A Mother Lode of Groceries

The cupboards were bare, so I had to do the dreaded job of grocery shopping!

Here's what I bought:

Bananas
Ruffles All Natural
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal
Rice Krispies
Grape Nut Trail Mix Cereal
Fresh Basil
Cheez-It
Fresh Ground Pork
Ground Beef
Nestle Chips
2 Six Packs of Yogurt
1 LB Block Tillamook Cheese
Broccoli Crowns
Italian Parsley
6 Emmi Yogurts
White Cheddar Cheese
Mild Taco Sauce
Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 LB Mozzerella Cheese
All Natural Peanut Butter
Shredded Parmesean Cheese
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2lbs Chicken
Bounty Towels
Lunch Sak
Handmade Burritos
Kashi Go Lean Vanilla Shake
Organic White Tortilla Chips
Spanikopita
2 Trader Joe's Mac and Cheese
Blueberries
Petite Frozen Peas
Fig Flat Bread Pizza
Tropical Carrot Juice
Frozen Chocolate Croissants
Lemon Tart
Giotto's Bambino Cheese Pizzas
2 Bags Sliced Mushrooms
2 Lbs Salted Butter
1 Lg unsalted butter
1 dozen eggs- Cage free
5 Lbs Juicy Clementines
Pumpkin Flax Granola
Cranberry Orange Bread
Peeled Carrots
English Muffins
Hamburger Buns
Triscuits
Wheat Thins
2 Boxes Eggo Waffles
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
1 Pint Sour Cream
1/2 Orange Juice
Hunts Diced Tomatoes
2 Cans Bushs Baked Beans
4 * 24 Packs of Water
5 lb bag of sugar
1 lb bag of brown sugar
I package gallon plastic bags
Aluminum Foil
Saran Wrap
2 packages of plastic spoons
2 pints half and half
Starbucks Breakfast Blend Coffee Beans
2 packages of Biscuits
4 1/2 gallons of Horizon Milk
Artichokes
Hunts Tomato sauce
2 cans of tomatoes
2 packages of chicken rice
4 boxes of Barilla pasta
2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese
coleslaw mix
coleslaw dressing
2 packages of strawberries
2 bulbs of fresh garlic
2 brown onions
3 Avacados
4Lbs Beef Brisket
Sauerkraut

Two stores, 122 items. Can you guess how much all of this cost?

I wish I could say the person who guesses correctly gets a free load of groceries, but not after today's shopping trip. Although I must say a full pantry for a family of six is priceless!

My Big Problem: No Shortage of Material

I am coming to the conclusion that the Catalina Marathon will be easier for me than writing the 1000 to 1500 word essay for the Mothering Heights "Mother's Day Essay Contest: What do you know now that you wish you had known before you became a parent?" Am I crazy? 26.2 miles will be easier for me to run than to find a way to come up with an essay of 1000 to 1500 words that is worth publishing in a book? Yep, that is the way I feel! As I was training today, doing hill repeats ( and I dread those), I was trying to narrow down my topics for the essay contest and instead of narrowing down my topics, I came up with more ideas! Having four children and almost twelve years of parenting I have an abundance of material. This is my big problem: why can't I just focus on one topic? I have the ability to focus on conquering twenty-six miles, but a hundred topics? How am I going to do that?

HBO Inside the NFL: Beat the Hosts "My Football Glory"

I am 571 out of 53124 players in the HBO "Beat the Hosts Contest." Not bad for a mother of four! Last year I finished finished 270 out of 57196 players, so obviously this season I did not do as well overall, but I would say 571 out of 53124 is still pretty respectable! I am ahead of hosts Cris Carter, Dan Marino and Bob Costas. Last year I beat all four hosts. I measure up pretty well against the experts. I think maybe HBO should consider adding me to their group.

2007 Season Standings
Cris Collinsworth
182 - 82
Liza Marchant
179 - 85
Cris Carter
177 - 87
Bob Costas
174 - 90
Dan Marino
173 - 91

Bras, Lemons and Elections

You may be asking yourself what bras, lemons and elections have in common? Yesterday one of my good friends, and before I continue, let me tell you how good of a friend she is. She is the type of friend that shows up at bell choir with a bag of lemons and bras for me. I am pretty sure my own mother never bought me a bra and this is by no means a reflection of how good of a mother she was, but she never bought me a bra, my step-mother did.

Now you are probably wondering why my friend is buying me bras? Well, this goes back a few months ago. One Saturday, I was at her house trying on clothes, church clothes, and I ran into a dilemma, I had on a sports bra and the shirt I was trying on was not meant to be worn with a sports bra. My friend then remembered she had a bra she had bought for her mother in her closet and that it might fit me and it did, which is now how she makes the mom/bra/me connection.

Last weekend there was a two for one sale on bras at a local department store and she was buying some bras for her mother and then made the mom/bra/me connection and now I have two lovely new bras, as well as a bag of lemons. How lucky I am to have a friend who cares enough to buy me bras. As for the lemons, there is no connection with the bras. She just happens to have a fruitful lemon tree.

As for the connection between bras, lemons and elections, here is where it all began. As my friend handed me the bag of lemons and bras, she was flipping through a magazine and there was a picture of Mike Huckabee and she said, "Who are you voting for and if you are voting for him, then we can't be friends anymore." Luckily for me, his name alone makes him a "nay" on my ballot and if I could get past the name "former Baptist-pastor" would be the "nay factor."

As I gave her my answer, she was relieved. Then she asked who I was voting for in the primary election, "Hillary or Barack or anyone else?" Then I told her I am registered as a Republican and she gasped, but before she could speak I told her that, "I am not committed to the Republican party and have in the past been a registered Democrat." I told her, "I can not be defined by a party. But as for who I am voting for, about the only thing I have decided is who I am not voting for and I know Huckabee and Romney are on that list." Then I tell my friend, "In the end, no matter what I say, unless you join me in the voting booth, you will never really know who I am voting for."

As I left bell choir with my lemons and bras and thoughts, I wondered, would the friendship really end over Huckabee? Not that there was the slightest chance I would vote for him. A friend that would go so far to buy me bras and bring me lemons, would end a friendship over politics? Hmmm.... bras, lemons and elections. Do those three things have anything in common? Was she trying to sway my vote with bras and lemons? No, that couldn't be. Where's the connection?

After some thought, here's what I came up with- bras and elections. Bras support boobs, boobs need support. Most political candidates are boobs and need support. Which comes back to needing "Bras." So, how do lemons fit into the equation and elections. Lemon, one that is unsatisfactory. There are many unsatisfactory candidates. Hence they are "lemons." Now, bras and lemons. The only connection I can make is too graphic for my blog, but those who are quick and witty will pick up on the connection between bras, lemons and elections. Here's a clue: squeeze.

As for my friendship, I am safe for now, as long as I don't start scrap booking!

My Life at a Glance: A Year of Marathons (Literally and Metaphorically)

1. The continuation of my term as a Mother of Four children who will be 12, 8, 6 and 2 this year. (Those numbers seem mathematically in sync- 2*6=12, 2+6=8, 8-2=6, 12/2=6, 8-6=2, 12/6=2)


2. Write 1000-1500 Word Essay on "What I know now as a Mom that I wish I’d known before becoming a Parent?" for Mothering Heights. Deadline: 2/15/08


3. Train for Catalina Marathon on Saturday March 15, 2008


4. Train for Rock 'n' Roll Marathon - San Diego, California/Sunday, June 1, 2008


5. Finish Writing New York Times Bestseller. Deadline: October 2008



NO PRESSURE!!!! RIGHT????

Happy New Year Three Days Late

I bet you are all wondering what happened to my Christmas spectacular (which will now be coming in the form of "Thank You Notes" to all of my friends and family who helped me survive 2007), well, I lost it somewhere between the North Pole and searching for an off-duty Tooth Fairy and a computer that has been shutdown for a two week school vacation with my three oldest children.

Now that 2008 is here, I am ready without resolutions, but with a long to-do list. I am going to run 1800 miles this year, because last year it only took me about nine and a half months to run 1500 miles and then I quit for running for the last two and a half months of the year and I can see the residual effects. Hopefully, 1800 miles will keep me running the entire year! And the clock is ticking on my New York Times Bestseller, I only have ten more months before my self-imposed deadline is up. So in order to remain accountable on both tasks, I will be logging my mileage and my word count.

As for the first few days of this fresh New Year, my highlight was standing outside of what my husband and I refer to as the "dumpy" Ralph's on Del Prado in Dana Point with my arm in the trash receptacle fishing out the receipt my children got from the recycling station (which is the equivalent of cash), thanks to my eleven-year-old, who, inevitably blamed it on me for making her throw away car trash on her way into the store to get the money from the recycling receipt. Nothing like a mother, holding a twenty-month old in one arm and rooting through trash with the other outside of a supermarket. What could have been going through the minds of the onlookers as my other three children were standing next to me anxiously hoping I would find their recycling money? Thank God for my sense of humor and the Sanicart wipes outside the store. I am sure this is not a sign of the year ahead, at least I hope?

Happy New Year, three days late!

My Thankful List by My Guest Sister Whitney

My Thankful List - Whitney, Age 23

A Apples. Especially Honeycrisp.
B Beer, Beatles, the Beach.
C Cooking, Caffeine, Chocolate, Cappuccino, mmm.
D DC, my current home! My perfect city for now.
E Egg Whites.
F Friends, friends, friends. I can't say this one enough. Mine are pretty freaking awesome.
G Girlfriends, an especially wonderful kind of friend.
H Huckins, my summer home & Hamilton, my college home. And I do love a good hug.
I iPods… keeping the soundtrack of my life on at all times!
J Jeans -- specifically 7's, Citizens of Humanity and Paige. I will spend entirely too much money on just one pair of jeans.
K Kashi, Kisses.
L Lattes, Laughing a lot, LOST.
M Maine, Music.
N NO homework on Sundays for the rest of my life. I honestly feel a wave of relief about this every Sunday evening.
O Older siblings… they are full of wisdom & support.
P Puppies.
Q Quentin (age 3) & Sophie (age 1), my Tuesday night dates.
R Running. My afternoon run everyday keeps me happy & healthy.
S Sunshine, Spain, Sarcasm, Salsa, Soft Serve.
T Trashy tabloids. Nothing better!
U UGGS! I don't care if the trend is over, they are pretty damn comfy!
V Vitamin water -- it works wonders.
W Wine, Wit, Woody Allen, WW.
X Xanax. No, I'm kidding. I don't know!
Y Youth -- taking advantage of it while I still can!
Z Zeppelin (Led) -- everyone needs to rock out from time to time.