·:[ The Healthy Mom ]:·
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EARTH HOUR
Saturday, March 29, 2008
8 p.m. regardless of your time zone.

Sign up for Earth Hour with me by visiting http://www.earthhour.org/sign-up and join the movement.

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.

Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships–Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

We invite everyone throughout North America and around the world to turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8 p.m. (your own local time)–whether at home or at work, with friends and family or solo, in a big city or a small town.

What will you do when the lights are off? We have lots of ideas.

Join people all around the world in showing that you care about our planet and want to play a part in helping to fight climate change. Don’t forget to sign up and let us know you want to join Earth Hour.

One hour, America. Earth Hour. Turn out for Earth Hour!

We hosted our annual Superbowl shindig today. It was a good time - lots of good food and friends and laughter.

The kids did pretty well together, considering how many of them they were - and the age range - 11 kids - 10 mos, 15 mos, 19 mos, nearly 3, 3, 3, 3.5, 4, 4, 5 and 7

See how many around 3 years old? That’s trouble!

Zevan and Alexa had the most issues together. They like to hit each other. And the Rokenbok was a big point of contention, particularly for the older boys. Zander enjoyed taking control of the monorail over Elijah and Paxton. Sigh.

Sadly, the Schwartzes were missed. Poor Megan was in the ER again, this time with Anna’s 105.5 fever, who turned out to have a double ear infection and the beginning stages of pneumonia! How much is a mom supposed to take Kurt is staying the night again at the hospital, so hopefully Meg can rest with her girls tonight before having to take care of Kurt at home.

The game was a bit of a dud other than early in the first quarter, and then the last 6 minutes of the game. While I would normally not root for either team, I chose the Giants because of my dislike for Tom Brady. So, those last 6 minutes were AWESOME!

A cool, rainy day. I mean, it was actually raining this morning while we ate breakfast.

So, I already know that the Play House Disney part of the park is under renovation. Which is a HUGE bummer, because that would have been perfect for the boys at this age.

When we got to the park, I decided to bite the bullet and rent a stroller. After all, it was Day 5, and the boys had been walking a lot this week. They spent enough time yesterday trying to ride in Jen’s stroller…

If you rent for multiple days, you get a decent discount, so I decided to go ahead and pay for 2 days, so that we’d have a stroller tomorrow, too. They are those really good strollers, too - low to the ground, easy to push and for them to get in and out of - just like the ones we have at our own Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

We got a later start than usual, and got to park closer to 11 AM. It was still drizzly, misty weather, so the stroller offered shelter from that for them.

The first thing we went to was The Voyage of the Little Mermaid musical show. Just like the Nemo show, it was a condensed 17 minute musical version of the movie, and also had bubbles from the ceiling near the end of the show.

After that we split up - Jen & her kids went to see Magic of Disney Animation, and we went over to where the Play House Disney area is. Zevan and I got our photo taken with June and Quincy from The Little Einsteins. They had an activity table with activity pages from The Little Einsteins, as well as a princess-themed page. The boys enjoyed doing the activities - mazes, connect the dots, etc. And for a short time, Quincy and June were coloring with us. That was pretty cute.

We took the boys on the Disney/MGM Studios backlot tour while Jennifer and her kids watched Beauty and the Beast: Live Onstage.

We all met up again for lunch at the ABC Commissary, where dishes were named from shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Interestingly, the burgers were not as good as the ones in the Magic Kingdom.

After lunch we went on The Great Movie Ride and watched Muppet*Vision 3D.

Elliott fell asleep in the stroller, so I took him and Zevan to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure playground while Zander, Maya, Doug and Jennifer went on the Star Tours (Star Wars flight simulator) ride. They came over to the playground when they were done, and played for a while. Then I got to go with Maya back on the Star Tours ride. She was so cute. I was watching the “safety video” before the ride, and she asked me what I was doing. I told her I was watching the Safety Video. She informed me, “Oh, you don’t have to watch that. I already know what to do - just follow me!”

At one point, it really started raining hard. We got under cover, and happened to be right next to a full bar that also served smoothies. The kids got their frozen concoctions, and I got mine - a traffic light margarita. Jennifer and Doug got beers, and we all sat around having a nice little cocktail in the middle of the afternoon.

We went to see Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen. Zander had a mini-tantrum at this point, and I briefly got angry with him, but we just continued on until he got over it. Zevan and I had our photos taken with Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen.

We all went over to watch the day’s last showing of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular together. Doug went to find an Indiana Jones action figure for our employee, Ariff, while the rest of us went back to shop for Maya’s coveted Ariel doll. Jennifer took her kids the Voyage of the Little Mermaid again, while the boys and I reconnected with Doug, got some snacks and headed towards the stadium to get seats for Fantasmic.

Fantasmic is this park’s multimedia fireworks/lightshow theatrical extravanza. Holy cow! It was amazing, and some parts were actually quite scary and intense. It’s basically Mickey fighting evil. It was really good, though.

Another long day with the kiddos…but a fun one, too. We thought about going out to eat for dinner, but the kids fell asleep in the car on the way home.

with Greg Johnson and the Jacksons.

That was really nice. Good food, good laughs. And the boys are staying at Grandma & Grandpa’s so we can sleep in!

OMG - I have to close the tab now. I’ve been doing this for far too long today.

From Free Rice

CORRECT!
heterodox = unconventional

1. cognomen means:
2. vigor
3. itching
4. dismay
5. name

VOCAB LEVEL: 40
YOUR BEST LEVEL: 43

You have now donated
9200 grains of rice.

From Free Rice

omphaloskepsis = navel-contemplation

Really? There’s a word for that?

2800 grains and my best level is 41.

Time for bed!

We had a nice birthday dinner with my dad tonight. The four of us went to my parents house. My mom made pancit and lumpia and steamed King Crab Legs. For dessert, she made fruit salad - the kind of condensed milk and cream cheese. Yum!

The boys each gave him a sweater and Zander wrote in the card and on the envelope for his lolo. It was very sweet.

Dani replied November 30, 2007, 12:31:56 AM

We were hot mamas!    It’s sad when a bunch of old, married mamas are hotter than all the little chippy college girls in the bar…  Maida had this 21 year-old all over her stuff! And we were getting the stink-eye from a little group of of barely legal girls in booby shirts.    Haven’t had cute boys to dance to Journey songs with in a LOOOOONNGG time! 

Too much fun!  You ladies can party with me any time!   

When I think about you, I touch myself…   

Well, Dani had the hottie of the guys all over her stuff.   

I can’t remember the last time I slow danced with a guy - singing along with Journey at the top of my lungs.  And then he was more than willing to sing a duet of Paradise by the Dashboard Light!     For real?!   

And I’ve never had to sing a song that someone else picked out before - thankfully Dani was more familiar with it than I was.  I only knew the chorus.

So, does anyone know some nice single girls we can set these guys up with?   

Right after I got home, Zevan woke up and was calling for me - he peed in his pjs    So, I washed him off and changed him into his clothes for school this morning - worked great - no fuss this morning when he got up.

I didn’t get to bed until 1 AM, and the next thing I know, it was 6:33 AM.  I laid in bed for another 20 minutes, and then had to get the boys up and dressed and then get my stuff ready for my 17 mile workout at 7:45 AM.  Yep, you read that right.  17 miles. Why, oh why, didn’t I schedule my recovery week this week?

I got a bag of Hershey Candy Cane Kisses today - and they are minty white with crunchy pieces of candy cane in them.

My new favorite holiday candy!

This is so damn funny, I can’t stop laughing about it…

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20070310/ai_n18714162

Caller: ‘I’m hammered…come get me’
Gazette, The (Colorado Springs),  Mar 10, 2007  by ANDREA BROWN THE GAZETTE

Was he high?

He described his car. He dropped clues about where he was. He gave his name. And he told police to catch him if they can.

Police said Colorado Springs motorist Alexander Craig called them about 10 times between 8:30 and 11 p.m. Thursday, taunting them in a citywide game of cat-and-mouse that lasted about three hours.

“He called 911 and said, ‘I’m hammered…come get me,’” Colorado Springs police Sgt. Rob Kelley said.

Toxicology results for drugs were not released Friday, but Kelley said Craig, 21, was “obviously high” on something, based on his volatile demeanor. Kelley said alcohol wasn’t a factor.

Police tracked Craig’s call locations using his Verizon number.

“When we got there he was gone,” Kelley said.

The taunting grew worse.

“He said we need to try harder to find him. He said he couldn’t believe he hasn’t been caught yet,” Kelley said.

About 20 officers were involved in the quest. After nearly two hours, Craig found them.

He approached squad cars at Palmer Park and North Academy boulevards.

“He drove up to us,” Kelley said. “He pulled up in front of us.”

He identified himself and invited the officers to get him — then got back into his 1998 white Ford Escort and sped away, police said.

“He drove like a maniac,” Kelley said.

A police helicopter followed Craig north around the Briargate area — while his driving skills went south.
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Kelley said Craig turned off his headlights. He drove on the wrong side of the road. He ran red lights.

He narrowly missed hitting a car in an intersection on Academy Boulevard near Chapel Hills Mall.

By then, patrol officers had resumed their pursuit.

Craig finally stopped in the parking lot of the Albertsons store at 1710 Dublin Blvd.

“The car was overheating from jumping medians. It was leaking fluids and had a flat tire,” Kelley said.

“Those Ford Escorts are not made to run like that.”

Craig wasn’t ready to give up, though.

Kelley said Craig, on foot, charged an officer. Police used a Taser to subdue him and took him to the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, where he was being held Friday night.

He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular eluding, DUI and resisting arrest, with the bond for each charge set at $1,000.

Craig does not have a criminal record in Colorado, according to court documents.

The chase has police shaking their heads.

Intoxicated drivers usually try to stay under the radar, Kelley said.

“For somebody to call us — that’s a first in 20 years I’m aware of,” he said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0253 or andrea.brown@gazette.com

OMG!  This cracks me up!

Give us any chance, we’ll take it
Give us any rule, we’ll break it
We’re gonna make our dreams come true

Doin’ it our way!

It was so great to shop with everyone there - to get instant feedback out of the dressing room.  And Jamie bringing us things to try 

Eve’s Revolution was awesome!  The Eve and Diane were super nice.  They had snacks and drinks (Cabernet, Chardonnay and Perrier) set out. 

I was so afraid that it would be “boutique” pricing (a la Terra Verde), and was glad to find cute stuff for very reasonable prices.  They did have some boutique priced stuff, but also clothes that were 25%, 50% and 75% off

I tried on about 12 things, and bought 3. 

1) A dressy Cache top for going out - $18.00
2) A very flattering Sweet Pea top for every day $28.80
3) A cute denim skirt with gold embroidery - $21.60

I spent more on the Sweet Pea top and denim skirt than I normally would, but I just had to have them.  And I know I will wear them.  This just might be my favorite new store.

Personal Velocity
Hillary was great, and came to hang out with us later.  She had cookies and red and white wine for us as well.

I didn’t find any clothes (size 12 and up), but I got an awesome pair of red Tsonga shoes for $16.  Super cute and comfy.    There were lots of bags and shoes there.  I’m still thinking about a nice green tote that would hold my laptop in a pretty way for $29.

Swish
I forget the owners name,  but she was really friendly and just loves loves loves her store.  She had great stories about a lot of the pieces and a lot of enthusiasm.  She had cookies and wine, too.

This is a vintage store.  The shoes were teeny tiny, and the prices were a little higher than the other shops.  I saw some cute things, but other than the shoes, nothing that compelled me to try it on. 

Shoegasm
This place had some super funky shoes.   Most pairs were out of my price range, but I’m cheap and generally don’t spend more than $20 for a pair a shoes - $30-$40 if I *have* to have them.  This felt more like a regular store, with a great selection of colors and sizes.

Envi
Marci was great.  She held a door prize drawing for us, and as karma would have it, Johanna won the prize!  A free article of clothing!  So cool.  She had snacks and wine for us, too.

She had lots of gift items and jewelry, including some made by one of my clients, Megan Bassett (www.mbglassdesigns.com).  Some really great shoes, but none in my size   And cute baby stuff, too - great for gifts.

All in all, a great night of shopping.

Afterwards, we walked over to Thunder and Buttons for food and drink.  It was loud, but the food was good.  Their meat comes from Ranch Foods Direct, and the burger I had was awesome (although I really wanted sliders, but they were out!).  The coleslaw was loaded with horseradish, and the chili cheese fries were yummy. And my margarita was very tasty and refreshing. 

After all the wine and drinks, we were all a little tipsy.  Later we went upstairs and danced to the blues band that was playing. 

We headed out around 10:30 PM - Dani took some of us back to our cars (I sat in Auri’s carseat  )

Definitely a fun night!

Hmmm, maybe I’ve been uber gung ho about the routines and organization lately.

(For those who don’t know - Zander refers to his loveys, which are assorted pillowcases, as baba.  Obviously he was never attached to a bottle as baby, but he loves his blankies)

Yesterday, Zander says, “The baba on the chair is my daytime baba.  The baba on my bed is my nighttime baba”

OMG - I watched all 6 episodes from the first disc of the first season tonight.

HIGH FRICKIN LARIOUS!!!

Love it!

After a late breakfast with our friend Sheri, Candy and I went SHOPPING!  So much more fun when it’s just us.  H&M is very reasonably priced. I paid just $30 for one dress, and another one for $14 on clearance.

After shopping, we came back to the apt, then had a SCRUMPTIOUS dinner at Frank Italian Restaurant.  Afterwards, we went to the salon - and had reflexology foot massage done at 8:30 PM at night.  Then Candy got a full body massage, and I got a pedicure and 20 minute back massage.  Instead of closing down a bar, we closed down a salon!  We were the last clients there.

AAAHHHHHH 

Then we went to the grocery store and picked up snacks - we each got our own pint of Häagen-Dazs.  We got back to the apt, and were totally psyched that no one was home.  I broke my tv hiatus.  We channel-surfed a while, and then just picked out a VHS movie from their stash - The Love Letter.

One by one the roommates came home while watched our movie.  Then we chatted for a while, and went to bed. 

Saturday morning, we got up, hung out, then had a late breakfast, and came back in time for our friend to take us to the airport.  A short, but fun little trip. 

Wow. Just dropped some serious cash at H&M - 2 dresses, 3 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of capri pants and a silky halter top. Yahoo!

The humidity here is UNBELIEVABLE. I just took a shower and now I’m just sweating again. YUCK.

We’re going to find a nice place to eat dinner and maybe have a late night pedicure. The salon on the corner is open until 10 PM!