Some Reviews

Here are some reviews of a few products that have done me a little good as a mommy of 4.

First are these Cascade Action Paks with Dawn.

When we purchased our house 2 years ago, we bought a brand new Maytag Stainless Steel dishwasher for our kitchen. I hadn't had a working dishwasher in the house that we had rented for 2 years before that so I was excited to actually have a dishwasher again. Well, it worked fabulously for the first few washes and then it started to put this yucky white film all over my dishes. I tried to run vinegar through it and that didn't work. I changed dish soaps, tried liquid soaps, even washed the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher.....Didn't work....So I stopped using it. It has been about a year since I used it and I just got tired of washing dishes by hand and I was talking with my friend Stacey about it and she said she had the same problem not too long ago. She said she started using these little bad boys and hasn't had any issues with it since changing. So, once again, I ran vinegar through it to clean it out, added some rinse aid and tried again. GUESS WHAT!?! It worked. Now I can use and have been using my dishwasher again. If you have that problem, try these.





Next on the list are these Target brand diapers.

I have almost always used Huggies or Pampers diapers on all my kids because of sensitive skin issues. The few times I tried store brand or less expensive brands, my kids broke out in horrible rashes. So, you can only imagine my skepticism when my brother calls me to tell me about these diapers. He has a 3 year old that is just a few months younger than my 3 year old. So he starts off our conversation with, "What kind of diapers do you use?" Of course, I answer him. I have always been a bit of a diaper snob because of my kids' sensitive skin. So he tells me about these awesome diapers at Target that are only $6 for the same size as a $9 package of Huggies. He tells me that his 3 year old can sleep all night (10 hours or more) without having any leaks and that when the boy does his business (if you know what I mean), they have to check the diaper rather than being able to smell it. So it has this great odor protection. So, he keeps on talking and I keep getting more and more skeptical but I'm still listening. Finally, I tell him I will try them. At that time, Juanito was still wearing a diaper at night and Ramon was maybe 2 months old. Some time passes, I don't get to Target to buy diapers for some reason or another and then I finally get there. They had a pack for $6.19 with the same amount of diapers in it that the Huggies package did for $8.79 (36 diapers). Just to do the math, Target brand $0.17 per diaper and Huggies $0.24 per diaper and they get even cheaper if you get the big box. I think it was like $13.79 for the big box vs $19.99 for Huggies. So I bring these things home and made sure that I still had some Huggies left just in case Ramon broke out in a rash. I didn't change Juanito to these diapers. He wore them overnight the first night and no rash, no leaks, no smells. Then all day the next day. Then the rest of the week. Seriously, I have to check to see if he has done his business in there because I can't smell it...and I have mommy nose!! Definitely recommend these diapers!! And to add to it, they have a cute design.





Last one will be the Walmart brand in baby food. This one will be really quick...

I like this stuff. Juanito ate it and Ramon is now eating it. You get more for your money and when you have boys that eat like mine, you will be happy you went with this. The only downside to these are they don't really make vegetable dishes but rather more fruits and sweet stuff.

Updates! Updates! UPDATES!!

I haven't blogged in a month!! I have taken TONS of pictures but for some reason my computer says they aren't in the right format so I haven't been able to get them on here...ANYWHO...I wanted to post some updates to this little thing called L-I-F-E.

August 13th was my parents' 34th wedding anniversary. We were hoping and praying that they would be able to receive the Sacrament of Marriage in the church on that day. There was one more signature they needed. They still haven't gotten it yet. Things happen for a reason, I know, but it all but KILLED me to see my mom disappointed and my dad...? That was another story. I haven't seen that side of my dad in a looooooooonnnnnnng time and I hated to see him that way. Gotta trust in God though.

Ramon turned 5 months old on August 19th. IT'S BEEN 5 MONTHS ALREADY???? That is just craziness! He is growing like a weed. He is already 16lbs. He had Croup a few weeks ago and that was kinda funny...He would cry and when he would hear himself, he would look around like, "Hey, who is that crying? Doesn't sound like me..." We got him past that finally and he ended up with a sinus infection too. Poor baby. He's tough though and he smiles through it all. Kids are so incredibly resilient. It's amazing!

August 22nd was my youngest daughter's 9th birthday. I started a blog for this one but didn't get to it. It fell on a Sunday this year and one of her friends was having a birthday party that same day so I let both of my girls go. The party was in Chandler at this jungle gym type of place. I dropped them off at 11am and they didn't get home until 8pm! Her nino was waiting for her from about 5pm until she got home because he brought her this giant cupcake for her day. We have a tradition with our birthdays and that is that the birthday person gets to pick what's for dinner whether that's going out somewhere or me making their favorite. Brianna got home from her friend's house and asked me, "Mom, are we still going out for my birthday dinner?" Um.......yeah, right. NOPE! We promised her dinner another day since she had school the day after her birthday. She had a fun day though. Hopefully, we can manage to have a birthday party for her...

August 23rd was my oldest son's 3rd birthday. He is getting so big and he holds conversations with me now. It's usually about his elephant or milk or his peepee but he holds conversations. I just love him so much. He sounds like Beeker from the Muppets when he talks. We had a birthday party for him on the 28th. I took pictures of that too but I can't get them off my camera. It rained. HARD. For about 10 minutes and then it went away and the kids could swim. My parents made their best cake ever and I can't wait to get pictures up of it. He had a fun day and loves his cars that he got!!

The girls started 4th grade. They are getting old enough for me to leave them at home by themselves. I do it only if I need to go to the store really quick and they do great with it. They call me if they need me and they keep the door locked. Trying to teach them to be responsible is interesting to say the least.

I have been communicating better with my sister lately which is a good thing. She and I did some shitty things to each other and I'm glad we are slowly working toward a better relationship. I miss her. She is my only sister and she was the one that defended me when I was a kid. We traded homework. Nuff said.

I'm sure there's more and I will post my pictures to this or another blog when I can get them onto my laptop.

Have a nice day! M Kay Byeee!

I wish I could have been closer to you...

7/29/10

I don't know what you believe in but I know what I believe. And anyways, this blog isn't about you, right? Well, here's a long but amazing testament to something I truly believe.

When I was in grade school, I was friends with a girl named Laura Davis. We only went to grade school together. While in junior high and high school, every now and again, I would get a call from Laura. She would say to me, "I was just going through my phone number book and I saw your number and I just thought I would call and see if it was still your number. How are you doing?" Then we would talk for hours about our lives and we were off to continue living until the next random call. It seemed that she would always call when I was mad at the world and hated my parents or something. (When wasn't I upset with them as a teenager?) So life went on and I didn't get any calls from Laura after about Junior year in high school or so. I didn't know what happened with her and quite frankly, I had somewhat forgotten about her.

So we add a little thing called Facebook to the equation. Fast forward 12 or 13 years and here we are. I don't have a lot of my childhood friends on my Facebook because there aren't many that I care to be in contact with. I had lots of acquaintances in school and only 2 really good friends. I get a friend request from one of my high school friends and I accept it and start looking at their friends list. Low and behold, there is Laura Davis! So I didn't even blink before I went to her page and requested her as a friend. She accepted. She had a TON of friends and her display name wasn't Laura Davis, it was Mind's Creation. That just told me she is making a life for herself. We caught up with each other just a little bit on Facebook. Then we had the random comments here and there on our statuses every now and then. She would post a question, I would answer it; I would put up something funny one of my kids did and she would comment. Nothing major.

------>Now I am going to insert another important part of this story: About my Papa. He died about 5 years ago or so. He had some intestinal issues and some other complications along with old age and such. When he died, Juan and I were split up and he didn't go with me to the funeral. One of the times in my life when I needed him the most and he wasn't there. The girls and I went. I had to explain to them what death meant...all by myself. I miss my Papa. So 4 months ago, my son Ramon was born. The entire time I was pregnant I dreamed of my Papa. I smelled him in my car and in the wind when it would blow through. My mom shared with me that these things often happened to her too. Also during that time, we found out that my dad could have a life threatening illness and so my dreams of my Papa helping my dad cross over were more vivid than anything. (My dad is ok, thankfully!) I never put 2 and 2 together because also while I was pregnant, my mother in law also died. She was the first one on my mind when it came to the new baby. How she wouldn't be here to see her new grandbaby born and she wouldn't get to play with him. My sister in law spoke with someone that told her that "Jamma" was already playing with our babies (all 3 of us were pregnant at the same time) and taking great care of them before she sends them to us. That became the belief; the gospel for the 3 of us. When Ramon was born with blue eyes, I knew immediately that my Papa had played with my son and cared for him as well. Sylvia had help. :) No one else in my family has blue eyes. No one in Juan's family has them either.

Ok, back to present day on Facebook... The other night I got on Facebook one last time before I went to bed and I see this as Laura's post:

I really don't like doing this as it is very private. There has been a man here with me all day, who has passed over, asking me to speak with his granddaughter. The gentleman passed of colon cancer or some kind of renal failure, "not to long ago." If you felt drawn to this message please come see me as he says that I have not read for you before, yet. ~smiles~

I was sucked into that like you wouldn't believe. I knew as I read that, it was me. I sent her a message. She's a psychic. Now whether you believe in people having an ability or not, I believe in angels. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and with all kinds of different abilities. Call it what you want. A monkey in silk is still a monkey. I told her that I thought it might be me for 3 reasons: Ramon's eyes are blue, my mom has been having a recurring dream over the last few weeks that has to do with her family and dad, and that I had SO many dreams about him when I was pregnant.

So she messaged me the next morning that it was me. My Papa has something he wants to tell me. She said he had been telling jokes about farting to try and get her to find me. He really needed to tell me something. She said that she could do a reading for me for 30 minutes or if I didn't have the time that she could tell me what he wants to say in a message. The problem with that is that I may not understand the message. I agreed to do the full 30 minute reading with her at her office. That will be tomorrow. I can't wait to see what he needs to tell me. I really believe that he had something to do with us getting together. I think he found a means to be able to communicate with me. I'm very anxious because I haven't seen Laura since 6th grade! And of course, my mom has been battling herself about whether she should invite her sister to her wedding in the church. Maybe he can help me to answer that too.

I may or may not finish this post after I have gotten my reading depending on what the message is.

7/30/09

I will not be sharing all the things that she shared with me just because they are personal to me. I will share however that my papa wanted me to know that he acknowledges that he knows now that I felt "snubbed." She said he used that word in particular. He didn't know that I felt that way until I was at the wake for his death and I said to him, "I wish I had been closer to you." She didn't know about me saying that to him and neither did ANYONE else. She also asked me about another day that I had a conversation with them (my grandparents) where I had been asking for some guidance. This was actually at their gravesite on Palm Sunday one year. I went there after church and sat there talking to them for an hour or longer. The message that he really wanted me to have was that he heard me. He hears my prayers and sends angels to me to help me. He sees all the things I do to keep things in order and says I need to relax. She said that he knows that I know when he's around. I do, I smell him. When I told her that, she said that he had a bottle of cologne or something on the counter top in the bathroom. He did. So there was A LOT more but I really don't want to share the rest.

It was a really good experience and it wasn't something I feel was going against my religious beliefs at all. I feel better knowing the things she shared. She did say that my grandparents were standing next to me for the whole reading with their hands on my shoulders talking WAY too fast to her. ~smiles~

I have a few tasks out of all this and I think I am going to try and tap a little further into my own intuition.

Oh and she mentioned Sylvia too and how she and my grandparents are working together to help my family on more levels that we know.

<3

Guest Post from Brianna

There is an interesting place in California and it is San Diego. It is so interesting because Sea World is in San Diego.There are no other theme parks in San Diego. Also I don't have a favorite. Sea World is so fun.

My trip to San Diego

When we got there it was 3:30.We unpacked our stuff and then we ordered some pizza. Then we went to Coronado island that night.We saw a lot of boats,and people.

Then the next day we went to Sea World.It wasn't that far away from the hotel.We saw Blue Horizons and the Shamu show.Then we left Sea world.The next day we tryed to go to the beach but it was too crowded. Then we went to go visit the other side of the family in Los Angeles.Then we picked Ramon up from Nichole. When we picked him up we went home. When we got home we were all very tired,so we all went to bed that night.It was a good time in San Diego!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guest Post from Tallynna

This week im going to sea world on friday. I just cant wait till friday. The way I wait is so tough for me because its a pain in the butt. I dont like the summer so well. But i have to get used to it.

At the time has past i still cant wait to go to sea world.You know a youngh women is so hard. Because yesterday i had to try on 10 pair of shorts but we fond the i fite in. I fite in a size 5-6 in youngh wemen cloths.

By:TALLYNNA

Gonna Try...

A blogger that I follow did this and maybe it will work for me although I don't think I have quite as many followers as she does buuuuuutttt......

Do you or anyone you know have a Bumbo seat or something similar I can borrow for my son? I don't really even care if it's pink at this point. We just got him a walker thinking that he is tall enough for it but he's not. His feet just dangle but he LOVES LOVES to be sitting up and can't do it on his own.

Let me know.

Thanks!!

We can do stuff

When I am offered the opportunity to hear the Sr VP and General Manager of my company speak, call me a teacher's pet, but I LOVE to hear this man speak. I am always at the edge of my seat and hanging on to every word he says. He always speaks from his heart and you can always tell when he is passionate about the subject he is presenting.

This past Wednesday, he spoke to us at leadership conference. He told stories and jokes like he always does but he told us a most interesting story about a Native American man named Ernest Evans who served in World War II as a captain of a destroyer ship in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He spoke of this man's unending positivity and how much he truly lived the cliche of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." He would take his situations and make the best of them and be the best at whatever he was doing. Before he became a captain of his own little ship he manned a tugboat that pulled the aircraft carriers into their spaces. He made the best of it and did his best - Always.

He went on to tell us of the story of the day this battle unfolded and how Captain Evans never backed down when rightfully and justifiably they could and they would receive no flack for it. The Japanese were shooting rounds at their little destroyer ship that if just one hit it in the right place, it would sink it. One shot. Captain Evans was out there on the bridge and watching out for what was going on. He got hit, lost some fingers, his clothes were destroyed but did he quit? No way. One shot ended up hitting the motor that helped to steer the ship and some of the crew begged him to turn back and retreat. He refused. Instead, he went down to the manual steering mechanism and began to steer the ship by hand. All while continuing closer into the Japanese's firing line. It began to rain and so the Japanese were unable to see what the little destroyer had behind it. Surely, it wouldn't keep coming their way if it was all by itself. The Japanese were a bit worried and continued to fire their arms. Finally, the ship was hit and it sunk with the captain on board. Doing all he could and doing his absolute best.

So when the Sr VP was talking about this guy, I was amazed that someone could grab my attention when it came to history but he did. So the VP went on to say that we, as leaders, "we can do stuff!" Doesn't necessarily sound like the words that would come out of such a high up leader. BUUUT, he eats in the cafeteria with us and doesn't treat anyone any different than the way he wants to be treated - Like a human being.

He really believes in us as leaders and knows that when it comes down to it, each and every one of us would fight the good fight for the company we work for and we would do our best at it. We work as a team and lead our people well. We aren't afraid to get in the trenches and work right next to our people.

"We can do stuff!"

Please notice I didn't use his name or my company's name in this blog and I would ask that you respect that and not do it either.