tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31765778904720593502024-03-13T14:06:13.730-06:00Confessions of a Stay-at-Home MomAs a SAHM I can't really rant and rave to my children who are 8 and under... so I'm thinking I'll come here to do that!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.comBlogger307125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-87051014330881731372016-11-11T13:39:00.002-06:002016-11-11T13:39:22.891-06:00Trump is the President of the United States.... now what?!Well folks.... We have a new president. I know some of you are hurt and scared... I know some of you are rejoicing... I know some of you are indifferent... it is what it is. At first I will admit I thought the professors cancelling classes and students not being able to cope and move on were being cry babies... I did... Sore losers if you will. But then I realized these people need some grace. Just like I do... just like we ALL do. Certain people on this earth put their hope in political figures.... and now they are living their life in fear of the unknown. Certain people are also putting their trust into the dark side of the president elect. They are taking the racist, sexist things he has done or said and putting hope into that..... We live in an evil world. It's not <i>all </i>evil of course. God is still here, He is still present! There <i>are </i>wonderful things happening too.<br />
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People please don't put your trust in this world. You will be disappointed. You will be hurt. You will be fearful. Sometimes I forget this. I forget that God is in control. No matter what is going on around me, no matter what horrible things I see or hear on the news... There is good news. There is good in this world too... if you put your trust in God.<br />
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I pray today that those of you who are hurting and afraid will seek comfort in Him. I pray that those of you who feel like boasting and calling people cry-babies instead turn to God and remember how important it is to have grace. Lean not on your own understanding.... And I pray for this great country I am able to call home. May we learn how to work together as a people... different opinions and all.Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-91449664453964105522016-08-26T11:03:00.001-06:002016-08-26T11:03:06.381-06:00Blessed not luckySo I get to hear A LOT about how "lucky" I am..... I used to just brush it off and be all "yep, I'm lucky". Oh you're so lucky to have JDub... he's such a great husband/father. Oh you're so lucky you get to stay home and "not work". Wow it must be nice to not have a car payment...<br />
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<i>side note-- I would just like to state for the record I do have a great husband. JDub is fabulous. But he also likes to sabotage me..... like by leaving water beads unattended in a bowl on the bathroom counter for 3, 6, and 8 year olds to throw all over the place while he is conveniently gone at a meeting and wont be back for several hours..... and also, hey I don't like to toot my own horn but I am pretty fabulous too... JDub's pretty blessed himself!</i><br />
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But I've come to realize it has NOTHING to do with <i>luck</i>... and everything to do with being <i>blessed </i>by God.<br />
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I choose to see the blessings too... I mean I have to actively remind myself to look around and see what I am being given. For instance... today I went for a walk and Miss M fell asleep. In a way I thought aww man there goes an afternoon nap... but I had to remind myself it was a blessing! Any nap is a wonderful thing, no matter what time it is. That's why I am able to write this entry... I actually have a few minutes to myself... no kids!!! Now if you choose instead to look around at all the bad in your life and wonder why you aren't blessed... well that's a different story. I mean life on earth was not meant to be all rainbows and unicorns.<br />
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I mean your rainbows and unicorns aren't going to be the same as my unicorns and rainbows right?!</div>
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There will be difficult times, there will be trials. Persevere people!! Easier said than done I know... I again have been extremely blessed and honestly haven't gone through too many terrible tribulations.<br />
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I pray that you will be blessed today... and everyday... remember to count those blessings :) I truly mean that in a sincere way, not a condescending tone!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-51872415277651296422016-01-13T14:47:00.003-06:002016-01-27T12:49:13.303-06:00Parenting fail #773928572462093847023847203874397523Being an adult is hard. For real. You don't know that when you're young. You just think "I want to grow up and do my own thing!" But what you don't realize is ... it's hard. Cause you have responsibilities! You have a job, you need money to live, etc.<br />
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And then you become a parent. And you wish you were just an adult again. Not only are you responsible for your things... you are responsible for all your little people's things too?! You have to potty-train them (and I am failing miserably that that with Miss M so far....) You have to feed them 3 times a day... (only its more like 8 times a day). You have to give them clean clothes.... And when you do try to do laundry at 7:15 am when you haven't had your coffee and you are rushing through the morning routine of getting your school-aged children to school on time you do this.....<br />
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You don't really realize what you did until you get the clothes out of the dryer and try to put them away later in the day... Now keep in mind you did your Bible study today!! You did!! For once cause honestly its been a few days, or weeks, or months since you've really sat down and read your Bible, but you did TODAY.<br />
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You feel those cards in that pocket and your initial reaction is ($hit). Well MY initial reaction is that... great... Ceej is going to be soooo mad at me when he comes home. Should I tell him on the way home from school or let him see the cards on the counter. Of course this is going to be <i>my</i> fault. <i>I</i> was the one who did the laundry. <i>I </i>should have checked the pockets of every article of clothing. No really its <i>my</i> fault I didn't get him some kind of awesome notebook with pages to slip each card in to keep it in pristine condition.... yep <i>your </i>fault mama! When really it was <i>his </i>fault for not checking <i>his</i> pockets before putting said pants in the laundry basket!<br />
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Oh crap... there it is. I know why my children are constantly trying to blame someone else for the problems... b/c they get it from ME!! ugh. I hate being responsible for everything.... if <i>I </i>was a good example for my children then they would be perfect right? Only I can't be perfect, NO ONE CAN. No one earth anyway.<br />
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So there is my parenting fail for today... I'm sure I will have more today... and I know I'll have more the next day and the next... Thankfully there's this thing called GRACE. I'm really going to try to have more of it with my children. They need it. I need it. I'm really hoping my little guy will throw some my way when he finds out what happened to his Pokemon cards......<br />
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God thank you for your grace each and every day.<br />
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******UPDATE REQUEST.</div>
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In this instance I am happy to announce that Grace won! My little Ceej was very sweet. I do however think it helped with how I softened the blow. See you can really help yourself by using your words wisely. I could have gone into this in a few different scenarios....</div>
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1. If you would not have left your cards in your pocket this (insert ruined cards) would have NEVER happened.</div>
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2. Look Ceej! Mommy bought you new Pokemon cards...... those other ones are lost.....</div>
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3. Ceej, I have something to tell you. I was doing laundry today, and I forgot to check your pockets and this is what happened (insert ruined cards). I'm really sorry buddy. It was an accident.</div>
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Well I played out scenario #3.... and he was super sweet. He said "It's ok Mommy, I forgot to check my pockets too."</div>
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-82691799052796223672015-10-05T21:59:00.001-06:002015-10-05T21:59:43.800-06:00Find the comfort in the discomfort You know I've really been trying hard this year to step out of my comfort zone. While I think I've definitely had some success in the field; I still need work. Why is it so hard to do the right thing? Sometimes I end up talking myself out of it. Why is it so hard to do the right thing when it is so uncomfortable? I'm working on finding the comfort in the discomfort.<br />
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My beautiful neighbor lost her battle with cancer this year. I know I did not know her as long as some of her other friends and family but she made quite an impact on me. I don't like being in awkward situations. I suppose no one really likes being in an awkward situation... But being a stay-at-home mom and being at my house while she was right next door battling her cancer it made it hard to avoid certain situations.<br />
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In the last year she was in so much pain and frustrated by her ailments. Honestly I just wanted to keep everything on the surface not let my guard down. When I would see her and listen to her I would think to myself I'm going to pray for her later.... But then there was a stirring in my heart and I prayed with her on the spot. It was awkward, I stumbled, I mumbled... I don't even really remember what I said. It was definitely out of my comfort zone. When I heard her crying out in her house and I was just outside in my driveway I wanted to ignore it. I mean what business is it of mine? But that stirring in my heart came again...<br />
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When there's a stirring in your heart or a thought pops into your head that's uncomfortable, that you know is going to be awkward, that you might think someone else can deal with that ... I encourage you not to ignore it; you are in that situation for a reason. Own it.<br />
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Instead of saying I'll pray for you.... pray for them on the spot right then and there. It's kind of life-changing and awesome. If you see someone left their lights on. Knock on the door and tell them; they'll appreciate it. If your husband leaves his socks on the floor for the 10 millionth time... be grateful you have a husband... and pick up the socks and put them in the hamper!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-59938564355998955932015-08-30T13:45:00.000-06:002015-08-30T13:45:04.269-06:00NapsSometimes you have those AMAZING naps.... the kind that don't last very long, you almost are unaware you've even slept... you wake up feeling refreshed and bursting with new energy... Your mood is suddenly lightened and you can take on any task!<br />
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And then sometimes you have those necessary, but hard naps. The kind that lasts too long. Your body feels as if it has been hit by a truck. Your muscles ache and cramp. Your head is in a bit of a fog. You can't recall the CRAZY dreams you just had... but you know you were weirded out by them when you first came too. You think what day is it?! Where am I?<br />
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Yea... I just had one of the latter variety.... Yikes... its been a while.Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-14492995113992530002015-08-10T12:09:00.000-06:002015-08-10T12:09:32.878-06:00exhaustedI drove to the wrong field for t-ball and didn't have enough time to make it across town to the right field. Ceej was wearing flip-flops anyway so it was pointless to go.<br />
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Let's go camping! Of course Mommy's in charge of packing all the kids bags and their belongings, and getting all the groceries and planning every meal we'll need on the camping trip. Don't forget cash and firewood. If you don't place the bags by the door on the way out, Miss M's bag won't make it to the campsite!<br />
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Bubba's bday is coming up. Make sure you call and reserve the pavilion. Get the paperwork in and check on time. Don't forget the invites and planning what we'll eat and who to invite and the party favors and present!<br />
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Where's my phone... what did I do with it? The last I remember was Bubba HAVING to show the neighbors a pic on my phone and then putting it on the back of my car.... CRAP.<br />
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What day is it? Seriously? Cause every day is the same... at least when its summer time it feels that way.<br />
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Have I brushed my teeth today? I think I did... I know the kids did... did I even put on deodorant?<br />
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Oh thank goodness Miss M is taking a nap... do I do my workout now... or just browse Facebook a minute.... Or do I just take a nap too....<br />
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Can I have candy? Can you make Kool-aid? Can I have fruit snacks? I'm too tired to pick up. My foot hurts I need a band-aid. The neighbors went to Adventureland I want to!! You NEVER let us do anything fun.<br />
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Mom where are my glasses? Mom, what's for dinner? Mom I want to wear my new clothes why haven't you washed these yet? Mom, you really need to clean the floor.<br />
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YAY!!! Daddy's home!!! Daddy Daddy Daddy!!!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-22807649542168253152015-05-18T06:32:00.003-06:002015-05-18T06:32:28.422-06:00Living the good lifeSo I have a funny story... I'm sure most of you moms out there will appreciate it. We have recently gotten some new neighbors across the street. Very nice people who happen to have twins (a boy and girl) Ceej's age. Ceej I'm pretty sure is over the moon about this. Miss M is still wondering who they are and Bubba is coming right along playing with them as well. But Ceej, he is my social butterfly who will say hello to just about anyone that will give him the time of day! He wants to go over there to play or invite them over here to play all the time!<br />
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Well a couple of weekends ago JDub decided to borrow my dad's Jeep for the weekend. He and my dad have tricked it out and it looks pretty sharp. Well the wife was out of town for the weekend and came home late Sunday night. Her kids came running out to "greet" her and while the mom was hoping for a "Hi Mom we missed you!" scenario... instead she was greeted with a "the neighbors got a JEEP!!!" LOL. Too funny.<br />
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My devotional had a few bible verses for me and this one seems to stick with me today...</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. -Philippians 2:15 MSG</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ah "the good life". I'm glad the Message version said glimpse here. It makes me feel a little better about myself. And it seems a little more achievable as well. There are plenty of glimpses of the good life and happy times in my day. There are of course chances of seeing me becoming unglued and yelling at my children and not have enough patience as well. But thank you God for your grace and understanding. You know that we can't be perfect people and that we constantly need to lean into You.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's to a glimpse of good living. I pray you'll see some in my life and in yours as well.</span></div>
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-85609542689688944712015-04-21T19:59:00.000-06:002015-05-18T05:24:13.522-06:00Crocodile party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I asked Ceej what he wanted for his birthday cake this year he said "A CROCODILE!!" I was like really? Are you sure?! He stuck to his guns and was very adamant... so I went searching on Pinterest to see what I could find... I initially found some but ended up making it up as I went along. See I don't have a huge freezer... and I made all this from 1 9x13 cake pan.<br />
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It was just a regular cake mix... and I used store bought frosting to "dirty ice" the cake. Then I made my own buttercream/marshmallow creme frosting at the end. I saved some white but used green dye on the rest. Then I used m&m's for his toenails and scales along his back (and his eyes too).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I decided to go with simplified goodie bags... The croc just couldn't keep away!<br />
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I wanted to come up with something to put in the goodie bags and I saw so many things about slime... so I tried out the whole borax and glitter glue... my first batch was better than the 2nd one... but the kids had fun with it either way. I really wanted to try one that wasn't so toxic... but I already had Borax on hand...<br />
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When I was looking for supplies at Michael's I came across that cool Kinetic sand! The kids were loving it so I bought some along with some mini crocs and alligators to play in it for the party.</div>
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Ceej was able to bring a homemade snack for his birthday (an unusual occurrence now-a-days with allergies and what-not...) So I made these cute croc nutter butters. I found them from pinterest! I didn't have the white heart sprinkles the original post called for... so I just dipped their mouths in some sprinkles I had on hand.</div>
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We had his party out at a campsite! I really wanted to do some kind of obstacle course... but I was/am exhausted from all the birthday craziness... so we just had fun with the sand and slime and the rocks at the campsite too :)</div>
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Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-1438712871915803282015-04-20T12:27:00.000-06:002015-04-20T12:27:15.323-06:00My Little Pony Birthday PartyOh my goodness I have been meaning to post this for a while... but yea April is CRAZY people.... at least in my life. 3 birthdays in 3 weeks is just too much...<br />
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In my last post you saw how to make your own pony shirts.... <a href="http://redhottmamma.blogspot.com/2015/03/gearing-up-for-my-little-pony-party.html" target="_blank">DIY pony shirts</a><br />
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Well I went ahead and made a few more for family attending the party :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fxjhPaEcbqM/VTU46o2f_zI/AAAAAAAACIU/HfAncuYaO_s/s1600/IMG_1044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fxjhPaEcbqM/VTU46o2f_zI/AAAAAAAACIU/HfAncuYaO_s/s1600/IMG_1044.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fluttershy. this was the last one i made.<br /> i think i progressively got better the more i did!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">twilight sparkle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">apple jack </td></tr>
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We also had some fun activities for the party!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fluttershy's egg hunt</td></tr>
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<br /><br />I took some yarn and wrapped a piece of scotch tape around the end (to make it easier to get in the froot loop) and the kids had a blast. They were eating along the way too :)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qSjleVr6Nu4/VTU3M5BGGuI/AAAAAAAACIA/7MEmvvd5omQ/s1600/DSC05901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qSjleVr6Nu4/VTU3M5BGGuI/AAAAAAAACIA/7MEmvvd5omQ/s1600/DSC05901.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a>I found these pop out/stand up ponies at JoAnn Fabrics. Each came with their own markers to color.</div>
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No pony party is complete without cupcakes! They are Pinkie Pie's favorite!</div>
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we set out an old school MLP blanket and had some story time while the eggs were being hidden.</div>
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Of course I didn't take near enough pictures... I had ponies all over the place... but forgot to take snapshots of them! if you look closely you can see some of the little cupcakes Bubba and I decorated and put up as well...</div>
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I'd say everyone had a fabulous day... here's a small recap...</div>
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1. pinkie pie's make your own froot loop necklaces</div>
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2. rarity's coloring station</div>
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3. twilight sparkle and spike's reading nook</div>
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4. fluttershy's egg hunt</div>
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5. apple jack's snacks </div>
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I had an optional rainbow dash's egg race... but for a 2 year old that was a bit much. Maybe if you were going to have a MLP party for an older girl. I tell you what I had so much fun planning it!!! I'll be a little sad when she doesn't like the ponies anymore :(</div>
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Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-45088113333926424762015-03-05T10:14:00.000-06:002015-03-05T10:14:27.246-06:00Gearing up for a My Little Pony party!I don't know who likes My Little Pony's more... me... or the kids?! It's just such a cute show. I even took the "which my little pony are you" quiz and turns out I'm Pinkie Pie! (which happens to be Miss M's favorite!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/16so_DQIU5k/Which+My+Little+Pony+Are+You?result=PmD52e4pGsJ" target="_blank">My Little Pony Quiz</a><br />
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After some thought I decided to go with a My Little Pony party for Miss M. I'm still figuring out a few things... but here are some cute shirts the boys and I made!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">put a little paint on a toothbrush and flick it!</td></tr>
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Of course Bubba is "too cool" to wear his shirt... he's going to save it for her birthday party.... But oh well. He did have fun painting. Ceej on the other hand could care less what people think of him (which is kind of awesome) and he wore it to school already! Oh the days of innocence are already dwindling...... It makes me a little sad. Bubba said "I don't want anyone to make fun of me because it's a pony shirt..."</div>
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I'm thinking of just doing cupcakes b/c well Pinkie Pie just loves cupcakes... and since her bday is on Easter this year we are doing an Easter egg hunt. The girl is only 2... not gonna go too crazy.</div>
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-91476267779467711902015-01-13T12:48:00.004-06:002015-01-13T13:06:22.454-06:00Houston, we have a problem....So I know the first step in having a problem... is to admit it... so here it is... I have a clothes problem... almost an "I feel like I'm watching an episode of Hoarders" clothes problem....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a vanity under here somewhere....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">these drawers are deeeep</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have over half of the closet and that's still not enough...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my "linen closet" (only one shelf has sheets)</td></tr>
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So I admit it!? But now what? I do get rid of clothes.... I do... not all the time, but I literally threw out underwear and socks that were falling apart.... I did give some clothes to goodwill too... and I just gave all of my maternity clothes away! (even gave Miss M's clothes away too!) My drawers and closets are still overflowing...<br />
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Here comes the but.......</div>
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I live in Iowa....... Right now IT IS FREEZING. I mean it said 0 degrees on my dash this morning taking the boys to school. This means I need cuddle duds... Don't know what cuddle duds are?! Then you must live somewhere warm... how nice for you! And with cuddle duds I need a variety of pants to wear.... I have 3 pairs of jeans that fit me... that's NOT alot... I feel like I almost need one more pair.</div>
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I live in Iowa.... it also gets really freaking hot here too!? When you stay home with kids you want to be outside with them... so you need lots of shorts and tank tops... </div>
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I work out... 7 days a week pretty much... and while I do laundry all the time, my laundry is usually the last to get done. I sweat like a beast too... I know its gross (and THANKS A LOT DAD... its totally your fault that I sweat so much) but its true. There is no re-wearing workout clothes... they are done after a workout from me! Sometimes its cold when I work out... so I wear pants... or capris and then sometimes its hot so I need shorts... and sports bras... and athletic socks... etc.</div>
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I am a stay-at-home-mom. So sometimes I wear my pajamas ALL DAY. Yea I said it... sometimes I don't "get dressed". I literally take my kids to school (and pick them up) in comfy pants... (I totally thought I would NEVER be that mom... haha... Never say NEVER!!). Being at home all day can make for an expensive electric bill! We keep the thermostat at 68 degrees... That's not very warm. I wear a lot of layers and hooded sweatshirts... (I'm pretty sure I have about 9 sweatshirts.... that's probably a bit too much...)</div>
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I like to dress up........ I do on occasion get dressed up. I usually dress up for church. When I have my MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schooler's) meetings I will dress up for them as well. I have several leggings and cute dresses... And I like to wear them even in winter which means I might need some leg warmers and sweaters to go with them!? I like to accessorize with scarves too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFXtFe_sUZ0/VLVsWWSIq1I/AAAAAAAACFM/eM8C9B704lY/s1600/IMG_0771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFXtFe_sUZ0/VLVsWWSIq1I/AAAAAAAACFM/eM8C9B704lY/s1600/IMG_0771.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought these 5 dresses for $10.50.... but do I have room for them in my closet... not so much.</td></tr>
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I have several clothes I NEVER wear. Okay... so here's my predicament. I have so many clothes I don't ever actually wear, but they fit me just fine. When I worked.... it was in an office setting, which required a business casual attire. Several slacks, suits, button-up shirts... that sort of thing. When I "dress up" right now, I tend to wear dresses.... NOT suits... but they still fit?! There will probably be a time down the road when I won't have any children home with me... and I'll have to get a job (ugh I don't even want to think about that!!). I don't really know what kind of job it will be, and I might need all of those clothes?! Why get rid of clothes that fit me fine?</div>
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Should I get those vacuum seal bags and just bag them up and put them in storage?! That way they aren't taking up space in my closet... but they will still be there? I also don't really put my clothes away when the seasons change... Do people do that? My sweaters and sweatshirts are usually in that linen closet year-round. Would it make more sense to put them away? But I still need sweatshirts in summer when it gets cool at night. Not to mention again I live in Iowa. One year it snowed on St. Patrick's Day... the year before it was 70 degrees out?! It's hard to know when you put your clothes away when the temperature can change so much from week to week!?</div>
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So I really think I should just have JDub find us a new huge house that has enough room for several dressers and nightstands and a ginormous walk-in closet. I mean we have 1 dresser (that we share)... and that vanity and closet. That's all the storage I get?!<br />
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Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-29348375089379008062014-11-21T11:18:00.001-06:002014-11-21T11:20:17.636-06:00Blogilates on YouTube is kicking my booty!Well folks... I have started working out again!! Whoo hooo!!! I came across this workout video on Pinterest and thought okay, Laura, you REALLY need to start working out again... let's try this video...<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q7L673i8OY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q7L673i8OY</a><br />
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The gal's name is Cassey Ho and she's super cute. After doing this one video I started looking up other POP Pilates workouts and noticed she had a blog... <a href="http://www.blogilates.com/">www.blogilates.com</a>. It is pretty awesome! She has a workout calendar for every day of the month!<br />
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This is something I need. I have issues figuring out what videos I'm going to do and when. I never know which videos to do together and how many.... So this is just fabulous for me. Another awesome thing is I have a Blu-Ray player that has its own YouTube channel! And I have an iPhone too! So here's what I do every day....<br />
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1. Turn on TV and Blu-Ray player<br />
2. Get the YouTube channel up and running<br />
3. Open the YouTube app on my iPhone and connect to YouTube TV<br />
4. I pull up my handy workout calender in my email (or you can print it off which is easier)<br />
5. I search for the videos on my iPhone and add them to my TV Queue<br />
6. Once I have the videos added I hit play from my phone and it automatically starts on my TV!<br />
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1-2.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MAWajcP38nQ/VG9tDvliC0I/AAAAAAAACDE/m-7RNY_y5JI/s1600/DSC05597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MAWajcP38nQ/VG9tDvliC0I/AAAAAAAACDE/m-7RNY_y5JI/s1600/DSC05597.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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3.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eDtKnULwG7c/VG9tIGrAYXI/AAAAAAAACDM/e1LOUYi9A1M/s1600/DSC05599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eDtKnULwG7c/VG9tIGrAYXI/AAAAAAAACDM/e1LOUYi9A1M/s1600/DSC05599.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">there will be ads in between the videos... my children have memorized the abreva one :)</td></tr>
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One thing I have noticed... If I try to pause or fast forward from my Blu-Ray remote it can cause my Blu-Ray player to "freeze" and not work so well... BUT if I choose to pause or forward on my iPhone it works just fine!<br />
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**Also if you do not have a smart phone, but do have a Blu-Ray with YouTube channel... you can search through your Blu-Ray player to do each video... it is ALOT more time consuming though... trying to "type" things in with a remote is soo annoying?! It is much easier to type on my phone.<br />
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I am a visual person so these videos work great for me. I'm not a big fan of just looking at the moves on a piece of paper with picture layouts. I like having the actual video in front of me to see how she moves. Cassey also has great tips when doing the moves like keeping your core tight and your shoulders down away from your ears... keeping your back pushed down to the floor etc... I tend to forget these things when I am working out "on my own" and I can really strain my neck if I'm not careful. She knows when to remind you to breathe and relax.<br />
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I started working out with the blogilates calendar before Halloween and have managed to work out at least 5 if not 7 days out of the week. Not too shabby right?! Cassey is a very positive gal. She has some funny videos and you can see how she's come a long way from just being a pilates instructor to having her own blog and style and quite cute workout videos. The hilarious thing is Ceej is always like "Let's go downstairs and do your workout, Mommy!" I think he might have a crush on Cassey :). It's either that or he just likes hearing her say "Butt" whenever I'm working on my butt! I can tell its doing something because I am sore ALOT. I can't tell necessarily if I look that much better... but I know I feel better! She also has "clean" eating habits and recipes... but eh I like to eat sugar and what not so I'm just doing the workouts. My genes are doing just fine for me right now keeping "thin" so I'll worry about eating clean when I get old right?! I like my coffee and wine and bacon....<br />
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-86566381966528411702014-11-01T08:45:00.001-06:002014-11-01T08:45:37.004-06:00A Star Wars HalloweenWell I didn't think I would be able to top last years' Halloween.....<br />
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But I sure had to try! Little Miss M was really making it hard though... She refused to put on the costume! You'd think I was trying to put her in a straight jacket. She finally pulled through (or JDub did anyway!) and she wore it on Halloween :)</div>
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Star Wars is kind of a big deal around our household... here's a small glimpse of the random toys I could find around the house... there are tons more..</div>
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Thankfully I found Ceej's costume on sale last year after Halloween. And most of Bubba's Darth Vader I already had from Star Wars day at the library a while back... JDub played along with a $2 vest my mom found at a consignment shop. I found most of mine at consignment as well. I did buy the white leggings from JCPenney b/c well they're cute and I'll wear them!</div>
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I'd say the most tricky part was trying to figure out how I was going to get the Princess Leia buns... I did just donate 10 inches of my hair so I opted for some yarn buns. I used the only yarn I had... a light brown and a few strands of orange. I wish I would have used a darker brown... but it was the only yarn I had at the time. I used my sock buns and they worked like a charm. Thank goodness for bobby pins and hair spray. All in all it was great Halloween. Oh and I did make Ceej's jet pack too! Out of Coke bottles, some foam and spray paint! Oh and don't forget the duct tape too.</div>
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Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!?</div>
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-84493627129995002692014-10-19T13:11:00.002-06:002014-10-19T13:11:26.816-06:00Poke a pumpkin gameSo I'm pretty proud of how my poke a pumpkin game turned out!!<br />
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I found the idea on Pinterest! I found orange paper cups from Target and glued them to the black foam board with my hot glue gun. The original pin used plastic cups and she mentioned you might have some melting going on... so I opted for the paper cups instead. Then I found some orange tissue paper and cut it up into little squares. I made sure they were a little larger than the cup opening and just put them over the prizes inside with rubber bands. then I had some extra brown fabric and glued it to the board for the stem! I had some cute Halloween stickers to jazz it up a bit. I found a free chalkboard font website to find the lettering as well. I printed the lettering out on regular paper and used a pencil to write over the letters and kind of indent the board, I used a white crayon (cause those rarely get used anyway right?!) to trace over the indentations.</div>
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This is for Ceej's preschool Halloween party coming up in a couple weeks. He already busted through one.... that kid has no patience! But it was an easy fix. I hope the kiddos like it!</div>
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On another note... I found this cute sweater dress at Goodwill over the weekend... of course JDub has no appreciation for my sense of style... but I thought it was cute!</div>
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Preparations for Halloween are coming along! I still have a bit of work to do... and if I can come across some white boots that aren't $50 that would save me some time... but oh well. I can make do with what I have. I just love dressing up! May the force be with you!</div>
Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-26778177122043517282014-08-06T10:45:00.000-06:002014-08-06T10:45:04.716-06:00FYI I have red hairSo my mom and I were discussing the other day how there are so many stupid people out there?! Ha I know... not exactly a revelation... but still... Almost every outing I take with my children in tow, almost daily; I get asked one little question. A question that makes me cringe. A question that makes me want to punch random strangers in the face.....<br />
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And that one question is....... <b>"Where does all that red hair come from?!"</b><br />
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Well guess what folks... <i><b>I</b></i> HAVE RED HAIR!! Yes I do! You can try to look at me strangely.... you can try to squint and say "no?!" But here's the deal folks. My hair is red. My children get their red hair FROM ME!! So please stop being idiots and asking where it comes from. You might just catch me in a bad mood and I might spout off. If you're lucky I'll be nice and smile and laugh (instead of rolling my eyes and giving you the evil eye).<br />
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I'll admit my hair is not fire-engine red. It was more red when I was younger. And when I am standing next to my children it looks <i>less</i> red. But it is still freaking red OK?! Strawberry-blonde if you will. But us red-heads stand together ok?! We embrace all the shades of "red" that are out there. And we don't hate. You non-red heads need to get it together.<br />
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My mother, who is from the south, gets asked (almost daily) "Where are you from?!" She has a southern accent, because well... she was born and raised in the south! She's lived in Iowa for over 20 years... and yet still gets asked that. Again stop being stupid. Maybe you should say "I just love your southern accent" and leave it at that.<br />
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So I'm just curious for all you readers out there... what's the number one stupid question that people just can't seem to stop asking you?!<br />
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ok... rant over... its been a while :)<br />
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Well my 30th birthday was pretty awesome. I'm not gonna lie... it started out a little rocky; what with Ceej waking up at midnight needing his water. Then again at 12:30 saying the "dust mites" were getting him. Then again at 1:00 with the same thing?! We went out to lunch at my FAVORITE pizza place in town... Zoey's! Which I would usually never do on a Friday (when JDub is working) but hey, I have some great friends that love Zoey's too so we all met there. Honestly, the lawn needed to be mowed to bad; but I refused?! I mean it was my bday after all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">(I actually made the card on the left for my aunt... but its cute right?!)</td></tr>
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JDub did a FABULOUS job of picking out my new bag and wallet. Super cute right?! I may have sent him a link with the exact purse I wanted... but hey he got it. And I have to give him props for the wallet.. he picked that one out all on his own?! AND I LOVE IT!! If you are looking for a cute new bag you should hit up <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PurseNalityofMarion" target="_blank">PurseNality of Marion</a>. You can even shop online if you can't make it into the store! A good friend of mine owns the place and its fabulous!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ice cream cake..... its what's for dinner!</td></tr>
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The boys had been going to a great VBS all week from 5:45-8:00 so while they were at that... JDub and I got a yummy ice cream cake from Coldstone (yikes that thing was $30?! but delicious) and that was my dinner! I couldn't even finish the whole thing... We stopped at a Redbox and grabbed a couple movies and that was it! A pretty great day if I do say so myself.<br />
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You know you're getting old when you ask for a new mop for your birthday.... It's not just <i>any </i>mop.. but a Norwex mop. So far its pretty awesome too. The dry mop is alot like a Swiffer; but you don't have to throw away all the "pads" you just brush it off and wash it and re-use it!? You don't even have to wash it after ever use! With my wood floors I think its going to be great.<br />
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I feel pretty good about accomplishing my goal of being 30 and no more babies! (Unless God had some other plans.... I'm just saying my planning for that is all done!) At 30 I am perfectly content staying at home, watching Netflix at night, and having playdates for the kiddos! Most would probably think I'm lame; but I'm okay with that.<br />
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Thanks for all the bday wishes! I am blessed!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-30584598914990058492014-04-22T15:16:00.000-06:002014-04-22T15:16:23.656-06:00Another Dinosaur Birthday Party!Ceej is four?! Here are a few pics from his recent Dinosaur party....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino Pinata... full of lego sets!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lawn Twister... all though it was a large scale for the kiddos...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino excavating... of course one dino did lose a limb..... </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birthday boy "whacking the pinata" as he called it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 3-D dino cake!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor thing didn't make it all day... the weather was so beautiful it melted his head right off!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dino" egg hunt (it was Easter afterall)</td></tr>
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We could not have asked for more beautiful weather!! While the adults were hiding the eggs I made sure to go through my resurrection eggs and focus on Jesus for a bit. I mean it was Easter... Ceej didn't need the whole spotlight. </div>
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We did lots of fun things... like Dino excavating. I bought some cheap, small dinos and froze them in little cups. Then I let the kids hack away at them with some little wooden axes. Ceej is big on destroying things! I knew he'd love that... Then I made the giant pinata! I filled it with a few Lego sets and kept them in the bags thinking that would help us not lose any pieces... but we did anyway... oh well! the adults had to finally step in b/c that thing was indestructible! I had the dino cut out of cardboard from making the pinata and thought it would be cute to do lawn twister... but with dino shapes! Well the idea was good... but the scale was way to large for the kiddos to participate.... now I know! And we had a "dino" egg hunt as well. All in all I think all the kiddos had a good time. I was sad my dino cake lost his head about halfway through the party... but eh... he tasted good!</div>
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Happy 4th birthday Ceej.... you sure are one of a kind!</div>
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Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-54412096746164444142014-04-07T09:47:00.001-06:002014-04-07T09:47:14.884-06:00Look Whoos One!Oh my... my little girl is 1 now!? I know I know... everyone says it... but it's soo true! Time passes by so quickly. I can hardly believe she is 1! I kept it pretty low key this birthday. I made a few things though!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found this bead pattern on Pinterest! Owl key-chains for the kiddos.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">having extra cardboard on hand was great!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used crepe paper streamers to create this.</td></tr>
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I bought the cute scrap paper from Michael's and created the banner. If you look closely you can see on the "L" I tried using Elmer's glue... BAD IDEA! It made it all wrinkly... so I switched to a glue stick for the rest of the letters. In hindsight, I probably should have gone with black letters... but it worked out ok. I was able to cut 3 large triangles from each 12x12 piece o paper.<br />
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I made some cute owls and took a bunch of white tinsel and strung it up for the background! Buying all of that tinsel after Christmas was a steal.<br />
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Miss M really enjoyed her cake! :) I think it was the butter-cream frosting that she enjoyed the most. She was surprising cleaner than the boys after their first cake encounters.... I didn't even have to change her outfit after she ate it!?<br />
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I'm working on preparations for the next bday celebration! Ceej wants dinosaurs... so since I've already had one dino bday... it shouldn't be too hard to do another right?!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-86563376313845435872014-03-25T08:55:00.000-06:002014-03-25T08:55:08.295-06:00Spring break 2014 Kansas City, MO Legoland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well we survived our first road trip as a family this past week! Since Bubba was on spring break we decided to make a little trip to Kansas City, MO for Legoland!! That was the main attraction... we also hit up Sea Life (which is right next door to Legoland) and the Kansas City Zoo.</div>
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Here are some details I wish I would have known before going!</div>
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<b>LEGOLAND</b></div>
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All these pictures are from the "mini-city" inside Legoland. This was a big attraction for my boys ages 5 and 4 at the time. They had several displays to look at. Wizard of Oz was Bubba's favorite! Not only did they have these displays to look at but most of them were interactive. You could push buttons throughout to activate something! They had cars racing around a racetrack. Music played at a concert (complete with disco lights). A crane that you could operate, and even a boat "floating" in a little river! Bubba's favorite was making Dorothy's house lift up and away in the tornado...</div>
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Ceej really enjoyed racing the cars and making the witch melt! When you pushed a button she screamed and said "I'm melting, I'm melting!" and dissolved into a puddle. LOL</div>
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<b>RIDES</b></div>
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Along with Mini-land they had a couple rides. The first one was my favorite! You were riding along in a little car of sorts with guns ready to shoot bad things that came your way.... like rats, and bats... and they had large screens with animated bad guys to shoot as well. The guns had little laser pointers so you could see where you were shooting. They took your picture on the ride and you even got to see your score at the end. Keep in mind that if you have small children (like Miss M who is not yet 1 year old) you will NOT be able to have her ride on your lap. The kids must be able to sit up on there own w/o a seatbelt. JDub missed out on the ride, having to stay with Miss M. </div>
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The other ride was Merlin's something or other... Children must be 3 feet in order to ride accompanied by an adult. Otherwise if your child is 4 feet or taller they can ride by themselves. So once again JDub missed out b/c he had to stay with the baby. We probably could have taken turns... but the lines were quite long when we were leaving!</div>
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<b>BUY TICKETS ONLINE</b></div>
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I am soooo glad I pre-ordered tickets online. We did a packaged deal with Sea Life and Legoland together for our family of 5. Since we had ordered our tickets online we were able to go to a separate ticket line when they opened up at 10:00 am. Keep in mind we were going on a Wednesday... you would think it wouldn't have been that busy... but it was during spring break... After waiting roughly 45 minutes in line we were finally able to get inside... while the other "general admission" people were still waiting in line. </div>
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Go early! Legoland was so awesome the first hour we were there. It wasn't crowded... we had the place to ourselves pretty much... then the crowds came?! It was shoulder to shoulder in there. They didn't check my bags for anything... and I did have a couple snacks.. but man I wish I would have brought a lunch in there! I was not impressed with the food available (and it was expensive of course). Once you enter Legoland... if you leave you CAN'T go back in!? </div>
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They also had a tube and Playstation like area. The boys were only able to go in there once. They really wanted to go again but it was so crowded and the line was very long. </div>
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Legoland had a 4D movie playing every 15 minutes. It was kind of a nice quiet break. Bubba ended up going in once with me and once with JDub. There was a classroom area where a man (boy really... he looked young!) was teaching the kids some techniques and you were able to build a little building (and buy it for $5). Bubba really enjoyed that... Ceej and I were waiting in line for a ride at that time. I don't think he would have liked that very much though. Those boys are so different!</div>
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Legoland also had a cupcake station/kitchen if you will. Ceej really enjoyed that area... and he was sharing it with most of the girls there. They also had a "stage" area with kareoke and a microphone inside with the cupcakes.</div>
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<b>Sea Life</b></div>
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Then we headed to our car for more snacks... then onto Sea Life! That place was pretty dead. But we liked that! Bubba's favorite part was the trivia questions. They had a scratch ticket with 10 different questions. You had to get a coin and scratch off the right answer. If it had a check-mark you were right! Then at the end you turned your ticket in to get a medal for getting all the trivia right. All the answers were written on the walls around the building. Bubba loved reading the questions and finding the answers. And of course getting money to scratch the right answer!</div>
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They had some pretty cool aquariums in there... a nice tunnel to go under and see sharks floating above your head... They didn't have flash photography so I didn't bring my nice camera in. I could have turned the flash off but we decided to fore-go the stroller so I was carrying a baby the entire time!</div>
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They also had a smaller tube/ playstation area. There's was less busy and no one was manning the gate so you could go in and out if you wanted. The boys loved playing on that and it was alot easier to see them than the LegoLand one. The gift shops were in the same area connected with a line down the middle. The thing about Sea Life if you could come and go as you please... </div>
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Overall I'd say buying the joint ticket was a good idea... we definitely spent more time in LegoLand than Sea Life... but it was a nice quiet time after the chaos of LegoLand!</div>
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I would recommend LegoLand for smaller children... there were a few older kids... like ages 10 and up... but I'd say its better for ages 8 on down :) I could see the older ones being annoyed with all the little kids around.</div>
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<b>Kansas City Zoo</b></div>
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I was not very impressed with the Zoo... I was however impressed with the 70 degree weather we had that day! We were going to go to Union Station... but with the weather being so great (and seeing how when we got back to Iowa it was snowing.....) we wanted to be outside!</div>
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All the water fountains were still closed from winter.... therefor there was NO WHERE to get a drink. Pretty pitiful. I think they had one concession stand... maybe two... open for the day. And seeing as how there were so many people (everyone else had the same idea as me.... wanting to be outside on a gorgeous day) the lines were insane. Thankfully I had brought in the boys water bottles (with filters) so we filled them up in the bathrooms along the way. Even the vending machines were all sold out! I found a Diet Dr. Pepper in one... otherwise they were all out. And any other "stands" to buy food were not being manned by anyone. That zoo is huge...and we didn't see anyone working... I think we ran into a group of 5 employees just standing there.. and one other random worker... otherwise we didn't see any staff the entire time. </div>
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I know it was the beginning of spring... but really they could have made alot more money that day if they would have had some other concessions open. Everyone was constantly stopping at a vending machine and then getting disappointed when they saw the "sold out" scroll across. </div>
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<b>Residence Inn</b></div>
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We ended up staying in Independence, MO, outside of Kansas City in terms of the hotel. The boys absolutely loved the pool! And we pretty much had it to ourselves which was nice. The staff was very nice and friendly. Even when I made 2 huge messes... they were nice enough to clean them up and not get mad at me! I spilled cheerios everywhere.... and then my coffee one morning... I couldn't even blame it on the kids!</div>
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They had complimentary breakfast, and they even had dinner there Tues-Thurs nights! That was a nice little bonus :). We ended up checking out late (with no problems) on Friday just so the boys could swim again.</div>
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All in all we had a fabulous spring break.... I'm so glad we chose Missouri over Chicago Legoland..... it was much warmer!!</div>
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Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-34029942150005685172014-02-21T11:08:00.002-06:002014-02-21T11:08:23.378-06:00crochet vs knittingWell honestly... I haven't taken any professional classes... I just happened to stumble across some you tube videos and tutorials online... but after having some MAJOR issues trying to knit... I think I like crocheting<br />
better?!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here is something i knitted... started out being a head band.. <br />then i tried to morph it into a coffee cup sleeve... it just didn't work out.</td></tr>
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And here's the kicker... I bet crocheting all of these things took about the same amount of time as me trying to knit that tiny strip?! Now I did the whole arm-knitting thing and I finished that scarf in 40 minutes... but I dunno... I 'm just not very good with the 2 needles thing.<br />
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If you are wanting to try and learn how to crochet... check out this awesome lady's website! <a href="http://www.craftyminx.com/2011/11/crochet-school-.html">http://www.craftyminx.com/2011/11/crochet-school-.html</a><br />
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I'm working on a pot-holder (crocheting) right now... its looking pretty sweet! The heart from above was actually a pattern I found online! I am still working on the whole deciphering the crochet patterns though... It is like a foreign language to me.<br />
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Otherwise there's not much new on the home front... same ol same ol'. I sure am getting tired of this snow; Wish it would hurry up and melt. My boys are getting antsy around here :) Oh and JDub just had a birthday. Check out his Green Bay Packers cake!<br />
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-34663616871817844852014-01-14T10:33:00.000-06:002014-01-14T10:33:08.413-06:00All about Ceej 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh Ceej.... my 2nd born... fire-y red head! You are the feistiest one of the bunch. You have such a fun personality. You are always making friends everywhere we go?! Of all ages as well... girls, boys... teenagers... grandmas... they all love you. You are a cutie so that doesn't surprise me.<br />
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I'm wondering how you are going to do once your brother isn't around all the time next year. You two have so much fun playing each morning. I'm sure you and Miss M will have fun when your brother is away though. You are my best eater! You will try anything w/o hesitation, and you even love salad :) You are the best greeter when we return home! You are always running to the door when you hear it open yelling "DADDY! YOU'RE HOME!!!" and giving great hugs and even kisses sometimes.<br />
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Out of the blue you will come up and say "I love you Mommy" and hug me. It is so sweet. You are still such a loving brother. If Miss M is upset you will sing her songs or be silly and try to make her laugh. She loves you so much! And you feel great sympathy when we hurt ourselves... you'll be like "Mommy I'm sorry you hurt your lip are you ok?"<br />
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For some reason I have much more patience with you than your older brother (some think its b/c Bubba and I are so much alike). Even though you can be a stubborn little thing at times... refusing to go potty before we leave the house, or wear your coat... in general I can make you see why you need to listen to us w/o coming unglued.<br />
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You fall asleep in the weirdest places... at the craziest times... you almost always fall asleep in the car when picking Bubba up from school. I could put together a 15 minute slide-show of pictures of you passed out in various places :)<br />
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You LOVE taking baths. It is probably your favorite thing to do (besides playing Lego Star Wars). Even when the water turns cold you are still playing in there, not wanting to get out. Speaking of Lego Star Wars.... you are VERY good at it?! Especially at being R2-D2 and flying around. I'm impressed!<br />
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You really like girl toys (and I'm ok with that). You stole your (girl) cousin's princess slippers b/c they fit you better than her at the time. You enjoy "taking care of the babies" and are easily fascinated looking at pretty princesses. You really enjoyed the Tinkerbell movie too!<br />
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You are a sweet heart and I am proud of the little man you are becoming. You are pretty self-sufficient; you get dressed, brush you teeth, go potty, get a snack, all by yourself most of the time! And when you do need help you are usually good about asking nicely after trying first :)<br />
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You are a cutie and I can't believe you are going to be 4 in a few months?! I love you!Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-79304749795441943052014-01-02T10:47:00.001-06:002014-01-02T10:47:46.779-06:00Merry Christmas and Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well the holidays came and went this year! It was quite a blur...<br />
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We had holiday parties..... fun food... ugly sweaters... family gatherings... quite the abundance of blessings around here! All I really wanted for Christmas was a Silent Night... and that didn't happen. But I'm ok with that too. I got a funny Christmas card that said "We traded in our Silent Nights for a bundle of Joy..." and that seems pretty appropriate around here as well.<br />
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Miss M has finally gotten a tooth! After months and months of gnawing on anything and everything it broke through the other day. Little stinker was screaming like a banshee again... so I'm sure we'll be having lots of fun when the other teeth come in. She really is cute though... so that helps :)<br />
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We had an ugly Christmas sweater party for our small group! And guess who won a prize..... oh yea baby... ME!<br />
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A special thanks to my mother who held on to that "gem" since the 80's. The judge was a nice neighbor of the hosts of the party... he appreciated a vintage ugly sweater :). I made JDub's sweater... I don't think he appreciated it that much... but he was a good sport!</div>
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I decided to make a few Christmas presents this year... something that is really in and fairly easy to do. I thought the first one was going to kill me!!! But then I finally figured it out and made a few more pretty easily. The infinity scarf! They are all the rage right?!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7VEEYWDB9U/UsWT0cqs63I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/zt77wRLu6Kk/s1600/DSC04443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7VEEYWDB9U/UsWT0cqs63I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/zt77wRLu6Kk/s640/DSC04443.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is 1/2 gray sweatshirt material and 1/2 material from my <a href="http://redhottmamma.blogspot.com/2011/07/bridesmaid-dress-re-make.html" target="_blank">bridesmaid dress</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is mostly gray sweatshirt material and a little dash of purple t-shirt added for some color!</td></tr>
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JDub's aunt is very crafty and over Christmas she decided to teach us how to arm-knit! It's pretty easy... I'm kind of thinking of getting some knitting needles and trying that out now!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hxppUACILIQ/UsWVrCi0GoI/AAAAAAAAB1s/nTquG13VcXY/s1600/arm+knit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hxppUACILIQ/UsWVrCi0GoI/AAAAAAAAB1s/nTquG13VcXY/s640/arm+knit.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this was me in the process.... but I totally messed it up the 1st time and had to undo the whole thing and start from scratch!</td></tr>
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<br />And here's the final product. Not too shabby... second time around went MUCH MUCH better :) It took me about 40 minutes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Overall I've had a great holiday. JDub's been on vacation since Christmas (goes back to work tomorrow) so that's been nice. Back to the "Real World" tomorrow though...... had to do it sometime right?! Any who, I hope you all are having a fabulous 2014. I myself need to get a new calendar b/c I can't remember what day it is!? Love to all.</div>
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On another note... I am still working on living for God and not others... It's a hard thing to do... but I can slowly see myself making progress in the right direction. I know I'm not going to change overnight... but some days are better than others. Keep me in your prayers if you think of it! And if you ever want to arm knit I'd love to join you!?</div>
Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-58444120324541541672013-12-05T13:45:00.000-06:002013-12-05T13:45:04.262-06:00Thank you, GodYa know when you go to your drawer and there are clean clothes. You know how you left your room a mess but now its clean?! You had toys all over the place, your sheets were hanging off your bed, your dirty clothes were laying on the floor... Ya know that meal you just ate. It didn't just appear on a clean plate from no where. That backpack you just brought to school with you. Did it pack itself? Did your water bottle and snow pants jump in there? No.....<br />
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What about those times you go to your drawer and you have no clean underwear... You are hungry and there is no snack prepared on the table. You want yogurt but there isn't any left in the fridge. You get to school only to find out you have no library book to return to the library....<br />
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Are you grateful? Are you mad? Are you disappointed?<br />
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I try ya know... I try to keep up with everything. The laundry, playing, cleaning, shopping, bathing... I try to remember when things are due, what's coming up on the calendar. Really I do. Do I get praise and applause when I actually do remember all of these things? No... not usually.... Do I get attitude and disappointment when I forget.... Yes... most of the time. I try, but I am human, I make mistakes, I sin....<br />
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Then there's God. Who is ALWAYS there for me. When I am feeling under-appreciated I try to remember God sees me. And he cares about the (good) things I am doing... And of course its God who is giving me the ability to do all of these things... Thank you, God! So here's living my life for God.... not for people telling me what a good (or bad) job I am doing... not for the almost non-existent praise I receive for a job well done... not for the condescending tones I receive when I mess up. But for God who loves me no matter what, who is proud of me even when I fall, and who thinks I am truly special.<br />
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1 Peter 4<br />
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7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all love each other deeply, because love covers cover a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another <i><b>without grumbling</b></i>. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.<br />
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<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-56814888720563057002013-11-08T10:24:00.001-06:002013-11-08T10:24:41.495-06:00All about Bubba November 2013Oh Bubba... my 5 year old, first-born son. You are something else! You are a joy and a headache every day.... You showed up a month early..... You could sing your ABC's at 18 months... you were potty-trained by your 2nd birthday! You are reading at the age of 5 right now?! I am so proud of the little man you are becoming.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba dressed up for Star Wars day at the local library!</td></tr>
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You love all things Star Wars.... You sing the theme song when you are eating... when you are going to the bathroom... in the car... and at night when you are going to bed. You know more about the characters than I can ever remember.<br />
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You know how to turn the TV on and how to start the Xbox to play video games.... you can even make your own oatmeal in the morning... (which is much appreciated!!)<br />
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You love your siblings... most of the time anyway! Miss M just loves when you talk to her and smile at her. You and Ceej are best buddies (and worst enemies..). You are always playing together and laughing (and hitting and crying).<br />
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You are allergic to Mango :( (and dust mites and ragweed) We still aren't sure what we are going to do about that one..... We are trying several things right now.... bed and pillow covers, keeping Mango out of your room, changing sheets more often, and zyrtec. So far you are still up coughing most of the night.....<br />
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You are constantly asking questions and soaking in new knowledge every day.... which is a blessing and an annoyance! You can remember so many things.... so you obviously inherited that from your mommy...and NOT your daddy (he can't even remember what he did yesterday).<br />
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I am looking forward to the parent-teacher conference at school coming up in a couple weeks! I can't wait to hear what your teacher has to say about you :) I have a feeling you will receive high remarks when it comes to academics... and maybe some room for improvement when it comes to following directions and doing things in a timely manner....Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176577890472059350.post-41911957752789404262013-11-05T22:04:00.001-06:002013-11-08T09:44:24.197-06:00It was a Super Halloween 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to admit this Halloween was pretty much epic.... I mean how freaking cute are we?! Just in case you need clarification..... that's Wario, Princess Peach, a toadstool, Mario and Luigi baby!!! JDub was such a good sport about it all. I made Miss M's outfit all by hand!! Then there was my outfit... at first it looked like this....</div>
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Let's just say as an almost 30-something mom of three.... I wasn't looking to be hoochie-mama... so little mini-dress wasn't going to do! I needed to add some poofy sleeves as well... </div>
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Thank goodness for a friend who is a sewing genius!!! She helped me made sleeves out of some extra lace I had... I just attached them to a tank top and wore that underneath the sleeveless dress after I added some extra length of course....</div>
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It was super fun dressing up... I'm leaning towards and all Star-wars themed family affair next Halloween...</div>
<br />Red Hott Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517455161767375264noreply@blogger.com1