A Mother's Love?

This is a picture of the wonderful breakfast my daughter made me on Mother's Day. She was so excited, she woke me up early but it was fine. The effort was worth it and although it was a little cold, it was made with love so it was delicious. I think Mother's Day is funny because for all mothers do, we only get one day. I'm all for the "Everyday is Mother's Day" mentality, but it is unreasonable because there are things called "teenagers" running around. When the numbers hit the teens, they decide that they know better than mom and when they realize later that mom is right, they are quite sheepish. But think back when we were rebellious teenagers, challenging our moms and we can kind of understand what's going on with our teens. We don't have to like it, but we understand.

I was watching the news tonight and was distressed at a story about a mother and her boyfriend arrested for torturing and murdering her 2 year old son. They concocted a story about him being missing on Mother's Day, but after many holes in their stories and finding a shallow grave with a little boy which matched the description of the "missing" child, the police arrested the couple. This made me sick and sad. It made me think about what a "mother's love" really is.

There are women out there that do not deserve to be mothers who have many children, then there are women who cannot have children who have the love to give and would make excellent mothers. How is it fair that this child had to lose his life because he was unlucky to have a woman who didn't have a mother's love? It is too bad that there isn't a test or license you need to make sure you are capable of being a good mother and have the proper love to give a child. Sadly, I'm not sure I would've passed the test myself. I'm always questioning myself whether I'm a good mother or not. My friends and family assure me that I am, but sometimes when I look back, I'm doubtful. I have an amazing daughter that I know will be successful as an adult. I guess in a way I've contributed to that. Not having an affectionate and supporting mother growing up, I just learned by observing "good" mothers and also how I would've liked to be treated as a kid.

I've known "Brady Bunch" moms, career moms, step moms and grand-moms who took their job of mothering very seriously. I've also seen some lousy moms and tried to let the children know that it's not their fault that they got stuck with a sucky mom. Any mom who chooses a man over their children should have their mom license revoked. Any mom who kills the dreams and self worth of their children should be sent away to a cave. Any mom who physically hurts or tortures a child should go away forever by any means necessary. Children are the victim of circumstance. Sometimes they can rise above it and sometimes they choose the wrong path because of it. I know, I've lived it and fortunately made most of the right choices that led me where I am today. I didn't have my child until I was 30 because I was frightened that I wouldn't be a good mom. I admit that I do live vicariously through my child, but as long as she is happy, I'm happy.

Every day is a journey and as long as you obtain knowledge, grow and continue to love, you'll be the best mom you can be!

Anti-Social Networking?

I have been reluctantly getting into the social networking game but I've been surprised at some of the results of it. I decided to make a Myspace because my hubby was obsessed with it and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. My child begged me for one so I gave in, but only if I knew the password and could go in and check it out from time to time. It's not an invasion of privacy if she knows, although she calls me the "Myspace Police" when I rant about some of her friend's posts and pages. See a prior blog post "I've Been Demoted" for more details.

I then tried Facebook because my friend wanted to give me "flair", which are digital pins with witty sayings on them which you can post on your profile. I liked the concept of Facebook but it wasn't fun and colorful like Myspace was. I found a lot of long lost friends which was cool, but also people whom I didn't care for found me which wasn't that great. It was a good way to quickly keep in touch and let people know things in a group instead of sending out mass emails. Overall, I think I use Facebook the most. My hubby doesn't like Facebook because he says it's too nosy. He doesn't want to know that Jane just brushed her teeth and is getting ready for work...ha ha.

My friend Jody is the Queen of Social Networking. She's even gone to the extreme of doing a "Lifecast" which is having her life constantly streaming on the web. She's a singer/songwriter and lives for the internet, so to her it wasn't strange to do such a thing. She was involved with the One Red Paperclip Project and was able to get her CD recorded. She then moved to New York from Arizona thanks to her internet friends who found her a place to live and showed her the ins and outs of the public transportation system. She was then tired of taking 1 1/2 hrs. to get to work each way so she pleaded her case to Ford at the Fiesta Movement and now she's zipping around in her Magenta Ford Fiesta!

Now this Twittering thing is kind of interesting. You can "follow" people's tweets, even if you don't know them like celebrities, musicians and t.v. personalities. It's kind of eavesdropping on their lives and some of their insights are very interesting. You can also follow "normal" people like your friends, if they follow you back, you can have a conversation. I'm following Diablo Cody from "Juno" fame, Martha Stewart, Ellen Degeneres and John Mayer. I'm not always around the internet to keep it interesting because Twitter is best when you are constantly interacting with it.

Of course I have this blog. I like to write and I find I have many things to write about. I am not as diligent at it as I could be but again, I don't live on the internet, I try to have a life. I don't even know if anyone reads it unless I ask them to, so it's kind of like a secret journal with the key just sitting out there to be used if someone wants to take a look!

Check out some different social networking sites and maybe you'll find one that fits. If not, there are the old standbys, land line telephone and good old paper and pen!

Trying to Make a Dollar Out of Fifteen Cents

After 6 years at my company, I was let go. Although I've initally freaked out and went through all the grieving phases, my husband assures me that we are going to be o.k. I get paralyzed when things change. I'm a girl of routine and planning. I can be spontaneous, if I plan it in advance! My calendar is all scribbled and my new ipod touch has all my stuff on the calendar with little reminder alerts routinely popping up.

Not having money coming in is not a good thing for me, a confirmed shopaholic. I am not an "expensive, designer" shopaholic, I'm a bargain, 99 cent store shopaholic. Both kinds end up with lots of stuff I don't need but with the latter, they were cheap or on sale.

It is hard to change this mentality but I am trying. Today, I only bought necessities...well I really needed the red vines! I took Amanda and I to Carl's Jr. because I had 2 coupons for free items, so I spent $1.59 on fries. I got laid off the weekend of our 23rd anniversary and of course we weren't in the mood for going out. I am planning on taking my guy to T.G.I. Fridays for dinner because I have a bogo coupon for Jack Daniel Meal which he loves, a coupon for a free dessert and a $25.00 gift card. If we plan on ordering drinks, then it may go a little over, but most of it will be F-R-E-E!

But you know the saying, when one door closes another one opens. Sunday I was called to participate in a focus group in Long Beach to look at car prototypes for $125. My friend needed me to run her Japanese Antique shop for a few days so she hired me. I just checked my bank balance and I received a refund for something I forgot about. So if this is any indication the way my luck will run, please keep it up.

The Happiest Birthday on Earth!

Living in So. CA, it's a given that you'll go to Disneyland some time in your life. We are only about an hour away, so we can go whenever we like, if we could afford it!

The people in marketing at the House of Mouse are ingenious in making 2009 the Year of Celebration, letting people get in for free on their birthday with an online registration.

My daughter's birthday was on January 2nd, so she was the first to start off this D-land freebie, but really the laughs on us. Yes, we save $62.00 in ticket price, but they getcha in the parking, food, stuff, taking the day off of work and the other people you bring along with you, because it's not cool to go to Disneyland alone. It took almost 45 minutes, just to get the ticket. Then we had to wait to get into the park. In the park it was crowded and we had to wait hours and hours for the fun rides like Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion. It was really cold too, so we shivered while we waited. I forgive, because after all, it was the 2nd day of the promotion and I guess a lot of people were getting busy in May, which ironically is the month of Mother's Day, in order to have January birthdays. It was still decorated for Christmas and we got to frolic in soap bubble snow, the closest thing to the cold stuff we get in SoCal, so overall it was pseudo-fun.

I decided that I wanted to go to D-land on my birthday on March 1st, as well. Conveniently, my birthday fell on a Sunday, so we didn't have to take off work. We headed off early this time because last time we got there mid-morning and suffered for it. We found parking right away, we got our tickets quickly and they even gave me the two-fer special since we were SoCal residents, which means we can come back within 30 days and go to CA Adventure for free! We got through the ticket turnstyle in a snap and we even took time to take a park survey. They gave me a birthday button which was cool and when you put it on, something magical happened. EVERYONE wished me Happy Birthday! I tried to count all the birthday wishes and hoped to have as many as my age, but I was short a few. I guess I could've counted the ones I'd already received from friends and family. After a quick pic with my new boyfriend Goofy (He kissed me on the top of my head) we went on Indiana Jones first because last time it was a 100 minute wait and we love Indy, but nope. This time, it was barely 10 minutes. It was pretty much like this for most of the morning, we walked right into the front door of the Haunted Mansion. That is incredible! We even took a picture of it to savor the memory. We walked into Pirates, The Jungle Cruise, where we were not disappointed by the groan worthy cruise director and rocketed through Buzz Lightyear's ride. The weather was warm, the crowds were light and the day was splendid. I believe I smiled the whole day. Which is so not like me!

I decided that I wanted to do stuff that I had never done. We went on the big ship Columbia and toured around Pirate Island, which used to be Tom Sawyer Island. Then we went onto Pirate Island and it was cool, checking out caves, walking on wobbly bridges, being trapped in a cage made of bones and finding the big booty...ya know the pirate's treasure. As it got hotter, we stopped at the Pizza Port for cold drinks and water misting. We were even able to find a table and fill up our water bottles from the fountain dispenser inside without anyone giving us the evil eye.

The heat started getting to us so we left kind of early for going to an amusement park. We had to work and go to school the next day anyway. All in all it was a wonderful day and I want to thank the Mouse for giving me a fun gift that I enjoyed immensely! The next birthday will be in October, which will be near Halloween. Oooh, the perfect time for the Haunted Mansion! Can't wait!

Random Acts of Kindness!

I drive to work everyday, the same freeway, the same street, pretty much the same parking spot. I know the way with my eyes closed pretty much. I exit the same offramp, go around the same curve and stop at the same stop sign. It's nice to see something different once in awhile. Once I saw deer prancing on the hillside, nice. Another time, a car turned upside down, not so nice.

Today, I was driving the usual but my mind started to wander. Have you ever arrived at a destination and didn't remember getting there? I'm told that we're hypnotized and pretty much on auto pilot. Our conscious mind takes care of business, while our sub-conscious mind solves problems. I guess today, I was singing along to the radio, while my sub-conscious mind was working things out, when my conscious mind hiccuped. When I exited the offramp and went to the street to turn before my office, I noticed flashing lights in my rear view mirror. I looked around to see who he was pulling over, but I was the only car. I panicked and tried to find a place to park, but the signs all said no parking. I have already broken some law, so I guess it was o.k. to park where it said no parking. What was he going to do, give me another ticket? I was still perplexed at why I was being pulled over, but I figured I would be finding out soon.

I dutifully shut off my ignition, rolled down the window and put my hands on the steering wheel where the officer could see them. In L.A. the police are very jumpy, so I didn't want to reach into anything when he arrived. He said the reason why he was pulling me over was that he saw me roll slowly to the stop sign, but I didn't actually "stop". We call this a California stop, where we look like we are stopping, but just cruise through. I stop at that stop sign EVERYDAY! But today, for some reason, my conscious self was being bad. There is a park and ride next to the offramp and CHP officers are always camped out there, to catch evil stop sign evaders. Today it was me.

He was a young, nice looking, Asian man. Very polite. He asked me for my license, registration and insurance. I fumbled through my purse and glove compartment and handed him my info. He went back to his car to check on my info. In my mind I was calculating how much the ticket would cost, the time I would have to spend in traffic school and the ticket being on my record. When he returned, he said he wanted to ask me a question and of course I said sure nervously. He asked when was the last time I received a ticket. I said a long, long time ago. He said he could tell from my record that I was a good driver and he was going to give me a break today and not give me a ticket. I told him I ALWAYS stop at that stop sign and he said he believed me. I thanked him profusely and told him I really appreciated it. He said to be more careful about stopping from now on and we parted ways.

I smiled as I was pulling away. I thought to myself how nice he was and that if he had been in a bad mood, or if I had given him attitude, how different things could've been. It's always nice to witness random acts of kindness and extra special when the kindness is upon you. This helps me remember what goes around comes around and that is something that I want to teach my daughter. Take some time to practice random acts of kindness when you can. It'll make you feel great!

Let's Play!

I was being silly tonight on Facebook with a friend from High School and it was fun! We are both busy mothers but we haven't forgotten how to have some fun when the kids are asleep!

I'm reading a book by Robert Fulghum called, "What On Earth Have I Done?", which is a bunch of short essays of random musings. He has a chapter called "Play" and he explains how some people are players and some are not. He tells of being in a grocery store and cruising by a lady with oddball items in her cart and saying, "I like the groceries in your cart better than mine, want to trade?" She smiles, checks out his cart and says, "You got a deal!" They take each other's cart and roll away. Later on they meet at the checkstand knowing they would keep their original groceries, but they had a few moments of enjoyable madness. The lady knew the game, she was a player.

Much to my daughter's dismay, I am a player. She, being a teen is none too pleased with me when I "act out in public" as she calls it. I've sung songs to dogs in Santa outfits, showed other moms how to do a booty shake in the foyer of the YMCA, hula hooped in Target and other various embarrassing things. But the difference between me and her, I don't care what people think. If someone joins me, all the better. I have a friend that did the conga while singing "Copacabana" while she was being filmed by her daughter's friend and it was wonderful!

Why do children corner the market on being childish? Who says we have to be old fogies? Peter Pan had the right idea, "I won't grow up".

So go ahead and color with the 64 pack crayons, it's alright to blow bubbles and eat ice cream till you get a tummy ache. The world is a crazy place, but there's always time for play, so spin and spin and fall down, then laugh uncontrollably. It'll do you some good!

Cookie Time is Here!

Yes, it's the most wonderful time of year...Girl Scout Cookie Season! 2 1/2 wonderful months of begging, pleading and cajoling, pleeeease buy Girl Scout Cookies.

My daughter has been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten and I've had my share of sitting in the freezing cold, burning heat, wind, sleet and snow, o.k. not the sleet and snow part, but it could happen...selling Girl Scout Cookies. In fact last year, I sold on my birthday AND had a school fundraiser at the skate rink that evening, Happy Birthday to me!! I've put more hours boothing (which is selling cookies outside establishments, for the unschooled) then I did at my actual job!

Selling Girl Scout Cookies is a fine art. When they were cute little Brownies, all they had to do is smile all cutesy and the cookies are sold. As Juniors in their green uniforms, they had to finesse their skill, offering up what the cookie selling will bring them, white water rafting, camping in Yosemite and how grateful they would be if you could please help them reach this goal. Or if they would like to donate to the troops, Girl's home or homeless shelter. People were pleased that they were doing a community service.

As teen Cadettes in nondescript khaki, most people don't believe they are actual Girl Scouts! Where are your badges? Some even asked them to recite the promise. We hear stories about when cookies were fifty cents and gruff old men say they only support the Boy Scouts! Hmph! After all these years of selling, our girls are getting clever. They have gimmicks, wearing sandwich board signs, they sing, they offer partnerships of cookies with videos people are renting (Thin Mints for romance movies-fresh breath for kissing, Do-Si-Dos for westerns, and cleverly All Abouts* for Woody Allen films because most people don't know what they're all about), they offer that cookies go great with items in their cart, milk, beer, laundry detergent?

So I implore you, when you see these cookie wielding soldierettes in front of your local grocery, video store or bank, please don't pretend they're invisible! Say hello back when they greet you. On a diet? We have Trefoils, only 170 calories for 5 cookies! Diabetic? We have Sugar Free Chocolate Chip. No cash? We take checks! Worried about having too many? Cookies freeze well! Don't eat cookies? Buy some to donate to our charity. Already got some from your Girl Scout daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend's child, etc? Thank you for supporting the Girl Scouts!The girls get a thrill hearing stories about, "When I was a Girl Scout", so feel free to share. They're working hard and learning sales skills, supply and demand, perseverence and Girl Scout pride.

This happens once a year people-limited time offer. We only get .75 from the $4.00 price. We trudge out every weekend, usually 6-8 hrs. a day for a whole month so we can raise money for our summer trip to Washington D.C. You know you want those Samoas and Thin Mints, so be kind to yourself and to the girls, indulge!

P.S. My daughter has sold over 500 cookies for the past 3 yrs. That ain't chopped liver!

*All Abouts were discontinued this year which is very sad. Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos are safe to eat, the bakery supplies their own peanut butter.

I Will Remember You

Yesterday I found out that a friend of mine died last month. Our kids went to school together in Elementary. We started PTA and volunteered at school together. She was a lovely lady and a caring, wonderful mom and now she's gone, leaving 3 children and a great husband behind. I don't know what happened to her, I didn't want to press her son. I just know how I felt and it was shock and sadness. It always takes something like this to shock your system and re-think how you live your life. You go through the same thing everyday always taking for granted that your family, friends, loved ones will be there the next day. I spoke to my daughter about this and let her know how important it is to be thankful for your friends and family because you never know when they'll be taken from you. It made me want to reach out to my "Christmas Card Friends". You know, the ones you fill in on your life when you exchange cards. I use to write letters and send cards regularly when I was younger. Now with technology, it would seem like it's easier to keep in touch. But I think it's the opposite effect. Since we are able to reach out so quickly, we don't bother. We can wait, when I have more time, etc. And then another year passes by. Take a minute, drop a line, make a phone call and reach out to someone. It just might make your day....and theirs.

I've been DEMOTED!

So I've been notified by my teen daughter that my husband and I have been demoted from the #1 and #2 spot on her friends list on Myspace to #9 and #10. The person who gave her life, fed her from my body, taught her everything she knows today is now #10. *Sigh* I guess I should've expected this when she would rather spend time with all her friends than me. When she spends more time hugging and talking and sharing secrets. When I am nosy and annoying to her and the only time she is civil to me is when she wants something. When she's upset because she thinks I'm invading her privacy when I go on Myspace and because she thinks I'm the "Myspace police!

It's a thankless job being a mother. She is my only child and gone are the days when she depended on me and thought I was the most awesome person she knew. It's very depressing and it's hard to let go. I wasn't ready for this day to come so soon, but I guess I have to deal with it. I should appreciate that she still kisses me when I drop her off at school, but I'm sure next year that will change. She is going into High School and it's very hard to believe. When I look at her, I still see the 3 year old that would give me Monkey Love. Goodbye Monkey Love, ooh ooh, aah aah. :(

I LOVE VAMPIRES!

I just finished reading "Twilight", a teen vampire novel and it was amazing! I was recommended this book by my daughter's friend and since I'm pretty much obsessed with Vampires on film, I figured I would try reading about them. I read this book in a day and Stephenie Meyer added the first chapter of the 2nd book "New Moon", which made me hyperventilate. I checked "Twilight" out from the library and they had 112 copies and I was 187 on the list. It took a month but it was worth it. After finishing the book, I immediately went to Quality Paperback Books and bought all 4 books plus 2 more sci-fi fantasy ones @ $1.00 a book intro and am anxiously awaiting my order to arrive. This happened to me with Harry Potter as well. I checked out the book to see what the hoopla was about, loved it and bought the series. I also enjoyed the movies, but I digress.

I think my obsession with vampires is because of the romantic quality in which they are portrayed. The men are always devastatingly handsome (David Boreanaz, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Alex O'Loughlin and Rick Springfield, remember "Forever Knight"?), oozing with sexiness, exotic and want to possess you forever. Although most of them turn ugly when they are feeding, they usually can be seen as the knight in shining armor for the heroine they are trying to possess. I think I've seen 75% of the vampire movies out there, good and bad. And just recently re-watched the full "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" series. My favorite vampire movie is "Lost Boys" and my hubby just bought the new one, "Lost Boys, The Tribe" which was o.k. but kinda lame in comparison. I really liked "Interview With a Vampire" as well and "Bram Stoker's Dracula" . Winona Ryder was amazing in that, although Keanu Reeves was typically Keanu. I watched the new series "Moonlight" on CBS and loved Mick St. John's character, but I just found out on a message board, that CBS just cancelled that series. They totally suck!! I guess I'll have to get my vampire fix from the new series coming up on HBO called "True Blood". Hopefully it's not hokey, it's based in a southern Louisiana town. At the Comic-Con my hubby got me a t-shirt that says, "Friends don't let friends, drink friends" to advertise Tru-Blood, a synthetic blood beverage for vampires.

I just rented "30 Days of Night" so while I'm still in a vamp mood, I'm gonna go check it out!

If you want to know another person's opinion about the Vampire craze, check out Vampires,why the obsession? on starpulse.com.

So I'm sitting here procrastinating and I decided to write 100 things you may or may not know about me. We all get those questionaires by email and fill them out, but come on, do you really want to know if I like croutons or bacon bits? (croutons). So since I should be doing constructive things, I will waste time and anyone who cares, the following are 100 facts about me! 1. I put soy sauce on my eggs. 2. One of my favorite words is plethora. 3. I use to have a webpage devoted to Twinkies. 4. I love wood. 5. I'm addicted to the game Zuma online, but I can't get past level 5...grrr. 6. I want to swim with dolphins before I die. 7. I have hazel green eyes that change color depending on my mood. 8. I love chocolate, but not with fruit except for bananas and strawberries. 9. I love Girards Italian dressing. 10. My favorite restaurant is California Pizza Kitchen. 11. I HATE Mayonaise, but I can eat it mixed lightly in food. 12. I HATE Miracle whip more and cannot be near it ever. 13. I think Kermit the frog is cool. 14. One of my nicknames is frogbreath. 15. I met my husband of 22 yrs. on a blind date. 16. I can't stand worms or anything wormy. 17. I order caramel frappucinos with whip at Starbucks, but don't like coffee. 18. I love all animals, even snakes. 19. I used to own a horse named Mariah. 20. My favorite colors are turquoise blue and fuchsia. 21. I was a vegetarian when I was pregnant. 22. I played a Hollywood Blonde in the musical Gypsy in High School. 23. I was an extra in the 80's series "Dynasty". 23. The first boy I kissed was named John. 24. I am a hopeless romantic. 25. I love to rollerskate. 26. I have a scar on my right pinky. 27. I think Tito's Tacos meat and cheese burritos rock and their salsa is the best. I am still trying to copy the recipe somehow. 28. I want to hold a tiny monkey one day.
29. I use to speak fluent Japanese. 30. I was a Girl Scout and now I'm a Girl Scout Leader. 31. It bothers me when the toilet paper roll is facing backwards. 32. I hate ignorant people. 33. I use to be a lead singer in a rock band. 34. I love Winnie the Pooh in every shape and form. 35. Anything sparkly distracts me. 36. I love Falafel King Falafels. 37. I've seen the movie Grease 50 times or more. 38. I love Bon Jovi and have all their albums. 39. I touched Rick Springfield's leg. 40. I've watched a horse birthing a foal at horse camp. 41. I love cheese, but not the stinky ones. 42. I can listen to Tori Amos all day long. 43. I would love to sing a duet with Sting. 44. I've dressed up as a deck of cards as a child for Halloween and won 1st prize. 45. I still live in the 80's sometimes. 46. I've been deeply, head over heels in love only once. 47. I cry everytime I see ET and Titanic. 48. All my toes are symmetrical. 49. I can drive stick shift. 50. I love to sing. 51. White peaches are my favorite fruit. 52. I love the Victorian era. 53. Heath bars are my favorite candy bars. 54. Creme Brulee is my favorite dessert. 55. I can do a cartwheel. 56. I hiked all the way to Vernal Falls in Yosemite. 57. I've never ran out of gas in my own car. 58. My oldest friend has known me since Jr. High. 59. I had a huge crush on my Jr. High teacher named Mr. Woods. 60. I think pirates are hot. 61. I wore pink at my wedding. 62. I've been to a cemetary in Louisiana. 63. I've lived in a 26 room mansion in Springfield, Massachusetts. 64. Woodstock is my favorite Peanuts character. 65. I know all the words to the star spangled banner by heart. 66. I still remember my Jr. High locker combination. 67. Fresh brewed Ice tea is my favorite drink, and peach snapple 2nd place. 68. I like my steaks medium rare. 69. I use to write depressing poetry. 70. I was a wannabe surfer when I was in Jr. High. 71. I am obsessed with Vampire shows. 72. I've owned 5 dogs in my lifetime and trained all of them. 73. My first car was a black 69 Chevelle named Sting bought with a tax refund check. 74. I've met some of my internet friends in person (irl). 75. My sister lived in Alaska for 4 yrs. 76. I was born in Tokyo, Japan. 77. I hate bad spellers. 78. I can type 65-70 wpm. 79. I can't go a day without music. 80. I really like to dance, but I'm not great at it. 81. I am secretly in love with David Boreanaz. 82. I like lime and chili powder on my watermelon. 83. I don't like lamb meat. 84. I like Japanese food a lot. 85. I love shoes. 86. I own thousands of pairs of earrings, some from the 80's. 87. It irritates me a lot if someone kicks my chair. 88. I am very impatient. 89. I like bees (duh!) 90. Boston Creme Pie is my favorite pie. 91. I believe in ghosts, aliens and fairies. 92. I don't believe in politicians. 93. I love the water in any form. 94. I want to live in Hawaii. 95. I've broken my toe. 96. I like to read fantasy books. 97. My favorite old movie is Wuthering Heights. 98. I had braces when I was pregnant. 99. We chose Amanda's name before we even tried to have a baby. 100. I am a Queen Procrastinator!!

Pat Benatar is the QUEEN OF ROCK!

On August 1st, hubby and I ventured past the Orange Curtain to the O.C. Fair , Pacific Amphitheatre to see a wonderful Ladies of the 80's concert which included Patty Smyth from Scandal, Berlin and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo . It took us 3 hrs. to get there on a busy Friday and we missed the first part of Patty's set, but our seats were AWESOME!! We were pretty much 5th row and we can see the sweat on their brow. Patty still looks good and had a lot of energy. Her voice wasn't as strong, but we forgave her because of her interaction with the audience. She ran into the seats, hubby got in a "high five". She ran across the amphitheatre like crazy. Next came Terri Nunn and Berlin. We know that she always puts on a great show so we were busy snapping away with our 12x Panasonic HD digital camera getting some beautiful shots. She did an amazing version of Starship's "Somebody to Love" and a sexy version of Marilyn Manson's "Dope Show". She was so beautiful and joyous when she sang and she did come out into the audience but further away from us so no high fives this time. Her set was short, but we were awaiting the Queen's arrival. I told hubby that I thought she would open with All Fired Up and she sure did!! She looked amazing, see the photo above and hubby was wailing on the guitar. She did most of her songs from In the Heat of the Night, but did a b-side called "Fall Back" acoustically and it sounded amazing!! Then a great surprise was when she called Terri out for a duet on "We Belong". She had all of us hold up our cellys and wave them and it looked like twinkling stars!! She sang "Hell is for Children", explaining that she sings that at every concert to make everyone aware of the plight of child abuse and to never forget the children. And of course as an encore, she rocked "Heartbreaker" and Neil stayed on stage with gratuitous leads and the intro to the "Godfather" theme! I wish they could've played all night, they barely touched their music repertoire. It was an amazing night and we were happy, sweaty and re-living the 80's!!!

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.