Visitng with My Good Friend Jody

My very good friend, Jody, was in Arizona (from Wisconsin) for a visit over the holidays. I miss her so much. She's one of those great friends that you don't get to talk to very often, but when you do, it's like no time has gone by at all. She is such a great friend that I feel totally comfortable around her and can completely be myself. She is also a great mentor. When I am facing a difficult situation, either personal or parental, I often wonder what Jody would do.

While Jody was visiting she and her boys, Troy, Carter, Noah, and Hayden, met us at the zoo for some fun. For me it was a great experience to see what is to come from the older boys. and for the kids, it was good for them to be around kids they don't see everyday, and to see me with a close friend.

The animals, I'm afraid, were quite a side-note on our day at the zoo. We were too busy chatting and playing and having fun to really take special notice of them. Next time we'll pay them the attention that they deserve.

A few days later Jody and I were able to get together for dinner, just the two of us. We were able to talk about those things you can't when little ears are around. We closed down PF Changs and even stood outside a bit longer still wanting to chat. I miss my friend. But, somehow, just knowing she's there if I need her helps me to look forward to the next time we can get together.

10 Random Things About Me

1. I don’t like wearing lipstick, I would rather wear chapstick.
2. I let the shower run too long before I get in.
3. My favorite pen is the Blue Papermate, medium point.
4. I don’t like to walk on grass with my bare feet.
5. I cannot sing. Not in the shower or the car. In fact, my kids have actually asked me to stop
singing along to a song before.
6. My 6th sense is very prominent and often comes in handy. I should listen to it more often.
7. Spelling is easy, using proper grammar and punctuation, not so easy.
8. I can pack a suitcase or a moving box like nobody’s business, maximizing every inch of space.
9. I am very shy.
10. I am a loner at heart. I love being at home alone for a whole day.

Mama Bear

So, the fierce Mama Bear came out in me last night, probably not in the best way.

We were at flag football practice. I was chatting with another Mom there and when I looked back around at the field I saw a HUGE pit-bull jumping onto one of our smallest players. That’s when Mama Bear came out.

I had seen this pit-bull with a bunch of older teenagers in the parking lot when we arrived at the park. I had a really, really bad feeling about it, I just knew something was going to happen concerning the dog, but I kind of put aside those feelings as being silly.

*Note – I am not saying that pit bulls are bad dogs, so I don’t want angry comments about training vs. nature in dogs. My feelings and the lessons that I have learned working with wild animals at Out of Africa have taught me that ALL animals, including dogs, have differing levels of prey triggers. In my opinion there are certain breeds that have a higher prey trigger than others. Pit bulls are among the list, and unfortunately, because of their strength and size, they can do more damage.

Ok, so I see this enormous dog on one of our kids and I spring up. Jon is already on the dog, holding it down to the ground by the scruff of its neck. Enter the scruffy skateboarding kid coming over to get the dog. He starts yelling at Jon about the dog, and I lost it. Screaming at him about keeping control of his (it’s not his) dog, and he’s screaming obscenities at us, and Jon is grabbing him telling him to take his dog away, etc. The kid goes off and suddenly, there are 16 (yes I counted) of his friends coming over to us. Ok, I have a field full of 3-4 year olds and their siblings behind us, with a handful of other parents. So I grabbed my phone and called 911. Yes, I was a bit scared. There were 17 teenagers full of rage coming at our old asses. A couple of the other Dads are now coming out trying to calm things down, I’m on the phone with the police, the Moms are taking all the kids out to the cars and finally the police come.

The kid that supposedly got beaten up by Jon has disappeared along with most of the rest of his crowd. One police officer talks to the group of kids that are saying Jon attacked this kid for no reason, but he ran off because he was scared of Jon. The other police officer comes over to talk to us. He takes each of us aside to ask us what happened. By the end, we are chatting and joking around with the police officers. They tell us that they have had a lot of problems with this group of kids at the park and that they are know to be doing drugs and getting into trouble.

Thankfully, none of our players were hurt. They weren’t bitten, but two of them had been knocked down by the dog. The parents thanked Jon profusely for protecting their kids. But, I am left feeling conflicted. I am disappointed that I lost so much control of myself and let out my inner Mama Bear. I am upset that there are these ‘lost’ teenagers at the park that apparently need some serious guidance. I am upset that I fear for my children’s safety in a community park and that they all witnessed something so ugly happen. But, I am happy that my husband is able to take care of him and us and I am thankful that nobody was hurt.

Lush Cosmetics

If you have never heard of Lush Cosmetics before, now is the time. I am in love with their products. We have a store in Scottsdale that my sweet husband will treck to for me on special occasions…like Christmas! One of the products that I’ve been wanting for awhile is called Angels on Bare Skin. Well, Jon got that for me and I LOVE IT! It is a very odd texture, but it is, by far, the best cleanser I’ve ever used. I kind of have oily skin, but using a harsh cleanser often makes my skin too dry at first. But the AOBS is so great that it really cleans without being overly abrasive and doesn’t dry out your skin. Yeah!
Here’s a picture of the Angels on Bare Skin.

I also want to try some of their solid shampoos like Hybrid or Godiva

My favorite bath bomb is the Youki-Hi. The smell is absolutely Heavenly.

You can find their products online, too, at http://www.lush.com/.

BHG Tortellini Florentine Soup

I found this soup in a BHG magazine the other day and wanted to try it. I did alter it a bit to suit our family's tastes. I really liked the way it turned out. I hope you enjoy it too.

2 14oz cans chicken broth
1 10oz container Alfredo pasta sauce
2 C shredded chicken (great to use the deli roasted chicken)
3 C fresh spinach (chopped)
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1 9oz package cheese tortellini
1/2 C oil packed sun dried tomatos, drained, cut into thin strips
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

In large pot mix the chicken broth and Alfredo sauce together. Bring to simmer. Add the chicken, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Bring up to a soft boil. Add tortellini, sun dried tomatos, and the herbs and seasonings. Cook till the tortellini are ready. Serve hot.

3 Braids, 2 Piggies

I love how this hairstyle turned out. It was inspired by my favorite girl's hairstyle blog...


A Princess and Her Hair. You can find it here...


http://hair4myprincess.blogspot.com/2009/01/pigtails-with-twist-and-some-sunshine.html


I altered it a bit because I have a hard time doing the twists.

Random Pictures from Practice

New Year's Eve

So, a lot of people reading this are going to think we are the worst parents on the planet, but I swear to you, we are not. Why, you ask? Well...we went to the dog track for New Year's Eve and took our kids with us. There, I said it. Now before you get all crazy on me, let me explain a little. The dog track that we took the kids to was having a party that night, and it's not like what you think a dog track would be like. It's not dirty at all, in fact, you have to have reservations for dinner there. There aren't a bunch of drunken a-holes running around, in fact, everyone is very nice and polite. So, while it does sound bad, it's not bad, I promise.

The kids had an amazing time, in fact, they probably had even more fun than we did. They handed out hats, noise makers, and necklaces, and of course our kids had more than their fair share as everyone gave them more and more. They really enjoyed cheering for 'our' dogs when it was time to race. They would get up on their chairs and jump up and down, screaming and waving their arms around.

On the way back to our hotel from the track we rode the hotel shuttle. During our ride the driver had to pick up several people from the airport including some flight attendants. As they got on the shuttle, Joe's charming side started to shine brighter than the fireworks. He offered the female attendants his extra party hats and proceeded to chat them up providing charming entertainment for the entire ride. I worry, desperately, for the women to come in his future, they won't stand a chance.

Pictures with Santa

We went to see Santa Claus before Joe's birthday dinner. It was raining outside and so we got really lucky as there was NOBODY else in line. The kids got to spend some really good quality time with Santa.

New Sleeping Bags!

The kids both got new sleeping bags from Santa this year. They had fun camping out beneath the tree on Christmas morning with them...

The REAL Bambi and Thumper

Isn’t this so awesome?

I was forwarded this email at work today and thought it was too cute not to share with the whole world. Can you imagine the excitement of the photographer capturing such an amazing friendship on film?

The face of an AMAZING kid!

Ok, this is the face of the sweetest kid EVER!
We were spending the night at my parent’s house and the kids were playing with the legos. First, Joe made a person, which I thought was really cool. Then he made another one, holding the first one’s hands and told everyone that was him and Mommy holding hands. It was his special legos he said. How cute is that? Later he put four of the little people together and said that was our little Hooge family. I couldn’t stop hugging him that night. His thoughtfulness and love really touched my heart.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My baby girl is three…THREE! What the heck? My baby is not a baby anymore…tear streaming down my cheek. When we accidentally found out that we were having a girl, I admit, I was a little apprehensive. After having Joe, I thought I’d be a great all-boy’s Mom, like my friend Jody. As an adult, I’ve not been a girly girl. I don’t care to wear dresses, I didn’t really care for the color pink, and hate frills and ruffles. I swore I wouldn’t dress my daughter in pink, and that I wouldn’t force her to wear a dress or do her hair, etc. Yeah, that all pretty much backfired on me. I now love the color pink, although I think Joci’s best color is baby blue. I love seeing her in little dresses, although, I’m still not really into the ruffles, and I like finding cute but manageable hairstyles for her. I LOVE having a daughter. She’s an awesome girl, too. Joci is super strong willed, which while that can be a challenge, I still like that she isn’t a pushover. She loves the color pink and all things Cinderella. I love that when she sees you looking at her with disapproval of whatever it is she’s doing, Joci will beam this huge smile and say sorry in the cutest voice. She can be a bit bossy, but usually she does it trying to help whomever it is that she’s bossing around. Joci’s birthday dinner was at Souper Salad. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t exactly sound like the best birthday dinner plate. But, before you judge, we went here for a good reason. You see, Joci is a dipper. She loves to dip anything. Chips and dip? Check! French toast and syrup? Check! Apples and carmel? Check! We found this out when we took her to a Mexican restaurant and the quesadilla that she had was served with ranch dip. She proceeded to dip her meal, and then switched to using a spoon to eat the ranch. Joci also loves soup, fruit, and ice cream…so…Souper Salad is the ideal place to take her to eat. Grandma and Grandpa met us there for Joci’s dinner. I used my new camera to take lots of pictures. We all had so much fun.