Hallo!

We’re thinking about spending the holidays in Amsterdam because as much as we love our family, Christmas just isn’t as exciting as when we were eight.

To really make our plan to visit Amsterdam a reality and inspire us to save up for the big trip, Rosetta Stone offered to provide me with their award winning software to learn Dutch! Let me just tell you that I barely passed Spanish in high school (I believe my instructor said “Catalina – drop out or flunk out!” when she heard I signed up for Spanish 2) so I didn’t have high hopes of catching on to Dutch too quickly, but the program has been amazing.

Rosetta Stone uses “dynamic immersion” to teach language, which means I’m learning Dutch through images, intuition, interactivity, instruction and environment. When I’m completing a module, I’m completely focused on the language, just like how we all learned to speak our first language.

After just a few core lessons, it’s easy to see why Rosetta Stone is the #1 language software and the fastest way to learn any language. I especially like how easy it is to go back and repeat a lesson or part of a lesson. Here’s a few seconds of me in the middle of a lesson. I even threw in a spontaneous “hallo!”

I also have a few favorite lines…

• De vrouw leest (the woman reads)
• De vrouw drinkt (the woman drinks)
• I love to say een meisje (the girl)
• I know that if a word ends in -en then more than one person is involved (lezen, drinken), but it’s pronounced -eh!

Okay, so I’m obviously a beginner, but things are going much much smoother than my previous attempts at foreign language, and I plan on keeping up with my Rosetta Stone lessons until our trip finally materializes, so expect updates and more videos on my quest to learn Dutch!

Toot ziens!

This is completely deplorable.

An ambulance was en route to the hospital with a patient; lights and sirens. A police officer was en route to a call; lights and sirens. The police officer got upset that the ambulance didn’t pull over for him, so the officer pulls the ambulance over, with the patient still in the ambulance, and arrests the paramedic.

Not only does the paramedic get arrested, but one of the officers puts a choke hold on him and pins him against the side of the ambulance. All the while, the patient isn’t receiving the medical attention they deserve.

My husband is a paramedic and is forever complaining about the lack of respect that they receive from the general public and other public service employees, and the fact that he could easily be put in the same situation as the paramedic in the video while trying to do his job and help someone in need is completely unacceptable.

I realize the video is an extreme situation, but please treat paramedics with the same respect you would firefighters and police officers. They will likely have to come to your rescue one day.

1. Anele’s question: Do you have a natural ability to cook or do you feel you just “get by?”

I wouldn’t say that my meals are gourmet quality, but I think I do better than most. My MIL was impressed with my quesadillas last week.

2. Why do you buy the size eggs that you buy?

Extra Large, double pack from Costco.

3. Do you have any cooking “rules”?

Do exactly as America’s Test Kitchen says. They have the best cookbooks ever.

4. Fresh corn. Yellow, white or bicolored?

Yellow.

I’m one of the easiest people ever to find online, so you have to promise that after I tell you what I’m about to tell you, you won’t look me up for a surprise visit.

Every third night I’m home alone because my husband works 24 hour shifts as a paramedic. My only protection is 11 pounds of pure-bred dachshund.

Obviously, a wireless security system from Protect America is a much needed upgrade, and one we’ll be investing in when we have our own home.

The Platinum Package from Protect America is only $36.95 a month and provides protection for up to 15 entry points, including doors and windows, as well as a motion detector and garage door sensor, 24/7 monitoring, an internal siren and door chimes to alert us when someone entering or exiting our home, and plenty of signs and decals to let everyone know that we’re protected by more than a weiner dog.

If you’re interested in protecting your home and family with Protect America, sign up by calling 877-470-2751 and receive two key chain remotes, which allow you to arm and disarm the system, as well as send a panic signal, from anywhere in your home.

When I heard that 9 out of 10 couples compromise on comfort in order to sleep together I wasn’t surprised. It seems that every couple I know complains about their significant other’s sleeping habits, including Mike and I, and that ads up to almost 300 hours of lost sleep a year!

Here’s just a few of our problems:

• Mike snores.
• I moan.
• Mike likes a firm mattress.
• I like a soft mattress.
• Mike like to be snug as a bug in a rug.
• I like to be chilly willy.
• Mike sleeps like a rock.
• I toss and turn.
• We each sleep with our own blanket because we both hog the blanket.
• The dog hogs the bed.

For the past 15 years, The Better Sleep Council has declared May Better Sleep Month, so I think it’s time we all got our beauty rest and took some tips to promote better sleep for couples from sleep expert, Pete Bils. Here are just a few tips to avoid some of the most common sleeping problems couples encounter:

• If your partner snores, try going to bed first so you can fall asleep peacefully (or just smother them with a pillow).
• If your partner tosses and turns, create a barrier with pillows to help minimize bed movement (or strap them down when they sleep).
• If you and your partner prefer different sleeping temperatures, try a dual weight comforter or electric blanket (or just open a window and tell them to deal).
• Vow to make the bedroom a restful place. No work, no laptop, no television (unless of course there’s a really good Disease-of-The-Week movie on).
• If you and your partner prefer different mattress firmness, invest in a bed that allows you to adjust the firmness (so you an be comfy, and they can stop whining).

To celebrate Better Sleep Month, Select Comfort has special deals on their fabulous Sleep Number Mattresses, a great way to get the quality sleep you deserve while still being close to your honey (and not having to smoother them with a pillow or strap them down like a psych ward). Just look at all the problems a bad mattress can cause…

Sleep is important, so take a little time to make your sleeping situation and your relationship as comfortable as possible!