Dreams part 2

You may or may not remember my post from a few weeks ago...about my friend Stephanie's Dream?

Well, I can't keep quiet any longer. I must tell you - my friend Stephanie's subconscious is apparently a psychic. Because her dream - came true.

Monster will be a big brother around Nov 21, 2011!!

In other news I am busy busy busy getting ready for Monster's 1st birthday party this Saturday! I'll take lots of pictures to share with you  afterword, I promise!

Also, we created a Shutterfly photo book for Monster's birthday - and it arrived! it looks so much neater in real life than on the computer screen. I hope he enjoys it as much as I think he will. We are going to have it on display at the party for people to look at, too.

Anyway - I think that's it for now. Just wanted to give a quick update! Have a great week!

Score!

So.... remember my post about the Kanga Care promotion? It was AWESOME.

The total fan count at 3pm MST was 3,813 fans!! That equaled a $38.13 discount off of an order $80 or more. That's an almost 50% discount! How often does that come around?

However, some people were upset and complaining that they couldnt' afford the $42 out of pocket and couldn't take advantage of the promo code. So, being awesome, Kanga Care created a 2nd promo offer - $19.06 off of a $40 order! They just halved the 2 amounts. Thankfully Ben said that I could take advantage of this one!

So here's what I ordered...

A 2-pack of Lil' Joeys newborn diapers in Root Beer & Platinum - $29.95

A 10-pack of stay-dry fleece liners - $10.00

Which put my order at $39.95 - a few cents short! I looked around the site a bit, and found the perfect thing - 1 internet cheapie pregnancy test for 0.55, bringing my order up to $40.50.

I applied the promo code, which took off $19.06, and my total was now $21.44 - add in $2.41 shipping, and my total was only $23.85! That's like getting a 20% discount on the Lil Joeys, and getting the liners, the pregnancy test, and the shipping all for free! Wooo hooo!!!

Just wanted to share my great deal cuz I know I'm not the only one who likes a bargain! :D

Kanga-Care HUGE Promotion!

Kanga Care is having a Promotion today, for every Fan they have they will discount $0.01 off a purchase on their website www.kanga-care.com

Kang Care is most known for making Rump-A-Rooz one-size diapers:

And Lil Joey's:

And the new Rump-A-Rooz one-size covers, and Newborn/Preemie covers:

They also have wetbags, diaper pail liners, chaning pads, and more!

So far they have 3,590 fans which means $35.90 discount off your purchase! Go 'Like' their facebook page by 3pm MST to help increase this discount! :)

At 6pm MST, they will release a discount code. There will most likely be a mimium required  out of pocket spending amount - but hey! Even if it's something like $50 ... I'm OK paying $50 to get another $40 in free stuff! The discount will be open to US only - sorry!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 30!

30. A picture of someone you miss

This is the picture that I keep in my wallet. It is a photo of my dad, from (I think) 2000. He passed away suddenly/unexpectedly in 2001.

I miss him every day. I wish he could meet his grandson - he would love him. And I know that Monster would adore his grandpa.

We are blessed to have my wonderful step-dad in our lives, but that doesn't make me miss my daddy any less.

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
Nothing! We're done. Yippee!!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 29

Wow. Day 29... it's almost over! I can't say it's gone by fast, though, since it has probably been more like 50 days than 30, but it was fun! I hope you've enjoyed the photos as well!

29. A picture that can always make you smile

My 2 handsome guys in the first snow of 2010! I can't ever see this picture and not smile - there's just too much happiness in it! :D

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

30. A picture of someone you miss

Flylady Baby Steps Day 1 - Go Shine Your Sink!

My first task is to shine my sink! Here's what the FlyLady has to say about it...

This is your first household chore. Many of you can't understand why I want you to empty your sink of your dirty dishes and clean and shine it, when there is so much more to do. It is so simple. I want you to have a sense of accomplishment. You have struggled for years with a cluttered home and you are so beaten down. I just want to put a smile on your face. When you get up the next morning, your sink will greet you and a smile will come across your lovely face. I can't be there to give you a big hug, but I know how good it feels to see yourself in your kitchen sink. So each morning this is my gift to you. Even though I can't be there to pat you on the back, I want you to know that I am very proud of you.
Go shine your sink! - FlyLady

So... here is a before picture of my kitchen sink: It's actually not that bad right now. Believe me - the dishes can get piled a LOT higher than this!

And... AFTER! Look how shiny and beautiful it is!

The goal now is to keep it this way. :) All dishes will go directly in the dishwasher - NOT the sink, and when it's done running - will come directly out. And every time we run water in the sink, we will wipe it dry so it stays shiny! We can do this!!

I discovered FlyLady!

Wow. I discovered FlyLady the other day, and have read, read, and read some more about it since then. I think I am finally ready to start.

Are YOU living in CHAOS?
(Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

Do you feel overwhelmed, overextended, and overdrawn?
Hopeless and you don't know where to start?
Don't worry friend, we've been there, too

Flylady is not just about cleaning your hosue - it's about a way of living, and feeling good about myself. FLY means Finally Living Yourself, and by following her baby steps and creating new habits, I will be FLYing in no time! I know I'm not the only woman who beats herself up on a daily basis about why I'm not a good enough wife, mother, housekeeper, whatever. But that needs to stop! I AM good enough. And with some baby steps I'll teach myself to form new habits that will keep our house CHAOS free!

I'm really excited to start, and hopefully by the end of the 31 baby steps I'll be well on my way to having a home that I'd feel comfortable having company in at any given moment!

I will do baby step #1 tonight - and I'll do a seperate post about it later, so check back to see my progress!



30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 28

 28. A picture of something you're afraid of

Not gonna lie. I actually scared myself trying to find a picture to use. Yes, seriously. I jumped and let out a little scream when Google Images delivered the results of my search.
And because I know that I'm not alone in this fear, I decided to go with a less-scary image instead. Here's what I'm afraid of... in cartoon version:

All you fellow sufferers of arachnophobia, you can thank me later ;)

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 27

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

So... it's not the greatest photo, but I wanted to use a photo with a family member who I haven't already used in one of these 30 day challenges... so I chose my grandma! 

This was taken at my 18th birthday party.... just about 5 hours before I fell asleep at the wheel and drove into a ditch... just in time to go to Senior Prom with a scabbed up face. Ah, fun times....

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Cute/Funny Baby Video!

This video was shared with me by a friend today... and it is too funny not to pass it on! I don't know this baby... just a random vid from YouTube!

Enjoy!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 26

 26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

My dad gave this stuffed dog to my mom a LOOOOONG time ago. I'm not sure if it was when they were dating, or when they were first married... but a long time ago nonetheless.

When I was little, I played with it along with all of my stuffed animals. But when my dad passed away, my mom gave it to me. It is one of my 2 favorite stuffed animals. The other one is a giant bear that my dad got for my 5th or 6th birthday. (I don't have it in my house though, so I couldn't get a picture - It's in my mom's attic.)

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 25

25. A picture of your favorite day

I have two. And they're probably VERY un-original, but hey, they are my favorites.

1. Our wedding day!

2. Monster's birthday!

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Giveaway at A Mommy's Blessings!

This one's for all you cloth-diapering mama's that follow....
Holly over at A Mommy's Blessings is having a giveaway for a Snappi diaper fastener!

As much as I love AIO's and pockets, most of our diaper stash is prefolds. But I've never wanted to try using pins t fasten them - they were just too intimidating for me! So we use Snappi's! They are seriously super easy to use. Even my grandma can do it with no problems. :D

It is recommended to replace your Snappi after 6 months of use - and for good reason. The elastic will get stretched out over time (especially after 6 months of daily use, in our case) and won't hold as well anymore. But at only $3.95 each, or a $5.75 for a 2-pack, that's completely affordable!

Head over to A Mommy's Blessings to find out how to enter the giveaway, to win yourself a Snappi!

OMG

OMG...OMG...OMG....OMG!!!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 24

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

Hmmm...

Yup. That about sums it up. The condition of our world as a whole makes me terribly sad. It makes me wonder what the heck was wrong with me to make me decide to bring a child into it. :(

I wish people had better morals - or ANY morals at all in some cases.

I wish people cared more about the environment.

I wish people would have more compassion.

I wish children would never be abused  - physically or emotionally.

I wish people would never have to be homeless.

I wish people would never go hungry.

I wish the TV news had positive stories.

I wish there was less violence.

I wish families would spend more time together.

I wish goverments would care more about the good of the people than the good of the goverment.

I wish people who deserve jail time would get jail time. And stay there.

I wish innocent people would never be convicted guilty of something they didn't do.

I wish our justice system actually brought justice.

I wish all evil in the world could be completely wiped out.

If I could change 1 thing, I'd change the condition of our world.

What would YOU change?

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 23

23. A picture of your favorite book.

Guess what happens when you ask a book lover for their favorite book? Yup - you get LOTS of answers!!

Favorite book overall? The Bible.

Favorite novel by Dean Koontz - The Watchers

Favorite book from high school- To Kill a Mockingbird

Favorite book series - The Boxcar Children

Favorite book series #2 - Chronicles of Narnia

Favorite book series #3 - Harry Potter

 

Favorite Holiday Book - The Polar Express

Favorite Children's book - The Very Hungry Catepillar

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

I've Taken The Mom Pledge

The Mom Pledge

I am a proud Mommy Blogger. I will conduct myself with integrity in all my blogging activities. I can lead by example.

I pledge to treat my fellow moms with respect. I will acknowledge that there is no one, "right" way to be a good Mom. Each woman makes the choices best for her family.

I believe a healthy dialogue on important issues is a good thing. I will welcome differing opinions when offered in a respectful, non-judgmental manner. And will treat those who do so in kind.

I stand up against online bullying. My blog is my space. I will not tolerate comments that are rude, condescending or disrespectful.

I refuse to give those who attack a platform. I will remove their remarks from my blog with no mention or response. I can take control.

I want to see moms work together to build one another up, not tear each other down. Words can be used as weapons. I will not engage in that behavior.

I affirm that we are a community. As a member, I will strive to foster goodwill among moms. Together, we can make a difference. 


~Do you believe in these principles? Do you want to keep the mommy blogging world a supportive place, not a breeding ground for bullies? If so, join me in taking The Mom Pledge

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 22

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

 Everything in this book, haha! Seriously, though. Have you ever seen this book? Just flipping through the table of contents makes me feel like an inadequate homekeeper. Ugh. How many of you have a checklist of things that need to be done weekly? Monthly? Seasonal? How many of you actually do the checklist every week/month/season? The one time I looked through this book, there were tons of things I've never done, and had never even thought about doing! Oh well. Life goes on.... but I still wish I were better at keeping our house, well, better than it is now!

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 21

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

I wish I could forget about all the bullying in middle school. I still suffer from low self-esteem sometimes that is a result of 6th - 8th grade. Those were some rough times. While those years did help shape who I am today, I still think I'd be better off if I could purge all of those memories from my brain.

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Dreams...

How much credit do you give to dreams? Do you think they can ever be prophetic? Visions of the future?
Or to you, are all dreams random musings of the mind that have no basis in reality?

One of my best friends, Stephanie, texted me yesterday... it was a simple text, only 8 words long.

"I had a dream you were pregnant again."

*crickets*

I replied... "Weird." But then of course I couldn't stop thinking about it. I hadn't seen her for a while. Definitely haven't talked about babies with her in a while either. Why would she dream something so... so... RANDOM?

Or is it not random at all?

So then she gives more detail... (I deleted the text so this is from memory). "Yeah, you had to stop breastfeeding [Monster] because you were pregnant right around his birthday"

And who knows when Monster's birthday is?? April 1st. That's in 3 weeks! Guess when I'm due for my period..... in about a week and a half! And guess what? I'm not on birth control pills. And guess what else? We may or may not have "done it" around that certain time frame earlier this month... (sorry, kinda TMI, huh?)

So.

IF her dream is possibly prophetic, that would mean I would be *gulp* already pregnant. Right now. Like, 1 week pregnant at this moment.

IF her dream is completely bogus, I'm still going to be on pins and needles for the next week and a half until my period starts again.

I know if I am, we would be excited. We agreed when I stopped taking my birth control in January that whatever happens, happens. No trying, but no avoiding. But at the same time, I'd be terrified. We don't have the room for another baby right now. Our house is kinda cramped already. And I don't think I'm ready for Monster to be a big brother... he's my baby boy! But then I think back and remember that in my grand master plan for my life (ha ha) I had decided I would get pregnant with baby #2 when baby #1 was between 1 and 1.5 years old. And then do the same thing between baby #2 and baby #3. So apparently if I am... this is what I've always wanted?!?

Um... all I know right now this week and a half had better fly by really really quickly. I just might lose my mind.

And warning to all my friends: think twice before you text me something like this.

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 20!

 20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

 
This one's easy!

#1. The Swiss Alps. Just gorgeous!

#2. Great Barrier Reef. I want to SCUBA dive there. 

 

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 19

19. A picture of yourself when you were younger

So, if you've been looking at the preview below all along, you'll probably realize that day 19 was originally supposed to be "A picture and a letter". However, I have no idea what that really means, and saw that a friend of mine had "A picture of yourself when you were younger" on day 19. So I'm going with that version!

Here's me, a few months old:

 About 2 yeas old:

And 9 years old

.... and with that, I'm stopping! LOL.

Happy Tuesday!

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

I'm Baaaack!

Whew! I just got back last night from the longest, busiest, most exciting weekend I've had in a long time. I had a blast, but I am exhausted!

Warning: This post will probably be a bit random. Sorry 'bout that!

I left work early on Thursday, and made the 3 hour drive down to Gresham, Oregon (south-east of Portland) for a VBS clinic and preschool/children's church workers conference. Once we arrived in OR, Thursday was pretty laid-back and relaxing. But Friday morning the conference started at 8:30am. The first part of the day was all an overview/training of this summer's VBS: Big Apple Adventure!

We got to hear the songs for this year's theme, learn the different lessons of each day, and just basically get an idea of the outline this year's will follow. We also got to tour different room set-ups to give us ideas on decorating. I'm soooo excited to put some of these ideas to use in our church this summer!

After lunch, we transitioned to the preschool & children church workers stuff. The rest of Friday, and all morning Saturday, was filled with main sessions plus 7 elective sessions. I learned a LOT of stuff and my brain felt like it was going to burst by the time I left Saturday afternoon. 

So, I left Oregon on Saturday around 1:30, and got back home about 4:30. I quickly unpacked and re-packed some things, got to love on Monster, and leave again to take Monster to my MIL's house, and then Ben & I took off for Canada for a dive trip! It was so hard to leave Monster again. He was so excited to see me when I got home, after being gone for 2 nights. And then what was I doing.... leaving him again. :( But we left, and he was OK. We got out of Tacoma around 6:30... and got to Horseshoe Bay, BC, Canada around 10:30. Yes, I spent 7 hours in a car on Saturday. Fun fun. Anyways...

We got to Canada. Checked into the motel. Our room was beautiful!! I won't even try to describe it... check out these photos! 

Beautiful bed and nightstands!

 (look at the TV!) And electric fireplace... should've taken a pic with it on. Oh well.

This dresser was my favorite piece of furniture in the room. 

The bathroom was nice too!

 

It looked freshly remodeled!

 Love this mirror!

 Then we walked the block and a half down to the pub where the rest of the group that were were meeting up with was hanging out. Stayed there a while, played some pool, and then headed back to the motel, got to bed around 1am. And set the alarms for 6:30 so we could be up, packed, checked out of the motel, and at the dock by 8am to get on the charter boat! We were on the boat until 4pm, and we did 3 dives (although I ended up sitting out of the 3rd one because I was soooo cold, sore and tired. But the first 2 dives that I did do were a BLAST! I saw so many awesome anemones and starfish. And the scenery above the water was just as beautiful! The area we were diving was surrounded by huge forested mountains that had snow at the top! Gorgeous! I regret that I didn't take my camera on the boat - but its probably safer that I didn't, since there would have been about an 85% chance of it getting wet, even in the "dry" area, lol. But here are some pics from the town.

 So we got back on land around 4, took all our gear off the boat and loaded the truck back up to come back home. By the time we got on the freeway, it was about 5:30, and we got to MIL/FIL's house at exactly 9! Monster was asleep but woke up enough to nurse and fall back to sleep. After chatting with them for a while about the trip and about Monster's day with them, we headed home. Then we had to unload all our dive gear once we got home.. and it was about 11 before we were able to go to bed. I was so exhausted, I think I fell asleep in 2 minutes, haha!

This morning I am going into work a few hours late. Thank goodness! I slept in 2 hours this morning - and Monster only woke once at the normal time to nurse, and then went back to sleep! Thanks little buddy! Now I'm just continuing my morning - slowly waking up, getting ready for work, and trying to wash 4 loads of laundry. :) But it's good to be home! I missed this little Monster of mine.

Oh, I almost forgot. We made a potty stop at a gas station in Canada, and I checked out the candy aisle... check this out! All of the hersheys were in wrappers like this. And they had crazy flavors I've never seen in the US before! I bought a Black Cherry & Almond... and it is heavenly! So yummy! They also had an almond & coconut... a caramel.... and some others I can't think of, in addition to milk chocolate, almonds, and cookies 'n cream. Has anyone else seen these hershey's wrappers before?