Ninja Mommy Hacks: Life with 2 Minions and lots of wine!

Again, I am a complete copy-cat.. got the idea off Facebook!     We will eventually take out the pool and fill the entire bottom with sand.   It will not fly away, it will keep cats out, it shades kids in the heat, it has vents..  seriously-  this cannot get any better. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/233694668146149964/ As always I explain our my family spends 25K a year on vacations while still have a $630 a month daycare bill.  1) Working REWARDS!       a) Disney Chase Credit card.  2% back.  Use if for EVERYTHING except 3 things.  We have one of us cruise for free on Disney every other year.   AND Disney Vacations are 6 months 0 % interest.          b) Costco Citi card!  We make over $1500 a year back from 2 cards and the Executive Membership.   That cash (sent as checks you cash at Costco registers) is used to pay for our entire Carnival Cruise this spring bre...

My family goes to Monterey 3-4 times a year.   My husband and I were married there and since we are military we get to stay on-base at the Old Del Monte Hotel (where we said "I do"). Here are my tidbits: 1) Dennis the Menace Park-  seriously the BEST park you will EVER see.   Be careful because this kid Nirvana is huge and you can't just sit with coffee and watch the littles.  Prepare to run and break a sweat.   My 6 year old is fine... let the older ones run amuck.       Link to the park are below. 2) Beach      -bring sand toys, a blanket, a sunshade & beer!    Best beach is Carmel State beach.   Parking is a bitch, so get there early.    The sand is perfect,  no rocks... surf is low.      My husband drops me off at he Coach outlet at the top of the hill, I shop and get lunch for all (Little Napoli), then I walk down to meet them on the sand.   We drink beer and have lu...

Do you like standing in long lines? Do you like warm/hot stuffy shops filled with people?  Do you like IPA's? Do you like fruity beer?   If you answered YES to any of those- this event in Old Town Clovis is for you!    The annual Craft Beer Crawl in downtown Clovis in March... and sadly, I will never go back. My husband and I love red ales-- we did not find one! Now, we did enjoy looking at the shops items for sale-  it was neat to incorporate the small town shops within the beer crawl- the issue.... you cannot leave with your BEER!  So everyone is standing inside, making it stuffy-- hot... and miserable. Clovis PD needs to learn to look the other way on this 1 day of the year....  this way people can enjoy the outdoors with their beer. Tioga Sequoia was our favorite-  and that is only 10 minutes up the road...  I would rather sit there with beers for the $75 we paid Old Town Clovis + the babysitter we paid to take care ...

Ok, so in July my 2 year old got Hand,Foot, Mouth-- for what felt like the 10th time this year.  As I was Pinterest'ing "make it stop"-  Young Living Thieves oil kept popping up.    I did some more research and knew I would be "all in" for essential oils. Oils get into your body thru the skin or inhaling (diffusing).   You can either roll them on with a carrier oil (Coconut Oil) or diffuse them in a diffuser (one comes in the kit with YL).   Once the oils are in your body- they go to work to support and "fix" issues. In my household we are looking for support with: ADHD, anxiety, good sleep, high blood pressure, stress, foot pain, and overall health. I decided on Young Living and bought the starter kit...  Here are my "miracle" oils and why... 1) Vetiver:   this very thick, smokey, earthy, took me a while to get used to it, GEM....it's a miracle worker.  It suppresses the Central Nervous System and puts anyone to sleep in minute...

Calera Winery in Hollister (yes seriously, Hollister, CA) makes a DAMN amazing Pinot Noir.    I tasted their entire flight and was impressed with ALL of the wine... this is rare for me.    I can be a picky "wine"y  B**___ sometimes. Calera is beautiful and worth the drive to tour the cave & hillside.   The winemaker uses gravity (instead of pumps) within the process.   The wine takes a 7 story/level drop (gravity) to complete (rather than pump in and out of containers).     You are able to reserve a tour to walk up all the 7 levels.. which is a must.  The view is incredible! My other favorite is Bread & Butter...  I had it at a tapas place in Livermore, Ca. Both Pinot's left a silky buttery after taste.   Smooth & creamy...   dreamy.... Links here:  Calera, Hollister, CA:     http://www.calerawine.com/ Bread & Butter:  http://breadandbutterwines.com/ Wine On, Auggie

We visited Calera, DeRose, & Leal in Hollister, CA.  My husband is from there and his brother still resides there.    My BIL was the sober driver of all us drunk asses...  here is my review. #1) Calera... stop here.  seriously- no need to see ANY other winery in probably all of calif.   You can read my other blog about Calera & their amazing Pinot.  I loved everything from the entire flight... amazing views... we could have sat around this place all day with a bottle! #2) DeRose...  yeah... um....  kinda a shit-hole compared to Calera.    I was not impressed with anything,  oh wait-  except the bathroom.  The bathroom had 2 toilets side by side.... no wall..no partition.... like "let's hold hands a pee together" status.    So my husband and I (remember us drunk asses)... held hands... and.....  yeah. #3)  Leal-   again, not impressed with the wine.  But the grounds/facil...

Oral-B has an app-   it's a Disney timer-  each time they brush for 2 minutes they unlock a sticker.  Each sticker set comes with it's own digital book.   First is Monsters U, then Frozen is unlocked... next Star Wars. Kids LOVE it!   I leave the iPad in their restroom all week long because that's the ONLY time during the week the iPad is used.   Here is the link to the app:  https://oralb.com/en-us/product-collections/disney-magic-timer-app (I receive NOTHING for this endorsement.  I do not make any money off my blog...) -Auggie