my girls and newphews playing together - thanks Krisi

Playdate with cousins

Fun in the sun

Alright, so most of you know we went to Padre/Port Aransas for spring break vacation. We left out Friday morning around 9ish in the morning. Had the truck loaded up with kids, clothes, food, and fun stuff to play with at the beach. We drove down through Waco towards Austin and stopped in Austin. We got to Austin around 1 something. We drove about 30 mins out of the way to go see my dear awesome friend Jacki and we had lunch with her, stretched our legs out, and took lots of pictures. It's a girl thing. LOL We left there at almost 3:00 to drive through San Antonio and then to the BEACH! We finally got there about 7:00. We went and checked into our hotel and then went and saw a little of Portland and then went straight to Port Aransas and got on the ferry. It was so awesome seeing dolphins coming out of the water. They are so beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of them. So we got over the Port Aransas shore and got out and let the kids out. It was already getting dark and it was cold!! MAN I was HOPING it would get warmer the next day. We went down 361 I think it is and drove to Padre Island and then back to Corpus. It was getting late, dark, chilly, and we were hungry. We went to get some food and back to the hotel. The next morning we were up early, eating our free international breakfast (which was VERY good btw), and then off to Port. Aransas. OMG the kids freakin loved it!! They were running around in the water, building sand castles, and flying kites, blowing bubbles. I had them all sprayed down with sunblock and turned them loose. It was alot of fun to watch. Around 2 or 3 we left to eat some lunch and then went over to Padre Island. Padre is 1000000000000x better than Port Aransas. The sand is softer AND you can park right on the beach so you don't have to drag everything out that you want where as Port Aransas you have to take everything out and carry it a little ways. Oh and towards the end of the trip, me and the kids buried Morris in the sand. It was so awesome. He had such an awesome time at the beach. So...I have a truck full of sand that needs to be vaccumed out and a fun, memory filled trip to the beach with lots of pictures with my babies. As for the drive back...we sat in traffic most of the way from San Antonio until 35W and 35 E split. OMG it was frustrating!! LOL But it was soooooo worth it.

Bathing suit shopping

OKAY so...today I went and bought a new bathing suit for our trip to Corpus Christi. I had a really cute (and expensive) one I JUST BOUGHT last year at Torrid that is too big for me because of dropping like 3 sizes since then. I was actually happy for once about getting a new one. Well, I went to Wal-mart thinking I would be able to get a cheap bathing suit since I won't be able to wear it that long anyways. NOOOOOPE! They didn't have any plus sized bathing suits WHATSOEVER! I was a little peeved because I knew if I went to Lane Bryant or Fashion Bug it would be A LOT more expensive. So I ended up going to Fashion Bug and they only had like 5 or 6 different styles of bathing suits and only 2 of them were even cute! On top of that, THEY WERE $70!!! I was like OMG I am only going to be able to wear this for a few months tops! But, I needed a bathing suit so I got it. They both looked really good on me but the one I bought makes my boobs look better...hahahaha! Needless to say, it was a happy yet frustrating shopping experience.

MMB 1999 The Mummy

MMB 1998 City Slickers

The Worth of a Mom

A study recently conducted by Edelman Financial Services tried to identify the many occupations that typical mother might be said to hold over the course of a year. The researchers also examined salary data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, trade groups, and human resource and staffing firms. Putting all the information together, Edelman estimated that a mother's worth is approximately $507,000 per year! Here is a breakdown of the various tasks typically performed by a mother and the corresponding median salaries:

Animal Caretaker - $17,500
Executive Chef - $40,000
Computer Systems Analyst - $44,000
Financial Manager - $39,000
Food/Beverage Service Worker - $20,000
General Office Clerk - $19,000
Registered Nurse - $35,000
Management Analyst - $41,000
Childcare Worker - $13,000
Housekeeper - $9,000
Psychologist - $29,000
Bus Driver - $32,400
Elementary School Principal - $58,600
Dietitian/Nutritionist - $41,600
Property Manager - $22,600
Social Worker - $30,000
Recreation Worker - $15,500

The Edelman study suggested that since a mother wears many hats and is on duty 24/7, she deserves a full-time, annual salary for all 17 positions. And since the retirement, health, and insurance benefits that workers in these positions typically receive were not factored in, the figures should actually be higher!

Quite a flattering list, don't you think? But I noticed that a few items were left out of the calculations. For example:

Kissing a boo-boo - priceless
Fixing a favorite mean just the way they like it - priceless
Making them feel special on their birthdays - priceless
Getting up during the night for feedings or illness - priceless
Adjudicating sibling disputes - priceless
Searching the entire house for a lost gerbil - priceless
Cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines - priceless
Scratching their backs while they lie in bed - priceless
Baking warm cookies for an after-school snack - priceless
Telling stories at bedtime - priceless
Holding their hands during vaccinations - priceless
Giving a hug, a smile, a word of encouragement - priceless

There really are some things money just can't buy! While Edelman's research may have been on the right track, the truth is a mother's worth is incalculable. Few can duplicate our loving touch. What price tag can be placed on the sense of warmth and comfort we bring to our homes? On the feeling of protection and safety our children enjoy just because we're nearby? On our uncanny ability to sense our children's needs before they even ask?





Taken from "The Power of a Positive Mom" written by Karol Ladd