Better Today Then Yesterday

It's been a week. One week ago we lost Sammy, our boxer. (You can read my way too sad sob story about how much I love him here.) 

The kiddies taking Sammy on a walk a few weeks ago

This has been a   L O N G  week. When you are sad time seems to slow down. I am pleased to report we are all feeling better in our house. It was pretty depressing around here for a few days. Our other 2 dogs wouldn't even play with us, it was pitiful to watch a dog go through the grieving process. Who ever said animals don't have feelings is full of bologna. The kids are doing better. My daughter is like a rock, nothing over emotional ever bugs her, but my son is my sensitive one and this has been hard for him. 


All in all life goes on. The house seems slightly emptier these days but we have to keep chugging away. This Saturday will be my daughters 7th birthday (Wow how time flies!), and then we will be preparing for the 1st day of school shortly after. 


Summer is slowly drifting away. I hope you've had a chance to do something fun with the ones you love. 




au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time... 

Epcot Day

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know I am WAY behind on adding the rest of our family's Orlando vacation on here. Sorry life just never slows down around our house and since summer is in full swing I am on permanent "mommy, entertain us!!" mode with the kiddies.

Epcot was a lot of fun. Sure it's more educational than the other parks, but don't think it is any less fun! We had a blast.

Favorite things break down:
*my son: Test Track, Turtle Talk with Crush
*my daughter: Mexico, Mission to Mars
*my hubby: Mission to Mars, Test Track
*me: the aquarium, The Worlds

One thing we all enjoyed was a band called "Off Kilter" in the Canada land. They were awesome! Very cool Irish bag pipe music set to drums and a rockin' show.

It was another scorcher. We spent a good deal of time splashing in the many fountains around Epcot to cool off. I for sure want to come back here again. I feel like we weren't able to see even half this park has to offer. One more park to go!!!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Disney World Featuring The Magic Kingdom

On to our next installment of all things Mickey...

The most famous (and my favorite) of all the parks is The Magic Kingdom. I could easily spend the entire week at this 1 park. If you have ever been to Disneyland this is very similar. A lot of the same rides are shared between the two, the main difference is that MK is bigger and more spread out.

It was a scorching 5 million degrees Fahrenheit on the day we went. Thank goodness for breathable clothing and frozen water bottles!!

Favorite things breakdown:
*my son: Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain & Pirates of the Caribbean
*my daughter: It's a Small World, Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight & Goofy's Barnstormer
*my mom: The enchanted Tiki Room, It's a Small World & whatever the grandkids liked
*my hubby & dad: every ride that made the kids happy
*me: Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Mickey's Philharmagic & The Tea Cups

We took a break mid-day to cool off and take a short rest back at our cabin. Armed with some new "get up and go" we were able to stay and enjoy the park till late in the evening. I am also shocked and pleased to report that both kids were happy without 1 hissy fit ALL DAY! Wow, Walt Disney sure is a magical guy ;)

We've done MK quite a few times over the years and here's what I've discovered about crowds:
* Halloween is an amazing time of year to go. Trick or Treating with your favorite Disney characters is just so cool! And there are hardly any people, you get the park pretty much to yourself.
* Christmas and Thanksgiving are decorated to the max! The crowds are moderate, but nothing too crammed to enjoy yourself.
* Mid-June is HOT!!!! The crowds are big, but they were not near as bad as I expected.

We hope to try February/early spring next time around. Hope you've enjoyed your little tour of the Magic Kingdom :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Disney World Featuring Fort Wilderness

I have hundreds of pictures from our fun filled family vacation, there is NO WAY i am going to be able to talk about all we did in 1 post. So I have decided to break it up for ya'll :) This first installment is all about where we stayed: Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground.

We loved it! We opted for a cabin instead of tent camping.

My daughter took pony riding lessons, my son took archery lessons with the rest of our family. We swam, explored, watched the wonderful Hoop-Dee-Doo Review, enjoyed S'mores with Chip n Dale and made amazing wonderful family memories.

We rode our bikes all over the campground, and also rented a golf cart to tootle around in. It was so nice to wake up and head to the parks via boat too! It was a wonderful place to stay especially since we had a large group. I highly recommend staying here to anyone, even those that don't like camping. It's very magical, Disney magical. 

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Vacation Time!

In a few days we are out of here! Headed south for Florida, Orlando to be exact. Gee, what's in Orlando that the entire family would enjoy??? DISNEYWORLD! This will be our 3rd trip as a family. We love it.

For the first time ever we will be going to all four parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot & Disney Studio's. I hope the kids don't run out of steam, just incase i'm packing lots of candy to give them a sugar rush when needed. One can never be too prepared :)

Also for the first time we will be staying at one of the Disney resorts. We'll be sharing a cabin at Fort Wilderness with my parents. The kids are bouncing off the walls with excitement! OK, OK, me too!

To save money we will be trying to eat as many meals in our cabin as possible. My dad will be manning the grill while my mom makes some of her amazing  creations in the kitchen. We will be lucky enough to enjoy the company of a few more family members while at the park. My Aunt, Uncle and their 2 kids will be joining us, kind of a mini family reunion.

Well, I better get back to cleaning the house and washing clothes in preparation for the big trip! Plenty of pictures and info coming soon! 

If you have any advice, tips, anything to share about the theme parks or Fort Wilderness please let me know!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Is It Summer Yet??

School is on it's last week for the kids. Their excitement is cracking me up. I remember counting down the days as a kid for school to be out. 20 more days left! 8 more days left! 3 MORE DAYS LEFT! I must have driven my mom crazy.

Last summer the kids had a great community pool within walking distance, the summer before we had our own above ground pool, this summer... nothing. What will my water babies do?! I'm such a spoiled brat when it comes to water. I have always had a pool, or lived close to the beach, or had a best friend with a pool :) Not sure how we'll survive. Yes, I am aware I'm whining, sorry.

So what am I going to do to keep us all entertained when the sun is hot and boredom has kicked in?

We have a few trips planned, the biggest being to Disneyworld, and a couple little trips to visit my parents. Other then that we'll be at home. My goal is to not let the kids get sucked into the "boob tube." I really don't want their brains to turn to mush from staring at the screen for 15 hours a day. Oh, trust me, there will be days when i'll say "just go watch the TV for goodness sake!" But what will I do during the idol times? Hum... I think this will have to be my most creative summer yet. I'll let you know what we do to keep busy, once I figure it out that is.

Have a super fabulous summer everyone!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

That Darn Puppy, Ice Baths, & More

So I get home from my fabulous vacation and what do I find? A super sick puppy :(

Jackson has a very bad bacterial infection throughout his large intestines and colon. Guess how he got it? From being over stressed at the doggy kennel! I was shocked, and also felt terribly guilty. After all, I put him there so I could go on vacation! He is quickly getting better and is enjoying all the medication (since I give it to him in bites of cheese, ha ha)

Everything is falling back into place, well everything except my workout routine. It is so hard to have a system that works then summer break comes and messes it all up. Throw in a few family vacations and BAM! You lose focus. I am determined to keep the weight loss going, I am half way to my goal. Still sitting pretty at 183. School will begin August 3rd and all will go back to normal.

Here's an interesting thing I've learned about summers in the desert. NO COLD WATER!! None, zip, nada...

Each night when I give the munchkins their baths I have to add ice cubes just so they can stand it! How crazy is this?? The cold water pipes are hot from being exposed to the warm temperatures so no cold comes out, meaning Scolding hot water no matter what. Yup, that's my mini-munchkin playing with Ice in the tub!

I hope you all are enjoying the sun and heat, if you need some let me know and I'll send some of ours your way :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Back Home! Nature Camp Edition

Each summer my munchkins go to Nature Camp at Blackbeard's Cove Family Fun Park. They have a blast learning about insects, protecting our planet, various vegetation, and all sorts of animals. Last summer I posted about their week of learning and this time around I have more pictures!

Both kids did things I didn't know them capable of. My son went hunting for "good snakes," while my daughter actually enjoyed holding bugs! It is really amazing how spending time out in nature can help a child grow.

A wonderful woman named Nana Butterfly runs the program. Since my kids had been to this camp before it was very cute to watch them run into her arms yelling "Nana! Look how big we got this year!"

I grew up going to many summer camps... wilderness camps, Girl Scout camps, Church camps, every kind of camp! I am glad to see that my kids enjoy this as much as I did :)



Thank you all for your wonderful comments while I was on a little break. I feel fully refreshed and ready for whatever life can dish out.

Life is back in full swing around our place, especially with school starting August 3rd. (Is that not the most ridiculously early date for school to go back?!) I have a bunch more fun vacation moments to share so stay tuned!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Zoos, Jobs, & Butts, OH MY!

It's been a few days since I have written, you know what that means... Things are going on! First of all Father's Day was wonderful. We took my hubby to the Phoenix Zoo for the day. I know most of you are thinking "Why take him to a kids place? Wouldn't he rather play a round of golf?" True, but I am the decision maker around here (sometimes) and Fathers Day was 99 degrees. This week will end at about 110 degrees and I wasn't about to miss the last double digit day of the summer!! The mini-munchkin had this fascination with posing with goats, check it out:

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Oh I also learned an interesting piece of information this week, my hubby hates his new job! Yeah, that has been messing with my head big time. You see, when you uproot your entire family for the prospect of a better career, life, brighter tomorrow, and it doesn't seem that has been accomplished it kind of puts a damper on your spirit. So now what? Well, we have a 2 year contract with this company and we agreed to re-evaluate the situation later. The main reason this causes me stress is because my hubbys job is very location specific so if he were to go somewhere else to do the same thing we'd have to move pretty far, most likely back east. I am an adventurous type, and LOVE new places, I just hate packing and unpacking over and over! But, I would much rather move again soon then have an unhappy, grouchy hubby.

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Weight loss update, down another 3 pounds bringing my grand total to 27 pounds lost! I am thrilled, but secretly REALLY frustrated. After all this work I am still the same pants size, yup seriously!! What is the deal with my Butt?

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Fun things are coming up! The munchkins and I will be flying back to South Carolina in 2 weeks to visit my parents and some of my girlfriends. (I can't wait to see you guys!!) I am looking forward to the lovely marsh lands, southern food, and Spanish moss. YIPPY!

I never expected to miss the south so much. Just goes to show you that this California girl can love 2 coastlines :) I hope you all have a wonderful week.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Is it wrong to WANT to slap someone?

The city of Phoenix is doing something super cool this year. It's a program called "The Culture Pass." Here's how it works: Culture Passes can be checked out like books. Each pass grants admission for up to four people to the museums, zoos, gardens and other places that are taking part. The best part? IT'S FREE!

When a friend told me about this Culture Pass thing, I was so excited. What a wonderful way to take your kids somewhere fun and educational and save a few bucks! WRONG oh boy was I WRONG!

I arrived this morning 15 minutes before the library opened (the passes are handed out first come first serve) kids in tow, ready to pick up my pass for some summer fun. Stood in line like a good mommy waiting my turn. The doors opened... CRAZINESS!

pushing

swearing

cutting in line

rude ladies

running

It was a mad house. Within 5 minutes every single pass was gone, we didn't even get one. My kids were so bummed. The thing that really bugged me was that many people had multiple passes (you are supposed to get 1 per family) I saw someone with 8. I asked if she was going to use them all, she barked at me sternly "YUP!" and passed them out to her kids so it looked like she only had one. WHAT?!

What I learned today is people are willing to ruin other peoples fun for their own personal gain sometimes. Adults are willing to shove a child in order to get what they want. That we will not be going to all the museums and cultural events I had hoped this summer :(

Here's what puts it all into perspective though: As we were leaving my son looks up at me and says "It's alright mama, we have a bunch of crafts at home, I'll paint you some art. And it's already free!" That's right buddy, I'd choose your homemade art over anything else in the world.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

To The Lake We Go

My friend Melissa over at "Spoiled Mommy" took her family fishing last week and it inspired me to take my munchkins for a fun outing! We found out the fishing lines were tangled, our fishing licenses were expired and we didn't know where the tackle box was... go figure.

We decided we could still go to the lake and play. Want to come along?

Let's hit that open road!

Look we made it! And no one complained the entire way!

I see water, how exciting! (you can tell we've been in the desert too long)

The water was a perfect temperature, time for some swimming.

Let's relax and enjoy the scenery!

Here's what we see from our lounge chair, so pretty.

I think the munchkin is enjoying himself :)

Oh look! A mermaid washed up on shore!

It was such a nice afternoon relaxing in the sun.

What did you do this weekend? Today the munchkins and I are off to the movie theatre to enjoy some air conditioning! My hubby will be home nursing the nice red sunburn he got from our day at the lake :( We had such a good time playing up there that next weekend we're going back with a BBQ and some friends! Hope you all have a wonderful week.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Dog Dayz...

My dogs are learning to adjust to the HOT weather. We had hot before we moved but it was south-eastern humid. Now we live in south-western dry, very different. Each dog has their own method of dealing with it, let's check it out!

Meet the characters: (oldest to youngest)

Louie LOVES splashing in his "puppy pool" and will actually play till he almost passes out! We have to dump the water out after awhile so he doesn't hyperventilate. He's such a weirdo.

Sammy, the strong silent type. He just wants a nice cool shady spot to nap. No frills, no tricks. Just concrete.

Jackson isn't sure what he likes yet. He enjoys checking out what the other dogs are doing and copy them. (as long as mommy is close by though)

Here they all are splashing around and keeping cool.

I wish my life was as simple as a dogs. *sigh* Maybe that's why we have 3, I'm secretly living vicariously through them, Ha Ha.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

The Heat? What Heat?

What do you do when your family moves to the desert and you can't afford a pool? You make a "jumping water park" of course! Here are my munchkins playing on our homemade contraption (A wiggle worm kid sprinkler attached with zip ties at the top). They LOVE it!

jump higher!

My bathing beauty: the mini-munchkin

my little stud: the munchkin

What you don't see... mommy sitting in a bikini (she would NEVER wear in public) lathered up in tanning oil trying to not look like a pail white non-Arizonian, with a glass of wine in hand of course :) I have pity on any of my neighbors who have a window that overlooks our backyard, what a sight they must have seen! Enjoy the heat, if you've got it!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...