All about me

So I was doing some thinking and I realized that everyone reads my rambling's that I go on and on about like being a mom, work, school etc. Well I realized that I really want to get to know the bloggers a little bit more that I talk to on a more regular basis. I'm going to give this a shot and tell all you lovely mom's a out there a little bit more about me. 

Ok, in case some of you don't know my name is Kristina. If you didn't know that by now, then maybe you should un-follow me. I'm kidding. :) Anyway, where was I, oh ya my name. I live in Truckee, California 15 minutes from Lake Tahoe. I live in the sierra mountains where the summer's are hot and the winter's are ass cold with several feet of snow. It's the best of both world's and I love living where I live now. 

I grew up in Seattle, Washington. The stigma city where it rains all the time and everyone is depressed and runs around listening to grunge music. It's really not that bad. I love Seattle and it's a great city. There is so much to do in the area not to mention our sport's teams, like the mariners that I have never won a world series or made it more than the second round anyway. But, hey! we have an awesome stadium that is fairly new. Is anyone dying to go to Seattle yet?!? It was a great place to grow up. 

Let's see how did I end up in Truckee. My dad's sister lived in Lake Tahoe and Truckee for a while and I've been visiting since I was around 13 several times to go snowboarding. Let's just say once I graduated High School I was Truckee, California bound!

I started college at 18, I'm still attending, but that is way besides the point HA! I'm going to school for my BA in Business Finance and a minor in Accounting. My plan is to finish before I'm 30, please god! When I was 20 I learned that I was pregnant with my now 2 year old daughter Mackenna. I took 6 months off of school after she was born and went back once she was six months old. Anyway, all this talk about school and when I'm going to finish is boring me. 

Let's see what else. I've been working for the same company for the last 4 years. Love it and the people I work with. It's a place I enjoy coming to everyday. I love to scrapbook, read, snowboard, go snowmobiling and hanging out and watching a good movie. I'm 23 years old now and just enjoying my life with my little family in the mountains. 

I want to get to know you. Tell us about yourself, brag to me if you must. HA!
Don't forget to link up with me so I can see your about me post!

New .Com Domain

Please note that my new blog URL is MountainMum.com

In the next couple of week's I will be transitioning the name of my blog to 

Mountain Mum

Please be patient with me and make sure that you are still a follower of the Mountain Mum. 

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm Thankful for the help that I've been receiving with Mackenna while I'm in school this

semester. I just want to give a little shout out.

Ian - Thanks for taking on the mom and dad role Monday-Thursday. Feeding, bathing and putting Mackenna

to sleep. It's a big help, and I know she loves being with daddy. 

Mom - Thanks for taking Mackenna @ your work for a half hour on Thursdays till Ian is off. 

Drae - My awesome brother, thanks for watching Mackenna on Tuesday night's and actually staying the night. It helps a lot. 

I really thought that I was going to be able to post regularly and still work full time and go

to school 4 days a week. I was wrong. I'm thankful for my readers this week for still 

stopping by even if my posts are ill regular. Thanks for sticking with me. 

54.. Mackenna's Daddy

55. Sleeping in a comfortable bed

56. Having tons of firewood for the winter

57. 35 degree morning's, snow is coming

58. Living in the mountains

59. Friends and New Friends

60. Great job

61. Still alive after 3 weeks of school

62. That Ian still loves me :)

Blog Design Giveaway by Happy House Wife Designs

The Happy House Wife Giveaway

This is my biggest giveaway yet! I am offering TWO blog designs! Yes, TWO! What the winner will get is their blog designed in a Halloween theme and then once Halloween is over they will get their blog redesigned with a kit from Scrapkitchen Designs! What could be better than that!? 

The Halloween kit is from one of my favorite designers which you can find here - Libby Weifenbach. She has crazy talent and wonderful kits that I just can't get enough of! 

Here are the two kits that will be used - 

What you will get (with both designs) 

- a custom background 

- a custom header 

- a blog button with the "grab box" 

- choice of one or two sidebars 

- up to 10 sidebar tabs 

- signature 

- post divider 

- two sidebar pictures with frames 

How to enter 

- leave a comment on here telling what your favorite candy is 

- follow me on Twitter 

- follow Happy Housewife Designs on Facebook 

- do a post about this giveaway 

- tweet about this giveaway (can be done daily) and each Tweet will count as a entry 

- by putting my button on your blog 

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each of the above entries! If you are already following on Twitter/Facebook leave a comment just letting me know! 

Deadline to enter 

The last day for entries will be September 25th. The winner announced on September 26th! 

If you are the winner you MUST reply within three days otherwise a different winner will be picked. You are also stating that you have read and agreed to my giveaway TOU which you can find here - Giveaway TOU

Check our her Blog site: happyhousewifedesign

Wordless Wednesday.. Sort of.

Traffic... blah. The commute to school that is a little over 30 minutes can be 

brutal at times and test ones patience. Then after they have finished the construction

I can deal with driving with other's that can't drive in the snow. 

Two season construction and winter where I live. 

Happy Friday

With another week of school done, this weekend I can't wait to hang with my

girl Mackenna. Just me and her, and maybe daddy :) 

Stayed tunned tonight for my meal plan for next week. I'm going to 

start doing them on Friday's. It's just easier. 

Oh my, I downloaded the photos from the wedding I was in last week, and will maybe add them

to my meal plan post this evening. 

Make it a fun Friday! 

I'm really pissed :)

So, I rarely read news online or even watch it. I refuse because everything is so negative, blown way out of proportion and it just makes me depressed. Although, once in a while I pull up cnn.com, not my favorite source for the news, but I like how the top news story are just easy to access on the home page for easy quick viewing.

With 9/11 coming up, there is a lot flying through the headlines. One that particularly hit me was the fact that a man, sorry (minister), in Florida will be conducting a burning of Quran's on the anniversary date of September 11th. I'm not judgmental at first, but I was interested in what this guys ultimatum was to do this on a very highly sensitive day. 

I don't want to be too direct and touch on other's feelings on the thing, however I will say this, this is the most absurd thing I've heard of. This man is endangering our troops, that are still fighting for us over the attacks 9 years ago. He is also endangering the American people.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the rant and the post. I guess sometimes us mom's need to rant and rave about something and this is mine today :)

Wordless Wednesday

I love to play outside with Mackenna. I hope the snow stays away for a little longer than 

normal this year. She calls her car her "Beep, Beep" 

First Day Of School

So last night was the first day of school. How did summer go by so fast. I live in Lake Tahoe, California just to reiterate. We had an especially longer winter this year and summer was real short. It's hard to get back in the swing of things of going to school and nights and even having less time when I get off work to go the home duties, and dinner rolling for the night. I've doing some thinking and realized that I need to make sure that I'm taking care of my family even while I'm attending school.

This semester I'm taking 4 classes and going to school 4 nights a week and I work 5 days a week. You can already see the time I don't have already. However, it's important that I still use time management skills and be as organized as I can. 

Here are my promises to my family....

1. Keep to the Meal Plan

2. Stick to my cleaning schedule

3. Be positive, even on less sleep then normal

4. Try and do homework when mackenna is sleeping

It's going to be a tough semester, but I'm lucky to have my Ian, my mom and brother

to support and help me with Mackenna. 

Cheers to a good semester. 

Wedding, School, Hair, Makeup

Wow, I haven't had a spare moment to blog in the last couple of weeks it feels like. My friend got married this weekend and school starts for me today for the next 15 weeks. I'm taking 12 credits. Yikes. I'm sorry I've let my readers down with lack of posting, but I will be on top of my game this week. I promise.

Everyone have a good monday!

My Support & Rock...My Grandmother.

I give a lot of credit to my mother's, yes I've had a couple of mom's. :) But, when I sit and really think about the make-up of my life and who were my supporters from day one like my (mother's). There is one person that is most incredible woman ever, my grandmother. She remarried close to around when I was born to her now husband Herman. She has always been MorMor to me since I took my first breath on this world. 

MorMor,

I'm writing you this letter to remind you of how much of an impact you have had on my life. You are an amazing, loving and caring woman. From the day I was born you were there. You have introduced me to so many things and told me that I can do anything I put my mind too. You taught me to sew, bake, play piano, shop for a good buy. You are the most unselfish person I know in this world, and your love is something everyone should have in their life. 

I remember when we bought my first pair of saddle shoes and I wanted you to make me a poodle skirt to match. You have spent countless nights of sewing dresses all night, so that I could show off my new dress for church the next day. Memories, like these, are ones I will never forget and will remember for the rest of my life. 

When I was little, I have so many memories with you I can hardly pick just one. I used to come and visit you almost every weekend. We would go shopping, the movies or get lost in your sewing room. I'm sure it was easier when I was younger and sweeter. We went out for ice cream, or to the beach. 

As I got older, I became more and more independent, but I still had time to give to you. Most recently in the last 5 years, since that day I moved in with you. I was a very angry and broken person. You helped me pick up the pieces of my falling apart life. I swear if it wasn't for you, I would not be the person I am today. No matter how depressed and angry I was, you still tried to be my MorMor no matter what. I have to apologize, because there were some occasions, where I didn't treat you well or was angry at you for no reason. I'm sorry, for those moments, but I'm glad you didn't give up on me. You took care of me and made sure I had everything I needed. Even when I moved to California, you still helped me. Although, you freaked everytime you saw in the newspaper or news that we were going to get 2 Feet of snow and you called me to check to make sure I wasn't burried, you did it because you cared. I know at the time I would say, " Oh MorMor, don't be silly." and we laughed about it, I know that you did it because you care and love me. 

You are a worrier, and overly cautious person, but these are your best qualities. God gave you those qualities for a reason, and you have always used them for everyone's best interest, including mine. You are a irreplaceable person and I want to remind you how special you are to me. You have had such an impact on my life, and I want you to know that. We've always joked that you will live to be 100 or more and I would have to tape your crumb of body to my dashboard of a car, but who knows by then they might have something even better than tape. I just wanted to say I love you MorMor, and thanks for being there for me no matter what. 

Love,

Kristina

I'm Tired.... New Cleaning Schedule

Do you ever feel like when you get home from work, you have so much to do and you do to much, that you don't finally sit down for a break until 4-5 hours later. I've been feeling like that lately. I've decided that I'm doing to much on any given day. I understand that I have to clean everyday, but there has to be a method to my madness. It is time for me to have a cleaning schedule. I love organizing and being organized. Now I will spend 45 mins max a day cleaning... hopefully, because I have to fit in cooking dinner and hanging out with Mackenna when I get home.

Sunday: 
Laundry
Wash Bedding
Clean out cars

Monday: 
Dust/wipe down house
Vacuum Living area

Tuesday:
Bathrooms
Mack's Room
Deep Clean Kitchen

Wednesday: 
Mack's Laundry
Mop/Sweep Floors

Thursday:
Vacuum Bedrooms

Friday:
No Cleaning
Meal Planning and grocery list

Saturday:
Bathrooms
Grocery Shopping

The things I can't avoid are picking toys up every night before I got to bed, and cleaning the kitchen and dishes after dinner. I wish those things could do them all by themselves. Ha, dreaming.. :) How do you other mama's out there keep your house's in order and clean? What is the method to your madness?

An evening after work

Yesterday after work, Mackenna and I just played in the grass.

After working a 12 hour day, how can you not be in a good mood when you 

see you daughter laughing and playing like this. 

Monday Meal Plan

I've been slacking on my organizing of my families meal plan and haven't followed through with hardly

any of my meal plans. When you are both working parents and there is things such as overtime,

friends, family and just plain out trying to have a life, our meal plan turns into a jumble mess on whatever

I decide to cook for that night. I'm starting school in a couple of weeks, yes summer went fast and too short

as always. However, since I'm taking 4 classes this next semester I really need to be on my A game and follow

through with my meal plan for my family. Otherwise, I'm going to go nuts. :)

Sunday: Kiwi Style Sausage Rolls

& Salad

Monday: Homemade Chicken Strips 

& Salad

Tuesday: Pizza (Softball night)

Wednesday: BLTA's &

Ta-tor Tots

Thursday: Last Truckee Thursday's

(Eat downtown). This is a local event

held downtown Truckee where we live. Music, good eats and local merchants.

Friday: Family out to dinner night

(decided the 3 of us haven't gone out to dinner

in a while, so tonight is the night.)

Saturday: Bake Cookies with Mackenna

Turkey Loaf, Salad and Homemade Scalloped Potatoes.

Sunday: Rice, Chicken, Cheese Casserole 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. 

Please remember to give me a click!

I Bought a Hot Mama Bag

It must be around 2-3 months ago, ok maybe not that long ago, that Alysha had a free giveaway

@ thetarrpit for a Hot Mama Bag. I didn't win, but that how it goes with giveaways right... :)

Yesterday, I jumped onto Etsy and remembered that I wanted to take another look at her shop:
Hot Mama Bags

and see if she had additional patterns that were more recent or new. I took a browse and

I finally purchased one yesterday.

I choose this one!

I love the pattern

Not Actually, mine, photo from her shop...

Also, I got a really cute Key Chain to match the Bag as well. 

I will get back to you and let you know how it works and do a little review for you all. I haven't been

asked to do a review by the seller, but I really want to, because they are too cute of bags and I

want you all to see what you can fit in there. 

Happy Friday! Please also click and vote for me. 

Potty Training in Full Swing

My daughter now 2, is ready to be potty trained. I'm ready too. You finally reached a point where you do not want to deal with buying diapers anymore, cleaning the mess up when you child decides they don't want the diaper on anymore. 

For the last couple of night's when I get home from work I've been changing Mackenna out of her diaper and slipping on her training underwear. They are actually really cool. The ones that my Grandma sent to me are made from Gerber. They are like underwear, except they have a padding in them, So if they start to go, it's not going to make the biggest mess they kinda soak up the pee in a way. She seem's to really like it and enjoy getting the diaper off when I'm home. 

I've set up her portable potty in the living room, in case we need to make a mad dash to get her on the potty if I start to see she is peeing. She kinda squats or stands perfectly still and looks down. That's my Queue. We also, have in our bathroom a 2 step stool and a little seat that sits on the bigger seat of the toilet.

{My Tricks}

1. Running the water with the faucet while she is sitting on the toilet. 

2. Having the portable potty in the living room

3. Sticker Chart, she get's to put a sticker on paper after she goes potty 

(or every time she sits on the potty)

I think the most important thing to do when potty training is to always be encouraging them and never get mad if there is an accident. Also, trying not to get anxious and being calm. If they feel your anxiety and feel pressured they will not be interested. What have you done with your toddler's during potty training? Anything that's worked for you?

Real Quick Can you Vote for me.. Please!

100 Followers

Thanks to all of my awesome followers and reader's I've hit 100 followers.

This is so exciting. 

Thank you to everyone that has followed the Mack to My Cheese.

This weekend recap....

Friday night I went out to the bars with my sister-in-law and Jenny, for some drinks to celebrate,

my sister-in-law Amber's 30th Birthday. I even sang karaoke. :)

Saturday I really enjoyed doing not much of anything. I've been so busy at work, I feel

like I'm never at home. So, when I'm home I don't feel like doing much of anything, but

being a couch potato. We rented movies, and watched movies all day and I slept like crazy.

It's weird after I look back on those days I feel guilty for doing it, but in no way did I feel that 

way on Saturday. Everyone needs a lazy day.. Right!?!

Hope everyone has a good week!

Wordless Wednesday

Mack's 2nd Birthday Party Recap

Dear Mackenna,

You have been our pride and joy for the last 2 years. I never thought I could love someone unconditionally, and you have shown me I can. You bring smiles to my face no matter how tough of a day I had. You have made Daddy and Mommy so happy, and we look

forward to continue to watch your grow. 

Love, Mommy and Daddy

My daughter turned 2 on July 25th, 2010. We had her birthday the following Saturday. Here are some of the photos for those two days. It turned out to be a really good party.