You know you have kids when...

Have you ever heard or read of those jokes that start off with.. You know you're from.. You know you are... You might be a ... if....
Well.. .just cleaning up the house and doing our daily thing... I was thinking..

man, you know you have kids when...

 

.. the toilet paper was unraveled by a 2 year old so it ends up looking like this.

a table is used so well that even art work is done on it..

that you find random things on the floor.. (ps.. I used to love these as a kid and Papos did it for me.. It said I'll be a millionaire.. YES!)

 

Every bit of your house is taken over by the kids.. Blankets on every couch because if you don't then who knows how messy they will end up, kids stuff everywhere etc etc(even the hubby is included with the kids)

randomness greats you at the door

the car is taken over by them and water

 

calender is already full. 

You know you have kids when you clean up all day and you still feel like your house is a mess... ugh  (don't have a picture for that one ... but jeez) :)

Believe me if I had my camera for every bit... I don't think this post would ever end... 

So I leave you with a cute bit.  Ama was complaining to me in her 2 year old language code... I of course was kind of understanding.. Then she brought me to the calendar where the vis-a-vis markers were at.  She wanted me to write on her arm like we all did for Lala... She wanted to be just like her big sis :)

watch out... dangerous...

You know how small toys, power outlets, knives, pens and all the of the usual stuff in a house are dangerous for kids... well all of those items are far away from the babies. We take time baby proofing the house and making sure that all of the small items are far and away from the babies.  Making sure all gates and doors are locked, making sure that all baby toys are not to be able to fit in their mouth and choke on...Making sure that we lock up the cabinets and wash room and bath room so that the babies don't get into.  But who would've thunk.. who would have thought that this could be as dangerous... as scary as it looks..

You see we have blankets all over the place... One on each couch.. tons around house, beds, floors.. everywhere... And the kids love playing with blankets... Just like when we were younger, they build forts and have their little  club houses and movie games.

and the babies they  love playing with blankets too...it would be cute like the older kids.. but its not.. its scary...  They love it... Ama also loves putting it over Santiago's head.. and Santiago loves it too... Its scary cause he kicks around like he cant breath... but really he's just excited.. So now I add blankets to the list. Cause who needs expensive toys when blankets entertain them.. and who would have thought.. add blankets to the list.

and Santi.. well that lazy boy.. when he see's that blanket.. boy is that boy motivated to start crawling.. sooo... add blankets.. to the motivation list.. awww lists.

 

 

PS...a little bit of random.. love this pic.. of Grandpa and Ama...

Wordless Wednesday

I know I know... wordless.. but I can't.

Have you meet the new twins in our family?. Well they came in on Tuesday... So meet our new twins..




 The kids are getting to know them too.

And my Wednesday means getting ready to workout.. look who followed me. :)

 

But then I asked... Ama did you go to the bathroom... And look where she went....

 and... Wednesday feels like I'm gonna make a quick lasagna day, even if its my quick version cause it works.

oh... and sometimes Wednesday means from that week too... so some from earlier this week.

To sweep or not to sweep...

Have you ever wondered why the heck your arms are not as buff as Popeye.. or Hulk Hogan (ok I aged myself.. whatever)?  I am so wondering why the heck they are flabby... I know I don't eat right, and I'm starting to exercise more... but heck... all this sweeping I'm doing on a daily basis I should at least have some man muscles...

 Sweeping in our house is like... a routine.. a daily, hour, minute, second routine.  I think I sweep more times a day then I change diapers... and I do change a lot..  but nope the arms are still flabby.  We even have rugs inside and outside our house so we can collect dirt... so that we don't have to sweep all the time.. but its not working.  And the broom.. the broom has a home.. remember there's a place for everything and everything has a place... well that poor broom hardly spends time in its designated spot.. So I am changing its location. From laundry room hook to the side of any wall at that moment.  (right now its leaning against the water cooler.)

So when I do sweep.  I sweep it into a pile. and i leave it there. yup it stays in a pile.. Why do I do that..? well I would love to say that I always plan to just leave random piles around so that by the end of the day I have just one huge pile to collect..but I don't plan... I'm just as random as the pile. I get side tracked and start doing something else and so I leave the pile there and then someone (the hubby) sees it and sweeps it up.

And I'm not picky.. I'm realistic.. I know my house wont be perfect.. I know that there will be things everyone...(check out the slipper just hanging out there and the random car that has been placed by the fridge for a while but we have yet to pick it up).  So I know that nothing is perfect and I don't want man arms.. really  I don't.. but this sweeping.. I would like to have stopped at all hours/minutes of the day... but looks like with all the kids that come in and out of the house... aint gonna work... Guess I just better add some weights to that broom.. So I can count on it as an exercise!

And I leave you with a pic... of my little ones.. Gripping on to that swing for his dear life... Cause he really didn't like it.. not like Ama.. I blame the scary tree in the background.. thats why he doesn't like the swing... 

Although I do love that tree...

Wordless Wednesday...

If you have ever gone blog hopping... cause club hopping is not as cool as blog hopping.. but if you have hopped around.. you'd see the different themes they have in common.. So I thought.. jump on in.. get on the band wagon and join..
And so almost every Wednesday its going to be "wordless Wednesday"  a kind of look of what half my day looks like.. since the other half is at school and I can't post pics there..
a little look of what it looks like..

WORD...

Some traditions..maybe.. not

You know how in some family traditions people pass down bracelets or pendant necklaces and even furniture.  Well in my family we have many traditions.  Not so much the ones I listed above but many that I'm proud to say has made me who I am.  Some of them are traditions that are passed down without purposely doing so.  Its done unintentionally.  And having hellakids... well thats just our tradition.  Four is a great number.  My mama had four. Many of my aunts had three/four.  My sister and I each have four.  And since we all have hellakids when we get together.. well.. its a big hella hella group.  And this Xmas break wasn't the first time that we traveled to Mexico with hellakids.

  My parents bravely took trips traveling to Mexico.  Many times with the 3 or 4 (depending if my baby bro Omar was born).  Sometimes we would travel with my cousins so that was about 8 kids all together (Sound familiar).  We would go visit my dads ranchito and spend days and days there.

And other times we would go to the bigger cities visiting museums, pyramids, etc..

I have this thing that comes with my age.  I don't remember a lot of things from my childhood.  Memories of events don't come often but when I see a picture I have a tingling memory flash.  So pictures are the cure to my memory.

And then I have some very few but some events the main ones that stick to my head and I remember... the way I felt, the way I looked, what it smelled like, distinctive memory of where I was... and it sticks.. This memory puts everything together. From having hellakids, to traveling with hellakids to maybe not making this a tradition to pass... but maybe it could be added to the what not to do when traveling post. 

This memory was one of our many trips to Mexico.  We were at my fathers ranchito.   It was like our playground, our open field to run, ride on horses, feed the animals, carry the animals, watch the animals (only some) "get prepared" for dinner.  It was our domain. We were aloud to go down the street to the small little house that sold ice cream and buy ourselves ice cream all day long.  Everyone and I mean everyone knew everyone.  If my mom wanted to know where we were at she just had to ask around and someone would know.  "Oh, I just saw them pass the field and they are on their way to Tio's house".  It was our safe zone and when we arrived from the next visit it was like we never left. 

And leaving.. well leaving was as big as arriving.  We would stand around the car for hours saying bye to everyone.  Once we said bye to one family then the next family would come and we would have to start all over again.

So, I think it was 1985, I was about 7 years old.  We were getting things ready in our VW van.  Packing up things in the car, getting all of the kids together all 4 plus my 4 cousins and my aunts.  We were saying bye to everyone and talking and saying bye again.  It was a whole day experience.  So instead of spending the whole day saying bye I figured I could go around the corner and play ball with my cousin while waiting for all of us to get in the van and wave goodbye.

I don't remember if I told my parents that I was around the corner but I figured that they would count heads when they were getting ready to leave.  You see with having so many kids in one place that's what we would do count heads, kind of like the scene from the Home Alone movie.  And on top of that when we would get in the car, my dad or mom would go through a roll count making sure everyone was in the car.

So 20 mins go by and I'm still playing with my cousin, 30 mins go by and I don't notice anything because remember it takes like a whole day to say bye.  45 mins go by and it doesn't phase me cause remember I'm just 7 years old.  Next thing you know it I see one of my aunts turn the corner and look at me wierd.  I looked at her and said, "what?".

"What are you doing here?" she asked. 

 "Well I'm playing two square with my prima, are they ready?" I asked.

She just gave me the look like...  what... "Mija, they left a while ago..."

and at the time my cousin was passing me the ball back.. I didn't catch it cause even though I was an awesome two-squarer, I couldn't get the words past me... they left a while ago...

I ran around the corner... and it was true... they were gone.. the mini van... the hella kids.. my family..

I ran to my aunt and wept and wept and wept... She carried to the side of the road and just held me while I was crying hysterically in her chest.  And I could hear everyone laughing everyone coming out of their house... laughing.. laughing at the thought of leaving me behind... and even though this was a place I loved... they were still gone.

And so I just cried.. not realizing that my aunt could probably drive me to were my family was at, all I could think of was that I was left and going to stay there forever.  And what seemed like forever, was not really forever but fo ra 7 year old it was.

And from what I heard how it went down when they noticed I was not in the van... it went down like this..

ROLL CALL

Dad: MOI

HERE

Dad: TERESA

HERE

Dad: Marcos

HERE

Dad: Samuel

HERE

Dad: Kiko

HERE

Dad: Diego

HERE

Dad : Celena

Nothing...

Dad: Ceeleeena...

nothing yet again

Kiko: uh.. Tio Celena is not here..

Dad: Kiko remember I told you not to play that trick again..

Kiko..: No really Tio she is not here...

Dad: WHAT...

scccreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeccchhhhhhhh...... they turned the van around to come and pick me up.

and when they arrived...when they arrived back at the rancho everyone and I mean everyone was lined up on the main street waiting for my dad and the crew to come and pick up the forgotten one...

and they were laughing and laughing and laughing..

and I saw nothing because I buried myself to my moms chest and never let go. ..

and to this day... people remember me as the one who was left behind...

so hopefully this wont be an unintentional tradition passed on to my family but who knows.. cause when you have hellakids... hmmmmmmmm..

(Dedicated to the year 1985 when I was left behind... is number 17 top billboard hit song... on the playlist)

The zoo

Our regular daily schedule has just started up again.  Although we don't have that much practices this month it's still crazy schedule.   There is never a dull moment...

I was just thinking I wonder what it would be like if a stranger came in to my house earlier today.  You see in the beginning of the year we always talk about strategies that will help our children with their homework.. 

Provide a permanent quiet place to do homework assignments...(and you should)

 but... my house is a zoo... Today we had our i pod going to Pandora..   Salsa was on connected to the stereo. (if you are on the computer you might be able to hear one of the songs we were jamming to from my playlist). Javi was working on dinner, Lala and Papos where at separate tables working on the homework.  The babies were well.... everywhere. And I was just running around.  Helping out with food, homework, babies etc.. 

In the middle of walking from one place to another.. one of us would stop and dance to the music.. to the beat. 

Cause our house is a zoo...

and it worked... it worked for us at least... If you are not use to a zoo.. I don't recommend it.  Because you do need quiet places to study and work on homework... but for all our animals... it worked.    (here are some pics.. of our zoo... ) Lala breaking it down.. Santi and Papos in middle of a jump.

and Ama... Ama... eats.. plays and eats... she decided that turkey meat and crystal light mixed together is well.. yummy... sweeeeeeet... :)

millionaire... could've been

On the eve of when we go back after being out for 3 weeks... all I could think of is dang I could have been a millionaire.

When my sister and I had our girls, we thought of different things that would make our life easier.

Like a glow in the dark pacifier, or a baby/toddler made water spout that goes on a small water bottle.

But we didn't have the resources or time to even think about it.   And when Papos and the rest where born we started to see our ideas at all of the baby stores. damn could of, should of, would of ...

So now I'm gonna think of ideas and maybe just maybe become a millionaire.

#1 

When Santiago was born he was born with hella hair.  Not sure where that came from but it keeps growing and growing and growing.  Now to the point where it gets in his eyes.  I know the easy trick for this is to cut his bangs.. but I want to let all his hair grow.

 

 When  we were in PV all of the vendors would say "aaa what a cute Nena".  Then I realized they were saying that because I had a bobby pin on him.   So I took it off and they still would say ... "awww what a cute Nena.".. It didn't bother me cause then I just called my boy a pretty boy. :)

So Invention #1 needs to be a man clip.. a mlip.  hey why not... we have invented a murse.. a man purse.. so a mlip is next!...

#2. 

On our way home from PV was a plane ride that I won't forget.  The kids where lets just say ready to jump out.  The babies were restless and moving all the time. We were doing everything to keep them entertained.  We switched seats, played games, watched movies, read books, sang songs.. and then I had the snack station.  My station served crackers, water, banana, baby food, water, crackers... 

And for some reason every time a baby was getting a snack the airplane was experiencing turbulence.  So by the time we got out .. i was looking CRAZY.. my shirt was um.. a piece of art.   SO Invention #2 is ...

a MOM BIB.  I know I know they are not that cute. But when you think about the style these days no one will ever realize its a bib.  We could even get COACH or Old Navy to hop on with some patterns... We can call it the "Mom scarf" or the MIB...

  Cause if I don't get something quick... I might end up looking like this.



That's all my mind can invent for now... but maybe with these ideas a millionaire... I will be!

fear

We have arrived and we are back in Cali.. woo hooo.. But that leaves us only time to just get things ready for the work/school week to come. boo.  Since we left before Christmas we haven't had time to take down anything. So we spend our day back from vacay organizing ourselves like crazy.  I guess it works since its freezing outside and we have no sun to pour its rays on us.  So we organize.

And that brings a little bit of info on my Papos.  Papos is our first boy in the hellakids gang.  If you know Papos you know that every moment of the day/night his mind is working on creative games and fun. Before we went to PV I don't think I ever met a boy who had more saliva then Papos.. huh? what? saliva you ask?  Yes. Cause that boy makes so much sound effects slurp, bloom.. sleech.. I can't even imitate it.  Cars are crashing, he is in war with who knows who, someone keeps falling down from I don't know where.   So much imagination. I hope that he forever has the sweet imagination forever.  I hope that nothing ever changes and that I will always hear him slurping, crashing, falling, fighting, flying sound effects in the same room while I'm busy doing something.  If you didn't notice I bolded the word same. why? well because my son has a fear of being in any room by himself. Living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom any room.  And if he sees us leaving without telling him that we are moving to another room he gets upset.  Like how dare we have to go to the bathroom. jeez ma.  So my big boys imagination is probably becoming so intense that its not fun to be by himself. 

My boy that is afraid of being alone in  a room is the bravest boy I have ever met. Yes I said BRAVEST!.. You see I fear many things.. remember I'm paranoid. I have a fear of heights, I fear that Amali will escape again, I fear that my kids get hurt, and more.. But one of the biggest fear that I have are ANTS!  Is it the type of fear that when I see them I run out of the room like crazy and scream. Nah.. but I still don't like them. How the heck can I fear ants.. well let me tell you.

You see there are like billions and billions of them.  And they can just come from small cracks and attack at any moment (yes its my imagination going now). They are everywhere.  When I feel them crawling on me I get the biggest chills and run around the room trying to take them off.  And they seem to have the best sense of sugar/food smell. If I don't pick something up they'll attack.  big ones, little ones, ugly ones, red ones, black ones.. all ants are scary to me.

So today we were taking down our x-mas decos. I was in charge of the tree.  I was pulling out the ornaments and bulbs when I felt and ant on my hand.  I quickly slapped it off.  I didn't care if that slap hurt a little, I wanted to be nowhere close to that ant.  Then I noticed that there were a lot of ants in my storage bin.. and then I found...

ANTS... ANTS... ANTS...

EVERYWHERE... ANTS~!!!!

Ok.. ok so really not everywhere but who knows they could of.. 

It was so gross.  I picked up the bulb and shook it a bit and could hear the ants being tossed around in the bulb.  I think they were trying to rellocate their home to the green bulb.  I interupted their moving plans.. 

If you can see they are small and huge..ewww.. I get chills just looking at them

And what does my brave boy do..

He picks it up and says, "Mama, they're just ants." 

So he posed for his pic.

.

Went outside 

and...

threw the bulb out.

He found a new home for the ants.

Although they are probably all still in the bulb trying to recover from being shooken up and thrown around.

ewww... dang ants at least now they have a new home.

MY HERO!  The one who fears to be alone in a room rescues his mama who is afraid of ants :)

 P.s. I bet if you come to my house in like 2 wks or 2months the bulb will still be there :)