I've Got Your Back

Sometimes when pondering what to post I ask myself, "What do I know that could help someone else?"  Today the answer to that question is, "RideMax."

RideMax is what you'll need if you happen to be going to Disneyland (you lucky dog you).  RideMax is a planning software that completely maps out your day at Disneyland.  It just so happens to know when rides are the busiest, which way to turn in line for the shortest wait time, which seat will give you the most optimal ride, and how to use a fast pass most efficiently. 

My dear friend and I went to Disneyland together last April.  It was the year you could get in FREE on your birthday and it just so happens that my daughter and her son have the same birthday, so we met up in So Cal and had a blast at the happiest place on earth.  We used RideMax and were blown away by how well it worked.  We were cruising on rides while others were waiting in line.  It was amazingly awesome. 

I wish I could say I get a kickback from RideMax for telling you about it, but I totally don't.  It's just a tip I wanted to share with my nearest and dearest friends.  You're welcome. 

Hold On

You may have noticed that I was tired yesterday.  I'm tired today too.  Not just physically tired, emotionally too.  I was also feeling a little self-pity yesterday.  Not enough sleep, not enough money in the bank, not enough hours in the day, not enough patience with my kids, not enough tread on the tires, yada - yada - yada.

But here's what happened. . .as the day went on I kept getting messages from heaven telling me to "buck up."  One message came from a Seagull Book catalog.  It said:  "Don't just weather the storm - learn to dance in the rain."  Another came from my Michael Buble CD I've been listening to in preparation for his concert I'm going to next week.  Track 7 - "Hold On."  Another came from the guy in stripes picking up trash along the freeway as I whizzed by.  He seemed to say, "You've got it pretty good, lady."

I sometimes have a hard time acknowledging the "haves" and ignoring the "have nots."  I may even have a hard time acknowledging I have so much, in a time when so many have so little.  What I do have for sure is love in my heart.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . .love can negotiate anything.  

Tired

I'm spent.

A la Peanut Butter Sandwiches

I'm tired of making the same old things for dinner.  I imagine you are too?  So here's what I've done about it.  I've created a new blog.  It's called Food-a-la-Suze.  I'd like to be able to post a new recipe each day.  Not just any recipe, but a recipe that we've tried and really enjoy.  Something we can put in the rotation.

Here's where you come in.  Email me at foodalasuze@gmail.com.  Give me a recipe that's tried and true at your house.  We'll try it, and if we agree it's as good as you say it is, I'll post it on Food a la Suze.  This way, we can share what we've got with each other.  It's a win-win don't ya think?

I've already posted the recipes I've previously posted on Life's Negotiations.  I also posted a new recipe for homemade lemonade to prove I'm not just looking for main dishes.  And desserts are my favorite if you didn't already know.  But my biggest dilemma is making nutritious dinners (that taste great) for my family with little or no time so you gotta help me out.  Oh, and one more thing, if you've taken your recipe from a cookbook or website, I'd like to give them credit.  Can't wait to hear from you!

PPI

I began blogging to share with you my tips to negotiating life, so here is a tip for you. . .have PPIs with your children and spouse. 

If you're unaware of what a PPI is, well then I'll tell you it's a Personal Progress Interview.  My husband and I like to interview our kids the first week of each month.  We invite them into our room solo.  It's them and us and it's great to put them in the middle and start asking all kinds of embarrassing questions.  Kidding.  It's great to start by telling them how proud you are of them and what a great job they're doing at negotiating life.  Then it's important to ask if there is anything bothering them or if they'd like to share concerns with you.  Often times they'll share things with you that they may not have approached you with, but since you are asking - they are telling and it's a beautiful thing. 

I believe starting this PPI habit while your kids are young is most helpful.  If you've been having talks with them regularly since kindergarten, they'll be more likely to share their high school experiences with you.  My kids actually love this PPI.  They'll think up anything just to keep talking to us and keep the next kid waiting for their turn.  They feel special when you give them individual attention.  It's definitely a win/win situation and something you and your spouse could benefit from as well.  Communication is key in negotiating successful relationships. 

Hawaiian Items

I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Hurricane.  It's pronounced Hur-i-kin.  Don't know why they pronounce it the way they do, probably has something to do with small town lingo, n stuff.  Hurricane has a population of less than 10,000 people and is only 31.5 square miles.  Anyhow, the trip from my front porch to Hurricane takes all of two minutes.  While on my way, I passed a Walgreens store.  There was a big banner hung across the front of the store.  It read:  WE NOW CARRY HAWAIIAN ITEMS. 

I'm curious.  Is there a large influx in Hawaiians migrating to Hurricane that I'm not aware of?  Are they demanding their local stores carry Hawaiian items?  If so, maybe they should have stayed in Hawaii where Hawaiian items are readily available.  If I lived in Hawaii I would stay there because I love the ocean, but Hawaiian items would probably be a bonus. 

And just what kind of Hawaiian items have they got?  Grass skirts?  Tikki necklaces like the one that brought bad luck to the Brady Bunch?  Chocolate covered macadamia nuts?  Hawaiian shirts?  Surf boards?  Leis?  Sugar cane? Or maybe I'm thinking too big for a small town and it's merely Hawaiian punch?

I'm determined to get to the bottom of this. . .stay tuned.  

The Other End of a Very Long Day

While driving home from Provo this past weekend I was reminded of another long drive home.  It was the day we found out we'd be welcoming a back brace into our life for the next six years.  It was quite a day in itself, but here is the other end of that very long day.

We had 250 miles to travel home that night.  We timed it so we'd arrive in Cedar City around 10:30 pm.  Cedar City happens to be 45 miles from where we live and is where our Dad works. He had been sleeping in his office for two weeks as it was football camp and that's what football coaches do a lot of the time.  It's very glamorous. 10:30 pm is when he would have a break in his day and we could stop to exchange love and encouragement.

The long drive home was much more quiet than usual.  No movies or video games, just silence.  We all kept our thoughts to ourselves for at least 100 miles.  It was then that I heard a voice from the back seat.  This time is wasn't a child serenading me, it was Maggie.

Maggie:  Mom?
Me:  Yes?
Maggie:  I need Dad.
Me:  Me too.

We finally arrived in Cedar City that night and had a good visit with our Dad before pushing the last 45 miles home.  We couldn't wait to hop in bed and put the day behind us.  I was completely spent, emotionally and physically.  But come to find out, we were locked out.  I'd given my house key to a neighbor so our dog could be cared for while we were gone.  It was now midnight and nothing we tried got us into our house.  With all other options exhausted, we called our Dad and requested he drive the 45 miles home to let us in.

We spread out a blanket on the front lawn and waited.  We soon fell asleep and I woke an hour later to my husband standing over me.  "You're covered in cockroaches, " he said.  And it was funny to think that at that moment, that was the very least of my concerns.

UPDATE:  Jamison wears his brace pretty darn faithfully and with very few complaints.  Our next check-up is April 23.