Still counting down to vacation

Time can't seem to make up it's mind! On one hand, it's going way to slow--I am so ready to head out of here for vaca. On the other hand, I have lots to do before we go and I can't seem to get things done.
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Right now, daughter's in the shower, son's raking weeds out in the pasture, hubby's at a class at Job Service, and I'm sitting at my computer working (or not working as the case may be).
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I'm trying to use up all the fresh produce before we go so last night we had a vegetable lo mien and tonight we're having spuds & onions and steamed kale. Tomorrow is going to have to be a throw together. And for lunches, today and tomorrow, I'm having sweet potatoes. Then I think we'll have all of the fresh stuff gone. I did ask hubby to get some bananas on his way home from his class, though. We are fresh out and we can't seem to live without bananas these days.
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Well, back to work.
Ciao for now.

Vacation Countdown

We leave in T minus 5 days............

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We are going to do California this year. We have our motel reservation, our Disneyland tickets, and 2 of our Legoland tickets.

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I'm a little concerned about eating on the trip--a lot of salads, is my guess. I was craving some ice cream here a while back and, after my last episode with dairy, I decided to "test" myself. Sure enough, I had dairy and just over a day later, I was stuck in the bathroom. So I am going to have to be really careful about dairy while we're gone. The problem is that so often, dairy and eggs are hidden in things that you wouldn't think they'd be in. And I just won't eat meat--yuck. I told hubby that we may need to find a grocery store and keep things like banana, apples, and baby carrots in the motel room.

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At the top is a picture from our last trip--2 years ago. I was better than 100 pounds heavier in that picture than I am now. I am really looking forward to not having my feet hurt this time. Last time, I was literally crying one day because my feet and legs hurt so bad; and on the way home, my feet swelled up so bad that I could hardly get my sandals on, let alone any shoes.
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This is a picture of my kids taken on that trip. They have sure grown!

Son actually started a summer job today. He's on the "Bug Crew". They monitor and count and transplant bugs that kill noxious weeds. Today is training in the morning and then they spend the afternoon in a field making sure that they can actually identify the plants and bugs that they'll be working with. He is an alternate on the team, but the lady told me that often, the alternates work more than the regulars because they cover absences for vacations, summer camps, illness, etc. He's really excited. And it's nice because his best friend is on the crew, too.

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Well, I'm back to work. I have to get stuff done this week so I don't come home to an even bigger pile--my job is one of those where the work just waits for me if I don't get it done.

Ciao for now.

Proud Mama Post

I haven't been good at posting. There seems to have been a lot going on and when I've had the time to post, I haven't had the inclination (due to feeling like people were looking over my shoulder. Anyway, here's a summary of life since last post--"proud mommy bragging" alert! The kids had their piano recital--there is a picture of them with their trophies. The trophy was for getting 3 consecutive "Superior" ratings at the annual Jr. Music Festival competition. Both kids got one. They played really good at the recital. They could have been better, but considering the fact that they had to prep their songs without the aid of a piano teacher I think they did great. (We had to quit piano lessons after hubby got laid off a couple of month's ago, but their teacher didn't want them to miss out on the recital so she gave them their songs and included them anyway--that was so nice of her!)
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Daughter was invited to join the "Magnet Classroom" for 4th and 5th grades. They did 3rd grade GT (gifted and talented) testing throughout the district--both public an private schools--and out of those tested, 26 were invited to attend the magnet classroom next year. This is a specialized class that caters more to the individual kids. They don't necessarily follow district curriculum and they go a lot deeper into some areas. The kids are also helped to advance in their individual strength areas. I am really excited for her! I think she will do really well.
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Son got the "presidential award for educational excellence" at his 6th grade graduation. The criteria were to have gotten all "A"s in elementary school, gotten "advanced" and a certain percentile in the ISAT tests, and gotten certain scores in the DWA and DMA tests. (There was something else, but I don't know what it was.) There were only 2 kids that got it and son was one of them. I am really proud of him as well.
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I warned you that this was a "Proud Mama Post" and that I was going to be shamelessly bragging on them.
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School's out for summer, now. Yesterday was their last day. Since I work from home and hubby is not working, they will be home this summer--I'll let you know how my sanity fares with 2 kids and 1 husband home with me all summer. (So far, I don't think it's going to be an easy summer.......)
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Well, I am going to get back to work now.
Ciao for now.

Yesterday got away from me

But I'm here now. Not much happening--work is going to get busy soon, but until then..........
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So I'm taking a few minutes to blog.
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Tonight is the kids' piano recital--it's a jazzy, swinging kind of theme. Daughter is playing "Heart and Soul" (I fell in love with you; heart and soul; just like a fool would do; madly; that little kiss you stole--it got me heart and soul.) Son is playing a piece called "Surfboard Boogie" (sorry, no words for me to sing). Daughter's still a little rough on her piece but son has his down pat. Her piece is actually harder than his. I think he chickened out a little--after we had to quit formal lessons, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to do a harder song on his own so he switched to an easier song. Daughter actually switched up to a harder song just because she liked the song. (Son is doing daughter's original song.)
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Let's see, what else is going on.......well, for one thing, hubby really, really, really needs to get a job. He's starting to drive me nuts.
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Also, daughter was invited to do the "magnet classroom" for the next two years. They choose certain kids based upon teacher recommendations and tested them for the Gifted & Talented program and out of those that are tested, a certain number of them are also invited to be in the magnet classroom. It is basically just a non-traditional classroom where the kids are catered to more--the math is on the computer at their own pace; science is all lab; reading/language is done using novels instead of the textbooks, art is done every day, etc.
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It worked out that only 26 kids (out of 7 public schools with 3 to 4 third grade classes each and a number of private schools) were selected. So it really is an honor. I think it will be really good for her, but I was kind of concerned about her being separated from other kids. When I was a kid, I was in GT and was pulled out 2 days a week. I felt like I was ostracized--"the smart kid"--and never really felt like I fit in. I voiced my concern and a dad, whose older child had been in the first magnet classroom, spoke up and talked about how his daughter had just blossomed in the program. That made me feel better.
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Daughter decided she did want to do it (I think I would have pushed if she hadn't). She is shy and didn't want to leave her friends because she has a hard time making new friends. But I assured her that she can still get together with her two main friends so she decided she was OK. She will have to change schools, but the school where the magnet class is held is actually closer to our house than her current school is. And when she found out that the school mascot over there is the mustang, that sealed the deal (she loves horses.)
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They just started this two years ago so son missed it. His experience with the GT program was less than stellar. In fact, he says that he's glad he's done with GT now--they had an online computer group that met sporadically and had assignments that weren't much different than what he was doing in class. He was doing the same math program that daughter will be doing (he tested 'end of 7th grade' even though he's actually just finishing 6th grade). But he was put up a grade in math in 4th grade just to keep him from getting bored--not as part of GT.
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Last night for dinner, I spiral cut some butternut squash and put tomatoes and zucchini hummus on it--so good.
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Well, that's all I can think of.....
Ciao for now

Yesterday's food and weekend wrap-up

Yesterday's food:
I started with Strawberry Ice-cream (frozen strawberries, soy protein powder, and 2 dates. I added just enough water for the Vita-mix to be able to blend it into ice-cream.) I made 4 servings so we all had it. Lunch was a salad of spinach, carrot, and fresh picked parsley. The dressing was zucchini hummus that was diluted with some apple cider vinegar to which I added some salt, pepper, and paprika.

Dinner was brown rice and a sauteed veggie mix that tasted like a cooked Cole slaw. (Cabbage, carrot, celery sauteed in a bit of coconut oil. I then added salt, pepper, ginger, paprika. It still didn't taste like I wanted it to so I added some agave and some apple cider vinegar and cooked it down. It was really good.)

I don't have a picture of dessert, but son made another recipe from Ani's Raw Desserts--Blueberry cobbler. Except that we didn't have blueberries, we only had blackberries and only canned and not nearly as many as the recipe called for. So he quartered the recipe and made 4 mini cobblers in dessert cups. It was really good.

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Now the weekend wrap-up. We went to Salt Lake for the weekend Saturday we did Lagoon (Corn on the cob was the only thing there I cared to eat) from 10-3 and then went the hotel and then to Sages for dinner.

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At Sages, they had a special going on--one of two appetizers (carrot pate or corn chowder), one of two pasta dishes (mushroom stroganoff or pesto pasta), and one of two desserts (Brownie sundae or tiramisu). Hubby had one combo and I had the other. The special was the same price as just the pasta. I noticed they had scaled down the portion size from the last time hubby had pasta, but that was a good thing--it meant we were able to eat everything and be full but not stuffed.

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Excellent. I would recommend that restaurant to anyone. It is located in Salt Lake two blocks back toward the capitol from Trolley Square and one block back toward the freeway. I don't know the exact address, but that's how I find it.

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Then we wandered the Gateway and then went back to our hotel. Sunday morning was a bit rainy. We went and rode the trolley from the Energy Solutions arena up to the University and back. It was still raining so we decided to wait a while before heading back to Lagoon. We saw a Whole Foods Market (it was right between Trolley Square and Sages) and I had never been in one before (we don't have one here) so hubby took us there.

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I like Whole Foods! I wouldn't be able to shop there much, though. It was quite expensive. I'm too frugal (I have to be in order to make ends meet).

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Then we had lunch at Noodle and Co.--it was right by Whole Foods. It was good. I had a dish that had rice noodles with veggies and a spicy peanut sauce. I would eat there again for a fast-food type meal.

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The rain was slowing down by then so we headed back to Lagoon. We still got some light showers, but we had a ball. I had some french fries when the others had snacks.

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Then we headed back home. By the time we ate I was hungry and crabby as heck. Daughter burst into tears when they didn't have the drink she wanted and son complained the whole time how slow they were. We had waited way too long to eat and my kids and I are all quite adversely affected by hunger. The reason we were so long in eating is that we decided to head up the road to a Mexican place--when we got to it, it was closed and then we couldn't really find anything.

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We ended up doing Denny's. I had a dinner salad w/ vinaigrette on the side and grits (no butter or milk) and some of the grapes that came with daughter's meal. I complained about it to the family (just because I was hungry and tired and grumpy), but it was OK. Daughter and son both perked right up after they ate. I was beginning to think we were going to have to get son a second meal, but he finally slowed down after eating all of his dinner and half of hubby's. (How would it be to have the metabolism of a 12 year old boy?)

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Then we came the rest of the way home and got here about 10:15. We emptied the car and went to bed.

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Yesterday, we slept in and then had breakfast and goofed off. Then mowed the grass and had lunch. Then went to visit the cemeteries. Then came home for a while, had dinner, and went to the grocery store. Then came home for dessert, and got ready for bed.

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Yesterday at the cemetery daughter really was into talking about the baby I lost prior to son being conceived. Both kids are sure that child was a girl. Daughter was concerned that we hadn't buried that child so there was no grave we could visit. And in fact, until son was about 5, he used to talk about having met his big sister up in heaven prior to coming down to be with us. Maybe that child was a girl and maybe my kids did know her before coming to be with us. It gives me the chills to think about, but it's also nice.

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Well, this has gone on quite a ways. I need to get to work.

Hope everyone had a great weekend,

Ciao for now

Dinner last night

Just a quick post here. First of all, everyone have a good weekend.
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We're going to Salt Lake. We'll do Lagoon and have dinner with my sister and her partner. And I don't know what else. We usually have fun. I can't wait to show my sister my new tattoo. It is so pretty.
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Last night, we had corn on the cob and steamed broccoli. I knew that wouldn't satisfy hubby so I told him to figure out what he wanted to go with it. He chose pork chops. The kids didn't want any pork--they just wanted the broccoli and corn. He was quite put out! But what could he say? They had the same dinner I did and I was fine (in fact, I was a heck of a lot better than him).
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So I'll probably talk to you all on Tuesday (or post to you all, anyway).
Ciao for now.