Jelly Belly

I'm back!

2011-02-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

It’s been too long since I blogged. I had wanted to get back into it after the New Year, and now it's February. I had many goals for the New Year but morning sickness has gotten the best of me. That’s right, Jelly Belly is FINALLY going to be a big sister! She doesn’t know yet, I’m only 9 weeks so we only have a few more to go before we tell her.

I’ve been feeling so miserable that we have not been doing much. We are stuck at home watching lots of television and movies so mommy can rest. She loves it. I, on the other hand, feel extremely guilty.

Today, we managed to get out of the house and went to Alphabet Soup and found the cutest Melissa & Doug toy for $2.50!!

I had never seen it before and I’m glad I did not think twice about spending almost three dollars on this very cool toy. It entertained her for almost 45 minutes when we got home, and any toy that can do that to a 4 year old is a winner in my book! She is very far from tying her shoes by herself but I love her interest and determination! When daddy got home, we found out that we tie our shoes very differently. Who would have known? He uses one loop and I use two. Good laughs!

Practice, practice, practice!

Our Holiday Card

2010-12-13T21:06:00.001-08:00

Plaid Christmas

Create modern Christmas photo cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Are we ready for Kinder?

2010-11-06T19:14:00.001-07:00

As we quickly approach the holiday season, my mind is feeling a bit scattered. Between Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas stockings, I’m feeling the pressure to choose the right school for my daughter. Four years ago, I had barely conquered nursing and was still battling sleepless nights. Time has gone by too quickly. My conversations with other moms at the playground have dramatically changed. My discussions about sippy cups and potty training have now turned to her preschool’s philosophy and where she will attend kindergarten. Everyone has different opinions and views, and the more I hear, the more confused I get. Most parents seem set on their decision, as they have grown up in Petaluma and are very familiar with all the schools.

My daughter will turn five next September, a few weeks after she begins kinder garten. In my home state of Arizona, she missed the cut off (September 1) to start next year by a few days. A year ago, I was weighing the pros and cons of having her start early. I was determined to find a way to make it happen. It seemed unfair to me that she would be a class behind all of her friends. But as the months kept passing, my mind started to change. I strongly felt that she was academically ready, but I began to question her social skills and maturity. My mind was filled with questions, “Do I want her to be the youngest in her class? Do I want her to be the oldest?” Thoughts of her being a follower and being easily influenced began to worry me. I imagined my daughter doing things she was not supposed to and surrounded by teenage boys that were one year older. But I wondered if she would be challenged academically if I stuck to the rules. And so that’s when my research began. I had decided on a charter school that made exceptions to the September 1 rule; but then we moved states, and I was back to square one.

The stress of our relocation took over and researching schools in our new city fell to the back burner. I felt relieved though. I thought I had more time to make such an important decision. I started thinking her confidence level was a bit more important. Everyone learns to read, add and subtract, but not everyone has an easy time making friends or initiating conversation. Yes, she knows all her colors, can count to 100, and is starting to read, but her confidence level is not there yet. The selfishness in me began to get excited to have her home another year. This meant our routine activities such as play dates, ballet, gymnastics and story time at the library would not come to an end just yet. Then, I learned that California has different rules. For now, the cut off to start kindergarten is December 1 and there is a lot of talk of how that will soon change. No wonder most moms I meet ask the big question right after they ask her age. “What school will she be going to?”

Since I did not grow up in Petaluma, it has been helpful to hear everyone’s opinions. There are public and private schools, Montessori and Waldorf as well as charter schools. Little did I know that Petaluma offered so many choices. So many school districts and parents actually have a say and can request a transfer to the school of their choice. I have been doing my research and talking to parents. Some, like me, feel strongly about a school that is academically based and has the standardized test scores to prove it. While a little voice inside of me wonders, don’t all schools focus on academics? Others disagree and worry that such a rigorous environment is too much pressure on children. My parents sent me to the neighborhood public school walking distance from our house, while my younger sister only attended a few years before she was enrolled in a private school. Maybe things were simpler back then or parents are now more involved. Since I know private school is out of our budget right now, the pressure to find a good public school is on. Thankfully, many resources are now available. Not too long ago, I discovered on-line tools such as www.greatschools.com with a ton of useful information to help my decision. I want what every parent wants. I want it all. I want her to be at a good school full of diversity and enrichment programs. I want qualified teachers who will assess where she is at and challenge her every day. I want the school to value and encourage parental involvement. I want her love of learning to grow, for her to like school, but, most importantly, I want her to be happy at the school we decide on. I have narrowed it down to a few schools but my decision will not be final until early spring when I visit each campus. Then, I will go with my mother intuition and what my gut tells me and hope the school is the perfect fit for her.

Happy 4th Birthday!

2010-09-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today....

Happy 4th Birthday Isabella Maria!

Stinson Beach

2010-08-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, we visited Stinson Beach in Northern California!

We were on the sand for only a few minutes...Jelly Belly and I were cold!
We can't hide the fact that we are from AZ!

Join in on the fun!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Zeum

2010-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Zeum: San Francisco's Children's Museum was one of the very first places we visited in the city.

We took advantage of free admission one weekend and we were lucky to get in since we arrived so late in the day.

This museum is a hands-on, multimedia arts and technology experience for kids.

Older kids can make a movie and/or music video that they can take home!

Isabella had fun but she may enjoy it a bit more in a couple of years.

Our favorite area was the Main Gallery targeted for kids her age.

She also enjoyed riding the The Zeum Carousel which is located in Yerba Buena Gardens.

We enjoyed the fresh air outside and the awesome playground. Jelly Belly was brave to go down the big slides. I have noticed such a difference in her after our move to California. She is more willing to try new experiences and is not always glued to mama's leg!

Come back tomorrow...I will have pics of another fun place we have visited in the bay area!

Join in on the fun!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Sundays in my City: Our new church

2010-08-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Introducing our new church...

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Petaluma, California!

We have been in Petaluma for about 6 weeks now and are quickly adjusting.

Our Sundays will begin with the 9am mass (or 10:30am) followed by brunch at one of the many restaurants to choose from in Downtown Petaluma.

Very different than what we are used to in Arizona but we are loving every minute of it (especially the weather)!

Be sure to visit Unknonw Mami for

And get ready to travel the world!

Things are looking up...

2010-08-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

This week was a lot better! Let's see how long it lasts.
I am catching myself before I over react to certain things...
No reason to sweat the small things, right?
I am giving us more time to get out of the house and I am making it a point to have quality play time each day. I think we went over a week without me raising my voice and when I did start to get frustrated or mad, she totally feeds off me.

We are adapting to our new house and our new city and new routines. I feel Jelly Belly is even coming out of her shell a bit.

A few months ago, she would have never agreed to this:

She walked right up and wanted it BEFORE the ice cream!!!

I am making such an effort to meet people that today I am feeling exhausted and missing friends and family.

Isabella has been talking a lot lately and it's a bit draining at times. That is why I can't keep up with this blog. I am so tired by the end of the day. I don't know how some of you blog almost every day.

We have been spending a lot of time outdoors and visiting new places in Northern California. We have been to Mrs. Grossman Sticker Factory, Stinson Beach, Bay Area Discovery Museum, The Marine Mammal Center and the Aquarium of the Bay.

I hope to soon share our experiences with you!

Where is my sweet Jelly Belly?

2010-08-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

Motherhood has not been very fun lately.
To be honest, I have felt like running away from Jelly Belly more than once this past week.

Yep, I totally jinxed myself last week. It was too good to be true. Good behavior, what is that?

My child is possessed!

That's how I felt this morning, that is the text message I sent to my friend.

I called my husband, not knowing what to do. I can't even describe it.
She has been screaming at me and it is getting worse! Mostly, when she doesn't want to do something.

She was sent to her room, shortly after I woke her, even before the Lucky Charms. This is what I heard:

I don't like you.
It's not fair.
I don't want to be in my room.

It's not what she is saying that concerns me the most but how she says it. So much anger, and I have no idea where it is coming from.

I don't know what to do. I even considered looking for a full time job today. Are we spending too much time together? What am I doing wrong. Lots of questions, and no answers.
This discipline crap is hard!

She ended up taking a nap today. I ignored her for a bit and then found her asleep on the couch. She slept for 4 hours! Somebody was tired.

Almost midnight and she is still awake!
Please let tomorrow be a better mommy day, you know the kind of day the you have never ending patience and love and manage to stay calm and cool....
The kind of day where yelling does not exist and mommy doubts don't enter your mind.

Please let it be a better mommy day!

Charlie Brown

2010-08-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

We are having fun exploring our new surroundings! Last week, we visited the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California

Every 4th Monday of the month, they offer children's activities in the morning.

I am glad we took advantage of it before she started preschool.

It was a great deal....Her entrance fee was $5 and this allowed me and a friend to get in for free.

Not bad! Regular admission is $10 per adult.

This included a story, and a few craft stations for the kids throughout the museum.

Jelly Belly didn't quite understand or appreciate everything that was on their walls but I did.

She had more fun posing with the statues and watching a Peanuts movie on our way out.

We enjoyed a nice lunch in the cafe at Snoopy's Home Ice Arena and had fun window shopping at the museum store.

We did have a "moment" when she realized that Mommy did not buy anything for her!

Wordless Wednesday at the Ranch

2010-08-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Late is better than never!

Happy 4th!

And happy 34th to me tomorrow!

Dog Town

2010-08-03T00:07:00.000-07:00

Not sure why, but the past couple of days, Jelly Belly has been behaving! We may be getting over the half year hump as the big 4 approaches. Maybe all the taking toys away last week got through or I am more relaxed and going with the flow of things.

I know I just jinxed myself...and if I did, I will be sure to let you know.

She had a great first day at preschool and I enjoyed my 3.5 hours of alone time! I made myself sit down and drink my green tea while watching The View on T.V. I can't remember the last time I did that, and I can't believe I missed President Obama on the show.

After preschool today, we did a lot of grocery shopping. She spotted these:

and clearly remembered that "One time at Target, you didn't buy them for me because I was misbehaving."
So today she earned her prize, and a great choice it was. I sat outside watching her play with them. Then, she sponge painted with them, which let me catch up with one of my friends on the phone for an entire hour. I was in mommy heaven.

I will also share with you that her imagination was a bit too much for me today. I know she is an only child but geez! Even the hubby agrees here. We already have "Danny" and "Penny", the imaginary friends that have stuck around for quite some time now. They made the move with us and managed to come to California but now, Jelly Belly has pretend pets!!!! She already has 2 real ones, so I am not sure what's going on.

She carries 'lil stuffed animals, telling me they are her puppies. It goes a little something like this:

This is my little puppy (Pookie or was it Sara?) and she is zero months old.
Will you take care of her while I am at school? Make sure that you play with her. Isn't she so cute?

Then I was grilled on what exactly I did to take care of the thing....

How was your day while I was at school today?

I actually thought, oh how sweet, and I went on to tell her that I did some cleaning, washed the dishes and folded some clothes and called one of my friends, when she interrupted and said:

But how was Pookie? Did you rock her? Did you pet her? Did you play with her?

And, then later on she came up with Dog Town (thanks Train Town) and would not let it go!

Let's pretend that we are at Dog Town and it's like a little town for dogs. They take dance classes there, they have their own grocery stores and the doggies there talk to their owners....

I can only go along with it for so long!

Dog Town was still going on strong when Daddy got home, so at least I was not alone.

It really is good to have a HUGE imagination? Right???

What are your little ones saying this week?

Join Tiny Talk Tuesdays!

Sonoma Sunday

2010-08-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Family Fun Day!

After church and our ritual breakfast/lunch, we headed to Train Town in Sonoma for the first time. We loved it!! Jelly Belly made me ride something called "The Scrambler" that had me laughing and screaming so hard, tears were rolling down. It must be this aging thing because I used to love rides, now I am not so sure.

We did the whole park in less than 2 hours and rarely had to wait in line. Isabella rode her first ferris wheel. We will definitely be coming back. I loved the trees and the breeze! And there was no screaming in mama's face when we left! (something we are working on)

Here are some pics. Too bad our battery in our camera died and we had to rely on our phones.

Not too far from there, we made it to downtown Sonoma where we enjoyed chocolate tasting, art galleries, the swings at the park and of course some:

Trains, chocolate, shopping and wine tasting all in one day! I hope the rest of our week is as good as today!

Have a great week!

And wish us luck as Jelly Belly starts her 2nd year of preschool tomorrow morning...and of course, she is STILL awake complaining of leg pain!

Join in on the fun!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

I am still thinking of Tara Firma Farms....

We had a great time but Jelly Belly said the pigs were too stinky!
Happy WW!

Tara Firma Farms

2010-07-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a good day in Petaluma, California!
Church, followed with some IHOP and our first visit to Tara Firma Farms.
We are loving the weather here, 70 degrees with a bit of breeze from the wind!
Never did I think I would experience this in July!
Jelly Belly holding baby turkeys!

We had a great time! It was very relaxing! And Jelly Belly loved the baby chicks (turkeys) and piglets.

Best of all it was FREE! This farm offers free tours on Sundays.

We won't mention the big tantrum she threw when it was time to leave!

Join us in Mommy and Me!

Hosted by Krystyn

Our new home!

2010-07-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

It’s been over a month since my last post!!!

I am joining a new Friday Follow this week!

Thank you for visiting!

I survived the big move and we are starting to settle in. It’s been a tough transition but we are adjusting. We are renting a house in Northern California, in a small town called Petaluma.
We are about 45 minutes from San Francisco. We have already been able to explore the city and take Jelly Belly to many FUN spots. There is so much to do! I am loving the weather and for the first time in my life, I do not have a job!! Scary but exciting, isn't that what I have always wanted? To stay home with my Jelly Belly full time? The adventure is only beginning!

Moving to a new state has been quite the experience. We are faced with new surroundings and a lot of change. One of my biggest challenges is adapting to the size of home. We lost about 1000 square feet, so a BIG change but a lot less cleaning (I hope).

Even though, we had 2 garage sales and have taken many, many trips to Goodwill, we still have too much stuff!!

Since my foot is still hurting and I am taking it easy on the driving, I am considering some online shopping.

I am mostly struggling with our bedroom and our bathroom. So much that I arrived here on July 1 and I am barely starting to go in there and see what I can do!

Our bathroom does not even have any towel racks! The little things I took for granted.

Luckily, we do have a Bathroom Spacesaver. I am using a few wicker baskets that look nice and are great for storage. Funny how they were empty at the old house but have been put to good use in our new bathroom. Since I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff I need to purchase new bathroom accesories. I

I will be posting pics of Jelly Belly's new room soon. I was able to keep her old bedroom theme so I am very excited to share it with you.
I hope you visit again!

Jelly Belly and Me

2010-06-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Jelly Belly celebrated the completion of her first year of preschool!

Proud mama and proud Tita (Grandma)!

I need to remember to charge my camera so I can start taking pics of some of the craziness we are about to experience.
One week away from the movers arriving and 10 more days 'til moving day!
Other than that...my foot still broken but slowly healing. We miss daddy very much during the week. There are days when I want to pull out my hair!
Kuddos to all those single parents! I don't know how you do it!

Join us in Mommy and Me!

Hosted by Krystyn

Lincoln logs fun!

2010-06-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

We played Lincoln Logs yesterday.

What a big difference a few months can make!

She received this as a present for her 3rd birthday back in September, but she was not ready for them. Or maybe I was not ready. I thought it was kind of hard. I remember she wanted to build her own thing, in her own way, and was easily frustrated when the logs would fall.

I didn't consider it much fun. But now, a few months shy of being 4 years old, we had a blast building. She had patience and coordination. We had many opportunities for counting. And best of all she used her imagination!

Driving in the grocery store

2010-06-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

I never ever thought I would be driving one of these at the grocery store!!!!

But what else is a mama to do with a broken foot?

All of us had a blast, especially the hubby taking pics of us!

Wishing we had our camera instead of our phones!

So happy that my sense of humor is coming back!

Join us in Mommy and Me!

Hosted by Krystyn

S-T-R-E-S-S

2010-06-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

I miss blogging! I miss routine!
Things continue to be crazy since our decision to move to California and my car accident!
I can't even begin to explain...
My foot and knee still hurts, actually my whole body hurts. I am getting pretty good at using my crutches. It's only week 3, but parenting with one foot has been quite a challenge.

The hubby has started his new job at Lucasfilms, so I am on my own during the week. Thank God for friends and family since I cannot even drive. We have rented our house and found a home to rent in Petaluma, California. Jelly Belly and I will be heading out a few days before July1. The movers are coming to assess our home on Monday and still so much to do.

I have decided to finally sell all of Jelly Belly's baby stuff. I have kept everything! Sad but everyone says as soon as I do that baby #2 will come along...we shall wait and see.

On top of everything else, remember when we took her to the dentist in April?

Well, that day we found out that Jelly Belly had 10 cavities!!!
I think I would have flipped with just one so you can only imagine what I have been feeling.

Jelly Belly had her first dentist appointment before she turned 2. Every 6 months our dentist would tell us what a great job we were doing and to keep it up. Each time I asked when she would get her first x-rays, I was told that her mouth was too little and that everything was fine.

Our last appointment in April, we were in complete shock when the dentist told us she had 4 cavities all in her front teeth. They finally did x-rays, but only managed to get the front teeth. I was then sent to see the financial planner who explained the procedure to me and all of a sudden I was told my child would be put to sleep under general anesthesia to get 2 baby root canals done.

The dentist never mentioned this to us.

I was horrified. It's not like we don't brush her teeth or floss, or let her have all the candy and junk she wants. I felt like the worse parent ever and it has taken me this long to accept that none of this is my fault and to finally blog about it.

We decided to get a 2nd opinion. The dentist office we chose was a complete 360. Their technology to do the x-rays was amazing. It was so easy for them. So easy that when they x-rayed her entire mouth, they found 10 cavities!!
I cried, right there infront of all the nurses. I was speechless.

To make a long story short, Jelly Belly took a trip to Phoenix Children's Hospital today for her first outpatient procedure. I was so scared. Each time I tried to prepare her for it this week, she would start crying. But today, she was a trooper. She understood she was not allowed to eat anything this morning. She knew that she was going to go to sleep to get her teeth fixed and not one single tear! The facility and staff was awesome!! She smiled and laughed and played in an amazing playroom before everything happened. She even waved at a nurse as she was being wheeled to the OR.

We sat in the waiting room for almost 3 hours. She did not need the baby root canals as the other dentist had told us. We were able to be there when she woke up, and she does not remember anything. She has not asked any questions and besides her swollen lip and sore throat (from the tube) she has not done much complaining.

Tonight, I can breathe a little bit easier. One less thing to worry about. One more thing checked off the list, and now on to the next.

I will keep you posted!

Thank you to everyone who has been so kind and given me my first few blog awards!
I will collect and post soon!! Thank you all for your comments, for your get well wishes, prayers and for actually taking the time to read this!!!

Everything happens for a reason

2010-05-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

As if life could not get any more stressful, I was in a car accident on Monday afternoon.

I am okay and thank God that I am alive. I have a broken toe, a sprained ankle and lots of bruises. I thank God that Jelly Belly was not in the car.

I don't remember much but it was the scariest thing I have ever been through.
I am so thankful God took care of me. I am trying so hard to be positive. Considering our Big Announcement, the timing could not be any worse. I keep telling myself that somehow things will work out. Everything happens for a reason.

I am having a hard time turning off the little voices in my head.
How could this have happened? We are suppose to leave for California next week to find a place to live. He starts his job on the 24th, I can't even walk. A higher cost of living and now a car payment, there is just no way.

I keep staring at my treadmill, wondering when I will be on it again. I must confess that I even weighed myself today, I am up 5 lbs. in 5 days, how can that be possible? It's got to be the swelling, right? And why oh why am I even thinking of my weight?

I am alive, and I am thankful but I am praying for strenghth to get us through this.

Jelly Belly has been amazing. She understands that I am in pain. The day of the accident, she was very upset when the day came to an end and I had not arrived to pick her up yet. She was told I had a headache and had to go to the doctor. Grandma did her best to calm her down but Jelly Belly insisted on going home. Tia A. brought her home a little bit after midnight, shortly after we got home from the hospital. Luckily she was asleep.

The next morning, she came in and asked if my head was okay and told me that she heard Grandma on the phone saying I had been in an accident. This confirms that she fully understands Grandma when she speaks Spanish. We didn't give her any details but she cried a bit when we said it was true. She did not like the bruises and scratches and became very worried when she saw me walk/hop for the first time. Since then she has been very helpful, holding my hand each time I need to go potty and giving me lots of tender kisses.

I miss my daily routine with her, I miss hugging her and squeezing her. My family and friends have been wonderful.
I am so grateful for everyone's help, prayers and support. Something good will come out of this, since everything happens for a reason.

Friendship Friday~The big announcement

2010-05-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friendship Friday and Friday Follow hosted by

One To Try, Hearts Make Families, & Midday Escapades!

My most recent Facebook status was "Holy Moly, I just quit my job!"
A lot of things have been happening around here, a lot of uncertainty and a lot of stress.
Some of our friends have caught on. First, there was a Wordless Wednesday about Jelly Belly's room. Then I posted our Garage Sale. Soon followed by My Cinderella and Cleaning out the Fridge....

The waiting is finally OVER! We can finally and officially say we are moving to the Bay area!
The hubby accepted his job offer on Wednesday. He is getting his dream job; he will be working for Lucasfilm Animation! And I am so proud of him.
He has already told me that I MUST watch all the Star War movies before he starts. He starts on May 24!
Wowsters!!
Everything is happening so fast.
We need a place to live and we need to find renters for our house.
So much to do!
I need to remind myself to Breathe!

Since it is Friendship Friday, I must say that it's been an emotional week with family and friends.
We've gotten many different reactions from our news.
Quite a few are in complete shock, even denial. Others have been ecstatic! They can't wait to come and visit! Some just can't wrap their minds around it.

I have been in AZ since I was nine years old!

I have experienced every possible feeling that there is. I am a planner and a control freak, so considering all of this, I must say that I am very proud of myself. I am still standing, and somewhat breathing. My heart is pounding but I feel like I can do this, we can do this, I am feeling empowered by this opportunity!

A lot of things remain uncertain, but the one thing I do know is that I have my family and amazing friends that will help us get through this including all of you!

Jelly Belly's initial reaction was not the one we were hoping for. There were some tears and lots of questions. I swear I thought she really wouldn't understand it all, but I think she does. After a lot of comforting, reassuring and making this new adventure very exciting for her, we are now at the point where she is telling people, "I am going to California, to a new town, and I'm going to get a new house."

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin this new adventure and I promise to keep you posted!

Hope you join me for Friendship Fridays and be sure to visit Friday Follow!

Cleaning out the Fridge

2010-05-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of cleaning. Every chance I get, I try and tackle something new.

Today I started the refrigerator but did not get very far.

I found this:

I used it to make some coconut macaroons a few months ago.

I thought for sure this would entertain Jelly Belly.

She was so excited to hear me say, "It's project time!"

I got some construction paper, glue and let Jelly Belly pour the coconut into a small cup.

She decided she wanted to make a card for Tita (mother in law) who is arriving from Costa Rica on Friday!

She was too fast!

I did each letter one at at a time and as soon as I continued with my fridge cleaning,

I heard,

"Mama, I'm done! What letter is next?!"

So my idea of keeping her entertained did not play out how I imagined it but she had a good time making this special card!

Hope you join us for Friendship Friday!

Wordless Wednesday-My Cinderella

2010-05-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today I found this box of pretty ribbons.

Pretty ribbons from all of our wedding gifts....

I have kept it for over 7 years.

I am glad I stopped what I was doing to play Cinderella with her.

I was the handsome prince.

She had so much fun at the ball!

I knew there had to be a reason why I was keeping this box for so long!

Sunday in My City

2010-05-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

This was yesterday....a very last minute garage sale!

Beautiful weather for May in AZ. I was even wearing a sweatshirt early in the morning.

Jelly Belly was so excited and she insisted in having a lemonade stand.

Funny thing is, some people were not willing to pay $1 for a sweater, but could not resist giving her a dollar for half a cup of store bought lemonade.

She earned over $5.00, while mommy and daddy pocketed over $100.

Not bad for a no preparation kind of garage sale!

Be sure to visit Unknonw Mami for

And get ready to travel the world!

Friendship Friday

2010-04-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone!

It's Friendship Friday and Friday Follow hosted by

One To Try, Hearts Make Families, &; Midday Escapades!

Friendship Friday!!

Jelly Belly had a friend over on Wednesday. You can read a bit about it here.

I am glad I remembered to take a few pictures towards the end of our playdate.

Hope you visit us again and join us in celebrating fun with friends and Friday Follow!

Weird and Wacky Wednesday

2010-04-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

I don't usually work on Wednesday mornings but today I had an early meeting and some things to take care of.

As I was trying to sneak out this morning, Jelly Belly found me and said, "Mommy, last night, I fell off my bed and when I woke up, I was sleeping on my bean bag, and I was like woah, what's going on, but it was so funny mom, I fell off the bed and I didn't cry, I just snuggled up on the bean bag...."

She was so cute and funny. I love it when she wakes up in a good mood.

I hurried off to work. I worked like a maniac, another thing I don't usually do, because I had to rush out at 11am to pick up Jelly Belly from preschool.

I was greeted by Jelly Belly's huge smile.
Right behind her was another littler girl who said, "I am coming to your house today."

I nervously replied, "Yes you are."

Jelly Belly had her first official big girl playdate.
A friend from preschool came to our house without her mommy or daddy.
I was nervous and wasn't quite sure what to expect.

I was a bit shocked that there was no arguing, fighting crying, or pouting.

There was music, coloring, barbies, play do, moon sand (everywhere), babies, strollers, tent and finger painting. It felt like each time I was done setting something up, they were done with it. I think the most one activity lasted was15 minutes.

I don't know how I managed to make dinner (thankfully it was a crockpot day), clean the kitchen counters and empty and load the dishwaher.

When I tried to join in on the fun and play with Jelly Belly and her friend, I was told that grow ups could not play.
I like this friend.

I overheard Jelly Belly talk a lot about Danny and Penny today, and it was a bit weird to me since she had a real friend infront of her.
Most of the time, I play along with her or completely ignore it.
Today, I wasn't really sure how to handle it.

At one point, her friend ran to me and said, "She keeps talking about Danny and Penny."

I said, "I know, Jelly Belly has pretend friends. She doesn't have brothers or sisters but she really wants one, so she makes them up."

Her friend replied, "Ok, she always talks about Danny and Penny at school", then she quickly ran off....

I am still unsure if my explanation was appropriate. But all I keep thinking is, "please don't make fun of my Jelly Belly and is this something I should be concerned about?"

Our playdate has left me with all kinds of wacky thoughts.
Will we ever have another baby?

Someday Jelly Belly. It will happen when we least expect it.
Someday you will be the best big sister to a real sibbling.
For now, I would really like to know how you ended up on the bean bag last night.

I wonder if Danny and Penny had anything to do with it.

Tomorrow is Friendship Friday...hope you join in on the FUN!

True Wordless Wednesday~Jelly Belly's Pugs

2010-04-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

Jelly Belly and Me~Building with Junk

2010-04-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Day, Jelly Belly's preschool had a "Build with Junk" Day. For weeks, we saved all of our recycable junk. Last week, she learned all about it and ways to help the Earth.

First, we dumped all our junk in the middle of the yard.

Then, we talked about what she wanted to build. She decided on a house!

Our house had a doggie house, a garden, a tree, a chimey...

I had a blast building with her and later in the week we received this:

Join us in Mommy and Me!

Hosted by Krystyn

Sundays in my City at Tolmachoff Farms

2010-04-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Last time we visited, Tolmachoff Farms in Glendale, Arizona, Jelly Belly met a farmer and picked her own veggies! We brought home squash, cucumbers, radishes and cilantro.

She learned some interesting facts about corn...

and had a great time in the corn maze!

Be sure to visit:

And for more info on Sundays in My City, visit here.

Friendship Friday-April 23

2010-04-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone!

It's Friendship Friday and Friday Follow hosted by

One To Try, Hearts Make Families, & Midday Escapades!

Frienship Friday-#3

Here is one of the first few pictures that Jelly Belly and G. took together. Jelly Belly was 8 weeks old.

Since then, Jelly Belly has grown to love G.
They always have so much FUN together.
Even during Jelly Belly's "MINE" stage, they always played so nicely together.

Jelly Belly often asks when she will see her again, if she can come to our house, if she will be at the birthday party we are going to or the next play date. We don’t see G. as much as we would like but I hope she knows that Jelly Belly is always thinking of her.

G. is also very special to me. Her mama is one of my closest friends. She was one of my bridesmaids, a former roommate, former co-worker but most importantly, a good friend and a wonderful parent.

G.’s name came up a few times today so I asked Jelly Belly if she wanted to make her a card.

She was so excited and so into it. She patiently pulled each letter and stuck them on the paper. She enjoyed using her stamps and glitter pens. She was so proud that she did most of it all by herself.

This took a long time but she really needed little supervision.

When I asked her what she wanted to tell Gaby, she replied,

“Gaby, I want you to come to my house, I love you and Amen.”

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you join us in celebrating friendships and Friday Follow!

Wordless Wednesday-Jelly Belly's room

2010-04-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Before Jelly Belly was born...the room looked like this!

It felt good to take the wallpaper off!

Mural almost done! Painted and designed by daddy...

White picket fence....

Wishing I took more pics before we got this far!

Mommy painted all the wooden flowers and used velcro so Jelly Belly could later take them on and off...

Mommy and room anxiously waiting for you to be born!

Now, Jelly Belly has a big girl bed. We have changed a few things but not too much...

Jelly Belly's room is one of the many things I will miss from our home.

For more Wordless and Wordy Wednesday, be sure to visit:
5 Minutes for Mom,

Seven Clown Circus

and

Frosted Fingers

Jelly Belly and Me on a train!

2010-04-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Saturday. First we visited Borders for a Fancy Nancy story time. Then we headed to McCormick Stillman Railroad Park! I had myself a hamburger and enjoyed every bite of it. I should have taken a picture of it since I don't eat them very often. Jelly Belly ate a hot dog, no bun of course, and had a great time playing, riding the train and the carousel. The sun must have worn her out. She fell asleep in the car and took a very long nap; thankfully, I was able to catch a few zzzzz's myself!

Want to join in on the Mommy and Me FUN?? Hop on over to Really, Are You Serious?

Hosted by Krystyn

McCormick Stillman Railroad Park

2010-04-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am participating in Sundays in My City hosted by Unknown Mami.

Yesterda we visited McCormick Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, Arizona for the hubby's company picnic and had a blast. It was a beautiful spring day in Arizona and Jelly Belly had FUN playing and running in open grass!

This park has plenty of playgrounds, lots of trees and ramadas that provide lots of shade. We saw lots of families enjoying their picnic lunches, quite a few birthday parties and a few other company picnics. The highlight for Jelly Belly was riding the Pacific Railroad train and the antique carousel. It was tough to convince her when it was time to head home. I highly recommend visiting this place. Kids and adults will enjoy! I wish we didn't live so far away from it!

Be sure to visit:

And for more info on Sundays in My City, visit here.

Friendship Friday # 3

2010-04-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone!

It's Friendship Friday at Funwithbella and a Friday Follow Celebration, hosted by

One To Try, Hearts Make Families, Midday Escapades!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you take a minute or two to look around! And now on to my Friendship Friday...

Before Jelly Belly was born, it took a lot of effort for me to make conversation with people I did not know.

Motherhood changed all that.

Soon after her birth, I found myself at La Leche meetings and talking to complete strangers at the grocery store and at the library. I even reached out to women on-line and participated in forums and discussions. I truly surprised myself. I especially surprised the hubby. Having a child instantly connected me to women I never knew existed. I initiated conversations in hopes of finding someone else who was experiencing nursing nightmares and sleepless nights. Becoming a mother brought me many opportunities to make new friends and strengthened the friendships I already had. All of a sudden I had lots to talk about and lots to share. I became more open minded, less judgmental and welcomed the chance to interact with other moms.

I am so glad I did.

Thank you Jelly Belly for bringing new friends into our lives.

I hope you consider joining us on FUN Friendship Fridays
and
Be sure to head over to

One To Try, Hearts Make Families, Midday Escapades!

to make new friends!

Balancing Act

2010-04-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

The past 2 days have been crazy busy.
Jelly Belly has woken up before 7 asking for her Lucky Charms.

Just imagine a lot of running around that included:

Lots of working out

Her preschool's Build with Junk Day

My Dermatologist Appointment (adult acne sucks)

Her 2nd opinion Dentist Appointment (this was worse than my acne)

Ballet Class

Gymnastics Class

Park Playdate

Lots and lots of laundry that still needs to be put away

Some cleaning, but not enough

Cooking (2 nights in a row)

and the list goes on...

There has been no down time and my free time has been spent on the internet checking out numerous blogs, Spring Fling, Wordless Wednesdays and UBP posts. I can't pin point exactly what has me hooked on what is referred to as the blogosphere; but it has sucked me in.

I am struggling to balance it all without neglecting Jelly Belly, the hubby and other things. I need more time.

I am feeling exhausted, but I go to work tomorrow and I can REST.

Three and a half years ago, I would have never referred to my career as a chance to rest.

How things have changed...

Friday will be Friendship Friday. I hope you consider joining me in this new meme.

Your post can be anything related to friendship, your friends, your kids' friends, online friends....

Here are my first 2 Friendship Fridays, I hope I can keep it up! And I know it's Friday so feel free to keep it simple, I have!

Friendship Friday 1

Friendship Friday 2

Time to eat my sugar free popsicle and catch up on my Gossip Girl. I drank so much green tea today that I will be up until midnight and up before 6.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Planted Pink Mums in Early October of 2009

October 31, 2009--our flowers were not surviving...we think too much H2O

Today

They were once ALL brown

There is hope for us!

Not sure how they will survive the AZ summer months.

For another planting experience, click here

Growing Pains

2010-04-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

I used to love this show.

It was the best TV show ever. I even bought the Tiger Beat magazines and my mom didn't stop me from covering my walls with posters.

I am not a fan anymore.

I am no longer talking about Mike Seaver but the leg pain that often wakes up my jelly belly.

Being woken up in the middle of the night is not what bothers me (ok-it does) but what really gets me are the tears and the sobbing I have to hear. She truly is in pain. The hubby right away remembered when he experienced growing pains. I, on the other hand, did not want to believe him.

At first, it was hard not to let my mind wander; to automatically go into panic mode and think the worse each time I heard, “Mommmmy, my leg hurts." But with time, I have noticed it usually happens when she has had a very active day. Our pediatrician has told us it’s common and one of those things that cannot be explained. There is no reason to be concerned unless the pain seems to be in the joints or it is accompanied by swelling. She also responds positively to massage, which is key in ruling out something more serious.

On the nights that she wakes every 2-3 hours, I find myself frantically looking for Ibuprofen or Tylenol in her bathroom cabinet. That usually does the trick. But there are times when I wonder if medicine is really necessary. But what is a sleepy mom supposed to do when she asks for it?

It must really help her feel better and I think Dr. Seaver and Maggie Malone would do the same.

Lego Land

2010-04-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Time to reminisce once again! Last October, we traveled to California's Legoland and had a blast! It was our first theme park with Jelly Belly. We wanted to try out this place before we visit Disneyland and I am so glad we did. We stayed at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa and loved it! It has a private entrance to the park!! No waiting in lines. Jelly Belly loved the park! I found out she is definitely a roller coaster girl. There were quite a few rides for her height and I loved how there are lego stations everywhere. The park was slow paced compared to what I remember from Disneyland; and we were able to visit almost everything in one day. I did not feel rushed and we were able to enjoy every minute of it. October weather was perfect!

We loved the aquarium!

Join us in Mommy and Me!

Hosted by Krystyn

It's Party Time

2010-04-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

It's Party Time!
Five Minutes for Mom is hosting The Ultimate Blog Party and this is my first time participating.

My name is Angelica and I am fairly new to the blogosphere. I have been married for 7 years now to a very supportive man. With a blog of his own, HE was the one that set mine up, and I am so glad HE did. I finally started blogging last summer and have recently picked it up once again! I am hooked and cannot believe I have been missing out!
Funwithbella is mostly about my day to day adventures with motherhood and how I manage to have FUN with my daughter while balancing my career, family and friends! It is a work in progress as I am still trying to find my focus and voice.
She has changed my life and I love her to pieces. She is a very observant 3 year old who is super smart and full of energy. She goes to preschool 3 mornings a week and is transitioning out of her nap, NO fun! She has a very vivid and wild imagination. Sometimes it's too much for me to handle. Most of our challenges are food related; she is picky as can be and is allergic to eggs and nuts.
One thing is for sure, Jelly Belly loves a party. So much that she talks about her birthday party almost every day, and it's not until September!! We must attend a lot of birthday parties or something because she has already begun to plan her 4th birthday party! Here we are at her last birthday!

I love being a mom but I am fortunate to also work part-time at an inner city elementary school, two days a week. My fancy title is High School Transition Coordinator. I promote a college education and teach kids about how to prepare for high school and college. At work, I am currently in the process of awarding college scholarships to some very lucky high school seniors and planning a big field trip to Arizona State University, where I worked before Jelly Belly was born.
At home, Jelly Belly keeps me busy. She loves reading books and you can often find us at the bookstore or at our local library during story time. FUN Books has a few of the books we have recently read. She also participates in Ballet and Gymnastics classes. We are a busy family and love to expose her to different experiences and activities. I will soon have a more extensive list of FUN Things to DO, and hope this gives new moms some ideas of how to have FUN with their kids.
I have really been enjoying documenting about our daily life, good and bad days. I only wish I would have started sooner. I have been participating in Mommy and Me Monday hosted by Krystyn from Really, Are you Serious and a few Wordless Wednesdays. I am also attempting to start my own meme, Friendship Fridays!
I hope you spend some time on our blog and come back again and become a Follower! It will be FUN!

Happy Blogging! And it is so nice to "meet" you!
If you would like to participate in The Ultimate Blog Party,
make sure you visit here!

So now on to the prizes….If I should be so lucky to win, I would really like:
**GRAND PRIZE, Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025**
39 -BeMy Guest certificate ($250 value) for one lucky winner, (2 night stay for a family of four) at any Hilton Garden Inn.
11 – A $100 gift eCertificate to Restaurant.com, immediately redeemable online at over 13,000 restaurants nationwide.
32 – $25 Target Gift Card!
31 – A $20 Amazon gift certificate.
7 – Tupperware Prize Pack – the winner will receive a box filled with fun Tupperware goodies.
I also like these FUN prizes, that Jelly Belly can enjoy too!
22 – One winner will receive a fun Beach themed gift basket filled with an assortment of hair bows and clippies from ribbonrockstar hairbows. (Prize Value: $50)
71 – A $50 Bear Bucks Card to Build A Bear Workshop.
5 – Baking Magic for Kids mini-cupcake kit for two winners. This kit contains 12 gourmet mini-cupcakes, unfrosted, with an assortment of frostings and decorations.
15 – Win a $25 e-gift certificate to the Disney Store.

Dentist here we come!

2010-04-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

No Friendship Friday this week!

We are going to the dentist tomorrow and we have been reading Going to the Dentist, from the First Steps Series.

This book tells the story of a little girl's trip to the dentist. Dora, along with her stuffed alligator Allie, explains what can happen during the visit. She sits in the waiting room until her name is called. It is now her turn for her teeth to be cleaned. She mentions the dentist chair that you can sit on and talks about the tools that you may see. She says, "Some are very noisy!"

This was helpful to us because Jelly Belly is the one who often covers up her ears when there is too much chaos around.

This book taught my daughter that cavities are tiny holes in her teeth at a very young age. She learned the importance of brushing her teeth and eating healthy foods. It includes pictures of how to brush your teeth and also came with stickers.

Overall, the book is wonderful to read before a dental visit. It is thorough and filled with detail. My daughter enjoys the real pictures because she can relate to them. We read the book several times a year, especially when she gets into one of her "I don't want to brush my teeth" phase.

Tomorrow is our third or fourth visit to the dentist. I think Jelly Belly started her check-ups right before she turned 2. Oh how I wish I would have started blogging when she was much younger. I am so forgetful now.

She has done pretty well at the dentist and this book really helped all of us prepare for it. The first time we experienced some tears, but only because there was a screaming child right next to us. But it's been an overall okay experience for her. We have not gotten X-rays though and she will be 4 in September. Her dentist says her mouth is too small for them. I am worried and so is she. We have had a few discussions about cavities at home and at school. This kid eats too many sweets. Somewhat my fault but we were only able to avoid C-A-N-D-Y for so long.

Wish us luck tomorrow and be sure to leave some tips on how you prepare for your little one's dental visits.

Hunting for Bugs

2010-04-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Jelly Belly got bit by ants last week at her school! or I should clarify ONE ant. I guess that is what happens when mama is at work and daddy and her decided she should wear flip flops to school. Hey--the weather is finally warm enough and this whole school thing is still somewhat new to us. We forget we have to follow school rules. Nevertheless it traumatized her.

Since then she has been freaking out at the sight of little bugs.

We were drawing outside this afternoon and she screams at the sight of an ant. Now I know I am a wimp when it comes to bugs but I certainly do not need her to be. I ran in her playroom and frantically looked for her magnifying glass. I come out all excited and tell her to look at the ant. She gives me the big eyes and says, "let's pretend we are hunters and we are hunting for bugs!"

Yay for her imagination! We spent a good hour outside examining bugs and discussing them. I am no bug expert so I will not share our conversation. The whole time I was wishing I had a good book to go along with it. Any suggestions?
She is still not convinced that every ant she sees will not try to bite her. At least I can tell her, "the only reason it bit you is cuz you eat so many sweets and they were thinking, yummy this jelly belly sure tastes good".

Cookies - - Wordless Wedneday

2010-04-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday brought to you by 5 minutes for mom

Enjoying some cookies after the Easter Egg Hunt...

Remote please!

2010-04-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

I have been eating nothing but popsicles, cheerios, crackers, bananas and bread for over 72 hours. I haven’t had an ounce of caffeine. Maybe I should have some. So today, I could only take so much of this:

When most of my parenting is done from the bathroom, and my head is pounding so much that my eye sockets hurt, it is time. Time to let her enjoy the tube. Top 5 reasons she was allowed to watch television all afternoon:

1) I used up way too much energy to take her to story time this morning so we can say good bye to our favorite librarian AND then dragged ourselves to the grocery store to buy more Gatorade, bananas and popsicles. What was I thinking??

2) It’s a nice sunny day in AZ and I am so cold that I am wearing sweats and sweatshirt

3) There is no way in hell I am leaving the house again to take her to her weekly ballet class

4) I am not thinking straight

5) I love my chatter box but I need her to stop talking

I will admit I was once that parent that said she will not watch TV. I did the research. I did my fair share of reading. I like to argue that those so called experts do not have children and if they do they are lying to us. My favorite is when they say to watch television with your kids. I do not like how she turns into a zombie but I use it to my advantage. How can they not discover the peace that a bit of TV viewing can bring? The smiles it brings to not only children but their exhausted parents. I still monitor what she watches and how long. Most of it is educational. We are big fans of Disney and Pixar movies. I absolutely hate commercials. So far we have managed to avoid Sponge Bob in our household. I try hard to stick to the 2 hours a day rule (or is it 3 now that she is 3?). But there are days like today when almost everything goes out the door.

You will find Jelly Belly watching consecutive hours of TV when Mommy is sick and has no energy.

Today it was:

I hope no dreams of a scary kangaroo wake her up tonight or I will regret Horton Hears a Who!

What did your little ones watch today?

For more Wordful Wednesdays visit

Easter Aftermath

2010-04-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

A sick mama is not as bad as having a sick kiddo, but it is definitely not fun! A stomach bug has gotten the best of me. It started Friday, the night before our big Easter Egg Hunt party. I've had the chills, nausea, horrible headache, stomach pain. I will spare you the details. I don't know how I managed to survive our event in the backyard of our house and smile when I really felt like puking. I don't know how I got up the next day and made the 10 o'clock Easter mass, but I did. Sometimes motherhood makes you find that last little drop of strength we all have.

I am still feeling sick today and I am feeling overwhelmed. I am getting behind on everything. I stayed home from work today. Not such a great thing for a part-timer without sick time who only works twice a week. I am feeling a bit disconnected from Jelly Belly. Last week, I will admit that this blog and many others consumed a lot of my free time. Then, there was the prepping for our event. Now my sickness has caused Daddy to pick up a lot of the daily routine. She keeps asking when I will get better, then quickly followed with a very whiny "My tummy hurts too". I loved overhearing Daddy tell her the story of the little boy who cried wolf today.

My crackers and Gatorade gave me enough energy to sit down and let her paint. I sat next to her and quietly observed; a very hard thing to do for the control freak and perfectionist in me.

Jelly Belly and Me-Easter edition

2010-04-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our first Easter in 2007....

I wish I could remember what we were laughing at....

2008

2009-Not one picture of the two of us :(

And this year...mommy feeling very sick. No peeps, no chocolate, no jelly beans for me. But she was allowed to have more than plenty.

Hosted by Krystyn

Friday Follower

2010-04-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the April 2 Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here’s how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.
Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.
Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like.
Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow.
Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

Friendship Friday #2

2010-04-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

I see a box outside my front door. It’s an Amazon box. Great. What did I buy? I didn’t buy anything. I don’t remember buying anything. Is my memory that bad? Yes.

I start unlocking my front door, and I’m thinking, how much did I spend? Did he buy something? There is no way.

My day was so busy that I didn’t even have a chance to open it. My husband opens it after Jelly Belly is asleep. I think he was excited, he was wishing I bought him something. As I am finishing up cleaning the kitchen, I hear him say:

“It’s from Cristina, it’s another book for Bella. That is so nice.”

I stop what I am doing. I feel like crying. My husband looks at me weird. He doesn’t understand how my friend completed this mama’s day. Do you see that smile? Books are the best present Jelly Belly could get (besides c-a-n-d-y).

My friend left Arizona a few years ago. She is millions of miles away. She is a world traveler currently teaching in Spain. She is living her dream. We have different lives but yet she continues to support me. I support her. We respect each other’s lives and the choices we have made. Yes, we’ve had our ups and downs like every friendship. Yes, our friendship has changed throughout the years. But she is still here and always will be. Half way across the world, she remembers Isabella's birthday and spoils her for Christmas. When she visits, she makes an effort to get to know my daughter. And this year, she has unexpectedly surprised all of us with books for Valentine’s Day and now Easter.

True friendship....Your turn!

For more on Friendship Friday:
First Friendship Friday

Just the Way I Am

2010-03-31T23:46:00.000-07:00

Just the Way I am (The 7 Habits of Happy Kids) by Sean Covey

I couldn’t believe it when Jelly Belly found this book. How many years have I known about this author and the 7 Habits of Effective People, Effective Families, Effective Teens. I have gone to classes, workshops. I think I can recite them. Okay maybe not. But there I was sharing this with my daughter and I loved the message. Talk about building up some self-esteem. Pokey the Porcupine learns to accept the way he is. He learns to walk away from Biff, the school bully, who makes fun of him on a daily basis. Pokey decides that “He was not going to let Biff ruin his day.”

A short, sweet and to the point book that teaches the child to Be Proactive: You’re in Charge of your feelings. If Pokey the Porcupine learns to accept the way he is then so can I. My favorite part is The Parents Corner. It was a great tool to practice reading comprehension and to have valuable discussion. For us it went something like this:

I ask her... Name 3 things you like about yourself

1) I like my hair

2) I like my hands

3) I like my arms

"Mommy, your turn, what do you like about yourself?" And then I froze. It took me a minute. I really struggled. Yikes! I need to revisit these habits.

1) I like my name

2) I like the color of my eyes

3) I like being a mommy

She says, “My turn…”

1) I like my hair

2) I like my hands

3) I like that you are my mommy

And my heart melted.

Highly recommend this book. This book is a great way to prepare young kids for the inevitable. Kids can be mean. Chances are someone will make fun of her at school, the park, or somewhere when I least expect it. It’s up to me to teach her how to handle these situations before they happen.

What will you say when someone asks, "What do you like about yourself?"

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Butterfly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden:

Pictures taken in October 2009!

You are stuck with me!

2010-03-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I had one of those days where I feel like telling Jelly Belly, “Sorry you are stuck with me.” I was cranky, irritable, just not having a good mom day. I always feel bad afterwards. Guilt, it gets the best out of me. She did nothing out of the ordinary, but I am not proud of the way I handled things today. I gave up yelling for lent today. My husband laughs at me. I think I have done pretty well. I usually find enough patience in me to explain in a calm way why I don’t like it when she takes her socks off at the gym’s day care or at the playground, or why she shouldn’t do this or that. I try to take the time to give her options so she feels somewhat in control of her life. I give her warnings and explain the consequences she may face. Today was not one of those days. All I wanted to do was scream “because I said so!”

I had no patience for her silliness, or energy to ask her a million times to do something. I should have known it was going to be one of those days when she came in to the den holding her plate, cup and bagel all at once, she was so proud. “Mom, I can carry all of this” and then suddenly everything slips out of her tiny hands and she drenched herself in water, yep, the cup was full. We were late to the library once again.

In the afternoon, I realized I needed to check my work email. I set up a worksheet for her to do, she usually loves these. She calls them her homework. Today, she lasted less than 3 minutes. Then, I set up a puzzle for her in the same room, but she had no focus. I finished up my work and actually sat down with her. I was not in the mood for puzzles. My patience was thin. Then, sweet little belly wanted to sit on my lap. Not a terrible request, but I wanted no part of it! I wanted my personal space. I wanted her to stop talking. She then got upset because I did not want to share my apple with her. I knew the only reason she wanted it was because it was mine. She had just finished lunch. I catch myself. Did I really just tell her NO, it’s mine! Yikes, I give in. She sucks on my apple and then gives it back to me, all soggy. Gross.

Then she got upset because I picked up the wrong puzzle piece. “I wanted to do that one”, she says. Any other day, we would have worked through it. Today I made it worse. It ended up with me saying or maybe yelling, "I need some alone time". She was so upset, but admitted she was tired and wanted to take a nap. Yeah, right!! But she had quiet time in her room, it lasted maybe 30 minutes. Then she comes out and says, “Mommy can we please have a happy ending”. And I manage to give her a smile.

Tackle It Tuesday

2010-03-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

What am I tackling this week? I volunteered to host an Easter Egg Hunt for the Mommy Co-op that I belong to and it is this Saturday! This means I can no longer avoid cleaning the house. I always tell myself to get on some type of schedule but I never stick to it. I always wait until the very last minute and then stress!

I always start with the kitchen.... Here is our island!! Every week, or is it every day that I say I will not let it get this bad. I had 30 minutes to throw something in the crockpot AND give the kitchen a transfomation before we had to head out. Good thing Bella was in the mood for a popsicle, she willingly went outside to play, she even asked me to close the door so flies don't come in to the house!!!

Before and after pictures:

I even had time to put up some Easter decorations without spending any money. I bought a few things after Easter last year and managed to find every stuffed bunny that Bella owns to decorate. She had a blast!

And now onto dusting, vacuuming, mopping and everything else! Oh it's going to be busy week!

Jelly Belly and Me # 2

2010-03-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

I am getting more and more excited about this Mommy and Me challenge. Today, I realized how true it is... not too many pictures with Jelly Belly and me, especially ones that are not posed. The challenge to change that is definitely on!

She was sitting on my lap as I began looking and searching for pictures of the 2 of us together. Looking through pictures is one of her favorite things to do. I hope this really helps her remember all her childhood memories! She is especially fascinated with pictures of me when she was in my belly!

I am guilty! I failed to take a picture of her and I this week. But these pictures are not too old.....

We traveled to the Bahamas in June '09 and mommy and daddy were destined to have a great time at a Bon Fire that included unlimited drinks! She must have thought we were the best, funniest parents ever that night! She even remembers mommy doing the limbo!

Pictures were taken by Daddy, before the real fun began!

Join us in Mommy and Me!

Hosted by Krystyn

Friendship Friday

2010-03-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Every Friday I will be blogging about friendship...
Friendship means everything to me! Isabella and I are both lucky to be surrounded by wonderful friends! Bella began experiencing friendship at a very early age, before she even turned one!
I met G's mom during story time at our local library when our girls were about 5 months old. Since then, we have had lots of FUN together, and shared almost everything with each other! Here they are at the library when they were about 14 months old!

Their friendship has truly blossomed!!

Taken at Tolmachoff Farms in November 2009.

Now it's your turn....Join me in Friendship Friday! It can be pictures, stories, anything you'd like to share about having FUN with friends! Happy Friday!

Don't forget to enter your own link to your Friendship Friday post below!

Chinese Cultural Center

2010-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

COFCO Chinese Cultural Center

Last month, Isabella and her preschool class went on a field trip to the Chinese Cultural Center. I had never been there (unless you include a visit to a nightclub during my college days!) so I was just as excited as she was. The thing I liked the most about this field trip is that I would have never thought of taking her there, never ever, would I have thought of exposing her to the culture, the gardens and the beautiful architecture that we saw.

I do have to comment that her preschool class was very excited that day and full of energy. They had been doing Chinese New Year activities all week; they were full of anticipation and were ready for their trip. We had beautiful weather and we were outside. If I would have given that some more thought, I may have enforced a few rules and explained appropriate behavior. But her being in preschool and taking field trips has been a new adventure for both of us. Isabella is usually well behaved in public, and I am not always prepared to handle how easily she can be influenced. Kids often associate being outdoors with running and climbing, and boy was there plenty of that!! I needed lots of patience that morning and had to take her aside a few times to remind her that this was not a playground. This outing was full of teachable moments. I think she purposelly ignored me around her friends! Luckily, Daddy met us for lunch that day at one of the restaurants so we were able to talk a bit more about what we were looking at. Overall, I would take her again. How else is she going to learn how to act and appreciate the things around her. A few days later she talked about China, the statues and and how chinese letters look a lot different than the ones she is learning!! That to me was worth it!

Wordless Wednesday at the Zoo

2010-03-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Our trip to the Phoenix Zoo on March 19, 2010

Click on the picture, Mama arangutan drinking her coffee and reading newspaper...

Jelly Belly and Me

2010-03-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I decided that Isabella and I were ready for a Girls' Trip. We drove to Riverside, California to visit one of my good friends. I must admit that I was a bit nervous. If you really know me, you know that my mind is full of "what if's?" but we did it!! And our little adventure was empowering. It was empowering in the sense that it was the first time that I have driven that distance on my own and with my daughter. The two of us together, away from daddy. The trip validated me as a mother. It made me realize how much I enjoy her and that I am doing a great job. Now that is something that I often forget. It's hard not to doubt your parenting skills, to wonder if you are doing a good job or not, especially with your first child. Hanging out with my friend and being away from home, away from routine gave me new perspective. It also helped that Jelly Belly was very well behaved (up until the last hour or two) and as I was leaving, my good friend said to me, "I love watching you with her".

Now, it is your turn! Join Krystyn for another Mommy and me Monday....

Hosted by Krystyn

Spring is in the Air

2010-03-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Isabella is on spring break this week and oh how I wish that I still was! I just had a week off work, yep, my spring break gone, over, good bye. Yes, I know on most weeks I only work 2 days a week, Mondays and Thursdays, so I will not complain; but, it was so nice to be home with my kiddo. I am a bit worried because this past Monday, I had the most unproductive work day of the entire school year, or at least it felt like it. Work has been busy, I have to make the most out of my two days there. In general, I have been feeling good about work and what I do; I feel like I make a difference, I feel somewhat important. But Monday, I just could not get back into the groove of things, I wasted so much time. I missed Isabella. I was wishing I was outside with her enjoying the beautiful AZ weather. I know it will only last 2 weeks before the sun starts burning! Did I mention that I did not want to be there? And that my office does not have a window? I managed to take care of a few things but mostly:

I played with my phone.
I got on Facebook ALOT!
I organized our bills.
I made a few important calls.
I found out that our church is not having vacation bible school, and I so wanted Jelly Belly to go.
I emailed a couple of friends.
I drafted Mommy Co-op emails.
I came up with a very long "to do" list (not work related!)
I got American Express to remove a finance charge, love them!
and
I played on my phone some more and realized that spending all that money was worth every penny.

So hopefully tomorrow goes a lot better. I have the best job ever, the people sometimes not so great, but it is absolutely perfect for me right now. I don't have anyone waiting for me. I set my own deadlines, I rarely have meetings, I know what needs to be done and I do it. I am an independent worker who on most days can motivate myself to get my stuff done. Maybe I was having one of those days, those days that I wish I didn't have to work at all and could be a full time SAHM. But it is only twice a week, I will not complain. I have to admit that Isabella's smile and kisses and even disciplining her (even on those bad days) is so much more rewarding than anything I ever do at work. To make up for my lazy Monday at work, I have kept busy at home. Between ballet, story time and a play date, I have made the time to take her to the park, to feed the ducks and read many, many books at Barnes and Noble. We are also planning on going to the zoo on Friday.

What are you most proud of this week?

My Tuesday morning!

2010-03-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have the best husband in the world! Today is Tuesday, which means it's story time at the library. I was woken up a little later than usual today so I knew I better hurry. I got Isabella some breakfast, got her dressed, and got my running shoes on. I was determined to get at least a 30 min. workout before heading out the door. I woke my hubby up like I always do, and asked him to get up and brush her teeth, and do her breathing treatment so I could work out.
Today, I got no complaints from him...I began my work out, before I knew it, 45minutes had gone by and for most of it, she was not near me, pure silence, I was able to listen to music; and, I must say he kept her away from me without the TV being on! He read a book or two or three! Isabella even said, "You could have worked out more, so daddy can read more books."
He rocks! Not only did he brush her teeth, do her treatment but he also put the library books that were due in our library bag and then he did her hair!! I need to say that again, he did her hair. One day I will take a pic of just the tangles in her hair. Now that was super nice! He has been so helpful lately in the mornings now that I am trying to workout more and more. So with all this help, I don't understand how I am always late to the library, we are talking every week! I am one of the last moms to walk through the door, today they had already started singing!
Oh well, at least we made it! Daddy this Shamrock is for you!

She really wants to drive

2010-01-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

Every night I take a few pills and tonight Jelly Belly was watching closely.

Bella: When I am older, can I have those?

Me: Sure of course, Do you know how old I am?

Bella: No--(I have told her a couple of times)

Me: I am 33.

Bella: And when I am 33, I can drive?

Me: You can drive sooner than that, you only have to be 18 to drive.

Bella: WoW!

She was so excited. I thought we were done and boy was I wrong...about 30 minutes later. Jelly Belly's eyes were twinkling with excitement after she came up with the following list:

Bella: When I am older I can...
wash the dishes, push the grocery cart, go to the grocery store, do the dishes, make you dinner, make your tea, make daddy coffee, climb the ladder, put on my own TV show, drive to the movies, drive you and daddy to the movies, drive to the library, and you can sit in the back like me....

Me: um.....no, why can't I sit next to you? oh you can mommy, but I will drive...

Bella: And I can drive you to the doctors, and clean the whole house and when I am older, I won't need a booster, I can do the laundry all by myself, I can drive me to the movies, I will be the mommy.

Me: No, I will always be the mommy

Bella: But I will be the driver....

My eyes were also twinkling with excitment, I envisioned her taking care of me and doing all my chores until finally realized that this whole conversation should have been filmed! And so at least it has brought me back to this blog.

It's been way too long, more to come soon.

State Fair

2009-10-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Isabella went to the AZ state Fair on Friday with all her preschool friends. She had a blast and I am finding out she is for sure a roller coaster girl.

Milking a cow....mooooo!

First bumper cars!!

One of many rides...

Best way to end the day!!

Our conversations

2009-10-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

My day between 12 and 1pm!

We are leaving her preschool…Bella tries to get in the front passenger seat, I had no idea what she was doing, so I picked her up and tried to put her in her car seat. And yes, I am in a hurry…
The water works begin.…with a bit of kicking and screaming.

Bella: I want to go in the front and then climb to the back.

Me: That is not safe, you don’t climb all over the car seat.

Bella: Tries to swing at me and screams NO!

Me: Picked her up and sat her on a little planter, very calmly said, “When you are ready to get in the car without screaming, let me know. Then, I look the other way.

Bella: Screaming & Crying, but stays seated :)

Thank God it was not a 120 degrees outside but it was still hot, noon in October in AZ with me wearing jeans and a black shirt, it was hot! I turned the car on so I can turn the a/c on while she is screaming.

Bella: "Don’t leave without me!" Screaming, crying

Me: "I am not leaving without you, are you ready to get in the car the right way?"

Bella: "Yes" Tantrum over.

Me: Picked her up and strapped her in the car seat…

I think I won!

Keep in mind that I had just been told that she hit one of her friends today…

Me: We do not hit, hitting is not nice, it is not okay, you have to be nice to your friends. If someone hits you, then you walk away and tell the teacher. If you keep hitting, then you won’t be able to go to preschool.

Bella: It’s so hot, I’m sweaty, let’s go.

In one ear and out the other…so true!

We get home and it’s time to get dressed for the Little Gym…

Me: Please come put your pants on

Bella: Runs away…

Me: Please come put your pants on, I’m not going to ask you again

Bella: No, no, no, you have to say “Ma’am, please come put your pants on”

Me: I had to hide my chuckle and I ask, “Who taught you that?”

Bella: Danny (Danny is one of her imaginary friends)

Me: Bella please come put your pants on, we are running late

Bella: But you have to say, “Ma’am, please come put your pants on”

Me: “Ma’am, please come put your pants on”….and she comes happily to put her pants on.

She wins!

I guess you have to learn to pick your battles but did I just do that????

So back in the car we go, she has her bag of grapes, I’m putting her in the carseat and she spits at me!!

Me: Did you just spit at me?

Bella: Yeah, it was a seed.

Me: You do not spit like that, that is not good manners, that is disgusting and very gross, please don’t do that again.

Bella: I just don’t want the seed to go in my belly because then it will grow!

Me: Gotta hide my chuckle again and stay serious, “Next time, please put the seed back in the bag. Do you understand?"

And off we go.....

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this time of year! October is my favorite month and Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's fun and there is no stress, well maybe just a little...but definetely not like Christmas.
This past Sunday, we visited a Pumpkin Patch at Tolmachoff Farms and had a blast. Too bad we (adults) could not complete the puzzle to the corn maze...we'll try again next year.

In the corn....

The big tractor...

Riding the train...

This was a lot of fun and quite the workout!

Almost time to pick out our pumpkin....

Stay tuned...We are visiting the Botanical Gardens and attending a Halloween party this upcoming Saturday!

C is for Chocolate Chip Cookie!

2009-09-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

Another project inspired by No Time For Flashcards...
For detailed instructions on this project, visit their website,
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2009/08/recipe-for-cookies.html

We added real chocolate chips to our cookie and Bella had a lot of fun doing this!! I am appreciating times like this even more now that she is in preschool, the days are flying by!

Our conversation today...

2009-09-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

While we were driving to the her class at the Little Gym...

Bella: Mama, why did you paint your eyes today?

Mama: I dunno, I want to look pretty for work.

Bella: I want to look pretty too, can I paint my face? Iwant glitter on my eyes.

Mama: Maybe when you are a little older.

Bella: But I am big girl...

She is not even 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some influence from Tia Gina, she'll be so proud.

Chore Chart

2009-08-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

I finally had time to come up with a chore list for Isabella. Her chore list includes:

1) Cleaning her princess table

2) Emptying out the bathroom trash

3) Cleaning the bathroom mirrors

4) Water and food for the pets

5) Help with the bathrooms

6) Help put away laundry

7) Putting things away

8) Emptying out the dishwasher

9) Putting clothes in her hampter

Most days, she is receptive to the idea of being mama's helper. Other days, she says, "I am busy" or "You do it!". She is earning stickers for each chore she accomplishes or when she is being helpful. So far the stickers have been enough. My next step will be to give her quarters when she has a lot of stickers on her chore chart. She alreadyemptied out the bathroom trash pretty much unsupervised! We were so proud!

You can make your own Kids' Chore Chart at:

www.goalforit.com

Preschool

2009-08-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

We have been talking about it for months and it is finally here! Jelly Belly's first day of preschool. What a big girl! Here we go!!

First pic taken...It really helped to go to the open house on Friday! She walked right in and started playing!

Ginny and Bella....MINE!!

Bella and her new teacher:

Deciding which preschool Jelly Belly would attend was a tough one to make. We visited and toured a few. We decided to go with Angele's Preschool Program. It was the only preschool that let us visit for an entire morning so Isabella had a chance to participate while I sat back. I love the fact that is only three times a week, three hours a day. The day we visited, they transferred cocoons to the buttefly tent and she absolutelty loved it. She still talks about it. Angele's preschool is an in-home preschool very close to our house. We will love this since she has to be there at 8:30 a.m. She is attending with her good friend Ginny and a few other kids she knows from the Rancho Santa Fe Mommy-Coop that we belong to. I am sure this will ease the transition to being away from home or grandma's house. There were no tears today! When I picked her up she was happy to see me and right away took out her first project from her backpack. She also took me outside to show me the finger painting she had done. She came home with a Clifford book she checked out from Angele's library. Her face was full of chocolate from her fudsicle. She said she helped clean up, played with play-do and a jump rope and that it was a lot of fun. I feel very comfortable with her new teacher and I am looking forward to her new world of learning without mommy. Let's hope for the same on Wednesday!

Art Project

2009-08-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here's is a fun and super easy art project! I had a bag full of those foamy things that are used for packaging, I don't even know what to call them....She loved touching and playing with them since she had never seen them before. Great for texture...then she painted them. We used finger paints and acrylics.

We waited for them to dry a bit before gluing them on a piece of foam paper.

The finished project!! It is now hanging on her playroom's wall!

The letter F

2009-08-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

F is for Feather! Isabella is getting really good at recognizing sounds. The feathers kept her entertained and we had a lot of fun playing with them afterwards.

Today, I let her pick which letter she wanted to do. Turned out to be a great choice. Earlier we had visited "As You Wish", Pottery Painting Place and painted a frog.

F is for feather, frog, five, four, fingers, fox, funny, fork......

For detailed instructions on how to make this project, check out one of my favorite sites:

Our trip

2009-08-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

We are back in Arizona and adjusting to the heat! Jelly belly had a lot of fun in Costa Rica. I am so glad she is becoming an international traveler at such a young age. She surprised us when she compared Costa Rica to the Bahamas, it was a great geography lesson for all of us. Jelly Belly got to spend time with "Tita" (my mother-in-law), Tia Diana and her cousins. She also felt the warmth of extended family, picked up a few Spanish words, visited the beach and a volcano we could not see. We survived our flights, our layovers, car trips and everything else. Giving her new toys was a huge success, she now loves Polly Pockets. They kept her very busy when there was nothing to do at the airport and long car rides. Highly recommend them! There was a lot of C-A-N-D-Y, fruit snacks, gum and movies, and she even tried soda for the first time! Flexibility is the key to a great vacation! I can only wish that someday she will eat Costa Rican food because it is delicious and very similar to what I grew up eating in Nicaragua.

One of our very first pics that was taken on a very long drive to the beach:

Here is the beach we visited and the beautiful sunset we saw:

Here she is with Santi, they got along instantly and so well considering the language barrier.... "I love candy" is something they will both remember!

Here she is holding a crab, not scared at all:

Spent lots of time with daddy:

Hung with the cousins, Andrew and Adrian:

Visited Tito...which raised some tough questions we will soon address:

Where is the volcano?? It's supposed to be behind them...

We couldn't see the lagoon...

Here she is feeding a squirrel:

MOO MOO, she saw cows everywhere including outside of Tita's house:

She was ready to come home and see her Grandmee & Grandpee and of course the puppies. She missed her toys, her room, her crib, but she overall she did great. Now it's time for routine! We are still unpacking. We have reviewed our rules and we are getting ready for her first day of school on Monday. Trying to get her up and ready by 8:30 a.m. will be quite the challenge.

Off to Costa Rica

2009-07-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

We are all packed up and headed to Costa Rica tomorrow morning. The house is clean, the house is quiet. And I am exhausted. Isabella fell asleep not too long ago, which means we will have a cranky jelly belly when I wake her up at 6:30am. I just spent I don't know how long looking for her baby, with no luck. I hope we find it tomorrow morning. Here is the calendar (or as jelly belly would say, "we gotta do our chart") where we have been tracking our days. My MIL just got a computer which means I may be able to blog while we are away. And we are off....

Mak Diva

2009-07-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

We are leaving to Costa Rica this Thursday and what am I doing? Blogging....aaaahhh it's my new addiction, good thing it has not replaced Facebook. Now I need more time! This is Makenzie aka Mak Diva, my husband's God daughter (so technically mine too). I have known her since she was 3 I think! And now she is the bestest, greatest babysitter. She comes over and Jelly belly does not need a thing from me. I packed, and cleaned and cleaned, yes I am a bit obssesed, but I must clean before I go out of town. Today Isabella made her do all kinds of silly things...getting in her crib was just one of them. Jelly belly loves her, and pretty soon Mak diva will be old enough to babysit! I'm counting down... Mak Diva may soon get blue hair and jelly belly has already put her request in for pink hair!! Yikes, we are in trouble!

Summer Fun

2009-07-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Gaby's birthday at a splash park. We had only been to a splash park another time and she would not get wet. I sure was glad that she warmed up to all the splashing because it was super HOT!

These 2 will be friends forever....

Jelly belly now knows who Hannah Montana is...yikes!
Splash!

When will she stop covering her ears?? I hope she doesn't cover them when her bday comes around! Check out the cakes made by my friend Maria....yummy! And thanks for the eggless cupcakes!

Book Review

2009-07-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

I decided to read this again today right before nap time, and I am glad I did. Let me tell you that the first time I read it, I cried really bad, and had to go in another room so Isabella would not see me. I told myself it was an awful, awful book because it made me cry and I was not ready in anyway to explain the concept of aging and death. My husband agreed. I was also expecting this book to be about Potty Training because my friend who gave it to me also gave me some other ones after a brief potty training discussion (and the big toilet on the cover!) Says alot about how much I knew about the author. Today, I felt better about it. I remember it being much sadder than it actually was. Maybe because I was more prepared, maybe because she is a little older or I am a little wiser and stronger. Either way, I think it teaches great values.

Float or Sink?

2009-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

We did this a couple of weeks ago. I checked out a book from the library from the Think About Series called Floating and Sinking by Henry Arthur Pluckrose which gave me the idea to do this. We had been reading the book for a couple of weeks before we did it, so she was super excited. She had fun finding all kinds of objects to put in our bowl of water; she loves playing with water these days and picked up the concept pretty quick. She also flipped through the pages of the book to get ideas of what she could test out in our little experiment.
What I loved most, while she was looking for objects...I was folding laundry, and this activity kept her entertained for almost an entire hour.

Our rules

2009-07-16T20:44:00.001-07:00

Today we wrote out some rules (Thanks Allison for the idea). Yesterday I thought I should wait until we get back from Costa Rica. But I couldn't wait....Let's hope this helps our behavior issues, it's worth a try. Jelly Belly came up with most of them on her own, not necessarily in this order. She was excited about our "project" and had fun putting glitter on our big piece of paper.

Bella's rules:

1) No hitting anyone (especially mom, dad & Ginny)

2) Be nice to each other

3) No yelling

4) No pushing, no pulling

5) No saying No!

6) No kicking

7) No taking without asking

8) No closing doors

9) No throwing things

10) No playing with water without permission

11) Draw only on paper

12) Do what mama and daddy say

13) Share

This may be too much, but she wanted to keep going...no cutting the carpet, no biting, things that we don't have issues with. Knock on wood! But let's see if she can follow #10, she recently got into the sink to give her babies water and to mix it with her play-doh because it was too hard. And #12 is my favorite, and the ultimate rule that gets broken everyday!

Yuck!

2009-07-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

We are slowly returning to normal activities which means less computer time for me, especially on the days she does not nap. Today, my jelly belly had an allergy test done and a chest x-ray to try and find the root of this never ending cough. For now it's Singulair, Zyrtec and breathing treatments....Yuck!!! I hate it, but what am I to do? She was off the breathing treatments for only 3 days before the cough came back. I can't take the risk of not following her treatment plan, especially when doctors say if it is untreated it can get worse. As if her egg and nut allergy were not enough to deal with, I now have to worry about possible asthma. I know it can always be worse, but its been an overwhelming day. I am thankful its just a cough but I wish more than anything right now to not have to give her all that stuff, for it to magically disappear. Let's focus on the positive, we won't have to get rid of Rocky and Mickey and the allergy test today showed she may possibly outgrow the egg allergy someday. Let's just hope I make it through this month, she is moodier, more irritable and chattier than ever since she began all these meds...I will just tell myself it's her age.

Saguaro cactus

2009-07-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday, and that means it's story time at the Library. We have been going to the library since she was about 4 or 5 months old. Today the theme was the desert and I was excited because I recently checked out a book about a Saguaro cactus. Not quite her favorite because it is a chapter book, but I was surprised to see how much we have gotten through. The librarian asked the kids if anyone had ever seen a cactus, and Jelly Belly happily replied, "Me!" So today we checked this book out (among many others) and decided to read it during our picnic lunch on my empty dining room.
She seemed to enjoy it! We learned about coyotes, rattlesnakes, roadrunners and pack rats and of course our Saguaro cactus. Here is pic of the one in our front yard, and I did regret my great idea to go out in this Arizona heat in the middle of the day. It is hot today!

Picture taken by Isabella:

While searching for the image of the book, The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, I found some info about the author and some great teaching tools. I did not try the discussion guide yet but I will next time we read the book. Curious to see how she responds, it may be geared towards older kids.
http://www.jenniferwardbooks.com/Teachers.html

A Sunday afternoon

2009-07-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I had a chance to relax and read my book (almost done with Breaking Dawn). As much as I love reading it, I couldn't help to look up and enjoy the view....

Our first planting experience

2009-07-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Jelly Belly asked if she could plant some seeds so she can water them. Not sure where she got the idea from but she asked more than once. At first, I thought...this is a project for daddy. But the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. So we went to Lowe's to see what we could find. We bought this ecofriendly starter kit and a few flower seeds. I have never planted anything before, so this will be a new experience for me, and a great family activity. Hopefully our outcome won't be too dissapointing.

Pellets...

Looking at her flower seeds....

First, we watered the pellets and they quickly turned into soil.

Then, we sowed the seeds....

And watered them once more....

We will check them every few days and hope

to soon transfer them to our front yard. Keep your fingers crossed.

She was very quiet through the entire process and this was a great way to end a Monday.

Fourth of July Cupcakes

2009-07-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

A very quiet Fourth of July, quite different than what we are used to. No annual barbecue and swimming this year. But we did make some cupcakes with blue frosting and red sprinkles. Jelly Belly is getting so much better at baking (or should I say following directions). So what is so special about our cupcakes??? We used egg replacer instead of eggs because of her egg allergy and applesauce instead of oil to ease the guilt when I eat one or two. And for the first time, we put a little bit of jelly in the middle. We made a cake for Grandma and Grandpa that did not turn out very pretty, but it tastes good!

4th of July

2009-07-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

We are still stuck at home....so it's time to do a 4th of July project, the American Flag!
F for flag!
First we gathered our materials: 1. White Paper 2. Red Paper 3. Blue Paper & 4. Silver stars

I was surprised at how well she did, especially since she is not feeling well. She didn't have a fit when I used the ruler to make the stripes or when it was time to cut them (she is into cutting now) and she even helped by holding the ruler down and making the straight line! She actually listened today, when I said, "not too much glue, make little dots".

Time to glue the stripes....

Time for the stars, I really thought she would want to use pink stars but she stuck to the silver ones!

The finished product:

13 stripes & 50 stars, and we did count to make sure!
I really hope we get to see fireworks tomorrow!

Change of Plans

2009-06-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun stuff planned for this week but Isabella's cough has changed it all. This is our 2nd day stuck at home. And I hate staying home, I am used to venturing out in the mornings and keeping her entertained. Today, we missed a free movie at the library but I am sure I would have gotten lots of looks as she coughed and coughed and coughed. It has always been easier to do something outside our home because the house is filled with household chores that I hate to ignore, and of course the computer and internet are very distracting. So I have made it a point to spend quality time with her today. This eases the guilt of having spent a lot of time on the computer yesterday catching up on some work.

So far I made up a number recognition game with her Elmo Cards. Isabella has been counting to 10 for a while, so now we are working our way up to the number 20. It was only a few months ago, that we both laughed when she called "12" twoteen. Today, she seemed to get a bit frustrated or tired with our game, so perhaps we can continue this afternoon.

I have pushed her numerous times up and down our hallway on her tricycle that she cannot pedal yet. We then moved on to Legos and wonder if every mom finds a way to somehow end up counting, or talking about letters and sounds.

Thankfully she has stayed asleep long enough for me to write this.

The big question now is how much TV I will allow her watch after her nap so I can continue reading "Breaking Dawn" .... or fold laundry. Hopefully she will be in the mood for a project, which surprisingly she did not want to do yesterday.

June 25

2009-06-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

How can I be this patient? Inside I felt like screaming!! Isabella insisted (again) that she needed to bring her baby with us to the gym. She had to wrap her baby up in a blanket, which takes a very long time, then grabbed her purse and off to the car we go. Then, my patience was tested again, as she HAD to sit her baby next to her car seat with a seatbelt on. This whole process took forever, and all I wanted to do was get to the gym. Thankfully she did not want to step on the rocks on our way out or walk on the edge of the sidewalk. By then, I am sure I would have said something that would have caused her to say..."mommy don't be so mean to me"...Patience is a virtue!

Trip on the polar express!!!

2009-01-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

we all had a fantastic time up north this past weekend.
here a few pics from our trip.

silly girl

2008-07-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

The day bella got these she would not take them off