Don't Be Afraid to Ask

In the past month or so I have gotten some great deals. I do look at coupon websites and blogs, but sometimes it is just a matter of asking the right questions:

• A friend of mine showed me her Promenade (it's an outdoor mall) discount card. She explained to me that her HR department handed them out to everyone. So I called the management company of the Promenade, and asked about getting these cards for our company. I was told that it was too close to the New Year but that they would keep me in mind for next year. About a week later, I received a call asking if some of our management would like to eat for free at a restaurant about to open in the mall (they needed guinea pigs to rate service, food, etc...). We had a great lunch for 3 for the price of a tip. I also received an email for a new nail salon opening up there. I paid $16 for a manicure and pedicure.


• I went to my gym/spa for waxing. They were having a special where a series of 12 services was 40% off. So I asked if they'd be willing to split the 12 up in to 6 of one service and 6 of another service. At first the girl wasn't sure but I gently prodded her to try, and the transaction went through.

I often forget but situations like this help me remember. It never hurts to ask for a better deal!

My Mother-In-Law

My MIL can be a very generous woman. She helps me out with the kids whenever she can and is constantly bringing me clothes. She actually enjoys spending time with me.

However, she is a narcissist. She means well, but it is all truly about her. Today I found out that my mother is going to have hip replacement surgery in December. I called my MIL to tell her, since they are friends (which pisses me off to no end because then they gang up on me). I was explaining to her that it would actually be great timing for me, because it will be easy for me to take off work, the monkeys will be on winter break and we can go up to the bay area and stay with my dad, help him around the house and visit my mom in the hospital.

MY mothers reply - "OH yes! We'll go up too!". Now I understand that she truly believes that she wants to go up there and help, but doesn't she realize that my mom will then be spending the days before the surgery cleaning the house and cooking meals so there will be food for her "guests" to eat? And then when they leave she will be forced to get up and do the sheets, etc... from their bed. It will be so much easier just to have her immediate family around her.

I explained this to my husband and he agreed. I spoke to my mom about it and she is afraid to tell them no.

Sigh! I am book-ended by the narcissist and the woman who goes out of her way to be nice to everyone (except me)!

Tis The Season

The parties are starting and the drinks are starting to flow. I made this a couple of weeks ago and it went SO quickly that I didn't have time to take a picture.

It actually comes from Cooking Light, which is not the publication I usually get my drinks from.

I will be making this OVER and OVER again! And you should too!


Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale

This simple twist on the traditional kir royale blends tart-sweet pomegranate juice with subtle herbal notes from a rosemary-infused syrup. Float rosemary leaves on the drinks for a pretty garnish.

Ingrediants:
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups Champagne or sparkling wine

Directions:
1. Combine 1/4 cup water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add rosemary; let stand 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon rosemary syrup into 4 Champagne glasses. Top each serving with 1/2 cup Champagne. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 115 ; FAT 0.0g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.5g; SODIUM 4mg; PROTEIN 0.1g; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.1mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2009

The Dog

I love our dog - she really is cute and super smart and loves the kids and has only barked once (when my husband grabbed her from behind and scared her)!

One thing - she keeps pooping on the rug when we're not there!!! We leave the door to the back yard open. We leave for 1-3 hours, 2 to 3 times a week, and what does she do? She poops on the rugs; little piles of poop all over the rug. Not on the tile floor, not on the cement in the back yard, just on the living room rug!

WTF?!?!?! When we watch her we stick her outside for the next 2-3 hours but she doesn't learn!

I am signing her up for obedience classes on Saturday!

One Big Holiday

I know others have blogged about this, like Lucy, but it finally hit me over the head today!

I received and email about a tree lighting on the 19th. I figured it was for December 19th - a little late, but OK. Oh no - it turns out that it was for THIS coming up Thursday. November 19th!!

WTF??? How is there a tree lighting before Thanksgiving has even come and gone? And then a co-worker of mine told me that Santa is already in the mall near his house! Really?? Doesn't Santa need to eat his turkey first?

We truly are turning in to one big commercial holiday and Thanksgiving doesn't make the cut because no one is buying "Happy Thanksgiving Cards". We gloss over the holidays that are meant to teach a lesson - thankfulness on Thanksgiving, appreciation for our Armed forces on Veterans Day or Memorial Day - and go straight to the holidays where we can make money.

This Thanksgiving let's be thankful just a little bit more and maybe the power of positive thinking (OK, yes I read the newest Dan Brown book recently) will counteract the commercialism of America.

Royal Raspberry Bars

Apparently, I like to be tortured! Right around this time of year, I start getting emails from MyRecipes Cookie Countdown. Instead of unsubscribing, I open every email and drool!

These bars were particularly drool worthy, and yes, they do taste just as good as they look! Perfect for company - they look extremely festive with the white meringue and red raspberry filling.


Royal Raspberry Bars

Phyllis Ciardo developed her own rich and chewy version of the meringue-topped bars she remembers her mother baking every Christmas.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sweetened flaked dried coconut
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (3/8 lb.) butter or margarine, melted
3/4 cup raspberry jam
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar



Directions:
In a bowl, mix oats, flour, coconut, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Add melted butter and stir until well blended. Press dough level in bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
Bake crust in a 325° regular or convection oven until edges begin to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes, then spread jam evenly over warm crust.
In a large bowl, with a mixer on high speed, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until thick and foamy. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar and continue to whip until mixture holds soft, shiny peaks. With a spatula, spread meringue evenly over jam.
Bake until meringue is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then cut into 24 bars. Let cool completely, then use a wide spatula to remove bars from pan.

Yield: Makes 2 dozen bars

CALORIES 158 (39% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 4.3g); CHOLESTEROL 16mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23g; SODIUM 124mg; PROTEIN 2g; FIBER 0.9g

Sunset, DECEMBER 2001

My Day

Sometimes I like to list out what I did today, to remind myself why I am SO tired. then I smack myself upside the head and wonder why I never learn to do less.

9:30am - Leave the House
9:30am-10:30am - Farmers Market with monkeys
10:30am-11:00am - Drop monkeys off at Russian School
11:00am-12:00pm - wax (and boy did I need it)
12:00pm-12:30pm - Buy birthday present
12:30pm-1:00pm - Pick up monkeys from Russian School
1:15pm-4:15pm - Kids Birthday Party at Ice Skating
4:15pm-5:00pm - Park with monkeys
5:00pm-6:00pm - Frozen yogurt with monkeys
6:00pm-7:00pm - Home
7:00pm-9:30pm - Left monkeys at home and went to a friends house

I'm home, I'm tired and am ready to watch TV and fall asleep.

Good night!

Friends

You know those friends? The ones who you can see very week or every other month? And you have so much to talk about, that the hours just fly by? Thankfully, I have been blessed with many such friends!

The great thing about these friends is that no one monopolizes the conversation. It's not the "ABC" show. We each take turns telling the stories of our days, weeks and months. If one person feels like being silent, the others will make up for it. If one person feels like they have ALOT to say, then we let them have their moment in the spotlight - because we know that each of us will have our time to shine.

Today I was sad - I was planning on going up to the bay area to have a girls night with my best childhood friends in the world. The trip got cancelled :(

Luckily, I met up with two of my best friends that I have here in town. We got to sushi at 7:30pm. The next time I looked at my watch next it was 9:10pm. The next time after that it was 10:30pm. We closed the sushi place down and I got home at 11pm!

We had so much to talk about we could have continued for hours, and the 3 hours we spent at dinner flew by in what felt like 5 minutes. In fact, the two friends continued on to a pub down the street. I came home because I have a family to take care of in the morning. That's the other thing about truly great friends - there were no hard feelings about me going home. They know how my life is and were just happy that we got to hang out.

This was the perfect way to spend an evening.

Kids Eat For Free

I had like 3 different topics on deck to write about tonight. I have forgotten them all!!

So, I am going to direct you to my latest Examiner.com article. It's about a website where you put in your city or zip code and they tell you restaurants where kids eat for free any day of the week.

REALLY??

I know this is ironic given the fact that I have just give airtime to this douche bag, but come on?!?!?!

Doesn't he realize that he is truly a dirt bag and that people aren't laughing with him, they're laughing AT HIM!

Jon Gosselin Goes Back in Time from Jon Gosselin

Veterans Day

The monkey's have tomorrow off of school. They asked me why? I told them that it was to honor the soldiers that fight for our country. I can't wait until they are old enough to TRULY understand what that means.

We take our freedom for granted. We think that it will always be around, and in some ways, that it is HAS always been around.

The movie that made me understand what freedom is about, and how thankful we should be for the soldiers that fight for freedom, is Escape from Sobibor. It is a holocaust movie which does not have the mass cinematic appeal that Schindler's List had, but it gripped me none-the-less.

I was 11 when they showed it to us in school, which was too young, but perfect in the way that it was my first real look in to what it meant not to live the life I took for granted. It truly left an impression.

Thank G-d for the service men and women who fight today, and who have fought in the past! With out you, there would be NO us!

Busted by My Little Spy

We get in the car to go to school this morning:


Big Monkey - Mom, where did you go last night?
Me - Huh?? You were asleep.
Big Monkey - Yes, but you went somewhere.
Me - I went to a friends house to watch Desperate Housewives. How did you know?
Big Monkey - Because when we came home the odometer was at 82 miles left to empty and now it's at 75 miles to empty!

OK - I am so screwed. If she pays this much attention to detail at 7 years old what will she be like as a teenager?

Prizes Given Out at Carnivals

When went to the monkeys' fall festival today and I helped out at one of the booth's. I think I figured out why all of the prizes give out delight kids and aggravate parents. Look closely at what's written on the top left of the box (I circled it).

Yup that's right - it's "Squeezable BS"!

At A Loss

I had friends over today for a get together. The kids (ages 5-7) were all in my bedroom towards the end of the night.

My friends went to look for them and found my little one (aged 5) and the older boy (aged 6) in the bathroom - the boy was fully nude and my little one was fully nude from the waist down.

OMG!! They yelled at them, got them dressed and sent them out (and no more closed doors for sure) but now what?? I talked to the little one for a bit but how do I handle it?

We'll talk more to them tomorrow - to both of mine because the older one (aged 7) should have never let the little one go in to the bathroom with the boy.

Should I be super concerned? Is this normal? I feel so embarrassed, upset, at a loss?!?!?!

I need advice.

The Real Nobel Prize Winner

This is not meant to be political. It is meant to be in memoriam and in remembrance.


Irena Sendler
There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' .. She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ..... She was not selected.
Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.
Powerful message, especially the "cartoon." Let us never forget 63 years later!



In MEMORIAM - 63 YEARS LATER
Please read the little cartoon carefully, it's powerful. Then read the comments at the end.



I'm doing my small part by forwarding this message. I hope you'll consider doing the same.
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian Peoples looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iraq , Iran, and others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide

Join us and be a link in the memorial chain and help us distribute it around the world.