milestones

We try not to compare each child from each other. But sometimes its hard when we say things like.. but Ama was walking at this months, and Sofi was talking at this month. So we try to take each milestone with each child as a special event.

My baby Santi knows how to roll to one side. He's on his back and roll to his stomach or He's on his stomach and will roll to his back. but never more than just a half of roll.
So this morning he made his milestone.. Rolls and rolls and rolls. yay..
but not so good for mama or baby.

You see when we are at home we have a set sleeping pattern. We know where everyone sleeps and when they wake up where the babies go.. etc etc.

Well lets just say we had to many bodies on the bed this morning. Normally I would have Santi in the middle. But since Ama was there and she is the craziest sleeper I know I knew that it wouldn't be safe for Santi to be there.
So I woke up to cuddle with my babies and Santi's bottle fell of the bed. And what did Santi do... Roll, roll, and roll. He rolled for his bottle. He rolled so much he rolled of the bed. I was like 1 sec behind him. Not fast enough.  As Santi was rolling I was trying to grab him and saw him slipping down and rolling. wasnt fast enough. My baby rolled off the bed.
Good news is he rolled off and landed on his butt. He didn't cry at all. He was like.. Yes got my bottle. and was good to go. But his mother was traumatized of the rolling off the bed event. It was a scary moment.

But then I saw him smile and give me the look like. "what?"
and I knew all was good. and so then we celebrated his milestone. He rolled and rolled and rolled.

Yay for the rolling. boo for the falling.

lets just say you've been warned

Lets just say if you are a romantic person who would love take a walk on the beach with the love of your life and enjoy the beautiful scenery... try not to do that when you are around hellakids. A lesson that was learned today by a couple that we might say was trying to enjoy their romantic day on the beach.. I won't say they were on a honeymoon since they were with like all their family. But either way.. sorry.

You see Papos was so excited to get to the beach after a wonderful boat ride and was ready to show us his swimming skills. So he asked his dad "can I swim out to that thing that is out in the water?" Next to that thing was a couple that were hugging each other.. Javi asked me.. "You think they are in their honeymoon?" I of course with knowing that they were accompanied by their hellafamily said "Nah.." They'll be ok.

So Papos and Sofi go out and swim to the thing... Not knowing what the thing was ( I thought it was a bag of chips that needed to be thrown away) THe kids were so excited and said look we reached it and swam back with a beautiful flower in their hand. At that time Teresa, Javi and I noticed that the couple had their camera out as well as all of their family and were doing some symbolic throw the flower in the ocean and symbolizing our love type of thing. OMG I almost wanted to sink in the sand.. All I could hear were the kids so excited that they got a pretty flower. The couple looking at the kids like what the hell ya doing. Javi saying see I told you they were on a honeymoon and Teresa saying.. you just crushed their romance...lol... And i .. and I .. Couldn't stop Laughing. sorry. I did. I just couldn't.
So Sofi knowing what they did said.. Opps and ran back to the water to throw the flower back in.. didn't go far.. landed splat in the water.. Not as pretty as it was before flowing in the waves... now it was just splashing around.

ALthough I would say that was a great symbolism of their love.. ups and down.. gonna happen...ups and downs and then ups again..

Lets just say though.. you've all been warned.. Don't run around with your romantic ideas when the hellakids are around... :)


Sofi and Papos.. after their experience...

Vacation

Traveling in a plane to another country was going to be the hardest part but I forget how everything else is just as a big task as the plane ride. Our daily trips have to have a 2 hour prep time to be out the whole day. Kids need to be dressed (all 8), sunblock needs to be on (all 8), kids need to be feed (all 8), adults need to be feed, hats, strollers, diapers, formula, snacks, bottles, wipies, extra clothes cause if you don't aye.. and so much more. Thank god we have 6 adults here helping out with all the tasks to get it going...

cause if you forget you will have a moment like this..

I forgot Santiago's (last baby on the far right) change of clothes so on Xmas eve dinner he had his pamper and sweater on (:..

Or even forgetting to get the xmas stocking.. so having to use shoes :)



But all in all it so far has been a blast..

The do's and don't of traveling with hellakids

I made it, I made it.. we are here in 6 pieces.. that is 6 people... But I learned a lot from traveling to another country with hellakids. And to help with this edition my Sister the mama to the other half of the hellakids will tell you the do's while I obviously will tell you the don't. Speaking from experience obviously...


DO:

Make each older child pack their own carry-on backpack. They can each pick out the special items that they need to keep them occupied. I would usually opt for fun, educational games but on a trip like this one I'm all for DVDs, Ninentdos and iPods. Make sure to include at least 2 snacks (crackers and cookies work great).

DON'T:
dang. pack 1 uncomfortable cute stylish bag for the kids to carry with random stuff they didn't use. dang. then expect both kids to somehow find out who will take turns carrying the not so comfy bag full of things that I added in their bag (i.e. left over diapers, bib)

DO:
Pack a backpack for each adult. Backpacks work better than luggage or handbags. They are big enough to stuff full of junk but small enough to stuff under the seat in front of you. Include snacks for yourself and extra for the kids. Split the baby supplies between each backpack. You never know how seating may occur and the kids may need to be split up.
DON'T:
Wait to buy food at the airport. LAX is its own city. and everything is damn expensive. water. water. what 3 dollars. huh. gum gum.. 3 dollars.. Coffee Coffee and chocolate milk way too much. Dang it snacks. why do u cost so much.

DO:
Use ziplock bags for everything. I emptied our formula into a ziplock bag and saved a ton of space. Pack a diaper with wipies in separate ziplock bags. Easy to grab and go when you need to do a quick diaper change. Separate snacks into smaller portions in different ziploc bags. Grab and go snacks.

DON'T:
Pack your backpacks with hellastuff. Ok ok that big wipie bag isn't really going to be used up in just one airflight. but then again I had Ama and Santi my garbage pail kids. And you never can have enough formula but I guess I could have saved room in the backpack. But on the positive side I did do some arm/shoulder workout today :)

DO:
Fill up bottles with water instead of carrying on water bottles. This makes making bottles a lot easier. You can even fill the bottles before the security check in. They let baby bottles of water, formula, and baby food exceed the 3 oz. rule.

DON'T:
damn it. don't just bring one bottle because how the hell are you going to wash it out after they are done with the bottle because you forgot to bring the bottle cleaner and cleaning it in the sink in the bathroom is not that um fun...eww whew.

DO:
DO NOT BRING ANY FOODS THAT MAY STAIN. Feeding a baby on a tiny airplane seat is hard enough. Applesauce is great. Green stuff is actually good as well. Carrots suck.

DON'T"
don't bring carrots. or forget that the bibs were in the big kids bag. ugh.

DO:
Buy a meal for each member of your family before you board the plane, especially if it is a long flight or you have a ton of kids. This way you reach your destination well fed and not too grumpy. Plus, eating can keep the kids busy for a whole 15 minutes.

DON'T:
Don't think that in the airplane they will feed you a meal and that peanuts pass for lunch.. Cause when you get to your destination you will have a grouchy hubbie/ and kids and mama... that just want to go eat. and DON'T forget to talk to TERE cause that girl knows what to do. damn it! :)

bookstore

I like books. I like the smell of the bookstore. When you enter the front door and smell that smell of brand new books with coffee on the side. yum. I like to look at books nicely stacked and put away in order. I like the way it looks organized and clean. cause even if i tried it at my house and spent hours working on my bookshelf you all know what would happen at the end. um err not gonna say names.. AMA... Papos... Santi .. Lala.. not knowing order, organization. not yet :) I like books. (if you would have asked me when I was a child if I liked books, I'd probably say I would've wrote something completely different. true. only if they were true crime books.i liked to read about serial killers.. hmm zodiac..:) )

So today we went to the bookstore. 1 because we like too and 2 because its fun. even if we have a lot of kids. We went upstairs to the store and enjoy a good time reading books to the kids with the family. It was a treat.

When we were about to line up to get some books for the kids Javi asked me.. "So, aren't you going to get a book? We are on vacation."

I smiled and said no. I think he forgot we have hellakids and even on vacation there is no time to read a book... maybe a magazine short sweet and to the point. but not a book. soon though soon. zodiac is calling my name again. :)

Twins

Have i told you how much I love the twins.
They will be 1 on xmas eve.
The babies have grown so fast, but yet they are still little :)
My sister (and bro-inlaw) have done a wonderful job raising amazing little ones. (and big ones).

I love you Eva and Evis.. :)

and with that we say MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Plan

In a couple of days we are leaving to go on vacation. Sounds fun and exciting :) and we are excited... but there needs to be a plan.. a plan to pack, a plan to make a list, a plan to pack some more, a plan to buy things, and then there is the ultimate plan, the plan of survival, the plan that will make this trip successful... It is the plan of the flight.

You see we will be traveling about 3 1/2 hours in a plane with 4 kids. a 10, 6, 20 month old and 7 month old. woo hoo.

THE PLAN/LIST...
books and books for the older kids - CHECK
Nintendo DS charged - CHECK
Dvd player charged - CHECK
DVD's - CHECK
bottle/diapers
blankets

and then the special list for AMA - the 20 month old...
a bag of cheetos
a bag of grapes
a cup of milk
a lollypop/candy
dvd of Diego
books
some more snacks

yes I know that this list is not as healthy and appropriate for her... BUT like I said its the plan of SURVIVAL of the flight.

Javi is thinking if she is not a happy camper we might get upgraded to first class.. he he he.. what a nice thought :P

Wish us luck! :)

Confessions of a bad mama moment

Nobody is perfect. So everyone in a way will have a bad moment. But when it comes to being a mama.. oh that moment is so much more. Its forever defined in your head as the moment of when it went bad. You know like the bad mama moment when Britney Spears took her baby on a car drive in her lap, or the bad daddy moment when Michael Jackson put Pillow..opps I meant Blanket out the window. Keep those visuals in your head so that when I tell you my bad mama moment it just doesn't seem that bad :)

Today we have been getting ready for our trip. And let me tell you packing is no fun. Now I know why the rich and famous hire someone else to do everything. I need me an assistant.
Anyhow, the hubby and I were discussing about what we were going to do for the gifts. We didn't know if we should pack some with us or just leave it under the tree... But either way I had to wrap. Usually we only do 2 gifts for the kids. One from Santa and one from us. So we were getting the gifts from our secret location... under the bed and right there and then I realized that we didn't get one damn thing for the babies. yes I said it ... it was hard to say but... I confess I didn't get a Christmas gift for my two babies, Ama and Santi.
At that moment Javi pulled out a just incase gift and said... why don't we wrap this.. They'll love
it.

I looked at Javi like are you serious. Really I mean really. I also said um hello they are only almost 2 and 7 months.. wth are they going to be doing with the connect four. And you know its not safe because all they will do is put it in their mouth. Javi said just wrap it.. they won't realize it.

So out of despair I wrapped up the Connect Four and labeled it for Ama and Santi. Next to Lalas and Papos gift is a gift that we "got" for the babies.

and you know Ama loves picking it up and shaking it.. and hearing the sound of the pieces going around and around the box... and so with this I say I'm going to find them a box, a box where I can fill it up with paper so that when they open it they can make a mess and have fun, a box where they can get in and play and shake around. And I know that they will love that gift as much as any other gift that I would've bought.

and after thinking about it... hey they're just 20months and 7 months... they won't remember anything.. just gotta keep the older kids quiet, and not take any pictures.. dang it..

See so I told you I'm not as bad as Britney and Micheal...but just a bad mama moment.

Martha Stewart ain't welcome here.

As I was walking in the house the other day I thought... Martha Stewart.. she wouldn't be very happy here.

The other day I was looking online for some fun Christmas crafts to do in my classroom.. oh did I forget to mention that I was a teacher... opps.. so my hellakids are just not my kids but my class kids that I call my kids.. whew...
Soo.....I bumped into Martha Stewarts page... she she she's not honest. yeah. not honest.

it said "EASY CHRISTMAS CRAFTS"
um not honest.. and you know what the synonym for not honest is.. but I'm not gonna say it.


















Doesn't look so easy does it... cute but not easy for my uncoordinated, non-crafty mama.. (shhh secretly I wish I was). Maybe Santa will bring me that Crafty mama to my title. I'm not crossing my fingers.


So frustrated as I was... I decided forget Martha Stewart I'm just gonna do the plain ole me. Not sure what it is yet but Martha Stewart ain't happening here. One reason is that it ain't easy. and the other is that ain't, ain't a word. So not proper for Martha.

Sorry... so after I walked in my house, my loud, music popping, kids running, diapers being changed, kids scrambling around looking for soccer gear house.. I looked and saw that um well Martha wouldn't be liking it here. And I thought so what. Cause i do!
Even if it means shoes, a banana peel that never got thrown away and a sippy cup on a decorated console. And a half decorated, to big for the angel to stand straight Christmas tree. Its my Martha Stewartness that I like. Puts a smile to my face.. Oh and if Martha wants to come and show me how "Easy" those Christmas Crafts are.. fine comeover.. but I don't want to hear a thing.

a tip for a short car drive

half my day is spent in the "monster" aka our car. I drive to drop off the kids at school, go to work, go home, pick up kids, take them to practice, go run errands, pick up from practice and go home. Thats what it mostly sounds like during the week and the weekend. So traveling with two babies when they missed a nap or just not in the mood... is not as exciting as it sounds... so what works for my babies... well heres one thing...

Ama loves music, and if its BEP then she is even in a better mood. And if we are all singing in the car she even gets down. She loves it...and Santiago well he's use to it by now. He's a mellow one so he goes a long with the show.

and today I found out what calms Santiago...

Clapping..

he was mad and not a happy camper while we were on our way to Lala's basketball game and it was just me in the car with the babies... So instead of putting music on I just clapped and sang some songs.. I then put the radio on and clapped with the beat... don't ask how I did that and drive at the same time... hey its only illegal to drive while texting and talking on cell phone noone said anything about hands free and trying to entertain your little one. But it worked.. no toy needed to be bought.

At the red light I'm clapping and singing and looks like no one else is in the car with me.. So I turn to see the person next to me giving me a wierd look. but hey if it keeps a baby happy then looking crazy is all worth it.

So they calmed down to their sweet lullabies (BEP) and clapping in the monster. and I had two happy babies and one happy crazy mama.

let it go... for sanity

After sitting and typing a blog that wasn't as pleasant as others I lifted my head up to see a peaceful quiet house and.... things things all over the place. A toy here, a bottle there, things on the counter, baby stuff everywhere, backpacks, shoes, pebbles from soccer practice, wrappers from who knows what. Things in random places even though I know that everything has a place and there is a place for everything. I'm thinking what the heck is that baby lotion doing there, and why hasn't anyone picked up that random sock and put it in the laundry room. jackets and jackets on chairs cause hanging it up would just be to random in my house. after typing a random blog I lift my head and see the mess... and I think really, really.. hmm let it go... even if we are done vacuuming and the vacuum is still unraveled and hanging out in the living room.. let it go.. now don't get me wrong the mess is not crazy unlivable.. but still....let it go... for everyones sanity especially mine... a mess is all worth it cause in the end.. babies are asleep and we all survived... so I let it go and think I'll get to it later :)

Question... What do you let go for your sanity????

why hella

well if you know me I'm from Cali.. Cali girl at heart.. At least I think I am. I lived in both places, NorCal and Socal . But most of the time I've been up north. I was born in Santa Barbara Cali and moved to Woodland when I was about 3 years old. I moved out of good old Woodland and went to school in San Diego for about 5 years. Before moving to San Diego I figured hey it’s in the same state how can anything be different. Boy was I wrong.

When I first started college at S..D...S..U...SDSU...fight fight fight, sorry had to do it.

I went in thinking hmmm I know this I know this… Boy was I wrong. My new life in SD was very educational and that was before I even started college.

I learned that not all cars are the same.. the make and model do matter and not every car was a Honda.
I learned that even though I had a car Isuzu Imark, it wasn’t a Honda J
I learned that our fashion sense up north at that time was a tad bit behind Socal.

My girls and boys from State were teaching me new things and thank you for that Locas and Locos. J But what couldn’t leave, what never left, what kept on slipping out.. was my hella ness. Hella is a Nor cal word for well..sick, really, totally, slamming, A LOT and more. It just wouldn’t leave my mouth.. hella this, hella that… hella hella hella…

So when I returned to up north it just was part of my regular vocab. So last year after having my babies back to back, and always having a group of kids with us, and doubling up the Rodriguez grandkids in less than 2 years it felt appropriate to be hellakids. I also have to give props to my soccer mamas that well know the hellakids.com experience (parking hmm why not have a special parking for hellakids that’s a discussion for another blog).

And so the name hellakids stuck. And there it is.. why hella.

welcome

So after a while of debating whether I should or should not start a blog I figured.. heck why not... Do I have any idea of what this blog is going to be all about.. no. and I like it that way. What I do know is that I will post about my family, pictures, experiences, memories and of course, a how to survive in the life of having hellakids. Some of you might think omg that is so bad but really I don't see it that way I see it as lets share ideas, thoughts, and the love of surviving!

Surviving.. what does that mean.. is it do I own a fancy car, nice and expensive things.. nah..

surviving to me is when I sleep at night, I sleep with a smile. and if I don't then hell I better work at it tomorrow.



My writing is not the best and infact I could go on forever correcting my grammar here and there placing punctuation marks where they belong making sure my sentences make sense and are complete. I like periods, I like commas, I like capitalized and uncapitalized words.. do I over use them. yes sometimes.. Do I talk to myself to much in this blog.. well I think so. So i should sit in front of the computer for hours and just correct.. edit.. revise... ummmm no.



But really is that about surviving.. I do enough of that at school. So if you cant handle it.. then i suggest you um.. read it fast hurry so that your mind doesn't ponder on how to correct it.. :) but do join..



and so hellakids is for those that want to know how the marin/rodriguez family are doing.. hobbies that i like sharing.. deals and deals that I like to share and sharing with eachother what works for you and life. and surviving with the hellakids:)



Welcome.. welcome... WELCOME!!