Merry Christmas Eve!

Today we are in Las Vegas. I am working from here too. Actually, we got up here yesterday (I flew and my mom, Tony and the kids drove). My dad flys in tomorrow so we'll all spend Christmas together. Yesterday was pretty much a travel day and today the kids (boys) woke us up bright and early.

Knowing that we needed to keep them busy and they WEREN'T going back to sleep we got dressed and went to eat breakfast buffet at Green Valley Ranch. Then the kids needed haircuts and we took them to Cool Cuts 4 Kids. We used to use Cool Cuts 4 Kids up in Colorado Springs but alas they don't have one in Tucson. They specialize in kid's cuts and entertain them with movies, and video games. For the smaller ones, they can sit in cars to get their cuts. The boys got "military" cuts (shaves) while Taylor is sporting a really cute new bob. Short hair actually makes all of them look older. (pictures will be posted later). We then came back to the house where I logged into work and the kids and dad put up the Christmas tree and played 2 games of SORRY. Anthony creamed Jackson and Tony both times. But overall they had a blast. Then our friend Garrett came over to play and Tony and Garrett's mom Kim took all the kids to play video games at Chuck E. Cheese. Then Garrett stayed at the house with us to play and now those guys are making cookies. Whew! They did a lot and it's not even 6:00pm yet!!! Does this mean that an early bedtime is in the near future????? As we all know "Santa Claus is coming to town..."

"Hom" XMas

Every year since I can remember my mom's side of the family got together the weekend BEFORE Christmas to celebrate. This year was no different. We had tons of food, the kids got to decorate gingerbread cookies and open presents. It is always great to visit and catch up with family members that we see about once a quarter. Of course this year was much better for us since The UA Wildcats WON the Las Vegas Bowl in football. Hee hee.

Taylor was old enough this year to actually work on the project instead of just eating all the candy. Hers turned out pretty well.

The boys tried to do graham cracker houses again, but the royal icing wasn't drying fast enough so they just stuck to decorating their cookies...and of course sneaking the candy.

Present time! Jackson and Anthony both received an Optimus Prime this year. Those kids have a lot of "Thank you" cards to write up and send out.

Taylor loved her "baby" that she got this year. Fortunately, the under clothes are sewn directly to the doll's body so I won't find naked babies all over the house. hee hee.

Cousins...The boys posing with their cousin Tiffany. Of course I forgot to try and get a picture of all of the "new generation" together. There are 6 of them. Tiffany - 8, (my) Anthony - 7, (my) Jackson - 5, Thomas - 3, (my) Taylor - 2.5 and (baby) Taylor - 1. I am patiently waiting for my other younger to start having kiddos. But they still need to get married first. hee hee.

2008 Holiday Card

Here is our 2008 Holiday card. If I have your address your tangible one will be in the mail soon. If not, enjoy!

Also, our "Blurb" I created for the back of the card is:

2008 was a very busy year for us. The kids were involved in a lot of activities. Anthony participated in Karate, Jr. Tennis, and Swimming. This summer he was able to attend a sports camp at Westward Look Resort and attended a technology camp called "DigiDudes" at The University of Arizona. Jackson participated in Soccer, Jr. Tennis, Swimming and Karate. This summer he attended a soccer camp, was the youngest and smallest one at camp and was the MVP of the camp for the week. Taylor learned how to swim, is taking Ballet and is fully potty trained! Even Tony and Lisa had a chance to have fun this year together when they went to Orlando, Florida in February...KIDLESS!!! Football season this year was amazing! The whole family got to attend a few UofA games together and the boys got to enjoy some much needed "dad and son" time at the Arizona Cardinal games. Anthony is in 2nd Grade and Jackson is in Pre-K at Immaculate Heart Academy. Taylor is going full-time to school at Pusch Ridge Preschool and Kindergarten. They are all doing so well academically. They have made lots of friends and genuinely enjoy going to school every day.

Tony's job at Raytheon has been keeping him busy this year. He is a lead Engineer on a pre-production project due out next year. He's managing his own team as well as is a contributor on his primary project. He still commutes about 45 minutes away from home but has started carpooling with the company carpool system so that's been helping us to save on gas money. He has become the "mega" coach this year. He's been coaching Jackson in soccer and recently has become the 7th grade boys basketball coach for the Immaculate Heart team at the boy's school. Beginning in January 2009 he'll start coaching Anthony and other kids in a YMCA youth basketball clinic.

Lisa is still working the late shift with Oracle and continues to telecommute from home. She's been working out trying to get her ankle stronger so she can finally run and keep up with the kids. Her later work hours enable her to volunteer at the kid's school during morning recess and she proudly holds the title as the "strict lunchroom lady" given to her by the older kids at the school.

We predict that 2009 will be just as busy and just as crazy! Check us out and read about our adventures on our blog at http://maranagrayfamily.blogspot.com. Of course you can always get in touch with us via email at avralisa08@comcast.net.

Addicted to Coffee...

Due to the weather getting cooler, Tony and I have been hitting the Starbucks, McDonald's and Roadrunner Coffee places. I think I'm now addicted! We used to go there to get drinks as a treat and when we got the coffee craving. There was about 2 weeks where I couldn't function in the morning w/o a Pumpkin Spice Frappaccino or a Gingersnap Latte. I have even gone through the drive thru at McDonald's for their Caramel Iced Coffee (thanks for the tip Char) before taking Taylor to school in the mornings. I've become a coffee snob...I won't drink McDonald's coffee after 10:30am (breakfast time) because you don't know how long it's been since a new pot was brewed. And in the afternoon/evenings, I go to Starbucks or Roadrunner because that's what they specialize in. Also, I am partial to hitting the places that have a drive-thru. Even at the UA/ASU showdown, I was trying to find a place to grab a coffee and was starting to get angry that the UofA doesn't have a Starbucks right in the middle of campus.

Anyway, we have finally gotten a coffee maker in our house and have brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee. YUM!!!!!!!!! (Again, Charlotte was right). I love my coffee sweet and this coffee does not have a strong aftertaste at all and it's not hard on my stomach. We'll see how quickly I crash after I'm done with my "Grande size (16oz) caramel coffee" today. Hopefully this will be a money saving change in our habits. I just have to remember to make coffee in the mornings for the 2 of us and to brush my teeth with the whitening toothpaste from now on. Hee hee.

Las Vegas and Playoff Bound Baby!!!

Last night was the "Duel in the Desert" for the Territorial Cup between The UofA Wildcats and ASU Sun Devils. Yaya...my team won! Gooooooooo Wildcats! Which means that we leave our 2008 football season 7-5 and we head to Las Vegas, Nevada for The Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, December 20.

Today, Tony took Jackson to see the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams game. Winning this game meant that the Cardinals win the division and get into the playoffs. They did just that! What a great Football season. Since we are season ticket holders, we paid for our playoff game tickets. We know we are guaranteed 1 home game for sure. We'll see how they do and if they get a second playoff game. You never know...stranger things have happened!

Tony is very happy because he went 3 for 3 in football wins since The Denver Broncos won today as well. They "may" have a shot for a Wildcard spot but we'll see how the remainder of the regular season goes.

Football baby!

Preparing for the New Year

It's soooooo, crazy that December is here and Christmas is 20, almost 19 days away. I have been trying to put the finishing touches on our holiday/New Years card. Gotta love Winkflash and their amazing special on cards right now. The biggest challenge will be organizing all of the addresses of the people we send cards too. But Tony said that he would help me this year...will he hold true to that???? I have to learn line dance steps to teach everyone at the annual "Hom Christmas". Because of that, the YouTube website has become my new best friend. My cousin Darin is getting married late next year and this is our chance to get all of the generations to dance at least one dance together as a family. I don't think it'll be quite as grand as "Rock The Reception" but we'll give it our best shot.

Today was 2nd Grade Reconciliation at Immaculate Heart. Both 2nd grade classes were excused from school for it. Anthony learned all of the lessons however he did not participate in Reconciliation because he is not Baptized. Actually, none of the kids are Baptized so none of them will participate in Reconciliation. I want them to decide the right moment when they will accept God into their hearts and want to be Baptized for all of the right reasons. Until that time comes, they are free to explore and learn about as many Religions as they can. Anthony was fine with not participating in the ceremony and he and dad got to hang out together for a little bit before they came and helped with lunch recess.

It was a very big day for Anthony because he got the day off from school and got to spend the night at a friends house. This is the second time he's done this. There are 3 of them that all hang out together and are very good friends at school. It's very cool because they have known each other in passing from 1st Grade last year as 2 of the boys were not in the same class as Anthony. This year, all 3 of them are in the same class. I feel sorry for the teacher. ;-)

Today was the Scholastic book fair at IHS and each boy got to bring their own money and purchase books for themselves. Very big step for Jackson! Already, he's proving to be a smart "money man". Whoa! Watch out Papa...he's going to take over your store soon.

I think I will take a huge leap and say that Taylor is completely potty trained! She has been staying dry all night for the past 4 months. Even before we started the training, she was keeping her diapers dry at night. She's been out of Training Diapers for about a 2 months now and wears undies 24x7 without any accidents. For the past month she's been excellent about telling us that she has to go. Although we still are in the "parent training" phase and watch the clock and have her go potty every 2 hours but she does 95% of the time without putting up a fight! By far she's been the easiest to train!!! I believe it to be true that girls are easier than boys in this area.

Tomorrow, is the annual UA vs. ASU showdown in Tucson. Our friends are coming down from Chandler for the game. They are a "house divided" as Wendy attended ASU while Rob went with us to the better school. The winner of the game will play in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 20.

Sunday, Tony is taking Jackson up for the Cardinals vs. Rams game. I think they'll have a great time bonding. Jackson is so into sports right now. My parents have already started him on the football pool. Actually all 3 kids enter. Jackson has won once this year and so has my dad, and last week my mom won. Tony and I don't play anymore since we did so poorly the previous 2 years. It's funny too because Jackson asks my mom EVERY Thursday "Nana do you have any football picks for me"? There's no rhyme or reason to the madness, they are just lucky kids!

I'm not sure if I'll get to post one more time before the end of this year so if I don't, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and stay safe!

Tomorrow, I will be older but am I wiser????

Tomorrow I turn 33. Wow. 33...what an age. Are there any major milestones...no, not necessarily. But the numbers are pretty cool. I will be 33, I have 3 kids, I have moved 3 times in my life and I have owned 3 cars.

I know I am older but am I wiser. Maybe...I have more patience, I can think faster on my feet when given a challenge and I think I finally have part of my life figured out. A VERY SMALL part of my life but nonetheless, I have it figured out.

What is wisdom anyway? According to Dictionary.com Wisdom means:
–noun
1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
2. scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.
3. wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
4. a wise act or saying.
5. (initial capital letter) Douay Bible. Wisdom of Solomon.

Hmmmm, do any of those meanings even remotely fit me? You decide.

The best "lovies", "Soothies" ever!

I am thinking about all of the soothing items the kiddos use/used as their soothies. I need to take pictures of them but they are all very near and dear to the kiddo's hearts. Take away any of these items and the kiddos are sad and MAAAADDDDDD!

Anthony: "Carter" - little (8" long) yellow bear w/a rattle inside it...from Carter's. And patterned cloth diapers/burp rags.

Jackson: Velour beach towels or blue "doggie" blanket. Sometimes, blue dolphin but mostly a towel of some sort. Also a small handmade pillow w/Clifford pillowcase on it.

Taylor: A piece of new kleenix twirled between ring finger and thumb while sucking on her left index finger. Purple blanket, star blanket or white blanket...all made of soft cushy fleece.

Home Improvements

Small ones, but they will make a difference. After 2 years of living in this house we finally purchased programmable thermostats. They little boys helped the big boy install the one for the main part of the house. They still have the master bedroom side to do but they can wait on that one for a few more days. The new thermostat will keep us from having to manually increase or decrease the temp in the house when we leave or come home. Hahaha, allows us to be about 30 seconds lazier.

We also got our 3 trees that we ordered through the Trico Electric tree program. OK, they are "bush trees" but nonetheless will grow up to be trees...hopefully! Cousins Eric and Christopher helped pick them up and cart them and plant them at our house. So on the South side of our house are our 3 bush trees. Fortunately they are low to the ground because the wind is blowing like CRAZY today. They were so small that we didn't bother to stake them. Thus far it's late afternoon and they seem to be holding up nicely. Today Tony and I purchased mulch for them but due to the wind will wait a little bit before adding it to the tree burm. Hopefully the wind will die down in a few hours and we can get out there and cover the ground before it gets too cold outside.

Now the next thing to work on is clearing out the garage and getting the house to a full decluttered state. Of course there will always be yard work/landscaping and any necessary cleaning that needs to be done...dishes, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, picking up, etc. But I'm hoping that we'll get the rest of the clutter finally put away by the middle of next year. hee hee.

Halloween Pictures

So finally, I am posting pictures from Halloween.

Little Anthony and Tony went to a classmates Halloween Party. I have no pictures (I had the digital cameras) of the event so Tony took a video. It looked great! The family's nanny and the 2 kids made all sorts of Halloween goodies for the party and decorated the interior and exterior. There was a scavenger hunt...girls vs. boys, Halloween games, and of course trick or treating. Both boys were exhausted after the event! Fortunately for me, they brought me home white chocolate covered strawberries made up to looked like ghosts, some Halloween sugar cookies and chocolate bat sucker cookies (chocolate cookies stuck onto popsicle sticks w/candy corn ears.) YUMM-O!

Anthony is a black ninja. This costume finally fits him...he got it from our cousins Christopher and Eric about 4 years ago to wear on Halloween.

Nana and I took the little ones trick or treating. We walked (while they rode in the wagon) from the La Madera house into Winterhaven. Nana and I got a good workout...pulling 2 kids in a wagon and walking several blocks. We were exhausted. After our stint in Winterhaven we walked back towards the house and the nearby church was having a Trunk or Treat event...FREE to the public. So we stopped. They gave out water, hot chocolate, candy (of course)and popcorn! I think the 2 kids got as much candy there as they did in Winterhaven. CRAZY! Each car trunk was decorated and all the people were members of the church. They loved seeing all of the kids. I guess they have done a Trunk or Treat for several years now...apparently we've always missed it except for this year. Afterwards we unloaded back at the house, we went to see Papa and Tina and Nanette at the store. Of course Taylor kept her costume on but Jackson was so tired and hot that he changed immediately. Then we headed home to meet up with the other 2 boys.

Jackson is a black and platinum ninja and he was so excited about it. The costume is a bit big so he can grow into it and wear it plenty of times throughout this year.

Taylor is Dorothy from the movie "The Wizard of Oz". She can sing almost the entire song Somewhere Over The Rainbow. During the week leading up to Halloween she kept asking to wear her "Dorothy dress and ruby red slippers" around the house.

Heading off to Winterhaven. Who would have known that Taylor would outwalk her brother that night Trick or Treating? All she kept on saying was "I want to go to the next house..."

More pictures from another busy weekend!

This past weekend was the UA homecoming. Friday night was the start of our weekend. Jackson graduated to a full orange belt in Karate and did a fantastic job. We had so many activities planned for the weekend. As usual, we are constantly busy but we are busy as a family!

Sitting like Black Belt and waiting your turn is the proper way to show your teachers respect in class.

Standing like Black Belt also is another way to demonstrate respect for your class and the teachers.

Awesome front kick during Forms testing.

Jackson and teacher from Sunrise ATA school Diana Perry

Jackson and his instructor Mr. Kim

Saturday morning the day started with soccer for Jackson and Daddy. Then mommy, Anthony and Taylor went to Anthony's Karate graduation and he worked hard to earn his Brown Belt Recommended (half blue/half brown). Then, mommy and Taylor went to Taylor's ballet class while the boys went to get something to eat. We met at Nana and Papa's house and drove to the UA campus for Junior Scientist Day. (Bear in mind this all occurred BEFORE 2pm)

Taylor rests on Anthony while they wait for graduation to begin. Too sweet a moment to pass up. They both are a little sleepy...I don't know why, they each got 9 hours of sleep the previous night.

Anthony sitting like Black Belt...well almost. In his full sparring gear it is sort of hard to sit like a Black Belt.

Sparring. Must show 3 "cool" moves each. After they do this then they perform full contact sparring.

The kid has hops! Since Anthony is a high rank (Blue Belt) his kicks include jumps.

Demonstrating good technique during the forms testing.

Anthony and one of his instructors Mr. Park.

Mommy enrolled Taylor into a ballet class that accepts 2-3 year olds. At most schools she would have had to wait until she turned 3 to being. Mommy was a bit scared since Taylor has been wearing undies the past few weeks that she would have an accident on the dance floor. Mommy really underestimates the kids!

Taylor does a leg lift during warm up...not quite a Pice turn.

Waiting patiently for her turn across the floor.

Taylor working across the floor. Slow and deliberate she goes.

Chase away the foot with Miss Elizabeth

Jumping over mats across the floor. Taylor still has to work on her hops and jumps but she's getting there!

Junior Scientist Day is always so much fun for the kids. Last year we found it on a happy accident. This year, we made sure we took in the activities on purpose. The kids had so much fun making kaleidoscopes, putting their DNA on a chain, making slime, touching bugs, painting using robotic arms and eating free Eegee's. They had the ice cream making station but that table was always so crowded and so we skipped it this year.

All 3 kids got to make Kaleidoscopes. Jackson had fun assembling it.

Anthony holds a meal worm from the Entomology table...Bait anyone????

Kids and bugs. Taylor got to hold a HUGE millipede. As soon as it started to move on her hand, she moved her hand out of the way almost dropping the poor thing.

Trying to get an ending picture with dad...3 very tired children.

Mommy came out of hiding from behind the camera to show she WAS at the activities.

After we finished with Junior Scientist Day Nana picked us kids up and took us to Papa's store. Mommy and Daddy stayed on campus and found cousin Courtney and watched the Homecoming parade. (No real comment about the parade) Then they went to pseudo tailgating with Courtney and Doug and their friends (Their area is sooooo cool! They want to go back). Mommy and Daddy met up with their friend Glen and went to the game. Our cousins from San Diego came into town for the game (USC fans) and we had dinner with them on Friday night but saw the boys (men) on Saturday. I think they enjoyed the game. USC did win but UA overall (despite some small brain farts) played very solid 10-17 was the final score.

Lisa in front of the UA softball exhibit at the Hall of Fame in McKale Center.

Tony near the Fiesta Bowl Football trophy. He was able to attend this game in Tempe too.

The Holiday Bowl trophy.

Victory! 1997 NCAA National Basketball Champions. This was a GREAT year and tournament for the Cats.

Tony and Glen at the game.
Kenny and I pose for the camera. This was about 50 minutes prior to kickoff and our stadium is starting to really fill up.

Kevin and Kenny gearing up for the game. These guys wanted to come down to see USC play before Kevin got out of high school. Tickets are too hard to obtain for home games at USC so they came down to Tucson for a mini vacation.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Wilcats!

Some action on the field.

Hahahhahahah our silly self portrait. Not bad for not being behind the camera.

Expensive yet good for the kids...

I have recently discovered a few organic foods for the kids that are more expensive than their non-organic counterparts but are so much better for the kids AND they actually eat this food w/o grimace.

1. Horizon Organic Milk Boxes in Chocolate and Regular flavors. They also make Vanilla and Strawberry milk boxes as well which we haven't tried yet. They are very yummy but so expensive! However, it's a great way to get Jackson his milk during the day at lunch while at extended care. Anthony loves them too but I already paid for him to get chocolate milk at school so he'll have this at dinner or on the weekends. I was purchasing them at Wal-Mart for $3.29 for 3 and Wild Oats sells them for $3.39 for 3. They also sell them by the case at Wild Oats Market and anytime you purchase something by the case at Whole Foods, they give you 10% off. It's still cheaper per container to buy this milk from Wal-Mart but sooo convenient to purchase the case at Wild Oats. Hmmmm, only about $.10 more per carton. I guess I could use the savings and just purchase another 3 pack more from Wal-Mart.

2. The other thing we found are the Cliff Brand Twisted Fruit and the Cliff Brand ZKids bars. They sell the zKids bars for $.69 cents at Whole Foods and $.89 cents at Sprouts and at Wal-Mart...I didn't see the per bar price. Also they sell the Twisted Fruit for $.69 cents at Whole Foods and $.89 cents at Sprouts. I didn't see the Twisted Fruit at Wal-Mart. These things are like a thick fruit rollup/licorice rope. It gives the kids 1 full serving of fruit and has very little sugar.

3. Fruitabu Smooshed Organic Fruit Twirl. This stuff is great, it's also about 1 full serving of fruit. It's equivalent to a Fruit By the Foot. The kids gobble this up at their morning snack time. And the fact that they can pronounce the name is a bonus too. I found it at Sprouts for a 10 piece pack for $4.99.

4. Y Water. They make Bone Water, Immune Water, Brain Water, and Muscle Water. It's flavored water that has extra vitamins and minerals that are supposed to help the kids grow. I have only been able to find it at Wild Oats Market and it's $1.39 per 8oz. bottle. Jackson LOVES the Muscle Water and Anthony loves the Brain Water. Plus you clean out and keep the bottle and when you order YKnots they become connectible toys. Hahahaha, dual purpose.

Although these items are expensive, they are good for my kids. I'm not making a complete change to Organic eating because if we did, our food budget would triple or maybe quadruple!

I have read in an article about fresh foods that should be purchased organic due to higher levels of pesticides. These include:
Apples, Bell Peppers, Celery, Cherries, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Raspberries, Spinach and Strawberries.

I haven't seen too much on meats. But I know that locally grown, grass fed cows are better. Organic fish or Wild grown fish are good as well as Range Free Chickens. They are supposed to have no hormones and are better for you than mass market ones.

So for now, it's the small changes and I'm hoping that it'll cut down on the amount of "bad" snacks that are requested to be brought into the house and over time, I'm hoping that I'll be prolonging my kid's lives.

The girlie is sick

Poor Taylor has had a mild grade fever for the past few days. It started on Saturday, never getting above 100.5 degrees would go down with Motrin and she was bouncy and fine. We went to see HSM on Ice and she had a great time, dancing and everything. Silly mommy left the camera in the CAR! I should have ran out to get it as we were in the front row but that's ok. The kids are talking about it still. I digress...

So Saturday evening she stayed with my parents and didn't need Motrin and her temp appeared regulated. On Sunday we picked them up and took her swimming...again, she seemed a little warm but didn't warrant Motrin before the lesson. She then went most of the day and finally in the evening the fever sparked again. She got clingy and a little cranky but nothing too unbearable. Around midnight she was very warm so we gave her more Motrin and rubbed her down with a cool cloth. She slept through the night but was warm this morning so mommy kept her home. Good thing she did, after dropping the boys off at school we went to Wal-Mart to do some shopping. She was zoning a little bit but was a little warm and overall fine.

Then we got home, she watched "Dorothy" (Wizard of Oz) and VeggieTales and played for a bit. She ate some chicken noodle soup and after that was finished. We went to lay down and she was clingy and hot! She slept for a good 4 hours. Mommy is not complaining because she got rest too. She did break out in a sweat which was good because she hadn't done that last night. Then we went to pick up the boys and it's been downhill ever since. Taylor is complaining about being cold yet she's very hot to the touch...fever. There's no snot or coughing, which I kind of wish there was then we could say it's a cold but oh well. During dinner she did nothing but sleep on me and then as we were getting into the car to head back home...she puked all over mommy's car. Oh well...it happens. But she feels better now. Funny how that works out. She's currently sleeping and after another bath she still has a mild fever again but is sacked out!

Tomorrow she stays home with daddy so mommy can work. We'll see how that goes. I will say this though...she stayed dry in undies all day long and did beautifully! She's been sleeping in undies for the past week and is doing well. Only 1 accident in the morning after she woke up waiting for her turn in the bathroom. But she did finish up on the potty. And at school she's been staying dry pretty much all day long. I mention this because when kids get sick, they usually have accidents especially the potty trainers and she didn't. I don't know what tomorrow holds in store for us, I hope we'll get her temp regulated, keep the fever down and she'll get over whatever she has tonight! But I don't know, she had what my mom call "feverish eyes" around 4pm today (glossy, watery, sad and tired looking). She didn't have them until after her fever had broken the first time. So maybe she's cutting teeth although there's no increase in saliva or the change in the weather from cold last week to hot (over the weekend) made her a bit dehydrated and that's how her body is reacting.

Thank you Meetup Moms of Tucson!

I had to post a message board post on my moms group board and I have gotten a lot of great responses and suggestions to help us with Tony's allergy issues. As of today, it looks like he's going to have to try and get a transfer from the Rita Road site up to the Airport site (hee hee...JUST KIDDING) because the landscaping is KILLER down there! It's landscaped with everything he's allergic too. Next it looks like we'll be ripping all the carpet out of our house and then putting down more rock in the yard to keep the dust down (for my benefit too). However, the carpet ripping outing won't happen for a LONG time. For now, he'll just have to get on his round of allergy shots to desensitize himself and we'll both be very invested in keeping all the allergens out of the house.

On an interesting note, I've heard that locally grown honey works wonders. I guess that will be a change in his drinks...no more Splenda and using honey instead in his iced tea.

Flylady challenges and superfling boogies here I come again! :-)

Tony's Allergies

So after 3 years of suffering (from the time we moved back to Tucson) with allergy problems, Tony FINALLY went to the allergist. Granted this year has been a horrible year for allergies but because the Doctor was going to test him...(they forgot to mention that he was going to have a scratch test)...he couldn't take any antihistamines for 3 days. So from Saturday morning on he has been miserable! Sneezing, coughing, wheezing, blowing his nose. Monday he came home from work to work out of the house because he was disrupting his co-workers w/all of his sneezing and nose blowing. Today, he also worked out of the house because of the appointment and has been working in the kitchen but I can still hear him sneezing and blowing his nose as if he was sitting in the office next to me.

Two years ago we found out that he has adult onset Asthma, this year...he's allergic to pretty much everything that grows in and around Tucson. He's been prescribed meds to try and combat his current problem and then goes back for a 2 week follow-up. He may have to get desensitized to the allergens since we intend on staying in Tucson for a long while. But that will mean rounds of shots over the course of 18 weeks or something crazy like that! However, I say go for it because when he suffers, we ALL suffer! Plus it's been 3 years and at least we know what he's allergic too. I'm hoping that if he can get desensitized to this stuff, it may help get rid of his Asthma symptoms too. I guess I had better get the kids tested as well since their nasal allergies are also acting up AND since Jackson has food allergies just like me.

Just so I never forget I'm sharing with all readers all the items Tony is allergic too. I'll have to look up what causes or grows these things so we can try and avoid them and get them out of our house:

MOLDS:
Alernaria altern.
Bopolaris Sorok.
Cladosporium sp.
Drechslera spicif.
Mucor circ.
Penicillium not. (yes that's penicillian)
Phorna betae
Stemphylium sol.

GRASS POLLENS:
Bermuda (similar to what's on golf courses)
Brome, Smooth
Kentucky Blue (the same type we had at our house in Colorado)
Rye, Perenn

WEED POLLENS:
All Scale
Baccharis
Burro Brush
Careless Weed
Lamb's Quarters
Pigweed, Spiny
Ragweed, Desert (um...ya, I'm allergic to this too and yet we LIVE in Tucson where it's rampant)
Russian Thistle
Sage, Common

TREE POLLENS:
Ash, Arizona (And we JUST purchased one of these trees through Trico Electric....the boy should have gone to the allergist sooner!!!!)
Elm, Siberian
Juniper, Western
Mesquite (We have one of these in our front yard and just purchased one from Trico Electric too)
Mulberry Mix
Olive (I'm allergic to this one too)
Palo Verde (HAHAHAHA, this one is all around us in Tucson and around our subdivision)
Privet

Oh ya, and I have to mention that he's allergic to Ibuprofen based medication (Advil, Aleve, etc.). We had that almost 2am trip to the E.R. a month ago for him. However, I found out the next day from my cousin that Asthmatics AREN'T supposed to take Ibuprofen as it causes Asthma flareups!!!! Hmmmm, it would have been good to have known this 2 YEARS AGO!

So if any of my friends have allergies and have thoughts or suggestions on how to keep them at bay...PLEASE SHARE! I'm beginning to think a lifestyle/living change is in our immediate future.

The muffins are almost all gone!

Well...my family found them appetizing and edible! Yay for mommy. Now I have to find another recipe to cook up tonight. Since Thursdays are my "Fridays" I'll probably stay up late baking and watching my DVR recording of Grey's Anatomy. :-)

Tomorrow is October 10 and wow, that's the same day that Tony and I met each other 14 years ago on the tennis court! Hahaha, love on court...how sappy and romantic ;-) The year was 1994 and we both entered to play in our Asian Club's tennis tournament. Since there was no women's draw they stuck me into the men's draw for singles. Guess who I had to play first...And then we had to play doubles against each other. Anyway, after a few weeks of hitting after classes, he asked me out. Our first date was to a party at his Fraternity house that had a live Jamaican band. We then went out the next night and that Sunday afternoon and we've been at each other's side ever since. Crazy how that happens.

Fast forward 14 years (married for 9) and 3 kids later...I'm now baking! Hahaha, everyone knows, I NEVER bake what has this man done to me??? I'm baking muffins and soon it'll be cookies and bars. What's our next adventure...cakes?

Momma Baked!

For the past 3 weeks or so I have been on this mini muffin kick. Thanks in part to a breakfast parkdate with my moms group and little Taylor bugging me to get her mini muffins for breakfast. So I have made about 4 batches of mini blueberry muffins using the complete muffin mix by Betty Crocker. It's great...just add water, scoop and bake. Voila, yummy muffins that the family gobbles up. So to fulfill my quest for saving money and eating healthier, I was convinced that there had to be a book filled with various yummy (AND EASY) muffin recipes. So far, I think I found it. It's called Muffins Galore by Catherine Atkinson. Of course today, I read the online reviews and the book didn't get a good rating. The only person who rated it found a typo...yes it's still there and mentioned how the author didn't give the correct conversion for substituting All Purpose Flour for Self-Rising Flour. Oh well...I only had A.P.F. and so that's what I used. I know...I could try the Self-Rising Flour as a bag of it is only $4 or so at Super Wal-Mart. Next time! Read on...

Today I went grocery shopping and purchased all the supplies needed to make Blueberry muffins and Vanilla Chocolate Chip muffins. However, both of those recipes call for self-rising flour. I decided to use All Purpose Flour instead. My first batch was the Vanilla Chocolate Chip muffins. They looked great however they (slightly crunchy on the outside) seemed to be a bit dry. Of course me being the OCD cook, I had to do another batch! This time the batter was much more moist than the first one. I used a little bit more sugar and vanilla extract. The second batch is definitely more moist, it still has the nice firm outside and soft inside. They aren't as dry tasting. I'm glad with both batches I used the regular sized chocolate chips instead of the minis...chocolate goodness in every bite!

OK yes I know the muffins are lopsided! The blueberry muffins, I made regular sized and used the new silicon muffin cups I got at Target (6 for $1). They turned out very moist and just about every bite has some blueberry in it. I had to use frozen blueberries since fresh ones are really expensive right now. Not too bad. I actually think I would have liked to have these ones baked a little bit longer. I like the crunchy outside and soft inside. Or next time, I'll add coarse sugar on the top for a crunchy coating. Although I'm thinking that baking them directly in the pan without the silicon cup liners might yield the results I'm looking for. :-) And yes, for those of you who think I need to have more symmetrical looking muffins, I'll use a cookie dough or ice cream scooper for nice rounded muffin tops. Hahahah, I'm not selling these though and the "home-made" look is "in" isn't it???

The real test as we all know is when the kiddos and husband get home. IF they eat them and ask for more, then they are winners. If not...back to the baking board! I think the next set of muffins I'm going to attempt are the Cranberry and Pecan muffins or the Cinnamon Swirl muffins. Both sound like they'd be great for breakfast foods and that's my ultimate goal, to create healthy yet quick on the go foods the kids can eat in the car on the way to school. I think I'm subconsciously becoming more "home-makerish". I know, I could do breakfast sandwiches or breakfast burritos or pigs in a blanket (pancake wrapped sausage) but that would require me OR Tony to get up about 45 minutes earlier than we already do. Sorry kids, we love you, but we also need our sleep too! Besides, the kids are soooo picky about what they eat, they may not even eat those items we cook.

Right now they are all on a Pop Tart kick...of course a few weekends ago Tony had to get the football team frosted brown sugar and cinnamon ones. I had a whole bunch of Frosted Strawberry ones in the pantry that still needed to be eaten up but Anthony got the University of Arizona one so I can't complain about it too much. I guess it's a great change for them from the Quaker Chewy Granola Bars they had been eating in the mornings. Although, I do still have 2 BIG boxes of cereal they need to eat up too. I guess that'll go to school with them for their morning snack at recess time. BUT...that's the other point for me making homemade muffins, something different for them to eat besides their usual snack food. I suppose if I continue making homemade baked goods, we'll either become as big as a house or stop eating all that expensive convenience food! I'm really hoping for the latter.

Understatement: Busy Weekend

Friday Tony and I both had off from work. And so our weekend officially started on Friday. We were swamped with back to back appointments albeit mainly fun appointments but we really need a weekend just to recover from our weekend.

I was asked earlier in the week by the Pre-K aide to help out in the Pre-K room so she could be with family. I was a bit nervous but I know the kiddos from volunteering at recess time and it turned out to be really fun. Those kids are hilarious! 3 hours of non-stop..."keep your hands to yourself, play nicely please, share the toys, finish your work, sit on your bottom, etc." Meanwhile, Tony was able to chase tennis balls thrown at him from the ball machine. :-). Then we met back at the school for lunch duty. 2 more hours of "sit on your bottom, clean up your trash, walk don't run, etc." At least lunch was outside on the quad so the kids could be as noisy as they wanted.

After school Anthony was invited to a friends birthday party. He did that for a little bit and then he and Taylor had an appointment to get a flu shot. Both kids did GREAT! No tears...Anthony did well up a bit but nothing fell. And then Taylor had no idea what was going on so that was great too. Then we went to eat at Chilis for dinner and then off to the bookstore for family book night. Then we went home and the 3 boys (2 little ones and Dad) watched Iron Man. The girls (Taylor and momma) watched The Goodnight Show on Sprout and went to sleep early.

Saturday...we woke up and went to Jackson's soccer game. During the practice and drilling, Taylor and Anthony played on the playground. Then we all went over to the field to watch the game. Jackson played hard and all the kids did great. The opposing team did have one kid that kept trying to slide kick into our team to prevent them from getting the ball. This kid is going to hurt someone. In fact Jackson had a collision on the field and ended up falling on his shoulder. He recovered great though and ended up going back into the game. He scored 2 goals and ended up bumping the other kid back who was slide kicking into our players. After the game we went to eat and then took Tony and Jackson for team pictures.

Then Taylor and the boys were invited to Taylor's friend's birthday party at Pump It Up. We stayed for an hour and left early. Then we met Papa at Bok Bok's house so he could drop us off at the U of A Football game. Tony and I took the 2 boys to the football game while Taylor stayed with Papa. We had a blast. Jackson's dinner consisted of popcorn, Powerade and candy. He barely ate any hot dog. Anthony's dinner was hot dog, popcorn, Powerade, candy and later when Nana came to the game...soda. Oh well. The boys were good sports and had a ton of fun. They actually sat there and cheered the team on. Then Nana, the boys and I walked back to Bok Bok's house. Nana was so awesome, she played "which came first..." and sang "10 more miles to go" with the boys which helped keep their minds off the fact that it was such a long walk back from the stadium. Then Jackson and Taylor spent the night with Nana and Papa while we had Anthony with us. On the way home we stopped off at Jack In The Box to get our free tacos. (Everytime the U of A scores 33 or more points in a home game Jack in The Box gives away 2 free tacos for every redeemed game ticket). Then we made a stop off at Cold Stone Creamery to get ice cream and then headed home.

Sunday, Tony and Anthony left for Phoenix so they could see the Cardinals vs. Bills game. They left early so they could eat with Granny, Granddad and Grandma. It turns out that Aunt TJ was also in town so they got to eat breakfast with her and Albert too. Tony was also going to take Anthony to Todd Mcfarlane's store to see the action figures before the game. I'm not sure how the Cardinals are doing as I haven't checked the scores. And they'll be back home after the game is over. Of course I have to work and Nana just brought home Jackson and Taylor. Apparently, Taylor went to bed at 8pm and slept until 8am this morning. Jackson went to sleep at 11pm and slept until 8am. So they got sufficient sleep. They will be taking naps in about 30 minutes though.

Whew...I'm exhausted! The sad thing is...most of our weekends are similar in nature. No wonder we are exhausted all the time. :-)

Yay...pictures!

Well my laptop is officially dead. It won't even boot up correctly. However, I managed to save my pictures...specifically the ones from the month of September that were waiting to be uploaded to winkflash. BTW, my digital friends...$.06 digital print sale until October 3rd...use coupon code: ONLY6CENTS.

So here are some pictures from Jackson's 5th birthday party at Pump It Up on September 13th. He officially turned 5 on September 16th. He had his well child checkup on September 19 and was 36 pounds and 42 inches tall. Now in Nana and Papa's car, Jackson can sit in his own booster seat. He is such a big boy now!

The birthday Prince sits on his birthday throne

Our party crew! About 30 kids (pictured) and their parents (not pictured)

The Pusch Ridge Preschool Boys from the Stingray classroom

Some of Jackson's classmates from Pre-K at Immaculate Heart were in attendance
"The boys"

"The girls"

Aunt TJ and Taylor have some fun together

Taylor couldn't get Grandma to take her on the slide but a picture is okay too.

Even I got in on some fun

Papa made it out to celebrate

Anthony is a bit tuckered out after running and jumping for an hour and a half

The party room we had cake and ice cream cups, soda, chips, and candy

Soccer cake for my soccer star

The birthday Prince and the King.

We gave the kids balloons in their goody bags...who needs jumping?