Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Jazzy Superstar!

Some pics from Evan's Jazzy Superstar Ceremony. The school chooses 2 students out of all the grades that are going well, stay on task, are polite, etc. We were so proud that Evan was chosen!







Gingerbread House

I let the boys decorate their Gingerbread House this past weekend. It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions =)



Sunday, November 20, 2011

Mission Pam

I recently had the opportunity to participate in Mission Pam, by Smiley360.  My kit included a free coupon for a can of diced tomatoes, a bottle of Pam spray butter, as well as a spatula & an awesome Pyrex glass dish. I usually use the storebrand spray butter & I always have a hard time washing it afterwards because the food really sticks to my dishware. I noticed that the food came off a lot easier when I used the Pam spray butter instead. Not only did it make the cleaning easier, but it's made with 100% Canola Oil & it has zero calories & zero fat so it is healthier than the other spray I was using as well.  I would like to thank Smiley360 for the opportunity to try out this great product!


Monday, November 7, 2011

Great Savings!!

Just saved $62.48 at Walgreens!! Thank goodness for great deals & coupons!!


Friday, October 14, 2011

Freebies

Awesome freebies this week!!  I received a Youth Tobacco Prevention Program, a Target cosmetic bag filled with awesome samples & coupons (love it)!! I got the razors, mouthwash, & flashlight at Walmart & I got overage with the coupons I used. I love saving money but nothing beats getting things for free. A big thanks to all of the companies that offer these great freebies :)

Monday, September 26, 2011

Sad

Very sad week. My husband just lost one of his aunt's who is very dear to him. She has always been really sweet & she was a beautiful person inside & out. Such a great loss to the entire family :(  My dad contacted me today to let me know that one of my favorite aunt's is in critical condition. I can't even write about her without crying. She has been with her husband for 50 years & they have raised a lot of children who have all grown up to be professionals. Each & everyone of them has a good heart. I always used to ask her how she did it all because in my eyes...she is perfect =) She is loving & sweet & she could always put a smile on my face!! As a little girl, I used to beg my mom to let me stay at her house because she always made me feel right at home. I am saying a lot of prayers for her recovery & begging God not to take her from us. 

~trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you never even knew~

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Rough Week!

Recovering from last week. Not only did I have a crazy week, but I ended up being admitted to the hospital with a heart rate of 180! I'm a Virgo so I tend to stress about everything & it's starting to take a toll on my body :/ They poked my arms so much for blood that I still have some nasty looking bruises there. I'm just happy that I didn't have to spend my birthday in that place! My awesome cousin Lisa paid me a surprise visit, so I was very happy. I'm hoping to stay healthy because my guys can't function without me & this house fall to pieces in my absence.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11

Can't believe that today is the 10th anniversary of September 11th!! I remember what a beautiful morning it was. The weather was sunny & just perfect.  My oldest son was at school, my middle son was at daycare, & I was at work. I remember the girl that sat next to me always had her radio on.  She tapped on my shoulder after I was done with a call & she told me that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. My response was "really??? How can u not see the Twin Towers??!!" I remember getting a bad feeling in my stomach when she gave me the news, but I kept working. A few minutes later she shouted  "oh no, the other tower was hit!" & I remember saying "okay, that was definitely not an accident!" There was immediate chaos in the office. One of my good friends was hysterical because her husband was a firefighter in NYC & he was working that day. Another one was crying because she knew a father & son that worked in one of the towers. At that same moment, I got a call from the daycare to pick up my son because they were closing due to this, so I dashed out of the office without saying a word to get my son Gio who was 3 years old at the time. In the car, on the way to get Gio, I hear that the Pentagon was also attacked. At that point, I was really scared, but I tried not to panic. I lived on the 6th floor of an apartment building, so I rushed home, picked up some clothes & diapers for my son, & I drove to my parent's house who lived 10 minutes away. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on TV! People jumping out of burning buildings & the horrible collapse of the Twin Towers was on TV all day. I had to turn the TV off after awhile because it was so depressing. I remember not being able to reach any of my loved ones on the phone because the lines were all busy. I just kept thinking, "how could someone intentionally hit those buildings knowing that they were full of innocent people?" That day changed the world forever. It brought fear & uncertainty to everyone who lived through it. So many people died....the youngest victim on one of the planes was 2 years old. I had never paid any mind to the word "terrorism" prior to that day. To this day, I can't comprehend how they felt that they were pleasing God by committing such a heinous act. What kind of God condones the execution of innocent people? Not mine. Only a person filled with hate could orchestrate something so horrible. If it was such a courageous act, why didn't Bin Laden do it himself? I know why, because he was a coward. Only a coward attacks their enemy when their back is turned & when they least expect it.  Even though he was captured & shot, I don't feel that justice has been served. A lot of those people had to lie under that rubble, agonizing & half alive, until they were either rescued or took their last breathe. He was shot & died instantly....an easy death! I pray that there is justice for every soul lost on that horrible day & to the cowards that use their religion as an excuse to murder & spread hate...u reap what u sow & I know that MY GOD will see to it that you spend an eternity paying for your actions!!!


~~God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear even though the earth be removed, though the mountains carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roil and be troubled, though mountains shake with its swelling~~

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Goodbye August!

So glad to be done with the month of August!! I think it's the worst month of the year for me because we have so many things going on. My sister in law & her family came to visit us in early August which was awesome (very short visit, but we were very happy to see them)! My middle son's B-day was in mid-August.  We had a lot of doctor/dentist appointments as well, but the most stressful part for me was dealing with the back-to-school lists the teachers sent. Every year, I notice that the lists get longer (and more ridiculous), but I have to grin & bear it. The backpacks alone cost an arm & a leg, so I have to be on the lookout for the best sales cause it is not cheap shopping for 3 boys (my oldest gets his clothes in the men's department which makes it even pricier). We usually buy the boy's clothes/shoes at JCP and we got really lucky because we bought a lot of stuff, but after using several coupons & store rewards, we only ended up spending $180! The 2 oldest boys got the same sneakers because they were at a great price. I was glad they decided on the sneakers quickly this year cause they usually take forever to decide. I'm not one of those people that loves to shop. I have my list, grab the stuff, & head for the door as quick as I can. lol Here is some of the stuff we bought. The supplies we bought at Target, Walmart, Staples, & Office Max.  











The first day of school was crazy!! It's not easy keeping track of 3 different buses for 3 different schools. I tried hard not to cry as my 5 year old got on his bus for his first day of Kindergarten. He was a little emotional which made it a lot harder on me but I tried cheering him up & praising him for being such a big boy. Anyways, I'm more than happy to be done with the month of August & I'm glad that the boys already have their daily routine down packed. Now looking forward to my favorite time of the year.....fall!! Time for cooler days, pumpkin spice coffee, candy corn, and my favorite~Halloween!!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Natural Cycle of the Forest

We just received a series of posters from International Paper that are awesome!! It includes 5 posters & 5 handouts that explains the natural cycle of the forest. These are for children from K-6th grade. They also have a curriculum at  www.iplifeoftheforest.com that correlates with the information included on the posters. In addition to this, they have a website that they share with PBS kids called ECOinvestigations. This site contains many lesson plans based on Air, Land, Freshwater, & Saltwater (the 4 primary environments). Can't wait to go over all of the cool facts with Evan =)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Monday, August 15, 2011

21 Days of Prayer for Sons - Fall 2011

I would like to share an awesome event created by Warrior Prayers-Praying the Word for Boys! The event is called "21 Days of Prayer for Sons-Fall 2011" and it will take place from Tuesday, 9/6 at 11:30pm to 9/26 at 2:30 am. This event will allow people to commit to pray for their sons (and/or grandsons), and ask God for strength and guidance in parenting/raising boys. This will help many of us get through those days when we are overwhelmed and close to giving up. For further details, please visit 21 days of Prayer for Sons!





Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Adele-Someone Like You

Love this song....her voice is awesome!

Awesome Capoeira Video

Friday, July 15, 2011

Some Capoeira Pics

Evan has been attending Capoeira classes for about a month & I absolutely love it! They also offer an adult class which I would join myself if my neck & back weren't so messed up :( Last week, the kids class was taught by Instructer Furacao from NYC. Such a great honor to meet him & he was great with the kids! If anyone is interested in finding out more details about the class, you can send me an email & I will refer you to the instructor. Here are some pics....