Change Is Coming Soon!

I am so excited.  There is change and a new adventure coming soon.  I love change.  I get so bored with the same old thing.  I need change, and adventures, well, everyone needs a little adventure in their life every once in awhile.  


I have a little business that hopefully I will be starting soon. It probably won't make me a millionaire, (HaHa, my son's Spelling word this week.) but it will keep me busy and bring in a little extra money.  So easy and fun, I will let you know what it is soon, I promise.


No particular reason for this post.  Lol  I'm just really excited.  Like I said, I love change and adventures.  They are so exciting!

What I'm "Into" Right Now

It's that time again.  These are the things that I'm into right now.  In no particular order:

Brita Water Bottle~ This is the water bottle with the filter in it.  I totally love this.  I drink a lot of water and this is so handy to carry around.  You can fill it up at any water fountain and since the filter is in the bottle, you get free filtered water.  So convenient. No more disposable water bottles.  Good for the wallet and for the environment.  This retails for $9.99.  Well worth the price. 

Tori Spelling's Blog~ Some people hate her, but I adore Tori Spelling and her family.  Her blog, ediTORIal, (such a cute name) has crafts, recipes and fashion.  She talks about her family, kids and outings.  I enjoy reading it.  I love how crafty she is and that she loves to share her ideas with her fans.  It is such a fun and total, non-celebrity blog.

Milani Ruby Jewels Nail Polish ~ I love this nail polish.  It is such a pretty sparkly ruby red.  It really does look like Dorothy's Ruby Slippers in"The Wizard of Oz". I have this color on my toes right now and I have named them my Dorothy Gale toes.  Lol

Pinterest~ OK, I am absolutely, obsessed with Pinterest.  Pinterest is a site, that you can "pin" things that you like from other websites.  I have spent hours just checking things out and pinning stuff I like.  I have found some great recipes and craft ideas.  Check it out, you'll be hooked too. 

Spotify~ Spotify is an amazing way to stream music.  You can transfer your music to the Spotify player and you can search and play music you find on Spotify.  It is so easy to use and there is so much music it is insane.  I was blown away when I started to use it and search.  You can star music you find and like and it saves it for you.  I use this everyday.  I love it!

Storage Wars~ I seriously love this show, especially Barry.  I freaking love that guy.  No lie, I want to go to one of the auctions just so I can meet him and be his friend.  Lol.  I really don't know exactly what I like about the show.  I think I just find it fun and interesting.

Danskin Bermuda Shorts~ Unfortunately, I could not find a picture of these.  They are my favorite, comfy, sitting around the house shorts.  They are cotton and the waistband and inside lining is that moisture wick fabric that is cool and dries really fast.  This is so great here in SoCal.  They are really nice and cool (temperature cool, not The Fonze cool) to wear in the summer or for exercising.  I have two pairs, gray and black.  I got them at Walmart and they were only $7.  Great price for a great pair of shorts.

Beats By Dre~ My wonderful husband bought these for my birthday.  I have the iBeats earbuds.  They are amazing.  I love music and being able to listen to music on these is so awesome.  I can't even describe how clear and how well you can hear all the music.  They are incredible.

Multigrain Pringles~ Ever since I tried these, they are the only Pringles that I buy for myself.  I have only tried the plain, but they are available in Ranch and Cheddar.  I can't even tell you why I like them.  I think they make me feel like I'm eating healthy.  They taste good.

Yellow Mustard in Chili~This one is so random.  Lately, I have been putting yellow mustard in my chili when I have chili dogs or chili burgers.  Yellow mustard on chili burgers reminds me of my youth and going to Original Tommy's with my mom.  They put mustard on their chili burgers with pickles, onions and tomatoes.  Oh, they are so good.  I want one right now.  Anyway, the yellow mustard adds a really nice tang to the chili and it compliments basic brick chili really well. 

So there you have it.  These are the things that I like right now.  

Starting The Fifth Grade

Summer break is over and my baby is starting the Fifth Grade tomorrow.  I told him this evening that we both are starting the fifth grade tomorrow.  This year is going to be interesting, but I'm up for the challenge.


Both my son and I are nervous, but excited.  Our first week should be easy.  We have orientation and then he has assessment tests that he needs to take.  Those will let us know what his strengths and weaknesses are.  


My main goal through this new schooling is to make sure that my son knows we are in this together.  Hence, the "we" are starting fifth grade.  I want to be the best learning coach for him.  I want him to excel and love school again.  I miss that boy, who loved going to school.  


When we get a few weeks into the school year, I will give you my thoughts on this type of schooling.  

Five Is The Magic Number (Original Post 07/01/2009)

I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday. I was thinking about some of the great deals that have been going on lately and realized that a lot were $5 deals. Five is the magic number here. There are lots of $5 deals. Five dollar footlongs, five dollar shorts, shirts, swimsuits, meals, services. Two for $5 deals everywhere.

I remember a few years ago when one dollar was the magic number. Everything was one dollar. What a deal, $1! Now the deal is $5. Don't get me wrong. I think that $5 deals are great. If I can get shirts, shorts or a meal for $5, each, that is awesome. There is nothing wrong with that.

So, let's embrace Five being the magic number. At least it's not Ten, although having some things $10, would be pretty cool.

Change (Original Post~06/14/2009)

Today, my son asked me why I had so many different colors of nail polish. I told him it was because I get bored very easily. It is the same reason why I have so many purses among other things. I love change. I crave it. I need to it.

As long as I can remember, I have always needed to change things. When I was younger, I use to change my hair color, all the time. I had tons of shoes, and I would paint my room and redecorate on a regular basis.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy certain things to stay the same. I love routine. You need a routine to keep things in order, but change keeps things exciting. Now that I am older, my changes are a little more subtle, nail polish, new recipes, favorite movies and music, and various other things. That is why the "things I'm into" changes.

Change is a good thing. I think that it keeps us on out toes and makes our lives a little less mundane. It also keeps things more interesting and reminds us that it is fun to be different and daring every once in awhile.

So, try it this week. Shake things up and do something different, something daring, something that is going to make your family say "Wow, that was fun!"

My Week In Pictures

Went out to eat and my niece MiMi had a rainbow on her arm.

MiMi posing for the camera.

 My son Cameron and MiMi at the Fontana Aquatic Center.

Me lounging by the pool.

My dog Trixie laying on the bed.

Cameron concentrating very hard on the computer.

MiMi with her ice cream and the iPad.

My nephew Jesse acting silly.

Me, officiating my first wedding.  Lol, yes I am an Ordained Minister.

My husband, son and niece acting silly at JoAnne's.

What I'm "Into" Right Now (Original Post 06/08/2009)

I have been trying to write some reviews, at least one a week, but that is not really working they way I wanted, so I decided to write about things that I am "into" right now.

This list changes all the time, so I may make this a regular thing. Maybe every month or so. We'll see. Here is the list:

Twitter - I am totally into Twitter right now. I know it is crazy, but it is so much fun. I love reading the updates on my friends, and I will admit, some celebrities.

The Impulsive Buy - This is a review blog. They mainly review new foods, but it varies from day to day. I read it everyday. I enjoy finding out about new products and the writers are extremely witty and sometimes it is just a riot to read.

Sweepstakes - I have been an avid sweepstaker for about ten years. I have won trips, TV's, movies, music, books, lots of things. My involvement in sweeps, vary. It usually depends on what is going on in my life and if I have the time. Here are three daily sweeps that I enter.
Bar S, Country Crock and Honey Nut Cheerios. You can click on each to enter. Make sure you read the rules before entering and good luck. If you win anything, let me know.

BeautyTicket.com - I have blogged about e.l.f. cosmetics and you know how much I love them, but Beauty Ticket is a great site to buy cosmetics also. They sell high end brands like Lola, Pixie, Pout and Smashbox for as much as 85% off the retail price. Their prices are amazing.

Taco Tuesday - Every Tuesday, my family goes to Del Taco for Taco Tuesday. The Del Taco near my house has tacos, 3 for $1.19. This is our "eat out night" and it is an extremely inexpensive meal out also. We even treat ourselves to "Happy Hour" at Sonic before, where we get 1/2 price drinks.

Books on tape - I guess it would be considered ebooks, since technically, I listen to them on my computer. I have a hard time finding the time to sit down and read a book. So, I started listening to books while I am working on the computer, which is all the time. This has given me back an appreciation for books.

Reading with my son - I have found time to read with my son. He is 8 years old and an excellent reader. We go back and forth with me reading one chapter and he reading the other. We are currently reading the "Schooling Around" series by Australian author Andy Griffiths. These are such fun books. I have really enjoyed spending time with my son and the books are great too. I find myself not wanting to put the books down and can't wait for the next evening so we can continue.

The Sun - I am so excited to see the sun. There are a lot of reasons for this. Summer is coming. My son is in his last week of school. We have family and friends visiting this summer. I get to swim. We live in an HOA and have a community pool. It is really nice to be able to go swimming and spend some time with the neighbors.

That is it for now. I am quite sure I will doing this again. What are you "into"? Let me know.

My Soapbox For The Day (Original Post 06/06/2009)

Sometimes, I feel the need to stand up on my soapbox and vent about things that bother me. Today, is one of those days. You really don't have to read this if you don't want to. It is just me complaining.

Anyway, I was reading through some entertainment articles and it got me thinking. Why are some of these people 'celebrities'. They don't do anything. They are 'famous' (I use the term loosely) for being rich. They are certain people out there that are 'celebrities' because they have money, or their parents have money and they are in the limelight. Now, I'm not going to name any names, (not that I have a lot of people who read this blog, but I still don't want hate mail because I called someone's celebrity status ridiculous or useless, which I do believe in a lot of cases).

I just find the whole thing to be sad. We are going to have an entire generation of kids that look up to these people and think that if you are wealthy, then you can be a celebrity, and that you need to have money to be someone. This is ridiculous and I will say it again, sad.

It is bad enough that kids are made to feel inferior if they don't have the right clothes, backpack, shoes, notebook, pencil, whatever. But, now we have so-called celebrities that kids look up to because they have money, making it harder and harder to raise your kids with the values that money isn't everything and you can live a fabulous life without having to spend an arm and a leg, or by throwing your money around.

Well, that is the end of my rant. I am just sad that 'celebrities' don't have to have any talent anymore. They can simply be famous for their wealth. 

Back To Basics Cooking & A Little Note From Me (Original Post 05/30/2009)

The past week I was in a pretty bad funk and didn't feel like doing much of anything, so that explains my lack of posts.  This week and next week, I am trying to get myself and my son ready for the new school year.  We are beginning a new school venture this year.  He will be starting online schooling and I will be his "learning coach".  This is so very new to us.  I plan on writing about our new journey, but need to experience it first. LOL   In the meantime, I'm going to just re-post some stuff so you don't start to miss me.  XOXO




Today, I started thinking about when I started cooking. When I was younger, my mom worked two jobs and I was left to make dinner for the family. As a teenager, I didn't want to spend time in the kitchen cooking, so I made really quick easy meals. Why don't I do that know? I think it is because I am an adult with my own family that I feel the need to cook a nice dinner every night.

Well, I don't. Why can't I make meals like I made when I was younger. It is OK, and it is also a wonderful and easy way to get my son involved in helping to cook meals. So, I am going back to basics. I am going to start making those meals that I made when I starting cooking. Now, I won't make these every night, but it will be nice and it might give me inspiration to simplify other meals.

For my meal tonight, I am going to make English Muffin Pizza. I am going to toast the english muffins in the toaster, so I don't have to turn the oven on and then melt the cheese in the microwave. Totally Old School cooking.

Other things I use to make were chicken nuggets, corn dogs, sandwiches and actually one of my favorites, cereal for dinner. When did that become wrong to do? I don't feed it to my family every night.

So, if you have back to basic recipes or ideas, please share them with me. I would love to have more suggestions.

What Inspires Me?

This week I've been in a writing funk.  I have topics that I want to write about, but when I sit down to write, I'm just not feeling it.  I just can't seem to collect my thoughts.


So, what inspires me to write?  First, I need quiet.  I can't write when kids are jumping around, calling me, screaming in my ear.  This is one reason why I usually write late at night.  Everyone is asleep and the house is nice and quiet.  Very peaceful.


I need a good topic to write about.  I actually write down topics that come to mind.  I have a list on my computer and also on my phone.  Whenever I think of something, I write it down so I don't forget.  These topics come from things that I see, hear, read, things I talk about, anger and various rants I have.  Sometimes I just sit at the computer and topics come and I immediately start writing.  This is the case with my writing today.


Other inspirations I get are my family, friends and other articles that I read.  Thoughts appear in my head and they kind of form into numerous paragraphs and turn into what you read.  Lol  


Writing is very easy for me.  It always has been and I am so happy that I have an outlet that allows me to express myself.  At times it is very therapeutic.  A lot of things inspire me and I'm happy for that.  I'm glad that I can share these with you.  

Hidden Mickey Featured on Couponing To Disney

My hidden Mickey was featured on Couponing To Disney today.  Do you have a hidden Mickey you'd like to share?  While you are there, check out Kristin's blog.  She has great tips  and deals that can help you save money.


http://www.couponingtodisney.com/2011/07/19/hidden-mickey-7-19-11/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CouponingToDisney+%28Couponing+to+Disney%29

Realization

If you're a friend of mine, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you would know that my husband works long hours and last week and now this week, will work on Saturday too.


This has made us both pretty upset.  Last Saturday was my birthday and those birthday plans were cancelled.  I had a good weekend, but wasn't able to do what I wanted.  This weekend, because we told my son twice now and cancelled, were suppose to go to the drive in.  I actually promised him we would go.  I never break a promise. Promises are serious business in my family.  I can't take my son myself. The problem is, we have one car and my husband goes to work at 4am.  Watching a movie in the dark is only going to put my husband to sleep.  Not fun.  


After spending almost an entire week now, just pissed off, I came to a realization that sort of helped me, not be so upset.  I hope when I talk to my husband, he'll feel the same way.  What is the realization, you ask?  Well, this is peak season for selling ice cream.  It is hella hot here California and people like ice cream when it is hot.  It is just like working retail during the holiday season.  You work a lot of hours.  


It is going to die down considerably during Winter.  My husband will have shorter hours and less money will be coming in.  Then we will be bitching that he is working too little.  I'm going to start thinking more positive about this.  No, I'm not happy that I don't see my husband because he comes home and goes to bed, and that he only has one day off.  I am going to be happy that he does have a job and that he is making good money. After the peak season, I will see more of him.  


You have to take the good with the bad.  Sometimes, we let emotions get the best of us and forget to think clearly.  Emotions sometimes cloud our judgement and we can't see past them.  So, I will accept that, it is what it is.  I'm grateful that we are so fortunate to be able to have money coming in.  We are all healthy and when we do have time together, we choose to spend it as a family.  


I'm not saying the bitching will end, but I am going to try and be more positive about the situation.  In a few months peak season will end.  


On a side note, if you like my blog, please subscribe by email, Google Connect or RSS feed. There are links to the left and right.  Oh, and tell your friends.  Thanks    :)

Happy Mother's Day (Original Post 5/10/2009)

I just wanted to wish all you Mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day. I hope you are able to have a nice relaxing day.

If you do not know the history of Mother's Day, here is bit about our special day.

The tradition of this holiday seems to have stemmed from an English celebration in the 1600's honoring the mothers of England called, "Mothering Sunday." Employees were given the day off to visit their mothers, and many people gave their mothers a special treat called a "Mothering Cake." With Christianity came a different celebration called "Mother Church," which honored the spiritual protection from the church. This holiday eventually combined with "Mothering Sunday" to form one day of celebration.

In 1907, a woman from Philadelphia, named Ana Jarvis, started a campaign for National Mother's Day to be held on the second day of May in honor of her mother. Her mother, also named Ana, died two years earlier in 1905. She gave her daughter the idea after she organized a "Mother's Friendship Day" to heal lingering emotional wounds of the Civil War.

Finally in 1914, Woodrow Wilson made an official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national holiday. West Virginia was the first state to recognize the holiday, and today the holiday has spread beyond the USA to countries such as Australia and Denmark, which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

Source: Biography.com, Holidays on the Net

What's Going On?

I've been a little tired and unmotivated this past week, also, my back has been killing me.  It's hard to concentrate on writing when I'm in pain.  I feel like the posts are rushed I never like how they turn out.  I decided instead of writing new blogs, I'm going to move some more of my old posts to this new blog.  I was looking at my old blogs and forgot about some of the great tips that I had written.  I thought it was a good idea to re-introduce everyone to them.  


I have some great new topics for you, and will also return to some of my regular posts.  Until then, I hope you enjoy the re-posts.  

Happy 4th Of July!

I took the weekend off for my birthday, but I wanted to wish you all a happy 4th.  A little late, but it's the thought that counts right?  

Weekend Plans~My Birthday/4th of July

This weekend is my birthday weekend.  Yay!  It is also 4th of July weekend.  You would think I have definite plans, I thought I did too.


Saturday~My birthday.  I'm not really sure what we're going to do.  As of right now, I'm still unsure if my husband has to work.  In the morning, Home Depot has their kids workshop.  They will be making coasters. This is from 9am to 12pm.  I wanted to go to the San Diego Fair, but I don't think that is going to happen.  I would also like to go to the San Diego Zoo.  That is up in the air.  We will probably  just go to the drive in.  Transformers 3 and Super 8 are playing together.




Sunday~We are going to have a BBQ. We will be grilling up some of the meat we have in the freezer (experiment #2).  We'll be celebrating my husband's and my birthday and the 4th of July.  Just a nice family get together.


Monday~Just hang out with the family.  No plans.


What are your holiday plans?

What was one good thing that happened today? 6/30/2011

Hmmm, what was one good thing that happened today? Today was kind of a crap day. Most of this week has been crap days. Today, I got some quiet time to myself. It was nice. I just sat in my room, played some games on the computer and listened to music. Music calms me. I sing all me frustrations out. What was your good thing of the day?

What was one good thing that happened today? 6/28/2011 & 6/29/2011

I read this question on Facebook and thought this would be such a great daily question that I could answer on my blog. Even when your day is completely shitty, there is always at least one thing that made you smile.

One good thing that happened today, is my niece used the big girl potty all but one time today. I know it's kind of silly, but up until today, she would never go for me. She always says no when I ask if she wants to use the potty. This made me smile big today. I am so excited that she is finally going to be potty trained.

Since I was unable to post this yesterday, I'm adding today to this post. 6/29/2011

Today was a pretty shitty day for me. But, there was one thing that made me smile. Seeing Cameron so happy that it was the last day of school and that he had an excellent report card.  

15 Week Challenge~Week 14~ Not So Basic Facts About Me

14~I've always enjoyed writing. I use to write English papers for people in high school.

13~I don't wear my wedding rings. They fall off. Once, I lost them in the trash and since then, I don't wear them in fear of losing them again.

12~I have very eclectic taste in music. I listen to every type of music imaginable. I love music.

11~I love kid/teenage movies. Such a sucker for them. I think they are just mindless fun.

10~In 2001, I was in the hospital for 4 months and almost died. During that time, I missed watching my son walk for the first time. It was also during 9/11.

9~I have two nieces, one on my side of the family and the other on my husbands, and they both are redheads. ( I have 4 nephews.)

8~I love to sing. I have been known to burst out in song in the middle of stores.

7~I have OCD and it drives my husband crazy. It doesn't bother me much, lol.

6~I consider all my close friends part of my family, and I would do anything for them.

5~I can hold my own and no one needs to worry about me.

4~I lived in one of the biggest gang areas in Orange County, CA growing up.

3~I never met my biological father. My stepdad is the only dad I know and as far as I'm concerned, he's my only dad.

2~I weigh less than I did in high school.

1~My first job was working as a coat check girl at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga, CA when I was 14yrs old. I worked with my mom and my grandma.

So those are my not so basic facts about me. I don't think many people know those things about me. What are yours?

Grocery Outlet (Original Post 01/12/09)

If you have never been to a Grocery Outlet, you need to go. This is one of my favorite stores to shop at. They usually don't carry the same products all the time, but there are awesome deals. They have some unusual items that you may not find in your grocery store, and great deals on other items. There are food items, toys, blankets, paper products, clothing items, meats, fruit, dairy, cleaning products and a lot more.

So, if your area has a Grocery Outlet, check it out. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.