Green Eggs and Ham

Eden has been really into Dr. Seuss books lately. She especially loves reading Green Eggs and Ham. Eden asked what we were having for dinner and I told her we were having ham. She then exclaimed, "I want green ham with green eggs like Dr. Seuss!" My first thought was, "no way, I'm not going to make the ham green" but my next thought was, "why not?" So, after a few drops of green food coloring...

Taco Bell, Denise Richards, & Mexican Flag

Today was a good day. Nothing too exciting, just good fun with my sister, Emily and friend, Jenn. Emily drove over this morning and we ran errands together. Even errand running becomes fun when Emily and I are together.

We started our adventure with a drive through the drive-thru of Taco Bell. We love Taco Bell. It may not be cool to admit that but I say it proud and loud...I LOVE TACO BELL! I think it all started in our childhood. My mom would get us Taco Bell as a treat. I remember as a kid going inside and ordering my pintos and cheese and loving the smell and then going home and eating the deliciousness with my mom while she watched Days of Our Lives. Taco Bell for me equates to happy times. It was what my parents would use to bribe me with in order to get me to babysit my younger siblings-"If you babysit tonight, Susan we will get you Taco Bell". It worked every time. I swear Taco Bell is the cure-all. You have to try it. Next time you're feeling down or just not feeling well go get some Taco Bell and you will feel better in no time. Emily swears that it will actually cure the stomach flu-it is what she craves after the stomach flu and she feels better after eating it. It is my main craving when completely sick during the first trimester of pregnancy. A couple of days ago I was not feeling too happy, I felt beat up by life so I got me some Taco Bell and I kid you not I felt better. So, do the Taco Bell challenge-eat up when your down-and let me know your results.

Okay, so we ate our Taco Bell and loved every minute of it. Then we were off to Costco to get pictures printed and then to Kim's Alterations in Encinitas (fantastic tailor-highly recommend her!) and then we met Jenn at Dreamy (http://www.shopdreamy.com/) in the Lumberyard shopping center. While we're shopping in Dreamy Jenn whispers for us to look at a lady that's in there with us. I thought Jenn was making fun of what she was wearing but I thought she looked fine in her long, pink sundress and white sweater. Finally Jenn asks me and Emily if we know who the lady is. I turned around and got a good look at her face and realized it was Denise Richards! We totally shopped with Denise today! And Jenn talked to her! hahaha Seriously though, she is beautiful and she was really nice. The girl working at Dreamy said she shops there regularly. Makes you realize that celebrities are just like us...only they're famous with more money.

After that exciting experience we went to Anthropologie (http://www.anthropologie.com/) which is one of the greatest stores in the whole wide world and did a little more shopping. I wish I had the money to do a lot of shopping. Anyway, it's fun to be with friends in a store you all love. Then Jenn left us and Em and I headed back to Costco to pick up our printed photos.

As we were leaving Costco we had to stop at the red light directly in front of the American flag made out of ranunculus flowers at the Carlsbad Flower Fields. It is beautiful if you haven't seen it (http://visit.theflowerfields.com/). The flowers bloom every spring in bright beautiful bands of color across the hills. After September 11th happened they started planting flowers to create the American flag on one side of the hill. As we sat at the red light we talked about this flower created flag. Most of the people who plant the seeds and work the fields are mexican migrant workers. Emily said, "Wouldn't it be funny if the migrant workers planted seeds in that area to create the Mexican flag?!" The owners of the place would be expecting the traditional American flag and then as the flowers began to bloom a Mexican flag would appear! Hahahaha...we had a good laugh over that. And then the light turned green. I love my sister.

Lifeguard and Businesswoman

This past weekend I was a lifeguard and a businesswoman. On Friday the kids and I dusted off our picnic basket and filled it with our sandwiches, goldfish crackers, gogurts, and juice boxes and then we headed to our playground for a picnic. It was the first we had been outside that day and it was then I realized how warm it was. We sat at a picnic table right by our pool. Eden and Kai have been BEGGING to go swimming for the past few weeks and I have repeatedly told them "no" and "it's too cold". So even though we were sitting right next to the pool they didn't even bother asking me if they could swim. They probably figured I would give them the same response I had been giving them over the previous weeks. They ate their lunches and climbed and went down the slides and as I was cleaning up our lunches I just very casually asked, "Do you guys want to go swimming?". They both looked at me in surprise and said, "Huh? What did you say, Mom?" I repeated the question and needless to say they began jumping up and down with huge smiles on their faces saying, "Yes!!". The pool was cold but they didn't seem to care. It's so funny how fun outweighs discomfort for children-they are shaking and their teeth are chattering but when I ask them if they are cold and want to get out of the pool they say they are not cold at all. Ezekiel and I just hung out together in the shade-we were the lifeguards.



On Saturday I awoke at the lovely hour of 4:00am to get myself and Ezekiel out the door by 5:00am to meet up with Elke who drove us to The Disneyland Hotel for a boutique put on by the California Utah Women organization. We didn't go to shop but instead we went to sell. Elke invited me along to share a table with her. (Elke sells great messenger-style diaper bags. To check them out go to her website at http://www.myellacollection.com/) For those of you who don't know I started a business about a year ago, NurturBaby, selling a product I invented called The NurturClip. The idea has been a labor of love since Eden was a baby, about 7 years ago. With motivation and help from my husband, mother-in-law, and friends I am finally marketing the product. It is a breastfeeding reminder clip. It is made up of soft fabric and round magnets and attaches easily, discreetly, and comfortably to a bra strap or undergarment to remind breastfeeding mothers of which side they should next feed their baby. It is simple to use and very effective and helpful. My website is currently in the works so in the meantime you can go to the blog http://www.nurturclip.blogspot.com/. I sold a good amount on Saturday considering the number of people in attendance. It was so great to get immediate feedback from complete strangers. I heard a lot of, "What a great idea!" "I wish I'd had one of those when I was breastfeeding!" and "I could use one of those!". The greatest feeling came from selling some NurturClips. Of course it was great to make some money and know that people were willing to spend money on my invention but it was also so rewarding to know that something I invented was going home with someone and that it was going to help that woman as she cared for her baby. I currently have a patent-pending and am in the process of marketing. I hope this is the beginning of much more success in the future!

Popscicles at the Park

Aaaaaahhhh...the joys of childhood. It was a beautiful spring day spent with Grandma at the park and filled with jungle gyms, popscicles from the ice cream man (don't you remember as a kid chasing after the out of tune music and trying to decide between the sugar-filled treats), blue-bellied lizards (kai caught it...so brave! and eden had the not so nice experience of a lizard running amuck under her shirt...screams!), rocks to climb, swings, expanse of green grass to run crazy through (there is something about green grassy fields that makes you want to run like a crazy person), blue stained mouths, and lots of dogs to pet. As parents it is so fun to re-live childhood through our children. Seeing my children happy makes me feel the sweetest of joys to be found in this life. It is days like these where I consciously live in the moment allowing my every sense to soak up the experience. True joy is found in enjoying time spent with loved ones. As my friendship tea towel given to me by Karalea says, "Life is good...enjoy the little things".

Flat Wrigley

On our girls' day out Jenn created Wrigley out of a gum wrapper. He joined us on our adventures. Here are some captured moments with Flat Wrigley.