Our kids have Soccer Camp this entire week. It's been a fabulous event for them thusfar and they are thoroughly enjoying it. This is their first year and Ruby and Gorbulas are both in the same group (4-6). They have a couple of friends in this same group, so it's pretty much mayhem for the soccer coach trying to control the group of 11 youngsters.
But the best part? The coach? He's from the UK. When we first walked up to check-in, he spoke and greeted the kids. Both stood there with blank stares on their faces, and Ruby squints her eyes and cocks her head a bit. "What??? What did you say?"
He greets them again.
"Allo....an' wha's yah name? An' haow ol' ar' ya?"
"Ohhh, I'm 5 and three-quarters, and he's my brother. He's 4." she says.
"Ah! Fiyve an' three quatters ar'ya naow? Wahl, yer grooop ehz ova thar on' tha' petch. When I say goh, yer gunna run as fas' as ye can, and join yer groop, okay?"
"OK."
"OK, goh."
And they take off running.
I'm curious as to what a "petch" is, and then I remember -- ohhh yeah, everyone else in the world calls it a soccer pitch. Indeed, the kids will learn the Queen's English before the week is out.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Old-Fashioned Neighborhood Fun
We live in a fairly diverse American suburb in the SF Bay Area: track homes of varying beige and gray hues, professionally landscaped front yards (thank you builders!), a mix of some families, some foreigners that don't speak English, some empty nesters, some singles. What is conspicuously absent (typically) are kids out front playing. It seems this generation of youngsters in our area get shuttled from day-camp to Karate/Ballet/Baseball/Soccer practice and then back home. Up goes the garage door, in go the people, and down goes the garage door. People are exhausted. Families are tired. Parents are stretched. I get it.
I think people entertain and spend time in their back yards, not the front. We don't really know our neighbors aside from the occasional wave when taking out the garbage or getting the newspaper. But, we're slowly breaking down those walls.
There are two families with kids three houses down (in two separate houses -- we must make that distinction here in California). A family with 3 Elem girls and another family with 2 Elem boys and 1 MS girl. We broke out the Slip 'n Slide last week -- out front, as it's the only grass with a slope -- and amazingly enough, the neighborhood kids all came out of the woodwork and low and behold, our kids made new friends.
I am one of those Moms that doesn't really let her kids out front to play unsupervised (granted, the kids are almost 6 and 4...so you can't really blame me). But, we're entering into the time when they CAN and SHOULD play out front with other kids and be ok. I advise them of the requisite rules: Be polite to strangers, but NEVER walk anywhere with them, NEVER get into a car with them, NEVER touch their cute little puppy, NEVER take candy or toys, etc and if they feel something isn't right run (not walk) home. Today, I reiterated those rules, kept the garage door open and propped open the kitchen/garage entry door. I heard them playing and laughing, and it was perfect. Just the right amount of boundary-letting and just the right amount of time. Really, I should have been photographed and included in the SF Chronicle: "WAHM Defies Culture by Allowing Her Children to Play Out Front."
Actually, now that I think about it, it was a perfect day -- my kids weren't fighting with each other, they played really well with the other neighbor girls. They rode bikes, painted the driveway with water and a paintbrush, chalked the sidewalk, played with the dogs, played Princess & the Knight dress up, and had PB&J cut-outs & chips. Their mom came over and she and I made a formal introduction, we exchanged phone numbers and husband's names, and we commented how great it was to actually meet another neighbor!
Golly, it felt so refreshing, like an old-fashioned neighborhood feel that is missing in our culture. Perhpas she and I should break out the Shawn Cassidy records and drink Tab while we relish being neighborly.
The last month has really been stressful for me and its taking its toll on my health (story for another day). Today was a much needed break from the daily struggle we've had of late with our kids' behavior. Who knew that a simple, "Go out and play" would yield such positive results?
I think people entertain and spend time in their back yards, not the front. We don't really know our neighbors aside from the occasional wave when taking out the garbage or getting the newspaper. But, we're slowly breaking down those walls.
There are two families with kids three houses down (in two separate houses -- we must make that distinction here in California). A family with 3 Elem girls and another family with 2 Elem boys and 1 MS girl. We broke out the Slip 'n Slide last week -- out front, as it's the only grass with a slope -- and amazingly enough, the neighborhood kids all came out of the woodwork and low and behold, our kids made new friends.
I am one of those Moms that doesn't really let her kids out front to play unsupervised (granted, the kids are almost 6 and 4...so you can't really blame me). But, we're entering into the time when they CAN and SHOULD play out front with other kids and be ok. I advise them of the requisite rules: Be polite to strangers, but NEVER walk anywhere with them, NEVER get into a car with them, NEVER touch their cute little puppy, NEVER take candy or toys, etc and if they feel something isn't right run (not walk) home. Today, I reiterated those rules, kept the garage door open and propped open the kitchen/garage entry door. I heard them playing and laughing, and it was perfect. Just the right amount of boundary-letting and just the right amount of time. Really, I should have been photographed and included in the SF Chronicle: "WAHM Defies Culture by Allowing Her Children to Play Out Front."
Actually, now that I think about it, it was a perfect day -- my kids weren't fighting with each other, they played really well with the other neighbor girls. They rode bikes, painted the driveway with water and a paintbrush, chalked the sidewalk, played with the dogs, played Princess & the Knight dress up, and had PB&J cut-outs & chips. Their mom came over and she and I made a formal introduction, we exchanged phone numbers and husband's names, and we commented how great it was to actually meet another neighbor!
Golly, it felt so refreshing, like an old-fashioned neighborhood feel that is missing in our culture. Perhpas she and I should break out the Shawn Cassidy records and drink Tab while we relish being neighborly.
The last month has really been stressful for me and its taking its toll on my health (story for another day). Today was a much needed break from the daily struggle we've had of late with our kids' behavior. Who knew that a simple, "Go out and play" would yield such positive results?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Testimonial: Oprah's Favorite Turkey Burger
At a Bunko event on Friday night, the star of the buffet table was, by far, Oprah's favorite turkey burger -- the Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger.
I made them as mini-burgers about 2" square and they were a huge hit. Every single person at the Bunko event (17 in all!) enjoyed them and a good majority asked for the recipe.
What's so special about them? It's hard to say. I'm not a chef. But, I know what tastes good and what doesn't. I think it's the apple, personally.
I altered the recipe slightly, because I thought 3 granny smith's were just one too many. I used Tapatio instead of the tabasco and I used all fresh herbs from my-very-own-grown-from-seeds- stash of fresh herbs. Trader Joe's didn't have Major Grey's chutney, so I used Mango-Ginger instead and heck, when you're doctoring up a burger with all this, does brand names really matter? I think not.
The recipe says it serves six. And, it calls for 4 lbs of ground turkey. Now, I'm no math-major but that seems like a LOT of ounces per person. So, I used three 1.25 packages and I made 24 mini burgers (and still have some left over that I froze). I used the Hawaiian soft sweet rolls (mini) as the bread.
We need to introduce non-beef entrees into our family's diet, and in all, I'd say we have a winner in this one! I give it a thumbs-up!
Anybody else try it yet?
Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed
Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.
I made them as mini-burgers about 2" square and they were a huge hit. Every single person at the Bunko event (17 in all!) enjoyed them and a good majority asked for the recipe.
What's so special about them? It's hard to say. I'm not a chef. But, I know what tastes good and what doesn't. I think it's the apple, personally.
I altered the recipe slightly, because I thought 3 granny smith's were just one too many. I used Tapatio instead of the tabasco and I used all fresh herbs from my-very-own-grown-from-seeds- stash of fresh herbs. Trader Joe's didn't have Major Grey's chutney, so I used Mango-Ginger instead and heck, when you're doctoring up a burger with all this, does brand names really matter? I think not.
The recipe says it serves six. And, it calls for 4 lbs of ground turkey. Now, I'm no math-major but that seems like a LOT of ounces per person. So, I used three 1.25 packages and I made 24 mini burgers (and still have some left over that I froze). I used the Hawaiian soft sweet rolls (mini) as the bread.
We need to introduce non-beef entrees into our family's diet, and in all, I'd say we have a winner in this one! I give it a thumbs-up!
Anybody else try it yet?
Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed
Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Family Vacation: Disneyland and Legoland
Our family has been so busy, we can't even believe summer is HERE, let alone it's the end of June. I'm feeling ever-so-behind-the-8-ball and so far we haven't relaxed at all. I looked online at Go City Kids to see if there was anything fun to do this weekend. Listed there was the "Red White and Blue Parade" in Citrus Heights. "Red, White and Blue Parade?!?" I thought to myself, "What are they thinking? It's only JUNE!" Ummm, HELLO. It's the LAST weekend in June before the 4th of July. That hit me hard.
Our family just returned from a week-long vacation (NOT relaxing) at Disneyland and Legoland. It was fabulous. We "sort of" vacationed with two other families and met up with them at various points throughout the week, and it was great (I wish we had met up more -- how cool would have it been to have a whole picture of the 12 of us in front of the Castle?). The kids all get along; the wives get along and the husbands all get along.
Disneyland was unbearably hot and there were 658 million people there. I guess Disney has a reduced-usage season pass for locals and we went on the last two days the SoCal-ers could use this pass. Anyway, I'm thankful we were able to go and we had a lot of fun.
The best part of Legoland was the water play area. A huge bucket 'o water gets dumped on kids every 4.5 minutes.
There's a ton of kids in this area of the park and they look like little ants all over an anthill. Big, small, tween, young, wet, dry, parents, grandparents, everybody is there observing this amazing attraction. Some locals suggested bringing swimsuits and they were right. The kids must have played in this area for over an hour. It was great, and they had a blast. AND they were sufficiently wiped out, so they all slept well that night. :-) There's so much more I could share on Legoland, it should be an entire post in an of itself.
We're driving to get to Medieval Times and I tell Frederer, "I really, really wanted to get you a cake. I'm so sorry you don't even have a cake on your birthday."
July? Already? *sigh*
It just made me sad because time flies too fast and I'm not really taking the time to enjoy it. I find myself continually striving for what I think is peace. A clean home, warm and folded laundry, a perfectly manicured backyard landscape, and a glass of cold lemonade on a sunny afternoon day. Wait...no, my new favorite drink is Smirnoff Ice. Yummy. A couple of those will take the edge off. Wait...where was I? Oh yeah, summertime peace. Don't forget the kids actually NAP during their quiet time and the BBQ that's marinating! I mean, really, it is a dream isn't it? Instead, I find myself observing the holes my dogs have dug in the backyard, the dead annuals thanks to the California heat, my incessant cough from the NorCal fires (yes, there were 900 fires burning last week), the numerous piles of stuff that's accumulating on the stairs, cranky children at 5pm because they didn't nap, AND the ever present Mount Washmore that's waiting for me in the laundry room.
But I am grateful. I think about the many blessings I have and I am SO thankful. I think about the fact that I HAVE a home that is slighly cluttered, I HAVE children that don't want to nap, that I HAVE a beautiful lawn that has dog-holes, that I HAVE health insurance if the fires-cough gets to be too much and that I HAVE a washer and dryer to deal with Mount Washmore.
But, I'm tired and I am thankful. I think the two can co-exist.
Our family just returned from a week-long vacation (NOT relaxing) at Disneyland and Legoland. It was fabulous. We "sort of" vacationed with two other families and met up with them at various points throughout the week, and it was great (I wish we had met up more -- how cool would have it been to have a whole picture of the 12 of us in front of the Castle?). The kids all get along; the wives get along and the husbands all get along. Disneyland was unbearably hot and there were 658 million people there. I guess Disney has a reduced-usage season pass for locals and we went on the last two days the SoCal-ers could use this pass. Anyway, I'm thankful we were able to go and we had a lot of fun.
Legoland was fantastic and, equally as great (or better) than Disneyland! My two fantastic nephews flew in from Denver and the 6 of us had a great time. They are 10 and 6 and get along great with our kids. They love on each other; they fight; they laugh; they shout. Yeah, it's family.
Legoland is perfect for kids under 10. If you haven't gone yet -- DO IT. The location is perfect -- Carlsbad is only 1 hr south of Disneyland and it's right on the coast. The breeze is ever-present, it's always 78-85 degrees and Legoland management actually gave some forethought to providing shade and areas for parents to sit while their youngsters went on rides (ever been to the Disneyland teacups? Snow White ride? Alice? ANYWHERE in Fantasyland? Yeah, not one bench in the place.)
The rides were entertaining enough for adults and actually FIT the kids. Because we went to Legoland and the kids did a TON of roller-coasters there, when we did our final day at Disneyland they weren't afraid of the Matterhorn or the Big Thunder Railroad rollercoaster whatsoever. And, our little troopers went on Splash Mountain (THREE TI
MES) and Space Mountain (well, one of our little troopers). I was shocked -- DL can only get better for our family now that the kids are more mobile and we'll be *gasp* stoller-less.
MES) and Space Mountain (well, one of our little troopers). I was shocked -- DL can only get better for our family now that the kids are more mobile and we'll be *gasp* stoller-less.
The best part of Legoland was the water play area. A huge bucket 'o water gets dumped on kids every 4.5 minutes.
There's a ton of kids in this area of the park and they look like little ants all over an anthill. Big, small, tween, young, wet, dry, parents, grandparents, everybody is there observing this amazing attraction. Some locals suggested bringing swimsuits and they were right. The kids must have played in this area for over an hour. It was great, and they had a blast. AND they were sufficiently wiped out, so they all slept well that night. :-) There's so much more I could share on Legoland, it should be an entire post in an of itself. 
We also went to Medieval Times for Frederer's 34th birthday and he was knighted. It was great. But the best part was the cake snafu.
I make these reservations ahead of time for an 8:45pm dinner and show for 18 people. We figured we'd leave the hotel about 7:30, head to Vons, pick up a cake and be there 8:00-8:15. We get a call at 7:15 from one 
of the other families. "Where are you guys?" Tonester says. "What? What do you mean?" I say, "It starts at 8:45pm." "Yeah, but you have to BE HERE by 7:00 when the doors open."
of the other families. "Where are you guys?" Tonester says. "What? What do you mean?" I say, "It starts at 8:45pm." "Yeah, but you have to BE HERE by 7:00 when the doors open." Crap.
There I am just finishing ironing my clothes. Thankfully, all 4 kids were showered, ready and waiting for me to finish (they even had their shoes on!).
"Quick! Get the kids in the car!" I say to Frederer. "I'll be down in 3 minutes!!!"
He assumes the Drill Sergeant role and, "Alright you huskies, let's mush on down to the car! go, Go, GOOOOO you soldiers! Move it!!! Assigned seats, just like always!" I grab my makeup, two clips (my hair is NOT done by any stretch) and I race to the elevator.
We're driving to get to Medieval Times and I tell Frederer, "I really, really wanted to get you a cake. I'm so sorry you don't even have a cake on your birthday."
He shrugs. "It's ok. You know the "apple pastry" is legendary at Medieval Times." Har de har har. (Editor's Note: Every have a McDonald's apple pie? Yeah, it's the same thing at MT.)
No sooner are we in the car 5 minutes, our faithful Henry (our Tom Tom GPS) guiding our every move, that the family calls back. "False alarm," he says. "They tell you to come at 7pm so you'll sit in the bar, buy drinks, buy tickets to their other attractions (ie, a Dungeon) or take a tour of the horses/stable area. All of which I am OK on passing. You got an hour to kill."
"Hey!" I smile. "We can stop and get a cake!!!" He smiles... "Ok, let's go get a cake."
We look around. We're lost in Buena Park/Garden Grove area of LA. We look around and see Korean BBQ stores, Mexican restaurants (like REAL mexican restaurants -- not El Torito), and Indian Restaurants with signs written in Indian. NOT exactly the location of your neighborhood Whole Foods or Safeway. Henry is no help -- there's no grocery store for at least 5 miles.
We pull into a "Fresh and Fast" supermarket and Frederer looks at me and grins, "Fresh. AND. Fast! Yeah baby! Do you think WE could be fresh and fast?" We look at the 4 kids behind us. Ummm, maybe not. :-)
I go into this store, which is basically a Smart 'n Final on a smaller scale. No bakery. No cakes. I think, "I wonder if I should just get him a Mrs. Smith's Apple Pie." Heheh. Frozen. Heheh. I giggle at my nonsense.
I stop a couple and ask, "Hey, do you know where there's a Vons or another bigger grocery store where I can get a birthday cake? I need it for tonight. Well, I need it right now actually."
The man's appearance is awesome -- leathery, probably comin' down off some trip, full sleeve tats on both arms, wrinkled, weathered, buzz haircut, and clothes that have seen better days. His woman looks the same. But they were super cool and very helpful.
"You need a cake now?" he says.
"Yeah. What about that panderia I saw over there?" I say.
"Oh yeah, man, that place is killer. They have the best fu-king birthday cakes ever." he says
My eyebrows go up and my eyes widen. "Well, alrighty then! That's great! I'll go there. Thanks." and I high tail it, flip-flopping my way out of the store. We're not so formal in our home that we don't let the occasional swear word escape our lips every once in a while, but to use the f-word as an actual adjective? Yeah, we don't do that.
I go into the panderia and look at their cakes. The place smelled AMAZING. It's hot as hell in there, but amazing. The lady who helps me is very nice and I select the Tres Leches cake (just shy of chocolate cake/chocolate frosting as my all time favorite). I ask if she can write on it, and she says, "Oh sure."
I tell her the birthday boy's name is "Frederer" and God love her, she just wrote "Frederer." (Just like that. First name only -- with the period). Not "Happy Birthday Frederer." Just Frederer with a period (in a totally off color btw). Well, alrighty then. I figure I'm game, so I ask for the "Feliz Cumpleanos" stick greeting and I shove it on top and giggle my way out of the store.
I share my experience with Frederer who just laughs at me and rolls his eyes. I guess I think it's funnier than he does.
We arrive at Medieval Times with plenty of time to enjoy our friends, the dinner and the show. You can get another family's take here. While our kids aren't spoiled at all (we basically shoved them onto Splash Mountain: "Go'on now, git! Yu'll luv it.") we concur with her assessment of the weather, the lack of admiration for the weather, the trials of traveling with limited clothing and the communication methods. Next time, we're coming armed with walkie talkies.
Medieval Times was awesome though. I highly recommend it. It's cheesy, but it's awesome. Especially when you're a bit liquor'd and you're in the 2nd row celebrating your hubby's birthday. Very fun.
Ruby and Gorby enjoyed it as well, and for the next two days, used everything from brooms to silly straws to joust one another. Pens became swords and swim kickboards became shields. Oh the imaginations they have!
It was great to have such an action packed family vacation, but restful it was not. I think next time, we'll go here for a family vacation.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Prefixes and Suffixes for You and Yours
We really miss being in school. Correction: *I* miss the kids being in school. But it'll come soon enough.
Ruby has been practicing her prefixes and suffixes lately. She just randomly comes over, looks me straight in the face, eyes wide and says:
"-ING!! As in JUMP-ING."
"-ED as in START-ED."
"-ER as in SMART-ER."
"RE- as in RE-WIND."
I grin, and shake my head, "-AZY as in you're a CR-AZY girl...you are so smart."
We're on our way to Vacation Bible School tonight, and we're rushing through the McD's drive thru (I know, I know...sign me up for Mother-of-the-Year). I look down and poof! the buttons on my shirt are open and hello me and my new literally-defies-gravity bra are broadcast for all to see.
Ruby says to me, "UN- and in UN-buttoned shirt!"
and...
"EN- as in EN-joy your UN-buttoned shirt!"
Ruby has been practicing her prefixes and suffixes lately. She just randomly comes over, looks me straight in the face, eyes wide and says:
"-ING!! As in JUMP-ING."
"-ED as in START-ED."
"-ER as in SMART-ER."
"RE- as in RE-WIND."
I grin, and shake my head, "-AZY as in you're a CR-AZY girl...you are so smart."
We're on our way to Vacation Bible School tonight, and we're rushing through the McD's drive thru (I know, I know...sign me up for Mother-of-the-Year). I look down and poof! the buttons on my shirt are open and hello me and my new literally-defies-gravity bra are broadcast for all to see.
Ruby says to me, "UN- and in UN-buttoned shirt!"
and...
"EN- as in EN-joy your UN-buttoned shirt!"
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Q: What Happens if Barack Becomes President...
...it'll be an Obamanation.So I'm reading Yahoo News today, and lo and behold out comes the mudslinging regarding taxes and the changes the two nominees would propose.
Option A: Rob the rich to feed the poor. Or, as Obama calls it, "...providing relief to those who haven't benefited as much from this new global economy."
"Providing relief" sounds as if we're contributing to a third world economy. And, I love this one: "...to those who haven't benefited as much..."
Here's a tip that's free of charge: how about we actually encourage and/or incent the "less than ambitious" among us to get up and make some changes in their lives so they WILL benefit from the new global economy? Hey! Help people take ownership of their own lives! What a concept!
Option B: Minimize the amount a person or company must pay to the government, thus freeing up those dollars to spend elsewhere in the economy.
"McCain, 71, vowed to maintain Bush's tax cuts, lower corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 25 percent and allow companies to expense new equipment and technology in their first year. He supported keeping capital gains taxes as they are now, doubling a tax exemption for children, and phasing out the Alternative Minimum Tax (THANK GOD!!!), which he said would save some 25 million middle-class families up to $2,000 in a year. He said he could pay for the plan by cutting what he called wasteful government spending, including ethanol and sugar subsidies and weapons systems. "We're going to scrub every agency of government and we're going to make them justify their existence. And if they can't, they're going to go out of existence," he said on CNBC.
Isn't it amazing how completely different these two viewpoints are?
Friday, June 6, 2008
When You're Pissed at Those You Work With...
...do what I do, and go paint pottery with your kids!The kids finished the school year on Wednesday, which left Thursday and Friday (today) for us to be without childcare. Frederer took yesterday off, and I'm working 1/2 day and taking most of today off.
And, you know...I'd really much rather paint pottery with my kids than fight over email with the Customer Support Manager who refuses to fulfill the order that Sales (me) brings in. Is it his job to question what price the customer paid? No. It's his job to fulfill the order (in this case, a software upgrade service). I cannot believe I'm so seethingly pissed off about such a simple thing like this. I can't believe we're quibbling over something this stupid -- I want him to complete the application AND web-front end upgrade for one price and he wants to just do the application. EXCUSE ME? That's tantamount to buying a full service carwash for one price and then having the carwasher guy say, "Oh you wanted to car vacuumed too?"
God. It's amazing we can even function as a company with all the dumbasses around here. It's no wonder "business process improvement consulting services" even exist in the first place.
I'm off to go be one with my inner child and paint, Paint, PAINT!
Ta Ta For Now.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Spanish for You and Yours
I thought about sending this list to Ruby's Kindergarten Spanish Class at school, but then reconsidered. :-)
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: WATER
My vieja gets mad and I don't even know water problem is!
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: BRIEF
My homie farted gacho, bad, and I couldn't brief.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: MUSHROOM
Orale vato, when all my familia gets in the car, there's not mushroom.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: CHICKEN
My vieja wanted me to go to the store with her, but chicken go by herself
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: LIVER & CHEESE
Some vato tried to sweet talk my ruca. I told him, orale loco liver alone, cheese mine.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: JULY
Ju tol me ju were goin to the store and July to me! Julyer!
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: WAFER
I wanted to go with my mom to the flea market pero she didn't wafer me!
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: HERPES
I had some cake to share with my wife; this is my piece this is herpes.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: WATER
My vieja gets mad and I don't even know water problem is!
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: BRIEF
My homie farted gacho, bad, and I couldn't brief.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: MUSHROOM
Orale vato, when all my familia gets in the car, there's not mushroom.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: CHICKEN
My vieja wanted me to go to the store with her, but chicken go by herself
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: LIVER & CHEESE
Some vato tried to sweet talk my ruca. I told him, orale loco liver alone, cheese mine.
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: JULY
Ju tol me ju were goin to the store and July to me! Julyer!
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: WAFER
I wanted to go with my mom to the flea market pero she didn't wafer me!
MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: HERPES
I had some cake to share with my wife; this is my piece this is herpes.
Goodbye Kindergarten...Hello 1st Grade
Time flies so fast.I am so surprised at how quickly this academic year flew by. Ruby had her Awards Ceremony today and is a Kindergartner no longer. Awards for Determination, Joyfulness, Innovative, Friendliness and Service filled the auditorium.
But when my little delight went up to receive her award, tears filled my eyes as her teacher described her compassion for others, strong sense of right-wrong-justice (we're working on adding "grace" to that mix), and helpfulness. Her ability to see when something needs to get done, the ability to organize and her natural leadership capabilities.
Her award: Compassion.
Of all the awards to have been given out, I truly believe this one is perfect for her. Compassion, coupled with her strong convictions, will help her as she grows to adulthood. We need more compassionate people in this world. Not ones that will feel pity and give handouts. Compassion for people who are hurting, communities that need fixing and hearts that need mending. She's strong willed, which is a great personality trait IMO. Pair that with a compassionate heart and you have something amazing.
She will amaze us all. Just watch and see.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Double Takes
Over the last few weeks, Ruby has cracked me up several times with making observations about the likenesses -- or rather, presumed likenesses -- between things. This morning was the piece de resistance, and I just HAD to share. Here's a few (that I can remember):
Sweet Confusion #1: (Looking at a magazine) "Hey, this looks just like OUR backyard"
OUR backyard:
NOT our backyard:
Sweet Confusion #2: (pointing to an airplane landing at a nearby airport) "Hey, that looks just like big Papa's airplane!"
Papa's Airplane:
NOT Papa's Airplane:
NOT Mr. Scott's truck:
NOT Papa's Airplane:
(Personally, I like Papa's plane!)
Sweet Confusion #3: (Driving past a used car dealership with a mini-Monster truck) "Hey! That's just like Mr. Scotty's truck!"
Mr. Scott's truck (rather, one like it):
NOT Mr. Scott's truck:
And, the best one that just about sent me over the edge...
Sweet Confusion #4: (watching me read Yahoo News) "Hey! That guy looks just like little Papa!"
"Little" Papa: (so named because he's 2 inches shorter than the other Papa)
Definitely, NOT Papa:
Hahaha - She just cracks me up. I think the world of her. She's my pride and joy. And with a face like this? Can ya blame me?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
"...and Make it a Double!"
I'm not talking about a shot of vodka or a nice smooth tequila, but that just might take the edge off as well.
Frederer has been out hunting the last five days (what smarta$$es like myself call "camping with a gun") -- and that would be FIVE (5) days with no phone calls, no help with the kids, no help with NADA and let me say, that I am SO glad he's coming home tomorrow. Hopefully, with a nice big ole' fatty wild boar slung over his shoulder just like Daniel Boon.
Ok, well, maybe not.
As long as he brings me something that mildly resembles something I would purchase at a grocery store, I'm OK with cookin' that bad boy up and servin' some chow.
But not tomorrow...
Tomorrow, Frederer comes home, and I will smile, give him a nice big kiss, ask him for the 30,000 foot and a two minute summary of his little jaunt to central California, and then wallllkkkkk ouuutttt theee doorrrr for not ONE but TWO full-length feature movies.
You see, Safeway was kind enough to have a promotion whereby you purchase $50 in select products and they'll give you two free movie tickets! Since I am the holder of said tickets, and I did the time cutting coupons and price comparing and shopping and unloading and putting away, I'm going to retain said tickets for my own personal enjoyment. Selfish? You betcha. And, I think I just might have to see me some yummy Indiana Jones on the silver screen tomorrow, and perhaps be even more ambitious and see the new Narnia movie.
All I know is that our children are lovely. And, I've had about as much lovely as I can take with school being 1/2 days this past week and our hosting a play date (which was actually fabulous and a welcome distraction).
Now I know what a single Mom feels like. I've had NO help with the kids and I'm about to go postal from all the disobedience and lying that's plagued our fair home these last 5 days. I've given out more punishments than I care to document.
My new favorite punishments are: a teaspoon of white vinegar in the mouth (yep, they have to swallow) for lying (if I'm really in a foul mood maybe I'll try cider vinegar), and a toothbrush full of Dawn dishwashing liquid for foul language to scrub away all the dirty crud that's escaping those lips.
Gorby is classic for this one. His latest is, "Mom...I almost said, "Dammit!" but I didn't! I found my self-control -- it was RIGHT HERE in my pocket -- and I didn't even say "Dammit!" when I really wanted to! Hey Ruby! I didn't say, "Dammit" when I wanted to! Isn't that great?" (Yeah, I gave him a pass on that one). And, of course, the old standby: a good old fashioned whoopin' for blantent disobedience and defiance. We've only had one of those this past week (which ain't bad considering there's two kids).
But suffice it to say that tomorrow, my hubby will be home, my feet will have a pedicure and I'll have zoned out through two movies.
ALONE.
And, it'll be fabulous.
Welcome home Frederer!
Frederer has been out hunting the last five days (what smarta$$es like myself call "camping with a gun") -- and that would be FIVE (5) days with no phone calls, no help with the kids, no help with NADA and let me say, that I am SO glad he's coming home tomorrow. Hopefully, with a nice big ole' fatty wild boar slung over his shoulder just like Daniel Boon.
Ok, well, maybe not.
As long as he brings me something that mildly resembles something I would purchase at a grocery store, I'm OK with cookin' that bad boy up and servin' some chow.
But not tomorrow...
Tomorrow, Frederer comes home, and I will smile, give him a nice big kiss, ask him for the 30,000 foot and a two minute summary of his little jaunt to central California, and then wallllkkkkk ouuutttt theee doorrrr for not ONE but TWO full-length feature movies.
You see, Safeway was kind enough to have a promotion whereby you purchase $50 in select products and they'll give you two free movie tickets! Since I am the holder of said tickets, and I did the time cutting coupons and price comparing and shopping and unloading and putting away, I'm going to retain said tickets for my own personal enjoyment. Selfish? You betcha. And, I think I just might have to see me some yummy Indiana Jones on the silver screen tomorrow, and perhaps be even more ambitious and see the new Narnia movie.
All I know is that our children are lovely. And, I've had about as much lovely as I can take with school being 1/2 days this past week and our hosting a play date (which was actually fabulous and a welcome distraction).
Now I know what a single Mom feels like. I've had NO help with the kids and I'm about to go postal from all the disobedience and lying that's plagued our fair home these last 5 days. I've given out more punishments than I care to document.
My new favorite punishments are: a teaspoon of white vinegar in the mouth (yep, they have to swallow) for lying (if I'm really in a foul mood maybe I'll try cider vinegar), and a toothbrush full of Dawn dishwashing liquid for foul language to scrub away all the dirty crud that's escaping those lips.
Gorby is classic for this one. His latest is, "Mom...I almost said, "Dammit!" but I didn't! I found my self-control -- it was RIGHT HERE in my pocket -- and I didn't even say "Dammit!" when I really wanted to! Hey Ruby! I didn't say, "Dammit" when I wanted to! Isn't that great?" (Yeah, I gave him a pass on that one). And, of course, the old standby: a good old fashioned whoopin' for blantent disobedience and defiance. We've only had one of those this past week (which ain't bad considering there's two kids).
But suffice it to say that tomorrow, my hubby will be home, my feet will have a pedicure and I'll have zoned out through two movies.
ALONE.
And, it'll be fabulous.
Welcome home Frederer!
Yosemite Aftermath
I just knew that someone would develop a cold a few days after our visit to Yosemite over Memorial Day.I was unprepared. I didn't even think about rain. Or cold, for that matter. I had envisioned weather like all my previous visits to Yosemite -- sunny and in the 70s.
But, I knew it was cold at night, so I hand the kids their winter coats to bring to the car (mistake #1). Imagine my surprise when I check the weather forecast after we're already on the road (mistake #2) and it's raining and in the 40s. Crap.
So, Gorby is outfitted in a fleece/rainslicker reversable pullover. Ruby is sporting a fleece hoodie from Old Navy. And, of course, it wouldn't be a normal day if they didn't
Startled, I look at her and say, "No, we won't get another one. I bought you a size 6 at the end of the season so you would have no trouble fitting into it next year."
"What am I going to wear?" she says.
"How about the pullover you have on right now?" I say.
She looks down. "But I'll be cold."
"Yeah, probably," I say. "That's why I handed you your warm, toasty, comfy, cozy winter jacket at the house. Where is it now?"
She looks down. "In the garage."
I want to say: "Well...the garage should be nice and warm then."
I actually said, "Next time, maybe we should try and obey when I say 'Please put your coat in the car.' ok?"
"Yes, Momma."
And now...Ruby's had a wet cough since Wednesday (Gorby is healthy as a horse and never gets sick no matter what the weather -- praise God!).
And me? Yeah, I'm sick too. The Proudneck family has recently purchased stock in Mucinex. God knows we're helping to boost their top line.
But, Mom learned her lesson too: in all my rushing around to get the kids packed and the car loaded and all the last minute things like cell phone cords, sunscreen, sunglasses, TomTom cord, camera battery charger, etc... I forgot MY winter jacket. Of the entire family, I was the poor sap that only had a jean jacket.
Guess you can't win 'em all.
'Scuse me while I grab my hot tea and some Halls.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Back From Yosemite National Park
We had a terrific weekend at Yosemite National Park. Although the weather was NOT cooperating. One might actually expect to have snow on Memorial Day weekend, but we were fortunate enough to just have mist the first day and drizzle the second.It took us a year to get reservations at Yosemite Lodge, and it's totally worth it! Especially before summer when we would normally camp. While I love camping and can't wait to come back to the Valley in the summertime when it's hot, for now, I'll stay in my cozy, comfy and heated hotel room with two warm, albeit uncomfortable, beds and appreciate the waterfalls.
On Saturday, we left the Bay Area around 1pm and got to Yosemite National Park around 7pm. We stopped for a late lunch in Stockton and filled up in Manteca. I can't tell how you bummed I was to have spend $4.29 a gallon for gasoline. I understand that the price of gas is skyrocketing, but it's getting ridiculous! Seriously, it's $110 to fill up my tank! That's totally bumming me out.
We arrived at the Valley and were greeted by a beautiful coyote! He was on the road, in the middle of a Y-intersection. Several cars pulled over to look at this beautiful creature and just as I'm about to ask the kids to look at how beautiful it is, Gorby says, "Dada, can we shoot it?" Grreeeaaatttt. My son is enamored with guns and shooting things (he's 4) and since all Frederer can do these days is talk about his upcoming hunting trip, I guess I shouldn't be shocked. The coyote was stunning, even if they are a nuisance to ranchers.
The next day we have to get up early because we have 7am reservations at the fabulous Sunday Brunch at the Awahnee Hotel. The kids are in one queen bed and Frederer and I are in the other. I roll over, say good morning to Frederer and say, "So, how'd ya sleep?" (WHY OH WHY do I ask questions to which I already know the answer???).
He groans, "Terrible. This bed blows."
Heheheh - and we're off to a great start!
We arrive at the Awahnee and as we're walking in I comment, "Heyyy this looks just. like. the. Grand. Californian. at. Disneyland!!! Frederer cocked his head and just glared at me. Hehehe. :-) I'm such the $hit-disturber! This beautiful hotel was built in the 1800s and is a log/exposed beam type hotel. Just gorgeous! Perhaps the Grand Californian was modeled after this hotel, I don't know, but it's truly breathtaking. We were seated in the atrium and had a front row seat to Lower Yosemite Falls. The brunch was fabulous, and I think my favorite item was the Cheese Blintzes with blueberry sauce. YUM!
We took a small hike up to Bridalveil Falls, which was lovely. I shuffled up the paved trail, huffing and puffing, all the while blaming it on the altitude, and finally arrived at the vista point. Frederer was already up there with Gorbulas and Ruby, looks at me and quips, "Are ya ready for Half Dome?" Har de har har, smartass. The ascent is only about 14% grade and only something like 1,000 feet (that would be 1,000 feet from the trailhead -- not in elevation gain.) How pathetic am I? When I rounded the last turn, I got hit smack dab in the face with mist from the fall! I managed to protect my camera and catch some good photos.
We then went on a walk to Happy Isles. It was so great just walking through the peaceful woods, which I called "Muir Woods on Steroids," with Frederer. Ruby and Gorby rode their bikes through the forest, on paved and dirt trails, and had a blast. After a while walking and biking, we went back to the room, the kids watched a movie, and Momma took a nap.
Yosemite Lodge has a Food Court, so after my and Gorby's nap we had a late lunch around 3pm. By then it was really raining outside. Sort of like Seattle rain. More than a mist, but less than the rains of Sonoma County in March. We needed ponchos. We went to the Gift Shop and bought two ponchos and the clerk was kind enough to give us two garbage bags to make into ponchos for the kids. Ruby was NOT happy. Her complaint: everyone but her was wearing yellow. I looked at Frederer and said, "That's a LOT of yellow for one man!" (Name that movie!)
We decide to take the Valley Shuttle Bus to the other side of the park and walk to Mirror Lake. Although, I was Debbie Downer and just wanted to make sure everyone knew that we wouldn't be seeing anything in the "mirror" because it was overcast. Heck, we hadn't even seen Half Dome! It's was covered by low clouds and fog.
So we're at the bus stop and decide to ditch Mirror Lake and walk to Lower Yosemite Falls. Just as we finish our conversation, Frederer grins and says, "The inside of my poncho is warm."
"Huh?" I say. He grins and I think about it some more. "Did you fart in your poncho?"
"Yep." I shake my head. What *is* it with guys and farting?
Lower Yosemite Falls is near our lodge and certainly within walking distance. And, it's my favorite waterfall in the entire Valley and flowing with a vengeance! I think May is the best time of year to see the waterfalls. If we waited until July-August, when it was hot and not raining, we would miss out on the fullness of the waterfalls. But, the tradeoff is that it's 45 degrees outside and raining.
We decide to let the kids go puddle stomping -- heck, it's our last outing of the day, and we have a radiator and a blow dryer in the room. They had a blast. As we got some sideways glances from some foreigners, a lady from deep, deep, deep Central America grins at us and out pops her silver front tooth!!! She goes running after it as it clink-clink-clinks down the rocks. She finds it, and as God is my witness, pops that sucker right back in her mouth. And grins again. Frederer and I just burst out laughing -- of course, we blamed our laughing on the kids' antics and tried to play it off. Too flippin' funny.
There were many other good times, which I can't remember as of this writing, but rest assured we had a fabulous time. Our little getaway was just perfect for what we needed. We took a moment to give thanks for our great country and for the servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Hope this Memorial Day was peaceful for you all.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Read a Thon Fundraiser Ideas
I was overly ambitious this school year, and signed up to volunteer a couple of big events at our small, private school. The first was the Christmas Program dessert reception -- for a wee 500 students, parents, family and friends. It was incredible, and I had some fabulous help.
The other event I chaired was the Read a Thon. I had never done a Read a Thon before and let me tell you, I would take planning a dessert reception for 500 people any day over another Read a Thon! It's just a LOT of work. I searched online for tips and techniques, prize ideas, duration, etc and surprisingly enough, found little to work with. So, in case any of you are planning your next Read a Thon and need some tips...
Lessons Learned:
Our theme was the Reading Roadtrip from Scholastic Books (we tied it into the Book Fair theme). I downloaded a bunch of clipart from the theme website and crafted a reading plan for the students to read their way across the country.
I developed a cool map where the kids would start in Northern California (in our fair city), "read" their way to Portland, then to Seattle, then to Yellowstone National Park. If they arrived in Yellowstone, they won a prize (a break your own geode from Oriental Trading Company -- otherwise known as the Oriental $h!t Shop). Then, the kids would continue reading in 15-minute increments to Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Dallas, Denver, The Grand Canyon, San Diego, Disneyland/Anaheim, San Francisco, and then back at our city. The interval between each stop was 15 minutes, and the time parents read to their preschool children counted and the time that elementary and junior high spent reading for their classroom reading assignments counted (ie, 20 minutes of free reading - not "read Chapter 2 of Biology...)
The other prizes along the way were:
Boston: personalized pencils that said, "I Read All the Way to Boston!"
Miami: a roll of Happy Face Sun Stickers (to commerate sunny Miami)
Denver: a notepad in shape of a coin (in honor of the Denver Mint)
Northern California: grape flavored candy in honor of our beautiful Wine Country
Each student that participated won a Reading Roadtrip bookmark and a Free Homework Pass, and those that received pledges of $25 or more won a Reading Roadtrip book bag. These guys did our custom bookbags and were inexpensive, quick to process and the items were well packed. We would use them again I think. (Another lesson learned: Do NOT offer a student a free homework pass on the last day of school, after finals are done. DOH! "Uhh, kids? Just keep it on the fridge till next year!" I'm such a doofus, but it sounded like such a good idea at the time!!!).
The individual prizes were:
Top Pledge (Preschool): Tote 'n Go Laptop
Top Minutes Read (Preschool): Tote 'n Go Laptop
Top Pledge (K-4): vTech Reading Laptop
Top Minutes Read (K-4): vTech Reading Laptop
Top Pledge (5-8): 2GB MP3 Player
Top Minutes Read (5-8): 2GB MP3 Player
Top Class Pledges: Ice Cream Social/Banana Splits
Top Class Minutes Read: Ice Cream Social/Banana Splits
Our Read a Thon was one week long (5 days). Pledge period was the prior two weeks and all thru the Read a Thon, and our collection period was the two weeks following the Read a Thon.
I developed a swanky Excel spreadsheet with all sorts of =SUMIF, =COUNT and =IF statements so I would just have to type in the student name, the pledge amount and the minutes read. That way I didn't have to tally anything manually. It saved a ton of time.
If you're looking for help, please feel free to email me (on my profile) and I'll offer whatever help I can! And good luck with your Read a Thon!
The other event I chaired was the Read a Thon. I had never done a Read a Thon before and let me tell you, I would take planning a dessert reception for 500 people any day over another Read a Thon! It's just a LOT of work. I searched online for tips and techniques, prize ideas, duration, etc and surprisingly enough, found little to work with. So, in case any of you are planning your next Read a Thon and need some tips...
Lessons Learned:
- Generally speaking, parents are flaky. Don't have faith that they will support you 100% because they won't. They'll admire you for your efforts, and throw you a bone, but if you're looking for this to be a big money maker, lower your expectations immediately.
- Consider the timing. We have fund raisers all the time, and by the end of the school year, parents are burned out of writing check after check after check for the endless fundraising of a private school.
- Buy less awards than you think you'll need. We had 90 kids (out of our 140) sign up for the Read a Thon. I bought awards for 75. Today is the deadline, and I have 38 returned pledge envelopes. Awards are given next Wednesday. I feel really bad that I bought extra prizes with my budget money (which were imprinted with this year's logo and unreturnable).
- Volunteers SAY they want to help, but when push comes to shove, they don't show. I know, I know...everybody's busy. Wahhh. So, manage the workload accordingly, so you won't be overwhelmed when you get stuck doing 90% of the work!
Our theme was the Reading Roadtrip from Scholastic Books (we tied it into the Book Fair theme). I downloaded a bunch of clipart from the theme website and crafted a reading plan for the students to read their way across the country.
I developed a cool map where the kids would start in Northern California (in our fair city), "read" their way to Portland, then to Seattle, then to Yellowstone National Park. If they arrived in Yellowstone, they won a prize (a break your own geode from Oriental Trading Company -- otherwise known as the Oriental $h!t Shop). Then, the kids would continue reading in 15-minute increments to Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Dallas, Denver, The Grand Canyon, San Diego, Disneyland/Anaheim, San Francisco, and then back at our city. The interval between each stop was 15 minutes, and the time parents read to their preschool children counted and the time that elementary and junior high spent reading for their classroom reading assignments counted (ie, 20 minutes of free reading - not "read Chapter 2 of Biology...)
The other prizes along the way were:
Boston: personalized pencils that said, "I Read All the Way to Boston!"
Miami: a roll of Happy Face Sun Stickers (to commerate sunny Miami)
Denver: a notepad in shape of a coin (in honor of the Denver Mint)
Northern California: grape flavored candy in honor of our beautiful Wine Country
Each student that participated won a Reading Roadtrip bookmark and a Free Homework Pass, and those that received pledges of $25 or more won a Reading Roadtrip book bag. These guys did our custom bookbags and were inexpensive, quick to process and the items were well packed. We would use them again I think. (Another lesson learned: Do NOT offer a student a free homework pass on the last day of school, after finals are done. DOH! "Uhh, kids? Just keep it on the fridge till next year!" I'm such a doofus, but it sounded like such a good idea at the time!!!).
The individual prizes were:
Top Pledge (Preschool): Tote 'n Go Laptop
Top Minutes Read (Preschool): Tote 'n Go Laptop
Top Pledge (K-4): vTech Reading Laptop
Top Minutes Read (K-4): vTech Reading Laptop
Top Pledge (5-8): 2GB MP3 Player
Top Minutes Read (5-8): 2GB MP3 Player
Top Class Pledges: Ice Cream Social/Banana Splits
Top Class Minutes Read: Ice Cream Social/Banana Splits
Our Read a Thon was one week long (5 days). Pledge period was the prior two weeks and all thru the Read a Thon, and our collection period was the two weeks following the Read a Thon.
I developed a swanky Excel spreadsheet with all sorts of =SUMIF, =COUNT and =IF statements so I would just have to type in the student name, the pledge amount and the minutes read. That way I didn't have to tally anything manually. It saved a ton of time.
If you're looking for help, please feel free to email me (on my profile) and I'll offer whatever help I can! And good luck with your Read a Thon!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Quality Time with Ruby
Thank you all for the very kind and helpful comments on my previous post, Struggles with Ruby. Frederer and I have made a concerted effort to slowwwww down and pay just a bit more attention to Ruby. I am not shouting as much, and I've made a huge effort to be fun, joke with the kids, play with them more, go out and ride bikes with them, etc. We had a fabulous couple of days homework-wise, and the lil' stinker is just as good a reader as she ever was. Her problem appears to be confidence-related, which appears to be linked to (what I've discovered as) her primary Love Language -- Quality Time.
Ruby and I decided that she would accompany me up to my office and she'd sit at one desk and I would sit at the other. She'd do her homework and I'd be at my computer doing one of a billion things on my plate that day. She got a bit squirmish, saying, "Don't leave me!" and I glanced over, outstretched my arm and said, "See? I'm right here. If you stretch your arm, you can touch mine." She did and all was well with the world. She finished her homework without being distracted and did a great job staying on task.
Her handwriting has improved, her math homework is spot-on, and even her reading has improved. Her teacher, Miss Lovely, reports that Ruby has made a huge improvement. Miss Lovely sits next to her in reading groups, and as she moves her finger from word to word to guide her, Ruby reads just perfectly -- no matter how slow or fast Miss Lovely goes. She moved her finger slowly at first and then sped up and up and up, and Ruby didn't miss a beat. So....what gives?
It's obviously not vision related.
It's obviously not that she doesn't know the words.
It's something to do with feeling secure and confident and having someone right next to her.
Or, she's just being completely maniuplative, which I wouldn't put past her.
But I think she's a Quality Time kid and I've been making an effort to spend quality time with her. Which makes it difficult since I am a Gifts and Acts of Service person. Isn't it interesting how God gives us kids that are completely different than us? How we show love -- in my case, through giving gifts to people and through acts of service -- is NOT how another person might interpret love. If they're a Quality Time person, and I give them a gift, they're grateful and all...but, it doesn't mean as much to them as it would to me.
Its an interesting scenario in which to find oneself. It takes concerted effort and thought to love another person in the way that they interpret love. Frederer is a Words of Encouragement person -- NOT A GREAT MATCH for a person like myself that can cut another person to the quick with my sharp tongue.
Knowing how we show love -- and how our loved ones interpret love -- is one of the keys to a great relationship.
Do you know what your love language is? Take the quiz here. You just might discover something new about love.
Do you know your child's love language? If not, this document might help.
Ruby and I decided that she would accompany me up to my office and she'd sit at one desk and I would sit at the other. She'd do her homework and I'd be at my computer doing one of a billion things on my plate that day. She got a bit squirmish, saying, "Don't leave me!" and I glanced over, outstretched my arm and said, "See? I'm right here. If you stretch your arm, you can touch mine." She did and all was well with the world. She finished her homework without being distracted and did a great job staying on task.
Her handwriting has improved, her math homework is spot-on, and even her reading has improved. Her teacher, Miss Lovely, reports that Ruby has made a huge improvement. Miss Lovely sits next to her in reading groups, and as she moves her finger from word to word to guide her, Ruby reads just perfectly -- no matter how slow or fast Miss Lovely goes. She moved her finger slowly at first and then sped up and up and up, and Ruby didn't miss a beat. So....what gives?
It's obviously not vision related.
It's obviously not that she doesn't know the words.
It's something to do with feeling secure and confident and having someone right next to her.
Or, she's just being completely maniuplative, which I wouldn't put past her.
But I think she's a Quality Time kid and I've been making an effort to spend quality time with her. Which makes it difficult since I am a Gifts and Acts of Service person. Isn't it interesting how God gives us kids that are completely different than us? How we show love -- in my case, through giving gifts to people and through acts of service -- is NOT how another person might interpret love. If they're a Quality Time person, and I give them a gift, they're grateful and all...but, it doesn't mean as much to them as it would to me.
Its an interesting scenario in which to find oneself. It takes concerted effort and thought to love another person in the way that they interpret love. Frederer is a Words of Encouragement person -- NOT A GREAT MATCH for a person like myself that can cut another person to the quick with my sharp tongue.
Knowing how we show love -- and how our loved ones interpret love -- is one of the keys to a great relationship.
Do you know what your love language is? Take the quiz here. You just might discover something new about love.
Do you know your child's love language? If not, this document might help.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Struggles with Ruby
Alright all you experienced Moms and Dads out there...we need some advice.
So I sit down with Ruby for her to read a Level 1 book, Fancy Nancy and the Boy From Paris. She refuses to read. She moans and complains, and drags her feet. I assure her that we're not going to read all 32 pages, but that she needs to take one page at a time, one sentence at a time, one word at a time. No worries...the assignment is to read for 10 minutes with "parental supervision for accuracy." What's not to like about Fancy Nancy???
Ruby's Kindergarten teacher asked for a meeting with Frederer and me to discuss "Ruby's reading skills." Evidently, she's been demoted from the top reading group to the mid-level reading group because she's regressing in her reading.
When she first began to read, she picked up letter sounds and blends very quickly. She was a good reader, but Frederer and I know she's a lazy reader. She likes the pictures, so she'll look at the picture, glance at the words and try to surmise what the sentence is saying. Now, she's fighting the teacher and us whenever we sit down for reading time. She complains, moans, says things are too hard, that she doesn't know the words, and a whole litany of excuses of why she doesn't want to read.
In class, each child reads with the teacher one-on-one and then reads alone or aloud in their reading group. She is adding letters where there are none, and makes up words where there are none. She's not mixing up letter sequences, but she's definitely adding them.
The day after the teacher brought this to my attention and requested the meeting, I sat down with Ruby to go through her homework with her. Oh yeah, that's another issue: the teacher says that she's now terribly UNconfident in working independently. She was fine the first two trimesters, but this trimester, she's just regressing incredibly fast. She doesn't want to work independently, and asks the teacher to sit next to her, and not to "leave her". She seems to flounder around and stumble until the teacher shadows her, at which time she breezes through the homework assignment with ease, accuracy and speed.
So I sit down with Ruby for her to read a Level 1 book, Fancy Nancy and the Boy From Paris. She refuses to read. She moans and complains, and drags her feet. I assure her that we're not going to read all 32 pages, but that she needs to take one page at a time, one sentence at a time, one word at a time. No worries...the assignment is to read for 10 minutes with "parental supervision for accuracy." What's not to like about Fancy Nancy???
She reluctantly reads a few words, struggling and stumbling through each of them. The kicker is, I know she knows these words. The ones that she doesn't know, we sound out together. So, there's something else going on here.
I ask her how she's feeling about school lately. I ask her about her best friend Rebecca, who has recently left the school. Her mother isn't altogether stable, but Ruby and Rebecca were fast friends and I encouraged their friendship. In a class of 10 Kindergartners, losing one has a huge impact -- and we've lost 3 and gained 2. So, there's been some shakeup in the Kindergarten class.
She says she misses Rebecca a ton and wants to have a playdate. I explain that good friends will remain good friends regardless of whether we see them each day. I say, look at Auntie Kim and Mommy -- we've been friends since we were high schoolers and I only see her a few times a year. And Aunt Polly and Mommy -- and Miss Stephanie and Mommy -- we're friends, and we talk on the phone but we don't SEE each other often. I still love my friends and they still love me. That seemed to reassure her.
I suggest we start again so we can finish the sentence and close the book. I explain about bookmarks and how we don't have to read an entire book in one sitting. That seemed to help.
All of a sudden, she sits back, gets tears in her eyes and says to me, "You threw away my worksheets!!! Even the ones with the double stars and the "Wow" stickers!!!!"
I'm stunned.
I'm speechless.
Oh my gosh, I've just crushed my little girl's heart by throwing away her weekly worksheets!
Shit!
I take advantage of the teachable moment in front of me, and I take her hands, look her in straight in the eye and tell her how sorry I am that I hurt her heart. I ask for her forgiveness and tell her that I won't throw away her worksheets again, and that I didn't know she wanted me to keep her worksheets. We agree to start a big pile and then we can go through them together and pull the ones we want to keep forever and ever. I give her a big hug and she's now sobbing -- from the depths of her heart -- sobbing.
What got me was that I threw them away, "even the ones with the double stars." That tells me she's saying, "Hey Mom, I did fantastic work (got double stars even!) and you even threw THAT away. Is there nothing I do that's good?" Which does wonders for the whole "Mom-esteem" department.
After we reconciled, I brought out a big red photo album where I keep a lot of their best artwork. I explain that I keep their beautiful creations so I can have them "always", but that I did not know she wanted me to keep her worksheets too. We go through it page by pa
ge, recalling where she was when she made said item, we look at a couple of Gorby's which are also thrown in there too. We walk around the kitchen and I show her all the artwork on the walls and the trivets and the magnets that were made from their art. I drop to one knee, get down on her level and try as best as I can to reassure her that she's loved, valued and that her creations are priceless to me and that I would never get rid of them. I reassure her that I'll start to save her worksheets too.
ge, recalling where she was when she made said item, we look at a couple of Gorby's which are also thrown in there too. We walk around the kitchen and I show her all the artwork on the walls and the trivets and the magnets that were made from their art. I drop to one knee, get down on her level and try as best as I can to reassure her that she's loved, valued and that her creations are priceless to me and that I would never get rid of them. I reassure her that I'll start to save her worksheets too.Today, for extra measure, I framed a couple of her artwork items and hung them in my office -- right where she can see them. I have a few others thumbtacked to my hutch's backsplash. There's evidence all over my office and home that Ruby's (and Gorby's) work is important. That seemed to help.
The teacher said that she began to read a bit better the last day or so, but there's still a struggle happening. Maybe it's Spring Fever? Maybe it's the loss of her best friend Rebecca? Maybe it's the worksheets issue? Maybe it's something like dyslexia? or the words are just too hard? Maybe it's a combination of all these things...I don't know.
Personally, I think reading is not the issue here; her reading, or lack thereof, is a symptom. It's her way to control something because most things are so much outside of her control. And with a controlling Mom like me, it was inevitable...
Anybody have experience or advice they can share? Thanks for listening.
Air Condition Me
Frederer and I had these lofty goals of not using our air conditioner this summer -- you know, so we could tighten the belt and save some money. But there's a fine line between melting and paying an extra $50 a month to run the AC.
It's been SO hot here the last few days -- I think I heard it hit 102 here today. And that's HOT. Even mid-90s are tough for me, so I think we'll be using the AC this summer. Normally, we keep the house at a very pleasant 70 but I think -- you know -- in the effort to conserve and all -- we'll set it at 72. :-)
It's been SO hot here the last few days -- I think I heard it hit 102 here today. And that's HOT. Even mid-90s are tough for me, so I think we'll be using the AC this summer. Normally, we keep the house at a very pleasant 70 but I think -- you know -- in the effort to conserve and all -- we'll set it at 72. :-)
Adam and Eve.... wait, I mean Adam and Steve
I wish we could fire State Supreme Court justices.
Unless you live under a rock (or at least don't have internet access!) you by now have heard that the California State Supreme Court has overturned the voter-approved law that state a marriage is between one man and one woman. Evidently, the voters don't have a say anymore, even when the legislature considers our desires, brings them to the floor, debates them, approves them, puts them out to the voters and then the voters affirm it...nope, these 7 people have decided that they know better.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for freedom. What you do in the confines of your own home is your business. I do believe that people who (albeit, in my opinion, are misguided) are homosexual and in a committed relationship should be allowed the same luxuries of married couples (ie, shared property, health insurance benefits, beneficiary benefits, health care decisions, etc), but it's not the same as a MARRIAGE. A marriage contract between a man and a woman was originally designed for procreation and the building of a family. That was the historical intent. But debating the definition of marriage is not the purpose of this post.
I would have thought that the domestic partner initiative would have appeased everyone, but NO, it's "not the same" they cry, and so starts the lawsuits. But here's what really gets me...
The judges overturned a decision that was the will of the people.
In fact, it went to the voters TWICE and both times it was voted upon that marriage should be between a man and a woman. MARRIAGE has a definition, and similarly, a DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP should be between whomever and whomever.
The gays cry, "But there's not the same rights!" BUNK!
A wife automatically has rights to pull the plug on her husband should he be a vegetable.
A domestic partner has those same rights -- with a Durable Power of Attorney and Medical Directive.
A husband automatically has rights to the wife's property should she die.
A domestic partner has those same rights -- with a Will and Trust.
A wife automatically retains custody of children of the marriage, by birth or adoption, should the husband die.
A domestic partner has those same rights -- with a Will.
A husband, at the wife's election, can be included on the wife's corporate health insurance plan.
A domestic partner -- in the State of CA -- can ALSO be on a corporate health insurance plan by filing their Certification of Domestic Partnership with the employer.
And the tax benefits?
Well, if you're a DINK (dual income no kids) you're screwed if you're married because you have no deductions, so in that case, it's better to be single filing anyway!
This isn't about rights. It's about being socially accepted and these justices are trying to legislate morality. The article today reads:
Just out of curiosity why on EARTH does the above bolded phrase need to be put into LAW?
It's not like Domestic Partnerships are denying anyone rights. But, it's just not the SAME as a marriage.
From the dawn of time, marriage has always been between a man and a woman -- and for the longest time marriage wasn't even a political or governmental issue: it was a religious one! God created His economy that way -- it's for the good of the man, the good of the woman, the good of the children.
Nobody is saying that a homosexual couple can't love each other. Sure -- by all means -- find someone with whom you want to share your life and go for it. But, it's NOT THE SAME as a marriage. Perhaps, now that I think about it, I think I would prefer to have the word "marriage" be reclassified to ONLY be a religious term and "partnership" be a political and governmental one. Both are classified the same for benefits purposes, but there's an inherent difference.
I think what saddens me most is that the court didn't listen to the wishes of the voters. It's the same as if the court issued a ruling that said, "Nope, the legal age of drinking in California will now be....ummm, 12!" Uhhh, excuse me? Justices? Uhhh don't you guys work for US, the voters? Didn't we, the voters, vote into law the drinking age will be 21?
We are a country of laws, people! That's what makes this a great place to live! We establish and abide by our laws. I don't have to agree with all the laws, and I'm free to break them if I wish, but there are established rules nonetheless. And if you don't like the laws, you go back to the voters to get it changed. You don't just willy-nilly overturn the law when the voters have said their peace just because justices don't agree with them.
The Court, instead of expanding the Domestic Partnership laws to include those things that homosexuals were decrying as "unfair," just threw us all into one big category.
And, sakes alive, you should see the celebration in the City today. Celebrate all you want...but just like Affirmative Action attempted to correct and rebalance inequities (but didn't), gay marriage won't change the core beliefs of the vast majority of this country -- and the vast majority of the California voting population.
It's a sad day in CA today....at least for me. Thank goodness there's a plan in place to contest this decision.
Unless you live under a rock (or at least don't have internet access!) you by now have heard that the California State Supreme Court has overturned the voter-approved law that state a marriage is between one man and one woman. Evidently, the voters don't have a say anymore, even when the legislature considers our desires, brings them to the floor, debates them, approves them, puts them out to the voters and then the voters affirm it...nope, these 7 people have decided that they know better.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for freedom. What you do in the confines of your own home is your business. I do believe that people who (albeit, in my opinion, are misguided) are homosexual and in a committed relationship should be allowed the same luxuries of married couples (ie, shared property, health insurance benefits, beneficiary benefits, health care decisions, etc), but it's not the same as a MARRIAGE. A marriage contract between a man and a woman was originally designed for procreation and the building of a family. That was the historical intent. But debating the definition of marriage is not the purpose of this post.
I would have thought that the domestic partner initiative would have appeased everyone, but NO, it's "not the same" they cry, and so starts the lawsuits. But here's what really gets me...
The judges overturned a decision that was the will of the people.
In fact, it went to the voters TWICE and both times it was voted upon that marriage should be between a man and a woman. MARRIAGE has a definition, and similarly, a DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP should be between whomever and whomever.
The gays cry, "But there's not the same rights!" BUNK!
A wife automatically has rights to pull the plug on her husband should he be a vegetable.
A domestic partner has those same rights -- with a Durable Power of Attorney and Medical Directive.
A husband automatically has rights to the wife's property should she die.
A domestic partner has those same rights -- with a Will and Trust.
A wife automatically retains custody of children of the marriage, by birth or adoption, should the husband die.
A domestic partner has those same rights -- with a Will.
A husband, at the wife's election, can be included on the wife's corporate health insurance plan.
A domestic partner -- in the State of CA -- can ALSO be on a corporate health insurance plan by filing their Certification of Domestic Partnership with the employer.
And the tax benefits?
Well, if you're a DINK (dual income no kids) you're screwed if you're married because you have no deductions, so in that case, it's better to be single filing anyway!
This isn't about rights. It's about being socially accepted and these justices are trying to legislate morality. The article today reads:
California already offers same-sex couples who register as domestic partners the same legal rights and responsibilities as married spouses, including the right to divorce and to sue for child support.
But, "Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," Chief Justice Ron George wrote for the court's majority, which also included Justices Joyce Kennard, Kathryn Werdegar and Carlos Moreno.
Just out of curiosity why on EARTH does the above bolded phrase need to be put into LAW?
It's not like Domestic Partnerships are denying anyone rights. But, it's just not the SAME as a marriage.
From the dawn of time, marriage has always been between a man and a woman -- and for the longest time marriage wasn't even a political or governmental issue: it was a religious one! God created His economy that way -- it's for the good of the man, the good of the woman, the good of the children.
Nobody is saying that a homosexual couple can't love each other. Sure -- by all means -- find someone with whom you want to share your life and go for it. But, it's NOT THE SAME as a marriage. Perhaps, now that I think about it, I think I would prefer to have the word "marriage" be reclassified to ONLY be a religious term and "partnership" be a political and governmental one. Both are classified the same for benefits purposes, but there's an inherent difference.
I think what saddens me most is that the court didn't listen to the wishes of the voters. It's the same as if the court issued a ruling that said, "Nope, the legal age of drinking in California will now be....ummm, 12!" Uhhh, excuse me? Justices? Uhhh don't you guys work for US, the voters? Didn't we, the voters, vote into law the drinking age will be 21?
We are a country of laws, people! That's what makes this a great place to live! We establish and abide by our laws. I don't have to agree with all the laws, and I'm free to break them if I wish, but there are established rules nonetheless. And if you don't like the laws, you go back to the voters to get it changed. You don't just willy-nilly overturn the law when the voters have said their peace just because justices don't agree with them.
The Court, instead of expanding the Domestic Partnership laws to include those things that homosexuals were decrying as "unfair," just threw us all into one big category.
And, sakes alive, you should see the celebration in the City today. Celebrate all you want...but just like Affirmative Action attempted to correct and rebalance inequities (but didn't), gay marriage won't change the core beliefs of the vast majority of this country -- and the vast majority of the California voting population.
It's a sad day in CA today....at least for me. Thank goodness there's a plan in place to contest this decision.
A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is attempting to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine laws banning gay marriage in the state constitution.
The Secretary of State is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors gathered enough signatures to qualify the marriage amendment, similar to ones enacted in 26 other states.
If voters pass the measure in November, it would trump the court's decision.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Justification for a Neighborhood Homeowners Assocations
Wordless Wednesday...
oh okay, maybe ONE word: "gardener?"
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mom...I'm Bored!
Remember Saturday morning cartoons, where the Wile E. Coyote would look at the Roadrunner who would mysteriously morph into a chicken leg or perhaps a pot of stew over firey coals? We had that very SAME phenomenon here at our home!I recently did our summer activities planning and mysteriously enough, both of my children have visually morphed into a dollar sign which is going up in a blaze of glory!!! :-) Goodness gracious! I've heard that "kids are expensive" but man alive, they are EXPENSIVE!
The economy is hitting us hard and we're feelin' the pain of gas prices (anyone else suffering out there?) I drive an SUV and I did a quick calculation, which in hindsight I probably should NOT have done (ignorance really is bliss), and it costs me $16 per day just to drive the kids to/from school. Hence, we've decided to NOT enroll Ruby or Gorby for this year's school summer camp. I would say that I'll probably save at least $100 a week in gas just by NOT driving the 26 mile round trip to/from school. Gorby is still considered a preschooler so he's priced at a whopping $750 a month, and Ruby's fees would be about $600 per month. Oh yeah, not to mention the soft costs of not being with my kids away at camp each day... I wouldn't even SEE them. I really miss my kiddos when they're at school and want 'em home this summer.
I think I'm going to be extra efficient and work M-Th and take Fridays off. We've hired a college-aged babysitter to come to the house from 9-2pm to do crafts with them, play in the backyard, go on field trips, the park, the amusement park, the library, swimming lessons and summer rec classes. I have high hopes and am confident things will be sufficiently balanced.
Tomorrow is the first day of summer registration at our local parks and recreation district. Have you noticed how competitive summer camp and activity registration is? Goodness gracious! People are mapping out the catalog, getting all their contingencies planned and are armed with the exact date and time the online registration opens. It's almost as if folks are camping out waiting for Rush tickets!
Oh.
That's not everyone?
That's just me?
Hmmm.
Interesting.
By now I've scoured the activities guide to make my list (I can hear my Mom chuckling now) of which sessions to enroll the kids.
T-Ball, Soccer, Ballet for Ruby, one-week soccer camp for each of the kids and swimming lessons 3 days/week should keep the kids sufficiently exhausted busy and active all summer long and Frederer's and my checking account fully drained.
I'm armed with our season passes to the local amusement park and am looking forward to the summer reading program at the library. We've identified the free days at the movie theater, SF Zoo, Exploratorium, and Bay Area Discovery Museum.
We're also taking our August summer trip to Colorado to see my family. This annual trek is quite fun and it's great to see family and friends.
Bored kids are the worst. Correction: a bored GORBULAS is the worst. If the