Resolutions from a mom for her family

    As we are coming up on a new year I have been thinking a lot about resolutions.  The past four years I have been... well lets just say surviving.  It seems like the last four years (the years I have been a mother) have been a bit stressful and I have not had a lot of time for improving our lives.  As my youngest has turned one and is starting to be a bit more independent I am realizing where some of our weaknesses as a family are.  So this year I am really going to work on setting up new behaviors for me that play an integral part in my families activities.  I know that I can't make resolutions for anyone else but I am hoping that my behaviors will have a positive impact on my family.

   So here is what I have come up with.  There are three areas in my life that I know need some big changes; home organization, healthy eating, and finances.  Ideally I would love to have a clutter free, clean home while eating non processed "Real food", and have no debt.  Now I know that is a big order for immediate change.  What I have decided to do is each month make a new resolution in each area.  So I will have three little projects each month to improve our family.  Each month I will build on the old resolutions or tweak them for what will work for our family and add new ones.  So here we go

January:

Organized home:  There is one room in my house that drives me crazy every night.  That room is my bedroom.  I used to watch all those home improvement shows where they would remake a couples bedroom and call it their sanctuary.  My room is absolutely not my sanctuary.  Every flat space in our room has junk on it.  In January I am going to declutter our room and keep it that way.  This is going to include cleaning all dresser tops and not piling junk on top every night. I will also go through my closet and drawers and get rid of clothes I don't need.  I am 40 pounds lighter than I was in January 2012 so there are lots of clothes that no longer fit me so they need to go.  My biggest struggle is keeping the lid to my hamper cleaned off.  It always has stuff piled on it so I am constantly leaving clothes on the floor.  So at the end of each night I will not go to sleep if there are clothes on the floor.  I know I was working on this a few months ago but this time I am going to stick too it!

This madness has to stop

Nutrition:  I want to get on the road to eating non processed real food.  For awhile last year I had given up soda but I had one every once in awhile.  I am going to continue on that route, no soda or sugared drinks.  I am going to drink water, tea, milk and the occasional glass of wine.  This is not too big of a commitment.  I have been doing this for a few months but I had a few slip ups.  

   My big commitment in January is going to be eating out, or I should say not eating out.  I want to limit my eating out to only twice this month.  I don't know if my husband will be on board with this but I hope he will be.  Not only is this for healthy eating but it should help with our finances.  My plan to avoid the urge to go out is to have meal plans ready.  When I have the food planned out I am much more willing to go into the kitchen and cook it then when I have to just come up with something random.  Besides dinners, I have a horrible habit of getting the kids fast food or snacks from Starbucks when we are in a rush.  So in January there will be no fast food/Starbucks stops with the kids.  On days when we frequently have stopped before I am going to pack lunches or snacks to have on hand for the kids.  

Finances:  This month I am not going to purchase anything expect for groceries and house hold items such as toiletries and paper goods.  This is going to be a hard one for me. Obviously this one wont go all year long but I am going to see how it goes for the month.  I am terrible about going into target for diapers and walking out with over $100 in things I didn't plan on buying.  I think this will not only help with keeping our finances under control but I want the kids to see that they can't always just buy everything they want.  Often when we go to the store they are asking me non stop for things they want.  I don't want them growing up with a sense of entitlement.  I truly want them to learn patience and the ability to wait for things they really want.

  When I told Ray about my ideas he said, but I really wanted to do a project with my new tools.  Like I said, these goals are for me and I won't make him not purchase things.  He did say maybe his first project could be something for our bedroom to help with organization, or maybe a nightstand.  

So here it is...a mother's resolutions for family improvement. I will update on our progress at the end of the month and set up my February goals.

Who wouldn't want to make improvements for these adorable kiddos!!

Where did December go?

    I can't believe that the month has gone by so fast.  To be fair I can't believe that the year has gone by so fast.  Sometimes it seems like the days drag on forever and I am counting down the minutes to bed time so I can just relax for a second.  I don't know whether this is because I am home all day with the kids or if its just a normal mom thing but days go by so slow and the years fly by.

   I haven't been keeping up with my posts because the month has been busy and a bit stressful.  We had every single weekend in our calendar booked.  We had holiday plans change ten times because of an emergency with our dog.  It has just been crazy.  So here is a little look the month of December in our family.

   The first week in December this little pup followed my dad into our yard.  She had no ID tags but she had a chip number.  I called and the microchipcompany said that the dog was abandoned twice and had no home.  I brought her in and slowly introduced her to our dogs and kids because I knew I needed to figure out what to do with her.  She was a beautiful puppy and was so well behaved.  She was even good with Lilly.  We decided if we couldn't find a home we would keep her.  We did tell the kids that we were looking for her home and that she might have to leave in a few days.  It took almost the whole week for her owners to put up signs.  We had her for four of those days.  When I called the number they described her and came to pick her up.  The kids were a bit sad.  They wanted her to stay but we did have to say good bye.

Nick and Sasha

  The next weekend we were booked solid.  We had a little christmas get together to make graham cracker houses.  I love putting this event together for our fmaily and friends.  It is a lot of work but it is so fun to see all the kids having such a great time.  I can't help but be reminded of my grandmother who taught me how to make the houses and did it with me every year.  The kids stuff themselves with candy while they are doing it but that it half the fun. 

James and his Papa working on the house.

     Of courses Santa also made his appearance.  This year my kids were able to recognize my parents but I think they get a kick out of the fact that their grandparents are Mr and Mrs. Claus. I will have to have a chat with them about it but I can probably wait until christmas next year.  Each child got a small gift from Santa.  My mom is the mastermind behind this part.  She loves buying things for each kid.  We usually do a book and a stuffed animal.  Nick and Joe still remember the book Santa brought them last year.  Joe has slept with his little reindeer a few times so I think he appreciated it this year too.

Family picture with Mr and Mrs. Claus

 The next day we went for a fun day at Disneyland.  This was the first time that James and Joe went on splash mountain.  Nick is about 1/2 and inch too short.  Hopefully he has his growth spurt soon so they can all go on together. 

Oh my!!!  I can't believe they are old enough for this.

    Skip forward to the next weekend.  My Aunt wanted to attend the Wreaths across America event down in San Diego.  It was very important to her and it was something her and my Uncle had done before he passed away.  She was planning on going alone but I didn't want that to be the case.  We decided to go down that weekend and attend the service with her.  Even though we didn't take the kids this time it is actually something I might like to do around christmas time each year with them.  They had a lovely dedication service for all the branches of the military then invite you to walk down and place wreaths on the graves.  They only ask that Medal of honor recipients and killed in action soldiers be left to the families and other military volunteers.  Not only did we get to take some time away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas but it is a time to really reflect on the important things like family and loved ones, and those who have served this country.  We also were able to place wreaths at both my grandparent's and my Uncle's resting place. 

Saluting a Medal of Honor Recipient after placing a wreath.

Mr. and Mrs Claus made another appearance at my MOPS christmas party.  It was great fun.  I am so thankful to have that group of women in my life.  It doesn't matter if I show up with no shower and my hair in a knot on the top of my head they are always there to support me.

Lilly is very weary of Santa this year.  It is pretty funny

  James had his first school performance the next day.  It was so fun to watch.  He has been singing for me all month.  He does a great rendition of Go Tell It On The Mountain.  He even taught Joe and Nick his own version of the song.  His teachers tell me that singing is one of his favorite things to do.  They use music to help focus him when he gets a bit rambunctious. 

 After that our christmas plans changed a bit.  while we were in San Diego for the wreaths our dog Raya got into her bottle of medication and ate the whole thing.  Our original plans were to go to San Diego for a week.  Ray had tickets to the Poinsettia bowl.  We were going to go on the Polar express and we were going to spend the holidays down there.  That all got blown out of the water when Raya had to be hospitalized for five days.  I sent Ray down with the boys while Lilly and I stayed behind to get Raya out of the hospital and take care of her.  She came home needing medication every hour or so.  It was very tiring but at least she came home.

Raya at the vet

   Luckily my cousin was able to watch Raya on the Saturday before Christmas so Lilly and I could go down and enjoy the polar express with the rest of the family.  It is great fun and the kids loved it.  The train leaves from the Campo train museum.  You ride out and they serve hot chocolate and cookies.  They read the polar express and sing Christmas carols.  They have a North pole set up alongside the train so you ride past it and see Mr and Mrs. Claus.  When the train stops they get on and come visit all of the kids on the train.  It really is a fun thing to do each year, especially for little boys who love trains.   After that it was back home for me so I could take care of Raya.  Lilly and I spent 8 hours in the car that day.  I was ready to lay down, that's for sure.

Hanging out with the grandparents is a good thing

Santa on the Polar Express, Lilly wouldn't take her eyes off of him

 Ray and the boys came back the following day and we got ready for Christmas.  We had a great Christmas Eve.  The kids each opened their special presents from us.  I picked power ranger watches for the boys and Ray bought Lilly and beautiful little jewelery box that was engraved to "his little chipmunk."  I love this tradition and I hope to keep it going for a long time.  My dad still give me a special piece of jewelry each year.  I missed my sister this year because we normally open it together but we will be visiting her soon.  We had yet another visit from Santa.  I am pretty sure my kids are the luckiest kids in the world.  They got to talk to Santa so much his year and lets be honest, not everyone gets to say their Papa is Santa.

one of my favorite pictures.  They all have a nice smile!

Special Christmas Eve Present

 Christmas morning we woke up to a little bit of a shock.  Raya was urinating blood.  We were on the phone with the hospital trying to figure out whether we needed to bring her in or if the kids could open their presents.  They said a hour wouldn't make a difference so Christmas morning was on.  The boys ran over to wake up their grandparents.  All four of them were next door.  They thought that was so much fun.  We came back over and had a fabulous Christmas morning.  I couldn't help thinking about Raya while we were opening gifts but I tried to enjoy the moment.

 When we were done Ray and I ran off with the dog hoping the kids wouldn't be too upset with all their new things to play with.  It ended up being one more night in the hospital.  For now she is back with us but we have to keep a close eye on her.

   I told you this month was hectic and crazy but there were a lot of special moments in there that I am thankful for.  I have a very loving and supportive family. I have fantastic kids who drive me a little crazy but are still awesome.  I have a husband whom I love dearly and we are in this game of life together.  Life is good.  Here's to a great new year to come.  I hope everyone else had a good December and a great 2012!

Welcome to Never Never Land, James's and Lilly's birthday party

    After we had our twins party in July I had to move my brain onto Lilly and James' party.  I know most people would think I am crazy but I love to have fun themed birthdays for the kids.  So I started trying to think of ideas that would work for both James and Lilly.  I really wanted to have something girly for Lilly but I wanted James to have a good time too.  I finally ended up with Never land.  We mixed parts of the Disney fairies with Peter Pan and Jake and the Neverland pirates and came up with a great day for the kids.

Lilly all dressed as Tinkerbell and wielding her sword

James loved is Peter Pan hat.

    For starters there was a dress like a pirate or a pixie station for the kids to get into the mood.   For the boys we had pirate bandanas, eye patches and spy glasses.  For the girls we had fairy wings and magic wands.  To be honest a bunch of the boys wanted wings so we just let them.  I had plenty of extras so it didn't really mater who took what.  So we let the little guys run around in their fairy wings.

My twins putting their wings together like Tinkerbell and her sister to see if they glowed.

We had one art project inside the house.  We were making fairy jars.  I found the idea off of curbly.com  and thought that even the little kids would have fun painting the jars.  I knew that they would not turn out perfect but they would sure be fun to look at in the dark.

Pretty simple set up for a craft

James painting his jar beautifully!

The rest of the party activities were outside.  I knew we were supposed to have nice weather so I wasn't too worried about everything being outside.  Plus all the kids love to play so we might as well just go outside.  My general idea was to have different areas of neverland set up in out front yards.  Luckily we have our parents house right next door so make a bigger play space.  Since we fenced our yards in together during the summer it was perfect.

The first neverland set up was pirates cove.  My cousin made some fun signs for our areas.  We had a simple captain hook ring toss and a stack of foam pirate swords.  They were meant for when Captain hook came out but of course the boys found them right away and were sword fighting long before the  guest of honor came.

   When captain hook came he fought the kids and then handed out pirate treasure to the kids who wanted some.  We had a treasure chest full of little trinkets like rings, necklaces and gold doubloons.  After all the fighting was done Captain hook sat down for some pictures.  Captain hook was played by my father.  I can't believe he even shaved his beard to look more like captain hook.  That is a dedicated grandpa right there.  He hasn't shaved his beard since I was 8.  It was awesome.  James was thrilled that captain hook came to his party, which really was the best part.

The birthday girl and Captain Hook

Peter pan and Captain Hook Epic battle in shadows

Captain hook handing out prizes

 Our second area was Tiger Lilly's village.  We had a teepee set up and a small craft project.  The kids had a wooden necklace that they could decorate however they wanted.  We had directions for picking Never Never Land Indian name.  The kids picked an activity and their favorite animal.  If I remember correctly Nicholas was Playful elephant.  They had a lot of fun playing in their teepee and stringing beads on their necklaces.

The last area was pretty simple.  We had a bubble station for mermaid lagoon.  Who doesn't love to play with bubbles?

This is Lilly's bubble face.  She makes it anytime someone is blowing bubbles.

 It of course wouldn't be a birthday party without some cake.  I tried to make a cake that looked like never land and had things on it for Lilly and James.  (Boy girl parties are not as easy as I had hoped)  So here it is along with pictures of my little cake monsters enjoying their moment.

What a fantastic day.  Now on to Thanksgiving and christmas parties.

Happy Halloween.

My beautiful kids!

    I know our family can be a little crazy and at holidays we go overboard a bit but I must say, I will never look back and think,  I didn't have enough fun with my kids.  I have been planning this Halloween for a year.  Because we have three boys who are the same age I have wanted to do three musketeers for a long time.  I wanted to wait until they could walk and talk or truly understand Halloween.  This year seemed perfect.  I was working with my mom starting last year with buying patterns and thinking about other accessories we would need.  We also had to figure out the grown up roles we would play.

   We got our ideas ready then we had to sell it to the kids.  I knew I at least had one more year where I could direct their thoughts into the theme that I wanted to do.  So months before this October I purchased the Mickey Mouse Three Musketeer Movie.  We played it for the kids and it was a success.  They loved it.  I probably don't have to explain why but for those of you that don't know my three boys that well it is because they are obsessed with sword fighting.  We watched that movie so many times I can quote most parts of it.

   A few months ago I started adding Halloween into the conversation.  I told them that they could ask Grandma for a costume and it would be great fun.  I told them that she could make them a three musketeer if they wanted.  James asked if he was a musketeer if he could have a sword.  I said yes and the three of them were sold.  It was a done deal the family would be characters from the Three musketeers.  We even got my parents and cousin Ryan to join in.

    So here is the run down of our Characters  The Boys are the three Musketeers.  My dad is the fourth.  If you aren't  familiar with the story there are three musketeers, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and later D'artagnan joins the group, making four.  So those are the blue guys.  Then starting from the left Ryan was one of the Cardinals guards, Lilly was a court lady (the boys called her princess Lilly but there was no princess in the story).  I was the Countess D'winter and Ray was Rochefort (or the bad guy).  My mom was also a court Lady but most people though she was Merrida from Brave.  Either way she had a great dress.  My mom made all the costumes and I think we looked fantiastic.

We had a few friends over for Halloween.  So the kids got to run around and play in addition to being dressed up.  Like usual our street was packed with kids.  We gave out over 800 pieces of candy and still had to turn people away.  The kids got to play in our front yard after trick or treating while we finished passing out candy.  It was a great night.  One of my friends who came over even said that we were changing her.  Her and her husband came over dressed in costumes.  She said she hadn't worn them in ten years.  SUCCESS!!!!  I love dressing up and I love Halloween.  I hope all the things we do as a family will be lasting memories for my children.  I'm sure some day they will be embarrassed by us but until then I am just going to enjoy every minute of it.  So here are a few of our pictures from that night. 

All for One and One for All

It wouldn't be a good story without the bad guys

The Big Boys in the Family

Get the Bad guy

Fending off the children

Battle stance little princess!

The ladies of the house

The night wouldn't be complete without trick or treating.

And now on to next year....... possibly How to Train your Dragon or Brave.  We will see what I can convince the boys to do!

Small goals for big change - Week 3

Week 2 update.

SUCCESS!!  I can't believe I went the whole week with only drinking "Real beverages."  Now I just have to keep it up.  I even passed up on Soda when my mom brought it over to the house.  It is still sitting on my counter devilishly calling my name but I did not open it up.  I also got my bookshelf and jewelery box cleaned up.  I plan on moving the table out into the living room but I haven't done that yet.   I also need a longer extension cord that will go behind the shelf.

New decluttering goal.

Moving on through our room I am going to work on the side of the bed near the closet.  Right now there is stuff falling out of the closet and pillows everywhere.  Please don't make fun of the fact that we only have a table tray for a night stand.  We have four kids, I don't buy myself new furniture. 

Week 3  100 days of real food challenge, meat. –

Here is the exact wording from 100 days of real food "All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish."

    OK so I had a grand plan to make this happen this week.  Ray and I were going to go to a farmers market on Saturday where there is a local butcher and we were going to try local meats. I was going to do awesome meal plans so that I knew exactly how to tackle this challenge.   Then Saturday happened.  It was attack of the crazy three year olds.  The fact that I have three in the house makes it way worse.  Every time we tried to get them to change activities or get ready to go all three boys were throwing huge tantrums.  Well eventually we decidede it just was not worth it to leave the house.  That of course lead to more tantrums and the day just got worse from there.  So not only did I not go to get the local meats I also didn't meal plan or grocery shop.  When this happens the week is a mess. 

    So I am trying my best to at least try to not make meat the focal point of our meals.  That is what I am accepting as the challenge.  All week this week our meat at dinner is not going to be the focal point.  At least for me.  Tomorrow my mom is going to this fancy BBQ restaurant and bring dinner home.  If I told my husband he could not eat a gigantic pile of meat (which is what he is planning on doing) I am pretty sure he would laugh at me.    Next week I am going to try again with the well planed menu and buying local meat.  I am even going to try to sneak some vegetarian dinners in there. 

And even though they drive me absolutely nuts I still think they are cute so here are some pictures of the kids from this week.

Nick is the first to get his Big boy bike for Potty training

The three musketeers are getting ready for Halloween

Lilly leaning how to Sword fight with her Uncle