So - theres no denying it was a stressful day... The boys & I dont get out much... and when we do, it seems like its always crazy... And trick or treating? with about 10 other people and 8 toddlers?

Yeah... no dice...

Zavery wanted to eat the candy as soon as he got it... and would throw a fit if he didn't get to... Izzaq wanted to run at the front of the pack and NOT hold hands... and it was just too much to handle without zaq being here. But, it wasn't all bad... not at all... in between all the drama and the meltdowns we had alot of fun cute moments...
The boys & Maddie all sitting down for lunch...

Playing Piano...

snuggling with Maddie after their nap...

The photoshoot at the park... *oh you just wait... itll be FAB!*


But the best best best part of all...
was we pulled into the driveway... and I gave them once last chance to Trick or Treat... I loaded them into the stroller and we walked around until izzaq said he wanted to go home... and we loaded up on more candy... they each had a piece... and stood and took photos for me. It was SUCH a nice end to the day... and reminded me... no matter how dramatic they can be... and how much of a pain in my rear... im still a lucky lucky lucky mama... They may be a handful... but theyre damn cute when they wanna be... ;) Hope everyone had a good Halloween...

Note to Self Saturday: Halloween this year... Tricks, not treats :(

YAY for stress!! Can we say EPiC FAIL!? Big plans for today - Clearance Halloween shopping... hanging in San Diego with Beki & Maddie & the boys... Nap time... RockerByeBaby photo shoot... & trick or treating! So far its 2pm and not off to the best start. I swear its like every time i try to plan something fun to get out o the house there is some major meltdown... today? Two meltdowns. Meltdown #1 started when we got to Target. ALL i wanted to do was sneak in and snag the Monsters Halloween Bathroom set. We have 3 bathrooms in the new house and only one with any decor... so me, being a cheapskate... thought the monster setup would be perfect for the boys... it comes with the curtain, rug, towels, wash clothes... and then there is a basket I want to use for towels.. and a candy dish that I want to use for soap! It'll be so cute!! Well, I walked in with the boys in cart... speed walking... with Beki & Maddie behind trying to get in and out asap... *cuz i know how my boys roll and long target trips are NEVER good...* Well, before I even found the curtains, Zave was in hardcore meltdown mode... like... to the ExTrEmE... so after about a minute of chucking anything at him that it looked like he wanted... I said fine, no treats... were outta here. Pulled EVERYTHING out of the cart... their special Halloween toys and candy and off to the car we went... Bluh! Now i have to go back tomorrow and jut HOPE that its still there... After that little debacle we headed to Beki's for some lunch... Super cute little house she has here :) The boys carried on to destroy her clean living room & playroom (like kids tend to do with toys) Not a big deal... unil Izzaq pulled out a movie that he wanted to watch... and while trying to get it out he snapped it in half... awesome... fail number two of our fun day... So after that we ate some PBJ, playd some more... and then zave hit his limit... it was time for a nap. After only abou 30 seconds of fighting it... zave curled up in the playpen and let it happen... IzzaQ on the other hand... wasn't gunna bow to the man so easily... It his fun Trick or Treat day... weve been practicing for days! And there was no talk on nap in all of the Halloween practice... The kid threw tantrm after tantrum... and after a couple *deep breath buddy, deep breah* he calmed down... of course only to start up again... he snuck out of the room twice... pulled the cat by the tail.. opened Maddies jewelry box.. he would just not give it up... finally after 40 minutes he fell asleep with the other kids... I started this when he fell asleep... And here I am finishing and hes back awake... so hopefully an hour nap will cut it. So far this Halloween has been a huge lack of treats... and an abundant amount of tricks pulled by my kids... I really hope the shoot goes well, and we can move on to a fun night of Trick or Treating. Cuz right now, I gotta say im ready to throw in the towel... On a plus note... I hear I may get my first real Mexican burrito tonight ;)

More Favorites today!! STOOPIDGERL!

OMG OMG OMG - i just got the most awesome package in the mail from my girl kim @ StoopidGerl on etsy. We did a Trade last week... I traded her this awesomely amazing blanket & skullie set & a burp rag...

and from her a picked a few prints for my soon to be amazingly decorated office... *see this post for more details about that* Well, when I got the package, not only did i LOVE LOVE LOVE the prints, but she sent so many little extras too!! buttons, a necklace... stickers.... a charm and more. She totally made my day.





My next tattoo project is going to be a Japanese Kawaii sleeve... really bright colors, cute skulls, music notes, etc. And Im totally gunna save some of these little stickers for inspiration. :) Il always on the lookout for new ideas! Thanks again Kim, your totally the best!! Will be posting more photos soon of the finished office! Well, hopefully soon, lol

Favorites Friday: Unicorns & Yeti's (some mature content)

Why pick just one theme... when I could pick two... This weeks theme was picked with the help of my girl Glam, and inspired by the tshirt in slot number 5 :) Thanks for peeking!

(as always, click the link to enlarge... also - all items are linked up directly below)


#1) Shadovnia - A punk Rock unicorn? I didn't even know there was such a thing... and now I found this little guy and I am in LOVE... could it be any cuter with his little fishnet, leopard spikes, & Anarchy tattoo?
#2) HoldenTees - now, usually I am all up to date on the cute etsy shops, but this one is new to me... and SO cute. I totally love the yeti design... so so cute. and i have always loved shirts that feature a screen & an applique... cool texture. LOVE IT!
#3) Aimoobaroo - These might be cuteness overload... in the best way possible... can you imagine a ranbow print dress with this cute little glittery buttons!? Omg, i might just throw up rainbows, lol
#4) Plushshroom Soup- How do you up the cool factor of a Yeti? Make it a Zombie Yeti... loving the plushie buy not the Yeti? They have unicorns too:) Best of all, theyre from Minneapolis... ahh MInneapolis i miss you so, Ill be home to visit soon, i hope ;)
#5) Sir Mitchell - Not Just a unicorn... not just a yeti... but a tattoo'd unicorn being help by a yeti, while riding a vespa... can we say awesome? Yes, yes we can...
#6) LoveandaSandwhich - I remember sending the link to these little Yetis to Glam awhile beck... They are just TOO stinkin cute... 3 inches "small" and you can pick pink, blue or yellow. *mental note, i love the little nipples, LOL!*
#7) DevaniWeaver - The Unicorn Tunic... catching flack all over the blog world... well. I guess I should give my input *as if anyone really cares, haha* Would I wear it, no... but theres alot of beautiful things out there in this world that I wouldn't wear... unless its black... or white... or kawaii... or an old band tshirt (also usually black) I dont wear much... so all the people ripping her design apart should take a step back and see if THEY have style... and then see why it is that anyone cares about THIER option... cuz they probably dont, just like you dont care about mine ;) But back to the point, would I wear it? No, but can I appreciate the detail? totally. Its hand painted... and then quilted... the Dress has a nice shape... and the hair? So creative... So, lets just all back off and let the girl do her thing... p.s. wanna be wow'd? Check out this monster dress... So cool. Or the Gumball dress!? Genius... she should be making kids clothes. THAT would sell and much less dramatically, lol
#8) Funky Farm House - omg omg omg... so cute... i am in LOVE with this photo... and of course the super cute Yeti's! You can get either Blue or Pink... they're hand sewn with cute little button eyes and a pocket on the butt. CUTE CUTE CUTE!
#9)VulvaLoveLovely Alright - last but not least... for many... for me, im conflicted. Im 100% supportive being eco friendly... Im doing my best to save energy... cloth diaper... reuse, and now recycle... i use eco detergent, started shopping Organic... blah blah blah but this is one area i just can't latch on to. Now, for those of you that ARE into reusing of Menstual Pads, you need these... rainbow unicorns... on your pads... with a pretty pearl snap. my favorite part "These pads are made of soft flannel to keep your vagina warm and comfy throughout your period." haha I need a warm comfy vag.. maybe its time to try it!

Wordless Wednesday - Zave's Shiner :(

Little man tripped today... he was reaching for a movie on the bookshelf... he is SO clumsy... fell face first into the corner of the tv table... bluh.... poor guy. Right in front of me too I just couldn't get there in time... Iced it... gave him some tylenol... and some juice... he doesn't seem too bothered by it... but geesh, its huge. Guess it will make him look extra tough for his photo shoot with Beki for the store this weekend...

A Sad little Sunday Something... Sharing...

There are a million things that sometimes suck about being a mom... right? I think we can all agree... the fighting, the yelling... the cooking... the cleaning... the working... and after all of that, at the end of the day they all still need more... kids & husband alike... But, there are a million things that are great about being a mom... The love of your kids... feeling that love in someone else... and KNOWING they feel the same... that feeling of being needed and wanted... growing a child... teaching them new things and watching their little wheels turn... and seeing that excitement when they learn something new... and today... today was an all new experience. Zaq was home watching the football game & I had some errands to run... were down to just one car now so when I have an opportunity I have to take it. So I loaded up the boys... and off we went. First to the post office... Zave fussed the whole way there... and back into the car... zave fussed some more... and some more... he was on a roll for the fussiness. Izzaq was being great... its amazing how this little baby has turned into a 3 year old walking talking little man... he has so much personality... i love it.... we were having a nice little talk about the big mountains and the hot sun when we rolled up to a stop light... Now, Sun City *where the post office is* Is a retirement community. Filled with all sorts of sweet old men and women just living it up in Cali. Except for one man... At the corner of this stop light was a sad old man. My eyes filled with tears, he looked exactly like my Grandpa Brown *who passed away when I was 13 and miss dearly.* Skin tanned from the sun... wrinkly from age... with big 'ol apple cheek bones.. a scruffy salt & pepper beard... bushy eye brows and loving brown eyes. Its amazing the details that you can pick up in an instance. I swear... they were so alike that It could have been him. I guess if you believe in that sort of thing... maybe it was. He was wearing an army jacket & pants... holding a sign that said "Every Little Bit Helps." I looked back at Izzaq & said... Izzaq, see this man? He doesn't have a house. And he is hungry, so were gunna share our money with him. *im choking up just typing, geesh* So Izzaq said ok mama... lets share. So I pull up to him... roll down the window... grab a HUGE handfull of change from the car... and izzaq yells from the backseat... "HI! We gunna share my moneys with you to eat!" and he reached across the car and held out his hand... with a big smile on his face..."Bless ya Girl, Thank you" I smiled. Looked back at izzaq and fought back tears. I have NO idea why this hit me so hard... maybe because he reminded me so much of my grandpa... maybe because im just an emotional girl today... or maybe because IzzaQ is growing up... I dunno. I always try to help anyone out when I can... I donate money when I can... I donate product when I can... I donate clothes and toys to shelters... and if I have change... i give it... but this was different. It was the most rewarding moment as a mother that I have had yet... in that 30 seconds sitting at that stop light I taught a lesson to my son... Share... not just your toys when you playing... but everything... if you have enough, give to someone else... and in those 30 seconds... i realized I really have a chance to help change the world... Its more than just an opportunity to "Pay it Forward"... more than good Karma... Our world is a crazy messed up place... and i face it with my irrational fears every day. And us moms & dads really can make a difference. It doesnt matter if your black or white... a hippie or a punk... a christian or an atheist... if we all took the time to teach these simple morals and values the world would be a better place... we have the opportunity to help grow one more selfless caring and sharing person to make a difference... Thats enough rambling for my day off of blogging... I just wanted to share that with you... it was very emotional for me... I ljust want to leave you with one more thought... What did you teach your child/children today? What do you do as a mom (or dad), to instill good values in your children?

Note To Self Saturday: Just go with it...

So today started out with WORK WORK WORK... Then I got sidetracked because yesterday StoopidGerl & I started talking about a trade... She wants a Midnight Snack Blanket & Skullie... Hmmm for me? Well, her prints are friggen AMAZING... so it was no doubt the were going to grace the walls of my office... Well, ironically StupidGerl & I BOTH have an obsession with the Midnight Snack fabric... So I thought perfect! Ill take that fabric and make curtains to match her "sweet" prints! Too cute... One thing led to another and I caught myself up in her Photo Stream... She did the Wreck this Journal last year... photographed it along the way... and I was AMAZED... i started doing it too but mine is NO WHERE near as cool as hers... it has totally inspired me to start back into it again. Too much fun... Well, by those photos I was inspired yet again... Some way... I want to blend that awesomeness of the candy prints... with maybe some future crafty prints? Well, that lead me on a hunt for more fabrics... I fount an AMAZING Alexander Henry polka dot (notice polka dot backgrounds in the photos...) and the coolest friggen swatch pack of multi colored scissors!! All of the colors tie into the prints & the midnight snack... Am I crazy? Or a friggen design genius... maybe a bit of both. But what I want to do is since the scissors are a size 10x10... In one panel Alternate one giant 20x20 square of midnight snack... and underneath one 10x10 of the scissors... and one 10x10 of the dots... then the opposite underneath that row... then on the right side... do the 10x10 rows at the top... with the big 20x20 square of midnight snack... Then of course... to top it all off, Im gunna get some big funky vinyl letters that say "Sew Sweet"... I am SO friggen excited I can't even begin to explain...

I have been putting off decorating the office because the inspiration just hadn't hit me yet... but lemmie tell ya... its here now... and its happening ;)
THANKS KIM!! YOU ARE AMAZING!

p.s. please dont steal... I watermarked this graphic in hopes that you wont.

FAVORITES Friday: Lime Green & Black

This is my favorite part about blogging... I actually find myself looking forward to doing it... yay! And, it seems like people appreciate the feature on a popular blog as well... so I guess its a win win!



#1) CABfayre: Ummm..... can we say awesome? I dont even know what else to say... seriously... skulls... lime green... black... a little bling... chains... CHAINS!? im in love...

#2) Divokc: @StuffByXtine was part one of decision for the Lime & Black theme this week... so no doubt we had to get her in here! And look what I found! Super duper cute little lime & black argyle halloween magnets!! Free shipping on all Halloween items! Get them quick!

#3) DanzingZebra: Everyone remember the VooDoo Jack giveaway we did way back when? Well they are still EASILY one of my favorites... I STILL have this soap and it gets used all the time... its lasted forever, great stuff... and still makes my diamond all sparkly :)

#4) ANORIGINALJEWELRY: This really might be my new favorite etsy item... I get SO overwhelmed when I look for jewelry on etsy so I usually just DONT. There is too much and its all the same. But this little skull jumped right out at me and screamed... *HEY! YOU LOVE ME* and it was right ;)

#5) RockyTheZombie: My girl Rocky was part 2 in the lime black decision... and her green is a little dark, but she more than deserves a spot in the favorites list today :) If I had to could... I would say I have like...... 8 Rocky shirts for the boys? And i have 4 paintings up in the play room... yeah... i'm probably her biggest fan... I think in 5 years all her shirts will be screen printed and she will be a million year... it could happen. Her stuff is THAT great.

#6) StrawberryCremeKat: While fumbling through Rockys shop... I ran across another store that featured this SUPER rad necklace... I just had to add it in. I LOVE the squishy fake grapes... makes me think of my great grandma... but in a really cool, high fashion, pinup-y kinda way, lol

#7) AForestFrolic: Im a big fan... she has the CUTEST stuff... the best photos... an amazing blog... really, im just blown away by her talents with PAPER! Can you believe the little details? She is the perfect shop to go to when you wannt get some retail therapy... you can buy a ton of things... spend like $10 and find a great use for all of it!

#8) Wonky Rocket: How cute is this shop... well, besides just plain friggen adorable... I think, we need to get them to do a review & giveaway here at the blog... what do you think?Maybe we should all send them a message that says, PLEASE DO A REVIEW/GIVEAWAY @ THE ROCKERBYEBABY BLOG! :)

#9) Stoopidgerl: I heart her... were twitter buds... and facebook buds... and shes having a baby! So everyone go buy something from her shop so she can come buy a ton of stuff from me for the new baby ;) But really, how friggen cool is this skull necklace... she has one in turquoise too and I was just blown away by her creativity... Did you also see how rad her photos are?? Shes like the perfect etsyier... great stuff... great photos... and look at that... almost 2,500 sales... why? Because shes a rock star.



One more important favorite I wanted to mention... www.MiracleDiapers.org

I would LOVE it if some of my many MAMA readers could help out... old diapers... new diapers... money... whatever you can share. They will greatly appreciate it... Ill make a deal with you... If you DONATE 1 Diaper OR $5 to their paypal... I will send you a set of two booger bashers for free. Just Leave a comment here with proof of your donation.

"Past and Future
Miracle Diapers was founded in Oregon in January of 2005 to fill a need. There were many families who wanted to cloth diaper their children for health, economical, and environmental reasons but could not due to financial restrictions. Due to the overwhelming response, Miracle Diapers decided to to open two more chapters by the end of that year. Now, under new management, Miracle Diapers is now in our fourth year of service and looks forward to expanding even further.

Our goal is to someday have representatives all over the United States. Through this we hope to not only be able to serve thousands of families in need, but to be able to educate the public on today’s cloth diapers and therefore helping cloth become more mainstream."

"For Monetary ($) donations, please click here!,"
I just send them $5 its really easy and takes just a few seconds....

Another way to donate... Buy from Rockin Green Soap! "For every purchase of a 90/180 load bag, will donate $5 dollars to Miracle Diapers. "


"If you would like to donate , and you do not live in the area of one of our local drop off locations listed below, please send packages to:
Miracle Diapers Headquarters
23945 Franz Rd., Ste E, #126
Katy, TX 77493

Sending a package?

Donations: Please include a list of the items you are donating, your name, address, and an email address in your package as well as a note stating that it is a donation."