14 weeks and counting....good idea???

We are 14 weeks pregnant expecting our 3rd kiddo! Yes the rumors are true? What, no one was talking about me? Bummer! hehehehe!

Anyway, the first trimester was the trimester from (I wont even try to sugar coat it) hell! I was tired all day and night, crabby, and even a little depressed! Oh the joys of pregnancy!

Really The Warden and I are super excited and thrilled to be adding to our family. We had long ago decided that we wanted 3 children, so this will be our grand finale. We will find out the gender next month!

Now, to only narrow down a good cloth diaper...suggestions? I will post a breakdown of what I am thinking about soon. Wow, I'm freaking interesting these days!!!

Free2bMommy

1st week of homeschooling in pictures...

Okay, and maybe a few words too! Sorry the pics are not the best. They are all iphone pics...couldn't find camera!!

Starting with breakfast! Monkey opted for waffles.

First day as an official 3rd grader! We set her up in a corner of the home office.

The lapbook project - Butterflies <---more on this soon!

Great monthly calendar, that she can update every day and a weekly calendar, so she knows what her daily assignments are.

This is the only "stage" we got to in our tot activities. Then he proceeded to take the whole crate and throw the pieces all over the room. That was soooo much fun picking up! He may still be too small. It was fun though!

I bought foam multi colored squares and circles from target for $1 each and the plastic shot glasses were a set of 4 for $1 at Target too.

The activity is great for hand eye coordination, stacking, pouring, and a bunch of other stuff he made up himself. Simple. but Bean loved it!

It was truly an amazing first week!

Mean B_tch Monday - The little moron Jesse Slaughter

Hitting y'all up early this time around!!! You love it!


Yeah, you know the drill about MBM, and if you don't (Loser) you can get smart HERE!

Jesse Slaughter is a screen name BTW.

Have you heard about Jesse Slaughter AKA - the 11 year old who got in waaaaaay too deep on YouTube for being a little moron? Well, the truth is, it's not her fault that she got on YouTube and talked smack. Frankly, I too would have jumped on YouTube (if they had YouTube in the nineties) if my parents were hillbillies and didn't care what I did. Personally, after watching the video, I thought it was almost comical. Sorry. Seriously though, death threats? Come on losers from the deep woods of Alabama! Stop being country weirdos! Sorry if you are from Alabama...it was the first psycho state I could think of and when I asked PBear what the first country, back woods, ignorant state he could think of...he said Alabama or Arkansas. hahahaha!! Stop acting offended!

Ahem...anyway, this 11 year old was getting all sorts of hateful mail and people calling her house and threatening to do horrific things to her and her family. Seriously? Someone should really go out to their Alabama barn and grab a big ol pitch fork to hit your ass in the face with! Maybe that would knock some sense into you! She is 11 for freaking sake! Harassing a kid? Who just does that you sick f_cks!

Who cares if she said she would "stick a glock in your mouth and make a brain slushie with it!" That's just normal 11 year old behavior right? No? Okay. Well at any rate, there is a follow up video which may have been removed already, but in the follow up video her deliverance toothless dad is in the background yelling something about "backtrackin" somebody. Hmmm...don't know what that's all about. Calm down old man.

Note to parents with kids vlogging or making random video crap: make sure that little Tommy is not in his room threatening strangers and saying how "jealous" everyone is of him for being "prettier and having more fans" then his fellow YouTubers. People (CooCoo's) tend to sort of get pissed about those sorts of things. The real world is out there, and those loonies will eat Tommy up and spit him back out before he even knows what happened! Just ask Jesse Slaughter.

WTF do you think?

More then you want to know...

Urgh, I really need an "about me" page!! I really am not too "look at me! Look at me!" okay well maybe sometimes, arnt we all?

I started this ridiculous trip to adulthood as a spunky, argumentative, and little child! I was always the smallest in the class but the one with the most spunk! "Feisty" is what many referred to me as. I argued about everything as a child! My mother was so sure that I would turn out to be a Lawyer. She said on numerous occasions that if someone said that the sky was blue, I would argue that it was actually a soft shade of grey and baby blue. She had her nerve!

Well this hard time with authority and lack of any self control led me to the train wreak of a high school student I ended up being. I made horrible choices in boys and partying which led to a questionable reputation at an extremely conservative Lutheran school. I was nominated "Biggest Party Animal" at prom and didnt even win that! Blah!

After finishing the social trap of high school I went on to study at the University of Houston DT and later graduated with a BA in Communication Studies, a 4 year old we call "Monkey", and a hubby. WTF? How did that happen right? More on that much later...

I built an AMAZING resume and finished school with accomplishments such as Deans Scholarship Recipient, National Honor Society member, over 200 hours in community service, and a great internship. All this prepared me for working for one of the largest and most known non profit health organizations in the nation and maybe even the world. Not too shabby for the "wild kid" in high school.

Skipping right along, I added child number 2 aka Bean to the family, became the owner of Just Between Friends of West Houston, and decided almost four years later after my start date with my dream job, that my time there had run its course. I put my 4 weeks notice in with a heavy heart, and started to embark on the journey I share now, as a full time WAHM. I have been juggling work, small business, and family life, for too long now. My final official date is March 12, but I have been using personal time off for a couple of weeks now and preparing myself for months. I will return on Friday to "pack it up." To be continued...

Thanks for reading. Free2bMommy

In case you wanna know...

With the recent increase in interest in my blog and what I share about WAHM's, I figured I would share a little bit about me and my purpose with Free2bMommy.

I am a work at home mom, or WAHM, Mexican-American Latina mommy of two Brown Sugars I lovingly refer to in this blog as Monkey and Bean. I do not fit the conventional "model" of a WAHM, and that is why I created a place to share my perspective, ideas, and activities, with other moms who are like me. I spent a great deal of time finding up to date WAHM info that I could relate to, so while looking at WAHM websites, reading WAHM books, and talking with other WAHM's, I started to think "would'nt it be helpful to share this info as I find it with other perspective WAHM's and share my journey in the process?" So the creation of Free2bMommy!

I think its important for "mommy bloggers" to create more blog content then just about being a mommy, but rather who we are as women. I love the "mommy blogs" that share stuff such as their lives outside of just being a mommy and how all of these separate successes help to make them an even better person and in turn a better mommy.

So...it is possible to be savvy in love, culture, family, friends, work, life, and Free2bMommy! Are you free2bmommy?

I am super excited about being in the top 100 of the top mommy blogs! Please help me stay there and click below. Plus you can see all the top mom blogs for some great reading!

Thanks!
Free2bMommy

Dallas moms list favorite consignment stores for kids' items | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Life/Travel

Don't we all just love a bargain? Especially on kids stuff. How long do these kiddos actually wear certain things and play with certain toys? Many times the items are still new when your child has already outgrown it. Frustrating I know.

Of couse Just Between Friends is my favorite kids consignment event. They are the original maternity and children's consignment event, and the most trusted. Just Between Friends happened to make the top favorites list. Check it out!

Dallas moms list favorite consignment stores for kids' items News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Life/Travel

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My top favorite non lame cheap activities to do with kids

Sometimes I look up cheap things to do with my kiddos, and see tons of suggested lists. Most of the time I come across suggestions that would make my kids look at me like I was crazy! It is because of this that I have compiled a list of my top 10 cheap things to do with you kids. Some are specific to Houston, but if you ever visit the Houston area, you will know where to take the kids without breaking the vacation piggy bank.

Remember all 10 are my top favorites...in no particular order.

1.) Visit a kids Museum. This needs to be a museum that is geared toward kids and what they actually want to do. The Houston Children's Museum offers specials on Thurs. night for free admission to everyone! If you prefer to attend on a non chaotic day, a regular day will cost you only $7 per person and $5 for parking if you choose to use their parking garage.

2.) Check out the park! Not a lame park ether! If you are in Houston, Discovery Green is an awesome spot to walk around and let the kids tumble down the hilly grass or check out the free activities that are often offered at Discovery Park. They host free events such as family yoga, puppet shows, movie nights, and art festivals, plus many more! Check out the calendar HERE!

3.) Rent a DVD and have a movie night complete with popcorn and other junk you usually don't allow them to eat. Let them pick the movie!

4.) Take your kids to a used book store. I take my daughter to the nearby Half Priced Books store, and at $1, $2, and $3, a piece for kids books, we both walk out with tons of books. I always set a budget for myself of about $15. $15 gets you a lot of kids books! You might want to jump it to $20 if you think you might find some books for yourself too.

5.) Play loud music and dance around! This sounds simple enough, but think about how often you do this? That is what makes it special for your kids. Mine love to do this, especially to the Kids Bop CD's!! (you can find these on itunes for as little as $1!)

6.) Pimp up your old t-shirts to make them new again! Okay maybe you wont actually wear them...but its fun! Get ideas for t-shirt pimpin' here!

7.) Remember the Library? If you have small children, check out the libraries calendar of events and they will most likely have "story times" for your kids to listen in on.

8.) Splash it up! You can of course visit a pool, but with smaller kids there are some really neat options. Buy a sprinkler types attachment or toy for your water hose and let your kids run in circles under the spray! ( I suggest the Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler by Little Tikes for only 14.99) I know I am taking it back old school...but someone had to.

9.) Finger paint or sidewalk chalk it! These possibilities are endless!! For the clean freak mom...I would suggest the Crayola Color Wonder Finger paint that is clear until it is on the special paper.

10.) Try a craft. I know this one sounds obvious, but it hardly ever fails. That is of course as long as you let your kids help in deciding what the craft will be. Here is a place to start!

The mommy shark tank

With the end of my full time job nearing, I am reminded of the "mommy shark tank" and my complete lack of ability to swim in it. You know, the same moms that actually have time to take their kids to Gymboree and play groups on a regular basis. The moms who get to wake up in a good mood because they have not been up all night worrying about how they are going to complete that budget proposal in time to leave early enough and make it just in time to see their 8 year old take the lead in the school play! Whew! I am tired just typing it! These are the moms that actually get to casually drop off their older kids at school wearing work out clothes, and carrying their morning coffee mug, while pushing an expensive jogging stroller. Oh, you know the ones, and if you don't...it's most likely you.

In contrast, I am the type of mom who is always stressed. I forget permission slips, get confused as to when teacher conferences are, allow just enough time to get up and out the door, and thinks poptarts for breakfast are...not that bad.

When Monkey started school, I got the first glimpse of how much I was not going to be able to "swim." I started to dread birthday parties, school events, and any other activity that involved me having to be in the same room with these moms. My attempts to start conversations with these moms proved to be pointless, and would often lead to an awkward silence. I finally X'ed these activities all together and would make either my mom or my "everybody loves Juan" husband go in my place.

I actually created my blog name in light of these interactions. Free2bMommy. People often ask me where I came up with it. It represents to me all the moms who do not fit into a specific mold, and are not afraid to express creative differences, admit imperfections, and questionable style choices. haha!

Who are we if we are not ourselves? It sucks but its true. We are constantly trying to conform to the mommy norm in order to not feel so damn awkward in situations with other parents. Who cares? You may be thinking to yourself "well I don't ever do that." Think again. We are all guilty of it...even me.

What is the big deal about your blog?

I have spent a considerable amount of time checking out blogs similar to mine that generate tons of views and publicity. What makes a good blog? What makes one interesting? Why are some that create ridiculous brain dead content more popular then others? I am fascinated by this. I love to do searches for the "top blogs" to see what makes a "top blog" with hopes of some inspiration or ideas to incorporate into my own material. The thing is, lots of what I see is not that engaging. This is not to say that they are not decent reading material, but I have seen several instances where some really great, informative, and entertaining blogs go completely ignored. What gives? One common aspect I have seen is TONS of ads running up and down the page, along with tons or subtopics listed at the top of the page that take me all over the world wide web! No I don't want to buy bright pink tutu's and biodegradable diapers!! URGH!! Enough with the clickable ads. Let's promise to stay true to content and not be blind sighted by dough.

Frienemy? Really?

My eight year old Monkey was talking to me during one of our trips from meemaws to our home, and she mentioned that there was this one girl in her class that was "sometimes nice but sometimes mean." As I listened I became confused as to whether or not Monkey actually knows what a "real" friend is. I mentioned to her that I was confused because if this girl is sometimes her friend and sometimes not, why was she still considered a friend? She responded by saying, "well mommy we are more like frienemies." I can only imagine how I looked and was relieved that Monkey was in the back seat and could not see my stunned expression. Frienemies at 8 years old. Really??!!

So once I got on my "frienemies kick" I was curious to see if the term was actually defined somewhere online. Turns out it appears in sources such as Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary (ok so not the MOST reliable sources but a start.) The Urban Dictionary gave the most clear definition.

Seems pretty clear cut to me, and apparently I was under the impression that 8 year old's would have no reason to use the term. I guess I was wrong. I wonder who my frienemies are??

Here is what it said!

fake friends you have for selfish purposes

friends you know don't really like you and you don't like them either

friends you get that were once enemies because you're planning on stabbing them in the back

"Keep your friends close but your frienemies closer haha"

"Don't invite Sarah...she's only a frienemy."

Keeping your tots engaged while you...whatever...

I usually do not do product reviews, but I love this book. It is a book made to look like a small tote. If your kids are like mine, they love to dig in bags and take things out. My little one loves this so much that he actually goes through other peoples bags and purses too! This book was originally a filler gift for Christmas, and it ended up being one of the favorites! It is a little hard to get open but once you get it "broken it" you will love it. Each page of the book has all sorts of real like items that you would find in a purse or tote. Complete with cell phone, photo album, bottled water, and laptop, to name a few of the fun items depicted in the book. You will really just have to check it out yourself, but I highly recommend it. Check it out at here!

Bean at the tot spot

Throwing the ball at himself?? Oh well, as long as he enjoyed himself.

Free2bmommy

my first time...

Can we do it all? I would really like to think so. Are we strong enough to juggle a job (home or office), toddlers, and crybaby husbands? The answer is yes! The excitement of getting it "all done" is what keeps us going, right? Check out some awesome ways to take care of yourself in the process.

• Relaxation in just 10 minutes!
• Stretching just for mommies
• Glass of wine to relax...yes or no?
• Spa? Yes please!
• Anxiety breathing techniques (let me know if this works)