multi-hyphenated-me

the hyphens that define my life

Fully Living Life August 18, 2013

Filed under: Family,Life — multihyphenatedme @ 12:07 am
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Today we ventured north for the first time since arriving in Spokane and headed to Green Bluff where the Green Bluff Growers, an association of small family farms and farmstands, have U-Pick (pick your own fruit) and annual festivals.  Today was the first day of the annual Peach Festival.  Though we are not fans of festivals of any sort, we thought fruit picking would be a great activity for our boys and visiting Southern California friend.  Of the 48 Green Bluff Growers, we selected #5 Hidden Acres as they offered U-Pick Peaches and Blackberries

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The four boys were skeptical that they would have any fun as the whole day sounded like a whole lot of work.

Then they made a friend, a pig wallowing in the mud.

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The pig got out of his mud bath and gave himself a shake.  All four boys miraculously missed being splattered with mud; however, a cute 8-year-old girl dressed in pink and pigtails got spotted with mud, head to toe.

We ventured off to the blackberry patch and the boys had a blast finding the darkest, biggest berries. Surprisingly, no shockingly, the one who enjoyed berry picking the most was my husband who was the first to fill his gallon size bucket. The hot topic of discussion while berry picking was deciding what dessert should we make with the berries and peaches.

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In the berry patch, we met a couple with a two-year-old son who just happened to move from Los Angeles to Spokane a year ago and live 5 blocks from our house!  We exchanged numbers and look forward to getting together soon.

After our berry buckets were full, we headed to the peach orchard.

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We successfully picked 13 pounds of blackberries and 50 pounds of peaches.  Peach cheesecake and peach ice cream with blackberry sauce was the requested dessert.  Uh huh, sure.  Let me get right on that.

Bounty summer 2013

We have heard so much about 9 Mile Falls and Riverside State Park that we decided to head west and check it out.

Riverside State Park is a 10,000 acre park along the Spokane River, leading to the dam that creates 9 Mile Falls.  Our goal was to find a place to swim and cool off from our fruit picking efforts in the hot sun.

We parked the car and followed a trail about a mile to this awesome bridge and perfect spot to take a dip.

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The boys played in the cold water while I took photos of the wildflowers.

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We hiked back to the car and spotted this caterpillar next along the way. EEK!

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We headed home and miracle of all miracles happened – our 7-year-old fell asleep in the car.  A true sign of an awesome day.

We were all beat by the time we got home but guess what? We have 13 lbs of blackberries and 50 lbs of peaches to deal with, not to mention dinner and the requested desserts.

Tired momma could not pull it off. My husband picked up dinner while I made a fantastic peach blackberry lattice pie.  Not on the requested dessert menu which I managed to put off until tomorrow due to lack of ingredients and time.

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Five quarts of peaches were canned tonight too using one of the 4 boxes of peaches.  The other three boxes were put in our cold storage in the basement until tomorrow morning when they too will be canned.

The pie, just so you know, was a delicious end to our action packed day.

 

Staycation Part Deux August 16, 2013

Filed under: Gardening,Life — multihyphenatedme @ 11:33 pm
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Day two of our four day staycation and here’s a list why staycations don’t work:

1.  Alarm clocks.  I forgot to turn off my alarm off both days.  5:30 AM is not my favorite (thank you RGal for teaching me to not say I freaking hate 5:30 AM) and is even less so on my vacation days off work when I don’t need to be awake at 5 freaking 30.  I could have easily have forgotten to turn off my alarm if I was truly on vacation in a hotel or camping, but my husband and I have vacation protocol we follow that includes turning off the alarm.  At home, the alarm is part of the home routine, thus the staycation routine.

2. Routine unchanged.  Now that I’m awake thanks only to forgetful self, my routine is unchanged.  I go through my morning motions, drink my tea, turn on my computer and look at my phone.  Oh look, emails.  Oh yeah, thanks for the email, I forgot to do that, let me send a quick email.  Next think you know, I’m working.  Not really working, just skimming, yet working.  On vacation, I’d have to walk out to get coffee, my routine would be broken.  Staycations don’t break the cycle of your habits.  Vacations are intended to change your momentum, break cycles and change your habits.

[note to my boss who reads my blog:  sending you a text pix of the Cabela’s ad to brag that I get better junk mail that he does (and that I have a Cabela’s nearby) was all in fun, not the “work” I am referring to in #2]

3. Vacation does not include chores.  Staycation includes chores.  I’m stupidly awake while everyone else sleeps, I’ve taken a vacation day so I’m not working, what else am I supposed to do?  Laundry is relentless and there is always something to do.  I spent several hours of my staycation on chores.  Productive, but lame.

4. No chefs, bartenders or wait staff on staycations.  I’m cooking, cleaning, serving and no one is bringing me a cocktail.  This is the definite “not a vacation” of staycation.  My banana pancakes were inhaled by my fellow staycationers this morning.  Service is marginal, the bartender needs to show up but the food is outstanding.  The best part of a staycation is homecooked meals.

5.  We were invaded by ducks.  Where I vacation, even in my dreams, there are no ducks.  At home on our staycation, we have enjoyed the Canadian Geese honking as they fly overhead. We’re damn close to Canada, who am I to say get a new flight path?  Flying overhead geese I can tolerate.  Then the ducks loudly arrived next door.  No other words came to mind than “WTF!”  I thought my neighbors, who already have boisterous chickens, added ducks to their urban farm.  Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, came booming into my house for at least an hour.  I saw my neighbor over the backyard fence later and started randomly discussing her hollyhocks (I didn’t want to shout out “WTF you have ducks?”, rather ease into it).  Once the hollyhock discussion ended, I segued into ducks.  Smooth, I know.  “Where are you keeping you ducks?”  They have a ‘Chalet de Poulet’ (truly, the sign on the chicken coop says chalet de poulet) for the chickens, maybe they’ve installed ‘Lac de Canard’ for the ducks.  She looked at me dumbfounded and said “What ducks?”  Really?   Now she’s bold-faced lying to me over ducks?  Turns out, there are no ducks, no lies about ducks, not even a remote duck cover-up.   While she was out, her fireman husband on his off day was hanging out with his almost two-year old, playing with his duck call, as he is a duck hunter.  Over and over and over and over again. Of course.  On staycations, you have to deal with your neighbors (who I love, except during duck season prep).

6. No maid service.  After running around all day on vacation, isn’t it fantastic to open your hotel room door and have the place clean and straightened and the beds made?  Staycation house is the same as everyday house, a disaster.  On staycation, you go out all day, come home and BAM you’re smacked in the face with everything just as you left it.

7.  Vacation Mode.  When you’re on vacation, you flip a mental switch and you’re in a different mode, vacation mode.  Staycation means same old every day mode.  No switches flipped.  No change.

8.  No Kids Club.  Let me start by saying I have never once put my kids in a kids club while on vacation.  With that said, where is the Kids Club?  I’m ready.  Not really, but I would like to have the option.  Staycation does not offer the Kids Club option.

9.  No hype.  If I told my family we were going on vacation for 4 days they would whoop and holler and be thrilled.  Telling them we’re going to have a staycation for 4 days provides no hype.  Staycation, to them, sends the same press release it sends to me, hang around the house for hours until we leave to do something you may or may not want to do, then come home and do all your daily chores because life goes on.  No hype.

10.  I can’t think of a 10th reason why staycations don’t have the same effect as vacations.

[after typing this post and spell checking for errors, here’s #10 why staycations don’t work…staycations is not a recognized word!

Staycations are great because:

1. sleep in your own bed – YES!

2. nothing forgotten, everything is here, unless we ran out and I forgot to replace, it happens.

3. we happen to live in an awesome place(hype, hype, Outside magazine just named Spokane one of the best towns in the nation http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/north-america/united-states/Best-Towns-2013-Spokane-Washington.html

4. multiple rooms.  Not only do you get to sleep in your own bed, but in your own room!  A hotel suite for a family of 5 doesn’t compare to a house.

5. Ambience to suit your need.  Half naked or fancy, whichever you prefer, anything goes on a staycation at home.  For the record, I prefer loungy, where my youngest is typically found half-naked.

6. On your schedule.  Staycations allow you to set the pace and the agenda, preferably without 5:30 wake up alarms

7.  No resort fees, no parking fees, no gratuities.  Sweet.

Vacations in any form are pretty fantastic, even as staycations.  Next time we staycation, I need to plan better to sleep in, work less and hire a cleaning service.

 

Friends Forever August 14, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 10:40 pm

As we anxiously await the arrival of Trace’s best friend, KP, our first non-relative visitor, for a week-long visit, I think about all of my moves and the friends I’ve made along the way.  I’m happy to report that I’m friends with many still, not best friends, but connected enough to know that if I knocked on their door, or they knocked on mine, we would be welcomed with open arms.This could be totally naive on my part, maybe they’d slam the door in my face, but I would embrace them just for the memories and the effort.

Being the freak magnet that I am, I attract people and befriend them quickly, it’s my own freak nature. I love people and appreciate their life, their challenges, their talents and their weirdness.  Don’t worry, I’m human, I judge, though I scold myself for doing so, its human nature.  I’ll tell you what I think if you really want to know. [insert winking smiley face here].

I had to look up the definition of friend on Dictionary.com just to give myself some boundaries.

friend

/frɛnd/

noun

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.
3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?
4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.
5. ( initial capital letter ) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.
Apparently there are no boundaries, we are all friends.  Awesome.
Will Trace and KP’s friendship survive the move, the separation, and time? With Facebook, Skype, text, the interactive video games and future technological advancements, I can easily say yes.  Will they remain BFFs? People grow, people change, who can say what will happen, no crystal ball here.
My BFFs throughout my life are still connected with me in some way, as far back as kindergarten.  Are we close?  No. In fact, I haven’t seen my elementary school chums since I moved away the summer after my 5th grade year.  By the power of Facebook and LinkedIn, we are up on each others lives.
KP just arrived.  I’m choked up seeing him and he gave me a big hug. That’s it.  They are going to be best friends for ever and freaking ever if I have anything to say about it. They are just too damn cute together.  They can have other BFFs but their natural kinship is heartwarming.
Damn, that means I’m going to have to hang out with his mother forever.  [and my boys say I can’t play the sarcasm game]. Good thing she is a total riot and the most efficient person on the planet.  I am so thankful she trusts me enough to care for her boy.  Of course this could be her way of torturing me.  Let’s see how the next 7 days unfold.
[With the brothers in tow, no one will hold still long enough for a photo.] Envision 4 boys, two are age 12, one calm 9 year old and one scrappy 7 year old racing around the house.  Welcome to my life.
 

Staycation August 12, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 8:24 pm
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Not that I’m counting but school starts in 3 weeks. Yes, twenty-one  days left to make the most of summer before doing back flips when the the kids go back to school.  I love having my kids home, don’t get me wrong.  We have tons of fun during summer.  I am not looking forward to the homework, the drama, the tears, the fights, the germs and freak out that come with school in session.  What I’m looking forward to is six solid hours of peace while the kids are in school, where I do not have to be the cruise director on this house’s ship of summer fun. I’ll wash their clothes, pack their lunches, remind them to take all of there stuff with them to school so someone else can plan their days.  Summer, as fun as it is, takes a lot out of me.  I need a vacation.

I mentioned this to my husband the other night who too quickly reminded me that our move to Spokane was our vacation and to enjoy the new house.  Buzz kill.  The Spokesman Review, the local Spokane newspaper we have delivered daily, mentioned a Staycation promotion by local business for families, such as ours, that can’t afford to get away.  Local businesses give residents discounts to enjoy a Spokane Staycation.  This is the perfect option for us as we are new to the area, we look at the city and surrounding areas first with tourist eyes then with, hey wow we live here reactions.

My son, Trace, has his 12-year-old buddy from Southern California coming to visit on Wednesday for a week.    Trace can hardly wait.  His friend may be excited but I hope he realizes he’s going from having one brother in California to having three brothers in Washington.  Talk about culture shock, not to mention having me as his mother, the boy just might not get on the plane.  We are luring Trace’s friend with a week chock full of Spokane’s finest activities that includes everything from Riverside Park and 9-Mile-Falls; a Peach Festival up at Green Bluff, WA to Silverwood/Boulder Beach in Idaho to tubing/wakeboard/waterskiiing/boating/paddleboarding on the Spokane River and Lake Coeur D’Alene; Riverfront Park and downtown activities; and bicycle rides to and through Manito Park.  Good times ahead!  Honestly, why do we need to go anywhere? 

Of course, leaving on a jet plane is always good.  Someone serving me food and drinks would be nice.  A kids club would be fantastic too.   Do you hear Club Med calling my name?  Listen.  I hear it, I really do.  That’s what I need, an all-inclusive vacation where I don’t have to think, just unplug and relax.  Ooh.  Ultimate buzz kill.  I just checked Club Med’s website.  For my family of six to go on an all inclusive, air-included, week long vacation to Cancun before school starts is…well let’s just say, cost prohibitive to the tune of nine grand-plus.  You may have nine grand lying around to spend on one week of vacation splurge, I don’t.  A great deal but not for us this summer.

A Spokane Staycation is perfect for us.  Good thing we think so.

 

Pay Attention July 27, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 1:50 pm
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Today was Trace’s first soccer game with his new team, FC Spokane B00 White, in the River City Cup Tournament.  A massive two day tournament of 220 teams from multiple states and Canadian provinces, 1700 kids.  We didn’t know what to expect from the team or the tournament.  We didn’t know what position he would play, how his coach would coach in a game, or how much playing time Trace would be given. I’m confident in our son’s abilities, yet I was anxious on how everything would come together.

After the game, as Trace and I drove home, I said “You had a great first play of your game”.  The play was a pass assist that scored a goal.  Trace said, “Yeah, in the second half”.  “Yes,” I said, “your first play of the game”.  We bantered back and forth a bit until I realized my error.

Here’s what happened…from my perspective.

Trace didn’t start, which is fine, he needed to see how the team played.  You see, at practice, we train with a U-14 team that our coach also coaches.  At least 25 7th and 8th graders are on the field at every practice.  Knowing who has been on our team, let alone the positions they play have been a mystery.  Team-building events haven’t yet been scheduled.  Trace, with time, has adjusted.  Yet, with all of this, I agreed with the coach to not start Trace.  No issue.

The first half continued, and from what I could tell, Trace sat on the bench the entire first half. You have to understand that I have terrible vision.  I was sitting on one side of the field, and the team bench is on the other side.  Typically my kid has some discernable feature, his floppy blond hair, his crazy colored cleats, or his jersey number, to help me see him on the field.  He got a haircut so his blond tresses are gone and at least 3 other kids on his team have matching cleats.  Because he was sitting facing the field, I couldn’t see his jersey number on his back.

Not knowing any of the parents on the sidelines, I didn’t say anything.  I kept it all contained.  You read that correctly.  I didn’t say one word out loud the entire first half.  For those of you who have heard me at a soccer game, you know the impossibility of this miracle.  Vince, who stayed home with the sleeping brothers, received a bunch of text messages like “WTH? He’s still on the bench?!”  At first Vince fed my frustration but then came to his senses and told me to trust the coach.  Sheesh.  I was hot.

Trace started the second half and played all but a quick water break.  He was playing left forward, so he was right in front of me.  I could see him fine.  All was well in the world, I met some of the other families, the team won 5-1 and everyone was happy.

In the car on the way home, after I relayed this story to Trace, he just looked at me and shook his head.  “Mom, I was the first sub and other than water breaks, I played the whole game”.  He told me that I didn’t miss anything in the first half, he was nervous and had a few weenie kicks but he loves playing left-mid.

“What?  I thought you were playing forward?”  “Really Mom? We play a 4-4-2 line up, I played left midfield the whole game.”  “Oh.”

I seriously have to pay attention.  You would have thought it was my first game. Oh wait, it was my first game…with FC Spokane.

[how I’m going to explain my incopetency the rest of the season is….to be continued…]

 

Join the Club July 25, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 10:47 pm
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There are some days when my husband’s over zealous research pays off.   That is to say that there are some days when his over zealous research makes me feel like a hamster on a wheel.  Tonight was not that night.  Tonight, thanks to his research, we Unlimited Fun at Red Lion’s Templins Resort on the Spokane River.  Unlimited Fun just saved me a ton of money (renting a boat for 5-8 trips vs buying and storing and maintaining a boat) and provides, truly, unlimited fun.

Unlimited Fun provides boats to rent (at a great price) on the Spokane River and the nearby Lake Coeur D’Alene.  Plus we get VIP privileges for unlimited use of their stand up paddleboards (SUPs) and Kayak/SUP hybrids and access to their private beach.

If that isn’t enough, on Thursday nights Red Lion Templins Resort offers an all-you-can-eat BBQ, live classic rock/county mix music, full bar and dancing.  Yee-haw!

Folks, if I haven’t sold you on this incredible deal yet, here’s a testimonial from their newest 7 year old member (my son Andre):

“This place has BBQ, live music, ice cream, and tons of stuff for us to do, we should just live here, it is paradise.”

Andre is serious.  He is willing to give up video games every day if we will take him to the river.  Andre was paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, boating and chowing down on BBQ today. If you’ve read my posts up to this point, this is not my youngest child’s typical behavior.  He broke his mold and found himself in seventh heaven.  Or, he just aged 60 years and is ready for retirement.

When we left the house tonight after work, our plan was to just check it out and maybe take a dip in the river.  We packed bathing suits and towels and headed out the door.  I had made a pot of beans this morning for bean and cheese burritos for dinner.  We were set for a relatively quick out and back trip.  We told the kids, “Get in the car, we’re going to Idaho”.  That’s a phrase I never thought I’d ever say, even living here it feels odd.  To Idaho we went.

Then we got there.  The Idaho panhandle is ridiculously beautiful at every turn.  We have been going to Lake Coeur D’Alene and with each visit in constant awe. Today we stopped in Post Falls, a town on the Spokane River that started as a sawmill owned by a man named Post.   Lake Coeur D’Alene drains into the Spokane River before emptying into the Columbia River at Roosevelt Lake approximately 112 miles downstream.

Red Lion Templins Resort is 10 highway miles west of Lake Coeur D’Alene on the Spokane River.  The beach and river fun is unsuspecting as you park on the hill above and walk down to the marina.  The wide clear water river spreads out before you with a mountain on the other side, dotted with mega-houses with private docks.  There is a boat launch and marina and resort services, boat and jet ski rentals, SUP and kayak/SUP hybrid rentals an a snack shack and bathrooms.  A private beach with a grass volleyball court is just east of the marina.

For the few weeks we have left of summer [the locals tell me this high 90 degree heat isn’t going to last forever, only until mid September, enjoy it while it lasts], this is our summertime fun package.  Boat, check. Trying new things, check.  Easy access beach with amenities, check. All of the kids love it, check.  Mom and dad are happy, check.  The downside is that we don’t explore all of the surrounding lakes.  We’ll get there.  We will eventually buy a boat, just not yet. Renting a boat is perfect solution to get us off our butts on the beach and out exploring on the water.

Our month of August is jammed packed with activity.  Our daughter, Jessica, arrives on the 31st for 10 days and we are all super excited.  She loves to SUP and the boys can’t wait to SUP with her.  We all can’t wait to share our adventures with her.  Right after she leaves, we have our twelve year old buddy, Kyle, coming to visit for a week.  He will not want to go home with all the thrills and excitement we have planned during his visit.

One thing for sure, our dog days of summer will be spent on and in the water.

 

 

A Losing Race July 24, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 10:41 pm
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On your mark.  Get set.  Go!

Running as fast as possible, I know I’m aging and slowing down when I can not beat them in a 50 m foot race.   The kids are getting older and stronger as I get older and weaker.  I can easily mow down my 9 and 7-year-old, though they are squirrely.  They don’t run straight and I usually trip over them and fall down or step on them after they fall down.  My 18-year-old daughter is capable of lapping me before I cross the line, as she runs as effortlessly as a thoroughbred horse, the freak.  When we run together, she runs backwards and talks to me while I chug along. [frustrating!]  I release her from the torture and she sprints off.  We text a meeting place and she runs backwards and chats the rest of the way home.  Yes, in case you’re wondering, I am proudly capable of texting and a very slow jog.

Tonight I raced my 12-year-old and nearly caught him in the end.  Sure he just had a strong hour and a half soccer practice in 95 degree heat.  Maybe he was tired, but I’ve got 32 years on him and a few extra pounds AND I didn’t even warm up or stretch before hand.  It’s a wonder I didn’t hurt myself.

Not catching him, not passing him I should say, has motivated me to wake up earlier tomorrow, lace up my shoes and get running.   There is most likely no chance that I’ll ever catch up to him.  That’s ok.  Knowing his mom is hot on his heals is motivation enough for HIM to run faster.  Let’s call it strategy, I may be helping him run faster but I’m running a losing race against him..

He has grown past my running level.  He has outgrown my swimming abilities too.  We were at Lake Coeur D’Alene this past weekend.  We play a swimming game where someone throws a volleyball as far into the lake as possible and two swimmers have to swim to the ball and swim back with the ball to be declared winner.  I prefer to race the younger two because I have a chance.  My husband and 12-year-old are strong swimmers.  Swimming isn’t my favorite event, in fact it is my worst event.  I’m a lounge on a raft, sit on the beach, read a book kinda gal.  I love being in the water, just where I can touch and nothing is touching me with simple floats and easy, non-race, above and underwater, swims.

On Sunday, my 12-year-old challenged me to a swim race.  Apparently he needed the ego boost.  I accepted the challenge.  I won the first race only because I was clearly losing so I pulled down his pants and gained the lead.  You’re officially forewarned if we’re ever swim racing together, I swim to win.  He called foul for some unknown reason and we had to race again.  He kept his distance and claimed victory.  I claimed exhaustion only recoverable by lounging and reading.  [insert husband eye roll here]

My kids have been disappointed when I return from a 5K to learn that I didn’t “win” the race.  With running, I’m not trying to win the race against others, I only try to win the race against myself and my issues.  Unless, of course, I’m racing against my kids then, issues aside,  I leave it all on the track.  [insert laugh track here].

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A rain check has been issued on our 13th anniversary.  Our day got away from us and we had workers in the house until 8 PM.  Yesterdays’ post is “to be continued”.

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Craigslist Christmas July 19, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 11:21 pm
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Christmas in July has always been a odd theme to me.  Crafters hawk their holiday creations at craft fairs all over the nation, ramping up, only six months until Christmas!  I’ve only been to one massive Christmas Craft Fair, in Oceanside, CA with my mom on the grounds of Mission San Luis Rey, it may or may not have been in July.  There were plenty of holiday doo-dads and trinkets and yard ornaments to purchase though it wasn’t my scene.

Earlier this evening, the boys were gallivanting around the neighborhood and Vince was futzing around in the garage prepping for his weekend projects. I was tasked with finding a new restaurant for us to try.  I spent about 10 minutes reading Yelp reviews before deciding on Manito Tap House which is around the corner and down the street from our house. Then,  I was easily distracted by my favorite new addiction, seeing what has been newly posted on Craigslist.

There is awesome stuff on Craigslist that makes you blurry eyed confused over want and need. Daily.  You can read your trash mags about celebrities.  I have  a blast seeing the crazy stuff people post combined with their hilarious “buzz words” chosen to make their crap better than the next.  My favorite post today was a Seashell Collection.  In order for me to post and sell a seashell collection, I would have sea fans, coral, conches and a mass of other collected shells that I would never want to sell because the stories behind collecting each shell would be too precious to let go.  I had to see this incredible seashell collection.  I was excited, this was going to be AMAZING!  Then I saw the photo:

Are you laughing?  Every laughing acronym fits here…LOL, ROTFL, LMAO, you get the idea.

Wait.  There’s more.  How much should someone ask to pay for this precious collection?  Priceless, I know, but no.  “Various sea shells, message me if you are interested in any/all. These will be cheap.”  I would maybe pay $1 for these shells, and not for the shells.  I want to meet who is selling these shells, there has to be more to the story.  In addition to the collection photo, close up photos of each shell is also posted.  This takes a ridiculous amount of time.  I’m fascinated.  Fear keeps me from texting which is probably a good thing.

So it is July and though it isn’t Christmas, I had the best idea.  Wouldn’t a Craigslist Christmas be the bomb?  Craigslist should offer Craigslist bucks and gift cards.  I had a lot of time on my hands waiting for the four boys to finish their nonsense.  I decided to make a Craigslist Christmas Wish List.  Before I tell you what is on my Craigslist Christmas list, I have to tell you that the Spokane/Coeur D’Alene Craigslist is beyond words awesome.  There is way better stuff on here that I’ve seen in Orange County California, I’ll tell you that right now.  You be the judge.

Here’s my list:

1.  Appaloosa Pony, this little filly is so dang cute!  Must have.  $3500.  I’m worth it.

2. Icelandic Sheep.  You have all been replaced.  This is my new best friend.

3.  Alpaca, of course. He has a bunny rabbit nose and you can’t see his eyes, you have no idea what he’s thinking.

4.  Patio Tiki Bar

Why does anyone own this in the Inland Northwest?  Remember, two seasons, July and Winter.  Mele Kalikimaka necessity.

5.  A rooster!  I have a childhood rooster horror story I’ll share with you another day. This guy could help me make peace with my past.  Plus he looks pretty bad ass.

That’s as far as I got before Buzz Kill Vince came in and spoiled all my fun.  I didn’t even get past Farm and Garden section. (I’m not sure why the sea shells were in the farm and garden section which further adds to the intrigue of this posting).

Vince noticed I was on Craigslist and told me that the gardener quit and we needed to buy a lawn mower.  AGH!  First, the gardener was nothing more than a lawn mower.  He didn’t edge, blow, weedwack, rake or anything other than mow.  Ridiculous.  AND he charged an outrageous fee.  Vince and I had already decided to can him as soon as we caught up with our other projects, or it snowed, whichever came first.  The fact that he quit makes me give him more credit than I thought he deserved.

Back to Craigslist.

We found a mower, connected with the guy, and on our way to dinner, bought the mower.  My Christmas in July wishes are for naught.  I wanted awesome I got a lawn mower instead. Bonus, the boys and I get to mow the lawn tomorrow.  Woo.   Their roles are already set – Trace is mowing, Niko is raking, Andre is blowing and I’m bossing.  Should be great.

With the lawn mower adventure added to our pre-dinner agenda, we didn’t go to the Manito Tap House another part of my great plans shattered.  We ended up at the Steam Plant Brewery and Stacks restaurant (at 8 PM!!).  The Huckleberry Ale that I had and Vince’s Double Stack Stout were delicious!  We decided that we wouldn’t return for the food but we would definitely come back for the beer.

Craigslist Christmas is a great idea.  Try it.

Editor’s Note:

If you are the owner of the seashell collection, appaloosa, icelandic sheep, alpaca, tiki bar or rooster, AND happen to be reading this blog post, please know that I think you are terrific and I would love to buy the items you have posted.  Alas, I have enough animals, I drink enough but not enough for a tiki bar, and, we left the ocean for the mountains so I have no use for a seashell collection.  Good luck to each of you with your sales!

 

 

8-Hour Girl July 17, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 10:47 pm
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Summer is killing me.  The kids are loving summer with action packed adventures, staying up late every night, and sleeping in late every morning.  I’m a working girl.  My day begins at 6 AM every day, just up enough to make coffee, wash my face, brush my teeth, get dressed and start working by 6:30 AM.  My commute is two laps through my house with repeat visits to the kitchen for coffee refills.  As simple as my mornings may be, I need my 8 hours of sleep in order to function.  Without my 8 hours, I am forgetful, grumpy and short-tempered.  Ok, maybe I’m forgetful, grumpy and short-tempered even with my 8 hours of sleep, but any less than 8 hours definitely worsens my mood and makes my day incredibly long.  Something’s gotta give and the kids aren’t budging.  I’m waiting for my left eye to pop out on a spring.

The kids can not realistically sleep until 10 or 11 (yes, 10 or 11) then be expected to go to bed at 9 when I want to go to sleep.  The Inland Northwest doesn’t think 9 is a good bedtime either, the sun does not completely set by then, who could possibly sleep.  Me, for one, I could sleep.

No such luck.  Our schedules are all out of whack.  Correction, my schedule is all out of whack.  Don’t tell anyone but there is only 47 summer days left until the kids go back to school and my life regains normalcy.  Don’t get me wrong, I love summer days, summer nights and summer fun.  I just struggle with summer exhaustion.

If you can’t beat them, join them, right?  We’ve already addressed this old nag ain’t what she used to be so I don’t want to beat the proverbial dead horse.  I’m not a night owl, I’m a morning person.  Vince is a night owl and mans the night shift with these rowdy boys.  He returns tonight from his first LA commute to maintain his day job.  My lack of sleep for a few nights is a small price to pay for this privilege.

I just wasn’t ready.  Sure, I can defend the fort while he’s away but I forgot about the gift of sleep that he gives me every day.  I’m on the boy shift from the time they wake up until the time dinner is over and the kitchen is cleaned.  Then he’s in charge.  Divide and conquer.  There is overlap to be sure but this is our program.  Basically, I attach the feed bags, he puts the animals to bed.  It works for us, like modern-day farmers.

Since we moved, this is his first commute.  Did I mention I wasn’t ready?  It’s a nice break, because, you know, having your husband and your kids in your zone 24/7 since school was release mid-June, has been a bit of a shock to my system.  [No joke, my left eye is going to pop out on a spring at any moment].  Now, with lack of sleep, I’m spinning senseless.

And now Vince has returned.  Welcome home.  Your 8-hour girl isn’t getting her 8 hours again tonight, no thanks to your late flight and my late night posting.  Yes, these late night blog posts are taxing me too.

Fear not, for there is hope.  I am BFF’s with Fast Company on Facebook.  Today they posted “Arge’s Work Play Fit Push Weekly”.  I’m not sure who Arge is, but the work-play-fit-push is a Stephen Covey-esque, Zig Zigler-esque get your shit together plan to get on and stay on track.  Exactly what I need, sleep or no sleep.  For each section, for example “work”, list three things you want to get done each day. Sure this needs to be multiplied by 10, but for Arge’s sake, we’ll keep it to 3 top priorities.  Vince and the kids keep the “play” section full without concern.  The first thing to go, next to sleep, is my fitness.  I enjoy working out, I just put me last.  Getting my shit together plan puts me back in the lead with my running shoes on.  The “push” section is easy and could be multiplied exponentially to address my blog, my projects, my plans, and my dreams.  At the bottom, a short list of priorities.  Top of my priorities is going to bed on time to get my 8 hours.

Love you all, but I need to sleep.  Good night.

 

Ready to Rumble

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 8:37 am
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Are your ready to rumble?  I’m not talking about some WWE smackdown. I’m also not talking about any given minute with my boys.  My favorite rumble is in the sky.  Tonight a thunderstorm is predicted in Spokane skies.

Growing up in Ohio, summer showers are a regular occurrence.  My cousin posted on Facebook the other day that it had rained 16 days straight in Ohio.  Summers in Northern Arizona are hot until the afternoon when huge monsoon clouds would roll in, thunder cracked and rain poured from the sky and cool off the temperatures.

We missed the changing weather while we lived in Southern California.  Southern California is fantastic for its consistent temperatures and we enjoyed the warmth while we were there.

Now living in the Inland Northwest, we have loved the cool weather on our arrival, rainstorms, and fantastic thunder and lightning storms.  We’ve had our share of high heat too which I’m ready to turn off.  They say Spokane only has two seasons, July and Winter, and we’re halfway through July.  Tonight, with only a 30% chance of a storm, we are hopeful for some weather.

Yes, I have nothing else to post about other than the weather.  Call it writer’s block if you will.  It was just a day, nothing extraordinary, all straightforward, simple and true to form, for which, I am thankful.  No additional broken bones, no calamities or crisis.  I did submit my photo of Vince jumping into the Spokane River to the Spokane Valley Photo Contest. I also returned some items I bought online. I watered the grass (the sprinkler system is broken).  Thunder and stormy skies are exciting.

With the first rumblings in the distance, I say goodnight.