Letter to Someone

Dear Amazon,
You are simply marvelous!  I can find anything and everything on your site.  The other day my Amazon order included:  a leather bench, a black slip, a Judo book, a new Wii controller and a new book directly loaded onto my Kindle.  That is awesome!  To run around town and buy all those things with my kids in tow would have been a nightmare.  Instead I made my order with a glass of Merlot in my hand while my kids slept.

Thanks,
Happy Shopper


Dear Lady at Ralphs,
Originally I thought the reason you didn't put all your cases of varied soda on the conveyor belt was because they were heavy.  So when the checker asked you to put them up and you said "no" I figured I'd offer to help.  Which I did.  But you shot down my gesture of kindness and told the cashier to just go against policy and scan one case several times.  She finally relented and did scan it.  You were rude, I tried to help, you didn't want my help...whatever.  But then after you already paid and had all your items back in your cart you remembered a coupon that you didn't give to the checker so you insisted she give you .84 cents in change.  OMG lady you already held up the line long enough and I have a two-year old in my cart and just want to be done.  Nope, you stayed firm until you got your nickels and dimes. Lucky for you my daughter was in a good mood and didn't get antsy because if she had started melting down I would have let her and then blamed you.

Sincerely,
Your Fellow Ralphs customer


Dear Florida,
Joe and I will see you soon!  I'm very excited to buy myself a couple of beachy items to show you next month.  I'm sure you will appreciate them.  I'm thinking a bright colored dress, floppy hat and new bathing suit.  Which reminds me...
                     Dear 5 extra pounds, you guys are not joining me in Florida.  See ya!
Oh, and Florida I'm looking forward to the drinks, beach, Cuban-inspired side of you because I will be sans kids so I do NOT want to see anything related to Disney.

Cheers!
The girl in the coral colored dress

The Mirror of My Kids

As my kids grow I am learning more and more about myself.  Having children is like having a mirror placed right in front of us, whether we like it or not, it's the truth.  Sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, always true, here are a few things I have learned recently...

• I say "actually" a lot.  I know this because Lauren has picked up on it and says it constantly.  It actually sounds really funny coming from my little girl.
• Apparently I use my credit card a lot too.  Another thing Lauren has noticed.  When she is playing store she uses her credit cards to pay.  I better start showing her that I pay off my balance every month.
• I get nervous before starting something new.  It took me a while to acknowledge that Daniel's timidness was from me, but it is.  I remember not sleeping the night before the first day of school (all the way through college) so why am I surprised that he is nervous before a new sports class?  
• I like order.  Schedules, routines and everything in its place calms me down.  My kids have picked up on this and ask me each day what our plans are and know where their toys go (doesn't mean they always put them away, but they know).
• I like to be doing something while watching tv.  It bewildered me for a while that Lauren has little interest in cartoons and only watches them if she is doing something else.  Then I realized, I never sit and JUST watch tv.  While watching tv I'm checking the internet, folding laundry, packing lunches, tidying up, etc.
• I'm an observer first, joiner second.  If I'm in a new environment or meeting new people, I like to sit back and observe for a while before I really join in.  I take my time, but once I'm comfortable I jump in 100%.  I guess I like to evaluate first and make sure I'm up for giving my time and energy to the people, place, etc.  I see Daniel do this too.  He takes a little longer to warm up, but once he's there you can't get him to shut up or leave!

10 Things to Smile About in January

I really, really, REALLY wanted to get my blog up and moving again in January.  But honestly, I'm pretty sure a week (or two) was removed this month.  There is no way it is already February 1 (the calendar LIES!).  If "they" can change our zodiac signs, "they" can remove a week too.  Either way, here are my 10 Things to Smile About in January:

A beyond beautiful beach day in the middle of January with the kids.  Seriously -- 80 degrees, clear, sunny and no one else but our friends on the sand.  The reason we live in SoCal.

Visiting the Orange County Great Park for the first time.  Going up in the big Orange Balloon and riding the carousal over and over and over... (it's free!)

New episodes of "Modern Family", "30 Rock" and "The Office"

A date night with Joe that included complimentary glasses of champagne at a fancy French restaurant.

Peaking in on my sleeping angel during nap time

A moms only night of Wii Dance, wine and appetizers.  No pictures from this, but I do have video.  However, I'd like to stay friends with these ladies so I won't be posting them!

This picture

Cuddling with Daniel and Lauren while we watch a movie.  Although both were a little under the weather, it made for some great cuddling time.

Dinner with my friends from high school.  So happy we still get together on a semi-regular basis.  I may not see them as often, but these are the girls that really know me.

Getting back to a workout routine.  

Check out what made others smile this month over at Emmy Mom

10 Things to Smile About in December

Of course December was a month full of things to smile about.  The days leading up to Christmas were full of fun and cheer.  Unfortunately our 2010 ended on a sad note, as both Joe and I each lost a grandparent the last week of the month.  However, both deaths were somewhat expected and both grandparents were in their 90's so they had lived very full lives.  Looking back on December 2010, here are my 10 Things to Smile About:

Lauren's love for babies.  She is so in love with her two baby cousins it just melts my heart.

Daniel and Lauren playing together more and more everyday.

Seeing a "real" movie for the first time with my two kids (no one crying or fussing the whole time!)

Watching Daniel perform in his preschool Christmas program

A family picture!!!

A date night with Joe.  Wore my favorite dress and headed out to dinner in Newport Beach.  So nice to spend time with my hubby and feel like a couple instead of just parents.

Crazy cousin time.

Spontaneous dance parties with Daniel and Lauren.  Daniel's dance moves are a combination of break-dancing and karate, while Lauren seems to be a hippie chick at heart and looks like she is doing an interpretive dance.

The joy of Christmas through the eyes of children.  Everything is a little sillier, funnier and more joyful with a 2 and 4 year old around!

And lastly, although he is gone Grandpa is not forgotten.  I have so many memories of my grandpa and his spirit will live on in all of us.  His smile was contagious, his chess skills unbeatable, his tennis game unbelievable, his compliments plentiful, and his stories movie-worthy.

So as the year ends and a new one begins, remember there are always reasons to smile.  See what others smiled about in December at Emmy's Mom.

What Was I Thinking?

I've created a monster -- it's me.  I thought it would be fun this year to do a "Countdown to Christmas" starting on Dec 1.  Twenty-four days of holiday cheer, each day bringing a new Christmasy activity, event or craft.  So come rain or shine, sniffles or sore throats, we are finishing this countdown!  Actually, it's been very fun for the kids and mostly fun for me.  The good thing is, I can change the activity the night before if I need to because they are written on slips of paper and put in an advent calender.  Which explains last week's "movie night"  followed by "coloring Christmas pictures", due to Daniel and I having colds.  Some highlights thus far have been:

St. Nicholas Day with Cousins

Reindeer Cookies

Santa Train at Irvine Park

Preschool Christmas Show

She's a Big Girl

I finally took Lauren to get her hair cut today.  I'm not sure why I have waited so long, I guess I kept wanting her hair to grow more.  I realized today that instead of her having long hair, she had a semi-mullet with scraggly ends.  Not a super cute look.  So, I took her to a kids hair salon and watched her scraggly ends fall to the ground.  I didn't tear up...well, not really.

PS - they gave her a certificate for her first haircut with a lock of her hair.  Totally worth the money.  I mean, from now on I don't need to go there, but worth it for the first time.

10 Things to Smile About in November

Wow - where is the time going?  Here we are again at the end of a month and ready to list out my 10 Things to Smile About in November.  Let's get started...

A last minute 3-day getaway to Palm Springs for the four of us.  The weather was perfect, the hotel was almost empty and the rate was dirt cheap.  What more could you ask for??

A spa day with my sister two weeks before she gave birth to baby #3.  We had massages, ate lunch and shopped all day.  I'm guessing we won't get a chance to do that for a while.

Enjoying Lauren's last day of "mommy and me" school before the holiday break.  She is crazy about her teacher and just loves her time there.  I'm hoping we get into the next session--the class fills up FAST!  Here she is proudly showing off the bead necklace that she made.

The birth of my brand new niece!!

Giving thanks for my family on Thanksgiving and the day after.  We spent time with my in-laws and my parents and enjoyed the holiday while stuffing ourselves.

My kids enjoying special time with almost all of their cousins.  First it was a sleepover at our house the night my sister had her baby, then it was Thanksgiving dinner with the cousins on my husbands side of the family.

My amazing friend Shannon (known as Aunt Shannon) who comes to my house, helps with the kids and is always the most supportive friend.  Here she is leading "Princess Storytime" for Lauren and my niece.

My husband's Christmas spirit.  Joe is as excited about Christmas as the kids and it makes the whole season so fun.  We are fortunate to have a house in our neighborhood that is AMAZINGLY decorated for Christmas and we walk to it a few nights a week.  This is our first visit of the 2010 season.

The first birthday of my good friend's son.  He was born with many complications, spent time in the NICU, been on a feeding tube and has already undergone several surgeries.  Celebrating his first birthday was an emotional event for all of us.

Visiting with my (almost) 95 year old grandfather.  I'm so thankful my kids are able to get to know their great-grandfather, such a rare gift.  His health has only recently been on the decline and I'm realistic that his time is limited, but he has always been such a special man to me and I'm so happy he now is to my children as well.

What made you smile in November?  Remember, a smile is contagious -- it's hard not to smile when someone is smiling at you.