Update on the children......

So today is Friday, thank goodness for that!!! Been a busy but fun week. First off it was spirit week at Vanessa's high school and she dressed funny everyday this week. I only have pictures of a couple of days, but Monday was pajama day and Vanessa bought a really cute pair of Spongebob Squarepants pajama pants. She also wore her bath robe and she looked too comfortable for going to school. Tuesday was America day and 50 senior girls dressed as Miss America's. Vanessa was able to be Miss Nevada (state she was born) she was real excited about that. Wednesday was 80's workout day (the best) she was totally 80's!!! Thursday was group day and she originally planned with 3 other girls to be the teenage mutant ninja turtles, BUT one of the girls who was suppose to make the shells flaked and last minute Vanessa and one other friend dressed as gangstas, she was not happy about that. You know how those teenage girls can be. This is her last year at Fort Mill High School and she was all excited and sad about this spirit week. Today is school spirit day because tonight is the homecoming game and we are all attending.

Miss America's





80's Workout, in case you couldn't guess....LOL






Onto the boy......We started our first season game this week and we were the WINNERS!!!! 21-0, we played Clover (which is not a very good team,,,BUT) our team needed this victory and it was well deserved because our boys have been working very hard!!! It was nice to go home that night and have Coach Mario happy and little Mario happy!!!!!

Coach doing his usual mingling!!! As I watch from afar snapping his picture!!!



He must have been happy because he does not like me to take his picture and he stopped for this one!!!

Did you miss me?? LOL.......

So seriously it has been over a month since I last posted and I thought maybe I should share a little update so I can remember what is going on in my own life....We will start with Mario Jr. and a little about what he has been up too....

School has started and Junior is now top dog, the big 8th grade....he is the starting corner for defense on his football team. They have played 2 games and sadly have lost both games. Thankfully the first 2 games are preseason and do not count against us. Mario said to me, "Mom, if I ever tell you I do not want to play football MAKE ME" so apparently he is having fun with the football career, that is until basketball starts...lol Gotta love em right? Grades are good, but he is not thrilled about his teachers, which is nothing new. As I am sure all kids love their teachers, right? Here are a few pictures of my baby young man!!!

He is on the left, #10!!!!

On to Vanessa, she is now working, yup, working. Where in the world does the time go with these kids. I keep saying I will be happy when they are out of my house, but that is a complete lie, yes a lie. I am very sad that Vanessa is a Senior this year and is anxiously awaiting her time when she can move out. I keep trying to convince her to live at home for a year and save money, but you remember being that age once and mom and dad could not tell you anything. Anyway she is working at Brewster's ice cream shop and has quite enjoyed having her own money and I cannot lie, I have enjoyed her having her own money!!! Vanessa is focusing on her grades this year and she is planning on attending college after high school. We are signing her up to take the SAT and ACT by the end of the year, so scary!!! Then in January we will be applying for colleges!!!!!! OH NO!!!! I cannot stand the thought of my little girl leaving the nest:(

I was going to post pictures of Vanessa and realized I need a major update on pictures of her. She is really hard to get a pose out of, I will work on that this weekend....

So this weekend we were suppose to make the kids stay home all weekend and spend time as a family, but low and behold tonight Scarowinds opens, and of course the WHOLE school will be there and the kids just have to be there. So dad and I decided we could use some much needed alone and snuggle time. So we are letting the kids go to Scarowinds and daddy and I are renting a movie, getting take out food, and enjoying the night without the kids!!!!!

I will try and get better at documenting our lives for our memory base because truly I have a horrible memory and this blog is for me to update my life so I can remember what I have done!!!!

Monday Blues!!!!!

     Another weekend has come and gone. Why does it feel as if those 2 wonderful days just fly by week by week, but our work week seems to linger on forever?? I am sure those are the feelings of anyone who works a 9-5er. Which mine is really a 8-5er with my hour lunch break that is always too long.

     So this weekend was pretty good, I spent quite a bit of time with Vanessa and of course I enjoy doing that. Junior likes to get away as much as possible and he does just that. Friday night I did steal the kids away to go to dinner and see a movie. We ended up going to eat at Arby's {one of my favorite fast food} We went to see "Jumping the Broom" which was very good, the kids and I enjoyed our time together. After the movie we just went home and had a laid back night.

     Saturday morning my sister called me at 10:40 and I was instantly reminded that my nephew was having his birthday party for his friends at 11 am and we were invited. So I woke the kids up and told them we had to get ready in 10 mins cause we were going to be late. Of course we were late anyway:) The party was cute, they played water guns, pin the tail on Sophia the donkey, {one kid pinned the tail on Sophia} cars pinata, and we ate hot dogs and hamburgers and of course cake. It was all good and the kids had fun, even the little boy who got stung by a bee, which was very sad.

     After the birthday party we decided to go to Carowinds because at the time the weather was very nice and cool, but of course when we get to Carowinds the sun was blazing. Just Vanessa and I went with the Carsto family, this was when Mario Jr. left us for most of the rest of the weekend. He was invited to his friends house and so before we went to Carowinds we dropped him off. Vanessa and I spent a couple of hours at carowinds and we had enough. We left and took Bryana  with us and we all went to Wendy's for dinner. Vanessa ended up leaving her purse there and we had to make an emergency trip back to Wendy's that night. That night I watched The Lincoln Lawyer because I heard it was really good, I thought it was ok, but I could have gone without seeing it.

     Sunday was just a cleaning and lounging day, I did make Mario come home from his friends house so he could clean and then he went right back over there. After all this typing, it does seem like I did a lot this weekend, but waking up on Monday morning is always a reminder of how quickly the weekend passes.

Anthony turns 6!!!!!!

     Yesterday my nephew Anthony {who by the way is like my second son} turned 6 years old. We had the pleasure of hosting his family party at my house last night. I will start from the beginning, the reason my family moved to South Carolina was so I could be her full-time childcare provider. When we first arrived in South Carolina Anthony was only 5 months old {reason why he is like a second son to me}. I watched my sisters 4 children for 5 years until little Anthony started Kindergarten last year :(   I cannot tell you how much I miss watching my 3 nieces and my nephew on a daily basis. At the time there were definitely days that drove me crazy and I could have lost my mind, but looking back I would not have changed it for anything. They are like my second little family.


     Okay so the birthday party, Uncle Mario made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner {so yummy} salad and cheese garlic bread. Anytime anyone has a birthday Uncle Mario is also the designated cake maker because he makes the most delicious cakes ever!!!! So this time he made a chocolate on chocolate cake with {wait for it} Reese's pieces on top ....... YUMMO!!!!!! The cake was amazingly good {should not have eaten it but what can I say} So the whole time we are eating dinner Anthony is repeating "when do we open the gifts" and of course he was the first one to finish his plate and was bugging us all to hurry up and eat so he could get to the presents already. Here are some pictures courtesy of Vanessa and her cell phone..........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!!!!!!! We Love You!!!!!! Is he not the cutest little boy ever and he has the personality to match!!!!

Right now his likes include Captain America and Thor {he just watched the movie last weekend with his family}

Cake with the Reese's Pieces (amazing)

What a cutie pie, seriously!!!

Weapons of mass destruction....lol

All he asked his mom and dad for was a drums set because he has started a band and he is the drummer, so he tells his mom "how can I be the drummer without drums" lol.....so the night before his birthday I searched on craigslist and found this set for my sister to buy for 40 dollars.....they were perfect!!!!

Captain America

Drum lessons from mom...he is in big trouble

Rockin out

Always say I Love You to your loved ones......

This weekend was the bearer of some really sad news for our family and it made me realize how precious our lives are and how we should always remember to say "I Love You" to our loved ones. My sister Kathy lost the father of her youngest daughter on Friday night in a horrible single car accident. She had seen him that day and heard the news Saturday morning. I cannot imagine what she is going through, how unfortunate for her and her children. She is also pregnant with their second child. He was only 38 years old and will never get the chance to meet his unborn child or see either one of his kids graduate high school, get married, or have children of their own. Our lives are so fragile and we must make each moment special and always tell our loved ones that we love them and we are blessed they are in our lives. Michael Greene will be missed.

 Please keep Kathy and her family in your prayers as they deal with this incredibly sad situation and always prayer for those you love. Kathy, I Love You and I will continue to pray for you and your family.

When You feel Lonely

When a person you love passes away
Look to the night sky on a clear day.
The star that to you, appears to be bright,
Will be your loved one,
Looking upon you during the night.
The lights of heaven are what shows through
As your loved one watches all that you do.
When you feel lonely for the one that you love,
Look to the Heavens in the night sky above.

Here is the link to the accident
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52159471-78/crash-utah-killed-nevada.html.csp

Dinner for two!!!!!!!

Vanessa is such a sweet daughter (when she wants to be). When I got home from work yesterday, the house was cleaned (thanks to Vanessa and her brother Mario Jr.) and Vanessa was busy with the finishing touches on dinner. She had the table set for two and she had purchased a CD called Dinner for Two which was playing the most soothing music. Vanessa had prepared a 3 course meal for her and I to enjoy (the boys had football conditioning so they could not join us, which was okay with us). The beginning course was salad and bread sticks (yes the theme was Olive Garden because that is Vanessa favorite restaurant) then the main course was chicken fettuccine ("Yum-O" Rachel Ray!!!) then for dessert we had strawberry shortcake (Amazing!!!!). We enjoyed some nice light conversation and ate like little piggies:)

Thanks so much to my beautiful daughter for an amazing meal and you can most certainly make dinner anytime you would like!!!! I Love You Vanessa!!!!

Charlie......

I forgot to mention my little doggie, Charlie was freaked out the whole time I was painting and I could tell he was thinking "what the heck is going on here, momma??" I took a picture.....isn't he the cutest little doggie?? In the back by the door is Mitch our other doggie, who could have cared less what I was doing:)

Reposting pictures

I am trying to repost my pictures because for some reason they are not showing up when I try to view them on my blog.....so here is another try:)

The New Dining Room

Friday night we went to the comedy club with Karrina, Michelle, Melissa and her boyfriend, we had a great time and enjoyed the show.......

Saturday morning I tricked convinced Vanessa to go to Garden Ridge with me to pick out pillows for the living room so we could decide what colors to paint. Here are the pillows we decided on after a long search for the right pillow....I hope the pictures are clear enough, since I cannot find my camera and I have to use my crappy phone......I get a new upgrade in one month so I will be able to take better pictures then.....



From these pillows we decided to paint the dining room and the hallways tan.....before and after







the only other thing I need for the dining room is the perfect placemats and candles for my home sign......

Here is my break down

gallon tan paint- 19.98
home sign for the wall- 24.99 50% off 12.50
fabric to reupholster the chairs- 13.98
center piece- 9.99
new dining room- priceless

To Paint or not to Paint??????

So I recently moved from a 3 bedroom townhouse, which we rented, and I was not able to paint any of the rooms. Needless to say we had the opportunity to stare at white walls for a year and a half. So you can understand why I almost fell to the floor with excitement when my new apartment landlord gave me the news that I could in fact paint the walls at my apartment. I was shocked, I did not think any apartment complex gave you permission to paint or maybe I just never lived in the right ones:)

Now I have the painful dilemma of whether or not to take on the task of repainting every room in my apartment. I really really want to, but we all know how involved a project like this can be. However today is Friday and we have a long weekend because of the fourth of July, so I am thinking painting party this weekend. Now for the next dilemma........

What colors do I want to paint?????? I have a tan couch so tan for the living room is out, my sister suggested I paint a light blue and at first I was like no way, it just did not sound like a match for me, but the more I think about the color and try to picture it in my living room, the more I like the idea. So I went to Behr.com and did a interactive color pallet and found 2 that I might go with.

I am thinking this for my living room (this is not my living room, just like the paint color)



I am thinking this for my dining room (again not my dining room)


I am thinking this color for my kitchen, I love the color purple


I am sitting here racking my brain trying to think of the perfect colors.....I think I am going to go to the store tonight (well maybe tomorrow, because we are going to a comedy show tonight) and buy new pillows for my couch and pull the colors from the pillows....also I will consult my older sister about this issue as well.....anyway I hope everyone has a fantastic 4th of July weekend. I will post before and after pictures if and when I decide on paint colors.....

My weight struggle!!!!!

So I have been struggling with my weight ever since I had my children and as much as I love my children they have ruined my body!!! It has come time to change the way I eat and my activity level. On March 3, 2010, my sister Michelle and I quit smoking, needless to say I have packed on added weight that I had previously lost. Prior to quitting smoking, Michelle and I were on a major health kick, we were paying close attention to what we ate and we were work out fools, zumba being our FAVE workout. So now that it has been over a year since I have quit smoking, I feel it is time to change my eating habits and to get back at my working out. Since Monday I have been to a zumba class every night and I plan on attending tonight. If you have not been to a zumba class it is worth the visit. Zumba is one hour of Latin influenced cardio and it burns probably between 500-700 calories depending on the intensity of the instructor. I am excited to get back at working out. The difference I have felt in just the 3 days I have done zumba is amazing. I always have more energy when I work out and it really does feel like I am accomplishing something. I would say I probably have a good 50-60 pounds to lose and I am ready to do it. I hope by blogging about it I will hold myself accountable to sticking with it and make life changes. I never say I am on a diet, only that I am changing my health habits.

Happy Exercising!!!!!

Fresh Start........

So it has been a couple of months since I have posted anything and I will tell you why. I am new to this whole blogging world and quite frankly I was a little nervous about posting things about my daily life with my family.  It was almost creepy to me the more I thought about who could be reading my blog, but I have thought about it and it is not about others reading my blog, but more about documenting my adventures with my family. So here I am and I would like to become a faithful blogger as this will be a reminder of my life with my children before they are grown and leaving the nest.

Speaking of leaving the nest, my daughter Vanessa is going to be 17 in a couple of months and is a rising senior in high school. How could this be true, she is getting so close to the time when I will have to let her go and experience this cruel world on her own. The thought of that brings a pain to my chest and I am sure anyone who has children knows what I am talking about. It is amazing to watch your children grow up and the many personalities that come shining through. Vanessa has been pounding the pavement this summer trying to find a job, but her problem is she is a little shy and she has not found the courage to call and harass, I mean, inquire about any available positions. We all know in this time of economic struggle one has to be persistent to get the job and no longer is it okay to just put in an application and wait on a call. Today it is about who you know. So later today she is going to put in an application at a local ice cream store because her uncle knows the owner and we are hoping she can get to work.

As for my baby Mario Jr., who is by no means a baby anymore, has been preparing for his upcoming football season. Mario is 13 years old, so we can safely say I no longer have any children in the house just teenagers!!!!! Scary thought isn't it!!! So Mario and his father have been hitting the weights to get in shape for 8th grade football because by the way his dad happens to be the head coach of the team....yay for me pressure upon pressure for a successful team!!! Anywho, this week we allowed Mario to go to the beach with a friend of his. This will be the 3rd year he has been invited to spend a week in the summer at the beach with his friend and this year there were 2 other boys going as well, do not ask what the mother was thinking because I feel that 1 teenage boy is plenty and this woman now has 4 teenage boys for the week, plus she has 4 children!!!! Bless her soul:) I miss him and hope he has fun and is safe. It was hard for us to let him go because you ALWAYS worry about your children and the thought of what if's come creeping up all the time, but we pray for him to be safe and we pray the Lord will watch over our "baby" while he is away.

Well enough for now......

I am going to make it a priority to be a better blogger.....ttyl

Vacation time

I cannot believe it is Wednesday already, but then I can. The beach has been amazing with family and friends enjoying the rays. I am turning red with high hopes of a good tan. I am enjoying not having to work this week and I hope my receptionist in crime is handling everything and I am sure she is missing me:) I have to go back to work next Monday:( and she will not be there as she is taking the day off for Easter.

When I get on my computer I will post pictures of our trip, probably later today:)

awwww looks wonderful:)

Vacation

So tomorrow we hit the road in the morning to head for a relaxing week at the beach. Words cannot describe the excitement I am feeling to spend 7 wonderful days with my wonderful family and my sisters family. We also have an additional 2 children going with us due to their home circumstances and the chance for them to have an enjoyable spring break instead of being at home alone most of the time. I am very grateful for this beach trip and the time I will get to spend with my family. This year has already been stressful and we need to take this time to appreciate all we have together. I love this quote and I want to live by these words because sometimes we get caught up in the day to day stresses that we just forget to enjoy each other.

“It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.”

VACATION MELTDOWN

My brain is completely shutting down for vacation....we leave in 2 DAYS and I am sooo ready to go to the beach for a full week......I am at work struggling to make it through the day and it is only Wednesday...

I am however super excited that my son and my niece are coming to work with me on Friday....it is so cute that every time my niece sees me she tells me how excited she is about coming to work with her auntie....the kids are doing a job shadow and unfortunately I do not have a glamorous job, but they did not have anywhere else to job shadow so they settled for me:) I think it is awesome that I can spend the day with them and they can take over my job...ohhh the sweetness:) So Friday will be a fun fun day:)

TTYL

Monday, Monday

Well here we are back at work. The positive note is that this is my last week until my beach trip....awwwww 7 whole days lounging at the beach with no responsibilities, I cannot wait. I even took 2 weeks off from school, so this is going to be a great vacation!!!

Tomorrow is my son's birthday, he is going to be 13, no more kids in my house, they are all teenagers, where did the time go? His dad is taking him bowling for his birthday tonight, because while we were in Las Vegas my son learned how to throw an awesome curve ball and he has been excited to try it out again.

Countdown to vacation....5 days to go...

Funny picture for the day:)

I just had to post these because they made me smile....enjoy!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!!! It is Friday and I cannot wait til 5 o clock rolls around. We are almost there!!!

Countdown until Vacation

So every year my sister's family and my family take our spring break with the kids and head for the beach for seven days.....awwwww, it is so relaxing and we do absolutely nothing while we are there except spend time with our children and enjoy the beach. We rent a beach house right on the coast and enjoy the week of relaxation. Well we are leaving one week from this Saturday and I cannot be more excited. I look forward to this trip all year and now it is here. We have some last minute arrangements to make, but we are working on all we can.

Another positive note is that next week will be my last week of school for a 2 week break, which after this class, is much needed. I planned this so while I am on vacation at the beach I will not have any homework to do!!!! I think that was pretty smart because seriously who wants to do homework on vacation??? Not I

My husband is studying for his state board test that he is taking on Monday!!!! I am a bit stressed for him because no one likes taking test and this one cost 165.00 so if something goes wrong (which we pray it does not) then we have to pay extra to retake the test. So Good Luck Honey!!!!!

Well once my life calms down I plan on blogging more and more!!! Have a good evening!!!

Worse Blogger Ever

Okay so I have been told that I am the worse blogger ever, not nice, but I feel the pain. My life has been very hectic right now with work, family, and school. The class I am taking right now is Human Lifespan Development, which I love, but I cannot stand the professor...I cannot wait to be done with this class and I hope I will pass....so stressful. I have never received lower than a B, but I think this may be the first time:(

Work is going good, I am finally not going to be a temp any longer as I am being hired on. It only took 7 months...lol...I am excited except that insurance is SO DARN EXPENSIVE!!!! How am I  suppose to get insurance for my family when it takes half my paycheck:( that's a bummer.

Vanessa is done with her play and we have pulled Mario from the AAU basketball. The coach has done nothing but break my son's confidence and we have had it. Sports is suppose to be a positive experience for the kids and my son has gotten nothing but negativity so it is time for a much needed break!!! I am excited to have my weekends back because the basketball was taking away my weekends!!! Not to mention the money we will save.

So I will be posting about American Idol this week because a co-worker and I have taken bets on who will win it all. So stayed tuned for the updates on that.

I think that is about it other than the fact that I will be on vacation in 2 weeks, lounging on the beach doing absolutely NOTHING!!!! So excited for that!!!

Good Night All...................remember to pray for all those in need

Decisions

Life is frustrating at times and there are many decisions that a person must make. The hardest part about making a decisions is not knowing if you are making the right one or not. In the end our lives are built upon the decisions and paths that we decide to take. When do you know enough is enough and start living for yourself? How will you know if you made the right choice if you don't make the choice for yourself? You cannot be scared to do what is right, but that is just it, how do you know what is right?? Anyway, today is a stressful day and I wish that decisions were easy!!!

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; But often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.

Time Flies

So we went to see Vanessa in her play tonight and all I keep thinking was "my gosh, my little girl is a junior in high school, where did the time go?" I can remember when Vanessa was a little baby and she fit in the forearm of her daddy. She was the most beautiful baby ever. Through her toddler years she was the best baby a young mother could ask for. I gave birth to Vanessa when I was 17 years old and I had no idea that sweet little girl would change my life forever!!! Children do not come out with a handbook attached and as parents we try our best to do what we think is the right thing. As time goes by, mistakes are made and we learn from those mistakes, but we can never get those years back. So the next time you tell your child good-night sit down and have a conversation with them and tell them how much they mean to you rather than telling them to get their book bags or shoes out of the living room. Let the mess sit for an extra day because when our children are all grown up and our house is spotless we will miss those moments that we shared with our children. Don't take advantage of the time we have today!!!! Good night all

Vanessa and Mario....I love you both for all the joy you bring in my life!!!!!

Hairspray Play

So I want to say to my daughter Vanessa how proud I am of her and how wonderful she was in her play last night. I really love my daughter and am proud of all that she does. I went to the opening night of her play last night and it was amazing. When my daughter is on the stage the whole stage lights up for me (such a mother thing to say, but true). She is so beautiful and I am excited for her and all that life has in store for her. I cannot wait til tonight because daddy, brother Mario, Aunt Michelle and her kids and of course myself will all be going to the show. I am excited for them all to see the show!!!! I am taking the camera to the show tonight so I can get pictures of Vanessa and some of the cast, so stayed tuned for that!!!!

We made it!!!!

So we made it to Vegas and Vanessa did too!!! I survived the dreaded flight and even though it was extremely long and my butt was asleep for most of the time, it was all worth it. My parents 50th anniversary party was absolutely wonderful. All my brothers and sisters were there with their many wonderful children all 32 grandchildren!!! That was an adventure:) I love them all, I really have a great family.

Tonight I took Vanessa to the airport because she could only stay for 1 day:( I am not as nervous about her flying this time, I think she likes the feeling of being an "adult" in her own little way. I pray she makes it home safely.

Good night...it is 2:16 in the morning and I am too old to be up this late so I will write some more about my great trip when I get safely home!!!!

Flying out tomorrow!!!!!

So tomorrow is the big day. Mario, Junior, and I are flying out to Vegas for my parents 50th anniversary!!! I am excited, nervous and stressed all at the same time. My head is killing me. I think I am most stressed about Vanessa having to fly out on her own Saturday, I am so nervous for her because she has a layover and she has never flown by herself. We will definitely be praying for her before we leave. She had to leave on Saturday because we were not sure if she had rehearsal tomorrow or not and of course she does not and she could have gone with us, so we are sad about that, but it is too late to change her flight.

I am very excited to see all my family...I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters and they will ALL be at the party!!!! This will be interesting:) This will be a quick weekend trip but it will be so worth it to see all my family and friends. Stay tuned for pictures and updates of the trip!!!!!

My little boy Mario Jr.

Vanessa in costume for Hairspray