More of Summer

We moved! To a very small but very cozy little townhome. We're still debating moving back West or North or nowhere...this is the perfect spot for us to think in.

We have A LOT of furniture, lots of chairs, more armoires than any one family should ever need, and a piano..so it kinda looks like a used furniture store but we've already filled one whole room in my mom's house with stuff we can't fit in so we're making things fit, even it means walking around furniture. I'll show you all an after once I find my camera (tears have been shed folks).

We've also been reading a lot. Our weekly trips to the library have been super succesful. Have you read The Library Mouse?..great little book.

I've also been baking. Lots.

This little chair is one of my favorite things. I need a slipcover for it though.

The kids are sharing a room, which means I've had to put away some great little things I've been collecting for Isabelle..a chandelier, some fabrics, etc..thankfully Daniel has white bunkbeds so it works great for the kids. (pics to come) Those little red chairs are getting painted white too. So yeah. lots of fighting and fort building going on in this little room.

Our favorite thing so far has been playing at home. It's been either pouring rain or blazing hot so we've been spending lots of time on this couch. Have I mentioned I love chocolate brown with stark white. Not shabby white. Glossy, shiny, clean white. I plan on getting some white shelves for above this couch.

Ok so I've got to go. I have 3 girlfriends over and were chatting about a dress appropriate for a wedding.

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More of Summer

Show Love

“We can only learn to love by loving.” Iris Murdoch

I was planning the Valentines Day Centers for my son's Kindergarten class when I came across a little book, which I'm using for the writing activity, the book reads: "Valentines Day is about showing Love, we can show love with a note, we can show love with a hug, we can show love with a present..How can you show love? (then they write--I can't wait to see it) I love how simple things can often remind of us of big important things. We've decided (I've decided) that from now until V-day we'll each do something for one person in our family to show them we Love them.

Tonight I'm giving my husband a back-rub, I think my husband will do something special for Daniel and Daniel will sing to Izzie. My husband folded all the laundry--that one is for me.
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Show Love

Is this thing on..

Hi. So I read this thing recently that said--Physiologically speaking the two functions that take up the most energy are Emoting and digesting. Which makes perfect sense if you've ever been through emotional trauma and have completely lost your appetite or likewise used food to suppress emotions. Apparently, the body cannot do both well at the same time.
So, suffice it to say, my life is very complicated. Beautiful, blessed, and full, but very complicated. I've been really busy emoting, digesting and to keep distracted from those two things, creating. (note, I have never liked crafts, or crafty things...but blogging has awakened a crafting beast inside me..see below)

Me, the kids, and the new haircut (which I totally regret, since my favorite hairstyle is the ponytail)

HATE this picture of me, but look how cute those kids are...

Library tote bag for Daniel. Best no sew project ever! (but now I need to make a bigger one)

Home made Playdough is fantastic. The texture is awesome. Recipe here.
I needed a quick solution for toy storage here at mom's and I did not want any more plastic bins. This is pretty easy to make, like common sense easy.
Most of my days are spent running after this 13 month old little rascal. Ever since becoming mobile she has been a handful to say the least. She is one silly girl that one.
I made an art/homework center for Daniel. He has all his art stuff on his table but this one stays in the kitchen. The lazy susan is from walmart ($10..I think) and the cups too (4 for less than $2) all that's left is to super glue the cups down.

Oh and yeah, this is big. My big boy started Kindergarten. I did a whole mushy post about this on the family blog.. His teacher loves him, and he loves her..YAY

Oh and I also made a nap mat for kindergaten. I'll show better picture when it comes home for washing. It's so easy to make and closes with velcro. When it's closed it's the perfect pillow for travel...I had it monogrammed since everything has to have his name on it.

I also had a dinner party for my moms birthday and made caprese, stuffed mushrooms and fetuccinne alfredo with shrimp (recipe to come soon) Soooo good.. and the best salad ever...

I sewed a bunch of other stuff.

I emoted and digested some more and I chipped away at the endless piles of stuff to do.

This week, I will be taking my little boy to have some upper G.I. studies..he has some bad stuff going on..and I will be yet again trying to sleep train my little girl. I may never succeed at this.

Oh yeah, and I got called as Gosped Doctrine teacher.. and I'm also still filling in as primary chorister...and this is the non-complicated stuff.

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Is this thing on..

UPdate

One of the reasons I don't post as much as I want or should...besides my self-diagnosed ADD is my family blog I started a little while back. Up until now I've been posting the same stuff there as I have here, because I trust the few people that read this blog and often the most interesting things happening in my life have nothing to do with organization and the many little distractions I write about. I love sharing the day-to-day stuff and frankly lately the blogs I love best are the ones about people's real lives instead of just picture after picture of rugs and wallpaper.. So I haven't known what to post where, and have worried if this blog would be interesting at all if not for all the personal pics? However, since getting the weekly reports on how many people view my blog, I'm not completely comfortable posting all my personal family pics, that and In spite of how stale it can get, I do have lots of great ideas and things to share.
So I will hesitantly separate the two blogs, or rather the content. I will keep this blog about those other things, and my family blog about my life and family. I hope this will relieve the self-inflicted pressure and the chore it has become to post the same stuff twice. This should solve the not blogging at all problem (we'll see). My other blog is private but I would love to add you sweet readers who frequent my blog, so please please leave your emails in my comments and I will send you an invite. In the meantime a quick update on the month of June so far, and yes these are personal but just this one last time..for now.

We had a Pool Party for Daniel's 5th Birthday, and in this heat it is now the only kind of party I want to have.

We hired this cute girl from church to lifeguard and she was great, she helped set up, kept the pool safe and pretty much played with the baby all day.

Daniel insisted on having an Iron Man Cake. It was Marble cake with buttercream frosting and Strawberry filling...soo good. He was thrilled.

A little family pic

Isabelle Turned 1o months the same day Daniel Turned 5. She's getting huge.

Fathers Day was great, and simply put, my husband is an amazing father. I always say that his talent is being the best family man ever...he is patient, even-tempered, funny and so much nicer than me.
The snickerdoodles were for the primary kids who sang (I'm the chorister and I know almost nothing about music) and afterwards they gave the dads a bottle of Jones Soda with a tag that said you're the worlds greatest pop!
My husband turned 37 which kinda bums me out since I wont even be 30 until next year..(P.S. Jill you can relate right?) But he is the most amazing man so I guess there's a trade off.
I cooked him one of his favorite dinners..Salmon and set the table really fancy with lots of candles. In case you're interested, I use my friends recipe which is basically mixing pesto (in the refrigerated section with the fresh pasta) with spinach-- like a package of frozen spinach to 3/4 of the pesto or 1/2 even...I drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper and just put that mixture on top and if you have it chopped pine nuts on top..then I put it in the oven at 400 for like 15 minutes depending on the thickness/amount of Salmon. You cannot go wrong with this recipe.
and for his cake he wanted Texas Sheet Cake. Recipe found here. I didn't put nuts on it because Daniel is allergic, but I highly recommend you do, at least on half. In the morning he got breakfast, Daniel and his cousins sang him a special birthday song, and we all told him something we loved about him before we sang Happy Birthday..

And his gift was a beautiful Bulova Watch..which I did not take a pic of..I was so sick that day...I thought I was getting Pneumonia or something...as I was cooking I was shivering and I felt like I had been beat with a bat, but it all ended up great and he loved every minute of it. ◦

UPdate

On May 29

We celebrated our 9 year Wedding Anniversary....
9 years later I can honestly say He is still my best friend and the greatest example on how to be a genuinely decent human being. He is devoted, kind, and completely full of Faith. I really couldn't ask for more.

I love you. Happy Anniversary Af.

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On May 29

Updates and Confessions

I hate to use this phrase, as it happens to be one of the most annoying things I think anyone can say ever..but I have Issues. I'm a little bit obsessive and a bit of a procrastinator. Anytime I feel pressured to do something I tend to avoid it at all costs. So the way I usually operate is I have a million things going at once, I'm either completely on the ball or completely detached from things. This is not the case with my kids, my home and it's maintenance though. Sadly, I tend to isolate myself from my friends a little when things pile up. Anyway. This should explain why sometimes I post twenty times in one day and other times I go weeks without anything. I really need to find balance in my life.

Currently I'm struggling to keep up with everything...my paperwork, my finances, my sewing projects, my other projects, my running schedule etc etc. The other day I was very very stressed and I sat down with pen and paper and set out to Identify the sources of stress in my life. I wrote my long list and then possible solutions for them all. I have to break things down this way...So the plan to getting back on the ball included

• re-organizing my space, this always recharges me. I got some drawers, new containers, a pretty frame and bowl and some plush new bath towels..instantly I got more peace.
• Weaning My baby from breastfeding. She is now 100% formula/bottle fed and sleeping better and much longer. This is HUGE. I can't believe I accomplished this. I tried weaning gradually but it never worked. I was a human binky and every time she cried or fussed I would just nurse her. Poor baby. I was taking away her ability to self soothe. She is a much happier child now that she has a schedule and nice big meals.
• I'm back to working with Daniel almost daily with his reading and workbooks and were back to reading to him everyday. As a "retired" Reading Teacher this was a major major source of stress in my life. I am SURE that if he doesn't learn to love reading at an early age, he never will.
• I am working on my finance management issues. I have to become obsessive about it because I just can't do things like a normal person. Since money makes me sick to my stomach, I have to learn everything I can about it and completely immerse myself in it. I have tried Microsoft money, Bill Bugger, and my own excel spreadsheets in the past with no success. So I'm paying, which is of course ridiculous, for an online program by Dave Ramsey, We also plan to take his class. I love his budget software. and you can try it for 7 days for free or about $10 a month.
• We finally got our family portraits over with..oh and after a quick trip to the ER because I thought my airway was closing up as it felt like I was being chocked, I'm feeling better. I think I had some sort of infection in my lymph nodes because they were severely swollen. The ER Dr. was an absolute moron (sorry) but he gave me antibiotics that I are helping with the added bonus side effect of massive stomach aches. Thank goodness for blessings and drugs though because I couldn't even lay down flat.
  

So as far as the actual trip ...when we go to Miami it's usually for some kind of family function meaning a party, and while I love hanging out with my family I can only take so much of the partying. We managed to have some fun though with some late night barbecues , football games and story telling in the patio with my cousins. The rest of the time was spent setting up for the thing--my cousin's daughter's 15th birthday party which is like a sweet 16 a year early. BTW,I got a mani/pedi with my cousins wives and apparently I missed the memo that said all girls in Miami are ridiculously beautiful and perfectly dressed. It was ridiculous.

Have I mentioned my baby always wants to be held. This ring sling has saved my life. I got it on Etsy super cheap from here.

my cute kids..at the party

almost ready..

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Updates and Confessions

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday I went to my favorite Children's Consignment Store and bought this awesome baby bouncy/rocker..My new favorite thing..

Friday night we went to a kids Valentines Party at church, and my friend asked if I could teach the Soccer to the Boyscouts Saturday morning. It was surprisingly fun. My hair is so gross in this pic (it was early for me)

And where there's Boy Scouts, there's Smores.

And Daniel, who was dressed as a "Ninja" was calling fouls left and right..

After we went to lunch at a smoothie cafe and had yummy wraps and focaccia sandwiches..Then we decided it was finally time to get Isabelle's ears pierced. It was now or never because I refuse to do it when she's old enough to remember.. Here's the before. I felt like an awful mother, AWFUL, but it was over quick and I picked the tiniest little diamond earring ever. It looks so good. Here's the before shot.

Can you see her earrings. This was Saturday night. We went to Cheesecake factory for dinner with my mom and older brother and his wife and kids. It was a blast. See how I'm feeding the baby, this is all I do all day. My mom bought me that cute green dress at Marshalls.

And then Sunday evening our good friends invited us over to share in their Valentines tradition. Her husband was out of town on the actual day. Each year she makes fresh Belgian Waffles with Vanilla Ice Cream, Cherry pie filling and whipped cream..OH MY...It was especially good since the waffles were nice and warm..I should've taken a picture.Sooo good.
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Weekend Wrap-Up

Big Weekend

So...Isabelle is scooting. She'll be crawling in no time..the girl is fast. Especially when there's a phone in front of her. And aren't those Babylegs cute..they're the herringbone pattern.

On Thursday it was a birthday party for Daniel's friend (and my bff's daughter). We had an awesome time. Especially because my friend keeps things small and simple, unlike me. When will I learn? The cake was YUMMY!
Then it was off to the fair on Friday. Normally we don't go, but Daniel really wanted to go with his cousins and well, we want him to try everything. It was a bit gross and towards the end over crowded but here are some highlights.

Isabelle HATES her car seat. Hates it. Tries to get out and cries. I'm out of ideas there. (don't worry she was buckled in)
There's a picture of us. I hesitate to post pics of myself because I'm like the least photogenic person on the planet, but there we are. In case you were wondering (people always are) I'm Dominican with a little Lebanese mixed in for fun, my husband is Polynesian . Our kids are the only half Tongan, half Dominican children in the world I think.That's my husband and Daniel in the middle..Those games are so infuriating. Although my son made out like a bandit. He went home with a huge inflatable bat, a huge inflatable basketball (one in one shot, it was niceee..) and a skateboard.
Oh and then there's the reason I go...Funnel Cakes..Mmmmm. So good.Oh and she also wants every and any drink in front of her. It's fresh lemonade, it couldn't hurt. Plus she really couldn't suck any out.On Saturday we decided to go the Farmer's market in Ybor city (we were late) we're gonna try next Saturday. We did go to Urban Outfitters though (my mom made fun of everything in there..go figure) and found a store with tons of weird carved things and umbrellas like this..
We had ice cream at Marble Slab Creamery. I'm gonna be a diabetic if I don't stop soon.
and we discovered our daughter loves Victoria Secret.
Oh and we may have found the perfect (perfect enough) place to live in South Tampa..YAY! I'll let you know soon. ◦

Big Weekend

On a more personal note

Our little baby has turned 6 months. I can't believe it! She still smells brand new and lays on my chest to sleep, sadly though, she also still wakes up twice a night. I am so incredibly blessed to have had this child, both of my children are literally miracles. Through all the sadness and trials of the last two months, who am I kidding, the last few years, I've always had a reason to smile and hope. Children, especially when they're babies, force us to be humble and selfless, they make us rearrange our lives and priorities and in the process hopefully make us better people. And while my days aren't always filled with moments like the ones pictured below, and having kids means you'll worry about, well, everything, it is so completely worth it. "If I had never met you I would've dreamt you into being."-Sebastian Chantoix (the quote in her birth announcement)


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On a more personal note