venting.

so the kids are feeling better-ish
they all stayed home from school today.
they've really been troopers considering
they've been confined to the house for a week.

they've all taken turns having various symptoms.
including my personal favorites...
fever induced delirium and all night coughing.
even gunther had an emergency trip
to the vet this week for a severe allergic reaction.

carlos and i are now feeling under-the-weather
and i am also feeling drained/overwhelmed.
life doesn't stop to give moms a chance to recover from such troubles
and with no family nearby to help
well, i'm a mess.

but being the chronic overcomer that i am
i will get over it...
venting always helps right?

thankful.

yesterday matt and i ran a few errands
first stop was starbucks to get a cup of my new favorite
thanksgiving blend...
it's a mixture of two of my favorites
guatemala antigua and sumatra
actually i got a tall eggnog 2 raw sugar misto since the
aforementioned thanksgiving blend compliments fall spices.
it was really good.

when matt and i were leaving i saw one of my regular customers
and we said hello.
in the car matt asked me a few questions...it went something like this:

matt: is he your friend?
me: he's a customer.
matt: but he's your friend right?
me: yeah, i guess he's my friend because i see him most everyday and we talk.
matt: what is his name?
me: i think his name is stan.
matt: is his real name stanley?
me: I don't know.
matt: WELL...when you asked him to be your friend did he say
"hi, my name is stanley, but you can call me stan"?

then i remembered when you are in kindergarten you ask people to be your friend.
i hope everyone matthew asks to be his friend says yes.

and because the season is all about giving
the first person to leave a comment gets
a pound of my new favorite coffee.
i will mail it if you're not local but it has to be in the U.S.

*starbucks partners are not eliglible for this offer.

dancing trees & and the flu.

last year i wrote this about my back yard.

we're enjoying it again this fall...
it seems that everyone likes being outside
when the breeze is blowing
and the leaves are flying around like snow.

it's our 4th year here and i'm still amazed by the colors.
there is no dramatic changing of the seasons in florida.

the boys aren't feeling well
abraham slept for about 36 hours
waking only to drink sprite and take medicine.
matthew is now feeling ill...
it's pretty heartbreaking.
but this stuff works wonders!

decision 08. the way i see it.

now that the election is over
i feel like talking about it
before, i was at too much of a loss
too conflicted...
who/what are we supposed to believe?
campaign promises?
smear tactics?
internet rumors?
it all seemed pointless to me.
i think it all came down to obama's composure
and confidence vs. mccain's deer-in-the headlights look and
his frustration over not being able to get his words out.
basically obama is a rockstar
mccain is a grandpa...
that's how it seemed to me.

did the right man win?
i honestly don't know.
it is impossible to know
because I can't see into the future.
i was totally freaked out at the thought of al gore
becoming president but i don't feel that way about obama.
afterall all i do not put my trust in man
but in a God who sees all things and is sovereign.

one thing is for sure...
i was proud to tell my children
that the first african american man was elected president
because that my friends is awesome.

issues aside,
i'm proud for the history that was made yesterday.

"we hold these truths to be self evident that all men were created equal..."

p.s. it was fun (and stressful but mostly fun)
to serve free coffee to all the voters yesterday.
I have NEVER been so non-stop busy at work the line was HUGE all day!
To steal michelle's word it was epic!
I enjoyed the high energy and excitement in the air,
it was like americans were awakened to what a privilege voting truly is.
I commend companies like starbucks, krispy-kreme, chick-fil-a
and ben & jerry's who gave away free stuff just for voting.

happiness.

i've been using bare minerals for a few years
and i LOVE it.
i recently heard about everday minerals
and that they offer a free sample makeup kit by mail
so i ordered mine today
and paid only $3 for postage...
follow this link
and scroll down
you get to pick 3 foundation samples
1 concealer
1 blush
all for free...

my wiggly niños...

thanks again chris for taking the pictures.

tag. i'm it.

my girl michelle tagged me.

the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you done!
2. Post the rules on your blog done!
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself done!
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs done!
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. done!

1. i was born in the same hospital that i later had my daughter in.
   
2. the only time i've gotten pulled over i was 15 and joyriding. i talked (lied) my way out of getting arrested.
   
3. i want to open a cupcake bakery.
   
4. i have low tolerance for know-it-alls. in general, conversation is better if the participants are not being constantly corrected with useless facts.
   
5. i once saved a hamsters life by giving it breast milk through an eyedropper.
   
6. i've never seen "gone with the wind."

i tag whomever reads this blog.

almost big.

matthew choose popsickles
to share with his class for his birthday
when i picked him up from school and saw him
sitting there with his hat on i thought to myself...he's still little.
little enough to still think it's cool to wear a birthday hat
little enough to still kiss me in public
little enough that it seems like just yesterday, he was still a baby.

i love you matt-matt!

every mother's dream.

oh the places you'll go...

so my dad has been here since tuesday
and we have had the best time.
we've been chillin and grillin, and going everywhere too.
every time my parents come i realize they have way more energy than me.
i am exhausted but happy that my kids had a fun fall break.

in the last 48 hours we've been to:
red robin
target
lowes
home depot
lowes again
target
the mall
the outside mall
chick-fil-a
the movies
the fresh market

on a wing and a prayer.

i love the feeling of relief
when things are starting to
get checked off the to-do list...
when you realize that
it wasn't all such a big deal after all.
i've spent the last few days "spring cleaning"
and trying to recover from the craziness of the
first 9 weeks of school and working way more than normal.
it's paying off and i'm feeling regrouped.

i really love having the kids home from school for fall break.
except for the fighting...words can't say how crazy it makes me.
grandpa dan is coming this afternoon and i think i'm going to
ask him to have a "come to jesus" talk with the boys.
and alexandria's pre-teen-must have the last word-
sassy attitude is also very fun...
seriously i was way better at mothering
before they could talk back
or get into smackdowns with each other.

they're just keeping it real i guess.
we'll laugh about it one day.

leisure.