Depressing!

F.Y.I - I'll go back to portraits soon, as soon as I can - but for now, and for a change - here's a pic -


I know i know I know I know.... I haven't written in ages.. it's a shame. It's really bad. I didn't mean to let this happen.. but with those two children I conceived and gave birth two, anything I get to do by myself is somewhat miraculous right?

So this morning - I knew I'd have to blog cuz it was an extra extraordinary morning.
You see... I woke up pretty late. 8am on the nose to be exact - and if I wanna get anything done before Effie gets up and asks for "chocat mewk", I should be up around 6:30. An alarm of some sorts went off at 7:32 and I managed to sleep a bit longer to finish a dream about being on the freeway and dead-ending into a large mattress that covered the freeway floor near a wall with 5 identical 60's model Pontiacs.

So I got up - and Alex. Yes Alex Quintanar, said to me (for the 4th day in a row), "let's do the dishes together before Effie wakes up". I'm still having a hard time believing this one. Pinch me please. So we attack the mound of dishes I left the night before and get em done in NO time at all, cuz DISHES that TOTALLY suck can actually be manageable and not so HORRIFYING when someone helps you move those suckers out back into their chambers. SO, if that wasn't wonderful enough - Effie didn't wake up until we were done with the dishes, cleaning the counters! Wow! Yes!

If that isn't wonderful enough! Get this! Effie and Celia walk into the kitchen hand in hand, say good morning - and then say - well, Celia says:

"Mom! Effie woke me up, and we were in a good mood! I asked her if she wanted to play toys with me so we're gonna go in my room now ok? Is it ok if we play with toys before breakfast?"

Well. I was a bit flabbergasted and baffled, and Alex and I thought we were dreaming cuz normally, there is some screaming from the bed asking us to be there with them, and then complaining about something, or begging for milk, or begging to watch a "DVDB" (say's Effie), and getting out of the bed takes anywhere between 10 and 44 minutes. Anyway, their attitude was welcoming.

Then... to make things even BETTER than that - they played like sweet little blessed children and came right to the table and ate all their pancakes and fruit and Alex made them chocolate covered strawberries, and they brushed, got dressed and outta the house without a problem. I call it too good to be true. I'm so glad the morning was good cuz tonight was the first night in a long time that it took both of them an hour to get to bed, cuz Effie asked to poop about 6 different times, never went, ended up grabbing leftover chicken in the kitchen and eating a big slab of fried chicken and about 7 cherries then finally went to bed, so considering that was a bit of a headache, at least I have the memories of the morning.

And that younger offspring is way too funny. She thinks I'm Donald. Calls Alex Goofy, and Celia is Daisy, of course she's "Minnie", but only when she's not "baby Minnie" or "Mama Minnie". Sometimes I am "Mama Minnie", and yes she becomes "baby Minnie", and Celia is "Big girl Minnie", and Alex is "Dada Minnie", then we have "Minnie" parties, and Alex then becomes "Mickey", and I stay "Donald", and she gathers matching bags for everyone so they can bring the party accessories and treats, and we all have to wear matching "Minnie" hats, and talk like "Minnie" and invite the "Minnie" dolls, but we have to make sure everything there is "Pink".

She is obsessed with the color pink. So much so that at the library yesterday she wanted to make sure that the "DVDB" (DVD) she picked out was pink, and good thing the Donald Cartoon Collection had a "Pink" sticker on it, cuz then she wanted it. She checked out about 6 Barbie books the other day cuz they were the only Pink books she found, and they didn't even have pictures. They are chapter books, and she insists on reading the "Pink" things. Yuck.

And don't let me get into Celia's new obsession with the Crucifixion, cuz it's kind of weird and maybe I shouldn't go there, but I had to remove her Bible Stories for kids book cuz I keep finding her sneaking a peek at the Crucifixion page being very sad for Jesus.. ok I'll stop there....

And today while we were walking - which we do every night, and has become more torture than fun or exercise, cuz Effie always wants to be carried, or Celia needs to take her own stroller for her own baby, or they are freaking out about something, or they insist we play dogs the entire way, or they want to chew gum that I don't have or something so lame, and ridiculous, and tiring, when all I want to do is stop the insanity and put them to bed, but Alex insists that we get out just to be tortured into a very odd walk that may also include chasing and falling, and running, and waiting long numbers of minutes for Effie to get off the sidewalk cuz she feels like sitting down, or Celia to get off of someone's lawn while she pretends she's in some magical garden and needs to smell every single rose she can find.. Ugg...

But in the end I have to admit - it's fun, (yeah, I'm not lying), cuz they are just too funny, and tonight while I was holding Effie cuz she didn't want to sit in the stroller, I was holding her and thinking how cute she was in her pink pants, pink shirt, and little tap shoes, her pink lipstick, and of course a minnie mouse hat, and she was cracking up cuz I'd blow bubbles with her pink gum and smash the bubbles on her face and make her scream and it made me think of how sad it is that she won't be this cute forever, and who cares if I have to carry her, cuz I'd carry her for miles if it meant I could just keep her a little funny pink minnie loving child just a bit longer.

And I better go, cuz it's late as usual. But don't forget I miss you guys, I love you guys, and if you haven't seen my kids in awhile, you're really missing out cuz they are the funniest people in the entire world.

Better Check In

Just in case you thought I've forgotten to write - well, you're wrong.
I don't have time really though- for anything besides the domestic duties, and aside from trying to figure out one kid's educational future, cooking, a new job, another little new job, and playing with the kids night and day, cooking, eating, seeing friends, making music, taking walks, carrying Effie on those walks, and all the other stuff, well that leaves little time to sit here and write.

But the only thing that matters at this moment is I'm here. And I'm so super excited as you can tell cuz there's no portrait on the blog today. Well, there is one, of "Brownie", our new car, and after about a year of checking Criagslist everyday for a Toyota Corolla Wagon pre-1984, we finally found our dream car. Yeah, it's not the color of choice, but at least the brown has those little metallic sparkles when you look up close. I'm so excited, but a little sad to not have to resort to using Logan, my sister's bug. But the bug may have a temporary home still in my driveway, so at least for now, we are a 3 car family. I'm living up to my early expectations of having various cars to choose from. What a life.

And as for life - it's good. It's crazy - and I'm on about day 4 of staying up until 1:30 am to just make the next day's meals, wash the stinking dishes, fold clothes, do lesson plans (cuz I'm teaching 3 classes every Saturday morning - baby music/adult group piano/kid group piano), and I became a cook as well. Well, besides cooking for the fam I'm getting paid to add another mouth to feed which is just fine and dandy with me, and I'm trying to keep the vegetable garden alive (so far so good), and I'm trying to keep my kids and husband happy and healthy, and Yadda Yadda Yadda.

As for the offspring - they are fine. The older one is herself, being fancy, sincere, and as smart as can be - and the younger one is talking up a storm, being the little sweetheart and most lovable little creature in the world. I'm so proud of those tiny things, and I can't wait for you guys to see them. (Those of you reading) Cuz I'm sure you miss them and they miss you.

Can you remind me to write next time about the librarian story, the human world story, and the Effie tapping story if you can? Cuz I really gotta go. It's only 11:22, but tomorrow's a busy day with lots to do, and Disneyland as well, so laters. Oh, and yeah, Brownie is so cute. I can't wait for you guys to meet him too. He is really my dream car, and I finally got him. All is too good. I better not jinx it and open my mouth and say it out loud.

Success

Wow. The day is done, and I'm half awake. Surprise? Well, I did have my share of coffee today. Armenian coffee whole beans from Jons cost $3.69 per pound, and does the trick.
We haven't been doing the coffee thing much lately, but that and cat naps for me can really make the difference from being a nice friendly mom, or a maniac freakazoid ready to stomp on all the toys that get in my way like a crazy Godzilla mommy.

And with that said, today was fine. I mean real fine. I handled two mini-tantrums like a pro. Some onlookers may have said I'm not tough enough, but in my old age I've found that with my kids, yelling, being mean, and trying to show my power doesn't work as well as telling my kids that their feelings are valid, that I understand, that I too freak out, and that I love them. I also try to put myself in their situation and say things like .... "Oh, you mean, I should cry when your Dad wears a black shirt when I want him to wear a white one? Would that make things better?" Then Celia says, "No." "But I NEED Effie to wear a Pink Ballet Outfit!" But this conversation carries on until she realizes after some consoling that yeah, her crying is a little silly, and then she'll say "Oh, it's just that I really WANTED to wear the green skirt and that's why I was mad at Effie", and even though this makes no sense we carry on.

Anyhow. The day had many triumphs for me.
Including:

I woke up at 6:30am.
The kids woke up at 8:30am.
We made it to Effie's speech class on time driving Cathie's bug (which usually chugs up the 2 freeway, so I left early to take the streets)
Celia met a real handsome fireman who let her sit in the driver seat. (Lucky) Celia later said he looked like a husband and a prince - and I definitely agreed whole-heartedly. hehehehe.
The girls missed a proper breakfast but ate a proper lunch.
They had about 4 servings of fruit.
I avoided giving Effie excessive sugar. She's going through withdrawls right now, so if you see her, please only offer her grapes. Do not give her lollipops or frosting.
I made a proper lunch for my husband.
Cathie vacuumed Celia's room for me. (tankz)
Cathie let me nap for 10 minutes. (tanks)
90% of laundry done.
Did 3/9 things on my list of things to do.
Made a proper dinner - which the girls helped me make and they ate it all after eating lots of oranges and grapes. I rewarded their successful dinner habits at the table with 2 peanut butter cookies.
While I washed dishes, Celia took Effie to the bathroom, wiped her butt for her, changed her chonies for her, put her pajamas on her, and let Effie help her do the same. Ha ha. They were too cute.
They actually put their shoes away.
We got to take a walk.
We ended up walking in the rain, and it was still fun.
Voted.
Got free brownies at the polls. (So much for brushing the kids' teeth)
Made it back.
Only had to read 9 books.
Kids asleep in 7 minutes after lights out.

Now, I didn't get to draw, paint, play music, make a quilt, read a book, make any money, or do sit ups and push ups, but I'd say so far so good. And you know what??? IT'S ONLY 9:18 PM!! WOO HOO!

I didn't even mention, Alex went with us to their first day of tap class, and if you ever wanna go - it's at 5pm on Tuesdays and it's really the cutest thing you've ever seen. Effie tap dancing is seriously THE FUNNIEST and CUTEST and MOST IMPRESSIVE thing YOU'LL EVER see IN YOUR LIFE! You HAVE to go! My God! I mean... I'm such a sucker for cute babies, and she takes the CAKE!

Ok - and tonight when we got back from the walk in the rain - we changed their pjs, and Celia had her magnifying glass and little Waldo Anthology and said she needed to "Brush up on my detective skills, because being a detective is SOOOO in...gredient".

I think she may have wanted to say "In...credible", but whatever, "Ingredient" is a good long word that starts with "In" and had four syllables right?

See ya guys soon. Time to finish the last 10% of the laundry.

Jiffy

there's no time for play
there's no time for fun
there's no time for blogging
there's work to be done.

there's so much to do I can't even stand it sometimes. There's outings, birthday parties, jobs, no jobs, cleaning, cooking, cleaning, cooking, walking, shopping, jumping out of the car while alex entertains the children, no tv, too much tv, cleaning, planning, organizing, uncluttering, cluttering, messing up, library-ing, thinking, not thinking, winking, eating, sleeping, (yes- I do sleep), getting bags under my eyes, brushing my hair sometimes, playing music, playing tea, playing put stickers everywhere, playing water the lawn, water the garden, water effie, then trying to make a mess, stay awake, sleep, aggravate people, keep my patience, be kind, think straight, think crooked. I don't know. I think right now I'm not thinking straight.

Probably not, cuz I don't have time to blog. In fact, I have to go. I know. I know. It's been way too long, but I'm here to say, hang tight. I'll be back in a couple days. Then I can catch up or start over. It's late and I have to check on the babies that I can't hear at the moment, and I have a husband who I haven't spoken to for more than 3 minutes for about a week and a half. Yes. We spend every day together but we have these 2 tiny munchkins constantly screaming and laughing and crying and yelling and talking and blabbing and whining and loving for us to give them every waking second of our attention. And you know what. We usually give it to them. So I have to go. But I miss you!

Walks

If you know me - or us - you know we like to take walks. We usually take the same route, down Kenneth, keep going, turn around just in time before a tantrum may ensue. Sometimes we don't walk. Sometimes we consider the LA zoo the walk. Sometimes we get babysitters so we can walk. Sometimes the kids use strollers. Sometimes they don't.

I like when the kids are sitting quietly in a stroller. But that rarely happens. This is what usually happens:

I put the girls in the stroller. I go back inside for that last princess toy that needs to be in a princess bag of course with some extra accessories. I come outside and the girls are out of the stroller, and Alex says : Let them walk.

My first instinct has recently been: No way Jose. No way. Take the stroller. If they wanna walk, they can walk, but if they don't want to they can sit down. I don't want to carry anyone. I don't want anyone on my shoulders, and I especially do not want to carry two of them who don't want to be carried by the husband. But lately my fears have just been that - fears, cuz the walks without the strollers ain't so bad. Alex ends up carrying Effie who seems to like her Dad a bit more these days, and Celia just walks. Miles sometimes, all by herself.

And so, the other day we wanted to take a walk. But the big boss Celia - who insists Effie is the boss - said she didn't want to walk to see Ryan (the guy at the liquor store), or run, or sit in the stroller, nothing. But my hippy husband, and I say hippy cuz he was wearing tie dye that day, said "Take your instruments and we'll march"

"Ok! But I (stress the I) will be the leader." (said Celia)

We took off, Celia with a yellow recorder in the front.
Effie behind her with a brown recorder and a fat orange maraca in the other hand.
Me with a recorder and Alex with a blue melodica - (for those of you who don't know what it is, it's mini-teeny piano with a long tube you blow through.

I think it was the fastest mile and a half we ever walked. We definitely woke up the neighborhood. It was quite embarassing (but not as embarrassing as walking to the grocery store yesterday next to Alex who was wearing a woman's wig that Celia asked him to wear. Now THAT was embarrassing, and I will not write on that subject any further cuz it offends my nature).

But I digress. The marching band thing was pretty fun, but whenever we passed anyone, I was too scared of not blowing like a dork into the recorder out of the fear that Celia may not want to continue walking if I were to cease my screeching sounds, and I never made eye contact with the passers-by. I just kept tooting that little pseudo-instrument and stopping whenever the leader would shout "HOOOO!" It was so funny cuz Effie would always slam into her when she'd abruptly stop. Then of course commands were given to continue the march and this continued well on into a business sector of the neighborhood, then back into residential, and finally back home.

I felt like we looked like some messed up 60's wierdo family scampering the sidewalks cuz of the tie-dye thing, and nothing like the Partridge family (which would be a step up) cuz the sounds we were making were quite awful and ear piercing.

In the end we made it home, and as soon as we walked in the door, Celia collapsed on the service porch (a.k.a laundry room floor) moaning in fatigue. But she sure was a good leader.

I'm proud of the kid for walking so much. Effie made it half way and spent the rest blowing the melodica tube on Alex's shoulders.

And since it's been awhile, again, I'll just say to you all that I miss you, hope you're well, and that we can see eachother soon.
Oh, I just remembered a funny thing Celia told me the other day. The same night we did the marching walk, she and Effie Rosey cakes did one of the "let's do something crazy before bed to prolong the agony for mom things" and carefully emptied the 4 pairs of high heels I own and took turns with them all walking around the house like "fawncy ladies" (say it like an old English woman) then Celia said to me :

"Mom! Mom! Mom! Turn out the lights!!! Turn out the lights!"
"What for? So you guys can fall on your faces in the dark with those high heels?"
"No - I need you to turn off the light so that the dark matches my high heels." (she was wearing black ones)

Well, it was funny to me. And even better, cuz no one fell on their face.

Bad Memory

I was listening to some program on the radio one day while washing the dishes (which is my new thing, cuz listening makes me feel like I have company while I do the dirty work) and they (who's they you ask? I don't know) were talking about how some guy who works for microsoft has been wearing a teeny tiny camera attached to his eyebrow for many years now, and at the end of each day, he watches his entire day in some fast forward version that takes 3 minutes and I guess the point is that you forget exactly HOW much you actually do in a day. And I think My point is that I wish I had one of those things, cuz various times throughout the day something happens that I want to recall for the blog, but by this time I can't remember a thing. And forget the end of each day... I haven't written in weeks and I know a zillion funny wonderful things have happened but I don't even know where to begin.

Hmmm... let's see how I can update you the best. Hmm. Ok, fine I'll make a list. I like lists. I just wish I could make lists of things to do that I'd actually do. But that's besides the point.

!. I decided to stop taking Celia to the Nazi ballet teacher. Effie refused to dance, and I got too sleepy watching Celia yawn 37 times in 30 minutes.
2. We went to the Observatory to see... Hershel, and found out that if they say you can't park up at the top, just tell em that you have to drop off two crying babies with one parent, then they'll let you go up, and there will inevitably be parking up there.
3. Offspring number 2 is talking. A LOT! She likes to say "No way Jose". But it sounds like "Naway Ze".
4. I think Alex and I have been out 2 times without babies at night in 2 weeks thanks to Mo and Tree.
5. I started working again, not much, but just enough, and it'z cool.
6. I really miss writing this blog, and hope to get back into a weekly routine, so please, be patient with me.
7. Went bowling, and found out Effie has no problem lifting 12 pound bowling balls but likes dropping them.

So as you can see things have been ... normal... I guess. A lot has happened and things haven't been too crazy. I've been able to deal positively with the girls and now am just worried about Kindergarten and the fact that they are getting too big, too fast, and it scares me.

I've gots to go, but I think that I'm gonna keep a little pen with me to write notes on my hand or a scrap piece of paper so as not to offend my father (cuz he doesn't dig the writing on the hand thing) so I can be sure to blog next time about all the freakin funny stuff my kids say everyday. And if you miss them, come visit, or call, or write, cuz the girls are absolutely incredible.

Austrollia

If the girls can sleep in for at least a few more minutes, I'll be able to complete this post and post it. Let's pray.

How's it going? Hope you are all well, and that you avoided the winter colds and yucky stuff, and if you did - lucky you. We didn't exactly and Celia is getting over what Effie had for it seems weeks, and hopefully it doesn't recycle itself back into the household. That would stink.

Other than the sickies we are all good.

Lately when I've been thinking about blogging, the only thing I want to write is "Effie is so cute. Effie is so cute. Effie is so cute."

I mean, even when she was sicky, she'd say with her eyebrows at a frown, "no mom, I sicky". Too cute. In fact she says almost everything with that little confused frown as she squints her eyes, and it's so dang cute I just can't dang stand it!

You wanna know how cute she is? Well, if you didn't know already her words and speech has been a little limited till now, but the other night I was putting the little monkeys to bed, did all the night checks, and Celia was down for the count. Then, out of no where, Effie, who hasn't said more than 2 words at a time, said "I lub lu Mom". Then... a few seconds later said: "I lub lu Lela". "I lub lu too Dada". It was one of the happiest moments of my mom life.

And speaking of night checks. Celia has added one to the nighttime routine:

Did we play with our glo-sticks? Check!

The other day Alex got some glow sticks for them, and he likes to play with them at night of course, and they turn off all the lights in the house and hide them around and collect them up, then repeat this way too many times. It's really fun for them, tiring for me when I actually want them to wind down for bed. But whatever, you can't put limits on fun for a kid can you? Anyhow, last night for the second time this year, they took a glo-stick bath. You gotta see this - we turn out the lights while they are in the ducky - the bath - and drop all the light sticks in the water and they light up the bath tub. It looks like they are swimming in a park fountain. And it's hilarious. You should try it!

And I hear them, so I'll make this quick, but yesterday we were playing with Celia's imaginary friends and I heard her say "oh, how do you do? I'm from Austrollia!"
That was funny. I gotta go.