My Favorite Things this Month - July

1. South Beach Diet - Yep, we are back on it eating a lot of greens and yummy stuff while losing wait. We were on a food binged not caring about what we ate for about a couple of months until our clothes were too tight it wasn't fun anymore to eat what we liked. It is a constant reminder that we have to take care of ourselves to be able to teach our girls the same.

2. Mom's Very Best Recipes - John bought this book at Half-Price Books and is turning out to be an amazing book to get more recipes for our girls. We want them to experience a variety of food so hopefully one day (very soon) they'll start eating what we cook for ourselves minus the spicy part.

3. Taste of Home - Grill it.- This magazine is full of AMAZING ways to marinate your beef/chicken/pork and is delicious! Also healthy! I haven't had any type of meat stuck on my teeth which is a plus!

4. St. Joseph's Early Learning Summer School - I enrolled the girls for 7 week summer school at our St. Joseph Parish. This was the only option that ran longer than 5 days and it was affordable! The teachers were amazing and even though Raquel went three weeks crying when I left her in her classroom, she eventually came to love going to summer school and her teachers. God willing, I plan to do the same next year, they have a class for kids going into Kindergarten which is amazing which means Sofia and Raquel will be able to attend together once again. 

5 Things About Me Today

1. Taking my Defensive Driving class was not as excruciating as I thought. In fact, I came home updated on new traffic laws such as if you are driving fatigue and you cause an accident, it will be treated as a DUI. Yep, DUI and I also learned that the court fees and jail time is the same as DWI. Scary stuff if you get caught.

2. John and I are back on the South Beach Diet again because we let go and went on a food eating tasting for about two months and we looked at each other and said, "ooh we are fat." So far, I'm starting to feel good again and I'm starting to fit into my clothes. I think we went too far too long on eating nasty!

3. Sofia and Raquel want to go out and do something every single day. "Where are we going today?" All this started after we took our five day vacation in early June and they were enjoying themselves going out to new places every day. John and I are trying to find something new and "cheap" to take them out on the weekends but we are limited on places to go due to their ages.

4. It finally hit 106 Fahrenheit this weekend reminding that we live in Texas. We have had a pretty good mild summer with rain and in the lower 90's. My water bill will definitely take more cash out of my pocket next month if it doesn't start raining soon.

5. I sold another purse on my Etzy shop! It is so thrilling to sell stuff it gives me that "I won" feeling. I love it!

Your Baby Can Read Company Going Kaput

Is this a surprise? I'm actually surprise the company lasted this long! I'm sure there were some successful stories of babies reading before they could walk, sing or even be potty trained but who in their right mind would want to expose their kids at 3 months to so much? Overachiever Parents, that is whom I never want to encounter in any future sport activities with my girls but that would be impossible just like asking for free coffee at Starbucks.

Your Baby Can LLC announced the decision on its website.

"Regretfully, the cost of fighting recent legal issues has left us with no option but to cease business operations," the notice says. "While we vehemently deny any wrongdoing, and strongly believe in our products, the fight has drained our resources to the point where we can no longer continue operating."

So it didn't work for a lot of parents who probably believed if they sat their baby down in front of a TV, the kid would magically learn how to read. That's what I call "Lazy Parenting." I'm down to Lesson 11 on Sofia's reading book and it takes PATIENCE people!! PATIENCE and TIME.

The website had claimed the best time for children to learn to read is when they are infants and toddlers, before they go to school; it said they could start as young as 3 months old. "Seize this small window of opportunity," it urged parents.

Are you kidding me! At 3 months they sleep, eat and poop and suck their hand and fingers and say googoo cute sounds. I seized the small window of opportunity to play with my girls, take pictures, being puked on, peed on and so on. School last about 16 years including college, we, parents have these many years to sit down and teach our kids.

-Sandra.

Yeehaw at the Mesquite Rodeo!

We decided to do something different this weekend and tickets to the Corral sections were only $12 bucks and we didn't pay for Raquel! However, at times, I did feel like I was at Walmart at one point, but overall it was good to visit the Mesquite Rodeo again after so many years! We prayed before signing the national anthem, that was really cool!

They played this song during half time and it everyone was signing this song so loud it felt like it was the national anthem of Texas. I like the song too and Raquel and I danced to it. It feels so good to live in Texas!

Before the sugar rush and junk food they ate.

They enjoyed this treat so much the high was hilarious!

The sugar in their system was loosing its effects! 

The kids dash run!
We had so much fun at the Rodeo we drove listening to country music!

Goal-Line Technology for Soccer Fans

Well, it was about due that FIFA finally decided to approve the Goal-Line technology.

"The technology needed to be addressed in a big way and it needed to be a part of the game, and finally FIFA decided to do that," said Fernando Clavijo, technical director for FC Dallas.

FIFA will have sensors inside the ball that will alert officials when the ball crosses the plain of the goal. That alert is sent one second later on a wrist watch worn by the officials.


As a futbol (soccer fan) only when the USA is playing or during the World Cup. I do not want the European league, truly as a busy mom and wife who has time! At any rate, I'm beyond excited FIFA has moved from prehistoric time refereeing because they have made so many mistakes in the past by calling off goals that clearly, via playback, have gone in but they have resisted on even watching the damn screen on the stadium every fan watches to see the ball did go past the line!!!

It looks like the  MLS League will start using the technology next season. That's actually great! I hope the sensors work without any glitches.

Five on Friday - Identity

1. What would be cool “entry music” for you upon your arrival at work or school?

I will Survive!

2. How have you personalized your personal computer?

With pictures of my daughters when they were babies! Oh how I wish they were babies again. Back then there was no fighting amongst them.


3. If someone were trying to decide if something were written in your handwriting, what might be a giveaway?

I write cursive and most people can't!


4. If someone who loved you wanted to get a tattoo on his or her arm as a secret reminder of you, what would be a good tattoo?

If that someone asked me that question that would be a red flag for me and I would run as fast as I can. First, I don't believe in tattoo's, second, if that person wants my name on his butt, he's got issues!


5. If you were the sort to do damage to others’ property, what would your graffiti name be?

I would take my key and scracht his car. In the past, I wanted to do that a couple of times but I figured life would take care of their bad deeds.

John's Birthday with Peter Pan

John wanted to do something different and since we hadn't gone to a musical play in 5 years, I decided to surprised him with tickets to Peter Pan. We decided to take Sofia since she's old enough to handle it and it was safe enough for her. I would say that half the audience were children.

Sofia had no clue she was about to see Tinkerbell and lots and lots of Pixie Dust!

My sister Yesse bought this outfit and it finally fit her! I thought this would be a very special day to wear it and look cute!

Having dinner at the Dallas Music Hall! 

Getting ready for the show!

Neverland! 

I probably wasn't supposed to but I couldn't help it. Watch until the end! I have to say that Hook stole the show! He made me laugh so hard! He needs his own show! PRONTO!

The Ring to Rule Them All

Jane Austen's ring will be auctioned off tomorrow in England, and after 200 years her descendants have decided to put it up for auction with a price tag of 30,000 pounds, this number translates to $47,500.00 dollars. If I had the money to spend, I would raise my flag until my arm gave out then I will probably ask John to help me raise my hand. Apparently, it has been in the family for 200 years so why sell it now? Something tells me someone is out of cash.  I don't even want to know who ends up with it because I want it for myself and I don't even like rings.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2163122/It-neat-plain-set-gold-Jane-Austen-ring-belonged-family-200-years-seen-time.html#ixzz20BQyhNsp

Children's Aquarium

We decided to do something different than hitting the pool this weekend and we drove to Dallas Fair Park, Children's Aquarium.

 Sofia and Raquel were very excited to visit a new place!

This is a croc-Turtle who is 75 years old and 175lbs he's huge! I've never seen anything like this.

The girls didn't want to touch the fishes on this tank. I don't blame them. I wouldn't either.

Checking this tank out!

This is a huge turtle as well, however, this one is handicapped. It's missing his right two fins. 

Jellyfish!

Very nice and clean location!

Posing witht he octopus!

Checking out the giant Octopus.

Posing with the Seahorses!

Now, this one was a nice surprise we didn't expect! 

Feeding the Stingrays! 

Before we left, John showed the girls this tongue twisted park. Weird.

It has been 5 years since I've been at the Fair Park.