(43-356) Arizona Rain

Quite some time ago, I posted "A Lil Bit About Arizona" and I explained that Luis and I had moved from Florida to Arizona, sight unseen in January, 1997.  January was a good time of year to move here because it wasn't hot at all.  In fact I was super, surprised to experience rain almost every day that month. And if you've never been to Arizona then this is probably news to you too.

Just because we live in the desert doesn't mean that we never get rain, nor does it mean that the temperature doesn't cool down.  The truth of the matter is that typically from mid-October through mid-May our weather is delightful; and we do experience a rain storm from time to time.  The summer months and September are usually when we endure our highest temperatures; but it is true that it's a dryer heat, so it's not usually as uncomfortable as a high temp accompanied by humidity.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not gonna try and convince you that at 118 it's not HOT, cause IT IS; but at least we're not sweating profusely.

Anywho, this afternoon Kelsie and I went to Super Wal-mart for a couple of things, and as I was checking out I heard this unfamiliar, loud sound, pounding on the roof.  I asked the checker what was going on and he said "rain," to which I replied "if the rain sounds like that, it must be pouring."  I finished my transaction and went to look at the door and sure enough, it was torrential.  Kels and I decided to wait the storm out a bit in the McDonald's that's in the store.  After I thought the rain had subsided, we decided to head to the car.  We walked through the cool rain, commenting that despite the wind it really wasn't so bad.  We reached our minivan and I let Kelsie into the car.  Then just as I was about to put a bag in, she yelled "Mommy look, there's a tree on our car!"  And this is what I saw:

The tree ran the spans of our windshield. The wind had been so strong that the tree snapped and fell onto our minivan.

Kelsie asked how we were going to get the tree off of our car, and I'll admit, I wondered the same thing.  I was hoping that I could just back out slowly and that the tree would slip off.  But being that things don't always work out the way I think they will (ie "An Accident Waiting To Happen"); I wasn't certain that I was right in my thinking.  Nonetheless, not feeling like I had many options, and with the rain persisting, I decided to give my plan a try - and thankfully it worked like a charm.  Our car suffered a bent antenna, but no other damage that I could see.  As we were pulling out I snapped another pic just so I'd have more to share with you and Luis.  My minivan was under where the tree is lying in the parking spot; but what you see here was only a portion of it.

Kelsie and I drove still in shock over what happened, but proud that we'd gotten out of it as well as we did.  The worst part of all is that as we drove home, I realized that our Disney soccer antenna ball was missing.  I loved that antenna ball because it always helped me locate my car in a parking lot.  Oh well, something tells me I'm gonna be in for a bunch more parking lot related incidents until I replace that antenna ball.

So for those of you who thought it doesn't rain in Arizona; now you've seen proof.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-339) The Perfect Black Dress

I have way too many balls in the air today; and you have to know that if I'M saying that - I AM BUSY!  I worked for four hours this morning, did I don't know how many loads of laundry, took Kelsie to Kohl's, Target, Subway, The library and Wal-mart; and yet I still need to write this post, pack up for our swim meet, go to our swim meet and pack to leave for California. Whew!

I have to say that I totally lucked out though, because I've been thinking that I need to start looking for an outfit to wear to "Mamma Mia" and when I took Kelsie to Target to look for a new swim suit; I just so happened to find the perfect black dress.  I tired it on, and much to my surprise, it was a great fit.  Kels thought it looked cute, so with her reassurance I bought it.  I modeled  it for Luis, Nicky and Lyndzi, when I got home and they all thought that it was a keeper; so at least that's one errand that I can check off my list. 

I texted Jackie to let her know that I unexpectedly found a dress, and she wrote back, "That's what happens.  When you're looking you don't find and when you're not looking, you do find... like our husbands."  I thought it was ironic that she said that because tomorrow Luis and I will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary; and she's absolutely right -  I found Luis when I WASN'T looking.  But more about that tomorrow.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-222) Pennies In MY Pocket

I am a big fan of symmetry.  It makes me happy when things fall in line, or when something positive happens and it coincides with something else. I'm particularly pleased when I come up with a blog idea that relates back to something that I have written about previously.  I suppose it's because I feel like I'm expanding on an idea or thought that I've shared before and I'm crazy about the continuity. 

When I posted "100 MORE Random Things About Me," # 11 was I get great joy out of using a coupon; and today I TOTALLY did.  To the tune of $52.38 in savings.  OK, OK, not all of the $52.38 was due to coupons; BUT I did use a lot more than I usually do and coupled with buying items that were already on sale; I managed to save MORE than half of what I spent.  Woohoo!!

Today I fancied myself quite the domestic goddess; if I do say so myself.  I balanced my check book; paid bills, did laundry, cleaned my kitchen, dropped off my City of Peoria bill, vacuumed, got a hair cut, and went to the supermarket; where this big,(yes) HUGE savings occurred. 

Now although I typically review all of the flyers before I go to the grocery store; and I attempt to arm myself with as many coupons as possible; today was an extraordinarily, lucky day for me; because I found things that were on sale, that I actually needed; AND I had coupons for many of them.  So even though I don't typically buy Bounty paper towel - when I only had to pay seven cents for a roll; I sure did.  I also had a coupon for Kroger brand waffles, and they were on sale for .99 so I bought a box of ten for .54 rather than Eggo for $2 something.  Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch were on sale for $1.97 each and I had a coupon for $1.00 off 2 boxes; so I added those to my cart.  I had a coupon for Charmin (which I don't usually buy) and it was on sale; so when all was said and done; a 12 pack cost less than the same quantity of the store's brand.  Shall I go on??  I typically pay about $3.50 for the spray that I use to give that scrunchy, curl to my hair.  Fry's had it on sale 2 for $5.00 and I had a $1.00 off coupon; SCORE!  Dawn dish detergent was on sale for $1.99 and I had a .25 coupon that they took $1.00 off for; making the dish soap a mere .99; I also had a coupon for .75 off of finish power tabs; they took off $1.00 from the sale price of $5.29 for 32 tabs; so I paid only $4.29.  Safeway had the same on sale for $4.99 and I thought that was good; but I'll take the additional .70 savings; thank you. Another impressive purchase, was Tropicana Orange juice.  It was on sale for $2.49 and I had a $1 coupon for that too.  SWEET! I could go on; you know I could, but the last coupon that I'll tell you about was my biggest savings of all.  During the soccer season, the sister of one of Luis' players was selling a coupon book for $20 and it had at least $20 worth of savings for Fry's alone; so we thought that any additional coupons would just be a bonus.  Tonight I used the first of my Fry's coupons from the book and got $5 off of my total purchase. OH JOY!  I was giddy all the way home as I recalled the checker saying, your total is $94.97 and your total savings was $52.38  I couldn't wait to tell Luis.

I've always admired people who can save money through "Coupon Sense." I tried it for a couple of months, many years ago; but I just didn't have the time to go to all of the different markets.  Now that Fry's is honoring competitor's coupons, it's a lot easier for me to save money. YAY Fry's!

I still have a little more shopping to do for the week, because Fry's doesn't price match like Super Wal-mart does. I honestly don't mind going to one more store though; because it will ensure that I keep more pennies in my pocket. I like that!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING             

(43-152) They Did It Again...

Today was another, absolutely, amazing day.  The weather was glorious; and since Luis had the day off, we were able to spend the day together and we got an extraordinary amount of errands done.  I wouldn't want to bore you by naming all of the stores that we visited, but I am So impressed with all that we accomplished; I feel compelled to share (OK, boast.)
 
We started at Old Navy, (though we made no purchases there today.)  We then went to Kohl's, where Nicky got a new pair of Adidas sneakers, ON SALE; and I used the last of a birthday gift card on 2 marvelous, necklaces.  We went to Ross, hoping to find a scrapbook for Lyndzi's drawings, but there were none to be had.; so we walked up to Payless, to get new school shoes for Kelsie.  I was psyched when I found a pair of shoes, on sale for $7, and ecstatic when I was informed at the register that the shoes had been marked down to $3.  The girls also got a 6 pack of slendiferous, neon socks for just $6.99.  Our next stop was Super Target, where we bought 2 stash cubes / ottomans that were on sale for $15 each.  Nicky used gift card money to buy a Club Penguin air hockey game that he's been looking for and Lyndzi used some of her gift card money for a Yoshi figurine.  The fam sat in the car as I ran into Lane Bryant; since they were having a buy 2 bras get 2 free sale; and this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up.  Next stop, Super Wal-Mart, because they had been advertising Mario All-Stars and the kids wanted to buy it with their gift card.  Unfortunately the store was out of them, so we moved on to our next destination; Fry's.  We did some grocery shopping; (rather quickly I think;) and we were finally ready to head back home; after we stopped at our brand new Dunkin Donuts for some free Iced coffee; and a doughnut for each of the kids.  Not bad for five hours; I think.  We were out and about, we made some really good purchases; but most of all; we were together.

Luis and I cooked dinner; and once we'd finished eating;  the girls and I had to go to a different Target than the one we'd been to earlier;  because Luis had realized that the 2 stash box / ottomans that we'd purchased, were not the same.  Since I knew that an exchange was inevitable, it was something that I needed to take care of right away (that's just how I am;) and so as much as I didn't want to go back out; to Target we went.  While we went to Target, Luis and Nicky went to the .99 Store, because Nicky needed C batteries for his air hockey game.

Once I was finally back home; I called my friend Dawn, because we'd been playing phone tag for a number of days and I knew that she would be available this evening because she was snowed in.  Just a few minutes into our conversation, Lyndzi came to me to tell me that Kelsie had scratched Nicky's new game and he was very upset.  I called a teary eyed kelsie over and she explained, as always that she "didn't mean to."  But nonetheless, she had.  I told her that she and Nicky were going to have to figure out how to solve this.  I told her that if Nicky was upset with her, than she needed to speak to him about the situation.  Dawnie could hear my conversation with the girls and she told me that she thought I had handled the situation well.  I explained that if i would have gotten involved and solved the problem for them; they would never learn how to solve a problem for themselves; and I thought that this was something that they could handle on their own; and Dawnie wholeheartedly agreed.

I went on to enjoy my conversation with Dawn and shortly thereafter, Kelsie reappeared.  She informed me that Nicky had told her that since she had scratched his game seven times; she was not allowed to play the game for seven days.  I said "that sounds fair; "  and I asked if she thought that it was fair.  And she agreed.

In case I haven't mentioned it in like the past five minutes; I am SO incredibly proud of my kids!  I think that Nicky was wise and just, in determining Kelsie's punishment; and I think that the fact that Kelsie believes this as well, speaks volumes about both of them.

Sometimes kids will surprise you with how much they are capable of;  but in order for them and you, to see how adept they are; we have to offer them opportunities to show us what they can do.  Had they really not been able to resolve this on their own, of course I would have stepped in to help; but I think that they handled the situation beautifully and they all feel very successful, which is extremely important for them, in developing self confidence and knowing that they CAN solve problems.

As a mom, it was my privilege to see what proficient problem solvers they're becoming.  No one raised their voices, or their hands and they were able to peacefully reconcile the matter.  What can I say; they did it again... and I knew that they could!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING               

                                                                            

(43-137) Kelsie's Special Day

It just doesn't seem possible that my baby, Kelsie turned seven today; and yet, she did.
Since Lyndzi and Kelsie's birthdays are exactly a week apart; and they often share parties and celebrations, I think that it's important for each of them to feel like they have their own, special day.  We woke Kelsie up by singing "Happy Birthday" to her; and when she came downstairs she found a Happy Birthday banner, a card and a light up, birthday girl pin.  Kelsie was very pleased and I was truly gratified.

Between my three kids, we had four soccer games scheduled for today, but luckily we were able to sleep in a bit because we didn't have to be on the field until 9am.  Kelsie played happily with Lyndzi and their friends, during Nicky's game; and then went to warm up for her own.  She knew that I couldn't come to her game, because Lyndzi had one at the same time and since Luis was coaching her game; he couldn't trade places with me at half time.  Although Kelsie wanted me at her game and I didn't want to miss it; I felt like I needed to be there for Lyndzi tool so I went to the first half of Lyndzi's game and then at half time I went to Kelsie's.  The Torpedos played more like themselves today, and won 5 to 1; Happy Birthday, Kels!!.  I brought cookies to share with the team and they all sang "Happy Birthday" to her.  During Lyndzi's second game, Kelsie played on the playground and was as happy as could be.  I have never met a child who loves the playground as much as Kelsie does; so she was very excited to have the time to play.

On November 14th, Luis took Nicky to see "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows" and they went to dinner; so the girls and I watched "Ramona and Beezus," and they asked to go to Carrabba's for dinner.  Since I think that Carrabba's has a very fair price for their kids meals, considering the size and the quality; I agreed.  When we got to the restaurant, the hostess advised that there was approximately a 20 minute wait, or she gave us the option to sit at the pasta bar.  She explained that if we sat at the pasta bar, we'd get seated right away, we could watch the cooks prepare the food AND, we'd be given free samples.  The girls loved this idea, so at the pasta bar we sat.  Promptly after sitting down, we were given complimentary Mozzarella sticks.  We sat, watching the guy who made the pizzas, and then our meal came out.  We all enjoyed our food, and observing the cooks; and as if that wasn't enough; they gave each of us our own, complimentary dessert.  A scoop of Blue Bell, vanilla ice cream with Carmel sauce and candied Pecans.  The girls and I had such a good time and were so impressed; that they asked if we could go their for their birthday dinner; and I said "Absolutely."

The birthday dinner was going to be a joint venture because we all agreed that we would go out to dinner on one of their birthdays and have a couple of friends over on the other.  So tonight we went back to Carrabba's.  We didn't invite any friends like we usually do, because seating is limited at the pasta bar and that's where the girl's wanted to sit.  I tried to call ahead, but they wouldn't hold the seats, so we just had to take our chances.  When we arrived, there were only four seats available.  We were told to take those four seats and then we could have the fifth seat as soon as someone got up.  Tonight we sat on the pasta and grill side of the kitchen, so we had a totally different view of what goes on.  We were given chicken and spinach ravioli, with this phenomenal sauce; and even though it's not something that I would typically eat, I tired it and much to my surprise, so did all of my kids; and EVERYONE liked it.  It makes me so happy when they try something new. We watched the kitchen staff for quite some time as the people who were occupying the other seats, were only having their salad when we sat down.  Once they got their check, we thought it was safe to place our order and although Luis had to eat his salad standing up; he couldn't have enjoyed it more.  By the time dinner was served; the people had vacated their seats; and we were all able to sit and eat comfortably.  The kitchen staff were friendly and proficient; and we all felt like we were in a live episode of "Top Chef."  The wait staff brought over a dessert for the girls, and sang their traditional, Italian birthday song; and the girls were thrilled.

If you've heard of Carrabba's but have never been to one; I highly recommend it.  I've been a fan for quite some time; since their chicken dishes are grilled rather than breaded and fried.  Everything always tastes fresh, their sauces are to die for and their Caesar salad is my all time favorite.  Not to mention, the warm, crusty bread with olive oil and herbs for dipping.  YUM!!!  If you have been to Carrabba's but never sat at the pasta bar; you have to do so the next time you go.  I can't promise you that they'll give you a free dessert; but at the least, you'll receive a complimentary appetizer (of their choice) and have a front seat for all of the food preparation.

After dinner we went to Wal-mart to buy some more Christmas lights; and we let the kids each pick out a new ornament for our tree.  We cam home and watched "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town;" which I had DVR'd for the kids the other night. I snuggled with Kelsie, and I asked her if she'd had a she had a special day and she assured me that she did.   One down, one to go.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-124) Yes Wii Can!

In "Happy Birthday Luis!!!" I mentioned that one of the reasons that I LOVE, ADORE and CHERISH Luis is because "He loves to stay up all night and shop on Black Friday."  I think it was about four years ago, when Luis first started spending Thanksgiving night in Wal-Mart.  Although he can't explain it; there is something about Black Friday that Luis loves.  Even though we weren't shopping for much this year; Luis still wanted to spend the night at Wal-mart so that he could buy a wireless printer that was on sale for $44; and, he always likes to get the Norton antivirus; which this year he bought for just $9.99.  I asked Luis to look into buying Wii Fit Plus.  I told him that it's typically $99 (which I would have paid anyway;) but he was able to purchase it for just $67.

Our weekend didn't go as planned; but I think that it all worked out for the best in the long run.  On Friday we were supposed to go to the lake; and for a multitude of reasons, we decided not to go.  Instead, I ran a couple of errands and asked Nicky if while I was gone he could figure out how to work the Wii Fit Plus; because falling under the heading of I'm NOT the Queen of TECHNOLOGY; I would have had no idea how to set it up myself. While I was out and about, Nicky called to inform me that he'd set the Wii up and that he'd already burned 53 calories.
Nicky and the girls, immediately started using the Wii Fit Plus and they were really enjoying it.  Kelsie was anxious to teach me how to use it; but I had other things to take care of and had to postpone my tutorial.

On Saturday, as you know; we were supposed to go up to Sedona for the Red Rock Light Fantasy; but sadly, my friend Jen got a migraine; so we decided to re-schedule.  Now you know me; I'm A make lemons into lemonade kinda gal; and when things don't go as planned, I just punt; so I had no problem re-arranging our day.  FIRST, I told the kids that I now had time to do the Wii Fit Plus with them and they were happy to help me get started.  The kids had already made a Mii for me.  They even gave me glasses and a purple shirt.  The Wii asked for some personal information; but not my weight and it then informed me that my Wii age was 65 and I was obese.  OK, well, the facts are the facts; given my present weight and physical condition, I don't blame the Wii for thinking that I'm 65 but I'm definitely going to do something to change it.
The kids showed me my various exercise options, and the first thing that I wanted to do was box, which I found very gratifying.  Next I did some hula hooping, followed by step aerobics, some marching exercise, and a game that involved math and mushrooms.  I repeated the hula hoop and step aerobics routines at least three times each; and I boxed countless times.  Within an hour I had burned 446 calories, I felt terrific, and I'd had a lot of FUN!  The kids did the hula hoop and step aerobics right along with me and they encouraged me EVERY step of the way.
Today I went back to the gym, AND I worked out a little with the Wii as well; so all in all, that's day 5 of exercising in a week.  I can honestly say that I feel great and I'm extremely optimistic.  I'm going to continue going to the gym, but it's comforting to know that if for some reason I can't make it to there; I can exercise at home, and we can all benifit from the Wii.  Yes Wii Can!!

In the interest of (say it with me;) "The greater good;" I have to highly recommend that you purchase Wii Fit Plus, if you have a Wii.  Trust me, exercising has never been so much fun, AND it's something that you and your family can do together.  Even if you have to pay regular price for it; I assure you that it's well worth every penny.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-115) HAPPY Together

It's amazing how the most mundane tasks can actually be delightful when you do them with someone that you adore. 

It's Friday, so it's date day; but today we just ran some routine errands.  Luis and I went to his 11:15 doctor's appointment and then we had lunch at Del Taco.  Now, that might not sound appealing to some of you; but I can tell you that it was a GORGEOUS day in Arizona today and we dined outside, amidst a stunning mountain view; and it turned our simple meal into a real treat. 

I don't put Del Taco in the same category as the "Ass Burrito" places; I just think of it as fast food and when Luis and the kids want to have Del taco, I usually get Subway instead.  Well, the other night after soccer. Jenny and I went to grab something quick to eat with the kids and Subway was closed for renovations; so I ate at Del Taco, and I have to say, it was actually good - and by good I mean tasty, not greasy; AND something I was willing to eat again.  Now even thought I told you in "100 MORE Random Things About Me," that I don't typically like refried beans; for some reason; I am keen on the bean and cheese burrito with green sauce, at Del Taco.  They also have a new Carne Asada taco for $1.79 and it must say that it's quite yummy.

We left Del Taco and drove to my office because when I was there yesterday, I accidentally left my bag of paperwork behind.  In order to get to my office we drove up a mountain and Luis commented that he used to drive fast on this mountain to make the kids laugh, which gave me the biggest laugh ever; because Luis never drives fast ANYWHERE.  We don't call him the snail for nothing.

I picked up my paperwork, and we headed to Wal-Mart for water, mushrooms, Swedish Fish for Michelle M (because we were supposed to be watching "Grown Ups" together tonight;) and a gift card for Michelle's son Max; who turned nine on Sunday.  While we were at Wal-mart, Luis suggested that we check the Redbox to see if "Grown Ups" was in; but it wasn't; and neither were Michelle's Swedish fish.

We decided to go to the Ninety Nine cent store, to see if they had a box of Swedish fish; but their cupboard was bare as well; and the Blockbuster box showed that "Grown Ups" was checked out.  We tried another Redbox down the street from our house; and after trying alternative ways to look up the title of our movie; we were victorious.  We spent all of $1.09 to rent "Grown Ups;" which would have cost us $4.99 plus tax had we used ON DEMAND. Luis was giddy because he had never personally used the Red box before; and he found it to be FABULOUS.
 
We got home in time to start picking up our house.  We cooked dinner together; and Luis totally cleaned our dishwasher out, because it was too gross for words.

Sadly Michelle had to cancel on our movie night, because she got food poisoning.  Although she'll be missed; we're going to settle in and watch our dvd; because this is one of those rare occasions where Luis and I actually want to see the same movie.
 
You know it really is true; with a Best friend, ANYTHING can be fun; and I feel so very blessed that we're still so HAPPY Together.  
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING