AMAZING Products

I should get paid for this endorsement. Too bad I don't. I can't stop talking about it though. It is 2008, I'll be 40 before I know it, and yet I have never had a dishwasher in any dwelling I've rented or owned. Matthew and Madeleine are so interested in dishwashers whenever they see them. It's all so new to them.

So, I have used a lot of different dish washing soaps over the years and this is by far THE BEST. I just LOVE this stuff. First of all, the Alpine Purity scent I found at Target is great. It's so concentrated, you only have to use a little bit each time and you still end up with the best bubble bath dish tub you've ever seen. The food magically dissolves from everything in a matter of seconds. Very little scrubbing necessary. Everything is squeaky clean, including the sponge. And take off those plastic gloves because it feels great too. They should re-bottle it under a Bath and Body Works line.

And since we're talking products, here's another one I've been touting for awhile. My Satin Edition Aerolatte foamer for under $20. I save so much $$ from visiting Starbucks. I can make my latte's in the convenience of my own home and decide my own proportions of coffee to milk. I found a great bean at Peet's. The whole experience is wonderful from the smell of grinding the beans to the fun scientific aspect of putting it all together. I find this so much easier and convenient than our Pavoni. After I'm done, I can make 3 beds in under 5 minutes, including the redistribution of a zillion stuffed animals!

Tagged

I've been tagged. Here's my entry.


Here are the rules of this tag:

A. Post these rules at the beginning of the blog entry
B. Answer the questions about yourself
C. Tag 5 people, let them know in a comment on their blogs that they have been tagged.

Whew. Here we go....

What were you doing 10 yrs ago?
I don't remember...well, I was definitely married to Marc because we've been married forever. We didn't have kids. I would have to consult my resume to see where I was working. Maybe that would jog my memory on who my friends were and what I liked. Maybe I was doing my MBA at the time. So long ago!

Snacks I enjoy

• Chocolate
• Chocolate
• Crackers and a nice cheese with wine
  

Five things on my to-do list today

• Mail a letter from Santa to Matthew
  
• Boil 8 eggs for the Easter egg hunt at the school (they color them at school tomorrow)
  
• Pick up last item for Easter egg basket
  
• Pick up Matthew from school and bring him to play group in Noe Valley...take Madeleine to park
  
• Call back parent about play date for next week.
  

Things I would do if I became a billionaire

• Buy a minivan
  
• Get a haircut
• Hire a house cleaner
  
• Buy a house with 3000 sq feet and a laundry room near the bedrooms...get a king sized bed.
• Have vision laser sx
  
• Start a Christian school with progressive teaching methods and send my kids there
  
• Invest
• Become philanthropic
  

3 bad habits

• Biting the inside of my cheeks (like I'm doing right now)
  
• Please post in the comments...I'm sure my friends know what they put up with
  

5 places I have lived

• Walnut Creek, CA
  
• San Francisco, CA
• Santa Cruz, CA
  
• Pittsburg, CA
  
• Oakland, CA
  

Jobs I have had

• Analyst
• Mc Donald's cashier
  
• Manager of pizza restaurant
  
• Paper girl
  

Things people don’t know about me

• I always wanted to be a professional ice skater

Fun with Pig Tales

It's been 2 years in the making. Madeleine now has enough hair to make pig tales!

She's very proud of her pig tales. On the way to pick up Matthew from school she kept repeating, "I show teacher Barbara", "I show teacher Theresa". And that's exactly what she did as soon as we got there. She went up to both of them and said, "look my pony tail!!!" In fact, she told everyone at school and then everyone at the store we went to afterward.




She's very chatty and expressive in general. Here are some of the things she says lately.

You feed her a cookie...she says "I happy".

Matthew bangs her on the head...she cries and says "I sad".

I tell her to use a sippy cup instead of a bottle...she wrinkles her face and says "I mad".

I turn out the lights in her room at night...she tells me "I scared dark".

I turn on a song I like in the car...she tells me "I don't like. Turn off"!

She passes a toy, then pulls it away before I grab it...she laughs and says "I jus kidding. I funny".

Actually, she IS funny. She cracks me up all day long.

A Super Day

My friend Tamara and her daughter Rachael came for a visit about a week ago. Sadly, I'm only now getting these great pics of the kids up on my blog.

I have been SO busy trying to put together all the pictures, art work, pre-k papers, certificates from soccer, music, and swimming and all the other memories that I've been stashing away over the past 5 years.

It's all going into a yearbook that Matthew will get when he graduates from preschool this Spring. Although it took many hours to scan ALL the albums of digital pics on our computer, I actually had a lot of fun organizing it into themes and matching up art work, etc with the themes. I saved the score card from a field trip to the bowling ally 2 years ago and was able to put it together with a picture I had taken from the day. I felt like Super Mom. The book still needs to be made, but all the pieces are very organized. The mom who volunteered to do Matthew's book will be happy with me at last...I finally have everything together for her.

Back to our visit with Tamara and Rachael. It was one of those perfect days that you couldn't have planned to be so perfect. First, the kids made pictures in the kitchen and had some hot chocolate. Then we packed up lunches for the kids and headed out for a walk down the street to the play area at the school. Matthew got out his motorized vehicle and led the way. Madeleine insisted on walking by herself, so thankfully Tamara kept up with Matthew and made sure he didn't crash into anything.

Once at the school we enjoyed beautiful weather and ate our lunches. Tamara brought a fantastic salad from one of her favorite eateries in Marin for the adults. It was so yummy! The kids played in the school yard and took turns driving the car and chasing after each other. It was fun to watch them and to chat with my good friend.

On the way back to the house, we encouraged Matthew to drive his car on the road for a few feet so that we could make our way to a driveway where he could get the car on the side walk easier. He was VERY hesitant and reminded us that he shouldn't be driving on the road until he's 15 and has a driver's license. Can't argue that I guess.


At the house we blew up the jump house and let the kids hang out a little more together. They were having such a great time, we couldn't bear to end it yet.

All in all, it was a super day. Can't wait to see them again soon.
.

Pop Culture

I know it's not too PC to admit that you know anything about tabloid fixtures like Brittney or JLO (Jennifer Lopez), but it IS pop culture so it doesn't hurt to be in the know a little. Plus, it's a click away from many home pages with an entertainment section like Excite.

Well, I can admit that I know "a little" and one of the hot topics right now is JLO having twins with Marc Anthony. They named the babies Emme and Max. I thought it sounded familiar...and then realized it's the name of the brother and sister on Dragon Tales (PBS cartoon). Only 1 letter off...Emmy instead of the JLO Emme.

I thought it was important to make this connection for everyone! :)

Matthew just saw my blog and noted the Dragon Badges in the picture. He said all dragons in Dragon Land have badges. Good to know.

I wonder if JLO's kids will look like these kids??? I wonder how long it will take Matthew to figure out that Daddy's company makes a Dragon Tale game. It's a good excuse for Marc to finally get a Playstation. Thank goodness for employee discounts.

Popo and Tutu Visit

Recently, Popo and Tutu (Hawaiian for Grandpa and Grandma) came for a visit. My Dad came first and then Chris joined a few days later. We had a really nice time.

We did fun things with the kids during their visit. Popo treated the kids to a Pony ride one day. We got stuck in a ton of traffic on the way, which was a bit trying for the kids, but we all survived. Popo was a trooper. We picked up GAD (Great Aunt Diane) and a pizza on the way back and had a wonderful evening at our house spending time together and laughing a lot.

Matthew and Popo bonded over crab nets in Half Moon Bay one day. The fishermen showed Matthew the nets and explained how they worked. We originally planned to visit the fishing hole we found on the last visit, but it was closed, so crab nets and ice-cream saved the day.

Once Tutu arrived, we all ventured over to the Discovery Museum in Sausalito...always a kid favorite. It was raining off and on, but that didn't dampen the day. We all had a spectacular time discovering boats, trains, waves, painting, building and lots of other explorations. Here are some pics from the day.