Life with Kids and Traveling with them too!

A few days ago when I wrote the post about “Going Green” in our home, I expected to make small changes like, using cloth napkins instead of paper, stop buying bottled water, etc.  Life would go one….easy, breezy.  What I didn’t expect was to inquire a wealth of knowledge on plastics, chemicals, meat, soy, etc. etc.  I was to say the least, overwhelmed!  There is so much truth to the old saying, “Ignorance is bliss.”  How content I used to be using my coconut body wash, and lathering myself in coconut body lotion and then enjoying a delicious breakfast with ham and eggs on my “easy-clean up” paper plates.  That was last week!  The past few days I find myself reading ingredients on everything from household cleaning products, to my lotion, to our food!  It was during this ”research” time I found myself on the website www.goveg.com.  I then found myself viewing an undercover investigation on a farm factory (aka “slaugherhouse).  I will spare the details, as the images are still very vivid in my mind and will just say, that I was in complete tears afterwards and the very thought of meat made me sick to my stomach.  I grew up on meat & potatoes.  Meat has been a staple in our nightly dinners.  Until I viewed that investigative report, I had never really thought about how we got our meat.   Somehow, I managed to never think about it or I imagined that the cows were eating green grass and enjoying the sunshine until their time was up.  I was so naive.  The thought of being a vegetarian never entered my mind and I don’t think I have earned the right to say that I am just yet.  However, for the past three days our family has given up meat and will continue to do so.  I expected the kids and my husband to protest loudly and say that I had gone insane.  My husband watched the video too & that was all he needed to join me in our new “no more meat” venture.  My daughter asked a lot of questions, and not wanting to go into details we simply told her we were trying something new.  My son, well, at only 1 and with only 4 teeth on him…he wasn’t quite chowing down on steak yet anyways.   I expected the transition to be rather difficult, and while it has only been a few days, the transition has been rather easy.  The day we decided to “forego” the meat, I went online and printed tons of vegeterian recipes so that we would be well prepared.  The food has been quite tasty, although my son refused to eat beans! (We are still trying though).  Today we ventured out to lunch at one of our old favorite restaurants and when they asked my daughter what she wanted on her pizza, she proudly said, “Cheese only, I don’t eat pepperoni anymore!”   I am sure that we will have many people who will question this change and there will be people who will disagree.  We don’t expect people to change just because we have.  It’s a personal choice.  A choice that I am very proud we made together as a family.  Of course, it is only the end of Day 3………..we’ll touch this subject again on Day 30.  However, so far, so good.   

1 Comment »

I had coffee this morning with one of my favorite girlfriends.  With our sons in tow, we drank our “Starbucks”, and found ourselves discussing the environment and the whole “green” thing.  My friend told me about this great website called www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.  On this website you can type in a brand of product, such as Johnson & Johnson, Maybelline, etc.  You will get a load of valuable information such as if the product is environmentally friendly or harmful, if the company does animal testing, and most importantly if the chemicals used in their products contain toxins that are harmful to our bodies!  I was so surprised to find out that many of our “trusted brands” contain many harmful chemicals and they test their products on animals!  I have been using “Aveeno” since I had my daugher 4 1/2 years ago and was surprised to see that not only do they test on animals, but their products also contain many of the “yucky toxins’” that are hazardous to our bodies and the environment.  As a family we do “little” things to try and do our share of keeping our world green.  We recycle, we limit our use of paper goods, we buy energy star appliances, etc. ,etc.  After seeing the information available on this website, I now know that I need to take a more “pro-active” approach to living Green.  I don’t mean turning into a ”hippie-vegan-hemp” wearing person (no offense to any of you who might fit that description), but I will now start to read those labels a little more carefully to see exactly what I am putting on my little ones.  Using the organic, non-toxic, eco-friendly, no animal products type of products may cost me a little more in my wallet, but it sure does give me peace of mind knowing that I’m using the best choice available for my babies.  I mean if we can spend ridiculous amounts of money on handbags, designer jeans, and even sunglasses…..than spending a few extra dollars for better products for our children and us, should be worth it right?  Darn, right!  I’m repeating this to myself as I review my $50 order for 2-eight ounce bottles of organic baby shampoo……………I’m also saying:  “It’s for the kids, It’s for the kids, It’s for the kids.”  Okay, so I ended up not placing the order….not because I don’t think its worth it, but because my very wise girlfriend told me to “hold the submit key” and check out Trader Joes or Clarks first…..so that’s what I’m going to do (Thanks M!).  So, whether we’ll be washing our hair with $50 shampoo or something less expensive….at least we’ll know its good for us. :0)  I’ll keep you posted…..

No Comments »

It has been awhile since I last was able to sit down for 5 minutes and relax!  And although it may seem strange to some, being able to sit down and post a blog is quite relaxing for me.  The days, hours, seconds - they all seem to just fly by so quickly these days.  I’m still trying to absorb yesterday and today is already here!  I’m sure it has a lot to do with being a mother, being involved in too many activities, running two businesses, etc., etc.  I often find myself yearning for some quiet moments of solitude.  It’s actually very ironic because we were married for 9 years before we had children and I used to pray for the days when I would have many children to occupy my time!  Well, God certainly answered my prayers, and I am completely grateful to have my children and the chaos they sometimes bring,  However, I know now that I took my quiet moments for granted.  Right now I am having a very “rare” moment in my life.  My wonderful husband has taken the kids with him to run errands, the phones are not ringing, and I’m sitting outside on the laptop listening to the waterfall in our pool.  It is quite serene and calm.  Moments like this do not come often for me, so I’m taking it all in and silently thanking the man/woman upstairs for giving me this opportunity.  Of course, thoughts of my children soon enter into my mind.  I smile as I think about my son.  He is starting to walk and I’m amazed that a year of his life has already gone by.  I’m curious to see what type of person he will become.  He is like my daughter in so many ways, and yet he is so different.  Out of the two, he will be the one who challenges my parenting skills.  He has so much determination for a one year old!  I am confident though that his determination will get him far in life.  And then there’s my daughter.  I would love to say that all of her wonderful qualities come from me, but I secretly know that she gets many of  these traits from her daddy.  She has such a loving and kind soul.  She is such a beautiful person (and I don’t mean on the outside)…probably the most beautiful person that I have ever met.  I predict she will likely be a “helper” in some way, bringing smiles to the many people in her life.  It’s good to have moments like these where you can reflect on your children and your life.  With the hustle and bustle of every day, its easy to take things for granted, even your kids.  Too often we are told, “enjoy every second because it’ll go by quickly”!  Sadly, that is very true.  And while I know my life could be easier, simpler, etc. if I hired a nanny, lived closer to family, or even took more time for myself, I’m reminded of what I am often told:   ”enjoy every second because it’ll go by quickly”! As crazy as my days can sometimes be…..I wouldn’t trade places with anyone for a second.  It’s a privilege to be a parent…an absolute privilege.  I’m thankful that my husband and I have been there for every milestone, every happy moment, every sickness that our children have had.  And we hope, like most, that we will be around to observe our children with their own children.  My thoughts are stopped abruptly as the phone rings…… so, it goes in my household…….

No Comments »

The kids were out of school yesterday due to Presiden’ts Day & many mommies and daddies were wondering what to do with them?  The park of course!  And there are many great parks here in the desert.  We visited Freedom Park in Palm Desert.  It’s a “new” park, so one of the best things about it is that everything is so clean!  It has quite a variety of entertaining equipment for the wee little ones and the older ones too.  Also some nice tables and benches, which are shaded (very important here in the desert), for us parents to take a quick 30 second rest in between playing with our little ones.  The park is a great way to let your little ones burn off some of that energy!  They are guaranteed to go home tired and ready for a nap….without argument!  We made an adventure out of our park day and took a picnic lunch.  My daughter was so excited as she helped make turkey/avocado wraps.  (So excited that she didnt’ even realize when I snuck the spinach leaves in her wrap!)  It was a great way to get outdoors and enjoy our nice weather…..before we know it, it will be too hot to even step outside! 

No Comments »

It’s Valentine’s Day!  Or as my daughter says, “It’s  I Love You More Day!”  We started our day bright and early, about 5:45 to be exact.  Not because we couldn’t wait to begin our day, but because my 4 year old was “so excited for Valentine’s Day!”  She was all smiles and cuddles as she hopped into our bed and said with so much excitement, “Mommy, guess what today is?”  Still with my eyes closed, I say, “Hmm…Let your mommy sleep day?”  She looked at me puzzled not sure if I was upset or joking and when I started to laugh she burst into giggles!  This was my son’s first Valentine’s and I don’t think he would have thought it was much different than yesterday except that he got to try some m&ms!  And boy did he love them!  He would eagerly kick his feet to let us know that he wanted another and then he would give us the biggest smile when we obliged.  One of the best things about being a mommy for me are moments like these.  When I see the excitement in my children’s faces, it is absolute pure bliss.  I can’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be, than right there in that moment.  It was a great day full of “extra” hugs and kisses.  My daughter told me she was so sad that Valentine’s Day was going to be over so I reassured her that it would come back each and every year.   We talked about how lucky she was to get so many Valentine’s from her family and friends and We talked about treating every day like Valentine’s Day.  She loved this idea and approved with a big “hurray!”  We decided we were gong to give “extra hugs & kisses”and she agreed.  Finally, with the biggest smile she said, “Mommy, I’m so excited!  We are going to celebrate Valentine’s every day, so I get to have m&m’s every day!”  She then ran off to tell daddy before I could utter another word…..

No Comments »

Whomever coined the phrase “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, must not have had a lot of “big” stuff to deal with.  My life is often so chaotic, I have a hard time knowing what is “small” and what is “big”.  I’m sure the intended message of the phrase is to treat everything in life like it’s “small” so you don’t stress about anything.  I just don’t how one can go about this!  Take for example my day today:  Aside from owning a baby equipment rental business, I’m also a CPA.  Yes, I know, the two don’t seem to mesh, what can I say, I’m not a typical CPA.  Anyhow, today I had a long-term client of mine that had a RUSH job for me.  It was a 6-8 hour job and they needed it TODAY.  My day was full (it almost always is) and  I had appointments, etc. (not to mention I stay home with my children).  Being the push-over I am, I canceled my appointments & I devoted 6 hours of my day to complete this project.  (Did I mention this is a client who hasn’t paid me in 5 months? ) All the while, I am answering phones for the rental business, coordinating deliveries and pick-ups, taking calls from other clients, doing laundry, playing with kids, making grocery lists, and planning play dates for my children!  It’s chaotic to say the least…..and this is pretty normal for me.  I think I tend to handle stress very well….usually.  Today, amidst all this chaos, our business phone line goes down, I learn my web designer will no longer be assisting us, and my one year old son is cranky as can be - all in one hour.   I decide to tackle one at a time…trying not to panic and telling myself not to “sweat the small stuff”.  Problem is  - what’s the small stuff?  They all seem like pretty big problems to me.  Problem #1) We have several messages we can not retrieve, so our customers will not be happy.  We could possibly be losing orders to our competitor because their phones are likely working.  Problem #2) What do I do without a web designer?  I know nothing about web design and I have changes that need to be made to our website asap!  Problem #3)When my son is not happy - none of us our happy.  He has a whine & cry that just makes everything come to a halt!  Okay, he’s the first one I tackle.  Eventually, I get my son down for a nap.  Problem #1 and Problem #2 are still unresolved.  I finally decide there is nothing I can do about Problem #1 - it’s completely out of my control.  Definitely qualifies as the “small stuff” now.  Problem #2, well, that’s a different story.  I completely relied on our web designer to always be there when we needed him.  I would often joke that he couldn’t leave us.  Never actually imagining that he would and all too soon.  I’m now on the hunt for a new web designer.  I don’t have the skills nor the time to learn the skills to handle our website — maybe someday, but definitely not today.  Seems like a “big” problem to me.  ”Why Me?”, I ask.   Then like a bolt of lighting, it hits me.  My problems could be worse.  In fact, they could be a lot worse.  I think of our dear friends, whose 11 month old has brain cancer — now that’s a “big” problem.  I suddenly find myself feeling guilty for thinking I had such ‘big” problems.  I don’t doubt for a second that they would rather deal with the phones lines, the web designer, or even my cranky, “healthy” son than deal with cancer….who wouldn’t!  I think I now know the real meaning of “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.”  To me it means, take your so called “problems” into perspective.  Think about what “problems” other people have to deal with and you will soon realize that your “problems” aren’t much of a problem anymore……just little road bumps that you will soon recover from.  Other people aren’t so lucky to have such “problems”, instead their problems don’t go away as easily and they don’t recover as easily.  So, I’ve learned a valuable lesson, I will try each and every day not to “sweat the small stuff.”  I hope you will too.

If you’d like to learn about my friends and their daughter, please visit www.nataliesfoundation.org

No Comments »

Our son finally turned the Big “One” on the 31st.  It’s amazing how different we are as parents from the 1st and the 2nd child.  When my daughter turned one, I think we closed off an entire block in our neighborhood.  We had hayrides and decorations galore.  It was an extravagant party for a one year old and it was a lot of work.  While we have many, many pictures to remember that day….my daughter feels a little left out that she doesn’t quite remember that “big” day with the “big” party.  So, needless to say, we didn’t get very “extravagant” with our son.  In fact, if there is a word for the opposite of extravagant, than that word would work just fine here.  We didn’t get him very many presents.  I mean why spend our hard earned money on gifts that 1)he doesn’t need and 2) he would get plenty from family & friends anyway?  We did still take plenty of pics on his special day.  We were eagerly anticipating if he would “dive” into his cake or just stare at it with confusion as our daughter did.  He ended up doing both.  He stared at it for about 2 minutes and then decided to play with  the frosting.  He continued playing with his cake until it was a complete mush of which he then made sure was in his hair, ears, and other places!  Also, his Grandma and Po came all the way from New Mexico just to celebrate his “big” day — he’s quite the lucky one.  Our “Big Boy” isn’t quite walking yet — and that is fine by us.  We are enjoying “holding” him while we still can.  I’ve attached some photos of his big day.

No Comments »

If you are looking for a place to entertain your kids for hours on end…..Children’s Discovery Musuem is the place to be!  Whether your child is an infant, toddler, or older, kids of various ages find the museum enjoyable, entertaining, and fun.  The museum is loaded with all sorts of surprises that will have your children entertained and giggling with delight!  Whether you have a budding scientist, anthropologist, rock climber, or even a veterinarian…..they are sure to find much enjoyment with the many activities the museum has to offer.  What makes the museum such a hit with the little ones - is they encourage “hands on” involvement!  Whether they are digging in dirt to discover fossils, shopping in the grocery store, making a pizza in the pizza parlor, getting their hands in the paint, or just drooling in the baby section, the musuem welcomes kids to explore!  My daughter was only crawling when I first started taking her there.  I watch her now as she wears her “Doctor’s coat and stethescope” and examines her kitty with such care and think how it wasn’t so long ago that she was a drooling little baby who used to watch the older kids with such admiration and awe!  Now she is the older one and my son is the drooling little one who watches in complete awe.  We have many wonderful memories at the museum and the volunteers are always there to lend a friendly smile and encourage imaginative play!  If you find yourself in the Coachella Valley, make sure this is a stop on your list!  You won’t be disappointed and the kids will have such a good time, they’ll likely be asking you when they can return!

No Comments »

You know those days where you wake up and your inner self is telling you “just stay in bed?”  Well my inner self was screaming that at me today….but unfortunately, somebody had to take my daughter to preschool, so I had to ignore my inner self and go on with my day.  My morning got off a little rocky and my daugher arrived 5 minutes late to preschool.  She was quick in letting me know that she did not approve of being late.  When we reached her room and the class activities were in full gear, she quickly looked at me and said, “Mommy, you made me late for school today.” I quickly looked down at her realizing that I completely forgot to have her brush her teeth.  I than looked at my son with his breakfast still visible on his cheeks and chin.  I quickly said to her, “I know sweet pea, but the fact that we made it at all today is something to be proud of.”  Not knowing what I meant, she gave me a kiss goodbye and on she went to class.  With hope that my day would improve,  my son and I headed back home.  While my son was napping, I proceeded to call customers to confirm their various orders for baby equipment.  While on the phone with one customer, I begin to cough uncontrollably (I’m still recuperating from the flu).   All the coughing made me get a pounding headache.  The kind of headache that doesn’t seem to go away no matter how many Excedrins you take.  A few hours later and with my headache still in tow, my son and I were off for a lunch date.  I was looking forward to seeing an old friend that I hadn’t seen in over a year.  I just knew it was the “pick me up” I needed.  When I got to the restaurant there was no available parking up front, so I had to park in the “money required to park here” lot behind the restaurant.  I only had a $100 bill in my wallet (normally I have no cash, but this was left over from our Hawaii trip).  I asked the parking attendant if he could break a $100.  “Frank” ( I later learned his name), informed me that it was company policy not to accept bills larger than a $50.  I than explained to him that it was all I had & that I would go into the restaurant, get change, and bring it back to him.  He wasn’t going for it. ”Frank” is a stickler for his “company” rules.  I let him in on the fact that I had my “infant” son in the back seat, I was late for a lunch date, and I promised that I would give him his $5, if he would just let me park.  I thought for sure when he heard I had my son in the back that he would show some compassion and let me through.  Nope, in fact he said to me,  “Lady, if you had a monkey in the back, that still wouldn’t matter to me and I still wouldn’t let you in the parking lot!”  I mean, can you believe this guy?  I asked him what my options were and what I could do.  (Not that calmly though….I’m pissed, obviously).   He told me (in his own words), “Go to a damn bank! I don’t care, but you ain’t getting in my parking lot with a $100 bill!”  I then asked him for his name……okay, not quite.  First I yelled some expletives at him and then I asked him for his name.  With a smirk on his face he offered to give me the company’s phone number.  Normally I pride myself that I do not “stoop down” to such a level.  In fact, I teach my daughter all the time about God’s Golden Rule and that sometimes people are not nice but we may not know what kind of life they have, so we should just be nice in return.  Maybe it was my headache….maybe it was me having a rotten day…..it doesn’t matter….I should practice what I preach.  The fact that I used language that I rarely ever use (really) and reacted to this man in the exact manner he expected, is unacceptable.  How would he have reacted if I had said, “Thank you sir for being so understanding.  I appreciate you assisting me in this manner” and drove off?  I can imagine he would have been completely dumbfounded and probably felt on his own (without me having to yell it at him) that he was a jerk.  And perhaps he would have been a little nicer the next time a mom or anyone else for that matter came to his window.  So, I am not proud of my actions today….even though, in my opinion, he completely deserved it.  I told my husband the story and he followed up with a phone call to the company.  I doubt anything will come of the incident.  Afterall, Frank did follow company procedure and although he was completely rude and nasty to me, he didn’t break any laws.  And as unpleasant as the incident was for me, it did make me realize that its easy to be rude and nasty to people, what truly takes skill, is showing your children how “calm and respectable” you can be in these types of situations.  “Treat people how you want to be treated”, thats God’s Golden Rule.  It’s not “Treat people how they treat you.” It sounds like I need to do a little more practicing on following the rules…….

No Comments »

Okay, so how many people do you know with this kind of luck?  Our first trip, ever, without the kids.  It’s only our second day in Maui and we’ve caught the flu!  And not just one of us…no, that’s not our style.  We both caught the flu!  I haven’t had the flu since high school….now in my 30’s, let me say this, IT”S NOT FUN.  In case you need a recap, here’s what it feels like:  Your entire body aches from head to toe.  You feel like a bulldozer was laying on top of you for hours and you can not move.  Your eyes feel like they will pop out of your head at any minute because they are so hot.  The room won’t stop spinning.  You think your husband is laying next to you saying he feels terrible, but you are not even sure.  He could be the bell boy for all you know.  Day 3 and 4 went by very slowly for us.  We spent them in complete darkness in our room.  I can tell you the color of grout on the tile floor in the bathroom and probably many other details of our room.  Meanwhile, outside our room, we could hear children laughing, splashes in the pool, music playing down below……all while we lay in our bed unshowered for 2 days in complete misery.  We probably would have stayed in bed another day, but we had booked horseback riding at the Mendez Ranch.  Already we had missed massages that we had scheduled and we were determined to not the let the last few days of our vacation go to hell…although we probably just should of done just that.  Once you book activities you have only 24 hours to cancel….we of course didn’t even have the energy to pick up the phone…so horseback riding it was!  With all our medication, kleenex, cough drops in tow, we headed for our adventure.  The horseback riding was well……As my luck would have it, I was given a female horse named “Capone”.  The cowboys at Mendez Ranch failed to warn me that my horse liked to eat grass while on the trail and in order to make up time for her constant grazing and to catch up with the rest of the group - she would trot.  Yes, trot.  So, if you can imagine this, I would get a gentle ride for about 2-3 minutes or so, than followed by a 30 second trot.  This went on for 2 hours.  I, of course, am holding on for dear life, while my husband is amused by my constant jiggling up and down (as he watches from behind).  My husband, of course, had the docile, easygoing, horse named Roxy.  That’s the one thing you can always count on me for — a good laugh.  If you know me at all….I’m something of a clumsy person.  So, me on a trotting horse….we’ll you get the idea.  Needless to say, the horseback riding consumed my energy that day.  We also had a zipline tour planned for the next day.  Ziplining is where you zip across a wire very high in the air.   I realized if I barely had the energy to make it through with a trotting horse, there was no way I could manage a zip line - so we cancelled.  The rest of our trip is barely memorable.  It was a lot of kleenex and nyquil.  We somehow managed to make it back home and are still recovering.  We did get a “pick-me-up” when we got home - our kids, of course.  It was nice to know that we were missed.  Our kids did wonderful their first time away from us.  My husband and I on the other hand, well, we could use some practice.  We laugh now thinking about our trip.  It didn’t quite go as we had hoped, but it was definitely “memorable”.  And that’s what trips are all about, making memories.  I don’t think we’ll be taking any trips alone in the very near future - we’ll opt for our family vacations.  There is nothing wrong with having alone time - we just prefer our time to be family time.

1 Comment »