GAPs Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from March 17-20 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit." Which I have chosen to be Feeding America!

Print out your coupon.. and go shopping! March 17th - 20th... Where ever you have a GAP.. Banana Republic, or OLD NAVY!!

My boys in the New Year....

Im in the change...

I have traded White Mocha's, to drinking icy diet cokes...

I have traded working out, for eating candy and french fries..

I have changed yoga, for working at the Gap...

Can you see that most of these changes are for the worst!

...

Since getting a job over Christmas,

and now keeping that Christmas job... for my new part time job...

{which in a way has liberated me a bit. I was always relying on my ex-husband to take care of all the bills and things going on here, and since November, it has been up to me, and if I do say so myself, it feels great to pay my own bills, and buy my own things, and take care of things for me and the boys, with out his help} I have done it all myself!

I'm proud of myself for that!!

...

All this time taking care of the boys, and Christmas and things going on, I have put myself to the back burner.

I have given up on the gym, I have given up on keeping up myself a bit!

This week is my turnaround!

...

The change in my White Mocha's was a good choice..

Starbucks has upped the price of those babies to $5.18.. this single mom just cant spend that anymore.

Also, about 2 years ago, when Starbucks upped the price, my sister and I looked at each other and made a pact that we would stop drinking the White Mocha's, if they ever got over $5...

that time has come!

On a positive note, that is 400 less calories, and $5 more in my pocket EACH day!

As for letting myself get to be a ... "fuller" me...

I'm on to the change!

I'm starting back up at the gym again on Wednesday!

Hooray!

I must remember there is only 50 days until Spring Break... EEEeeek!

And Summer is just around the corner!

I need to feel better about me in a swimsuit this year!

As I say, most years... this is the year?!?!

WE WILL SEE!

One more note.. this year.. I need to make more time for myself to be a single lady!

Not date, because like I have said in the past, that messes up everything... Not even interested in dating again until the boys are at least 18! {ha ha}

...but time for myself to see my girlfriends, hang out, and become creative again and find things that interest me!!

Why is life happening so fast?

I blinked, and its already the 7th of December!

What has happened to this month!

My sister and I were on the phone today, and she said the same thing...

Why is this month of merry happening so fast!

Life has gotten so busy for us!

I work.. more and more..

The kids have school, scouts, activities...

I just realized.. I have gotten quite pudgy.. from not gyming, and drinking multiple white mocha's in a day!

So, I must fit in exercise in there somewhere!

I haven't done nearly as much as I wanted to so far, in regards to celebrating Christmas.

We finally got our decorations up.... which I normally am one of those crazies, who do it the day after Thanksgiving... (if not earlier)

I haven't done any holiday shopping...

No trips to the temple lights.. or zoo lights!

I suppose I should stop complaining.. and just get started~!

I need to get my rear in gear... or on my next blog, it will say...

"Well, Christmas is over... I cant remember any part of it!"

Maybe if I make a list....

A list of Christmas:

CHECK -1. Temple Lights

CHECK - 2. Baking Holiday cookies

3. Zoo Lights

CHECK - 4. make our tradition.. paper rings

5. popcorn strings for the tree

6. Christmas shop

7. teacher presents... (poo, I just remembered this one, and they are out of school on the 16th)

going to move that one to the top!

I guess that's a start....

Ill get started..well.. I work tonight...

tomorrow is busy, thursdays even worse....

All I want for Christmas.. is a clone of me..and a couple more hours in the day!

12/13/10... ive gotten a few things on the list done! YAY!

Happy Thanksgiving....

Life has been so busy...

work,

band concerts,

work,

kids out of school,

kids,

dogs,

work,

cooking...

this is my first year to make Thanksgiving stuffing for the family....

Im going with PW's..

I hope it turns out!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

GAP's Give and Get is Here! 30% OFF!!!

Give and Get is Here!:

"Enjoy 30% off from November 11-14 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit."

I told you I would share that great deal... now here it is...

Click on the above link.. and print out your coupon!

You can reuse it at each store, as many times as you want for that weekend!

ENJOY!

November? An RSVP would be nice.......

It certainly is not feeling like the cold weather of November here in the desert of Arizona!

The air just turned on in the house, I think the high was going to be 85.

We are wearing shorts and flip flops today....

Lets give my SRP bill a needed break...

...

Please oh please can Winter come...

I promise not to complain that its too cold...

I promise to always wear a cute colored scarf....

I shall always wear a fashionable pair of boots...

Please...

Lets have it... Hit me good...

Give my toes a shiver...

and give me goosebumps on my legs....

PLEASE!

Trick or Treat.. too many treats!

As I look around the kitchen... I see the aftermath..

Cookies, candy, cakes, Carmel apples...

Once, smelled, looked, tasted good..

Now, I just crave Veggies, Fruit, and Salt!

I was at my sisters yesterday for some Halloween fun...

A last minute plan to make Carmel apples, and let the kids

color Halloween pictures, and have a contest for the drawing of the spookiest Halloween House... {which I entered my picture to mix things up.. and accidentally won, oops!}

As the kids were done trick or treating last night....
I took down all the Halloween Decor..
Yes before Halloween was even done!
I'm over the candy, Halloween, and spook fest...
and am looking forward to Thanksgiving, and Christmas Season..
Now what to do with all these extra treats?

Halloween 6, H20... and.....

We have already had a fantastic Halloween Weekend...

and the trick or treating hasn't even begun.

I wasn't feeling Halloween this year.. we decorated a bit..

but not as we have in the past.

A few fake arms coming out of the ground, and headstones in the dirt..

enough to get a few kids spooked out.

Though the kids have had parties, and treats.. and have felt

the excitement of Halloween for weeks!

Tag went to a birthday party on Thursday, and got to wear his costume....

At his best girlfriends birthday party they bobbed for apples. and colored

pumpkins and ran and played in their costumes..

It was straight up old school, which the kids had so much fun!

He held onto his pumpkin the entire night....as a matter of fact, stuck it in his bed, and tried to sleep with it..

I vetoed that!

...

Friday morning, after we dropped Jackson off at school, Tag and I raced

to my sisters kids school.. where they are still allowed to have parties,

and celebrate Halloween with a parade..

{Jacks school is political and isn't allowed to celebrate any specific holiday, which I do NOT support.. whats wrong with saying Happy Halloween, and not Happy Fall...

lets just let the kids have fun.... I did manage to break the rules a little and took in some pumpkin shaped cookies for his class! }

Any who...

Morgan, my niece and Landon my nephew were dressed as bandits...

Morgan is on student council, so was first to walk the parade...

When the parade was done, sis and I went for coffee, and spent the morning, catching up and melting in the Arizona sun... 90 degrees still.. Ugh!

Right after school, I had the kitchen set up for our Pumpkin carving!

As to Jack's request...

After {I} was done de-gooing the inside of the pumpkins...

the kids carved....

Tag pretty much stabbed the pumpkin with the mini saw....

which, hey if that's his creativity I'm down!

Though I did have to step in and give him some help!

Jack did fantastic carving.. and was very proud of his outcome!

Jacks, Tags.. and Grandma's

Saturday, we went to run some {mom} errands at the mall.. erm....

they were very important...

Though to the kids surprise, there were Storm Troopers walking the mall,

in front of the Lego Store...

This is already Tag this morning...

Ready for Trick or Treating...

he only has 11 hours to wait... can we tell he is excited!

Big brother Jack is going as a football player... the least amount of dressing up as he will take!

As long has he has fun... Which I'm sure they will.

Tonight we have a neighborhood potluck party.. and then the candy begins!

And.. Note to self... Don't let the kids watch Halloween, 1 through how ever many their are...

I had 2 kids in my bed last night, freaked out because of Michael Meyers...

Yes, i was scared too, but we were all sitting together screaming and watching with our hands covering most of our eyes!

I will not do that again! Ever!

The music alone is scary enough!

This is random... but... I love that Tag sits like this...

with his little toes hooked together!

Im employed!

Yes, I had gotten a job at Anthropologie,

but at the time, had no one to watch Tag {plans had fallen through}...

BUT...

Now... I have Jack and Tag's Grandma to watch them...

My mom is here... YAY!

...

so now..

I am newly employed, tonight was my first night.. at...

...

and let me tell you....

the 50% employee discount ... is
SO WORTH IT!!

BUT, don't fret!

In a few weeks, there is a friends and family discount weekend..

and I get to share that discount with you!

30% off for you!!!

Which you can use at any and all stores...

Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy!

I'll post when I find out the details!

Until then, I'm a busy working girl now...

Must go!

A birthday in the hizz!

We had a Birthday in the Hizzel!

This ol' girl turned 5 on the 13th!

Mona got to play at the dog park for her big day!

We have had Mona since she was a tiny little puppy...

We had her flown here from a Farm in South Dakota when she was a

few weeks old...

Since then, we have had so much fun seeing this goofy puppy grow to

be a sweet, loving Dog!

She cuddles in Jacks bed at night to sleep..

and

Jumps up and down when its breakfast time...

The Bark Park is her favorite place..

and though she is a doggy.. we still celebrate in this family, and

made the day special for her!

We took her favorite pal Charlie with us..

and stayed for an hour, while she ran the field,

and sniffed other dogs..

To end her day, we picked up a few treats

that she shared with Charlie...

and had her open her presents..

a new ball, and a rope toy to play with...

...

Happy 5th Birthday Mona!

Venting...

Here goes blog world...

Something that is bothering me...

I just want to lay my thoughts down on the keyboard!

Now.. I'm sure all you ladies.. or the few {5} who read my blog{which I am flattered by}...

..blog because you want to use this as a online journal, or

some have a blog so they may share memories with family who live in other states or parts of the world, some do, just to have a hobby in the day... and enjoy sharing stories with others.

I'm all of the above.. Mostly using as a journal.

I blog about things I think about, things that are going on in my life, things I read about, hear on the news, recipes I make, destinations I want to take or took my kids too... or things I just want to touch upon in a day!

Whatever the case may be...

...

I know I'm not the only one who thinks of a certain subject to write about...

I'm sure their are others who have been to Smeeks, who shared their story...

Or, who wanted to Swap houses, because they too saw the Movie, "The Holiday"...

and are having an urge to travel...

I don't think that person copied me, nor did I copy them...

I know I'm not the only one who blogs!

I know their are thousands of ladies, that have the same Epiphany in a day on what to write about...

...

I don't write for others! (except this one)

I don't write to copy someones idea!

I write for myself, as a daily journal, so I can remember the life I am having with my kids..

So, they can look back {hopefully} and see the things we did last week, last year, or 10 years from now. Or read about what their Mom was doing, while they are playing with their toys!

...

I don't mind, if something I wrote, inspired you, or gave you ideas that made you want to write about a similar situation or subject..

Otherwise, why do we blog.. and put our life experiences on the Internet for all to see... to inspire.. to share.. to encourage...

If I see someones blog, that was a similar subject that I wrote about, I read on to see what the other perspective is... I don't think, "she copied me!"...

...

Now, if I copy your post, or yours mine, word for word.. or take your pictures.. or steal your name...

You have a case to be angry...

Otherwise... What comes out of my head, onto this keyboard is authentic, and are my thoughts and feelings and experiences...