Real Talk: Guns, the Parkland Kids and The Uprising

That Cruz kid messed with the wrong group of students. He has ignited an uprising. And let me tell you - I am all for it. To watch these kids - or should I say, young adults, rise up and make their voices heard is truly inspiring and gives me real hope for the future.

As the parent of children who aren't yet old enough to be in grade school, it gives me anxiety to think about the fact that my husband and I are going to have to talk to them about guns and what to do if there is a shooting.  When I was going into grade school, my parents would talk about not taking candy from strangers or never go home with someone you don't know that says "your mom told me to pick you up."  Things like that. Not once did we talk about how to protect yourself from a spray of bullets. 

I was a junior in high school when Columbine happened. We had police officers at the school, news crews interviewing us for reactions and lots of announcements and conversations from teachers. But it was seen as such an anomaly that it didn't really phase anyone or really change any behavior.

The national gun debate is tricky. Mainly because the NRA has one of the biggest lobbying arms on Capitol Hill. Because of that, I have never invested too much in all the post-shooting calls for change, because nothing happens. It's all rhetoric that fades until the next shooting happens when it becomes top of mind again. Wash, rinse, repeat. 

But this time, it's different. I've been watching the various social media platforms and it is truly an uprising. These students have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They not only are a voice for themselves and other survivors, but for parents, teachers, and anyone else that has been affected by what's happened in the past but has yet to see change that will protect our children. They are smart. They are articulate. They have the power to actually make that change happen.

These kids are coming full force, ready for a fight and they are not going to back down. Don't believe me? Take a look at the Twitter accounts of Emma Gonzalez, @Emma4Change, David Hogg, @DavidHogg and Cameron Kasky, @cameron_kasky.  It's amazing what they are doing and how quickly they started taking action.  They are calling out politicians.  They are getting students around the country pre-registered to vote. They are laughing at anyone and everyone that doesn't believe in them.  There is an entire army behind them.  And I do mean an ARMY.  And yet, at the same time all of this happening, they are grieving the loss of friends and heroes. 

I'm beyond impressed with the passion and relentlessness of these kids. If I were an elected official and not pushing for change, I would be real nervous about the future.  Could it be the proverbial swamp is about to get drained?! I'll go ahead and put money down for that front row seat.

I'm excited to see what comes next. I'm excited to see such passion and engagement. I'm excited to see change that will go down in history.  These are the future leaders of America.  

Today's theme song: I won't back down (Tom Petty)
Today's Pandora station: Tom Petty Radio

How to shop at Aldi

I am BEYOND thrilled that Aldi opened up down the street.  I'm even more excited that Lidl will be opening up in a couple weeks!  But a lot of people seemed to be deterred, intimidated or just plain unsure how to shop at places like Aldi.  Yes, you have to bring a quarter for a cart. Yes, you have to bring your own bags.  BUT I promise you, it's worth the effort.

The single greatest thing about Aldi is the amount of money you save.  Their prices will beat any of the big chain grocery stores.  Here's how to shop at Aldi.

1. Do not go to Aldi with the expectation of finding everything on your list. It's just not that kind of store - it's small and therefore doesn't stock anything and everything.
2. Get over your brand loyalty. Happy Farms is Aldi's generic brand and it's just as good as the traditional brands. In fact, sometimes I think it's even better than big brand names.  They will carry some brand name stuff, but it changes all the time. The last time I shopped, they had all of the General Mills Cheerio varieties.
3. Shop every aisle.  Even if I know exactly what I need, I still go up and down every aisle because you just never know what you will find.
4. Produce can be hit or miss.  Sometimes their produce is great. Other times, it doesn't look as good. It just depends on what you are buying.  I've bought apples, spinach, strawberries, avocados and tomatoes - all of which have been great.  I've heard the citrus fruits often aren't that great, but I'm not an orange person so I've never paid attention.
5. You can't beat their dairy prices. Whether it's milk, cheese, eggs, butter, sour cream, ice cream, coffee creamer, etc - it's all super cheap.
6. The meat selection is awesome. Not only can you find any cut or type of meat, again, the price will blow you away. A full rack of ribs is $2.99/lb!  At Thanksgiving I kicked myself over and over because they had turkeys for 1.49/pound!
7. The Bakery is full of items made fresh that day. We are lucky that ours has a bakery - other stores do not.  They have fresh breads, donuts, croissants, etc. and they all taste delicious.
8. The random isles are full of great buys. There are two random isles in the middle of the store that have a bunch of miscellaneous items.  Dish towels, copper-plated pans, children's toys - I even saw an air hockey table one time. Again, super random things, but all at a super-low price.
9. Buy reusable bags and keep them in your trunk.  I bought a pack of three off Amazon and keep them in my trunk at all times.
10. Shop during an off-peak time. If you are going to Aldi for the first tie, go early in the morning before anyone is there. Take your time to look at everything. I went on a Sunday morning right when they opened at 8am and there were maybe two other people shopping.
11. The have a great wine and beer section.  They have a random selection, but I've bought several bottles of wine for $9.99 or less.

The last time I shopped at Aldi, I had a full cart of items and walked away having only spent $60. I can tell you if I had shopped at Harris Teeter or Giant, it would have cost me well over $100.  Here are some of the items I bought:

• Milk $2.29
• Thomas' English Muffins $2.39
• Honey Wheat bread $1.49
• Flour tortillas (medium size) $0.99
• Soft spread cream cheese $1.49
• Apple Juice $1.49
• Bag of Gala Apples $2.99
• Dozen large eggs $1.69

I also snapped some pictures while I was there - spices are $0.99!

So check it out and let me know how it goes. Again, you just never know what you will find!

Real Talk: My mom secrets revealed

It's no secret that Chris' travels a lot.  The short trips are easy. The longer ones - the two and three week trips are tough.  Not because I can't handle it, but because Jake really starts to miss his daddy. It's hard to explain to a four-year old the concept of time.

The question I get asked the most is "so, what do you do when he's gone?" It's kind of a funny question right? I do the same thing I do when he's home, just with one less set of hands to help out. I think sometimes people think I have it easy because I have both my parents live near by, as well as my in-laws. It's true they do help me out.   They may bring dinner some nights, play with the boys on the weekends and will even babysit so that I can have dinner with girlfriends. But the reality is, I'm still the one getting them up and ready in the mornings. I'm the one that picks them up from school, feeds them and gets them ready for bed. I'm the one that's raising them. Not my parents. Not my in-laws. Me.

But I've managed to find little tricks here and there along the way. They aren't even tricks, so much as ways to make my life easier - whether Chris is here or not.  Since he's getting ready to head out on another trip, it made me think about some of these things, so figured I would share. Maybe it will spark some good ideas for you as well.

• Establish a routine and stick to it.  Seems intuitive right? But it's essential. Whether it's the morning routine and getting ready to head to school, or at night, getting ready for bed, establishing time with one kid and the other makes things roll smoothly every time. For example, at night, when I'm putting Shane to bed, Jake watches a cartoon and has quiet time. Then, he gets ready for bed, we read stories, say prayers and snuggle. He's then left to go to sleep on his own.  
• Grocery delivery is a beautiful thing.  Peapod is one of my best friends. The fact that I can shop, aisle by aisle online and have it delivered to me directly, means that's one less trip I have to make with the kids. 
• Join a meal service and set the menu for the week.  I subscribe to Home Chef (it's just like a Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, etc) and it has made the dinner process so much better.  Not only am I making a complete meal, but it's usually a fairly simple prep process. I receive my order on a Friday, which allows to me plan out dinners for the week.  It doesn't seem like that would make that bit of difference, but it does. I know exactly what I'm making, I already have the ingredients ready to go, and everyone is getting a balanced meal.
• When the kids are in bed, so am I.  I need sleep.  I'm not a night owl. I also cannot function before 6am. I know some people that wake up at 4am or 5am just to have time to themselves, but not me. The only way for me to function and be on my game is to have a good amount of sleep.  All said it done, it's usually around 8:30pm by the time I get everyone down. I then clean up, take Charlie out one last time and get ready to call it a night.
• Keep breakfast easy.  I do not have time to cook fancy meals in the morning.  Having frozen items that can be heated up save so much time - waffles, pancakes, french toast. You name it. It's in our freezer.  We also have cereal boxes out the wazoo, but Jake generally likes cereal as a snack.
• Have something to look forward to on Fridays.  When Jake was having a hard time adjusting to school, we tried to find ways to reward him if he stuck it out.  We started "Pizza/Blue Slurpee" night on Fridays. The local pizza joint has an Icee Machine and he knows that come Friday, he loves to get his slice of cheese and blue slurpee (as he calls it).  It's a great thing to hold over his head (i.e. be nice to your brother or no pizza/blue slurpee). It gives him something to look forward to and keeps him in check during the week. Win-win for everyone.
• Offer weekend treats. And by treats I mean games, movies, or in Jake's case, the Wii.  He LOVES to play Mario Kart and win trophies. But he's only allowed to play on the weekends. It can tough in the winter when you have to stay inside all the time.  He can also watch movies on the weekends if he wants to chill out.
• Have countdowns. This is probably the best thing we ever started with Jake. We have countdowns for everything. If Chris is gone, we have a countdown for when he comes home. We have countdowns for birthdays, vacations, etc.  We have a calendar on the fridge and Jake gets to mark a day in the mornings and count how many days until...whatever it is. He also has little Lightning McQueen magnets that he puts on special days.

Obviously these things may not work for everyone, but these are things I've found to help me get through the weeks, especially when I'm by myself.  Do you have other tips or tricks? Send them my way - I'm always looking for ways to make my life easier!

If you are interested in Home Chef, click here. I have free $50 trials to share with friends and family, so if you would like me to send you a direct link to use it, let me know!

Today's theme song: Workin' for a Livin' (Huey Lewis and The News)
Today's Pandora station: Best of the 80s Reloaded

Jake at 4 Years old

We made it! We actually managed to keep Jake healthy for his birthday (although it was a bit dicey leading up to his party).  And it was awesome. He had such a good birthday week, celebrating with lots of family and friends. He also managed to accumulate even MORE toys. Anyone that has seen our basement knows that he already has half of Toys R Us at his disposal.

I have to say, Jake is a great kid. He's polite, he's funny, he's got incredible OCD and he's ridiculously smart.  The best part? He still has that little kid giggle and when he gets going, there's no better sound in the world.  He's social and is friends with everyone at school. He's super helpful and enjoys doing things for others. He also has a big heart and loves spending time with family (his posse as we like to call it).

Most of you are probably saying - of course you would say those things, he's your kid. And you're right, he is and I'll always brag on him. BUT, these are things that other people tell me. I'd like to think Chris and I get some sort of credit for raising such a young gentleman.

Now, he's not perfect.  He's still learning how to be a big brother and isn't quite ready to be friends with Shane yet, but we're seeing small signs of progress these days. He's also a giant grouch when we have to wake him up. If there's one thing I hate doing is having to wake him up from a nap. It is the WORST experience.  He has missed countless parties or social events because I refuse to go through the cycle of crankiness, tears, fussiness and ultimately the fevers that follow from lack of sleep. I've learned that this kid needs his beauty sleep. You mess with that and you are begging for trouble.

Jake's favorite things right now include Lightning McQueen (and the King, which he says is his favorite), Mario Kart and Yoshi, anything that has to do with cars and trucks, and running around with Charlie.  He loves apple juice, waffles and quesadillas. And every Friday, we do "Pizza, Blue Slurpee" night.  He likes his shoes big and his pants soft and comfy (he literally wears sweatpants every day).  He still loves trains, airplanes and watches Top Wing every night before bed.

As I like to tell him, he's my favorite Jake!

Today's theme song: Roll with changes

Today's Pandora station: REO Speedwagon Radio

Shane at Seven Months

Put simply: Shane is a bruiser.

The seven month mark has brought on so many changes that it's hard to believe Shane is only seven months.  He's crawling, he's pulling himself up, he's "talking," sitting in a chair and feeding himself and into everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING.  Jake is less than thrilled since Shane is able to get into his toys, pull himself up on Jake (or try to) and all around just more annoying to Jake.

The great thing is how life becomes much easier when you hit certain milestones.  Now that he can sit up on his own, things like bath time become so much more enjoyable.  If he gets upset when I walk into the kitchen, he can follow me.

The seven month mark has also brought on greater separation anxiety, incredible hulk moments when Shane is hungry and the dreaded sleep regression.  If I'm around, forget it - Shane doesn't want to be with anyone else other than me.  When it's time to eat and sees me pull out a bottle, he will kick and scream and lose his shit if you don't give it to him right away.  He then sucks it down in record time.  He's very interested in food - anything I'm eating, he wants BUT he hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. He will first lick, then attempt to chew and then abruptly gag and spit it up.  But at least he's curious. Chris let him suck on a piece of chocolate over the weekend - he will definitely be the one with his sweet tooth. Jake is like me - not big on sweets, more on salty (pretzels, chips, etc).

So, the sleep regression. I really shouldn't complain because it could be a lot worse. Now that he has figured out how to pull himself up and stand in the crib, he does so promptly at 6am. I really should drop the crib to the lowest level. This morning he was holding on the edge of the crib, leaning over. And once he's up, he wants food. Immediately. I can barely get a cup of coffee made before he starts getting antsy.

I will say this though - he is still the happiest kid on the planet.  His smile will melt anyone's heart. Jake had that same smile.  I have to enjoy these moments because these precious baby moments are quickly disappearing!

Today's theme song: Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac)
Today's Pandora station: Country Pop Radio

My Bright Cellars Addiction

Full disclosure: I am not a wine connoisseur. BUT. I do enjoy wine. Red wine to be exact. And I'm very picky about the red wine I drink. I never really knew what types of wines to look for when shopping and I rarely opted for new wines for fear I wouldn't like my choice.

I don't remember exactly how I got into Bright Cellars, but I love it.  In fact, I've started gifting Bright Cellars to family and friends and it's been a huge hit.

Here's how it works. It's a monthly wine club. Two MIT grads came up with an algorithm to match your taste with wine. Crazy right? You take a quick quiz, made up of about five questions - what kind of chocolate you like, how you like your tea - things you wouldn't think of when talking about wine. When you are finished, they match four wines for you try.  Once you drink the wines, you go online and rate them. Based on your feedback, you get four different wines. Rate them again. Wash, rinse, repeat. You get the idea. If you find one you really like, you can get deals on cases.

The great thing is, you're exposed to wines you've never heard of or probably have ever seen in the store. The bad news is, you probably can't find them in a store. But, you will get emails when your favorites are on sale. It's really quite a genius concept.

I actually changed my subscription to quarterly because I had purchased a couple cases and was overloaded on wine! So you don't have to do it every month - you can make it work

Click this link to try it out: https://www.brightcellars.com/?rn=DianaMacomber
Let me know what you end up with in your first box. I'm always curious to see how people get matched.

Today's theme song: Take it Easy, Eagles
Today's pandora station: Eagles Radio