Tinkle

The funniest part of the day has to be when I put the kids to bed. I mean, all their silliness comes out and when the lights go out it gets especially interesting. Tonight Effie demanded everyone else shut up while she sang us her rendition of "Tinkle Tinkle little Star". And quite the comedian she is - because as soon as we start cracking up she just keeps at it. She does whatever she can do in the silliest way possible to keep us all from sleeping. We don't seem to mind much - cuz she is funny. Today she began speaking in "robot" and even gave her Russian Nesting Dolls some robotic voices. It was good.

And the week/ year so far has been good. It's nice to hear the rain outside. And it's even nicer because I don't have to make anyone's lunch at 8:30 am tomorrow or make sure we don't forget an umbrella for me and Effie when we take Celia to school.

We got to see my friends new place in Highland Park this week. (thanks for the lovely dinner) - Celia and Effie got new pajamas from Monica and wanted to wear them to our dinner on Thursday. Tonight they wore the matching pajamas again, and asked if we could go back to Lucena's just to show them off again, then go back to Monica's to wear them there as well.

Also made it to Celia's friend's house - for an evening outside watching our girls have fun in a new Pink outdoor Clubhouse. (Heart shaped window too!) They had the BEST time. Along with the family party, and the morning with the Horlicks- my girls have had a wonderful week. So have I.

My hubby turned 31 last week - and now we're the same age again.

(I started this post last week and now I'm gonna finish it)

So yeah - I was saying we had some great dinner dates the last couple of weeks, and had wonderful company over tonight - which was fun and made the girls extra silly.

And so, 2010 so far so good. Effie - still funny. She always says "Guess what" before she tells us anything. The other day we had to help Celia with her homework which was to explain her life dream for an MLK assignment she had. She basically had to do the "I Have a dream" thing - and say her dream. To help her out I began by saying "my life long dream is to have a long happy life with my family" - then Celia said in the most sincere voice "My dream for my life is to be Wonder Woman" - the Effie said in the most thoughtful voice "My dweem fo myz life is to take fishy cwakers for da animals at da zoo and feed them" , then Alex said something like " my life dream is to be a monkey at the zoo". It really was funny. Celia was dead serious. We tried to conceal our giggles.

I'm just gonna post - and get to bed soon. I do have a sink full of dishes - and don't tell my mom, but they are really gonna have to wait till morning. I'm too sleepy.

Have a wonderful day, week, month, and I'll keep you posted.

Decade

Hi Friends: I made it though 2009 - happy, and healthy and I hope I'll be able to say the same next year.
Tomorrow is ..... well... I have to say that: The saddest day has come. We are all really bummed out in my house today. I'm just so sad just thinking about it. Effie is bummed. Alex is bummed. I'm bummed. And Celia is bummed too. What a bummer. This day had to come. I know it did. It didn't come too soon. I felt like we had enough time. We enjoyed the time. We relished in the time. We enjoyed each moment. But it's over now. Back to reality. Back to ................... Kindergarten. Hmmmffffff.

We've been asking Celia all week if we could home-school her. She said no. Because her teacher - she says - is the best in the world. She said she wants to stay in an institutionalized school, however, she asked if it was ok that we just mark her absent for awhile. I said no. She can't just be absent. I said - it's all or nothing honey. You either head back to school, or let me be your teacher. Well, we didn't convince her - which is fine in the end, because I haven't done enough research on home-schooling (or un-schooling) as others call it anyway. Oh well.

But it's funny. Because all around everyone is talking about how happy they are to have their kids back in school, and that they can't wait for vacation to be over for them, and all that... and here we are super bummed. But I think the real reason we may be bummed is that we have to wake them up so early. Vacation was so nice. I could get up an hour before them. Sit awake in bed with them. Enjoy pajamas till 10 with them. Make chocolate chip pancakes every morning with them without the rush. Without the "change me under the covers I'm too cold". Without the "I'm not hungry yet". Without the "Can we watch a movie before school?". WIthout the "EFFIE! YOU HAVE TO WEAR SOCKS!" Without the "EFFIE! You need a JACKET! No - I can't wrap you up in a blanket with you naked underneath!" Without the "I'm too tired for school right now". Without all that plus a hundred more things to say without the about. Oh well. Hmmmmfffff. Oh well.

But I'm gonna do what I can. I'm gonna get some clothes ready to put on Celia under those covers. I'm gonna have the pancake mix ready. I'm gonna have everything ready to make a semi-healthy - and semi-not so good for you lunch. I'm gonna leave room to be sure that Brownie can warm up. In fact - maybe I should go gas up that little wagon right now - so I don't have to roll all the way down Western without overdoing the gas pedal.

Anyway. Thank you all you readers for following Sara the Sub another year. Thanks for the fun times, hanging out, letting me cook for you, for watching my kids, taking them out, buying me birthday and Christmas gifts, and loving me and my family. See you soon, and I'm sure I'll let you know how the dreaded first day back of school went. Hmmmmffff.

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.