Grand time in the Grand Canyon

Well you guessed it we're back and healthy! (ok, somewhat healthy but no fevers, vomit or abnormal poo going on right now.) The Locastro family had a wonderful time driving up to Sedona - spending the night then driving up to the Grand Canyon and staying for a night. To make this easy, here is a list of what was great:


1. The girls seeing all the animal wildlife (i.e. deers (literally
standing six feet away), squirrels, Condors, Cottontail, etc.

2. The views in Sedona, the Red Rock, mountains and of course the Canyon itself - breathtaking! My first time seeing it was not so breathtaking. This visit... unbelievable!

3. Staying in a lodge inside the G. Canyon park - just like camping with all the amenities.

4. Getting Sabrina's Homemade Ice Cream in Sedona on Rt. 89A.


5. Having dinner reservations that my hubby booked ahead of time in the old El Tovar hotel in Sedona while Grandma watched the kiddos in the hotel.


6. Viewing the stars at almost 8,000 feet elevation in complete darkness and the weather was absolutely beautiful!






Okay, some things we could have done without (or changed):

1. The stuffy noses and coughs.

2. Victoria being afraid of the Canyon and crying on the bus tour around Hermit's Rest. Okay, I'll admit, it was my fault by putting the fear of God in her that if she didn't hold onto someone's hand at ALL times she was going to "fall into the big hole"! (She finally calmed down about the second stop.)

3. Being sucked into a Timeshare presentation to save $100 on a room rate that was only suppose to last 90 mins. and ended up going over two hours.

I think that's it for the bad list...not too bad eh? My biggest fear was going to the scenic points and worrying about one of us falling over. Little did I know that the gift shops sells books on how many people have died visiting the Canyon by going over the edge.

So, the number one rule was, Claire had to be in the Travel Backpack at ALL times and Victoria had to be holding someone's hand opposite the cliffside. For those of you who have never been to the GC, you can tell by the pics I posted that the Grand Canyon is wide open...most lookout points do not have a railing or fence. And, if there is one it only goes so many feet. So, there you have it, our trip in a nutshell.

We all got home in one piece, the dogs were excited to see us and the house is still for sale! (BTW: anyone interested in moving to Arizona, drop me a comment I have the perfect home for you.)

*I'm not sure why my post did not publish the way it previewed so I apologize ahead of time for the goofy layout!

See Ya Later

Well, I am leaving the Blogosphere for the next four days. (I know don't cry!) But, tomorrow the mother-in-law and family are headed to Sedona/Flagstaff then on to the Grand Canyon. This is a well needed break, let's just pray the family stays healthy. Grandma Twyla is feeling much better and Claire's nose has turned from a full blown out sprint to a slow jog now. However, today we were exposed to some more illnesses (I'll explain later) I don't have the energy to blog about it right now but hopefully it will be a pleasant getaway.

I will look forward to catching up with all my blogging mommies. And, hopefully I will finally have some fun things to blog about when we get back. Till then...peace out!

Don't under estimate the power of...

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER!! One of the best treats in the whole wide world for snacks, dessert, dinner, breakfast? Did I say breakfast?? Okay, I can eat it anytime of the day...literally! I prefer Jif brand but if Jif is not available any brand will do. Same for the chocolate. I like Milk, Dark, White, Sugar Free, Crispy, European, you name it. So, I've been under a little stress lately with the whole selling the house thing and illnesses still flying around that this has been my "reliever". I know, I know, this isn't healthy so all you healthy ones, skip this post if your disgusted because it's about to get worse...

If I'm out of C & PB the next best substitute is RAW cookie dough. Preferably Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip but any will do. There's just something about that salt/sweet combination that I can't deny! With all this typing I'm craving it now and must stop to meet my well deserved sweet needs - right? Maybe I'll have better control once we sell the house, buy a new house and move. Okay, maybe not?

Where did my weekend go?

Over the last few weeks I have been busily working on organizing the kids playroom. I have shopped for weeks on bins, cubicles, baskets, buckets, etc. trying to decide how I was going to complete this nightmare of a task - TOYS! (And you know coming from an OCD this is a major overhaul!) So, first I decided to throw away some toys so I could think a little more clearly. Three trash bags full later and a few purchases of "organizational tools" my job was done. Above are pictures of how it turned out...I would have love to paint the walls and hang a few more items but ya know, we're leaving so I stopped. Last weekend I spent the entire time putting this little baby together. Although, you can't tell from the pics it was a huge task. You can't see all four walls, nor can you see all the fun things hanging from the ceiling.

Next point...I get to do this all over again in a few more months. Breathe! Can someone get me a paper bag?

Brokeback and broken-up

Okay, I got sucked into all the hoopla at Oscar time as I mentioned earlier back in March. But, I finally broke down (no pun intended) and rented Brokeback Mountain against my husband's wishes I might add. Although I must say that I was terribly disappointed...I do have to mention that I do have an open mind about gay/lesbianism (please no comment bashing.) Unless you have had a gay family member die of AIDS then you tend to have a little different perspective.

With that being said, my interest was peeked. However, after seeing the interviews on Oprah and some news about it I DID NOT realize there was a particular scene that I could have done TOTALLY without. I must have been real naive but I thought they just showed a little kissing. I mean come on we see it on TV all the time (Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace, etc.)

Why am I blogging about it? Well, despite that the fact it was suppose to be revolutionizing I do not recommend it. There was great scenery and that's about it.

However, I followed it up with a great movie I do recommend called The Notebook such a chick flick!! Hilarious, heart-warming, romantic, just an all around great flick! I'm sure everyone has seen it already but I'm always behind on the movie curve.

So in a nutshell, don't go broke on Brokeback but definitely take a look at The Notebook!

Blogitis

Well, I think I've hit a little slump in the blogosphere. I've been feeling very torn about things to blog about lately. Mainly because I feel all I do is complain these days. Here was my list of what to blog about tonight...

1. Claire getting sick AGAIN and canceling her birthday party today.

2. The drag of having to move once AGAIN; our house goes on the market Monday!

3. Victoria's comments about wanting to go back to "Phoenix" (she means the rental).

4. My lack of commitment on running (and eating habits) since we moved.

5. The last two nights of sleepless slumber since Claire has been up all night.

6. How Grandma Twyla is in town to visit and her dog of almost 14 years dies while she's here!

I mean come on, can the list get anymore depressing. So I think I will close tonight early and go pray my little heart out and turn in. Hopefully tomorrow will bring brighter days!!

TTFN

A Special Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about my daughter Claire! 1. Claire is born Feb. 28, 2005 weighing a whopping 5lbs. 11oz. She had to be wrapped in three newborn blankies and kept in a warmer so her temperature would not get too low. (Awwww, the day baby's eyes meet mama's- priceless!) 2. We capture Claire's first "spontaneous smile" at 6 days old. 3. At two weeks old, Claire goes from 5lbs. 4oz. back to her original birth weight. 4. Claire takes her first flight when we move to Arizona. 5. At 5 months Claire can stand by herself with assistance! 6. At six months Claire pulls herself up to a standing postition by herself. Only by a miracle I got a snapshot of this while I was visiting family in Ohio and she pulled herself up on my newphews back. 7. At seven months Claire climbs into an empty bath tub to retrieve a toy she had dropped!! 8. Another milestone a 7 months: Claire can walk with the assistance of a walker. 9. At eight months Claire is saying Mama and "Baa-paa" a.k.a. backpack from Dora. 10. At nine months Claire is all out walking without assistance! 11. Claire ups the skills and learns to dribble a soccer ball during big sister's soccer practice at 11 months old. 12. Miss Independent! Claire is quite the pistol and feeding herself using silverware! My baby is gone...she is now one year's old! (tears) 13. Claire is developing quite the personality...she absolutely loves Dora and she can now say "tank gee" a.k.a. thank you. She loves to play hide and seek with big sister and cannot stop giving out kisses to everyone! Finally, it's posted!!! Sorry guys, blogger ate my post THREE times today - ugh! I almost gave up!! Hope you enjoyed it and much as I did writing it. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

OCD and loving it!

Addie has challenged me to let my freak flag fly. She has tagged me with a meme to list 6-8 weird things about myself. Since many of you know I am pretty obsessive compulsive as it is, I will try to keep my "weird list" under 11!!

Here she goes...

1. I have to curl my eyelashes before putting on mascara. Okay, the weird part? I always count up to 12 seconds and make sure I curl the other side just as long.

2. I love to be organized...therefore all throughout the day I do little OCD things in my house. For example, I am continually picking up toys off the floor instead of walking over them and carrying them to their exact place/home. Or, I'll walk pass the couch only to find myself straightening the pillows first. Also, if there is a dish sitting on the table or counter I have to pick it up and put it in the sink before I can do anything else. Etc, Etc, Etc.

3. I have to do all my laundry in an orderly fashion. All the girls clothes have to be washed together, John and I clothes must be washed together and the towels and bibs have to be washed together. And, finally all sheets get washed together. It has to be this way or I get real stressed out if they get mixed up.

4. During the day I can't have any lights on in the house. As long as there is daylight, that will be the light I use. I hate artificial light unless it's necessary, like during the evening of course!

5. Everything has to have a home, i.e. remotes, shoes, medicines, dish towels. And, it has to be stored in a place that it is easily accessible. If it's not, I have to stop what I'm doing and find it a home. *this has been a little challenging (ok, extremely challenging) since moving three times in 10 months. Needless to say, I've have felt like a train wreck since moving.

6. I cannot read just one email and then stop to do another task. I either read ALL emails at once or none at all.

7. Similar to Addie's post, I have freak out awakings at night that scare the heck out of my hubby. I partly awaken to a smoke detector light or corner of the door jam (especially happens in unfamiliar places) and I think it is some sort of Arachnid coming at me. I will be partially awake and make a spider out of some sort of the object I'm seeing. At that time I will throw off the covers and jump frantically out of the bed as to escape. Then, my hubby will meanfully yell at me (which will awake me completely from my slumber) and tell me to go back to sleep. I believe these are sometimes referred to as night terrors.

8. Like Boomama, I have to have moisturized lips at ALL times. It doesn't help that I'm allergic to the sun on my lips either. But, there has to be somekind of tube, jar, stick, of some sort in my kitchen drawer, living room, car, desk, nightstand, bathroom(s), purse and any other place I think I might need one.

9. All appliances, rugs, chairs, pictures, wall hangings, light fixtures have to be straight. If not, I have to stop what I'm doing to straighten them. And if I can't do it myself I have to get someone immediately to fix it. (Julie witness this last week at my house with the light fixture in my nook- by the way the builder is ordering me a new one.) This includes only being a 1/2 inch to 1" off. I also called the light company back out last week to straighten the light bulb in the outside front light fixture because I couldn't reach it and like I said it was crooked!

10. Any kind of crumbs or food have to be wiped off my kitchen counters (and the baby's highchair) as soon as I discover it. Not so OCD about the floors only the kitchen counters.

11. I CANNOT go anywhere in public without a bra on. This includes going down the street or to the mailbox. Even if I will be staying in my car and I know I won't be seeing anyone I must have one on. *I'm sure I will be doing the public a huge favor as well with this one.

Like I said I'm a little OCD (ahem!), but I love it. I wouldn't change a thing. Call me weird, but just remember I stopped at 11! (smiles)

Bunny Tracks

Last year I started a tradition with this kit I bought to make bunny tracks all over your house so it looked like the Easter Bunny really came to your house. Victoria was 2 last year and totally remembers the tracks all over the couch and tables. She asked if he was going to leave tracks again this year? I can't believe she remembered it. Anyways, here is what the girls saw Easter morning...
Now, my favorite part of the morning, getting the girls dressed up for Easter service. This is such a favorite childhood memory for me. Getting my special dress, white lacey socks and white "clappy shoes" on then heading to church to sing about Jesus!

Your Easter Surprise

Please click below to get your Easter greeting from me to you! God Bless!!

http://www.paperboy.nl/index.cfm?PID=13D95EE9-7195-42C5-BAB9C17E6F0A54F5

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I love about my new home! (I figure as much complaining I do about living in AZ, I would add some positive today) 1. The wide open floor plan 2. The mountain views (White Tank Mountains in back; Estrella Mountain in front) 3. All the bedrooms (6 total including one for mommy - my scrapping/sewing room - yea!) 4. The big backyard - enough room for two pools and a spa! 5. Being on a cul-de-sac (grew up on one - love em') 6. My large kitchen w/ all the cabinets and island (never had an island before) 7. The playroom being downstairs! Who-hoo! 8. The laundry room being upstairs - major bonus! 9. The wrought iron baluster stair railing - best upgrade ever! 10. The pergo floors in the foyer and high-traffic areas (which I originally fought hubby on - guess he won, now I love it!) 11. The large covered patio along the back of the house - helps keep that AZ heat of the house! 12. A north/south facing home - this is huge since your in the desert! 13. The biggie: there is no house behind us nor to the right of us! Thank goodness because we have no window treatments, not even blinds yet. :-)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

Zaba what????

Ever wonder if your those little fees you pay to keep your phone number private or personal info. private ever works? Well, here's a doozy for ya! A friend of ours from California told us about this site and it is VERY scary.

Just search on any person you want and you can get all the addresses of where they ever lived, phone numbers, background info. (that ones for a fee though) and it's all here.

You have to check this out....www.zabasearch.com

UPDATE TO POST: I should of mentioned when you try your searches to select the state you live in, unless you have lived in other states. Also, try your maiden name with or without your middle initial. You'll usually see something come up after you play with the searches parameters a little bit. Enjoy!

Happy Days!

Here is my favorite pic of the girls this past week...they are having so much fun enjoying there new BIG backyard. Victoria loves to drive Claire around in her Barbie Jeep!

And, today I watched Hunter and Briley so I decided we would do our Easter eggs while they were over. They had so much fun...Victoria made her pink ones and Hunter made his blues ones. I helped Briley (not seen in pic) dye her egg and then I gave her stickers to put on it.

Last fun pic...we went to a "Spring Event" here in Avondale. They had a 3,000 egg hunt, bounce houses, crafts, petting zoo, ponies, a huge playground. The best part of all is that it was free!! We ended the night eating BBQ, churros, kettle corn and watching some great fireworks! Yum-O!

Above is a picture of Gracie (a friend of Victoria's) Claire, and Victoria. They are anxiously waiting to run out and get eggs. They actually started a little early and the volunteers had to catch them and put them back on the line! It was too cute!!

Trichotillomania

Have you ever heard of Trichotillomania? Or, maybe "Trick" for short? Well, I am here to expand your horizons on this interesting but strange disorder. Basically, "Trick" or (TTM) is an impulse disorder that causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or other parts of the body, resulting in noticeable bald patches.

You may ask, why am I blogging about this? Well, I will admit that during my teenage years I had this disorder. For all you curious ones out there it was my eyelashes that I use to pull out. Although, I was a very mild case and you would never know I did it just by looking at me. Back during my school-aged years I use to do it under extreme stress or with boredom. For example, like before a test, or while doing homework. I think I out grew it but it is a very embarrassing thing to admit.

Does it run in the family? Yes. And, unfortunately, since the third move in 10 months Victoria has started twisting her hair and pulling it out. You can start to see a light patch of hair in the back of her head.

Since my discovery, we have talked about not pulling her hair out and why it is not good. So far, she is doing a lot better. See, when she was a baby she always use to play with her hair when she got tired. Now it's expanded to twisting and pulling. From my research, it sounds like she will stop doing this in a few months, just pray for her stressful heart that it slows down and stops AND that it doesn't turn into TTM during adolescence.

Where did T-Lo go?

So sorry to all my blogging mommy friends. I have put my blogging on the back burner these past few weeks because of the whole new house thing, kids being sick, etc. (Wonder how many times I have typed "kids being sicked" this year?)

Anyways, I promise to get back on track, but right now every spare minute goes to a brown cardboard box, nails, hammers, screwdrivers, dirty diapers, fixing meals, running to the store, contractors, paint, etc.

You get the picture, right?

Poo, Vomit and Pee (a tribute for HolyMama!) - Part II

Well based on yall's comments I feel I need to clarify the whole dog story that was left open...

Daisy (our Jack Russell) is very smart. After holding the front door open and shouting for her to come in the house. She had eventually made it back to the backyard and squeezed back under the RV gate. Luckily for me (and Daisy) she came back.

See, I love my doggies, BUT, I could so do without them too. They are a lot of work and if you have a husband like mine you would want the dogs to go too. Let me clarify, John (the hubby) is a "touchy-feely" kind of person. He loves anything touching him whether it be me, the kids, or the dogs. Therefore, I get to spend my evening night slumbers with one hubby, two dogs, and possibly a kiddo (if they happen to wake up in the middle of the night) all in ONE bed. My husband is a firm believer in the more the merrier! Oh, and I forgot to mention this ALL occurs in my queen-size bed!!

See what I'm gettin' at here? Don't get me wrong I am a "touchy-feely" kind of gal too - but come on a women needs her space.

Poo, Vomit and Pee (a tribute for HolyMama!)

Last Wednesday we closed on the house and that's when it all began...

Victoria gets Strep throat, you knew that. But, what you didn't know is that Grandma Twyla was in town to help watch our little angels and visit while we moved in the new house. Well, when I get back from the doctor's office and pharmacy - GT (as we call her for short) tells me she is sick, has a headache and just vomited and, that she needed to go lay down for awhile. She also mentions that she can't remember the last time she ever vomited? Great! I'm so glad she flew ALL the way from Tennessee to Phoenix (with a 7 hr. layover in Dallas I might add) so she could get sick and vomit at our house. I'm going to guess that arriving at 2:15am at the airport and getting back to the house at 4:00am had nothing to do with it? Oh, and then the two of us waking up at 7:15am with the girls?

Well things just spiraled from there. Claire gets Strep this past Monday you knew that. But, what you didn't know is that the doctor put her on a new antibiotic for Strep (different from Victoria's) and it gave her the worse case of diarrhea you have ever seen. To add to the chaos, she got the worse diaper rash I have ever seen! Almost bloody blister-like! Poor baby!!

Are you ready for more?? Here is how Friday went down after watching four little ones (all under the age of three) for three straight days and two little ones trying to recover from such horrid Strep symptoms. To make this easier we'll call them Baby 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Baby one wakes up with a blow-out. All over the clothes too. After changing her diaper I decide to let her diaper rash "air-out" while I run upstairs to get a new change of clothes, more diapers and more butt cream. Here is the conversation with Baby 3 five minutes prior...

Baby 3 - "I want a sandwich"
Me - "It's breakfast time, how about having some toast?"
Baby 3 - "No, I want a sandwich" (whining voice)
Me - "Let's save our sandwiches for lunch and just have toast right now?"
Baby 3 - Nooooo, I waaaant a sandwich!"
Me - "Fine, do you want a cheese and mayonaise sandwich?" (After repeating 3-4 times I gave up and let him have a sandwich)
Baby 3 - Nods yes...big smiles :-)

I make the sandwich and he takes one bite...he looks up at me and starts CRYING!...what could possibly be wrong??

Baby 3 - "I want toast!" Me - Ugh!!!

So, I'm upstairs getting Baby 1 clothes, I hear my retriever mix barking and I look out the window and my Jack Russell is running across the street! Apparently, the little sucker can squeeze underneath the RV gate and escape!

I find some clean clothes and grab the diapers...then I here and echo of "OH NO!" coming from Baby 3, then I hear Baby 2 screaming up the stairs, "Mama! (Baby 1) poo-pooed all over the wood and all over the carpet!!"

How long have we been in the new house? 5 Days! Approximately, how long was Baby 1 "airing-out"? 2 minutes!

I come down the stairs to find out not only is diarrhea all over but she is playing in the poo with a toy tamborine in hand!! Needless to say, the poo was smeared in the carpet and all over her body! (Now I'm thinking about vomiting).

I carefully carry Baby 1 into the half bath with poo smeared all over my shirt and neck now. I realize she doesn't fit too well in the little pedestal sink so I set her down for TWO SECONDS to grab some towels to head to the kitchen sink. I turn around to find her peeing on the floor! First thought, is this REALLY happening? It's not even 10am!

Meanwhile, I still here Dog 1 barking because Dog 2 has escaped!

sO, I take Baby 1 to the kitchen to clean her off with the spray hose while Baby 4 is asking for crac-ker, crac-ker - sip-py, sip-py? I finally get Baby 1 cleaned, dressed and down for a nap while I'll get myself into clean clothes. Things seemed to calm down for a short while as I turned on Noggin for some sanity!! (Thank you hubby for getting the new channels.) With a spare moment, I fix lunch and get Baby 1 and Baby 4 down for naps while Baby 2 and Baby 3 are very quietly playing in the playroom.


Ahhhh, peace for two minutes!! Finally, I start to fix me lunch and sit down to shovel some food in before I pass out while simultaneously deciding whether I should let Baby 2 and Baby 3 skip quiet time and just let them play in the playroom quietly. Here's what transpired after that thought...

Coming from the playroom:

Baby 2 - Screaming, "Mama!"

Me - "What?" (irritably)

Baby 2 - "(Baby 3)..... colored all over the furniture!!"

Me - Screaming, Whaaaat!

Only to walk in the playroom and find Baby 3 hiding, AND blue crayon colored all over Baby 1's new hot pink Pottery Barn chair!!

HolyMama - this one's for you!

What's that phrase? TGIF!