Thanks for the Freebies Dr. Phil!!

So my sister Katie went on the Dr. Phil show last week because she has had some tough things happen to her in the last couple months (including having her apartment robbed and her wedding ring stolen).  I almost decided not to go since tickets to LA with less than a week's notice were crazy expensive.  But my sister Kim talked me into it!  She told me, "How many adventures do we really have in our lives right now?  And how often is your sister a guest on a major talk show?" So off to LA I went, leaving the kids behind with Michael and ready to have an adventure!  All of my sisters were there along with my parents and it was more than a little humorous to see all of us stay-at-home moms hanging out together at a TV studio in LA.  

The show itself was even better.  It was actually the Valentine's Day show, which I found out later meant the show of giveaways and freebies.  When we first got seated in the studio this big, fat, crazy man they call Chunky B came out and tried to excite the crowd.  It was a little like watching a really bad NBA team mascot try to dance and cheer and rile everyone up. Despite my skepticism about cheering for a TV talk show I have never even watched, I did manage to score a book from Chunky B.  Too bad it was only one of Dr. Phil's books.  We settled in and the show finally started.  They had several different stories on and with each one they announced I got more and more excited because the audience members were given all the same gifts as the guests on the show.  Wow!! Caroline and I later figured out that they gave us almost $600 of freebies during the show.  The whole trip was worth it in the end too since, at the very end of the show, they gave Katie and her husband a new wedding ring, new laptops, new cameras, and a new camcorder.  

It was an altogether amazing experience, that is except for getting up at 2:30 am to catch our 6:00 am flight and getting lost in downtown LA on our way to the airport.

Too Much Barf!!

So, Happy New Year to us. We got home from my folks' house last Wednesday and by Thursday/Friday we were up to our ears with the stomach flu and croup. Why oh why does it always happen that way? We tried to get the "Christmas carnage" (decorations, new toys, holiday treats, etc.) cleaned up right away so that we could concentrate on caring for the sick children. What a bummer to have the holidays end (I always get kinda sad anyway) and then have to wash your daughter's blanket 12 times in a matter of 3 days!! Finally today I ended up taking Bella to the doctor only to find out that she had ear infections in both ears. I am some kind of mom huh.....didn't even know that my daughter was having ear pain! Well, she is only two I guess she can't really come up to me and say, "Excuse me mom, I think that my inner ears might be getting infected and I think that you should take me in to the doctor to have it checked out." Jonah might say that...but not Bella! Oh well, I guess that I have to hope that we've had our share of sickness this winter and look forward to a good spring! At the very least, I will be grateful for a good night's sleep tonight since all of my children should finally be able to sleep through the night!