Green Smoothie w/ Vanilla Fit Frappe

It’s Monday. I decided to start my week of right with my very first green smoothie. I’ve had the pre made ones from the grocery store, but haven’t made my own green smoothie before. I just started reading Beth Aldrich’s book “Real Moms Love to Eat“  and I must admit, it’s the first book I’ve read in a long time and the first book that actually got me excited about eating healthy.

One of the things that Beth talks about is getting the day started with a green smoothie. I was a little concerned about how this was going to taste, but I knew with a little apple juice and a scoop of Big Train Vanilla Fit Frappe for my dose of protein it was going to be okay. Well, it was more that just okay. I was pleasantly surprised how good it tasted and how good it made me feel to drink my veggies!

The book suggests:

1 frozen banana or 1/2 cup frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
1 cup fresh organize juice (apple orange, pineapple, etc.)
1 scoop powdered raw greens (find them in a health food store) or 1 handful fresh greens (i.e. baby lettuce, kale, spinach)
1 scoop protein powder (whey, rice, hemp or soy are good choices or you can buy plain or flavored)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
A few ice cubes

You can use optional flavoring: 1 tablespoon of peanuts or other nut butter, 1 tablespoon raw cacao or cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon instant coffee, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or other flavored extract, dash of cinnamon

Optional sweetener: 1 tablespoon agave nectar, real maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or granulated raw sugar

You can experiment with all kinds of different combinations and use your creativity!

Here’s what I used this morning:

Apple juice
A handful of romain lettuce
Ice cubes
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed (I love this stuff!)
1 scoop of Big Train Vanilla Fit Frappe (My favorite protein powder. So yummy!)

I’m out of fruit at the moment so I had a green smoothie with just veggies. I can’t believe how delicious this smoothie was! I drank it down in just a few gulps. I feel great! Can’t wait to explore more combinations with fruits and veggies now.

I am really enjoying Beth’s book. I highly recommend it! The perfect book for busy moms that enjoy eating and isn’t interested in taking away the things we love. It allows me to have fun with food without the “can’t eat this or that” regimen that really isn’t for me. Loving all kinds of food and enjoying eating it all and making healthy choices along the way… that’s for me.

Have a great week, my friends!

Love,
MaryAnne

Author Beth Aldrich and MaryAnne Wendt

My friend Marcie Taylor hosted a gathering for social media moms to meet author Beth Aldrich at Paradise Perks in Irvine yesterday. Beth Aldrich just launched her book Real Moms Love to Eat and started her book tour in New York earlier this month.

When I received the Facebook invitation from Marcie, I knew that based on the title of Beth’s book that I had to attend. Real Moms Love to Eat. Hmmm. I’m a real mom. I love to eat. I had to meet this woman! The tagline of the book: How to Conduct a Love Affair With Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous. This is something I think all moms would love to live by!

The event was sponsored by Naked Grape wine, Flatout flatbread and Meringue Bakeshop (yummy Pushcakes!) And thanks to Paradise Perks for providing a fun venue for us!

Marcie Taylor on Twitter: @SuburbanMama
Paradise Perks on Twitter: @paradiseperks
Real Moms Love to Eat on Twitter: @RealMomsLuv2eat

It was a pleasure to meet the author and learn more about her book. I can’t wait to read it!

More photos on my Flickr:

My new 11" MacBook Air

I have been enjoying my early birthday present from Jim – the new MacBook Air! I opted for the 11″ since I have a 15″ MacBook Pro. I also have the iPad2 which I just got for Christmas. I guess you can say I’m in Mac heaven right now! I have always been at least 2 generations behind on Apple technology. New iPods come out, new iPhone (I still have the 4, not the 4S) and MacBook Air came out shortly after we got the MacBook Pro 3 years ago. This is the first time I’ve been this current w/ Apple products. For me, it’s really not a big deal when I’m “behind” on the products. I’m just happy to have working Macs. My MacBook Pro needs some serious work. In the 3 years that I’ve had it, so far the battery has died (I’m always chained to an outlet), the DVD/CD drive is out (I transfer files to my iMac G5 to burn discs) and iPhoto has been crashing for a year and I can’t access my photos. (And I can’t reinstall the OS until I get a new DVD/CD drive). As you can see, many issues with the MacBook Pro. Having down time and going without a computer in our household simply isn’t an option. Ok, we have the iMac G5 but it is slow. It’s hooked up to the cable modem and M-Audio Mobile Pre w/ killer speakers for Pandora and that’s about all it’s good for – Our Internet source for WiFi and Music. So, now I can slowly deal with the MacBook Pro issues while banging away on the MacBook Air. Mac Mac heaven!

What I love about the MacBook Air:

1. Tiny 11″ Screen = true mobility and weighs just over 2 pounds! This thing can fit in my purse and I can be connected anywhere! Give me a hot spot and I’m good to go. This 11″ MacBook Air is so thin and light, I’m sure it will fit perfectly on an airplane tray at our next vacation, with room for a place to set my drink! Oh yeah. My #1 rule is “No drinks anywhere NEAR the computer.” So this tiny screen is great. Not so great on my nearsighted eyes, but I don’t mind. The dream is to dock this thing to a 27″ Thunderbolt. If you haven’t seen this bad boy, click here. Just another $999.00 and I’d be set LOL!

2. Fast: 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5. No spinning hard drive. You close the MacBook Air, it goes to sleep. You open it, it fires right back up.

I could go on and on about the specs.

3. Photos: Bottom line, I’m so excited to have a shiny new Mac and I can now get to work on managing 4,000+ photos from 2011. It’s been tough to organize photos all year without access to iPhoto. So happy to be able to do that now!

One thing that I had to get used to with this Lion OS is the 2 finger scrolling. When browsing, you have to use 2 fingers on the center of the touchpad to scroll up and down. It’s taking a bit getting used to. And when I jump on the MacBook Pro which is so 2 OS’s ago, I forget and try to scroll with 2 fingers on that touchpad. Doh. So with that 2 finger scrolling technique, I finally mastered pinning to different boards on my iPad. Apparently iPad uses the same technology on the touchscreen. I had no idea. Oh, and what’s pinning to boards? My latest addiction: Pinterest! It is so fun to pin interesting and inspiring photos onto various boards and sharing with others. It’s Instagram meets Twitter using bulletin boards to repin each other’s images. Very fun, easy and addicting! If you aren’t on Pinterest, try it!

I should have no excuses now for keeping up with my personal blog about our adventures and my latest #foodtrucking experience. I can pretty much blog from everywhere but the bathtub. Hmmm.. a waterproof MacBook Air case with floating lap cushion for bubble bath blogging? Nah, no technology should ever be in the bathroom.

Have a great day, my friends!

Love,

MaryAnne

Marissa looks for her name

The kids rushed to the school window to see the posted cast list. The energy was electric as the kids jumped and screamed with joy as they discovered what part they got. “YESSSS!!!” and “WOOO HOOOO!” were the top two words yelled into the air. Some kids just smiled as they saw their name on the list. Others were crazy loud. I couldn’t wait to get there and see what Marissa got. I peeked. I kept it to myself so that she could find out for herself. I saw Marissa in the distance, walking towards me, with her face looking curious. She looked at me. “Go and look for your name,” I said with a smile. She squeezed her way through the crowd of excited kids and looked for her name. Then, she turned around with a smile on her face and said, “I got a solo!” She was so happy. She has sang solo in the past 3 talent shows, but this is different. Her first time on stage in the school musical as a 4th grader, and she landed her first solo! She’ll be singing in “South Pacific.” We couldn’t be more proud of her.

It’s going to be an amazing production. So much awesome talent at our school. And we have the most amazing director. We are the luckiest school in Irvine to have her. You don’t get this caliber of theater at any other elementary school. Such a huge opportunity for the kids to be exposed to this at an early age. I’ll post more updates in the weeks to come. Break a leg, kids!

Another hectic week for the Wendt Family… Marissa has been practicing the song “Honey Bun” from the musical “South Pacific” during her entire 3 week break. Our water bill must be up this month from all the extra long showers where she does most of her practicing. Ha ha! It’s like a concert in the bathroom. Of course, she also sings in her room. Constantly. We love that she’s so passionate about singing. Her voice has really developed this year. You can tell that her voice is more mature from last year. It just makes me happy to hear her sing. The reason why she was practicing “Honey Bun” so much over her Winter Break was because 2 days ago she had auditions for her school musical. They are putting on a medley of “South Pacific” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Lots of kids were at the audition! We were there from after school at 2:30 until at least 5:30PM.

The process was much like the shows you see on TV, “American Idol” or “Xfactor.” The girls are sorted out by song, the boys are sorted out by song, they are taught a quick dance choreography and are called out by number and lined up in chairs, 5 at a time. They go in the audition room with 8 judges sitting behind a long table. They go in the room as a group to do the choreography and come back out and sit in their chairs. Then each kid is called one by one to go in the room and sing their song. It’s quite nerve racking. I’m glad that Marissa’s commercial acting experience in Hollywood has helped prepare her from these moments. I can (somewhat) relax because I know that she’s relaxed. She is also prepared for the fact that she may not get a callback. And if she does, she still may not get the part that she wants. She understands that there is a casting process and the director is doing her best to place each kid with a particular part based on their vocals, dancing, overall appearance for the character, etc.

After Day 1 of auditions, Marissa found out that she got a callback! Yesterday was Day 2 of the audition process. The callback. She was assigned 2 new songs to sing. (Oh, and did I mention she had to a speech to deliver yesterday for a D.A.R.E. presentation for the 6th graders? I’ll get to that part in a few moments..) So… Marissa learned 2 new songs the night before AND practiced her Internet Safety speech for Officer Predney’s D.A.R.E. presentation. She sang “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” and “Paris.” This time the callback process was a little different. The kids were all in the main room together and had to sing in front of everyone. I enjoyed watching all the the kids. So much talent at our school! I don’t know how Bonnie (the director) handles this whole process. She’s just amazing. It was another long day. We where there from 1:30PM – 5:30PM! Whew.

After school today, the cast list will be posted on the doors of the multi purpose room. So exciting! Marissa is so anxious to see if she got a part. She has been in the Primary Chorus since the 1st grade. 1st – 3rd graders may participate in the school musicals in the chorus. (Because of the increased population at our school, it’s now 2nd-3rd graders in the chorus) 4th – 6th graders may audition for speaking/singing roles on stage. Imagine Marissa singing from these little bleachers since the 1st grade, watching all the action on stage. She has been waiting for the 4th grade to have these new opportunities! Wish her luck! We’ll find out today!

Yesterday Marissa was invited to speak at a D.A.R.E. presentation for the Irvine Police Department. She did awesome! She enjoys sharing everything she learned about Internet Safety with her peers. I’ll post the video below. We are just so very proud of her. I was not doing nearly as much as her at 9 years old. What a great kid. Keep it up, Marissa! We love you.

Up next: Jessie update! She has been such a supportive little sister. She’s my next blog post!

One of Jessie’s favorite gifts from Christmas was a board game by Crayola, “Guess My Picture.” It’s perfect for ages 4 and up. I love it because it’s fun for the whole family.

Here’s how we play:
First, we send one person out of the room.
Then we take 6 cards and lay them down on the board.
We pick 3 images to recreate using the colored shapes.
When we are done, we call the person back to the room.
That person has to guess all the pictures that we made!
Each person takes a turn leaving the room & coming back to guess.

It’s a fun family activity! There’s a set of cards with stars. We haven’t used them yet. I’m sure the rules explain how to use them but we haven’t gotten to that yet. We’re just having fun playing our own way with Jessie. (She just turned 4) When it’s someone’s turn to leave the room, that person is usually jumping on the trampoline or doing something silly to occupy themselves while the other family members are giggling & whispering while working with the shapes.

The kids got some fun gifts for Christmas. They love their gadgets! Marissa got an iPod Touch from Santa and Jessie inherited the iPhone1. Jessie also loves her Vtech InnoTab from Lola (grandma). But it’s the family board games the kids really enjoy the most. So put down the devices & have some unplugged fun!

Wow! The original founding Apple contract signed on 1 April 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, sold for nearly $1.6m at a Sotheby’s auction in New York yesterday. The buyer is listed as Eduardo Cisneros, CEO of Cisneros Corp. and one of the wealthiest families in South America. This is an incredible piece of Apple history. Sotheby’s had estimated the contract at $150K.

The 3rd “lost” founder of Apple, Mr. Ronald Wayne sold his share of the company just 11 days after the company was formed. His withdrawal from the company included a payment of $800 and an additional $1,500. This share would be worth over $2 billion today.

Here’s a video interview with Mr. Wayne:

I have a copy of the Apple contract. You can download it here: clicking here.

About MaryAnne Wendt:

MaryAnne is a purple loving techie girl and has been an Apple fan since she owned her first computer, the Apple IIGS in 1986. She’s also a travel planner, social media enthusiast and enjoys Disneyland, foodtrucking & boxing. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnneWendt.

Image Source: Screenshot from www.sothebys.com/en.html

On December 13th the original “Apple Computer Company” founding partnership agreement will be up for auction at Sotheby’s Fine Books and Manuscripts sale for an estimated $150,000. The  contract was signed by “Stephen G. Wozniak”, “steven p. jobs”,  “Ronald G.. Wayne” and dated April 1, 1976. (Yes, April Fool’s Day) The two and a half page document was typed up by Ronald Wayne, co-founder and creator of the original Apple logo. He also wrote the manual for the Apple 1 computer.  The lot includes the Apple Computer Company Partnership Agreement and the Statement of Withdrawal signed by Ronald G. Wayne. He was paid $800, 11 days later. Mr. Wayne then received an additional $1,500. This share would be worth over $2 billion today.

“In a sense, both Wozniak and Linzmeyer are both correct. I have stated repeatedly—in my book I described in meticulous detail—that the ‘founding’ of which I was a part, was of the Apple Computer Company, which had nothing to do with the corporate entity that followed; a situation which makes Wozniak’s position precisely correct. Then at the same time, Linzmeyer—with whom I’d had many interviews—has postulated that the ‘company’ activities constituted the environment in which the original Apple I was physically built.” — Ronald Wayne

Original Apple logo was hand drawn by Ron Wayne

Since Steve Jobs’ passing on October 5, fans have purchased his black mock turtleneck for $175 and his favorite glasses the German Lunor Classic for $450. As stated in Computer World, Steve Wozniak will not be bidding on the document. Will Steve Jobs’ signature be worth $150,000? We shall find out on December 13th at the Sotheyby’s Auction. Look for Lot 241.

I was very lucky to have this special historical document fall into my hands. It’s an amazing piece of Apple history.

Would you like your very own copy of this document?

You can download it by clicking here. Download it now, while it’s still here!!

About MaryAnne Wendt:

MaryAnne is a purple loving techie girl and has been an Apple fan since she owned her first computer, the Apple IIGS in 1986. She’s also a travel planner, social media enthusiast and enjoys Disneyland, foodtrucking & boxing. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnneWendt.

photo credit: Jim Wendt

Our recording project: 3 Tracks recorded so far!

Marissa loves to sing. We are so amazed at how much Marissa’s voice has grown since last year. Jim is having a lot of fun recording her tracks in GarageBand on the MacBook Pro. Here’s her most recent recording from last night… singing “The Christmas Song” in her own jazzy style:

She also re-recorded “When Christmas Comes to Town” from the movie Polar Express. Last year she sang this track for the backgrounds of our end of the year video. This song just suits her so beautifully.

In November Marissa performed one of her favorite songs by Adele, “Rolling in The Deep” at her school talent show.

It’s been 3 weeks since my most horrific mommy experience ever. (This incident is up there with my Nightmare at the Pumpkin Patch in 2008.) I just wanted to document my experience in a blog post to keep and share with my family & friends… Jessie is doing much better and we are so thankful that she’s okay.

Thursday, July 11, 2012: It was a typical summer afternoon. We were packing up our things to go swimming. The kids are bouncing off the walls, excited that we are about to leave. They wanted Popsicles, so I thought it we could pack some & eat them at the pool. And then… Jessie (3) is crying in the other room. Marissa (9) came running out to tell me, “Mom! Jessie fell off the bed!” We have a loft bed, which is lower than a traditional bunk bed, about 4 feet high. I ran to the bedroom to find Jessie face down on the carpet, crying. I rolled her over and there was a dark goose egg, growing

Jessie got her new loft bunk bed in Oct. 2010

on the left side of her forehead. I quickly got a bag of frozen vegetables & iced her head. I wasn’t panicked at the time, because I’ve seen bumps on the kids heads before. We usually put ice on it and then they go about playing again. I carried her to the couch and she was still crying. She still wanted a Popsicle so I offered one to her. And then the horror began… Jessie looked up at me with a blank look in her eyes and said, “Mommy I can’t see. I can’t see the Popsicle.” I put my face up to Jessie’s and said, “Jessie, can you see Mommy’s face?” She said, “No.” I waved my hands in front of her eyes. Her eyes were not moving. She had a blank stare.  My heart sank. I was trembling with fear. I called Jim to let him know what happened and then called 911 for help. The dispatcher sent a firetruck and a paramedic immediately. 4 firemen and 2 paramedics arrived. She wasn’t crying anymore and was so cooperative. They examined Jessie & flashed lights into her eyes. Her eyes were not tracking the light. We needed to get to the ER as soon as possible. We needed someone to come watch Marissa while I ride in the ambulance with Jessie. I quickly called Jim to let him know we were going to the ER, my friend Mernie who lives in our neighborhood, and my mom who lives nearby too. Mernie and my mom arrived at the same time, so I told Mernie that Marissa would be fine with my mom. By the time they showed up I was already strapped to the gurney and being wheeled into the ambulance. Poor Jessie couldn’t see a thing. I did my best to remain calm, even though I wanted to freak out that she was blind. I prayed that this was only temporary. I think me being brave made Jessie brave. I noticed that the more calm I was, Jessie was calm. So for her, I kept it together. She wasn’t herself though. Her speech wasn’t the same. She had trouble putting words into a sentence. I was so scared. She was disoriented and blind.

We arrived at the ER at Hoag Hospital in Irvine. More doctors and nurses examined Jessie. They checked her limbs and lifted up her sundress to look for other injuries. Her head was the only injury. More lights flashed into her eyes. She still wasn’t tracking the light. Another doctor came in to take a look. He ordered an x-ray and CT scan. All we could do at this point was wait. Jessie started to complain her stomach was hurting. I had a feeling she was going to vomit. I tried to put a plastic pan near her face but she said she didn’t want it. It seemed like we were waiting forever for the CT scan. I was beginning to worry. The longer we waited, the worse my fears grew. Was she going to be permanently blind? Was she having internal bleeding? Will she need brain surgery?? 30 minutes seemed like an eternity. Just when I was about to get up and start losing my cool.. it was finally Jessie’s turn.

Finally, it was our turn for the CT scan and x-ray. By the time Jessie was prepped for her CT she had to vomit. (concussion symptom) After we cleaned her up, she was ready for the scan. Jessie was in and out of it. She looked like she wanted to fall asleep. I guess this was good so that she could keep still for the scans, even though it made me nervous that she wanted to sleep.

We returned to the same room in the ER while waiting for the results. By then, I noticed Jessie looking around. She looked up at the lights and I asked her, “Can you see, Jessie?” She was still out of it. She gave me a knod. I think by this time her vision was coming back. I was hoping and hoping that it was.

After a few minutes, the doctor came in with the results. Concussion and a skull fracture. What? Doesn’t that mean Jessie’s skull had a crack in it? Scary. It was a small, non-displaced fracture, meaning parts of her skull didn’t move. Thank God it wasn’t worse. Her blindness was caused by pressure to her optic nerve. So thankful this symptom was temporary!

Jessie resting w/ an IV lock on her arm.

It took 3 nurses to get an IV in Jessie’s arm, 2 to hold her down and 1 to stick her arm with needle. Poor thing, This was hard to watch, but it was quick. (She was on a no eating or drinking order, in case something were to happen and she needed surgery right away.) Once they got her IV in she was calm again. What a trooper.

The ER doctor told us Jessie had to stay overnight at CHOC Hospital for observation and have a neurosurgeon take a look at her. So we took another ambulance ride. The paramedics were so nice to Jessie. This was kid-friendly ambulance, with a fully stocked DVD library. They offered Little Mermaid to Jessie and she smiled. She was able to see by then. She laid quietly in the car seat that was strapped to the gurney.

Jessie rested most of the night. She never complained. She looked so peaceful as she slept. I started to breathe a little easier. So far so good. No other symptoms were occurring. She was stable.

My best friend Kimi showed up at around 10pm, even though visiting hours were over. She talked her way passed security and made it all the way to Jessie’s room without me even telling her where we were! She brought magazines & extra juice boxes to keep Jessie hydrated. It was great to have her there. She kept me and Jessie company for a while, until I was ready to finally get some rest after a long scary day. Thanks Kimi!

I posted an update on Facebook. The comments were overwhelming. So many thoughts and prayers for Jessie. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to think about us. I think God heard everyone’s prayers. The power of prayer is an incredible thing! I continued praying though the night, that Jessie would make a full recovery. Thank you, God.

The nurses checked Jessie’s vitals throughout the night. They checked her eyes with a flashlight. CHOC is a wonderful hospital with a very caring staff. The following morning we were greeted by my family: my sis Adrianne, her husband Adam, their son Gunnar and my mom and dad. Jessie was happy to see everyone.

The neurosurgeon Dr. Loudon came by to check on Jessie. He reviewed the CT scans and told us more about her condition: Grade 2 concussion and a non-displaced skull fracture. Only 4% of head injuries result in a fracture. After examining Jessie, Dr. Loudon said it was okay to discharge her that day and watch her closely for 6 weeks. The most crucial part during her recovery is to NOT INJURE that spot again, or the crack can worsen! (second impact syndrome) Okay, now I was planning on being a nervous wreck for 6 weeks!

Enjoying open space & soft sand to play in!

As soon as we got home, we moved the mattress on the floor. Jessie has been compliant (most of the time) about no running and jumping. It’s hard to keep a 3 year old down. But Jessie understands. She’s amazing. We spend a lot of time at the beach because she can play in an open area with soft sand around her. No furniture or playground structures to bump into or fall from.

Jessie & Shahla at LA Fitness Kid's Club

We’re into week 3 and I started going back to the gym. Jessie is having fun at the Kids Club. Shahla at LA Fitness in Woodbury is the best! She’s been caring for Jessie since she was an infant! The caregivers are awesome. They make sure she sits and watches TV or plays without jumping or running while I workout.

We still need to visit Fire Station 20 in Irvine to thank them! They responded to our 911 call so quickly and were so sweet to Jessie during a traumatic moment. Those moments are still a blur to me.  I’m just so thankful. We live in a high tech society with the quickest emergency response teams around. Maybe I’ll bake some cookies for those sweet firemen! Jessie will love checking out the firehouse and the trucks!

I don’t know what I would have done if this situation were any worse. She could have bled internally. She could have been permanently blind. Or.. I won’t even say it. All those crazy thoughts were going through my head at the time. I’m just glad that Jessie is all better. Heaven can wait. We need Jessie here! Whew.

3 weeks after her injury. Photo taken 9/2/11.