Turkey and Veggie Roll Ups

When I am on a health kick, I tend to eat lots of beans, turkey and veggies. Here is one of my favorite health kick recipes.

• Easy crock pot pinto beans- Mix your rinsed beans with bell peppers, red peppers, onions, and chicken stock and cook on high for six hours. Season your beans with Pinto Bean Seasoning. I love Fiesta--probably because San Antonio is right next door to us. 

• You pick your bread of choice. I go for the high fiber w flax seed bread. 
• Cook your turkey
• Season your meat. I love Fiesta Taco Seasoning. 

• As your turkey cooks, grate your cheese, cut your onions and tomatoes.
• Saute your onions and spinach leaves.

• Add the turkey, tomatoes, sauteed spinach leaves, onions, pinto beans and grated cheese to your wrap--so yum!
• The next day pile the rest of the ingredients together and ENJOY! 

When you are on a health kick, you can't go wrong with HIGH fiber bread, especially if it includes FLAX SEED, vegetables of all types, turkey... and yes.. BEANS!!!!Turkey and Veggie Roll Ups are the best and healthiest food you could try. 

Written by: Aimee Fauci

Flash Back Friday 1/31/14

When the older kids were younger, we would spend weekends walking the mall and going to lunch. At one point in time a new sporting goods store, Galyans, popped up. It was an exciting store with tents, camping equipment, golf stuff, anything and everything else sports related and a two story ROCK CLIMBING WALL that was free of charge!

Since it was free, the kids made a few attempts; some attempts were quite interesting (and a bit comical).

Sadly, the boys discovered that they had a fear of heights. They were brave enough to harness themselves and were able to climb up around 3ft off the ground before they gave up. Their older sister ventured her way all the way to the top and rang the bell that sounded off when you reached the top. It was hard for us not to laugh at the boys, especially since there were much younger kids doing it. SN- We all laugh at each other, that's how we made our skin so thick ;-) 

I will say that the boys did eventually get over their fear of everything and ventured on to joining the Navy. 

Written by: Aimee Fauci

My Fabulous Oatmeal Review

During this health kick that I am on, I have been eating the best almond butter, jelly and banana sandwiches for breakfast. After my tenth day of having one I decided to try something different for breakfast, so I opened up my pantry and took a look. I moved around the endless bags of chips, the HEB chocolate chip cookies and the multi grain crackers and found oatmeal cups. Actually, I found three different brands of oatmeal cups, they must have gotten lost during my non healthy health kick. I decided that this would be the week that I change my breakfast diet to oatmeal and decide which brand out of the three was the best. Here we go!

Kellogg's Special K Nourish Oatmeal- This oatmeal jumped into my cart after I read the flavor- Maple Brown Sugar Crunch. I was really excited to eat it, especially with the nuts that you get to mix in. After I let the hot water do its thing, I reopened the lid, I stirred in the nuts and the wonderful  aroma mad my nose and my brain so happy. I was excited! 

Sadly, Special K Maple Brown Sugar Crunch was not as good as I expected. To me, the flavor was good, but the texture was not the best. I was happy for the mix in nuts because they helped with adding a crunch. I love foods with a crunch. I went ahead and ate the entire bowl, because it tasted okay and it did have 5 grams of fiber, which is a plus. 

Kathleen's Quick Oats- This oatmeal landed in my pantry as a result from an HEB Meal Deal, so it was basically free. Once again, I chose an oatmeal that was Brown Sugar flavor. I've never heard of this brand of oatmeal so I had no idea of what to expect. 

After the water soaked into the oats, I lifted the lid and was happy with the aroma, but not so much the texture. It had the texture of baby food, but with 4 grams of fiber, I went ahead and gave it a try. After my first bite, I decided to try and give the rest of the oatmeal to one of the daycare babies that I take care of. He was hesitant at first, but took two bites and then said 'All done!'. Just like myself, he was not a fan, so the rest ended up in the trash. 

Quaker Real Medley's Oatmeal- At one time I had an oatmeal addiction, so I would stock up on this brand and this flavor. After trying two different brands of ready made oatmeal, I made a decision that Quaker Real Medleys is the only oatmeal for me! This oatmeal is so good. It has apples, cranberries, and walnuts. Like I said before, crunch is good. This oatmeal tastes fresh and it has 5 grams of fiber. SN- It does have a few extra grams of sugar (22 to be exact) and 290 calories but the 6 grams of protein and the 5 grams of fiber make it okay. 

Let me know if you've had any of these and what you thought. 

Written by: Aimee Fauci 

She Will Take the Lady Diana Hair Cut

These are the words I heard from my mother from the age of 6 to around 9 years old. When I was 5 years old I had long beautiful hair; I was so cute.

I suppose my hair got too long and my mom got too busy with brushing out my knots that she made the decision that tending to my hair daily was not something she wanted to do anymore. From the moment her decision was made the instructions for the hair cutting lady was 'Give her the Lady Diana cut.'; aka a boy haircut.
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Obviously by looking at this picture my hair did not and never did look like Lady Di's hair. It looked like a sloppy mess. For a while I did not mind the style of cut because I was a kid, I didn't know any better, but then random people started mistaking me for a boy! You may look at the above picture and think, 'She doesn't look like a boy', but take a look at the picture below.

Yep, that's me. I was born into a family of two sisters, but was mistaken as their brother many times. I remember selling candy with my sisters for school and the old man at the door said, 'Who's your little brother?'. One of my favorite memories was when we went roller skating and it was time for ALL GIRLS SKATE. After getting on the rink to skate, one of the employees stopped me and said, 'Hey it's all girl skate.', but 'I AM A GIRL!' I told him and went on and skated. 

Finally, in 5th grade I was allowed to choose my hair style. 

I can giggle at this now and make fun of myself and laugh, but when I look back at my childhood, when it comes to hair, I know the importance of asking my girls what hairstyle they want. What hairstyle makes them comfortable and makes them happy. From my childhood I learned that being forced to have a certain hairstyle really sucked, especially when it causes random people to think you are a boy. 

Do you have any stories from your childhood that makes you look at how you style your kids today?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

My New Breakfast Addiction

For 3 weeks I have been on a health kick to try and lose my flabbidy flab. Since that time I feel like I am obsessed with food and get really excited about meal time; I suppose this is because I have made myself stop snacking throughout the entire day.

While I am on this health kick, forgive me for posting and talking about my food; hopefully my obsession will die down soon, but in the meantime....

Introducing my new breakfast addiction:

Toasted 'Healthy' Flat Bread

Lather some AWESOME Almond Butter and Grape Jelly onto the pieces of bread

Smoosh a Banana and glop it onto a piece of the bread

Toasted Peanut Butter & Jelly Banana Sandwich

Grab a napkin because it is drippy. I have been known to lick my plate clean. What can I say, I'm hungry.

Do you have a breakfast addiction?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

I Bet You Can't Top My Biggest Beauty Flaws

As humans most of us try our best to look young and glam; some more than others. So much money is spent on making yourself look beautiful. Some people go and get professional beauty makeovers, while others do it at home.

I am the type of person that hates spending a lot of money and time at a beauty salon or spa to get re beautified, so I opt to buy the beauty product at the grocery store and do it myself at home, which has sometimes backfired on me. Read some of my biggest beauty flaws and let me know if you can relate or if you can make mine seem not so bad.

• Tanning Lotion- As in my previous post 'Skin Color Envy' I mentioned my flaw with using tanning lotion and how I did not rub the lotion on my legs evenly therefore causing it to streak. Since that time, when I choose to use tanning lotion I ask my husband, which he does not complain, for a little assistance. 
• Hair Remover- With my fair skin, my girly 'stache' tends to be the first thing I noticed when I  look in the mirror. With that said, I decided to use hair remover on my upper lip. I've used it before when I was younger and it worked perfectly. I followed the instructions, but afterwards there was still some 'stache', so instead of trying to tweeze I decided to reapply. That was a huge mistake. The second round removed the stache completely but left with me a two tiny burn scars that now look like pimples. 
• Hair Dye- I was blessed with premature gray, so I have been coloring my hair for years. I normally choose a brown or an auburn color. One day I decided to choose a brownish blonde. I thought that I would keep most of my brown but that it would give me some type of highlights. Nope, another huge beauty flaw, when I removed the towel from my hair it was an orangish yellow. Not cute!
• Shaving- When I was growing up, my sister had a better razor than I did so I decided to use hers without permission. Her razor made my legs smooth as silk, but two hours later they burned like fire. Later in life, I was taught that you don't share razors. 

These are just a few of the beauty flaws that I have made, some worse than others. Sadly, I did not think to take a picture of my hair or my burned stache lip but I was in panic mode at the time. 

Can you relate to any of these flaws or do you have any of your own that can top these?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

My Weekend Treat .. Panera Bread

For the past two weeks I have been eating like an AWESOME PERSON in hopes of losing some of my belly jelly. I've avoided going out to eat due to the option temptations that a beautifully colored menu provides. Since I've rocked for two weeks I decided it was time for me to test my will power and to give myself a little treat.

My eating establishment of choice was Panera Bread. I love the freshness, quality, healthiness, and food options. Normally when I eat at Panera Bread I choose to eat the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad but on this day, I chose something different.

Chicken Sorrentina Pasta w a cup of Tomato Soup- Just a few words to describe this dish.. oh so yummy! The fresh spinach leaves mixed with the fresh turkey and pasta and then each bite is dipped into the amazing tomato soup. SN- Anytime I order or make tomato soup, I use it as a dipper. 

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad - This is what I normally order but my husband ordered it instead. I think besides the freshness of it all, my favorite part are the walnuts! 

My baby girl is too little to eat a kid's meal, so I asked the cashier if they could charge me for a bowl of tomatoes and turkey. They did and it was only a $1. My child ate some of the bowl and then decided it was more important to play on the floor while stealing pieces of her daddy's bread. 

I can't wait to go back to Panera Bread and try a new dish. I should probably study the menu so I know what to get before my visit.. I would hate to hold the line up like I normally do and frustrate my  husband with my indecisiveness.

What are your favorite places to treat yourself to after trying to lose your belly jelly?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

Movie Review of: A Killing in a Small Town

I love classic Lifetime and made for TV movies; I practically grew up on them. It's a shame that Lifetime rarely ever plays a classic and many of them cannot be found on Netflix or Amazon Prime. After my husband and I made a list of movies that we wish would air,  I decided to do a Youtube search and I was in luck!

The first movie we selected to watch was A Killing in a Small Town that was filmed in 1990. This movie was based on a woman that was axed to death in a small town called Wylie, Texas in 1980. (SN- I used to live 20 or so minutes from Wylie) The movie details the trial of Candy Montgomery, played by Barbara Hershey, who is later put under hypnosis and reveals another personality. The outcome of the trial will probably surprise you.

This movie starts out slow but grabs your attention because you can't turn the movie off until you find out who committed the crime, how they committed the crime and why. What I love about this movie is that they do a great job with the costumes and scenery, hence Barbara Hershey's tight perm and big glasses. One negative about this movie is that the lighting is dark so it can be hard to focus in on, but it was made before HD was invented. 

What are some made for TV classics you would like to see aired or what did you think about this movie? Leave a comment.. 

Written by: Aimee Fauci

Flashback Friday 1/24/14

Today in the Hill Country we are celebrating a no work and no school day because we are surrounded by ice. It isn't fun to take Ice pictures so I thought I would post some pictures of some GOOD SNOW DAYS from our past.

Snow Day 2008

Snow 2010

Snow Day 2011

If you are a lucky one that is blessed with snow, make some Snow Ice Cream. It is so yummy! 

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/creativesnacks/r/icecrsnow.htm

Written by: Aimee Fauci

Excuse Me, Sir, Can You Take Our Picture?

These are words that you never hear anymore. Is it because people are afraid that the person they ask to hold their camera will run off and steal it like on the movie 'National Lampoon's European Vacation'?

Could people be anti social or maybe they are afraid they are inconveniencing someone? 

According to Wikipedia, the photographic self portraiture became widespread in the early 1900's. Of course it was more difficult back in those days, compared to today, because you had to work with mirrors. Today we have IPhones, Flip Cams, Web Cams and a lot of other amazing technology to make it much easier at any given point and time. 

The term 'Selfie' was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2013. Apparently it is quite a process to have a particular word chosen to be included in the Oxford Dictionary. Click here to learn more.

When did people, of all ages, become obsessed with Selfies? Did the obsession and craze begin during the Myspace era or when Facebook began to get popular? How many Selfies does a person need to take to get the perfect Selfie? What are the do's and don'ts of a Selfie? When should you and when should you not take a Selfie? So many Selfie etiquette questions that many people probably do not think about but probably should! 

Let me give you some of my opinions regarding the Selfie:

• Too many people, mainly girls, take advantage of the Selfie. If you take too many Selfies people may start to not notice, so with that said, people may overlook an awesome Selfie and may not give you a FB LIKE or a <3 in Instagram.
• Selfies should be taken with your clothes on and your skin appropriately covered. I am not trying to sound like a prude, but why do some of these girls think it is cute to show the world your half naked body. Yes, you have boobs, most females do. Yes, you are skinny and your tummy is cute, but you look much cuter with a covered tummy and a pretty smile on your face. If you are a female no one, but dirty men, want to see your half naked/ naked Selfie. Why do you need to post a picture of this? Are you that desperate for FB Likes?
• Guy Selfies? Here is my thought on Guy Selfies..... they should be avoided unless you are being silly and trying to make a girl laugh. Guys, we don't want to see you shirtless or God forbid naked in your Selfie. We applaud you for working out and we know you are proud of your Abs, but don't.... It's not impressive and it actually makes you appear as if you are 'full of yourself' (aka an 'ass').
• If you are in a group setting or hanging out with the girls, it might be fun to take a Group Selfie, but show your pretty smile... lose the duck face. 

How many attempts does it take to get the perfect Selfie? Kim Karshian actually posted a video on how to take the perfect Selfie. Let's watch:

She makes it look so easy. So easy that I tried it. I was not impressed and this was after 8 attempts. Of course I was more impressed after I photo shopped the massive pimple off my chin. 

Selfies are so impersonal, so I challenge you... if you want someone to take your picture simply stop someone with a friendly face and say, 'Excuse me, Sir, can you take our picture?' or ask your friend next to you.  

What are your Selfie rules, what annoys you when it comes to Selfies or how do you take the perfect Selfie?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

Taste The Rainbow.. And I Don't Mean Skittles

Back in the day I was watching The Montel Williams Show and he was speaking about his struggle with multiple sclerosis. This is where I first learned the importance of adding color to your foods. I was so amazed at what I had learned. Sadly, 'back in the days', I was really picky with my foods so there was not much color in my meals; however I have grown up since then.

This is one of my favorite dishes to cook when I am in that 'health kick' kind of mood. It is not only full of color and fiber but it is actually really good and easy to make! 

Step One: Cook your chicken and season with your favorite spice. YUM! Can you smell it?

Step Two, Three, and Four: Pick out your favorite vegetables. If I had red and green peppers I would have added them also. Instead of fresh beans I used canned beans. Always rinse the beans before cooking them. This will get all the unhealthy gunk off of them. Chop your vegetables. 

Step Five: Saute the vegetables and mix the beans and chicken together. 

Step Six & Seven: Mix everything together and eat it. 

The more colorful your diet, the more antioxidants you get. These compounds reduce overall cellular damage and prevent the hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart disease, stroke, even memory loss. "Every hue — green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and even white — signifies a different class of nutrients, each of which offers a unique benefit," explains USDA research chemist Ronald Prior, PhD, who was among the first researchers to measure the antioxidants in food that protect us as we age....

SO TASTE THE RAINBOW!!!!

Written by: Aimee Fauci

When It Comes to Exercising I Have ADD

Every now and then I will get tired of being angry when I have to put my jeans on and I get tired of remembering that my tubes are tied and it's not possible for me to be 4 months pregnant, so I will get on a health kick. We've all done it. We make New Year's Resolutions to start to exercise or we will join a gym so we can be as cool as our friends on Facebook or because there is an awesome app that everyone is using; example Couch to 5K.  I will admit that at first, I do really good, I stay focused and actually do what is needed to do to sweat and remove some of my jiggle. After the first week or two, as I'm exercising my ADD kicks in. SN: now obviously I've not been diagnosed by a doctor as to having ADD but I have self diagnosed  myself as having ADD but only when I am exercising.

In the past, a few times, I have attempted to workout to the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. At first, as usual, it went really well. I would take the time every morning to get my SHRED on! At first it hurt but I kept going; a week later my ADD started to kick in. I would find myself on my back doing the arm weights, but instead of focusing on the proper way to arm lift I would notice that my head would slowly turn towards the under part of the couch. Oh my goodness, my world stopped! I had to immediately clean out from under the couch because my mind could not continue to focus on Jillian. I would hit Pause on the remote with the intent of starting the Shred where I left off, but I would get so far into cleaning I would eventually tell myself that I would start it back up tomorrow.

Yesterday I was walking my treadmill, doing awesome and all of a sudden I remembered there were clothes in the dryer. I kept walking but could not stop thinking about the clothes in the dryer. They had to be folded or they might get wrinkled (even though they had been in the dryer for at least a day). My intent was to walk for 30 minutes but it was cut short at 15 minutes because the laundry HAD to be done.

I have come to the conclusion that I can't be serious or focus when I exercise. If I am not counting the number of curse words I say when I am walking the hills by my house or making someone giggle by being silly, I am finding something to distract me away from my mini workout; housework or breaking up a fight between my girls. I seriously think I have ADD, but only when it comes to exercising.

What activity, life event, chore do you find yourself all of a sudden having ADD?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

Skin Color Envy

Yes, I know you are darker than me, you don't have to put your arm up against mine to prove it.

Growing up I had 'skin color envy'. It was bad and I let it rule my life, mainly in my teenage years. If you know me, you know I am white. I don't necessarily mean 'white' as in Caucasian, I mean I am WHITE!

I never realized how white I was until I was in middle school, just in time for my teenage hormonal years! I never flinched when a girl or a boy put their arm or their leg up against mine and said in a shocking and amazed voice, 'WOW! I am really darker than you!' or they would call me a ghost or any other creative and fun names that I've washed away from my memory. My all time favorite 'tease' was from a boy in Health class. We were learning about albinos and he raised his hand and asked, 'Is Aimee an albino?'. Of course the class laughed (not the teacher, she was really good at keeping a straight face) and I looked at him w my evil eyes. Inside, I will admit, it was funny, but I would never let him know that.

With all of the unsolicited criticism I decided I would try and add some 'color' to my skin. I did the obvious and laid out in the sun which led to a burn, which turned to pink, which added 50 extra freckles to my skin and then turned back to white. I heard about a product called Jergens Natural Glow, which helped to add color to your skin so that you would look healthy and not have to lay in the harmful sun. I was excited! This was it, I was going to have a normal complexion. I lathered the Jergens on my arms, my stomach, and my legs. I did not do my face because it warned against it. A few hours later I looked at my stomach... drum roll... it was ORANGE! At least I did not have to expose my stomach at school, so that was a relief. At the time my legs and arms looked pretty good. They were actually a nice shade of brown. I had a tan,  I could not stop looking at my arms and legs. I was over the top ecstatic. I could not wait to go to school the next day.

The next day I went to school like any other normal day. I did not dare say anything about my new discovery. I would hate for people to make fun of me about my fake tan. No one said anything about my new skin color. Did they not notice, had it rubbed off, why were they not saying anything? Well, sad to say, they were about to notice. It was 'A' day which means it was PE day. After dressing into our gym clothes (shorts, shirt and tennis shoes), we all proceeded into the bright sunlight to run track. BAM, there it was, the laughter and the giggles behind me. I soon realized that the front of my legs had a decent shade of tan- like brown but the back side of my legs were a tan-like brown w white streaks. Yes, I was careless and had not put it on evenly. What can I say, I was only 13 and not an expert.

Sad to say it took me years to stop having 'skin color envy', but now that I no longer have 'skin color envy' I can live my life happy being 'white'. Yes, I am 'WHITE'. YES, my legs GLOW when I go outside, so you'd better put some sunglasses on. YES, I still put on sunblock even though, some would say,  my skin needs some color. No, I don't wear pantyhose to add color to my legs when I wear dresses. It is what it is!

 I know that many cultures have the same skin issues as I did. I have heard that each culture has their own group of people saying what they think your acceptable skin tone is. You are either too dark or too light. If you ask me, it is such an unnecessary stress.

What is your story? Does your culture have skin tone issues? Did you grow up too dark or too light? Share.. especially if it's worse than mine.


Written by: Aimee Fauci

I Am a Honey Boo Boo Closet Watcher

Hi, I am Aimee, and I am a 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' closet watcher. I will admit it and I am not proud of it, but I feel that it is important to be honest.

It all started with TLC's 'Extreme Couponing' starring Mama June. She was featured on 'Extreme Couponing' because she was able to buy a lot, especially toilet paper, and pay little to nothing. A few months later her daughter, Alana appeared on 'Toddlers and Tiaras'. She made headlines with her coined phrase 'A Dolla Makes Me Holla', pulling out her jiggly belly and squeezing her fat, and her special Go Go Juice that is a concoction of sugar, sugar, caffeine and more sugar. Since Alana was such a huge hit, her family was given their own show, 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'.

I will admit, out of boredom and curiosity I watched Season 1. I am not proud of this, I did not learn anything from this and I certainly did not get any smarter from watching this show, but I could not stop! I watched week to week with my mouth gaping open and my eyes wide like saucers. What has America come to? Why is this show allowed air time? Why? Why? Why?

I skipped Season 2 of 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' because I became sick to my stomach at the thought of watching this family. The belches, the obsessive gas, the really gross games that they play that involve strange body odors, and the dirtiness of their house. I know we all get a little busy and our house can become dirty, but if you know you are going to have a camera crew at your house one would think that you would dust, vacuum, and straighten up the clutter. I am hoping they are told not to clean up their house so that the show is 'better'.

 Season 3 rolls around and my curiosity got the best of me again. I relapsed and started to watch it again. The show was almost the same as the previous seasons; excessive gas, belching, nasty games, over indulging in fatty foods and pure obnoxious. The scary part about Season 3 is that it now features boyfriends of the older girls. God, help them. Let's pray they are on some form of contraception.

My intent is not to judge this family because quite honestly, they seem like nice people and they raise money for the community. In addition, I learned from the Wendy William's show that Mama June has an account for each child so that the money earned from the show will go towards their futures. I just sit, watch and wish that this family would look into a healthier lifestyle, possibly one with less sodium and sugar. It's not cute or funny, no matter your size, to shove and stuff your mouth with junkie foods. I also wish they would understand the importance of a clean home. Yes, I'm a clean freak, not an over the top clean freak but a clean freak.

'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' is over the top, but like I said before, I am a closet watcher and I can't stop watching. It's similar to watching a train wreck or a horrible auto accident. I can't take my eyes off of this show.

What are some shows that you secretly watch and are not proud of?

Written by: Aimee Fauci

What DOES a Fox Say?

Around a year ago I had one of my good friends ask me if I had heard of the song 'What Does a Fox Say?'. She laughed and said that I needed to listen to it. When she said the title, 'What Does a Fox Say?', I thought that it would be a child's song similar to 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' or 'If You're Happy and You Know it, Clap Your Hands'. After she mentioned it, I put the song out of my head and actually forgot that she said I should listen to it. A few weeks later, I turned on the local news and saw a dad with his two girls singing a song. The lyrics were about animals and the noises they made. I thought, 'Wow, that's a weird song', and then moved on with my life. A few weeks later I turned on the radio and BAM there was that song! I was like, 'What? Huh? Really? Are they serious?' and quickly changed the station.

One day I was driving my girls to school and the Fox song came on again so I quickly changed the station and to my surprise and disappointment my girls yelled, 'MOMMY, NO, turn it back, we love that song!'. I was like, 'Really? Are you serious?' and I knew they were serious when they began to giggle and sing the song loudly and as obnoxiously as the actual singer. I have to admit, it was kind of cute the first time I witnessed them doing this, but after the 100th time I was over the fox and really could not care what he said.

I took the time to listen to the lyrics in hopes of there being an actual message; there wasn't. After listening to the song and watching the video I came to the conclusion that it was possible that the artist(s) that wrote the song was probably 'under the influence'. Just kidding, sort of. I did, however, take the time to look at the artist website http://www.ylvis.com and came to realize that these are two brothers from Bergen and Africa and they are pretty funny and entertaining.  

 The song, 'What Does a Fox Say', will be a song that I look back on and wonder how it made it to the radio waves. Then I began to think about what crazy songs I grew up with that make me wonder the same thing now. A few songs that popped into my head are 'La Macarena' by Los Del Rio, 'Puttin' on the Ritz' by Taco (I actually did a jump rope routine to this song in 5th grade), 'The Safety Dance' by Men Without Hats', 'Thong Song' by Sisqo, 'Informer' by Snow, and so many more. As a younger person, I will admit that I sang, danced, and had fun with these songs; now it's my turn to let my girls have fun with the Fox song as I silently cringe.

What songs make you go scratch your head? By the way... 'What Does a Fox Say'.. I Googled it and a fox say 'ruff'.



Written by: Aimee Fauci

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I Married Into a Ready Made Family and They Said It Wouldn't Last

It's funny, I look at my past and my daughter's present and think 'WOW! I got really lucky!'. So many people told me that my marriage into a ready made family would not last, but I proved them wrong.

I met my husband at work 18 years ago. Actually, he stalked me for a few days and would not go away until I agreed to go to lunch with him. After our first lunch, I fell for the bait and could not get enough of him. He was so funny and cute. In addition, he had a car and a job; that is always a plus! 

At the time I was 19 and he was 29. Yep, I liked them old(er) and he liked them young! I had graduated high school 1 1/2 years earlier and he was in the process of a divorce and had 3 kids. Yes, you read right. I dated a married man that was in the process of a divorce and had a set of boy twins and a daughter. At the time, I did not think twice about his life situation. I was head over heels and had never been happier. I have to say that if my now, 25 year old daughter, told me she was in a similar situation my jaw would drop and I would immediately have a sit down with her and try to shake some sense into her after I checked his Facebook and Instagram account and then Googled his name for any type of criminal record. Technology can be great during times like this. 

What can I say, I was over the top happy and ready to settle down. After only a few weeks of being together, I moved out of my apartment and into his. A week after I moved in, I asked him to exchange his black leather couch for a white sofa/sleeper bed. He complied; that was a good sign. We were a team, we combined our money, we set goals, we paid off our debts, we raised kids, we moved up in our jobs and our housing. We were molding our family and were excited about the future.

Three years after officially being a couple, we married. It was a simple wedding, but it was our wedding. He rented a tuxedo and I rented my wedding dress and shoes. Yes, I am cheap and I love myself for it and even though it annoys my husband, he secretly appreciates it.

Marriage, especially marriage into a ready made family, is never rainbows and butterflies or a picture perfect fairy tale romance. It's more like a roller coaster or a box of chocolates as Forest Gump would say. We've had our life situation stresses; teenage years, finances, family, illnesses etc... , but like I said before, we are a team. We talk, we argue, we discuss and then we come to a conclusion and move on. I will admit that I am the more vocal one and my husband is the patient one. Maybe that is what is needed in every marriage, a yin and a yang. 

Looking back, beginning parenthood and marriage at the age of 19 was crazy and the odds were against us. Thankfully, my husband and I had the same thought process, 'We are in this together and not being together is not an option, no matter what.' Fifteen years later we are still holding strong and happy as ever. Our three older kids are now adults and we are now in the process of raising the three kids we created together. I would not want to be young again and have to go through the dating process all over again because quite honestly, it is a different world.

What is your wedding story? Did you marry into a ready made family, were you married into a family that accepted or did not accept you? How was it? I would love to hear your story.