Makin' it rain

My baby... my first born... my Xander-Man is now 17 years old. It's so hard to believe. I hugged him for so long and super tightly tonight. I told him he had to stay 17 forever. Like Edward. =) Except, he doesn't need to sparkle. I think he draws the line at sparkling.

Alex is a Halloween baby. And this was the first Halloween he wanted to go out with his friends, and leave us peasants behind. Shame on him.

Because we love him. We let him go. And picked him up promptly at 9:30.

:D

And then proceeded to give him his present.

Marcos and I decided on the amount and figured this would be a much more fun way of giving it to him, instead of a gift card. 

It took him a while. But eventually he ended up at 200. While he was counting... I was sure to point out that the ones did not come FROM a strip club...(I hope)... nor should they be FOR a strip club.

One of my best parenting moments, ever. :)

Happy 17th Birthday, my sweet child. We love you soooo much. We love your heart. And your mind. And the way you take care of everyone. Stop growing. That's an order.

Nic this morning...

There will be a few posts today... 
First and foremost... Halloween pics from this morning.
Nic was allowed to dress up, but he had to be a character from a book. We took his black cape from Darth Vader and turned him into Dracula.

He even sparkled a little. :)

More to come.  Especially because today is Alex's 17th birthday!

Quick! Before something changes...

P.S. Nic is in Kindergarten and Alex is in the 11th grade.

A Royal Workout: My Guard Dog Rocks

Last night I decided to take this girl out for her first real walk.

Of course, she's much bigger now. This was when she was 8 weeks old. She just celebrated her first birthday on the 28th.

I didn't walk far. I couldn't. She was either very afraid [of everything] or on attack-mode [against everything & everyone]. I walked her down to my cousin's house and she, Olive, was not very friendly. My cousin was as friendly as could be.

So, there and back, I walked a total of 1.2 miles. The weather was beautiful, the stars were out. And no one called Animal Control.

I call that a successful attempt at doing the right thing. =)

And having too much fun with PicMonkey.

:P

How to Seduce your Guy in 31 Days [Day 29]

I know I've jumped around  a lot. I had big dreams - but then I lost my notebook. Maybe the dog ate it?

I am shooting for a recap, with a list of things that can be done to seduce your guy. Or, for me to seduce mine. I do have to say, though, that in a very short amount of time and number of posts, I've learned something about all of this. And that was kind of the point.

My guy is happiest when the house is kept, there is dinner on the table (regardless of if he makes it or I do), when there are clean work clothes in the closet (regardless of if he washes them or I do), and when the chaos is controlled. He wants to come home on Wednesday nights (his Friday) to a picked-up and happy home. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just not apocalyptic.

After being married for almost 18 years, I realize that we BOTH do better when things have a place and are in order. I wasn't so surprised to learn that about myself. It surprised me more about him. I think he's been quiet all these years. Probably realizing all of the work I put into my education, my career, and the kids. He put his feelings aside and dealt.

I remember his sister once hollered at me for not taking better care of her brother. This was about seven years in. Maybe less. I was so mad at her. How DARE she. While she is five years older, she didn't have a husband (at the time). She didn't have kids (still doesn't, but she's the best aunt!). She didn't got to school full time and work full time.

I was steaming mad for a long period. But even then I knew; she was right. My husband was just too nice to say anything. However, that didn't mean he didn't express his mind in other ways. Like coming home on Wednesday nights, walking straight into the kitchen and tossing stuff into the trash. Or moving piles of clean, but not yet put away clothes from one couch to another so he could sit down. Those were glaring signs that I was missing ignoring. My bad.

I didn't want to do my 31 days series on organizing and cleaning, etc... because everyone was doing that. But now I see why. It's the reality of it all. We all need to figure out a system that works. Sooner, rather than later.

When I am in the middle of a mundane task like making a cake or washing the dishes, my husband sometimes gets that look in his eyes. Ladies, you know that look. He LIKES it when I am doing chores. When I am baking. When I am being a domestic diva.

So, in the (almost) end, I've decided to kill two birds with one stone. Except there will be no actual killing taking place. I will get my domestication on to seduce my guy AND to keep the castle clutter free.

He is 16, going on 17

Name that movie...

:D

It's hard to fathom that my first baby boy is days away from the big ONE SEVEN.

We had a small pre-celebration last night, at my aunt's Halloween party. Which is kind of fitting since Alex is a Halloween baby.

For Sale by Owner

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That's obvious, huh? I don't think I've ever seen 'For Sale by Non-Owner' or 'For Sale by Thief.'

A recent trip to IKEA is forcing my hand and moving things out. I put my radio console cabinet thing on Craigslist. 

If you want it (and are local) or if you know someone who may want it, send me an email!!

It's in great shape - and a solid piece of furniture! You can see I used it as a console in the hallway, but it can be a TV stand, a changing table, etc.

Would love to see this go to a GREAT home!!

What candy?

Don't want to turn your light off, but still need a way to let Trick-or-Treaters know that the candy bowl is sans the sweet stuff?

Download this nifty (and free) printable by clicking here.

This printable was original shared on Eighteen25. So so cool.

How to Seduce you Guy in 31 Days [Day 22]

This week, I am going to focus on our castle. Since I am a queen, and all.
Not really.

=)

One of the things I know my husband adores (as probably all husbands do) - is a clean, functioning house. With five people and two dogs, sometimes it's hard to control the chaos and clutter. To go along with some other changes around here (hint: I am now reading How to have a new teenager by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman), I've created some responsibility and chore charts. 

The difference between the two? The items listed on responsibility chart are a MUST. No questions asked, they better be done. I swear, if I get yelled at one more time by Dr. Ortho because on of my kids isn't wearing their orthodontic bands, I am going to wrap one of those bands around my neck and see what happens.

Then we have the Chore chart. These are things that we really need their help on around the house... that can earn them some dough. We've never had a good track record with paying out allowance... mostly because the kids never had a good track record with completing their chores. Crazy how that works, huh?  But... we are going to try it again.

I want my husband to be able to come home from work and not worry about anything other than dinner and quiet time with the family. I don't want his boots sticking to the floor, his dinner served on a paper plate (unless it's super casual night), or a dust companion sitting next to him on the couch.

Of course, I have my jobs around the house; I will share with you MY chore chart later in the week.

When the kids follow their charts and the house is a picked-up, comfy place to be, I know that makes my husband happier and less stressful. We aim to please.

*And yes, I mistyped "vacuum" in Alex's chart above. I am sure he won't notice. He will be too busy vacuuming, after all. ;)

A Royal Workout: Made a Different Choice

I did it. And I am so glad I did. Did you hear me screaming from the rooftops this morning?
No? Might want to get your hearing checked. ;)

I told Marcos last night to WAKE ME UP when he got up this morning. At 5:30. GROAN!!! I normally soak up every last minute that I can in my bed... running out the door at 7:30 to get Nic to the bus stop. I have been trying so hard to change up my routine. And I was adamant that today was going to be the day.

I know...a mile isn't much. But I did it at 6am... while watching the news. I could have been sleeping still, but I wasn't.

After I finished my walk, I got Nic up and then headed downstairs to make myself a Chocolate Banana protein shake. Haven't had one of those in forever; it tasted delish. And was exactly what I needed to get this Monday (and week) off to a good start.

Baby steps...

Donations

There comes a time when you look around and are just floored at the "world" around you. Right?
Wait... let me back up. Let me OWN this.

I am looking around and am floored at the "world" around me.

I am so sick of the STUFF.

I've been tossing things into Goodwill destined boxes all weekend. I've actually taken things in that still had their previous Goodwill tag on them.

I realize this is my own version of Super Soul Sunday. Especially as I dig deep into my soul to determine if I am full of joy. At the moment, most likely not. Of course, there's a cure for joylessness. And without trying too hard, and going with my heart, I have a few ideas up my sleeveless tank-top.

How to Seduce your Guy in 31 Days [Day 17, 18 &19]

It's not every day you come across a blog post by a GUY that makes total sense. Not to discredit GUYS...
I just don't read a lot of blogs written by men. But this one I am sharing today is GOOD!! And I think it really relates to this entire series I am working on.

Meet Dan:

He writes a blog called Single Dad Laughing. He writes a few others, too. He has no idea who I am. But that's okay! ;)

This post that he wrote yesterday is perfect... and I will be sharing it with my man. Hopefully, giving him something to think about.

via

Click here to read all 16 ways he feel that he blew his marriage. It's honest, open and relateable.

Enjoy!

Blame it on the alcohol

You could...
Blame it on the Vodka.
Blame it on the Hennie...

But I think I will stick with straight rubbing alcohol, because that's what did it for me!
Remember when I showed you this post and this picture:

I mentioned I found a cleaning solution for my very well-loved microfiber couch. I didn't think it would work... but LOOK!!!

Same couch, people!!
Now I just need to keep the kids and dogs off of it!!

Election 2012

Isa: Who are you voting for, mom?

Me: I am not saying.

Isa: It better not be Romney.

Me: Oh?

Isa: You didn't listen to the debate, did you? Romney is trying to get rid of the people who are from other countries.

Me: Illegal immigrants? Isa... if they aren't here legally, that's an issue.

Isa: But what if he sends Justin Bieber back to Canada????

Me: Isabel... I am almost positive he is here on a working Visa. And that's fine. That means he's here legally. He won't be sent home.

Isa: What do you mean you're ALMOST positive?

This was an actual conversation with my 13 year old daughter just now.
Those smarty-pants politicians are being sneaky... and at the same time, scaring the Bbbb-Biebers out of teen girls across the country.

via

A Little Fall

I realized that I will be having people over to my house in two weeks for my son's 17th birthday (and Halloween - which is the same day).

And then I SCREAMED.

The house is still a construction zone. I still have spackle on my bathroom walls. I only have two chairs at my dining room table.

Proof:

I've been pulling out my fall totes to try and get some decor out. You know, so the kids could tell that Autumn had arrived (in case they can't read a calendar).

This year, I've decided to decorate the OUTSIDE of the house Halloween Style. And the INSIDE of the house FALL STYLE.

I got a jump start on fall today, but maybe I should hurry up with Halloween?

If you've been around for a while, you know I don't have a real mantel... so I find any ledge type thingy and try to make it work.

I don't think it's 100 percent there... but it is what it is for now. And it will probably change fifteen times before Christmas. But at least there's some orange going on.

The bookcases even got dressed up a little.
Can I call them 'book'cases if they have more stuff on them than books?

I shall call them 'stuff'cases.


P.S. Here is what fall looked like in years past. Thanksgiving 2011  Entryway from last year... 
Man, I need to get better at fall. Maybe I need a fireplace?!

How to Seduce your Guy in 31 Days [Day 16]

Go back for a moment... regardless of how many years you've been together... press 'Play' and let your mind remember the jams that brought you and your man just a little closer.

Perhaps it was a song that was playing during your first kiss. Maybe it was the song you danced to at your wedding.

For Day 16, I want to focus on the music that shaped our lives together. Marcos and I have a plethora of songs that make us stop, close our eyes, and remember - the good times or the sad. Music has a way of doing that; agree?

Putting together a playlist is a quick and easy way to show your man you are thinking about him. You can create a new playlist for his iPod, or add songs into his existing playlists - to surprise him a little.

Here are a few of the songs that mean something to us [please don't judge on the corniness]:

Zapp & Roger - I want to be your man
Zapp & Roger - Computer love

The reason why these two are on the list is because Zapp & Roger came out with their greatest hits CD in 1993, which is when Marcos and I met. He played them all of the time and now, when the songs come on the radio, we steal a sideways glance at each other.

SWV - Weak
Aerosmith - Cryin'

Cryin' was our first ever pre-make-out (uhem!) song. Which is hysterical if you actually listen to the words; nothing romantic about it. A great song, none-the-less. Too bad Don't want to miss a thing didn't come out until years later.

Alan Jackson - Remember when

This song came out 10 years into our relationship. He found it and played it quite often... and when I heard it and saw the video, it simply and solidly solidified the fact that I wanted nothing more than to grow old with the man (Marcos, not Alan).

I think the reason why music provides such great memories is because in the early years, we used to go to the record store and buy singles on tape. I remember the day we went to Tower Records and they told us that they no longer sold tapes... we had to buy CDs. I looked that clerk in the eye, pissed as all get out, and told him that CDs would NEVER last.

Well, I was kinda right... we've all moved on to MP3 and iTunes, right? Well, some of us. Marcos still has a box full of old school tapes. I think we will keep those forever. As a reminder.

Just a little curious... what was your first make-out song?

An Announcement of the Dental Variety

That sucker has been loose for a while... I was so afraid he was going to lose it while Marcos and I were gone on vacation (and he was home with his grandma). Instead, he lost it while I was at Hobby Lobby this morning. Alex called to tell me.

#fail

Nic needs a haircut. Bad.

#doublefail