5 Things.

Today is Sunday & not Friday but I'm still doing a 5 Things post.

It's been 10 days since my last post. Things got crazy. Here are 5 things that happened while I was absent minded.

1. My husband got sick. He thought it was heartburn... that lasts 24 + hours. WebMD and I diagnosed him with a Gallstone Attack. I finally convinced him to go to the ER. Guess who was right? Yep. I'm pretty much on par with Dr. House in my diagnostician skills. So, he got a 2 night stay at the hospital and came home a man in a lot less pain and one unnecessary organ short.

2. My Mom, Dad and Lala came to visit us. They were driving down from Maryland when the whole gallbladder thing went down. The kids started school back up on Monday and it was the first time I had to deal with school drop-offs/pick-ups/lunch making/homework/bedtimes all on my own without a partner, so BOY WAS I HAPPY to have my parents + Lala in town at this exact moment. Plus, I haven't seen them since August and I missed them a lot.

3. We ate out A LOT. My Dad also at this very exact time of craziness was fighting a contracted case of salmonella and/or food poisoning. They are meat eaters and we are not. He had a sensitive stomach and my gallbladder-less husband was trying to get his appetite back. So, food was a bit of an issue. Eating out made things a little easier. One of those dinners, we ate out at a Japanese Steak House, more specifically, the fancy new one at the mall.

It was on this night, that I had an epiphany.

I came up with a brand new diet idea. I call it: The Chopstick Diet.

This diet is for anyone who is struggling with portion control, and it's simple... Eat all meals with chopsticks. No cheater chopsticks, the real deal.

You will learn to savor, to eat slow, and you will stop eating when you are full.
This is my contribution to our rising obesity problem. You're welcome, America.

4. I made some things. The pirate penguin was a DIY Etsy knockoff I made for my little sister (who loves pirates and penguins). You can buy the real deal here, or buy a pattern and attempt to make one yourself (like I did) here. The little raggedy monkey was me learning the hard way you shouldn't make felt plushies with fabric other than felt (he's still kind of cute, though). I got this awesome book called 'The Cuter Book' (Aranzi Aronzo) and can't wait to make every single cute little thing in it!

5. I rocked my first attempt at this hair style. Seriously, not only do I have mad WebMD/diagnostician skills, but I can whip up a halo braid like it's nobody's business. This was hella easy and so cute! I'm definitely putting it in our rotation of every day hairstyles.

So, here we are... kind of/sort of back to normal. Chris went back to work today, my parents + Lala have been gone since Friday and I have my partner mostly back to help with the normal every day of school days. Phew! I realized just how lost I am without him.

Okay, new week. Bring it on!

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things.

It's Friday!! & that means I make a list for you of 5 things that make me happy (for the moment). 

1. It's Friday and I have a shopping date with my Christopher tomorrow. <3
2. The world didn't end.
3. We have TWO WEEKS OFF OF SCHOOL!!!
4. We are going to Busch Gardens Christmas Town tomorrow.
5. Christmas is shaping up.

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things.

Happy Birthday to me! Here are Five Things that make me happy: Birthday Edition.

Oops! I meant to post this yesterday...

1. This song! I hope you get it stuck in your head and it makes you cheery all day long.
   
   
2. All the Facebook Happy Birthday wishes!! I always feel like a rock star on my birthday on Facebook. :D ( btw - are we friends on FB? No?? Let's hook up! )
3. My special morning gingerbread latte Christopher crafted in my kitchen.
4. We ate out at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse for my birthday dinner! We don't eat out much, so this is definitely a treat! It was my vegetarian trip & I don't know why I just didn't get double veggies all the time. OMG they stir fry up some delectable veggies. Oh, and I love sake!
5. My new ombre hair I got for my birthday. I love it!!! Expect lots and lots of selfies on IG in the next few days of my ombre hair. :D

 

<3, Tabi :D

 

p.s. Now that it's December and my birthday's over, let's focus on Christmas. Oh, and Riley's birthday!!

 

Five Things.

(( Today is day 16 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

It's also Friday & that means I make a list for you of 5 things.

Today I am thankful for:

1. The sparks of rebellion in my children. That piece of a person's conscience that makes them question what they are told. Rebellion nurtures the seeds inside us which grow into social movements which brings the world forward: socially, scientifically, spiritually. Rebellion is good.
2. The gifts I get to bestow on one of my favorite people tomorrow at her baby shower. I'm so excited about my little crafty gifts. I've been wanting to post pictures for days now. 
3. My kids not riding the bus. There was a little girl that died crossing the street about a mile from our house this morning trying to catch the bus. My heart is breaking for that little girl's family and friends. And for the Mom who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, who's vehicle struck her. I hear horror stories about kids and buses all the time. These stories scare the bejeezus out of me. I don't mind the morning/afternoon momma cab driver job so much. Plus, I get to take awesome self portraits while waiting in pick-up line.
4. The next 9 days! Routines kill me. KILL ME. For the next nine days: no routines. Whoo!
5. My little pilgrims. <3 <3 

I'm also kind of looking forward to our first vegetarian Thanksgiving. We usually do the big family thing, but since we're sort of outcasts in the eating department now, we'll have our own little veggie Thanksgiving at home, then join the rest of the family for post tummy engorging dessert. I'm excited to begin new traditions into our mix and venture into the unknown territory (to me) of that which is Tofurkey.

What's making you happy today? 

<3, Tabi :D

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

... go ahead, jump on.

Five Things.

Today is November 2nd & that means this is my second Thankvember post.
It's also Friday & that means I make a list for you of 5 things that make me happy (for the moment)!

1. I am thankful for being me. And that makes me happy right now. I'm rolling into that stage of existence where I'm feeling comfortable in my own skin. I know I'm not perfect and that's okay. I am happy with who I am, where I am in life, what I've created, where I'm headed and even this body I live in. 
2. Riley the Bear's Portal obsession inspired artwork. I need a frame or two for his newest creations. They are so colorful, simple and geometric. Yet, they tell a story. I have to confess, after 3 years of princess pictures, Portal inspired art is a welcomed fresh new genre for me.
3. Crazy colorful hair!  The kids love looking different every now and then. And they are such cute looking little punk rockers. Remember Roxy's crazy hair day? And Daddy's Halloween beard? So much fun!
4. Thug Baby. haha. I can't help it. Thug baby pictures make me laugh. :) (and this one)
5. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I'm very sad to say there is no drive through Starbucks on my route from Roxy's school/the YMCA/Riley's school to our house. So, today I stopped by DD and tried their version of Pumpkin Spice Latte out. Not. too. shabby. It was yummy, did the trick and perked me up after dealing with 3 kids and their subsequent sugar crashes. I was a little surprised at how small their small was. But, I can't complain... it hit the spot and the teeniness was rather cute. 

What's making you happy today? 

<3, Tabi :D

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

... jump on and read about what other bloggers are thankful for.

Five Things That Make Me Happy.

This week's installment of Five Things That Makes Me Happy Friday...

something that I usually do every Friday. 

Our dining room wall is haunted!!!!

1. It's getting spooky over here. Halloween music, Halloween decorations, Halloween tricks and treats. I love it all!
2. I'm going to a wedding tomorrow!! My one family member (my cousin) that lives in Florida is getting married. He lives 2 hours away from me and I haven't seen him in eons! I'm excited to meet his honey and I'm excited to see some of my far away family. :)
3. Also... I have a date tomorrow!! The kids are staying home, so Christopher and I are taking advantage of this opportunity to have a date. It's my first since our anniversary (back in May).
4. Two year olds rock! Last night when I was getting kid 2 to settle, the 2YO came in and cuddled up. I went through part of our normal bedtime routine with her:
   

   
   
   Me: Did you have fun today?
   Zo: Yea!
   Me: What was your favorite part?
   Zo: Ummmmm.... JUICE!
   Me: Who do you love?
   Zo: COOKIE!!!!
   
   
   
   

5. #KidPresident If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch the video. I love these internet kids. They crack me up!!

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

 

p.s. BOO!

Five Things That Make Me Happy.

This week's installment of Five Things That Makes Me Happy Friday...

something that I usually do every Friday. 

 

1. This picture the Bear drew of Daddy with 'Crazy Bear Hair' (aka a Mohawk).
2. Zoie's fishy face.
3. Yesterday, just before a crazy/windy/scary thunderstorm graced us with it's furious presence we spotted a turtle in the road. Crossing over a 5 or 6 lane street, entering into an intersection... without intervention, this guy didn't stand a chance. My husband the hero, jumped out and scooped him up. We drove over to a nearby pond and he braved the storm to release the little guy to safety. Saving turtles makes me happy.
4. Roxy's writing style makes me happy. I think she should start her own blog. What do you think? This little story she wrote on the way to school this morning says,
   

   "Dear Daddy,
   Can you wate intele your birthday? Well, I can't!
   I have a dog. Well, tow. Not one. One is brown and one is lite brown. One dog is littl and one is big. Oh! I forgot to tell you ther names. The small dog is Sidny and the big dog is Bently. What cinde of pet do you take care of?"

5. Back to yesterday... on the way home after picking up a pizza, we saw yet another little turtle acting dangerously. The hubs resumed his turtle hero duties. Saving TWO turtles in one day makes me twice as happy.
   

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday

This week's installment of Five Things That Makes Me Happy Friday...

something that I usually do every Friday.

1.  It's a Cameron weekend!!! We haven't seen him in 3 weeks, and they must have missed him because I haven't seen them since he arrived.
2. We are having a birthday party for a certain almost 2 year old tomorrow! It's rainbow themed... again. I will do the rainbow theme over and over until she tells me she's sick of it. It's so darned cute! ( Remember this baby? )
3. Speaking of my ZoBo, I'm so happy with how well she is doing on the potty!! The latest trick that is working at the moment? She gets 3 mini marshmallows when she goes, and she really loves those marshmallows. :)
4. Creating graphics makes me happy! Did you know I do graphics? I'd really like to do more of them... so I'm adding a little self promo ad to my sidebar. If you ever need anything (or know someone that does), just come back over here and click that little link to send me an email with what you have in mind. 
5. It's FRIDAY!!! This school stuff really wears a Momma out! Phew...

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday

A long overdue installment of Five Things That Makes Me Happy Friday...
something that I usually do every Friday. 

1. That I can take pictures all day long of mundane things, make a collage playing around on PicMonkey and share them with the world. Why? Because I like my life, and I like collages of ordinary candids and PicMonkey is fun. I share them with you... why? Because this is my space! (Not MySpace, but... you know... my blog/space.)
2. That my Zoie is doing extraordinarily well at the early stages of Potty Training and she's not even TWO! 
3. I am psyched up for Fat Mum Slim's September Photo A Day challenge. I've slacked off major for a few months, but I am feeling snappy with my shutter finger lately. Do you Instagram? I do! Check me out, I love finding new fellow creative Instagrammers.
4. I am ecstatic about the new GFC, Twitter and Facebook followers I gained this week. :)
   I love to talk and it feels nice when I have new people to talk to. It makes me feel like someone may be actually listening. Ha ha. If you aren't a follower, click on the hearts to the right of this post. They link to my pages.
5.  THAT THE RNC IS FINALLY OUT OF TAMPA!!

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

Did anyone else notice the crazy negative vibe echoing throughout the day? It started with that awful theater shooting in Colorado and sent waves throughout all my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Luckily, the people I were around all day IRL (my kids) were upbeat and chipper.

All the negative vibes made it a little tough for me to focus... but I powered through and here are five things that are making me happy today.

1. New No Doubt!! Have you seen the video? Ska in full effect. They've been around a while, but they are still hella cool. <3
   
   
2. It is T Minus 6 days until we leave for our Great Summer Adventure! The kids and I are ecstatic, they even have a countdown on their calendar going (that they started all on their own).
3. Riley J. Bear...

This kid kept me laughing all week with his dress up surprises.
(Am I going to get in trouble for posting a picture of my boy in a tutu when he gets older?)

4. My Roxy and 5. My Zoie 

 Need I say more?

I love that my kids can put a smile on my face each and every day. 

What's making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

 

 

Five Things that Freak Me Out Friday the 13th

Switching it up today!

In honor of the phenomenon that is Friday the 13th,  instead of talking about Five Things That Make Me Happy today, my list will reveal Five Things that Freak Me Out. Because, it's fun to play along with the freakiness that comes along with superstitions sometimes.

Don't worry, my dear blog readers, it's not too freaky. And I promise to come back next Friday with my usual Happy list for you. ;)

Five things that Freak Me Out... to the core:

1. The Dark. I have ALWAYS been afraid of the dark. It ain't no thing to admit it, go ahead... make fun of the grown woman afraid of the dark. For my birthday a few years ago, my husband surprise installed the best nightlight ever. I have lights that surround my bed so I sleep soundly in a glowing cocoon of light and comfort.
   What about the dark is it that freaks me out so bad? I honestly can't pinpoint it. I suppose it's generally the fear of the unknown. When something is questionable, I always picture the worst case scenario... and in the dark that scenario is perfectly plausible since, after all, you can't see what's going on to bust your freaky theory.
2. Styrofoam. I get chills even thinking about Styrofoam. The sound of it rubbing against anything and making that awful squealie sound, the texture of it.. the thought of cutting through it with a dull object is the worst! Blech!!
3. Snakes. You would think living in Florida for the past 13 years has desensitized me, but heck no! Even little baby ones send me running and screaming like a 3 year old. If there is a snake on TV, I will be the one on the couch covering my eyes and asking if it's over yet. I have awful nightmares about snakes. Awful nightmares! Dude, some snakes can swallow people! Slithery freaky, evil looking little things. I almost didn't make it through Kung Fu Panda because of the animated girl snake.
4. Venturing outside of civilization. You know... rural places. Places where in the dark, it's dark. Where there is little to no cell phone signal. Places where if you get stranded somehow, you are just screwed. I have seen way too many scary movies to trust rural America. Even somewhat rural freaks me out, I immediately think of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Put me in a scary ghetto or abandoned insane asylum in the middle of the city any day before you will catch me chillaxing it up in a place with no cell signal.
5. Guns. I trust no one with a gun. Not the army. Not the cops. Not even someone I know and trust otherwise. Guns = Death. Accidents happen all the time, and gun accidents are about as safe for any human as an encounter with a hungry Great White Shark.

So, I spilled my guts. What freaks you out?
Play along in the spirit of this superstitious day and share with the blogosphere what it is that gives you the willies.

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

I am back from my two day hiatus. Did you miss me?

These past few days, we have been taking it slow, spending quality time with each other and relaxing a bit. Today, I'm reviewing 5 things that have made me happy about this past week:

1. My patriotic family! I went ahead and put together this gif (are gifs my new obsession? It's too early to make the obsession call on that, I think) for your enjoyment. We all looked too cute to not get an impromptu photo session in our backyard before we headed out to the July Fourth Parade.

2. Speaking of my cute patriotic family... I am soooo happy I found this tutorial and was able to make each of them (and me) cute matching shirts/dresses for under $4. Add those adorable red/white/and blue sunnies and they are styling for $5 (yep, I scooped those up from the Target dollar section).
(for the record, Christopher didn't want to match us...)

3. As much as I love going to the gym, I'm pretty happy I decided to take a week off from it. I feel like absence is making my heart grow fonder and my kids will also be happy to go back on Monday to the play center. They were starting to complain the last few times we went. With the few extra hours this week, we've played, relaxed and I am just letting the kids do what they want. Unstructured play is fun for a week, but I think they'll be happy to get back to getting back into our summer 'routine' next week.

4. This made me laugh so hard I had tears! A few days ago, there was a local news story about a wild bear spotted near USF and they tracked it to a tree outside the gates of Busch Gardens. I was telling the kids about it and they asked to see a picture of the bear. I found a news video on my phone and we watched it together.

Riley said, "Wow! She is hot!!" talking about this lady --> I took a screen shot and was pretty proud of the face I happened to seize on. :)

He has never said anyone has looked 'hot' before, he has told me I'm beautiful or look cool on occasion, but those words 'she's hot', I've never heard from this boy's mouth before, so it shocked me a little. I said, "You think she's hot, Bear?"
He replied, "Yep! It's because she's outside."

This is when I couldn't control my tears. He's so cute. It is hot outside and she is wearing long sleeves and all...

5. Reminiscing through old photos. Reliving memories. Strolling down memory lane. I have a TON of old photos. Here's one I wanted to post for Mrs. Melissa Baker's Flashback Friday. That is me and one of my besties Nicole circa 2002? We were definitely cuties. I love that I still am friends with all the best people in my old pictures. THAT makes me super happy! :)

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

 

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

What's the Word June
Today's word is: ( flounder )

Five things that are making me happy today:

1. Mice running around my house in mouse balls.
2. Homemade Vegan Mexican food. (mmmm)
3. Me accomplishing a hella lot of stuff today and not stressing out about it.
4. Kids in goggles.

and...

via Pinterest

5. Disney Movie inspired art. I am loving this cute print of Ariel and Flounder! 

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

What's the Word June
Today's word is: ( zoology )

I have been pretty darn happy these first two weeks into our summer, even though I am currently battling toxic mucous making its way into my lungs (thanks to my husband who shares everything with me).  Even so, I still have so many things in my life that put a smile on my face. Here are five of those things:

1. The Mermaid that takes her daily swim in our pool. Isn't she beautiful? With the mermaid, the frogs and occasional snake in our pool, it's like a lesson in zoology.
2. Eating breakfast with my whole family in the morning. To me, there is something more sacred about eating breakfast with the ones you love in pajamas. Getting dressed first makes it less intimate, jammies are much more cozy. :)
3. I'm featured over at A Happy Heart blog today. eep! I've never been featured on another blog before. It's so exciting!! 
4. My yummy vegan pizza. I made one last night using The Sexy Vegan's Nott-zarella Sauce recipe. I use Publix Pizza Dough from the bakery, my homemade sauce, the Nottzarella sauce and then I load it up with garlic and olive oil marinated broccoli and sweet peppers. I swear it's better than real cheese pizzas (and waaayyy better than Daiya cheese pizza). Mmmmmm.
5. My handsome husband. I'm not saying that he's not handsome all the time, but he's growing his hair out and I'm not sure if it's just something new that's exciting about it or that he just looks more handsome with longer hair. He is also growing out his beard... this was not my idea (in fact, I had serious doubts about it), but I have to admit that I am loving the longer beard right now, too. He got his hair and the beard a good trim up yesterday and I am all of a sudden feeling very territorial over him. Like, if I see another chick even giving him a glance... she'd better watch out (I kid... sort of).

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

What's the Word June

Today's word is: (bingo)

1. Bathing suits that match on siblings. I won't be able to pull this off much longer, so I'm taking full advantage while I can.
2. Interesting new (to me) shows to watch after the kiddies go to bed. We just started watching True Blood from the beginning and we are 4 shows in and hooked. I have to admit that I have been avoiding it because I assumed it would be Twilight-ish. I don't know how many times I have to re-learn the whole 'You shouldn't assume' lesson...
3. NO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!! Have I mentioned how happy I am that school is out for the summer?
4. Great afternoon imagination adventures. On the afternoons that I've been doing chores around the house, my kiddies have been keeping themselves busy with dress up, lightsaber fights and epic battles involving rad moves (some involving cartwheels and headstands).
5. Our backyard pool. It is such a blessing to have our own private pool in the backyard. This is the first house I've ever lived in with it's own pool, and at times, I do have negative thoughts about it. Having a pool is hard work (we don't use a service, we are self maintainers), but it is definitely worth every second of the hard work we put into it. We have two little fishies and a mermaid. Riley is getting better and better at swimming every day and Zoie is getting to be one brave little chicken. She can swim around in her floaties with the big kids and even is attempting 'jumping in' on her own (under close supervision, of course). And Roxy has never been happier, her mermaid swimming skills amaze me (she has her own mermaid tail and fin). The true Aquarius she is, she's always the last one I have to drag out of the pool every time.

And B-I-N-G-O !!! There you have it. I'm so clever. :)

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

What's the Word June!!

Today's word is: (intermittent)

Picture: unrelated.
I thought it was funny how she was continuing to slurp her cereal up and the 'shark' was lurking in the background. :)

1. SUMMER BEGINS TODAY!!! Last day of school, and it's an early pick up. We made it!!! Only 16 more years to go?
2. This was pretty funny.
3. Last night, while watching "The Choice" I suddenly realized that I have matured. It wasn't so much the boys (boys I wouldn't give a second glance to if I saw on the street) that were the 'choices', or even the girls (the way they acted... I'm trying to be nice here and can't find the perfect word, so we'll leave it at that). But I only recognized 2 out of the 4 boys and I only knew them from Dancing with the Stars and Kelly Live!, which I'm pretty sure, are shows for the more mature group. At first, I was angry. But I have now accepted it and am now embracing it. I am wiser now and happy with the person I've become. 
4. This tweet. I am, in fact, coming to this realization. Reading affirmations that my thoughts are shared by others and are known to some as truths make me happy in my intermittent spiritual quests. Reading this last night gave me a happy feeling of peace.
   

   "If you come to that realization that you are nothing but a tool*, you have become a realized soul. You don’t have to worry about anything."

   (Not a tool tool, but you know, a tool.)
   

5. I also kind of realized last night while flipping through the 'Geek' section on Pinterest that I am a geek. I love Star Wars, the Powerpuff Girls (they were in the Geek section of Pinterest), I love to read about the LHC, I think Clark Kent is one handsome dude, I love my Apple technology and the X Files. I am happy to report that I am a proud geek. (I've typed geek so much, it's starting to sound really funny in my head.) 

 Have a happy Friday and Welcome to Summer!!

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

It's the first day of What's the Word June!!
Today's word is: (smitten)

Welcome to the party. I will be blatant with today's word. It's one of my faves.

For today's Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday post, here are 5 things I am smitten with.

1. My new bike.  A huge thank you to two special angels in my life for making this happen. I haven't had a bicycle since Middle School and am really glad there is substance to the whole 'it's like riding a bike' saying.
2. Zoie's new sense of style.  And her persistance is so cute. She insisted on wearing Roxy's bathing suit over her outfit to the Y on Wednesday. Thursday, she wore one of Roxy's tutus over her outfit, she has been known to wear Riley's shoes to the store. This one is beginning to exert her independence in full force.
3. Mompreneurs Rockin It! Group on Facebook.  The sense of community and support is amazing. Check it out for yourself. It was created not too long ago by Niamh Arthur and I've already made real (Facebook real, not like met in real life real) friends forever from the group. :)
4. Roxy's toothless grin. I know I'm her Momma, but I'm thinking the new gap in her teeth adds to her beauty. She was so excited to lose her very first baby tooth and I can't wait to see her excitement in the morning when she finds out the tooth fairy visited. (And maybe she looks more mature? I don't know, I'm not ready to admit that out loud yet.)
5.  VSCO CAM app.  I first read about this app here (we all love Elsiecake) and knew I had to try it out. I am a sucker for photo apps, but this one is real, yo. And by real (,yo) I mean functional, easy and creates beautiful images. It's only $0.99, so you've got virtually nothing to lose. 

If you are playing along with What's the Word June, welcome! Link up below, and be sure to save the list on your computer for reference (or it's in my sidebar, whatever floats your boat). Also, be sure to follow me on twitter (@tabi_d), I'll tweet daily word reminders to help you out.

<3, Tabi :D

p.s. I still have FREE Swap Ads available. Click here, and be sure to enter in promo code: TURTLES

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

I didn't FTTMMHF post yesterday.
(I was super tired and fell asleep during normal blogging hours.)

Eep! 

This will be an Instagram Happy post in homage to my addiction to Instagram. Here goes:

1. My Zoie loves to pile up her babies in her shopping cart and walk around the house busy as a bee. She will ask for a wipee and use it to clean up random dirty spots on the floor. She will yell at whoever leaves their shoes lying around. She picks up empty cups and puts the straws in the garbage and the cups in the sink. 

She is my mini me and it puts a huge smile on my face that finally I have a kindred neat freak in the house.

2. This potato I found that looks like Admiral Ackbar.
My caption: This Admiral Ackbar is getting baked.

 3. Roxy and the entire kindergarten class sang songs to honor Mom and Dad yesterday morning.
She looked so pretty and sang so well.

4. My flower has bloomed!!! I have no idea what type of flower this is, but it's bloomed in the same spot around the same time each year we have lived in this house. The beautiful colors, the thick light green stem, the lack of work it requires all culminate in this being my favorite flower ever.

5. It's pool time!!!
Finally, it's that time of year to frolic in the pool. It's hot outside, the water is 85 degrees and perfect.

Only 8 and a half more days until the kids are out of school. I can't wait!!! 

More FTTMMHF posts.

<3, Tabi :D

 

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

This week's FTTMMHF is dedicated to my beautiful husband who,
on Monday, May 21st I will be married to for SEVEN years!

Five Things about my Christopher That Make Me Happy

1. He's funny. In a sarcastic, almost asshole kind of way.
   But never ever ever an asshole to me or the kids.
2. He is the best Daddy EVER. Seriously. (I can give endorsements if needed.)
3. He has the patience of a saint. (Hmmm... the patience probably helps a lot with ^ #2 ^)
   And also supports me in whatever crazy endeavors I think up.
4. He takes every opportunity to nonchalantly slap my ass while passing by. Sometimes I might yell at him for this, but secretly I love it. It reminds me he still digs me.
5. He gets up for crying kids in the middle of the night. I suck at night. I mean, really, really suck. I'm lucky if I even hear a crying kid when I'm asleep. So, even though he works in the morning, he will get up and take care of the problem, without even a nudge to me. I am so spoiled.

Click here for more FTTMMHF posts.

<3, Tabi :D

Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

 TGIF!! 

I got so involved in Mother's Day crafting for my Mom and my Mom in Law, that I almost forgot that Sunday is my day, too! So, I'm definitely looking forward to that. :D

For this FTTMMHF post, I want to focus on the little things. It's been said before, but I will say it again, because it's that important. The little things matter the most. The little things are what life is about... those little details that bring a secret smile to your face.

Here are five of my little things  that are making me smile today:

1. The cuddles I sneak in with my husband in between the time the last kidlet falls asleep and the time the wee one crawls into bed with us.
2. When Zoie helps me out by putting empty cups in the sink, trash in the can, or lets the dogs in/out all on her own accord. She is my best helper.
3. The moment Christopher walks in the door and somebody (at least one of us) says, "Daddy's Home!" and I let out a sigh of relief that there is an extra set of helping hands.
4. The joy that a teeny tiny mouse named Leia brings to my kids' faces. They all love her so much and it's amazing to me the amount of tenderness even Zoie shows this little life form that is now a part of our family.
5. Sleepovers. Every other weekend we get Cameron. So every other weekend, the question arises at bedtime. "Can we have a sleepover?" What this means is that, even though every child has a bed of their own, they want to all squeeze in one twin size bed. They love each other so much that they want to sleep close and kick each other all night. How sweet is that??

What little thing made you smile today? I'd love to know, please share your own personal warm fuzzies in my comments below.

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<3, Tabi :D