Shana Dieli

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Our Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific visit

May 21, 2011

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On Thursday my sons school went on their big end of the year field trip. This year it was at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. If you have never been and live in the area I highly recommend the aquarium for a family trip. While the trip can be a little pricey it’s still cheaper then going to a theme park and this is educational. You can purchase discounted tickets online here.

I’ve never been on a field trip before, last year when my son was in school we ended up missing his field trip due to a family emergency so this was all new to me. I loved every second of it. I had four kids in my group and it was cute to see the totally different personalities but they all had one thing in common. Excitement. They were all beyond excited to see every single thing they could while we were there which was a lot.

Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific

“Home to more than 11,000 ocean animals, representing nearly 500 species, the Aquarium celebrates the planet’s largest and most diverse body of water: the Pacific Ocean. Featuring 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits, the Aquarium of the Pacific is a world-class aquarium, exploring the waters of Southern California and Baja, the Northern Pacific, and the Tropical Pacific.”-http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/

With so much to see five hours wasn’t nearly enough time to take it all in but I think we managed to go through most of the exhibits that were open, even if we did walk/run right through some. It was still an amazing trip.

And now onto the pictures. I took over 200 pictures and since I can’t post them all here (that would just be a little overkill) I will share a few of my favorites.

*You are welcome to use my photos as long as you note that they belong to me. Please be respectful. Thank you.*

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Wordless Wednesday-View of the Valley

May 18, 2011

inphotography, Wordless Wednesday

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This is a view of the valley I haven’t been able to take a picture of before. If you look up pictures of my area it’s typically a shot over looking the entire valley over by the aqua duct. While it is a nice view it’s popular so I was glad to capture a different perspective.

You can link up your Wordless/Wordful Wednesday post over at

Resourceful Mommy

Mama Dweeb

Live and Love…out loud

Dagmar’s Momsense

Mom Start

5Minutes4Mom

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iHeart Faces photo challenge-May Flowers

May 16, 2011

iniHeart Photo Challenge, photography

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April showers bring May flowers. And what better way to enjoy those rainy days when you can’t go outside then by looking forward to all the beautiful blooming flowers to come next month.

This weeks theme for iHeart Faces is May Flowers and I just so happened to take a bunch of pictures the other week of all the beautiful flowers that are now blooming.

Here is my submission:

If you would like to participate head on over to iHeart Faces and link up!

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Pirates is almost here

May 15, 2011

inDisney

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is scheduled to be released in the theaters on May 20th. With less then a week to go Disney has released a special little activity pack for all Pirate fans out there. The pack includes things lots of fun things like coloring pages, face masks, door hangers and more.

To download the activity kit please click here.

My kids aren’t the biggest fans of the movies but they are still quite young so that’s understandable. I am a huge fan which I’ve stated before and my kids do say they like Pirates and will sit down to watch it with me but they aren’t really into it. So I will either be going by myself next week or with a friend. Either way I am excited to see some old characters like Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and some new like Angelica (Penelope Cruz).

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I am not perfect

May 14, 2011

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Despite popular belief I am not perfect (come on, go ahead, laugh, you know you want to. I am). In fact I am far from perfect. This is not a whoa is me post. This is a recognizing my faults and idiosyncrasies that make me me.

So here we go.

-I am a procrastinator

-I bite my cuticles

-I pick my nails

-I grind my teeth in my sleep

-I bite my lips and cheeks when I am nervous

-I am an emotional eater

-I have my clean laundry basket filled and over flowing with clean clothes to fold

-I have clothes in the dryer that need to be folded

-I let dishes pile in my sink

-My house needs to be vacuumed

-The kids trashed their room and it hasn’t been cleaned up yet

-I have a habit of turning my phone on vibrate and missing all my calls

-I do not like to leave voicemails

-I love sweets, and carbs, and well all food

-In fact I may or may not have a package of oreos hiding in my pantry.

-I hide stuff from myself so I forget I have it that way I don’t eat it all in one sitting

-I am terrified of death

-I come from mixed religions

-I pray but I am not Christian nor am I Jewish, I find religion fascinating just haven’t decided which side of the fence I am on

-I give great advice but don’t practice what I preach

-I have lost a lot of my patience

-I give up too easily (I am getting better at that though)

-I get so sucked into a book that everything around me kind of fades off, not always a bad thing but being a stay at home mom it’s not best to read during the day

-I don’t take care of myself as far as making regular checkups. That goes hand in hand with the procrastination but that is also something I am working on

-I am a walking stress ball

-I stress over the small things

-I have a semi webbed toe but I was not born with it

-One of my small toe nails grows a new nail every few years ever since I cut the tip of my toe off when I was younger

-I have a lazy eye but I might be the only one who notices it and only in pictures

-I don’t particularly care for my smile

-I have eczema (it sucks when the weather changes)

-I have allergies

-I haven’t been able to breath out of my left nostril for two years now

-I have a temper

-I wish I didn’t have a temper, I never used to and it drives me nuts that I do now

-I cry at certain songs, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole-Somewhere Over the Rainbow gets me in tears every time I hear it

There you have it. This is me. I am comfortable with myself. Everyone has things the don’t like about themselves but I am done looking down at myself because I am not perfect. Because you know what, no one is perfect. That’s the wonderful thing about being human. No one is ever perfect and we all have things we don’t like or would like to change. All of the things I listed off a part of what makes me me and you know what….I love me!

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Wordless Wednesday-My first born

May 11, 2011

inChildren, photography, Wordless Wednesday

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I can’t get over how much my “little” man has grown. I could swear that he was just born and in reality it was seven years ago. How has that time flown by so incredibly fast?

He is not the biggest camera fan which means getting pictures of him are few and far between so I usually try to sneak in a few when he isn’t paying attention. I love these shots of him. He is concentrating so hard on what he is doing and had no clue I was taking pictures of him.

My baby boy is growing up :::sniff:::sniff:::

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I miss my Nikon

May 3, 2011

inNature, photography

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I am a Nikon girl all the way so missing my camera is an understatement (corrupted card number four has got me halting use right now) but while enjoying the weather outside at my parents yesterday I grabbed my Dads camera from the house and started shooting and I am quite surprised I am saying this but WOW I might prefer the Cannon over a Nikon for close up nature photography. The biggest issue I have with Cannon DSLR cameras is the speed of taking photographs. It is slow at best. Not sure if it’s just the memory card but my sisters camera (same model as my Dads) is also slow. So for capturing pictures of running children it’s not the best, but as I was squatting in the garden and on my hands and knees taking pictures of the flowers and lady bugs it was awesome. Case and point:

Of course I am biased but I think they came out pretty darn awesome. No editing was done of these pictures so for coming straight of the camera I am really pleased. Now I am not saying my Nikon is nothing short of awesome because it is, I’ve had it for going on six years now and it has become a part of me. I have it with me at all times and I take a million pictures of every thing and nothing. Using the Cannon has helped me get over my pity party in not having a working camera but I am a Nikon girl at heart and don’t see a Cannon in my future, unless I somehow won and awesome giveaway but seeing as I rarely enter giveaways I doubt that would happen LOL.

And just so I have an even number of pictures of here because I am slightly odd and don’t like odd numbers, here is one more. See all those tiny little aphids, nasty little things!

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Lets celebrate Mothers Day by celebrating all mothers

April 27, 2011

in#Moms4Moms, Every Mother Counts

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Imagine walking to the hospital while in labor. How about not being able to afford proper care for yourself during pregnancy and postpartum care? Local staff not being properly trained on how to take care of you if an emergency cesarean is required, or the lack of medicine if needed? These are frightening things for a woman to hear about but sadly they are fact. Even in this current day there is a lack of maternal care around the world.

It’s a scary reality for those who are affected by these situations but it’s one that can be easily prevented. Moms4Moms was started by Holly Pavlika from Mom-entum along with 12 other amazing bloggers to bring awareness and help to Every Mother Counts.

Last year approximately $14.6 billion was spent on Mothers Day presents. This Mothers Day instead of buying material items why not instead make a donation to this wonderful cause. If donations aren’t possible there are other ways to help.

Have an old cell phone collecting dust in a drawer? You can donate it through Hope Phones.They will supply a postage page shipping label, all you have to do is put it in the mail.
You can join the movement and spread the word. The best way to get things started is by word of mouth. The power of people uniting for a cause is a magical thing. In fact as of April 26, 2011 Babycenter is now teamed up with with Every Mother Counts in spreading awareness for this wonderful campaign.
You can host a Watch Party. Simply RSVP to watch the “No Woman, No Cry” premier on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Simply RSVP on the facebook page & a party kit will be sent to you.
Become an advocate for family planning and help eliminate barriers to basic reproductive health care services.
Become a skilled birth attendant an advanced practice nurse who is trained in child delivery, prenatal and postpartum care.
Buy a Lifewrap a first aid device used to stabilize women who are suffering from obstetric hemorrhage and shock
Support obstetric care to end fistula and restore health, hope and a sense of dignity to women living with this condition.
Support The Birth Place Jennie Joseph’s practice in central Florida featured in No Woman, No Cry.

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Let me introduce you to Mr. Teddy

April 24, 2011

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My youngest has a lovey and his name is Teddy. I originally bought it for my oldest over seven years ago but he had absolutely no interest so when my daughter was born I gave it to her. And just like her brother she had no interest. I loved that teddy just for the simple fact that it was the first toy I bought for my son so when my youngest was born I gave it to him and surprisingly he latched on and has never let go. His lovey goes with him everywhere. He has even tried to take it into the shower & bath. I left the house without it once & will NEVER do that again. When I wash Teddy he will stand in front of the washing machine and cry. So I usually try to sneak it in there while he is busy doing something.

Today was wash day & his Teddy was in desperate need of a bath (seriously, it was getting nasty) so I turned a movie on for the kids & gave him an Iron Man toy & sneaked away with it.

Introducing Mr. Teddy

It might be a little hard to see just how dirty he is so I attempted at a close up shot.

I received a box of Tide Ultra in clean breeze scent and thought cleaning Mr. Teddy would be the perfect test subject.

So here we go, testing is in progress.

Little man didn’t notice Teddy was gone until about half way through the wash cycle. There was a lot of cuddling and hugs while he took his “bath”. And I know you are all waiting for it, the final result!

Here he is folks, a fresh smelling, no more stained Mr. Teddy!

There is a definite color difference on him, he looks almost brand new!

Can you see those little fingers, that would be little man wanting his Teddy & I was mean enough to tell him to wait & let me take a picture really quick. Horrible I tell you.

I honestly couldn’t be more pleased with Tide Ultras new laundry detergent. As if the clean scent it comes in wasn’t enough it also got rid of stains on Mr. Teddy that I have been trying to get out for over a year now. It’s also very easy to use with the spoon inside the box with easy instructions on the side of the box telling you what measurements you need based on laundry load size. I used to use dry detergent before having kids but switched to liquid. I’m not sure why I did that but I will definitely be switching back. It’s easier to use & less messy then liquid. With three kids in the house stains are a standard but with Tide Ultra stain removal quality it’s really a no brainer.
P&G is doing a wonderful job in the Future Friendly campaign to raise awareness on saving water and reducing waste. You can check out their facebook page which has a lot of useful tips on how to help achieve these things.

shespeaks - I joined the Future Friendly Challenge. Will You?

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* I was provided a sample of Tide Ultra from P&G as part of a SheSpeaks campaign. All opinions stated above are purely my own. *

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Wordless Wednesday

April 21, 2011

inChildren, Family, photography, Wordless Wednesday

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I just realized a little bit ago that today is Wednesday. Pretty sad considering it’s eight o’clock at night now. It has been a long day though, many many hours spent at the Orthodontist for my son, my youngest is sick and I’ve had a migraine all day. But I just can’t miss doing a Wordless Wednesday post.

Monday we celebrated Passover at my Aunt and Uncles house. This is the first holiday we have been together at since my Grandfather passed. It was definitely different with out him there but I am very thankful we got to spend that time with my family since it will be more difficult after the move.

My beautiful Grandma <3
He thinks he’s being sneaky, little bugger LOL