THE GREEN(wald) HOUSE … (growing rosemary & raising a little wolf)

My beloved, crazy Grandma Billie recently made her transition into pure positive energy and left this earthly plane on Monday August 31.

I know she is missed by everyone who met her, though she was more than ready to move on to the next phase. She has been wanting to join Grandpa since he passed over 2 years ago, I think her spirit had started to leave at that point, but it just took her body another couple years to catch up…

I have so many fond memories of her throughout my life. She was the sweetest, most generous and loving person. She was constantly telling us grandkids how special and loved we were and she showed it by always making us embroidered pillows, blankets, and her famous homemade popsicles! The majority of family birthdays and dinners revolved around her homemade cakes and food - pickled tomatoes and onions, macaroni and tomatoes, and my favorite - sticky fries!

So many of her sayings will live in infamy in the memories of many…

“Sing at the table, cry before night”
“If you’re not bread and butter hungry, then you’re not hungry”
Boldly owning up to her craziness, and upon meeting my friends “Did Chelsea tell you about her crazy grandma?”
Always professing “I’m ______ years old and I’m not gonna change now!”

Yard sales on the front lawn; Harvey Girls; winning Queen for a Day; being the Colton Canary - not just a wait-ur-uss…..

I know the love and kindness she bestowed upon everyone she met is still felt by us all….

Love you and miss you Grandma and Grandpa!

So, yesterday was one of those idyllic days where I was, once again, thinking how awesome my new neighborhood is.

After running some errands in the morning, we came home and had lunch and I put Sammy down for a nap. Rosie and I went out to get the mail and noticed that one of our neighbors across the street had set up a giant bouncey house and there were about 10 kids inside. The neighbor saw us, pointed at Rosie, pointed at the bounce house and waved us over to play. There were a handful of parents around with plastic cups, and I was informed that it was the “last day of school” celebration - a ritual every year. The kids had just gotten off the bus from their 1/2 day and last day of school, and everyone was in a great mood. I was given an adult drink made with vodka, limeade and beer - named the “strip and go naked” and I was given a chair as I sat and talked to the other parents and watched the kids play. Throughout the hour, several other kids and parents stopped by - someone brought pizza, someone brought drinks, another mom walked up from down the street and brought chips and popsicles. There were about 30 kids total accumulated at this point (ranging in ages from 4-12), teams were made and a rousing game of “capture the flag” was played.

After a couple hours of fun, I came inside to wait for Sammy to wake up from his nap. While I was waiting, my sister in law, Pauline called and invited us to join her down at the neighborhood pool. I promised we would walk down after Sammy woke up. About 1/2 hour later, we were all in bathing suits, in the double stroller, heading to the pool. I spent the next 2 hours sitting in the sun, catching up on neighborhood gossip, and watching the kids have a great time playing and splashing in the pool with their cousins and other neighborhood kids.

It was a fun and awesome summer day, and the summer has only just begun. The kids slept great last night and the only casualty is a slight sunburn on my arms.
*Note to self, buy tons of sunscreen for the summer…

I am still in awe of the extended-family like atmosphere in the neighborhood. There are definitely little cliques on each street, but as a whole - everyone pretty much knows each other and gets along great.

Oh, and there is a huge neighborhood party at the pool this weekend, games, food, movies, etc. - I can’t wait!

I am looking forward to having a fabulous summer!

Happy Earth Day 2009! Rosie and I have several natural crafts planned for today. We are going to make a bird feeder out of a milk jug, and take some rocks and paint them like ladybugs, and I think we might plant some lettuce seeds in the garden too…

In honor of Earth Day today, I wanted to write a post about my mainstream hippie lifestyle. In the last few years, as I got older and especially as I became a mother, I noticed that I really started to embrace my old hippie past. In the wake of global warming, and as we start to realize how harmful plastic and household chemicals are for our health and for the planet, and now with the financial crisis, the old-school “hippie” movement seems more critical and necessary as ever. In the spirit of all the “how crunchy are you” quizzes, I wanted to come up with a list of the ways I have fit the old hippie way of doing things into my new modern life. Especially with this economy, a lot of these things are HUGE cost savers along with being better for the environment and everyone as a whole.

Those who know me from WAY back, know that I grew up on 33 acres in Northern California and my parents owned a “bug farm” where we raised biological pest control. We primarily raised fly parasites, the natural enemy of the fly. We would sell these parasites to cattle ranchers, and they could get rid of their fly problem without using chemicals or pesticides. Along with the fly parasites, we had a bunch of animals (a rotating group consisting of pigs, chickens, 2 horses, some sheep, several rabbits, and a cow named Maynard for a while), and we also had a huge garden. It was the 1970’s - early 80’s and we were, for lack of a better word, hippies. We didn’t wear exclusively tie-dye and follow the Grateful Dead around, but we did try to live consciously and sustainably, growing and raising a lot of our own food. My sister and I didn’t really eat any sugar until we were old enough to go to our friends houses and get it from them. I remember a period where my mom actually would grind her own wheat to make bread.

So, considering my childhood - a lot of the old school “hippie” things just seemed familiar and natural to me…

1. Home Birth
When we first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to have a home birth. This idea was completely natural for me, as my mom had a homebirth with my sister and I was present for the event when I was just 2 years old (we have the whole birth on audio tape, but that’s a story for another day). The thought of me giving birth at our house was a little “out there” for Joe, because he just assumed everyone had their babies at the hospital. After finding an awesome midwife, and coming to a compromise on a Birth Center, Joe actually started to get really comfortable with the idea of a home birth, and he was the one who decided to have the midwife come to us, instead of vice versa, when the time came. Rosemary was born peacefully at home in our bathtub on a July afternoon after only 4.5 hours of labor. We crawled in bed afterwards and just rested for the remainder of the afternoon and evening while the midwives cleaned everything up. It was the best thing ever. Sammy followed almost exactly 2 years later, and even with a minor hitch at the end, he was born after only 5.5 hours of labor. I know homebirth isn’t for everyone, but it was definitely the best decision for us. Aside from the comfort and safety of a home birth (for an average, healthy, low-risk mother, home birth has been deemed as safe or safer than delivering at a hospital) the cost of a home birth is way less. Even with insurance paying most hospital costs, many new parents find themselves with a hospital bill in the thousands of dollars. My midwife costs were around $3000 each time, and we were able to submit our claims to our insurance company and were re-imbursed 80% of those costs (after our deductible) as it was considered an out-of-network provider.

2. Cloth Diapers
It is estimated that 10,000 tons of disposable diapers are tossed in landfills every day! These diapers can take up to 500 years to decompose. Disposable diaper manufacturers use over 1 million metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000 metric tons of plastic every year. source Along with being a contributor to huge amounts of waste, they have harsh chemicals in them - dyes, perfumes and other things that I don’t want up against my baby’s most sensitive areas.

Most people associate cloth diapers with touching poop and dunking in toilets and messy, stinky gross stuff all over, and poking babies with diaper pins, and that is SO not the cloth diapers of today. Cloth diapers can be so cute and easy and stylish. I experimented with a lot of different diapers at first. I thought Kissaluvs fitteds with Bummis covers worked best for newborn messy poos - then we switched to All-In-One’s (AIO’s) - because they were easiest and worked just like disposables, with velcro closures, and then you just throw them in the wash. We went with Bumkins and Kushies for our AIO’s mostly. Then, when I got pregnant with Sammy, I experimented with BumGenius One Size pockets, so Rosie could wear them for a while, and then they would work for a newborn too. Now, we use a mix of AIO’s, pockets and a few old school cloth diapers (chinese pre-folds - or CPF’s) with covers. I mean, come on - did you see how cute some of these diapers are?? I bought a lot of my initial diaper stash used from other mommies (until I knew what I really liked) and I would estimate I spent probably about $500-600 total on cloth diapers and wipes for both kids. That’s as much as some parents spend on a month or two of disposable diapers for a couple kids. For wipes, I just use cheap washcloths and I make my own wipe solution with a few drops of lavender and tea tree essential oils in water and keep it in a wipes warmer. It works WAY better than those cold, thin, disposable wipes. All the cloth diapers and wipes go in a huge garbage can I use as a diaper pail and I have a few re-usable, washable liners I use with that. I don’t soak, I sometimes do scrape or wipe off the more solid poos into the toilet before tossing them in the diaper pail. Then, about 2x a week, I take the liner out of the pail, with all diapers and wipes inside, and empty it out in the washer, throw the liner in too - and wash in my sanitary cycle with a pre-wash and extra rinse. Then I dry in the dryer, or sometimes dry in the sun outside to remove stains. It’s really pretty easy.

this article does a great job of explaining the financial, chemical, and environmental benefits of cloth diapering

Now, I do use disposables occasionally, Rosie would always wear Seventh Generation disposables at night (un-bleached, no dyes or fragrances) and when we are traveling or out of the house - we use disposables occasionally for convenience. Everytime I would put my kids in Huggies or Pampers, I found they leaked, and they gave my kids bad diaper rashes, and I just hate that fake baby powder smell that most disposables have.

I think a lot of moms would totally use cloth diapers if they knew how easy (and cute!) they really are. If you are really grossed out by washing them yourself, you can use a diaper service (with CPF’s and covers). Also, in addition to the numerous advantages above, kids that are cloth diapered usually potty-train earlier (they are more aware of the wetness sensation). Yay for cloth diapers!

3. Breastfeeding
Duh! It’s what breasts are for. There is really no argument that it is the best and healthiest for baby and mama, not to mention it is easier (most of the time) and cheaper than formula. I also believe in child-led weaning, but had to gently encourage Rosie to stop nursing when I was pregnant with Sam because it was SOOO painful, and I had to set limits recently with Sammy because he was just wanting unlimited access and I was starting to resent our nursing relationship. If he is still going strong after his 2nd birthday, I might have to re-evaluate my stance on CLW - but I would really like it to be his decision to stop, so it is not something I am taking away from him. The AAP recommends “Exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by mother and child.” and the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond for optimum health of mothers and babies. I think one of the hugest hurdles to breastfeeding is the lack of support for mothers and adequate maternity leave and childcare options. Why is the US one of the only industrialized nations that doesn’t provide at least 6 months of PAID maternity leave? But again, that’s a topic for another day… There has been a lot of press and discussion recently because of a badly researched article that stirred up a lot of controversy - here is a great response to that article and says a lot of the things that I think….

4. Babywearing
I used slings and wraps and various other carriers with Rosie, but didn’t really see the full benefits until I had Sammy. I think babywearing is an absolute necessity for anyone with more than one child. I don’t think I could have gone grocery shopping, or run any errands, or done much of anything with a new baby and a toddler to chase around, had I not been able to wear Sammy. I have several different pouches, ring-slings, wraps, mei-tei style carriers, and my ergo, and I make and sell my own stylish stretchy Sea-Green Baby Wraps now. I still wear Sammy occasionally, but he gets antsy and wants to get down and run around a lot more now. Babywearing is especially handy when traveling, I always bring a sling with me when getting on a plane, and I wore Rosie and Sammy both all through Europe, so much easier than toting a stroller up and down stairs. Babywearing allows you to stay connected to your baby, holding them close to you (which is where they want to be anyway), they stay happier, your arms and back get a break when the weight of the baby is spread out, and babies learn more when they are up at eye level and can experience and see the world better.

5. Wooden toys
We tried to do a lot of wood and natural toys for the kids, but we definitely weren’t purists about it. We have a LOT of plastic stuff. Plastic stuff is fun and colorful, but I have noticed (in addition to the negative environmental impact) that plastic toys break easier and don’t last as long as the wooden stuff.

6. Natural health/beauty products and cleaning products
We try to use exclusively natural stuff on the kids. Burts Bee’s diaper cream, California Baby body wash and shampoo, Rainbow kids bubble bath and other similar products. I just think that there are so many new chemicals out there, and we don’t know what kind of lasting effect they will have on us in the future. Plus, I have sensitive skin and I know I prefer natural stuff for me (I use Dr. Bronner’s peppermint castile soap) and I try to use natural deodorants too, sometimes just a little rubbing alcohol works, sometimes I use a liquid rock type thing, but I do have some heavy duty Secret for those really stinky days….

And I try to not buy any household cleaners with harsh chemicals. I use baking soda a lot for scouring sinks and toilets, I use seventh generation dishwashing liquid and carpet cleaner, biokleen multi-purpose cleaner and ecos laundry detergent.

7. Gardening and composting
I have had a small garden in my backyard for the last few years. I love growing my own food. There is something so satisfying about picking food out of your yard, making a meal out of it, and eating what you grew just minutes after plucking it off the vine. Plus, there is no tomato in the world that tastes as good as one picked fresh off the vine, warm from the sun, and popped right into your mouth. This year is my first attempt at composting. I am hoping to keep the neighborhood dogs out of the pile of coffee grounds, apple cores, eggshells and etc. I love the idea of turning my food waste into nutrients that will go right back into the garden, and into our food.

8. Farm co-op, raw milk, farmers markets, eating locally, etc.
We belonged to a CSA a couple years ago, but found that too much of the food we received each week went to waste (we didn’t eat a lot of radishes) so we have not joined another, and instead I want to make a commitment to the local farmers and farmers markets around me. Trying to get my fresh veggies and produce exclusively from them this summer (aside from what we grow) and only rely on the supermarket for the staples and pantry goods. We get our meat and eggs and milk from a farm co-op that delivers near us every 2 weeks. The eggs are free-range, the meat is grass-fed and the milk is raw. I think it is really important to know exactly where our food is coming from, especially as the whole “organic” movement has now gone mainstream (and now many so called “organic” things are made by Kraft and mass produced and marketed with no real adherence to the true spirit of the organic movement). Supporting local farmers is good for our community, good for our health, and good for the environment.

9. Recycling
On top of putting our glass, plastic and cardboard in the recycle bin for trash day every week (sometimes we are not so good about the cardboard) I try to recycle other things. I recycle clothes by selling gently used things at consignment or resale shops. I buy a lot of the kids stuff at these same consignment stores, or mom to mom sales, or the salvation army. I give away a lot of things we don’t use anymore to the salvation army, or other charities. I have been known to occasionally re-purpose somebody else’s trash as something new for me (aka dumpster diving). And most recently, I used some discarded old realtor sign posts to build my raised beds in the backyard for gardening.

10. I rarely shave my legs and/or underarms
I think this is a laziness thing more than a “save the planet” move - but it definitely qualifies me as a “hippie”. I usually let my leg and underarm hair grow all during the winter - maybe shaving on New Year’s Eve or another special occasion - and I shave only occasionally in the summer. I prefer to wax, but that can be costly too, so I end up with a kind of combination of waxing a couple of times, and shaving a few times so it doesn’t look too unkempt. Luckily, my leg hair is mostly blonde, so I can get away with longer leg hair without looking like a gorilla.

11. I don’t use shampoo
I have been using the “curly girl” method for several years, which basically eliminates shampoo and has you scrub your scalp with conditioner instead. I would only use shampoo once every few months, when my scalp was feeling especially oily or dirty. Lately, I have been washing my hair with baking soda mixed with a little water and I rinse it with apple cider vinegar. I still occasionally use a little organic or chemical-free conditioner on the ends to help get the tangles out. But, for the most part, I am happy with my new routine, chemical-free, and only costs pennies per wash. Speaking of hair, I am pretty much as low maintenance as you can get, I let my hair air dry after the shower, occasionally with some leave-in conditioner. I don’t remember the last time I used a blow dryer.

12. Diva cup
For my monthly feminine needs, I have found the Diva Cup. I have only had a couple occasions to use this since Sammy was born (yay for lactational amenorrhea), but I am really loving it so far. It is easy and I have had no leaks. I never liked the way pads or tampons felt - and after having children and being so much more in touch with my cycles and female parts, and the miracle of creating human life, I feel that menstrual blood is really kind of sacred. It seemed wrong to have it soaking up in disposable paper products to then throw away. In fact, I have a hard time even dumping it in the toilet - I really wish there was a way to put it to use or dispose if it in a more sacred way.

13. We don’t vaccinate
I know I am really opening myself up for harassment and debate with this one. To vaccinate or not vaccinate is another one of the really sensitive parenting issues (along with breastfeeding) that incites the “mommy wars” the media is so fond of reporting. Joe and I did a lot of research on this subject before coming to a decision, and we consulted with our doctor, whom we respect and respects us in turn. For me, it basically comes down to this: If my kids get the measles, or chicken pox, or whooping cough or anything we routinely vaccinate for, yes - it will suck - but if we know what it is, and know how to treat it, there is only a very minuscule chance that it could result in any lasting effects or (god-forbid) death. On the other hand, there are a lot of adverse effects reported from vaccinations every day, including autism and death (often mis-reported as SIDS). IF (I know it is a big if) my kids were to react badly to a vaccine - we wouldn’t know what it was, how long it would last, or what do to about it. So, I am more comfortable with the evil that is known, than the evil that is unknown - so to speak. I don’t believe vaccines *cause* autism, per se - but I DO believe that it can trigger the onset of autism for some kids. I am not against the actual vaccine and I understand the benefits of using a vaccine for building immunity to a disease, and if I could separate the vaccine from the chemicals and preservatives in the shots, I might give that to our kids - but if you look at the ingredients list of the vaccines - it is astonishing the amount of harmful chemicals and formaldehyde and other nonsense that we feel comfortable injecting into our small children repeatedly. Our kids have immune systems that are not fully developed yet, and it is reasonable to assume that interfering with that development (via the vaccines and chemicals) could do damage to the kids in the future. How many kids had to get vaccinated before they (the govt. and pharma companies) finally admitted that Thimerasol was harmful? What’s to say that there won’t be another study next year that says “oh, yeah - sorry about that, the stuff we have been injecting into your kids is really bad for them and will cause numerous problems later in life”. And on top of all this, the fact that vaccines (like Gardasil) are rushed onto the market and big Pharma is reporting HUGE profits - I don’t think they are necessarily acting on our best interest. Doesn’t it seem crazy that there were only about 7 doses of vaccines required when I was a child, and now the current schedule has (by my count) 27 shots before they are 2 years old? With as many as 5 shots given at once (several times)! And on top of all that, kids are - in general - way LESS healthy than they were 20 or 30 years ago. Childhood diabetes, asthma, life-threatening allergies (nobody could die from smelling a peanut when I was a kid) autism and ADHD are at record levels. There is something (or a lot of somethings) going on here that is harming our kids. Unless someone can guarantee me that the vaccines won’t harm my kids - I just don’t feel comfortable doing it. I am not saying I am never going to do it, we might selectively vaccinate in a few years, once I feel comfortable that my kids immune systems are fully developed and the chance of harm goes way down… It is obviously a very emotional and personal decision, and I think moms just have to go with their gut and instinct and do what they feel is best.

*edited to add - just saw this post by Jim Carrey that has a very well thought out viewpoint on the whole vaccine safety thing - it’s a good read.

There are a lot of things I am doing - but I need to be better about it - such as:
*We have re-usable grocery bags, but I frequently forget to bring them to the grocery store, or forget to bring them in the store until we are getting ready to check out - so I have to use the paper or plastic ones and then I feel bad.
*I lost my Sigg bottle, and need to get a new one so that I can make sure to have water with me so I don’t have to buy bottled water when we are out and about. The kids have a couple different kinds of non-plastic re-usable drinking vessels, and I am usually pretty good about at least bringing water for them when we go places.
*We still use a lot more plastic than I would like - We have plastic for the kids cups, bowls, plates and tupperware and plastic bags for bringing snacks with us places. I am going to try to get more glass food storage containers, and more eco-friendly kids dishes and re-usable snack containers for when we are out and about.

Then, there are the things I would like to, maybe in the future:
*family cloth - since we are cloth diapering, it seems like a natural transition/addition, but I don’t see me convincing Joe to wipe with a washcloth and then throw it in the laundry and wash it. He is pretty accepting of most of my hippie stuff and ideas, but I am pretty sure this is where he would draw the line. We do go through an awful lot of toilet paper though….
*solar power - not sure how financially feasible this is - but I would love to eventually get our house powered by an alternate energy source.
*have chickens - I would LOVE to have a few chickens in my backyard, and a little chicken coop. I have such fond memories of going out to collect eggs when I was a child. I would love for our kids to get to experience that. I don’t see the neighbors being too cool with this idea though. Maybe in the future if I can get a little more land, maybe an acre or so, and have more space for it.
*have a hybrid car - we are actually in the market for a new car as our Escape has 260,000 miles and is on its last leg. We will probably get another Escape, as it fits our life and I like having one 4 wheel drive car in the family for the winter. I would LOVE the Escape Hybrid - but it is around $10,000 more than the standard Escape, and it probably just isn’t in our budget right now, even if it is better for the environment.
*walk or bike more places - we almost bought a new house in a downtown area, that would have allowed me to walk to the grocery store, and the library and park with the kids, but we couldn’t get an answer from the bank in the time we needed. Our new house is great, and I do love it, but I wish it was in an area that would have a made it easier to walk or bike more places.

Some of the above things I do primarily because I believe they are better for my family, some things are done because they are better for us financially, some things I do because it is easier, and some things I do even if they take more time and money. A lot of the reasoning is a combination of things. I think everyone has to come to a balance and do whatever they can to help preserve our natural resources and keep the earth healthy for our kids and all the kids to come. Hopefully - my list might inspire someone to try something new or encourage others to come up with their own ideas of ways they can fit the “hippie” stuff into their lifestyle.

Well, the big day finally came. My opportunity to be a contestant on WHEEL…..OF…..FORTUNE!!!

I got the call on Tuesday, January 20th, that they wanted me to come to do the taping in LA on Thursday February 5th (they don’t give you much notice). Joe was on the road, so I called him and we had to discuss and make a decision on travel dates and book ASAP. We debated whether to bring the kids, or leave them with Joe’s sister, or bring the kids and Joe’s mom too to watch them (as guests to the show have to be at least 8 years old.) In the end, we decided to take the kids and use a friend to babysit for the day. The contestant coordinator, Cassandra, told me that I would have to be there at 7:45am and could be there as late as 6pm as they were taping 6 shows that day. I learned later that they only tape 29 days out of the year - must be nice! They recommended a hotel to stay at that is close to the studio and gives contestants a cheaper rate, and provides shuttle service to the studio for contestants too. We booked flights to fly in Wednesday afternoon, we would do the WOF taping Thursday, and then take the day on Friday to play with the kids and go to the beach and enjoy the nice weather in LA, and fly home Saturday the 7th.

I was a little nervous but mostly excited about the opportunity. Pauline helped me pick out my outfit for the show before we left. A green (of course) J Crew argyle sweater, a dark grey skirt with some wide pleating at the knee (a little flirty and fun) and flats for comfort.

Day of show, I was up at 5am, Sammy was still on Michigan time, and I was excited too. I got ready and went downstairs at 7:15 to catch the shuttle and met up with some other contestants in the lobby of the hotel. Found out the theme for our week of shows was going to be Coast to Coast, we were from all over America: Hawaii, Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, California, Georgia, etc. Some contestants had only auditioned a little over 2 weeks ago, and got the call right away to come out to be on a show. The local California contestants all have to come and be stand-ins for a day before they can actually be contestants on a show.

We were brought into Sony Studios and led to a small green room with legal forms and etc. to fill out. We were not allowed to have phones or cameras, and they told us to not bring any reading material either. There were 4 contestant coordinators, Gary, Shannon, Jackie, and Cassandra. The coordinators all took turns going over the details of the game with us. We went over how to pick up the wedges or prizes from the wheel, where to place the prizes after picking them up, how to use the wild card and free spin, how the jackpot round works, how the million dollar wedge works (you have to spin on it and correctly call a letter, then you have to win that puzzle, and you have to last the rest of the game without landing on bankrupt, then you have to be the highest money winner to go to the bonus round, and then you have to spin the bonus wheel and the million dollar prize will be 1 out of 25 prizes - whew!), and on and on and on with the rules and details of the game play. We were constantly reminded that we have to choose a consonant after every spin, no matter what you land on (except for lose a turn or bankrupt), before you can continue or pick up a prize. We were reminded to keep the game moving, buy vowels, call logical letters (knowing common suffexes - ing - ly and etc.) We were reminded to smile and clap and be enthusiastic and be LOUD when calling out letters. During all the game prep, we were all taking turns getting our makeup professionally done, which was a lot of fun. We got airbrushed and powdered and my eyeshadow looked awesome! Plus the talented make-up team totally got rid of my dark circles under my eyes (thank god!).

Once we entered the studio, we were basically on lockdown, we could only have contact with the other contestants, the contestant coordinators and the make up people. We were not allowed to even make eye contact with our guests or talk to camera men, or any of the behind the scenes people for fear that some sort of impropriety would be implied. We could not make or receive any phone calls or texts while we were there. Though I did get a tiny exception, because I had 2 small children with a babysitter, I talked to Shannon and she agreed to call the babysitter (Jill) and she gave Jill her personal cell number to call if there was any emergency with the kids. So, that was super nice of her, and it eased my mind a bit to make sure the kids were ok.

After a couple hours, we got to go into the studio to practice spinning the wheel and get a feel for the buzzers (for the toss up rounds). Each spot behind the wheel (red, yellow, blue) has its own riser that can be raised or lowered to accommodate the contestant’s height. We all took turns going up on the wheel, wearing a small microphone, and spinning and calling letters and trying to solve a bunch of puzzles. The contestants who were not spinning were all standing behind the wheel, and we were trying to figure out the puzzles too, with most people just whispering to those around them when they had the answer. I got almost every one before the people around me, and a few people even exclaimed “wow, you’re good!” “I don’t want to have to compete against you” and etc. It made me feel good and I was feeling really confident. While we were practicing spinning, Gary pointed out where the “used letter board” was, so we could make sure we weren’t calling out letters that were already called. They also had a screen to remind us of the category, and another screen that kept track of the money totals for everyone.

Around 11am, we were split into groups of 3, the people we would be competing against on each show. One person from each group was designated to choose which show we would be on (1-6). I was the designated person for my group, and I ended up picking ball #4, so we would be the 4th group to go. I was glad we weren’t 6th of the day, I didn’t want to have to wait that long. While group #1 got their make up touched up, and got their risers adjusted for the first show of the day, the rest of us got to sit in a separate area in the audience to watch the show.

One notable thing, the audience doesn’t actually yell “WHEEL OF FORTUNE” like you think at the beginning, it is pre-recorded.

The first 3 shows went by so fast. Then, it was time….

Group #4 of the day was up - my group. We went backstage to get our make-up touched up and to go over our information cards with Shannon. These were the cards that Pat would use when introducing us. I drew position #3 for my group earlier - the blue position - I thought that would be a good omen - GO BLUE! Gary and other contestant coordinators were there to hype us up, remind us to not look down at the wheel, only up at the puzzle, be loud when calling letters, keep the game moving, etc. while we practiced spinning the wheel a couple more times. Things that they were drilling us on all day long. Then it was time for “P and V” as they called them, and for the show to start. P & V came out from behind the letter board, Vanna was wearing a beautiful long, flowy, one shoulder purple dress with rhinestone detail on the waist.

We grabbed our buzzers for the toss up round, and the game was started.

The category was “Phrase” - some letters started popping up, T, H, R, L - My mind said “Hot off the Grill” and my finger hit the buzzer just as my mind registered that the second word was only 2 letters and an “N” had just popped up in the second word so I knew I was wrong - I said “Ohhhh” and then heard the “buzz buzz” of the buzzer and I was locked out, a few more letters popped up and the guy in the #1 spot correctly got “hot on the trail”. Oh well, on to introductions, starting with #1, moving to #2 and then on to me. I got to talk about my great husband Joe, my wonderful kids, Rosie and Sam, and then got to mention my grandma and how she won Queen for a Day and etc. and how I hoped to continue the winning family tradition. Pat said something about how I was Queen for a day anyway, and he was the prince, and then joked about the announcer Charlie being the court jester.

Toss up #2, I made a mental note to not be too quick this time with the buzzer. Category was “Place” or “Landmark” or “On the Map” I don’t remember. Letters popped up D, R, E, M - Contestant #2 beat me to the buzzer and solved “Hoover Dam”.

On to the puzzle, Proper Name
#2 gets to start spinning, she gets a few letters before either losing a turn or guessing incorrectly. Finally, my turn to spin, I lean over, give the wheel a good pull toward me and push away from me (as instructed and practiced) - I am not supposed to look down, so I clap (lightly, hands at waist as to not interfere with the microphone - also as instructed) looking straight ahead at the puzzle, deciding what letter to call. As I hear the wheel slow down, I look down in time to see my arrow land in the 1,000,000 slot!!!! and then click one more spot to BANKRUPT. Aww, man! Oh well, still lots of time left in the puzzle, it could still get back to me. Guy #1 gets on a roll though, and solves the puzzle before it can get back to me. Bummer, but that’s only round 1.

Commercial time, we have to step down from our spots and face away from the wheel while they change around the prizes and put new amounts on the wheel, we also get bottled water brought to us and our makeup touched up. We get reminded again about keeping the game moving, looking straight ahead and not down at the wheel, calling our letters loudly, etc. We also get told of the new prizes and amounts on the wheel for this round. I get told, “Don’t worry, there’s still lots of game left” as I am the only one who hasn’t won any money thus far.

Round #2 is a prize puzzle - there is an unknown prize for the winner after solving the puzzle. The category is “What are you doing” - a pretty easy one as you know there will be “ing” as the first word most likely. #1 starts off the spinning this round. I think he gets a letter or two and then loses his turn, then #2 goes and gets a couple letters (I think) and then it finally comes to me. I don’t totally know the whole puzzle yet, but I definitely know a few words and know what letters are up there and what ones I am going to call. I reach down, spin, hear the “click, click, click” of the wheel slow, and look down just as I hear Pat say something like “oh, that’s too bad” and see that I have landed on “Lose A Turn”. Grrrrrr

Now I am getting annoyed, I want to play, I want a chance to call letters and solve the puzzle and win some money. I try to keep my frustration from showing on my face and continue to smile and clap for the other contestants, and just hope it gets back to me again. #1 calls out a letter or 2 and then it moves on to contestant #2 and by this time I definitely know the puzzle and I am just hoping and praying that she doesn’t or that she lands on bankrupt or lose a turn. No such luck, #2 solves the puzzle before I can get another chance at it - and wins not only a few thousand in cash, but a trip to Puerto Rico.

Commercial time again, the usual primping and reminding, and I get another “Hang in there Chelsea, lots of money on the wheel this round, anything can happen”.

Round #3 - I think it is Jackpot round, and the category is “Before and After” - one of my favorites. I am excited that I get a chance to start things off. I spin and land on $500 - woo hoo! I call “R” and there is 1 R in the puzzle. I spin again and land on $900, I call “S” and - Pat sadly tells me, “There is no S”.
What the Hell? No S? Seriously? Ugh, I am totally bummed - but again, it’s early, so hopefully I’ll still get a chance. #1 spins and calls a “T” I think and there is no “T” - it moves to #2 and I am hoping she calls a wrong letter or gets a bad spin. She calls a few letters and I totally know the puzzle, I am praying it gets to me so I can solve it. #2 spins and lands on….. Bankrupt! I am cheering inside, I know the puzzle, I got this one…
I spin and…… Lose A Turn.

I cannot fucking believe it. It is all I can do to keep calm and keep a smile on my face. #1 spins and solves the puzzle.

Commercial time again, more makeup, more reminders, more nice people telling me I can still win this, $5000 space on the wheel for round 4, it’s anybody’s game.
Back from commercial, another toss up. Buzzer in hand, the category is “Thing” letters come up - W, R, M, E, V, - my brain registers …..something? mirror - and #1 buzzes in with “rearview mirror”.
Shit! I should have buzzed in, I could have had that!

#1 starts the spinning for round 4 - category “song lyrics” - one of my best categories, I know songs. Ok - I can do this, stay calm. #1 spins and correctly gets 2 letters, I am starting to piece together the puzzle and think I have most of it. Then, the dreaded sound, time’s almost up, Pat gives the wheel a final spin, and I know I am screwed. #1 gets to pick a letter and gets 3 seconds to solve - and ….he solves it. I don’t even get a chance in round 4.

Game OVER - I win nada. Zero. Nothing. No money.

It is really hard at this point to keep smiling and pretend like I’m not super bummed and pissed and frustrated and sad. Pat comes over and says something like “It’s sad when someone as nice as Chelsea comes all the way here to play and the Wheel just doesn’t give her the chance”. He announces that I will be getting the $1,000 consolation prize, which is nice - at least it is something (but the tickets to come out were almost $900, not to mention hotel, food, etc.). I have to go back up to the contestant section of the audience to watch guy #1 (the big winner of my game with over 16,000 - girl #2 got over 10,000) play the bonus round. I won’t spoil it for those of you who might watch the show, plus it’s not my story to tell. Both people I played with were super nice, and I am truly happy that they won and had a great experience, I just wish I could have joined them in the winning.

It was not the WORST possible outcome. The thing I was worried about mostly was making a really stupid mistake, like having $50,000 at stake and having only 1 or 2 obvious letters left and having a brain freeze and guessing a totally wrong letter, or adding an “s” or extra sound when solving a puzzle. (Watch the shows airing Monday March 23rd and Wednesday March 25th for some good examples of this). So, at least I didn’t look stupid.

I did have a lot of fun, and I know it is an experience that very few people ever get a chance to have. I was having a good hair day and the make-up girls made me look awesome! I got to mention my grandma, and how she won Queen for a Day - which I know will just make her the happiest she has been in a LONG time. I got an excuse to take a short vacation with my family, to eat some good food, spend some quality time with my husband and kids, go to Santa Monica pier and dip our toes in the (cold) ocean and ride the carousel. I know I live an incredibly blessed life, so it is hard to feel too sorry for myself.

But, dang it would have been nice to have all my debt and bills paid off. And to have the kids’ college funds taken care of. Oh well, I guess the universe has other plans for me.

The show airs Thursday, March 26.

** Just a disclaimer, I obviously didn’t memorize the exact details of the game, as far as the letters in the toss up puzzles, and the other contestants and what they spun and letters called and etc. I think I am pretty accurate with my recollection, but the actual details may vary some.

***Oh, and in case you are wondering - there is no binding contract preventing the contestants from disclosing the results of the game beforehand. I think it is personal preference, most people (winners) want it to be a surprise. I think it might be different for the million dollar winners, but they know they can’t really keep people from telling families and friends and etc.

Today is national Blog for Choice day, and I am still in the midst of unpacking and really finishing moving into a new house - so I don’t really have a lot of time to think and coherently blog my thoughts on the pro-choice movement and the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The question/topic this year is: What is your top pro-choice hope for President Obama and/or the new Congress ? My short answer is - more sex education and continuing to keep abortions safe and legal, while stressing that they are to only be considered as the last option, and ensuring we keep Justices on the Supreme court who support the Roe v. Wade decision and the right of all women to have access to abortions.
Here is my post from last year’s Blog for Choice day, and you can go the link above or to NARAL to read some more eloquent thoughts on the subject.

…..FORTUNE!!!!

I am so excited! I am going to be a contestant on WHEEL OF FORTUNE!

For those that know me, I have said for a long time that I needed to go on WOF because I knew I would be so good and I would win lots of money. Though I was kind of half-joking when I talked about it in the past, my wonderful husband cut out a notice in the local paper when the “Wheelmobile” was coming to town around Mother’s Day this year. I knew I HAD to show up to at least see about becoming a contestant. It was a wet and rainy day, and I stood in line outside (with Sammy in a sling) for 3 hours while Joe and Rosie waited in the car and ran errands.

There were about 200 people in the auditorium once I finally got inside for the auditions (and this was the third round that day), and they were randomly drawing names out of a barrel to see who would make it up on stage to play a practice game. After about an hour, my name was drawn and Sammy and I went up on stage to play. We got our picture taken, and did a short interview with the fake Pat Sajak before taking turns calling letters and trying to solve a puzzle. I didn’t solve a puzzle, but I think I made a good impression. I was enthusiastic and loud when calling letters (as they instructed) and after my turn ended and I collected my swag (WOF fanny pack, duffel bag, t-shirt, baseball hat, and a talking Vanna keychain) I went home to wait and see if I would be invited to a final round of auditions to be held in Detroit in the near future.

After returning home from our France vacation, I was excited to check my email and see that I was indeed invited to the final round of auditions - 2 days after we got home (thank god our trip wasn’t longer). This time I went solo - and there was only about 60-70 people in the room. One at a time, we were randomly called and had a chance to call a letter to try to solve a puzzle. The first time, I called a letter that was the first one revealed in the puzzle, but then my second letter was not there so I lost my turn. The second time I was called, I solved the puzzle - a “same name” puzzle that was “Mickey and wireless mouse” - I won another WOF t-shirt. After everyone had been called at least once - we took a written “test”. We had 5 minutes to solve as many puzzles as we could - each puzzle had only a couple letters filled in. I think I got about 60% filled in and I was a little disappointed in myself, until I saw the guy next to me had not completed a single one.

We then waited for our “tests” to be scored, and then they made a final cut, and about 25 of us were kept for a final practice round. Yes, I made the cut. We were called up to the front of the room in groups of 5 - we had to introduce ourselves (like we would on the show) and we had to pretend to spin the wheel before calling out letters this time. We were told the wheel is really heavy, like 1000 lbs, and were instructed to lean over and really give it a good pull. Since there was no real wheel there, one of the audition coordinators was spinning a small fake wheel on our behalf, and she would purposely make it land on “bankrupt” or “lose a turn” occasionally to keep the game moving and give everyone a chance to play. On my turns, I called great letters, bought a few vowels, and then my spin would land on “lose a turn” before I could solve the puzzle - I think they knew I was pretty good. After we were all on stage at least once, the day was over and we were told that within 2-3 weeks we would receive a letter in the mail if we were chosen to be a contestant. The whole day lasted about 3 hours, and my hands were so sore from clapping basically the entire time.

I got my letter a couple weeks ago! I don’t know what day I will be on the show yet, as they said it could be anytime in the next 18 months. But I am definitely going to be on the show - I am so excited! They have a $1,000,000 prize on the wheel this year, and I am planning on winning it!

I have nightmares about ending up like one of these poor people though…

check out Pat’s face, he can’t believe it - “Seriously? You couldn’t get that, you idiot?”

I have to remember to take my time and speak slowly and carefully and not add in any extra letters and make sure I know the answer before I solve….

Wish me luck!!!!

We got back last week from an 11 day - 2 wedding - 2 continent trip, and we are all still recovering from the fun, stress and jetlag.

First was NYC and cousin Jeffrey’s wedding.

NY was HOT - we didn’t do much sightseeing there as stepping outside the hotel resulted in us all being drenched with sweat. We did walk all the way to Central Park on the first day and had fun playing in the water sprinkler playscape.

Rosie was fighting some sort of bug and was running a bit of a fever on Saturday and Sunday. So we spent a lot of time just hanging out in the hotel room with GiGi (my mom - who came to town especially to hang out with the kids while we went to the adults-only wedding) and playing with GiGi and ordering room service was just as fun (probably moreso) for the kids anyway.

Then, off to France with Bubby (Joe’s mom) for cousin Neil’s wedding in the Loire valley - and sightseeing in Paris on the way there. That leg of the trip started off on a sour note when we got to the airport (at 7pm) and found out that our 10pm flight was delayed until 11:30pm - ugh! We were not happy about it - but resigned to the fact and settled down for a long wait. The wait became a lot longer as the flight continually got delayed later and later, and we ended up not leaving JFK until 3 in the morning. With 2 EXTREMELY tired and cranky and screaming and crying children and having waited at the airport for 8 hours - it was not a fun way to start the trip. We arrived in Amsterdam tired and hungry and of course missed our connecting flight - but hopped on the next flight out to Paris - and got a second wind and renewed energy once we finally arrived.

We spent 3 days exploring Paris - the parks and playgrounds mostly - though we did do some typical touristy stuff like take a trip down the Seine River and we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (only to the 2nd level - the 3rd was closed for some reason when we were there).

Joe and I went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe during naptime one day, saw great views of the city, the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysses.


Joe and his mom also got to go to the Musee d’Orsay on the first morning there - while I met up with a mommy friend that I met via the internet for a park playdate with her 2 adorable kids.


Our last night in Paris, we walked down and had a picnic along the Seine as the sun set, and it was so relaxing and unbelievable, like something out of a movie, with a group of guys playing guitar to add more ambiance to the scene.

After Paris, we took the TGV (high speed train) to Vendome in the Loire Valley for cousin Neil’s wedding.

We rented a car and drove with Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy to the small town of Troo (known for its caves and troglodyte dwellings).

We explored around the Loire Valley for a couple days, went to Vendome - which was one of the larger towns in the area - and saw a really beautiful church and went to a couple restaurants there.

We went to the small town of Montoire for a couple meals and grocery shopping - and we drove to Amboise and saw the royal castle where Leonardo da Vinci is buried -

and Rosie got a princess crown

Neil and Annabelle’s wedding was beautiful and fun. The ceremony was in a field of wildflowers outside Annabelle’s family home, and the reception was in a castle (moat and all).

There were a lot of other kids at the wedding, so Rosie and Sammy had lots of playmates, and everyone and everything was so well thought out and accommodating and family oriented. It was great, there was so much love evident everywhere!

It was a lot of work with the kids, and I joked to Joe (more than once) that it wasn’t fair that he actually got a vacation from his job, but I had to work overtime on my job for the length of the trip. Aside from a few episodes of extreme tiredness and crankiness resulting in both kids screaming at once, I think both Rosie and Sammy did really well, considering all the traveling and moving around and changes to the schedule they had to endure. We tried to make time each day to cater to the kids and find a park or someplace fun for them to play and run around and just relax and be kids (thus most of the photos of the trip are of playgrounds).

We are blessed and lucky to have been able to have that experience and share it with our kids. There were probably a lot more practical ways we could have spent our tax return this year, but how often do you get a chance to go to a wedding in the countryside in France? The photos and memories are priceless, and I hope that these early trips will foster a love of travel and adventure in both Rosie and Sammy. Even if the best part about traveling sometimes is coming home and sleeping in your own bed.

For most of my teenage years, the weekends and after school hours from April to October were spent at the lake or in someone’s backyard - trying to achieve a perfect tan. This was a serious task. One could not make alternate plans during the hours of 10 and 2 (prime tanning hours) and there was a specific method of rotation to ensure even sides. My entire plans for a weekend could be nothing but “laying out”. My friend Holly (hey Sis H!) and I would actually climb up to her black shingled rooftop and bake our bodies with baby oil. The thinking was, that we would get tan faster if we could be even closer to the sun. My peachy complexion would always, always turn pink and burn before I could achieve a golden glow. I remember comparing my shade of “tan” to that of a fire-engine or lobster on more than one occasion. Luckily, I was also blessed (?) with oily skin, so the sun damage and sunburns usually would heal up pretty quickly with the extra oil and moisture my skin would produce.

Even today, I have very sensitive skin, even moreso than my kids. We can all be at a playdate at a park for a couple hours, sans sunscreen, and I am the only one who goes home with red shoulders and pink cheeks. Needless to say, my days of just lying in the sun for hours is over. So are my days of comparing tan lines with my girlfriends. That is, unless you count my feet.

In my new mommy life, I now have a sweet farmer tan. Or to be more precise, a mommy-playgroup tan. My face, shoulders, and arms are nice and brown, as are my feet - except for the lovely flip flop tan lines. My legs and mid-section are lily-white. If you looked at me naked in the dark and squinted - I am sure it would look like I was wearing a white tank top jumpsuit - capri length. Am I hot or what?
Hmm - maybe I need to branch out and wear something other than flip-flops on my feet one of these days…

Oh, and Happy Fourth of July y’all!