En la pulga! Órale.

Bling anyone?

The new way to window shop...

My sister baking the old school way...

Braving the crowds...

Looking good!

Went to look at the displays at the Festival of Lights in Hidalgo, TX. The place was packed so we just drove by. Trip is going okay so far. I can't wait to get back home.

My driving shift is over.

My driving shift is over. There was tons me cops no the road making traffic stops. I warned DH and still we were pulled over. ...::sigh::...

DH got me a "Christmas Gift"

DH went out and got me a gift. I can't help but think about how many times he's heard me complain about my body image for him to go ahead and buy me something like this. DON'T GET ME WRONG - I love that he got something that I would have wanted but never would have bought for myself, but I just feel.. I dunno how to explain it. ANYWAY... he got me a Kymaro Body Shaper. Guess what... I love it. It gets rid of the rolls that I have yet to get rid of since the birth of the baby. Eventually I would like to get back to what I feel is a decent weight, but for now I'm happy to have this "gift" and a husband that cares enough about me that he would like for me to have better self-esteem.

He doesn't read this, but I LOVE YOU BABE.

OMG! I won.

Merry and Bright Birdie
Originally uploaded by everydaylou

I can't believe I won, but YAY. If you haven't checked out Leah over at Life as Lou -- YOU SHOULD. She has awesome things to teach regarding scrapbooking. Seriously, check it out!

How they grow!

While dressing E3 to go to the store today I noticed that her clothes fit rather snug. She is/was in 6-9 month clothing. I'm not too worried since I know I have a lot of E2's clothes packed away that will fit her just right. Problem is that they are in Texas. I picked up some sweat pants and sweaters for her to wear in the interim. SIZE 12 MONTHS. She's becoming quite the chunky monkey...

Trip down memory lane... via MUSIC VIDEOS

These are songs that I can recall singing/hearing back when I was in middle school all throughout high school. I still know all the words to the damn songs. LOL i'llbe back with more of my teenage favorites.

Scrapbooking How To

Leah from LIFE AS LOU is offering an online HOW TO class for a Christmas mini-album. GO CHECK IT OUT. It'll get your creative juices flowing.

COLD!

It's really cold, yet again. This morning it was 46 F and Emily refused to wear a jacket, sweater or coat of any kind. She insisted that a long-sleeved shirt was all she needed. I let her go to school that way - maybe next time she'll learn to heed my advice.

LOTS of snow up on the mountains. I'm hoping to get a few pictures of it. I think I may run to the store and get baking supplies so that I can send the teachers treats before winter break. I'm not fond of ONE of the teachers, but alas I have to be kind all around.

I'll be sure to bundle up and take the camera with me to take a few pictures on the way. :)

Maybe I should stop by Emily's school and drop off a sweater for her. We'll see how generous I feel.

Same ole'... same ole'...

Today was not unlike every other day. Get up bright and early - actually it was still pretty dark - and get the kids ready for school. Come back home and be with the girls while trying to tidy up this place.

It was pretty stinking cold this morning, raining even. After the clouds cleared up I saw that there was a fresh crop of snow up on the mountains. I wonder if we'll get snow down here this year.

I was able to speak to both kids' teachers. Both are improving, but especially Jr. Last benchmark test he did not pass the benchmark and this time he did. It was only by 3 words but I'm pretty proud of him. Tomorrow they have the writing benchmark and I hope they do well. They'll be testing all of this week in one way or another, so I really hope they are able to perform well.

I am working on a hobby horse (stick horse) for Emily's "play." She'll be singing I Wish I Has a Pony for Christmas on the 16th and is supposed to wear overalls, a cowboy hat and don a stick horse. I am sewing it entirely by hand. I miss my sewing machine. DH says it has the ears of a rabbit and the snout of an anteater. I wanted to smack him. I'm sure Emily will get a kick out of it, and if anything it'll be unique. Unique = UGLY. LOL

The kids are officially employed now. YEP, DH hired them to do jobs around the house. Emily's title is "Laundry Assistant" and Junior's "Refuse Engineer" - they take out the trash and go dump the dirty clothes in the hamper that's in the laundry room. Hey, one less thing for me to do. We'll see how long it lasts. I think I'm gonna ask for a raise, seeing as how they are making money from the most mundane task.

Well, I was able to get the kiddo down early, so I'm gonna hit the sack too. I hope tomorrow is much warmer than today was. Peace out.

Teaching bad habits early....

Evelyn has recently discovered how to stick out her tongue. It is the cutest thing EVAH! I dare you to say otherwise. She will also blow raspberries, albeit not all that well. It's still cute though. Watch her try to imitate what I am doing, you'll surely get a few laughs.



Teaching her bad habits. from Peace in the Storm on Vimeo.

ACK! Cactus thorns!

Or needles... or whatever you call them!

I think I'm covered in them? Think?

I was using DH's pickup truck today and I totally forgot that he recently used it to go dump a bunch of old branches and cacti that I made him dig up from our "desert landscape." I KNOW for a fact he didn't wash it down afterward and I feel all prickly and stuff. HOW IN THE HELL DO I GET RID OF THEM??! I can't see them - or else they'd be gone by now. I can only feel the damn prickly stuff. Help.

You'd think that as a Mexican, I'd know the remedy for it. What a poser I am.

And what horrific week wouldn't be complete without...

... a SICK KID. The older two had a stomach bug that they are over now but seem to have passed down to Emma. She drank milk and puked it earlier. I tried to give her some apple juice instead and she just puked that too. She did say she felt MUCH BETTER once she was done puking, but this does not BODE WELL. IT DOES NOT BODE WELL AT ALL.

cue screaming and pulling out hair.

Washing mouth out with soap....

Every year you see it. A Christmas Movie. Every year you see the scene where he says the alternative to FUDGE and gets his mouth washed out with soap. Every year you laugh. Until the year that you find yourself using the same method to get your OWN kid to not say curse words.

Who's the culprit? Emily. I overheard her last night asking Junior if he knew what bee with an itch was/meant. I don't want her EVER using the word again, so I did the soap stint. It was only to send the message home that those are DIRTY words and when you use them they get your MOUTH DIRTY and therefore I have to wash out her mouth with soap. I think she got it. And so did the other kids. I would honestly be surprised to know that she uses a word like that again.

I did ask her who she heard it from and she fessed up. This morning I called her teacher and told her about it so she can addressed the use of those words and notify the child's parents in the event that they would like to nip this in the bud. I feel like such an AWFUL parent when I'm the one that has to discipline. Let's hope I can get used to this part of my job.

HELP PLEASE.

Junior is driving me insane.

Back when we were in Texas he was doing GREAT academically. He was ahead of most kids in his class (just like Emily is now) and had straight A's for almost every subject. This year has been a COMPLETE MESS. The kid is so damn stubborn and uncommunicative that I just don't know what to do with him. I TRY to help him with his homework and instead he gets all pissy with me takes his papers and says he'll do it on his own. When he re-emerges from his room I ask to see his homework and it's WRONG. You can tell that he doesn't even TRY to do the work, he just scribbles down WHATEVER so he can get it over with. Once I tell him to review his work and try again he throws these huge hissy fits with screaming, kicking walls and throwing things around. I have concluded that the damn kids wants me to GIVE him the answers, something I REFUSE to do. I have told him time and time again that I will help him find the answer but that I wont give it to him. EVERY SINGLE TIME it's the same bullshit until I've had enough and I have to get mean with him. I HATE that he puts me in such a situation. I try to talk to him in a calm tone about how he needs to TRY and how he needs to ask for help if he's stuck and he just grunts back and refuses to engage in any sort of conversation. I've asked him to use WORDS to communicate with us instead of kicking/hitting the walls and it goes in one ear and out the other. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I'm sure it has plenty to do with him pushing his limits, but I'm getting tired of this power struggle.


BEDTIME -- BBL w/ more.

Stressing....

DH tells me that the mine will be cutting down productivity by 50%. This means people will be laid off and hours will be cut back. He was reassured that he would have a job until mid-January but things are not clear after that. Here's to hoping that we can make our dollars last until then, that we get a good income tax return and that we sell the house in Texas. This is stressful. Very, very stressful. I can't let DH know how I feel though, or it'll add this his monumental stress.

Taxes! Ugh.

Anyone else getting all their paperwork ready for the upcoming tax season? We want to have EVERYTHING ready to go come Jan. 20th (when w-2's HAVE to be sent out). I just went through a TON of receipts making sure we have everything in order.

Am I the ONLY crazy person that keeps EVERY SINGLE RECEIPT. I hope not.

"I want to sit down you!"

I just have to make sure that I write that down. Soon she'll be able to speak properly and won't say cute things like that. That phrase, by the way, is Emma insistence on sitting on my lap while I'm at the computer. She wants to be here stuck between my body and the keyboard, all the while straining her neck to get a glimpse of Dora or Diego on the television. It's cute and annoying and just now she got off my lap and went to sit down and suck on her "LILOPOP." That's lollipop in her planet.

FOUR PIES and ONE potato salad down...

One turkey, stuffing, rice, corn and dinner rolls to go. I'm calling it a night. Going to bed.

The pies look and smell sooo good. Let's hope everyone enjoys them.

It all goes downhill from here...

Remember my last post where I told you about how my kid decided not to take the lunch I had lovingly made for him under the excuse that the school would be providing a lunch? Well, they didn't. He didn't have a lunch with him. LUCKY for him, his BFF had EXTRA treats packed by his mom and gave Jr a LUNCHABLE. Internet, this is what my kid wanted as his LUNCH. Not some brown-bagged grilled cheese sandwich. He apologized after some prompting by my husband, but my feelings were hurt nonetheless.

ANYWAY.

Today I start preparations for Thanksgiving Dinner. YAY. Not. Lots of baked goodies. Gotta start on the turkey brine, the pies, the bread and boil some potatoes for potato salad and mashed potatoes. Doing potatoes two ways. I'm also making rice two ways: wild rice and Spanish fried rice. Other side dishes will be green bean casserole and whatever else I can come up with.

I just noticed that my titles are such DOWNERS. I gotta make with the happy. Next post will be NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS. I promise. Well... maybe not, but I'll try.

Well, I gotta get to cleaning the place cause the kids have early release today and will be home REAL SOON to trash the place. Maybe I'll take a picture to prove to DH that I did clean the damn house and that I don't just sit around and nap all day. Not that I do that... forget I said that.

WELL GOTTA GO MAKE TURKEY BRINE and print out the recipes for everything I'll be making. I'll be back with pictures! Yay pictures.

Embarrassment

WOW. I never thought I was raising my kids to where they would be embarrassed of me or anything I did. Especially when I'm doing things for them. Today Junior has a field trip. In the note they sent home it asked that we send lunch with them. Not having gone to the grocery store to stock up on kid basics, I made him a grilled cheese sandwich, packed a fruit cup and string cheese along with a bottle of water. It must have been the way the sandwich looked because he tried to tell me that THE SCHOOL would be providing lunch for him and could he just give his lunch instead to his father when he got home. WOW. It hurt a little when my heart broke into a thousand pieces. Here I had gotten up earlier than usual to pack this simple lunch, and he refused it. He asked if he could take JUST the water bottle, and he did.

..::sigh::..

I'm gonna lose my mind.

The baby was sick last week, lots of boogies. I had to hold her at a certain angle just so she could sleep. This week she's all better, except she still wants to be held - non-stop. She is crying in her crib right. I put her in there SOUND ASLEEP and now she's crying because I'm not holding her. I'm putting my foot down. Feel sorry for me. I don't do well when the kids cry - I usually give in.

le sigh.

Snap!

SNAP - This is pretty accurate. Especially the part about parenting.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Grace!

You are a Grace -- "I need to understand the world."

Graces have a need for knowledge and are introverted, curious, analytical, and insightful.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Be independent, not clingy


• * Speak in a straightforward and brief manner


• * I need time alone to process my feelings and thoughts


• * Remember that If I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it may be that I am feeling uncomfortable


• * Make me feel welcome, but not too intensely, or I might doubt your sincerity


• * If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place


• * don't come on like a bulldozer


• * Help me to avoid my pet peeves: big parties, other people's loud music, overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy

What I Like About Being a Grace
* standing back and viewing life objectively
* coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects
* my sense of integrity: doing what I think is right and not being influenced by social pressure
* not being caught up in material possessions and status
* being calm in a crisis

What's Hard About Being a Grace

• * being slow to put my knowledge and insights out in the world


• * feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all


• * being pressured to be with people when I don't want to be


• * watching others with better social skills, but less intelligence or technical skill, do better professionally

Graces as Children Often

• * spend a lot of time alone reading, making collections, and so on


• * have a few special friends rather than many


• * are very bright and curious and do well in school


• * have independent minds and often question their parents and teachers


• * watch events from a detached point of view, gathering information


• * assume a poker face in order not to look afraid


• * are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict


• * feel intruded upon and controlled and/or ignored and neglected

Graces as Parents

• * are often kind, perceptive, and devoted


• * are sometimes authoritarian and demanding


• * may expect more intellectual achievement than is developmentally appropriate


• * may be intolerant of their children expressing strong emotions

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

60 more people...

... were laid off today. Word is that all contractors will be let go. The mine will be shut down completely. DH is smoking again. It worries me. I wish he would talk to me. I had thought of spending the ebay money on trivial stuff, now I'm considering loading up on canned food - just in case. I think we'll weather it out okay, I pray that God provides an answer. I'm scared.

I'll be working on making bows all this week in hopes of making a bit of extra cash that I can put towards necessities. I'm thinking this Christmas might be close to non-existent. The Lord will provide. Have peace in the storm... peace in the storm.

WTF DISHWASHER?! WTF?!

GRRRRRR.

My dishwasher is driving me up a freaking wall. Last month I had a coupon for a gel dishwasher detergent that is supposed to be ECO friendly. My dishes are absolutely horrific. They come out streaked and with this WHITE GUNK on them that is driving me batty. I can't stand my dishes looking like that so I've had to wash them by hand AFTER the fact that I washed them in the dishwasher. This is the MAIN reason I don't use gel detergent. I EFFING HATE IT.

I'm so cheap though that I don't want to buy a new box of powder detergent until I finish the stupid bottle but the hell with that. As soon as I can get to the store I'm buying my regular detergent and sticking with it.

*grumble*
*grumble*

You know what truly amazes me?

All the "Anti-Christ" referrals that are being made towards OBAMA.

So the dude wasn't who you would have picked for President, is it really THAT BAD?What would have happened if McCain would have won? Would we take the CAIN in his name and say "LOOK HE'S A DESCENDANT OF CAIN! HE'LL BRING DEATH TO OUR COUNTRY?" (Just an example of the stupid logic that is going around.)

I just don't get it. I've read opinions of people that voted for BOTH parties and everyone seems to have logical reasons for wanting to vote for their candidate -- but the anti-christ comments and the end-of-the-world promises just seem so wrong to me and afar from logical.

I realize Obama is NOT perfect, but I (along with the majority of the country) considered him the most qualified candidate for the job and that's why he was elected. Can we agree that circumstances are dire and we need to work together as a whole to better the country? Or are people going to refuse to cooperate under the pretext that "He's not MY president."

I'm just really bummed about this... that's all.

It's NOON, do you know where you're kids are?

Mine are tormenting their father as I type this. He was trying to get them to participate in a creative story telling exercise and the end results was them taking turns to tell ONE story. LOL. But at least they all had fun. It's was funny to hear Emma say, "I'll huff and I'll puff. I'll huff and I'll puff. I'll huff and I'll puff..." until DH helped her finish the thought and added the part about blowing the house down. LOL

Most of the kids have colds, including Baby E. Bummer. This has resulted is loss of sleep and very achy back holding the baby JUST SO to allow her to sleep. Poor baby. Emma just came over with my pedicure bag -- ugh. The kid has been raiding my make-up like no one's business. She dumped a whole TUBE of Merle Norman foundation. I haven't told DH yet, he'd have a cow. Speaking of DH, I think he fell asleep. The kids are trying to play pranks on him -- serves him right. He should know better than to fall asleep while on kid watch -- you can't trust those kids.

This weekend has been lazy lazy lazy. DH is having a hard time with all the uncertainties of the economy. I know he fears for his job and worries about what would happen if he did become unemployed. It puts him in such a sour mood -- I have to watch everything I say cause he has just been so touchy on everything. I really hope everything starts to look up soon. I can't stand to see him so worried all the time. I worry too, but I have faith that we'll be okay. Although his mood can be contagious and I need to watch myself. Well, the baby is asking for attention. She has had a lousy day - what with waking up from her nap and all that. I hope the rest of the day goes smoothly. Payday is but a week away, and then we can breathe a little easier and not worry so much.

Dear God, if you can read this -- be with me. Give me strength. Give me patience. Give me love and endurance. Hold my hand through it all... please.

FOOT IN MOUTH AWARD goes to...

ME, of course!

While standing in line to pay for my items at Wal-Mart a kind man made small talk with me. He was there with another man, and to tell you the truth my gaydar was going off. Anyway, I asked if he had voted yet and he responded that he WASN'T going to vote. *GASP* When I asked why, he said that McCain was still going to win in this state, so it really didn't matter. Appalled, I said, "By not voting you are actually helping that happen." To which he responded, "We were going to vote for him anyway."

Oh. Nevermind then... as you were.

Do any of your kids do this?

My kids will go through a whole damn bottle of shampoo in one wash if I don't supervise them. Emma is especially guilty of just dumping the bottle of shampoo if left within her reach. On Saturday I asked DH to get me some more shampoo for the kids, yesterday Emma found the bottle of shampoo and went and took a bath with EVERY SINGLE LAST DROP. Just now she found the second bottle and dumped it ALL into the bathtub. It is sooo infuriating. It makes me want to scream...

Please tell me my kids are not the only ones to do this. It ticks me off to no end.

It is a wonder I turned out a decent person....

My family is making FRONT-PAGE NEWS back home (Rio Grande Valley, Texas). It's actually mom's side of the family. It is freaking crazy....

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/atlanta_19198___article.html/federal_drug.html

IN A SENTENCE: My cousin, Emmanuel Sanchez (former deputy sheriff) smuggled cash between the Valley and Atlanta for a multi-state criminal organization working with Mexico's Gulf Cartel.

His brother Jose Armando Sanchez is currently serving time in jail for trying to sell drugs to an undercover cop. He was a detention officer in the County Prison.

REAL NICE. I am so freaking proud. I can't even believe I'm admitting that I am related to them, but what the hell am I to do.

Family Issues: WWYD

First some background...

I have an older brother.
He's 28 yrs old.
He's been married once before.
Has a little girl.
Recently divorced.

While married cheated on his wife a number of times.
While divorced cheated on his girlfriends plenty of times.
In my eyes, he's lower than scum.

*We've never really gotten along and all the crap he pulls makes me dislike him more. He's also mom's FAVORITE son/child, so bonus points for him.

He is supposedly "dating" a girl. Said girl is 18 YEARS OLD. He swears he wants to get married. He lied to this girl and told her he's never been married before. He said his daughter was born outside of marriage. When he's at home with my brothers he brags about how he can nail her if he so wishes.

I think it's a HUGE INJUSTICE to allow this girl to marry him without first telling her the truth about his previous marriage and what a piece of shit he is.

Mom has meddled in everybody's freaking business before (in regards to relationships) when the person wasn't to her liking but is going through with this major bullshit. She claims to want to stay out of it, since it's not her place. I'm calling bullshit on it all. DH says I shouldn't participate in the wedding at all, since it'd be hypocritical of me to do so. I am trying to fight off the urge to call this girl and tell her what she's getting into....

WWYD?

Potty Training?

Not going so great actually.

I'm starting to get scared....

regarding the whole economic slump we're in. DH says this is happening world-wide and it's scaring the crap out of me. I just finished reading an article about all the jobs that are getting cut here in the states... thousands upon thousands of jobs. HOLY CRAP!

Does anyone have any reassuring words?

STOP THE FREAKING WORLD! I WANT TO GET OFF!

Full day tomorrow...

Can't wait for the weekend. I'm gonna call tomorrow and make an appointment for a pedicure/manicure cause LORD knows I need it.

I iwsh I could catch a few Z's

I'm up all damn day long picking up the place and tending to the girls. Sometimes when I put Evelyn down for a nap I figure I can close my eyes for just a few minutes. YEAH RIGHT. The second my eyelids start getting heavy Emma POUNCES on me and becomes needy. This puts me in a seriously bad mood -- it only lasts a few seconds and then I move on to something else -- but seriously, CAN'T I CLOSE MY EYES FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES?!

Emily and school - Part III

Yesterday her teachers and I met again for a FINAL evaluation. Emily has been in 1st grade for three weeks now and her teachers feel she is doing exceedingly well.

First we discussed her benchmark tests. First the MATH: Example of problems asked where addition, subtraction, counting money, count by twos, count by ones backwards, telling time, and drawing the hour and minute hand on the clock telling a specific time. This last question, she mixed up the hour and minute hand's length - but was still able to point them in the right direction. Overall she got ONE question wrong (the one mentioned). Her teacher said that even with just one wrong, she exceeds what they ask of students at this point. I was nervous with math, only because I don't work with this subject too much at home - but was glad to find out that she is grasping all the concepts just fine.

Next the reading. Ya'll, it ridiculous how many words this kid knows and at what level she's reading. For example, at this point they ask that students read at least 14 words per minute. At the end of the school year they should be able to read 45 words per minute. She reads 61 words per minute. SHE DID GREAT in this test as well. (The rest of the scores escape me at the moment.) She also exceeded expectations for this test.

Emily is doing great socially as well. She has made new friends in her first grade class and has maintained friendship in kindergarten. Her first grade teacher lets her go back to Kinder to say "hi" to her teacher and friends, which I think is so sweet. She's pretty popular with both classes and it seems that everywhere we go in town everyone knows her. LOL Both teachers attest to what a joy she is to teach and say she is a bright little girl. I'm sooo happy for her and sooo proud of her.

We all agreed at the end of the meeting that she will stay in 1st grade permanently since we all feel she's doing well.

Knight in shinning motorcycle...?

Can your TWO-YEAR-OLD do this?

Press ENTER! from Peace in the Storm on Vimeo.

Update on Emily and school...

We had a meeting yesterday with her kindergarten teacher, first grade teacher, title 1 reading teacher, the principal and a 3rd grade teacher observing. They all seemed to agree that Emily would be better suited in FIRST GRADE as the kindergarten curriculum would not provide her with enough of a challenge for her to grow and NOT be bored.

We spoke at length about her reading, math and maturity level and they all seem to feel she would excel in first grade just like she does now in kinder. We talked and talked about everything and it was agreed that she would be placed in 1st grade for a trial period of 4 weeks. At that point we'd meet again to reassess her needs and how well she's doing and go from there.

She is supposed to start on Monday, so wish us luck with it all. Let's hope everything goes smoothly.

Green thumb?

Proof that I didn't kill my tomato plant.

Forgot to tell ya'll...

Emily was probably one of the first ones to start school, as such her teacher has already evaluated/assessed her. I talked to her personally about three weeks ago at which time she was very aware of the fact that Emily is reading at a 2nd grade level. I tried to tell her this in the beginning, but DH feels I just came off looking like a SNOB and braggart. OOPS. Not my intention.

Two weeks ago, Emily was placed in a first grade class for reading and grammar during the morning. After that she returns to kindergarten for the rest of the day. Both teachers feel that she is able to read more words that she actually understands, so they were going to see how the curriculum meets her needs and go from there.

This is the second week she's being going to 1st grade and she seems to be fine with it all. She is so big (physically) that she fits right in with the 1st graders. By the end of the week I'll have to talk to both teachers and see how she's doing and if any adjustments need to be made to her "Education Plan."

Just wanted to let ya'll know...

¤ Sigh of relief... ¤

A little bit on the OCD side, but I finally finished ALLUhe laundry and cleaned the laundry room. I think I might be the only crazy that feels the need to wipe down the washer and dryer in order to proclaim it clean. I can now move on to the kitchen and making Chiles Rellenos. FUN! FUN!

Boy's Room...

... Check!

Girls' Room...

... Check!

We're home...

Washing sheets, covers and blankets. Just keeping it real.

On the road again...

It's really hard to get comfortable when your body is twisted into all sorts of weird angles. Trying to make the best of this trip is getting harder by the burger-flipping second.

When butternut squash attacks...

Moving on to solids is messy but fun. She cried when there was none left.

A few words to the wise...

... DO NOT touch the muffler of a motorcycle someone just climbed off of. It's hot and it burns. Your skin might sizzle loud enough for you to hear. It may also blister. And scream in pain for a few hours. Your hand that is. (You might discover that hands scream!) Not that I did that or anything... just saying.

That's all. Have a good day!

ACK! I'm going BALD!!

I'm cooking dinner and out of nowhere DH says, "Why do you have a bald spot?" I immediately freak out and drop everything to go look in the mirror. Sure enough my hair is thinning and I've noticed big ole clumps of hair falling in the shower. I don't know if I've had hair thinning so drastically in the past, but a quick search on kellymom.com showed that it's perfectly normal and it suggests taking an iron supplement as well as a multivitamin. I'm totally guilty of taking NEITHER of these, so I guess I'll start doing it ASAP. I'll go in for a haircut as well, something shorter for sure.

Any other tips? The only thing I've been doing different is drinking green and white tea for the past few weeks now. Everything else is very much the same. I really hope it's just a so-called phase and I get my hair back. boo-hoo.

First Day of School!

In the words of Emma, "OH MY GOODNESS!"

I can't believe the kids are at school as I type this. It's kinda nice and quiet here, with only Emma and the baby. The kids have been terribly excited all week long about going to school. Yesterday we had Open House and they got to meet their teachers, find their desks and just get to know the classroom all around.

Today I woke them up bright and early and although Emily was still excited Jr was a bit apprehensive. Once we got to the school they loosened up a bit.



First we went to Emily's classroom. Since they will be riding the bus, and Emily is new to all this Junior has instructions to drop off Emily at her classroom/playground before he himself can meet up his friends on the playground at the opposite side of the school. The boy is gonna learn to care for his sisters whether he likes it or not.





Finally Emily's classroom was open and she went in, made a lunch choice and sat down at one of the activity tables.



I made sure to remind the teacher that I'll be picking her up today and she'll be riding the bus tomorrow. I am so damn nervous about them riding the bus. *SIGH*

After dropping Emily off we headed to Junior's classroom. The kid HATES CHANGE, but it wasn't so bad. Thankfully his BFF is in the same classroom and he knows other kids as well. I think he'll be okay.





And I came back home. Where it's nice and quiet -- not really, but it's QUIETER.

Did I tell you that I'm going to attempt potty training with Emma now that I'll have more free time. OY. That's another post for a later day.

Can't wait to go pick up the kids to see how their day went.

My son...

Dealing with Junior is so damn hard at times. I don't know what to do.

The kid is a smart and caring person. He really is. But at the same time he can be so stubborn and selfish and wont listen to logic. He's also very INTENSE and will throw himself wholly at something. For example: He's uber-ready for school. He's VERY resistant to any sort of change. He'll fight it all the way. I'm trying to hype them up for it and yesterday we all went to pick out backpacks for both. We also picked a few clothing items. Today he woke up super early (6:30 am) and brushed his teeth and set his clothes out for school. School doesn't start until WEDNESDAY. I tell him to put away his clothes since school doesn't start until NEXT WEEK but he gets all pissy with me and just locks himself in the room. I just can't WIN with this kid. I try to be gentle in the way I talk to him, but it seems that he mistakes my kindness for weakness. I don't know what else to do with him.

Dh threatens that my "time" with him is almost up. By this he means that all the babying and spoiling will come to a screeching halt and he will be disciplined with a hard hand. Ay Dios mio... help a girl out.

Picture test.

Baby E in the swing.

Testing

Testing

Phew!

Well I had a busy/productive morning. I think. Yesterday DH and I went over the bills, he paid some bills online and I made out checks to the rest. I went to the post office and got stamps for like SIX letters and a few more to spare. I picked up a belt for dear old Kirby cause it broke a couple of days ago. I also dropped by the grocery store and got MILK and a snack for each of the kids and then stopped by Jr's (and Emily's) school to make the change of address and inquire as to when roster's will be posted (tomorrow after 4:30).

Later today I am taking the kids to get haircuts and probably stop by Wal-Mart to pick up a backpack for each and a handful of school supplies. I hope I can stretch my money to get all those things accomplished. I'm thinking Emma needs a little trim too, but we will have to wait and see if there is time and money. This weekend promises to be INTERESTING to say the least. I have to work within a budget for school clothes and shoes.

If you ask me I could use a haircut, new clothes and shoes as well. LOL Oh well, my time will come. Later, gator! I gotta go put the belt thingie on Kirby and start a-vacuuming.

Sometimes I need a PICK-ME-UPPER...

And this is it. I love to go to http://icanhascheezburger.com and just laugh at all the pictures and funny captions. It really lightens my mood. Makes me smile. Make the sun shine brighter. YOU GET THE POINT.

Anyway, here are some super funny LOLZ CATS pictures for your amusement.

And, MY FAVORITE --

Hope this puts a little bounce in your step!

SCHOOL!

I decided to go look at the School District's website yesterday and guess what I found out...? School starts on the 6th! That's like 9 more days! I am not ready. I am not prepared. ARGH! I hate being not prepared.

I guess with the whole house thing we kinda got sidetracked. Now we've scheduled a shopping trip for this upcoming weekend to make sure the kids have school clothes and NEW SHOES (Trust me, they need them) for this upcoming school year. I have been trying to sell off the kids fall/winter clothes from last year and it's going pretty well. I gotta take pics of Emily's clothes and some of Emma's and off they go to make other kids happy. Originally I was gonna keep Emma's clothes but after much deliberation I really don't think they'll fit Baby E this winter season. Besides, I could really use the $ now.

Today I have to go finish cleaning the apartment so that we can turn it in on the 30th. Yesterday we managed to get the kitchen clean and most of the walls scrubbed, today I just gotta go and finish the bathroom and living room. Hopefully we'll get some of our deposit back. Especially considering how NASTY the place was to begin with. I had to use a KNIFE to chip off some of the nasty gunk built up on the sinks/faucets and oven. Yeah... that was nice. I'll do an overall sweep and mop as well as vacuum the place and spray it with tons of air freshener to get rid of that nasty OLD smell. Aside from that I gotta clean this place up, take a shower and well - just be functional and effective in one way or another. Baby E is squealing now, time to take her out of her swing and start my chores for the day. TTFN.

Funny stuff...

I truly do love bacon.

more cat pictures


LOL, This one kinda depicts the kind of mom/sister/friend I am.

more cat pictures


Say it with me, "AWWWWWW!"

more cat pictures


This is what nursing feels like lately...

more cat pictures

Cuteness Overload!

Gosh how I love to look at this little face. One of these days I'm gonna record her squeals. She squeals anytime I come close because she thinks her momma is gonna grab her and give her big ole' smooches. LOL. For now, here she is being cute!



AND ACTION.... (that was me pretending to be a director... ignore this... moving on.)


Adorable Evelyn from Peace in the Storm on Vimeo.

Pictures of Emily...

Had to take some pictures of the kiddo before she grows up even more. Plus this is one of those rare times where her hair isn't taking over her face.






Will be back with pictures of Evelyn and a video to boot. YAY.

So sad...

We moved into our new house. We were hoping to just transfer all of our "services" - directv, phone and DSL. Stupid QWEST doesn't provide DSL in this area and since I REFUSE to go back to dial-up we got cable. CABLE SUCKS. There is NO NOGGIN OR BRAVO. AGH! Shoot me! How will I ever follow project runway?

And life goes on....

Boy, oh boy! Life goes on - whether we want to or not. After feeling enraged and violated by the events back in Texas, we regained our composure and looked at things from a LOGICAL point of view (instead of emotional). I finally gave in and have agreed to rent out our house. I want to HAND PICK who actually gets to live in it - so DH is allowing me to take the steps necessary for it.

I still feel pretty pissy about having to rent out my house period. People have a hard time understanding why. I'll try my best to explain my feelings. See, when we first got married we had NOTHING to our name. Well, that's not entirely true. We had the Jeep. But other than that we had NOTHING. When we arrived at the apartment we had no furniture. In fact we slept on the floor for about a week or two - can't remember. We eventually bought furniture and led a happy life - until DH left the Corps. We had been saving for a while for when he got out, but being so young we really didn't have any direction. And then to top it all off, DH let a friend borrow the jeep and he crashed. To repair the ONLY vehicle we had, cost us most of our savings, so we were back to square one.

We needed a place to live, and we didn't have enough money in our account to rent an apartment, not to mention DH still hadn't found a job. We went to live in a beat-up and nasty mobile home that his brother owned but was vacant. Instead of rent, we fixed the place up to it's present state. We put in kitchen cabinets, carpet, peel-n-stick tile, painted and then installed a new bathroom (that they provided). We put a lot of sweat equity into it, and although it wasn't my ideal home - we made do. Both DH and I applied to the Sheriff's Department to become corrections officers, after going through most of the process, DH was turned down because of a DUI and I was hired. Soon after we found out that I was pregnant again and this prompted DH to join the ARMY.

We moved and moved and moved some more, the whole time I wanted my own place to call home. Determined NOT to make the same mistake we did when DH left the Corps we bought some land and built a home about a year before his ETS date. The home was finished in time for us to live in it. The Valley proved to be a hard place to find a promising career. DH left to Arizona in search for a temporary job, our goal was for him to join the Border Patrol and get stationed back home. The temporary job turned out to be a promising career and something that DH excelled at. He was enjoying himself immensely and climbing the ladder with amazing speed. When the Border Patrol came knocking, DH turned them down and came down to Texas to pick us up. We made the move to Arizona. The house we had worked so hard for, stayed behind.

Now, over a year after DH arrived here in Arizona, we have purchased a home and have decided this small little town is a good place to raise our kids. The house back in Texas though symbolizes so much to me. It's the house I waited for 8 years to come true. It's the house I imagined. It's the house that personifies our achievements, our perseverance. It's my HOUSE, my sacrifice, my hard work, my dreams and hopes. MINE.

To me it seems unfair that I allow someone to go live in it after I worked so hard for it. Why should they get to enjoy my hard work and sacrifice. Why should they get to live with all the amenities I picked for myself. Why? It's just not fair. I admit I'm acting like a child. But, I DON'T CARE. I do love my house, and I do care about what my husband has to say. Now that we've purchased a new house - I guess having some sort of incoming money would help. *sigh* I guess I'll just have to grow up and accept things for what they are.


God,

Give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things that should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Apparentely I spoke too soon....

They broke into our house. The one in Texas. Kicked in the French doors and ransacked the place. MOTHERF$%@%$@S.

OMG I WON!

So, this week has been hell. What with the closing of the house, the kids' birthdays, moving and my family coming to visit all thrown together -- it does not make for a very happy me. HOWEVER, I won something! I actually won! A $25 gift card to the PTA VIDEO STORE courtesy of Trena at Mommy Needs a Review. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of me being lucky. I should go out and buy a lottery ticket!

Well, that's as much time as I have! CIAO!

Happy Birthday Junior!

Dear Junior,

After 7 years, you still haven't outgrown your attitude. I don't even know how I had MORE kids after you. I am happy to have such a strong-willed son and happy that you are the one clearing the path for your sisters. Thanks for being such a BOY.

Love,
The Lady With No Hair
('cause you've made me pull it all out)

Happy Birthday Emily!

Dear Emily,

After days like yesterday, I'm happy I've managed to keep you alive 5 years. YOU should be happy I haven't donated you to a charity of some sort. Or driven off and left you behind... not that I've ever thought of it.

Happy Birthday Sweetie.

Love,
The Crazy Woman You Call "MOM"

The terrible, no good, very bad day -- PART II

Part Deux

Part ONE is here

So after NOT spanking the kids (notice how I do a lot of this LOL) and fixing the window I headed back to the Home Depot sans kids (except for the baby, she is like permanently attached to me). I was smart enough to check out prices and compare appliances online before going there. I also wrote down the model number, prices and all the rebates I qualified for. (I'm still cheap.) DH even gave me FREE RANGE and told me to pick WHATEVER I WANTED. This day was FINALLY turning around! I went through the whole HOUR LONG process of picking everything I want, plus warranty extensions, plus parts only to head to the register and encounter a LITTLE surprise.

Lemme just say I like surprises... surprises are usually good. Like when I was pregnant with Evelyn - that was a surprise. Well it was more like a small heart attack, but it qualifies as a surprise. I wasn't thrilled, but now I'm happy (and certifiably insane). I like it when DH surprises me with roses, and chocolate. Especially chocolate. So see... I like surprises. This surprise however... was NOT NICE and I still don't like it.

We have had a Home Depot credit card that originated as a Home Depot LOAN. This is our second credit card out of TWO. We paid off all our balance on this credit card. We were happy and proud that we were responsible adults and paid off money we owed. RESPONSIBLE. We should be given an award... rewarded. The people at Home Depot don't think so. They figure that if they can't make money off of us in interest, that we're not worthy to have a credit card. So after we paid off the LAST CENT we owed them, they closed our account. They also didn't tell us that they closed our account. Because they just didn't feel like it, because we're not worthy. That was the surprise.... sorry, I'm not good at surprising. Can you pretend to be surprised? Yes? Thanks.

Anyway, back to the register and the surprise you're gonna pretend to be surprised by. So I walk to the register, so happy that I got to pick the appliances I wanted, that I qualified for several rebates, that I got 10% off and that I don't have to make payments or pay interest for 12 MONTHS and hand my order over. I swipe the card and (here it comes) ... SURPRISE! It's declined. DECLINE. I scoff. I blink furiously and say in my most snobbish voice, "What?! I have a *x* thousand dollar limit, and this isn't even close. Try it again." The cashier swipes it again. STILL DECLINED. "WHY?!" I demand to know. She gets on the phone and calls the meanies Home Depot people and they tell her that the account has been CLOSED. Gee, thanks for letting me KNOW! I'm baffled. I don't know what to do, so I call DH and tell him. Yeah, he's not so happy either. However he tells me to just charge it to the credit card. This does NOT bode well. I'm cheap, and I WANT ALL MY DAMN REBATES AND DISCOUNTS AND SPECIALS. DAMMIT. Thankfully the sales associate was still there and told me that I had 24 hours to complete the sale and STILL get the 10% off. I leave, defeated.

I, of course, immediately get on the phone with these sons of ... er, with the Home Depot representatives and ask what's going on. By that time, it didn't even matter. I get the low down and head back home. DH and I compare notes, we've both had bad days. But wait! There's more. In true Castillo fashion, Emily had a pee-pee accident during her nap. Yay - more laundry. And, Emma spilled her glass of lemonade during dinner. That was the cherry on top.

AMAZINGLY, no one was hurt or died today. Not even me. I didn't cut my wrists with the shards of glass when I had the chance. I didn't run into traffic, or run away and all kids are accounted for. They're even sleeping soundly, dreaming of being grounded the rest of their lives. Tomorrow is Emily's birthday. Poor kid, I'll probably lift the punishment for tomorrow - but after that... who am I kidding? It'll start all over again, so I might as well get some shut-eye and prepare myself for it.

If you read all of this, GOD BLESS YOU. Please think of me when your life is running smoothly and perfectly... and when it goes to hell too.

The terrible, no good, very bad day -- PART I

MY GOODNESS. Where to start? Today was just horrible.

I have to admit it didn't start off so bad. I was anxiously awaiting confirmation of an "anniversary luncheon" that would take place today. DH's company was "celebrating" a year of working at this job site. A WHOLE YEAR! They decided they would invite the spouses/family as well. YAY. Free lunch for me + no cooking! Couldn't ask for anything more.

I bathed EVERY SINGLE KID. In a timely fashion, might I add. Did pigtails for Emma, side-swept ponytail on Emily and even put a little clip on Evelyn. And as for me, I even put on MAKE-UP! Imagine that! It was going pretty stinking well, if I do say so myself. I even called DH to make sure what time to be there and I was there EARLY. If you know me, you know I'm late. I'm sure I'll be late to my own funeral, btw. Anyway things were going PEACHY. I enjoyed a good meal, the kids ate some food and then it all went a little bit south.

After the luncheon, DH asked me to take the van in to get a tire repaired. The left rear tire has been low for about a week now, despite our attempts to fill it up with MORE air. I humored him and took it to the same place his boss takes his vehicles. The place was full and it meant I had to wait 30+ minutes for a simple patch job. I had to unload all four kids (a sleeping baby amongst them) and deal with them in the waiting area. Thankfully I had instilled in them the fear of God threatened asked them to behave beforehand, so it wasn't too bad. But still, sitting in a car shop's waiting area was not how I wanted my afternoon to unfold.

After that I was asked to go to Home Depot to take a look at appliances for our *NEW* house. We only need a Fridge, but we're getting a washer and dryer as well. OH MY GAWD. Why do I even put myself in those predicaments?! The kids were HORRIBLE. The only quiet one was the baby, and then after a while she joined the chorus because she was sleepy and therefore cranky. I tried to get the attention of some of the sales associates but they were either busy or on their lunch break of worked in a completely different department. I even told one of the managers, "I was planning on buying some appliances, but if you don't want to help me I'll gladly go spend my money somewhere else." Of course, that was all he needed to give me his undivided attention, something I couldn't reciprocate since all FOUR kids where hollering for mine. I got SOME tidbit of useful information and was forced to leave because DH needed bank information...

He needed bank information because unbeknownst to him, we were suppose to sign all the paperwork tomorrow - i.e. CLOSE ON THE HOUSE. Yeah, he didn't know. I happen to have found out and relayed the message because I called the seller/Realtor and she was excited (as was I) about closing. I can't WAIT to get into my own house -- but anyway, there are too many things that STILL have to happen for us to sign the papers - like making a WIRE TRANSFER. A wire transfer that I cannot do, because even though I manage all the finances and have access to innumerable accounts I am NOT on DH's account. Go figure. This meant DH had to get on the phone and make a few calls and well - that in itself is comparable to Moses parting the Red Sea... seriously. Anyway, he was finally able to figure it out, and we'll be closing on FRIDAY, not Thursday.

During the time that I was relaying all the necessary information to DH (like the routing #, account #, escrow reference # and so on) the kids managed to do a few... er, what's the world I'm looking for? Mischievous acts... that's what I'm looking for. Anyway, Emma DUMPED all of the BABY POWDER on the carpets. The carpets I shampooed not a week ago. The carpets I slaved over and brushed while on my hands and knees. The carpets that left me with sore legs, arms, hands and feet. Yeah, ...those carpets. And then, my loving daughter proceeded to spill a cup of water on the already spilled powder making it a nice paste which she grounded in by stomping on it. YEP. She did this. My loving daughter. Mine. I sighed... I counted to ten, and then I did NOT spank her and moved on. The baby was STILL cranky from not being able to sleep, so I went into the bedroom, closed the door behind me and took a few minutes to calm her down, soothe her and get her to close her pretty little eyes. The kids went into the living room, after being instructed to go to their room and STAY THERE. They turned on the T.V. that was OFF for a reason and jumped around the couches like MONKEYS. After I managed to get the baby to sleep I walked into the living room. And then the next few seconds are a BLUR.

I'm not sure if Emily was startled to see me, if she was jumping on the couch or WHAT THE HELL she was doing, but one thing is clear. On her way OFF the couch, she managed to shatter the window. Break it. Crack it. Ruin it. Splinter... whatever the hell word you feel like choosing... that's what happened to the window. PEOPLE, I am not lying when I tell you that I almost had a freakin' nervous break down. I try to be as patient with my kids as I can, but I can only take so much. ANYWAY, the kid was so troubled by what she had done that she immediately burst into tears. She cried and cried and cried some more and then cried herself to sleep. (Thinking about it, it's a miracle *I* didn't cry.) I called DH to tell him about it and then called the glass repairs places in town. One lady was so kind as to offer that one of the employees come remove the pane for me and the window frame thingie free of charge (just so the kids wouldn't kill themselves on the shards of glass). Thirty-eight dollars and a half hour later the window was good as new.

Please let this be a nightmare...

With HOURS to go before we sign for our new house the kids break a window.

Day 2

This morning was spent doing laundry and semi-packing. We ate left over chicken from yesterday (BBQ chicken, Steak, and potatoes). I washed EVERYTHING, and I also put almost everything away. I took like a 10 minute nap. YAY for naps. I was woken by the ringing of the phone. It was my little sister. And then my little brother calls to ask for antivirus. He's a total dork. Doesn't know the ALT from the CTRL key. Seriously.... anyway... still early enough to be able to do stuff. TTFN

Day 1 (of three-day weekend)

AH, gotta love husbands. Mine cleaned up the place today. He even washed the dishes and added clorox to the water like *I* do. I'm weird, I know. Had cereal for breakfast - hehe. DH had last night's dinner that he didn't get to eat cause he got home so late. He has food-shock and is sleeping it off. We'll go to WM later today and get food to do a cook-out. Planning on making some yummy dishes, need a few groceries for it all. Will also order kids' birthday cakes. One for each. Will probably talk DH into getting me that helium tank with ballons. :)

Baby woke up ttyl!

House Affairs...

Yesterday was a sucky day. It really was. I woke up with a sore boob (which is much better now btw). Then I think I had a fever, so I took some tylenol to reduce it and help with the aches and pains.

Later, around 3ish I forgot that I had to go drop off some paperwork at the realty office. So I call the realtor and let her know I'll be there in 30 minutes. I show up exactly 30 minutes later, and she isn't there. I just dropped off the paperwork with another realtor and came back home. Not even 30 seconds into me unloading the kids the phone rings. It's DH - he needs me to go back to the exact same location and drop money off at the title agency. ARGH. So I have to load up the kids all over again and drive back to the exact same place. I get there and have to wait to see the escrow agent. ARGH again. One of the employees suggested I give her the money and that she would give me a PAPER stating that I had given her money. Not an official receipt, or any receipt for that matter... merely a paper. I wonder how stupid I look. lol I turned her offer down and proceeded to wait. Handed over a few thousands in cash and got my OFFICIAL receipt.

Came back home and sky was getting dark. Power kept going out and coming back on repeatedly. Power back on. YAY. Decided I was having a crappy day and wanted fast food. Went to KFC - power is out on that side of town. Went to McD's - huge ass line that I was not gonna get in. Tried BK, no power, no dice. Came back home defeated. I saw that DOMINO'S was delivering. YAY. Ordered ONLINE cause it's so much easier that way. About 30 mins later - PIZZA. Hooray for laziness and pizza. Kids ate, I ate, DH and BIL got home from work and they ate and we still have pizza to eat for breakfast. DH has a 3-day weekend and I look forward to having the kids bug him instead of me. Will bug DH repeatedly today to see if he's heard from the bank as to when we can close.

Will be back with pictures of our soon-to-be *new* house.

I think I'm sick...

Woke up with a sore boob. OUCH. Have managed to get the kids fed and the house semi-orderly. Feel soooo tired/sore. Everything hurts. I wish I could take a damn nap.

I got stuck getting hazard insurance quotes for our *new* house (among other things). Anyway, it ended up being SUPER CHEAP. Like $373 yearly premium, which is a little over $30 a month. Hooray for me. I get us good deals on almost everything. We're hoping to close sometime next week. Just in time for the kids birthdays! YAY.

OMG, the kids birthdays! Can't believe they are getting older... can't believe I'm getting OLD. Managed to pick a theme for each kid. Princess (OF COURSE) for Emily and Transformers for Junior. Coordinated it with pink/yellow and red/blue. Thinking of a birthday menu. DH suggested BBQ Pulled Chicken, Corn on the Cob, and my version of Baked Potatoes, with homemade bread.

Just a minute.... boobs refilling... kinda painful.

Boobs done.

WHERE WAS I? Oh food.. right. Menu might change depending on whether my parents make it out here or not. I'll ask mom to bring some fajitas. Fajitas are huge for us Texans... we eat them like every damn day. If fajitas, then I'll probably make rice, frijoles a la charra, potato salad and tortillas... FLOUR TORTILLAS. Gosh, all this food. Then we wonder why Mexicans are so damn fat and why we are more prone to diabetes. ANYWAY...

House - eh.
Me - eh. and ouch.
Kids - fed and content
Life - eh.
New house - yay.
Getting old - boo.

Emma has been throwing these DAMN FITS where she pretty much falls to the floor or leeches on to me. I let her thrash on the floor. She is doing it now. Wants the bottle o body wash to squirt all over the house. NOT HAPPENING. Gots to go.

Chingon - Malageña Salerosa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3tH6tUr8s

My girls have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I love to sing this to them... I hope that in the future when they hear this song (or any version of it) they remember me.

Standing her ground.

E2 was born a whopping 18 inches long. The shortest of my four kiddos. She grew at her own pace -- slow -- but has always been a smart little whip. She inherited her height from DH's side of the family. At 5'5" I'm taller than all his sisters.

I worried that her height would be cause for mocking or bullying. Today, she has proved me wrong and has assured me that I have no need for worrying. E2 is the third-born, with two older vindictive siblings that make life for her that much harder. It seems the cards have turned, and they are the ones coming along for the ride.

E1 was correcting her, and before she can finish her sentence E2 has grabbed a fistful of hair and tugged on it, evoking even more hollering from her older sister.

Yes, I'm a terrible mother for not correcting such behavior, but I rather she learn to stand her own ground than give in to bullying -- even if it's that of an older sister.

I'll now proceed to laugh hysterically and bask in my bad parenting. LOL

One more...

... 'cause I can't stop laughing.

Bored as heck...

Here's some funny ones (they're all funny but I like these)...

This is what Emily looks like when she watches one of DH's movies.

I should post this on the kids' first day of school - LOL

This one just cracks me up to no end. Kinda how I feel now doing this "diet" thing.

Today has been a mentally exhausting day.

To say the LEAST. For a few minutes today I DIED. I FREAKING DIED. MY HEART STOPPED, my life flashed before my eyes and the world as I knew it was over. What happened, you ask? Well thank you for asking, let me regale you with today's event.

We live in a stupid apartment complex with no place for the kids to play. I'm a paranoid mother thinking that everyone is out to steal my kids or harm them in some way, so I want them to play within my view. I allowed for them to ride their bikes on the sidewalk in front of our apartment. They rode for a while and then the two girls parked their bikes next to the window and came inside to play on the computer. I didn't see J come inside, maybe I was in the kitchen - I'm not sure. But when I didn't see his bike parked next to the others I figured he'd strayed behind the complex. I have specifically told him NOT to leave the front of the apartment, so I was gearing my mom-self to scold the little punk.

I walk outside with NO SHOES ON (I like being barefooted) and kinda rush around the complex trying to spot the kid. The concrete was freaking HOTT. With a double T. I didn't find him, so I panicked a little but came inside to put some shoes on and look for him on the other side. I went to the other side and didn't spot him either. At this point PANIC has set in full blast and my heart has stopped. I start walking back to the apartment when I spot his bike next to another apartment door. Being the paranoid mother that I am, I start SCREAMING out his name on top of my lungs - my throat still hurts - and banging on the door where his bike is. I'm so freaking hysterical I start banging on a couple of doors trying to see if my kid is in one of these places and ready to murder whoever lured him in. I'm running up and down the sidewalk screaming his name when a little voice of LOGIC told me to check inside the damn apartment.I came to the door and holler for him and he answers. He comes to the door and I've never been so happy to see the little punk. My heart starts working again and all these emotions surface and next thing I know I'm in tears. I tell the little punk to go get his bike from where he left it and plop myself down to recover.

One concerned neighbor asked what was going on and was about to go off looking for J when I FOUND him. Of course, I call DH to tell him of my HORRIFIC ordeal, and he only laughs. In retrospect, I did look like some kind of psycho by screaming and banging and running around like crazy. I feel bad for banging on people's doors like a maniac... I think I woke them up. Eeesh.

Kids want to ride their bikes again... I'm gonna go watch them like a hawk.

Because my kids are geniuses,

and the world must know this. The world must know this so it can be prepared - I'm just saying it'd behoove the world to know what's on its way. ANYWAY, Emma likes numbers a whole lot. She will open the phonebook and just start shouting numbers out. Check her out in action. And notice the cute little wiggle she does when she gets praise. LOL


Emma: Genius in the making from Peace in the Storm on Vimeo.

Summer? Who needs summer?!

Hell has unleashed it's fury upon my household. SCHOOL is officially over. Kids are officially fighting and I am OFFICIALLY losing my mind. *SIGH* How many days till school starts up again?

Even in the desert there are signs of life

Spring is here! Yep, sure is. But as a friend told me not too long ago, and I have since realized it's true, there are only TWO seasons in Arizona: winter and summer. I'm smack-dab in the middle of summer as the scorching 90+ degree temperature can attest. But even though it's too hot to be outside without LOADS of sunscreen for us humans, I can see plants thriving in this impossible weather and terrain. The skies are usually clear and a vibrant blue - and the sun is HOT HOT HOT!

Yep, spring... er, summer is here.

Tooth Fairy UPDATE and more...

Today I bought the Tooth Fairy a gift card for Subway as a way of saying "THANKS!" I included a note in the envelope and signed it, "Safe Flying - The Castillo Family." I thought it would be fun. I'm corny that way.

Today I also had my post-partum appointment, and lemme tell you I was livid by the time I got out. I asked DH to take the morning off so I could go sans kids. He obliged and I even left EARLY to make sure that I would get out of there early as well. In my brain, this makes sense: get there on time, leave there on time. ANYWAY, my appointment was at 9 a.m. - I got there at about 8:30 a.m. I wasn't seen until a few minutes before 10. I left at 10:15. Almost TWO HOURS of my time - GONE. Every single time WITHOUT fail this happens to me. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I hate this stupid doctor's office and once I get my birth control, I'm not going back. I'll go to the same family practitioner I take the kids to. STUPID PEOPLE - AAAARRRRGGGHHH! To top it off the doctor always seems to treat me like I'm an IDIOT. I know I'm young, I know I'm Mexican and I know I have a bunch of kids - but this does not give you the right to categorize me or label me as that of a stupid knocked-up statistic. I am a smart, educated woman that is not the least bit TRADITIONAL in how she runs her life. Saying, "Wow, you really did some research." in a condescending tone is very infuriating and only confirms that you think I'm stupid.

Okay, once those two hours of my life were WASTED. We all headed to J's school to catch his "performance." We got there in time, although with our monster stroller we had to stand in the back. I was able to sneak to the front and record a video of him singing - until this insanely tall girl blocked my view of him. Hmmphh. We also ate lunch together (cafeteria food - some was good some was BAD) and then off he went to play with his friends, DH went back to work, and the girls and I headed home.

I leave you with a video of my firstborn...


May 16, 2008 - 1st Grade Concert from Peace in the Storm on Vimeo.

HOW TO: Spanish Rice

Ever since I have been married and having people over for dinner, I've always been asked to share my recipes. Problem is, I never really measured anything to be able to write a recipe. I learned to cook by looking on when mom cooked and used her "measurements" - a dash of this, a pinch of that, and so forth. I decided I'd waited long enough and set forth to make a recipe. I also decided to take step-by-step pictures... cause I totally suck at giving instructions. So here we go...

(Before we start, forgive my point-and-shoot pictures. It's the best I can do at this time.)

Ingredients: Rice, Oil, Chicken Bouillon

Garlic Powder, Ground Cumin, Tomato Sauce

Note: I use this specific brand of bouillon and it produces good rice.

I definitely recommend it and you can find it in the Latino/Ethnic food

section of any local Wal-Mart.

Also you can use fresh garlic instead of powder, I just use this because it's faster.

Add 2 TBS of oil to your hot pan.

Heat the oil a bit since it will help the process of browning move faster.

Add 1 CUP of rice to oil.

Coat the rice in the oil so that it can all brown evenly.

Keep stirring making sure your rice doesn't burn.

Once you get this golden brown color you are ready to move on to the next step.

Add 1/3 CUP of tomato sauce. Stir and coat rice evenly.

Add 3 cups of water to the rice.(I know I measured 2.5, but I didn't want to use the huge cup.)

Make sure to stir the rice just a TAD to break up any clumps of rice stuck together.

Add 1/2 TSP of Ground Cumin

Add 1/2 TSP of Garlic Powder

Add 2 TBS of Chicken Bouillon. Stir to distribute spices evenly.

Bring to a boil and then bring to a low heat. Cover and let simmer until all the liquid is absorbed or about 20 minutes. If you use a clear lid, it's easier to tell when all the liquid is gone. Let stand for 5 minutes after you've turned off the heat.

DO NOT AT ANY POINT TAKE OFF THE LID OR STIR THE RICE....

REPEAT AFTER ME... "NOOOOO"

And you're DONE.

Your rice should "bloom" - you'll see that it splits and curls at the tips.

That's totally, okay - it's how it should be.