Enjoying the left-over turkey, or not

I decided to try really hard and think of a recipe to make with the left-over turkey tonight (and yes, it hurt!!).  I can only think of eating anything BUT turkey!  I think I found a recipe, though, that is really easy to make in the oven.  It is called Turkey Bake.  It looks a lot like all the same ingredients as tuna casserole, minus the tuna and peas.  Yep, I'm gonna try it tomorrow.  Tonight, we are having pizza.  I don't know about you all, but I definitely don't like to ever eat turkey after Thanksgiving.  Especially since I had to watch everyone else eat it.....  I'm just not a big left-over person anyway.  Let's just say that I had a few bad experiences as a kid.

On another note, I started to wrap the Christmas presents today that I bought on Black Friday!  I love wrapping presents, but our daughter also likes to dance on the paper, so it took me longer than I thought it would.  By the way, I don't think I have ever seen worse "Sales" for Black Friday.  The only reason we actually went this year was because it is a tradition for my best friend and I.  We always to go Kohl's, then Target, and then to Victoria Secret in the mall.  It was fun, but I was just a little disappointed.  I still have a couple things to get for my best friend, nephew, and my Mr. Wonderful.

Turkey Day, Black Friday, and the flu!  Whooohooo!  It is really amazing what we put ourselves through for a "sale."  I am more into it for family and the tradition.  Those two things are so important to me.  Keep those things close, and never let 'em go!

Sincerely,

Mommy Dearest
xxx

Yucky!

I did not expect to spend the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day sick with a stomach bug!  Wow, I am so sick of being sick this year!  I am getting my flu shot this week.  Not only was I sick, but our daughter was sick with me.  And, by the way, those were the only two days my husband had off of work for this holiday.  I couldn't do anything but sweat and sleep on our air mattress, and my daughter would occasionally beat me up, because she was mad at me or something -by the way, no, I don't expect a one year old to understand why Mommy can't do everything for her, like she normally does.  I can definitely say that she was  much tougher than I was though, because she was still kind of playing and walking around.  I'm just glad that I wasn't vomiting like she was.  I had my fill of that a month or so ago. 

Well, on another note, we ended up having to cancel all of our plans with family, which by the way, I was completely bummed about, but I couldn't get up except to go to the bathroom.  That was definitely no fun for anyone.  And to make things worse, that was one of my favorite holidays out of the year.  My Grandparents were here in town, so we usually all get together at my Aunt and Uncle's house.  It is also one of the handful of times that I get to see my family all together, so it is special.  To top off our Thanksgiving, we were also planning on getting to see our brother today as well, but found out that the rest of the family had the same stomach bug as Zoi and me.  We also came to find that our brother is in ICU with a chemically induced coma, which all started with strep throat; and somehow got into his bloodstream.  Needless to say, it did NOT feel at all like a holiday, but I still had everyone in the household sit together in the living room, and mention aloud 5 things that they are thankful for.

Tootles,
Mommy Dearest
xxxx

Never fails, when you finally realize that you don't have life by the horns, life rams you with them, just to give you that completely unwanted and unneeded confirmation!  What's up with that?

The Celestial Seasonings Factory Adventure

Brings new meaning to dressing up for tea

We finally got to go to the Celestial Seasonings Factory in Boulder!  It was so much fun.  The kids even enjoyed it.  I was really excited to find out that you get a discount on the teas.  Plus, all the tea is cheaper than in the grocery store.  Plus, you get an additional 10% off if you buy a case.  It doesn't seem like much, but it really added up for the amount of tea that I bought!  I went crazy, obviously, because I am a tea freak!  I now have enough tea to last me a good year...hopefully.  Otherwise, we are going to go back up to Boulder.  Another really cute thing about the factory was it's street names.  They named the streets after the teas - Sleepytime and Zinger something or other (see picture below).  The tour of the factory was free, and your "ticket" to the tour was a sample of one of the teas.   I thought is was very cute and fun.  We had a really fun time.  I am also really into art and sculpture, and the cafe gallery is filled with all of the artwork and a few tea bag sculptures (pic is below).  There was also free samples of all of the teas that they make.  Any type of tea that you can imagine; white, black, green, red, etc.  Well, technically, it was only all of the teas that they are currently selling.  The gift shop has so many different things for the upcoming holidays as well, and, of course, everything was pretty pricey, but all of the holiday stuff was really neat.  The holiday teas are my favorite, and that is what I stocked up the most of.  The only down side to the tour was the fact that they don't let you take any photography of any kind of inside the factory.

Family picture in the tea garden... awww right?

Another reason we looked really forward to going up there so bad, was because there is this super awesomely delicious pizza that is only up there.  The pizza is a BBQ Chicken pizza from this place called Sun Deli.  When our friend lived up in Boulder, we went to see him, and we ordered the pizza and fell suddenly addicted to it!  So, now, every time we go to Boulder, we have to stop by Sun Deli and get at least one pizza.  We haven't tried any other toppings yet, but maybe we will next time (but I highly doubt it).

Mommy Dearest,

xxxx

PS I just had to share what we saw outside Sun Deli... no comment required

The Brazil Butt Lift

I don't know about all of you guys and gals, but I am so tired of the millions of ads that try to sell fitness products that don't work.  I found a really amazing workout plan that will work with any body type!  It is called the Brazil B​utt Lift​ workout!  I was reading that a lot of the supermodels use this Brazilian workout, so that should show all of us that it works.  Basically, it is a 3 month workout plan  that will shape and sculpt your butt (no matter what your "butt type" is) by using dance and cardio.  Fun, right?!  The best part about it is that it is also really efficient with helping you lose weight the healthy way!

I know a lot of you might be skeptical, so if you want to get additional information, I recommend that you go to the Extreme Fitness Results blog and read tons of free reviews on the Brazil Butt Lift.  There is not very many natural and healthy ways to lose weight and get fit, so I lucked out finding this one!  Natural and effective!!! Please go check it our for yourselves, and evaluate the Brazil Butt Lift for yourself.  It is always good to read up on any new product, so that you can form an opinion for yourself.


Now, personally, I need an option that is for beginners, so there is also program called Slim in 6.  This is a 6 week slim down program that is super easy.  This "Slim in 6" workout is perfect for anyone that has been out of the workout game for a while.  It is the perfect way to get in shape for beginners, like me!  My suggestion is to start with this program, because if you start with something that is to rough  on your body, you can hurt yourself.  So, be careful and check it all out!!  Like I mentioned above, if you have questions about any of this, just click on the highlighted words above, and it will take you directly to the website!

Going Backwards

I have struggled with my son the last couple of weeks about going to the potty in the toilet....not his pants.  We are totally going backwards!  I know it is common when there is an age gap, and when there is a new baby, but it is still frustrating.  So, we decided to go back to the "treasure box" system with him, so that he will be rewarded once again with doing what he is suppose to do.  It has got to be the attention crap.  I give both of my children the same amount of attention, but it is never enough.  I am a stay at home mom now, but I am failing miserably with this.  I feel like all I ever do is pick up and clean up after everyone else, so therefore, I don't actually get to give my children the type of attention I long for.  I want to have a good relationship with them, and I want them to feel as though they can trust me and not be afraid of me.

One of the "good times" that gets me through times like "this time"

Our son told me that he is afraid of me, and he always says that he wants to go back to the "other" home.  What a stab in the heart!!  Painful.  Anyway, I asked him about if he has accidents over there, and he says no, but why, then, is it happening with me?  I try so hard.  We really need to bail from here.  It is long over do.
Do you all ever feel as though being a parent is the hardest and most emotionally trying thing that you will ever do in your life.  I see people, and have met people, that make parenting look like it is the easiest thing in the world.  And, magically, they have perfect kids, too!  Why is that anyway?  Whatever, I am just taking one minute at a time.  I love my children so much, and there is no exceptions or buts about it.  Life is hard, but how we handle each situation will make or break who we are and who we will become.  I have so much more room for improvements, and I still have so much to learn!  Why hasn't someone written a guide (not a gimmick) for us Moms yet?

Tootles,

Mommy Dearest
x

Bye Bye Papa

So, we received an itinerary in our email today from my father-in-law, and it is a one-way ticket out of the country.  He is moving with his wife to the Philippines; that is where she is from, and his dream is to retire there.  It is really sad to me, because we were all getting closer and getting along so well.  We don't have much family here, aside from my Dad and my husband's brothers.  I don't really know what to do or say anymore.  My kids are going to be able to still talk to him using a web cam, but it is not the same.  It is really hard to explain the dynamics of our family, because it is really complicated.  But, who doesn't have a story like that, right??  Anyways, we will just have to stay positive, and try to help our children understand the situation.  And, hope that he comes back sooner than later. 

On another note, we were suppose to get to see my Dad today for dinner, but he was busy.  That is the usual for him, though.  My Dad works in law enforcement, and he is always busy.  I miss him a lot.  Sometimes, I have anxiety attacks when I hear about an officer getting shot on the news, because I would never know if it was my Dad, unless I got a call from the hospital or something.  My relationship with him is okay, but I want it to be awesome.  I have always been a Daddy's girl at heart, and it means a lot to me to have family close.
My husband and I are a very, extremely family oriented couple. Trying to spend time with our families can be a little crazy.  It is hard to be able to have the other members of our family to be that same way as well; something usually comes up to where we do not get to see them.  Although I do feel as though if you actually want to spend time with your family, you will make the time; even if it means only seeing them for a few minutes.  We will just simply be showing our children what we want them to learn by being an example.  At the end of the day, if you don't have your family, then you don't have anyone. That is what we want our children to learn.  We will always be there for our children, no matter what.

Friends may come and go, but family is (supposed to be) forever.

With Love,

Mommy Dearest
xxx

PS I miss Mom...

Love Love Love

Isn't it crazy how we will love our kids no matter what they do?  They drive us to our limits and push us over the ridge until we just crack and fall down!  My kids were so tough to deal with a couple weeks ago, and it made me think about what my life would be like with having both of my children full time...wow!  Our son has been through so much, and I struggle with disciplining him, because I realize that it's not his fault that the "other" household teaches him all the opposite things that we do.  His life is so hard, but we want to make it easier.  I really think that the second we get the word on this house, we are going to file the paperwork to proceed with getting him most of the time; instead of this 50% crap. 
My husband and I are so excited about spending time with the kids this weekend, because it is his weekend off.  We are going to drive up to Boulder, pending the weather, and go to the Celestial Seasonings factory.  I think it will be a great lesson to the kids about being "green" and always being resourceful.  Also, I am going to buy a bunch of my favorite tea.  That way, I can enjoy them all year!
I am so thankful for all of my little family.  No matter what I happens any day, my husband and kids have always been there for me.  We will always stick together.