New kitchen art.

I have this wall space that is above my phone that has been bugging me for years. I know I wanted something but never found the perfect thing...until I light bulb went on! 

I'm sure you have seen on Blogland, Etsy or Pinterest those subway word art. They were cute but still didn't quite represent me until I asked an Etsy seller  (Graber's Graphics Design)if she could modify one of her wording and she did. Finally something on that wall AND it represent me. 

When people or clients ask me how I do many things or stay organized, I answer Coke and coffee. lol

A Bientot!

My first born is now a tween.

My beautiful, soft skin, blondie, hazel green eyed turned 9 years old today. I can't believe how fast 9 years has passed right in front of my eyes. Not 9 weeks, 9 months but 9 years!!! I know most moms go thru this but it doesn't seem to get easier with every year. She's now a tween. Oh dear Lord, in a few years I will have a teenager. soupir

We had a spa party for her yesterday at home. I made a chocolate facial maskand the girls had manis and pedis. I was completely tired but the girls had fun. This year I didn't have to make a cake so that was one less thing to worry about. Also made a sweet/sour smoothie that the girls liked. It's tart but they wanted me to make more of it. Who knows?!

Here's a photo that was taken and cropped. I see her as a bit older for some reason. A glimpse to the future woman that she will become. Sniff.

A Bientot!

Summer List 2012.

I'm sure you have seen those summer list everywhere in blogland and maybe even Pinterest (didn't check it out). We are doing one again this year. The kids loved doing one in 2010, 2011 and now 2012. Some things were a bit more adventurist (rock climbing) while some were more tame (make cookies). We're hoping to do it all before school starts.

Are you making one? If so, what's in yours? Might give us some ideas and make a second poster board. :)

A Bientot!

Last day of school and a summer gift.

Well it's over. School that is. My children both finished their last day of school right after lunchtime. When I went to pick them up at school, you could feel the anticipation of all the children at that school. Everyone itching to get out and stay out for a long time! Ahh to be a kid and have no responsibilities. 

Last year I gave each child's teacher a gift. I saw this idea on bloggyland and now I see it's on Pinterest now. It's an easy gift that screams summer. A nice beach towels, sunscreen and a thick magazine. Perfect way to start the summer. 

Have your children finished their school year already? Have any big or small summer plans for the children? I have some and will share with you on another post.

A Bientot!

Day 4 of Teacher Appreciation week 2012.

Here's another great gift for teachers. Bake them something! Cookies, muffins, scones, etc. It'll be perfect for a morning snack if your teacher didn't have time for a good breakfast.  I made my blueberry muffins with a crumble top and printed out a cute saying on a tag. 

How cute is that?! Plus you get to eat the rest of your baked goods. lol Well maybe that's not such a great idea. Anyway, tomorrow is the last day. Stay tuned.

A Bientot!

Day 2 of Teacher Appreciation week 2012.

Yikes! It's almost bedtime and I was about to forget about my post. My memory is not what it used to be in my 20's. Sniff.

Here's another popular and inexpensive gift. A picture frame with a letter depicting the teacher's last name. Make a sentence with each letter of the teacher's last name. Easy and very personal. I've been doing this for 4 years now and I think the teachers actually keeps for some years. I think when I started it 4 years ago, that teacher still has it on her desk. Pretty neat.

Stay tune for tomorrow's gift. 


A Bientot!

Teacher Appreciation Week 2012.

Yes, I am still alive. lol My life has been quite busy with my business, kids and taking care of the house.  I didn't think working everyday would make my blogging harder but I was dead wrong.  I don't know how working moms do it. I need to try add blogging into my crazy life.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. As usual, I give each teacher a small gift for every day of the week. Today was my "always a winner" Starbucks cup filled with whole coffee beans and a gift card. A small tag that says "Thanks a Latte for all you do." completes the gift. Super easy. Super cheap if money is tight. 

I think this Wednesday is Teacher Appreciation Day so you can always just give one gift for that special teacher. You don't need to give a gift each day unless you want to or can. In this economy, money can be very tight and teachers don't expect gifts anyway. It's just nice to show your appreciation. A card or a heart felt note will do just the same as a gift. 

I will be posting a different gift tomorrow. Keep an eye out if you are looking for ideas. You can also search my blog for more teacher gifts. 

A Bientot!

Santa!

Hello??? Anyone there? lol Life has been quite hectic this year for me. I don't want to give up my blog but trying to find the time to post anything new is not as easy as it used to.

Yesterday I decided to see Santa. I wasn't sure if I would be able to if I waited too close to Christmas Day. The kids were happy to oblige my request and off we went to see Santa! I am so happy it's been the same Santa for at least 4 or 5 years. My daughter is 8 1/2 and smart. As long as it's the same one, she believes he is Santa.  My son asked for a DSi game (we don't have a DS anymore since he broke mine) and my daughter a trampoline. Ahuh. Good thing they have a longer Santa list at home. lol

Have you gone to see Santa yet? What are they asking Santa for this year?

A Bientot!

Pumpkin Patch

Halloween is soon coming upon us and that means pumpkins are needed. A few weeks ago, we all went to the pumpkin patch near our home with my father-in-law and his girlfriend. Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse always have a Festival in October. There's vendors, food, bouncy house, pony rides and free hayrides. Perfect for an inexpensive family outing.

We looked at all the vendots and purchased a few items since I knew I was going to buy a lot of pumkins. lol We had lunch there and it was yummy! My son would eat any thing that we offered to him. The child likes to eat and yet stays so slim! Wished I had his metabolism. lol

We went ahead and took a hayride to the pumpkin patch to choose out pumpkins. I think we bought 6 or 7 pumpkins and it cost us about $16. Not bad I think.

This weekend I will be carving some of those pumpkins while keeping 2 or 3 unscathed for Thanksgiving. We also went home with corn and some kettle pop corn given by my FIL and his girlfriend. That was my second time eating it and it's pretty good! I never bought some because my first one was gross. Maybe it was a bad batch? Anyway, I'll buy some from now on whenever I see it.

For those who celebrate Halloween, do you have your pumpkins ready? I wished I could carve mine now but it will get disgusting after 2 days in our weather.

A Bientot!

Teachers Survival Kits.

Tomorrow my children will be starting school. Already??? Yup, already! My son will start first grade while my daughter will be in third. This year will be a new beginning for my son since he will be in school all day instead of half days. On the plus side, I won't be walking back and forth 6 times a day to school! lol

As usual, I prepared a Teacher Survival Kit for each child's teacher. I put in the usual items inside but also found some Wisps so in case Teacher forgot to brush their teeth in the morning rush, they can quickly do a teeth cleaning.

California is struggling with insufficiant funds for school and I know the teachers are also feeling the pinch.  What better way to show appreciation to your children's teacher with a gift that might come in handy?!  New routines to be made, morning rushes, ect. This kit could help them out in a pinch if needed.

Have you guys began making yours? What do you put in yours?

A bientot!

Swim lessons.

Both my kids are taking swim classes. My daughter in an advance level while my son in a lower one. I wantted his confidance to be stronger before going to the next level eventhough his passed level 1 and 2. Momma is a chicken when it comes to her chicks. lol Now seeing him swim makes me doubt my decision. What do you think?

A Bientot!

11 years.

Last Friday, my husband and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. I wished I could say all those years were perfect but alas only in fairytales they are. Marriage is such hard work after the first year. lol Once the "honeymoon" stage passes, it's real life. It's sharing your life with someone that is not you but has their own ideas and taste. It takes work and compromises. Lots of compromises but as long you have a strong foundation, you can overide upcoming obstacles. Oh and prayer works too. lol

We decided to spend the day at the beach near a lake. We asked MIL if she would like to join us and she was happy to go too. I packed a cooler full of goodies and lots of snacks. It was a day just to sit, relax and eat. lol

The weather was nice and the kids had fun. They didn't want to bring their swimsuits because "we don't want to go in the lake." Yeah, 5 minutes after being there they went in the lake. lol They asked if it was ok to get their clothes wet and I said sure. Why do kids ignore their moms suggestions, like wear your swimsuit when going to a lake??? soupir

We spent a few hours there until MIL was getting tired and sleepy.  It wasn't a romantic day just a day spent with my family. Exactly what I wanted. Exactly what we needed.

A Bientot!

P.S. Oh I did get a nice gift though. Momma got some Akoya pearl earrings and necklace.  They are beautiful and I should wear them often since you should with pearls. hihihi

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July to all my American readers and friends. It seems this weekend was meant for BBQ for both Canada and USA. We are having a small BBQ with my MIL and will set off small fireworks for the kids. Once we run out of fireworks, we'll just walk around see what others have. lol Hope you all have a fun and safe day!

A Bientot!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends and readers! To my Montreal friends that are moving, I hope the weather is nice enough to sit on the balcony (or stoop) to eat pizza and drink beer. lol Enjoy your long weekend!

Photos taken from Google.com

A Bientot!

Road Trip 2011

June is almost over! Can you guys believe it??? It seemed to zoom by and that means the kids have been on vacation for just over one month. We have been busy this month with my daughter’s birthday, my birthday, my mil coming to stay with us for an unknown time frame and our first long road trip to Southern California. A pretty busy month indeed

Now I know most people have done road trips but we have never been over 3 ½ hours in a car. All of us suffer with car sickness so it’s always been an issue when it comes to long distance car rides. All of us didn’t get sick once and that was a miracle! The kids slept thru most of it and we never heard “I’m bored. I’m tired. Are we there yet?” Lucky.

We spent some time in San Diego and Anaheim. The weather was cooler than Nor Cal so it was nice. Especially since my city hit 100+ F while it was 75-77F in San Diego. We stayed overnight in Bakersfield and the kids enjoyed the pool. That's it. lol My daughter has my taste and didn't like staying at a motel. lol

In San Diego, I loved my view from our room at the Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego. The bathroom was a bit dated but that’s not what’s important. What was important was the view. Beautifu! And my daughter's first reaction when we got in the room? "Now THIS is muuuuuch better than a motel!" lol Yup! She has her mother's expensive taste. lol

We spent the day at Mission Beach the first day there. Man those waves were crazy! The hubby and kids loved it. I dipped my toes into the ocean and settled back into the beach. Lol Water isn’t my thing but I know everyone else loves it. Hubby even caught some photos of me in not too flattering poses but whatever. I’m in our photo memories for once! Lol When we were tired about how crowded the beach became, we headed back to our room to our own private beach at the Bay. Perfect! Kids played until bedtime and the best part? They probably saw one hour of tv in 2 days only. Simple living. Water and Sand.

The next day we went to Legoland. It’s perfect for young kids but probably not for teenagers. They have a Water Park in it and it was great for my kids. They never been in one and I thought this would be a good start so see how adventurous they are with water slides. My daughter LOVED it while my son wasn’t crazy falling into 3 feet deep of water (he’s just over 43”). We liked the family float rides. I actually preferred sitting down and relaxing. lol

It was a bit chilly in the morning but still sunny.

Strike a pose! lol

Daddy won a Patrick Star for me!!!

Mommy bought me my unicorn. Yeah, I suck at those games!

We enjoyed some paddle boat at the resort and some beautiful sunsets and sunrises. My daughter collected some shells to bring home. I also took some sand from the beach as a souvenir. Lol I’m a nut, I know!

We left San Diego the next day and headed to Disneyland. It was my son’s first trip there. My daughter’s first trip was when she was 18 months old so technically it’s not her first time but I doubt she remembers it. lol

We did many of the rides that were open. I was bummed the bobsled one (next to Fantasyland) was closed down. Kids had fun and I know my husband enjoyed some of the rides too. I just enjoyed watching my kids reactions to everything. Being able to give them this gift of a fun vacation brought me happiness. Seeing my kids being nice to each other during those days made me think they do mostly love each other. I just need to forget their once-twice a day fighting. Lol

We ate dinner at Coco’s Bakery and Restaurant and I rested my poor tired feet. The kids and hubby went for a swim at the motel’s pool before we headed out to Disneyland again. We were there until 10:30pm. They got their Disney treats and were knocked out 5 minutes after their heads hit the pillow.

We bided Anaheim goodbye the next morning and drove straight to Nor Cal. Man, we left in the high 60’s and came to 102 degrees. Bleurk! I wanted to go back and have milder temperatures again. lol Would we do a road trip like this again? Not sure. I'm more of a flying type. lol My back and bum was sore from sitting all that time. Guess I'm just prissy. lol  The kids are still talking about the trip so it was worth it.

Do you guys have any trips planned or have gone to already? Are you a road trip kind of gal or a flying type of gal?

A Bientot!