Looking Forward to 2011

I hope everyone had a very happy holiday season. We're down to one more holiday. The New Year!!!! 2011!!!!

Looking back at 2010, it was filled with a lot of bad news. The word cancer in various forms came up multiple times this year. Up to now, we are still dealing with it. There were also some very unexpected deaths and other illnesses.

I know, I'm sounding like such a downer. With all of that said, 2010 was also filled with so many priceless moments that I shouldn't push into the shadows of depression. Celebrating Christmas reminded me how precious life can be.

Ever since the birth of my children, life has taken on a brand new meaning. Princess Ninja and Chubs have allowed me to appreciate life. The amazement and magic of everyday life through the eyes of my children is truly a wonder that I cannot get enough of.

Some of you may have noticed, I have not been present in the blogging world as often as I'd like. Its mainly due to the fact that I'm trying to savor as much of life with my family as humanly possible.

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Mental note that I never want to forget, so I'm sharing it with all of you as a means of preserving it. I'd love to hear one of your favorite memories so that we can somehow archive it here and remind each other how great life can truly be.

Christmas Eve, Princess Ninja and I spent most of the morning and afternoon baking treats for family and Santa. Prior to leaving the house, Princess Ninja and H leave a plate of truffle balls and milk for Santa. Of course, we can't forget about those hard working reindeer. A small box of raisins were placed by the fireplace as well.

We arrived back to our house past midnight on Christmas Day. Both kids are sound asleep in their car seats. H and I quietly try to place each child in their room without waking them. There isn't a single wrapped gift under the tree. This was done on purpose and not by shear laziness. Chubs has a tendency to open gifts.

As I walk down the stairs, I see the yummy truffle balls, glass of milk, and raisins for Santa. How could I resist such a delectable midnight snack. H and I spent the remainder of the night wrapping and placing gifts under the tree and in their stockings.

Come Christmas morning, the look on the children's faces as they saw all the gifts Santa left is engraved in my mind. Princess Ninja was so proud that Santa ate the special treats that she made that she's still talking about it with a smile as big as Texas on her face. Priceless.

Tassimo Brewbot

I must have been a good girl this year because Santa's little elves dropped off a little something for me to play around with. I was fortunate enough to review the Tassimo T20 Brewbot.

What exactly is a Tassimo T20 Brewbot you might ask? 

It's a 7.08 lbs, 11.0" (length), 7.9" (width), 11.8" (depth) machine that makes coffee, tea, cappuccino, latte, crema, espresso, and hot cocoa. Yes, all of that liquid goodness in a small little package.  The Brewbot retails for about $129.99 and can be purchased at a number of stores. Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Walmart to name a few.

   

The Brewbot along with T Disc

Please visit www.brewbot.com for further details. 

When this lovely was dropped at my doorstep, I couldn't wait to brew some coffee. Like many of you, a day without coffee is a day in lethargy hell. 

As a busy working mom, I have some basic needs and wants out of my coffee. One, I need my coffee STAT. Two, I want my coffee to jump start my day and it better be good. 

The Brewbot was easy to set-up. You basically fill the water tank with water, place your choice of T Disc into the machine, press a button, and in less than a minute....Voila, a cup of coffee. 

Fresh cup of coffee brewing

Surprisingly good!

   

I sampled the Gevalia Signature Blend Coffee first. It was smooth and robust. It was exactly how I would like my morning cup of Joe. 

What I enjoyed most is that the machine is so simple to use and set-up. I can literally carry the baby in one arm and brew a fresh cup of coffee with the other hand. Did I mention the toddler was stuck onto my other leg while all of this was going on?

Princess Ninja

Because the Brewbot uses T Disc technology, there are no beans to grind and no messy filters to deal with. The T Disc keeps the grounds fresh and easily available. There is no messy set-up or clean-up.  There are a large variety of T Disc to choose from. It's not just coffee either. They have teas and cocoa as well. So there's something for everybody. 

Speaking of something for everybody. The machine also has interchangeable faces that can be purchased separately. The Brewbot pictured above has a red face. There are a variety of different faces to match your decor and mood. 

I can totally see this being a bonus at a party. Everyone is able to select the beverage of their choice and brew it up themselves. 

As a late afternoon treat, I brewed myself up a cup of Starbucks cappuccino. That's right Starbucks! Although it wasn't exactly how a cappuccino would taste, it was delightful in itself.

From an economic standpoint, I could brew up more cups of regular black coffee using my old coffee maker. The key word there is regular. 

If you're one that usually stops by your local coffee shop for a cup of gourmet coffee then this machine could provide you with a comparable cup of coffee for much less.

Because I was so excited about this machine, I invited my fellow coffee lover, Manette G, over to help me with this review. She was also kind enough to provide the pictures. 

Machine and coffee were provided. Opinions are all mine. 

Gifts

The Holiday Season is in full swing right now. Our tree is up and decorated. The stockings are hung. We've even used the fireplace and played Christmas music in the background to bring us more cheer. The outside of the house is full of holiday nick-knacks ranging from the inflatable ornaments to random animals dressed in winter clothing.

Everything is ready for Christmas but one minor detail (said very sarcastically with eyes rolling). Okay make that two minor details.

Minor detail #1: I have yet to receive my Christmas cards that I ordered. Did I mention I just placed the order 2 days ago? I'm just hoping people will receive them before 2011.

Minor detail #2: I have purchased 2 gifts. Those gifts were purchased today. My Christmas shopping list seems as long as Santa's.

I understand that Christmas is all about being together as a family. I'm supposed to enjoy this season and absorb the love and joy. To be frank, people expect presents. Don't tell me they don't. If we're truly being honest with one another, when was the last time a member of your family was happy with a hug for Christmas?

Well this year, I'm this close (thumb and index finger 2 mm away from each other) to call it a wrap and purchase gift cards for all. With the few exceptions, being my kids, I'm so very tempted to. I can literally drive on over to my local grocery store, purchase the usual grocery items, and get a bunch of gift cards. That's it! The only major thought is to decide which type of gift card to purchase.

I, for one, love gift cards. I usually get a few different ones and place them in my wallet, so they're ready for action at any moment. I understand the pure enjoyment of ripping open the wrapping paper and avoiding paper cuts is kind of a bummer.

So tell me your thoughts on gift cards? Yay or nay?

Hello!!!!

I know! I've been away for awhile. Definitely a little longer than I had anticipated. So where have I been?

1.) The family went on this FABULOUS (said in that snotty Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island accent) vacation around Europe. That's right! The kids were oh so well behaved. H and I drank wine and ate the most exquisite food under the European sky. Think Brad and Angelina but with far fewer kids. Instead of kids, it's a bunch of family members. I get chills just thinking about it.

2.) I had a mental breakdown. You know the kind that celebrities have because they're under too much stress. Shall I say it, I pulled a Britney. A Britney without the bald head incident because there is no way I'm having holiday pictures of myself bald. I had to admit myself to the hospital to destress and to regroup myself mentally and physically. Isn't that what the rich and famous/celebrities do when they're stress?

3.) The long weekend of the Thanksgiving holiday was far too long! The term "long" weekend has a new meaning.

4.) The real reason why I've been away so long is probably a combo of all the above. Since it's been one thing after the other the last week, I found myself having to escape to a happy place. Now. Now I'm left with a far less than vivid sense of where my reality and happy place actually end and begin.

So there you have it. It's now December. The holiday lights are up outside. The tree is decorated. I haven't even started shopping yet. If you'll all excuse me, I'm off to my happy place again.

Twice In One Month...WTH!

So there I am, sitting there in a semi-reclined position with a my mouth wide open and a light shining in my face.

No, it's not some sexy new position that H and I have going on. Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm talking about my dentist visit.

Yes, the dentist. How many times a year am I supposed to see him?

Twice. It's highly recommended that I visit the dentist twice a year. They remind me it's been almost a year since my last visit.  Really, it's been that long?

I sit there, the dental hygienist is literally scraping and pulling plaque out of my mouth. I feel like someone is running their fingernails across a chalkboard. She continues on to tell me that I should floss more often because there is a large amount of plaque build-up in my mouth.

Alright, let's get on the subject of flossing. I don't floss everyday. I know I should. Seriously, I'm just glad I'm able to bath and brush my teeth every day. That alone is an accomplishment.

Like many of you, don't deny it either, I some how think I can fool my dentist. If I start flossing a week before my visit, maybe my gums won't bleed so much. Maybe, just maybe, I won't hear the flossing lecture.

I continue to sit there. The hygienist places some type of gum measuring device between all my teeth. She dictates numbers to the other hygienist who notes each number down. 2.3.1.3.3.4.

What the hell does all that numerical mumbo jumbo mean?

Well it means that my attempts to start flossing a week before my visit isn't fooling anyone. I did not dodge the important flossing lecture. They even took out the fake teeth. Teeth that are perfectly straight and shiny. Teeth that are free of plaque. Gums that are healthy.

They take out another pair of fake teeth. Teeth that have been neglected. Teeth that are missing and brown. Teeth that are so scary that I've been flossing every night.

Good news is I'm cavity free.  Bad news, I have to go back for a DEEP CLEANING. UGH!

http://www.drbradhylan.com/gum-disease.html

Being Robbed by this Fall Back of Time

On a normal day, I'd be all excited about getting an extra hour of sleep. Actually I'd be excited about getting an extra 15 minutes of sleep. Excited: streamers, confetti, clappers excited! The big hype is all about getting sleep.

Well, I feel robbed. Not only am I not getting an extra hour but sleep hours have been taken away from me. Valuable, irreplaceable sleep. How I miss you terribly!

You would think it'd be logical if your child normally wakes up at 7am, he/she would wake up at 6am during this fall back of time. It's not the case for my Chubs. This whole messing with time is messing with our lives.

Chubs is waking up between the hours of 3am-5am. Waking up like he's gotten a full night of shut eye. I have no problem getting out of my comfy, warm bed to lay on the uncomfortable, cold couch as he plays quietly in the family room. OK, I would still have a problem with getting out of my comfy, warm bed, but it's a bigger problem if Chubs wants me to be all interactive with him at 3am.

There I am, in the dark, the only light is the street lamp outside our family room window and the light of the moon. Inside I'm praying Chubs gets the hint that it's dark. Dark meaning sleep. No, he wants Mama to read, play cars, wrestle. I lay on the couch pretending actually sleeping. He yells at the top of his lungs. He's announcing to the world it's time to wake up like a crazy rooster who has his days and nights mixed up.

It's now day 5 of this routine. How long does it take to reset? Help!

Come Here Sweet Thang!

With Halloween now behind us, I'm faced with the reality of the upcoming holiday season. The time of year that seems to go by the fastest. It's as if Father Time pushes the fast forward button and all of a sudden it's a new year. Although every day seems like a whirlwind of chaos, there is something about November and December that adds to the craziness of every day life.

I do love the holidays, but they've definitely taken on a new twist now that I've become an adult. Don't get me wrong and I don't want to sound like Ebenezer Scrooge, but there's so much chaos during this time of year that the very site of Christmas items at the stores sends my blood pressure up, up and up.  

I. do. not. like. Christmas shopping!!!!!

I have to admit, I'm somewhat of an emotional eater. When the going gets tough, desserts and chocolate seem to call me. There cries of, "I'm here. Enjoy my yumminess. I'll make you feel better" become louder and louder to the point where I can no longer resist. 

It was just a few days ago that I noticed that I happened to enjoy 3, count them 3, Reese's peanut butter cups right before bed. I was a work and I lost count of how many "fun" size pieces of candy I ate. What's so fun about fun size anyways? I could probably go on and on but I've lost count. 

So I ask all of you this, how do you cope with the holiday season? Perhaps it's just me who become so overwhelmed. I'm open to suggestions. 

In the mean time, there's a dark chocolate Milky Way calling me. Yes, it's supposedly "fun" size. Let the fun of the holiday season begin.