Pleasant Event #275 Attend Concert or Play…I think this counts

Posted on November 20, 2012 by

Many of you know I’m ticking fun things off a list.  You should try it, it’s really very fun.

I’ve been working on this list for almost a year now and I’ve done some things I ordinarily NEVER would have tried. If nothing else, it’s added a lot more variety to my life.  If there’s one thing it’s taught me it’s that saying YES is more times than not, the right thing to do.

Life will offer you some exciting chances if you allow it to.  Heck, once life dared me to take in three Chinese Foreign Exchange students for a week.  Saying yes to that one brought us a full week of cultural awareness we’d never have found otherwise.

Well…this week it’s #275 we’re ticking off the list. We had the chance to see Disney on Ice as it came through town last week.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child, but never had (or took) the opportunity to do.

If you’ve been following my blog at all, you know I had the chance to work with the fine folks who help put on the show.  They gave me some tickets for my family and some to give away on my blog.

The lucky winner of the giveaway was the LeBaron family.  Aren’t they the cutest! All dressed up and downtown together.  If that’s not family bonding, what is?

My own kids could hardly stand the excitement just before the show began.

We brought our beloved Auntie Amy along (She’s really just a grown up kid) for the show.

You know Disney never disappoints.  We marveled at the set changes and the costumes and the pyro-technics and the talent level of the skaters.  How a grown-up person wearing a full-on Nemo costume can pull off a double axle is beyond me. I mean, you expect that from Olympic Athletes, but NOT Nemo.

We had a great time being together, watching the show, eating Kettle Corn and loving Disney On Ice.

 

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Happy Kristin Sokol Day!

Posted on November 16, 2012 by

It’s true, I have my own holiday.  How?  Here’s how.

As you may or may not know, I am passionate about writing.  I’m also passionate about participating in local government and making a difference in my community.  When the opportunity arose to write for my local paper, and seeing as my professional writing opportunities were limited due to my at-home-mom-ness I was eager to take the job.

I enjoyed writing and reporting for the South Valley Journal for more than four years.  I mostly covered the South Jordan City government beat. After attending hundreds of city council meetings I struck up a great professional relationship with not only the council, but the city staff too.

I guess they felt like then knew me after seeing me several times a month for years on end and following me through my second pregnancy. You could say the South Jordan City staff and I had become friends.

When it came time for me to end my tenure with the newspaper to pursue other opportunities (mainly focusing my attention on small kids instead of deadlines) South Jordan honored me in two ways. 

First, the fire department presented me with this nice award from the South Jordan Fire Department for encouraging public awareness of the many strides THEY made to save people’s lives.  They really ARE leaders in the industry and have implemented remarkable programs that have already saved lives in the city and beyond. 

Secondly, shortly after my employment ended.  They requested that I attend one last meeting where they presented me with this proclamation recognizing my efforts and naming November 16th as Kristin Sokol Day in South Jordan City.

I won’t lie, It was very exciting. And since I’ll probably never get my own holiday anywhere else ever again, I always try and make a big deal about it.

So…if you’re wondering how to celebrate Kristin Sokol Day properly, it’s by eating Tres Leche Cake usually from Cafe Rio and reminiscing about all my many and varied professional accomplishments.

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The Switch Witch–What to Do With Too Much Candy

Posted on November 14, 2012 by

I probably should have posted this a few weeks ago, but if you still have Halloween Candy around this will help you.

If your kids are like mine they collected gads and gads of candy during trick-or-treat.  Too much candy at our house causes nothing but trouble.

Here’s the progression of Halloween night at our house.It goes from this.

Until we reach candy drunkeness.

It’s not a pretty picture.  And then…There’s the candy hangover the next day. And the day after and after.

Don’t think I’m a mean bad mom who won’t let her kids eat excessive amounts of candy on Halloween, because I do permit it, but when it goes on for weeks at a time…It’s a problem. Luckily a few years ago, my sister-in-law introduced me to the idea of “The Switch Witch.”

She’s a nice Witch that visits the house whenever you’d like her to.  All you need to do is have the kids sort their candy.  They keep what they want and put the rest in a bag for the Switch Witch.  She, in return, leaves them a nice toy or prize.

This is a win for everyone except the Witch herself.  If she’s not careful, she’ll eat too much discarded candy.  So you have to reason with yourself the Switch Witch and make sure she discards the candy quickly and doesn’t make herself sick.

This year, the Switch Witch took more than half the candy collected leaving us with a manageable amount.  She left the kids digital Hello Kitty slap bracelet watches.  It may as well have been Christmas morning.

If you still have WAY too much candy around and you’re looking for a way out, give the Switch Witch a call.

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Complete The Task–Simplify Your Life

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

Have you ever had a little problem that bothered you, maybe a lot?  Something that every time you saw it, it made you sad, nervous or angry?

You don’t have to live like that.  Take the time to simplify and enjoy your life to the fullest with out letting the little things bother you.

Last year, I bought some snow boots.  They weren’t very cheap so I expected them to be great.  I planned to build snowmen in them, snowshoe, and traipse around Park City for hours and hours during the Sundance Film Festival.

I first wore them snowshoeing in the canyon. It was amazing.  (If you haven’t tried this, you really should.  It’s on the list.  If you don’t have snow shoes, don’t let that stop you.  There are lots of places, like Mill Creek Canyon where you can just take an amazingly beautiful walk in the snowy canyon without snow shoes.) The boots were great!

I wore them on a second snowshoe adventure a few weeks later and one of the boots leaked a little.

I wore them again a month later at Sundance and…they leaked a lot! This was a HUGE problem because we were out in the slushy streets ALL DAY LONG.  So basically by the end of the day, I had one VERY wet foot.

I was very disappointed.  I’d worn them three times and they were basically garbage.  I meant to take them back, but I kept forgetting and then it got warm outside because it was spring, then summer then a year and gone by and I still had leaky, useless boots.

The boots made me sad to see.  Even angry since I knew I waited too long and I probably couldn’t take them back at this point. So I decided I had to complete this task (#288 on the list).  Operation Bad Boots Be Gone My mission: Either take the boots back to the store or throw them away.  I just couldn’t see the sad boots in my closet any more.

I tested Sports Chalet, my favorite sporting good store, on their return policy. I explained to one of their teenaged associates I’d had the boots a long time but only wore them three times because they leaked.   He seemed as genuinely interested in my story as any teenager with a part time job could.  He got me his manager.

I explained my story a second time.  The manager indicated it that since I kept the boots for so long that it was unusual that they could do anything for me, but he told me to pick out another pair of boots and he’d see what he could do.

I found a more water-proofy looking pair.  I showed them to the manager and he told me he’d give me $40 toward the new pair. So I got new boots for only $8 including tax!

I was so glad I had taken care of this problem.  I feel so relieved. My advice to myself any anyone else next time something like this happens?  Take an inventory of the little things that are getting to you on a regular basis and do what it takes to eliminate the problems.

As a side note, I also bought my daughters some new boots this weekend. So with the fantastic storm we had this weekend we ended up with about a foot of snow in the back yard and a new friend.

Isn’t he the friendliest looking snowman you’ve ever seen?

So…Mission accomplished. Snowman in the yard.  Warm and dry feet for the whole family.

We’re planning a lot more fun adventures in the snow this winter.

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And the Disney On Ice Ticket Winner is…

Posted on November 7, 2012 by

I’m so excited to announce the winner for the Disney on Ice 100 years of Magic ticket vouchers.

And the winner is…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

You now have 48 hours to contact me and claim the tickets before a new winner will be drawn.

I’m so excited to attend this event myself.  It will be the realization of my own childhood dream. I’ll probably cry and then my husband will probably make fun of me for crying at Disney On Ice.  What?  I get overwhelmed by emotion  very easily. It doesn’t seem to matter what I am overwhelmed by, I always cry.

If you didn’t win but still want to go, you totally can.  I even have a discount code for tickets. The show will be here in Salt Lake City November 14-18 at Energy Solutions Arena.  Use the discount code: MOM for $5 off on select performances (Thursday at 7PM, Friday at 3:30PM, Saturday at 11AM, and day at 1:30PM and 5:30PM. (Valid Price Levels: $23 and $16.))

If you really want to get in the spirit of Disney on Ice, be at the Olympic Plaza at the Gateway Mall on November 14 from 10:30 to 11:30.  Bring a camera and make your kids look extra cute!

You’ll see ice sculptors creating master pieces of iconic Disney characters.  You also might get to mingle and take photos with some of the MOST famous characters, the ones you usually only see at the Magic Kingdom. I’ll be there so be sure to say hi if you go.

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing.  It was so fun to see all your comments and see how excited everyone is for this fun show.  If you haven’t already, like TheVocalSokol on Facebook so you won’t miss any of the fun giveaways like this one.

Come back next week when I’ll be posting some great photos and the hilarious story behind our problem-ridden trip do Disneyland.  Spoiler alert: It involves a vicious flu bug, the closing down of several rides (via our vicious flu bug) a minor fender bender, major motion sickness, $4,700 (so far) worth of car repairs. We had a very busy trip. Despite all the pain, we had TONS of fun at Disneyland and it was all worth it.

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I Spoke At a Conference–Utah Latina Bloggers

Posted on November 5, 2012 by

So I spoke this weekend at the Utah Latina Bloggers Conference. (Notice my name at the 12:50 time slot.) Yeah, it was kinda a big deal for me.

It was my first speaking engagement as a blogger and it was everything I hoped it would be and more.

I got the opportunity to speak about Operation Undies to a group of very interested Latina women.

I also met Jose Enriquez who, as a high school teacher, started an organization for high school students called Latinos in Action that has been wildly successful and is now in almost every high shool in Utah and Idaho.

I am hoping these energetic, school aged kids might want to help collect items and provide relief to the migrant families I know though Operation Undies.

I told the lovely Latina Bloggers how important and worthwhile incorporating a humanitarian project can be when you combine it with blogging an social media in general.  I’m hoping that some of the beautiful women I met may be interested in working with me to support more migrant families.

One of the things I love most about this blog is the opportunities it’s has opened for me.  I met the organizers of this conference at another local blog event I attended earlier this year.  They are an ambitious pair of amazing Latina sisters who immigrated to Utah from Equator as children.

I know blogging is not for everyone, but I urge anyone who is a little bored with their life to try something like blogging.  Find a way to meet and mingle with new and empowering women who will help you create new and exciting opportunities in your life.  Speaking of exciting, I was assigned to this chair indicating that I was a STAR. Exciting, I think so. 

For me, the key to happiness and my own mental health, besides all the traditional answers (which are important), is adding variety to your life.

I heard some inspirational things at this conference that are worth sharing. Here’s a quote from one of the other conference speakers.  It was said by someone famous, but I forgot who.

“Every person has a continent of undiscovered character.  Happy are they who are the Columbus of their sole.”

Here’s another one that I’ll share because Election Day (equal opportunity link) is tomorrow.

“Great leaders come not from those who seek the position, but those who can position themselves to serve those who seek.”

Food for thought.  Go find something new to do.  You’ll be glad you did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic–Ticket Giveaway!!!

Posted on November 2, 2012 by

We recently took a family trip to Disneyland.  Even though we’ve been many times before and we encountered various hardships on our way, the happiest place on earth did not disappoint!

We spent three fun-filled days at Disneyland riding rides, spending magical time with cousins and creating memories that will last a lifetime. 

We had fun despite the fact that at least half of our group of 20 were sick with the flu and the fact that we lost one of our four vehicles due to a busted head gasket in our Disney caravan from Utah to So Cal.

After we got over our flu and spent our first day at the DL my husband who isn’t a super big fan of rides explained that while other parks might have more extensive thrill rides, they never create the kind of family experience that Disney always provides.  Being there made us forget all the hardship of getting there.

He always has a great time at Disneyland because of the entertainment, landscaping, architecture and general atmosphere.

After reflecting about our trip, he’s absolutely right.  Our trip was great and the rides were super fun, but the best part was just being there and experiencing the Disney magic.

After returning home, I was sort of let-down that the trip was over and we’d have to wait a long time before we can go back.  Imagine my excitement when I received a fabulous opportunity to experience the Disney Magic here!

Disney on Ice is celebrating 100 years of Magic and the producer of the show, Feld Entertainment, has offered me complimentary tickets to see the show in exchange for reporting my opinion about the experience here on my blog. Um…Okay!!!  In addition, they have also provided me with a discount ticket offer for all my readers AND tickets to giveaway to one lucky person.

One of the most memorable parts of our trip was seeing the Aladdin Musical in California Adventure.  It was incredible!  I know Aladdin and company play a part in Disney on Ice, so we’re very excited!

The show will be here in Salt Lake City November 14-18 at Energy Solutions Arena.  I have a discount code: MOM which will give my readers $5 off on select performances.  Thursday at 7PM, Friday at 3:30PM, Saturday at 11AM, and Sunday at 1:30PM and 5:30PM.  Valid Price Levels: $23 and $16.

Enter below to win tickets.  The more of the items on the list you complete, the more entries you’ll get in the drawing for ticket vouchers.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Happy November—Sub For Santa Opportunity

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

Hello all!  Congratulations for making it past Halloween.  Isn’t it somehow the busiest time of year?  So many parties and dressing up and treat eating….and then comes the gluttony and punishment the next day. After a candy filled night hopefully we can all just agree to move on and think about something else.

What else might you think about?…I have an idea.  Read on.

We’re at the very beginning of the Holiday Season.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  I have an opportunity for families or groups to make this time of year even more meaningful.

Many of you are aware of Operation Undies and the efforts all of us have made together to bring much needed socks, underwear and warm clothing to migrant farm working children. With all of your help, I’ve already donated a van load of gently used warm clothing.

I have another opportunity to help.  I’ve just received a list of 21 families who could use some help.  The things they’re in need of are shockingly basic.  Pots and pans, blankets and bedding, shoes, warm clothing. Most of us just couldn’t imagine not having these basic items. 

I know there are lots of families around me who want to help but don’t know where to find a family with needs. I promise these aren’t the kind of families who will be asking for anything Nintendo or Apple oriented.  These families are just scraping by.

The migrant Headstart preschool I am working with provided me with a list of the families names, sizes and a brief description of the family’s circumstance and what they might need.  The families DON’T know that they are being sponsored this way.  The needed items listed were compiled by staff at the school who made home visits who discussed and made observations about needed items.

As I read through their list, I sobbed.  Most of these families, even the young mothers work in the Cache Valley dairy farms milking cow 12 hours a day often in extreme temperatures.  The probably provide the milk your kids drink.

Whether we know it or not, we are unbelievably wealthy and have opportunities available to us that some people could only dream about.  These families are working so hard doing jobs most of us wouldn’t consider doing for five seconds.  Despite their best efforts they and their children still have dramatic needs.

If you or a group you’re affiliated with would like to be a Sub for Santa to one of these families, please contact me here or leave me a comment below and I’ll be in touch to give you a family name.

If you’d like to help, but don’t think you can do it alone, I promise from my own personal experience, it is NOT hard to recruit help for a project like this.  Consider asking your co-workers, extended family, neighborhood, or church group.  There are good people everywhere who want to help and just need a reason and specific job to do.

Also note that not all the items donated need to be brand new.  Anything in good shape is appreciated. Thanks to all the friends who responded to my last Facebook plea.  I’ll be in touch with your assignment shortly.

Another way you can help is by sharing this post on Facebook.  About half of the assistance I received on this project last year came from people I didn’t know.  The more people that know about this, the more families that will receive help. If you haven’t liked The Vocal Sokol on Facebook, feel free to do so to get updates on this project along with updates about other mostly lame things I’m doing.

 

Posted in CALLING FOR HELP, OPERATION UNDIES | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Baby Steps to Being an Educated Mom

Posted on October 29, 2012 by

My baby is now four years old.  Really.  My other baby turned 7 recently. Seriously.  I don’t know where the years have gone?  I’m glad they have though.  I actually DO miss having my babies, but I won’t lie the baby thing was really hard for me.

I’m much more comfortable in our current phase.  I like having little people in the house whom I can talk to and reason with. I like taking them places and showing them things and hearing what they have to say about it.

I was hit pretty hard with the baby blues and to put it lightly, breast feeding despite months of effort and lots of pain, was a colossal failure.  And then there was the naming of the babies…I don’t wish to ever name anything else ever again.  Here’s a tip: Never tell anyone the name you’re choosing until your baby is born.  Inevitably someone always knew someone in the 4th grade they HATED who was named that and the name is ruined.

I say I’m glad the baby years are gone, but the truth is, if I were to do it again I bet it would be a little easier.  I know more about baby raising and there are a lot more resources now.

Speaking of said resources, I recently got a smart phone and it’s making quick work of changing my life.  I feel so much more organized. I spend a LOT less time sitting at my computer checking computer stuff. Instead I look at all that stuff while waiting at the MD office or in the pick-up line at school.

What I wouldn’t give to have had a smart phone while I was pregnant and or had a new baby.  I craved information about my pregnancy and thought about it constantly wondering what was happening in my belly.

I recently downloaded the Intermountain Mom’s Baby Steps App on my brand new Samsung Galaxy S III or You can download it here if all you have is an iPhone. (My screen is MUCH bigger than iPhone. Just saying.) I would have killed to have this app when I was pregnant.

You can plug your specific dates into the app and it will walk you through your pregnancy week by week and tell you all the things happening inside your belly.

Similarly, you can follow your new baby’s development once they make their way to the outside world.

It also has great resources providing access to hundreds of videos covering all the things you need to know when you have a new baby, or have one in your belly.

Another feature I LOVE (but am relieved to NOT have to use) is the baby name dictionary.  I remember burrowing and buying bunches of baby name books to try and find the right name.  The baby name dictionary allows easy access to thousands of names.  You can sit at browse the names anytime.

Other favorite features include a Diary section and a with photo and recording features that lets you record and keep your baby’s heartbeat forever.

It also gives you easy access to the Intermountain Mom’s facebook page (if you haven’t like this page on facebook already, you prolly should now) where you keep your community of new moms and professionals who care about your success as a mom and the health of your baby.

There are several other useful features you’ll have to look for yourself to see including a cute way to announce your baby via facebook.

So really, if you’re a new mom or an expectant mom or if you expecting to be expectant you should really get yourself this handy and FREE app.  I wish I’d had this when I was all of the above here.  I would have been a little less stressed and little more informed and entertained.

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Why Can’t Political Ads All Be Like This?

Posted on October 26, 2012 by

I saw this political ad on my friend Tauni’s facebook page.  I know I already posted something semi political this week, but…this ad made my day!

I wish more candidates would run a campaign like this one, which gives me reasons why I should vote for him. This commercial is absolutely delightful!  I like voting for people who can win based on their own merit and NOT by marring their opponent with out of context facts and half truths.  Isn’t all that getting old.  Like really old.

Anyway…here’s the commercial.  I hope you like it as much as I did.

I am not saying that I am supporting Ben McAdams (I am), but I appreciate his sentiment. And after being the County Delegate for my precinct and attending debates and meeting personally with the candidates I certainly won’t be voting for the Republican (Mark Crockett) running for this race.

Posted in INSPIRING PEOPLE | Tagged | 3 Comments