emu: a large, flightless bird of Australia, resembling the ostrich but smaller & having a feathered head & neck & rudimentary wings OR Jen's nemesis

It feels a little strange to have been trumped by emu oil.

On Saturday I participated in the Farmer's Market in my community. So, from 10 AM until 2 PM I sat under some palm trees by the lake and didn't sell anything. OK, so I sold one 1 oz tube of hand creme for $4.

I went with the intention of selling holiday gifts. Everything was packaged and ready to go. Easy spa shopping, right?

I was sandwiched between a sage burning, cedar flute playing hippee and the emu lady. The emu lady had a huge booth with emu-related products like feathers and eggs. Across from me was the fruit and nut mountain man. My spa stuff looked pretty good . . .

At first I worried that I had made a mistake by really promoting the holiday items because it seemed like most people were really shopping for themselves. People would stop at my booth, comment on how cute the packaging looked, maybe smell a demo product, hear my schpeel about Spa Escapes, and off they went.

Not a single person who stopped at the emu lady's booth left without buying something. Some bought expensive starter kits with a bunch of products, but most got their own 1oz bottle of emu oil. Want to get rid of scars? Emu oil. Have arthritic pain? Emu oil. Sore muscles? Emu oil. Dry skin? Emu oil. Cracked heels? Emu oil. There was a woman with a sad-looking Yorkie that was recovering from a horrible flea problem, and what do you know? Emu oil will make it all better. It's great to put directly on the irritated skin, AND she can give the pup a teaspoonful with her food everyday to keep her healthy and strong.

About 30 minutes before the end of the event, two young women came up to me and were very interested in the adorable stockings I have that are filled with miniature versions of our holiday products. Everything she looked at was chocolate, gingerbread, pumpkin, or peppermint scented. After smelling everything, she asked, "Do you have anything a little more Christmas-y?" I was speechless. Um.... So I picked up a snowman mug filled with cocoa mix and peppermint body tonic and a sparkly red 'Happy Holidays' decoration. She said she'd be back. Uh huh. Michael came by soon thereafter to help me pack things up, and I told him about the girl. He looked at my display and said, "More Christmas-y? Did she want little elves passing out samples and Santa Claus ringing her up?"

The next event is December 16th. Perhaps more people will be looking for gifts at that time. On the bright side, I heard the emu lady can't make it on the 16th. Too bad.

A house of animals: or a really bad toddler version of 'A Chorus Line'

The twins have a new game, and it's hysterical. You name an animal, any animal (dog, cat, lion, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, meerkat, bird, etc.) and they act it out. This is really Kyle's game, and Dylan plays along. It is a riot to watch. For the most part, Kyle only has two (maybe three) animals. Half the animals make high-pitched noises, and the other half make deep, throaty noises. Most walk on all fours.

The other day, Kyle was being a jaguar, and Dylan didn't like it:

Dylan: I no like the jaguar Kai-Kai. No do that one.

Kyle: OK.

Dylan: Be a zebra Kai-Kai.

Kyle: OK.

Interestingly enough, Kyle's jaguar and zebra walk on all fours and make the same deep, throaty noise. Dylan wasn't scared.

Today we challenged them: Be a fish! Be a turtle! Be a snail!

Oh my goodness . . . Isn't there a scene in A Chorus Line where someone talks about having to be an ice-cream cone or something in acting class?

Paging Ms. Babcock! Ms. Babcock, are you there? Is Tyler around? . . . .

Just for funsies

An anecdotal highlight of the last few days . . .

I had a Spa ESCAPE at my house last Thursday for some ladies in my community. As we were getting settled (the guests on my couch and me on the floor in front of them), I started tooting Michael's horn. Maybe it was because someone ask where my children were--I honestly can't remember. So I'm mid-sentence when I notice that the archway between our family room and formal dining room still has blue painter's tape at the top. Lovely.

Once all my guests had left on Thursday, I called Michael to tell him to come home. Turns out the kids had lice. It still gives me shivers thinking about how disgusting that is. There was apparently an outbreak at the elementary school, and my kids got it too. I was such a bad mother. I couldn't handle it at all-like instant anxiety attack. I was wearing my spa shirt that says "Got Stress?" on the front. My mom was with me and said, "Got stress?" Not funny. Michael took care of everything.

(Blue painter's tape is still on the wall, and I don't care)

Friday night was part 1 of a 2 part workshop led by a life coach. Apparently, every successful person has a life coach, and I now see why. Prior to our session, Stacy and I met Heather at US Airways and we went to Mill for dinner (I have no idea what the name of our restaurant was . . . Everything was organic, and I had a So-Cal Chicken Salad that was SO SO good). After dinner, we decided to hop into one car, and Stacy drove us to the hotel where we were meeting. There was a non-permanent sign that said you couldn't park in the lot after 6 PM, but Heather said it was nothing, and if Heather (of all people) wasn't going to fret about it, then I wasn't going to either. 45 minutes after the originally scheduled completion time (so it's now close to 10 PM), Stacy takes us back to our cars. They aren't there. Instead, there is some kind of reception space being set up. Panic. We later discover the cars haven't been impounded. They were towed to an empty lot a few blocks away. Whew. I'm completely exhausted, still have to drive 45 minutes home to Goodyear AND need to stop at the store for dog food and more lice stuff. So, I end up in my personal hell (Walmart) at 11:00 PM because where else can I get dog food and lice shampoo for the kids at 11:00 PM? AND.... part 2 of our workshop starts at 9 AM the next day. Heather saves the day by bringing everyone breakfast from McDonalds.

Saturday (post amazing session), my parents bring us dinner and take the kids (now lice-free) home with them. Hallelujah! After some errands, we end up at our neighbor's house for a glass of wine and good conversation. I slept until 9 AM the next morning. Hooray!!! I spent the bulk of the day mastering the art of "shrink wrap."

Meanwhile, the kids are at the zoo. Apparently, they were enamored with the baby goats in the petting zoo. Rumor has it that they ran from goat to goat giving them hugs and saying, "my baby...my baby." Within 10 minutes of being home from the zoo, the kids were in the bathtub.

Is it Monday already?

I felt like Julia Child. Or, at least like Rachael Ray.

Last night I received my first unsolicited cooking-related accolade from one of my children.

First may I saw how positively wonderful it was to come home on a Monday evening, pick up the kids, meet my husband at home, have him give the kids a bath while I cooked dinner, and had us all sit down together over a weekday meal? Ahhh. It's the little things in life.

I didn't do anything fancy for dinner. We had spaghetti with meat sauce, and I put some of those really buttery crescent rolls in the oven. Kyle was more interested in his apple, but Dylan just went to town with his pasta. He tried using his fork once and then set it aside and shoveled his food in with his little fingers. I know at some point this will be rude and inappropriate at the dinner table, but it's still cute for now. Michael and I shot each other smirks because Dylan totally has a thing for Italian food (red sauces especially). About three-quarters of the way through his bowl of pasta, Dylan stopped for a moment, took a breath, turned to me and said, "It's really good!"

Gold star for Mom!