APPENDICITIS!!!

OMG!! One second you think it's stomach flu, next they are prepping your only child for appendix surgery! I was totally freaking out but my Mandabear was soooo brave! It all started last Sunday after frolicking with her friends at Hurricane Harbor and the movies, she started vomiting. We thought it was some bug from the water or stomach flu, so we just kept giving her fluids and waiting it out. By Wed. she was not getting better so I made hubby take her to the Dr. at 1:00 they arrived and was sent for x-rays, by 9:00 p.m. they were taking her for surgery!! She got out of surgery at midnight and settled in by 2 a.m. and they released her by 4:00 p.m. the next day! She's still having pain standing up and stretching, but they said the surgery wen well and if we would've waited it would've ruptured because it was already gangreneous. She is in better spirits now and ready to continue having summer fun, just more delicately.

Shake Your Groove Thang!

Tonight our Girl Scout Troop sponsored a Disco Night and it was a blast. We were all "Dancing Queens" from the little kindergarten Daisies to the teen Queen Cadettes, everyone was in their disco finest, wearing their boogie shoes and dancing the night away, at least for an hour. We started off with "Ladies Night", some of the younger girls weren't sure about the darkness and the strobe lights, but pretty soon, they started dancing like crazy. We were taking these crazy paparazzi pics in the dark and trying to figure out if the pics will come out. My daughter borrowed my flashing shoes and boogied on the dance floor. She found out first hand how your feet hurt after dancing in high heels. The girls were very creative with their outfits and a lot of sequins died for their clothes...ha ha. Overall, it was a success and we left sweaty and happy. Disco Rules!!!

Bon Jovi Still Rocking After All These Years!!

Is this man beautiful or what? On Wednesday 4/9/08, I went to see Bon Jovi & Daughtry at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. We had excellent floor seats and I was very happy. Chris Daughtry rocked the house and I was very impressed with how tight the band was. He even came out and sang with Jon during Blaze of Glory. Their voices matched and blended perfectly, it was definitely one of the highlights of the concert! Bon Jovi played for almost 2 1/2 hours. When the show started, Jon said that he was going to make sure we were sweaty and tired by the end of the show. He did come through. I danced and sang the whole time and I was soaked with sweat by the end. There were a few close calls when he came down to the floor and sang some tunes. I was closer than I was a few years ago for the Have a Nice Day tour, but still not close enough to touch him *sigh* He sang, "Make a Memory" and "Bed of Roses", slowed danced and kissed a girl that was near him and you can hear a collective sigh when he did that. The monitors had cool graphics and the stage folded up and down so you could see the graphics on them. They had a mixture of pictures, fireworks, sexy dancing chicks (during Bad Medicine) and random colors and digitized pictures of the band. The stage was 360, so the people behind Jon could see him and he also played to them. Which was cool on the video feed because you can see the audience behind him. I was bummed because they allowed cameras, so I didn't get any photographic memories of the concert, but I will remember it, like the other 4 times I've seen them. As long as they keep rockin' and Jon and Richie still have their hair, I will be a Bon Jovi Fan. "I'll be there for you", "Always!"

It's Hard Finding the Perfect Dress!!

I am so excited that my daughter finally found a dress for her upcoming culmination from Elementary School. Sunday we closed down the mall and I was so frustrated and grumpy because we couldn't find ANYTHING. She tried on a couple of dresses, but she wanted a "dress up" dress. She liked this white dress, but it looked like a communion dress and I didn't think white was appropriate for the occasion. We finally gave up and came home empty handed, with sore feet and a headache. I figured I would try again somewhere else besides the mall. Yesterday we ended up going to the mall again for a completely different reason, but I think fate stepped in. We went to Libby Lu's to buy some high top tennis shoes for her to wear with her hip hop costume for the dance recital. I decided to check out some stores in the little section where Libby Lu was located, and we found QT Kids which had a plethora of "dress up" dresses in every color imaginable!!! We went over the rainbow and found the pot of gold. Thank goodness the dresses were reasonably priced as well. Of course the first dress she picked, they didn't have her size. But then she picked it again in blue and LOVED it. I asked her to try on a few more just in case, and of course I liked the other ones better in blue, pink, and purple. In the end, we took the original blue dress and she was in heaven. She loved trying on the dresses and swirling around. Now finding shoes was hard. I still need to look for more. I bought her a pair but I think they are too casual. I can now cross off another thing off my list and try to get some sleep. I can't believe in 2 weeks my baby is going to leave elementary and head to middle school....aaaaaaaaaack. Where is my baby??? When did she grow up??? I can't stand it.

Swimming Fool

Today I went to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday and to try out their new pool. The pool is gorgeous and we all had fun swimming in it, including the dogs. It was nice to take some time to relax with family and just hang out. I need to do this more often.

I decided that I would try and control my anger and replace it with nurturing toward my child. For the month of June I am teaching her something new every day. After I teach it to her, she needs to write it in her journal so she can read back and remember this informative month. On the first I taught her how to pump gas. Yesterday I taught her a card trick. Tonight I taught her the word PRESTIDIGITATOR, which means a magician or conjurer performing sleight of hand for people who didn't know what it means. This is relevant because Mandabear is going to the Magic Castle tomorrow with her Girl Scout Council as a reward for selling over 500 Girl Scout Cookies. She is very excited to go and that she reached that goal. The Magic Castle is a restaurant and magic theater perched on a hill in Hollywood. They are very frou-frou as you have to dress up and you cannot get in unless you know a Magician or become a member. I've been there a few times and it's been a fun night. The building is an eerie Mansion where you have to tell the owl a password before the bookcase opens and you may enter. I can't wait to hear all about it when she comes home.

I have to start googling my 27 more things to teach my child. I'm hot, tired and full of chlorine, but I'm gonna continue on because the internet never sleeps!!!

I Just Wanna Dance!!

Mandabear and I went to the Performing Arts Middle School she is going to in the fall to watch a dance production and it was AMAZING!! It was hard to believe that the kids were just in 7th and 8th grades. There were some 6th Graders and you can really tell the difference of skill level. Miss Heidi told Mandabear today at school and I decided to check it out, seeing as there is so much drama about the "neighborhood" with hubby o' mine. The show was about all the progressions of dance and they did the typical hip hop, jazz and ballet as well as belly dancing, tango, praise and even the Charleston!! The production was colorful, fun and continuous. I was exhausted just watching it by the end of the night. Miss Heidi also introduced us to some of the staff and it made Mandabear feel really excited about attending school. She was really worried at first because of missing her friends, but this show blew here away and she realized that she wanted to do that too!! And I want her to do that, and I WANT TO DO THAT!!! or at least be around it, which I'm sure I will. My heart was so full of joy when we got home. Dancing and singing just bring me so much joy, either doing it or being immersed in it. Hooray for the kids, dancing endlessly with no A/C in 90 degree heat in the auditorium. Thanks so much for putting your hearts and souls into the work!! What great role models!!

White Trash Moms

Yesterday I was signing up my daughter for summer dance classes and was subjected to 2 very rude, white trash moms. We were in very close quarters as the dance studio office is very small and we were all there for the same reason. The employees were trying to sign up people and take care of their needs as quick as possible and MOST of us were waiting quietly until our turn came up. Barefoot WTM1 starts whining, "When is it going to be my turn?", then she starts yelling that she needs a smoke because she is having a nicotine fit. For 1, she doesn't need to yell because we are all so squished together our knees are practically touching. And 2, do we CARE that she needs a smoke? Sometimes people just give too much information as if anyone cares. WTM2 then yells at WTM1 that she only needs to register 1 kid and she has 3 to register, so she is going in front of her. Then WTM1 jostles over to WTM2 and tries to take her seat (there are 3 chairs and 2 benches across from the chairs) All this in a stuffy office with 100 degree heat glaring through the windows. WTM2 then proceeds to smack WTM1's butt very loudly and sends her back over to the other side. Now at this point I wanna smack BOTH of them but I'm being very calm and trying to ignore their antics. I have an anger management and patience problem and I am very proud of myself for not throwing down with both of them and actually sticking around to get the task done. Of course both their cell phones ring and we are subjected to their conversations about what they want for dinner and what they are doing later. Meanwhile WTM2's other kids are running in and out of the dance studio and whining to her.

I was trying to think of a beautiful island to compose myself, when it finally became my turn. When all was said and done, I realized I didn't have my check book to pay for the tuition and they were charging me for 2 months in advance to hold her place in class. I made the dreaded call to hubby to tell him about the small fortune we had to outlay today and basically his normal answer came, WE DON'T HAVE IT. I told him I would write a check against my credit line and then we can pay it back with normal tuition money when the time came. All that waiting and I couldn't finish what I came to do. I decided I would return when Mandabear's class was done, but being a compulsive worrier, I thought that possibly in another 1/2 hr. her classes would fill up and I would have to deal with a heartbroken daughter. I drove home, got my check and promptly returned relieved that WTM1 was gone. WTM2 however was still there chatting it up with the employees, making it harder for them to process paperwork and I had to get to the end of the line, even tho' I had to just bring a check. I really needed a reward because my patience was really being tested. My reward was having all the classes she needed being open. I have to say that it is not my nature to let loud, obnoxious, rude people monopolize a situation, but I did not want to jeopardize anything with my daughter's dancing future with the studio so I let it be. I guess I'm glad I did and then I can vent here on this blog. The rest of the day went downhill as well, but I guess once you have drama, more follows.

I am trying hard to turn over a kinder, gentler leaf but it's so hard in this world of inconsiderate people. I already see how I handle things affecting the way my kid handles her things. She's a yeller like her mom. She's impatient like her mom. She's easily frustrated like her mom. Her dad is like that too. If you're surrounded by these things, you can emulate it because that's all you know. I know that too well because this is the legacy my dad left to me, my sister and my brother. They do the exact same things. I hope one day we can break this cycle.

What's up with the bee thing?

So back in the day when I first started chatting online on aol and mirc, I started using the nick Hunnybee, because I collected Winnie the Pooh stuff and I kinda acted like a bee...I was a Queen :) I was sweet (yeah right), I buzzed around frantically (very true) and beware of my sting!! The nick stuck and I have been using it ever since. When I had friends online they would send me bee stuff and I got quite a collection. Bees are interesting creatures. They are the only animals that provide their own food source (honey). They are not designed to fly, with their big bodies and little wings, but yet they do somehow. I feel I've overcome adversity in my life somewhat so I can relate a little bit to that. Their only goal in life is to serve their queen and then they die. I serve my Princess Mandabear. They also die when they sting, so they save it for something very important. If anyone messes with my Mandabear, they will surely feel my sting. (don't call me Shirley!). If you wanna know more, you can go here --> Why Do Bees Fly?

I had a lot of good and bad experiences with chatting and the internet and this blog is my way of easing back in without it consuming my life like it used to in the past. I use to spend hours chatting, making websites and researching stuff. Hopefully I won't fall back into that trap as I am quite an obsessive/compulsive personality. I'm hoping this blog will help me purge stuff in my head, my heart, my life and that will let me continue getting through the days and possibly getting some sleep.

Queen of the Couch Potatoes

Like I wrote in my recent post, I WASTED my weekend away. The only productive thing I did was on Saturday when I got some exercise roller skating at my daughter's Pretty in Pink Skate Party. The rest of the weekend I vegged out, ya know lie like broccoli. I spent most of the time in "the cave" which was dubbed by my hubby because it's dark and cozy. I usually grab my squish pillow and remote and click my life away. After awhile I get tired of clicking and then I nap. Then I wake up and eat, cave again and the vicious cycle begins. Of course since I napped, I go to sleep late and then I wake up early for work all tired. Then I'm mad at myself for not doing anything and vow that next weekend is when I'm gonna get up and do something. I even missed my abs class on Monday because the holiday threw me off. *sigh* I have to say "Motivation" is not my friend and "Procrastination" is my best buddy. My hubby has been a good sport and not nagged me at all. Usually he nags about "doing something constructive" but I guess after 20 years he knows it just makes me want to do the opposite. I'm a bad role model for my daughter as well. I told her that she could have a friend over and we can go to the movies if she finished cleaning her room. She started on Sunday eve. and didn't finish till Mon. eve when it was too late to go anywhere. At least she did something. I am such a hypocrite for making her clean her room, when mine looks like a bomb just hit it. I was never one for the school of "Practice what you preach". I am going to try and go to hip hop class tonight at the Y, so I can get some of the blood flowing back into my body....but....it's so much easier to crawl into my cave...yawn.

Another late night

It's Memorial Day and I've wasted another weekend. Why is it that you have such big plans to do things and then it all goes down the drain? When did it become 12:00 a.m. already? I wish I could get over this major procrastination thing. It's like my mind has everything mapped out to what is SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN, then my body says, NOPE, not doing it and freezes. It really irks me that I do it. Oh well, maybe today will be more eventful. Yeah, considering I'm starting this blog tonight.