Jan
27
Today is my little Declan’s 2nd birthday. WOW my baby is 2. Time sure does fly doesn’t it? It seams like yesterday he was laying in my arms.
It is crazy how just a couple short years makes such a HUGE difference….
So now I have 2 two years olds and I have officially lost my mind.
Happy birthday to my little man. Who makes my world complete….
Jan
25
by Kandi
I love those before and after shots I’ve been seeing all over Pinterest lately.
It just so happened that Friday I could do one of those myself.
I’m not taking credit for the idea, but I admit, the results are adorable!
Jan
24
by Kandi
As you all know, we did a giveaway for a family pack of tickets to Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales. Well, the event happened over the weekend and let me tell you, the show did not disappoint!
Andrea and I took the three oldest girls to the show. Our own little princesses! They even dressed the parts and we were escorted to the event by Ariel, Belle and Snow White. The girls all looked adorable, even if they had to wear coats over their costumes 
The show itself was great! The girls couldn’t keep their eyes off of the stage. CS got so into the Snow White portion, who is her one of her favorite princesses (the other being Repunzel). When we first heard the dwarfs sing “Hi, hoooooo” from off stage, she answered them with her own “hi, hooooo”. She was thrilled to help count the dwarfs too. She loves everything about Snow White.
Cinderella was fantastic! Personally, I think every little girl wants to be a Cinderella just once in her life. I loved the Fairy Godmother! She had the entire audience singing along to “Bippity Boppity Boo”. The transformation into Cinderella’s party dress was magical! The dress was gorgeous! If I could find a reason to wear a dress like that every day, I would.
Then came Belle and Beast. It was adorable to watch A sing the songs. You see, I never pushed my girls to love princesses, they just did. Beauty and the Beast was my favorite of the night! Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts were the cutest part of the entire show! I’m not going to spoil the surprise, but if you have a chance to attend this show, be ready to sing along with “Be Our Guest”!
I also wanted to pass along some information we got. For those of you in the Dayton area, Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales will be coming your way soon! Be on the lookout for details.
Jan
23
What happens when you have a little girl that is all sweet and innocent to the public eye? The public sees her as a little angel. They see her big blue eyes and see her as she can do no wrong. But as soon as those doors close the horns come out.
Yesterday I had it with my dear sweet or not so sweet Scarlett. Most people are SHOCKED when I say that Scarlett is temperamental. HELLO HER NAME IS SCARLETT she got her name rightfully. She has more personalities locked up inside of her than there inside of Cybil. Yesterday I had the day all planed out. I was going to spend the day out with JUST HER. I was going to take her out to lunch then I was going to take her up to Kandi’s for a HUGE surprise. We were taking the girls to see Disney Live! Presents Three Classic Fairytales then I was going to take her to dinner afterward.
Well before I even left the house she was having a fit. She didn’t like the way I did her hair. I mean FULL BLOWN SNOT COMING OUT HER NOSE ARMS CROSSED NOT TALKING ONLY SCREAMING that kind of fit. I got her into the car her still crying all because she didn’t like her hair. DUDE IT IS ONLY HAIR. As I was pulling down the drive I thought this is stupid. Why am I doing this. I stopped the car (slid down the drive due to the ice) I told her to stop it or I was taking Paisley instead I wasn’t going to be miserable for a whole day just because she wanted to be. She had to the count to 3 to stop crying. She stopped. She didn’t talk but she at least stopped crying.
Well we we went to lunch and she still didn’t talk due to still being mad about her hair you know she didn’t act normal until we walked into the door at Kandi’s house. UGH…So we go to Disney Live. I bought her the $20 program that she wanted and that was it and a drink. We had a great time. We drove home with Kandi all was fine.We got in our car and started driving home.
I asked her what she wanted for dinner and all HELL broke loose. She said Golden Corral. (NOW I HATE this place. It makes me sick. I can’t tell you how much I hate this place.) She starts throwing a 2 year old fit in the car. Kicking the seats (mind you I am driving my little HHR not much room for kicking the seats) yelling screaming PURE SPOILED BRAT TEMPER TANTRUM. She is telling about how she only wants to go to Golden Corral and that is it and how it isn’t fair. BLAH BLAH BLAH. I toned her out after that. Because really it was a bunch of horse SH*T after that. And I didn’t care what she had to say. I calmy told her to shut her mouth and stop kicking my seats or well I was going to pull the car over and well she was going to have a reason to be screaming on the side of the high way.
Well she finally calmed down and I was talking to my sister and I was telling her about it and I told her I had enough of this entitled behavior NO MORE.NO more going out to eat. THAT IS IT. Scarlett had to wait to eat until she got home. PERIOD. I told Scarlett that she will not be going out to eat for A LONG TIME.Then walk in the door and Evan starts in that he deserves a surprise because I took Scarlett out. Are you F*#k*@g kidding me? YEAH so not cool. NEEDLESS TO SAY NO SURPRISE FOR HIM..
So then this morning Scarlett throws this 30 minute fit on how she doesn’t want to get ready for school and how she just wants to sleep because she is tired. SO AM I….So I remind her of this cruise that Daddy and I are planning on taking them on in the fall. Guess how isn’t going to be going is she doesn’t straighten out. SCARLETT will be staying home.
Are my kids the only ones out there that act like this. I swear I might feed them to the minks that are running around her. Maybe send that to military school. They most likely are the reason in the spike in my blood pressure. They honestly know when I can’t take anymore and push me even further. I think they really are going to kill me..
Jan
20
by Kandi
About a week ago something happened in our house. Surprisingly, it was a case of the “I don’t knows”.
It’s Saturday and our house is in full swing. We are cleaning, doing laundry, dancing and singing to music, preparing lunch, etc. Our house is quite busy each Saturday. Somewhere in all the chaos, the tv in our living room was left on. As I walked through the room with yet another load of laundry to put away, I reached over and flipped it off. I’m not into wasting electricity at all.
Later that evening, after the kids were all tucked away, Chuck and I finally got a second to sit down. We were going to have a “date night in”. As I was finishing up the popcorn for our movie, Chuck flipped on the TV just to catch the news. The next thing I here is “what in the h-e-double hockey sticks is wrong with the TV?”. I have no clue. Yet, when I walk into the room it’s obvious something is wrong. Very wrong. There is a giant red/purple circle in the middle of the screen and a long green stripe at the bottom. Those were not there earlier in the day.
You see, our tv isn’t new. We purchased it around 13 years ago, but it does it’s job. We have kicked around getting a new television for a while, but in the end we decided not to. Ours works fine, it is just missing all the new bells and whistles. No big deal for our family since we watch little more than cartoons on it anyhow.
So Chuck calls his Dad and goes over the issue with him. His Dad said it sounded like the tubes were going out and we should just bite the bullet and go get a new one. Great. The search for a good TV in our price range is what we do for date night instead. Fun times right?
The next morning we ask the kids if they knew if anything had happened to the tv. A chorus of “I don’t knows” didn’t bother us. I mean, they were asleep when we noticed it. Then two days later at dinner, this comes from A, the stuff in italics is what I was thinking:
“Mommy and Daddy, I have something to tell you. (oh crap) I know what happened to the TV (really?). You see, we were playing with Daddy’s desk magnet
thing and well, we found out that if you put it on the tv that it changes colors and looks really neat (ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!).
So, we drew cool pictures with the magnets on the screen. We are really sorry Mommy and Daddy, but it was fun”
This was followed by “I only used the little stars Mommy” from CS and Ren saying “I think it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen”.
Shockingly, Chuck and I looked at each other and just knew what the other was thinking. How on earth can we beat the kids without protective services being called They are so grounded. I was leaving for a meeting, so I calmly told them that after dinner they were to put on their jammies, wash hands, faces and brush teeth and then go to bed. No one made a fuss and when I got home later, they were all in bed and asleep. That’s when Chuck and I sat down and tried to piece together the story. 
Here’s our take on it. Chuck got one of those desk magnet things for Christmas. The kids love to play with it and somehow they figured out that if they held it to the tv screen it would do fun things. Now we have a TV with funny circles on it and are going to be out a bit of money to replace it. We also had to discuss discipline because it’s not like they were fighting or something. Together, they have caused damage to something that isn’t cheap to replace. Here’s what we did.
I realize that may sound mean, but we wanted them to learn a lesson about having things. The last thing we are going to do is take the TV to be recycled a few weeks before we got buy a new one. I’m sure they won’t like it, but there is a lesson to be learned in that too. How would you have dealt with a situation like this? Would you have chosen the same route?
Jan
19
As Kandi mentioned before my grandfather went home to be with Jesus. I have needed to take some time off to processes and think to reflect. I have been reflecting on all the events in my life that have involved this wonderful man.
As a child we my and dad would send us to his house during the summer. It was for about a week or so. It was my sister and I and my cousins. We would go to the parks, bike ride and do all kinds of fun stuff. He would have us walk about in the field.
I would work in the garden beside him. One of his favorite stories to tell my kids was when I was little I was working in the garden picking beans beside him and it was so hot. I kept going “I’m a tweating (sweating) pawpaw.” I don’t know how many times I have heard that story he would just laugh.
He taught me how to drive. I had to drive around that same very field that I had to walk around as a child.
He taught me to change a tire and how to change my oil in my car. (YES people I do know how to do this.)
Several years ago Tommy and I had decided to get married. We were honestly planning on eloping. Neither of us wanted a big wedding . Then I received a phone call from my grandpa. Asking if he could marry. Well lets just say I ended up having a large wedding due to the fact that my grandpa wanted to marry me.
When each of my children were born he was there at the hospital. He tried to make it the 1st night. But he made it to the hospital somehow during my stay. He had to see his great grandbabies. Matter of fact he and Mawmaw were keeping Evan when I had Scarlett and we had a HUGE snow storm. They had to 4-wheel out because Pawpaw had to come see her. That was the kind of man he was.
A few years ago they lost their home to due to the city taking it from them because there was water under it. We were getting ready to build our house. They asked us what we thought about them living close to us. We were good with it. They said they wanted to be close to us and the grand kids. Pawpaw joked that he was going to have Evan living with him. He picked out what room Evan was going to have. He wanted Evan’s room facing his so he could always see him. We have had our ups and downs with living so close. I have shed many tears about it.
I loved watching him with my kids. My kids thought the world of him. Especially the girls. OH PAWPAW was the world to them. The begged to go see their Pawpaw.
After Pawpaw went into the nursing home he went down quickly. I went in 1 night like I always did. I bent down to give him and kiss and tell him I love him. He grabbed me by the face and kissed me and said “I LOVE YOU”. The sound of him saying this still echos in my head. You see I really don’t ever remember him saying this to me.
The day I got the phone call from my mom I knew my world would stop. I was able to make it to the hospital to tell him I love him and kiss him and tell him I loved him. I held his one hand as he took his last breathe as he went home to be with Jesus.
I have shed many tears over the past several days. My heart aches. I love him dearly. I miss him dearly.
A friend told me to just think of all the people that are coming up to him going you are the reason I am here. You see he was a minister. At his funeral I had several people that came up to me and said that they were converted because of him.
I received this in the mail a few days later from a friend of mine’s grandma. I have known her since JR high.
If you could see where I have gone, the beauty of this place.
And how it feels to know you’re home to see the Savior’s face.
To wake in peace and know no fear, just joy beyond compare.
While still on earth you miss me…yet, you wouldn’t want me there
If you could see where I have gone, had made the trip with me,
You’d know I didn’t go alone, The Savior came with me.
when I awoke He was by my side, and reached out his hand,
Said, “Hurry, Child, you’re going Home to a grand and glorious land!
Don’t worry over those you love, For I’m not only with you.
And don’t you know with you at Home they’ll long to be Here too?”
If you could see where I have gone and see what I’ve been shown,
You’d never know another fear or ever feel alone.
You’d marvel at the care of God, His hand on every life
And realize He cares and bears with us each strife.
He weeps when one is lost, His heart is filled with pain.
But oh, The joy when one comes Home, His child at Home again.
If you could see where I have gone and could stay awhile with me,
And could share the things that God has made to grace Eternity,
But no, you could never leave once Heaven’s joy you’ve known.
You couldn’t bear to walk earth’s paths once Heaven was your Home
If you could see where I have gone, you’d know we’ll meet someday
And though I’m parted from you now, that I’m not far away.
So thank you family; thank you friends for living for the Lord,
For teaching me to love Him; to trust Him and His word.
And now that I’m at home with Him, secure in every way,
I’m waiting here at Heaven’s door, to greet you some sweet day.
—-Author Unknown
Jan
16
Honest I am still part owner in this blog.
I don’t get presents very often. This year for Christmas Tommy told me to pick out something that I wanted. I went back and forth. Do I want a Mac laptop? Do I want an Ipad? Nothing really jumped out at me. I honestly have everything thing I want. (Did that make me seam like a spoiled brat?) I am content with my life. But one day early in the week I was sitting out in the living room with Tommy watching tv and I mentioned out much I missed having a lap dog. (Now keep in mind I have my BIG OL Weimaraner that I got earlier in the year.) He honestly he at the time looked at me like I was crazy at the time.
Fast forward a few days later. He was sitting at the computer a couple days later and asked me a again. What do you want for Christmas. I made some kind of smart remark like what does it matter you aren’t going to get it for me anyways. He goes well I have to this year since I just built me a new computer. (OH BAM there it is. The reasoning behind my Christmas present this year.) He then goes words my ears thought they would never hear again. Why don’t you go get yourself a lap dog. You better believe I jumped at this one. Tommy isn’t the biggest dog lover or animal lover at all. (I do see him loving on the dogs every once in a while)
That night we went to the mall JUST TO LOOK. But I got suckered in. I KNOW BETTER that to buy a puppy at that mall. I am in my 30′s I KNOW BETTER than to buy a puppy at the MALL. COME ON.. But none the less I bought my little Iris from the mall and brought her home. She was perfectly for about 3 days. Then my nightmare started in. She started coughing and coughing and coughing. It was so bad. I took her to the vet that they recommended.
They kept my little puppy for about a week. They removed my puppy’s tonsils. YUP you read that right her TONSILS. (I have never heard of this either.) I brought her home still coughing. During this time she was kind enough to get my other dog sick to. Do you know what an 80lb dog at 3am coughing is like? It is like a freight train going thru your room. So I made the pet store pay for her vet bill also. I had a perfectly healthy dog before the puppy came home.
Well my big dog is healthy now but my puppy is still sick. She is a big whopping 2.8lbs still coughing. I have to take her back and forth to the vet. I made the pet store give me some of my money back and they are paying ALL of the vet bills. Lets just say those aren’t very pretty. But I have learned my lesson. NO BUYING PUPPIES FROM THE PET STORE…
Jan
13
by Kandi
I know A ask me a while back NOT to write posts about her anymore. However, she is only 6 and has no idea how to access the Internet much less find this site. Therefore, I’m writing about her. Ha!
Yesterday evening, Audrey was struggling. She struggled through homework. Then through dinner. Finally, I sat down with her and ask her what was on her mind. Chuck, wanting some more insight into girldom, joined us. We started out by just general chatting about everything little girls talk about. Barbies, school lunch, why she yelled at her sister, and the like.
Then she just starts crying. Honest to goodness I had no idea why she suddenly burst into tears. Once she’d stopped sobbing, because I swear my little girl can’t just get teary, she told us what was up.
Apparently one of her bff’s got glasses a couple days ago. This bff is still a little self conscious about those glasses. Yesterday, the bff was crying because some of the boys in the class were making fun of her and told her she was ugly in her new glasses. Those boys are super kind let me tell ya. Anyway, my daughter went straight to the teacher and told her what the boys were doing. While the teacher dealt with the offenders, A went to talk to her friend. She said that she gave her bff a hug and told her that boys were icky. They both agreed that was true. Then she told her friend that she thought her new glasses were really pretty and that the bff looked beautiful in them.
Right then my heart melted. I mean melted right out of my chest. You see, when A first got her glasses she was made fun of too. I remember her coming home and telling us she hated her glasses and throwing them. Well, she punished for a naughty word (hate) and for throwing her flipping expensive glasses, but it soon came out why she said and did what she did. It still wasn’t okay, but when I approached the teacher about it she told me that the bff had come to A’s rescue. They really are good friends.
As she quieted back down, Chuck looks at me and then says “A, how about we allow you to have a slumber party for being such a good friend?”. I gave him and look that wasn’t very nice. Needless to say, A smiled and then jumped up and started jumping up and down. She said “you mean it Daddy? I can ask my friends for a slumber party?” Oh crap, what did Chuck DO?!?
From there it only escalated. I guess in a couple of weeks A will be having her first official slumber party. She could barely contain herself last night. She kept getting out of bed last night and asking if I could make cookies, or how would she decorate, etc. I think we created a monster. Help me!
In all seriousness, I’m not so sure I was ready for that suggestion. I know I was going to slumber parties at 7ish, but it didn’t dawn on me until last night that my little girl is ready for this step as well. I will admit that I’m a little excited, but I’m terrified as well. I mean, slumber parties today aren’t like they were back then. I’m scared about something happening to one of the girls (we told her she could invite 4 or 5). What if someone gets sick? Holy beans people, girldom drama is about to explode in my house and I’m so ill prepared!
Actually, those are my fears. I’m sure the girls will have a good time! I’m thankful that A has had the same circle of friends for a while now because I’ve met most of the kids parents. I’m hoping there won’t be any problems with them being allowed to stay, but that’s a chance she’s going to have to take. I do have a small idea to go to the dollar store and get some hair supplies, random make-up and such so that they can have some real girl fun. After speaking with some friends on Facebook last night pizza seems to be a good food option.
My question for you is, do you think decorating a pillow case is a silly idea? A loves anything artsy and I want to wrap a little art into the night. I thought it would be cute for each of the girls to design their own pillow case and then they have something to take home once the party is over. Corny? Other opinions? Please share!
Jan
12
by Kandi
Okay, I completely forgot yesterday was Wednesday and I didn’t put up a picture. I’m sure most of you didn’t mind or notice either, but I have a pic I wanted to share. It’s about as close to a new picture of me as I’ve gotten for a while. Enjoy, even if it’s a day late…
Jan
11
by Kandi
***Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway contest for the family 4-pack of tickets to Disney Live! We have chosen the winner using random.org and that winner has been notified. If the winner does not respond within 24 hours another will be chosen. Thanks and we will be holding giveaways for Nuclear Cowboyz and Ringling Bros. soon!***
Do you have princess lovers in your family? I know I do! Each of my girls has their favorites. A loves Cinderella, Aurora/Rose, Belle and Ariel while CS thinks Snow White, Tiana and Repunzel are the best princesses. Each princess has a different personality, but their personalities seem to fit my girls as well. I know I’m a few days later than some other blogs (I will list those who are also offering giveaways at the bottom of this post), but I like to have all my i’s dotted and t’s crossed.
Well, Feld Entertainment is excited to announce Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales coming to US Bank Arena in Cincinnati for one day only. Cinderella, Belle and Snow White will be making their appearances on Sunday, January 22 with shows at 12 P.M. and 3 P.M. Are you excited? I know I was! I haven’t even mentioned it to the girls yet, but I know they will be over the moon happy about this as well. However, part of being a princess is getting surprises and this one I intend to keep.
Here’s the official stuff:
Disney Live! Presents Three Classic Fairytales
Prepare to step into a world of wonder where wishing is only the beginning and dreams really do come true in Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales. Join Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy as they bring the timeless fairytale adventures of Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to life right in your hometown. Featuring dynamic storytelling, award winning music, stunning costumes and glittering special effects, audiences will be captivated by the humor, fun and adventure of these spellbinding stories. Dream with the princesses, cheer for the heroes as they conquer evil villains, and marvel as these classic tales are brought to life in a theatrical experience that’s pure magic.
So, here goes. I have a family 4-pack to giveaway to one of our readers! I know there are some princess lovers out there who would LOVE this.
There are several ways to enter. I just want to remind you to leave a separate comment for each entry. I will be closing this giveaway on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 9 P.M. and will use random.org to choose the winner. Chances are based upon the number of entries received. If you are the chosen winner, I will email you and you will have 24 hours to respond. If no response is received within 24 hours of notification then another name will be chosen using the method listed above.
Okay, now that all that is out of the way here’s how to enter.
Here’s a link to a pretty awesome promo! Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales – US Bank Arena
Now, just in case you don’t win the giveaway I have a pretty cool discount code. If you use the code MOM15 when ordering your tickets online, then each ticket will cost only $15! That’s a great deal. However, like with life there is a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: **Offer Valid toward regularly-priced tickets in seating Front Row and VIP Seats. Offer subject to ticket availability. Service charges and handling fees may apply. Valid on up to four discounted tickets. Not be used in conjunction with any other discount, premium or rebate offer.
The Little Things — giveaway ends Thursday, January 12
Little World After All– giveaway ends Friday, January 13
I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events.
