Food Fun Family

The Scent of Childhood

Lolli — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 04:57:33 +0000

I took a walk down to the boardwalk with some new friends in Santa Monica this weekend.

My purse had recently been flooded by an unexpectedly-open bottle of Diet Coke, and so I was traveling lighter than usual. My camera was around my neck and my phone was in my pocket. That’s it.

But I don’t think it was my lack of purse weighing me down that made me feel so free and light that afternoon. It was the combination of hotel room sleep (the bed was absolutely luxurious), good food that I didn’t have to cook, and the removal of my Mommy Hat.

When I am at home, I am always ON. Whether I am working or grocery shopping or paying bills or stressing about not being able to pay bills or driving kids to and from activities at school or cooking or exercising or feeling guilty about not exercising….there is always, ALWAYS something on my mind.

I can talk a hot shower or head out on a date with my husband or see a movie with a friend, but when I am home I am constantly wearing that hat.

I realized many years ago, however, that I have the strange ability to disconnect myself from home, work, and the stresses of life as soon as I get on a plane (or car or train) and get out of town. I wasn’t joking the other day when I said that “there is nothing more relaxing to me than a nice hotel room, a luxurious hot (and long!) shower, and waking up when my body tells me it’s time.”

Back to my leisurely walk with 4 of the other bloggers who shared my amazing weekend with me. We took our time walking towards the beach and the pier. Our walk was more about the experience than the destination (don’t you love that?). As we stood at a cross walk, a few of us noted a gorgeous tree straight ahead. One of my companions asked, “What kind of tree is that?”

Instinctively, I answered, “It’s a Eucalyptus tree,” and then promptly doubted myself. It may very well have been 25 years since I’ve seen a eucalyptus tree, and I haven’t thought much about them since I moved from the house I grew up in. There were eucalyptus trees at the end of our driveway in San Jose. They were just one of those things that were THERE. I didn’t pay them much mind. I was 11 when we left that house. And there I was staring at what looked like a eucalyptus tree.

Seeing that first eucalyptus tree (and the dozens more that we passed on our walk) instantly left me with a deep feeling of nostalgia, but it wasn’t until we had crossed the street that I smelled the tree.

The strong scent of eucalyptus sealed the deal. There was no longer any doubt in my mind. I breathed in the eucalyptus and was sent back in time, to my elementary school days in California, to hours spent riding bikes in the court, or playing with my Barbie pool on the driveway. I could picture the mail box standing right next to the tree, and recalled those days before internet and email when getting the mail each day was exciting.

I remembered my best friends and my next door neighbors and the sounds of the trains passing by frequently across the highway just beyond our court.

It all came back to me with a smell.

And then I wondered….what have my kids’ childhoods smelled like? What scent will trigger their memories 25 years from now and send them back to our humble townhome? Will it be the smell of rain or the scent of the dryer sheets that I use? Will their memories light up when they notice the smell of donuts cooking, or maybe their favorite meal of mine?

I hope they’ll tell me someday.

What scents trigger memories for you?

10 Random Questions About Me {Answered!} #LeapBlog

Lolli — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:20:06 +0000

February 29 doesn’t come around all that often, so a few of my blogging friends and I decided to do something a little out of the ordinary today. We’re all answering 10 questions about ourselves (thank you, Jessica!) and then hopping around to learn a little more about each other.

Want to join in?

10 Random Facts About ME!

1. My childhood nickname was nothing. After I “grew up” I remember having conversations with my mom about the fact that I never had a nickname. Sometimes my dad would call me “Princess” but it was very random and sporadic. Strangely enough, my siblings all had very well-used nicknames, like Pal, Manda-Panda, Tinkerbell (Tink), Shar, etc, almost always used by Dad.

It must be my mom’s fault that I never had a nickname as a child, and I dare say she passed her non-nickname tendencies on to me. I call each of my kids by their full name, except for RayRay (for Reese) and Buddy (for AJ). My older kids have decided to be called by nicknames at school, but I refuse to succumb.

Isn’t it strange that now, as an adult in my mid-30s, I finally have a nickname? I am called Lolli more often than my real name lately. And that is totally fine with me.

2. If you want to spoil me rotten, buy me a fancy hotel room. Kids not included. There is nothing more relaxing to me than a nice hotel room, a luxurious hot (and long!) shower, and waking up when my body tells me it’s time. That rarely happens at home. A nice vacation rejuvinates me more than a day at the spa.

Random fact: I consider my mom’s house just as good as a fancy hotel, or better. I go there to recover from a year’s worth of stress every August and come back completely refreshed.

3. The television character I most identify with is Debra Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond. It’s one of CandyMan and my favorite shows, and we oddly relate to so many of Ray and Debra’s issues (except for the fact that both sets of in laws are wonderful and don’t live next door. And I can actually cook.)

4. If I had a whole day to go shopping and money to spend, I would go to an outlet mall. It has been years since I have gone shopping at an outlet, but I love that they have a little bit of everything and the prices are good. Really, though, if it were up to me, I would chose a thrift store almost every day.

5. The most wild and crazy thing I have ever done (that I can admit to publicly) is agreeing to appear on live Mexican television as an American model after spending two days on the beach in Acapulco and not having a shower in more than 24 hours. Incidentally, after the TV spot, my two friends and I almost missed our bus (the last bus of the night) back to our home city.

6. The one thing on my bucket list that I am most eager to do is move to a bigger house. We outgrew our 3 bedroom townhouse many years ago, and I long for a house with more space and more land. I’m hoping that it will happen someday….before all of my kids are grown.

7. My family will always be loyal to our faith. Many people online don’t realize that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, I am Mormon and proud of it!

8. If I could spend a day with a celebrity I would choose Jon Bon Jovi. I adored him as a teen and now that we are both older….I think he’s even cuter than he was way back when.

9. In my opinion, the best invention in the history of the world is the iPad. I never realized how much I would love that thing before I won mine in December. OK, I suppose if I were to think a little harder, I’d be able to come up with an invention or two that are *slightly* more useful than the iPad, but I really do love mine.

10. When life hands me lemons, I make a fruit and yogurt smoothie. Or maybe a Coke Zero with a hint of lemon. Oh wait….were we not actually talking about drinks?

How would YOU answer these questions?

Top 10 Reasons I Want Dish Network

Lolli — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 17:11:20 +0000

We haven’t had TV for years. We do have a television set. We just can’t watch anything on it except for DVDs and videos. Yes, we still have a VHS player hooked up to our TV. Some say we are living in the stone ages. (By the way, my TV is more modern than the one pictured, although it’s apparently too old for me to hook my laptop into. Darn!)

I admit, despite my husband’s insistence that we avoid TV in the house, I have coveted my friends’ channel selections more than once. In fact, the other day, a neighbor asked me to babysit while her son napped and she ran a quick errand. I had brought a book to read, but I was glued to the Today Show like my kids are glued to Sponge Bob when we visit the grandparents.

Top 10 reasons I wish I could get DISH

I love watching the news. I find it extrememly boring to eat breakfast or lunch at the kitchen table without something to read or watch. I guess I have a hard time turning my brain off.
TV is a great relaxer and time-filler. Not that I have a ton of time that needs filling….
Dish Network has the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Is there any better reason than wanting to have some kid-bribing leverage?
I’d save money on movie theater tickets by watching movies at home instead.
I’d save money on DVD rentals, too.
I could stay on top of my favorite TV shows (which I currently have to try to watch late online).
DVR. I’ve always wanted it, and Dish Network offers a great DVR package.
It’s a lot cheaper than I thought it would be.
I deserve some down time.
Bundled internet. Because everyone knows I need a good internet connection.

Do you have Dish Network and love it? Let me know what your favorite things are about your TV service.

Note: This post was sponsored by Dish Network but the top 10 list and opinions are 100% my own. I just don’t think it’s gonna convince my husband. We’ll see.

Photo source: Wikipedia Commons

Japan Quake Relief

Lolli — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:01:42 +0000

When I was 13, I was sitting at home watching TV when the earth started to shake. Growing up in California, I had experienced plenty of earthquakes, but it didn’t take very long to realize that THIS one was different. It sounded like a train was coming through our living room. The solid marble entry way floor was rippling like it was jello. I was worried that the chandelier by our front door would swing so high that it would fly off. Mom gathered us under a door frame and seconds felt like hours while we watched our house tremble.

We were all safe. Even Dad, who was working in another city that day, was able to get home safely. But the images from that day have never left my mind.

I pictured that day in California (a mere 7.2) when I heard the news of the quake in Japan last week. I can imagine that fear that so many Japanese citizens and people from all over the world living in Japan experienced during the quake. But I cannot imagine what they have been dealing with in the aftermath of the quake. The devastation, the loss, the displacement, the unknown.

Today, I am joining with several of my fellow Social Media Moms to raise donations for Japanese Quake and Tsunami relief efforts, particularly those that are focused on helping the children.

FYI: On 3/15 Save the Children estimated that as many as 100,000 children may have been displaced. The British charity said it was concerned that some of the children affected by the disaster may have also been separated from their families because the earthquake and tsunami struck in mid-afternoon when many children were at school or nursery. Stephen McDonald, who is leading Save the Children’s team in Japan, said the most pressing worries for children living in evacuation centers were lack of water and psychological problems associated with trauma and stress.

Other Ways to Help

Social Media: Post a message for your friends on Facebook or Twitter: I just gave to Save the Children to help survivors of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. You can too! https://bit.ly/dPXObV

Show You Care: One of the easiest things to do is get one of our “online bumper stickers”. It’s a banner you can put it on your Facebook profile, blog, website — and anywhere else online you can think of. Get yours today

I hope you will join us.

I’m joined by these fabulous bloggers: itsjessicaslife.com –treerootandtwig.com – Shanamama.com – Techsavvymama.com – thebeedot.com – Thecentsiblelife.com –Foodfunfamily.com – adailypinch.com – mommyality.com – www.socialmediamoms.net – parentella.com –ColoradoMoms.com – musingsfromme.com/ – mommasaid.net – skimbacolifestyle.com – anniewear.com –coolandhipiamnot.blogspot.com – simplegreenorganichappy.com – mommybknowsbest.com – ienjoysoup.com –Momtrends.com – feelslikehomeblog.com – Parentella.com – Themorrisbunchblog.com

Redbox “Lucky to Have Friends Like You”

Lolli — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:29:36 +0000

I love watching movies at home. I put on a pair of comfy pants, sit down with my laundry and a bottle of water, and relax. I love the convenience (and the price!!) of redbox dvd rentals. What could be better than $1 movies? Free movies, of course! Now through St Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2011), redbox is giving everyone the opportunity to receive as many free one night movie rentals as they can score, and I’m helping to spread the word!

Here’s How it Works:

o   Sign-up at www.redbox.com/luckyus

o   Redbox will email you a unique web address like this: https://redbox.tellapal.com/a/clk/ZC9m0 (this is my referral link – you are welcome to rent through it!)

o   Every time someone reserves a movie online through your unique web address, you’ll receive a credit for a free one-night DVD rental

o   If it is their first time reserving online, they’ll also receive a credit for a free one night rental

o   Spread the luck! Email it, post it to Facebook, Tweet about it

If you have never reserved a redbox movie online, you’ve got to try it! Renting online takes the guess work out of redbox renting. You pick the movie you want to see, and redbox will tell you which local kiosk has that dvd. They’ll save it for you until you get there to pick it up. Easy peasy!

So tell me….what movies are on your rental wish list? I need some ideas!

Shamrock photo by graymalkn (Flickr.com) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Disclosure: I am being sponsored to write about the redbox “Lucky to have friends like you” campaign. I really do love redbox!

Mug Shots

Lolli — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:22:59 +0000

I was reading Mom Spark the other day and came across a fun post: Coffee Mugs that Tell a Story. After reading Amy’s post, I walked to my kitchen, found my 6 favorite mugs, set them out on the kitchen table, and started taking pictures with my new iPhone.

My kids apparently thought I had lost it.

AJ immediately grabbed his favorite mug (the bear mug, which is the ONLY one he will use) and drank a cup of milk.

Isn’t it interesting how mugs tell a story? Each of these mugs holds a very specific memory for me, and I can’t bear to get rid of them, despite the fact that I drink coffee.

My grandparents gave me the Bear Mug during a visit to their house when I was young. It wasn’t particularly special to me when I was little, but when I left home for college that was one of the kitchen items I packed up to take to school. Somehow it has not only survived the last couple of decades but it has become my youngest son’s favorite cup. I am amazed that he hasn’t dropped it yet.

Another long surviving mug is this one that I got as a party favor during my high school Senior Party. The Senior Safari mug has followed me through college and motherhood. Can you find Charlie Brown?

I didn’t need any new mugs, but I couldn’t resist packing the Sprout Mug in my luggage when I headed back home after BlogHer last year. The shape got me. The funny thing is, I have no idea what Sprout is. I know PBS Kids well from the days when my kids were little, but it’s been years since we’ve had TV…

My kids and I visited Utah during the Summer of 2006 and we took this picture of the grandchildren in order of age and stuck it on a mug (this was the last time that they saw their Utah cousins!). There were 7 grandkids that day. Now there are 11 1/2.

This mug, with a silly picture of Necco and CandyMan, makes me smile every time I see it. This is so them.

The Big Green Mug is my all-time favorite mug. I got it one Christmas as part of a gift basket. CandyMan actually tried to throw it out once because he figured that it was not worth anything. Hardly! This mug is the perfect size and shape for root beer floats. Yum!

Where and when did you get your favorite mugs?

Speaking of mugs and coffee, join us today (Thursday March 10) at 11:00 am EST for a HUGE live chat in the Coffee Talk community (for which I am a community leader). We’re kicking off a month-long Spring Cleaning event. See details below:

Hope to see you there!

Walgreens Way to Well Fund™

Lolli — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:40:24 +0000

This is a compensated post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

The weather here in Maryland has been fluctuating between Spring-like sunny and late-Winter chilly. My kids and I have been enjoying those days of warmth and sun, and have spent many afternoons at the park (those March days at the park are some of my favorites after being stuck indoors all Winter). However, inevitably, the weather has flip-flopped and turned cold again every time we’ve had a warm spell. Not good for the early Spring illnesses.

I’ve been nursing a cough since yesterday, hoping that what I’m feeling in my chest does not grow into something that puts me on my back for several days. Luckily, I was just sent a container of Walgreens Brand Medicated Vaporizing Chest Rub from Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products. It instantly took me back to my childhood when I smelled the classic eucalyptus oil (not only did my mom have topical analgesics in the medicine cabinet for when we got colds and coughs, but there was a big eucalyptus tree in our front yard. Definitely a happy smell for me).

Not only was I able to use the vaporizing chest rub for my cough, but I noticed on the side of the box that it also relieves minor muscle aches and pains. Bonus! I rubbed a little on my neck and shoulder problem spots and went on with my mom duties. (Because all moms know that no matter how sick or achy we are, we must keep going!)

Not only does Walgreens have fantastic health and wellness products, but they are giving back to communities through their Walgreens Way to Well Fund

Every purchase of a Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product supports bringing preventive wellness services such as free preventive health tests, education, and other health services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund, to which Walgreens will contribute up to $3 million annually. Some of those services will include preventive health tests through the National Urban League Health & Wellness Tour and vouchers redeemable in select stores.

I love when companies give back to the community, and with the economy the way it is right now and health care being so expensive for so many families, I love that Walgreens has found a way to lighten the load for people who need it the most.

Some People Should Not Wear Skinny Jeans

Lolli — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:29:12 +0000

And I am one of those people.

I heard from a friend the other night that Target had a bunch of jeans on sale for $5. FIVE dollars for new jeans?? I’m in!

I needed a few things at the store the other day, so I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and head to Target. I searched the clearance racks until I found the {HUGE} section of $5 jeans. Score! They even had my size!

I headed into the dressing room with 4 pair of jeans on my arm. The label said “skinny jeans” but I figured that I’d be ok as long as they were my size.

I was so wrong.

Some people are not built for skinny jeans. And I am currently one of those people.

I am exercising regularly, and yet I cannot seem to shake the extra weight gathering in my mid-section. Maybe I should blame blogging (and Twitter and Facebook) for the fact that none of my old-faithful jeans fit me. Or maybe it’s the fact that I have passed onto the other side of my mid-thirties. Maybe I should just blame these.

Any way you look at it, I’ll be steering clear of skinny jeans and leaving them for my teenage daughter. Where they belong.

Click the image above for source.

Boy Talk

Lolli — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:10:59 +0000

Last night after dinner, Twizzler (my 10 year old son) and I headed to my best friend’s house. Tonight is the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby and the poor kid didn’t have a car yet. The block of wood has been sitting on a shelf in our family room for weeks.

Parent fail.

Knowing that Dad didn’t have the right kind of saw to shape the car and that he’d be home from work late last night, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I asked Safire’s wonderful husband, Juice, for help.

Juice and Twizzler (yes, even I am laughing at their nicknames now…) retreated to the kitchen where they began planning and then cutting and then smoothing the car. I chatted with Safire as she got the kids ready for bed, and eventually ended up playing on my iTouch on the family room couch. I could hear sawing and vacuuming and other manly sounds coming from the kitchen. Those men were all business.

And then I heard the voice of my 10 year old rise above the sounds of tools and saw dust. “So….Wanna talk or something?”

Juice chuckled. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

For the next 30 minutes, one or the other of those boys was talking non-stop. Juice patiently explained the reasoning behind design choices and why the heaviest car doesn’t always win. It was all technical talk. Twizzler followed along as best he could, interjecting to offer his take on pinewood derby car mechanics and to answer the occasional question.

And I couldn’t help laughing to myself in the other room as they continued talking, wondering if either one of them would have said a word to the other if Twizzler hadn’t said “So….Wanna talk or something?”

And I couldn’t help think how different the conversation would have been had women been involved in making the car.

Women are all about the relationship. How things looks and how they make you feel. Men are all about getting a job done. Talk is a space filler.

In the end, though, Twizzler left with a fantastic (though plain) car for tonight’s pinewood derby race. They got the job done.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Lolli — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:53:51 +0000

My kids love to check out books about dogs from the school library. Just the other day, Reese brought home an encyclopedia-sized Dog Breeding book, and while it was here, the kids couldn’t get enough of it. Reese even agreed to play with my hair (the ultimate mom-pampering time) if I would read her a chapter about a white fluffy dog that her friend from school has told her stories about.

After we were done reading, the boys gathered around Reese and her book to look through the pictures. Across the room, I heard AJ say, “Is that a Penis Dog?” My ears popped up, and I listened, suppressing a giggle, while Reese calmly asked, “Oh, do you mean a Wiener Dog?”

AJ laughed, “Oh, yeah! A Wiener Dog!”

I thought the short “penis dog” conversation was funny enough when I thought they were looking at a picture like this:

I even tweeted about how funny I thought AJ was for calling a Daschund such a name. He WAS using correct terms, after all.

When Reese handed me the book and I saw the picture that actually inspired the name “Penis Dog” I couldn’t stop laughing.

Really? This kid is observant.

Photos from WikiMedia Commons