Some-a Some-a

I’m sitting in a choir loft, behind the organ whose pedals I’m not very good at playing.
A good chuch organ has pedals. Bass pedals that you play with your feet. Considering I tap danced for more than a decade of my life you would think I could coordinate my feet to move in the right direction to hit a right note but it’s not so simple. If only I could – the music would sound better. Maybe I should look up a “how to” video on youtube on how to play church organ pedals correctly.

Oh. Wait a minute. I just forgot. I don’t usually write about those things – and I digress.

Well, I mentioned that because here I am. Sitting alone. Waiting for the right queue so I can sing the “lord have mercy” in about 45 seconds. And as I sit here, I keep kicking myself in the butt for not keeping a small notepad with me at all times to share with you the things that Effie says on an hourly basis that crack me up.

I do remember that this morning Celia and Effie were playing with their new “Polly Pocket Superheros” thanks to my sister and dad who were not afraid to take them outta the box. For some reason, Wonder Woman (Effie) said the wrong thing to mini-Supergirl (Celia), and mini-Supergirl told mini polly pocket Wonder Woman to “take it back” “Take back the words you said Wonder Woman!” Effie had no idea what to do – so I told her to say “I take it back”. So, in Effie language she said “I tate it bat”. Then she told Supergirl “I didn’t know dat wuds tat a bat” – Which translated means “I didn’t know words take a bath”. If you don’t get it – or if it’s not funny to you, no biggy. It’s funny to me.

By the way, I finished playing the “lord have mercy” – and the “Alleluia” already.
The bride- who is celebrating her 25th anniversary right now is named Celia. It’s kind of weird to be typing and hearing the name Celia repeatedly.

I still digress.

Summer is passing quickly. I feel like the time I’ve been spending with my immediate family has been so wonderful. Celia, Effie, Alex and I share 3 meals a day together, bedtime together, and playtime together, and I guess it pays off. Celia does miss school a tad, but says she is not bored. But at least one time a day she reminds me that what she loves most in the world is her “family”. I’m fine with that. Must mean I’m doing my job right. Hopefully.

Strange how cool it’s been this summer. And although it’s fine – to not be sweating my brains off all day, I do miss swimming everyday. Well, I think we are swimming almost everyday – but it’s more fun to me when it’s refreshing and not cold. Whatever.

Speaking of swimming. Celia learned how to swim. Thanks to her cousin Sasha, (who can swim now) and her little friends who are twins – who all know how to swim – she busted out her Virgo perfection-ness and was determined to learn on her own. She’s been like that with bike riding – hula hoping – dribbling a ball – and skipping. Once she wants to learn – she works very hard to do so – and she does.

I’m definitely not like that.

This has also been the summer of facepainting. Every day the girls have been painted. Alex tends to do strange designs. Effie was a pink space spider today, and Celia was Lydia from the Beetlejuice cartoon. Yesterday Effie was a pink space mouse, and Celia was a butterfly. The day before yesterday, Effie was some kind of pink thing with a unicorn, and Celia was a vampire demon. It’s all rather normal to me – but when you are walking around the streets pushing a double jogger with two kids who look like gothic babies or alien children – other people don’t usually look at them as if they are normal. What’s funny too is that those little kids like wearing “one and one”. Meaning – each of them will wear say a blue sock and a red sock. Instead of fighting over pairs of socks, they work it out amongst themselves to just share. So cute.

Well, the bride and groom are renewing their vows now. Which means I better jump back on the organ bench and get ready for the next song. Have a great week. I personally am looking forward to more organizing – more selling on craigslist – more giving on freecylcle, more swimming, more face painting, more cooking, more walking, and more fun with my little chookie kids. I lub dem so much.

My camera battery died on day 2

We did it. And it was a lot of work. A lot of driving. A lot of fun.
We had our FIRST family vacation. Yes, we’ve gone to Mexico, and camped here and there, and we did Palm Springs, but this was the very first Family vacation. Just me, Alex, Celia, and Effie. I’m happy for us ☺

But camping – is work. A lot of work. Definitely worth the work but work nonetheless. And the entire time we were gone – I thought about everything in two categories. Fun. And Not so Fun. I can’t say Not Fun because nothing is really Not Fun to me, but Not So Fun worked better. So are you ready – here’s a quick run down of the camping trip in the way I thought about it the entire time.

LEAVING:

Fun: having everything packed, and knowing you didn’t forget anything.

Not So Fun: Getting on the wrong freeway and not realizing till half an hour into the trip.

Fun: Finding another quick route.

Not So Fun: Effie losing her cowboy hat to the wind on the freeway gods.

Fun: Stopping at Starbucks for a big iced coffee and giving the girls rice krispie treats.

Not So Fun: Having to pee too much from drinking the big iced coffee.

Fun: Driving up the coast.

Not So Fun: Driving up the coast with screaming children.

Fun: Singing in the car, and listening to Effie tell jokes like “knock knock, who’s there, mad- mad who – mad cat eats chok-a-lot”

Not So Fun: Singing in the car but having a little perfectionist cry because she doesn’t exactly get harmonies yet.


GETTING TO CAMP! (Limekiln State Park – Big Sur, California)

Fun: Getting a space in the beautiful redwoods when the day before the campground was full.

Not So Fun: Having to pitch a tent when it’s freezing, almost dark, your kids are hungry, and they are fighting over which chair to sit in.

Fun: Getting the tent up, and getting the air mattresses filled up, and your children fed even though it’s 9:30 pm and very dark and cold.

Not So Fun: When one of your air mattresses is dead.

Fun: Sleeping next to two cozy cute children who are so excited to be sleeping outside next to a sweet sounding creek.

Not So Fun: Sleeping next to two cozy cute children who are so excited to be sleeping outside next to a sweet sounding creek when it’s 45 degrees outside.

Fun: Dreaming crazy camping dreams every single night.

Not So Fun: Waking up every 2 hours because its so cold.

Fun: Going back to sleep next to the most wonderful family.

Not So Fun: Holding your pee so you don’t have to leave a freezing tent to go out into the freezing dark wilderness.

Fun: Waking up at 8:30 to happy campers.

Not So Fun: Having to walk down a big hill to take the happy campers to pee, and always having to carry the littlest happy camper back up the big hill.


BEING AT CAMP!

Fun: Taking a hike through an amazing green, lush, forest, alongside a beautiful rocky creek, and eating jelly bellies.

Not So Fun: Taking a hike through an amazing green, lush forest, alongside a beautiful rock creeck when you ate your littlest happy camper’s last favorite color of jelly bellies.

Fun: Finishing a hike.

Not So Fun: Having to carry the little happy camper.

Fun: When your big kid walks everywhere by herself and doesn’t need to be carried anymore.

Not So Fun: Realizing your big kid is too big to be carried anymore. ☹

Fun: Putting your feet in the creek.

Not So Fun: Putting your feet in the creek when it’s like ice.

Fun: Eating at camp.

Not So Fun: Dropping a skillet of the food you made at camp on the floor. (no 3 second rules when it comes to plant waste and dirt)

Fun: Having strange camp neighbors ask you for butter.

Not So Fun: Having other strange camp neighbors who smoke cigars.

TRIP TO THE AQUARIUM

Fun: Going to the Aquarium.

Not So Fun: Finding parking that is not $20, paying almost $30 to get in to the aquarium, and not being able to see much cuz a zillion other people paid almost $30 to go to the aquarium on the same day.

Fun: Watching the littlest happy camper fall in love with jelly fish.

Fun: Watching the two little happy campers sit in front of a huge piece of glass and scream each time the fattest fish in California swam above them for 45 minutes.

Fun: Going to a grocery store in Monterey and having the littlest happy camper put food on the “elevator”.

Not So Fun: Having to eat Carls Jr.

Fun: Listening to the happy campers talk to eachother:
Celia: Effie are you pooped?
Effie: No
Celia: Pooped means tired – are you tired?
Effie: Yes
Celia: Then you are pooped. Are you pooped?
Effie: No
Celia: when you are pooped out it means you are very very tired. Aren’t you tired?
Effie: Yes.
Celia: Then you are pooped out. Aren’t you pooped out Effie?
Effie: (no response) (she fell asleep)
Celia: Effie was pooped.

Fun: Driving for an hour down the beautiful coast when your loudest kid is asleep, your husband is asleep, and your big kid is entertained with Calvin and Hobbs.

Fun: Getting back to camp safe and hanging out at the beach and the creek for hours with your happy campers.



Not So Fun: Having to sleep in the cold. Again.

LEAVING LIMEKILN

Fun: Running up and down the hill to the bathroom with a little happy camper that got used to it.

Not So Fun: Having to pack up a campsite.

Fun: Driving somewhere new.

Not So Fun: Not knowing where to go.

Fun: Finding a hike to a waterfall and watching your kids become expert rock climbers in 20 minutes.

Not So Fun: Having to watch your expert rock climbers think they are expert rock climbers. Scary.

Fun: Getting to the big waterfall and wishing we could swim under it.

Not So Fun: Having to leave.

Fun: Eating pizza in San Luis Obispo and letting the girls play too many video games.

Not So Fun: Running out of quarters.

Fun: Finding an open campsite at a beautiful lake.

Not So Fun: Finding an open campsite at a beautiful lake full of a million not so great people.

Fun: watching your big kid slide down a hill of dry brush on a piece of raggedy cardboard with a bunch of kids you would never want your kid to associate with.

Not So Fun: Watching the mom of those kids you would never want your kids to associate with call her child Satan and scream at him as if she were Satan’s Mother.

Fun: Seeing deer, wild turkeys, strange rodents, quail, and blue jays.

Not So Fun: Seeing all of the above in a camp full of people who ruin all of the above.

Fun: Watching your happy campers learn how to go down a fire pole.

Not So Fun: Watching the above around a bunch of people you do not want your kids around. (I don't even want to give details)

Fun: Getting your kids to sleep in a noisy camp by 8pm.

Not So Fun: Having your camp neighbors scream at their kids and walk by your tent, and rummage through recycling bins while banging on them, and talking to their friend “Ro Ro” on the phone too loud to discuss the behavior of little “Satan”, and driving their cars too close to your tent with head lights shining on your tent as if they were gonna ram into your tent.

Fun: Seeing a zillion zillion stars in the sky.

Not So Fun: Having to be at that janky campsite for the night, even though your kids think that those crazy children are the most amazing humans to ever walk the earth.

Fun: Being woken up at 6am by little Satan’s mother talking on the phone to little Satan’s Dad so he could pick up little Satan. (fun because it got us up early enough to get the heck out of there before 7am)

Fun: Packing up camp in one hour with children asleep.

Fun: Eating Chocolate cake for breakfast.

Fun: Getting out of the beautiful lake campsite with crazy people.

Fun: Singing harmonies. Effie telling more jokes like: knock knock, who’s there? Chi chi man. Chi chi man who? Chi chi man forgot his underwear.

THE BEACH – LAST DAY

Fun: Getting to Jalama Beach.

Fun: Watching your happy campers at their favorite place. The Beach.

Fun: Collecting rocks and watching the big kid find sea creatures.

Fun: Making Sand houses with doors and bridges with Effie.

Fun: Sleeping on the sand while Alex plays in the water with the girls.

Fun: Reading the newspaper and LA Weekly while Alex plays with the girls.

Fun: Not getting sun burnt.

Fun: Watching your happy campers at the beach. (it really is the best)

Not fun: Sand in little happy camper butts.

So we got home safe today – cuz there were no campsites left at the beautiful Jalama Beach Campsite. But we’ll just have to go back.

Have a great week everyone. More pics on facebook.

Mas y mas y mas

Click on that picture of the sandwich to see it even bigger!! Dang - it was good... really really really good.
I think I've said this before and time again, but as a day passes, I listen to all the millions of hilarious little things my little ladies say and I usually can't wait to blog about them. I mean - what do I tell you about? Maybe I should tell you about:

Effie wearing a large rubber band around her face that made her eyes look all squished while she danced like an Arabian Princess to some crazy soul-disco with Korean noodles hanging out of her mouth?

Celia asking Effie if they could pretend they were be driven around in a Porshe and could become Mexican Princesses?

Effie and Celia wearing winter coats this morning?

Playing the game "I am?" (curious ain't cha?)

Celia playing many new songs on the piano, but being obsessed with tender love songs?

Effie and her new fife? Do you know what a fife is?

Our visit to the laundry mat today and my kids devouring Popeye's chicken as if it were sprinkles on a sprinkled donut?

Selling all my belongings on craigslist? Or something about the people who buy things on craigslist? Or about the guy who offered to let me use his trailer for camping?

What about that guy who asked me to come see his fish is his backyard when I was with Effie? Hmmm. He said they were really big fish. (I did not go see his fish- what a weirdo)

I wish I could write the funniest story of the week, but if you are really interested, Cathie can forward you the email, otherwise it's not going to be posted.

How about Effie saying she was only a "naked human" when he called her a "beautiful angel" after getting outta the tub.

Well - I guess I can not go into details. But I'll post a picture or two and go to bed. It's 1:06am, and tomorrow's a big day. Until next time.

Summa

I kinda thought that with a new little lapy-topy I'd have more time to write blogs. Not the case.
It's too late - 1:51 - finished the craigslist listing and I am giving myself 10 minutes exactly to write something. So my fingers must type. My mom always had incredible typing speed. I'd love to see her rock a laptop keyboard... but I think she may have done best on a big fat typewriter with heavy keys.

We are almost 2 weeks in to summer vacation. I have to admit I feel a bit defeated by the whole situation. I have not put my kids in swim classes, ballet classes, or any classes. I have not been able to take them swimming regularly (too cold)
I have not been able to cook them decent meals. I have not been able to take them anywhere new and exciting ... yet. And I have not been able to teach Celia to read better, or how to ride a bike, or Effie how to hula hoop.

On the other hand - I have been able to:

Sleep in till 8:30am everyday. IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!
Cook half way decent meals.
Teach Celia quite a few piano pieces that I couldn't play until 2nd grade.
Clean my house more than usual.
Let my children watch more TV than they usually do.
Watch movies with Alex on Netflix via the Wii. I'm very very happy with this - and this alone makes it feel like vacation is here.
Keep my houseplants alive.
Have guests over for bbq's.
Visit my homegirls.
Get Celia her 2nd filling at the dentist.
Get a new pet caterpillar.
Get rid of the cardboard house. May he R.I.P
Stephanie's baby shower
Get Extra babysitting from Mr. and Mrs. H
Go to 4 different libraries - so far.

yes. My list of things I have been able to do is very not interesting at all. I can not wait to go on a camping trip so I can write about something better and more interesting and out of the ordinary.

Seriously - my child Celia barely even wants to leave the house. It's like pulling teeth to get her to go anywhere. She was happy to leave the house today for donuts and a trip to Monterey Park but it seems like since school has been out - all she wants to do it either sit in a chair, on her bed, or on the couch, and stare at comic books or picture books, or watch a movie. She is extremely lazy, and I wonder if it's a whole "school's out" thing for her. I don't know. But as long as she's happy, I'm cool with it.

Little rosey cheeks however - is in movie mode. All she wants to do is watch a movie and she'll say "pretty please with love on top". They are watching more than usual - but not more than an hour and a half or so a day. It gets broken up into a Popeye episode, then a bit a Scooby Doo, Fraggles, or some wierd show on Netflix - and this blog is boring me to pieces and 10 minutes have already passed. Let me just say that I am thankful for the non-eventfullness for the most part. The boring tv stuff, the daily ice cream in the afternoon, the sleeping in, the fact that we can take walks again, is all good to me.

I remember reading in Catch-22 - one of the characters talked about boredom - and how great it was because time passed by so slowly when you are bored - and when you have this great time doing something adventurous, time passes too fast. Well, for that reason (even though I am far far far from bored) I am grateful for not having a million things to do. At the current time it only feels like i have 100 things to do.

8 more weeks of summer vacation. I hope that the next time I get a chance to write something - it will be better than this. I'm going to post a bunch of pics from the past couple weeks to make this a better post.