I have tried to embrace my ape ways, but no more!! I decided a couple years ago that I was going to do laser hair removal, but then I got pregnant with S, and then things got really crazy.
As the weather has warmed up though, my interest has been rekindled in getting rid of some excess hair. I called around to a few places, and finally decided to go with Vincent Surgical Arts in South Ogden. They were offering a fantastic package deal. I could buy one area, get one free, and then if I paid for four treatments, I could get the fifth free. So, I made arrangements to get laser removal done on my underarms and bikini line. The cost will be $600 for all that, which seems to be a screaming deal. The company has no complaints with the BBB, so I think that's a good sign.
Today was my first appointment. I'll admit to being a bit nervous. The pain was not the thing I was most nervous about. I was more concerned with the whole exposure/humiliation thing. You'd think after giving birth to four children that I would have no modesty left, but apparently there was some lurking.
The technician, Lisa, was very friendly and sweet, which immediately relaxed me a little bit. She assured me this machine is the latest and greatest, and is much less painful than older machines. Either she's right, or other descriptions I've heard about laser hair removal are exaggerated. It was virtually pain free. Every once in a while, I'd feel the slightest prick of sharp pain, almost like a bug bite, but it wasn't bad at all. After a few minutes the laser started to feel a bit warm on my skin, but not uncomfortably so. This office uses the Alma Soprano laser, which is supposed to be a million times better than other lasers out there.
I was in and out in less than 45 minutes. Here's to hoping I see a difference. Honestly, I don't expect to see anything dramatic until after the 3rd or 4th treatment.
No. There will not be pictures for this blog entry. LOL
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
New Job
Quite a long time ago, DH put his resume on monster.com, a job search company. Since then, he's been getting several phone calls a week in response to his resume. Most of them are headhunters, and a significant number of them were pretty incompetent and hadn't actually READ his resume, so their leads were worthless. People have been entranced by the fact that he has his BS in mechanical engineering and has some HVAC experience. His HVAC (heating, air conditioning and ventilation) experience is somewhat limited; he worked for my dad while in college.
DH has been playing tag with a company that is contracted to do work on Hill Air Force Base. Every time DH is available, the guy wasn't. And with his recent spurt of traveling, DH hasn't really been around much either. They finally had a lunch interview a couple weeks ago, and the guy was pretty impressed. He arranged for dh to have a second interview on site with the people who would be his managers so they could look at the units DH would be arranging to have replaced. Apparently, he made quite an impression, as they made him a formal job offer Friday afternoon. It's a bit of a raise. They are also willing to give him the training he'd need to be truly competent in this field. So, professionally, this will be a great growing experience for him.
Dh is excited for the opportunity, but he was absolutely dreading giving his two weeks' notice. He truly likes his two bosses, and has a lot of respect for them. He likes the customers he works with. Since his bosses have tried to make the changes J demanded, he has been much happier at work. It makes it tough to quit when in general, you are happy with your job. He's been a nervous wreck all weekend, worrying about quitting.
He finally gave notice yesterday morning, but they were pretty busy, and the two bosses want to have a more formal sit down to discuss it, but at least the news has been broken, so J can relax now.
I am a bit nervous about the change, just because change is scary. It will be closer to home, more money, and a better growth opportunity, but it is still nerve wracking. We'll have to change health insurance, and it appears our new coverage will be more expensive, and not nearly as good. But, as we're all generally healthy, and Z is out of the constant well-baby checks, it'll probably be ok.
DH has been playing tag with a company that is contracted to do work on Hill Air Force Base. Every time DH is available, the guy wasn't. And with his recent spurt of traveling, DH hasn't really been around much either. They finally had a lunch interview a couple weeks ago, and the guy was pretty impressed. He arranged for dh to have a second interview on site with the people who would be his managers so they could look at the units DH would be arranging to have replaced. Apparently, he made quite an impression, as they made him a formal job offer Friday afternoon. It's a bit of a raise. They are also willing to give him the training he'd need to be truly competent in this field. So, professionally, this will be a great growing experience for him.
Dh is excited for the opportunity, but he was absolutely dreading giving his two weeks' notice. He truly likes his two bosses, and has a lot of respect for them. He likes the customers he works with. Since his bosses have tried to make the changes J demanded, he has been much happier at work. It makes it tough to quit when in general, you are happy with your job. He's been a nervous wreck all weekend, worrying about quitting.
He finally gave notice yesterday morning, but they were pretty busy, and the two bosses want to have a more formal sit down to discuss it, but at least the news has been broken, so J can relax now.
I am a bit nervous about the change, just because change is scary. It will be closer to home, more money, and a better growth opportunity, but it is still nerve wracking. We'll have to change health insurance, and it appears our new coverage will be more expensive, and not nearly as good. But, as we're all generally healthy, and Z is out of the constant well-baby checks, it'll probably be ok.
Debbie Meyer Green Bags
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to watch infomercials. I am an absolute sucker for them. I rarely order anything off them, but I enjoy watching. My husband just does not get it. However, in the last couple weeks, I've been suckered into buying a couple things, so I thought I'd review them.
I bought Debbie Meyer Green Bags at Wal-Mart. I wasn't very convinced that it would make the dramatic difference they showed on tv, but my kids really felt like I should give it a try. I paid $10 for 20 bags total, and then came home and began my experiment.
Here's my test subjects on day 1:
Here they are day 10:
You'll notice that the bananas aren't in the second picture. While the bags worked startlingly well against rot, they do NOT have any effectiveness against hungry people. The bags only deterred people for one day.
Anyway, you can see that the bags really do work. They even work as well as the tv commercials say. Can you believe it?! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who can't keep up with their fresh fruits and veggies.
I bought Debbie Meyer Green Bags at Wal-Mart. I wasn't very convinced that it would make the dramatic difference they showed on tv, but my kids really felt like I should give it a try. I paid $10 for 20 bags total, and then came home and began my experiment.
Here's my test subjects on day 1:
Here they are day 10:
You'll notice that the bananas aren't in the second picture. While the bags worked startlingly well against rot, they do NOT have any effectiveness against hungry people. The bags only deterred people for one day.
Anyway, you can see that the bags really do work. They even work as well as the tv commercials say. Can you believe it?! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who can't keep up with their fresh fruits and veggies.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Policy for Policy's sake
This week, I had to take K in for a scout physical so she can go to scout camp in a couple of weeks. J's work has a new onsite clinic that they've been advertising heavily, trying to build up business. The neat thing about it is they offer $5 co-pays (as opposed to $30 if I go anywhere else). Since J raves about it, and I really liked the PA I met when they had their open house, I decided to take her there.
Our appointment was for 4:15. As I was getting the kids ready to go, S cut her knee. Wailing and gnashing of teeth soon followed. She needed a bandaid to walk. So, I found a bandaid, and fixed her up. Then she needed to go potty. Well, that is the one free pass a recently potty-trained child has in our house. After she finished, I hustled the kids into the car and we drove over. Unfortunately afternoon traffic had hit, so we were later than planned.
I parked in front of the clinic at 4:25. We are the only car in the area, other than the two cars parked in the 'staff only' spots. I unload all four kids in full view of the receptionist. S & Z have fallen asleep, and are crying as we walk in because they didn't want to wake up. At this point, it's about 4:28. I apologized to the receptionist for being late, but tell her we had a 4:15 appointment. She says that because we are more than 15 minutes late, we have to reschedule the appointment. I asked her really nicely to make an exception, but she was adamant that it was policy. I looked at my watch and pointed out that it was only 4:28. She said that according to HER computer, it was currently 4:30.
So, I figure she either cancelled the appointment while she had us in view or was talking to us, or she cancelled it early. Either way, even by her computer, we were less than 30 seconds outside of their 15 minute late window.
She then says that a scout physical takes a FULL half hour to complete. Seriously? I've had doctors spend less time with me when I was delivering a baby. I really doubt a scout physical will take that long.
Anyway, even though there were no patients there, and we supposedly had the doctor's time until 4:45, we weren't allowed to see the PA. The receptionist (who seemed to be looking a bit smug and totally unsympathetic) offered to reschedule.
I replied while I understand their policy, MY policy is to go to doctors where the staff has some flexibility and understands when things come up. Yes, I was in the wrong when I was late. I understood that, and was sorry about it. But if there was no other appointments to mess up, what is the big deal about just cutting the appointment a little short? Honestly, if the receptionist had said that she was really sorry, but the PA was seeing another patient, and would be tied up with him/her until closing, I would've been a lot nicer about the whole thing. But the idea of being turned away, even when the PA was just sitting there, doing paperwork or whatever seems ridiculous to me.
I then told the kids we were going to go to a different doctor, and I'm ashamed to say I probably actually stomped out.
After that, I went to the Layton Kids Care Clinic. I love this place. It's in the white IHC building just off Antelope in Layton. The Kids' Clinic is open from 5pm to 10pm (?), and is a walk in clinic. No appointment necessary. And because evening hours are their regular operating hours, you pay the regular clinic co-pay, and not an instacare or after hours co-pay, so it's much cheaper than many other after hours places there. We walked in there about 5:20. Got our names on the list, and waited about 15 minutes. We then spent about 5 minutes with the assistant who did K's vitals, and then led us to the room. The doctor was very personable, sweet, and competent. He chatted with all of the kids, and gave K a good exam. Talked with us a little about her asthma. Then filled out the form and was on his way. I didn't feel like we were shorted at all in time. S decided she needed to potty then, so we went potty and were gone. We were loaded in the car and driving home before 6pm.
If that doctor could do all that in less than 15 minutes of face time, why couldn't that on-site clinic? I'm beginning to see why they are usually pretty deserted.
Our appointment was for 4:15. As I was getting the kids ready to go, S cut her knee. Wailing and gnashing of teeth soon followed. She needed a bandaid to walk. So, I found a bandaid, and fixed her up. Then she needed to go potty. Well, that is the one free pass a recently potty-trained child has in our house. After she finished, I hustled the kids into the car and we drove over. Unfortunately afternoon traffic had hit, so we were later than planned.
I parked in front of the clinic at 4:25. We are the only car in the area, other than the two cars parked in the 'staff only' spots. I unload all four kids in full view of the receptionist. S & Z have fallen asleep, and are crying as we walk in because they didn't want to wake up. At this point, it's about 4:28. I apologized to the receptionist for being late, but tell her we had a 4:15 appointment. She says that because we are more than 15 minutes late, we have to reschedule the appointment. I asked her really nicely to make an exception, but she was adamant that it was policy. I looked at my watch and pointed out that it was only 4:28. She said that according to HER computer, it was currently 4:30.
So, I figure she either cancelled the appointment while she had us in view or was talking to us, or she cancelled it early. Either way, even by her computer, we were less than 30 seconds outside of their 15 minute late window.
She then says that a scout physical takes a FULL half hour to complete. Seriously? I've had doctors spend less time with me when I was delivering a baby. I really doubt a scout physical will take that long.
Anyway, even though there were no patients there, and we supposedly had the doctor's time until 4:45, we weren't allowed to see the PA. The receptionist (who seemed to be looking a bit smug and totally unsympathetic) offered to reschedule.
I replied while I understand their policy, MY policy is to go to doctors where the staff has some flexibility and understands when things come up. Yes, I was in the wrong when I was late. I understood that, and was sorry about it. But if there was no other appointments to mess up, what is the big deal about just cutting the appointment a little short? Honestly, if the receptionist had said that she was really sorry, but the PA was seeing another patient, and would be tied up with him/her until closing, I would've been a lot nicer about the whole thing. But the idea of being turned away, even when the PA was just sitting there, doing paperwork or whatever seems ridiculous to me.
I then told the kids we were going to go to a different doctor, and I'm ashamed to say I probably actually stomped out.
After that, I went to the Layton Kids Care Clinic. I love this place. It's in the white IHC building just off Antelope in Layton. The Kids' Clinic is open from 5pm to 10pm (?), and is a walk in clinic. No appointment necessary. And because evening hours are their regular operating hours, you pay the regular clinic co-pay, and not an instacare or after hours co-pay, so it's much cheaper than many other after hours places there. We walked in there about 5:20. Got our names on the list, and waited about 15 minutes. We then spent about 5 minutes with the assistant who did K's vitals, and then led us to the room. The doctor was very personable, sweet, and competent. He chatted with all of the kids, and gave K a good exam. Talked with us a little about her asthma. Then filled out the form and was on his way. I didn't feel like we were shorted at all in time. S decided she needed to potty then, so we went potty and were gone. We were loaded in the car and driving home before 6pm.
If that doctor could do all that in less than 15 minutes of face time, why couldn't that on-site clinic? I'm beginning to see why they are usually pretty deserted.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Senile or Spook?
For the last couple years, I've been thinking I've become really scatterbrained. Constantly losing stuff. Sometimes I blame my kids, most of the time I blame myself.
The last month or so, things have gotten a little weird, and I'm beginning to rethink my senility. About three weeks ago, we went camping. I did laundry in anticipation of the trip. I got my jeans out of the dryer, brought them upstairs, and put them on my bed. Then I went downstairs to get a duffle bag. When I came back up, the jeans were gone. I rolled my eyes and how scatterbrained I am, and started looking around. I couldn't find them anywhere! I finally gave up and packed different jeans. About two weeks later, I found the jeans. Sitting on my pillow. They weren't there when the kids left for school.
When I was interviewing real estate brokerages, I would get a packet of information from each broker. I was really interested in Keller Williams, and had a big packet from them. I put it under my nightstand one night, and went to sleep. Then, I couldn't find that packet anywhere. I completely cleaned our room from top to bottom, looking for it. It showed up under my nightstand again about a week ago.
I shrugged both of those off and blamed myself. Last week, I bought these passes to a girl scout carnival for the kids. They came in a sandwich sized ziploc bag. So I had three of these bags in my purse all week. On Saturday, we arrived at the carnival, and the bags were gone. My purse isn't that big, it would be impossible to lose them in the bag. I tore apart my car, just in case they'd slipped out. Searched the front room and the basement (the only two rooms in the house where the purse would be), and no sign of them. I didn't want to buy the passes again, so we just left. The next day, i cleaned out my purse. Not in there. Monday, I went to get my keys out of my purse, and there the passes were. I sat down and talked to the big kids about it. They both seemed genuinely surprised and innocent. Besides, I think if one of them HAD taken the passes, they would've come clean when it looked like they wouldn't get to go to the carnival.
Yesterday, my mom babysat the littles so I could go to an all day real estate thing. When I came home, she expressed concern because a penny she'd left on a place mat was gone. She'd searched the room well, but couldn't find it. She was worried that one of them had swallowed it. I looked around as well, but couldn't find it either.
This morning, I came home from the gym and found a penny sitting on the place mat.
I've never really believed much in ghosts, at least ghosts in my personal life. Even now, I seem like a boring target. I just think if I were a ghost, I'd be doing something more interesting than toying with the mind of a busy mom. It could take YEARS before they caught on.
But this is just weird.
The last month or so, things have gotten a little weird, and I'm beginning to rethink my senility. About three weeks ago, we went camping. I did laundry in anticipation of the trip. I got my jeans out of the dryer, brought them upstairs, and put them on my bed. Then I went downstairs to get a duffle bag. When I came back up, the jeans were gone. I rolled my eyes and how scatterbrained I am, and started looking around. I couldn't find them anywhere! I finally gave up and packed different jeans. About two weeks later, I found the jeans. Sitting on my pillow. They weren't there when the kids left for school.
When I was interviewing real estate brokerages, I would get a packet of information from each broker. I was really interested in Keller Williams, and had a big packet from them. I put it under my nightstand one night, and went to sleep. Then, I couldn't find that packet anywhere. I completely cleaned our room from top to bottom, looking for it. It showed up under my nightstand again about a week ago.
I shrugged both of those off and blamed myself. Last week, I bought these passes to a girl scout carnival for the kids. They came in a sandwich sized ziploc bag. So I had three of these bags in my purse all week. On Saturday, we arrived at the carnival, and the bags were gone. My purse isn't that big, it would be impossible to lose them in the bag. I tore apart my car, just in case they'd slipped out. Searched the front room and the basement (the only two rooms in the house where the purse would be), and no sign of them. I didn't want to buy the passes again, so we just left. The next day, i cleaned out my purse. Not in there. Monday, I went to get my keys out of my purse, and there the passes were. I sat down and talked to the big kids about it. They both seemed genuinely surprised and innocent. Besides, I think if one of them HAD taken the passes, they would've come clean when it looked like they wouldn't get to go to the carnival.
Yesterday, my mom babysat the littles so I could go to an all day real estate thing. When I came home, she expressed concern because a penny she'd left on a place mat was gone. She'd searched the room well, but couldn't find it. She was worried that one of them had swallowed it. I looked around as well, but couldn't find it either.
This morning, I came home from the gym and found a penny sitting on the place mat.
I've never really believed much in ghosts, at least ghosts in my personal life. Even now, I seem like a boring target. I just think if I were a ghost, I'd be doing something more interesting than toying with the mind of a busy mom. It could take YEARS before they caught on.
But this is just weird.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Caramel Chocolate Brownies
Out of all of the desserts I make, this one is by far the most requested at our family get togethers. Many thanks to Jason's high school friend (girlfriend?) who gave me this recipe. My mother in law asked for this for dessert for our Mother's Day dinner, and of course I complied! Without further ado, here it is.
Caramel Chocolate Brownies
1 chocolate cake mix (dry)
1 can evaporated milk, divided
1 c. butter or margarine, melted
14 oz. caramels
12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips
Mix dry cake mix, melted butter, and 2/3 c. of evaporated milk together. Spread half of the mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes, or until set.
While that's baking, melt caramels in a saucepan with 2/3 c. evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When melted, immediately remove from heat.
Pull pan out of oven, and pour bag of chocolate chips over the brownie layer. Put back in oven for a minute or two, just until the chocolate is melted. Remove from oven and spread the chocolate chips smooth with a knife.
Pour caramel mixture slowly and gently over the top.
On top of that, add the remaining brownie batter. I find it works best if I put little globs all over the top, then smooth them together. I then use a silicone scraper to kind of gently spread the blobs together
Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until set. Kind of wiggle the pan in the oven. If it really jiggles, it needs more cooking time.
Here's a picture of the globs of the cake mix batter on top of the caramel mixture:
Here's the raw batter once all layers are in place:
The baked brownies:
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The biggest cheerleader for potty training
Our whole family has been trying to be supportive of S potty training. Everyone has been really sweet. Her biggest supporter was a bit of a surprise. M has been very, very enthusiastic about her going in the potty. At the surface, it would seem weird that an 8 year old boy would be so excited at her potty success. But, consider this. M has a gumball machine filled with m&ms. Every time S goes in the potty successfully, I give her a nickel, dime, or quarter to put in the machine to get the M&Ms. M is beyond thrilled at how well she's doing with the potty.
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