Q and A: Round 2

First, some fashion. LOVE that I can put my hair up now.

These are some of my favorite shoes. Gold pointy-toed flats. I call them my "Tinkerbell shoes." They go with almost anything.

Now, for the rest of your questions!

Kara asked, "What is your typical day like? Do you have a schedule for your kids or is it just whatever they feel like doing?"

My kids were both born with internal clocks, I swear. Before having kids, I'd always heard you should follow your baby's cues as to when to feed them, put them down for naps, etc. Lucky for me, both my babies' cues came on a perfect schedule. (One can only hope to be so fortunate a third time, right?)

Our days are pretty much clockwork: Wake up, eat breakfast, lounge for an hour, get ready, morning nap for Smush/playtime for Bubby/blog, Facebook, e-mail, budget balancing time for me, Smush wake-up, snacktime, playtime/errand time/playgroup with other moms and kids, lunch, Smush's second nap, Bubby+Mom playtime, tidy time/baking time/reading time (if I'm lucky), Smush wake-up, afternoon snack, get dinner ready/kids watch Netflix or play Wii, Dill comes home, dinner, Smush bath+bed, Bubby bath+bed, Jenna+Dill talk time/Arrested Development/movie time, bed.

Whew! Tired yet? That was like a crazy calculus problem or something.

The Hernandez Family asked, "What is your dream vacation?"

I really, really, really want to go to Hawaii. Like, whoa. A week would be nice. Just Dill and me, sans kids.

Courtney asked, What would you recommend as a safe and natural kitchen counter cleaner? What's your all-time favorite movie? Are you still doing the oil cleansing method?

1) Water and vinegar, baby! I have granite counters and this gets them really clean. I do still use a naughty (but effective) non-natural granite polisher about once a month to keep the stone nice and shiny. I'm telling you, though, vinegar and water is the solution to all your problems. I put it in a giant spray bottle and whip it out as needed.

2) My all-time favorite movie is 13 Going On 30 with Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. Yes, even more than the Harry Potter movies. It might be due to the fact the main character's name is Jenna, or because I love those "Freaky Friday"-type movies where people switch places/go back in time, etc. It's just the cutest movie ever and I never get tired of it.

3) As a matter of fact, I AM still doing the oil cleansing method! But I will be honest and confess I recently took a short break. I started getting some nasty acne all over the lower half of my face right after we came home from DC. I thought it was due to the OCM so I stopped doing it, only to find my acne got WORSE, not better. Then I noticed it all over my back, chest and neck shortly thereafter. So, it's likely hormonal and not related to the oil cleansing. I started back up about a week ago and my face is already clearing up.

I have a testimony of the oil cleansing method. Amen.

DaNelle asked, "When are you gonna have another baby?"

I'm not really sure! Some days, I want to be pregnant right now. Others, I want to wait a few years. In the past, I've just "known" when it was the right time. Both times, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Kind of hard to explain. When it's time for another child to join our family, I'm counting on the message to be loud and clear!

Erin asked, "I'm new to Arizona. We live on the east side of Phoenix. What fun, cheap things are there to do with my one year old and husband? Any restaurants you highly recommend? "

Ah, there are so many great things to do out here, even when it's a million degrees.

First, head to a local city pool! Mesa and Gilbert both have pool locations at various schools. Skyline Aquatic Center in Mesa is close to where I live and it's a blast. A huge waterslide, zero-depth entry pool with kiddie water features and a diving pool equipped with three diving boards! It's brand new, just opened this year, and pretty cheap.

We really enjoy the library. We go to the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert. They have a great kids' section and an area where your toddler can run around and have fun. In cooler weather, you can also hike around the adjacent Riparian Preserve. It's a desert nature preserve with trails, areas where kids can climb, trees and even a man-made lake where you can fish!

Also in that neck of the woods is the San Tan Village Mall. It's an outdoor mall with play areas and a splash pad, all completely free! And who doesn't love to window-shop?

A few months ago, I took Bubby to Superstition Farms. Every Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30 PM, the farmer's market is open for business. They have a free petting zoo, hayride tours and lots to see! You can pay a little extra to feed the goats and calves, but even if you don't, you can still pet them. It's a lot of fun, but I'd probably wait until it's not scorching outside to go.

As for places to eat, we LOVE Oregano's (both in Mesa and Gilbert), Liberty Market, Joe's Farm Grill and Joe's Real BBQ. Delicious local food at decent prices. If you're into sushi, I recommend Got Sushi? in northeast Mesa (a favorite of former Phoenix Suns player Leandro Barbosa) or Masa Sushi in Gilbert. For Mexican, you can't go wrong with Tia Rosa's or Mi Amigo's!