Sleepover @ Hotel Kaiser Fontana

Day 14 of Summer Vacation

Good Morning Everyone! oh wiat. It's afternoon.

Well we survived our sleepover at the Hotel Kaiser Fontana. Where the checkin time is 8:30pm and checkout is 7:30am. That is unless your little man wakes up sooner than that!

So preparing for Hayden's Sleep Study took longer than I thought. The boy was amped. I mean how exciting, to be able to spend the night at the hospital! I mean wow! Getting him ready and out the door was like pulling teeth. How come, whenever you have someplace to go and your kids want to go it takes longer to get them ready??? So freshly bathed and in his jammies Hayden and I head out the door and drive out to Fontana for his Sleep Study.

No nap today or for the past few days for the boy. He is wired. Mainly because he doesn't get good sleep and needs those naps. So it's not much of a leap to say he was full of ants in his pants while we were waiting to be checked in.

Once checked in we are walked back to his room where a nice big bed awaits him, easily a queen sized bed in a windowless room. Nice bedspread, looks comfortable. This is when I am told little man gets the bed all to himself and I get the medieval torture device, aka "the chair," in the corner. Yeah, I'm going to be getting some good zzz's tonight.

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Ready for Sleepytime

So Sonia his tech comes in and proceeds to apply all sorts of wires and such things onto the boy. He was covered from head to toe. Several on his head, face, chest, and legs. Each little wire is for a specific region of his body to report a specific topic. heart rate, breathing, movement, brain activity, etc. He thinks it's great fun. Me, I'm wondering how we are going to manage the midnight pee break with all those wires. At which point Sonia tells Hayden to just call out to her when he needs to go and she'll come in to help disconnect him from the machines. Apparently the room has two cameras in it for watching the boy and there is no need for call buttons so they can listen to everything going on as well as see what is happening.

Lights out. The boy is all tucked in. I'm surprised he didn't demand a story or a song to which I don't know what I would have done knowing I would have had an audience. But the boy was really tired at this point and was out within 5 minutes of the lights turning off. I read from my Kindle for a little while since this is a little early of a bedtime for me and then attempted to get some rest in "the chair." My only complaint about the Sleep Center is that chair. I really hated that thing before long.

I cat napped a lot. Listened for a little while to the other people in other rooms. Some poor scared child crying hysterically in the middle of the night. The occasional mumble of people talking in other rooms. I woke whenever the boy moved. Pretty much waited for morning.

His sleep this night was the best sleep he has had in a while. His breathing did drop on a few occasions at which he would gasp but for the most part no seizures. He slept soundly throughout the night. He didn't even wake up for a midnight potty break. Needless to say if we captured a seizure it was very minor, which is a good thing, and a bad thing as far as the test is concerned. I don't know if there will be much to show for his sleep study. Which is a lot disappointing in itself considering his sleep is what brings on everything else. [sigh]

Naturally, promptly at 6am Hayden wakes me up with a bellow of "I gotta go potty!" Um, yeah. The heart is now racing. I'm up! Sonia comes in and Hayden patiently waits for her to unhook him so he can use the facilities. We clean up, pack up, and head home. I'm exhausted for my lack of sleep and crawl into bed with Brian. He finally wakes me at around 10:30 because I must face the day. The boy on the other hand, wide awake and well rested. Go figure.

Now he is sitting in the tub playing away and when he calls me in I'll go in to wash the glue from his hair. So now that part of the odyssey is over. We now have to wait for the results to come back which could take about a four to six weeks. I've emailed his neurologist to let him know to look for it. Now we wait. I'm not very good at waiting...


*****UPDATE*****
Received the results on Hayden's Sleep Study and it came back clean. Naturally. So far every single one of his tests has shown no seizure activity. Even the tests the conducted the day of his Grand Mal 2 years ago. This is getting very frustrating.....

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

Thank God for MNO's!

Day 13 of Summer Vacation

Such a busy day today. Sorry no pictures. Too busy and besides I left the camera at home.

We started our day early in the morning with a movie at Harkins. Who doesn't love going to the movies? I mean come on, big screen entertainment is super good fun. Now ad a room full of kids and that's where the fun lies. The movie of the week? Megamind. Oh and the part Brad Pitt played was Metro Man. Go figure. Ha! Didn't see it the first time and it was really a cute movie. Got a few good laughs from us. Our group is growing and I predict by next week we will take up an entire row!

Next up, SWIMMING! Ok. for me that entailed sitting under the patio, munching and watching the kids frolic in the pool. Good times with good friends! Gotta love it. My other half of the brain and I did some more planning for the MDO Temecula trip. Haven't had a Moms Day Out in like forever. What was it? Oh yeah, Glen Ivy. Another great MDO and celebrating a friends birthday! Perfect combination.


Then home for a quick cat nap and jump in the shower to head over to Ra for the cherry on top of my day, The MNO = Moms Night Out. Sushi & a Birthday Celebration for the lovely Michelle! I love my mommy friends and am so blessed to have them in my life. I love that we can all get together over some "bait" and have an awesome gab fest that doesn't involve gossip of any kind. Just shared experiences and sharing of activities all of us may not have been apart of. Oh the celebrity sightings! hahaha! The 10 of us spent HOURS on that patio cackling up a storm.


Just when you think the night should come to an end.....NOT US! Not when there is a Harvey's near by! Hahahaha the invasion of the mommies! Oy! That poor little store was filled with all of us oohing and aaahing over all the beautiful handbags. My "Holy Grail" is the Stella. Turns out that's Michelle's "Holy Grail" bag too! One of these days, I will get me the Stella! I only have 4 Harvey's bags in my ownership and I want, no I need more! Wow who would have thunk? But they really are the greatest bags. Recently one of my friends in Women's Special Events Ministries told me she actually throws her bag in the washing machine when she wants to spruce it up! I wouldn't try that with one of my handbags but maybe a cast off I acquire.... Hmmmmmmmmm..... Oh BTW Girls the Cherry is still available online. Just saying. What's a good enabler without her little reminders and suggestions every now and then. =)


So we have Sushi at Ra, a little shopping spree at Harvey's, and I'm not going to say who...now time for dessert! So you know the area right? What's next? Where do you think we finished our evening? Pinkberry! I needed my addiction of Watermelon topped with watermelon puree, fresh watermelon, blueberries, and strawberries. Oh what a joy for my taste buds! A few of my mommy friends had never had the joy of the PB treat. Well I think we created a few addicts last night. hahaha. You love the enabler in me don't you?! But I must thank Shannon for reminding us to go! So with our little dessert treats in hand and huddling together in the night air we all sat down to another gab fest. What a perfect ending to a perfect evening. Later as four trucks clustered together down Edison drive I laughed. Together even as we head home. I love my girls! Now I'm pondering what's next!

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

Y'all come back now Y'here!

Just getting into the park

Oh man, we were immersed today. Ok, well I cannot say that is exactly the best analogy of our day but come on, we spent the day at Knotts Berry Farm. Now how fun is that?

So Day 12 of our Summer Vacation started out as any typical summer day in our casa. Or should I say homestead? Spread? Anyway. We woke late. Grabbed a lazy breakfast of toast and jelly, coffee for me. Worked on the Summer Bridge. Played on the computer for a little and then decided to get ready for our afternoon at Knotts Berry Farm.

The last time I was at Knotts was years prior. The one distinct memory I have is riding the GhostRider and cackling like a crazy woman the whole time thereby annoying my Daddy to no end. Talk about an awesome ride. Love that wooden roller coaster! I'm not one for drops. I don't like that sudden and sickening feeling I get when my stomach suddenly and expectantly descends to my feet. This is why I am not a real big fan of that place in Valencia. However, I loves me a ride with lots of spins, twists, and flips. So that Ghost ride does have a few drops but the G's just pull you deep into your seat and it's total enjoyment for me.

Waiting in line.....

But I digress. It had been too long since we have enjoyed that gastrointestinal delight that is Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner Restaurant so naturally that was our first stop. Oh joy! What a delight. I just love their chicken dinners. The biscuits and Knotts jam are the first to arrive and are quickly devoured. I could live off those biscuits! Next the chicken soup and side salad. Soup quickly disappears but before I even get to the salad my dinner arrives. I had leftovers mind you but I enjoyed that leg and wing sooooooooOOOOooooooooo much! But I never, ever, never, ever, never, ever, did I mention never, ever? Forget to leave room for Boysenberry Pie Ala Mode! To be honest I don't even know what the kids ate I was so into my food. But I only kid, both of our 'lil whippersnappers ordered the kids chicken leg dinners and we all fought over the same things on our table. We are all foodies through and through!

My Two Red Barron's!

So now we are pleasantly plump and in desperate need of walking off some of this comfort food and decide it's now time to head into the park for some good 'ol family fun. Camp Snoopy here we come! I just love that Beagle. Any guesses why???? So we spend the day in Camp Snoopy and the kids have a total blast. We did get them on the Calico Mine Ride and naturally the Calico Railroad sloop around the park. Our biggest mistake was the Mystery Lodge. Back in the day it was actually somewhat entertaining what with water that runs up hills and rooms that aren't what they seem. But, what in the world happened to that once fun optical illusion place? They put the "mystery lodge" in. No mystery there! It's ok, really. Elena did jump once or twice and the story was good but we were definitely disappointed.

So why Knotts? Well, to be honest, we have been going to the mouse house for years. We've had passes for as long as I can remember. Even with the many, and I mean many, price increases for both passes and parking. That place in Anaheim was our main source of entertainment. But it's really expensive and we realized our kids hadn't gotten to go to the other amusement parks or attractions in the area and were missing out. So we made the decision that this years pass would be Knotts. It was worlds cheaper to buy for a family of four then the mouse house and it was like a new adventure for the kids. Win-Win!

Something Antiquie from the old Calico Ghost Town

Today, since we had passes we took our time and didn't do nearly all the things we wanted to do. But we will be back. We were making plans for our next trip to the park. Next time Brian wants to eat at Pink's The Original Hot Dog For The Stars. They have such a snappy dog that is super yummy. One of the things we look forward to when the LA Fair is in full swing. BTW - We tend to just eat our way through the fair.... One of these days we may actually make it out to the Original Pink's but for now we will be happy with a local spot.

We are once again home and the kids are all tucked in and sleeping the night away. They totally enjoyed the day and are looking forward to tomorrows activity. I wonder what we are going to do tomorrow???? We are so very blessed by our little family!


So! Who else has passes???

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

Bunco @ IHC

BUNCO!

For those of you who know me,  you know how much I just love Bunco! Well after toooo long a time I have finally rejoined the Women's Special Events team at church. Our newest event.... BUNCO! What a great way to rekindle a relationship. It's been a long path to recovery and I am now fully my healed self. Lots of positive changes for me. ^. .^ and I'm loving it! I just enjoy this ministry team and I am very happy to once again to be giving in this way.  It feels good to be using my gifts in the ways that both make me happy and brings glory to God. Plus there are so many positive and uplifting souls on our team!

SoCal Marisa, Other Marisa & Tina

Well the night was filled, and I don't mean that in a small way, it was truly filled with all sorts of friends from every facet of my life. I couldn't be happier than being surrounded by these amazing women! We played 3 rounds of Bunco, ate lots of goodies from candy to these super yummy cupcakes and had a blast just mingling and chatting with everyone.

Tina, Beth, & Tina (sorry for the dark picture)

Before I knew it and before I was even ready for the night came to an end, it did. After helping with the clean up as typical I ended up in the parking lot chatting the night away with a few friends. I love those conversations. Positive connections are really the balm of life.

My Small Group Leaders Cathy, Maria, & Terry

Last night I left church parking lot absolutely content. Content in knowing I am now healed from my previous hurts and back on track in my ministries. It seems like so very long ago that I stepped down from all my ministries and abandoned my small group. I have made some adjustments and changes in my life. Choosing positive reinforcement in my connections and taking it one day at a time. As in the concept learned in the movie with actor Bill Murray "What About Bob?" I healed with "Baby Steps" Baby step church. Baby step small group. Baby step my ministries. It took some time and changes but I'm back!

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

The Lightkeeper's Ball (A Mercy Falls Novel)

The Lightkeeper's Ball (A Mercy Falls Novel)

Kept Me Guessing


What a refreshing book for me. The Lightkeeper's Ball kept me guessing until the final reveal. Just when I thought I figured it out there was another twist. The character build of Olivia Stewart as we followed her through this mystery was very intriguing. As a reader we grow with her in her learning to trust her inner voice and quiet her self doubt. The Christian principles and quiet God focused topic matter was not preachy in the least. I found it refreshing the way author Colleen Cobly did not thump that Bible, instead refocused the reader on trust in The Lord and prayer. Definite "Seeker" Book. I do have to say I was rather surprised by this topic since I do not regularly ready Christian novels simply because of the peachiness of them. I have to admit I ordered this book because of the cover art. It is very beautiful and caught my eye; intrigued me enough to want to read it. & I am very happy I made that decision. Will I be reading the other two books from this series? Most definitely and I look forward to the read!


See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

Macaroni Salad

Serious good stuff. Now I don't know if this is a Mexican thing or just something with my particular family tree, but there is always some Macaroni Salad whenever there is a family function. Make it the day before so your flavors can get a chance to know one another and enjoy it at your next BBQ.

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, drained, cooled and set aside

4 Stalks Celery, peeled of string and chopped

1 Small Sweet Yellow Onion, Grated, drained

2 Cloves Garlic, finely Chopped

1 Medium Can sliced olives, drained

2 Cups Mayonnaise

1 TSP Salt

1/2 TSP Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients. I started grating my onion for those who fear the look of onion. It's so much easier on the eyes to grate using the Cuisinart. I find it easier to mix together with my hands. Sure they get all messy but everything mixes rather nicely. If too dry ad more mayo and more salt and pepper if needed. Chill at least 12 hours and enjoy!

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

One Fish, Two Fish...

Alex, Elena, Hayden, Ryan, Jordon & myself at Bonelli Park

So Day Two of our summer vacation started out rather nicely. We received a call from friends wanting to know if we maybe would like to go fishing. Sounds like a plan. So we woke up early (8:30am btw - thanks Alex for the early am phone call!) and headed over to Bonelli Regional Park.

Ducks, ducks, and more ducks!

After looking at the web page and seeing they recently stocked the lake with 500 lbs of catfish I had visions of blackened catfish frying away in my cast iron pan while spicy hot smoke billowed up and throughout the house. If you've ever blackened catfish you know all windows and air vents must be open! But it is so worth the effort and pepper burnt lungs!

That's my girl!

Coffee pot was set to perk while I busily made our lunch to throw in the cooler we meant to drag along. Packed the chairs, umbrella, cooler, and with sunscreen applied and hats on our heads we headed out the door for a day at the lake. $10 later and we were in the park and looking for a parking spot. Which was not a difficult task to accomplish since there was hardly any one there. The swim beach was closed for the day, some sort of private party and we past what looked like a really nice playground on the way to our designated fishing spot.

The boy getting ready to cast out

Talk about excitement! Ryan & Jordon chasing our car and ready to help us unload with such grins and enthusiasm. Such good boys. As we were meandering toward our spot a park official pulled alongside us and asked if she could take our picture. So now our grins will be gracing some sort of flyer for July. Celebrity? Maybe, but we're getting used to our paparazzi.

Donuts?

As we settle in the resident ducks march by reminding us they will require some sort of food or they may just nibble away at our toes or something. From the safety of their little burrows ground squirrels look on deciding with their pea sized little brains if they could possibly snatch a donut before we closed the box. Ha! No such luck for them, but man are they brazen.

What a lazy day....

So we settle into our day. Make camp so to speak. Get the gear ready and cast our lines out. Funny thing about fishing with kids, especially rambunctious kids, they don't sit still for long. Frisbee out and now they start chasing all over the hills. This is when I think to myself, shoulda brought the kite. perfect day to fly a kite. So before we know it the kids are done with fishing, while lines are in the water and the adults are left on the shore trying not to doze in the sun while they run amok. As the sun creeps over head and the marine layer burns off we set up the umbrella and enjoy our simple lunch and watch the bobbers float along.

The kids and that Frisbee

Did we catch anything? Was there a power struggle of man against beast? Will my cast iron pans be blackening away some yummy fatty catfish? In answer to those questions a big 'ol NO! Sadly, I didn't get to enjoy my blackened catfish along with some garlic mashed taters and grilled asparagus, but I really did enjoy the day of just sitting and relaxing while listening to the kids laughter.

Such avid fisherman

Our day quickly came to an end and as we were cleaning up our spot the kids grinning, happy faces made me think we would definitely be coming back again. Empty fishing nets and all. Maybe next time we will use the equestrian center or even camp out there....didn't know they had campgrounds....hmmmm more summer activities to ponder.....

View up by the bathrooms

As we head home I contemplate the activities we planned for the remainder of the day thinking we could slip in a nap before heading to my Uncle Danny's Graduation. Sadly, the day must of really wore all of us out because we overslept our naps and totally missed the big event. I woke with a sore throat and feeling rather ugh, so maybe it's a good thing hu? Anyway, Congratulations to my Uncle Danny! Good luck as you pursue your new paralegal career!

Aaaaahhhhhh!

As the day closes I am sitting here contemplating the day. Day at Bonelli Park, Uncles Graduation, Those bad neighbors FINALLY move out, what an action packed day. Kids are tucked in and I get to enjoy the silence until the little one wakes in the morning. He's my early riser. Tomorrow is a day of getting ready for Fathers Day. Hopefully we will be able to make it over to leave some flowers on Granpa Carlos's grave before we have the in-laws over. Sounds like a nice quiet weekend hu? Like I said before this summer has started out a lot better than last!

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa

It's Summertime!.......

Kindergarten Graduation "Big K Day"

It's that oh so very exciting time of the year. One of my favorite times of the year. Yes, you guessed it, it's Summertime! Time for the lazy days of summer to carry us to fall. Time for loooong naps. Relaxing by friends pools, reading lots of books, board games, puzzles, crafts, shopping trips, beach days, going to the movies, and lots of red cups! Oh how I love the summertime!

The boy receiving his Kindergarten Diploma

Yesterday was the last day of school. I now have a first and a fifth grader. So hard to believe they have grown so much. But I'm not going to sit here and lament over the passing of years "like sands through the hour glass..." No, I'm not going to do that. I am however going to rejoice over the fact that I no longer have to wake early, cajole my kids out of bed, make lunches and try not to hit any children in the parking lot as I quickly do the curbside tuck-n-roll with my oh so limber kiddos in their weekdaily quest for an edumakation. Not me, no.

The boy and his diploma

Now it's time to plan. Or really, shoot from the hip. I have a few things planned as activities for my loving family but for the most part I'm going to grab the bull by the horns and enjoy the ride. Last summer sucked big-ol-you-fill-in-the-blanks. This summer has already started to show great improvement over last year. For starters the dreaded neighbors across the street appear to be moving out [insert sigh of relief here along with the requisite pomp and circumstance] and the general feeling of this summer is far more upbeat and positive than last years. We have a sleep study scheduled for the boy and hopefully we can start going in the right direction here. We've changed our diet and that seems to be helping a lot. I can almost pinpoint days in which he will have a seizure and sadly they don't seem as frightening as when they first hit. Yup, things are definitely looking a lot better than last year.

The girl on her last day of school

Today the kids and I slept in to a blessed 10am. I love summer. We just kicked back and enjoyed the day. We worked on our summer bridge and pretty much slacked after that. Made a vat 'o sauce which will help reduce my cooking time over the summer and still keep us in yummy dishes. I'll try to post my recipe later but that one is just a lot of a pinch of this and a palm full of that and let's not forget a glass of wine for me and a glass of wine for the sauce.... Yeah, it's that good.

Did someone say water balloon fight?

I'd love to give you my calendar for activities that are pending but really, I aint gots one. Summer should be about relaxed fun and that's what I have planned for the kids. That and some movies and a quick camp out (red cups may be involved). I know, sounds like fun, hu? OK. So I will be sure to log on here and tell you what we did just so you get an idea of what's out there for ya. Some may be free type things to do and some you may have to dust off the 'ol wallet in order to enjoy. Either way it hopefully will be entertaining. "Oh, by the by..." [spoken with a British accent] what are your plans for the summer? How do you plan on entertaining your little miracles from above?

See ya round like a donut!, SoCal Marisa