It's Been A While

Hello ladies!  I guess it's been a couple of years since my last post.  I don't know if I got lazy or busy or both.  It's been a trying couple of years. Let's catch up, shall we?

The girls are so big!  They are 9, 11, and 15 now!  Roger and I are still together and very happy.  We are in our 15th year of marriage.  Yay us!  Roger has been a commercial roofer for the last two years, and I have been working at Target for about the same time.  (I love Target!)

That's the good new...now the bad. We lost our home of seven years to foreclosure, and now we live with my mother-in-law.  Shortly after we moved in, my hubby's brother lost his home and moved in too!  It's nuts, right? Anyways, we have anywhere from 10-14 people here at any given time.  It's a good thing we are a tight family. It has been rough, but we are working through it day by day.

I think that's all I need to tell for today.  Check in tomorrow, and I will update you on my bucket list, and my recent surgeries.  Fun!

It Finally Feels Like Spring Break!

I was so excited for spring break to start, until I saw the weather forecast.  It has been in the 40s for four days, and it snowed over the weekend!  The kids have been so bored and have decided it is their life's mission to figure out a way to reside in my rear.  I had a gyno appointment on Tuesday morning because of some bloating and abdominal pain.  The doctor must have gotten the memo, because he decided that he needed to check it out as well (while a medical student was watching)!  I didn't even get a drink afterwards.  At least I get to go back next month for an ultrasound.  Maybe I will be lucky enough to have the kind with the vibrator(ish) attachment. (You all know what I'm talking about.)

Anyways...my dear, sweet mother is taking vacation this week and was awesome enough to take the kids for two nights!  I don't know what I'm going to do with myself - maybe a colonic and back rub from the hubby.  It's finally starting to feel like spring break.

"Hi, I'm Kaitlyn's Mom."

Me and my nephew, Jaxon

My younger sister, who swore she would never have kids, gave birth to my nephew, Jaxon Eli, last November. Being a seasoned mother of three, I have tried to be a good big sister and give her a heads up about a few of the perils of motherhood.  I schooled her in the art of swaddling and gave her all of my best tips to make parenting a little easier.  The one thing that I, or any other mother, had a hard time accepting was the loss of my own identity.  I have tried to prepare my sister for this, but when it happens,  we are all a little taken aback.  I think you all know what I am talking about.

I first realized that I had lost my identity shortly after the birth of my first daughter in 2000.  I was only 18 years old, and I was no longer Jessica.  I was Kaitlyn's mom.  Every time I spoke to my mother on the phone, the first question out of her mouth was, "How is Kaitlyn?" She stopped checking on me, her little girl, and worried about the baby.  Whenever she introduced me to someone new, she would say, "This is Kaitlyn's mom".  It did not take me very long to figure out that I was no longer a singular unit...I was a mother.  From then on out, no matter where I went, I was a unit of two, and my daughter was the more important of the both of us.  It did not matter that I was married...he didn't count.  From that point on, I was Kaitlyn's mom. 

Most new moms fall into this new role rather easily; I was no exception.  I lived and breathed for my daughter.  That did not change even after the births of two more daughters.  It was not until after my youngest was one that I realized I had to break away from this unit.  I had to reclaim my name.  My name is not mommy.  It is Jessica, and I have my own likes and interests and feelings that have nothing to do with my children.  My girls are in my world, but they do not own it.  It took a long time to learn that I could be a great mother without sacrificing myself.  That was my hardest lesson to learn, and I hope my sister takes my advice and learns is sooner than I did.

Nerd Vomit

Let me start this post by saying that Olympus Has Fallen was awesome! Also, I let my frugalness get the best of me, and I used my big purse during the movie.  The only downside was that the movie was so intense, I almost forgot that I had food.  By the time I remembered, the Reese's Cups I had stowed away melted...I ate them anyway.  If you aren't sure as to what I am talking about, you can refer to yesterday's post. 

As for my day today, I just want to thank my mother for sending back my girls all hyped up on Easter chocolate.  My 6 year old came in with a movie theater sized box of Nerds and proceeded to drop the entire thing on the floor!  It looked like a rainbow threw up all over the floor.  My broom must be broken, though, as I am still randomly kicking random Nerds across the room every time I go in the kitchen.  I have a feeling I will be doing that all week.  On a brighter note, hubby and I will be watching Argo later tonight, and I am really looking forward to it.

Photo courtesy of EvelynGiggles on Creative Commons.

Mom Morals VS Saving Money

So I find myself in a tiny, moral dilemma today.  Hubby is taking me to see Olympus Has Fallen tonight, which I am super stoked to see.  We very rarely go to see movies in the theaters anymore because they are so darn expensive.  Forget about trying to take our three girls with us.  Thankfully, they are staying with my parents for the night. Since the cost of snacks usually amounts to more than the price of the tickets, I tend to sneak food into the theater.  So, I pulled my roomy, knock-off, Juicy Couture purse out of the closet in expectation of filling it with chips and candy and water, but I find myself feeling a little guilty about it.  I cannot be the only morally sound person to do this, especially in these hard, economic times.  I do get a little rush after I take my seat, knowing I have gotten away with it, but the guilt is always there.  Should I let it go, or just go without? Thoughts?

 

Photo courtesy of ell brown on Creative Commons.

Why TEOTWAWKI Scares Me To Death

TEOTWAWKI truly does scare me...but not for the reasons you may think.  I am an information sponge.  It doesn't matter how small the inquiry is...I have to Google it.  My name is Jessica, and I am a Google addict.  How to grow potatoes in a container...How many movies have Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter been in together?...Do cats sweat? It doesn't matter...I have to Google it.  What am I going to do when a massive solar flare knocks out the archaic electrical grid and I have a question? 

It may seen silly, but I have actually started my 'Google' binder.  Every time I need the answer to a question that may benefit me during the end of the world, I Google it and print it out.  I add my printouts to my binder, and I feel a little piece of mind.  I know this sounds rediculous to most people, but my hubby is a 'prepper', and he is constantly talking about the fall of our country.  I'm not sure when it will happen or how it will come about, but as long as I have my binder, I will have a small bit of reassurance that I will always have some of the answers.

Photo courtesy of clicksense on Creative Commons.

I Got My First Tattoo!

Most of us have seen the movie The Bucketlist. That movie inspired me to make my own bucketlist. I have things like travel to China and learn to play the guitar on my list...nothing too astronomical. On Friday, I was able to check off something on my list and I wanted to share it. I got my first tattoo! My goal was to get it by the time I was 30 (10 months from now) so I decided to suck up all the fears I had and do it. I chose three butterflies, one to represent each of my three girls. I cannot save face here...it hurt. Badly. It starts on the top of my wrist and winds slightly to the underside of my forearm. I sat there for 1 1/2 hours in agony. All I could do was squeeze my husband's hand and hold back the tears. This is the point where someone may want to call me a wuss but I don't care. I went through with it and I couldn't be happier. I was able to achieve a goal that I had wanted for so long but I let my fears hold me back. I feel on top of the world and I am super pleased with the results. Although not fully healed, the tattoo is quite beautiful and feminine...not girly though. I just wanted to remind everyone through my experience that no matter what you are scared of, if you want something, go after it. You will not regret it.

Aprons Make Great Christmas Gifts

Women's Scarlet Blossom Apron
I gave away two of these aprons last year and my family loved them! Flirty Aprons.com has a great selection of styles and they are so cute. These aprons give you a fantasctic silhouette and are just plane cute! They come in styles for men, women, and kids! If you want to get one for a friend, family member, or yourself, then now is the time.

Use Code CYBER30 to save 30% of your entire order through Cyber Monday at Flirty Aprons.com.

This deal only comes around at Christmas time so I would jump on it now. Hope you love these aprons as much as I do. I have listed just a few of these cute aprons below.


Women's Frosted Cupcake Apron


Girls' Pink Chocolate Apron


Women's Sassy Black

Help My Husband Fly With The Blue Angels

I need your help guys. My husband's name is Roger and he has a dream to one day fly with the Blue Angels. I want nothing more in teh world than to make this happen for him. I have come up with a plan and I need all of you to help me. Check out my lens on Squidoo to see how you can help. Thanks. - Jessica

Help Roger Fly With The Blue Angels

Is WELA A Scam: Post #2

Ok guys, it's been about 3 weeks since I signed up with WELA. As of yesterday, I have two people signed up under me so now I qualify for payment. Go, Jessica! I have $8 in my account so far (still trying to figure out what that's for). I should be getting another $32 this week...that's the bonus I get for signing up 2 people ($16 each).

I have been to a few of the live training webinars so far. I'm actually quite impressed with how they run the company. I can see how this company can make me a lot of money. The trick to the whole thing is getting others to sign up and stay signed up. Honestly, if everyone signed up and stuck with it, I think this would be a top notch company. I just think that too many people only want the money right now and aren't willing to stick with a program for the long haul. I'm sticking with it. When I get my first paycheck and start earning more bonuses, I'll be sure to let you know. I hope you guys stick with me to see how it all plays out.

If you want to see my first post, click here.

Avatar Release VS Avatar Costumes Sales

Many of you may know that Avatar was re-released this past week. Apparently, James Cameron added an extra 9 minutes of footage to the movie. That's cool and all but I'm not going to pay another $13 to see it again in 3D for an extra 9 minutes. That's kind of ridiculous in my book. This mom is wondering if it has anything to do with the upcoming Halloween holiday and the release of the new Avatar Halloween costumes. Hmm...interesting thought. Maybe this will help remind patrons that Avatar was, in fact, a great movie and make our children want to be a part of the Na'vi tribe from Pandora for Halloween. I don't think this is a coincidence at all.

WhatIsPUPPS.com

I am excited to announce to my followers that I launched a new website today. It is a site about PUPPS, a pregnancy rash. I had this disease 10 years ago during my first pregnancy and it still haunts me. Back then, there was hardly any research done on the subject so information was hard to come by. I took it upon myself to put the info on a site for the whole world to see. There is no reason for any sufferer of PUPPS to feel alone again. If you have PUPPS and want to learn more about it, feel free to stop by WhatIsPUPPS.com. You can also leave me your story in the guestbook. I would love to hear from you.

Halloween Silly Bandz

Silly Bandz are still going strong...at least in my house. There are so many new types of Silly Bandz out now that it can be hard to decide which ones to get. I have decided that since my kids have so many of them that I need to cut back a little. Today I discovered that there are Halloween Silly Bandz! This pack includes a spider, a witch, a bat, a pumpkin, a ghost, and Frankenstein. They are so cute! I thought it it would be a great way to justify buying them by using Halloween as an excuse. I could buy up a couple of packs and give them out for Halloween instead of the traditional candy! That way, the kids gets a cool treat that I don't have to feel guilty about. Sounds like a plan to me. What do you guys think? If you want to see them or pick up a few pack for yourself, you can check them out here.

Made Focaccia Bread Today

Some of you may know that I write lenses for other people on a site called Squidoo. I have been doing a ton of lenses on bread recipes lately and that got me wanting to make some. Tonight I decided to attempt making focaccia bread. Keep in mind that I have never made a bread using yeast before so it was all new to me. My camera is MIA so I can't post a picture right now but I will tell you that it was quite delicious. It was a little flat which I equate to my impatience. Who has time to let dough rise? I smothered it in garlic salt, olive oil, and parmesan cheese before baking. Can I just tell you that the smell was intoxicating! Overall I am quite pleased and I look forward to attempting to make it again.

Is Wela A Scam?

Honest answer, I'm not sure yet. I signed up for WELA today. Yes, I paid the $50 fee and signed up. Will I make any money? Who knows. I figured that it wouldn't hurt to try.

So here's what I know so far...

When you sign up, they give you 2 personal websites. They all pretty much look the same as everybody else's but they give you credit when someone clicks through your page. It's kind of like when someone purchases a product off of an affiliate page and you get a commission.

I will have to work to get people to sign up unless I pay another $37.95 to have 25 people a month directed to my site. I'm not willing to do that at this point. I guess I'm on my own for right now. I am going to apply a few marketing techniques I have learned over the past 18 months I have been working online and see where that gets me. I will also be keeping you updated on my progress.

If you would like to check out WELA yourself and see what theis program offers, then click this link and read all about it. Feel free to leave me any comments regarding your own personal WELA experiences or let me know if you decided to sign up. Thanks - Jessica

Update: You can see how I'm progressing by checking out Post #2.

Japanese Puzzle Erasers For Kids

Silly Bandz may be hot here in the US but there is a new trend looming overseas. Japanese puzzle erasers made by Iwako are spreading like wild fire and there is no sign of them slowing down. Why are these erasers so hot? First of all, they are adorable. Do you see those hamsters? Second, they can be taken apart and put back together...like a puzzle. The entire eraser is usable and they are all environmentally safe.

There are many different kinds of puzzle erasers. The most popular are the food erasers and the animal erasers. If you haven't brushed up on these puppies yet, I suggest getting started. You may see them on your child's Christmas list as early as this year.

Moonlight Zany Bandz: Inspired by the Twilight Series

The makers of Zany Bandz have created a new collectible pack of silly bandz called Moonlight. They were inspired by the Twilight movies. How ingenious is this?! Combining two different pop culture sensations in one little pack! You can buy these and all the other rare Silly Bandz on this Squidoo page. No doubt that your pre-teen will be bugging you for them very soon. Just a heads up from mom to mom.

Everything Outside Of This

I wrote a song...here's a little back story...

My hubby and I have this hand signal where we touch our pointer and thumb together and say "I love you everything outside of this". I was inspired by that phrase and wrote a song about it. Anybody know an artist needing a sad country song? Lol! Anyways...here are the lyrics. And just in case I have to say it...These are my lyrics. I wrote them. Do not try to copy and repost them as your own. If you want to show them off (haha) just ask for my permission first. :)

Everything Outside Of This

(Verse 1) He used to watch her at school from afar

Now he holds her hand under the stars

And he wants to let her know

That she has his heart and soul

And he knows there’s only one thing left to do

He pulls out a little box and stumbles through

(Chorus) Everything outside of this,

That’s how much you mean to me

You are my world, my everything

None of this means anything

Without you, to show me the way

You are everything

Everything outside of this


(Verse 2) Ten years later they have built a dream

With three young girls, it’s the perfect family

And she wants him to know,

That she’ll never let him go

And she knows that sometimes

tests aren’t always right

And she pleads with him to not give up the fight

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge) And with tears falling down her face

She falls down to her knees

And she just can’t seem to understand

Why he only looks asleep



Everything outside of this

That’s how much he means to me

He was my world, my everything

Now I don’t have anything.

Hold my hand and pull me through

Away from everything

He was my everything

Take me away from everything

Everything outside of this


I hope you guys like it. Keep watch for another completely random post soon.

So Bored Today...

Have you ever just been bored to tears? I have nothing to do today...except a load of laundry. It's just staring at me. It can wait.

I'm not motivated to do anything today. Ever had those days?

I need a project. Thinking...

Cupcakes For Moms...Cocktail Cupcakes!

Nothing is better after a long day of writing than Cocktail Cupcakes. That's right...there are cupcakes that taste just like your favorite cocktail drinks! From White Russian to Pina Colada, you can make a cupcake to taste like any mixed drink! This page even has a recipe for the kiddies...Shirley Temple Cupcakes! If you think you are game, head on over and get baking!

Picture courtesy of (Cup)Cake Eater on Creative Commons.