The Housewife's (mini) Vacation Update- Day 1

I had such a good time visiting my familia in California, it's going to take me more than one blog to write about it. Let me first say that I love my family to death- they are so incredibly important to me. However, put us together for an extended period of time and shit is bound to hit the fan sooner or later. Capiche? So when I can spend three whole days there without a single blow-up, I am oh, so thankful.

It was my mom's birthday that Friday, and I wanted to spoil her- she deserved it. So we went shopping on State Street, which is a pretty incredible place, and we did one of my favorite things: went out to eat. I love going out to eat with my mom because she enjoys exotic food as much as I do (my husband, not so much). I took her to a yummy Indian place that was so good I could eat there every day.....well almost every day.

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There was freshly baked bread and lots of different flavors and sauces to taste. I had so many different spicy and sweet flavors on my plate at once I thought I was going to pee my pants. I snapped a quick pic of my mom in mid-bite. Isn't she cute?

That night for dinner, the whole family went out to a really neat, out-of-the-way restaurant. The dining room smelled of burning logs and cooking food, and there were animal heads poised randomly on the walls. I think the entire room was lit only by candlelight.

We ordered a bottle of red wine to split, steaks and shrimp, and had a chocolate cake for dessert back at home.

One of the best parts of the night was that we had my uncle John- my mom's brother- with us for the evening. It's been a really long time since we've all been together. My step-dad managed to get a picture of the four of us- my uncle, my mom, my brother, and me - before we left. I was saying at dinner that night that, at 5'8", I feel really jipped being the shortest person in my family. But I guess someone has to be!

After cake and family, I was completely exhausted. I was in bed reading by ten, and it felt really good to just jump into bed and not have to worry about anyone but myself.

Stay tuned for updates on the rest of my trip!

It's the weekend!

This picture has not been altered. My cat really is this big. It's a good thing, too, because Ava loves to pick on him. It's a fair fight in my opinion.

Do you like how she's trying to brush him with her princess barbie brush?

I'm back!

I've been kind of a slacker this week, haven't I? Well, it's not like I don't have a good excuse! I'm busy! Crazzzzzzy busy. I'll catch you up later this week. Until then, here's a short video of what we did on my favorite day in California last weekend. My family and I drove up to a little Danish town called Solvang, and it just happened to be "Danish Day". There was a parade, food, and dancing in the streets. I had a perfectly lovely, touristy time.

If you listen closely, you'll hear me talk about what this dancing reminded me of (and my brother agreeing with me). Do you remember the scene I'm talking about? If you don't, go here to see. Watching it still makes me laugh out loud.

Deep Thoughts in Las Vegas

Did you know that the Blog World Expo is going on in Las Vegas THIS weekend? Yeah, me either. I'd go if I wasn't going to be out of town. Take a look at the Conference Schedule. For any serious blogger, it's a friggin wet dream.

Did you know the famous "Welcome to the fabulous Las Vegas" sign is getting its own parking lot? Whoever thought of that idea is an idiot... and a genius... all at the same time. Currently, it's a pretty funny to drive by the sign and see all of the tourists parking illegally- on the totally dangerous grass median- just to get a picture of themselves in front of the sign. Maybe this lot will be good thing? This parking lot is suppose to cost half a million. Wow.

Did you know that the free show in front of Treasure Island blows? Well, it does. Don't bother seeing it unless you don't mind being smothered in by 200 other people also trying to get a glimpse of the show.

Did you know that I was just hired on as a columnist for Living-Las-Vegas.com? I bet you didn't... because it just happened this week! After all the paperwork is finished, and I'm added to the staff page, watch for my very first article there. I'm thrilled!

I'll keep you updated! Have a great weekend. I'm off to sunny California!

The new Las Vegas: City Center

It's Las Vegas Week on The Housewife Diaries!


After 5 years of living in Las Vegas, I still find it strange that we can drive down our main highway and see these incredible hotels and casinos. Living in the suburbs, I sometimes forget where I am.


On the way back from a birthday party, I snapped a few pictures just to show you how close these casinos actually are to the highway.



(BTW- do you call it a highway or a freeway? What's the difference?)


There is always new building going on- every time I go to the strip there's sometime new going up. The newest (and biggest) building is what will become City Center.


Visit their website here:



http://www.citycenter.com/


The picture here is just a small portion of what it will become. It's the most enormous, incredible looking structure I've ever seen on the strip. It takes up an entire block (and then some) and, even at this early stage in its development, I can tell that the architecture is contemporary and unique.

I hear it's supposed to be like a "city within a city". It will have a hotel and casino, but along with that, it's suppose to have condos, tons of shopping, multiple pools, and tons of entertainment. If you stay there, you'll never have to leave it's property!


Here are some of the things the website http://www.citycenter.com/ boasts:


One 61-story, 4,000-room hotel tower.

Two 400-room high-end, non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental. (that's two hotels)

Approximately 2,650 luxury condominium and hotel/condominium units. (If you want to invest in Las Vegas real estate- do it HERE)

The Crystals retail and entertainment district will include approximately 500,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment under a crystalline canopy of unprecedented brilliance. (Wow, cant wait to see this!)



City Center's scheduled opening is for late 2009. Stay tuned to The Housewife Diaries for future updates!

You know you live in Las Vegas when...

Pssssst! Did you hear it's Las Vegas Week on The Housewife Diaries?

Welcome to another edition of "You know you live in Las Vegas when". If you missed my past entries, catch up and then come back:



Edition 1


Edition 2


Edition 3


Here we go! You know you live in Las Vegas when...



Your kid's gymnastics class has some of the Cirque Du Soleil acrobats practicing nearby. I have to elaborate on this one! Both my kids are in gymnastics and, at one of their first classes, a very muscular (shirtless) man walked by the toddler class. I couldn't help but look- we mothers ALL did. He went over to another area of the gym and picked up this huge hallow cube-like thing and started twirling it all around his body. It was amazing! Turns out we have Circ performers that practice at the gym. Who knew!?



The bell to bring the kids back into class isn't a bell at all. It's Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up The Sun" song.



You haven't seen your winter coat in five years.



The big nightly news interview is Barry Manilow.



You know what a scarf is, but you cant remember what it's used for.



You're sick of hearing "it's a dry heat". No one sticks their head in an oven and then says it's a dry heat. It's just HOT!



Your kids have never seen a squirrel.




Screw the BBQ, you can cook your ribs on the sidewalk.



You watch CSI and correct all of their mistakes.



You cant remember what a lake looks like, but you know there's a big one nearby because everyone keeps talking about it.


Slot machines in your grocery store are no biggie.

Las Vegas Week!

I'm excited to announce that, starting Monday, this week on The Housewife Diaries is Las Vegas Week! Read all about my life in Las Vegas this entire week!

The Housewife's Home Videos

I've hired an assistant. What do you think? She even sings while she cleans.

500th Blogtation Party!

Did you know that Blogtations is having a party? The blog is coming up on it's 500th quote (yay!), and to celebrate, they're asking for your most favorite quote on the site! I know you want to play! Read all about it here.

As part of the party, I have to post my favorite quote on Blogtations. If you want to see what's been quoted off my blog, click the widgets on my side bar. I wont get upset if you want to vote for me!

My favorite quote from Blogtations is (and for all of you Breakfast Club fans out there)......

"When something good or triumphant happens to you, do you ever pump your hand into the sunset and freeze in place, just like Judd Nelson in the final frame of The Breakfast Club? Right, me neither, I was just wondering if you did. "

Geese Aplenty

Click the link above to read more from Geese Aplenty- he's hysterical.

Do you have the song "Don't you forget about me" in your head now? I know I do.

So go visit Blogations and pick the quote that you love the most. There are almost 500 to choose from! Congratulations Blogtations!

The Housewife's (mini) Vacation

Guess what I get to do? I get to go to California and visit my parents, my brother, and my uncle. And that's not all. I get to go......drum roll, please.........

ALONE!

I get to go alone! Yesssss! The husband has graciously offered to send me off for a weekend while he stays home with the kids.

What!?

Who?

When?

Where am I? The Twilight Zone (cue music)?

No? This is real life? Oh, okay then! I'll take it!

Between working 2 part-time jobs, taking care of the kids full time, and doing all my other regular wifely duties, I've gotten just a tad burned out. If you want to read about the episode the provoked the weekend away idea, read about it here. Yea. I'm not ashamed.

Anyway, I'm so excited I think I might pee my pants when I get on the plane. I'll have to remember to bring an extra pair of undies in my carry on! Three whole days of just ME. No meals to cook, no poopy diapers to change (Ava still likes to do that), no whining, screaming, fighting, biting, pinching or the constant "MOOOOMMMMMM!". I get to be in a house full of grown-ups, wine, and books. I get to sit and gossip with my mom uninterupted. Doesn't that sound lovely? Hells yes it does.

I know I will miss my hubby and kids the first hour I'm away, and I'll probably call them 20 times a day, but I'm still excited. If you want to read about my most recent trip to CA last June, go check out my vacation blogs.

Things that excite me

Nooooooo, it's not sex for all you dirty-minded people out there. Sex does excite me (thanks, honey!) but that's not what I'm talking about today.

Carpet Steam Cleaners

We just bought our first steam cleaner. Woot! Our carpets were starting to look like they were alive, so I thought we needed to invest in one. We also bought a new vacuum, and I swear to god, the crap that came out of our carpet on the first run through was scarrrry. The dust ball I threw away was the size of a large rat. Ewww.

Wanna come over?

Anyway, so we shampooed the carpets and they look almost like normal again! The most exciting part is I don't have to give the steam cleaner back. I get to clean the carpets again next weekend! Yay! Yes, this really does excite me. I know, I'm lame.

Cold Stone's Marshmallow Ice Cream

Oh..... mah....... gawd. Have you tried it yet? Let me first say that Cold Stone is so good, my husband and I have decided it's evil. I was saying how good the ice cream was last night (while I was stuffing my face with it) and the hubby says "just imagine the marshmallow going to your marshmallow ass.". Uhhh, thanks, honey. But still, we love it. But we know we cant eat it every day (like we want to). So when I go, I want to make it good. My usual order is sweet cream with cookie dough. Sugar city, I know. However yesterday I got crazy and tried their new marshmallow flavor. Wow. It's fluffy. It's sweet. It's amazing....if you're into marshmallows. I have some in my freezer right now and it's calling my name. I can hear it now: Tasha..... Tasha....

Damn that ice cream.

My Mom's new cell phone plan

She called me to tell me I'm one of her "fab five". She said "now we can talk all the time!". I'm still waiting for that call back, but when it happens it'll be fun to talk without hearing "I have to go, I don't know how many minutes I have left".

Naptime

Why does this excite me? Because it's the only freakin time in the day that I have to breathe. Ava has been refusing naps all week, so these times are few and far between. When she actually falls asleep I do a little happy dance outside of her door. Can you picture it? Maybe I'll post it one of these days.

Date night! Not exactly....

DH and I decided to go out to dinner last Friday night to celebrate the 3 day holiday weekend. We wanted sushi- it's one of our favorite things to eat. But it's usually saved for an adult night since our kids want nothing to do with it. I don't blame them. I don't know many kids that will eat raw fish. I've never pressured them into trying it, either.

But since it was the husband's birthday weekend, I thought we'd go as a family and I'd use my secret back-up plan: we swung by McDonald's and picked up Happy Meals for the kids (I know, I'm a good mom feeding my kids Happy Meals- you don't need to say it). The kids were more than happy to bring their decorated little cardboard boxes into our local (all-you-can-eat) sushi place. We accidentally stumbled upon this sushi place a few years ago and it's always been really yummy. It's casual, it's afforable, and it's close.


So we walk in and get seated, and immediately get a nasty look from our server. My husband gently explains that, since our kids are so young, they dont eat sushi. She tells us, nooooooooo, they dont allow this. What!? They aren't going to allow us to bring our 2-year-old her own food because she wont eat SUSHI?


The server says "We have chicken teriyaki". Okay, AND.....? Um sorry but just because you have chicken teriyaki doesn't mean my kids eat that. They're picky. It's my own damn fault, I know, but still. And by the way, I've eaten a lot of sushi. The Housewife ain't no sushi virgin. I know what there is to eat. I told the server we weren't going to share our food with the kids (since it was all-you-can-eat), and I tried to butter her up by saying we loved their restaurant but could never eat there FOR THIS VERY REASON. (Like, duh) We went back and forth with her for about ten minutes.

"You cant do that."

"Why not?"

Silence.

"We dont do this"

"Why not?"

Silence.

You get the idea.


So the husband and I were wide eyed and looking at the waitress like "shit, what do we do now?". She eventually- grudgingly- allowed us to stay, but it kind of ruined our dining out experience. Were we out of line? It's one thing if it were a pizza joint and we were bringing in other food, but it was sushi. Raw fish. Seaweed. Tofu. And our kids are 2 and 4 years old. They ain't teenagers bringing in Taco Bell, ya know?


I want to know your opinions....whether you agree with me or not......was it inappropriate of us to bring in our Happy Meals to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant? The husband and I both have been in the restaurant biz for 20+ years.... and we thought it would be okay with the staff. Obviously, we were mistaken. We wont be doing that again!