Always my sister, forever my friend

This page is dedicated to my Sister! 

"Lean on each other's Strengths, Forgive each other's Weakness's" 

Sweating is the PIts

If you have problems with excessive sweating under your arms, whether its in the winter to the summer, then I may have a solution.. For years I have been having trouble with sweating too much under my arms...It didn't matter what temperature of the day it was or if there was air conditioning in the room, I still sweat.. My t-shirts would be soaked in the Pit area..So embarrassing...I would have to change my shirt a lot... 
I was thinking of doing botox because I've heard that works really well. But I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for this stuff.. I've been doing some research on alternative stuff.. First I went to the store and just browsed around the deodorant section. None of those ever worked on me.. Never kept me dry no matter how much or little I put on... I found this one thing called "Certain DRI".. I looked at the ingredients and directions. It was on sale and wasn't a hundred bucks..I"m like "What's the harm of trying? If it doesn't work, onto the next solution"...

I found that it kept me dry all day ...And today it's still doing it's job..I wore a t-shirt that is close to my pits and still no sweat..I've been doing house work and plus it's been hot in the house..Usually my shirt is ready to come off by this time.. This is my second day and I'm pretty excited and pleased.. But the week is not over yet, so who knows what's going to happen? When I put it on at night it does make me itch for a few minutes.. But I think that's because it's doing it's job.. This is a wet roll-on.. There is a solid one you can get.. 

Right now I keep checking to see if I'm sweating..And nothing.. If this keeps working all week I can limit the amount of days with using the DRI... This stuff has Aluminum Chloride in it.. Some people can be allergic to it so test it out for a night .. Even though it makes me itch, it's just for a few minutes..Not all night.. 

I also did some research online for excessive sweating.. I found a site that gives you a guy talking about how much he sweat. He was pretty bad..His hands were always sweaty, along with his feet, pits..Pretty much everywhere..He also explains the DRI stuff.. He explains natural ways to help with sweating..He says that it's not a cure, just a solution.. I pray that I found my solution ..I hope I don't get too tolerant with it and become sweaty again..I'll keep you up to date with my results.. Underneath is the video link..

FYI: I still use regular deodorant for smelling good..

sweatsolver

My Favorite Books of 2013

My goal this year was to read 50 books.. I already made it to that goal.. I've now made my goal to 70 books, by December 2013.. I've read so many good books this year.. Some were such  great stories and some were: very kinky haha..

 I can't imagine not reading! Some people have a passion with knitting, painting, sports, but mine is Reading... I know that doesn't sound very exciting but I love it so much.. I know a bunch of my friends love it as well.. I love getting together at our book club and talk BOOKS.. 

I just finished a book called "A Different Blue"... Wow, I loved it so much! I picked it for our next book club  book.. A couple of my friends have already read it and agreed that it was such a great story.. It's not just about a love between two people.. It's also about where these two people came from, finding out who they are and their support from one another... I love a good love story but with a great story behind it... Yes, some books I've read this year had really no great story behind it but just passion and sex..Yep lots and lots of sex.. Haha.. What's so wrong with good sex? Kinky, ladies..Kinky is the new way to go.. 

 This is the one I just finished.. I highly recommend it!

Anyways here are a few of my favorite books for this year..Hopefully I'll have more favorites before the end of 2013

Oh how I loved this book!!! Great Story, Great Love story..There is a POV in Travis's side as well called " A Walking Disaster"

Oh my goodness.. The Crossfire Series is smooookin HOT! This is the 3rd book..If you want steamy check out "Bared to You" (The first book)

My friend and I fell in love with "Hopeless".. It's full of love but lots of surprises

Another great one from Colleen Hoover..! This is a 3 part series..I fell in love with Will! The  ups and downs with him and Layken are endearing and passionate..

Ok, this one is extremely hilarious! Laugh out Loud  funny! It's sexy and funny ..What more could you ask for!

Another wonderful Story and Love Story..One that actually made me cry..
 It's rare when an author is able to pull that off for me.. A must READ!

ChocoVine is Devine

My son is now a Freshman in High School and my daughter is now a 7th grader..Wowzers... It's hard to believe how fast the year went... 

So now I'm watching "Game of Thrones" and had just finished a glass of "ChocoWine" ..Thanks to my friend Marybeth I now have a new favorite drink..Cheers, to Summer and Sleeping in!..Well hopefully to the sleeping in part.. hahaha

What makes me smile

I am happy to say that my guys have returned home from their East Coast Trip.. As all the parents were waiting for their kids, my boy saw me and started running, waving, totally excited to see me.. He was the first one down the escalator and into my arms... Oh how I missed that smile and hug!! A lot of parents said their kids hardly texted or called them.. My boy, however, never missed a day without a little text... It started to hit me, two days before he returned, how much I missed him.. He certainly is a mamas boy..And he's growing up before my eyes.... 

I just received Joey's High School Registration Papers and returned them on Friday.. Wow, time really is flying! Orientation is in August..Must he grow up so fast? Before you know it, it will be Graduation time..Say it isn't so ...

Changing the subject here: I found this great tip from Pinterest that really has been way cool.. Growing green onions in a glass of water....

Pretty cool right? Just put the end of your buds in water and TaDa, you have new onions!

Quiet Week

It's been a pretty quiet week without "The boys".. I've been trying to keep myself busy by doing Home Improvement things like, putting up Joey's new Lamp and Curtains... But the only thing I keep doing is making holes.. The curtain rods are a pain in my boot-ay... I can't seem to do it correctly.. Help is on the way, I hope!   Next my good friend has been helping me paint my living room after: oh gosh........ since we moved in this house! That was a good 11 yrs ago I believe! YIKES! What we have done today has made a huge difference! The color is soooo pretttty! What would I do without my wonderful friend! Love her!

Raquel and I have been making the best of things by watching funny tv shows, playing video games, making breakfast ( on Memorial Day), going out to eat, playing an iphone game called "Heads Up", and making paper bag puppets.. I think we will do some baking tomorrow... I'm doing the best I can to spend time with her.. I don't get to do that too often since she and Joey love playing together.. I know she misses him, and misses her Papa.. She doesn't talk about them a lot but I know she's ready for them to be home..
I'm missing them too.. Like I said, it's been very quiet here..  I do get my 5am calls from Joey or a text ... Even though I'm so sleepy in the morn, it makes my day just hearing my boys voice..He's having such a great time! I'm enjoying seeing the pictures of him and his class , walking the streets of Boston and NY.. What a wonderful Trip!!!

 Raquel cutting the potatoes on Memorial Day... The Hibiscus is from outside of the Souplantation... I thought it was so pretty...

One of the text Joey sent me.. He is so sweet

Lastly, the living room improvements

If you wanna see the video for "Heads Up" click below this

YouTube "Heads Up"

A night of tears and drinks

I have never been a good flyer ... I haven't flown in 12 years so that makes it much worse on me.. 

Joey and Ricardo left last night on Joey's 8th grade East Coast Trip.. Knowing that my boy is experiencing flying for the first time since he was a baby was exciting and nerve wracking... I don't like to think negative thoughts about planes and being up in the air but I do have one of those minds that think of the worse case scenario.... I KNEW the flight would be fine, but it's always in my head that something might happen.. But thank God nothing did.. My boys made it to Boston safe and sound... 

I'm so jealous that "My boys" are on this trip.. One of  My dream vacation is to go New York and see a Broadway show.. 
I'm hoping by the time Raquel is in 8th grade I'll be able to experience the trip with her.. But of course i'll be taking some Xanax on the flight LOL.. Can't really get anywhere without a plane sometimes.. Especially on a trip like this...

 It was hard leaving my precious son... I had tears..If it weren't for my friends I would be a mess... A few of us went for drinks after we left the airport... It was a much needed get together...

 This morning Joey gave me a wonderful Text... I miss him already.. And yes, the husband too.. LOLOL I'm used to Ricardo being gone, but not my baby boy.. I'm so happy and excited for him..What a dream vacation for him.. And it's an experience he'll always remember and treasure with his Papa..

It's Hammer Time!

It has always been my luck to get hurt.. Whether it's moving heavy stage props, tripping and falling on the curb, bumping into a wall or get this, getting Whacked with a Carnival Mallet.. Yes, you read it: Carnival Mallet.. A heavy, weighted Mallet..
Last night was the school Spring Fling and I was volunteering the area where they play the High Striker Game.. There was a kid who swung the mallet . The mallet slipped out of his grip and came whacking into my ankle.. 
It hurt like a Mother $%^&*#!~~~ .. I usually get hit by basketballs but this was not a ball.... Holy Moly! Lots of ice was needed. I'm ok, it's just a pain... Pun intended LOL

My Two Cents

Let me get this out of the way.. I REALLY DESPISE MY KIDS PE TEACHER!...

Anyways, she is the most heartless, SOB, teacher my kids have ever had... Unfortunately Joey has had her 3 years in a row! The first year for Advisory and the rest for PE.. Of course my daughter had to get her for her first year in Middle School.. Just her luck.. Or my luck? I don't know.. Her grading sucks! She doesn't grade fairly and is insulting ... Right now she is having the kids do a lame Line Dancing routine and it's supposed to be a huge part of the grade.. Seriously? Line Dancing? The kids have to make up their own line Dance and present it later on in the month.. I believe she is the only PE teacher doing this.. It's truly ridiculous! My straight "A" daughter now has a "B" in the class because of her slow running or walking.. Which ever.. I believe if you participate, are dressed up, then that's what matters the most.. Not with this teacher.. Ugh.. It really sucks.. She has been complained about my numerous parents, including myself, to our Vice Principal.. So far I haven't seen any improvement.. So today I wrote her a letter and CC'd it to the VP.. Not that she will ever read it or change anything, but I gave it a chance... I simply will NOT allow Raquel to have her next year.. Even she dislikes this lady.. Awful, unkind, ungrateful, person.. She needs to retire already.. Here is the letter I sent to her..

Mrs. Sander,

I've noticed Joey's grade has gone down significantly since last week.. Did you get my emails regarding his Play Performances and 8th grade east coast trip? 

He will not be in School the day you have the class do the line dancing test.. Is this test for all kids who do PE or is just your classes?? I'm concerned because Joey participates with every sport you present but his grade has gone down from a B to a C... Joey has been working so hard in all his other classes even though he had late night performances last week.. He has not had time to think of a Dance for PE. I'm not sure your reasons for this assignment? I may be over reacting but I feel he should not have to worry about a dancing test when it should be about teaching dances and sports.. That is my opinion.. 

Joey is taking Raquel's steps to incorporate into his own as well.. He has the paper filled out and ready for you to check.

  

And I've noticed Raquel's Grade has been a B for awhile now..She's receiving her 4.0 GPA award this month.. And I'm disappointed to see that the "A" she had in the beginning has dropped.. She told me she had you look at her dance, but I haven't seen a change in the scoring you gave her.. Plus her running/walking has not been a 5 lately.. What do you consider a 5 when you are walking?

I hate to think about PE grades when I have so many other things to worry about with Joey and Raquel.. They work really hard and do their best, every day..

My two cents

"Peter Pan" Week

  So the last week and a half has been pretty crazy. Joey performed with his MET2 cast in the play "Peter Pan" . He had major late night rehearsals that led me to sit in my car and watch movies or read. The Poway drive from my little town is a good distance so I hate to waste the gas..So I just hung out while he rehearsed..  I watched a pretty hilarious movie called "This is 40" .. OMG if you haven't seen it YOU MUST.. I was cracking up all by myself.. It was a great time killer..
Anyways, my life in the car for that past week was exhausting..Seriously... Once the cast moved onto the Theater in Poway I was able to help with the props.. The first 2 days of "propping" , as I called it, was very boring... We didn't do a whole lot considering the repeat rehearsals that the cast did. So, not a lot of moving the props..But in the end it's worth it...I loved watching Joey dance and sing.. He was my little pirate man.. 

As our time in the theater passed, so did the many days that my house was untouched, or the grocery store un-shopped, the cat box un-clean, the dust balls being blown into the corner or bills being unpaid.. That was my life for that week.. We had 3 shows in one day... That was one big blur of a day.. I couldn't remember what day it was. My mind was on adrenaline just waiting for the next show.. I barely saw Raquel and Ricardo.. They would be asleep by the time we would come home at night.. And it wasn't just the late nights, I was also hopping around town with Raquel for her Ortho appointments or Dr. apps.. I tell ya, it was one strange week.. Exhausting but worth it in the end..  

Mothers Day was great.. I finally got to see the show with my Mom and Sister.. They are always , ALWAYS 

coming for Joey's plays.. They are so supportive of him and never miss a show..I'm so grateful to them ..

A Much needed Drink after the hectic week 

One year later

So I've noticed that it's been over a year since I've done some blogging.. I have written in the past how Facebook has taken over my blogging..That is so true in so many ways... Then I notice that my friends have been updating their blogs and that makes me envy them..
I used to love to write.. Have I gone lazy in my writing? For example, right now I feel like I have writers block. I don't have anything exciting to talk about.. The fact that my husband is out of town, fishing, doesn't really make a good story for me.. Or that my kids are doing homework is not very entertaining.. All my friends pretty much know my entire life.. I post my pictures and my little updates and that explains how i'm feeling for that moment..
There are times I vent a little too much and some people take that out of context.. I have vented way too much, with way too much info and that got me in to a bit of trouble among peers.. I have learned so much in the last couple years that Facebook is not a place to show people your "True feelings".. I do have a Moms group on FB that is great for venting..I have done plenty of that and it has really helped.... Blogs can also be a place for venting but it can also be another train wreck.. People, as myself, feel good when others know how you feel at the time you're feeling upset.. We want to know that we aren't alone in our sorrows or anger.. It's good to get our feelings out there, but some just don't want to read about it.. I don't like to see all goodie, sweet, happy "feelings" everyday.. Nobody is perfect.. We don't have perfect lives or perfect families, or perfect marriages.. To me, it's ok to show how un-perfect our lives can be.. That makes us feel normal.. And that way we can all be there for one another, whether you're a neighbor or someone that lives in another state.... So for now that's all I have to say... Hopefully it won't be another year to update again hahaha..

Responsibilty

10 yrs ago I really thought I would have more patience with the kids. I'm thinking if I had my babies at the age I'm at right now would I be more patient with them? maybe as babies/toddlers yes, but with the ages they're at right now I guess the patience is different... What can I do, as a mother, to help make my kids be more responsible? As a stay at home mom we want to do everything for our kids..Cook, clean, make lunches, get the kids dressed, etc..That's what our job is supposed to be..But as they get older aren't the kids supposed to do those things themselves? I mean I don't get them dressed anymore but I do make their lunches, cook for them and make sure they get to school on time. There are many things that a stay at home mom does. Does staying at home make our kids less responsible? Do they not learn how to do all these things because the ones who stay home, as myself, inflict this sort of habit on them? Is it MY fault that my kids lack responsibility? Sure, on the weekends I make them do their chores..That's all fine and dandy, but why is it that I have to remind them to do things(all the time that is) in order for them to be successful? If I were to be a working mom would things be different? Would they be able to get up in the morning and make it to school on time? Would they come home from school and do their homework and get dinner started? I remember having to do all of that when I was a kid...I may not have been the most responsible, cleanest kid, but I do remember having to do the homework and start dinner..And I do remember getting myself out of bed and  making it to school on time.. Is this because my mom worked? We had to do this in order to learn how to live and survive on our own. We had no choice..My kids are very lucky to have me be there before and after school but am I helping them be irresponsible? If they can't find their shoes, they ask me. If they can't find their homework, they ask me... 
Even though I would love my kids to be little kiddies again I can't help wanting them to learn how to grow up..

Blistery Day at Boomers

I have to say that I will be missing my kids once they go back to school tomorrow..Raquel has had a month off so this is bitter sweet for me..We've had some good times going out to eat, going to the mall, movies, or just lounging around the house.. Having her home made me a bit lazy. I pretended that I was on vacation so that way I won't have to clean house. Sneaky yes, but it works..
Joey was already back in school but today was a holiday and we all decided, ok scratch that, they decided they wanted to go to Boomers..Great way to end the long weekend and vacation..


It was a blistery day and I loved it..  Here's to Good Times, and back to reality! I don't like the reality part though :-)

Joey marking points down

She got it in the hole!