Blog Block

Its been less than a week since we moved and I have had a really hard time.  First and foremost, the family is safe and sound in Memphis; minus my son who will be on his way in a week.

Our hunt for a house is still going on but we hit a few snags.  I lost a large sum of money while traveling and so our move has been less than impressive , thank goodness for my mother always having a back up plan and paying for our temporary housing..  Our kids are doing well and adjusting the best they can and we hope to have all our issue resolved in a few weeks.  Its been an adventure to say the least and it looks like we will survive. 

The second is my lost phone, I lost my IPhone on the final leg of the trip and I am seriously going though withdrawal.  I will not be able to replace it for a few weeks at least and I have decided that its a good time to see how dependent I am on this little gadget.  I have promised to go at least 30 days without my beloved phone and so far I have realized that I used it a lot and I miss it a lot.  Its like missing an arm for me and I am not doing well but its been less than a week and I think its a good experiment to see if its really needed or just wanted. 

Memphis is where we wanted to be so we will of course make the best of it.  I hope to have better news the next time I check in and I hope to be able to check in more often. 
A new adventure awaits my family and we are all looking forward to the wonderful things that are ahead.

Leaving the Sticks

This could be the last weekend that I spend in the state of California and I hope to only come back to visit every so often. Don't get me wrong it’s not that I don't love this place, it’s become very evident that this place does not love me. Two years ago my family and I pack our house in a U-Haul and jumped in our minivan with loads of hope that the place we knew and loved would still be the same, full of opportunity and carefree as ever. It started off good, but ended bad. My husband’s big dream of becoming CHP was impossible to reach due to so many road blocks. My dream of reconnecting with old friends and family came to a halt when I realized too much had changed. My husband came back for family and soon learned sometimes loving your family from a far is better for all.


I was never really able to truly commit to looking for a job let alone taking one because too many kids and not enough babysitting opportunities in our area. In California's defense we did settle in a very small town, with limited resources and I think that is what really did us in. Living in the sticks was the first of many bad decisions that we made while living here. It’s been a long two years filled with doubt and regret and learning that you cannot really go home and even if you do it’s not what you remember.

As we get closer to leaving this place I will miss it believe it or not, in this small town I found a few kindred spirits who made it a little less boring. I loved the fact that there was only one school system and I could walk my kids to and from school every day. I will miss the feel of a small town, but not the drama that can go hand and hand.

We look forward to our future and hope that things work out better for us in Memphis then they did here, we have no illusions and know that times are hard everywhere, but we have hope that we can and will survive. I promised myself that this would be our last big move for a long time and our goal is to give our family the stability and security that so many strive for.

Crazy run in the family

This week has been really really crazy.  My husband was in a accident and although he is OK, my car is no longer with us.  It was not the way we wanted to start our week.  Since he no longer has a car and we don't have anyway to get him to work he no longer has a job.  We decided that this was a sign that it is time to pack up and return to the place we were before.  We have been looking for a way to get back to Memphis and I think this is it.  For some strange reason we decided that a move right away would be the best and we are actually moving before the 25 of the month.
 My head is swimming with all the things that need to be done and all the things that need to be packed.  I am under such a large amount of stress that it is not even funny.  During all this time we had to share the news with our kids, our little kids were thrilled, our teens not so much.  My oldest child had decided to stay in California and although I hate to leave him here I do respect his decision.  Our oldest daughter of course took the news pretty hard, but after a few days of pouting she is now understanding the reasons we are going and has accepted our choice.  Its not going to be easy to move a family of 7 across the country in less than 30 days especially since 4 of them are under the age of 6.
 I look forward to the change of scenery and hope that our lives get a lot better then they were here.  I have to say our move to Cali never really worked out well for our family and in hind sight I think it should have been a vacation and not a move.  I look forward to seeing my family and getting our lives started again.  So for now it time that I attack another room and try pack a few boxes before I start my homework. 

Shout out

I have to give a shout out to my friend Jessica, for thinking of me when she was given some medium size gdiapers.  She decided they were not for her but offered them to me to try, it turned out I was already using the gdiaper system but was desperately in need of the medium ones.  It was a true blessing when she called, she gave me several gpants, liners, and the flush able inserts.  I just wanted to remind everyone that passing along an unwanted item can really make someones day.  Remember if you are interested in cloth diapering but do not have the funds, you can always visit diaperswappers, facebook gdiaper pages, and other groups on baby center and mom central and even ebay to search for used items.

Thanks again Jessica you really made not just my day but my month and they are really appreciated and in heavy use. 

Jayde

And So it begins

School officially started for us on August the 12 and it was super crazy the first few days.  The kids are now going on the 2nd full week of school and I think we all have the hang our routine.   This year we have a kindergartner, preschooler, and one in high school.  My teen dd also has tennis practice Monday-Thursday.  Everyone comes home hungry so this for the next 30 days I will be working on my after school snack list. 

Right now my goal is to be able to make a healthy snack and I have been looking everywhere for ideas.  I have a few recipes that I have been working on and so far so good.  I am looking for any suggestions of easy, quick, healthy, homemade snacks.  If you have any please leave me a comment and I will get back to you on if it passed the kid test.  This last week I made Pretzel Monkey Bread from Amazing Moms, it was a big hit with my girls.  We took it a step further and omitted some of the salt and in turn the girls dipped their bread in cinnamon sugar.  I love the fact that they have several recipes for monkey bread and I look forward to trying a few more.  This week I am hoping to work on a bento box inspired snack, fruit platter, a few baked goods and even some cookies just for fun.

Looking forward to a wonderful school year and looking forward to some amazing after school snacks.

How Old Is He?

Our son was born 2 months premature, he is considered to be a newborn right now.  He was born over two months ago but on a chart he is only a little over two weeks old.  When someone ask me how old he is I stumble to remember his adjusted age and feel like I should explain my fumble by stating he was a preemie.  I have read the articles and know that his adjusted age is how he is currently developing, but he had actually been on the earth for almost 3 months.  I know that at some point he will catch up and we wont have to give his adjusted age anymore but for right that is the best way to go.  I will get better at it with time and once I am truly use to it, I wont have to utilize it anymore.  So yes my son was born in May, but he is only 2 weeks old. 

Side note, his father want to celebrate his birthday every year on his due date not the date he was born.  We are currently still in the middle of that argument (discussion) and hopefully by next year we will be at some sort of compromise or I will have won.

What is Normal?

L2 is our odd child, she has been since the day she was born.  The moment she came into the world I knew she was different and she would play by her own rules.  She is a loving child and a smart child, but I have been worried that something was off with her and so I decided to ask for help.  She had a physical for preschool and after talking to the doctor she was given an appointment with the behavioral specialist.  I want to be able to find out if I am just over reacting or if she is really in need of extra help.  I have vowed to not paint her into a corner or try to define her, I just want to be able to handle it when she has her famous meltdowns and when she goes off on one of her moments.  The doctor said they will work with her twice a week and also help myself and my husband handle her issues so that she is not overwhelmed.  I will let her got to preschool without putting any stigma on her and if issues arise then we will discuss them with the specialist.  This is new territory for me and I hope that I can navigate it with grace and patience.  I look forward to learning about my daughter and learning how to become a better parent for her.  Is there a normal, nope, not really and if there is its definitely not any person in this house.

Jayde