Friday, October 12, 2018

"G is For Garden!" Our Field Trip to Shangri La!

I don't know about you guys, but when I woke up and finally felt some amazing Fall type temps, I just HAD to grab the kids and get some outside time. Since adding two more kids to the family mix, I have been scrambling to find time to de-stress and relax. The two newest additions are always in tow. Alone time is almost a non-option. In an effort to be a more chill me, a better, more centered Mom and wife I have been on a journey to try and discover things that keep me grounded. Things that I can search out and do on a super stressful day. Things that help me to stop and smell the roses. One of the things I have discovered is, I haven't been feeding my soul enough. Self care. I sure don't have time for a lot of the alone, quiet moments so I am finding new ways to self care WITH the kids in tow. Being outside is one of the things my soul craves. I love walking around and exploring new things. We have lived in Southeast TX for 7 years now. People have been telling me how wonderful Shangri La Botanical Gardens are, but I had yet to venture out there until TODAY! The weather was perfect and it was time for a new adventure! 

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a private entity located in the center of Orange, TX. H.J. Lutcher Stark began work on Shangri La in 1942. It sits on 252 acres, roughly and is a fabulous place to visit for adults, kids, schools and the like. Everyone will find something to love in this perfect place of serenity and beauty!

Click here to learn more about Shangri La.

They had the place all decked out for Fall. Pumpkins everywhere! Since I love Pumpkins, I was tickled and so were the girls.













Emma is in this phase where she thinks she needs to throw up the "peace" sign in every photo. I think it goes along fine with the atmosphere today! It's so very peaceful out here! There was so much for us to look at and explore. So much beauty! 

From the Greenhouses with gorgeous plants and moss dripping from the trees to the potted things for us to smell, we checked out every little detail. My favorite section had to be the area for kids where they encourage using your senses. They had herbs to taste, smell, listen to and touch. We tasted the garlic chives and MAN OH MAN they were delish!! 


There's also a lake on site. Ruby Lake and she is a beaut. I am an earthly being so I love just sitting and watching bodies of water just like these. I could've stared at this all day!



Simply calming. 





There was even a blind for bird watching! We got to see a rather large bird perching on a platform in the middle of the lake. A man that was there told us that often, there are Alligators on that platform sunbathing...Now THAT I would've loved to see!



It just so happens that we decided to visit Shangri La during Scarecrow Festival and it was amazing! Scarecrow Festival is a friendly competition featuring dozens of unique designs from community organizations, businesses, schools, churches and families. We had a great time and saw some really creative designs. Then, at the end of our walk, we got to place our votes for the Scarecrow set up we liked the best...it was a fun time for myself AND the toddlers!

We stumbled upon some set ups that just blew us away! 


First, there was a class of Sociology Students. This one had Emma's vote! Sociology Major in the making? Maybe!

Then we came upon an entire group of "Clean Gardeners". I was both entertained and impressed by this one. Totally goes with the climate we are in with global warming awareness these days.



 

We were stoked to stumble upon Five Little Monkeys! We have watched videos of this theme on YouTube and recited this song as a way to learn counting repeatedly so my girls knew exactly who these guys were and they were in love! So cute!!

Then we came upon a true gem.



I cannot say enough about this one. Orange Police Department Dispatch is responsible for this. I once worked as a Police Dispatcher for a HUGE city in TX so, this one touched my soul on so many levels. Kudos to whoever the brains were behind this one. All dispatchers in a 911 setting can relate. You guys are geniuses and should be honored as such.....This one is so on point, I cannot even describe it. Mad shouts and props people....

Then there was "her".

 
 "She". The being of Free State Cellars. Impressive. I love her. She calls to me. She is eery and earthy and mystical. I was drawn to her so strongly from the moment I saw her. I had to vote for her. She and her surroundings were made in representation of Free State Cellars. A wine company coming to our area soon. She's haunting and wistful. Just up my alley. We ran in to several other people that thought so too. So nice marketing, FSC...nice marketing. I already like you and haven't even met you.

Learn more about Free State Cellars here...

The most valuable lesson I can pass to you from this blog post is this, feed your soul! Self care is important! As a MOM/PARENT of any kind, we often find ourselves in a position that means we have to think of others ALL of the time. But try, as hard as you can, to squeeze in activities that feed YOUR soul! The little ones will appreciate the outing and you are exposing them to types of self care that might work for them in the future as well. Put those tools in their tool boxes parents! They will thank you for it one day and to the participants of the Scarecrow Festival, good luck and great job!!

Until next time, love to you all!!





Sunday, July 15, 2018

My 11th Anniversary Was An AWFUL MESS!! Truth and SORRY NOT SORRY!

Hello Readers! I've been away from blogging for quite some time. You guys, adding babies #5 and #6 to our family really required all of my focus and LOTS of adjusting. But I'm back! I'm so glad to be sharing with you again! We have been up to so much since I last checked in. Our lives stay very, very busy here. We stay exhausted and have extremely busy schedules. These kids are growing up so fast though!

Recently, John Dominguez and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. 11 years married. I was so excited for our night out! You guys. It was a MESS! A real, stressful mess.

John got home from work that night acting very distracted. He barely even said hello to me. He had fires still burning at work so he was buried in his phone. Not plugged in. I had to remind him a few times that we were supposed to be celebrating. He reminded me that his job was our main source of income and he would like to keep it. Such is adult life!

It just so happened that our Anniversary coincided with a work event that my husband needed to attend. John’s company bought seats for everyone to take their family to see Incredibles II. Originally, the event was scheduled on a different date but, of course it got moved to our special day and we had already reserved our seats so it would have been a big insult to John's employer not to go. That's how life works sometimes. Such is adulting.

We decided to go to dinner before the movie. We had three of our six kids in tow. Emma is in TOTAL toddler phase right now so she isn’t following instructions very well. Dinner was going pretty well until towards the end, which is pretty normal for Emma. Towards the end, she started having her meltdowns. I got up and started leading her out the door. She was NOT happy. She decided to go limp on me and refuse to move right in the middle of the SUPER HOT parking lot after I said something she didn’t like. I had to carry her to the car. I can attest to you that a limp toddler weighs more than your average, every day toddler. I am sure of it. Such is the Toddler Mom Life.

We get to the movie (Sophie insisted on being photographed with the big dinosaur as you see in the pic).




Before the movie even begins, Emma proceeds to spill her candy all over the floor then climb down to the spillage and attempt to eat it. Then she starts playing with the buttons on the electronic lounge chair and gets her leg stuck in it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Y’all, I was DYING for the movie to start. I had hopes it would calm her down. NOPE! She spent the entire movie attempting to run back and forth and do other various toddler things and every time we would get on to her, screaming would ensue.

Keep in mind, on my 11th Anniversary, I couldn’t even sit by my husband. Each one of us parents had to be beside a toddler so we could keep our eyes on them. So that meant we were about one lounge chair apart. Such is Toddler Parenting Life.

I started wondering how much longer the movie was. I was planning for the ultimate toddler meltdown that inevitably occurs at the most inconvenient times.

Just then, my 11 year old son asks me to show him where the bathroom is. I got up to take him since I needed to go myself. I came out of the restroom and waited for him to come from the men’s side, as I always do to make sure he gets back to where we are sitting, safely. And then I waited... and waited... and waited... and waited some more. All of a sudden, I see him running towards me down the hall. Coming FROM our theater. He went to the restroom then left me. 🙄 About 10-15 minutes of the movie wasted waiting on a child that wasn't going to appear. I suppose I should be grateful he came back to check on me since I was gone so long. Such is raising a pre-teen.


So I get back to the theater. Once I head up the walkway towards the stairs I hear Emma WAILING! She was MAD that I left her. I can only imagine how irritated everyone in the theater was. 🙁 Soon after, the movie was FINALLY over.

I left the movie exhausted. Sad that our Anniversary didn’t feel like one. I get in the car and see my cell phone lighting up. It's my 20 year old son that still lives at home asking me what's for dinner. At 9pm at night. I almost chunked my phone out the window. Life, when your adult children still live at home.....


We get home and settle in for bed. We are just starting to drift off to sleep and Emma starts itching relentlessly. Emma has SUPER sensitive skin. After trying to soothe her issue with the creams we normally use and that not working, I had to get out of bed and put her in the tub for a soothing wash down.... at MIDNIGHT. 😒

I was done for. Over the whole day. Such is the life of a Momma.

The next morning, Sophie wakes me up at 7am in total excitement. She wants to know if I have any money to take her on a big boat like the one in the movie. She had genuine wonder in her eyes. Elation. I went from exasperation and chagrin to being on cloud nine again. These kids are so lucky. They have it so different than I did when I was a kid. So much better. That's all I have ever wanted or wished for, for my kids. I LOVE that they enjoy life. I love that they CAN. So I will gladly celebrate my special day with them again when I need to. In total chaos. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Such is the life of a GRATEFUL Mom of SIX!

That being said, I think John owes me a do-over date night. We owe it to each other. And here’s hoping for a much quieter evening. 😉


Have you seen Incredibles II yet? Check out the Official Trailor By clicking the link below. Go see it! It's really good! (Or so the kids that got to watch it tell me)

Incredibles II Official Trailer


Have you ever had a chaotic Anniversary Date? Tell me about it in the comments!

Until next time, love to you all!!