Java Mama Cafe & Free Zoo carousel coupons!

Today I tried out the new Java Mama Cafe on W. Jefferson Blvd. and was really impressed. It's extremely clean, open and inviting, reasonably priced, and most importantly, the kids loved it! I'd highly recommend checking it out! 

Cost: $4/first child & $2/each addl child for a full day pass. They have special classes (ex: jewelry making class today) for ~$5/class. After 2pm the play area is FREE, but it's not supervised. You can also buy a monthly pass there but I'm not feeling that with my schedule, but great for some. 

Then later in the day I took the kids to the downtown library to get some books. We heard (from Jen Dluzak) about a Visit Fort Wayne kiosk place inside the library where we could get FREE zoo carousel passes, so we found that and printed those out!! Thank you Jen!! Love our little community!!

Check out the pics from our adventures today. God Bless!

Missing an old neighbor

I'm missing my old neighbor and friend, Krista Hebda today. We had a really close  connection and I completely believe that God brought us together. I pray for her family daily and am so glad that she shared a chapter in our lives. 

The following insightful words of wisdom (from the talented Maya Angelou) really hit home as I was reflecting upon our friendship today. God Bless you, Krista. 

“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-Maya Angelou

Bed Time Lullabies w/Gabe

Every night Gabe & I have developed a routine of singing lullabies together before bedtime. Our favorite is 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' He's so lovable and I just want to freeze time to forever cherish these memories! So instead of freezing time, I'm documenting about it here, so that I can look back and see these precious memories and make new ones; for each day is a gift from God.

 

My 33rd Birthday!

Today was filled with many blessings! I worked until 2 and was able to spend time with my SAH work family.

 Then I got off and went straight to Von Maur to browse their awesome shoe department. I ran into an incredible babysitter (for nights out), Olivia Wood. We tried on shoes in the sale room ;) Her friends helped me pick out a pair of "cool" sandals (Speery's). 

Then I went to pick up my kids at the sitters and took them home to play with them until Dan got home from work.

Dan came home and took us to Tucano's for my birthday. I had a birthday postcard that they sent me in the mail for a FREE bday meal (which Dan didn't know I had when he made the reservations). Totally go online and sign up for their birthday club for a free meal, heck yeah!

Then we went home and Dan surprised me with a DQ blizzard cake! Mmm! 

I read the kids books, put them to bed and am now watching House. What a great 33rd Birthday! God has abundantly blessed me and I'm ever grateful for each day and opportunity I have to share HIS love and joy! Peace friends and family!! XoX

MobileFit

For the past month I've been trying out this free program at the YMCA called MobileFit. Basically it creates a workout program catered to your specific needs and abilities. I love that I can log in from home! Anyways, long story short, today I was jogging on the treadmill and had to keep pulling up my workout skort! Woo hoo, something must be working!!

Mommy's 1st Field Trip with O

Today I was finally able to chaperone a field trip for Olivia's pre-k class. We went to the Fort Wayne Botanical Gardens and saw the butterfly exhibit. What a great group of kids! All of them seemed well behaved. Mrs. Gall (their teacher) does a fantastic job keeping those kids engaged and in order. Wow! 

I also met some very nice parents of O's classmates/& caught up with friends. 

Olivia loved the butterfly exhibit and getting to play in the long tube/slide at the Botanical Gardens! She was so happy and told me that I'm the best mom EVER! 

This field trip will always be a memory that I'll hold close in my heart! 

Peace & Blessings,

Amy

4.26.14 in Pictures

Zoo with the fam...(Grandpa John, Grandma Lori, Matt, John, Carrie, & us)!

The kids fed the giraffes.

We were able to see section 1 (out of 3) of the updated Australian Adventure section of the Zoo. It's going to be really nice! Even the bathrooms were immaculately clean (for now) & have kiddie (lower) sinks...score!

These goats crack me up!

And to finish out my day, I got a call from Von Maur telling me that I WON the Tapestry drawing for a $100 Von Maur Gift Card! Woo hoo!! 

Blessed day! 

Catching up

 

Today was a great day of catching up with some good friends! I started out the day with a T-N-T (tighten & time, aka Body Fit) class at the Jorgensen YMCA with Angie Jurczak & Allison Labrie. 

After getting drenched in sweat from that hard yet incredible class, I met a friend, Susan Reynolds and her girls at Mocha Lounge. The kids enjoyed playing together. If you haven't been to the Mocha Lounge Little Friends Room, I'd highly recommend it! 

Then I dropped Olivia off at preschool and met Dan for lunch at Yen Ching. Gabe enjoys getting his extra special daddy time :)

After lunch I came back home to try and clean up the house before our friends, Nikki Riemer and her kids came over. 

I picked up Olivia from school and then the Riemer's showed up. We played and enjoyed catching up, for it had been far too long since we last saw them. 

I truly appreciate the friends in our life and thank God for each and every one of you!!

Peace

Egged

Today as the kids and I rolled into our driveway, we noticed that our house was EGGED!! No, not the bad type of egging with actual chicken eggs, but some nice neighbor anonymously "hid" a dozen plastic eggs in our front yard, left a basket full of treats (including a cute no bake birds nest cookie), and they put up a sign on our door stating that we were egged. There were some small rocks in an egg carton and one of them said, 'He is risen.' How awesome! 

This isn't like the You've been Boo'd type of chain things, people just do it to show others kindness around Easter. 

Olivia deliberately got a ziplock bag and put a few loose Cheese-It's and 1 piece of candy in the ziplock, then headed straight to Audrey Spitler's house because she wanted to EGG her. I tried explaining that we needed to make a nice gift for whomever she wanted to egg, but she was already out the door. So, Sara (Audrey's mom), I'm sorry, but loose random cheese-it's is as good as it gets for the Spitler's. ;) Enjoy ;)

So go EGG someone's house (the good kind of egging)! It's so fun and brings joy to the little ones!

Peace~

Good Samaritans

As we walk along this Holy Week, I'd like to give a shout out to the good Samaritans out there. You know, the people who do kind deeds without wanting any recognition. People who touch lives just by being themselves and letting their heart shine upon others. 

Thank you to those good samitaritans in my life! I appreciate you more than you know!!

P.S. Here's a pic of my kids with the Easter Bunny & then pics with the masks they gave to us. Enjoy!

Weekend Get-Away

This weekend Dan took us on a last minute surprise get-away to Chicago. We had such a nice time! 

We stayed at the Marriott on the Magnificient Mile and the fav things per our kids were visiting the American Girl Place store, Lego Store, and checking out the "bean" aka Cloud Gate!

Our children (thankfully) haven't really been exposed to poverty, so this trip was a real eye opener for Olivia (5 year old). She told us repeatedly that she's really worried about the homeless people and doesn't want to live in Chicago because there are lots of homeless people there and it's so sad. Dan and I are trying to explain this to her and decided to pray for them tonight before bed with her. 

It's neat to see such compassion at such a young age. Hopefully through HIM, we can instill hardworking ethics along with love and compassion in her!

Peace & Blessings,

Amy

Thankful for the Y

Ever since joining the Y in December, I've felt a strong sense of physical, mental, & emotional empowerment. These positive endorphins have got me on fire and I love it! 

I'm so thankful for Dan letting us join! I've gone more there in the past 3 months than I went to Max Fitness the past 2 years (sad but true). 

The childwatch has been such a blessing at the Y and my kids enjoy going. I feel so good about showing my kids the values of a healthy lifestyle. 

So even though I don't show that I'm losing any weight, I feel mentally better and I'll take it over being down in the dumps any day!

Cheers to good health!

XoXo,

Amy

My Lenten Journey-Day 1

The incredible season of Lent is once again upon us. The ashes this week will help us as we journey towards the expectation of Easter Resurrection.

Several friends have asked me what exactly lent is and why I'm giving up Facebook for 'Lint'. Well let me tell you, it's only been 1 day and I've already failed by logging into that darn Facebook. 

I ordered a pair of shoes for Olivia, they arrived in the mail and were too narrow for her so I wanted to re-sell them on a Livie & Luca resellers page or Juliana's Closet FB group page to avoid ebay seller fees. I feel so guilty for making an exception, but all I can do is move forward. 

Moving along to the 'What is Lint' question: this is what Lent is to me: 

a liturgical season, destined towards a celebration, as well as a reflective period where we contemplate our lives and make adjustments to our lives. Lent is a period of preparation for the glory of the Christ's Resurrection. It also calls all believers to participate in the journey towards Easter that goes beyond 40 days of personal sacrifices.

Onto going beyond...one thing I've actually never done with my family since becoming Catholic are the Stations of the Cross. I hope to do this with them and hope to continue to teach them the importance of having a faith centered life.

I love that my kids have decided on their own to give up candy for lent. I've never seen Olivia get so into this liturgical season and it's awesome to watch!

I'd also like to practice sacrificial offerings for the less fortunate by spending some time working in a soup kitchen. I also want to bring my kiddos into Saint Anne Home to visit the nursing home residents and help cheer them up. 

So here's to trying to share Christ's journey and sacrifices to all those around (and ONCE again, to new beginnings).

God Bless~

MIA

I def haven't been keeping up with the blog like I should...so here's to new beginnings. 

This winter has been extremely rough with extreme freezing temps and snow storms galore. It's made us become hermits and I'm slowly becoming un-Amy'd (aka-I'm less likely to want to do social things, which isn't like me at ALL). 

The nice part is that I'm getting to spend more time with my creator, Jesus Christ! So let's focus on the positives and look forward to Spring/Summer. 

1). I'm looking forward to Spring bc that's when the Zoo opens! I can't wait to go on play dates with my kids & their friends!

 2). Pink Flamingo neighborhood parties

3). Outdoor jogs

4). Pool time

5). Bike riding

6). Walks with the dog

7). Pretty flowers

8). Getting to mow (oh...)

Ok, it's past bed time...enough random rambling for now.Thanks for your friendships!

Peace,

Amy

Babysitting Do's & Don'ts

Lately we've been trying to do more date nights with one another, but it's not always easy...

Finding a babysitter is the challenge. I have a list of people I'll call to watch my kids when needed, first being grandparents, then if they're not available I'll go to my babysitter list. Usually if you book in advance it's not an issue, but last minute can be tricky.

I'd like to think that we pay babysitters a descent rate, although I'm not sure what the going rate is currently. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Regardless of pay, what gets me about sitters lately is there lack of professionalism. We've been using a couple different sitters lately and appreciate them very much, but I don't know if it's just me or what but these teenagers seem to have no manners. Listen to me sounding like an old lady, but seriously. 

When I was a teen babysitting, I hope that I made polite conversation with the parents. I hope that I arrived on time. I really hope that I said "THANK YOU!" to the parents and didn't just zip out the door after getting paid, as if I were clocking out. 

Does anyone else notice these things? I'm not sure if it's the generation or what but I am determined to teach my children proper manners.

I've compiled a list of things to do to become a parents 'Go-To Sitter':

1). Availability. If you’re never actually around to babysit, you’re probably not going to become someone’s regular babysitter.  Of course you’re going to be busy, but what’s important is that you clearly communicate when you’re generally available and when you’re not.

2. Enthusiasm. “My favorite babysitters are the ones who say, ‘I’m exhausted, it’s a lot of work to keep up with your son.’ That tells me she played with him and did their best to keep up with our 3 yr old. Our kids know who plays with them most and gets more excited for the active babysitters to come over than the not so active ones.

3). Positive reviews (from the kids!). Moms are happy when their kids are happy. Yes, you’re there to make sure the house doesn’t burn down, but you’re also there to make sure the kids have a good time when their parents are away.

4. Manners. Show interest in not only our children but in holding a polite and adult conversation with us. Being able to communicate well with the parents shows them your manners — manners which they hope you’ll model for their kids. Plus, it lets parents know you’re comfortable discussing issues or concerns they (or you) may have.

5. Punctuality. Be there when you say you’ll be there. They’re counting on you. Running late? It happens. Make sure you call and let the parents know you’ll be late — and don’t make it a habit. 

That's all for now, but please do share your 2cents! I'm all ears!

Daily Grind

1/13/2014

The Happenings of Today

1). 9:15-10: cardio kickboxing class at the Y with Angie Jurczak and Allison Labrie. Got to I expectantly see Angie Hormann too. Also met a couple new gals! :)

2). 10:30-11:20: Lunch @ home 

3). 11:30-11:45: Dropped Olivia off at her preschool

4). 12:00-1:30: Tried to clean, Gabe peed his pants deliberately in my pantry, so I gave an unexpected bath and mopped. Fun!

5). 1:30-1:40: Packed for O's swim lesson

6). 1:40-2:00: Took Gabe to speech

7). 2:00-2:30-Played on FB while Gabe had speech

8). 2:30-Zoomed to pick Olivia up from school.

9). 2:50- Took the kids home to get a snack, get O ready for swim lessons, and took MY shower (woo hoo). 

10). 4:00-Took O to her swim lesson at the Y. Met a nice mom whose son is in O's swim class.

11). 5:00-got a car wash (finally, this car was a dirty mess)

12). 5:30-Is it bed time yet?? 

Blessed day but boy am I tired. Through Christ, all things are possible! He is my strength! 

Hello January

Well it's been around a month since my last post and I thought it was time to blog before bed. 

First of all, I can't believe that Christmas has already happened again. We had a lovely Christmas, despite all getting hit with the flu bug. Not only did the 4 of us get sick, but this fast acting virus also reached my entire family except for Lori. Bad news bears to the flu!

Flashing forward to today, I worked and my incredible husband took Gabe to the grocery to get prepared in case the "big snow" hits. God love him! Then yet another kindred spirit, Angie picks Olivia up for her daughter's 5th birthday party at Crazy Pinz. She knew I had to work today and offered to help with transport so that Olivia could join in her daughter's party. Olivia had a blast! 

I can't express my gratitude enough  towards selfless people (like Dan & Angie). God is ever blessing me with caring people! Thank you Christ!! I truly believe that all things are possible with prayer. 

Everyday I pray for God to continue to use me for his will. Life is such a precious gift friends. It's too short to sweat the small stuff. 

Speaking of sweat, Dan got us a YMCA membership! I am still in shock! This coming from a long yearning & battle to quit Max Fitness and join the Y. You see, at Max, their childwatch is absolutely horrible. They would interrupt my workouts for ME to come change Gabe's diaper (back when he was still in diapers), and they'd interrupt me to take my kids to the bathroom. Really?! They're fully potty trained. So, I just gave up. Gave up on myself and going all together. 

It was bad. I hit a slump and I think Dan noticed my moods were lower than normal. So one day, as we were driving to run some errands, he asks me how many of my friends go to the Y. It was completely out of the blue. I told him that most do, and asked him why. Then he drove us to the Y to take a tour and then he asked to sign up. 

We've been going regularly and the kids LOVE it! I couldn't be happier with Dan's amazing Christmas gift to me! I was honestly secretly hoping he'd do that but never said anything. I just kind of gave up on that battle all together, and he gives us the gift of health, I'm so grateful! 

So here's to a happy, healthy 2014 friends!

God Bless~