A few more of my favorite things...

We all love good stuff right?   I do.

I am a HUGE sucker for reading reviews on products.  Matt will laugh at me because before making purchases I'll often say, "I'll get online and read reviews about it".  I just like to know that what I am buying is GOOD. 

That being said, I also loooove reading bloggers favorite things posts!  It's sooo great to learn about new products and find things that I didn't even know I needed (Thanks Amanda for the disposal cleaner suggestion on your blog - love it)! 

Anyhooooo...here are a few of my current favorites!  Who knows, maybe they will become yours too!

Many of you know that I am in love with natural and holistic things in my home.  When I'm at our local health food market I often spend time looking at their selection of first aid products.  We always have scratches, scraped knees, etc. - especially in the summer - in our house and I would prefer to put something natural on it if possible.  I randomly found Sovereign Silver one day and I didn't even need it...but it seemed like good stuff for cuts, scratches, burns, etc.  Well my friends - I am HOOKED.  My mom had a rash on her arm this winter and used it.  She went on and on about how great it worked.  Last week I was making stir fry and I burned my wrist.  It hurt like a  ------ (fill in the blank)!!!!  I went and grabbed this stuff and slathered a bit on.  The pain INSTANTLY went away.  Love that it works.  Love that it's natural. 

As many of you know my sis is a hair stylist.  She had been telling me for awhile that I needed to get a GOOD salon quality blowdryer.  I just didn't want to fork out the dough on something I use a whopping 15 minutes a day.  Last month the blowdryer I was using died and I purchased a $20 replacement blowdryer.  It sucked.  It barely blew any air out and my hair would take forever to dry.  I told my sis to get me a "good" blow dryer...but I didn't need a "really really really good" blowdryer (I just didn't think it was worth the money).  Well that girl - love her- surprised me and got me like the BEST blowdryer EVER for my birthday - a Solano.   When I tell you this thing ROCKS...I mean it.  I didn't realize what I was missing.  It's worth every single penny.  On top of that since it's a salon quality dryer it should last twice as long (or more!) as the hairdryers I was previously using.  Rock on Sista...

Eva's school teaches reading using a program called Saxon Phonics.  This means that Eva is learning all of her letters/sounds phonetically...which is GREAT (and will be amazing in the long run)...but it also means that she can't just pick up a book like most children her age and read it cover to cover quite yet.   If she hasn't learned the letter/sound phonetically (for example, she hasn't learned long vowel sounds yet) she can't read it.  She looooves reading and I know that she wants to read books....so hellllloooooo BOB books.  These books build on eachother phonetically (so, for example, the books don't have long vowel sounds until later on).  She got the first box set for Christmas and we just finished it.  She's super excited to get the second box set now. 

For the record I am NOT a workout DVD girl.  I always refused to work out to DVD's for numerous reasons.  However, last year I joined a gym and got a personal trainer.  I loooved the gym and my personal trainer...but I didn't love taking the time to GO.  Yes, I know...lazy.  However, this winter I was not getting ANY exercise.  I knew I had to do something.  I'm not sure what made me decide to try the Jillian Michaels Shred DVD (it could be that it was on sale at Target) but I purchased it and decided to give it a whirl.  My mom said she would join me (gotta love a workout partner)...and the rest is history.  I am hooked.  I love it so much that I went out and purchased another Jillian DVD.  Now, I will be the first to admit that Jillian can annoy the crap out of me at times...but I looove the exercises she does and I love that the Shred DVD is only about 30 minutes.  On top of that, I can see (and feel) results....and that is reason enough to stick with it!

I am an Italian girl...but unfortunately our family did not come from the part of Italy known for the olive skin tones and dark hair.  We are from Calabria and that means blonde hair and blue eyes!!!  Regardless, I love the look of that dark olive skin tone and since I don't use tanning beds I was just dealing with being pale all winter the past few years.  Then I found Bare Escentuals Faux Tan.  I looked it up after seeing it on QVC and (of course) read all the reviews.  It's not going to give you that deeeep dark golden glow of summer (or Italian genetics) but I can assure you after having it for a year now...it's good stuff.  When I am feeling pale and pasty I slather a bit of this on and keep it on for a few hours (I usually do it a few days in a row).  After using it I often have people ask me if I've been tanning!!! 

Have a great day friends!
Hugs -
Jamie

It's a snowman kinda day...

Eva did not have school today....again.  Since Eva is in half day kindergarten her class is cancelled if her school calls a 2 hour delay.  She has missed about 7 days this year due to weather!!!  We looooove having her home but decided that we need to make sure she's not forgetting all that she is doing in the classroom!  Matt decided we should "play school" today and I thought that was a FANTASTIC idea (I know...I know...I think it's the former teacher in me because I was all pumped up about it)!  Ha!

When Eva and Jaden woke up I had "lessons" printed off for both of them.  Eva was quite amazed that I had the ability to do this monumental task....she looked at me wide eyed and said, "HOW did you know how to do THAT Mommy??!!"

Later in the morning we sat down and worked on addition and subtraction.   Jaden and I worked on letter formation.  I even printed off an educational bingo game to play together!  It was fun to sit there and work with them...it brought back some memories of my days spent in the classroom.

Afterwards we decided to have lunch and then "recess".  We bundled up and headed outdoors.  I had plans for the afternoon but decided to throw "productive" out the window and focus on living in the moment....it was too much fun to pass up!  So...we spent the remainder of the afternoon playing (until rest time) and we had a BALL!!!!

In case you didn't know...it's most definitely snowman building weather outside!  We had so much fun making NUMEROUS snowmen, but we kept small so we could all work together on it.

One little story about this little cutie patootie...

 As we were building our snowman Jaden decided to put one more handful of snow on the top of him.  Unfortunately it completely broke the snowman apart.  Not a big deal right?

Not for our little guy.

He was crushed.    He instantly started sobbing and big ol' tears fell down his cheeks.  He was so incredibly sad that our snowman broke.

After explaining to him that there is no reason for tears - the good thing about snowmen is that you can always build another - he pulled himself back together.  We worked diligently to build another snowman.  JUST as we had it finished I grabbed my camera to snap a picture.  Eva put her arm around it aaaannnnddddd....

The WHOLE THING toppled over and broke AGAIN.

Oh my word....the tears....the sobs....he just couldn't handle TWO snowmen breaking.

Soooo....we worked together to build a THIRD snowman and fortunately this one stuck!!!  As much as it was quite the ordeal it just made me realize again that I love this little guy's tender heart...

 "There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where the colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again."

--Elizabeth Lawrence 

Just Because...

I've posted this picture before, but I was going through some pics and came across it again.  It's seriously one of my favorites ever. 

Our little man is pretty easy going...not too much ruffles his feathers.  However, he puts foot down when it comes to his haircuts.  He has an Aunt Nicole that is a hair stylist.  She would be more than happy to cut his hair....but he insists that a barber do it. 

I love it.

There is just something special about an old school barber shop...something kinda nostalgic.  I love the smell of the place when I walk in.  I love listening to the men sitting in the chairs chatter about life.  I love that you can sit there and watch the world go by just outside that window.  I love watching the barber treat my little guy like one of the big men.

I love how handsome Jaden looks when he's done...and how incredibly good he smells.

It's just yet again one of the simple simple things in life that brings me soooo much joy.

"Life is really simple...but we often insist on making it complicated."

--Confucius

Indianapolis...

2 Mama's + 4 Kiddos + 1 Weekend in Indianapolis =

LOTS OF GREAT MEMORIES!

A few random ramblings...

Just a few random thoughts passing through my mind today...

1.  My windows are open.  OH. MY. WORD.  I am sooo excited.  Yes, it's only 45 degrees out...but I don't care.  The fresh air feels absolutely wonderful and the thought of airing out my house was too good to pass up.  On top of that I busted out the hot pink Chuck Taylors yesterday (no, not for Eva...for ME)!  Isn't that a SURE sign of spring when the Chuck Taylors come out?!  Regardless, it makes me smile to look down and see pink shoes!

2.  Those of you that have kiddies....do you ever shop at Mini Boden?!  Looooove it!  Yes, the stuff can get a bit pricey but they have absolutely amazing deals all the time.  Right now if you purchase 3 items you get your fourth for $1 and free shipping!!  Who can resist THAT?!!! 

3.  It's official...we are headed to Florida this spring.  We were going back and forth...and back and forth...and back and forth on whether or not to go.  We finally just said, "Let's do it" and within a week the flights were booked and a condo was rented.  Bring on the sunshine baby!!   Ohhh...and a drink with a little umbrella in it!!! 

4.  I was at the library today with my children and a mother and son walked in.  The librarian looked at the boy and said, "Hi Tim (or whatever his name was), why aren't you in school today?!"  and the mother responded, "Because he has strep throat...I didn't send him".   Yep.  I kid you not.  I wanted to scream, "So you bring him to the library to expose everyone HERE to it?!!!"  Grrr...  I could not fumble through my purse fast enough to text the whole scenario to my husband.  I was ticked I tell you....ticked!!!

5.  I love meeting new people through blogging.

6.  I also love a really good martini.

7.  ...and chips and salsa...have I ever mentioned how much I love/adore/crave chips and salsa??!

8.  I've been thinking a lot about the whole photography thing...do I want to do it this summer?  Do I want to just let it go?  It's been on my mind a lot.  I loooove photography, especially photographing children.  If I do continue it I know some changes need to be made regarding scheduling, pricing, etc.  So many decisions to be made and not a whole lot of time to make them (I usually start booking towards the end of March).  One thing I've been contemplating is charging a flat rate and it would cover my sitting fee as well as a CD of the images.  I've never done that before because I don't have control over the quality of the images (and to be real honest, images printed at places like Walmart - instead of the professional printing company I use - just don't look good).  The colors are always off.  Anyway, any feedback on all this would be appreciated.

7.  The kiddies and I are headed outside to play this afternoon.  I'm thinking a bike ride is most definitely on the "to do" list!!  Have a mentioned I loooooove this weather??!!

"Spring is when you feel like whistling...even with a shoe full of slush!"

--Doug Larson

My little girl...and her bows.

Ahhh...Eva and her bows. So simple, but it brings a smile to my face.

I do a lot of the photography for the woman that makes all of Eva's bows. She recently asked me to photograph some new items for her.

Eva and I decided to take the pics yesterday afternoon. We curled her hair and found a spot in her room where I could get a lot of natural light coming in. Eva has got some good ideas for photographs and I love that she knows to not always look at the camera...I guess that happens when she's got a Mama that loves photography! Ha! She told me she feels like Taylor Swift because Taylor often has to have her hair done and then people take pictures of her.

Precious.

After saying that she grabbed her guitar and strummed a bit while I shot pictures. I had to smile to myself....love that girl.

Here are a few of my favorites from the session...

"The goal is not to change your subject, but for the subject to change the photographer."

--Unknown

Valentine's Day 2011

I believe I've mentioned before on this blog that in our home Valentine's Day is a family celebrated holiday.  We usually have a special dinner together at home and tonight will be no different.  Homemade heart shaped pizzas are on the menu...complete with heart shaped plates, red cloth napkins, and candlelight!  This afternoon Eva, Jaden, and I will be making special cupcakes for our evening dessert - something we've done every Valentine's Day for about 5 years now!

As Eva and Jaden have gotten older it's so fun to watch how they remember things from year to year.  Eva was recently explaining to a friend of hers how we celebrate Valentine's Day in our house.  I loved listening to her recall the special details.  It makes me realize that the effort put into making days like this special is welllll worth it.

Another special part of Valentine's day is creating Valentine's for Eva's classmates!  This year we sat together and looked through many pictures of different creations.  Eva decided on an IPod Valentine.  This Valentine was a little more time consuming than others...so we were glad we had a few snow days last week to work on it!  The finished product looked like this (excuse the bad picture!)....

The idea is from Family Fun magazine.  We used sweetheart candies and covered it with paper (we chose red, pink, and purple)  we then attached string and Hershey kisses for the IPod earbuds.  On the front Eva cut out a copy of the front of an IPod and glued it on.  To package them we put each in small plastic treat bags.  We added ribbon and Eva made nametags for each of her classmates.  Keep in mind, Eva has 8 classmates....this would have been a pretty big project if we would have had to make 30 of them!  Ha!  One part I really liked about this Valentine was that Eva could do nearly all of it herself.  I sat with her and watched (and enjoyed just sitting and talking to her) but in all, SHE created it.  That is very important to me.

In all they turned out cute and Eva was super excited to hand them out....again, that makes all the time and effort worth it.

On a more personal note, I realized today that Matt and I have been married 12 years, and together over 16 YEARS.  Wow.  Time really flies when you are having fun.  I am one lucky girl to be married to such an amazing guy.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Baby Cow Blood and Monkey Kidney Cells....

As many of you know I am a vaccine delaying Mama.  Jaden is currently 3 years old and in the process of (slowly) getting his vaccines.  Well, today was vaccine day in our house.  Our little guy was due for his Polio vaccine (according to my schedule for him).

The day of a vaccine is always a little stressful for me.  My feelings on vaccines are strong - children need them, but not on the schedule that is mandated.  I create my own schedule for my children.  I've read a lot of books, talked to a lot of doctors, and done a lot of research.  I feel comfortable with the vaccination schedule I have my children on...however actually going in to GET the vaccine always makes my stomach do flip flops. 

One of the reasons I feel this way is because of the ingredients going into my children's little bodies when they get these vaccines.  Would you like to know a few of the ingredients Jaden had injected into him today?

Baby Cow Blood Serum

Human Albumin (blood proteins)

Formaldehyde

Monkey Kidney Cells

Seriously.

SERIOUSLY.

I just don't get it.  No wonder my stomach does flip flops.

We have come so far and have so many advances in medicine.  There HAS to be a way to "green" our vaccines for our children's sake.  I truly truly believe that some of the issues our children are facing (not just Autism, which is frequently in the news) can be linked to the amount of toxins we are loading their little bodies with.  Keep in mind that Jaden had those ingredients injected into him at age 3 at it was the only vaccine he got that day....most children receive that vaccine at 2 months, along with FOUR OTHER VACCINES!  That's a lot of toxins for a very little body to deal with!!

Please know I don't expect any of you to completely agree with my views...but I do STRONGLY encourage you to BE INFORMED about what is going into your child's body.  Don't feel pressured by anyone to do something you are not comfortable with...including your doctor. 

 Educate yourself. 

YOU are your child's first source of defense...make sure you are knowledgeable as to what is best.

As always, if you would like to chat more about this email me!



When life gives you snow...make ice cream.

As you read in an earlier post we've been dumped on in our neck of the woods...winter is here!!!  I'm always looking for fun things to do with the kiddies this time of year and a while back I saw this recipe.  I thought it would be fun to try and the kiddies would enjoy putting the snow to some good use (besides making forts, snow angels, snowmen, snowballs...who am I kidding?  THEY looooove the white stuff)!!!  Well, now we can add SNOW ICE CREAM to our list of fun snow activities! 

This recipe is from Paula Dean and not only is it easy it is SUPER good (trust me, I was a little skeptical).  We started by collecting 7 cups of fresh snow (yes, that is our dog in the background and we made sure we weren't collecting any YELLOW snow while doing this -- yikes!  Ha!)  I'd like you to notice Eva's hairband in this picture too...the girl is just in LOVE with Taylor Swift.  I did her hair with that hairband that morning and she corrected me saying "this is how Taylor wears hair bands"...love it.

We then added a can of sweetened condensed milk and a little vanilla extract...

 Mix it up...

And you've got yourself some homemade ice cream!!!

"Do what you can...with what you have...where you are."

--Roosevelt

Princess Diana....

All image credits:  Google Images

My love for Princess Diana goes waaaaaaay back.  I have loved and adored her since I was a very young girl.  I have always admired her giving heart, her compassion, and her generous spirit.  I was also very inspired by the kind of mother she was.  Simply put..I found her amazing. 

Since I was little girl I always wanted to just see her in person.  I knew the chance of ever meeting her was slim to none...but I thought that one day I could have an opportunity to just stand in her presence...to just witness her from a distance.  It was something I truly believed one day I would do. 

Then came August 31, 1997.

The day Diana died is, for me, a bit how many people describe the day Kennedy was shot.  I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.  I remember what I was doing and who I was with.  I remember being glued to the TV.  I remember crying...and crying...and crying.

I was in utter disbelief.

Some may think it's a bit crazy (I'm sure my poor husband did!) that my reaction to her death was so extreme....but I loved her.  I honestly did.

After that day I obviously knew I would never see her in person...never be able to hear her talk or witness her amazing fashion sense with my own two eyes.  However, recently I was able to experience something that is about as close as I'll ever get to seeing her....I attended the "Diana: A Celebration" exhibit that is currently traveling across our country. 

This, for me, was the experience of a lifetime.  I was able to get up close and personal with many of Princess Diana's things. The part that really struck me is that nearly all of the exhibit was actual artifacts...not replicas.  I was able to see a lot of her childhood memorabilia, watch home movies of her, and read letters that she wrote.  Then there was this...

This is Princess Diana's actual wedding dress...not a replica.  It's the exact one she wore on the day she married Prince Charles.  This is the dress I have seen in more photographs and video than I can even recall.  When I walked into the room and saw that dress in front of me it literally took my breath away...and I immediately got tears in my eyes.  Again, sounds crazy I know...but to be standing in front of something so iconic that was treasured by someone that I admired so much was beyond belief for me.

For those of you that may be interested...the dress is not NEARLY as ornate in person as I expected.  In fact, aside from the puffiness and bows that were popular at the time, it's actually fairly simple.  She had diamonds sewn into the dress for good luck and the total cost of the dress AND the bridesmaids dresses totaled $1,900 (yes, I typed that correctly).  I was floored by that...women today spend THOUSANDS on wedding dresses.  Her shoes were hand painted on the bottom and had a lot of detail on them.  It was neat to see how they were "worn".  She also had a parasol in case the weather wasn't cooperating that day...however it was so she never used it.

Another room that really touched my heart was a room that had Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" playing in it.  There was a large screen with video footage of Diana through the years playing and below it were hundreds of dried flowers from her funeral.  The smell of the flowers (although dried) was soooo strong.  I was able to read rough drafts of her brother's famous eulogy and see hand written notes that Elton John wrote as he was creating the song.  Again, brought tears to my eyes.  Such an amazing woman...she had sooo much to offer this world.

We were able to see many of her dresses.  It was amazing to actually see them  up close and look at the detail.  I have seen so many of the dresses in photographs so to see them in person was unreal.  Her fashion sense was always so fun to watch and,  in my opinion, absolutely perfect for every occasion she attended.  It was interesting to see how she evolved her own sense of style.  So many of her earlier dresses were a bit frumpy and very conservative.  As she became more comfortable with her position she became more confident in her fashion choices and her dresses revealed that (I loved it when Prince Charles announced his infidelity and Princess Diana was on the news the same night wearing some hot-to-trot little black dress!  I just wanted to scream GO GIRL!!!!).  I loved how her boys would occasionally match her (they did have one dress with the boys matching coats on display).  I was beyond excited to see that some of my very favorite dresses she wore were on display!!

In all, it was simply an amazing and emotionally overwhelming day for me.  I know that it was the CLOSEST I'll ever get to seeing Princess Diana...and I am soooo very thankful for the opportunity I had.  It was also a fun day spent with my mom, Aunt Barb, my cousins' children, and my own two little kiddos.

On a side note, Eva and Jaden were beyond good while visiting this exhibit.  I explained to them ahead of time that it was "Mommy's special day" and I really needed them to be patient and understanding.  As we were touring everything they would look and ask questions.  Eva was especially very interested in it.  When we got to the "Candle in the Wind" room there was large picture of Althorp.  I mentioned to my cousins children that "that is where Diana is buried". 

Eva said, "What do you mean buried?"  I explained to her that Diana died long before she was even born.  Oh my word....my little girl just broke down into instant sobs.  She cried and cried.  She had no idea Princess Diana died.  The thing is, I felt those sobs.  I knew exactly how she felt.

Diana was an amazing woman and one that I am still inspired by today.  I  will be forever grateful that I was able to see, read, and hear the things I did while touring this amazing exhibit. 

"I do not go from the rule book...I lead from the heart, not the head."

--Princess Diana

My "Perfect World"...

Hmmmm....got this comment on my blog today....

"I'd love to live in your perfect world."

I debated on whether or not to address it...but I think I will.

First of all, my world is not perfect.  Period.  No one lives in a perfect world.  I've got days that I want to pull my hair out.  Days that I feel like I am the absolute worst mother in the world.  Days that I just want to bury my head in the covers and cry....or drink a whole friggin' bottle of wine.

The point is...I try very very hard not to dwell on it. 

My world is not perfect...but I don't need perfection to make me happy.  I focus on what IS good in my life and THAT is how I chose to live.   I have days that my children are at eachother's throats all day, dinner is a total flop, and to top it off the dog vomits all over the living room.  Seriously.  But ya know what?!  In the overall scheme of things does the bad stuff really matter....is it what you want to remember?  I've got two beautiful children, an amazing husband, and soooo much in my life to be thankful for.  When I have days like that I will allow myself to wallow in self pity for a few minutes (or call Matt/ my mom/ my sis to vent for a few minutes) and then I am over it.

Period.

End of discussion.

In my mind...quit burning daylight on negative thoughts! 

So, should you chose to read my blog you will find my posts a reflection of how I chose to live.  There is so very much in this world to be thankful for and that is what I will write about.   From the bottom of my heart I hope you know I am sincere about this...it is not "fake"....it is who I am.

Hugs to all...

Jamie

All snowed in...

As I have said before, I am NOT one that looooves cold weather.  HOWEVER, if we ARE going to get snow I would much rather be DUMPED on.  Something in the terms of this....



(Picture Credit Google Images)



OK...that may be a bit extreme... but I do loooove getting a good ol' blizzard!  I love the anticipation and excitement!  I love watching all the closings and delays on the TV.  I love making sure I have all the necessities for my family to hunker down for a day or two. 

This past week we got a chance to do just that in our neck of the woods.  We were officially under a BLIZZARD WARNING this week!!!  The storm was suppose to hit on Wednesday afternoon so the kiddies and I decided to have a BLIZZARD PARTY to celebrate (Booo Hoooo on all those people complaining out there - we were gonna make the most of it)!!!  We decided we would wait until we saw the first flakes of snow fly (and we were anxiously watching) before beginning our celebration. 

Around 3:30 it happened!!!  The snow began to fall and we PARTIED like ROCK STARS!!!

We started with decorating the house (paper chains and paper snowflakes seemed appropriate).  Then we turned the music up crazy loud and had a DANCE PARTY!!!  We danced...and danced...and jumped...and did cartwheels...and somersaults...and danced some more!!!  Jaden was cracking me up with his Ninja-Warrior-Meets-Gymnast form of dancing!  Toooo funny!  After our dance party we bundled up and headed out into the blizzard to welcome it first hand.  We made snow angels and "houses" out of snow.  We laid on our backs and let the wind and snowflakes whip around our faces.  Soooo much fun!  Afterwards we came inside and warmed up with hot cocoa and cookies!  It was QUITE the party if you ask me!! 

The next morning we woke up to THIS.....

Yep, that's the little ones (and our neighbor) standing on a mound of snow under our basketball hoop!  Look how close their little heads are to the hoop?!!  Seriously...when you are a child it just doesn't get much more fun than THAT!!!! 

Such a great day...Eva was home from school...Matt was home from work...and our family had a ball just enjoying our time together!!

Soooo, in summary, if I am going to have to put up with snow...BRING ON THE BLIZZARD!!!

It's allll sinking in....

It is very important to Matt and I that our children grow up knowing all about God.  God is the topic of conversation frequently in our household...and in the car...and at restaurants...well, pretty much anywhere!  It's so important to me that topics like this are part of our every day conversation.  Lately Eva has made a few comments that have made me smile...it just let's me know that allllll of this talk about God is sinking in.

Eva:  "I love you Mommy!!!.....but I love God more...(quick look of hesitation)....because we are suppose to love God more than ANYBODY right???"

I smiled a HUGE smile and said, "ABSOLUTELY!!!!"

*****

In the car on the way to school I was singing along to a Christian song.  Eva looked at me and said, "That's from John 14..."

I said, "Hmmm....I'm not sure that's right peanut..."

She responded, "It is, Mom...it looks like you may need to read your Bible more often!!"

I went home and looked up the verse....and she was ABSOLUTELY correct!

*****

"He who has faith has an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will turn out well."
--B.C. Forbes