[ elf on the shelf ]

sooooooo... first of all i can't stop myself saying shelf on the elf, it's driving me nuts!!!! my friend, jackie, has 2 elves on the shelf & when she explained how they worked i kind of fell in love with the whole thing!!

here's my version... basically they watch you & report back to santa. you can talk to them & they get moved around the house (by adults) & i think there's a book that comes with it too.

i went online to look at them & to tell you the truth i couldn't see any i liked...

this morning oscar & flynn were in our bedroom & flynn asked who that was on my shelf. i told him it was yoda. (it was a pre-kid present to my husband, mike, who loves star wars).

oscar asks if he is king of the elves? i quickly thought 2 steps ahead & said yes... & that he's watching you guys to see if you're being good.

this is such a magical age!! they TOTALLY believe!! it's wonderful!!

so i have been moving yoda around the house today... the boys are just amazed by the whole thing!! when he's not where they last saw him they search & then start yelling with excitement, i've been chuckling to myself all day!!

oscar swears he saw him walk a little!! the only thing is it's freaking me out a bit!! oscar keeps asking me if i can see yoda behind him... & then thought he saw him behind me!!

so yoda is our elf on the shelf!!

'good relations with the wookiees, i have.'

[ gobble gobble! ]

sooooooo the teachers & kiddies did a fantastic job, very very proud!! pass the tissues!!

[ can anyone hear me? ]

sooooooo... I'VE LOST MY VOICE!!!! [ has anyone seen it??? ] but seriously i have ~ this has never happened to me before. yes i've had colds & sore throats that have affected my voice but never like this.  i have to yell to get even a pathetic whisper sound out..

it was pretty bad for a couple of days ~ then absolutely no sound... :(

as thanksgiving was coming up i thought i best go to the dr's as if i do need antibiotics i'd rather get them sooner than later ~ i mean what's the point of prolonging the suffering?

the dr said it's better to try & talk normally instead of whispering... you think? i wanted to say 'listen lady I AM NOT WHISPERING, I'M YELLING' because I was!

anyway she pronounced laryngitis & that was that... no magic pill, just ride it out...

i have to say not having a voice is like having a power cut... you keep forgetting & constantly try to 'turn on the light' or in my case 'answer the phone' then get hung up on because no-one can hear you!

people react really weirdly too... a lot of people want to ask a million questions & the last thing you want to do is talk! or they think you are stupid & talk to you really slowly... or they start yelling at you!! THANKS!!

I found this GREAT butcher - but that's a whole other blog right there, they couldn't hear me so i was having to write things down... one butcher wrote me a note back, thinking I was deaf too!

i can't believe how much I take my voice for granted! the boys were playing up, fighting mainly, so i was trying to stop them without any voice... mmmmm that worked not! after about 20 attempts i just yelled! nothing came out but ~ then 'chewbacca' type noises ~ in random volume! the kids just looked at me as if i was nuts!!! for about 2 hours after that episode i had NO sound at all... i think i set the healing back a week :(

after a whole day of this i began to stop fighting it & started to accept, or surrender to, what was going on. the only thing i was really scared of was what if one of the boys ran out in the road (not that they ever do that) & i'd yell & be mute ~ like one of those crazy horrible dreams.

skype chat is great! no one knows anything is wrong...

hey voice ~ i miss you!! come back soon please!

[ can someone let james brown in...? ]

 

sooooooo... this is how james brown (one of our rescue cats) lets us know he'd like to come in!  he hangs on the door, by his front claws, meowing as if his tail was on fire. we open the door, cat always still attached... he jumps down & then very slowly saunters in, in a very cool manner, like only james brown could!

[ more costen library! ]

sooooooo... i know i've blogged about the costen children's library, before... ( previous post )

but... i can't get enough of this place!! & felt compelled to share my sons latest creations! i'm thinking of making this a permanent spot & for all you brits i'd like you to have tony hart's gallery music playing in your head as you peruse these master pieces!

i do have to fess up though, that i think i get the most excited (out of everyone in the whole library) when dr dana reveals what we will be making after she's read the story! the week it was the puppets i'm pretty sure i let a gasp! hahaha. i wonder how long it will be before the boys won't want to come... so i'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

october 22 2010 ~ monkeys with matching tee shirts

october 15 2010 ~ super hero puppets

[ nyc ]

sooooooo... last saturday my husband, mike, & i went to nyc to celebrate a birthday of the wonderful dr that delivered both our boys, oscar 4&3/4 & flynn 3.

i’ve been really ‘jump up & down’ excited (i mean that literally) about this event from the moment i was invited. 5 mintues later the boys were booked in for a sleep over with my lovely friend!

so we leave in time but there’s a ton of traffic... the lincoln tunnel is really backed up & then there are roads closed in the city... it was turning into one of those dreams where you really want to get somewhere but can’t. it got to a point where i just wanted to abandon the car & walk!!

we arrive at this beautiful hotel, drinks on the rooftop terrace ~ delicious nibbles

lovely people!! that have in common an admiration, friendship & desire to celebrate!

a wonderful sit down dinner... the mushroom risotto was sooooooo good!!(you have to remember i’ve not been eating gluten, sugar, dairy or drinking alcohol) i was making an mmmmmmmm sound with every forkful, till i notice mike looking at me with a raised eyebrow!

the meal ends with a buffet of desserts... there were these chocolate mushrooms that were d-i-v-i-n-e... i must have eaten about 15!!! i was chatting to the waiter while he was clearing the plates telling him how good these mushrooms were, he agreed. then i suddenly realize i really shouldn’t eat anymore... i was more than full! the lovely waiter came back with 4 more mushrooms.... uh oh

after the festivities we left & because it was john lennon’s 70th birthday i asked mike if we could stop by strawberry fields. there was a parking spot seemingly waiting for us. it was really lovely

the imagine mosaic was surrounded with people singing & in the center guitarists accompanying them.

when a song ended people shouted out song titles ~ i shouted out revolution, LOVE that song. the lady in front of me turned round & said we’ve just sung that. i replied i just got here. she said if you just got here you would have heard it. whatever, i thought, not really in the spirit of the moment... but i’m having a lovely time anyway.

we sang a few more songs & then went home. 

you know when you’ve got a tune in your head because you’ve been singing it recently... well the next morning i was singing ‘but if you go carrying pictures of chairman mao, you ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow’ over & over. i replay the night before events at strawberry fields in my head... i suddenly realize i had stood there singing ‘revolution’... as soon we had finished i yell out that request...HAHAHA

don’t you know it’s gonna be all right!

[ my brave flynn! ]

sooooooo... my little man, flynn, whose 3 years old had surgery today for a hydrocele & inguinal hernia.

i didn't realise how much i was worrying about it until the doctor called us into a room to tell us the surgery had gone well ~ i suddenly felt like a rag doll & could have just collapsed onto the floor.

while we were waiting for this news i felt really lightheaded. every time i heard a cry or a call for mum my ears pricked up with a yearning ache.

it's an odd feeling waiting for your child to finish their surgery & knowing everyone else in the waiting room is in the same boat. there's a sense of unspoken unity.

flynn had already had surgery when he was 3 weeks old for pyloric stenois, i went numb then. but i think my body could'nt cope with anymore as my husband & i were both laid off 3 days before.

when they wheeled flynn away today & was out of sight i shed a few tears but held it together pretty well (i think!!). but i did cry when i saw him afterwards all wired up & in pain.

we dressed flynn in his batman pj's but i didn't bother putting on the cape ( he was so out of it & hadn't really opened his eyes yet). flynn in his hoarse voice, brought on from the breathing tube, mustered up a gruff whisper 'put on the cape'. somehow he knew his outfit wasn't complete!

i can't say enough good things about the staff at CHOP.

thank goodness it's done & went well, i feel really lucky, blessed & proud of this very brave 3 year old.

[ costen children's library ~ princeton ]

sooooooo... i have just discovered the costen children's library, located on the main floor of princeton university's firestone library, at the corner of nassau street & washington road.

why have i not found out about this before?? it's FABULOUS!!!! & even better it's FREE!! music to my ears!

i took my boys oscar (4 & three quarters) & flynn (3) there yesterday, for story time & a craft.

i really enjoyed the craft! ~ come on lets face it, that's very important as i always end up finishing them... this octopus mask was one i could really get my teeth into!!

just to digress about 2 years ago i was worried about oscar's concentration span. i'd think up these great things to make & 2 minutes into them he would be wanting to do something else...

i was that concerned i told my pediatrician, (oscar's my first, i'm a little less neurotic now!) who sent him to be evaluated.

i remember having to hand oscar over to this team of ladies & go answer lots of questions... i was convinced i'd done something wrong & this had stunted my sons 'art' development.

after what seemed like ages i was called back to join oscar & receive the verdict. oscar was absolutely fine for his age & i was politely told that 'apparently he's just not into arts & crafts'... WHAT!!! my hearing must be temporarily failing me because i thought they'd said that oscar wasn't into arts & crafts!!!

how on earth could that be!! my husband & i are both designers...it's like saying a particular squirrel doesn't like nuts!!..... (i wonder if that's possible, or could you imagine some poor squirrel out there having a nut allergy!!!)

i thought the genes this poor kid has inherited must be design loaded...

so anyway ~ the costen library is an amazing place to take your children, if you haven't already gone i'd urge you to go. if you have why didn't you tell me about it!! you can sign up to receive notifications about upcoming events.

check this one out:


FIRST OF OCTEMBER
It’s time once again for our stupendous, creative, fantastical event! We supply the scads of cool art materials, YOU supply the imagination! Based on the zany holiday invented by Dr. Seuss in his book Please Try to Remember the First of Octember, unleash your inner inventor and build a magnificent "something" in pursuit of the ultimate creation.  Rocket ship panel? Automatic dog-washer? Robot companion? Green garden? Roller coaster? Treasure box? The sky is the limit!

Saturday October 16
1:00pm – 4:00pm
No registration required – free of charge
Ages 3 & up

octopus masks!!

flynn modeling his ~ so proud!!

[ thewildernessdowntown ]

sooooooo... my husband mike told me about this, it's kind of melancholic & i wanted to share it with you:

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

it works a lot better if you download google chrome

let me know what you think!

[ first day of school... pass the tissues! ]

sooooooo... today my boys, oscar 4 & flynn 3, started pre-school at our local elementary school.

for a long time now i've been dreaming about the two & a half hours i will be getting to myself...

yes you read right ~ two & a half hours... cue hawaii five-o theme.

we'd picked out back packs, lunch boxes & got name labels printed. but as the time got nearer my heart got heavier.

i started welling up at the orientation for heavens sake!!

the school is a 5 minute walk, so we pile out of the house each with a back pack, 10 seconds later i'm carrying 3! (i knew i should have got the ones with wheels!!)

my boys run ahead & i watch with great pride, my little men, happy & bright.

a car waits to let us cross & it's lori driving, i had the need to let her know so i yell, trying to disguise my chocked up high pitched wail, 'it's their first day at school!' as i hurry along to not show any tears.

arriving at the school we wait outside, oscar is totally fine but flynn starts getting antsy & wants to be picked up... i daren't, so i look at the teacher & ask if it's better if i leave, she takes one look at me & says yes, so i unwrap flynn's arms from around my neck, turn & go... he starts sobbing loudly & shouts out for me to come back... i sob quietly & keep walking...

but why am i so sad...? i don't want them to stop growing, i really enjoy watching their personalities unfold & the different stages develop... so what is it? am i scared of the passing of time? or just emotionally unstable!! or is it a letting go thing? am i going to have to go through this with every grade?

but to end on a happier note... the other day i was doing up flynn's car seat belt, when i thought a friend of mine drove past so i waved, only to see it wasn't her...

me: oh!

oscar: what mom?

me: i just waved at that car thinking it was someone else...

oscar: that's ok mommy, it was someone else!

kid logic ~ you've got to love it!!

[ website faux pas ]

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

[ scare tactics... ]

sooooooo... i let a lot of things go with my boys but oscar (4) recently has started making this really annoying noise. it's a cross between the sound larry david (curb your enthusiasm) was making when he had a pubic hair stuck in his throat & the noise a vampire makes when someone shines a light on their face.

this has become more & more frequent, averaging on 1-2 times a minute. so in typical me style, i let it go (hoping 'the not bringing attention to it' will work. to be quite frank that method has never worked on anything for me, maybe i'm doing it wrong, hahahaha ~ let it go some more, let it go even more, ask politely, ask politely ~ then enough is enough!

i didn't even think about it & this came out of my mouth:

me: oscar... do you realise what you are doing?

oscar: no...

me: that noise you are making is how people call vampires & if you keeping doing that they'll start showing up. (at this point i'm scaring myself!!) (i'm such a wuss!)

oscar: vampires aren't very nice are they?

me: nope

i could see the cogs working in oscar's head & that was that ~ i have never heard it again. ok ~ so i don't expect jo from the nanny show to be ringing my doorbell for more of these handy tips but it did the trick & hopefully this won't be one of the things he'll bring up in therapy in 20 years time!!

hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ;)

[ clean up, clean up... ]

sooooooo... i try to walk into the boys playroom to let them know we have to go to the shops & can't actually find anywhere to put my feet... so i ask.. ok tell them to clean up

me: boys you have to clean up this space... there's no where left to walk. i want everything off the floor please.

i go off to try & find my car keys!! those keys are sneaky & are never where i expect them to be!!

oscar comes running to find me

oscar: mom mom you have to come quickly!! we have a surprise for you...

i follow oscar to the playroom feeling slightly nervous... a 'surprise' could mean anything & usually involves cleaning products!

we arrive & oscar, very proudly pronounces: TA-DA!!!  mom look at the floor.

me: wow!! guys that's great...

the floor is indeed spotless ~ then i look up at the couch...

that isn't quite what i had in mind... but i did say i wanted everything off the floor...

no sympathy at all though when oscar complains there is no where to sit!!!

[ baby #3 dilemma ]

sooooooo... i'd love to hear all your views on my current dilemma!! i am a mom to 2 beautiful healthy boys, 4 & nearly 3, that bring us an abundance of joy, lots of laughter, so much pride & fear provoked grey hairs.

i've never been a 'i've got to have babies' type of girl... & quite frankly i'm really bad at making those types of big decisions... luckily my husband, mike, thought we should start a family so we did & i've never looked back... or had so many life lessons cramped into a short space of time.

from the beginning of this parental roller coaster mike has always said he wanted 3... i've kind of had that in my head... but since my second, flynn, was born till about a month ago i've always said, i'm not ready to sell the crib... but i couldn't handle another... ok i mean.. i couldn't handle another properly without compromising on every one's attention...

but as oscar (my oldest) & flynn get bigger, more independent & i watch these amazing little personalities develop i can't help but think what would #3 be like?? would it make me feel complete? or be a total nightmare that sends me over the edge?

there are days when the boys are really demanding ~ i feel like i'm going insane & i think to myself how can i even contemplate having another ~ i'm struggling with the 2 i've got...

i've been getting some nice freelance jobs ~ would i still be able to do all that?

there is also the question of age ~ i hit a 'big' birthday next year, & i don't mean 21! (easy mistake though!)

of course the people who already have 3 say it's great, that's because once it's done it's done & you're making the best of it.

i also know people that are happy with 2 ~ are absolutely sure 2 is it... i wish i was one of those people, but i've never been like that. when i was trying on wedding dresses some girls would be crying in their dressing rooms over the dress because they had found THE one!! i never experienced anything like that.

i'm on the fence... if we don't have anymore will i regret it? or in the long run is 2 the most sensible thing all round, i only have 2 arms (but i can give lots of hugs!!) i'm not desperately saying i want another baby...

mike doesn't mind either way... he's a great dad. i think deep down he's good with 2 but he'd be up for the chaos!

also it's not a having a girl thing... boys are fantastic & if we were blessed with a girl i'd be shocked!! & would have to get an instruction manual! (bet there are lots of volumes!!)

when i ask the boys if they want a little brother or sister they both say no. oscar said he wants an older one instead!

one person i spoke to said the dynamics of 3 isn't as good as with 2. i also read it's nice for siblings to have more than one to play with. so there's pros & cons to everything.

are there any people out there that were on the fence about a third & stayed at 2?

any advice at all in general? THANK YOU!!

[ flynn says... ]

soooooo... we are sat at the table eating lunch:

flynn (2): mom if i pull my ears off will i have to go to the doctors?

a little later oscar (4) asks me to sing a song about a him: (neighborhood dogs get ready!!!)

oscar: mom that's not about me you're singing about a man

me: but you will be a man one day...

flynn: when he grows up

me: yes thats right

flynn: when i grow up i'm going to a lady

me: ok...............

[ I'M ANGRY WITH 6 FLAGS SAFARI!!! ]

sooooooo... my beautiful boy, flynn, will be 3 next week, oh how the time flies... as usual i'm planning to get as much as possible into a day!! we wanted to take him to 6 flags safari, neither of my boys has been on one before, so hopefully a fun time will be had by all!

i read that they open at 9am... but i suddenly thought... let me just ring to make sure if that would be a good time to come... i want my boys to experience some animal action & wasn't sure if everyone would be up yet...

i call the number & speak to the operator ~ she says that no-one has any idea what time the animals get up, there is no good time to come.

so i ask do the animals sleep at night? she replies i have no idea....

because, sadly for her, that answer doesn't satisfy me & i stay on the phone she transfers me to someone else.

this was a much friendlier person ~ who thought i had a very good question, YEAH!!, but didn't know the answer, BOO!!

so she transfers me to another 'lady'

firstly ~ i was shocked by her curtness... the whole attitude was what the hell are you bothering me for, i have no intention of helping you & basically let me as rude & ignorant to you as possible to reinforce that!!

i politely asked my question... is there a better time to come in the day where the animals are more lively??

she tells me that 'ma'am' (oooooooooooo i love being called 'ma'am!!! ;) 'ma'am this is a safari, not a zoo. we don't know the animals behaviour.'

YIKES! i repeated what she's said to make sure i heard her right... really, no-one has any idea about the animals behaviour.

that's right.

i told her i found that really sad.... you are meant to be a safari, taking care of these animals ~ yet no-one has any idea (& by the sounds of it doesn't even care) about them...

& also she 'informs' me there is no-one who will know.

(this doesn't instill me with any confidence whatsoever. so there could be some crazy rhino out there snorting, running round in circles about to charge a car or a sick giraffe lying on it's back with it's legs in the air & no-one would think that that was unusual because no-one knows any of the behavioural habits of the animals they are meant to be taking care of!!)

she says ~ this is the information desk (OH!!! i must be really stupid!! where i come from, that's ENGLAND, please cue the song 'land of hope & glory', an information desk would be where you were given information... which i'm sure they hope, would reflect kindly on their business, be friendly~ish & maybe even if they don't have the answer find something out...) but apparently 6 flags safari doesn't give a toss about any of that!!

anyone got any ideas what to do as a family activity for a 3rd birthday???

[ have you ever heard of GROUPON? ]

sooooooo... i went to longwood gardens recently with my lovely friend theresa. i love it there...

anyway... theresa calls me up & says had i ever heard of 'groupon' because the deal today is tickets to longwoods garden half price, but you have to go in august.

http://www.groupon.com

no i hadn't, the deals sound great!! in their words this is how it works:

http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2112924

but it's not limited to the states... there's lots of other countries too.


BRILLIANT!!

dragonfly @ longwood gardens

[ key heart attack! ]

sooooooo... my boys, oscar 4 & flynn 2, & i took our beautiful husky, lennon, to be groomed at petsmart today. this dog is a hair machine!! it is literally coming out in clumps & it seems the more i brush him the more fur he generates!! i read somewhere that huskies fur can be spun & used for knitting. http://www.vipfibers.com/

i wish i could find someone that wanted it ~ or maybe i should blow the dust off my knitting needles & have a go... there's probably a few horrified faces out there thinking nooooo... not you knitting again!! i get a bit obsessive, not to mention frustrated when it doesn't come out right!! i remember knitting the whole way back on a flight from the usa to the uk & getting told to put my needles away for landing... the stewardess literally had to rip them out of my hands!!!

anyway anyway anyway... we drop off lennon. i remember putting my water & keys down on the counter to sign the waiver.

then the boys & i walked to home goods... (not a fan, i can never find anything i want in there). then onto best buy. we are all getting hungry so i say to the boys lets go get some lunch! that suggestion was greeted by a very enthusiastic response! i look in my bag & YIKES!!!! no car keys!! holy moly!! oh no no no...

ok ~ lets keep calm & retrace our steps... i start back at petsmart... i can imagine my keys on the counter so vividly i'm convinced they are there. so when i'm told that no you didn't leave them here i kind of find it hard to believe.... i'm trying to do sneaky looking behind the counter to check they're not there!

after she tells me for the third time they are not here... i can't think of anything else to say & have to leave... my heart sank... what if someone else picked them up by mistake. great ~ i'm about to have to camp out at the mall with 2 hungry boys & a groomed husky....

oscar says he has an idea!! EXCELLENT, things are looking up!!

oscar: mom don't worry... why don't you phone up dad & ask to borrow his car. ay ay good idea right??

me: well... the thing is daddy is at work & we don't have anyway of getting there... (checking my bag for the 497th time i suddenly realize i left my phone in the car...) er... there's a slight flaw in your plan oscar... mommy left the phone in the car...

great ~ i'm about to have to camp out at the mall with 2 hungry boys,  a groomed husky.... & no phone!!

okay okay... we go next to home goods... i'm not holding out much hope at all...

i see a store assistant, stop her & ask if anyone has handed in any keys... she very uninterestedly (is that a word?? well it is now!) didn't even stop walking & informed me i had to ask the lady wearing red... i'd just like to say thank you to that shop assistant... your care & concern really truly left me feeling warm & fuzzy!!

the lady wearing red was working at the returns desk that had a line of about 5 people... i stand in line for what seems like hours waiting to be put out of my misery... i try to stop myself going crazy thinking about 1 million ways of surviving living in a mall! maybe twe'll get made into a film ~ like that guy that lived in the airport!! i'm also trying to think what are we going to do if i can't find the keys... it's the only car key i have!!!

i'm having to listen to all these excuses why people had brought things back. i don't know why we have to come up with explanations... shouldn't it be enough that we are here with the receipt??

anyway... things are feeling more grim... i see another cashier open so i scoot over to her & pleadingly ask her if anyone has handed in any keys???? she replies yes!!! i follow her over to a drawer which she opens & pulls out my keys!!! cue hallelujah chorus!!!

i could have kissed that lady!! ...but i didn't!! i did thank her about 32 times though!!

then we all went skipping back to the car!! got to get more car keys!!

[ cookie monster... om nom nom nom! ]

sooooooo... whilst driving along in the car this morning, my older son, oscar, whose 4, totally out of the 'blue' asks:

oscar: mommy why is the cookie monster blue?

me (thinking really hard to come up with a good answer... but failing miserably!) : mmmmm ~ you know what, i'm not sure why...don't you think he should be blue then?

oscar: no way...

me: why not?? what color do you think he should be?

oscar: well he eats cookies... so he should be brown

me: oh... so you think people should be the colors that they eat?

oscar: yes

me: well what color are you then?

oscar: yellow because i like pizza... & you should be green because you like salad.

me: mmmmm... would i stay green?

oscar: no after you've eaten for a while you'd go back... i hope.  i like that because i like seeing all sorts of different colored people

me: phewy ~ i don't fancy staying green

oscar: but then if you eat carrots you'd turn orange

me: now this would come in handy when i ask who ate all the cookies!! oooo... but not so handy if it was me!

'me want cookie!', 'me eat cookie!'

[ detox diet...! part 2 ]

sooooooo...this has been the first week after we we finished the detox diet.

~just to recap, my husband mike & i went on a detox diet to rid our bodies of unhealthy junk & use this experience as a springboard to eating more healthily.

the diet consisted of cutting out wheat, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, dairy & meat.

mike lost a total of 14lbs!! we don't have any accurate scales at home so i have no idea how much i lost but my stretchy sweat pants aren't skin tight anymore!! YES!! ...i hear america signing with relief too!!

we both feel SO much more healthy!! i can sleep all night! all night... i haven't been able to do that since i can remember & unless you have trouble sleeping you won't understand how wonderful that is!! my anxiety has disappeared!!

mike feels he can concentrate much better & is more focused.

we both found week one hard. for me it was lack of energy. for mike it was the feeling hungry & really missing coffee toast & meat.

by week two though i didn't really crave anything anymore.

what shocked us most was the amount of rubbish that is put into everything that can possibly be added to! i thought i was being healthy eating dried apricots but until i went on this diet i had never checked the ingredients ~ dried apricots, sulfur dioxide & potassium sorbate!! lovely!!

i found some organic ones in 'whole foods' that are just apricots ~ so now i understand that the other ingredients are to keep their color, but they are just as tasty in a fruitcake kind of way!

what surprised us the most was all the alternatives that are out there! it's like we've discovered a secret club or something! you can eat really tasty healthy food! & because it's more expensive you keep the portions under control more. it's made us open our eyes to what we are allowing into our bodies.

the first night after the diet we had organic chicken & it tasted sooooooo good!!

tonight we had grass fed organic steak & i don't think i'm saying this because we haven't eaten beef in  ages... but it was the best piece of steak i can ever remember eating ever!!

i can thoroughly recommend doing this diet, don't forget the supplements from 'whole foods' for a full body cleanse.

some reading:


http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/Detox_Diet_Plan.htm

[ FREE DELICIOUS CHIPS GIVEAWAY!! ]

sooooooo... the lovely chip company (food should taste good) that I blogged about recently is giving 3 free bags of their delicious tortilla chips to give away to two lucky people!! HOORAY!!

they are made from the highest quality, all-natural ingredients baked into the chips. all chip varieties are gluten free, cholesterol and trans fat free, and do not use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs).  they are also certified kosher, lower in sodium, and are a good source of dietary fiber.  the chips are available in ten varieties: multigrain, sweet potato, olive (my favorites!!), jalapeño, the works!, chocolate (yes chocolate!!), lime, yellow corn, blue corn and cheddar.

here’s how to win these TASTY TREATS!!

A ‘CHIP off the old block’ COMPETITION!

have you ever heard your child, niece, nephew, cousin, friend’s child etc etc repeating your words at the worst possible time? OR what is the most embarrassing thing said by them in public (or maybe in shared public bathroom stall). OR have you ever heard them repeat a story you told & get it completely wrong yet hilarious?

please email me the details by august 1st:

piestar@rocketmail.com 

& an independent panel of wackos will select the funniest stories to be retold in my future blogs ~ let me know if you want to stay anonymous!! the 2 that make us laugh the most will win the chips!

let the shenanigans begin!

            

[ the circus is in town! ]

sooooooo... my lovely friend jenn informs me the circus is coming, wanna go? i ask my boys, 2 & 4, & got a very positive response!

lets do it! jenn is very organised & set the whole thing up all i had to do is meet her at her house... perfect.

oscar (4): i LOVE the circus ~ it's round. is it bigger than daddy? a train picks it up & drives it to town. are there going to be lions?

flynn (2): & dinosaurs?

oscar: elephants & horses? ~ mum say yes!

having been bitten a few times now by saying yes to something i definitely thought was going to be somewhere so i tried to be super vague...

oscar: & nincompoops? (oscars new word!)

well now i can say with all certainty that there will absolutely be one or two of them!!

we follow jenn & i keep saying to the boys look out for the big top! we arrive at the sun center... wait a minute, it's indoors??!

we drive in line to park passing protesters & the penny started to drop... i had just thought of the whole adventure through the eyes of my boys & had somehow forgotten about the 'real' stuff... not sure how i did this, but i am very tired ok!!

mmmm... well we are here, we have our tickets & very excited little people ~ if i'm going to get all moral should have done that before involving them.

felt like there should have been protesters for the price of lemonade too!! well the beer was cheaper ~ phewy!! i did make the mistake of having a mouth full of trenton water at it's finest from the water fountain... now that's just wrong!

there were some really cringe worth moments... a very very bendy lady with a large boob job ~ was waiting for one to pop! a stick of a girl in very akward positions with a heavy man balancing on her. but like my husband, mike, pointed ~ the circus is a freak show!

there were tigers having whips cracked at them by a very smiley guy with a super sized ego...

but... i have to say ~ i do feel very guilty for going for the animal side of it & feel i need to use this blog as a confession!! sorry elephnats... i've been too scared to read the flier i was handed outside ~ i saw mike scanning it with tight lips... so it must be really bad. http://www.circuses.com/ringling.asp

why can't they make the circus animal free? there's all that technology

oscar's eyes couldn't open wide enough! that was lovely to see.

& now i have to do the clown song on a regular basis.... you know the one ~ & most of the time it's very appropriate!

[ rave: food should taste good ~ tortilla chips ]

sooooooo... as you know my husband, mike, & i are on a detox diet. one of the things we can't eat is wheat.


mike went to wegmans on his way home yesterday & returned with a bag of olive tortilla chips from a company called 'food should taste good'.

these are certified gluten free & all natural so i really didn't hold out much hope. i imagined myself eating them like the cookie monster but without his enjoyment & enthusiasm.

while i was cooking dinner mike urged me to try one & i thought i'll get to them eventually.

well... i did & i couldn't put them down ~ they are by far the nicest, tastiest tortilla chip i have ever tasted even with the gluten!! i'm SO impressed! i urge you all to try them, you can get a $1 off coupon at their website. www.foodshouldtastegood.com

[ detox diet...! part 1 ]

sooooooo... i don't sleep well & the last week my tummy has been hurting...

me being me (rarely do things by halves)  i decide to go on a detox diet to eliminate all the bad stuff from my body! & hopefully start some new good habits...woo hoo!

i mention this to my husband mike & i'm shocked at his enthusiasm to join me... i read aloud all the stuff we'll be unable to eat & he's fine with it!! okey dokey then!

i purchase a box each of 'complete body cleanse' from whole foods & away we go.

basically FOR TWO WEEKS ~ I REPEAT TWO WEEKS!! we are not allowed any additives, dairy, meat, wheat, alcohol, sugar, caffeine

we ARE allowed as much fresh/frozen fruit & vegetables as we want. olive oil, vinegar, salt, spices, rice, beans (ok i know that's a vegetable!!) & have to drink lots of water

mike announces that not only will he be on this diet with me... he is also going to give up smoking... i'm thinking ~ oh lord! hope our marriage is strong enough!!!

day 1:
9 am ~ so far so good.
11am ~ ring mike, he's starving ~ so am i!!!
noon ~ mike has caved on the smoking front... (thank goodness! for sake of all humanity! that & the diet is too much for anyone to handle!!)

day 2:
mike & i were watching tv & the adverts for these enormous bacon cheeseburgers dripping in delicious fat are killing us!!

i'm starting to worry that i'll start imagining mike as a steak, (like the lion in madagascar)

i'm AMAZED at the additives & sugar that put in almost EVERYTHING!! i'm having trouble finding things without stuff in. must have spent an hour in wegmans reading labels!!

day 3:
not feeling very energetic at all & have a minging headache all day.
poo is getting a lot softer!
love bananas!


day 4:
tummy gurgling a bit, have gone for very loose poos several times & am too scared to fart!!

thank god for whole foods!! (we're going to be bankrupt though!!!) why have i not paid that much attention to this store before. probably because it's so expensive, or i wasn't so desperate to be able to find foods that aren't pumped with junk.

day 5:
back at whole foods...

even the boys love the pizza there!

got to say found some 'fettucini' that's made of brown rice & it's delicious!!! even though most common objects are looking yummy at the moment.

day 6:
mike asked if the food looks the same going out as it did going in can he consider himself detoxed?

made a really yummy bolognese with quorn... as a meat eater you would be hard pushed to tell that that wasn't meat. looked up what quorn is & it is very good for you... only a few people may get an allergic reaction, which comes out sort of like food poisoning... gulp!!

20 minutes later so far so good though

day 7: HALFWAY!!
ate tofu for the first time!! (& probably last) ~  no i should be more open minded about it & give it another go!

mike has lost 6lbs!!! YEAH!!!

7 more days to go!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS OR ADVICE

[ laundry hazard!! ]

sooooooo... you would not believe what happened to me today!! i put a load of washing on, it was whites so i didn’t have very many in there! actually when the boys started karate i was really worried how i was going to keep the suits white!

i put the detergent in the cup & dropped it in the top loader. it hit the bottom & sent up a jet of soap. that wouldn’t have been bad if it hadn’t gone straight in my eye!!! oh & it stung!! i rushed upstairs & stuck my eye under the kitchen tap. i rinsed, splashed even got a shot glass filled that with water (sadly!!) & stuck that on my eye.

it burned & burned... i remembered there was an eye doctor about a block away... so i grabbed the boys & drove round. they were really lovely!

when the doctor looked in my eye with the light  all i could see was my veins!! she said it was burn’t! this was eco stuff too!! if it wasn’t i think i’d be shopping for an eye patch!

unbelievable! it’s really weird my eye is so dry, then i put drops in & it’s dry again in 2 seconds!!

this would never happen to bono or ray charles!!

[ missing missy ]

sooooooo... my lovely design friend, helen, sent me this. i don't normally read though these but this one is particularly funny!!


http://www.27bslash6.com/missy.html

[ scared face! ]

sooooooo... i took my boys to sesame place. oscar, 4, wants to ride the roller coaster. unfortunately mommy will do many many things but roller coasters don't make the list! fortunately we had gone with my lovely friend theresa, who bares no fear & very kindly takes my son on the ride.

i look at the ride in full swing & oscar looks really scared!!

but he says he had a GREAT time!

i reminded him today of the event:

ME: oscar... you looked a bit scared on the roller coaster ride.

OSCAR: no mom! i wasn't scared! that was my fast face!

[ a phone, a phone... my kingdom for a phone! ]

sooooooo...i went for a pedicure (which i have to say i hardly ever do). my husband drops me off & as i'm shutting the door i say i'll call you when i'm done. as soon as i let go of the door i knew my phone was in the cup holder inside. i chase the car yelling but like these things seem to pan out... no one heard.

so i go for my pedicure... i thought it was funny when the lady doing my toes put her glasses on to paint! so for all the cutting & plucking etc etc she couldn't see properly!! excellent!!!

i leave & am lost!!! no phone!! wow ~ i'm amazed at how much we rely on these objects. what do i do now ~ i mean i can't ask a stranger to borrow theirs to make a call... because my feet have been rubbed in lotion i 'skate'  in my flip flops to customer service & ask if there are any 'public' phones (who knows if such devices still exist!)

the lady at the desk has to stop her personal call to direct me to the where they are in their rightful place right outside the toilets!!! i speed skate there & look at the device as if it is some foreign object. i see that i'll need 50¢ so i pull out everything in my bag to find the right amount in coins... a mountain of junk later i proceed to pick up the receiver. i've got to say it was a really yukky feeling having to press it next to my ear. i dial my husband's number & oh what a surprise a voice came on saying this number can not be completed as dialed & i'm taking your money!!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! i try again & the same message. no money given back... the phone might as well have burped!!!! i  went straight into the toilets to wash my hands & ear!!! thinking about it (before everyone had a mobile) i used to spend hours on those phones!! in phone booths!!! & not bat an eye lid! wow!! i must be turning into a germaphobe in my old age!!

luckily my husband rang me & came found me when he realized what i'd done. but seriously!! how do people manage without a mobile? i know that both my mom & dad don't have one. or... maybe life is just easier that way!!

A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse

Meaning

One of Shakespeare's best known lines. The quotation is sometimes now repeated ironically when someone is is need of some unimportant item.

an exclamation from the play King Richard the Third , by WilliamShakespeare; the king cries out, “A horse! A horse! My kingdomfor a horse!” after his horse is killed in battle, leaving him at themercy of his enemies.

CATESBY:
Rescue, my Lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue!
The king enacts more wonders than a man,
Daring an opposite to every danger:
His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights,
Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death.
Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is lost!

KING RICHARD III:
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!

CATESBY:
Withdraw, my lord; I'll help you to a horse.