Ten Things to Smile About: March

[I cant believe it is already time to write my Ten Things to Smile About: March post! Was February really a month ago? Weird!]

1. Spending a lot of time jumping on our new trampoline---providing enjoyment for kids and a break for mom when she's cleaning. :) 2. A very special librarian who gave my sweet daughter brand new copies of the Pinkalicious books to check out. We returned them yesterday, after Petey had Pinkalicious practically memorized. :)

3. Going to the cabin for spring break and getting TONS of snuggle time with my kids.

4. Boss' grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

5. Spending a late night with my son, the teething monster. He doesnt get a lot of one on one time with me so when we do get it, I cherish it.

6. Grandpa taking Spidey out in the irrigation to look at the trees and spend time together. That boy was in Heaven. Which boy, you ask? Probably both of them. :)

7. Spidey deciding his favorite toy is Petey's pink baby doll stroller. Hilarious.

8. The kids becoming fascinated with Boss' Lego Star Wars game. Petey thinks it's a movie and asks to "watch it with him" ALL the time...he's pretty happy about that [extra game time for him].

9. Petey sharing her cereal with her brother after he was done with his own breakfast. :)

10. Dying my hair blonde. Becoming the newest member of Twitter (@SuzesCorner). Getting hooked on Dog the Bounty Hunter. [those apparently all count as one thing to smile about] :)

Slow down, Speed up!

Sometimes I wonder how life slips by so fast and so slow all at the same time. And I wonder how this "recent to me" picture could already be a year old. And those kids have now turned into these kids [the kind of kids who no longer like looking at the camera]. But then there's college. Will. It. Ever. Be. Over??? Everyone always tells me it'll go by fast but guess what? It isnt. For how fast my kids seem to be growing, my husband should be done with school tomorrow. :) But alas, we are almost halfway done. And he will have his associates by the end of the summer. So that is a step---it's some sort of degree, right? And by all of this school-going-slow business, I am not saying that my husband isnt doing well and getting through it all. I just mean that it feels like it's been forever...and I feel like I had my daughter yesterday. In comparison, it doesnt match up. So if I could choose for something to go faster and something else to go slower, it would be this: School, please be over when I blink my eyes. Or at least speed up a little bit! My husband works hard and I want him to get a break...or a really great job...or both. Kids, when I blink, dont grow!!! Slow down! Hold on! Mommy is baby hungry because her babies keep growing up so fast! I'd be content with just the two of you for now if you would just stay babies a little bit longer. And since mommy cant have any more babies right now, you need to stay small for me! This would be ideal. And that's how Suze sees it.

Twisted Hairstyle

Yesterday, I found a really cute hairstyle over at Princess Hairstyles that I wanted to try on my girl. We ended up doing it that night but it didnt turn out so well...so we didnt take any pictures. This morning, I thought, "I think I get it now. Let's try again!". And it looks so adorable! I added gel to each section of hair so that her shorter "baby hairs" werent poking out. See? I think it turned out awesome. You will find the tutorial at the link above or if youre too lazy to scroll up, click here.

Then we added some cute new flower bows I made for my princess yesterday. I think they are absolutely adorable.

Success!!!

Monday Madness

No pictures today. I apologize. And not the same format as my regular Monday Madness, which is ironic since today was filled with more madness than most of my other Mondays. It all started early this morning when I had to go into the DES office again...you don't even want to know...trust me, you dont. There are so many things I could say about the very unpleasant people I have delt with at my local DES office but that isnt really necessary. Instead of ranting and raving about it on the internet (which I am still slightly doing, just in less detail), I have filed complaints to higher sources and after the deadline I've given them of tomorrow to fix their mistakes, if the problems still arent fixed, I'll be calling the office of Russell Pearce. Just wish me luck. Because though I am going to fight, I am seriously exhausted and would love to never walk into a DES office again in my life. Later in the morning, we went over to Petey's boyfriend's house (just kidding!) to play. His mom is one of my best friend's and we try to get together every Monday and then whatever other days in between work out for both of us. :) I had work in the afternoon. Fun. But my client (ha! my little sister) was not in the best of moods today---much like her older sister. Upon returning home, Spidey was asleep (hello, teething monster!) and it was dinner time. At 8:30pm, he still has not woken up and I am guessing he wont be sleeping through the night tonight. Here's to hoping but not really having high hopes that he sleeps through the night tonight. Now, if somebody could tell me WHY I am sitting on our hard tile floor leaning my back against the couch instead of actually sitting on the couch, I'd really appreciate it. (and if you find my brain, please kindly return it to me) And that's how Suze sees it.

Pick your battles

Oh what a lesson this is to be learned. Pick your battles. I am the mother of babies/toddlers. I would have imagined I'd start picking my battles when these children became young adults but as the story usually goes, I was wrong. I have grown so much in the almost 3 years I've been a mother. Things I never thought I could learn or do, I now know and do. One of the main things I have come to learn when disciplining my children is to pick my battles. So the other day when I wanted to tell my son to STOP playing in the puddles at the park, I held my tongue. He is only 17 months once. And what harm will this do? After having a personal battle with myself, I just quietly took pictures of him and smiled at the joy on his face.

And that very next day, I was challenged again when Miss Petey begged to wear her Tinkerbell dress up to the mall. I again fought with myself and thought, "Will people think I am the wierdest mother ever?". I then decided that it didnt matter what others thought. She is only going to be 2 1/2 once. And someday I am going to miss the days when she would twirl around in her Tinkerbell dress to songs she made up on the spot.

So I am slowly learning to pick my battles. I am slowly learning to care about what my children think and how happy they are and not about what other people think. Because I know who matters most in this world and that is my family.

On that note, we celebrated Boss' Grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary over the weekend. What an amazing experience to be a part of. I am so grateful that they chose each other, had a daughter, and that their daughter had a son who is now my best friend. :) It is amazing to see how many lives have been touched all because two people fell in love.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Wild Wednesday

Have you ever had a moment in your life that you've thought, "Oh, crap! What did I do?"? Like maybe you had tie dyed some shirts red last week and you forgot to wash them separately. And somehow your son's nice white church shirt got mixed in with the red shirts and now it is a pink church shirt.
And then you just wish you could rewind to that morning and separate these shirts from each other before starting a load of laundry.

Well, it's been one of those days for me. It started out crappy---as in, I had to call the DES office and then they told me to come down to the office to talk to a supervisor and when I got there the front office refused to let me see a supervisor so I cried all the way home and then called them back later to explain my situation more and the girl apparently couldnt handle my tone of voice so she transferred me to the supervisor whom I had to leave a 10 minute message for, crying the whole time mind you, and she never returned my call. "sigh" (World's Longest Run-on Sentence Award!).
After that, I had a headache all afternoon from crying all morning and I was loved so much by very wonderful friends and I thought, "Hey, this day is only going to get better." but I was wrong. It was still a stressful afternoon.

But today needed to end on a positive note so I decided to be productive and look at life from a different perspective, just like these silly kids have taught me.

So I finished Petey's notebook purse that I found HERE. Still working on the basketball notebook for Spidey...the Easter bunny will bring these to them in their Easter baskets next month.

And I finally found a good use for this huge pretzel can that Ive been saving (yay for putting away the baby toys that my kids dont play with right now!)

And my last big project today was figuring out a way to keep our wireless router safe. You see, the room we like best for our "play/toy room" is the only room in our house that has hook ups for our wireless router. Hmph. This has created some problems and a few scares when the kids would play with it so when I moved Petey back in to the other room with her brother last night (her bed was covering up the router before), I knew we needed some of these metal box shelves.

I connected those first two boxes backward so they would create a cage for the router but I realized that would still look fun for the kids and they'd want to figure out a way to get to it.

So I stuffed a bunch of pillows in there to hide the router. Perfect!

Then I organized everything in the playroom (which will last until the morning),

and filled the extra boxes with some of their toys. This is the best our play room has ever looked---besides the dirty carpet. Yuck!

And what better way to end the day than to cuddle up with some soft, clean kiddos after bathtime?

What would I do?

My friend, Jen, over at Denton Sanatorium is doing a link party this week that I thought would be fun.

She asked what I would do if I had 24, 48, or even 72 hours to myself.

And I thought about it for a while.

Three whole days without this silly guy?

And these silly kids?

Let's start with Day 1. I would organize our house. Throw away crap, donate stuff we don't use, and organize the rest...all after deep cleaning shelves and floors. Oh how good it sounds to be able to clean with no little hands undoing my work behind me.

Day 2 I would finish anything left from Day 1...after sleeping in. I would decorate the house and rearrange furniture and bedrooms as I've planned to do for quite some time.

Day 3 I would craft. Maybe go to lunch with a friend. And then craft. And blog. And watch some chick flicks.

All 3 days, I would sit down and eat meals at regular times. I would exercise every day. I would shower and do my hair.

Oh the possibilities.

And yes, I love every minute that I get to spend with my children. And I love every second I get to spend with my husband. Honestly, I'm sure I'd really start missing them after just a day of being away from them. I dont know how I'd last 3 whole days.

Jen, you ask a very dreamful question here. I'm sure mine will stay a dream for a long while until our lives calm down a bit. Thanks for the link!

And that's how Suze sees it.

Monday Madness

Oh the joys of Monday Madness!!! We had an incredibly relaxing spring break filled with lots of snuggling up at my parent's cabin. I just love these two children that I have been blessed with. Sometimes I just look at them and realize how perfect they are for our family and it makes my heart so happy. Even though sometimes they dont want me to hold them (pictured below), I know they love me and I love them.What was my favorite weekend picture?

This beauty that Boss captured yesterday.

What were the two main events of today?

My best friend, Leyla's, birthday and also my mom's birthday! For Leyla's, we celebrated with lunch at Joe's Farm Grill...Yum!

For my mom's birthday, we had a party at my parent's house with Buca di Beppo take out, presents, and some fun games.

Who made me laugh today?

Oh that silly brother and dad of mine. They were trying to mimick each other's "angry" faces but my brother was laughing too hard to even try.

(pictured below...Mom open her present from us)

It was a fabulous Monday and I hope that these two very special women in my life had a very special day today.

And that's how Suze sees it.

PS: Glitter toes? I am not a fan. I got mine done in February and I now have an infected ingrown toenail...and that is on the toenail that has had surgery before to cauterize the nerve! I'm a little bit upset tonight because I was told to file them off but the pressure from the filing is hurting my toe like crazy. Hmph. Probably wont be doing that again. But for those of you that like glitter toes and dont get ingrown toenails like me, good for you!

Changing Table for Sale

Ok, friends. My Facebook is not letting me upload this picture so I decided to post it to my blog. We are selling our changing table for $20 OBO. Also, we have a storage compartment that attaches to the side of the changing table that I'm selling for $5. If you are interested, leave me a comment!

We dont have a truck so it would need to be picked up by you if you want it.

Thanks! :)

(Monday Madness coming tonight...and Ill be deleting this post once it's sold, or in a day or two if it doesnt sell)

Blankets for Japan

I wont be posting a Friday Confessional post today...for two reasons.
First of all, I already blogged today. :)
Second of all, I have something much more important to talk about.
My husband's sister, Juli, is doing a blanket drive for the people of Japan and I am trying to help spread the word!
You can go to her blog to contact her and help out or just leave me a comment and I can make sure to get in touch with her for you.

If you didnt already know, my husband served a mission for our church in Sendai, Japan and the areas surrounding, which is the part of Japan that was hit the worst. He was there for two years, serving and teaching those people and he came to love so many of them. The devastation that has hit Japan has really made an impact on him. He was immediately trying to call/email/Facebook the families and friends that he has in Japan to make sure they were ok (and he is constantly watching news coverage and online footage of the earthquake/tsunami).

One of his friends emailed him back after a day or two, letting us know that his family was ok but that their house was destroyed.

Think about if that were you.
Obviously, the most important thing was that their family was safe, unlike thousands of others. But where do they go from here? They have no home to go back to.

These blankets will really help those families who have lost so much.

If you can help, please contact Juli or let me know. Every dollar, piece of fabric, line of thread, etc helps.

Thank you so much.

And that's how Suze sees it.

The bad dream

Have you ever had a dream that you wanted to wake up from?
That was me last night/this morning.
When the sun peeked through the mountains at 6am, I got out of bed because I no longer wanted to be asleep.
That's how crappy of a dream I was having.
But dont worry, Jen @ Denton Sanatorium saved my life. Really. Thanks for being there, Jen. :)Glad I could have a dream with you in it, even though I dont know what your voice or any of your family's voices sound like. And sorry for putting your kids in danger.
Even though you took me under your wing from the bad guys, your husband actually fought them off and saved all of our lives. ha! So thank him for me, will ya? :)

On a completely unrelated note to my scary dream, life has been relaxing on this wonderful spring break week. I didnt realize how much my husband was at school until we have had him home with us all week.

We have been doing a lot of this...and a lot of playing with our kids.

Life. is. good.

And that's how Suze sees it.

I was going to blog...

I was going to write a huge, long blog post and then...
I remember my husband had half of a root canal today and is on pain medication (and is currently singing "Row your boat" in his sleep and he just, "Do you know who your Grandpa reminds me of? Mr Magoo. Do you even know who that is?" Pain meds make him sleep talk...a lot)

And I remember how whiney my kids have been lately.

And I remember how I stayed up late tie dying shirts with my friends for all of our kids.

And I remember that Petey walked around the Phoenix Children's Museum today in only underwear (that could possibly pass as booty shorts) because she was on level 3 of the play house and couldnt get to the bathroom fast enough---hence pooping in her pants. "sigh"

So even though this consists of a blog post, it isnt much. And I am extremely exhausted.

Goodnight.

A Bittersweet Weekend

A young girl in our ward passed away last week (hence the mention of a funeral in my last post).
Because of my very special calling in our church, I got to help organize the luncheon and attend her funeral.
Amazing, to say the least.
Her mother put it best when she said about the funeral: "Ive never been in a funeral where you could hear so much laughter."
Before the services, I attended the viewing with some of my friends who knew Kelsey better than I. As we entered in, I was crying and I asked my friend why. I did not know Kelsey other than a very special encounter at the park a couple weeks ago. I realized that I cry as a mother and for her mother. In reality, I know Kelsey is in a better place. My heart hurts for her family who has to endure missing her during this earthly life.

Kelsey helping my daughter at the park a few weeks ago.

When I came home, my husband saw my puffy eyes and said, "I think you are too compassionate sometimes that you want to take away everyone else's pain."
And he's right. I don't like pain. I dont like it if others are feeling it. I've always been that way.

Kelsey's funeral brought back so many memories of when my friend (whom my daughter is named after) passed away 11 years ago. Seeing the teenagers cry and fill up a lot of the seats at that funeral reminded me of my friend and the special spirit she created; special enough to fill a whole church with loved ones. Like Kelsey, so many people loved my friend. And like Kelsey, I know she is busy doing missionary work up in Heaven.

I know that Jesus Christ suffered for us and knows all of our pains. He endured so much so that we can live again.

And that's how Suze sees it.

PS: I am now a blonde again.

Friday Confessional

I confess:

• 2 days ago, I went to the allergist to find out what the heck is wrong with me and he gave me 3 prescriptions and an order for a blood test...and since then? Well, since then I have filled a single one of the prescriptions and I still havent done the blood test. And my eyes are puffy from sneezing right now...no bueno. I'm kind of an idiot. :)
• Almost a year ago, I wrote THIS post about keeping my Petey modest. And today she is in a halter top dress. I'm kind of a hypocrite. Or lazy. Or both.
• I gained 3 pounds at my weigh in last Sunday. So probably this week, I'll still only be down 12 pounds, which is still great since I've been dieting for less than 4 weeks.
• Sometimes, my son whimpers in the morning and if I wait a minute or two, he just goes back to sleep for another 20-30 minutes.

Well, that is all the confessing I have to do today. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I may or may not miss my "How Do I?" post again tomorrow due to my church calling and a funeral for a young girl at my church.

And that's how Suze sees it.

The Savvy Sale

If you are an Arizonan like me, I have a very important question to ask you.
Have you ever heard of The Savvy Sale? No? Well, then you are in for a treat.
TheSavvySale is a consignment event located in Mesa, AZ. I have signed up to go the past year and a half (they host one everyone 6 months) but have never had a friend to go with---hence never having the guts to go.
This year, my friend, Leyla, invited me to get in to the presale event (since she is pregnant and can bring 1 guest) and I decided to go.
And from now on, I'll be going every 6 months. This is everything that I bought. It wasnt much and it only cost me $28. Here's the breakdown:

• froggy rocking chair: $5
• white shoes: $3
• blue flip flops: $2
• green sandals: $3
• brown sandals: $2
• gray converse: $2
• purple/blue dress: $2
• patchwork shorts/white tank top: $3
• argyle best/striped shirt/brown shorts: $6 (my splurge...isnt it adorable?)
• froggy rocking chair: $5 (steal!)
  

Here is Miss Petey enjoying the rocking chair...even though it's actually for her brother. :)

St Patty's Day Craft

A bunch of friends and I got together last Friday and made a simple and easy craft for St Patty's Day. This is the only decoration I have for St Patty's Day and it was fun to make (and easy since my friend got all of the supplies ready for us).
Thanks for hosting this, Carrie!The link to this cute little hat can be found HERE.

Enjoy!

Monday Madness

Who was the life of the playroom party this morning?

Ms. Imagination herself! Petey has quite the imagination these days and loves dressing up and doing all sorts of funny things with her toys. She is in such a fun stage of life right now (minus the potty training mishaps we are still dealing with but trying to stay strong about).
What made me frustrated today?

Petey dumping out my Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer all over her brother's head. "sigh"


What did Spidey and I enjoy doing this afternoon?

Playing hide and seek around Grandma's island in the kitchen. This silly boy was giggling like crazy.

Who made Petey and Spidey happy campers when he came home from work tonight?

Grandpa! They love playing with him.

and I love to see the joy in their eyes as he makes them laugh.

Our Monday Madness was good and bad, up and down.

How was yours?

And that's how Suze sees it.

We found...

...a novel creation called a library!!!

And it's why I have missed my 'How Do I?' posts for 2 weeks. It's also why I havent posted daily---like I used to do.
I got a library card [FOR FREE---big shock to me since I thought they cost money---shows how much I know about a library---ha!] and have been using it weekly to get books and movies for myself and my kids---and the hubs if he requests anything. The kids and I go on occasion or I take my siblings while I'm working with them.
So far, I've read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Books 3 and 4 [I know, I'm not a teenager anymore but yes, I still read teenage books].
And so far for the kids, we've gotten a Pinkalicious book and the following movies: Alice in Wonderland and a Dora movie with a couple episodes on it.
So this is why I havent posted as often.
I apologize. I made a yummy taco casserole this week that my husband liked---AND he ate leftovers from it, which means it was a hit. Ill try to post it as soon as I can find the recipe again. (Hello, Scatterbrained Suze!)
For now, I'll leave you with some cute pictures. Doesnt Spidey look like he could be a poster child for the Superstition Springs kids club? He is holding that necklace like he's trying to show everyone in the world about it. :)

And Petey was so excited to ride the pink dragon this week.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

And that's how Suze sees it.

PS: I now weight 163 pounds...12 pounds down from my 175 start and feeling so proud!

Wild Wednesday- Find the positives

I am having a bad day.

The dishes were NOT rinsed out by a certain adult living in my household who shall remain nameless and whom I love even though the dishes are now taking me hours instead of minutes.

I don't feel like eating healthy and I feel angry that said person above can eat whatever he wants while I am stuck eating grass [not literally].

A little girl in our household who shall remain nameless is pushing her mom's buttons over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again (overkill?).

Also, potty training is kicking my butt right now. Little Miss goes back and forth and right now, she doesnt feel like peeing in the potty...and yet she gets angry when I put a diaper on her. I am way too tired for this right now.

A certain little boy in our household who shall remain nameless is clingy, whiney, and doesnt want to eat most of the things his mom puts in front of him.

I miss my sister in China. Miss her every day. She was/is my best sister friend ever and honestly, I think a lot of times that is why I feel so down when things are great. I dont have that sister bond right now. I want it...but I cant get it.

But wait a minute...
Isnt this supposed to be positive Wednesday post?
Why yes, yes it is.

Since Ive been in this rut all morning, I've decided to list everything that I am grateful for at this moment.

1. I am grateful for a hard working husband who goes to school every night and comes home tired but is willing to go back again the next night.
2. I am grateful for two healthy, beautiful children.
3. I am grateful for a home...no matter how small or how dirty...it is still a roof over our heads.
4. I am grateful for my mom. For the new clothes for my kids, the lunch dates, the help cleaning my home, the employment, the encouragement and advice...she gives me so much.
5. I am grateful for my dad. For the medical attention, love, support, and the hours of playing with my kids when he should be tired from working all day.
6. I am grateful for my mother in law who sews my daughter dresses and is always thinking of my children...and also my father in law for movie nights with our kids and for always being so willing to play with our kids.
7. I am grateful for my weightloss...though it is slightly stagnant right now and has stayed around 10 lbs, I am still grateful for it.
8. I am grateful for my van...no matter how old or beat up it looks...it is mine and it has powered doors. ha!
9. I am grateful for my library card...as stupid as it sounds, getting new books and movies every week has really helped me.
10. I am somewhat/mostly grateful for screaming children...because it means they are breathing and alive.
11. I am grateful for my blog and the friends I have made through it.
12. I am grateful for friends, park days, and everything that surrounds me in my community.

You see? Through this fog I am in, I have so much to be thankful for. Thanks for listening. And if you get in a rut, write your own thankful list. I promise, it will help.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Ten Things to Smile About: February

Ten Twelve Things to Smile About: February

Sorry, Emmy, I cheated. I had twelve things (actually more than twelve) to smile about this month.

1. Snow in Mesa, AZ this past week. Or sleet. But very very soft sleet. And it even stuck to the ground for a bit!

2. Heart shaped drool from my sweet baby boy.
3. Zoo trip with my mom and nephews...and getting this cute picture of Spidey and I.

4. Petey pulling weeds with me.

5. My Great Aunt giving the kids rides on her walker.

6. Watching my 5 year old nephew take control of the toddlers on leashes. And seeing their hilarious faces in this picture.

7. Bounce Jungle with friends and watching Petey succeed to the top of this slide.

8. A sleepover with my friends and getting glitter toes!

9. Carousel rides during our kids club mall days.

10. Tessi and Petey getting along so well the first day I started watching her.

11. Temple trips with my SIL and nieces and seeing ice on the ground (Are you sure we are still living in Arizona?).

12. Petey's first dentist trip!

February has been such a great month. Happy # 13 would be getting our trampoline yesterday. I forgot about that one until right now but the kids have been having a blast with it.

And that's how Suze sees it.