{MIA} and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hey it's me Krista :) I have not fallen off the face of this earth lol, but it has been awhile since I posted in my blog. I just wanted to stop in and say Merry Christmas to everyone :) and I am on my way to lower Michigan to visit family, but as soon as I get back I have lots of things to share and great pics of the kiddos ;)  I should be back sometime tomorrow.

My Brain Hurts

Wow so my brain really hurts right now I don't even want to think of anything right now lol. I went out to ed's uncle Joe's today to make my assessment tests for college so they can determine what classes I need to  be placed in and boy oh boy was I reminded how long I have been out of school! Let's just say WAY TO LONG. For those that don't know I dropped out of school when I was 16 because I was really sick while I was pregnant with Ashton and then I had Jadyn not long after Ashton.

Well anyway I went back to school when I was 19 and got my GED well ALOT of the questions on these test I was never taught and it has also been a little bit over a year since I got my GED so with almost every test I was racking my brains out, and thinking wow I should have just finished high school and when I was in high school I just screwed around and didn't learn much. Having my kids really made me grow up and get a reality check but wow I wish I would have known this ummmm like when I was 13, 14, 15 etc... but I guess as I always say and  have to remind myself sometimes "no regrets just lessons learned." Even though things have been harder and are still can be harder I love my kids and would never take them back, but when your parents tell you you need to finish school and harp on you a bit this is for a GOOD reason lol you may not think so now but believe it or not it is TRUE, but every time I get down and think I can't do this I just remind myself how bad I really want this and the reward in the end that seems to be a great motivator for me. Because honestly I was never a really motivated, on time person that liked school lol, but now that I have found something I like I guess it really gives me the motivation that I have always needed. Well I guess those are my thoughts for the day :)

Save-A-Lot {Holiday Dinner for 4 under $15}

As Christmas nears most budgets also can get really tight so I thought I would share this coupon that Save-A-Lot is offering on there website :)

Save-A-Lot has nearly 1,200 stores nationwide and is one of the leading extreme value grocery chains.

This season, Save-A-Lot is making it easy to serve your family a delicious dinner for under $20.  All you have to do is print your $5-off coupon from Save-A-Lot website (http://save-a-lot.com/holiday/dinner) and use it toward your grocery bill of $20 or more.  The coupon is valid through January 4, 2010.

This fantastic “feed a family of 4 for $15” holiday meal special features a Sugardale Ham, sweet potatoes, Fresh Express Garden Salad Mix, Mrs. Smith’s Pie and much more.

Click Here to get your coupon.

Please Pray for Shellie

So this was not going to be my post today but as I was getting ready to post I come across another blog about Shellie. Shellie  lost her 2.5 old son on Monday, she had  found him lying in the bottom of the family pool.He was the same age as my little man, I can not imagine loosing a child and what she is going through. It is absolutely heart breaking to hear this even though I do not know Shellie it makes me tear up to even think of this happening to anyone, but apparently I read over at The Young Mama Blog , that not everyone feels this way. Shellie had  posted to her twitter { military_mom } asking for prayers for her son as he was taken to the hospital, and this was the response she had gotten from some people.

@military_mom 's fault for not keeping an eye on her son while he was next to the pool. she was to busy with twitter i guess. R.I.P kid

Someone else wrote this

2 yr old boy drowned,i investigated,distracted by twitpic'in her pets?!didn't pay attention to son.twitter is evil,distracts from priorities

I can not believe that someone would say this when a mom looses a child.Especially right to the mother. That to me is completely uncalled for and as if she is not going through enough as it is! If all you can think to say is something like above then I personally think your mouth needs to stay closed! Loosing a child is any mothers worst nightmare and no one needs to add more to it, and if you don't really  know her and were not there then who are you to judge?

Those are my thoughts and I am praying for Shellie and her family. If you would like to find out how you can help click here

take the nanny deprived quiz

 So i found this at nannydeprived.com and so many of these are so true haha take 

the test yourself and see if you are nanny deprived 

1) Have you ever eaten a random cheerio, puff, or pretzel just 
   because you had no where else to put it?

2) Have you ever vowed to never again wear white due to constant 
   grime,bodily fluids, and dirt showing minutes after you've gotten 
   dressed?

3) Have you ever used your garden hose to wash down a high chair, 
   stroller or child?

4) Have you ever walked around with a half eaten cookie in your 
   pocket?

5) Do you look forward to going to the doctor or dentist just so you 
   can sit in the waiting room and read a magazine by yourself?

6) Have you ever used a public restroom while holding a child on 
   yourlap because there was no where else to put them?

7) Have you watched Yo Gabba Gabba? I'm so sorry if you have!

8) Have you ever found marshmallows in your slippers?

   
9) Have you ever counted down the hours until bedtime?

10) Have you perfected the fine art of changing pee soaked 
    sheets while still mostly asleep?

11) Have you been forced to discuss or explain the plot of a Disney 
    movie while trying to merge onto an interstate in rush hour 
    traffic?

12) Have you ever had to use preschool safety scissors to cut a 
    major package because that was all you could find?

13) Have you ever cleaned grilled cheese off of your sunglasses?

14) Have you ever answered the door wearing "princess jewlery"?

15) Have you ever run out of batteries on PURPOSE?

16) Have you named your dust buster and consider it part of your 
    family?

17) Can you tell what time it is based on what show is on Noggin or 
    Nick Jr.?

I think I can honestly say I have done most of these except for a couple lol, and 

that includes #3. I have washed my kids high chair with a garden hose haha! just 

this last summer. So weird I thought I was the only one on this earth that has done

that. 
 

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you truly 

are Nanny Deprived! Check out nannydeprived.com 

Made Up My Mind....

So it is official I have finally made up my mind when and where I am attending college :) I am super excited about this. For those that don't know me let's just say I have had a few minor set backs in life with being able to finish high school let alone now I am actually going to college! I originally was going to move this December so I could go as no colleges around where I live offer a degree in what I want, but unfortunately we are unable to move at this time, however I still really wanted to attend college so I started looking into online colleges and found the perfect one finally! It seriously felt like a fricken eternity, but I have decided that Baker College Online was the best choice for me at the moment.

Why? Well first of all Baker College has an Associates Program for Web Development and a Bachelors. Which will work out perfect for me because if I decide later on that I want to continue my education and get a Bachelors I can. The second reason I choose them was that they are affordable and offer all the classes that I was wanting to take, and finally I choose them because when we are able to move I can easily transfer from an online student to a campus student, something I was really looking for when I was searching through all these different colleges.

I received a letter from them letting me know I was accepted a couple days ago YAY!  Now I have to take my ASSESSMENT test and finish up some paperwork and I will be all set and ready to start.

I am very excited about this and had to share with everyone lol. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything lately and at one point felt like giving up, but I am very glad that I didn't. 

On another note...
I am also excited about this weekend, we are planning on finishing up our Christmas shopping for the kids. We already got Punky (aka jadyn) his bigger present a bike :) I think he will be really excited Christmas morning because Ashton had gotten a bike last year and I think he actually rode sat on the bike more than Ashton did and they were always fighting over it, so I think he will be excited to have one of his own now.

We are not sure what we are going to get Ashton yet we are a little stumped as to what to get him for his "bigger" present, but I am sure we will find something this weekend.

Well I guess that is all for now, but I will be back again to share some more with everyone.

Ohhhh how I hate snow!

Well as you can see in the picture to the left (my front yard) it is definitely going to be a white Christmas here this year {as is every year} , but in all honesty I HATE snow I could live the rest of my life without EVER seeing snow again. I seriously think I was supposed to be a a southern girl, I actually went to Texas a couple months ago and loved it! It was 9am there and about 55-60 degrees and they were complaining it was cold. I could of walked around in a Tank Top and by noon it was about 70 degrees where I live it was about 30 or 40 degrees :(. Some people say "oh but the snow is so beautiful"but I think it just plain ol' sucks. Why? There are many reasons why the main reason is I do not like cold weather I would be so happy to live in a place where it stayed at least 60 degrees most of the year, but for those of you that don't know I live in Upper Michigan, some mistake it for the upper part of lower Michigan, but no I live in the way up north next to Wisconsin, across the Mackinac Bridge, about 2 hours from Canada Upper Michigan and let me tell you we get ALOT of snow. I was so unhappy this morning when I woke up and saw this. {Yesterday there was grass on the ground yet}. The second reason I don't like snow is all the clothes you have to wear to go outside, and dressing the kids takes you an extra hour just to get out the door not fun when you are in a hurry in my book.  The third reason I don not like snow is how bad the roads get. I hate driving in snow it is slippery and nasty and in blizzards or when it really snows hard you can't hardly see out your windshield. The fourth reason I don't like snow is getting out of your driveway the next morning after it has snowed hard.If you don't have a plow then you are not leaving anytime soon you either pay someone to plow you or shovel it out. Those are the main reasons I am not into snow at all. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Christmas time but could definitely deal with not having snow for Christmas. Well anyway those are my thoughts for the day and on snow.

Blog & Twitter Makeover

So today I was getting the itch to design so I completely redid my blog design and twitter design and I think they both turned out awesome! Sometimes I honestly wonder if my blog is just something to keep my design urges down lol since I will not being doing any designing since I am starting college (not enough time in a day)  because I can redo it as much as I want however I want and get rid of the urge to design. Not sure if any other designers out there get this when they don't do design for awhile but I do. Anyway to the left is a preview of my new twitter background and if you want to see it live you just click here . Anyway it is 3:15 am and I should get to bed but I wanted to finish up my blog :) night...oh and I know I promised a freebie twitter background it is coming soon...also been thinking about doing some freebie blogger designs

Super Duper B-day!

Woohoo I had such and awesome b-day this year! Everything turned out so great. Ed bought me a brand new digital camera which I have been wanting for a long time since his mother stole my other one. Then I received two gift certificates from both of my grandmas and my aunt to go shopping at Kohls for some new clothes. Thanks So Much for Them!

For those of you that don't know me I am a super shopaholic lol. I absolutely love to go shopping. I ended up going at the perfect time they had some GREAT sales going on. Many things were 50%-80% off! I ended up getting a CUTE new pair of high heels, boots, 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of sweatpants,  4 shirts, and some jewelry!

So I was pretty happy, but then to top it all off I got to go to the club on Saturday night with the girls! Which I have never done and I just now turned 21. We decided that it was time for me to go and I had to go and have some fun with ash and melissa (my best friends) and buy my first drink. Which even though I was 21 I as I was walking up to the bar I felt as though I was not supposed to be lol. Like I was doing something wrong guess it is just from all those years of not being able to do that and it being "illegal" for me to do. Well I quickly got over it had a couple drinks danced with my friends had a great night! and then headed home. I was very surprised that Ed let me go he usually don't like me doing this kind of stuff, but he did :) Below I have posted a pic that we took that night just before we left.

It's My B-day! Freebie Twitter Background Coming Soon!

So I had to post today is my b-day! and in celebration I am working on a freebie mom twitter background :)It
It will look something like this but without my picture and information so you can edit it to suit you.

I hope to have the blank one without my information on it up tonight or tomorrow so be sure to check back :) Also if anyone would like me to keep listing free twitter backgrounds please let me know in the comments section

Thanks!

Sugar Frog FREE handwriting fonts

I am a total font addict I love them especially handwriting fonts. I  recently come across Sugar Frog Fonts they have wonderful and cute FREE handwriting fonts. I fell in love and downloaded them all.

If you are a fellow font addict and love handwriting fonts I definitely recommend checking out Sugar Frog Fonts selection of  fonts.

The Simple Things In Life...

One thing I have learned after have two children are to appreciate the simple things in life and to take time out for myself. Which yes can be hard between feeding the kids, bathing the kids, dressing the kids, running errands, being a taxi, working, feeding the dog, walking the dog and if you are a mom you know the list does not end there.

There are so many things that need to be done during the day, but when you do get the time to relax, find yourself, and slow down a bit you really appreciate it.

A few simple things that I appreciate and enjoy doing that make me feel great and refreshed are

1. Showering (alone)
2. Shopping (alone)
3. Going to the Cafe
4. Getting a Haircut
5. Tanning
6. Getting a new outfit
7. Putting my makeup on for the day

Now I am sure that all moms have there own "things" they like to do that is relaxing or makes them feel great. These are just a few of my "simple" things in life after becoming a mom that I have learned to appreciate ( for example: being able to shower by myself) or like to do that helps refresh me and feel good about myself (for example : actually doing my makeup for the day and not just thinking about it).

When you sit down and think about what makes you happy after you become a mother you realize how simple all of these things are yet how important they are to being a great mom.

Yet sometimes we forget how important it is to do these simple things that let us slow down, relax and make us who we are.

I guess this post came to me after the other day when I got a haircut and had not taken the time to do this in over a year, but after it was all done I felt so great like a whole new person. Yeah I know it is just a hair cut, but for me it was a confidence booster, it was relaxing, and I enjoyed chatting with the hairstylist and taking a time out for me (something that I do not do often) but have learned that I need to start doing.

I feel that all moms should have one day a week, month etc... whichever you feel is best for you to do one thing that you enjoy doing or have been wanting to do.

So with this post I am now curious as to what other moms enjoy doing for themselves or what they find relaxing?

Great Scrapbooking Freebie from Peppermint Creative

I have been getting into digital scrapbooking andI recently came across a great site for digital scrap booking supplies called Peppermint Creative .

I have purchased a few kits from Peppermint Creative and absolutely love them ALL! She does awesome work, as you can see in the FREEBIE kit that she is offering to the left called the Momitude Kit. Yup that is what I said it is FREE for you to download and tryout. They also have very nice modern, cute, funky, fun papers, elements and more.

In this free kit you will get all of the following :

Includes: 7 patterned papers, 3 tickets, 3 buttons, 3 epoxy hearts, 1 clip, 1 edge, 2 epoxy word art, 2 frames, 2 mattes, 2 ribbons, 3 stapled tags, 1 scalloped matte, 2 epoxy flowers, 1 chipboard wordart, 2 chipboard brackets, 1 paper house, 2 paper stars, 1 felt ring matte.

You can check out Peppermint Creative for yourself and see all the great scrap booking things they have to offer for yourself by clicking here

{Frustrations & Questions}

So nothing seems to be going right for me lately and when I say nothing I mean nothing! lol. I am trying to go to college and everything just seems to be a big flop lately for me. Originally the plan was to pack up and move an go to Delta in Saginaw, but I don not foresee that happening as we do not have the finances to move that far before January.

I have now started to research online college which seems like a great option but I feel as though I am being pushed and pulled in every direction possible by everyone around me! Ed (my fiance) wants to stay here because everything he knows is where we live right now. Even though he told me if we absolutely have to move we can do so, but I can definitely feel the pressure to go to online college from him.

Then I have the parents telling me I should move right away and go to college in lower Michigan, but without the money to move just how do you do that? They say "Just Do It", but how do you do anything without having a plan? That is my question. I do not like doing anything without a plan and I just don't see this happening.

I have researched a few online colleges one being Full Sail, seems like an awesome school for what I am going for {Web Development} . You get a Mac Book Pro all the software you need like Photoshop CS4 and all the works that you get to keep for LIFE, and they seem to have a really in-depth program for web development, but that comes with a pretty hefty price. Like $53,000 or more for a bachelors degree. Seems very intriguing but can I afford it?

I also have just looked at Baker College which offers a certificate, associates, and bachelors degree it seems like a great school , but doesn't offer any of what Full Sail offers in the cost of the tuition or seem like the have a really in-depth web development program , but is a lot less expensive to go there, and what is nice about them is they are located right in lower Michigan so if I ever decide I wanted to transfer to a campus, I can very easily do that as well as get my associates degree and continue my education if I feel the need to at a later date.

This all just seems so complicated, frustrating, and to top it off I do feel the stress of what everyone wants me to do and what they think is best for me, but shouldn't I only know what is truly best for me?