for me

What a cool website to reconnect with what makes you YOU. Go check it out.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Just for fun:
Top ten pet peeves (in no particular order)-
1. people who don't use their blinkers
2. tantrums (the kids or my own ;) )
3. stepping stones with grass growing in between them- like this










4. running late
5. The Simpsons
6. El Caminos
7. putting away laundry
8. waking up before 7 AM
9. mopping up spilled milk/juice (screw the saying)
10. smoking

Top Ten Favorites
1. Alone time with Dave
2. J-Bird, TJ and Coop- the most adorable kids on the planet
3. when Dave calls me wifey
4. scrapping with music in the background
5. comfy pj's and peppermint tea
6. watching a good movie with Dave on the couch
7. yoga
8. birthday cake with whipped frosting
9. dinner with the fam at Sweet Tomatoes
10. afternoon naps

crystal ball

If I could look into the future this would be my daughter and I in a few years:
My father-in-law saved this comic for me from the Sunday paper a few weeks ago. It has been sitting in my scanner ever since. So funny.

We have mice!

I woke up several mornings ago at 6 AM to a faint rustling sound in the kitchen.
Slowly stumbling to the kitchen I realized we had a critter on the counter eating through a bag of chips.
Now I knew why I found food in the morning that was half eaten and left on the counter.
I'd seen the sneaky little critters first hand.
It's time to lock away the snacks so they don't get them anymore.
After all, these ravenous critters can get up on the counters, on top of the fridge and even IN the fridge.
I finally caught one of the unsuspecting munch mouths in the act.
It was on a Saturday and the whole family was supposed to be sleeping in.
He was perched precariously on top of a chair sneaking bread and Easter chocolates.
Here's a representative picture of just how sneaky and quick these little mice are:







"But Mom- I just couldn't wait for breakfast. I'm hungry!" he says. This one and the other brother are going to eat us out of the house when puberty hits.












TJ cracking a hard-boiled egg over the garbage. I have to label the cooked eggs with a sharpie or he will get in the fridge and crack a 'squishy' egg all over himself. It sure beats waking up to a slimey mess all over the kitchen.

As much as I dislike Martha Stewart, her 'good thing' phrase runs through my head a lot. Todays good thing is On Demand TV. Sounds trivial, I know, but I love it for one big reason. I can play Exercise TV whenever I want without shelling out extra $$ to buy videos I might not like. On my journey to lose some weight while raising 3 young chillies at home this is a big deal.

Take yesterday for instance- I woke up at 6:45 AM to a quiet house. Such a thing rarely occurs so I took advantage by jotting down a list of to-do's in my head before everyone woke up.

1. get up.
2. lace up my sneakers.
3. throw some laundry from the overflowing hamper in the washer before the tenants monopolized the laundry room
4. start the Turbo Sculpt (my current fav) segment and hopefully finish up while the kids stumble out of bed one by one

Well, all 3 rugrats were already up before I got laundry started and by the time Turbo Sculpt was playing they were wrestling around my feet. Here's the best part- I hit the pause button to scuttle all the kids to their room for 30 minutes with a promise of something fun if they stay there while I finish. Back to arms and shoulders. I pause my workout during inner thighs to rescue the piano from my 2 year-old with sidewalk chalk in hand. So much for staying in their room. I can't miss squats and lunges ya know, so I pause it 15 minutes later to save all 3 chillies from sugar overload after they find the leftover jelly beans from Easter. Heck, it's all extra cardio in between the actual workout right?

And that, my friends, is why On Demand TV is my good thing for the day.

wake up call

Several things have happened the past 24 hours that shook me out of my status quo.

Someone that I don't even know has touched my life so significantly today. Her name is Jen and she is a fellow scrapbooker that is also a member of 2peas. Her 12 year-old son was just sent home with terminal cancer and given weeks to months to live. I can feel her courage and bravery through her words she has posted about her son's fight. I can not even imagine how much pain, sorrow, frustration, you-name-the-emotion, Jen and her family are going through at this time. My prayers are with this sweet family. They have reawakened my gratitude to God for my healthy family. I am SO thankful for my 3 beautiful chillies and that I experience their learning and growing every day. I hugged each one a little tighter today and enjoyed watching their peaceful, sleeping faces when I checked on them before going to bed. Tania is another amazing woman who has organized a benefit for Jen's family with all proceeds going to them. Incredible!!

And the other, not-so-momentous, thing that happened yesterday that jolted me awake (literally) was this:
We were in a hurry to get on the road to the zoo. Dave turned out of our street onto the shoulder to flip a U and didn't look before he turned into the street. A truck came speeding around the corner and nailed us. I went from thinking about what we were going to pick up at the store while putting on lip gloss, to panicking at a quickly approaching horn, to *SMACK* and spin!!! Everyone is just fine. It shames me to admit that my first thought was, 'CRAP! Now the entire back side of my car is ruined!' I rationalize it with the fact that if I was okay then the kids and hubby were fine too. We didn't get hit going too fast so the damage is minimal. I'm sure it will cost a pretty penny to get the bumper, tail light and possibly the rear door fixed. It's a good thing Dave was driving.................he's going to be paying for it! ;) love ya, babe.

While Dave and the other guy were exchanging info. I asked the kids again if they were alright. J pipes up and says, 'Yeah! That was my first accident!' Here's hoping that there aren't more where that came from.