Live Active Video Games (Family Fun for All!)

Those who have small kids, but are still kids at hearts themselves and love playing video games, will know how hard it is to actually play video games while the kids are awake. Anthony and I LOVE the Wii. We bought it right after Justin was born on a whim, but it really has been worth every penny. The only real problem is that Alexis wants to play and just hasn't been able to get the hang of the games, with the exception of Wii bowling which she gets lucky with once in awhile. Well...in the search for alternative games that will get us active (because Wii Fit isn't in stock ANYWHERE), we came across Outdoor Challenge. It has a big game pad for two and a number of little mini games that are very active and pretty fun. It's probably geared more at children, but alas if you are competive like Anthony and I and also easily entertained, it can keep you occupied for hours and hours on end. Of course Alexis was very interested when we brought it home, and low and behold, there are a few of the mini games that she can actually do. It was so exciting to her to be able to "race" against mommy and daddy, ride a skateboard down the mountain, and jump rope. She still isn't coordinated enough to really play, but can do it well enough to make her feel involved. I highly suggest this game for anyone with little kids who still like to play video games themselves. One other game that has been great for Alexis is Wii Music. Alexis likes music anyway and always pretends to play musical instruments, so this was really up her alley. I am just so excited that she is getting old enough for games. Now if only Justin could get the hang of them too! As a side note, I can't even begin to tell you the workout I got from playing the Wii tonight. After an hour of playing Outdoor Challenge and Dance Dance Revolution...all of my muscles ache and I feel like I've been at the gym for hours! I can't wait to find a Wii Fit for more fun ways to exercise!

Pictures, Pictures, and more Pictures

I finally took the pics off of the camera and thought I would share them with you.

Early last week, Alexis and I baked a cake. I love how she wants to help with everything even if it takes a little longer.

She was an excellent mixer.

She was an excellent licker too.
The frosting wasn't as much fun for her, but she enjoyed the final product and was very proud.

"You aren't really gonna take a bite?"
Yes...she did.
And here she is...completely satisfied.

Justin falls asleep in the strangest places. Yesterday, while I was getting dressed, he climbed up in his chair and promptly fell asleep. It took me quite some time to find him as this chair is over in a corner and rarely used.I'm still not sure why he picked the chair. This is where he usually goes when he wants to relax.
This was the bassinet that we used for both Alexis and Justin. Once retired, we chose to put it in the playroom closet for Alexis's baby dolls. Apparently, she still likes it as this is where I find her on a weekly basis.
Sometimes the kids play together so nicely.


And sometimes....they don't. Can you guess what Alexis is saying? "THIS IS MY HORSE!"

Bella truly is like having a third child. Here she is caught with her hand in the cookie jar...so to speak.

And here are some comparison pics. The first was taken in October and the second was on the same couch a couple of days ago. What a difference 3 months makes.

And finally, here is my new do.
Okay, so I guess that is enough for now. Hope you enjoyed them.

The Sweetness that is my Kids

Sometimes, having two little one's so close together can be wonderful. The older they get, the more they behave like little people and the sweeter it can be. This morning Alexis insisted on having cold pizza for breakfast. It may not super healthy, but...I'm lazy...it's quick...and usually she won't eat breakfast, so at least she was eating. The cutest interaction happened shortly after.

Justin (to Alexis): More Please (this means he wants some of whatever you have. He hasn't quite learned that you must have some before you can get more. He also told her in sign language just incase she couldn't understand what he was saying. I'm still amazed at how much sign language my kids have continued to use even after their words came)

Alexis: Here you go. (holds out the piece of pizza for him. Justin tries to take it) No. I'll hold it...you take a bite. (When did she become such a big girl?)

Justin: Thank you. (Signed and said)

The cycle continued until they had finished off the piece of pizza, after which, they headed off to the kitchen to beg for more. In the kitchen Alexis insisted that we give Justin his "own piece". However, Bella decided she wanted pizza too and promptly removed it from his little hands. Thankfully, Alexis was in a sharing mood and let him share her second piece. So sweet and so loving. Unfortunately, I suspect that before the day is over, they'll be fighting again, but for a brief moment, I was able to imagine what life might be like if they always liked each other.

My $33 Makeover

Life is good. I have seriously let myself go in the past 5 years, but I am well on my way to getting back to where I want to be. After 2 kids and 50 pounds, I'm not extremely happy with my physical appearance. I've been working out again for the past 4 weeks and I'm finally starting to feel results. My clothes aren't quite so tight, I have more energy, and the mass that blocks the view to my feet (better known as my belly) seems to be shrinking. I feel really good about my progress and look forward to seeing what happens if I can stick to my strict regimen of working out 6-7 days a week.

In addition to my body, I also have neglected my hair, skin, and eyebrows. At one point in time I used to go to the salon every 6 weeks for a trim, color, and waxing. Due to money issues, that just hasn't been feasible lately and I'm probably getting my hair cut every 6 - 12 months and waxing has become a thing of the past, which has left me looking like a complete and total mess. Of course, usually I just get up and put my hair up in a clip or a pony tail, so no big deal...right? Something about birthdays always makes me wanna be a little better and look a little more like the old me, so I decided to do something about it. Like I mentioned before, money is tight, so I had to get a little creative.

I usually use Bare Minerals makeup because it is the best makeup ever, but it's expensive, so it just wasn't an option right now. I purchased Cover Girl True blend foundation and mineral makeup at Longs for only $11 and was so surprised at how light it felt, how good it covered, and how well it matched my skin. At 50% off, it was a great deal. I then used the InStyle Hollywood Makeover site to pick out the hairstyle I wanted and printed the picture. This was the part I was most concerned about because usually I go to my friend Angie's salon, and using a discount stylist was terrifying, but desperate times call for desperate measures so armed with my picture I headed to the HairWorks Family Salon inside our local Super Walmart. (Ang, if your reading this...I'm soooo sorry, but we are super broke and I just can't afford the prices at your current salon. I love you so much and as soon as finances get back to normal...I'll be back!) I got a cut for $13 and surprisingly enough, I'm very satisfied with it. The girl did a great job though the customer service left something to be desired, but ce lest vie. My final purchase was Loreal Preference hair color in light auburn. I picked up 2 boxes for $9 at Walmart and had my mom apply it. I got out the tweezers and the trimmer and went to work on my eyebrows and after an hour of painful plucking, I am proud to announce I now have two eyebrows again instead of one. Less than 4 hours later and a mere $33, voila! I am ALMOST beautiful again. Well....okay, I may still be far from beautiful, but I feel human again and am definitely a little more happy about how I look. I'll post some before and after pics tomorrow when I can get someone to take some. Until then...

A Birthday Surprise

Thanks to all of you who sent birthday wishes via message board posts, emails, phone calls, and cards. You have no idea how much I appreciated them and how special they made my day.

When I first woke up yesterday (my 33rd birthday), I didn't expect much. After the two months that Anthony didn't work a lot, we're still trying to catch up and money is still pretty tight. All I really wanted was to sleep in and not have to change diapers. Unfortunately, Justin had other plans and refused to let me stay in bed past 8am, but my mom made up for it by making me breakfast and I was able to get a 2 1/2 hour nap mid-afternoon, so everything was okay. Anthony planned to make me a cake and my sister-in-law and her fiancee planned to pick Alexis up for an overnight visit and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. It may not have been the best birthday ever, but when compared to the previous three, it was pretty nice. In case your wondering why the previous three were so rough...well...for birthday 30, I was 8 months pregnant and just wanted it to be over...31 I was 5 months pregnant and still suffering from severe morning sickness, so I was not in the mood to party...and 32 was okay if you forget that I was suffering from severe ppd, had a colicky 6 month old and a terrible 2 year old. Anyway, because our family is so aware of how tight money is, Anthony's mom and sisters, pooled their money together to give me a night out without kids. Anthony and I got to go out to dinner with a friend and his girlfriend and then we did Rock 'n Bowl, darts, and drinks at the local bowling alley. I just about cried when my sister-in-law told me and they will never know how grateful I am for such a wonderful gift. I had an awesome night and other than being slightly hung over today, my birthday was perfect. Thank you to all of you who made it possible. I love you all so much and am so thankful that God put you in my life and made us family.

Justin's New Nickname

About a week ago, Alexis started calling Justin, "Dookie". That might sound sweet and enduring if you don't live in our house, but in our house we use "dookie" bags to pick up the "dookie" when we take Bella on walks and when she goes "dookie" in the backyard. We all tried to convince ourselves that she was calling him "doogie" like Doogie Howser, but alas, she made sure to ennunciate every syllable so we understood exactly what she thought of her baby brother. It wasn't a big deal because it only lasted a few days, but she has returned to it today after he maimed her with his teeth. After a pretty gruesome fight over a bouncing ball, Justin bit Alexis on her chest, bringing blood and making her cry forever! Alexis response, Justin is once again "Dookie". Who can blame her? If he bit me like that I'd probably call him "Dookie" too.

Because I Said So!

The words I promised myself I would never say. I thought I would always have a good answer...yet today, I actually said them. Alexis has finally learned to ask the dreaded question, "Why?" Everytime I told her to do something today, her response was always the same..."Why?" When I told her to take her nap, "Why?" When I said it was time for lunch, "Why?" When I told her not to bite, "Why?" When I told her to leave the dog alone because she was eating...you guessed it..."Why?" It was in complete frustration when I asked her to pick up her toys and she asked "Why?" that I screamed out and replied, "Because I said so!" This phrase is so horrible and teaches a child nothing and I hate that I resorted to it. I want my baby to do things because they are the right thing to do, not because someone told her to. I want her to learn right and wrong, not just how to be a follower. So I will try to be more patient and answer all of her whys with well thought out answers and hopefully not become so frustrated that I scream out those 4 little words again.

Sadness

Since we've lived in our house for a year and a half now, we finally decided it was time to finish unpacking and clean out the garage. It will probably take another year to finish, but we got a good start today. We cleared out at least half of the boxes and threw away a lot of garbage. However, most of the stuff we got rid of was baby stuff. I have one bag of clothes and one box of toys that I plan to keep as a way of remembering Alexis and Justin's childhood; the clothes they came home in, their holiday outfits, some special outfits that they wore often, baby rattles, etc. Other than that, we let everything else go. I took about 8 boxes of clothes, toys, and other baby stuff to the Salvation Army and have another 8 boxes that my sister-in-law (SIL) is coming to go through since she is having a baby girl in May. As we unloaded the boxes at the Salvation Army, it was a bittersweet moment. Anthony had a vasectomy a year ago so we knew we weren't having anymore kids, but getting rid of everything somehow made it more final. As I watch Alexis & Justin grow from babies into a little girl and boy, I feel the joys of watching them become little people, yet I also feel the loss of having little babies. Life gets so much easier as they become more independent, but I long for the days of holding them and rocking them. Thankfully, Justin is still a cuddler. He still crawls into my lap and just cuddles. He still gives me hugs and kisses for no reason and he still crawls into my bed in the morning just to be with me. Alexis was never really a cuddle bug so I will hold onto Justin's "baby-like" behavior as long as I possibly can, probably much longer than I should, but since I won't be having anymore, I'll enjoy every moment.

Faulty Toys

As many of you know, my kids are "spoiled rotten" when it comes to toys. Christmas this year was no exception. We (okay, I) went overboard again and made sure they got everything the wanted and everything I thought they needed.

There were two things that I bought that I am so disappointed with. I debated over buying the This is Serious Ming Ming, but every time we went to the store Alexis would pick it up and carry it around constantly. If you aren't familiar with this toy it is a little stuffed duck that sings and "flies". Actually, it just rolls around and it's cape lifts up, but it's cute and Alexis and Justin both really liked it. So I did some research and though there were a few bad reviews that said it stopped working or malfunctioned, most of the reviews were 4 or 5 stars so I decided to buy it. I waited til it was on sale and got it for $10 less that the usual price and Alexis's happy little face on Christmas morning was worth every penny. She didn't really play with it th first couple of days as she was really absorbed with her other toys, but as the newness began to wear off of the bigger toys, she picked it up and spent a fair amount of time with it. So did Justin and for 3 days it quite a bit off use. Well, yesterday, Ming Ming started acting funny. It all started with a high pitch whine while she was singing and then she stopped "flying". I keep hoping it's a battery issue, but I have a sinking suspicition I should have paid more attention to the bad reviews. A mere 11 days after Christmas, it appears that This is Serious Ming Ming, is in serious twouble!

The second disappointment was the ball pit. The Wonder Pet's Fly Boat Ball Pit was a big hit in our house. Both of my kids have pretty much lived in it for the past 11 days and Alexis has even put her pillow in it to take naps. They love jumping in it and watching tv in it. Alexis takes her Ming Ming in it and uses a toy golf club as an oar and goes off on many adventures to save the animals. As you can tell she is quite the fan of The Wonder Pets. Anyway, because it is just a blowup ball pit, I didn't expect it to be extremely long lasting, however, because of the age group it is made for, I expected it to be a little more sturdy than it was. The bottom ring went flat last night and I can't seem to find a hole in it. It won't keep any air, so it must be a big gash, but I've searched and searched with no success. I'm thinking it may be a seam, so when the kids go to bed tonight, I'll try again.

With toddler toys, I don't expect an extremely long life, but 11 days is just ridiculous. It angers me so much that we spend our hard earned money on toys that can't stand up to the job they are made for: entertaining children. If anyone has more horror stories about faulty toys or biggest disappointments...I'd love to hear them. Misery loves company and Alexis has a birthday coming up, so I'd like to avoid buying more horrible toys!

Another New Year's Vent... aka God help me!

Please give me patience to make it through the next week. Please help me to NOT pick up a cigarette no matter how bad it gets! (Yes, even after all this time I still want one when I'm stressed) I'm tired of putting on a happy face and pretending it is all okay. It IS NOT okay! I'm tired of being everyone's maid. I'm tired of taking care of everything and everyone. Isn't it enough that I take care of two kids, the dog, two cats, the laundry, the trash, and most of the house work? When there are 3 other adults in the house, I shouldn't have to clean up after all of them. Rinse your own dishes and put them in the sink. Don't leave them on the table. Close the bathroom door already. I have a one year old who loves to play in the toilet! Put the chain back on the door when you come in. It takes like two seconds and I don't want the kids to get out when no one is watching. Furthermore..I'm tired of drama. I can't handle anymore. I had enough drama growing up and enough drama when I was younger. I'm too damn old to deal with everyone's garbage every day and I don't want it around my kids. You've got problems? Me too! Deal with it. Stop expecting everyone else to fix things for you. We can't. I think I'm gonna go work out now. I need to get rid of some stress. Goodbye for now...

Holiday Blues

So my new year isn't starting off very well. I spent the evening with my mom, my husband, my father-in-law and my precious children. It was pretty weak as far as New Year's Eves go, and a little depressing as it is the first New Year's I've spent home doing nothing. As we move into a brand new year, I should be happy and carefree, ready for a new start. Instead, I sit here more depressed than ever. I've tried to tell myself that I have a million reasons to be happy, but the truth is, besides my two beautiful and wonderful children, I feel completely and utterly alone. Three years ago when I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom, I thought I was doing the best thing in the world, but tonight, as I sit her by myself, I'm not so sure. Yes, I know it is great for my kids to have a parent home all of the time and I know it saves money because daycare is so expensive, but it has changed my life so completely and I'm not sure it is all for the better. I was once a social butterfly who thrived on being with other people. I was always doing something whether it was with a large group of people or just hanging with my bff. Now, most of my days are spent in my pj's, cleaning house, cooking meals, and hanging out with my toddler's who are extremely entertaining, but not very deep conversationists. I don't want any of you to think I don't love my children or that I don't love being with them, I just feel like there is something missing in my life right now. I miss my girlfriends. I miss having someone to gossip with. I miss having a life outside of my house. I know that I will have to be the one to change it. I have lost a part of my identity and really need to find myself again. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but maybe this year I will. 1) I will get back in contact with my friends and start getting out a little more. 2) I will make an effort to meet new people and build new relationships that help me to feel fulfilled as well as re-establishing my relationship with God since it has weakened a little in the past year. 3) I will continue to be a good mom and will work on being a great mom. I will spend more quality time actually doing things with them instead of just being with them. 4) I will not necessarily lose weight, but will start being healthier by eating better and exercising more. 5) I WILL apply to and WILL get into grad school! I have to do these things not just for me, but for my family. They need me and I cannot allow myself to wallow in self pity. Please pray for a happy and fullfiling 2009 for my family and I and I will do the same for all of you! :)