just because...

today marks the 7th year since my hubby and 

i eloped in las vegas. (read story here)

since we don't technically celebrate this

anniversary because we've remarried into the 

church since then, being in vegas last

week inspired me to do something nice.

what a concept, right Rolo?

haha.

vegas has changed soooo much 

since we were last there to seal the deal

that it reminds me about how much we have changed.

(blog post to come soon about that!)

one thing that i know for sure

is how my love for you won`t change

and so i thought since you nag me on a fairly

regular basis about how i don`t sing anymore

what better way to show my affection

than to sing it to you?

it's a stevie wonder song that

chokes me up everytime i hear it..

i'm surprised i managed to sing it in one

go, but you'll notice at one point i almost

forget the lyrics lol!

anyway, without further ado...

phone make over

yesterday i got all excited and posted a photo on my instagram (follow me! jzzygettinbzzy) of my new phone case that came in the mail. i ordered it from

www.mycustomcase.com

i learned about it while perusing a groupon email 

i had received and since my existing case was getting

really old and tired i thought this was a perfect opportunity

to get a new one.

the neat thing about mycustomcase is the fact

that they have pages and pages of unique prints,

themes and styles in an array of colors

that you can then personalize to your liking!

i'm crazy over the chevron print and the

color turquoise so naturally i chose that

as the print for my phone!

they give you the option to get a standard case

(which is just the plastic outer pictured above)

or for a few extra bucks you can get one 

lined with silicone for extra padding if you're

really clumsy or like me, have kids that know

how to use your phone more than you do.

another added bonus is that you can upload 

photos, create monograms in a great selection

of fonts and they allow you to preview your creation

before you order.

are you sold yet? hehe

well to all my awesome readers on behalf of

www.mycustomcase.com i am able to

offer 25% off your custom phone case order!

just enter any of the following promo codes

and VOILA!

JDE F882

JDE 6GNN

JDE QHYM

JDE T5UH

JDE DTXP

hurry though, this offer expires june 19, 2013

so don't delay!

counting my blessings.

it's been a month since i've started
working for our city's children's & women's
hospital and now that i've become
ever-so-slightly comfortable at my new post,
i've had some time to reflect being here.

when i started, i really didn't know what to expect.
work is work and that usually all there is to it, right?
well not here. it's a multitude of feelings
that surround this place that makes it not just a job.

here, we prepare specialized medications for
the tiniest of tinys -the ones struggling to stick
around and discover this place. we also
help the children that get really really sick
for a while and get better and get to go home.

we also help the children that get
really really really sick and are hoping to go home.
-and the ones that never do.

we help moms and moms-to-be prep
to welcome their little ones into the world.

sometimes, we stop to give directions
wandering visitors with tears of joy
 and sadness.

happy, sad, anxious, angry, frustrated,
hopeful, fearful, joyful and relief are probably
the most common feelings but the one thing
that i feel when i come into work everyday is:

blessed.

blessed that i am in good health and have
the ability to be kind and compassionate to others.

blessed that i had relatively smooth and uncomplicated
pregnancies and deliveries.

blessed that i have 2 incredibly amazing
and healthy daughters.

blessed that i have a life worth living
and that i have the drive and aspiration to
live it to its fullest.

it's the simplest things in life
that are so easily forgotten.

i invite all of you to take a moment
to count the many blessings in your life!

jet setting to VEGAS

friends, you'll never believe it.

my sister and i, along with some great

friends, are going to VEGAS. 

just me.

no husband. no kids.

now, i don't say that with the

intentions of it sounding like i'm a 

free woman or anything, i say it

as whoa, i'm a mom of 2 going on

a vacation without my family.

you've all read my posts

about our family getaways and how much fun

they are, that it'll be neat to blog

about a vacation that i'm spending 

with my sis!

this will be the first time i

come back to vegas after having eloped 

there 7 years ago! (no, it wasn't short-lived,

yes, i'm still married to the same guy) and one 

of the things i remember about going around this time of year

is how hot it was.

this also reminds me about how ill

prepared i am.

also, i'm pasty white.

so while it's early enough (t-16 days!)

here is what i'm hoping to add to my 

spring wardrobe:

counting down the days!!

freshening up for spring

the sun has been shining in my neck of the woods

and when it does, i can't help but start 

thinking about all of the things i can do to

brighten up my home.

i feel bad because i have yet to have

a house warming party and we moved into our new home

uh, last november. whoopsy.

but in my defense, our house doesn't quite feel

like a home and even though it's the perfect

size to entertain, we haven't added our own

flava to it yet!

i wish i was more down with pantone back 

in 2010 when turquoise was the color of the year

but i'm ALL over it now so for my

living room i'll definitely be

incorporating that color into it!

i recently discovered a new website

that will cause me to neglect my children for

hours on end called SWEETRELISH that

i've used to search for decorating accents for my home

and one of the neatest things is that i can literally purchase it

right there! that's right folks, you find it, you like it, you want it,

you buy it.

and you can 'relish' items that you find online

much the way you do when you 'pin' something

on pinterest!

my living room is the first place i'd like

to work on since it will be a place (second to the kitchen, of course)

of entertainment and one of the first places

you see when you come into our home.

i'm thinking i might even sneak wallpapering my powder

room on the sly (shh! don't tell my husband!)

while this big project is underway.

anyway, have a look at what i've relished

and start following me on sweet relish!

outsmarting mr. leprechaun

with st. patrick's day around the corner,
i thought i'd spend  an entire afternoon
neglecting my children  a quick moment on
pinterest checking out some ideas.

i'll never forget the day emma came home from
school telling me that she came into her
classroom and it was a big mess!

there were books all over the floor, green footprints
everywhere and a letter from the naughty leprechaun
looking for his pot of gold.

her reaction was so adorable it got me thinking
that this year would be even more fun getting
a visit from a leprechaun with
both girls around!

check out & follow me on pinterest!

parenting makeover

am i the only parent out there that 

feels she needs one?

sometimes i just want to crawl under a rock

with the way my girls behave in public or

around other human beings or heck

even to their mom and dad!

we've had play dates with some of emma's

friends at school and i'm just beside myself

with the extreme politeness that these children have

and when i look to my daughter for a similar response

i get, "what? i said i want juice!!"

then one particular date, emma wanted to watch

so many different barbie movies to which

her friend said, "it's not good to watch all 

that tv, it kills brain cells!!"

oy.

i don't even want to know what she's like when

i'm not around.

i'm not sure where i've gone wrong, but after a

day like that i'm thinking: alright. absolutely NO more tv.

we're going to pull out our grade 1 work book and 

study and read and play and read and study

and THAT's it.

and i continuously remind her of pleases and thank yous

but somehow they get forgotten more than they get used.

i'd like to think of myself as a relatively active parent, meaning

that i get involved with certain activities and engage

with my kids. but let's face it. life doesn't always allow

us parents to drop what we are doing just so we can

join in on an imaginary game of princesses or pretend school.

and sometimes, well, i just don't want to! 

there's that saying about how the dishes and the laundry can wait

and that these are the years worth cherishing. but when

the 4 hampers of laundry are over a week old and

there's something sticky and unrecognizable stuck

on the floor i can't say that i'm having a jolly old time

being princess leia with that in the back of my mind!

sigh.

so when times like this arise, i always feel like i need to hit the 

reset button on parenting. set new standards and goals.

create new discipline strategies. and when all else fails,

drink a bottle of wine just walk away from

that particular moment.

parents out there: am i the only one that feels

this way?