As we were lying around the house on Saturday morning, my husband suddenly got the idea in his head that it would be a good idea to fly to Vegas and stay for the night. After a few phone calls to determine which hotel had the most kid-friendly pool area, we decided on the MGM Grand. We packed FAST and managed to forget a few key things (swim diapers, underwear for me and my NuvaRing). Oh well. The flight was great, K napped on the plane and it took only 1 hour and 22 minutes. It costs us less than a commercial flight for 3 of us and we didn't have to bother with their schedule, security checks or the boarding cattle call.....YES! The hub arranged for a private town car to take us to the hotel upon arrival. I was so wide eyed at the VIP service I must have looked like a total rookie.
The suite we were promised (at a huge discount by the way) was apparently given away as we checked in just an hour late. WTF? The hub used his players club points to get the upgrade but apparently it will be given away if another person with a higher players club status checks in before you. No biggie. We unloaded our stuff in the room and headed for the pool. Thank goodness they sold swim diapers at the pool area. The pool was CROWDED with young, drunk and loud people. Note to self: Vegas may not be the most appropriate place for kids! We went a couple times around the lazy river with K and she had a blast. I was so glad that we remembered her water wings. I had a good time watching the drunk and/or hungover people sweating it out in the Vegas heat by the pool. I was surprised to see people of all ages there (birth to 80's!). After the pool we headed to see the lion enclosure inside the hotel. They were sleeping but K enjoyed them all the same. We found a dinner place, made a 6:15 reservation, headed to the room, changed and back down to dinner. Fantastic food! I was kicking myself for not bringing the camera to dinner. The hub got a caesar salad to start and a big thick fillet mignon with king crab legs, grilled asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes for dinner. I ordered a build-your-own salad where you can check off up to 10 things for your salad. Mine included chopped romaine, spanish olives, shaved radish, toasted pine nuts, creamy dill ranch dressing, bacon bits, cucumber, avocado, and carrots. For dinner I had wild Alaskan halibut on a bed of lentils and rice with grilled asparagus. We shared our food with K and she loved it all (except the wild mushrooms on daddy's plate!). After dinner we headed back to the room, put K down for bed and we sat in bed and watched "Fool's Gold". The hub went downstairs to play blackjack while we slept. He was only gone a couple hours.
K slept in until 8am! Downstairs for a mediocre overpriced breakfast, then back to the room to pack, give our luggage to the bell desk to hold, and back out to the pool. AAAAAhhhh.....no one at the pool! All still sleeping off their night of partying. A couple times around the lazy river and lounging by the pool and we were hungry for lunch. We stopped by to visit the lions frolicking about and playing with the trainers. Lunch was at the Rainforest Cafe. K loved the noises of the stampedes and the rain as well as the animated elephants, monkeys and cheetahs. After lunch we gathered our luggage and took a short cab ride to the airport, loaded up on the green apples, bottled water, popcorn and chocolate chip cookies that are available for FREE in the terminal for the flight. The nice man who drove us out to our plane offered to drive K and I over to big Gulf Stream to take a tour while the hub did his pre-flight. What a cool plane! Like a mini Air Force One! Full staff and all. They were headed to Oklahoma. The pilot gave Naya a special "pilot's brownie". Back in the plane and off for home. We were back home by 4pm.
*Sigh* now it's back to our usual week of laundry, cleaning, cooking and running errands. I could get used to having a jet set life! K starts pre-school in ONE week! Yoga here I come.
*Forgot to add that the hub put $5 in a machine as we were leaving (much to my dismay) but instantly turned it into $25! Now, I know that's not a lot but I was happy it wasn't $5 lost but $20 gained! I am so NOT the gambler.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Hawaii
So...Hawaii. It was good. It wasn't great. K was a bit fussier than normal (although compared to most toddlers, we hear she is very easy) and I think we learned that traveling with another couple is difficult. Especially when they don't have kids. We ended up having to move from the home we rented due to some HUGE ASS roaches. Oh yes people. HUGE. The hub found the first one in his toiletries bag and turned white as a ghost. I'm cracking up thinking about it as I type this. Here is the big fucker:
We sucked it up in the vacuum then left the vacuum outside. Anyhow, the owner of the home gave us our money back and we moved to the Westin Resort which was awesome. Oddly there are a lot of hippies on the island. Why? Not that they bother me, but just found it odd - they do stand out with their white skin, dreads, and hitchhiking. Just sayin'
We even started saying (while in the car) "heeeey hippie". Now k repeats us but instead says "heeey hippets!". It probably doesn't sound funny to you, but it is to me.
I found the easiest recipe for chicken lettuce wraps - made them tonight. Super fast, super easy, and very tasty.
Okay, I'm tired.
We sucked it up in the vacuum then left the vacuum outside. Anyhow, the owner of the home gave us our money back and we moved to the Westin Resort which was awesome. Oddly there are a lot of hippies on the island. Why? Not that they bother me, but just found it odd - they do stand out with their white skin, dreads, and hitchhiking. Just sayin'
We even started saying (while in the car) "heeeey hippie". Now k repeats us but instead says "heeey hippets!". It probably doesn't sound funny to you, but it is to me.
I found the easiest recipe for chicken lettuce wraps - made them tonight. Super fast, super easy, and very tasty.
Okay, I'm tired.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Progress
K seems better today and she slept great last night. The hub just IM'ed me this though:
"I feel like 100% Prime, Grade AAA dog shit." Jeeeez. I'm poppin' the zinc lozenges and trying to stay über hydrated as well. I can't deal with Airborne or Emergen-C. It literally makes me gag.
4 loads of laundry are done and waiting to be folded and packed. Bought hubby his golf balls this morning - he plans to golf in Hawaii. Still have a lot to do but am thankful I'm feeling healthy! Packing for a little one takes up a lot of room. Diapers, life vest (the house in on a private lake), snacks, clothes (thank goodness there's a washer/dryer there), shoes, bug spray, sunscreen...blah blah blah. I bought K her own little backpack and she can't wait to carry it on the plane. She walks around the house wearing it while carrying a tape measure and telling me that my legs are 6" long. Thank goodness that's not true.
Dinner...what to make, what to make? Maybe I'll go to my mom's. Hub is staying over night for work to tie up some loose ends. Or maybe I'll just make those Nutella cupcakes I've been meaning to and call it a night?
"I feel like 100% Prime, Grade AAA dog shit." Jeeeez. I'm poppin' the zinc lozenges and trying to stay über hydrated as well. I can't deal with Airborne or Emergen-C. It literally makes me gag.
4 loads of laundry are done and waiting to be folded and packed. Bought hubby his golf balls this morning - he plans to golf in Hawaii. Still have a lot to do but am thankful I'm feeling healthy! Packing for a little one takes up a lot of room. Diapers, life vest (the house in on a private lake), snacks, clothes (thank goodness there's a washer/dryer there), shoes, bug spray, sunscreen...blah blah blah. I bought K her own little backpack and she can't wait to carry it on the plane. She walks around the house wearing it while carrying a tape measure and telling me that my legs are 6" long. Thank goodness that's not true.
Dinner...what to make, what to make? Maybe I'll go to my mom's. Hub is staying over night for work to tie up some loose ends. Or maybe I'll just make those Nutella cupcakes I've been meaning to and call it a night?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Murphy's Law
K is sick with a cold. It started last night. I was up with her at 11 and 4ish am. Ugh. We leave for Hawaii on Friday. This kid never gets sick. Unless of course it's time to go on vacation I suppose. She was sick for a bit in Mexico with a cold too. WTF? I'm praying I don't get it.
I'm so tired. K is watching The Little Mermaid and I just made some fried rice. I need comfort food.
I'm so tired. K is watching The Little Mermaid and I just made some fried rice. I need comfort food.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Kabuki
From here on out, I'm going to refer to my daughter as "Kabuki" or "K". Don't ask. I have about 6 billion nicknames for her so I picked the least embarrassing one.
I can't believe that K will be two and a half in a month. Time really does fly. Since I'm too lazy to write in her journal right now, I thought I'd type some updates on her.
She's officially in a toddler bed and loving it. For the first few days she would sing and talk to herself until we came and got her. Then she would call out for us to come get her. Then she would get out of bed and open her door and stand in the hall just outside her door and call out to us. Now, she wakes up quietly, gets out of bed and walks either down the hall to our room if it's in the morning or stands at the gate at the top of the stairs and calls down to me after her nap. I think she really loves that tiny bit of newfound independence.
Food-wise she seems to love pungent and/or salty foods. She must be in a growth spurt at the moment because she is suddenly eating a ton. Everyday she eats no less than 6 mandarin oranges.
Talking: Oh my. She is hilarious. Loves to play with maracas. She grabs a stuffed animal and one of her maracas, strips down naked then runs circles around our kitchen island and says "c'mon mama, let's dance!" Her favorite toys right now are the maracas, certain stuffed animals, a toy stroller and some magnetic letters and LEGO farmer figurines. She likes to stuff the farmers in her purse, put the purse over her shoulder then grab the stroller and go "shopping" for the following: oranges, onions and chocolate. I have no idea how she came up with that yummy trio.
Classes: Still doing a weekly gymnastics class. I love the teacher, the gym, the physical activity and the socialization she gets. I'm getting a bit bored of it though. We've been going for a year now. We just started her 3rd Music Together session on Wednesday. Ironically, this session is called "Maracas". I think it's a great program albeit expensive. Her gym class and music class are back to back which could cause some meltdowns so I may switch K to the Thursday music class. I figure I'm only going to be doing these classes with her until mid-June. This leads us to.......
PRESCHOOL!!! OMG. 3 days a week. Starting in early July. I'm freaked out. I was going to let her nap there but I think I've decided to pick her up before the nap. It will give me less time, but I can just go to an earlier yoga class. The school has a camera system at the school that allows parents to watch their children. I will need to practice restraint with this one.
Okay, still on the topic of kids but not my child.......
I watched a re-cap of "Idol Gives Back" last night. UGH. I purposely didn't watch it this year b/c last year it just tore me up to see what some of those kids endure daily. 3 little kids sleeping on some dirty foam pad that looked to be about 3'x 4'. Their "home" was a one room shack with clothes and pots on the floor. And they are said to "have it good". How can I complain about ANYTHING in my life after seeing that?
Even before I had K, I have always had such an emotional reaction to such stories. Like crying for several days about it when I'd think of it. I get most of my news from CNN.com and I am absolutely HORRIFIED by some of the crimes against children I see or read. The last one I read was about how this women's boyfriend beat her 2 year old daughter TO DEATH with a remote control. When asked why, the boyfriend "didn't know". The worst part is that the mother was home and didn't do anything. I'd have killed him. KILLED him. Parents put kids in the clothes dryer, in the microwave, lock them out in the snow when they won't behave, put them in a car wash and a slew of other disgusting things. I think to myself how can it ever get so bad that you would do that to a child? Your own child! HOW? WHY? It just makes me so sick and upset.
I can't believe that K will be two and a half in a month. Time really does fly. Since I'm too lazy to write in her journal right now, I thought I'd type some updates on her.
She's officially in a toddler bed and loving it. For the first few days she would sing and talk to herself until we came and got her. Then she would call out for us to come get her. Then she would get out of bed and open her door and stand in the hall just outside her door and call out to us. Now, she wakes up quietly, gets out of bed and walks either down the hall to our room if it's in the morning or stands at the gate at the top of the stairs and calls down to me after her nap. I think she really loves that tiny bit of newfound independence.
Food-wise she seems to love pungent and/or salty foods. She must be in a growth spurt at the moment because she is suddenly eating a ton. Everyday she eats no less than 6 mandarin oranges.
Talking: Oh my. She is hilarious. Loves to play with maracas. She grabs a stuffed animal and one of her maracas, strips down naked then runs circles around our kitchen island and says "c'mon mama, let's dance!" Her favorite toys right now are the maracas, certain stuffed animals, a toy stroller and some magnetic letters and LEGO farmer figurines. She likes to stuff the farmers in her purse, put the purse over her shoulder then grab the stroller and go "shopping" for the following: oranges, onions and chocolate. I have no idea how she came up with that yummy trio.
Classes: Still doing a weekly gymnastics class. I love the teacher, the gym, the physical activity and the socialization she gets. I'm getting a bit bored of it though. We've been going for a year now. We just started her 3rd Music Together session on Wednesday. Ironically, this session is called "Maracas". I think it's a great program albeit expensive. Her gym class and music class are back to back which could cause some meltdowns so I may switch K to the Thursday music class. I figure I'm only going to be doing these classes with her until mid-June. This leads us to.......
PRESCHOOL!!! OMG. 3 days a week. Starting in early July. I'm freaked out. I was going to let her nap there but I think I've decided to pick her up before the nap. It will give me less time, but I can just go to an earlier yoga class. The school has a camera system at the school that allows parents to watch their children. I will need to practice restraint with this one.
Okay, still on the topic of kids but not my child.......
I watched a re-cap of "Idol Gives Back" last night. UGH. I purposely didn't watch it this year b/c last year it just tore me up to see what some of those kids endure daily. 3 little kids sleeping on some dirty foam pad that looked to be about 3'x 4'. Their "home" was a one room shack with clothes and pots on the floor. And they are said to "have it good". How can I complain about ANYTHING in my life after seeing that?
Even before I had K, I have always had such an emotional reaction to such stories. Like crying for several days about it when I'd think of it. I get most of my news from CNN.com and I am absolutely HORRIFIED by some of the crimes against children I see or read. The last one I read was about how this women's boyfriend beat her 2 year old daughter TO DEATH with a remote control. When asked why, the boyfriend "didn't know". The worst part is that the mother was home and didn't do anything. I'd have killed him. KILLED him. Parents put kids in the clothes dryer, in the microwave, lock them out in the snow when they won't behave, put them in a car wash and a slew of other disgusting things. I think to myself how can it ever get so bad that you would do that to a child? Your own child! HOW? WHY? It just makes me so sick and upset.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Manic Monday
AAAAAAAARRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Had a nice morning at the beach with daughter followed by a nice lunch on the beach with a few moms from our mom's group. Then.......she wouldn't nap! I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT function well when she does not nap. I literally flip out. So after 2 hours of her just chatting in her bed, I went and got her and then we went to Target - because I had no idea what else to do.
Our dishwasher - yeah, that great new one we bought - is not draining properly. There is water at the bottom of it that won't drain. I took it apart to see if it was clogged and it does not appear to be. WTF?
Now for the icing on the cake today. Our friends from New York were supposed to be here on Wednesday and stay through the weekend. Well they FLAKED! I was really looking forward to their visit and now with 2 days left, they decide they don't wanna come. They were coming to job/home search b/c they were going to move here for a year to see how they liked it. Apparently they got freaked out about the reality of it and now are not coming. I hate flakes. I really do. I think it is so selfish and inconsiderate to flake. I know it happens on occasion, those are forgivable but so many people flake on a regular basis that it makes it hard to plan things.
I've been hearing a lot of mom's talk about how much they LOVE being a stay at home mom lately. I can't say the same for me. Just when it gets really bad for me though, my daughter does something that just melts my heart and slaps me upside the head to make me thankful for her and to be able to stay home. I definitely can not say though, that I was meant for this. I'm just not. I just bought the Eckhart Tolle book A New Earth. I'm hoping this gives me yet another slap in the face.
Our dishwasher - yeah, that great new one we bought - is not draining properly. There is water at the bottom of it that won't drain. I took it apart to see if it was clogged and it does not appear to be. WTF?
Now for the icing on the cake today. Our friends from New York were supposed to be here on Wednesday and stay through the weekend. Well they FLAKED! I was really looking forward to their visit and now with 2 days left, they decide they don't wanna come. They were coming to job/home search b/c they were going to move here for a year to see how they liked it. Apparently they got freaked out about the reality of it and now are not coming. I hate flakes. I really do. I think it is so selfish and inconsiderate to flake. I know it happens on occasion, those are forgivable but so many people flake on a regular basis that it makes it hard to plan things.
I've been hearing a lot of mom's talk about how much they LOVE being a stay at home mom lately. I can't say the same for me. Just when it gets really bad for me though, my daughter does something that just melts my heart and slaps me upside the head to make me thankful for her and to be able to stay home. I definitely can not say though, that I was meant for this. I'm just not. I just bought the Eckhart Tolle book A New Earth. I'm hoping this gives me yet another slap in the face.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Update
I really need to start blogging more often. It seems like when I finally do get around to doing it I have so much to say but feel that it sounds so disjointed that I just don't end up publishing the post. I'm doing it this time. Yay me.
A couple big things in the life of SambaMama........
1. We are now the owners of a plane. Yup. Some people drive to work. Some walk or ride a bike. My husband flies himself to work. The plane is out of state so in the next two weeks he'll be flying out there to pick it up and fly it back home. Oh great - just what I wanted! Another week alone with my daughter.
2. Daughter is now officially in a toddler bed! We had made the transition a couple weeks ago then regressed back to the crib after the hub didn't want her to not take her nap (she kept getting out). On Friday night, we converted her crib to a toddler bed again. No falling out, no crawling out. Saturday's nap was different. She came out of her room about 10 times or so before staying there and napping. Today's nap she stayed there from the beginning. Amazing. Everyone said it wasn't going to be a big deal and the novelty would wear off soon. I don't know why I ever even bother to fret about such things with her. Oh yeah - no crib rail either. I found this brilliant idea online. We got the pink one of course. I love it!! It looks cute, you can deflate it an travel with it, there is no putting together and it's a snap to put on and take off. Highly recommend!
Yesterday we did a bunch of household stuff like installing a peephole, fixing our banged up ghetto-ass screen door (we need a new one, but who has the time?), finding a new tax person (yeah, I know we are a little late), re-installing our baby gate at the top of the stairs (it fell off the wall on day 3!) and changing a few light bulbs. Today I made some fried rice for breakfast then we took daughter to the park and then to our local theme park for a couple hours, had lunch then put her down for a nap. As soon as I finish this I'm going to take a shower and then we're off to my aunts for a BBQ.
I'm reading this book off and on right now called Mother-Daughter Wisdom: Understanding the Crucial Link Between Mothers, Daughters and Health by Dr. Christiane Northrup. I've always been a huge fan of hers. She is just the right blend of Eastern and Western medicine for me. I came across a quote that I thought was perfect for me in this daily struggle of mine as a stay at home mom:
Remember that your daughter's soul picked you for her vehicle to get here. She knew what she was getting into. So just do the best you can and trust your (and your daughter's) Higher Power with the rest.
I think I'll end here. Oh wait - I had a dream last night that I was breastfeeding a newborn. Yeah, I loved it but I'm not sure the child was even mine. WEIRD!
A couple big things in the life of SambaMama........
1. We are now the owners of a plane. Yup. Some people drive to work. Some walk or ride a bike. My husband flies himself to work. The plane is out of state so in the next two weeks he'll be flying out there to pick it up and fly it back home. Oh great - just what I wanted! Another week alone with my daughter.
2. Daughter is now officially in a toddler bed! We had made the transition a couple weeks ago then regressed back to the crib after the hub didn't want her to not take her nap (she kept getting out). On Friday night, we converted her crib to a toddler bed again. No falling out, no crawling out. Saturday's nap was different. She came out of her room about 10 times or so before staying there and napping. Today's nap she stayed there from the beginning. Amazing. Everyone said it wasn't going to be a big deal and the novelty would wear off soon. I don't know why I ever even bother to fret about such things with her. Oh yeah - no crib rail either. I found this brilliant idea online. We got the pink one of course. I love it!! It looks cute, you can deflate it an travel with it, there is no putting together and it's a snap to put on and take off. Highly recommend!
Yesterday we did a bunch of household stuff like installing a peephole, fixing our banged up ghetto-ass screen door (we need a new one, but who has the time?), finding a new tax person (yeah, I know we are a little late), re-installing our baby gate at the top of the stairs (it fell off the wall on day 3!) and changing a few light bulbs. Today I made some fried rice for breakfast then we took daughter to the park and then to our local theme park for a couple hours, had lunch then put her down for a nap. As soon as I finish this I'm going to take a shower and then we're off to my aunts for a BBQ.
I'm reading this book off and on right now called Mother-Daughter Wisdom: Understanding the Crucial Link Between Mothers, Daughters and Health by Dr. Christiane Northrup. I've always been a huge fan of hers. She is just the right blend of Eastern and Western medicine for me. I came across a quote that I thought was perfect for me in this daily struggle of mine as a stay at home mom:
Remember that your daughter's soul picked you for her vehicle to get here. She knew what she was getting into. So just do the best you can and trust your (and your daughter's) Higher Power with the rest.
I think I'll end here. Oh wait - I had a dream last night that I was breastfeeding a newborn. Yeah, I loved it but I'm not sure the child was even mine. WEIRD!
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