Mr. Mario

I have this system for birthdays, it goes like this. You can have a birthday party every year... WITH FAMILY. i.e. Grandparents coming over, maybe one or two family friends, you know, low key, low budget kind of stuff. 

Occasionally, you can have a BIRTHDAY PARTY (WITH FRIENDS!)! Abby has received more than her allotted amount. Jaxon has had ONE birthday party with "friends" (neighbors down the street) last summer. It is tough to get a party together for someone who doesn't really have "friends." And Wade, turning 5, seemed an appropriate time to have his "FIRST" birthday party.....

Peter made the cake. Okay, he picked up a blank Costco Cake, and decorated it per our "theme" I think he did an amazing job. More importantly he did a job I did not want/have time/need to do. I am a TOTAL cake snob when it comes to eating cake, but honestly, I just don't care what kind of cake my kids get. I was perfectly happy just picking up one at Albie's. Peter was NOT. 

 Look at the precision!

 I think it was awesome, and juuuuuuuuuust after I took this picture. . . . 

 I sliiiiiiiiiiiiid the cake back away from little hands and the counter edge and BAM! My fingers went right into Wade's name. :(

 We decorated with Boo. I had to confirm with Abby the exact placement of the cones.. Are they ears? She assured me they are hands... And should be pointed down. . .  . Of course I got this idea off of Pinterest. So let it be heard.. Pinterest has indeed been in operation for probably 2-3 years now, and there will never be another original idea ever again.  However, I love thee pinterest for making my creative life easier.

 We had Papa Murphy's Mini Murph's. OF COURSE. 

And, we opened presents. We did a few games, but I had to keep it simple this year. I had several PM events this week along with the most wicked cold I have had in probably a couple of years and I had one foot in the grave by the end of this week, BUT, we did it. And today, he asked me when his birthday party is.. I swear, that is why I do NOT do these kinda things often!!!!!

A successful party and all. Now, if I have my way about it, and my plans go accordingly... He will not have another "FRIEND" party until he is 8.  (Then 12, then 16, and maybe 18... thus, I am only obligated to 5 "FRIEND" birthday parties in a lifetime... and I like it that way, thank you....)

Divine Pumpkin

The pumpkin tasting was a smashing success. Get it? Pumpkin? Smashing? Oh never mind.

A few days ago, my friend Rachel and I decided that we wanted to bake. That baking together was FUN. More fun than baking alone, right?

Actually, Rachel said that baking was NOT fun, so, I told her we just needed to do it together, and I could change her mind. You'll have to ask her if it worked. I am not sure yet. I put a Facebook post out there for any and all of your favorite pumpkin recipes. I got plenty to choose from. They were ALL delicious. Rachel made the Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Bread, Pumpkin Craisin Muffins, and Pumpkin Carmel Cheesecake. . . .

Doesn't this look like the most beautiful cheesecake EVER?

I made these scones. . .and they were completely and totally scrumptious. Doesn't that scone look amazing? It was.

Here is the Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Bread.

And the pumpkin craisin muffins. (Aren't these pictures awesome? Thanks Liz!)

Here is a happy customer. HI ANGEL!

And this would be an amazing Pumpkin Bisque with Mexican Cream.

And this is what my counter would look like after Rachel told me she was frustrated in my kitchen because things were in the WRONG PLACE. Honestly, THE NERVE.

Actually, I agreed. My kitchen wasn't working for me either. It was a combination of moving into a kitchen 1/2 the size of the one I had before, and gaining about 500 new kitchen gadgets ala Pampered Chef. It is tough to find space for all those fabulous tools, I admit.

However, after declaring that I could NOT have three junk drawers in my kitchen (the most organized junk drawers anyone has ever seen mind you) she swiftly re-arranged my kitchen to make it work. And I must admit, I like it.

Except, this pile on the counter.

Of which remnants of this pile are still there. Three days later.

I will be posting the rest of the recipes on my food blog soon!

WHY I . . . Secret Shopping

I do secret shopping. If you live around me, you probably know that because I have to drop my kids off at your house, or, I ask you to go to lunch with me because I need another adult with me.

Why do I do secret shopping? I don't know. Seriously. I the only reason I can come up with is

A- I love a good deal (Free is always a good deal)
B- I love multi-tasking and secret shopping makes me the ultimate multi-tasker.

I have been doing secret shopping since 2005, on and off. I even got a friend on to it when I lived in Sandpoint, and she used the money to buy something great! But I will be honest, there are times when I am finding it is hampering me, more than helping me. Sometimes the reports that you have to fill out are long. Sometimes you make simple mistakes that get them cancelled, so, even though you did it, they aren't going to pay you for it. But for the most part, I think it is a pretty great deal. I have even gotten to take my family bowling or to miniature golf FOR FREE. Something we would never do without secret shopping because it costs too much $$$. (Seriously, have you BEEN bowling lately? It is EXPENSIVE)

I try to make sure that if I am going to do a secret shop, it is something I would have probably done anyway. The way that it has helped us the most is on date night. Because I can set up a shop on Friday or Saturday night and VOILA, we just had a free dinner. Add that to a $1 re-fillable Harkin's cup, and Harkins Costco movie tix, and you get a pretty cheap date. I can't say where we have been to dinner, but I can say that I have been reimbursed up to $70 for my dinner. That ought to tell you that it is not always McDonald's. But see? Even then, doing a shop at McDonald's is great because then you can take your kids and they can play at the play land and they think you are the best mom ever because normally you wouldn't be caught dead in McDonald's. See? Win/Win.

IF YOU WANT TO DO SECRET SHOPPING HERE ARE SOME TIPS:

• Sign up with a shopper "reader". This is where secret shop companies place adds when they are trying to fill a shop. It makes it easier to find shops in your area. But after that, you have to sign up with the company directly and from there, you can get the shops from them directly. It is just kind of a way to meet local shopping companies. I used ShadowShopper.com. It costs money, but they do have a free trial, and after that, you can cancel because you will have most of the companies that were looking for shops in your area.
• Get "certified". This costs some initial money as well, but it DOES help you get shops. Especially if you have never done shops before. You can get a certification here. I have the Silver level certification. They also have shop listing on their site and you can get those for free if you want.
• ONLY DO SHOPS OF WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY DO! I am not going to do a shop of a place that I would not normally go, UNLESS, it is strictly a cash payment, and that cash payment is worth it. Even then, I try to make sure it is close by, or on my way to something else. Like this shop.

If you have any other questions, please post them in the comment section!

TOMORROW: Why I cook dinner for my family!

ABC LOCAL NEWS

TONIGHT! At 10:00.

Me, my kitchen and my crazy kids.

(Don't you just LOVE how kids act when they know they are on camera?)

Yeah, me niether.

Watch for the cooking segment!

Link to Story HERE

Not sure if video will be on-line.

You gotta go HERE

*Image totally poached from their website.

I like to check AZ central for all things : Best of. I call upon my self to entertain my in-laws while they are here, and for the most part, I think I do a pretty good job.. One time, we took them (I mean, they took us) to dinner HERE. It was seriously the best Mexican food I have had. . . LIKE. . EVER!

If you LOVE you a good Mexican place with a fine dining flare.. you have got to try this place. It is not el-cheapo, but if you are looking for some good food and maybe a special occasion, try it.

Yum o! My gosh.. it was good. . anywho.. I always try to find some sort of fun little place. They are adventurers.. they like to tread off the beaten path and if I can help them, I WILL!

We also visited this little place called HIGLEY HOT DOG HUT it is supposed to be the best Chicago Style Hot Dog in town.. I have no idea what to expect for a Chicago Style Hot Dog, but, I thought they were awesome... They are cash only.. and you know, if you are going to take the time to try out a HOT DOG HUT because you are a fan of hot dogs, or because you tread off the beaten path too, well, ORDER THE SPECIAL which happens to be "The Works" if you have EVER been to a so called "greasy spoon" before you recognize quickly that they have a specialty, and it is usually what they are famous for.. so, for the good love of a hot dog. ORDER THE SPECIAL! (or you might be disappointed) mkay? If you do go to a greasy spoon and Don't order the special.. you get what you deserve! PUNK!

Moving back to Organ Stop Pizza. It was voted on AZ Central by the critics (Please don't listen to the public consensus! The only taste they have is in their mouth!) as best Family Restaurant. I had no idea what to expect, but was ready to put it to the test. Plus, it boast a gigantic organ in the walls of the restaurant which sounded interesting/fun/and loud which are all pluses when your last child get scream louder, longer and higher than Mariah Carey.

Peter met us there after work (it is right by his office) and when we got there, I asked him if he had been inside yet. He said, "Yeah, it looks like Senior night.... like EVERY night is Senior NIGHT!" Don't let that deter you though.. Since we had a senior with us (SORRY GRANDPA! --He can't figure out how to read this blog, so, it is ok) it was ok. . . It was WAAAAAAAAAAAY more entertaining than I thought it would be because at 5:30 on the money a 30 minute show started that was. . . to say in the least. . spectacular. If you don't want to hear The Phantom of the Oprah screaming from the walls of a pizza joint, don't go. But Abby and I didn't want to leave!!!! The pizza isn't cheap, but if you get full on entertainment, I say it is worth it... or take your sweet senior, who will STINKIN' LOVE THIS PLACE and enjoy (and have them pay).

Plus, the amazing, awesome organ player takes requests... and she is good. How about a little Mama Mia on the organ or the Star Wars theme??? AWESOME. Go.

What to do for fun around here!

I like a deal. A good deal.

So, I thought I would let you in on some "deals" that I have found around here!!

We went to the Arizona State Fair tonight. Most people think that going to the fair would be a serious $$$ activity. However, you CAN do it on the cheap! (Just take your parents like I did!) Ok, aside from that.

Check the website for deals! We went during "Happy Hour" if you can get there before 6 p.m. on a Friday, your ticket will be 1/2 price! Mine was $5 and my 2 kids (under 5 are free) were $2.50 a piece. They have other deals on other days, so, make sure to check the website for further instructions.

GET FREE RIDES! The rides at the fair are CRAZY expensive. Of the rides that we went on two had a 7 ticket value and one had a 5 ticket value. Just to give you an idea, 10 tickets is $5. Of course you can get a pass, and get some off that way, but you can also fill out THIS reading pass for each child over the age of 5 and get 3 free RIDES (not tickets) per kid! Some of the carnies. . oh, I mean, RIDE OPERATORS, even let Wade get on free b/c he was riding with Abby.

Use the parking shuttle so you don't have to pay $10 for parking! I don't know how they did it, but my parents actually found a spot for me on the street! (It is easier when you go early)

Feed your kids before you go, or get $1 pizza and take water bottles to drink instead of buying soda.


MAKUTU'S ISLAND

Have you even been there? SO MUCH FUN! I guess it used to be a Disney's Kid Zone until someone who owns a Football team bought it for his kids to play there. Now that his kids are grown, he has opened it up and my kids thought it was a BLAST! Normally, it is quite an expensive night, but, if you are lookin' for something fun to do, feed the kids and then sign them up for the KID'S CLUB!

You USED to get FREE admission and a FREE shirt, but I guess they figured out that was crazy, and now they just do 1/2 price admission. Still! That is a good deal considering regular admission is $8.50. You can sign each child up and get their own coupon as far as I know!



Chuck E. Cheese

I know the weather is getting nice, and these places are inside, BUT if you sign up for the Chuck e-Cheese e-mail club you can get a rockin' coupon for 1 Large Pizza and 40 tokens for $18.99! HELLO!!! You can spend that just going through a Wendy's drive through! Go to Chuck E. Cheese and let the kids burn off some steam! And the last time we were there, the messed up our pizza order and gave us 100 more tokens! YIPPEE!!

Ok, now that I have shared my secrets, what are yours? What do you do for fun around here??

ZING ZANG ZOOM!

We went to the circus last night because I won tickets from here! My kids were MORE than thrilled to be going and Peter and I tried our best to keep our eyes open after an exhausting move and for me, two days of cleaning at the old house. Our "new" house is in complete shambles, but I wanted some "family" time before we go in search of cooler weather.

A few years back, we attended a "home town circus" in Spokane, and I thought it was so well done and well thought out. It wasn't as "big" as the regular circus, but I thought it was amazing. Last night seemed like a scaled down version as well. Although they didn't market it as a "home town circus" because they were in the GIGANTIC city of Phoenix, I think they probably have made it smaller than in years past. The economy has trickled down to even the circus folks.

To be honest, there were a lot of great parts to the show. Tight rope, flying circles, tight rope, trapeze artists, rope artists (think cirque), as well as horses, dogs, elephants and tigers. However, I have to admit I like the "home town circus" a whole lot better! There was a weird feel to this show. Their theme was "Don't try this at home" and since I have younger children, it may have been a little much for me. Along with that, there was a nemesis named "gravity" and it wasn't very well planned out in my opinion and as the night went on, I got tired of seeing "gravity" running around.

The kids thought it was amazing and I love sharing a part of my childhood that I loved with them. The tricks and animals were always so incredible. Now, as an adult, the circus hasn't changed much. But I still love to see it when it comes to town. . just so I can see the smile on their faces!

Go Ahead, Elf Yourself.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Silly me, I thought I could post last years elf yourself too! It was in December but the ID no longer works. Enjoy this year anyway!

What to do here....

This weekend we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens here in PHX. I must say, it is not someplace I would visit in the afternoon or in the summer (way, waayy, waaaayyyy too hot people) However, I would HIGHLY recommend it in the morning (they open at 8:00 a.m.) and ESPECIALLY while the Dale Chihuly Display is going on. WHO IS DALE CHIHULY you might ask? Well, click on the link silly.

You MIGHT know him if you have been to the Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV. He created the chandelier that is hanging in the entry.. he has created thousands of glass sculptures and luckily, we get to have his display here at the Desert Botanical Gardens. I was sooooooooo excited when I found out that Peter's parents would be here during the display. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to "SURPRISE!" them with it because they had already read about it on the plane. Oh well.

It was still a stunning display of artistry, and if you are a budding (or experienced) photog it would be the place to come and have a day taking FABULOUS pix! I am not a pro- nor do I have a pro camera, and I think my pix turned out pretty awesome. Here are a few of my favs.

The best part is when I handed my camera over to Abby when I was done snapping shots... Here is her subject matter....

Nice picture of my big pregnant butt Abby, thanks. You are awesome! I love looking at what she took pictures of. I was happy to hand over my camera... I wish I would have let her keep it because we went back later that night (we kept our wrist bands on) to see the display lit up at night.. and I took this picture ...
Right before I dropped my camera (WHICH HAPPENS TO BE MY BACK UP BACK UP CAMERA) and it broke.

TWILIGHTERS

I came upon the Twilight series last summer when my Sister (who I was constantly bugging for a good book until I discovered goodreads) said it was written by a BYU grad, and that it was the biggest book around...Hhmph... I thought. Why haven't I heard of it then..hmm???? Oh yeah, because I am not a big reader.

For those of you who know me, you probably know that I don't like to read much. I mean, I DO like to read, but reading takes far too much time, energy and I usually don't have enough discipline to put down a book if I am having a good time reading it...thus keeping me up to all hours of the night... making me a grumpy, ineffective mother who spends most of the morning sleeping on the couch while children run amuck in the house. So, I guess I DO enjoy reading... however, it always seems to be at the detriment of my life/family. I CANNOT read deep or heavy or sad books because they take FAR TOO MUCH out of me emotionally and having a child with autism usually requires that I save all of my emotional reserve for dealing with him... PLUS... I hate how my eyes ache all day after I bawl my eyes out over a good book not to mention the dehydration and pounding headache the day after. Soooooooo....

I do enjoy reading easy, quick, engaging light reads... which in the past few years have kept me to sticking with series reads like Harry Potter or TWILIGHT.. The Twilight series actually helped me get on a bit of a reading kick where I ACTUALLY read a few books!!! (I know, it was a miracle) but the shear ease and pleasure with which I could read her books made me enjoy reading again... so, THANK YOU STEPHENIE MEYER... for letting me enjoy reading a bit again.

I was visiting Aberjabers blog today and low and behold she had posted some Twilight Trailers! I am sure there are others of you out there that worry about the movie ruining the series for you and others.. but I am happy to report the trailers look pretty good!!! If you would like to take a look visit here and here. Thanks for the links Aberjaber!!Happy reading. As always, I DO recommend reading a book before seeing the movie... Especially in this case.