Thursday, August 30, 2007

Nails Nails Nails

So I decide to use a gift certificate To Sunshine Nails & Spa I got for my 30th Bday (thanks Tiffany, Selia and Katie) and get a Manicure and Pedicure today... Well we have all done it.. We go to these little Vietnameese run places and I am sure EVERYONE has experianced Something similar...
I walk in.. one of the ladies who is currently in the process of doing another customer's nails looks up. "what we do for you?" Ummm.. Can I have 2 taco's No lettuce and a diet coke? DUH...(ok i dont say that) I want a manicure/pedicure "Pick a color" how you say FRENCH manicure in YOUR LANGUAGE....
She walks over and turns on the water for the Pedicure footbath. OF course it has to be on BOILING.. I guess they dont know what WARM is. So I sit down and begin to dip my feet into the bubbling water. "oooouuucccchh" I'd say it but who in there other than the few other customers would understand. So as my feet are turning bright red and getting used to the "warmth" of the footbath as she taps ever so lightly on my left foot. No words necessary. I know what to do. I have already mentally prepared for this moment all day. The kids are at home. I can just sit and relax and enjoy someone else rubbing my troubles away. As I find the remote to the massage chair and push ON... She begins removing the old polish, burrr... that is a little cold.... But I allow my mind to go back to the warmth my right foot is feeling in the water. I move my foot around in the jet stream coming out from the back of the chair. . . It feels good to kind of itch my foot with that strong force from the water. Then... another tap this time on my right foot... without looking I place my left foot in the water and bring my right foot out. as the cool polish remover covers my toe nails. Whoo... another tap on my left foot.. This is going fast. as she begins clipping the cuticle off (dang... there is a ton of that crap.. how does it get so bad!!) And another tap.. more cuticle clippings. Ahhh... the callus remover... Ummm, heck yeah I need that.. I have been slacking on moisturizing my heels this summer and they sure can use a good scrubbing. I hear a faint noise and open my eyes to see My Lady, Nhu Mai Tai, begins talking to the salon guy and another salon woman. What are they saying??? Trying to be silly I say jokingly "are you making fun of my gross heels?" The guy quickly looks at me and says they are talking about how they are going to Vietnam... SURE YOU WERE.. then why were you laughing... (at this point I am feeling like Elaine in the Nail Salon from Seinfield... If only I had a translator... I would have known)
The pedicure begins to take a turn for the worse here... Usually when someone works on my heel callus's there is a little pressure behind the scrub... This lady did the motion but there was nothing to it... Was she just trying to tickle me? I felt like saying DIG IN and SCRUB GIRL!!! Then I thought maybe my feet aren't as bad as I thought, but they were... a quick dip of each foot and she is draining the footbath. That seemed kind of fast .. I am getting ready for the best part though... THE MASSAGE!!! I feel the cold loation being squirted on each shin. . . Nhu begins the rub, her hands bairly touch my legs and there is absolutly no pressure behind it either ...and it doesnt feel as good with plastic gloves on anyways.. but whatever.. She slides her hands up to my knees and a quick wiggle behind my calf and back down to my ankles, heels and toes.
She jumps up.. and I look down. I still have streaks of loation all over my lower legs and feet. Nhu comes back with hot towels.. In my head I am screaming WAIT, that cant be it... she rubs off remainder of the loation. I look at my friend Heidi next to me confused. Was that it??? Heidi says loud enough for Nhu and her pedicureist to hear. "The tip is all in the massage!" I couldnt agree more... Nhu is NOT getting a tip from me.... as I pout a little Nhu begins to paint the white on the tip of my toe nail. It's over ... I look over at Heidi who is enjoying a nice long leg massage and is even offered the Sea Salt.. I totally would have dont that... I would have done anything to get Nhu to rub my legs a little longer and harder... I feel so depressed but Nhu doesnt seem to mind she goes right on with the rest of the Pedicure. It was over... My legs still craving a little rub and Nhu walks away leaving me in the Chair. . .
She did hear me say I want a Mani/Pedi right?? after a few minutes I lean over to Heidi's Lady, who is still deep in the massage on Heidi's legs, and say. . "Am I going to be able to get a Manicure?" Crap... she calls for Nhu to set it up... AAAHHHH..... I go over to Nhu's station. She gets a cold mini bowl of water. again. NO WORDS... at least not to me.. It is like listening to a Vietnameese Talk Radio Show on the Lowest volume possible but it is right in front of you... How do they hear what eachother is saying across the salon? I can bairly hear and she is 1 foot away from my face. The Manicure was just as cold and fast as the Pedicure. It was over.. I didnt get a good hand massage either. I go to pay. I AM NOT TIPPING AT ALL!!! I hand over my gift certificate and look at what it was for. $35.00 at least that covers it and I dont have to pay anything.
But Nhu looks at me confused because she doesnt know English AT ALL... ends up calling another worker over to let me know that I OWE MORE than the $35.00 on my Gift Card. I have to pay $45.00... I see Nhu pocket the extra $10 as I walk out SO FUMMING MAD and set NEVER TO GO TO THIS PLACE AGAIN... Well... at least NEVER USE NHU MAI TAI there.

Here is what my Certificate should have covered this is from their flyer..Sea Salt Pedicure: $25.00 & Manicure: $10.00; Soak your feet in a warm footbath and relax, this is everything you need to rejuvenate tired feet. With Sea Salt Exfoliation Followed by Steamed Towels and a Foot Massage with Stress Relief Oil and A Full Manicure Including a Long Hand Massage and Polish.

I guess they dont follow through with what they are writing in their flyers... I am so mad... I have thought about going back in and complaining...

I found this clip on You tube... I got a little laugh... Hope you like it too..


Wednesday, August 29, 2007

What do you do in your Free time??

what do i do when i am not blogging....

Of course i am still on the computer but I am oovoo'ing with Phanelb and Emo...

Yes we are dorks... here are a few pics of our night together...



Go to www.oovoo.com and sign up and give me your screen name.. you can join our silly chats...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

On a Lighter Note....


I got a new phone... the Nokia 5330.. It is really cute and It has been fun to play around with it... It has an MP3 Player and Ashlyn and Braeden already know how to use it... I swear they carry it around with them everywhere so they can rock out to Gwen, Nelly, Akon and Justin Timberlake..... "Wind It Up"
And... I must just go on for a minute about my WONDERFUL Husband.....

Ok some husbands let their wife do all the household stuff and kid stuff... NOT MINE... I seriously think I TOTALLY LUCKED OUT!!! Not only does Chad Help me with all that stuff... .but he actually LIKES to do it... Maybe part of it is like most women... I do concider it foreplay (sorry mom for typing that... but it is true) It was so nice yesterday not only did he help me with the poo poo incedent... but he did the dishes (this happens so frequently at my house I just had to take a second to let him know i really appreciate it) BTW... he was totally rocking out to my new phone while doing the dishes too.... He is so cute...

Cleaning my house is not fun for anyone is it??? the worst part for me is the counters in the kitchen and the hall... I can keep up on the dishes and wiping down the food... but Somehow... They make papers and garbage and junk totally multiply.... with me tossing the mail up there... the kids putting all their school stuff there, chad empties his arms there... I just dont know how to keep up on it.. so this is a dirty secret of mine... I grab all the papers from all the counters.. and bring them back to my room... Generally they end up on the desk for me to eventually sort out... but sometimes... when the piles are so large... They end up on the floor.. This is a project I have to dig into...

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

What a wonderful World



Anyone up for learning a new talent? this guy is AMAZING!!!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

YucKKK AGAIN!!!

OK so I have been told that I post some GROSS pictures.. But what can I do... THIS is my life and isnt that what blogging is about.. SO Irelyn is sick STILL!!!! I am going NUTS.. She is on antibiotics now... The dr. last week didnt think she needed them but I BEGGED for him to give her something because she isn't feeling ANY BETTER.... I am so sick of being puked on... I am sick of washing her crib sheets 2 or 3 times a day... I am sick of giving her medicine (Musinex, Motrin and Breathing Treatments) I AM SICK OF HER BEING SICK....
I will be looking into an alergist because someone suggested she may be alergic to things and that is why she is always sick...
I DONT DO SICK... I am an ALLEN... Just ask Chad... I suck at being a parent, or wife, of someone sick.... I grew up NEVER being sick... You can cry when there is blood (but there better be a lot of it) and seriously ..... My family NEVER got sick growing up... I dont know how to give sympathy or how to handle it...
SO GET BETTER IRELYN....

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

AAAhhhh.... I love motherhood....

OK so my kids seem to be sick A LOT!!! Esp Irelyn I don't even know how many ear infections and days of diareah we have had since she was born... but this morning / afternoon i realized how being a mom means you have got to get over all those things that gross you out... So Irelyn sick like usual... begins puking on me this morning.. oh it was just the slimy kind from having a really runny nose.. so it was clear, thick and yes gross.. but it is over my shoulder... some running down the front of me and most of it running down the back of me and hitting thank goodness the kitchen floor... So i proceed to the bathroom to go clean up.. well.. she starts puking more.. i am able to hold her more over my shoulder so it hits mostly the bathroom floor and my shoulder still... So i am standing there... humm... how exactly do you take off your shirt without spreading the nasty puke all over my face and hair... yet still try to comfort my baby who obviously isn't feeling good. well... i eventually get her bathed and cleaned up and go put her in her bed for a nap.. and ahhhh.... i hear her screaming.. and this is what i find in her bed... now i know i am not the only one who has had to clean up puke after puke and diareah after diareah... it is just what comes when you are a mom.... but i hope my kids know how much i love them

Monday, August 13, 2007

It's Been a While!!!!

Ok so life has begun to calm down from our BUSY summer..... Our family has had such a fun time going from Hawaii, to AZ and to Utah..... but I have had many complaints (mainly from my sisters) that I need to get back into blogging... Ok I am sitting down and doing it... So we went up to Utah the last week of July for a ALLEN FAMILY REUNION.... It was so much fun to reconnect with all the extended memebers of the crazy Allen Fam... and It was SO MUCH fun to all be able to stay at Sherri and Spencer's home... THANKS a MILLION!!! We did so many fun things from going to the Lagoon, Horse back riding, and singing around the piano (thanks Derek for being our pianist), the girls (ok we are moms not girls anymore) but we would stay up late playing silly cup games around the island in the kitchen and the boys (dads) would play late night basketball... The Kids all had a blast going into the secret rooms and riding the elevator between the floors of the house. Little Spencer and My boys were always together and Ashlyn and Sabrina... WERE INSEPERABLE!!! This reunion was FABULOUS!!! Cant wait for the next one!!! Well we headed back to AZ to meet up with Little Steph and her friend Jeff visiting from California... It was fun to hang out with them.. then Steph and Dave were able to hang out with us while they were in town for Dave's brothers wedding. . . So that has been the past two weeks...



Saturday was Irelyn's 1st Bday . . . i cant believe how fast this past year has gone by... My baby is 1!!! We had a mini party last night for her...




and TODAY... was the 1st day of school for my kids... Loch started 3rd Grade, Brae started 2nd grade and Ashlyn started Kindergarten... Ok so i thought I would be able to hold myself together but a few tears escaped as i looked at my kids are realized how fast time goes... They are growing up so fast...



I so love my family... My kids are my world... I love seeing them smile and hearing them laugh with eachother... It is fun to see them so excited to start this new year, anxious for all the new things to learn and the new adventures... I truely feel so blessed to be a mom...