Upstairs Circus

A year ago,  I started getting together with other Moms from school.  Moms that I already knew and Moms that I wanted to know better.  We had a few fun outings together and then things kind of fell apart.  My best friend was diagnosed with cancer and someone I thought was my friend, left me hanging.  I started getting moms together again for breakfast on the first day of school and it was the best thing for me.  I love connecting with my fellow Moms and sharing stories and getting to know each other better.

Several of these Moms have become my closest friends.  It's a total bonus that some of their kids are my kids besties!   I invited a handful of friends to join me in Downtown Denver for some crafting fun with mimosas.  Three lovely ladies took me up on it and we had the best time!

Welcome to Upstairs Circus!

On the weekends, you can make a craft and have bottomless mimosas for the low price of $35.  They have so many great choices of crafts, even for people that claim they aren't crafty.  The really interesting thing is that you get better at your craft and closer to your friends with each refill of your glass.  

I went with the Hex Nut Bracelet so that I could learn a new skill and open an Etsy store so my husband will get off my back about getting a job to support my family.  I LOVE my new bracelet and can't wait to go back and learn another skill. 

The very best thing about Upstairs Circus is that they are practically across the street from the new Union Station and you can take the light rail from all over the city and have a great time with your friends.  There are a number of restaurants at the Union Station and in the neighborhood to have lunch when you are done.  Be advised that people will be fawning all over you about how awesome you and your project are wherever you go.

Time To Say Goodbye

It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon in Denmark and Helle should be almost home.  It's been a while since she's seen her family because she's spent the last year as my friends Au Pair.

For the last 9 months, she's been my friend and occasional babysitter.

I will fully admit that I judged her harshly when I first saw her.  I didn't think that the skinny blonde in the cut offs and high heels would have anything in common with me.  Heck.  I'm old enough to be her Mother!

It took a few weeks but we started talking and I discovered what a thoughtful and kind person she is.  She was so helpful during the school year, watching Mallory when I volunteered in Alex's classroom.  And she watched the kids a few times, so Keith and I could have more date nights together.

I loved our Girls Night's with the rest of our group. They normally took place after PTA meetings and we affectionately called them P (minus T) A Meetings.  She even came to one PTA meeting and that is when the rumor started that I was related to her Host Mom.  I love these girls like family!

My favorite memory  of Helle is when she came to my apartment during Christmas Break and showed me how to make traditional Danish Rice Pudding.  It will  always be our Christmas tradition.  We will always think of Helle.

I tried desperately to get her to marry my brother in law Robert before she left so that she'd have to come back and then she'd be my sister.  She declined.  She's got big plans to go to school and wants to be a teacher.  She's going to do great things and I'm so sad that I may never see her again.

Life....will not be as much fun without her.

When Bloggers Become Friends

I've been blogging since July 2007. 

When I started, my daughter was just a few months old and I'd been living in Utah for almost a year without making any friends.

I was heavily dependent on my imaginary friends that lived in my computer.

Early on....I met my soul mate.

We found each other because we both posted our menus for the week on our blogs.  We became fast friends and found that we had so much more in common.  We're both very organized and crafty, we both love a good drink and we both love to eat.  We're also both damn cute.

Over the years, she's become one of my best friends.  She's been the shoulder I needed to cry on and even offered to adopt me.  I was the first  and only person that she told that she was trying to get pregnant and I was the first person to know when that test was positive!  

Jessica came to Colorado last week to visit her family and she and her little boy came to Denver to see me....and meet MY family!

I'm so happy that the internet and blogging has helped me make so many wonderful friends!

Thank you Jessica for being one of those people.

Friends and Flowers

I have a couple friends that have been with me for a really long time.  They knew me when I was newly married to a different guy, had long blonde spiral permed hair and drove a pickup truck.  Yes...I might have been a redneck!

Oh how I've changed!

Before I moved to Utah....we had a long standing May Date, usually right after Mother's Day.  We'd meet in Longmont (a halfway point) have a long breakfast, catch up on each other's lives and then spend a couple of hours at a local nursery picking out flowers for our yards.

I'm missed these outings so much and I missed my friends more.

Saturday we were reunited!

We had breakfast at an adorable little restaurant that is in an old house just off from the downtown area.  It's called Lucile's Creole Cafe, the food was so good and it made me want to visit New Orleans very soon! Mallory and I scored some beads and we didn't even have to do anything naughty to get them. Click HERE to see what I ate.

We had a great time at the nursery and Mallory was in heaven!  She loved looking at and touching every plant and made me read all of the tags to her.  If there was a bench...she sat on it.  Twice!  We picked some flowers to plant and our color scheme is purple, yellow, orange and pink!  And we bought three kinds of basil.

Mallory tricked Anne into carrying her all around the nursery by telling her that she was about to pass out!  She is suck a trickster!  Anne, of course didn't mind because she has two boys and always wanted a daughter, and people kept asking her if Mallory was her kid.  They do look alike...don't you think? 

We planted our flowers yesterday and I don't think I've seen my kids more excited to watch something grow!  

Very Important People

In November 2009, I was visiting Denver for Thanksgiving and I made a new friend. I first met Tina on twitter and we started reading each other's blogs and then she came to a bar to have a beer with me and it was Friendship at First Sight! Note: it appears that I've gone from wearing turquoise and black to my new favorite color...orange and black.

I've been back in Denver for six months now and Tina and I hadn't made the time to get together...until this past weekend.

We both wanted to see Black Swan and my favorite movie theater is halfway between our homes so she agreed to spend the afternoon with me. You may recall that this awesome theater has a VIP section. For an extra $3 you get to sit in leather reclining love seats and you have a waiter that brings you free soda and popcorn. They also have appetizers and a full bar. The prices are a little high but you get to drink booze while watching the movie!

Wine, Coke and Popcorn

Oh..another added bonus. A VIP restroom so that you don't have to go with the common folk! Tina went first and came back to report that she had gotten a personal escort to the restroom. I had to go too so she told me to look for the guy in the blue shirt. It turned out to be the General Manager of the theater and he would later tell all of our seat mates that he'd do anything to make their time enjoyable...including take them to the potty! Now THAT is customer service!

Tina is like the sister I wish I had!  When we're together we talk and laugh and carry one like we've known each other for years! We were having the best time and our waiter was a darling and took our picture even though he said it was against the rules.  I'm ALWAYS in violation so we went for it.

Aren't We Cute?

Not long after we took our seats....a young couple sat down next to us and brought their own soda and popcorn from concessions, even though the waiter is supposed to bring it to you.  They didn't order drinks or food and as near as I could tell....didn't speak to each other.

We talked until the movie trailers started and we were trying very hard to whisper into each others ears if we had a comment during the movie.  We did make some noise during the scary parts and gasped at some of the startling parts.  BECAUSE WE'RE NORMAL!

As this couple got up to leave when the credits came on....the girl shot us the dirtiest look I've ever seen!  Tina and I looked at each and I said...was that for US?  WOW!  We decided that she was pissed because 1) she didn't have as much fun as we did and 2) they paid $6 extra dollars to sit next to us and 3) the general manager didn't take her to the potty.

We were having so much fun that we walked down the mall to Slattery's Irish Pub where a Sawyer look- a-like was our bartender.  We should have taken his picture....I think he would have let us. Dang it!

We're planning to get our hubby's together because they are both quiet, serious types with boisterous wives that like to have a good time!

Speaking of good friends.....

I checked my mail yesterday to find that I had a package from Heather from Madaline: The Magnificent Mayhem Maker.  She made me a beautiful scarf in my new favorite color!  ORANGE!

Thank you Heather!

 Black Swan: I really liked this movie and I'm thrilled that Natalie Portman won best actress for her role (NINA) in this film.  Barbara Hershey played the crazy, obsessive mother really well and the twists and turns kept me guessing.  The only completely unbelievable part for me was when Nina's Mom buys her a sheet cake for getting the part.  Who in their right mind buys a ballerina a cake?  Don't see this film if you have issues with skinny girls that eat grapefruit, Winona Ryder, masturbation as homework,  lesbians or swans.

Perfection is not just about control. It's also about letting go. ~ Thomas Leroy in Black Swan

Mommy Cards

Mallory is kind of shy. She is unsure of new situations and people and hides behind my leg or her sunglasses whenever we're in public.

The only place that she appears to be comfortable and comes out of her shell is at the play thing at Burger King.  I've joked that I'm going to have to home school her and take her there for recess so she can play with other children.

The other day, she made friends with an adorable little girl. She introduced herself and asked the girl her name!  I got so excited as I watch her actively make a friend and they were even holding hands.  She ran over to me...her hair plastered to her head with sweat and proudly told me that she had made a friend.

I sat at the sticky table and decided I had to do something.  I couldn't let this friend get away so I wrote my name, phone number and email address on a piece of paper and I took it over to this girls mother and told her we were new in town and would love to get together sometime.

I should have left it at that.  I should have just walked away but I am a woman of too many words and I had to keep talking....telling her I don't usually approach women in fast food restaurants and that we are really nice people.  And then I had to tell her that I don't make friends easily and I almost told her that my husband thinks I'm a snob. Luckily...I stopped myself there and made my escape.

She hasn't called yet.....do you think I scared her off?  Or maybe she googled me, found this blog and went OH HELL NO!

Just in case....I decided I should have some Mommy Cards to hand out.  

Which one do you like best?

Choice A

Choice B

Choice C

The Ship is Sinking and I'm Going Rogue

I hung out at a coffee shop with my friend Sara yesterday.  We've both been in a funk and needed some time with a friend and it's always nice to get the kids together.  We tired to catch each other up on the last couple weeks of our lives in between breaking up fights and consoling children that fell and skinned their knees.

I know you all won't believe this but I was telling Sara that I finally feel comfortable living in Utah and I don't want to leave.  I had a conversation with Keith the other night about the possibility of him working from home and....staying.  He said no.  He doesn't want to be here.  The problem is...he hasn't made the friends that I've made.

The Jean Jacket Girls

I still keep hoping that Congress will not allow the Constellation project to be cancelled and that we'll be here for a while longer.  That the show will go on and our lives will stay the same.  I've told you before that I have this fear of the unknown....our apple cart is tipping and I can't keep it from happening.

Yesterday on twitter I saw a tweet from a gal that works Constellation in TX...she actually works for N.ASA and she was panicked.  You see, the Project Manager for Constellation was fired yesterday.  His crime was *going rogue* and trying to support the project and he became a lightening rod for controversy.

 N.ASA Engineer's Money Clip

I think I'm starting to understand why American's Republicans have gone into hiding and don't want to speak up about the things they don't like taking place in the White House.  If you don't agree with the play going on in the sand box, you'll be thrown out.

This event caused quite a ruckas.  Soon after Lockhead announced they would be letting go of 20%  of their workforce next week.  The end is near....

This event also shook up our household. The ship is sinking and we don't have enough buckets to bail the water.  It took two bottles of red wine but I finally got Keith to agree to a plan of action.  A plan that will hopefully return us to Denver.  If we have to go anywhere...I'd rather go home.

Home......

Luckily...I have something exciting to keep my mind off from our lives being shook up.  On Saturday night...I'm *going rogue* and I'm joining my partner's in crime in the kidnapping of Jessica Bern.  She is speaking at a blogging conference in Salt Lake and The Three Musketeers (me, Bobbi and Chris) are snatching her from her hotel and we're going to look for some trouble.  I'm bringing the video camera.....

The reason that this is really exciting is that Jessica is famous.  She is a comedian and has appeared in many TV shows and commercials. I'm pretty sure we'll end up in next week's US WEEKLY right next to an article about why Kendra isn't wearing her wedding ring.

That reminds me...Bobbi, don't forget to alert the paparazzi.

Kids Make the Darndest Things: Me

The other day the kids wanted to draw. Alex always wants to draw with my highlighters even though they are so light that you can't see his work very well.

He worked very hard for about 10 minutes on this one piece of paper and then he brought it to me with this giant smile on his face.

He looked down at his masterpiece and he sheepishly told me that he had drawn a picture of me.  My eyes immediately welled with tears because this was the first ever sketch of me made by one of my children and I felt the weight of this moment in my heart.

And then I aksed him to tell me more about the picture and this is what he said:

My heart....he drew my heart.

Happy Mother's Day! 

Weekend Tea Parties and Shopping with Friends

We had a great time at our tea party on Saturday. Alex and Calvin left for Denver early and Alex was so excited for his trip.  Yesterday he had a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese....he's never been there before and he loved it!

I put the invitation inside the hats....so that they would be able to wear their hat to the party.  Gabby's dog ate her hat but luckily we had a spare.

There was some drama (and stomping and door slamming) an hour before the party started when Mallory got upset because her friends hadn't arrived yet.  I couldn't get her to understand that they weren't supposed to be at our house yet.  I swear she is 3 going on 13!

We served blueberry muffins in tulip liners that I found at Joanns, mini cherry danishes, cookies and fruit salad with greek yogurt.  And an assortment of tea and I had back up juice boxes in case the kids didn't like the organic, white citrus tea.  Mallory is now addicted to tea and has requested that she be served Tea and Crumpets in the drawing room.

I made birdhouse decorations for the party.  I knew I wanted to mod podge them but quickly discovered that  I would have to paint some of the house to make it easier on myself.  Because, friend...let me tell you...cutting out those little hearts on the front will drive you to drink!  I got all crazy with the roof on the yellow and green houses.  If you decide to cut up 300 little squares and glue them on a birdhouse...make sure your kids are asleep first!  I bought the buttons for another project and decided to add them at the last minute.  I think it turned out cute.  What do you think?



Yesterday we had an amazing day!  We met my friend Chrisy in Salt Lake City and we had brunch at  Pago. (Click here for more about the food.)  It was amazing...can't wait to go back.  Then we did some shopping at Hip and Humble and The Trolley Square Mall.  This is my second time meeting up with Chrisy...we both love good food and last time we went to The Tin Angel.  Click HERE for that story.

Mallory was so funny!  She kept posing on the lounge chairs in Restoration Hardware and asking me to take her picture. I think I need to get her an agent!   I really liked the deepness of this leather couch until Chrisy demonstrated that I'd feel like a toddler when I sat on it!

And then we went to Target...because I weekend just isn't complete without dropping $100 bucks there.

Home Alone....

My sisterwife had the day off from work and she took my kids out for four and a half hours.  I didn't know what to do with myself.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've been alone in my house for more than an hour in the last 4 years.  I ate my lunch (taco salad...hamburger and romaine) and then I lit some candles and turned on some music.  I wanted to read...but I cleaned the windows instead.  Then I moped the floors, vacuumed and cleaned a couple bathrooms. I even texted Calvin and tried to get him to come home for a little Afternoon Delight.....

I finally sat down to watch The Young and The Restless but I kept jumping up to clean or organize something.  I think I have a problem.....

Then, I cheated on my diet and I ate a 1/2 cup of Golden Grahams. It was soooo good!!   Then when Bobbi got back she brought more candy into my house and I had a couple jelly beans.  I was so mad at myself and my punishment was a dinner that consisted of one hardboiled egg.  I still managed to lose 1.2 pounds...don't ask me how.

This brings me to this problem that I have.  WHY?  Why couldn't I relax and do something for myself?  Why couldn't I read a book or watch a movie?  Or take a freakin nap?  My head is still reeling at how panicked I felt.  I think there must be something seriously wrong with me and I need professional help.

What would you do with 4 free hours? 

Mourning the End of Naptime

As of today....we are doing something new that I wasn't prepared to do.


Alex will no longer be taking a nap.


I've been struggling for weeks to get him to sleep in the afternoon but he keeps going into Mallory's room and screwing around and keeping her from sleeping.  I've used every single Super Nanny trick I know to get him to stop but it just doesn't.

We took all of the toys out of his room, took away the tent over his bed and one by one we removed his stuffed animal family.  It's like he doesn't care if these things are taken away.

Yesterday, he took a bottle of lotion into his sister's room and squirted it all over and then after being put back to bed, took a giant bottle of baby powder to her room and spread it everywhere.

I really, really needed a drink.

We ended up deciding that maybe he doesn't need to rest and the only way to make sure that Mallory gets a good nap is to stop his naps.

This, however, is not making Mama very happy.  I use the naptime (when children are actually sleeping) to get housework done and watch The Young and The Restless.  Now I feel like I don't have MY time anymore and will have to find things to keep him entertained.

I really, really need a drink.....

EDITED: I wrote this last night...after a very long day.  As I was going to bed last night, I peeked in on Alex and watched him sleep and realized that this is an opportunity for me to spend some quality one on one time with my son.  I will find things for us to do and we will have a great time together.  I was looking at this all wrong....

Have a great day!

Vlog: Connie Escapes

So....I'm switching my vlogs to Monday because I'm going to be doing the Countdown to Christmas with Liz on Fridays.

I had very big plans for Saturday since I rarely get a day out without my kids (and husband).  Without them, I can move about freely and get so much done.  At least that was what I thought was going to happen.

Much to Bobbi's chagrin...I had a packed schedule with little wiggle room.  I didn't account for traffic, lingering over coffee, multiple bathroom breaks and 1000 trees.

We started off at Caffe d'bolla in downtown Salt Lake City. This is where I had the most amazing cup of coffee and something called a Bubble Tea.  You can read all about my fun coffee experience here.


Our next stop was Home Goods and we had a little difficulty getting there because my navigation system *bitchin Betty* was picking on me.  In case you don't remember...I won a $200 gift card from The Inspired Room to make over my bedroom.  We found sooo much great stuff and I can't wait to get started putting it all together and showing it to you.

Next...meeting JenJen from Tattertots and Jello at the Festival of Trees. She is even more beautiful and sweet in person as she is on her blog and I got to meet three of her four kids too.  We had a great time looking at all of the hundred's of trees and gingerbread houses and even picked up a couple little treats at the Sweet Shop.

Soon, we had to head for home and the Heartland Paper Company in Bountiful.   I'm working on a special order for my friend Jessica and this place has the best paper selection.

I made it home in time to cuddle with the kids for a little while before I headed out again...this time with Calvin.  I told him that I had a surprise for him and to be ready by 5pm.  And I gave him a clue:

The state of being joined.

I was surprising him by taking him to see 2012 at the JUNCTION (hense the clue).  He thought I was taking him to join a gym and I really had him going because Gold's Gym is right across the street from the theater at The Junction!  He was really surprised!

As for the movie....Calvin loved it.  I, was freaking out and scared through the whole thing and half way through I wanted to go home and hide under a table with my kids.  I came to the conclusion that if the world is ending...I just want to go quickly.  I won't be one of those folks racing around trying to survive.  I'll be the one looting the gun store......

I hope you enjoy a little snippet of our day!

I'll Be There For You.....

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.  A.A. Milne 

During my trip to Colorado last week....I made more of an effort to take time for myself. Of course, I'd hoped I'd have more time because I wanted to go to the Boulder/Broomfield area and visit Denise and Cari but time goes so very fast on vacation that I didn't get to. Sorry guys! Next time....

On our way to Denver, we stopped in my old hometown of Greeley. I took Calvin to my old neighborhood and we shared a vanilla shake at the Drive Inn.  It had been way too long since I'd seen my friends and their families. Anne* and Kathy* have been my BFF's for the last 15 years. Through marriages, births of children, and a couple divorces. These girls were with me and helped me through one of the darkest times of my life and I'll love them forever.

Kathy, Me and Anne

A post about girlfriends wouldn't be complete without talking about my day out with Robert*.  He took me to brunch at this cute little place in Cap Hill (more about this later on my food blog, subscribe...so you don't miss it.) and then we went shopping at The Cherry Creek Mall.  We had a blast!  He tried to make me try on a $137,000 ring at Tiffany's, but I refused because if I touched it, I'd want it.  Here we are modeling the latest hat fashion's from Anthropology.

Me and Rob

One night, I went to a bar.  I was going to meet a couple gals that I had worked with previously and a brand new friend that I met on twitter.  Katherine* and I worked at the collection agency together and became fast friends when we discovered that we didn't like most of the people we worked with.  Every morning we'd go down to the coffee shop in our building and grab a coffee and bagel and talk a mile a minute...and then we would talk more at each other's desk.  We also both had a crush on our boss Ken. Martha* didn't come...canceling at the last minute.  Bummer.

 

Me and Katherine

I love meeting new people that I've gotten to know from my blog and twitter.  I'd recently become acquainted with Tina from My Lipstick Life and I was so excited when I found out that she lived in Denver.  She agreed to come out to the bar, even though her daughter was very concerned about her meeting a stranger from the internet.  LOL!  Have you ever met someone for the first time and feel like you've known them forever?  Tina and I could have chatted all night!  AND Kat and Tina live in the same neighborhood and now they are going to be friends too.  Isnt' that awesome?

 

Tina!

*These people do not have blogs OR Tweet.  Crazy right? 

P.S.  I'm noticing a trend here....I only wear black and aqua. Three different outfits....same colors.  Funny!

The Best Day....Today

Friday night I got an email that The Sweet Tooth Fairy in Provo was going to be celebrating Nie Nie's birthday with a special cupcake and that all of the proceeds of these yummy creations would be going to the family fund and the AZ Burn Center. I mentioned it to Clark and didn't think about it again.


Alex woke early this morning. We sat together eating breakfast and he told me stories and asked me questions. And then he told me I was pretty. insert my heart melting here. A short while later as I sat enjoying a cup of coffee...Alex came to me and said 'Provo Mama, Cupcakes'. He had been coached by Calvin and that was all I needed to hear. I quickly packed some snacks and juice and off we went for an adventure! If you know me...I don't do unplanned adventures very well.

We took a couple detours to a Dinosaur Museum, the gift shop at Thanksgiving Point and The Olive Garden and then we finally made it to our destination and enjoyed some yummy cupcakes! As I sat there in a sugar coma with my family...I said a pray for Nie Nie. I hope that soon she is back to doing all of the things that she loves to do and that she has many, many more birthdays.

It was completely worth the drive....and now we can say we've been to Provo.

Live Long and Prosper Chris Gorham

Captain's Log, 0930 hrs.
We are headed to the city of Salt Lake to obtain the new iPhone 3Gs. I'm reading twitter and sipping a Vanilla Iced Coffee from Mickey D's. The children are quietly working on their toy laptops like good little techies. I see a RT (retweet) from my blog buddy Connie in Canada and it contains a name that is very familiar to me. Chris Gorham.

Let the captain's log show that Chris Gorham is my favorite actor and I refer to him as *insert finger quotes ala Danielle on Real Housewives New Jersey* my boyfriend. He has been my boyfriend for many years. I've loved him since I first saw him on Popular back in 1999 and I even watched a movie he made where he played a Mormon Missionary to Tonga called The Other Side of Heaven. I may have accidently thought it was a P0rn0. Calvin and I watch his newest show every week called Harper's Island and it is an awesome show! But you might know him as Henry from Ugly Betty.


Anywho...I was so excited to see him on twitter so I followed him. And I read some of his tweets and HOLY COW he is in Salt Lake City. I may have peed my pants! We got the iPhone, we had some lunch, I avoided ruining my diet with a hotdog on a stick and we headed home.

Captain's Log, 1315 hrs.
I'm searching twitter for tweets from Christopher and I see that he is at a Support the people of Iran rally and it is at the capital building in Salt Lake which was just a FEW BLOCKS from where I was. My Boyfriend was A FEW BLOCKS away!

isn't he handsome!

Captain's Log, 1700 hrs.
Our babysitter arrives with a Kate Gosselin hairdo and it looks a little weird on a 15 year old. Calvin and I leave for our date to have some drinks, appetizers and go see Star Trek. We are having a lovely time, enjoying yummy food and talking. My eyes may have glazed over when he was trying to explain Star Trek to me. I checked twitter and Chris said that he and Alyssa Milano are filming a movie together called My Girlfriends Boyfriend. So I tweeted this:

Captain's Log, 1815 hrs.
Calvin and I discuss my sister's love life because discussing world peace is too heavy. And he informs me that she has to date a 52 year old guy because the new rule is half a guys age plus seven years. I tell him that I have never had trouble finding someone to date and I don't know why Bobbi has so much trouble because she is way cuter than me. AND HE AGREED. Wow....I think to myself, this date is going downhill fast.

Calvin was paying the bill and I received this tweet:

And then I lost my shit in the middle of the bar at the Sonora Grill.
MY BOYFRIEND TWEETED TO ME!

Captain's Log, 1905 hrs.
I am floating into the theater and we are five minutes late for the movie which has already started. There is stuff blowing up and little sirens going off and mass chaos. We take our seats and we're immediately drawn in. There is a heartbreaking scene in the first 11 minutes and I'm bawling. Star Trek isn't supposed to make you cry! During the movie, Spock leaves the Enterprise (you know beam me down Scotty) and he is having a moment with his girlfriend. She tells him that she is going to monitor his frequency. I leaned over to Calvin and I said, 'She is going to follow him on Twitter'. For the record, I have a total crush on the actor that played Doc McCoy.

Harold? Is that you? Where's Kumar?

Captain's Log, 2110 hrs.
The movie was wonderful and we had a fabulous night! We need to go on dates more often!

Captain's Log, 2200 hrs.
I begin plotting a sight seeing trip to Salt Lake City to find my boyfriend. Who wants to go with me?

*Disclaimer* I am not going to stalk Christopher Gorham. I just like to talk about stalking celebrities....like Kate Gosselin, Jen Lancaster and Martha Stewart so there is no need to alert the authorities.

Weekend Update...Scooby Snack Mutiny

Sunday...planted our Recession Garden. For details on what we planted click HERE. The kids are so excited to see what is in the dirt and I have given steen warnings not to touch or pull out any of the plants. They are super scared of the dirt nazi (that would be me).

Monday...laundry, laundry, laundy! And Mallory decided to sop up a puddle with her clothes. This girl loves a good puddle! The kids were so excited to water the Recession Garden and did a great job of sharing the watering can.

Tuesday...spent the day anxious about the Unplugging I was about to do. Soaked in as much internet, twitter and facebook as I could. Kids wouldn't take a nap and I thought about running away from home. We ate Subway at the park for dinner.

Wednesday....Unplugged! Looking back on our day...it was very nice to not have the distraction of the computer and the TV. We read more books and I felt calmer. We had a great time at the Ogden Nature Center and we are looking forward to many more visits there.


Note to self: Always watch where you are walking at the NATURE park. You might find more nature than you bargained for and STEP in it.

Thursday...Alex decided it was 80's day and was channelling Jen Lancaster! Doesn't he look adorable? He even brought out the teen angst just for me. I found out that my friend Loralee had her baby on Tuesday night! Yay Aaron is here!

Friday...another beautiful day in northern Utah! The kids are bored with watering the garden. I see no puppies in our future. Mutiny ensues when it is revealed that we are out of Scooby Snacks*. We drove to Layton to meet Calvin and had dinner at Red Robin. Then Mommy escaped for some retail therapy and grocery shopping and the kids and Daddy went to the park. Have you been to TJ Maxx lately? I got a super cute green straw handbag for summer, some sunglasses, a pair of underwear and a crystal goblet! It's almost as awesome as TARGET!

Saturday...In an effort to jump start my weight loss (which has been very slow) I am doing a juice fast today and a colon cleanse tomorrow. I had to laugh when I went to the healthy food store and the cashier's comment about my supplies was *brace yourself*! Now I'm scared shitless to death. I'm mostly worried about the sugar and caffeine withdrawals that I'm about to experience. Wish me luck!

Potty Training Update: In the words of Alex....Never, never, never!

Job Update: We have heard nothing from the Denver company. I'm bummed....but also frustrated because the cost of living (housing) is so much more in Denver than Utah and we would have to downsize considerably. I don't want to move to Denver and not be able to afford the lifestyle that I want to live there. Does that make sense?

Here is the backyard tree that I told you about a few weeks ago!



*Scooby Snacks...little gummy fruit snacks that the kids are addicted to.