My Afflation

With the best intentions we planned to be on the road by 6am. I'm not a morning person.  And we were up late with last minute prep and of course the keys got misplaced. But the dogs got a good walk. My Zoe knew something was up and tried to make a break for it and almost made it to the car.  Damn dog is getting too smart for my own good.... You know, it takes what seems forever to get out of LA County, let alone California. After getting some required coffee we finally got on the 5. It was after rush hour, thank goodness. We had to pull over a few times. Pluto  isn't quite a car dog yet and wasn't too happy. A few potty breaks later and we were finally making good time. Pluto is a lover. There is only so much doggy love I can take, so I practically jumped at the chance to drive until my eyes fell out. Luckily, we made it to the Grand Canyon before that happened. We made it in about 4/430 (surprised me, I did the speed limit the whole way! Cruise control). That gave...

Truth be told, I have never, ever in all my life been to Knott's Berry Farm. Which is kinda crazy when you think that my favorite syrup in the world is Knott's Boysenberry syrup . I have always wanted to go -- I was raised on the Peanuts Gang, but by high school the cool place was Six Flags (and Disneyland). My daughter has been begging to go to Soak City for a few years, and I am pretty sure my son went with his dad last summer. I finally have the chance to make Knott's as much a part of my life as Disneyland. And I'll be dragging my mother with me. This February Knott’s Berry Farm will be celebrating the season of love with special events for teens and kids as well as discounted pricing when you bring a friend. New boy band  Midnight Red  will perform on Calico Square Stage 2/18. February wouldn't be complete without special  "Twogether is Better" food deals including "Double Dawg Love" at Pink’s and a chocolate dipping station in Ghos...

You know the old slogan, " Milk, it does a body good" . Now it will do our schools and kids good too. We already collect box tops, soup can labels, grocery receipts, and who knows what else to support our schools and give them the extra cash that the state of California can't seem to come up with. (Yes, I support public education and I'm appalled at how far California has fallen since I graduated from high school. Do NOT get me started on Prop 13). So in addition to reading labels for trans-fat and partially hydrogenated oils I'll be looking out for the Real California Milk seal. Even better, it's a local organization working to give back to the community. Those savvy cows, along with Scholastic, are supporting California schools by launching the Real Seal Appeal program and awarding California schools with up to $2 million in cash , books and prizes. Details From October 1, 2011-December 31, 2011 , The California Milk Advisory Board in conjun...

It's about damn time the state of California finally joined the 21st Century when it comes to paying out benefits. And if you read the whole press release , we get telephone and web access too! I can't believe I was able to do all this in Oregon years ago and now California is finally getting a clue. Starting July 8, EDD will begin distributing 10,000 cards a day to unemployment claimants, a phasing-in transition from check to card that will take a couple of months to complete. Last year at the height of the recession, EDD issued approximately 41.2 million unemployment checks, a record number. Benefits of the EDD Debit Cards include: No check cashing fees for customers without a personal bank account. Transfer options for customers who do have their own bank accounts. No fees with careful use of the card. Stability in the event of a disaster, avoiding mail disruptions that can occur with checks. So, if you are currently unemployed in CA, and haven't used ...

Culture  --  the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge,which constitute the shared bases of social action the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group: the Mayan culture  biology --  a. See also culture medium the experimental growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, in a nutrient substance (culture medium), usually under controlled conditions Earlier this week I had an opportunity to sit down with Dannon and Mia Hamm at the Treehouse Social Club in Los Angeles with a few other mom bloggers. Dannon is launching a new campaign aimed at encouraging Californians to live a more active and healthier lifestyle . Mia Hamm at the Treehouse Social Club The campaign consists of five key components: Encouraging families to take a pledge to make healthy food choices and include physical activity A partnership with socc...

Poppy time Originally uploaded by Nannerlady The poppies are blooming again all over the Antelope Valley. I found these beauties on my walk with the dogs today.

I wish I had an eidetic memory so I could properly caption the photo. In lieu of that, TAKE A LOOK AT MY WONDERFUL FAMILY ! What an amazing day! It was an incredible experience to meet everyone, most for the first time. It was good seeing Katie and Andrew again, the last time was about 12 years ago. Actually, the last time I saw a lot of my relatives (on this side of the family) was 12 years ago at Grandma Helen’s 100th birthday celebration . Bonus: it turns out that we have cousins less than an hour away down this way. The boys got some bonding time in over ice-cream churning. Now that I have had a day or so to think about it, I am already starting to forget things. Memorable moments Seeing my grandmother for the first time since I’ve moved back to CA. I didn’t realize how much I have missed her Right after the large group photo was taken Aleta said “now let’s separate by color”. I was one of the photographers and blurted out “Wha..?” and then started laughing as ...

So we made quite the trek today after Mom got off work and Josh got out of school. It would be more impressive if I had gone to Vegas and back, but I’m smart enough to know that my back wouldn’t have taken 16+ hours in the car in one day. View Larger Map – Lancaster to Santa Rosa We gassed up at Costco and grabbed some Wendy’s for dinner. Finally on the freeway about 6:30 PM. We left a few hours later than anticipated, but definitely not as late as we could have. For some reason I was feeling optimistic that we would get to the hotel around 11. Don’t ask me why, it’s a seven hour trip with no traffic … Less than an hour into the trip, Josh “assumed the position” Headphones in, chair back, happily passed out. He woke up a little later and was up till 3AM. Talk about a re-charge. And he finished his book. Next up, James A. Owens’ The Indigo King (Imaginarium Geographica Book 3), if we can find it. I had made a joke with my mom that if Josh finished his book tonight I would...

Now this is something I could get behind, and not only because it's Open Source . The only immediate drawback I see is finding quality producers. This is our children's education we are talking about. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has an ambitious plan to reduce the cost of education in California. He intends for the state to develop digital open source textbooks for high school math and science classes. The books will be available for free and will be used at public schools across the state. Schwarzenegger has tasked California Secretary of Education Glen Thomas with making sure that the new textbooks are ready for deployment in fall 2009. Thomas will be collaborating with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the president of the State Board of Education. Public education is costly in California and accounts for roughly 40 percent of the state government's annual budget. The state's current financial woes have forced Schwarzenegger to searc...