The longest update ever! Mexico!!

Andy and I took our first solo vacation a week or so back. We went to Cancun Mexico and it was glorious! We stayed in an all inclusive resort, which only makes sense regardless of how often you eat there for the drinks alone! The weather was beautiful and we arrived with relatively small issues. We rented a car, which I highly recommend so you can set your own schedule, BUT only if you or someone your with is capable of driving with no signals,speed limits and virtually no rules. Right up my ally, honestly, nothing can be worse than driving in Milan Italy, although Andy swears his blood pressure went up just walking in the direction of having to get into the car! We got to our hotel easily, they are all on one strip so if you drive past it, just turn around. First stupid American moment, I can't get the car into reverse.......Ummm, I have driven stick before, Andy's truck IS a stick shift. So we get all huffy puffy trying to figure out how to call the rental company to have them bring us a car that did actually go into reverse. We stop to ask the front desk people to help us with the call and they ask the simple question, "did you pull up on the button thing?" Ummmmm, noooooooo, what button thing? Yup, it went into reverse just fine once you knew how to do it. I guess allot of their cars are like that, woulda been nice to have been told that sometime before we left the rental desk! That first night we decided to go to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in honor of my dad who is a true parrot head. It was fun, we ate fresh made guac, drank margaritas, watched a singing dancing shark and bought my dad the most kick ass t shirt ever, srsly'. We went back to the hotel sat by the beach for awhile, had another margarita and then turned in because we were already exausted from the traveling to get there. The next day was sunny, and hot and humid and just wonderful! After breakfast we set off to try to find Market 28, a huge flea market in Cancun, we were given directions and told we can't miss it! Yeah...you can. Eventually we found it, and the Wal Mart we had also been looking for, hey, we had to buy razors and shampoo and conditioner since those were no no's in our carry on bags. Market 28 was just exactly what you would expect, and we didn't stay to long, just long enough to get Andy some sunglasses and the girls bracelet's with their names weaved into it. The rest of the day we lounged by the pool and the beach and just read and talked and generally enjoyed (ahem ahem) each others company. Looking back this may have been my favorite day. We watched the nightly show, Broadway songs, and then walked on the beach before we went to bed. The next dayy...ummmm, Sat I guess was suppose to be a great day. We were going on a Catamaran to go scuba diving, then go have lunch and shop on a neighboring island. It started out great, we met a fun couple from Texas around our age, then we got into the water, huge swells, that didn't bother me in my Dramamine induced state, but Andy does NOT have sea legs and started puking...and puking...and puking... Poor thing, he finally felt better once we got to dry land, but at one point during the trip there I asked him if he was okay and he dove over me to puke over the side, I think that answer was no. Shopping was fun, we didn't buy anything because everything was uber overpriced and they were not willing to come down at all, but we did eat a tasty tamale from a street vendor and some delicious ice cream, we were both exhausted by the time we got home but managed to watch the night show hit's of the 70's!!! We had designated Sunday for a road trip to the Aztec ruins in Tulum, it was about a 2 hour drive from our hotel, but ended up being longer because of road construction. The ruins were awesome and we even hooked up with a gentleman from New Orleans and a guide. The drive back was fun, we stopped at a grocery store, it was just a really relaxed day. Monday was the day of our departure, we tracked down a Starbucks for the drive to the airport and ended up in a parking structure that we didn't have enough pesos to get out of, so we had to find someone to convert out one dollar to pesos so we could validate our parking ticket. We weren't really stressed because I had already printed our tickets online that morning. We returned the car with no extra charges, woo hoo! and after initially going into the wrong terminal finally found the right one and were so glad that we had already printed out tickets because the line at US Airways was crazy long. We head up to get through security where we are informed that our tickets aren't "real" tickets. Weird because they were real enough to get us here! Ok, stress time, wait in the long line, we can't do that there is no way we will make our flight, so we go up to the first class line since we already have our tickets printed and they should take them. This is the beginning of travel hell. The print our tickets but tell us that our flight is delayed due to storms in Charlotte, and that we may not make our connecting flight. Greeeeeaaattt. So we get through security, head to the airport margaritaville where I suck it up and make a few 99 cent a min phone calls to our babysitter, and my mom, to let her know whats going on and that we will figure it out more when we get into NC and it isn't so expensive to call. To add insult to injury our bill was 80 bones and we each had 2 margaritas and SHARED a fajita plate. OUCH! Finally we got onto our airplane and I have hope that we will make our connecting flight, hey if our flight was delayed, maybe our next departing flight will be to, and we seriously only need it to be delayed by like 10 min. It wasn't, and we missed it. So we tried to get to get on the next flight standby, but there was only one seat open, so we stayed the night in the Raddison Suites on the airlines dime, which would have been great, except that we had to be back at the airport for our next flight departing 7:30AM, which means in the lobby to catch the shuttle at 6AM. My sweet sweet hubby is always the romantic though and while showered he went down to the bar and bought a bottle of wine and some little cookies since I had mentioned earlier that we would get cookies at a doubletree. What a nice surprise to step into the room to find Andy, two glasses of wine and cookies. He truly is my knight in shining armor. We made our flight to Phoenix the next morning, and caught our flight to Spokane just fine, I was so giddy when I knew we were getting close because I couldn't wait to see my babies and they were right below waiting with my mom for us to land. So what did we do? We circled the airport for 30 min due to fog before they detoured us to Seattle. This is about the time my wild mam instinct kicked in and I broke out bawling. Had the been handing out parachutes at that moment, I am sure I would have been the first person to jump. I cried and sulked and was just miserable the entire hour to Seattle, finally we landed and I could call my mom. I told her to take the kids home to nap since I didn't know how long it would actually take us to get to Spokane. My heart ached for my kids, I knew that there had been such buildup at the airport that mommy and daddy were coming home, and then we didn't. I felt defeated and even just remembering it stirs deep emotions in me. We did make it home, and not too much later either, they refueled the plane and headed back this time able to land. We finally landed in our home airport late Tuesday afternoon. We called a friend to come pick us up and he dropped everything to do it. We get home and jump in the car to go to my parents house to get the kids, but where are the car keys? I call the babysitter and ask her and hear the dreaded words, "Oh crap, they are in my purse right here." AHHHHHHHHHHH! This is NOT our day! Luckily before I meltdown again Andy reminds me that we have a spare and he knows where it is. Thank goodness! Seeing the kids was wonderful! I guess Emmy cried home from the airport and off and on till we got home that day, poor thing. She was the most excited to see us. It was a quick night once we got home it was almost bedtime, so we gave them their presents, snuggled and read books and then they went to bed and I set in on unpacking. I figured in a couple days live would be back to normal, and it almost was. Gaving was back the next day, we went to our BFF's house to BBQ dinner, but on Thursday night I started feeling kinda achey, I figured I pulled something, but it was so much worse. Swine flu. That's the next post, I'll probably do it tomorrow since it's getting late and I'm still sick.

Mother's day dinner....early.

We are having my in-laws over for dinner tonight, it's kinda an early Mothers day thing since we won't see them next weekend and then we will be in Mexico for a week. On the menu for tonight, beef ribs, corn on the cob, red potatoes and spicy jalapeno cornbread. Dessert is strawberry shortcake. I make the shortcakes out of a vanilla scone type recipe and cut them in pretty circle with scalloped edges. I feel like I have been cooking all day, but I know it will be worth it come dinner time. It's 3:15 right now, and I have bakes the shortbreads, made the whipped cream, sliced the strawberries and mixed them with sugar, baked the cornbread and the ribs are in the oven on warm until I am ready to toss them on the grill. Potatoes and corn are my last few things to do, but those should be easy so I am taking a break. I wish it were sunny and beautiful outside so we could eat outside, but right now it's cloudy and in the low 50's. ick.

I found a really cute frame for my MIL, it has the words FAMILY in wood with three frames hanging off the letters. She is really hard to shop for since she doesn't really have any hobbies. I hope she will like it.

Faith spent the weekend with her grandparents and I must say, it is amazing the transformation in Emmy when Faith isn't here. She become a loving sweet, semi-obedient child. I don't know if it's because she get's more attention, or if it's just that she has nobody to pick on when Faith's gone, and I'm sure it's a bit of both. Anywho, Faith got home about an hour ago, and Emmy has returned to her usual terrible attitude....I dread her teen years already.

Earth day!

A couple of days ago was earth day, and while I try to impart on my children that God gave us this earth to take care of and we should do just that every day, Faith had been bugging me to make a bird feeder thing she had seen on TV. I figured it was the perfect day for it! I sent Faith out into the rain with her umbrella to find a pine cone for Emmy, Gavin and her. After they dried off for a while I set them up at the table with their pine cone and a butter knife covered in peanut butter and let them go at it. Faith did pretty well, Emmy and Gavin though it was time for a snack and kept trying to eat their peanut butter. After all three cones were sufficiently smeared I sprinkled birdseed on them and we waited for the rain to stop so we could hang them up outside.

In the mean time I started a chili in the crock-pot. It was cold and raining and seemed like the perfect day for a pot of chili, plus, chili is low and fat and high in fiber and we all know how I am trying to looses a few lbs before Mexico. To go with the chili I made some cinnamon rolls, which are not helping with the weight loss, but Andy had a stressful week, and when he was little at school they usto serve chili and cinnamon rolls together. I know, weird, right? He almost always took a bag lunch to school, but his mom always let him get school lunch when it was chili and cinnamon roll day. I figured it would make his day a little bit better to come home to a hot bowl of chili and fresh baked cinnamon rolls, and because I rock like that.



One more thing. We have a new addition to our family. A fish. A betta fish to be exact. I'm not sure why I had the urge to get a fish, but I did, so we did. His name is Emo. You know, like the kids who wear the skinny jeans with the bright pink high tops and the hair over their face. Emmy has dumped out his vase once already, but I saved him. Andy said he feels bad for the fish, like coming to our house is a death sentence. I am determined to prove him wrong!

Yogurt and Jam

I love the sound of canning lids popping in the background. It is so fulfilling to know that it worked! It's funny, when I met Andy I told him I would never can, just wasn't my thing, no fricken way, and now I find it fulfilling? Wow, how the times have changed! Seriously though, canning is hard work, it takes allot of prep time, it's hot, it's messy, but in the end you come out with a jar of something you grew, you washed, you trimmed and then preserved to eat later. There was one day last fall where it really hit me how cool it was, for dinner that night I made green beans that I had canned a few months before, a roast from an elk that Andy had hunted and whole wheat rolls that I had kneaded and let rise all day, it was very cool to be able to say that we had produced the entire meal. The girls are at the stage where they still love to help me, and I take advantage of that, even though it is a ginormous pain in my butt to let them help, I know that in the long run it is so awesome, and I try to remember that the day will come when they will help me because they have to, not because they want to, someday they won't fight over who's stool is closer to me. Last summer we pitted and froze tons of cherries, and now that the cherry trees are starting to bloom again I figured I should use up whats left of them out of the freezer before this years come in, and since we were short on jam I thought that would be perfect. Cherry Jam might be the most delicious stuff ever! and the girls enjoyed watching the jars boil, simple pleasures.
































Another thing I made today was yogurt! I found an awesome crockpot blog that had a recipe for crockpot yogurt!! I know, sounds weird, but it works! It took all day but I now have a gallon of organic yogurt in my fridge!!

















Those were my two exciting things today, the weather was beautiful, I took the kids to the park, met a friend for lunch, went grocery shopping and squeezed in a quick workout after dinner. Oh, dinner tonight was Turkey on the BBQ with lemon pepper seasoning, Veggies and Quinoa!

New dipers, diets and hair!

So maybe it's a little sad when you get excited about new cloth dipers for your baby. Anyway, I was excited. They came on friday and I wanted to talk about them THEN, but a bout of sickness came through our house and the weekend has been a bit busy with all the fevers and puking and such. So here I am to tell you I ordered 4 of the Gro Baby cloth diapers and I LOVE them, in fact they are the only diapers I can put Weston in overnight, with a doubler they sent and a BG doubler,(I know right?) and he doesn't wake up soaked. I love the versatility in them and the fact I don't have to change the cover at every diaper change, and DH likes them too, which is always a bonus. I ordered a box of the disposable inserts too which a biodegradable, compostable, flushable, or throw away. I have yet to use one, but I though the poeple at the Gym daycare might appreciate them. Not to mention how handy they would be for long car trips, like to Seattle. So far I give them an A+, I like them better than my Happy Heineys, about the same as my Jam Tot's Berry plush, more than my BG OS. One of my friends is sending me a couple BG organics and a couple GoodMamas too, they should be here any day now and then I think my stash will be complete...... that's not true, I still want to get him a camo diaper and a Steelers diaper if I can find one!

So I had this realization.....We are leaving for Mexico in exactly one month and there is no way in hell I am taking this 10 extra pounds with me. My number one reason, at this weight none of my shorts fit me......... and that's kinda a problem since I am not going to buy new shorts. So I started watching my diet yesterday, which means no more wine and chocolate at night .....booooo! Today I am sitting at 139lbs, I need to get to 130 to ensure my clothes fit, but I will take less! Wish me luck. I hate loosing weight, I have no problem maintaining, but I hate the loosing part.

And I chopped off all my hair, from midway down my back to chin length. I love it!

Wish upon a star

Last night, after I went to the gym the girls and I stopped by the store to fill a prescription. We wandered around while we waited and were looking at shoes. Faith found these Skechers light up glitter shoes and fell in love. Now these shoes are 40 bucks! and I would have to buy two pairs since if I got them for Faith then Emmy would have a meltdown if she didn't get the sparkle light up shoes too! So now we are looking at 80.00 that is just not in the budget right now. Especially since that's what I spend on my shoes and I don't outgrow mine in 2 months. So I tell her no on the shoes and meltdown ensues. After a crying walk to the car she tries a new tactic and informs me that I am not the best anymore. That one doesn't work either so it's on to method number 3, when she decides that she will just buy the shoes herself since she has a piggy bank and MUST have enough money for the sparkle shoes. I tell her that I don't think she has enough just yet. She doesn't say anything till we are almost home, then she asks me if I see the star in the sky. I tell her yes, and she replies with, "I wished upon that star that I can have those shoes........." Oh geeze...that girl!

Bowling and such

Faith showing off her mad bowling skills


It's snowing today........It's frigging April....and we have had no snow all winter......and yet today it's snowing. It's not sticking, but it still makes me angry. So my plan was to go to the gym....then I talked to my mom and she said she was taking my siblings bowling, that sounded more fun, so I decided to drag my brood out for some wholesome family fun!

Ready for your back story? I am the oldest of 6. I have a sister, who is 20, recently married and expecting her first baby in Sept, I have a brother who is 19, I have twin brothers who are 10 and a sister who just turned 6. My youngest sister and my oldest daughter are BFF's, it's cute, and a little strange, but it works for us.



So the morning started off pretty standard, Gavin showed up around 7:40, BTW, Gavin is my extra kiddo, he is 6 wees younger than Emmy and I watch him during the week while his mom works, he's a good kid. Breakfast was smoothies, banana, blueberries, strawberries and oats blended with milk. My girls loved it, Gavin wouldn't touch it, this happens often since apparently we eat strange food. So I bundle everyone up because remember it's SNOWING!!!! and we head to Triple Play. We let the little kids duck pin bowl with bumpers and they had a blast. We ordered a couple pizzas, veggie and a cheese and then let the kids play in the indoor play structure and a few arcade games....okay and I totally whooped my 10 year old brothers butt in dance dance revolution.....Small victories I tell you! Now everyone is in bed napping, and I am folding my never ending load of laundry, washing diapers and catching up on shows I have recorded. Andy should be home soon and I have a Dr's appt for my broken va-jay-jay. Seriously,(ready for the TMI?) I have had 8 yeast infections since Weston was born 7 months ago, Something is not right. I am not dreading the appt, because I need to figure this out, but I am dreading having to step on the damn scale. I want to know who's brilliant idea it was to have women get on the scale fully dressed with shoes on in the afternoon! And I am going to try to stop at a local mothering store in town on my way to the gyno and pick up a couple of cloth doublers for my pee pot son. I know, exciting, right? Oh and dinner I am making brown rice, teriaki shrimp and asian slaw all together in a bowl, like the ones from Noodle Express, but better for you and minus all the hormones in the factory farmed meat.

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Emmy Bowling

Weston chillin'




Ciao for now!