Tide with Febreze!

While I'm on the subject of laundry .... I met as well give my opinion on laundry detergent!! There are somethings in life that- between the store brand and the name brands, there isn't much of a difference, so why pay the extra money. On the OTHER hand... there are somethings TOTALLY worth paying the extra few dollars for. Tide with Febreze is definitely one of them! I have come to find out, that you can literally still smell your linens fresh, your clothes fresh, after 5 or 6 days after washing!! It is amazing! I love falling into my bed, and smelling freshness all around me. It smells so amazingly good! The other Tide one I really like is Tide with Jasmine and Waterlilly- I think... it is the blue one. That one really smells amazing too. I have yet to find any other detergent that will still smell just as it did when you pulled it out of the washer into the dryer, and 5 days later- just the same. So- I highly recommend this product.

Another interesting fact: I used to use the Clorox Disinfectant wipes. Well, one day I thought I would just use the store brand to see if there was a difference.. YES- there is a sad difference. Everytime I would use the store brand one- it would leave behind soap... like if you took the wipe out of the bottle and wrung it out, soap would go everywhere- where with the actual Clorox wipes- it does not do that. However, after using the Clorox wipes every day and night to wipe down my bathrooms-- I started to notice, it really wasn't doing much anyway. If I still ran my hand across the countertop- it would fill kind of filmy. So- I started just using a rag and water. It works for me- and then I "clean,clean" my bathrooms once a week. But- to wipe off your counters every night- I rag works just fine with water- and it gets everything off!

Just a little bit of tidbit info on my "learning on how to be a better maid":)

Oh, and if ya'll have any fun info or tidbits or have found any amazing products- please leave me a comment and SHARE!! :) I would love to know!!

Whoever said teaching by EXAMPLE is the best.................

IS 110% ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!! I am totally stunned- and in fact- I think I'm going to stop "teaching" all together- and just DOING... and making sure my kids are watching my every move! Yesterday afternoon... Ethan got his shirt dirty. He always gets dirty- and he is the first BOY I have ever met that has to change every time he gets wet or dirty or ANYTHING! So, I took his shirt off of him and told him to get another one, like usual and told him to go put his dirty shirt in the laundry room like usual. K- the kid is THREE!! Sometimes- going and putting his dirty shirt in the laundry room is quite a task and he will forget with in .02 seconds. Well, he was taking a while with getting his "new" shirt, so I went to go see if I could help him, and he wasn't in his room, so I went looking elsewhere-- and where do you SUPPOSE I find him?? YEAH!? In the laundry room... and what is he doing??? He is actually WASHING his dirty shirt along with a blanket he pulled out of the dryer. He literally climbed up on top of the washing machine, and then he opened up my cupboard, and ACTUALLY got the laundry detergent out and poured it in the cup, and then put the detergent- where it was ACTUALLLY supposed to go! I was in total shock!! And- the mess?? What mess?? He did NOT make a mess- or rather- what I would consider a mess. He did drip a little of the detergent, but it wasn't like the WHOLE bottle. I was very, very impressed- that my 3 year old can do his own laundry if I told him to. Of course, I'm not going to... because in the 3rd grade I did a history fair project on child labor- and I KNOW what happens when you do that!;) Usually I have my kids help me load the washing machine, and help me load the dryer-- and then they will push in the drawer for me once I have put the detergent in... but never have I seen this! I'm still in shock! Was this really my child?! He must be possessed! LOL! So- here is to EXAMPLE as the best teaching method!! I'm a TOTAL fan!:)

ERIN is 5!! Happy B-day Erin!

Erin had her 5th b-day yesterday!! Whoo-hooo! I can hardly believe it - she is 5!! This time next year she will be in Kindergarten. This was her 1st "real" b-day party outside of just family. I say... keep the b-day parties just family for as long as you can! LOL! It was work putting it together- and maybe that is because I decided what to do 2 days before her actual b-day and didn't even send out invitations, but rather e-mails to her little friends in her dance class! Whoooppsies- but hey! I'm learning right- and next time I'll be a bit more organized. For her birthday party we had sooo much fun. We had a little tea party with her friends and then my sister and I did their hair, make-up, and painted their toenails and fingrenails! They also dressed up and looked so cute!! They had a complete ball! Little girls are so much fun!


Here is Erin with a gift from Grandma. Her first porcelain doll! It is a new Disney Princess precious series. Lets see how long it lasts! Bets anyone?? ;)
She got another tea set! She loves little tea sets and actually plays with ALL of them daily! I don't think I ever played with a tea set when I was little.
Here is Erin pretending to put the BIG lipstick on. She is so funny. I actually got to curl her hair during the party. She NEVER lets me curl her hair! So,hopefully this will be a good direction for new hairstlyes mom can try on her!
Here is Erin "pretending" to blow out the candles on her cake. I had the candles, but I couldn't find my fire starter lighter... I hid it like 1 year ago, because Dante figured out how to use it- and I can't remember where I put it! Another whoopsies! I need to keep matches handy I guess.
Ethan had to get in on the fun too! Dante was in school- so he was the only boy. So, here is what he would look like if he ever tried to be a drag queen. I think he would look HOT!:)
Erin with some more presents from her little friends!
Oh, can't you just see her on the price is right??
She was sooo happy to get playdough.. and she loves it! I'm loving the little double chin action! LOL! She is going to LOVE this picture when she gets older!
Here is my hard work- the tea party settings!
Here is just a different view.
Here is my "cake idea" Erin wanted a pink cake- so we got a strawberry cake mix- and then she wanted vanilla icing and picked out a red decorating icing too. So, I made a heart out of the cupcakes and then used the red decorating icing to make it look like a heart! It's not too bad, huh!!
Here is Erin and her cute little friends from her dance class, which all happen to be in our ward as well. They loved every minute of the party and ate it all up!

Here is Erin with her "sister" Minnie! She refuses to call Minnie her cousin- because she wants a sister so badly. Look how cute they are. Erin- LOVES Minnie- but sometimes she doesn't like the camera. She didn't want to smile in this picture- she wanted to look serious holding Minnie like a big girl.


Since we are on the topic of Erin... I might as well hurry and post 2 cute/funny stories about her.

1. So- a few weeks ago there was a preparedness fair for our Stake and while we were there we thought we would go ahead and get the kids identity cards updated with new pics. So, it is Erin's turn and she is sitting in the chair, and she is not smiling. I tell her to smile big. So she starts to smile big- and she doesn't move a muscle... like she doesn't want to ruin the picture. Usually Ethan and Dante are smiling and keep moving their head or getting out of the chair... but she was like a rock in that chair sitting perfectly still, with this huge smile on her face. The police officer quickly took the picture ... and he never told her he was done. So, she is still sitting their with a huge smile on her face, just waiting..... not moving and hardly breathing. I notice this- and I KNOW the officer has taken her picture... but I can't tell her- because she looks so darn funny sitting in that chair like a mannequin. So, after about 5 min. of this... I say- Erin- smile bigger! So, she does- and then the officer finally says- oh- honey I'm done, you can come get your card. It was sooo funny - especially since she was able to sit there for that long, like she was playing freeze tag.

2. This one is very sweet. I don't know when- but at one point in my life I was crying and it was for a really silly reason. Anyways- Erin comes up to me and is like Mom- why are you crying. And I told - sometimes mom cries just because I'm stupid and I don't know why I cry. She then - says, Awww, mom- you aren't stupid to me!! How sweet is that!! :)

So, here is to Erin and turning 5 and being a great daughter, sister, and friend:)

ALL about DANTE!

WOW! Do I have stories about Dante!! I just love this kid to death! I love all my kids to death... but Dante is by far the best to tease! I know- I'm the worst mother on the planet, but I blame it on my dad! I also absolutely adore my dad--- so- I guess in due time, Dante will adore me:) I laugh at this poor kid too much!

Ok- so here we go- these stories may be long... but they are funny... so don't stop reading:)

1. My personal favorite because it shows my AMAZING acting skills! Seriously though- this whole scene if video taped could have been sent into the Haloween people and Dante and I would have been on the plane the next day out! I'll try to do it as it was in real time.

Ok, so I am making enchiladas. I'm piecing them all together now. As I'm doing this on one side of the counter... Dante is playing with his action figures and other stuff on the island in the middle. I'm watching him play and then i notice that he has put a "fake" scorpion on the island. He is not playing with it though, so I'm hoping he would have forgotten it was there. Now, I have a tortilla in my hand, I just dipped it in the enchilada sauce I made, and it is dripping.. and I shout in my absolute best and REAL voice "OH MY GOSH DANTE! THERE IS A SCORPION RIGHT NEXT TO YOU ON THE COUNTER! AUGGHHHHHH!" Dante then jumps up about 3 feet in the air and backwards too and screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
I mean.... it was literally a "NOOOO!" straight out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre!!

Now- at this point I am just laughing like a mad woman! I mean- I can't breathe- and I am having to remind myself to breathe, because I'm laughing so hard. I see Dante start to get mad... so I immediately make it out like - I really thought it was a fake scorpion. And I then go- I cannot believe I thought that that was a real scorpion. Did you put that there to trick me?? He then replys "No, I didn't know it was their." But I knew it was fake. So- I said- sorry to scare you, bud. He said - in a VERY serious voice. "Oh, mom! You did NOT scare me!" And I said- oh- why did you scream NOOOOO! like that then. And he goes- "Oh, i thought you asked me if I had peed on the floor??" (I do not know where he came up with that- it is not a routine question in our house! LOL!) So, I'm just laughing harder, because he is totally trying to cover it up! It was a classic moment!

2. We were at the beach visiting my sister over the Labor Day weekend. The water was so clear-- I had NEVER seen Galveston so clear before- but you could actually still see your feet when you were knee deep! (miracle in Galveston) So, as we were going out, I kept stepping on baby hermit crabs here and there. I mean- the tiniest little hermit crabs! Smaller then a baby clam shell. I had never seen hermit crabs this small, and I've seen a LOT! So, we get a bucket and we start putting them in the bucket to show people. Anyways, these creatures may have been small-- but they were feisty! As soon as you brought them up out of the water- they were out of their shell trying to grab whatever was holding them. I mean- like their body was going to literally rip from the shell. So, needless to say- the kids were kind of freaked, and just didn't want to hold them. Dante especially! He just did NOT want to touch one of those things- but he wanted them in the bucket! Maybe 30 min. into this, a little girl comes up to us and starts playing with us. She is 4, just like Erin. Anyways, I find another hermit crab, and as I start to say, "I found another one." Dante goes! ooohhhh mom! Let me see- let me hold the crab. And I go, you mean you aren't scared of the crabs anymore?? (he is 6) and he goes - oh, no mom! I'm not scared of these little buggers and he takes it from me and shows the little girl!! Man- want women do to men! They are only brave because WE exist!! LOL!! It totally reminded me of the time when Dante was 3 1/2 and he loved the movie Shrek!! Anyway, he was outside playing in the front yard of our apartments and he found a little girl to play with. I called him in real quick to put his shoes on, because it was kind of chilly. As I'm putting his shoes on, I'm asking him if he is having fun with his new friend. He then so innocently replies...... "Oh, yes! She is my ONE TRUE LOVE!" I started laughing, and said, "What did you just say??" He goes- that girl is my one true love. However- after that day- he claims he NEVER said that! It was the cutest thing ever!

3. This past week in sacrament meeting I decided it is time for Dante to start trying to listen to the speakers. So, I took a long a piece of paper with SPEAKERS written across the top and the numbers 1,2,3. - and I told him. Now- for each speaker, I want you to write down 1 thing that they say or what the talk is about. He says ok. So- now we are finally to the part of the speakers at church. The 1st man gets up- and starts talking. I remind Dante- k- remember- listen so you can write one thing down. At that very minute the man is going into a story about a "little building" and Dante- goes- k- LITTLE BUILDING! Because he wanted to get back to his "fun folder" So- as not to discourage him- I let him write it down, thinking next week will go a little further.
So, this same speaker is still talking and Dante is working on his word search- his new favorite thing! He can't find one very hard word and he asks me to help him, so I pointed him in the general direction... he is getting frustrated, so he yells out, "I can't concentrate- that man up there talking is disturbing me!!" Me and my mom started laughing! Poor Dante- but sometimes you just can't help yourself to laugh out loud!

So- this is to my amazing son Dante- who keeps me laughing, when I probably should be a better mother and more sympathetic! :)

Cute moments to be remembered by Ethan!

I always have sooo many stories to share, but sometimes I forget to blog about them... so I have started to write them down, and so for the next 3 days... I'll do one blog for Ethan, Erin and Dante. Dante's list is the longest! He is one funny dude!

Ok- but for today it is Ethan! If you know Ethan- he is very positive, he loves everything and is such a sweetheart!

Last week I took Erin and Ethan to go get shots, and my sister Amy came with us because Mini needed shots too. Ethan must not have remembered that shots are not fun. Erin did though! She came up to me almost crying and asked... Mom? How many am I going to get? And I said... 4 just like Mini!! She adores Mini... so she was ok with that. Then Ethan excitedly asks... Mom- how many am I going to get?? And it was so cute how he asked with his eyes all lit up, that I had to make a joke and I said 12!! And he then throw his hands in the air and looks at me with this HUGE smile and says... 12?? Just like Dante??? (who was at school) And I was like- sure!! And he then jumps up and down, YEAH 12 shots... just like Dante!! It was hilarious... poor kid though... he wasn't fooled once he actually got the shots- and he only really had 5!

One more sweet story, 2 nights ago Chet came home from work, and we were both really, really hungry... so we ordered pizza. The kids had all already eaten and Erin and Dante were down for the night. Ethan had taken a late nap that afternoon, so he was still awake. So, the pizza gets to us at about 10:30 PM and Ethan is soooo excited.... all of a sudden he is no longer in the kitchen, so I go looking for him.... Where do i find him?? He is in Dante's room, standing over Dante, whispering.... Dante... there is pizza here, come and get some. Wake up!! Pizza!!! - He wanted to share the pizza! It was too cute!

It will be Dantes turn tomorrow!! I just LOVE my kids and am greatful for moments like these!

Why you NEVER EVER get into someone else's medicine cabinet!

So, a couple of weeks ago I was over at my mom's house and Friday night I was a little sleepy and I had a little headache, so I asked if she had any Excedrin (my drug of choice) She said no - and then Brett (Amy's hubby) said that he thought he had the generic brand. So, he went up stairs to go check and bring me down some if he did. YEAH for Brett! He had some and he gave me 2 pills to get rid of my headache and to give me a little boost to finish what I needed to for the night:) Saturday came, and everything was going great and the next day after church I was taking the kids to go see Christie in Galveston and stay with her for the night for Labor Day. I had to get a lot done Saturday and packed, etc... so that we could leave asap! I went over to my moms to get some stuff and decided to go grab some more Excedrin from Brett. I asked Amy where they kept their medicine and she said in the closet. So, I went over to the closet and I looked in their box for the Generic brand of excederin. As I'm digging around.. I notice the Excedrin Migraine headache bottle and - I was like... Oh- he has the real deal! Sawweet! He probably didn't realize this last time. So, I open up the box and I poor 3 into my hand and I notice they are blue, and I was like- oh- that must be the difference between reg. and migraine excederin. Regular is white, and Migraine is blue. So, I hurry and take all 3 and run back to my house. (Yes- I am admitting.... if i have a lot to get done, and I'm tired.... I take Excedrin for a little kick) I'm a bad girl... I know! On with the story:) I get home and I start getting things done and I'm still tired... so I'm like- ok... I'll go take a 15 min. cat nap for the Excedrin to kick in and then I'll keep getting things ready for tomorrow.

WOAH!!! 1st off- if I get a 15 min. cat nap without one of my kids coming in and asking for something.... it is a miracle!!! Ok, so... my 15 min. timer goes off... NO KIDS came into interrupt me.... but why in the heck am I still so so so so tired?? I figured, my body just needed the rest this time, and so I turned off the timer and crawled back into bed. 5 min. later Ethan comes in for some milk in a cup. So, I drag myself to the kitchen and get him milk. Then I go crawl back into bed.... then 10 min. later Erin and Dante come in... and want me to get up and make them sandwiches. I look at the clock and can't believe it is already 1:00. I'm sooooooo tired! I mean my limbs were hanging on the ground.. I was practically crawling to the kitchen. So, I make all 3 of them sandwiches and crawl back in bed. Same scenario played on for about 5 hours!! Yes- I was "out of it for 5 hours!" And when your body is trying to get much needed caught up rest... and you keep having to get up and do things for your kids... then it isn't really getting the much needed rest.

At about 6:30 my mom calls and asks what i have been doing all day and why I have not been answering the phone. I told her I was out cold... that I couldn't move hardly and I didn't know why. My eyes were glued shut!! She thought I was pregnant! After 6:30 I was completely fine and back to my normal energy level.

So, then on the following Wed. I'm over at my friend Shanna's house while my kids are playing with her kids. She was telling me how she had a headache and that the took 2 Excederin Migraine for it and it hadn't helped yet. I then said- that I had taken those for the first time.. and then I said- the little blue pills. And she proceeds to tell me- no, they are white. And I was a little confused?? So, then I see my sister the next day and I asked her. I said... does Brett sometimes keep other medicines in different bottles?? Because I took some of the Excederin Migraine headache pills and they were blue, and they are supposed to be white. She then said- that what i took was Tylenol PM. Hellooooooooooooo??????? No wonder I was so OUT OF IT!! I've never taken anything PM in my life, and I took 3 in one dose... when you are only supposed to take 2!! She said- yes- all night time stuff is always blue. I was like..... well, I'm glad I knew that then! So... MORAL OF THE STORY!! Don't go into other people's medicine cabinets!! Whoo.. did I feel like a meathead! It gave everyone a great laugh though!

whooopsies... mom! We didn't mean to??

So this afternoon my lovely children had one of their favorite friends come over to play. I was in my master bathroom cleaning and when I come out to see how they are all doing... this is what I find.




Oh, what are all those dark spots you see?? First I think it is just chocolate chips... but then I find it is chocolate chips and raisins all mixed together. I guess this is what I get for making chocolate chip cookies and then leaving the 5 pound bag of chocolate chips out on the counter. And Ethan always has to add raisins to everything, and I guess he thought that meant the floor too. They also thought it was quite funny to throw raisins at me while I was trying to read for a few minutes! It was a great day all in all and they had fun and that is all that matters:)

These are the culprits! Actually- I believe it was the little blonde boy in the middle who actually emptied the bag... and then everyone else just help scatter:) This is how I found them when I walked in- and I had to get a picture of the floor and Erin's bed and them to really capture the moment:)


I'm not sure how long it took me to clean up the mess... but it took a while!! However- Erin did get to go to sleep in a very clean room this evening!