Well it has been a short minute since I even thought about blogging because I was super busy with the end of the school year and all the shenanigans that come along with it. 

But here I am now and I feel awesome!  The end of the school year was not the only thing that has made me feel magnificent (AHHH a break) but because I decided to take the leap and join a 30 day yoga camp.  Cue blog point...

I wanted to share with you the amazing program that has jump started me into holding onto my health and well being.  I am pretty good at keeping on the "clean" eating band wagon but I needed an exercise routine that could go with it.  I don't like the gym, I don't like running (especially here in Tucson where we have been hitting record temps) and well I don't like exercise!  But I can stand yoga.  I have off and on gone to yoga to help with weight loss and healthy living but I found something finally that I believe will keep me going on the "workout" train.  

With the help of the amazing Adriene, I have been able to let go stress, work through problems and keep to my eating habits with more ease.  Who is Adriene you ask... she is my yogi guide.  You can find her at her blog Yoga With Adriene.  She has free yoga videos, tips and astounding advice.  I just finished day 10 today of her yoga "boot camp" and I can already feel the startling difference it is making in my life.  If you are looking for a new way to accept yourself and let go of some inner stresses you may not even know you were holding onto her camp is great with mantra's that help you understand, accept and be present in your life.  

Now you may be thinking this is a marketing ploy but I assure you it isn't.  This is just me shouting from the roof tops that I love my new found awesomeness and Adriene just happen to help me find my inner strength.  

Thanks friends!

Namaste!

10 Things I Am Just Starting to Recognize Fully...

Hi friends!  I am sorry about the delay in writing but I have been dealing with many things right now. Too many balls are up in the air so to speak.  This sounds super clique but as I am getting older I am realizing (33 if you are wondering) that I have a lot of crap I need to get back in order or together.  Some of the following things I am sure others think or feel so I felt it appropriate to share because maybe I am not the only one thinking these things...

1. Living a Healthy Life Style is a Daily Struggle

I have been trying for many years to eat, as people call it now, clean.  Clean eating I think is one of the most important parts of keeping your body healthy.  Eating foods that you do not know how to pronounce or drinking nasty sugar filled sodas, juices and even alcohol.  I have tried to live this idea the very first time I heard a very smart chef once say "If you can't read the label, don't eat it!"  Jamie Oliver inspired me that day to be better about what I put in my body before I even knew what clean eating was.  But the reality is I live in a 5 person household (2 of them teens) and it is pricey and next to impossible for me to feed everyone with all natural or organic items.  I buy amazing dinners but I lack every where else.  I am trying to be better but it is a daily struggle because we are living on a very, very tight budget and sometimes we just can't afford it.  Then I read a stupid meme and it made me recognize fully that I am making excuses and I need to worry about our health now and not have to pay for it later.

2. Metro PCS SUCKS!

Wow, that feels good to say! I hate the service, I hate the phones they have and the customer service in store is just awful. Switching ASAP!

3. Sometimes I Just Don't Need to Say Anything

I tend to open my mouth a lot (as I am sure you can tell from some of my posts) and at times it gets me into more trouble than I was thinking it would.  I am a know it all and when I have decided something it is really hard to change my thoughts and opinions.  So on this note I have fully recognized that I need to just shut up sometimes.  Sometimes I just need to shake my head and pretend that I agree or that I understand.  I would get into less trouble.

4. I Am A Good Mom but I Want To Be A GREAT MOM!

I love my kiddos with all I got but at times I find that I am upset or annoyed but today's entitlement that most kids under 18 have.  I feel like some where in life something went horribly wrong and they think everyone owes them something.  Here is the thing... if I continue on this mentality I will only ever be a good mom.  To be a great mom, I have decided, is to set aside this thought (I mean heck they are a product of their environment) and remember that these are my kids and no matter what I would do anything and everything for them.  With that in mind I feel I can make better choices, teach better lessons and help them to be amazing adults one day.

5. Date Night Can Be Over Rated

I am a firm believer in the idea and concept behind date.  But to me, the homebody, I think it is over rated.  I work all day to come home and clean and cook and hang out with the fam, who has time.  I can make time but then I think I am taking away from my family.  Plus when we go out it is the same everytime.  I would much rather sit at home conversing with the people I really love and watching a movie or catching up on some shows.  OH and I save money.

6. I Love My Job But...

I really do love my job.  I am a kindergarten teacher and it really is amazing.  Here is the thing, as I have been getting older I realize that I really wanted to be a meteorologist.  I love weather.  Everything about weather rocks!  I think the idea o being able to predict what is going to happen is amazing.  I think tornado chasers are awesome!  I think that meteorologist are astounding.  I just am in awe and wish I could have done that too.

7. My Co-Workers Secretly Dislike Me...

Okay really I think that we are all good friends but I am pretty sure that this year they may not like me as a co-worker.  I need to step up my at work game and prove to them I am better than they think or maybe really I need to prove it to myself so I can just stop feeling like they dislike me as a co-worker.

8. Chores and I Have Love Hate Relationship

I love vacuuming, dusting, cleaning counters or making my bed, but when it comes to things like dishes, cleaning the tub and folding the laundry I am lazy and just do not want to.  I could clean all day long if it did not include those 3 things.  So I want to clean up more but I just can't and I just won't.  Hehehe.

9. I Will Never Be Rich

And that's okay.  I have realized that I don't care what happens in life as long as I am with Boyfriend and have my kids I am blessed.  I have struggled to try and see the light at the end of the tunnel so many times that I give up.  When the kids are older and move out we can start to really be financially stable and steady.  Until then we will just keep on truckn'. 

10. This Blog May Never Get Off the Ground

I love the idea of this blog and I know that some of you do too (which I appreciate) but here is the thing.  I suffer from sever anxiety.  So much it can be debilitating.  I am working through it but during rough times I may not be around.  I am going to continue this, not as a place to make profit but as a safe place to voice thoughts and opinions.  So if this blog never gets big, that's okay.  I am just glad that get the opportunity to even have this blog and will do my best to keep up with it.

5 Things that Made This Week Awesome!

This was one of the busier weeks for me this year so far.  Teenage drama at home, kindergarten drama at school/ work, ice machine broke in the refrigerator, chores piling up, and so on and so on.  I won't bore you with the bad things that happened, instead lets discuss the awesome! 

1. Farm Street

I found a new game for my phone that has kept me quiet entertained this week. When I had 5 minutes to spare I would whip this game out and build my farm and restaurant, since I can't have the restaurant that I really want in really life I figured why not use a pretend one. :)
This one is mine so far.

2. My Daughter

Well of course every week she makes things awesome but this week she came home proudly with her perfect attendance award and honor roll!  She is one amazing kiddo!  I don't even know how she does it.  She is one of those kids that learning, discovering and wanting to know more about life is her passion.  For example she creates speeches, stories and Power Points just for fun.  She keeps me grounded and reminds me of the parent I want to be not the parent that gets crazy because the kiddos aren't doing the chores the way I thought them up in my crazy head. hehehe

3. My Backyard

Our backyard is a hot mess pretty much always but with the weather we have been having we have been spending a lot of time out back.  The reason it made this list is because the flowers from other peoples yards (we don't have any flowers in out backyard because Jax would eat them, see 10 Things My Do Can't Live Without for more, funny, details).  The weather has been so amazing that the flowers are in full bloom!  It makes me feel like I am in paradise!

4. My Floating Shelves

I made an earlier post about my shelves.  I figured they would be done by now and I could post the final pics of them but it has just been more time consuming than I thought and well I don't have time.  But they made this list because they are coming along nicely and I am so proud of Boyfriend and I for making these instead of buying them for some insane amount of money.  My goal of the weekend is to finish them!

5. Netflix

Now I am sure that they have made many lists but for this month and this week they have topped the cake in my world!  Last night I went on to see what new shows or movies were coming in April and butterflies of excitement began fluttering in my stomach because not only do they have many new good looking shows like The Ranch with Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson but they brought it with one of my favorite movies!   The Princess Bride is now on Netflix folks!  Shout it from the roof tops!  Get the kids, hubs and popcorn ready because movie night just got a whole lot funnier!

(pic from Amazon)

So that's it folks!  These are the tops things that made my week just a little bit more bearable.  I hope you all had a better week than I did but even if it was just as crappy try to find the small things because they really do make things better and worth while. 

Happy Anniversary Babe!

I have been wanting to post this for a bit but have been just completely swamped with life!  

This past week was my boyfriend and my's anniversary.  We have been together what seems like forever and each year just gets better and we just get closer and closer.  I love him with all my heart!

This year we do not have a bunch of money or really any money to get each other something but because we don't like spending money for things we want throughout the year this is one of those times we just buy what we can so that the other knows we are thinking about them and how special they are to us.  Though on a side note we decided that this was the last time we were going to buy individual presents for each other and have decided to buy something for the both of us next time.  Something we can work on together or do together and what not.  

This year I went super simple but still a bit crafty (which I like to do every anniversary).  I made boyfriend a cute bag to hold all of his stuff into.

I found this on Pinterest (of course, hehehe) which lead me to a cool crafting site called  Craftriver.  It was super simple to make and fill up!  I just used a sharpie marker so that the words and the hearts popped, stapled it to the bag, added some of his favorite things and then tied it with string.

Some of the things I put in there were Twinkies, beef jerky and his favorite beer (Stella).

As for what he got me... I feel like that was a bit more excited!

I got home and found him working out back making my present.  He didn't want me to peak so I went creeper and looked through the window.

I still couldn't see but I had a guess because in my bedroom he had left the most vibrant and aromatic flowers I had ever seen or smelled!

The above picture does not even do them justice so I had to take close ups.  Below is one of the better ones.  They are African Daisies and they are suppose to attract butterflies!  

As the evening drew I knew he was building me a planter for these fabulous flowers!

I want to show you all a picture of the flowers in the planter but it is not completely set up yet, so I guess this is a teaser about what it will look like!  But I will hint...  It is huge and it not only holds my flowers but my daughter's wild flowers and there is space for the herb garden that I am going to plant!

Back to the post at hand...

Our anniversary was amazing!  Oh and I forgot to mention that he also got me an adult coloring book (because I am a big kid at heart) and come coconut oil.  The coconut oil is so that I can start oil pulling!  I will post about that here in the future too so stayed for that.  All in all this was a great day and at the end of it I am just blessed to have such a wonderful partner in this life.

I will leave you with one more picture of these cool but simple gifts!

10 Things My Dog Can't Live Without

This post was originally a joke with my boyfriend last night but then I was thinking about it and the things that my dog, Jax, clearly can not live without is super funny.  He is a character, I am sure like most dogs out there, but how distraught he gets over certain things in his life is just hilarious!  So, for this Sept Farms link up I am writing 10 things that my dog can not live without (or he may perish, hehehe).

1. Squeakies

Jax DESTROYS EVERYTHING.
There is not one plant, watering tube, hose, leash, floor, carpet, pillow... well you get the point, that Jax has devoured and tore apart most everything, but then there are his squeaky toys.  I bought one for him when we first brought him home (he is now 3) and he still has it.  He carries any squeaky we give him with finesse and grace.  

2. His Momma

He think that I am just the bees knees.  He is very protective of all our family members but he will even growl at boyfriend when me and boyfriend are wrestling around.

3. Pizza

Just the smell alone will have him running! He loves every part of this flavorful food.  He will dig through the trash late at night just to grab a piece of thrown out crust.  

4. Marrow Bones

This is a favorite for many dogs but this is the one treat that we have had to tell the kiddos they are not allowed to touch once we give him one because he will snap at you if you try to play with him while he chows down on this.  And yes, we do not give them to him often because of how grouchy he gets if you try and take it away.

5. Chow Mein From Ms. Saigon's

I was eating this as a leftover the other night and realized that this may be his new fav food.  We were trying to train him to go into his dog house that boyfriend made for him and I decided to give him a noodle as a treat for listening.  At that point there was no more training.  He only had eyes for the noodles.  Side note: Ms. Saigon's is one of our fav restaurants here in Tucson, if you have never tried them, they are amaze balls and you should check them out!

6. The Living Room Rug

We have a rug in our living room that Jax just adores.  I know this because every single time he comes in the house he runs to the carpet, throws himself onto it and starts scratching his back with it (legs in the air like he just does not care!).

7. Hikes

This dog can hike!  Desert hikes, no problem.  Mountain hikes, easy.  Long and treacherous hikes, simple!  Jax couple hike for days with no break and he would be golden as long as he has his favorite people with him, he is golden.

8. Car Rides

So he may love hikes but car rides are definitely his second fav!  He will just go in the car and ride around with us (like when we are looking around at yard sales) and he is completely content because he gets to hang with his fam and he gets to get out of the house.  Oh and sticking his head on my right shoulder while I drive is one of his favorite past times too! 

9. Beer

This one is a complete accident!  My boyfriend spends a lot of time in the back yard due to all his wood working projects and has spilled a few beers in the past three years for us to realize that Jax loves beer.  He loves it so much he will lick the floor until there is not one drop left and it sounds like his tongue is rubbing sand paper on the cement!

10. Spit

Also a very nasty one but something he just can't resist.  If any person spits (yes this is gross) on the ground in the backyard (and it is not in dirt) Jax will lick it up just like he does the beer.  I wonder what it is about the spit he likes because clearly the person spitting didn't like what it was, hence they spit.  So weird.

So that's it!  My loving dog and all his weird must haves.
What is something your dog can't live without?

Ham vs. Turkey: Easter Traditions

First and foremost Happy Easter to you all. I know I'm a day late but I wanted to still post something about Easter. It's one of those times of the year where family gets together celebrates the reason for the season and put together some of their most treasured family traditions.

For me our traditions are simplistic. We do not have some crazy Easter egg hunts or any huge family gatherings with more than 7 people. For my family the traditions are simple but they run deep, at least for me.

Our celebration includes good food, fun and family.  The first thing that is always the same is that we have ham.  This is a fight (a nice friendly one) every year because my step-dad think it should be turkey but us polish people (my mom and I) believe that we should have ham and well the cooks always win so we have ham. :)

Also like many others we dye Easter eggs.  We have tried all the new-fangled kinds of dye but we always end up do a traditional dye job our our eggs.  Then we simply eat them.  No hiding and forgetting that one egg that will smell up the house for days after.

Something else that is always the same (traditionally speaking) is that we always play board games.  It is something that we all love doing, except for my boyfriend at times because he seems to think that my mom and I are plotting against him in a battle of house rules vs real rules. Hey what can I say, my mom and I our very opinionated people and like things to go our way. Hehehehe

So we eat at about 2 o'clock every year and then we just sit and binge on games, candy and snacks.  All the while yelling at each other that they are cheating or not playing right or laughing or secretly plotting on how you are going to beat everyone!

What are your family traditions?  What makes Easter just a little more special for you and your family?

Happy Easter everyone!

Oh Hey Friday!

September Farms is just an awesome blog that I love.  She comes up with the best ideas and one is her Hey Friday link up.  

This is my first one but I am sure it won't be my last.  Here are my 5 for Friday, things I thought about this week :)

5 Things I Thought About this Week:

1. Blogging Ideas

So I am trying to think up so good ideas to get more traffic here on my blog.  I think I have had a good start but would like to see more (doesn't everyone, hehehe). So I think I am going to add some reviews and more lists (I love a good list).  Also you will be seeing some crafty things, as I love to craft.  Don't worry, I am going to stick to my main Tucson theme but since it is the end of the school year I am not going to many new places because of the busy rush I am in to complete everything at work and at home.

2. I Should Own Stock in Starbucks

I love me a good cup of joe and after years of trying to pretend like I can deal with any old coffee I have come to terms that Starbucks is the one for me.  I can't help it.  My pallet just does not want anything else.  I can make my own at home and be fine but if I am out and about no other coffee will do.  It just stinks because by this time, with all the coffee I have bought, I could own a Starbucks!

3. Easter Just Came Up too Quick!

I don't know about you but I am not ready for Easter at all this weekend!  Luckily I don't have to worry about Easter lunch or anything because we are going to my moms but I have 4 kiddos that need to make sure they get their Easter baskets and I just plum forgot to call the Easter bunny!  I must get on this right away and make sure that their will be Easter festivities this weekend!

4. Healthy Living

I have done every possible diet you can think of and I still am not down to my weight.  To the defense of the diets, I can never hold to a diet for long periods of time but I do know the one that works the best.  What that means is no sugar, no processed foods, no yucky things you can't read on a label, etc.  I am talking about the clean eating kick (or just real eating as I like to call it) that everyone seems to be on now.  It really does work.  Did you know that what you eat is like 80% of your dieting issues.  Only 20% is the exercise.  So if you ate really well all you would have to do is really work out to firm up and lose the little extra in place you don't want.  I am going to start again with the hard core healthy living after this weekend.  I have been baby stepping it back this week but it will be in full swing next week.

5. Not Broadcasting My Blog to Friends

Okay back to my blog (sorry) because I have also been thinking about how I have not really told any of my real life friends (no offense internet friends) about my blog.  I am a little nervous to because I don't want any of them to think I am copying their blog or blogging ideas.  I know that I am not doing this (as none of their blogs are like mine) but it still worries me because I care about what they think, even though  I am a tough cookie who doesn't care what anyone thinks. *wink*
I think I am going to tell them this next week though.  It will probably help my first thought from this post because they can help promote or at the very least come and check it out. 

Anywho... Thanks for visiting and checking out my post :)