Look where is my design!

Last month I did a birthday invitation for a beautiful girl named Olivia. Liz (her mom) calls her Livie for short, and I have know her for several months throught an online board from BBC. There is one invitation that I have on my site that I did as a sample when I first started my business, and nobody had ever ordered that invitation until now.

She told me the colors that she wanted and I made some changes on the fonts, translate the card to Spanish per her request and voila... I also did another variation of the card, but she still preferred the first design. Anyway, here is how the design looked:


Then, she did something very cute... She actually ordered a cake with the invitation on... I think it looks so cute!!!

And she does look gorgeous blowing up her candles!!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today was my mom's birthday, which is mostly the main reason why my nephew and sister in law are in town. My brother is doing a Master in town, so he comes every Friday, but normally he comes by himself.

We were not sure what we were going to do for my mom's birthday, but one thing I knew for sure: I wanted her to spend her day with her kids and grandkids. That was just going to be enough for her. The initial plans was for them to come to our house, but we had to take Mia to the pediatrician in the mid-morning as she woke up with severe Dysphonia. So, we decided to eat all together at my mom's house and just to hang around a bit.

Im sure she was really happy as all the wanted was for us to be together.... Here is my mommy, with her two babies (my brother and me), and with her four grandchildren:

Of course, I got to spend some time with my gorgeous godson.... Isnt he the cutest?

Happy Land Part II

Yes, that is right!! We went back to the park. My beloved nephew and godson was in town (my brother, sister in law and nephew lives almost three hours away in the town that I used to live), and we wanted to do something together... He is 21 months old and I love that the girls spend time with him.

This time the girls were not amazed... This time they laugh non-stop and had so much fun!! Ariel was the one amazed this time. We even let Gaby get in the free fall, and she had a blast!!! They also got in the Tea Cups which were not in service last Sunday.

Last time, I told Gaby that it was Ok to scream on the rides... I explained her that screaming will help her to release her emotions, and she sure remembered about that... She was screaming non-stop and it was hillarious!

As soon as they got there:

The first ride: Tea Cups...

Then Gaby got in the ship (she is on the top left)

Gaby at the Free Fall:

The girls at the swing:


On the train where Ariel finally got in (his mom got in too):



Then a second round of the train (just Ariel and Mia)

The horses:


Mimi looking happily at the brochure of the park and wondering when we will start getting her in there:

Lunch time

Today I had a lunch from work. In most schools there is always a "Teacher's Appreciation" activity, and of course the administrative staff (me included) gets invited too. They took us to a buffette in a very good restaurant from the city.

They also made some raffles and mostly everybody got something... I got a basket from a local rum. We dont drink alcohol at all, so I know it will get some dust in this house... My father in law will love it (as it even has souvenirs from the rum like a hat, a CD holder, and a few more things), but my mother in law is Pentecostal, and she wont be happy about it. We'll see.

Anyway, Im the oficial photographer of the school, so everybody and everything has pictures, but Im not in them.... Oh well, not that I like to be in pictures anyway....

Blind love

I have always heard that "A mother's love is blind". This "baby" is pretty dirty and even has wall painting on her face, but Gaby managed to get her cloth from Mimi's drawers, and of course she wanted pictures taken!! So, here is "Mommy Gaby" and her "Pretty Baby".

Mia's Nursery I Evaluation

Today I went to pick up Mia's evaluation. As she started in March, this is the first evaluation I get, so it is the firts time that somebody (besides the pediatrician) evaluates her. Her school doesnt start English until the 3 years old class, so her class have been completely in Spanish, so I had to translate it to post it. I know this will be VERY LONG, so Im thanking in advance to those that will take the time to read it.

The progress interpretation keys are:
4 - Advance Performance (Significantly Exceeds Standards)
3 - Proficient Performance (Exceeds Standards)
2 - Basic Performance (Meets Standards)
1 - Minimal Performance (Meets the Standards in some parts)
0 - Does not meet the Stardanards
* - Not evaluated this time

As this evaluation is made for toddlers from 12 to 24 months, some specifies the age.

Socioemotional Area: She got all 3 in this area(Exceeds Standards)
- Play with other kids- 3
- Recognize objects from around her and their characteristics- 3
- Enjoys celebrations made on the school- 3
- Express her emotions like sad, happy or scared- 3
- Recognize her own image in a mirror- 3
- Imitates others- 3
- Treat other with tenderness- 3
- Cooperates with dressing- 3
- Accepts her parents absence continuing her activities- 3
- Repeats actions to encourage laughter or attention from others- 3
- Hands in a book to an adult to be read it- 3
- Share objects when she is asked- 3
- Greets others when remembered- 3
- Can take her socks off- 3
- Eats without help with a spoon even if she makes a little mess- 3
- Drinks from an open cup with one hand- 3
- Can take her shoes off- 3
- Plays alone (initiates her own game) - 3
- Dramatizes (hugs dolls and rock them) - 3
- Starts to be independent- 3
- Shows some self-control of her emotions- 3
- Takes care of the nature around her- 3

Cognitive Development: She got mixed 2’s (Meet the standards), and 3’s (Exceed Standards)
- Takes objects from a container one by one - 3
- Reach and use an object to help her reach another object - 3
- Makes pairs of objects - 2
- Makes pairs of objects with illustrations - 2
- Shows a figure when you ask her - 3
- Follows two instructions - 3
- Browse around for a hidden object - 3
- Make puzzles of 2 to 5 pieces - 3
- Identifies parts of the body - 2
- Shows from 4 to 5 illustrations from a book when asked - 3
- Shows her age with her fingers - 2
- Shows the parts of her body when asked - 3
- Names some parts of the body - 3

Language Development: She got mixed 2’s (Meet the standards), and 3’s (Exceed Standards)
- Says at least 5 different words (12 – 15 months old) - 3
- Makes animals sounds or use the sound to name the animal - 3
- Ask for common food naming it when someone shows it to her - 3
- Understands around 20 words and can pronounce around 12- 3
- Says her name when she is asked - 3
- Answers to the question “What is this?” with the name of the object - 2
- Says “Hello” and “Good-Bye” (20-21 months old) - 3
- Says “more” - 3
- Says “all done” - 3
- Uses the pronoun “I” (24 months old) - 3
- Uses prepositions referred to possession “to”(me), “for” (me), “from”(me) (24 months old) - 2
- Uses de word “is” (24 months old) - 2
- Use “no” in her language - 3
- Use “Good-bye”, “please”, and “thank you” when reminded - 3
- Completes a repeated sentence in a known story - 2
- Repeats words when she is told – 3

Fine Motor Skills: She got all mixed 3’s (Exceed Standards, except for one 2 (Meet the standards)
- Holds a jumbo crayon firmly and scribbles – 3
- Can put a block on top of the other holding the one at the bottom - 3
- Pick and hold two objects with one hand - 3
- Makes puzzles of 2-3 pieces (16-17 months old) - 3
- Turn pages from books (two by two or one by one) - 3
- Can build a tower of three to four blocks - 3
- Open and close several kind of containers - 3
- Makes puzzles of 4-6 pieces (23-24 months old) - 3
- Makes vertical lines imitating an adult – 2

Gross Motor Skills: She got mixed 2’s (Meet the standards), and 3’s (Exceed Standards)
- Walks without help - 3
- Can sit down on the floor and catch a ball between the legs - 3
- Kick a ball holding onto something to keep balance - 3
- Can kneel without help - 3
- Go up the stairs crawling - 3
- Can walk to the side - 2
- Can sit down by herself in a chair her size - 3
- Go over small obstacles - 3
- Go down the stairs crawling backwards (18-19 months old) - 2
- Go down the stairs walking with help (19-20 months old) - 2
- Can kick a big ball (19-20 months old) - 3
- Can walk holding objects (20 months old) - 3
- Can walk through a straight line (21-22 months old) - 3
- Can go down a small slide (23-24 months old) - 3
- Can jump with both feet in the same place (24-25 months old) - 3

Musical and Artistic Development: She got mixed 2’s (Meet the standards), 3’s (Exceed Standards), and 4’s (Significantly exceeds standards)
- Scribbles still without eye-hand coordination - 3
- Scribbles with a “broom” movement - 3
- Makes circular scribbles - 2
- Makes spiral scribbles - 2
- Enjoys listening to music - 4
- Reacts to sound against silence - 3
- Explore different instruments - 4
- Enjoys the songs - 4
- Tries to sing / Starts to make tones patterns - 4

And here is her teacher’s written comment: This school year has been so much fun and adventure for our Camila, who managed to integrate to our school’s family very easily. At the beginning she was a bit shy, but now she is very happy and shows spontaneously her emotions. She likes to cooperate, and normally respects the classroom rules. Enjoys to participate very actively in the school’s activities (in and out of the classroom), especially painting, coloring, play in the construction center and make puzzles.

She shows proper gross motor skills, which allows her to climb and run easily, even though sometimes she doesn’t have the adequate coordination.

It will be really good for Camila to expose her during the summer to materials of different textures. It will also be good for her to offer her learning activities that she enjoys like dramatized stories, sing along, poems, interactive stories, to help her with her language development.

Congratulations for accomplish the objectives proposed in our classroom, we really enjoyed being with you. Happy Summer!

CAMILA: MOMMY AND DADDY ARE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU IN SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU HAVE GROWN SO MUCH AND LEARNED SO MUCH IN THE LITTLE TIME YOU HAVE BEEN THERE. YOU ARE HAPPIER AND SO MUCH FUN. EVERYBODY IN SCHOOL LOVES YOU VERY MUCH, EVEN THOSE THAT ARE NOT EVEN YOUR TEACHERS, AND ALL THE KIDS TOO. WAY TO GO!!

Friends freaks

I have always been a big fan of the TV series "Friends". A few months ago, hubby and I were talking about how we needed some quality time just the two of us more frequenly, even if it was just in the house. We were thinking about watching a movie at least every other day, but it looked like too much as the truth is that it is really difficult to take 1:30 hours out of the girls and our business. So, after giving some thinking we decided to start watching my beloved series "Friends" since the very beginning, episode by episode. It is just 21-23 minutes, so it is totally doable. He wasnt a big fan, but soon he has become a freak too. Since the past 4 months or so, we have been watching at least one episode of it DIALY, sometimes even 2 in a row. We are now in Season 6, and I can only think in how much we will miss it when we finish Season 10. I saw mostly the whole series, but now it is like watching all for the first time as so many years have passed, and because I never got the oportunity to watch episode after eposide, so there are many that I have never ever seen.

Here are two videos that I found on You Tube and, even though I didnt want to watch the second one as it may have spoilers for me, I want to share them with you....
The Stuff you've never seen

Series Finale Tribute:

Gaby's Pre-K Evaluation - Second Quater

Back in Decemeber, I did a long post about Gaby's evalation from the first quarter of Pre-K. Now, the school year is over and I wanted to share how was her evalation for the second quarter. This one is not as long as the other one, as Im just going to mention the ones where she shows progress or regression, not the ones that stays the same. Anyway, I really appreciate those of you that are going to take the time to read it. Dont forget that all this is evaluated in English, while her first language is Spanish.

For each objective she can get:
1 - Objective accomplished
2 - Objective in process
3 - Objective to be accomplished
4 - Not applicable

SOCIAL ATTITUDES
- In her last evaluation said that she waits patiently for her turn in class, but in this evaluation says that it is in progres... I guess she regressed on that aspect.

- She now understands and follows safety rules which was in progress last time

- She now adapts to new situations which was in progress last time

WORK HABITS

- She now works independently without disturbing others, which was in progress last time

MOTOR SKILLS
- In the other evalution said that she respects limits when coloring, and it looks like she had a regression as now says that she is on process....

- She also shows a regression on having adequate coordination as now shows on process

LANGUAGE ARTS
-It says that she uses complete sentences in English, which was in process last time

- Last time said that she was on the process of identifying letters, now says that she identifies: A, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, O, P, Q, S, X and Z
- Last time said that she was on the process of identifying lower cases letters, now she identifies: a, d, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, s, x and z

- Last time said that it was on process to recognize and name the colors Green, Blue, Orange and Yellow. Now says that she has accomplished that and recognizes all colors

MATH
- Last time said that she identifies numbers 1 to 5, now says 1 to 8 except for number 7
- Last time said that she writes numbers 1 to 5, not says 1 to 8 except for number 7
- It says that she should count up to 20, and she only counts up to 12

It still says that she doesnt recognize letter E, and Im 100% positive that she does as that is daddy's letter. Also, as I mentioned last time she have counted up to 50 in English, but sometimes she gets confused with some numbers, so I know that will be fully accomplished soon. I wish they will evaluate her in Spanish too, as she will get a way better evaluation.

On the teacher's comments here is what she wrote: The last month Gabriela has improved her behavior. Keep it up!! Gabriela needs to practice the identification and writting for #'s 7, 9 and 10. She also needs to reinforce her fine motor skills through actitivities that can help her with this matter, like tracing numbers, letters, shapes, coloring, etc.

GABY: MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE YOU VERY MUCH! WE KNOW SOMETIMES YOUR JOB OF "BIG SISTER" GETS DIFFICULT, BUT WE KNOW YOU ARE DOING A GREAT EFFORT TO IMPROVE YOUR BEHAVIOR AND BEING EXCELENT AT SCHOOL. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU AND VERY HAPPY OF SEEING YOU BECOME A LITTLE LADY.

Happy Land...

There is a mall that we hardly go because it's a bit far. There is also lots of traffic to get there, and people are wilder while driving in that area. Anway, they built a park with some rides back in January, and we have been trying to go since then. Today we finally decided to go and we had so much fun!!!

Mimi was so happy with all the lights, and Mia and Gaby were happy with the rides... Gaby even got in the Pirate Ship (of course, it was not as big as the ones that you find in big Amusement Parks). We couldnt get cute pictures, because they were more "amazed" than "happy", and our camera is not that fast but the good thing is that they had lots of fun.

Mia and Gaby in the cars....

In the horses...

Camila actually had a tantrum when the ride was over... She loved it!

Gaby in the Pirate Ship (yes, she actually sat on the top)


In the train...


We can wait to go back again... We will be using this park as a reward for good bahavior.

Mia and mommy's shopping day

The day was great. We got a lot of things done, and we were planning to take the girls out. Gaby and Mimi fall asleep, so I decided just to go with Mia by myself to a shop where I needed to get something. I hardly go out just with Mia, just I thought it was going to be a great way to spend some alone time with her.

The store is far from our house and she fall asleep on the way to the store, and when we got there, she woke up and behave beautifully. We went up and down as I was having a hard time finding what I was looking for, and just when I was about to be done she started getting fuzzy. That was my sign that I needed to get out of there.

I paid, and headed to the car and started digging in my purse for my keys, just to realize I didnt had them!!!!! I got to the car to realize the keys were INSIDE of the car. You will say it's Ok, just open the door with the spare key, but I didnt had the spare key!!!!!!!!!!! I called hubby to ask him for the spare key, so he could take a cab and bring it to me. After 10 minutes of looking everywhere, he couldnt find it. Looks like one of the girls was playing "car" and misplaced it. I told him just to stay home, and to be ready just in case (Two more girls there was not in my plans).

My windows have a problem to go up and I have to "hand help" them to go up, so I tried to push them down with no luck. Finding a professional to open the doors was difficult at that time and also way too expensive. So, I asked one of maintenance employees of the store for help. 2 hours later, and 2 other guys later, they managed to reached the lock of the door with the help of a long piece of metal wire. Too bad I couldnt find an expert "car robber" to open it faster.

I got Mia a Barney book that only kept her entertained for 10 minutes. I got her in a shopping cart as I didnt took a stroller (never again), and she did everything possible to try to get out of there... She sure kept me busy!!

A message from God

A girl from school came to me with a bag full of little cards... They are cards with messages and Bible verses.... I picked out one and here is what I got:

On the top right says: "God has picked up all your tears". Then, in the center says the Salm 56, 8-9... I dont like translating Bible verses, so here it is directly from an English version Bible:

You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them. When I pray, Lord God, my enemies will retreat, because I know for certain that you are with me.

We are going through a difficult time, and this is just a reminder that God is there with us.

New Signature

After a few months using the same signature (siggy), I finally took the time to update it... Here is my new one:

Taking care of the "other" baby...

We have been very bad parents to our car. We hardly take care of him, and the truth is that we cant live without "him" in this country. Public transportation is not an option for us, even though I dont think it will be an option in another country either, as the girls are in three different schools (and I already take over an hour to complete the "morning tour").

Anyway, our car's joints were falling apart since a few months ago, and we finally took care of it today... Hubby spend the whole morning at the mechanic, and I can finally turn the car without listening to that awful TA TA TA TA TA sound!

Then, Hubby went with Luz to buy some stuff and they had a good time!!

Teachers Appreciation Card

Here is the card that Camila got to her teachers (Teacher, Teacher's aide and Nanny):

I gave one to each one of them, and they were all really happy. And of course, all the other teachers were jelauous!! LOL

I also made one for Gaby's teachers but I couldnt give it to her before she left on vacations, so I wont post it yet.

BTW, the real card has her last name instead of her middle name.

We have three winners!!!!!!!!!!!!

For over a month, you have seen a banner for a drawing for my customers... The drawing was valid for all customers that made an order between May 1 and June 15, 2008. I assigned a number to each one of the people that made an order and gave a number for each product ordered (invitations and thank you notes combos got two numbers). The winners were choosen using an automated generator and here they are:

Third Prize: 15% of her next order: Abigail P. from Missy Prissy Boutique. She ordered a new logo for her company.

Second Prize: 25% of her next order: Linda E. who ordered a Superhero Theme Invitation for her son AJ.

First Prize: Free Summer or 4th of July card: Julie M. who ordered an Adoption Announcement card for her daughter Avery.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Bloody Sunday....

How much blood can a house have on a Sunday?

1 - Blood from Mimi's gums after she felt on the floor and hit herself with a toy.
2 - Blood from Mia's broken lip after she felt on the floor because she was jumping and got dizzy.
3 - Blood from Gaby's broken lip and gums after Mia throw her a toy in her mouth.

Gaby learned a lesson

We live in a 3 bedroom house. One is the master bedroom, then the three girls sleep in one bedroom, and the third bedroom is the playroom. In the playroom we have some toys organized inside the closet in large bins (one bin for kitchen toys, one bin for arts and crafts, one bin for Little People, etc etc etc)... Well, Gaby knows she is not suppose to get in the closet without supervision, but she did. Not only she got in the closet but she asked Mia to go in with her and after noticing it was too silent and went to check and BOOM!! 60% of the closet was all over the room, including hundreds of pieces of puzzles, and that was just an start.

That was around three weeks ago and she was not allowed to sleep over grandma's house for 2 more weekends as a punishment (it's not like she goes every weekend, but she does ask for it every weekend). So, this weekend the punishment was over and you can look by her expression how excited she got when I told her she was going to sleep over grandma's (and you can tell that she started packing right away):


And here is a picture of her showing off the bow that Tia Luz gave her:

Mia's last day of Nursery I

Today was Mia's last day on the 1-year-old class (Nursery I). They had a big party, and they bring an entertaiment company (just like Gaby's school). They had clowns and face painting clowns and they all had a blast. My camera was dead, but I gave one of the teachers my memory card as she told me she forgot hers. Mia was wearing the shirt from her Birthday Outfit with a jeans, and the headband from Mimi's birthday.

Mia loves the *Puppet Corner* in her classroom:

Mia with her classmates and the teacher's aide (Notice she is right next to her "crush").

Going to the camera:

With her teacher:

Waiting to get her face painted:

Getting her face painted:

Wondering if she actually likes what they did:

We are 96% Compatible

Anelys
&
Ernesto

96% Compatible

♥ Anelys and Ernesto have been romantically-together for a long time. That alone demonstrates a degree of compatibility. Similar personality descriptions are a plus. The religious faith they share may help to form a bond. They both abstain from drinking, so that helps compatibility. Their astrological signs are in harmony, which is a plus. Their common love of animals is another good thing. And their views on children are similar. Both are sexually-uninhibited. Overall, Anelys and Ernesto are highly compatible. They are capable of having a beautiful relationship together. ♥

The Dating Compatibility Test by Dating Diversions

I won, I won!!!

I never ever win anything. Just today I had the feeling that I wanted to play the lottery (never have), just because I was feeling the urge to scracth my hands (which people think it means that money is coming your way) and seconds later I heard on the radio that the lottery had 15 million pesos acumulated (around 450,000 US dollars).

Well, I didnt won the lottery (of course, I cant win if you dont participate), but I did won a copy of the reading game: "Mia's Reading Adventure: The Bugaboo Bugs". I was participating in a draft from Mom on the Rise (who is the mom of Mya from Camila's birth board on BBC), and I actually won a free copy of the game!

It's for ages 5 to 9, so Im sure that hubby will be able to take advantage of it at work. Gaby also saw it and it's really excited about the game! Im looking forward to see if she can learn from it.

Girls Night Out

It happened!!!!!!!!!! For the first time in.... uhmm.... 5 years I got a Girl's Night Out. It wasnt a all night long thing, but I got to go out with Luz, chat with her, and spent some quality time with her without worrying about the girls running around, needing a diaper change, needing to be fed, etc etc etc.

We went to a Shopping Center, and we stopped by a couple of shops that Luz loves, and in one of them we got a few things (for the girls, though, but that is allowed, isnt it?). We hardly had time to shop as it was really late, but Im hoping to be able to go shopping with her before she leaves on the 20th.

Then we went to dinner to one of her favorite restaurants called Mozarella. It's a Healthy Restaurant, even though I couldnt resist to order a Lasagna (I dont get many nights out, do I?), and she she ordered a salad.

It was fun and we really talked a lot!! I wish we could do that more often!

Gaby's last day of Pre-K

Even though Pre-K moving up ceremony and K's graduation was Saturday, they had their last day today. It was party day and the kids had a blast. The PTA organized a party for them and invited some characters and the kids loved them!!! They invited Dora, Boots, Diego and the High School Musical gang (not the real ones, of course).

I didnt go, and hubby didnt know they were in school, so no pictures were taken by any of us... Hubby tried to find a picture of Gaby in the school's camera, and found this one (I had to make an arrow to point to Gaby as you guys can hardly see her.. LOL