I totally got to blog about this...

The carrot cake recipe is sooo going to have to wait .

Today Aba and I made a brief stop at the mall to pick up a new padres hat to replace the one that I ruined (well I was trying to clean a mysterious stain off in my usual way of an overnight oxiclean soak... but forgot to take it out before the spin cycle on the washer Oops!!!) and I had to make a pit stop at the bathroom. So off to the food court and we went and found the "family lounge" Oh. My. God. This place is great!!!

It starts with a sitting room with 8 arm chairs and side tables, and a tv with children's shows on. then 4 curtained off armchairs and side tables for private nursing, then down a small hall to nice built in actual changing tables ( not the fold up kind) with a sink and a bottle warmer next to each one, and diaper disposal bins. round another bin and you will find an additional sink and a microwave. Before you even get to The Bathroom.

The Bathroom with 2 sinks, 2 toilets; an adult sized one and a child sized one, and 2 real mirrors. This place is great. I almost wish that we could have stayed longer, but then again it is only a bathroom...

30 hours in LA

What can 1 mommy with 4 little kids do at grandmas house with 30 hours in LA?

Well for me it started with reminiscing about how much times have changed, and how things look differently and the demographics have changed. The schools I have attended are still there, but different somehow. The houses? Almost all torn down and McMansions put up in their places; except for a few holdouts that have not jumped on the remodeling bandwagon. I am glad I have left, and I miss it all at the same time.

What do I miss about it? I miss the way things were, my childhood, and the certainty of life. Things that are still in my memories but are no longer the reality of my little town.
What don't I miss? The traffic, and graffiti (2 words I got the joy of teaching my children Mommy why aren't we moving? It is called traffic honey where there are too many cars and we all slowly crawl by, or turn the freeway into a parking lot. Mommy, look a circus train!!! Where ??(looking around while sitting in traffic) Over there!!! Oh, that is not a circus train (chuckling) that is graffiti.(on the wall next to the traffic on the freeway) What is graffiti? Graffiti is where some very bad people paint where they are not supposed to, because there parents didn't teach them not to. Ooh, they need to clean up there mess and get a spanking. Yep they sure do....

We visited the Zimmer children's museum, and the kids had a great time, N played Rabbi, and J visited the wailing wall. We went shopping and I got new clothes (thank you Mom!!) and we saw Hairspray, you know the new one in theatres??? Apparently I am the only one in the Universe that did not know that John Travolta was playing the part of Edna Turnblatt; It was great, B was dancing the whole time, trying to mimic the dance moves and bopping around.

And of coarse we went to my favorite place to eat, Pachanga, the chicken quesadilla is still as good as ever. As we were leaving and made a pit stop at In-n-out I realized another reason I am glad we have left, I saw 2 girls I went to school with, 1 single and living at home with mom, because it's the only way she can afford to stay, and the other old and haggard looking overweight; unloved and used. As I glanced around at my little family I knew I had the best life and just what I always dreamed of having.

Surprisingly it was the best trip to see my mom I think we have ever had; we got our argument s out of the way before we drove up, and stayed a brief enough time that it was enjoyable by all.

Gluten free Chicken enchiladas

warning these are not kosher, nor are they my usual enchilada recipe, but Nana seems to love them, and Auntie LaLa requested the recipe and then left with out it in her rush to meet the parents. So here we go:

2 rotisserie chickens
1 large can of mild red enchilada sauce
1/4 sweet onion -maui, walla walla, etc.
17 corn tortillas
4 cups shredded cheese, jack/ cheddar mix ( I think at Costco it is called the Mexican mix)
9x13 pan

1. preheat oven to 350
2.dice the onion small
3. shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones
4. pour enchilada sauce in bottom of pan to coat.
5. on a tortilla sprinkle a Tablespoon of onions, lay out 1/4 cup of chicken and a sprinkling of cheese (a tablespoon or so), roll up and place in pan
6. continue with all the tortillas (2 rows of 7 with 2 side by side in the middle and 1 cut in half above it).
7.pour remaining enchilada sauce over, spread to cover tortillas (shhh, I use my fingers for this)
8. sprinkle remaining cheese over the top
9. bake for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Yummy yummy, serve as is, or with a dollop of sour cream, and maybe some hot sauce!

milk! it does a body good!!!

especially when it is organic, kosher, hormone and antibiotic free and contains DHA. Win $300 free from Horizon over at 5 minutes for mom

In the midst of vacation...

if you can truly call it that. I like to think of it as visiting the family, since on a true vacation I should be waited on hand and foot
(well, I should, shouldn't I?) not cooking dinners, washing dishes and trying to keep the kids at a dull roar.

We have seen most of the family at this point, and the kids love all of the cousins they have rediscovered. It is almost enough to make me want to move back so they can see them more often, but then I remember the reality of Southern California: the traffic, the gas prices, the drama.

Many things have transpired, and I foresee changes in the immediate future for many people, especially us. It appears that some long talked about changes, might be happening sooner rather than later.

While this is definitely one of the most cryptic posts I have ever written, I am afraid to jinx it all until we know more...

I do know that Miss B will have to have the bluegrass re-installed as soon as we get home, the finger sucking has by no fault of her own.

the land of the sun is where time runs away...

I have no idea what happened it is like as soon as I crossed over the Colorado river the blogger in me went on Hiatus! I have been running running running!

The munchkins and I have been to a birthday party, a family BBQ, inflataworld with Bampa, the beach, etc. etc. etc.

Everyday a new and exciting adventure that leaves me wiped out from the heat and the humidity that I am no longer used to...

I fall asleep as soon as the kids do and wake after them ( thanks to Bampa who seems to love watching early morning cartoons as much as they do).

I promise I will write more soon.

Setting out...

So, day 1 was definitely an adventure. Starting out with leaving so late that we ended up lunching less than 90 miles from home, driving through5 or 6 sunny rainstorms, and bypassing arches because we were to far behind schedule!!! With a pit stop in Green valley partly because the kids were going nuts, and partly because it was the last gas stop for 110 miles. We filled up with the cheapest gas in town at $3.22 a gallon, and then headed over the town park, complete with a huge missile in it to play on the olde school equipment; a metal twisty slide and merry go round.

When we arrived in our destination of Monroe Utah, we stopped at Bullies, this only place to eat in town and had some really great eats that didn’t take a huge dent out of the pocket book. 3 kids meals, 2 sandwiches, fries, rings, and 2 large drinks for under $25. Next it was off through the quaint little town, you know one of those one streeters? And got lost. Yep we managed to get lost!! But that’s okay – some nice ladies pointed us in the right direction and we found it. We were at Mystic springs at last! Aunt LaLa’s first reaction was a bit much, but she slowly warmed up to it, and finally seemed to enjoy herself.



After we had fun in the soaking tubs, and while we were headed back Miss B was running ahead in the dark, in wet sandals, on a dirt road, in her wet swimsuit, and well you can pretty much guess what happened next, Whump! She tripped and down she went and came up covered neck to knee in insta mud. Which of course meant a detour to the showers.

Just when we though the day was over and made a goodnight call to Aba, J of all people had the loudest tantrum I have ever heard from him, and one of record length, an hour of inconsolable screaming cries before he finally tired out and stopped, the cause of this tantrum? That he had to sleep in the pull out beds with his brother and sister and the adults got the real beds, well that combined with the heat, the overtiredness, and the complete change from what he is used to…

Off on Safari...

I am off on a safari, complete with wild animals; roars heard in the distance and growls of complaint. I will be up at dawn and not rest till well after dark.

A dangerous journey awaits me, one that includes a 3 day trek through the wilderness visiting places unknown, places without (gasp!) an Internet connection, places I have never seen.

My fellow adventurer? Auntie LaLa. She should brace herself for this will be like no other experience she has ever had. I am still not sure if she is crazy or not to volunteer for this trek.

Wish me luck, strength, and courage to make it through, in one piece, in my Safari west to Sun Diego with 4 kids and a minivan.

Happy 4th of July

This picture is on loan from Lori.

Towards the end of the day...

The biggest slide ever!!!

For the past 2 summers I have had endless requests to visit the big slide whenever we visit Estes Park, and we have never been. We have gone on the family bicycle ( Pedal cycle), to the movies, festivals, fishing, camping, walking down town and eaten all over the place.But Aba and I always found a reason why we couldn't go to the slide. Well , not any more!

We finally went, well Me and the 3 little ones B, J, and Baby B went, while Aba and N were fishing. Our other option - to go to the Scandinavian festival, which I think we went to last year, and honestly with temperatures hovering near 100, with over tired kids from the night befores BBQ, I was not in the mood to push the stroller over bumpy grass amid throngs of people to look at handmade crafts that are too expensive, and that I don't want anyways. So, we went to the slide.

B was the one who was originally clamoring for it, and I agreed for her and J to take a go, but being that they have a credit card minimum (and I was fresh out of cash, and didn't know Aba's pin number) we had to buy 5 rides, which was fine, as B and J could go twice and Baby B and I could go once.

The first time up we all went. and even though B was the first ready J took off as soon as he could, deciding to roll over half way down looking up for the rest of us. At the bottom he promptly exclaimed "again!!!" which is amazing for one who hates to talk. B on the other hand had to be slightly convinced, but again they went and both had a blast. I think J would have gone again and again and again given the chance. Given it was only a buck a ride? I will bring them back whenever they request, and be sure to get an extra turn for myself!