Things that Made the Holidays Bright

It's a new year.  Unbelievable how quickly the time goes.  There's a lot going on and a lot coming up, but I want to take a few minutes to talk about how 2010 ended for us.

As a family, we spent the middle of December celebrating the holidays with extended family, attending the kids' winter program at school and generally just getting ready for Christmas.  As soon as the kids started their winter break, we packed the car and went to visit Grammy.

Aside from that, we had a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff for SAHM Reviews.  Primarily, the RAZ - Random Acts of Zhu program.  Cepia, LLC gave us 104 Zhu Zhu pets and Kung Zhu pets to distribute to charities of our choice here in the Quad Cities.  They didn't put restriction on who or where.  They didn't ask for photographs of the families or kids.  The only requirement was the commitment to deliver before Christmas and document it.  

So I did a little soul searching to determine who I wanted to deliver these to.  Kids at the hospital, shelters, who?  I contacted the Director of Religious Education at St. John Vianney Church here in Bettendorf, as well as a columnist at the Quad City Times to see if either of them could point me in the best direction.  The church responded with enough information to help me get these distributed to kids in need.

When I was discussing it with Jan Stevenson, who heads up the project for St. John Vianney, she explained that they have an Angel program where parishioners 'adopt' a person or family then work to fulfill their wish list.  Who do they serve?  That's the great part.  It's non-denominational.  350 individuals whose names where provided from various agencies.  Elementary students from high poverty areas that were referred by the Bettendorf Police Department.  Mental health individuals from Vera French.  Kids in various "Free lunch" programs. Humility of Mary homeless and transitional housing.  Moms and babies from TAPP (a school for pregnant teenagers).  As well as other random individuals who are referred. 

By donating to St. John Vianney, I would cover a wide range of families in need.  Perfect.  

As a bonus, St. John Vianney provided me with contact information for one other place I wanted to donate.  Didn't care where or how but I wanted to provide some of the Zhu Zhu and Kung Zhu toys to children who have parents deployed.  I was ultimately connected with Pat Kobelenske from the National Guard in Davenport.  He is a Family Assistance Specialist covering most of Eastern Iowa.  

So those were my choices and I set off to make my deliveries in time for the two programs to distribute them to their final destination.  Our entire family, as well as a neighbor, helped out with this.  DH and I discussed with the kids why it was so important to distribute these.  Why we weren't keeping ANY when they're so used to getting stuff to test out themselves.  We talked about how some kids don't have the necessities, let alone toys.  It was very inspirational to see my girls helping.  They helped send me on my way to make the deliveries.

First stop was St. John Vianney.  I already told you who they distribute to.  But I didn't tell you what.  Requested items range from toys to clothes to cleaning supplies.  Jan explained that one woman asked for feminine hygiene products and nothing else.  Can you imagine your Christmas wish list including only that? Well, they don't just put that in a box and mark it completed.  They include additional items like personal care products, cleaning products and other necessities.  

They were taking the Zhu Zhu pets and using them to ensure that each child received a toy... starting with the ones that specifically requested Zhu Zhu or Kung Zhu toys.  I was overwhelmed by the site of all those baskets, bags and boxes that had been compiled.  Made me truly thankful for all that I have.  A few days later, I met with the National Guard and learned more about their program and needs.

I put together a video telling the whole story.  Amazing.  Seriously.

Please take the time to watch the video and see how intense this project was.  And if you're inspired enough to want to assist with a giving-tree program in your area, contact a local church, shelter or the police department.  Chances are that someone will point you in the right direction.  In the meantime, be sure to stop by Facebook and Twitter to pat Cepia on the back for a promotion well done.

I'm proud to have been selected to be part of the 2010 Random Acts of Zhu promotion.  Amazing, I tell you.

Disclosure:  Cepia, LLC provided 104 Zhu Zhu and Kung Zhu pets to distribute. No compensation was received for this project other than the joy that came with each of the deliveries... and the realization that I was part of a very special promotion to help make the holidays merrier for so many kids.  All comments, photos, videos are my own.

Are We Wasting Taxpayer Dollars?

In just a few weeks, Miss K will begin Kindergarten.  My baby.  In school.  Full time.  It's just shocking.

But I'm not concerned because I know she's ready.  We've spent a lot of time reading to her, educating her, practicing her alphabet, numbers, word recognition and (gasp) even multiplication.  But we also enrolled her in preschool for the past two years and that helped prepare her socially for school.

Her first preschool encounter was a 2-days-per-week program through one of the local churches.  She enjoyed it and I felt she was making incredible strides.  Last year, she participated in Iowa's Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program.  Many parents in Iowa aren't familiar with it so if you're not from Iowa, I would be surprised if you were.  Whenever I strike up a conversation with a stranger in say, the doctor's office waiting room, I ask if their child is enrolled.  Heck, I even asked someone at a yard sale last week to make sure they knew.  To sum it up, the state has a program where preschools can apply for grant funding to help facilitate a Kindergarten readiness program for four year old children.   The primarily purpose of the grant is help increase opportunities and access to quality preschools.  Last year, we actually transferred preschools to be able to participate in the grant.  It's not that we thought our preschool was sub-par because it was great.  It's because the grant is typically used to offset tuition.  In other words, it was free.  Yes, free.  Thank you, Iowa taxpayers for paying for my daughter's preschool education. 

Some schools put signs out advertising that their preschool program is free.  They're proud of it because it's a community service and it's win/win for the community and the school.  Preschools get increased enrollment and money to replenish supplies, update toys/equipment and improve teacher wages while on the flip side, families can welcome monetary relief especially in this economic downturn. It's a great program - mostly.  It has a few flaws that I would like to explain...

I thought it was the norm - that preschools participating in the grant utilize the grant funds to subsidize the tuition.  But I recently found out that's not always the case.  In a few very rare cases, the preschools have opted to continue to charge tuition which seriously restricts how the grant funds can be utilized.  Since you only need so many consumable items such as supplies and educational materials, that leaves salaries as one of the few remaining allowable spending slots.  In these few instances, rather than pass the savings along to the community, the teachers are lining their own pockets because (to quote one) "I did a lot of hard work to get this grant and I think I deserve it."  Having worked with grant accountants during my days as an accountant for the city I lived in, I would have been shocked to hear "I applied for this (road construction) grant so I should get a raise."

So I'm stewing and feeling like my tax dollars are being wasted on a few greedy individuals rather than spread out to provide a quality education for families who might otherwise not be able to send their child to preschool.  I don't have any control over the situation other than to inform and educate so that (hopefully) the masses will let it be known that it's NOT okay to reap wages that are 50-100% higher than their peers are getting just because they took the initiative to apply for a grant.

If you live in Iowa and have a child who will be entering Kindergarten next year (2010-2011) then it's worth checking to see if your local preschool is participating in the grant.  If your child isn't enrolled, then what are you waiting for?  Preschool is a great jump-start in preparing for Kindergarten.  However, if your school is participating in the grant AND they are STILL charging tuition, ask them how much of a pay increase they received pre-grant versus post-grant.  If it's exorbitant, go elsewhere.  Those teachers are being self-serving, utilizing the very stringent grant restrictions for their own personal benefit.  I'm certain that I wouldn't want my child being taught by someone whose primary interest in applying for a grant is so selfish.  It's a total waste of my tax dollars.  What are your thoughts?

Thank You, Kind Strangers

The storms around here have been quite ridiculous.  Nasty gusts strong enough to knock trees down, fling patio furniture and move the BBQ grill several feet - even with the wheels locked.

Oh... and fling open the gate for the fence.

That wouldn't be so bad if I had actually noticed it.  But I was up around 5 AM fighting lower back problems and simply wanted to find the Ibuprofen.  For the most part, I adhered to my normal morning schedule - I let the dogs out, took my medicine, got something to drink, made sure the dogs had food then let them back in.

Well, at least I think that's how the morning went.  Nestle wanted in and out a few times which was driving me crazy since I just wanted to stay in one spot and let my back stretch.  I'm sure I let Glacier in once then she wanted back out later.  I don't know what time that was though.  The girls woke up earlier than normal, I read the paper while they played and somewhere in there I stretched out on the ground hoping the back pains would go away.  It's all kind of fuzzy since I didn't get much sleep last night.

Then shortly before 9 AM, I went into the laundry room to get something and through the window could see the gate to the back yard wide open.  I ran into the kitchen and told DH that the gate was open.  He called for the dogs while I waited to visually see them come to attention.  Nestle did.  Glacier didn't.

I ran through the house looking in all her usual hiding spots and had just walked out into the front yard when the phone rang.  The nice gentleman on the other end of the phone said "We have your dog."  He proceeded to give me directions and I was amazed at the distance she had managed to get in what I didn't think was a very long period of time.  Several blocks.  And when I say several, I mean a good few minutes drive worth.

I headed off to pick her up as the guy, Shawn, an employee of the City of Bettendorf and Debbie, the driver of a red minivan waited patiently on 53rd Street.  Yes, my Glacier had escaped and was running down the middle of one of the busiest streets in town.  Thankfully traffic was stopping for her.

It's a good thing the cars saw her because she had difficulty seeing.  She had a tumor in 2004 and had one of her eyes removed.  Her depth perception is totally off and she can only see things on the right side of her body.  What a sight it must have been for drivers on 53rd - a fluffy white one-eyed American Eskimo dog running down the road.  Thank you for not running her over!

But most important, my heartfelt thanks go out to Debbie who pulled over and coaxed Glacier into her arms and to Shawn who pulled over behind her and telephoned us with the good news that she was safe.  If you know Debbie or Shawn, please pass along how very thankful I am for what they did this morning.

Everyone Will Do it if it is Easy

When we lived in Los Angeles, I remember how easy it was to recycle. Maybe because California is such a liberal, tree-hugging state. Or maybe the rolling blackouts and water conservation issues forever remind you that resources are limited. But one thing is for sure, recycling came easy there.

How is it so different there than here? Well, for one thing, pretty much everything could be recycled... and in the same bin. Cans, bottles, boxes, newspapers and any plastic that had that recycling triangle, no matter what the number. They were all placed together in a recycling bin that was a tad bit larger than our garbage can and picked up weekly along with our garbage. We didn't have to prep anything or sort it. Ooh, so easy. I literally had a garbage can for regular stuff and a paper bag for recyclables.  As it got full, I just dumped it in the recycle bin.

Here? Glass, cans and plastics with a "1" or "2" only. And newspapers, cardboard, magazines are separated. Granted, the recycle bin is the same size as the garbage can, but it's divided in two. We can't throw the newspapers into that half until the night before pickup because the weight is just too heavy for the divider.  What makes it worse is that it is only picked up once a month. 

It's all petty, I know, but having been exposed to the easy way of doing it just makes me want to throw up my arms and say "Why bother." However, by not participating, it's only hurting future generations and I'm not willing to let my frustrations keep me from doing the right thing.

But it was over the top this morning when our regular garbage bin was not emptied. You see, we're doing some yard cleanup and removed a bush that was unruly. The city has a yard waste recycling program but not only does it require that you purchase special bags to put everything in, but you also need to purchase a sticker for each bag that you put on the curb. Well, the bag says to only include certain things and the sticker says only certain things. Nowhere did it say an entire bush was okay so we threw it in the garbage. It isn't like we were trying to avoid paying the ticket fees because right next to the garbage can was a yard waste bag, with proper fees adhered, that wasn't even full.

So why does it get me all in an uproar? Because in Los Angeles it was so much easier. We actually had a third full-sized bin strictly for yard waste. All yard waste. In the same giant bin. You know how easy that made it when we had to prune the trees? To top it off, there weren't additional yard waste fees - it was all included in our monthly garbage pickup. I guess they realized that making it easy and economical translated to more people doing it. I recall that the last city we lived in had one of the highest participating percentages in the country. No wonder.  You could recycle almost everything and it was just a matter of putting it in the right color-coded bin.

So to wrap up this long, grumbly story... As soon as I noticed that our garbage wasn't picked up, I went out and removed the bush from the can.  I chopped it up enough to put into one of those bags then put my paid fee tag on it. I called the city and the man from public works that I talked to was kind enough to have the drivers swing back by to empty the garbage. But honestly, the whole thing really ruined my morning. Here I thought I was doing the right thing and it just bit me.

Recycling can be so easy if the cities would just do things a little differently. That is definitely one thing I miss about California.

In the Beginning, There was Dirt.

Some of you may recall my green thumb series last summer... the story of how I started my first vegetable garden followed by a few progress reports.

Throughout the winter, I continued to enjoy the fruits of our labor in the form of soups, chili and spaghetti sauce. Each time that I pulled another container of tomatoes or bag of carrots out of the freezer, I smiled at my little piece of success.

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to plant another garden this year.  Unlike last year, I'm not waiting until plants and seedlings are almost gone from the local stores. This year we're planning things out better.  I sat down and thought about what I wanted to put in the garden this year.  While I enjoyed having carrots, I didn't feel that they were a good use of space.  Instead, I want lettuce, more onions and shallots.  I surfed the net for different types of tomatoes and decided that I wanted grape tomatoes for snacking, a beefsteak tomato for everyday use and some orange or yellow tomatoes for variety.  I picked out the types of onions and shallots that I preferred and handed the list to DH.

He hopped onto eBay and purchased most of the seeds that I had requested.  Didn't know you could purchase seeds on eBay?  Yes, you can. (What CAN'T you purchase on eBay? Wait, don't answer that because the things you CAN'T purchase on eBay are the same things that I don't mention on my blog.) 

If you have never checked out the produce section of eBay, you will be completely amazed.  There are some awesome varieties available.  Looking for a white tomato, a red cucumber or a purple pepper?  Only have a certain amount of room?  Shooting for container gardening?  Need something that is fool-proof for the beginner gardener?  Read the descriptions and you'll be surprised what you can find.  Some are outright funky.  As a bonus, you can probably get everything you want all from the same seller and save on shipping charges.   

A few weeks ago, we planted seeds into four prefilled biodegradable containers.
(1) Beefsteak tomatoes and grape tomatoes

(2) Texas onions
(3) Maui onions
(4) Several varieties of peppers

I kept them in a warm, sunny place and spritzed them with water every day.  When they didn't start to sprout when they were supposed to, we moved to plan B.  We placed the trays inside greenhouse boxes and filled the bottoms with about half an inch of water.  We covered them and let nature take over.  The onions and peppers are showing little progress, but the tomatoes are doing very well.

This is a project that DH and I are doing together and once the garden is ready to plant will become a family project.  I'm very excited about the fact that something I put into the ground (or pseudo ground in this case) is actually coming to life.  I don't have a green thumb and am often afraid to bring plants into my home because they usually die.  Thankfully DH is helping out!

Stay tuned... There's more to come, including the assembly of another raised bed!

The Distant Cry of Chainsaws

When I lived in Los Angeles, I was often asked how I felt about the earthquakes since I was a transplant from an area without them. In all the years we were there, I only felt shock waves of one really big one miles and miles away. It woke me in the middle of the night and I was more frustrated and annoyed that I couldn't get my glasses from the nightstand since everything was moving. My answer was always the same, "I would rather have an earthquake than a tornado any day."

It's not that an earthquake is easy, because it's not. The devastation is harsh. But the advantage is that you don't know it's coming. It's just there. Then it's done.

But with a tornado, you have the watches and the warnings and the sirens. The news casters saying "Tornadoes have been spotted..." and "Conditions are ripe for tornadoes." You stand at your windows and you watch the storm clouds and wonder if that cloud right there is going to turn into one. It usually goes on for hours as the storm clouds make their way toward your home, over your home then ultimately beyond. It's that anticipation, that uncertainty, that makes it so difficult.

This past Monday in the wee hours of the morning, the winds picked up, the rains thrashed and the storm moved in. It was quick but it was powerful. There wasn't any kind of warning.

But the destruction it left was undeniable. This was not just an ordinary storm. From what I understand, the winds reached 100 mph in some areas. A call from my mom indicated that the winds in their neighborhood were severe. They lost their two apple trees along with a maple - trees that were among the first landscaping they did back in the mid 1970s. A fourth, a smaller tree along the front lane also fell victim to the storm. Branches on other trees were broken and flipped upward into the trees, over the limbs they were originally connected to. One of their neighbors had a windmill that was bent in half and another neighbor lost his flagpole that had been rated to withstand winds of at least 80mph.

DH and I spent the better part of Monday helping my parents clean up the chaos. We were hauling and stacking the limbs as fast as my dad would cut them but 35 year old trees are huge when you start to cut them apart. Each time my dad would cut the power on his chainsaw, we could hear at least one chainsaw running in the distance in one direction or another. Seems there was a lot of cleanup going on Monday.

With as nasty as this storm was, I'm thankful that my parents weren't injured, nor were any of their neighbors. I regret to say that one 4 year old child lost his life when a tree fell on their tent during a family camping trip. If you're curious what a 100 mph storm can do, check out some of the pictures on the QC Times website.

So as I sit here today, here in Iowa, I can honestly say that I prefer an earthquake to a tornado. Any day. Still.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

How does your garden grow?

First, my name is not Mary. It's Nicole. AKA Mom. But the garden is growing just fine none-the-less! However, if I were to finish the nursery rhyme, it would go something like this:

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. How does your garden grow?
With one red bell and toe-may-toes and lots of carrots-all in a row.

For those of you who were with me in the beginning, or even when I saw my first sprouts, thanks for all the encouragement. We've come a long way. I seriously didn't think I had a knack for gardening but family and friends assured me that it would be okay. That I could do it.

We built just two beds to see how I would do and how I would like it. DH commented that he can tell I'm already planning for more beds for next year's garden. I guess he can see the proud gleam in my eyes.

The girls have been great about helping me weed it. They were very confident with pulling the weeds until it became so overgrown that they couldn't even find the dirt any more.

I'm quite proud of where we're at now. With six tomato plants creeping over the fence. Six different varieties already preparing a nice yield. One red bell pepper plant surrounded by cooking onions and edged by a row of spring onions. We pulled and cut one of the large onions the other day and it was delicious.

My onion. From my garden. Delicious. What a lovely sound.

The bed of carrots is huge. In the beginning, I worked diligently to thin them as much as I could. Three zillion tiny carrots that are so close together that you need tweezers to thin them properly. No, I didn't do that. I did what I could then figured I would have lots of baby carrots in the beginning... THAT would be my thinning method. Well, those baby carrots are making a tasty addition to my salads these days. The girls and I pick a few each day.

And then there are the banana pepper plants... producing far more than what I could possibly know what to do with. That's okay though, we'll figure out something.

On the down side, we're having a major problem with Japanese beetles. It's annoying, but the girls and I are making a game of it. Each day, we head outside with our jar of soapy water and proceed to catch any beetle that dare raid our garden... or our bushes.

It has all been a nice bonding experience. The gardening and the bug collecting. And it's been a confidence booster, too. I love my garden and can't wait to have fresh tomatoes!

On the Fringe... 20 Years Later

When I was in high school, I wasn't part of the "IN" crowd. Actually, I was one of those kids who worked very diligently to screw up the bell curve in any class that I possibly could. Honest, it wasn't out of spite - it was because I wanted to be at the top of the class.

Socially, I was raised to get along with everyone. That's just how it was. Although I didn't hang with other crowds, it didn't prevent me from mingling with them, talking to them or going places with them. I often crossed into different cliques so long as it didn't mean trashing my true friends.

One day in high school, a classmate told me how phony I am. She said "It's impossible to be friends with everyone, so since you're friends with everyone, you must be fake." Nice. Truly the words of a snobbish, clueless high school (ummm) young lady. But I was genuine and really just wanted to be able to talk to anyone. I'm still that way today and people that know me as an adult really get it. People at the gym refer to me as the welcoming committee because I'm the first person to greet a new person to class. Why? Because being new somewhere is uncomfortable and I like making people feel like their presence makes a positive difference.

When I graduated, I didn't look back. I maintained a few high school friendships in college then kept in touch with nobody. Zilch. Moving to California gave me the perfect excuse for not having a clue as to any of the gossip surrounding my classmates. When I received an invitation to my 10-year reunion, I had absolutely no intention of spending money for a trip back to Iowa for it.

A few months back when I received an invitation to my 20-year reunion, I felt like tossing it into the trash. The difference, however, is that I'm now back in Iowa and have run into a few of my classmates. You know what? They grew up. They matured. We all did (for the most part). I've been in contact with some of them either through preschool or the gym and I've enjoyed talking to them. They convinced me that going to the reunion wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Well, this past weekend was the reunion. Yes, I went. No, it wasn't horrible. Yes, I loved seeing some of my old friends. Particularly Meg, someone I called one of my closest friends in high school. Who, by the way, aged beautifully - as you can tell by the photo. You may notice that I blurred out our name tags. My concern was my sanity, not my identity. The name tags displayed our FRESHMAN picture next to our name. Ick.

As Meg and I walked around, we caught a glimpse of a bunch of the "in" crowd gathering for a group picture. Meg elegantly raised her glass to me and said "Here's to being on the fringe."

Yup, Meg. Here's to surviving the fringe. Cheers.

You Have to Be Sad Like Mom

Last night we took a dinner cruise on the Mississippi on board the Celebration Belle. It was a three-hour cruise beginning with some free time for relaxing, followed by a small buffet dinner and dessert topped off with more relaxing and some music. I really thought that the boat would be packed, but there were only 22 of us.

After having tea and lemonade at our assigned seat along the window (with only 22 guests, everyone was assigned a table by a window), we set out to explore the paddle boat. We headed up to the top deck and enjoyed as much of the view as we possibly could with two antsy little kids with us. DH and I really started to question whether this outing was a good idea when Miss M constantly asked what time it was and when dinner would be served. We just wanted them to enjoy the scenery but getting them to hold still was tough. I haven't figured out how I managed to get a few beautiful pictures... thank goodness for digital cameras and the ability to take 15 photos and delete 14.

While topside, we pointed out the bridge we usually cross and how the girls could see other cars crossing if they just paid attention. Miss M was very excited when she recognized a landmark associated with where one of her preschool classmates lives. Since she rode the bus every day, she saw that landmark every time they picked up and dropped off her friend, Zachary.

Dinner was okay - nothing fabulous but it wasn't horrible. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly kid-friendly. But we were enjoying it anyhow.

After dinner, we spent time looking at the scenery then eventually headed to the dining hall where the band was playing a variety of tunes. With such a small number of passengers, I wasn't surprised when Miss M and Miss K had sole reign of the dance floor.

Now let me tell you, my girls are not shy on the dance floor. We're not sure where she learned it but Miss M claimed to be break dancing. Can you picture this firely little red head running the circle then spinning on her back?

When DH mentioned that we should request "Wheels on the Bus" just to see what the girls would do, my brain about exploded. The completely selfish side of me took over and any thoughts of requesting a song for the girls went out the window. I looked at him and asked "They're taking requests?" He said "Yeah, they said that at the beginning." Ummm. Oh. "Well then maybe I'll request our song. Will you dance with me if I request it?" He rolled his eyes as I was asking because he saw it coming. But no sooner had I finished the sentence when the band played a warm up four bars for their next song. DH and I looked at each other. Tears welled in my eyes and I could see a sparkle in his. When they started back up, they played something entirely different. I was totally deflated so when they approached the end of that song, I put in my request.

DH and I headed to the dance floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and blissfully rested my head on his chest. Miss M saw us and tried to mimic it with Miss K. After a few minutes of jockeying for position, Miss M loudly explained "No K! You have to be sad like Mom! See." They finally gave up and just joined us.

Despite a few tears here and there, I wasn't sad. I was actually quite happy. It was a beautiful night with my favorite people in a wonderful setting. What could there possibly be to be sad about?

Slip Slide and Away. A Really Long Way.

When I was just a kid, I had a few cousins come to stay with us for a short period of time. I don't know all the details but I believe it was around the time that their parents were getting divorced. We weren't privy to adult details at that age, so we were kind of just told is that they were vacationing at our house for a bit. There were five siblings but only two were staying with us - this is a little tribute to their visit.

I grew up on an acreage and my folks were pretty cool about letting us kill grass whenever we pleased. For example, the back portion of the property was overgrown and paths were mowed down for the dirt bikes.

Well, these cousins were born city slickers and having more than a small yard to frolic in was unusual. I don't recall much of what we did during their stay... I think we played with our Atari but I'm not positive. The only thing that I remember clear as mud is our homemade slip and slide. Who can claim creator of this new adventure to entertain all of us is beyond me. But here's the gist of it... We started with a very small piece of Visqueen (plastic) on the hill and started the hose. Each time we slid across the plastic, we progressed further into the grass. And further... and further. For all you current city slickers - beneath the grass is dirt. When dirt gets wet, it's mud. When five kids slide across it over and over and over it gets pretty messy. Messy but totally fun.

We were out all day and my brothers and I finally came inside when it was time for dinner. We were so covered in mud that I'm surprised my mom let us back into the house. My cousins, on the other hand, stayed out until dark since this was a once in a lifetime experience for them.

I'm sad to say that my cousin Shawn is no longer with us, but Karla is a grown woman with kids of her own. She happened to be in town last week with her two sons - the older about the same age as she was when she stayed with us. She traveled from Colorado to spend some time with our grandmother who is about to celebrate her 93rd birthday.

Who would have guessed it, but my mom and dad decided to recreate the past. My dad picked up another roll of Visqueen then they invited everyone out to their place.

My dad rolled out the entire sheet of plastic down the very same hill that we had massacred about 30 years ago. He even lined up two separate hoses to ensure enough water would run the width of the slide.

It was a much cleaner version of what we had created when we were young but it was an amazing memory for the next generation.

...and thanks to the hoses and the tilled (but unplanted) portion of the garden - there was still plenty of mud to go around.

Upgrading My Thumb

I don't recall ever owning a green thumb. Whenever my mom would buy me a houseplant, she would make her selection based on how easy it was to take care of. I specifically recall the peace lily that she gave us when we moved into our first house. That thing had more lives than a cat.

So a lot of my procrastination with building a garden, was based on fear. Not only that I might kill stuff and give DH and everyone else more ammo to make fun of me but more seriously, I feared it would all be a waste of money.

That's precisely why I'm in shock right now. You'll never guess what I found when I walked out to check on my garden after our torrential downpour yesterday. Maybe I should rephrase that... you probably did guess since I posted a friggin' picture right at the top of the post.

That's right, I'm the proud owner of a bunch of sprouts (and one lone weed.)

Although the back row of each bed contained tomato plants that weren't from seed, each box also had a few rows of seeded vegetables. The single row on the left side of the bed in the first picture hopefully will grow to be spring onions. The second picture clearly shows enough carrots to make even Bugs Bunny happy. Yippee! I haven't killed them yet! Although it may not seem like much, for me it's a huge success.

I know there is still a long way to go, but I'll take it one step at a time. When it stops raining, I plan to thin the rows to give them some growing room then cross my fingers for them to continue their positive progress!

Think maybe I'll stop by the store and pick up a new watering can and maybe some new garden tools. All that's left is to figure out where I go to upgrade my thumb from my previous totally-brown color to my newly earned mossy green-brown.

If I Build It, You Will Come?

I'm terrible about procrastinating. It's one of those bad habits that I acknowledge but have never been able to overcome.

Ever since we moved back to Iowa, I've talked about wanting a garden but just haven't followed through. Last fall, DH and I talked about it in great depth - about all the things I would plant and how nice it would be to have fresh vegetables. Plus, what a great experience it would be for the girls.

So winter rolled around and we discussed the things I could plant and whether I wanted to start from seed or not. Anyone that knows me will agree that I'm GREAT at TALKING about things.

As spring approached, we talked (yes, I'm using the T word again) about when the best time to plant would be. We checked out plants and flowers at Lowes and WalMart to help me make up my mind.

For my April birthday, both DH and my MIL bought me gardening books... including a "Gardening for Dummies" since my green thumb is a beautiful shade of brown.

Then about three weeks ago, I told DH that I wanted to make a trip to Lowes to get the things to make the raised garden beds. When we arrived, he asked "Okay, where's your list?" I replied "I don't have one." Need I say that we left empty-handed?

Last week, he asked "When are you going to admit that you aren't going to get around to putting a garden in this year like you said?" I grumbled and said "Why can't we?" He said "Because you haven't even researched anything. You could get all the information you need in just a few hours. I don't want to be out there pulling weeds in YOUR garden." Realizing his point, I said "No, I planned to do all that." I honestly thought that he was doing all the building stuff and I would do the maintenance. He would have been happy to help if I asked or needed it, but he knew this was something that I wanted to really be able to call my own. Frustrated and completely serious he said "Oh, I get it. If I build it, you will come?"

So earlier this week, I sat at the computer and (rather than blog) researched what it would take to build a raised garden. I found out that redwood is the best wood, but douglas or cedar are less expensive alternatives. Untreated wood because there's concern about leaching of the treatment chemicals. Quality topsoil or potting soil along with compost. I took notes about lumber sizes and the size of screws (not nails) to buy. My list went on and on. When I thought I had a complete list, I proudly marched into his office and said "Okay, I've done my research. Is it too late to put in the garden?"

Come to find out, he had researched it all months ago. All this time - on all those trips - he knew exactly what we needed. He was just waiting for me to be invested in the project. I'm so glad he did that because now I'm proud and excited about the fact that we're about to plant veggies in my new garden. Time to go get back to work!

Edible Gold - The Morel Mushroom

Can you see it?! No? Look really close. It's hiding, but it's there. There are a lot of things that I couldn't do in Los Angeles and morel hunting is one of them. Oh, how I missed it.

If you don't know what a morel is then check out a few of these morel sites. Although the taste is fabulous, the actual hunt...and find... is what makes this mushroom such a treasure for me.

Since we moved back, I've been trying to schedule a morel hunting trip with my parents. The window of opportunity is very small and is extremely dependent on the weather. Last year, that little window was open while we were out of town. But this year was perfect and the girls are old enough to be able to do the trek with us.
We headed out to a wooded area in Muscatine County praying that nobody else beat us to it. At first, the girls were skeptical. After that 30 seconds passed, we were good to go and Miss M could frequently be heard telling the rest of us to hurry up. She's a natural-born hiker.

Once we found our first patch, we were all filled with excitement. My mom called the girls over to start looking and picking. Then I arrived on scene and found even more. DH trailed behind me and found ones that I had missed. Those sneaky little things hide when they see you coming. Miss K did a great job because she was lowest to the ground. She was actually finding them on her own without us hinting at an area to look. Miss M was doing just as well.

We ended up with about two and a half pounds of morels for this outing. We enjoyed several for dinner then froze the rest. I'm sure the girls will be just as excited for next year's hunt as I usually am!

The Ultimate Hot Wheels Experience

Now that I've had a chance to sift through all my photos of the Hot Wheels Collectors National that we attended in Chicago, I can throw together a decent overview of it.

Before I begin, I want to address a question that was presented as a comment to my teaser. Mommytime asked if it's always in Chicago - No. Last year it was in Detroit and next year I believe it will be in Virginia. For anyone living in Southern California, they have a convention there annually also.

DH is an avid collector of Dodge Vipers that are the size of Hot Wheels so he follows the collector forums to keep track of what new Vipers have hit the market. We attended the Collectors National in Detroit last year but the girls were too young to really appreciate it all and nap time tended to interfere with a lot of it. This year, we decided to let the girls stay up late, attend all kid-friendly functions and really partake in the entire event. They loved it and so did we!

The girls remembered the downhill races from last year and were anxious to get started on that. Practice sessions were set up during the week and the actual races were held on Saturday. Didn't really matter because the girls had as much fun during the practice sessions. They got to pick whichever cars they wanted, get into line, hand the guy on the ladder their cars then run to the finish line to cheer on their respective cars. They would return those cars to the case and pick new ones - always asking "Which one is fastest, Daddy?"

We paid a little extra to participate in the vending pull session. What's that? Well, it was a vending machine chocked full of limited edition Hot Wheels. The catch? You couldn't see what you were getting. That's the total fun of it. The glass on the front was frosted and it was just a game of chance. We let the girls pick the letter/number combination and push the buttons. Miss K was quite excited to win one of the bonus prizes!

The girls also participated in two different coloring contests. One was sponsored by the convention. The rules are very simple - parents can't help. Period. The kids were grouped by age then awards given out to the top three winners in each age group. I thought the girls did great and it was nice to see their independence during the contest.

The second coloring contest was sponsored by John Rhodes of Woodie's Adventures, someone attending the event. Each year, he sponsors the contest then has the winning design custom made into actual diecast cars. By completing that coloring contest, they were given one of the custom cars in last year's winning design. No charge. No purchase required. No catch. These guys do it for the kids because they want to. I don't know the name of the man who did the custom work for Woodie's Adventures, but he was also very generous - even stopping us in the hall to give some stuff to the girls for their scavenger hunt. Oh yeah, I haven't gotten to THAT yet. I'll get there in a minute. (If someone knows his name, could you please email me and I'll be happy to give him props.)

The Collectors National is held in a hotel and throughout the entire event people can open up their rooms to sell stuff... or buy or trade but that's semantics. Anyway, conventioneers set up tables and displays in their rooms, use the desks, the drawers, the beds for displaying stuff and you literally walk in and out of open doors like they are mini stores. It sounds kind of freakish, but it is so much fun that it's ridiculous. If you collect Hot Wheels, this is heaven because you are bound to find something that you don't already have in your collection.

That's where the scavenger hunt comes into play. To keep the kids occupied during the down time, the convention folks put together a contest where kids look for about thirty different items. A purple Hot Wheel, a convertible Hot Wheel, a napkin with a logo on it, anything with a Speed Racer logo on it, state quarters for Illinois, Wisconsin and Florida, etc. As the kids walked around the convention, they were constantly on the lookout for scavenger hunt items. People who manned the 'stores' were always so generous, offering to fill the bags with whatever the kids were looking for. The catch? None. The charge? None. Was it fun? Like you wouldn't believe. We would enter a room and the girls were responsible for asking for help. They would walk up to whomever they thought the room belonged to and tell the people they were on a scavenger hunt. The list would change hands and they would try as hard as they could to find something from the list. It is an excellent way for the kids to get involved and an awesome way to teach them about manners as well as start to develop interpersonal skills.

But wait, that's not all! In addition to autograph sessions with the actual Hot Wheels designers, Mattel had a room set up displaying some of their latest products. In that room, you had the opportunity to put your destruction skills at work. An honest-to-God Hot Wheels smusher. What a marketing gimmick that is. Adults could crush their cars, but when kids did it Mattel was kind enough to replace the destroyed car with a brand new one. Whew. It took me forever to convince the girls to do it but once they did they wanted to keep doing it! The rep from Mattel said that it was mostly boys that thought it was cool.

And what event would be complete without a magic show. Miss M was especially fond of Mike D and his magic act. She couldn't stop talking about how he ate a (playing) card.

Overall, it was an awesome event and I regret that the next one is so far away. I doubt we'll be able to attend next year, but I can always hope that it will return to the central states in 2010!

Yes, I said "Hot Wheels"

Although I took a short blog hiatus, it wasn't all filled with gloom. We had to adjust the schedule slightly due to the funeral, but since we had already planned and paid for our family trip to Chicago, we really wanted to stick to it.

When we lived in Los Angeles, we didn't have to look very far for something interesting to do. Here in the Midwest, it takes a little more work. Granted, we do find some cool stuff to do with the kids, but for big, fancy events, we need to trek a little further.

This past weekend, the Chicago trip was focused around the Hot Wheels National Convention. Yes, I said Hot Wheels and I am referring to the toy cars. Yes, it was a convention for us just as much as it was for the kids… or vice versa. It was totally a family event.

I've been to several different work and hobby related conventions, but this one takes the cake. You know what people do at a Hot Wheels convention? Car stuff. Lots and lots of Hot Wheels car stuff. Some things, like contests for customizing your own Hot Wheels vehicle, are geared at adults. Scavenger hunts, magic shows and coloring contests are for the kids. The races, on the other hand are for kids of all ages.

There is so much to say about the Hot Wheels National Convention that it would be ludicrous for me to try to put it all in one post. So today, you're getting the teaser and the next post will have more meat to it.

A Tin Cup and a Cell Phone

I have a heart, I swear. But I am also a skeptic.

When we were living in Los Angeles, it wasn't uncommon to see panhandlers at the freeway exits. Often, they were selling flowers or fruit. Sometimes playing music. Very seldom did you see someone just standing on the corner asking for cash. Every once in a while, I would make a purchase one of their items. I was a City employee and there was an ordinance against such panhandlers, so I didn't do it often. I do recall at least once that I made a purchase at a fast food restaurant and delivered it to a man with a "Will work for food" sign.

Back here in Iowa, it's different. Although I have not researched it, I've heard that panhandlers can apply for a permit to work a particular corner/exit ramp. I see people in the same spots over and over and have compassion for their situation - more or less. They are a little suspicious looking, with very new looking boots and coats. But who am I to judge since there are some really nice items available via donation organizations.

But yesterday really did me in. I watched as one of these men stepped away from the corner and faced the other direction... to use his cell phone. It made me angry to think that people like this are using our sense of humanity and emotion to make a buck - when they obviously have the capacity to do something more honest.

As I was about to post how annoyed and frustrated I was, I happened across Dan at A Slower Pace. His story is heart-warming and made me rethink my post. I shouldn't pass judgement across the board. Thanks, Dan, for reminding me that not everyone is a bad apple.

Bribe the Auctioneer with Tears

DH and I have always tried to attend events that we think the girls could learn something from. Aside from customary outings like the Family Museum, we try to take them to less traditional events. Concerts like Trans Siberian Orchestra. Cultural Festivals like the Celtic Highland Games. Science stuff like Gem & Mineral Shows. Comic book and collectables shows.

This past weekend, we attended a coin show hosted by the Quad City Coin Club. We've been to coin shows in Los Angeles and random dealers always have small things for the kids. Keeps them entertained and hopefully gives them a respect for the hobby.

However, this show was set up differently. When we arrived, there was a treasure chest for the kids. They were each allowed to select 10 items from the chest. It contained a variety of foreign coins and the girls eagerly dug through it. Miss K selected 10 of all the same color but with different designs. Miss M selected various sizes and colors but was particularly excited about one with "100" marked on it. That was a nice way to start the show.

While DH was checking out what the vendors had to offer, I ran into a friend from the gym. She said her husband and kids were up registering for the kids' auction. After chatting, we got the scoop and headed to the auction area ourselves.

The auction was for kids only. Each was given $200 virtual dollars to spend on items graciously donated by the attending vendors. While the items weren't worth $200 real dollars, it was all about the experience. Some of the items up for auction were rolls of wheat pennies, silver dollars, books, annual coin sets and collection folders already containing some coins. Almost 100 lots altogether.

About 45 kids participated, bidding anywhere from $10 to $200 right off the bat. Auctioneer Mike Roberts did a great job of getting as many kids involved as possible. When Miss M and Miss K got to raise their 'paddles' they thought it was pretty cool. We didn't care what they won as long as they got something. We just didn't want them to bid too much and be done so we made sure they always pulled their paddle around the $60-$70 mark. Apparently they weren't getting to bid often enough because while DH and I were chatting, Miss K was bidding away on a book with some random coins. Yes, she won it... all on her own. Sometimes her independence is frightening. Miss M won a few auctions also and we were very excited that the event was so focused on the kids and not the parents. At one point, we told Miss K that she had won, but the auctioneer awarded it to someone else on accident. When she started to cry, he made sure that she won the next one to make up for his error.

When the final lots were coming up, they began to ask who had not won an item. Auctioneer Mike focused his attention on those kids first. When it came down to the last few lots, the woman keeping track of the bidder accounts stopped the auction. There were three kids on her list whom had not paid anything and the organizers made sure they won.

I've participated in a lot of auctions but have never enjoyed one as much as this. Thanks to the Quad City Coin Club for this wonderful event.

I'm Spoiled and I Know It

DH and I are both stay-at-home parents. Thanks to some great decisions and opportunities while living in Los Angeles, we have been able to call ourselves semi-retired here in the Midwest.

I am often asked how we manage to spend so much time together and not drive each other crazy. Simple. He's wonderful. He's helpful. I love him.

I love watching him bond with the girls. It's a dramatic change from when Miss M was only one and she barely knew her dad because of all the hours he put in at work, traveling to/from work and out of town because of work. That may sound like a complaint, but it's not. Those sacrifices he made back then got us to where we are today.

The girls are at an age where they are home the majority of the day. They've grown so used to DH being around that when he goes to his volunteer job, they pester me about how long until he'll return. They want him to sing to them and play with them. They want to sit next to him at the restaurant, they fight over who gets daddy and who has to have mommy. They argue about who gets to hold his hand while walking in areas where they have to hold our hands. Am I jealous? Not even close. I'm proud. They want their dad because he's here; he's spending quality time with them and they love him - not because he's absent and they are vying for his attention.

Due to a death in his family and his uncle's sudden illness, he's been away for over a week now. With every day and every small thing I do, I realize how much I miss him. When he calls, I don't complain to him about the girls misbehaving. Considering all the circumstances, my worst day is far better than his best day right now.

Many women have husbands that travel a great deal for work. Other families are broken apart by military assignments. I applaud those people for doing all they do.

I'm spoiled to have a husband who is always around and I'm sorry I don't tell him often enough how much I appreciate him.

Enjoying a Good Iowa Steak

I grew up in Iowa and took for granted that steaks are pretty tasty. When I moved to Los Angeles, I realized that not all steaks are created equal - if you wanted a good steak in LA, you really needed to find the nearest Ruth's Chris or Morton's. Granted, there are other steakhouse chains that had decent steaks, but to truly understand what a great steak is, you just need to fly to Iowa and experience it for yourself.

For Christmas one year, my mom and dad actually purchased a freezer for us so we could have an Iowa side of beef shipped to us. About that time, I (finally) got pregnant and beef was absolutely on the bottom of my list of tastebud pleasers. In fact, I had a tough time with many meats and significantly reduced the amount I consumed of each. My poor brain continually tried to remind me that I'm not a vegetarian but pregnancy tastebuds will win every time. Needless to say, we didn't place that order for the Iowa beef. It didn't come up in discussion again until we started talking about moving back.

So what do you think we did our first summer back in Iowa? I talked to my Mom/Dad and brother/SIL and they agreed to let us become equal shareholders in their annual beef purchase. The freezer got stocked with lots and lots of delicious corn-fed Iowa beef. We opted to go for just the main cuts - roasts, round steaks, T-Bones, porterhouse, ribeyes… mmm…ribeyes with everything else arriving in lean ground beef or patties. The nice part of going direct to the locker (read: slaughterhouse) is the luxury of requesting all the steaks cut to your specifications (for us that meant thick) and having the round steaks seriously tenderized. Since order #1 went over so well, we placed another order this past summer and split a side with my folks (the owner found a buyer for the other side.)

DH is the grill chef of the family and we were both perfectly happy every time a plain ol' steak came off the grill. It was such an improvement over what we had been eating in California that nothing needed to be done to make them taste good. I'm not sure what compelled him to search for recipes/techniques or if he just stumbled upon it, but he found a post titled "How to Turn Cheap Choice Steaks into Gucci Prime Steaks" on the Steamy Kitchen blog. You absolutely have to read her post because I'll never be able to explain all the technical aspects of it and, as a bonus, she's a hoot. To paraphrase, you salt the steak A LOT for about an hour before cooking it. The result is a very tender, slightly salty steak that doesn't need to be slathered in A-1, 57 or any other letter/number combination steak stuff. Unfortunately, you may find that you want steak on the menu more often.

Since discovering the recipe, we've used this technique about 30 times and shared it with anyone who will listen. Basically, depending on the thickness of your steak, you adjust the technique slightly. Our steaks are typically 1¼" so we heavily salt each side and let it sit on the counter for one hour. This is a perfect amount of time because we've found that a steak should be allowed to rest (come to room temperature) for about an hour before grilling it anyhow. We had a few opportunities to try it on ¾" cuts and decided that it was best to only salt one side of the steak in those instances. After the rest period, thoroughly rinse the steak off and pat it dry before sending it off to the grill.

During these winter months when we're freezing our tails off, shoveling snow or simply not enjoying the subzero wind chill, I remind myself that Iowa does bring some advantages with it… then I head to the freezer to pull out a steak.

Our Very Own Igloo

During the summer months, when I step out on my back deck, I see two trampolines, three swing sets and an inflatable water slide in neighboring yards. This past summer was the first time we felt the girls were old enough to play by themselves in the yard, so we spent some time trying to figure out what yard gear we should invest in. During a visit to see MIL in Alabama, we stopped in the Costco and found the coolest jungle gym – the perfect size for the girls. MIL purchased it, we brought it home with us, assembled it and watched the girls climb like monkeys. Here's a picture of MIL playing with Miss K during one of her summer visits.

It hadn't been in the yard very long before DH's brain started churning. He said "It will make a cool igloo this winter." I thought he was joking at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. It WOULD make a cool igloo. Personally, I've always thought it would be neat to have my own igloo!

We had our first major snowfall and were not prepared for it. Our friend Mr. Jason lent us one of his tarps after we mentioned our plans. DH and I bungied it down and waited for the next major snowfall… Voila!

And one more snowfall made it complete!

The weather is so cold right now that the kids haven't been able to enjoy it, but at least we have our own igloo now!