Staining the Deck...

That's how I'm spending today and tomorrow, while we have the sunny weather. We just purchased a brand new deck set (glass top table, chairs, and umbrella). And they are so pretty that now the wood deck looks crappy. It's been a few yrs since the last time we stained it, and it's looking very weathered. So, I have a brand new stain...a rich wood color. I'm excited to complete the project and have friends over for a BBQ on our freshly stained deck with our new table and chairs...and perhaps a few new potted plants to pretty it up. Till then....back to the brushes and rollers.......

KCU Snapshots!

This week has been extremely eventful! We participated in a week-long event for Kid's Connection, which is our church's children's ministry. The event is called KCU (Kid's Connection University). The children sign up for a specific class to attend throughout the week, depending on their talents and interests. And we, as "professors," spend the week cultivating those talents and interests while teaching them how to glorify God. Whether it's skateboarding, cooking, science experiments, scrapbooking, choir, music video production, etc...we believe they can use their abilities to not only bring God glory, but also to impact their world for Christ! This week, I've been teaching the photography class. What a blast! Each day my class of eight kids has completed a specific activity to teach them some of the aspects of photography.

Here is an example of one of the activities we completed. It's called 'Bird's Eye vs. Worm's Eye.' We went around the inside and outside of the building, looking for objects that they could photograph from way down low (worm's eye view) and way up high (bird's eye view). Then we studied how differently the object appears from those different perspectives.

This was my absolute favorite activity of the entire week. It's called "Blindfolded Photography." I literally blindfolded the kids one by one and they had to snap random photos without being able to see. Then, I took their snapshots home and used my software to alter the photos and ended up with masterpieces. This was to show the kids the power of technology. LOL. It also had a life-lesson...in life, we don't always see what's ahead. We have no idea how certain situations will turn out. And we often times don't have much confidence that something beautiful can come out of a situation that we have no control over. But then God steps in, if we allow Him, and He takes what seems confusing and turns it into a masterpiece. A design that only He could have foreseen. This is an example from our "Blindfolded Photography."

Each day, we had a theme that was discussed at large group time and at small group time. The topics were Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness and Patience. So, I had the kids brainstorm ideas to create motivational posters for those themes. Here's what they came up with:

So, needless to say, it's been a crazy, busy, and exciting week. Tonight is our showcase night, where the parents come to see all that the kids have been doing. The artwork will be displayed, gallery-style, and I know the kids are so proud to show their parents all the hard work they have accomplished this week.

One More Time...

My sweet hubby decided to throw me one more b-day celebration. We had family from the Brody side over last night, as well as a couple of my closest friends. So fun!

Sweet Kristi made me a cute cake with, of course, 29 candles on it! And Heather made these amazing chocolate treats on a platter that are absolutely killing my diet!

Here I am with my gooooorgeous sis-in-law, Danielley-belly, who just turned 16yrs old last week and drove herself to my party with her brand-new license...her brand-new car!

...And here I am with 2 of my very best gal-pals...Kristi and Heather. They are like sisters to me! I love them so!

Turning Twenty Nine...

OH, What a night! My mom & sisters took me out last night to celebrate my 29th bday. They took me for a special dinner @ Olive Garden. Yummay!!! Here's Mom, Marilee, Me, and Jenae.








Here is my baby sister, Marilee, and me. People often tell us that we are very alike in our mannerisms and facial expressions. We are also very similar in our tastes in food and design. She is my twin, except for her choice of clothing. LOL. She totally pulls off that 'punk/goth' look better than I ever could!



This is me with my older sister, Jenae. She has been my best friend since birth! Always protecting me, always encouraging me, and always showing me the newest styles! Now that we are both in the midst of motherhood, we need each other more than ever. I love that we talk on the phone a hundred times a day! LOL. (And yes, Pastor Michael, that is a VIRGIN strawberry daquiri in my hand! lol)

Here I am with my mommy! I love her so much! She is the most inspiring, caring, giving and loving person I have ever met! She finds sentiment in any situation, and she'll have you in tears as she tells you just about any story. She has given me my Dominican heritage, as well as so many other unique traits. I LOVE HER!!!

I even received the traditional Happy Birthday serenade from the wait staff. So funny. I'd say the only thing missing from this perfect night with my family was......my 3rd sister, Lindsey, who lives all the way down in Missouri. She would have added an entirely new element to the mix...the goofy, laugh-til-your-gut-hurts humor that we love her for. See Linz! See what you're missing?? Move home soon, darlin! We miss you terribly! xoxo

"My eyebrows hurt!"

Poor little Marina woke up with a fever this morning. She was so fussy and uncomfortable. I gave her a dose of Motrin, to bring down the fever, and then I snuggled with her on couch to watch her latest favorite movie, 101 Dalmations.

After awhile, she became fussy again. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me, "My eyebrows hurt!" After fighting laughter, I asked her, "Do you mean your head hurts?" And she said yes. When I was refilling her Dora sippy cup, she shouted from the couch, "I need tissue! My noses are running!" which I've come to know means that both nostrils are running. Too cute, Marina! Too cute!

At the pool...

Every year I purchase season passes to Phillip's Aquatic Center, which is a waterpark with a huge pool, several waterslides, a kiddie area, and a humongous sand play area. It's the place my mom used to take my siblings and I when we were young. And it never gets old for my kids. We try to go several times a week, and we have so much fun!





Last summer was extra memorable for me. It was the very first time in my life as a mother that I could literally just sit at the water's edge and soak up sun while my kids played in the pool in front of me. I didn't have to stay 2 steps behind them, for fear that they would fall and drown. My kids were finally old enough to just go play!





Reese wears a life vest and is able to swim in deeper waters with Mark. They love to throw the football around and race each other to retrieve it. They are so cute! And Marina likes to play in the 3-inch water with her mermaids and ponies, while I sit there and bask in the warm sun. It's perfect! Many of Mark's friends from school and church also come to this waterpark. So he often finds a friend to accompany him on the waterslides. This is totally how I love to spend my summer with my kids!

O-Town!!!

Yes, we live in O-Town. Good 'ole hillbilly Oswego. And this year we finally made time to attend the annual Prairie Fest...a very hillbilly carnival, held on the grounds of Oswego High School. It featured rides, exotic animals, chicken-on-a-stick & corndog stands, and of course a live performance from the 80's one-hit-wonder, Survivor! Yeah, they've been reduced to hillbilly stages like the one in O-Town. But, they sang their hearts out with 'Eye of the Tiger.'








We went with our good friends, Michael & Kristi Grove, and their adorable little girls. We also brought Uncle Brandon, who is spending the summer w/ us. Ryan took Marina on a camel ride, (Yes! A camel!) Reese & Marina fed exotic animals in the petting zoo area, and Mark decided to go on the infamous Zipper ride.....that is, until he got in line and chickened out. Then he chose another speedy carnival ride instead. It was fun, and now we can officially call ourselves hillbilly Oswegoans. Not only do we spend every weekday evening and weekend afternoon, from July to October, cheering for our little football star who plays for the Oswego Park District tackle football team.........now we can say we have experienced the Prairie Fest. Ahh...our summer is complete! I guess even the most glamorous get a little hillbilly once in awhile, right?? I mean, look at poor Britney...

Pics of my cuties!!!

This is Mark & Reese, snuggling in their bunkbed with a book. They are so cute! Even with bunks, they end up sharing a bed every night. They are such buddies. Love it!

This is Daddy reading a story to Rina before bedtime. It's their daily ritual. It melts my heart!

Glamorous Mother's Guide to gift shopping...

OK...here's another good topic: it seems like every time I grab the mail, there is yet another invitation for one of my kids to attend a friend's birthday party. Which translates to buying gifts! I feel like I can no longer buy toys for kids' birthdays. Because, especially in the Naperville area, kids already own every toy on the market (excluding my own kids, of course). It seems that most people give and/or prefer to receive gift cards or cash. So, the question always remains...how much do you give?? I never want to look cheap. But I also don't want to go broke. So, this is what we have decided. I wonder if it's similar to what other people do:

Child Birthday party: $20
Adult Birthday party: $30
Shower gift: $30-$40
Wedding gift: $50

Does that sound about right??

Glamorous Mother's Guide to Losing Weight

Yeah. This is a weird topic for me to be posting. Especially since I have been stuck at the same discouraging weight for about 3 yrs. Regardless of my sporatic exercising, or the various diets I have tried, my weight has not budged. Until now!

A friend of mine is on a very restrictive diet for medical reasons. But she is also in optimal shape. She told me that she only eats raw, living things. Basically meaning, only things that grow out of the ground. And she only drinks water. No coffee. No soda. Just water. That's it.

As summer approached, I decided to give this thing a try. So, I typically whip myself up a fruit and yogurt smoothie for breakfast each day (yes, the yogurt breaks the rule, but it hasn't mattered in my weight loss), and I even add some flaxseed for good fat. YUMMY! And I have given up my daily cup of coffee w/ creamer. (Kicking and screaming, of course, b/c I LOVE coffee). My mid-morning snack is another piece of fruit, or a handful of mixed nuts, or a box of raisins. Water. Water. Water. Lunch=a full salad, stuffed with all kinds of veggies, sometimes topped with chicken breast strips or cubed ham or shredded cheese (again, outside the rules, but makes the salad less monotonous), and absolutely no dressing. Water again. Afternoon snack=broccoli stalks or a handful of grapes or carrot sticks, with NO DRESSING. More water. Then dinner time comes, and that's tough, 'cause I'm cooking for the whole family. So I try to just eat salad. Or cooked veggies. Maybe some of the meal. But no carbs. And only water to drink. NO DESSERT! Before bed snack=piece of fruit or yogurt or nothing at all.

No cereal, no bread, no processed or canned food. Only what comes fresh from the ground. I love to saute up zucchini and onions and garlic. Yummay! And water is pretty boring, so I like to squeeze lemon juice into my water bottle. It helps flush out water weight in addition to adding flavor. I've read that pineapple juice (or better yet, pineapple skin steeped in hot water like a tea) is the ultimate best in flushing out stubborn water weight in your body. It takes down that bloated feeling....which, by the way, I no longer have on this new eating plan! It's amazing! No more yucky gut feeling! Only flatlands!

I've stuck to this rule (eating only what grows from the ground), and have been walking 45 minutes outside every single day for only 3 weeks............and I have lost a whopping 9 POUNDS!!!! Yes! And it's consistantly gone! My appetite seems so much smaller at mealtime. Maybe because I'm eating small portions frequently throughout the day. But, yes. This has worked! I don't have to pay for a gym membership or a costly diet plan. I don't have to count points. And I can even afford to cheat here and there. I had an icecream cone one night with the family. And later that night I felt bloated. Weird. But by morning, the bloating was gone, and I was back to my regimen. The pounds are still melting off. Lost another one today. Holy Smokes! I just can't believe it. Just had to post it!

So I guess this is the combo: eat only what grows from the ground, drink only water, and briskly walk 45 minutes a day. I'm so curious to see if this works for anyone else! I swear, it's worth the effort, if you have stubborn lbs that just won't move. xoxo

Reese's School Bus

My little Reese gets dropped off by the school bus everyday in front of our home. He seems so small to be coming off that BIG YELLOW BUS. LOL. But he loves it. And he is happily greeted each day by Marina and Emma. I just had to capture his arrival on video before the school year ends. His entrance is usually followed by my tackling him and smothering him with lots of hugs and kisses. Next he sits on my lap and tells me about his day at pre-school. He fills me in on who was the 'helper' that day, who was home sick, and who was sent to time-out for 'hitting friends.' Then he tells me that he wants to eat a peanut butter sandwich. That's pretty much our daily ritual. I love it!

Pretty Pink Potty Chair

We picked one up at the store this past weekend in hopes that we can get our last child out of diapers...finally! I've been continually changing diapers for almost 10 yrs now. And I'm ready to be DONE! LOL! So, since our little princess loves pink, we bought her a pretty pink potty chair, and a pack of My Little Pony underpants. (Not panties...they're underpants. After having 2 boys, I just can't bring myself to call it anything else). Marina's doing pretty well. Only a couple accidents so far, which crushed her, b/c her poor Pony pants were wet and yucky. She's in it for the treats (chocolate chips). Reese is in it for the spanks...meaning, he can't wait for us to threaten Marina with spankings when she poops her pants. After all, he's had his share. Now he wants to see her undergo the same punishment. Why is that so fascinating to him?? Middle-child syndrom perhaps?? It's pretty funny. Someday he'll realize that he was getting spanks b/c he was FIVE yrs old and still having accidents. OK. Too much info. Sorry Reese.