Happiness is...

knowing my kids are growing and healthy
watching my kids find interests outside of themselves
watching them learn what is really important
seeing them act with courage

Silly Addictions

I'm addicted to:
bejeweled in Facebook

How embarrassing is that? The other day I was teasing the girl and said, Hold on, I'm playing the best game of my life!!!

She replied, If it's the best game of your life, then why are you 7th?

Hardee har har.

What did I do to deserve such scorn?

Holy smoke! I remembered my password!

And almost a year has gone by...

Things are good, I've had ups and downs and more downs, but overall I am mostly healthy, the kids are healthy, what more can you ask for? The boy is a junior, the girl finishing first grade and the are beautiful, brilliant children. I just marvel at them.

Today the boy went to a protest march and the girl to jazz and tap class. Now he is at a friend's place probably gaming and eating - a perfect guy night. He has a girlfriend and all that drama....who knew girls could be so annoying! But he is happy and I suppose that is what counts. The girl is a figure skater now. I suppose years of gymnastics (lol) prepped her for triple lutz's and sal chows. My bank account has prepped me for paying for single jumps. She has been in 3 comps since this past fall and placed 2 in her first and 1st in her last two. Did I mention she sings too? A lead solo in a christmas play...

Alas she is not much bigger... She will always be a little thing - she will probably barely make 5 feet tall. It's hard to imagine becasue her brother is almost 6 feet tall and now has muscles and shoulders and is well on his way to being a man. :(

And I went camping renctly and we woke up to a light snowfall every morning. Totally cool and MUCH better than rain.

Off to see how everyone is doing.

Sorry I've been...neglectful.

I have been overwhelmed with last days of school, another summer road trip (with an outdated list of things to see on the drive) and just a lot of stuff. Between drop offs for camps and pick ups and just everything I haven't had time to write. And nothing interesting has been happening either! Maybe I'll be able to start having more to say after summer. Thanks for all of the comments. I really appreciate them.

Road trip!

A change of scenery is a good way to get out of a funk (for those suggestions over the past week I have bought 4 pair of shoes and two bottles of perfume and 2 new nail polishes (Trust Fund Baby for my hands and Hot Tamale for the toes); shopping is not my cure, lol).

So a road trip it is! My great auntie is having a party and we are invited, I'm am positive it will be fab.

Right now I have a bit of nerves, here in So Cal Big Bear got snow, Orange got hail and roads are flooding, so do keep happy thoughts that I have an easy six hour drive. Just 6 months from now and the boy can get a permit to help out. Maybe... I just need to get out there and see the road and just do it.

I am now selecting my wardrobe and jewelry. Sheesh, I haven't worn jewelry in a couple years! I think I might be low maintenance. Or neglecting myself.

So hoping you all have a wondertastic long weekend. See you next week (unless something B.I.G. happens and I jump on grandma's laptop).

Grumpiness

Ever have one of those days where you are just grumpy for no reason? I feel prickly like some sort of desert cactus. Everything makes me want to lash out when it comes too close. Every bit of good mood can be wiped out in a second. I feel like a mouse caught on a treadmill.

If anyone has a cure, let me know...

I'd love a martini lunch.

Yipee! The car is finished!

I had a nice lunch out with my girlfriend - we shopped and talked and I Starbucked. Then I got a call from J and it's done!!!!

Here is a tip so you know your car has "issues":

You know the service department. You know all of their names, you know the different shuttle drivers names, you know when someone has transferred and they all know your voice when you call. Your service department is programmed into your cell phone and you know "your guy's" schedule.

I'm not bitter! This experience has made me meet people I wouldn't otherwise have met.

Manic Monday

So as I was dropping the boy off at school, he reached for his i-pod and I remembered - I need it because I was supposed to bring my car into the shop this morning. Ay Carumba!!!! I completely forgot about this appointment and I'm sure J at the dealership would roll his eyes at myairheadedness. So I called work about the delay and dropped the car off.

I like my car. Not love it, just like it. It is one of those first year models, first off the production line and needs a lot of warranty attention. Today is a computer part replacement for the TPMS, a new seal on one of the doors, the circuits checked for the i-pod (a horrible buzzing sounds when you use the i-pod and the headlights), and the new key doesn't work right (they broke one, and replaced it). I know you are wanting my life. :-P This car will hopefully be passed to the boy for his use in a year or so. If he can have a car at college, it may go with him.

TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) is a device I just hate. It constant flashes on my dashboard. Then I get out, check the tires and make any adjustments if necessary (usually none are needed), but this time, the light would not go off. It's a little stressful having your car tell you there is a tire problem when there is not one I can see. My brother said at his friend's business, they disengage the device because it upsets the customers (it's a turn your car into a custom car business). I wish mine would magically disengage. I'm not brave enough to drive knowing it's off. But I hate the warning light. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this is the last repair it needs.

And it's hot this morning. Warm I like, but this is simply, hot.

Another Delightful Day

Church, mall, lunch, groceries and the park. Southern California is at it's perfection, flower scented air, breezes off the water and lovely sunshine.

After church, we dropped the boy off at his study group and the girl and I headed for the shopping mecca of Orange Country for white tennis shoes for a cheer performance later this week. She needed regular shoes for school too, so I got her whatever her heart desired...black Converse that glow in the dark with a space monkey on them. The coolest of the cool!

We bought her a couple bathing suits and swim shirts for camp (which now I'm thinking some will need to be returned and some will need to be exchanged), and finished with lunch at Boudin, and played with the boutique perfumes at Nordstrom. The saleswoman was very nice when I told her we were just fooling around. However, I did find a spicy scent that I will now shop online to find the price (the boutique does not have prices on their items).

Found it! Annick Goutal 'Mandragore' Eau de Toilette - here is the description:
In this rare and subtly vibrant perfume, the freshness of bergamot, black pepper, spearmint and star anis oil gives way to a dizzying host of sensual delights. These top notes create an immediate impression of strength and vitality, enhanced by boxwood, ginger and mandrake.

It had a spicy scent on my skin, that mellowed to a soft warm glow after a few minutes. I think I may put it on my Christmas list.

I could spend all day admiring the bottles, colors and scents. Much more fun than shopping for a handbag.

Emile Hirsch

AKA Speed Racer...

Yum.

In a last second decision, took the kids to see Speed Racer. The boy was unimpressed, something about how it should have all been cgi and how blah blah blah green screen blah blah...

And all could think about was How old could he be? *sigh*

What to do today?

It is going to be hot, hot, hot! I knew the second I woke up and found myself tangled in the sheets that it would be hot. The air was tepid and I had to flip my pillow to get a patch of coolness. After shutting the alarm off at 6am, I finally pulled myself out of bed and tried to wake up the boy. He mumbled incoherently so I laid down next to him. For some reason his room is cooler. After a moment, he finally woke up I went back to my bed for a bit. When he was ready, I got back up, threw on a sweater and drove him to school for a function. He poked my knee and said "goldfish". I realized I was still in my pajamas and yes, they are cartoon goldfish pants. I had not even brushed my hair.

When I got back home, I fed the girl a bowl of fruit and we went BACK to bed to watch cartoons. Eventually I showered and brought her over to ice skating.

I'd like a nap about now...but if I fall asleep, I'll be whiny and get a headache. I wish I had my feet in a kiddie pool on the front lawn and a big Long Island in my hands. I'm not in the mood for dealing with sand in the car...

Just a lazy afternoon.

A Lovely Day in the Neighborhood

After a perfect lunch day for the second day in a row, I'm having a hard time buckling down! Browsing bookstores, iced coffee's, and the scent of jasmine in the air coupled with the sound of water falling from fountains, has made me quite content.

This evening after work, I took the girl to the grocery store and told her "pick whatever you want for dinner that doesn't involve cooking". We came home with a chicken and fresh tropical fruit salad and some how four packs of gum. Girls who are hungry and without a plan shop strangely.

After dinner we abandoned our mess and and strolled over to the park where she played with a variety of children and I laid back with a new magazine. It's the perfect location, with a beautiful view of the ocean.

We got home at 8:30 and I cleaned up the mess and thought to check in. I like the past boyfriend stories, so keep them coming.

Mine feels very personal, it was one of those things where one day you are friends and the next you're making out. There wasn't really an "ending", so it was one of those things that always felt sweet in my heart. One of my most vivid memories is of him teasing me for my terrible singing voice. And before that laughing because I made a Mercedes sign instead of a peace sign on a notebook cover. And how music reminds me of him - hearing anything from that era always brings me back to a younger time. When I see pink high tops, I remember the ones he wrote over and signed. I kept them for about 10 years and in one of the last moves they were lost. I suppose if there had been a tragic series of breakups, cheating and lying, it would all feel different. But it was just "over". He was beautiful - kind of lanky, an inch or so taller than me with amazing dark curly hair. I remember pulling some of the curls and watching them "boing" back up. Definitely one of the smartest boys I've known and I'm think he is one of the smartest men I've communicated with as well. He was one of those cool laid back kids whereas I was a little too loud, silly and obnoxious. I was desperate to be the bad girl and failed miserably. I still try to be the bad girl and am still too loud, silly and obnoxious. I suppose some things never really change.

The night is ending, I've put the girl to bed and I'm waiting for the boy to come home from his night out.

Friends...

I have a fun opportunity to meet my high school sweetheart and his family next month. I'm curious how it will go.

I have a wonderful friend from my childhood who I don't email or talk to enough, but she is in my thoughts often. Whenever fate puts us in the same sport, we have always just picked up where we left off. Will it be the same - easy going and chatty? Or will the shock of seeing someone you knew at 15 turn 35 make us akward?

In any event it is something to look forward to in a month's time.

Who was your high school sweetheart?

The girl pointed out last night

with red hair I have green eyes and with brown hair I have blue eyes. Hummmm....too weird!

Did I tell you I went red?

But it was short lived...it was really, really bright. And I'm not wearing make up - it makes me look very, very pink!

But I'm now back to dark brown. Strange how it came back full circle to brown... this is as unflattering a hairstyle as any I've ever tried.... it's also a little dark for me. And I think I hate the glasses. A new pair is being delivered.

Who smells like a stripper?

Ashamedly, I admit at this moment in time, I do. Oh, if only I had the body to match it! I went to the perfume counter and tried four scents. I figured out three I really liked. So once I decided I realized, I had no idea which scents were on which arm in each spot. So what's a girl to do? Yup, I tried them on again. I had the three and just couldn't choose. So then I tried to knock it down to two. The three runners up were:

Dolce&Gabbana - the one
L, a L.A.M.B. Fragrance by Gwen Stefani
Amariage de Givenchy

I sadly returned Amariage to the shelf and walked out the door with the one and L. Yes, I am not good at ignoring impulses. I know that. Everyone knows that about me! Feeling very spoiled right now.

Hi! I've been around - just not in blog world

Her party theme was ice princess. Eat your heart out Tara Lipinski!

I made the cake! The crown was hard for a first timer, but it's made of icing. The girl is dancing to everyone singing happy birthay.

Chillin' out with some hot chocolate. Yes, by now the hair is a mess. :D

The parties are over! It is strange saying I have a 15 and 6 year old. Makes me feel very old.

The end of the school year is a whirlwind and we are all suffering for it. The girl is finishing her k end of the year project and to be honest - I'm really worried! She is doing such a beautiful job, I'm terrified her teacher will say I helped! She has accused me in the past for doing the girl's work. How weird is that? Like I have nothing better to do than paint diorama's about a mammal in South America...I wish her project looked more immature.

The boy has not been dealing with AP's and finals very well. He gets bad stomach aches and bemoans his grades - A "B"??? How can I live with a B??? My future is over because I have a B!!!!! I tell him it's not the end of the world and sheesh what does it matter if you are doing your best and get a B, but he beats himself up over it. His goal is Berkeley and he feels if he gets a B, he has no chance. Sort of weird to have your teen parent themselves.

I talked to my grandmother and whee!!! We are having an unplanned trip to see her and then see my great auntie for her birthday. She is so special to me that my little girl is named after her. I am not going to think about the price of gas there and back.

I haven't been writing much, mostly because there hasn't been anything news worthy. I go to work, come home and once or twice a week take the kids to ice skating (the girl won 8 events out of 8 events at her first competition - 4 golds and 4 silvers!). The girl started cheer and seems to really love it. It's community cheer so everyone is welcome, not try outs, and a fair price. If she still loves it by the end of soccer season, I'll let her got into competition cheer. I suppose her 3 years of gymnastics should come in handy.

I went to the Getty Malibu last weekend and almost started crying my eyes out at a statue. I think it is funny how I can see 300 statues and be fine and then see one that makes me all emotional. The kids listened to some live music and I took the tour headphones and saw EVERYTHING on my own. It was so nice to be totally absorbed. Later, the boy pointed out in Greek and Roman times that there must not have been penis envy as everything was in normal proportions to the size of the statue. Personally, I thought everything was on the small side, but I didn't want to give anyone a complex. The girl never pointed out that area, but she would get all pretend embarrassed when she saw a butt.

Alright Liz and MJ, I think I have caught you both up to the present. And if anyone else still reads, I apologize for the giant gaps.

For those with kids unexposed to Hannah Montana, just take a moment of silence and be grateful. I have her albums in my head ALL the time.

Happy Birthday!!!

The last few weeks have been very busy between work and home. I am planning two birthdays - yes, both kids have birthdays in the same week. The boy wanted to go to a jazz restaurant, but couldn't really decide. Finally, he chose a local restaurant withamazing food. He is getting a shopping trip on Melrose too.

Because I don't have a house, the girl's birthday is more complicated. It's the whole send out invites, hope you get rsvp's, make a fancy cake, get the extra decorations, food, and party favors to the site and hope that fun is had by all. It's honestly a lot of work!

The girl I fear is dropping gymnastics. She just isn't happy anymore. I worry that she will grow up an regret dropping, but for now, I just want her happy and enthusiastic. She had an injury a couple weeks ago and just hasn't snapped back. It involved smashing her cute little nose on the metal bar underside of a trainer vault while flipping over a bar. I ended up moving her down to a more relaxed class level with a coach that seems to understand dd and her anxiousness. So after April, I'll put her in swim three nights a week and make sure she has two ice times a week. Once the soccer season ends, I'll see if she wants to go back to gym or take up an acrobatic style of martial arts.

For those wondering, after a trip to the hospital for a series of xrays, her nose was not broken, just badly bruised and swollen.

I'm also a little angry with her regular coach. She didn't stay with the girl after she was injured. She dropped her off with the gym manager and yelled up for me that the girl was hurt. She also said she told the girls to not flip off the bar. The girl - told me that she told the girls not to do it AFTER she was hurt. She has an assistant coach who could have kept working with the other girls. I don't know, I guess I had higher expectations after the girl has been in her class for almost three years.

I could please an 80 year old...

Today I went the the nicest early Easter dinner. I brought macaroni salad and for the hostess a box of See's peanut brittle. The two men in the group were pleased as punch. Both are in their 70-80's - you would have thought I was making something complicated.

When we got home I called my grandmother to tell her her salad recipe was a hit (again), I started in with the retired gentlemen and she said interrupted with "I'm not interested in any men." I'm still giggling about it.

My grandmother is a hottie who doesn't need to be fixed up.

She reads this blog so I'm expecting to be in trouble later.

Happy Easter!!!!

Easter Craziness!

Okay I lied, my life is pretty calm (read: boring) right now. I did my Easter basket shopping and just have to find a couple packs of peeps and a chocolate bunny (solid none of that hallow crap) round it out. I was teasing the boy and told him the bunny doesn't come for "old" kids. The Easter bunny will always come for him. I will be 80 and making the kids baskets.

Easter reminds me of my mom. She knew how to make a basket! We always got more candy than we knew what to do with and a bunny of some sort. Sometimes it was a stuffed animal other times a fuzzy bunny bank (I wonder if they still make those???). I just always got the sense that she loved the whole process.

I've been all domestic recently. I'm trying to decide if it not my style to be a domestic goddess. I have fun putting an idea together but hate maintaining it! Cleaning is just so bothersome and I am thinking I'll have to dust more regularly. I need the boy to be home more to pull more weight around.

I would LOVE to have had Frank Lloyd Wright build me a Unsonian house. Make the furniture, art, make it small and force me to never bring crap into the house. Showroom ready at an instant. *sigh*

Tomorrow is Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The girl has the day off school so it will just be her and me. The boy has a party to attend so he doesn't want to come. As much as I hate Disney and all it stands for, it will be fun to see the girl light up. She reverently asked me "Maybe we can have lunch there?". Yes, maybe my little chickadee. I don't know if we will stay till midnight but hopefully we can take in the fireworks.

What are your Easter plans? I'll spend Saturday with the kid at a friend's party and Sunday is church and brunch. If it hits 80, we'll head for the beach.