My FREE Mall Trip!

My mom loves going to the mall. Hubby works almost every Saturday, so that is my day for "girl time" with my mom. She seems to always go the mall. Being he frugal gal that I am, those trips are more for window shopping and walking. 99% of the time I leave empty handed.

This weekend was different. I left the mall with a tote bag, a tube of lotion, and a small vial of face cream - and all for FREE!!

You know how I love free stuff and great deals, right?? Well, one night when I was just surfing the net, I came across this blog. It's the blog of a woman who is called, "Deal Seeking Mom". This woman is awesome! She alerts her readers to all the great deals she comes across - and they are great!! If you like deals, I suggest checking out the site.

Thanks to her I scored this tote bag and tube of lotion from Victoria's Secret for free.

The lotion was from this printable coupon. The tote was for joining Pink Nation. The small tube of night time cream was from this coupon from Origins.

Then I went to Origins were I received a 10 day trial of Andrew Weil's night time cream.

If you like free and cheap as much as I do, check out her site. Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!!

Seed Starting

Today Gigi and I decided to get some seeds started for our garden. I am VERY much a beginner when it comes to gardening. I had a small garden the year before last and successfully grew tomatoes, cucumbers basil, cilantro and parsley. It might have just been beginner's luck, but I am going to attempt it again this year - and also some different things this time too!

Last time I was able to get the seeds directly into the ground at the right time. This year has been unusually cold for us so I thought it might be best to start them indoors. This is my firs time doing this so hopefully it will work out.

Anyhow, Gigi and I had fun getting them ready. I was even able to get some academic skills worked in! we talked about how seeds grow and some of the different plants, foods and trees that are grown from seeds. Gigi practiced counting with seeds as well.

She filled the little pods with the dirt.

She put in the seeds and then covered them with more dirt.

Then watered them. She did a great job!

I am attempting cucumbers, basil, cilantro and tomatoes again. I am also trying peppers, beans and carrots for the first time. I should be able to put them into the ground in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Visitors Keep Coming! :)

Just a few short days after my Aunt, Uncle and cousins left, my brother B arrived. I love when he visits. He is one of these glass-half-full guys and somehow forces you, without even trying, to see the good in everyone and everything. I don't know what it is exactly, but it seems I can never be in a foul mood around him. He actually tends to lift my spirits.

It was great to see him, I missed him and so did Gigi. It actually surprises me how she will sometimes ask about family members that don't live near us and tell me that she misses them. Lately it's been Pipa and Uncle.

Anyhow, this was B's first time meeting J. Last time he was here I was still pregnant. My bro is a complete natural with kids. He also works at the preschool the my Aunt directs. J seemed to bond quickly with his uncle and they had great fun playing together.

While he was here the annual "Strawberry Festival" began so we took him. It's just like a state fair, only with strawberries.

We let Gigi go on some rides. I went on a giant blow up slide with her, daddy went on a spinning ride with her

and then she went on one by herself.

Hubby and I even got a chance to go on the Ferris wheel together - just the two of us!

Gigi still wanted to go on rides after out tickets had run out. My clever brother spotted these chairs that are for massaging your feet. They only cost a quarter. He told her it was a cool hair ride. She actually bought it! she was cracking up -and so were we!

We ate some yummy, yet horribly unhealthy food. Gigi attempted to eat this corn dog that was almost as big as her. Of course, we had strawberry shortcake before we left.

Today my Bro had to leave. I was sad to see him go, but hopefully we will see him again soon!

Stay Tuned

For the past week we've had family visiting. So, our normal "routines" (I use that term very loosely) are kind of skewed at the moment - we're having too much fun to be blogging on the computer!

Our latest visitor is my brother B. I'm so excited he's here! Unfortunately he has to leave on Friday. I will try to get updated here over the weekend as I do have some fun things to share.

So stay tuned, your regularly scheduled programming will return soon!

Weigh In - Week 7

I weighed in last night with a loss of 1.6 pounds!

That brings my total loss to 10.2 pounds!!

I'm only 3 pounds away from reaching my 10% goal!

Sixth Photo

Okay, I was tagged by Kate to post a photo.

Here are the rules for this one:

1. Got to your "Pictures" folder. Open the sixth one.
2. Post the sixth picture
3. Tag six people

The sixth folder in my pictures is Gigi from 2007-2008. Everything in there is sub-divided, so I clicked on the sixth folder in there which is "September 2007". The sixth pic inside that folder is:

Okay, so now to tag six people....

I don't think I know six people in the blogging world but, I will tag

1. Heather
2. Leah
3. Melissa
4. Yasmina

That's all I have! Oh well! Hope you can play along!

Park Day

On Monday, hubby was off for President's day. We decided to make the most of the gorgeous weather we were having and have a park day.

We took sandwiches, drinks and snacks over to a local park. We had a little "picnic" next to the children's playground. When we were done eating we let Gigi play for a while.

She had fun running around, climbing the stairs and going down all the slides. Her and I played a little tag and then Gigi and Daddy played a bit.

She wore us both out after a while so we plopped onto a bench and just watched her play the rest of the time.

She played with the sand and even played next to some other kids. She is a bit shy about asking kids she doesn't know if they want to play with her. Her strategy is to just play next to them and hope they start playing with her! Poor kid. I'm sure those of you who know her well would never guess that she would ever be shy!

When she had finally played enough we convinced her to go onto the boardwalk with us.

The boardwalk at this park meanders through 3500 feet of swamp. It also has an observation tower at one end. Along the boardwalk you can usually see turtles, snakes, birds and, of course, all kinds of plant life including a large cypress that is estimated to be over 1000 years old.

We didn't see any turtles or snakes but we did see a few birds.

It was a nice, relaxing day actually.

Feeling Out of Place

This week has been a bit strange for us, well, for me anyway. Hubby's Jeep is in the shop so he has been using the van to get to and from work, so I have been using my mom's car. While I am extremely grateful that my mom lets me borrow her car when needed, I feel so out of place without my minivan!!

Anyhow we are still getting some things done. I was able to get some groceries and we even made a trip to the library.

Gig had fun "reading stories to her little brother.

He actually seemed as though he was paying attention too!

We spent lots of time at home though, which allowed J some more time to practice being on his belly. He tolerates it a bit more now, but still is not thrilled with it. He is gaining strength and control and that's all that really matters.

We have been making the best of the situation, but I REALLY can not wait for hubby's car to be fixed so I can have my van back!! :(

Weigh In - Week 6

I dropped 0.6 pounds this week. Not nearly as much as I was hoping for but still, it's better than gaining!

Visit from Family

We had some family from out of state visit this week. My Aunt, Uncle and 3 little cousins made the 20+ hour driving trip to see us for a couple of days. Well, I guess my cousins really are not sooo little anymore, but I still feel like they are. They are now 11, 8 and 6.

It's was nice to see them since it's been a while. Plus this was their first time meeting J. Gigi had a blast playing with the boys. They played on the swing set and chased each other around the yard. Good times!

Another great advantage was being able to talk to my Aunt in person about the things I want to teach Gigi and find out her opinion on what a 3 and a half year old should know by now.

My Aunt is a director, as well as a teacher, of this fantastic private Christian preschool. She gave me some wonderful ideas for centers and hands-on learning that I am sure I will use in the future. She pointed out some great resources for info including The Mailbox Magazine, which I will now be subscribing to, and this great website which I have visited in the past but never joined as a member. She assures me the yearly membership fee is very much worth every penny. So, I will be looking into that as well.

Unfortunately they could not stay very long, but it was fun while it lasted. I'll miss you guys!! Hopefully we will see you again soon!

Happy Valentine's Day

We ended up not getting to most of the crafts I wanted to do for Valentine's day. Okay, actually we only did ONE craft. Oh well.

Gigi made foam door knob hangers. She gave one to Mima and put the other on our front door.

My mom kept Gigi over night at her house, so we only had little J to take care of. Hubby made a yummy steak dinner for the two of us (and even cleaned the kitchen when he was done!) and we watched a movie. Nothing too exciting or overly romantic, but we did have some quiet time while J slept so that was nice. When the movie was over we just hung out and talked a while.

Oh, something romantic hubby did do - he actually MAILED a Valentine's Day card to me! I though it was so sweet. It was a very nice surprise for me when I checked the mailbox. He definitely earned some brownie points with that unexpected move!

Finally, here are the picures we had taken of the kids. We sent them out to family - hopefully everyone got them by Valentine's - if not, sorry!

No More Karate

Well, at Karate class today, Gigi announced (TO her Sensei) that she didn't want to do Karate anymore. Sensei asked if she didn't want to do karate today, Gigi told her (without hesitation) "No, I don't want to do karate ever again!"

I'm pretty embarrassed over this. Mostly because Gigi could never seem to focus during class. A few days she did REALLY well. Most others she would run around and not listen to any instructions. I feel like her Sensei probably thought we had no control over her at all and let her run wild and do whatever she wants all the time. I assure you this is NOT the case.

Gigi is just VERY head strong.

If she gets it in her head that wants to or doesn't want to do something, it's very difficult to change her mind.

So, bottom line..we thanked Sensei Sara for everything she had taught Gigi up to this point. We told her that maybe we would try again next year when Gigi could follow instructions better. For now though, no more karate.

I think maybe she just didn't have much interest in karate. After all, she didn't ASK to go to karate lessons - we just brought her one day. Of course no parent wants to think of their child as a discipline problem, but that's not why I say this. What really makes me think she just doesn't have the interest is that when we left she kept letting us know,

"I still want to go to Tiny tots and dance, ok?" Numerous times!

Great Milestone!

J has achieved a fantastic milestone this week. He rolled from his belly to his back for the first time!



This is especially awesome for him since he can not stand having tummy time! I actually think that not liking tummy time really helped him roll to his back. He gets all angry and pushes himself to roll! It's cute but I also feel kind of bad watching him struggle to move!

I think I finally found a way to include video - hope it worked!

Weigh In - Week 5

Tuesdays are my weigh in day at Weigh Watchers.

I went to my meeting tonight and am happy to report I lost another 1.6 pounds!! I have now met my first goal of losing 5%!!

It's a bit slow going, but since I am nursing I am only supposed to lose 1 to 1.5 pounds a week. This is to ensure that I do not compromise my milk production.

So, slow and steady here we go!!!!

The Funny Things Kids Say!

We received the game "Operation" as a Christmas gift, but until today had not opened it to play.

Hubby grabbed it out of the closet and asked Gigi if she wanted to play "Operation". She looked at him with a worried look in her eyes and asked, "Will it hurt?"

100 Things About Me

I have been told that in the blogging world, it is tradition to tell 100 things about yourself for your 100th post. Well, here it goes;

1. I was born in New York City.




2. I am the youngest of three children




3. and the only girl.




4. I attended 6 different elementary schools




5. in three different states.




6. I was terrified of the dark as a child




7. and still don't like it very much.




8. I had 13 cavities




9. which were filled over 4 different appointments.




10. I had an imaginary friend named Scooter.




11. At the last elementary school I attended, I received a "Perfect Attendance" award.




12. I started wearing glasses when I was 6 or 7.




13. I read Lord of the Flies, Wuthering Heights and Call of the Wild in 3rd grade.




14. Only one of those titles was required reading for school.




15. I won a book writing contest when I was 11




16. and the story and my picture were printed in the local paper.




17. I took piano lessons for three years




18. and can't play more than a scale today.




19. I played the violin for six years.




20. My favorite song to play was Pachelbel's Canon in D.




21. On my fifteenth birthday I found out from a doctor that I was done growing.




22. I was (and still am) 4ft. 10in.




23. I played Varsity volleyball in high school.




24. I played on my high school tennis team.




25. I was one of the school paper editors in high school.




26. I started wearing contacts at 16.




27. I worked for the police department in the summer during high school.




28. For my Sweet 16, I went to an amusement park with 3 friends.




29. I shot a gun in a training room in the FBI building.




30. I was in the high school play my junior year.




31. I had a singing solo in the opening,




32. which I froze up on during opening night




33. but I did fine the next night.




34. I had no problems with my monologue though.




35. It helped that I took out my contacts so I couldn't see the audience.




36. I received my driver's license when I was 17,




37. but didn't get my first car until I was 24.




38. I graduated high school with Honors




39. and was initiated into the National Honor's Society.




40. I had my tonsils removed when I was 19.




41. I worked for Barnes and Noble at the time,




42. where I became a department supervisor after only 3 months.




43. I used to want to be a speech pathologist




44. and attended a University right after high school to achieve this goal.




45. I took classes for 3 semesters




46. but never earned a degree.




47. Then I decided I wanted to go to culinary school.




48. I attended the New York Restaurant School,




49. and am now a certified Pastry Chef.




50. I worked with Pastry Chef Michel Floranc (who used to cater the Oscars)




51. until I was hit by a car while crossing the street in 2003.




52. I then began working for a real estate company




53. as an administrative assistant.




54. I later received my Realtor License




55. but didn't use it much.




56. I used to be obsessed with the PC game, The Sims




57. and still play on the rare occasion.




58. I made a major move in 2004 to get a fresh start.




59. I immediately got a job with another real estate company




60. but as a receptionist.




61. I met my husband one month after my move.




62. He was the mail man for the office where I worked.




63. We were married 6 months after we met




64. in a courthouse style wedding.




65. We had our "real" wedding a couple years later




66. at a local park




67. where we released monarch butterflies at the end of our ceremony,




68. which, at my request, was performed by my uncle, an ordained Pastor.




69. My first child was born 5 days before my due date




70. by emergency c-section.




71. My daughter's middle name is my first name.




72. I was depressed for over a month after her birth because of the c-section.




73. However I NEVER doubted that she was the best thing to ever happen to me.




74. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom




75. and was thrilled when my husband worked out the budget so I could.




76. I feel it's my responsibility to make his check stretch as much as possible




77. SO am always on the lookout for freebies and great sales.




78. I religiously clip coupons to aid in this mission.




79. I like to consider myself as thrifty instead of cheap.




80. I once was stuck at the top of a roller coater for an hour and a half




81. and received free passes to the park for 18 months as an apology.




82. My second child took nearly 9 months to conceive.




83. He arrived 4 days before my due date




84. NOT by c-section. :)




85. We gave him my husband's name for his middle name.




86. I have been teaching myself to sew since late 2007




87. and still have tons to learn.




88. I first became interested in scrapbooking after my daughter was born,




89. but rarely find time to do it these days.




90. I am CPR certified




91. as well as certified in pediatric first aid.




92. I secretly want to live on a farm




93. and raise chickens for eggs




94. and grow vegetables.




95. For now I am satisfied with my little garden bed




96. and hope to learn enough to grow more in the future.




97. I would like to have more children if we can handle it financially,




98. but if not, I feel very blessed with the two I have now.




99. I sometimes feel as though my life is really a dream,




100. but then I just take a step back and thank the Lord that it's not.

Good Teaching Ideas

So, my brother B sent me this link from Scholastic about a science lesson on plants.

It seems like something Gigi would enjoy so we will be using it in the coming weeks.

Thanks bro - you're awesome!

Homsechooling Plans

Well, my initial plan was to be back into a routine by February. Unfortuantely I don't see that happening - not consistently anyway.

Regardless, I am going to try to plan a few things for Gigi and I to do for the upcoming months.

Valentine's day is coming so there will be lots of crafting for that. I purchased a couple of kits on sale to do with her. Also, we had Valentine's pictures taken of the kids which we will be mailing out to relatives. Gigi will behelping with their cards. I'll share the pictures ON Valentine's or after because I don't want to spoil it for my family before they get their mail.

Since I want to grow some vegetables this year again, (I skipped last year since I was preggo) I thought we would talk about how plants grow. How to actually plant them. care for them and eventually enjoy your hard work with a tasty, healthy meal!

While talking about plants, I also plan to throw in a bit about trees. I got some seeds from Arborday.org that we will be planting (inside first, then transplanting) for some trees. We are members of Arborday.org and will also be receiving 10 (already started) trees from them which we will plant together.

I also plan to tie in some lessons on composting (which I hope to be able to do for the first time ever) which will also turn into talk about recycling in general.

This is a lot to cover and it is all related so it will probably take us clear until summer! I do want to try to get back into the math lessons from Abeka as well as work more on her phonics. That may have to wait until we get a little more organized though.

A Few Updates

A few things to update everyone about.

First off, Gigi had her follow-up appointment with her eye doctor yesterday. She is improving, but not quite able to give up the glasses just yet. Her vision is now 20/30. For now, she needs to continue patching 3 hours a day and wearing her glasses full time. She goes back in another four months for a check.

So, we are making progress, but not at our goal quite yet. She'll get there. She's been really good about patching and wearing her glasses. She is even becoming more vocal about her patch when other kids question her about it, telling them that it will make her eyes stronger!

Another plus, I briefly mentioned to the eye doctor about J's anisocoria and she checked him out quickly right then and there! She says (as did the pediatrician) that it is just the way he's made! She does want me to bring him in just after his first birthday though, but she didn't seem to be concerned at all. Yeah!

Next on the list, I had my weekly weight watchers meeting last night. I weighed in at a loss of 2.4 pounds! My total loss now is 6.4 pounds. I received my first "5 pound" star. My 5% loss goal is 6.5 pounds, so I am sure I will get my "5% Goal" star next week. I'm quite proud!

Last, but not least; The entire family (minus J) had a dental check up today. We all check out great - no cavities for anyone!! And the hygienist said, once again, that Gigi is her best child patient (of the 3 year olds).

Goals Update

Well, the first month of the new year is officially over. So I figured now is a good time to assess my 2009 goals and see where I stand so far.

Here are the things I am actually doing.

Three goals for this year are to eat healthier, drink more water and lose at least 20 pounds. Well, I have decided to achieve those by joining Weight Watchers. Their plan can be tailored to nursing mothers and they encourage healthy eating and exercising. I joined the second week of January and so far I have lost 4 pounds. I weigh in again tomorrow.

With regards to my scrapbooks, I printed out some pictures I want to use, but I have yet to put together any new pages. I DID however buy two new Cricut cartridges with some Christmas money my Dad sent me. (( Thanks, Dad! )) So they should help when I get the chance!

I haven't gotten back into the routine of cleaning one room a day or doing one load of laundry a day yet, but I HAVE gotten it two to three days a week so far instead of all day one day.

I've been pretty good at remembering to use my reusable shopping bags. I've only forgotten them once I believe.

I only had one family member have a birthday so far this year, but I DID mail out her birthday card in time! :)

That's all I've done so far, but I think I'm off to a good start.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Well, according to Punxsutawney Phil we will be having 6 more weeks of winter. I know many of you are fed up with winter, but for us, it has actually been quite pleasant. The colder days are a welcomed change!

Gig and I read a couple of books about Groundhog's Day;

• The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Wendie Old
• Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons

Then we went on the Internet and watched a video of this morning's ceremony in PA.

It was a bit long and I had to fast forward a little so I wouldn't completely lose Gigi's attention and interest.

After that Gigi did a couple of coloring pages.

We both made a pop out groundhog craft

And a Groundhog hat.