I was organizing a few of Julianna's school papers, and I found one that she wrote:

"I love Sophia.
I love cats.
I love dad.
But I love my mom the most."


Ohhh... she made my day! (but now I have to hide this from Marco... :-))

Michael tried to convince me today that he needs a cell phone. He said many of his friends have one and that he needs one too. Can you believe it? He's only nine!! I had to laugh...

Raphael got his first backpack today. He chose a Spiderman one. He's been carrying it around the whole day and feels so proud! Oh my little boy is growing up...

Laundry

I could be done with laundry if it wasn't for the Costco's brand laundry detergent. It seems like one in every three pieces of clothes I washed is still dirty. Arg!! I like Tide or Cheer a lot, and I hardly need a stain remover for anything... the reason I bought this generic irritating stuff is because they didn't have Tide or Cheer for HE machines... should have bought it somewhere else.
I love the Spray 'n' wash Max (red bottle) a lot though. It takes pretty much any stain out (I still have to find something to take permanent marker stains out though...)
Tatiana just called me to say that Gymboree is having a huge sale today. So off I go... Julianna needs new pants. The little girl can't stop growing!

I just dropped the kids off at school. I look around and my house is a huge mess... and I have about 8 loads of laundry to do, and I have to study for my final exam and go take it, etc. I feel like going back to bed and worrying about it tomorrow. Too bad it's not going to happen... dang it being a mom is hard!
Michael has soccer practice today and Julianna's is tomorrow. Saturday they have their first game. I'm very excited. I love watching them play and being outside in this beautiful weather.
Well, off I go... I hope to report here tomorrow that my chores are all finished!! (yeah right, even if they're finished, by the time my kids go to bed tonight it's going to be a mess again... what's the point?)
Oh The puppy dilemma has been resolved. We decided to take the puppy, but it was too late!! All the six puppies had been adopted. Good for them, and I think good for us too. I don't think I am quite ready for a puppy...

Relay for Life

Friends and Family, please help me in this important cause. I am participating in the Relay for Life in memory of Ethan (a 6-year-old boy from my Ward that passed away last November due to liver cancer). You can support this cause by donating $10 or whatever is convenient (we'll accept $1,000 if you don't have change... :-)). Please visit my page at the Relay for Life website at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/liliang to make a donation. The Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. This company is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and it funds groundbreaking cancer research, provides up-to-date cancer information, advocates for all people to have access to screening and treatment, and offers free programs and services to improve the quality of life for people facing cancer. Thank you for your consideration! :-)

Caring for My Stress

Today I took Raphael to storytime at the library with Alison S. and her girls. It was a lot of fun! Raphael still acts shy, especially when all the kids stand up and dance. He loves doing the craft at the end though. Today he made a cute cowboy hat. After the library we headed to Denny's for a free meal - yes, 100% free! They had a special today that if you ordered a Grand Slam between 6am and 2pm it would be free. It felt great to get a receipt saying $0 charged... :-) After that I went to Home Depot and got some more seeds - spearmint, chamomille and lavender. Does it say something about my mood lately? These are all calming herbs... :-) Yesterday I also got some aromatherapy stuff at Bath and Body works. I had a great coupon and my shopping bag had a stress candle, stress roll-on treatment, and two stress shower gel/bubbly bath bottles, and I paid only $15 plus taxes (great considering that just 1 shower gel was $13). I love a good bargain. After my shopping success yesterday, I took a long bubble bath and felt so relaxed... I slept so well last night.

Should We Get a Puppy?

Yesterday I spent about four hours working in the yard. I love it, especially when I have little hands around to help me and a husband willing to do the heavy work. I feel it on my thighs today though. Good exercise! Michael wants to do a garden business now. He wants to pull weeds out for the neighbors and get a few $ in exchange. The little guy is always thinking about money!
Raphael learned how to do puzzles in the computer this week (did I mention this before?). Now he's hooked on computers. Michael and Julianna think he's so cute for being so little and knowing how to use the mouse properly, but their patience is over when they want to play and Raphael won't leave the computer. Family of geeks!
The weather was great these past days in the afternoon. The kids played a lot in our sand box and swings. I love it when they play outside.
We have a puppy in sight that we might adopt. I feel anxious about it though. Will it be really bad for my allergies? Will it be hard to take care of? Will it cost a lot of expenses? What do we do with it when we travel? On the other hand, the kids are begging us for a pet, and I do melt when I see puppies... Marco says I think too much, that I should just get the puppy and think about the problems when they arise. He might be right... please leave a comment if you have an opinion to share!