A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...AND JAKE OWEN!!

OK, I know I have been a BAD BAD blogger! The end of the school year always seems super crazy and busy to me. I feel like I cant attend everything, cant get everything done, cant stay caught up on simple things...even laundry or the kids homework. I guess us moms get spring fever too.
So I was driving home this morning after dropping off the kids at school. I had the windows rolled down, country music playing on the radio, and a smile on my face.

Go Check out Jake Owens Music
HES THE BOMB.COM...and he actually
seems like a regular, cool dude!

Let me start by saying that I had made it a goal of mine to get Jake Owen to follow me on twitter. I have become a tiny bit obsessed with his tweets and his music lately. I already had a couple of his songs on my itunes but after seeing his tweets and the way he is with his fans...he just seems to have a true thirst for life. Anyway, yesterday, Jake Owen DID follow me. I ran around my house screaming like a 13 year old school girl (yea, I'm 36). I took video of my reaction and sent it to my BFF ( I knew she was the only person in the world who would have been screaming right along side me instead of looking at me like I was a moron). I was pretty much on cloud nine yesterday.
Back to the point though...I started thinking about my life and just how wonderful it was. Everything that I tried to think about that could be negative in my life, I could spin into something positive.
*My husband doesn't help with drop off EVER and rarely will pick up. I am a stay at home mom, but so are several of my friends and their husbands still help a lot. On the flip side to that, its a benefit to me and a loss for him because I get to hear about my kids day while its fresh on their minds. I have 3 kids at 3 different schools so pick up is from 3:20-4:35. That's a lot of time in the car just getting to visit about the day with the kids, because as soon as we walk in the door they want computer and video games and TV. Then there is homework and dinner and bath and bed.
*I've been losing some weight, about 40 lbs so far and I would like to get 30 more lbs off. Yesterday my friend and I were trying to motivate each other and we had said for 3 weeks~Fruits, Veggies, and Proteins. We were going to start working out again on a regular basis and I was really feeling motivated....Until dinner time when I ate Chick-Fil-A! DAMN YOU-YOU DELICIOUS CHICKEN SANDWICH!!!!! I decided that instead of using that to quit or keep eating more, it was a nice little cheat and now I need to work out even harder today. It doesn't keep me from reaching my goal...it just means I have to work harder to get there when I decide to cheat. I will get my body where I want it. I will not complain about working out because it is good for my body, and it feels AMAZING when I see results. I LOVE LOVE LOVE food, but having a strong and beautiful body I will love more!!

PEOPLE....the sun is shining, and if its not where you are right now, make it shine. Life is AMAZING! no matter what your situation life IS amazing, you just have to choose to see it that way. Even a homeless person can be thankful for something. They have no responsibilities, no bills. They are gypsies...sure they have no idea where they will get their next meal (so really...a bad example) but imagine it for just a day. No responsibilities, no bills to pay.....like permanent camping! (OK, so that was an in poor taste example I guess, but I'm just trying to prove my point) Life IS amazing, and spring is a wonderful time to realize that. Think about 3 negative things in your life. Something you have been frustrated about at work or at home or with your kids or husband. Now find the good in it. There IS good in it somewhere! It is up to you to find that good. It is up to you to spin it around and make your life a happy one. I'm not saying bad things don't happen or depression doesn't exist at all...I AM saying, you have a choice whether to let it eat you up and spit you out...or whether you will control it and kick IT IN THE ASS!!
LIVE THIS LIFE...it may be gone tomorrow. Be late to work so you can eat breakfast with your kids. Just don't do it everyday cause you might get fired....find the balance, but do it. They grow up too fast. Let the laundry sit an extra day so you can finish that book you love to read. Spend $100 of your savings on a fun day with your family! YES you need a savings...but what will $100 hurt if you die tomorrow...that $100 wont change much in the finances, but it will give you and you kids some amazing memories. Granted you cant do that daily-FIND THE BALANCE
Make love to your husband even if you are tired and have a headache...once you are doing it...you wont be thinking about the headache or how tired you are. Imagine if something happened to you or him tomorrow, would you want to make love to him one more time. Rock his world-give him something to remember JUST IN CASE!(Hey, Rock It so good that if you do die tomorrow-none of those crazy bitches out there will never measure up in bed!!HAHA)
I love the idea of living every day like it could be your last. I don't mean go blow all you r money and make rash decisions, but FIND THE BALANCE so that you are LIVING as well as living SMART!
Just like my Jake Owen twitter follow. I kind of felt like an idiot tweeting him daily trying to get a follow. But worst case...I looked like a crazy celeb. stalker in front of a bunch of people I don't know anyway. Best case...he follows...AND HE DID!! (Now I just have to work on front row tickets and back stage passes to his concert....worst case, he says no, best case...I'll be drinking a beer with my BFF and Jake Owen and will have something else to check off my bucket list!!!)

To all my followers....Think of 3 things you have been negative about and flip them. Spin them into something positive.
THEN do something amazing today!! Go surprise your kids by picking them up from school in the middle of the day (half a skip day wont hurt) and taking them to a movie or the park. Go to your husbands office with something sexy on and (if he has a door he can close) get busy on his desk!!! Or have a nooner!!
Go outside and lay in the sunshine with your favorite book or music and fall asleep in the sun. The laundry will wait another day.
ENJOY YOUR DAY AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE...........

Also, think about trying something new(like how I lead into that??). I made homemade tortillas the other day and it was FREAKING easy. I couldn't believe it. I will never by from the store again. Here's the recipe I used from ScalingBack.com:
http://www.scalingbackblog.com/?s=homemade+tortillas

YUMMY!!

Easter and my Cinnamon/Honey Face Mask

What a great Easter weekend!
I got a wild hair up my ass and decided to try my hand at selling my baked goods. I have always loved baking and I have some pretty amazing recipes that I have had rave reviews on. I posted a few of my favorites on Facebook letting people know that I would be taking orders on these items for Easter. The response was, quite frankly, overwhelming. I was shocked at how many people were interested. It was wonderful. I was really hoping for one or two orders...well I ended up with orders from about 6 or 7 different people!
One, came from my Best Friends mother. She placed a huge order from me because she had some family coming into town ad didn't want to worry about cooking breakfast and dessert. She ordered my breakfast enchiladas, 2 coffee cakes, maple bacon sticky buns, margarita Triffle, and Italian cream cupcakes. Oh! And breakfast sausage pinwheels! Whew...I'm exhausted again just repeating what she ordered. I also had about 4 orders for a dozen chocolate covered strawberries, orders for cookies and cupcakes and more sticky buns. I spent an entire 2 full days cooking. I made a profit and really enjoyed doing it!! I'm looking into making a business out of it. I'm very pumped to do something from home that I enjoy and hopefully help my husband by bringing in some extra money for the family!
After u was finally done with all if the baking, I had plenty of sweet extras for my families Easter celebration. I made some Ham and Swiss sliders and my sister in law brought fruit and chips and dip and we had ourselves an Easter feast! We plays some super fun "minute to win it" games, the kids had a blast with those, and did our Easter egg hunting and annual egg toss.
It was a fabulous weekend.
 After such a busy weekend I ended my Sunday night with my once a week cinnamon/honey face mask. I started googling one day a few months back, looking for some natural remedies to clearing my teenage sons acne. He has been doing proactive and a few other things and it just hasn't been working. Although, I'm not entirely convinced he has been washing his face WELL! As I said, I started looking for something natural that I could make from home because I did not want to spend anymore money on anything else like proactive and I couldn't afford a dermatologist at the time. Here's what I came up with from my research:

Cinnamon Honey oil face mask recipe :

1tbsp honey

2tbsp nutmeg

1.5 tsp cinnamon

Juice of half lemon

1tsp olive oil or coconut oil

Leave on 10-15 min

I keep mask in a container and use till its gone. It will last a while because nothing in it spoils quickly!

Honey has antibacterial properties and the waxy part in honey helps soften skin. 

Cinnamon also is Antibacterial , anti-inflammatory, reduces swelling,  help exfoliate. Plumps the skin-bringing blood to surface, opening pores and clearing excess oil. ALSO i found that cinnamon causes slight swelling so is also great as natural plumper to lips (avoid eye area)

Nutmeg reduces inflammation, redness and acne causing bacteria. It Dries out pimples quickly without irritation. Nutmeg is much safer than products that include benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid!

Lemon juice reduce appearance if scars or sun spots antibacterial for acne and an exfoliant

Olive oil  will treat Acne, is an anti aging treatment and stretch mark treatment!! I put olive oil all over my body about 15 min before bedtime! It's GREAT!!

Hydroxytyrosol, which is in olive oil, is a rare but powerful antioxidant prevents free radical damage on skin cells and absorbs deeply into the skin.

Use once a week

Can and probably will irritate ur skin, so I would suggest testing a Small patch of skin on your face first. You will feel a slight burning/tingling sensation.   My sons skin looks bright red after he uses the mask, but it goes completely away within 15 min or so. And it doesn't burn or bother him at all. I have seen a very big difference in his skin since he started using this mixture , however he WILL NOT allow me to take pictures! Lol

*Use at your own risk-I'm not a doctor and I dont know what you are allergic to, I just know what works for me!

 

*I'm aware the mask looks pretty gross, but I'm telling you it works. My face feels so soft and clean! Here is an after picture , although its from my phone so Its not a great one, but I think my skin is glowing!!
 

COLOR RUN VIDEO-My son with Autism having a BLAST!!

"MOM, MOM...CANT I GO...CAN I...IT'S GANGNUM!!!!!!"

 

 

 

So this is my gorgeous, social, outgoing, CONFIDENT little baby with Autism
OK, so he's not a baby...he's the giant kid in this video. This is like, his FAVORITE song. Tanner went nuts at the color run when they played this. We were actually leaving and he heard it come on and was like..."MOM!" (in his super loud voice) "MOM, MOM....CAN I GO..CAN I?? IT'S GANGNUM MOM!!!!" and yes, he was that excited...hence all the caps!!
"GO, GO BABY" was my response because how could you ever deny a child with this much enthusiasm ANYTHING!!
I love watching him do something that makes him so happy! Of course, my Tanner is rarely ever not Happy!
(Please Forgive my shaky filming...I was on the ground and was scooting every time someone was getting in front of the camera)

***LOOK HOW HE RALLIES THE CROWD AND GETS OTHERS OUT THERE!!

It was a wonderful day....nice to come home and reflect over how good life is...with some chicken and a glass of wine......


Tanner did make the local news as well!! MY BABY IS FAMOUS!!!! lol

THE COLOR RUN

So this weekend we attended The 5K Color Run. Let me tell you, if you have a chance to do it anywhere near where you live, GO DO IT!!! I am not a small girl and I did not train for it because I have knee issues and I knew I wasn't going to be able to RUN...plus I had my small daughter who I knew couldn't run the whole time. (that was a good excuse for me anyway)
"Nope, can't run...don't need to train....bringing small children!"

We did jog some but mostly walked and finished in about an hour. It was the most fun I have every had doing any form of exercise EVER!! If there were a Color Run here everyday...I would be a skinny little B*%#$!!!!
I supposed I could station my children at .5 mile intervals and have them throw paint on me or something...that might work!
The thing about the Color Run is the energy. People are pumped up, the music is good and loud. Many dress in crazy costumes or outfits (we styled in our knee high rainbow socks!) It REALLY is the Happiest 5K on the Planet!! Kudos to whoever came up with the concept for this run.

My body ACHES, my muscles are sore and I was TIRED.....and I would do it again today. I am motivated to feel like this again! My body and my mind love the aching and the feeling that I WANT to do this again and do good things for my body!!!!
AGAIN-IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO THIS....DO IT!!!!! Young, Old, Fat, Skinny....DO IT!!! My son-in the picture has Autism, and I didn't know if the big crowd (14,000 people) would bother him or not...HE LOVED IT...immediately yesterday after coming home and showering he asked if we could do it again next year!!!
AND OH YES...WE WILL!!!

SPRING BREAK and ITALIAN CREAM CUPCAKES

So it's been a busy spring break even though we didn't really go anywhere or do anything...how does that happen? We did have a couple of sleepovers, went to the park a couple of times, Mia swam at my dad's house, we went to Mr.Gattis which is a pizza/video game place here in Lubbock. I took the kids to Adrenaline City which was a Blast.

It is at Bodywork's here in Lubbock where we played Laser Tag, jumped in their trampoline room and Mia walked the ropes 12 feet up on their ropes course. It has been a really fun week. To end it all my husband and I left the kids for a relaxing night with our best friends (wine and crown) and our other best friends Kristin and Justin (hahahahaha). Got a tad hammered and had some good conversation!





I also have had a hankerin' for some baking. I don't want to eat it because I have been losing some weight, but I REALLY want to bake...like everyday! Maybe I should try my hand at baking and selling. I definitely need to get a little better at presentation though.
I decided to try my moms favorite cake, Italian Cream Cake. I found a great recipe on Pinterest but decided to try it in cupcake form so that I could give them away and not sit and eat an entire cake myself (though to date...I have had 3 cupecakes!!)
Everyone was raving about them so I thought I would share the blog for the recipe...enjoy!!
http://lynn-southernwithatwist.blogspot.com/2011/04/italian-cream-cheese-cake.html

POOP IN PEACE....NO WAY!!!!

Seriously....I know everyone will understand what I'm saying when I say "WHY CAN'T I POOP IN PEACE?" 

Here is my daughter who popped in on me about 3 times while I was just trying to do my business without an audience. To all of you that think this passes after they are 3 or 4.....nope!!! My daughter is 6.5 and she still wants to talk to me on the pooper!
Although, my husband yells at me all of the time because I talk to him while he is on the pooper....however, I don't open the door and do it, I just yell through the door!! HAHAHAHAHA
So maybe we NEVER outgrow it!

Update

UPDATE: Mia's ear is all better. The natural remedy seemed to work. She hasn't complained at all today!!! Whoop, whoop!!! Mom success ( high fiving myself and doing a little dance). Saved myself $25 copay and RX costs!!! Must drink to myself tonight in celebration!!! 

MY ETSY SHOP

Check out my new etsy shop...Skin Shots , offering paraben free lotions in mini wine bottles! Perfect for drinking MOM-ents!! Scents come in margarita, sangria, martini...etc.

 also Skin Shots kids offering lotions and body wash/shampoos in chocolate milk, orange juice and milk & honey scents...also paraben free!!!!!!
www.skinshots.etsy.com

REDIC PARENTS make a big deal out of nothing- AGAIN!!!

This is FLAT OUT REDIC!!!!!!
Sometimes these stupid parents make me want to drink!!!!!
Tell me what u think???????
http://m.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/leonora-parentingcom/sandy-hook?src=SOC&dom=tw#bmb=1

Trying natural remedies

It seems like every time we are in vacay from school one of my kids gets some kind of sickness. From  approx. 30 min spent in our new hot tub the other day, Mia appears to have come down with swimmers ear or a bacterial ear infection. She has been complaining about ear pain for 2 days now and on my quest to have a healthier, less chemically dependent family, I have been searching for natural, home remedies to our spring break ear infection. Here's what I have come up with. Garlic has natural antiseptic and anti inflammatory qualities. When you use antibiotics for ear infection, they also get rid of good bacteria which is why you should never use antibiotics until absolutely nessesary in my opinion. After all of my googling, here's the natural remedy I chose to go with...really a mixture of several that I came across.
A little olive oil
A little garlic oil/juice
-mix together in a coffee cup and heat for a very short time. Just enough to make warm
-fill a clean wash cloth or sock with some salt (I used natural sea salt)
-poor a touch of the oil/garlic mix into the ear
-run the salt sock under hot water for a sec, just so it's damp (not too hot, you don't want to burn the child, but warm enough that the heat will provide some relief. )
-dip the wet sock in the rest if the oil/garlic mix then place over the ear. This will allow some of the warm mixture to slowly drop into the ear also. It was more of me not wanting to waste what was left and the salt trick was another remedy I had found. The warm salt apparently can ease the pain, it's an anti inflammatory and it can help draw out fluids!
Getting Mia  to do all of this voluntarily would be a nightmare (although I will have to do it with her awake tomorrow) so for now, I waited till the princess slept, and then violated her ear. We will see if it works!
Everything I read said to do this 3 times a day for 24-48 hours. If it doesn't help by then, I will have to call a doctor!
*please note that I am not telling anyone not to seek medical treatment or that they should try this themselves. Untreated ear infections can cause hearing loss so please seek advise from your doctor!!
***AND NOW FOR A DRINK (tonight I will sip on a glass of Moscato that my sister brought me the other day!) Cheers to all your drinking MOM-ents today!!!

Spring Break it is!!

Today is technically the first day of spring break, and though my daughter has already had a sleep-over, played video games with her brothers, played outside with neighbor kids,  rode bikes to the park with her brothers, had family movie night, been in the hot tub, AND been to the playground with Tanner (her brother) and I...after which we went to Dairy Queen for dinner and ice cream, she's bored!! How in the world will I entertain my 6 year old for another week on a very tight budget? Your guess is as good as mine! I'll let you know how it goes...