I'm still awake

I wonder why? oh yeah - It's Christmas, and I had to make sure Santa's note was ready, and that he ate his cookies and milk. Thank you family for all the goodies for my kids. Merry Christmas to all of you. Have a wonderful weekend, and fabulous New Year. Thanks Becky for watching my kids all day while I stayed home sick trying to figure out how to bake while feeling a bit shabby. I promise to write before the year ends... but just wanted to wish my friends and familia a superb Navidar. (that's what Celia calls it... Navi-dar)

Saw these and they made me so happy.

Can't wait for summer again. I hope you are well. We are dealing with the sickies that I just mentioned last week we didn't have. Whateva. But all is good in our hood.

Except for that the other day a bottle of Fish Sauce broke in my kitchen. That was the nastiest thing ever ever ever ever ever. I'll never buy fish sauce again, no matter what the recipe says. Just ask Lety.

We did Disneyland this week, and the dance between Celia and Effie by the fountain in the Tiki Room made me crack up so hard. I'd never laughed so hard watching my kids. They acted out the most dramatic choreography between the two of them, holding each other close when the girl birds sang, then dancing like drumming mad women when the music got crazy, and ... well, it was just too good.

I gotta go - cuz I'm tired but those beach pictures just made me so happy I had to share. Have a beautiful day.

poor thing

ugg... I thought we had made it this far in the clear. No one had been sick for weeks, then all of a sudden, Celia can't stop coughing. Yuck. Send up your prayers that it doesn't take long for her to get better - cuz everything is just that much nicer, and easier when you're healthy.

I think we may have pushed her a little bit - maybe with school, violin, swimming lessons, musical theatre, birthday parties, music class.... wow. Poor kids never get a chance to just chill out.

But she's ok - and happy - when she's not having a coughing fit.

And Rosey Cakes is ok. Hopefully she doesn't get the bug. She's extra cute though. I think she may fulfill what was my ultimate life long dream of becoming a comedian. She is seriously one funny lady. If you have had the chance to hang out with this young little funny one in the past week, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Her mannerisms, expressions, and choice of words all fall into one category. Funny.

Despite the sickies - we've had such a fun past few weeks. I had to leave my Saturday job for other opportunities that arose. My Fall Music with Sara class is done till January. My Brand class is also done till then... so for awhile- I'll enjoy everything - and especially enjoy how much nicer everything else is, and how much easier everything else seems.... when the dishes are done. (for now)

Celia started swim class. They just threw the child in the water... (did I mention that in the last blog?) Effie was too shy, so I'm forced to go with her now to Mommy and Me swimming - which is cool, but after swimming in a salt water pool all summer, it wasn't fun swimming in chlorine.

Celia has memorized all her Musical theatre lines and it's a riot. Effie has memorized them too. Their best buddies moved outta town, so that was the excitement for the whole week before. They left behind a gas grill that has proven to be a wonderful, soul healing addition to our family. Grilled veggies and meats make for a happy home with happy and bountiful leftovers that keep everyone in a good mood.

We made it to the Fesitval of Lights again last night for the first time this year. Don't know if the cold played a roll in Celia's illness - but she was warm and bundled from head to toe... and the walk... was... long. But FUN!

Effie has been blessed with outings with her Nina... shopping, movies, and Santa. She raved about her day all night. She told her Nina (Lety) that a woman's shawl would "definitely look great on my Dad". Luckily, Lety didn't take her advice and buy it for him. Her Santa pics are too cute with her cutesey wootsy little chin on top of her other cutesy wootsy chin.

And let me not forget to mention her "confession with Santa". The man asked her if she had been good and she went off to tell him sadly that she "broke Celia's 101 Dalmatian's Dvd", and thats what she needed for Christmas to get her a new one. Man - she's gotten the guilt complex already without having experienced CCD yet! Hahahaha.

I can't stand how cute they are. I still am boggled by the idea of making real humans... and every time I look at my own, and I can't believe how great my little humans are.

I'm gonna enjoy the fact that it's 9:22pm, and no one is awake, and there's no laundry to fold, and that there are no dishes to do. I may just watch a movie. I may just have some cereal in peace. I don't know. The possibilities are a select few, but right now they all sound good to me. Crawling into bed early with my 3 warm humans doesn't sound too bad either.

Would Rather

Would rather blog than do the big big pile of dishes... and I don't know about where you live, but it's like we are living in a sand storm. All that debris from the fires that blew around stinks, and there's so much dust, and so much dirt outside that it's giving me extra work to do around here. Oh well.

And the dishes man... I don't talk about them much anymore, but I don't get where they came from. Oh yeah. Now I remember. Effie took out every pot and pan and utensil she could find to make some kind of a potion yesterday with water. At least it wasn't the kind she makes with parmesan cheese, paprika, flour, salt, sugar, and an entire bottle of chocolate syrup. At least she won't drink the potions.

So after a LONG week of:

Thanksgiving dinner once.
Thanksgiving dinner twice.
Pre-wedding party (Yeah Neal and Jasleen!)
Wedding ceremony.
Wedding reception.
Thanksgiving baking.
Monica's birthday.
My birthday.
My almost last day of work.
My vacation from work.
Celia's first violin lesson.
Effie and Celia's first swim lesson.
Birthday parties.
Moving friends.
Moving friend's leftover stuff.
Work.
Writing songs for Celia's class.
Visiting.
Not visiting.
Cleaning up.
More cleaning up.
Broken/clogged plumbing.
Getting plumbing fixed.
Not finding piojos.
More work.

Yeah, so after a week of all that - plus more... and more that I can't think of, I'm so drained that I don't want to do those dishes. All I want to do is write this out so that it's official - and that everyone knows I'm busy. I think I like to sound busier than I really am, but ... if I sit and think about it for more than 4 seconds, I always conclude that yes - I am really freaking busy. But I don't mind. I like it. And I like being ok with it. But honestly, I prefer not-busy - to busy. For sure.

Ok. Enough rambles... how are you guys? Where are you all at? I haven't seen many of you in a long long time?! Well, let me tell you how exciting I was today to see Celia jump into a pool. Her first swim lesson was a success - (for her) and she overcame her fear of water in her eyes or on her face, and jumped twice into a pool, and even let the swim instructor toss her into the water. It was so cool. I mean - I haven't had many of those "I'm so proud of my big kid" moments, but I definitely had one of those. The reason I haven't had many - is cuz my kids are so small, and usually have only small victories - like Effie saying sentences with 16 words. Small victory? Ok. Maybe big.

And Rosey Cheeks is fast asleep, after telling her over and over again the story of a Sneaky Weasel. Or as she would say "A stowee of da Sneekee Weeso" So Cute.
She was sure a handful today. Lots of tears. Lots of whining. Lots of sadness. Poor Effie. I think she knows that she's a big girl now, and that being a girl means you whine and want everyone to know when you feel bad. She just can't suck it up! But thinking back, her big sister had many moments like Effie is now having, and Effie isn't even half as emo as her sister was. We never had terrible twos.... just kinda tiring threes. Oh Effie Rose. You are the cutest wootest... still.

Ok everyone. I'm gonna go. My eyelids are falling and it's only 9pm. I'm gonna put on the radio and listen to something awful that I would be embarrassed about listening to if you walked in the room. Wish me luck. The pile is enormous. Until the next one.

parents

So last Sunday (yesterday) my folks had their 35th Wedding Anniversary. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not much of a "gift giver". I like giving gifts, getting gifts, sharing gifts, but I didn't get my parents anything. (Sorry) But I would like this to be somewhat of an "ode" to them, because, you know what? I really do like them... A lot.

I never thought about parents as much as I do now, now that I am one. Before - my folks were - well, my folks. Always will and always have loved them. Of course when I was 15 I knew more than them. And now that I'm a parent myself - it's all different.

Apparently the point of being a parent - is to hopefully be a better parent than your own right? It may not always be easy to do. But my folks and I have discussed this before. As a parent, you take the best from your own parents, use it, discard the not-so-great-, and move forward, do better, and try your best.

I have to admit - that the reason I am the way I am, is mostly due to the fact that I did have great parents. (and still do) Let me share some of my favorite child rearing practices my parents took part in.

They: (either my mother or father or both)
Took us to Disneyland a lot. (thank you)
Didn't keep too close an eye on us. (thank you)
Let us have unlimited TV access. (I don't know if I should thank you on that one)
Taught me to "Make nice"
Made sure things were nice and tidy. (or pristine for that matter)
Made me ham and eggs, just the way I liked em.
Took us out. A lot.
Let me take ballet.
Let me play piano.
Let me wear cowboy boots for a very long time.
Got us front row seats. (thanks mom)
Taught me to pray.
Took me to parties. (thanks mom)
Let me play outside alone.
They didn't let me have a dog.
Then... they let me have a dog.
I got to eat a lot of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. (thanks for the cavities)
Took many pictures. So many pictures in fact, that it's hard to forget things. (Good thing they are all things worth remembering)

Of course there's more. And my mom and dad are both very different, and did many different things for me and my sister. I'm glad they are different, and don't think alike, cuz then things wouldn't have been so interesting.

It was always fun to say I had a saint for a mom, and a heathen for a father. Maybe I wouldn't say he's much of a heathen these days though, maybe more of a... well, I'll just say he's a nice guy.

So, my point is... I'm glad they're still here. I'm glad my kids have them too. I'm glad they get to read books to my kids, and play super friends with them, and that they don't have to work their butts off anymore - at least not in an office. I'm glad that they can still drive. I'm glad they can still kind of see and hear (somewhat), because my kids are definitely worth looking at and listening to. I'm glad that I had kids - more than anything because I think there comes a point in time where you start to forget what it is to be a kid. And even though those memories of being a kid are so vivid, you can't really feel them anymore. Then, you have a baby, have to raise a kid, and it brings it all back. You relive the fun, the feeling that you can do no wrong, and you get to watch these tiny humans smile and laugh, and all you want to do is protect them and help them enjoy the time in their life that goes by too quickly. You try to spare them any pain, because you know by now, most things are just NBD. So you have fun. Cuz it's all that matters. Fun... well... to me at least... fun matters. It may not be everything - and sure things get serious. People get rude. Parents get weird. We get mad. Kids get sad. People die. Friends move. Boys stink. Girls cry. You know... all that fun stuff. But as I always tell my buddies... we can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we handle what comes our way. So, it's much more fun... to have fun.

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad. It's fun to have fun. So go out today and have some fun with each other. I love you.

So Cute

I mean ... Effie is so cute. Even today Celia said "Mom! I'm CUTE!!! But.... Effie is REALLLLLLYYYY cute." She's so right.

Effie squints her eyes when she talks, and scrunches her cheeks because she's so serious and adamant about what she has to say.

She calls my folks "Yamma and Yampa".

She makes specific requests to wear her: Batgirl Ballerina Dress. Heart Tights. Bella wand. Pink Cape. Tap shoes 3 sizes too big without laces. Red headband.

When she wakes me up in the morning, she shuts her eyes real tight and smiles so big. That's it. She just sticks her big toothy smiley face in mine, until she jumps up and shakes the dust outta the curtains to announce the sun rise. She is so sweet. She holds Celia's hand till she wakes up, and if Effie wakes her up, she's always happy and says "Awwww....Effie... I love you!". (But if I wake her up for school she says "I'm too cozy and still sleepy")

Effie dances on the chair if she likes her food, and throws her hands up then alternates - right hand up, then right hand down with left hand up, and so on.

When we play hide and go seek, if you are hiding with Effie, she'll always give away the hiding spot. She says "we're hiding in the... i.e. shower!" She always blows a cover.

Lately she says things like "Do you think my yamma misses me?" "Can we watch da mobie I was cwaywing for in the morning?" "Did I alwedy have my's Birtday take?"

I mean... I can't stand it. The 9 and a half pound little big child I gave birth to that caused me so much trauma for 16 hours happens to be such a cutey. I am actually glad I rarely recall the day I expelled that child from my womb because it was so horrendous. But I have to admit... with the bad comes the good, cuz Thank Jesus in heaven, Effie is an angel from above. And now she's an even cuter wuter little angel cuz I chopped her bangs a nice inch above her bushy eyebrows, and now you can see even more of my cutest wootest wittle big baby.

Halloweens

Halloween seemed to last a lifetime this year. We had:

One kid's Halloween Party. - Fun - except that I creeped some parents out with my get-up.
My brother's Halloween Party. - Fun - He was a great Elvis
School Halloween Parade - Cute
Music Class Halloween Party - Fun - except that I creeped some kids out with my get-up.
Dreamworks Halloween Party - Nice - good food - and I went as a tree.
Q-Family Halloween Party - Fun! (Even had a clown partner!)
Treak Or Treating - Tiring - and Fun
Harmony/Glenn Halloween Party - FUN! Frankenstein and his bride were the hosts!

So, as you can see we had a lot of Fun - as always - and I'm glad I don't have to paint my face for awhile now! And I don't have to try to force Effie into a costume! We can relax for awhile - that is until Friday when I start freaking out about Effie's Birthday party right?

And I started music classes at Celia's school. Now I get to see all the little kids she talks about all the time. And I get to see what kind of little trouble makers they are. They are definitely a rowdy bunch of 5 year olds - which makes me happy. Celia is the little miss perfect one, trying very hard not to do anything outta place. Poor kid. I hope she loosens up a bit! I keep telling her that I spent most of 1st and 2nd grade in the "Thinking Chair" and that it was NBD - so to just relax.

So here are the 3 funny quotes of the day:

We fixed up Celia and Effie's bedroom today while my folks played SuperFriends with them and when Effie got back she noticed that her shoe rack was on top of her cardboard house - then when she went to look for her shoes, she saw them in a new place and said "Oh! My shoes are in anothers direction nows!"

Then in the evening while I was putting away laundry, I could hear Alex and the girls watching YouTube clips, then I heard Celia scream "I LOVE this singer SO much! What's his name again?"
Then Alex responded - "Sammy Davis Jr"
The funny part is that he was not joking. Here's the clip she so loved in case you are curious as to how funny this child is, and how funny Alex is. Not that the song or singer is funny, but what 5 year old today loves SDJ? I guess Celia.



Then while we were taking a walk in the dark tonight - and the chasing game was never ending, and the duck duck goose outside the liquor store was more fun than you'd think - Effie kept running and saying "Nah nah nah - You can'ts catch me! Runs runs as fast as you tan - you tan't tatch me I'm da Shingerbread mans!" I love my little Shingerbread man. She's so so so so cute.

Thank you everyone for all the Halloween fun. There is a lot lot lot going on right now, and it's all fun, manageable, and life is wonderful. I hope you are all happy too. Disneyland on Tuesday for Goo Goos' 3rd birthday. See you there?

Mucho

There's always so much going on. And that's a good thing.... I'm sure.
The weekend was good. Real good. I'm a bit tired of one of my jobs, and every night before I have to go to it, I get cranky, complain, then say I'm gonna quit. Then I go, have fun, remember I'm not too bad at what I do, and go on from there. So whatever with that.

Celia had a day off Friday, and we stayed busy, took a late walk, and did a long music class that lasted over an hour. Saturday we made it to the beach. It had been over a year (I think, if I'm not over-exaggerating which I can tend to do) since we'd gone. And it was so so so wonderful. Effie was in a constant state of euphoria the entire time, and I had a perty good time myself.

Every time we go to the beach, I remember my parents' complaints about sand. Well... yeah, sand can be gross and get in your butt, all over your car, all over our stuff, in your hair, and is messy, but it is definitely worth the hassle to see your kids have fun. Right? Maybe my folks didn't think so, cuz they didn't take us to the beach much - they left it to my brother to take me (thank you Freddy, and don't worry mom and dad, I don't hold it against you). But that's ok, cuz now I can go whenever I want, and deal with the sand however I like right?

But something funny happens at the beach. It doesn't happen to me a lot, or in many places, but it seems that when you're at the ocean, things kind of slow down, and moments kind of just... well... they almost stop. (One other place this happens to me at is when I walk over a freeway over-pass) Maybe it happens by the sea cuz the beach is so far away from my kitchen sink and dirty dishes, or maybe cuz the beach is so immense that it makes you feel so teeny tiny. I don't know, but I like that feeling, and even though it made me sad that I kept my kids away from such a great place for so long, I was still so happy I was there.

Effie was a madwoman when it came to the waves. She wanted to literally sit underneath them. When she saw all the bubbles she'd freak out and scream screams of joy, and she could care less that it was cold. In fact, she'll only let me rinse her in the bathtub if I put on cold water. While Celia was shivering, Effie was perfectly fine. She's a cold blooded Virgo that little Effie. And hot headed too. Is that a Virgo trait? Ha. Alex scooped out a little lagoon for them, and Effie would run down the slope of sand and just jump right into it. When we got there, Celia was terrified of the waves, but as soon as we got into the water, she held my hand, and was almost as happy as Effie. It really was so much fun, and even worth the 90 minutes of traffic we had to deal with on the way home. Whatever to that too.

And today we did the carousel, and a 60 minute wait for the medium paced pony rides at Griffith Park. (not at all worth the wait) We had to listen to parents yell at their kids the entire time, who don't know how to stand still for an hour. Parents are lame. I can't even stand still for an hour. I kept telling Celia we could just come back during the week when no one was around, and she kept saying to me: "NBD mom. NBD" (No Big Deal) It's our new thing around here. Any time someone starts to complain about something, someone ends up saying NBD. It works. Really it does. Just try it. When you get pissed, or tired, or stressed out, just think to yourself "NBD. NBD". There is always something worse than what you're going through.

After we did the park stuff, we got to enjoy Tony's birthday, and an evening of story telling by the Q sisters. I was just happy to listen for a change, and not have to be the one telling Effie the never ending stories for once. Thank you ladies.

And it's late. 12:50am to be exact. And I better go. At least the beans and the carnita are cookin, so I don't have to starve for too long tomorrow. And... (too much and... I know) tomorrow is my last day as a Spanish teacher for awhile. Yeahoo!
See you kids around. Again, if you have any costume suggestions for me - or costumes to give me... holler.

Adios amiguitos y amiguitas.

Yodleyhee

Hoo...

How's it going everyone? Do you still read this blog? Well... I still write it.

Today I woke up late, long story, but I remembered my dream that Alex had to walk miles in the snow with prisoners, and that I was going to the beach, and stopped at a salt water taffy place that sold deep friend hot dogs in the shape of ice cream cones. Weird.

And today, we had a long date day, cuz the kids were with the Horlicks, playing Super Friends and eating chicken, and taking a ducky. So we left the eastside, as we cruised around in the LA overcast - which we used to do a lot as youngins, and ended up at St. Vincent's as usual. Didn't get much, except a Wonder Woman costume too small for me. On the way there we passed a bar, and some East Los vatos were hanging out, and I thought... what a life those guys have. They get to chill out at a grungy bar all day, and kick it with the same old vatos all day, then Alex said, they were lucky cuz they probably go home to a nice hot bowl of caldo from their wives who let them hang out at the bar all day. Ha. Sometimes (at least to me) Alex can be the funniest man in the world. I mean, not that that last comment was that funny, but for reals, he is quite the funny one.

So Celia has begun school anxiety. She's really nervous about us getting her to school late. As of Monday she had been tardy twice. Once on the second day of school when mom and dad were just figuring the whole drive to school thing, and I was able to walk her right to her class, and the second time on Monday when Alex got Celia to the gate as they were closing it on her. So yesterday she told me "Mom. I don't want to get to school on time. I don't want to get to school late. I want to get to school early so I can get in line with my friends." Ok - fair enough.

So this morning, my alarm clock died! I mean really died. I woke up. Saw sunlight. Bad sign. Cuz Celia always wakes up when it's still a little dark. I asked Alex: "What day is it today". He said "Tuesday". I said "S#$t". I had big plans to wake Celia up early, so as not to rush. That didn't work. So, I got her up calmly. Did all the morning stuff calmly. And got her in the car calmly. Then I broke the news to her.

It went well. She didn't get upset, cuz I told her I had a note for the teacher to explain the tardy, and I'd take her to the office, etc, etc. She was a brave one, and the day ended up ok. The other morning fiasco was that there was chicken nuggets in the cafeteria today, and she wanted them, but insisted on taking her lunch box as well, so I had to write another note to ensure that she would get in the nuggets line even though she wanted to take a lunch box. (She ate the nuggets, even though she said they were a little too brown). The last time I sent her to the cafeteria, she took her lunch box with her, never got in line cuz she was too scared, and ended up eating some carrots and water for lunch. Ugg.

The other thing is that she has become a little miss I have to be good all the time. I've tried to explain to her that her mother was less than perfect, and sat in a "Thinking Chair' for most of 1st and 2nd grade, but she needs to have a "green card" everyday. No... not that kind of green card - the one they give in Kindergarten if you are good everyday. Yellow means warning, and let's not even get into what red would mean or blue ... cuz that's not gonna happen. But she was so afraid of the yellow card, that she held in potty way too long. No accidents - just a melt down when I picked her up from school. She said she had her hand raised for too long, it was un-noticed, and the teacher never saw her. Which meant, she was suffering in silence. I told the child that when you gotta go you gotta go. Listen to your body, and she said she would NEVER get out of her seat without permission no matter what. (I'm gonna have to talk to the teach about that one) It was a tough one to explain, but she wants to be so good it's funny to me. (I never seemed to care about that kind of stuff - but maybe it's an oldest child thing, cuz from what I remember, my sister was a pretty good student - minus during second grade when she had a wack teacher).

Anyhow. We can't forget the other child. She does exist you know, even though she was born second. My Effiekins. The goo goos is the funniest thing. I've been recounting to many people how we turned the lights off on Sunday and she went frantic throwing her hands in all our faces, saying "I can'ts see Mom. I can'ts see you Dads. I can't finds you Celia!!!! I'm BLIND!".

She also has a new thing about stories. Well, she's always loved us to tell her stories, but she's really into stories all day long. Whenever there is a moment of silence, you can expect Effie to say "Tells me dat storys about when Batman and Robin got their chonies on fire by Captains Colds", or "Tells me dats storys of when Effie wents to the forest of feewings, and she was with the Care Bears". Or "Tells me a stories of when I was a baby in yours tummy". I mean, you can't just tell her a story. It has to be the one she suggests, like "Tells me da storys of when Minnie walks to the forests and the wolfs has to learn to makes her a apples pie."

So cute. I know I've said it before. But the child is too cute. All day. Every day. All the time. And if you are not seeing her, or spending time with her, you are missing out, cuz this cutest thing in the world won't be cute for long. Before you know it she'll be 13 years old and not cute. So here's your chance! Hurry! Before she can properly pronounce a K or a T! Get her while she's CUTE!

So, I gotta go. It's 11:43. Still have lessons to plan, and dishes to not do cuz it's now Alex's job. Good night!

Eyyyyyy

Is "eyyyyy" how you would pronounce what the Fonz says? Well, I really wish I were the Fonz.... but I don't want to be a guy. How could I be a girl version of the Fonz....?? I wanna be the Fonz cuz he always wears the same thing and it looks so cozy. I told my students today I was likely meant for sisterhood - or to be a nun, cuz I like wearing the same thing everyday... even though I never do. If I had a cozy white t-shirt, and cozy jeans- and shoes - I would like about 7 pairs of each to wear every day. Don't get me wrong. I like fancy clothes and know I'd be good at sporting them. But I also like simplicity. I went to St. Vincents on Sunday and bought a bunch of new blouses (well, new to me) and sweaters.. and I dug em all, but while I was looking at the clothes I realized why I don't have decent outfits. I'm too lazy to shop! I was tearing through the isles, and looking and looking... and all the while I wanted to do something else. Maybe it's in my blood. Shopping just ain't my thing. That's why I appreciate all you (most of you who read this) who clothe me. Thank you for your old shirts, tank tops, shoes, etc, cuz you are much better at shopping than I and I appreciate your help. Ok. Seriously.. I have some of the same shirts that I've been wearing for years, if not decades now, and it's embarrassing. Enough said.

And this past week was buusssyyy. My mama's been feeling not-so-hot so say your prayers for her - (are you better now mom?) Work has been nuts.. but FUN! Teaching Spanish is always... interesting. I mean, teaching anything to high schoolers is perty cool. They are more interesting than babies in that they laugh at my jokes rather than my silly faces. Well, they laugh at the silly faces too. You can scare them in a way you can't scare little children. You can say bigger words to them. But they are less interesting in that they are not as cute. Plus, they are pubescent. And that in itself should be considered a disease. A disease worth being quarantined for. I mean, just think about it. Well, to speak for myself, I think I should have been isolated or sent to a deserted island from 14-about 17. And I wasn't even really bad. Either way... I'm with 13-16 year olds for 4 hours a day, 3 days a week, and it's... well.... it.... uhhh.... sometimes makes me fear my future with my own children.... or .... sometimes makes me happy that some kids are actually... or can be... wonderful - even during puberty.

And Effie is so cute. Haven't I said that before. I love how she says "yours". She always says things like.

"I want to sit on yours lap"
"Alex is yours husband?"
"Can I see yours mahka?" (marker)
"I loves yours face".

And Celia has enjoyed school so much this week that not once has she asked to sleep in! I think that's a good sign right?
She has more detailed accounts these days of playing "Littlest Pet Shop" every day at lunch, where she is a character named "Poof Poof", and the game they play entails one boy who has to chase all the Littlest Pet Shop Girl Dogs around. Every time I ask her what her favorite part of the school day was, she either says "Avery" (her buddy), "Cafeteria", (lunch time), or "Leer Cuentos". (story time) So, it's going well. Today she said she loved Kindergarten " A super super bunch" with a thumbs up. Ok. So I won't take her out to home school her just yet. hahahaha.

And don't leave your kid in a car seat with a marker. In the 6 minutes it took me to pick Celia up from school Effie painted striped tights on her legs.

We put pumpkin lights around the front door today, and red streamers hanging from the front window. The girls said it was hanging fire going up... whatever that means. It's a Halloween decoration.

Ok kids. Enough said again. Have a great week. I better sleep now, cuz I've spent too much time writing this, when I should actually be doing work. Oh well.

Otra Vez

Hey everyone. It's so early I don't know what to do with my time. The girls were asleep before 8am. Kindergarten has done something to my first born that I wasn't anticipating. It gave her an appetite. I mean, she used to eat well, but now she wants to eat all the time. My little babies were always like little birdies, just picking away at food (but I hear birds actually eat a lot, so that it's not really a good analogy) - and now, Celia wants a full meal when she gets home from school, snacks, another full meal, then another snack, and then she sleeps. I'm cool with this though. I feel that her wanting to eat makes me a better mom, cuz now all the things I give her actually go into her stomach instead of laying on a plate that I look at with angst. It actually boggles my mind how much a 5 year old can actually consume. Good thing she's not into flaming hots yet, I can't afford that kind of habit around here.

Effie is still wearing that Minnie bathing suit - at least 5 times a week. Bath time is really the only way to get it off her. I honestly prefer it though to the Minnie costume. The kid sleeps right next to me, and sleeping next to a big sweaty baby in a big itchy Minnie costume is not necessarily annoying, but .... well... silly.

The new routine of school makes for a more human bedtime for me. By 8pm they were asleep. I feel bad cuz I broke a promise though. Last night we crashed in MP after Disneyland, and Celia and Effie were left to sleep by their lonesomes (like most normal children do), and Celia came to my old room to get me around 3am I think. So tonight she said to me:

"Mom. When I sleep in Cathie's old bed I like to sleep on her cozy pillows. But when we're at home in your bed, I like to sleep on your tummy. So tonight, promise me that you'll go to sleep when I go to sleep, and you won't wake up until I wake up ok? You can't leave, or get up until I do ok?" Well, I wanted the kid to sleep peacefully so I said ok. Look at me. A dishonest mother. Geez. But I'll creep back into our California King Sized - turned horizontally - bed in a few minutes cuz my eyes are starting to droop anyway. And yeah, the dishes are done, I mopped the kitchen, I put away about 18 pairs of little shoes, I picked up little scraps of paper from all over the floor where the girls had a scissors party, I finished my lesson plan for tomorrow, I watered the lawn, I put away the dishes, I did some laundry... and it's 11:55 and the only thing I still have to do besides brush and floss is.... put away the last of the clean dishes, move the laundry, make Celia's lunch, pack the music class stuff, print out all the music class stuff, and get back into bed between Minnie Mouse and the other one who won't know that I broke my promise.

Since I Have the Time

Hi Friends.
I made it.
We did it.
We had a birthday party the same day I had to work, and 100 people exactly made it through the gate in the backyard to join us. So if you made it, thanks for coming, and I hope you had as much fun as Celia and Effie. There were no meltdowns, no tears, (except when Effie begged to fall asleep with the biggest tootsie roll known to mankind), thanks to you the clean up was manageable, and we all ate enough.

The adults taking over the jumper is always a fun time. I think jumpers may just become mandatory for parties in which we can not afford a 12 piece live band. ?? Why not.

And.... the days are crazy.. but for some reason now that the party of the year is over, I feel chill. I can think straighter. I don't have little details about plastic forks and appetizers on my mind, and all I have to do now is try to manage thank you cards.

Effie has become my new dishwashing partner by the way. She's good at it too. All I need is a chair for her to stand on, a good amount of soap, and I just pass her the non-glass - non-sharp - eating utensils. She just scrubs, and ends up taking a scrubber to her arms and body, but it's all good. Now that I know she can manage to stay there next to me for the 20 plus minutes it takes me to do a load of dishes, it means I don't have to save them for when she's asleep. And Celia is always down to dry - but she can't reach the cabinets, so I put em away. Fair enough.

She still isn't that into getting to school though. She likes to say "I'm too tired for school mom, but I'm not too tired to stay home with you and Dad today." Everyday she surprises me lots of new spanish vocabulary. It's pretty exciting really that she's finally getting it. And Effie likes speaking spanish too. Her favorite word is "rosa" and she loves to answer "Si, mama" to everything I say to her.

The little rosey cakes just woke up from bed right now with a nasty fever. Damn flu season. I took her to the kitchen to hit up the over the counter Mexican meds I've been stashing, but no luck. She didn't want any. Not even Grape Tylenol with sugar. To make matters worse she's wearing the biggest, fluffiest, most uncomfortable looking Minnie costume as pajamas tonight. I couldn't convince the child out of it, so I thought I'd change her in her sleep, but because of the sickey, she's not asleep deep enough to do that. She keeps saying "Not off my Minnie Tostume! It mies pajamas mommmm!"

Poor thing. Just when I was feeling good about everything starting to chill out, she has to get sick. Yuk. Poor baby. Well, I guess that means chicken soup for lunch tomorrow.

As usual I just wanted to check in with you friends out there. Take care. Lets hope Effie recovers as quickly as Celia did from her bug last week. Be good and THANK you all for all your help at the party, for all of Celia's beautiful gifts, and for spending time with us. I'm a glutton for punishment when it comes to parties but in the end it's always always worth it.

Toe Still Hurts.

And 2 weeks of Kindergarten down already. Can you believe it.

I'm assuming it's going well for my first born because:

1. She doesn't complain.
2. She doesn't hesitate to leave in the morning.
3. Always has a smile after-school.

She has said the day is long, and she prefers staying home all day with mom and dad, but hey, if we were your parents, you'd say the same thing, so who can blame her?

And Effie... is so cute. I'm gonna have to start posting video, cuz she is the most beautiful funny thing I have ever seen in my whole life. She is still wearing her Minnie Bathing Suit, or Snow White Dress almost everyday. She always says: mom - did you wash mys minnie bayding suits? You washed it? Fors me? Oh, tank yous moms. So cute.

Today Celia said: "do you remember those people who came to our house to visit Earth? Remember - they stayed in my room, and came from Mexico to visit Earth? And we took them to the bus stop?"

That was funny. She was talking about guests we had from Mexico earlier this year, and how they visited California - but it was too funny to me that she didn't realize Mexico was also on the same Planet as California. hahahaha.

And since I last wrote - I've gotten busier and busier and busier and busier. I have 5 Music Classes to teach each week - not including 3 extra Piano classes on Saturdays. Back at the Arts High School 3 days a week, and trying to plan a birthday party.

Oh - We'll be at Disneyland on Tuesday after 2pm if anyone wants to join us. It's Celia's bday, and we are looking forward to getting back there. It's been a long 2 weeks without Disneyland. Ha.

And besides being busy - it's nice to be outside again, after the fire madness has subsided. And it wasn't too hot today so we got to walk. And my dumb stubbed toe still hurts, but was ok enough to begin walking again - so now I feel like a normal human. Did you go outside today? Well, it was NICE.... I must say. We took the girls out to ride bikes and scooters in front of Hoover High School, and it was mighty lovely.

Last night I made it to the New Bev at Midnight to see Breakin 2 -Electric Boogaloo. I won't write about it, cuz the name and title of the movie alone must make it obvious that I had an amazing time.

I just wanted to write to check in - and let you know that we are surviving Kindergarten the best we can. The hardest part is getting the kid out in the morning on time, and getting up so darn early, but it's proven to be good for all of us. I think.

Adios Amiguitos.

My Toe Hurts

Celia made it through her first day of Kindergarten with absolutely no instruction in English.
It was a little uneventful in that she was supposed to start Monday, but due to the fires school was then canceled on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday.... so by the time Thursday rolled around - we just got her up, gave her some milk and toast by request, put a special note with a drawing of Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl in her Tinkerbell Lunch Bag, and sent her off. She got a picture with her new buddy Hudson before school, gave me a hug, hugged her teacher Senorita Carbajal, then sat on the rug. That was it.

At home, Effie wanted to be with her sister, but decided to play Super Friends with mom and dad. She told me she wanted her friends to play in the "haladustis". (The Hall of Justice) Too cute. Too cute. Oh Effie.

We picked up Celia who was wearing her new Kindergarten hat that said "Bravo! Mi Primer Dia De Kinder!" Too cute. She didn't say much except that she liked Senorita "Carnaval" instead of "Carbajal", and that Hudson could still see without his glasses.
First thing I did was check her lunch, and as suspected - it was all there. It took about 2 hours before she confessed to having a "hot dog on a stick". I still don't get why she forgot her lunch bag in the room. She said she was too shy to take it, so all I can imagine is some lunch person feeling sorry for my kid with no food and giving her a lunch tray in the cafeteria. I only wish I could have been there to watch. She said she ate the whole thing, while she ate her leftover grapes, carrots, and crackers in the car.

Just thought I'd give you all the update. In fact, I want it on record, because I believe the internet may exist in 20 years so Celia and Effie can go back and read it for themselves. I promise to report more soon. Can't wait to play Super Friends again with Rosey Cakes, and see what Celia comes up with tomorrow.

I'm ALIVE!

So so so many things have been happening!! We've been so busy. It's weird -because of the fires we've been spending a lot of time here at home, but we have made it to the Getty, (thanks to Lucena for her lovely class!) - Disneyland 3 times this month already, no beach, the zoo on a hot day with Becky and got another monster snow cone that the bees kept eating with us on a day Shaq was there. I wonder if Shaq got a big snow cone too?

And it's been crazy - to say the least. My music classes are goodz - nothing real new to report - but if you wanna come - please do! I'm just busy with that stuff. By next week I'll have 5 classes, and it's cool.

We got Celia a violin for her birthday. If any of you wanna buy her a week or month of lessons for her birthday - let me know! (hint) We are looking into getting lessons for her, and applying for scholarships, so I'll keep you posted with that. It's very exciting.

And Effie is too young for Tiny Tots - so until January! But we don't care cuz that means we HAVE OUR BABY all to ourselves! It will be so nice to finally have some Effie-time considering she's the second and we've never had her without Celia around for the most part. I think she's gonna miss her big sister a lot when she's in school, but I'm sure we will keep the little lady busy. By the way.... she's SOOOOOOOO cute.

We had our anniversary last Saturday - number 6 to be exact... and it was.... fun! I stubbed my toe in the morning, (and for some reason today I'm hobbling around like a nimrod) - then work was crappy, then Effie took a too late nap, then we made a gift of a 1/2 gallon of super hot chile for a friends' housewarming that ended up all over Alex, me, the front seat of the Jeep, and the fancy calligraphed card I made them, and it was hot, but it was funny, so we made dinner for my kids and ourselves, and had a fancy date watching the fires from the roof of the Edwards Alhambra Parking lot, and ate some fancy candy and had a fancy coffee. It was a wonderful $9 date. Thanks pops.

And it's funny to go to Disneyland so often, cuz if you go and end up there 5 days later it seems like you never left. The girls have a great time - and all the rides make them happy, but for some reason the Tiki Room has its spell. Last week when we were there Celia goes "Maaooomm. I want to LIVE here at Disneyland"
I asked her why and she said "Because it's SOOOOO great."

Geez.. what have we done to her? Then this week when we went she just stared at the birds and said "Disneyland is SOOOO magical". hahahah.. Whatacutey.
And you should see Effie dancing pretending to be a totem pole. I highly recommend to anyone to accompany my children on the tiki room before they die. It's lovely.

And the bday party is coming up - for those of you who tune in - mark your calendar for September 19th - here at my house. Bring your own beer. Times are tough. However, bring your jumping shoes, and as noted on the invitation you will soon receive: "Dress Fancy". Celia requested that "Girls wear dresses - and boys wear shirts". So if any of you boys out there thought about wearing something other than a shirt - don't. Of course it's optional - but why not?

As soon as the smoke clears Celia will start Kindergarten - in Spanish - so stay posted. She'll only have 15 minutes of instruction in English a day, so I'm sure some interesting stores will evolve within the next upcoming weeks.
Miss you kids. Love you guys. Hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoying September. I am. Take care.

Poy-Sun

So. Last night - or the other night, Effie - who always is playing "someone", like Minnie, or a Fraggle, said "Mom - lets play Red Fraggle. She's going to a party." So we start to play, and have a party, and have cake, then Effie says "Time fa Dinna!" and I say "what's for dinner?" and she says "Poy-Sun!".

That was weird. I didn't know she knew about poison, but it must have something to do with Snow White's apple. And she is convinced Snow White is gonna sit next to her when we go to the El Capitan to see it next month.

Tonight we went to see the movie "Ponyo" with Becky. It was good. And after we were talking about the movie "Up", and I asked her - "Did you like the movie Up?", and then Effie said - "I like da mooby Down".

That was funny.

And the reason I wanted to write about Poison today, was because I had a little chat with Poison Control.

So, you know I have a zillion things to do, that I don't always get done, like the stupid dishes that seem to pile up to the sky by the late afternoon, or the laundry that crowds my house - and I had ALL the laundry done, so I decided to wash the blankets and sheets, and pillow cases yadda yadda yadda, and so Alex dried them, and put em in a basket and left that basket on the bed. While the girls were playing Justice League in the bathtub, I decided to put on the fresh sheets. I picked up the laundry basket and had my hands grabbing onto the sides of the basket. Not where the handles are, but in the crevices on the sides. Anyhow, I feel something with my right ring finger, thinking its a piece of fussy lint that had accumulated, but wondered why it felt a little moist.

I didn't move my finger, but as I moved the basket, I decided to put it down, and throw away the little piece of dusty, moist, lint that was on my finger, so I kinda use my finger to scoop it up, then I take a look.

THERE WAS A FREAKIN DEAD BLACK WIDOW ON MY FINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So, I screamed like a lunatic and said " A F@#$(*&$@$%N BLACK WIDOW!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

Considering how many we see outside, and sometimes near the doors and windows, it was bound to happen to someone around here. I did a good spray a few months ago that made them either go away, die, or hide better, so I hadn't seen one in awhile. Anyhow, the one I killed and its babies made a little home under the sides of the laundry basket and must have gotten there the night I accidentally left the backdoor wide open and the empty laundry basket next to the door, or something stupid like that.

Anyway - I flicked that little sucker into the air, and ran to the bathroom to rinse off the venom I thought was going to kill me right then and there, then I had to recount what happened about 4 times to Alex who was trying to make sense of it, and my hand and finger hurt real bad, and I know it was psycho-somatic, and I didn't want to over-react, so we did a little online research and read that a black widow bite can go un-noticed - so I called poison control and realized I would live. To make this particular long and lame story short, I was fine, it didn't bite me, and I'm proof that you can kill a black widow with your bare hand without a care in the world. But don't go and try it ok?

It just happened to be the grossest thing that ever happened to me next to getting stung by a stupid bee on my eyelid and looking like Quasimoto for 2 days during Summer Camp 1987. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. I hate poy-sun.

And the summer is not quite over for us. I hope to see some of you soon. Be good. Take care, and check your laundry baskets.

For Cathie

Cathie made a 30 Second video of my Celia. Enjoy

It's been a year... I think.

Well, I feel like I started this blog a few months ago, but looking back I realize now that it has been more than a year. Hmm. Time does fly.

And at the moment I'm dealing with the butterflies in a big way. Every time I think about Celia going to Kindergarden and leaving us without her for more than 5 hours a day it makes me feel knots in my tummy. Ugg. But I'm sure she'll be fine, and maybe I'll be like my neighbor who said that once she stopped the initial crying after her kids started school, she got home and jumped for joy cuz she finally had free time. Ha. I wouldn't doubt it, but either way, I'm a little sadness more than anything because my baby isn't a baby anymore.

Summer sure has escaped us... or at least it's trying to, and I feel like I haven't seen anyone besides Becky, the Marinos, Luis, and Cathie. Everyone else has been hiding I guess, and the Q's haven't had enough parties.

But even though I haven't seen everyone... since we got back from GDL we've been acting like true Californians. We made it to the Aquarium, a Dodger Game, a Spark's game at Staples, the Zoo twice, and to the Hollywood Bowl. And remember last year when I wrote about UB40? Well, this year was just as good. You may not know Toots and the Maytals - but I do, and they played the Reggae show at the Bowl the other day, and once again, being in the crowd of thousands, listening to a singer whose voice only got better in last 30 years is too much fun. I'm glad I got to hang with my friends and listen to some beautiful music with my Alejandro too.

I feel like the funny has gone from the blog - but don't worry- it'll come back -but I can't get over my kids every day when they do things that crack me up. (I just can't remember the funny things at the end of the day!) Effie's face alone is the cutest thing in the world, and she makes me melt numerous times a day. She tays da tooest tings in da world. Like: I wants more tookies. I wants to sits on yours laps. Wares my sisters? Lela, tan I peese have yours chotate milks? She's so cute. At least she's still a baby, and I can keep her in my grasp for a couple more years.

I'll still keep you kids posted on the funnies. I'm too busy right now. I have some extra classes going on, and I'm working on a NEW BLOG - so don't abandon sara the sub, but bookmark the other cuz I'll be working on that too. And YES I'm GOING TO SEE PEE WEE HERMAN ON NOVEMBER 29th. This will make up for the life experience missed by not going to Michael Jackson's funeral. After having talked to MJ in my dream, I'm able to move on - and my other favorite person in the world - Paul Reubens, is making my dreams come true. I can't WAIT! Buy tickets and Join us - 5pm Nov. 29th at the Henry Fonda theatre. I heard it's gonna be PG-13.

Take care friends.

A Little Easier

So we're still settling in I think. And for some reason everything seems a bit easier. Maybe it's that my house was cleaned for me while I was gone. Or maybe because being a music teacher isn't as hard as it was last month. Who knows. But either way. We're back. We're safe. And thank God nobody got a stomach bug or the swine flu.

And it's midnight, and even though the house was clean, and kind of still is, I'm still working on the laundry, listening to Whitney Houston, and picking stickers off the ground.

We found the jackpot of garage sales the other day and ended up with brand new princess costumes for nothing practically, and guess who has been wearing a Minnie dress, with Minnie gloves, and Minnie sparkly shoes, and Minnie ears for a couple days now? hmmm.

The guy selling them was like my twin brother but about 75 years old, and from Mexico City. He's a photographer/music teacher/piano player/singer/sell your junk vendor. It was perty funny. The guy threw in a nice pair of maracas for me for going back to buy the last bigger Minnie dress... just in case Effie is still infatuated in a year, or if the other one ends up in the dryer too long.

And Mexico was amazing. I'm so glad we decided to go, and Celia was in tears in the parking lot of Target yesterday cuz she missed Guadalajara and Mama Celia. For the first couple days Effie kept asking to go home, by car, not airplane, but by the time it was time to go, neither of them wanted to go. Celia said we should just go back in 2 weeks.

Celia's fish Ce-lia pronounced "See-ya" died the day we left. Alayna if you are reading... we need a new beta fish. And Celia saw the fish bowl outside and I did the bad mom thing of lying to her and saying she was asleep. (It was a boy fish, but she always insisted it was a girl). Anyhowz. I told her yesterday she was dead, and all she said was "Do we still have the fishbowl?" So that was easy. I thought she'd be sad on the airplane if I told her before the trip, but I guess she gets it.

Here are some funny things that child said in mexico. And more.

When a Michael Jackson video was on while her great-grandma was watching tv, Celia was eating at the table and whispered to me: "I didn't know my Mama Celia liked Michael Jackson".

She said people in Mexico must love Jesus more cuz they have more churches.

Effie wore a Minnie Mouse Bathing suit 4 days out of 11 on the trip. With little Yellow Snow White shoes. Too Cute.

Celia learned to say "whatever". It's weird.

Someone pointed out that Celia is just as pigeon-toed as I am. I'm sure other people have noticed but have not wanted to openly make fun of us. ha.

Effie can down a whole bottle of Mexican Coke as fast as any expert beer drinker can down a bottle of Pacifico.

Where's Becky??

Well... lots happened, and it was so much fun, and yet so so tiring carrying Effie around all over the place. We got to go to kid's music classes, and buy leather sandals and tons of plastic masks, and best of all..........

I hit the jackpot of bootleg Michael Jackson DVDs. Captain EO. Moonwalker. History. Live in Japan 1987. I am so super excited about these and they actually work, and have spanish subtitles. Mexican piracy has its good-side.

Oh - and that reminds me - I had the weirdest dreams in mexico. One was that I found the husband of my dreams and had to break the news to Alex, but when I realized I was married, I decided to not get a divorce. hahahahhaah. Alex thought it was funny too. hahahaha.. but here's the best one.

My first night there I had a dream I was lying on a bed with Michael Jackson. Now stop it. It wasn't gross. We were clothed. It was like kids hanging out. We were just chilling watching TV, and then I looked straight at the guy and he was wearing sunglasses and a hat, and I told him how lucky I felt to finally have the chance to tell him how much his music meant to me, and then we were singing songs together, and I told him the jams I was never fond of, and it was one of those dreams where you wake up, think it's real, then go back to sleep, and it still goes on, so in the end, I had to break the news to him and tell him he was going to die, and I was all sad, and I woke up and thought that was perty funny too. I can't remember the other ones except the one before the trip about Effie being about 1-inch tall, and me being happy that I could carry her in my pocket.

Ok. This is enough nonsense.. so I'll spare you anymore. It's 12:33am and I have a lot to do still. So good night, I'll see you around, and take it breezy.

quick and dirty

hi. excuse the no caps or bad grammar, but i´m in mexico and they only use pc´s here, and it bugs the crap out of me but i can´t find the at sign, or caps, or shift, or whatever. so deal! cool. i found the exclamation point.

so, we got here fine after a great but long plane ride. celia loved listening to rock and roll on her headphones, and ate the adult pasta meal, saying how delicious it was, and then fell asleep at the end after hours of coloring and bobbing her head to rod stewart probably, and effie was asleep the first hour, and then happy just looking out the window. so that... was great.

and we have been here in guadalajara, walking a lot lot lot, carrying effie way tooo much, eating a lot, eating churros, tortas ahogadas, posole, carne asada, birotes, fresh everything, the works, and paletas de agua de limon, tamarino, guayaba, and chocolate everyday so far, and the girls are eating well, even though the first day effie almost starved herself saying she wanted to wait to eat at home.

and they are chillin watching backyardagans in spanish while alex and i are at the internet cafe thing, with no cafe. and the funniest story to me so far was that we spent our first day on alex´s cousin´s farm, and they have a small home, 2 kids, one 3 years old who played with celia and effie, and a baby who´s 1 who was a dream of a baby, just super chill, and anyway, they have pigs. smelly, and lots of them, and some are huge, like the size of a hippo, i swear. so, about 10 of them are in all seriousness the size of small hippos, about 500 pounds i´d say no joke, and anyway, effie ate a banana and she didn´t finish it, so i asked his cousin, what should i do with the peel and remains ? and she said throw it to the pigs, so i threw it to a big monster pig who freaked and trembled the ground when he jumped for it. scary.

so... a few hours later, after both my kids had napped and blah blah blah, his cousin came and asked me ... sorry about no quotation marks

which one did you feed it to? The BIG one' Well, i think she said a different word, but i thought she said big, and i said yeah. then she said, it´s dead.

oh my god. i thought........ i killed a pig. this is what they eat with. this is thier living. she said.. don´t say a word. i think he choked on the peel. it´s my fault, and don´t say anything. so, i just was sitting there, worried, and sad that i murdered a humongous pig, and she called her dad, and it was just a little wierd. anyway, a little later it turns out, to make this long story short, the pig i fed was still alive and well, cuz dummy me never went to go see which one was dead, and the one who actually died was the only male pig they have who had been good for nothing cuz he hadnt impregnanted a girl pig in a long time, and that morning the male pig actually did his business for the first time in months and months, and died after having relations. hahhahahaha.. the dad who is a vet , knew which one had died, cuz he said he was sick and a good for nothing man, so in the end i was very happy that on my first day in mexico i did not kill a zillion pound oinkster.

i have to go cuz the laundry waits. i miss you all, and will see ya soon!

sara

Mexico or Korea?

So many Korean things happened to me today.

1st. I began my morning by delivering a borrowed camera to a girl I borrowed it from. She was Korean.

2nd. I went with Alex to the HK market - which is Korean.

3rd. My Friend Skot called and came by. He's half Korean.

4th. We ate dumplings and bulgogi for lunch. Korean.

5th. My sister said that in Remo Williams one of the guys says that Korean is the master race. Korean.

6th. I went to Korea town for Dinner. Korean!

7th. I ate Korean BBQ for dinner with for my friends Birthday. Once again Korean!

Wow... what a day - so cultural right! And tomorrow it'll be Mexico's turn to captivate me!

Ok, enough of that nonsense. I just thought I'd share. But once again, I'm postponing what I should really be doing - Cleaning up and Packing - but it'll happen. Some how or another everything gets done right? Right.

And since I'll be gone - for the next 11 days I wanted to say goodbye. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we all have a safe fun trip, cuz that's all I want. And I'm super excited about leaving LA! Yeahoo! For the past 2 years we made over 6 trips to LAX to pick up or drop off different people, and every time we went I was always a little bitter that it wasn't me who was gonna get to go on an airplane - but now it's our turn! Yippy!

And to top it all off - this past week of summer went well - and after a lot of swimming, working, lazying around, playing, seeing family, and so on, there's more fun to be had elsewhere.

See you all when we get back - and I may not be posting images - but I will definitely try to blog while I'm in Guadalajara to make a list of all the things we will be doing in the rain.

Till next time.
Sara

Post 76

There are a million things I'd be better off doing but I won't - for your sake.

But I can't help but want to procrastinate so I can mention a few things that I should not share but I will.

1. I never ever ever put the house phone back on the charger.
2. Every time I walk in the kitchen I notice that there are cabinet doors open. It erks me to pieces.
(I'm the one who doesn't close them)
3. There are various children's shoes all over the house.
4. I never seem to be able to fold laundry straight outta the dryer. Ever.
5. The dishes are NOT done. Because they are NEVER done!
6. There is a chair on my front porch that belongs to Effie that I was supposed to bring in the house 2 weeks ago, and there it is. Along with Giraffe boots.
7. We have a green and hot pink carousel horse mounted in rocks on the front lawn. We must be the most interesting people on the block.
8. It would be nice to be organized. So nice. It's my dream. The dream of the future. Pray that I will make this a reality.
9. There are legos next to the gas pedal of my car. They have been there for 2 weeks as well. Why are they still there?
10. I hate dust. I think it is my worst enemy. That and dishes.
11. You know what stinks? When you make a fancy meal for your kids and they don't touch it. Hmff. All that time working while the kids veg out on tv for nothin.
12. My zucchini plant don't look so hot. hmf.
13. I had a new pair of Gold LA gear jazz shoes that I wore to death for 4 whole days and they are already dead. I'm so mad.
14. My flip flops are dead too.
15. I lost my other slip on shoes.
16. Now I have to spend wasteful time tying shoes. What ever happened to velcro? I need me some nice velcro kicks. Or new flip flops. Or Flojos. Anyone have some?
17. Celia cut Effie's hair in a big way today. I mean, half of the length on the right side of her head is gone. Now she's extra rock and roll.
18. Celia always seems "too tired". I think it runs in the family.
19. When I finally get time to do things... I like to sit and think about what it is I should be doing when I already know what to do.
20. This list of "whatevers" has 20 things, so I better stop now.

No! Never! More lists! I like lists! They make me feel organized! So let me now list some lovely things.

1. Effie drew a lovely drawing on our easel in Orange Permanent marker.
2. Celia then said - "Oh no. She used 'permative' marker mom."
3. Summer is lovely. Summer is lazy. Summer is swimmy.
4. Celia really likes to write letters. Send her a letter with her name on the envelope and she'll write you back. I promise.
5. We planted new flowers.
6. We like going to the magical gardens. Care to join us? (Descanso Gardens)
7. Got tickets to Mexico. I'm So so so so so so so so so excited. I won't have to do MY dishes at least. Other peoples dishes are never as bad!
8. We've discovered coloring pages printed online. When all else fails, print out a minnie coloring sheet from the internet.
9. Play-dough really does make children happy.
10. I've been able to live without napkins in my house for 2 months. (Lucena may understand - because she too grew up with the communal toallita) (translation - little towel)

Ok kids. Time to get to work. Just thought I'd distract myself for a moment. I love summer, and hate that it goes by so quickly. There's so much to do, and I can't seem to get any of it done, but I try. Please distract me, and come over, and help me clean the girls room if you're bored, or lets have a picnic, or steal my children whenever you'd like. Have a great day. I love you.

Wups.

Sorry this has taken me so long, and either way I am in no position to write. There are way too many other things I should be doing right now at 11:36pm, I have no real funny stories that I can think of, and I have no idea what portraits I have not posted.

Anyway, either way, I am going to write and see what the heck comes through these fingers with freshly cut nails.

Well, we got snail mail today from Alyssa. That was cool. Of course the regular letters come from "ME" (mr. h) which are always well received as well. The girls love our mailman "Arsenio", and I can't help but want to bark "Hoo Hoo Hoo" while swaying my punching fist every time he brings the Penny Saver.

And these past few weeks have been overly busy, and moments of clarity have sprinkled through my life as the summer has become more pronounced. I love summer. Especially summer nights, and I'm so glad they are here, but wish I could enjoy them a little bit more.

On a side note- we threw some of our caterpillars in a jar a few weeks ago, and metamorphisis ....well.... actually happened without killing the poor creatures. Last year the girls were a little obsessed with naming each caterpillar and taking it on a walk with us, and this year - they like giving them away to people in jars with some extra leaves to eat. If you wanna see some - there are about 15 of them on display or already in a cocoon at the Glendale Central library children's department.

So, the computer is going back in the house - so I may actually write more. Walking out in the cold, or dodging skunks and raccoons, or rain, or lightning, or black widows has not made it easy for me to blog. Now that I'll have a computer within reach - you just may be hearing from me a bit more often.

And because I JUST HAD TO BECAUSE IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MOST ANYTHING:

I had to mention a few things.

1. I love Michael Jackson.
2. Vicky and I used to listen to "BAD" without end in my 1992 4-toned Ford Escort, and even busted my speakers listening to "Liberian Girl" way too loud down Ventura Blvd. You can just imagine the amounts of men drooling over 2 strange girls blasting Michael Jackson as if it were 1985 in 1997.
3. I think hearing of the death of MJ was harder on me than finding out Captain EO was pulled outta Disneyland.
4. Mary has the MJ lifesize cut out. Enjoy him forever.
5. I still have 5 MJ t-shirts.
6. It's a shame, but MJ dying has meant almost non-stop MJ music on the radio. I used to say that any day I heard an MJ song on the radio would be a good one, so I can tell it'll be a good summer. (just too bad he had to die for this to happen. Ugk.)
7. If you are ever in a sad, bad, mood Michael can help. I promise. Just listen, or watch.
8. Yeah, I think I'm a little too obsessed, but please let me know if you are coming with me to the funeral. I'm going. For sure.
9. If it weren't for MJ, I wouldn't be the Sara I am today. No way. LIstening to the Jackson 5 in high school forever changed my music taste. Little MJ is my hero. (and Celia's too these days)
10. Dang. Liberian Girl is SUCH a good song.
Thank you Michael Jackson, for making my life so happy. You really really really did make a difference to me.

(Do you think he will read my blog from heaven? hmmm. I wonder.)

And on to other things:

I'm teaching A LOT more - music that is, and by the end of the summer I'll be teaching 5 days a week. (Not full time obviously) So, if you are interested in knowing more about what I'm doing - just email me - and you can join a class or refer someone.

And- we found out the fate of our little almost 5 year old. She'll be going to Kindergarten in September and not at her home school, but South of us a ways, as she'll be in a Spanish Immersion program. Kindergarten will be 90% in Spanish - so let's see how that goes! We're excited for her.

Ok, This will have to stay brief, cuz I have to go. Again, the new computer location will change everything. Talk to you later.

Before I forget

Before I forget all the funny things I was thinking about I should write them down. Well, I probably won't remember too many funny things - but I may remember one or two.

And after that - I'll mention Celia's graduation by request of Gina ok?

Well, tonight it was really late when we were hitting the bed, and had just come back from my moms, and neither kid was asleep on the way home cuz they were taking turns listening to their favorite disney songs, from an old disney cassette tape; so this is how it was:

"My turn! My turn next! I want to hear Mr. Piano Man (an Annette song) and Ducktales!"
Then Effie would say

"Mie Toorn! DIsneywand Song Furst!" (so she'd hear tiki room, then small world, then we'd hear Ducktales over and over, then we'd skip the Tale Spin song, cuz they for some reason don't like it as much, and because of this no one was asleep, but they had peed and brushed, I grabbed the gummi vitamins and told them to march right into bed, and they did so - so I turned off the light, and was able to skip the reading books part of the night by telling them I had a surprise.

So the lights were off, we were in the bed, Celia sleeps on my stomach, Effie, under my right arm always, and Celia says:

"What's the surpize! What's the surprise!???"
"Well". I say... "I wanted to tell you how happy I was that you were in my life, and I'm so happy I had you guys cuz you are the most wonderful children. That was my surprise."

There was a bit of a long pause..... and I thought Celia might say "Aww mom, thank you so much!"

But she said:

"Hmm... I was hoping that the surprise was going to be glow in the dark".

Then as the night time bed time stories progressed she begged for stories of the wuzzles. Do you know who the Wuzzles are? Well, it was an 80's Disney cartoon about split personality animals, anyway, Celia and Effie are in love with it, and beg to watch youtube episodes, and Right when Celia was almost asleep she says:

"I'm so excited to have the Wuzzles Collection DVD".

I don't know where she's gonna get it. It's only in the UK.
Anyhow, about 2 minutes later she says " I have to pee"
And Effie says "Poo Poo"

So I take em both to the potty. They go, they wipe, they flush.

Then back in bed, I say I'll tell you one more story then you gotta go to bed.
Celia says:

"What kinda story are you gonna tell us?!"

I"ll tell you a story about your mom and dad and how we met.

"Mom, I don't want a story about you and Dad in the human world. I want a real STORY about when you and Dad traveled to the land of Wuz."

So I told them that story, which I won't recount, and they fell asleep, and so did I, but Alex woke me up and here I am.

And so Celia's graduation:

Effie and I -my folks, in-laws, and Becky and Louie were among the select few to watch this elaborate ceremony, and I really may actually try to post the video - but ... I was expecting a small thing, pass out a paper, have a paper hat on, say good bye and eat some chips.

Nope. It was the real deal.

Special seating.
Balloons.
Pomp and circumstance.
Microphones.
a PA system.
DIplomas.
Ceremony.
Entertainment.
Speeches.

This was the real deal. I felt bad that I hadn't invited everyone I knew. But I had no idea.

Anyhow, all the kids walked out to "Pomp and Circumstance", which I thought was cute, and even cuter when every kid was walking in a straight line, except fancy Celia who was strutting and gliding across the floor waving and bowing, and blowing kisses as if she were in a Disneyland parade. It was too funny.

And when all the kids were in their seats, that didn't stop my fancy child from waving, turning her head like a coy Snow White who's shying away from the prince, and holding her dress so properly. It was very hard not to laugh the entire time.

And they did a show, and sang some songs, and everyone's favorite was the "hi. my name is bill song."

Then all the kids went up to say what they wanna be when they grow up, and Celia said she wanted to be "An artist cuz I like to draw", which was rather boring in comparison to "I wanna be an Ice Cream maker cuz I like to give people Ice Cream", or "I wanna be a wrestler because I like to hit", Or "i wanna be a prince so I can slay dragons".

Ha. I guess the boys were a bit more inventive on that one. But Celia did great. Effie was so proud as well and excited for her sister, and I'm sure she'll do the same one day.

Well, that was the jist of it. Things have been quite busy and insane lately, and I'll try to keep keeping up. But hope everyone is good in the hood.. cuz I am. Good night.