A great stocking stuffer

I know that January sounds a bit far away...but really it will be here before we know it!

I've got a coupon code again for you, this time to save on Disney on Ice tickets!


Use this code: MOM2
FOR: flat $11 off all performances
Not valid on front row or VIP seats, no double discounts; limit 4 per order
Order here:

http://www.theqarena.com/events/disney_110107/

I think this is a great gift to ask family member to buy for your kids! Or just a little stocking stuffer from mom and dad!

This year it is all about Toy Story 3...Good old Buzz and Woody....who can resist!!
Maybe we will see you there=)

FULL

I am sure feeling Thanksgiving. I feel so icky. My belly has been full since Thursday.

Besides that it was a fun weekend here! We hosted Thanksgiving for my family, then on Friday we went to the Rainforest with my cousins, then we went back to their hotel to swim! That evening we got together with extended family at the Winking Lizard, Saturday we had ice skating lessons and then we put up our Christmas tree and worked on Merci's science fair display board. Today we went to church and did some shopping and then came home to play our new Wii game.
I am determined to get back to the gym tomorrow...it has been weeks, sadly. But instead of giving up, I'm going to start again. Especially since the Christmas season has begun there will be many get togethers and parties on the horizon! So I definitely don't want to be disappointed by the scale, and I definitely want to be able to find something cute to wear!

I'm not looking for best muscle building supplements or anything. Just to loose a little bit of pounds or at least stay the same weight but see a different shape! You know how it goes.
Plus my brother is getting married in April so I gotta be looking good!!
Ethan and Josh got fitted for their tux's today and I cannot wait to see my handsome boy in April!

Hope your Thanksgiving was great!

ThankFULL Week

Today I am thankful that I have a home. A beautiful home...not all the way we want it, and not perfect but wonderful! Almost 2 years we have been here. Today is the 2nd Thanksgiving we have hosted, and this time last year we were working overtime to get the basement done. 1 year since our wonderful TV room came together!! It is so very comfy down here, I love it. My place of relaxing, my place of cuddling with hubby, kids and pets.
We never thought we would see the day we owned a house and here I am being Thankful for it=)



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

ThankFULL Week

Today I am thankful that I have 2 lovely kids. They create almost all the challenges I face day to day, but without challenges, I wouldn't be who I am. The challenges grow me, stretch me, mold me. Without my kids who knows where I'd be?? Not here and that means I wouldn't be as happy as I am now=)

(This picture is from 3-4 years ago! They look so young!)

Disgusted

I am seriously disgusted to learn that so many stores are open on Thanksgiving=(
Lets take away one of the only days people still spend with their family. Lets force mom and dads to choose money over their kids and families. It has been a tough few years for so many. I really don't feel bad for the stores who haven't made what they have in years previous or whatever their excuse is. I will not shop on Thanksgiving. I will not shop on Black Friday. I just don't want to be a part. I am all for deals, but just am sick of the hype.
Another thing I will not do and pray I never have to is buy into the whole cash advances thing. ICK. Stop pretending that you are there for people...you are their to make a bad bad habit.

Do you plan to shop on Black Friday?? Let me know the great deals you got!
(I'm not against shopping on black Friday, I just don't do it...if I do I go int he afternoon when there are no crowds!)

ThankFULL week

It is Tuesday and the last day this week my kids have school. I am thankful for the option to put them in a charter school. We don't have the finances to pay for private schools, and don't feel led to home school, and definitely don't live in a good school district so cannot send our kids to public schools. So I am extremely grateful for this "other" option we have!

Our kids class size can only be 20, they must wear uniforms, they get character education (kindness, loyalty, trustworthy, etc...) they are greatly cared for and known by all the teachers and the list goes on. We love our kids school!!

And all in all I am thankful my kids get the opportunity to go to school at all, so many kids in other countries count it a privilege to get an education and here in the US it is taken for granted the opportunity to be educated.

ThankFULL Week

Today I want to express my Thanks for brooms and swiffers. Seriously. I have hardwood floors and 2 cats and a dog and 2 kids and a husband...whom I am ALWAYS cleaning up after and I just like clean floors. As a matter of fact if you are talking on the phone with me, I am sweeping! Not sure why, but if I get on the phone I automatically pick up the broom! Kinda funny=)

I am so glad that I get to clean up and not have to just deal with the dirt.

So today be thankful that you actually are able to clean, it is a privilege, believe it or not!

ThankFULL Week

I wanted to start a little ThankFULL Week here on my blog!

I love thinking of all the little things we take for granted and be super thankful for them.

I'm going to start with sleep. It isn't such a little thing, but something I do take for granted. so many people have sleep horror stories, especially when they have little kids. We had some major issues with our youngest, for almost a year. But now I think I have some of the best sleepers around! Usually there is no arguing, and absolutely no problems. My kids sleep about 11-13 hours at a time. Only every once in a blue moon does one of them even wake up with a bad dream, or other issues. Josh and I are great sleepers as well. It seems like lately Ive heard quite a number of people who have to use a sleeping pill or other method of inviting sleep. I really don't understand, as I have never experienced sleep problems.

So this is why I wanted to express my thankfulness for SLEEP. I am ever grateful for my full nights of it!

Last minute...

We are such last minute people. My husband and I are both procrastinators...not good to have 2 of those in a marriage! But we figure it out somehow!

Last year we hosted Thanksgiving for the first time. We had grand plans to make a TV room in our basement, so of course it didn't get finished till hours before family got here...ugh...and there is STILL molding and stuff that needs to be done.

And just recently did we replace the light bulb in our bathroom fan above the shower...its only been 8 months or so.

Tonight was another get stuff done night, the middle rail on our bed frame was broke, and we felt like it was really making a difference in how we slept, so finally after a few month hubby fixed it for good...that was the easy project of the night...the other one included lots of water all over the place...not good, but it is all better now, so I wont get into it.

Now I am just waiting for Josh to get out of the shower so we can watch House!
I need it after the 2 hours of 5th grade math I had to teach to my daughter...UGH.

A lovely day!

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We weren't able to take a nice vacation like we hoped or even go away for the weekend, so we spent the day together!

We ventured to Amish country and had a blast! We wrote down some addresses to places that looked interesting and brought our handy iPad along and followed the directions around town. We stopped at a huge flea market, it was interesting but not very Amish, the we went to this farm that had a bunch of exotic animals, but decided not to do the tour (very pricey, and would be funner with the kids), then we went to a huge store that was like a kitchen gadget store and grocery store in one, then we stopped a few more random places and then had some home cooked Amish food, then with full bellies head home. Doesn't sound very exciting but it was great to just hang out in a different city together with our minds of of home. We also got some cool things to bring home! Like Amish peanut butter spread, that is a mix of peanut butter and marshmallow cream...YUMMY!! And of course some yummy cheese! I got green onion cheddar (OH SO GOOD) and he got some jalapeno cheddar.

My husband always has the iPad with him, so I never get to play! It was fun to get some play time yesterday! After some discussions I'm thinking some cool ipad accessories would make a great Christmas gift for him! We talked about a few things that he would like for it like a iPad screen protector so we wont have to constantly be wiping off the finger prints as well as a dash mount (or some kind of mount) for the iPad so we can see the gps better or let the kids watch a movie. He has also mentioned getting a wireless keyboard as well. Im excited to have some functional ideas for him!!

Looking forward to a lovely vacation sometime next year!!

A surprise??

I know I mentioned in my last post that next Thursday my husband and I celebrate 10 years of marriage. I did say we weren't going on vacation, but I am thinking about surprising him with a one or two night stay at this great getaway area around here. We've been there once, but I should really check some places out to see if they are available...hmmmm....

The cabin we went to years ago was beautiful, overlooked the woods, which is perfect right about now with some beautiful colors left but some bare trees as well. We had a hot tub on the porch and got to relax in it while it was snowing, now that was cool! The cabin was big, had a great kitchen and we cooked meals together, snuggles on the beautiful cabin furniture while watching a movie in front of the fireplace. There were great paths to walk nearby with waterfalls and caves and also some great antique shops to browse.

I think I just talked myself into checking some availabilities=) Ssshhh don't tell.
Watch...he will check my blog today for the first time in years;)

Thinking about trying

Hey, I have been thinking about trying a colon cleanser...have you done one? Naturally? with pills? Help!

I may need a basic one to start off with, is there such a thing? A basic short one?? I need to start small, but think this might really help me
(I think I will get hubby to do it with me!)

Great way to enter our 1oth year of marriage together...lol (ONLY 1 more week until 10 years!!!)
Sadly we wont be going on vacation right now, probably at the beginning of the year, or maybe not, but looking like we have a big job coming then, so hopefully we can splurge (I will also be turning 30 in March so we can do a double celebration!)
Our passports are ready whenever God tells us we can spend the money!!

So really...What colon cleanse have you used? What were the results??

The cold is here...

It has been pretty cold here the last few days, and supposedly snow will be here this weekend ::gulp:: I hate to say it. Yesterday morning I even had to go start the car to get all the frost off the windows-our 2 car garage is filled with my husbands business equipment=(

The cold makes me want to hibernate, we have not been waking up in a timely fashion (it is extremely hard to get out of a warm bed when it is till dark out), I am unmotivated till later in the afternoon-which means I have not been making it to the gym (and when it was too hot out that was my excuses...excuses, excuses, know!)

I think I need to just get up and dressed and not take the kids to school in PJ's ::gulp:: and head straight for the gym, I don't want to do the lazy persons diet (www.fatburnersforwomen.org) and be all bummed when I am not seeing results since I am too lazy to go work out for 30 minutes or so...such a never ending cycle...but I will beat it...I WILL.

How do you get motivated to wake up in the morning? Is waking up at the last minute better or forcing yourself to get up a bit early at the same time daily?? What is your magic secret??

Halloween 2010

We have a few traditions for Halloween.

#1 We go to our friends house to trick or treat with them. I hope we always will!

#2 We bring Merci's friend who used to live a few houses down before we moved.

What can be more fun than trick or treating with your best friends??

Ethan as a Clone Trooper from Star Wars

Ethan's pumpkin, designed by him, carved by me

Merci as an Avatar

Merci's pumpkin