Itching to Close

   We have been in the process of buying a house for about a month we are under contract, all the loans were approved, we are just waiting on the contractor. The house we fell in love with happened to be a HUD home (Housing of Urban Development)- not to be confused with section 8 or public housing, Meaning we are not receiving financial aids or grants, the houses are just more affordable. I am not really sure how it works it is some kind of bank owne/government owned forclosure. Getting to closing is a pain in the A**. With the kind of loan we qalified for it essentially requires us to have a licsenced contractor bid for the left over loan money in order to use for rennovations on the home.
Almost all foreclosures NEED work.
   

         There are alot of back and forths, appraisals, and the bank forcing us to have pest inspectors, roof inspectors, well and septic insepctors, and once that all checks out and the contractors bid is already in and we are ready to go, they send ANOTHER appraiser. Who then proceeds to tell us we need to have our contractor add carpet shampooing, bathroom tiling, drywall, and porch railings to the bid. These were all things we were already planning on doing. WE JUST NEED THE KEYS PEOPLE.

      We are not even intending on keeping any of the carpet. Both bathrooms are being replaced. Not to mention we are in no way paying a contractor to do things for triple the price when we could do it ourselves. What ever happened to the term "fixer upper" you fix as you go. You take your time and improve on your investment. This is so frustrating I just want to get out of here and start our new homeowning life.

     Waiting on moving is so increedibly chaotic. My mind tells me there is no point to putting the laundry awy or organizing because I will just be packing it up! Everything is messy and out of place and our schedules are all screwed up. Buying the house and stuff to fix it/ go in it is all my husband can think about so naturally he does not have as many jobs as he did a month ago. We need to get in this place! We need to get started, find the balance, because this in between thing is not workin for me. I feel tired, I am consumed by thoughts of closing, I am mentally exausted. I just need this to be over. I also needed to vent about it.
Don't buy a foreclosure or a HUD home. It is extremely annoying.

Living room ( there will be hardwood)

Front with circular driveway

(there will be powerwashing and lots of it)

The roof is being replaced the DAY we close

with dark black shingles

The kitchen

oh I have soooo many plans

starting with harwood floors, paing, moving the fridge and putting

a penninsula in its place

moving whole left side cabinets and counter for free space

new cabinet paint and harware

new sink

new microwave <3

Stress Getting the Best of Me

     Ever since we decided we were going to go ahead and start house hunting I have been really stressed out. House hunting is a big job and responsibility, plus I have four young kids and a house to run. It has been really hard for me to efficiently do my job here when I know I have to prepare to start all over again in a couple months. The stress has made me a different person. I have been over eating, and eating extremely unhealthy. Me and my Husband both turn to food for comfort or to bond over. I feel tired, weighed down, bloated, and lack energy and motivation. My skin is horrible and I am just not happy with the person I see in the mirror.
    My cousin Ashley has been trying clean eating for the last two weeks and started a blog to share her journey and it really inspired me to make a change! Check it out for yourself :) http://ashleyvg.blogspot.com/?m=1 This change of lifestyle seems to really be working out for her. She says she is more energetic, gets fuller faster and is losing a lot of water weight.

                                                           
    I want to give it a try! It' basically 2 weeks of detox. You can only drink water, and the only foods you may have are fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and beans No grains, dairy, meat, or processed foods. Then after that 2 weeks you can slowly begin to add other things like meat and dairy. It makes sense! I think it would give me the wake up I need. I need to realize how to eat for fuel and not for comfort. Just because something tastes good it doesn't mean I need to eat it all the time. For example last week I bought two Paula Dean Gooey Butter Cakes from Wal- Mart because they were on the clearanced cart, and I wanted to try them Well they were BOTH gone in two days that was 1400 colories JUST from cake, I still ate breakfast lunch and dinner and washed it down with whole milk! I couldn't control myself!
    I am noticing a drastic change in my body that wasn't there a couple weeks ago. I know I just had a baby 7 months ago, and have three more and have a busy schedule, and a food budget. But I need to do this for myself. I deserve to feel good! I will be starting clean eating on Monday with my best friend April. She has way more self control than I do so hopefully she will help motivate me. I will also be pinteresting for motivation and reading my cousins blog! I hope this works for me like it is for her, because I could sure use to make some "ch ch ch changes" as she said :)

                                                                      

Stress doesn't deserve to get the best of me! My family and expecially my husband deserves the best of me. I mean looking good in your night clothes hmm or maybe if I make a really drastic change I could buy something a little spicier for the first time ;) THAT could't hurt the marriage!
Wish me luck

If you would like to keep track of my clean eating journey please hit the tab at the top named "TEAM Clean eat" there me and my friend April will share our journey in clean eating experiences, as she will be starting with me.
THANK YOU :)

The Best Part of Waking Up

    Ahhh another early chilly morning. The perfect morning to enjoy my hott cup of coffee even more than I already do. As I sit here waiting patiently for my first pot to brew, listening to three of my four kids act completely obnoxious. I take a deep breath and think to myself " just let me get some coffee."
    This morning dad decided to pop Cayden (our early riser) a bag of popcorn before he left for work. Naturally when the others woke up-  sharing the popcorn has become a team up debate of who holds it, who gets it and who deserves it.

Cayden: "Fine! I'm buying gum for me and Madison to share!"
Sienna: "Well, I've got coins."
Madison:"Common Cayden let's go!"

What was I thinking???? I wish I were in bed, feeling the impending fall breeze through my window watching some form of crappy tv, or even the news would suffice.

Ugh. Not till I've had my coffee.

Oh, thought interrupted. Now, they are fighting over a Penny and a blue ball, a ball I havn't even seen them care enough to play with in atleast 2 months, In fact I forgot we even had it.

Sienna wants the ball, the twins are trying to trade her, for her penny. She is devastated.
Madison: In her sweetest fakest voice "Sienna if you give me the penny I will give you the ball"
Sienna: stops crying, takes a deep breath "okay."
She gives Madison the penny all excited to get her treasured blue ball and... Madison runs away laughing with both items.
Cayden " YESSSS!!!"

What did I get myself into?
I JUST NEED MY COFFEE

Soon enough coffee will be pumping through my veins like my own personal form of speed, and all will be right in the world again. What would I do without it?
To all you tea drinkers, dieters, cleansers, juicers and people who just start their day with a beer and say "screw it!" my hat is off to you. I honestly could not survive life without my "cup of happy."

YES! pot is done, kids are now covering the livingroom floor with the first mess of the day. I will ignore them completely until my first cup is down the hatches, to prevent me from being a completel phyco.
Then it's nonstop- cooking, cleaning, packing, distracting, reffereeing, cooking and deep breathing techniques from there. Oh and most likely another 2 hour phone call to my best friend who is generally just as dependent on coffee (maybe even more than I am) and frustrated with life as I am.
Naturally we will talk of our mutual love of coffee, how tired we are, how dirty our floors are despite how much we clean them, wish for laundry maids, and talk about how much our husbands drive us nuts and how we just don't want to do ANYTHING today but sit and drink coffee. What would I do without her? That's a WHOLE other story ;) Till then:

Lord help me, and have a great day :)

Being a Mom of "Best Friends"

 

     To be a mom of twins, expecially boy/girl is a crazy (to say the least) blessed journey.
You learn things you never thought parenting could teach you. The best experience about it, however would have to be witnessing the progress of a beautiful friendship. I wish it were as simple in everyday life. I could simply say that being a mom to 4 year old twins (who are so different in so many ways I often contemplate their compacity to want anything to do with each other) was a Gid given, perfect experience, that I couldn't imagine complaining about. I would be lieing, and I am not here to lie.
      Having twins, as interesting and captivating as the concept may be, is no picnic.
      It used to be little tiffs, not wanting to share a certain toy or watch the same television show, but generally in the first two years having twins was not that hard it was actually fun. They mainly enjoyed the same things, got along, understood what was expected of their relationship, and co existed without driving me nuts. They were always extremely funny, bright, loving and were great at following rules and boundaries.

       Four, However is a whole other ball feild. They can talk, rather intellegently for their age, maybe that is probably my fault for refusing to nurture their innocense and talk to them as if they are babies. The things they say are sometimes crazy but mainly just a tickling form of entertainment.

       Madison is completely over animated, confident, and bossy, she often is the ringleader of the other two. She is the brains, she is overly talented (and knows it) understands how to maipulate her behavior to get what she needs out of us. She is a suck up and has perfected the art of the diva attitude. You can often here her saying things like "heres the deal" or "who says that" "oh my gosh that's crazy business" "thats fine, I didn't want that anyway" if she really steps out of line and has earned herself a spank she is famous for her smart remark "that didn't even hurt." She is something else, the spitting image of my personality. She is so brave, and strives to be the best at everything she does weather it's coloring a picture, racing her brother, or recently perfecting riding a bike with no training wheels wich took her like, three minuets.
      Caydens is a complete mommas boy. He is growing into an amazing boy. He so incredibly acedemically advanced. He is a junk food junkie. He is so caring and loving and easy going. He is a little more laid back and is cool not being in the spotlight. In alot of situations he is shy. He doesn't do well if he feels like he is being left out. He is alot quicker to cry or whine or to give up than Madison is but really has gotten alot better and is growing out of him. He is EXTREMELY stubborn and wants what he wants when he wants it. He can often be heard saying things like "fine! if you won't let me have this than I will eat junk food all day" or " I wont eat breakfast" he likes to look at you in the face and ask "why?" when you tell him no for doing something but still does it. He is very over dramatic but mainly a little more normal than his excentric twin.

        Lately their new thing is their best friendship. As they grow they are realizing they are both 4, they are older than the other two, and that they're twins. Meaning it is unacceptable for anyone else to come between them. They have this new thought that if they are 4, and the oldest, and they are best friends than they can not include their little sister because she is a "little baby" to say in Madisons words. This really worries me. I have brought my kids up to love unconditionally to all be friends, to always be the nice kids, and not the mean kids. Bullying in my house is not tolerated. They are not even allowed to say words like "hate" or "stupid" and get put in timeout for name calling. Sibling rivalry is getting the best of me, and while I am glad they are getting along so well and have a friendship they will cherish for the rest of their lives, I am not sure I want it to be at the expense of Sienna's uninvolvement.
           The way they all communitcate is astounding. The way they understand things continues to amaze me everyday. I realize I underestimate them in alot of ways. This is what I am workin on in my household at the moment. There are many reasons I want to homescool a large one is because of the bullying and pressure our kids face everyday in public schools. How do I ensure my children will not face the same complications at home? How do I protect them from sibling rivalry, competition, and idividual freindships? This is a problem I was sure I was not going to run into and it is certainly and issue I know they are capable of understanding is absolutely unacceptable in this household.
I want the same possibilies for friendship the twins have, to be an opportunity for all four of the kids.
       Twins are a learning process expecially if they are your first. I just gotta figure it out. I see alot of time outs and pep talks coming in the future. I have sat down with Madison on two occasions and talked to her about bullying and picking on people. I hope I can change this before she finds hersel being one of those girls we all hated in highschool because her parents refused to give her a reality check. I am currently teaching Cayden to have a back bone and not listen to Madison, to make his wn choices and to be a good person. To never loose his compassion and sensivity.

Ahhh!! Wish me Luck!

The Art of the Bribe

      My Ultimate tool in parenting isn't what you think it may be. I am a pretty good mom, I mean given the circumstances that I have loaded 4 kids on myself in the last 4 1/2 years. I am almost sure that most moms think that with hard work and consitancy and well difined boundaries any child can be taught to behave within a respectable manner at any given time. This half true, very true actaully, but I have also learned that situations present themselves where kids need and incentive to do so.

      The pure beauty of your child going from toddler to little child is not only that they are more independent or can communitcate more efficiently (beleive me I often wonder why I even taught them) it is because they develop the ability to reason, or in lames terms be bribed. The classic art or behavior for reward. Every action has a consequence and good actions get you rewarded. Do not get me wrong I don't mean give your kids whatever they want so they are quiet. I mean use the tools of reasoning to the best of both of your abilities- yours being better parenting and your child's as an opportunity to learn what is acceptable and what is not. I want to share some of my best bribery skills that have really taught them that hard work pays off, that every opportunity presents a learning experience and that mom's expect certain behavior.

First thind I reccomend- Food is not a reward, it is for nutrition. Your child is not a dog. Be more creative in your rewards. I do however not see a problem for dessert being an acceptable reward for a well mannered, efficiently eaten dinner.

The Grocery store bribe-
This is how I manage 4 kids at the grocery store alone. Yes I CAN DO IT! And so can you!
I often get stares and questions by strangers in the grocery store- usually the stares are looks of pity and judgement and the questions are usually "oh my are all these yours?" People can really be rude.
It only takes a couple minuets after the initial reactions of my unusually large grocery gang to start receiving compliments and looks of amazement. "Wow your kids are so well behaved! Good for you, you must be doing a great job." Well here is my secret :)

*Never do this until your kid has their reasoning skills. NEVER let a child pick something from the check outline until they are old enough to understand they earned it.

*Be stern but not mean, this is supposed to be a fun learning experience. This is supposed to set the tone for future shopping trips.

*Remember when a child cries in the grocery store it is nothing to be ashamed or embarrased of, it is to be worn as a badge of honor that you are saying no. You have done what is best for you and your child. You are teaching right from wrong. You are setting boundaries. Seriously. Ignore rude looks, whispers or mean comments from strangers. They probably do not have kids, or are too scared to bing their kids to the store because they can't even handle them at home, or they are ones who have given in and now have spoiled over indulgent unappreciatve, "quiet kids".

1. The pep talk.
         I don't care how young your little tater tots are you talk to them like they are people. There is no excuse to treat them like a baby. Mom's have expectations EXPECIALLY in public. Here is how ours has always gone. First you park the car, take off your seat belt look at them and explaing tell them where you are going and what you are getting. "Guys mommy has to go to the grocery store to buy food for our home. We are here to get healthy food for our bodies." Ask them if they understand you need to know they are listening. Then we go over the rules.
2. The Rules
       1. You must not ask for anything or touch anything
       2. keep your hands to yourselves
       3. no whining, crying or arguing
       4. you do not leave the cart if you do one hand must be touching the cart at all times (NEVER  EVER LET A KID OUT OF THE CART UNTIL THEY ARE ATLEAST 4 YEARS OLD THIS IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER. YOU HAVE RULES. INFORCE THEM. Beleive me this is best for you and for the kid.)
     5. no running
     6. use your inside voices
     7. groceries are mommies choice to pick out, I do not need you to tell me what to buy and what not to buy.
     8. Hold hands
If your child is old enough about three ask them to repeat the rules and remind them the ones they forget

Then you give them each a dollar and explain.
This is your "good boy or good girl ticket"
This dollar will buy you one treat if you make it through the store while following the rules
You get one warning.
"If you break the rules (say them again you can never say them too much) I will take your dollar away and you will get nothing"
Ask them if they understand.
Go over the rules again
"Who is ready to go have a good time shopping together?"

Do your thang! Be confident, consistant and serious. If they break the rules take their dollar away for 3 min for them to earn it back with good behavior and explain this to them. If they break them again it's gone. Let that kid cry and scream. They will LEARN. They will try harder next time. When people stare you hold your head high because you are PARENTING, not giving in. Time outs are perfectly acceptable in the middle of the store. Remember we are ignoring everyone else and focusing on parenting.
Good Luck :)

The responsibility bribe or the potty bribe A.K.A The chore chart/ sticker chart.
I love love love my chore chart and loved my potty training sticker chart.
It let's your kid decide their own fate. They take pride in earning compliments, and stickers, and getting the reward at the end. It teaches hard work pays off, to never give up, patience, dedication and dilligence. Here is how it works.

1. Don't under estimate their capabilities.
2. Don't micromanage or expect perfection
3. You can never be too over excited, thrilled, proud, complimentitive, or thankfull
4. reward accordingly
5. Ask them what they want their reward to be.
6. Make them feel good about it
7. Don't set them up for failure- do not give them a job that is unreasonably large for them or that they can not accomplish on their own.
8. Ask them what they would like to help with

Here is what our chore chart looks like this week: Our chore chart is by Melissa and Doug it is the best!!!!

We have a teamwork chore 2 chores that must always be done by all three of them in order to get a star if they get all 5 stars they get a trip to chik fil a. (The experience and fun is the reward not necessarily the food)  or they get to sleep in the livingroom while watching movies friday nigth- we call it a movie party
Those chores are- make your bed and prepare for your day (i.e. get dressed wash face brush teeth) independantly. And they must have a no fuss bedtime, shower, get dressed one book kiss and hug that is it! No whining, or getting out of bed.

Madison who is 4 1/2 is expected to- care for pets, set the table and use good manners

Cayden who is 4 1/2 is expected to- be in charge of trash wich means if he finds some he puts it in the trash, he is also to clear the table and be a good listener.

Sienna who is 3 is expected to- pick up her toys, help mommy and be a good sharer.

They all receive individual  stars and individual rewards wich is for them to decide- alone time with a parent, or to accompany them somewhere, extra tv time, the twins are old enough to get money usually 3 or 4 dollars. I like to teach them the value you of money and to save for big items.
Sienna- usually asks for gum :)

 

There are other occasions I use bribery but these two are the most benneficial for us and I beleive for any family, so I really wanted to share them.
I beleive with good intentions, some knowledge, consistancy and little bit of bribery it is possible to have children we can be truly proud of at any age. Just bribe for the right reasons with proper rewards. Make it a learning lesson and not to shut them up.
The Art of the Bribe is always worth perfecting excpecially when your as outnumbered as I am :)

Movin on Up

        It's that time of the year again. Once again my family and I will be packing up the bulk of our lives and moving, again. This time, however we will be moving to OWN. Which finally makes moving feel right! Over the course of our relationship Johnny and I have moved a total of 14 times. I wish I had an acceptable reason like telling you we are a military family or home testers or some kind or government paid social experiement. That is not the case. There have been multiple reasons, many of them having something to do with our maturity level and unwillingness to settle down. Switching on jobs, unhappiness in a certain location, moving to save money to buy, then moving because the winter was too hard on our wallets and we had no other choice. There is nothing more humiliating or dehabilitating than being forced to pack your family up and move on to another house because you just couldn't do it. To admit defeat, to surrender to the reality that as responsible as you are in some ares, and as much as you think you have it together you just couldn't make rent that month.

        The hardest thing about being a couple since youth is that you have to learn and grow together. It is even harder trying to figure it all out with twins, then one more than another, and little help from family. We are so lucky to have a close few family members who are here to love and support us; Our moms, Step dads and Johnny's Grandma, that's it.

        It has all been trial and error, we've fallen many times, we've had good times and bad times. We have had so much money that we didn't know what to do with it, and we have been so broke that we didn't have enough money for groceries. One year, we had to sell all of the nice things we had aquired from an amazing year, one of the best of my memories, at a yard sale in order to downsize to a small apartment. That was so incredibly difficult. All of our nice items- our grill, our clothes, our kids toys and clothes I would have loved to save for memorabilia, our furtniture, our decorations, my jewlery, the keyboard my mom bought me for christmas after my parents got a divorce that I wanted to pass down to my kids, all gone. Just so we may have another shot at this life together. To keep trying, To never give up.

         For about 2 years now we have been on a steady upclimb. My husband followed his dreams by refusing to put the fate of his employment into the hands of others, and started his own landscaping and tree removal business. We have learned to become a little more patient, steady, and are basically are on the same page as to what we want in our future with our family which is stability. We can not keep living our lives to please our landlords and paying someone elses mortgage. In the last 5 years we have spent close to 30,000 dollars in rent and have nothing to show for it. So we decided it was time to take a leap and buy our first home. All we could afford in our area was a foreclosure. But that is okay because we found the perfect little charming rancher built in the 1950's that is OURS.

     To you, moving 14 times may seem like a nightmare. It may seem irresponsible and like bad decision making. To me, it's my own form of life experience. Experience you probably wouldn't get at a career, or college, or living with your parents until its convenient for you to start your own life. Moving 14 times has taught me that life is a combination of moments- of all kinds. Moments that can change the course of your entire life. It's taught me that one bad decision can open a series of unfortunate events, that can cause life to get the best of you or to spiral out of your control. It has taught me that love and realtionships take effort and growth and time to become what you need of them. I have learned that when push comes to shove all you can really count on is yourself to decide how you view your own situation, to find your own happiness. That people will judge but they won't help. That your spouse who at times is so easy to blame, or to see as your worst enemy is probably the only person you can count on. We have learned what we want, what we like and what is best for OUR family. We have become a team. We have learned to rely on ourselves and slowly but surely we are figuring it all out.
         Our business is doing very well for what it came from. We just needed another shot at this life. We just needed to not give up. We needed to fail, we needed to surrender to reality a couple of times and we needed to admit our mistakes. We are "Movin on up" It feels amazing. We are 23 and 25 and going to be homeowners. I am a stay at home mom with no pressure to be otherwise. I truly feel like we are on our way to incredible sucsess story. I truly feel like spending 30,000 dollars on rent and moving 14 ridiculous times has taught me a tremendous lesson that I was extremely fortunate to learn, and walk away from with my family, dignity, self respect and stardards still in tact.
It has taught me that with hard work, determination, flexible pride, and a little bit of elbow grease dreams do come true and our family no matter what will live happily ever after, because we say so!

                                                                   The End
                                                                   For Now ;)

                                                            Our First REAL Home <3

When a Man loves a Woman

     The relationship between Man and Woman is confusing, interesting, and hard work to say the least and that is just in a plain old run of the mill relationship. Add a couple rings, some babies, a house, a business, some car payments, and little time left in the day to shower; and it's a recipe for A phone through the tv (yes, I am guilty for such a ridiculous act on more than one occasion.) What I mean is life is freaking hard, EVERYDAY!
     It is easy to go days without physical contact and not even realize it, or to have too many frustrating encounters while sharing a bed with your spouse, that you seriously consider being one of those freaky couples who adopt "his and her" bedrooms. It is easy to get caught up in the child rearing, and the dishes, crunching numbers, playdates, and making sure you just keep it all together, while in the process it is so easy for "it" to come unraveled.

       Which brings me to my point. It is an overwhelming feeling to realize the strength of uncondtionial love a good husband can have for his wife. I mean through it all, the kids the weight gains, the times of financial crisis and instability, the ridiculous arguments where I lost my temper and said horrible things, threw things, and challenged his ability to even be a father, husband, or man. He still loves me. He loves me MORE than he did when things were simple.

         It is nights like last night, the kids were in bed, we were in the livingroom sharing some beers and watching a movie I'd been dying to see, and it was apparent- he was just happy and content to be there with me. He always had been/ always will be. He has never made me feel like he needed or wanted more, like being home on a friday night wasn't enough. It's in the stroke of his hand against my cheek, and in an innocent gentle kiss on my forehead, a tickle, a joke. I just thought "wow this man really does love me and always will." He continues to change for me, try his best for me, provide for me, he doesn't run away or make me feel like the whole family is on my shoulders. We did all of this together and unlike most men his age, he has never settled for easy, or what will work, he rises above, he reaches to acheive greatness for me! He never ever ran away, or chose something else over us or made me regret it.

I mean I am a pain in the a**!!! I nag, I complain, I always want more, when i'm mad you better run for cover, I am relentless, impatient, alot of the times I am unkind, I blame others (mainly it's him) I pick on him for growing out his beard, for cooking for the family but not cleaning it the way I would, for leaving his socks and underwear on the floor ( ALL OVER THE HOUSE) for spending too much time in the garage, for eating crap all night long when I made a perfectly filling and healthy dinner. You name it I do it and.... and he is still here. He is still trying he still loves me.

       I wish I was more like my husband. He has simple needs and desires, he works so incredibly hard, he doesn't ask for much, he loves unconditionally. Even though I may be the glue that keeps this family together, he is the stick that holds the glue in place, that helps guide it, support it, make it work to its best ability.  When a man loves a woman unconditionally, that is God replacing a little bit of magic back into your marriage and into your life. Reminding you why you do it all, reminding you that when the rain passes, and the clouds clear up there is a bright sky and beautiful rainbow at the end- meaning you get to live, love, explore and enjoy life with your best friend. Marriage as hard as it may be is such a beautiful journey, I could not have chosen a better partner to go through it with.
I am a lucky wife... MOST of the time ;)

When a man loves a woman
Can't keep his mind on nothing else
He'll trade the world
For the good thing he's found
If she's bad he can't see it
She can do no wrong
Turn his back on his best friend
If he put her down

When a man loves a woman
Spend his very last dime
Tryin' to hold on to what he needs
He'd give up all his comfort
Sleep out in the rain
If she said that's the way it ought to be

Well, this man loves a woman
I gave you everything I had
Tryin' to hold on to your precious love
Baby, please don't treat me bad

When a man loves a woman
Down deep in his soul
She can bring him such misery
If she plays him for a fool
He's the last one to know
Lovin' eyes can't ever see

When a man loves a woman
He can do no wrong
He can never own some other girl
Yes when a man loves a woman
I know exactly how he feels
'Cause baby, baby, baby, you're my world

When a man loves a woman.....

Captivated Audience

    Being a stay at home mom of four kids, I don't get to enjoy daytime tv like most moms who only have less to tend to. My days of "Ellen" and "Live! With Kelly Ripa" are long gone, replaced by cooking, cleaning, diaper changing, lesson plans, facilliating chores, caring for our animals, more cleaning, more cooking, time outs, and the quite often and truthfully- more than I'd like to admit is spent tearing my soon to be 5 year olds from bickering, and arguing and just plain trying to take over the house and WORLD before they drive me CRAZY. Okay, and let me go ahead admit, while were being honest, that a good chunk of my day is devoted to craigslist stalking, facebooking, pinning every recipe and idea that I will never even have the time or motivation to actually try myself, and now blogging. A woman has to have her vices, I justify mine by telling myself "atleast it's not crack" I'm demented.
    So beleive me when I tell you, when 8pm hits in my household, and all the little rugrats are in bed that is MY time to indulge in my ridiculous love of reality tv. (Real housewives of ANY origin, Jersey shore, etc), Teenage dramas (Pretty Little Liars, Secret Life, One Tree Hill, Vampre Diaries) or heartstopping "if I miss this show I will die" dramas (Greys Anatomy, Private Practice,) and lately my greatest obsession since all of my shows are currently on hiatus, and because we are currently buying our first home- anything on HGTV or DIY network just seems to tickle my fancy. With all this important and worldly tv watching going on in my master bedroom I simply do not have time for foolish shennanigans such as the news or politics.

      Wich (Finally) comes to my point- What about President Barack Obama makes me, as a 23 year old reality television obsessed mom, so captivated as to spend my whole night entraped in the Democratic Nationial Convention? I mean I missed like 4 episodes of rennovation realities and Mulan was on ABC AND I DIDNT EVEN WATCH THE VMA AWARDS!!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GAGA WORE. That is some mature tv watching going on right there.

      I am not a very politically involved person. The closest I have ever come to voting is calling American Idol when Kelly Clarkson gave me goosebumps. The only time political news entertained me was when Mr. Clinton gave Miss. Lewinsky the old "slap and tickle" ;)  good stuff. But when I heard Mr. Obama speak for the first time, my ears were open, goosebubmps covered my body (and Kelly Clarkson was no where to be seen, I mean Imagine that!) tears oftern filled my eyes at his words, and I was all of a sudden one of those people who talk to the tv, saying thigs like- "yeah!" "thats right!" "Amen" "You da bomb!" (okay maybe not the last one... or maybe... I'll never tell) I feel like he got me. He knows what my family needs. He knows where this Country needs to go. For the first time he made me care about politics, made me care enough to register to vote.
I started recording shows that had him or his fabulous wife Michelle Obama as guests. I was passionate about polotics, about Obama, about a man who served me no form of entertainment, scandal or drama. He helped me change from a person who would rather watch cartoons than the news, to a caring adult citezen who matters in the world, and who has a voice, who has a future, and who now has children who will be effected by these men who want to rule our world.

     I know Obama will have my vote this year "National Debt" or not. I know women have a voice, Homosexuals have a voice, Immigrant children have a voice, The Military who miss their fmilies and whos lives are on the line have a voice, children and students have a voice, OSAMA BIN LADEN HAS NO VOICE :)  and most importantly people of all kinda, who do not want to go backwards have a voice.
My favorite voice, however, is the sincere and passionate tones in President Barack Obama's. You da bomb!
;)

I do not own this photo nor any of the rights. This photo was borrowed from google. If you have a problem with it good luck sueing me because Im broke!

Proper Aquaintences

       I am Carissa Whitworth. Mom of four, the end. For some people it is that easy, for me not so much. I have this horribly annoying habbit of letting my thoughts, feelings, beleifs, and obnoxious need to be the funniest, sparkliest person in the room get the best of my first Impression (I am a Gemini) First best thing about a blog is I can think before I type. Second best thing is I have my own permission to write about whatever I like, whenever I like, and however much I like. I have a habit of blabbing and over posting on my social networking sites (yes, sadly I am one of THOSE people) so I decided it would be best for me, and my darling followers if I rambled on a more approriate space.

There are Eleven things you need to know about me to "get me".

1. I know it all. Seriously I always have an answer, and mine are always the best. (This is something I continue to work on) I am also an over talker, and have a bad habit of interupting people because my ideas are better. Tisk tisk. I also tend to have an astounding ability to go on and on and on and on about one subject.

2. I am amazingly charming and witty and funny. I really beleive this and even though my need to entertain could possibly get old, I have to admit that a little bit of confidence never hurt anyone. Besides, I am a stay at home mom, When I get an adult I must use all of my super powers to keep their company or else, it's back to toddler talk.

3. I just want to help. All joking aside; when I have the right answer I truly just want to help people, Expecially moms, EXPECIALLY young moms. I have a very rare amount of experience for a mom/housewife of my age and I'd like to share it.

4. I did not attend college, SO excuse me while I attempt proper grammar, punctuations, spelling etc. HEY I could be dummmer.... Just kidding I know it's dumber :)....hmmm or is it more dumb? Whatever.

5. I think being a Stay at home Mom is THE hardest job ever. So if you disagree Pahleeeese don't let the door hit you where the "good lord" spilt you, because you will probably hate everything I have to say.

6. I am 23 years old. I met my now husband John when I was 16, we have been together over 7 years.

7. We have four kids. Crazy, huh????? You must know their names and how cute and amazing and funny and perfect they are!! I have twins- Madison and Cayden (Girl/Boy) and SERIOUSLY no, they are not Identical and YES they did 100% completely destroy my body. (Hate you to ALL twin moms who dodged the stretch marks, seriously I have alien theories behind that) Anyways, my twinnies are 4, and will be 5 in deceber. I also have another girl- Sienna, she is 3, and she is beautiful, and easy going. Our last and final is our little stud muffin- Jackson (Jax) he is 7 months old, and just a little cutie!

8. We live on our own and always have. We are buying our first house RIGHT NOW, are in the process and hoping to move in by October.

9. I intend to homeschool my kids, as if my life isn't already interesting enough. I do not intend on having those weird, socks and sandals, over intellegent, hermit homeschooled kids, after all I am charming witty and FAAAABULOUS ;)

10. I am obsessively homeopathic, holistic, all natural, healthy want THE best for my kids. I do not beleive in Vaccines, Nitrates, or boxed pop tarts. Seriously. I am a crazy person.

11. The teen girl in me that REFUSES to go away, forces me to over use exclamation marks, smiley and winky faces and the gratifying effect the Caps Lock buttong has. SERIOUSLY !!!!!!! :) :) :) :)
I'm Working on it....?



These are the basics. I will have PLENTY more to say. I am pleased to make your aquaintence and I look forward to writing more in the future.