leigh's excellent journey

Cute Comments 3/21/12 edition

2012-03-21T16:28:00.000-04:00

One of my family members suggested that in my blog I start putting down the "cute" things that my kids say so I can look back on them one day. I'm going to give this a try. Hope you enjoy.

Yesterday, the kids were playing in their room. Sean was playing "teacher/performer" and was asking the other kids "Who wants to help me?" The other kids were all going "Me, Me!!" (just like in a game show)

Sean goes "You in the blue shirt, COME ON DOWN!" (Jack was wearing a blue shirt.) He got up on the "stage" and was jumping around going "Yeah! Yeah!" It was so funny. I think Grammy has been letting them watch The Price is Right.

It was just too funny not to share. Might not be as cute on paper, but man it was funny.

We are DIAPER FREE!

2012-03-21T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am proud to announce that we are 100% DIAPER FREE. After 5 years of diapering children, we are finally ALL POTTY TRAINED!! Hooray!

Sira has been doing great now for almost a month. She still wears a nightly pull-up but most of the time she's dry when she wakes up. I'm so proud of her!! :)

I know I've blogged about pottying before so I wanted to send out an update for the family who reads this.

Selling a house

2012-03-21T16:19:00.000-04:00

Have you ever sold a house? This is my first time and I must admit, it's a lot harder than I thought. I think our house is cute and offers lots of personality. However, since our home is a smaller size, we get overlooked by many. Note- it is a 2bed/1bath home. But I am still surprised that we've had very little interest in the 2 months it's been on the market.

I had a lady come yesterday. I was really excited, she asked me to show her the house myself. (I did meet her at church on Sunday.) So she came over, stayed for about an hour and seemed genuinely interested. Long story short, she's not. She told me this morning that there are a couple of things that she didn't like about the house and didn't want to deal with.
I won't lie, I'm heartbroken. I had a feeling that she was going to be the one and that we would finally get to move & be together. I'm trying not to take it personally but its hard when you want so badly for it to sell. Especially after all the work we've put into this house. She had me all amped up too, telling me she loved the pictures and that she was going to talk to the bank about pre-approval. So, it was a hard fall. :(

I'm going to allow one day of moping but then I'm going to move on. It is what it is. I can't change it. God has it in control. I am just praying that it is sooner than later that we are reunited.

If anyone out there has suggestions to selling a house, I'm 200% interested in your input.

My Dad

2012-01-12T14:34:00.003-05:00

Hi Friends,
I'm reporting today LIVE from Rock Hill about Keith, my Dad. My Dad came for a week long visit the week for Christmas. We were very excited to have him here since he doesn't get to come down often. On Christmas Eve (Saturday Dec 24), he started to suffer from what we thought was indigestion. He said it wasn't bad but just enough to be uncomfortable. On Christmas Day (Sunday Dec 25) he has some more "episodes" with the indigestion. Over the week it continued to get worse, medicine wasn't helping. We even tried some home remedies to see if we could get the "acidic" feel in his stomach to calm down. Nick was concerned that it could be a mild heart attack that is lasting over a period of time. Nick's grandfather had a similar event like this one. His spells were becoming very painful and I started to have more concern since he didn't feel like he could eat or really enjoy his visit due to being in pain. On Friday (Dec 30) I decided enough was enough and talked him into going to the ER. They ran an EKG, CT Scan and Ultrasound to see what the problem might be. Since they MISSED a line on the EKG everything pointed to severe acid reflux and they sent him home with acid reflux medication that did not help the problem. Piedmont Medical Center miss diagnosed him. I am so thankful that he didn't die from a massive heart attack that was overlooked by the Doctor and staff at PMC.

On Saturday (Dec 31) his attacks were coming on stronger and more severe. He didn't eat any thing all day and was still having these "acid reflux" issues. (Doesn't add up, right.. keep reading) So on Sunday (Jan 1) he went back home to Raleigh and was planning on going back to the Dr on Monday. I called Monday (Jan 2) night around 7:30p and he said he was feeling MUCH better and only had 2 minor attacks but was able to eat some food and rest a little. So, I was very relieved to hear that news and thought Dad was feeling better or so we thought..

On Monday night (after our phone conversation) around 9pm, my Dad had a heart attack. Not knowing that was what was happening (thinking it was a bad acid reflux flair up) he laid really still and tried to wait it out. The pain never stopped. So on Tuesday (Jan 3), my Grandmother took my Dad to WakeMed in Cary. As soon as they saw him, they ran test and instantly diagnosed him with a heart attack. He was rushed in an ambulance to WakeMed-Raleigh where they thought they would need to put in one stint and all would be well again. After they began the procedure, they found out thing were much worse than they appeared. He had 5 BLOCKED arteries and would be having major heart bypass surgery first thing the following morning. They put a balloon in his heart and he was kept in CTICU.

Tuesday morning around 7am they took my Dad back for the most important surgery of his life. A quintuple bypass surgery. He was in surgery for 6 hours. Stress doesn't begin to define what we were going through. We were on our way FULL SPEED to Raleigh from RH that morning. At 1pm, the Dr came out and told us everything went perfect and that Dad was in recovery. Praise God. Dad is going to be ok. He woke up around 5 that evening and I was up there at 8:30 (visiting times are strict there.) to see him. He was very medicated and still had a breathing tube in. I was just happy to see his eyes look at me and I knew he was going to be ok. It's going to be a long road to recovery but he is strong and will do it. They kept him in CTICU for 4 days following surgery. Then he was moved up to the Heart Center for recovery. On Saturday (Jan 7) he was in his room and able to have visitors 24/7. I spend every night I was in Raleigh in the hospital til around 1am. (even while in the CTICU) We had to return home on Sunday but Dad was doing MUCH better and able to get up and walk around the hospital and use the bathroom without assistance. My Grandmother was able to be with him everyday during the day so that he wouldn't get lonely and help him with anything he needed. She's one amazing woman. I hope that one day I will be half as amazing as she is. On Wednesday (Jan 11) only ONE week after surgery, my Dad got to go home. He's doing great. Still a VERY long road to recovery but he is well on his way.

Please pray for his healing and strength to grow everyday. Pray for my grandparents who are helping him during this difficult time. (We don't live close enough to help.)

If you'd like to contact him, let me know. I can give you his #. He loves to talk and visit with family. :)

New Jobs..

2011-11-27T14:57:00.000-05:00

Let's start with me. I got a part time job at McDowell Nature Center here in Charlotte. I'm an Environmental Educator that specializes in preschool age children. It's a pretty awesome gig with LOTS of creative freedom. They allow me to work at my own pace and take as much time as I need to get ready for a program. I have now been the "lead" for 2 programs that seemed to go well. My boss is excited about what I bring the table and has given me good feedback on the programs I've lead so far. It is nice to work in an environment that is hands off and allows you to get the job done the way you want to do it. I guess the best way to break down what I do is- you know when you go to a zoo or aquarium and there's a person giving a program about a particular animal. (say turtle, bird..) That is what I do. We have several animals at work that I base my programs around. We have a king snake, corn snakes, lizards, box turtles, slider turtles, fish and different types of frogs. It's a cool place. However, I won't be here too long.

The second note here is Nick got offered a spot in next Raleigh Fire Department Academy. After a long 2 year wait, we finally got word back that we are hired on officially at the end of December. SOOOO this means, we will be moving from RH and back to the Raleigh area. Our home will be put on the market after Christmas and we are praying that the house sells fairly quickly. We want to keep our family together and hopefully God will open the doors to make it happen. We are excited and nervous about the new chapter in our lives. I haven't gone official with all my friends yet, I'm waiting until next weekend to make the big announcement when we are all together. :) Let's see who reads my blog and finds out first.

Please pray for this new transition.

Halloween

2011-09-30T21:48:00.000-04:00

Are your kids obsessed with dressing up for Halloween? My kids are. They have been talking about Halloween all year and CAN NOT wait for this years Halloween to arrive. Nick has already made his paper mache mask (Frankenstein) and we are working on getting his outfit together. I plan to be Frankensteins bride. (for obvious reasons, hehe) I'm on the hunt for an old wedding dress. Sira will be Tinker Bell. She received a Tinker Bell costume for her birthday and she's ready to go! Jack & Sean want to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They have asked Nick to make paper mache turtle shells for their back. We will probably buy the cheap costume and add the extras from home. (shell, swords, etc) I think my parents are going to be the other two TMNT so there will be all 4 accounted for. We've even visited the Halloween store already. Sean & Sira cry every time but they LOVE going in there. Like it is torture but they can't get enough. Weird I know.

My parents are planning a little party this year so there will be lots of Halloween going on over there. Monster Mash and all the classics will be blaring from Brian Circle. :) Should be a great time. I'm pretty excited myself.

Amazing how when I was a kid, the same parents would only take me to church on Halloween and I was NEVER EVER allowed to be anything that could be "demonic or evil". You could be a hippie or a cowgirl. Boring stuff. And we didn't get costumes either, I had to create it from what was at the house. Times have changed I guess, lol.

What do you do for Halloween?
Do you dress up with your kids?
Do you allow them to go Trick or Treating?

Potty Training- Sira!

2011-09-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Sira has began potty training. She is completely on board with me too. The boys were so difficult to train that I thought they would never get it. Jack was 3.5 when he picked it up and the same with Sean. Sira is only 2.5 and goes all the time. She asks to go!! It blows me away!! I'd have to BEG Jack & Sean to go.

Keep your fingers crossed for her. Maybe in a month or so, she will be in big girl panties and I can say GOODBYE to diapers after almost 5 years!!!!! I won't know how to act. (lol) I've always been told girls were easier. I'm NOT complaining!!

Bleeding Money (This week and the last few months)

2011-09-30T21:36:00.000-04:00

Disclosure: This is a long blog entry. I just feel the need to document all we have spent in the last 6 months because I'm just having a hard time dealing with how much $$ we've had to spend. Please feel free to skip this entry. It won't hurt my feelings. :)

Let me start of saying that I am VERY thankful that we saved and have been able to afford all that has happened here at the Lamotta house. If Nick hadn't worked so hard in Dubai and we were so diligent about saving everything extra we really would have been up the creek without a paddle. So, I am thankful for what God has blessed us with and that we are financial going to be alright.

With that being said, I feel like we are bleeding money. Bleeding money as if we have been sliced in half and trying to sew ourselves back together. I'm sure this happens to everyone/family but it just seems like it has been consistently one thing after another since May. Yes, May. Something happens approximately every 2 weeks.

First, there was the new front door & security door. Our old front door was cracked down the middle and was seriously not on there the way it was intended to be. You could feel cold or warm air outside (depending on season) and see light under the door as well from the outside. It HAD to be replaced. If you have never had the pleasure of replacing a door in an OLD house, beware. It's a B to do and will cost you close to a grand before it's over. We also added a security door which was another $200 just for the door. So just for the front door to be like it supposed to be, cost us around $1200. OUCH.

Then, there is the some small home projects. Now if anyone has done a home project, it ALWAYS cost more than what you anticipate or budget for. Even when you are penny pinchers like Nick & I, the cost add up fast. Since we're putting the house on the market next year, we have been painting and fixing door trim. (A side note- almost every door in our home has a different trim around it. We've been making an effort to make it match one by one so that when we put it on the market, they will be all the same. Oh yea, and door trim is NOT cheap for some unknown reason. It was almost $9 a board for the trim. NOTHING fancy, just basic trim. Ridiculous.) If you've ever painted, you know that isn't as cheap as it used to be. Damn near cost $30 for a gallon of paint.

To add to it, our AC went out in June. That was another $400 gone in 30 mins. We bought a storage shed for the kids outside bikes & toys so they wouldn't get stolen. Another $500 gone. Car issues have totaled up a lot this summer too.

Then there are all the minor things that add up too. Dental work, Deductibles, The glitch for the week we weren't covered by Tricare but we actually were. (Another story) Car repairs add up fast too. In the last week alone, it was another $400 for breaks. OUCH.

This past week has been a real zapper too. We decided to get a new roof on our home since our homeowners insurance will pay for it since we have had hail damage. $500 deductible. DON'T get me wrong, that is a DEAL to get a new roof for only $500 but it is still a chunk of change.

And after much talking, Nick had LASIK eye surgery done yesterday.WORTH EVERY PENNY!!
And since we bit the bullet to pay it upfront and save in the long haul, it was a large deduction from our savings account. Nick has worked so hard for our family and deserves the world. I'm so thankful he was able to have this done so that he can enjoy 20/20 vision. But it was expensive.
*Since yesterday Nick has been cleared to drive. He can already see 20/20 in less than 24 hours. LASIK surgery is AMAZING. He's doing great!! :) I couldn't be happier that we made this decision.

We've have had some FUN with our savings too. We did take a week vacation to Disney World and we also too another week's vacation to Emerald Isle with Nick's parents. (Nick's parents were kind enough to let us tag along with them at the beach house for free so I'm not complaining!!) But Nick is an independent contractor so when he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid. We've also gone up to Philadelphia for a long weekend too. We've enjoyed having a couple of family parties and having a good summer together. Although, having fun can add up and become expensive. But if you can't have fun, what's the point?

So we've had fun and we've took care of business. But now we are needing to seriously financial heal from the last year. I'm waiting to hear if I get the job I interviewed for this week. It would really be a great source of income for our family. Plus, when our taxes come in next year- that will heal our savings too. Christmas is coming sooner than later and we have to prepare for that too. Whew.. shame we can't win the Powerball and take care of everyones financial issues.

I am hoping our house will sell for what we are hoping which will give us a little (not a lot by any means) more to put down for a new home. Praying that RFD or Duke Energy comes through for a job upgrade for Nick. I hope I get this job at McDowell Nature Center too.

If you've made it this far, you must REALLY love me. Thank you for taking the time to hear me complain. Gotta get things out there sometimes so you can let it go. Life is still good. :)

Dang, 2 months..

2011-09-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been 2 months since my last entry. I guess it is safe to say we've had one busy summer. So much fun though. So let's start the updates. (since this blog is for my kids to look back on one day)

Since my last post we have done some home projects. We finally painted the kitchen! We've lived in this house for 4 years and I've been dying to freshen it up. We first painted the walls from an off-white/gray color to a light cheerful yellow. It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to a room. Took years off the look. We painted all the trim a fresh coat of white and painted our large window frame/sill white as well. (They were mahogany brown before.) We added a chair rail as well to the wall where our table is against. Worked out great for looks & function so the wall doesn't continue to take a beating from the kitchen chairs.

While we were at it, we painted our front door and all the tongue & groove and trim in the living room. Well 90% is finished, I have one more coat of paint for the fireplace cover & one wall to work on. (The large couch is blocking it for now.) I did get to paint the front of our bedroom door but not finished it completely either. (We had a family gathering at our home the following weekend, so time got cut off.) I will write a blog about the fun party we had next. :)

There is still so much to do here. We are planning on putting the house on the market soon so we have several things that must be done before we do that. In addition to these projects, we are having an insurance adjuster come out this week to see if the storm damages gets us a new roof. If we are able to get a new roof, our home will be listed with a new roof, new doors, new windows, updated plumbing, updated and maintenanced HVAC, large fenced back yard, claw foot tub in bathroom, some vaulted ceilings, and has a fireplace. I'm praying that this will be enough to get us what we need to finally move away from the home.
But we'll see. Gotta land that job with RFD first.

TERRIBLE 2's

2011-07-06T08:56:00.002-04:00

I am sad to say that Sira has a case of the TERRIBLE 2's. She is as sweet as pie 90% of the time. Easy to get a long with, happy and playful. BUT when she loses it, she LOSES it. Big time.

She will start screaming (like a hyena) and start stomping. If she doesn't get what she wants (which is never) she escalates the screaming & crying. She will not stop. Sira gets herself all wound up and I have to either pop her butt and try to get her to snap out of it OR I have to put her in her crib until she decides she is finished.

The amazing part to this is, once she is done. She goes right back to my happy Sira. No lag time. It is fascinating and frustrating at the same time. My boys didn't really go through this. Jack is a whiner and Sean is a biter but they never threw full on temper tantrums like in a movie. It's nuts.

Hopefully we will move on pass this quick. She's learning she's not the boss.

Husband..

2011-07-06T08:51:00.000-04:00

Let me start out staying.. I love my husband. He is the most handsome and awesome man in the whole world. Nick works very hard for our family and has made sacrifices to better our lives. He is my very best friend in the world and I would do anything in the world for him.

BUT..

He makes me absolutely crazy from time to time. I mean climb the walls and I'm a lunatic kind of crazy. He is so damn stubborn sometimes and I just think I'm going to pull my hair out. LOL.

Please don't get me wrong, I know 100% that I do the same to him. I openly admit it and take my share of the blame for it.

Just had to get it out there. Men- Can't live with them, Can't live without them.
Who's with me? :)

Casey Anthony Trial..

2011-07-06T08:45:00.000-04:00

All I can say is WOW! I thought for sure she would be spending some time in jail but she walks away a free lady. I understand her not getting Murder 1 but not child abuse. Really? It seems like everyone is in shock over the verdict. I know I am. Poor Caylee.. no justice for a sweet baby girl. Casey Anthony will probably become a millionaire between a book deal and a made for TV movie. Sick.

*If you care to have a debate about it, please don't post it on my blog. This is just my opinion. I know there are a lot of defensive folks out there.

Recycling..

2011-06-28T13:44:00.000-04:00

I think I've become a recycling maniac. I have become obsessed with recycling everything. If it can be washed or made from anything recyclable, it's going in the bin. I fill up 3 bin easily before the week is over. It is often piled up high on Tuesday mornings. I'm the only one in the neighborhood who seems to recycle this much. I even notice when I got to places if they are "green" in the recycling sense. For instance, we have been to McD's a couple of times recently and have gotten the kids a happy meal. The happy meal is in a cardboard box, they use cardboard boxes for chicken nuggets, wax paper sleeves or wrapping for fries & burgers. They have juice boxes or recyclable milk bottles. Yet they offer 0% recycling. I take the items home and recycle them but still.. think of how much "trash" could be used again if recycled. I even went as far as to ask them if they had one in the back where they looked at me like a crazy lady and replied "No." That reminds me, I was going to write to the owner and point out how wasteful they are being. I have no doubt that McD's are the only ones being wasteful. It just makes me nuts. When I go to other people's houses, I look to see if they recycle and it seems odd to me if they don't. Especially if they are in a house. (Apartments might be a little more work but totally doable.)

Is there anyone else out there who recycles like a crazy person? I just figure it takes no effort for me to put cereal boxes, cracker boxes, juice boxes, etc.. into a bin vs putting it in the trash. I try to remember my bags at the grocery store but if I don't, I ask for paper bags and I recycle them as well to cut down on plastic usage. We keep all the lights off during the day and I try to reuse anything we own before trashing it out. Most of the time I donate anything that can be reused that we don't want.

Broken items are harder to recycle only because we don't have a truck and the recycling place is about 15 mins from us. But I do the best I can.

What do you do to recycle?

The Lizard

2011-06-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

So this morning we had some unexpected excitement in the house..

Like every morning, I pull back the kids curtains and open up the blinds so they can see outside. And to my surprise there is a little green lizard on my kids window sill. So of course I squealed in my surprise and the lizard took off across the boys room. So here we go. There is me & 5 kids chasing the lizard through the house. Jack almost caught it once but as soon as he touched it he squealed and said "I can't touch it Mommy!" Emma tried a few times too but no success. I called Nick to asked him will it bite us if we grab it. He says "yea it's going to bite you.." Off to the laundry room I went to get my gardening gloves. That lizard was a quick little sucker. As we squealed from one room to the next (Sean, Sira & Riley kept coming in and squealing away) Jack, Emma and I were chasing this lizard through the boys room & office area. I'm sure we looked half retarded tried to catch this tiny lizard. But after 15 mins of chasing and moving furniture, we caught him. I quickly put him outside and sent him home to his family.

Now the kids are playing "chase the lizard". They are pretending it is in the house and running around squealing. It's pretty funny. I'm such a chicken with bugs, lizards and such. Nick will have a fun story to hear when he gets home. :)

It's been a while...

2011-06-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

Yep its been a while since I've last blogged. Life's been a little busy. But I'm back. :)

So what's been going on?

Sira just turned 2 years old a little over a week ago. I can't believe that we have moved completely out of the baby phase of life. I think when she gets a little older we will try potty training. I'm just not convinced that she is ready. But it won't be long. We had an awesome pool party at the YMCA waterpark. The kids had fun. The adults had a good time too. After the waterpark, we came back and had a cookout at the house. Got to enjoy family & played some Wii bowling. (On a side note, my highest score is 259. Oh yeah! Nick can't stand that I beat him consistently. It's AWESOME.) It was a busy weekend at the house because of all the family and fun. Good times.

Hmm.. let's see. Other than everyday life just taking over. That's the only big event that has taken place since my last entry.

Sorry for the boring entry. I'll working on another entry soon.

Holy Hurricane!

2011-05-11T13:47:00.000-04:00

No, we didn't have a hurricane come through but I promise last night that is what it felt like. The power went off at 1am and we didn't get it back until 9a this morning. The trees were going, the wind was howling, lighting & thunder. It was nuts. We winded up putting all the kids in the "office" room we have because there aren't any windows in there. Of course, we just sat up for an hour and then after the storm left we put the kids back in their beds to sleep. But it was CRAZY outside. Thank God we are all safe & sound.

Things have been pretty steady here at the homestead. Typical daytime routine in full swing and enjoying the spring/summer weather. It won't be long before we are in full summer mode where it is too hot to go outside. I'm not a fan of summer but Nick is. We are waiting for our garden to produce some yummy veggies & fruit to enjoy. They are growing really well, we have some small tomatoes forming and a few strawberries. I know the kids will be excited when they actually get to pick the food they helped grow.

Please say a prayer for my Mama Poole. She went through major emergency surgery yesterday. She had a tear in her aorta. It's really serious. She has had 3 valves replaced and a new tube connected to her aorta. She's in critical condition but stable. They said she might be able to come home sometime next week if everything goes like it should. I haven't told the kids what is going on with her. I just told them we needed to pray for her. My mom has been there since yesterday and will be there for the weekend. I'm holding down the fort here. So if you would, say a prayer for my family. We need a little extra right now.

13 years ago

2011-05-06T10:10:00.001-04:00

13 years ago (yesterday) Nick & I officially became a couple. Not to confuse anyone, our wedding anniversary isn't until October but we became boyfriend/girlfriend on May 5, 1998. Who knew that at age 16 I'd find the love of my life. I don't take that for granted. I'm blessed. We are a blessed couple.

So an update on the house: everyone here is fine. Sean is fully potty trained and I think that I might start Sira up at the end of the summer. She doesn't stay dry long enough yet so she can't hold it good enough yet. I'm even working with Riley on potty training so hopefully before long Sira will be the only one in diapers.

We have moved back to cloth diapering to save money and since I always said that when I got down to 1 we would go completely cloth.. I'm sticking to my end of the deal. Sira wears disposables to bed because she pees too much at night but other than that- we are 100% cloth diapering. I've been able to manage it ok so far. Wish me luck!

Wondering proud parent..

2011-04-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

I've been wonder what my kids will grow up to be like. I hope that I (we) raise my children to respectful, decent and hard working people. People who show respect to elders and mind their manners. People who will help others in need and be kind to those around them. But doesn't every parent want this for their children?

What I've come up with so far...
Jack- Jack is a mommy's boy. I think he will always be mommy's boy. :) He aims to please. He loves to make me & Nick happy or to get others to smile and laugh. He's tenderhearted as well. Jack gets moved and touched by others emotions. I have always found it so interesting that Jack came from some of the most un-sensitive people I know and he is one of the most sensitive people I know. Jack will cry watching a movie or tv show if another child is sad. So does this mean he will have a compassionate heart? I like to think it does. I think his tender heart and happy spirit will hopefully shape him into being a good man. I pray everyday that he grows up to love the Lord and that he will be happy and fulfilled all his life. Personally, I think Jack will grow up to be a service man of some type. Whether that be military, police, or firemen. He loves to help others. But he would be a great actor too.

Sean- My sweet Sean is a wild card. He has a crazy temper. He is stubborn and very outspoken. Even at 3, he will let you know what is on his mind. I'm pretty sure he got that from me. ;) But Sean is a lover as well. He loves to be cuddly and sweet. But he loves to be rough and gruff. I fear that Sean will always want to do his own thing and keep me in the dark because he might not want to hear my opinion. He is very independent. He isn't as tenderhearted as Jack. Sean loves to have fun. He likes to laugh and make others laugh too so in that respect. Jack & Sean are both comedic. I pray that Sean has an open heart and that he is willing to listen to others and not tune them out. I pray that he (just like Jack & Sira) will grow up to love the Lord and to be used for His will. I can't get a read on what I think Sean will grow up to be. Maybe an engineering type since he is so particular about everything.

Sira- My baby loves to dance and have fun. She is a very happy and easy going spirit. I know she is only 22 months but she blows me away with how much she picks up. She's so smart and I pray she will always continue to learn at that speed. Sira does speak her mind too much like Sean. She will let you know in a heartbeat if she doesn't like something or doesn't like what you are doing. Very opinionated already and extremely independent. I'm not sure what I think she will grow up to be either. I do pray she loves the Lord also. I can see her being a teacher of some sort. She loves to be the boss already and she loves to learn so.. might be a good fit. I know she will be an opinionated woman for certain.

I'm not sure if that is really what I think they will grow up to be as far as jobs are concern. I just pray great things for them. I'm so proud of each and every one of them. Blow away that Nick & I could make these children. How blessed. Thank you God for my angels Jack, Sean & Sira.

Potty Success!

2011-04-18T10:44:00.000-04:00

Glory Glory Hallelujah!! Sean is finally taking to pottying!

So what is working for now is using my cloth diapers for underwear. I think the problem was that Sean wasn't able to tell the difference from diapers and pull ups so it got me thinking. I have a set of cloth diapers I wasn't using and thought I'd put them into good use as "underwear". He is excited to go potty and doesn't want to mess up his underwear. So, I am hoping the poopying will pick up too. Haven't gotten that far but we have been dry for almost 3 days now. (unless we leave home for very long periods of time and he won't potty out..)

Man, I'm so relieved! I thought he wasn't ever going to get it. Hopefully next week we will remove the cloth diaper insert and let him wear real underwear with the diaper shell on top. If we master that, we will move all the way into underwear. I can't wait!!

When Sean moves into underwear, I am moving Sira into cloth diapers. (I don't have enough to do both completely all the time.)Then we will relieve our budget from diapers. Right now it is currently costing, $40-60 a kid for diapers & wipes a month. (I have kids who pee A LOT, soakers really..) So we are looking at $80-120 savings a month. HOORRAAYY!!

New Blog about food

2011-04-18T08:31:00.001-04:00

Hi Friends!

In an effort to keep myself making great meals for my family. I am beginning an additional blog about food. Food I love, Food I hate, New recipes I try.. lots of fun stuff.

I am continuing this blog as well so wish me luck.

Here's the Link to "Casa De Lamotta"
http://casadelamotta.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!!

Pooping & Biting

2011-04-12T23:16:00.000-04:00

Sean is finally making progress in potty training! It is still a slow going process but none the less.. it is going. He did poop in the potty on Sunday. But I'm not so sure that wasn't just an accident. At any rate, he has been staying dry most of the day and he did have a poopy accident today but we will just keep moving forward and I'm hoping that in the next couple of weeks, we will have full potty success. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

My kids are currently a little obsessed with the Karate Kid. Not the cool old school Daniel Larusso one, the new Jaden Smith one. So now they care karate chopping everyone and every thing. Even Sira comes up and punches me. I'm glad they have a hobby and all but dang... they are beating up Mommy in the grand scheme. We have also now into biting one another. Oh yea.. this is a good time. Let me paint the picture for you..
Sean is playing keep away with Sira's hat. Sira goes along with this for a while but then she decides she has had enough. She bit Sean a couple of times (not hard) but then she really laid into him. On his shoulder blade. Now he has a big bruise on his shoulder. But the biting action doesn't stop there.. Later on Jack & Sean get into a fight about the new soccer ball. Sean gets mad and goes full onto to Jack's arm. Bites him so hard that there is a purple teeth ring on his arm. Both of these happen yesterday and still there tonight. I'm certain it will be there tomorrow too. This isn't unusual in our house. It makes me CRAZY. I guess in toddlerland.. who ever had the bigger bite, wins.

How do you do it?

2011-04-07T14:40:00.000-04:00

"How do you do it?" is the question I get asked when we go out anywhere with our kids. Today I was asked that question while taking the kids to the bathroom at lunch. I simple smile and reply "I do what I have to do.." And that is the God's honest truth. As previously blogged, my favorite place to watch people watch me is at Cracker Barrel. You can tell that old people think Nick & I are nuts. But it is extra fun to watch them when I'm by myself with the 3 kids. What else am I to do? I can't leave them at home while I go out and live life. People are just funny.

Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if we only had just 1 kid. Seems to be like it would be a cake walk. But then again if I only ever had 1, I wouldn't know the difference. But then I wonder what if we have 5-6 kids. I think I'd be certifiably insane. I would have a head full of (beautiful) gray hair and I would probably weigh 500 lbs because I'd eat myself to death trying to stay sane. Yes, just incase you didn't already know. I'm an emotional closet eater.

Which brings me to another subject. How come some people eat to live but I live to eat. I love to eat. I love food, everything about most food. I find food comforting and satisfying. This is why I'm not a skinny lady. But I know there are other people who just eat to live. They don't care much about food and do as little as possible with it as they can. Sometimes I wish I were like that. Then I could be skinny. But then I think I'd be missing out on all kinds of stuff. So what's a gal to do?. I suppose I just have to go to the YMCA more. lol

Weight Vent..

2011-04-04T21:09:00.000-04:00

Do you have questions that you just want answered but there isn't anyone (except God) that can?

Like for instance, (please forgive how dumb or vain this question is) Why did I have to get my mom's height and my dad's weight? Why couldn't I have been more physically like my mom? Or, if I was going to have more weight, how come I couldn't get more height from my dad's side? I mean, not to mock God's creation, but I wish he wouldn't have been so "creative" with me. I would love nothing more in the world to not have ever had a weight problem. I hate my weight. I hate the fact that I will have to worry about my weight all the days of my life. It just doesn't seem fair. I know there are people who wishes they could gain weight but I feel like being over weight is worse somehow. People seem to be more forgiving of someone that might be slightly "too" skinny. But an overweight person is judged even if they exercise and watch what they are eating. Some people are just predisposition to be heavy. I think about food and gain weight. When I splurge for a week (let's say vacation), I know for a fact that even if I don't fall but a little off the wagon, I will gain at least 3 pounds.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! Just sick of thinking about weight and working out and eating all the time. Wish it was an automatic for me.

That's not the only question I would like to ask God but that is the big one today. Thanks for reading this vent. You must really love me. :)

Potty Training Sean.. part 2

2011-04-02T00:53:00.000-04:00

Sad to say that I quit. Sean kept fighting against me, complaining and putting up a major fight after every bathroom attempt so I called it quits. He obviously is too damn stubborn and I guess he will get it eventually.

He is the most strong willed child I have ever laid eyes on. Lord Help Me! I know he won't get married in a diaper but it sure feels like he is way too old to be wearing one. I would love any suggestions.. I think I've covered it all but if there is something I didn't try.. I'm all ears!

Chewing

2011-03-31T10:59:00.000-04:00

Sean chews on EVERYTHING. It makes me nuts. He is 3 years old and still continues to put anything and everything in his mouth. He chews on shoes (yes, I said shoes), toys, his fingers, clothes (clean or dirty) blankets.. ANYTHING.

Why!!!!????!!!! I feed this kid constantly. He has all his toddler teeth. I just don't get the oral fixation issue.

Good grief, I think he would eat grass outside and bugs if I wasn't watching him. He has no idea what is clean and dirty, he just sticks it in his mouth. Sira doesn't even do that. When will this stop?