HalloweenTime at Disneyland

Sunday morning, I got a text message from Angry Husband, "You wanna do Disney after work?" I replied "yes". Of course I wanted to go. I knew that Disneyland had already been decorated for Halloween. I also saw some tweets on Twitter from Suz and Kelly about Disneyland. They had attended an event on Saturday.

So at about 4pm, we packed our stuff, got in the car and headed that way. I noticed that Disneyland was quite busy, as we waited in a line in the parking structure for about ten minutes. We then parked our car and headed towards the tram. I had an incident with my stroller, and took a gash out of my thumb along the way. I was trying to nurse my injury with a napkin. Angry Husband told me to stop being a baby. As we headed towards the main gate of Disneyland, we realized that the tires were somewhat flat on the stroller. Angry Husband headed towards the stroller rental for a fill-up and I headed towards first aid for a band aid.

We headed straight towards Space Mountain, otherwise known as Ghost Galaxy during Halloween. We saw that there was a 90 minute wait, but we decided that it would be worth it. Plus it was Angry Toddler's first time riding Space Mountain. We ended up in lanes 1 and 2 in the car for the ride. I ended up in space 1, obviously. I told Angry Toddler to close his eyes, if he got scared. I did not know what to expect from the ride, but Kelly told me that it was awesome and that her son, whom is Angry Toddler's age rode it. Well it was dark and scary for sure. I saw lots of flames. I just keep worrying about Angry Toddler. We ended the ride and I turned around. I asked Angry Toddler if he liked the ride, and he nodded "ya". Nothing scares this kid.

Angry Toddler was getting tired, so we headed down Main St., to hang out for a bit. I like to look at the decorations and the parade was heading down Main St. We had a great view while walking. We stopped and watched the parade for a bit and headed towards the main gate. I suggested going over to Disney's California Adventure for a bit. We casually strolled through DCA and enjoyed the calmness. We headed towards the construction for The World of Color. Angry Husband and Angry Toddler wanted to see the progress.

We stayed in Disney's California Adventure for about 30 minutes. We people watched. We checked out the changes. We then decided it was time to go home. Angry Husband and I had both worked earlier in the day, and had to work the next day also. We got Angry Toddler a churro and went on our way.

We know that we will be back several times during HalloweenTime. We didn't get to experience everything while we were there. I love how they decorate the Haunted Mansion. Plus, I NEED to see the fireworks show. I've heard that the fireworks show is a must-see.

This is only my view on HalloweenTime at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Check out my friend's blogs for more stories. Plus, some super cool videos.

Alive in Wonderland
Just Spotted
Peace, Love, and Momminess

Oh, and I also did a whrrl story while I was at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. You can find it here.

Wordless Wednesday: Meeting Chris Brogan

I met, Chris Brogan, at a Tweet-Up for Skip It at Wahoo's Fish Tacos in Irvine, CA.

No, I Won't Join Your Mafia

Once again, I'm annoyed with Facebook. I'm pretty sure you wondering, why don't I just delete my account and move on? Well, I use it for Junior League and to network with friends from the past. I actually like looking at pictures of people's children. Sometimes the day to day stuff is a nice break.

But within the pregnancy announcements, the new homes, the births, and vacations photos are the applications. I have "friends" where their entire wall is either Mafia Wars and/or Farmville. Do I want to join your mafia? Nope, not now, not ever.

Angry Husband was complaining about our computer in the office, which is not my Macbook. I won't let his hands touch my Macbook. Angry Husband has a Dell in the office, which is his "gaming" computer. He had to have the top of the line graphics card, hard drive you name it. Well he's been complaining about the computer being SLOW. I just roll my eyes. He then proceeded to tell me that the computer has some issues and then he needs to wipe the entire hard drive. I proceed to lecture him with my Facebook/MySpace education seminar. I told him that these "games" on Facebook and/or MySpace are applications which can cause viruses and other problems with your computer. Angry Husband is the king of clicking on things. He just can't stop. I also think he has a slight addiction to these little games. He plays Mafia Wars, Pirates, and even Sorority Life. He even had a Facebook War with my best friend over a Tetris Game. Guess who has to re-format the entire computer now?

I currently have over a 100 invitations hidden on my Facebook account. Here are some of the them.

*Jane wants you to join their crew in Mafia Wars, a Mob-style game of combat & criminal empire played on Facebook. Start out as a small-time hood and fight your way up to ruling your own crime family!

*Hey, I added you as my relative on We're Related. Can you do me a favor and add your relatives too? You'll help me see who I'm related to on Facebook.

*Here is a Ramboo plant for your (Lil) Green Patch. Could you help me by sending a plant back? Together we can fight Global Warming!

*I've added you as one of my favorite moms on Mommyhood. Join my Mommyhood so we can share advice and send each other fun gifts!

*Here's a Juicy Couture Dress to help you out in Sorority Life. Please send me a gift back and together we can become the most powerful house in Sorority Life!

Seriously, I'm over the games and applications on Facebook. But at least, I can hide most of them. I have a new pet peeve within the past few weeks. My best friend, Stacey, also shares my view on this. Well, actually there are two pet peeves.

1. Passive-Aggressive Statuses: They make you wonder, is this person talking about me? What the heck have I done to piss them off?

2. Political Statements: They hear something on the news, involving politics. It may be about healthcare, educations, you name it. They have to give their opinion and they want the controversy.

I just wish people would realize whom they have as "friends" on their Facebook accounts. I have family, high school friends, college friends, sorority sisters, co-workers, supervisors, bloggers and other random people. It's quite a group. We've had several discussions at work lately about some of the "statuses" we've seen. Actually several wars have started because of Facebook comments, statuses, and pictures.

So no, I won't accept your drink or play Farkle with you.

Disney Parks Blog

I'm a big fan of Disney. We try and go to Disneyland and/or Disney's California Adventure at least once a week. We are Season Pass Holders. We actually went last night.

I was very excited when I received an e-mail from Disney Parks today. They announced that a blog dedicated to Disney Parks was launched today. The blog will be managed by the Disney Public Relations Team, and will feature posts from members of the Disney Park casts.

This is the official link to the Disney Parks Blog.

You can also follow Disney Parks on Twitter @DisneyParks and @DisneylandNews

And the fabulous photo above, was taken by me, last night at Disney's California Adventure.

Got Tervis?

Last year, I did a favorite things exchange with my friend, Londie. This is where I was first introduced to Tervis Tumblers. Londie sent me a 17 oz. Tervis Mug with a Texas flag design. I'm obsessed with this mug, and I use it all the time.

Recently, I got an e-mail from Tommy Bahama. They are now selling a special collection of Tervis Tumblers, including a 50th Anniversary of Hawaii Edition. And of course I had to get it, it has a hula dancer on it.

Well I've been carrying that Tommy Bahama Tervis Tumbler around the house for a week now. At one moment the other night, I could not find it. I asked Angry Husband where my special cup was. He replied with an "oh, that hula dancer cup is in the dishwasher." Ack! I know that you can put these in the dish washer but this cup is soo precious to me. I politely instructed Angry Husband that my cup was very special and it was kinda pricey, so be nice to it. He just rolled his eyes.

Well last night, he went to fill up my water in the fabulous cup. He put it down and mentioned, "well I think that cup is worth the money, the ice doesn't melt it in, and the glass doesn't sweat everywhere."

Angry Husband makes fun of my addiction to my Tervis Tumblers, but really I think he's jealous. I think Tervis has another new fan.

Fitness Magazine $5 Subscription

You can order one year of Fitness Magazine for $5

Here is the link to order.

Offer expires July 31, 2010.

You, Too, Can be a Parenting Trainwreck for Halloween

In the past year, I've seen way too much media coverage on ordinary families whom just happen to have multiples through fertility treatments. One family has their own TV show and the other has been all over the news.

While running with my friend, Pesha, yesterday she mentioned her Halloween costume. I almost lost it, when she told me that she ordered a "Kate" wig. I thought it was a perfect costume for Pesha. She said that she was going to be Kate Gosselin for Halloween and that her husband was going to be, Jon Gosselin. She said that she ordered the wig online and that it had already shipped. We then went onto discuss what Kate, I mean Pesha would wear.

After thinking about it today. I wondered, how many people would dress up this year as Jon and Kate or the Octo-Mom? Well, of course I went looking online for costumes. I should have known better, because it seems like every online Halloween site has costumes or wigs dedicated to Jon and Kate and/or the Octo-Mom.

The "Kate"

The "Jon"

The "Gosselins"

The "Octo-Mom"...look at the convenient sling...

I can't wait to see Pesha's pictures. She better take pictures.

Now what shall I be for Halloween? I saw some costumes while out with my BFF, Stacey, today. But really that's a whole other post.

But really isn't it Halloween every day for these families?

Oh, and these costumes can and were found at Buy Costumes.

Workout Wednesday

On Tuesday night, I was on Twitter, as usual. I saw a tweet from Alison Sweeney, you know that Alison Sweeney from The Biggest Loser and Days of Our Lives. She was tweeting about inspiring everyone to work out on Wednesday and to post our stories on whrrl. I was already planning on running Wednesday morning, so I took my iPhone along with me.

I went with my friend, Pesha, and we ran on the San Clemente Beach Trail, our usual route. I like the beach trail because there are no traffic signals to wait for, we know the distance of the run, and well the view while we are running is pretty great. I stopped throughout my run and took random pictures to compile for my story. Once we were done running our four miles, I sat in the car and worked on my story. It took less than ten minutes.

More stories at San Clemente Beach Trail

Powered by Whrrl

I also added myself to Alison Sweeney's main story about Workout Wednesday. It's amazing. People all over added their pictures, and their stories of working out. She posted that this is going to happen every Wednesday to inspire people.

Powered by Whrrl

Family Game Night

Tonight is Family Game Night.

Come check out my other blog and read a post about Family Game Night.

What a great event to spend some quality time with your family!

I gave in...more technology in our house

We are slowly turning into an Apple family. I got a Macbook in March and now we have (2) new editions. Yes, we jumped on in. We are iPhone people now too. I loved my Blackberry. It was pretty much my BFF, sorry Stacey, but you know my addiction to my phone. But Angry Husband's phone broke for the third time. He told me that there was no phone from Verizon that he desired. He was a very strong advocate for getting iPhones. You would think that I would be excited to get an iPhone. I'm a blogger right? I am into technology. But I was addicted to the keyboard on my Blackberry. I'm not a big fan of touch screens. We use them at work, and I get extremely frustrated.

I really had no choice but to go with Angry Husband's decision. We are on a family plan with a corporate discount. We would have huge bills if we stayed with two different cell providers. So we jumped on it. We went to the AT&T store two weeks ago. We walked away with two brand new iPhones.

I haven't been tweeting or blogging as much, because I'm completely overwhelmed. Yes, overwhelmed. I use my phone for everything. It's been a hard transition for me to the iPhone. I have (3) e-mails addresses, (2) twitter accounts, Facebook, and my calendar to manage. I'm losing e-mails because of my Mac Mail and the iPhone syncing. It's hard to figure things out.

My biggest frustration is the texting. I'm a super huge texter. I'm used to speed texting on my Blackberry. I got so frustrated now that I just end up calling people. Because it's easier.

I know that I will come to love this phone, but right now I'm frustrated.

One of the big bonuses for me is that the iPhone has solved some of my OCD issues. I used to jump for my Blackberry when I saw the red blinking light. Since there's no light on my iPhone, I don't stalk it as much.

So I'm pretty conservative with my choice of apps. I have the basics...

Which apps do you recommend? Any great tips?

Photo from Apple.

If I Could Bottle His Energy

We took Angry Toddler to a birthday party yesterday. It was a four hour party at an amusement type place. They drove race cars, they rode carnival-style rides, played laser tags, ate pizza, and video-gamed to their hearts content.

Angry Husband and I were so exhausted that we issued an order for a family nap. Angry Toddler wanted no part of a nap. He kept going....that is, until we dropped him off at my parents...

Angry Husband took some videos of Angry Toddler and his friend dancing on one of those you know what I'm talking about, dancing games. It was hilarious. I don't think they knew what they were doing. But they had fun.

Angry Taco Salad

The salad is not Angry, but it's our variation of it. So hence, the Angry Taco Salad. This is one of our go-to meals in the Angry Household. Even Angry Toddler likes it. It is a bit random and there are several different variations of it that you can make, so feel free to adapt it to your taste.

If you've read my blog for awhile, and know me in real life...you know that I don't cook. Angry Husband made this and I um, bought the ingredients and took pictures. I'm a good wife like that.

So let's start...

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef (you can use more than one pound, if you want)
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1 can of pinto beans
lettuce shreds (you can shred yourself, but we are lazy and buy pre-shredded)
2 cups of shredded cheese (we use the pre-shredded Mexican style)
Catalina Salad Dressing
Tortilla Chips, Corn Chips, or Doritos-style chips

Optional Ingredients for Your Own Preference:

Chopped Tomatoes
Chopped Green Onions
Salsa
Ranch Dressing instead of Catalina
Thousand Island instead of Catalina

Directions:

1. Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring to crumble until well done; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix.

2. Add pinto beans to beef (which has already been seasoned with the mix). Put on lid to skillet and let beef and bean mix simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending on how soupy the mixture is.

3. Set beef and bean mixture aside to cool.

4. Get large bowl and crush tortilla chips (we use Dorito's) into bite sized pieces. Add meat/bean mixture(after it has cooled for a few minutes), lettuce shreds, and cheese. Toss it all together. Depending on your preference, you add more/less chips, cheese, lettuce.

5. Add in Catalina Dressing and toss the salad all together.

6. Scoop in bowls and eat.

*I would say that this mixture feeds about four adults with hearty helpings.

**We don't buy particular brands for this recipe. We go with the whatever-is-on-sale or generic theory of grocery shopping.

I Like Them Better as Adults

High School was the probably the worst four years of my entire life...no joke. I moved to the area in 7th grade. There were already established cliques. It's an Orange County thing. The kids who went to Junior Lifeguards, played volleyball at the Bay Club, and they surfed. Well I came from Los Angeles County, and this was an entire new world for me. I traded my tennis shoes for flip flops and Birkenstocks. I got a beach cruiser. But I never learned to surf. Probably one of my downfalls. I had a small group of friends through school, but I was never really part of that group.

I dressed well, but I was a little chunky. In Orange County terms, I was HUGE. Looking back, I wasn't that big. I've seen the pictures. I didn't go to dances, well I went to Prom, stag. I played softball for a few years. But that's about it. I hung out with my friends, because really I didn't fit in with the rest of the crowd. Because I swear, the cliques were established at birth, probably at play groups on the sand.

I went to a local college, joined a Sorority and never looked back. But with the invention of Facebook, it's all coming back. I'm seeing people, pictures, and comments from events that happened sixteen years ago. Wow, sixteen years ago I graduated high school. I've come into contact with these people at children's birthday parties, through other friends, and after talking to people on Facebook. I love to see what kind of jobs that they ended up in, whom they married, what their kids look like.

But what I've realized now is that most of these people, I like as adults better. When we were in junior high and high school, it was about their parent's money and where they lived. Now, we've all graduated from college, etc and have our families. We have a lot of the same issues.

I work near the city I grew up in. I'm seeing more and more people move back there. They want to raise their children there. They want to be close to family. I run into them daily. Especially while working. It kinda freaks them out to see Julie in the police uniform. But really, I've had great conversations. I felt like a complete outsider when I was in school, but people do remember me. Sometimes, I wish I engaged in things a bit more. Gee, if I had it to do all over again..well, that's a whole other post.

But really these all came from a chance meeting last night. I ran into a high school classmate at a blog meet-up. No, she is not a blogger. But she just happened to be at the same establishment that I was at. We sat outside and talked for ten minutes. I was completely relaxed and it was not superficial. We discussed work, family, and people we were mutual friends with. We had a great laugh and talked about discussing things again.

So really, I might not have all these fabulous stories of growing up, as the fat girl, in the non-popular group. I am a great adult. I make good conversation. I love chatting with people and I'm definitely more approachable now. It takes a lot of the regrets away. Because I truly love my friends in my life right now, they are my family, and my network.

BBQ at Home with a Restaurant Feeling

We eat out a lot in the Angry Household. It's a really bad habit, I know..We are trying to break that though. Ok, maybe a little. But when we are home, we eat a lot of hot dogs. Angry Husband has quite the obsession with hot dogs. I really don't eat them, because they make my stomach do bad things.

But a few months ago, I stumbled across some cool things at Sur La Table. Angry Husband loves that store. I got these baskets and liners for sandwiches and BBQ'ed food. It gives that restaurant feel to our food. They are also very easy for clean up. Angry Toddler was confused at first, because he usually sees them at restaurants. They are pretty inexpensive, plus you could make the liners with wax paper.

I just like having fun things like this at home. It's perfect when you eat out on the backyard patio.

Photo from Sur La Table website.

My Paypal Debacle

On 09.09.09, I received an e-mail from Paypal at about 11:30pm. It came through my iPhone while I was trying to stay up and watch TV. I've known that people have received some fraudulent e-mails using Paypal before. I've seen the scams.


But, this Paypal e-mail came through the right e-mail address with Angry Husband's name on it. It also had his nickname or abbreviated name that we use on the account.

The e-mail stated this:

Hello Angry Husband,

We were recently notified that one of your buyers filed a chargeback and asked the credit card issuer to reverse a payment made to you on July 1, 2009.

The buyer claims that this purchase was made without authorization to use the credit card. Their credit card issuer needs additional information from you about this transaction. Please respond within 10 days so that we can help resolve this
chargeback. To respond, log in to your PayPal account and go to the Resolution
Centerto provide information about this transaction.

The credit card issuer decides if the buyer's claim is legitimate. Once the credit card issuer receives your information, it may take up to 75 days to make a final decision.
Because the credit card issuer has reversed the charge for this transaction, we've placed a temporary hold on the funds associated with this transaction until the case is resolved. Our user agreement explains our policies on holding funds.

You can learn more about chargebacks in the Resolution Center
tutorials.

This was related to a transaction that I made on 07.01.09. I sold some Boden clothing to someone on a large parenting forum. The chargeback was for a $100, which is a significant amount of money. I've sold on the forums for years, and never had a chargeback. The person I sold to had feedback. She left me feedback. I assumed the transaction was over with.

Because I've used Paypal for over seven years, I know Paypal's policies. I did everything right. I accept the Paypal payment. I mailed the items out within a day. I shipped through the Paypal site. I used Delivery Confirmation. My response to the chargeback was an explanation, and a I also including the tracking number, which showed that the item was delivered to the correct address. Do you know that Paypal has a Seller Protection Policy? I complied with the Policy. Unfortunately the representative from Paypal said that it could take approximately 7-30 days to get my account re-instated. For right now, I have a negative balance.

Oh, and the best part of this. This woman did the same thing to several people on the same forum. I wasn't the only victim. Some of the incidents happened in May and June. They were able to clear it up with a phone call and get their accounts re-instated. My main problem is that the account is in Angry Husband's name. I did this for safety reasons, and it has given me problems more than once. I couldn't get anything accomplished on the phone because Angry Husband was not present. And with us both being so busy, I still haven't had time to have him call Paypal. They also advised me that the account name is established and that we can't change it, even after this issue is closed.

Do you know what this really means for me? I can't shop online. Well I can shop online, but not at etsy or e-bay, two sites I frequent DAILY.

Hopefully, I can get this all cleared up within the next day or so. Otherwise I'm going to lose my mind! I don't know if I'll ever sell any of Angry Toddler's used clothing online again. I'm pretty pissed off about this. I currently have two totes of clothing to purge in my house. I might take it to a local consignment store soon.

I'm not against Paypal. I will keep using their service. I think it's a great idea, even with all of their fees. But I'm still frustrated.

***Update 09.14.09...I got a hold of Paypal last night. They cleared my account. I can finally shop!!******

My Choices for Fall TV

I love TV. I think I fell in love with TV even more when we got a DVR years ago. I always wonder when the new seasons start so I thought I would do a post about it. I'm not going to list all the shows. Mostly the shows I watch. But I will provide the link to where I got my information.

Sundays
Mad Men (AMC) 10pm 08.16.09 Already Aired
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) 7pm 09.27.09
Dexter (Showtime) 10pm 09.27.09

Mondays
Greek (ABC Family) 9pm 08.31.09 Already Aired
Gossip Girl (CW) 9pm 09.14.09
Dancing with the Stars (ABC) 8pm 09.21.09
Trauma (NMB) 9pm 09.28.09 NEW SHOW

Tuesdays
90210 (CW) 8pm 09-08-09 Already Aired
Melrose Place (CW) 9pm 09.08.09 Already Aired NEW SHOW
The Biggest Loser (NBC) 8pm 09.15.09
The Good Wife (CBS) 10pm 09.22.09 NEW SHOW

Wednesdays
Glee (FOX) 9pm 09.09.09 Already Aired NEW SHOW
Mercy (NBC) 8pm 09.23.09 NEW SHOW
Law & Order: SVU (NBC) 9pm 09.23.09

Thursdays
Grey's Anatomy (ABC) 9pm 09.24.09
Private Practice (ABC) 10pm 10.01.09

Fridays
Southland (NBC) 9pm 10.23.09

TV Guide Fall Schedule Guide

Which TV Shows Are Returning/Which Aren't

Emily Post Inspired by Twitter

I've been wanting to post about this for awhile now. Sarah inspired me today via Twitter. She posted this:

I call Emily Post's Etiquette by Peggy Post, the blue book. It is wrapped in a beautiful blue cover with a simple design on the front. I love this book and refer to it often. I have the 16th Edition, but now there is a 17th Edition .

I have also been known to give it as a gift. It makes an awesome bridal shower gift. Seriously. It's the right price point and will be used throughout a marriage.

Here are some of the topics covered in it:

• Correspondence-the appearance of personal letters (how to address them, when to send them, who to send them to).
• Job Interviews-questions and interviewer might ask you, your attire, meeting and greeting.
• Everyday Manners-going through doors, umbrellas, and chewing gum.
• The New Baby-baby showers, thank-yous, gifts, and religious ceremonies.
• Gifts for Special Occasions-anniversaries, business gifts, clients, and teachers.

But do you really want to know the main reason I give it as a bridal shower gift? A few years ago, some friends were getting married. They announced their engagement and we got an invitation to the engagement party. What disturbed me was the paperwork inside the invitation. There was more than one card stuck in there, with their bridal registry on it. I gasped. I called my friends. We discussed. You never enclose bridal registry information into an engagement party invite. Technically, per proper etiquette you are not supposed to include registry information in any type of wedding invitation.

So what did I bring to that engagement party? A card.

I've had some other issues with greedy friends and family, hence the gift idea. I always give Emily Post when I have no clue what to give the person, and/or the person needs deserves it.

Seriously, a great reference! You need it!

Check Their Pockets

I do all the laundry in my house. I have laundry OCD. Well really, I have a whole system for it. I separate clothing by color, and then the towels also get their own cycle. I also use the cold water soap. When Angry Husband does laundry, he shoves the entire washer full. Well we all know what happens. It doesn't cycle properly and the stains stay.

While prepping for laundry procedures, I check pockets. I washed Angry Husband's iPod a few months ago because I got careless and didn't check.

When going through pockets I've found cash, pens, Lego figures, home theater parts, wire, tools, notecards, chapstick...ok maybe some of those things were left by me. But you get my point.

After I picked up Angry Toddler from school, he was digging in his pocket. He wanted to show me something. He pulled out a very small tomato, some green beans, and some snap peas. They have a garden at school. Angry Toddler likes to point out what they are growing. I would have never thought to check his pockets for vegetables.

So be sure and check the pockets before doing laundry. You might just find the ingredients for a salad.

What strange things have you found in your laundry bin? Or family member's pockets?

I Was That Mom

With the crowds dying down a little, we've been using our Disneyland Season Passes more lately. Sometimes we've gone two to three times each week. But you can do that, when you live fifteen minutes away.

Last Thursday, my mom and I took Angry Toddler to Disneyland. We got there around 5pm. The park closed at 9pm. When we go to Disneyland, we let Angry Toddler make all of the ride choices. After all, it's his gig, let him pick. We went on The Jungle Cruise, The Haunted Mansion, and It's a Small World. He danced in Tomorrow Land. He got a Buzz Lightyear toy. Gotta love that birthday certificate that he received in May. I still had $20 left on it.

And then...it was time to leave.

We were walking down Main St. We peeked through the store windows as usual. Because there's no way we were going to actually take him in the store. This kid wants anything and everything. But he didn't even beg for a balloon like he usually does. Shocking, because now they even have Mickey-head shaped balloons that light up.

We hit almost the end of Main St. We are right by the Emporium. And then we have the "sit down". As a parent, you should know the sit down, by now. Where out of nowhere, their body goes limp, and they just sit down. The tears start to roll down. They become dead weight. He was fine two minutes ago. So I ask him, "what's wrong?" The tears and sniffles start. He replied, "I want to go on one more ride. I don't want to leave." I point to the crowd storming down Main St. and I nicely tell him, "Disneyland is closing soon. See everyone around us. They are leaving too. It's time to go home. And we are going on one more ride, the tram to the parking lot." He gets up and slowly starts walking. We go over to the Emporium because I wanted to look at the Halloween goodies. I should have known better. He lost it again by the sucker display. And this is what he had to say. "I NEVER get suckers, I NEVER get ANYTHING". Yea ok, I believe you had a churro about 30 minutes ago.

He turned into a limp bowl of jelly again. They my mom tried to pick him up. She even tried the under the armpit carry. My kid is heavy. He's like almost 45 pounds at 4 years old. He doesn't look that big, but the kid is solid. She couldn't get him up. I could see the anxiety starting. We finally made it out of the store and onto the tram. He sat down on the floor and would not sit on the seat. I was trying to fold the stroller and get onto the tram myself. My mom was persuading him to get up. He was not budging. So I then became that mom, at the "Happiest Place on Earth" in front of all the tourists. I screamed, "Sit up, sit up now. You will sit on the seat. The tram is leaving. Do you want it to leave without you? Because it will. Then you will have to walk back to the car." I said a few more words too, don't judge me, we've all been there. He finally got up. Once again, the tears were flowing. We made it to the car. Mr. Cranky was super tired, we get that. Yet the week before, we left Disneyland at 11pm. He was fine.

I got home and posted this as my Facebook Status:


I got (5) likes and 12 comments on that Facebook status. They were some of my favorite comments. Because as a parent, I think we've all BEEN THERE.

Lisa-"I know that look well...from the receiving end, of course."

Ruth-"I was that parent Feb 7, 2007 by the Pirates of Caribbean.. It was so horrible that date is etched in my mind.. I feel for you!"

Robin-"I was that parent last September at Walt Disney World. Food court in Land pavilion- sorry if I scared anyone! Someone decided to pitch a total melt down fit over..........Cheetos. I feel for you Julie!"

Amy-"End of July 2009 at 11:56pm...ALL the way down Main St...but mine was a 10 year old...that looks like she is 15. Good times."

I've had many moments like this as a parent of a four year old. I will have many more. Thankfully, I know that all the other parents out there understand. You've been there, done that, and will do it again!

Kogi BBQ...An Adventure

Last weekend, the Kogi Korean BBQ truck was in Orange County. I just happened to be around when it was here. The truck was scheduled to be at there from 10pm-1am. I think that I actually received my food around 11:15pm-ish. I got the pork sliders and pork burritos. I ate two of the sliders and gave the rest of my food to my co-workers. I'm usually a pretty bland white-bread type of eater. But I went for it this time. The sliders were sooooo good. There were lots of onions in them, but they were so small I overlooked them. There was a huge line when I left and there were cars parked everywhere. If they are in Orange County again, I might have to chase them down.

Rocky the Squirrel

Yesterday was my first day back on day shift. Did that make sense? I've been working nights for four months, and now I'm back on days. Anyway, enough of that. I was working overtime, which is shocking since we are a on a complete budget crisis here at work. But someone has to fill that vacation spot. I tried to hang out in the office for most of my six hour shift, but I eventually had to leave. When I went outside, I saw this crazy little squirrel running around the back parking lot. I couldn't tell if he was hungry, thirsty, or just plain nuts. And why was I trying to figure out what the "needs" of a squirrel were? Because it was HOT! The Animal Control Officer and I tried to feed him dog food. I think he just wanted water and some shade though. The silly squirrel kept going under the cars. Umm, not a smart move.


I ended up following this little dude or dudette around for like 15 minutes trying to feed him and get him to drink some water. It's pretty sad. I think it's because he can't talk back. I finally left him alone, which probably made him happy.

How Facebook Messes Up Your Relationship

A friend posted this on her Facebook. I think it's hilarious. I heard about so much drama on Facebook lately. Really people, Facebook is what you make of it. Step away from the drama. Oh, and enjoy this video!

Pre-Fall Retail Therapy

Angry Husband took Angry Toddler to hang out with him on Saturday. My mom was coming over to watch Angry Toddler. So we (mom and I) decided to hit the local outdoor mall. We ate lunch at Red Robin. I completely freaked out because they now have a list of their menu items with the actual calories on the tables. Luckily, I was already eating a small salad.

I then took my mom into Anthropologie. I don't think she has ever been in there. We both found many things that we liked. I tried on two dresses, and a skirt. They were all fabulous. I ended up getting the skirt because it was more practical, and well, umm cheaper. But I have to share these items with you.

The Slice-Of-Lime Dress. You can't tell but the inside lining is pink. This is a perfect classic dress. They didn't have my size. I "could" order it online. Still trying to justify the price though. Adorable on though. And the bow, perfection!

The Storm-of Shapes-Dress, was a great brown dress. It actually had pockets on it. I usually go for an a-line style, but this actually looked decent on me. I had a great 1960's theme to it. I really don't know how practical it is for me, though. I think the dress above would be a little more practical.

The Trompe L'Oeil Stitchery Skirt was the only thing that I walked away with from Anthropologie. It's a classic a-line and there are so many colors in it. There are so many outfit combinations that I can make with this skirt. I think I might wear it to our first Junior League Meeting this month.

Oh, and one of my favorite places, Harvey's Seatbeltbags had a discount code this past month. Of course, I waited till the last minute on Monday the 31st, to decide. I ordered this wallet, the Patchwork Clutch. It is currently sold out, but they are going to send me one when they are available at the end of the month.
I can't wait to find more goodies for the Fall. Although, Fall shopping is really hard to do when it's 100 degrees outside. I need to buy some things for Angry Toddler too. I don't think he will want to try on pants and long sleeve shirts right now.

P.S. All of my photos were borrowed from Anthropologie and Harvey's sites.