Saturday Lunch and Movie Date

I took advantage of the three day weekend, and spent Saturday afternoon with one of my best buddies. Usually I feel too much absent mom guilt to ditch the kids on the weekend afternoons, (evenings are less troublesome to my conscience for some reason) but with an extra day off to spare this weekend, my conscience got over it.

My buddy and I did what all girlfriends did this weekend- lunch and a movie date to see the new "Sex and the City" movie.

For lunch we went to P.F. Changs in Alderwood mall. Even though it's a soulless chain restaurant with faux "authentic" Chinese food, it's still a fun place to eat with a nice atmosphere and yummy food.

spicy bloody mary

egg drop soup


mini won tons and eggrolls

chicken lettuce wraps

I love "Sex and the City". I own all the DVDs, and I've seen them many, many times. I also really liked the first movie. I was disappointed with this new film. Sure, it's funny and fun, but it had no real story or substance to it. And I expect better from this show.

But it was still fun. Great for a matinee, and perfect to giggle with your girlfriend. The ladies are beautiful, the guys weren't bad either. And the clothes! It was fashion porn.

Our next movie date will be in two weeks for "The A-Team"!! I can't wait.

Dentists are scarier than a creepy Easter Bunny

Lucy had her first dentist appointment yesterday, and it didn't go so well. As soon as she saw that big chair, she clung to my leg, made big saucer eyes, and shook her head no.

The hygienist was really, really nice and tried many different ways to get Lucy to relax. She let her spray water from the water wand, and she let her suck up water from a cup with the cool vacuum thing. Lucy liked doing all that stuff, but there was still no getting her into that chair.

We let Colin go first, and thought if Lucy watched his turn, she would see it was no big deal. She loved watching Colin's turn, laughed when he put on the big glasses, laughed when his teeth were polished, and laughed when he got yucky fluoride painted on. But there was still no talking her into taking a turn.

We finally cajoled her enough to open her mouth and let everyone take a look. The dentist, the two hygienists and the receptionist all praised her and did their best to get her to do more, but she was having none of it. It was decided by all that nothing looked out of place, and we'd just try again in another six months. They make a great effort not to scare or traumatize kids for future visits.

I don't know where Lucy's dentist fear came from. She loves going to the doctor, so it never occurred to me that she'd get scared for this appointment. She's usually really brave - she's the kind of kid that will talk to strangers or run up to hug mascots and costumed characters.

That's kids for you, I guess.

"True Blood" Blues

I picked up the new DVD set of "True Blood" Season 2 yesterday, and all I want to do is watch it straight through. I'm trying to make myself watch the episodes slower, to savor the experience. Delayed gratification isn't my strong suit, however.

The terrible thing is that season 2 is so good, I'm already jonsing for season 3. And season 3 hasn't even started airing on HBO yet.

But the biggest problem of all, is that I don't have HBO to watch it. I don't even have cable, so I can't even get a temporary HBO subscription to take me through the 12 weeks of the new shows.

I don't have cable because it's very expensive and NOTHING is ever on. Well, nothing except "True Blood" for 12 weeks out of the year.

Everything good is already on DVD anyways. And hulu.com takes care of the rest. I do not want to get cable. Plus, the kids never beg for toys or cereal because they don't watch commercials all day.

But what about "True Blood"? Why does it have to be so good and so addictive? How will I watch the new season?

I'll miss you, Merlotte's....


If anyone has HBO and wants to invite me over, or if you know any bootleg websites, let me know.....

3D movies - the 3D stands for three dollars

I took the kids to see the new Shrek movie this weekend. This is a 3-D movie. The cost of a matinee for one adult and two children? $32.50!!! Yes, the 3 in 3D clearly stands for the three dollars extra you must pay to get in.

I don't want to sound like an out of touch grandpa stuck in the 1940's or anything, but when I was a kid, it cost about $3 to see a matinee show, and maybe about $6 for a night show. Granted, the new 3D technology is neato and everything, but really, $10.50 for a kids ticket to a matinee? Really? And don't forget the $7.50 for popcorn, and the $10 in smuggled candy from the drugstore. Me taking two kids to a weekend matinee is a $50 event?

And you know what? The movie wasn't even that good. It had a few good moments, but over all, the Shrek franchise is really, really played. And the 3D was nothing to write home about either.

Thanks for all your money, chumps!

So the lesson here is this: Avoid 3D movies whenever possible. The only way I'm every shelling out that kind of money again for a 3D movie is if it's a movie that really, really, needs to be 3D. Shrek does not fit the bill for this. Neither did "Clash of the Titans" by the way. I'm starting to think this whole 3D thing is a big scam to get those 3 extra dollars out of your wallet.

Love/Hate Relationships #2: my new iPod

Against all odds, I actually won money at the casino last month. Since I already made the decision of coffee maker vs iPod and got the coffee maker (which I'm still totally in love with, BTW), I decided to go ahead and also purchase the iPod.

And so I got my beautiful 16 gig, shiny purple iPod. It plays music, movies, TV shows, radio, shoots video and probably does a lot more stuff I'll never bother with. I immediately purchased a clear plastic skin and matching purple earphones. My iPod has to look good. And it's so pretty. I love it.

Now that I've used it here and there, I've found that lots of little irritating things keep coming up. In fact, I kind of hate it.

Here's what I love about my iPod:

• cute
• so much memory that it holds all the albums i care about listening to EVER
  

Here's what I hate about my iPod:

• stupid play lists appear out of nowhere. Go eff yourself, "On the Go" and "Genius".
• If I don't remember to slide over the HOLD button, my battery just drains away. I never remember that stupid little button, and I'm forced to recharge my iPod all the time.
• I always forget to charge my iPod. I carry it dead in my purse for a week at a time, lifeless and useless. Then I'm waiting for a bus thinking, "maybe I'll listen to my iPod" and then I remember that there's no battery life left.
• I put a movie on my iPod (Reno 911 the Movie), and the screen is so tiny, it hurts my eyes to watch it.
• Itunes HATES me. Every time I synch my iPod, problems arise. It won't synch, it synchs things I don't want, or some other irritating, time wasting issue comes up

All that being said, I have to just take a moment and say that in 1987, when I was 11 years old, I had a cassette walkman. At the time, it was awesome. One tape, one album- fast forward, rewind, stop, and play. I listened to Madonna's "True Blue" about a million times this way. The fact that now, 23 years later, I have every album I've ever owned stored on a device about the size of a credit card is AMAZING!

A Day at the Races

Last weekend, when it was Mother's Day, I knew there was only one family fun activity that I wanted to take part of. The horse races!

Emerald Downs in Auburn has live horse racing from May-September every year. I've always wanted to go, so Mother's Day was the day.

I'd never bet on horses before, and I kept my bets simple. There was a race every half hour, so it was about 45 seconds of big excitement coupled with 24 minute periods of waiting around. The kids were good, but could only handle so many periods of doing nothing. Ice cream cones and gift shop toys helped a lot.

I enjoyed the fun of making a wager and then watching the horses run, and I enjoyed sitting outside on a nice day drinking a cold beer. Next time I go, I definitely will not go with the kids. That way I'll be able to do a good study of bets, and relax and hang in between races.

The horse in the photo above won me $36!

Here are my tips for enjoying a day at the races:

-Pay the extra couple of bucks and sit up in the stands. You won't have to worry about losing your spot on the benches if you go to the bathroom.

-Bring your own lunch/dinner. The food court food was not good.

-Go with someone you can stand making small talk with in between races.

-Study the program and tip sheet to make the best bets. You can also get help from a tutorial booth if you need help figuring out the more complicated wagers.

-Search the web for coupons on admission, parking and more.

-Buy your silly hat at Goodwill, don't pay $30 at the hat stand

The teacher/student relationship

As a mom, I am constantly teaching my kids things. How to wash your hair without getting soap in your eyes, how to use a napkin and not your sleeve, how to match shirts and pants, how to flip up your eyelids to make the best zombie faces. The list goes on and on and on.

I realized the other day that my kids were teaching me right back.

I had this moment of clarity when Colin and I played a game of chess. He's been in chess club all year at school and wanted to show off his prowess. I know how to play chess in a basic way- I know how all the pieces move, but chess was never a game that held my interest. Even so, I figured I'd thrash Colin. I mean, he's just a little kid.

Well, he beat me, and he beat me fair and square. He snuck his castle right into position to capture my king, and I didn't even see it coming. He explained his moves to me afterwards and I could see he was thinking in ways that I was not. He certainly taught me a thing or two about chess. It was so cool!

A really great lesson I've been learning is from Lucy. Lucy is a stubborn little one, and she digs her heels in at the silliest little things. She HAS to love everything. If she doesn't love the shirt, she won't wear it. If she doesn't love the yogurt, she won't eat it. If she doesn't love the movie, she won't watch it.

It used to exasperate me, because sometimes you just want your kid to put her shoes on and get in the car, already. But Lucy has to put on the shoes she loves. There's no hurrying her, and there's no convincing her she loves something if she doesn't. You cannot talk her into loving something just becuase it's the fastest option. I've learned to just slow down and let her choose the things she decides to love, and not listen to the ear-piercing howls of protest when I try to force something on her.

And now lately, I find myself thinking, "Do I love this?" to myself. Do I love this sandwich? No, then I'm going to get one I do love. Do I love these socks? No, then I'm going to wear a different pair. Do I love this book? No, then I'm going to stop reading it. Hey, this isn't such a bad line of thinking. I think I like it. No wait, I love it!

You can't always do things you love, but if you love most of the things you're doing, it's a pretty good way to live. That Lucy is so wise for a three year old!

And so, Grasshopper, the teacher has become a student. Such is the cycle of life.

I can still kick Colin's butt at Connect 4, though.

Another Day, Another Lunch

Our Friday lunch at the office took us this week to Piatti's in University Village. We're slowly but surely trying to get to all the restaurants down there, with varying success.

Piatti's is Italian food. Or Italianish, I guess. the menu has little fancy pizzas, paninis and stuff like that. The food was pretty good. Everyone at the table was happy, so that's what counts in the end.

My favorite part was the drinks, as usual.

Agave Margarita and Razzberry Lemontini

Mini breads with an olive oil and vinegar dip - so classy

I had a Caesar salad


Mussels in white wine broth; Shrimp risotto in the background

My arm couldn't reach far enough to take photos of the other dishes that were ordered.

Piatti's - nice atmosphere, yummy cocktails, and hearty, flavorful entrees. Another U-Village winner.

Don't forget your Friday cupcakes from Trophy!

An "Angel" moment

Have you ever had a moment of pure happiness? A moment where all the stars align, and you experience a feeling of 100% joy? Yeah, yeah, sure it's all about happiness and joy when you get married or have babies. But I'm talking about your own personal, private moment that's only about you.

The TV show "Angel" is about a vampire with a soul named Angel. Because he's cursed, if Angel ever experiences a moment of pure happiness, he loses his soul and reverts back into his evil, human-massacring, badass, vampire persona. Yes, I am going somewhere with this.

Because I'm a big dork, whenever I'm lucky enough to experience a moment of pure joy, I think of it as having an "Angel" moment. (Hey, it's better than having a Maalox moment)

For example, a while back we were on a road trip to eastern Washington. In the three months leading up to this, I had for some stupid reason, decided to not eat any sugar at all. And I had recently developed a painful infection in one of my teeth. During the car ride we stopped for lunch. Before we hit the road, we got ice cream at Baskin Robbins.

So the kids were quiet, my two vicodin were kicking in, I was sipping on this chocolate shake that was unbelievably good, and I was reading a graphic novel I'd been really excited about reading. All of these elements came together in that car ride to create for me a moment of pure joy. Judge if you must, but I'm telling you, it was joy. OK, I'm sure the vicodin buzz helped, but i was so happy in that moment, I've never forgotten it. If I'd been Angel, I'd have lost my soul, I tell you.

Kids probably have lots of moments of pure joy- as they should. I recently captured Lucy in one of hers. She's passionately in love with the "Little Mermaid" and I had just picked up one of the sequel movies for her to watch. She spread herself out on my bed and I gave her a bowl of mixed candy to work on. She was a happy, happy girl.

She's one Whopper away from losing her soul....

Have you ever had a moment of pure joy? You don't have to call it an "Angel" moment like I do....

Chang's Mongolian Grill

This weekend we had dinner at Chang's Mongolian Grill in Everett. Mongolian grills are the best because you can pick all the stuff you like, and have it cooked up just for you. As a semi-picky person, this is a format I appreciate.

When I was in college at the UW, a field trip to Chang's on Broadway was a regular outing for my dorm group. I'm not sure how the trend started, but a group of us would make frequent bus pilgrimages to Chang's, and fill up on the all you can eat meat, veggies, soup and more.

The Chang's on Broadway is closed now, so only the one in Everett, and another in Kent are around today. But the interiors are all the same, and the cook up in Everett is the same old guy that used to be at Broadway, so it's always a good blast from the past to eat there.

Today, each of us in the family has a different Chang's style we usually follow:

Mike goes for a big mix of everything



I stick with chicken, noodles, and select veggies



Lucy says she wants a whole bunch of different things, and then doesn't eat them



Colin goes for plain old meat and noodles only

After dinner you get ice cream and fortune cookies.

Look out, friends of mine!

I think I might be immature

Some things are unintentionally funny. Or maybe I think they are funny because I have the humor of a teen-age boy. One of my favorite movies is "American Pie". Eugene Levy playing that nerdy dad walking in on his son doing it with a pie? Hilarious every time.

Here are some things I've seen recently that a more mature person than me would probably not laugh at:

Even if you are making rum in a place named Mount Gay, do you really want to name your rum after it?

Puckerooms? Yeah, pucker up and eat these....mushrooms. (I'll take grape, please)

This is a video clip brought to my attention by someone who might be more immature than me, my buddy, Steve.

Who wants to take pottery class with me?

What not to do when your son is in a play

Colin was in the 2nd/3rd grade play, performed this week on Open House night at his school. The play was called "Go Fish" and the story was something about a shark becoming friends with fish. I think.

Most of the kids in the 4 classes were generic fish kids that sang in the chorus during the musical numbers. But in one of the few speaking roles, on the main stage, surrounded by upperclassmen, was my little second grader, Colin.

So my little guy had to get up in front of all the parents and family members that gathered in the good old cafeteria/auditorium room, and perform his role of "Needle Fish".

Here's what I did wrong:

I did not make him a costume. I didn't know what the hell a needle fish was, and I knew most of the other kids weren't going to be in any kind of costume, but surely I could have jazzed him up with SOMETHING. Even just a pair of swim goggles on his head would have lent to an oceany feel.
I told him beforehand that I was going to video the play. He mentioned several times before the play started that he was nervous because he knew I'd be recording it. In the future I will pretend that I forgot the camera.

I gave him a huge hickey on his eye. OK, that sounds really weird, but I was pretending to eat Lucy's eyes to make her giggle, and so Colin asked me to eat his eyes, too, but when I did it was apparent that he has really, really delicate skin, and I had made a huge hickey on his eye. The photo does not do justice to how red the marks were. He really looked like he had been punched in the face.


Despite me, Colin did a great job. He remembered all his lines and cues, and he was just downright adorable.

I promise to do better for his next play.....

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Best local TV news anchor

I'm not a big fan of watching the news. I have a theory that you are a happier person if you don't pay too much attention to the news. Not that I'm uninformed, mind you, I read news online and listen to it on the radio. That way I choose which stories to read. I don't have to subject myself to the local shootings, child abuse, and corrupt police stories that the media love to report to death.

The best or worst part of watching local news is always the anchor people. Here are my votes for the best local TV anchors:


Dennis Bounds - on King 5. Dennis totally has that steady, everyman/relatable anchor persona going on. He's like a dad, or a friendly boss. he's trustworthy and confident. Seattle news is safe in Dennis Bound's hands.



Kathy Goertzen - on Komo 4. I don't really care one way or the other about Kathy Goertzen, but when I was in college, this guy I lived in the dorms with had a thing for her, and whenever the news was coming on, he'd say "it's time to get Goertzed, heh heh heh". I'm not really sure what that means, but he always made it sound dirty, and to this day I remember him, and the Kathy Goertzen connection. (Remember that, Brandon?)



Steve Pool - on Komo 4. Steve Pool is a weather forecaster and for some reason has a kind of cult coolness around town. We saw a sheep at the fair named Steve Pool, and an even bigger indicator of his "cred" is this tattoo:






Adam Gehrke - Q13. Adam Gehrky is the traffic reporter for this station, and he's been doing traffic here for as long as I've been commuting. He has a special place in my news anchor heart because I remember when he had to segway from the radio programming to the on-air traffic report, he always tried to make a joke relating to the radio topic and work it into the traffic report. It wasn't always funny, but I appreciated his attempts to make his traffic reports sound different.



My favorite of all news anchors is King 5's Jeff Renner. Not too long ago, Jeff Renner sported an awesome "newsman" moustache, but today's he's clean shaven. It doesn't matter what his facial hair is, Jeff Renner can sooth me to sleep with his smooth, sultry voice anytime. If I could pick anyone to read me a story, it would be Jeff Renner.


Here's Jeff taking us out with a winter weather safety tip. Thanks, Jeff!

There's no place like home

When I first started this blog, I meant to write a little something about Lynnwood. Seeing as how I call my blog My Lynnwood Life, it seemed an appropriate topic. I drafted a few thoughts, but always had so many other fascinating blog topics, my Lynnwood post never materialized. Looking over my drafts today, I decided that Lynnwood's time had come.

Lynnwood is an awesome place to live. It's just 15 minutes north of metro Seattle. And Seattle has a multitude of cultural venues, nightclubs, community gatherings and professional sport events.

Lynnwood has gun stores, bikini espresso stands, and bingo halls.

When I was a college student I lived in the University district of Seattle. Lots of bars, lots of vintage clothes shops, and lots of ethnic restaurants. And after college, but before I "settled down", I lived on Queen Anne in Seattle. Queen Anne is home to elite Seattleites, fancy grocery stores, and a "Frasier" style view of the Seattle skyline.

I loved living in both places. The U-District was fun and funky, and Queen Anne was beautiful and upscale. But I never felt like I was at home until I moved to Lynnwood. It didn't bother me that I was now a commuter who had to sit on I-5 to get to work. It didn't bother me that I couldn't walk to ten different bars anymore. It didn't bother me that everyone I knew thought that Lynnwood was SO FAR from Seattle.

Lynnwood is a big old cultural melting pot. Swanky, designer neighborhoods right next to a row of dilapidated trailer parks. Sweater-set mom is in line with you at the grocery store along with peg-leg-hairy-back-man-wearing-a-tank-top, and scary-black-eyeliner-goth-lace-dress girl.

I've lived in Lynnwood for about nine years now, and I like it more and more.

If I go three blocks out of my neighborhood to the corner at Highway 99, within the distance of about a half block, I can get a manicure, a gun, a new Mercedes, a pizza and a pregnancy consultation.

I belong in Lynnwood.

Halloween cannot be planned too soon

Ever since I had kids, I use them as an excuse to dress up really obnoxiously on Halloween. Nothing's better than a whole family dressed up together in a theme! But doing Halloween right means lots of planning. You don't have to spend a whole lot if you get creative and give yourself enough time to find the right pieces for your costumes.

The hardest thing is picking a theme your kids are excited about going along with. Now that there's four of us, I'm itching to do an A-Team theme, but Colin is completely uninterested and does not agree that he would be the perfect little Faceman.

In past years we've done these themes:

Superman Family - Colin was Superman, I was Lois Lane, Mike was Clark Kent, and little Lucy was a shard of Kryptonite.


I can't find the photo for this year, but we went as a Spiderman Family - Colin was Spiderman, I was Aunt May (pretty pregnant with Lucy at the time, kind of a disturbing combo with the white granny wig I wore) and Mike was Dr. Octopus, in what was my greatest homemade costume of all time.

Spongebob Family - Colin was Spongebob, I was Gary the Snail, and Mike was Squidward.


Scooby-Doo Family - Colin was Scooby, I was Velma, and Mike was Shaggy.


But what to do this year? I like to decide by June so that I have several months to figure out what I'm going to put together.

You don't just turn a baby into a shard of Kryptonite overnight, you know?

Happy Days

When I saw that the Fonz himself, Henry Winkler, was coming to the area for a book signing, I knew I had to go. Even though nothing about the event was Fonzie-related, I still wasn't going to miss a chance to see a TV icon I grew up watching.

Henry Winkler writes a series of books for kids about a boy named Hank Zipzer. They must do fairly well because he's already on book 17. The series reflects Henry's own life, going to public school in New York, and having difficulties with learning and studying. He had to overcome his own severe dyslexia growing up, and seems to love talking to kids and getting them interested in books, learning, and believing in yourself. All great messages.

And he's pretty good at it. Colin was not thrilled to be dragged to this event, was not at all interested in the books, and had no idea who Fonzie was. But after watching Henry Winkler on stage interacting with the kids in the audience, Colin was totally into it, laughing and waving his hand to ask questions. The Fonz still has it.

We stood in line to have two books signed, and Mr. Winkler was very nice to Colin and Lucy. He took extra time just to speak with them for a few minutes and let them know that they could do anything in life. It was really cool.

Of course my camera chooses that time to have technical difficulties, but luckily my friend, Rebecca, was there with hers to capture the moment.

Fonzie looks kind of angry in this picture, but he was really just speaking intensely.

This is almost an "aaayyyy" pose

The Fonz - still cool after all these years.....