Party of 5

Tagging Tuesday

2011-08-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

A BFF : Priscilla

An amazing book to promote breastfeeding

Ever heard of placenta encapsulation? Check out Emily!

A mentor of mine is filming a documentary "The After Birth Project"

An amazing photographer, and BFF - Bumps and Giggles Photography

All AMAZING women. Please check them all out :)

Xxoo

Jeni

S is for sizzle and school..

2011-08-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard for me to grasp that summer is sorta over. School starts in one week- which to me, feels like the end of summer.... BUT is still hot as heck. As if starting back to school in August was bad enough, imagine starting school in August where we live, 108 degrees... but I guess my lil desert rats can handle it. After school, we can just pretend it's still summer... swimming, playdates and after school trips to Disneyland should cut it :) With only one week left until the "big Day" I still have yet to put my kids to bed earlier, get them up earlier, plan lunches, buy some more school uniforms and figuring out a morning routine that will work for us. Part of me is excited for school to start, but another part isn't ready. I really enjoy the freedom during the summer, not having to be somewhere EVERY day (so early..lol) But then again, I also really enjoy watching my kids learn and getting that break during the day. 2:30 comes so quickly :)
As many of my friends and family know-I despise mornings! I have come to the conclusion that with proper night planning and packing, I can buy myself and my kids a few extra sweet minutes of sleep. However, I am now considering getting up ummmm (even) earlier so that I can go running before the kids go to school. I think I will try for 2 days this week and 3 days the week after, and my goal being 4 days a week. ((Wish me luck))
Well, I guess my next post will be of Reagan's first day of kinder, and Ryann going to FIRST grade- what the heck, huh? When did my girls get to be so big??

Ryann was brave and did one too-Vlogging is fun!

2011-08-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

A quick hello from a cute kid

2011-08-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

2011-07-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

I read this post on my friend Priscilla's blog today- i thought it would be something easy to write and a good excuse to think positive ....

10 things that have made me happy this week so far......

1. I worked out with my hubby yesterday
2. I got a b12 shot today
3. Not one but TWO mamas called me this week inquiring about me being their doula :) and one of them was referred from a OBGYN!
4. All my kids slept through the night - a completely solid sleep is so wonderful!
5. My electric bill was lower than I thought...lol
6. Ryann read me a chapter of her "Amelia Bedelia" book.
7. I spent 30 mins on the phone with a friend today- for no real reason
8. Reagan found my flip video that's been missing for months....
9. I reorganized the playroom
10. I got surprised at the clinic today- a bare minerals rep brought a huge bag of new make up products to try- sweet!

Tagging Tuesday

2011-07-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

A few of my favorite places to visit- online that is :)

Zulilly

Lisa Marcia

Soft Letters

Meanie Mom Diaries

Make and Takes

and if you haven'e seen this yet, check this one out too JeniMom

Have a great Tuesday!

Night Night Linc!

2011-05-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful Mothers Day in Laguna Beach (I'll have to post about that trip next), we went to the best italian restraunt for dinner and I recorded Linc falling asleep in the high chair- needless to say, he had a fun day too!

Linc is a Vlogger now.. :)

2011-05-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Thought of the day

2011-05-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I never been a morning person. I've tried to like it before-you know, like getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to workout/eat a wholesome breakfast/ do what ever you want before your family is up...

So my thought for the day is, Is it really worth it to get up and have "me" time (or whatever you want to call it) before the kids wake up?? I have known moms that get up at say 6ish am every morning and take a shower, get dressed and prepare breakfast BEFORE their kids wake up....Honestly it sounds oh-so-wonderful to actually take a shower and be dressed before nap time.
I always get up with or after my kids. (Weekdays my alarm is set to 7 and rarely are the kids up by then)...sometimes they play and watch a movie before I feel sane enough to crawl out of my warm cozy place. But you know what?? They make huge messes when they get up without me..and then I get up and start out my day already feeling overwhelmed. Or I get up and have to rush-get kids fed,dressed,teeth brushed,lunches made,backpacks and out the door by 7:40 for school. It's honestly my worst part of the day, the mornings!

I'm wondering is its worth it try waking up before my kids for a week or so and see if it changes my attitude and makes the mornings less stressful on me. Its really only and extra hr or so? Does that extra hr really make a difference if I don't have it?

Ok i'll try it out next week-Monday morning....(not tomorrow and definitely not going to start it this weekend since it's Mothers Day, and i'm definitely going to be sleeping in that day :P )

I'd love to know if any other moms are struggling with the mornings and waking up before your kid (s). Why don't you give it a try with week with me? Lets plan on getting up an hr before kid(s). Lets sart out our day awake, happy,dressed or showered and get a good breakfast made for our loved ones.... I'll update after the week!

XXOO

Jeni

ps- the coffee pot will definitely be on autobrew that week :P

Tomorrow

2011-04-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is getting me excited already. Hugh is holding a local fundraiser for DAP (Desert Aids Project) called Dining Out For Life. It's going to be at one of our favorite hotels in Palm Springs, The Ace Hotel - fun!

Also, before all that exciting stuff, I'm going to a prenatal OB appointment with a Mama in the morning. I'm always excited about seeing my JeniMom mama's :) At a prenatal appointment it's a time for the Dr. to meet me, see the support that the mom will have during Labor. Sometimes, there are a lot that goes on during an appointment so it's nice for the mother to have a doula (me) there to help support her then too.

Anyways, i'll have to post pictures tomorrow after our day,

XXOO

Jeni

My first ADITL post :)

2011-04-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today was fun, normal.. nothing really exciting-

I have to say, it was fun trying to capture photos throughout the day. It made me feel like I don't take enough pictures in general. It felt kinda funny snapping so many today.

My day started with Linc and Ryann being the first to rise-which isnt normal, Reagan usually is the one.

Here is a pic of my morning smiles.

How cute, both of them don't even have their eyes all the way open yet.

And then here is a rare, sleeping-in Reagan :)

Ok, ok-i'm up!.. time to make some bfast....

I made some eggs on 2 toasts (or egg sandwich??) and some apples. I'm not a cook...but the kids ate it up, so I was happy :)

...and then it was time to pick up...and do a couple loads of laundry.

The kids helped me fold and put away their loads of clothes.

When the laundry was done, I went to go get ready...(ya so what if it was (ehhh) after 10am? I'm happy sometimes if its before noon :p )

While I got ready the kids were being silly in my room.

Then the girls played games on the laptop...

It was cute because when I started doing my hair- I found Ryann in the playroom doing her doll's hair too <3 (...and our doggy Boo was hanging out with Ry-awe)

And then naptime came a little early today for Linc ( well, he was one of the first to wake today)

And then we finally made it our for the day

- we stopped for some gas-((UGH-))

So freaking expensive:( my debit card actually stopped @ $50- it gave me 3/4 of a tank, so i left it like that. I didn't want to have to re-swipe my card again....

After gas we went for a car wash. (here are the girls waiting for our car to be done.. does anyone else hate how everyplace these days have isles FILLED with candy when you are checking out...so annoying!

After the car bath we went for a quick trip to ((only because my kids begged me and they haven't been there in oh about a year..plus burning off some energy sounded like a good idea...) to chuck-e-cheese.

-hey, at least it's not flu season.....

oops-no pic

I quickly stopped into my fav yummy addiction to Cold Fusion and got a "magic brownie" SO GOOOD! -thanks Julie :)

..and since I had overheard of the awesome sale going on at old navy, I decided to stop by on our way home for a quick peak.

**I got 3 tanks for Reagan and a cute button up white shirt for Ryann as well as as 2 new tanks....

PLUS two new headbands for them, for about $23.

Good deal :)

..Linc fell asleep on the way back....

So once we got home I did a quick change of clothes and left to go meet with a new client-a great end to my day! I asked Reagan to take a pic of me.

Hugh had just pulled up (it was 6:45p) and I was on my way to Jadabugs!

...The meeting went great :)

I came home and sat down with a glass of wine and my HH made me a grilled cheese-with avacado, tomatoe and onion..YUM

Well, that was my day- a day in the life of me .

-Now I'm ready for my bed....

This was fun- I'll have to post this again soon!

XXOO

JENI

STAY TUNED! ADITL-coming up :)

2011-04-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

I read a blog recently that had a ADITL blog title and thought that it was a fun idea.... so i have to prepare for it-like get my camera charged :)

so stay tuned for my next post.....a day in the life...coming up :)

A proud MAMA

2011-04-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

- I forgot to mention that my Lincoln has been potty trained for a few weeks now.

Not many people would find that amusing-but hey i'm proud of my lil'guy. He did it just a couple days after his 2nd bday.

I am a firm believer in letting kids be "self-led" - things like breastfeeding, sleeping through the night, starting solids, co-sleeping, and now potty training! He showed interest in it-and i was there to help him learn. It so rewarding as a mother, to see little cues in my kids life and watch them take their own babysteps in the learning process of it....

Busy birthday weekend-Happy Birthday to my honey :)

2011-04-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

My HH turned 30 on the 13th! We had such a great time celebrating this past week..yup about a week. He loves his birthday, and we love him <3

On Tuesday night, Hugh got a great deal at the Newport Hyatt. We picked up the kids from school and headed to Orange County-we had no traffic!

We checked into the room and Ryann and Reagan picked their bed and got settled. It was so cute-they put their shoes in the closet and unpacked some of their things. We got freshened up and headed out to Laguna for the night...

We stopped by Trader Jo's and got some snacks, wine and fruit.. (the necessities :) )

Hugh took us to a really cool secluded beach in Laguna just as the sun was setting- the tide was coming in, and we had fun chasing waves, finding shells and walking around the tide pools. We left just after dark with sandy feet-Reagan was upset about that-ah funny girl...

We were hoping to get to downtown in time to grab a yummy cupcake from Casey's before dinner-but they had closed. We walked around and decided to grab some dinner at B.J's and it was already 8:30 p.m., we were all starving!

The kids were SILENT and ate so much! Hugh and I got a really yummy pine nut pasta and feta and veggie salad. It was so good!

We went back to the hotel and gave the kids a bathe, and they went out like a light.

Hugh and I sat outside at a table and we got to enjoy some wine right outside our room-the air was crisp and the wine was yummy.

The next morning we were checked out in record time-It was Hugh's bday!! We got up, and got ready, and were on our way to have bfast at La Brea bakery and go spend the day at Disneyland.

Bfast was amazing and so was the coffee!!

We had a great time at the park, and we met up with some of our best friends and their kiddies. It was such a fun time- when we headed over to Ca Adventure, we went to a few fun shows, got some bday tortillas and ate some yummy soup in a bread-bowl. We left about 10 p.m.- longer than we wanted-but doesn't that always happen? HAHA

On thursday- we got up and started getting the house stocked and ready for COACHELLA. We slept about 15 people and had a funfunfun weekend. The kids love having people over. The pool was heated, the weather was warm and it made for some great times.

Next week is spring break......still not set on what is going on but I think we are going to definitely have a 2day beach trip and then some fun in-between :)

Spring Break!

2011-04-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

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I am so excited for the girls to be on a break! I was talking to my HH (Handsome hubby) last night about how I want to make this a fun-filled/memorable week for them. And I'm not talking about filling our days up with theme parks, getting ice-cream or going to the movies- those are fun things...but I'm wanting something more creative...

Ideas that I have so far:

Having a camp-out in the back yard

Vsiting Salvation Mountain (its has been a while)

Going to the beach (o.k- maybe not that creative but going to with sand toys and getting some sun sounds great!)

Baking for friends and then dropping the goods off

Hosting a tea party

ok, I guess thats a start... I need some more ideas.. I want to have it planned so that I wont forget anything.

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Say Hello to JeniMom !!

2011-03-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

oh yes-

JeniMom is my doula,childbirth,postpartum and soon to be products name. I LOVE IT!

A pretty cool website is being made, and my very own logo's are finished.

Since my last post-November (sorry!) I have been able to assist with 4 births and help with many new moms with postpartum help. This is such an exciting job, and I feel so grateful that I have been chosen by these wonderful mama's <3

Anyways.. lots of new things to post about and exciting things going on- not only on the JeniMom front, but with the Party of 5 front as well!

until the next,

Jeni-JeniMom

Let's try this blogging thing again....

2010-11-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

Well I think its time to start this again. I cant promise that I will blog every week...but I will try :)

Some kind of an update-

Ryann is in freaking kindergarten. She has lost 4 teeth and both front teeth are missing right now. She has been playing soccer for about 2mos. She is a great player, always scoring and a great defender..(like me and Cassie). Ryann is also in gymnastics. She is so strong. I wish that i would have learned to tumble and do cool flip things as a kid, so I'm excited for her. She started taekwondo class today and loved it also. It is a great program. It has rewards for good behavior at home, and a chart for me to check off that has things on it like responsibility, self care, study, respect and love for her family. She will turn it in for star patches to place on her gi. I really believe that this is going to be a great thing for her. Ryann is doing great at school. She has an amazing teacher and loves her so much. She got her first report card a couple weeks ago, and it was a really good one .

Reagan is also enjoying school. Her class this year has a garden for the students to tend to. There is also a couple ducks that get to roam around the play yard that Reagan loves to play with and feed. A couple week ago they laid eggs, and the class is waiting to see if they will hatch. Reagan was in soccer...but it really wasn't her thing..she didn't prefer the sport, and am OK that she doesn't like the sport I love *tear* She has taken up a new sport of modeling. A few weeks ago she was in another fashion show, and she told me, "..that was the funnest day ever!" She will be in another big show soon, so ill have to get some better pictures. Regs is also in gymnastics, and really loves it! "G" bought her a cute leotard last week, it made Reagan so happy to look "cute". Regs is starting a ballet class on Mondays, I don't know what she is more excited for, the outfit or the class :)

Lincoln is my baby..my almost 2 year old baby. He is definitely a mamas boy :) I have been enjoying are bonding while the girls are in school. He loves going to the preschool story time at the library and afterwards we feed the ducks. It's always a fun morning just him and I. We just started going to MyGym a couple weeks ago which is so fun for him! He has tons of energy so leaving MyGym always means a great nap. He is also talking! He can say 3 words at time now and is a great communicator and can hold his own when the girls get in his way! He is even learning to tell on them...."mama RyRy push.." or " No ReeRee, MINE!" hey-it's cute to hear him tattle right now..

Lincoln is still co-sleeping with us. He is put to bed in his crib at night, but eventually makes his way into mamadada's bed and gets snuggled the rest of the night. AND most nights we may even end up with another van horn in our room too. Before Linc was born Hugh put a couch in our room so that *if* the girls, felt sick,scared or whatever reason, they had a place they can go. I always laugh at how much my parenting "style" changed once I had kids. Oh and Linc is also still....gasp..nursing..yup. I never understood extended breastfeeding (or whatever you want to call it) until I did. He needs it still, and I am OK with that.

Ive been working at the Naturopathic clinic one day a week and learning more about natural health. I love seeing people being healed naturally. I can go on forever it seems..

My week is always very full and packed with so many activities, but I love it that way.

I have also been very motivated to do more with my doula work. I think that beside being a wife and mother, this job is so rewarding. I have a few expectant mamas this Holiday season through the end of February. I have no doubt that it is going to be a great year for me. Hugh is very supportive with me pursuing this as a career, and now that my kids arn't really babies, it give me alot more flexibility to be there for other mamas. I was able to go through the DONA training in September and since then, I've been very inspired and feel like I'm ready to bring it on!

Anyways, Sorry no pictures, all the good ones on the computer are all on Facebook...sorry.

Nighty night!

JVH

Top 10

2009-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends Ana Lee tagged me to write my top 10 things that start with the letter "C". I have never been "tagged" in a blog before, so this all new and sounds fun :)

1.) Children :)
...especially mine :)

2) Concerts!

This is a picture at a Keaton Simons concert a few weeks ago.

3.) Christmas! 4.) Cupcakes!

I love cupcakes and my favorite place to get them are from Sprinkles :)

5.) Clothes!

I love shopping for clothes. Especially with my husband :) He does a great job too. It is one of my favorite dates that him and I do for each other. I pick and outfit for him, and he picks one for me.

6.) Creativity

I love planning and throwing birthday parties, especially for my girls. Lately I have been wanting to learn to sew. Home made gifts are my favorite :)

7.) Champagne

8.) Cafemom.com

Cafemom is a website I like to go to for advise on parenting, cleaning, and all sorts things only for moms :)

9.) Cassie!

My sister, just in case you didn't know. She lives on base in Oceanside, Ca. She has been in the Marines for almost 2 years now. I love her so much, and wish I got to see her more!

10.) Camera
Another thing that I would like to do if I had more time. I would love to take a photography class one of these days.....

..........that's all, i tag Priscilla with "s", Lisa with "m" and Chris with "b". Have fun girls!

Bunk Beds :)

2009-04-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of this week, and the new bunk bed.....

The girls got a bunk bed. They love it too! Ryann called the top because she likes the ladder, and Reagan wanted the bottom because it had the bigger bed. (that was easy..haha)

Aunt Rosie and Uncle Gary and Grandad bought it for them, thank you!

Baby is doing great! Getting big already and starting to smile much more. He is just starting to track my face or things around him that seem interesting, or bright..lol

Reagan got to go to preschool for a day with Ryann last week..and she loved it. Ryann's teacher made her, her own name tag for the desk she sat at...it was really cute. I think that I may sign up Reagan and Ryann for "Summer School" for fun this year....we'll see...

I'm excited for Easter this weekend. I love dressing the girls up in matching dresses :)

We are going to church and then heading up to Lake Arrowhead to Aunt Rosie and Gary's for an Egg Hunt and Easter dinner with the family...more pictures to come soon!

Much Peace and Love!

Jeni

keaton and lincoln

2009-03-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/keatonsimons