Thinking About College

Although "first child" is only a freshman, I've started thinking about college admissions.  I know the next 3 1/2 years will fly by.  When at the library last week, I providentially stumbled upon a book named IN! College Admission and Beyond.  I think I've come across a gold mine of information.  Applying to college now is very different than when I applied back in the 80's.  I will definitely purchase this book for myself.  (Amazon $9.95)

Roasted Broccoli

I don't know how long ago it was, but it's been some time, my friend, Fran, and I went to a cooking demonstration class up in Alpharetta.  One of the healthy, quick dishes that was demonstrated was Roasted Broccoli.  I made some last night, and it was a good as candy!  I couldn't stop eating it.

This is what I did.
I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.
I washed and dried a head of broccoli.  Next, I cut it up into little florets and spread them into a single layer on a large cookie.  Then came the extra virgin olive oil.  I drizzled a good amount on the broccoli, enough to coat them completely. (I remember the lady at the Alpharetta cooking class actually dipping the broccoli in olive oil.)  I swirled them around a bit to make sure they were good and coated.  Lastly, I sprinkled kosher salt all over.  I popped them into the hot oven and set the timer for 8 minutes.  The broccoli got good and browned on the edges.

These are soooo good. 

Joe Shade

Both of my girls play soccer.  There are usually 3 or more games each weekend.  They love it.  They play for CFC East (Cobb Futbol Club in DeKalb county)  It sure gets hot on the sidelines when the sun is out. It seems like most of the families have these portable umbrellas that set up in a snap and offer great shade. After 2 years of being hot, sharing the shade with other folks that have umbrellas, or holding a big golf umbrella, I decided to splurge and get my own portable sport umbrella.

I searched around the internet and came across Joe Shade www.joeshade.com .  Just what I was looking for!  Easy set up and UV protection said the website.  They even had instructional videos to demonstrate the umbrella.   I promptly ordered one.

In less than a week, my Joe Shade Umbrella arrived.  Just like the website promised, it set up super easily!  After it was all set up, I noticed a few places where the fabric of the umbrella was ripped. Not good.  Not that I was going to use it for rain (which I might in a pinch), it would be the beginning of bigger rips.  What to do?

First, I took some pictures of the rip with my camera and down-loaded them to the computer.  Second, I returned to the website and found a "contact" section and emailed my concerns, although there was not a way to attach my pictures.  Then I saw a phone number, so I called and left a message.  Lastly, I finally found an email address, so I emailed and attached the pictures.  What overkill!  Sure wish I found the email address first.  I tried to be straightforward and nice about my complaint in all three messages.  Well, in no time at all, I received an email from Dave at Joe Shade letting me know he got all of my correspondence (I felt a little embarrassed about the overkill.)  He also told me that another umbrella would be on its way soon, and that they would inspect it thoroughly before mailing it out.  Wow!  That was so nice.

So...a big THANK YOU goes out to Joe Shade.  I am so looking forward to sunny soccer weekends, having my own shade that I can share with others.

Many Names

This week I've been thinking about the many names I have.

(No particular order)
Marcy
Wife
Mom (Mamma Taco- new name by child #3)
Sister
Daughter
Housekeeper
Chauffeur (glad for spell check here)
Friend
Cook
Schedule keeper
Christian
Confidant
Trainer
Blogger (kinda sorta)
Aunt
Budgeter
Couponer
Manager
Punkin
Ma-dray (derivative of Mom by child #1)
Teacher
Schedule Keeper
Shopper
Guide



My favorite title is "mom."  It's funny that soooo many people have this very same title.  When I play games with the kids, and we're keeping score, my name is always "mom."  But when I play a game with my own mother, she's "mom" and I'm "Marcy."  It's not "mom" and "mom."

I look at theses names and think that I could do a better job at most of them.  One day at a time...

Quick Summer

The summer of 2011 flew by!  I can't believe that the last time I posted was July 19.

One of the highlights of the summer was The Ten-Year-Old-Trip to San Diego.  It is a tradition in our household to take a trip with each child when they turn 10 years old.  Our baby turned ten this summer, and she chose San Diego for her trip.  (The other two chose New York City.)  The rule is that you must pick a place in the continental United States.

It seems like the planning starts a year ahead.  One of the first things we do is pick the dates--5 nights.  Next we go online and research our destination, ordering travel brochures and bookmarking sites.  Then we work on airfare and then hotel.  The best resource for us was the San Diego tourism website http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors. On the website I requested a travel guide to be mailed to me.  It had so much great info.  I poured over the guide for ideas.

We chose to stay in the Hotel Del Coronado.  Since it was first built more than 120 years ago, the Hotel del Coronado has been a beacon of grandeur and refinement among vacation destinations in Southern California and the world. With its iconic red-shingled roof adding a dash of majestic color to the dazzling azure Pacific coastline, The Del stands as the definitive example of what a luxury hot resort should be. Since it was first built more than 120 years ago, the Hotel del Coronado has been a beacon of grandeur and refinement among vacation destinations in Southern California and the world. With its iconic red-shingled roof adding a dash of majestic color to the dazzling azure Pacific coastline, The Del stands as the definitive example of what a luxury hot resort should be. http://www.hoteldel.com/  And best of all, it's right on the beach!  One Night was movie by the pool (Dive-in Movie) and another night was s'mores on the beach.
The town of Coronado is so cute and fun to walk in.  Cute shops, restaurants... 


We rented a car while we where in San Diego, truly necessary.  San Diego has a bunch of public transportation, but I don't think it would have suited us.  We rented a little Ford Fiesta.  What a fun, delightful car!  We rented from Fox Rent a Car because I was able to get the best deal from them.  I was a little worried because I had never heard of them, but it turned out to be great.  The shuttle van was easy to use, the driver of the van was great each time, the folks at the place were nice.  They did try to sell several add-ons when I checked in, but I kindly said, "No, thank you," and they didn't pressure me any further.  I would recommend them.

One of the best deals was the Go San Diego Card. http://www.smartdestinations.com/san-diego-attractions-and-tours/_d_Sdo-p1.html?pass=Sdo_Prod_Go&GCID=GOOGLE-san-diego-GOCARD-gbc  We probably saved half on all the attractions that were included.  There were a ton of attractions we could go to as part of the card.  We went to: The Birch Aquarium, kayaking in La Jolla, Belmont Park, LegoLand, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Safari Park, Go Car, USS Midway, Balboa Park (IMAX Movie), Harbor Cruise... We ran out of time and energy for all of the attractions available.


Of course, our number one favorite part of our trip was The San Diego Zoo!

Teenagers

Two of my three kids are entering their teenage years, with number three nipping at their heals.  When they were going through confirmation a couple of years ago, the book Like Dew Your Youth, by Eugene Peterson, was recommended to me.  I really haven't picked it up until now.  It's a short little book, and I haven't gotten very far in it yet, but it is giving me a new way to look at adolescence.

ad·o·les·cence/ˌadlˈesəns/

Noun: The period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.

Eugene Peterson says, "Adolescence is , by definition, maladjustment.  And getting adjusted is a strenuous and often noisy process."  The biggest point he makes in the very first chapter is that adolescence is a GIFT to the parents, God's gift.  "A time for parents to enjoy a deeper, richer relationship with their children and for both parents and young adults to grow spiritually."

I'll probably read the rest of the book quickly, hoping to glean what this gift from God, adolescence, really is.  Then I'll re-read it.  Then I'll get my dear husband to read it.  Maybe we will enjoy this gift more than we can ever imagine.

Monopoly

Tom started playing Monopoly with the kids when they were 5 years old or so.  (not Jr. Monopoly)  He very patiently played with them, requiring them to count, add, subtract etc. as they played.  It's amazing what the kids have learned from the simple game of Monopoly.  The Monopoly game would be on the table for days, as the game was played a few turns at a time.  Now that the kids are older, the games go much quicker, with much wheeling and dealing.  It's a great family game night game.