July Birchbox

 Yay. Birchbox day. So fun to come home to a fun package of goodies. Here's the rundown.

This month was a Glamour Birchbox featuring the 5 senses.

See It: Stila lip glaze. This is one of those things I love to try but would never buy.

 

Smell It: Juliette Has a Gun Vengeance Extreme perfume sample.

Hear It: Earbuds- how cute are these. They got an audible, "Yay" when I opened the box. I expect the kids will "borrow" these.

Taste It: This is the only bummer in the box. It looks really cool- mints sweetened with xylitol with ginkgo for brain power. Only drawback is they have tea in them. Fail. Who wants them?

 

 

 

 

 

Feel It: Green Tea Blotting Linens. While I won't ingest the tea in the mints, I'll happily use it on my face.  I think the masque is a bonus See It item. It's for hair. I'm excited to try.

Just quick review of some of last months products. We love the soap. Definite difference in our skin, both Rick and I noticed we weren't as dry in the hot Utah weather. We will order more of that for sure. My face felt great for a couple of days after that mask. I wouldn't buy, but would love another sample. The lip/cheek stain has worked out well as a summer cheek color, but I don't like it on my lips.

Computers are Ruining our Youth or I am Officially an Old Lady

I'm amazed at how my kids can stare at a computer ALL DAY LONG. And not just one day but every day. It drives me a little crazy. One of my favorite movie quotes is from Auntie Mame, "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death."  That explains perfectly what I think computers are doing- starving kids (adults too) of life experiences.

I don't think computers are evil and I don't mind my kids enjoying computer games. I think it is fine if they spend a couple of hours every day playing on the computer or even a whole day once in a while. I just want them to have a well balanced life. I know a lot of parents have boundaries to ensure entire summers are not sucked into cyberland. Some kids have to earn computer time with reading or other activities. Some kids get a certain screen time allotment per day or week. All great ideas. They don't work too well for me since I am not home during the day to enforce anything. The kids are good at following rules when I'm not there, if they remember. That is a really big IF.  For my sanity, I had to let go of what happens at my house when I'm not there, so specific or complex computer time rules just aren't going to happen.

Here's what we've done instead. The kids each picked some things they wanted to learn this summer. I asked them both to find something that required physical exercise. I'm proud to say they are both doing great and enjoying new hobbies. They also have chores inside and out. So we've got work and physical activity covered.

I still felt like computers had too much of a hold on our family. Anytime something wasn't scheduled, they would be on computers. There is so much out there to experience and help them become well-adjusted, balanced adults. I am afraid they are losing their ability to be entertained without a screen. So, a couple of weeks ago, we instilled our one rule from last summer. No screens after dinner on weeknights. This isn't too much of a restriction since they are at their mom's two nights a week and either have church activities or other classes every other evening. It leaves them with a few hours per week that they have to find something to do on their own.

I have loved the results. Zane loves music and instead of surfing music websites, he sits down and makes his own music at the piano or with his guitar. Isaac likes to build things and has spent time with the huge pile of legos in his room. He has also made a dent in his summer homework. The biggest thing I've noticed is that they both go to bed when they are tired without any prompting from parents. When the computers are on, they could be up all night and never realize when they are tired. We have to tell them several times to turn off the computers and go to bed. I'm guilty of this too. I get sucked into the TV. Even if there is nothing very good on, I will sit in front of the screen long past when I should be asleep.The screens are so mesmerizing that we lose our sense of self.

There is my old lady rant. Turn off your screens and get out there and feast!

Ride Report

We shaved 4 minutes off the commute time this morning. Yahoo!

Restaurant Review- Citrus Grill

Rick and I have been trying some new restaurants courtesy of Groupon. Last weekend it was Citrus Grill. We would have never known about this place without the Groupon. It's located in a little strip mall on 3300 South about 3000 East.

It's a casual atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor seating. The whole menu looked yum. They had a grilled cheese of the day. It was gorgonzola (?) and caramelized onion. We were both tempted.

Here's a link to the menu.

I settled on the Sesame Salmon and Rick got the Fish Tacos. The salmon had excellent flavor and was cooked perfectly. My only complaint was that the whole plate was covered in sauce which meant the roasted potatoes and green beans were covered in it.  The sauce was tasty, but it would have been nice to have some different flavors on the plate. Overall, I would order it again.

The server recommended the fish tacos as one of their top items. Rick said they were delicious. Our one complaint here is that they just bring you a plate of ingredients and you build it yourself. That is a pet peeve of mine. I go out to eat to have someone else prepare my food and am annoyed when I have to finish the job. Not fatal to the meal though, and we'd recommend the fish tacos based on flavor.

We shared a dessert and opted for the bread pudding. When it came we were stunned at the size; it was huge! It was also incredibly delicious. I'm not a fan of pecans, but they were big pieces so I just left them for Rick to enjoy. We took half of it home. It warmed up surprisingly well in the microwave for a treat with our movie the following night. I will crave this. Made me want to find some good bread pudding recipes to try at home.

Overall, I'd say you won't be disappointed if you give this place a try.

July 4th

 The holiday was quite an event, or better stated, a series of events, many of which were unfortunate. Every Independence Day we have a huge family reunion at my parents' house. Tuesday morning a fire started in their town. (Pretty much the whole state is burning up this summer.)  Tuesday afternoon my sister sent me a picture of the view from my parents' porch.

They were not in the evacuation zone so we sent out the word that the party was on, expecting a smokey backyard party the following day.

Wednesday the winds were still and we had a nice clear day for the annual reunion. Here's a rundown of the day via pictures

The twins at the BBQs. We had around 100 people show up this year.

Loading up the plates

Yum!

I have a star-shaped cake pan. I get to use it once a year.

Check out these cuties!

Let the water fight begin! (Sorry I didn't get pics of the volleyball game this year, but trust me, y'all looked pro out there!)

Meanwhile- the fire burned on. You could see the huge flames from my parent's backyard.

The annual slip and slide.

Just a few short runs this year before tragedy hit

Cute Christian took a flying leap onto the tarp and ripped his shin open on one of the grommets on the tarp (that's the best guess as to what happened anyway)

A trip to the ER and 88 stitches later, he's still smiling.

We are currently looking into alternate water activities for next year.

The evening ended at Thanksgiving Point to watch the fireworks. Not the most spectacular show, but fun to hang out at the park.

We hung out with Heidi's family and some of their friends. A nice close to an eventful day. 

Here's what the firefighters were doing while we were partying!  This is my sister's friend's home. Firefighters working hard to save the house.

Scary!

Amazing. Burned all around the house, but saved the home! We are so grateful for a cooler rainy day today.