(started on his birthday... posted waaaay too late.)

Today my little monkey turns 8 years old. It's crazy to look back on old photos as if it were yesterday. Time flies fast and it's seems as if overnight he grew into a little man.
While I'm so excited to be sharing this day with him... it makes me sooo sad. My little monkey is growing up. I know. I know. Super sappy...... but my snuggle bunny is too old to snuggle. My bubble head has finally grown into his head. And my Stinkerbell..... well..... we still battle on the shower part.

Newest addition...

Capone.♥

Welcome to the family!

When in Rome.....

Well I did. And tried everything that I remembered from the Olive Garden menu. (how cultured am I? hehe) The tiramisu, sopa fagioli, pizza, gelato, prociutto, mozzerella, and lots and lots of WINE. Low-carb... impossible.


Hubby and I got an invitation to participate in the Rome Tattoo Convention in, you guessed it, Rome Italy. Before hubby had to asked twice, I had my bags packed and ticket from Reno purchased. The kids went home to GDL with Pops and I joined hubby in little Italy. Mind you, expos are alot ALOT of work. All day until late, late at night.... so most of these photos were taken... uh, at night.


Rome was amazing. Even better, we got to spend the time with great people. What more can you ask for. ♥

Back to Basics....

First off...
Feliz Dia de Madres to all my mexican (or relocated Mexican) mommies out there....
I hope you all had a fabulous day of REST (difficult, i know) and lots of love from the family. ♥

The last three weeks have been really, REALLY overwhelming... not only to post regularly (which i know that i haven't been so great at)but to stay up to date on blogger/facebook/twitter and find out what's been going on with all of you. The kids and I started out Semana Santa visiting my parents in Nevada.. and DAAAAAMN... the cold quickly reminded me how wonderful our Mexican weather can be. I quickly got to work... quilting and quilting... for my clients who graciously provided me with enough work during the two weeks to stock up on all the necesities. I really miss my old job and am really grateful that these wonderful women haven't forgotten me and send work whenever I come into town. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Without these women, I wouldn't be able to travel home. :)

Also,thank you to my parents who ultimately make these trips possible. They go above and beyond... making sure my kids and I are taken care of, entertained and most importantly, loved. ♥ Happy Mothers Day, Mom.

We left a few days before Semana Santa because The National Tattoo Association happened to have a show in Sparks, NV where some of the heavy hitter tattoo artists come together for an expo and gala. I competed my uh... cock... and was able to bring home two awards for hubby. It was an honor to place in this show.... and to compete with some of these people was not only amazing, but inspiring. So to all you jackasses who like to leave stupid tattoo comments on my pics, this just means inspiration to get more... and more... and more. We're taking over the world!

I had a great time in Reno with friends and family. I got to spend time with my new little niece, who has earned the nickname "Pissy Face"... jokingly, of course (I call my own kids "ugly") She is the happiest baby. It was great to see her, my sisters, and my BFFs. The kids had a great time.... horseback riding, movies in ENGLISH, and Target. Apparently, I"m not the only one who it now infatuated with VARIETY.

The photos a little blurry, i know... but that was after a few.. well, you know. ;)

The ♥ perfect ♥ Easter ....

Since we've been back in the states....
The kiddos, with a little help from my parents, decided to give me a gift during Easter. A relaxing, HOT bath!!! Not only that, but with candles, my favorite wine, and Ron White on comedy central.

My kids are awesome. ♥

Life can't get much better than that. :)

Woudn't you like to see my.....

Peacock!

Hubby finally finished this tattoo on my thigh last week. After 6 sessions, 3 hours a piece, it is finally finished! Last weekend, i competed this tattoo at the Monterrey Tattoo Convention and placed 1st!!! (more on that convention soon!)

 Diet thing is still going. The last two weeks have been filled with company and an expo. Exercise was occasional, but the I stuck to the diet the best I could. No weight gain, no weight lost.

Round Two. :)




**actually I take that back. I did yesterday's weigh in... 132.8!!!! Still losing!!! :D

Nope. Haven't fallen off just yet.

Alas, here I am. Two weeks later.

I have finished the 30 Day Shred... and damn it, I can kick some ass.

This month, surprisingly was easier than I thought. Trial and error. It was breaking habits, grazing, and laying off the crappy carbs. The kicker for me was trying to plan my NEW eating schedule with that of my kids and hubby. The first two weeks of this change could have been better. I did not watch what I ate. Period. Two weeks lost. The third week, I totally kicked carbs. (Remember Atkins?) Yeah, that didn't work out too well either with Jillian's circuit training. The last week, I added fruits/veggies and beans. (still haven't forgiven the bread yet.) Another problem, which was hard the third week, was following a diet where you literally eat nothing but meat and cheese. No prob, right? uh, here in Mexico... yes. I searched ALL OVER GUADALAJARA, from the corner markets, big chain, and the foo-foo stores... NOONE has lowfat cheddar cheeses. They just don't exist here. Lastly, it was hard to keep track of all my calories that I was consuming. Considering that you need to burn 3500 calories to lose ONE pound of fat, that's a little more math that I can do in my head or my notepad.

And then I found Sparkpeople. This super site calculates your food, calories burned, water intake, overall calorie expenditures etc. There's blogs, forums, articles... whew. Everything. I advise any of you interested in checking out your stats... give it a chance. That site alone helped make this change possible.

Here are my measurements.

Waist: 28
Hips: 40
Thighs: 22
Arm: 10

weight: 135

In one month, I've lost 6 lbs, 2.5" from my waist. 2" off my ass, a few more from the thighs and an inch off the arms. I'm pretty psyched!

A buddy is coming in from the States tomorrow, bringing two new videos with him! Round two.... bring it.

2 week update

Update.Ugh.

Bust: 38
Under: 29.5
Waist: 29.5
Hips: 41
Thigh: 23
Arms: 10.5

Weight: 2 lbs lost.
Total inches: 5.0"

Eh. Slow Start. Then again, I really haven't made too many diet changes. I still enjoy a glass of wine at night, quesadillas as a snack and chips and salsa whenever I can. Nevertheless, I don't plan on quitting anytime soon so these next two weeks, I will be returning to my horrendous low carb diet (with the occasional glass of wine, for heart/health benefits of course!) Believe it or not, I have more energy! Sunday, the family and I (and the dog) FINALLY participated in the Via Recre-activa. You know, the one I blogged about TWO years ago, and had yet to participate in!!! It was nice. We took a two hour stroll with the dog and the skateboards. The kids had a blast. It felt nice to actually DO something on a weekend instead of sitting on our lazy @sses. Then, we went to the shop to continue our remodeling/painting adventure. And I now can't move my ass or my arms.

Two more weeks. Errrrrr.

Not as crazy as you think..... or am I????

Looking at my last blog post, I'm sure I've frightened a few of you Dear Readers away. Crazy times, crazy parties, lots of booze. Rockstar status baby. Oh yeah.

Yeah right, I wish.

Those were the highlights of my year. The few times (*note: once a month or every few months) that we actually went out with ACTUAL people!!! I'm sure that many of you can relate to moving to a foreign country... and well, finding like-minded people can be a bit difficult. And when you're fully tattooed in a conservative country... it is not an easy feat! I've spent these last two years kinda being depressed about it and this year, I'm DONE. I've been so worried about what has been going on around me... I haven't done anything to BENEFIT me.

Remember last year, before I turned the big 3-0, that I swore to lose the weight and wear a bathing suit? Yeah... while the dirty thirty was an AMAZING trip that I will never ever ever forget... I hardly took off the pounds.

*Amsterdam 2010 with wonderful friends!

So that's it. I'm done. 2011 will be a turn around year, whether it kills me or not.

And damn it. It just might.

Hubby is off in Milan this week. He's off tattooing with some really amazing artists in Italia... and I'm home with the kids. Bummed, you might say?
Not at all. Without little hubby here, I got the opportunity to get started on my NEW, actually, I've had it for a year. :S Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred dvd.

And this CRAZY lady has been kicking my ass. After the first day, I just about gave up. It's ONLY a 20 minute workout... and I nearly fell over even after doing the WEENIE versions!!! I might have even skipped some of the cheater version push ups and the jumprope! I might have well been on the Biggest Loser!!!

I began last Wednesday....and so while it's ONLY been 4 days.... Level 1 has become ACTUALLY tolerable. Although I've heard LvL 2 is INSANE, I'm soooo gung-ho to finish this DVD. The only thing standing in my way, I will admit, is hubby. When he comes back, I don't know if I'll be comfortable sweating profusely, bouncing around like an 80's workout video, nearly crying on the floor, in front of the man I want to see me as SEXY. HA! So, if I quit, you know why.

Nevertheless, I took my measurements and slightly embarrassed, here they are:

Bust: 38
Under: 31
Waist: 30.5
Hips (here's the big one): 42!
Thigh: 24
Arms: 11

So there you go. Now you know all my intimate secrets. What's my weight? I"m not sure. My scale is defective. But oddly, after doing this exercise the last week and eating healthier, it's gone UP 3 pounds. I'm confused, but I'm not gonna let that hold me down.

Full Speed Ahead!!!!

or at least till hubby gets back!

It's so hard to say Goodbye.....2010 recap

I could begin this post with all sorts of excuses, apologies for my tardiness and lack of consistant threads... but I'm sure you are used to my erratic posting schedule by now.... so I'll just hang my head and move on.

2010 has been an insane, remarkably amazing year for my family and I... nothing too traumatic has happened. Only momentum and positivity. Here's a snapshot of 2010's moments to remember. *note: not all of them include alcohol.

January:

 

Good friend, OSOK, representing from Califas with Tribal Gear here in GDL. 

*highlight of the night: besides the massive hangover despite our willingness to share, some random bum ran off with our bottle!!! Straight ghetto style!

February:

Highlight of the year: Stupid Graffiti kids pay their dues....

 

Moosecake got to go fishing with Dad in AguaMilpas... the best place for bass fishing here in Mexico. Reasonable rates. Good food. Good times with Daddy.

March:

Friend Will came down, got tattooed and afterwards... we headed out to Puerto Vallarta. (Barra de Navidad was also a highlight this month) I ♥ this photo with Little One. 

Monterrey Tattoo Expo.... with the heavy hitters... Babo X Bob Tyrell X Indio X Chakal. Amazing time... thuse the "Checa Wey" on my fingertips!

April:

 

Beautiful closure to an exciting month. Little Sis' n Darren.

May

I loved the Mother's Day show at the kids' school. Little One was straight vaquero!!!

June

 This month we welcomed baby Frankie into the Family. Way to follow through Sis #2! :)

Hubby, Little One, and Moosecake.... all with birthdays in a row. We had a small party, with piñata, of course, and insane amounts of candy. *sniffle sniffle.... they're getting so big!

July

Summer started off with a bang. Disneyland and Yosemite were followed with all sorts of activites to keep the kiddos busy (and off the freaggin' computer!).  

 But the best photos were during their free time. :D

August

 

Mexico City Tattoo Convention was full of amazing talent.When not tattooing, we checked out the Zocalo and a few of the major museums in the city. And after that... party time!

Mexico City, I'm surprised we survived! Good times! 

September

September was too many events to narrow down. Tons of pictures... from the kids' starting a new school, the Guadalajara Tattoo Show, our shop's anniversary party, the London Tattoo Show, my birthday in Amsterdam... I need to write a blog post on that trip alone!!!  Nonetheless... a few highlights.

 New year. New school. Thank God the education outweighs the uniforms!

 Guadalajara Tattoo Expo.... somehow ended up at the club with the hubbies carrying our purses!

 

 Our shop's anniversary party was a success.....and ended quite well. :)

 London Trip... this was in Paris after waaaay too many shots of absinthe.

 And this one ♥. On my birthday in Amsterdam. Turning 30 was perfect.

October

 Demon Child and Iron Man on Halloween. Remind me how fun adolescence is. 

Cervantino!!!  Guanajuato, Guanajuato is definitely a place to check out during the month of October. Besides the obvious party vibe, the city transforms into a melting pot of various art, theatre and music from all around the world.

November

Newlyweds came down to GDL and join us for Thanksgiving. The higlight? of the night was a bottle of wine without a bottle opener. Hubby and BIL tried everything to open that bottle. How many tries does it take married men to desperately open a wine bottle and appease their waiting wives?

Apparently three.  

December

December was another difficult month to pick and choose photos.... Dressing the tree, making gingerbread houses and pumpkin pie, the kids' school musical, our first posada, fireworks indoors and finally a wonderful christmas brought 2010 to a wonderful close. 

School Musical. Moosecake was the narrator for the whole program and Little One rocked out with his inflatable guitar. 

We held our first Posada this month. Originally, it began as an art gallery with music, appetizers etc.... to benefit the children of Hospital Civil. Unfortunately, after all the toys and food had been collected... the H.C. decided to be (like typical government agencies here)  devious and deceptive. Instead, those donations were taken to a few orphanages around GDL where kids would ACTUALLY benefit from their gifts~

Somehow this year ended in almost the same manner that it began!


2010 seemed to fly by and we've experienced so many great times with family and friends. I can only hope that this next year will be just as blessed.


Wishing all of you guys the very best 2011, full of love, friendship, health and success.