This is Halloween

The CKU Reunion in La Jolla this weekend was A-MAY-Zing. And I will tell you all about it and show you what I made...just as soon as I unpack my bags that is.

Since it is in fact Halloween that is what I am going to focus on today. On Saturday night I raced home from the event so that Hottie and I could attend an adult Halloween party....

Grrrr, baby, very grrrr.

It was more fun than I could have imagined going as Austin Powers.

I think in the future I will always try to wear something I can be in full character for, accent and all. I was hitting on all the ladies. (Please ignore the mess behind me in this photo...remember I was out of the house for 3 days...so it's all Hottie's fault.)

Here is all of us last year...

 Obama got a ton of laughs while trick or treating...Ev wasn't so sure what to think.

 Flashdance and self explanatory pirate, arg...

Looking forward tonight (as are the boys who keep talking about butt loads of candy...so inappropriate). We will carve pumpkins after school, bob for apples, and be hounded until the sun sets no doubt. Happy Halloween!

Road Trip

Woohooooo! Today is the day I get to leave my family in the dust (sorry guys, you know I love you) and head for La Jolla. CKU Reunion here I come!

Sweet Countdown

My kids are on an official Halloween countdown. Looking forward to their sugar high oblivion no doubt. In honor of that I figured I should post some layouts from last year.

"Minnie" (big shock that she was dressed as Minnie last year.)...

Here is a layout I did in about 15 minutes flat, "Maniac." I made my own Flashdance costume last year complete with a rocker wig that I gave a hair cut. I kept hearing that song.."she's a maniac, maniac on the floor...and she's dancin' like she's never danced before." What a fun outfit...

Here is a layout from the year before, "Best Friends." (another super quick page)...

On the left is Nakiah as a sumo wrestler. This is quite possibly the funniest kids costume I have ever encountered. You should have heard the people answer their door on Halloween. It got a lot of giggles...and needless to say I got of lot of hilarious photos (sorry to my 20 year old Nakiah in advance). On the right is Aidan as Freddy vs. Jason...I think? You know boys, they always want to be scary.

This final project is "Bootiful." On Evareaux's first Halloween she had two hand me down costumes and  then of course I went and bought her one as well. The project features her in each outfit...:)

I called her "boo-boo" for a long time when she was first born. Looks like she enjoyed being Tigger the most, what do you think?

Well that is it for now. Hottie and I are off to pick out some costumes for our adult party on Saturday. Not exactly sure what we will choose...but I have a feeling it will be groovy, baby.

the Results are in

In a post last week I told you all that I am on the juice. I also said I would let you know what the results are. This feels a bit funny because in no way do I see this juicing experience as coming to an end. Hottie and I have found a way to incorporate it into our daily lives. We have plans to continue this well into the future if not indefinitely.

But here are the results thus far...
Total weight lost after 20 days for Hottie: 17 lbs.
(his goal was 20)
Total weight lost after 20 days for Me: 19 lbs
(20 or so more to go....this would be my pre-kids weight)

What we did for the first 15 days: Juice fresh fruits and vegetables at least three times a day for 15-20 ounces each juice. Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables as desired.

What we didn't consume: Dairy, Meat, Beans, Grains, Breads, Condiments, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sugar (that one was the hardest for me) etc.

After 15 days: We continued to juice for at least two meals a day. In addition we ate things like mixed greens salads with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.  Hummus and carrots. Chips (very small amount in comparison to what we would have previously eaten) and homemade salsa. Lentil Minestrone soup. Fresh stir fry with low sodium soy sauce. We even managed to go out to a restaurant that just opened in our neighborhood. During this lunch we shared our favorite appetizer, avocado egg rolls, and a small lunch portion salad.

How I feel: Energized, clear headed, healthy, optimistic. I sleep well and have no desire for caffeine or a pick me up in the middle of the day. Naps are no longer on my wish list (which is CRAZY for me cuz I normally love naps) When I run I feel lighter...but not because of the weight I've lost...I think it's because my system is working better. I am burning the fat that I have stored up over time instead of the junk I just ate like I would have previously.

Hottie says he feels amazing as well. Since he had a lot less weight to lose than me it has made a huge difference in his appearance. All of his coworkers have noticed the changes in such a short amount of time. They compliment his skin glowing and how big his clothes look. He appears trim and as young as the day I met him 8 years ago.

I know this probably sounds a little wacky to the random reader out there. And I am not gonna lie, the first few days were terrible...and the rest had their challenges. It was one of the toughest things to stick to that I have ever done in my life. Really. There were so many temptations, and so many chances to fail. But we have come out on the other side feeling better than ever. We are figuring out how to balance real life healthy eating habits with juicing and exercise. I am excited to continue to shed the pounds without feeling like I am "missing out" on something.

In a way I feel like we have stumbled on the secret. The reboot made me realize what it feels like to genuinely be hungry. I crave vegetables, and fruit tastes as sugary sweet as candy used to. I have no doubt that this is the answer to connecting my great running habits to a consistently healthy diet.

So I will keep you posted as we continue on this fruitful journey (hehe). As you know the holidays are upon us and they are not exactly the best time to be trying to lose weight. For us it's about striving to be healthier no matter what time of year it is. Wish us luck! And happy juicing!

Date Night

This week I was fortunate enough to have a special date night with my little man, Nakiah. Just the two of us decided to head to Disneyland to enjoy all of the big kid rides we could possibly fit in. We don't often get the opportunity to have time one on one so we seized the day. He held my hand in between rides. We studied for his upcoming tests while waiting in line...and I admit also played some on his i-touch (I kicked his butt, as usual.) It was such a fun time. I hope I can figure out a way to do this with him once a month or so. At nine he is getting to that age where he needs to feel special and important (especially as a middle child). Time alone is a great way to show him how much he means to me.

And he is really fun to be around. Recently Nakiah decided that my hat and sunglasses are the coolest thing ever...

 We watched a lot of America's Top Model when he was really little. I attribute all of his modeling skills to that show....and his runway walk, which is hilarious by the way...

Dare I say that because I own them it makes me cool by default? Hope so.

Here is a layout I did about how great I think this kid is. "He is Awesome"...

There are so many more reasons why he is awesome, countless really. I could make a whole album and still not cover them all. Lots of Fancy Pants Designs on this one and a picture from last year. I can't believe how much he has grown since then. I better squeeze in all of the date nights I can before he is too cool to date his Mom.

Oh, one more thing...we had this funny conversation that night. We were talking about his age and I said, "you're almost double digits kid!" He said, "Yeah, I'm excited for 10 Mom. But I'm gonna enjoy my single digits for as long as possible."

Me too kid, me too.

I Have a Dream

I have a dream that one day the oh so brilliant scrapbook company American Crafts will send me a big box of products, gratis. In this dream they are asking me be a guest designer... No, even better...they are asking me to join their incredible design team! Then the box comes filled to the brim with all of those splendid products of theirs that I have been dying to get my hands on...

Well my dream came true....

Ok, not technically. I was not asked to be a guest designer. And I was not asked to join the design team. One has to try out for these things and I was already shot down :) (But there is always next year and I will be trying out again and again and again!!) 

I did however find this beautiful box sitting on my front porch yesterday. The Friday before last I made a comment on the American Crafts blog. I always make a comment when there is a possibility of a prize involved. :) Ya just never know, you could win something...and I did! Whoohooo!

So here is what was inside...

Amy Tangerine goodness! Does it get any better than that?!

In the past I have raved about how in love I am with this entire line....now it is all mine! (Bwwwahahahahahahahaha...Hey, it's October I am allowed an evil laugh or two.) Honestly I have purchased and used quite a bit of this line already. But I am thrilled that the obsession can continue.

Until that day (please, please, please, let that day happen to me!) when American Crafts sends me a big box of goodies and a request for my scrapbook talents this girl will dream....and create with a lot of cool new stuff!

Thank you, American Crafts. You are the best.

Punkin Head

I'll admit I don't find it particularly endearing when adults mispronounce the work "pumpkin." But of course when my two year old daughter does it I think it's the cutest thing on earth. Maybe next year I will work more with her on saying it properly. For now it is punkins everywhere. Lots of..."Did you see the punkin Mommy?" "Ohhhhh, punkins." and "Orange, Mom, orange punkin. YAY!"

In fact she may have developed a small obsession for the little orange orbs this season. She spots them no matter where we go and happily points each one out. As luck would have it one of her adorable older cousins just happened to be a pumpkin last year for Halloween. So now she gets to wear this...

Evareaux is one with the pumpkins. We are adding the ears because she has this trick or treat bucket that is in fact a Mickey Mouse pumpkin with ears and all. Besides it is fitting since she is more than just a little obsessed with Mickey. I was originally planning on making her a Minnie witch costume this year but scrapped the idea when we received the hand me down. After seeing these photos I am so happy I made that decision.

Doesn't she make the cutest little Mickey punkin head, ever?...

Yes, I am aware that as her Mother I find her infinitely more adorable than anyone else on the planet ever could. Except maybe her Daddy...

He thinks she is pretty perfect too.

And yes I do have two other kids to blog about. And yes they were too cool at 9 and almost 15 to go to the pumpkin patch with us. No, they were not cool enough to get out of me taking this photo of them at Disneyland a couple of weeks ago...

See? Pumpkins everywhere!

Lazy Sundays

For the first time in a long time we don't have anything to do today. Well, that's not quite true....we did have a quick bball evaluation for Nakiah early this morning. But other than that we are doing lots of nothing but cuddling and watching movies...

I just love lazy Sundays and cherish when I actually get to have one with the sprites.

On the Juice

There is one very good reason why I haven't been blogging very much lately. I'm on the juice...

You know, the kind you make yourself in a super loud machine using only the freshest and hopefully most organic of ingredients.

Over the past eleven days I have been hunting and gathering all of the fruits and vegetables that can fit in my kitchen (You would be amazed at just how many it takes to come up with 15oz. of juice.) But I am getting ahead of myself. I need to give you some context as to why on earth this has taken over my life.

Remember a few weeks ago when I said I want to get me back? What I meant was I wanted to be healthy and happy. Not too long after I wrote that post I watched and documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." (Thank you streaming Netflix because now I am a juicing maniac.)  I was really impacted by the film. I identified with the message and felt I should jump on board. That night I told Hottie all about it and said I want to do the program. He agreed to do it with me.

After finding the website that is affiliated with the doc, Reboot Your Life, I figured out which program we should do. We chose the 15 day reboot entry. That is 15 days of nothing but fruits and veggies. No caffeine, no nuts, no meat, no dairy, no fun (just kidding...kinda). You are supposed to juice about 4 times a day. In addition you are encouraged to eat as many fruits and veggies as your little starving heart desires. Now, I know that may sound easy. You're not just fasting, right? Should be no problemo. Think again.

This has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. Now, maybe that is because I am on day 11 and still have 4 (when will this be over? UGH.) days left. Maybe it's because we have 3 children that we still have to prepare actual people food for. Or maybe it's because I attended a concert, baby shower, and threw a bunco Halloween party during this reboot that makes it feel so difficult. I don't know.

I do know that it is worth it. Buying what feels like my weight in fruits and veggies almost daily...putting them through this machine that is a total pain to clean each time (I figured out to juice for the entire day so I clean it once instead of 4 times....genius.)...feeling sub human when I look at someones soda longingly....it has been worth it. Of course I will let you know my final results and summation when I finish. But for now I can say I'm proud of myself for not giving in and cheating even though I had countless opportunities. I am accountable to me and only me. That feels wonderful. Self control is such a great feeling especially in such strict circumstances. I feel energetic. My skin is super soft. My complexion is totally clear. Well, I feel like I am rambling. Let's just say I feel really good on the juice. So until next time...

CHEERS!

Ballet, Blink & a Baby Shower

This past week has been a whirl wind. We have so much going on as a family lately! Last night I updated my calendar and realized that it will only get busier until after the New Year.

I enrolled Evareaux (who is 2 and has never been in daycare or classes or anything like it) in parent and me ballet. Mostly because I want to see how she is around other kids that are not siblings or cousins. Also it's nice because it falls on Hottie's day off so we can both go see her do lots of this...

 And this...

Obviously we need to work more on getting her out of her comfort zone and into group settings. Funny how she comes home and does all of the moves she observed in class with a big grin on her face. Maybe before the session is over she will point her toes and do butterfly arms with the best of them.

On Saturday my older sister and I went to the Blink 182 concert (love!) at the Hollywood Bowl (awesome venue). See, I have proof...

It was an amazingly good show. You just can't beat shout-singing your favorite old punk songs with your sister by your side. That is the best. The most memorable part of the evening was during the encore. The drummer, Travis Barker (best drummer in the WORLD) was strapped to a tiny stage at the end of a crane with his drum set. As he began playing the stage lifted and lifted and lifted some more. The crowd lit up like a candle with cell phones (people recording this a-may-zing feat). The crane moved him 4 stories above the crowd and then side to side. Just when we thought it could not possibly be more impressive...it proceeds to tilt him down toward the crowd at a 45degree angle. And there he is drumming his fool head off (I like to compare his style to Animal from the muppet babies.) for 3 minutes straight. I wish I could have taken proper video or at least a photo of that because it was EPIC. For real.

Then on Sunday I attended my Sister in Laws' baby shower. I wanted to do something special. So I made this onesie bouquet...

Well, really it is 4 onesies, 4 wash cloths, 2 hats, and 2 pairs of socks. It was a challenge at first to figure out how to get these in with the flowers and make it look pretty. Once I put it in the proper pot everything came together wonderfully. The ladies at the party were saying how I should be selling these puppies. That made me super happy.

Here it is from the back...

This week I am hosting a Halloween themed bunco. I plan to make lots of tasty treats and a quick costume. That should be lots of fun. I LOVE throwing Halloween events. The possibilities are endlesss! 

Stu-Stu-Studio

I am lovin' me some Studio Calico. About six months ago I found out about this one of a kind kit club. Seeing the spectacular things that each kit includes and all of the unbelievable Design Team creations...well, they had me at hello, lets be real. For four months now that beautifully logo-ed box has been showing up on my doorstep. Each month I find myself getting more and more excited for it's arrival. I find new ways to stretch each kit to the limit.

In previous posts I showed you what I had done with Paper Moon. Time for an update.

Here are some of the things I've come up with using Boardwalk...

"Peek-a-Boo"

"1000 Words"

"Is That Me?!"

And with Glee Club...

"Love This Place"

 I worked really hard on the button heart and stitching...

 "Happiest Race on Earth"

"Travel Bug"

Last but not least...

Here is one I did based on a get to know me AtoZ list I saw floating around the blogosphere last week. Turning it into a layout was a lot of fun (and a bit of a challenge).

"A to Z of Me"

So you see I have been so inspired to create with these kits. Seriously it is the best scrap money I have ever spent...and I am not even a paid advertiser or design team member (although it IS my dream to one day be one...or maybe a guest designer?) Hey a girl can dream, right?...(yeah, I know, dream on)

 =)

Happy October

I love this time of year. Unfortunately in Southern California we don't get much of a "Fall." That doesn't stop me from celebrating. This year I decided to capture all of the fun times that happen in October. I wanted one place to remember the costume making, the decorations, the treats, the parties, and so on. It seemed like it would be good to do something like a December Dailies album but for October.

Here is what I came up with...

There you have it. Lot's of space for adding Instax or Instagram photos as well as journaling. I used up most of my supplies from last Halloween. It only took me about and hour and a half to pull it all together. Today I will decorate our house and take a couple of instant photos and plug them right in to get started with the memory keeping.