My Life

I have been dealing with this chronic back pains for a while. My doctor thinks it is sciatica, but don't know what's causing it. I've gone through so many tests. I'm getting tired of tests. I now have to go see a spine specialist to get his/her opinions. I am not looking forward to it. Every time I end up in a different specialist's office, they have a totally different diagnoses for me, which has nothing to do with my symptoms. I'm ready to give up, but my husband has been pushing me to find out what is causing my pain. Just sitting on the chair writing this post is giving me awful pains. I've tried so many natural ways of healing sciatic nerve problems as well. I hope that the spine specialist for finally find a cause of my lower back pain. Wish me luck.

Oh my, this morning was very hectic. I had to get my girls ready in the morning and plus I had to make my 1st grade daughter's lunch for her field trip. I woke up early, but time really goes by fast. Before I know it, it was 8:00a.m. I quickly packed all her lunch, dashed upstairs to help her with her hair and off she went on the bus. My husband usually takes her to the bus stop, so at least I did not have to walk her to the bus stop. I just like my every day routine where I do not have to rush. I do enjoy making her special lunch, but with a toddler running around, it is a bit hectic. Anyways, I'm back to my normal routine taking care of my little one now. She has been interested in Elmo lately, so she is currently watching TV. Finally I can get some work done around here!!!

I put my youngest one to bed early this evening, but she has been crying non stop... I went into her room, comforted her and so on, but nothing is working. I am ready to rip my hair out. My husband is out helping a friend and I just called him to come home. He is only 2 minutes away, so he will be home soon. Thank goodness. Tonight is one of the nights that I just can't stand hearing her crying. It is giving me a migraine. I need to breath deeply and relax until my husband comes home. I'm not usually like this..... I guess I just need a little break away from my kids. I need to go on a vacation!!!!!

My oldest daughter's school is having a field trip day tomorrow. She is very excited, but I'm a bit worried. There was an option to chaperon, but because I have no one to watch my little one, I had to decline. I hope that my daughter enjoys her trip tomorrow. Only bad thing about this trip is that I have to wake up early in the morning to prepare her lunch. She has been buying lunch at school, so this will be my first attempt to prepare her a sack lunch. I wanted to make this very special, so I've already decorated a brown bag for her. She has already seen it and I got a big smile from her. She can't wait until tomorrow. I hope that weather turns nice tomorrow and my daughter can have a lot of fun with her classmates.

I totally forgot to post about my birthday yesterday. Yes, yesterday was my birthday and I turned 26 (just kidding....) I'm older than 26, but I try not to think about my real age. I keep telling my kids that mommy is 26. My girls and my husband sang Happy birthday first thing in the morning and that was very nice. I got flowers, cards and a lot of birthday wishes from my friends and family. We went out to Red lobster for dinner and had a great time. Our food was good and service was very good as well. My husband had to work during the day, so my day was just like another ordinary day, but I enjoyed my day. I was very happy the fact that I did not have to cook dinner!!!!

I went to a local department store this morning with my youngest daughter. I had a $10 gift coupon from this particular store that was sent to me via mail. My goal was to walk out of this store without spending any of my money. And I did it. I got a toddler top retail price $12.00 and a matching pair of pants retail price $14.00 for FREE! They were both on sale for $3.99 & $5.99, so that brought my grand total down to $9.98. I was not even responsible for paying taxes on it. I was so proud of myself for not spending any money and got a really cute outfit for my youngest one. I know that stores give out coupons thinking that consumers will spend more money than the coupon value, but it will never work with me. I can't wait for them to send me more coupons!

I decided to just stay home today to do all of our laundry that has been piling up for the last few weeks. Lately, I just do not want to do my household chores. I hate doing dishes, laundry, cleaning and so on. I feel like I want to go outside everyday and play with my youngest daughter. Maybe because the weather has been so nice this month. I am also into my design work as well, so when I am in the mood of doing my work, I start to forget about stuff I need to do for my house. I wish I can just hire a maid...... It is so hard to take care of 2 kids and run my business at home. My youngest one is calling me now to play legos with her. I better get going..... 3 hours to go until she takes her nap in the afternoon. Then I am free to do whatever I need to do......

My oldest daughter and I went out shopping the other day, and we found this cool t-shirt. It comes with black and white design with colorful markers that let you color right on the shirt. We purchased one and my oldest and I had a lot of fun coloring this t-shirt together. I am amazed of so many fun things for kids are available now. I wish I had this t-shirt when I was a child. I have not washed the t-shirt after coloring, so I do not know how the color holds, but I really enjoyed spending some quality time with my oldest one. I was happy to see her go off to school full time at the beginning of this month, but lately I am starting to miss her so much. Oh well, I guess this is just a part of being a parent. Anyways, I need to get ready soon to take my youngest daughter out to her weekly lapsit story time at the library. I'm sure that I will be chasing her around, but at least she gets to interact with other kids her age.

It has been so nice to spend my time just with my toddler at home. Ever since my oldest started school full time, I have been giving 100% of my attention to my youngest daughter. I take her to a local library lapsit, friend's house, go out shopping and so on. I think she enjoys having her mommy to herself as well. It is so nice not to hear two sisters fighting and crying. I never thought this day would come. I still do want to put some time into my freelance work, but it looks like that I need to wait another year or so for my youngest one to start going to preschool. For now, I just have to enjoy this precious moment with my kids.

My oldest daughter is going back to school next week! She is getting excited about it and I am as well. I no longer have to plan activities for her. She is going to First grade, so she will be in school full day. I'll finally have some one on one time with my 18 months old toddler. Taking care of just one child is so much easier than dealing with two. And I'll have some alone time while my little one takes her daily nap. I can't wait. I was not able to do much with my freelance work this summer, so I am hoping that I can get a lot of work done. I need to start working on my online shops as well. Well, I better get some sleep soon. I do not want to feel like zombie tomorrow morning...... Have a good night everyone.

My husband took my oldest daughter out to the Bandits vs. the Boys softball game (Chicago Bandits vs. JackHammers) on Monday night. It was my daughter's first time going to the baseball field and she was very excited. My husband was able to catch one foul ball that came towards their seats as well. And they were able to use that ball to get autographs of Chicago Bandits' players. One of the players was the softball superstar, Jennie Finch. She is a very well known USA softball pitcher(I'm sure that most people know her). My husband was also happy to see her as well and got some pictures of her. My daughter was not able to take a picture with her, but she was happy just to get her autograph in person. My daughter plays softball, so she was very proud to meet Jennie in person.

Yes, it's Monday and I'm so exhausted. My daughter's Fall ball practice has began on Saturday, so my husband and my oldest were busy. I was busy taking care of my little one at home chasing her around. On Sunday, we went over to friends' all afternoon and had a great time. My oldest wanted to plan a play date with more friends today, but I put a stop to it. I just needed a day to lounge around in the house and try to do laundry, cleaning and so on. I wish I can stay in bed all day...... but things need to get done around this house. I'll be out all day tomorrow with my daughters' activities once again, so I need to keep working hard today to finish up. I can't wait until my oldest starts school again, so that I can start doing some of my freelance work. I really need to keep up with my skills. Anyways, I just hope that I can survive through this week with more activities for my daughters. Wish me luck.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Memphis Travel. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our family is looking for a vacation trip that is in driving distance to us. The cost and hassle of flying is just too much to deal with. We stumbled upon a travel website for Memphis where you can enter to win a trip package.

Its free to enter so we did. My husband has been there a couple times as a small boy and later as a teenager. He says he remembers Graceland and all things Elvis. He says he liked seeing Elvis's pink Cadillac which was an enormous boat to drive.

We are hoping to get the family package since it includes stuff for all ages. We are looking forward to the included carriage ride and the trip to the zoo if we win. The trip includes a free dinner at Rendezvous, but our family friend who grew up in Memphis always raves about Coleman's BBQ.

The Memphis-savvy travel guide website has a lot of good information about the city. We are looking at Memphis as a place that is within driving distance and has a lot of music and art attractions. My daughter loves Taylor Swift and her playing the guitar. We might go the Gibson showcase on Beale street. Emmy can practice and pick up a guitar just like Taylor's.

Check out the website and then visit Memphis, TN, a great place to be.

This week, my oldest daughter is attending the summer art camp. This is her second time attending this camp and today, she learned about Picasso. She brought home her art work that was done similar to Picasso's art work. I was very impressed. We really love our art teacher. She is awesome. My daughter is looking forward to the camp every day. It is hard for me to get up early and get her and the 17 months old ready, but it is only for a week so I'll just deal with it. My daughter has a lot interest in art, so I might even consider her to take art lessons in the fall as well. She will be a one busy girl doing softball, piano and art.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mission Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm always looking for an inexpensive & quickest way to make meals for my family. I especially love using Mission Flour Tortillas to make my favorite ground beef tacos. I like them because they are kid friendly and taste very fresh. My kids just love them. Did you also know that you can simply make a meal of Ground Beef soft tacos that feeds a family of five for $10 or less using Mission Tortillas? Yes, I've done it and it is easy. You can check out Mission Foods website and check out recopies that will make your life easy. They've got tons of ideas that fits into your budget and needs. If you have your own recipe, you can submit your ideas to its Mission Menus Challenge competition. Chef Sara Moulton began to encourage consumers to submit their budget-friendly original recipes to Misson Menus Challenge's website on June 28, 2010. All you need to do is to visit the website and submit a recipe.

Well, are you ready for a challenge? This will give a chance to compete in a cook-off in L.A. And also a chance to win a $10,000 dream kitchen makeover as well. The grand prize winner will receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodation for two for the Mission Menus Challenge on September10, 2010 at the Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles. You still have some time until August 9th to be exact to have your recipe submitted online. Just don't forget to include Mission Flour Tortillas to your recipe. Be original and make sure that your recipe is good to feed a family of five for $10 or less.

In addition to money and time saving, Mission flour tortillas are healthy for you as well. Tortillas contain 0 grams of trans fat per serving and the are free of cholesterol. You will find them in major grocery stores nationwide. The sizes of tortillas come in small(6”), mediam(8”) and large(10”).

Mission Foods is a proud supporter of the national organization committed to ending childhood hunger in America as well. If you are also interested in helping for this cause, you can simply visit the website to learn and support its mission. We all can make a big difference by helping others.

Good luck everyone and I hope to see some of my readers' recipes on Mission menus challenge!

We took a trip out to the zoo today. It was fairly nice out and we really enjoyed it. My little one was pointing at the monkeys and smiling. Last year, she had no interest in looking at the animals, but now she really enjoys the zoo. Oh, and my oldest one and I were able to touch the sting rays as well. It was a great experience. We were trying to feed the sting rays with little tiny fish, but I guess they were too full... They did not want to eat. At least it was a great advantage to buy food for them because they came near us many times. My oldest got soaking wet, but she was very happy and proud to be able to touch the sting rays.

My oldest daughter went off to her grandparents for a week. I thought that one less child in the house would make my life easier, but I was wrong. I am already missing my oldest daughter. My youngest one is manageable when she has her big sister around. My 17 months old is a handful. I have been playing with her non stop this week. I can't wait for my oldest daughter to come home!!!! I miss her so much and I can't wait to give her a new dress I made for her.

I was very frustrated with my hair and finally got a new hair cut. I also got my hair colored and high lighted. I feel like a totally new person now. It is nice to spend some money on myself every once in a while. It took about 3 hours to get my hair done, but it was worth it. I am refreshed and ready for a new day tomorrow. It is 11:15p.m. and I better get going to get in bed..... My 1 year old is just like an alarm clock. She gets up exactly at 6:30a.m. every morning. Being a mom is a tough job, but I love my kids and love being their mom. Anyway, enough rumbling for tonight. Good night everyone.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Would you like to reconnect with your friends all at one time? If so, there is a great sweepstakes called Chain-of-Friends that you can enter offered by Hampton. The grand prize of this sweepstakes will receive a free stay for themselves and their 100 friends at a Hampton for one weekend. Yes, you get 100 rooms for 2 nights for FREE. Not only that, the winner for the grand prize will get help to pay the tax for the weekend by receiving $5000. Isn't this a great deal? Besides the grand prize, they are giving away 100 FIRST PRIZES, which is a daily giveaway and the winner and three of their friends get free weekend stays. There is no purchase necessary for this sweepstakes and all you need to do is to submit your entry at Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. I've already submitted my entry and am thinking about what to do if I win. I think I would invite all of my college friends, childhood friends and my mommy friends that I have in my neighborhood. It will be a crazy weekend full of fun. I will really enjoy reconnecting some of my old friends as well. I hope I get to have a big party right on the beach with all of them. Also want to go to spa with all of my girl friends as well. Oh, I might be too old for this, but I might even have a lot of fun doing a pillow fight with my childhood friends. I really wish that I win this sweepstakes. It will be a good break away from my kids. There is no reason to pass up this sweepstakes. Again, this is open to everyone. You do not have to be Hilton Honors members or do not have to be stayed at a Hampton before. I wish you all good luck! 

I was so frustrated with my kids this morning. I thought I was going to lose my mind, but my good friend called me around the same time and we decided to go out for shopping. My husband's work was very light this afternoon, so he was able to keep an eye on our 1 year old while she took a nap. Well, actually he did not have to do anything, she basically slept the time I left the house and the time I came back. I took my oldest with me. It was so nice to go out with my friend. We enjoyed our adult conversation and just browse around the stores. I bought few things, but they were just necessary stuff for the house. I am so proud that I did not spend money on something that I did not need. I think I was able to relax a little without my 1 year old. It was so nice not hearing crying and screaming.... I hope that I get to do this again. I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my hectic life with my kids again!