Garibay Soup

A little edition of my kids say

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:59:00 +0000

I figured it was time for another little blog post about the things that my kids say.... the things that shock me and make me laugh and wonder WHERE DID THEY GET THAT FROM?!?!

Ella: The other night we were sitting down eating dinner and this little girl who just turned 2 in August told her dad "I don't have to." After he told her to eat her dinner. She said it with a little attitude on her face and Gino and I just looked at each other with this look like... Oh boy, we're in for it!

Jayden: This one was hilarious! Where he got this is beyond me!! We were pulling into the Walmart parking lot when we saw a cop pulling someone over. Jayden says very softly, "Oh no... there's a cop. Just drive slow and act natural!" Haha!!!!!

Just a Motivating Monday - Success

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Success... something that his been so strongly on my mind lately. But what is success? Success to me is something different than success to you, but in the end I think we all believe that we have reached our success once we are happy in our lives, happy with our situations. Yet, I believe that we should continue on.

I am happy, and I feel that I have already met a great deal of success in my life to be at the point I am at today. But I know that there is so much more that I can achieve in life, and so much more happiness to be discovered. So, I continue on in my search for further success.

Life to me is such a journey and learning process. We should never cut ourselves short and settle in life for something that has just became comfortable.... we need to continue to challenge ourselves and be happy. Once you get stuck in a rut, well at least when I get stuck in a rut, I'm not happy. For us to continue to be successful in this life constantly challenge yourself for happiness, which will in turn lead to success.

Just when I thought it was over....

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Oh boy... if my neighbor only knew that I was sitting here blogging about his life.. UGH! That's okay... he never needs to know! So here I go airing out more...

"Assistant" has my phone number. When I first met her I really was clueless to what was going on next door and I had told her I do photography, she wanted me to do her daughter's pictures so I handed her a business card. She called...

She wanted to inform me that she called the cops, because "Jim" has some of her stuff and she has some of his, she wants to exchange property. Well, she's trying to get statements together from people to give to the cops showing him what "Jim" does. Okay, what does this have to do with me??!?!? I'm not a hooker... I've only talked to the man a few times. Oh, right... one of those conversations was quite awkward.

When I met "Assistant" she had just gotten her boob job. That kinda spiked my curiosity of what in the world does he do? I knew he was an artist, because I've seen him load his canvases in the car, but what kind of "Assistant" gets a boob job? So I asked. I asked him, "Jim", what is it that you do? It was a day I was loading my kids in the car as he was putting art in his. He told me that he takes exotic pictures of women.... oh, so that explains the unusual traffic of women... whatever *rollseyes* Then came the kicker.... "I'm going to say this in the most respectable way I can. If you ever want to do pictures for your husband I would love to do them." Yes, he really said that to me. My thoughts... oh, yeah, I'm just going to have some random, old perv take my pictures! Let me just take off my clothes for ya.... H TO THE N-O!

So, phone call today... she wants a statement about it and then told me that if I had allowed him to (um, never an option) that he would have made money off my pictures. That's great! Could you imagine???? Not that I would EVER, EVER, EVER allow ANYBODY to take pictures of me.... could you imagine if I was clueless, had no self respect and wanted to go ahead with it... then one day when I became rich and famous (because we all know one day it will happen) the pictures came to haunt me... lovely.

I wonder what else is going to unfold. I don't like being the person they both talk to, however, I like to know what's going on. I'm a girl, and drama is my nature. I don't like being a part of drama, but I LOVE HEARING ABOUT IT!

Wow.... um, yeah.... Celeste, I know you're reading this, my friend. And I'd like you to give your Mother In-Law two thumbs up for me on the winner she chose to rent your old house... and while you're at it... COME BACK!!!! I FRICKING MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY! Just think about the fun our girls can have together living next door to each other again. And P.S. Saturday is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!! I HAVE NEEDED A GIRLS NIGHT OUT SINCE MY BIRTHDAY! That's pathetic huh? I owe you for your birthday so it's going to be FUN!

Neighbor Drama Continued

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:55:00 +0000

I got sick and couldn't continue on with the neighbor saga, but here I am to continue for all of those who were calling/emailing/DMing LOL Names are being changed to protect identity.

There was a knock on my door and I answer to find his "assistant" standing there, sunglasses on and not very happy. "Do you know how to get ahold of "Jim"?" She asked. "Um, no." I'm sitting here thinking why would I know how to get ahold of him? I'm just the neighbor that sits back and watches all the weirdness go on.

She tells me that he turned off her and her kids' cell phones, changed his number, threatened to kill himself. He's in debt because he would spend between $300-$500 a day on escorts. And that's where I laughed and said oh... I thought he was a pimp. She looked at me and said, "Oh, he makes money off of these girls too." WOW. So he is a pimp!

"Assistant" continues to stop by wondering if he's come home yet. He actually has come home, cleaned out his garage so he can park his car in there, poured out all of his alcohol and disposed of the bottles in recycling, and is kinda hiding out from her. I have no idea what in the world is going on. I saw him yesterday and asked how he's doing and he said that he's doing better. I asked if he has kids and he said yes, and his wife of 25 years passed away. Then he jokingly said... "I don't think that's the reason for my actions this summer." I think he had a breakdown.

So, "assistant's" story is that he's basically a pimp that sleeps with escorts. His story is that him and "assistant" broke up. Somebody is delusional, and my bet is on HIM. Although he did buy "assistant" a boob job, and from my calculations, this happened towards the beginning of whatever relationship they were having.

My thoughts are, she was part of his "business" or whatever the heck it was, and he took their relationship a little more seriously. I think he realized that he was drinking way too much, stopped drinking and realized what in the world he had been up to these last few months. I think he decided to change everything and had to cut her out of the picture in order for this to work. These are just my thoughts on it, who knows. You can tell the man is lost in this world.

Just a Motivating Monday - Blueprint Your Days

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:04:00 +0000

I'm one that wakes up and goes with the flow. I don't know why, but I haven't been mapping out my days. I know what things need to get done and kinda wing it. Not a smart thing to do when I have a household to take care of, a job I do at home to stay on top of, and a company I am building so I can accomplish all of my dreams.

The logical thing to do is to make a blueprint of my day the night before. I have weekly goals that I know need to be done, so I am looking at my week and decide which days I need to do what. Tonight I sat down and did a blueprint for each day of this week so that I can wake up and know what needs to be done.

I know that this might be something that most people do, but I don't. Working at home can sometimes be challenging and I need to find a new way to reach the goals I NEED to reach.

It feels good when you accomplish something. I've been reading this amazing book called The Power of Focus and received this idea from them. We need to map out everything in our lives and focus on the blueprints that we make. If we aren't making blue prints then how the heck to we intend to arrive on the ending result?

I'm starting this tomorrow, not only for my immediate goals, but my long term goals and dreams. I hope that this will motivate you to do the same.

Probably the worst Halloween EVER... we survived though

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:25:00 +0000

Our Halloween DEFINITELY did not go as planned. It was just a straight up catastrophe from the get go. I woke up feeling absolutely HORRIBLE. That's the first bad thing, then....

I got moody. Moody Amanda is no good. Especially on a holiday! Gino was scheduled to get off at 6, so my job was to get the kids ready. I couldn't even do that right. Orginally Ella was going to be a lady bug, since she already had the ladybug fairy dress. Well, the in-laws bought her a really cute Witch outfit, so I figured I go with that. She wore that to Jayden's school party, then for Halloween I couldn't find where I put the dress. UGH! I had just seen it and btw, it's still MIA. So, I thought... okay... she can go back to being the lady bug. NOPE! We could only find 1 ladybug boot... WHAT THE HECK?!?!??!?! I thought they were both in the car, but only one was there.... GREAT. So, I can't believe I did this, but I grabbed leggings, a tutu & her wings that she wore for her 1st birthday and put glitter on her face and told her she was a butterfly. Problem SOLVED.

Weather sucked and was all rainy, so we decided to head over to the mall for some safe, warm trick or treating. Ella caught on to Mommy's nasty attitude of the day (honestly it was only because I FELT LIKE CRAP!) and decided to adopt it as her own attitude. She was actually kicking people that were in front of us in line! I couldn't believe it my precious, cute little butterfly was going around kicking people. She did say thank you after she got her candy though... made me so proud.

And for the record... we didn't carve pumpkins, we didn't decorate, and all in all it was a crappy Halloween.... next year I am promising myself and my kids that it will be a GOOD Halloween to remember :)

Life isn't always about roses.

And I was like.... wooooa!

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:59:00 +0000

I'm a girl... and girls LOVE a good soap opera story in real life to watch unfold. Well, maybe not so much a soap opera story, but in this case.... A REAL LIFE O.M.G THERE'S A PIMP NEXT DOOR STORY!

I'm gonna back it up here for a second to last week.... I think it was last week. I drop Gino off at work and pull up to the house to sit in my car talking on the phone to my friend Kandi while Ella watched Winnie the Pooh. I figured I'd just hang out in the car, wait for her to fall asleep then drive to pick up Jayden. Well, lo and behold, Mr. Mysterious that lives next door and leaves at all hours of the night and did I mention IS OLD is at his house with his "assistant". Next events happen quite quickly and entire time I'm in complete shock thinking I KNEW IT!!!!

- Trashy car pulls up, blonde bimbo w/tats gets out of car and walks up to house where "assistant" is standing. (Keep in mind I'm in my car, engine off & tinted windows) Trashy girl hands "assistant" a wad of money.

-Mr. Mysterious comes outside and "assistant" walks over to her car while trashy blonde bimbo w/tats goes in the house with Mr. Mysterious. "Assistant" waits outside. Then after a few minutes "assistant" walks over to house, lightly knocks and peeks in and then walks in.

-I'm giving a play by play of all actions right now to my friend Kandi and we're completely just O.M.G CRAZINESS! So the saga continues...

-"Assistant" and blond bimbo w/tats come back outside and the Mr. Mysterious follows.... CRAP! This is where I get caught. Mr. Mysterious sees me in the car... I pretend like I'm not looking and am in just a complete serious conversation on my phone. Too late... girls leave and Mr. Mysterious approaches my vehicle.

His words: I'm in a complete love triangle mess! Did you see the girls?

Me: Yes I did!
Me in my head: and I also saw the wad of cash being exchanged

So, he ends up making this total story up to make me not realize that something completely illegal is going on. So, I come to the conclusion that he is indeed a pimp.

The story doesn't end here my friends... oh no... the saga continues tomorrow ~ and you'll find out what exactly this Mr. Mysterious really does... and I'll tell you this much it's definitely an O.M.G kind of thing!

Tomorrow's events will begin.... there was a knock on my door. (and the knock occurred TODAY! See ya back here tomorrow for the conclusion.

Aloha Friday - Friday Favorites

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:21:00 +0000

Aloha Friday!!!! And of course my Friday Favorites.... Let's start w/the Friday Favorites:

New Blog that I LOVE: {Twin-Spiration} LOVE IT! Kandi is an absolutely amazing girl and I love her to death, the fact that she now has a blog is AWESOME!

Ella ~ She's my best little friend. I have got to say that one of my favorite things that I want to talk about this Friday is the fact that I'm home with her. I couldn't FATHOM having to leave her with someone and go to work. Miss out on all of the fun we have together through the day. It baffles me that people actually only spend a couple of hours in the evening with their kids. That would CRUSH. MY. HEART.

Jayden ~ my little man. Oh my little man! We went to my inlaws this week and they for the firt time really got a chance to see what being a grandparent to our kids is all about. We actually left them for an entire day.... keep in mind I've NEVER left Ella for that long, but they did GREAT. My MIL told me how if Ella was out of the room that he was in he'd check on her and make sure that she's okay. He's so protective of her. I love that... and I love him.

My husband is totally awesome and this week I've seen his eyes light up and him grasp and understand my passion for my new mission in life to better our life. I'm so excited to have him on board with me and brainstorming with me. I really love this man.

Okay now for ALOHA FRIDAY!

What are you dreams, and what are you doing to achieve them?

Make sure you join in and answer the ?'s of many others over at {Island Life}

700th Post - A Little Insight

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:39:00 +0000

This stands as lucky blog post #700. My life has been busy lately! Good busy though! I have a lot on my plate, but feel so fortunate with everything going on with me. Things in my life are changing, I'm changing and I couldn't be more excited. Ever since I read The Secret a few years ago I swear my life has gotten better and better. I have learned how to focus on the positive things in life and I just continue to attract positive things to me and my family.

I know that in life I'm not always 110% positive, but I try my hardest to look at the positive i ANY situation... even situations that downright just seem gloomy. I feel like I have tried to focus a part of my blog on positivity and helping people to realize that if we focus on negative things we will receive negative results. I believe that if you truly believe that everything in your life will work out, it will. I am going to sit here right now and tell you that it works.

I read something in a book that I picked up yesterday called The Power of Focus. I have only read the first chapter and am already seeing wonderful points... one in particular struck me today.

If you keep doing what you've always done, then you'll keep on getting what you've always got.

Stop and read that... and then reread it again. It is probably one of the most simple but truest statements out there. Are you happy? Are you struggling? You are where you are at right now, at this very moment because of choices you have made in your past. If you are happy with where you are at, then keep doing what you're doing. If you're not happy, and know that there is so much more that you are worth and are capable of being, then change your life now. Decide what your dreams are that you want and start mapping out your road to achieving them. The only way to be greater than you are now is to step out of your comfort zone and get there.

Hope that gives you a little insight for my 700th post ~ and hope to see you back here on Monday for Just a Motivating Monday... working on something special!

Out of here... and I'm a guest blogger today

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Packing my bags and getting ready to go to Californ-i-a! It'll be a fun business trip!! And in the meantime you can find me over at Eight Days a Week guest blogging for today!!

CLICK HERE to view my post. And enjoy looking around Pam's blog!!

I can't even describe how much I love them

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:05:00 +0000

I have to say that this picture is probably one of the most breath taking pictures I've taken so far. And I say so far, because trust me - I plan to catch many, many more precious moments like these in these 2 crazy kids' lives.

I love how Jayden is with his little sister. I love how he's always there to help her out... and this picture just shows exactly how that is... he will always be there to help her up in life... I know it. And I love it.

Just a Motivating Monday - Dreams

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:04:00 +0000

If you're just joining in:
-Write a blog post about ANYTHING at all that inspires you, or something you feel will inspire others.

-Please link back to Garibay Soup

-Please snag my Just a Motivating button on your post.

-I hope that we can all go and visit each other's blogs and read what everyone has linked up ~ I hope that this carnival can bring more traffic for you :) So, spread the comment love!

Your Dreams

Do you dream big? So many people in this world are stuck in what I call a big, fat rut! I'm so like this myself at times, but sometimes we get to a point where we are comfortable and used to the same thing every day. What growth are we getting from this? I'm getting to this point. Everyday I wake up to the same thing.... there's no challenge, there's nothing big that I'm working towards and that will keep me in this rut.

So I'm changing this. I'm sitting down and mapping out my dreams... it doesn't matter how big your dreams are, what matters is that you have dreams. If you don't have a dream of what to work towards how in the world do you expect to ever progress in life. You can easily get lost in the every day life if there isn't something motivating you to be big.

Why are you doing what it is that you do every day of your life? Are you at a point in your life that you expected yourself to be at? If not... why? Do you have your goals and dreams in a place where you can see them every, single day? The only way that we can grow and achieve things that we want is if they are in front of us... every, single day. Make a dream board, make a dream journal... just make sure you are seeing your dreams every day and are doing what you can to achieve them.

The Run Down...

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:15:00 +0000

Ella has developed this high pitch squealing scream when she sees anything that's little girl related. Then following that scream is her saying, "Ella!" She's explaining to us all that since that is something that she loves it is Ella's. I love that. I love the excitement that comes squealing out of her. I just am absolutely head over heels in love with this precious little girl!

Today it has been 2 years and 12 days since we discovered that our little precious princess has a heart problem. 2 years and 12 days since we learned that life is so precious and that horrible, sad things can happen to you, and more sadly to our children. I am so happy to say that Ella has been off of her medication for over a month now without any signs of SVT. It's scary, but it's something that her doctor really wanted to test and we're listening to him. I don't think that Gino's on the same page as me on this... in fact I don't even think I'm on the same page as myself, but for some reason I feel strongly about listening to what he says.

She is just this little bundle of smarts that I'm almost not too sure on what to do with. For a little girl just turning 2 I get a little concerned at how much she knows. How much she soaks in. I need to make sure that I am doing every thing I can to make sure that her little mind is soaking things up.... and good things! She's already interested in colors, numbers, I feel like she's going to be reading by the time she's 3. I'm extremely proud of her.

Jayden has been adjusting well with his new class. It definitely does help that it is his old teacher. I'm going to start helping him with goals so that he can feel the excitement when he accomplishes that goal.

I'm currently working on my goals that I plan to accomplish this month, this year, and for the next 5 years. I think that my plan is to sit down with him and do this with him. Have him have his goals written out just like mom and we can get excited together and for each other.

Gino and I are getting more and more excited about the new direction we are taking our life. We both feel so fortunate to have been given an amazing opportunity that will not only change our lives, but our children's lives, and children's children's lives... FOREVER.

So, life has been busy... but in such a good way! We are in the middle of building this amazing company and I can't even begin to describe how exciting and fun our new adventure is for us.

I need advice on Time Management - What Works for YOU?

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:41:00 +0000

I am a girl that gets extremely passionate about things. For instance.... I love photography, I love accounting, I love selling Wildtree, I love my newest adventure of owning my very own international telecommunications company, I love blogging, I love Tweeting, I love digital scrapbooking, I love photo editing and my list could go on and on and on.

So what I need to figure out is how can I enjoy everything and still have time for me, my family, my husband.... there has to be a way!

I need advice today instead of giving advice.

Do you have a million + things you love to do? How do you manage your time wisely? I think my biggest problem in the world is managing my time, and I want to know what works for others. Sorry that I'm not sharing a tip this week, but I could really use some advice.

There actually are people this week giving advice, and some great advice at that! Just head over to {We are THAT Family} and grab a hot drink, and get ready to do some reading!!

She Prayed... and my heart melt

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:07:00 +0000

I wrote a couple of minutes ago a Just a Motivating Monday on a special poem that touches my heart. There are moments in my life where something so precious, so sweet happens that I just want to stop and kiss that precious smile.

Yesterday my daughter did something that was downright PRECIOUS! The girl is only 26 months and in the middle of playing she walked over to the ottoman put her hands by her eyes, her face into the ottoman and started rambling. I heard her say princess and a couple of odd off the wall things, then she says "Amen" stands up and smiles... I said to her "Were you praying?" and she says... "YUP!" and my heart melt at that moment. And I felt like an extremely good mom, and am proud of the example that I am setting for her.

They watch everything that you ever do.... make sure that you're setting the right example.

Just a Motivating Monday - Stop to Kiss That Precious Smile

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:53:00 +0000

I did not have the best week ever... but I'm going to try to turn that around this week. I'm focusing on the positive. I get so stressed out sometimes with work and my kids and the house and then feel like I completely suck at everything... and I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I read this poem somewhere.. I have no idea who to give it credit to, so if you know who wrote it please let me know so I can credit the writer.

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day

With little time to stop and pray

For life's been anything but calm

Since You called on me to be a mom

Running errands, matching socks

Building dreams with building blocks

Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes

And other stuff that children lose

Gitting lids on bottled bugs

Wiping tears and giving hugs

A stack of last week's mail to read

So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet when I steal a minute, Lord

Just at the sink or ironing board

To ask the blessings of Your grace

I see then, in my small one's face

That you have blessed me

All the while

And I stop to kiss

That precious smile

I want to talk for a minute on why this poem really hits home with me. We strive to do a million things throughout the days/weeks and we need to stop to appreciate the biggest blessings that we have received and it's the sweet faces of our babies. I hope that this post motivates you to do something special with your children this week. Something out of the ordinary, something that lets them and you know that they truly matter. They truly are the reason for every single thing that we do in this life. They are the reason you are keeping your blog, they are the reason you feel complete. Stop, kiss that precious smile and be thankful for the stressful moments, the screaming moments, the tears and fears.... because it's all a blessing and a beautiful one at that.

Parenting Tips that Should Stick

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:14:00 +0000

Oh my.... it's seriously already Wednesday?!? Where is the time flying to? This week for my Works for Me Wednesday I'm sharing a few parenting tips. I know, I know, it's a themed week and I'm totally going against it. I felt in my heart that this is what I was supposed to be sharing this week, so here you have it! They're very simple tips, but things that sometimes we might forget. They are tips that take extreme patience, which I know can be very difficult, but don't we owe it to them?

This past weekend I probably received some of the best parenting advice I'd ever gotten. I can say that Gino and I pretty much wing this parenting thing about 110%. We're just basically going off of trial and error and hoping that our kids don't end up needing therapy in the end.

With that said I wanted to share some of the advice that I had received from my dear friend:

#1: Under no circumstances should you ever, ever, ever tell a child they are bad.

#2: You should always make sure that your children know that you are NEVER mad at them... no matter what they do. Instead, when they get in trouble start out with "I'm not mad at you, I'm just mad at what you did. I could never be mad at you." This is probably my favorite advice... kids should never feel like their parents are mad at them.

#3: Instead of using the word "No" over and over and over again {like what goes on in this house} try to redirect them with positivity. For instance, if they're determined to pick something up that you don't want them to pick up just tell them they can pat it. GUYS this is working with my 2 year old! She goes around patting things that she knows she is not supposed to be picking up.

#4: If you don't want your child to have attitude and yell at you... then plain and simply don't do it to them. They act as a mirror to you, and I'm already seeing this happen with my 2 year old little girl. Think before you act, speak, blink... they're watching and they're ready to copy and throw it right back in your face!

I received an abundant amount of advice from the awesome mama of identical twin girls. But these were definitely a few of my favs! Hope that you can take this in and let it work for you and your family like I am going to do.

For other things that work for you visit Kristen over at {We Are THAT Family}.

Just a Motivating Monday - Relaxation

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:47:00 +0000

If you're just joining in:
-Write a blog post about ANYTHING at all that inspires you, or something you feel will inspire others.

-Please link back to Garibay Soup

-Please snag my Just a Motivating button on your post.

-I hope that we can all go and visit each other's blogs and read what everyone has linked up ~ I hope that this carnival can bring more traffic for you :) So, spread the comment love!

I have just gotta apologize for skipping out on Just a Motivating Monday last week! Things were crazy busy in such a good way around these parts that I completely could not get to it... but this is a new week, and this week we're starting this week off RIGHT!

Sometimes we don't find the time that we need for silence... our moments of sorting our thoughts, feeling the feelings in our heart that point us in the direction or path that will define our life. These times of silence and relaxation are so important for our souls. If we just continue to go on and on without taking a time out for ourselves

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering." ~Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne

We run, run, run and try to do everything in our little power to rush a million things in a day that only has so many hours. I do this EVERY, SINGLE DAY! I am going to make it a point to follow Pooh's Little Instruction Book and find time to do nothing, listen to the things that can't be heard and to find time to take a hot, hot, hot bath with candles, soft music and NOT BE BOTHERED!

I would love it if you left a comment and let me know things you do to relax.

School Budget Cuts Effect MY FAMILY

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0000

On Thursday we received a phone call from the Principal. Never a good thing... I'm extremely happy that Gino was the one to answer the phone! I'm sure his stomach was turning as the principal announced who he was over the phone, but then he said... he's not in trouble or anything. And here is where some happiness and irritation begins...

At the beginning of the school year I was a bit SHOCKED at the fact that my son is in a class with 30 kids. I am pretty sure that in the previous years he was close to 16. Um, a kid with Sensory Processing Disorder does not focus well with 30 kids in his class. To top this off there were 6 3rd graders in this class, because thank you to the beautiful budget cuts there just wasn't enough room for them w/the 3rd grade teachers. *SIGH*

Okay, back to the phone call... the principal informed my husband that Jayden is going BACK to his 1st grade teacher, who we & he ABSOLUTELY LOVES! He's not the only one, there will be a few other 2nd graders going with him. He will still be in 2nd grade and will be in a class where a few of his friends from church are... which is a nice plus.

Downfall: I'm a little irritated at the fact that Jayden has become comfortable with where he's at, with his classmates, with his new friend Isaiah, and we are ripping him from that and he'll be starting completely over.

I'm just really disgusted that this is what it has come to. They're cutting budgets in places that SHOULD NOT BE CUT! It's going to effect our children and I don't like that.

A close family friend introduced to me something called Connections Academy which seems like an amazing home schooling program. If things get bad we just might have to venture that way... and I don't want to take him out of school, but I want him to learn.

Dear Blog.. I have excellent reasons

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:25:00 +0000

Dear Blog,

Oh hi there! Yes, I know, tumbleweeds have been rolling around these parts, but just let me tell you......

I have had an AMAZING... A-M-A-Z-I-N-G 3 days. I have gone from being pretty dang excited about an opportunity that was presented to me from a wonderful friend, to being COMPLETELY blown away, beyond excited and looking forward to a VERY successful future.

In the midst of all of the above, yes you have been quite neglected. But here I am getting to write about one of my first experiences. I had home meetings where friends & family I loved came to support me in discovering what it was that had me just so excited! I think the best part was to watch them walk in the house with the demeanor of 'I am just here to support my friend/cousin' and watching them leaved completely blown away and thanking ME for inviting them! I loved seeing the friends that came out to support me and I appreciate each and every single one of them.

Today I attended a training that made a lot of what I am doing "click" I realized how simple this business really is. I realized that the majority of my friends and family would much rather have their telecommunications services through me than some random stranger. I learned that this is so much easier than it sounds and that I can and will succeed at it.

Another thing that really hit home to me was that I can always have a positive mind and attitude about everything in my life. I try to keep this demeanor about me, but sometimes a negative situation can get the best of me.... and my dear friend, Kandi told me something I already know... a little reminder didn't hurt. ALWAYS no matter what negative situation you are in think of 3 positive things that can come out of it. One way I do this is when I get pulled over and get a ticket (which we all know happens often) I actually always tell myself that the cop prevented a life changing accident happening to me. We have to do things like this... we HAVE to always stay in a positive mind frame, or negativity will overtake us.

So tomorrow I am setting a goal... I am smiling even when I don't feel like it. I am building my dream board, and I am working on my plan of success, because I'm honestly ready to rock!

P.S. I totally understand if you're interested in what I'm talking about! You can always go {HERE} or if you're interested in ways I can SAVE YOU $$ on services that you already are using with {NO CATCH}... get in touch with me IMMEDIATELY! Click on the contact tab at the top of the page.

Creating My Own Success Story

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0000

I have completely neglected Garibay Soup these past few days.... almost a week actually. I took some time away from my blog, twitter (not full on, but tried to keep it on the back burner) and just did things that needed to be done.

My friend Kandi contacted me regarding a business opportunity that she's been trying to pitch to me for a while. I never have joined, or listened, because LIFE IS BUSY. I don't have time for another thing, I don't have time to even think... but she just happened to call me one more time on a day I really needed that call. So, I listened. I listened and had chills as she talked, excitement in my heart, because this is something I could easily do! This is something that my husband and I could do TOGETHER! I took a few days, thought, researched, read success stories, prayed and came to a conclusion... this is the answer I've been waiting for! Today I signed up. Today is the first day in this new journey. I will blog about, I will share the things I like, dislike and the success I KNOW I will have.

You are what you think you are, and I think I am filled with success. I think that I can do ANYTHING that my mind gets set to, and if somebody before me pulled it off, guess what... I CAN PULL IT OFF! I'm not even going to get into the amount of $$ my friend has made, because it sounds unrealistic, but the fact is it is realistic. That's her success story though, and I can create my own where I can tell you... hey I just made $14,000.00 this month and I'm taking a trip to Italy with my family. Yes, it can happen.

I know that many people are very skeptical of any kind of Multi Level Marketing business, but my question to your right now is WHY? Why not take advantage of an amazing thing created for people where they can work right from home and make what executives that spend HOURS UPON HOURS at the office make? I'm going to step out on a limb and try this for you, for me, for my family, for my friends. I will blog about my journey, my successes and how much I think you should join in on this.

To view my new website regarding my new adventure {CLICK HERE}

Remember.. it doesn't matter what you do. You can be successful at ANYTHING. Don't listen to people's negative words about the things that you feel passionate about, just listen to the positive and make YOUR own success story. The success story where you change your family's life for generations to come.

If you're interested in keeping tabs on what it is that I'm doing please follow me via {RSS} and {Twitter}. My success story can be your success story contact me if you're interested in more info on my new journey.

P.S. I'm still sticking with my Wildtree, because WILDTREE ROCKS! If you haven't tasted it yet, you're totally missing out... check it out {HERE}

What works for me is taking rein of my life, creating my success story and being positive about EVERYTHING. I'm accepting that there are opportunities that seem too good to be true, but they are true, because IT HAS HAPPENED FOR SOMEONE ELSE, WHY NOT LET IT HAPPEN FOR YOU? My friend, Kandi, is a VERY close family friend who has left her executive job to find success in something so simple, so easy and I'm going to be JUST LIKE HER! Will you?

Head over to {We are THAT Family} for more things that work for hundreds of others.

Wordless Wednesday... take time to smell the flowers

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:32:00 +0000

It's all about smelling the flowers on a beautiful summer day.

For more Wordless Wednesday head over to {5Minutes4Mom}

I'm baaaack! Let's get this Wildtree Party started RIGHT!

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Bringing back a redo of a previous Works for Me Wednesday this week, because I am relaunching and going full strong into my Wildtree Business again. It's delicious people... here's an old post I wrote about it.

I want to share with moms out there an amazing new food line that is ALL NATURAL! There's no preservatives, there's no MSG, there's no Dyes, fillers, no additives, made in a peanut free facility. Everything in these products are NATURAL! The company that is making this possible for us is called {Wildtree}.

I'm a work at home mom, and by the time dinner rolls around I'm cringing as I'm feeding my family junk. Sure, it's a home cooked meal, but half the stuff I used to make it contain horrible things that my family doesn't deserve to consume. However, I don't have the time to spend hours in the kitchen making things from scratch. It just isn't realistic for me.

In addition to all of the above reasons, I have a daughter with a heart condition, a son that has food aversions and reactions to certain dyes (red dye is not a good one if you have a child with ADD or ADHD.... actually any dye isn't) and is in the process of being diagnosed for Sensory Processing Disorder and a husband with high blood pressure.

Another point I really want to express here is about the Grapeseed Oil. I have always been a huge fan of Olive Oil. In my mind I was cooking with the best possible health option for my family.... nope, I was wrong. Grapeseed Oil is definitely the way to go. Wildtree offers a variet of {Grapeseed Oils} that are infused with DELICIOUS flavors. You can read all about the health benefits {HERE}.

Wildtree is opening up across the country! It's an all-natural, preservative-free direct sales company that is growing like crazy! It is direct sales/party plan, and it's the simplest party I've ever seen or done, with about 10 minutes of information and then tasting many of the wonderful samples! It's FUN and very social!

Basically there are 4 ways to be involved:

1. As a Representative - and we need you! There are just over 1000 representatives across the country at this point,
so you could be THE FIRST or one of the first in your neck of the woods!
It's $99 for the kit... and it's risk free if you eat!!

2. As a Host - just let me know when you want to earn tons of free
food products (you MUST try the grapseed oils, the Asian Ginger Plum Dressing,
and the Scampi blend first!). I can get a host packet in the mail and coach
you on how to have a GREAT party. Super easy!

3. As a Culinary Club Member - this is a wholesale buying opportunity
with specials made available monthly to you!
It's $25 for a Lifetime Membership and well worth every penny....
hey, you get 20% off of your purchases!

4. As a Customer! You will LOVE these fabulous products!
Plus, their products are taste guaranteed,
which means if you don't like something
they'll buy it back from you or you can trade it for something else!
You can't beat that..... no grocery store will give you that luxury.

See my website for placing your order or taking advantage of our representative opportunity. There is a short video to watch if you are interested in doing so!

Did you know that Whole Foods is the fastest growing chain in the U.S.? Have you noticed that many of the fast-food chains are taking the trans-fats our of their food?

Generations ago, most Americans ate natural, nutritious food they grew themselves or bought from small, local grocers.

Then large food companies were formed and sought to improve their bottom line by extending the shelf life of their products. Scientists added more and more chemicals to foods. Now we all realize that many of those additives are harmful and governments have begun to address the issue.

Smart consumers interested in the health of their families aren't waiting for government action. They are looking for better, healthier sources of foods. Look around you.... That's where Wildtree comes in! It was formed on the premise that food should not only be natural and delicious but also easy to prepare. (and QUICK!) So whether you're a gourmet cook, a wanna-be, or HATE it, Wildtree could be just what you need.

I look forward in hearing from you. My personal website for Wildtree is {www.amanda.mywildtree.com}, and all of my contact information is on the site if you have any questions. You can even sign up from there to become a rep!

I really love Wildtree. Our health is the most important thing, and I'm seeing the benefits, I've seen my husband's blood pressure drop, his weight drop, and we have not had to sacrifice taste!

For things that work for other's head over to {Works for Me Wednesday} for some GREAT TIPS!!

If you want to be notified about special deals, new products, recipes that I (and other Wildtree users) have discovered be sure to follow me on {TWITTER}

Just Breathe

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:22:00 +0000

My blog isn't always funny, cheery or anything that would ever make any reader ever come back to it. BUT IT'S MY BLOG, so sometimes I have to throw some crap up in the mix that means nothing to anybody but myself... cuz that's why I have a blog right?

The word family to me is a BIG, FAT JOKE! I'm not talking about my precious, beautiful family that I have here ~ my husband, my son, my daughter... I'm talking basically about the other family... the extended family.

I'm not fortunate enough to have a good, close, loving family. That just doesn't exist for us. We have the occasional callers, the people who use you because they need something and then the people who FU&$ you right up the ass. Yeah, if you can't tell I'm pretty pissed off. Dreams are shattered, stress is bellowing and I have to figure out how to make things right.

If I am absent from my blog for a while, just know that I'm working on things. If I'm not tweeting, I'm working on things.

I will be okay. I just need to remember that my husband and my kids are the ONLY thing in this entire world that matters. It's unfortunate when life that's going so well suddenly throws a tornado at you... a tornado that flips everything out of control.

Just breathe, Amanda, just breathe.

8 Years Ago Today I became a Mom

amandagaribay@yahoo.com (Amanda) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:07:00 +0000

8 years ago today I learned what it truly means to have someone in this world grasp and cling to your heart in a way that nobody has ever done. I learned so much about unconditional love, understanding and striving to be the best I can possibly be.

8 years ago today, a beautiful baby boy came out immediately peeing on his mama. I fell in love the minute I looked into his sweet, sweet face.

Over the years watching Jayden grow into such a respectable, beautiful, stunning young man I can't help but Thank God for blessing me with probably one of the sweetest souls I've ever met. If you've had the privilege of meeting him, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Jayden,

I just want you to know that you are the most special little boy in the entire world. I know that you were put on this Earth for something big, and I can't wait to figure out exactly what it is. I love you so much, and am blessed to be able to call you mine. I love you forever and always! Happy Birthday, my baby boy.

Love, Mama