It's a Landslide

This is what we do some mornings after the older kids are in school. Sometimes, it can last 3-4 hours.

Or maybe I should have said laundry-slide. I have maybe 8 loads of laundry to do, easy. I should have taken up on my husband's offer to have two washers to match my two driers. I thought one washer is enough. Not! But only because I have not done a single laundry all week.

When I said not a single load of laundry, I really meant it. In fact, my daughter had to rescue her read karate uniform from the laundry pile today or go without. My son's blue uniform too.

It's almost 11PM now, and I decided to do laundry. All the children are asleep, that means, it will be quiet and peaceful. I have more than 30 novels in my iPod, so I thought I'd listen to Death of a Maid, a Hamish McBeth Mystery by MC Beaton. How appropriate huh?

While doing the laundry and listening to an audio book, I'll probably mop my floor and organize some of my closets. Then if that isn't enough, I'll probably put more books in my iPod, and I might even do an hour on my elliptical machine, too. I'm definitely going to bake a cake, and prepare dough for pizza and biscuits and bread for tomorrow. I just hope I'll be awake for tomorrow's water park schedule.

You can ask me later how many of these wonderful things I manage to finish doing. You can take a guess, and if you're about right...I'll give you a prize. I'll have to think about it.

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Photo Hunt: Self (Part of me)

I feel weird posting a picture of me, but here's it. That's my angry baby, the youngest, with me. I don't remember how he's angry. My scalp still tingles from that death grip he has on my hair.

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Beginnings

We're still in the process of fixing our yard. I thought we'd start with the roses. My baby helped me plant them. Then the dogs thought it would make for a nice trampoline. Then I found out that I should have leveled the ground first, then put in the flower beds. Too late! Sand and dirt is coming in 3 weeks.

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Fill In His Shoes

From high-heels to sneakers, my boys will wear any footwear.

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All About Beauty Regimen

This is a tag from Hailey. Thank you so much Hailey for thinking of me. This should be fun.

My Foundation: I don't use any, it takes too much time.

My Blush: Ditto. I get blush a lot when I scrub my floors.

My Day Cream: Aveeno SPF 30 moisturizer.

My Lipstick: Benifit - tint and gloss when I can remember.

My Essential Beauty Product: Clean and Clear facial scrub.


My favorite Make-up product: Benifit something something to powder. I used it when I can remember, which is about 3 times a year, I think.

My Perfume: I don't use any because it gives me such headache. When I have headache I can't read, so I stay away.

My Nails: clear gloss

My Feet: sparkly blue compliments of my daughter who loves to paint it.

My hands: I have dishydrotic eczema, so I use quite a lot of product on my hands. I have about 10 and I change around to make sure I don't peel and bleed all over the place. I'm allergic to too much water exposure.

Three Products to bring on a deserted island: sunblock, book, and lipgloss. I'm assuming I'm going to have unlimited supply of water, right? Coz I'd rather bring water otherwise.

Women I admire for their beauty: My mother, she has beautiful skin, Diane Lane, and Angelina Jolie

Women with the best Sense of Style: Kate Blanchett, Heidi Klum, Kelly Ripa (sp?)

My ultimate dream: Babysitting my grandchildren while my children go on dates with their spouse. Globe trotting with my husband in between.

My favorite fashion Publication: None,really. I have no clue because I don't read them. I think I might be partial to Elle because they have lots of sample fragrance. Even if I don't use them, I put them on my lingeree.

I'm tagging: Lolli at So-Cute, Sanna at Sanna's World, Cathy at Me and My World, Witchy at Witchyboops Keeper, VK at Mahalkaayo, Karen at Write from Karen and Sandy at Writing in Faith.

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Wordless Wednesday: Monday Edition

Caption this.

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Weekend Snapshots: Leg Up or Down?

I just find it amazing how kids sleep differently. My last two babies sleep like they're electric fan on a fast whirl. I think I was like that as a kid. When we go camping, no one wants to share my bed because they're more likely to get black-eye, or at the very least, bruises by the morning.

I did woke up a few nights ago with tears running down my checks. One of my baby's heels landed on my nose. Sucker punch. Ouch.

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Wonder Gloves

We've recently taken up climbing. First off, it's tough to climb. I never knew that I cannot pull my body up using my arms. I thought that if I have some tactical gloves, I might be able to climb easier. With 5.11 tactical gloves, it will give me the fingertip feel while wearing gloves. I am not sure if I can climb that rope with it, but it will for surely make my chances go up.

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A Moment of Peace

This photo is an entry for Carlota's photo contest at Dashing Smiles.

I think every body knows that when you're a mother, you take a lot of pictures. Many if not all of them are about your kids. I'm no different. I can remember each picture. This one brings back noises and screeches of joy and laughter. My child #3 and #4 were chasing each other around a bonfire of books. When they were tired, they took a rest on my shelves. I took this picture. While my mind might not always remember the exact moment of each pictures, I'll always remember the events around it. This picture is taken almost 2 years ago.

I love my books. I had noticed that every time we moved, I always set up my shelves first, even before I set up my clothing. Someone else finally noticed it. It used to annoy me when people touch and moved my books around. My children not only touch and move it around, sometimes, they pull it apart. Strangely enough, it doesn't bother me as much. That must be one of the meaning of motherhood.

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Photo Hunt: Shoes

This is my almost 4 years old boy in my clogs. My sons love to play with my shoes. I find it amazing that they can actually walk, let alone run in my 3 inches heeled shoes. They do it all the time. I think it's sad that my daughter's feet is going to be lots bigger than mine. She can't borrow my cool shoes, and I can't mooch off hers.

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Tag: Eight Random Things

I was tagged by Cathy.

Rules:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.

1. I like to walk barefoot in my house.
2. I like my floors clean and orderly.
3. I would give up sleep just to scrub and wax my floors.
4. I listen to audio books when I do, but I can't stop reading.
5. I like to read over 12 books at the same time.
6. I find shopping very tedious sometimes.
7. I've never written so many "I's" before. I like to sit and watch my kids play.
8. Getting fat is easy, losing it is quite painful.

I'm tagging
Acey's Tralalalala
Carlota's Lost Thoughts
Haze Cheesley's My Endless Thoughts
Lanie's Poptart
Rachel's Soulful Thoughts of Rachel
Sanna's MisbehavinAngel
April's Finally Some Sun
Lolli's So Cute

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Photo Hunt: Candy

My son after the Halloween hunt last year. He can't all all of the candies with extra ingredients other than sugar and more sugar. I wish I used the other camera to take this picture...but when it's dark, my Sony camera phone sucks.

But hey, just want to play this week!

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Shin Splints? Go Anyway

My husband drove the kids to school this morning at 7AM. I was going to sit and read my book, when I realized I could be outside being in pain. I change into my yoga pants, shirt, running shoes and was out the door in less than ten minutes. I grab a piece of chocolate candy because if I were to drink or eat anything else, I won't leave the house.

It's a nice 65F outside and I started on a slow jog outside my house. I turned right on the first street, and run up and down the neighborhood streets until I have about 3 miles worth of run. I must have been doing a 15-minute mile because I was done in 40 minutes.

I had shin splints and boy was it sore, but I run/jog through it. I was running a mnatra in my head that goes..."slimmer thighs, flatter stomach" and run. When I get a tad winded, I would slow down to a jog, and keep on going like a little engine that could.

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A Visit From A Friend, and a Tag

My husband has a very good friend from New York. He stayed over for the weekend at our house with his almost 4 years old son. He's born about a week after my almost 4-year-old son. It's so much fun to watch them play. My son has long hair and we haven't cut it short yet.

When Yitzi was looking for Yossi, he ask me like this:
"Excuse me, do you know where the little girl went?"

Ops. I'm supposed to cut Yossi's hair at 3rd birthday, but we weren't religious by then, so I didn't. I will probably cut it short when he goes to school this fall, but right now, he's got 'big hair' as he calls it.

It was a little weird to not be observant of Sabbath and having a Rabbi for a visitor. I was crochetting outside on Saturday afternoon when he came out to join me. Crocheting is a big no-no if I was religious. Anyway, it was really nice to have them visit us.

Now, for the tag:

RULES: Let all the bloggers around the globe come together in unity by blog linking. All you have to do is add your name to the list. Don’t forget to specify the country where you are from and of course, link your name to your respective blog. If you have two or more blogs, add and link them all. Then invite 8 or more bloggers to do the same. Here we go!

Julia from Philippines, Catherine from Malaysia, Shi from USA, Mitch from Philippines, Hailey from Philippines, Sexymom from USA, Liza from Philippines, Sasha from Philippines, Thess from Netherlands, Marie from Philippines, Evi from Canada, Christine from Australia, RoseLLe from Australia, Rachel from Philippines, Meeya (Marikit, Memes, and Finds) from USA, Jo from Canada,Ghee from Japan, Shoshana from USA… next —

I'm tagging: Carlota at My Daily Sunset 2, Lolli at So-Cute, Nancy at Just the Way It Is, Genny at The Joy of Life Forever, and to any body who felt like picking this tag up. Just let me know that you picked this tag so I can add your link below this post.

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Sky Watch Friday

This is from late 2006. We went walking at a park nearby. Some of the kids are skating, some are on bicycle. It was such a beautiful day. I feel very nostalgic about it. I'm hoping we can do this again when the school is out.

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Motherhood

Karen at writefromkaren.com is having a contest. Click on the icon to check it out yourselves.

What motherhood means to me. Sounds like an easy question, but it's actually more complicated than it sounds. On the other hand, it's simple. Motherhood is about love and limits. Love is unconditional, and the limits are for discipline.

I remember a story that my mother told me long time ago. It's something about motherhood. She said there's a term for when you lost your parents, when someone lost a spouse, but there isn't a word for when a mother lost her child. It's because motherhood does not stop at the death of the child. Once a mother, a mother you will always be.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I have this nightmare about going shopping at Express, a clothing store. There are many sales on many different styles of outfits. I bought a lot of stuff. Then two days later, I realized I've forgotten my child in the store. I would wake up screaming my head off. After my first child was born, I never go to Express with her, at any time. I’m superstitious enough for that. What I hadn't realized that being a mother means it's impossible to forget about your child.

When my second child was born, it was just a little hectic. I have a newborn and a 15-month old child. A month after the second baby was born; he started having severe skin reactions to many things. I did not know over a year would pass before we'd find out his allergic reactions to many things. I would hold him, my second baby, scared because his eczema is bad enough for his skin to peel off. I was afraid that he will not live long enough to see his first birthday. I knew that being a mother means facing my biggest fears, and not giving up.

Being a mother means that my arms might get numb from holding, but it's alright. I can sit down and hold my babies in my lap. I understood that being a mother is holding them tight enough so that even when I am asleep, my babies doesn't fall, but loose enough so my babies can breath.

After having five children, I realized there are still many things I need to learn about being a mother. I also now know that there is no such thing as having enough hugs and attention and saying 'I love yous.' These things are free; it will only cost me time.

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