freebies

John goes to a lot of conventions. I swear at any given time, somewhere in the world, there is a computer convention going on. 

Last week, John went to a "Geek Day" convention in Washington DC, which was actually sponsored by his company.  Of course, I don't know why they call it "Geek Day" when it lasts the better part of a week.

Anyway, John tends to come home with a bunch of crap they were handing out for free.  Sometimes it's free stuff given away by the convention hosts (t-shirts), other times it's stuff given out at various booths.  Most of it being crappy toys I let the kids play with until they break it or forget about it, then it mysteriously disappears into the trash.  (the kids won't let me throw out the biker jacket wearing rubber duckies with the HP logo on their bellies)

And every once in awhile John will win a drawing for something exceptionally cool, like the time he won the Bose alarm clock.  That was super awesome back then (14 years ago) because I am fairly certain the retail cost of that thing was more than John made in a week.

Anyway, this week John brought home something that I was a little surprised I hadn't seen lining the candy shelves at check-outs across America.

Basically pixie sticks for big kids and grown-ups.  Tubes of caffeine laced artificially colored and flavored sugar.  With this society's obsession for caffeine and sugar you'd think it would be a no brainer.  I am sure they were a hit with many of the convention goers. Probably a nice change from all the redbulls the computer geek population supposedly consumes.

Personally, I find them a little intriguing.  Not sure I will be sucking one down any time soon, or spiking my orange juice with one, but I don't want to throw them away either.

Zach asked for one.  The answer was a resounding "NO".  When Nick found out they had caffeine in them he demanded I throw them out.  My response was "And what exactly is one of your favorite sodas?" (Mountain Dew)

To which he responded with. "I see your point.  Well then don't eat them all at once, okay?"  I thought that was a fairly reasonable request.

pop quiz

Time to test your math skills.

What is .2 + .6 + .4 + .8 ?

The answer, of course would be 2.  TWO.  Or more accurately, two teeny tiny pounds lost in the last 4 weeks.

kill me now.

Yes. that does make for a grand total of about 14 pounds since I started, and I have lost each and every week, (even if it is only .2 pounds). And yes, I know, slow and steady wins the race, blah, blah, blah.

But I feel like I've hit a wall and I am a bit cranky about it, so I am going to rant.  Sorry.

I realize that if taking off weight were as easy and as fun as putting it on, I'd look like Kate Moss or Twiggy or whatever famous person these days looks so skinny even the tabloids comment on it.

Yes, I'm following the program.  No, my days don't consist of celery sticks and egg white omelets (although I did have egg whites for breakfast today).  And yes, if I choose to get a 4 point ice-cream cone from McDonalds, (I did the research, McDonald's has the best diet friendly ice-cream out there) then I will count it (or track it as those of program followers call it).  I always hit my daily points allowance.  (you are supposed to, eating too little is bad too)  and I've NEVER used up all of my extra weekly allowance.  (I get an extra 49 points to use or not use during the week as I see fit.  I can use them all in one sitting if I feel like it.)  And I even earn extra points by exercising (going for walks, going to the gym, riding bikes with Christopher) which I never touch as well.

I just to be clear, I'm not looking for any advice, any "Maybe you should..."'s   will most likely be answered with "Maybe you should bite me."

And in the mood I am in, words of encouragement sound fake and patronizing.  (so please don't.  At best I might make a face and stick my tongue out at you.)  Yesterday I had to listen to "point 8!  that's great!" (at which point I made a face) "That's twice as much as last week!"  (Except for .4 sucks, so that's really not that great.) I'd be happy with .8 if the week before were 1.4 or even 2.4,  but when my average is half a pound a week, .8 sucks.

And while we are on the subject, I am coming to the conclusion, that when I gain weight it starts in the middle (butt, stomach) then goes out from there.  Finally ending up in my hands and feet.  In other words, my pants will get tighter long before my wedding ring will.  But when I lose weight, it's the opposite.  Within a month my ring fits perfectly again, but it will be months before my pants feel comfortable when they are clean.  (Isn't that awful? making the decision when I get dressed every day.  Clean? Or comfortable? )

And finally, on a side note, they pass out these little pamphlets at each meeting.  Tips, success stories, etc.  On the back of the one I got last week, there was a story about a lady who decided she needed a little visual reminder always of what she was working for.  She told her group about it, and they gave her a "Bravo Star" (a gold star shaped sticker) and clapped for her, and then she wrote to the company and had her story printed in the little handout. Anyways, she got the company logo tattooed on her wrist as a little motivational reminder.  At first I was a little surprised they printed that story, with a big "Bravo!" star next to her picture, but then it occurred to me that they should be paying her because now she's a walking advertisement. 

Having no tattoos myself, I'm obviously not very big on them.  Mostly because of the permanence of it. (I have seen some pretty cool ones that made me stop and say "now if I were a tattoo kind of person...")  Tramp stamps on 20 year olds with perfect bodies might be all the rage now, but in 40, 50, or even 60 years from now?  Who wants a grandma with a tramp stamp?  But I think the worst has to be a company logo.  When I was going to Catz, there was this guy who got a big Catz logo on his calf.  Couldn't miss it.  Then I'd say less than a year later, there was some big scandal that I never got the whole story, and suddenly it wasn't Catz any more, it was The Pitt.  (Personalized Intensive Training Team or something like that) So, my point is I just want to yell at this lady- "A logo?!?! Really?!?! don't you know it will be outdated in 5 years or less?" 

Or it could be those 2 pounds speaking.

Spring Break! Woo-hoo!

-or-

It's a good thing there was no school last week since we all caught the plague.

Madison started Spring Break off right by throwing up in front of the whole 6th grade only minutes before school let out for a week.

She spent Saturday recovering, and by Sunday she felt well enough to go to church. 

We had crock pot chicken pot pie for dinner.  I don't think either of us will be eating that any time soon as she threw it up all over the kitchen floor and I was the one who had to clean it up.

Monday she spent recovering.

Tuesday she felt well enough to go a friend's house where she ate a bunch of cookie dough.  For dinner we had "Taco Tuesday", usually a big hit with the kids.  The chicken tacos are pretty tasty, and for only $10 I can feed my whole family. (Christopher usually opts for a pb&j or something from the freezer). 

"Taco Tuesday" will not be on the menu any time soon.  Madison threw up immediately after eating one, and just the smell of the tacos was more than she could stand.  A similar incident with Nick several years ago has prevented us from eating at Del Taco since. 

I was getting worried that there was something wrong with her, as she was getting sick only in the evenings, and each incident was about 48 hours apart.

Then Zach started puking.

The kids being sick was bad news for Nick as he had invited some friends over to watch Doctor Who and celebrate pi day (3/14). 

Good thing he cancelled because he was throwing up before his nerdy get-together would have ended.  Which was REALLY BAD NEWS because he was supposed to leave bright and early the next day for this super fun mountain man rendezvous campout that he had been looking forward to for weeks. As a scout troop they even made knives in anticipation of this event (and as you recall another mother sat up sewing him his capote).

He spent Thursday recovering, and John was able to take him and meet up with his troop bright and early Friday morning.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, Christopher threw up all over his bed and floor around midnight one night during the week.  I finally trudged to bed around 430 am, after he finally passed out. 4 hours of crying will do that to you.

And then it took some convincing by me to make John and Nick go camping on Friday morning when John caught me hugging the toilet at 3 in the morning.  I could see it in his face that he planned to stay home and take care of me.

He might have stayed if we didn't have such great kids.  He put Maddie in charge of taking care of me.  I was easy, I just needed sleep.  They took Christopher on bike rides, to the park, I gave them money for frozen yogurt, I let them go to the dollar store.  And I slept and slept and slept.

And then, when I finally ventured down the stairs- I expected to find the house a disaster, but instead, I stumbled upon a scene that made this poor mother's heart melt.  They were cleaning.  And not just picking up, but scrubbing the table and sweeping.  (Before this I had my doubts to whether the kids could tell the difference between a clean and dirty table, as the sticky messes seem to bother only me) Madison had even purchased flowers from Sprouts with her own money. 

The next morning I was treated to breakfast in bed (applesauce and soda crackers) with little get well notes written on the napkins.

I think the kids took better care of me than I did of them. I can't decide if that means I have exceptional kids or my mothering/nursing skills need improvement.  I'm going to ignore the voice in the back of my head telling me otherwise and choose to believe option one.

So, if you are counting, by Friday morning, 5 out of 6 of us had been sick.  John escaped by being out of town.  Unfortunately he did spend about 2 days in town which is just enough time to catch what we had and take it to Washington DC with him this week.  He plans to puke after class.

So that was our big spring break.  For once I'm glad I didn't have anything big planned like Disneyland or out of town guests. And as soon as he brings up his science grade, I'll let Nick re-invite his friends over for another doctor who nerd fest. :)

♪♫ Like a good neighbor...

....State Farm is there ♪♫

Okay, so this isn't really a State Farm commercial, and really about good neighbors and friends, but I couldn't just leave that jingle just hanging there, half finished.

Last week I had the opportunity to be grateful for good friends and neighbors not once but twice.

Last Sunday I took John to the airport.   The plan was that after I arrived home I had about one hour to get finish getting myself and my kids ready for church.  Doable.  Nick was already gone practicing a song with the young men that they would be singing in church the next week.  I left the older two with instructions that they were to be bathed before I got home.  They were. 

Everything was going smooth for the most part (Christopher tries to convince me he needs to stay home every week) But then I walked in the door, pushing the button to shut the garage door behind me.  It wasn't long before I heard a loud crash. I ran out in the garage expecting to see some huge catastrophe, but at first glance I couldn't see anything wrong.

Then I noticed this-

That long black thing above the garage is the spring, and it's not supposed to be in two pieces.  And when it broke, it dropped my garage door on it's way down. (the crash) So I set the garage to manual and tried to lift with all my might. No such luck.  It didn't budge.

I was stuck.

There was no way I was going to be able to get my car out.

Madison was the good example and immediately called a friend and asked for a ride.  I wasn't sure if I had time to find rides for everyone and be ready when those said rides materialized, so I gave up before I started and texted Nick that I most likely would not be at church and he needed to find a ride home.

After some explaination of the situation, he texted back saying that he and his scout leader would be over in a few minutes.

Long story short, they were able to lift my garage so that I could back out and even make it to church on time.

We delivered a big plate of Thank-You Cookies ( sugar cookies) to this man's house the next night.  And the bonus was that they were in the middle of watching a movie in the back yard and invited us over.

That night when I got home I checked my e-mail before going to bed to find something that set me panicking.

In just two days Nick would be attending a Mountain Man rendezvous with his fellow scouters, and some mothers determined that they needed "capotes".  (Big fuzzy mountain-man like coats to keep them warm).  Other boys had done them in years past, they were always a big hit, and it was the consensus of the mothers that they didn't want to send their boys off without this particular wardrobe item. 

The email stated that the mothers (all of which I consider my friends) were all getting together the next day at noon with our purchased material and sewing machines so we could send the boys off in style.

That's great in theory, and John's response to the forwarded e-mail said "That sounds great! Nick would love it! They're supposed to be really warm."

My response back was "Did you read the part about me showing up at the church with my non-existent sewing machine and my non-existent sewing skills?"  (not to mention that fabric stores give me the hives, because they speak another language and look at me like I 'm an idiot and don't belong there.)

I ended up responding back to the email to the other mothers saying that I really really can't sew, don't own a sewing machine etc. (I pay people in caramels to sew on scout badges)

I spent some time on the internet trying to figure out if I could buy one, (not cheap, and not at all similar to the example pictures that came in the email)

After talking to Nick, he said it was okay if we just borrowed one.  He knows I have my limits and sewing anything is beyond them.  I am sure he was disappointed, but he didn't show it. 

As I started making phone calls I received a new email from one of the mothers.  She said she had extra material I could have.  Her son changed his mind on the color choice, and if Nick was ok with gray he could have that material, and if I helped cut it out, she would sew it up that night.

I think I heard angels sing.

Whether or not gray (with black and white animal print for the hood and sleeves) would have been his first choice, Nick never let on. He was just excited and grateful to have his own.  (he made that knife and wanted to show it off too.)

My friend got a big plate of cookies too.

Twice this week, when things were looking hopeless, I received a message via email or text that help was on the way.  We would have survived with the car stuck in the garage for a day or two, and Nick would have made do without complaint if the best I could give him was a borrowed capote, but I am so grateful for good friends and neighbors who stop by in their suit and tie to heft a dirty garage door for me, or stay up after her kids go to bed so that Nick will have his own capote like all the other boys.

Excuse me, not just "good neighbors", The Best.

just thought I'd share

I had a crazy dream last night. Unlike most dreams that slip through my mind within moments of waking, this one has continued to occupy my thoughts all morning.

For some reason we were house hunting for a new home.  I think it was in another country, but there wasn't a language problem, so I can't be sure.  John and I had found a home we could afford, (which apparently wasn't much) but that was the extent of his involvement.  But after that he was mysteriously absent, (maybe he had to work) so it was up to me to decide if this was the right house for us.

Of course the house was a total dump.  It was small, and ugly, and dark, and awkward, with weird hallways and stairs and rooms that seemed to be added "post construction". 

It's good points seemed to be the price, the giant yard, and the fact that it was just down the street from the local elementary school.

Other bad points were the next door neighbors (Institution for the Mentally Insane) and the fact that when I asked about such things like the plumbing and  termites, the realtor dodged my questions with gift certificates for free jam. One for each member of our family.

And then I woke up.

I'd like to believe we would have crossed that one off the list.  The yard was pretty nice though.  Or maybe the dream was meant to serve as a warning that we shouldn't move any time soon.  They do keep trying to get us to move to Belgium.

finish what you've started.

Easier said than done.

Okay, I've got a problem.  I can't seem to finish a book these days. It's becoming ridiculous.

I start one, then get sidetracked, or realize that book club is in a week and I need to hurry up and find a copy, which leaves me only a couple of days to read, which sometimes it isn't a problem, except it seems that those two days are pretty crazy busy, and so I end up showing up to book club "not quite" finished yet.

For instance- I'm about halfway through with the Forgotten Garden.  I had already read it before, for a different book club, but that was a year or two ago, and I'd forgotten much of it, and am enjoying reading it a second time, but book club was a week ago and I haven't picked it up since.

The month before that was The Maze Runner. I have like 50 pages to read. But to be honest, I am not sure I will finish.  There are two other books that follow this one in the series, and it's a little more darker and disturbing than I usually go for.  So I'm not sure how much of myself and my time (and money- I'm no good with libraries, by the time I pay the late fees I might have well just bought the dang book off Amazon) I want to invest in a series.

Then there are the book club books that I started reading, never finished, and never made it to book club.  (Usually book clubs I was crashing and not on the official email list, therefore probably missed because I didn't know when or where to go, but since I didn't finish the book anyway, no harm done)
Books like the Scarlet Letter, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Devil in the White City.  I do have a plan to finish that last one since that is the book I am currently planning on having people read when it is my turn to host in a few months.  It's a pretty interesting read, and it is non-fiction even though it reads like a novel.  It's about Chicago in the early 1890's and a serial killer.

Then there are the books I picked up just for fun, but usually end up putting them back down (halfway through) because I "really should get started on the the book for book club".   I'm liking Freakonomics, but it's not a real page turner, so I pick it up here and there, start reading, can't remember what they are talking about, back track to figure it out, and then I get distracted, put it down, and start the cycle all over again in a couple days.  I must have ADD.

Also, I got excited about Midnight in Austenland, the new Shannon Hale novel. And I'm about one third the way through it, but had to put it down cause guess why? It was three days until our book club meeting and I hadn't yet started reading that book.

And several months ago I started Clockwork Angel, and some day I plan to pick that back up, I even looked at the sequel at the store, but didn't buy because the list of books I am working on is bordering on ridiculous.  At this point I need to focus on what I already have.

And then who can forget Hunger Games?  No, I haven't finished that one yet either.  But this time it was on purpose.  I think it was the book that started it all.  I didn't finish a book, and the world didn't end.  Anyway, I said it was on purpose.  I was on an airplane, and I was almost done with the book, a chapter or two to go, but I knew there was a cliffhanger, and I knew I was at least two weeks away from getting home to where book two sat in my bookshelf, and I knew book three wouldn't be out for another couple of months. And I had just hit a good spot.  Katniss and Peeta both win! Yay! The End For Me! And I tucked my airline ticket stub in it to save my spot, and put it away.  But now the movie is coming out, and I'm feeling the pressure to finally finish it.

So this month is Goose Girl.  The good news is I've already read it, so I just have to decide whether or not to dive in again.  It has been a couple of years, and the details are fuzzy, and I find that I get a lot more out of book club meetings in which I have recently read the whole book, instead of spending most of my time trying to decipher what everyone else is talking about.  But I am afraid that I will just be adding to the pile of good intentions on my nightstand.

(and of course we aren't even going to talk about the books that I have purchased with intentions of reading but haven't gotten around to yet. At least I can take comfort in knowing that many of the books have been read by someone else in this house, but still...)

Food Porn, part two

Last time I was serious about dieting, I found myself drawn to cookbooks, and blogs about cooking.  Or more accurately, BAKING. 

It occurred to me one evening as I sat in a dark room, alone with a computer, while everyone else was asleep, as I was pouring over various websites with glorious pictures of the most amazing looking desserts that I had a pornography problem.

Only not the kind of pornography that the rest of the world thinks of.  That kind of stuff holds no allure for me.  I'm talking about cakes, and cookies, and pies, and tarts, and candies, and cupcakes and all manner of glorious confections for me to fantasize over.

So, after almost three weeks on weight watchers,  I am finding myself drawn back into that world.  I've steered clear of the usual problem areas.  I don't allow myself to peruse the cookbooks at the book store at all. There was a time when I might have gone over there with the plan to find a healthier eating cookbook, and walk out with a book on decorating cupcakes. (true story)

But I wasn't prepared for pinterest. 

I had avoided it up until now as I had heard that it was a "total time suck" (hours can go by with no notice) and then there's issues like staring at pictures of other rooms with the intention of getting inspiration to redecorate your own home, can lead to a dissatisfaction in what you already have.

But someone showed me the app and how it was all too easy, and soon I was mesmerized by pictures of places I'd like to visit, and cute ideas for just about everything, and tips for cleaning my house, and quotes that made me laugh or think or smile, and recipes. 

Oh, the recipes.

Cause my mom probably has no idea what pinterest is, I will explain briefly. In the same way that once upon a time people would cut things out of magazines and file them away, or hang them on a bulletin board for inspiration or whatever, now there is a website dedicated to doing all that virtually.  You set up your "boards" or files, and as you look at picture after picture of everything under the sun that everyone else has posted, you can choose to "repin" those pictures to your own boards, to save for a later date, and everyone you know will see what you chose to pin, and they might like what you liked, and choose to repin it, and it goes on like that.   I just ran across this hilarious article on the subject, which totally falls into the "it's funny cause it's true" category.

So, yes, recently I've spent a little bit of time perusing the pictures.

After only a few days, the patterns that are emerging on what interest me the most aren't that surprising.   I won't give you a complete run down, but at the low end, "healthier living" comes in with four pins on that board, "for the home" has 14 pins, "places I'd like to visit" has 40, and "recipes to try" is leading with 56 pins. (and yes, there are a few ideas for redecorating, though at this moment I am choosing to focus on what is plausible, and I will worry about my gorgeous kitchen remodel later should it ever become a reality.)

And you'd be right in supposing that 90% of the recipes aren't exactly diet friendly.  Of course I could have a piece of a chocolate mousse brownie, I just have to count the points. (After making sure I have enough in the first place, and then not have seconds or thirds)

The point of weight watchers is that nothing is forbidden, and you have choices, but you do quickly learn that if you make good choices you get to eat more food , and if you make bad choices,  you might be out of points before you ever even sit down to dinner.

While there is definitely not the same feeling of  forbidden-ness that I had with catz (brownies were NEVER okay) I still find myself sitting alone in a room, staring at a computer screen and fantasizing about what I really shouldn't have.

And I know it's very closed-minded of me, but I have a hard time with recipes that are lightened up.  SOME are very, very good.  SOME have me begging for the recipe.  But for the most part, if I am going to have a dessert, I want a good dessert.  Not an 'okay' one, I want to really enjoy those points, not just wishing I was enjoying them.

Anyway, the old saying is still true.  "We want what we can't have."  And I want cake.  And cookies. And gooey caramel bars. And homemade bread with homemade cinnamon honey butter. And cute holiday themed treats.

Darn you, food porn!

ho-hum

I was on a roll there.  Even blogging several days in a row.

I wonder what happened?

I even started a whole post yesterday or the day before, giving updates on what is going on here, and I'm not quite sure there is enough material for individual blog posts, but that post was getting long and wordy, so I thought I'd just scrap that and break it into sections and highlight what's going on around here for the next week.  Like one person a day or something.

Aren't you lucky?

We'll start with me.

So, what's new?  Good question. Nothing very exciting.

A week and a half into weight watchers and doing ok.  I like the iphone apps.  Thanks to a tip from my friend Julie I downloaded the scanner app where you can scan the bar code on most products and it will tell you how many points are in each serving.  I scanned most things in my pantry and even several at a friend's house. It's that fun.

Like I said, it is going ok.  I did lose 3 pounds, but when it comes to weight loss, I tend to be "glass is half empty" so I am assuming it's just water weight, (the first week of every diet I lose 2-5 lbs.)  It's the next few weeks that are make or break for me.  (mostly break)

I'm doing fairly well despite the fact that I bought 10 boxes of thin mints.  (price of being the mom of a girl scout.) Those are a total weakness.  I was eating 4-5 cookies at a time a few years ago, and then I had the bright idea to put the box in the freezer thinking it would deter me. Like they would be too hard to eat, and by the time I had to wait for them to thaw out, the craving would be gone (it works with Samoas).  Only they are SO MUCH BETTER from the freezer.  I was eating AT LEAST twice as many in one sitting.

I volunteered to make sugar cookies for a Relief Society dinner the other night.  And my sugar cookies really are awesome. They are "mom" sugar cookies.  As in not to be shared with kids.  I thought the women at this dinner would really enjoy them.  They didn't end up getting sugar cookies.  They got a plate loaded with two boxes of thin mints. Two birds. One stone.

That's about it. I'm thinking I need to get started on all those projects I had planned for myself at the beginning of the school year. Like getting organized and painting and stuff.  Before I know it school will be over, (only 3 1/2 more months!) and the kids will be demanding my attention all day, and any real project will be out of the question.

New personal record

The night of Madison's party, I banned the boys from the house.  This was a "girls only" affair.

They went out to eat, and then they tried to go bowling.  Bowling was a total bust.  After waiting almost an hour, they couldn't get a lane, and waiting with Christopher for something he loves is about as fun as getting a root canal.

So, they left.

Christopher was distraught to say the least.

For the next 24 hours he wouldn't let it go.  He tends to obsess about topics that are in his brain.

So, finally we went. A fun time was had by all, except I think our lane was stupid, it seemed to take twice as long to reset the pins as every other lane there, (sometimes several minutes) which was annoying because we paid for one hour, and barely made it through one game. Grrrr. 

But here's the cherry on the top of all that family fun-  I beat everybody (which I have never done before, my score is usually in the lower half) and got my highest score ever.

Yes, you are reading that correctly - One hundred and Eight!  WITHOUT BUMPERS.  And I realize I can't actually prove that that 108 is in fact mine, since there are no names in the picture, so you'll just have to trust me on that.  And John's score (on the bottom) was actually 97.  I got so excited I prematurely took the picture.  I think my second highest score was achieved when I was 16 (20 years ago) and that was only 103.  I think I've only broken 100 one other time. (It goes without saying that I don't go bowling very often, and I usually suck.)

 But don't worry, I'm sure it's just a one time fluke.  It's still a good bet that I will not be contacted by sponsors any time soon, and have no plans to join any kind of league.

current favorite iphone apps

My iphone. I love it more and more every day.   How we lived before iphones is beyond me.  I did have a Franklin Day Planner that once ruled my life, but this is that and oh so much, much more.

All I need is an address, and my phone can fetch me any map I need.  It's been years since I have taken any books to church. No more heavy scriptures to lug around.  And my new phone even is voice activated.  I can talk-text someone, or if something pops into my head I need to remember, I can dictate a note to myself, or I can tell my phone to call someone, and it will. (John practically insisted that I get the new one- serious arm twisting involved.  I think he just felt guilty every time he saw my old one while he was using the latest and greatest, even though he knows I could care less about the latest and greatest, well until I get used to it that is, and then I become spoiled and can't go back)

My new favorite apps?  Amazon has an awesome app that allows you to scan things if you are out shopping, and purchase that item then and there.  For instance Friday night, John and I and some friends were hanging out at Barnes and Noble (yes, we are party animals) and I noticed that Shannon Hale just released a sequel to Austenland.  So, I used the Amazon app, scanned the barcode and low and behold it was cheaper on Amazon than at Barnes and Noble! With one click it was in my virtual shopping cart! Then a half an hour later, I found another book I wanted and did the same thing. (I realize the B&N people probably frown on that sort of activity so, shh! don't tell.)  A word of advice- This app should not be used while intoxicated.  John introduced it to a friend of his (many of his co-workers like their liquor probably a little too much) and the story goes that after leaving a bar one night, he stumbled into a Best Buy, and used his Amazon App to purchase over $4000 worth of electronics which he had completely forgotten about until it all showed up on his doorstep a couple of days later.

Another new favorite is Words with Friends.  It's like scrabble only you can have on going games with friends from all over the place. I'm in the middle of ten different games right now. Of course I'm not that good at it. Zero wins, nine losses. Strategy just isn't my thing. But it's still fun.  In fact, we had some friends visiting us for the weekend, and I got everybody in the house hooked on it, well at least all the adults and Nick. So there we are, on a Friday night (after hanging out at B&N) sitting around my living room, playing Words with Friends on our phones for a couple of hours.

(and just in case you are interested mom, Nolan was playing on his kindle fire). See?  I told you. Party Animals.  (of course admittedly not as much fun as the next night when we were playing this other game at another friends house and we were all laughing so hard we were crying.  And I shall cherish the image of Nolan being embarrassed.  I've known him for over a decade, and that was a first.)

The Disneyland app.  My only complaint is that I don't get to use it enough.  It gives you updates on how long the waits are on all the rides.  Awesome.

Bank of Mom- another friend blogged about this, but I love being able to keep track of what I owe the kids.  We do pay them allowance, and the occasional extra for some chores.  There's even an option to pay interest.  In an increasingly cash-less world, it takes the pain out of trying to come up with enough money to pay them regularly.  Plus, I have at least one kid who isn't the greatest at remembering where they stashed their cash to keep it safe.  My kids even like to make their own deposits to me, (for instance if Maddie earns money babysitting) so they know it's safe, and it might earn a little interest on the side.

And last but certainly not least- is the Weight Watchers App.  I joined last week.  I've come to the conclusion that my attitude is my biggest problem.  I hate going to meetings.  I hate listening to an overly perky instructor/motivational speaker teach us how to lose weight.  I get it. I've been dieting long enough.  I've been to weight watchers on several different occasions, only to get pregnant, or go to Utah for the summer, or something like that.  And it's always the same.  The program is usually tweaked slightly, but the gist of it is "Eat less, move more. And WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN"  It's that last part that gets me. I hate figuring out points and I hate writing things down, and carrying the stupid little menu planner thing with me, and I have no intention of getting on the bandwagon and raising my hand and telling the group about the substitute products I found that are less points so that I can get a gold bravo star for my forehead or my book or whatever.  In my opinion sugar substitutes = EVIL. And the "I can't believe it's not butter" spray?  BARF. Probably evil too.  I don't care how many sprays I get for zero points. Sorry. Rant over. The point is, there's an app for my phone that figures out points and keeps track of everything I eat (I have to enter it, but it's easier and funner and different than writing).  So, here's hoping the program will stick this time.  Plus, I have a friend to go with me, so I've got that going for me too.  (wish me luck this time around)

Riding with Christopher

I would venture to say that without a doubt, Christopher's most valued possession is his bike.

Every Single Day, without fail, he will ask me numerous times if he can "go play front yard".  Which is his way of asking to ride his bike.

He will ride around for a few minutes by himself, then the door will ring, and there he will be asking, "Can Zachey play?" 

If Zach isn't around, he will start going up the ranks, until he finds someone who will come out and play. So when my sweet little brown eyed boy asked "Can mommy play? Go ride bikes with Christopher?"  I couldn't say no.  It didn't matter that it was 4:30 and I still had no idea what was for dinner. 

Christopher has most of the neighborhood memorized and where all the playgrounds and the shortcuts to those playgrounds are.

He even surprised me by punching in the code to the bathrooms at the main park.  He said he needed to go potty, so I tried to go home because I didn't know the code, but he showed me.

He likes to lead the way (no one is ever allowed in front of him) so he would take me to park after park until it got dark. 

 I included this picture because it just cracks me up.  His head itched, but he wouldn't let go of the handlebars, so he's trying to scratch his head in this picture.

(Taking pictures while riding bikes is harder than you'd think, I totally rode off the curb and almost fell after this shot.)

Thank heavens for all this gorgeous weather we are having.  Perfect bike riding weather. I'm taking advantage while I can, even if it means dinner will have to wait. 

That's love.

So remember how I mentioned learning how to make my own vanilla extract when I was taking those cooking classes in Paris?

It's pretty simple, just two ingredients.  Alcohol and vanilla beans. (1/4 cup alcohol for every 4 beans)

And the best part is they can be used vanilla beans.  So, say you are making something like creme brulee and instead of just tossing the used bean away once it's been scraped of all it's goodness, instead of just tossing it (sometimes I would stick it in my sugar to flavor the sugar a little bit)  you can stick stick it in a jar of alcohol and let it stew for awhile and voila! you have homemade extract.

So why bother?

It's supposed to be better than regular extract.

As my teacher explained to us, with regular extract, if you have two identical cakes and you forgot to put store bought extract in one, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

So I'm curious.

I found the vanilla beans on Amazon.  That's the cheapest I've found them, except when Costco had them.  At the grocery store they average about $8 for 2 beans.  YIKES. 

The alcohol proved to be a little trickier.  Being a Mormon, it's not like it's exactly something I buy on a regular basis. Actually, I can't say if I've ever bought alcohol before, except of course for vanilla extract, mouth wash, rubbing alcohol, and cough syrup, etc.

Did you know they don't sell liquor at Target?  I spent 5 minutes in the wine and beer aisle worried someone I know might see me.  Cause that's what happens.

So I sent John to the grocery store.

He sat there in the liquor aisle, staring at the plethora of bottles in front of him. In my class, they said either vodka or rum works best, and their personal preference was dark rum.  So he called a co-worker he knows who is quite the expert in that area and spent several minutes on the phone discussing the different options.  He settled on a bottle, stuck it in the cart, even turned the label inward, trying to be discreet, and then as he was walking out of the liquor aisle, you'll never guess who he bumped into?

Actually everyone I've related this story to guesses right on their first guess, cause it's just so predictable.  That's right, he bumped into our Bishop and his wife.  No, they didn't seem to notice the contraband in the cart, or what aisle he was walking out of, but still...

I mention this today because John brought me home a couple little presents yesterday and it jogged my memory. (that last story happened in December) 

Being the thoughtful guy that he is, he thought of me as they were handing out mini-bottles of vodka at some charity golf event he was playing at. Ü

So, I have the beans, and now I have not one, but two different kinds of alcohol so I can experiment and see what I like best.  I just need to get cooking and use those beans.  See that jar of brown liquid?  That's exactly 1 cup of dark rum.  What you can't see is there is exactly 1 vanilla bean soaking in it. Which means I need to put 15 more in to get it to the right ratio.  Right now it's just slightly vanilla-y flavored rum.

So, hopefully sometime in the not too distant future, I'll have some opinions on storebought extract vs. homemade, and dark rum vs. vodka.  That's the plan anyway.  I'll let you know how it goes.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

So, the Disneyland trip was pretty awesome.  Mostly awesome.  Like 66% awesome.

Things that were Not Awesome- (in no particular order)

-Lunch on Friday -Sizzler in Blythe. gag. (the same one where I got clam chowder dumped on me the last time I was forced to eat there on a school fieldtrip)

-Dinner on Friday -HomeTown Buffet. gag again.  I ate at not one but TWO buffets that day and was still hungry when it was time to go to bed. I hate buffets. I know it's kinda snobbish, but quality trumps quantity every time, and with my figure I don't want to be eating copious amounts of food I am not really enjoying just to "get my money's worth".

-The musical Cats on Friday night.  I thought it was stupid 18 years ago the last time I saw it and my opinion hasn't changed much since then.  How it's survived this long is beyond me.

- The bus ride home. Overnight.  In miserable seats.  After a long and exhausting day at Disneyland.  Two girls puked.  I got off the bus and my body hurt head to toe.

- both the Matterhorn and Haunted Mansion were closed.

- The fact we didn't realize until it was too late that California Adventure closed at nine, and so we didn't get to ride California Screamin' or the Tower of Terror.

Things that were Awesome (in no particular order)

- Making new friends.

- The hotel. It was really nice.  Nicest one I've stayed at while on a school fieldtrip.

- Watching the orchestra at the clinic backstage at Disneyland.  They were able to play parts of the musical scores to four different movies, and have them recorded and set to the video.  They made a DVD for the teacher (unfortunately they won't make copies).  It was a super neat experience.

- Star Tours.  It's been revamped and totally rocks!  It's 3-D and it's almost impossible to have the same experience twice.

-Pineapple Dole Whip.

- Churros.

- One of Nick's friends hadn't been to Disneyland since he was five. He didn't remember a thing.  It's awesome to experience Disneyland through the eyes of a newbie.  I'm thinking that maybe Space Mountain wasn't the best choice for "First Roller Coaster Ever" though. He said he liked it, but his face told another story.

- World of Color. Worth all the hassle to see it. 

- It's a Small World was still all Christmasy.

But the Number One thing that was awesome about this trip was (drumroll please)...

Hanging out with Nick and his friends.

I told him he could tell me to "go away" at any point and I would be fine.  Really.  Disneyland by myself?  Oh yeah, I'm good.  I had a list of foods throughout the park I wanted to try (I have a book-I'm a travel guide book junkie) and there were a couple shows I wanted to see, and I had a "plan B" with another parent should our kids become sick of us.  He never did tell me to go away.  I made an effort to not sit by him on any rides, (after the first time where he told me he was hoping I was someone else- his friend, or another girl...) He even said he was glad I came.

And I really mean it when I say I had a lot of fun hanging out with a bunch of teenagers. They were a lot of fun and a great bunch of kids.  Even though I couldn't walk the next day, and I counted no less than 5 new bruises on my person, I would totally go again in a heartbeat.

second chances

Have I shared with you that heart wrenching story from my childhood, the one where I didn't get to go to Disneyland? If so, I'm sorry, if not, here goes.
Once upon a time there was a girl.  

A girl with no musical or artistic ability whatsoever, and a desperate need for some art credit so she could graduate high school.

Now this girl had a lot of friends, she wasn't popular by any stretch of the imagination, so by "a lot" we are talking 10-15 people she associated with on a daily basis.  But she was part of a fun group she ate lunch with, and hung out on weekends with, etc.

Anyways, practically ALL of these friends were in choir, and the Senior choir was going to be going on a trip to Disneyland, and she was the ONLY one of the group of friends not going.

So, at the insistence of her friends, ("You TOTALLY have to try out!... It will be so much fun!... Mr Wendel lets ANYONE in, you should hear the girl next to me....The girl next to me is totally tone deaf, you should be in for sure....It will be so sad if you can't come...") and the fact she was desperate for an art credit, she tried out for Senior Choir.

So, she rehearsed for several minutes by singing along with "Phantom of the Opera" in her bedroom that weekend, then went in to (very literally) face the music.

It wasn't pretty.

But let me tell you what the worst part was. It was not how the teacher said, "Not only can I not put you in Senior Choir, I can't even put you in junior choir.  If you still want to be in choir, the best I can offer you is SOPHOMORE Girl's Chorus."  No, the disappointment in learning that she would not get to go to Disneyland with her friends, and facing a whole year as the only Senior in a class full of Sophomores, wasn't the worst part.  The worst part was the teacher's look of pain on his face as she sang.  He'd been the choir director for years, the school was a pretty big one, and choir was pretty popular, so you'd think after all these years, and the possibly thousands of auditions he'd sat through throughout the years, he'd get pretty good at keeping his emotions in check while listening to people like me, I mean, uh her, step out of their comfort zones and try something new.

And then she spent the year enduring questions like "Uh, aren't you a Senior?  Why are you in here?"

Stupid art credit.

Fast forward almost 20 years.

I realize it's not really the same, but I am finally making it to Disneyland on a field trip with a bunch of highschoolers.  Nick's orchestra is heading to California tomorrow, and it worked out that I get to be a chaperon.  And believe it or not, Nick is super happy to have me come. 

Yes, I still wished I could have been there with my friends, making memories and having fun, but I think having a front row seat to one of these experiences in my kids' lives comes in a close second.

I'm alive

but just barely.

Also,  I haven't napped all day, so, I think that's good news.

Yesterday, after getting 9 hours of sleep, I came home from church, told the kids not to worry about me for dinner and they were on their own, went to my room to take a 4 hour nap, got up in time to put the kids to bed, watched TV for a couple hours, then got another solid 8 hours of sleep.

That has been pretty typical behavior for the past few days, only I'd watch more TV, or more exactly, fall asleep in front of the TV, and then John would convince me to go upstairs and get in bed and take a real nap for a couple of hours, then I'd get up, say hi to the kids, eat something, thank John for doing EVERYTHING, then get a solid 11 or so hours of sleep.

I want to say it started last Tuesday? or Wednesday? (it's all a blur) My back had been bothering me, but only enough to say "Hey, honey, while you're watching this football game, would you mind rubbing my back, for a little bit?"  but then one day I just bent over to pick up a shoe, and my back cramped or something. The doctor said something about pressure on nerve bundles or something to that effect.

Anyway, it hurt.  Apparently I was whimpering in my sleep. I went to the doctor and got lots of good drugs including a muscle relaxant and some painkillers, all of which had warning labels saying "may cause drowsiness" and so combining them meant I probably spent more time unconscious than I was awake.  I do remember going to lunch with John on Thursday, but that's all I remember of Thursday. 

And then, through the haze of painkillers, I started to notice one of my teeth were killing me. Like I couldn't even eat at all in case something accidentally touched that tooth.  I've been down that road before- I was positive my tooth was infected and needed a root canal. Of course it was Saturday and I had two days to go before a dentist would be open. At least I had some good drugs at my disposal.

So today, I got the root canal and more pain killers.  And antibiotics. There are now six different prescriptions on the counter with my name on them.  I just have a hard time remembering what I took and when.  As long as I remember the antibiotics I think I should be good.

Anyway, I tell you all this not to garner sympathy, but just a little understanding.  I'm not just being lazy. The plan was to take down all the Christmas decorations when the kids went back to school on Thursday.  The kids can help me decorate, but I am the only one to take it all down so it gets put away just the way I like it.   Anyway, the pain in my back made it impossible to bend, or reach, or stretch, or turn my head, or use my right arm, and the drugs made it impossible to stay awake, so my goal of putting away Christmas hasn't exactly happened yet.  I did take down the stockings and the wreaths today, so you know, baby steps. 

So if you stop by my house, and wonder why it looks like mid-December, instead of mid-January around here, that's why.  (and that's also why I haven't been blogging for the last week- thinking hasn't really been on the list of things I can do. Along with driving, or eating, or staying awake for more than 5 minutes in a comfy chair with a heating pad on my back)

But, I'm on the mend. My goal is to put Christmas away by the time John gets back in town, but I also promised John I wouldn't push it, so we'll see how far I get.

And in other news, I might have my Excedrin addiction kicked within the week as well. I can't take that in conjunction with any of my prescription pain meds, so that bottle has sat untouched for several days.  And I just opened one from Costco.  (of course give me a bad night's sleep, a killer headache, and a crazy busy day, and I will most likely once again find myself a slave to those little white pills)

12 and 24

Madison and I both celebrated our birthdays in December.  She turned twelve ( a very highly anticipated birthday because she gets to join the Young Women's group in our church and she is old enough to babysit.)

A few days before her birthday, a group of silly, loud, giggling teenage girls knocked on our door and welcomed her to Young Women's with a big plate of cookies.  She did not stop smiling for the rest of the night.  Later I was asked by one of their leaders if the girls bothered Madison. Are you kidding me?  She loved every second of it. Like I said, so excited.  And I am so excited for her too.

I have to admit though that I'm a little conflicted because I think she's growing up too fast. These next few years are so fun and exciting, and I'm excited for her, but it's already going by way too fast, and I am wondering what ever happened to my little girl, and who let her grow up?  Not me.   And besides, shopping for presents has gotten hard!  It used to be that if it was pink, she'd love it, and the hard part was not buying everything.  This year we ended up having a girls night out including going to the mall and letting her pick out her presents.  Kinda lame, but she did love it. 

My bff Jamie was able to fly down and some time with us over my birthday.  I turned 24. For the 12th time. (or is it 13?) Seeing as I gave my birthday to Madison and I get to stay 24 forever and all.  (unfortunately mother nature doesn't seem to be aware of this plan) Anyway, Jamie came down.  We've been friends longer than we haven't.  Since jr. high.  I think I was 14 when I met her. 

Anyway, I didn't think I'd get her down her after the last time.  Germs and kids are two things on her list of "things to avoid" so, when she came down and we all got sick, it was pretty much her worst nightmare.  I got strep, and tried to pretend I was fine, even though I was shivering and had a fever, and needed to see a doctor, but wanted to go shopping instead, and cause I wanted her to have a good time, but ended up at the doctor anyway, cause if there is anyone who can see right through me it's her, (although I was doing a lousy job of being "fine".)  And then John got the flu so bad he ended up in the ER cause he was so dehydrated so Jamie had to watch my two little kids who happened to have colds and snotty runny noses that she had to wipe while I took John to the hospital...

Anyways, she was pretty traumatized by the whole incident. I think it took me a whole decade to talk her into coming down again.  This time I made sure everyone was taking their Vitamin C, and we all stayed healthy.

And speaking of really awesome friends, I got to go out to lunch several times over the course of the week with some other girls I love a whole lot.

We let Maddie pick out the birthday cake, I was gonna make her one, like I plan on every year, but I get busy, and John seems to have issues with me making my own birthday cake, so we bought one, and truthfully, this place makes the best cakes so no complaints here.

Unfortunately December was too crazy of a month to throw Maddie a birthday party. I was gonna try and fit it in, but I couldn't.   12  is a pretty big deal, so sometime in January we plan on it.  (is that lame to have a party 6 weeks after your actual birthday?) Stay tuned for that (hopefully awesome) installment in the coming weeks.

science camp

Since I went with Nick to 6th grade science camp, I was naturally expected to go with Madison when it was her turn.

I have to confess, I wasn't really looking forward to it.  With Nick, we went earlier in the year, so the trip up into the mountains was a welcome reprieve from the heat.  With Madison, we went later in the year- think the first of December.  In fact, they were telling us to bring lots of extra socks because it was probably going to be wet and cold.  Just super.

I'll spare you the suspense.  It was wet and cold, and it even snowed, but I'm still glad I went.

I figured instead of boring you with the day by day itinerary of what we did, I'm just gonna share some of my favorite pictures from that week, but I do want to share this-

On our packing list it said to bring a snack to eat on the way up.  We stopped at a rest stop area and Madison pulled out a couple of brown paper bags she had packed herself.  She had stapled mine up so I couldn't peek inside before hand.  This was my favorite part-

Love that girl. 

Anyways, without further ado- 6th Grade Science Camp 2011.



"team building" exercise.  They were jumping rope.  I thought it was a neat picture.



Another team building exercise.  It was a teeter-totter thing and they had to hold perfectly still.



Maddie and Jillian dissecting owl pellets (ew)

 

Maddie and Taryn



silly girl



I came prepared to keep warm.



in the cabin.

 

Maddie and some of her friends.  I love that she picks such good friends.  Beautiful girls- inside and out.



Maddie and Jillian geocaching. Madison totally fell in love with this.  She's been bugging us to get our own equipment.



Maddie and a couple of her teachers.  I'm impressed that these teachers take time out of their lives (and don't get paid extra) to do this with these kids.  Many schools don't do this any more because the teachers can't be bothered.



Rock climbing.  Those hand holds were freezing, her hands were frozen and in pain when she got to the top, but she did it.  I also have to mention that she was climbing towards a zip-line at the top,  She was the only kid I saw to jump off the platform while standing, every one else scooted their butts off the edge. I was pretty stinking proud of her.



Their snowman.  It was dark and cold out, but they couldn't resist the opportunity.



Taryn, Jillian, and Maddie



Maddie, Jillian and Taryn



All the girls from our cabin.



Love this girl.

 Like I said, I'm glad I went.  It was cold and wet and snowy, but the cabins were heated and the mattresses weren't too miserable.  I was in charge of two different groups of girls- a day group, and a night group, and they were all pretty great kids.  Besides, I have the sinking feeling that opportunities to do things like this with my little girl might get fewer and far between.  Not to wax too nostalgic, but she is just growing up way too fast for this poor mother's heart, and who knows when she might not want me around like this anymore?