Sorry!

Sorry that I have been a bit MIA lately, but it's been another hectic week! Expect an influx of posts on Monday tho!! Jaidan's birthday was today, plus I had a mini conference for Partylite to go to. Tomorrow is Jaidan's birthday party, so I've also been busy prepping for that. Plus I got my first 2 cloth diapers in the mail, so I am excited to prep and try them! I'll catch up with my photo challenge on Monday too, just so much going on right now!!

31 day challenge ~ Day 17

A picture of someone who has made a huge impact on your life

My son Austin
my daughter Jaidan

my son Riley
and my daughter Aislinn

My children are why I am the person that I am today. Everything I do I do because of them ♥ They are my everything.

Irish twins on Saint Patricks Day?!

My very best friend Mel just gave birth to her beautiful twin babies today on St Patrick's Day! She had boy/girl twins and both babies are doing great! They were in the room with them, not in NICU, so I am hoping this means the babies will go home with mommy and daddy. To make it even better, their last name is Irish! How fitting is it that they were born today 8) I am so happy for Mel and Brad and I can't wait to meet and hold my precious new Niece and Nephew!!

31 day challenge ~ Day 16

A picture of someone who inspires you.
My mom. I never truly appreciated everything she did for me growing up until I became a mom myself. Then when I became a SAHM when my older kids were 5 and 3 it made me appreciate her even more, I never fully understood everything she did for us. She inspires me to be a wonderful mom.

Wordless Wednesday 3/16

Picture from the park on Sunday, I think it's Dogwood.

31 day challenge ~ Day 15

A picture of something you want to do before you die
Picture credit here

Snorkeling at The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I have a bucket list, but this is one of my top picks. It's the marine biologist in me. I need to get scuba diving certified still, but I won't go to Australia unless I am so I can do this.

31 day challenge ~ Day 14

A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

My amazing husband Josh ♥ He is my Anam Cara, my Soulmate I love him with all my heart and fall more and more in love with him everyday.

My 4 beautiful children, they are my life ♥

Meet me on Monday 3/14

This is hosted by Java over on Never Growing Old
Wanna join in? Click the picture or the link 8)


1. Do you have a fireplace in your home?

Yes, we do, but it's in the section of the 'living room' that we rarely use. I have the mantle decorated tho 8) We live in California, and tho it would be nice occasionally in the Winter, it's just not something we use. Kinda funny since I always wanted to live in a house with a fireplace. We DID however use the fireplace that was in our house's in Washington.

2. Can you drive a stick shift?

Yes I can 8) After I learned how to drive, my dad took me out in his VW Fox and taught me how to drive a stick. Granted I did learn in Arizona where the roads are pretty flat and straight, so I am not the best when it comes to going after I stop on a hill. I either roll back, or I peel out cause I'm attempting to avoid rolling back LOL. My hubbies car is a stick, so if there was an emergency and I had to drive, I can, and that's all that matters.

3. How many computers are in your home?

Ummm, 4 lol. My hubby and I both have desktops and we both have a laptop too. Oh wait...make that 6, both older kids have desktops too, but we need a new vid card for my son, and I can't remember why my daughter's isn't hooked up atm.

4. Are your taxes done yet? Do you do them yourself?

Yep, they're done and mostly gone already. Just waiting on our State return to be sent to us and then we're buying me a new car! My husband is an account (with his CPA) so he does all of our taxes, along with helping out family members and friends too.

5. What is your favorite meal of the day?

Dinner!!! I'm not a huge Breakfast fan, and lunch is basically just whatever I can scrounge up, whenever I decide to eat lol. But I love to cook, and dinner is usually whatever I'm in the mood for!

Updates ~

I've done a few updates on the blog the last few days. I updated my 100+ book challenge, all the books I've read have been listed now. I added pictures to the Cherry Cream Pie recipe, and the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. I also added a new recipe, hoping to add at least 2 more in the next day or two also. Have all the pics for them, just need to type them out.
I also updated the PartyLite page with information about the March fragrance of the month and the big March Hostess special 8)

New York Roast Beef

This is a great recipe I got from my mom. We all love it and it's very easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 Beef rib roast or eye of round roast
• 1 T. cooking or olive oil
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. paprika
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1 t. ground oregano

Directions

Rub oil over entire surface of meat. Combine remaining ingredients; rub over roast. Place meat in shallow baking dish with fat side up (I always trim the fat of all my roasts when I buy them before freezing)
Bake at 350* for 20 minutes per pound. The result will be a brown outer surface with an even rareness in the middle. Use a meat thermometer to cook to desired degree of doneness (i.e.rare, medium, well done).

Enjoy ~

Mom Blog Monday 3/14

I missed out on the last 1 or 2 weeks, but now that things have slowed down a bit I'm linking back up 8)

Are you a Mommy blogger? Do you blog about your kids? Do you blog about great things for Mommies? Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?


If you answered yes to any of those questions then link up!

Click the picture to link up 8)

31 day challenge ~ Day 13

A picture of your favorite band/artist

Janis Joplin ♥ She is my favorite artist of all time

31 day challenge ~ Day 12

A picture of something you love
I think this picture covers 3 of them at once. I love photography, the ocean, and the beach. I took this picture on one of our visits to the beach last summer.

But, of course, I can't pick just 1 thing that I love...well I guess I can't pick just 3, since i mentioned 3 with the last picture LOL
I love the mountains, this is taken in Miller Canyon. It's a few miles away from my mom's house. I've been camping there since I was a teenager.

I LOVE dolphins! Everything about them. I have a collection of dolphin 'items' that I've collected over the years. Not sure what to get me? Find something with a dolphin on it and you're golden.

And then 1 last thing 8)
Hawaii! I had been there once before, when my ship pulled into port. But my In-Laws moved there about a year and a half ago. Last summer in July we went for a visit. I absolutely loved it and didn't want to leave.

31 day challenge ~ Day 11

A picture of something you hate
picture credit here

I HATE snow! Can not stand it! I think it is very pretty to look at, like in the above picture, but that is about it. I hate how cold it is, I hate that it makes the roads dangerous, I hate when it starts to melt and get's all slushy, I hate that people can die if they get stuck in it, I hate that it means it's super cold outside.

Maybe it's because I grew up in Arizona and I love the heat, I don't know. We might be moving to Missouri in the next year, and the only thing I am dreading about the move is all the damn snow.

Coach Purse and Matching Make-up bag Give-away!

Luxury Living Frugal Style is having a give-away for her birthday!! She is giving away a Coach purse with a matching Make-up bag!! How awesome is that?! It has a retail value of $248, and it's black, red, and white plaid. To see a picture of this gorgeous purse, and to find out all the different ways to enter, visit her website here. Good Luck everyone! And Happy Birthday 'Midgetmomma'

This n That ~

As you all know from my post about Aislinn, things have been pretty hectic around here lately. I just wanted to do a quick update about everything else 8)

Austin and Jaidan went to the dentist last week. More bad news...as usual. Austin had 2 Abscessed teeth, luckily they were baby teeth, so they got pulled. Jaidan had her first 2 cavities. We went back yesterday and Jaidan got her cavities filled. We did one with the metal filling, since it's a baby tooth, the other one we did a composite on (whatever that is LOL). She had 1 tooth that didn't quite form right, and it had a crack in it (it looked like) we were told last year. Well, she got a cavity in that tooth and the dentist was worried that if he drilled it for a filling that it might shatter apart. So they recommended the composite, it could be done without drilling, or numbing her, and since we had dual insurance, it was covered. Over the weekend (i believe) Austin also lost a loose tooth. So we are now 3 baby teeth closer to his braces.

Riley seems to have a new favorite movie...Cars. We have already watched it 3 times today, twice yesterday, twice on Sunday, and then I think we watched it once on Friday and on Saturday too LOL. For a while we were rotating between The Bee Movie, The Furious Five, and Kung Fu Panda, but now it's all about Cars.

Riley is also starting to learn more animals 8) The other day he pointed to a Giraffe and called it a Dinosaur. I told him it was a Giraffe and then showed him some more Giraffes, so he get's it right now. He loves to point out the Elephants on one of his blankets, and the Zebra's. Today I showed him the Flamingos. I guess I will see if he remembers the Flamingos later on today.

I got the kids report cards this week! Jaidan did pretty good, mostly 3's (yes our schools are super lame-o and don't use letter or percentage grades) She does still need to work on not talking, turning in her homework, using class time wisely, etc. We have an appt for her on March 23rd to be assessed for ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder...not to be confused with ADHD, my daughter is NOT hyper). Austin had all 3's and everything was satisfactory, including turning in his homework!! That is something we have struggled with for ever LOL. I think his new dr is on the right track with him. He was put back on Concerta in January and his grades have already improved! I am sad that his tics are back and not controlled by his meds right now, but his report card is proof that we made the right choice in treating his ADHD over his Tourette's. We are still in the process of changing up his meds, his dr wants to get him down onto only 2 meds (which I LOVE), so it's still a work in progress, but I am happy to be seeing results already. We go back to his dr on April 6th, at which point we will have removed 3 of his meds.

I am anxiously awaiting my first 2 cloth diapers!! We ordered a Kawaii to test out and see if we like it, and I won a free Fuzzi Bunz in a give-away. Hubby has already said that if I like the Kawaii I can go ahead and order a stash and get started with cloth diapering. If not, we'll try another brand. I am very excited to be trying out cloth diapering with Aislinn.

Jaidan's 9th birthday is coming up on the 19th. I am super excited. The presents from Grandma have already arrived, and our present we ordered on Amazon is on it's way. I paid for over half the present using my free gift cards for Amazon that I earned through Swagbucks. We already have her other presents. We are doing an ICarly theme, all the party supplies are in the mail too. We are going to surprise her and serve spaghetti tacos at her party. I can't wait to see her reaction!!

Well....I think that is all for now 8) I plan to be posting up a recipe or two in the next few days.

31 day challenge ~ Day 10

A picture of the person you do the craziest things with

My best friend Mel...hands down! LOL

31 day challenge ~ Day 9

A picture of the person that has gotten you through the most

My mom has always been there for me no matter what


But...I couldn't pick just 1...there are 2 other people that have helped me through a lotMy amazing husband, Josh ♥

and...

my best friend Mel

Wordlessly Wednesday

The flowers along my front walk.

31 day challenge ~ Day 8

A picture that makes you laugh

Most pictures of my best friend Mel can make me laugh.
She loves to cheese it up for photo ops LOL
It's one of many things I love about her ♥

Cat got your tongue?

Sorry this is such a late post...but things have been uber hectic the last week. On Tuesday of last week Aislinn had a pedi GI appt. because of her slow weight gain.

At her 2 month well baby check (she was 10 weeks old) she weighed 7lbs 8.5ozs, she was 6lbs 2ozs at birth. The Dr was concerned about her weight. I came home a bit upset. We did have issues with Riley...he fell off the charts, we had constant weight checks, and my poor baby boy had 14 vials of blood taken from him. In the end, he was just a small baby and was back on the charts by 1 year. So I was thinking we were going to have all the same problems with Aislinn. I did some research again (I want to be informed when I talked to the dr again) and I called a local La Leche League Leader. I talked to friends, and read a lot on Kellymom.com. I knew she was on the small side, but she was having enough wet/dirty diapers everyday, so I figured breastfeeding was going fine. A lot of what I have read says as long as they are gaining, even if it's on their own curve, and they aren't up and down, then they are fine.

She had been nursing on only one side, and seemed satisfied after nursing. But after that appt, I started offering both sides every single time. She would nurse on both sides happily, so I continued to do this. We went back for a weight check 2 weeks later. Aislinn had gained about 3.5ozs. She was up to 7lbs 12ozs. I was a bit disappointed, our home scale said she was 8.4lbs (our scale doesn't do ozs, it does .2, .4, .6 etc) so we figured she was at least 8lbs. I guess our home scale is off. At this point, her Dr said she wanted to send her to a Pediatric GI specialist. I really didn't want to after what we went through with Riley, but agreed to it.

2 weeks after the weight check, we had the GI appt, which was Tuesday of last week. When they weighed her, she had lost 3ozs, I was so upset I was crying. My husband kept telling me it would be ok, but I was really upset. She had dropped back down to 7lbs 8.8ozs. The Dr. walked in and immediately said it was not a GI problem. He asked who did her PKU test and then he left to go try to find out her PKU results. When he came back he had a lady with him. He said that he found her PKU results, and he checked them for Cystic Fibrosis, he said that it can cause the body to not absorb food the right way. I'm freaked out...hubby says I turned white when he mentioned it. But then he went on to say her results were normal. Let me tell you...that dr needs to learn a better way to lead into good news!

The lady was a 'breastfeeding expert'. She started talking about my production and how it's already been 3 months, so she wasn't sure how much she could help, but she would try to boost my supply as much as she could. She was talking about how the breasts start to shut down, etc. I mentioned that if I skip a feeding and pump that I can get 3-4ozs. At that point she said it wasn't production and it was a transfer issue. I told her I thought we had no issues with latch, I haven't had any soreness whe latching or unlatching, or during nursing. So she decided to check Aislinn's suck and she found the tongue tie. She pulled her finger out and said it was a tongue tie and it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. A tongue tie was an easily fixable issue, and not something too serious.

The GI Dr said he wants to see her put on some weight, if she doesn't then he wants to admit her. They gave me an SNS (supplemental nursing system) so I can still nurse, and Aislinn can get formula (for now) while nursing. This way we can keep our nursing relationship. They gave me a recipe to make Good Start formula 24 calories (formula for preemies is only 22 calories) so we are really cranking up her extra calories. They also have me taking Fenygreek, Blessed Milk Thistle, and Mother's Milk Tea to boost my supply some more.

We were suppose to go back for a weight check on March 8th, but we got rescheduled to March 15th. So we have at least 1 more week of her eating formula too. They said if she had been under 30 days old they could have fixed the tongue tie right there in the office, but because she was already 3 months old we have to schedule a surgery to have it fixed. We are still waiting to hear back on when her surgery will be. Eventually we are hoping to switch out the formula for my frozen breastmilk. I was hoping that she would have had enough weight gain by the 8th to switch to breastmilk then, but now we have to wait until the 15th at least. But I am very glad that they are working with me to let me keep breastfeeding.

So that's what has been going on the last week. It's been pretty hectic, nursing takes much longer now with all the prep time for the formula and the SNS.

31 day challenge ~ Day 7

A Picture of your most treasured item

My family ♥

31 day challenge ~ Day 6

A picture of someone you'd love to trade places with for 1 day

No one that I can think of, I truly love my life the way it is.
Anyone who's life really interested me is already dead, and I don't really want to be dead 8)

31 day challenge ~ Day 5

A picture of your favorite memoryMy wedding day October 13, 2007

31 day challenge ~ Day 4

A Picture of your Typical Night

watching TV on the couch with my family.
the older kids are usually watching their own TV lol

31 day challenge ~ Day 3

A picture of your favorite TV show cast

picture from here

Glee! Yes I am a Gleek and proud of it 8)

Tho my favorite show is no longer on TV....picture from here

Hubby and I are both HUGE Lost fans!