Time flies.

Mya turned five this week. It was five years ago we started a long, difficult journey. Five years ago I made the decision to quit school and rely (financially) on one man. And, for the past five years, I know, I did not make a mistake, when I made that decision.

(It's right before her birthday. =] The file wouldn't load. )

John has stayed by me for the most difficult and poorest times, and stayed to create our second little life. I believe he won't miss a single birthday.

Growth spurts, and affording enough clothing to defeat them.

We all know that kids "grow like weeds." I never realized how quickly the girls would outgrow their clothing, though. I am lucky if Mya gets six months use out of a shirt, and a season out of long pants.

So, I have discovered a few tricks, to be able to afford the clothing that they need.

First of all, if you have any friends with children older than yours, ask them to hold on to the outgrown clothing. Fellow blogger, Jennifer has twin girls almost a year older than Zoey, and I have received boxes and car-fulls of clothing from her-just of things that would have otherwise been thrown out or donated. There is nothing wrong with hand-me-downs. They have saved me hundreds of dollars.

Now, free clothes are fantastic. There are a few, very minor, in my opinion, drawbacks. You don't have a decision in the style of clothing you receive. (If you have similar tastes, this works out much better.) And, there is a mountain of clothes to sort through. Since they are used, you should check for rips or major stains, and it can be a headache to find all the parts to matching sets.

Another trick I learned is too shop at the end of the seasons. At the beginning of fall, stores mark down all of their shorts, summer dresses and t-shirts to get rid of them, and make room for fall apparel. I shop for the girls summer clothes in early fall, fall clothes in early winter and, well, you get it.

I just found a bundle of t-shirts and shorts for Mya and Zoey for one dollar a piece. The original prices ranged from four dollars to 10. I even found a few matching pant and shirt sets for Zoey. If each item is one dollar, you can get many more things for much less money. You simply buy in one size larger than the child is wearing now. And, store the clothes, until the appropriate season and year.

I have a large, plastic box of clothes under Mya's bed, and one in the girls' closet. At the beginning of each season, I have a look, pull out what fits now, and replace the box.

Another thing to do, and this only works if you frequent a specific store and are willing to, is open a store card. Many times throughout the year, you will be given a discount of up to 30% off your purchase to entice you to shop. Combine this discount with the clearance items, for maximum discount. My personal favorite is Kohls.  I have purchased up to $300 worth of clothes, and only paid $60.

If you put in a little extra work, you can save a lot of extra money. And, when you live on a budget, everything helps. Until I find a magical sack of money, all of our clothes will be bought discounted.

Sibling playtime.

From the time Mya was about two, we knew we wanted to give her a little brother or sister. She played well with young children, and always loved to make people happy. Mya is quite a goofball and Zoey thinks she is hilarious.

We could finally afford to have another baby, earlier this year, and all throughout my pregnancy, Mya was more than interested in what the baby was doing. She would constantly ask how the baby was, if she was sleeping, how she ate, and would happily inform anyone that her baby sister, Zoey, was in Mommy's belly.

And after Zoey was born, Mya has been more than thrilled to help in every way possible, from fetching diapers, to spoon feeding Zoey. 

The trail of disaster behind them suggest it was a fun day.

As I was finishing vacuuming, I heard Mya making raspberry sounds. Zoey, who was entranced with the vacuum, found it's silence uninteresting, and decided to focus on Mya and the table. Normally, the dining area is a no baby zone, so it was even more fun.

Hollow-Christmas

As Halloween has just ended I noticed the aisles, in every store, are full of Christmas decorations. Now, I like Christmas, but why is it starting in the beginning of November?

I know people are shopping earlier and earlier for gifts each year, and this, I understand. In fact, I shop all year for gifts, and hide them away until the appropriate birthday or holiday comes around. But, I really don't want to see lights and garland up until December. It seems as if we've forgotten about Thanksgiving until the week it falls on, then it's a frantic trip to get all the groceries needed for the big meal.

I also wonder if this trend is a regional thing. I live in the big, flashy city that is Las Vegas. Do smaller towns allow for a calm between the holiday storms? Could smaller towns start the decorations even earlier?

If I wanted to, I could have bought all new decorations, and had the entire house decorated for Christmas before it was even Halloween.  The idea of this is quite silly, yes, but I believe the fact that it is possible, is even more silly.

Let's try to enjoy a little peace between two giant Holidays. We should plan to enjoy stuffing ourselves with too much ham and turkey, then move on tho lights and trees for Christmas.

Halloween

It all began when Mya approached me, to inform me that she wanted to be a zombie princess for Halloween. Simple enough, even for me, and I like to go all out with my costumes. I can't have the "no attempt look" with just a few splashes of fake blood. 

I spent the first half of October researching good make up techniques, and finding the right makeup, latex and what clothes we should destroy. I think it was worth it. Mya had a blast, and we scared a quite a few people!

Zombies vs zombie hunter.

The zombie theme brought up one question; what could Zoey be. She was far too young to have all the makeup on her face, and she would not sit through the application. But, this answer came to us a little too easily. We enjoy playing video games, and after announcing the name "Zoey," for our baby when I was pregnant, a few goods friends were convinced it was because of a character by the name Zoey, in one of our favorite games, Left for Dead. (No, it was not the reason we chose the name.)

Zoey, and Zoey, third from the left. Compare. 

Let's start the zombification! I laid out my paints and tools on an old towel and called Mya to be my first victim.

Mya bofore joining the undead population.

Mya did really well. She was a little uneasy about me putting makeup around her eyes, but she stayed still for the entire time I painted her. Everything , on just Mya, took nearly an hour.

Hard at work, making Mya look "realistic and gross," like she requested.

Hard at work, making Mya look "realistic and gross," like she requested.

The wound base, before gore. Just latex, toilet paper and a cotton ball.

It's pretty amazing what can be done with latex, some cotton and a bunch of paint. I got incredibly messy applying makeup, but it went with my own costume.

I added bruising and blood, to make it look more real.

Mya looked pretty gruesome. She loved it.

She was more than pleased with the results, and walked around
saying,  "braaaiiins."

John requested something a little more complicated; exposed teeth. This was my first time doing this sort of makeup application, but I gave it a try.

Added layers upon layers of toilet paper and latex.

Luckily, I had just had acrylic nails done for a wedding, which I removed immediately after the wedding, and the manicurist allowed me to keep the false nail trimmings for the fake teeth.

I followed his teeth, and made the false ones line up with his real teeth for the
best look. I used spirit gum to glue them to his face.

I gore'd John up a bit, as well. He was probably as fidgety as Mya, when it came to makeup around the eyes. They were new to the feeling of being touched around their eyelids. It was quite funny to me.

I think the exposed teeth came out well, especially for a first attempt. 

Finally it was my turn. I had to be included in the fun, but I had to make myself look gross. Okay, it was pretty fun making everyone look scary.

It was a little more difficult to paint myself.

I had no real plans for my look, so I put latex sporadically around for wounds and painted my face similarly to John and Mya's.

John commented that I have more pictures of me as a zombie, than un-made
up. I always have the camera, silly!

My zombification was complete. I was quite pleased with my results, especially after having no blueprint, so to say.

It's me! (As a zombie)

Now we were all disgusting. We decided to go out and take some zombie pictures. It was fun, and a bit silly.

This is one of my favorites. Father zombie with child.

My sister came over to see the finished zombies, then my brother popped in as a surprise. They both got into posing us and planning scenes for pictures.

Aimless zombies.

Mya wanted to go play on the playground as a zombie. It was fun until she learned how slippery dress shoes can be.

This one was candid. I think it's great.

Zoey had to get in on the pictures. Since she was a zombie hunter we staged some "fights."

Zoey defeated the zombie.

Mya thought the pictures were great. She had a zombie walk perfected and was moaning and babbling about "braaaaiiins."

Zombies versus the zombie hunter.

We ate Zoey.

Halloween was a blast.We ended up trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. The one thing that bothered me, was how many cars we saw trick or treating. I'm not talking about cars used to transport kids from neighborhood to neighborhood. It was a parent waiting outside of each house while kids rang the doorbell, then walked to the car to be driven 10 feet forward to repeat the process. This created traffic jams in neighborhoods, and I did not see one child in a proper carseat. It seemed so dangerous.

The weather was beautiful, and I more than understand the dangers of letting your children walk the streets alone at night, I even strongly urge parents to go trick or treating with their children. But, please don't teach your children to be that lazy. Enjoy the exercise! Admire decorations and costumes. Talk about the day. And, actually enjoy each others' company! Let's not get distant with our children so young!

Trick-or-treat.

Roasted pumpkin seeds! Recipe.

What's better than a sea of snack for nearly no cost?

One of the best things during the Halloween season, (besides all the candy,) is the roasted pumpkin seeds. When we carve pumpkins, we have to pull all the guts and seeds out; why not make use of them. What better use than a high fiber snack?

The first thing you need to do, is, of course, removing the seeds from the pumpkin. There will be stringy orange goo all over them. Try to avoid large clumps of the goo. Put the seeds in a large pot. I like to use a stock pot because it has a perfectly sized large colander.

My favorite thing about this recipe, is the lack of measurements, and flexibility.

Fill the pot, (seeds still in) with warm water.  Rub the seeds, while still in the water in between your hands to remove the excess pulp. Clean the seeds as well as you can. A little pulp won't hurt, and may add some flavor.

Now, we boil the seeds in salted water. There isn't an exact amount of salt here. I had four large pumpkins, so I used about a quarter cup of salt. 

You can add your seasoning here as well if you'd like it a mild flavor. For a stronger flavor add the seasoning after the seeds are boiled- during the roasting process. I used a few tablespoons of garlic powder. 

Boil the seeds for about 30 minutes. Again, this recipe is very flexible and we just want to saturate the seeds a bit. The longer you boil them, the saltier they will be.

The seeds will appear darker when they have been boiled long enough.

Drain the seeds and let them cool, for a few minutes- just to make them easier to handle. Take a large baking sheet (I use a very old cookie sheet, because the seeds will leave a residue behind) and spread the seeds in as thin a layer as possible. The thinner the layer of seeds, the shorter the cooking time. If you want a stronger flavor, you can season the seeds at this step. You can add butter, garlic oregano, thyme, or try a sweet and salty snack, with a bit of sugar and cinnamon. I used just the garlic from the boiling, to keep them low in fat.

Dark seeds are chewy and no fun to eat.

Set your oven to bake at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir the seeds occasionally to ensure even roasting. The baking time can vary greatly, after 30 minutes or so, check the seeds every five to 10 minutes. Bake the seeds until they are golden brown, and no dark seeds remain. 

Light, golden brown seeds are finished.

Enjoy! The entire seed can be eaten. There is no need to peel the outer skin like sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds make a delightful, high fiber snack, that everyone will love, and they are exponentially better than most other salty snacks.

Disemboweling and Carving Squash: Jack-o-Lanterns!

October- Halloween season. The holiday where, for some strange reason, we disembowel large squashes, carve faces into them and eat their innards. What fun! 

"Just hanging out in a jack-o-lantern. What's up?"

To start, we needed victims-err- pumpkins. I've found that early October Sam's Club carries the largest pumpkins I've seen, but they sell quickly. I always go with an empty car during the first week of October to have a good selection.

Four pumpkins-one for each of us. The three on the right are from Sam's Club.

The little one on the left was the biggest at a grocery store. Compare!

Luckily, the weather was beautiful! We were able to carve outside, and enjoy the fresh air. And, I got an easy clean up job. We had to recruit some help, as Mya isn't big enough to safely wield a knife that can cut through these beasts. I kidnapped my sister for the morning. Let's carve!

Yummy, pumpkin guts!

Zoey had a blast watching from her play pen. She enjoys eating every bit of anything she finds on the ground, so she had to be safely contained. 

Mya and Auntie, gutting the pumpkin.

We had a blast. Carving pumpkins is a silly tradition, but a great family event. I believe we will be carving pumpkins for many years. Hopefully, well into the girls' teenage years!

The finished pumpkins. The tall one won't stand unsupported. It appears to be 

unhappy about the situation.

Not only was it a fun day, but we got a pot full of pumpkin seeds to eat. After roasting, of course!

Good Samaritans

Something strange happened. Well, perhaps "strange" isn't the proper word, but it was quite unexpected.

John and Mya had decided to get their hair cut, so we made a family trip to the local salon. As we finished, I began to pay the hairdresser as John stepped outside to brush the hair trimmings from his body. (There are a lot of trimmings when a simple trim consists of cutting three inches off of back length hair, yet it is nearly impossible to see how much hair has gone.)

John returned almost instantly and asked for my car key, as I had driven us. I handed it to him and I saw, through the window, John disappear to the left, then back towards the right holding my jumper cables. Now, if you know how to jump a car, you must connect the dead one to a live one, and the cables were not long enough to cover the distance from my car to wherever John was heading.

I finished the transaction, gathered the girls and walked out into a group of three or four men. They were crowded around two cars: a newer looking pickup truck and an old Cadillac. It was obvious they were trying to jump the Cadillac. I stepped back and watched.

It was a little funny how much effort they put into trying to start the Cadillac, although they seemed new to the process. As I had to instruct them to rev the engine of the pickup, to increase the rpms, and not to touch the- *SHOCK*- cables. I assumed the car belonged to one of the men.

We were unable to start the car, after coming to the grim realization, that it was not the battery. I apologized for not being able to try to assist any further, and wished luck to the man in the Cadillac. He thanked me, but said it was not him who needed luck, but the owner of the car.

All of these men, four in total, were gathered around, trying to start this car. Not one of them owned the car. They did not know each other prior to trying to start this car. The car, they said, belonged to an older woman, who was unseen. Probably hiding in a shop, because it was getting cold, and windy.

We headed home. I'm not sure if they were able to start the car. But, I was shocked and impressed to see these strangers come together to help another person.

I'm happy to report, there are still good samaritans, and I hope Karma rewarded those men for the trouble they went through, for seemingly nothing.

Starting young: It can happen to anyone.

Let's have a little more back story.

John and I both excelled all throughout school. Often being the "smart kid" in class. We went to a magnet middle school that focused on math and science, then the high school that followed the program. And, not only did we work hard to get into these school, we played instruments.

I was in the orchestra. Many hours of practice went into my instrument, the viola, and I often held first or second chair. John played the trumpet and sang in the choirs. He was in marching band, and jazz band, as well as the chamber choir. He spent hours after school to maintain his musical talent.

Basically, we didn't fit the "type to get knocked up in high school" stereotype. But, we did. And, we weren't what you would consider the promiscuous or popular type. Either way it happened.

In my opinion, it is best for Mya that she "happened" to us. We may have been unprepared, but were intelligent enough to research through my pregnancy, and continue to read to find out the best things we can do for her.

Although, we had the option of leaving her in the care of family for me to finish my education, we decided that the most reasonable and fair thing to do was for me to be her primary caretaker. And, that has lead to where we are now. If we did not choose to be around for her at all times, I don't think she would be as well rounded as she is.

Creepy crawlies

Going along with my Kids and Critters post, lets look at some not so cuddly, but oh so interesting critters.

We have an annual reptile show, here in Las Vegas. (And, I unfortunately, forgot my camera.) There were so many, many interesting critters ranging from tiny baby frogs and geckos to six foot snakes and 20 pound iguanas. We went to see all of the critters, with no sure mindset to bring anything living home. And, by we, I mean Zoey, my sister, Nicole, friend  Mindy, and myself. Mya chose to spend the day with her grandfather, after given the choice to tag along, or see him.

There may not have been any plans to bring home any new friends, but it happened to each of us. The first critters to catch an eye were a group of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. Yes. Giant cockroaches that hiss. My sister saw these guys and instantly wanted a few. Cockroaches certainly are not for me, but they are interesting. 

"This one is a fine male specimen," Nicole says. "He is a warrior, see his horns?"

I am fascinated by these guys, however, I have an irrational fear of them. There is no reason for me to be afraid of these, I know. They cannot hurt me, they are not venomous. And, I tried to conquer my fear. My sister, whose hand you can see in all of the pictures of the roaches was steady and calm. She brought one out specifically for me to pet and potentially hold. I slowly touched it's back with a single extended finger and it let out a rather loud, yet tiny hiss. 

Fear not conquered.

The male. He also has spikes on his legs. His plates are impressive.

I tried. But, I could not bring myself to hold one. Mostly in fear of my own reaction, because I didn't want to fling and hurt the giant cockroach. Hmm.

I lowered my camera, in attempt to see his stomach. My sister offered an easier solution.

She then brought out a female, and exclaimed. "She's pregnant! These guys give live birth!" Oh. Well, then. That is interesting, but I don't think I will be bonding with her any more easily.

The females do not have horns or spikes on their legs. The difference are impossible to miss.

The white you can see is where her babies are developing.

He back plates are spaced because of her pregnant, swollen abdomen.

The male and female cockroaches are amazingly different. Taking their pictures was quite educational, and Mya had a blast petting them. Go, Mya.

Now, I will not say I am a fan of spiders, but I found myself drawn to the tarantulas. I am not good at getting rid of the household spiders that find their way into my home, and usually do so more vocally than I wish, with my heart beating a bit faster than it should. But, after holding a rose haired tarantula, I decided to bring her home.

It took my a few tries to bring her out of her tank, because I was jumpy, but she is a very calm spider.

Mya was drawn to the spider. She is quite fearless. Her grandfather was not to happy with it, and had to be convinced it was not venomous.

Mya claimed the spider is hers, and fell in love, if you could call it that, immediately.

Seeing these creepy crawlies, and bringing them into our lives was quite an experience. I can't say I'd want to add to my collection of this-many-legged-creatures on a daily basis, but it was wonderful, and educational.

Kids and critters

All too often I see, "Need home for my dog/cat because we are having a baby." This perplexes me. Animals are a wonderful learning experience, and friend for children. And, as long as the animal isn't aggressive toward people, I see the baby excuse as a very poor excuse.

Zoey's first day home from the hospital. Our cats immediately knew she was family.

Babies are interesting little creatures. They are loud, high pitched and occasionally, smell really bad. But, babies take on the smell of their mother when they are born, so animals immediately accept them into the family. I certainly wouldn't leave an animal alone with a new baby, however.

One of our cats would always be near Zoey, until she learned to crawl.

An animal in the house can be a wonderful way to teach respect, and boundaries. Even toddlers will learn that if you offer the dog a part of your cookie he or she will come and play, or if you pet the cat gently it will purr. But, if you scream or hit, your furry friend will run away in a flash. Sometimes, fun is the only lesson needed. A bird will mimic songs, and cats and dogs chase the toy.

In some cases rough housing is okay. Mya was 17 months old with Grandma's new puppy.

A bit of comfort can be found in four furry legs. Mya has asthma. Luckily for her, pet dander doesn't trigger her asthma attacks. Sometimes she will feel extra weak and miserably during a cold, and someone is there right away for her to pet and love.  They even keep her company during her nebulizer treatments on very bad days.

Our cats always know when someone needs a little love.

Of course, some people cannot have pets. Some people do not have time or finances to have a pet. This, I understand. There are still opportunities to teach your children about critters, even if it's just your park or zoo.

Mr. Goose will bite your fingers, feed him carefully!

Let your children discover all of the critters around. Take a trip to the pet store, if nothing else. Make sure you let them decide on the animals they adore or admire. If you can't stand birds, don't let them know. If you are terrified of snakes, look away when they look into the tank. Let them have an opinion before you give them yours. You never know what they might find.

Mya with four of blogger  Melinda's, corn snakes.