My New Blog and GOING PRIVATE

You can link up to my new blog "Only Pennies in my Pocket" if you want to keep track of all my thriftiness in every way.  If you want to keep track of my family and our comings and goings, please comment and leave your request as our personal family blog will be going private.  I get strange comments in CHINESE every day from who knows who.  So it is time....for those who want to read my public blog of swoony finds and trash to treasure....please click on
http://www.onlypenniesinmypocket.blogspot.com/

Hope to keep in touch with everyone. Don't forget to comment your request for our private family blog.

Does anyone have a stick?

We are going to need one...between the bouquets of flowers from boys at school for Andrea, the 2 marriage proposals (and fight between the two suitors) at Kiya's birthday party, the 3 ft long snake in the house and 5 1/2 ft long alligator under our car all in ONE WEEK....we are going to need a stick to fend them all off....or 2....or 4.....

Missing...

Somewhere in the depths of Andrea's room is our new pet frog, Bernie I think I will call him.  This was not a planned pet, rather one who desired to become our pet.  According to Andrea he just "followed her inside into her room and into her bed" after dance class today.  Kiya saw her giving him a bath in the sink and finally told me about the new pet.  But now Bernie is exploring his new found territory to see what it has to offer.  Until we can find an aquarium for cheap, this territory has a front door and a big fat boot to offer if Bernie finds his way to me.

A video for you...

My friend shared this with me. I LOVE this lady.  She is a hilarious comedian who is a mom and she takes popular songs and remakes them to tell the many stories of motherhood.  If you haven't seen her Mom Song on youtube you have to check that one out too. One of my faves....

but today in honor of mommyhood and how sometimes we all feel trapped and need a date night with our sweetiepies...for your enjoyment....Love Story by Anita Renfroe...and if you are feeling a little emotional it might even make you cry a little. Ok so maybe not a little but  A LOT emotional...that was me today....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLjWDKu0jfM

{confession} I talk to myself...

Ok. So it is true.  I talk to myself.  It is like therapy...or maybe I just need therapy...either way it is how I work through all of the million trillion bazillion thoughts that run rampant through this ever busy brain of mine.  Between the little people and the lack of big people, I find myself talking to myself more and more these days.  And not just thinking out loud.  Sometimes just reviewing what I have to do and then it turns into like a Dr. Phil episode or a conversation that I am planning to have.  I think I am losing my mind.  The worst part? I think it is getting worse....

Business time

i know that my blog is pretty family friendly for the most part so I chose to not actually put this video on my blog but rather.....just a link to it. I really enjoy reading blogs when i have a chance.  And this new blog speaks to my inner not so conservative mormon mama soul.  Her post for today is titled "Business Time" and you can just guess where this is headed.  It has some great thoughts on marriage and one of its key ingredients: marital relations {sex}.  You all should take a peek. It is quite humorous and I also rather enjoyed the youtube video she had with it. If you and your spouse need a good laugh for the day to put you in the mood....click on.
http://miscellaneousandetc.blogspot.com/2010/05/business-time.html

Andrea's 5th Birthday and My first fondant CAKE!

Watch out world! My lil firecracker has turned 5!  She is growing up so fast and thinks she is an adult now!  Here are a few snapshots of her "water party" as she called it.  I went with an oceany theme mostly green and blue in various shades with a few pops of orange and purple.  Here are the highlights:
Food: Goldfish and Fishnets (pretzels) for the party.  Beforehand  I served octopus hotdogs to my own kids for lunch with "eels" (sliced cucumbers) and fruit roll-up seaweed! The food was served out of beach pails with shovels. Ocean juice (Blue tinted apple juice) with swimming sea life inside!(fish, sea turtle, sharks, jelly fish, etc fruit snacks frozen inside ice cubes)
The Cake: a two tiered chocolate and white cake with a buttercream frosting filling. Topped with an ocean themed fondant.
The activities: sprinkler under the trampoline, slip n'slide, 2 pools and of course our other backyard play toys.  We also made "ocean bottles"--clear shiny colored "rocks", blue water, blue and green metallic confetti and glitter, shells and oil all in a water bottle. You can shake it and the oil mixes with the water and creates a bubbly effect.  The kids loved making them.  Be sure to glue the lid on so they won't spill it!
The decorations: "seaweed" streamers and fish everywhere!

The favor bags: the ocean bottles, sparkly bubbles (normal cheap "wedding bubbles" found at the $ store--9 for a $1!  Andrea and I covered the outside with glue and glitter! They were so cute!), fish fruit snacks, and water balloons all inside a turquoise bag.

Parties are always a lot of work.  But worth it.  The kids will always remember the party they planned with Mom.  I don't ever want them to confuse their own birthday parties with a Chuck E. Cheese party of their friends.  Not that Chuck E. Cheese isn't fun, but this way they can do what they want AND they can invite as many kids as they want (I think we had around 15 kids or so including my own!) all for under$75.  I came in under budget this year.  We didn't have time to get the balloons blown up with helium, so no balloons--saved me $10.  A few other things came in under budget so I had some wiggle room and I think I spent a total of $60 even including all new icing food coloring which will last YEARS.  Didn't I mention that I was a party girl? Toldja. And I couldn't have done it without my sweetheart who manned the water stations, ran last minute errands and even helped clean the house in preparation.  What a guy. 

I made these fish from $ store microfiber dish towels!The best present that brought back nostalgic memories....an Easy Bake Oven! Thank you Emma!

And now we get to do it all over again in 2 weeks for Kiya.  Party hardy!