Mamacita Caliente!

Treasure & Gratitude

2010-08-18T06:03:00.004-06:00

I think my last post came across a little more negatively than I intended. Sleep deprivation and stress can make something very clear to you and then you reread what you've written. So I'll own it, all of it, the negativity and the point that I was really only trying to get across to myself.

Life has been one heck of an adventure these days. I have recently forayed back in to the land of the working mother and it has been quite the challenge. I love my new job but I do not love childcare. Making childcare arrangements specifically! I don't even spend this much money on myself y'all! It has been hard being away from the kiddos so much too and HD! The adventure is spinning past in high speed and I am holding on tight.

On another note I spent the night before last at the emergency room with Embea until midnight. She has a spider bite. It is starting to look a little worse so we're off to get antibiotics and see our pediatrician today. The funny thing is we had a blast! We read books, drew pictures and played hangman. I take my quality interactions where I can and time with my girl always lifts me up!

Both kiddos have adjusted fairly quickly and I think they are behaving pretty well. I am definitely the recipient of more hugs these days and I love the way the jump up and down saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" the minute I walk through the door! That's why I do it, strap on my work boots everyday and head out into the land of the working woman. I want them to feel secure and to be able to be happy kiddos! I am very blessed that I was able to spend most of the summer off with them, we had a grand time.

So there it is in a nutshell and none of it quite so bad. I really am trying to have a positive outlook every day. I am putting my intentions out there and I am getting results. I am ready for more good things to come into my life and I am very grateful for my husband, my children, my family, friends and every other wacky thing in between. So if my last post seemed vent-a-licious, it was. Sometimes you got to get the junk out to allow more space for the treasures.

PLGC & alot of gratitude for any of you who take the time to stop in an read my random musings.

MC -out

Everybody Poops...

2010-08-17T02:59:00.004-06:00

There is a battle that goes on in my mind and with my emotions. I want to be able to feel what I am feeling and act on that. The emotion takes over like a drug filling up my every fiber. Things go haywire, the adrenaline pounds I know, KNOW what I am feeling. Feelings, are they fact or fiction? We walk a fine line day to day in the words we say, the way we act and our final actions involved in those acts. Dar Williams puts it quite nicely ala her Yoko Ono song…” Who am I what is art?”

Who am, I what is Reality!!?? It is the crazy trip and tumble down a rocky path. We scrape our elbows, break our bones and take out any other being in our path. What is it about human nature that leads us to hurt others? Why do we do the stupid things that we do? By the way I just want to wrap the previous sentence up in a pile of doodoo!!

That’s all this is y’all, a bit o’ pomp and circumstance wrapped up tightly in whatever lie we tell ourselves in the moment. It seems that we and by we I mean me, you, err’ fucking body… So what is the lie of the moment that we use to loathe ourselves, the lie that makes us think we are less? We like to throw shit bombs on the porches of our existence.

What have you thrown lately? Me I like to lob them left, right, North and South. The truth is this. It is all shit when you boil it down. If we take a minute to love ourselves and place even one tiny positive thought toward the general vicinity of our lives then things start changing. Sure crappy things still happen, but it’s what you do with the crap that counts. Everybody poops.

Me I am tired of getting bogged down in the muck of my own emotions. I am tired of not taking a step back and then moving 5 steps ahead. I know that it can be done, I do!! My life is just south of Hell right now but just north of being quite alright. I think too much, I feel too hard, I want real, real bad!

Yet in all of this my positives are rearing their positive little heads. I am seeing my light and it is mine. I can’t change you. I can’t change those I love. I can’t even change my 7 year old’s mind when she has it made, but… I can change me. I can affect the things in my thoughts. I can feel my emotions, own them and make informed decisions.

Sure I will admit that half, okay 89.95 percent of the time I just want to wallow, pout, shout and cry. I want to feel sad, be sorry and stay stuck. If I am stuck who’s gonna get me out? If my stuck is sticking you or others that I love, how in the heck am I gonna get out? The bars are thick but they ain’t locked.

They are NOT locked. Stay positive, think positive, live Fucking strong! Yeah all the pretty little euphemisms make me want to puke a little in the back of my mouth too. Yet there might be something to all this positivity. I may be down, low low down but… I am seeing something that wasn’t there before. I wanna drink, cry, hit, pinch, bitch, moan, wallow, wallow, wallow. That’s just not working for me anymore.

It is time to wake up and take a mother fucking whiff of the roses. “Missy is the poo, so take a big whiff!”

PLGC to all of those I have offended and to those of y’all that get me, just a lil bit!

Consideration of Gratitude

2010-07-28T00:58:00.004-06:00

reflections on a day...

Along the path we lose our way. Bush and bramble impede us, slowly impatience sets in.
Impatience quickly turns to anger which quickly becomes bitter. We are set upon by fear and move along on a swift binge of self destruction. Little by little our smiles are more forced, then faked, then gone.

Yet...

All it takes is a consideration of gratitude. One moment of thankfulness leads to another. This moment and the next bring a smile to your face. You begin to self reflect. You start to purge the bad habits and choices. You find patience setting in. A path is cleared in front of you. You find that your way was right there in front of you all along.

PLGC loverly internets!

-out

important things...

2010-05-04T00:06:00.004-06:00

Sometimes we let life pass us by in a haze of disconnection. Suddenly our children are older, taller, smarter, no longer babies. You find yourself trying to recall the last week, the last month, the last year. Songs are written about how much you will miss this, landslides bring us down.

Tonight EB & I went well past bedtime to hang out and watch Akeelah & the Bee. Sharing this time with her, I realized how often as a parent that I don't listen to my kid. I get so wrapped up in my own emotions and stress that I forget that she is living this life right along with me. She has experiences in her world separate from me, that I take for granted. So I took advantage of some much needed time with my daughter. Hang bedtime, hang the dishes, hang mommy time after the kids are asleep!

We snuggled up on the couch and finished the movie, just her and I. Then as I tucked her into bed I realized she needs more than this, (more than a movie and a soda pop, more than a kiss goodnight see ya in the morning light). So I kissed her and then I told her how beautifully amazing she was. I told her that she was smart, funny and that she could do anything in the world.

As I whispered long overdue encouragements into my daughter's ear I saw her light shine. Her smile grew and her eyes crinkled in just the right way. I looked down and I was so totally and completely in love with my child. I had an instant memory of nursing her when she was just a few days old and how I used to call her my wise little ancient Japanese man. This is how she looked to me then and now, like a monk bestowing infinite wisdom if only I were open enough to receive it. As the words of my song enveloped us both I found peace in that moment. Her eyes drifted shut and her mouth stayed smiling. She is mine and I did not miss this.

I may be waxing philosophical and slightly poetic, but that is why I write here after all. I am going to miss these moments when they are gone. However I will not miss them because I let them pass me by, I will miss them because I took the time to have them. The images of my days old daughter and my seven year old daughter will meld and grow as time passes.

If we take the time to truly listen to our children, to truly experience them and love them for the amazing beings that they are, then we are truly blessed. As adults we weild the power to help shape our child's future, to boost their confidences, to help them live fearlessly and in complete and total love. It is easy to get caught up in the business of being an adult, just one more minute, mommy needs to do this thing or that, yada yada yada. So tonight take a moment, truly and without your own baggage look at your children. Love your children for the amazing beings that they are and will become. Trust me, you will be happy that you did. "You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back."

CB & EB digging holes, mama Loves you!

Peace, Love and Green Chile...MC -out

diggin' on crazy.

2010-03-14T15:04:00.008-06:00

So anyone interested in obtaining a 4 year old, as is? He has a tendency to growl, yell, talk back, spit, kick you in the shin and run away. He also gives the most amazing heart wrenching hugs and says I love you at least a 100 times a day. Hmmmmmm. On second thought I think I'll keep him. I really do love those hugs.

just look at that smile...

I think back to two years ago when EB was the same age and I don't quite remember This. My little guy & I are together all day long everyday and there are a lot of meltdowns. There are a lot of good times too. He reminds me to play, to have fun. He also gets me damn mad, but I am learning what a gift patience is.

EB is pushing different sorts of buttons these days as well. She will be 7 in two weeks but you'd think she was turning 30. She knows everything, no really just ask her. She has perfected the blank stare and talking back under her breath. I had really hoped I had a few more years before that started to happen. I can't wait until she perfects the eye roll. I was really good at the eye roll, still am, just ask my mother. EB is turning into such a beautiful young lady and the remnants of my baby girl are fading away.

me & my little lady...

I'm not complaining, I kinda dig this crazy ride. I do have a few things in my day that get me through the rough patches. Mommy time outs help. Art, books, exercise and love helps. I have developed a bit of a texting habit. I am online a bit too much. It's like having an instant support team at my whim. I really like late night glasses of wine after the kids are tucked in. Their love helps.

All in all when I start to feel down, when I get a little blue I think about all of those good things and I have a little gratitude. My B-I-L says it best, "Monster through the day and have gratitude not attitude!" He's right. I have wonderful people in my life who love and support me and I have an amazing little family. They drive me effing nuts sometimes but I love them.

...and I am thankful for you, my few lingering readers who stick around for the crazy.

Peace, Love, Green Chile and Gratitude,

MC -out

Uhm hello again 2010, I see your still here.

2010-03-08T23:00:00.006-07:00

Hello dear internets. I know that lately I have treated you much like an old pair of shoes. You know the pair, they looked so good on the shelf but never quite fit with any outfit you've ever owned. Yeah that's you and this is me and maybe just maybe I found the right outfit.

I'd love to say that I have spent all of this time bettering my spirit and accomplishing all of those big things that I promised you in my post before last. Some of those things are true. I have have delved into a journey of discovering myself. To tell the truth my dears that journey has led me down a few deep dark holes and I have been clamoring to get out. Lets get brutally honest here, since that's pretty much the point. You and I both know that I love to use this blog as a good swift kick in my own ass. I mean I look kind of funny spinning around my living room trying to reach it and this is much more cathartic for me.

I suck! I am right now Mrs. Sucky McSuckerson of McSuckerville. Yup that's me. There is a pile of clean laundry that has been lying around for I won't tell you how long. My children are watching too much T.V. and playing too many video games. I have sequestered my self in this house with said children, letting them do too much of all the wrong things over the period of a week in early February. My dining room table is covered in crap that doesn't go there and there are dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. This is not me, this is not who I am.

So there are the things that have fallen to the wayside. Yes I know they are all completely fixable and yes they will all be tasks checked off my to do list well before Friday. So my point? I just thought y'all should know that it isn't always home-cooked meals and jelly donuts in Casa de Caliente.

On that note I have quite snapped out of whatever funk I may have been in. I thank y'all dearly for allowing lil' ole me to vent and confess just a little. So I can hear you all asking yourselves So what is GOOD with MC these days. (oh you weren't asking?) Well I don't care because if you've read this far, chances are you'll keep reading and find out.

I am once again in possession of my beloved Mommy Mobile and she, the kids and I have been stepping out. Sure we spent three days in a row at the same beach park, but we had good times.

My kids are in a T.V. and video game recovery program and I am watching episodes of Hoarders on demand to ensure that I do not become one. I decided to do a week long vegetarian detox over two weeks ago and have recently received my copy of The Kind Diet from Amazon. Don't worry I haven't yet forced my carnivorous clan to join in my craze. I have begun an exercise program with Tracy Anderson (well the free webisode until i decide whether or not to order the DVD). I have seriously committed to Thinking about starting running again. I have joined a lovely teleseminar that has really given me a lot of food for thought.

There is new music in my world and it makes me happy. I am reading things beside those old beat up romance novels I lugged along with me from NM. I am thoroughly enjoying my family. My children are turning into phenomenal little metropolitan beings. I am learning to be more independent while HD is out working his full time job and earning his Masters degree.

So those are the things going on in my world in a nutshell. I can't tell you all of my secrets dear internet but those are a few. I can say for certain that my outlook has lifted. I plan on posting much more often and I hope to provide you with a modicum of entertainment value. You can join me for my journey as vegetarian in a meat eating family. There will be recipes, there will be disasters. We'll get candid about the different ways 4 & 6 year old can talk back and how MC is coping with that. You'll discover how and where we fit in family time. I think this is gonna be quite a year my dears.

Peace, Love, Green Chile & Taco Trucks (PLGCTT)

Mamacita -out

Frustration into Fruition & over it...

2010-02-16T22:48:00.006-07:00

Once upon a day...

I woke up and ran to Safeway for some coffee because we were out. Out of freaking coffee! Day two of tea was not really gonna be an option, after all I am a United State-ian. My favorite roast from peerless is French roast, so at this point I just need some Effin caffeine!

I digress.

So today was the BIG day. The day where we visit the brand-spanking new Ophthalmologist for EmBea's 4th follow up for her anisometropic amblyopia. Today was apparently a time to delve into the chaos of an over booked Eye Doctor's office.

We signed in, paid our co-pay, checked in with the Optometric technician, had Em's glasses assessed for the script and were assigned to room 3. Our lovely Ophthalmologist was very thorough. She determined that Em's old Rx was obsolete and also that she had developed astigmatism. Many eye drops were administered to dilate EmBea's eyes. She cried, she screamed and I held her eyelids open, Ala clockwork orange. This truly and completely sucked and felt cruel beyond all reason...

Cut to being told that our insurance did not cover refraction. (refraction=the final step of looking at the eyes after dilation -aka all of those effin drops) and that we could skip out or pay an additional $65. I am not a tortuous mommy, I paid up. Then the "primary" O.D. comes in. She then says OH..oh we need to refer you to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist. WTH, seriously what the fricken heck..That is where I thought we were.

Lesson learned. When entering a new state of residence with an amblyopic child ask, ASK..are you a Pediatric Ophthalmologist. Do NOT ask; do you treat children with Amblyopia? If they can, they will say yes and you will find yourself being charged above and beyond your budgeted co-pay.

So am I down, am I upset, am I pissed the eff off? NO. I was a earlier today when I barraged my DH with frantic texts. Now, I am not. It was the honest mistake of a Mama of an Amblyopic child who had thus far had an "easy go". I will never again take for granted the lack of bedside manner of our Doc in Albuquerque.

My advice to any Mama planning a move; double and triple check with your insurance as to what may or may not be covered. Double and triple check with the office that you choose that they cover your child. Pediatric seemed to be the key word in my experience.

Other than that...

I have moved forward. I have a plan, a new Rx for my wee turtle and a fricken positive attitude. We will see the new Pediatric OD soon and EmBea will be wearing her fab new script. We'll rock, Rap and roll with the flow. Until then we are Patching Strong, 4 hours per day and looking to improve even more. Our progress from March 2009 to now..20/200 to 20/60. I have faith and belief that we will succeed and my daughter will beat Amblyopia.

Thanks for allowing me to vent dear internet.

Peace, Love, green Chile and a Taco truck in Oakland.

-out

One Day...

2010-01-12T00:32:00.003-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have had an urge to blog. I have enjoyed meandering through the blogiverse finding humor, tragedy, hope and a few things in between. It is strange to be on a journey such as this. I am quickly approaching the age of no return, 35. one month give a couple of days and there I will be, on that precipice of the other side of 30.

I have made big changes this last year. We have moved from the Mountain time zone to the PST without pause. Things seem to be moving in fast forward and slow motion all at the same time. I feel as if I have lived here all of my life. I feel like a stranger in a place I have never before been. I feel like having an adventure. I am on a great adventure!

As I peruse the aisle of preventative aging, my six year old by my side, I realize it is not vanity but necessity that I start to care for my vessel a bit more than I have in the past. As I browse 5k runs in the Bay area I find myself looking instead at the 12k. Why not push it to that next level? As I register my youngest for kindergarten I think, this is it, the beginning anew!

2010, twenty-ten, two thousand ten!! “I’m a driver, I’m a winner, things are gonna change, I can feel it.”

Peace, Love, Taco Trucks, Green Chile and so much more…

Oh and check this out….makes me happy :)(:

-out

self centered

2009-10-30T22:21:00.002-06:00

“at the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” ~lao tzu

I have had this quote posted as my desktop background for the last 3 weeks. I have seriously contemplated it on occasion, mostly avoided any serious thought. It hits that nerve, the one that tells you to trust your gut and accept the truth. What is the truth, what is that thing that I bury at the back of my sub-conscious waiting to break out? Do I have the answer?

I am one of those people that have many passions. I am artistic and creative, I love to write, read and take on new things. I always start shit and I hardly ever finish it. Here are a couple of examples;

Green Bay Packer blanket I began crocheting in 1998 is about 10 stripes in and 30 inches long. The DH says he expects to be cremated w/ it at the very least.
2 novels started, well into, never finished.
Baby blanket for my nephew’s 1^st Christmas last December and his 1^st birthday is in 2 days.
An article for a friends business.

The list goes on. ..

I know who I am and what I want; and dammit I do have the answer! You may wonder why I don’t share it with you. I don’t even share it with myself. It requires that I get past a couple of things first. I need to get off my lazy ass on a regular basis and stop doing everything but what I need to do. I need to admit that I sabotage myself. I need to eliminate the fear.

This is not at all how I expected this post to go. I expected to expound on my new city, Halloween costumes, the rigors of moving, etc. It’s all the same thing though…a giant fear of failure and the fear of success. So soon I promise I will regale you with stories of my babies, my new home, my community and anything else you care not to know. Right now I need to get what I want by being who I am because I do have the answer.

Bea's Adventures in Amblyopia

2009-09-26T01:28:00.001-06:00

Another guest post at Amblyopia Kids dot com...

Check it out...

2009-09-22T22:11:00.001-06:00

Check out my Guest Blog at Amblyopia Kids :)

I have always relied on the kindness of strangers...

2009-09-19T00:50:00.004-06:00

Ok, so that is not the slightest bit true and I am definitely not Blanche Dubois. I am however relying on a little help from my friends. As a 30-something grownup I admit I am not the best friend sorta of friend. I prefer to keep them long distance and have self admittedly fallen victim to facebook. I find in the long run, as with most things, it is the quality not the quantity that counts.

Good grief I am a walking talking cliche slinging terror tonight. You can just tell grammar to take one up the a$ right now, because I am not in the mood. Anyway, back to the point at hand... As you know We have recently moved our family (1 cat, 2 kids, 2 adults) to California from NM. We do not have a place to call our own just yet but we do have friends. I have known Buckeye for the same 16 years I have known my husband and his wife Fargo for half of that. In friend terms that calculates to a long fucking time. I have not always been the best of friends but we all do what we can.

We are now living in buckeye and fargo's house. Graciously, tumultuously, wonderfully, fabulously, easy! WTF, wtf!! I mean I am scared shitless that I may step on a toe or two. I am freaked out that I am relying on people whom I have occasionally managed to blow off. The amazing thing is that everything is just fine. It is working out with a modicum of ease. Shit man, the 21 hours of driving must be making me delirious.

I truly feel like I am at a 24 hour slumber party. Okay, so maybe not 24 hours, because I have to sleep and be a wife and mom in there somewhere. All in all it is a pretty fucking awesome gig. So back to the beginning...

I guess what I am trying to say to B & F is THANKS, and I told y'all I would say it so many times it would make you sick. However this blog is dedicated to YOU! Here is me, in all of my obscurity on the Internet saying YOU EFFIN ROCK. (p.s. i think I have dropped enough sailor talk for 1 post) I Love Y'all, we could not do it without you.

Peace, Love and Tacos! PL&T families on the move & the friends that help them along the way.

a picture is worth a thousand words...

2009-09-16T23:58:00.005-06:00

aka...why i haven't blogged latley.

on the way to Barstow day 1

on the way to the East Bay day 2

PLGC (peace love & green Chile) all my New Mexi-peeps

And PL&T (peace love and tacos) all my soon to be Bay area Peeps!

thanks to my brother-in-law who...

2009-08-30T09:50:00.003-06:00

reminds me to Keep it Positive.

Looking back over my last few posts I think they have taken on more of a negative tone than I like. I seem to be manifesting the mediocre as of late. Well, that just won't do.

I don't find myself to be an overly mystical sort of gal but I do have the inherent belief that thoughts are things. I loved The Secret because it pointed out to me how often I tend to think of things in the wrong way. I really do focus my efforts on what is not happening in my life. Here is what IS happening & what I have to be grateful for;

we are moving to NorCal East Bay area in 2 weeks.
my husband has a job to transfer with, which lends a sense of stability to our lives.
we have a pair of very lovely friends who are allowing us to share their living space while we search out one of our own.
we are spending less than we are saving right now, which may not be much, but I have faith in the mama & papa dollar theory from "It's a Wonderful Life".
our family unit has a unique strength and sense of love & togetherness.
we have two lovely little beings in our life that give us the motivation to make this work.
my DH is going back to school for his masters in a field he is passionate about.
I Love my husband with all of my heart & soul, he is my best friend. (a bit old fashioned but there it is)
we have reconnected with family in a remarkable way.
we have been blessed with a support network of family and friends.
we have our health.

I know that I do not stop and take the time to be grateful for the good things in my life. It is so easy to get caught up in what is going wrong and to stray into more negativity. It is hard for me to take a closer look at my faults but when I do I find that there is not anything there that I cannot overcome.

This post is not overly witty. There is no hidden snark and I haven't even dropped the F-bomb once. I know that there are those of you who look forward to that type of post. Do not be discouraged, I have plenty of the funny and downright ridiculous left in me yet. Today, however, I want to focus on Keeping it Positive. That's all that you can do in the end.

I took a silly FaceBook quiz 2 days a go that I didn't publish because as I said, it was silly. It was something like; "what is your life quote?". At the time I thought, are you kidding me that is so overused & so generic. In retrospect, I kinda like it.

"When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade" ~Dale Carnegie

PLGC- to everyone keeping it positive.

confessions of a serial procrastinator...

2009-08-28T06:59:00.005-06:00

My goodness, I swear I wasn't drinking when I took the photo in my previous post. I will leave it up however as a testament to my temporary insanity. The truth is that I have to straighten up now, fly right so to speak. It is crunch time and if I am completely honest with you internet and myself, then...

My stress is a monster of my own creation. I am a class act procrastinator. I don't set out to Not get things done. I am a master of self distraction. I will just read one more chapter, which turns into devouring a novel in one go. I will just watch this one re-run episode, only to discover it's a 4 hour marathon, 4 hours later. Hey kids you want to do an art project? These are just the tip of the iceberg.

I know that I have touched on this topic before, but I feel that I need to say it out loud again. I need to be held responsible for my lack of action. I have asked DH to kick my ass about it but that hasn't worked at all. It turns out that I become a total bitch when he points out my lack. This must be totally confusing to him too as I asked him to point such out. So I turn to you dear readers. I know that you are there and you may be few in number but I want your silently judging thoughts to be just that.

I do not have an uncharmed life but if I do not find a way to motivate my ass I fear it will become one. I try to understand how I could work a corporate job for 40++ hours per week and give it may all and then give my Real life shit. Here you go dear husband and kids an giant pile of steaming crap.

I can see that the DH is beyond stressed at this point. We move to Cali in little over 2 weeks and we are not ready. Everything takes longer than you think, so at this point it looks like we will not be ready (especially with my track record). That, it turns out, is just not acceptable. Not now, not ever again.

Something inside of me has to click and it has to be today. There are no more free passes, no more tomorrows, no more I'll get to that in 15 more minutes. I swear to all that is, if I come back here and write one more post about my own procrastination that I will kick my own ass. It'll be like that scene in fight club and my only excuse then is that I will be bloody and broken.

Thank you for sitting through that & since you were kind enough to read through to the end I will give you the immeasurable treat of this picture of my lovely children.

lovely in Chicago.

PLGC- faithful lurkers everywhere.

and so on and so forth...

2009-08-26T21:16:00.007-06:00

Apparently moving to a whole new state gives 6 year olds freaking panic attacks. Thank the effing gods for bach's White Chestnut flower essences . I myself, yes me, am a fan of the Rescue Remedy mixture. It also works for pets, more specifically cats.

To even suggest that stress may play a factor in our 4 & 6 year old childrens' current behavior is ludicrous. No I don't mean the rapper you fools! oF COURSE IT FUCKING DOES (play a part I mean). Those caps were an accident but I am gonna leave them because it has been the most aesthetically pleasing thing I have seen all week.

Anyway, this blog tarries and waxes and all that liturgical shit. I am too fucking freaked myself to even comprehend. Rescue remedy, really biatches, really..really.

PLGC- if you don't know you better ask (ax) sombody.

Cuh-raz-ay...me

the one where she goes on a bit too long...

2009-08-24T21:22:00.002-06:00

It has been a week or so since I have stopped by. I apologize dear blogosphere for my fickle demeanor. To say that life has been hectic would be an injustice to the circus-state fair-esque bit that has been my world as of late. I am not sure where even to begin. I believe I left off with a pretty scene at the home of my in-laws in IL, so that may be a start.

Suburbia in Northern Illinois was great. We headed further North to the land of Cheese and went on a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory, ahh Wisconsin. My S-I-L phrased it best "Lame-skie" (said in a long drawn out sing songy sorta way). It was like watching How it's Made while riding in a golf cart disguised as a train. The booty to be had at the end of the tour --aka enough jelly belly's to kill a horse--, made it well worth the tour, I think...

There was also the Mars Cheese Castle, that my dear Internet was like heaven made of cheese but here on Earth. I could live there forever and ever and ever. The most awesome Father-in-law ever stocked us up on quite the nice assortment of sausage and cheese. Oh-oh-oh and there was beer too.

Alas the Cheese bliss was not to last. Before we were through there were other states to be traversed. There were meet and greets with strangers, some of whom I had heard and some I had not. There were bloodied lips (my own by my son) and broken limbs (my M-I-L, the biggest trooper Evah!!) There was the electric slide and hotels with swimming pools. Booze in copious amounts and Family.

Family. I mean like woah! I felt my place in the ranks and I felt I belonged. It was a really good time for myself, my spouse and my children. The kids were the key. They seemed to erase any unease that may have occurred and rambunctiously worked their way into the hearts of everyone, I mean Everyone, present. To be a part of something as such was amazing and I am well pleased by the experience on the whole.

Now here we are. Here, now. 3 weeks from the move to Northern Cali, $1400 in car repairs, no moving budget to speak of and Love. So much love that I am awed and frightened all at the same time. Where did it come from and will it last? There is the fact that my eldest has now started 1st grade, which I will pull her from shortly. She will be the new kid but I don't know when.

I am officially freaking at how behind schedule I am with the packing. I am psyched that in this time of stress I have taken up running (even if it is only 1-2 miles at a go). I am falling more madly in love with my spouse than I ever thought possible and am whole heartedly looking forward to our 13th anniversary. Did you know the traditional gift for 13 years is lace and lingerie? CS is certainly looking forward to that.

All in all I am trying to fit a time warps worth of information into a few brief paragraphs. If you are still reading then I should say thank you. If not, then I really DGAF. So that being said, I hope that you too have felt the strange ebb and flow of time this summer and that your lives are moving forward in a positive way. Good night dear readers. I promise to wax less poetic & wordy our next go round.

Peace Love & Green Chile. -all

Vacation Bliss

2009-08-06T09:35:00.003-06:00

So our first family trip on a plane was relatively painless. Security in the Sunport moved along at a quick pace and the plane ride itself was smooth. EmBea said she had butterflies in her tummy and on her shirt. It was amazing to be re-amazed. Watching my children revel in the joys of jetting above our planet and hanging out in the atmosphere became just that, a joy. CS & CB sat across the aisle and seemed equally enthralled.

The trek through O'Hare to get to my MIL seemed a marathon but in a good way. EmBea was patching so it was a bit of chore to make sure that she wasn't running into people. There was much more hustle and bustle than either of the kids had ever been exposed to before. I cannot wait to take them into Chi-town proper.

Right now I am sitting in the serenity of my in-laws lovely home. We are surrounded by flowers, greenery, lakes and local wildlife. Well there was serenity until my oldest decided that everything was too quiet and stomped through the house like a herd of wild elephants. Damn I sounded like my own mother just then, no wonder she used to get so cranky when we did stuff like that. CB just went a round with the OJ and the OJ won. Citrus in the eye, not pretty.

I am very thankful to be here. It is a good warm up for the impending move. It also happens to be quite nice to be on an actual vacation for once. My little family is coming along quite nicely and it bodes well for things to come. Sometimes it is very easy to get caught up in the mom-ness (being mom). I think it is good to look at it through the eyes of a grandparent or aunt or uncle. They have so much more patience for letting them just be kids.

Well I have rambled on a bit and sucked away some of my vacation time into the internet vortex. I bid you all farewell and hope that you find the bliss in your family today as I have found in mine.

PLGC- family

the best laid plans (not what you think)

2009-08-01T21:36:00.003-06:00

Sorry that I have been lax on posting lately. Even though we do not have a definitive plan for this west coast move it seems to occupy most of my time. My life is fraught with sporadic packing, children induced anxiety and pure avoidance. The latter being my nemesis.

Me: "Oh there's a marathon of such and such on TNT, must sit on my ass and watch...Oh you brought home beer and Jim Beam, well we can't let that go to waist...Oh I haven't read the umpteenth update from the too many tweeps I follow...Oh wait did Momversation post something new (check out the one on procrastination, it's my fave)...oh..oh..oh.."

The Dear husband has noticed this, lets call it, laziness. He hesitates to bring it up to me for fear that I might get all hormonal and rant some illogical crap at him for a couple of hours. Which I probably would, so that makes him right, which pisses me straight off! Really why does he have to call me out on something I am beating myself up over. What's that you say? Yes I call him out for every little idiosyncrasy. Huh? I deserve to get what I dish out? Oh allright. Dammit internet Now You are pissing me off.

I have so much shit to get done and we are flying out to IL on Wednesday for a family shindig. I am totally happy for the impromptu vacation but all of my above said crap has made it more panic filled. I need the big flashing DON'T PANIC sign from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy right now. Why do I do this to myself? If I had the answer y'all I wouldn't be posing the question here. By the time we return it will be exactly 4 weeks til the move, 4 freaking weeks. Damn.

Man this whole post is sliding into some mighty whiny territory. That irks me too and now I am pissing myself off, WTF! Maybe that's the problem, I am apparently too effing pissed off to get anything done. Well I just can't accept that. Henceforth I give you permission dear readers to flip me the bird and tell me to stop the nonsense! I am moving to beautiful Northern Cali and I have fabu friends in the area. In the end it doesn't matter how we get there, just that we DO get there.

I am going to butcher this quote, mainly because I can't remember who wrote it and it is one CS uses all the time. I don't even know if I've ever seen it in print but I love it. "Planning is like looking for your lost wallet under a lamppost when you didn't lose it there in the first place" That pretty sums it up for me right now.

Move along, there is nothing to see here...

PLGC- movers & shakers

adventures in babysitting...

2009-07-16T09:57:00.003-06:00

I am constantly amazed and appalled by my children. They are such amazing little beings but they have the uncanny ability to go from 0-brat in 1.5 seconds. This summer has entailed an interesting change in my kiddos’ dynamic due to addition of CiCi. She is 6 and a kindergarten classmate to EmBea. The three of them get on pretty well but there are the inevitable personality/emotional/I’m 6 & your 4/we’re both 6 and moody clashes.

I often times wonder if I am too straight forward in my parenting tactics. If I am it is too late to turn back now. I am that mom who simply tells it like it is. Both of my kids are used to this. EmBea is on the gifted track and it is best not to sugar coat anything with her since she’ll just bug you until she gets it. The she says, matter-of-factly, “I get that.” CB is 4 and he can take things one of two ways; screaming crying fit mode or the classic sad sack “okay mom”. CiCi has been known to look at me cross eyed and sideways.

These are the things I can’t and won’t tolerate;

Rudeness in any form or fashion. This includes face making and snarky remarks. 4 & 6 year olds have a surprisingly wide array of snarky remarks.
Hitting is NEVER EVER ok.
Whining. Okay so I tolerate it somewhat but I really wish I didn’t have to.
Lying. I have a built in lie detector, which always amazes the child telling the lie, which I utilize often.
Refusing to eat something “because I don’t like it”. The rule in this house is that you try it & if you still don’t like it then at least you tried it. This one works surprisingly well with picky CiCi and CB. (One bite often times leads to eating the whole meal before they realize they have eaten it.)

Those are the basics. There will always be that unexpected mediation that you play off the cuff but those are few and far between. Being in charge of a child who is not my own definitely gives me more patience. I am learning when to let something go and when to step in.

One of the other issues that I deal with is Brain Food. I am blessed with two wonderfully articulate and bright children. EmBea, as stated above, is gifted, so I have to make sure I am keeping her challenged while matching the learning level of the other two. Stimulation via arts and crafts is excellent. One of my favorite things to do is grab the laptop and pick a documentary on Netflix. Then I will coordinate an art project around the theme of the documentary. It works surprisingly well and the kids love it.

We also have plenty of outings. Kids go stir crazy too. Stir crazy kids + stir crazy mami = one bad day. I try to mix it up with the zoo, aquarium, library, parks. This is the usual rigmarole and they are always pleasantly surprised. I think the key thing to remember is that kids just want to have fun. They don’t want to be in trouble. I have to remind myself of that pretty much daily, but when I do the results are splendiferous.

Lest you think this post makes me sound like a saint…I have my bad days too. Yesterday I let forth a string of expletives that no child ears should hear. In my defense that fucking asshole driver in the big truck ran the stop sign and I had kids in the car!! I already let CiCi’s mom know, you know just in case. I have days were the “mommy voice” sounds more like a mommy yell and days when I just plain stick them in front of a movie with a bowl of popcorn. That’s okay too. I think I am doing a darn fine job raising interesting little kids and solidifying a childhood babysitter memory for another. I had an amazing babysitter when I was 6 so if I am in any way emulating her then I am on the right track.

PLGC- babysitters and the kids they care for

Family Picture...rare

2009-07-11T19:35:00.003-06:00

because somebody has to hold the camera...

us at the Metamusings Art Opening Reception to
See the artwork Of RS at The Talking Fountain in the "Burque!

PLGC- ((Peace, Love and Green Chile))- Art Lovers, Artists and Dred-locked Peeps in NM.

a day in the life...

2009-07-10T11:19:00.007-06:00

So far, despite the previous posted finger mishap, the week has gone surprisingly well. I even managed to plan five meals out and shop within 10 bucks of my allotted budget, hooray me! So what are we having for this weeks nosh?

Last night was... Pork Chops (pan fried), duchess potatoes and broccoli & cauliflower florets in butter. The duchess potatoes (recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook) turned out delish!

Tonight I am trying a crock pot recipe called 3 beans & Sausage. It has red kidney beans, black beans and great northern beans with smoked sausage. This will be served over wild grain rice with corn cakes.

the rest of the week will play it by ear with these dishes;

Pulled BBQ Chicken sandwiches with pomme frites (ok just french fries).
Spaghetti Pie, a family fave, but I am substituting whole grain whole wheat noodles. This will be served with garlic toast.
What week would be complete without Pizza? It is a must in the Novus house. Italian Sausage & Pineapple (the grown ups are throwing on some green chile too).

Can't wait for leftover night :)

I even managed to sqeeze in some crafting with the kids. They each made grandma a fimo picture fram with a pic of themselves. See the completed project below. I think it is starting to sink in that we won't be seeing grandma everyday come September. I really want them to enjoy this time with family because the adventure is just around the corner. If you have any moving tips to lessen the stress on the kiddos feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email.

CB's soccer '09 pic in his handmade fimo frame.

EmBea's soccer '09 pic in her handmade fimo frame.

Tonight is looking promising. We are going to an art opening reception to see a friends work. Any outing with art and friends is sure to be a winner. We also have friends in town from Sacremento. I can't wait to meet their scrumdidlyumptious daughter! Life seems to be moving right along and quite nicely I must add. For added kicks I have thrown in the picture of my kids dancing crazily to the JoJo's Circus theme song. Yes it's supposed to be blurry they were really rocking it out.

"hey hey it's JoJo's Circus" (p.s. this link is in Italian)

PLGC- pizza lovers

it's Bad and I don't mean MJ folks...

2009-07-06T19:16:00.005-06:00

"It's bad, like bad badbadbadbadbad, might need stitches but think I cut it off so stitches won't work bad." that is pretty much an exact quote.

It started as a nice quiet marinated sesame crusted roast. I decided to add carrots and didn't even get to the potatoes. The knife was a new addition, very sharp. I looked away, being reckless and carrot slipped... There goes the tip of my left index finger and above said quote is born.

Luckily my mom is trained for this sort of thing and I went around with the I'm #1 finger for a few hours. (say it with me, I'm #1 I'm #1 I'm #1) here is the milder version which held its own turmoil that culminated in my mom telling me to "sit your ass down". I am 34 years old and that shit still works.

I'm #1 and I sliced the tip of my finger off.

...needless to say there was a lot of blood and I am officially a wuss. On a lighter note check out this hand puppet my daughter (the progeny of two creative entrepreneurs, aka artists) made.

hangin' wit my dawg...

PLGC- fellow dumb asses of the world

the popo post...

2009-07-05T22:07:00.004-06:00

Well hello there, did you miss me? It was nice to take a small hiatus from the blogosphere but I did miss you internet. Turns out that I have a slight addiction to this whole writing thing. I suffered some sleep related anxiety because I kept thinking I was forgetting to do something. So here I am at the usual hour typing away.

It has been an uneventful few days with some cold beer and fireworks thrown in for good measure. I hope that you and yours had a dazzling 4th. I was a bit cheap on the firework front but the neighbor spent a bundle and made up for my lack. It was kind of funny watching how nervous they got whenever a car turned onto our street. I believe his exact quote was "Oh shit is that the popo?" Nice!

The stand that I got our works from was run by this really nice MMA fighter who was helping his dad survive the struggling WY economy. He comes to the Burque every year to support his fighting with the cash he makes from fireworks sales. Ahh, the American dream. He did ask me if I lived in the city. This made me wonder if he would have sold me something that had me saying "Oh shit is that the popo?" Sorry folks couldn't resist using the word popo as many times as possible in this post. All in all it was a nice 4th and I got to educate the kiddos on the declaration of independence by reading them an essay I found on Kaboose.

Just finished watching Hitchcock's To Catch a Theif, loved it! I can't resist Cary Grant though, ever. Mix in Grace Kelly and the French Riviera, ooh la la. I love that CS enjoys a classic movie as much as I do. The witty dialogue had us both cracking up and the clothes were amazing! If you enjoy Hitchcock and haven't had the opportunity to see it you should definitley check it out. Seriously made me want to watch The Trouble with Harry again. Hitchcock has a delightfully dark sense of humor.

Other occurrences of merit this week... My son's appropriate use of the words dumbass and fuckers. (I swear I try to watch my mouth but it is already too late) Besides he tells me he's old enough to listen to grown up words. It's the ease at which he uses them that has me slightly troubled. I hope that he can refrain at my husband's grandfather's 90th this summer. EB has finished over 200+ hours of patching since she was first diagnosed with Amblyopia. I am expecting good news at her next Opthamologist visit on the 20th. I am so proud of my little patching princess.

Well it has been real dear internet, photos soon.

PLGC (Peace, Love & Green Chile) -internet

fine.

2009-06-30T21:53:00.004-06:00

watch this new Edie Brickell video

make this mascarpone

read this blog; trendland

check this out

watch educational shit with your kids

and have your man check out Club Trill

Listen to Kelis

Because I'm the mami and I said so...

PLGC - bossy mamas

just another...

2009-06-29T21:23:00.002-06:00

Manic Monday, oh-oh. They are always so strange. CS is up at 4am to be at work by 5. I find myself awake too though I usually fall back to sleep as he zooms off in his Camaro. The sound of that car driving off is like a little lullaby that says, he got it all together you can get 2 more hours of sleep now. The kids usually pounce me by 7:00 except that I have been letting them stay up way to late these days. Tonight they were in bed by 8:30 (not sleeping but it's an improvement).

Tomorrow is packing and organizing. I really need to get my shit together for this move. CS and I are pros at the whole moving thing, only we are in our 30's now with kids. That being said I don't think it's gonna be okay if we just stuff a bunch of crap haphazardly into a box and onto a truck the same day that we drive outta town. Damn I hate being the mature adult sometimes.

The one thing that is totally new to me and FREAKING me out are schools. Specifically pre-school but public school too. Em will be starting the 1st grade and it looks like she may be here a couple of weeks before we move and you can't just sign up for school in CA without having an address first. Pre-school is a whole other issue. It seems that most of the good ones have had kids on a waiting list since they were in utero (the kids not the schools). I am definitely going with a referral agency, I think. If any of you have any advice on the topic please feel free to share. I know I have at least a few lurkers out there who still read this thing.

I have asked you dear internet in the past for advice and you have not come through. I promise I won't cry when blogger tells me there are no comments to moderate. I have been your fickle mommy blogger and still have a few flaky days left in my bag of tricks. At least my lovely counter tells me that you are there even if you were just searching for porn. I always feel bad that some guy out there wanted to get his Hot Mami on and he ends up here. Though I always hope they link into one of my posts on poop or puke, take that perv-o.

Wow I am sorta rambling tonight. Sorry about that, truly. It has been a strange day filled with nausea and one too many reruns on TNT. I really hate when I turn my brain down to the moron level. A vegetative state is not exactly what I need to kick start the moving preparation.

Well internet I will bid you goodnight.

PLGC- lurkers & porn addicts

tears start falling...

2009-06-28T22:39:00.003-06:00

Well Sunday has certainly dragged on. CS and EmBea let CB and I sleep in. Then it was on to cinnamon rolls and preparing pulled pork. I totally cut into the tip of my left hand ring finger after a dire warning of how dangerously I was holding the knife, by CS. Thus ending in my daughter saying to me; "Mom it's not that I am blind in 1 eye it's just that I have a problem and it's clumsy". You know I think she gets that from me.

Really though, life is moving on way to fast. I have a hella load of packing to do. That is not to mention all of the research on the new homestead but also learning how to pull money out of my ass. I take that back, lets leave that visualization for the people who are not going to receive checks in the mail. So mote it be.

Anywayt its 4 in the morning for me.

PLGC- parents of children who lost there teeth

A good day.

2009-06-27T22:51:00.014-06:00

First off I'd like to say that CS totally ruined my Shia LeBeouf fantasy. Why does he have to bring up Holes, which then makes me think of Even Stevens and ewww. The potential cougar in me just walks away and begs me to forget she was ever there. So on that note we took the kiddos to see Transformers 2 today. CS and myself are a transformered out, but in a good like my head is vibrating with this sound, sorta way.

In other news; I am on day 2 of the Nutra Nail 5-7 Day Growth Calcium Formula. I have high hopes based on a reveiew from a friend. I am still recovering from a bad fake nail incedent a couple of months ago. Incedentally I think that would be a great name for a crazy chick rock band. I'd listen to that.

So here is the wind up to my day. Barbie Hollywood Hair Salon. My daughter and I were casting Barbie in film and musical; so they had to look just right. Below are the acheived results, enjoy.

isn't she beautiful!

PLGC-Barbie mama's everywhere.

a Photo Friday CB turns 4 edition...

2009-06-26T22:35:00.005-06:00

Details tomorrow on all of the birthday action. For now this mami is pooped. So enjoy the boy & his cake.

Birthday Boy- CB age 4

the Optimus Prime cake;
yellow cake, wilton vanilla frosting, all mamacita!

Crafty Toothless.

2009-06-25T22:31:00.006-06:00

Well today was a very successful crafting with kids sorta day. We made coffee filter rainbow fish from here. One addition that really was a happy accident; wax paper. Tape wax paper to the table and have the kids follow the instructions from there. Spray the water while the coffee filter is still on the wax paper and dry both. Later when you are ready to glue your fish to the blue paper; cut a circle out of the wax paper where the color bled through to make a bubbly background. Here are the results.

ly's rainbow fish

CB's rainbow fish

EmBea's rainbow fish

My eldest has lost another tooth. When I say lost I actually mean; "she pulled the damn thing herself! Again!" direct quote from me to you. She is a cutie though.

Whistling a pirates tune.

PLGC- the smurfs (blame CS not me, this is what happens when i have him help me blog.)

which phrase have i overused this week?

2009-06-24T23:05:00.002-06:00

My mind has been so many other places today that I almost went straight to bed. I would have kicked myself right in the ass if I ended my 24 day posting streak because I was distracted and tired. June is almost at an end and then you won't be bored silly with my off the cuff writing everyday. I might actually sit down and put a little thought into it. What?!? I might.

Obviously my brain is addled tonight. I have hit delete too many times to count and I can't seem to piece together a grammatically correct sentence to save my life. I did look at a lot of rentals on craigslist today and contacted a preschool referral agency for CB. Every little piece of the puzzle is falling into place.

Well tomorrow is birthday prep for the boy, who will be 4 on Friday. Tonight it's a quick stint as the tooth fairy (whom my daughter totally knows is me).

PLGC -families

seeing red...

2009-06-23T20:50:00.003-06:00

is sometimes very important to moving forward. Pissing yourself off enough to get things done, well, priceless. So here we are my love and i. Are you seeing red? Do you feel the urge to get off your ass and do that thing you always said you would? Well I am moving to a whole new effing state, i am freaked as all hell, but sometimes you just gotta take that leap.

the love of my life...

and me...

Sometimes you have to see red before anything gets accomplished. Once you're past that, things should start going your way. Put it out there for the world to see, don't be afraid to conquer your fears and keep on moving on. That's all I got tonight peeps. Love y'all and will have some funny anecdotal crap tomorrow.

PLGC- haters

i bring the fire...

2009-06-22T21:45:00.004-06:00

Black Eyed Peas, Fifty Cent, Ludacris, TI, Kottonmouth Kings, Nina Simone, 311, Chemical Brothers, Immortal Technique, Eminem, Kanye West, The Grouch, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Fergie, the Crystal Method, Wale, Kevin Rudolph, etc...the music on CS' iPod. not my off the cuff taste but damn I can sure do some dishes quick when i got a bass line goin on!

I love it when i hijack the iPod for the evening. CS takes on the bedtime business and i get shit done. i'd love to say that i can tackle housework all day long but that would be a lie. housework plays a secondhand biatch to my kiddos. they Rock and they come first. if i am in the middle of scrubbing the sink, i stop, sanitize and participate. i think it is so important that they get my undivided attention. i want them to know that they are important and so is what they have to say.

it might tack an extra 20 minutes onto an usually simple task but i do not mind. you know "i'm ballin' throwin mami 'round..." i'm always ready for the craziness that they can throw my way. these kids are gonna be freaking teenagers someday. y'all can bet i am gonna soak up the little kid vibe while i can. i just don't see the purpose in working myself up over something they will forget in ten seconds.

on that note i'd like to go soak up the snuggle time with papi cuz he got the kids to sleep and we are hott like that.

PLGC- lovers

even orangel fastwalker loves some CS snuggle time!
(p.s. the kids named the cat)

Bewitched with the Bay Area

2009-06-21T21:59:00.007-06:00

Elizabeth Montgomery is my official Mamacita Caliente idol. She was totally hott! as Samantha Stevens; She had magical powers at her fingertips, yet insisted upon keeping house the oldfashioned way. Faux-wood walls, brand new dishwasher and cocktails in the early evening. What is not to love? I am sure by now you have ascertained that i have had me an episode or two of bewitched recently.

Well I haven't fully developed my magical powers as of yet but I am working on it. So father's day huh? Not much of a segue but it's what I got. The kids woke me up bright and early for follow through on a plan that we hatched the previous day. We made all of dad's faves: pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast and a hot cup of coffee. All of this was delivered on a Cars tray completed with handmade Father's Day cards. It was absolutely sweet as pie! Dad then had to travel off to the Sunday grind. Life is funny like that.

The kids were over the moon and loving up daddy every chance they got. It is in the moments like this that I stop and take stock of my little family. I see the love and the joy and the way that we all roll with the punches. I am starting to realize that the kids are a little stressed out about our impending move. I don't think they fully understand the full chaos that will ensue, but they get one thing, change.

Life is rushing up on us and changing fast. It is more intense than that impulsive move to Baltimore ten years ago. I felt something today that I almost mistook for anxiety, it was urgency. I love a good sense of urgency. I got shit to do and I need to do it fast. So on that note I am going to sign out dear internet. I hope you continue to tune in and vicariously come along for the ride.

PLGC- families picking up and moving on.

B-O-R-I-N-G

2009-06-20T20:52:00.003-06:00

Boring post tonight.... So just to pre-warn y'all I made a commitment to myself to blog everyday this month. I have not failed, though I am beginning to realize why blogging every day is not so easy. It is difficult to call upon that sarcastic wit at a moments notice. I am however nothing if not committed.

So today was:

making father's day cards with the kids
washing dishes
applying for jobs in the bay area 1) to fulfill my NMdeptoflabor requirements and 2) because i am going to need a job.
drinking dos quis cerveza with salt and lime (the key to the whole day really)
referee, slave, housekeeper, confidant aka...mom

I warned you that it was boring but you insisted on being one of my few lurkers and reading anyway.

PLGC & a SHOUT OUT to my lurkers, -i love you guys

freaky friday

2009-06-19T23:16:00.003-06:00

sometimes even i think i am a mean mom. but i am not really. i just can't stand fits and crying. i really don't think that i am being unreasonable. i have never and i mean never (contrary to popular belief) given into the demands of a screaming child o'mine. i may have eased it back when they realized i wasn't budging. i may have even dropped it when i realized it wasn't worth the fight. i did not give in, i follow through.

embea had me at my wits end today. there was no consequence big enough for the back talk she was dishing in between her dime sized tears. i still to this late hour have no clue as to what her effing problem was (i should get used to this feeling, right?). there were moments of sweet beauteous clarity, very few and very far between. she is sleeping now, man i love that kid!

cb on the otherhand was quite unlike his usual self today. he was all charm (of course we had a swim date audience) and articulation. i am seriously thinking that maybe the children had some sort of freaky friday experience where they switched bodies and hatched some crazy scheme to not tell me. yea i know they're 3 & 6 but i am totally buying into my own conspiracy.

it was a cuh-razy day. so i will leave you with this lovely photo that said children ~~forced~~ asked me to take of their play dough sculptures. i guess they were just too beautiful to not have a memento. i have no freaking clue what they were but i am leaning toward voodoo.

~~voodoo~~ playdough dolls

yes mom i am still awake!

2009-06-18T22:02:00.002-06:00

this one will Not go to sleep, so...

no big blog, just photo luv. PLGC blogiverse and send thoughts of 4 years olds going to bed :)

the one where AS posts her to-do list...

2009-06-17T23:44:00.003-06:00

Things to do...

pack, sort, purge, repeat...
research schools for the kids.
get massive amounts of money in my mail, or however; i'm easy like that.
study maps and other area-centric information.
pick an official move date.
get more money, here i am almighty dollar you know where to find me.
work on article about Chroma Gallery
connect with the peeps before we blow this popstand.
get an accountant to sort out all the money.
make more lists about what i need to do.

PLGC- internet

West Coast chillin'

2009-06-16T23:33:00.005-06:00

I have just had the best day evah!!!

my babysitting gig called off for the day.

i had a free sushi lunch with the hubs, em n' cal and a fellow artist (who treated btw). hooray sushi!

the hubs got into grad school in berkeley. we are movin' to the bay, yeah; we are movin' to the bay, yeah!! i am a bit hyphy.

chatted w/a friend from b-town. (I was gonna do a baltimore link here, but i typed in b-town on google and got berkeley) i get it cosmos!!

em is about to lose a second tooth in a month.

cb is still whining.

things are downright wonky and i couldn't be giddier.

oh AND...spiderman came over for a visit.

PLGC-blogiverse -out

why i have a newfound love for facebook.

2009-06-15T22:19:00.003-06:00

so i face book. i do not want to gel with the internet society at whole. i am really looking for the peeps i know, the ones that i shelter some long lost whimsy for, the ones i love... tonight i truly connected with a couple that we felt an affinity with. we are sending them a couple of CS's paintings via USPS tomorrow. that is how strong the love...

the hot-daddy-CS tweeted about my ass tonight. even if i do love shakin' to some nelly, it was not nessecary, lol.

i am taking out the recycling and the trash.
i have been categorized, ( by3-6 year olds), as a mean mom today. i interrupted a my little pony face off and made 40+ animal shaped miniature sugar cookies.

p.s. this pic is sooo me looking aged 34

all in all i think.. i rock.. (PLGC blogiverse. -out)

2009-06-14T19:34:00.003-06:00

It has been a very productive day. The house is clean, the kids are chill and so is the HD (hot-daddy aka CS Novus)! I seems like yesterday's shenanigans and today's housebound activities left everyone feelin' a-ok. so while i am not in the mood to be all jibber-jawed about it...i thought i'd leave a pic of the kids at our outing yesterday. PLGC blogiverse -out

Butterfly Pavillion at the Botanical Gardens

Saturday

2009-06-13T22:05:00.004-06:00

It takes 21 days to build a habit. i am hoping that blogging everyday in June will help me build the habit of writing daily. i don't necessarily mean here on this blog, but for myself. i think it is important to quit talking about what i want to do and do it. i hope to teach my children through my examples not just by my words. ironic.

we had a wonderful day today. i got up with CS at 5:30 to help him get ready to go white water rafting. i was psyched that he got to go & it was totally free. beautiful northern NM, a river and a raft. a perfect sort of day for my guy. the kids and i hit the aquarium & botanical gardens around 1pm. the fish are always a plus, but the gardens were in full bloom and looking lovely.

we did the whole bit, butterfly pavillion, heritage farm and japanese garden. we just took a slow pace and brought lots of water and healthy snacks. for some reason on outings like this i can really get the little buggers to go for the fruit instead of the fruit rollup. it was a nice way to spend the day.

so here i am 10:13 and ready to wrap it up. i remember saturday nights of years past when i was just getting ready to start the night. ahh but those days are much fewer and far between. i'd way rather say goodnight to you dear internet. i am off to snuggle up with that hot daddy of mine and some netflix. PLGC -out

p.s. go take a peak at your sleeping children (if you have kids :) and relish in how fricking cute they look when they are sleeping.

i been afraid of changin"

2009-06-12T23:26:00.009-06:00

This is an under painting that I am working on. It is not an enjoyable witty blog. Sometimes you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. This is me knowing that committing to a daily blog is not for me; sometimes you have to just roll.

Forgot to add this last night, I am a fan over on FB of this > With Women Doula Cooperativa < so check it out & become a fan.

Tonight...

2009-06-11T22:31:00.004-06:00

I find myself really starting to think about the flow of my childrens' day. I can definitely see that EmBea requires a bit more structure and stimulation. I am trying a few new things and as I come across them I will let y'all know the result.

I stumbled onto an awesome site last night, neoK12. It has a ton of videos that have been screened by teachers to ensure value and appropriateness for your child. The videos seem to mostly come from youtube, but are really great. The kids watched the Earth section today. Each vid is between 2-7 minutes so it holds their attention. Boy was EmBea excited about plate tectonics. Who knew? Anyway, give the site a look-see.

CB is just the cutest little boy alive for about 90 minutes of the day. The rest of the time it seems he is either whining, crying, screaming or all three. What is it with this age that makes a kid just go ape shit? I have tried it all. The big one that has worked for me is follow through on consequences. If they take an action that is not correct, then that action has a consequence. Which is usually the loss of a priveledge related to the crime. I used to be such a sucker and bad at follow through. This time I might actually pull it off.

I shouldn't like you to think that it is all bad, there are just moments that I spend more time on now. I realize that it is not always important to be their friend; sometimes you just have to be their mom. I think I am starting to grow up quite nicely.

Well folks, this post seems slightly lacking. I promise to regale you with something more exciting, very soon. Maybe a recipe for slime or a madcap outing. Who knows people there are days when this blog practically writes itself. Then there are days like this.

Blue-Blah

2009-06-10T22:30:00.003-06:00

This is me feeling blue or is it blah. It hasn't been a bad day, not really. There was the brief incident at the post office, but I took a survey and sent an email so I pretty much handled that. The kids definitely seemed to be in bicker mode today; more often than not. Other than that here I am at 10:35 pm and just blah-bity. I wish I could make it more exciting than that, but there ya go. So internet rather than wax on I think I'll wax off. PLGC -out

a wiggly jiggly loose tooth.

2009-06-09T22:01:00.005-06:00

Embea's got no tooth.

I would like to start this blog with a shout out to my daughter's k-2 teachers! 3 more amazing ladies, you will never meet. I owe the title to them. I stole it from an end of the day song that serenaded those children lucky enough to loose a tooth in the confines of public school.

to preface..Embea has had this loose tooth for some time, (since late March, i think). She wanted so very badly to lose it in school. She has been eating apples and wiggling like crazy.

Tonight was crazy appetizer night.

We had a lovely family day watching the Isotopes play the OKC Redhawks. While I did take my first, (and many others), breath in Oklahoma, I WAS NOT in any way, shape or form rooting for them. I am a 'topes girl through & through.

sidetrack & long story short. That tooth was clearly coming out today. I turned to Mr. Novus and said, in fact; "That tooth is coming out today."

So, one requested course for our appetizer night was, in fact, an apple. Said half of apple was bitten into aproximately 2 times. Crazy, long-rooted tooth proceeds to fall out of my 6 year old's mouth.

I am verklimpt.

PLGC internet

-out

Gak (also known as Goop)

2009-06-08T11:05:00.003-06:00

My kids are playing with Gak! "What is Gak?" you ask. I found the recipe here. They are in absolute lala land. I added blue food coloring (1 drop) to his and red (to make pink) to hers. Try this with your little ones. The final mix should harden when you initially grab it and dissolve the tighter you hold it.

for this recipe you will need cornstarch, water and food coloring (optional)
4 parts cornstarch (see baking supplies dept. of supermarket)
1 part water
(Can add coloring.)

Add water gradually to cornstarch. Stir with fingers.

Thanks to Earthskids for this recipe, visit their site for other fun recipes & things to do with your kids!

EmBea & CB playing w/ Gak.

PLGC -out

those moments.

2009-06-07T22:08:00.009-06:00

As a parent there are those moments. That sort of Wow and holy poop moment all wrapped into one. Below is a picture drawn by my son, he will be 4 this month. If you look closely near the bottom of the page is what looks like a a male uhm part. I say to my son is that a "tinky" ? (sorry it's what we taught him to call it, I think it originated from grandma, but I'm not sure) He smirks and says yes. Then he says:

CB: Mom did you know that a tinky is called a penis?
Me: Uhm, yes. Who told you it was called that?
CB: Embea. (his sister)
Me: Okay, well she's right.

I really didn't know how to respond to that. I am pretty sure EmBea picked that one up at school, she is on the playground with 5th graders.

This is CB Novus under an umbrella

CB Novus-bourgening controversial artist.

Since I am showcasing the art of CB, I should give you a look at EmBea's too. She was watching Mirrormask today, at her own behest. As a patching activity she decided to create her own world, like the one the girl draws in the movie. Here is her world below and I am quite impressed.

My little fairy watching Mirrormask.

EB Novus and her family in her world.

So there you have it. My day as Mom with all of the good parts and none of the bad.

PLGC Blogiverse -out

All images in this post are the express copywrite of NovusArts and may not be reproduced in any way.

Mom..Referee...Social Network Therapy

2009-06-06T22:43:00.006-06:00

Today I totally slept in...translation; I slept until my kid woke me up at 7:30, turned on cartoons, made breakfast & laid back down. Then I got up 50 times to cater to my children's whims. Which in the end negated the laying back down as it was more like exercise.

That being said, I totally know better than to try to lay back down. It really is better to get up and start the intravenous drip of coffee directly into my veins. No, really I have a prescription. Okay so that's a lie, but I drink a lot of effing coffee! Once the neurons started firing I managed to grab a bite for myself in between playing referee to a death match between my kids.

There are days that I think that is all that I do. I was never good at letting them self sooth and thus I have difficulty allowing them to sort it out on their own. I am working on it. We have added another 6 year old girl into our world this summer Mon-Fri. It is definitely making things more interesting. While they keep each other entertained, there are "the spats". Often it is the 2 girls against the boy. So I do tend to try to let them resolve their own conflict. Of course I am covertly watching them through the open window ready to sprint outside at the slightest sign of trouble. And then....I get sidetracked.

I lay out these fabulous plans for my day. It was so much easier with my calendars, inbox and task lists when I still worked my corporate job. Maybe if I could plug the kiddos stats into a spreadsheet I could make a smoother transition. All in all I don't think I am doing a half bad job but I'd like to do a half good job, ya know?

I find many a moment where I am the one in time out, counting to ten, breathing in through my nose and out through the perfect shaped oo of my mouth. Breath AS, that's good, in and out... Then I quickly log into facebook or twitter for a little social network therapy (but only for 5 minutes of course) read about things going on in other peoples universe, hit the stumble task bar, find sites like this and all is well with the world.

PLGC blogiverse. -out

Photo Friday, just because.

2009-06-05T10:12:00.004-06:00

they are so cute when they are actually getting along!

just beautiful!

being a kid is hard work, time to refuel.

Pg WTF EVER!!

2009-06-04T23:28:00.003-06:00

So I have been trying to keep this blog totally, at least PG. But... that was before a couple of shots of Jim Beam and a miller highlife and maybe something called Elephant Malt liquor by Carlsberg.

But what the Fuck? nobody ever told me about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her fabulous film Cross Creek. I mean really, I have been married to DH for 12 almost 13 years and he tells me, just now that it is one of his mom's fave movies? Well I have added it to netflix and that is all she wrote.

too much of the kids are sleeping-and no chance of broken bones-liquor in me to quit now.

PLGC Bitches!

P.s. I hope you will forgive me in the morning.

Girls and Boy...

2009-06-03T23:10:00.003-06:00

The children were very challenging today, especially Bre. He is not handling the 6 year old dynamic girl duo. Every 5 minutes it is Mawwwwm. I can hear this call from inside the house. I psychically sense the outburst before it occurs. He wants to play their games but is rather obnoxiously annoying; as any almost 4 year old boy would be to two 6 year old girls. His sister is too much for him to handle most of the time, throw another in the mix and it is literally Fit City. Not that the girls don't provide a little drama of their own. Their drama is appeasable. A quick talk, a little humor, throw in some gummy bears or a popsicle and you are good to go.

I can't say it is all bad it just really forces me to look at how I handle the situation at hand. I have to be the rational and calm adult. Sometimes I just want to throw a fit too, dammit! There I'm done with that. I am learning that there are just points when you let things go.

On a high note, Bea started gymnastics today. It is so perfect for her. Just enough structure for her to stay focused. When she did spring soccer it just wasn't engaging enough. During practice she would notice a random leaf floating through the air and gaze at it in wonder. Soccer ball be damned she was lost in that leaf and the daydream it represented. Gymnastics is engaging and fun.

I was worried that her amblyopia (see previous post here.) would be a hindrance but the tumbling is so intuitive that it didn't seem to be a factor at all. Her patching is going really well and we have a second followup in July. I am crossing my fingers for some positive results.

Well it is getting late and I fear that soon I will be all mumbo and no jumbo. So peace, love and green chile to all. -out

Date Night...

2009-06-02T23:28:00.003-06:00

I should preface this post by letting y'all know i have had 3 anchor steam drafts on tap and a simpler times lager in hand. Truly none of them have hit me yet thanks to a hearty dinner of tacos and corn cakes, homemade of course :)

That being said; tonight was an impromptu date night due to the fact that CS scored free promo tickets to away we go. Almost a chic flic, but not quite. I LOVED it, but it was more a coming of age gen x sorta flick. There was one girl sobbing but I am not really gonna say it deserved that. There were points that I was laughing my ass off and points that were slow. I loved Maggie Gyllenhaal's character LN. The ending left me wanting and was slightly predictable, but who is gonna argue when it is FREE. not me.

It was a great end to a day filled with cutting up apples and making chicken nuggets. Sometimes I feel like I am always making something for someone to eat. It's my own fault really 'cause I roll like that.

Well I haven't got much more to say because I'd like to finish up my date night with the DH. So PLGC -out.

the lucky one.

2009-06-01T22:34:00.005-06:00

June 1st is such a strange day in my universe. This is the 1 year anniversary (though not quite the right word) of my brother's passing. I know that I should be feeling sad but I am not. Troy was in such a lot of pain when he left this life that I feel it would be cruel to wish he were still here. Memories of him creep in day to day. Some of them are strong while others begin to fade.

It is hard to explain to my children why Grandma is crying and why we need to be extra good today. My son is especially interested in talking about why Uncle Troy died and many other related questions. We have not sheltered them from the truth of death. I do not know if it is inappropriate to be so honest with young children, though they do seem to handle the context much better than some adults.

My children humble me with their conceptualization of the world. They integrate everything from the mundane to the not so mundane. They are constantly observant (except of course when I am asking them to do something). I find myself having to watch everything I say or do because it's not just the bad words that they are picking up anymore.

In the end time marches on, with or without us. I realize that I am at peace with my brother's death and I wish that I could give that peace to others. I cannot fathom what it is to be a mother or father losing a son. I cannot know what my sister feels in regards to losing her older brother. I cannot make it ok. I can live in the good memories. I can get up every day and LIVE my life. I am the lucky one.

Me and the kiddos.

2009-05-31T17:48:00.003-06:00

They love self portraits almost as much as i do!

dancing in the rain

2009-05-30T16:20:00.003-06:00

Power to kids who dance in the rain!

Pretty, pink and soaking wet, can it get any better?

would it help

2009-05-25T21:46:00.005-06:00

if i turned a sad song on? i've been doing a bit of thinking on memorial day. just my own thoughts, no research. i had to explain to my 6 year old that we were remembering our soldiers, all of them from the first war to the last. to those fighting still. then my mom reminded me that we have soldiers here. people like my brother who did not have a voice, but fought as hard as any soldier ever could.

lil man was amazing. he had the smile of a tril of angels. he had the cry of a thousand deaths. he had the voice of god. there has never been a being of such truth, value and worth on this planet. it is hard to live up to, it really is. it is not that i ever felt compared to my brother, just that i was completely in awe of him. his soul spoke through his eyes, there was no doubt of his piety.

it may seem strange to you that i go on like this. to hell with what i think you think of me. lil man was my touch with grace. so today i memorialize you my brother. the heart that made us who we are. I LOVE YOU.

my name is M-U-D

2009-05-21T21:09:00.006-06:00

Today has been a busy day. I still am baffled at how much more there is to do now that I am not working. I need to give a huge SHOUT-out to my Madre and CS right now. I am starting to realize how much of the prep and chauffeur duties that they handled. 2-words…A Lot.

I guess I am feeling the SAHM pressure. It’s funny how hard you think it is when you are a working mom and how equally hard you think it is when you are not. The bottom line is that parenting is work. It’s not always hard work but it is constant and you can’t ever stop moving. stick and move; stick and move.

I am finding more laughter in my day. I am slowly learning to just let the kiddos be. They didn’t have me hovering a month ago, I think I should ease back now. Today I felt uber “cool” because I let CB play in the mud. (See muddy feet below.) All that coolness backfired this evening when the kids were having watermelon in the back yard.

I was cleaning up from our delicious dinner of Spaghetti Pie ( a family fave). I realized that I had not heard a peep from either kid in at least 5 minutes. That is in fact all the time it takes to create a new mud puddle and 2 messy kids. I was to busy kicking my coolness in the butt to get a pic of that.

All in all, it was a pleasant but busy day. I am looking forward to an action packed summer, full of arts and crafts, kids, yard sales, and packing up my life once again. Stay tuned as things are moving and grooving in the Novus household. So without further ado I give you;

Spaghetti Pie…

4 oz dried spaghetti
1-2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 beaten egg
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
8 oz ground turkey
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup chopped sweet pepper ( we prefer yellow and orange)
2-3 sprigs Italian parsley
1teaspoon salt
1 8 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions and drain.
Return spaghetti to saucepan and stir in butter and parmesan.
Meanwhile in a medium skillet sauté onion, garlic, Italian parsley and peppers in olive oil until onions start to turn golden. Add ground turkey, salt and brown. Drain liquid. Stir in sauce, oregano and thyme. Heat through.
Coat 9” pie pan with cooking spray. Press spaghetti mixture in bottom and up the sides of the plate. Spread cottage cheese over crust and spread meat mixture over the cottage cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, let stand 10 minutes, slice and serve with your favorite bread.

This can be easily made with your favorite meat and dairy substitutes.

I first found this recipe in my better homes and gardens cookbook. The recipe above has been slightly modified from the original.

PLGC-out

rapido hola...

2009-05-15T22:22:00.003-06:00

hola mis amigos y amigas...

I will be adding links to a few blogs and sites I have stumbled upon and really enjoy. Also trying a vegetarian night in the Caliente household so stay tuned for pics and recipes. Soccer practice at 9:00 a.m. otherwise I'd give you more.

PLGC -out

oh no she didn't

2009-05-14T01:06:00.006-06:00

do a bullet point blog...

am on twitter these days and totally addicted.
am also on facebook, but i kinda reserve access, ya know.
have bea's followup appt for her amblyopia tomorrow.
am sad that there are only 7 days left of kindergarten, i have a mega-mom crush on my daughter's teaching team. Shout out to Mrs. B, Mrs. C and Mrs D. (alphabetical purely)
am about to make a major life change
have recently cut my hair uber short like this
have been laid off since 5/1 (thank you el queso grande for the extra time!!)
have tried time out, yelling, reasoning and deep breaths all in one go when my son Bre was being obstinate!
am working on more recipes but with photos for this blog.

well that's all the points i can handle y'all.

PLGC (and if you don't know, you better ask somebody)

Sausage noodle casserole

2009-04-28T20:59:00.005-06:00

i realized that i twittered that i would post the recipe here and then didn't follow through. Well i am working on that, follow through i mean. here's the recipe and I promise your kids will love it. ((This is dedicated to my Mother in Law; though i am sure i have slaughtered her original recipe.))

1/2-3/4 bag of egg noodles
1 lb ground sausage (my kids like sage or mild)
2 cups shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz container of sour cream (i am addicted to daisy)
4 slices of bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

cook noodles to the specifications on the bag.
fry sausage in a skillet, set to the side.
while the sausage is cooking; mix 3/4 of the cheese, soup, sour cream, salt and pepper.
fry the bacon, cool and crumble.
combine cooked noodles and sausage into the noodles mixture and put into square or rectangle casserole dish (9x9??).
sprinkle crumbled bacon and top with the rest of the cheese.
cook covered for 10 minutes remove cover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until heated through.

VEGETARIAN- I have made this vegetarian (not Vegan) as well. switch out the sausage with Morning Star farms veggie sausage patties or links. and change out the cream of chicken with cream of celery.

i am not dead,

2009-04-21T07:43:00.002-06:00

but i can't blog right now, soon i promise.

Like Woah!

2009-03-10T22:07:00.002-06:00

This afternoon/evening has been bat shit crazy fucked up insane like whoa! No commas necessary. So the school nurse says BG needs an eye exam because her left eye is not seeing too clearly. Unfortunately the school nurses diagnosis turned out to be a No SHIT Sherlock sorta moment!! We took her in to the eye doctor for her first "real" check up ever. It is never good when they stick her on the "automatic look at the red house" machine and the assistant gets a look on her face like your child is a martian. Then you go in for the exam...

I told BG that no matter what she had to tell the truth. When she said she couldn't see the 6 inch letters on the wall behind me my first thought was Bullshit, little drama queen. My second thought was why the fuck is the optometrist so fucking fidgety? He says that he just cant get a handle on it so he adds some drops and dilates my 5 years old's eyes.

Amblyopia. Blindness in one eye due to the brain not computing the information so it develops one eye over the other. That is my off the cuff what I think the optometrist said to me definition. We see a specialist Friday. I have been on the support groups sites, I am feeling guilty and scared shitless, hence the sailor verbiage.

To top that off we had an artist meeting at the studio tonight. Needless to say it was not the perfect end to the evening. Maybe I just wasn't feelin' it. Maybe somebody just pissed in my cheerios and every Dumb Ass remark anyone made just rubbed me the wrong way. I mean i willingly listened to Lincoln Park on the way home, and I cannot stand angsty angry tunes. I give Props to the PM-L but other than that, like Woah!

The terrible 3.5's and she doesn't even drop the F-bomb

2009-01-19T23:06:00.003-07:00

BB really is a good kid. He is quite articulate and lovable, most of the time. He has taken to throwing some hellacious fits these days. We have been under a lot of stress from varying factors and I can see that affecting the way BB and BG act.

I truly want to shelter them but at the same time I find myself treating them like little adults. They are expected to be responsible for their outbursts and deal with their feelings. As harsh as that sounds I literally tell them every day how AWESOME they are and that they can do anything they dream.

Most likely I am raising little contradictions who will be forced to seek therapy at an early age (providing there is not an apocalypse first). I just don't want them to have false expectations about the world. At the same time I want them to have strong self confidence and be little kids.

I don't think I am an unreasonable mom. BG was crying after every ballet practice this last term, so instead of pushing her to do one more plié we stopped going after her last recital. The teacher was making her cry because she wasn't disciplined enough. She's FIVE! I want her to smile not cry. If it isn't for her then it isn't for me.

The same goes for BB, though at 3.5 there is not much more that pre-school. He loves it! He is good there, actually he is good in any public setting. I think it is just Mom he presses buttons with. I admit I have turned to a few of the nanny 911 tactics. I am not ashamed. The Screaming, that is apt to burst many an eardrum, during one of those sessions is less than appealing. I think however that I see progress.

I try to recall how BG was at this age and I scan through past blogs for insight. I don't think I quite have this motherhood thing figured out but this is what I do know...

I love my kids with every ounce and fiber of my being. I think they are stupendous little beings with infinite potential. Life will never throw at them more than they can handle and I will provide them the n'th degree of support until I shuffle off this mortal coil.

Oh and Sweetheart-CS-DH-the Hotness himself. I love you too.

PLGC -out

Hiatus

2009-01-07T23:33:00.004-07:00

So you clicked in on the off chance that I might again share with you my biting wit. That's not really a guarantee that I can make, but I got a little bit o' mama som'n som'n.

I was a SAHM for a very limited time in the scheme of things, yet I can't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that I am and have been a ladder climbing, corporate dwelling, working mom for quite some time now.

It's true, I am a WM, (why can't there be any cool monikers for working moms?) and I am only recently facing some of the bigger challenges that the title entails. We are the ever rising "in this economy" dual income family. I won't tell you the rest because, internet, it is too depressing. So I am an official child care juggler with one car, because my piece ~~of Shit~~ baby is broke the fuck down.

Do you know how hard it is to get child care for 3.5 hours 1 day per week and 2 days every other week. It isn't fair to me or the provider, arrgh! I pay through the nose for my 3 day a week cooperative pre-school and still can't manage to get it all worked out. Then there is the nightmare of the Southwestern public school system. I mean we just got through with winter break, What the FUCK do you mean they are having an in-service day. What the hell do they do on those days anyway?

That aside the husband is simultaneously pimping himself out for a promotion and applying to grad school. The chaos is like manna from heaven, nectar of the gods, shoelaces to shoes, well you get my drift. I love it all, the hustle and bustle, the potential for drastic change. The "economy" can't faze me because I have been too busted for too long. Rejection can't faze me because without it I wouldn't strive to be more.

The moral of this story is that there is no moral... Life is simply how well you roll with the punches.

PLGC-out

Uncle Buck

2008-12-01T00:29:00.002-07:00

My mind is fired, hard wired to buck the system and then some. I try to get along, try to do things right, keep shit tight. It ain't workin' for me, I ain't workin' for me, gotta get it. I gotta fix my head or I'm headed straight for Hell, but I am already there, no care. No worry. No hurry.

so I wrote this on a...

2008-10-26T23:58:00.002-06:00

blog that only family members have access to. Is it mean? I truly want your opinion internet. (p.s. if I have NOT posted your comments in some time, get a Clue, I am not asking you!!)

So I'd really like to say something monumentally astounding, et all and all of that. The truth is this is just Bebo and not my life's work. So then I have to ask myself what is my life's work and am I truly working on it? I know that this blog is completely lacking a serial comma and I am ok with that. If'n y'all don't know what I am talkin' about, please don't bother.

i know i've been mean internet...

2008-09-22T19:11:00.003-06:00

but, I could really use some advice. Tonight I took BG to ballet class. Keep in mind this is a class of 4-5 year olds at 5:15 in the evening after a day at kindergarten. The first thing the teacher did was to bring out the naughty Hula Hoop (just what it sounds like, aka the hula hoop of confinement). This is how she starts the class. I watched the entire time and BG acted out exactly once and it was mild at best. The teacher proceeded to move them to the corner and lecture my daughter. She was pointing and her face was very angry. She then came out of the class and lectured the parents to review the rules, as she does not have an assistant and cannot possibly be bothered to have Fucking Fun!

I have left a message for the school director to call me back. I am ready at this point to pull her from the school. I don't see the point if she isn't having fun. It's called Pre-Ballet for goodness sake. Also I don't remember anything in the curriculum about disciplinary actions. What do you all think, am I overreacting? Feel free to chime in internet, feel free.

The Lecture to myself, aka- take your own advice STUPID!!

2008-08-17T11:33:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I think I am too busy giving advice to others. The truth is; it is time to kick my own butt and take the advice that I hand out. I am 33 and young enough to know that I am not even a small semblance of old. Time to take this puppy to another level!!

Don't stop following your dreams, the old cliche "it is hard to see the forest for the trees" is one that holds insurmountable truth. I think we get wrapped up in what "IS" our reality and forget that we had other ideas in the first place. In the end nothing holds us back but ourselves.

The excuses like; lack of money, depression, not enough time are just that. In the end no excuse is the truth, because if you don't try to follow your dreams, then nothing will ever become of them. They will become bitter regrets that color your present, dissolve your future and then you are just living in a non-existent past.

I am talking to myself here. sometimes if I blog my own lecture I can see it more clearly. So MC it is time, it is now and every minute you don't move forward stagnates and decays the life that you are living.

16 days into training camp and...

2008-08-06T23:11:00.003-06:00

Brett Favre is no longer a Packer. The saga is over. He played his hand and I am not quite sure it was a good one. I have been up and down about the whole fiasco, as my husband is a die-hard Packer Backer. I think that we are both glad it is over and now he has a new AFC fave. Me? I am all about Baltimore baby!!

Overboard

2008-08-06T20:34:00.005-06:00

A couple of beers and some other factors lead you to things like the last post. I am not sorry. I just need to think of more creative ways to use my vocabulary. Even I get bored with the F-word. The thing is I really can't use it around the house, lest I get judged on my next trip to the grocery store. Stay tuned, it could get interesting. Or I could drop off the planet for another bit. PLGC.

Baller

2008-08-05T20:39:00.005-06:00

I am thinking that you have the wrong idea. You don't know me and you never will. I truly don't give a fuck if I piss you off, or if you read my fucking blog. I don't do this shit for you. I am starting to think that I should take a clue from one Rockstar and blow this pop stand. Mommy blogs are great to read, but I am bored as shit with writing one.

Anyway, how about Brett Favre? What?! don't you bitches know it's Football Season!

blog, log, tog, frog, jog, smog, enough said.

2008-07-21T22:51:00.000-06:00

I started a blog, it sucked, I hit delete, the end. I guess I won't be investing in the "i blog" bumper sticker any time soon. I really wanted one of those.

PLGC -out

the one where she goes off on a tangent and then comes back.

2008-07-06T12:47:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want to do when I grow up. Now, I know what you are thinking, I'm 33, two kids under the age of 5, married with a "good" job. That is pretty much the epitome of grown up territory. That just doesn't satisfy me.

I know I should settle into the way things are and push forward from there. In ten years I could have another 10,000 added to my income. The truth is that I just don't care. I want to be sensational, phenomenal, amazing, great! I don't want my kids to remember me as a hard working Mom who provided. I want them to remember that they were loved beyond all reason and that Mom followed her dreams. I want them to dream.

I read a quote the other day (and I am probably going to slaughter it ), that went something like this>> "Don't make fun of people for their dreams, because without dreams they'd have nothing"

The problem is that I have a whole lot of dreams. Which one do I pick how do I focus? I think that I am not the only one who faces this issue. I think as we age, and grow physically and emotionally everything we strive for changes. I just don't fit in to the perfect nuclear family mold.

I think in these days of rising prices and political unrest I am more equipped than most to move forward and handle my life. I just don't want to do it in the fashion laid out before me. I know some will call me selfish, some will say that I should sacrifice. Sacrifice what? My ideals, my values, the things in my make-up that bring out the good? I have sacrificed, I do not eat when it will feed my children, I work a job that mentally and emotionally drains me. What do I have left to give my children and husband. Words said out of stress and anger from the things I cannot control.

That is a tangent that leads down a long negative train of thoughts. Those are the things I am ready to sacrifice. I want to wad up all the negativity and fear and chuck it as far as I can, then run and grab it and smash it into smithereens. I think that fear is my biggest obstacle. The truth is, and I have said it before>> I am not dead if I still wake up in the morning, so why not make the best out of that.

So back round to the point. What do I want to be when I grow up? I know this, I want to Shine like the Sun!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Some Sunday before the haircut.

2008-06-29T21:14:00.004-06:00

because i said so.

2008-06-24T22:10:00.003-06:00

So circa 1992, me, my my Mom (hummingbird) and my sister (panda) went to a Crystal Gayle concert. Not only was she the sister of Loretta Lynne, but she had another sister who sang duets. So at that concert I was your classic 1990-something Albuquerque skater girl. you know, floral print body suit, snap at the crotch and WAY TOO baggy pants, ala my boyfriend Tito. Internet I am sharing a truth here. My boy friend's name was in fact. Tito.

Anyway, I lost my train of thought. I worked, and have a co-worker who is about to send me off the deep end, It is kind of like Mommy Law BITCH!! "BeCause I SaiD SO DAMMIT! So folks I cried a bit to night, but I am apparently back on my game, so.
-PLCG out.

Photo Friday #1

2008-06-13T22:25:00.002-06:00

mean girls

2008-06-08T23:18:00.003-06:00

So the grieving process, yeah me and you internet are not gonna talk about that so much. So anyway...

I was flipping through the late night options, you know; food network, discovery channel, animal planet. Then I stumbled onto this. Is it just me or is Denise Richards exactly as you'd imagined she'd be?

Did you know that the following about an American Toad's lifespan?

"In the wild most American toads probably don't survive more than a year or two. The majority die before transforming from tadpoles into toadlets. However, they are capable of living much longer. Some toads have lived longer than 10 years in the wild. There is a documented account of a captive toad that lived to the ripe old age of 36 and was killed by mistake."
(Dickerson, 1906; Harding, 1997; Oliver, 1955)

Still watching the train wreck that is Denise...

So anyone out there ever been through the terrible twos? My son has me at my wits end. He "hates" this and that and me and tv and broccoli and,,and,,and. Don't get me started on pedialyte, as it truly spawned the "i hate" phase.

Rest in Peace

2008-06-01T20:23:00.001-06:00

Are you walking now? What do you think? I love you little brother. Thank you for all that you brought into my life, a piece of my heart goes with you.

my name is MC and i approve this message.

2008-05-28T22:31:00.004-06:00

I sit in front of my laptop holding breakfast cereal. yup, that's how I roll. I am not exactly eating it, just reading the box. I am not ashamed to say that this has been an obsession of mine since childhood. I am a fan of breakfast cereal on the whole. Add fresh fruit or a smoothie and it is oh-so-good for you, uber enriched heaven.

Did I really just have a cereal tangent? What about the serial comma? What is your take on the whole chicken versus the egg thing?

please internet distract me with your anecdotal wit. no really just blather on about amoebas even.

and the beat goes on.

2008-05-13T20:37:00.007-06:00

Dinner conversation;

Her: "Mom when I grow up besides a golfer and ballet teacher and a dentist. I start thinking about houses and I think I'm never gonna move out"
Me: "Out of mommy and daddy's house?"

Her: "Yes!"

Boy: "When I grow up, I'm gonna drive dad's car!!"

Us: Dumbfounded but cracking the hell up.

So there you have it my evening in a nutshell, I could stop right here in this moment. The agreement, the calm, the Oh wait he's hitting his sister again...

in my skin.

2008-05-04T23:11:00.004-06:00

The stress levels have been high this week. I am too broke to go to Wild Oats or the Co-Op so I hit the Wal-Mart for some Hyland's Nerve Tonic. Don't judge, Wal-Mart just fits my budget, and I really do need to feed my kids. The Jenny-O ground turkey is a buck fifty eight a pound. You cannot go wrong, anyhoo...

Work has had me up to my eyeballs in the whole mess of trying to figure things out, solve problems, and remain in control. The truth "I am the Master of my own Universe". I can remain calm approach the issue and decide how I am going to handle it, whether that be asking for help or freaking out. So I move forward and choose to forgo the freaking out part.

Since we are speaking so candidly internet, I am feeling selfish. I am at the height of the busiest week I am bound to have this year, as far as work is concerned and my brother is on his death bed. I am so selfish that I thought, please just hold on through this week. I take it back.

I saw my brother tonight, it has been a week or two and he looked so different. His face scrunched in pain just trying to swallow. His flesh seemed molded to his bones like a badly mis-stretched canvas showing every imperfection, every malformation. He is dying. He truly is.

It is a very challenging life growing up with a mentally and physically handicapped brother. Cerebral Palsy doesn't begin to capture the extent of what cards he has actually been dealt. It is the closest diagnosis that the Doctors' could come up with I think. I perused through pictures with my mom, and I saw the difference. The disability has always been there, but so had the health and happiness. That is just gone now.

Some of my family member's don't want to hear it and I can understand that. It is much easier to pretend that death does not exist, that it is not knocking on each and everyone of our doors. BUT, the big but, there it is. It is. We each have to handle these things in our own way and our own time. I think the important thing for to remember is that even though you may not be ready to delve into the emotion of letting someone go, that it is not fair to forbid someone else their process.

Emotions are strong things that should not be bottled up inside to spew forth when you are least ready to handle them. For some I do understand that this is the only way. Others, however need to examine and dissect their emotions, otherwise they may sit and rot and eat away at your very core. I am the type that lays it out come what may. Deal with it head on avoid the surprise later. I know that I will find unexpected (or rather expected) grief at my brother's passing, but I will not hold it in now just so that you can feel comfortable. Don't forget dear loved one that you are loved, but in the end we must each live in our own skin.

How to put things into words.

2008-04-26T22:13:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking well on 2 weeks of how to put certain things into words. Life has managed to distract me with extracurricular activities like golf and corporate advancement, alas. I have to address the fact that I have recently talked to my brother about letting go.

The personage that provides his home care(aka Hospice) have determined that it is damn near a miracle that he is hanging on. They say that it is very important that we go through the closure process to let him know that it is ok if he is tired and needs to go. So... I decided to sing.

This has been something that has been inherently my brother's and my thing since I was old enough to remember the words to songs. I would come home from choir practice and sing my faves. Troy always listened, he never turned away when I hit a bad note, he never frowned.

For the talk I decided on "the rose", I know very cliche. He was upset, he turned away, he frowned!! I thought this only more proof he was nearing his time, the old Troy would haver never behaved this way. I told him it was ok, he could let go. I told him about the "better" person I had become because I had him in my life.

To tell the truth he just wasn't having it. So i gave up and sang "boogie woogie bugle boy" And BAM, there it was that smile. THAT SMILE!! Almost as if to say "hey SIS!! have you forgotten that I am here? Sing to me more often dammit! I am not quite ready to go and I'd like to finish this off with the things I love!!"

I can't speak for Troy, I don't even know if his brain is capable of these sorts of complex thoughts. Maybe he isn't asking me if it is ok to go, but rather... "Hey SIS do you think you could talk to me about the world, tell me about your day (because I could never have one like that), sing to me as if there were no tomorrow." Maybe Troy doesn't want to know it's time to go and that it's ok, maybe he just wants to live like there is no tomorrow. If you live like that, it is so much easier to appreciate the song!

No pictures of cake yet, I am so Lazy

2008-04-14T00:11:00.001-06:00

I sit here watching CSI in rerun, not that unusual considering most have seen it on their season “whatever” DVD or TIVO or on late night cable. I fall into the latter category. I have just blipped in from Sports Center, which I find a late night necessity when you are trying to get a leg up in this man’s world. Is that a sexist statement, probably so?

I am sitting here avoiding sleep, simply because it avoids work in the morning. So I am going to forgo a writing frenzy in favor of a few hours sleep and the warm body of my spouse. Goodnight CSI I’ll catch you and your flesh eating maggots on the flipside.

Live the life you were meant to live....

2008-04-09T23:53:00.002-06:00

If you have 76 minutes to spare this is awesome! I had heard about it a month ago and saw it on Prime Time tonight. Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture"

Slush Puppies ROck!

2008-04-07T00:30:00.006-06:00

Well BG turned 5 yesterday. I am not so much in denial as I am disbelief. It was a wonderful day. She started with her very first ballet class, my goodness the cuteness was too much! I then took her and BB to see Nim's Island, SEE IT! It was such a great family movie. It was just myself and the kiddos, they were riveted. Ok, so BB took a 45 minute nap in the middle, but nobody fussed or made a ruckus of any kind. I am sure the cherry slush puppy worked it's own magic. We then headed to my mom's house for the birthday party.

I finished decorating the teddy bear shaped cake (pictures soon) and HD came straight from work. I swear by the time these turtles are 8-9 I will have this cake decorating thing down pat. My bear was AWESOME! Yes I am tooting my own horn, but you can ask anyone, they'll say it was awesome too.

BG got quite the haul, we found some great shirts and a little people doll house (like new) at Thrift Town. We also got her a Disney Princess Bella Dance-a-rella, lefty golf clubs and a shovel & trowel. Auntie broke out the V-Smile which they have been playing all day (Auntie ROCKS!!) Grandma had the sleeper hit with the vanity set and both of my turtles are snuggled up with their new blankets (Barbie Island Princess & Sponge Bob) prospectively, right now.

So it was a great day, I just love that little girl, though she aint so little anymore. Everyone is sleeping now and I am up late watching comcast free movies on demand. I am not ashamed to admit that I am watching Dumbo Drop, good flick. It is inspiring me to finish apocalypse now though.

Hug your mom the next time you see her and give someone in the grocery store line a compliment...pass it on.

PLGC -out

We temporarily interrupt this mommy blog...

2008-03-24T22:37:00.005-06:00

We temporarily interrupt this mommy blog for a brief moment of sanity vs. insanity.

So i have been pushing beyond a lot of boundaries lately; Personal, business, art, mommy-hood.

On the personal front: i find myself pushing who I AM. Am I the witness as Ken Wilbur suggests? i think, yes. I observe my daily surroundings but I am not my daily surroundings. I do not live in the Cartesian Dualism that Wilbur purports in his anthology "The Simple Feeling of Being". I am, I AM the witness. I step inside and outside of the dual, the opposite, this IS. My spirituality bounds beyond those celebrated this last Sunday. My spirituality does not exist.

On the business front: my superiors throw quixotic equations that momentarily float above the realm of my brain. i snap, grasp, calculate and breathe a sigh of relief that i can actually sum up the anathema. (thank you CS)

On the art front: i am pissed the FUCK off that I have been in a dentist's office for more days than necessary to deal with a root canal among the other umpteen million things they want to do to my mouth! What has that to do with art you ask? Every, Fucking, Thing. If I am not making my art then I may as well not breathe. Thank goodness that i am being the great I AM as stated above or this Shit would totally knock me off my rocker.

On the mommy front: i love my kids, DID YOU GET THAT? i LOVE 'em!! they are completely obnoxious, utterly adorable, totally interrupt the focus that i try to achieve on a daily basis and (ignoring the serial comma here) love them! Each day proves to me more and more that i need to be who I AM to help them be who they are.

So if you think I am completely nuts, don't write me off just yet. it is simply the creative genius of my right brain cataloging what you and I already know to be true. WOW, you really can compose everything out of nothing, and so on (serial comma included).

PLGC to you all, EVOLVE DAMMIT!

the one where she flips grammar the bird!

2008-03-01T23:23:00.004-07:00

I could title this blog how I went from NABLOPOMO to 1 post per month, but I won't. I get home at the end of the day and the last thing I want to do is log into the computer. My ass is up at 5:00am these days to get into the office on time. I leave work drive around for two hours, with a purpose mind you. Drive, pick up the BG, drive, pick up the BB, drive home. Cook dinner, settle the kids down, eat dinner, kids play time/mom art time/clean time/whatever really needs done time. Bedtime business for the kids, the regime of face care for mom. Story time, lights out? Nope the BB usually sticks in as long as possible. I realize this blog doesn't even contain complete let alone grammatically correct sentences.

I want to sit here and write something witty, something that makes you say hey I will come back to read that. BAM! It seems as if I have not done that in a while y'all. I am just so fucking tired lately, and tired of my excuses too. <--look I used a serial comma.

Well I am in the process of getting an attitude adjustment. I really hope that comes with an increase in energy level too. A friend recommended an herbalist that she sees, I am going to call. I need something right now to help my body match the OOMPH going on in my brain. The time is now, if I don't get off my ass soon I will be 10 months closer to 34, SHIT I have got to get his going!

Go to sleep DAMMIT!

2008-02-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

My 2 year old is still awake. I guess that could mean I am a bad mom, but I really don't think so. I have pondered the day trying to remember if there was any sugar in it. I can account for my time and affirmatively say, no. He was with Dad for a few and G-ma another few, but they are both pretty aware of my son's reaction to sugar, so. What reaction you ask? Bat-Shit-Crazy! He's not exactly hyperactive just busy. Thus I think I can rule out the evil that is sugar.

CS brought the turtles some glow sticks home since they cleaned their room without a fuss and the kid has been playing with them for two hours straight. I am so getting his ass up early tomorrow, this is not a schedule I am going to make a habit of.

On other fronts the HD and myself are still working and whatnot, but we are coming up on a new sort of crunch! We have gotten a show at a local stomp and they want 35 pieces. So for us that means get your Asses in gear! We have to revamp the website, get some new work going and hopefully earn some extra cash in the process. I am secretly uber excited to have the additional motivation in my life. Oh wait I told y'all so I guess it's not so uber secret.

The band marches on...and on and on.

Up and at 'em

2008-01-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back y'all. Well not tonight, but needless to say i was off-line, now I'm on-line. so when I have wrapped my brain around that, perhaps I'll blog.

Numbers

2007-12-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

There's always the sky let it here what you're saying....

Today has been full. This morning it was 6am on a payroll Monday, which equals lots of work for this hot-mommy. Then it was off at noon to take the turtles to their check-up and government mandated vaccinations. Yes I vaccinate, bring on the trolls.

Vaccinating is not only something you doubt as a parent, but it is absolutely cruel. BB only needed 2 shots, hep-a and the flu. BG was not so lucky. She is apparently of an age, yes that age. The one where you are still in pre-k, but everyone forgets that fact and are already thinking kindergarten.

5 shots. 2 in one leg, one in one leg, and one for each arm. So don't chew me out right now for my stance on the whole vaccination thing. I feel like a heel already, a big ~~fucking~~ freaking heel!

I took the kiddos to Elephant Bar and had myself a Martini, [grey goose. dirty. dry.] don't hate. We had calamari, fresh baby field greens in a balsamic vinaigrette with bleu cheese crumbles and candied walnuts and mac and cheese. What can I say I live large. Our Waiter was fabulous, I don't remember his name but I tipped him ten on thirty four, so hey. We ended the meal with a Hot Fudge Sundae!!

We did a little Bookstore browsing and I read the turtles the Night before Christmas. All in all it has been a full day, but then again it has been a full month. I am going to be so tuckered out by 2008.

PLGC -out

Reminiscing

2007-12-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in weeks. Funny how time will snap you up take you on a ride and pass you right by. That is how the last couple of weeks have felt. A whirlwind of busy that doesn't really have an end in sight. We've had parties and sickness and an excellent visit from the M-I-L.

It has really got me reminiscing. I think it is just this time of year, but I am dredging up memories of long ago these days. I sit looking at My turtles and seeing BG on the cusp of realizing that Santa too may NOT exist, and laughing at BB because the threat of "the naughty list" is really working this year.

I remember both of their Christmases when the shiny wrapping paper was way more interesting than the actual gifts they received. Beyond that I remember being rounded and pear shaped twice, the second time just a bit more round than the first. I remember the cute pink Santa Baby t-shirt that I worked so diligently to hem and bedazzle, because I did not want to look like a pregnant cow.

I could fill pages upon pages with these holiday memories. Why so many now? Is it just that we have a time frame to pull our memories from, I wonder? My favorite Holiday memory is related to the NFL, of course. The Christmas eve prior to the Baltimore Ravens winning the Super Bowl I got to see them play the Jets. It was nose-bleed seats, bitter cold and windy. I shared huge beers with CS snuggling close and wearing my dorky Raven head and team appropriate sweatshirt. I loved every single minute.

This time of year for me is about my family and friends. I love to give way more than I like to receive. I love the early morning intimacy of my small family gathered around the tree while the kids rip into their gifts. I love braving the mall. I love my life.

It is exciting that a New Year is approaching and that there will be new memories. It is important to remember how much I love my husband and how much I cherish my children. It is important to hold those Christmas' past in my heart. To laugh at the Christmas when my sister and I got hamsters and Pound Puppies. To remember my brother's laughter before he was fragile, before, when it might not have been his last Christmas.

PLGC -out

uhm, yeah...

2007-11-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday, I have to be at work by 6:00 am tomorrow. I have not got a damn thing to blog about today. Cleaned house, took ibuprofen, wrote this blog. This kids are killing each-other and their screams are drowning out all rational thought. Happy Back to the grind after the holiday weekend thing a ma-jigg..

to fall...

2007-11-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

I would like to start this blog off with an apology, no not to you guys! So I missed a couple of posts, pshaw!

Honey (CS) I am sorry for all of the half assed attempts at acting like I cared when you were having back spasms. (or other various ailments that apparently stalk you in your thirties.)

just call me Humpty Dumpty...

Brother decided to grab onto my pocket, in the middle of his less than clean room, He stumbled, I stumbled, various body parts were flailing around and I almost squashed my own son beneath my bum like a bug. {put a picture to that, would ya?) I knew then I pulled something, nothing an ibuprofen wouldn't fix.

Last night I was playing catch with the kids (in a slightly cleaner version of above stated room) I reached out for the ball we were using in our game of triangle catch. That was it, I could not move for over an hour, I had to text CS to come home from work and the turtles tried to kill each-other. sitting and typing this hurts, but I am going stir crazy!!

I miss the days where I could've laid around all day and not given a shit that the housework was going to hell in a hand-basket!

The blog after she missed a NaBloPoMo post.

2007-11-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well here it is the Eve of Thanksgiving, the most gluttonous day on the calendar for us U.S. citizens. I have not even gotten close to where I want to be. Though we have created a theme song, very slow and disco you sing"It's a Holiday Parteeee, Woot!Woot!" We have made some appalling , yet completely charming [foam]Gingerbread/glitter glue themed Christmas ornaments. We also ran through the gambit of foam snowflake ornaments. Just 3 short years ago I couldn't find soft ornament making kits to save my life. Now I feel like I am suffocating in foam, Make, it go away. "ahh but the kids love, that's the gist of it."

My menu (which will be added to my mother and sister's menu)

Posole with Red and Green Chile (it's soooo a NM thing)
Sugar Cookies
Magic Cookie Bars
Cranberry Apple Relish
Cheesecake Petit Fours (in progress and being ignored)

Well I gotta sign out, What? You saw the menu.

Peace, Love and Posole!

My husband was supposed to write this blog.

2007-11-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

He said he would call it NoBloNoPro, no blog. no problem. The truth is I am beyond tired, so I am off to bed. I am so never letting CS near my blog again, he is such a bad influence.

Never go to Michaels the weekend of Thanksgiving.

2007-11-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

That is it really. I have nothing more to say, Oh wait, I have one more thing to say. Don't go to Wal-mart either.
Fine I will elaborate, but only slightly because I am freaking tired and out of sorts and I have to be at work at 6:00 am. I warned you that I was out of sorts. I have to get ready for T-Day. I am making no-bake cheesecake petit fours courtesy of the Domestic Goddess. I stumbled onto her site by looking up petit fours recipes. I am also making Posole, and Cranberry Apple Relish (I'll include the exact recipe here as soon as I find it.) This paragraph is having trouble coming to a point, so moving on...

Those are some of the reasons I ventured into the outer regions of Hell and then Hell itself. To bake and to craft and to feed my family for the next week, on a limited budget. I ended up with more than I went into get, but that is the cliche that is my life.

My kiddos were on the whole well behaved. Though there were a couple of times that complete strangers stared at me as if I were a monster. My mom would have given me a swift smack and that would have been that. What was my crime? I threatened to leave the basket on the aisle and go home, I counted to 2 1/2, I must be a damned abomination!

I parked 5 miles from the store and had to push 2 kids (in one of those badly designed double seated with the seatbelts broken kind of basket) and $175 worth of groceries up hill to the car.
I admit I almost wasn't up to the challenge.

I am tempted to strike through this entire post because it is so whiny. I hate whining. I think I need a time-out. Either that or I should park this blog right here and go straight home, without all the stuff I came in for. PLGC-out

Morning musings.

2007-11-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

I love driving at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. There seem to be few if any people on the road and I don't have to drive 75 mph to get where I need to be. This morning's drive reminded me that I love this time of year.

There were at least 20hot air balloons scattered throughout the sky. The weather is brisk enough for a few layers but you don't really need a jacket. I do think it is time to get some gloves though. I buy new ones every year and by the next time I need them I have usually lost the mate. I could start an interesting art piece made entirely of mis-matched gloves. Most likely it would catapult me to a life of fame in the Fine Art world and I would have to live up to the brilliance of the mismatched gloves. That first ray of brilliance is to big of a hill to climb, so I think I will just let go of that dream right now.

As I was driving down I-25 I tried to imagine myself as a tourist and on my way to Santa Fe. I start taking stock of what I see. Adult Video, John Deer Tractor, Topless Dancers, Olive Garden. I say to my imaginary 70 something husband "Pa they got us a Olive Garden we can go there for dinner." Then I shift into the other type of artsy-chic tourist. Albuquerque is such a hick town, I can't wait to get to Santa Fe." The trucker, he pulls over to one of the five strip clubs in that small stretch and has a beer.

Yes I do have quite an imagination. I also have 3 years of owning a shop in Albuquerque's Old Town. The scope of tourist types goes well beyond those I've listed, but I assure the depiction is accurate.

To top my morning off was a lovely fellow driving in front of me. He so hadn't been home yet, and he was smoking a big ol' stogie, so I am pretty sure he got lucky last night. I was giggling and reminiscing of my 7:30 a.m. jaunts in the past. They weren't always grown up obligations, but then I didn't stop and take stock of the world around me back then either.

7 Random Things Meme.

2007-11-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

I am a Meme Virgin. Phew, I am so glad that is out of the way. I was tagged by Suzanne, Julie and Nancy. Thanks a bunch, no. really. Here are the rules and then, and then, and then, Shibby. Sorry mindless 20 something moment, hehehe.

Rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Random things about me:

1. I had dreadlocks in college.
2. I am a better cook than my mother (:sorry mom, your a great cook, I'm just better:)
3. I dye my hair a lot, right now it is Soft Black.
4. I used to work at a Slavic, coffee and wine bar, fine dining restaurant, it's true.
5. I own a copy of E.B. Strunk and White.
6. I played Dinosaur Island with my kids tonight.
7. I would kill someone for a Mars Milky Way Dark right now.

For this meme, I randomly tag the following fellow NBPM'ers:

1. The Reluctant Blogger
2. Le Pen Quotidien
3. Tania
4. Peggasus
5. Operation Simplify
6. Carrie
7. The OC Mama

Episode 2 NaBloPoMo

2007-11-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

Did I actually give myself a topic, as one of my coworker used to say "for sures". Now why in the H-E-double hockey sticks (trying to curb the curses yo) would I do something as ambitious as that on my 2nd NaBloPoMo?

So you have guessed it, I didn't come prepared. I picked up the kiddos, bought some sushi, miso and pot stickers from the market and had myself a big ol' glass of cabernet. It has been quite a nice evening all in all. The only thing to make it better? The episode of "Shark Week" in the background.

The hubs and I are somewhat addicted to the nature shows. Where other's TIVO and buy season 1 through something-or-other on DVD, we buy nature shows. I have Jeff Corwin, Planet Earth, Shark Week series, Pre-historic Park, and a bonus episode of Myth Busters.

We decided that kids' lives are filled with episodes of things. Whether it's on the tube or DVD, and on the rare occasion video, that is the world they live in. We got jealous. Sometimes I am way too ~~fucking~~ darn tired to watch an entire movie. I WANT episodes-!! So what episodes do you enjoy. Why do you think it took me so long to stumble onto the joy of episodes? And.... Damn I want all of the Project Runways EVER!

Well way off track, no real rhyme and I don't have cable so I can't even get this season of PRW. What is wrong with my life? Well nothing other than that really. Hate it or Love it the Underdog's on Top!

PLGC -out