I just voted for this Pink Glove Dance Competition video. Check it out!

Here is a great video that my hospital put together for the MedLine contest for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Young Bay Area Survivors is our benefiting organization. Please vote from all of your email addresses every day and share with other.



I just voted for this Pink Glove Dance Competition video. Check it out!

as the wind changes direction

WOW! Life is always moving and the wind is always changing direction. Here in the Wu Household we are constantly shifting and going with the flow of things. Big Daddy has transitioned into his new role as a stay at home dad (SAHD) while I transition into the role of the bread winner as a RN in a new hospital. We are all falling into our new patterns and habits pretty effortlessly. The new school year has been busy. The new flow has been established and all seems to be working thus far. Boy kid 1 has an incredibly busy schedule between band, academics, sports, and scouts. He doesn't drive yet so Big Daddy and I tag team to get him to and fro. Girl kid 2 is now in middle school and her transition has been amazing. She has all A's at this time and hasn't had even one missing or late assignment. She really struggled in elementary school and we took the leap to start medication for ADHD. We really did try every other option before medication...but her incredible success that she is currently experiencing is proof positive. I don't push medication for all...but in this particular instance...it has been a positive impact. She is no longer utterly exhausted and spinning when she returns home from school which also allows her to complete homework without a complete break down. She is feeling good about school and her abilities. I no longer hear from her that she can't do things. She has a new view of herself and is considering becoming a scientist. She never viewed herself as being an academic...and now she can see that she is fully capable of so many more things. Boy kid 2 is 2-1/2 and speaking in full sentences now. He is recognizing cause and effect relationships and acting accordingly. He has started preschool two mornings a week and loving his time there. He has friends that he is excited to see regularly and is even doing some of the art projects this year. I love when I come home from work each day that he greets me at the door with loving words and hugs.

Meanwhile, our homestead is becoming productive. Last week as I was letting the chickens into their run, I noticed a beautiful blue/green egg out there. Our Easter Egger, Ethel must have given us an egg on Friday but we didn't see it until Saturday morning as it was dark when we shut the run down for the night. Then again on Saturday night I found another egg from Ethel. Wow! those two little eggs were absolutely adorable and oh so tasty. Then by Tuesday we had another egg from Ethel and then a sweet little brown egg. We have no idea which of the other girls laid the brown egg but then she and Ethel blessed us again on Thursday. By Friday evening, we had yet another brown egg and this one is dramatically darker so I suspect we have a third girl producing eggs now. Everyone took yesterday off which is a well deserved break. That makes 7 eggs for us in our first week of production. Very soon we will be getting a lot more eggs that we can possibly enjoy but the comes the very fun part. I will be trading fresh eggs for other goods with friends. So far, I have Asian Pears in the loop and I am hoping that other great things will also be added into our circulation. I also have friends that want fresh eggs and they may just pay for the service. Folks have already asked how much it has cost to have chickens. Truth be told, I am not going to factor this first year into the cost as I consider this time frame the start up and it wouldn't be fair to put that much pressure on the girls. Once everyone is producing regularly, I will start to factor in costs and savings.

That is about it here on the homestead. Exciting days are ahead and we are ready and excited.

Bella Vox Box

A while back, in my March 2013 due date group I met a group of women that were doing something with Influenster. I didn't get it at first but after a while, I realized they were testing out products and reviewing them. I thought that it could be fun so I signed up for it. I am finishing up the time period for the BellaVoxBox. It was a pretty cool box filled with things that I probably never would have purchased on my own. I really enjoy the EcoTools Mattifying Finishing Brush. It applies powder evenly and quickly which is what I need with our busy lifestyle. I also tried a couple of the Rimmel London products by Kate...the Scandaleyes Mascara and the Lasting Finish Matte lipstick. These are products that I probably never would have purchased on my own because the commercials made me think they would only work for chicks that go clubbing. That isn't me...but what I found is that they products were a decent quality and if I applied them mildly they fit into my carpooling mom lifestyle. I wasn't too fond of the lipstick color in it's full application shade but when I applied it super light it looked really natural on me. I received a lot of compliments on those days. I think maybe one of my super favorites trials was the Not Your Mother's De Ja Vu Do- Style Extender. This stuff was like magic! I was literally able to go with the same hair washing and initial style for three days and on the third day I was still receiving compliments. I am a convert and will probably integrate this into my usual life well beyond the initial tube. For those that really know me...I don't wear shorts. I hate my legs! I never get any sun and quite frankly I could probably blind someone with these lily white legs. I received Airbrush Legs from Sally Hansen and it was pretty cool. It didn't make me look orange like other self tanners and it did cover up a portion of my leg veins...but it didn't cover up my worst offenders and it looked grainy over my areas of dermatitis. I probably won't get this product again but it would work great for someone else that has an event at the start of the spring and summer seasons before a base tan has set. I also received a get one free when purchasing two bottles of wine from Club W. It is a cool offer but those that know me know that I don't drink so it was a bit of a waste. I still have a day to decide and may still participate for cool gifts...but I don't know quite yet. The one thing that I super loved and haven't been able to find more of was the Dove chocolate covered fruit. I tried the blueberry and it was so delicious. I will definitely try that again but since it isn't at my local Safeway...I have to track that one down. So there you have it the Good, the Bad, and the lovely of my latest Vox Box from Influenster. I can't wait to share more about my experiences. Until then...back to the mom gig.

What a wild life we lead...

Here at the Wu Household we tend to lead a wild life while being common in the same moment. We have a lot going on all of the time. It is busy and crazy but truth be told I would not change a thing. I have a great husband, that I will call Big Daddy. He has always been and always will be all about the family. He works hard all of the time and thinks three steps ahead like a chess game. I have always since day one felt safe with him and that is everything for me. We have four great kiddos. Girl kid 1 is 20 and has recently flown the coop to spread her wings on her own. I think she is learning that life out in the world isn't always easy...but you get out of it what you put into it. Boy kid 1 is 15 and is quite a musician. He plays the alto and soprano saxophones primarily but tinkers with other instruments as well. He is currently a Life Rank in Boy Scouts and working toward his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He is a hard worker and in his down time loves to just hang out with his friends and play video games. Girl kid 2 is just shy of 11. She is full of love and energy. She is an active Girl Scout in a newly bridged to Cadette level troop that I lead. She also plays softball and is such a team player. Things aren't easy for Girl kid 2--but she works hard every day. She has a moderate to severe hearing loss and is bilaterally aided. The hearing aides help but they don't solve all of the hearing difficulties. Boy kid 2 is 2 and on fire. He is learning so much everyday by climbing things, jumping off of things, trying different foods, and he constantly mimics us while he is learning new vocabulary. On top of the kiddos and all of their shenanigans, we now have 6 chickens living in a coop in the backyard. Aunt Peg, Ethel, Lucy, Mary, Penny, and Minerva joined us in April and they are a constant source of enjoyment. As of late, facebook sends me flashback posts of what I posted on that same date in past years. It has been a lot of fun to recall all of these little moments. It is time to document the good, the bad, and the utterly beautiful of our lives and thus comes the start of this blog. I will work to blog about our everyday stuff, extra-curricular goodies, coop life, and maybe even the fun products that I get to try here and there. This is going to be an every evolving work in process. Welcome to our world.