Loaf Love at The Denver Zoo

I've told you all before about my lists.  I believe that sending your intentions (or wishes) for your life brings back to you what you want or need.  I didn't think about my Summer Fun List in that way until last week.

Before I hung our list on the wall, I added ZOO.  I don't normally like the Zoo but my kids love it and being the selfless Mother that I am....I added it.

A few days later, I was contacted by a PR firm asking if I'd like to take my family to the Denver Zoo and taste some cheese at the Loaf Love Tour?  She had me at cheese.

Sunday, we were VIP guests of Tillamook Cheese at the Zoo and it was such a fun experience! I have to mention here that my husband (bless his heart) still thinks that you all are my imaginary friends in my computer but now he's starting to understand that his trophy wife is somebody on the internet.

Mallory is just running around calling herself a VIP now.

The weather was perfect....not too hot and although it took us forever to find parking, it really wasn't that crowed.  

We loved seeing all of the monkeys (even the ones that were giving each other a massage) and birds and I was thrilled to find a little hut selling Coors Light.  Just like at the ball game....it was the best beer I've ever tasted!  A big Bear smiled at me and made my day.  Keith says he was baring his teeth....not smiling and that he wanted to eat me.

Soon we found ourselves in front of the brand new Toyota Elephant Passage! It is really amazing and so beautiful.  

We stopped for lunch at Kamala Cafe just outside of the Elephant Passage Amphitheater.  This is when we learned that there was going to be a show with the largest animal at The Denver Zoo.  His name is Groucho and he weights 11,500 pounds!

He put on a great show and we loved every minute of it!  Even the part when Groucho showed us the aftermath of eating 250 pounds of food a day. 

Thank you Tillamook Cheese for a great day at the zoo!

Check here to see if the Loaf Love Tour is coming to your city!

disclaimer: I was provided passes to the zoo and all the cheese i could eat.  Opinions are all mine.

Somebody I Used To Know

Dear Lisa, 

I google your name all the time.  I don't know what I'm looking for exactly but I think I figured out that you have two boys.  I bet they have your curly blonde hair and blue eyes.  

I still can't believe that our lives didn't turn out exactly like we planned them when we were thirteen. How fun would it have been to live next door to each other so our kids would grow up together?  

It wouldn't have worked out anyway, because I don't live in our old hometown and your kids are much older than mine.  I also can't see our husbands hanging out, drinking Bud Light. Keith's more of a Fosters kind of guy.  My life is very different from the one that we had planned.

I'll never forget all of the good times we had together or all the trouble we got into.  I will always remember we both dated the same boy in 8th grade.  We were so cruel to him! 

I can't hear about the TV show Dallas, talk about roller skating or drink a orange wine cooler without thinking about you. I'm still mad about how badly your Mom treated you and your 8:30pm phone curfew.

And on May 15th every year I close my eyes and wish you a Happy Birthday.  

I've never had a best friend like you again in my life.  Someday, I'll tell my daughter all about you and I hope that she has a best friend but I hope she gets to keep hers for a lifetime.

I wish you well and pray that you have a new best friend because you deserve one.  


If I could dedicate a song to you on the radio today, it would be this one.  

Your Old Friend, 

Connie

Lisa and I met in 3rd grade and were friends until we were 24 years old.  I was divorcing my first husband when her fiancé had a problem with her going to the bars with me and made her decide.  Him or me.  She picked him.  I haven't seen or heard from her in 17 years.


Linking up An Open Letter to Somebody That I Used To Know with MamaKat.

I Challenge You

I challenge you to.....not do any chores today.

Instead, I want you to play.  

Draw, paint, read and swing.

Do it all, grab the brass ring!

"I hope my child looks back on today and sees a mother who had time to play. There will be years for cleaning and cooking but children grow up when you’re not looking. Tomorrow I’ll do all the chores you can mention but today, my baby needs time and attention. So settle down cobwebs; dust go to sleep, I’m cuddling my baby, and babies don’t keep."

Summer Fun: Belmar Farmers Market

We are so lucky to live near Belmar.

When Keith and I were growing up, there was a mall called Villa Italia.  It was a grand mall at the time and we both spent lots of time there as kids.  It was torn down because of disrepair in 2002 and Belmar was built in it's place.

You wouldn't think an outdoor mall would be a good idea in Colorado because it does get cold in the winter and who wants to walk around outside in the snow.  I'm here to tell you that Coloradans are a tough bunch and we walk around without coats if it's more than 45 degrees.  We'll bitch about the cold....but we'll do it.

So Belmar.....has shops, restaurants, a movie theater, offices, a Super Target and a Whole Foods.  It has more stuff but I don't feel like spilling all of my secrets today.  In the winter it also has ice skating!  How cool is that?

Many years ago, Keith and I would sit in the bar at The Elephant Bar and look up at the condo's for sale.  We were trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant at the time and we decided if being parents wasn't in the cards for us....that we'd move to the condo and be regulars at all of the local bars.

What a sad, sad life that would have been!

Of course, the moment we actually went to look at one of the condos....I wound up pregnant.

Now, we take our children to Belmar all the time.  The Rock Pizza gets most of our money and Dick's Sporting Goods is a fun place to spend some time.  This summer we'll be at the Farmer's Market every Sunday!

Linking up with Impulsive and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday!

What I Learned In Kindergarten

1. Not Everyone Will Want To Be Your Friend.

I thought I was getting 19 new friends at the beginning of the school year.  I was friendly, learned everyone's names and which kid they belonged with.  After a few months, people that clicked....gravitated to each other and others didn't. Also, not every child will want to be your kids friend for the same reasons.  It's okay!  Be advised that if you report to the teacher that your kid is being written on with a dry erase marker and picked on in class that the child's mother will stop talking to you and liking anything you have to say on Facebook.

2. Some People Will Be Your Friend For The Wrong Reason.

Not to sound like an episode of The Bachelor, but if someone is feeding you information about your teacher that is negative and keeps calling you under the guise of being friends.  They have an agenda.  I didn't realize this until it was too late.

3. Standing Up for What You Believe is Right...Is Always a Good Idea.

Even if it means some people (see #2) won't like you or talk to you anymore.  Don't be afraid to speak up if someone is being wronged.  Your opinion is so very important and the administration appreciates it.

4. PTA is Awesome!

If you are a parent that likes to be in the middle of the action and you have any skills, join PTA!  Being a part of a group that has good intentions is a wonderful feeling. Side note: Have your husband join too...you never know when you'll need to vote on something important.

5. Volunteering in the Classroom is Fun!

I was nervous at first and fretted over my outfits because I wanted the teacher to like me but it was all fine.  Watching your kid interact with his friends in class and soaking up information like a sponge is a joy to behold.  Also, teachers LOVE volunteers.  Unless of course, you just want to sit in the back of the room taking notes.  This is strongly discouraged!

6. Having Cocktails with Fellow Kinder Moms is Therapy.

Get together with each other.  At the park with the kids, at PTA, at a bar after the kids are in bed.  You are all in this together and when it's over you'll be as tight as people that have been in a war or jail together.

7.  The Teacher Doesn't Want to be Your BFF.

This was a tough one for me.  But....she's busy with 20 or more children and she has friends of her own and a family and doesn't have time for a new BFF.  It's okay.

8. Field Day is The Best Day of The Year!

At the continuation ceremony for both half day classes.....many of the kids said that Field Day was their favorite part of Kindergarten.  It made me soooo happy because I was the coordinator!  I'm so thrilled that I contributed to their school year and they were happy.

9.  Kindergarten is Expensive.

I tracked our expenses on a spreadsheet and we spent $700.  Between school supplies, yearbooks, school pictures, field trips, teacher gifts, scholastic book orders, PTA dues and the Science fair....it all adds up!

10.  Sometimes You Need A Do Over.

Kindergarten is not what it used to be.  There are no naps or snacks and your kid will work HARD! The problem is that they are still starting kids at 5 years old but the curriculum has advanced.  If your child was not fully ready, this is the perfect time to start again.  It's a proven fact that 6 year old (boys) do better in Kindergarten.  We decided we'd rather re-start the school process so that Alex could fully master all he needs to know to continue on, rather than struggle for the rest of his school career.  It was a hard choice to make, and we're sad that he won't be with his friends but it was the right thing to do for him.

 

End of Year School Gifts

CLICK HERE to see this years Teacher Gift!

I knew that I wanted to put together something for my son's teacher for the end of the school year.  As you recall, our original teacher is very ill and was unable to continue teaching the class.  In April, this lovely teacher took over and has done an amazing job!

My original idea was a summer basket.  I was going to put a number of things (beach towel, sunglasses, insulated drink cup) into a straw handbag......and then I saw the paper plate caddy at Target and I knew that I could use it to hold some fun items!

The only drawback to this gift.  It was a little heavy and my kid asked that I pick something lighter next year!

End of Year Classmate Gift

Alex is not going to 1st grade with his class next year, so I wanted him to be able to give his classmates something to remember him by.  It was a huge hit!  As a side note: going to 4 Target stores to find 19 beach balls in the dollar spot took my mind off the fact that my little boy is going to repeat Kindergarten next year.

Thank you to Tami Wilson Blog for the idea and free printable!

Stay tuned for a post titled: What I Learned in Kindergarten!

The First Husband

I'm a big fan of romantic comedies. I love watching them and I really love reading them!

The First Husband by Laura Dave is about Annie Adams.  She is a travel writer that is rarely home with her up and coming movie director boyfriend.

Her long term relationship is abruptly cut short when her boyfriend's life coach tells him he needs a break.   A break named Pearl.

After a  chance encounter with a new guy and eggs with lobster, Annie  finds herself in a whirlwind romance, married and starting a new life in a small town.  A life that she's not sure she fits into.

Annie's struggle to finally find a place that she belongs and love that she deserves makes for a very lovely story.  A story that I was sad to see end.

This is the perfect summer beach/pool read!  For more information and discussion, join me at BlogHer's Book Club.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are all mine.

2012 Summer Fun List

Wow....I just realized this post marks 1001 posts.  That seems like a significant milestone or that I'm a little chatty.

Yeah....I'm a little chatty.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for Alex!  We are beyond excited to put the alarm clock away and have some fun on his first ever Summer Vacation.  Oh course, Mallory is very excited for school to start.....in 78 days.  Yes, she's keeping track.

Last year, we made a Summer Fun List and the kids loved it so much that I decided to make it one of our family traditions.  You know how I love traditions and making my kids happy so here it is!

NOT Bummer Summer

I did leave a little bit of room at the bottom to add more things as they come up.  Because I love to mark things off from lists.

In other Summer related news....I posted my Summer Reading List on my book blog.

What's on your list of things to do this summer?

Ten Things to Smile About in May

1. #hb7 My trip to California! So Fun!





2. Kindergarten Field Day

 I was told that it was the best Kindergarten Field Day the school has had in some time and then I heard that the one for the rest of the school was very disorganized and not at all awesome like mine.

3. Mommy Friends

 I have been so fortunate to make several amazing friends this school year!

 4.  Spending time with Keith

We went on a date this month!  We saw Dark Shadows, ate Indian Food and went to a polish bar.

5.  Recreating a favorite California breakfast.

6. Flowers

7. Beer on the patio.

8. Thank you card from our Principal.

Even though she called Keith a honey badger.

9. Notebooks

Available at Staples

10. Hugging the Prom King.

He was in our wedding 8 years ago.  Now he's a man.

Linking up with......

Emmy Mom for Ten Things to Smile About

Impulsive Addict and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday

More Burning Questions

People...are weird.

I love looking at my keyword activity in StatCounter to see what has brought people to my blog.  They have a burning question and unfortunately, they don't find the answer so as a public service, I like to try to address them.

funny squirrels with guns

This one was an image search and I can't imagine why anyone would desire to see those little rodents armed.  If the squirrels that terrorize me found a weapons cache, I'd move back to Utah.

what do non-mormons need in utah

A sense of humor and a big wine closet.

WEDGIE BIG PANTIES

Sorry pal.  I can't help you with this one.

what do you need in the kitchen

You need a good set of pans, a good set of knives, a cutting board, a coffee maker, a mixer and lots of cookie sheets.

can I date my brother in law

I only recommend dating your brother in law if you are still married to his brother.  Just last weekend, I shared my brother in law with my best friend.  We went on a double date and her husband was fine with it.  It also helps if your brother in law is gay.

how to organize legos

I just gave up on this.  I finally went to Target and bought the largest container with a lid that I could find and threw them all in.  Done.

is emily maynard a natural blonde

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say no.

squril pants

What?

Random Thoughts....

Today feels like a random kind of day.

I have all of these thoughts floating around and they need released...like butterflies!

I recently discovered that my husband loves Jersey Girls.  I found out when I was watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey and he sat down and watched intently.  I also found out that he and his brothers' call butter on popcorn...shine.  We've been married almost 8 years and I've never heard him call it that before.

There are only 7 school days left and I can't wait for this year to be over! There are some children in Alex's class that don't treat him very well and he just wants to be friends with everyone but they make it hard.  I'm hopeful that there will be much nicer kids in his class next year.  Keith tells me that there will always be jackholes to deal with.  He says it's human nature.  I said, 'even in a convent?' and he said, 'Yes, even they have predatory lesbians.' I almost peed my pants and now I shall blame everything wrong with the world on predatory lesbians instead of Obama.

Mallory had her last tumbling class yesterday and is mad at me because I had planned to take a activity break for the summer because I have so much fun stuff planned for us.  Keith and I talked it over last night and decided to let her keep going because...what if she is good enough for the Olympics? It could happen.

There is a picture of my ass on Impulsive Addicts blog.

After watching The Bachelorette last night I have made two observations.

1.) I've been married for almost 8 years and there is no way in hell I could write a 7 page letter to my husband.

2.) My husband's new nickname is Chopper.  (he used to fly helicopters)

I am proud to announce that this morning I am being sworn in as the PTA Membership Chairperson.  I know what you're thinking and yes, I might be cray cray.  BUT....I think this will be the perfect job for me and I'm already thinking of ways to blackmail get people to  join the PTA and come to meetings.  It involves suckers.

Have a great Tuesday!

Linking up with Impulsive and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday!

Summer Pen Pals

This sweet little boy is going to miss his friends this summer.

We'll see some of them for playmates at the park but I wanted to have him do something that would surprise his friends and make sure they don't forget him.

I found these cool fold and mail cards at Target last week and I just knew they were perfect!

This way, he can keep in touch with some of this classmates and practice his writing at the same time.

What I'm hoping is that this will encourage his friend to write back to him and they can be summer pen pals!

Book Club: Jeneration X

Congratulations to Stephanie from Everyday Stephanie! 

Today is the day!

It's book club time!

Mimi picked the book this time and I'm thrilled.  I'm a huge fan of Jen Lancaster and am super excited for her next book.

Jeneration X

For a chance to win a copy of this book, leave me a comment telling me what book you're excited to read this summer.  

Contest ends on Friday at 8pm (MST).  

Already reading Jeneration X?  Join our book club on Facebook.

Disclaimer: The book I'm giving away was purchased by me and I'm not being compensated for blogging about the book.

Lunch at The Ivy

Happy Tuesday!  Did you watch The Bachelorette last night?  I'm crushing hard on a guy with a head injury named Charlie!  There are some interesting men on the show and I think it's going to be a great season.





I'm joining Impulsive and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday to tell you about one of my favorite parts of our Huntington Beach trip.  Impulsive Addict has done a fantastic recap of the first couple days here.

On Saturday, we drove to Hollywood and Vivienne showed us around.  

Our ultimate destination....The Ivy Restaurant on Robertson Blvd.

Our table wasn't ready yet, so they gave us Champagne cocktails.  We felt soooo very special and I think some people thought we were somebody.

Becca always look fantastic when she is holding a glass (or bottle) of Champagne! 

Jen decided to go to The Ivy as Betty Draper.

The food....was amazing.  I will dream about my meal for years to come.  Becca licked my plate clean for me.  I also had a sip of The Ivy Gimlet and can't wait to make one at home.  

I had to try the coffee and we had a couple desserts that we passed around.

I loved the flowers on our table and the ambiance on the patio.  

Such a fun day!  

Come back tomorrow for the next Give A Blogger a Book...Club selection!! 

Get In The House Carl!

We were invited to a party over the weekend.  I'm still so amazed sometimes that we have friends and that they like spending time with us.  Our social calendar is FULL now and we love it!

I may have unleashed my inner Skinny Girl.

And iKeith may have had a few un-skinny Margaritas and then done the Macarena.  I may have laughed until my side hurt because iKeith doesn't dance.  The last time I saw him bust a move was in September 2003.

Have you ever seen a child's birthday cake lit with a blow torch.  Now I've seen everything!

I commandeered one of the birthday boys gifts and turned it into a Sobriety Test.  If you could catch six fish in 90 seconds....you could leave in your vehicle.

On the way home, my margarita-drinking, macarena-dancing husband asked me to stop at 7-11.  I did, but only because I wanted Peanut MandM's.  This is what he purchased.

Spiral?  I'm concerned.  I'm picturing this.

Funny story.  When we were on vacation in California in March.....my monthly visitor was 5 days late.  iKeith was freaking out!  I told him that we would have to find a different way to spice things up because playing Shane and Lori in the Zombie Apocalypse is a dangerous game.  And if I was pregnant I was naming the baby Carl. (Have you seen The Walking Dead? If you haven't this won't make any sense to you) My visitor did show up and we're not having a baby named Carl.

I guess iKeith found a different game.

Field Day, The Kindergarten Way

It's been six and a half years since I have held a paying job.

Before I got pregnant with Alex, I worked for a collection agency that did medical collections.  I was a customer service rep and worked as a liaison between the hospitals and my collectors.  I loved tracking down information and delegating.  I was also really good at being bossy.

Nine weeks ago, I volunteered to be the Kindergarten Field Day Coordinator.

I had a fantastic team of six ladies helping me and we pulled off a great event!  Several teachers and the principal told me that it was the best and most organized field day they have ever had. Parents keep coming up to my husband and telling him how much their kid enjoyed it!

Even though....I was stressed out and had nightmares about popsicles.....I loved it!

The planning, the meetings and setting everything up.   I was in my element!  I had so much fun that I agreed to do it again next year.

I hired my brother in law Robert to walk around and take pictures.  He did an amazing job!

Our Assistant Principal was the emcee and I rewarded him with a popsicle! 

Mommy's Home!

I got home late last night from my fabulous Huntington Beach Vacation. The kids and I are playing hooky and we're going to snuggle all day!

Wordless Wednesday