Vacation: To Stay or Go Away????

Almost a week ago we were waiting to hear from my hubby's job regarding his vacation request.  They take an awful long time to give an answer, but finally on Thursday morning he was told that it was okay!!
Now....what to do???  We can't be home for the whole week!!! He gets bored being home all day, so I started making some comparisons.  We had talked about going to Florida (our usual vacation spot) but we weren't 100% sold on it because money is tight!  If we stayed, we'd have to come up with things to do to fill up at least 5 days.....so here is what I came up with:

Staying: Take day trips- cost for the day including food but not the gas or tolls!

Day 1-Cooperstown, NY for the day - 3 hour drive - visit the Baseball Hall of Fame & the Baseball Wax Museum - cost with food - $200

Day 2-Trip to NYC -American Girl(for my daughter's b-day) - Bronx Zoo- approximately $300

Day 3-Point Pleasant Beach - Jenkinsons Aquarium + Beach - $100

Day 4- Wildwood for the day - Whale & Dolphin Watching : $200

Day 5- Camden-Philly - Adventure Aquarium - ferry to Philly to see historical sites: $200

Approximate Total: $1000 - not including gas & tolls, also this is a guess-we never know how much we would spend on food or souvenirs, which I am a sucker for!

Now time for Option #2 - Going away: Floriday-The Sunshine State-my homestate :)

Going to Miami, FL for us is very economical because we stay at either my dad's house or my grandparent's house, and we eat home cooked meals almost every single day - so no money wasted on hotels or eating out!

Gas - $400 (guessing here, but basing it on our previous trip to Florida)

Day 1 - Beach - $0 - bringing food from home

Day 2 - Jungle Island - $200 - including food(choosing to eat out here)

Day 3 - Beach & lunch at Larios on the Beach - $100 (maybe more)

Day 4 - visiting an old friend

Day 5 - Pool time at my dad's with the whole family

Approximate Total: $700

I don't know about you, but I think Florida wins!!!

5 Question Friday ~ 7/20/12

Time for another 5 Question Friday!!!  Hope you enjoy!!!

1) What do you call them-flip flops, sandals, thongs or slippers? Flip-flops (or chancletas in spanish)

2) Are you a "my kids can do no wrong" kind of mom or a "Johnny punched you? Well what did you do to him first?!" kind of mom? I'm in between here, there are times that I know my kids do no wrong - I just don't blind myself or look the other way when I know they did something wrong.  I admit when my kids have done something or acted in a way that is unacceptable, and they pay the price for it, but on the other hand I also see when things happen that may not have been caused by them. Guess I can be a little bit of both!

3) Would you confront a good friend that looked/looks down on your husband/significant other?  I would have in the past but not anymore :( sad to say but friends aren't what they used to be-at least not any of the ones I know!  These days, I just ignore things and don't let it get to me-I spend very little time with "friends" anyway-my kids & wonderful hubby keep me too busy! Its not worth the time to argue with someone about your views/opinions because they will rarely agree-just agree to disagree & move on!  If said person makes my husband feel down then time to cut loose the friend-nothing comes in between my marriage :)

4) Biggest pet peeve? People who spend their lives talking/criticizing others but fail to look at themselves in the mirror.

5)What's your favorite take out meal? Pizza (hungry just thinking about it)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!

Hmmm....What day is it?

It's been 2 days since my last run and I just haven't found the time to run again!! Although, I haven't been sitting around doing nothing....I've been working my butt of at home.  Moving things, rearranging stuff....yes it is that time of year when I see how much stuff we have that we do not use.  For some reason, this year it looks a whole lot worse!  So, I've been emptying out all of the closets in the house, so far have 5 bags of clothing & shoes (haven't gone into my closet yet) and several bags & boxes of toys and children's books!!  I don't know if this would count as a workout, but boy does my body hurt!!  I've been at it for 2 days and I'm only 1/2 way done!
Tomorrow is a new day and I'm hoping to get in my 35 minutes-I'll try for the hour to make up for today-and will have my weekly weigh in.  I hope its a good one!!!

Disney Wordless Wednesday-Disney Weenies 7/18

I love Wordless Wednesdays, but I do admit on not being very dedicated about it.....yeah I forget a lot!  So while I was visiting Focused on The Magic, I decided to join the blog hop fun for The Disney Wordless Wednesday :) This week's theme is Disney Weenies and no its not the type of weenie that refers to someone like me who chickens out of rides like Tower of Terror, LOL!  No, no, no-as Debs from Focused on the Magic explains, Disney Weenies are the focal points in every park.  Now I had to do some digging to find my pics of one of my many favorite Weenies!

Here it is:

My hubby with my little boy :)

This was taken in 2002 during my son's 1st visit to Disney!

This is from our last trip to Epcot in 2010!

Again in 2010, I love seeing it at night!

This is one of my faves....I've always referred to it as a giant golf ball :)

What's your favorite Disney Weenie?

WOW - Day #9!!!

As you may have already guessed....I did absolutely NOTHING for the past 4 days! I did swim a bit on Saturday, but that doesn't count since it wasn't that much swimming.  Between yesterday and today I have been stressing, I mean MAJOR STRESSING!! Everything from our living arrangements to where my kids will go to school, everytime I stop to think I change my mind.....at this point I still don't know exactly what I'm doing or what I want except to make my kids happy.  Which by the way, my son is no help.....Me: "if we move would you be okay not going to PCH", son: "yeah as long as I can go to NB HS" - REALLY!! That means you are only giving me the chance to find a place in NB which can be very difficult...ugh! Then my daughter just refuses to leave her school.  She tells me that she promised her best friend that she would go there until 8th grade.....its exhausting having to deal with 2 completely different personalities!!!  They are soooo extreme - one doesn't communicate & the other communicates waaaayyyy too much!!
So as you can see I am really going insane.....add to the fact that I am the most indecisive person on earth. I want so much, but then don't want change...I'm ready to scream!!
Now I noticed it was 9pm and another day gone by without a workout, so I got my butt up & away from the computer and figured that running would be a great way to relieve some stress.....so I did!!

http://armyspouseami.blogspot.com/2011/01/running-its-not-just-for-them-part-2.html

So happy now, I am feeling a lot better!  I also decided to add an extra 5 minutes to my runs this week, so instead of 30 minutes, I will be aiming for 35 for the rest of this week.  Hopefully, I'll be able to increase another 5 minutes next week :)

Menu Plan Monday 7/16/12

I haven't really made time to think of my menu this week.....I've got so much on my mind but, I can't put this on the back burner forever....we have to eat, right?  

Monday: Chicken cutlets with rice & beans, salad on the side

Tuesday: Picadillo (Cuban ground beef) with white rice & banana on the side

Wednesday: Breaded chicken cutlets with baked potato, veggies on the side

Thursday: Whole wheat spaghetti with home-made meatballs, salad on the side

Friday: Camarones Enchilados (Cuban Style Shrimp in red sauce) with white rice, salad on the side

Ok, so I noticed today that I haven't planned meals for Saturday & Sundays and the reason for this is that these are my off days :)  Sometimes I will cook, but these will be spontaneous meals like BBQ items - burgers, grilled chicken....or its takeout for the whole weekend!  Now in the summer we spend our weekends away from home, either at the beach or my sister-in-law's pool so I can't plan meals for these 2 days!  This is my plan for the week!!

What are your plans?  Need some more ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas.

5 Question Friday - 7/13

Another week of 5 Question Friday!! If you'd like to join in the fun, just go on over to My Little Life and link up!! Its that easy :)

1. What's your view on men wearing sandals (yay or nay)?  Yay - only condition is that the feet need to look good.  If you don't take care of your feet, then you shouldn't be wearing sandals!!

2. What song do you love but are embarrassed to admit?  Oh boy!! Well, I am embarrassed to admit but  it is "I'm a Barbie Girl" by AQUA.  Its just so catchy & easy to sing along to...lmao!!!

3. What summer camp should they make for moms? An ideal summer camp for moms should be one with no schedules! No getting up early, no cooking, just wake up at whatever time you'd like & do whatever you want!!

4. What is the most romantic song? (Not necessarily your favorite or your wedding song...)  OK...this was a tough one! I LOVE music and there are so many songs that I love that it was difficult to just pick one, but since I had to - it has to be "This I Swear" by Nick Lachey.

5. Do you have an embarrassing pregnancy story?  Hmmmm, can't think of any!  I did feel like a bit of an airhead many times during my pregnancy.  I just didn't think things through but I can't really think of any embarrassing moments!  


Well, that's all for this week.  Some of these questions really took some thinking, LOL!! 

Nothing for Day 5 :(

Well, I attempted Day 5 outdoors.  We were at a nice park and I attempted to jog and only did 0.21 miles....how awful is that????  It was too muggy, I felt exhausted, hot & sticky and just could not even walk after that!!  Then got to my sister-in-law's house and that was it for me! Pizza for dinner & a nice cold beer to relax....I haven't gotten up since :/

Days 6 & 7 aren't looking very promising either.  Plans for tomorrow are...pool-thats it!! What can I possibly do to workout in a pool, I don't know.  Maybe I'll google it and I'll find some kind of water workout so my weekend won't be a total loss.

To make matters worse, I am now craving something sweet...cake or something!!! AAAHHHHHH!!

Fortunately, I am already undressed so I won't be going out to buy something and my sister-in-law doesn't have anything sweet to snack on-except watermelon!  I'm saved, for tonight!

We have a very low key weekend ahead--swimming in the pool and not much else.  Maybe take a ride to the beach, but nothing for sure yet!  I just hope the sun is out.....want to even out my tan :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Finally got through Day 4 :D

It is 8:30 pm and I finally got up the energy to get on the treadmill.  Yes, today was treadmill day and between so much going on in my life right now and coming home so late last night, I've been avoiding that damn machine all day.  I wouldn't even look at it!!
But then I remember how awful I feel in my clothes and how I have a HUGE room full of clothing that just doesn't fit right so at 8pm I finally put on my sneakers and went for my jog.  I started with a brisk walk which lasted almost 15 minutes--I was thinking of just walking the whole 30 minutes but then thought that I would ruin my goal of running atleast 2 miles 3 times a week!!  So I got moving and I am very proud of myself since I was able to actually jog for about 10 minutes without slowing down! I usually do 30 seconds jog then 30 seconds walk.  Today I walked for about 15 minutes, then jogged for 10-increasing to a quick run for 1 minute and then walk the final 4 minutes.
The end result: 2.05 miles with an average pace of 14'43"!!!! YAY ME!!!!

http://www.smithical.com/2012/06/running-thoughts-iv/

Plan for Day 3!

Today I woke up really late, not sure why, but I did.  So now, at 10:45am, I am making myself breakfast-2 boiled eggs & coffee plus I already drank my first bottle of water!
My workout for today will be zumba!! It is time to pop in my Zumba disc for Xbox and get moving....so today's workout will be a lot more fun than my typical treadmill run :)
Not sure what's for lunch today, I haven't decided yet but it will be healthy and dinner will be pork chops with veggies & baked potato, like I had already planned for on my MPM.

I'm off for now since my eggs are ready.....have a great day everyone!!!

Workout Complete for Day 2!

2 miles in 30 minutes done!! Yay!! I also finished up a mix of different crunches-trying to work out my abs-I'm in desperate need to lose the belly :/

I'll be getting my salad ready for lunch in a few and I only had coffee for breakfast-that may not have been great, but I had nothing else.  So, after my coffee I ran up the block (ok, I actually walked) and bought a couple of items we needed to make meals for the week.  Dinner will be chicken with veggies and a little bit of white rice...not too bad!

I also decided to weigh myself today, even though I tend to do it on Thursdays only, and I wish I hadn't!! My Wii says I gained 1.3 lbs...WTH!!!! I'll blame it on my workouts!!

Menu Plan Monday - July 9, 2012

Here is my second week participating on MPM, although I don't even know how I'll make it through the week.  Its just too hot to cook!! My air conditioner is working overtime!!
I'm going to continue to try to keep our meals well balanced & healthy, but since I still need to make a trip to the grocery store...our meal for today isn't really diet friendly, but it is good!!

Menu for the week


Monday: Baked Ziti, salad
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken served with veggies & white rice
Wednesday: Grilled pork chops served with baked potato & veggies
Thursday: Garlic shrimp served with spaghetti & salad
Friday: Taco Salads & tacos for the kids

This is it for now....its really hard coming up with a menu for the week.  Now to get my shopping list together & off to the supermarket I go.  If you'd like to join in on Menu Plan Monday, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

:)  Have a great week everyone!!

Day 1 - Let's Start it Up!!

So we are back from the weekend, which was great!  I didn't stick to my dieting too much but I don't think I pigged out either.  I just forgot to drink the amount of water that I've been drinking during the week, I also skipped lunch on both days! Not sure why, maybe the heat just killed my hunger....who knows!  Anyway, I know that I didn't stay on track with my water and eating 3 times a day with snacks in between, like I wanted to.
Today I'm back on track & starting up my workouts.
I used my 5 lb weights and worked my arms a bit, I did a few sets of squats, lunges and crunches, then decided to walk/jog a mile on my treadmill.  I wasn't planning on the treadmill, I was going to leave that for Tuesday, Thursdays & Saturdays, but I didn't feel like doing any workout videos so went jogging instead.

Now I'm ready for a shower.....it felt good to sweat but that good feeling doesn't last too long, LOL.

Hope everyone else is moving & doing something today! I know its hot out, but it really does feel good when  you are finished working out....I even feel more energized! :)

Regret Free Parenting:Raise Good Kids and Know You're Doing It Right by Catherine Hickem, LCSW

Have you ever questioned your parenting?  Have you ever felt like you are doing a bad job as a mother or that you needed some type of guidance?

These are all issues that moms everywhere deal with on a daily basis.  We doubt ourselves and sometimes even regret decisions we have made regarding our parenting.  This book lays it all out for you in an effort to help change your way of thinking about what it means to be a good mother.

“Regret Free Parenting” helps you see things in a different light.  Catherine Hickem did a great job in adding her own personal life stories to help the reader understand the differences in parenting styles.  I fully understood why being an intentional parent is so important in our children’s lives.  There are also plenty of Biblical quotes to help you think about the importance of having faith in that God is always there.   We cannot resolve all of our child’s problems, and we need to trust in God that things will work out.

I felt the book was well written and it is an easy read, although you may find yourself rereading some parts, like I did.  Her personal stories were great in helping me to see the similarities between her family and my own.  There were some sections that pertained to me now and I needed to go over it again and try to use the information I was reading.  I would recommend this book to any mother, it can be very helpful in any stage of your child’s life.  It is very inspirational!

Hope you enjoy it as well!

 Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

5 Question Friday!! 7/6/2012

OK, last week's 5 question Friday was fun, so here is this weeks:

1. Is love at 1st sight possible? Hmmm...not sure on this one! I believe there is something that will attract you to someone at first, but to love him/her, that takes time! Unless we are talking about your own kids!  Here I totally believe in love at first site.....as soon as they were both born & handed to me, I knew that I loved them more than anything in the world....I adore my husband, but the love I have for my kids is something that cannot be compared to anything!


2. How did you choose your pet's name?  My dog is a chocolate lab, so as soon as I saw her I though of coco powder, so that's her name: Coco!


3. What are you considering giving up (cable, home phone)? I would give up my home phone!  I only keep it for emergencies, but I never use it-my cell phone is the one to call me on if you want to reach me :)


4. How much do you pay your babysitter? I don't have a babysitter & probably never will.


5. How "young" is old enough to babysit? I was 13 when I began baby sitting my cousins, but I currently wouldn't trust any 13 yr old I know with my daughter.  I don't know, maybe I'm paranoid, but I don't think they are mature enough.  A baby sitter for my daughter will have to be atleast 16! 

Well, this is it for this week.  If you'd like to join, go to My Little Life and link up :)  


Have a great weekend everyone!!

My Weight Loss Plans continue.....with a twist!

I've had weight issues ever since I had my daughter in 2005~I lose a few pounds & as fast as I can blink, the pounds are back on, sometimes with a couple extra! Ugh--so depressing!

For over a year now, I have been trying to keep track of my weight loss on my Tumblr blog-which I have decided to shut down now.  I decided to add my weight loss & change in eating habits to this blog....I think its easier for me :)

So....besides my ongoing struggles, I am now inspired to really get in shape thanks to the Disney's Princess Half Marathon.  Leave it to me to add Disney to my weight loss plans, hehehehe!!  This event is scheduled for February 22-24, 2013.....so I am hoping to be able to attend and get in shape to run this half marathon...yay!!!  I've never participated in anything like this before...I've never been an athletic person, so I really have to dedicate time to get in shape.  I'm not doing this just for the marathon, I know that I need this to be healthy and keep up with my kids' hectic schedules during the school year, so here we go!!

So here I am - start of week 1, healthier eating and working out!! I am following Jeff Galloway's training program for the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  I'm hoping this training will help me run faster and more.  Today I ran for 30 minutes with a pace of 16'13"/mi, 1.85 miles total.  This has got to improve, no question!!!

Now to plan our meals for the rest of the day.....I am including my family as much as I can.  This goal of mine is not only for me & my hubby to lose weight, but for all of us to learn how to eat healthier and maintain a healthy & active lifestyle!!

Good Times on the 4th!!

I hope you all had a great time yesterday!!! Here in Jersey it was a great day to be at the beach, park or pool....actually anywhere outdoors was a great choice!  The day was beautiful!!
My mom's cousin and his wife were having a pool party so that's where we chose to celebrate our 4th of July! My mom & grandparents were here visiting from Pennsylvania, so it was a great day to spend outdoors with family.
They have a pool so we didn't roast under the sun....it was really hot!! There was also plenty of food to enjoy & then lots of games with the kids.....they had a blast!!

The party was finished off with a game of pool between my son & my grandfather....good times!!!

We got back home at 9pm, so we stayed home & enjoyed the fireworks on TV....it was too late to go somewhere to see them live!!  Everyone was too tired to go out and stand around waiting for fireworks anyway!!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!!

Wishing everyone a Very

http://disney-clipart.com/4th-July/4th-July.php

Happy 4th of July!!!

http://blog.disneystore.com/blog/2011/07/disney-store-wishes-everyone-a-happy-4th-of-july-.html

Hope you all have a safe & great time with your loved ones!!

"The greatest lesson we can learn from the past is that freedom is at the core of every successful nation"-Anonymous

Park, Beach & Pool!!!

This past weekend was a blast & very little money spent, which is always a good thing :)  The fun started on Friday morning when I picked up my daughter's best friend and took them on a playdate to the park.  The parks now have sprinklers so the kids can run around in & stay cool.  I loved it!! Found a bench in the shade & just let them run around.

After the park, we went to Mcdonald's for lunch & then took the BFF home.  My daughter was happy, but did sulk a bit because the playtime was over.  Now back home to pack for our weekend in Spotswood!
We had planned to stay at my sister-in-law's house for 1 night, so Saturday morning we headed out.  We stopped at her house, dropped off the sleep-over stuff and headed to the beach.  Our beach of choice this morning was Long Branch.  No boardwalk full of games & food so we don't spend money :)
The ocean was amazing--for it being a Jersey beach that is!  No bad waves & the water didn't feel ice cold-it was cold, but it wasn't bad!  As soon as we set up our chairs we all jumped in!

 My son trying to avoid the camera, LOL!

When I finally came out, I got a pic of all 3 of them

 So after spending most of the afternoon in Long Branch, we decide to go eat and then took a ride to Seaside Heights.  Here is where we always waste so much money on games & food.  In order to limit the amount of money spent, we ate at a McDonald's before arriving to the boardwalk, and my hubby set a limit on money.  Once that amount was spent, we'd be finished for the day!
The kids had a great time playing all kinds of games and winning tickets....my son has thousands of points accumulated! He's trying to win some headphones!  We left the boardwalk at 7:30 and headed back to Spotswood.
The next morning was great.  We woke up, had breakfast and changed into our bathing suits to jump in the pool.  9am and we were in the pool.....I thought we'd wait until 11 or so, but nope, not my kids!!  I'm lucky they waited to have breakfast before going in!

Here is my hard working man, mowing the lawn for his sister :)

Here we decided to try out my niece's kayak in the pool....

Now we know that we must take a day to go on a lake to let the kids kayak!! We all loved it!! 

Well, after all the pool time and having pizza for lunch, we headed back home!  

That was our weekend fun-Bye, bye!!

Menu Plan Monday

I love reading other blogs, I learn new things and get ideas that I can use in my own life.  This time, I came across this blog- I'm an Organizing Junkie.  She has a post every Monday called Menu Plan Monday!  I thought this was a great idea.  I can meet more people, find more recipes and organize my own menu for the week--which is very challenging in this house.  Everyday, around 4pm, I stand in my kitchen trying to come up with something....hopefully by me doing the Menu Plan Monday, I will save myself this headache.  Problem is, I'm getting the headache now in trying to figure out what everyone would like to eat for the rest of the week :/
Oh well, here we go:

Monday: Baked ziti w/ricotta cheese & shredded chicken

Tuesday: Chicken Kebabs with Grilled Green Onions served with White Rice

Wednesday: 4th of July BBQ at cousins(no cooking for me)

Thursday: Barbecue Chicken and Cheddar Quesadillas served with Baked Potato

Friday: Lemon Fried Chicken served with Mashed Potato

Saturday: 4 Minute Spicy Garlic Shrimp served with Spaghetti

Sunday: eat out

Now, my goal is to stick to this menu!!!