Birthday party

We had it at Dunsmore park. Emma loved it. Bridget seemed to enjoy it pretty well, too. Besides my family (my mom, Grandma Katie, Aunt Linda, my sister Megan) and us, Max and Wendy, our upstairs neighbors, came. (Emma loves them, especially Max, and Max loves Emma and especially Bridget.)




We ate sandwiches (I made 4 kinds on 2 big loaves of french bread, cut in half), fresh fruit (Ems hogged most of it), lemonade, water, and cupcakes (broken oven, so we had to buy a cake.)




It was sweltering hot but other than that great. Emma made us all wear butterfly party hats. Emma and Max played on the equipment and then came in the shade and did play clay for a while when it got too hot. (Max made Ems a bracelet which she tried very hard to wear, it was so sweet.) Max also showed us his new skateboarding skills (he's taking a class at Sunland Park.) Bridey showed off her table-dancing (and standing) skills. Max hugged Bridget and Bridget tried to eat his nose and pull his hair (which he was not fond of.)

After the cake (and cleaning up from the cake!) they opened presents. They got some really cute clothes and some toys they will love. (3 kinds of blocks/building sets, a wagon, and assorted other toys and books, including a really annoying one from my mom which mercifully has an "off" switch!)





Then after we all went home and the girls had 1.5 hour naps (and I got a half hour), we headed over to the Stake Center for a Korean culture night put on by the (20 member!) Korean branch, which was awesome, delicious, spiritual, and touching, all in one fun bundle. :)

More excitement than we actually wanted

We had a grease fire in the oven. (No one hurt, no damage, I put it out and I have a slight cough but am otherwise okay, smoke has cleared nicely.)

Our landlord is not responding to the call that he needs to fix our oven. Of course.

I'm very glad we practiced and all knew exactly what to do. Emma even knew how to "get low and go"-- thank goodness for Elmo reinforcing our home fire and emergency drills!

Bridget is 1 today.

She ate almost a whole turkey burger, with cheese and bun, for dinner tonight. Not to mention the cookies and apple juice. We were astonished. She sure does love her food!

Here are some pics of opening presents (from Grandma in Texas; she sent them a while back and we've been keeping them for today.)

She also got a toy bar for her stroller, which Emma actually picked out.

My aunt had given us some "scrip" to K-B Toys, and Emma used most of it to pick a present for Bridey. (It was, actually, a very astute choice. She looked at everything in the store-- it took an hour!-- and told me, "Bridget will like this." I asked if she knew what it was and she said, looking at the pictures on the box, "Toys on the stroller!" So I guess she knew. The reason the choice was so astute was that Bridey has been getting restless in the stroller lately and, for lack of anything else to do, leaning forward and pulling Emma's hair. )

Bridget likes it.

It also has a snack bowl, which the bar on Bridey's seat did not have. We have been thinking of ordering the part from Graco, but this works for now. Bridget likes the snack bowl, too!

First Day of Class

This morning was my first day of class at McGroarty (the preschool art class I'm teaching, remember?) I had a blast. The kids and parents seemed to like it, too. We had circle time with a story, some discussion, and talking about and looking at pictures, then we did paper plate self-portraits, they painted pictures of their families (our subject for the week was "portraits-- pictures of people") and then anyone who was done with painting played with play dough for a bit before cleaning up. I think next week we will do animals.

I like the format I finally settled on, which is circle time with a story, some discussion about our subject or "theme" for the week, and then two or three short projects centering on the theme, using several different media, with play dough or another free activity at the end if kids finish early.

All the kids are great, although a few are a bit shy, that's fine. 6 of my 8 students showed up this week and I also let an older sister participate; all but one of the moms stayed. Actually, the one mom who left had the brightest, best-behaved kid. Turns out he's 3 of 4. He was so well-behaved that I jokingly asked his mom, "Does he go to preschool, or do you just enforce good listening at home?" She was pleased that he did so well and I honestly was too; he even went to the toilet and washed his hands all by himself! I wish MY three-year-old would do that!

Chopsticks

We went to Chinatown today on the train from Pasadena while Jeff helped my Aunt Marilyn out with some things.

We went shopping and found some "koala cookies" (they were out of Hello Panda), and some shoes for my sister (she had admired Emma and Bridget's shoes at Easter and said she wished she had some like that, and when Emma saw the bigger ones she said, "Those are like Bridget Emma's shoes! Aunt Megan would like that!" So we bought some for Aunt Megan-- who liked them very much when we gave them to her tonight.)

After a while I realized that none of us had really eaten much, and I was starting to get really hungry and thirsty. We stopped in at what is probably my favorite (and the cleanest-- they always have an "A" health inspection rating in an area where most restaurants get "B"s on a regular basis) Vietnamese noodle shop in Chinatown, Pho 97.





Emma has been using chopsticks on her own for quite a while now-- about a year, I think, maybe a little more-- and she's getting much better at it.






We got a big bowl of noodles, well-done beef, and broth, with yummy things on the side to mix in (a huge bowl for $5!), and I got a soda, too. Emma shared with me, and Bridget got jealous, despite having some baby food. So she got some beef, too. She liked it.





Then Emma fed Bridget a few noodles and some more beef.

And of course, then Bridget wanted to try them. She had fun holding them and looking at them and tapping them, even if she can't do anything else with them yet.

Emma had so much fun with the chopsticks, she really loves them! (I did too at that age. In fact, I still do. And they're good for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.) So we picked some up, pretty ones with pretty covers, and some kid-sized ones too (I tried to get her to choose the pretty ones that went better with ours, but she wanted the bright green and blue ones with some funky cartoon character on them.) She's thrilled with them. :)

And to end the day, before we got back on the train, I let Emma play on the kiddie ride-ons (she doesn't like them to be on, just to climb on them when they're off.)





My aunt got us sandwiches, which is what we had for dinner. All in all, a fun day-- and I only spent about $28, including train fare and a shopping trip. I love Chinatown. :D

I signed up for this meme over at Guess What the Kids Did a little while back. Here's how it works:

The Rules: Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me.” I respond by asking you five questions (left in my comments) so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions may be somewhat personal! You can update your journal/blog/whatever with the answers to the questions (please don't leave your answers in my comments unless you don't have a blog). You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here are mine:

1) What has been your best ebay transaction--most fun find or greatest profit--however you define 'best.'

Hmmm. Well, I like all of the things I buy and get excited about them, but none of them are really SPECTACULAR finds. So I'm going to choose this pattern. Now, it's not the highest I ever sold an item for, although it was an excellent profit margin, but it was one of the most exciting sales I did because of these factors:

a) Okay, the profit margin. Consider that I got the pattern for $0.25, and listed it starting at $0.99, so if it had gone for that, I would have covered my loss and made about $0.16 profit. Consider also that the envelope was not in perfect shape (although I did personally inspect the pattern and was able to assure buyers that all pieces were intact.) But honestly I expected it to go for around $5 or so.
b) It was a lot of fun to watch that price go up and up and up, most of it happened in the last few minutes so as I was checking in on it it kept going up and up, and then I went to do something I came back and it had ended at $16.50!
c) I know the buyer was just thrilled to find it (based on the feedback she left.) It makes me really happy to make people happy with the things that I find and they buy, that way everyone is happy; I make some money and they get something they really enjoy!

2) What would you do (or do more often) if you had daily access to a car?

Well, I really don't like to drive, especially in L.A. traffic, so we'd still probably stay home a lot. But I would honestly love to be able to schedule doctors' appointments for days when my mom can't take us if I want to, and I'd like to go to the zoo once in a while, and we'd probably go to Descanso more often, and we'd go to Chinatown a lot (I still wouldn't drive and try to park downtown, but we'd go park at the Pasadena train station and take the commuter train there, and/or to Olvera Street, which is a few blocks from Chinatown and right across the street from Union Station.) And we'd be at IKEA and Target (not necessarily buying, just looking) a lot. Also, just being able to do errands once in a while would be nice.

3) If you could hire one of the following, would you pick: Driver, Maid, Chef, or Stylist?

Well, I wouldn't care for a chef or stylist. I like to cook enough that it's not worth paying someone to do it, and *ahem* I'm not into hair or makeup (yes, okay, I'm a slob and I don't care. But it makes my life a lot easier.) Maid or driver is a hard one, but I can live with what's in walking distance a lot easier than I can live with the messes Emma is constantly making and we never seem able to keep up with (the child is a demolition MACHINE; I swear she can undo three hours' work in thirty seconds flat), so I'm gonna choose maid.

4) If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Green. Just 'cause that's what I always answer to these questions, and it's my favorite, and it seems to describe me; not a hot color, but not too far into the cool spectrum; just kinda mellow. Also I TRY to be very environmentally and socially conscious, so that's what I'd be. Green.

5) What's in your CD player/playlist right now?

Gosh, a whole heck of a mixed up list! We've got some Kate Rusby, some Kate Wolf, some Vocal Point (an a cappella group from BYU), some classic country (think Hank Williams), some assorted pop miscellania from our childhoods ("Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper; "All That She Wants" by Ace of Base), a little Beatles, some funky stuff (TMBG, Cake), a little Iris DeMent, and a few selections from Handel's Messiah as performed by the London Philharmonic.

I've mentioned my taste in music falls under "eclectic", right?



So those are my answers. If you'd like to participate, just leave a comment saying "Interview Me!"

Let me know if you want to play!

Frazzled and Kind of Down and Stuff

It's one of those times when I feel like so much is going on that I'm just overwhelmed-- even though not that much really gets done. Sunday, of course, was Easter; the day before we went to my aunt's for an egg hunt, and on Easter proper we went to my mom's and did another (indoor-- it was raining Sunday) egg hunt and dinner (just us, my mom, my sister Megan, and my Grandma Katie.)

Thursday I taught my crockpot cooking class for Enrichment, one of three (the other two were housecleaning tips and gardening), and it was a lot of fun. Everyone loved it, I felt kind of silly telling women older than me how to cook and especially mentioning the information I did about eating balanced meals and observing proper food safety protocols, but I felt the need to and at least one person, a visitor no less, thanked me for it. So I guess it wasn't so silly. And I did like the eating part afterwards (we sampled all kinds of crockpot dishes. I made three. Everyone LOVED them.)

I guess I'm kind of stressed out right now. Between Jeff not working (he's looking for something part time and of course promoting the new business, but we have no clients yet despite assiduous fliering and networking and an awesome domain name for the website; there's a job fair Tuesday and AccounTemps, an accounting temp firm, will be there, so he'll be heading to that) and my stuff going on (I have bad cramping this week and my bleeding, which just finally stopped, has now started again, AND a cold, AND I was getting started on a UTI; I just started cranberry extract for that) I am just physically and emotionally drained. And frustrated. And Ems is not helping-- I think she is picking up on the household stress and it's contributing to her rambunctious, clingy, contrary behavior. And let's not even talk about potty training. Jeff losing his job means we can't afford preschool right now; we're still getting the registration process started (she needs a physical anyway and we have to have her doc fill out some forms) and hoping that it's going to work out that she can go (we had settled on 2 days a week and my aunt and dad were each going to pay a third each month, but right now we can't scrape the $80/mo. together for it.) Bryan and Amy are having a lot of trouble (she ran a fever after the c-section, and James ended up back in the hospital with blood in his stool; after a lot of tests they thought it might be something Amy was eating, like he has Celiac disease or something, and they put her on an elimination diet), but they aren't really telling anyone so we hear about it, with very frustrated overtones, from Jeff's sister Heather, who feels left out because she kind of hears about it more by accident than by inclusion. We feel REALLY left out because if it weren't for her we wouldn't hear about it at all. (What, just because we moved away because that's what we had to do, we don't belong in the family any more?) And then I get all judgmental because I hear this stuff and think "gee, they really need to learn to accept help", not thinking that, well, having a baby is a hard adjustment and we all do it differently and I know Amy has had some of the same problems with our mother-in-law that I have and maybe that's the root of it. *sigh* I really need to stop judging so quickly. I do think they could at least let us know to pray for them, though, but then I have to smack myself because there I go judging again.

I wish I could take a break and just get away for a day, but my mom is insanely busy and a little depressed herself right now-- her boss, who is also one of her best friends, and another of her best friends both have breast cancer. That means, on top of the emotional load, she's shouldering a ton of work that shouldn't be hers right now, even going in Saturdays. And it's tax season so my aunt isn't able to help watch even one of the girls. And, well, I am hesitant to leave the girls with my dad and Sheri until they're older, because my dad can't even remember what they can or can't eat, and their house is the most un-childproof one I've ever been in, and Sheri, for all she loves babies, feels helpless around them, I think. Plus my dad can't understand a word Emma says. It doesn't make me confident leaving the girls with them, even if they WEREN'T busy all the time. So there go our babysitters... Maybe my sister would take them... But even so, Bridey is going through a clingy, separation anxiety phase. *bangs head on wall*

Anyway, I feel frazzled and a little down, and I think everyone in our house does now. I am excited about all the eBaying I get to do lately, though, it's always fun to watch my stuff sell. Kind of thrilling, an adrenaline rush, you know? I have all our neighbor's dresses and stuff up this week and I'm hoping that they'll sell well, for her sake and mine, 'cause I get half the profit... Sadly, anything I make goes into the household account right now (well, what doesn't go back into my eBay business in the form of inventory or shipping supplies) instead of being my "mad money" like it usually is. But that's kind of nice, at least I feel like I'm contributing something. But I still miss my "mad money." All luxuries are now no-nos, except a little treat for Emma now and again when she's been helpful and we have recycling money (my mom and aunt save cans and bottles for us.) My trip to see one of my bestest friends ever, who lives in OK, this summer, is on rocky ground; there's no way if Jeff doesn't get a job in the next month or so I'm going to be able to make it, and I was really, really looking forward to it. *cries*

Well, what are you going to do? That's life. There are good times and rough times, and sometimes you've gotta have the rough. I just hope things cycle up again really soon.

New Nephew

Baby James Nunn Hamilton was born at Dallas Presbyetrian Hospital (the same place Emma was born) to Bryan and Amy, my brother- and sister-in-law, at 4:42, via emergency c-section, after about a day and a half of labor. He weighed 9 lbs., 3 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Emma is three today!

She got a bike.



She is so big!

For Guinevere

...as well as anyone else who wants them, here are the recipes I will be using in my Enrichment class next week.

I'm not on the computer as much as I had been right now and we're kind of busy because KPC lost his job again. This time we have decided to just pick up odd jobs how and as we can and start a home-based business (more on that forthcoming soon.) So when I'm on the computer it's mostly eBay related, because that makes at least a little money. If you know anyone who is planning a wedding please keep an eye on my forthcoming auctions; I will have my Temple-ready wedding dress up soon (been meaning to get rid of that for a while) and I am selling my upstairs neighbor's non-Temple-appropriate, $3,000 new dress for her (as well as a whole bunch of her bridesmaid dresses, since it's prom season and they're nice I think they'll sell, and a flower girl dress, and some various wedding accessories), and may be selling my sister's dress for her soon, too. If you have a daughter going to prom any time soon I will also have a modest formal that is perfect for a prom dress up soon, and I'll have other stuff... I've been finding great stuff at SunThrift lately, but it does mean a lot of work in listing them all on eBay. Between that, and Jeff working on his part-time job hunt and us both working on the website for the business, helping my aunt when we can (she's swamped with tax clients right now), and Emma's birthday on Thursday (I still haven't even started planning her party), and Jeff needing to do schoolwork (luckily this week is his week off), and Easter next week, I just haven't had as much time or energy for blogging or reading everyone else's blogs. *sigh* I am psyched about Jeff being in firmer control of his own employment soon. It is a loooong story what happened at his work but suffice it to say that it wasn't really anything he did... *growl* Stupid people bother me.

The "Busy Season"

It seems like this time of year everything picks up in our lives. Last Saturday we went to Chuck E. Cheese (Emma had fun, Bridey tolerated it), went to church, I volunteered to teach a crock pot cooking class at Enrichment April 12 (they had the class scheduled but no teacher), today I went shopping for baby shower gifts and stuff-- the shower is IN BETWEEN CONFERENCE SESSIONS on Saturday. Sheesh. (Yes, it's a ward baby shower.) So after Conference weekend this weekend we will have another busy week including Emma turning 3, then on Saturday a combined birthday party/Easter egg hunt, then Sunday is Easter (dinner at my mom's), then sometime the next weekend or the one after or something we need to have another party, for Emma and Bridget, then it will be Bridget's actual birthday, in the middle of all this my class at McGroarty will start, it just seems like we don't stop in this family until at least June. (I just listed the April events, May and June are all pretty full every weekend already, too.)

I am excited about all of it, of course. (The art class will be really great. L.A. area parents of children ages 3 to 5, you are invited to join us; registration begins this Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, and after that you may register in the office or call from 10 am to 3 pm Tues., Wed., and Thur. Class runs Saturdays from 11 am to noon, eight weeks starting April 21. For more information and contact number see the website; there are a lot of other great classes, too! I know at least half of the teachers and they are great people.) I have to drop by McGroarty tomorrow with Sheri and find out where everything is and familiarize myself with everything. And birthdays are always fun. I need to start planning that party... I think Emma wants an Ernie and Bert theme this year. But it can get a little overwhelming sometimes with stuff going on EVERY weekend! I'm glad Jeff gets home early so we can get stuff done during the week as well.

What's Been Going On

This is just a general update post, I guess. The last few days eBay has been treating me well; I may have to take a few months off this summer to make sure my profits don't get to a level that's reportable on our income tax! So we've been busily e-mailing, packaging and shipping (Emma loves to help; she drops the wrapped clothing into the envelopes for me, and then helps me seal them. When we get to the Post Office, I use the Automated Post Office machine and she puts the "stickers" on and drops them in the bin and closes it. She has a blast.) I am almost cleaned out of inventory, I need to make another trip to SunThrift this Saturday (their half off day.)

We have a new little vacuum; it's a Eureka Cordless Quick-Up. They're $24 at Target right now and my aunt had me get one for her brother-in-law's birthday, but it's not until July, so I hinted that I would like one for my birthday, and they called me back in after discussing it to give it to me early. I'm loving it. We have a great vacuum and will still use it for that twice-monthly or so deep-cleaning, but for quick clean-ups, this one is more than adequate. It's light enough I can use it without hurting my back; if Emma didn't hate vacuum noise so much, she could even use it! Speaking of noise, it's much quieter than the big vacuum, and I hate vacuum noise too, so that is a big plus. I can pick up crushed Cheerio messes with it without a big hassle, and it even has a part that detaches to make a little hand-vac for cleaning the couch and such! Very cool.

We went today and did a preschool interview for Emma. I have been feeling more and more strongly that while I intend to home-school Emma when she gets to kindergarten, for the next year at least she needs more peer interaction than she is getting. Socially she is on track and intellectually she is very advanced, but she still has a few language difficulties that I think more time away from home would be a benefit for, and potty training has become a big resistance issue. I think she would benefit greatly by being around other kids who are using the potty and also by being "potty taught" a bit by an adult who is NOT Mommy or Abba, with whom she already has all kinds of other issues. She will be three in a few weeks and she is firmly resistant to using the potty at this point, just because it has become such a control thing between her and us. A week ago, about a month after I had started praying about how to get her more peer interaction, we noticed a new sign for a home-based Montessori preschool on the corner. We interviewed today and we are going to do it! The lady whose new business it is has been teaching in Montessori schools for 16 years. She had about 30 pages of references, just completed her Montessori certification (after two years of work on it), and has been inspected by the Department of Health and licensed by the state. She is really nice, Emma loved it there, the fees are reasonable (cheaper than anything I've had quoted to me), and my aunt has said she will pay half, and that she will speak to my dad because he will probably be willing to chip in some too. Emma will be going two days a week, and the best part is that we can take her for as many or as few hours as we wish; because it is literally a one-minute walk from our apartment, I will be able to take her and pick her up whenever I want or she needs it. We are all really excited. Besides the potty-training and language advantages, Emma is showing a lot of pre-reading readiness (she spends some quality time on Starfall, that's where she has learned most of it), and we think that in a Montessori environment (perfect for her learning style and Sensory Processing Disorder!) we think she will probably be reading within a year (although of course we aren't going to push it.) The schedule is very thorough, with a lot of structure but allowing for plenty of unstructured play, and I think that will be good for her, too. I think this is going to be a huge blessing in our lives, and if the monthly fee is split three ways, I think I can just about pay for our portion with my monthly eBay profits, it's that reasonable! And I just know that Ems will have a blast, there was so much fun stuff to do, they have music and Spanish (both of which she adores) every day, and she even has a swing set and slide!

We are trying to clean up the living room and keep it clean. Emma is helping because she wants to go to Chuck E. Cheese (insidious viral marketing! They sponsor Sesame Street), and we told her that if she helps clean up and keep it clean, we will take her on Saturday. (We don't really mind much. Jeff likes pizza and I like skeeball... And we have coupons.)

I have started on chasteberry extract (Vitex) to hopefully regulate my cycle, which has been wonky ever since that miscarriage. It seems to be having an effect already, we will see what it does long-term.

So that's pretty much our week so far. Hope you are all having as much good news in your life as we are having in ours!

SingShot-- make a fool of yourself from the privacy of your own home!

So a friend on Hatrack got me started on SingShot, a free online karaoke site, and my new mic came in the mail (as I discovered that the old one had been chewed through by a cat, had to get a new one), so I have been going all night (since I haven't been sleeping anyway.) Most of what I'm doing is pretty awful but hey, it's karaoke, so I'm not gonna let that stop me from sharing it with the world! Check out stuff I've done on my profile page, and register yourself and join in if you like! If you do, let me know (either in comments here or through the SingShot feedback feature-- add me to your favorites or comment on a song I did and tell me who you are.) I'd love to hear all YOUR musical foolishness!

Chef of the Day

I am the featured Chef of the Day on Recipezaar, my favorite recipe site, today! Coolness!

Corned Beef, $0.89/lb.

Ooooh, yeah.

New Pictures of Emma

I was playing with the new camera the other day (got it on Tanga for less than half the retail price, woo-hoo!) It has neato settings for black and white and sepia effects, among other things, as well as a "kid capture" setting that is great for pictures of fast-moving toddlers. I got some good ones of Ems and thought I'd share. :)

Can you say "irony" with me, girls and boys?

So. I followed an ad link to the Little Me website, just out of curiosity. They were making a big deal about dressing kids like kids. (Something I agree with.) They had on their home page a picture of a little girl covering her face with the caption, "Please don't dress me like a teenager." (Again, I agree completely.) So, I checked out some of their offerings in my daughter's size. And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

This.

"Little bellies never looked cuter in this two-piece halter bikini." Yeah, huh. Whatever.

Irony, or hypocrisy. Take your choice.

Sometimes random acts of kindness and the tender mercies of the Lord...

...are the same thing, I think.

For instance, today I was walking with Ems and Bridey in the double stroller. We were stuck at the little island between two crosswalks that cross a very busy street. I put the brake on, but apparently it didn't catch all the way. I went to go and push the crosswalk button, about five feet away, and as I pushed it, Emma started wiggling, because she wanted to keep going. I saw the stroller start to roll into fast-moving, oncoming traffic, and lunged, knowing as I did that I was not going to make it, and all I could hope for was cars to notice and swerve until I could pull it back-- and at that exact moment, a mother walking her young son was passing it, and was paying attention despite being a little past it. Without a word or a thought, she turned around, grabbed the stroller, and held it until I made it there. With a smile, she moved on. And I praised the Lord and thanked Him for this act of kindness from a stranger. Because it was both an act of kindness and goodness, on her part-- and an act of love and protection on His. God knows when we will be in need and provides the instruments for our help and protection well in advance-- often in the form of putting those around us in the right place and position to help us. I truly believe this. Maybe we can all pay attention to these opportunities to serve others in small ways and recognize them for what they are-- an opportunity to be the instrument of the Lord's tender mercies in someone's life.

It is positively balmy outside.

I mean, I've heard the term before, but it was the first time I've ever been walking outside and the word "balmy" popped into my head to describe the night. I was getting the laundry out of the dryer, and it is just a lovely night. I'm tempted to find a project (or a book and a drink) and go outside and sit by the door, just to enjoy it. No one's out there to see my pjs (which are nice, anyway; my daddy got them for me after Christmas when they went on sale because I liked Sherí's so much, and they are white with red cardinals and flowers and soft blue spots on them; Ems calls them my "chicken jammies") and it's nicer outside than in right now. Mmmmm...

In other news, we got a package from Bridget and Emma's "Auntie" Yvette today, with some late Christmas presents (which they loved.) Emma is thrilled that the Spot stuffed toy matches the Spot books... If you're reading this, thank you, Auntie Yvette! We'll send a note soon.

"We awe habing a picpic!"

(Picnic, that is.)

Last night we were talking to Wendy and Max, our new neighbors. Max wanted to play with Bridget but Bridget needed a nap. So I asked if he would like to have a picnic tonight and play with Bridget and Emma after dinner. He and his mom said yes, so we did!

I made breaded chicken tenders, rice (Max said he liked rice when I asked him what he likes to eat, but he actually ate more chicken than rice), chicken gravy, and veggies. The kids had apple juice and we grownups split a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. We all sat on a blanket and towel on the ground on the back patio area, except for Bridget, who sat in the baby rocker and was fed jarred baby food. While we ate we talked, and then we grownups cleaned up while Max and Emma both played with toys (they each have some outdoor toys stored on the patio, and played with each other's to their hearts' content. Max also taught Emma how to dump dirt with a toy dump truck.) Then we had the fruit cocktail cake that I had made, and some cookies and cream ice cream that Wendy brought. The kids played more while we finished clearing up, and then we said good night.

It was really fun! I love having neighbors we can hang out with, and Max and Emma seem to be fast friends already. I think that she was not very close to the last little boys who lived here because there were three of them, 4, 5, and 6, so they always played together, and also they were much rowdier than her, plus their parents smoked so I never wanted her in their apartment. Since Max is an only and Emma just has Bridget, who she loves but who is after all just a baby so far, and because Max is a much gentler, quieter kid, they seem set to become good friends. Also, Wendy doesn't smoke, so I don't care if Ems goes up there to play with Max. Anyway, it was great to eat outside (the weather has been nice) and have friends to share it with.

Odd Snacks

I'm having one of my favorite late-night snacks: corn and cheese. I know a lot of people think that it is very odd, but it is delicious. I dump a can of cream-style corn in a bowl, zap it in the microwave for about one and a half minutes, and then stir in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or three cheese blend; we always have either one or the other around.) Then I eat it with a spoon. Mmmmmm.

I have come up with some of the best snacks and sandwiches late at night, especially when hormonal. For instance, one of my husband's all-time favorites was invented when I was up late not sleeping and reading fanfic one night. Here's what you do:

Cut one piece of white pita bread in half to form two pockets. Using one or both (one is one sandwich), put in a generous handful of deli-shaved turkey. On either side of the turkey (next to the pita), put one or two (depending on size) bread and butter pickle slices. (Home-made are best, but if I don't have access to them I use Klaussen's that I have taken a little of the juice out of and added about 1/4 cup sugar to and shaken up. They're not quite sweet enough for me otherwise.) So now if you took a cross-section it would go bread, pickle, turkey, pickle, bread. Now, pull the turkey away from the pickle on one or both sides and drizzle down into it some Hidden Valley ranch dressing. If desired, repeat the ranch on the other side. (I do for my husband, don't for me.) Mmmmm. Sounds weird, but is really delicious; the mix of flavors and textures is excellent.

What are some of your favorite late-night snacks? What snacks or sandwiches have you invented that others think are weird when they hear about them, but are delicious?

Late-night Vent

I am having a grumpy day. I know this is probably my fault, but it's my blog and I'll vent if I want to. (WARNING: COMPLETELY UNRIGHTEOUS GRUMPING AND COMPLAINING AND WHINING AHEAD.)

I have blisters on my hands from untangling my hair last night. I'm shedding, and it was pretty awful. It took about two hours of washing, conditioning, combing, conditioning, untangling, conditioning, untangling, conditioning, and untangling before it was braid-able. I weighed the hair I lost (what didn't go down the drains despite my best efforts); about 4 ounces. My head feels lighter, but my neck hurts from the tugging.

Testimony meeting this morning was okay, but I didn't get to enjoy it much because both the girls were grumpy. And hyper. At the same time.

In Relief Society, we had a lesson about Relief Society. And how wonderful it is. Whatever. I was just not in the mood. After a wonderful SS lesson (the high point of church today; I wished it could have gone on for two more hours) I just wanted to keep that good feeling going after my grumpiness from not getting to enjoy testimonies. I might have tolerated it some weeks, but this week I sat in the back and made snarky comments to a sister who knows how I get and loves me anyway. She had the good grace to giggle and try to cheer me up.

Also, during SS and RS my hands kept turning purple and red and white and blotchy and I was getting dizzy and seeing funny visual things. I thought I was over that. Apparently not.

Jeff had gone home during SS to put Bridget down for a nap, so I had to call him to make him come back (I had baby clothes in the car to give to someone, and he has an after-church calling, and I needed to go to choir.) It didn't make much difference. I only got to do about a third of choir anyway because the girls were so grumpy and clingy and because Jeff was busy in the clerk's office I couldn't just have him watch them. A sweet Mia Maid I know watched Bridey for about half an hour, and I actually got 15 minutes in, but then Ems started acting up and I had to take her out so as not to disrupt the entire choir practice. By that time Bridget was screaming, too, and I had to hold both of them because if I put one of them down the crying would start again.

We got home and I didn't feel like cooking dinner. But I had promised and we didn't have enough leftovers in the fridge for everyone to eat, so I made cheeseburgers. And oversalted them. At least our new dishwasher works really well so I don't have to do the dishes.

In RS today they announced a joint baby shower for two of my friends (sisters-in-law, due a month apart, one with twins), and the woman in front of me said, "I hope it's not at so and so's house (one of the pregnant women), it's so small and a ton of people always turn up for a Saturday baby shower, it will be so crowded." That ticked me off. We can't all afford rich fancy big houses, and what a thing to criticize for! I'm sure she didn't mean anyone but her friend to hear, but I did, and it just added to my bad mood. And whoever scheduled the shower did it on General Conference weekend, how much sense does that make? Not much. I think it might be between the sessions, but still.

Emma is still awake. Again. Her schedule is all out of whack.

And she's afraid of the toilet and no amount of Mr. Rogers book reading will get her over it and I am SO SICK of changing her nasty diapers (she's a big fruit eater and often has a virus, to boot.) She doesn't like diaper changes, either, unless it's really bad she runs away and screams when you change her. I have tried to explain that the way to avoid this is to do it in the toilet but that just makes her madder. I know I have to wait until she's ready but I'm just fed up tonight.

And sometimes I am just so sick of living where we do and like we do and not having a car (I don't think I even remember how to drive, it's been so long) and our dumb landlord and one bathroom and no washer and just... Everything. And then I feel REALLY guilty because I know there are SO MANY people who have less than we do, in fact I've been one of them, and I know we are so blessed because the Lord has always provided for us, often with help from friends, family, neighbors, and because I must be a horrible person to be so covetous but it's hard not to WANT. *sigh*

I'm also sick of my insomnia and sleep disturbances and difficulties. And being sick. And tired. And ugly and fat and horrible.

And I miss my friends. I'm surrounded by friends, but not, you know, my soul sisters. And I am lonely for them and they live so far away and I wish I could visit right now but I have to wait.

There. That feels somewhat better. Sorry about that.

I am no longer spam in the eyes of Blogger.

And about time too. Their e-mail was almost polite, and their response was quicker than I expected. But good grief. I couldn't believe that when I read it! Sheesh.

Now, what shall I do?

Bridget went to sleep for the night around 10. Emma went down about 11 (for once!) Jeff asked if there was anything else I needed, got it for me, kissed me, and is asleep. This is a very unusual situation. Hmmm. I could watch a show only I want to see on tv. I could clean the living room up a bit. (Nah.) I could take a nice, warm bath and read a book and eat chocolate. Yes, that sounds nice! I think I will go do that.

P.S.-- Blogger apparently thinks my blog is a spam blog. Lovely. I guess I'm not a very good writer or something. My text must be "irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical." Sheesh. Fine, I'll admit it, my posts aren't very important to anyone but me. But to be TOLD that by Blogger is a bit of a slap in the face!

Calling!!!

Yep, that's what it was about! Well, we had a good chat first, our wonderful Bishop never just extends a calling when he can chat first. ;) And I will indeed get the calling I thought I would get. Which is good, I suppose, because our website is in DESPERATE need of an overhaul.

I also just went up and met our new (right above us) neighbors. It's a mother and son, very nice people. We offered them dinner but they are having pizza, so we exchanged phone numbers and I let her know she can ask if she ever needs anything. It's so nice to have neighbors you can get along with.

Calling???!!!???

I just returned a call from the Executive Secretary, who called because the bishop wants to see me.

Now, I don't think I've done anything bad enough that the bishop would call me in if I wasn't getting a calling. So I think this means that I'M FINALLY GETTING A CALLING! I've been in this ward a year and a half without one. I'm soooooo ready to have a calling! (I have a feeling it might be Ward Webmaster, which I've been before and didn't love, but hey, it's a calling, and I would be good at it, and our ward website needs HELP. It hasn't been updated in about twenty gajillion years-- okay, so I exaggerate-- except for automatic updates, and I'm constantly forgetting that nothing is on the online calendar and trying to check and see what time something is. So I really wouldn't mind that all that much. At least I'd be useful! Of course, watch me be totally wrong.)

New job, now possible new calling? It's been a good day!

A very old meme.

This used to be an e-mail forward, I think. And before that, a game of some sort. Anyway, I hopped over to Millie's and she did it, and I wanted to play, too.

The Rules of the game:
1. Find the nearest book to you.
2. Name the book and author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
5. Copy out the next 3 sentences and post to your blog.
6. Tag three other people.

Mine was See Delphi and Die, the latest Marcus Didius Falco mystery from Lindsey Davis. Here you go:

"'Come on, ladies; this is important. I can't interrogate Milo, by the way, because he's died on me.'
Looking shocked, Cleonyma pressed a hand against her lips then muttered through her fingers, 'He was trying to lure Valeria to the palaestra to hear some poet reading his work.'"

Intrigued? You very well should be. I adore the Falco mysteries. (They're set in Ancient Rome and thereabouts, if you couldn't guess. The characterization is wonderful.)

I tag Dawnyel, Suzanne, and Guinevere.

Squee!

I just got a job! A little one, but that's fine for now! I got a job teaching Preschool Art for the Spring session at McGroarty Park! I will be starting in April and going through June, Saturdays from 11-12. Pay is $25/hour for class time, which is not bad. I've worked harder for $200. And it will be doing something I love-- exploring the world through art projects with 3 to 5 year olds! I can take Emma with me, and I think it is going to be FABULOUS!

Thank you for your prayers.

Sorry I wasn't on last night to post this; I had a rough evening/night and didn't feel up to it.

Many, many thanks for your prayers for baby Morgan and her family. We found out yesterday that Morgan was taken off the oxygen yesterday morning and was expected to go home last night. I haven't heard anything else so I am assuming she is safely home. That means she only had to stay one and a half or two days in the hospital, which is a lot better than a week as the doctors originally thought. We are very grateful for your love and support; we firmly believe that all that prayer pulled her through. :)

Prayer Request

We found out tonight that baby Morgan, our new neice, is in the NICU with RSV. She may be there up to a week, according to the doctors. Heather is still recovering from her c-section, neither she nor LeCount is getting any sleep, Jaden is picking up on the stress, and while they fully expect Morgan to be okay, it's scary, of course. And aside from that, they now will have 20% of this hosptial stay and treatment to pay for on top of the hospital and doctor bills for her delivery, which they could ill afford to begin with. So your prayers for their family would be much appreciated. Their last name is McLaughlin for those who would like to pray using it or put them on a Temple prayer roll. Thank you.

The Mama to This Blogging Mama

Okay, so NCS over at More Cowbell did this, and I hopped over to Adventures in Babywearing and decided to do this too.



My mom and I have not always had the greatest relationship. In particular, she unfortunately has a twisted worldview and has created false memories because of this worldview, which makes her think that some things are true which are not true. She did some things growing up that severely messed me up. I know that she did this because she loved me, and that in her twisted world she was caring for me. But they hurt. I was only able to forgive her about a year and a half after I moved out of her house and wasn't under her influence any more.

That being said, except when you get on those few subjects that she has a false outlook on, she is a wonderful woman. My mom has lived for others practically her whole adult life. She works hard and she gives all that she has to give, more sometimes. She is a wonderful grandmother and our number-one babysitter of choice (we don't do babysitters outside the family.) As you can see in the picture, she keeps things around at her house to make it a special place for my girls, she loves to play with them, and she is wonderful with kids.

My mom loves her job. She is a Registered Nurse, Registered Occupational Therapist, and Certified Public Health Nurse, and she currently is the Nurse-Coordinator of Craniofacial Services for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. She runs all of Kaiser's craniofacial clinics in the region. She works with the parents and the patients. She remembers all of their names, lives, histories, family details. She sits with parents while their children are in life-threatening but life-saving surgeries; she teaches them how to feed their child, stretch the child's neck, care for the child's stitches, anything that the doctors don't take the time to do or the other nurses didn't do right the first time. She is the heart and soul of the Craniofacial Department, and the doctors all know it. Besides that, when the other OTs have a child who they can't get to eat-- even the feeding specialists-- my mom is the one they call. How lucky I was to have her when my second child wasn't nursing well when she came home from the hospital, and her jaundice wasn't clearing! I called my mom at work, sobbing, because you know how you get when you've just had a baby, the hormones make you completely wack-o, and the baby not eating is enough to send you over the edge. She dropped what she was doing, told her boss she was leaving, and drove to our apartment and spent about half an hour helping me get Bridey to nurse. (Turns out she had a small chin, and needed extra support and a different position for the first few weeks.) She is also the one who noticed that Bridey's chin was small and when we put her on her back or side to sleep, her tongue was blocking her throat, and that's why she was waking up to scream every half-hour. After we followed her advice and turned Bridget on her tummy to sleep, we found out she was a wonderful sleeper. Thank goodness for my very knowledgeable, observant mom!

I have really forgiven my mom more and grown closer to her since I got pregnant with Emma. I sometimes wonder how she took care of us after working long hours, like she always did. Before she worked Craniofacial she worked Newborn Screening, and before that Genetics at County (before that, Child Abuse at County, but I was not very aware of her work back then.) She used to tell us about interesting cases at the dinner table, and draw Punnett squares on the paper napkins to explain genotypes to us. By the time I hit Jr. High School Life Science, I was able to teach the TEACHER a few things about the principles of genetics. I also excelled in nutrition; my mom always explained WHY we ate what we ate and what about it was good for us, and when I started cooking for my own family I didn't have a problem serving balanced, delicious, nutritious meals on the cheap (she also taught me how to grocery shop.)

I see now that my mom went out of her way to encourage our natural curiosity and aptitude for learning. She is part of the reason that by the time we were 8 or so, we would rather take a vacation touring historical sites than a trip to Disneyland. (Not that we didn't love Disneyland, but we knew my mom hated it and would be grumpy, plus that was only one day, while we could instead choose to vacation for a week and see LOTS of fascinating stuff.) We did science projects in the back yard, and she either helped us or freely gave us the materials. We played math games in waiting rooms and logic and word games in the car. We learned to respect other people from the way she always talked about others, and to love other cultures from our trips to cultural experiences and friends' gatherings where we ate Filipino, Korean, and all other kinds of food. I learned to pray and love God from her, and I learned that being a good citizen and a good neighbor means both caring and helping. And all of this was so natural that it just was part of our life, nothing odd or strange or out of the ordinary. She has very much informed my ideal of what an education should be.

She also taught us to love music and literature. I remember reading out loud before bed; I remember seeing her curled up with a book, same as we would; I remember the house always filled with music. Both of my older sisters were in A Capella Choir and also the All-State Honor Choir in high school. They sang constantly, and if they weren't singing, my mom was. We had a song for everything and songs for nothing. We sang in the car; on long road trips we would harmonize over folk songs and hymns and you couldn't turn the radio on without someone singing along-- unless it was classical music, in which case we played "what's that instrument" (when we were younger) and "name that composer and work" (when we were older.) Music made things fun; we sang while we cleaned, or raced a song on the radio to see if we could pick up all the toys before it ended. Mom played marches on the piano to get us to "march" off to our baths or to our bedrooms.

So in the end, I have taken more good than bad from my relationship with my mom. I know that she loves me, always has and always will. She loves my little family now, and she helps us more than I can say. She knows how to help even when she's not told what's wrong or asked for help, and that is truly a gift. I love having her near, even more having lived away for two years, and I don't want to have to do without her any time soon.

So that's my mom. If you're interested, post a picture and tell us something about yours. You can check it out over at Adventures in Babywearing. :)

Fun in Downtown

So as I said, today, while my mom and sister watched the girls, we went for a late lunch at Philippe's and ate French dips, potato salad (Jeff's side), canned peach halves (mine), and lemonade. Mmmm. Then we walked over to Chinatown (only two blocks away and parking in Philippe's lot is free, while Chinatown parking costs), and walked around a bit. We stopped in my favorite Chinatown grocery store and got chocolate-filled Hello Panda, Emma's favorite. (Actually the ones they had today were marked for sale in Mexico as well as the U.S., so the name is "Hola Panda" instead. But it's the same thing.) We stopped at the store with the cutest shoes and I got new flip-flops (I've needed new ones for two years now, and the same ones with straw bottoms and black straps that are $12.99 at Payless are $1.99 in Chinatown.) For the girls, I got shoes for Easter:


(They are pinker than they look in that picture. Emma has the same ones except in black brocade with red flowers that she got to wear with her Christmas dress. They cost $5 a pair and actually hold up pretty well. They have some of them in adult sizes but didn't have any I liked in my size today.) Then we chatted, looked around a bit, and threw pennies in the wishing well. (Neither of us got them in the pots, which made for a lot of joking and laughs, even though we don't really believe in the "power" of wishing wells.)

We stopped after that to get some jin doi, which are donut-like fried balls of rice-flour dough filled with sweet red-bean paste and covered in sesame seeds, my mom's favorite and what she had requested when I asked if she wanted anything from Chinatown. I got four because I know she loves them so much, they were $0.60 and we figured $2.40 for two and a bit hours of babysitting for the two kids was not a bad deal. ;)

When we got there Emma and Bridey were happily playing and my sister (half-sister, whatever) Megan was down playing with them too. Emma really gets along well with Megan; I think it's because Megan is so comfortable with kids. (She has none of her own but likes them and did a LOT of babysitting as a teen, and two to four is just about her favorite age to play with.) Bridget didn't even notice us at first but when she finally saw me crawled over as fast as she could and "Uh, uh, uhn"ed at me until I picked her up. Emma was happy to see us and happier to see the Hello Panda. Before we left Megan gave me a very-late birthday present from last year that she never got a chance to give me:



(The front cover pic didn't turn out, so this is a view of one of the pages.) They're little "fold and seal mailers", with five different "yellow cover" Nancy Drew designs! Some of you may remember that I collect Nancy Drew books (and still sometimes occasionally read them.) My sisters have always picked up anything Nancy Drew-related for me, like Megan and I pick up anything Alice in Wonderland- or ladybug-related for our sister Erin, who loves them both. I'm very thrilled with them and am now trying to figure out who I can write, so they can share the awesome-ness. If you want a note on Nancy Drew stationary, e-mail your name and address to roguejaina AT yahoo DOT com. :D

So it turned out to be a very nice afternoon despite the virus we've all got. Hopefully we will be well enough to make it to more than Sacrament Meeting tomorrow (Emma and Bridget seem almost fully recovered so I have hope, since I seem to be about one day behind them.) And Target finally had lightweight spring/summer sweaters that matched in both their sizes, so I got those, too. (I've given up on the bonnet and hat. I'm going to buy those on ebay instead.) I feel like smiling even while sitting around just doing nothing much, which hasn't happened in a while. I guess we were really due for some time without the kids.

More Bargain Shopping

I know some of you enjoy this stuff, so I thought I'd share.

My cousin Mark and his wife Hope just had their first baby, Jackson. You all know I love baby things, and I love shopping, and I don't have a little boy to do it for. So while we were out and about today, when we stopped by Sears, I noticed "Baby Sale" signs all over. It was another of their Clearance on Clearance things; I love those. Almost anything with Winnie the Pooh on it was on sale, some of it on clearance and some of it just regular sale, and Hope loves Winnie the Pooh. I called up my aunt, and she said to go ahead and buy things for Jackson on her behalf, and while we were at it, to pick out a few matching things for our girls, since she meant to get them some at Christmas and then got overwhelmed, and that she'd pay us back when she got the chance (it's tax season, she works a little this time of year and has a bit of extra disposable income.)

Since I took pictures to send to her anyway (she wanted to see them but my dad and almost-step-mom are going over to Flagstaff tomorrow and we sent the things with them to save on shipping and get them there faster, so she wouldn't get a chance unless I took pics for her), I thought I'd show you all, too, so you can bounce with me over their adorableness.

They're not great pics, I was in a hurry to wrap them, but I think they do the trick.


Here are some of the cutest things I found and also great bargains. My aunt said besides the little baby stuff to pick up some bigger things if I found them, so I got these for church next fall or winter. They're size 12 mos. and were just so precious! The little chinos were $1.59 and the little blazer was $1.99, best deals of the day!


This little gown was nice and warm for chilly Flagstaff. It was only on regular sale, but I figured that 30% off-- $11.20-- for a brand-new, 0-6 mos. Winnie the Pooh nightgown wasn't bad.




Such a cute little 0-3 mos. velour "jogging suit", with a hoodie, pants, and long-sleeved onesie, and it was $8.49.



I couldn't resist this one; every new baby needs at least one cute little outfit nice enough for church the first week they go, and it made me go "awwww." And the price tag, $7.49, made me go "Why not?"

Besides those I got a really luxurious little Carter's hooded towel, which was $5 off the regular price, and a only-two-dollars-off-but-worth-it Halo Sleep Sack, to be from us (we had also picked up a few little sleepers and things in like-new condition from the thrift store-- I happen to know Hope won't care-- and a onesie from Target that says "I'm With the Band" on it; Hope and Mark are both musicians, and Mark makes guitars, I saw it and couldn't resist.) So the gifts all got wrapped up in two bags (reused, of course, the tissue too; I save them because I'm cheap and, if they're in perfect condition, why not?)

The last two pictures are of the things I chose for the girls:


ADORABLE, are they not? Emma will love it when she and Bridey wear them to church. The 4T one came with a little purse, and the 12 mos. one with a headband. $9.99 for the larger, $8.49 for the smaller, original prices $40 and $36.



Also in sizes 4T and 12 mos, $8.49 each. Perfect for the park, hats and all! I can't wait to dress them in these.

So that was my excitement for the day. (I mentioned that we can afford to pay for this and let my aunt pay us back later because we got our $5200 tax refund this morning, right?) And tomorrow, KPC and I are going out on our belated Valentine's date while my mom watches the girls. We are going to Philippe's, inventors of the French-dipped sandwich, for lunch, and then wandering around Chinatown for a while. It will be fun, I think.

I hope you all are having a great weekend, too!

Three Happy Things

1) Yesterday, while Abba did schoolwork and Bridey napped, Ems and I went on a little mommy-daughter outing. We shopped at the thrift store (okay, I shopped, she played in the toys.) I got some more leotards and some tiny little preemie boy clothes to sell on ebay (this is the great thing about ebay, I can shop for things I would never get a chance to buy otherwise, and someone gets the benefit of it.) Then we went to Hallmark and picked out cards for Abba for Valentine's Day (don't tell KPC!) Emma picked out one from her and Bridget, all by herself. She also had fun with a frog that ribbited when you moved in front of it. Then we went and spoiled our dinners with Thrifty sherbet from Rite Aid (she had rainbow, I had apricot mango.) It was just really nice. She's getting old enough to be really fun to interact with when she's not whining and she whines a lot less when Bridget isn't around and she gets some individual attention (also when she's out somewhere instead of stuck at home.) I enjoyed getting to know the little PERSON she's becoming (as opposed to just a very smart, cute baby.) She has a lot of opinions and thoughts and questions about the world, and it's a pleasure to see that little mind discovering and figuring out.

2) I am wearing a pair of pants I have not managed to wear since I was first married, before I started getting big with Emma. They are size 10. (I was a size 9 on my wedding day, the smallest I have ever been in my adult life and, given my bone structure and the size of my hip bones, probably the smallest I can ever hope to be.) I knew I had lost some weight, but I also know I have a bit yet to go before I'm down to the smallest I was after Emma (about 10 lbs. more.) What I didn't realize, is that it's coming off in the right places, namely around my middle (hips and waist.) The weight that I put on with Emma seemed to stay there and I wasn't aware that it was starting to come off after the 20 extra lbs. I had after Bridget. Now, granted, the pants are made of SLIGHTLY stretchy fabric, and the fit is tight, but I was able to pull them on without a problem and zip them without laying down or anything. Even though I'm not, tonight I feel thin and pretty, just because of a comparison with what I felt and looked like a couple of months ago. No special effort, by the way; just making sure I exercise at least a little every few days, such as walking to the park or something, and trying to be aware of what I'm eating and sometimes make a healthier choice when I want a snack, and opting for seconds on dinner if I'm still hungry instead of dessert, or cutting the dessert serving in half. That, combined with approaching the magic 10 months post-partum (the time, for me, when continuing to nurse the baby really starts to pay off in the weight-loss department), and making sure I drink enough water, seems to have done the job without me feeling deprived or like I'm exercising really at all.

3) The big one: we got a dishwasher! Yes, after a year and a half with no dishwasher, we bought one (a portable, of course) on ebay. Jeff and my brother picked it up today and now we are going to go watch NCIS while the dishes get done. WOOT!!!

Emma Cuteness

Emma has been even more adorable than usual the last few days. Last night she wanted a drink of water. I got it for her, and she drank what she wanted. Then she went and put the rest on the table for later. She happened to put it next to two other cups and a box of graham crackers. She called out, "Look, mommy! Look! One of these things is not like the others! One of these things is not like the others! Right here on the table!" She then proceeded to sing the song (having good taste, she prefers the "One of these things is not like the others" song to the "Three of these things belong together" one), and then pointed at the graham cracker box and clapped. :D

Today she was sitting by Abba while he opened some mail. She said, "I want help!" So he gave her some opened junk mail. She said, "No, not this one! This one is torn! I want a NEW one!" So he gave her some unopened junk mail. With a big grin on her face, she explained to us before she proceeded to rip open the envelope, "This is my favorite part! Because I love it SO MUCH!"

Also, this morning Emma did this:

Precious, no?

That should be your Emma cuteness quota for the week. Not that I might not post more if she continues with the adorableness. ;)

Why is it so much harder...

...for me to accept service than to serve others? Well, I know the answer-- pride. But it's still hard to let people serve you, even out of love, sometimes.

I've been having a really bad couple of weeks. I'm on the 17th day of my bleeding, which has progressed from spotting to "soaking an overnight pad every two hours." I was sick for two weeks, and so were the kids; we're just finally getting over it. I haven't been much up to moving around, including cleaning. I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper to begin with; we tend to just about keep our heads above water, vacuuming every week or so, picking up enough to be able to walk, doing enough laundry to have something clean to wear, doing enough dishes to have room to use the sink. When those things don't happen because one or both of us are sick, well, things can get pretty bad pretty fast, since we don't have a lot of leeway. In any case, I have been starting to feel really overwhelmed, seeing as I've been stuck in a bed or chair where I can curl up with a heating pad for several weeks now.

My mom had her day off today. She called and asked how we were doing. She brought burritos and horchata for lunch, and then took a ton of dishes to wash at her house (she has a dishwasher), helped empty the trash in the kitchen, helped me pick up and take out trash from elsewhere, swept and mopped the floor, and did some dishes here. And she brought cookies, too.

I feel bad when she does this. But she never judges me. I know she understands (she's never been the world's most perfect housekeeper, either, and it was worse when we were kids; she's told me before that her mom used to help her out when she was in my situation.) She does it willingly, because she loves us. She's probably the only person I would let do this-- because she's the one person I know won't secretly think that we're awful slobs or incompetent parents or something. But I still feel bad that I can't handle it all (even when I'm both sick and periodizing.) I guess there's no real point to this post except to say that I feel lucky that my mom is around, and loves me, and helps me when I need it, even when I don't tell her I need it.

Fifty Cheap Dates

This seemed like a fun idea from Shalee's Diner, so I thought I'd participate! Here are some of our ideas for cheap dates. Some of them are L.A. specific, but let them inspire you to find similar things in your community!

1. IKEA. We love IKEA. If you live near an IKEA, you have got to check it out. The food in their restaurant is delicious and cheap. You can spend hours "window shopping" the store, and even if you do pick up something small, it's not going to be a lot of money. It's fun just to walk around, try out the furniture, laugh at the more outlandish stuff, spend time with your spouse. And if your kids are 3 or over and potty-trained, they provide FREE BABYSITTING! That's right, leave your kids in "Smäland" and they watch the kids, there's a ball room, usually craft tables or other activities, and they've got water and snacks as well. If your kids are younger, not potty trained, or not up for that, and you can't get a sitter, take the kids with you and just hang out while they play in the toy area in the Children's department.

2. Picnics. Picnics may seem trite, but they don't have to be! Don't limit yourself to the normal sandwiches in the park (although that can be fun, too-- bring a kite and have fun giggling, cuddling, and reliving your earlier years!) Go to the beach, the mountains, the public courtyard of an art museum where you can sit surrounded by beautiful sculptures, anywhere that you like that is a little shut off from the outside world, bring a blanket, and feed each other while you lounge on it. Some ideas for picnic food: soup in a thermos; appetizers; spanikopita, pita, hummus, canned giant fava beans and olives; or pick up take-out from an inexpensive local restaurant.

3. Olvera Street. We love to take the train down to Olvera Street (it's right across from Union Station; you can park at your local train station for free and a day pass on the train is only $2.50 a person, I think.) We walk around, enjoy the noise, the smells, get some candy from the little cart with the good dulces de calabasas, there are often free art exhibits to go to, and if not, the folk art all around is fascinating in itself, my husband holds up dresses or points them out and tells me I'd look sexy in them, we listen to the street musicians and hold hands. If you go on Saturdays, there are usually folklorico or Aztec dancers performing, all for free. And if you get hungry, no need to do a sit-down restaurant, there's a taco stand there or just hop across the street to a cheaper Mexican place. If you really want a sit down meal, I suggest walking a block or two to Pollo a la Brasa, a Peruvian place where you can get a whole chicken for less than $10 and sides for a few more.

4. Chinatown. L.A. has a great Chinatown district, with cheap delicious food, fun architecture, fun little shops, historical sights, LOTS of cultural interest, and is also accessible by train. Don't think you have to buy anything, although if you do haggle for it and it won't cost you much at all. Grocery stores in Chinatown have all kinds of fascinating snacks to try, or there are Vietnamese-Chinese noodle shops, or restaurants where the cost per person is usually less than $5. As an alternative, check out the Little Tokyo district just a few blocks over.

5. Free night at the art museum. Most major cities have a decent art museum-- and most of them have a free admission night. I know LACMA does, although I have not personally taken advantage of it and I'm not sure exactly when it is. In Dallas we used to go Thursday nights because Thursday nights at 5 admission starts being no charge, and they're open until 8 so you can get a good 3 hours in.

6. Historical sites. There are a ton of historical sites in California, and I love visiting them with my husband! So many fun things to look at and talk about, whether it's a mission (San Fernando is the closest to us), the Mormon Battalion Visitors' Center (about 20 minutes from us), or El Pueblo (on the afore-mentioned Olvera Street; the oldest surviving house in L.A., I believe.) They have given rise to many of our family jokes, and we love to just wander and feel the sense of history. Admission is usually either free, a voluntary donation, or less than $5 each.

7. The library! We have a HUGE central library in L.A., and they (as well as some of the branches) often put on events with low or no cost admission. From cultural events such as folk music or dancing to "history of food", local history, or other fascinating lectures sponsored by local societies, they can offer a world of low-cost and no-cost entertainment. Last year we enjoyed a bagpiper in full Highland dress, no cost, at our local branch, part of the cultural awareness program, they have one event every month. Plus it's fun to just wander around afterwards and maybe find some new books to read (free, of course, as long as you remember the due date! ;) )

8. Santa Monica Pier. What is more romantic than a ride on the Ferris Wheel at sunset, followed by ice cream at Ben and Jerry's a few blocks down? After a certain time of day most days of the week, parking is free. My dad sometimes comes with us so he can stay with the kids while we get a few minutes alone together on the Ferris Wheel while he spends time with his granddaughters. This idea, I think, could carry over to other activities-- do a "group activity" with someone you trust watching your kids for a little while here and there and the pressure is off for both of you-- they don't have to babysit all night, you don't have to be with the kids all night.

9. Hanging out at a relative's house. My aunt lives in a "planned community" with nice paths to walk and a swimming pool that's open in the summer. My kids love playing there and she has toys and videos and books for them. She's always happy to watch the kids for an hour or so while we walk, swim, go to the store, or whatever we want. It's good for quick "alone time." And let's face it, sometimes it's just nice to get out of the house, even if it's just someone else's house and you're in the same house as the kids-- at least you don't have to be in the same ROOM and there's someone to watch them!

Finally, don't forget to take advantage of the little moments here and there when the kids are occupied or somewhere else, and you can just hold hands and sneak a kiss. It may not be a real "date", but it sure makes for good memories. I cherish those little moments when I find them, and I hope you can too.

The Best Part About Having Two Girls:

Matching outfits.

I'll admit it. I'm one of those moms who just adores any outfit I can find that comes in sizes my daughters can both wear. My first foray into the land of matching outfits was when I was pregnant, actually; two turquoise jumpers with tiny white polka-dots in sizes 0-3 mos. and 2T at Once Upon a Child. Luckily for me, Emma LOVES matching Bridget, and we have gone off on a whirlwind of matching outfits that I am enjoying while it lasts!

In the last few months, we have had several purchases in the "matching" category-- off-white sweaters suitable for church and fancy occasions; coordinating (not quite matching, but both black velvet tops and red skirts) dresses, both with red hair bows, for Christmas; black stretch leggings and blue-turquoise tops from Target (actually, I have a turquoise top in a matching shade and black stretchy pants myself, so we can ALL match); several colors and styles of matching tights; green tops with butterflies on them from the Clearance pile at Target; matching Easter dresses from Sears (green and soooo adorable, and on a "sale on sale items" sale so they were about $13 each; I'll be buying a white bonnet for Bridey and a white hat for Ems as soon as Target stocks them for Easter); and yesterday, sky-blue stretch pants and coordinating butterfly shirts (purple with appliquéd butterfly which contains the same sky-blue) at Mervyn's (less than $10 for all four pieces, clearance again.)

And like I said, Ems seems to love it. She is a HUGE fan of matching outfits. I always wished, growing up, that I had a sister to match with (my sisters are 10 and 13 years older than I.) I guess I love living vicariously through dressing my kids up. I'm just glad that Ems is as much of a girly-girl as I always was, if not more, so I have someone to enjoy girly things with (my mom was not into really "girly" things the way I was, and your little brother will only let you put him in a skirt and clip-on earrings for so many years before he rebels.) *sighs contentedly* There's just something kind of sweet about putting your little girls in matching outfits and getting to enjoy the "Oh, how cute!" comments even more than usual. *grin* Another life-long dream accomplished. My husband rolls his eyes, but I will not be swayed from the path of matching clothing. At least, not until one or both of my girls rebel. And by then I will probably have other vic-- er, daughters to subject to my matching whims.

A Bit of a Slump

I'm not much in the blogging mood this week (despite having much to blog about.) Stake Conference was last weekend, and was awesome, and after SC on Sunday we went to a shinda at my friend Rivka's place, but I just haven't had the energy to write about them. (Heck, I haven't even been checking all my bloggy friends' blogs every day, and usually I check almost all of them at least twice a day!) I hope I will get to it soon.

I'm low on energy for several reasons. First, the normal end-of-the-month stress. Then, period stuff (it was late, and the cramping was severe; I had some pregnancy symptoms and a very faint positive last month, and then they abruptly stopped. I think it may have been another very early pregnancy loss/non-viable pregnancy. I was going to wait and do another test because the one was so faint, but I ended up losing all the symptoms and cramping and bleeding instead. But it's finally over, so yay!) On top of that both kids have been sick (but at least they're sleeping a lot, which is a relief for me.) And I've been busily listing some of the stuff I've been collecting for ebay (again, check out the widget at the bottom of the page!) After all that writing of descriptions, I'm just not much into writing some more, somehow.

Anyway, that's why I'm not around much this week. Hopefully I'll be back to my hyper self soon. :)