karate master

I might have a 5 year old son, but make no mistake of his size.. he will bring you down, literally!! Love him:)
We couldn't ask for a better place for Isaiah to learn karate (Bobby Lawrence Karate in Centerville). We are so impressed with the group of teachers. They know how to teach little youngens and do it well. They entertain all of us and we keep coming back for more! Isaiah is improving in so many different things, including learning to focus and having respect..and of course BREAKING BOARDS. :)

Makeup vs Natural

Sometimes I put on makeup and wonder if it's worth the trouble. I don't know about any of you, but sometimes I feel like I take time and apply it just to turn around and remove it. A little now known guilty secret is... It's one of the first things I do when I get home from my eventful days (along with finding my very old huge sweats)! I wish I could say that when Jake gets home from work, I'm in my short skirt, hooker heels, my hair did, face on, and in an apron cooking dinner. I wish I could be one of those women:) Poor Jake!
So yesterday when I was removing my eye make up, I looked in the mirror and saw one side had make-up on and the other didn't. I thought I better compare the fake me vs the real me. I truthfully was hoping to have hard evidence that the real me was not that much different.... however.....

THIS WAS A HUGE WAKE-UP CALL! Wow, thank the good Lord for putting a little concealer and foundation (for mothers with dark circles), bronzer (fake my tan a bit), beautiful shades of eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara (to help open up small eyes) on this earth!!

Now don't think I won't rock the old natural look every so often. I can appreciate any woman that can go out and show the real person she is without it, but this was good for me to admit and see for myself. I think I got away with no make-up for such a long time, but now my complexion really has changed with age and kids.. wrinkles and fine lines are starting to welcome themselves to my face, along with the above mentioned dark circles, my lovely moles and freckles, and last but not least my uneven color tone. This is just the beginning of the end for the face I ONCE had! Why didn't I appreciate it when I had it???

Happy Halloween

Fall 2010

I love looking at these pictures. What Jake and I have created is beyond words.. love my family more than chocolate! hehe (anyone who knows me, knows that is a whole bunch).
I loved going with the Harris family to see the Witches at Gardner Village and going on the scavenger hunt. We had a lot of fun. I am glad to have amazing neighbors that I can laugh with and count on.
I can't leave the details of my no good, terrible BAD DAY this week:
Woke up, took Isaiah to school.
Decided to stop by friend Cassy's house to get London's shoes. After realizing she wasn't home, walked back to my car to realize the door was locked. I thought that for sure the drivers side was opened, so I walked around calmly to find out that that was locked as well. In the car: London (newly potty trained with little girl underwear on), keys in the ignition (but not on), phone ringing but can't do anything about it, and music as loud as possible on (London accidentally turned it up with her foot). Out of the car: ME. I thought, "oh she will listen to me on how to unlock it, no big deal." Oh boy was I wrong! She is very smart but OH SO STUBBORN. So the minute that I started to panic and getting upset that she wouldn't listen to me- so she decided to sit down on the floor and go through my purse and open each piece of gum individually and stuffing them in her mouth one at a time.. while completely ignoring me. After 25 minutes of this, I went to neighbors houses asking to use their phone. At this point London was crying- it was pure chaos. I finally called the police. After they get there, Cop tries to persuaded me to leave her and run up to my house by saying this, "She's not getting any calmer and she isn't going anywhere, so go ahead and run up to your house." I run up a few blocks to look for my extra set of keys while the police stay with her screaming bloody murder. So grab my keys after being completely out of breath and decide that I better put on my old cob webbed rollerblades and rollerbladed back down so I could get there faster! hahahaha. I looked like an idiot, but I didn't care. What we will do for our kids, right?? So as if that wasn't a bad start of my morning...
I start driving up to the store after and I get pulled over by other cops and get a ticket! At this point, I'm literally tearing up while talking to the cop. So I go and do a little of Retail Therapy and buy me a few things to feel better, while thinking of paying for the ticket was going to be really expensive, so I had buyers remorse. So I stop at the gas station and fill up and leave to go to the pharmacy just to realize my beloved debit card was missing. Remember using it at Maverik and left it on top of the gas pump. At this point I am ready to surrender. I get to Maverik to find NO DEBIT CARD. I drive home in complete silence as if I don't hear a word from kids or any ringing from my phone. Get home and report my card lost or stolen. What a day.. this will go down in history for me. No one can top that day.. I bet ya!

Same result, less moola.

So more than a year ago I was in a major skin dilemma. I was oily in some spots and really dry and flaky in other spots on my face. I coudln't find the right cleaner and moisturizer combo to help improve my skin. One day I was at Nordstrom's and discovered this rare treasure. It honestly smoothed out my face without making me feel like a grease ball! The magic ingredient is the collagen.. Here is the exact details of the product: An ultra-fluid lotion formulated with special-effect silicones. Calms and soothes the skin, blots away excess oil, and evens out skin redness. Improves the lay down and application of foundation or powder. This is only 1 ounce and I could easily go through it in a month but I was trying so very hard to use it sparingly... because it is $28.00/bottle...



After going a few months without it and feeling like I was overdue for it, I came upon this beauty... I was hesitant to even attempt it but I read the label and it had a lot of the same ingredients in this bottle as well and guess what? It was a 2 ounce bottle for only $16.99!! I have been going moisturizer happy for the past little while now! No more last minute trips to good old Nordstrom's if I don't need to! Try this moisturizer out, it's amazing and I won't go back to anything else..

Who doesn't want to know about a great deal? We all have items that we love to have that aren't a necessity so it makes it a lot more comfortable when we know we are getting the same item for a way different price! I'll keep ya'all posted on more items I find with similar situations.. we need to look out for each other!

F.A.L.L

I'm sure I am not way off from everyone else, but it's really hard for me to let go of the nice weather and walk right into winter! I usually dread it so to try to challenge myself to be more positive I am going to think of all the things I do enjoy around fall time and what I can check off my list of "to- do's" !

1. Take my kids to a pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect PUNKINS to turn into our artistic creations!
2. Make hot chocolate with marshmallows at night before bed for the kids and I and talk around the table.
3. Make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and take them around to my favorite neighbors
4. Make Thanksgiving center pieces for the family.
5. On the first snowfall, gather the kids and family, make hot chocolate around the fireplace.


6. Paint another room in the house.
7. Get bundled up and go wish on a star with my kids at night.
8. Have a hot chocolate and wassle bar with family and friends.
9. Read a new good novel by the fire.
10. List 10 people I am grateful for and let them each know.
11. Go to a haunted corn maze.

Is it possible to try to change my thoughts and actually look forward to this time of year? How do you all feel about Fall/Winter?