Vote for David Enchilada

I am an avid American Idol watcher and am so excited for the finale tonight. Usually I tape the show and watch it well after the kids are asleep, but last night I decided to let Maddie stay up and watch the show with me. She is somewhat familiar with the show and has heard kids talk about it at school. We had so much fun watching it together. All day she has been saying, "Is David Enchilada going to win?" She even told me that one of her friends at school wants David Cook to win! Needless to say she is excited for the finale tonight as well! We hope David Archuleta wins!

Good Hygiene Habits

Today I found Sawyer doing something very funny. He was in our bathroom struggling to put something inside his shirt. He turned around and I thought it was so cute I went straight for the camera. Apparently Sawyer has watched me get ready so much that he wanted to be like mommy and put deodorant on! Kids are so impressionable aren't they! I thought it was cute. He finally got it inside his shirt but there was deodorant all over his collar. Well at least he smells good!

ANNIE

Back in January when Maddie was getting ready to be "Annie" for her school talent show, I did some research online and found out that the national tour of "Annie" was coming to California this weekend. So I bought tickets for last nights show thinking that it would be a great Mothers day gift for Maddie, myself and my mom to go to! So we've been looking forward to going for the last 4 months! So last night we went to dinner at WoodRanch (one of my favorite places) and went to see the show. It was so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The girl who played Annie was only 10 years old, and on a 9 month tour around the country. The very last stop was in California and the last show was today. I can't imagine what that must be like, at such a young age to be away from your family and friends and be on the road performing. I guess that is the life! Anyway we had a great time, and I can't wait to go to another show!

We love GeoTrax

Carter has been collecting GeoTrax for the past year or so and we love it! They are by far my favorite boy toy. They are so sturdy and easy to put together (unlike Maddie's polly pocket sets that come apart while you are playing with them.) We have quite a collection now and Carter likes to set them all up in the living room so he can play for hours. With my help of course. The other day when Chris was out of town we left the whole set up for 2 days. It takes up most of the living room and is a little annoying but the boys love it. Someday when I have a big house I must have a play room or a loft where we can just leave it set up! I also love this toy because it really entertains a wide range of ages. Sawyer who is 20 months old loves connecting the trains together and using the remote to pull them around the track. Carter is a little more imaginative and uses the little people that you can put as passengers in the trains. Even Maddie gets in on the action and plays with the people and the trains. It kind of reminds me of playing little people with my siblings when I was young. Anyway, I really recommend this toy and it will be a great collection for many years.

Sam & Harry's Mystery Shop

Many of you know that I have been a mystery shopper for the past 4 years. Sometimes it is a little overrated and you go to a lot of work for very little compensation. But when you get a shop like I did last night it makes all the little ones worth it. I have tried to get this shop for the past year or so but I was never the first to request it now but this month I got lucky and I requested it first!

The shop was at a place called Sam and Harry's in Newport Beach, CA. A little far from home (50 miles) but totally worth the $180 reimbursement. Sam and Harry's is a famous steakhouse originating in Washington D.C. which is said to have been frequented by Presidents of the U.S.. Chris and I are always up for a great steak especially when it is paid for. That and we really wanted to see how good a $180 meal would taste. So we dropped the kids off at his mom's house and headed down to Newport. The restaurant was beautiful- overlooking a golf course and the ocean. We had Filet Mignon and Halibut. It was delicious and totally satisfying. For dessert I had a cute little plate with a tiny cup of Creme Brulee, a tiny fruit tart and a teeny piece of chocolate cake with mouse. It was delicious, just perfect. The meal with tip came to $160. Even though it was really good, I can't imagine ever spending that much money on a dinner for 2. Even if I was filthy rich. But it was really fun pretending that we were!

So doing those $10 shops at Bestbuy that take 2 hours to complete (shop and survey) are worth it when you get to do a big one!!!

If you are interested in becoming a Mystery shopper go to bestmark.com. It doesn't cost anything to do it. If you live in California you can do Disneyland shops which are really fun but
A LOT of work!