The Whole FamDamily

Swimsuit Season

2012-02-16T09:28:00.002-07:00

during the winter/hibernation season,

it's difficult to remember how to put on a swimsuit.

let alone actually fit into one at this point.

BUT

if you have some unwanted pounds, the method of accessory distraction is quite effective.

Everyone will be noticing your BOOTS, and not ur chunky thighs.

this is pretty much genius.

swimsuit season is fast approaching.

ur welcome for this amazing tip.

Love...

2012-02-15T09:42:00.001-07:00

i hope you all had a chance to spread the LOVE yesterday.

and you're right, it isn't about all the cards and flowers and what not.

(as Bewtcut's card shows perfectly)

but it IS about stopping to show a little bit extra love,

even when u haven't gotten any sleep

and ur grumpy

but u took the time to write a little love note before heading to work.

(thank u Bewtcut, u hot boy-toy u.)

I won't say Valentine's Day is over commercialized, cuz guess what?

so is EVERY holiday!!

Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Mother's Day, Father's Day

you NAME it

there is a card, candy, gift for you to spend money on.

and you know what?

that's OK!

We SHOULD be letting our loved ones know EVERYDAY how much we love and appreciate them.

but it's also ok to take a moment to celebrate

or remember

or say things you haven't been saying for awhile

and have a holiday to do it in.

I see no harm in that. :)

So regardless of your circumstances, I hope you had a chance to share the love,

to spread it thru your friends and family and loved ones yesterday, and everyday!

like mostly, i was just glad Bewtcut was home this year!!

Usually he is deployed during Valentine's and his birthday (which are days apart from each other) so just having him HERE, safe and sound--no dangerous missions on deployment was gift enough for me. I was really grateful and thankful he was with us for the holidays this year!

on a side note,

I figured out that Valentine, baby cheekies are better to munch on than chocolate.

so, that's my new diet.

But truly, just love each other!

don't look at what you're lacking

YOU can be the LOVE to those around you!

You can share your HEART and TIME

which is what our hearts want anyway,

time, attention, and love.

We ALL can give that...

and that's free. :)

Xoxo

Hillary

4 is more!

2012-02-13T09:40:00.008-07:00

..and no, I'm not talking about how I feel about having that many children, ahem.

Miss Belle turned the big 4!!

the night before, we all went to Chuck e Cheese,

She walked out after 500 tickets, with a plastic slinky and small squishy lizard toy.

Chuck must a mob boss i think...;)!!

So at night when she was sleeping i blew up balloons and put them on her door

(thanks Pinterest!)

and the next morning was filled with donuts and presents,

now that's MY kind of birthday!

and thank goodness there is still regular snail mail,

so that she could open gifts from California Grammi and Grandude (my parents)

on her birfday!

I did take her on a bday lunch date to TGIFRidays,

But failed to document it.

What a shame, we both looked cute that day…pfffttt.

now, my kids are a mix of healthy eating, candy/sweets, and fast food.

I like to think of them as well-rounded.

I let them pick what they want to eat on their birthdays

so when your 4yr old,

THIS

sounds like the PERFECT birthday dinner.

and her wish was my command that day.

Hot dogs, green jello, popcorn, and chips

Since Bewtcut had a funky schedule that day,

we had her Tangled birthday party the following night, surrounded by all her loving aunts, uncles, Grandma and Grandpa Northrop side! :)

She dressed in her Rapunzel costume and was ready to go!

*please disregard crying, gremlin baby in the background*.

ya ya, made it myself. her movie is called "Tangled" remember??, her hair is supposed to look like that when made with frosting, so shut it.

Princesses tend to get bashful when all her minions are singing Happy Birthday

to her face.

I wonder if she wished we'd all disappear,

ha!

So she basically partied all week, hope she had a great one!!

She asked me a few weeks ago, "Mommy am i getting heavier?..cuz I'm almost 4 now"

i wanted to say, "no...but my heart is."

what?? awwww, let's all cyber cry together.

but truly,

i can't believe she is 4yr old already

she was just a little "bitty" not that long ago...

time sure flies when you have 500 kids. ;)

Happy Birfday our sweet Scarlett Belle!

Friendly Changes...

2012-02-11T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hello friends!

Sometimes I think about the fact that more than just my mom and siblings read my lil’ ol’ blog and it makes me chuckle.

SO now EVERYONE can listen to my mindless babblings.

Is that a word? Who knows…u see my point.

ANYWHO,

I am ever so appreciative of my sweet followers and all those who check in on my blog from time to time.

You in fact have become part of my “whole famdamily”

And it doesn’t go unnoticed!

BUT

Google friend connect is going to disappear, SOON!!

So all the blogs you have “followed”…well, there won’t be a “follow” button and you won’t get updates anymore,

What..evah!! lame, I know.

Luckily, in this technological age there are plenty of other ways to

continue to ~~stalk,~~ receive updates from your fave blogs!

Look on my right sidebar and you will see

I now have PLENTY of ways for us to keep in touch

And for you to get updates when I write a new blog post!

So go “like” my WholeFamDamily Facebook page

Follow me on TWITTER

See what I’m obsessingly pinning over on Pinterest

Or subscribe and get updates by EMAIL!

WOOHOO!!

Hooray for social networking, now we don’t have to be fair-weather friends…We can be BEST FRIENDS! *hairflip*
truly though, it's a better way to interact with one another,
FUN!!

Thanks blog lovies, I really do appreciate you coming back again and again.

And as any good person would sign a yearbook,

Let’s

“keep in touch”

;)

damn straight,

hillary

poop happens.

2012-02-06T09:12:00.003-07:00

Soooooooooooooo, Miss Presley has been taking her diaper off all the dang time now.

Do you want to know how many times I have washed her crib sheets lately?

No you do not,

cuz you'd feel sorry for me and send me on a tropical vacation immediately...on second thought, send me cuz it's been a crapload TON!

she thinks it's cool to take her pants/diaper off during "naptime" and poop or pee on the sheets.

same for bedtime.

I realize this means she's probably ready for potty training which is fine during the day but not during sleep moments. i usually use a Pull-Up for awhile during sleep time even once they're potty trained.

BUT if she's just gonna pull it all off and go like a ferrel child in the forest all over everything, then i need a solution!!

Look what i came across today in my searching

It's called the Little Keeper Sleeper

it has back zipper and dual snap closure so they can't somehow unzip it!

i love the internets and online shopping!

Look how happy and DRY this chic looks?!?

i bet her mom kisses her face and her bed sheets in all their dry, unsoiled glory!

I'm totally gonna try this!! Even though it's not the cheapest jammies in the world,

i guarantee it will save $$ on laundry soap down the road.

it will save my sanity

AND

prevent me from sending the Chunkmeister to a nudist colony...or jungle.

that's priceless, truly.

i realize there could be other moms out there with this same issue/problem,

so I'll let you know how these work!

WISH ME LUCK!!

waz been happening...

2012-02-01T09:14:00.002-07:00

I thought I'd share waz been going on lately around these parts

with a big cellphone photo dump.

It's ok to be giddy, that's natural. ;p

So i really DID cut my hair!!

Chopped off all the gross and scraggly thin,

It's still weird washing so little hair in the shower,

but I'm glad it's healthy and I'm getting used to it!

I even tried it wavy too. :)

I've lovingly played along with Belle who kept saying,

"take our picture!!"

i was all for it, until i saw this one...demon child!

holy horror flick, right?

so i challenged her to a "ducky lip" face off...she WON!

i'm not playing with her anymore, hmmph.

I FINALLY, finally, finally organized my earrings!!

they were tangled and mangled and in a heap inside a small jewelry box

this is MUCH more practical and clutter-free.

Hallefreakinlujah!

Now I need to work on my necklaces, then I'd feel completely Zen...ahhhh.

I started "decorating" for Valentine's Day...ahem.

Mr. Weenie thinks he's a gopher and burrows any chance he gets under blankets and comforters.

my dad said, "well if you were medically altered you'd want to hide also"

(he got neutered last week)

LOL,

touche' dad, touche'...

but he seems to be fitting in quite nicely,

he's a good sport!

he's not loved or anything, psshhh.

and apparently the Princess Club has 2 meetings on Saturdays,

but I'm not on the list.

I guess you have to be a weenie dog prince to get that pass, hmmph.

THis is what happens when the dishwasher is full of dirty dishes,

she's 2yr old now, she SHOULD be self-sufficient by now, geez.
someone get that kid a cup...and a brush, stat.

and since she is so big now, we decided to end this binky madness yesterday!

but it is so very precious, sniff.

a friend of mine suggested cutting the tip of the pacifier off,

so i did!

she looked at it, stuck it in her mouth, took it out and decided to throw it in the trash cuz it was

YUCKY.

We had a successful day AND night, thank you!

she did ask for it a few times but I reminded her it was yucky and that she threw it away.

So no crying for it, and no crying or waking up in the night

YAY!!!

it's better we can see her cute face all the time now ;)

I attended a few block parties,

but I'm popular like that, sooooooooooo

Lily got her leg cast off and Bewtcut took her to lunch first and then to the Dr appointment during school hours.

there's no documentation cuz boys don't know how to record memories, dummies.

I earned cool mom points by snagging Piper out of school a few days later,

so she could have a fun lunch date too!

ur welcome girlie.

now do ur homework.

Monday was my last day teaching Zumba!

(and NO, the dr's don't know anything yet, and NO the meds aren't working,

and YES my bloodwork came back fine, so NO they have no idea what to do about my headaches/vision problems. joy.)

Then yesterday I received this super cute fruit basket

as a THANK YOU for teaching,

from all my "fruity" Zumba peeps! haha!

So cute, thoughtful AND yummy!

the kids loved it and we decided we should always present food this way,

it's so much funnererererererer!

So that’s waz been happening around here folks,

Waz been going on in your neck of the woods??

ladybugs & hairstyles

2012-01-25T09:16:00.001-07:00

did I ever show you the drawing my brother made for me?

I told him my idea about a flower with ladybugs on it,

The flower representing my heart/family.

All the ladybugs representing my kids.

My girls are on the flower,

And Connor, the boy I placed for adoption when I was young, is flying close, since he can’t be part of our family

But he’ll always be in my heart and part of me.

I let him take free reign in his design.

I need to blow this up and get it framed, cuz I think it’s so amazing!!

He exceeded my expectations and I love this picture SO MUCH!!

The shading, the detail,

the not too realistic, but not too cartoony is just perfection!

I’m so in love!

Aaaaaaaand

My hair is so flippity floppin’ thin right now,

I’ve been growing it out

But seriously,

Long hair isn’t cute when the long parts are only like 2 strands of hair.

…fail!

SO, thanks hormones or heathens or whoever made my hair lame,

Cuz I now need to chop it off.

BUT

I’m kind of excited,

It will be HEALTHY and thicker and have a nice shape and hopefully grow out better!!

This is the look I’ll be going for, my appointment is on Friday, *SQUEAL*

Wish me luck!

quotes

2012-01-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

~Dr Suess

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no ones definition of your life. Define yourself” ~ Harvey Fierstein

“Turn your face towards the sun and the shadows fall behind you” ~unknown

“Never sacrifice who you are just because someone has a problem with it”

“You have enemies? Good. That means you stood up for something in your life.” ~Winston Churchill

“Fall down seven times, stand up eight” ~Japanese proverb

“You gotta keep on, keepin’ on”~ Joe Dirt

I love my friends. I love my family. I love my life.

The End.

unicorns need fiber...

2012-01-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

Hey guess what, Christmas is over.

Yep, that’s right.

And I took my Christmas tree down a loooooong time ago, but ya it was still sitting in the open box for the last few weeks on the floor of the family room.

Cuz I’m cool like that.

Little did I know, it would try to be eaten by a unicorn.

A what? And what??

Yes, miss Belle in all her imagination glory was pretending to be a unicorn yesterday.

I’m sure she imagines herself in all this unicorn glory,

Prancing around the house in magical mystery.

but in reality it looks more like this...

(apparently she had wings on this particular day she was a unicorn,

this imaginary play goes on quite a bit at our house)

Anywhooooooo

I’m upstairs folding laundry and Belle start coughing.

Then I hear Lily say, “are you choking??” and start patting her back hard.

So I fly downstairs and say, “Are you ok?”

Belle is crying and coughing, but was talking thru her tears and coughing so I realized she was getting air,

But I’m hitting her on the back as I take her into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

All I hear in the background is fuzzy voices of Lily and Piper say something about the Christmas tree, and may or may not have heard,

“I think she tried to eat it.”

A fake, plastic tree??

How did she even bite some off?

And in my most delicate, motherly, sweet voice I said

“What were u guys playing Lily, some stupid animal?”

ok, it was my annoyed voice.

“She was being a unicorn and was pretending to eat the trees but I guess she really got some!”

a unicorn…well duh.

Unicorns live out in the forest and eat trees.

It all made sense now.

By that time Bewtcut was downstairs too, and was asking all the same questions I did,

but in reality it was pretty funny.

She was fine after drinking the water and whatever little piece she must’ve eaten made its way down her pipes.

We sort of laughed and told her she couldn’t REALLY eat the trees,

To just “pretend” from now on.

She just squeaked out a little, “Ok”

But I’m sure it’s tough when u realize ur still just a kid, and not a mythical forest horse.

Needless to say, the Christmas trees finally made their way down to the basement,

amazing how that happened!!

Honestly, my kids.

They all need to be method actors, cuz they truly get engrossed in the characters they play.

And playing is serious business around here…

just punch me in the head.

2012-01-07T15:32:00.001-07:00

just thought I’d share with you guys what I’ve been dealing with and going through the last few months

and hopefully

we can find some answers in 2012.

sorry for sounding a bit...airheady/fragmented, it's the drugs. yep, let's blame them. ;)

and i'm talking about my "hillscatchall" channel at the end of this video, no worries.
*scroll down and turn off music, sorry**

Introducing Mr. Weenie

2012-01-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

a new year... a new DOG??

what the heck?

Let me backtrack a bit and preface this by saying i'm not much of an animal person per say,

like i want to be

but never have been a huge dog/cat/fish LOVER where i had, wanted 500 of them and always had them or something.

i take after my mother, ahem. ;)

BUT,

Bewtcut and I have had 2 dogs during our 10yrs of marriage.

A basset hound named Apache during our 1st year that didn't quite work out

and then about 5 years ago we had a weenie dog named Ernie that we had to unfortunately let go of after about a year and 1/2 .

Both of these circumstances we had them since puppies,

Bewtcut was gone a lot,

we had to deal with peeing everywhere, pooing everywhere, crying, whining, puppy stages

and my own babies and doing it alone alot so it wasn't the BEST experiences for us, do u know what i mean??

it wasn't horrible by any means, but it wasn't that great.

and our kids were small, crawling around...so it was almost like one more thing to worry about.

Fast forward to 2012.

I do still have a 2yr old that wants to eat puppy food and such

BUT

i have older children now that can pick up poop, and take the puppy out to go "peepies"

and have a lot more responsibility to take care of a dog

and that have been aching for a puppy and letting us know for years now how much they want one.

So for the past few months I've been thinking about getting one,

i KNOW, ME...it truly must be the end of the world, psshh.

Bewtcut was sort of against it, but we just started looking online in our local classified ads

and he's always loved daschund's and i was looking at all the fluffy mini dogs that you can put bows on and such, haha

but then we saw this weenie dog that just came on that day

he was rescued from an abusive situation.

He had been beaten and starved, purebred red daschund dog,

a year old

that was still, in spite of his circumstances, a complete love machine.

that was it.

the right price, the right dog,

and we had a good feeling about him and felt good that we could be giving him a good home.

So, introducing...Mr. Weenie. (said in German accent, Mr. "Veeenie")

we say it normal too, but it's super fun to say german-ish ;p

isn't he distinguished? ;)

don't u love his coat?? haha, Bewtcut didn't think he needed one, psshh it's cold outside!

and he needs to look fly around the neighborhood, duh

and for someone who was being a butt about getting a dog,

Bewtcut's just a big softy at heart and he and Mr. Weenie were BFF's like right away,

in fact...

Mr. Weenie slept under the covers IN OUR BED next to Bewtcut's chest for half the night

(but we won't tell anyone, will we...ahem.)

He was shivering a lot and had his tail tucked between his legs the first few hours he was home with us

but he slowly became more and more comfortable.

he would cuddle on your lap

and even

slept comfortably in his lil' bed

the big girls didn't know we were getting a dog

so when they got home from school they were surprised with the puppy and Piper fell on the floor

and they both kept saying they couldn't believe it!!

by the end of the night they were ALL in heaven!!

and i'm happy to say he was playing and wagging his tail by dinnertime, which was a good sign. :)

Like i said, i wasn't the biggest dog lover,

but this lil' guy has stolen my heart.

his scrawny body, u can count his ribs and spine bones...

i just can't believe people can be so cruel.

and yet here he is

willing to love and cuddle and be so sweet

and wanting to be loved so MUCH despite all he's been through during his first year of life.

his heart is SO big

he literally just wants to cuddle all the time on your lap

and just chills on the couch all the time

he's perfectly sweet and fits right in.

Most importantly he makes our kids SO HAPPY and they need that and I'm glad we could provide that for them.

aaaaaand, i totally want to go back and get him more coats and sweaters,

sorry buddy...you came into a house of girls, you're gonna get dressed up.

get used to it Mr. Weenie!! ;D

late christmas recap & new years rez

2012-01-01T10:23:00.004-07:00

Hey, so i slacked.

Between being hit with the worstest stomach flu of all time at this house and Bewtcut's return home from Deployment, time slipped away from me.

I was also busy with Dr appointments, Zumba and life in general.

and important stuff,

like checking my Facebook on my phone or watching Youtube or checking Twitter...

But here is a quick recap of the rest of the activities we did leading up to Christmas.

(hopefully next yr Bewtcut won't be deployed during that time, and my brain will be functioning properly so i won't be loopy and headachey all day)

We went to our Family Christmas Party

hooray for holiday shoes, holla!

Made Christmas Tree's

(Sugar Cones + Frosting+ m&ms for ornaments)
can u stand the disheveled squishiness that is the Boodie lou?

We made white chocolate covered pretzels for all the neighbors

and then Piper ran them to all their doors,

courageous lil' girl!

(i also gave these as gifts to the big girls' teachers this yr.)

Open up a new Christmas Book/Story!

this one was actually from Piper's teacher

and was called

"The Night Before, the Night Before Christmas"

it was really cute.

and i don't know where the picture is but we took 3 HUGE bags of CLOTHES, jackets, shoes

and a bag of toys to the Women & Children's Shelter in our area!

the girls were good to understand and give a lot to those who didn't have anything

especially those in circumstances such as theirs who leave strictly with their lives

and nothing else...

it was a wonderful experience to give back that way!

GO see Christmas lights!

There is a huge park not far from where we live that you drive through and they have a bajillion scenes and lights set up, it was amazing

the girls love it!

and of course

Make Christmas Cookies for Santa!

roll it out

cut it out

frost it up

and plate it.

Santa loved all the extra sprinkles and Apple Jacks on his cookies this year. ;p

there were some days we missed a few things

but i think all in all we did it! We did an activity everyday leading up to Christmas!

Which btw was, lovely!

Santa seemed to forget all about any meltdowns, rudeness, fighting, or poopiness from the girls this year. How nice of him. ahem...

and most importantly

Bewtcut was with us, and that's all that matters, I just wanted him home. :)

So onto the NEW YEAR!!

I'm hoping this New Year brings answers...to waz going on with my head/brain issues.

it's no fun having ur head hurt and ur eyes be affected everyday, all day.

and the medication doesn't seem to be helping much and makes me feel weak.

so hopefully answers would be nice this year.

Hopefully Bewtcut will be home more!!

There was the possibility of 6months with no deployments but that's already looking unlikely

BUT

it could be just tiny ones, like a week or 2 here or there over the next 6 months which would be much better as well, cuz i like having him around.

as much as i joke and am sarcastic about him/with him

he's my heart and i love him so so much.

I'm always appreciative when he's home to celebrate special occasions with me

because I know there are so many that aren't as fortunate.

So,

yes i was super happy i got a big ol' smooch last night to bring in 2012!!

Here's to a NEW YEAR!!

one of my goals is to write more regularly on here.
at least 4x a week.
let's see if i can stick to it.
u know you love to hear me ramble on incessantly.
i'm sure it will make ur year, pssshhh.

I hope it brings happiness, health, wealth, love, friends, adventures,

whatever your hearts desire this year!

....or just live it up cuz we're all gonna die at the end of 2012 anyway, YEA!!

just keepin' it real kiddos...keepin' it real...

christmas countdown: Day 11, 12, &13

2011-12-15T10:02:00.001-07:00

**we have been hit by the violent, vomit flu monster all weekend until today (thurs)

so that is why these posts are all together, we've still been doing activities,

just haven't had time/energy to post them. **

Christmas Countdown:

DAY 11:

make gingerbread houses at Grandma's house

it takes sheer dedication to cram as much candy as possible onto one lil' gingerbread house,

u go Piper...u go.

Belle did well,
ate as she went but was slow and methodical in her candy placement.

Presley, "helped" everyone by sitting and eating the candy out of the bowls

stinkerface...

Lily made hers pretty perfect and aesthetically correct.

as it should be, ahem.

candy overload!

but they loooooove putting these things together

and the days of nibbling afterwards. figures. ;)

DAY 12:

Make Paper Snowflakes

Fold and cut and fold and cut

these are a few that they did but by the end of the night we had

like 500 bajillion. no joke.

hooray for simple paper & scissor crafts. :)

DAY 13:

Polar Express!

There is a railroad about an hour away from us, up in the mountains that does a
“Polar Express” ride.

Kids wear jammies and ride the train to the North Pole where u pick up Santa!

On the way they serve you cookies and hot chocolate and sing Christmas carols.

Then Santa gets on board and goes to each child and asks what they want for Christmas and hands them a jingle bell, to "believe" just like the movie!

It’s really sweet and the girls had a lot of fun and were SO EXCITED to do this activity!

Definitely an activity to remember!!

I’d have more pictures but my phone doesn’t have a flash,

and it was dark in the train.

My mother-in-law took some pics so I’ll post those when I get those off her camera.

i’ll post day 14, 15, & 16 tomorrow!

christmas countdown: Day 10

2011-12-10T19:25:00.002-07:00

Christmas Countdown

DAY 10:

church party & handprint christmas tree canvas

ok, so i forgot to put in the envelopes the church Christmas party.

so we did that this morning

and it was awesome!!

they totally made it magical this year

they had sit with Santa, cookie decorating station, craft station, make toys station, breakfast, a slide,

games, face painting, and all the kids wore their jammies!
the girls had such a fun time!

this is hilarious of Lily w/ Santa,

are they bowing their heads to pray for her parents cuz of all the $$ we'll be spending??

they best be prayin' hard.
(no she wasn't really praying with santa, it was just weird timing)

I love Piper,

she was just grinning ear to ear the entire time

she was probably imagining every single gift under the tree...

and Belle,

precious Belley...she was basically a statue the entire time.

didn't really speak.

pretty sure no eye contact was made.

and if her body language doesn't speak loud and clear,

u must not be listening, haha!!

oh, Miss Presley didn't even get on his lap. she started to walk over to him and then turned and bolted, never to return.

at least there was face painting! ;)

Lily got a Christmas tree

Piper got a yellow stocking

Belle got a star

and Presley did too

(and a pink snowflake on the other side, babies, psssh always get what they want)

the young men in the church decorated some wagons

and pulled the little kids around and around like it was a holiday train

it was pretty cute actually.)

note to church peeps:

a linoleum slide

at that angle/degree of incline

makes for lightning fast slide experience and kids skidding into tables.

mmhmmm.

all in all they had a blast though!

i so hope they do it to this scale every year, cuz it was quite delightful!

Now onto the handprint Christmas Tree!

easy peasy!

paint their hands green

have them each do a row of handprints, starting with biggest, ending with smallest

and you got yourself a tree, pretty much!

ha!

it doesn't end up looking exactly like one

but it's cute.

i do recommend getting the bigger canvases

i think we kind of ran out of room with all our 500 kids prints to do. :)

make sure you put the YEAR on the bottom,

so you can remember how big/small they were.

alrighty friends, onto Day 11!

christmas countdown: Day 9

2011-12-09T20:30:00.001-07:00

Christmas Countdown:

DAY 9

Felt Craft Ornament (Reindeer)

I got these felt ornament crafts at Michael's

and there were 3 in each package

so the girls got to choose which one they wanted to do.

Lily and Piper used the leftover ones to make an ornament for their teachers!

It comes all separated and cut, with embellishments & everything

so it's really just up to the child to put it together how they want to!

Lily and Piper did the Reindeer

Belle and Presley did the Christmas Trees!

somebody decided they were going to be Scrooge-ish

and threw a fit when i wanted to capture the gloriousness of their art.

good thing the tree came out in focus, the rest is best left blurry...

simple, fun, easy, creative, and can put on the tree after.

waz not to love?

**fyi--the girls ask me a couple x a day if we can do this every year

i think this is a winning tradition. ;)**

onto Day 10!

christmas countdown: Day 7 & 8

2011-12-08T20:02:00.001-07:00

oopsie, missed posting a day

yesterday was craziness and today i had an MRI. wtc?

i know, stupid headaches, maybe it's my eyes.

let's just keep narrowing it down, shall we?

moving on...

Christmas Countdown:

Day 7 & 8

Tissue Paper Wreaths and Red Velvet Cake Balls

(the papers were thrown away before i could take pic,

and we were doing so well! haha)

Tissue paper wreaths are beyond easy.

you buy the CHEAP, ridged edge paper plates.

cut the middle out.

cut tissue paper into little squares or rectangles.

squish/crunch the tissue square.

glue on.

voila'

Christmas tissue wreath.

we used glue sticks AND regular glue,

they both worked excellente'.

u know waz fun about being the parent?

you can make kids do dumb, cheesy stuff...just cuz you say so!

it's wonderful!

i can't wait for the day the girls say, "mom, omg, why did u have us put our faces in the middle of the wreath, that's like sooo lame!"

and i can say, "well, back then ur face was cute."

whaaaaa??? u heard me.

hahahaha.

if you want balls in your mouth this Christmas season,

then these are it!

wait.

huh?

yes, red velvet cake balls!

you can find the recipe HERE

we decided to do white chocolate version, instead of milk chocolate so it could be more holiday-ish colors.

but oh my yumminess!!

Roll, Bam!

Dip, Bam!

Freakin' stuff ur face, BAM!

it was deeeeeelish.

alrighty,

let's hope tomorrow we're more on the ball!

*pun intended* ;p

onto Day 9!

christmas countdown: Day 6

2011-12-06T21:25:00.001-07:00

Christmas Countdown

Day 6 :

Today was write letters to Santa!!

i told them they could write down everything they wanted so Santa could choose a FEW from that list and they would be happy with whatever they got.

Santa doesn't need to give them EVERYTHING they want, do we?..he..does HE? ahem.

i like how Piper started hers out,

just making sure Santa knew it was really her, i mean..like duh.

(and this was the beginning, she wrote down many more)

so many things to think of...

Lily's list was the longest by the way,

it's always the quiet ones.

i'm pretty sure Santa is well versed in hieroglyphics jibberish..right?

i hope she puts clothes on that list, lil' naked jungle baby...geez. ;p

and in case you thought all kids write only commercialized toys on their list,

this is what 3yr old Belle said at the very end of hers.

let's all collectively sigh, "awwwww"

now let's kiss her face off. ;)

These will be sent immediately to the North Pole so that

Santa knows waz up!!

Onto Day 7!

christmas countdown: Day 5

2011-12-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Christmas Countdown

Day 5:

i finished their tutus.

and we took pics.

i borrowed my MIL's camera.

after they got out of their clothes, i uploaded them and everything

i realized i had it on the wrong setting, so they wouldn't enlarge...sigh.

so i had them all get dressed again

and retook the photos.

this day has been long,

i've had a migraine

but it's finished!!

WOOHOO!!

here is a sneak peek:

I'll show more this weekend once i know people have received their cards. :)

onto Day 6, yes please! ;p

christmas countdown: Day 4

2011-12-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

Christmas Countdown:

Day 4

Print Christmas Pictures and Get a Pin and Poke Holes Around the Picture
aka
poke hole art

this activity was suggested by Lily, who did this a few years ago in school.

Basically, a coloring page

(we printed ours off the internet)

lay it over construction paper

then you poke holes, tracing the whole picture with tiny hole punches.

it's fun to take out your frustrations whilst poking,

like imagining it's the irritating cashier's face who takes one look at you and all your girls and says,

"wow, u reallllllly have your hands full"

it's perfectly acceptable to pretend it's a voodoo doll.

i mean, be sure to have visions of sugar plums dancing in your head...

they poked away and then colored the pics afterwards,

when u hold the poked construction paper up to the light...

it's "SO COOL"

Lily:

Piper:

Belle:

Presley was in bed,

i figured it would be safer...for all of us.

so i did her santa for her.

this was a unique little activity, but the kids got a real kick out of it.

and it's great therapy,

if you're in need of that type of thing.

;)

onto Day 5!

christmas countdown: Day 3

2011-12-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

Christmas Countdown:

DAY 3

Today we made Handprint Santas! You use ur kids' handprint as Santa's beard.

They looooooooved having their hands painted

it tickles

it feels weird

oooooooh

*giggle giggle*

then you put their hand down on some green construction paper

and make a handprint.

we used the tops of glue sticks to make the cheeks and white fur on Santa's hat

and the bottom of a paint brush to paint the nose.

googly eyes are of course what makes it,

then just cut out a red santa hat, however u want, in red construction paper and you're done!

and voila'!

the end masterpieces!!

this is a cute way to preserve your child's handprint that year

sneaky ways to create nostalgia, right on! ;)

Lily:

Piper:

she could've been practicing paparazzi avoidance...or just being a terd.

it's a toss up.

Belle:

Presley:

(she got help with hers) :)

like i said before, if you haven't thought of doing much like this, you still have time!

this would be a great "12" days of Christmas idea--and easier than 24--

or maybe good ideas to do on Christmas day or whatever!

and Youtube and Pinterest are excellent places to find inspiration and ideas!!

i'm not always so clever on my own. ;D

Also, just go with whatever strikes you,

today we were shopping and decided to get all things peppermint

so we had peppermint cocoa

w/peppermint marshmallows

stirred with peppermint candy canes

helloooooo, impromptu peppermint party!

or instead of just listening to christmas songs in the background,

grab some santa hats and have an elf dance party!

seriously, this doesn't have to be big events or amazingly creative/hard activities.

just spending time together is what they'll remember.

and on a different note,

Sometimes i wonder why Santa's cheeks are so rosy...i think parents put some "merry" in his hot cocoa, and he relies on the reindeer to be his designated driver...no wonder he has shifty, googly eyes.

just sayin'.

onto Day 4!

christmas countdown: Day 2

2011-12-02T20:10:00.001-07:00

Countdown to Christmas

Day 2:

poor Lily, she got her foot/ankle in a splint and her crutches today, cast next week.
at least sugar can make one happy during it all ;)

i made red, candy popcorn!

the first batch i disintegrated (good grief)

but the 2nd batch came out perfecto

candy popcorn + Charlie Brown Christmas= chewy goodness

the girls weren't really convinced that Peppermint Patty was a girl,

especially since she kept being called "sir" hahaha!

sugar-laden goodies, cuddling on the couch and christmas movie...onto day 3!

our countdown to Christmas

2011-12-01T20:32:00.002-07:00

normally,

the girls would be given an advent calendar...you know the paper ones with all the little doors and behind each one is a stale, plastic tasting piece of chocolate. "yay, a wreath...this really does taste like the 14th of December"...u know what i'm talking about. ;)

but this year, i decided to be more proactive in planning activities for them to remember,

instead of stale chocolate.

Alot of these are activities/foods/crafts we kind of do anyway during this time of year,

but we did add some new ones

and they're all CHEAP, SIMPLE, and EASY.

It's more about just spending the time together that they'll remember the most.

Already Piper said, "I can't wait to see what we're doing tomorrow for day 2!!"

so i think we're onto something folks...

I listed 24 things to do together for Dec 1st- Christmas Eve (24th)

printed them out, and cut them into strips.

I cut the bottom off of holiday gift bags cuz once cut, they bottom looked like an envelope and it folded over perfectly to create a festive one to insert the activity which was printed out.

i simply hole-punched each one and tied them onto ribbon..with ribbon.

i'm easy like that. ;)

each envelope has the number of the date on it and they just choose one each day.

inside is the day's activity/treat, etc!

today's was "paint clay ornament"

which was a simple, white clay christmas ornament that they each got to paint their own.

Day 1: Paint Clay Ornaments

i got them at Michael's- no i did not bake my own

this is supposed to fun, not stressful remember? haha!

fyi...a plastic tablecloth and paper towels under said projects

does make it easier to stomach any messes that can occur with such activities.

helps keep a mommy sane, ahem.

we blasted the Christmas music and they all got to suffering for their art.

the finished products were pretty cute!

Piper's (6yr):

Lily's (9yr):

Presley's (2yr):

Belle's (3.5yr):

they immediately hung them on the tree and they were all so proud of their lil' ornaments!

like i said

these activities are simple, but it gets them in the Christmas spirit

and they're excited for the next day, just knowing we're all going to do something together to celebrate all the "holi"days leading up to Christmas! :)

a few examples of other ones we'll be doing are:

driving to see the lights

watching Christmas movie

family Christmas party

handprint Santa card

frozen no bake peppermint cheesecake

take toys/clothes to kids in need

cookies for Santa

so basically, just breaking down things you would be doing perhaps anyway, but setting aside a specific day and time to do them makes it feel extra special

and of course picking it out of a holiday envelope makes anything feel neat...

i could say brush your teeth with minty toothpaste and they'd be all WOOHOO!

ya know?

also, 24 things is kind of a lot to come up with, so this would be a perfect "12" days of Christmas type of celebrating to do.

so anyway,

i'm excited we started this tradition this year, i suppose Bewtcut being gone for the majority of it makes me switch into overdrive to compensate for his absence

but i really think this is a fun, simple way to enjoy the holiday season

and fill it with memories...filling it with chocolate is good, but i'm pretty sure they'll remember the moments more. :D

**remember I have to use my cellphone for pictures since Bewtcut has my camera, so sorry this month will be lame-o quality pics. **

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope you all have a blessed, grateful, thankful day

Full of good food and good company.

I’m thankful for my Bewtcut

Who sacrifices and misses out on a lot to save the world

And provide a wonderful life for our lil’ family.

He’s truly missed,

But it will just make Christmas that much sweeter when he’s here.

I’m thankful for modern technology that helps me stay in touch with my family jillions of miles away, I miss them too!

Take a moment to count your blessings

And be grateful and appreciative for what you do have

Even if it’s your breath, cuz that too is a blessing.

Everyday.

Enjoy you’re day…and get stuffed!!

Gobble, gobble.

piggy party

2011-11-22T11:34:00.001-07:00

Saturday was Presley's 2nd birthday.

she is too big now.

look how much she has grown!

*disclaimer: Bewtcut took my camera on deployment w/ him, so all party pics are cellphone pics, sorry for quality!**

i lovest her piggy costume from Halloween and i wanted her to wear it again,

so i decided to throw her a Pink Piggy party!

i made a pig cake from scratch, which really did suck, haha!

if you have to cut the cake and then all the crumb bits get into the frosting when trying to frost it,

then it's too much for me.

i don't like sweating or getting frustrated, so this will probably be only yr when mommy tries to make the cake. ;D

here is the "pig".

i made tissue pompoms and hung them throughout the kitchen

and basically anything pink i could find!

(reminded me of Steel Magnolias where they walked in the church and said it looked like Pepto Bismol threw up everywhere--u haven't seen it? watch it right now. and get kleenex.)

i definitely preferred the cupcakes i made.

simple frosted cupcake and i decided to add a "piggy tail" swirl on top.

*squeal*

i'm not sure if you could tell,

but I asked Piper to put the pink table cover on the table.

she did.

complete with DUCT TAPE on top...sigh.

gotta love 6yr old decorating skillzzzzzz.

this lil piggy didn't want roast beef.

this lil' piggy wanted cupcakes

and squealed til she got one.

waz a party without pink candy and cookies?

it was deemed necessary, by yours truly,

to have the piglet hat on whilst making a wish.

it's more legit that way.

she had such a fun time and kept her costume on

most of the night

right up til the end where she stripped down to her diaper and body slammed

her boy cousin and his friend.

no one said piggys were dainty.

it really was a cute birthday

and she had a fun time.

She was blessed with gifts from her California grandparents

that arrived just in time.

and of course by the grandparents and extended family who live with us here.

she's so loved and i appreciated all the fuss over her.

i honestly can't believe she's 2 already, time has flown by with this last one!

She's the blessing we never knew we needed

and i'm glad she snuck into our family, just in time to make it complete.

Happy Birthday Boodie!

i'm sick

2011-11-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

I’m sick…

I deleted some picture albums on my google profile account

So they wouldn’t keep showing up and taking space on my phone

(cuz google is synced to my android)

and guess what?

It deleted them from my life forever, apparently.

Like deleted them from my blog.

My blog I’ve had for years

Filled with a bajillion pics

Now has nothing but black error msgs where my pics used to be.

I’m trying not to have a heart attack

And maybe slowly but surely I can upload them all back to my posts,

But that could honestly take as many yrs as it took to put them on there in the first place.

Plus,

I may not even have all those pics anymore,

We’ve deleted and cleaned up our computer numerous times

Oh my gosh…I don’t know if I should just end it now or what to do.

I’m just sick…

hillary

thanksgiving decor and thankful thoughts

2011-11-16T10:52:00.003-07:00

I know Thanksgiving gets the short end of the stick when it comes to holidays,

it seems after Halloween everyone wants to jump right into Christmas

not that i blame them, i lovest Christmas time of year.

and i honestly don't have tons of Thanksgiving decorations

but i did do a few things to get me in the Thanksgiving spirit.

I love this month just to reflect on all we're blessed with and be thankful for in our lives.

Which i need to do after burning my self numerous times with hot glue,

having spray paint nozzle JAM and spray in my face,

and slicing my finger with scissors, which keeps bleeding thru the bandaid.

can i just be thankful there are people way more craftier than i, that i can just go buy stuff from?

holla to the professionals, cuz i'm obviously a tad inept.

simple table centerpiece.

i spray painted 2 of the pumpkins and tied coordinating thanksgiving color ribbon onto each.

easy peasy pumpkin squeezy...

a nice warm, comforting smell of pumpkin pie warming your house?

yes, thank u.

is it possible to eat air? cuz i wanna...

and finally i made each of my girls simple felt bows accented with braided ribbon

for Thanksgiving outfits.

simple, easy ways to incorporate some Thanksgiving holiday spirit into the next week.

you could just write the letters "T-H-A-N-K-S" on some blocks of wood, or on each pumpkin or on tiny canvases, or bottles or mason jars. decorating doesn't have to be complicated, it can be very simple...although dangerous (for some of us, ahem.)

and now for my Thankful list, it's Nov 16th

so here are my 16 things i'm thankful for:

1. Central heating and air--it's starting to get freezing at night and i'm so grateful for central heating to keep me and the babies warm at night.

2. Candle makers, seriously lighting a scented candle with a holiday scent instantly gets u in the holiday spirit!

3. A washer and dryer--i do loathe laundry, but it would be almost impossible to get all our laundry done if i had to handwash it all. i'd probably end up throwing a lot of it away, just to not have to do it. ;D

4. Mascara...i have blondish eyelashes, so i'm grateful for makeup that actually makes them noticeable.

5. a Home. i'm fully aware there are so many who are homeless, and that is so sad. I'm grateful we have a roof over our heads and place to be safe and raise our family.

6. Grocery stores--seriously! The convenience of going to a store to pick up every item needed to be able to nourish our family is so wonderful. Well, that is if you stay on the outside edges of the grocery store, which is dairy, meat, breads, and produce. Damn you chip aisle!! ;p

7. Working limbs. I can walk, run, jump, write, type, hug, dance, and use my body for everything and anything. Perhaps i should learn how to kick my own butt, to keep me on my fitness track.

8. Sunshine. is that weird? i love the sun, it always revives me and makes me feel energetic and positive.

9. The internet. i know...there's weird stuff out there, but truly being able to keep in contact with email, chat, and video messaging with my scattered about family, staying connected to friends and family with social networking, being able to shop, and blog, and watch amazing things and find inspiration, the internet is such an awesome gift.

10. A working vehicle that has room for all my 500 kids and is easy to drive and takes us wherever we need to go.

11. My girls. I love my kids so much, i'm so lucky to have these little ladies in my life.

12. My smile. i have big teeth, and they were all crooked and what not, as a kid. i owe my parents big time for all the orthodontic work that allowed me to have straight teeth. it's the one area of my body where bigger is better. Big straight teeth, Big ol' SMILE.

13. My bed. it's my favorite place in the world. (except when Bewtcut is deployed, it's not as comforting or fun, ahem...but it's still my favoritest.)

14. Bewtcut. He's my best friend. He's hilarious, silly, goofy, affectionate, sweet, maddening, terdy, hardworker, super smart, strong and fit, and I wouldn't have it any other way. He is obviously in love with me and our girls, and he gets better with age. I'd be lost without him. Can't wait til he gets back.

15. GUM! oh my gosh, i hate bad breath so i'm super grateful for gum. and blowing bubbles.

16. MUSIC! i love how music can lift us up, make us feel AWESOME or humble or nostalgic or relaxed or purposeful or excited. Where would we be without all kinds of music in our lives??

What are you thankful for this month?

Fashion Show

2011-11-14T17:00:00.004-07:00

i got the thrill of a lifetime this Sunday

when i was cordially invited to an exclusive Fashion show.

only A-list, V.I.P were on the front row, and i got to sit beside them!!

I'm speechless really.

here's some of the rich and famous i sat next to...

see what i mean? Ex-cluuuuu-sive!

The models were amazing and the fashions were just out of this world!

Very futuristic, yet modern at the same time...i was in awe.

pairing ancient egyptian patterns with authentic geisha robes?

i mean seriously, the designers have to be almost mad, to be this good!

aaaaaaand, can i just say, that whoever was the makeup artist

was a true visionary...

i could tell these models were seasoned professionals

their poses were almost like art, really.

i was truly honored to have witnessed such mastery and talent.

this was the best fashion show i had been to in a long time.

these models were so amazing, they were even taking calls for future bookings as they exited the runway.

maybe someday you'll be able to witness this type of genius,

just be thankful i had my cellphone on me to snap these pics...

Ur welcome.

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T13:15:00.001-07:00

I couldn’t let today slide by without acknowledging the importance of remembering our Veterans today.

Happy Veteran’s Day

To those who have served

Are still serving

And will serve this amazing country of ours.

No matter what branch of service you joined,

Every military member chose to be part of something greater than themselves

And to sacrifice for our freedom.

Remember those who came home, but never came “back”-those with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injuries, lost limbs, and other scars both physically, emotionally, and mentally…

And those who paid the ultimate price, their life…so that we could live ours freely and in peace.

I want to thank my Bewtcut.

He is amazing and works so hard!

He deploys so often and is constantly in harms way,

He sacrifices his time, family and life for a greater cause.

I do not take it lightly that he has always come back home to me,

Safe and sound.

For that I am eternally appreciative and grateful.

It’s bittersweet that he is deploying today,

But almost coincidentally perfect.

Those in the military have to keep on fighting the bad guys

They have to keep on keepin’ on,

And I’m proud of my husband and everyone who has served and serving today for ensuring the Freedom we are so blessed to have.

I’ll miss you Bewtcut.

Love you.

And Happy Veteran’s Day to everyone