SNOW!!!

Yeah we are getting our 1st snow of the season and hopefully not the last!  It is so pretty outside but a big change from the 61 degrees we were yesterday. 

Maddie is enjoying the Polar Express at pre school today and I am sure will be so excited with all this snow!  Emily forgot her coat this morning since she thought it would be just as warm today as it was yesterday...I may be a nice Mom and meet her at the bus stop so she doesn't freeze on her way home.  Zach is loving having Mommy all to himslef since I am doen with classes for now and have all this free time.  I got my flu shot today and vaccine for whooping cough.  Man does my arm hurt! 

Sharing some of our snow pics....enjoy! 

Let the fun begin!

I really love this time of the year.  The kids are trying very hard to be good and learning about the true meaning of Christmas.  We have decided to adopt a Senior and a family this year to make the holidays brighter for them.  As a matter of fact, I need to wrap the gift for our Senior tonight and drop it off tomorrow.  I sure hope she loves her new pink robe and pj's.

I am excited for this next term to start.  I have decided to still work towards my Phlebotomy certificate but also work towards a teacher's aide degree.  I would like to be a kindergarten teacher...that is such a fun age to work with...when they aren't your kids!  Now I have to get past this farn algebra final...ugh!

Here are some pics of our tree, our outdoor decor and 2 of my 3 kiddos....enjoy! 

It's that time of year...balloon fiesta!!!

We love this time of year...the weather is cooling off and you just want to get out and spend time with the kiddos!  We are planning on going on a couple special trips this week since Larry is off.  When the weather is cooler it makes it alot nicer to go sightseeing which New Mexico has lots to offer.   

Here in New Mexico it is also Balloon Fiesta time.  For a few more days we have over 400 hot air balloons taking off every morning for such a beautiful show.  Fortunately where we live we can see some of them from our home which absolutely excites Madison.  Tomorrow we will be going to the mass ascension for the special shapes...it will be an early morning but so worth it.  The kids love it as do the adults.  At Madison's preschool they had a couple hot air balloons for the kiddos to see.  All three kiddos enjoyed seeing one of the balloons take off and the other they could closely examine.  We are blessed that every year we get great hot air balloon pilots who want to share their love of ballooning with kids and adults alike.  Many prayers going out to the families of the balloonists that are still missing....such a tragic and sad story. 

With halloween just around the corner we have started panicking on what the kids will be this year and Maddie is very distressed that we have not decorated yet!  She is on her Dad daily to put up decorations so she can show off her house.  She is so proud of what we do.  Maddie wants to be Jessie from Toy Story but I have not been able to find a costume for her.  I wanted to do the Alice in Wonderland theme since I have the Queen of Hearts costume but she shot that down.  Emily has not yet decided if it is cool to still go out...teens are such drama! 

Speaking of Emily she has been officially diagnosed with severe ADHD and ODD oppositional defiance disorder.  We are still working on finding just the right meds for her and she is still going to therapy.  She is doing better in school but is still giving us grief at home.  We are making progress but very slowly.  Zach is growing in laps and bounds and is walking and climbing all over the place and is always talking, much to my dismay!  He has just as much to say as his two sisters which is ALOT!!  Maddie is enjoying preschool so much and is doing very well.  She is just such a sweet loving girl who just loves her family.  

School is not going great for me.  Algebra and chemistry are two very hard subjects, much harder than I realized.  I am doing ok just wish I could understand it better!  Only 9 more weeks to go! 

Sharing some pics of the family...may God bless you and yours....

Don't you love the curve balls life throws at ya?

God won’t give you more than you can bear …

It does not imply that God won’t let you be stressed beyond what you can bear.

Or challenged beyond your ability.

Or pushed beyond your threshold.

In reality, God gives you more than you can bear all the time. On purpose.

...It’s only when you can’t bear the load that the strength of Christ kicks in…

and He becomes everything you need and more.

 

When things happen in life that just throw you for a loop, I always remembered my Mom telling me that God never gives you more than you can handle.  I always just prayed hard and hoped God heard me.  I never really questioned my faith and what God had planned for me but what has happened to my family I can't just think this.  I have asked so many times why me, why her, why us?  I am so mad and hurt that this could happen to us and God allowed it. 

I know God is here with me and is carrying us through this ordeal but it doesn't make the hurt I feel go away or feel lessened.  I am hoping as things play out and fall into place, I start feeling better and our family can heal.  We still are going to church and have not lost our faith...it is just being tested and I can assure you the devil is testing us in a very evil way. 

On a happier note, both girls have started school and are absolutely having a great time.  Emily is on the volleyball team and is just thrilled.  I am hoping this will be a great school year for her.  Maddie is loving going to preschool and riding the bus.  It brings tears to my eyes to watch how my two girls have grown into the loving people they are.  Zachary is enjoying being the only one home and getting all the attention.  He is growing into such a little man.  I can say God has blessed me with three remarkable children that we love to pieces. 

I am now done with school for this term and will be starting again in a week or so.  I know I passed both classes but have not seen my grades yet...I am curious what they are!!!  I am transferring to a new school and have a new career in sight.  I am also getting more involved with a charity that helps kids and also wanting to get more involved with children's charities in our area.  You have to give to receive and I plan on living that way and showing my kids how great it makes you feel.

Please keep my family in your prayers....we need all that we can get at this time.  Hope everyone has a blessed weekend....

My continuing journey

It has been an eventful week but has been very liberating for me.  I am starting to come out of my "Mommy" shell and back to my old self which to me, makes me a much better and happier Mommy!

Monday started with appts for both Zachary and myself.  Mine was just a quick checkup and getting blood drawn to check my sugars, cholesterol, etc.  Zach's on the other hand was a bit tricky.  He broke out in what looked like a rash but no bumps just under the skin and had it since friday when we got back from the zoo.  Of course it was nothing and was told to give benadryl and it went away the next day.  Always when I break down and take him to the doc he is miraculously better that same day or the next.  The PA had never seen anything this bad (he was red and blotchy all over) so she called in just about everybody to see him.  My kid the freak...lol!! 

Emily is seeing a therapist weekly and we have now decided she needs to see a  psychiatrist and try her out on new meds since she is starting to show signs of depression.  Why must teenagers be so miserable?  I was always happy...well most of my hormonal time I was!  She is showing signs of improvement and we know it will take time to make the changes necessary to make our family life better.  After she is doing better I will start seeing a therapist to figure out my issues as to why I can't get this weight off (I just know it is something in my head!). 

Wednesday night (I think) Emily and I went out to dinner with her friend Emmery and her mom Dawn who I am good friends with.  It was so nice to get out and not have the stress of 3 kiddos and enjoy some time with Dawn.  The girls sat at a seperate table and thought that was just so cool but secretly we were happy we could have adult conversations!  And to make it better, they lost the kids order and took over an hour to bring them their food so it was free.  Friday night hubby came home and decided he wanted to eat out so off we went.  The girls did not fight and the food was good so all in all a great night!  I love eating out but man is it expensive so next week I am cooking all week...boo! 

Today I went to a consignment sale and scored some great buys, a Melissa and Doug easel, a bike helmet for the little guy for when we finally start riding our bikes and a bunch of trucks and cars since Zach just loves his cars!  Also found a dress for Emily and a romper for myself at Goodwill.  I also found some pretty wine glasses but decided I didn't have any room for them, darn it!  I love scoring bargains!!!  May have to hit some yard sales tomorrow before church. 

I am still trying to get all my financial paperwork in order to transfer over to CNM in the Fall.  It is not as easy as I envisioned but I am slowly chipping away at it.  I can't register till the end of the month so I have time, thank goodness!  I am still in classes at NAU and can't wait for them to be OVER!!!  They are kicking my butt! 

I have been following the couch to 5k and have been doing pretty good.  Still working on running all the "required" times...boy I am so out of shape but you got to start somewhere!  I am starting to get more energy which makes me want to continue and make changes to my eating habits.  We'll see where this leads me....hopefully on the skinny road! 

Hubby and I have decided to become a bigger part of our community (our HOA) and will join a couple of committees to make our community better and to find out just what they do with our dues and all the other money they get!    Hubby is also considering running for office with the HOA.  I think he is still mad about not being able to keep the lattice on our gate....if that is what it takes to make some changes I say go for it! I see my lattice coming back on...just kidding!  LOL!!!  

The past couple nights we have been getting our camper ready for our 1st camping trip next weekend.  Maddie is so excited and I am to.  I have NEVER been camping so this should be fun!  All 5 of us and the dog....luckily we won't be too far from home for this first time out!  I am looking forward to some fresh air and hopefully cooler temps up in the mountains!  It is way too hot here...
 
Wow this looks like a novel but I did warn it has been an eventful week and I am sure next week will be more of the same!  Now to share my pic of the family...just excuse the writing in the pic as I am too lazy to scan it in! 

Now off to bed since I am helping out in church tomorrow...night all! 

Here I go....

Me and my Zachy man

Do you ever feel like you aren't who you are suppose to be?  I am really feeling that way.  I do love my husband and kiddos but this is not the way I thought my life would be.  When I was graduating high school I dreamed of being a nurse, having my career and getting married much later in life.  But here I am almost 41, still trying to get that nursing degree and begin my journey in my chosen path, mom to 3 kiddos when I never thought I would have any kids and a stay at home mom to top it all off.  I am ready to rediscover myself and find my inner happiness again.

So today I decided I want to lose all this blubber and started the Couch to 5K running plan.  It was tough, especially with a 4 yr old that did NOT want to run tagging along, but I made it through and not feeling like I would die!  I am DETERMINED to stick with it and start feeling better about myself and maybe get some energy too! 

I am transferring schools and hoping to get into a nursing program next year to finally get started on my dream.  I had started at NAU to get into their nursing program that was "suppose" to start this summer but now it is all up in the air.  Time is passing me by so I am jumping ship and going somewhere that has a program and is quite a bit cheaper as well! 

I guess as I approach the age my Mom passed away at (46) it has made me realize I am the only one that can make ME happy and I need to start doing it!  We are also still plugging away at our debt with the Dave Ramsey plan (even though we blew it with a new truck a couple months ago) which is taking much stress off of us seeing our debt get smaller and smaller and trasferring to the new school will help my student loan be MUCH smaller.  My hubby also put on his next rank, Senior Master Sergeant, and is very happy and we are VERY proud of him.  His Mom came to see him "tack" on his rank and it meant the world to him that she was here. 

Emily and Madison "tacking on" Larry's stripes

All in all we are taking things one day at a time and letting God lead us.  That is the best way to go....

Long time no blogging....

Whew have I been busy!  Since January I have had 2 surgeries (hernia repair and gallbladder taken out), started my oldest daughter in therapy for her anger issues and such, stayed very busy with school and just enjoying my kiddos!  I have missed blogging and I never thought I would! 

So be looking for more posts from me in between studying and doing homework tracking the everyday life of us!  Off to cook dinner and take some pics! 

And the winner is..........

Ok since this is my 1st giveaway I picked the winner the old fashioned way...I wrote all the names down, put them in a hat and had my oldest pull a name.  I know not that fancy but hey it works!  Now on to the winner....

Monique from Surferwife!  Congrats!!!!  I will be emailing you to let you know you won so if you don't email me back in 48 hours I move on to the next one! 

My next giveaway is for a 3 month subscription to Zoodles which let me tell you my 4 year old LOVES!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to you all and have a great weekend!!! 

Mother's Day coupon book

I wanted to pass along this adorable coupon book.  What a great way to show you love Mom!  I know my kids never know what to get me and this would just touch my heart and maybe get them to appreciate me more! 

Enjoy your coupon book!

 

Winner announced Friday!

I can't wait to announce the winner of the Coupon Organizer!  Good luck to everyone who entered! 

I love free stuff!!!!

I am trying to get my ducks in a row for summer this year.  Emily will not be going to camp (too expensive) so I am trying to find free and low cost things to do.  So far we have bought a membership for the zoo/aquarium/botanical gardens and will be buying a pool pass.  The great thing about the pool is that it is indoors so we can use all year which for $600 we better be able to use it all year!!!!!  And that it wears kids out!  So hopefully some good sleep!!!! 

So far I found this great deal for 2 free games of bowling every day for kids all summer (heck it is valid NOW) and free movies at our local theater on tuesdays and wednesdays.  I am so stoked to find these things as all I ever here is "I am bored"!  The bowling deal let's you buy a family pass for those that aren't free for $25 for 2 free games for up to 4 adults daily.  That is a great deal! 

Now to start writing all these dates down so we don't forget them!  So much to do I hope the summer just flies by!  Emily will be in the 7th grade and hopefully (fingers crossed) Madison gets into the preschool (it is a lottery drawing) she has been wanting to go to.  Won't it be nice to be down to ony one child!  Woo Hoo!!!!
I am already signed up for my summer classes and we are waiting to see if Emily gets into the summer academy to help her with math.  Hopefully summer is fun and flies by! 

Giveaway reminder!!!!

Don't forget to enter for the Coupon Magic organizer giveaway!  It is my first review and giveaway and would love to make it a great one!  Please share with your friends!!!  I love this organizer!  I went to Albertson's today and saw that they were doubling coupons so  pulled out my binder and away I went!  Much better than pulling out my envelope full of coupons and missing great deals.  Love it! 

http://dostart4plus1.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-first-review-and-giveaway.html

Wordless wednesday...

What to do....

I am so frustrated and need some input.  At Emily's school, the asst principal was arrested for drunk driving this past Sunday, over 2 x's the legal limit.  I am tired of this school to begin with and this just put the nail in the coffin for me.  I wish I had the patience to homeschool her but I don't so I am looking to transfer her to another middle school.  If I do that I have to take her to and from school daily.  Not a big deal especially if Maddie gets into the preschool down the road from the school. 

Am I overreacting?  There have so many problems with this school, with administrtors and teachers, that I am just tired of it.  Kids are jumped every day, bathrooms locked so kids can't use them and on and on.  I guess I just need to hear from others that I am not just an overprotectve Mom!  I have been praying about it just nothing really making sense yet.  Thanks guys for listening!  Now off to finish laundry.....

Wordless Wednesday

My little man eating his birthday cupcake!!!!

What a day....

Explain to me why children will sleep all weekend long but as soon as the week starts (and when you have classes) they wake up and want to stay up for hours?  Ugh...I love ya Zach but there are days....

Wednesday was Zachary's 1st birthday and sunday was his party.  Nothing fancy just some friends over eating and watching Zach rub cupcake all over himself and then eat it all!  I can not believe he is one...it just flew by!  Pictures will floow as soon as I get my laptop to download them.  Things are running so slow....

Hope you all sign up for my giveaway....it is a great one!  I am also working on a couple more to share. 

My first review and giveaway!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited to share this with you all.  It has been a long time coming but here it is!


Review of Coupon Magic Organizer and Giveaway!!!!!!

I am newish to couponing and got really excited when I saw the Coupon Magic Organizer system.  My old system consisted of one envelope with coupons I knew I was going to use and one with all the other coupons.  Not very efficient when shopping with 2 kiddos and not alot of time!  The Coupon Magic Organizer makes it so easy to keep all your coupons at your fingertips while shopping and not miss using any cause you couldn't find them, as was my problem always! 

When I saw this sytem I contacted Tania Mings, the brainchild behind this system, and asked her if I could review the Coupon Magic Organizer and she said yes! I was sent the Gold edition and jumped right in to reading all the tips she gives and stuffing my coupons in! I will admit in the beginning it did take some time to get it all organized and took me a little bit getting used to carrying it with me but it has been well worth it!  If I can do this with a teenager asking for everything, a 4yr old tugging on me and a 1 yr old trying to play with the binder, anyone can! 

The Coupon Magic System consists of (in my words):

 Color-Coded Dividers- these I use with my store pockets

 20 pages of 9-slot coupon pages (will hold 180 coupons)- love these cause I can see my coupons!

 3 Store Pockets- I use these to keep my coupons organized for the stores I go to

 3 pages of 3-slot coupon pages- I put my coupons that I know I am using and will expire soon in here

 Price Book (5 pages)- this helps me to keep up with prices so I know when I am getting a good deal

 Coupon Magic Organizer Meal Planner (12 pages)- as anyone who knows me knows I am terrible at this but I am working on it! 

 Coupon Magic Organizer Shopping List (12 pages)-  Love it! 

 Fourteen Page Instructional and Savings Guide-  there are so many helpful tips in here that I would have never thought of! 

2010 Coupon Insert schedule- a must have!



As I said earlier there are 2 editions the Silver (with everything included above) for $26.99 and the Gold (which comes with a binder) for $38.99 and that binder is a nice heavy duty one.  if you don't want all the bells and whistles but would like all her tips to making the most of your couponing, you can purchase the instructional manual download for $10.  In my opinion, all of the systems are worth every penny!   

All in all I love the system.  I may move it to a smaller binder so I can carry it with me all the time (even though it is in the van for all my shopping trips).  Other than that I LOVE it and it has saved me quite a bit of time and money which is what we all want!    

Now on to the good stuff!  Tania has graciously allowed me to give away a Silver edition organizer to one of my followers (just like Gold but without binder)! Trust me you won't know how you kept up with your shopping and coupons before this!  The contest will run from April 19th to May 4th.  Good luck!!!     

To enter you can do one or all of these for extra entries!

1.  Become a fan of my page

2.  Follow Coupon Magic Organizer on facebook

3.  Tell me about your current way of coupon organizing

4.  Blog about my giveaway

5.  Follow me on facebook


Disclosure: I was not compensated by Coupon Magic Organizer in any way, but I was given a Coupon Magic Organizer for review and 1 Coupon Magic Systems for The Photo Life of the Dostart's readers. All opinions expressed are my own and should not be substituted for your opinion.

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my little man's 1st birthday.  I can not believe he is one!  Where did this year go??  We will have his party on Sunday (weather permitting) with a few friends as family is not living close by.  Now I can officially say I no longer have any babies even though my kiddos will always be my babies! 

I am hoping to have my 1st giveaway posted tomorrow and it is a great one!  Stay tuned! 

What ya doin'?

That is what Madison asks me all the time when I am reading or doing my schoolwork.  She wants to go to school so badly that I am thinking of homeschooling her until she can go to school.  I bought her a couple Mellisa and Doug wipe away placemats with letters and addition and subtraction and she loves them and uses them all the time!  If only she could read some of my medical stuff and help me with my homework!  LOL!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Pork and Brew here in Rio Rancho and have some good barbque!  We were suppose to go last night but it was cancelled due to high winds and rain/sleet.  So instead we looked at trucks.  Larry is looking for a new truck to pull the camper.  There are sooooo many trucks and so many choices.  We have to make sure he can fit (he is 6'5) and that Emily can also (she is 5'6 and only 13).  We also have 2 car sets so gots to have room in the back!  Hopefully we find something soon so we aren't truck shopping every weekend! 

Tomorrow is church also which we haven't been to in a couple weeks.  I feel badly but when Larry is gone I have to fit in my schoolwok in the mornings since the kids sleep later so really throws the timing off.  No more excuses...I know I miss it and need to get back! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and God Bless! 

16 yrs....

I can't believe my Mom has been gone that long.  When I talked to my sister Bridget yesterday, she reminded me that Mom has been gone longer than she had been with them.  I treasure all the time I had with my Mom...she was a great Mom and my best friend.  I miss her terribly....

Wordless Wednesday....

My Zachy man standing up...why do they grow up so fast? 

Getting into a groove....

Well it is week #3 into this term and surprisingly I am doing pretty well!  I don't think I will be taking 3 classes next term but this hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.  None of my classes have midterms or finals (yeah!!) but do have papers at the end which really isn't too bad.  Hubby is taking off from his schooling for a month or so since it is just so hard with both of us in school.  He has plenty to do around the house to keep him busy and we are trying to get the camper ready for the camping season.  Next is to get the house ready for Zach's 1st birthday party and Larry's promotion party...woo hoo!  Senior Master Sergeant Dostart!!!!!

Zachy man is starting to sleep better and have got him to put himself back to sleep after a little rubbing on the back from Mommy.  No more bottles in the middle of the night and he is starting to enjoy our food much more than he did  few weeks ago!  He is also pulling himself up to stand and looks like he will be walking the furniture soon.  I can't believe he will be a year next month....my baby is growing up way too fast!

We also got a new dog...a westie named Echo.  He is a puppy and full of energy but he is fitting in pretty well.  I have got to get him in with a groomer so he can look like a westie...he just looks like a fur ball now!  Jasmine (our weenie dog) now has a heart murmur and bad teeth....she is only 1!!  So now we watch her and make sure she is doing ok.  She hates getting her teeth brushed but got to do it.  So funny...I brush my 4 yr old, 11 month old and now my dog's teeth!  Geez! 

We are still following the Dave Ramsey plan and now only have one more credit card to pay off, then just have house and new truck (when we get it).  I know his plan says to save money for a new vehicle but we need to get him a new car but do plan on paying it off faster than normal and have started paying more on our mortgage as well.  It is nice to not have the stress of money on top of everyday life! 

Have a birthday wish to send out to Monique...Happy Birthday!  Hope you have a great one!!!

Now off to start dinner....wo weird to have hubby home for dinner!  Now I have to cook!  LOL!!!

Ok now I know I have lost my mind....

Taking 3 classes this term was a crazy idea!  I have been reading and doing so many assignments since wednesday my head is spinning and my algebra class starts tonight!  Ugh!  I just keep telling myself it is just 11 weeks and one week is already down....  Larry needs to get done with his class and take a break so we can get things done around the house before Zach;s birthday on April 14th. 

March is also a bad month for me with memories of my Mom.  Her birthday was yesterday and she would have been 62.  I just can't picture my Mom 62 since she passed away at 46.  I miss her so much even though it has been almost 16 yrs (the 25th this month).  I am such a baby when I think of my Mom and cry all the time....I miss her I think more now that I have a family than I did when I was single.  She is never far from my thoughts at any time of the year. 

It seems like the sickies are out of my house.  Zach is back to normal (not sleeping through the night like he was when he was sick), Maddie is doing good with the allergy meds and Emily does good when she remembers to take her allergy meds.  I am feeling much better just worn out now from little sleep and using my brain as much as I am!  Medical terminolgy is sucking the life out of me...interesting but so much to remember!  Human growth and devlopement is in a classroom and the teacher is only sking for a paper at the end...5 pages but I am sure that it will be easier than mid-terms and finals! 

I am working on a review for a couple products that I have really enjoyed....stay tuned!  Have a wonderful Monday!!!!

Friday already?????

Wow this week has flown by!  Between doctor appts, errands and concerts plus hubby being gone I am worn out!  Today we picked up our new cabinet door to replace the one Emily kicked in and got my books for my classes that start next week.  I am not looking forward to 3 classes this next term but have got to get this degree MOVING!!!!!

Poor Zachy man has an ear  infection which last week was just allergies....he is feeling better but still really congested.  Madison is feeling much better since we got the eye drops and meds for her allergies.  She is still mouthy as ever...she has turned into a little devil since Larry was home for those 3 weeks!  It is taking some time to get her back in line!  Emily is a semi miserable teen..bored and not wanting to be helpful or nice.  Yuck....I am so not looking forward to the rest of the teen years! 

We did get some great news this week......Larry made Senior Master Sergeant this go around!  We are so proud of him and excited for his new rank and what it holds for us!  He is so relieved....so another 2 years and maybe we can retire! 

Tonight Emily has a formal concert and as much as I love seeing her do these things, I just don't want to go!  I am tired and just not in the mood.  Thankfully my friend Dawn is watching Zach so his ears aren't bothering him.  Maddie and I will hang out and hope it doesn't last too long!  Tomorrow is ballet for Maddie, stop at WalMart and get a dog bed for the new puppy and toys.  Yes I got us a new puppy...a very pretty Westie.  He is cute but so very annoying and peeing all over!  I have both the dogs in the kitchen so easier to clean up but still...every 10 minutes someone has peed!  We'll see how long my patience lasts! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.....smooches to all!!! 

Doctor says......

That I am healing well and the pain I have is normal and will go away once I am completely healed.  I was so worried the pain was my gallbladder and that another surgery was on the horizon.  Thank goodness things are ok! 

Today the weather is nice...low 50's and sunny.  Unfortunately my kiddos allergies are in overdrive so no fun outside for us.  Poor Zachy man is so congested and taking benadryl.  Maddie is on claritin and eye drops to help her.  Emily is ok with just otc meds so one less to take to doctor!  I am taking otc pills as well.  Larry is in Colorado enjoying some volleyball and quiet time to get his classwork done.  Two of my classes start next week, human growth and developement w/lab and my online medical terminology.  The week after my algebra class starts....did I ever mention I don't care for math?  It has always been my worst subject....I just hope I can get a tutor and finally finish my math requirements! 

I am working on my reviews and giveaways so hope to have those done by friday.  I am very excited about them!  I hope you all will enjoy them as much as I had doing them!  Until tomorrow....

My Post Op Appt

I am so not looking forward to today, well maybe a little!  I have my post op appt and will discuss my next surgery, taking out my gallbladder.  I did figure out that taking heartburn meds does help my gallbladder pain, thank goodness!  I was dying yesterday!  I am hoping he will let me start exercising so I can lose some of this chub!  My next appt is with my ob/gyn to check out the cysts the surgon said he saw on my ovaries....I see yet another surgery in my future!  I hit 40 and fell apart!   I will post all about my appt when I get back.

I also have to pick up Madison and Emily's meds from the store.  Madison has terrible allergies that are just wreaking havoc on her eyes....they're bright red and hurt.  Zachary is starting to get it as well.  He did sleep all night but I think it was the benadryl that helped with that.  His nose is just running all the time and making him miserable.  I love New Mexico but it is terrible for those who have allergies. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful day and will check in later.....

Yes I am enjoying Monday!

Aaahhh..life back to normal!  Madison off to KidsZone, Emily to school and Zach and I running errands all morning.  It is nice to just have the kids to deal with all day...an extra person just throws your schedule off! 

I love my husband and appreciate everything he did while off taking care of me and the kids but boy it was time for him to go back to work!  He starts his new job today (he was moved to a different job while on leave with me) and I know he was a bit nervous.  He is also back in school with University of Pheonix and has lots of papers to write which takes quite a bit of work and time.  My classes start next month and I will be taking 3, one online and the others on the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho campuses.  I need to bust through them and get this degree done...I am not getting any younger!  I have decide to not pursue my nursing degree and just focus on medical assisting for now and see how that goes. 

Zach is back to not sleeping through the night.  I have about given up.  He gets 8 oz of the enfamil nighttime formula and a bowl of cereal and still wakes up 2 - 3 hours later wanting another 6 oz of formula.  Emily and Maddie were easy compared to Zach!  If I let him cry, he bawls for at least an hour and by then I am fully awake.  This 4 hours of sleep a night is kicking my butt and I know isn't helping with my healing either.  The only times I slept throug the night was when I ws in the hospital....if only I could go back to get sleep! 

Today Zach and I went to Target to just walk around and I found my face scrub and body wash on sale so was a productive trip.  After that we went to my fave thrift store and found lots of clothes for Zach and Maddie for next winter and a couple things for now since we still are pretty cold here.  WalMart also was on my to do list and found PJ's for Emily, tops for $2 and bottoms for $2.50 so have gifts for her for Easter since she always need PJ's!  Also got myself a new pair of PJ's since they were $3.  After that I got Chick-fil-a for lunch, picked up Maddie and went home.  Dinner will be roasted chicken, asparagus and stuffing...yummo! 

I will be posting pics of my hubby's handiwork:  he laid new flooring in my living room and painted, put up new lights in both bathrooms and new mirrors.  There is still lots of painting to do but in no big hurry.  My house is feeling more like a home since making these improvements and getting rid of furniture that we just don't need. 

Happy Monday! 

I'm back!

Well I will be on Monday!  I will start blogging again since I am feeling so much better and Larry will be back to work.  Larry has been busy painting and putting down new floors in the living room.  We still have lots of painting to do but slowly the house is looking like our home, not just a blank slate!  I will post pics as soon as I get everything unpacked and back where it belongs. 

Let me tell ya, hernia surgery is no fun and I get to go through another surgery in about 8 weeks!  I have gallstones and boy do they hurt.  I guess my hernia had been masking the pain for months but now it is up and full center!  I swear I hit 40 and fell apart!  I sure hope this is just my year to improve myself and it doesn't get worse!  Can the aging process go backwards please? 

Looking forward to chatting about our lives again and posting my reviews on some great products!  I sure have missed blogging but needed the time to heal and spend with the family.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Spreading much love to all my blogging friends!  Hope everyone has a wonderful day! 

Am I feeling human....maybe!

Ahhh a week later and I am feeling so much better, may not look a whole lot better but feeling better!  I can now get up without scaring everyone with my groans and may even be able to sleep in my own bed soon!  LOL!!  I am sure Maddie will have saomething to say about that since she has been enjoying snuggling with Daddy.  Larry has been really great and is getting the hang of the kids and their schedule.  He knows to just leave me alone and check on me occasionally since when I am not feeling well, I am not fun to be around! 

I have exciting news....Emily made honor roll!!!  I am still in shock but am so very proud!  I am sticking as many bumper stickers on my van as possible!  She is still struggling with math but is plugging along and slowly getting it. 

Zach has also started to crawl and is quite fast already!  He is not liking that I don't pick him up or hold him much but surely I do not want to go through this surgery again! 

Maddie is happy I am home and got rid of my big belly...gotta love what comes out of the mouthes of babes!  She asked me why they didn't take my big booty too...I wonder why also sweetie! 

Larry has been doing work around the house.  He has changed out the bathroom mirror in the kid's bathroom and the light fixture.  It is amazing how things look so different even with  few changes.  He will be painting the living room and laying wood floors this week...God help us!  I will just have to lay in bed and drug myself if he gets too crabby! 

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend and has a safe one as well! 

Woo Hoo!

So happy and proud...

Maddie with her little tude!

Zach movin' and groovin'!

Recovery is very slow...

Just wanted to pop in and say hello.  I am doing a little better but still hurting quite a bit.  I didn't realize laproscopic surgery was so hard! The hernia was so large it took 14 incisions to get it all fixed.  I am still friends with my pain pills just have me taking 1 every 4 hours instead.  Thank you all for the well wishes.  I hope to be up and at 'em next week.  Have a great weekend! 

Surgery tomorrow

Ok guys...tomorrow is the big day, surgery day, and boy am I nervous!  I have to be at the hospital at 5:30am and my surgery is scheduled for 7:30am.  Hubby will be back home with the kiddos so I am on my own which is fine since I told doc to drug me up good!  I have my bags packed for hubby to bring once we have someone to watch the kiddos in the afternoon.  I will be offline till I am back home and up and feeling good enough to sit in front of the computer.  Wish me luck....I think I am going to need it! 

Wordless Wednesday....

Zach...before he lost his cookies AGAIN tonight!  Can we please get over this sickness???

Update on sickies...

Hubby is on his way home...he is sick now!  Please pray for us that we are all over this by thursday evening cause I can't postpone my surgery again!!!  I can only bleach the house so many times!!! 

Gall Stones anyone?

It has been a rough couple days....Madison and Zach have been sick since saturday night, I woke up sick yesterday which was not good since my pre op appt was yesterday and now Emily woke up sick.  My surgery is friday and I am so ready!  I just hope I am not still sick by then..... 

Saturday started really nice, no inkling Maddie and Zach would end up sick.  Maddie had her first ballet/tap class and had so much fun.  After that we hit one of my fave consignment shops and scored big there (will show that find in a minute), bought Mddie some tap shoes, met up with a gal from Craigslist that wanted my empty baby food jars, then off to Target to find the car seats I wanted.  We went to Chick-fil-a for lunch then headed home.  Everyone was fine and napped and played.  Then about 5pm I found another Target that had the booster seat I needed and went there to pick it up.  That was when it all fell apart!  On the way home Zach started to sound funny so I stopped and checked on him.  He was just spitting up a little but  really didn't think much of it.  Not 2 minutes later, Maddie starts losing her cookies in the van, crying that it was all over her and she wanted to go home.  Ugh...  We made it home and got everyone cleaned up and from then on the night was just a disaster.  Two kids getting sick at the same time is just not a barrell of fun.  I called hubby and told him to get home asap and bring pedialyte and gatorade with him.  Today they are finally eating and feeling better....great since Emily woke up sick at 4 am.  Fun times in my house.  Thank goodness I am feeling much better....hope hubby doesn't get sick...lots of people at his work getting this flu bug thing.  Why oh why right before my surgery???? 

Yesterday I went up to hospital to get all ready for my hernia surgery on friday.  My doc is quite the scatter-brain.  It always seems like he forgets what he is going to say (kind of scary but heard he is a great surgeon).  He walks in and asks me if I am ready to get this hernia fixed.  Yes I am and why don't you throw in a tummy tuck since I have had to wait so long (6 months).  He says to me "Did I mention you also have gallstones?"   Me "No you never did, would have liked to know that so I could have been prepared for that."  Doc "I can fix both problems in this surgery but you have a higher rate of infection doing both.  What do you think?"  Me "If I have a high chance of an infection I think I will wait."  Doc "OK".  That was it.  Weird....my last appt was in November and you would think he would have said something then since he had my ct scan results.  Ugh so another surgery in my future..hopefully won't be as invasive as this one.  My hernia is so larger I have to be cut from my belly button to my c-section scar.  He has already prepared me for the pain I will be in the first week or so.  I told him just give me strong drugs and let me stay in the hospital during the really rough days.  We shall see!

Now on to my fabulous finds!  I found Zach a couple really cute outfits from Gap and Children's Place at my fave store, Other Mother's.  I always find clothes for all of us there.  Also found myself a new sweater set that is so cute.  Then I found this gem for only $20...I was beyond excited since I have been looking for one...they normally go for $85!  Soooo excited and it had all the pieces! 

Both Maddie and Zach love it and even though sick, they have played with it everyday since we got it.  I also scored from Target a Graco ComfortSport car seat for Zach for $80 with a $20 gift card and a Graco highback booster set for Maddie for $45 minus $20 gift card = $25 and I also snagged another $20 gift card.  I was quite the happy shopper on saturday!  

Sunday we all just laid around and took care of each other so no church but did watch sermon that evening online.  Larry and I decided to make breakfast for dinner so cooked up some bacon and pancakes.  Well the bacon is what was making me sick on Monday.  I think it has a lot to do with my gallstones since it was real, greasy, honeycured bacon.  Needless to say I will stick with my turkey bacon from now on!  After surgery we are all going to start exercising more and eating better.  I so want to lose this baby weight I am still carrying!  Gonna have to break out the Wii and get some new dvd's! 

Here are some pics from saturday and sunday....have a fab day!

Emily on the computer...as always

                                                                               

Poor little Zach passed out

Maddie sleeping and before ballet class

What a difference a few hours can be!

Maddie and Zach

Maddie being cute

3rd times the charm?

Ah...another full night of sleep and it is so nice!  It did take Zach a little longer to go to sleep last night but he did really good.  I am just so happy and got a compliment from Christina at a MOMS group get together we had today that I looked so nice!  Thanks Christina...I really needed that since my hubby isn't around to see me when I am all dressed and Emily doesn't throw out the compliments to me! 

Today Zach had his 9 month well baby check up...he is doing good but his gross motor skills are a little behind.  I think he is just lazy since he is the baby and everyone does everything for him.  Heck if everyone did for me I wouldn't want to walk or crawl either!    He is in the 95th percentile for height and 25% for weight.  I was amazed he is so slim (almost 19 lbs) cause the boy eats all the time!  I guess he needs a bit more of the "real" stuff that will put some fat on him!  If only I had that problem!  I look at food and gain weight...poor kiddos! 

So on to my pics....I have been so bad about posting them!  We woke up to some snow on the ground which turned to rain by mid-morning much to Maddie's dismay.  She did get to wear her snow boots to Amy's today. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful and restful weekend!  Muah!!!

Our snow this morning

The fog that came with the snow!

Maddie and Zach playing

Emily doing her homework...or so it seems! 

A new day!!!

I am so excited today!  One is that Zach slept through the night last night!  OK I probably just jinxed myself but I just had to shout it out!  It only took him 15 minutes of crying/wimpering last night to go to sleep AND he is taking better naps during the day.  He is also about to embark on crawling any day now so I think he is wearing himself out trying to get somewhere and trying to pull up on everything!  I can't tell you how much better I am feeling!  I just hope this isn't a fluke and he goes back to not sleeping.  Maybe he is a quick learner!  Fingers and toes crossed! 

Second is that I am starting the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University online, well actually I have been doing it for a couple weeks now.  I sent an email asking if I could blog about his program while I was following it and they said yes!  I received the 2 books yesterday and voucher for the online class!  So you will be hearing alot about his program and how we are doing.  As a matter of fact, I have already done baby step 1 ($1000 in savings) and working on baby step 2 which is paying off debt.  I paid off 3 credit cards today and have only 2 more to pay on and will pay those off when tax refund gets here.   It feels so good to almost have them all paid off and we will not use them anymore!  I don't like debt and was not happy that we were back in debt after paying off all of it before we left Belgium.  Now hubby wants to look into a new truck...maybe just a used one! 

Today has been such a peaceful day...watching a little bit of snow fall, talking to my sister and playing with the kids.  If only everyday could be like this! 

Sleep...

Sleep is one of our most basic needs and one that we always fall short on, why is that?  As a friend of mine tells me "You'll get all the sleep you need when you are dead" I tell him if my youngest doesn't start sleeping I am going to look dead!  I was starting to look forward to having my hernia surgery...the quiet and all the drugs that will help me sleep!  Yeah!  But I started feeling guilty....I lied no I wasn't! 

I love, love, love my little Zachy man.  He is the sweetest little one, so happy and bubbly during the day, but when night comes the little devil comes out!  He is the most stubborn baby when it comes to going to bed at night.  When I took Emily to the doctor I casually mentioned that Zach was still not sleeping through the night and was up 2 - 3 times and what could I do (I did not have this problem with my girls).  The doctor looked at me like I was crazy "You have 3 kids and you haven't figure this out?", me,  "No, my girls slept through the night from about 10 weeks on and only woke occasionally when teething or sick so this with Zach was killing me!", doctor, "Well you need to stop getting up with him and wean him off the nighttime bottle.  Have him cry it out..it should only take a week or so"  My heart sank...what no magic pill to make him sleep?  I had to let him cry?  I knew deep down I needed to let him cry it out but that always wakes hubby up, then I have to hear him complain that he is awake and has to work...yada yada yada!  I was going to be mean and suggest letting him cry it out when I was in the hospital for my surgery since hubby will be off from work but decided action needed to be taken now to save what little sanity I have left.  So last night I decided this was it, I am tired of waking up all night with him and having to hold him for hours to get him to stay asleep...my mind was made up! 

All was quiet at 9pm in my house...all kiddos were asleep and I was letting hubby get his classwork done, then it happened...Zach was up.  "What is going on with him?  You just put him down 30 minutes ago and he is up?" my hubby says.  Hubby went in to have some snuggle time and Zach fell asleep...or so hubby thought!  After 5 minutes hubby had enough and promptly told me "let him cry".  I went in and made sure he was ok, tried to give him a bottle and he wanted none of it so time to cry it out buddy!  And boy did he cry.  Little man cried for an hour and thirty minutes.  I started going in every 10 minutes to rub his back and make sure he was ok, he would quiet down and as soon as he heard me leave he was wailing again!  So then I went in every 20 minutes just to check and he was still going!  I thought the poor boy would never give up and go to sleep!  But finally he did..at 10:15 he finally quieted down....till 4am.  I did get up and give him a bottle but miraculously he feel back asleep!  Woo Hoo! 

Unfortunately at 6 am Emily needs to get up for school which always wakes up Maddie and then the arguing begins!  As I type they are yelling at each other about who will brush their teeth first.  On the bright side I did get almost 5 hours uninterrupted sleep last night so I will not be a part of the living dead today.  Here's hoping for another night of uninterrupted sleep!  And not too much crying for my little Zachy man....

On hiatus....

I am going to step back for a couple days and get some painting done in my house!  I have hernia surgery in a couple weeks and am trying to help hubby out by doing some painting before he lays down my wood floors!  I will still post some pics and be back in a couple days, or when I get tired of painting (I don't care for painting)!! 

Have a good week!!!

Pictures!

I have been missing some days at least posting them!  Here are some from the past couple days....

Emily trying to hide

Maddie feeding her baby

Zach being Zach

Emily on my computer

Maddie and Zach