A notice to Southen California drivers out there...

PLEASE learn how to drive in the rain. If you can't do it, STAY HOME.


*drive a little slower than normal (some of you speed demons are a menace) BUT please don't drive like an eighty year old woman. It is not like there is slick ice on the road. A normal speed where you are in complete control will suffice. Keep several car lengths between you and the car ahead of you.

*put your freakin' headlights on. OMG...it is pouring down rain and someone with a GREY car doesn't think it is prudent for other drivers to see him? This is an easy one, folks.

*Give yourself plenty of time to change lanes, exit the freeway etc. There is really no need to cut over two or three lanes when there is standing water. I can't believe how many people cut me off this week!

Living in Southern California is funny when any sort of weather hits. You would have thought we had a blizzard. Many of my friends didn't leave the house (which might be a good thing...less people on the roads). The people that did leave the house seemed freaked out. I suppose it is tough getting used to driving in driving rain when it only rains a few times a year (and even then it seems to rain overnight and clear up during the day). I can't even imagine how NUTS the roads were like in Las Vegas this week. If people can't hack driving in the rain, I am sure snow blew their minds!

One of my favorite nights EVER...

Jackson and I had our very first "date" night on Sunday. In fact, he and I haven't spent a lot of quality time together (other than during nap times) since Amelia was born. This is a fact I am regretting. Luckily, it isn't too late to start. I enjoyed every minute of it. I think he did, too.

It was such a grown-up night. We dressed up in holiday attire and went to a "fancy" restaurant. We ate at the Prado restaurant at Balboa Park. Jackson was so polite and sweet and seemed so grown up all of a sudden. He had plain pasta with butter and fresh grated parmesan. Jackson was very impressed that the "very nice man" grated the cheese on his noodles and he said that it was "delicious." I had a wedge salad with Maytag bleu cheese and smokehouse bacon (yummy!) and yellowtail in a red curry reduction. My salad was perfect. My entree was good, but not great. For $26 I expect an explosion of flavor; something I want to rave about for days. The curry reduction tasted more like a slight infusion. It tasted more of coconut milk than curry. I still finished the entire thing. But I digress....

Then we went to How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Old Globe Theater. I have heard so much about this show, but never got around to going until this year. It sells out every year and last year I waited too long. I know why. What a charming, charming play! I may have watched Jackson as much as I watched the play. He was enchanted. It was a musical and two of the songs he knew from the cartoon and he mouthed the words with the cast. The other songs were cute and funny. Neither of us were ever bored. I was filled with joy as I watched him soak it all in. I'll never forget his spontaneous, enthusiastic applause after each song. He would turn and look at me with the biggest grin.

We both had such a great time. I am feeling better about putting Amelia in preschool next month. On Thursdays, she is in school and Jackson isn't. That will be our time to spend some quality time together. I can't wait.

I wish I had a camera in my eyes....

Do you ever have those moments that you want to save, but running for the camera would ruin it? Or getting the picture is next to impossible? I do all the time.

Here is a brief list of some visions that I have committed to memory that I WISH I had snapshots of:

• Tonight, when the kids saw the Christmas lights on the house for the first time. With the glow of the lights on their faces, the happiness and wonderment was apparent.
• The other day when I was swinging with Amelia on my lap at the park. As we were swinging and she was going up toward the sky, her joy was actually breathtaking. What my eyes saw was a beautiful little girl with her hair blowing from the movement of the swing with a gorgeous blue sky behind her. Her smile was pure and it overflowed to her eyes.
• The first seconds after Jackson was born. They put him on my stomach and he lifted his little head (he was a very strong little guy) and looked toward me.
• When Jackson is singing or dancing with the tv and he doesn't think I am watching. When we watch, he either gets embarrassed or hams it up even more. I love his natural love of music.

I would love to invent glasses that had a super high mega pixel camera that could take pictures in a blink of an eye. For now I will just rely on my fading memory. Maybe writing them down will help me to recall them later....

Dishwasher Helpful Hint

NEVER...I repeat NEVER use concentrated dish soap in your dishwasher.

I really appreciate when my sweet husband does the dishes. It is our unspoken deal: I cook dinner and he does the dishes. He doesn't always start the dishwasher, but that's ok. I usually start it during the day. Well, yesterday he decided to help me out and start the dishwasher before leaving for work. Now, the love of my life isn't known for his patience for looking for the daily needs of our routine. Not finding the automatic dishwashing detergent right away, he decided to use the liquid that we use to wash the dishes.

Shortly after he left for work, I walked into the kitchen to find six feet of three-inch deep suds inching across the kitchen floor (my NEW wood kitchen floor). It was something out of "I Love Lucy." After six or seven towels, I had it cleaned up. I had to let the suds inside the dishwasher dry out and wash everything by hand.

Just another day.....

Leftover Turkey Recipe

Here is a true comfort dish. It isn't healthy. It isn't gourmet. It is, however, pretty darn yummy.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Enjoy.

Turkey Divan

Ingredients

• Turkey (leftover turkey or you can buy a roasted turkey breast at the grocery store. You could use always use deli turkey or even rotisserie chicken too)
• Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Jar of Alfredo Sauce **
• French’s Fried Onions
• Fresh (or frozen) broccoli
• American Cheese (6 or 8 slices)
• Cheddar Cheese ***optional

Layer the bottom of the pan with turkey. Mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with a jar of alfredo sauce (**you can always just use a couple of cans of mushroom soup and skip the alfredo sauce... that is how my sister and mom always make it). Spread a layer of the soup/sauce over the turkey. Add a layer of steamed broccoli. Layer American cheese slices over the broccoli (***I also add some cheddar, but the original recipe calls for American). Spread the remaining sauce over the top. Top with French's Fried Onions. Bake at 350 until hot. Serve over noodles or rice.

Variety might be overrated...

Why is it that we stress about making a unique, interesting dinner every night? Why do I stress if I give my son a PB&J two days in a row? BUT... I have no qualms about giving my kids the same exact breakfast every day. Amelia gets a Trader Joe's yogurt every single day. Then she has one or two bowls of Rice Krispies or Cheerios. Jackson gets a couple of bowls of Cheerios. I sometimes change up whether he gets regular or soy milk. They don't get bored with breakfast and get good, nutritious calories to start the day.

Is it ok to feed my kids Cheerios every night for dinner? Then I would never have to have that battle again....

I hope everyone voted!!!

Voting has always been a big deal to me. I remember how excited I was to turn 18 so I could register to vote. My husband is a permanent absentee voter. I don't want to do that. There is something about going to the polls and casting my vote. There is something special, something ceremonial about it. I feel important every time I do it.

I love to bring my children with me to the polls. It is a bit of a hassle, keeping them from bothering others, but it is definitely worth it. They will remember that their mother voted in every single election. I hope it teaches them how important it is. This morning my five-year-old asked me in a clear pre-schooler's voice, "Mom, who are you voting for???" I replied, "I don't need to say... it is private." I heard other voters chuckle at our exchange. As I cast my ballot for the president and for some very important propositions, I actually got tears in my eyes. As we walked out, all three of us with "I Voted" stickers, I again was choked up explaining the importance of what I had just done. I know they don't understand it now, but I am sure they will remember this someday.

***this is a duplicate entry from my other blog. :-)

Officially entering a new chapter of motherho.od...

NO DIAPERS.

It was a long hard road, but I think we have made it. Amelia has gone four days without an accident. Pooping in the toilet instead of her panties seems to have 'clicked.' Wooo hooo!!!! She is very proud of herself and is a BIG girl.

The last month or two alone is enough to make me thankful that I am done having kids. We are ready to move forward with growing up.

It is all somewhat bittersweet.

Five years seems like a long time, but it also seems like yesterday

The day he was born to the day of his 5th birthday. My baby is five years old. Just in the past couple of weeks he has seemed so much more grown up and even more like a "kid" than a toddler or even a preschooler. How did this happen??

Here are a few pictures of my baby:

September 6, 2003

His first birthday!

Just before his 2nd birthday....

His 3rd birthday...

His 4th birthday...

And this year...

Thinking about a little one who never was...

I was driving in the car today and the song I Hope You Dance by Lee Anne Womack came on the radio. It took me back six years. My life was much different then. I have become a different person since then. I am now a mother.

Soon after I found out I was pregnant the first time, I heard this song and started thinking about the hopes and dreams I had for my unborn baby. I love the words to this song. The first line alone says so much-- "I hope you never lose your sense of wonder." For 13 weeks, I thought about my future child with excitement and hope.

When I found out that the baby would never be born, I was devastated. Only a women who has experienced a loss like this knows the horrible emptiness that comes with it. I was terrified that we would never have the family that we had dreamed of and planned for. Throughout my twenties and my early thirties, I didn't think I wanted children. I loved the lifestyle of having money with no obligation. As I got into my thirties and finally met my soulmate, I knew that he and I were meant to be parents together. After the miscarriage, I was afraid that my selfish self of my twenties was going to get her way.

That loss was on August 5, 2002. I realized today that the anniversary was a couple of weeks ago. This year is the first year that I didn't think of that day on or around that date. I am so focused on what is happening around here, I don't have time to dwell on the past, I suppose.

I wondered today, what life would be like if that baby had made it. He would be 5 1/2 and starting kindergarten. Would he be a teacher's favorite? Would he make me smile every day? Would he love pirates? I rarely think about that child, because if he were here, then Jackson wouldn't be.

I couldn't imagine my life without my sweet boy. Even on days when he is driving me crazy, he will find a way to make my heart swell. He has a smile that lights up a room. And watching him at Stroller Strides being the little junior playgroup captain makes me so proud. He makes sure that other kids are having fun (as long as they are not touching his stuff *eyeroll*) and even welcomes the moms and invites them to coffee with us. While losing that pregnancy was really hard, I have to admit it was a bit of a blessing.

In addition to bringing me my favorite kid in the world, that loss brought me in touch with some wonderful women. I met some of my closest friends through online support groups. Like the green growth growing from the burn area behind our house, six years after that loss, I can see the good things that have come from it.

Here is the song that used to make me cry every time I heard it because it was a reminder. Now it makes me cry for very different reasons. The words to the song still speak to things I want for my children. As I watch Amelia dance, I hope with all my heart that she always chooses to dance instead of sitting it out. To my kids I say to both of them:

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin might mean takin chances but theyre worth takin

Lovin might be a mistake but its worth makin

I hate potty training!!!!

I think potty training is a little like childbirth. No one really tells you about all the rough moments, tears (lots of tears) and the scores of wet and (gulp) poopy underwear. As a mother, you conveniently forget these things until you are reminded when you march headlong into getting your second child out of diapers.


First, I have to say, that I don't really do potty training. I like to subscribe to the child-led learning school of thought. The potty training "boot camp" works for many parents, but is really not my style. Besides... I don't know how I would ever find the time to stay at home for three days and be by my daughter's side the entire time. My style led my first born to his third birthday still in diapers. sigh. However, he potty trained like he learned to walk, in a day or two and has had very few accidents ever since. Seriously, by playing the wait-until-he-is-ready game, I never dealt with the dreaded poopy underwear.

Fast forward to my two-year-old daughter. She is ready and eagerly hops on the toilet to go "pee pee." I knew that I needed to take advantage of the window. She is different than her brother and needs a different style of potty training, right? Hmmm.... now that we have started, I really want to go back to diapers full time. This is for the birds. Now that we have started, however, she won't let me go back. "No, Momma!! I want panties!! NOT diapers!" My strong-willed, independent toddler is ready to be a big girl. So WHY won't she poop in the toilet????

This week, we tried and tried to get her to poop on the potty. I have a few big rewards set up for her when she does. In fact, she cried when she saw the princess dolls that she couldn't have until she pooped in the potty. :-( When I knew that she needed to go, I had her sit on the toilet every ten minutes (she is WAY too impatient to sit there a long time). I let my guard down for one minute (literally) and she suddenly says, "Momma, I have poopy in my underwear!" ARRRRRGGGHHH.

Last night, however, we may have made a breakthrough. I realized that, unlike her brother who will sit on a toilet for an hour until he does his business, Little Miss is all about instant gratification. So... I handed her the coveted princess doll, so she could look at the package and all the things inside (slippers, necklace, blue bird). That kept her distracted long enough. I left her on the toilet and checked on dinner. I hear some very magic words, "Momma.... I went poo poo!!!" You should have heard the celebration in this house. We even called her Mimi, who witnessed all the accidents over the last week on vacation.

I hope that it wasn't a fluke. She is in bed right now with her special poo poo prize... Cinderella. If she goes again today, she gets Ariel.

Cross your fingers....

A moment of silence for Randy Pausch...

An incredibly inspiring man lost his battle with cancer today. I downloaded his lecture to my iPod in April and read his book last month. I was so glad to have known about him through his words before he passed away. His attitude on life was very uplifting.

I have to admit that I shed a little tear today. I don't always cry when I hear about strangers passing, but Randy Pausch's words touched me. I know that today and probably the weeks leading up to today have been the hardest his wife has ever known. His young children will miss their father terribly. His baby girl will probably only have memories from the videos he made since his diagnosis.

Here is a ten minute excerpt from the Oprah show that I found on my friend Penny's blog.


His one-hour original lecture was great. You can see it here or google it and you can download it to iTunes for free.

So many wonders in our world...

Seven Wonders
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:

1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
And
7. To Love.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! A gentle reminder -- that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.



[*found on this website: http://www.butlerwebs.com/america/default.htm#Did%20You%20Know?]

New baby to love!!!!

My best friend, Heather, had her second baby girl on Thursday. Her oldest is my daughter's best friend, Piper. I am so excited for Heather and for ME. I am not having any more children, but sometimes mourn the idea of never having a newborn again. But now if I get that urge for a newborn, I can snuggle with little Devon to my heart's content. I can also check out the bags under Heather's eyes to remind myself that I don't miss the sleepless nights!Look how beautiful this little girl is!!!

Congratulations, Heather and Jeff!!!!

yummy!

I just made a yummy dinner. To steal a page from Penny's blog, I thought I would post recipes here as I make them up. Tonight's is probably more appropriate for spring, since it was a bit hot for making chicken in the oven. I think I could have done it on the grill, but it was a tad messy, so I would need to do it on a grill pan or something.

Balsamic Chicken with caramelized onions, Havarti cheese and arugula
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded in gallon zip lock bag to about 1/2 inch thick (obviously, this can be made with any number of chicken breasts)
Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 (or more) slices of Havarti cheese
a handful of chopped arugula
1 sweet onion
olive oil

Add about 1/2-3/4 cup of vinaigrette (or enough to fully coat chicken) to zip lock bag containing chicken and marinate for 20 minutes to an hour.
Saute onions in a bit of olive oil until caramelized.
Place chicken into a baking dish. Layer Havarti cheese, caramelized onions and a handful of chopped arugula. Roll chicken around cheese, onions and arugula and close with toothpicks. Place some caramelized onions on top of the chicken.
Bake at 375 until internal temperature is 160*.

Quinoa with carrots, arugula and parmesan
1 cup Trader Joe's Quinoa
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups of chopped arugula
1/2 cup chopped onion (I just used some from the chicken recipe)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
grated parmesan to sprinkle on top

Saute onion in olive oil until transparent. Add garlic and carrot until sizzling.
Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
Add quinoa. Add sherry. Cook until most of liquid is absorbed and quinoa is nearly tender.
Add arugula and parmesan to taste.
Sprinkle shredded parmesan on top.

I also made some haricot vert (small french green beans) to serve with it.

new DO!

Daddy and Jackson have matching haircuts. They cut each other's hair with the clippers. Jackson did a pretty good job on Daddy. Mommy only had to clean up just a bit. Perfect hair for summer!

Giant piece of cake + that last piece of broccoli at dinner = bad news

We went to a party for our friend Sean's 40th birthday today. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a ball playing with all the other kids and swimming.

When it came time for birthday cake, Jackson was all over it. I don't know if he has ever turned down cake. That kid has a sweet tooth! Someone had a brilliant idea to give him a piece of cake the size of a softball with another two inches of frosting (he really wanted the balloon, which was a big glob of frosting). He ate the whole thing.

Fast forward to dinner tonight. We had some pasta and some broccoli. Jackson wanted to leave the table and I told him he needed to finish his broccoli. As he forced down that last bite of broccoli, his overactive gag reflex kicked in and up came dinner--- including some of the bright green frosting. YUCK!!!!!

I have no idea why I am documenting this story. Someday I will want to remember the unpleasant parenting stuff along with the fun stuff......right????

Mommy, you look pretty...is it a special occasion??

When I worked every day, I dressed up in office attire, put on makeup etc. I would rarely leave the house without my hair done and some makeup on. Now I am lucky if I get a shower, let alone do my hair or put on makeup.


Last night was Mom's Night Out. I was dressed in something other than workout clothes, my hair had been blow dried and straightening ironed, I had makeup on AND earrings. Jackson walked out of his room and asked, "Mommy, where are you going?" I smiled at him and asked him, "why would you think I am going somewhere??" "Because you look pretty." Awww.... how sweet. But wait, don't I look pretty all the time? LOL.


Then Amelia came in and asked, "Mommy go to book club?" The week before I had my book club meeting. She then added,"mac and cheese with Daddy??" At this question, Jackson cheered, "yeah! Macaroni and cheese!!" Hmmm... do you see a pattern here? Whenever Mommy goes out for either Mom's Night Out or book club, Daddy makes his specialty-- Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It is actually a pretty cute little ritual. Kenny makes the mac and cheese and all three of them eat out of the pot, taking turns with one spoon.

I suppose that I am sending a message to them that I "come as I am" on a daily basis, but I have fun dressing up every now and then.

New and Improved Hubby....

Kenny had his surgery Friday morning. We arrived at UCSD Medical Center bright and early (6 a.m.) for the surgeon's first surgery of the day.

Here is a picture of Kenny in the pre-op room getting ready to go. This was before his IV etc. I was amazed how many people asked him what he was having done and which side it was being done to. How, with all that double checking, do people get the wrong procedure or cut on the wrong side? One of the residents signed his initials on Kenny's hip as yet another check. Kenny added his own smiley face sticker as a special "hello" to the team.



I'm pretty sure this was taken right before they wheeled him off to surgery.


Jana texted me not to be surprised or worried when the surgery took longer than expected. I am thankful for that. The pre-op documents said it was a 90 minute surgery. The surgeon, Dr. Ball, told us with anesthesia etc. it would take around 2 1/2 hours. They were supposed to go in between 7 and 7:30. Dr. Ball came to talk to Kenny's dad and I at 10:15. He told me that the surgery was a success. There was a LOT of arthritis etc., more than he actually expected. He scraped away two pretty big bone spurs. All of this should really help Kenny's eventual range of motion. He said that he had extremely good muscle tone and bone density. All of this should help with his recovery.

The arrows point to the bone spurs, I think.... the arrows are mine.


Here is a picture of his new hip. He is now part metal (cobalt-chrome) and will need to be wanded every time he goes through the airport. He said he is happy to drop is drawers and show them his scar. That's my Kenny.


That is when the waiting really began. Dr. Ball had told us that Kenny was awake, but would be in recovery for two hours or so. We read a little, went and ate lunch and sat for quite a while. At 1 p.m. the recovery nurse called me on my cell phone (isn't it interesting what technology does to bedside manner?). She told me that Kenny was still groggy, but would be moved to his room in about 10 or 15 minutes. Forty five minutes later, we FINALLY saw him being wheeled to his room. I had started to worry that something had gone wrong. She told me that they were waiting for the room. Hmmm.... she had my cell phone, couldn't she have called me?? Grrrrrr.....

Kenny was still a bit groggy. He was pale and didn't talk much. A couple times he got a bit emotional and just asked to be hugged. It was hard for me to see him like this. I think we were both surprised that the anesthesia hit him so hard. He was also in some pain. I could see it on his face. They asked how much pain he was in on a scale of 1 to 10. When he said "four" as he winced, I said, "really? are you sure? You don't have to be a hero." He then quietly said, "well, maybe more like a six." They gave him a bit of morphine at that point. That was the only morphine he had.

This picture might have been taken after the morphine.


By Saturday, he looked and felt much better. I brought the kids to see him and it did a world of good for them and for him. Jackson was excited to see him, but had to be reminded that he needed to be gentle with Daddy. It might be tough for Jackson not to wrestle with Daddy for quite a while. Luckily, he's a pretty go-with-the-flow kid. Amelia gave Daddy a quick hug and kiss and then found things in the room to entertain her.





Unfortunately, there isn't too much to do for a two-year-old and four-year-old in a hospital room. Kenny's parents (the kids' Mimi and Boompah) took them back home for lunch and naps. I stayed with Kenny for several more hours. I was able to see the occupational therapist with him as well as the physical therapist. The physical therapist, Jeanette, is a mountain biker and was asking Kenny all about mountain biking in San Diego since she just moved here from Northern California. I think that made it a fun session for Kenny. He did three laps around the wing, when she only asked him to do one.

Things were going OK and Kenny didn't feel that he needed me as much. His parents had been SUCH a help to us, especially with the kids. We knew that it was hard for them to be away from home for any length of time, so we told them to go ahead and head home. I am not sure what I would have done without them. It was GREAT to have them here to help us. And the kids loved having the quality time with them.

Yesterday was a bit more frustrating. Kenny called me at 10 a.m. and said, "they told me to call my ride... I can go home!" Since the doctor had started the discharge paperwork two hours earlier, this didn't surprise me much. The kids and I arrived around 11 a.m. Kenny had just been told that there would be a slight delay. There was some sort of mix up with the drugs they were supposed to send home with Kenny and they were tracking them down. Well....THREE HOURS, several walks with Amelia and an interesting lunch in the cafeteria later we FINALLY left the hospital. While the service at UCSD was friendly, I wasn't too impressed with their administrative prowess on their discharge procedures. AND... we ended up having to go get the prescriptions at a CVS pharmacy anyway. Grrrrrrr.....

So he is home now. He is walking well with crutches, including going up and down the stairs. I had thought he would stay upstairs the entire time, but going up and down is part of his rehab. He doesn't stay on the crutches for long because his hip starts to ache after a while. He is taking a nap now... oh wait, Amelia just went in to see him. Nap over. Oops.

He showed me his incision last night. Yikes. That is quite a cut. I am, once again, reminded why I could never be a nurse. I am way too squeamish! Here is a picture of it. I hope you don't mind seeing a picture of Kenny's butt. LOL. Avert your eyes if you are also squeamish. You have to scroll down a bit so everyone doesn't necessarily have to see it. This will be the end of this post.....

Future rock stars??

Jackson may be the lead guitarist....


But Mia has future lead singer written all over her....

I know the video quality isn't so great, but it was taken on Kenny's phone. LOL. We were at some friends' house and they had a Rock Band game. Amelia picked up the microphone and just hummed along to Rush's Tom Sawyer. The way the game works, if you mess up too much (miss notes etc.), your turn ends and you get boo'd off the stage. Amelia lasted with the other players doing the guitar, bass and drums. She's a musical prodigy!!!! *wink*

Here is one more of her singing to Iron Maiden:

Jackson is more comfortable singing songs he knows the words to. I don't think he'll be good at improv at all. Some of you may recall his "American Idol" videos he did when he was two and three years old.

Jackson April 2006

Jackson April 2007

We DON'T live in the south. I suppose if we moved there, Jackson would take on a Southern accent pretty quickly- he seems to have the ear. ;-) I can't believe these were taken over a year (and two years) ago! Where does the time go??

A bicycle built for FOUR.

We had a great evening last night. We went to Lake Murray to go ride on the quad-bike that Ellsworth (the company Kenny works for) has as a prototype. It definitely turned some heads...

What IS that thing??

How it works is there are four seats and four sets of pedals. The kids couldn't reach them, so Kenny and I did the pedalling. Each set of pedals has its own shifter and it took us a while to figure out the best way to shift up and down for the many little hills at Lake Murray. Four adults could get this thing cookin'. I didn't want to get it going very fast because a) we had precious cargo aboard and b) I have a huge race coming up and don't want to be battered and bruised from falling off a bike. :-)

The kids really enjoyed themselves. They looked at the lake, the people walking their dogs, birds etc. I hope that Ellsworth manufactures these bikes because I definitely think there is a market for them. At least there was plenty of interest among bikers and walkers along the trail at Lake Murray.

We may have a future bibliophile...

Or at least I hope! I actually hope that both my kids have my love of books and reading.

Last night Kenny came home from work late. It was well after 9 p.m. He was able to tuck Jackson in (his bedtime is around 9), but Amelia was already in bed (we put her down at 8). He went in to give Amelia her kiss (he does this if she is sleeping or awake). She was still awake. She is often known to talk to herself and play in her bed for an hour or more. What Kenny found warmed my heart. I now kick myself for not going in and seeing myself, but I don't want her to stay awake longer than she needs to.

Kenny found Amelia laying in her bed with her legs bent. She had a book propped up on her thighs and she was calmly turning the pages to her book. She looked up at Kenny as he kissed her and continued to read her book. She has a reading lamp next to her bed and we leave it on dim when she goes to bed. I'll go in sometimes and find the lamp turned up. I guess I know now that she turns it up to read.

How can I be upset at her staying up late "reading" when I do it myself on a regular basis?

You know you've done something right.....

when your son makes you proud when you aren't even around. My job as a parent is to instill values and a sense of right and wrong in my children. I hope that they behave as though I am there watching them.

Jackson spent the day with our friends' daughter. Lisa had to work all day and she had a sitter for her girls. She thought that having Jackson there to play with would take some of the boredom out of being in the house with a sitter all week. Apparently, Jackson behaved well and he and Kristen had a great time.

The pride I felt came when I said to Lisa, "I hope that Jackson was good." She replied, "Jackson is always good." We all know that isn't true, but it is so nice that he has that reputation.

Crock pot roast beef....a failure of a meal

I actually consider myself a pretty decent cook. I make simple things that taste good. I am also married to a man who isn't a very picky eater. This combination makes mealtimes incredibly easy (except for the kids, but that is another post entirely). He is easy to please, so I can experiment and try new things without much risk. No matter what I make, Kenny eats it. He will give feedback if I ask and let me know when something wasn't his favorite.

Tonight's meal wasn't even an experiment. It was a simple roast in the crock pot. I figured that it would be easier to do the crock pot so I could get some other things done around the house. I threw in some carrots and potatoes. I browned the roast on the stove before putting it in. I added some water and some lipton onion soup mix. Various recipes indicated various times. I set it for 6 hours and turned it off after 4 or so.

It was HORRIBLE. The meat was super super DRY. Way overcooked. It also had very little flavor. I would have been better off roasting it in the oven. Even my hubby who likes everything didn't have a second helping. He did, however, raid the fridge and eat some leftover pasta. *sigh* Oh well.... you can't win them all.

Any suggestions for cooking a roast beef in the crock pot? Am I better off cooking it in the oven?

New and improved hubby on the way....

Kenny is getting hip surgery on June 6. It has been a long time coming. He has had a bad hip since I have known him. Actually, it was re-injured when he was in Costa Rica with his friends right before our one year anniversary of finding each other. He hasn't been the same since.

For the next few weeks, he needs to eat a diet high in iron in preparation for the surgery. It makes sense, but it also seems like a convenient way for him to get steak every night ;-) So during the same time I need to add carbs to my diet, he needs to eat steak. Hmmm... it seems like there should be some sort of nursery rhyme in there-- "he could eat no carbs and she not too much protein...."

I also have to be prepared to give him shots in his stomach. Eek! I am the most squeemish person I know. I know that subcutaneous shots are the easiest to do and the needles are small, but I can't even look when they give me shots, let alone my kids. Actually giving the shot? All I can say is good thing it's true love.

I am nervous and excited. Obviously, I am nervous because this is major surgery. I am excited for Kenny to be pain free. At least his hip will be pain free. I'm not so sure about the rest of his body. In the past 6 months he has torn his MCL, sprained his shoulder and came very close to crushing his heel/achilles. I hope that the hip surgery will be the beginning of a completely pain-free year.

Strange karma going on....

For some reason my electronics mojo is suffering! Yesterday, my favorite toy, my iPod (and the speaker case it was in), was lost at the park after bringing it to playgroup for a dance party for the kids. I am just sick to have lost it. I had hoped that a child (or even I) had put it on the wrong stroller and that I would get an e-mail that one of the moms had it.

Then, my cell phone took a poop. I can't hear anyone when I am connected. When I use the headphones, I can hear, but no one can hear me. I took it into Verizon and they couldn't fix it. I am not 100% confident in that person's ability due to her utter lack of caring, but she did reset it to factory settings and it still doesn't work. I have never been in love with that phone anyway.

EDITED: I got a brand new Razr for free from Verizon by renewing my plan AND Jen found my iPod and speaker!!! Yeah... the universe is back on track.

Man....doing a post a day is tough!

I missed another day! I suppose I could cheat and change the date, but that wouldn't be keeping with the spirit of things, would it? I'll try to do two today to make up.

This is yet another story about Amelia. I feel like I write more about her. But she is two and I want to remember all the cute things she does. I have forgotten so much of what Jackson said and did when he was two.

The other day, Amelia told me that she wanted to go pee pee on the potty. She sat there and I got close so I could listen for the tinkle. She pushed me away and said, "go, Momma...I need privacy." Jackson is barely wiping himself and Amelia fights me to do it saying, "I do it!" That little girl is my independent one.

Now... if I can just get her to ask to go pee pee in the potty before she goes in her diaper instead of after.

our little princess...

For a while now, getting pajamas on Amelia has been a battle unless they were one of two PJs. She will gladly wear her Dora jammies or her princess jammies. On those nights when I havent' done a load of her clothes and neither jammies are clean, it is a battle of wills with this independent little two-year-old. It is either convincing her of the merits of flowers or polka dots or forcing them on her in an all-out battle. Neither are appealing after a long day.

SO.... I decided to buy additional jammies that would excite our little girl who is every bit of a two-year-old girl. Thanks to Jen, I found Disney Princess nightgowns at fabulous prices at DisneyOutlet.com. These were seriously good deals (i.e. $2.99 for a nightgown). I found four velvet nightgowns of various princesses. When they arrived today, Amelia was SO excited. She started taking her clothes off to put them on. "No," I said, "not until after dinner for night-night." The minute dinner was over, she was asking to wear her Princess jammies. She chose to wear Princess Aurora tonight (from Sleeping Beauty).

Look how flippin' CUTE she is!!!!

And Jackson wanted to show off his new jammies too! FYI... Jackson is NOT picky about which jammies he wears, but he has discovered Power Rangers recently and can't get enough....

Singing herself to sleep...

Amelia is the funniest kid. I am not sure if I can remember the last time she just went to sleep quietly. She talks and sings for at least a half an hour (sometimes it is well over an hour). Kenny and I often hit mute on the tv just so we can listen to our daughter on the monitor. Lately, she sings more than she talks. Much of the time she sings made up songs. Sometimes they are recognizable songs. For example, the other day I heard her sing Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty. She loves to take her Cinderella doll and Prince Charming and have them dance together while she sings that song to them.

It makes my heart melt.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! Mine was extremely uneventful, but not altogether unpleasant. We decided not to go to Dana Point to see Kenny's parents because we all have a bit of a bug. Amelia is the worst... she is FULL of snot. She coughs at night etc. I have some chest congestion, but am feeling ok. I think all this exercise, eating well and supplements is helping my immune system. We didn't want Kenny's dad to be exposed to infection. He is very sensitive to that right now... It was a bummer because we haven't seen them in a while.

We didn't do anything. In fact, we were downright lazy. We barely got out of jammies all day. Kenny and I watched nearly the entire Lonesome Dove mini-series (we watched Part 1 last night). Kenny made me breakfast this morning (or was it afternoon LOL). We ordered pizza for dinner. The kids played with bubbles in the backyard and watched a few *blush* movies. It was a nice, relaxing day.

oops... I missed a day in May!

So much for that quest *blush* I was so tired last night that I didn't really think about posting.
I ran the twenty miles! It was great. I am composing a post with more details in hopes that my other blog will get up and running soon. It is going on a week *sniff sniff* I feel REALLY good about my run. It was HARD, but I am pretty sure I'll be able to tack another six miles onto it in a couple of weeks. I was pretty sore today. I used my "stick" and worked out the worst spots. I think I'll be fine by tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Since I don't have my running blog, I thought I would post a quick note here about my run tomorrow. We are running twenty miles. That is something I never thought I would actually do. I have a mixture of excitement and nerves. I have actually been looking forward to it. I have had a stressful week and the thought of over three hours of doing nothing but listen to music and chat with friends is nice. I am nervous because...well.... because it is TWENTY MILES. I really want to finish strong so I have confidence in my ability to do the additional six.

I'm off to bed. In a few hours I will be running. Yay me!

A Blogger vent...

I have two blogs. My original blog is what I have used to document the huge undertaking of training for my first marathon. There are blood, sweat and tears in the words on those pages. I started this one to talk about the non-running stuff like my kids, my thoughts on random things etc. While I love the things I write about here, the running blog is something incredibly meaningful to me. Several friends and family check in and read it and it encourages me daily.

I didn't know how much that blog meant to me until I lost it. Or at least I thought I lost it. When I clicked on the link the other night and it said that it had been removed, I seriously freaked. I panicked that one of the kids had accidentally hit a key or something when I left the dashboard up on the screen. I was in tears. Now I know that I over-reacted a bit, but at the time, I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of losing so much of my journey. My friends have told me that it means a lot to them, too. It documents the journey for Laura, Lisa and Jen as well.


I did finally figure out what happened (after my computer locked up and restarting it), I found this message:
"Blogger's spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What's a spam blog?) Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive."
That was Tuesday night. It still isn't back. All it needs is a human to click on it once to realize that a computer did NOT generate my blog. What is taking so long???? I feel naked without it. I have had several e-mails from friends asking me where it went. I had just registered with a running blog forum and I was getting hits outside of my circle of friends/family and it was cool. I was getting support from other runners. Now I may have lost some of those people.

It irritates me a LOT. Now I am wondering if I should move to another blogging site. It really isn't fair. What if I was using that blog for my business somehow? And if you have a computer generated screen, why not just e-mail someone and make them jump through a hoop or two to prove they are a human rather than just removing the entire content?????? I mean, for crying out loud, they make you fill in numbers/letters to prove you are not a computer before commenting, why couldn't they do that to make sure your blog is not some sort of "link spam."

Just writing about this makes me mad. I think I'll go to bed now.....

Jackson's grin....

These pictures were taken sometime within the past year. I believe that they were taken (from left to right) in August, December, March and April....

It is one thing that makes my day. I can be SO mad at him for some reason or another, but if I look over at him and he has that big grin, I'm toast. Unfortunately, he doesn't smile all that often when I am angry at him. Luckily, neither he nor I stay angry very long. He can go from crying one minute to happy-go-lucky the next.

He used to do this thing when he was younger (around 2 or 2 1/2). He was (and still is) a bit of a whiner. So I would tell him that I didn't hear him when he was whining. He would get this big ol'

grin on his face, tilt his head to one side and say with animation, "I'm not whining." I think he thought that the lilting tone of voice and big grin would fool me.... and it did.

This picture was taken when he was 2 1/2.

God, I love that kid.....

It's Tuesday!!

I am excited for Tuesdays because I get to enjoy my guilty pleasure. I tune in every Tuesday night to listen to my new favorite singer. Yes... my guilty pleasure is American Idol. I know I am not alone on this one.... millions of people do it.

So who is my favorite? David Cook, of course. He is the best one on the show and probably one of the best singers out there right now. I love his voice and his music style. I have already purchased three or four of his songs off iTunes and will most likely purchase his album when it comes out. He is incredibly talented.

I used to make fun of people who watched American Idol. I thought it was silly and brainless. I completely understand how it might drop me down a notch in some people's opinion. Oh well... Sometimes we need silly and brainless. It is one of those shows (along with America's Funniest Home Videos) that we can watch as a family. Well... Amelia is in bed, but Jackson enjoys American Idol and what can be wrong with an hour of music? Heck... the last two seasons, Jackson's favorites have been different than Kenny's and mine (Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks). Ironically, his favorites were also the favorites of the majority of fans where my favorites didn't win (Blake Lewis, Katherine McPhee, Chris Daughtry).

So there it is. My guilty pleasure is out there. Judge me if you will......

Cinco de Mayo!

It used to mean such different things when I was younger. It was a day to party. There was always something going on on May 5.

Today is just another Monday. I am making tacos for dinner and I am planning on drinking a nice cold beer tonight. That is my homage to Cinco de Mayo of the past.

Do I miss the partying days of Cinco de Mayo? Nope. I wouldn't trade it for the world. This is exactly where I want to be on May 5, 2008.

Note to self: pay it forward to someone this week...

We had a good weekend. On Saturday, we went down to Coronado and watched part of the Red Bull Air Races over the bay. It was pretty cool. Sean and Suz were there and it was so nice to see them. We really don't see our old group of friends very often any more. Sometimes Kenny and I wonder if we saw them more when we lived in Palm Springs. I know we had more quality time because people would come out and stay with us for a weekend at a time, not just a party or afternoon of volleyball every few months.

Oh... the nicest thing happened. Parking was a nightmare down there, so Kenny was in the process of dropping me off with Amelia and the stroller while he and Jackson went searching for a place to park. As I am unloading, a woman comes up and asks if we need a parking spot. She had a great spot just across the street and wanted to give it to us because we had small children. HOW NICE! I promised her that we would pay it forward. Unfortunately, by the time we left, nobody was looking for parking anymore. I will definitely remember that I owe somebody a good deed like that.

A Post a Day in May....

I may be just a follower, but I am new to this whole blogging thing and I thought this was cool. I saw on Penny's blog a challenge to post every day in May. I thought, what the heck. It might also help get traffic to other blogs. Penny's blog was linked back to her friend Jenny, who came up with this cute little design for the challenge.


So to any of my blogging friends, I issue you the same challenge to do a post a day in the month of May.

sweet girl of mine....

My friend, Heather, told me that I need to write down the cute things my kids do. Isn't that why I started this blog to begin with?

Every day and night after I read her a book, Amelia and I say her prayers as part of a bedtime routine. We say them before naps as well as at night (so I guess our family and friends are getting doubly blessed *wink*) Lately, this is the time when she gets very snuggly. She puts her arm around my neck (I am laying in her bed with her) and I usually stroke her hair or arms or back. She gets her face really close to mine and on particularly sleepy afternoons (or nights) she starts to whisper some of the names.

Her prayers always end the same way:
Mommy: "Who loves you most of all?"
Amelia: "Mommy Daddy mo' m'all..... and Jacks-non" [Mommy and Daddy love me most of all...and Jackson]
After this... she pushes me away and says "seep deems" [sweet dreams]. On the lucky days she also says "I 'ove you too, Mama"

It really does make everything worth it, doesn't it?

For those of you who pray...

I don't pray much myself, but I do believe in the power of prayer.

Our friend, Mark Arnold, is in the ICU with severe pancreatitis. He went into septic shock two weeks ago where his organs shut down. They don't know what has caused this. It is scary to hear about a very healthy 44-year-old (only a year or two older than Kenny) having such a health scare. Mark has been a world-class athlete and still stays in shape.

Here is a link to the website they have set up to keep friends and family updated: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/markarnold

So any prayers you can spare for this great guy and his wonderful wife would be much appreciated. Jill is so strong, but this isn't easy for her. It also can't be easy for their two teenage/preteen kids....

road trip

We went to Monterey last weekend. I guess I never realized how far it was when I agreed to go to the bike festival with Kenny for a weekend. I was so tired from that long drive home. Kenny had to stick around to take down the tent/trailer etc. He didn't get back until 3 a.m.-- so I am very glad I didn't stick around to wait for him. Still... it was a tough drive.

I forget how difficult driving by myself with two children can be. The first challenge came within the first few hours. Amelia had fallen asleep (boy did she need it) and had been asleep for just under two hours. Jackson had to go to the bathroom. Hmmm.... now what? Obviously, the potty break can't be ignored. Jackson is too little to send in by himself and of course I can't leave Amelia in the car. So the sacrifice was Amelia's nap.

I filled up on gas to limit the number of stops. After Jackson's potty break (and Mommy's), both kids wanted a snack. I was sitting in the car dealing with the snack while the gas was pumping. Amelia was being very "two" and demanding her " 'ogurt heezer" (yogurt squeezer). I had to help them both push the yogurt to the top. She was making her usual mess. I needed to wipe everything up with a baby wipe and throw it all in the trash. I saw a trash can across the parking lot, so I put the car in gear and drove toward it. BANG... I looked back and I was DRAGGING THE GAS NOZZLE BEHIND ME!!!!!! Holy Crap! I had never done that before and panic started welling to the surface.

A very nice couple saw the whole thing. The lady said, "I did that a month ago, don't worry about it." Her husband said that it is break-away as a safety feature. He said it just snaps back on. As he tried to put it back, he got gas all over him. OY! I felt so bad. I actually started to cry (add lack of sleep, frustration with cranky kids, the idea of 6 more hours of driving and embarrassment---- there was no way the tears weren't coming). The guy went into the gas station to let them know what happened. I pulled over to the other side of the parking lot to sit for a minute. I was a bit shaky.

When I called Kenny to tell him what happened, I was relieved to hear that he had done the same thing! He told me that he did it in front of a bunch of construction workers who laughed at him. He was driving our old Z4 (the convertible BMW) so it made it that much worse. Why is it that someone else's humiliation made me feel better? I guess I was happy that I was in good company.

Does it make me a bad person....

...if I hoard snickerdoodle cookies for myself?? My friend, Laura, baked me my favorite cookies for my birthday. I don't particularly like cake and Laura wanted to bake me something special. I gave the kids each one that day, but none since. I just enjoyed a few yummy snickerdoodles that are hidden in the pasta cupboard. Mommy deserves some special treats for herself now and then doesn't she?? Sshhhh.... don't tell the kids.

So sad today...

I received an e-mail from my friend Abby wishing me a belated happy birthday. She said that she was going to call me yesterday but she didn't want to bring me down on my birthday considering the tragic news about Kevin. I called her and asked what was up. I hadn't watched the news yesterday at all...

A former coworker of mine, Kevin Vicary, was killed tragically yesterday morning. Ironically, out of all my old workmates, I saw him most recently. I saw him with his wife and youngest daughter at Rubios. He updated me on what was happening at Sycuan. It was so nice to see him and talk with him and his wife and see his little girl who is only a couple of months older than Amelia. It makes me so incredibly sad to think about.

Kevin was cleaning his pool with his two-year-old daughter, Ariana, nearby. A minivan ran a red light at Granite Hills and Dehesa and hit a semi truck. The truck went out of control and careened through Kevin's fence and into his pool--taking Kevin with him. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24143636/

The thing that struck me so much with this whole story was the fact that his two-year-old daughter was there with him. As the truck pushed him into the water and pushed him to the bottom, he somehow managed to get to the side of the pool. I heard from a friend of mine at the casino that Ariana was trying to get in the water to get to him and Kevin kept saying, "Daddy's Ok, stay out of the water!" There was oil and approximately 80 gallons of diesel fuel in that pool which would have been very dangerous to that little girl. It seems that his last act of his life was to save the life of his daughter. I couldn't imagine something like that happening and wondering where your daughter is. I can picture him doing whatever it took to make sure that his baby was safe.

I called Kenny this afternoon just to tell him that I love him. Something like this really makes me cherish my family and what is important to me.

My heart goes out to Kevin's wife, Isabel. I can't imagine the pain she is in. I don't pray much, but I pray for those little girls and their mother. I hope that they find some peace and heal over time.

Happy Birthday to me...

41 is pretty anti-climactic after such a fabulous 40th birthday celebration. I am glad that this year's birthday was so low key. In the morning I opened some fabulous gifts from my family. The kids opened each gift. They didn't care what was in them... they just liked the act of opening them. After that, it was a pretty typical Monday. I took the kids to Stroller Strides, went to coffee with my friends, fed the kids lunch, put them down for naps etc. There was some of the usual stress in getting out the door on time, but all in all it was a good day.

We went to dinner at a family restaurant and had a nice time. It was wonderful that Kenny was able to leave work early enough to meet us. It was a bit challenging, however. Amelia is showing all signs of her terrible twos. She did not want to eat and wanted out of the booster all over Mommy [note to self: Amelia is not ready for a booster. A high chair is still the appropriate choice for our little toddler] By the time we all shared dessert, I was ready to get home and get everyone to bed.

My favorite part of the day was something that my hubby did that really made me smile. From the first moment I woke up, I found notes from him saying things like, "happy birthday," "we love you Momma," and "have a great day." There was one under the pillow in our bed. I left the house before he did because he was finishing up our taxes *rolls eyes* When I came home, there was a note taped to the frame in the entry. I found notes in the refrigerator, on my keyboard, on the wireless headphones, on the remote, in the bathroom.... It was such a sweet, thoughtful thing to do.

small world...

Probably everyone reading this knows that we were evacuated during the fires in October of last year. The Harris fire burned up and over Mt. Miguel, which is directly behind our house. It came down into our canyon where firefighters and helicopters stopped its progress. On Tuesday, October 23 we turned on the TV and saw the fire blazing with our house in the foreground! The news crew zoomed in on our house (which is the first on the block) and showed a group of firefighters sitting on our lawn furniture watching the fire and waiting. I called the local fire department and told them to get a message to the crew that they were welcome to anything in our home... water, soda etc. I wanted those guys to stay put in case the fire came close to our house! When we returned home, we realized that they had been in our house. They removed some curtains from an upstairs window as a precaution as well as pulling some other curtains away from the big picture window on our landing.

Well................ Jen's husband Greg, who we just spent a long weekend with, is a firefighter for National City. One evening at the lake house, we were chatting about the fires and comparing stories. Greg asked where we live. He then asked some more specific questions. Suddenly, his eyes got big and he laughed and said, "I used your bathroom!" He was in our house! He sat on our chairs! This was before I had met him, so he had no way of knowing that the children in the pictures on the wall played with his kids at Stroller Strides.

Out of the thousands of homes threatened by that fire and the thousands of firefighters protecting those homes.... what are the odds??!! It boggles my mind.

Fabulous weekend!!!

This past weekend, we went with my friend and running partner, Jen and her family to stay at her sister's lake house in Canyon Lake. It was actually our first time taking a trip with another family and it was really, really enjoyable. They have a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl and they all had so much fun. The grownups had fun too. We had compatible energy levels, humor and parenting styles.

I am going to use pictures to describe some of the highlights of the weekend. The kids all had a lot of fun. They really enjoyed the boat and each other...

Jackson and Greyson were inseparable.


And the girls were two peas in a pod as well!



The kids were able to go fishing! If they caught something, it would have been quite a feat since there were no hooks or bait *wink* They had a good time with it though...




The kids weren't the only ones to enjoy themselves... Here are pics of myself, Kenny, Jen and Greg:



It had been over a decade since I waterskiied. I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't be able to get up. I am not sure if I look determined or relieved in these shots.


But it all came back to me...




Even the crashes! This one HURT.


All in all, it was SO much fun. I wish we could have skiied even more.


Jen kicked some @$$ too!!




And a killer crash or two *wink*


The dads had fun too! Greg tried waterskiing too.

Earlier, he had flown over the wake on the wakeboard



And Kenny tried out wakeboarding for the first time. If at first you don't succeed....


Try, try again!!



Jen and Greg really treated us as family. We felt at home in a beautiful home on the lake. Hats off to Jen's sister Toby (sp?) for allowing Jen to bring her friends to her wonderful place. Thank you SO much!