The Frog Cage

Great, a real cage for trapping real frogs.. I wonder what is going to happen.. Well being as I am uploading this days later, I can tell you. The frogs went to school Monday the 18th, and my husband wanted me to pick Austin up from school. HELL NO, am I going to be that mom... the mom who let her son take frogs to school. Tuesday the 19th, we came home to a dead frog. WE had a frog funeral. We cried, we didn't eat dinner. Mommy drank two glasses of wine. ;)

MOM, WHERE'S MY FROG?

Really Erianna, really? Thanks. SO OVER THE FROGS, LIZARDS AND SNAILS. As we speak there is a frog hoping around doing a frog show. He swims through the "pool," he hops across to the finish line, he climbs out of a box, he goes to find his baby?? Who knows. I am officially over it, and can't win this battle. Every time I try to put a stop to it, I get the tears, the guilt.. UGH. When does this stage end?

Reading Time with Daddy

Erianna is extremely smart, but she just got pulled from her advanced reading group because she wasn't keeping up. It's my fault. After being with babies and toddlers for such a long day, come 5:30 when the last two leave I am drained. I don't want to read for 60 minutes, I want to do her homework, bathe her, feed her and put her to bed for 7:30. I really need to get better at reading more with my own kids. I don't want my kids to suffer because I am out of energy when they come home. I really need to work towards my two year goal of being a teacher. I know teaching is exhausting too, but the fact that you finish teaching at 2:00 and you are off all summer, is pretty awesome. I need to be there more for my kiddos. The daycare is a 50 hour a week job, and J Alexander's is another 20 hours in the weekend, doesn't leave me too much time. I am looking forward to using my substitutes a little more over the summer, and hopefully catching up with Erianna, and making sure Austin is ready for Kindergarten.

Pets

Woo hoo, I thought I forgot to take pictures this day, and then found this is the wrong folder :) 
As you know by now, Austin is obsessed with "pets." He went fishing today and caught three bass fish. He said he didn't want to let them go, he wanted them as pets. So this is him releasing the fish into the canal behind our house!

Lizard

Well, the picture of the day was supposed to be the scantily clad lady on the play ground smoking a cigarette...grrrrrr...my BIGGEST PET PEAVE! but....... Austin running up to me with a lizard in his hand ended up being a great shot. You can see the excitement in his eyes! You can almost hear the complaining and whining when it got away when we got home.. yep he took it home with him!!!!! Some battles I just can't win!!!

Brianna!

I met Brianna at my work a few months ago. She invited me to lunch with her and another coworker, and since that day, it has become a weekly event for us. She is ten years younger than me, but we get along so well, partly because she is so mature and I am so immature!!! We normally go to the same restaurant, but this week we went to South Beach for lunch, because I had a mystery shop to complete. Nothing beats a free lunch on the beach with Brianna!!! I love her!!

Swimming

Erianna's class has swimming lessons for the next two weeks. Pretty awesome. I think people worry so much about guns and animals when they let their children go to other people's houses, but they don't care about pools. Of the 16 kids in her class, about 5 would for sure drown if they fell in a pool, 7 are ok, and 4 can swim! SCARY!!!!!

Ice!

Sugar and Ice are best friends, and possibly more, but they get into these weird fights, and Ice won't go in the back yard with her. He runs to the front door, and insists on going out there to pee. It drives me nuts, and I normally drag him to the back door, but this is Eric, giving him his way!

Capone

Went to my very close friend's daughter's communion party today, and of course I had to take tons of pictures. Well, I could not stop taking pictures of their new puppy! Isn't he the cutest!??!?! LOVE him!!!

New shoes..new jeans....

Can this child stop growing? She is getting HUGE!

Mom, can we keep it?

The awesome part of being a mom probably isn't this part. The part about every animal becoming a pet. We have had five dogs, five iguanas, two bearded dragons who has about 50 babies, fish, snails, tadpoles, frogs, parrots, fish, fish and more fish. So, what do we still continue to do? GIVE IN. Austin is obsessed with finding frogs (toads) in the garden, so today 4/9 we got two frogs from the pet store that we can keep in our over crowded tank. When will I learn to say NO?!

Mom, can we keep it?

The awesome part of being a mom probably isn't this part. The part about every animal becoming a pet. We have had five dogs, five iguanas, two bearded dragons who has about 50 babies, fish, snails, tadpoles, frogs, parrots, fish, fish and more fish. So, what do we still continue to do? GIVE IN. Austin is obsessed with finding frogs (toads) in the garden, so today 4/9 we got two frogs from the pet store that we can keep in our over crowded tank. When will I learn to say NO?!

Bite and Run!

I'm afraid it's just another bite and run accident... I was dreaming this up for weeks, after I saw this post: http://365project.org/mhensley/365/2011-03-12

I finally remembered to buy the chocolate bunnies last night... Do you have any clue how hard this was to do with my son watching? MOM..MOM.. Can I have one? No fair, you have three. What are you doing with my police car? What are you doing with the green slime? Can I play with it? YIKES! At least it's done! Enjoy!!!

Lame, I know....

Feeling like crap, didn't want to take any pics, but did want o show you my amazing new camera bag! I love it! This is my fourth bag, and I think I have found a winner. Great buy at $42 on Amazon! :) LOVE it!!

Baby Yoga!

Livi is slightly obsessed with Yoga already at the age of 14 months old. You can always catch her doing random positions and holding them for a couple seconds. She was driving me nuts though, I don't mind her doing things like this on the grass, but not a fan of baby yoga on concrete!

No Mom!!

Mom, I am not in the mood for photos. I am doing my home work, leave me alone!!

Great Day!

A great day today full of adventures... And then they crashed on the way home, and now they are awake bickering back and forth! yikes! Went to the beach with my family and then back to my dad's for dinner. I didn't bring the big camera, couldn't be bothered with the extra weight today, and super paranoid of sand getting in/on it!

Blah!

Fridays just aren't my day for picking up the camera. My dreaded day of the week. A LONG DAY... Sorry for the lame picture! That is my perfect uniform for work, any thing less and you can possibly be sent home. I have to use Staflo to starch my clothes. Any clue how uncomfortable I am all night?

Livi!

Livi loves music! She is a dancer, a singer.. and a little angel! Today was the first time for circle time that she sat in a chair next to the big kids, and although her feet couldn't touch the floor and I was so worried she would fall down...she had an awesome time!!

What happened to my little Kindergartener?

Oh, I know, she grew up! More than half way through the school year and she has so much style in her uniform it's crazy! A different pair of knee high socks every day, she does her own hair, and she sneaks some of my perfume on once in awhile. She has so many older friends. Every Thursday I go to lunch with her, and it's like a meet and greet. About ten older girls walk over and give her a hug and a quick little smile, and she tells me all the time, they are my 2nd grade friends. She also tells me all the time about a boy she is teaching to talk, and how he adores her. She said he was probably three because he couldn't talk, but I actually met him today, and he is seven. He has some kind of learning delay, and is in the ESOL class, which has outside time at the same time as her class. She adores him, and he definitely thinks the world of her. I watched her spend most of her recess time saying words, and getting him to repeat them. She is quite the nurturer. She loves to help people. She loves to be around all the day care children, too. She plays with the babies, and she does projects with the bigger ones. Her brother cries in the middle of the night, and she invites him to sleep in her room. She is such a great child. How did I get so lucky?

Barker

Kind of funny, my friend Melinda has two dogs, Barker and Blackie. Ironically every single time I have gone there for the past four years Blackie doesn't shut up and barks and barks, and barks... he is the yappiest dog I have ever seen, but Barker... I love Barker. He loves me, too. Such a cute dog, and I always think they should consider a name change for both dogs... Brownie and Barker?

Love!

It's so hard to pick one picture when you got to spend an hour taking pictures of a baby that wasn't even a day old! What an adorable, beautiful, little miracle. I am still tearing up thinking about how precious and beautiful he is. His little toes, hands, legs, ears, lips, nose. I love babies sooooooooo much. When I see babies, and babies nursing, wow, it really makes the first year of my kid's lives seem so distant. They are running around now with rain coats and flash lights searching for frogs and snails, just to think that a few years back all they did was sleep and eat, it's so absolutely amazing. I envy those nurses that get to see this everyday. Wow, they truly are angels, helping new moms adjust, and taking care of such delicate little souls. OK, gotta go get a tissue now.. Welcome Cody James! We are so proud of you Daniela and Jeff!!

What is it Sugar??

Sugar is a total hunter. She loves to sniff around, chase things and go crazy. No clue what it was here, but she was going crazy trying to get it.. Reminded me of Christmas morning, when we were fortunate enough to find not just a possum but a family of possums. Yeah, almost missed Christmas dinner trying to drag Ice out from under the shed..of course Sugar was too fat to get under there! Ice got scratched or bitten by it, and he in turn almost killed one of them, and we had to hope it would not die under the shed. I am obviously not a fan of possums!!!

Poor Froggy

This poor froggy HAD been held captive for about two hours, and Erianna just let it go. I would write more, but Austin is throwing his usual ridiculous tantrum now about her letting it go. GRrrrrrrr

Baby feet :)

I love baby feet. The wrinkles, the soft toe nails, I love every little part of them... they are so cute and make me smile! I started a new little one at the day care this week, and he is absolutely adorable.. He knew I was taking photos of his feet so he kept moving them and smiling at me. Don't you just want to tickle those little feet?

Awesomeness!!

So, while in cooking school I purchased all types of things for the kitchen and this happens to be my favorite for its versatility factor and price. I got it on Amazon for 199. What a steal. The fun attachments I got for it, too... the pasta maker, ice cream maker. Already plenty of use, nothing beats home made pasta or vanilla ice cream! I am also a huge fan of the grill pan, too. Well, sorry no pictures today.. Rough day at work and I am making pistachio ice cream now!

If I got a dollar...

For every tantrum I have witnessed for the past six years... I might be a millionaire. Love tantrums. My son Austin, and one of my day care kids Ryan definitely win the award for the most creative!

Yummy!

Well, I know it's not the best picture in the world, but my dinner was so good I wanted to share it with you. ;) Had a delicious chicken marsala that I found the recipe for on epicurious.com. I tweaked it a bit and added different types of mushrooms, shitake, portabello and baby portabello. Served it over egg noodles (wish I made some home made ones.) Asparagus which was made in the grill pan with orange essence and topped with ground almonds. Can you say delish?? Can you say twenty minutes?? I made the sauce the other night and froze enough for two more portions, so I heated the sauce sauteed the chicken and made the pasta and asparagus, and wow, already on 365 telling you all about it. :) I love good food, and I love being able to have it fast!! :) Shout out to Bil and Ray (the best teachers/chefs ever) from Apron's Cooking School in Plantation. 
(http://www.publix.com/aprons/schools/Plantation/Home.do)
Here is the recipe for the sauce:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Marsala-232152
The asparagus I got from a book, but if you wanted specific heat and time info, let me know! Here is the book on Amazon. 

Having fun with Roihann

I LOVE when Erianna plays with her best friend Roihann outside. They can swing for hours, and they are the sweetest of friends. I wish I could share a picture of Roihann, but I did not ask permission from her parents. The girls have been best friends for five years now, and are about two years apart. We recently started car pooling to and from school and I love to hear how each of their days went when I pick them up.

Grrrrrrrrr

Not sure how long this phase is going to last, but WOW the "Terrible Twos" have nothing on the "F'd up Fours!" At least the calm after the storm is nice.... The I love you mom pictures and notes make things a little bit better....a little bit!!

Super Moon/Super Bad Pic

Driving home from the store today I thought the world was ending when I saw what appeared to be the moon on steroids in front of me. BY the time I got home and got out the camera, the picture did it no justice, as when I initially saw it, the light of day was amazing, and it looked like something out of a movie. I hope some of you got the pictures I would have loved to have gotten!

89.56 Please

Well gas is a expensive. No way around that for me. I do minimal driving, and it ends up being about a 100 a week, husband has a similar car and spends a little bit more a week.. Plus two car payments, and yeah, I wonder why we have no money...

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Ft. Lauderdale Beach

Only here in Ft. Lauderdale Beach do you get the true sounds of Ireland on St. Patty's Day with weather of 81 degrees and sunny on the crowded beach

Livi vs. Apple

Who do you think won?

He makes me drink midday.

I had the afternoon off, I had all intentions of doing something fun with the kids, but Austin whined and complained all morning, as he did all weekend...and all I could do was dream of a glass of Malbec. So I had a Groupon expiring soon for a restaurant I had driven by before and wanting to check out called Copper Canyon. So I went there for a late lunch, had a delicious glass of wine, a mouth watering hickory grilled tenderloin filet topped with gorgonzola blue cheese butter & Chilean cabernet sauce. It was served with redskin mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach with red onions and button mushrooms sautéed in red wine and lamb stock. Absolutely delicious. It's hard for me to find a good steak, I believe the restaurant I work for (J Alexander's- http://www.jalexanders.com) has the best steaks, but Copper Canyon definitely was as good!! The side items were amazing, too! (http://ccgrill.com/index.php) I would definitely recommend you check this place out, and can someone let me know when my son will stop going through this "phase?" (Leaving to go and buy a bottle of Malbec now.)

Erianna the nut case

Well, we were out to lunch. Austin was having a terrible "tantrum" that lasted about two hours on and off. Erianna was just trying to break him out of his bad mood by doing silly things. Well this is Erianna after she tied her linen around her head. It made us laugh!

Yummmy Truffles

Not that exciting today. Woke up made a big breakfast for the kids, and made truffles for some friends I work with. It is so time consuming, but they were yummy! These were mint chocolate oreo truffles. :)

L Lens

Took the kids to the beach to practice with the L Lens. Not really impressed with any of the pictures, but this one was cool to me. I just aimed at the sun with some seagulls in the sky. The ones of the kids/ocean were just ok....


Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Orchids

I love orchids. I really love when out of nowhere they bloom again. :)

A beautiful day....and then..

Why knows? The weather took a major toll for the worst....as the sky turned dark purple, and then grayish black and the wind picked up. Leaves were racing through the air, trees were swaying aggressively and there wasn't a single bird in sight. It came, it was rough, and then the dark clouds sat in the sky for the rest of the afternoon as a reminder that summer will soon be here, and that means beautiful sunny days and torrential thunderstorms here in South Florida!

Livi Lou!

Nothing is sweeter than a little one sleeping. What a nap this was, she was out cold immediately for an hour and a half, and she normally only sleeps for 45 minutes in the morning, so Liam and I got some stuff done while it was just the two of us! Nice quiet day at the daycare. Having two kids a day doesn't happen that often, but when it does, it sure is nice!

Liam!

Just Liam clowning around. : o )

Feeding the fish!

Went to the park today and caught Austin feeding the fish... yep... gotta love boys..

11:24 AM on a Sunday

So they wake me up at 6:30AM, and they eat everything in the house... and then come 11:00AM, when I start getting ready for work....they are in my bed about to pass out... Grrrrrr

Beach Babe

Well, I took the kids to the beach yesterday and today so we could relax and recharge. The ocean is such a beautiful thing.. I could take pictures at the beach every day....

Love.

There is no greater love than a mother and her child. No matter what happens at the end of the day, I know just seeing my kids makes everything so much sweeter, and makes me feel so fortunate.

Heaven?

So, my nana passed away on March 2nd, as I was walking out the door to the airport to come home. I went to see her because her friend told me she was not doing well, and I am glad I did. She was very weak, and was laying in bed the whole time I was there. She did tell me she loved me one day, and everyday I saw her the week I was in England, I held her hand and ran my fingers through her hair. I kept telling her how much I loved her, and how much she meant to me, and was thanking her for being so special to me and my family. I was telling her it was ok for her to pass away, that we will be ok without her and that she would get to see her husband, her daughter, her grandson and all the other people who have passed away. It was hard, it was really hard. I cried nonstop, I tried to stay strong but I couldn't. I read all about what happens in people's final days on Earth, so I knew what to expect. So I could prepare myself. I knew when I said good-bye to her on Tuesday night it would be the last time I saw her, but when I got the news the next morning, it was still so unreal. I thought she would live forever. I never ever thought I would lose my Nana. So I spent the day thinking how am I going to explain this to my kids. My daughter absolutely adores her Nana, and I did not know what to say. Although my mother passed away, I was pregnant with Erianna at the time, so I didn't have to explain it to her, but I did have to tell my little sister at the time.. so I thought I would do it the same way. It did not go as planned, my son kinda looked at me clueless and didn't get it...my daughter absolutely cried her eyes out. When we got home, my daughter ran to the kitchen grabbed a picture of nana and went into my bed and laid there and continued to cry. She didn't get it.. She had so many questions.. I told her nana was above the clouds in heaven watching over her, and her body would be in the cemetery with my mom and grandfather.. she didn't get it. I found myself just speechless and out of energy.. we just cuddled.. and grabbed a balloon and sent it to nana in heaven.. people passing away sucks. :(
This picture was taken on my way home Thursday morning.. I got stuck over night in Philadelphia, so it took me 28 hours to get home to my babies. :(

Rabbit's Ears Plant? Lamb's Ears Plant?

Of course now I can't find the name of this plant. I think this is it:http://www.herbcompanion.com/UnCategorized/lovable-lambs-ears.aspx
It is soft to the touch, and very strong. We don't have them in Florida. IN the summer they are more white than green, and ever so soft. I really enjoy feeling them, and am fascinated that they are actually a plant!

Love this Pug!

I honestly forgot his name, but he was such a well behaved dog! My Uncle's friend Chris who helped us move some of the heavier stuff cam to check on us last night, and brought this little handsome dog with him. He was so friendly, and loved running up and down the stairs at my Nana's house. He did not like me picking him up though!