:: too busy to blog ::

I got so much to do and no time too blog but then I seem to blog and not do the things I need to do.  Such a predicament I am in.  I need to watch videos for my continue education for xray but I have had the same CD to watch for a week and I still haven't watched it and I have no clue how many more I have to watch.  I got to mow the lawn, but I haven't. Once I get home I am toast and have to start my house chores and cook dinner and the thought of mowing and having my neighbors watch makes me cringe so I tell myself I will to do it tomorrow.  I need to change the litter box but I don't.  My children test me every day I don't sugar coat it and say my kids are perfect cause they so aren't but I think they are testing me more and more each month.  So what do I want to do?  Read the second book of Game of Thrones.  And who do I have to blame?  Larry!  It also doesn't help that the second book is 1000 pages long and I can't read it fast like my usual books cause there is so many people to keep track of!  So I better go read some more and stop blogging :)

:: new crabs ::

We have two hermit crabs!  We got our first hermit crabs when Hunter earned them when he was able to not pee in his bed a couple years ago and Grace got to pick one too.  Well Hunter picked a huge one and Grace picked a tiny one.  I have kept them alive this whole time except last week.  Hunter's decided to take a drink and emerged himself/herself in the water bowl and I have no clue how long he/she was in it but was cold and alive but I think when I took her/him out she got too much water in her shell and died.  I waited a week to take her/him out of the crab world and it smelled to much like fish so I think it died at least I hope it did it didn't move when I took it out.  If it is still alive I will feel really, really bad.  So the kids and I went to the pet store today one where we have never gotten hermit crabs before.  I had finally told Hunter on the way to the store that his crab died and he was actually cool with it cause he asked if it went to stay with Jesus and I said yes, thank goodness for Preschool!, and he said ok mom I can get another and of course Miss G wanted one too! So we went and oh my goodness this pet store had huge hermit crabs!  Last time Hunter got a big one this time he got a huge crab! I had asked the girl about the size of them since Grace's current crab was small and she said it would be ok but once I got both these crabs home I feel so bad for Grace's old, small crab!  Hunter's crab is so huge!  He picked out a crab that had an American flag as a shell he has been so about flags lately!  Grace picked a new pink one and it is big but not as big as Hunter's!  His was all over the tank and we are so used to crabs that hide and hibernate all the time in the tank.  Hunter's new one was climbing all over Grace's old one that it had to come out of its shell to see what in the world was going on!  So the new crabs are making it be more active!

Here is a picture of both of the new crabs. 

Can you tell which one is Hunter's?  He/she can climb up on the hut and no crab has ever ventured up on it!  Grace's new one is eating Cheerios and Grace's old one is the green one on the left that is tiny and looking out at the new ones.  It is fun to watch the new crabs cause they are out and about but at the end of the day Hunter's big kauna was in the hut and Grace's new pink one found her/his way into it too!  I would love to name Hunter's Bad Ass but that would not be good to have him say but I seriously think he is!

:: coloring ::

Happy Memorial Day!  I was trying to sleep in this am but my lovely Grace is an early bird and even when both kids woke up I still wanted to sleep and I tried but it didn't work.  I was so lazy this morning I kept going to my bed to go back to sleep I think I was bummed that I was doing this long 4 day weekend by myself and with the kids being grumpy every day and tons of housework it got to me.  I finally got my motivation at 11:00am and went to Fred Meyer to see if they had the game Hunter wanted to buy.  They did and I was trying to think of how to teach the kids about Memorial day without taking them to a cemetery.  I deal with death all the time at work and didn't want to go there.  My Buddy loves American flags he gets it from Preschool and learning about them.  So I used the food route in teaching my kiddos. I bought them cheap little flags and Buddy bought his favorite oreo's in flag colors with his money he got from graduating Preschool and I got them a new kind of Popsicles fire cracker kind but told them it was Flag colors.  It worked they listened while they ate their popsicles after nap and then we had the cookies before bed.  They both didn't remember much of what I told them when I gave them the popsicles.  I asked Grace what Memorial day was and she said flag popsicles and Buddy said every state has a flag so I made sure we went over it again as they ate the red and blue Oreo cookies and made Hunter repeat what I said so it would hopefully sink in.  They might not get it this year but hopefully they will get what this day means sometime in the future.

Grace my wanna be Preschooler amazes me everyday.  She colors way better then her brother and does a great job staying in the lines for a 3 year old!  I finally got her to use all the colors in the rainbow on her pictures instead of just pink.  She concentrates so hard on coloring pictures it is pretty cute. 

I have a feeling she is going to breeze through Preschool and she has to do it for 2 years.  She can spell her name it isn't perfect by all means but she can do it and she can draw a cat face and she can write alot of her alphabet.  Her brother is her inspiration and she is trying to catch up to him.  Her and I butted heads alot this 4 day weekend but in the end I love her more than life and I can't believe how much she has grown and wish she wouldn't try to catch up to Hunter cause she is my baby and I am not ready for her to be big like Hunter I can't keep up with him as it is.   But she makes me proud with how she can talk, write, color, and just be her cause she is pretty stinking cute when she is just her.

:: new look ::

How do you like my new "blog" look?  I was frustrated my utube videos didn't fit so I went to the blog world to figure it out and went to town on it.  The kids both didn't take a nap today so I put those whompers to be early and they crashed hard while I tried to figure out my blog. :)  I am slowly getting how the blog world goes.  I like how my blog has blossomed over the years I just got to keep at it.  My goal is to show you all my fav's in music, blogs, couponing, saving, budgeting, life with the mister, life with the whomps, life being in the certain single mom stauts when I am,  and what my whomps are doing.  My lovely little belle has been a trial lately so I gotta tickle her more, I think.  We went and got their Papa his Father's day gift with the Memorial day sales and I went to a second hand store today to get her hand me down ballerina stuff since that is what she wants to be and cannot start her life goal until the summer when she is 3.5 but I thought I would help her on her way cause that is what mama's do when their daughter's are grumpy and stubborn and show me her spins and twirl's in the living room as I am reading the Sunday paper. :) Gotta get her the clothes to twirl in but they didn't have her shoe size but that will be another day.  As she told Hunter today was about her and it was her day.  I guess with the whole Preschool graduation stuff she felt a little under loved but don't feel sorry for her I am pretty sure she got stickers, a new stuffed animal, and other stuff this week :) Hope you all like my new blog look :)

:: love ::

This is love.


And no I do not go on utube alot I stole this from another person's blog.  Makes me miss my man and this guy is so in love with this girl that he thought to do this and get his friends and family envolved.  Love.  Amazing.

:: carseats ::

Why do carseats have to be so expensive?  I think the stores know that you have to get 2 or 3 of them to put in parents vehicles and grandparents too!  Hunter looks pretty long in his carseat so I have been trying to figure it all out and keep him safe.  He is 2 lbs shy of 50 lbs and is 45 " tall so dude needed a new seat in the car! I want to put him in one that has the harnesses still I just can't let him free with the seatbelt we use cause I don't own an SUV to keep him safe enough on the road.  So it took me 2 weeks to figure out what to do...change Grace's carseat and give it to him and she gets his.  He needs to grow 5 more inches then I will have to buy new carseats.  So that is what I did today.  Grace, thank goodness was good with the change and I didn't have to buy her something pink to go on it like I told her.  I think I will wait and save my mula at least I know how much they are and where I am going to get them at.  Yep, gotta get more then 2 cause homegirl will grow up just as tall as her bro sooner or later.  I should have been in the carseat business! :)

:: good girl ::

I love Carrie Underwood!  I wish I had her legs and I love her shoes!  It also is cool she is married to a hockey player :)


Enjoy this Carrie video :)

:: graduation ::

My Buddy graduated!  I am so proud of him!  He did a great job singing and he was not scared at all when he had to tell us all his name and what he wants to be when he grows up.  Here he is with his teacher Mrs. Bird after getting his paper and Bible.  Mrs. Bird will be Grace's teacher this year!  Good job Buddy you did it and I can't believe Kindergarden is next!

:: stronger ::

I was shown this video today.  Since I am not on FB I don't see all that everyone is talking about so I am a few steps behind everyone but I saw this video and it got to me.  I love Kelly Clarkson and I love the song "Stronger" and every time I hear this song I will think of the children/kids that are one state above Oregon that did this video and hope that they are winning their fight with Cancer and becoming stronger in their health.  I love the nurses in this video because if I would have kept in Nursing school I think I would have loved to be in a kids cancer hospital taking care of these kids and helping them fight or letting go with their cancer.  This week was rough for me just with life in general but when I watch this video my week didn't compare to anything that is going on in each and everyone of these kiddos lives not even close. 

It is amazing how music has become a big part of my life from the last 2 years.  Words in songs mean more to me and to sing it out loud and sway/dance to music which I never did before.  I will let you in on a little secret...I used to be a doormat and I always said I was sorry for everything and now that things are out in the open and I went to counseling and people know I am not perfect...I have become more stronger and I am the boss (insert smile) and you know what...it is a good feeling. :)  My advise to anyone that is feeling low or down...turn on music and listen to the words and feel the music and make certain songs move you.  The song Stronger will always make me think of kids with cancer.  The song Springsteen will make me think of turning up the music up loud and making my kids go crazy over my favorite song of the moment.  Christine Perry's song has awesome music and I could just take out the words and listen to the music out loud and it makes me want to read the Twilight series all over again.  I am reading Larry's books, The Game of Thrones, and guess what music I listen to when I read it?...Celtic Irish music makes it so much better.  Just like Milk does a body good.  Music does a body good :)

:: sniff sniff ::

Today was Hunter's last official day in his Preschool class.  Sigh.  His class is getting together at a park on Friday (weather permiting) to celebrate being done with all the other classes at the school.  Since today was his last day at school he brought home all his school things that he used at school.  Sniff.  He brought home his name stick that he put up on the board checking him into the room and his name tag for my mom, Larry, or I to pick him up with, and his full name to learn how to spell it (sniff) and a very cool memory book of Preschool!  Sniff, sniff.  I seriously cannot believe that my Buddy has finished Preschool and graduates (he calls it his Congratulations) from Preschool on Friday.  Sniff.  Seems like I just took his picture with his bunny on the porch and posted it on Facebook a few months ago for his first day of school!  Time sure does fly!  Sorry not the best picture of his school stuff but it is late.  I am so proud of my Buddy for making it through Preschool and I can't believe his next adventure is Kindergarten!  Whoo Hoo!  I think Friday is gonna be tough on this proud Mama seeing my big boy do whatever he has been practing at school for his Congratulations he will not give anything away that it is just a secret!  He will not sing the song or tell me what he is going to say with the Mic.  Silly boy but maybe it is better I do not know cause his sister and I are going to be so, so, so excited for him!

:: pictures finally! ::

 Here are the pictures from my phone of the kids playing with their first Kiwi Crate!

 Knight Hunter, can you tell he is totally smiling under his mask? The kids are using the catapult Hunter made to toss a ping bong ball over the castle (kiwi crate box) and also to deliver packages (ping pong ball) over the castle wall.  All of these were suggestions that came in the crate :)

My boy and his dog or is it my dog and his boy? :)

Today, I got the whompers new battery operated toothbrushes called Spinbrush's.  Grace saw them on the back of her Nat Geo magazine and I thought sure.  They are putting stickers on their new toothbrushes that had come in the box the toothbrushes came in. 

Hunter had his skating lessons today and it was his second time in Basic 1.  Basic 1 has 1 more class to go and I put him in right at the end of the sessions but he seems to be having fun and trying to catch up with all the big kids.  He falls alot cause he isn't used to the speed and he looks like he is the youngest in the class.  But he did better today then last week last week was a shock to him cause he isn't used to the group of kids staying all together and going back and forth and doing new stuff.  He is used to doing what he is told and waiting for a lot of the class to reach him on the other side.  But I am so proud of him he is listening to his new teacher and doing (trying) to do what the teacher wants him to do.  He is having fun though cause he smiles alot in the class you can't tell in these pictures but he is :)  I think he looks so cute in his hockey gear and he is the only one in his class in a suit but he doesn't mind cause when he makes it into Learn to play hockey he has to know how to play in it.  I am so glad I put him in this class because it is challenging him and he isn't bored and at the end of 30 mintues Buddy is sweating and ready to take me out for free skate to show me what he learned :)

Looks like he has the moves!

I watched The Vow last night and cried.  It was a good movie but earlier in the week I watched Life as we know it and cried even more on that one!  Watching more movies lately especially chick flicks :)

:: couponing ::

I am not the best couponer and I have slacked in the last months but I am on the mission to get a new "family" minivan that I need to pay off a debt in order to get it so I gotta get back to couponing better and stocking up my pantry.  My favorite place to use coupons is Target.  I should venture to Walmart or somewhere else but I love that Target has coupons on their website and they have alot that duplicate what you get in the Sunday paper.  My goal, which I haven't achieved yet, is to try to get $50 worth of savings from couponing.  Will see if I do that tomorrow!  Clipping coupons and taking the time to look at the sales and website takes alot of work but sometimes it is fun sometimes it is not.  Tonight, I got myself all ready to go to Target tomorrow!  It is such a good feeling to be prepared.  Hunter has skating lessons tomorrow and I love that there is a Target in Sherwood right by his lessons!  I can either drag the kids before or after his lessons cause it is right there!  Here are some of my favorite websites to coupon from.

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://hip2save.com/
http://www.frugallivingnw.com/

Also, I am loving Best Buy right now!  I have gotten 2 items from them a Wii game for Hunter under $10 but I had to pick it up in Salem and I just got 2 sleeper napper's for the kids that they keep asking for that Larry picked up at a Nevada store this week for $6.00 since they didn't have them in Oregon!  The price was not for 1 but for 2 one that Grace wanted and one that Hunter said he would like since the one he wanted wasn't on sale!  That is the price for shipping for just one if I was to order it on TV!  I so love a bargain especially if it is something my kiddos want they just got to earn them now :) 

Does anyone have any coupon websites they love?

:: medieval times ::

My kids got their first Kiwi crate today!  It came in one box I thought there would be two so I was suprised when I looked in it that there was 2 of the same projects for each of them.  Super!  Their box was all about Medieval times!  They got to make catapults (grace didn't want to make one) and we did KoolAid and made red silk fabric (that is still drying) for the medieval costumes!  Grace made a princess hat and Hunter made a knight's mask.  I took pic's with my phone cause I didn't know where at the time my memory card was for my camera but I will take pics for the next box!  I so, so, so love Kiwi Crate!  My kids had fun for a couple of hours with what they made and it was good for me cause I have the stomach bug.  Hoping to be better tomorrow but I stayed home today and slept ALOT!  Which was very nice and I picked up the kiddos and knew the box of crafts had arrived so I was glad for them let me tell you!

:: kiwi crate ::

I am super excited to see what comes to my door tomorrow or Friday!  I got this website from PW's website and I am thrilled to see what the kids think.  It is a company called Kiwi Crate.  The idea is a box comes with a craft for them to make.  You have no idea what it will be but all that they need to make said craft is in the box.  I ordered one for each kiddo cause there boys and girls crafts.  The best part is I don't have to go to the craft store to get all the parts and I don't have to drag my kids with me and coupon in tow to figure out what new fun project we should do, now it just comes to my door and I couldn't be more thrilled!  I don't think that the cost of it is too bad cause when you live in a tiny house like me keeping my own scrapbooking and sewing stuff stored is hard enough as it is to keep my kiddos coloring stuff has taken over my laundry room so to have a craft box come to my door with all it needs in it and it all gets used I am in awe and love the idea.  Can't wait to see what the kiddos think :)  Let me know if you do this to and what you think of it.  I inserted the link to kiwi crate for you all.  :)

http://www.kiwicrate.com/

:: goodbye facebook ::

I stopped doing Facebook 2 weeks ago.  It was hard to do.  I did it because a patient posted untrue things that hurt and after I cried about it and Larry asked me why I even had that patient on my Facebook if she wasn't a friend even though I thought she was.  And you know what he was right.  So I quit FB.  I was getting to attached to it and certain things made me jealous and guess what it was taking myself from my kiddos time that I realized that I didn't need to do it anymore.  Don't get me wrong the last 2 weeks have been very lonely especially the first week.  FB was my way of feeling like an adult when I am by myself and the kids are asleep or if I just want to show the world something cool my kids did or get advise from anyone who would listen.  To be cut off from that is a big, huge, shift.  But I am surviving and realizing that I don't need to know every one's business and they don't need to know mine.  So goodbye FB you were fun but I am done for now, maybe in the future I will come back.  So guess what!  I am going to try to blog more and blog when I feel lonely and tell you all my faves and what I am thinking, doing and hopefully take more pics of my kiddos!  So I have attached my fav song for this month...Springsteen and A thousand Years.  Enjoy to who ever reads my blog!  Warning more post will be coming now :)

And my Buddy has 5 more days of Preschool left then it is his Preschool graduation!  Which is so crazy for me cause I honestly just took his first day of Preschool picture on the porch!   I can't believe he will be done soon and getting his Preschool paper saying he passed.  So proud of my Buddy and I can't believe Kindergarten is next!