Mr. Smiley is 3!

Today is my little man's third birthday! His such a special kid in our family. We love him to pieces! At first when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday he said, "Green!" since green is his favorite color. But once we started talking about what he wanted for his birthday he changed his mind to a Spider-Man cake. I wasn't sure I'd be able to accomplish the task, but I thought I'd do my best. I looked on Youtube for videos and found a great one that I could get ideas from. It was very helpful. So I set out to make my first fondant cake. Up until now my cake decorating skills were polka-dots or as Big Sister wanted last year the number 7 made of marshmallows. Making and decorating cakes is not something I can say that I'm good at. My cakes always come out either too moist or just fall apart in my hands.

So I knew that I would need some help and enlisted my dear old friends on Facebook. They gave me good advice and I used Julie P.'s cake recipe. SO easy! It came out perfect (and I'm sure it tastes great too). Then I made homemade buttercream frosting (for the first time) and that was super yummy and easy! I never knew buttercream frosting was so easy to make and use. I don't think I will ever buy frosting again.

Anyway, I won't bore you with the details, but here is what I made (and some cute pictures of him I took last week). I have to say based on what I've made in the past, I'm pretty proud of myself. I hope Mr. Smiley knows how much we love him!

A few things about him:
*He loves the color green
*He loves his green blanket
*He loves the Iron-Man Armored Adventures show on Netflix
*He loves Spider-man, trains, balls, riding his bike, laughing, snuggling, reading books and watching Basketball

We love you Mr. Smiley! Happy 3rd Birthday!

On Guacamole

The other night we had some friends over to play games. During the nightly conversation the husband asked us how we like our guacamole. He said he had found a new guacamole recipe that he was excited to try because he never seems to make good guacamole. I didn't ask him what was in this recipe but now I'm curious.

I've grown up eating guacamole my whole life. Burritos or tacos for dinner without it? Never going to happen. My kids love avocados--when they were little I would feed it to them straight out of the skin. Avocados are something we eat a lot of. The other day I made a burrito and just put sliced avocados on the top. Over the years I've made a lot of guacamole too. I've added lots of spices and things like green onions, regular onions, cilantro, tomatoes, salsa, or sour cream to liven it up. If I am feeling like putting things in my guacamole I prefer some green onion and cilantro. But I have to say that I prefer my guacamole pure.

All I do is mash up the avocado and just sprinkle some salt and a little pepper in it and to me that is the perfect guacamole. That's how it was on our steak fajitas tonight and boy were they delicious! I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority though so I wonder, how do you take your guacamole?

Falling off the wagon

Remember my goal about eating healthier? Yeah, me too....

I am embarrassed to say that I pretty much fell off the wagon this week. I have been eating junk up the wazoo. Actually it started last week. I was having a major crappy day and made a batch of peanut butter cookies and ate way too much dough before I even cooked them. Seriously though? Best day I've had in a long time. Those cookies were delicious! I thought I might be having a little PMS already (usually I am PMS free for around 8 months after having a baby) since I was an emotional wreck as well but that wasn't it. I think I just needed some serious sugar that day. Since then, it's been harder to say "I'll eat that later." In fact, I haven't said that to myself at all. It's been more of a "Yes, please!" I won't go into detail about how I've indulged myself because that would just be cruel. Let's just say it's been super satisfying.

I have been making sure I get plenty of fruits and veggies though. I've been drinking a smoothie every day with strawberries, blueberries, banana, vanilla Greek yogurt, almond milk, carrots, kale and spinach. They are super yummy and even Mr. Smiley loves them!

I'm not really sure why I'm writing this, because I really don't want to get back on the wagon right now...I know that sounds terrible. Maybe it's so you all know I am not always awesome. I still want to try to eat healthier, but eating cookies and drinking homemade hot chocolate before bed has been super fulfilling lately. In fact I think I'll go eat a cookie right now and then go to bed. Good night....

The answers!

I'm impressed! Those of you that played really know my kids! I'm embarrassed to say some of these actually stump me. Anyway here are the answers. The first collage I couldn't update so the answers are below:

1. MS, 2. LS, 3. LS, 4. BS, 5. BS, 6. MS, 7. LS

 Since only three of you played you all win a prize! I'll be contacting you!

And now for a game

It's kind of freaky how similar my kids look. They come out looking almost identical and while the first month or so they have their own distinct look, they morph back to look-alikes as they get a little older. I have made 5 collages with pictures of each of the kids at the same ages. The game is to properly identify all the pictures. In case you forget my kid's names are Big Sister, Mr. Smiley and Little Sister. The three people with the most correct answers win a cool prize that I have yet to determine.

If you want to play just put your answers in the comments or you can email me too at flipflopmamablog at gmail dot com. I will leave this open until Friday May 18th!

Go!

Birth to one week old

One month old

Two months old

Three months old

Four months old

Can I Get a Do-Over?

This morning has not been the best. I would like to erase the last 2 1/2 hours and just start over. Can I do that?

It started with me waking up to the sound of crying at 7. You know the kind where someone is really hurt, not just upset about something. T-Bone got out of bed to check up on it because I was sandwiched between him and a sleeping baby who got up to nurse at 6 and then promptly fell back asleep. Sometime during that hour I must have laid wrong, because I twisted a muscle in my neck and it really hurts. Back to the crying...Turns out Big Sister pushed Mr. Smiley off her bed and he hit his head. They both share a room (since we live in a two bedroom) and have a trundle bed. The trundle is made of 1 inch thick wood and you guessed it, Mr. Smiley went forehead first onto the trundle. Not the best choice made by Big Sister. She commonly doesn't make the best choices. It's a good thing that T-Bone went in there or I'm sure I would have laid into her. Luckily there was no blood--only a giant 1 inch goose egg in the middle of his forehead and he recovered pretty quickly. Yeah, that's gonna leave a mark.

Moving on to later when I doing Big Sister's hair. She wanted pig tails I gave her a small pony tail on the side (because we were running late and I still needed to put my shoes on) and so tears ensued. Lots of tears. I hope one day I understand how her brain works. I have such a hard time dealing with her reactions most of the time. I got frustrated, spoke more harshly than I should have and we left for school in a huff. Not before Mr. Smiley would refuse to wear shoes or a sweatshirt. I cannot get that kid to wear anything but shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops. It's a good thing we live in San Diego and it's Spring. So we left for school with him un-sweatshirted and un-shoed on a chilly, foggy morning. Big Sister didn't get a sweatshirt either and was shivering through half of the walk.

While walking I was thinking and praying how I could make the mood between us better because I hate sending her off to school when we are both upset. Seeing her shiver gave me the idea of giving her my sweatshirt to wear.  I gave her my sweatshirt and there was an instant transformation. She was happier and reminded me of a story where I gave her my sweater over a year ago at the beach. I was really surprised at how such a small act could make a big change. I guess it really is the little things they remember.

To finish on a happy note, the smoothie I made today was delicious, a problem I have been having ever since before Little Sister was born seems to be finally improving and the sun is out now. Let's the hope the rest of the day is better than the first 3 hours!

4 months old!

Little Sister turned 4 months old today. She is such a light in our family and we are so lucky to have her. She smiles all the time and has just begun to giggle. I try so hard to get her to giggle because it's the best sound in the world. Sometimes she will and sometimes she won't though. She has been sleeping great up until the last couple weeks and now she wakes up once or twice a night again. She also will cry in her sleep. Last night I was watching TV and heard her crying but when I went in to check on her her eyes were closed and she was just whimpering and "crying" like she was talking in her sleep. I hope she doesn't have bad dreams! Luckily after the 5 week old event, she hasn't rolled over since. I'm hoping she just takes her time. I'm not eager to have her moving around just yet. She loves to be held, suck on her fingers any way she can and kick her feet. she's just noticed them but still can't reach them with her hands. I love watching her little concentrated face wondering what those things are! Here are some pictures from the last month.

Little Sister with her two Grandmas

Three Positive Things

So yesterday on the way home from church Big Sister got into her usual rut of contradicting almost everything we said (Me to Mr. Smiley: Thanks Dude! Big Sister: He's not a Dude!) and just all around being negative. When we got home T-Bone just sent her to her room for a while; we'd had enough. When she came out I told her she had to come up with three positive or complimenting things before she could come out for good. So went a thirty-ish minute exercise of her writing things and us helping her tweak them. She started out with

#1 I had a great time in [Primary] class.
#2 I love the books you bought me
#3 I love my new bed

While all of these were pretty decent we wanted her to step out of her comfort zone by writing more specific things and not thinking about herself as much. All of these things start with "I" and that's not displaying very unselfish thinking. So we sent her back in her room to fix #1 and #3. She added some more detail about her teacher to #1 and then changed #3 to The country fair was awesome.

Because these were moving in the right direction we took them. Then we had a conversation where we helped her understand how saying nice things about people and being positive can really change people's attitudes and make them feel better.

It was perfect timing because later my friend posted this on Facebook:

All I had to show her was the first 5 minutes so she could see the effect that positive uplifting words can have on people. It really clicked for her I think! All the rest of the day she was so happy! She was complimenting things and being so grateful. During dinner she kept saying how delicious the dinner was and it made the atmosphere so much better.

After the kids went to bed T-Bone said, "Did you see how much butt kissing Big Sister was doing today?" Of course I had. Then I said, "Yeah, but did you notice how happy our home was because of it? I don't care if it is butt kissing. There was no fighting, no frustration." It was one of the best afternoons we have had in a long time. 

From now on when I send Big Sister to her room for talking back or being contradictory--which lately has been a lot--I'm going to have her write three grateful or positive things down. I have a feeling this will help in improving he attitude and the feel of our home. I'm also going to be better at complimenting as well. I will write three nice things about her too. I think that's something all of us in our home can do better at. I'll let you know how it goes!

What have you done to make the atmosphere in your home more happy and positive? I would love more ideas!  By the way, you are amazing! I love your comments and input!

Two Weeks Later

So it's been two weeks since my last post about getting healthier. I'd like to report that I've been doing pretty good! I've been moving more, eating better and having more energy!

I am a little behind on my 100 mile challenge, but I can easily make those miles up. So far I've done 19 miles with one more today and two tomorrow to bring me up to 21. That puts me 3 miles behind but I'm hoping that we can go for a walk or hike on Saturday morning to make up some distance. Last week was hard because it was spring break and it rained so I had to do some Just Dance instead of walking. Let me tell you the Sweat version of I Was Made for Lovin' You by Kiss really kicked my butt. But it's so fun. It's been really good to have  goal and know that I need to get moving!

My situps have been going okay. I'm not really enjoying them as much but I know they are important. I've been noticing myself walk and sit straighter with better posture.  I'm going to bring in the pushups next week too.

I can't say that I've cut out sugar completely from my diet--that wasn't the plan anyway--but I haven't bought or made any treats in two weeks. The box of Ghirardelli brownies that have been sitting on top of the fridge have remained unmade and that my friends is a HUGE feat! I have however eaten cookies and a slice of pie at someone else's house. My friends threw me a baby shower with delicious food. How was I supposed to resist? hehe I've decided that I won't make it or buy it, but I can indulge a little when there are parties or special occasions. I've been trying to increase my intake of fruits and veggies too. To do that I've been buying the fresh strawberries, blackberries and blueberries from Costco so that there is always enough to go around. I've been making smoothies with them too! Some berries, a little yogurt, a banana and sometimes a little orange juice make yummy ones! Today I added some kale to it and while the color was a little less appetizing, the taste was delicious. I really want to make this a daily habit. I grew up drinking smoothies that my mom would make so this isn't really a new thing for me, but making it a habit will be.

I'm sad to say that I haven't lost any weight from these changes, but that isn't the purpose. I would like to lose the chubbiness around my waist but I know my goal is to be healthier not skinnier. 


Lastly the sun has been shining all week and it's been completely gorgeous weather--finally! I can't wait to take the kids to the pool and spend time outside enjoying the new found energy I have!

Getting Healthier

It's been almost 3 months since I've had Little Sister and it's time to get moving. I've been sitting on my butt long enough and am ready to see some changes in my body. I'm not only talking about the weight I have to lose (12 pounds) but I want to be healthy. I want more energy, I want to be outside and get my doses of Vitamin D and I want to lose the weight too. I want to eat healthier and smarter.

So I've started doing a few things to help me with this new goal. For starters a couple weeks ago I started doing after school carpool (walkpool) two days a week. The first few were rough, let me tell you. I would come home and the rest of my day would be completely shot. I was completely wasted. It's one thing to push a 2 year old in a stroller and it's quite another thing to push a 30 pound almost three year old and a 14 pound 3 month old in a not so great rolling stroller. I was starting to wonder why I offered to do it. I mean why mess with a good thing? I could just hang out all afternoon in my house and Big Sister would just come home! It was wonderful. But after three times it started to get easier and I remembered why I wanted to do it. I started to feel great. Now just walking to school twice a week isn't enough. This week I have added walking Big Sister to school on the days I don't pick up. It's a mile round trip so 5 miles a week is pretty good. But not good enough.

I've joined this challenge: 100 miles in 3 months. Sounds lofty at first but I think it's totally doable! So if I've done my calculations right I need to do 8 miles a week to keep up with my goal. The mornings that I walk to school I just walk around the block and it's just over a 2 mile walk! So it's perfect. Plus I'll have Saturdays if I need to make up any mileage. I'm excited to have this goal to work toward!

Another thing I've been doing is the 200 sit-up App. I did this last year--along with the 100 push-up App--and I felt great! I think I was in a little better ab shape because it wasn't quite as hard as it's been this time around. It's been 3 weeks and I've repeated quite a few days and even went back a whole week today. Doing something is better than doing nothing though, right? I keep telling myself I want to start the push-ups again but I haven't gotten there yet. Maybe in a couple more weeks. I feel like I'm getting a pretty good arm workout holding my fatty baby and pushing 65 pounds of kid/stroller a few times a week.

The last change that I'm making in my life is to decrease the amount of sugar and junk food that we are eating as a family. I can do all the kinds of exercise I want but if I'm not fueling my body smartly then I'm missing a huge part of the puzzle. So I've decided to not have very much sugar. I know it's not smart to cut it out completely, but I just have to say no. Actually I read something the other day that suggested instead of saying no just say, "Not right now." That has totally helped! "Maybe I'll eat it later." And then later never comes! I find myself not wanting it very much anymore. And plus yesterday I watched this: Is Sugar Toxic?

We all know that sugar isn't good for us. It rots our teeth and if you eat too much it give you a stomach ache. It gives you false feelings of energy and then leaves you in the dumps a couple hours later, but I never knew the things in this video. It talks about how sugar fuels cancer cells, leads to heart disease and is as addictive as drugs like cocaine. I for one would like to not be so addicted to something so I'm limiting the sugar that I eat dramatically. The video said the doctors and researchers recommended no more than 100 calories a day for women from sugar so I'm going to try to stick with that. I'm not sure how many grams that translates to so I'm going to do a little research, but I'm pretty sure it's not that much.

I'm hoping that these changes in my life will help me feel healthier, happier and stronger. One last plus is that Elder Richard G. Scott said that when we are healthier we can feel more in tune with the Spirit and I really want that.

Will you join me in getting healthier? Tell me what you are doing!

On Reliving 1967 and More

Yeah I know I was not alive in 1967 but hear me out. Recently we discovered that the Spiderman 1967 cartoon series is on Netflix. Mr. Smiley loves Spiderman--what almost 3 year old boy doesn't?--so of course he begs to watch it.

Let me tell you something. It is terrible.

Spiderman sounds like a 40 year old man (even though Mr. Jameson calls him a teenager), the dialog is head shakingly painful to listen to, and the plot lines are just downright horrible. Even T-Bone, who is a comic loving man, thinks it's terrible. But Mr. Smiley loves it and wants to watch it every day.

I've seen some of the episodes and it's been interesting having a glimpse into TV in the 60's. Luckily I found the 1981 Series today so we'll see if that one is any better.  I'm done with the 60's.

---

Right now we are trying to make an important decision for our family. When I think and pray about going ahead with it I feel calm and peace, but I can't seem to verbalize those thoughts. I really want to do it, but there are some concerns T-Bone and I both have. How do we decide?? I wish things were easier sometimes.

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I can finally wear my wedding ring! It's a little tight still but at least it's wearable. I bought a cheap $10 one from Target right after Little Sister was born that I really like, but it's just not the same. I haven't not worn my wedding ring for very long in the almost 10 years that I've been married! Speaking of 10 years...we are trying to plan out a 10 year anniversary trip. We really want to take a trip to New York in September and I hope it happens. See above blurb...If we go ahead with this decision then we probably won't have enough money to go, but we'll be in a better situation long term. I hate making hard decisions.

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This year I'm going to try to talk more about Easter this year. To me Easter is the pivotal celebration of the Christian world, but it just doesn't get the attention it deserves. I decided this year to do the 12 days of Easter Resurrection Eggs so that the kids can be more involved in the story. Especially Big Sister...she'll be 8 at the end of the year and I really want her to be prepared for her baptism by learning more about the Gospel and Jesus Christ. I love Easter and hope that my children will get more out of this year!

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Well that's about it. I'm going to try to go to the park today with some friends. Wish me luck!

Keep on keeping on

Last weekend I found a copy of Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss at a resale shop and bought it. Mr. Smiley has been asking me to read it multiple times a day so I'm getting pretty familiar with it. I think this is one of Dr. Seuss' most inspirational books. It helps kids see what the future can bring and how to get there. I love how realistic it is. He talks about how bad things are going to happen and that we will have setbacks in life but that we can eventually succeed. To me it's kind of a life-is-about-the-journey type of book. Today as I was reading it to Mr. Smiley I was struck by a certain part:

Whether you like it or not, 
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. 

And this is the part I really liked today:

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go 
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many 
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

On Sunday at church we were talking about enduring to the end. This part in the book really illustrated that point to me. Even though life doesn't always go the way we want, or we run into stumbling blocks and have bad things happen to us we just have to keep going. The illustrations have the little guy in a boat rowing through dark, turbulent water surrounded by scary looking creatures, but he just keeps rowing.  He just keeps on keeping on. On he goes. On we will go to face up to life so that we can succeed.

I love this and hope I can remember it during the hard times in life as I continue to endure to the end.

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!