Happy 6th Birthday, Jalina!!!

We celebrated Jalina's 6th Birthday a day early, yesterday, at Build-A-Bear and Steph rocked the show, coming in on her usual day off to give Jalina the best BAB party ever!
Steph is the Best! She is so great with the kids and really captivated their attention and made the whole shabang lots of fun.
Bella wasn't herself, she got tired, a fever and wasn't herself but we made the most of it.
Titi Jenny was so kind to treat all the kiddies to McDonald's at the food court and Uncle Rich baked some sweet chocolate cupcakes with the help of Titi's pink strawberry frosting.
And my Gods, Jalina was estatic because her Mommy got her just what she wanted for her Build A Bear, a cutes blonde Hannah Montana wig to make the day complete.
Happy Birthday Jalina! Wow, 6 years old!!!!

Bella Lu making a drawing on Jalina' Birthday Bear.

Jalina and her Daddy give the bear loves..
Steph gets the party started with some great songs, Twinkle Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy, we were tappin the feet and singing along



Marchin it through the store, what entertainment these cuties were to the Seniors who took the time to stop and watch as they were strolling it by.



The machine is too loud for Bella Lu
but then she gives loves to her bear


And Jalina gives loves to her bear.
We love you!

I have found it!

A desert type snack that actually is delicous and isn't high in calories!!!!



So you just take 2 graham crackers ( which is 1 big one is 65 cal or 2 whole at 130 cals.) smear a little bit of jello (sugar free)pudding, I like the little snack pack ones ( only 60 calories )that are chocolate vanilla swirl and then you can put the second graham cracker on top so you have a little sandwich going on and then smear some cool whip ( 2 tbsp 25 calories )on the top cracker!
It is the BOMBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB! So soo good and eases the sweet craving for me cause it really is so delicious.
Or you could just break up the graham cracker into little crumbs and top it on the pudding and put some cool whip that would be yummy too.
This snack has made me smile again. Because let me tell ya, let's keep it real, it isn't easy eating the healthy stuff. It just isn't. No matter how good it is for us, no matter how amazing it is to feel the clothes fitting better and the pounds coming off, sometimes we will miss the fattening yummo foods.
So when those moments strike and you are craving a big fattening desert just get these 3 things together and Enjoy!!!
And you won't even have to feel guilty cause it is a good one, it truly isn't that fattening!
Just wanted to share....
NOTE: you can also get really strick and do the low-fat graham crackers/low-fat cool whip, so you can't go wrong with this desert.

February Vacation Moments

Been a little while but now i'm back with a smile...cutes poet I am today.
And I finally uploaded my pictures from our February Vacation. We don't have to go too far to find adventures, they happen right here at 46 Howard.
Let's backtrack to recap some of the highlights of our vacation week.
Besides falling down the cellar stairs, due to slipping on an unseen target bag and it wasn't all the stairs, just the last 4 that i wiped out on.
I was just trying to talk to my Mom on the phone with some peace and quiet so I attempted to escape the house area and headed for the cellar/basement ( whatever one likes to call it )and budda bing budda boom, down I went with the phone in my hand.
Cracked my big toenail right in half, that was the most painful part and got some scrapes on the elbow area. But felt the aches in my back for the whole week.
Anyways a Mother must always go on and on I went to the next adventure.
Little Miss Bella was being awfully quiet in the living room and I was in the kitchen ( probably staring at the food that I can no longer eat but have in the house for the other 4 lovely family members) and when I realized she was being too quiet in the living room, it was too late!
Miss Bella Lu had turned herself into Grandma Bella Lu, by that I mean, she got the baby powder and had a field day dumping it all over her little self.
She looked like little old lady and smelled like a baby's bottom. The whole room smelled delicious. Big Daddy didn't deal very well. I had to calm him down and tell him to please not be too harsh on her, it's not like it was maple syrup or poop, right? It was baby powder! No big deal. Yes, extra cleaning, vacumuing, and dusting swiffer style but doable. I just had to laugh! I love her! She rocks!
And while Big Daddy was trying not to yell and be upset, I got that camera out and snapped these lovely shots of Grandma Bella or maybe she loooks like Halloween-ish haunted Bella, you decide.
All I know is I love:

This one was right when she got busted, the look is saying "i'm not sure if i'm in trouble"


Then she knows we're cool cause I have the camera taking pictures of Miss Powder Puff and mama's laughing, so she's cool now.

And then it's just time to pose it and look like a cutes.

on the LDL

just wanted to share with all you blogger friends, cause i have alot....
that i got the letter in the mail today,
it was not a good one,
it was the results to my lab work
and
it's in:
the LDL( bad cholesterol ) is very high - 187.
total being: 253 - watch out now!

Along with the numbers was the paragraph typed professionally from my Dr. Olson "Kristin, your cholesterol is very high. I have enclosed information for you about a low fat, low cholesterol diet. I also will make you an appointment with the nutritionist in the clinic on the first floor."

Since we have heart disease in the fam, now is the time
to really get "cracka lackin" ( Katie's word ) on the low fat diet,
as i told my mother the news in an email, i told her
"now it's not even about the fat anymore, it's about the heart"
amen,
sista!
And when I shared the news with my husband I told him, I am going to do this cause I wanna be around to see my grandbabies...
Yep,
i mean
business this time
and i have to say all you beauty blogger girlfriendz of mine have really inspired me!
So let's all go out very soon for a big delicious grilled chicken salad with low fat dressing, it will be so much fun
and
a big glass of water!
Can't wait,
really i can't wait to see ya's and chat over an awesome salad.
love ya's
xoxoxoxo,
high chlorestrol mama but hopefully not for long,
kristin

Plastertime Fun

Fun times
at
Plastertime Fun
on this sunny afternoon.
Jenny, Jalina, Bella and myself took a little trip to Plastertime Fun times.
It was Bella's very first time and no doubt
the girls had a blast!
Jalina picked a double heart to paint, so Bella decided to get the same as her girl Jalina. She looks up to her very much.
After the base coat was dry, the painting began.
Jenny & I tried so hard to step back and let the girls create their own creations. We have a tought time doing that because we like to help and add our own creative touch to it but we had to talk eachother through and say "let them be and let them do their own thing" and except for this picture right here, which Jenny just wanted to be in like a true cutes - as well as to help move along the base coat process, they did make their own beauty creations.

Oh
and
the day wouldn't be complete without my "cutes" daughter letting it be known that she farted. That's what ya get when you are around 2 obsessed fart/poop brothers most of your days.
So out of nowhere as Bella and Jalina are painting, looking so sweet and innocent,
she says, quite loudly too ~ "Jalina, I just farted."

yep,
she's
my
daughter.

And
after we dined at Taco Bell - classy -
Jalina had to go home and work on her snow monster project so we hit the road back home.
Bella took a little snooze and awoke with some diva attitude in Gigi's driveway, where her brothers were waiting for us.

Pink
Rockstar
glasses
still
intact.

update

I am going to finally update this blog of mine, in hopes to inspire Jenny ( or as Fernando use to call her Jenni-leeni, cutes ) to update her blog.
Let's get it moving sister!
Here is a little backtrackin of what we been up to over here at 46 Howard....

Let's see,
last friday was twins day at Jordan and Maxwell's school, so they wore their Celtics jerseys and were twins with George & Julius Quitana ( they are brothers who are each in Jordan & Maxwell's grades). They looked very cute and then afterschool George hung at 46, did the whole Wii/Xbox thang, wrestled, pigged out on pizza and soda, the whole fun kind of way 9 year old boys live to spend their days!



Then as always there were some amazing shots taken by, you know her, that amazing photographer Isabella Laila Toledo.
O Yes and this is one of those shots, call it what you want but she knows how to capture the beauty in the eyes....look at crossed cutes eyes and only dream someday she can capture one like this of you!

and
then on Saturday, awesome Gigi took Max, Bella and me to see:
it was so cute, all these years with Elmo lovers in the house and it was our first time seeing Seasame Street Live. Saw Blues Clue's, saw Dora, saw Backyardigans but never Sesame. I think Jordan would of loved it too but he was like "no thanks Ma" when we asked him if he'd like to go.
So off we went to Lowell Auditorium and my Mom drove my van (cause I was having a bad pms road rage day ) just to keep it safe.
Max loaded up on a big bag of sugary cotton candy and still mananged to stay seated the whole show. He even snuggled, like the lovebug that he is, up with his Gigi towards the end of the show.


Thank you, Gigi, as always you light up our live's!

Hopeful for our country, at last....

'What I Want for You — and Every Child
in America'
By President-elect Barack Obama


On Tuesday, January 20th 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.


Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country—but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free—that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better—and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.



Love, Dad