If you give a pig a pancake.....

Tonight Marquesa and I came back from the store. We had gone into Lucky's and shopped in peace and quiet since the kids were at home. When we got home, we put the groceries away and I checked in on the boys. They were all in bed, but still awake. Calvin had been reading If you give a pig a pancake and had it laying on the bed. I picked it up to put it away, then decided to read it to him instead. I LOVE those books. If you give a moose a muffin, If you give a mouse a cookie, If you give a pig a pancake, etc.  I think there are about 6 of them. Anyhow, I HAD to go into the boys room and read it to Carson and Maxwell, too.

When I was done reading it, Carson told me "Hey mom, it started with a pancake and syrup and ended with a pancake and syrup!" I reminded him that's how all of the books are. I told him that a lot of times in life, we do things like that book. For instance, after I tucked them in tonight, I got on the computer to take care of some emails and look up information on the internet. I turned on Pandora and got to listen to some nice music. First it was Today's Hits, then Taylor Swift, then Louie Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and a few other old school artists. I started thinking about how when I hear certain songs, it reminds me of where I was in life. Push It by Salt-N-Pepa reminds me of an 8th grade??? school dance that I went to in Antioch with my friend, Kellee Hill (Tadiello, now.) Totally random, but it does!! Lol.

As I was listening to different music, I started thinking of a church cd that I had a couple of years ago. I LOVED that cd!!! It reminded me of the boys and I driving in our van, singing this one song on the cd. It was such a sad song. I cried every time I heard it. Even the boys knew a lot of the words. I remember talking to them about how a long time ago, pioneers used to walk from state to state looking for a place to live. They were hungry, tired, sick, and they watched their family members die. I try to talk to the boys and teach them things whenever I can (that means when I'm not yelling at them and when they're not fighting and when we're not in a hurry, etc........so it doesn't happen too often!!) Lol.

Anyhow, yesterday I heard something that reminded me of that song. I thought about it briefly but couldn't remember details about it. Tonight, I thought of it again while I was on the computer and started looking for it online. I could only remember a couple of words and kept on googling it until FINALLY I found it!!! It's called Prayer of The Walking Child by Dave Tinney. The entire cd is beautiful, but that was my favorite song. I looked it up on Amazon and was about to order it, then I remembered that my sister has a super VIP Amazon account on steroids (which is probably the same account that everyone else has, but since I don't order from there, I went to the pro!)
Otherwise, I would be paying for shipping and would be waiting 4-14 days for the cd to arrive.

That sounds like torture when you're waiting for something, so I texted her at 10:30 and asked if she could order it for me. BTW, that's the usual time that we chat. It's funny cause we are usually up late and don't get a chance to take care of business or think about things until our kids are all asleep. That's when we do cleaning, preparing, FB'ing, etc. Most of the time when I bother her late at night, she's up too! Love you sister! So, she said that she would order it for me and now I feel like I'm waiting for Christmas!

During the hour that I've been sitting here at the computer, I've been listening to music and thinking about so many things. It's funny how music helps you do that. It helps you feel and remember so many different emotions. Being so busy all of the time with the boys, I don't get much time to listen to music. We wake up, get ready for the day, there's plenty of yelling and fighting sprinkled in along the way. Off to work and school, pick them up after school, more sprinkles of yelling and fighting, maybe a few drops of happiness, too. Lol. Before, we were busy with football. That ended and we had the boys school play. That ended and now we have baseball. In between, the boys have Ukulele club after school on Wednesdays and Scouts when we can make it there on Tuesdays. They work out/practice with their dad whenever they can fit that in. Let's not forget our errands, trips to the store, etc. I feel like we are always in a hurry.

My little beaners a few years ago. Awwww!

The few days that we don't have plans, it's nice to let them play outside and enjoy just being kids. The cool part for me is that I used to play outside this very same house when I was growing up. I used to climb the trees in the front yard with my brother and sister. My kids go to the same school that I went to. Some of their neighborhood friends are kids of the kids that I used to see when I was growing up. Pretty cool if you ask me! So now you see how one thing can lead to another and another, just like the book that Calvin was reading. I sat here and thought about so many things that kept leading to others. I'm sure everyone's life is like that, though. While I was thinking about the book, it reminded me of my blog IF YOU GIVE A MOM A BLOG, which I named after the books. Lol. I figured since I had time, I'd sit down and throw my life out there to the world again.

I was talking to Marquesa tonight about different things and we talked a little about how we have so many things to be grateful for. There are so many people that don't have food, families, parents who care about them, clean water, warm clothes, etc. I don't have much at all. I'm stressed out, broke, tired and unhealthy.....just like most everyone else. I don't pretend that my life is perfect or better than anyone else's. I just try to stay positive and enjoy what I DO have. I feel like I don't say I LOVE YOU enough to my family, especially my mom. I miss my dad and my grandparents. I hope that I'm around to see my boys grow up and go on a church mission. I pray that I can see their smiles as they become young men and adults. I wonder if they'll love me as much then as they do now. Will they still want to snuggle with me and hug me?
A few months ago, my mom told me that when your kids grow up, you still love them just as much, but they're grown and on their own, so you don't get to take care of them in the same way. It made me think about how much she must miss her mom, my grandma Sara. It made me want to tell and show my mom just how much I DO love HER. I don't show her or tell her enough. I think about her all the time and fear the day when she won't be with us anymore. I think about when my boys will be grown up and too busy for me. That makes me so sad. They are my life and I can't imagine my days being filled up with anything else. Of course, I'm crying and crying and crying some more right now......listening to music that's helping all of my emotions come out. Lol. If tissue were money, I'd be rich!!!

So, it's late and I'm tired. I'm off to bed now. Tomorrow will be one day closer to our three day weekend where we can rest and enjoy some family time together. Make sure you spread the love and blessings that you have in your life. You never know who is needing it right now!

Night all. See what happens when you give a mom a blog???? She'll type your ear off!

Why do I cry so much?!?!?!

I can't even breathe! I have the worst hay fever, year round allergies, ever!!! For as long as I can remember, I've had horrible allergies. If I'm not blowing my nose from allergies, it's from being sick. For the past 10 years since I've had kids, I get sick so easily! If I'm not blowing my nose from allergies or being sick, it's from crying! I am such an emotional person. I cry at church when I feel the Spirit, I cry when I watch movies, I cry when I hear sad stories, I cry when I'm happy, etc. Tonight we watched Hachi, A Dog's Tale, and as usual I couldn't stop crying! The boys are so used to it by now. They always say, "Mom, are you crying AGAIN????" Lol.

In church today, our teacher played a movie showing what happened when Jesus Christ was beaten and crucified. Of course, I couldn't stop crying while I was watching it. Good thing I carry an entire box of tissue with me! A few people have told me over the years that crying and being emotional/sensitive to things like the Spirit of the Holy Ghost is a gift. I think I've heard it called the gift of weeping?? Anyways, sometimes it's irritating and kind of embarrassing, especially when I'm sobbing and other people are around. Usually it's in church and a beautiful song can set me off like a faucet! I LOVE music, especially church music where you can feel the Spirit and you can feel closer to our Savior. I can't sing AT ALL, but I sing at church! Sorry in advance if you have to sit next to me!!

I think the Christmas feeling is still with me. It's my favorite time of the year. Christmas lights and a tree. Hot chocolate, watching movies on the couch, caroling, gift giving, family time, doing service for others and especially remembering our Savior Jesus Christ in everything that we do. I've been thinking a lot lately about how blessed we are. I see homeless people and wonder how they got there, where their families are, etc. I tell the boys all of the time that we are so blessed to have a car that runs and takes us places when so many people are walking. We have a warm house and blankets to  keep us cozy while others are sleeping in freezing temperatures. I remind them about the kids who don't have families and are in group/foster homes, or the ones that are being "taken care of" by people that don't really care about them.

Working at a school, I'm surrounded by kids all day long. I see them with their parents, with their friends and by themselves. I see kids going to school without jackets when it's freezing cold outside. I see kids looking sad and lonely. I hear stories that make me love and appreciate my kids so much more. I also see kids laughing and playing and it makes me want to be with my boys. It's funny how much I miss them and want to be with them when they're away from me. I pick them up and automatically feel ok, normal, complete. And then the arguing begins! Lol.

I guess I'm just so grateful for what I have and I know it's all because of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and also for our Father in Heaven. Everything I have, I have because of them. Even the trials that I've been through in life have changed me for the better. They've caused me to learn and grow and become a stronger person, as much as it didn't seem like it at the time! Maybe Sundays are the days that I tend to blog more because I have so many great feelings from going to church. I'm there and just want to go home and change the world! Lol. Then I get home and the kids are fighting and I'm yelling and life goes back to normal.

If anyone wants to go to church with us, the invitation is ALWAYS open. This year, we meet at 9am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building. The address is 1432 Laurel Rd. in Oakley. Call me, text me, message me or just show up! There is no obligation to get baptized! I promise!!! Lol. I'm sure that you'll enjoy being there. What do you have to lose but a little bit of your time? Your kids will love visiting our Primary and you'll love our Sunday School and Relief Society.

Here's Jesus Christ knocking on your door. Are you going to answer and let him in?????
Join me!

I've gotta go so I can snuggle with the kids before bed time. We are all off tomorrow so we're staying up a little late tonight.

Good night everyone! Don't forget to count your blessings!

Just being grateful!

Today is Wednesday, our second week of winter vacation. I'm sitting at home on the couch, listening to Carson and Max play Monopoly with Mori. Calvin went to Disneyland at the last minute this morning with my mom and my sister and her family. I'm sick. Carson's sick, too. We went to my sister's on Sunday and she was sick. I think we brought some of her germs home with us. I've been feeling bad since Monday night. Lightheaded, tons of congestion, sore throat, etc. I HATE being sick! Ever since I've had kids, I get sick all of the time. I get sick from them and we pass it around to each other. I get sick from everyone! It's funny, but being sick so often has made me so grateful for my health. I'm not dying and I always recover, but it makes me appreciate when I'm normal and healthy. I sit here and think about all of the things that I could be doing. I still take care of the kids and cook and clean as little as possible, but of course it's not the same. I actually want to vacuum, sweep, do more laundry, mow the lawn, etc. Crazy, huh? It's freezing outside and I wish that I could go out there and watch the kids ride their scooters and laugh and have fun.

I miss Calvin so much already. I'm usually with my boys 24/7. I wake them up, get them ready for school and pick them up from school. I am with them all evening doing homework, running errands, going to play practice and sports practices. I put them to bed and do it all over again, just like every other parent. I'm used to stuffing tissues in their pockets each morning and making them put Chapstick on so they don't get chapped lips. I worry about them all day long and hope that their teachers are taking care of them as much as I take care of and worry about the kids in the classroom that I work in. Of course I'm crying now. Lol. My boys are my life. They are the reason that I live and breathe.

I guess I'm feeling so beyond grateful right now because I just finished watch a movie called Incendiary on Netflix. I couldn't sleep while the boys were napping so I got up to watch a movie on the laptop. I even put on Max's headphones and felt like I was in my own little movie world for a while. Lol. That doesn't usually happen in a house full of 3 very loud boys! Someone is usually fighting or yelling (or I'm the one yelling!) So, in this movie, a mom has a 4 year old son that gets killed in an explosion with more than 1000 other people. It was painful watching her grieve for her son. She missed him so much. She imagined him everywhere. I cried when she cried. I imagined losing one of my sons and not being able to hear their voice each day, not being able to touch them, smell them, hold them, even yell at them. It was so very sad. I can't even imagine those parents who have lost a child. How do you even manage to go on without them?

It makes me think of all of those small children in CT that were just killed. Their poor parents. Here I am in my warm house watching my boys laugh and be silly. Mori told Carson that his "hood" just upgraded, talking about his Monopoly properties, and Carson said, "Now there's guns in the hood?" Lol. I love hearing their thoughts out loud. Carson starting humming a Christmas song so I just turned on our Christmas station on Pandora. We have so much to be thankful for! I have healthy kids, my son is on every kids dream vacation thanks to my sister, her husband and my mom. I have a close family that supports me every day. I have a job that I love. We have just enough to live with a little extra sometimes to play. We are free. We are together. How quick we are to forget exactly how much we DO have until we lose something, which for me right now is my health.

I go to church. I believe in God and his son, Jesus Christ. I know where I came from and why I'm here on earth. I know where I am going after I die and I know how I can be with my family forever. I can't imagine leaving this life and not spending eternity with them. As usual, thinking of my blessings in life makes me think of who is giving me those blessings, our Father in Heaven and his Son, Jesus Christ. I wish that everyone had the peace that I have knowing that they love each one of us and want to hear from us. If nothing else good came from me meeting Mori in 2000, at least I learned about the gospel of Jesus Christ and have 3 beautiful children! I'm kidding! I'm sure I've gotten more out of him than that! He takes out the trash sometimes! Lol.

I hope that all of my friends are happy and peaceful. It's a new year! We are alive and here! Let's make the best of it and be thankful for all that we have. There are so many people who don't have clean drinking water. People are killed and tortured each day in other cities/countries. People are losing loved ones daily. Let's celebrate life. Of course I'll still be tired, I'll still complain about what I don't have, I'll still be yelling at the kids and they'll be stressing me out daily.......but at least we'll have the memories of love. I think that with having kids, they're 80% stress and hard work and 20% happiness. It's amazing how that small 20% of happiness makes the stress all worth it. I wouldn't change my life for anything, unless I was able to win the lottery!

Happy New Year people! I'm signing off to enjoy the boys! Here are just a few pics of the important people in my life that I have saved on the laptop.

Ice skating, a nice Christmas surprise and more.....

Happy Thursday ya'll! I'm sitting here on the couch with a blanket, my warmed up rice bag, my trusty box of tissue and the laptop. I'll start out with our event last night. We "adopted" a family for Christmas. We had some very thoughtful and generous people get together and give what they could to this family. We met at their house and were waiting outside for the last person to arrive. It was almost 7pm and I figured we might as well start putting the boxes on their porch (quietly) so that we would be ready for when the last person arrived. As it turns out, she was ALREADY inside the house with the mom. Lol. There we were, waiting out in the cold for about 15 minutes.....and she was super early and inside the whole time! Anyhow, we took in the items and sang Feliz Navidad. We were able to meet a few of the kids and it was just an amazing feeling being able to bring people together for such a great cause. Just like our Christmas caroling, I definitely want to keep this tradition going each year.

Earlier in the day, Calvin told me how he volunteered me to make a fruitcake for his class party. We settled on cupcakes and mini apples. By the time we got home from the store, I started the cupcakes around 9ish or so. I helped the boys put together their gifts for their teachers and finally got them into bed. 60+ cupcakes later, I knocked out, too.

TODAY-
Today was the last day of school for the kids, including myself. Yay! 2 weeks of vacation. Hopefully I'll get to sleep in on one of these days! It sounds like most classrooms have fun days planned for the last day before any vacation. In our classroom, we had the kids decorate gingerbread men cookies. They also played games, played on the computer, watched a movie, helped us deliver things and colored. It was a fun day for sure. Once I got home, we got ready to go ice skating in Walnut Creek. It's been really cold lately so I packed enough warm clothes for the entire winter! We had so much fun! The boys usually go ice skating once a year, which isn't much at all. They have been getting better each year. Tonight, they did so well! They were skating fast, doing turns, etc. Calvin looked like he was trying out for the olympics! Lol. Ok, maybe he wasn't that good, but he was definitely better than last year. While I was skating, I fell pretty hard right onto my butt and felt like I got whiplash!!! Good thing I was wearing my backpack so that kept my back and head from hitting the ice. Ice skating sure is dangerous!
Here are some pics.

One of the boys said that this was THE BEST NIGHT EVER!!!!

Me and my 3 little bears

This is where Mori was posted for the majority of the night.....holding onto the wall!!

Tio James and the boys

Waiting to get back onto the ice while it's being cleaned

After we were done, we headed to Chik-fil-a. Those chicken sandwiches with the pickles inside were SOOOOO good! The boys played in the play place for a bit while James and I got to catch up. It was relaxing for me to sit down and chat with my brother. The boys had a blast in there with their new friends. Carson even met a 4 yr old girl who they nicknamed "Vicious!!!" Lol. Picture in your mind Carson, but skinnier, smaller, younger, darker.....aaaannnddd a GIRL! So the same, but different!
This little girl has older brothers so she was playing with the boys and other kids as if she were a boy. It was funny to watch her play hit Carson harder and harder until she was really hitting him. He was CRACKING UP! I pictured him putting his arm out and pushing her head back with one hand while her arms flailed around. It didn't happen, but that would have been funny.

So, we leave good ol' Chik-fil-a and headed home. Everyone is exhausted. We arrived home to find that someone had delivered a bunch of Christmas presents to our house for US! We have no idea who it was, there were 3 garbage bags full of gifts with the kids name's on them. What a beautiful surprise! It looks like while we were planning a Christmas surprise for one family, someone else out there was planning one for US! Needless to say, I am grateful for whoever put their time, money and love into doing that for us.

Tomorrow will be my official Christmas shopping day. Hopefully it won't be too bad out there with all of the other last minute shoppers. Tomorrow (make that TODAY since it's now 12:02 am) is also my 36th birthday. I've always loved the Christmas season with the beautiful music, feelings of love and service, family time and my birthday of course! Maybe we'll get together tonight with the family for cake and ice cream. All I know is, I'm so grateful to be one year older. I'm grateful for my life, my family, my health, my children and especially my mom. I think that this is the first year that she hasn't been with us for Christmas (she's still in Mexico!)

I'm off to bed now. I definitely need my beauty sleep. Good night friends!

Annual tamale making and spiritual/service Sunday

Ok, so, earlier tonight I actually had about 45 minutes to sit on the couch and put my feet up. I took the laptop with me and started writing in here. I saved it a couple of times, but apparently it didn't REALLY save. I came back to it just now (11pm) and it's gone. I guess I'm starting over. Here we go....

Yesterday/Saturday was our annual tamale making day. We've done it every year around Christmas time ever since I can remember. It's definitely not the same now that my Grandma and Grandpa aren't alive, but we still keep the tradition going. Hopefully one day, my kids will be doing this with their families. My mom and Uncle Niggie are still in Mexico, so they missed out on this one. I'm sure they're getting better tamales over there! Lol. 

Irma and Diana

Anyhow, we got together at my sister's house. Everything was set up outside of their pool house. They have an outdoor/covered kitchen so we got to work in there and in the patio area. It was cold and raining most of the day, but we had a blast. I love, love, love spending time with my family. We had different people putting the masa on the husks, putting the meat/sauce inside and rolling them up. We had cookers and taker-outers. Lol. We even had taste testers! Imagine that! We had pork tamales, cheese and jalapeno tamales and some sweet tamales. We chatted, laughed, watched tv, listened to music, yelled at the kids......you had to know that was coming! I'm sure they didn't mind that we showed up 2 hours after starting time. After dropping off Marquesa at volleyball practice and going to Winco with the boys, we finally arrived. I'm sure out of the 7ish hours that we were there, I spent about 2 hours making tamales.....maybe even a bit less. It's a lot of work looking after those boys. Following them, checking on them, feeding them, yelling at them, stopping arguments, making sure they weren't getting into trouble, etc. They had fun, though. They got to play with their cousins all day long. 

Me and my Nina

Calvin enjoying a snack

Maxwell grubbin on palomitas

So we had a great day. I even got out with my brother and sister for about an hour. That NEVER happens! We went to Kirkland's and Cost Plus World Market. I have to say, Kirkland's was kinda phony. I LOVE CPWM, though! They have so many cute things in there, even in my price range! Lol. In case you forgot what my brother looks and acts like, here's a perfect pic of him in action!

Here he is when I took a pic of him.

I told him that I was re-taking the picture since he flipped me off, and this is what I got! Lol. Gotta love him!

So, that was our day. I missed my mom being there and it brought back memories of having tamale day at my mom's house and having my Grandma there. It also reminded me of how lucky we are to have a family that actually loves each other and enjoys doing things together. It's a lot of work and planning, but so worth it. 

Carson getting a mani/pedi from his cousins and their friend. Look at those monster feet! He's 6!!!

Here he is after his makeover. Lol. He said that he was Nicki Minaj!! Lol.

Today/Sunday- 

We went to church this morning. The kids have a little cold and I almost kept them home, but we missed last week because one of them was sick. So, we got ready for church and went. I was so glad that we did! We heard 2 great talks. One of my bestest friends in the whole wide world gave such a beautiful talk on service and the Savior. It really touched me and I'm sure everyone felt the spirit today! We had great talks during Sunday School and Relief Society, as usual. We came home after church and rested for a bit. We then headed out to help at the Christmas basket program that the Friends of Oakley put on every year. We were able to help out for a little while. There were a lot of volunteers and we did what we could without being in the way.

The boys were excited to serve......for a little while. 

It was slow because they started around 11, I think, so by the time we arrived, they were handing out the last sets of food/gifts. After a while, the boys got bored and started messing around. I took this pic when they were waiting for a job to do.

Calvin, Maxwell, Carson and Marquesa

After I saw that they were playing too much, not listening, etc., I decided that it was time for us to go home. They had a few extra boxes of food/turkeys so we were able to take one with us and deliver it to a family that is in need. That felt good to be able to help someone out. We definitely didn't expect that, but I told the boys that when we serve others, we get blessings. 

Sunday night-

After another bit of rest, we headed out to the Interfaith Christmas Choral Festival at our Stake Center in Antioch. There were people from different local churches singing. It was really beautiful! They also had a Creche Exhibit where they displayed lots of neat nativity scenes from around the world. I took a few pics of the ones that I liked. 

Israel

Alaska

Uganda

On our way home from that, we picked up an extra turkey that someone saved for US. I told the kids again, BLESSINGS! Lol. I really love being able to serve others. After being on the receiving end so much, it feels great to do the same for others. 

So, that was our weekend. It's after midnight, the wind is HOWLING outside and I guess I need to get to bed. It's our last week of school before Christmas vacation. Since I work for the school district, I'm now home with the kids on their breaks. It's the best thing, ever! I LOVE working with the kids in my classroom (I'm a teacher's aide) and I LOVE being able to pick up my boys after school and spend more time with them. I wonder how many people really read through this whole thing????

It really helps me get things out and remember what our family has done. Hopefully it gives you something to do if you can't sleep! 

I'm going to re-heat my rice pack, check on the kids for the last time and them I'm going to bed. Night people!

Christmas caroling- So much more than just singing!

Tonight was our second annual Christmas caroling night. Last year, I planned it very last minute and there were only a few of us that went. We still had a fun time, though. This year, I thought about it earlier so of course we had more people. We all met at my house and I had mexican hot chocolate and desserts for everyone. Different people brought candy canes, lighted toys for the kids and even hand sanitizer!! Lol. You can never have too much with kids around! Even our church Missionaries came along, Elder Clayton and Elder Green. My Aunt Lucy and her husband Joe joined us. Also, their daughter in law Yvonne and her son, Jr. My cousin Gloria and her son, Isaiah. Her sister, Joanna, and her son, Andres (he's the baby in the bear outfit.) Their mom, Estella (my mom's cousin) also came. My friends from church, Jennifer and Sasha also brought their families. Jenn, her husband Dean and their 2 daughters, Audrey and Gabby. Also, Sasha and her 4 kids, Kai, Hali, Roxi and Daisi. Our neighbor Jeanette brought her 2 kids, Arissa and Madison and Jeanette's grandson, Freddy. They also brought along a friend from school, Mariah. Another cousin of mine, Gloria, stopped by with her husband Leo and their daughter Carina. Me and my 3 boys were here, of course, and Mori and Marquesa joined us after her volleyball practice.

So, after eating and drinking and the kids running around the house and me yelling at my boys to get their stuff together and get outside, and everyone else dropping chocolate brownie crumbs everywhere, lol, we went outside and took this pic.

Our caroling band of misfits! Lol.

We then headed out around the neighborhood, armed with just 3 songs. Last year we had a bunch and I thought that it would be easier to only sing a few. We sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidad. We did try a couple of different songs, but failed! I don't think any of us knew all of the words to Frosty the Snowman!!! Lol. Most of the neighbors seemed grateful. Maybe 1 seemed impatient, but smiled and said thanks. We sang our songs and wished everyone a Merry Christmas or a Feliz Navidad. 

I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood and a lot of the original people who built these houses in the 70's are still here. Of course in seeing the older folks, I was reminded of my Grandparents, Nemecio and Sara Munoz. They have both been dead for a few years now, but I still miss them every day. When we came up to the house of one of their best friends, Arcadio and Natalia. Arcadio came outsid and he was so happy to see us. He started touching and hugging the kids. His son and his wife came out with Natalia, who was in a wheelchair. I remember her and my Grandma sitting at our table or at Natalia's table talking about all of their kids, their labors (and who's was longer and harder! Lol,) their jobs, the joys and pains in their lives, etc. They endured so much more than any of us have. I am so grateful to have been around long enough to hear their stories. I cherish them to this day. So, as I'm standing in their driveway singing, I started crying. I was thinking about how much I wished my Grandparents were still her. I was happy to see Arcadio and Natalia still alive and happy. We used to walk over to their house with my Grandma and the boys. They would play on their swing in the front yard. Natalia always had Madeleine cookies for the boys. They LOVED them! It's funny how they always remembered her cookies! One of the boys even asked me tonight if she had any. Lol. So we finished singing and moved on. I got to give them both a hug and wish them a Feliz Navidad. That was definitely the best part of the night. 

Grandma Sara a few years ago around Christmas time. I miss you Grandma!

We moved on and finished caroling around the neighborhood. Mostly everyone went home, except for a few kids that stayed for more hot chocolate and brownies. After they went home, I cleaned up and we started working on homework, dinner, bedtime routine, etc. I don't get on the computer until the kids are all asleep, so it's usually pretty late. Time goes by so fast when I'm sitting here typing away. I have the Christmas lights on and Christmas music playing on Pandora. In writing things down, I'm remembering how much fun we had. I can't sing AT ALL, but I was singing loud tonight! Lol. I'm grateful to all of my friends and family that came out to join us. Before tonight, I was thinking that maybe every year we could carol in a different neighborhood, but after tonight, I want to do it in my own neighborhood. I want to bring Christmas cheer to my neighbors and see the older folks smile. 

I'm trying my best to remember the true meaning of Christmas, which to me means Jesus' birth and remembering his life. It's so much work to have a job, be a mom, take care of the kids and the house, etc. Who really has extra time to be of service to others??? It's work, it takes time and sometimes it isn't that much fun. Well, tonight, it was fun. I felt happy and grateful. I hope that everyone else did, too. Next year, it will be even better. We'll have glow sticks and necklaces for the kids. We'll have a couple more songs to sing. Hopefully, we'll have more people to join us. Maybe we'll hand out candy canes and oranges to the people that we sing to. They used to do that every year during Christmas time. The fire dept. would come around with Santa on a fire truck and he would hand out candy canes and oranges to all of us kids. Those were the good ol' days! 

I'm heading to bed now. I hope that all of you can celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ, this month. Find something to do in your community. Find someone to serve. Make it fun! I'm already wondering what else we can do to bring smiles to others before Christmas is over with. Any ideas??????

Do you see why I called my blog IF YOU GIVE A MOM A BLOG, kind of like the story IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE. My thoughts lead from one idea to the next to the next, until I finally make it back to my first thought.....but only after telling a long story in between!

Night all!

I love my family!

I've had a lot going through my mind lately and I don't have time to really think and relax until the kids are sleeping. Last night, we were all at home and it wasn't a happy environment. Lots of arguing, yelling, unhappy kids and unhappy mom. There was a knock at the door and it was the youth of our church a.k.a. our ward family. They had a combined YM/YW activity where the young men and young women, along with their chaperones, went Christmas caroling and spread good cheer and beautiful voices to all! It was so nice to feel the happiness that came with them! We are going caroling on Monday night and it made me more excited to spread the holiday cheer after hearing all of them sing on our porch. Marquesa told me that we weren't on their schedule, but she added us. Thank you Marquesa because you know that we always need extra happiness in our home!
The downside for the carolers was:

1. Someone probably went home with crap on their shoes from standing in our yard. The neighbors have TONS of wild cats that love to crap in our yard. BTW, I spefically do NOT have animals because I don't want to care for another living thing OR clean up after their crap! Besides, I'm super allergic. EVERY SINGLE time we walk in our yard, someone steps in cat crap. It's beyond irritating!

Apparently that was just a tangent that I went off on! Lol.

2. The carolers were given candy canes with an extra bonus.......live ants! Lol! We decorated the tree last weekend and put new candy canes on it. The kids broke a couple of them and I told them to put them in the ziplock bag with the rest of the canes. The bag was in our usual 6 ft. high pile of mess by the front door. When the carolers came, I sent them away with some candy canes. Do you know that they now make swedish fish flavored ones?!?! Back on the subject, someone said that they had ants on their candy cane! Oh Em Gee! How embarrassing. Those disgusting little ants found the broken canes and started invading! So Calvin and I took a bunch off of the tree and traded them. I'm sure Quesa heard about it afterwards because she texted me and asked why I gave them candy canes with ants on them! Lol. They gave US memories and I wanted to return the favor to THEM! DUH!!!!
Also, if you want to join us Christmas caroling, we are going to meet in Oakley on Monday night 12/10 around 6 pm. We are going to spread our Christmas cheer to the residents of Oakley! Message me for details!

So, that was last night. Today, we had a busy day as usual. I was tucking Max (8 yrs. old) into bed and talking to Marquesa at the same time from across the hall. We were talking about her mom going into labor in Hawai'i and she said something that I can't even remember right now. I said something about her mom being fat and pregnant because I remember how fat I was when I was pregnant. YIKES! It was said in  a joking way because I have no idea how big her mom is and I wasn't trying to be mean. So, I told Max that I was about twice my normal size when I was pregnant! He was asking why people get so big and I told him that moms eat more to give their babies vitamins to grow. He told me
"That's why Heavenly Father made me a boy. I'm a picky eater and I wouldn't be eating healthy food to feed my baby vitamins!" Apparently Heavenly Father knew that this would happen, and therefore made him a boy! Lol. My kids say the funniest things sometimes, but I thought that this was priceless!

I've also been thinking about my family a lot lately. Monday night I had a talk with the boys in the car about family and family members who have died and what it might be like when we eventually see them again in Heaven. My mom is in Mexico for a couple of weeks and I keep thinking about how lucky I am to have her in my life. I love her so much and appreciate her every day. She has taught me everything and worked so hard as a single mom to raise me, my sister and brother. I put her through so much when I was in high school and of course, never realized how STUPID I was until later! Once you become a parent, you sure do appreciate your own parents and all that they did for you. So, I've been thinking a lot about family and how lucky we are to have a close one. Tonight, I changed the radio station in the car to Mexican music. I was telling Calvin that any time I hear it, I am reminded of my grandparents. It brought tears to my eyes and made me miss them so much! What I would give to have them around again. You never truly appreciate someone and how much love and beauty they bring to your life, until they're gone.

Family, Family, Family. From my mom who STILL takes care of me, my sister who sent me a picture tonight of a cute pair of jeans that she saw for me, and my brother who came by the other night to bring me his traditional Christmas music cd AND saved the songs to my computer AND included all of the song information just like a store bought cd......I have to say that I am truly blessed with an amazing family. Thank you to my brother, who also brought me our family's Christmas angels. Ever since we were little, we've had these silky angel ornaments. One is pink and one is blue. My mom used to put them on our tree every year when we were growing up. We found them in a box 2 years ago and James and I were fighting over who had "custody rights." He took them last year and I was supposed to have them this year. I guess Diana will get them next year. So, he sent us a video last week of his Christmas tree and zoomed in on MY angels at the end of his video. I told him to stop holding them for ransom and to BRING THEM TO ME NOW!!!! When he came to bring me the cd the other night, he walked right in and held up the cd. I reached straight into his front hoodie pocket looking for the angels and there they were. Lol. That made our tree perfect! I love family traditions! I love my family!

In an effort to actually go to bed before midnight (too late,) I'm signing off.

Night friends! Merry Christmas! Or as Eddie Murphy would say in Trading Places..... "Merry New Year!"