Vote or Die!

Ok, blogging to me is getting to be a "been there done that" message on my internal answering machine.  I've thought about taking a break vs. just stopping altogether and I haven't decided.  Not many people are reading my blog anymore, seems they've moved on in life as well so you just got to know when to call it quits I guess.

So, I'm taking a poll.  You'll see it on the right side for your voting enjoyment.   The poll is open until I decide to close it, maybe in a month or so.  So will I see you at the polls??

P.S.  To my dear friend who emails me all comments instead of registering for a google account, NO I'm not a Fabio fan, that was a posting out of sarcasm.  And I am posting this response to you for all to see just in case anyone else thought I was serious.  Sheesh, thought you knew me by now!  Loves and Smooches!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

That's right ladies, it's FABIO!

Today I've...

~Been awaken too early by a 4yo asking me to play.
~Cleaned more boogers off my 19mo's face than I've ever seen in my life.
~Fantasized about a dream vacation.
~Changed a poopy diaper.....twice.
~Forgot to rinse the deep conditioner out of my hair.
~Killed a bug, a.k.a house fly.
~Watched Max & Ruby...twice.
~Realized the lady who is supposed to be giving me an estimate on custom draperies is an idiot.
~Fantasized some more about that dream vacation.

and lastly......

~I've been lucky enough to have the last 10 minutes to myself with no one bugging me and it's not even noon!

55 Years Old & Counting.....!!

It's true, Disneyland is celebrating it's 55th Anniversary TODAY!  I have some of the most fond memories of growing up seeing this magical place.  I loved our yearly summer road trip in our custom van to Disneyland and stopping at our "key" points along the way.  I remember a road side fruit stand where my mother would get trail mix and such and I remember pulling over at rest stops (or the occasional side of the road) to pee.  And of course, Barstow, CA where the infamous McDonald's was that has the train cars you eat in and a massive gift shop where I'd spend my "vacation" money on something small and stupid but it meant we were finally on vacation.

I could go on and on of all the memories I have but the only people who'd like that walk down memory lane is my immediate family so I'll spare the rest of you.  However, in no particular order, here is what I love about Disneyland....

1: The smell of Main Street USA.  The confectionery smell is so distinctive when you walk in, it's so welcoming.

2: Running to get in line to ride the Matterhorn very first!

3: Being nervous about meeting all the Characters.  Even though I knew they weren't real, something about them was.

4: Crying because I didn't want to go on Splash Mountain but toughed through it.

5: Relaxing on the Mark Twain River Boat and hearing that man's deep voice call out, "Marrrrkkkkkkk Twaaaaiiiiinnn".  I was happy to hear it hadn't changed when I was there last summer.

6: Trying to pull the sword up in front of King Arthur's Carousel.  Did it really ever release and allow someone to pull it up???

7: Churros and chocolate covered bananas!

8: Getting a new hat and having my name monogrammed Mickey style on the back.

9: The Jungle Cruise.  The guides are always so funny!

10: The night parades and fireworks!

11: Walking back to our car, half asleep and loving my life for at least one day!

I'm realizing my list could go on and on but if you love Disney as much as I do, share your thoughts, it's a happy day today!!  Happy Anniversary Disneyland!

A new journey....

Yesterday as I was grocery shopping, I started to realize how large the produce section is and how many fruits/vegetables I've never even considered purchasing.  I made note of 4 things I've never bought and decided I need to go on a Culinary Journey (my hubby just got scared when he read that, bet ya $20!).  Here are my first 4 items I've never bought, and am thinking I should give them a go....

Fennel

Kale

Lychee

Tomatillo

I don't know what I'm making yet, but I'm sure FoodNetwork.com, Allrecipes.com and Food.com should be of assistance.  So, wish me luck and as I expand my knowledge of a more rich, plant based diet I'll let you know my verdict and if they will be making a comeback in my house!  Bon Appetit!

Ms. Stewart I presume....

I rarely sit down to watch TV during the day and if I do, it's only because by some rare alignment of the stars my kids are happy playing with each other and my house is spotless.  However, today wasn't one of those days, it was the complete opposite where I had to remove myself from my kids to take a few deep breaths or something bad may have happened.  So, I closed my bedroom door on their screaming faces (sounds more mean that it really was) and flipped on the ol' boob tube to take a breather.  Martha Stewart happened to be on and I caught it just as she mentioned "quinoa".  Now, for those who don't know, I LOVE QUINOA!!  I'd put a bumper sticker on my car that blurted that statement, but I'm afraid I'd look too, "granola" and weird.  Anyway, she threw together a breakfast recipe that was SO easy to remember that I ran to the kitchen after the segment (my kids are fine, thanks for remembering their sad faces as mommy shut the door on them) and whipped out my box of Organic Quinoa and went to work!    Here is the

 recipe...

2 c. Milk (I use Hemp Milk but whatever you have is good)

1 c. Quinoa (rinsed but read your box, it may have already been rinsed)

2-3 Tbls light brown sugar (I actually used Palm Nectar Sugar)

1/8-1/4 tsp Cinnamon (yummy antioxidant and weight loss helper!)

Fresh blueberries (or any other fruit/nuts you prefer)

Now Martha did it the old fashioned way by boiling the milk in a saucepan and then adding the quinoa, but me, I just used my trusty rice cooker, worked great!

When the rice cooker (or saucepan if you are truly a "Martha") is done cooking the quinoa, fluff with a fork and stir in all the remaining ingredients.

Low fat, blissfully filling breakfast (or mommy snack cause of course the kids looked at it and refused to touch it, sissies).

Thanks Ms. Stewart for lifting my mood and getting me through the first part of my morning!  We are all still alive and kickin' and the kids have forgiven me for having to walk away from them.

HOME FINALLY!!!!

So, this years vaca took us to Utah.  This week served as a huge reminder of why I will never live there.  However, here are a few highlights....

First stop, Thanksgiving Pointe Dinosaur Museum.  Great hands on stuff for the little ones (and the big guy in the red shirt;))  Notice Little R patiently waiting to put her dino tail on?

G playing in the sand/water.

It's a photo op kids, don't get too excited!

Next stop, Temple Square where my kids were bored out of their minds to the point of if we mentioned going back, G screamed.  By the way, if you have an opportunity to go to the new Deseret Books Bookstore across the street, I must say, I was extremely unimpressed-especially the kids section.

Seriously, can we go back to the hotel mom?

Baby R experiencing "real" grass for the first time.  I will give kuddos to UT on their grass, it's scrumptiously thick and soft, unlike the crunchy sparse stuff I have to live with here.

We took one afternoon to go see "G.G" (great-grandma to my kiddos).  She is turning 95 this month and still gets around nicely, I'm thinking she'll definitely make it to 100 at this rate!

Finally, the lame, why did I pay for this?, boring Children's Museum.  Baby R would have sat on this, "duck" all day if I let her but momma was bored.

Ok, I'll give the Children's Museum credit for the helicopter my kids played in.  G kept screaming, "we're gonna die" all while making crashing noises.  I'm sure the other mother there was wondering what I teach my kids.  Seriously though, I have no idea where he picked that all up from and he was enjoying himself so I could have cared less.

I didn't get many pics at the Children's Museum just because I was by myself with 3 kids and to be honest, there wasn't much I thought was super cute to take pics of.  I miss MN Children's Museum, I was apparently

spoiled there.

 

And our last day there, Baby R found her first friend at the Mall play area.  These two girls were cute, they mainly stared at each other and occasionally touched each other.  It was cute to watch.

And that was my summer vaca in a nutshell.  UT, let me know when you evolve more and maybe in 4 years I'll make another rare appearance.  It's so great to be home!!!  Next summer, DISNEY WORLD!!!!  Anyone else want to join us, it's certain to be much more fabo!!  Any takers, we can trade off adults riding bigger rides, takers?? Anyone??