Vacation - Day 2

We dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig ...

Today the boys and I went to Coronado del Mar beach in Newport Beach. It was slightly windy and too cool for much boogie boarding but it was just right for digging out a huge castle with a winding moat. The boys were at it for about 3 hours then finally got a little bored. The sun finally peeked out and the boys grabbed some boogie boards we borrowed from Keira and went for it. Then the sun went back behind the clouds and the boys got cold very quickly. They changed quickly and we toured the 8 digit price tag homes on the bluff. We decided that each home came with your choice of a mercedes or a BMW. It was fun for all.

Vacation - Day 1

When you are out numbered 4 to 1 you have to go on the offensive before they have time to attack. Most of the time it is a gang mentality - nothing organized. One stray word and all heck will break out if not tempered or quelled prior to a full riot. Yesterday I gathered an entire box of food - healthy and the type you can throw at an unruly crowd - and a cooler of drinks. The drive down was fine. I only had to throw food at the munchkins twice in 6 hours. It was a long but decent drive. The kids watched movies and pointed out cars going by too fast for me to see. I sang to the radio which was, uh, offensive as well. ;-)

Magic Stone

I hate cleaning my toilets. We have hard water and we have had ring-around-the-toilet for years. I have tried cleaners recommended by friends, things touted on the TV and Internet fixes for everything from gout to grout. Nothing has worked but I've spent a good deal of money trying to find that magic fix.

I was wandering the aisles of Ace Hardware waiting for Connor to finish shopping and as I regularly do walked down the cleaning supply section. I was surprised to see a pumice stone on a stick sitting in the middle of the chemicals and solvents. I had to look, why not? Pumie is 100% natural and environmentally safe with a tag-line "Cleans when the strongest acid cleaners fail". I knew all of the acids had failed, I'd used all of them. So, I purchased it. I thought, "I'll use it on the kids toilet so if it scratches it I won't have to look at it daily.".

I got home and ran up to use it immediately. Could this possibly work? Would it scratch the toilet and then we'd have to spend $$ to fix that? I tore open the packaging and held it up looking at it's rough pitted surface. No way. Maybe? I wet the stone and went to work. I scrubbed a small area and small pieces of the stone started to crumble off. No worries, it's just sand. I scrubbed on: it was working! 7 minutes later I had a sparkling bowl with no hint of stains OR scratches! I ran to the next bowl and scrubbed away - stunning! And the last, don't fail me now. It worked!

I now have three gleaming bowls and I have to say I have lifted the lids more than once just to admire my handy work. (Please note: Husbands aren't nearly as impressed with toilet rings being gone as you may be.)

Glimmers of September

I made myself a goal that I would not wait until the end of August to separate and organize the kids school supplies when I need to start shopping. When they dumped their backpacks on the floor of my office I took everything out and put papers in one pile and supplies in another. Out of all of the supplies I sent last September I think I saved about 1/4 - not too bad. I pulled the supply list for each kid off the school website and checked off each item I had and set it with the saved supplies. Then I did the really clever thing. I made a list on my phone of the items I need. I am a coupon cutter from long ago and a sale saver so I will watch for the items and pick them up as I find them on sale and not duplicate items since I will have my list with me.

I find it very hard to pay $85 for a single kid supply kit and look myself in the mirror. I paid a total of $109 last year for all three and hope to have it lower this year.

Hardscape - Like Escape only not.

Front walk, steps and driveway path
Path to back patio, fire pit and jacuzzi platform
Deck (almost done!)
Bocci Ball court (not regulation)

After two weeks of construction it's almost done. We (that's the royal "we" meaning Jim) took out all of the cracked and tilted concrete and put in pavers. It turned out very nice and I can almost look at it and not be mad (don't blog in anger, don't blog in anger). I think we are going to be able to use it for many years to come.

Bocci ball anyone?

Rosettes

I wanted to put something nice on the top of a gift I was giving to a friend but was out of any creative ideas. I found the link below on One Pretty Thing and love the simplicity but elegance of it. It was quick and easy too! The cost was part of a tree (a grocery bag), an old copy of The Merchant of Venice and an antique pearl button. The picture of the rosette on the top of the gift looked terrible but this turned out very nice!

http://littlegreenbums.blogspot.com/2011/05/tutorial-time-dictionary-sacrifice.html

Another Reason to Celebrate Mediocracy ...

Connor is graduating 8th grade tomorrow. The ceremony is held at one of the church buildings near school. There were a few parents grousing about the venue but then we won them over with the fact that it is large enough, free, clean, free, has reception area, free and lovely landscaping, oh, and free.

Ten years at our school has set me to thinking a lot about our journey; how far we've come and how far we have to go. The picture is of Connor and his first teacher Mrs. Seimichy (Sim-itch) who taught him, "You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit." and "I know you don't want to but it's still your turn.". Words to live by. I have been excited, sad and not a little worried. Connor has become a wonderful young man that exhibits many of the traits I would like to see in him as a man. A man. I have to start thinking about that too. Now I'm more worried - not a bad worried just still.

Healthy Challenge Day 3

I have one word for you, cholestrol. I have terrible cholestrol. My goal through the end of the year will be to eat things that will help naturally lower my cholestrol. I just had my blood work done seven weeks ago so I have a baseline. I will have it checked again in January. Now to figure out which food to eat... and not eat.

Day 2 Healthy Challenge

This healthy challenge is difficult for me. I feel I am pretty healthy and try to make decent food choices too ... except for one. I have a sweet tooth. So, today I decided I would cut desserts down to twice a week for the whole summer. (Vacation withstanding!) Fruit doesn't count as dessert so we can have as much watermelon as we please. I told the kids and unfortunately Tylor won't be joining us in the challenge: as you can see he has had a tragic accident.

New Job

Jim started his new job today with Form Factor in Livermore which is about 40 minutes North and East of us. I have never been as happy to get him out of the house! Now I'm wondering how we are going to do when the kids are gone and we retire. It felt like a 30 day test run and he didn't live up to my honey-do list at all - the deck is 90% done (he put on the decking since this pic but it's been raining) but still. I'm thinking of taking up something that takes a long time and I can't do at home for the most part. Any ideas? I will have to learn it before we retire so I already have the excuse to be gone... :-) What would you "take up" if time weren't an issue?

A Week of 5 Healthy Changes

I started thinking about Rebekah's challenge on Saturday and decided on one for today. If an errand is withing 2 miles of my house I have to walk/run/ride my bike to do it. I was thinking about what I do all summer and about 80% is within that distance. So, today: I rode my bike to drop off dry cleaning (I'll walk over to pick it up later this week.), I ran down to the bank to make a deposit and as long as I was over that direction I picked up a veggie nosh pocket (think hot pocket only really good!) and I went to the store on my bike and picked up milk - I have a basket on my bike - and some fruit. During the summer the kids and I ride bikes quite often but this will make it healthier for us all.