This mom loves a good deal!

The kids and I have 2 year passes to Sea World so we are frequent visitors at the Shamu show! It's so nice to have passes because we can just run down there for the afternoon and not feel like "we didn't get our money's worth" if we don't stay the whole day and see each and every show! Our normal routine is that I tell the kids we can see TWO shows...which always turns out to be the "Shamu" show and the "Pet's Rule" show....which is the dog & cat...now turned dog, cat, pig, ducks, emu's, kangaroo and macaw's show!

Both shows are good so I enjoy them just as much as the kids. I'm bummed that the trainers don't get in the water with the Whales anymore...but who can blame them. It's still magical seeing those large mammals following directions and jumping so high out of the water! Amazement every single time!

I took the kids down on Saturday afternoon and they each had $10 to spend. Money that they got from their Grandparents for Valentines Day. Chasey picked out a small (like the size of my hand) penguin with big eyes. It was adorable, but I told her to wait and we would come back to that store to get it before we left if we did not find anything else.

As we were headed to the Shamu show we passed a store called Trader's Cove...I've seen it a thousand times, but never went in. I thought what the heck, let's check out this store...The sign outside said "Nothing over $10"...Perfect!

We walk in...and what do we see? Sea World's Clearance Department!!! HOLY COW! Clothes, toys, trinkets, stuffed animals...ALL marked down to under $10....Guess what my kids got?! For $9.88 each!! I'm still amazed!

Mr. Independent wears "Surf Pants'

I'm struggling to get through the mornings these days! (No...I'm not pregnant!ha) I remember this feeling all too well from a couple of years ago when Chasey was about 3 1/2 or 4 years old. I was a frazzled mess walking in to work at least 2 or 3 days out of the week. Since I've been off work, things have been a lot less stressful and getting Chasey to school by 8am each morning is not so bad...we rush out the door EVERY morning regardless of whether we have 90 minutes to get ready...or 30! Doesn't matter...somehow we are always rushing at 7:50am!

Well...Cash has recently found his streak of independence! He can do EVERYTHING himself! Although I think it's great that he's growing and changing, there are some things that mom should just do for you at this age!

Number 1...getting dressed in the morning when you have to do it quickly!
Cash REFUSES to let me dress him! I learned this the hard way the other morning when he ran and ran and ran from me and Chasey was over 10 minutes late for school and got a "tardy." UGH! It's kindergarten...but still...no reason she should have been late. I almost took him to school naked...but it's a little chilly outside! The past 3 mornings I lay his clothes out at 7am and tell him he can do it himself. 10, 20, 30 minutes go by and he hasn't done it and he still refuses to let me. It's a battle that I'm losing and it's driving me up a wall! Bribery is the only thing that works these days...but candy is the last thing he needs that early in the morning!
Number 2....he hates to let me wipe him! This one is REALLY bad! I have to physically restrain him so that I can wipe him. He tried to do it himself the other day and got it all over his hands! Then....came up to me and grabbed my face! Blech...i want to throw up just thinking about it! He was being sweet and trying to kiss me, but still...blech!
Number 3....If I tell him he can't have something...or do something...he does (or at least attempts) it himself! Example below...I REFUSED to put batteries in this train because I was warned by the friend that handed it down to NOT put batteries in it because it is so obnoxious.....he decided he was going to do it himself! I thought it was cute enough to take a picture of it...but I still didn't put batteries in it. Well...he sweet-talked James into that very night! Now we have an obnoxious train that makes annoying animal sounds AND train sounds roaming around our floors all day!


All this is just "growing pains"....Growing pains for mommy that is...Cash is cool with it all! But as much as I want to strangle a 3 year old some days....I want to hug and kiss and squeeze him tight the minute that he says "I love you so much mommy!" over...and over...and over! It's music to my ears and makes my everyday struggles disappear into thin air!

and....Mr. Independent wears "Surf Pants"....because he now refers to his swim trunks as his "Surf Pants"....because he surfs in them...so he says! If given the choice each day to pick out his own clothes...he will most likely put on his "Surf Pants!" Thank God we live in Southern California where our "cold" days are in the 60's!

just a random picture from last week of an everyday Cash antic! The boy can really make me laugh!

"Winter Break"

Chasey had a week off last week...It's "Winter Break" or "Presidents Week"...whatever they call it, It's nice to not be tied down to a school schedule for a week!...We slept in most days...did a lot of lounging...and had some fun in between! Here's one or two...or so...pics from the week!

It was my "Every other weekend" for the first part of the break and I took a trip to Big Bear with 15 girls!! Yes...15!!! We stayed in a huge gorgeous cabin and had so much fun just having some girl time! This picture cracks me up...It's the 2nd one that was taken and Carolina was getting in the hot tub and jumped in the pic behind us. We didn't know until she started laughing!

Since I'm having a "rotating issue"...here is the 1st pic!



Then the girls left and James came up for a day!



Spent a nice Valentines Dinner at home with my 3 favorites!


Met up with some old friends at the Long Beach Aquarium. The Lorikeets there are SO friendly! They would get on your finger even if you didn't have food! Loved them!



Had a "Bowling, Bieber and Sushi girls day!"







A nice big Fat Lip...



A little bit of "SingStar"



And finished it up with some Motorcyle Racing at the San Diego Supercross!! It was Cash's first race and he loved it! It poured rain, but luckily we had seats that were covered...so we stayed completely dry!



As much as I loved a little break...it's nice to be back on a schedule...but I am looking forward to summer vacation! :)

A sign? I think not!

I pinched my finger in the corkscrew opening a bottle of wine the other night...I even got a blood blister!

James says "I think it's a sign"

I say...."I think I need more practice!" haha

My new FAVORITE wine! Worth the blood blister! :)

"You can make new friends...but you can't make old ones!"

One of the...well...maybe the only reason I love facebook! Reconnecting with old friends!


It's seems crazy to me how much I lost touch with some of my BEST FRIENDS! Through our twenties we all kind of went different directions and completely lost touch. There was a group of us in high school that was together constantly...for years on end! I did stay in touch with about 4 of them...but there were a few that were just as much a part of the group that we lost touch with. I'm still amazed that we were not at each others weddings!! Now that we've reconnected, it's like we haven't missed a beat! Yes...we spent about 15 years doing "other things" but now we are all mid-30's...have husbands (or have had them at some point), have kids and really, truly appreciate great girlfriends!

I can't even express how thankful I am for great friends!! I was at Marshalls the other day (one of my favorite places!) when I saw a sign that said "You can make new friends...but you can't make old ones!" I should have bought it! But now it's my new motto! I love to make new friends...but I will NEVER EVER take for granted the lifelong friends that I have!

James even tells me how much he appreciates the fact that I have great friends and I make such an effort to see them! His ex only had 1 friend...He says that should have been a warning to him! Live and learn...another motto of mine! :)



The five of us...have created all of this...plus 2 more that are missing from the photo!


There's a couple more that live out of state...Emily, Bridget...I can't wait until they come visit so we can all get together and cause some havoc somewhere!

A New Chapter

So...my divorce is final! FINALLY! It only took so long because my ex and I drug our feet on a few things...but it's over. And I'm actually glad it took so long! I opened the letter last week and read it....and not one single emotion came over me! That is exactly how it should be! I didn't feel like a bowling ball had hit me in the stomach...I didn't feel happy about it...It just was! Ahhhhh......I'm over it! It's nice to know! I've been over it for quite a long time, but little things would creep up and it would still hurt...Like going to Costco a couple of Christmas's ago and the photo guy gave me "his" Christmas cards and not mine...When I opened it...It was MY kids....him....her...and all of her kids! I about died! If that happened now, I wouldn't care at all...but at the time it still hurt a little! Him and I get along fine now and I even sent him a "Happy Divorce Day" text! I told him he could finally start dating!! haha....that was funny since we both live with other people now! I wouldn't quite consider us friends...but that's not because of me...I want to be friends with everyone!

So...with my new chapter...I'm getting organized! Trying to at least! Here's a pic of the new toy storage in the living room....and a before and after of the toy storage on Chasey's half of the bedroom! Living with 4 people in 1100 sq. ft can get a little tight! We are trying to make the best of every square inch!



and this is my living room on a typical night....Cash trying to get naked...Chasey making clothes out of napkins and doing gymnastics off the couch!


Here's to Chapter 3 and all of it's possibilities! Bring it on!
(chapter 3 because...chapter 1...before marriage....chapter 2...marriage...chapter 3...my life now!)

Fuzzy's Christmas Vacation!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Wow...it's been over a month since I posted! We've been busy! Super busy! We spent 2 weeks in Illinois and Michigan with our families over the holidays! So much fun! I love spending time with my family! James family and friends got to meet the kids for the first time too...now they have even MORE family! They are the most loved kids in the world!

Chasey turned 6 on December 19th! My goodness...my sweet little preemie is SIX YEARS OLD! SO much has happened in the past 6 years...It feels like she's been here for a lifetime already! I don't really remember life before her! Because it was her birthday, she got to take home "Fuzzy" the kindergarten class bear! Each kid gets to take it home for a weekend and then write a couple of pages in his book and then bring it back to share with all of the kids. Well...we were lucky and got to take him for TWO whole weeks! He flew on an airplane, spent birthdays, Christmas, New Years....all with us! We loved having him and here are the 2 pages I made to put in his book! I wanted to include a ton of pictures without taking up 10 pages!




We are so happy to be home! It was a great vacation but with little ones, it's nice to be on a schedule again! We have friends coming for dinner tonight and we are trying out our new "salt slab." It's a 7 lb block of himalayan sea salt! You heat it up on the grill and then cook your seafood on it! We got it here. I bought grouper and scallops. Grouper wasn't my first choice, but it looked the freshest!

Happy Saturday night my friends! I'll let you know how the seafood turns out!