OMG...Seriously? Poor kids!

Just more proof that some people should NEVER be parents! It scares me to think that any random person can become a parent in just "one shot", yet most pet adoption agencies have more stringent rules about who they'll give a kitten or a puppy to!!

Check out these pics and vids.....Yikes!

Good news for graduating college students!

Preliminary Results: College Hiring Up 21 Percent

Source: National Association of Colleges & Employers, 2011 (NACE)
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Spotlight for Career Services Professionals, March 30, 2011
Spotlight for Recruiting and Employment Professionals, March 30, 2011

Employers expect to hire 21 percent more new college grads this year than they did last year, according to preliminary results of NACE’s Job Outlook Spring Update survey.

Back in August, employers projected a 13.5 percent increase in college hiring for the 2010-11 academic year. However, since that time, other NACE surveys have pointed to college hiring gaining momentum. For example, NACE’s hiring index, conducted monthly October through February, showed an increase in the percent of employers planning to hire more new college graduates. In addition, NACE’s monthly recruiting activity index pointed to increased activity on campus: In fact, the index hit an all-time high in February, foreshadowing a greater increase in hiring for the college Class of 2011 than originally anticipated.

To date, 114 companies have responded to the survey. The Job Outlook Spring Update survey closes on Friday, April 8. Complete results from the survey will be available to members in mid-April.

Waffles, crazy hair, Elmo, Sesame Street & Smiles....

...are just some of the many fun things that fill our days and our world as-of-late.
Zoey's hair is growing longer, slowly but surely, and it's becoming wavy and curly at the ends. Some mornings when she wakes up, her hair is standing straight up in silly, wavy strands. Too cute. : )




We don't watch TV that often when Z's awake, but when we do, 99% of the time Sesame Street is our program of choice. I too was a Sesame Street kid, and I forgot how awesome this show is! Zoey gets SO excited when we first turn it on (after pointing to the TV saying "Elmo!"), and then she becomes glued to the screen, so serious and contemplative - hence why we seriously limit her TV time!

But I'm not gonna lie, Elmo is one of the few things that puts a Zoey tantrum to bay almost instantly, and Sesame Street gets instant smiles and happy dances out of my child. Plus it's so fun for all of us to watch, and educational too! : )

Rain Rain Go Away!

I think we've had enough rain for awhile, right?! This is how I feel today - as someone who loves the outdoors and exercises outside, RAIN RAIN GO AWAY! I for sure would love to get out for a sunny jog this weekend, and Zoey would love to go for a stroller walk and play at the park. All the family wants to play - come on rain cooperate!

HAHA....this is silly, but if you can make it to the 2min mark, you'll get a good laugh as the rain cloud sticks it tongue out at you! But don't worry, the song has a good ending. : )

SPRING has SPRUNG!

Here's a dose of sweet baby-animal, flowery, springy cuteness for y'all today. Happy Spring!

Ridiculous Baby/Parenting Products

Some of the items listed on these links below actually seem possibly useful, albeit unnecessary, for raising a child in the world today. But on the other hand, other items are completely insane and ridiculous. Seriously people - Baby Bangs and Pee-pee tee-pees?!

Thanks Parenting.com, haha!
Ridiculous Parenting Products

Weird Baby Products

Sleep Zoey

The time change last weekend definitely had an effect on everyone in our household. Even though David and I are both "morning people", we've had a much harder time getting up in the morning the past few days. Not only did our bodies have a hard time adjusting to the "new time", but with it being so much darker in the morning, in combination with this dreary, rainy weather we're having, who wouldn't rather be in bed warm and cozy?

As for Zoey, she's had the opposite effect - our sleepy toddler isn't aware of the fact that we're all supposed to "spring ahead" one hour. On the contrary, she's been sleeping an hour LONGER than she used to, and not just because her internal clock knows that the "real" time is. She's literally now sleeping 30-60 minutes more per night than she did just one week ago. This fact has helped with the above struggle I mentioned - hopefully Zoey will keep up that trend throughout the weekend so we can all sleep in!

On Tuesday morning, I actually had to go in and wake Zoey up from her peaceful slumber in order to get her ready for daycare. Beleive me - I could watch her sleep all day and the last thing I wanted to do was wake her up, but alas the realities our our daily schedule forced me to. Sweet sleeping angel of mine. : )




...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy "wear green day" everyone! Tonight my dad is coming over for dinner (Mom, Leah, Lukasz and Hayden are in Disneyland, lucky bums!), and we're going to cook corned beef, carrots and potatoes in the crock pot, with cabbage and Irish beer on the side! Yum!

Our life is full of.....

Kitties


Silliness & Laughter


and LOTS of love! : )

8 Secrets to Happiness

Finding the Road to Happiness

I really enjoyed this article, and agree with their 8 Principles 100%. I consider myself to be a happy person due to the daily practice of all 8 of these "secrets".
: )
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There is a lot we can learn from happy people, says a happiness researcher. The data suggests that they have several habits that less happy people may not have and that practicing them may help you be happier, too.

It's a mystery for the ages: Why are some people happy and others less so? And if we knew the secrets of happy people, could we practice them and become happier ourselves? It's worth a try, suggests Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and the author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (Penguin Press, 2008). Studies show that if we all engage in the established behaviors of happy people, we will be happier, she says, adding, "Of course, there are caveats: You have to pick a strategy that fits your personality and goals and resources and put effort into it."
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Definitely worth a try I believe! Because if not, what's the alternative?

Fairyland!

Yesterday we took the girls to Fairyland near Lake Merritt in Oakland for the first time...and we had a blast! It was a gorgeous, warm sunny day, and we had so much fun checking out all the interactive scenes, animals, kids rides and play-areas. Maybe this could be a fun place to hold a future birthday party for our little Z?!

We LOVE our Crock-Pot!

Just another delicious crock-pot creation. Thanks for making dinner David! : )

Toddler Eating Habits and Manners.....

....are not pretty, to say the least. For some reason, Zoey eats her lunch and snacks at daycare without a fuss (and eagerly tries all the new, homemade Filipino foods she's given there!), but she's been giving us such a hard time with her meals at home! We're not sure if she just hates being in her high chair, or if she's sick of the food we've been giving her, but whatever the reason, mealtimes have been a battle as of late...ugh. I mean come on Zoey, it's not like we're trying to feed you liver and onions child!! What kid doesn't like waffles, goldfish crackers, macaroni & cheese, and tortellini? Most of her dinner ends up on the floor lately - and you can bet the cats are right there scavenging below her chair for any tasty morsels they can find. Some mornings, however, Zoey does eat some of her breakfast OK for me, but I'm afraid mealtime and playtime are one-and-of-the-same in the mind of our little Zoey.

David's Birthday Dinner

I cooked a special Birthday dinner for David on Monday night - Broiled lobster tail, scalloped potatoes & sauteed garlic Brussels sprouts....yummy! It was a wonderful 32nd birthday for my dear hubby. : )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID! : )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR HUSBAND DAVID - I LOVE YOU BABE! XOXO

Our family weekend : )

We ventured out to Manteca this past weekend to spend some quality time with my parents, and we also got a chance to go out on Saturday night for David's early birthday dinner - fun! He chose the restaurant, and I was pleasantly surprised by the upbeat ambiance, the large, modern restaurant space and all the TV's, and the delicious food and great service. We met up with Desi and Scot, and his girlfriend Chloe, and had a great night out in Stockton! : )


And of course Zoey had a blast playing with Grandma & Grandpa Backes. Overall a fun, fun weekend. : )

Nissan Cube

I've been seeing more and more of these cars on the road lately, and I still don't quite know how I feel about the design - on one hand it's very unique and eye-catching, but also a bit strange and futuristic-looking to me, almost like a novelty - not a practical vehicle to invest in. What do you think?