My First Trip to Fresh and Easy

Rachel has been telling me about Fresh and Easy for a little over a month. We saw one last weekend in Mesa and I was anxious to check it out but didn't have time. I told mom about it on Saturday and she said there was one in Arcadia so we went down there to take a look.

I was impressed. Prices were reasonable, everything was nicely packaged (note the green onions) and there were several quick meal ideas. To the left you can see my first "Fresh and Easy" purchase.

Apparently, these stores are popping up everywhere and I think they will be a perfect compliment to Dream Dinners. So, check out the "Fresh and Easy" close to you for some good deals, and fresh and quick food.

Week 31: A PG Update

Today, when I was complaining about a few PG things (Tired, Bathroom visits every hour during the night, etc) I was told two things:

(1) At this stage in pregnancy nesting begins to occur. Hearing this I thought, hmm, maybe that is why I have been over the top on keeping my email up to date (Note: right now I am down to 7 items requiring action) and strategic planning. Is that the Kim1Champ equivilent of nesting? The nursery is ready, so I guess that counts.

(2) Going to the bathroom every hour at night is actual preparation for being up at all hours to the sound of a baby crying. How great is it that I am going through this preparation now?

Other PG Updates: Traveling by air is over. Doctor visits have increased to every other week. Weight gain is at 13 pounds. Having terrible heartburn and not sleeping too well but looking forward to 8 weeks from now.

What Would You Do? (#2)

You need a fix so you make a quick stop at Starbucks, run in, get your Latte, come ck out to find your car blocked by a motorhome.

You knock on the door to the motorhome, ask the driver to move the motorhome and he refuses because his wife is taking a shower. WHAT??!?!?!??! That is what happened to this poor driver.

If this had happened to me the driver would soon be taking a shower of Iced Chai Tea.

Thanks to Jinjer for the story, check out her new blog: The World In My Eyes

Willem Dafoe

While flipping through the Tivo guide the other day I noticed the spelling of his name. What is the point of changing the traditional spelling of William to Willem? I realize that this post could be offensive as there are many parents that have opted to use alternative spellings when naming their child. Most likely the reason being because it's unique. I personally think it's dumb, if you are looking for a unique name than choose a unique name don't change the spelling on a traditional name.

When I saw this I asked David what he thought he agreed that Willem was a dumb way to spell William. It would only lead to poor Willem having to constantly spell his name for the rest of his life. First he will be correcting his teachers: No, Mrs. Jones, it's spelled W-I-L-L-E-M. Then years later we will hear his boss spelling it in the resourcing meeting "Who would you like to assign this project to?", "Willem Dafoe", "I don't see a William Dafoe", "It's spelled W-I-L-L-E-M", "Oh, there it is".

I feel bad that Sydney is always going to have to say, "That's Sydney with a Y" or "it's spelled like Sydney, Australia"

To Mail or Not to Mail

Back in late September, at work the Operations group went through a bit of a reorganization. I sat down and wrote a personalized note to everyone in my organization that was affected. I thought it was nice thing to do but I didn't realize until late December that none of them were mailed. They all had stamps but somehow didn't make it to the post office.

Since then I have had this dilemma, do I mail them or not? It is so late.....I could stamp them with a note that said, "this was written in September and not mailed" but at this point would everyone just think I am crazy or be annoyed rather than think it's a nice gesture? What do ya'll think?

Swedish Fish

The other day, during lunch, one of the people I was with said something to the effect of "Yesterday, i was dying for some Swedish fish". The other person and I looked at each other like "what did she just say?", so I asked, "What?", she responded "Swedish Fish"......before I even had a chance to say "What in the world is that?" She went on, "Yeah, I stopped and got some at the Chevron station". (Please note that there will be a future blog about people that shop for food at gas station convenience stores)

Now, the thought of buying "Swedish Fish" at a gas station is probably the least appetizing thing I can think of. Luckily, she explained that "Swedish Fish" is actually a type of gummy candy. I proceeded to check out Wikipedia to get the facts and some pictures of "Swedish Fish":

There are 4 different colors and flavors:
Red-Fruit Punch
Orange-Orange
Green-Pineapple
Black-Salmiak (Asian)

Ingredients are as follows:
Sugar
Invert Sugar
Corn Syrup
Modified Corn Starch
Citric Acid
White Mineral Oil
Artificial Flavors
Coloring
Carnauba Wax

After looking at the ingredient list I am still not super excited to have them. Doesn't sound too yummy to me.

BTW: It's called Swedish fish because the company "Malaco" is a Swedish company that exported their fish to North America. Swedish Fish today is manufactured in Sweden and Canada.

I'm Sorry, Matt.....Sort of

When we were little Becca, Matt and I used to always take baths together. OK, now don't get grossed out we were small kids. I had forgotten about this until last week.

When you are pregnant you are not supposed to take hot baths, warm baths are fine but hot baths are off limits. Because of this, I take the temperature of the water to ensure the bath is not too hot. The other day, I got into the bath and it was sooo cold that I moved up to the front near the faucet. It was at that moment that I remembered taking baths with Becca and Matt and I laughed out loud and then reached for the thermometer.

More background data: When we took baths I always sat in the front near the faucet, Becca sat in the middle and Matt was forced to the back of the bath and he would always complain. The downer of being in the back is two fold: (1) The water isn't as warm, (2) The water isn't as deep.

Back to my story: I tested the temperature of the water in the front, middle and back of the bathtub. Here were the temps: Front 101.5 degrees, Middle 99.4 degrees, Back 95.6 degrees. The back was three degrees below body temp and absolutley freezing, LOL! The water was like 5 inches deep in the back and almost a foot in the front. I can totally remember Matt back there shivering. LOL!

Happy Birthday, Jane and Brittney!!!!!

I love you both more than pickles, Chai Tea, Fallingwater and Disneyland!!!!!!

What Would You Do?

Someone we know went shopping for a new car in order to get a free 2008 calendar and a hot dog.......

So the question of the day is what would you do for a free 2008 calendar and a hot dog?

Treat Your Metabolic Syndrome

This doctors office poster absolutely speaks to me. It says loud and clear "Treat Your Metabolic Syndrome Promptly"

More Great Birthdays for January 20th

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Edwards!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Michelle Brown!!!!!

31 Years Ago......

I got my first little sister! I was so fortunate then and even more fortunate to have her now. Happy Birthday, Becca. I am so happy to have you in my life. You are such a great sister and friend! I love you more than I could ever tell you and appreciate everything you do for me. I hope you have a great day today!

Another Job I Wanted

So everybody knows that I used to want to be the MOD, everybody knows that I used to want to be in charge of "the keys" but before that time......I wanted another job. When I was little, I would watch the guys on Tuesday morning drive around in these tiny little car/truck and pick up the garbage. I hadn't seen one of these little vehicles in years and then last week there one was, right in front of me. I am glad I am not the garbage gal.

I've Finally Joined Facebook

Facebook is basically the replacement for myspace with better networking, tools and layout. I have been messing around with it and at first glance it is much cleaner and easier to navigate. I did a search for groups and laughed out loud since they have groups for everything.

Here are some funny ones:
Ina Garten is possibly the worst human ever next to Giada DeLaurentiis
I used to hide in clothes racks while my mom was shopping
When I Was Your Age, Pluto Was a Planet
Spam, Rice and Egg Lovers
Kissing Leads To Pregnancy and Heroin Use
National Coalition Against Children That Wear Shoes With Built In Wheels
Haters Of People Who Walk Around The Supermarket Talking On Bluetooth Headsets
Please Bring Hooters and KFC to Norway

Here are the ones I have joined so far:
Americans For A Larger Ketchup Packet
Six Degrees of Separation-The Experiment
If Wikipedia Says It, It Must Be True
I Flip My Pillow Over to Get to The Cold Side
You Know You're From Pasadena When
Stop Hillary Clinton
Jack Bauer Could Escape The Lost Island in 24 Hours
San Gabriel Christian
I Put Ketchup On My Ketchup
Yeah, I Take Pictures in the Bathroom
Blackberry Pearl
The World Through Your Camera Phone

Oh and I made a Group.....it's called the Hot Chick Bloggers Club :)

I found it hilarious that our CEO is on Facebook.

Which FSO Manager?????

Sometimes moonlights as a blacksmith
Sometimes moonlights as a miner
Favorite restaurant is Buca Di Bepo
Met his wife on the Internet
Has three beautiful children
Orders the coffee of the day at Starbucks (black)
Is sometimes known as Adande
Is resistant to fire
Coaches baseball in his spare time

and last but not least......

Is a year older today!!!!!!!

If you guessed Mike W. you were right on!!!!!! Happy Birthday, Mike!!!!!!!

P.S. How great is this birthday cake image I found on Google?

American Idol-It's Back!

Seriously, I saw this book at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I think the Chicken Soup for the Soul guy has gone off the deep end. American Idol is back tomorrow (1/15) at 8:00PM. (7:00 Central)

Tomorrow, I Head to SF

Let me clear about something, I am not a public transportation type of girl. Up until recently, I had never been in a bus, taxi, subway or even a shuttle. Last time I was in San Franciso Jeff was kind enough to guide me through the BART system back to the Oakland airport. This was my one and only BART ride. Being a big girl, and trying to be cost effective I have decided to give the BART a try tomorrow, all on my own. Here is the email conversation between me and Jeff:

*Kim forwards Southwest Flight info to Jeff
*Jeff responds: "Are you comfortable enough to BART in?"
*Kim responds: "Hee hee, that's my plan!"
*Jeff responds: "Good! Remember... from OAK take the AirBART shuttle to theColiseum/Oakland Airport BART station. Buy a round-trip BART ticketto/from Embarcadero Station. Take any San Francisco-bound train and getoff at Embarcadero Station. Walk upstairs to the MUNI fare gates and paythe $1.50 fare (don't forget to take and keep the receipt). The trainyou want will be on the Inbound side of the tracks (the side with the"To Ballpark" signs). Get on any train announced as "Mission Bay,"either the "N-Judah" or the "T-Third." If you're on the "N-Judah" go tothe last stop, the CalTrain Station. Walk south, toward the Panera Breadstore...the next block is Berry Street. When you're in front of Panera,look to your left and notice another train platform. If you get on the"T-Third" at Embarcadero, that's where you'll get off.
*Kim responds: "Oh crap, now I am nervous. Thanks for the tips...."
*Jeff responds: "You can always call me... or I can meet you somewhere along the way..."

Please wish me luck.....

Why The Thomas' Hate "Indianapolis"

Today, for the first time, we rooted for the Chargers.....here's why:

No Ravin
Legacy Stolen
Nasty Feelings Linger

All I have to say is, "Who Knew"?

3 Things To Ponder

Three Things to Ponder: 1. Cows 2. The Constitution 3. The Ten Commandments

C O W S Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow

T H E C O N S T I T U T I O N They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq . Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

T H E 1 0 C O M M A N D M E N T S The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery," and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

Don't Refuse The Drink Carrier

When the Barista at Starbucks asks you if you would like a drink carrier, just say "Yes". Why say no? Is it because, you can do it? I don't need a drink holder, I'm no rookie. Is that the reason to refuse it? My advise, just take it.

Yesterday, I went to Starbucks (Yes, the boycott didn't last long) and I ordered three drinks. A Venti Iced Chai (for me), a Tall Vanilla Latte (for mom) and a Short Apple Juice for Joshua. As I am struggling to situate my drinks, blackberry, keys and um....blueberry oat bar the Barista says "Would you like a drink holder", I respond, "No, it's okay, I got it". I leave for the car........

As soon as I get to the car, I have to put down two of the drinks on the bumper in order to push the unlock button. I do that, open the door and pick up the drinks again. I safely get the Vanilla Latte, Apple Juice and Oat bar into the car and then I squeeze the Chai, lid pops off and the following happens:









Half my Chai......gone. Well, at least there is less caffeine. I wasn't about to walk in and ask for napkins after I had just denied the carrier. So I drive over to deliver Joshua and Mom's drink. The whole way over I am annoyed at myself for denying the carrier, how stupid. I get out of the car at moms, again with my Chai, the Vanilla Latte and the Apple Juice and the following happens:









Say bye bye to Joshua's Apple Juice. We are now 2 for 3 in drink losses. Agghhhhh. So take it from me, if you are offered the carrier it is because you need it. All hail, this great invention, the cardboard drink carrier.

Peanuts or M&M's?

Tonight, at the Ducks game, the woman next to me wanted some peanuts. This was her conversation with the waitress:

Waitress: Can I get you anything else?
Woman next to me: Peanuts please
Waitress: Peanuts or M&M Peanuts
Woman next to me: Peanuts

Is that the most pointless question of all times? She didn't want candy, she wanted peanuts!!!!

What if the waitress worked in Field Support?
Customer: I would like to order a new PC.
Waitress posing as FSO tech: Would you like a new PC or would you like Blackberry?
Customer: I would like a new PC
Waitress posing as FSO tech: Good because you arent authorized for a Blackberry.

In Response To The Jane Says Blog

This is in response to the Jane Says blog from this evening: Your wish is my command

Jane every time I go to the Phoenix airport and see this, I think of you.

Starbucks Introduces The Skinny Latte

Last week I saw the advertisement for the Skinny Latte on Starbucks. It consists of non-fat, no-whip and sugar-free syrup. Now, (other than my iced chai) I always order non-fat, about 1/2 the time no whip (the other 1/2 easy whip) but I can't do the sugar free syrup. I had no idea how much they were pushing the skinny latte until today.

I hooked up with Jinjer for a quick cup of coffee (first time I have seen her since 1993) (this after hooking up with Nancy-yes she is the one having triplets-on Sunday. That was the first time I had seen Nancy since 1997) and we both ordered non fat latte's. (It was great seeing her)I ordered a decaf-non-fat cinnamon dolce latte and she ordered a non-fat vanilla latte. Neither of us were prepared for what we received-two skinny latte's! We both sent ours back for a re-do.






****OK, now I am pissed. As I was going to post these photos I noticed that they did not make my Cinnamon Dolce Latte a decaf. This is a serious problem since I had already had a Venti Iced Chai, making my caffeine intake higher than I would like for being pregnant. It wasn't in the danger level (more than 300mg) but you don't screw with a recovering hypochondriacs caffeine intake (especially when they are pregnant and diligently watching it)! I am annoyed with myself for suggesting the Starbucks on California and Lake Ave since I rarely have good experiences with the Baristas there. This is the same Starbucks that this barista works at. Going forward I will be boycotting this location****

P.S. We both tasted the skinny latte's-they sucked.

P.S.S. Best tip I learned from Jinjer today, Tivo the show called "Cash Cab". I just watched it, it's great.

More on Caffeine: (I have now edited this blog post 5 times as I have done additional research, this is practically two blogs)

This is a total rant! I rarely do a rant, in fact, I think this is the first time the word "rant" has appeared on my blog. I have been very careful on my caffeine intake since pregnant. Some of the things I have done are as follows: (1) I almost completely cut it out during the first trimester. (2) I did research, most of which said anything under 300mg was fine, (3) I stopped getting two chai's a day, (4) I usually get grande's instead of venti's (5) If I order coffee it's always decaf.

So, since my decaf was screwed up today I went and re-did some research. I noted on this website Americanpregnancy.org that it said a grande Starbucks had 400 mg of caffeine. I went back to the Starbucks website and looked up the Cinnamon Dolce nutrition information and under caffeine it said 150mg for a grande. Then at the bottom of the page I read this:

* Caffeine information is approximate and is based on limited analytical data. These values reflect Starbucks standard brewing methods. Values can vary greatly based on the variety of the coffee and the brewing equipment used. The handcrafted nature of our beverages may result in a variation from the reported values.

What am I bothered by? The words "Values can vary GREATLY". How could they vary Greatly? Do I believe the Starbucks website or the Americanpregnancy?

If the Caffeine Intake was what Starbucks said it was I had 300MG today and that does not make me happy. If it is "varied greatly" there is no telling how much I had. NOT HAPPY!!!! I will be making a complaint via their website. I may be temporarily boycotting Starbucks...till April 3rd.

Here's another P.S. If you do complain to Starbucks via their website they send free drink coupons.

To Kays: Sorry About Ohio

In Time For New Hampshire

This little political quiz is brought to you in time for the New Hampshire Primaries. Take the quiz and it matches your views to the closest candidate. If there was any doubt that I'm on the right, it has now been answered. Take the Quiz

Top Match: Tom Tancredo (The funny thing is I hadn't even heard of him)
Second Match: Mitt Romney
Third Match: Mike Huckabee

American Gladiators Premieres

Becca and I used to love watching American Gladiators. Our favorite girl gladiator was Zap and we thought that several of the boy gladiators were cute. I think Lazer was our favorite.

So last night the new American Gladiators premiered. I Tivo'd it and watched it tonight. It's pretty dumb but that doesn't mean I won't keep watching. I have a feeling that if I stick to the new PS Wellness Snack Challenge I will be able to make it on Season 2.

27 Weeks PG

The first belly shot appeared on the Jane Says Blog a couple of weeks ago. Contrary to numerous requests and demands I have refused to place belly shots on my blog. But, you know me, if there is a good gimmick or story sometimes I will break even my own rules. With that, here goes, the first belly shot on the blog.

Two old friends, both 27 weeks pregnant, one carries one girl, the other carries two girls and a boy. This is what it looks like:


















Can anyone guess who the friend is?

Top 10 News Stories of 2007

This is as reported by KABC TalkRadio. (Thanks, Kays)

10. Paris Hilton in jail
9. OJ Simpson arrested - but not for murder
8. The Michael Vick Dog killing scandal
7. Senator Larry Craig bathroom sex scandal
6. Don Imus calls Rutger's players nappy-headed ho's
5. Mayor Villaraigosa's affair with the Telemundo reporter (I hadn't heard this one)
4. Baseball Steroid Story
3. Virginia Tech Shootings
2. Roman Catholic Church settles claim for $660 MILLION
1. California Wildfires

Happy Birthday, Jessica!

You are my favorite 5 year old and I Love You!!!!

A USC Fan Goes To The Zoo

January 4th-This Date In History

On January 4th, 1903 Thomas Edison electrocuted an elephant. Apparantly, Edison electrocuted many animals including stray dogs, cats, cattle and horses.

I guess a cranky elephant that had squashed three of her caregivers at a zoo on Coney Island was given to Edison (rather than being hung....imagine hanging an elephant) so that he could electrocute it.

The elephant, "Topsy", died immediately in front of 1500 spectators.

More Information can be found here: Elephant Electrocution

A History Lesson

You will find Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada at elevation 7,085. The pass was named after George Donner and his group of settlers that were moving from Illinois to California. In November, 1846 this group was traveling through the pass and found it blocked by snow so they set up camp, near a lake, that would someday be known as Donner Lake.

In mid-December a group of 10 men and 5 women set out to reach Sutters Fort (In Sacramento). Unfortunately, this group became lost and disoriented due to the cold and lack of food. When 4 members died, the rest decided to eat them for survival. On January 18th, 7 survivors reached the western side of the mountain. Four relief parties were sent and the last member of the Donner Party arrived at Sutters Fort on April 29th. Of the 87 members of the original Donner Party, 39 died.

Last year, in the middle of a snowstorm, I braved this treacherous mountain. I survived the wind, snow and accidents and successfully made it to Ben Edwards house.....and contrary to what you may have heard, I was there on time.

Sydney's Nursery

First, a huge thanks to Kays who took us shopping last week and ended up getting Sydney her crib, dresser and changing table/hutch. It is absolutely beautiful. Sydney just kicked me to say thank you too :)

Second, she received her bedding and some room accessories from her Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas.

Third, her Daddy worked really hard the last few days, painting, putting the crib together, getting all the accesorries and decorations up and doing finishing touches around the room. Thanks, Dad!

The room looks fantastic and for a change, we are ahead of schedule.

Other PG News: We have now entered the third trimester. Also, the three hour glucose tolerance test that I took last week turned out normal. Yeah!!!!!

Where Was My Rose Parade Invitation?

Well, for those of you that don't know I failed to mark my location this year for the Rose Parade. (Note Last Year: We Were First) Without a secured location I didn't feel comfortable sending out the annual Rose Parade invitation. So rest assured, you were not left off the invite, there wasn't one sent out.

Luckily, Yesterday I was able to strike a deal with some of our neighbors in order to secure a small location. We swapped them 4 feet of space for free food. Yesterday, I made homemade pizzas for the second year in a row and this morning mom and I made breakfast. It was well worth it, I spent a total of about 2 hours outside (Before the parade) between yesterday and today. Compare that with Becca, James and I who usually spend a combined 36 hours outside watching our spot.

So the nice thing about today was that it was very laid back. I was in bed last night by 11:00, didn't get up this morning until 6:30 and didn't go outside until almost 8:30. This was a good thing since I have been really tired the last two weeks. While the parade was nice, we certainly missed having everyone here to celebrate the New Year with us. I hope everyone enjoyed their day, I won't screw up the seating this year and hopefully we will see you here on January 1st, 2009.