Quick thing to share

I was googling for some recipes and stumbled across a wonderfull blog of tasty looking food. I was thrilled to find this blog and what made it even better is that the woman is a local Arizonan! Her food looks amazing and she has a lot of the same interests as Kc and I which include being a stay at home mom, cooking, blogging, and at least for me, photography! The name of her blog is "For the love of cooking". It's always exciting to find folks that share the same interests and lord knows I enjoy cooking so this one is a complete win win.

I get it now

Growing up I was teased and treated like garbage. I wasn't at the bottom of the totem pole but I was pretty close. I can remember going home and crying to my parent's about what the jerk off kids would say to me. The friends I did have were your typical elementary school kids. They were my friends, we would fight, they would say stupid stuff and gang up on me or whoever the target for the moment was. My parents would always tell me "Lainy, if you make it out of this world with one good friend you are truly blessed".

Now that I am 24 I can honestly say I finally get it. I have had so many friends over the years and despite some rough endings I am happy that I got to have each and every one of them in my life. Dealing with all of those people good or bad, has showed me what I truly want in a friend.

When I was in high school I met Kc. She and I would drive around for hours on end just talking and enjoying each other's company. Eventually we took different paths and lost touch with one another. A year ago she and I re-connected and I'm so happy we did. We have a unique connection that I don't think many people find in a friend. We compliment one another and she really brings out the best in me. I can depend on her no matter what. I can trust her with my deepest secrets and know that even if she disagrees with the things I have done she stands by me as a friend and tries to guide me in the right direction. I finally feel like I have a good influence in my life, someone I can be myself with and not worry about being judged or looked down on. It's kind of funny but she is the first person I talk to almost every morning and usually one of the last people I talk to at the end of the day. It doesn't matter if we are shopping or just bumming around our houses with our kids we have a ton of fun.

Kc you are an AMAZING woman. I'm so happy that I have the ability to call you my best friend. You are an amazing mother and wife and I strive to be just like you. It's kind of funny to look up to someone younger than me but I do. Your strength and dedication to all that you do leaves me speechless. If everyone had your drive and ambition this world would be a far better place. You know my biggest fear, God forbid the time should come I want you to know that I love you to pieces! Thank you so much for standing by me and helping me to become a better person. I can't wait to take our mommy trip and get to gab for hours! 24 hours of chatting it up sounds like a great escape!

Update on me

So it is now July. My oh my how time does fly. There has been a lot of progress in our home over the past couple of months. I guess I'll start with myself.

I have always had an issue with having my days and nights mixed up. I am now waking up between 6am and 8am daily. My best friend makes this a lot easier because she calls me everyday to ensure I'm awake. I am amazed at what I am capable of accomplishing when I get up early. My house is cleaner, my mind is clearer, and my family as a whole is benefiting from the change. I have been working hard making home made healthy meals for our family and cutting out the already limited fast food from our diets. I am also increasing the veggies and fruits in my daughter's diets. I want them to grow up knowing what a real meal is and knowing that real meals are not purchased through a drive through or made from a box. I want them to grow up not having to worry about their weight all the time. I want to give my kids the chance at a healthy lifestyle so that when they are older it's second nature. I feel like I have done a good job thus far. My kids are at healthy weights and they are really good eaters.

Shaunn is working very hard lately. He has taken on a second store so we are doing well for now. I am so thankful for him and all he does for our family. He made a friend finally! His friends name is Kemo and he is an islander from somewhere around Guam. His wife works for Arrowhead Health and is very nice. I'm so happy that my husband has someone to pal around with and do "man stuff" with. I also have managed to focus on one particular friendship. Kc and I have become best friends and while our time together rocks I fear my waistline will ultimately suffer some radical consequences. Her and I plan to take a trip over night out of town soon as my birthday gift to her. We are also working on reducing costs in our homes and she is also increasing the healthy foods in her home. We have decided to start making our own laundry soap and have even tossed around the idea of dish soap. She and I implemented a once a month movie night where we go to the movies and get away for a few hours and I think it's fair to say we both enjoy that!

Now onto my girls. Brey has really impressed us the last week or so. She is saying quite a few more words. She has learned "trash", "stop", "cow", "dog", "kitty", "mooo", "woof", "meow", "shhh", "uh huh", "are you ok" and that's all I can think of right now. That alone is 11 words, sounds, and one 3 word sentence! We are VERY proud of her. She is following simple commands when she feels like it and has developed quite the little attitude. She likes to hold her finger up to her mouth when she is being scolded and tell her father and I "shhhh". She also likes to scream "stop" at us when she is being scolded, Shaunn and I are having a hard time dealing with those two.

Natilee is a silly little girl. She is smart as a whip. She will listen to almost anything I ask of her including "go night night". She has learned how to say "no" and shake her head yes and no. She has become a picky eater as of late and I'm not sure where this is coming from. She is not a big fan of meat and if she doesn't think it looks good she wont try it. I am now to the point where if she wont willingly try it I pry her mouth open and MAKE her try it. Most of the time this works and she realizes she does like it but other times when she is being stubborn she will spit it out and yell at me.

I am working on moving the girls into their own bedrooms both for alone time and for the sake of their sleeping patterns. Nati moves a lot and Brey doesn't. Natilee is somewhat of an early riser and Brey is not.

Oh and home improvements! We have decided on a beautiful shade of green for our kitchen. We will do one wall in a dark green color called "frosted ivy" and then the remaining walls will be a liter shade on the paint card I have. One day this house will look like a home.

Well the kids are down for a nap so it's time to sweep and mop and finish up with my downstairs cleaning. Hope all is well with your families!