Day 104: 2nd Day in Las Vegas

Slept great in the suite with the black-out shades! We do not have curtains in our bedroom at home (that's a long story and a post for another day!) so it is really a treat to sleep in a hotel room where it is completely dark and the linens are so crisp and yummy!

We of course awoke hours before the teenagers so we wondered down to check out what was being served for breakfast at Bouchon, a beautiful French bistro --- original location is in Yountville in Napa Valley and founded by famed chef Thomas Keller. He recently opened a Bouchon at The Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills and we love it! So it was a treat that this restaurant was in our Hotel and we were so excited to try their yummy breakfast. Eating breakfast together on a weekday is such a treat for Brian and I and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

I had my favorite morning beverage -- an Americana coffee and Brian drank a freshly dark brewed cup of Joe. We were in heaven. We then toured the entire property and were amazed that even though we have visited Vegas many times in the past -- beginning when we were young and pre-marriage and family -- we had never seen all the amenities at this particular hotel. The teenagers didn't awake until noon -- but you know they didn't go to bed until 2 a.m. so this was very Las Vegas!

They awoke and ate and we all spent the day poolside! Then we caught the LOVE Show, the Beatles musical created by Cirque de Soliel, performing at the Mirage Hotel. We were all so impressed and thoroughly entertained by the beautiful athleticism and set production of this production! Really a treat to take your children to live theatre!

The show was followed by a delicious dinner at famed chef Mario Batalli's restaurant B & B Ristorante back at The Venetian Hotel. A scrumptious Italian meal was had by all!

Day 103: 1st Day in Las Vegas

Well we arrived safely in Las Vegas yesterday afternoon ... drove up in the new car with complete comfort! The three teenagers in the backseat all plugged into their technology -- Apple computers watching a movie! Brian and I had a chance to breathe and catch-up and just sit together! Life is always crazy for us and we needed some time to just "be" together in the same space!

Pictured above are Harrison, Olivia, and Spencer under the GORGEOUS floral garden at the Wynn Hotel. A must stay hotel for our next visit to Vegas!

Remember Harrison & Spencer have never been to Las Vegas before so you can imagine their surprise when we rolled into town and the chaos began! We stayed at The Venetian Hotel-- two suites and the kids were drooling! So were the Mom & Dad!

Pictured here to the right is Spencer checking out the "Venice Canal" at the Venetian Hotel!

After we dropped our luggage and oohed over the rooms we headed out to give the kids a quick tour of the property. Wow! Las Vegas is a food heaven for us foodies, endless choices of fine dining and casual eating!

The first night we had a beautiful dinner at CUT, Wolfgang Puck's steak house which you can imagine with growing teenage sons and the niece who loves beef too, this was the bomb of a way to kick start our trip! We dined, laughed and toasted that we finally got these kids on a road trip to the wild desert!

It was a sweet way to begin our mini getaway!

Day 102: Vegas Baby

We are loading the car up and heading to the Big Lights today! We are taking a road trip to Las Vegas with Harrison, Spencer and beautiful 17 year old niece Olivia. The boys have never been to sin city, I mean they just turned 15, why should they have been there before!

Given that we are such a foodie family, we will be checking out the great restaurants and hope they live up to the boys standards, especially budding chef Harrison! We have a list going of all the favorites we want to dine out... And I have always wanted to see the LOVE Show, the Beatles musical so we will be seeing this show. The teenagers should know who the Beatles are and be exposed to their music!

We've been told there's a roller coaster and Amusement Park at Hotel New York, New York so that's on the list as well. Spencer loves rollercoasters, me I can't stand them!

Then there's the M & M Candy Factory, a must!

We are staying at the Venetian Hotel for free! We used our American Express points and scored two adjoining suites! Look, we are spending the money anyway to pay for groceries and life so it feels good to get a little something back for our many purchases!

Brian and I love the sun and lounging by the pool so we are hoping to sneak some time to do this as we both need some downtime and relaxation, although I'm not sure how relaxing Las Vegas is! But just being with my family together on a road trip in the sun showing them a place they've never seen before will be a pleasure! And having the niece along is a sweet treat!

I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun stories to share! I only wish Spencer was 21 so he could play poker and win us some money! Ahh, soon enough!

Vegas here we come!

Day 101: 8 Miles

Wednesday's are beach run mornings. Today was gorgeous. One of the first days where the sky was blue and the sun was shinning ... for the past few months early Wednesday morning's have been white skies and overcast.

I have carved out Wednesday morning's for the long run of the week with shorter runs and cross training on alternate days. Today was great. I ran from the Casa Del Mar Hotel past Temescal to the County Lifeguard Station and back. 8.2 miles. My legs are fine it's the blisters on my feet and my nerve pain in my lower back and tush that are on fire. So as I write this post I am sitting on two ice packs, one on each cheek of my behind! Good times!

While I applaud myself for completing the 8 miles without dying I still can't believe I need to get to 13 miles by Labor Day weekend. That's when I'll be running in the Disneyland half marathon with my pals Mickey & Minnie Mouse ... so I've still got to continue increasing my miles to reach this half way goal of 13 miles.

The strategy is one step at a time, one mile at a time and the inner belief that my body is strong and I can make it to the finish line. No different than the strategy applied for most goals we want to achieve. Whether it's physical fitness, diet, child rearing, work advancement, relationship improvement, all of these take a plan to achieve.

So while I am in pain, and discomfort, I know this will pass as I continue training my body for the physical challenges of running a full marathon. I want to be strong and able for many, many years to come and giving in to your age or your aching ailments as excuses for not pushing yourself, is just a weak state of mind and not a place I want to live in.

So I'll lace up those cute pink Nike running shoes I have again next Wednesday and head to the gorgeous coastline to run another 8 miles, and then 9, 10, 11 , and well you get my plan!

Day 100: 100 Days Toward 50

Wow, I can't believe I have been 49 years old for 100 days now! And I'm even more surprised that I have written 100 posts to my daily Birthday Blog! It feels great to stay focused and committed to a goal that you have personally set for yourself.

Other goals I have stayed true to include my running and training for a Marathon in advance of turning 50 years old. Also, flossing, I've stayed true to this goal too! What goals are you working on? Are you keeping them? Send me a note with what personal goals you have set for yourself and how you are doing on that journey.

Writing daily about the musings of my life is very cathartic. You get to share the happy going ons and also vent about what's bothering you or pissing you off. You get to share interesting articles you read and lend your voice to them. You get to be inspirational and share anecdotes that might encourage someone to be uplifted. Or might make someone pause and think about something I have written about.

Remember when you were little, many of us kept journals or dairies. We wrote down every tiny little detail about our lives. What cute boy we liked at school. What teacher was a meany. What we thought about our parents and siblings. It was like a treasure book -- full of our life and everything important to us.

Writing a daily Blog about your life is really no different except it's shared with the world. One thing age offers you is the strength to not hide anymore what you are feeling. There's no reason to have a shield anymore... in other words what you see or read, is what you get.

I'm not trying to be the best of anything, I'm just trying to live each day to its fullest -- some days I succeed in this mission and other days I fall very short of this expectation. I hope you are enjoying reading about my daily happenings as much as I enjoy writing daily.

As I celebrate the 100th post, I hope you will share with me what more you'd like to read about ... you are on this journey with me and I'd love to hear from you.

Day 99: Embracing Eastern Medicine

Took Spencer for his first Acupuncture treatment today. He has been experiencing severe neck pain for some time now. He sees our trusted chiropractor regularly, but has not received enough relief from the adjustments alone so we thought we'd incorporate Acupuncture to his physical therapy routine.

Gal pal Caren recommended an Acupuncturist who she and her son Jake have been seeing with great results. So Spencer and I ventured to Dr. Tan's Art of Wellness in Santa Monica. Got to hand it to the 15 year old teenager for not losing it with all this holistic and nontraditional therapies we introduce him too. Part of that is because all my boys have been seeing Dr. Khalsa, our family chiropractor since birth.

So there we sat Spencer and I in the waiting room that reeked of Chinese herbs awaiting our consultation with Dr. Qineng Tan. After our meeting Dr. Tan explained the needle placement and the treatment. Forty-five minutes later Spencer emerged from the treatment room like a zombie, in another zone, totally relaxed. I was so happy to see him be so calm and peaceful and hoping that our new treatment plan will bring him some relief from his neck pain.

Dr. Tan suggested a blend of herbs for Spencer to drink in addition to the acupuncture treatments. It's no fun living with constant pain as I can attest to since I live with it daily. My nerve pain in my lower back and tush area is a constant and it makes my intense exercise routine even more challenging. But Spencer and I are troopers and we keep on goin' despite the discomfort. Hopefully this new treatment will work and if he finds relief, I may just have to follow him into the treatment room for some needle injections too!

We will keep you posted!

Day 98: The Dash On Your Tombstone

I read an inspiring article this morning in the Los Angeles Times about USC's new Athletic Director, Pat Haden. I love this man's attitude and his philosophy on life. Now you know we are a Bruin household, and he is a Trojan, but all that aside, I think his insight is worth sharing.

The article profiled his very accomplished academic and athletic career at USC and the years after. It showcased his childhood as one of five children, where everyone worked; his Rhode Scholar status; his stellar career as a quarterback at USC despite his 5 foot 10 inch status. It laid out his very successful business endeavors and all the people interviewed and asked to give a little dirt on the man, couldn't come up with a damn thing.

Haden credited his very enriched life with a solid upbringing which emphasized a strong work ethic. He also talked about his Mom, which is why he probably got me. He credits her with him being the "good" man that he is today. The lessons parents can teach can last a lifetime. The examples we set can take our young children to the highest of their potential, and Haden is a great example of how parenthood pays off.

One of his life philosophies really got me thinking. When I mentioned the word "Dash" in the title of today's posting I was referring to the "-" that goes in between the dates you have lived. For example, I was born in 1961, and if I died this year, my tombstone would read: 1961 - 2010. Haden talks about living so that the "dash" in your life is the best it can be. That it's not about how many years you lived or when those years were, but how you spent your time living in between the day you were born and the day you will parish.

Haden's thoughts on life and living your dash to the fullest got me thinking ... Are you spending time with the people you love? Are you performing work that fulfills you? Are you happy in your current relationships? Are you happy? If not, then start filling up your "-" with happiness!

Day 97: I'm Cleared

Pop the champagne and take a big sigh of relief as I did when an official, manila envelope, stamped with CONFIDENTIAL all over, arrived on my doorstep today!

The Los Angeles City Ethics Department has completed their audit of my 2009 City Council Campaign, and no irregularities were found!

The official wording read ...

Audit Findings: Audit findings describe instances where auditors concluded that a committee failed to comply with State and City law. The Committee did not have any findings that auditors concluded were material.

Thank goodness! As I have written in previous posts on this Blog, running for public office is no easy task, especially in Los Angeles. And you can see why more people don't put themselves through the scrutiny and abuse. Having all this campaign financial material reopened and examined some 15 months after the March 2009 Election was dreadful. Having to contact folks who made contributions in good faith some two years ago to determine if the contribution was within the legal contribution rules, was a pain in every one's behind!

But it is official now, I have been cleared and it will be recorded in the City binders that the Friends of Robyn Ritter Simon campaign abided by all the rules established for fair political campaigning!

Finally, this chapter of the campaign can be put to bed!

Day 96: It's Over

After ten and a half grueling months of High School baseball we closed our run tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA. Whew! I don't know whose more exhausted, my two teenagers or me? We started back in September 2009 with games all over the County -- I mean as far away as Lancaster and Acton ... we never had a break.

Pictured here is the Palisades High School American Legion Team. What a great group of young men and ball players!

I love baseball. Maybe because the hubby played in High School and that's where I fell in love with him, or maybe because I still remember my grandpa Joe coming over when I was a little girl with his transistor radio listening to the Dodger games on the radio, drinking his Coors beer. The sound of the radio announcer calling each play, the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowds... it all brings up memorable memories.

I have been watching my three sons play this game for 14 years. That's a lot of games and a lot of years. Brandon started playing TBall at 5 years old and he's 19 years old now and is still playing ball. He plays for Willamette University, his college team. No small task. Only 6% of the boys playing baseball in High School continue on to play the sport in college. That's a very small percentage and only the committed make this cut.

Pictured above is Brandon pitching this summer as he rejoined his former travel team for a game at Pepperdine University.

As parents and players you have to be committed to play any sport and especially baseball. The games run a minimum of 2 hours with an hour to an hour and a half practice/warm up prior to each game. And then when it's a home game you're looking at another 45 minutes easy for the boys to clean and prep the field. So there were many, many days where I would be at the field for at least 4 hours. This game is not for the impatient.

Pictured to the left is Harrison on the mound during American Legion with his brother Spencer backing him up at second base.

Harrison & Spencer had a great run these past 10 months, but I think everyone is ready for a break, a rest and
some rejuvenation. We'll be back at it in September so just less then two months from now.

Pictured to the right is Spencer at bat during American Legion.

As I say with baseball.... there's always another game! Play Ball!

Day 95: Odds & Ends

So many things going on that I thought it best to just recap all the odds & ends ...

*Brian got his shinny new black Prius on Sunday ... the Prius is really not my thing, but the man really wanted it! With his new business he is travelling like crazy (even more than usual) all over the city so he wanted an Eco friendly car that's easy on gas ... this meant his car, the Escalade which used to be my car, needed to be traded in because the lease was up ... so today I took possession of a shinny new Black Cadillac .. a CRV something ... it needed to hold the entire family since Brian opted for the smaller car and I drive a Smart Car... which brings me to the little green bugger ... turns out we need to sell the cute thing now that I have the "family car" ... oye, I'm exhausted by all the car maneuvering and shifting and figuring out what has transpired over this past week ... really Brian negotiated the mechanics of these transactions but the conversations and mind thought process was just too exhausting for me!

*For those of you who follow my BLOG you know I was going through an audit of my city council campaign. What a pain in the ass! Today I finally found out from the city auditor that all is clear and I have no irregularities and hopefully no penalties! Yeah! I can't believe the wounds that have been opened up over this past month having to go back some 18 months to 2 years to investigate contributions. You can really see why people do not run for public office!

*Finally received the test results back from all my medical tests following our trip to Bass Lake... turns out kid sister Jennifer and I did both have a food virus... I'm still on antibiotics and hoping the thing dies off soon, because I am just not myself health-wise and either is Jennifer!

*Boys made it to the Playoffs with the American Legion Baseball Team ... so it's been LOTS of baseball!!! If they WIN tomorrow and then again on Saturday we are headed to Napa Valley for the State Playoffs (shoot me now!) ... while I am the best baseball Mom ... one can only take so much! We have not had a break for an entire year... unless you are living it you can't possibly imagine what this grueling schedule is like for the players and more importantly for the parents that schlep to every game!

*Still need to schedule the skin cancer removal, but between everyone else's schedule I can't find time to make this happen for me which is wearing on me!

*I really do not feel like summer has ever kicked in for me... while there have been moments of pure pleasure, like the boys birthday dinner last night and some of the baseball games, the truth is there has not been one beach day, or pleasurable day where I could just soak up the sun and believe that summer in LA has arrived. Between the terrible illness with a food virus while on vacation and endless baseball games I feel exhausted and run down ... sorry to be a downer but this is the truth ... I need a break and I need it soon!

Day 94: Happy 15th Birthday Boy's

Wow, hard to believe that 15 years ago we ushered Harrison & Spencer into this world! What an experience that was, giving birth to two beautiful baby boys! Just 10 minutes apart ... I'll never forget how they were swaddled so snugly then placed face-to-face inside the little bassinet at the hospital.

And now look at my handsome sons... Spencer pictured with me on the left and Harrison on the right at their Birthday celebration dinner tonight ... yummy! These boys can eat!

Funny how birthdays are great measuring tools... you can reflect on what has gone on over the past 15 years, and imagine what the next 15 years might bring. I remember being so happy that my Mom hung on to see Harrison & Spencer born. I can still see her beautiful red hair shining as she held them at their Bris... she passed away 3 months later...

Their first year of life was bittersweet. I was so happy to have these bundles of joy to care for, but so sad to have lost my Mom at such a cherished time in my life. Births play a number on you too, and so does death and to have both of these significant events happen within months of one another, was well, there are really no words to describe the feelings.

I know my Mom would be so proud if she could see the boys today. Handsome, smart, athletic, empathetic, loving, and really just all around good kids. What a loss for her, and for them. But today is a celebration of life, and the greatest gifts I was given on this day.

Happy 15th Birthday to my beautiful Happy Harrison & Sweet Spencer!

Day 93: Multi Tasking ...Women Do It So Well

Why are women so good at multi tasking? Hmm, I'm not an anthropologist so I can't really give the history behind why we are so good at juggling so many projects at once, but I know we are damn good at it! Last night was a perfect example of how we can accomplish so much at one time!

I had gal pal and computer whiz Rebecca Simon over to help address my campaign website which I am morphing into a website profiling my personal & professional endeavors ... and finally taking down the campaign literature. She was joined by another gal pal of mine who is a webmaster Karisma Schackelford, who is also my "hair" lady. So while we tackled upgrades and edits for my website, Karisma was also tending to my hair, while we also handled childcare for her son who was playing with my son's old Lego's.

And while this was all happening the college son was picking up the two younger teenagers with friends and handling dinner. In between this, neighbor gal pal Teresa Jones Grossman came over with her cooking pal to borrow ingredients for a chili dish she is preparing for the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market Chili Cookoff, and as if the house wasn't full enough, gal pal Jenny Savitsky stopped by to borrow a colorful suit jacket for professional photographs she was having taken! All these amazing women involved in multiple projects and everyone is helping everyone get the job done!

That's what it is all about. We can't do all that we do without the support of our gal pals. Everyone chipping in to help with the children, or dinner, or to borrow items from - including everything from food to a black tie dress, to editing a resume to introducing each other to one another as great resources -- it really does take a village to not just raise the children, but to keep us adult ladies sane.

Managing so many pending projects at the same time takes a lot of coordination, organization and help from your friends. Using your time wisely is an art and contributes to making you feel like SuperWoman! Last night the house was rockin' as we kept all us great women moving toward our respective goals. Yeah, we all should feel like SuperWoman!

Day 92: Mickey, Minnie and Me

I'm so excited! I just scored a ticket to run in the Disneyland Half Marathon on Labor Day Weekend! The run is 13 miles and will be a great prelude to the full Marathon next March. For those of you who follow my Blog you know that one of my goals for my 49th year leading up to turning 50, is to run a marathon. That's 26.2 miles for those of you that were not sure how long this physical challenge is.

The run at Disneyland takes you through the rides all the while having Disney characters cheer you on! How fun to run through the amazing rides and the entire grounds of this magical amusement park. Certainly beats the sidewalk pavement through a boring neighborhood.

So on Sunday, September 5th I will take off at 7 a.m. working toward my goal of completing a half marathon.

I'm looking forward to the fun of the race and being surrounded by all my favorite characters. And now that I have the ticket I am committed to even more intense training. I've been increasing my miles weekly, and have been loving my longer beach runs in Santa Monica.

Brian made me a play list to listen to while I run with all my favorite tunes. Yesterday I ran with the Ipod for the first time and was inspired by all the motivational songs he recorded. I'm sure the music will help me stay motivated as the miles increase and your mind can play tricks on your brain!

I will continue to keep you all posted as to my running progress and of course I will post fun pictures of me, Minnie, and Mickey when I complete the run at Disneyland!

Day 91: ReConnecting

There's something very comforting about being in the company of people who share a history with you. That's why I treasure long lasting friendships.

During my campaign I had many highs and equally as many lows. The wounds are still raw for being let down by certain people that I expected more from while the joys from the wonderful people I met during the campaign and people I reconnected with continue to be my fondest campaign memories.

One such special encounter was when I attended a candidate's forum in Encino. What a surprise I had when a woman tapped me on the shoulder and when I turned around there stood a childhood friend who I had not seen in years. We lost track of one another not because anything had happened other than time and life. When I saw her my heart filled up with happiness that after all these years she cared enough to attend the event to support me.

This friend was Caren Horowitz Kaplow. She and my big sister Michele and I were like sisters growing up. Our Mom was like a Mom to her. We shared some wild times in High School and beyond. Her and Michele were roommates during college and we shared all our Holidays together. Many years had gone by. We have all gotten married, had children and created very full lives. Ever since this encounter we have picked up where we left off. Funny how you are able to do this with people you share a history and bond with.

Since our reconnection we have been making up for lost time by spending time together with our families, playing Rummicub and laughing a lot.

The story even gets better as Caren has also reconnected with an old High School romance, Terence Duffy, and the two of them are now an "item". We all grew up together and can't believe the turn of events in our lives ... As they say what goes around, comes around.

Pictured here are Terence & Caren. Two beautiful smiling faces.

I am grateful for old friendships and thankful that despite all the bumps in the road we have all had to travel we are back in each other's life!

Day 90: Congratulations Brian

For those of you who don't know yet, Brian has launched a new business venture! As if he doesn't have enough to do running his own design and build firm and taking care of this family! In any event, he was introduced to a new opportunity from several business associates of his who he admires and respects very much. He was hooked once he heard their pitch!

Pictured here is Brian Simon being promoted by one of the co-founders of ACN on stage in front of 20,000 plus people at the Quicken Arena in Cleveland, Ohio last month at an International Conference.

The new opportunity is a business based on residual income -- meaning we make money when we're not at the office -- similar to owning apartment buildings or any type of real estate. For most of us, myself included, if I'm not working and billing clients, I'm not making money. Well in order to live the life Brian and I want for our family we are looking for ways to grow our net worth and Brian was attracted to this model.

The company is called ACN and it is a technology company. Brian is working non stop on this venture and is so excited to be doing something new after 30 plus years of being in the designing and building business. Of course he hasn't given up the "day job" yet, running Corner Construction, but he is supplementing his work with ACN.

We are very proud of his new enthusiasm and business success... no doubt whatever Brian touches turns to gold so we are anticipating a big return on his most valuable investment, his time! If you are interested in learning more, give him a call!

Day 89: Spinning The Salad

Another Real Housewives story to report. Gal pal Jill brought me a gift today. A Salad Spinner! Oh the little things that make us so happy. When we were in Bass Lake cooking together I commented on how I don't like wilted lettuce, I mean really who does... and she responded... "you don't have a salad spinner?" These are the conversations real housewives have with one another.

So today I was so excited when she delivered to me a shiny new salad spinner! Real Housewives do this for one another. They don't turn tables over, or back stab their best girlfriends or talk smack about the people they love. They buy each other simple pleasures like a salad spinner.

Sometimes the simplest pleasures can contribute to us being the happiest. It doesn't always have to be a sparkling piece of jewelery, or a luxury vacation, but a simple product or gesture that enriches our daily life and truly puts a smile on our face. I love making a crunchy yummy salad and there is nothing worse then when the lettuce is soggy from too much water from washing!

So this weekend when I make a big crunchy salad for family & guests I will smile knowing that my fellow housewife knows how to make me happy with a simple salad spinner!

Day 88: Games Aren't Just for Kids

I love playing card games and board games and I LOVE charades too! I have the fondest memories of playing Hearts and Gin Rummie with my Mom & family when I was younger. I remember Brian and I would spend hours staying up all night playing games with Mom and family & friends. We'd have marathon sessions! When the boys were younger we'd play lots of games, mostly board games ... the standard Monopoly, Yahtzee, Scattagories. Many of these games we still play today even though the boys are teenagers.

A few years ago we vacationed with the Ross family and they turned us on to Banana Grams. We were addicted. It was like a drug. We played the entire trip! That same year up at Bass Lake we got turned on to Rummicue and I've been an addict ever since!

Games are a wonderful way to connect people and family. It is interactive as opposed to sitting and watching television or a movie. When you play games you laugh with each other and feel much more connected than most activities you can share together.

Playing Charades is also one of the best ways to enjoy family time. While it always takes me prompting my family to play the game, once we get going the laughter does not seem to stop. Watching everyone make fools of themselves as they try to act out a book, movie or theatre production is great. It takes imagination and some creativity and that's the best way to spend time with your family. Even if they resist I highly recommend sitting with your children and playing a board game! They may roll their eyes and sigh with disbelief that they are having to play a "game" with their siblings and parents, but once you get goin' it will be a blast.

So tonight was "game night" for the big gals. My gal pal and neighbor Stacy Bell gathered an impromptu group of girls for some Rummikub. I tell you the game is addictive. We had a blast laughing & playing and even welcomed a new gamer Lissa Solomon. Who knew Solomon was so competitive, wow she was on fire! Anyway, if you are looking for ways to connect with your children or friends, pull out the deck of cards, or a board game, make some yummies and have a great time being together!

Day 87: Saying Thank You

I am a believer that when you do something special for someone or give a special gift to someone it is nice to be told "Thank you", however, I don't give or do for others in order to receive the thank you! I give or do because I love the person I am doing for or because I derive pleasure from making others happy.

This all being said though it sure is nice when you are acknowledged in a special way, especially when it is a surprise. We returned home this past weekend from our annual trip up to Bass Lake and the next morning when I awoke I saw a card sitting on my desk titled Mom & Dad.

When I opened it I couldn't believe it ... it was a thank you card from the three boys. It was a card thanking Brian and I for their fabulous trip to Bass Lake. It wasn't fancy. Didn't have a lot of writing on it. Wasn't homemade. But none of that mattered. What counted is that they said "thank you" for something that means so much to them.

Teenagers are a breed onto themselves, us parents of them know this first hand. They are forgetful and sometimes not the most polite in acknowledging all that is done for them. So this little card with all their signed names really meant so much. It was a sweet way to top off a vacation that if you read my blog you know was not the best for me... but the note was sure a warm homecoming!

Day 86: Rewarding Hard Work

Whew, what a day. I'm exhausted. Spent time visiting the kid sister Jennifer whose in the hospital following our trip to Bass Lake where several of us caught a virus -- food related perhaps. Had several tests done myself to see if I had/have the same food virus. Ran umpteen errands for the family, cooked the yummy shrimp & pasta dinner for 7 teenagers then made a trek with 4 of them over to the local Target for a big purchase.

Brian and I have never been the parents who say "you'll get a dollar for every good grade you bring home on your report card" or similar comments. We have always told our boys to work hard, apply themselves and do their best. If their best is always an A so be it, or if it is less than this so be it, but if they know in their hearts they worked hard then we are always happy to praise and acknowledge a job well done.

Harrison & Spencer completed their first year of High School magnificently. And I don't just mean because they aced their academics, but they really mastered this freshman year well. They hung in there with an enormously difficult baseball program and both made the Palisades Baseball Team. They collected a whole new lot of terrific friends who I am happy to welcome in my home at any time, and all along the way they maintained a stellar GPA.

As parents all you really want for your children is for them to be happy & healthy. That really is the bottom line and everything above this is like the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae.

I had told the boys that if they ended their first year of High School with the best grades they could achieve then a reward would be granted. I just saw them working so hard and really maturing during this very emotional and challenging first year of High School and I wanted to acknowledge this hard work. They made good on their promise and so did I tonight. So we piled in the car both of them and two friends and headed to Target where we bought an XBOX 360 -- for those of you who don't know what that is it's a video game console. My boys didn't have one (schocking because it seems like everyone does).

They were very grateful, but I was even more grateful. Grateful & thankful that they surround themselves with good friends, thankful they are very healthy, thankful they are bright and school is a natural for them, and mostly grateful because they are my two beautiful sons.

Day 85: Real Housewives

Went to the grocery store today - a 3 time a week adventure for me in this eating frenzied household I manage -- and I ran into bestest gal pal Jill. We giggled that we had both just returned from vacation together and were restocking the shelves of our respective homes. But we also chuckled as we talked about why we both drove across town to a market as opposed to visiting the one in our neighborhood. We agreed that the local store is icky and we prefer the produce, poultry and other goodies offered at this further away market. Oh what we do to provide the best for our families!

Then we compared our shopping carts. I was stocking up on shrimp and pasta for one night's dinner & ground meat to make a meatloaf another night. She was making tacos (actually sounded better then my meatloaf). She spotted the pretty pink bottle in my cart -- it was fresh squeezed watermelon juice which I use to mix with my vodka for an evening summer yummy! We giggled about other items in our carts or what still needed to be pulled from shelf's and we talked about our families and meals, etc.

I thought to myself we are the "real" housewives of Beverlywood & Cheviot Hills. All those reality shows that claim to be the "real housewives of ... fill in the city" are women always dressed up and shopping or lunching or feuding with their friends, but have you noticed they are never really doing any of the hundreds of tasks that real women, mothers, wives, do in real life!

And whether you work in the house or outside the house, the reality is that the marketing & menu planning is primarily accomplished by the women of the house. Not sure why that is, but it just is.

So there we stood -- me and my oldest gal pal Jill -- in the market laughing & giggling about the goodies we'd be taking home for our families. And I thought, this is what REAL housewives do!