Family Vacation

Our trip this summer was Las Vegas.  We went a couple years ago and the boys loved it.  They talked about it for the next year and still remember things about it.  So Monday morning we left at 0600 for a long car ride.  It felt like the driving would never end, but we go to our destination at 1400 hours.
We checked into Treasure Island (where I scored a great deal through Priceline). We got to our room and immediately put on our swim suits to go for a dip in the pool.  While we were there, it started raining and subsequently we went back to our room.  The rest of the afternoon consisted of sight seeing and relaxing as a family.  One of our highlights was going to the Coca Cola store and sampling Coke from around the world.  We tasted each kind as a family and then discussed it.  There were good and bad ones.  The worst by far was the "Beverly" from England.  I hope to never drink that again!
The next morning, we headed to the Hoover Dam.  David and I really enjoyed it, but the boys hated it.  Looking back it was a little boring for them.  We toured the turbines and went through a museum showing the process of building and reasons for it.  I thought it was very informative.  The fact that the Hoover Dam had been on Transformers really didn't matter so much to them.  On the way back to the strip, we got caught in a huge rain and lightening storm.  It was strange!  It was so bad, in fact, that motorcyclists were pulled over under the overpasses to keep dry.
On Wednesday morning we packed up and got ready to go to our next hotel....The Mandalay Bay.  We checked in early and got our bathing suits on again.  The pool was awesome!  There was a big wave pool (similar to Wild Waters) and a lazy river.  It was so much fun, we spent a lot of time there.  We made trips to the Excalibur for food since we were on a budget and there wasn't any place we could afford at the Mandalay Bay.  It was so much fun.
On Friday afternoon we headed home.  Quinten slept for four hours and Gavin slept three.  I guess we wore them out.  Vacations are always fun, but I come home feeling like I have a hangover.  It exhausted us all, but it was worth it.  Now to figure out what to do next year!

And the start of summer!

I totally forgot about this thing! I guess it is time to fill everyone in on whats going on.

First thing, David is back at work! He has been at work for almost two months and although he still has a lot of pain with his shoulder he is able to talk to people on the phone and take telephonic reports. He is at the BOC (stands for building on corner). He is in the funky looking building on the corner of Fresno and Divisadero by Community Hospital. There are no windows in this building and a lot of gossip...two things David hates!

Gavin is in summer school this summer. He is in soccer and Spanish. He finished school with all A's and B's, something that David and I didn't think would happen. I guess those stern talks really made a difference. He is looking forward to being an "upper grader" next year and plans to be on the soccer team, run cross country and do robotics. And that is all during the fall! We will see how that all goes.

Quinten is also in summer school. He is taking a reading class since he needs a little help in that area. He has really started enjoying swimming this summer and has become competitive with Gavin, which is fun to watch. He still loves to snuggle and is very much a gentleman. He is enjoying his break from being the little ladies man at school.

I haven't been that busy. I truly feel like a soccer mom, taking the kids to functions and keeping everything going around that house. I enjoy my gym time every evening by getting out all my frustrations out in sweat form. The business is slow. I get about one or two clients a week. I would love to have a busy schedule but I have to be patient and trust things are going the way they need to. I still love doing hair....the smile someone gets after seeing their new look is the best!!

We hope to get some day trips in this summer to the coast. The boys love the ocean and playing in the sand. I would like to get away from the house to get a break also. I always feel like I need to be cleaning something or doing laundry if I am home! We are hoping for one big trip, but will see how things go with David's shoulder and our bank account!

How Many Weeks?

Christmas is in roughly three weeks. Usually the shopping is done and half are wrapped, the decorations are up and I am busy baking in the kitchen. This year the decorations are up, but that's it.
I do most of my shopping online on Black Friday, from my couch with a big cup of coffee. This year, I was so unmotivated that I didn't even set my alarm for 4am, like I usually do. I got up at my usual 7:00 (my weekend wake up time) and made my coffee and lazily ordered stuff for everyone but my family. Weird? Yes.
The baking hasn't happened yet either. I made a batch of peppernuts, which were done before the week was up and that is all I have made. Unfortunately Weight Watchers only allows so many points and I am really trying to stick with the rules. It also helps that my husband has been nice enough to "remind" me how hard I have been working on this diet. Normally I would want to punch him in the face, but I am learning that he is trying to help me and he isn't offensive about it so I let it slide.
So I guess I have a lot of shopping to do the next couple weeks. Good thing I learned of a couple toys that are the newest hot commodity this year so I know what the boys would enjoy.
I know it will all work out, but I really need to get into the holiday mood. Maybe a couple more pumpkin spice lattes? My wool coat? A trip to Christmas Tree Lane? Ahhh, who knows!

What Shopping?

I realized today that I haven't had a shopping trip in a long time! I have went to Target, Vallarta's and other little places, but no Macys, Nordstrom Rack or the like. I wonder what is wrong with me. I haven't been busy, so I can't use that as an excuse. I don't have much money, but that has never stopped me from being able to window shop. So I have to get to the bottom of this! I will let you know what my self diagnosis is when I figure it out!

Me Time

I have been having the hardest time getting back into the swing of things with school starting. I love getting up early to start the day and being able to check email and Facebook before the boys get up. I feel like I have to "encourage" my kids all morning to get them going, but I think that is probably all Moms in the morning. I take the boys to school, wait for them to be taken to class, talk to the other Moms and head out for my walk. I park on Friant and Copper and walk about 4 miles. I have downloaded a pedometer on my phone so I can time myself and make sure I am getting a good workout. So, I have been encouraged by my workout routine since the boys are in school. I have a long way to go, but you have to start somewhere, right?
The only hard thing about this whole change has been going to bed and being able to sleep. I can't sleep! I get the boys in bed around 8:30 and I hit the sack also. Only problem is I can't do anything but lay there. At 11:30, I finally start feeling tired. This has got to stop. I need to get sleep in order to be friendly! So, my body isn't getting the sleep it needs, especially since my workout routine is kind of shocking my body. Not a good combination. I will see if I am able to adjust to the earlier bedtime, otherwise I have to weigh out other options.
So I am enjoying the extra time to myself and the things I am able to do since I have more "me" time. I just have to complete the adjustment and keep moving towards my goals.

Salon Room

The last couple months have been really hard on me, business wise. It has been a struggle to give money to the owners of the salon I was renting at and it wasn't getting any easier. So I made the decision, along with my husband (and parents) to start working from my house. Now, when I say "working from my house" I don't mean cutting hair in the kitchen like I did before. We would convert the office room, where David kept all his work stuff, into a salon room. It made me nervous, but in the big picture it made sense.
So Friday, I took my first leap into the idea of the salon room. I went on Craigslist and looked up salon equipment. Sure enough, a shampoo bowl and chair set were for sale, as well as a floor pad. Since our family was going to head to San Jose that afternoon, we had to hurry and go check it out. My Mom watched the boys while David and I shot out to the Tower District and ended up making my first purchase. They asked $350 for the chair and $25 for the pad, but I talked them down to $300 for both. I freaking love wheeling and dealing!!
So we headed to San Jose and had fun with our friends, eating and walking around San Fransisco. On the way back, we decided to stop at Ikea and check things out. Sure enough, there was a closeout on laminate flooring....32 cents a foot! We can do that! We bought as much as we needed and loaded it up in the back of our Honda. Let me tell ya, that car was weighed down!
The renovations began Monday. Clearing it out, ripping out the carpet, running the new plumbing to the room, laying down the flooring, painting the ceiling and baseboards and so on (not necessarily in that order). Now it wasn't all done in a day, but a week later we are almost ready for business! I still need a couple things, like a styling chair and some artwork, but I haven't been able to find any good deals and I can't afford to pay $250 for a chair right now. I am also thinking about selling Gold Canyon Candles again and using the bookshelf as a display area, along with hair products.
I don't want to brag, but my husband and way handy! He has done all the work and it looks awesome! I am so proud of him! I walk into that room and I am excited and proud that I am able to have this opportunity. I can't wait to start using the room and putting it to good use. So come in and have your hair done. I will probably have some really good deals next month to start out and get people in so everyone can come see it! Come in and support me because now it's time to start paying on my new bills.

One Month Left

I have had a really boring summer! It's not that I haven't wanted to have fun, but business has been slow and I, to be honest, I have been lazy.
David and I had a really nice trip to Las Vegas, but other than that we haven't done a lot. And to be honest I have been feeling guilty for it because summer break needs to be fun for the boys.
We did do some camping in Shaver for one night, but it wasn't what I expected. The boys liked the dirt and the outdoors, but it was tough because they haven't mastered how to sleep inside a sleeping bag. It gets really cold at night and they both were yelling all night about how cold they were. My friend and her family had planned to go with some friends who cancelled and we filled in. Camping isn't my idea of a great time and I think I may have to work on that, being that I have two boys and a husband who loves camping. Too bad it isn't acceptable to stay at a hotel while the rest of my family roughs it in a sleeping bag. So anyhow, I am thinking of taking my family for a couple days to Morro Dunes for some camping "fun".
In between all that is Quinten's birthday. He wants to go to Sakanaya for lunch, which is easy and do-able. I also want to take him to a movie....if possible at the cheap theater. All he really cares about it getting extra butter on his popcorn.
I am looking forward to this Thursday when my best friend and I are going to go wine tasting in Paso Robles. Neither of us have done it before and it's a fun excuse to get out of town and drink some wine and chat. We are taking a tour, which eliminates the DUI portion of the trip, which always makes it a plus. So that will be fun and relaxing. Oh, and it gives David some special bonding time with the boys, which I will use as my reasoning till the day I die.
So hopefully this last month of vacation in fun for my little family, whether it's all together or individually. May this last month of summer break be the best month!!

Run down on Vegas

Tips from Las Vegas:

1.) Always tell people who are helping you your sob story, sometimes you get a discount.
2.) Looking really pathetic while watching people on the Gondola ride at the Venetian pays off.
3.) Never turn down going to the bathroom. You may find money on the floor.
4.) Always check Yelp before going to a restaurant. You may not want to go to the place after all.
5.) Hairshows are worth the drive and the money!

David and I had a great time. We arrived Friday and were able to check in early. For a couple days we were able to be tourists and relax. We didn't worry about seeing everything, which made our days a lot less hectic. Sunday I took David out to a nice buffet (the only one we went to on our trip) for Father's Day. I attended the Las Vegas Hairshow which was super fun. I learned, shopped and got lots of information on products. Our trip home was the latest I stayed up...1am! It was really nice to get out of town, even if it was just as hot as Fresno. It doesn't happen very often and although David probably wished that we had gone somewhere a little less crowded, but it served it's purpose. We even came back with some money in our pockets!!

This Weekend!

We are getting ready for our trip to Las Vegas. I am so excited about it too. I love Las Vegas. The lights, the people watching, the food....all of it. Love it all. David hates Las Vegas. He hates people and crowds. Neither of us are big gamblers so we won't be hanging out in the casinos much. We will be, however getting some sun by the pool and maybe having a couple adult beverages. David was nice enough to agree to go on this trip with me and my parents were nice enough to watch our kids so we could have a grown up vacation. That doesn't happen often and is much needed and deserved.
Bad news is that David lost his wallet this week at Playland (Fresno's mini amusement park) on Saturday. Yep, it was a horrible day. Today I found out that the person who "found" the wallet was nice enough to use our debit card to by minutes for their prepaid Cricket phone....$240 worth! So, the bank will reimburse that money in about two weeks. Two weeks? Really? It's not like I need that money this weekend!! It comes in 3's so hopefully the other two bad things will wait for a while.
I don't know why I haven't been able to loose these stubborn 40 pounds that I have been trying to get rid of for the last month. I guess it will be something I need to continue to work on.

Tryouts

This week is soccer tryouts. Yes, you have to "tryout" to be on a soccer team in elementary school. When I was little I played in a league, which wasn't affiliated with my elementary school, so this is new to me.
I talked to some of the other Mom's about the soccer teams and found out just how competitive this years soccer is going to be. I mean last year was okay, but you could tell who was really trying and who wasn't much for the aggressive sports, meaning Gavin.
So on Wednesday, Gavin, and a lot of other kids, are going to be competing to be in specific levels (IE: A team, B team and so on). Last year Gavin played on the D team and it was perfect. Not too competitive, but enough to get him out there running around and enjoying the experience with his friends. Last year his team consisted of all his kindergarten friends. I knew all the parents and it was something to look forward to each Saturday morning. This year, most of the kids that were on his team will be moving up to the B team and Gavin's age may hinder his going into the under 10 team. Can't complain on that though, because he may be able to be on a team with Quinten. That saves me time and energy.
I took the boys out to practice on Monday and found that Gavin isn't much for soccer at all, but that kid can run all day long. He was having races with Quinten and I was amazed at what a good runner he is. He had me race him doing sprints and I was shocked at how fast that little guy is. I can tell that he will excel at cross country or track and field. Man, I can't wait for those sign ups!

Thor

On nice evenings like this, I would love to shower and take a bowl of ice cream to bed with me to eat while I watch a grown up movie. Tonight I am sitting on the couch, with my bowl of ice cream watching the cartoon version of Thor. My husband assures me that this is a great thing to do with the boys. I wonder why we can't agree on a non-superhero type movie. I would love to watch the Incredibles, Cars or anything cute and fun. Instead......Thor. Enough said.

New habits

I am so proud of myself! This isn't a normal occurrence so I have to tell you all about it.
If you haven't noticed I have gained a little weight in the last couple years. Why you ask? Because I have an obsession with food. None in particular...just all of it. I don't even know exactly when all this weight started to settle on my waistline and thighs. I just woke up one day and it was there! Amazing how that all happens.
So it is time for me to get back into shape. I have been jealous of people I know doing marathons. Even half marathons. I used to be an avid runner. I would run between four and six miles everyday. Now, my knees have paid for all these miles, but I think when you truly like doing something, especially of the exercise variety, you better stick with it.
So to David's dismay, I started running once again. Now I am not fast and someone observing this may think I am having an asthma attack or heart attack for that matter, but I push thru and keep going. One way to curb the concerned looks is to hit the road early. I have been getting up around 5:45 (before my alarm goes off) and start my run before anyone is driving around. I tend to like the fact that there is less embarrassment for me since there is a lot of shake going on when I am running.
I haven't hit the constant run of two miles either. I run/walk, but I do work up a sweat and get my heart rate working. I can already feel that my stamina is building. I almost want to keep running instead of walking in between, but my legs just stop and do their own thing. One of these days, my mind will win.
One thing that I have noticed and that irritates me is my stinking I-pod. My husband is in charge of the music and loading it, however he thinks that work out music should be slow. My running shall not be compared to the Tortouise and the Hare, even though it bares a striking resemblance. I feel like all I do is fast forward that thing. Then I find a good song that gets me going and I have to replay it about four times so I can get in the right frame of mind. To fix this problem I may have to actually find the instruction book and do it myself. One more thing to add to my to-do list.
So hopefully I can stick with this workout regiment in order to feel better about myself and ultimately loose some weight. I hope also to be able to join a gym and take a Rumba class, which I will do from the very back corner of the class. I am happy that my body and mind are finally on the same page and want to work together in order to achieve a goal. Thank goodness!

Get STAR testing over with!!

I am so excited about summer vacation. Once it starts I probably won't show the same enthusiasm, but for the time being the thought of sleeping in and being a vegetable just sounds amazing. I guess Easter break makes you realize how much you need a break from school and the pressures that go along with it.
This coming week Gavin has STAR testing. If you don't know about STAR testing don't ask me because I don't have a clue. Apparently it is very important. I am dreading picking up Gavin from school because he is not a good test taker and his personality doesn't let things go easily. That means his negativity will carry over to the house and rub off on the rest of us...yay!! If any of you know about the boys school, Fugman, it is over the top. They are rated #1 in Clovis Unified. To me, that means stress and lots of homework. So much homework in fact, that sometimes Gavin sits at the table for 3 hours doing it. My poor Gavin is the youngest kid in his class. His birthday was right at the cut off so I put him in because he was so advanced with his speech. To bad his math skills don't match. And I am not going to lie, I may have been ready for a break earlier than some other parents.
So after the dreaded STAR testing, there will be a couple weeks left of school and I can't wait to do fun stuff with the boys. I would love to take them camping a couple times and maybe have a small trip with my husband somewhere. I would also like to go to the Las Vegas hair show.
So many things to do....will summer be enough time?

Funky Salsa

I made this really good funky salsa tonight. I am not one that gets to funky with salsa but since i am on a diet, I have to do something a little different or I get bored....real quick.

1/3 of a fresh pineapple (chopped in tiny pieces)
1 mango (skinned and chopped into little pieces)
1 bunch cilantro (tops only)
1 jalapeno
half an onion (finely chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
salt to taste
lime or lemon juice

I used this salsa on my white-girl ground beef tacos and it was delicious!

Something yummy for Breakfast

French toast Concoction

5-6 stale Croissants (I used the ones from Costco)
Chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar

I chopped the croissants up and put them into a greased corningware dish with a lid. After blending the rest of the ingredients, I poured them over top. To make it easier, throw all the items in the blender. I put the whole dish in the oven on 350 for an hour. When it came out I put some honey (or you can use maple syrup) on it and ate. Delicious!!

Whitest Girl in the World

I am the whitest person in the universe. I am so white in fact, that I think I may even be a little purple.
There is a picture from when I was little that shows my whiteness the best. My parents, both German and my sister, Native American and me, Italian (but white as a cloud) sitting on the couch in the middle of summer. Everyone sporting a beautiful tan, but me. I am a white spot, hair included, with red cheeks.
So I have lived with my "graveyard tan" for so many years, I don't even notice it anymore, unless it is summer. Then I really notice. Especially since my husband is Mexican and my kids have inherited that nice olive skin from David. All summer they run around without sunscreen, becoming more and more tanned. I turn red and peel within a day.
For many years I visited the wonderful place known as a tanning bed. I would lay there for 15-20 minutes a day for about 6 months a year. I loved the warmth of the lights beating on my body, while a cool fan blew the horrible smell away from my nose. The loud fans interfering with my headphones, but not enough to stop going. I would turn from purple to orange, which matched better with my highly lightened (bleached) hair and summer clothing.
David has put a stop to these visits, pointing out the dangers. You know what I say to the dangers....WHATEVER. I am glowing here!! I live in California. No one who lives in California should be this color!
My best friend is white also. She has natural platinum hair and blue eyes. During the summer I was feeling a little cocky and told her that I was darker than she was, making a big deal about it. She calmly walked over to me, put her arm next to mine and guess what. She was darker than me. Really?
Since I have been banned from the booth, I have since adopted the idea of spray tanning. Although the orange is something from Jersey Shore and looks a little ridiculous for the first day, it works fairly well. I hate the fact that it only lasts a week or so, but that is the options are few and I am desperate.
So I have to choose carefully.....or is there really a choice at all?

Vacation

I am totally jazzed because we are officially going to Disneyland. We drove to Visalia today to get our tickets thru the credit union that the boys have their savings account. $432 later, we are officially going. It was a good deal though, alteast that's what the sign said. We have four two day hopper passes! I have checked the boys and both are over 48", so we will be able to go on the "scary" rides, which will change the second they see them. All I care about is going on Indiana Jones.
We haven't been able to take this adventure for over 2 years, due to the financial issues that go along with going to Disneyland. I have been trying to book my hotel via Priceline, but they aren't giving me the deals that I deserve....okay want, but whatever. Hopefully everything will work out and we will be able to enjoy our little mini vacation with the boys.

backyard fun!

We were supposed to go to Visalia today, but due to illnesses (in Visalia) we stayed home. I was bummed initially about not having our day trip because I was going to see Audrey, but the day actually worked out.
I don't know how I did it, but somehow David volunteered to hook up the backyard. If you had seen our backyard yesterday you would have agreed that some serious work needed to take place in order for my blinds to be open to the backyard. Today, not so much. The boys and David went into the backyard around 11:30 and the boys stayed out there until almost 3:30. David stayed out until 5:30. Yes folks, there was a lot of good stuff happening back there. Weeds got pulled, side yard got hoed and leveled and the entire lawn got edged, which is something I am not allowed to do since I am accident prone.
Since the boys left me alone, I was able to go grocery shopping, make pumpkin cake and jumbalaya for dinner. What an accomplishment! I feel like I can rest now.....for a week or so!

You did what?

I did a naughty thing....at least in the Mennonite community. I got my nose pierced. Now, this wasn't my idea. In fact I have always viewed facial piercings as a white trash type thing to do. Guess there is a little trailer park in me after all. Here is how it all went about.
My best friend Audrey told me six months ago, that she wanted to pierce her nose. I tried my hardest to talk her out of it and I hoped that she wouldn't bring it up again. But, as I started to think about it, I warmed up to the idea. It didn't seem as horrible as I originally thought. I even considered it a time or two.
So after out last trip to State Board we talked about it again, but both of us were really tired after this stressful outing and opted out. Still, the idea was thrown around several times.
So this last weekend, Audrey called and needed her best friend to talk to. My parents had decided to have the boys spend the night and David was working. How boring to sit at home by myself so I joined her. Our first stop? The tattoo parlor.
As we ran inside to get out of the rain, I knew that this piercing expedition was going to be very controversial. I knew my husband was not very excited about facial piercing and my parents....that is another story! I told Audrey she had to go first because if it hurt I was outta there. Audrey sat down and the guy got her all prepped. As he pierced her nose, her eyes watered and I could see she was holding back more than just the tears. She told me she wanted to cry and goes on about how much it hurt. I really wanted out of there by this point.
After a long debate between Audrey and I, I finally sat down (after she grabbed my arm and "assisted" me). That is when the whole mind over matter kicked in. I told myself that it would only hurt for a minute. If it lasted longer than that I was gonna rip that son of a gun out of my nose and throw it on the floor! The guy told me to breath in, meaning the pain was going to kick in. I didn't even feel the darn thing. It didn't hurt a bit. However, he had to stick the long part that fits inside my nose, up. The "ring" is shaped like an L. The short side sticks out and has the diamond on it. The long part goes up your nose. During that part I wanted to pass out or throw up....I wasn't sure which. I did lay down and was able to calm down and talk myself out of the sickness.
Audrey and I were really proud of ourselves after this excitement. We hit a couple places and had a couple drinks and headed back to her house. It was a success. Ahhh....
So that is how it all went down. The diamond you see in my nose, is in fact a piercing. I know I am a little old for this, but this is my time since I couldn't very well have had a pierced nose while wearing a police uniform. The rebel inside has again been satisfied for a couple years. Don't ask what is next because I don't know!

recipe

Birria

2 1/2 - 3 lbs beef (pot roast or anything with low fat content)
1 cup enchilada sauce
1 8 oz tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves (I usually throw in 3-4)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground marjoram (sp?)
3/4 or a 12 oz beer (i like the way darker beer tasts in this)
salt to taste

Throw all the ingradients in a crock pot and cook all day on low. The meat should shred and be delicious. I pair this with Mexican rice and tortillas. One of our families favorites!