♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥: May 2010

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Our Florida Vacation 2010

We spent a whole week in Florida this month and it was awesome! We got up bright and early on a Saturday morning and flew to Orlando. We spent that afternoon and evening soaking up the sun at the resort. One of my dear friends, who lives near Miami, drove up and spent the afternoon with us. It was great spending time with her. On Sunday, Jolee's birthday, we went to the Magic Kingdom and spent the WHOLE day. On Monday, we returned to the Magic Kingdom to ride the rides that we didn't get a chance to ride on Sunday, and that evening we went to EPCOT. On Tuesday, we went to Hollywood Studios. Disney World is so much fun, but those parks take a lot out of you! We were definitely ready for a little R & R!

On Wednesday, we rented a car and drove to Clearwater Beach where we met up with David. It was so great to see him again! Emmy had never seen the beach before and when she looked at it from our hotel balcony she said, "it's winter!!". We had to explain to her that what she was seeing was white sand! :) We spent the remainder of our vacation Wed-Fri relaxing on the beach, hunting for shells, riding a waverunner, going parasailing, and getting lots and lots of sun! On our final day in Florida, we ate lunch at the restaurant where David works and spent a few hours at his condo. This vacation was our first vacation as a family of 5 and it was so much fun!

Click on the link below to view some of the pictures. You'll have to click on the first picture and then click next to see the remaining pics. I've also written a little about each one below the picture.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=219526&id=549347587&l=8da273615c

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Happy 6th Birthday, Jolee!

On May 16, Jolee thought she was the luckiest little girl on the planet...she got to spend her birthday at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. When we checked into our resort, they gave her a "Happy Birthday Jolee" button to wear to the park. Every single cast member who saw it went out of their way to say happy birthday to her. Some even SANG happy birthday to her! For lunch that day, we were visited by Winnie the Pooh and his friends, Eeyore and Piglet...so much fun! And, to top off lunch, we surprised her with a huge birthday cake. Later that day, we were chosen to be the Grand Marshalls of the parade. We got to ride in Mickey's limo and wave to all of the people! We felt a little like celebrities! I'm sure this birthday is one that Jolee will never forget!

In front of the Princess castle

Jolee getting serenaded...

♪♪ Happy Birthday to you! ♪♪

Serenaded again by this quartet

Tigger came over to visit the birthday girl!

...and so did Eeyore!

...and Pooh, too!

What a yummy cake...mommy had 2 pieces!

Make a wish!

This is Mickey's limo that we got to ride in the parade

Getting geared up to smile and wave at all the people!

Miss Piggy & Kermit rode in the car behind us.

Doing a great job!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day 2010

I know Mother's Day is a day we celebrate our moms and thank them for all that they do and have done for us. I admire my own mom so much and I aspire to be a mom as great as she is. For me, I not only think of my mom, whom I miss so much because she lives too far away, but I am SO thankful to be a mom myself. I thank God for the 3 most important gifts I have ever received. My daughters give me purpose, they give me strength, they make me a better person.

I am so blessed...

Macey made this foil sculpture for me...it is her and I hugging.

I LOVE IT!

The card Macey made for me

The card Jolee made...home-made gifts are the best!

Jolee's Birthday Party with Her Friends

Jolee is not quite 6 yet, but celebrated her birthday with her friends this weekend. All of the girls in her kindergarten class were here as well as a few other friends. Jolee was over the moon...

♪♪ Happy Birthday to You! ♪♪

Home-made cookie cake...mmm!

Jolee and her peeps :-)

Dialogue with Emmy

"I love you with my most loviest heart."
Whenever she finds a coin on the ground she says, "Look! It's my lucky day!"
"Once upon a time there were 2 little girls: Mommy, Daddy, Macey, Emmy and JoJo"...
"Mommy, I love you every single day."
When asked, "How old will you be after your next birthday?", she replies, "Free".
Emmy: "I love you!" Mommy: "I love you, too!" Emmy: "I love you MORE!"
Favorite questions: "Why?", "Because why?", "What?", and "What's that mean?"
She's been saying this A LOT lately-- "I'm more hungry"...every 15 minutes!

Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions

"I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!"
Grady said: "Jolee, you have school tomorrow", Jolee said: "Oh, the PAIN!, THE PAIN!"
"Every time I push my belly out, my pants pop open!"
"Daddy, I love you so much that I can't let you out of my sight!"
"I'm warm...like a piece of toast."
"I have never, ever, EVER tooted in school!"
"Don't eat the yellow snow!"
"If we had a boy cat AND a girl cat, and they kissed...that would be GROSS!"
"Sometimes the world is a mystery..."
"What are bees' feet called?"
"Zip your lip and throw away the key!"
"Mom's the Mystery Farter!" Note: I'm sure it wasn't me...must've been Daddy!
When deciding whether or not to add chocolate to her ice cream she said, "I'm gonna go for it!"
"It smells like there's a butt in my nose!"
"Mom, I ROCK at this!"
"Tell it to the Judge!"

Macey's Corner: New things I've learned in school

In a handful of soil, there are more living organisms than there are people on the planet.
I have learned multiplication facts by two, three, four and five and division facts by two.
To reduce pollution when shopping, purchase items that are not in a box or that have little packaging.
A refuge is a place where animals and plants are safe.
In statistics, "mode" is the number that appears most often, "maximum" is the largest number, "minimum" is the lowest number, and "range" is the maximum minus the minimum.
A menorah is the candle holder in Hanukkah celebrations and a kinara is the candle holder in Kwanzaa celebrations.
In English, the days of the week start with a capital letter, in Spanish they don't.
In Germany a Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum
Germany is a country in Europe.
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday honoring the ancient African tradition of celebrating the year's harvest.
There is a difference between a food chain and a food web. Food chains follow a single path as animals find food and food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.
Another word for collar bone is clavicle.
Not all spiders spin webs to catch food, some dig holes.
Today I completed 100 math facts in less than 5 minutes.
Amphibians are cold blooded animals.
In a math addition problem, if there are more than 2 numbers, find the facts of 10 and then add the others.
A fish that has spikes and puffs up is called a Puffer Fish.
Veteran's Day is also known as Armistice Day.
The phalanges are bones that make up our fingers and toes.
Check back often! Macey will populate this list.

Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean

No Paper OR Plastic: Instead of buying giftbags for Christmas or birthday presents (especially for adults), buy re-usable grocery bags that the recipient can use everyday.
Cut it Short: In ALL of the baking I do, I always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Even if you cut it just a little bit, every little bit helps. And, we never miss it!
No More White Stuff: The next time you have to buy flour, buy whole wheat flour. I use it in all of my baking and my family can't tell the difference!
Challenge Yourself: I got this idea from another blog I visit daily. Challenge yourself to not go to the grocery store for an entire week. This forces you to be creative with what you have on hand. It's also a great way to use up the odds and ends in your pantry. It got a little difficult at the end of the week, but we did it! Plus, the savings from that week were very noticeable on our grocery budget!
Rewards Cards: Take advantage of the rewards cards at stores you shop at often. For example, we use the Office Max rewards/recycle program and are able to get free stuff there with the rewards we've accumulated. I also get special discounts at Dick's Sporting Goods which comes in handy buying my running shoes every six months. Other cards I have are for CVS (they give you money to use on your next purchase), Hallmark (free coupons), all the grocery stores (you get the store's discount plus sometimes discounts on gas), shoe stores (special coupons), you get the picture.
Free Movie Nights: Do you have a Redbox kiosk nearby? If so, you can find Redbox codes online every Monday and Wednesday to get a free movie. And, even if you don't get the codes, movies are only a buck! Bye, bye Blockbuster!
Soccer Mom Must: Car pool, duh!
Don't be a Heel: Don't throw away the heels from your loaves of bread. I don't like eating them as sandwiches, either, but toss them in the freezer until you get several of them. Then, toast them in the toaster and throw them into your food processor...wala!...whole grain bread crumbs! And, they're a lot healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you buy at the store.
Behind Bars: Our family goes through granola bars like you wouldn't believe. I love that my kids like to eat this healthy snack, but I don't like how expensive they are. I found a great recipe that is so versatile you can tailor it to your own likes and dislikes. One pan costs pennies and makes 16-18 bars. Recipe is found above in "Janie's Kitchen".
101 Uses for Vinegar: I use it as a fabric softener (and no, our clothes don't stink!), mixed with water it is WAY better than Windex, my friend Stacy uses it to kill her weeds, I spray it on the counters to help get rid of ants, and this is just a few of things I can think of off the top of my head! Google it and have fun!
Stacking Coupons: Did you know that you can use a store coupon (ie. Walgreens, Target, etc.) AND and manufacturer's coupon for the same item? For example, you can print Target coupons (good only at Target) and clip your mfr. coupon to use on the same item. If you do this when the item is on sale, it's an even bigger bonus...many times you can get it free or almost free!