Even in bad weather, you can have cute shoes

If you are paying attention to the news, you might have heard that we are having some “weather issues” here in Southern California. You may be in your own house, because you are snowed in, or the roads are closed. But here, we have some rain.  It’s like a National Crisis here in Orange County.  We are on “storm watch”.  It’s pretty funny, because I have friends who laugh at me when I tell them about this.

But really, we aren’t prepared for this much water. I keep seeing flash floods, mini tornadoes, property damage, and messes all over the news.  We’ve been pretty lucky though.  Our house sits up pretty high, our driveway is properly sloped, and our backyard is draining. Angry Kid loves it.  He likes splashing around in the puddles and running around in the rain.  He actually took my umbrella away from me the other night. Not nice, but pretty funny.  He’s excited to wear his Batman rain boots every day. Seeing Angry Kid in his rain boots had me thinking. How come I don’t have rain boots? Why not? I need them, right? I mean, I usually wear my Converse, and they are getting soaked.

So in typical “Julie-Style”, I ordered some rain boots.  Now, if you know me, I get a little creative with my wardrobe.  I have often been told, “only YOU could get away with something like that.” Yea, well…someone’s gotta do it, right?

So I ordered these on Tuesday night, and got them early Wednesday morning.  I’m a total impulse buyer and I love that Endless does overnight shipping. I can only imagine how many people were at the mall this week looking for rain gear. While, I sat on my butt, and clicked “order”.

Hello Kitty Rain Boots "Adult Size"

You are jealous, aren’t you? Everyone loves Hello Kitty. I think they are quite fabulous.  I may have even wore them to work last night. I took a picture of my foot yesterday while wearing my new awesome boots and my work pants.  I sent the picture via text to a few friends.  I got back some funny comments, but mostly, “love the boots”.

I may not always go with wardrobe choices that are very trendy, but for some reason, they work for me.  I’m going to Blissdom at the beginning of February. I’m pretty excited for this conference.  I will get to meet tons of my bloggy friends.  I am already thinking about what wardrobe items, I will be bring with me.  I will have to do a post about “my clothing” styles and choices.  I’m pretty random.What works for me, might not always work for everyone else. I don’t do it on purpose. It’s just my style.

BlogHer 09 Mama Pop

Oh yea, this is a photo from BlogHer 09′.  YES, it was for a theme party. But you can understand “Julie Style” by this picture.  I had to represent the “Angry Julie” with the shirt. This is not typical “conference wear.”

Wordless Wednesday: Future Photographer

Future Photographer

Welcome to  “Angry Julie Monday’s Wordless Wednesday MckLinky”! If this your first time here, HELLO! I’m am doing a link-up every Wednesday! Post a picture that you took in the past week and link back to it here.

Yes, I went to Monster Trucks and I liked it

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When I was pregnant, Angry Husband and I talked about the sex of our child. We both actually wanted a girl. Well, we were blessed with a boy. And believe me, this kid is ALL BOY! It is probably good that, we had a boy.  Because, Angry Husband has someone to drag along with him on his adventures.

Ever year around this time MonsterJam, or what I would like to call “the huge Monster Truck show that sells out really really fast” comes into town.  Angry Husband will usually hear a commercial on the radio, and text me with a “Monster Truck tickets are on sale, check prices asap”.  I then head over to the computer, input the information, and text back with a “umm dude, too late, they are already sold out.” I think Angry Husband was in shock, when I told him in December that not only were they having THREE MonsterJam shows this year, but I had already acquired tickets.  I should win “Wife of the Year” or something like this, right?

We had not told Angry Kid about going to see MonsterJam.  We have somewhat of a new rule ,that we do not tell Angry Kid, that we are going to a particular place until we are on our way.  It saves us from meltdowns and temper tantrums. We can only handle so many of those.  We refer to it as, “Hey, we are going to a special place tonight, so you better behave our else…”

You can imagine Angry Kid’s excitement when we approached Angel’s Stadium and told him that we were going to see Monster Trucks. Because he thinks Monster Trucks are like the coolest thing ever. Angry Husband brought along a friend too, who is brand new to California and had never been to Angel Stadium. So we made our way into the Stadium and found our seats. We were on the 400-level settled right above home plate.  Normally, I would try and get the lowest seats possible. But for an event like this, we were at the perfect viewing advantage.  I think if we were any lower, we would had an almost obstructed view.

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The night start off with a bang, as in Fireworks.  You’ve got to love Angel’s Stadium.  They have pretty awesome fireworks.  And then, the races were on.  They paired up a set of Monster Trucks and had them race against each other.  They each had a path and we basically going for the best time.  We watched the trucks go round’ and round’ with some near misses and even some flip overs. That’s the best part of Monster Trucks, waiting to see if they flip or break down.  When you make the turns that these trucks do,  and with that amount of weight, you are going to have some things break. Of course, it had to be the truck with the “police theme”!

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In between the races, we were treated with some quad racers speeding around the track. From our vantage point, this quads looked so tiny, and really, looking at my pictures, the Monster Trucks looked like toys.  I should have known better, right? Well of course, Angry Kid screamed out, “Daddy, I want one of those, I want to ride those, I want one now!” I knew this was coming. This was Angry Kid’s destiny. You cannot prevent something like this. It’s genetic.  You see Angry Husband grew up in Reno, NV in a rural area.  He was practically born riding a quad.  I’ve heard all the stories, and I’ve seen the scars. Yea that’s right…knee surgery, broken arms, you name it.  I am still trying to figure out how the Marines let Angry Husband in. Well, Angry Husband has been talking about getting a quad for years. I’ve always had the excuse, we have no where to park them, etc… Maybe I can get the grandparents involved in this? Grandparents, do you see this.  The kid needs a QUAD, asap! Because, Angry Husband does not like to do things cheap, and this is an expensive sport.

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After the races were complete, we were treated to the “Freestyle” competition. Really, this is what we were here for. I mean it’s Monster Trucks! We want to see the stunts. We want to see the jumps. We want to see the crashes.

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But now, you are thinking? What did Julie get out of this? This looks all boy to me?  Why did Angry Julie go to Monster Jam? Well I got to take some awesome photos. (Nikon D60 with Nikon 55-200 lens if you really want to know). And plus I fell in love with this cute Monster Truck. Who couldn’t love a truck named “Monster Mutt”. A twelve foot tall truck with floppy ears, a tongue, and even a tail.  It was so great to see the ears and tail blowing in the wind as it raced around the track. Angry Husband hates it when I call things “cute”. He says Monster Trucks are not cute. Admit it, Monster Mutt is crazy cute, right?

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So yes, I had a good time. We stayed for the entire event. All three and a half hours of pure entertainment.  It only cost us $12 for parking, $40 in food (pretzels, slushie, licorice, etc), and $10 for a Grave Digger toy. I got off cheap with the souvenirs. But really, it was priceless. And Angry Kid paying attention for that long, WAS HUGE! He even joined in on the photography, and took some videos with Angry Husband’s iPhone.

WARNING: Video is LOUD, Angry Kid was going crazy, so I had to tape it, right? Now you know why he’s such a spaz! Monster Trucks are in first video.


My tips for you: Eat before going, buy ear plugs (we bought the wax ones and orange foam ones at CVS), remember where you park, if you are going to buy merchandise (get it early), and have fun!

BusyDad also went to the same MonsterJam show. He made it a Boyz Night Out with his son, and some friends.

I have more pictures on my Flickr account of this event. Check there. I’m editing and may add more when I get some time.

Disclosure: I was given complimentary tickets to this event.  We had a great time. We would have gone anyway, so this didn’t influence my post at all. The End!

My Seven Things

I was tagged by Theta Mom and My Favorite Everything for this.  Ack, you both got me in a period of two days. How naughty of you. I’ve been tagged a lot lately, which is soo much fun, but sometimes it takes time to be a little creative.

I’ve been blogging for quite awhile now. So I have to actually search my blog to see what I have not reveled about myself. How silly is that.  I’m pretty much an open book in person, but I don’t like to tell everything on my blog, or do I?

So here’s the gist of it.  I write out SEVEN things that you do not know about me. Then, I tag SEVEN other people to write SEVEN unknown things that people don’t know about them.

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1. I have two hemangioma’s on my left arm.  I’ve had them since I was a few weeks ago.  They were bright red throughout childhood.  Now, they are more of a flesh tone color. I never got them removed because I’m left handed, and everyone was afraid of potential nerve damaged to my arm.  I didn’t wear tank tops out in public until I was in college. Every time I do wear a tank top or a shirt that shows them, I get a million questions.

Jake & Harley

2.  I have/had two cats. Angry Husband and I got two cats early in 1998 when we first got married.  We left them at my parent’s house in 2001 when we moved to an apartment complex where they did not allow cats.  I’m an very allergic to them now.  I have a sneeze fest every time I’m over at my parent’s house.

Long Hair Angry Julie

3.  I’ve had long hair. I promise.  I have no patience with my hair though. Really, it drives me crazy.  It turns into a mop when it gets long. I pretty much wear it in a ponytail.  This is why my hair is so short now, I’m quite lazy, but want somewhat of a style.

ring4. My engagement ring was lost in 2005. I wear a fake one now. We had our house for sale during the summer of 2005.  It was quite a hectic time.  Angry Kid was a newborn, I was commuting, I was working nights, and the house was for sale.  I took my wedding set with me every day to work.  I do not wear my rings at work.  I stuck my rings into the coin part of my wallet.  Late one night, I went to get change for a stamp at the Post Office.  I noticed that my wedding ring was in the wallet, but not my engagement ring. I had NEVER gotten the ring appraised or insured.  I’ve found out now that I could have made a small claim for it on my Homeowner’s Insurance even though it wasn’t appraised.  It was my 5 year Anniversary trade-up ring.  It had a high dollar value.  I can’t/won’t even think of spending that much money on a ring anytime in the near future. So I wear a fake set now.  It’s almost exactly the same as the one that was lost. Notice that I’m clutching a bottle of alcohol.  This is the only picture I could find.

Ironing Board

5. I do not know how to iron. Seriously, one of those skills that your mom is supposed to teach you. Yea, not me. I’m the “Queen of the Dry Cleaners”.  Every time I go there, they greet me with “Hello Ms. Julie!” Luckily, they are cheap.  I try to not buy things that need to be ironed or dry cleaned. Yes, we have an iron board and iron. They are hidden deep within the garage.

Edward Norton-Men's Fitness

6. I have a slight obsession with Edward Norton. I fell in love with him in American History X and Fight Club. Yum! I admit it, I have a thing for Angry White Men. I even watched Hulk just so I could see him on the big screen.

passport

7. I’ve never really traveled out of the county. Ok, so I did go to Tijuana, Mexico once with a bunch of fraternity guys and sorority sisters. But I don’t think ingesting tequila poppers really counts, does it? I feel like such a loser because we never go anywhere.  Husband and I both have jobs with opposite schedules, vacations, etc. Plus our one plane trip with Angry Kid was a complete nightmare.

and I’m tagging the following people:

The BlahBlahBlahger-yes, JJ tag you’re it!

The Macchio Family-A newbie to me!

In The Trenches of Mommyhood-I’ve been following her for awhile now.  We finally get to meet next month.

Newlyweds Next Door-She’s local and yet, we haven’t met! Spring 2010 goal!

One Fabulous Mom-Well, cause’s she’s fabulous! Another local, LA, woman that I need to get together with!

Caffeine Court-Cause she’s got “Caffeine” in her blog title. How awesome is that!

Nap Warden-She’s hilarious. We can go for quite awhile without chatting and boom, we catch up quick!

Getting My Fit On

I kicked butt in 2008 and early 2009. And then I hit the wall.  Seriously, life can get quite hectic, and you start forgetting what is important.  I get so caught up in family life, working, and hobbies (cough, cough, cough…blog) that sometimes, I forget about me.  I need to remember that my health, and really mental sanity is more important than all of this. Because if momma’s not happy, no one is going to be happy.

“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.”
~ Carol Welch

I recently switched to a different work schedule that has me completely out of whack.  I went from working normal hours i.e. daytime of 6am-4:30pm to night owl hours of 4pm-2:30am.  I have been dragging myself home at night, and depositing myself into Angry Kid’s bedroom. It’s easier this way, because no one will wake me up in the morning.

Before switching my work schedule, I attended a fitness class at 24Hour Fitness every Thursday.  I slacked a little during the Holidays, but most of the past year, I attended.  I was all set to attend it yesterday, when my down comforter called my name.  Slacker!

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For my 2010 Goals, I list ten races in 2010 as my #2 goal. Well, I can’t really run all those races if I’m not running, right? So yes, I need to run more. Honestly, running is quite boring.  I can only listen to my music for so long. I’m a chatty-type and it kinda looks weird if I’m talking to myself.  I have totally flaked on my running partner, Pesha.  We used to do runs like at least once a week. Do you see this Pesha, call me!!! I also need to dust off that treadmill in my garage. Angry Husband re-arranged the garage last week, and now it’s not covered with tools. My race partner, Monique, sent me an e-mail that she signed up for a race training/prep class, so jealous and I wish I had the time.

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred

I also have Jillian Michaels “30-Day Shred” DVD. Have you heard of that? Awesome workout that you can do at home, in front of your TV. This is especially nice if you have small kiddos and have to deal with nap times, etc. All you need is some tennis shoes and some light hand weights.  Seriously, this workout kicks my butt!

Do you have a gym membership that you barely use? Does it have childcare? I started taking Angry Kid to the gym with me last year. I personally waited until he was completely potty-trained.  He loves that place. I kid you not, he asks to go to 24Hour Fitness every time we drive by.  I can work out for an hour while I’m there and take 30 minutes to take a shower, etc.  Then I don’t have to worry about what trouble he’s getting into while I’m showering at home.

I really increased the use of my gym membership last year by diving into their group fitness classes.  I’m always been timid about jumping into things.  I tend to feel a little lost, and get that feeling “that everyone knows each other, and what happens in the class.” Well a good time to start is in January. There are a lot of other new people, looking to try something new. Most gyms (especially national ones) have their class schedules online.

Doris Dodge-Thews

My friend, Doris, is teaching what she calls “Triple Threat Thursday”. She starts at 8am with TKB (Turbo Kick Box), 9am is 24Lift, and 10am is PIYO (Mat pilates and yoga mix).  I’m not saying that I’m going to attempt all 3 of these classes. I’m not that nuts. But I may try and do that TKB and 24Lift, that is, if I can get up in time.  Doris is really inspiring too. She’s been teaching fitness classes for years…and she’s a personal trainer too. And on top of all that, she’s training for her second Boston Marathon and she’s an ambassador for lululemon. She also has a nickname for me, umm “cupcake”.

So with all these things? I should be fit, right?

I start my day off pretty good. I usually have either a protein drink, oatmeal, or some kind of yogurt.  I really need some kind of protein early in the day, because I tend to get fatigued easy if I don’t.  I try and have either a salad, some kind of soup, or something chicken-oriented for lunch. And well, dinner, four days of the week, I will be at work. This is always a challenge.  I also need to focus on drinking more water. I’ve actually done pretty good with my caffeine lately, but my water consumption needs to increase.

Wish me luck!

For more weight loss tips and fitness posts, be sure to check out Kelly’s Korner. She’s hosting a carnival today to inspire others and to share your knowledge.

Official Delurker Day 2010

I see all the people coming to my blog every day via ip addresses and Internet Providers.  I think, hmmm, I wonder who that it is? Are they commenting? Do I know who you are? Why do you come back? Does the chaos of my life entertain you? Do you make a point to read my blog when you have time. Have you never commented on my blog, or other blogs? Well today is the day!!!

lurkI also read blogs. Some of these bloggers intimidate me.  I think gosh, I just have this little ole’ blog where I talk about my family and random stuff. I see all these men and women pour their hearts out with wonderful stories, questions, angst? What do I have to offer them? Well a comment, a “me too, I agree”.  People love that they have readers on their blogs.  Believe me, bloggers love comments.  It justifies what they are writing. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be public. I’ve been very brave lately, and left tons of comments. Believe me, this is something I used to never do. Even Angry Husband has said, “stop lurking, leave a comment…” He knows me too well.

So feel free to comment today! If you have a question for me, let me know. If there’s something you want to say, do it! Also, if you want to e-mail me, you can always do that.  My e-mail address is angryjuliemonday@gmail.com.  I might not get to you right away, but I will as soon as I can.

Bliss Clothing Co. and a Giveaway

I have this friend, Tamara. I met her on a parenting forums years ago….Angry Kid was only one then.  She’s a pretty awesome photographer. So I drove all the way to her house, with Stacey.  It was quite an adventure which also included a puking kid, not mine this time! She took some pretty spectacular photos of Angry Kid that day.  You gotta admit, this photograph is pretty awesome, right?

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But then, Tamara, used her talent even more and started making custom children’s clothing.  She started selling her clothing on etsy and became a huge success. I can barely ride a bike and chew gum. Tamara, well she’s a photographer, and then decides she wants to start sewing? Plus, she has three kids.  She’s a crazy woman.  In between all of this, she bakes too.  She’s made some beautiful cakes and cookies along the way.

Well she has added a new addition to her Bliss Clothing Co. on etsy. She is now selling, Flower Hair Clips and Headbands in her etsy store.  They are quite beautiful. BUT, since Tamara is such an awesome friend, she wants to do a giveaway on my blog. How cool is that? Check out her new petal collection! Isn’t it beautiful?

Petal Collection by Bliss Clothing Co.

Here are the rules:

I am giving away a certificate to Bliss Clothing Co. valid for ONE Flower Clip or Headband of your choice with free shipping.  She said that new gets new flowers in different styles often, so you don’t have to use your certificate/credit right away. You can hold off until you find the perfect one.

1. I will start this giveaway, tonight (01.13.10) at 11pm PST…or a few minutes after that.

2. I will end this giveaway, next Wednesday (01.20.10) at 11:59 PST.

3. You may only enter once by commenting on my blog.  Please go and check out Tamara’s etsy site and tell me what you like in there. It may be these fabulous flowers, or even some of her adorable clothing.

4.  You MUST live within the United States or Canada.

*I can’t wait to give this certificate away.  I may have to get one of these hair clippies for myself.  Adults can wear them too!

You can also find Tamara at these other sites too:

Tamara also has a Facebook Fan Page for Bliss Clothing Co. Go and check it out!

Tamara’s also started a new blog, it’s an awesome how-to blog including photography, sewing, and cooking!  Check out i don’t eat peas, her blog.

She also has a Facebook page for i.dont.eat.peas

***UPDATE***

Congrats to commentor #12 Janelle Severson! She is the winner of the Bliss Clothing Co. Giveaway!!! Janelle, I will be contacting you via e-mail! Thanks to everyone for entering! Janelle was picked via random.org.

My Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies

 Close-Up of Peanut Butter Cookies 

This recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies was found in a cookbook that my Aunt made for the family.  Each family member contributed their own favorite recipes.  Ironically, this was my dad’s contribution.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Margarine (softened to room temp.)
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 and 1/4 Cups of Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions:

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Cream together: 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 brown sugar, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Sift together: 1 and 1/4 cups of flour, 3/4 teaspoon  baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Slowly add flour mix to butter mix. Form dough into 1 inch balls, place on cookie sheet and make a criss cross pattern with fork dipped into some extra sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.  Cool on cooling rack. Serve with milk, of course!

Check out my Whrrl story for step-by-step pictures of the entire process.

 *All of the sugar used in this recipe was from C&H Sugar. Please check out the gift guide on C&H’s site.  Many of the ideas are holiday-theme-y but you can adapt them for any occassion.

Disclosure: I received a gift card from C&H Sugar to pay for the ingredients used to make these cookies.

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