Maybella's 3rd birthday

Special thanks to all who made her day a little more special. =)
Princess Maybella's birthday was all pinked out. Her party was supposed to be on a Saturday but she ended up having a fever and recovered a day before her real birthday. Which was actually the day we celebrated, Monday May 7th.
Here are some pictures of her Princess Birthday and the gifts she got from family.







 I took these pictures when she woke up. Very moody, can you tell?
 Hmmm I assume she wasnt herself because she was still recovering from being sick =(



 Gave her a pink piano for her present and she danced! =)

Introducing the princesses to her daddy on skype.


Balloons were from Krogers.

Lanterns from Party City.
Roses from Krogers.
Tulips from Krogers.
Had these silk flowers.
Opening her presents!
Dancing with her cousin Jacob!

Princess Castle Cake from Krogers.
With her Big Brother Mataio, her Ate Jerielle and cousin Jacob.
Made by Krogers, Marble with whipped frosting. MMMMMM so good!
YAYAH!
Birthday girl eating her second piece of cake...she only likes the frosting.

The aftermath.

With all her gifts!



































Grillin

OMG!! I am so excited! I just bought myself this George Foreman Electric Grill!!! 
Goodbye Gas grill! I got it at Lowes in Katy, Tx. Bought it online, picked it up in store. None of the Lowes where I lived had it. As a single Mom, this is so for me! 
I just assembled it and it was soooo easy! Too me less than 5 minutes! I will test this beast out tomorrow! Will keep you posted. 

How my 8 yr old folds his shirts

I found this idea from another mom blog. You can explore her blog by clicking here.  She showed how her 5 year old folds his shirts.

I have been teaching my 8 year old how to fold his own clothes for sometime now, however he always forgets how to fold his shirts or it just doesn't turn out as neat as I want it to. This was perfect!!! I bought a FlipFOLD Jr Laundry folder from container store. 
Click here for the link to the container store. It was $21.99 but well worth it. I am so happy he can easily fold his own shirts. He actually has fun doing it. When I gave it to him he went and re-folded all his shirts in his drawer!!! How awesome is that?

Here is a video of him folding a shirt! Woo hoo!!!!!

Thank you to who ever invented this! Genius! And thanks for stopping by!

99 cent store haul

Thought I'd share what I got at the new 99cent store near my house. They have a grocery section! I was so surprised of all the great finds! I originally went there to see what kind of baskets and containers they had and needed some of these items I usually buy else where. But now since I can get them for only 99 cents. I'm shopping here more often. Especially for the times the kids deserve a treat/toy. Can't beat 99 cents unless you can get it for less of course. I spent a total of $40.15 for everything!!!

I'll start with the snacks.





Here's Maybella eating a cluster! Yummy!


Here's Bella again eating a chewy chocolate chip bar.
I think she likes the chocolate more =)



Also got a disney Tangled snack bags and put all the animal crackers in a bag for easy grab and go!
I originally went in to get these baskets for the freezer:
I got these frozen goodies...for when Mataio is hungry after school. Just heat and serve!
Pretzel snacks for the little girl.
Then I picked a few fresh fruit and veggies:
The apples are small and cute, an egg plant and 2 squash!
After all the yummy goodies, I picked up some kids supplies!
Cups for the princess and the car fanatic. Also a container for other yummy snacks to go for my tiny (she doesn't want to be called buddy because she says buddy is her big brother. She's a Dinosaur Train fan on PBS kids)!
Small jugs makes easy pouring for little hands. Teaching them independence by pouring for themselves.
Got a small 2% milk jug and filled one of the small jugs with fruit punch.
This ice roll tray is so cool. For when hey want a really cold beverage in a bottle. 
This the most expensive item, for $2.99. This is and ingenious idea. Mataio loves this...he wanted this a long time ago, however it wasn't $2.99 when he saw it. So easy to use. No more toothpaste tubes left on the sink counter!!!!
And now for the art supplies!

Small markers to take along on those dining out days.
A tote organizer for all the other art supplies. 
Here's Bella testing out the markers. Satisfied customer! 
I keep most of the art supplies in an available cabinet shelf.
Tote fits perfectly even with the longer brushes. There are small finger paint tubs, small play do tubs and other water paint in the tote.
The egg carton is for squeezing the water colors in each egg cup. It's better than paper plates!
The pink basket is filled with other pencils, crayons and dry erase markers. I also save empty glass jelly jars and powdered coffee creamer container for storing other goodies.
Got these water color tubes from Michaels for $5. Brushes were $11.
These finger paints for $1 from dollar tree.
Dough Pate, or dollar store playdoh =)

I love finding cool cheap things! I hope you enjoyed my haul. I have another haul coming. I went shopping at Marshalls for containers and also THE CONTAINER STORE!!!! My happy places!
Sally hansen hard as nails...who has time to wait for it to dry? I don't. That's why I love these nail polish, they dry so quick and you only need one coat. I have on the color Pink Satin. Love pink! At first it looks purple but once you apply it it has a beautiful pink hue...just like satin!

What's cooking today?

I thought I'd share with you an awesome easy crock pot recipe I fell in love with, which I found on another awesome momma's blog. Click here to see some more of her delicious recipes... Madsens Memories blog. I've made this several times and I am so in love with it.  You can also freeze for later. Well here it is.
Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 Frozen chicken breasts
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 can black beans
1 can mild green chilis

Add everything to crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken after 8 hrs and shred. Return shredded chicken to soup and serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips if desired. I like it with blue corn tortilla chips. Also if your kids don't like it spicy, you don't need the 1 can mild green chilis.
SO EASY and so yummy! 

Maybella's beautiful cousin Jenna came to visit us and Bella let her wear one of her tutu's!!! I finally got them both smiling! So precious!
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Hello again!

It has been a while...almost a year since I've blogged. Mataio and Maybella are growing so fast. Mataio turned 7 in February! SEVEN!!!?!!?!?! Seriously? I am a mother to a 7 year old? So how old am I? Mataio is growing to be a loving, caring, intelligent, responsible and charming boy. I think it has been hard on him with out his father but he has managed to keep his daddy proud. He is attending grade 1 at Harmony School of Science and has accelerated in reading and math...with the help of Kumon. I love Kumon. I wished they taught Kumon in public schools. Harmony evaluated his reading skills and he is reading at a 2.5 level. Which a second grader plus 6 months in second grade...if that makes any sense. I have bought books for him to read at his level. He is adding by 6 with no help. His subtraction needs some help. Mataio is still showing very good memory. I believe Maybella's memory out does Mataio's. She is about to turn 2 in May and she is speaking in sentences and communicates very well. She is a bundle of joy everyday. She still has her baby moments but she is learning how to control her feelings and communicate like a big girl. She is very talkative and remembers many songs. I love it when she sings itsy bitsy spider "wash the spider out!"She is potty training great. No problems expect the occasional accidents. But I have no problem taking her to the potty! I am so blessed. Two beautiful and smart kids!!! I will post more as soon as i can. xoxo

Ouch I hurt my head

Listening to her talk is music to my ears...