Here they are

I'm still getting a lot of people confused about how they can find the videos for Shelf Reliance, so I'm posting this one here and obviously others can link to it. Otherwise you can do a search for Shelf Reliance on youtube, or they are on the product pages {hard to find because not every product has one yet} or you can go to SR's youtube page, www.youtube.com/shelfreliance.

This one is an informational video, and I'll be doing one of these for every product we have to explain more about it. I LOVE doing these because I'm getting the chance to answer all of the questions that I myself had as a customer before becoming an employee.

So here they are so there shall be no more confusion!

Thanks for all of your support with my new job and my new role. I still have so much to learn and sometimes I get frustrated that I don't have it all figured out right now. I'm mostly speaking of being more engaging on camera. At the time you film it feels like you're being a major cheese wiener. Then you watch and realize you could still need to give MORE! But I am learning so much from this job it is unreal. And I'm so grateful to be able to be making a living doing something I enjoy so much!

Home Trip

Uhm, hi, I just barely found the photos from our trip home in April / May, along with some other oldies and goodies. Here's a sampling of what happened this spring/fall?:

The kids after the forever long plane ride, driving up to Gaengy and Pop Pops {about a 3 hour long drive after 14 hours on a plane}. They wouldn't be so tuckered if they would SLEEP ON THE PLANE! This time was an improvement over last time's 45 minutes of sleep for Gabey. He upgraded to 2 out of 14 hours. Kill me now.


Incredibly fuzzy photo of basically nothing on account of the blurrieness. We met Nick and Nicole's family at Uncle John's Pizza Factory or whatever. The kids riding the rides and enjoying being with their cousins.


Some choice photos that Laine obviously took. The string of them was priceless. Who doesn't want a shot of Gram's bedroom carpet, an extreme close-up of Kristine's eyeball, Gabey running away naked, or an out of focus shot of Dad on his cell phone while folding his clothes -half the shot being taken up by a finger?


Moving on to the Disneyworld portion of our trip... Gabey and Laine rocking up to one of the parks. We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach Waterpark, and Typhoon Lagoon Waterpark. The humidity had already broken through the 4 layers of hairspray I plastered Laine's hair with. Girl likes to look good! Oh well, happens to the best of us sista.


Laine was so cute with the characters. I didn't realize what a big deal to kids of this age! At that age I was still really more into biting or otherwise destroying the toys stage, so I was really in the dark on the love affair kids have with the characters. However, early on in this trip Laine schooled me, and under her wise tutualiage I came to realize how important it is to them.


She got a card on one of the rides for participating and for the rest of the day she recanted how she was going to give it to Mickey when she saw him. She was so excited, it was really sweet. When she finally did see him she had forgotten it and was so sad! Kids sometimes pick the funniest things to place such importance, but it really is so vitally important them, and it is sad to see the disappointment!


We waited in several of the lines for a variety of different characters. I would have preferred to be riding rides, but sometimes, as mothers we learn it isn't all about us -repeat after me: this trip is about the kids, not Nat. I will wait in forever long lines to see grown-ups in hot furry fake costumes in 95 degree heat and 100% humidity and like it, LIKE IT I say!

Awe, so sweet. It was so worth it. The hours of waiting, the heat, beading up, the whining, the bunions that were formed while standing in line. Yup... seeing this picture it was ALLLLL worth it.

Gabey, aka Mother Boy, was not so into the characters. We have a few precious shots that are akin to most of the shots we have of him with Santa. Not happening. This was the nicest we have, and only cause Momma was in the middle, a proverbial barrier between him and evil Tigger.

PS that was awfully rude of Tigger to ruin the picture by doing bunny ears to me. Maybe he really is evil Tigger...

One of the many nights Dad was in meetings and Mom was left entertaining the kids. I took them down to Downtown Disney for dinner like at 8:30 on a Friday night. It was P.A.C.K.E.D. We didn't get a seat for dinner until after 10:00 at night. Crazy. We still went to the Ghiradelli Soda fountain after -Zowie, a must try. I highly recommend. Once again, if I talked dirty about food, this post would be inappropriate right about now. I'll refrain. But it was goooood.


Daddy finally joining the party. We headed out with our friends the Ogden's to the Prehistoric restaurant that had some clever, dinosaurish name. It was themed to the M.A.X and was actually quite incredible, as you can see. Gabey showing what he thought of the realistic sounds and robotics


Gabey getting impatient for food, we had waited an hour and a half for the table

The kid is too cute and silly, it is always impossible to just pick one shot of him

Better view of the restaurant, and since there are so few shots of Dad with us, here's a double take on this one too

The kids taking what just may be their last chance for a ride on dogs made of legos

Ben parked the car and took with him the hotel key. It was late and there was not a moment to spare in getting the kids to bed, so it was time to skin the rabbit so jammie time could happen asap once Ben returned with the key. What are naked kids to do but run up and down the halls of the hotel?

late.est

Just arrived fresh off the airplane. A massively huge thanks to Ben for not only making it through the week without me, but having things so well put together that I honestly had to wonder what they keep me hanging around for!

Seriously Forks, the place was immaculate -it could have passed a white glove test, and besides Gabey being sick and losing his voice and now sounding like Donald Duck, the kids were no worse for the wear. A huge relief since this whole working thing is new and unexplored territory for us.

If you don't read my HOTGP blog then you are unawares that I was home last week on business, filming again for Shelf Reliance in the Test Kitchen. It was a hecka long {and at the same time short} week. My Mom flew out to be with me which was so great -I can't wait to make it big or start a business and HIRE her! She was such a worker and also a huge source of strength to me whilst I was so far away from my little family! Here she is filling in for one of the camera men who had to take 5.



The shoot went really well and I can't wait to get the latest installment of videos up since they are sure to be much better than the previous ones where I had no clue what I was doing!

It was also great to get together with friends, I swear in this tiny short trip I saw more people than I usually see over 3 weeks of being home. Still, there were many of you that I missed and I really want to make it happen next time! It was really fun to have Chris, Ben's Mom, and my SIL Caysie and nieces Rylee and Avery come up one afternoon too.


Today I am home with the kids and it is school holidays for the next two weeks. Man, the kids around here must be bored out of their gourds! I just had a knock at the door and as I got closer a little voiced said, 'It's the police! Open up!' Hilarious since the kid was all of like 7 years old.

It ended up being this group of nieghbor boys wielding plastic guns. Laine and I humoured them by running from pilar to pilar and bush to bush while they tried to shoot us.

I ran up and searched and searched for a toy gun for Laine to join the 'fun' -but could only find a lightsaber... Meanwhile they are ringing the bell like crazy, so I got on the intercom and talked in a scary voice telling them we wouldn't be coming out -even for 'the FBI'.


Laine ran out weilding her 'lightsaber' and was saying things in her tiny mouse voice like, 'hello boys, I'm going to get you...' all the while they are making fun of her saber and saying things like, "I just shot your face off!' Oh man, are these the kinds of experiences you miss out when you don't have brothers? They were cracking me up! They are so into it and serious!

Later this week we are heading up to Brizzie {Brisbane} since Ben has a work thing and we thought it best to tag along on acount of the holidays. It is North of here so it should be warmer yeah, sign me up!

Okay, there is another ring of the bell, I guess I better go shoot some faces off...er...