100 Book Challenge: April

The weather is getting nicer and I'm getting less time to read. And I also need suggestions on good books people! I gotta keep up my progress on this challenge!! Once again my goodreads account.

24. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

25. Thirst, Karen E. Taylor

26. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

27. Dreamless (Starcrossed #2) Josephine Angelini

28. Lover at Last, by JR Ward

Donuts and Playgrounds

Today it is beautiful outside! John is off of school today and I woke up this morning after sleeping in until 7:45 Yeeyah! While making breakfast for Olivia I thought....dishes?!?  I don't need no stinking dishes..the next thought ...laundry..no way I can do that tomorrow. So we got ready and headed out for some good ol' Dunkin Donuts.... My home away from home. Seriously why don't I have stock in that company?!? Then I surprised the kids by going to the newly redone playground in our neighborhood. We ran into some friends and we all had a good time. It's nice to get a couple minutes of mom on mom conversation while the bigger kids chase the younger ones around and help them on the playground. Looking forward to many more nice spring days in the forecast. Today Philly we kinda love you!

"Mom donuts are awesome! (Note that John does not have a donut, he inhaled it before I could get a picture)

John don't you want to go over and play with the bigger guys over there? No Mom I just want to hang with my little sister and push her on the swing.

Sometimes he is extremely kind and good with Olivia, it makes up for the rest of the time when he is acting bratty towards her. I love her face in this picture she was terrified but laughing by the time they got to the bottom.

Everything he can do I can do better. That's what was going through my head when she was trying to act like John. Haha :)

Look Mom I'm at the top, and NO HANDS!!! Meanwhile my heart is in my throat.

Sharing: The Battle We Didn't Choose

I stumbled upon this photo essay from a tumblr that I follow My Wife's Fight with Breast Cancer Needless to say I didn't make it to the last photo without tears in my eyes. There are certain things in your life that you see that just stick with you. Even though you've never had the experience of meeting these people you feel a deep connection. Like almost everyone else in the world one of my biggest fears is illness. No matter your faith the feeling of having no control over your own body has to be devastating. Not only because of the loss of this woman's life the tears flowed more because of the love you could feel from these photos. This man truly loved this woman. A deeper love even more because of this illness. To love every aspect of her and knowing she would only be here a short time. I found her page on Facebook. The photo of her with her father killed me. Losing his baby no matter her age. I cannot even fathom having to watch my child suffer in this way. Some days we take for granted others we dwell on the small things. We all have a very crappy day here and there. On those days I try to remember how much worse they could be. To be glad that I'm not dealing with such a hardship. For the most part my family and friends are healthy. Their families are growing their lives are just starting to blossom. I remind myself to pray. I pray that when my life takes a turn this way and that, that instead of getting mad at God that I will understand my course. I pray for strength most of all. To be able to handle the changes and hardships with grace. To be an example for my children, to be strong but make sure that it is evident that I am not doing this myself, that God carries you. The lesson I've had the hardest time learning is to let go of control. This saying always comes to my mind "Let go, and let God". Yes I think that is the hardest lesson of all.

An Inspiration

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Cooking my way through Pinterest)

It's Friday! We have a busy night tonight, Big John is going in to work late and Little John is taking his karate belt test. So I thought CROCK POT! After going through my board on Pinterest I settled on this recipe since I had the chicken in the fridge.

I followed the recipe exactly except I added a drained 15 ounce can of Goya black beans...I wanted to make the soup a little heartier. Also fresh cilantro...Just a couple pinches sliced up and thrown in.

I drained all the vegetables in a colander together...quick and easy.

Topped our bowls off with some shredded Monterey jack cheese and added some tortilla strips..

This recipe was easy and the soup is delicious!

The Honest Brand in Review

My mom was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease. In her search for Gluten free personal care products she stumbled upon Jessica Alba's Honest Brand. She started out by ordering the 2in1 Shower and Body Wash, Conditioner, and lotion. During her next visit we tried them out on Olivia and I immediately fell in love. They leave Olivia's skin conditioned and smelling so good. Just a hint of sweetness no overwhelming perfumes. With her sensitive curly hair I can shampoo and condition it everyday and it leaves her hair moisturized. I believe in passing along the info when I find something that is really good. I've tried them all Johnson and Johnson, Aveeno, Burt's Bees, and California Baby and out of all of them the Aveeno extra moisture was the best but still a little dry after bathtime. Click through pictures for links to the products.

My mom also just bought their bug spray and sunscreen but we have yet to try them. We have a trip planned in August to Maine so I'm sure we will get a lot of use of them. I'll let you know how they are.
I would love to try out some of their household products. You can get bundles and save extra $$$ and they also have gift sets...perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, or a house warming gift.

By the way, I wasn't given any free product or given any compensation for this review. Just wanted to share!