Food Fun Family

When They Grow Up

Lolli — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:02:26 +0000

One of MamaKat’s writing prompts, inspired by Leslie from Motherhood in Mexico, jumped out at me today. It could have something to do with the fact that KitKat and I were discussing whether or not she’d make a good lawyer on Monday. Or maybe not. Either way, I thought it would be fun to predict what my kids will be when the grow up.

My kids are a unique bunch, as you might expect with kids and personalities.

KitKat (14), my oldest, has always been a negotiator. When she was tiny, she was always thinking of ways to negotiate how to stay up a little later. She has also always been very analytical and a deep thinker and able to manipulate a situation to her benefit. I can hear the conversation she had with Daddy when she was 5 or so. Sitting on the bed, getting ready to go to sleep, she asked CandyMan, “Daddy, can I ask you three questions?” “Sure, honey,” he replied. “Dad, is Santa Claus real? Is the Easter Bunny real? And do you ever have a good day at work?” Candyman asked her what she thought. She said something along the lines of, “Well, I think you and Mom are Santa. I mean, how can Santa get to all of those houses in one night? And it doesn’t make sense for a bunny to take baskets around to kids. I don’t know about work. You always seem tired when you come home.” I think KitKat would make a great lawyer or teacher. She’d make her students think outside the box!

Necco (almost 12) is 100% creative. She writes, she draws, she plays multiple instruments, she cooks, and she crochets. She is also a wonderful, deeply tender care-giver. I predict that she will be a mother with a successful etsy shop.

Twizzler (10) is the brains of the family. When he was in kindergarten, he was helping his older sister with her math homework. He’s breezing through 6th grade math this year….and he’s in fourth grade. The thinks in absolutes and can solve number problems (as long as they aren’t word problems!) like nobody’s business. I predict that he will do something with numbers. What do mathmaticians do for careers? Obviously, I am not one. Maybe he will follow in his Grandpa’s footsteps and be an engineer.

Reese (8) was my sweet, little daughter who asked “to help moms with their babies” for her birthday in March. She has been drawn to younger children for as long as I can remember, and has mothers and day care providers asking for her phone number to come to help them with their younger kids. She would rather hold a baby than run around at the park with other kids her age. It’s easy to predict that she will be a terrific mom and likely a teacher or day care provider as well. The more kids the merrier for Reese. (Either that or she’ll be an exotic dancer. She has always known how to shake her booty).

AJ (almost 6) is my comedian. He sings, he acts, he is expressive to an extreme. He is also very tender. I bet he’d make a great actor, but as a mother, I don’t really care to wish that on him. With his obvious intelligence and knack for expressing himself, I am going to peg him as an entrepreneur like his Dad. Or a motivational speaker. Granted, last time I asked him, he wanted to be a pirate…..

What do you think your kids will be when they grow up?

Check back with me in a dozen years and see if I was close on any of my predictions.

Laughter – The Best Medicine

Lolli — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:25:19 +0000

When is the last time you had a good laugh?

That’s me laughing with Heather of the Extraordinary Ordinary at the Casual Blogger Conference

I remember laughing til my side hurt a few weeks ago. Something out of the ordinary happened at home and CandyMan and I lost it. The kids stared at us while we rolled on the floor, got red in the face, and had tears streaming down our cheeks. I’ve thought and thought about what made us laugh and I can’t recall what triggered it. It doesn’t really matter (and I’m sure it wasn’t that funny).

Just a few minutes ago, I dropped a raisin down the front of my shirt. I laughed. That simple laughter was what I needed to break through a painful writer’s block. I had been sitting in front of my computer (and snacking), trying to write a post for MamaKat’s writer’s workshop. And I was failing. Today, laughter was the best medicine.

Again at the CBC, I laughed with Courtney from C. Jane Enjoy It and Brandie from The Rudy Family Rukus. Over camera preferences.

Did you know that laughing really does have tangible benefits? I found some incredible, inspiring information from helpguide.org (click through to the article, because they provide so much additional information) about the physical, mental, and social benefits of laughing:

Physical Health Benefits:

Boosts immunity
Lowers stress hormones
Decreases pain
Relaxes your muscles
Prevents heart disease

Mental Health Benefits:

Adds joy and zest to life
Eases anxiety and fear
Relieves stress
Improves mood
Enhances resilience

Social Benefits:

Strengthens relationships
Attracts others to us
Enhances teamwork
Helps defuse conflict
Promotes group bonding

Now….want to laugh? This video is old. It’s simple. But it makes me laugh every time. Can you imagine??

Come weigh in on the CoffeeTalk BlogFrog community. We’re talking about what makes us laugh!

If you haven’t RSVP’d already, please check out this post about next Monday’s twitter party for Genesis Today. Help me win the big prize for referring the most tweeters!

Where I Tell on the TSA

Lolli — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:00:31 +0000

I keep hearing people murmur about the TSA getting tougher and tougher on travelers. I admit — I was a little nervous about my recent travel to Costa Rica. Security seems to get a little more strict and a little more time-consuming each time I get on a plane. I’m always worried that I will forget something important, and having to take my shoes, jacket, and belt off is a chore I don’t particularly enjoy.

For the record, full-body scans don’t bother me. Pat-downs don’t phase me. And, yes, I got both during my travels in November.

And I do recognize the purpose for the tightened security measures. As a resident of Washington DC during the 9-11 attacks, I am grateful for the new regulations.

When they work.

And that’s where the TSA-fail comes in.

CandyMan and I were going through security at a large US airport, preparing to fly out of the country. He was concerned that all of the computer, video, and networking equipment in his large carry-on bag would be a problem in security, so he was prepared for a thorough search.

His large bag made it through just fine, though they did stop to test his contact solution to make sure it was really contact solution.

He passed through the scanner and met his bags on the other side of the belt, only to realize that his large set of keys, with remote control and metal karabiner, were still in his pocket. He pointed the fact out to the lady inspecting his contact solution, and mentioned that it was disturbing to him that his keys had not set off the metal detector. She remarked that it was odd that his keys had not been detected, and said that it might be because he was “small” and might have been “too far away from the scanner.”

CandyMan stowed his keys in a carry-on, collected the rest of his bags, put his shoes back on, and we proceeded to the gate.

We walked away from security feeling rather UNsecure. If WE just walked through the metal detectors with some innocently forgotten metal, what other items were being slipped through, undetected?

Just something to think about.

This is my adorable niece with a message to TSA

10 Reasons I Love My Job

Lolli — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:43:57 +0000

I was at the bank today, getting a document notarized for something really exciting that I’ll be revealing soon…..and the bank notary struck up some conversation with me. I am always floored when people in businesses or banks remember details about clients, and this bank employee was especially good. She rounded the corner, saw me sitting in the lobby, and said, “Hi! So good to see you! No kids today? Are all of the kids in school now? Amazing! I bet that feels great! Are you still at home or are you working outside the home now?” ….and on and on. I explained to her that I am working more at home than ever. Between my slowly but steadily growing photography business and my ever-demanding but rewarding “job” as a blogger, as well as a few other side things I’ve got going on, I do keep myself pretty busy during school hours. I thought it was rather appropriate that one of MamaKat’s writing prompts for this week happened to be to describe 10 Reasons why you love your job.

I never have to “clock in.” Work begins and ends whenever I feel like it. Granted, that often means that I’m working on and off all day and into the night….but at least I’ve got some flexibility.
I can work in my sweats and t-shirt, and no one complains if I haven’t showered or done my make-up.
My office mates are the best. And, even better…they’re in school from 8:30-3:00 every day!
I am my own boss. Most of the time. I am independent by nature, and I love being independent at work.
There is no right or wrong in my job. I love that both photography and blogging are creative outlets for me. I do what I want to do.
If I want a day off, I can take it any time.
The benefits might not be the best, but I love the perks that come with being a blogger. Opportunities I never would have had otherwise, like interviewing movie stars and speaking at conferences….I am living a dream I didn’t realize I had.
I can be home every day when my kids come home from school.
I meet incredible people through my job.
My jobs force me to be ever-learning. I love feeling like I’m growing and progressing every day. I can’t imagine it any other way anymore.

Photo of me and Julie taken with Julie’s camera. The original can be found on Dutch Being Me: Bloggy Bootcamp recap in pictures

Pink and Black Do Not Go Well Together

Lolli — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:24:42 +0000

My room was dark. I was awakened by CandyMan, my husband, calling my name. I was vaguely aware that he had gotten out of bed earlier to go running. I was happy to stay in bed and sleep for a few extra….precious….minutes. My bed was warm and the house was cold. The kids would still be in bed for a while longer, and since everyone was on antibiotics for strep (yes, everyone!) I figured they needed the extra sleep.

It took me a few long seconds for my brain to compute that he was calling me. That his voice sounded urgent. I’d better respond.

I ran downstairs, still in a haze, and found him in the kitchen with AJ, our youngest son. He was holding one of the bottles of Amoxicillan from the fridge, and still it didn’t compute. It was early.

“How much was left in this bottle?” he asked.

It was only the 2nd day of antibiotics. The bottle was nearly full of the 10-day, 3-doses-a-day pink stuff. AJ was the child that didn’t have to be forced to take his medicine. He liked the pink stuff.

Too much, apparently.

When I realized that 3 year old AJ had crept into the kitchen while everyone was sleeping, opened the refrigerator, reached up onto the top door shelf, outsmarted the child-proof cap, and chugged the entire grown-child-10-day-supply of antibiotics, I woke up. My mind was finally clear and I started to think.

Call the doctor.

Time to take him to the ER.

But who goes? Someone has to stay behind with the other four, sleeping kids.

I stayed behind. It was horrible to watch them leave. I was confident that amoxicillan was one of the “better” drugs to overdose on. But how much can a 3 year old handle? And what was going to happen at the hospital?

So many questions.

Finally, an email. Thank goodness for camera phones and Facebook apps. My little boy, all covered in charcoal, inside and out, was ok. He was happily sucking on a popsicle, oblivious to the stress that he’d put his poor parents through.

What a way to wake up.

Before:

First drink of charcoal:

After a full cup of charcoal (not the easiest stuff to get down a child’s throat):

Glad it wasn’t my bed…..

Popsicles make everything better (except for Mommy’s nerves):

Apparently, AJ’s fever and trip to the doctor has me thinking medical. This was the first story that came to my mind when I read MamKat’s writing prompt, “This one time I was sleeping and…” This happened a while ago….

When the Earth Shook

Lolli — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:00:56 +0000

Mama Kat’s last writing prompt stood out to me this week:

Earthquake! Where were you when it happened?

…probably because last Friday we had an earthquake in suburban Maryland – a pretty rare event. While some people were quite shaken by the earthquake (pun intended) my kids were thrilled to have felt their first earthquake. Considering that I grew up in the California Bay Area, earthquakes are old news. No big deal. Even a little fun, if I can admit that.

Earthquake drills at school were as common as fire drills when I was a kid. The alarm would go off, and all students were expected to duck and cover. We dropped to the floor, crouched in the fetal position under our desks with our hands locked behind our necks, and waited until we got the word that it was safe to come out.

When real earthquakes happened, we were ready. We ducked and covered, and oohed and ahhed all the way through several earthquakes a year.

There are two earthquakes that particularly stand out in my mind. The first was the 1983 Coalinga earthquake, a 6.4 on the richter scale, which occurred on May 2, 1983. I was in the 4th grade at the time, in Mrs. Bowden’s class. I was cleaning off the chalkboard and thought that the students in the classroom opposite ours were banging on the other side of the wall. A loud, rumbling sound always precedes the shaking. I looked around for my teacher, and noticed the other kids in my class with odd, confused looks on their faces. Mrs. Bowden shouted, “Duck and cover!” and we all hid under our desks for what seemed like an eternity. 30 seconds lasts forever when the earth is shaking and the ground is groaning. I admit that I was slightly scared that time.

The next earthquake that made a huge impression on me was the World Series (Loma Prieta) earthquake on October 17, 1989. Measuring 7.1 on the richter scale, the earthquake of ’89 was the biggest since the earthquake of 1906, one of the worst natural disasters recorded in US history. I was at home watching TV in the family room when the earthquake hit, and the first thing that struck my senses was that Mom was making a LOT of noise running down the stairs. Mom sensed the earthquake earlier than I did, and ran downstairs as quickly as possible to get all of the kids together under a door frame. We stood there, in complete shock, as our marble floor turned into jello and waves literally rolled through our house. I couldn’t believe that something so hard could bend so easily and not break into pieces. Nic nacs and books fell of shelves, but we were fine.

As soon as the shaking stopped (another eternity) we immediately picked up the phone to call dad, who was working in Berkeley that day. We also turned the TV back on to see what they were saying. Amazingly, we were still able to get through on the phones during those first seconds after the earthquake. For the rest of the evening, I wanted to stay as close to my mom as possible. There was lots of celebrating when my dad finally made it home.

Last week’s Maryland earthquake was nowhere near as intense. In fact, I slept right through the 3.6-er when it rumbled straight through our town. When I woke up that morning, Necco asked me if I had been awake at 5:00. I looked at her strangely and said, “No, I was asleep.” She proceeded to tell me about how she had woken up and thought she felt the house move. I wanted to say “Yeah, right! That doesn’t happen here!” but I just listened to her description. A few minutes later, Candyman checked his Blackberry and found an earthquake alert. We did, indeed, have an earthquake. I’m glad he got that email, because otherwise I would have been really confused when KitKat came downstairs and immediately asked me if I had been awake at 5:00. Apparently, I am now a heavier sleeper than my two oldest girls.

The rest of the family was bummed that they hadn’t been awake to experience their first earthquake.

What about you? Have you experienced an earthquake? If not, do they scare you as much as they scare my husband (who was afraid he’d be in a big one the first time he came to visit me in California, before we got engaged)?

Bucket List

Lolli — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:58:57 +0000

Bucket List: a list of 100 things you want to do before you turn 100.

Go on another cruise.
Have grandchildren.
Fix my varicose veins.
Document every year of my kids’ life in a photobook or scrapbook.
Travel to Italy.
Speak (again) at a conference.
Send all of my kids to college.
Buy a house with lots of space.
Have my own home office (that is not in my bedroom)
Take piano lessons again.
Be able to provide music lessons for each of my kids.
Develop better self discipline.
Babysit other people’s kids for free just so they can have a break.
Learn how to sew better.
Learn how to follow a pattern.
Take a cake decorating class.
Take an advanced photography class.
Be more confident.
Know that all of my kids know without a doubt that I love them.
Write a book and have it published.
Learn how to decorate my house.
Master the art of making the perfect cheesecake.
Lose 10 pounds.
Own an iPhone.
Have over 10,000 followers on twitter.
Win an award for one of my photographs.
Enter a photo in the County Fair.
Go on a shopping spree with unlimited funds (or at least a lot).
Go on vacation with my mom and sisters.
Rent a motor home and drive across the country.
Pay cash for a house.
Pay someone else to deep clean my house at least once a month.
Have a garage.
Take voice lessons.
Teach classes on photography.
Learn another language (in addition to Spanish and Russian)
Be confident enough to USE my language skills.
Visit every state in the US.
Read 25 books in a year.
Save a life.
Spend an entire day at a resort, getting manicured, pedicured, and massaged.
Have my own closet, with a really cool closet organizer.
Spend a summer working on a farm.
Have the hair on my legs removed…permanently.
Save $50,000.
Have zero debt.
Hear the President of the United States say my name.
Supply an entire Christmas celebration (food, presents, wrapping) for a family in need.
Die without ever getting a speeding ticket (those speeding cameras don’t count, right?)
Assist in a birth.
Become famous.
Earn a good living working from home doing something I love (I’m close, but not quite there).
Have perfect credit again.
Find a vitamin that will make my nails really strong.
Invent something.
Take courses at a local college, just to learn something new.
Teach all of my kids to cook proficiently.
Teach all of my kids to drive (well).
Hit a million page views on my blog (yes, I want that to happen before I die).
Maintain a blog for 10 years.
Keep a journal everyday for a year.
Take a hair cutting class so I can actually know what I’m doing when I cut my kids’ and my husband’s hair.
Read the Bible cover to cover.
Become good friends with someone famous.
Hear someone ask my kids if I’m their older sister.
Volunteer at a nursing home.
Be a Secret Santa…..in a month other than December.
Take my family to Lake Tahoe so they can see where I spent my summers growing up.
Write a book about my life.
Get rid of my anxiety for good.
Fix my teeth.
Repair my torn stomach muscles.
See a show on Broadway.
Make progress on my family history. Figure things out that Grandma couldn’t find.
Write thank you letters to people who have made a difference in my life.
Start a collection.
Make really cool jewelry.
Finish all of the projects laying around my house.
Restore an old piece of furniture that’s full of character.
Meet a stranger that knows me from my blog.
Surprise my husband with a trip for our anniversary.
Visit all of the temples in the world.
Travel to Jerusalem.
Make it through all of the Smithsonian museums.
Become a confident vlogger.
Find all of the things I’ve lost in my house.
Get rid of the things I don’t use and don’t replace them.
Pay for someone’s groceries.
Have an exchange student.
Shop for wedding dresses with my daughters.
Love my daughters in law.
Be inside a temple with all of my kids and my husband.
Visit Europe by train.
Own a really cool professional camera.
Never have cancer again.
Figure out how to get rid of my headaches.
Give my children a good and happy life.
Attend a black-tie event.
Win an award.
Celebrate my 50th anniversary in Italy.

Shoot….that was hard to do!

Smile

Lolli — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:09:03 +0000

Inspired by MamaKat’s Writing Prompt and Allison’s Thank You Journal, here is a list of things that are sure to put a smile on my face when I may or may not be feeling like smiling….

Finding a $20 bill in the laundry
Chocolate (eating it, smelling it, cooking with it)
Hearing “Mommy? I looooove you!”
Taking a really good picture
Checking a big task off my to-do list
Finding a great deal at the thrift store
Snuggling with my baby 5 year old
Good music
Beautiful sunsets
Hugs and kisses from my kids and hubby

What makes you smile?

It Happened at Work

Lolli — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:05:05 +0000

It was 1944 when Grandpa met Grandma for the first time. He had recently returned home from a mission in New Mexico, and she was living with an aunt and uncle and working in San Fransisco. Grandpa’s mom had met Grandma before his homecoming, and instantly made note of the absence of an engagement ring. She wrote to her son about the nice girl she had met, and he was already prepared to ask her out on his first night home.

They dated for about 2 months before he enlisted in the Naval Air Corp during World War II. Although they saw each other while he was on leave, Grandma eventually moved back to her home in Idaho.

Grandpa trained to be a pilot and expected combat experience, but the War ended before that he had that opportunity. We are all grateful for that.

When he was discharged, Grandpa returned to California to attend school, and immediately wrote to Grandma asking her to come to California for Thanksgiving. In typical Grandma fashion, she made it hard for him. She told him that he knew her address in Idaho and left the ball in his court. And in typical Grandpa fashion, he had made up his mind. In late fall 1945, Grandpa called her from California while she was at work and proposed marriage.

To say that she was suprised to get a proposal at work is an understatement, I’m sure. I guarantee that she didn’t dream of an over-the-phone proposal when she was a young girl thinking of her future wedding. Grandma had spunk and a little bit of an attitude (sometimes a bit more, I suppose) but she knew a good thing when she saw it.

Grandma told Grandpa to “hold the phone.” Grandpa says that she was gone for about 30 seconds (telling her co-workers what was happening on the phone, maybe?). She came back on the phone and said “yes.” They planned a wedding for December 1945, a snowy day before Christmas.

And the rest is history.

I never tire of hearing the story of my grandma and grandpa’s courtship. Apparently, quick and unexpected engagements run in the family. CandyMan and I were friends for 3 months before we started “dating” and then dated for a month before we were engaged. I can only hope that CandyMan and I turn out as well as Grandma and Grandpa did.

30 Indoor and Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids

Lolli — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:00:31 +0000

For some of you, Summer is already in full swing. For others (like us) Summer hasn’t quite started yet, but will be here before we know it. The transition from full time school to full time play can be tough. It’s important (for us) to maintain a routine, even if that routine is different than the rest of the year.

How many of you are wondering how in the world you are going to fill up all this TIME? I know I ask myself that question every Summer, and yet by the end of the Summer I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by. Here are a few of our favorite summer activities for kids, plus tips (from outdoor games to kids crafts):

Maintain a set bedtime and wake time. Otherwise, there is a tendency to stay up late every night and sleep in every morning.
At the beginning of the summer, schedule a weekly library day. We always join the library’s summer reading program, which offers incentives for the kids to read and keep track of the books they complete.
Find out what summer programs are going on at your library. Book groups, read-alouds, and special visitors are ideal for long summer days.
Take advantage of cool or cloudy days to hang out at the park or go on a walk. Our area can get very hot and muggy and sometimes outdoor activities can be miserable. So we like to enjoy the few days that are cooler to be outside.
Speaking of walks, take your child on a Nature Sense Walk.
Join a local pool, find a friend who has a pool, or just make a day trip to a pool in your city. Get wet and cool off! No pool? Try the sprinklers or a hose to get wet.
Plant and maintain a garden as a family. Then enjoy the “fruits” of your labors together!
Find a local theater that has free or cheap Summer movies. We go to free movies weekly at the Regal Cinemas close to our house.
Send the kids to a session of Summer camp. Summer camp doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Many churches offer Vacation Bible Schools and are fun for kids even if they don’t belong to the hosting church. My girls have also enjoyed going to Girl Scout sponsored day camps, meant to give non girl scouts a hint of what girl scouting is all about. They were cheap and lots of fun!
Make your own kites to fly.
Decorate your sidewalks with colored chalk. Even more fun: Color the sidewalks the day before rain is in the forecast. My kids love to watch it wash away.
Give your older kids (7 and up) cooking lessons and let them help with dinner. Summer time is a great time to get kids started cooking.
Strap on the camera and look for pictures to take together for a Favorite Photo activity.
Play board games together inside. There are a bunch of games now that are fun for multiple ages. One of our favorites is Guess Who
Start a chapter book together and read aloud at a set time every day.
Invite friends over regularly (the plus to that is that your kids will usually get a return invite!)
Let your kids take you on a Hopeful Journey.
Don’t forget to drink lots of water (like Aquafina FlavorSplash). I love to write my kids’ names on cups for the day or give them each their own unique water bottle so that they always have something to drink.
Play a game of In Your Shoes.
Play some games together online (Have you tried Yoursphere yet for free with my referral code?)
Visit a museum or other local attraction (like the aquarium or zoo) that you don’t have time for during the school year.
Go on a Happiness Scavenger Hunt with your family.
Make (or buy) some playdough and make some creations with your kids.
Play a game of make-believe.
Attend an outdoor concert (check to see if your community has free summer concerts)
Look for Colorful Things together.
Have an “old favorites” TV marathon by watching a full series on DVD (we love to do this with shows like Little House on the Prairie).
Go on a hike.
Play tourist in your home town. Give everyone a camera and look at your city through different eyes.
Most of all….enjoy time together, whatever you do!

What are your plans for this Summer?

Inspired by MamaKat’s “30 things you vow to do this summer” writing prompt, which was inspired by Maegan from Life Set To Words. I must also disclose that I am a faculty mom for Fishful Thinking (see my footer for the statement) as well as a test drive mom for Yoursphere.com and an ambassador for Aquafina FlavorSplash. I have or will receive compensation for my participation in these programs (including writing blog posts). Please see above mentioned posts for my full disclosure about these programs. In the writing of this post, I included activities because I love them, not because I was told to do so!