Staycation: The final chapter

We did lots of fun things that I didn't capture on film... such as swimming, grilling up some Organic Buffalo Burgers, making grilled pizza with the kids, and hanging out with some dear friends. We really tried to make sure that we did things out of the ordinary, laptops were stashed away and laundry was left for when "we got back".


On Monday night, we went to learn how donuts are made by hitting Krispy Kreme. We aren't big doughnut people, but the kids thought this was awesome! When the Hot Doughnut light is on, you can watch the donuts being made. The kids especially loved the icing waterfall.
We let each kid pick out their own doughnut, and regretted it... AK stayed up until midnight, running around like some kid doped up on sugar.
Mr. Boy however has ingested way more sugar than AK, and has built up a tolerance to the stuff. We all know I treat the world as though it is strictly for my very own personal entertainment. Mr. Man walked around ALL day with this piece of twine hanging out of his back pocket. It looked like a tail, and I don't think I pointed it out until the evening. At that point he left it on, and would shake it at me. It made me laugh so hard at Krispy Kreme, I snorted... which is always so mortifying. We knew our Staycation was a success, when we walked in and found this:

Mr. Boy has been sleeping on the floor for months now, and AK curled up next to him. It's all about bringing us closer together, spending some time doing things together, and breaking out of the daily routine. Mission Accomplished.

Staycation Part Deux: The Home Improvement Project

"It should just take an hour or so" are the words that should NEVER be uttered for a home improvement project. It means that the project will take more than an hour or so, and will suck up every spare minute of the next four days... First we got a dumpster, and got rid of a bunch of junk. I tried desperately to get a picture of Mr. Man doing his best Karate Chop Kicks on these boards to break them, but failed miserably. I was such a good and loyal wife hiding behind the car with my camera in hand trying to capture it, instead of pitching in to help.Once all that was cleared, we worked on the deck. That was supposed to be an hour or so, but it took a full two days, plus a bit on Monday. Thank goodness we have these kids, because we put them to work!
These are Mr. Boy's favorite pants of all time. He has had them since he was 1, and wears them all the time. Now they are man-pri's, but he still loves them. Also, he has decided he doesn't want to wear shirts anymore.

When the kids couldn't help with the deck, I had to figure out how to keep them entertained. I got a little desperate...
We tried out new hairstyles, this one was designed by Mr. Boy especially for AK. There are 6 bows in her hair. (Note, the fancy vanilla colored walls... so fancy..... "You like... You buy!" Name the movie reference)
Then I had this brilliant idea to set up a movie party in the den. Most people think it's cool to watch movies on a really big TV, but in our house the novelty is watching it on the hard floor on a tiny 15 inch screen.
I bet you all are just salivating for Part Three! Stay tuned!

Day 1 of Staycation: Disneyland

One of the most heated topics in our marriage has been the topic of Disneyland. Mr. Man believes in carrying out his family tradition of going on your 5th birthday, and I believe that you should get passes every other year while you live 10 flipping minutes from Disneyland and go often and in short spurts.

We have graciously found a compromise... we went as a family for one entire day, and I will get passes and take the wee ones often from this point on.

One of the perks of living in Southern California... unless it's July or August... the weather is a given. High between 65-75, cooler at night, it's a no brainer. Apparently, last Thursday was an exception, because it poured rain off and on, and there was this bone chilling wind along with thunder and lightening.

All would have been well, except we were not prepared, and we kept saying.. One more ride and then let's go home... (and because of my brilliant annual pass move, we could just DO THAT, go home when the fun train stopped....)

We learned a lot about our family....

AK is a daredevil and totally laughed on the Matterhorn
Mr. Boy.... uh.. not so much

Also... Mr. Boy did not like Star Tours, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the Roger Rabbit Ride, and definitely didn't like Pinnochio
Also, Mr. Man, gets ill if the rides are too twirly... which is a big bummer.
The Jungle Cruise was a BIG HIT, we did that FOUR times!
Which meant enduring the same jokes... FOUR timesAnd Mr. Boy is fascinated by the sight of his favorite animal..ELEPHANTS! (which he called Ell-Oats the first 4 years of his life) Mr. Man spied my camera and made his favorite face... yeah.. he's a keeper. Autopia was ALSO a huge hit. Since there are several Disney Execs reading my blog, can I pass on some suggestions? a.) make the line go FASTER, seriously, open MORE lanes b.) wouldn't it be great if you had made these into "Pixar Cars"? c.) wouldn't it be awesome if they weren't awful smelling lawnmower engines? I expect to be compensated for my brillance.

The Carousel is beautiful and it was DRY, so we rode that a lot. Mr. Boy favored the "Mary Poppins Horse" (Julie Andrews horse). AK loved all of the horses and shouted "go fast please!"
Mr. Boy did just fine on Thunder Mountain...Dumbo was fine, but in the middle of a downpour.And it's about this time, that I've decided I wanted off the fun train, and climb into my own nice warm bed. The rain has even made my bum appear swollen..... We bumped into AK's favorite "Rella"aka Cinderella during the rainy day parade, and Mr. Boy spotted his favorite lady of all time, Mary Poppins, who waved especially to him. These guys wanted to ride Autopia one more time, so we did. And I threaten Mr. Man, that at his funeral, I'm not going to have any decent pictures of him, so I'm going to have to blow one up of his "I'm being so funny" faces and put that next to his casket. And people who don't know him very well, will actually think that something was wrong with him and that was HIS REAL SMILE. Autopia at night is totally different than in the daytime.Then we got on the tram, and when Mr. Boy realized that was our last "ride" of the evening he exclaimed, "Thats JUST how I wanted it to end!" *note the Lilo and Stitch flashy-spinny toy, what is UP with those, and why does every kid want to have one at $14.95 a pop, seriously....* And by the time we got home AK was still chattering up a storm, but Mr. Boy... he was just tuckered out.

On Staycation...

For whatever reason, we don't travel much. Mostly due to the fact that Mr. Man is gone far too much, and he is a giant homebody. Every year after Tax Season, we've enjoyed a Staycation, essentially a vacation at home. Last year, we did the LA Zoo, The Aquarium, and a night in Hollywood. This year, we are taking the kids to Disneyland for the first time, and off to do some other various activities. One of the various activities, includes a home improvement project that should just take "an hour or so...." Good thoughts, prayers, and good karma appreciated.....

** also the picture is a nod to Chevy Chase, which I will post our Chevy Chase story.. I promise.

It's my FAVORITE time of the year...

Tommorrow is a French Holiday, it's called "J'achèterai des chaussures". It roughly translates into I will buy shoes. Today, I ended up over by Nordstroms, and saw them getting the shoe racks ready. It made me giddy and tingly to see the shoes all lined up. I also got word that they are going to have some fabulous summer skirts and dresses. Who else is going?

This friend of mine...

Knows how to throw a party! This is my pal Cinnamon, yes, that's her real name, and no... she is NOT in that line of work. She also goes by the name of Aunt Cin-in-o-min-o-min-a-mon to my kids. For her Birthday, we had a little girls night out at.... Disneyland! The castle is behind us, but you're gonna have to really squint to see it.

I got home somewhere around 1 AM, and then woke up the next morning with a pounding headache right at my jawline from laughing so much the evening before. The other people in our group were actual Disney Corporate people, so we had the sweet hookup for the evening.... which meant riding the teacups multiple times! MY FAVORITE! Cinnamon, has been an AWESOME friend who has known me since I was young and dumb. She's been one of the people who has held my hand and said.. "Look, you know I love you... but you, my friend, are being *insert: reckless, dumb, foolish, or stubborn*" She has also held my hand and said... "I'm a little concerned..... " For the above things I am grateful. I'm still a little bitter that when I call her on a tirade about Mr. Man... she usually says... "Uh.. Wendy... maybe don't you think that Mr. Man has a point...maybe.. just a little bit.. on this subject?" And then she usually endures an expletive filled tirade that accuses her of being biased and unloyal. She just waits patiently until I'm done, or will calmly tell me to call someone else. She's a good friend like that.

On another note.... Happy Birthday to my dear friend Bob, who I love and adore for so many reasons, one being that she is just like a real life Barbie! Another being... that she is awesome.... and she get's really giggly after midnight.

Also... it's too dang hot. Note to self... must buy new house with a big pool ASAP

A confession about BlueTooth Headsets...

I should have put this in my last post, but chicken'd out. However, some of you might not know the side of me that seeks out my own personal entertainment while out in public.

Whenever I see someone wearing one of those headsets out in public, and they are obviously NOT on the phone, I make it a point to stop them and ask if they know the time. Then I stare at the earpiece, and point to my ear, and apologize immediately and whisper, "Oh sorry, I didn't know you were on the phone." Then I walk away.... And inside my head, I'm cracking myself up.

A little while back while standing in line at Starbucks, the guy in front of me was wearing his Earpiece very proudly. So when they called for the next person, I cut in front of him, and when he said... "Hey.. I was next!" I pointed to my ear, and said "Oh, I thought you were on the phone." The Baristas were smirking, trying not to chuckle, and this guy got really really ticked off. He ROARED AT ME, "I'm a VERY WEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN, AND I NEED TO BE AVAILABLE TO MY CLIENTS ALL DAY LONG!" I let him order first of course, but couldn't help notice my drink was done before his. Also, if he was so wealthy and successful... why didn't he buy my drink?

Social Faux Pas

Looks like I'm gonna have to have a chat with AK... probably via cell phone....And ugh... I hate it when people just wear these around town all day, like they are expecting an urgent phone call from the White House or something. It's not a piece of jewelry....

Channeling your inner Michael Jackson aka Mother's Day Weekend

It was the annual Father & Son's campout on Friday. Mr. Boy spent the entire week counting down the days to this. Friday morning, I woke up to Mr. Boy sitting on the bed mostly dressed and holding out two shirts. "Do I wear short or long sleeves for camping?" He hasn't done that since sports camp last summer, where he woke me up my tapping me with the sunblock bottle. We are wussy parents, so camping means.... you come home at midnight to sleep in your own bed.Mr. Man was busy slaving away on the house all weekend, so I told the kiddos it was time to for them to earn their supper. One of the big benefits of the new washer, other than it's better than television, they can load the washing machine themselves. Then on Mother's Day, I was awoken late in the morning by the smell of a Creole Breakfast. Mr. Man duped me into matrimony with his fabulous Creole cooking that all but disappeared after I said "I do", redeemed himself by making a breakfast that was too die for! He even took a moment to pose for a classic Mr. Man picture.... (psst... Stacey & Jen... notice the organic Cage Free Egg containers in the background)
Mr. Boy was so excited for Mother's Day, mostly because the kids gave me MarioKart for the Wii, which rocks! Mr. Boy in the spirit of giving decided to get ready for church all by himself. Yes, that's a purple glove on one hand only. Every Sunday I beg for Mr. Boy to wear a dorky sweater vest. He says no, and wears a tie instead. This Sunday, he decided as a special treat he would wear the sweater vest, with one glove, and no shirt underneath.

Even better, he performed Mother's Day songs in front of the whole congregation during church services. All the other kids were wearing dorky church clothes that had sleeves and no glove... Mr. Boy however, sang his little heart out wearing an outfit that is a not so subtle nod to Michael Jackson during his heyday. It was an awesome Mother's Day.

Ladies who lunch...

Last Thursday, Steph and I met up for lunch in the park, while similtaneously, the remaining Ya Ya's who had the odacity to move away and set up house in the frozen tundra (aka Salt Lake City), had lunch together. It was totally fun, and I love hanging out with Steph. With the recent passing of an acquaintance, I have reflected on the great things in my life. One of them is the Ya Ya's, who I know that if something ever happened to me, would love my children and seek them out to tell them stories about me and remind my children how much I care and love them. AK loved spinning on the tire swing until it appeared as though her eyes were rolling back into her head. After one twirly bout, she asked us to stop spinning. We stopped it, and she kept asking us to "Stop Spinning", apparently her world was still spinning even though the ride had stopped.
This is my photo wall, and it is now gone. Over the years, I have added pictures to it with the one criteria, every picture must have a story and a family member in it. It's been a wonderful project and a great way to honor my relatives. I love to stand at this wall and tell the stories behind each picture to our guests. I also love these Blue walls. When we bought this house, every room was a different color. I LOVED that, and I loved these blue hallways most of all. However, as this house gets groomed for it's upcoming sale, everything is getting neutralized. A little less colorful, and a lot more bland. I miss the photo wall and the blue walls so much. I almost felt like I had a roomful of relatives who were watching over me and giving me strength. I miss their presence in my home.

** Yes, that is a picture of Chevy Chase on our photo wall. No we aren't related to him, but there is a great story behind that picture, he is important to our family... wanna know why? You'll have to ask me about it!

Not the most exciting meal....

Apparently, I need to spice up dinner a little more. We had two kids nodding off during Sunday dinner. I guess that's what happens when you play hard earlier in the day.
This is me with the world's sweetest kitten. My pal Cinnamon takes care of foster kittens. She is a great auntie to my kids, and invited us over to play with the kittens. Cinnamon is an amazing "Auntie" to my kids. I grew up with lots of "Aunties" in my life, and my kids are really lucky to have Auntie Cinnnamon. Mr. Boy wants to move in with her, and tells me when he is super angry, "Fine, I'll just live with Auntie Cinnamon. She has kittens, plays Guitar Hero, and let's me play with......*insert whatever toy he just lost*" Mr. Boy's current scheme involves us moving into Aunt Cinnamon's house, where she leaves her Wii, Kittens, and Cool Blue Couch behind, and she moves into our house. That way he can still come visit his old room and jungle gym.