Bedtime With a Tipsy Marine

Shortly after I finished my Master's degree I got a job as a civilian contractor for the
Marine Corps. I went to the tiny town of Twentynine Palms, California to work at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. It was an awesome job, actually. I was helping to convert some of their training courses from instructor-led to computer training. I developed courses on how to disarm a landmine, how to maintain your Humvee, how to check your car for bombs, how to operate a combat radio, how to lose a pursuer in a urban car chase... all kinds of fascinating topics!

They also had the philosophy that I couldn't teach it if I hadn't tried it... which meant that I got to drive a Humvee and shoot a machine gun and other very cool stuff.

I loved the job, but I just couldn't fall in love with the area. The desert has its moments of beauty... Joshua Tree National Park is right outside of town and there is some great scenery - like in that 2nd picture. But mostly I was focused on that 3rd picture. Isolated. Desolate. Hot. Dusty. Brown.

Because I was a civilian, I couldn't use the base facilities, which meant I drove 30-45 minutes to the next town for groceries or to see a movie or to pick up Chinese food. I hear the town and facilities have grown these days, but when I was there, the town itself was pretty bare-bones.

I had great friends there, though. We were all young and single, so we thought nothing of taking off at moment's notice and driving the 3 1/2 hours to either Las Vegas or San Diego (about the same distance in opposite directions) to find some entertainment. It was not uncommon to drive to Vegas for dinner and then head right back so everyone could be at work/on duty in the morning. Or go to San Diego just long enough for an hour of bodysurfing at the beach before going home again. (Gas was cheaper then, too!) I never did make it to the San Diego Zoo, though, much as I wanted to go.

Being the Mormon girl, I usually got tapped for designated driver duty. None of my friends were really hard-core drinkers, but most would knock back a few as part of a night out. As the observer I quickly learned that (with this group, at least) you could tell when some had had one too many because they got very affectionate. When someone started being very free with the "I love you, you know?" "You're the greatest! Really. The best friend I ever had." and "Do you know how much I love you guys?" you knew it was time to head for home and put them to bed.

That's why I now find it so amusing every night when Rylen gets tired and needs to go to bed. Because when he gets sleepy he'll come over, lean against me, and say (slurring a little with tiredness) "I love you, Mommy. And I love Daddy. And I love the kitties, too." And he'll usually throw in a little of "You the best Mommy. You not a bad Mommy." And then repeat these phrases over and over until he drifts off to sleep. It's actually quite adorable and sweet, but it does make me think back to those days of hanging out with my buddies from Twentynine Palms and I just have to laugh at the similarities between a sleepy toddler and a tipsy Marine.

Healthy Microwave Popcorn

I love popcorn. Love it. Sometimes I make a batch of popcorn and eat it instead of a real meal. But I'm picky about my popcorn. I don't like pre-popped stuff in a bag or movie popcorn. (It's like eating salty Styrofoam.) And the microwave bags of popcorn have so many weird chemicals. I'm iffy about even eating margarine because I think it's unnatural, so the strange shelf-stable butter substitute that they have in microwave bags frightens me.

I have an air popper, which I love for the ability to make a family-size batch quickly with nothing but hot air. But it's a pain to dig it out of the cupboard, make room on my always-crowded kitchen counters, and then put it all away again, just for a quick snack. Same goes for the stovetop poppers.

A while back I found this idea on Pinterest...

You just put 1/4 to 1/2 cup of popcorn seeds into a brown paper lunch sack and cook it for about 2 minutes. Super simple, quick, and minimal clean up. I love this for a quick snack.

The only problem is that it makes enough for 1 person... 2 if you feel like sharing. But if you're trying to make enough for the whole family, you have to make several batches. Kind of a pain.

So when the kids asked for popcorn while watching a movie tonight, I decided to experiment. Why not just put the seeds in the bowl and pop it that way? Could I make enough for everyone all at once? I put a cup of popcorn seeds in my bowl, covered the bowl with cling wrap, and popped it in the microwave. It actually worked great! Popped up nice and fluffy and looked delicious. I was pretty impressed with myself for finding this new method. Right up until I took the bowl out of the microwave and discovered this...

If you look closely, you can see that the hot popcorn seeds melted right through the bottom of the bowl! So... don't use one of your good plastic bowls to try this method.

Be sure you cover your bowl securely. I didn't adhere my cling wrap firmly enough. Popcorn escaped all over the microwave.

 

I tried it again with a glass bowl and had great success. 1 cup of seeds, 3 minutes in the microwave, one bowl of popcorn ready to eat! We're purists here, so we typically go for the classic butter topping. I'll definitely be doing it this way again!

 

Quick and easy family-size batch of popcorn... no chemicals or preservatives!

I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means...

Rylen had his 3-year-old checkup at the pediatrician last week. She gave me the standard lecture about limiting screen time for kids. And I KNOW that we're not supposed to let kids watch TV all the time. And that we're also supposed to limit time with the iPad, Wii, and computer games.

But on the other hand, Rylen knows his ABCs, colors, and shapes (which Mickey Mouse taught him). And he and Dora can chat a little in Spanish followed up by a little bit of Chinese with Ni Hao Kailan. Not to mention the self-defense ninja skills he likes to practice while watching Ninjago. It's not all bad. Right?

But during the guilt-inducing talk from the doctor, I agreed that we probably needed to cut down on his screen time a bit. But looking over at Rylen right now, it occurs to me that I obviously didn't really internalize that idea. I don't think that the doc would agree that this is "limiting" his screen time...

He's built himself a little fort on the couch and he's sitting in it to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the big TV. But on closer examination you realize that he has gathered additional electronics to his little nest. And simultaneously with Mickey Mouse on the big TV, he also has an episode of Ninjago playing on the iPad. And he's playing a game on my phone. 

He probably has a LeapPad and a Kindle tucked away in there too. Just for backup.

Not Even Close...

When I worked for Lehman Brothers there was a cafeteria in the building. This was incredibly convenient... though terrible for my budget. I would try to be good and dutifully bring my frozen Lean Cuisine (bought on sale!) from home. But it's awfully hard to convince yourself to heat up those cardboard noodles once you find out that the cafeteria special today is Swedish Meatballs... or Club Sandwiches... or a Chicken Caesar Salad with Housemade Dressing. They had some great stuff at that cafeteria. And the company actually subsidized the cost of the food, so it was really very cheap - just not as cheap as bringing lunch from home.

They served breakfast too, and about once a week I would treat myself to a bagel. Specifically, a bagel with cream cheese topped with a couple of slices of crisp, hot bacon. And sometimes there would be an avocado in the fruit basket, so I could slice it up and put it on my bagel, too. Heaven. That is the most incredible combination. Oh, it's not good for you, but it tastes SOOO good.

(I lost 10 pounds after I was laid off from that job. Sure, I was also pregnant and throwing up a lot, but I definitely think the loss of the cafeteria was a factor.)

I haven't had one of those bagel in years. Probably not since I was laid off, since I can no longer just walk into the room and find all the ingredients waiting for me. But for some reason this morning I suddenly remembered those bagels. And it sounded really good.

But it's cold (granted, not as cold as a lot of you, but still). There's several inches of new snow (I'm still trying to recover from the LAST time I went out in the snow - stupid knee). I would have to pack up Rylen and drive to the store to find the ingredients and then come home to make it (that's so much more work than just walking down the hall to the cafeteria). And oh yeah, I'm actually supposed to be working (don't worry, I'll make up the time later).

But WAIT! I do have cream cheese. And I have bread. And bacon bits... real bacon bits, not the crunchy fake ones. Toast with cream cheese and bacon bits is practically the same thing, right?

No. No it's not. It's not the same thing at all. It's really not even close. I guess I've learned my lesson; next time I'll have to do it right!

Where I've Been

So before I start in on new blog posts, I thought I'd do a quick catch-up on what's been going on since July. (July! I still can't believe it's actually been so long since I last blogged.)

After lots of heartache over my job, I made the firm decision to leave. It was really hard. When I started the job, it was literally my dream job. It let me combine my love of and studies in maternal/infant health with my skills in education development. I got to create so many great things. I got to be involved in a wonderful cause and really feel good about contributing to the world. I got to work with some really great people. So it was very hard to let that go. But even though it's still a great cause (I'll still always support it!) and some great people, the office politics just took over. And when new management came in and started taking away all the perks that had been necessary to maintain my sanity (like my work at home time) and my boss couldn't/wouldn't stand up for me anymore, I found something new.

And I am unbelievably happy with my new job. When I decided to look for something new, I basically made a wish list of my perfect job. And what I came up with was, I would like to stay in healthcare, I need to work at home at least part-time, but preferably full-time, I need something flexible so I can be there for my family, I need to feel like I am actually appreciated for my skills, I need a chance to be creative and do interesting projects instead of administrative nonsense, I need a boss who doesn't micromanage and keeps me out of office politics. It was a long list. I figured I would have to compromise along the line, but why not at least start with the best case scenario?

To my amazement, I found EXACTLY the job I described. I'm not directly in healthcare, but my part of the company works with insurance companies and the PATIENTS. I get to work completely out of my home, and they're incredibly flexible. Some days I get nothing done during the day (due to being there for my family) and I work all night instead. And they don't care. As long as I hit my deadlines and attend my scheduled meetings, they're fine with my weird hours. Sick kid? No problem, I can set them up in the living room and go do my work. School science fair? Great, I can run up and see the project then go home and get back to work. Car breaks down in Wyoming? I can work from my sister's house for 2 weeks and it makes no difference (at least not to my job). My bosses at this company actually know what an instructional designer is (I don't just "make things look pretty"!) and really appreciate my experience and skills. (Because - I don't like to brag, but I will - but I am REALLY good at what I do. And my new bosses tell me that a lot. Who doesn't appreciate that kind of validation?) I get assigned the creative projects. They hired another instructional designer at the same time as me, and they have found that his skill set really lies in step-by-step instruction... like creating a manual for how to use a piece of software. I can do that, but it's not my favorite thing. I love to build an entire curriculum and lay out the full course of instruction. I like to come up with games and activities to increase learning, not just tell you the steps. And so I get assigned the projects that need that mindset, Dennis takes the software training kind of stuff, and we're both happy with that division of labor. And because I'm not even in the same time zone as my bosses, let alone the same office, micromanagement is basically non-existent. I hear a bit about the office politics that go on in the background, but I don't have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis.

Really, this job is just perfect for me right now. It was a wrench to leave my co-workers, because I really was tight with some of them. Thank goodness for Facebook, so I can still keep in touch so easily! And if I don't have that kind of close relationship with any of my new co-workers, that's ok. :)

We've gotten rid of daycare entirely right now. That's actually not the way I wanted it. I really enjoyed the quiet of just being home by myself all day. But our daycare provider went back to school full-time (good for her! Really!) and we just weren't able to find someone new. The people who thought about doing it ended up with conflicts. And the daycare centers we looked at just didn't feel right - and were really pricey, too. For the older kids, this isn't really a problem. I can pick them up after school on a short break and then finish up my work day. It's a bigger issue with Rylen. He really does eat up my productivity sometimes - resulting in those overnight work sessions. But overall, I'm pretty amazed at how well it HAS worked keeping him home. I had a friend offer to take him on days that I really need to concentrate/hit a deadline or attend meetings all day, so that will definitely help. I just have to make it through the spring and summer and then I can find a preschool for half a day. In the meantime, it's sweet to be able to snuggle him during the day when he needs a hug.

Family life is going ok. Preston is still dealing with anxiety issues and meltdowns and a diagnosis of ADHD. He's having some therapy and medications and it's somewhat under
control. Still finding just the right combination of everything for him. Haley is also being medicated for anxiety. Hers had gotten bad enough that her teachers brought it up at parent/teacher conference. So we're getting her levels worked out, too. And I got medicated for my ADHD, too. A lot of better living through chemistry going on here. :) I am a lot less stressed now that I have a better work life. And not losing 2-3 hours/day on my commute is good, too. I have NOT, however, magically acquired the ability to keep my house clean as I was so sure that I would once I was home all the time. Someday.

I still wish that I lived closer to the rest of my family. Again, maybe someday. Right my family is dealing with a new baby (born premature and teeny tiny, but doing great!), my grandfather with cancer and a lot of recent mental health and other health problems, and my grandmother's problems, and my poor mother having to handle all of it. And I wish so much that I could be there to help with the baby and my grandparents and just take a bit of the load off my mother. And I wish I could be in Wyoming to help my sister while her husband is going through some major health problems. And I need to be here to take care of my family. And I just don't know how to be everywhere at once. So I just sit here and obsess over it. It's hard! I would so much rather be there and working all hours to help than be here unable to do anything useful. :(

In happy news, we got a settlement from a group lawsuit against an old employer. When Lehman Brothers went down the tubes, we all lost our shares and retirement accounts. Apparently the government filed suit on our behalf... I knew nothing about it until I was notified that I would be getting a check. Instead of doing the responsible thing and investing it, we decided to use part of it (we are being responsible with most of it ;) ) for a fabulous vacation. Combined with a bunch of frequent flyer miles, we were able to swing it to plan a family trip to Costa Rica this summer. We are all really looking forward to the adventure.

And with that, I think I've covered the highlights and lowlights of the last several months. I'll be looking for better things to share with you.

I'm Still Here

I know I've dropped off the face of the blogosphere. I keep meaning to get back to it, and just haven't managed to get around to it. Then in the last couple of days I got messages from a couple of different friends telling me that they have missed my blog. That was pretty flattering to me... I mostly figure I write this blog for me as a journal/family history, and occasionally other people check it out. So to hear from people that they want me to keep writing was pretty motivating.

I stopped writing back when I was having such a rough patch at my old job. I was so depressed. I would literally fight off tears on my way to work because I was so dreading going there. And since I didn't want to blog every day about how bad work was, but I couldn't seem to focus on anything else, I just stopped writing. And even when things changed, I was so out of the habit that I didn't pick it up again.

And then this morning I was looking up an old post for some information I needed and re-read some of the things I've written. And it reminded me how much I really enjoy writing the blog and how precious some of the memories are that are saved in this blog. The funny and sweet moments that I would certainly never remember if they weren't written down. So I'm convinced. I'm going to go back to blogging.

I hope you read it. I hope it's entertaining. I love it when you comment or share stories of your own.

Lakeside

How have I lived here since 1999 and never gone to Lakeside? More importantly, how have I had children for 9 years and never gone to Kiddie Land at Lakeside? Lakeside Kiddie Land is the PERFECT place to take little ones.

We finally visited Lakeside because my sister Melissa and brother-in-law Brian (and their two girls, Abigail and Olivia) came to stay with us for a few days. We were following through on the promise to take the kids to an amusement park since our trip to the carnival in Saratoga fell through. So Aaron and I took the day off work on Friday and we loaded up all the kids for our day of fun.

We were a little unsure of things when we first pulled in. Things look a bit rundown. The parking lot is dirt with a little broken asphalt. But the parking is free, so that's a nice bonus. We went to Kiddie Land and discovered that it's old enough to have plenty of mature trees around - that means there is SHADE around some of the rides. That's a wonderful thing on a hot summer afternoon.

Many of the rides are older, a little run down, and not top-of-the-line technology, but the kids totally didn't care! They ran from ride to ride, loving every minute. I loved the fact that even our littlest kids (Rylen, 2 years, and Olivia, 18 months or so) could ride almost every ride. The ride operators would help them climb in and out and strap them in - or let mom or dad load them in. The rides are all meant for little ones, so parents don't have to ride with them. The ride operators will even run the ride if there's only one kid. Several times one of the kids got to be the only person on a ride. They felt pretty special that the ride would go just for them. The ride operators will also STOP the rides for any child who gets scared and needs to get off. No one has to just suffer through the rest of the ride; they get to get off the ride, and then they'll finish the ride for everyone else. A lot of the ride operators were teenagers who would probably rather be doing a lot of things other than running carnival rides for little kids, but they were really well trained and the customer service was wonderful.

There are tame rides for the timid kids and more adventurous rides (roller coaster and mini tower drop) for the little adrenaline junkies. There are quite a few rides - enough that in 5 hours our kids never got bored with the selection. But they're all pretty closely spaced. Parents can choose a central spot to sit and watch the kids happily run from ride to ride on their own. As someone with tendencies toward helicopter parenting, that was a great thing. I could let the kids have freedom to explore on their own, but still keep an eye on them.

And the prices were incredible. $2.50 for gate entrance (whether you're going to ride any rides or not) is pretty reasonable. And then the rides are only 50 cents each, or you can get an unlimited rides pass for only $7 (or maybe $9). I can't remember the price exactly, but it's so much cheaper than I expect from an amusement park! It was WAY less expensive than the sketchy carnival the kids wanted to visit.

At one point, everyone was hot and hungry, so we went looking for snacks. We were dismayed to learn that the snack booth was cash only, because we only had $20 cash between us all. At usual amusement park snack prices, that would have probably netted us 2 drinks and a popcorn to share. Turns out that Lakeside food prices are incredibly reasonable, too. Our $20 got us 10 Icees and 4 boxes of popcorn - enough to refresh everyone for the next round of rides.

I can't say enough about how much I loved Kiddie Land. It is going to be my new go-to treat for the kids. The rest of the park looked fun, too, though we didn't have a chance to explore much of it. (The bigger rides didn't open until 6:00, by which time we'd been at the park with 6 small children for over 5 hours. It was time to go.) Next time, we're going to have to make time to check out the big rides, too!

Rylen LOVED the racecars. He went on the ride 5 times in a row at one point.

All of the kids loved the flying planes. The parents wished those guns were shooting water instead of just pretend. That would have been a great way to cool off!

Haley started off only wanting the tame rides. By the end, she was riding not only the little kid roller coaster, but made a quick trip into the main park to ride the two BIG roller coasters with Uncle Brian! Preston and Brekken wanted the adrenaline rides right from the start - big surprise. They were disappointed that they were just 1 inch too short for the big coasters.