Silly Newman's

I posted this on FB a while back, but some of my family and friends who don't have a FB requested I post it on my blog...OK here you go!!

My kids and I on a very boring weeknight deciding we needed to have some fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OWNjdKpQgw&feature=player_embedded

Early Christmas!!!

Well, since the kids are going to be in Cancun, Mexico for Christmas with their dad this year, we had our own little Christmas early!! My kids are so hilarious and it is so cute how grateful they are for such little things sometimes! I am a very blessed mommy!
These videos are SURE to put you in the Xmas spirit!

 

 

Santa Message

This is the cutest thing ever!!
 
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/guest/1cpn6eLb99EWZDkg45PTOg

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/55CQLvBktsFLUoakprb-ww

Don't mess with momma bear...

So, have you ever had anybody say something to one of your kids and you just lose it!?  For the most part, I don't mind if another adult corrects my child or maybe even reprimands them.  I think it's good for them sometimes.  On the other hand, sometimes a stranger will say something and I lose it! This happened at the bowling alley the other day.  Some stranger, said something really rude to one of my kids and I lost it sista!! The purse came off the shoulder, the hands started waving around and my mouth went south. I'm only human. 

Someone please tell me I'm not the only one who turns into a bear protecting her cubs when they are crossed!!!

Other than momma bear going on a rampage, life is good!  It's funny because I have my very lonely days where being a mom and working is overwhelming and I want to throw my hands up and say "No More!" "I Surrender!" "I Give Up!" I'm Not Strong Enough to do This!"
Then I have my days where I say "I'm a Super Hero!" "I Can Do Anything!" "Bring it On World!"

Ups and downs, ups and downs, I guess that is what life is all about isn't it.  I can honestly say that the struggles I have been through over the past couple years have made me a stronger, better person.  Over the past year, I have found happiness through my accomplishments and independence as a person and a mother.  I have done things I didn't think I was capable of.  It's such a great feeling!
NOW...if only I could find someone to share this happiness with...life would be complete.  I know, I know, Patience is a Virtue...blah blah blah :)

Cassidy's Christmas performance

Christmas already??

I cannot believe a whole year has gone by again!! Jeesh time flies!! 

Well, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with some great friends and now we are getting all geared up for Christmas!! My favorite holiday!  I have to be perfectly honest though, a part of me is a little sad inside.....this will be the first year I don't get to wake up to kids on Christmas morning :(  The harsh reality of divorce...sharing holidays...it sucks!! But I will be fine, and get through it just like I have gotten through anything else...by crying and pouting all day!!..haha JK!!  I'm sure I will head down to Utah and be with my family and friends! :)

Luvin the Christmas music, luvin the lights, luvin December!

2011.......BRING IT ON!!!

Thanksgiving dinner with friends

Jen and Michele

Gingerbread house!!

This kept Kayleigh busy for 2 hours!

Best hamburgers in Colorado...Cherry Cricket! 

(J dawgs bday dinner)

Dear Santa, 

I need a new door knob...

how about a prince charming to come fix my door knob...

I've lived with this for 4 yrs now! It's unfixable!

Cassidy wearing my pajamas, Jaydan in tie die and plaid shorts, 

me in broncos santa hat...we are total dorks for real!

GO BRONCOS!

SISTERS..best friends are we..my sisters times 3..

I recently took a much needed getaway to Arizona with my sisters! Nicole couldn't come though :(

It was nice to get out of this Colorado cold and go sit at the pool in 80 degree weather!  My sisters are my best friends and no matter what ups and downs each of us go through, we know we can always count on each other.

Love You Sisters....
Chel and Linds

Can't forget my bestest friend and twin...Nikki

Little Miss Pouty Pants!

Do you ever have those days where you are just pouty!! Everything gets to you that day, and you feel like you just want to complain to someone!? I totally had one of those days the other day! I woke up to kids bickering over cereal or something silly, then a client got really mad at me and hurt my feelings, and I just decided that my life was dumb.  I was letting everything affect me that day and I was acting like a total Debbie Downer pouty pants baby!! Luckily I have awesome people in my life who let me vent sometimes, and just patiently listen to me while I grumble, grumble, grrrr, grrrr, & murmur, murmur! (I know we all have these days and it's ok sometimes, as long as it's not everyday!!  Because then it just plain effects your life and who you are)
So on this particular day, my awesome friend told me to watch this video.  It was so great! Really made me feel like I wanted to try to have a better attitude everyday when I wake up! I am so grateful for the little things in my life! The pitter patter of little feet every morning, hearing about who Jaydan thinks is pretty at school, Cassidy skipping around the house all day without a care in the world!! I'm grateful I have friends who know the real me and still love me, and for family who just calls to say we are thinking about you.  For a home and a job, and health and for so, so so so much!! I hope you love this video as much as I do:)  Click on the you tube link below to watch!!

Let's all try a little harder to turn our frowns upside down!! Ok..Bye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

Winterize your skin..beauty tips for glowing, healthy skin

 As if the skin on our face and body doesn’t have enough problems on a daily basis, the dry, cold climate that comes with the winter season can make it worse!  As the warm summer months leave us, your tan starts to wear off revealing dull, dry skin. Blah!

Try these tips and tricks to make your skin healthy, glowing and beautiful!

For girls and guys!

#1. Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate!!

  The reason we need to exfoliate is because dead skin cells build up, build up and build up causing the skin to look ashy and dull.  We need to manually remove these dead skin cells to expose our fresh, healthy skin underneath.You can do this by getting a gentle facial scrub (do not use apricot scrubs from st. Ives) and using it once or twice a week in the shower.  You can also use an enzyme mask once a week which will eat away dead skin without the harsh scrubbing of a scrub.  You can get a facial cleanser with glycolic acid or a night cream with alpha hydroxy acids in it. (which will also prevent wrinkles)

(if you go to a spa or med office, or me, to receive chemical peels, now is the time to do a series of about 6 peels until spring)

#2 Mosturize!! 

Once you exfoliate and shed those dead skin cells, be sure to apply a hydrating moisturizer to heal dry, itchy, irritated skin. 

#3 Cleanse and Balance
A gentle cleanser will help to revitalize your skin while preventing impurities from clogging pores and causing breakouts. Use a gentle, alcohol-free facial cleanser in the evening. Unless you have persistent problems with acne, avoid ingredients like salicylic acid that may cause excessive drying or irritate the skin.

#4 Don't take hot showers, it dries out your skin. 


#5 Drink plenty of water! Coffee, tea, soda and alcohol dehydrate your body.  (If you drink more soda than you do water a day, you can bet you will have tired dull skin, your skin will age quicker and your teeth are taking a toll as well.) Just drink water!


#6 Protect your skin
everybody, and I mean everybody should be wearing a light sunscreen everyday! I won't even treat a clients skin unless I know they wear a daily sunscreen. It's not so much about wrinkles and leathery skin.  It's about melanoma, the number one cause of death with skin disease. (Don't get me started...)
If you are a sun bather and can't stand to look pale or can't stay away from the tanning salon, try to go a different route and sign up for spray tans instead.  If you still can't stay away, limit your tanning bed usage to once or twice a month.

#7 Home Care Products
Everyone should have one or two good quality home, skin care products on their bathroom counter (not oil of olay or dove) I recommend a good night treatment cream or a good daily moisturizer. The difference between an over the counter product like oil of olay vs a professional or medical grade product such as glymed plus (putting in a plug for my company) is that by law, the over the counter product can only penetrate the skin to a certain depth.  When you use a higher quality, the product penetrates deeper giving you better cell turnover and visible results quicker.  I love using night creams with alpha hydroxy acids or anything with peptides in it.


So, these are just some recommendations! I would love to hear what you all do to winterize your skin and your personal tips and tricks for healthy skin..and hair.  What products do you use and like? Any home remedies you use? Do you like spray tans or tanning beds? Let's get some feedback!
(And if you have any questions for me as an esthetician, regarding your skin, I will do my best to answer!)

Another season come and gone

Today was our last official football game of the season.  The Green Mountain Rams 5th grade team did awesome this year! We made it to the playoffs and the boys fought hard, but in the end that dang Highlands Ranch team took the victory and is heading to the Carnation Bowl. Oh well, there is always next year! Jaydan did amazing this season! He plays running back and outside linebacker and is one of the biggest kids on the team.  I am one proud momma when I see my son out there on that field! We did have one or two injuries this season, but nothing too serious.  Jaydan was in a leg brace for a couple weeks for dislocating his knee, and he was also diagnosed with asthma.  Nothing can stop this kid though.  I'm so proud of him. He is an amazing athlete, a great student and the best son a mom could ask for! 

(I tried to get some video, but missed his touchdowns)

just a side note...

Well, it seems that one or two of my posts have gotten a little more attention recently.  First of all, I just want to say that I appreciate every single opinion and comment from everyone! A blog would be boring if no one else added their input right? Most of the time I get great input, and sometimes I get bad input.  Today it's been from people I don't even know and has been a little hurtful. Quite a few personal messages today.

I just want to clarify that my recent post was not about eating disorders and I was not down playing the seriousness of that topic. I apologize if it came off that way and thank you for bringing it to my attention.  Also, it was not my intention to make this last post seem as if women (or me) NEED to hear compliments to feel beautiful. Most of us don't need it, we like it.
I teach my daughters everyday that they are daughters of God and He will always love us for who we are no matter what.  It absolutely does not matter how many people tell you how amazing and pretty you are or how many compliments you receive, if you do not have the affirmation in your heart that you are a daughter of God or feel happy with who you are, then you're right, a compliment will only last for a moment and then be forgotten about.
 When I write my blog posts, sometimes I am writing what I happen to be feeling at that moment.  I 100% believe that compliments, especially from the person we love, are food for our soul.  Kind of goes back to the book, The Five Love Languages.  One of my love languages happens to be words of affirmation.  I like to be told.
Sometimes we know we are daughters of God.  Sometimes we have  had God witness his love for us and we are so happy with who we are on the inside and out...but even so..sometimes the little girl in us just wants the man we adore and love to whisper in our ear and tell us we are the most beautiful woman in the world.

Thank you for your comments and for being interested in my posts and my crazy little life!!  Now, I am going to get back to eating my children's Halloween candy and folding laundry.  Have a wonderful night!
Michele

"I can live for two months on a good compliment." Mark Twain

The Girl in the Mirror

Inside this smart, secure woman, lives a little girl who deeply needs to know she is beautiful.

The Ugly Truth About Female Beauty in Our World

"Daddy watch!" she calls as she twirls around the living room in her dress. "Daddy, look at me! Do you think I'm pretty?"  Pink and twirly matters a lot when you are five.  

So then why at age 31, this hardworking, secure, grown-up mom is still (silently) asking the same question: "Do you think I'm pretty?

Am I smart and amazing?" I ask this question a lot. And I know I'm not the only one because I talk to a lot of girls who feel the same way. The little girl inside still wants to know "am I beautiful?"

I think in a culture where women are bombarded with expectations to lose weight, look younger, look sexy, actually, look perfect, that question has killer consequences.  I have personally seen first hand the effects on woman who do not feel beautiful inside or out. I think you would be surprised to hear that the rise in eating disorders today is not with teenage girls.  It is with the middle aged moms and wives. The middle aged mom who on the outside has it all together, but on the inside does not feel beautiful. I have a few close friends who are suffering from this. It's really hard for me to watch someone close to me, who I think is gorgeous, harm their body to make it look better.  And I know eating disorders can be derived from several different issues, but for my friends who I have discussed this with, it is because they just don't feel pretty enough.

Everyday we are faced with these images around us of how we are supposed to look. You know, the perfect Hollywood body.  That's beautiful right? If only we looked like her we would be happy right? 

I am totally at fault for having those feelings. Especially since I've had children. My body ain't like it used to be! (sniffle). I'm so imperfect. My body is flawed and has major battle scars (ok some stretch marks) from my beautiful babies. 

Well who cares!! Ok who am I kidding..I totally care! That's the thing. All women care to a point.  I think the trick is learning to not care so much. I know that for me, it's not just feeling beautiful..it's feeling beautiful to him.  Whether that was my husband or now in my life, a boyfriend or someone I really like. I just want to know that I, and all of my imperfections, are beautiful to him. 

To the Guys

If guys could know one thing about us woman, this is what they should know...

"You're not just the guy who shares our space, you're our most important mirror. You're the man who can  reflect back to us how beautiful you think we are.  You're the man whose opinions of us are the best cure for the worldly pressures that stalk our thoughts. So even if it's not in your nature to say it very often, we need to hear specific, honest compliments and especially being told we are beautiful."

 (And girls..FYI, guys want the same thing)

It's about learning to love what we see in the mirror. Our real beauty. Not the size of pants we wear. 

Embrace the hot momma you are!

:

Life is too short...

A good friend of mine shared this song with me just yesterday!  I cannot get enough of it! It's called If I Die Young. I don't know why I love it so much! It's just really powerful to me.  I think it's because we all know someone who has died young, a family member, or maybe a friend who didn't get to live a full life. I know I am not ready to die!  I have so much to do, so much to say, so much love to give to someone, so much to see and experience with my children.  I'm not ready to die this young.  But we don't have a say in this.  We can be taken home at any moment.  

Make the most of whatever time we are given, whether it’s 2 years or 20 years. Whatever time we’re given will be absolutely enough as long as we make the most of it.

"ONE DAY AT A TIME..THIS IS ENOUGH.  DO NOT LOOK BACK AND GRIEVE OVER THE PAST FOR IT IS GONE.  DO NOT BE TROUBLED ABOUT THE FUTURE, IT HAS NOT COME.  LIVE IN THE PRESENT AND MAKE IT SO BEAUTIFUL IT WILL BE WORTH  REMEMBERING."

"PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU SAID, FORGET WHAT YOU DID, BUT THEY WON'T FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL." 

Candy for dinner. Ya you heard me! I said CANDY FOR DINNER!

Today I woke up.  The past couple of nights have been sleepless.  That's me, sleepless in Denver.  Sleepless in Denver, lying awake and wishing I could rewind time.  Lying awake realizing too little too late exactly what I should have done.  What I need to change and how I'm going to fix things so I can stop lying awake in denver and live life to its fullest!! Happily in love and without any insecurities regarding trust and getting hurt and being intimidated by the future. Just wanting to live life and let it happen on its own.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a insecure person.  I am a strong confident woman who isn't easily intimidated and doesn't care a whole lot what people think. I just have some insecurities.  There is a difference in having insecurities and being an insecure person. 
Ok, I have no idea what this post is about anymore..oh ya, candy for dinner. So, today I woke up.  Made the kids pancakes.  Oh wait rewind....checked emails on phone first, then made pancakes.  Have I mentioned I am so grateful for modern technology, but it really gets annoying after a while. Sometimes I want to take my blackberry torch and torch it where the sun don't shine! Maybe I'll just go back to Wyoming where you get no cell service. Most relaxing 4 days I've ever had. Anyway, then I exercised. (just signed up for half marathon..yikes!)  Got 3 calls from work.  Kayleigh had a fever today.  She layed in my bed next to me while I worked on my computer.  Knock on the door. Jehovah's witnesses stopping by again.  Heaven help me.  Sweetest little ladies, I have no idea what they are talking about.  I tell them I belong to the true church.   Now it's about noon.  I'm hungry.  Kayleigh girl is so sick I give her some motrin and try to get her to eat. Knock on the door.  It's a salesman.  Selling meat.  Who the heck sells meat door to door.  Yelllloooow that's dumb. Anyway, I clean the kitchen and go get my baby.  No not Kayleigh, my Dyson vacuum.  Best vacuum ever.  Go upstairs, pack for my trip this weekend. Get about a million calls from political recordings. oh so annoying! More work on computer.  Kids come home. Wisk Cass off to dance, Jaydan to football for yet another practice before playoffs, and Kayleigh is feeling better.  I run to the store to get milk and spot one of those huge bags of candy for Halloween.  I need Halloween candy so I grab it.  Off we go, home to make dinner then scouts. I see the bag of candy sitting there in the seat next to me as I drive home.  I spot a tootsie roll.  I looooove tootsie rolls.  I open the bag and eat one. Ok it's impossible to eat just one tootsie roll.  I had another, then another, then another...Oh my gosh I just ate a half a bag of tootsie rolls! Most people would stop and say I just ate half a bag of candy, this is not good I'm going to stop. I said, oh well, I just ate half a bag of candy I might as well eat the other half now.  And...I did.  I ate a bag of candy for dinner.  I was in a reallly good mood tonight too. Signing off...sleepless in Denver...on a sugar high!!

Mom, mom, MOM, Mooooom!!! Is this month over yet??

It was never in my life plans to be a single, working mother at age 31. But as we all know, life is never plan A right? Anyway, life is really testing my patience this month!
Ugh! Where do I begin?
I love my job with a passion! I get to teach, sale, socialize and travel around Colorado to different spas and doctor's offices. It's awesome and I love it. However, it is demanding, and my kids and I are all adjusting to me working. Luckily, I get to work from home a few days a week and travel around a couple days a week. Kayleigh goes to my friend Natalie's twice a week usually. So this month has been my busiest yet! Kayleigh has only tried to hide my computer twice and is doing much better at not climbing in my bed in the night. Jaydan is crazy busy with fball, scouts (gets his Arrow of Light next week), he tried out for his school news channel and made it, and has only liked 2 girls this yr so far. All my kids have been sick 2 or 5 times this month and luckily, I haven't gotten it too bad. Cassidy is in theater classes, dance and a show choir for girls her age and started achievement days! She just made it in a new play and rehearsals are in full effect! Ugh for mom and double ugh for the money that goes into it! Her makeup even has to be from a specific store. But she is a darling little performer and she loves it! So, the other day Cassidy came home from school and informed me that her legs were hairy. She said so and so from school told her that she has hairy legs and she should shave. I of course said no freakin way and decided to let her in on a little secret called..you are part mexican. I told her she can shave when she's older. Oh the drama!
Can we all take a moment of silence for DJ who ran away, got taken to the pound and is not coming home. Ok, I'm not that mean. He's our one eyed dog named Derek Jeter for heavens sakes (by the way go Yankees!)I got him out and gave him to a family that will take much better care of him. Anyhoo, don't even miss him.
I'm just ready for the holidays! November and December make me happy. I have so many amazing friends who help me out and just love me.
Goodbye October! Bring on the Turkey and stuffing Baby! and please say a prayer for my stupid expedition that it will stop being stupid and breaking down for no reason.

Life is Never Plan A...

Here we go!..confessions from a divorced mormon mom of 3, who is only slightly out of her mind and happily living off of red bull and 6 hours of sleep while her amazing children enjoy a nice warm meal of chicken nuggets and tator tots only 3-4 times per week, and even though she has a new job that takes a lot of her time..this mom still finds time to read, play, nag, learn super mario bros on wii, and yes, be the loudest sports mom there ever was ..:)

3 words-What.. A ..Year!!
I can honestly say this has been the worst and best year of my life.
Is it possible that a whole year can go by so fast in the blink of an eye, yet still feel like your world is in slow motion?
In a year, can you experience and feel every single human emotion possible, yet at times, still feel numb and emotionless?
Well, welcome to my life..otherwise known as, Plan B. It has definitely been a train ride through crazy town around the Newman house this year! We have all experienced many emotions, good and bad, doubts, fears, bitterness, happiness, denial, excitement, anger, love and loss. But, my favorite emotion, The one that is now a constant emotion in my life, is
ACCEPTANCE.
At some point this year, a sense of acceptance took over, and then something awesome happened. I stood up, dusted myself off, held my head up and I was able to accept and let go of the things I cannot change from the past, look forward to the the future and new beginnings, learn from it, and become a better woman from it. Of course it's still hard sometimes, and I have tons of faults and weaknesses I can be better at, but as for my heart and my life, I am happy, content, and at peace. I am so grateful for the close people in my life who have helped me this past year. My family and best friends let me be me, know me, and love me for me. Fortunately, I am very blessed to have a very amicable relationship with Jeff. I have accepted that some marriages are meant to be, and some are meant to be friendships. Like I have said before, the people I love more than anyone on the face of this earth, and the people he loves more than anyone on the face of this earth are the same people..our children. We will always be tied together. What's wrong with this picture? All the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn't put it back together again. Ok, then let's be friends! Deal? Deal!
I feel like as a gift to our children who didn't ask for this, the least we can do is have an amicable, mutual respect for eachother and a co-parenting relationship. it's made life easier on all of us. Obviously every divorce is unique and different, and this this isn't always the case with everyone. I have personally seen first hand how one parent can be uncooperative and bitter, while the other is trying to put emotion aside, act mature and have an amicable relationship. It's frustrating to watch sometimes.
I never thought I would be grateful for the hard times. But the reality is, I am a better person today. I'm happier and I have learned a lot about myself. It's kind of a wake up call to stare at your face in the mirror and know you have things you need to change. I'm learning to realize what really matters in life. I'm discovering what true love really is and I look forward to the future. I'm definitely juggling a lot of balls in my life right now, and I have my "jesus take the wheel days" but life is great, children are healthy and I talk a lot! (hope this doesn't sound like rambling)

Mom, Cassidy and Dad. Cassidy had an absolutely beautiful baptism last weekend. Her grandpa Newman baptize her and her grandpa Sambrano confirm her. It was a wonderful day with lots of family and friends.

Mom and Cassidy on her Baptism Day

Cassidy turns 8

My baby girl is not a baby anymore :( Cassidy turned 8 yrs old this month and will be baptized this Saturday! She is my little princess and way too much like her momma in so many ways! She asked for makeup and pedicures for her birthday gift...need I say more?? Don't let her pretty smile fool you! She is quite the tomboy and very much like her daddy in so many ways!! She got a real BB gun for her bday from her dad!

Special thanks to my brother in law Jon for taking these beautiful pictures of my daughter.

Love this...so true and so sweet

True love..is a guy who calls you beautiful everyday, anytime, anywhere. Who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... The boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on. True love is realizing they're not perfect--but not settling...appreciating. Suddenly realizing that you have a new best friend. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU... The one who turns to his friends and says, "that's her"...

For my Cassidy...

Last night Cassidy brought something to my attention that was bothering her. She informed me that since she was the middle child, she was not as loved. She went on to explain that since Jaydan was the only boy, he gets a ton of attention, and since Kayleigh was the baby, she gets tons of attention. And she was feeling left out.
Of course I almost started to cry, and I hugged her and explained that I loved her so much, and I loved each of them equally. I knew that she was listening to what I said, but she wasn't buying it. I sat on the couch and held my little girl in my arms and started telling her about the day she was born.
The truth is... a mother has never wanted or loved a little girl more than I wanted a baby girl. When I first held her tiny little fingers and kissed her dark, full head of hair, something in my heart changed.
For the next half hour we talked about why she is so loved, and how my life would not be complete without her.
So, today, it's just for Cassidy.

Lila & Lola...Double Trouble=Double Love

It has been said that twins skip a generation. Well, my grandma is an identical twin, and sure enough, it skipped a generation! The difference is, my sister and I aren't identical.
It isn't very often I get to see my grandma and Nana (Lila and Lola) because they live in CA. But, they came to Utah a few weeks ago while I was out visiting with the kids. I'm so glad my kids got to meet their wonderful "great twins." They are the funniest little ladies you will ever meet in your life!
When they were younger, they used to be show girls and dance and sing. They were known as the famous Baker Twins. I remember going to Angels stadium every summer with my grandma and now have a love for baseball because of it. And still, at 31 yrs old, I get sung happy birthday from those two every single year.
Two wonderful women, who have been an example and inspiration to me.
I love them so much! xoxo

4 generation picture

My kids with GG, and Nana

Cassidy with the twins

Cassidy absolutely fell in love with her great grandma!