*Things* for Saturday

We started the day stopping by the house of the mom of my soon-to-be-born nephew. I wanted to make a list of all the things she has, and all the things that she is missing. My dad's wife went with me also. My nephew will be born on Wednesday as the umbilical cord is still around his neck and he is not liking it... There will be only 37 weeks and 2 days, but we are praying that everything will be just fine. Anyway, there are TONS of things that needs to be done, and Im honestly a bit worried. Clothes needs to be washed, the room needs to be painted, the crib needs to be picked up, and there are TONS of very important things that needs to be bought. My lil bro - Raul - promised to paint tomorrow, and my other bro - Manuel - promised to pick up the crib.

They have no changing table or even drawers to put the baby's clothes, and even though I know the changing table is not a priority, the drawers are. So, after we left, we were on our way to my mom's house and we saw a garage sale.... Garages sales are not common around here, and this is not actually a garage sale anymore, it is mostly like a garage store. The owner of that house once made a garage sale, and now people from all over the city stops by her house and leave items for her to sale. So, we saw this GORGEOUS changing table with 4 drawers and a space to hang clothes. We asked for the price and we didnt even asked two times and took it with us (we actually had to call my other lil bro to pick it up on her way to pick up the crib). It was still pricey, but WAY cheaper than anything that they were going to find in the stores.

Our shopping day was over, as the money that we planned to spend on all the little things, was spent on the changing table, but we (my dad's wife and I) are going to get together on Monday to pick up those other things that are missing.

So, we then we stopped by my mom's house. We agreed with Gaby's teacher that Gaby was going to have one sticker on her agenda at the end of the day when she follows instructions and behave. Out of 4 school days this week, she got the sticker 3 times, so she got a treat. She loves going over her grandma and LOVES more to sleep over. So, we took her and she slept over. She was thrilled!

After that we decided to pick up something to eat as it was mad late and the Mia and Mimi were not going to handle to wait for us to cook at home. Here are some pictures of my goofy girls while waiting for the food:

Open House at preschool

We got a bad start of the day.... Camila was suppose to bring a ride-on toy to school for an activity today, and we didnt find out about this until the moment that I walk in a saw 20+ ride-on toys on the front of the school (there are only 14 in her class, but it was an activity for 3 classrooms)... I got very upset but a teacher that lives close by offered herself to go to her house to pick up something for Camila and she did.

Anyway, we had to scratch that off and come back later for their open house... First we had Camila's Open House. We all sit down in a circle and the kids sing a couple of songs (mostly the teachers as those kids always gets shy when the parents are there), and then we did an activity together.. Then, we got to hang it on the hall... Here is Camila playing with daddy with some sorting shapes cupcakes...


Then, I told Camila to look for a friend for a picture:


Then it was circle time:

Then we went to the tables for the activity:

And then we hang our finished project on the hall:

Then we went to Gaby's Open House... We hardly took pictures as it was VERY fast. Each kid made a book with drawings and sentences!! Then each kid actually READ it to their parents!!!

Here is a picture with her best friend:

And here is a picture of an activity about letter G. It was funny that all the kids used several colors to paint theirs, but miss Gaby sticks to her favorites: purple and pink!

Gaby had a better week this week.... After she had an awesome day on Tuesday, she had a mealtdown on Wednesday. Then she got a good behavior sticker on her agenda yesterday AND today!!! She will have a reward this weekend!

Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

I decided to jump in with the Bloggy Giveaways Quaterly Carnival with a giveaway!!!!

This is my first time participating and I hope to do it every time! So, stop by my shop's blog and participate!!!

What is it about??? You will be able to go around my blog, or my website and choose ONE product that you want... Can be a non-printed photo card, a family blog design or even printed Mommy Cards.. even CUSTOM!... YOUR CHOICE, ANY PRICE!!! The only thing is that is has to be ONE PRODUCT, and if you are the winner you cannot change it. You can leave ONE comment per day until the closing time of the giveaway.

YOU CANNOT POST YOUR COMMENTS HERE!!!!!! Just stop by my shop's blog, read all the info about it and PARTICIPATE!!! And dont forget to tell everybody about it!!!!!

My dear grandma....

My grandmother (my mom's mother) has been a very special person in my life. As my mom divorced my father, she raised us by herself and she used to work looooooooooong hours... There were times when we had nannies, but on the weekends and vacations, we used to spend a lot of time at my grandma's house.

My grandma has 23 grandkids from her 8 kids. She has two favorite grandkids, and everybody knew about it. Those 2 were the oldest son of her oldest, and the oldest son of her youngest. Those 2 grandkids each one had a sister and that made those girls to be the meanest girls in the world. Needless to say, my bro was one of her favorites, which made me the evil sister. She would blame me for everything that happened, because she would say that I dragged my poor brother to do it. After we were teenagers, and a little bit more mature about it, the conversations about it became open in family reunions and everybody (including me) used to have funny how my grandmother use to baby my brother and used to treat me as the evil sister.

However, I have never doubt of her love for me... It is just that it was a different type of love. I used to be the one that massage her for hours... Oh, I remember those days... It was sooo painful for my arms, but I gotta confesed that I loved it.... I know that I would never forget about that.

My grandmother is always "sick". She honestly doesnt suffer from ANY really illness, but she loves going to the doctor. Every time there is a family event, she is always "too sick" to go, and she always prefer to have visitors than going out of her house.... She hardly goes to baptism, birthday parties, or any kind of celebration. However she went to Mia and Gaby's baptism. Everybody was surprised, and I was VERY happy.

Anyway, why Im posting about this?? On Monday something unbelievable happened. My uncle (the same one that I have mentioned several times on my blog), calls me to make sure we are home... I told him yes, and he told me that he was on his way WITH my grandmother for a short visit!!!!! She absolutely NEVER EVER visits anyone. It was a 20 minutes visit, but it sure made my day, my month and my year. Im VERY happy!!! She insists that Im preggo, but I keep telling her that Im just TOO fat... She really wanted me to have a boy (she LOVES boys), but it wont happen!! You could tell how happy were the girls with the visit!

I will frame the picture and give it to her as a present! Maybe for Valentine's Day!

The best gift ever

What could be named as the best gift ever for a mom on her birthday who's oldest daughter is having trouble in school???

Im beyond happy... After a whole weekend of meditation, and lots of talk, she promised to behave and follow instructions at school... AND SHE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!! She also told me that she remembered the whole time it was my birthday so she wanted to make me happy on my birthday.... How sweet!

Anyway, hubby asked me where I wanted to go eat.... Of course, we always choose a fast food place because of the playgrounds for the girls, so I wanted KFC... They had a birthday party, so we decided to go to Taco Bell.... We had a great time... We only got the girls french fries with cheese as they were going to have dinner at home, and even though Mia and Gaby were all about playing on the playground, Mimi was EATING 9as always).






I cant believe Im 28. This is the first time that my age hits me.

Car Wash Day!

Mia had a Car Wash Day at preschool last Friday... The school's secretary promised to send me pictures, and after some harrasing this weekend(thank God for Facebook) she emailed them today!!! I bet she was very happy how clean her car ended up!

Some people wonder if Im crazy having my 2 year old in a preschool, but honestly I wont have it any other way... When I see pictures like this, I honestly dont get jelaous because I missed it, what I feel is joy because my girl get to have freedom to explore and share moments with kids her own age, and learning to be independent from her family. At the same time, Im close enough to be there in 2 minutes if they need me, and I get a full report everyday of what she did and what not (each kid has a journal that has to be signed and returned every day by the parents).

It is also amazing how she behaves diferently at school than from home.... At home she is my little rascal!! She REALLY keeps us on our toes!!! I cant even tell you how many times she gets in trouble in just one given hour... But, at school, she listens, follows instructions and shows her sweet and loving side...

That day after Gaby's incident I was reading Camila's agenda, and Gaby asked me how did Camila behave today and asked me to read it... It said that she ate all her lunch, how many times she went to the bathroom, and that she was happy the whole day... It also had a Mickey Mouse sticker... Gaby wanted me to read more and more, and we kept going back and back in the days... There were positive comments about her behavior every single day. Gaby asked: "And when did she misbehaved?" ... I answered: "Never, Gaby. She always behaves good at school and it is always very happy"... Gaby opened her mouth like REALLY WIDE... I cant believe I didnt had my camera handy... She was in shock, and the only thing she could say was: "But, WHY??"... She was soooo surprise... Then I calmly said: "Because she has no reason to misbehave. She knows she gets treats when she behaves good, and she loves getting stickers. She also knows that everybody is happy when she behaves".

Gaby didnt said anything else. I didnt said anything else. She was shut for a bit, and I know she was thinking. I didnt want to use the frase: "You need to behave like your sister" or anything for that matter, and I think she got the point by herself. Im going to start a new reward system, but that is another post... For now, here are some of the pictures from Camila and her friends... I even made a watermark with the "photographer's" initials, as I cant use my own in a picture I didnt took:

Cancun Canuck!

Have you ever visited the Cancun Canuck's blog?? She is an amazing Canadian woman that lives in Cancun with her graphic designer hubby and gorgeous son Max. This is how her profile reads:

"I am a Canadian woman living in Cancun, Mexico with my Mexican hubby and our almost four year old MexiCanadian Max. I came on vacation five years ago and didn't go home. This Cancun blog catalogs the ups and downs of life in Mexico, a bi-cultural relationship and a bilingual crazy kid, a beach and beach picture addiction and some random ex-pat thoughts".
She is a finalist in the category of Best Latin American blog on the Weblog Awards. I will be awesome if you stop by and vote for her blog... It is very fast....So, what are you waiting for?? Go and if you vote let me know that you did it!!!!

Happy Birthday big Bro!

I cant believe another year has past... It looks like it was yesterday when I posted about my big bro's birthday last year... I cant believe he is 30 already!!!!

Happy Birthday Big Bro!

Check your kid's homework

I just couldnt keep myself from sharing this with you guys.... You first have to see the image and then read....

Here's the reply the teacher received the following day

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

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Edited to add: Just as I posted this, Gaby saw the picture an told me that the picture showed somebody's mommy that is brooming... She was so short that she had to get on top of the broom. Then, when Gaby noticed the people she said that those people are giving her money, and I asked her why... She said that she probably needs the money to buy something.

Gotta be something wrong..

I got a call from the school today (AGAIN) about Gaby screaming. It is not any kind of screaming, Im talking about the screaming like if she was shot or like if somebody hit her with a baseball bat. That's with NO tears coming out of her eyes. She was screaming because I put her pasta for lunch (her favorite meal), and supposely she wanted rice... I mean, isnt it easier just to leave the food and not eat it... Why she has to scream?? Nobody was forcing her to eat or anything.

Some other days she screams because she doesnt want to get her eyeglasses on after gym class, or because she is not in the mood for the eyepatch. I have tried everything that I have think of to make her TALK instead of SCREAM, but it is not working. A person that doesnt know her would probably think that she cant express herself, but Gaby can have a conversation like a 7-8 year old kid. She comes with the most amazing conclusions, and knows how to negotiate when she *wants*.

She also has a MAJOR problem with following instructions... She sometimes finishes her work, but most of the time she doesnt. There is one day, like Thursday, when she will be in a great mood and she would finish everything perfectly and fast. But most of the times, she just refuses to work.

At first her major problem was that she was still missing the other school and that she was having a hard time with the adaptation process, but she now loves her school, and even today when I told her that if she continues that behavior we will have to take her out of the school, she promised (AGAIN) that she was going to behave.

Hubby and I have been seriously thinking about homeschooling her. I would be the one doing it, at least while we live here. There is a site called Time 4 Learning, with a curriculum for Math and Language Arts. I would still need to research more for other options, and even if I choose that one I would have to look for another one with Social Studies and Science. The other option is to switch her to a school with higher standards of discipline like a school run by nuns.

We have an appointment with the psychologist on Wednesday, and we would see what she thinks... In the meantime Im REALLY REALLY sad... I feel like Im doing something wrong cause I cant solve a *problem* that my daughter is having... I feel sad because I just cant figure it out... Im her mom and Im suppose to understand my daugthter but I just have no idea what else to do or where else to look for help.

And just because Im in love with her no matter how she behaves, here is a picture of her.

20 Months Old!

In just 4 months my youngest and last daughter will be TWO... It sounds like such a big number for her... She is sooo petite, even though she talks like a 2 year old... Just today the lady from the Early Stimulation program told me how amazed she is with how much she talks. She has a funny personality cause she talks and talks and talks but only with the people that she feels comfortable with. Mostly the people that she sees everyday. But then, with everybody else she is sooo quiet. I used to be like that, though. Still are sometimes.

We found a plush Tasha, and she is in love with her. Im so set with their birthday party to be Backyardigans because Mia and Mimi are just in love with them... I was thinking that Mimi was going to be Uniqua, and Mia was going to be Tasha, but I will switch the roles... I wanted it to be like that cause Mimi's color is pink, and Mia's color is red. But as I see how much Mimi loves Tasha, it came to my mind that she is kinda like her. I was reading in Wikipedia the description of both characters, and came to the conclusion that Mimi will be Tasha, and Mia will be Uniqua.

Tasha aKa Mimi:
A little girl yellow hippopotamus, in red shoes and a flowered dress. Of the five characters, she is the only one who wears shoes at all times. She looks like a sweet little girl, but underneath she's rational, skeptical, and highly motivated to get her own way. Of the five, she tends to be the most serious, though Tasha can also be giggly, silly and full of fun. Tasha and Uniqua are best friends.

Uniqua aKa Mia:
A curious, self-confident and high-spirited pink creature with polka dots and overalls, she is almost always sweet and friendly, though her strong opinions and occasional stubbornness get in the way of her relationships. She is more tomboyish than Tasha, often imagines herself in roles requiring brains and fortitude (scientist, pirate captain, etc), and loves books.

Honest Scrap Award PLUS a Friends Award!! UPDATED

I got two new awards!! First one is Honest Scrap Award by Ali at How Mommy Got her Groove Back.

Here are the for the Honest Scrap award:
A) First list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B) Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Im not sure about making it interesting, but here it goes:
1. I have been buying stuff from eBay and Im loving it. I used to get everything buy now, but I have been bidding and getting awesome deals!
2. There are days that it takes me a couple of hours to fall sleep because I cant sleep thinking and trying to come up with a plan on what I have to do for Gaby to behave better at school.
3. I wish I could afford to support my mom so she doesnt have to work anymore.
4. Even if I had all the money in the world, I will still work on graphic design, and would do it for free.
5. Im sick of being this fat, and hate with passion not to feel like myself.
6. Even if people is predicting this is going to be a bad year, I think it is going to be an awesome year for us.
7. I see our family living in another country in around 3 or 4 years. Not sure where, though.
8. I wish I didnt had to put gel on my hair every single day.
9. I make drafts of my posts for my blog, and sometime it takes me several days to post them. They still get to be posted the actual day it happened what Im talking about in the post.
10. I dont let my kids to choose their themes for their birthdays, but I make sure they love the theme I choose.

Im working hard not to give the award to somebody that I have given an award already.... My seven awards are given to:
1. Brooke at the Ramblings of a Forgiven Momma
2. Lana at A Different kind of Odd
3. Nicole at Cul-ture-Queen
4. Liz at Mi sueño americano
5. Lauren at ♥Lauren♥Jaden♥Kaylie♥
6. Kira at Im the Mommy... That's Why
7. Jessica at A Queen raising 3 princesses

Then, I also got a Friends Awards from Andrea at Our Loving Family. The award states: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

And the next eight "Friends" awards are given to:
1. Melissa at Mamachef's Blog
2. Stacey at It's My Life
3. Arthur, Robin and Maggie
4. Jennifer at Siguiendo mi catracho
5. Serena at Diapering Doo-ty
6. Breanna at Adventures in Mommy Land
7. Kim at Kim and her Kiddies
8. Toddler at Play

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UPDATE - Feb. 18, 2009:
Breanna at Adventures in Mommy Land awarded me with the Honest Scap award too!!
I just added her on my sidebar... Thank you very much!!!!

Keirsey Temperament Sorter

According to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter that I got from my friend Susan, I have a Guardian Temperament... I think it fits me pretty good, so if you have time, take a look at my results... Also, if you take the test yourself, I would love to know what was your result, so let me know!!!!

Guardians are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply -- and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.

Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly -- they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.

Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.

Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population, and a good thing, because they usually end up doing all the indispensable but thankless jobs everyone else takes for granted.

Guardians at Work
As a Guardian, you enjoy working as a valued member of a team, whether you are leading it or following a credible leader. You like to work with people who carry their weight. You appreciate having clear-cut responsibilities and being recognized for your dedication and achievements. Your natural traits are those that employers have traditionally valued - and that successful companies still respect. You are responsible and loyal to an organization once you've signed on.

In any environment, including your work place, you are usually focused on making people happy and facilitating harmonious relationships. You often lend "aid and comfort" by drawing on a combination of tradition, past experience, and the direction of established authority. In your ideal job, people would give of themselves and work toward the good of the group.

Monday again....

This was a VERY fun weekend and VERY busy!!! Sadly, it came to an end and we are back to "real" life. Mia, Gaby and hubby are also a bit sick since a few days, but they are kinda worse today... It looks like it was something they ate, but we have all eaten the same thing, and Mimi and I are not sick... Weird!

Hope they get better soon!!

Luis Enrique's Baby Shower

Today was the Baby Shower for my new nephew Luis Enrique. It is really fun when the Baby Shower are not only for the mom, but for the dad and all the "guys" in their life. Here is a lil bro and the "mommy-to-be":

The Flowers with my dad... Gaby spend a lot of time playing a video game.. Hence the remote control in her hands:


The cake:

My other little brother with Camila:

The daddy and mommy to be:

Camila having fun with a souvenir pacifier :

Tacos for dinner!! It was a hit!

Opening the presents... They were laughing so bad as one of their friends was saying that the brush to clean the bottles was to scracth the baby's back!

One of our gifts was the Diaper Bag:

We also got them the Diaper Pail:

Gaby taking a peak of the gifts:

We had lots of fun, and I just cant wait for my nephew to be born!

Playdate with Isabella & Maria Paula

We were able to comply with another of the resolutions for this year of making playdates at least one time a month. We had a Christmas gift exchange and playdate planned for the girls with their "cousins" Maria Paula and Isabella, and we finally were able to do it today!!!

As Gaby and I had to go to the theatre in the morning, we planned it for the afternoon, and it was great. While we were waiting for them to get here, the girls were watching Backyardigans.

I didnt got many pictures, as the girls were just too happy and wouldnt stay still...



Maria Paula and Isabella got an Apron and a Chef Hat with their names (as the ones that my girls got)... Here are they cooking... I know it is hard to tell from the back but from left to right those three are Maria Paula, Isabella and then Camila.

I was taking pictures with three cameras at the same time, and I know I got a cute shot of this picture with one of the other cameras.... Gaby has in her hands one of the gifts she got... It is a Mickey Mouse with a car....

We really had a great time, and we hope to do it again very soon!!!