YOOOOO Gabba Gabba!

We spent Thanksgiving at home just the four of us...it was not really a Holiday..just another day of the week since we sit down at the table for dinner almost every single night. So...we tried to make up for it the rest of the weekend.

San Diego did NOT disappoint the tourists this weekend! It was chilly...actually REALLY chilly, but the sun was shining and it was gorgeous! We have woken up to frosty white grass every morning, but by 10am, the weather is close to 70 degrees!

Here's a little rundown of the rest of our weekend...

Mexican food picnic at Torrey Pines Beach on Friday




James was golfing so I was alone with the kids all day Saturday...thought I'd brave the crowds and take the kids to see the "Surfing Santa" at Seaport Village. The crowds won...I drove around the parking lot with all of the other parents looking for a spot that did not exist and finally gave up. Cool mom mode kicked in and I said "Hey kids...You want to go to Sea World?" I won the cool mom prize that day! We have passes so going for a few hours does not hurt the wallet!

This is now my FAVORITE thing at Sea World. It's kind of hidden, but it's the underwater viewing area at the "Dine with Shamu" tank. It's awesome to be so close to such a large animal! I have so much respect for the trainers. It really sucks that they don't get in the water with them at the shows anymore, but hopefully someday we will see that again. The interaction between the trainers and the whales is amazing. (I always dreamed of being a Shamu trainer when I was young...can you tell?)

This Dolphin was SO friendly! It wasn't feeding time and they normally don't come up to the sides unless you have a $6 tray of fish in your hands...but this guy was different! He just wanted to be splashed! We splashed and splashed and he was "eating" the water! The people next to us were petting him. I couldn't get Chasey close enough and keep a hold of Cash too. But...he was right there and we had such a great time watching him entertain us!

and my last picture from Sea World....look how cute my kids are! They were being so well behaved for me! They fight a ton these days so it was really great to get out of the house and not have any issues for the afternoon!


Then...something we've been waiting for since May! YO GABBA GABBA LIVE! at the Sports Arena! I bought tickets the DAY that they went on sale back in May and we never told the kids we were going. Chasey wasn't too thrilled when we first got there...she's a little too "cool" for Gabba...or so she thinks! About 20 minutes into it, she was up dancing and singing and yelling YOOOO GABBA GABBA!!! Such a fun (expensive) night with the kids! At least the tickets were paid for months ago...when I sitll had a job! ha Cash had a blast! Well...he sat on James lap the entire time clutching the balloon that came down from the ceiling...but...his eyes were fixed on the stage and we woke up this morning to Cash singing "There's a party in my tummy...so yummy" in his bed!

Late lunch at Phil's BBQ before the show...SO good!


DJ "Cash"




Whew...that was a long one....If you made it this far...Have a great night! Time for bed...

ps-I'm now writing for www.babyrazzi.com too! Nothing posted yet, but I'm their new product review mom! I love this!

Table for Four!

(photo from flickr)
Can you believe something this small has caused such a NIGHTMARE in our house?? Do you have any idea what this thing is? It's head lice...well this is a louse because it is just one, but LICE came home from school with Chasey and it's been an absolute nightmare! (Six other cases at her school that we know of...so were almost certain that is where it came from) I wasn't going to say a word about these damn things because the stigma associated it with them is not good. But..I want to come out and say that these things can happen to ANYONE? Clean, dirty, rich, poor...it doesn't matter! It just happens! If your kid is around other kids...you have a very high chance that you will have to deal with them at some point in your life.

And the WORST part about this....Chasey crawls in bed with me almost every night...so the only reason I even knew we had lice was because my head started itching! Once my head was itching I just knew! I had a nurse look at me at a baby shower that I was at and she confirmed that she saw a few eggs. At that moment, I left the shower, bought RID and treated us both immediately! Well...that was over a week and half ago! The next day I saw eggs in Chasey's hair againso we did a home remedy. 2 hours of Listerine on our hair, 2 hours of vinegar....helped...but still eggs....did another round of RID on my hair....still eggs. Spent THREE straight hours picking eggs out of Chasey's hair and was hoping I got rid of every last one....My aunt came over and did the same to mine.

2 days later...eggs! James even found a live one in my hair! UCK! This is after 3 chemical treatments and hours of handpicking the eggs out!

Bought an "electric bug zapper" comb! Don't know if this works or not, but the comb sure feels good on my head. Our heads are have tons of little scabs on them so we itch even when the bugs are gone! Lice feed off your blood....they bite you 2-3 times per day to live. They also lay 6 eggs per day...that is why they multiply so fast! The eggs DO NOT wash out...they are super sticky and have to be pulled out...you grab a hold of it with your fingernail and pull it all the way to the bottom of the hair strand. That literally is the only way!

2 nights ago...(10 days into this process) I SLEPT with my head covered in Vinegar. Vinegar is supposed to loosen the glue on the eggs. I woke up and washed my hair and knock on wood....Haven't seen any since. It's harder on me because I can't check my own head. I diligently look in Chasey's hair so she is good. If I happen to see anything, I pull it out immediately and I think were good on her hair!

All the stuffed animals, dress-up clothes...even the couch cushions are bagged up in the garage in "Quarantine!" I have spent so many hours fighting these damn bugs! My power bill is going to be through the roof with all the laundry that I've washed in "hot"! My hair is breaking from all of the crap I've put on it and we had to cancel our Thanksgiving plans....I would not wish this on my worst enemy!

Table for Four please? A little lonely, but at least we had each other!



Took the kids to the duck pond before we ate so they could run off some energy!



Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for...even if these bugs are trying to kill me! haha

Don't look Grandma's!

I know the Grandma's are reading this now...I kept it private for a very long time...well..private as in not letting anyone in my family read my blog! The cat's out of the bag now...I pissed people off...but I can't please everyone. I was hurt. bad. and sometimes those feelings still come out. I probably shouldn't share everything with the world...but I would tell a stranger my life story. That's just me. It's how I've always been...it's how I'll always be. My life is an open book. What do you want to know?

The title of this..."Don't look Grandma's" is because the kids and I have been working on Christmas presents. Chasey is SO artistic. She would do "art stuff" all day long if I let her! She loves it so much and she's very creative and can draw way better than me! She gets the drawing skills from her dad...that's for sure!

We had half days at school all week so we've actually had a couple extra hours each day to get some projects done! We painted some Christmas balls. They are so cute. The kids did them almost completely by themselves. I did some of the detail, but for the most part, Chasey and/or Cash painted them!

check out the concentration on their faces!...and that's paint in Chasey's hair! She had it everywhere!



You like my creative "ball holder" Some unsharpened pencils, chopsticks from sushi take-out and a box...and I have a drying rack!

We walk...but wish we didn't need to!

I walked in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5k on Sunday. I walked for people that are close to me, I walked for people that I don't even know. I wish more than anything in the world that I didn't feel the need to walk, but I have to do something. I have to do something for this cancer that is affecting my 34 year old friend and mother to 2 little girls. I have to walk for my best friends mom who is one of the most amazing Grandma's ever. I walk for my grandma, for my half brother's and sister's mom, I walk for so many people young and old who are affected by this terrible disease.

There were lots of people with signs...the one that got to me and made me cry was held by a girl about my age. The sign had a picture of another girl...about my age...it said "Last year Breast Cancer took her hair"..."This year...it took her life!" It was a picture of her, her husband and their 3 little kids.

I walked with 10 other girls and 2 babies while our friend lays in bed nauseous from chemo. She would be here for any one of us so it's the least we can do to bring attention to this disease and help find a cure! We all kept saying "I wonder how much money actually goes into cancer research" We all figured it all goes to advertising, administrative costs, etc....but to my surprise, I found out that 75% off all proceeds go directly into Breast Cancer Research and foundations right here in San Diego. At least that's what the Susan G Komen rep said on the news and I usually believe everything I hear! haha...but really I'm gullible!

I didn't do much...but at least I did something!


and then...we went out to lunch in Old Town!


and this...
this is just a random picture from junior high that someone tagged me in on Facebook....Yes...that is me...on the right...the one with the chicken legs! HOLY COW! I was skinny! Sheesh! And SWEEEEET parted down the middle feathered hair!

577 Measly Votes!!

So...we lost...The entire family is in shock! Thought for sure he had it in the bag! As we can see from the voting results of the entire country there is a huge shift toward Republican. About 80% of the Republican candidates on the ballot in Marion County, IL won.
I was online for hours last night...hitting "refresh" "refresh" "refresh"....just waiting for more precincts to log in their votes! At first it was 50% reporting and the votes were EXACTLY 50/50!!! I almost died when I saw that....Then...61% reporting...STILL 50/50!! It was nuts....Then at 71% reporting, the other guy pulled ahead to 52.6% and my dad at 47.4%....then at 100% it was 52% and 48%! SOOO SOOO close! Everyone involved with his campaign worked so hard and put so much time and effort into it. I'm super sad! But then...I think about the ballot....I guess someone has to lose! More people lose than win so it's not like we are the only family that is a little bummed today.

Lots of love and hugs to the world's best Grandpa!

Vote For Veltman! and a whole bunch of other stuff!

So....today is a HUGE day for my family! My dad is running for judge in Marion County, Illinois!! He won the democratic vote in the February primary election and is now the sole democratic candidate for the position on the ballet today! He's up against another local lawyer who is Republican. Although I live a couple of thousand miles away, I am there in spirit! I wish more than anything that I was with my family tonight! My parents split when I was little, but they still get along and my mom and step-dad are there, my step-mom, all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, grandma's, grandpa's...my ENTIRE family...except for the few of us here....are all there supporting him today!

They are all getting together and the votes start coming in at 5:30 my time (Pacific). I have the page bookmarked and I will be hitting "refresh" "refresh" "refresh!" just like I did in February! It's so nerve wracking!! Everyone says he has it in the bag, but...you just never know! A bunch of republicans can rush the polls today...who knows?!

The few of us here in Southern California got together last night to send our love...via Facebook!...


and...since I missed Halloween posts...here are a few pics!

My boyfriend..."The Biebs"

40 year old Biebs...and 36 year old Hannah Montana!"




Chasey was a kitty...but for some reason she refused to wear her ears or tail to school!


Hopefully I'm back with good news tonight!! :)
Vote for Veltman!! Go Dad!

Who Let the Dogs Out?

There is never a dull moment around here!

I guess I haven't totally F&#@ed her up! ....at least not yet!!

My poor kids....Divorce is never a good thing for kids...When you are 2 1/2, I'm not sure if it's harder because you have NO CLUE what is happening...or if it's easier...because you have NO CLUE what is happening! I'm thinking it's the latter...at least that's how I sleep at night. I feel like it was going to happen eventually so I'm glad it happened when it did.

My kids (according to those around me who tell me this...people like their old daycare providers/preschool teachers) are pretty well-adjusted. I've tried my hardest to keep their lives pretty normal and it was rare that I ever even cried in front of them. I cried ON Cash many many nights while he was nursing...taking a shower in my tears, but I kept my tears to myself when it came to Chasey. Looking back, I'm pretty sure I did the right thing.

So...Chasey is more my concern with long-lasting effects of divorce than Cash. Cash was oblivious to all that was happening around him and now he is just one lucky little guy to have a dad that loves him AND to have James in his life who loves both of my kids dearly. Basically my kids have 2 dads! I have 3 dads...and I consider myself one of the luckiest girls in the world! (I won't get into details on my 3 dads today...but really...I'm just lucky).

I was walking Chasey to school the other day and we walked past one of those dandelion seed things...You know..the kind you blow on and the seeds go flying into the air!? We walked past it and Chasey RAN back to get it. She brought it to me and said "Mom, make a wish!" I did...and I blew on it....I only blew half and told her to blow on the other half and make a wish.

As we were walking onto campus, she looked at me and said "Do you want to know what I wished for?" Of course I said yes. She told me in her sweet little five year old voice....
"I wished that everyone in the world was healthy!"

WOW! I thought for sure she would wish for the latest and greatest toy she saw on a commercial that morning...but no...she wished for everyone to be healthy! I don't even know if she realizes what it means to really be sick?!

My heart melted! I am one proud mom! I've done good! (and yes...I say I...because I take credit for about 75% of their upbringing! Disneyland Dad is just that)

and...just a picture of why it's cool to write reviews...When I get frozen products (ie...Seapaks new frozen "popcorn fish") the kids get to play with the dry ice!


oh...and HI MOM! We love you and miss you!

Blogging is so....time consuming!

So...I have completely and 100% neglected this blog all summer! I thought for SURE once I wasn't working I would have so much time on my hands! HA! That's a joke! I'm WAY busier now than when I was working full time. Not really sure how that works, but all my other unemployed friends say the same thing!

I HAVE been blogging all summer...just not here. I write for Lady & The Blog and it really takes up quite a bit of time to review products, gather info, pictures etc to get it all posted in a timely manner!

I'm LOVING this new gig though. I've reviewed everything from chicken nuggets, to beautiful Italian leather boots, to cookbooks, to makeup and everything in-between. It's so much fun to have the UPS guy or the Fed-ex guy or the mailman deliver packages to me all the time!

The kids are loving their new schools! Chasey looks forward to going to school every morning and always tells me how much she loves homework. She told me Friday that she REALLY wants to tell her teacher that she is the best teacher ever, but she's too embarrassed to tell her! AHHHH...how sweet! I told her she should make her a card....so when she gets home from her dad's tonight, that's what we are going to do! We will make the teacher a card! She needs to know how much she is appreciated! With 17 boys and 9 girls to deal with everyday, I'm sure a "thank you" every now and then is MUCH appreciated!

The kids have kept us quite entertained lately. Now that it gets darker a little earlier we don't have time to be riding bikes or playing outside after dinner. So now Cash entertains us with his "dinner dance" so we've named it! Around dinner time every night that kid lights up and dances, sings, dresses up in his sister's princess dresses and just does whatever to make us laugh!
Here a few pictures of his recent antics!




I have a headache...I'm going to take a nap before the kids come home! xoxo

Bike Ramp? For a 3 year old? Sure...why not?!

Another thing we've been doing this summer....teaching Cash to ride a bike with no training wheels! He took off on the day of his 3rd birthday.

I was at back to school night...James was home with the kids...and I came home to this video! It's actually hilarious...knowing that he's totally fine!

Unemployment? I'm kind of liking it!

Hi! Remember me?
Chasey and Cash's mom? Yeah...I've been lost for awhile...well..not LOST for real.. just "blog lost"...I've been playing Monster Trucks, doing "art stuff", riding bikes, picnics, trips to the park, the beach, taking Chasey to school every morning...then walking to pick her up a few hours later, laundry, packing lunches, doing dishes, napping (ha...well, sometimes I sneak one in), homework, cleaning house...and...oh yeah...a little trip to Cabo with 8 girls!! Life isn't all that bad around here! Last time I posted I was not convinced that I was liking this "stay at home" thing....but...I'm starting to get used to it! My 2 favorite times of the day are walking Chasey to school in the morning and then walking to pick her up when she gets out! I'm so thankful we live so close to school.

Oh yeah...since I was here last...Chasey started KINDERGARTEN!! REALLY BAD first day...but now she absolutely loves it! She has friends now and we've even had a couple of playdates with a friend from school. It's so cute to see little girls play together. My baby is growing up and for some reason having her in school makes me feel like a "real" mom! Yes, I've been a mom for 5 1/2 years now, but for some reason, having a kid in school makes me feel like a mom! I'm not sure if I feel old or what...I just feel complete as a mom now!

The first day of kindergarten went from this

to this...in a matter of seconds...

but then when I picked her up...all was well!


So...I'm a stay at home unemployed mom...but yet I managed to squeeze in a trip to Cabo with 8 of my friends & "second family"! My priorities are TOTALLY in the right place!! haha! I'm the token brunette! I joke that they only keep me around so they don't seem prejudice!



I've worked hard for many years! I deserved that trip AND my time off with my kids!

I have time off..yes...but somehow I feel busier than ever! I love it!

She dresses him up like a Princess...and she stole his nose!!

Hello Blog! I've missed you!

I'm off work...well...I've been off since July 1st! My company moved and is now an 85 mile commute in Southern California traffic...soooo...needless to say, I chose to get laid off instead of making the drive. 2 hours a day EACH WAY in traffic just isn't in the cards if I plan on being present in my kids lives! It was bad enough working full time and having them in daycare all day. Having them in daycare from 7-7 just was NOT an option. So...I'm home now...loving some days....wanting to pull my hair out other days. It's a huge adjustment around here. I'm not one to want to be a "stay at home mom". Yes...I love my kids dearly, but I'm just not cut out to stay home. I like to work. Plus...I NEVER EVER want to be stuck in a relationship because I can't support myself and can't leave. It happened once...I didn't leave when I wanted to and then it all ended badly. No regrets because I have 2 amazing kids...but...I know I should have left long before it ended.

Moving on...the summer has been a BLAST! We went to Illinois to visit family for 2 weeks! Yes TWO WHOLE WEEKS! I haven't been on a vacation that long in forever! It was so much fun. I really really miss my family! They are so crazy and fun! We've spent quite a few days at the beach, the pool, playdates and some days just lounging around the house.

I have a funny story to tell....The kids have been fighting quite a bit...because they get bored so easily...one of them takes the other kids toy, whatever and they end up chasing each other around the house or one of them hits or bites the other one. Some days I want to scream...well...some days I DO scream! Yesterday morning as I was making breakfast, Chasey "stole" Cash's nose! You know...like your grandpa used to do to you when you were a kid...Well...she took off running and wouldn't give it back! It was actually REALLY REALLY funny and I didn't know whose side to take in that fight! Chasey was just pretending...but Cash thought she really had his nose! I was laughing and yelling at Chasey all at the same time..."Chasey...at least PRETEND to give him his nose back"....Cash was freaking out! In the end...she "GAVE" his nose back and we moved on.
Look at this picture!! This is just ONE of the pictures, videos, etc that I have of Cash this summer dressed in his princess gear! That's the downfall of having a big sister I guess!

Goodbye Sunny San Diego...

We FINALLY begin to have a summer and we are leaving for vacation for two weeks! We will miss you San Diego!



But...we'll be visiting family in the midwest...we'll be fishing, swimming, going to carnivals, baseball games, bbq's, boat rides on the lake....the kids and I will be having a blast!

Busy...Busy...

This is how busy we've been....My kids can't even stay awake!

Happy 4th of July...

This is what I will be bringing to the party today....

Cowboy Caviar!! Oh sooo yummy!

Please be safe out there! :)