Secret to Present Wrapping for Kids

I remember, growing up, picking up presents and trying to figure out who they were for.  My dad?  My mom?  My brother?  Me?  Inevitably, the name tags had fallen off of some of the presents.  My mom tried to remedy this by writing an initial on the bottom, but it was often hard to read and there would an awkward pause as we all looked to mom to see if she could remember whom it was for.

I have 3 monkeys of my own these days, and after a few Christmas mornings where I was sweating bullets and praying I had guessed the right kid for the right present, my husband and I came up with a pretty good way to keep track of everything.

Every year, we go out and buy indvidual wrapping paper for each child.  It's fun to match the wrapping paper to each kid's interest that year.  We've had lots of princesses, Thomas the train, Peanuts and Barbie wrapping paper.  This year we have Phineas and Ferb for son, Cinderella for my 9 year old and Tinkerbell for my little girl.  When it's time to wrap, we sort the presents into kid piles first and then it is easy to wrap everything at once, according to their wrapping paper.  No more wrapping multiple presents and forgetting which one goes to which kid!

On Christmas morning, every kid figures out real quick what wrapping paper is for them and the little ones can even play "Santa" at handing out presents.  No reading required!

What about Santa's gifts, you ask?  Well, Santa is nice enough to wrap his individual present in wrapping paper made in his own image.  So those couple presents are labeled for each child.

We even buy a couple rolls of completely different wrapping paper for friends and others in our extended family.  Does it sound like a lot of paper?  It is, but the hassle-free-Christmas of preventing my son from accidentally opening his sister's Merida doll, are well worth it.  Plus it makes a really fun tradition for our family.

First, the sorting into piles

Look what Santa brought last year! So easy to find!

Has he been nice this year?  YES!

If you have more than one kid, you should think about giving this a try!

Monkey Sayings

From my youngest monkey...

"Momma, I'm sorry I was bad in Church.  If I am bad again next week, you can ground me for a whole week!"

One week later, in Church...

*whispering*  "Momma...what does 'grounded' mean?"

Good thing this is a such a cute monkey!

Party At Knott's For New Year's Eve! #KnottsNYE

If you are like us, New Year's Eve is a night of DVD's and leftovers before turning in early.  We have never found a fun FAMILY oriented event for all of us.  This year is going to be different!  We are spending the day and evening at Knott's Berry Farm for their New Year's Eve Celebration Event!

Midnight Mayhem at Knott's This New Year's Eve!

We can't wait to watch Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang over at the Camp Snoopy Theater performing “Happy New Year Charlie Brown!” and then see the "It's Christmas, Snoopy" skating show. At dusk,  “Snoopy’s Magical Night of Lights” will light up thousands of lights with holiday music.  There will also be a family friendly comedian magician.  Dancing will be at two different dance parties in the park, and there will be even more live performances.  Plus, it's not a New Year's Eve party without a little sparkle. There will be a countdown with aerial fireworks display, stilt walkers, party hats and horns at midnight to welcome 2013 at Calico Square!

Knott's is going to be the place to make some New Year's Eve memories this year and the best part is you can buy annual passes to continue to make family memories.  Knott’s 2013 Season Passes are only $66.99 or 6 easy payments for a limited time. If it's been a while since you visited Knott's, they are curently remodeling for next Summer.  There will be three new attractions designed for families to stroll down a colorful California Boardwalk filled with amusements, games and fun food offerings.  Find out more about Season Passes here

Excited yet?  We are!  Here is all the information:

Knott's Berry Farm New Year's Eve Celebration Event

Monday December 31st, 10am-1am

8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, Ca  90620

All of these fun activities are included in your general admission!

Santa Brunch at Smoqued BBQ

Enjoying food and family at Smoqued BBQ

We ventured out as a family to Old Town Orange to celebrate my cousin's recent engagement and enjoy some holiday fun at the new Smoqued BBQ.  Smoqued BBQ is getting in a festive mood this year with their special Santa Brunch.  It includes free pics with Santa Claus for bringing in canned food for their drive.

Love the hip atmosphere

No skimpy ham here!

This place carries a really fun and relaxed vibe.  The walls are entirely exposed brick from the original building and it adds a lot of character to the experience.  There is a really well planned kids menu that includes choices of waffles, cinnamon french toast and scrambled eggs.  Fresh juice is available too.  For the grown ups, the choices are plentiful and mouth watering.  I went with my favorite breakfast choice of Eggs Benedict.  The usual skimpy Canadian bacon found elsewhere is replace with a nice portion of smoked ham and topped with plenty of hollandaise sauce.  The fresh tomatoes added a nice juicy touch to the breakfast.  The fried chicken with waffles and gravy was a big hit too.  My son stole some from my future cousin-in-law and loved it.  The gravy is thick and delicious and the waffles are fresh.  Don't forget to try some of their fantastic homemade bacon.  Sprinkled with brown sugar and then smoked, it is real "meat candy".

Did I mention the beer?  Smoqued BBQ has cornered the market in Old Town Orange with their microbrew selection.  Dad had a wonderful coffee stout that was perfect with his breakfast plate.  My husband was thrilled that they have the latest (and last) Stone Vertical Epic Ale 12.12.12 and the bartender talked me into trying the Lost Coast Winter Braun.  The Winter Braun is a seasonal selection that I really enjoyed.  Just enough holiday spice to make it interesting, but still smooth and delicious.  The beer menu changes often, so check in frequently to find out what is the latest on tap.

To top off our brunch, we went and visited Santa Claus.  Santa is such a nice guy!  All three of my kids were able to take their time and really talk with Santa about their lists this year.  No big mall lines here!  Free photos are included when you donate to the canned food drive.

Jolly Santa Claus!

If all of this sounds too good for you to miss, they will be doing this all again next Sunday the 16th.  Call and make reservations now at http://www.smoquedbbq.com/

Why I Love Thanksgiving Point

Nestled close to the I-15 in Lehi, Utah, is a wonderful place named Thanksgiving Point.  This was one of the very first places we visited when we came to Utah to visit my brother and his family.  It has a children's farm, a Museum of Ancient Life, beautiful stores to shop in and world class gardens to roam through.

I took the kids back to Museum of Ancient Life this week.  They simply love this place.  Utah is known for being prolific in the discovery of fossils.  Their collection is amazing. The museum manages to combine serious science and facts with interactive displays just for kids.  We spent well over an hour wandering through the exhibits.  I sincerely appreciate how much of the museum is hands on for the kids.

I could easily say this was my favorite place at Thanksgiving Point.  I could...but it's not.  Just a few steps away is the Thanksgiving Point Deli.  This deli is known for making everything there from scratch.  Everything there is always fantastic.  They have wonderful salads, soups, desserts and sandwiches.  Oh...the sandwiches!

The Italian Sandwich at Thanksgiving Point Deli

I am originally from Philadelphia  and consider myself a serious critic of sandwiches.  The Italian sandwich from the deli is among the top 3 I have ever had.  It is considered a MUST visit every time I come to visit my family.  The bread is obviously fresh and has just enough chewiness not overwhelm the bite.  The meats are plentiful and authentic.  The deli adds just the right amount of pepponcini to add to the tanginess that complements the salty meats. The only bad thing I can say about this sandwich, is that it is no where near where I live.

We are going home again in a few days...I wonder if I have time to go back for just one more!

3-2-1 Thanksgiving Libation

The family and I are spending the holiday week with my brother and his family out in Utah.  There are a couple things about Utah you should know.  The first thing is Utah has the corner on large indoor family attractions that double as retail outlets.  Seriously, my girls went on a full size Ferris wheel while I shopped for Broncos gear.  They also have gigantic aquariums and restaurants inside next to giant stuffed dead game on display.

The second thing you need to know is you can only buy liquor and any beer over 3.4% alcohol at a State run liquor store. It can be quite a hassle, the local store is not large and doesn't have every kind of alcohol you might be looking for.  For instance, I wanted to make Pumpkin Pie martinis for Thanksgiving and they don't carry Pumpkin flavored Schnapps.  What is a girl to do?

With a little experimenting, I was able to come up with a perfectly good substitute for us to partake in.

3-2-1 Thanksgiving Libation

Pumpkin flavored coffee creamer
Vanilla vodka
Bailey's Irish Cream

The easiest part of this recipe is that the name is also the directions.  3 parts creamer, 2 parts vanilla vodka and 1 part Irish Cream.  Mix in a martini shaker and pour over ice.  You can decide how many people you are serving and just multiply the amount you need to create a shaker full.

Enjoy!

It's The Busiest Time Of The Year

When I was a kid, I never really understood the term "Time flies when you are having fun".  After all, it did seem like a million years until Christmas came!  Apparently, once you become a mom, the world's time clock shifts into overdrive and suddenly you are fighting and clinging to every day as it slips away into the chaos of everyday life.

My Three Blessings

It is so SO easy to get caught up in the daily grind.  Get kids up, get 'em fed and dressed, pack their lunches, make sure they have all their homework, bring band gear, run errands, get dinner ready, pick up kids, homework and then tuck them into bed as you fall asleep 20 minutes after they do.  It is hard for me to believe that we have finished 1/3 of our school year already.  It seems like yesterday they were getting ready for their first day.  *sigh*  Time really does fly!

School, karate, scouts, YMCA Princesses...the list just doesn't end!
Here are some of the things we have done this month!  We've had a Literature Day event at school, we went and spent a really fun day in Old Town San Diego, Z lost another tooth (actually pulled it out herself) and we had a pretty good scare one day when A's eyesight went nutty and we thought she was losing her eyesight.  I write these things down now, because in a month I won't actively remember them like I do right now.  With three kids and a an equally busy husband, the memories are made so fast and furious, that my inadequate memory bank can only hold so much at a time!

All the things Z is thankful for this year

I know that my kids won't remember all the details from past month either, but I continue to hope that I am contributing to a positive and loving childhood that will create a feeling of family that will remain with them forever.

Halloween 2012

I know, I know...it has been over a week since Halloween and I am just now writing about it.  As a mom with three kiddos and a job, you will have to learn to deal with my belated postings!

Momma is hiding in this fancy mask

My kids have a long and storied tradition of NOT liking to trick-or-treat.  My son started this at a young age, and it has permeated to the two girls.  All it takes is one crummy neighbor to jump out and scare a kid, to ruin it for the rest of their lives.

Our neighborhood is not ideal either.  We living in an older neighborhood with lots of hills, little lighting and large lots.  This does not make for quick or fun trick-or-treating.  Last year was really the last straw.  All of the kids bought new costumes and then refused to go further than three houses away.  After that, I basically canceled Halloween.

When the subject came up again this year, I let them know that I was not buying any new costumes and we could maybe go to the mall.(even that idea scared them).  As Halloween drew closer, I couldn't help but wonder if my kids would grow up having all these negative memories associated with a pretty fun holiday.  Isn't part of our mommy job to help kids learn about these social traditions?

I was saved when I received an invite to join my friend, Shelby, at her neighborhood to trick-or-treat with her family.  I figured it would be worth a shot, so I haggled out an agreement with the kids where I would take them home if it was scary and they would give it a college try.

Green Lantern, Alice in Wonderland and a FAB Princess

Our trick-or-treat gang

My friend lives in an area with newer, high density housing.  I have to say, some of the great perks of living in this kind of area is that they are filled with mostly younger families and it is easy to get to know everyone.  We even got water for one of the kids at a neighbor's house.

Once we got past the first two houses, my son was running ahead for the rest of the night!  He really loved it.  If there were any houses that even looked like they would be scary, he just skipped it and went right to the next.  My girls were in heaven and it was fun to walk around with crowds of parents and crazy kids.  My favorite house had a large screen TV hooked up outside next to a keg.  My kind of people.

The only bummer of the night was having to call it quits.  Boo to all Halloweens that happen on school nights. But I am not going to be greedy! I am so grateful that we were able to have this memorable Halloween before they grew up!

Kids reaction?  "BEST HALLOWEEN EVER"

Best Birthday Ever! (at least, that is what I was told)

My own Prince

If there is one thing I know...my son loves a good swashbuckling.  I mean, what is not to love?  Fast paced horse riding, intense competition skills, excellent one-to-one fighting and of course, a beautiful Princess!  Did I mention food too?  Because it would be impossible to forget all the food you get fill 'yer belly with.

We took our kids and a best buddy to Medieval Times in Buena Park for my son's 11th birthday.  Parties are grand, but this was an event.  I absolutely love doing family events for special days rather than parties.  Aside from the obvious upside of not having to prep and clean for a bunch of kids, the event is usually something we quite enjoy as adults too.

Medieval Times is a fantastic show/dinner experience that you have to see to believe.  As you are seated, you are assigned into one of six colored sections that determine which knight you will be rooting for.  We were lucky enough to get a very handsome Red/Yellow Knight.  The knights have a tournament and there is a evil guest in waiting, trying to ruin the King's event.  Our knight ROCKED!  He even threw my girls a carnation, as a token of affection.

So happy to get a pink carnation!

Back to the food...you will genuinely love the no utensils thing, I promise.  Tomato soup, chicken, ribs, garlic bread and dessert are all included.  We had to take home several boxes of food, since the kids get the same amount of food as the grown-ups!  While not 4-star cuisine, we really enjoyed the food and were very pleased with the quality.

Getting some grub!

Now, back to the action!  Our knight bravely fought off several other knights and was then challenged by the the bad guy!  But never fear!  Good will always win over evil at Medieval Times.  To top off an extremely well-enjoyed show...our victorious knight was then able to present ONE lady in the audience with the "Queen of Love & Beauty" sash.  I couldn't believe he chose my oldest girl!  Well, she was the loudest one in our section!  She was presented with a tiara from the Princess as well.  WOW!  Talk about making a girl's night!  Heck, it even made her whole week.

My "Queen of Love & Beauty"

Hmmm...like it, but don't think I can make this an "everyday" look

Blessed Sunday

Today, on our way out the door to church, I gave my little man his weekly allowance of $5.  He did a really great job this week taking care of the trash, trashcans and toilet cleaning (love that!)

We sat in church and when the collection baskets were being handed out, my husband went to give the kids their $1/each that they can put in the basket.  We do this as an addition to what we give, but we want the kids to actually participate in the giving and know that our family shares with the church.

My son pulled out his $5 bill and rubbed it gently with both his thumbs.  My husband looked down at the money and then looked at me for an answer.
"Dominic, do you want to give your money?" I asked.

"Well, I can't think of a better way to spend it," he replied, and put it right in the basket.

Cue the Proud Momma music.  How blessed am I to have him for a son?

First Day of School - the full-time edition!

Ready for the first day!

Last year, I had a 1/2 day kindy girl and a pretty much full-time Independent Study 3rd grader.  Plus the 4th grade boy was in class full time.  This led to a tumultuous year of intense commuting, long hours and split attention for all of my kids.

Now, a year later, all three of my kids are at the same school for the entire day!  Hard to believe actually.  Seriously, only those parents whose kids were in same boat of I.S. and siblings in school full time, can understand the reality of last year.  I think as a parent, surviving that year was one of the biggest accomplishments I achieved.

My kids were thrilled to get ready for school this morning.  My 6 year old was the best.  After crawling into our room at 4am from a bad dream, I work her up with my good morning song.  (Think Good Morning! with Debbie Reynolds from Singin in the Rain).  She slowly rolled open her eyes, looked at me and smiled.  "You are the BEST mommy in whole wide world."  How's that for a great start to the day?

Doughnuts will ALWAYS get him to school!

The other two were easy to motivate with the promise of doughnuts they provide at school to start off.  We went extra early to get parking and it was like coming home.  There were many smiling parents and kids I haven't seen since summer.  My 5th grade boy hung out long enough for a few pictures and then ran off to hang with his buddies.  He's is becoming too cool.

The girls found old friends, and it was like they had all seen each other yesterday.  Giggling, smiling and laughing is a nice thing to see.  Obviously, I was way more nervous than they were.  In fact, when I walked into 1st grade, my daughter looked so puzzled as to why I could possibly be there!

Front and center for 4th grade

She's wondering how I snuck in to get this

The morning ended with a special BMX stunt show...WOW.  Another way to get the kids excited about school and pumped to want to come back.

We will celebrate tonight with Angel Chicken and special back-to-school sugar cookies for dessert.  Love a great start to a school year!

Daddy's little girl is growing up

That is one excited 1st grader!

School Lunch - Breaking it Down

Now that all three of my kids are enrolled fulltime at school and will be there all day, including lunches, I don't think buying lunch for all three everyday will be the way to go.  For that kind of money, I could have a couple pretty decent date nights with my husband.

So I've been looking around at what I could use for packing and what I could put in there as well.  Three kids = three different views on lunch.  One hates cheese, another hates peanut butter, and one just hates sandwiches in general.  So I developed a list that the kids will use each night to pack their lunches.  Yes, I said, pack their lunches.  The hubby and I can supervise, but I am not spending time every night taking orders.  I waitressed for 15 years and I don't do that anymore.  

Let's see...here are the lunchboxes I got for them.  They are very sturdy and the compartments won't run together.  I don't think it will keep liquid out of each compartment, but it's close enough.  It's not like I am packing juice in the lunchbox.  These are Easy Lunchboxes and I bought them at Amazon.  The great thing is they will fit into their previous insulated lunch zip-top containers.  I also bought several flat-ice freezer mats that will fit right on top of the boxes.  

We gave these a test run at Disneyland, and they were great.  The 6 year old was able to open and close it with no problem.

I made sure to buy 6 of them, so we had 2 in rotation for every kid

Then I sat down and spent some time looking at what I make and I what I usually have on hand and came up with a simple system where the child gets to pick one item from three different lists.  That will fill each compartment.  The drinks will be either G2 from Gatorade or water with Mio added in a reusuable bottle.  

So here is the list...let's hope this works!

Lunch Packing Ideas 

Choose one of these:

• Sandwich/roll or bread
• Turkey
• Ham
• Peanut butter
• Cheese
•  Bagel thin
• Peanut butter
• Cream cheese 

• Cold pasta
• Cold pancakes
• Waffles
• Boiled egg
• Protein roll ups
• Meat/chz
• Tortilla roll up
• No bake energy bites
• Pepperoni Puffs 

Choose one:

• Baby carrots
• Diced pineapple
• Grapes
• Cheese stick
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Yogurt 

and

Choose one:

Fiber 1 brownie

Goldfish

Pretzels

Cut pickle

Fruit chew

Fruit leather

Granola homemade

Z bar

Homemade muffin

Have any other ideas to add?  Would love to see what other mamas are doing this year.

A HOT Disneyland Day

Normally it's pretty great to go to Disneyland with my kids and my parents.  We have such a great time, and we each have 1 kid per adult, which works out perfectly for rides.  Yesterday was supposed to be another perfect day, but almost went really bad as we struggled with the heat index all day.

As soon as we got there, we were all sweating.  Normally I carry my umbrella for some shade protection, but I had relied on a bad source for my weather forecast.  My precious portable shade stayed in the car while we walked around all day.  We all wilted under the searing sun, but none more than my mom.

After a couple hours at Disneyland, she was feeling what she described as "motion sickness".  She was sweating profusely, feeling dizzy and in general, not feeling good at all.  She was having trouble just following us around from ride to ride.  We had been on the Captain E-O ride, which moves around, so I didn't think much else about it.  This lasted several hours.  We fought the heat by escaping to air-conditioned cafes and rides, but it was a long hard day.  How bad was it?  My 9 year old daughter drank a bottle of water, a pouch of juice, numerous water fountains and shared a jumbo lemonade.  At the end of the day I asked her to visit the restroom before we left...she said she didn't have to go.  In fact, she hadn't gone in over 9 hours.

Once we were home, cooled off and had more liquid to drink, we all realized that we had been very lucky not to have suffered a more dangerous heat experience.  What seems so obvious now, was incredibly not obvious to me at the time.  I can only attribute this to my own heat sickness and trying to tough it out for the kids.

We are blessed that nothing worse happened, and will be even more careful to stay away from Disneyland on high heat index days and be aware of heat-related illness symptoms.  Here is a summary Heat Related-Illness Symmptoms

How does this Stormtrooper stay hydrated in that thing?

(light!) Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Yes, it's the end of August and the thermometer is still up there.  The thought of soup might not be the first thing you scream you want to have in the middle of the work week.  I would only assume that you don't have a garden full of hundreds of tomatoes that cannot be eaten by salad alone.  We have a really beautiful assortment of heirlooms, San Marzano and roma tomatoes, and I will not stand to see these little beauties go to waste.

This recipe is adapted from Slender Kitchen, and I adjusted it to feed our large party of 7 here at the house.  I have to say, this is one of the very, very few things I can make and absolutely everyone will eat it.  Even the hubby (who is disgusted at the thought of canned tomato soup) loves this really satisfying soup.

***UPDATE***  This soup went from YUMMY to plain RIDCULOUS this past week.  Rather than roast the tomatoes for 1hr at 400degrees.  I roasted them for SIX hours at 275 degrees.  They were magical.  The soup was a more concentrated burst of sweet, tomato flavor and even the color was deeper and richer.  I made the tomato base with the garlic, pureed them and put them in a container until I was ready to make the soup two days later.
You can stick with an hour, but if you have the time - please try the six hour roast.

(light!) Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

4 lbs assorted fresh tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
Whole head of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while you cut the tomatoes.
2. Toss the tomatoes in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover a pan sheet with foil and spread the tomatoes out evenly, with the cut side facing up. 

4lbs will take up the entire baking sheet

3.  Pour a few drops of olive oil on top of the garlic head and rub it all over.  Wrap the head tightly in a small piece of foil.  Place on the baking sheet with the tomatoes..
4. Roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. 

5. Add the tomatoes and any juice from the baking sheet into a food processor. Squeeze out the roasted garlic in to the food processor. Blend until smooth.
6. Add the tomato mixture into a large pot. Add the red pepper flakes, half and half and broth. Let simmer for at least 30 mins.

7.  Taste for seasoning and serve.

Serving options: 

• Try topped with some parmesan cheese or blue cheese
• Add some Tabasco sauce for extra kick

Sorry - no finished soup pic to share!  It was gobbled up too quickly...Dad even had FOURTHS!

 

Don't worry little tomato...you will not go to waste! 

Dog Days of Summer

The heatwave broke this week...finally.  For those of you snickering at my complaint of high 80's at the beach, please keep in mind that homes near the beach don't have A/C!

So while I relished the opportunity to put on my makeup without sweating like a piggy-piggy, I quickly figured out that my kids don't like swimming when the pool gets cold.  If you live in California, you know that  power bills are outta sight and we try not to heat the pool too often.

Thanks to a Living Social deal, I decided to take the kids over to Pump It Up! to burn off some energy during open play time.  Yes, my kids are a bit bigger, but they play very nicely with others and loved it.

Kids were very happy to jump, bounce and race around.  I loved the inherent safety of knowing they were in an enclosed space where I wouldn't lose them.(it's tiring always counting:  1...2........3 heads)

Big Sister gets a try

This was quickly replaced by "How High Can You Spin While Jumping?"

Even Big Bro loved it

They mostly had a great time.  I think my only reservation about the experience was that my kids were forced to sit through a "safety video" of the do's and dont's and I think they were the only ones in the play room that were aware there were rules (adults included!).  My kids take safety stuff kind of seriously and got really upset when kids were breaking the rules and even more upset when 7 year old kids were yelling, shoving and pushing my 9 and 10 year olds down.  I call that the "Communal Parenting Waiver".  Anytime there is a group of kids together, most parents immediately abandon any claim to their kids and assume that all the other parents there will be watching them and disciplining the kids for them.  Frustrating...but very common.

At least my kids knew better than to retaliate!  They get bonus points for showing incredible self-control today!

Welcome!

It's taken a good 10 years for me to finally admit it...I wanted a blog.  What I had first considered as narcissistic and rather self-centered way to write, has grown on me as a wonderful concept for a written/visual diary to my life as a wife/mom/daughter/sister/aunt etc, etc.

All those years of promising myself and my kids to keep a written diary of what we did together, funny jokes, good times and milestones, has finally reached some kind of fruition.  So this blog has a very picky audience...me!  That being said, we live a hectic, fun and OC centered life that I thought might interest others.  So aside from bring "all about me", I hope this blog offers some insight on how to get through living in the social pressure cooker, that is the OC.  It is a struggle to raise grounded kids with Christian family values among the vast oceans of superficiality and fakeness (not just talking personalities people!)

My husband and I are not rich, we do not have new cars, we do not vacay anywhere that is featured in a brochure and we still have our payday to payday struggles.  What do we have?  Three really fab kids, a beautiful place to live, generous parents who share a home with us, a beach a couple miles away and annual passes to our happiest place on earth...Disneyland.  God has certainly blessed us.

Here's to reading more about my slice of orange.

Yeah...it does feel like a circus sometimes