{wordless wednesday} field trip fun

Last week I had the pleasure of attending two of my kid's field trips.  I love being a stay-at-home mama for many reasons, the ability to attend events like this is one of them!  It's worth all the penny pinching to have these opportunities with my peas.

Jacob took his final field trip as a preschooler to Tucson Village Farm.  This is an urban farm that hosts field trips for kids to teach them the importance of whole foods and the value of farming.  The kids got to milk a fake cow, learn about grinding wheat, learn about how worms are an important part of agriculture and plant a sunflower seed! Hannah tagged along and acted like a true preschooler.

Here are a few highlights from our trip

 

Later in the week, I was able to attend Abby's trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  For all my out of state friends, this is sort of like an outdoor zoo featuring all desert animals in their natural habitats.  It is such a great place to go and if it were closer to me, we'd go much more often!

 

I was in charge of four little 1st grade peas, with obviously felt very natural to me. :)

 

Here are some pictures of what we did

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Things I miss

This Tuesday, I decided to write about some things I miss...and not to bring everyone down this fine day, not all are sad ;)

Oh wait, it's not Tuesday?!?  Okay, just disreguard the "Tuesday" part.

Things I miss:

1. My mom: Obviously. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her.  She was such a HUGE part of my life and it's still an adjustment going day-to-day without here, even a year later...but I'm figuring it out.

2. My brother-in-law: Losing him very suddenly this March was tough on everyone, especially my husband.  Also losing two family members in two years has started to make Abby think about death and being sick more, which I don't like.  You want to shelter your kids from this very adult topic, and it's impossible to after you lose two close people.  I've been busy assuring her that "being sick" does not equate itself to "dying".

3. My metabolism: I sure do miss her...she was great.  Allowing me to eat whever I wanted, whenever I wanted any always looking slim and trim.  Now I eat dinner and gain a pound and have to run for a week straight to lose that one pound.  Why did you have to leave me??

4. My Peaches-in-cream barbie: She was beautiful and I loved her.  Her peach sparkly dress and 80's hair...she could do no wrong.

Love her.  All glamour with a side of sass. Gorg

 

5. My bestie Ali: She lives in California and I don't get to see her too often now a days.  We met 100 years ago in college when I came to AZ and we both worked at starbucks.  After she forgave me for working on crutches after falling off of a stage while drunk, we became fast friends.  She has the cutest little boy too.  I am looking forward to it being summer so we can see eachother! (oh and BTW, she too had the peaches-in-cream barbie!  Friends forever!)

We just took this picture yesterday.....ok, I'm obviously lying, I'll never be that skinny again :(

 

 

6. My family: All my family is in Boston and I miss them dearly!  My brother, sister, sis-in-law and two neices and two nephews are the best...love them all to pieces!  Hopefully someday, fate will allow us to move closer, or for one of us to win the lotto so we can at least visit!

This was Nov. 2011, the last time all the cousins were together.

 

 

7. My state: need I say more??  Everyone that knows me from AZ knows how I feel about this state, so I don't think I need to share any details.  I'm a yankee till I die!

 

8. My three high school besties: Kate, Melissa and Tara.  All are happily married now to three amazing guys, Kate has one baby and one on the way, Melissa is preggo with her first and Tara and her man just bought their first house!!  I pray, again, that I am able to come home soon and meet these two new-to-be-born baby beans and see Tara's new home, which I am sure is nothing short of gorgeous.  Has it REALLY been 14 years since we were driving around all night aimlessly and jumping off the bridge singing "Free Falling"?  How can that be?? We are old.

This from Senior year...aren't we all so cute?  from left to right: me, Kate, Kim, Melissa and Tara.  I still have that shirt and occasionally wear it to bed, don't judge me.

 

9. My patience.  I seem to used to have more patience with my first born...I don't know where it went.

 

10. Date nights:  It seems like for the past few months Mr. Pea and I haven't been able to go out at all.  I miss grown up time, I miss being social outside the house, I miss ordering drinks off the adult menu.  Come back, date night!

 

 



Mommy Confessions: Why I am a terrible mom {link up}

This is my first time linking up with two amazing bloggers Heather and Megan!

This weekly link up allows moms to make a confession...and I have one!!

 

Sometimes I can be a terrible mom...not all of the time, just occasionally.

 

Ok, ready?  Don't judge me!!

 

I am the WORST mother with sick kids!  Now, not the worst like I don't take care of them, or love them, or make them soup or ice cream; obviously I do all of that, BUT my kids just aggravate the CRAP out of me when they are sick!  I have zero patience. I know!  Terrible, right?  It's not even their fault!  It's just SO annoying when they are SO needy!  My oldest is the worst.  When she is sick, it's like a man-cold times ten.  Everything hurts and she can't so anything.  And don't even THINK about mentioning throw up.  If anyone even breathes the words near her she automatically thinks she is going to, which sends her off into a melt down.  It's crazy.  Maybe it's because I'm the opposite of needy so when everyone is around me it really gets on my nerves.  Also, with three kids close in age, when one gets sick they ALL get sick, and not usually all at once, but back-to-back-to-back.  So it's like a month or more of sickness.  All the snot, all the laying, all the tissues, sanitizer, Lysol, disinfecting wipes, Vick's, multiple medicines and the repeats of Mickey, Curious George, Thomas the Train and Spider man...it's starts to make a mama go batty after awhile.  Of course I hate to see my kids run down, tired and feeling yucky.  Especially when they are VERY sick, which thankfully is few and far between.  But I am sorry other moms on Facebook:  the last thing I want to do is lay around all day with my sick kids.  I'm really not the laying around type.  I am not "enjoying" those "special moment" with my "special guy".  Maybe when I had ONE kid, we would lay around together, but now I have THREE, which may as well be ten.

 

Do you think I am a terrible mom now?  I feel better getting that confession off my chest.  If you know me at all, you already know that I really don't care about your answer anyways ;)

 

I sure do love my peas and would throw myself in front of a bus for them...but that still doesn't mean they don't aggravate me every now and again.  That's ok, isn't it?

 

Thank heavens for wine!

 

What's your mommy confession??  Come on and share and make me feel like less of a dirt bag!

 

Just because now I feel guilty, I'll share a cute picture to make me feel better :)

 

See?  I don't look like a terrible mom!  They still love me.

 

 

 

 

Easy ways not to be a jerk this Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Today is a day to remember how important it is to take care of our planet since, according to most recent history, there are no other planets suitable for life.

I consider myself to be a "semi-green" mama.  I breastfed, made all my own baby food, use natural cleaners.  I buy lots of organic foods and like to shop at the farmer's market.  I say "semi" because there are things I do that may not be considered the most "green".  I used disposable diapers, I use paper towels and don't compost (but I'd like to!).  To me, I think it's all about balance.  If everyone was "semi-green" then the world would be in much better shape.  It's all about being conscious and doing our share.

 

Have you ever seen Wall-e??  Well, if you haven't you should!  It's one of the few movies that my kids LOVE, and I mean LOVE, that I don't mind watching over and over.  The premise of the movie is that the people of Earth trashed the planet so much that it became unsuitable for life so they had to build large space ships so the people could leave the planet while it would be cleaned up by little robots called Wall-e's.  700 years later, now everyone is fat and lazy on the ship and eats all their food via straws.  All plant life has been eradicated on Earth, but they still send robots, called EVE's to search for life.  The plot thickens when EVE and Wall-e meet and Wall-e has found a plant!  I won't give away the ending, just in case you want to be surprised. The moral of the story is: too much trash = a crappy Earth. Simple, right?

 

 

What about The Lorax?  Amazing book and movie.  Another simple "duh" lesson: take care of the Earth.  One of the best quotes ever comes from The Lorax:

 

 

LOVE!

 

 

Think it's too much of a "hassle" to recycle?  Is it a "pain" to always remember your reusable bags at the store??  Well I have some advice for you: STOP BEING A JERK!  It's our job to take care of our planet and leave it in better shape for our kiddies. 

 

 

In case you don't know where to begin, I'll share some simple ideas for you.  Let's try to set a good example for our kids, okay???

 

- REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE! Don't forget to put those blue barrels out every week.  Is it REALLY that much harder to put sh*t in one barrel vs. the other?  Don't be a jerk!!! Recycle your sh*t!

 

- Use reusable bags at the store.  Not only are they cuter but lots of stores will give you a discount.  If you forget your bags in the car, which I have done a number of times, then use paper NOT plastic.  Paper biodegrades better and you can cut it up and have your kids draw on it (that's called REUSING)

 

- Speaking of reusing...reuse plastic bread bags to pick up dog poop, use both sides of the paper,  and reuse the glass food jars you are going to throw away for crafts or to store food in the fridge or freezer. Simple!

 

- Buy nice water bottles for everyone in the fam and use filtered water, not plastic water bottles.

 

- Wash your clothes on cold...works just as well, saves you money and saves the earth the electricity to heat the water.

 

- Try and use natural cleaners and soaps when you can, they are better for the earth and for you!

 

- Have your kids rewear their pj's and bathroom towels 2-3 times: less laundry, less water and less soap.

 

- Save money, gas and spare the Earth some pollution by consolidating your trips out and get as many errands done when you can.

 

- Teach your kids to turn off the water when they are brushing their teeth.

 

- Tear up old baby blankets and towels and use them for rags for cleaning.  This also helps save money because you'll use less paper towels.

 

- Turn off lights when you aren't in the room and replace those lame out-dated light bulbs with those fancy curly ones.

 

- Read or watch The Lorax and Wall-e with your kids and fill them the knowledge of just how important it is to take care of our planet. We don't want to live on a space ship and drink from a straw or have to buy our air. So make sure you aren't being a jerk or raising your kids to be jerks: reduce, reuse and recycle!

 

Happy Earth Day!!



Sunday Social #3 {link up}

  Is it Sunday already??    Ever since I've stopped working, "weekends" are really no different to me than "week days" especially with having a hubby that works every weekend, but with the kids hectic schedules with school and sports I've started looking forward to the weekend again since they are a bit more mellow.   Since it's Sunday, that means it's time for the Sunday Social link up!   Here are this weeks questions:   What is your shopping weakness?
Ahhhh...this is a difficult question.  I'm going to assume that it's safe to say that if I answer this question about what I want and not my kids, I won't be shunned, right??  Yes?  Ok, good.  Well then for me, lately it's been necklaces :)  If I had a million dollars I'd certainly want a new wardrobe and a fancy purse to match each.  I love new bags, and in my non-kid days, I used to buy a new Kate Spade or Coach bag at least twice a year, but now I have to think smaller.....and cheaper.  Necklaces have been my new obsession.  They dress up casual outfits...even black yoga pants!!! I have been loving getting bubble necklaces from Urban Peach Boutique,  I have about 5 now in different colors.  Here's a few styles that I love:

 





Gorgeous!!!

What is your food weakness?
Mashed potatoes...hands down.  Even better with gravy...yummers.

What is your go to movie to watch when nothing is on?
Well I live in the modern age and have a DVR sooooo rarely I have nothing to watch, BUT my favorite movie to watch over and over again is She's Having a Baby with Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern.  Love!

What is your go to breakfast food?
Normally I eat an english muffin with peanut butter...quick, easy, healthy and quick...did I say quick?

Do you drink coffee? If so how do you take it?
I'm not a super fan of coffee...more of a tea gal.  My favorite tea is Chai, hot and iced.  Every morning I have a cup of english breakfast tea, skim milk and two sugars. :)

I hope everyone has an amazing Sunday!!

Said no mother ever....

We've all seen this type of e-card...the ones that end on "said no one ever...".  I can be easily amused so these crack me up.  Most e-cards do.  In fact, if you check me out on Pinterest my ha ha funny! board is chock full of these!

See?  Funny.

As a mom, there are about a million of these I could write....

"Sure!  I LOVE cleaning all that pee around the potty every day!" said no mother ever.

"The best part of my day is when my kids are suppose to be tucked in bed and sleeping, but instead I am repeatedly telling you to get back in bed." said no mother ever.

"Waking up before the sun rises is the best.  ESPECIALLY when it's on a weekend!" said no mother ever.

"I just can't wait to sweep after every.single.meal because a meal isn't complete until I've had to spend 30 minutes cleaning up after it" said no mother ever.

"I love talking to myself.  Please, continue to ignore me." said no mother ever.

"Yea, I totally want to wipe your bum after you've pooped.  It's the best." said no mother ever.

"Please spill that juice on the carpet I just cleaned.  It looks better stained." said no mother ever.

"Don't forget to squeeze half the toothpaste on the counter while you are brushing your teeth!" said no mother ever.

"Would you stop being so quiet?" said no mother ever.

"Why aren't you fighting with your siblings?" said no mother ever.

"Yea I wasn't watching that show, I'd much rather watch Mickey Mouse." said no mother ever.

"I love having no social life." said no mother ever.

Yes, continue to leave a giant mess in every room because I live to clean." said no mother ever.

"No, no, no...you don't have to eat that meal I prepared and cooked for over an hour.  Why would I care?" said no mother ever.

I could go on and on...I should write a book; but that would allow me to focus on me, and why would I want that? said no mother ever...

Happies and Crappies #7 {link up}

This is not the best week for happies....it's difficult to find the silver lining amid such sadness and tragedy but if there is one thing that we can take away from these events is that we certainly live in the greatest of all nations and that we WILL stay strong and we WILL overcome.   Happies:  

    - Being MA born and bred, the Marathon Bombing weighs on my soul.  I just hate not being home, not being able to comfort my sister who was two blocks away when the bombs went off, not being about to sit with my sister-in-law who worries about her husband and my brother who is a local police officer.  Why then is this a "happies"??  It's a happy because we have an amazingly strong family and no distance not events can tear us apart.  Our mother raised us well.     - Being glued to CNN and Twitter this morning, I am reminded that we are SO lucky that these events are truly "shocking" because there are so many countries and places in the world that manhunts, bombings, shoot-outs and chaos are daily events.  I am grateful to be an American and a Bostonian and even more grateful that my children are being raised just as strongly in this country.   - Since Monday this Mr. Rodgers' quote has been seen a lot:  

  It is imperative to look for the good in these situations and Mr. Rodgers' mama hit the nail on the head.  Runners giving blood after running 26.2 miles, random people tearing down guardrails to get to the injured, police and military working tirelessly to figure out who did this and catch these SOB's, and the brave firefighters in Texas, sacrificing it all to save those plant workers.  We need to focus on THESE people and not those loons.  People want "answers" but no answer will ever be good enough. We are a good people, with strong hearts and we need to remember just what it means to be an American.   - I was lucky enough to go on two field trips this week with two of my peas.  I am so grateful for the ability to be home to share these moments with them...seeing how there are so many mama's that don't.   Crappies:   - Need I be specific here??  3 lives lost in the bombing, one officer dead, 150+ injured, 12 dead in Texas.  It's been the worst week...my heart is heavy.   Stay strong Boston.  Stay strong Texas.   America: be kind to one another.  Give blood, donate money if you can.  Hug your family, friend and kiddies.  We will make it though this and will be even stronger on the other side.   How do I know this??  We are American, for Pete's Sake!!!  Greatest country on Earth.