Fashionable uniquely function-able?

Last night as hubby and I cuddled on the couch watching tv together alone. Yes, it was a rare moment. The kids were supposed to be in their beds allowing Mr. Sandman to sing them a lullaby but I don't think they have been formally introduced to him yet, either that or they don't get along because bedtime can be tortureous in our house. But that's a different post all together. For the sake of the story I will be honest and tell you that the kids were upstairs running and playing way past bedtime but both hubby and I pretended not to hear them because neither one of us wanted to move from our cozy cuddling place...awwwwww. So as I am sitting there I looked around the room and realized that there are very few pieces in the family room I love. There is the rug which I spent more than hubby wanted on, but I love it. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. And there's the ottoman that hasn't found the perfect place in our home. The point is, my home has the decorating touch of a tired mom with lots of kids! I think it's time for a change. My hubby wanted to know what sparked this desire for change, who can he blame for the money I now feel the need to spend to create that feeling of hmmmmmm, when I walk through the door. I told him he could thank Tam over at Get it Girl Style. I have been spending free time drooling on her blog. She finds the most unique things and puts them together so beautifully. I am feeling inspired. I'm going to create an idea board for the dining area. It's time for the Artis house to mone from function alone to fashionably uniquely function-able...is that even a design category?

Dream or idea?

We've all had a dream about something that seems like it would be a good idea, but every now and then we get those dreams that make us sit straight up in the bed and wonder if God is giving us a glimpse of our  possible future, if only we make the right decisions...you know one of those dreams where you make one simple decision that changes the rest of your life for the better, or maybe sometimes for the worse, but then you just never know because it was just a dream, right?

For the love of milk

Leah with the full pouty face:
Mommy why can't I just go to H.S. Elementary school.

Me in serious know it all mommy mode:
Well sweetie, we live down the street from your school. Your school is so nice and It's a new school. The teachers are very sweet and your friends are at your school.
You can't leave your friends and teacher. They would miss you and feel very sad.
(feeling proud because I had provided her with a great mom-logical answer. Of course I had given her enough information to help her realize that her school was the right school for her)

Leah: Awww man, but H.S. Elem has strawberry milk!

Parental Brainwashing Gone Wrong...Somewhere

So you read the title...Don't give me the evil eye!  If you're a parent at some point and time you have participated in parental brainwashing too.  Its a part of being a parent.  We all do it.  Its the only way you would get your kids to share some your views.  Ok, let me be clear...

Swap Mamas

While blog hopping today, I stumbled upon a website that has the potential to give moms everywhere that "ahhhh" moment. Swap Mamas! For awhile now I have been swapping clothing and toys with friends that have children that are a size larger or smaller than my little ones. Not only is it the green thing to do but its also the most economical thing to do.

A mommy must-have!

Once I became a stay-at-home mom, I became obsessed with feeding my kids the healthiest and most nutritious foods I could get my hands on. One of the great things about not working outside the home is that I have the time to cook and prepare tasty REAL foods for my family. I'm not saying that we don't ever eat out but it is rare that you will find me in a McDonald's drive thru. Kids meals are a thing of the past for my kids. One positive result of this is my kids are much smaller than their classmates. One result which sometimes doesn't feel so positive is the fact that they are exploding with energy. No sluggish kids or teens reside in the Artis household.
So a few months ago my brother-in-law introduced me to the many many benefits of carrot juice. I was amazed at the things carrot juice does for the body. We've all heard about how great carrots are for your eyes, but no one ever told me about Vitamin E, and Vitamin A, which is great for healthy bones and muscles. And there are studies being done right now to research the benefits of drinking carrot juice to prevent cancer. So needless to say, I was convinced that all my little ones needed carrot juice. The big question was how to get it into them. Thats when I found the Jack Lalane Juicer. It has been wonderful. Not only am I able to throw 3-5 carrots in a cup of juice for them but I usually mix it with a couple of apples, mangos. spinach, or any other fresh fruit or veggie I have in the house...except celery. Mixing celery in guarantees that no little ones will drink it. I have taken a liking to preparing fresh orange juice or apple juice for weekend breakfasts also. The juicer runs about $99 at Target but I found an open box deal with everything in it for $70. It has been worth every penny. Even the ever so picky hubby has begun drinking fresh fruit and veggie juice...well if I fix it for him. Oh, and before I go, I do hear you moms asking about cleanup because the last thing any busy mom needs is another huge mess. Well relax, clean up is simple. The juicer comes apart very easily and all parts are dishwasher safe. I usually just hand wash my really quickly and lay it out on a dish towel to dry. And if you are really interested in some the great benefits to drinking carrot juice visit www.living-foods.com.

New Holiday Tradition

Every year as the calendar inches closer and closer to Christmas I get more and more stressed. I love shopping as much as any other lady, but Christmas shopping is what I refer to as "Forced Shopping." Who likes to be forced to shop, certainly not me. Secret Santa or name exchanges are the worse...that usually means I am going to have to find something to buy for someone I wouldn't normally shop for because I wouldn't know what to buy them even if I had the striking to shop for them. Anyway, this year I decided I was not participating. I refused to get caught up in buying a bunch of crap that people probably didn't want anyway cause if they did want it they would have purchased it for themselves. Just before deciding to refuse to participate I took a poll in our household. Not one of the Artis 6 could name more than 2 gifts they have received in the past couple of years besides clothing and shoes. Once the results were in I decided instead of buying christmas crap we would take a family vacation. Surprisingly enough every child could remember most family vacations we have taken. As I listened to them recount our adventures their little faces brightened up and huge grins appeared as their minds took them back to wonderful memories of fun and frolic and stress free parents. That did it for me. We quickly decided to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in Florida. What's better than 70 degree weather when its snowing at your house? We are a family of people who are extremely attached to extended family so we invited everyone and tried to convince as many family members as possible to go.
Christmas day we gave each child one small gift, ate breakfast together, laughed, played, and watched movies while waiting on the crew of family members to arrive. Early the next morning, we left snow and darkness and headed for FL in a huge 15 passenger van...I need to make a side note here to say that normally we hop on the train to go to FL. Its a wonderful option for folks with more than 3 kids. Not only is it affordable but the kids can walk around and eat snacks that you pack from home while someone else does all the driving. Its great! Unfortunately, because this wasn't a trip planned well in advance, train tickets were sold out. So we drove. We rented a huge 6 bedroom vacation home for a mere $750 for 8 days....thats cheaper that one night would have cost all of us. Once there we did Busch Gardens Tampa this year and shopped and slept and partied and watched TV and guess what I have heard NO complaints about not getting tons of Christmas gifts. As a matter of fact I am listened to the kids complain about leaving FL too early. So it goes without saying that I have officially been delivered from "Forced Shopping." From now on we will travel during Christmas. As a matter of fact I'm thinking a cruise next year..with the cruise I won't have to cook, clean, or plan tons of things for the kids to do because someone else has already thought of all that for me....maybe the Bahamas or Mexico or Turks and Caicos...you should join us.