it.. Or the snowplow goes thru and toss all that dirty snow back up on top of my pretty white.

Plus the cold.. Dimples is having uncontrollable shivering while bundled into his winter's finest at 45*, me thinks that full on winter w/snow is not going to be a fun time.

So I love the theory of snow, but I would be perfectly happy moving someplace warm (like Disney!) and just visiting it once in a while .. lol..

I am thankful that today it's just rain.

                     xoxo,