Project 52: Week 5

Project 52: Week 5

This week things felt like they were becoming normal again. We got back into our normal routine and Happiness seemed to come our way. The weather was so warm and sunny outside. We went to blow bubbles and stare at clouds.  

We went back to Play and Learn (which we missed so dearly). Plus, we got a little closer to Valentines Day! We made some Valentines cards that are super easy to make. Overall it was a great start to February!

How was your week? Are you ready for Valentines Day?
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DIY Vision/Inspiration Board

Over two weeks ago I started my Vision Board, I was almost finished with it when my dads health scare happened so it was put on hold. It also made all the things that I want for more my future that much more clear and serious.

If your wondering... What is a Vision board? A Vision Board is a board that you put your goals on to. You can do this in a variety of ways but the result you want is a place where you can see the things you are working for, dreaming of and pushing for. It helps you as a reminder to not give up, to keep going forward. Inspirational words to keep up your spirits. I have heard a lot of people who highly recommend it and I thought why not? I have nothing to lose and lots to gain so I made one to help me in 2013.

Here's How I made my Vision Board:







I Hope this helps me on my journey this year. Let me know if you make one and how it works out for you. Lets help each other on this journey to make our goals happen this year!



Project 52: Week 4

Project 52: Week 4

A lot has been going on this week. Doctor appointments, colds all around the house, the sun came back to San Antonio and brought temperatures in the high 70's during winter making us Happy (we don't like the cold). But overall the sense of Hope! Hope that every things going to be OK, that life might be getting a little more normal again.

My dad had a bunch of labs done last week and we got the results this week. They were all good news! I want to Thank each and every one of you who sent us well wishes and hope, prayers and just for being there during my family's hard times. Thank you! It means a lot to me when people who don't know me in person would care to pray for us, your prayers mean more than words can say. After the cold previous week the sun came out in San Antonio and it brought warmth with it. So of course everyone was outside soaking up the sun! We played and hanged out with our pets.  I also started a very special project that I will let you know about soon. Its a great opportunity for me and I'm so excited about it. The pictures above are of my munchkin this week still with a cold but feeling alot better (yes thats an original Pokemon shirt we got at a thrift store), playing outside with his dinosaurs, one of our cats enjoying the sun and the waiting room where my munchkin spent most of his time with tia while grandpa was being seen by doctors (grateful they are kid friendly).

How was your week? Can you believe January is almost over and Valentines Day is just around the corner? Time really does fly! Are you doing a Project 52? Come share with me! There's always time to start so if you want to do one then go for it, It never hurts to try.

Happiness is________

Happiness is.... (Week 1)

Happiness is my son, His smile, his laugh especially now that he's feeling better.

Happiness is the sunshine that has come back after a lot of rain.

Happiness is being comfy in bed warm in your blanket when you're recuperating

Happiness is siblings. You're never going to be alone during hard times.

Happiness is my dads recovery going so well (beyond Happy).

The past two weeks have been kind of hectic and hard for my family but you have to find the happiness in life and spread it with others.

Lisa at Crazy Adventures in parenting has started a weekly series called "Happiness Is_____" where every Wednesday she will be having a link up for others to share what Happiness is to them. So go check that out and link up! You can also follow others along with the hashtag #HappinessIs on twitter and Instagram. Hope to see you there spreading the happiness!

Project 52: Week 2

Project 52: Week 2

Hi there! Every Saturday I will be posting my Project 52. This is my second week trying this out so im still getting use to it.

This week after all the rain the sunshine finally came out and it was beautiful! We went outside and soaked up the sunshine. We painted alot this week and I made 2 Valentines crafts using recyled tp rolls. I feel so blessed this January and I want to keep feeling that way. Sending positive vibes out there!

Want to check out my first week and what this is all about? Project 52: Week 1 The beginning of 2013

Project 52 Week 1: The beginning of 2013

Project 52: Week 1

So I have decided to start a project 52. What is a project 52? I recently had someone explain it to me that a Project 52 is a way to capture your year one week at a time in glimpses through photo. This is my first try at it so I'm feeling a bit iffy about doing it but I thought of it as a good opportunity to try something new. Plus it will be a challenge to see if I can finish a year. There are many versions on how to do this that range from a craft challenge a week to goals in steps and more but mine is going to be my week in review for a year. There are no rules so this works best for me.

So here it goes:

For this first week We rang in a new Year.. Happy 2013! My sister turned 22 on New years (pictured on the bottom the lucky New Years Baby). Its been so cold in SA so we havent left the house all week, we have been getting comfy with our pillows and blankets instead. Luckily I had some fun come to me when I got in the mail some awesome things I won in 2 different giveaways. I won some books for munchkin and lots of paint supplies for us to create some art. Looks like we will be painting up a storm soon!

Please let me know if you have done a Project 52, any tips would be greatly appreciated. If you are currently starting one as well and want to link up then let me know!



New Years Resolutions/Goals

Ive been thinking alot about this and it was hard to make because I have alot of goals I want to accomplish over the year and I don't want to just write them to just write them. I want them to mean something to me and for the goals to be something I can accomplish. So these are my tops goals! I needed a place to post them where I can be accountable for my goals and how there going.

So here they are: (In no particular order)

1. Read more Books

2. Finish our Alphabet Journey

3. Work on the relationship I have with myself

4. Yell less and listen more

5. Enjoy everyday with my son until munchkin starts school

6. Let the important people in my life know the love I have for them

7. Blog more!

8. Make new friends

9. Explore my city more

10. Spend more time outdoors enjoying life

11. Walk more often (no excuses)

12. Build better relationships with my family

13. Sleep more


I am going to try my best to stay focused and make a plan to accomplish what my heart desires. Here's Hoping!

New years Eve superstitions/traditions

Have I told you That ever since I was really little my mom raised us with New Years expectations that if they were not completed brought on superstitious dilemmas?

Well yes! That's how its been and of course being raised like that I still follow them myself. I don't think Ive ever shared them with anyone probably because they would stare at me like what? But as I'm doing them I thought I would finally share with someone.

Curious about what I mean?

OK here it goes:

• If you want your home in 2013 to be clean and prosperous you must start off the year with a clean house. So of course I clean like crazy to make sure the house will be clean. That includes laundry, dishes etc. So yep a lot of work!

• You must all be clean and bathed before the New Year starts or for the rest of the year your condemning yourself to being filthy! So we all pick out times to take a bath before midnight so we ring in the year fresh and clean

• You must have a job before the New year starts or else you will be plagued with bad luck in the job department. Well that's a tough one for me because I'm a stay at home mom!

• You have to be with your loved ones when the clock strikes midnight because if there not with you the year that's starting you will be distanced by life. Sounds scary doesn't it? So were all together as we watch the fireworks inside or outside but we all hug each other at midnight to ring in a  new year.

Those are the main ones my family does and that I have continued. I thought about this as I read the Latina December2012/January2013 issue where on the last page of the magazine it shows a picture of a bowl of grapes that says that before midnight there's a tradition of eating 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds of the year. Its a race to see who will have good Luck for the next 12 months. So I thought of our traditions and how weird they must sound to others because this sure sounded weird to me. But guess what? I'm going to try it! It doesn't hurt to try something new and I could sure use some good luck in the New year.

How about you? What are you doing tonight to ring in the new Year? Any superstitions or traditions your family does? Share them with me or try some of mine.

Happy New Year! 

Last Play & Learn of November

Wednesday morning off we went in the cold to The Central Library for Play and Learn. We first stopped to check out the H-E-B Tree in front of The Alamo since its on the way. It so Beautiful! Its become a tradition to get pictures of my munchkin taken there every year. I love it!

We then took the Trolley to the Library. Any of your munchkins a PBS Daniel Tiger Fan ? Well when ever were on a trolley were singing "Wont you ride along with me... ride along" Which if your kids are fans of the show you know this song. We got there and were so glad for the warmth. The them of the days Play and learn was building.

We played ants in pants game and then they read us a book "The Construction crew".

We then went off to do activities. Here's a glimpse of the fun we had:

They gave us a free Alphabet book to keep that was building tools related (we actually had that book at home checked out from the library so we were glad to be able to add it to our collection) And a white paper back that written across it said "Build and Bring back" It was filled with odds and ends and so far munchkin has been playing with the pieces and I'm trying to think what we should make.

Play and Learn was lots and fun! We always have a good time and remember that Play and Learn is free! You don't need to register beforehand. You just show up ready to Play and learn!

Here are our other Play and Learn visits at Central Library:

Visit #1 Welcome!
Visit #2 Body parts, bones themed
Visit #3 Animal themed
Visit #4 Music themed
Visit #5 Halloween themed
Visit #6 Home themed
Visit #7 Dinosaur Day!

Catching up...

Alot has been going on this past week. We celebrated Thanksgiving then Black Friday rushed by. My First giveaway (Thank you Melissa&Doug) just ended and today is my birthday! I wanted to catch up with everyone and let ya'll know I'm still here! Its only been a week but It feels like forever!

OK lets see... Thanksgiving went by too fast! I hardly slept. I cooked a bunch of turkey and yummy food that was shared with my loved ones. My munchkin loved the turkey and I was glad because so far he hadn't been into Turkey. We did some fun Thanksgiving crafts and felt really full!

That afternoon my sister and mom went out black Friday shopping. They drank alot of Starbucks and there arms and legs hurt from carrying stuff but from what they said... it was alot of fun!

Then that weekend I went on a decorating palooza! I digged through the storage and got out the tree and we put it up in the house and decorated it. Munchkin loved putting ornaments on the tree (I gave him a a handful of nonbreakable ones) except that he would put them all on the same branch on top of each other. I then set upon a huge task of putting up lights on the house and was exhausted from that! We had no ladder so I had to get on a chair and stretch with a hook to try to get the lights on the nails we use every year. I was grouchy because it was alot of trouble to get it on but in the end I was happy and loved how they came out.

Last night My Melissa& Doug Giveaway ended and a winner was announced! Nekisha R Won! She was contacted and has already responded and is excited to get her toy soon. I want to Thank everyone for entering! It was my first giveaway and I'm glad you guys all stopped by. I hope you will stick around!

Lastly today is My Birthday! Yep... I am 28 years old now.

Lets see.... I'm not where I saw my life being at this age. I Had very different goals and dreams and desires 10 yrs ago than I do now. Alot of people might see it as a failure that I'm not where I thought I would be. But, I see it very differently. I have my son, my family, good health and friends and I'm happy. I wouldn't trade my life for any dream that I had years ago because none could compare to now. I have new dreams and goals and wishes. Yes, every now and then I think of the past and my life and resent things that have gone wrong but I'm a firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason. There's always a lesson to be learned. I have grown and now my life took me down this path and I'm going to see where it leads me. I hope your here to follow along with me.

Thanks for Catching up with me!

Thankful Thursday

The countdown has begun and next Thursday is already Thanksgiving! (yes I know time goes by so fast) And I wanted to share with you My 30 reasons to be thankful. Especially because next Thursday I will be too busy eating turkey and so should you!

What I am Thankful for:

1. My son! He is the light of my life...
2. My family: Mom, Dad, Brother and sister, My son of course & Gilbert
3. Having a roof over my head
4. Food in my fridge
5. Warmth at night
6. Clean clothes
7. Electricity
8. Clean water
9. My Health and that of my family
10. Friendship
11. The kindness of strangers
12. Freedom
13. Opportunities
14. My sons siblings
15. All the Free educational resources my son has had available to him
16. The San Antonio Food bank who has been there for us in tough times
17. Music
18. My pets (our cats and dogs are like family)
19. Gilbert our cat who has been with us for over ten years
20. Art
21. Love
22. The meal we share with our loved ones on Thanksgiving& all the love at that table which makes that day truly worth being thankful.
23. Imagination
24. Wishes that come true
25. The ocean and all its beauty inside (Especially the turtles) that need to be protected
26. Picture memories that mean the world to me.
27. My fellow SA mom Bloggers for all there kindness, support &guidance
28. All the readers and visitors to the Blog because without you this is just a very public journal/diary
29. God for granting me life. On this day I turn 28 years old!(The 29th of November) 
30. The birth of my little brother today on the 30th of November (He turns 23 woohoo!)

What are you most Thankful for? And I know some of the things above might not seem huge to some people but to others who dont have them they mean so much to (especially for those of us who have had to make due without certain things in our lives).

Our Week with the Letter H

This week has been one of the best weeks for us with his alphabet journey. He has been really understanding the letter H. He can write the letter so clearly and he can sound it out in a word so well. I am really happy with his progress. I feel so proud of him with how far along he has come. Not so long ago he was the little boy in speech therapy who wouldn't speak. Who had zero vocabulary words and who therapists recommended for special education. Now my son just turned 4 and has such an extensive vocabulary that he can talk your ears off. (Never doubt a mothers determination) 

Here's what we did this week:

Monday: We worked on Letter recognition. For every letter of the week I redo his dry erase board with the Letter were working on and an item that represents that letter such as H is for Home or House! I also add to it with a flash card or a letter magnet or foam Letter. Anything with that letter that helps with the connection is welcome.

Right on top of the area that his dry erase board is I hang a recycled poster board type sheet with clippings of the Letter of the week that are recycled from magazines or newspaper or mail. It helps because your child gets to see the Letter there working on in different colors, fonts, sizes and that shows them that this Letter is still the same letter (the back side of the sheet is lowercase).

Tuesday: We worked with letter Magnets and books

Remember that with books there is more to be done than just reading them. You can ask them to help you sound out the pictures they see, find the various letters of the alphabet in the words your reading and ask them to read you the book by telling you what they see is happening in the pictures and go along from there.

Wednesday: We went to the first Play and Learn of November and checked out new alphabet books from the library to work on.

Thursday: We worked with paint to Make Heart prints: A Letter H craft with potatoes. It was a beautiful way to connect paint with letters and shapes. We then worked on some more Letter writing and recognition.

Friday: We went outside to created some fun Alphabet Chalk Art Then we worked on some more letter writing and recognition.

Saturday: We mainly hanged out and relaxed at home. But we did play with popsicle sticks and make the Letter H out of them.
Sunday: We had a family day and are still just relaxing. Happy Sunday ya'll!

I am really happy with all the progress we have done and hope your alphabet journey is going well. Don't let a bad week get you down and just keep going forward! If your child doesn't seem to be understanding that letter then find other activities that might fit your child's learning needs. Don't stress out because every child learns at there own pace. I know its easier to say than to do because trust me It was hard on me too, but don't give up! We are going to be working on the letter I this new week and hope you will be joining us as well.

Here are our weeks with Letter A-G:

A: Our week with the Letter A
B: Our week with the Letter B
C: Our week with the Letter C
D: Our week with the Letter D
E: Our week with the letter E
F: Our week with the letter F
G: Our week with the letter G
What letter activities have worked with your child? Any tips or advice are always much appreciated. Thanks!

Learning your Alphabet with chalk Art

This week we have been working on the Letter H and yesterday was such a beautiful day that we couldn't spend it indoors. So out we went outside and brought out the chalk and started having fun!

I asked my munchkin to help me decorate the driveway with letters! It was a good chance to practice his letter writing skills with a fun object like chalk so off he went making various letters and they looked awesome!

In the meantime I was also making letters everywhere and asking him to identify them for me or helping him out with his letter writing. It ended up becoming a collage of our letters mixed together.

I then started making shapes and he did too and we were identifying them all on the floor by letters, colors and shapes now.

And yes as you can tell that led to making holiday designs. I made a snowman and my sister made a turkey and then her own snowman. Munchkin had so much fun coloring and drawing and making letters while being outside under the sun with a nice breeze.

Isnt having fun the best way to learn? How long has it been since you went outside and went chalk crazy?

If you and your kids are into chalk art then you need to check out this free event they have every year in San Antonio which is Chalk It Up! This years event already passed but its never too early to get excited for next years event. Check out the fun we had at this years event: Chalk It Up 2012