West By East

Books read in 2011

2012-01-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a interesting year in my reading. For my whole life, my reading has been dominated 10:1 by fiction over non-fiction. Last year was the first year the trend was reversed. While it wasn't a complete dominance of non-fiction, I did read three more non-fiction books than fiction. Another interesting trend for 2011 was that I read more children's books than non-fiction and fiction books COMBINED. Most of the children's books I've read have been read aloud to 'Shroom and Lolli and the remaning few I read on my own to "pre-screen" for future reference.

So, here is what I've read this past year with the photo of the most memorable book in each category.

FICTION:
1. Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Sandra Bricker)
2. The Help (Kathryn Stockett)
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Kim Edwards)
4. Cold Fire (Dean Koontz)
5. The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Jamie Ford)
6. Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)
7. Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri)
8. Little Bee (Chris Cleave)
9. Eden Close (Anita Shreve)

NON-FICTION:

1. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (Paul Miller)
2. The Successful Home Business Guide (Wil Limkemann)
3. Soul Cravings: An Exploration o fthe Human Spirit (Erwin McManus)
4. The Teachable Moments: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn (Rebecca Branstetter)
5. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (James McBride)
6. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Barbara Demick)
7. Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills (Carol Bradley)
8. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Todd Burpo)
9. The Homeschooling Option (Lisa Rivero)
10. The Homeschooling Book of Answers (Linda Dobson)
11. A Different Kind of Teacher (John Taylor Gatto)
12. What the Dog Saw (Malcolm Gladwell)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan:
     1. The Lightening Thief
     2. The Sea of Monsters
     3. The Titan's Curse
     4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
     5. The Last Olympian
Books by Roald Dahl
     6. The Witches
     7. Matilda
     8. James and the Giant Peach
     9. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
10. The Lost Hero (Rick Riordan - Book 1: The Heros of Olympians)
11. The Maze of Bones (Rick Riordan - Book 1: The 39 Clues)
12. One False Note (Gordon Korman - Book 2: The 39 Clues)
13. Eragon (Christopher Paolini - Book 1: The Inheritance Cycle)
14. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Eleanor Coerr)
15. The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart - Book 1: The Mysterious Benedict Society Collection)
16. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Robert C. O'Brien)
17. The Penderwicks (Jeane Birdsall)
18. The Penderwicks on Gardem Street (Jeane Birdsall)
19. The Island of Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)
20. Hatchet (Gary Paulsen)
21. Thomas and the Dragon Queen (Shutta Crum)
22. The Whipping Boy (Sid Fleischman)
23. The Pot of Wisdom: Ananse Stories (Adwoa Badoc)
24. Little Lord Fauntleroy (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
25. The Beginning of the Armadillos (Rudyard Kipling)
26. A Cricket in Times Square (George Selden)
27. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
28. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)

Well, there you go. Do you have any great reads you would like to share? Let me know!

A penny for my thoughts

2012-01-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

     If I received a penny for every thought or journal entry I've made in these past dozen or so years, I would be a very rich woman. I feel as though my blog here is a very small--an extremely tiny--window to my life. In some way, this porthole of a blog and the images seen through its cloudy glass are somewhat distorted.

     I've created this blog with the hopes of sharing some of my life experiences in a somewhat entertaining, if not amusing, manner. Deep down inside, however, I've also hoped that some of my more honest struggles as a mom, wife, woman, or whatever I represent to you, would somehow resonate with you in a way that enriches your life. Ha ha. I don't believe I am kidding anyone.

     My more honest struggles and darkest moments inadequacy and hopeless are saved for my handwritten journal. The long lapses of silence on my blog are filled with pages and pages of handwritten thoughts. I don't know why I'm so afraid to share these thoughts with you. Well, now, actually I can think of several reasons off the top of my head:

some of you know me and my family personally so sharing these struggles aren't so anonymous or so innocuous,
many of my moments of despair involve other people in my life so to share about these things would involve extreme tactfulness and sensitivity (neither of which I have on a consistent basis),
writing for a larger audience than "just myself" is very daunting and intimidating; I liken this why so many of us our shower singers rather than American Idol contestants,

and perhaps the biggest reason why my blog entries are more sporadic and infrequent than my journal entries is,

well, I just don't want to feel judged

Anyway, I don't even know why I'm writing all this. It's not like I'm promising to be more transparent about the things I write about, nor am I promising to blog more frequently. I guess I just wanted to say that in the things I do write, I'll try to make my writing more representative of my life in the hopes that it would be an encouragement to some of you out there who may be experiencing similar things.

Thanks for listening and reading.

Helpful Math Website

2012-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

My sister knows how much I struggle to teach my children math and forwarded to me this math website. While I haven't spent much time looking through the links, I did read the "about" section about this blogger. He's a dad who's helping his two daughters learn math and has created over 7,000 worksheets for them (and all of us!) to use.

At a quick glance, I knew enough to bookmark this page for future reference and use. I thought I would post it here and share it all with you since it looks like such a helpful site. Feel free to leave a comment for "dad" on his website if it's a helpful resource to you. It's all free!

Thanks sis for passing along this website and thanks dad for spending the time creating it and sharing with us all. 'Shroom and Lolli will thank you for it (and if they don't, my thanks alone will make up for it)!

The direct link is posted above but the actual website address is: www.dadsworksheets.com

1/30/12 update:
I just came across another helpful math website with 11,000 different types of math drills. The range is from simple addition to probability. A great summer time resource to keep up the math skills!
www.math-drills.com

Book Sale Craziness

2012-01-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've just returned from our local library's semi-annual paperback booksale. While it wasn't my first time participating in one of their book sale events, it was my first time participating in one as a homeschooler. In the past, I have gone to these periodic book sales looking for math textbooks (study guides for myself), fiction books (for the kids to read on their own and for me to read aloud to them), and various non-fiction books to add to my collection.

Before I go further, I have to say that walking into a book sale for me is like a recovering alcoholic walking into a bar during happy hour. While my analogy may be a bit exaggerated, I do love books and I may probably have in my genetic make-up the tendency to hoard and to HOARD BOOKS specifically. Details won't be provided but needless to say, armed with this knowledge, I tread very cautiously into any used book sale of any sort. More often than not, I come out empty-handed.

Today, I was proud of myself. I spent a whopping $3.50 on books for my homeschooled kids - all but two* books were reading comprehension books which I knew was lacking in our curriculum this year. Score! So glad for those purchases. I even picked up a copy of "Johnny Tremain" which we'll be reading much later when we get to American history.

Photo source: TimeRecordNews/Newspapers in Education

Anyway, my browsing and shopping experience today opened my eyes a bit to those who are serious used book sale shoppers. More specifically, homeschool shoppers. I am embarrassed to be a part of the group of people known as "Homeschool Moms" because I saw one woman, whom I'm suspecting was a "Homeschool Mom" because she was looking for books very similar to mine.
As you can see from the photo, the books are arranged on tables and roughly sorted into big categories like fiction, non-fiction, romance (TONS of books in this section), oversized books, and children's. The children's table had all fiction, non-fiction, readers, picture books and such smushed together so much patience was required to sift through the boxes of books.

Unlike the photo above, the book sale was quite crowded but I found a box of books on the children's table that no one was looking through. I sandwiched myself between two people and started looking through the books. As I finished one box, I made my way to the next box on my right. Eventually the person on my left disappeared so it was this other woman and me going side-by-side down the table. Eventually other people filled in on my left. I didn't want to go against the flow so I continued down the table on my right.

As I sifted through a couple of boxes, I could see that boxes contained similar type books and there were boxes that I felt I didn't need to look through (picture books, Sweet Valley High romance teen books, early chapter readers, Star Wars movie books and so on). I skipped over those boxes and ended to this woman's right. There were several boxes between us so I didn't think anything of it as people where jumping in and out at various points.

What really surprised me was when this woman began looking in the SAME box as me and pulling books out as I'M TOUCHING THEM. I don't know what books she wanted as she apparently wanted a whole lot of everything. She had one of those collapsible crates on wheels and it was packed already. She acted as if I was stealing books from her stash the way she was grabbing at the books out of the box I was looking in. Yeeesh! For some reason, I didn't think she was a teacher looking to restock her classroom books. She struck me as a homeschooling mom and her rude attitude just rubbed me the wrong way.

Anyway, I quickly left the children's area entirely and began looking at non-fiction books. While I love a great deal on books and I would love to cut expenses in this area, I hope I never become someone like this. Wow. I may have lost out on some great finds but heck, if I have to be rude like this woman was, it's not worth it to me. Well, I hope she found what she was looking for and is content with what she has.

I'm excited for my finds and hope the kids have fun reading and learning about all the different topics. And yeah, I have to learn to not take things so personally. Even though this other woman was Asian. And looked just like me.

*Okay, in the spirit of full-disclosure, the other non-reading comprehension book was a "Calvin and Hobbes" comic book which Air Boss loves to read . . . and me, too!

747 New Laws for Twenty Twelve

2012-01-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing about the 747 new laws now in effect in the year 2012 for the state of California. CA state residents (and visitors) take note; the rest of you's, laugh away.

While not all laws are laugh-worthy, the sheer number of new laws and the difficulty in finding them all spelled out in one website location has made this a frustrating transition.

Some of the laws I've heard through word of mouth include:

- putting on lipstick while operating a vehicle can get you a ticket (I wonder if applying mascara is okay?)

- eating a hamburger while driving can also get you in trouble with the law (I can't seem to find documentation of this either but I wonder if it is inclusive of cheeseburgers, bunless burgers, or simply applies to just Carl's Jr. burgers since they are hands down the messiest burgers of all)

Actual verified new automobile/traffic laws include:
- Children under the age of 8 OR under the height of 4'9" (whew! I barely made it!) are required to be in a car seat or booster seat. Should you decide to "chance it," first offense can get you a ticket of at least $446 and a second offense can get you a ticket of over $1,000. My quick math calculations show it may be "slightly" cheaper to just shell out for a booster seat.

- Beginning in July 1, 2012, vehicle registration fees will rise from $31 to $43 a year.

- One cannot cross double solid white parallel lines while driving. (Hmm....I thought this was already the case...? or did the old law apply only to double solid YELLOW parallel lines?) I hope this law stops those carpool lane jumpers from careening into fast-moving traffic the moment they see red tail-light action!

For more new traffic laws, you can check out CHP's press release. Still couldn't find the hamburger and lipstick law though . . . .

By the way, in case you were going to drink (soup) and drive, it is now illegal to sell and consume shark fin products. No more shark fin soup for you Chinese food aficionados!

Perhaps you're more resourceful than I or know of a better place to find these new 2012 laws. Feel free to comment and post a link and help us all be law abiding citizens! Thanks!

Surprise Boston Visit

2011-12-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

We did it!!! With the help of my sister and her husband, Air Boss and I (along with the kids) were able to surprise my parents in Boston with an unannounced trip. Just a week after Thanksgiving, we boarded the plane and took our homeschool on the road (or in the air) for the first time.

In a series of elaborate surprises (more elaborate in the planning than the execution), the four of us surprised 'Shroom and Lolli's younger cousin as he came off the kindergarten bus. We quickly piled into my sister's minivan to skirt two towns over to surprise my parents in their new condo. After loud and repeated "I don't believe it!!!!" and "How did you get here?!?" exclaimations, we all hugged, high-fived each other (that would be my sis and me for not spilling the beans), and grabbed some lunch before we all boarded the surprise-mobile (a.k.a. the minivan) and drove to my older nephew's school and surprised him at the end of his school day.

'Shroom and Lolli were so pleased to have this "extra bonus" cousin hang-out time.

They exchanged Christmas presents early, decorated a gingerbread house, had a sleep over, visited the nearby LEGO store and made a take-home toy soldier, and 'Shroom even donned his Cub Scouts uniform and joined his cousin on his monthly Cub Scout pack meeting.

Homeschooling became "clubhouse-schooling" as each morning the kids and I would bring our books to the clubhouse floor of my parents' condo. We took over a 12-seat conference room each day and packed in a lot of learning (I think I may have worked them harder than our usual school day). I've discovered that the kids were quite adaptable in their schooling environments and even the bustle of Christmas shoppers didn't distract our ADD 'Shroom!

Our last day in Boston, we worked in a field trip and walked a bit of the historic Freedom Trail. We had lunch in Quincy Market where Lolli got to eat one of her favorite foods - chicken pot pie. Apparently she enjoyed it quite thoroughly as I heard her say on the way home, "Wow - that pot pie was really good! I just burped pot pie and it still tasted good!"

Well, it was a great feeling to be back in Boston in the chillier season (no, we didn't see any of that white stuff). And I'm surprised that we were able to truly surprise my family. It's not easy planning surprises these days!

Past the halfway mark (barely)

2011-10-27T12:04:00.001-07:00

Today marks Day 16 (of 31) of my family being dairy-, egg-, nut-, and gluten-free. The first week was totally rough as it seemed like there was nothing in the house we could eat except the drywall and hardwood floors. The second week was a little bit better as we even ventured out to some local "restaurants" (okay, I know some of us consider El Pollo Loco a fine dining establishment). Now that we're just beginning our third week, it's just plain torture.

How Are We Feeling?

Towards the end of last week--just as we were beginning our second week into this diet--I began noticing some changes in 'Shroom. I was cautiously optimistic about making some correlations but I was oh so hopeful. His spelling seemed to have improved. Instead of getting more word incorrect than correct, he had one spelling test where ALL the words were correct! Woo hoo! On top of that, he was cranking with his school work. Last Thursday and Friday, we managed to complete our usual six hours of homeschooling in about 4.5 hours. Was this the turning point?!?! Did this mean that we wouldn't have to medicate him in order to get him to focus and concentrate?!?!

When I complimented 'Shroom for his great work and his perfect spelling test, my just-too-bright-for-her-own-good Lolli shrieked at lunchtime, "No, no, no! 'Shroom, you have to do a horrible job! Otherwise we'll be on this diet FOREVER!!!"

What Went Wrong Over the Weekend?!
Well, that feeling of turning a corner in this whole process was short-lived. Air Boss took 'Shroom camping with his Cub Scouts pack and while they had to drive off the campsite for their meals, something must have changed. By Monday, school productivity and 'Shroom's spelling score were at an all-time low. Even Lolli was acting rather antsy and it took her more than half an hour to finish two pages of (rather easy) math. Yesterday was the worst day in homeschool history for us. When I had mentioned this to Air Boss and the supporting details, I teased him about not being too disappointed (lack of academic improvement --> lack of need for diet). I think abstaining from wheat has been the hardest for him. Lack of "results" in the attention span department only meant that come November 12, we'll all be back on a normal diet.

The Real Question
Okay, so I know you're all concerned and deeply interested in how my kids and husband are doing, but I know your real burning questions is, how am I doing? =) In a nutshell, I think I've become crabbier and nastier. Really.

One morning this week, I got a late start in cooking breakfast. Since we've been eating steel cut oatmeal, I've been cooking it on the stove top. And since I was behind on the morning routine, I had the heat on high. As I was dicing apples with my back to the stove, the pot of oatmeal bubbled over and made a huge mess. Lolli had been patiently waiting for her breakfast up until this moment. When I had to drop everything to clean up the mess, she commented, "If only I could just eat a piece of bread!" It was an innocent remark and she really wasn't asking for much - just a piece of bread and some water for breakfast - something simple and something fast.

Well, I flipped. As in flipped out.

"What are you complaining about?!?" I yelled. "At least you're not cooking!!!!"

Whoa. I realized then that this DF/GF/EF/NF/ABC/XYZ diet thing was really getting to me. The poor kid didn't deserve that. I guess the stress of planning special meals, shopping at special markets, and cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for my ENTIRE family (remember, we homeschool and Air Boss works from home) each day was beginning to get old. And if cooking hot meals wasn't enough, our dishwasher is broken so now I spend an additional half hour hand-washing all the pots, pans and dishes.

Yeah, diet schmiet. I am so ready for this thing to be over. Maybe it's not such a bad thing that there isn't any noticeable improvement in 'Shroom's attention span.

One week into the DF/GF/EF/NF diet

2011-10-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Technically we're not quite at the one week mark but we're close enough to it.

The Weigh-In
I'm happy to report that 'Shroom's weight has remained the same for the most part - he's gained about half a pound but that can be attributed to the fact that he's wearing jeans today. Lolli on the other hand, has lost almost half a pound but that can also be attributed by her clothing. Okay - in the spirit of full-disclosure, I've gained about 0.2 pounds. Let's just say it's due to my hoodie that I'm wearing (but I won't tell you I took it off before weigh-in).

Perhaps the hardest part of this dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free diet is lack of snack foods around the house. I'm a huge snacker. HUGE. I graze all day. My meals are smaller but I probably eat another meal's worth of snacks throughout the day. Lately I've noticed my meals getting much larger. Uh oh.

Costco Shopping
To combat my meal-time binge eating, I've decided to stock up on some diet friendly foods. Instead of my usual shopping cart (or "carriage" as my New England friends would say) full of bulk-items, I walked out of Costco yesterday with less than half a dozen items: steel cut oatmeal, cranberries, mangoes, case of soy milk and edamame. I now have some dried fruit and veggie chips (thanks Trader Joe's!) for my snack options.

The Temptations
The kids smelled the Costco hog dogs and pizza and were soo sad they couldn't have any. I guess I didn't plan the day well as we were shopping right around lunch time. To make matters worse, all the sample ladies were out in full force in the shopping aisles. We managed to make it through the gauntlet without a taste of anything.

Eavesdropping
I didn't plan on eavesdropping on the kids' conversation this morning but I did hear a cute dialogue between the two of them as they made their beds.

Lolli: I can't wait for this diet to be over.
'Shroom: Me too.
Lolli: If today was the first day off our diet, what would you like to eat?
'Shroom: I'd love to eat donuts! [laughter] What about you?
Lolli: I would stuff my face with a chocolate alligator!

[Incidentally, our friends had returned from visiting FL and brought back two solid chocolate alligators so hence the reference.]

Well, 6 days down and another 24 more to go!

Our New "Free" Diet

2011-10-09T20:31:00.001-07:00

Several months ago, Air Boss and I had taken 'Shroom to see a neurologist in order to figure out once and for all "what was wrong with him" - to put it bluntly. Ever since he was 15 months old, he was labeled as "developmentally delayed" and that has translated to a lot of different things over the course of his life.

We went to the doctor with the assumption that 'Shroom may have Asperger's Syndrome but wanted further medical insight into this possibility. The long and short of it was that the doctor didn't think 'Shroom had Aspergers. Instead, he cited Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD) as the probable issue at hand. While 'Shroom doesn't have the typical Hyperactive Disorder that oftentimes goes hand-in-glove with ADD (otherwise known as ADHD), the doctor did prescribe medication to help 'Shroom with his ability to concentrate and stay focused in school.

This appointment was back in June, just a couple of weeks before school was scheduled to end. Since I wasn't too keen on medicating 'Shroom to verify the ADD diagnosis and school was ending shortly, we decided to do nothing about it.

Now that we are more than a month into homeschooling (gasp! did I just say we were homeschooling?!?!), I am a first-hand witness to how easily distracted and unfocused my boy is. Sometimes when he's retelling or narrating a reading passage we're working on, he has a hard time getting a complete sentence out. His mind has already moved on to something else (or, more likely than not, his mind wasn't really paying attention to what we were discussing). Word problems are difficult because he reads about half the problem and then tries to solve it. I wonder if he's more concerned about putting down some answer so that it looks like he has something to show for.

In the past couple of weeks, discussions about medicating 'Shroom have come up. Air Boss is all for filling the prescription for Adderall (a stimulant typically used to treat people with ADHD and narcolepsy). I've been reluctant to medicate 'Shroom from the moment we received the prescription and I'm still very hesitant to do so. Part of the reason is the known (and unknown) side-effects. Another reason is that I don't want 'Shroom to have to depend on a chemical stimulant for him to function "normally." I believe that there are coping mechanisms out there - somewhere - that may help him focus and overcome his difficulties without resorting to the use of medication.

Well, this all brings us to our "free" diet that my whole family will try for a month. 'Shroom has tested positive reactions to certain food groups. While he does not have any life-threatening food allergies, we are going to try to eliminate his reactive foods groups from our diet for a month to see if it will increase his attention span (or in any other positive way). We will be doing this as a family and we are going to try our best to be positive about it and not complain about giving up ice cream (me), chocolate and cheese (Lolli), beer (Air Boss) , and yogurt and quesadillas ('Shroom).

We've just about finished all our perishables in the refrigerator that fall under our "free" diet. "Free" - beginning tomorrow, includes: dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free and nut-free. I guess that leaves us with water and beans to eat for the next month!

My concern is that my 47 pound nine year old with visible ribs from the front and back may lose weight. I'll have to keep monitoring both 'Shroom's and Lolli's weight to make sure they're okay.

In the meantime, I hope this momma doesn't get too crabby from having all her favorite snack foods put "on hold!"

Bye-bye Skye

2011-09-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

Ironically as Air Boss gets super active on Facebook and updating his status, I find myself shying away from FB. Partly because everyone who has Air Boss as a friend on their FB knows that Skye is no longer a part of our family.

Although my husband loves me and has been great in this "finding Skye a new home" process and the kids have been awesome in praying faithfully that "Skye will find a nice family," I feel like people are judging me for wanting to give Skye to another family.

I've contacted a couple of local husky rescue groups and did some research on their websites. Luckily one rescue group didn't return my call because I found out later from their website that owners who give up their huskies are "bad owners." Yikes. Glad I never connected with them. The other rescue group was just inundated with dogs and couldn't take ours so we had to find our Skye a new home on our own.

Anyway, judge away. I did what I needed to do to preserve the sanity in my life and put my priorities and energy in the right places.

It hasn't even been an hour since Skye was adopted into her new family and the house somehow feels a bit different. I am sad that things didn't work out with Skye but I am happy that she is with a great family with two fun kids (the boy totally plays with Skye the same way as 'Shroom and the girl seems ultra-responsible like Lolli). This family has a shepherd-malamute mix who will be Skye's new playmate so I have no doubt that Skye will have lots of fun frolicking in the yard with her new canine friend. It also is heartwarming to know that this family has had a husky for years until it passed away just last year from old age. Their shep-lamute (I just totally made that up) lost close to 25 pounds since the death of their husky. He was grieving for his loss. I hope Skye can fill a little of that sadness.

We took a family photo before Skye walked out of our house. I'm hoping to post that on here shortly. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing how she is adjusting to her new home.

Bye bye, Skye. We had our moments almost from the get-go, but you were a good dog. Be a good girl and make your new family happy and proud.

A Bit of Boston in LA

2011-08-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

“Why did we have to move to LA?”

Uggh. Not a difficult question to answer (on most days) but on this particular day as we dropped off my sister and her family (with my kids' dear cousins) at LAX and my parents later on this evening at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, it was a hard one to answer.

'Shroom and Lolli, along with their cousins from Boston had been looking forward to this summer reunion even before dates and plane tickets were settled. The first of 10 days together was pure bliss for them. I even smiled as I drove our Blackhawk with four screaming excited kids (not sure my sis in the front passenger seat was smiling as much though)! To be truthful, I think my smile faded and eventually disappeared by Day Three (maybe even by the end of Day Two).

My parents came out to LA several days earlier than my sister and her family. 'Shroom and Lolli loved catching up with Poh-Poh and Goong-Goong and having them all to themselves for a few days before their cousins came. My parents were here early enough to celebrate my milestone birthday so that was special. My sister and her family eventually made it in before midnight so they technically were here for my birthday, too!

We all had fun parading around parts of LA and Orange County in our various Angry Bird shirts (okay, some of us had more fun than others). It was a vacation of “firsts” in many ways:
- first time vacationing with Skye
- first time kids tried out a jacuzzi
- first time going to the local farmer's market twice in one week just to get the kettle corn
- first time hosting my So Cal cousins and their families for a backyard BBQ

Anyway, it was a fun visit (and a very sad and quiet ride back from the airport). 'Shroom and Lolli are already looking forward to next year's reunion!

Photo credits: sis, Air Boss

Not a good day to be a dog in our house

2011-07-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is up with dogs and toilet bowls!

As an upfront warning, I'll state that if the topic of toilets (or the matter that is usually deposited in them) makes your stomach feel queasy, then you'll be better off skipping this post.

It turned out that today was a bad day to be a dog in my house. A very bad day. Our rescue mutt (who looks a lot like a Siberian husky and is affectionately called "Skye" by my husband and kids and is not-so-affectionately called "dog" by yours truly), decided that this would be the day that she would drink, lap and essentially dine out of our downstairs toilet bowl.

Let me set the stage for this very short (but action-packed) one act play. The downstairs bathroom usually has the door slightly ajar but mostly closed. Additionally, the toilet seat cover (as is the case with all our toilets) in this washroom is always in the closed position unless 1) we have guests who don't know about our "keep lid closed" policy, or 2) we are going to be away for a few days and don't want icky stuff growing on the underside of the seat or lid due to trapped moisture. An important detail is that we have been without water since 9 AM in the morning due to DPW turning off water to repair a water main (or something) down the street.

It is after lunch and about 2 PM. One more hour before the water gets turned back on. 'Shroom and Lolli both need to go potty even though they had just gone about two hours ago at a local church restroom. Well, they just ate lunch so with Air Boss' permission, they are instructed to each take a separate restroom and do their business but don't flush. We had the hand sanitizer ready once they were done.

I didn't think anything of it all other than "note to self: do NOT step foot into bathrooms until AFTER water is turned back on and AFTER kids have flushed their own mess down the toilet." I was about 10-15 minutes into giving Lolli her piano lesson when I was wondering what that soft lapping sound was. I told Lolli to keep playing while I quietly got up from the piano bench and stealthily walked toward the downstairs bathroom (I had a hunch--but, oh I was hoping my hunch was wrong--what was making that lapping sound).

I caught "dog" lapping from the toilet bowl!!! Gross!! The bowl was not filled with water (Air Boss had used the one flush after the water was turned off so the bowl was empty) but it was filled with--

I won't go into the details but I'll just say there was both liquid and solid. "Dog" immediately knew she was in trouble because she quickly scuttled out of the bathroom to get away from me. In the process of doing so, her wet dirty muzzle (which coincidentally matched the two hues of the toilet contents) dripped . . . stuff . . . all over the floors in the foyer and part of the living room.

I'm yelling up the stairs at Air Boss about what's going on and Lolli had stopped her playing to engage in the much-more-entertaining act of spectating. There is no water in the house. I couldn't even clean the dog with the hose outside. I grabbed the disinfectant wipes under the kitchen sink and no-so-lovingly grabbed "dog" by her collar and wiped down her face. It did briefly occur to me that the chemicals in the wipes may not be so "pet-friendly" but I figured that the wipes were the least of dog's "not-pet-friendly" worries (like an extremely angry and grossed out human). I was so utterly disgusted with the mess that came off and appeared on the wipe.

I did the best I could, threw the dog in her crate (yeah, yeah - a crate is not to be used for a place of punishment but WTH, I was trying to contain the unsanitary mess), and tried my best to wipe down the floors with the disinfectant wipes.

To his credit, Air Boss gets kudos for cleaning the bathroom.

Later on when the water came back on, I tried to get "dog" to drink some water to rinse out her mouth (I didn't even want to get a whiff of her dog breath nor did I want to stick my hand anywhere near her mouth to brush her teeth). When she refused, I hauled her outside and turned the hose on her head.

If you think I was traumatizing the dog with the forced washing of her mouth, well, consider us even.

dog: 1

human: 1

At least I didn't make her eat soap.

May and June Reading Books

2011-07-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm a bit late reporting in the books I've read for the months of May and June. I've been really trying to focus on non-fiction. Surprisingly, it's been quite an easy transition as I have a long list of subjects in which I want to learn more! Feel free to comment on any of these books.

Non-Fiction

1. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (Paul Miller): 4.0/5 stars
2. The Successful Home Business Guide (Wil Limkemann): 3.2/5 stars
3. Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (Erwin McManus): 3.6/5 stars
4. The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn (Rebeccca Branstetter) 4.1/5 stars
5. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (James McBride): 3.9/5
6. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Barbara Demick): 4.1/5
7. Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills (Carol Bradley): 3.7/5

8. Heaven is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Todd Burpo): 2.9/5 stars
This father's accout of his almost 4 year old son's near death encounter is a quick and easy read. While many may not believe in the after-life or the presence of heaven, Colton's brief time in heaven seems very real to him. The Burpo family is a God-believing family and Colton's matter-of-fact explanations of what he saw in heaven are not Sunday School facts embellished to sound believable. Quite a story but the story-telling (or writing) is a bit weak.

9. The Homeschooling Option: How to Decide When It's Right for Your Family (Lisa Rivero): 3.7/5 stars
The title and subject matter perhaps gives an fairly accurate indication of the possibilities our family are considering with regards to 'Shroom's and Lolli's eduation. This was a good and fairly succint book on weighing the advantages (and some disadvantages) of homeschooling. There are many books out there (and I've borrowed a few from the library) on the topic of homeschooling and the wealth and volume of information presented in these books are simply overwhelming. Rivero does a great job selecting key issues for families to consider. I would recommend this book for any family considering homeschooling.

10. The Homeschooling Book of Answers: the 101 most important questions answered by homeschooling's most respected voices (Linda Dobson): 3.3/5 stars
I read this book from cover to cover (I know, I'm a geek like that - perhaps this was intended to be a refernce book but I treated it like a trashy romance novel by carrying it around the house as I did chores here and there) and it did address some very pertinent questions running around in my mind. What I didn't really like about this book was that it made no qualms about bad-mouthing public school education. The asnwers to these 101 questions were provided by various people who have been deeply involved in promoting homeschooling. It's no doubt that they favor homeschooling over public (and even private) education but some of the responses where just so obviously biased.

11. A Different Kind of Teacher: Solving the Crisis of American Schooling (John Taylor Gatto): 3.1/5 stars
This book, which is a collection of essays and speeches Gatto (former NY city school teacher with 30+ years of teaching experience and numerous Teacher of the Year awards) had compiled, had rave reviews. One reviewer said that "after reading this book, you will never view public education the same again." I thoroughly enjoyed the first third of the book and boy did it open my eyes to what is going on in public schools here in America. The remaining two-third of the book sort of peetered out and kind of ended on a wimper for me. It's true though, the more I read about the topic of homeschooling, I can't NOT homeschool now, it seems.

12. What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (Malcolm Gladwell): 2.4/5 stars
Perhaps it wasn't fair to expect nothing short of 5 stars for Gladwell's latest book but I was sorely disappointed with his collection of more memorable The New Yorker articles. The book felt slapped-together random even though it was divided into three chunks. There were sections and chapters that were riviting and what I have come to expect from Gladwell's books. Perhaps I have simply come to expect nothing but great and this book fell a bit short of that.

Fiction

1. Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Sandra Bricker): 2.8/5 stars
2. The Help (Kathryn Stockett): 4.9/5 stars

3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Kim Edwards): 3.4/5 stars
This is the heart-wrenching story of how a young baby born with Downs Syndrome is sent away to live in a special home. While this may not seem all that extraordinary for a story that begins in the 60's, what makes this story remarkable is the fact that the father (a doctor who is forced to deliver his wife's twins) hides his Downs Syndrome daughter from his wife and instead informs her that the girl died at birth. Years go by and the family is still affected by the repercussions of this lie. This was an intriguing story but the writing itself wasn't consistent. I enjoyed the first third of the book but then it seemed to lose its hold on me.

4. Cold Fire (Dean Koontz): 3.9/5 stars
It was Mr. Koontz's Velocity book on CD kept me awake and alert (and driving white-knuckled) during my cross-country drive as my family relocated from MA to CA. Sure enough, Cold Fire had me nervously glancing over my shoulder as I read the book. I even had to read in the same room where Air Boss was hanging out -- I was close to getting freaked out. It was hard to put this book down but part of it may be due to the fact that I have been reading so much non-fiction, this brain candy was a good break from the cerebal volumes I've been consuming.

Books Read Aloud to the Kids

1. The Lightening Thief (Rick Riordan): 4.8/5 stars
2. The Sea of Monsters (Rick Riordan): 4.7/5 stars
3. The Titan's Curse (Rick Riordan): 4.3/5 stars
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Rick Riordan): 4.0/5 stars
5. The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan): 4.2/5 stars

6. The Lost Hero (Rick Riordan): 4.5/5 stars
This is the first (and so far, only) book of The Heroes of Olympus series. While familiar names and faces from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series were a part of this story, this book was primarily about a new cast of characters. The kids and I loved this book but Lolli still prefers Percy Jackson over Jason Grace. We'll have to wait for The Son of Poseidon to come out this fall to see if she'll warm up to Jason.

7. The Maze of Bones (Rick Riordan): 3.9/5 stars
Okay - I'm looking over this seventh book the kids and I have read aloud this year and I realize I need to introduce more authors. I'm a little heavy on Mr. Riordan's tomes. Anyway, this is the first of ten books in The 39 Clues series. I like how it incorporates so much history and culture into the story. This first book focuses on Benjamin Franklin and a good half of the book takes place in France. While I pre-read the book, the kids and I listed to this book on CD as we shuttled 'Shroom to and from his summer school classes. We've already begun the second book (One False Note) in The 39 Clues series!

[a very late] Happy birthday...

2011-06-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

....to a very special woman,
You've taught me more things than probably any other person in my entire life.

~ Your "classroom" never had a chalkboard (or whiteboard or Smartboard).
~ Your classroom was never limited to one room or one building, for that matter.
~ Your homework assignments were a killer - especially the ones in summer (reading dictionary pages to improve my vocabulary or typing on a manual typewriter to improve my wpm).
~ You never gave grades but you cooked up food and fed me three times a day (and during growth spurts, four meals a day).
~ You never complained when you shuttled me from baton lessons to swimming lessons to violin lessons.
~ You didn't even raise an eyebrow when you would pick me up after marching band practice with a few other band mates (and assorted instruments).
~ You did, however, raise more than an eyebrow when I tried to hide my daily vitamins in my toybox.
~ And I'm sure you raised something else when you found I had eaten some of the poo out of my diaper as a baby.

~ You taught me algebra and trig from an unconventional desk (the kitchen table).
~ You fed me dinners on Wednesday nights in an unusual setting (the front seat of our station wagon on the way to my violin lessons).
~ You even dragged me kicking and screaming to a church youth retreat where I knew absolutely nobody (but ended up loving absolutely everyone three days later when you came to pick me up).
~ You sewed and fixed so many things for me with your famous aqua blue Singer sewing machine (school bag, music bag, music stand bag, prom dress, tailored wedding dress, countless Halloween costumes...)
~ You took care of my 3 month old son so I could go back to work.
~ You introduced my 2 hour old daughter to her proud big brother.

The things I've learned from you and perhaps remember the most are things you never "taught" me. They are things I've learned from simply watching you. I have learned about what it means to love your own flesh and blood. I have learned that patience can be much more powerful than action. I have learned that even in tragic events--like burying your 12 year old daughter--God is still in control.

You are a tough act to follow but an amazing source of inspiration.
Happy birthday, Mom!
I love you.

There's (not) 104 days of summer vacation

2011-06-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Is there a better way to start summer vacation than with a home mani/pedi? Part of Lolli's birthday pack of goodies included a bottle of nailpolish. On this first day of summer vacation, she picked her favorite color (out of my collection) and now she has matching toes and fingers in "Pink Chrome." I'm glad the color looks so much better on her than on me.

A couple of days ago, I had 'Shroom write thank you notes to all his teachers (being in the Learning Center and receiving special ed services at school, he had four thank you notes to write). It was a good thing I had him start a week before the end of school. He utilized every day until the night before to finish off his thank you notes. It involved a three step process:

1) he would write a draft on scratch paper
2) I would correct his spelling (insert step 1A before this: he would "decipher" his message for me so that I could correct the spelling)
3) he would write the final draft on the blank notecard

One of the step 3's looked like this:

Oh dear. I've always known he's struggled with reversing his "b" and his "d" and even his "3" in math. Okay, his seventy-one would come out as "17" and when asked to write thirty-seven, he would write "73" but still, I figured it was still on par with 8 year olds who ocassionally reverse letters and numbers.

He was copying this text from his draft. Should I have reason to worry that this is something beyond "typical" mistakes of an eight year old boy? His Learning Center teacher, in a recent conference, mentioned that he may benefit being screened for "d-y-s-l-e-x-i-a" as she had spelled out since he was within earshot. She needn't worry as 'Shroom has a hard time with auditory processing.

Well, this may be something we'll need to pursue with the neurologist as we look to find out more about his learning disabilities. I'm sure more to come on this topic will be forthcoming . . .

They grow up so quickly

2011-05-24T21:47:00.001-07:00

Lolli Turning 7!, a photo by radioflyer007 on Flickr.

Can't believe Lolli is another year older. At the same time, I can't believe she's only seven. The poor girl had to share her birthday with the royal wedding of some obscure prince in England and the largest fundraising event of the year at my workplace.

All in all, she had a great birthday and due to scheduling delays, she had the opportunity to celebrate her birthday over the span of a week!

Yay Lolli!

March and April Books

2011-05-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm a bit behind in reporting books I've read each month. Here's a quick summary of the very few books I've read during the months of March and April (seems I was too busy working a part-time job and vacuuming up dog hair from every nook and cranny in my house.

Non-Fiction
1. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (Paul Miller): 4.0/5 stars
2. The Successful Home Business Guide (Wil Limkemann): 3.2/5 stars
3. Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (Erwin McManus): 3.6/5 stars
4. The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn (Rebeccca Branstetter) 4.1/5 stars

5. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (James McBride): 3.9/5 stars
I think the subtitle of this book succinctly summarizes McBride's autobiography. In my attempt to read more non-fiction this 2011 year, I've enjoyed realizing that biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies are considered non-fiction. This is an amazing story of an amazing woman who battles racism and poverty while raising her 12 children as a single mom. Makes my worst day as a mom of two seem like a walk in the park.

6. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Barbara Demick): 4.1/5 stars
Demick is an award-winning journalist who puts her craft and skill to work in this amazing book that peeks into the lives of six ordinary North Koreans. The stories of the struggle for survival in this communist nation left me shaking my head in astonishment and disbelief. My eyes welled up with tears when I read about a young teacher who shared about how difficult her job was. The challenge wasn't in unruly children or demanding parents but rather, it was in watching her students starve to death.

7. Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills (Carol Bradley): 3.7/5 stars
Our dog Skye should thank Gracie for this book. Ironically, I read this book while I was really struggling with whether or not to keep Skye (oh, the dog drama in this house is like a soap opera -- it just keeps going and going). Gracie is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who was born to produce litter after litter of puppies (two litters a year for seven years). That's probably close to 100 puppies she's birthed before she was rescued. If you've ever been tempted to buy a puppy from a pet store, read this book and you will never do that. If you've been tempted to buy a purebred from a breeder, this book will convince you to do your homework and make sure you're not getting a dog from a puppy mill. The conditions of some of these puppy mills will make you gag and retch and yet, these puppy mills somehow stay in business because there is still a demand for their dogs. This a good read and a good eye-opener to what's really going on out there (and on Craigslist, too).

Fiction
1. Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Sandra Bricker): 2.8/5 stars
2. The Lightening Thief (Rick Riordan): 4.8/5 stars
3. The Sea of Monsters (Rick Riordan): 4.7/5 stars
4. The Help (Kathryn Stockett): 4.9/5 stars
5. The Titan's Curse (Rick Riordan): 4.3/5 stars
6. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Rick Riordan): 4.0/5 stars
7. The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan): 4.2/5 stars
The kids and I finished the last book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The action and the tie-in of the characters came together nicely in this last installment and while things did wrap up rather neatly, there was still room for more plot lines. We are all looking forward to starting Riordan's next series, The Kane Chronicles.

My next project in the next week or so is to come up with a reading list for the kids. During the summer months, 'Shroom and Lolli devour books and I'm more than happy to read along with them. If you have any recommendations for classics, series, or new books (fiction and non-fiction), let me know!

"Journaling" through photos

2011-04-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

This first month of spring has seemed to have been a busier month than usual for me (as evidenced by lack of blogging). For some reason, however, when I look back to the past several week, what have I done with my time? It didn't occur to me until a week ago that I should take more photos if I don't have time to write. Perhaps the photos will help jog my memory as to what has happened - or in some desprate cases, replace my writing.

Para Los Ninos

Part of my time has been consumed by my new employer, Para Los Ninos. Hired as a temporary assistant for their upcoming fundraising event, I've greatly scaled back my time wtih the kids' school. Instead of helping out at the kids' school four days a week, I'm now working four days a week with one day at the school. My one day at school, I still manage to meet with Lolli's advanced reading group and do guided reading in 'Shroom's class (while he's in the Learning Center).

If you're not going to be part of the one billion people expected to watch the royal wedding on 4/29/11 and are local to the Los Angeles area, feel free to purchase a ticket and support a good cause through our Cinco de Mayo celebration event!

A Potential Second Westward Migration?!

A couple of weeks ago, my parents came out to visit us and "scout" out possible retirement communities. It was a busy four days but we managed to make the most of every day. Between Air Boss taking a day off to show them a retirement community in Orange County and me taking a day off to tour local retirement communities closer to us, I think my parents got a good feel for the areas. 'Shroom and Lolli of course relished their time with their grandparents. Regardless of where my parents choose to live, they have both decided that it makes sense to downsize and say good-bye to the home that has been theirs for 40 years. It will be a huge undertaking to whittle down their life's possessions to a new "down-sized" home. I'm sure I'll be blogging about this topic in future days to come.

Some Good (Dog) Days and Some Bad (Dog) Days

Since my last blog, I'm sure you're wondering if Skye is still living with us. In a nutshell . . . yes. She's been with us for two months now and I still miss my dog-free days of sleeping in without having to walk a dog, vacuuming no more than once a week, and untainted unmarked green lush grass.

Somehow Skye managed to fool us all and graduate from her intermediate dog obedience class. She had to complete an "obstacle course" consisting of orange cones with doggie treats on top. She had to stop at each cone, perform some commands without touching or eating any of the treats. The first time through, she was prompted with both voice and hand commands. The second time through, she was prompted with voice-only commands. And the final time through, she was prompted with hand-only commands. It was a silent and tense last run of the course.

So now you're wondering, is she the perfect well-behaved dog? A show dog with enviable skills and well-adapted social behaviors that make her seem more mature than her puppy dog look?

Well, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. This photo was taken just yesterday. I'm surprised the photo wasn't more blurry as my hands were shaking from rage at what the dog had just done in our backyard. While this is not the first time she's gone digging in our backyard (and tearing up the grass), this is the deepest. She found the buried sprinkler pipe and dug even deeper for who knows what. We caught her in the act and I made sure that I made the most of that opportune moment.

Since the grass is gone in that spot and she will likely dig in the same place, we have one of our patio chairs standing "guard" over the hole until we can figure out what to do. As I'm still trying to reconcile if this dog is worth it all (read: "should I turn her over to the shelter or post her on craigslist?"), someone did remind me that the damage could have been worse. She could have chewed the PVC pipe in half.

But Let's Not End on Such a Downer

The kids are finishing up their spring break. They both came down with fifth disease just before the start of their vacation but luckily they both bounced back rather quickly. I miss spending their spring break week with them. We're looking forward to the weekend ahead before school resumes again next week. [note to self: call orthodontist to schedule consult for 'Shroom]

Does anyone want a husky?

2011-03-15T22:21:00.001-07:00

our husky a photo by radioflyer007 on Flickr.

It's been almost 5 weeks since we've rescued Skye from the local shelter. After several "bad days" with the dog, I'm ready to give her back. Before I send her back to the shelter, I thought I would see if there is anyone out there willing to take on a challenge, with a capital "S" (as in Skye).

Before you forward this blog post to friends of yours whom may be interested, I will provide you with full disclosure on the "issues" I've had with this particular pooch.

First of all, we found her at the local county shelter with no paperwork. All that was provided was that she was a female Siberian Husky mix about 1 to 1.5 years old. Her intake form noted that she was a stray. That probably explained why she was so thin.

Anyway, let me add my bit to the above now that she's lived with me for over a month now. She is a picky eater. She dislikes her dry kibble and would much prefer table food, wet dog food, treats, or even grass and plants (bad news for those of you with a green thumb). Perhaps that's how she survived on the streets.

She is destructive (again, this is all in the spirit of full-disclosure). Now before all you dog-lovers blame me for her destructive behavior, let me fill you in. This pooch gets 2 - 3 walks a day. She walks and runs with me or my husband. The walks/runs range anywhere from one to three miles. She gets as much outdoor time as she wants because one of us is home to let her out and back in. She has a backyard to run around in and we play fetch/catch with her as well as train her (we are taking obedience classes). She gets feed two meals a day, treats, has toys, chew things, and sticks to do with whatever. Up until recently, she wasn't even crated on any regular basis.

Now, that we know that she will destroy something while we are gone (she is inside the house and not crated), I don't trust her in the house unsupervised anymore. Bye bye freedom and hello doggie crate. She is never left home alone for more than 1 to 1.5 hours. She will chew things she wasn't even interested in before we left the house. Each time we've left the house, we've made sure she just went on a super long walk.

So, if you plan on being out of the house for more than, say 10 minutes, you need a crate for this dog. Why don't I leave her in the backyard while we're gone? Well, my backyard isn't built like Alcatraz (nor is it surrounded by water). I've watched her try to jump our fence. Even though she hasn't yet, I'm quite sure she can do it if she's super-motivated and can do a bit of problem solving. I used to think that's how Skye ended up as a stray on the streets. She escaped from her owner. Haha - now I think otherwise . . . .

Today, I was chatting with a woman at a school meeting and when I told her about my dog woes, she sat bolt upright when she heard that my "problem child" is a husky. She later confessed that she had been given a husky and after trying to live with its howling (oh yeah, another thing to mention, she HOWLS as well as barks and whimpers - she seems to have more in her "repertoire" of dog noises) and biting, she told her husband to get rid of the dog. He did and he told her, "just don't ask me what I did with it." I suspect he may have set the dog loose. By the way, this was the second story I heard about an owner having "husky regret." Another person told me her family returned their rescue husky to the local shelter for very similar reasons. Hmm . . . coincidence?

So . . . . if I were to summarize in the form of an advertisement, this is what it would be:

Young female Siberian Husky mix about 1 to 1.5 years old. Up to date on shots, spayed, and in general good health. Super active dog that MUST be exercised multiple times a day (or have a good long run). Running around in an enclosed yard is additional to the walks. Very high maintenance and tends to get destructive when left alone, even for short periods of time. While not an outdoor dog, this dog is not to be trusted alone in your house unless all objects of any worth to you are stashed away (good luck putting your favorite couch in storage). Picky eater and likes to beg for table food. Needs a strong leader to put her in her place and even that is not a guarantee of a well-behaved dog. Jumps on people, hurls herself at dogs and generally chases at anything that moves and breathes (sometimes a breath isn't even a factor as falling leaves may catapult her towards oncoming traffic). Loves, loves, loves to pull on her leash so wear leather gloves so you don't get leash burn (a head collar is effective but it leaves indentations on her face after walks/runs). Oh, and if you don't like to vacuum, like say twice a day, this isn't the breed for you.

Well, there you have it. Check back in with me in a week to see if this offer is live. Until then, I've got to figure out how this dog and I can co-habit a space in harmony.

P.S. In case you were wondering if the "honeymoon" period has worn off with the new dog . . . yup, I'll say it has.

February Books

2011-03-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

For the second month in a row, I am late reporting in the books I've read. I didn't get to read as much as I had hoped (the short month did affect the amount I read - yeah, with two more days, I could have read another dozen books!) but nonetheless, every book I read was great. It was a great month in books:

Non-Fiction
1. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (Paul Miller): 4.0/5 stars
2. The Successful Home Business Guide (Wil Limkemann): 3.2/5 stars

3. Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (Erwin McManus): 3.6/5 stars
I've had the privilege of hearing Erwin McManus speak on numerous ocasions and I love the way he draws his listeners in with humorous recounts of moments in his life. Even the mundane gets a fresh twist and his perspective always catches me off-guard in a compelling way. His book is written as a collection of brainstorms/journal entries which are categorized into three cravings: intimacy, destiny, and meaning. While I loved how each of his stories seemed so relevant, I found the entries a bit obtuse and difficult to "compartmentalize" in my brain. The entry headings were spot on but yet making each entry connect to an overall larger picture wasn't so easy. His book is filled with weighty thoughts that one could ponder for awhile (and if I were one to mark-up books, I would mark this one up). Overall, a great read but somehow not exactly what I was expecting.

4. The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn (Rebecca Branstetter) (4.1/5 stars)
This is a collection of stories from educators and para-professionals who share their teachable moments in the first person narrative. Some of these stories really warmed my heart (like the story of young Astin who would come to school with a thousand little objects in his pocket and how a school psychologist made an awkward new student become self-assured and confident). I liked the section on Reaching the Special Needs Student as it made me reflect on how I am (or am not) reaching MY special needs student. I think this should be a must read for every educator, whether private, public or homeschool teacher. It sheds so much light on the relationships that are inevitable when teaching and learning are involved. While some of the stories seemed heavily edited (teacher recounts talk about countless hours working with an individual student with much patience and love - hmm . . . I would have resonated more with "break-down moments" and feelings of despair), overall the compilation of stories makes for an enriching experience peeking into the classrooms of these teachers. A good take-away for me is that "teachable moments" are not necessarily spontaneous - often times they are created and planned with specific children in mind.

Fiction
1. Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Sandra Bricker): 2.8/5 stars
2. The Lightening Thief (Rick Riordan): 4.8/5 stars
3. The Sea of Monsters (Rick Riordan): 4.7/5 stars

4. The Help (Kathryn Stockett): 4.9/5 stars
What a great book - so rich in descriptive narrative and multi-dimensional relationships, it's hard to believe it's a work of fiction. This book came so highly recommended that I was ashamed to let my recommending friends know that I just wasn't that interested in the subject matter (black/white folks in the South during the 1960's). Well, I thought I would give it another try this year and I'm so glad I did. The first time I tried reading the book, I must have been sitting on a roller coaster or watching a movie in a theater. I couldn't put the book down and with the little self-control I have with good books, I finished it in two days (but poor 'Shroom and Lolli didn't have a decent dinner in those two days).

5. The Titan's Curse (Rick Riordan): 4.3/5 stars
This one was read aloud to the kids and is the third book in the Percy Jackson. While this third books has become somewhat formulaic (as can be expected even with great writers), we still thoroughly enjoyed this book. We didn't like so much that Annabeth was missing throughout most of the book but there were a few new female characters to fill the void. 'Shroom is even having dreams about slaying monsters!

String Quartet Rules

2011-02-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

I was sorting through some string quartet music in my old violin folder when I came across a sheet of paper outlining the "rules" for our quartet [incidentally, The Doppler Shift Quartet was how I met Air Boss--he was a violist and I, a violinist].

Anyway, I read these rules with a chuckle, sure that I had swiped them from somewhere and then modified them for our very amateur (but fun-loving) group.

I present to you:

Golden Rules for The Doppler Shift Quartet (March 2000)
1. Everyone should play the same piece.
2. Stop at every repeat sign and discuss in detail whether to take the repeat. The audience will love this a lot!
3. If you play a wrong note, give a nasty look to one of your partners.
4. Keep your fingering chart handy. You can always catch up with the others.
5. Carefully tune your instrument before playing. That way you can play out of tune all night with a clear conscience.
6. Take your time turning pages.
7. The right note at the wrong time is a wrong note (and vice versa).
8. If everyone gets lost except you, follow those who get lost.
9. Strive to get the maximum NPS (Notes Per Second). That way you gain the admiration of the incompetent.
10. Markings for slurs, dynamics and ornaments should not be observed. They are only there to embellish the score.
11. If a passage is difficult, slow down. If it's easy, speed it up. Everything will work itself out in the end.
12. If you are completely lost, stop everyone and say, "I think we should tune."
13. Happy are those who have not perfect pitch, for the Kingdom of Music is theirs.
14. If the ensemble has to stop because of you, explain in detail why you got lost. Everyone will be very interested.
15. A true interpretation is realized when there remains not one note of the original.
16. A wrong note played timidly is a wrong note. A wrong note played with authority is an interpretation.
17. When everyone else has finished playing, you should not play notes you have left. If you have notes left over, please play them on the way home.

Does this house look familiar?

2011-02-23T13:31:00.001-08:00

If this is your house, are you aware that it's being "rented" out for $440 a night?!

This post is perhaps one of my more embarrassing posts as I'll share how I was almost scammed of almost $1000. Yep - I even called my mom to apologize that the Ivy League education she paid for still didn't "guarantee" me from being suckered by a scam artist.

To make a relatively brief story tediously (but hopefully helpfully) long, here are the details of my near loss (with the many mistakes I've made notated for your learning benefit--or at the very least, your amusement).

I was tasked to find a summer vacation home for my extended family. We all wanted something comfortable, clean, ideally near a beach or with a pool, pet-friendly, large enough for kids and adults alike, and reasonably priced. I found a few options on Craigslist (in hindsight, not the best place to be looking) and inquired about availability. As I waited to hear back from the home owners/listing agents, I forwarded the links to my family to see if they had any preferences.

One particularly responsive listing agent was a man by the name of "Richie." His quick email response was littered with tons of typos and spelling mistakes but he did get back to me quickly. I just assumed that he was quickly emailing from the road on his smart phone (Mistake #1).

His particular listing was the most attractive of all the options because of the sheer size of the house (8,000+ SF) and the very clean contemporary furnishings. The kitchen island in this house was bigger than my ENTIRE kitchen!

It was a good thing I did a bit of sleuthing (read "poking my nosey nose around in other people's business") as I found out more information on the property--information that lead me to discover the property was for sale and had been on the market for over a year. I figured the agent was trying to recoup some cash through renting it out as a vacation home (Mistake #2).

The agent informed me to reserve the place quickly as "there is a rush for this apartment this time" (Mistakes #3 and #4). In the 26 emails between me and Richie, he kept referring to the place as an apartment. Since when does a mansion with over 8,000 SF of living space on a lot size of 11 acres (that would be close to 450,000 SF....450 thousand!)constitute an apartment?! I kept noticing these little details but each one didn't really raise a red flag in my mind (Mistake #5) at least, not right away.

My desired dates were confirmed to be available (surprise, surprise) and the contract was emailed to me. The contract had tons of spelling and formatting mistakes (Mistake #6) - the teacher in me even corrected the formatting and spelling as I filled out the form. There was a pet clause in the contract and it wasn't filled out. I inquired about how much the pet fee would be and a couple of other things that were even downright ambiguous on the contract. Richie now seemed annoyed. He responded that there are no additional fees even with a pet and the cleaning fee was already included as with all other expenses. When I tried to call him on his number, which turned out to be an obscure upstate New York Magic Jack number (Mistake #7), I didn't bother leaving a message. I tried to Google his business and his name and check the Better Business Bureau website but nothing came up (Mistake #8).

Perhaps what clinched it for me (as if all the other indicators weren't enough) was the dollar amounts on the contract. Dollar amounts were notated with a colon, so my security deposit of $300 was notated as $300:00 and my nightly rate was notated as $440:00 (Mistake #9).

What a dolt! The light bulb above my head began to flicker on (granted it was a low 20 watt bulb). I went back on Craigslist and found several other listings with Richie's name on it. All his "rental properties" coincidentally were high-end properties for sale with photos posted on the internet. Undoubtedly he lifted the description (verbatim), details, and images straight from the listings.

Anyway, I'm now steering clear of Craiglist postings unless they also have listings with a reputable rental site. I feel like suck a sucker. Att least there wasn't a Nigerian Prince involved, right....?

What I'm learning these days

2011-02-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

Okay - so "dog" is very much on my mind these days. Guess it has something to do with having a dog in the house and the fact that I've never owned a dog before. Let's just say that old dogs (me) CAN learn new tricks (or how to co-exist with a canine in the house).

What I've learned about myself:

1) I'm not OCD (I already knew this but others may not) as I only wash my hands only after I've petted Skye, or after she's licked me, or after I've touched her food (or toys or anything else she's touched), or after I've groomed her, or after I've looked at her. All other times, I don't bother to wash my hands.

2) I do not need to have a SUPER clean house as I see dog hair all over the floor. I only vacuum once a day (with the pet cleaning system attachment on the vacuum cleaner). Kids using the light-weight vacuum don't really count. Swiffering, using the vacuum without the pet attachment, and hand-mopping do not count toward the daily vacuuming as well.

3) I am not a control freak as I do let Skye come into and out of the house as she pleases, provided she rings the bell by our back slider and sits and waits for permission to enter/exit (and gets all her paws wiped before she enters the house).

What I've learned about Skye:
1) She's very sweet and mild (as long as there are no furry creatures around)

2) She is very well-behved (as long as there are no furry creatures around)

3) She loves stuffed furry creatures which (sadly) may already belong to 'Shroom or Lolli [note to self: I better tell them not to bring their precious George and Mimi downstairs where Skye will claim them as her own]

4) She does not care to fetch (with or without furry creatures around)

5) At the dog park, she loves other dogs to chase her so she can have an excuse to run top speed

6) She can jump really high (which is kind of scary)

7) She can poop white crumbly stuff after eating bones

8) She can howl (when furry creatures are around) and bark (which has happened very rarely so far)

What I've learned since becoming a dog-owner:

1) A mild, dainty dog can have a nasty snarl when another dog tries to take away a stuffed animal

2) Many people do not like dogs and are scared of "wolf-looking" dogs (our neighbor); Air Boss thinks it's the black "eye-liner" that makes her look fierce

Skye with her "black eye-liner" fierce eyes.

3) The staff at PetSmart are super helpful and great with dogs (I wonder if dog-ownership is a pre-requisite to employment with them)

4) Dogs do not necessarily die when they jump over huge dogs charging at them and land sideways on their head (another scary moment)

5) People are not shy in coming up and complimenting on how beautiful Skye is (I had an impromptu conversation by the side of the street as a truck pulled over; there was a 5 minute one-sided conversation as the driver gushed about huskies)

My favorite Air Boss and Skye photo taken over the weekend

(The Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA)

The doggie search has ended

2011-02-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Our search for a family dog ended rather unexpectedly. What was supposed to be a quick trip to the local shelter during Air Boss' lunch break last weekend (just to see what new dogs have come in during the two days since our last visit), ended with a dog coming home with us.

We showed up three minutes after the shelter opened up and we were amazed at the full parking lot and the TONS of people who were already there--it was busier than on the weekend! We walked up a down the sad, dark corridors of dog kennels and saw some familiar faces and some new. And then we saw her . . .

We had seen her on our first visit and were disappointed to discover that someone was in the process of adopting her. On our second visit (it was just Air Boss), Air Boss noticed the dog was still there but this time with two families standing "guard" in front of her kennel and blocking others from seeing her. Someone had even removed the paper with her tag number and information, as if they didn't want anyone to discover this dog.

Well, somehow, she still wasn't adopted by the time we came around on the third visit. What?!?! What happened? Turns out the "hold" on her from the first family expired and her back-up family didn't know she was released back for adoption. She was ours for the taking if we wanted.

Long story short, we brought her home and didn't "tell" the kids until they walked through the door and saw her in the dining room. They couldn't believe their eyes!

Lolli's mouth sort of hung open and she later told us that she thought it was "a picture of a dog" (I'm assuming she meant something like a cardboard cut-out). Air Boss video taped their reaction when they met the dog for the first time.

We didn't have a name for her and the shelter didn't have a recorded name for her either (she was a stray found on the street). We took a big gamble because we knew NOTHING about this dog. Since she's been with us, we've discovered that she is house trained, does know a few commands, and is very dainty and polite--provided there are no furry animals around. She loves stuffed animals and will not fetch even if her life depended on it.

After booking a vet appointment for the following day (I had named her "Sami" on the fly in order to have an appointment under SOME name), I let the kids choose a name for her. Lolli thought it would be quite apropos to name her "Skye" because of her eyes. So . . . Skye it is!

Looking for a friend (of the four-legged variety)

2011-02-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Today marked our second consecutive weekend we spent looking for a dog to add to our family. As a family, we've been looking to adopt a rescue dog since the end of November/beginning of December. We've held off getting a dog for Christmas (we knew we would be traveling during the holidays) and during the month of January (Air Boss would be away on business for almost two weeks and I didn't want to figure out how to "work a dog" while he was away).

Now that we're planning on staying put for awhile, our dog search has ramped up. We've--I guess it's been primarily me--been combing through PetFinder.com and even Craigslist to see what is out there. In addition, I've been looking into different breeds to see what would be most compatible to our lifestyle (i.e. which dogs don't shed, don't gnaw, don't poop, and don't require more exercise than walking from dog bowl to bed and back). Alas, I'm still looking for that elusive dog . . .

Kidding aside, we've narrowed our choices and started checking out websites. I've made several phone calls and inquiries about specific dogs. We were believing that doggie would be coming home with us last weekend that we bought the biggest Costco-sized doggie bed and threw it in the back of our Blackhawk van. 'Shroom and Lolli had a blast riding through Costco in the big over-sized shopping cart on a doggie bed.

No dog. Our top two dogs were already adopted.

Today, I told the kids that if we don't find a dog today (Saturday is a popular day to find adoption events at local pet stores), we may need to postpone the doggie search for another month or so. Even though we don't have any trips planned, I'll be starting a new job soon and I don't want to add a changing schedule to a newly-adopted-possibly-high-strung-dog.

Two adoption events, a trip to a local county shelter, and a phone call to a foster home yielded no dog. It was a tough day emotionally as we came very close to closing an adoption. At the local shelter, we had spent close to a half-hour with Shelly, a four year old shepherd/lab mix, in a private enclosed yard. As Air Boss and the kids stayed behind to continue playing with Shelly, I went to the office with checkbook in hand ready to close the deal.

As the paperwork was about the be processed, I had inquired about the reason why Shelly was turned in by her owner. A form was produced which the previous owner had filled out. To my dismay, I read that she was an outdoor dog, does not walk well on a leash (I figured this out), had no training (figured this out too), and could not be trusted to be indoors. My heart sank. I don't have the confidence to untrain 4 years of habits and retrain a dog. It was a no-go for me and for Air Boss (after I showed him the paperwork). Shelly was our third choice at the shelter (previous two had adoptions pending).

After we walked around a bit more to see if we could find another dog (as expected, no new dogs had been turned in during the 30 minutes we were with Shelly), I remembered I still had an ace up my sleeve. I had been provided the name and number of a woman fostering two beautiful huskies.

As I suspected, the foster mom would only adopt them to a family willing to take the pair. I think adopting one dog is already enough of a big change to our non-dog family. Air Boss and I weren't feeling up to the challenge in taking in two very active dogs.

Five hours after we saw our first dog of the day, we were finally heading home with no dog for our doggie bed. 'Shroom started crying in the car and his tears showed the disappointment for all of us. When we got home, he took out his bucket of dinosaur bones (which I had made him clean up before we left so that they wouldn't pose a choking hazard to our dog), and dumped the contents all over the floor. "I don't care if I make a mess because we're never going to get a dog!" he cried as he--well, made a mess.

Right now, he's sleeping in his bed with his stuffed friend, Teddy, who is a Webkins pug (complete with a real dog collar). Lolli has been dealing with her disappointment in a different way but it's just as present for her as it is for 'Shroom.

For now, I'm going to lay low on the dog search. It's been so disappointing for the kids--I didn't realize how much I've gotten their hopes up. In the meantime, we're a dog-less family with an empty doggie bed. Maybe we'll use it as a big floor pillow while we watch the Superbowl tomorrow. =/

Sunday, 2/6/11 Update:
This morning, 'Shroom woke up and drew himself this picture. He's been carrying it around all day today. It's a picture of the dog he'll have one day.

January Books

2011-02-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in recording the books I read this past January. But, better late than never!

Non-Fiction
1. A Praying Life: Connecting With God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (4.0 out of 5 stars)
I don't typically read books on prayer cover to cover but this book was a great reminder about the persistence of prayer. Focus and intentionality were highlighted and I especially appreciated Miller's personal anecdotes and struggles with his daughter's autism. It resonated with me and reminded me that the most valuable thing I can do for 'Shroom as he struggles with his learning disability is to pray for him.

2) The Successful Home Business Guide by Will Limkemann (3.2 out of 5 stars)
I put this book on my reading list because I wanted to explore home business options. This is the most current book (2009) that I've read on this topic so already it was a good read. While there were some very basic tips (make sure you have a business plan written, see who your competition is), there were some tips that were new and helpful to me (websites for search engine optimization (SEO's), the difference between marketing and sales, the importance of mission and vision statements).

Fiction
1) Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker(2.8 out of 5 stars)
This was a cute romance with the main character being a single 34-year old diabetic baker. It's a sweet (in more ways than one) story of how Emma (the baker) and Jake (owner of a destination hotel) meet and fall in love. It's a very wholesome book (no make-out scenes and I think the furthest they "go" is first base) and it's sprinkled with recipes, wedding planning advice and tips. The story itself is a bit bland and somewhat predictable but then again, I typically don't read romance books so consider this a good rating from me for this genre.

2) The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan (4.8 out of 5 stars)
This was a great book to start of Lolli's and 'Shroom's 2011. This is perhaps the longest book I've read aloud with them (almost 400 pages and all of it text - not one little picture in it). This first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (5 books in all) was a page turner and the kids wouldn't let me read "just one chapter" in a sitting. During the 10 days Air Boss was away on business, we would often have snacks and or dinner reading from the book. It became a great incentive for them to quickly do their homework so we could read the book together.

3) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (4.7 out of 5 stars)
We are definitely hooked. One great book may be a fluke but the second one is just as good. 'Shroom and Lolli (and okay, I as well) loved the humor in this book. Now we knew what to expect (lots of trouble and monsters) and the characters were well familiar (Percy, Annabeth, Chiron, Luke), we jumped right into the story as if there was never a break. To this day, the kids still say "Honeypie" in Polyphemus' voice (at least the way I read it to them) and "Yes dear?" in a high falsetto (which was my imitation of Grover acting as a nervous bride. We can't wait to start The Titan's Curse which is the third book in the series.

Science fair links

2011-01-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

This year, 'Shroom and Lolli will be participating in their school's annual science fair competition for the first time. Last week, we picked up their display boards and we're combing through some websites to find project ideas.

I thought I would post a few links here in case some of you are in the midst of doing your kids--er, helping your kids--with their science projects. =)

1) Super Science Fair Support Center - this is a great all-inclusive site that calls itself "the ultimate science fair resource"; you can purchase project downloads or complete kits; it has over 1,000 science project ideas

2) Fun Science Gallery - this site is great if you're interested in building your own scientific equipment (telescopes, batteries, microscopes)

3) All Science Fair Projects - this site is helpful as you can choose if you want to search among the 500 ideas, browse by topic (elementary, middle or high school projects), or jump to a link

4) Science Fair Project Ideas - this site provides ideas based on your child's grade level and also lets you choose topic categories to help whittle down your options

5) Science Buddies - this site was recommended by the kids' school; it has project ideas, separate teacher, parent and student support resources, and even an "Ask An Expert" section

Anyway, there are tons of resources out there and I'm sure your local school district has online resources as well. In the meantime, I'm beginning to realize that science fair projects are very much a family event. Air Boss and I are going to try our best to be as hands-off as possible (while still being available to help and guide) but helping the kids select a topic and introducing the scientific method to them is already a whole lot of involvement! The process and end result will be something interesting to see . . .

Lolli and 'Shroom with their school mascot

My 2011 reading lists

2011-01-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

I have a special call-out on this post to friends who have recommended some great books for me to read during this 2011 year. Thank you: Alice, Angela, Erika, Ernie, Jennifer, Karen, Marie-Claire, Prashant, and Stephanie! Part of the reason why it's taken me so long to get both fiction and non-fiction reading lists together is that I went through each and every recommendation and read the synopses on Amazon. I totally appreciate the recommendations because without them, I would be missing out on some great books my friends (and cousins) have already read and enjoyed.

2011 Non-Fiction
1. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo
2. Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse by Gregg Easterbrook

3. What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

5. The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn (Kaplan publishing)
6. The Successful Home Business Guide by Will Limkemann

7. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan

8. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller

9. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education by Diane Ravitch

10. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz

11. Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

12. The Story Factor by Annette Simmons

2011 Fiction

Unlike my non-fiction reading list, I don't have a set number of fiction books I would like to read as part of my 2011 goals. Most likely, I'll have a running list of books I've read this year and post it here on my blog. For now, here are some books I know I would like to read this year if I can land my hands on a copy . . .

1. Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

4. The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

5. The Known World by Edward Jones

6. Unaccustomed World by Jhumpa Lahiri

7. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

8. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

9. The 13th Tale by Diane Setterfield

10. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

11. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan*

12. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan*

*I've committed to reading these first two books of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series with 'Shroom and Lolli. We are almost done with the first book The Lightening Thief and we love it, love it, love it!

Need help helping your child with math?

2011-01-14T07:46:00.001-08:00

Just found out that Amazon's Kindle store is offering the book "Math for Moms and Dads: A dictionary of terms and concepts...just for parents" for free. I'm sure this offer is just for a limited time but if you have an iPhone, iTouch, iPad, or smart phone, you can download it for free here.

Even with a teaching credential in math, I was floundering trying to teach my first grader how to add and subtract double-digit numbers using "borrowing." I was so dating myself. I found out quickly that the term "borrowing" is no longer used and "regrouping" is the term today's elementary students are using.

I haven't yet read or opened the book yet but let me know if it's useful to you (and your kids)!

Our GPS Conundrum

2011-01-08T21:25:00.001-08:00

About a month ago, Air Boss and I--along with the kids--were coming home from somewhere. Can't remember where but when we were using our GPS (coincidentally named Garmin), it started wigging out. Like, "where the heck am I?" wigging out. Not good if one is relying on the GPS to get out of some sketchy neighborhood.
Luckily we knew where north was and could figure out the general direction. We got home safely. But the whole point of this is that while Garmin kept "recalculating" as we made turns and tried to manuever our way home, Air Boss and I noticed that Garmin was consistently "off." We found one of the freeways and jumped on it but Garmin showed our location on some non-existent street east of the freeway (we're guessing about 0.1 miles off). Weird. Garmin never recovered and we put him away and said, "He served us well for the 3.5 years we've had him."

We didn't think anything about it until tonight when we were driving home from Aliso Viejo. Since Garmin has been retired, Air Boss and I have been using our smart phones to guide us around unfamiliar territory (both phones got us up to and around San Jose on a recent trip). Here's the weirdness of it all

The same exact thing happened to Air Boss' GPS on his phone. Same exact displacement.

The phone GPS (powered by Google Maps) was consistently off and having us further east (again, about 0.1 mile off) than we really were. Just like Garmin's problem. We turned off the phone, rebooted it, took it off the car power supply, etc. We turned on my phone and my GPS was accurate. What are the odds that two different GPS's (okay, one GPS and one smart phone) would have the same displacement issue?

[Twilight Zone music fades in . . . ]

On the drive back (luckily Air Boss was with me or else I would be cluelessly lost without some navigation system), we thought of reasons ranging from: 1) there is something in the car engine blocking satellite transmission to 2) the world is coming to an end. This latter reason is a direct feed from all the birds and fish dying recently.

Anyway, we're still scratching our heads as to why we just can't seem to keep an accurately working GPS. One thing we'll have to try to rule out reason #1 is to take both Garmin and Air Boss' smart phone into our Blackhawk and see if both devices work properly. If so, maybe the problem is our Blackbird.

Garmin Update (Sat. 1/15/11)
Air Boss took Garmin for spin in the Blackhawk and has reported that Garmin is "back on track" and functioning fine. Thank goodness but it still doesn't solve the problem as to why it had wigged out more than a month ago.

Air Boss also tested his smart phone (this time again in the Blackbird) and the navigation system is function fine as well. Glad to hear that both devices are working accurately but the curious part of me is wondering how this happened to two separate devices in two different months with the same inaccuracy.

Anyway, I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

I heart books

2011-01-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

Since I've been soliciting book recommendations for my 2011 reading list, I thought I would share some of the more memorable books I've read in 2010.

I've kept the summaries extremely brief yet I've hopefully provided enough info to whet your appetite to want to read them (or at least the summaries on Amazon)! This was tough for me as I have an unusual talent of summarizing a two hour movie in three hours and writing a book synopsis that's about 20 pages shorter than the book itself. Okay - enough words. Here are my 2010 memorables:

Fiction for pure entertainment value
1) Deception Point (Brown, Dan) – NASA, a Presidential campaign, large meteorite discovered, an even larger cover-up
This was my first Dan Brown (of The Da Vinci Code variety) and the first book both Air Boss and I read together from cover to cover. We loved the book and we discovered how fun it was to read a book together. This book involved a lot of fast action, surprise twists, and lots of rotor and wing details to keep Air Boss enthralled.

2) Tick Tock (Koontz, Dean) – unexpected rag doll at front door, Vietnamese American writer, creepy rag doll comes to life, 3D's: deadline, dawn, and death
If you're not used to reading thrillers, I wouldn't read this alone at night.

3) The Hour I First Believed (Lamb, Wally) – shooting at Columbine High, school nurse barely survives, marriage unravels, lives changed forever, sanity and survival become relative
This book is somewhat borderline with the next category of fiction below.

4) She's Come Undone (Lamb, Wally) – 257 pound Dolores, self-image, divorce, rape, guilt, trials and tribulations, transformation

5) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Larrson, Stieg) – Swedish setting, journalist, tattooed superhacker, familial mystery and corruption, sexual violence
I've read the trilogy (The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) all within the same month. Lots of action, lots of killings, and lots of deception, violence and sex. Not the most wholesome reading material.

6) The Bluest Eye (Morrison, Toni) – 11 year old black Pecola, poverty, ridicule, rape, hardships, unfairness, sadness and horror, hope
A tough read but a poignant story.

Fiction that left a lasting impression
7) Safely Home (Alcorn, Randy) – American businessman, Chinese Christian, former college roommates, two worlds colliding, underground church, persecution, humility, faith exemplified
This is the first Kindle book I read and had I realized the book is over 400 pages long, I would not have chosen to have read it entirely on my smart phone but it was so good, I couldn't put it down. While this is a work of fiction, this story depicts the martyrdom that exists in China.

8) The Tortilla Curtain (Boyle, T.C.) - California/Mexico border, poverty vs. affluence, fear, clashing cultures, breakdown of community, illegal border crossings, car accident
If I were to start a book club, I would start it with this book. This book is so rich with nuances and starting-off points for long in-depth conversations and reflections. You can read my full book report here.

9) The Kite Runner (Hosseini, Khaled) – Afghanistan, inseparable friends, innocence, privileged, servant, unspeakable event change, guilt, utter sadness, search for redemption, war-torn Kabul, life in America
I have my friend Lisa to thank for her recommendation of both Hosseini's books. Both books have been unforgettably amazing. Months after reading these books, I'm still thinking about them.

10) A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini, Khaled) – Afghani women, political turmoil, power of rejection, power of love, sacrifice, tragedy, horrific abuse, Taliban cruelty, an unforgettable journey
Wow. I was told to have tissues on hand and while I didn't need them (the back of my hand worked just fine), I was left unbelievably moved and affected. I still lay awake at night sometimes thinking about this story.

11) The Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver, Barbara) - Christian missions in Congo, family with four girls, difficulties, fitting in, changes and challenges
This was a long (thick) book that I brought along with me to read on my trip to Boston. This story does not portray missions work in a good light (you'll need to read it to find out why) but the struggles of fitting in culturally I think are quite real and raw. It's a long book so if you're looking for reading material on an international flight, this may be it!

12) The Girl Who Owned a City (Nelson, O.T.) - deadly virus, no adults alive, orphaned children, struggle, survival, gangs, re-establishment of civilization, government
I found this book in the summer reading section for fourth or fifth graders. It's an easy read, but wow – a powerful story about a young girl and her incredible gumption to survive and thrive.

13) We Need to Talk About Kevin (Shriver, Lionel) – high school killings, angry boy, mother's guilt, letters of reflection, unconditional love
This is not a feel-good book nor a light summer read. It's a tough book to stomach but it evoked a lot of introspection on my role as a mom. The dad is estranged in this book but is "present" throughout the book. Totally do not need to be a mom to be deeply affected by Kevin's story and his family's struggle.

14) Life of Pi (Yann, Martel) - big tiger, 15-yr old boy, 26-foot life boat, water all around, very hungry, struggle for survival and power
I'm so glad I'm not out on a boat in the middle of nowhere and I'm more motivated to eat my veggies and avoid terrible constipation.

Non-Fiction
15) Late, Lost and Unprepared (Cooper-Khan and Dietzel) - Subtitle: "A parent's guide to helping children with executive functioning"
This book was the recommendation of 'Shroom's occupational therapist. Boy did it open my eyes to the world of executive DYSfunctioning. A must read if you (or your kids) really struggle with remembering things, organizing thoughts, following directions, and keeping a general order to life.

16) So Long, Status Quo (Flory, Susy) - Subtitle: "What I've learned from women who've changed the world"
My friend Katie introduced this book to me. I was so amazed by the nine women featured in this book (Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth I, Harriet Tubman to name a few). Flory's writing style is so engaging. I read it again with my friend Laurie as a book study and a challenge to live more like these women.

17) Don't Try This at Home (Friedman and Witherspoon) – The subtitle on this hilarious collection of short stories is “Culinary catastrophes from the world's greatest chefs.”
Yes, even a cooking buffoon like me can laugh at 5 star Michelin chefs.

18) Blink (Gladwell, Malcom) - Subtitle: "The power of thinking without thinking"

19) The Tipping Point (Gladwell, Malcom) - Subtitle: "How little things can make a big difference"

20) Into Thin Air (Krakauer, Jon) - Subtitle: "A personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster"

21) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Maxwell, John C.) - Subtitle: “Follow them and people will follow you.”

22) Teacher Man (McCourt, Frank) - a memoir of English teacher Frank McCourt, high school in NY, Irish immigrants, creative writing, funny stories, unconventional teaching

23) The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook (Piven and Borgenicht) - some example scenarios include jumping from building to building and surviving a plane ride with someone's screaming baby

24) The Glass Castle (Wells, Jeannette) - a memoir: eccentric and nomadic parents, children raising themselves and caring for parents, extreme extreme poverty, unbelievable neglect and odds for making in the world, unbelievable tenacity and accomplishments
You can read my full book report here.

As you may have already guessed, I lost a bit of steam towards the end. Stay tuned for my 2011 book list!

2011 Goals (not to be confused with resolutions)

2011-01-06T14:56:00.001-08:00

Perhaps this is the first time in about five years that I'm actually being deliberate about noting what I want to happen in my 2011. The five year abstinence from creating a list has been my fear of "yet another year of failed resolutions."

Well, I'm "fixing" that problem by naming my list of endeavors as [drum roll, please...] My 2011 Goals. How's that for being totally new and innovative?!

Anyway, I'll be compiling my list in these next few days but I've already started by thinking of categories in which to clump my goals. Another attempt to compartmentalize/organize/list-ize my life.

I'm hoping to have no more than 5 (but at least 3 to keep things somewhat even and balanced) goals in each category but we'll see what I actually come up with. I've even thought up abbreviations to keep things simple and coded - and yes, I have heard the term "anal retentive" before.

1. Personal Enrichment (PE) - this would include all things fun and not-so-fun; things included in this category would be my reading list(s), fitness goals, maybe even a total "non-me" thing to do in 2011

2. Family Life - Children (FL-C) - this category would list things I would strive to do with my kids; the "C" is there so as not to confuse it with...

3. Family Life - Marriage (FL-M) - I'm sure Air Boss would like to chime in a few suggestions for my 2011 goals in this area but this is MY list

4. Ministry & Relationships (MR) - I've heard countless times that the most important thing in life is one's relationships; well, I'm horrible at keeping in touch with friends and family so here's a category specifically for developing my relationships and learning to show lots of love to others

5. Professional Development (PD) - since I don't have a career or job as of date, everything in this category is essentially free-for-all; maybe the first goal would be to "discover myself as a professional"

6. Finance & Household (FH) - perhaps the one easily-identifiable goal in this arena would be "try to spend less than what I make" - that would put a halt to my spending for sure!

Anyway, stay tuned as I'll be posting my goals in each of these categories. Nothing like having the world wide web hold me accountable.

A new year . . . a new living room

2011-01-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

There was nothing wrong with our "old" living room other than the fact that the walls were bare and stark white. However, Air Boss felt that there was more that we could do to our living room to make it warmer and more inviting (true) and that a fireplace would solve that problem (okay, true again).

I'll have to admit that I'm the cheapskate in our family and a fireplace--fake as it was--wasn't that high on my priority list of things on which to spend money. But then again, other than food, clothing, utilities and other necessities, there aren't too many items that make it on my priority list for spending--but I digress . . . Now that I see the "before" picture with the bare walls, which is further accented by the kids' colorful artwork,

I can't help but enjoy the warmth and the new ambiance the fireplace creates in our living room. When my East Coast mom saw this photo, her response was that it looked like a New England setting. Well, that cemented it for me. It was a worthwhile upgrade to make our living room feel a bit more like . . . well, home.

New skills I can add to my resume...

2010-11-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

I've picked up some new skills that I'm hoping are resume-worthy . . . it may be a long shot. Essentially, the position of art docent [definition: a volunteer worker who acts as a guide in a museum or art gallery, but in this case, a volunteer parent who tries to minimize chaos and maximize damage control during art lessons] for 'Shroom's second grade class somehow unintentionally became filled by me. It is through my position as docent that I've picked up a few teaching tools to add to my tool belt.

This first art project was a tribute to Jackson Pollock's method of abstract art. In layman terms, it is essentially "active" art on which paint gets glopped, splattered, dripped, flung, and everything else you wouldn't ever dare do with a classroom of young--and extremely excitable-- students.

I was taught this method as a docent so that I would be prepared to teach 'Shroom's class. While seated at tables, the adult docents were instructed to fill the white canvas board with three different colors. We then took our boards (and lots of newspapers) to the floor and proceed to "Pollock-ize" the canvas. Bye-bye brushes and hello plastic spoons, forks, and knives.

I was a helper for Lolli's class when her first grade class did their paintings. The docent for her class had the students do their entire painting seated at tables. Even though this minimized the clean up afterward, the results didn't seem as dynamic and variegated as the paintings done on the floor. The paint didn't get a chance to "drop" onto the canvas. The table height was mid-chest level on some of the first graders! Luckily I had the experience of helping out in Lolli's classroom before I had to teach it to 'Shroom's class.

Placing the canvas on the floor definitely added a depth and coolness but it made a huge mess. Was it worth it? I think looking at 'Shroom's painting, it was well worth it.

Can you pick out which painting was painted by whom?

Oh, and on my teaching resume, I'll have to add under the core competencies section:

instructional best-practices--("Okay class. Today we're going to throw paint onto canvas boards. Let's get started!")

experiential learning--("Jose, I think you're waaay done with your painting because the paint is about two inches thick. No, I don't care if you say you're not done. I say you're done."), and

classroom management--("Everyone freeze where you are right now! Some of you have paint on the bottom of your shoes and you're trekking it all over the room. I said STOP! NOW!!")

[P.S. The painters of each of the paintings above are me, Lolli and 'Shroom, in that order]

Red Ribbon Week

2010-10-22T11:32:00.001-07:00

Today kicked off Red Ribbon week at the kids' elementary school. Each day of the week (starting next week) will focus on some fun creative way to remind kids to "say no to drugs." One day next week, the entire school will wear red and another day, the students and staff will wear their shirts backwards (so they will be reminded to "turn their back to drugs").

During the weekly flag assembly outside, the kids were introduced to a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officer. He was dressed in civilian clothes and didn't seem to make much of an impact on the kids other than the fact that he was an unfamiliar face. Right on cue as the officer said "when I make a drug bust...." sirens and horns flashed and screamed as an army green Humvee and police cruiser tore onto the school blacktop. The kids (kindergarteners through fifth graders) screamed and squealed in excitement and the pitch rose when a DEA agent, fully decked out in his helmet, goggles, and combat attire, stepped out of the Humvee.

It was fun to see the excitement on the kids' faces at this unexpected visit (yes, even though Red Ribbon week happens every year), hear them stumble over the drug-free school pledge they took, and help them climb into these vehicles for a bit of show and tell.

The kids were entertained as they watched a schoolmate get handcuffed (poor kid was told the keys to unlock the cuffs were back in the local PD office). They were enthralled at everything an officer carried around his belt and kept guessing that every flat rectangular object in his belt was a taser (the magazine clip and voice recorder just weren't as exciting). The taser was eventually unclipped and activated so we could all hear the loud buzz of the electricty surging through the hand-held device. Umm . . . remind me not to get too close to one of those things.

So my question is, why do kids keep saying school is so boring? =)

What was one of your most exciting moments in school?

Nope - this trunk isn't good enough for our Costco shopping trips. Lots of stuff in there!

QOTD: How do you grow seedless grapes?

2010-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today's Question Of The Day comes from six year old Lolli.

I've been known to buy seeded grapes because they're cheaper than seedless grapes. Costco on occasion sells these huge red seeded grapes that can pass for small plums on a vine. While it is a pain to slice each one open and pull out each and every seed in the grape (these grapes average about 4-6 seeds apiece), the grapes are sweet and they're usually much cheaper.

After finishing a huge batch of these with my family, I found seedless grapes from one of our local markets for a fairly reasonable price. I splurged and purchases the seedless grapes and enjoyed the luxury of simply washing and eating my grapes.

"Mommy, how come these grapes don't have seeds," Lolli had asked me after noticing her grapes didn't have the 'gaping mouth' as telltale evidence that there was necessary seed extraction.

"Well, some grapes have seeds and some don't," was my brilliant reply. After awhile, I thought that explanation was a bit lame so I added, "just like some mangoes have green skin and others have yellow skin."

She seemed somewhat satisfied with that response or else she was simply enjoying the unadulterated grapes. However, the silence didn't last too long as she asked me a question I simply didn't have the answer to.

"Well, if there is no seed, how do you grow seedless grapes?"

"You know, I don't really know. That's a great question," I told her and as I have said on several occasions in my math classes, "Let me look into that and see if I can find out something for you."

So, thanks to Google, I've skimmed a couple of articles/postings on how seedless grapes are grown (by clippings from existing seedless grape plants). It's a fairly involved process which can be better explained in this ezine article. The long and short of it though, is that I don't think there will be any seedless grapes growing in our backyard.

A week of extremes

2010-10-15T14:45:00.001-07:00

From Webster's Dictionary:
ex·cep·tion·al
adj \ik-ˈsep-shnəl, -shə-nəl\

1: forming an exception : rare
2: better than average : superior
3: deviating from the norm: asa : having above or below average intelligence

I've always felt awe and admiration for parents raising more than two children at a time because there are times where I can barely manage two. I have also realized that my two children--although oftentimes mistaken for twins--probably have a wider span in aptitude than many siblings who are more than five years apart.

In this week alone, Air Boss and I have decided (after 3-days of assessments for Lolli, meeting with eight school administrators, specialists, and teachers, and much flip-flopping) to keep her in her current first grade class. Despite her assessments indicating that she is performing above the current second grade class, all involved school personnel had voiced their concerns and reservations of having her skip a grade.

Towards the latter part of this week, Air Boss and I have also been faced with whether or not to pull 'Shroom out of his classroom for some intensive intervention measures. Although we weren't entirely thrilled with the prospect of 'Shroom spending more than half of each school day in a special education setting (i.e. pulled out of his classroom), we know that he's not keeping up with his second grade peers and is falling further and further behind. Yes, we met with some of the same team who had JUST discussed options for our precocious daughter and now a mere few days later, we're discussing how we can best keep 'Shroom afloat in second grade.

We've decided just this week that Lolli will stay in first grade and 'Shroom will daily receive three hours of special ed in the learning center. Wow - it's hard to believe that they come from the same parents and hence the same gene pool.

Dare I say my children are exceptional . . . ?

Risking lives for a birthday gift

2010-08-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Today I had the brilliant idea of visiting one of the local Tommy's Hamburger shacks to pick up a Tommy Burger T-shirt for my brother-in-law [CB: you can't read this until a week after it has posted]. I have never had a Tommy Burger in the many times I've visited LA (as an East Coaster) nor as a CA resident.

I did my research and found out that these burgers were famous for being a drippy (but tasty) mess of a burger than comes slathered with chili and as many as three beef patties (I can feel my arteries seizing up as I write this). Yelp.com had some humorous reviews but among the hundreds of review out there, the common themes were:

- don't eat here if you're not into grease and a hamburger hangover
- the more sober you are, the less appealing the food is (and along the same vein, Tommy Burgers make great "drunk food")
- many loyal fans can only stomach a Tommy Burger about one every other month
- if you don't like messy food, ask for the chili on the side (I made sure I remembered that!)
- eating the burger is only half the experience; the other half is experiencing the environment one has to endure in order to get a Tommy Burger (read on for further explanation)

After my internet search, it turned out that the closest Tommy Burger shacks were located in Santa Monica and Long Beach. After reading the Yelp reviews, Air Boss and I thought it best not to drag the kids to the questionable area of Santa Monica where Tommy Burger was located and decided instead to mosey on over to the "better part" of Long Beach.

Haha. So. Not. True.

We found the shack in LB no problem. We dined al fresco to the roars of loud motor bikes in the parking lot, to the shuffling of homeless folks, to the incessant pigeon cooings as they waited for crumbs to fall, and to the excitement of an arrest happening about 100 yards away. Luckily the kids were sitting with their backs to the police cruiser and the suspect spread eagle on the hood of the police car. I had called Air Boss' attention to the "situation" just as another police car arrived at the scene (thank goodness for back-up). We saw cop #2 exit his vehicle only to return seconds later to retrieve his billy club.

Needless to say, 'Shroom and Lolli were getting a lot of flak from me for not eating fast enough.

Air Boss knew I was just itching to blog about our Tommy Burger experience. He told me to take a photo of our exciting environment as a way of documenting the moment. I thought better of it.

Instead, I'll post an image of the anatomy of a Tommy Burger so you don't have to risk your health (or life) to benefit from our burger experience:

photo: www.originaltommys.com

P.S. Oh yeah. Mission accomplished: we got the T-shirt!

"Well I love that dirty water...

2010-08-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

. . . Oh, Boston you're my home"

I have to admit it took a bit of an adjustment for me to get used to seeing so many people donning Red Sox T-shirts and caps on the streets and all around town. When we arrived at Logan and were making our way to retrieve our baggage at the luggage claim area, I saw a man wearing a Red Sox cap and thought, "Oh wow! There's a Sox fan!" and then I passed two other individuals wearing something with the red socks motif within the next five seconds. Ahh yes, I had just entered the capital of Red Sox Nation.

Other than that and getting re-acclimated to the muggies (humid, damp, muggy weather), our transition back to our old stomping grounds was fairly quick and easy. Air Boss worked the first week we were there (he still works for his Boston-based employer) and when I drove him to work one day, I had a hard time remembering street names but I managed to find my way back through the back streets and pot-hole-ridden alleys of Cambridge.

Seafood. Yes - we had our share of eating sea creatures. Air Boss caught the first fish of the day just shortly after 8 AM on a fishing outing with his colleagues. His fish measured a generous 30" and we ate fresh blue fish that night. I betcha my mom and sis still have some frozen in their freezers!

We even managed to drive to Kittery Point, Maine for some good old lobster right out on the lobster deck. We should have gotten our lobster fix at the local Shaw's (grocery store) where lobster was on sale for $4.99/lb. Chauncy Creek Pier's market price was $14.99/lb. Oh well, at least we didn't have to boil it ourselves or melt our own butter.

The kids along with Boston Cousins 1 and 2 (BC1 and BC2) managed to have fun at Boston's Museum of Science, but for the most part, they were quite content playing at my parents' house, improving their scores on my mom's Wii Fit, and trading their Japanese erasers.

photo: My Sis

I managed to get my back-to-school clothes shopping done for the kids (thank you no-clothing-tax Massachusetts!). Too bad we were in Canada during MA's annual tax-free weekend, although even if we were around, I don't think we would have purchased any big-ticketed item that could be easily transported back to CA and still maintain our 50 lb weight maximum per suitcase. Just as well.

I did make a deliberate trip to LLBean to see if I could get new bungee laces to replace 'Shroom's shredded ones. LLBean, I am disappointed in your 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Not only did you not replace the laces (the sneakers were purchased last year and worn for less than 2 months), you referred me to a separate on-line vendor who didn't even carry the bungee laces. When I tried to exchange the shoes for a new pair (at the recommendation of one of your sales associates), you would only give me $3 credit that would go towards a new $35 pair

Not a 100% satisfied customer. Not even 25% satisfied. At least Air Boss managed to amuse himself in the store by trying on their signature backpacks.

Other sights visited: our green house, Dunkin Donuts (of course), our old church, the Boston Esplanade, Harvard Sq., the swan boats in the Boston Common, and the Mass Turnpike where you have to pay a toll at practically every mile marker (okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit).

Ahh . . . it was nice to be back after a two year wait. It was wicked awesome. =)

Boston Reunion (my father's side of the family)

2010-08-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

It's been several days since we've returned from our East Coast adventures and looking at the numerous photos of our trip makes it seem like we were there months ago. Our first full day after landing in Boston was a family reunion with my dad's extended family. We managed to coordinate the three California families to be in Boston on the same day. My dad's family consists of a sister and three brothers (of which he is one) and their offspring and grandchildren. I think we had about 45 folks spanning three generations.

Here Air Boss managed to get us assembled on the deck so he could take a "corporate marketing" pose. He half hung out of a second floor bedroom window to take this shot. Can you find me? I'm waving my hand. [I have to make a correction as the photo changed: I'm no longer waving my hand. I'm the one smiling.] =)

Despite not remembering any of their second cousins, 'Shroom and Lolli had lots of fun catching up with their first cousins: BC1 and BC2 (that would be 7 year old "Boston Cousin #1" and 4 year old "Boston Cousin #2").

What a great way to start out our trip!

L to R: BC2, 'Shroom, Lolli, BC1 (and yes, they are participating in a relay race with a pool noodle!)

The Glass Castle

2010-07-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Since I'm requiring 'Shroom and Lolli to write weekly book reports this summer, I thought I would hold myself to that same requirement. I'm a bit behind -- not in reading but in writing the reports.

The latest book I've read is called The Glass Castle and is a memoir and an incredible heart-wrenching but triumphant story of a girl's journey from destitute poverty to incredible success as a journalist for MSNBC.com and a New York Times bestselling author. Jeannette Wells begins her memoir when she is three year old cooking dinner for herself on a gas stove top - a typical task for this youngster in her rather dysfunctional family.

Jeannette is the second oldest of four children born to Rex and Rose Mary Wells. Both her parents are bright individuals with Rex being a well-read scholar in physics and her mom an artist with a teaching degree. Rex and Rose Mary are parents who would never grace the cover page of "Parenting" magazine or "Family Circle" and if anything, in this day and age, would have lost all parental rights for child neglect. Rex is an alcoholic who can't hold a job and Rose Mary is a childish immature woman who can't be bothered with the responsibilities of raising kids.

Clothing was meager, food was scarce, and "home" was a shack with no electricity or running water. In an excerpt from Jeannette's book, she writes about a time when the kids were surviving by eating trash out of the school cafeteria. Dad was off getting drunk and Mom was too busy painting to be concerned about her kids.

"One day while Brian [Jeannette's brother] and I were out scrounging around on the edge of our property, he picked up a piece of rotting lumber, and there among the pill bugs and night crawlers was a diamond ring. The stone was big. . . . We figured we could sell it and buy food . . . We brought the ring home and showed it to Mom. She held it up to the light, then said we needed to have it appraised. The next day she took the Trailways bus to Bluefield. When she returned, she told us it was in fact a genuine two-carat diamond . . . She was keeping it, she explained, to replace the wedding ring her mother had given her, the one Dad had pawned shortly after they got married.

"But Mom," I said, "that ring could get us a lot of food."

"That's true," Mom said, "but it could also improve my self-esteem. And at times like these, self-esteem is even more vital than food."

Is that just whacked?!?! What is amazing is that Jeannette tells this story without bitterness nor anger. Her narration is factual and somewhat removed. While she does express emotion in her recount, she and her siblings exhibit a type of understanding and maturity that most adults don't even have.

Jeannette's story is both a horrific story of four children who have to face incredible obstacles in order to survive. Their "beds" were pieces of cardboard on rope stretched taut over a 2x4 frame; their toilet was a yellow bucket in the kitchen which would be emptied outside once it got full; food was whatever they could scrounge up in the school trash cans and on rare occasions, a can of beans and a stick of butter.

Had this story ended in the poverty-stricken mining town of Welch, West Virginia, I would have been extremely depressed afterwards. However, Jeannette's story takes us all the way to her adult years - as an accomplished and recognized journalist living on Park Avenue in New York City. Despite the odds against her, Jeannette, along with her older sister and younger brother, are all able to be high-functioning adults capable of showing responsibility and maturity. Something that was not modeled for them at all.

What an amazing story. A must read--especially if you think you've had a pretty tough life.

Donuts and Tortillas

2010-07-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday morning on our way to church, we drive by a strip mall--a small shopping plaza of some sort--with a mom-and-pop donut shop on the corner. What caught my eye the first time driving by was the crowd gathered around the shop at 8:45 on a Sunday morning. Taking a more deliberate look, I noticed on that first drive-by that they were all men--perhaps all Mexican--who were most likely looking for contractors pulling in for their morning coffee on their way to a job site.

Since that first drive to church, I would unconciously think to myself, "well, that's one donut shop I'll never visit" In the same vein, I would avoid driving to the nearest Home Depot and instead drive an extra four miles out of my way to shop at another Home Depot. You see, in order to get to the local HD, I'd have to drive through a gauntlet of day laborers - typically men of Mexican descent looking for work or anything that will enable them to earn cash. The one time I had visited this local HD, I was approached by two different men in two different parts of the parking lot. I tried to state politely (but firmly) that I was not interested in hiring them. The second man, however, was annoyingly persistent and insistent and I knew the loaded flat bed by my car was a dead giveaway that I was going to start some time-consuming home improvement project. I didn't feel fearful but I did feel nervous, anxious, and a bit peeved.

All this is to say that since reading the book "The Tortilla Curtain" (TC Boyle), my perspective on migrant workers has widened a bit. The "tortilla curtain" is a reference to the thin border that exists between California and Mexico - a boundary that many Mexicans cross over in the hopes of living a richer better live.

The fictional book is the story of how two very different worlds collide and how the lives of two couples--one from each "world"--change dramatically. Delaney, a writer and magazine columnist, lives in an exclusive community populated with multi-million dollar homes. On his drive home one day, he accidentally hits a man dartng across the winding road. Candido, an illegal Mexican immigrant, is obviously hurt. For different motivating factors, neither Delaney nor Candido report the accident. More out of guilt than anything, Delaney offers Candido $20 which is later referred to as "blood money."

What I found most riviting about the book was the daily struggle of Candido and his young wife (17 year old America) to survive in lower hills of Topanga Canyon (Delaney and his family life at the top of Topanga Canyon which is just north of Malibu). Finding work is impossible for Candido as he can barely walk and fades in and out of consciousness the first few days after the accident. With no food and no money, pregnant America is compelled to find work. Each day, she waits at the labor exchange among the other men to see if work is available for her. She fears for her safety but her fear of starvation outweighs her fear of abuse.

While this is not a new novel (1995) nor does it carry new themes (illegal immigration, American dream, cultural and socio-economic differences), it has provided a wider backdrop on the struggles of immigrants as they try to live the American dream.

Somehow the drive to church today was a little bit different for me.

Vacay in the desert

2010-07-05T09:44:00.001-07:00

Celebrating Summer in the Desert
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Today marks the 7th day of summer vacation (11th if you're counting weekend days) and we've spent 5 of them (7 if you're counting weekend days) in Palm Springs where the weather is a sun scorching 110 degrees.

I had planned the vacation to start right after school ended so we could all "decompress" from this past semester of student teaching. Yes, even though I was the only one teaching, it was a tough semester for everyone in my household. Air Boss juggled full-time work (not to mention some pretty stressful project deadlines and meetings) and full-time parenting. The kids had to make some adjustments too (dirty socks to school one day because I didn't have time to do laundry, late dinners or Mackey D's for dinner, no parent or family representative for "Someone Special Day" at school.... a story for another time as poor 'Shroom was eating all by himself).

I wanted this vacation upfront - at the beginning of summer - so we could spend some time as a family, even if we were in the middle of a desert in the summer. As you can see, we did a bit of swimming (or splashing around in the pool). We could go swimming several times a day if we wanted to as our swim suits/trunks would dry in the sun in less than a half hour.

Yay for summers!

Reality settled in our first or second day back. We went out to eat at a local restaurant and as we were leaving the restaurant, I heard say "Hey! That's Mrs. Y__!" I turned around in response and it was one of my math students. I chatted with this former student for a bit and then got in my car.

It's not like I'm trying to block out my student teaching experience but I've had a couple of nightmares since leaving the school. One of the nightmares was while we were on vacation in Palm Springs. I woke up in the middle of the night after having dreamed that it was the fall and the school called me and asked me why I wasn't in class with the students. Found out in my dream that I hadn't passed my PACT (Performance Assessment for California Teachers) and had to do my student teaching all over again. Another dream/nightmare was that I was stuck in one of my observation classrooms (which was done at another local high school) and trying to teach while students were throwing books at me.

I think this dream was triggered after seeing one of my observation students in the grocery store the other day. And this student was a student who had a very unpleasant attitude in the classroom.

Anyway, no need to further ruminate on these unpleasant scenarios. Summer is here and let's focus on that!

Let summer begin!

2010-06-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

The much anticipated last day of school has arrived and now summer has officially begun. I can't believe I have survived 20 weeks of student teaching, roughly 300 periods of instruction, six incidents of cheating (with formal reports), numerous hours of after-school and lunch-time tutoring sessions, and five months of working weekdays and weekends for FREE.

Yesterday after my Algebra 1 class took their final exam and they were progressively getting louder and louder as the clock ticked away the final minutes of their last freshman (in a few cases, sophomore) math class of the year, I reflected on how the last day of school is seems so different as a single subject teacher (in a high school) than as a lower elementary school teacher. Both 'Shroom and Lolli have been getting excited for this last day and the ramp up to this day was preceeded with parties, special school events, concerts, work-free days, etc.

When that bell rang, my Algebra 1 students BOLTED out the door and my "have a great summer!' was lost in the chaos and noise of the students fleeing the building as if it were on fire.

Later on that afternoon as I drove home, I thought "wow - I don't even feel sentimental about these kids." No lump in the throat, no sadness in the heart, no thoughts of "oh, they weren't so bad after all" (quite the opposite), no hugs, not even a good-bye from one single student. I don't think there was a single connection I made or experienced in that class short of one boy earlier in the semester.

Well, I didn't pick teaching for the lovey dovey feelings or for the anticipated appreciation from students. Just the same, it seemed like a rather disappointing end to a rather difficult semester with this class.

In the meantime, I'm losing no sleep over this. Summer has begun! Yay!

[Up until this day, I've always thought students were more excited about summer vacation than parents and teachers. Today I've realized how wrong I was in that assumption]

The end is in sight

2010-06-20T21:34:00.001-07:00

Oogling
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

On this Sunday night, I'm prepping my last lesson for this school year. I can't believe I've survived 19 weeks of student teaching. Barely.

It's quite ironic that my worst day of teaching this semester was just this past Friday, thanks to my freshman Algebra 1 class. I won't go into the details of that nightmare class from hell. What I will say is that I had a substitute in the room the other week (master teacher was out for the day so sub was there for the other classes), and after my 4th period class was dismissed to lunch, the sub had told me "Wow, that is one disrespectful class." No kidding.

Anyway, I was planning on baking cookies for my students for the last day of classes before final exams. Well, as you can see from the cookie cooling racks, there's not enough cookies for 90 students. It's because I've changed my mind and find my students rather undeserving of cookies (and for many of them, any letter grade higher than a D). The cookies Lolli and 'Shroom and sniffing are for my 6th period class - my best class (okay, a couple of cookies are reserved for 'Shroom and Lolli - that would just be mean if I gave them all away without saving any for them).

I'll spend part of the summer reflecting on these past 20 weeks and see what thoughts and ambitions I have in this field of education. But for now, I guess I could sum it up by borrowing a few of Manny Ramirez's words (as the Red Sox left fielder):

"They're tired of me. I'm tired of them. They don't deserve me."

[P.S. I've re-entered the blogosphere! Effective immediately, the blogging code of silence has now been lifted!]

...barely made it to the weekend...

2010-02-05T16:46:00.001-08:00

It's just before 5 PM on Friday and I have to say that I feel like I've barely survived my week. My first week of student teaching. I am so glad the weekend is here and that I get an extra day (thank you President Lincoln) to prep for next week's classes.

I think my "highlight" and "lowlight" of the week pretty much encapsulates the week:

"hi" - staying after school to tutor one of my 9th grade Algebra I students in how to add positive and negative integers; that fact that she even SHOWED up for after school help was such a great feeling; a slight down to this was that I was late for my evening class which started at 4 PM

"low" - receiving a card from Lolli on my nightstand (because I wasn't around to receive it personally); getting the card wasn't a low but the "I miss you Mommy" and "I love you" messages only emphasized how much I've missed my family this week.

I survived and if survival is the goal, then I've had a successful week. If great teaching and instruction (ok, even "good") was the goal, I'm afraid I've fallen quite short of that.

Needless to say, I did manage to lose half of the 5 lbs I want to lose on a water and Altoids diet.

I am so tired....

Last ditch effort

2010-01-06T21:51:00.001-08:00

Poor 'Shroom decided to wiggle too little, too late. Here he is sitting in the dentist chair trying to see if he can get the tooth out himself. I don't know if that's a look of desperation on his face or a look of trepidation....or both.

wiggle....wiggle....wiggle....

...unfortunately that didn't work...

2010-01-06T21:48:00.001-08:00

....so we resorted to the professional teeth-puller-outers.

I don't understand 'Shroom sometimes. Last month when he had is bi-annual cleaning, he squirmed around in the chair a lot, had to be coaxed to open his mouth several times and was clearly uncomfortable and afraid. Today, he took the shot (two actually - one for each tooth) without any tears, fussing or squirming.

He was a trooper. For someone who was afraid to wiggle his loose teeth because of the anticipation of pain, he did amazingly well in the dentist's chair.

I told Air Boss that had I been there (I wimped out and was relieved Air Boss was more willing to go), I would not have been able to watch, let alone take pictures.

Well, two teeth down....18 more to go....

The new look

2010-01-06T21:42:00.000-08:00

Well - here he is. Sans baby front teeth. You can see the divots in his gums where the teeth used to be and how the new teeth were pushing out the old ones.

Air Boss has refrained from posting the more gory photos on flickr. He mentioned that for the 45 degree angle tooth, the dentist used what looked like a flat head screwdriver to pop the tooth out. For the other tooth, the pliers were needed. There was no way that tooth was going to come out without tools. Air Boss and I, after looking at the second baby tooth, are wondering if part of that tooth may still be in his gums. The tooth is jagged - not a clean break and not how a loose tooth would naturally fall out.

Anyway, 'Shroom is sleeping right now. His pillow is resting on top of two baby teeth to see what the Tooth Fairy will bring.

I don't know what the Tooth Fairy will bring either but I don't think it will be LEGO's...

What's that sticking out of your mouth 'Shroom?

2010-01-06T20:57:00.001-08:00

Christmas stegosaurus
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Betcha you can't close your mouth and have one--just one--tooth sticking out like this. It takes talent. And a 45 degree angled tooth.

This photo was taken on Christmas day with 'Shroom's favorite Christmas gift: a remote-controlled stegosaurus.

$50 for a tooth from the Tooth Fairy?!?!

2010-01-06T11:32:00.001-08:00

All I want for Christmas is to pull out my two front teeth.
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

'Shroom has yet to lose his first tooth. And he's the ripe old age of 7. For the past month now, both his front eye teeth are loose and the new adult teeth have already emerged. He has two rows of teeth with one of his old baby teeth jutting out of his mouth at a 45 degree angle. A bit disturbing to see.

During the Christmas holiday, Air Boss has tied countless things to his protruding tooth in the hopes that he (or 'Shroom) would be able to yank it out. We didn't have the heart to tie the string, thread, floss (we've tried it all) to a doorknob. Didn't want to make the loss of the first tooth that traumatic and emotionally life damaging.

Well, scrap that idea. Today Air Boss will be taking him to the dentist to get both his front teeth extracted. Yes - baby teeth extraction. I'm so cheap that I've offered 'Shroom $50 if he pulls out his own loose tooth. Just one. Not even both. When he didn't even balk at the proposition, I offered him the incentive in LEGO's (he probably doesn't know how much $50 is). Before you think I'm jumping on the bandwagon by offering cold hard cash for useless baby teeth (and I'm not the sentimental type and I'm even less for keeping up with the Joneses), $50 worth of LEGO's would be a win-win situation.

Since baby teeth extractions are NOT covered by our dental plan, it would be cheaper for me to pay 'Shroom in LEGO's than pay the dental fees for pulling out these teeth.

"Why don't YOU do it?" you're probably wondering.

I'm his mom.

I have to face this kid every day. Need I say more? (I'll also add that I'm a wuss when it comes to pain...and yes, I think it will be painful for 'Shroom, too!)

Maybe we'll have pictures tonight of a big gap in 'Shroom's mouth if all goes well at the dentist office today . . .

$50 for a tooth - that's not so bad . . . right?

The calm before the storm

2010-01-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is my first post of the new year - of the new decade. Perhaps it may be my last - at least for awhile. In a few short weeks, I'll be student teaching at a local high school and to say that I'm freaking out about it would be an understatement--a grossly understated statement.

I thought I would be proactive and resourceful by reading up on "student teaching advice" on the internet. While many of the websites and advice offered are quite helpful and insightful (and some even lame and "duh - that's just common sense!"), reading about "the top ten mistakes of student teachers" and "how to minimize the truckloads of paperwork on your desk" and "how to get to school on time after completing 27 tasks" and "how to enjoy student teaching despite the stress and craziness of it all" may not be mitigating the stress level. In fact, I think my stress level has gone UP as a result of trying to prepare myself.

Anyway, I thought I would share my fears of this upcoming semester with you all (not listed in any particular order):

1) I'll forget all my math (and worse yet, I'll teach incorrect math)

2) I'll walk into the classroom on Day One and be laughed right out of there by the students

3) my master teachers will secretly talk behind my back and say how horrible I am

4) I'll look schlumpy and not professional at all

5) the students will have no respect for me and be on their worst behavior

6) I'll have to duck flying desks, books, and other projectiles thrown my way

7) I won't even make it to the President's Day holiday (um, that's like two weeks after I start teaching)

8) I'll need to go to the bathroom more often than I have time to go

9) the principal will stop by on my worst day of teaching and observe me

10) my kids and husband will forget who I am

11) I won't have any boundaries (or bad priorities) and bring trunkloads of work home each day

12) I'll fail and have to do student teaching all over again

Well as many of you are making your New Year's resolutions (or have already given up on them), I think my lofty goal of staying alive and maintaining balance is all that I can hope for at the moment.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post some updates of this adventure before June 2010!

Creating a new web log

2009-11-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

One of my projects I'm working on is a newspaper for my literacy class. I'm actually having quite a bit of fun writing and creating articles for this make-believe mathematics-related periodical. In researching material to include in my newspaper, I've come across some interesting tidbits:

Michael Jordan was a math major
Teri Hatcher was a math and an engineering major
according to The Wall Street Journal, the top three jobs to have are all math-related (for you inquiring minds, that would be in order: mathematician, actuary and statistician)
Hirojuki Goto holds the world record for reciting the number Pi to over 42,000 digits (it took him only 9 hours to memorize)

Anyway while all that interesting, yet trivial, information was fun to gather, it reminded me of the need to set up another web log. In preparation for my student teaching next semester, I would like to have a blog for my students to read and leave comments (I'm hoping I won't have to heavily edit comments and questions) as well as for me to post classroom-relate information (such as homework assignments, test averages, upcoming unit topics and anything else remotely math- or classroom-related.

I also love brain teasers, logic problems, and riddles. I'm not good at them so I should more accurately state "I love looking at the answers to riddles/problems/puzzles and then smacking my forehead and saying 'I should have been able to solve that!' " Perhaps I would throw in a problem/puzzle for the week and see how many students would even have the curiosity to figure out.

Anyway, I'd love to know what else you think would be helpful on a math teacher's blog. And if you have any names to suggest for this blog, I'm open to these suggestions as well.

Thanks!

And here's a little brain bender for you:

What number should replace the question mark?

Flashback to childhood

2009-11-29T22:31:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving week is over...
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

'Shroom has taken to sleeping with lots of stuffed animals lately....a lot. His current count is 13 (at least that's what he tells me - I have yet to verify it). Looking at this photo reminds me of my days as a youngster when I slept with many stuffed animals (only 19). I even remember falling out of bed in the middle of the night - twice.

Well, if I hear a thud in the middle of the night, I'll have to assume 'Shroom's bed was getting a bit crowded and he was the one that was ousted.

Time to move on to Thanksgiving plans

2009-11-01T13:07:00.001-08:00

Another year of Halloween events has come and gone and I'm ready to move on to the holiday season that wraps up the year. Thanks again to Boston grandma (the kids' beloved Poh-Poh), 'Shroom and Lolli wore custom designed originals (well, if you consider modifications to a Butterick pattern a "custom original").

Lately, Lolli has been on a kick with wearing capes so this year, she wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood so she could wear a nice long cape. Lucky for me, I convinced 'Shroom that he REALLY DID want to be a magician (notice that his cape is a shorter hood-less version of Lolli's cape). Hey, I'm cheap, what can I say. One pattern - two costumes.

The kids had fun trick-or-treating with a school friend and even managed to sleep through last night without nightmares. The poor kids shrieked a couple of times when a "dead mannequin" lying on someone's front lawn jumped up and yelled at them and a "mummy statue" jumped alive right in front of their faces. Poor kids. I thought they would pee in their pants (or in this case, in their capes).

Air Boss manned the fort back at home and tried not to advertise the fact that we were willing to pass out candy. He kept the front door closed and all street-facing windows nice and dark. When I came home, I turned on the lights and opened the front door and we were bombarded with the "professional" tot'ers. I finally turned off the lights and shut the front door...we were after all running out of candy.

Anyway, so glad it's over and done with. Until next year . . . (maybe Lolli can be Supergirl and 'Shroom can be Batman - they wear capes, right?....)

'Shroom passed....

2009-11-01T12:59:00.001-08:00

Congratulations!
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...his first Karate Kyu test. After a rather embarrassing rendition of 10 push-ups (part of the exam requirements), 'Shroom managed to eek by a pass to the next level. We now have a orange belt in the house and Lolli has gladly inherited his white belt. Meanwhile yellow-striped Daddy had to don his Tae Kwon Do gear and prove that his yellow belt is better than 'Shroom's orange!

I'm FREE! (I mean, it's the first day of school!..)

2009-09-10T11:18:00.001-07:00

Protesting another posed picture
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

So, today was the long awaited day that 'Shroom and Lolli would start school together. Lolli in kindergarten and 'Shroom in first grade. Both going to a new school.

Since the kids are still at school and I haven't had the chance to debrief with them, here are my initial thoughts on this first day of school:

- why so many Asians? Latinos? where are the White folks?!
- the pick-up process for kindergarteners is disturbingly lacking any security measures
- teaching in flip flops is okay (as modeled by 'Shroom's teacher)
- where are the White students?
- Lolli is being robbed of a true kindergarten experience as there are only 8 kindergarteners in her class of 24 (she's in a K1 combo class)
- parents have way more homework than kids these first few days with all the forms to fill out, supplies to purchase, earthquake packs to make, and committees on which to volunteer

- I couldn't seem to find the White students
- loud boisterous kids who scream and run around all summer long can be reduced immediately to quiet shy kids the moment their new teacher says "hi" to them
- regardless of all of the above, it's going to be a great school year!

The birthday surprise that didn't quite happen...

2009-08-08T22:56:00.001-07:00

Kidnapped
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Today we celebrated Air Boss' 40th birthday a day early. Knowing that the man was a bit down and sad about entering this new decade and also knowing that he's drooled over every helicopter (from the dinky R-22's to the Coast Guard HH-65's and everything else in between) that's flown overhead, I decided to surprise him.

I booked an hour of helicopter flight time (complete with CFI and fuel) on a 2-seater earlier in the week. While he was out of the house, I scrounged around the rest of our packed boxes (yes, almost 9 months after moving, we STILL have boxes yet to unpack) to find his flight stuff (headset, log book, pilot's manual, maps, etc.)

I told 'Shroom and Lolli about Daddy's surprise and they were excited. They proved to be worthy confidantes as they stayed true to their promise to me not to tell Daddy (even though Air Boss asked them what the surprise was).

This morning, I blind-folded Air Boss and told him that we were going to take him somewhere special for his birthday. Lesson learned: next time I try to surprise him with an unknown destination, I better blindfold him tightly, spin him around until he's just about to ralph, and then thrown him in the TRUNK of the car.

That guy was tracking my every turn! He had asked if we could stop by Starbucks before going wherever we were going. I had time and there was a Starbucks (or three) on the way. I had wasted so much time taking detours, finding curving roads, driving over the same set of railroad tracks (and speed bumps) just to throw him off that there was no time for Starbucks. He could track the direction I was driving simply by feeling the sun on his body (trunk--I tell you).

Needless to say, we eventually got to the airport and Air Boss finally took off the blindfold. While he guessed that we were headed towards the airport, he had no idea that his surprise included flight time.

If you ever wondered if you could "over surprise" someone, well the answer is: yes.

I think Air Boss was touched, overwhelmed and a bit apprehensive of getting behind the T-bar of the R-22 after a 4 year hiatus. In the end, Air Boss postponed the flight time with the hopes that in the near future (after much studying and brushing up on his procedures and check lists), we would ALL go out in an R-44 and buzz around LA.

Without a blindfold on.

Happy birthday Air Boss. You're lousy with surprises but you can navigate much better with a blindfold than I can with a GPS! =)

Lolli Croft

2009-07-28T14:26:00.001-07:00

Lolli Croft
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

This is what happens when school is out for the summer and mommy is too preoccupied with writing her grad school papers. Little innocent children (girls included) turn elsewhere for other forms of entertainment . . .

Lizard in the house

2009-07-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

Today we found a new mouth to feed in our house. It wasn't a welcomed guest nor was it a paying tenant. It was a lizard that freaked me out. Call me a wuss but seeing a long lizard tail whipping out from under your TV console (while watching TV) is worse than seeing a mouse in your house. Air Boss spotted the reptile seconds before me and he saw the thing scurry across the kitchen floor to the family room and under the TV console.

After we sent the kids upstairs, Air Boss and I, each of us armed with a box and some cooking utensil as our weapon of choice, we captured the lizard. Actually, it was really Air Boss who scared the lizard into the box while I scared myself silly while jumping up and down chanting, "He better not run over my bare feet or else I'm gonna scream!"

With the box taped up and placed outside on our patio table, we tried to figure out "what next?" Meanwhile, I felt extremely nervous as I hear the scratching noises inside and saw the box move incrementally closer and closer to the edge of the table. We spent the next 15 minutes getting the lizard out of the box and into a jar. That thing was so quick and so long, he pushed his way out of the jar (while standing on his tail) before we could screw on the lid. Air Boss ran around the yard with the jar trying to corner the thing again while I continued my ridiculous chant of "That thing better not touch me or I'm gonna scream!" [meanwhile, I had no idea that I was already screaming]

Well fast-forward to a few hours and one Home Depot trip later (Air Boss ran out to purchase door bottom sweeps for both our front and back doors to prevent lizard cousins and cohorts from treating our home like a motel), we had our friends the H family over for dinner.

The kids were fascinated with the lizard thing. I had looked up photos on Google and the closest match I could find was the Coastal Western Whiptail. No wonder the thing is called a Whiptail - the tail is longer than the body and it can flick it faster than you can yell "I'm gonna scream!" We all noticed that the tail was so strong. The lizard kept "standing upright " on it's tail.

Anyway, the H family gracious took the lizard off our hands and released it in a nearby park on their way back home. We didn't know that their son had already formed a strong attachment to the reptile and sobbed all the way to the park, at the park, on the way home, and at home. CH, thanks for taking good care of the lizard and doing what was best for your reptilian friend.

In the meantime, here is a photo of the lizard doing its best "Geico" pose:

Birthday dinner surprise

2009-07-23T23:01:00.001-07:00

late birthday dinner after evening classes
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

I couldn't wait to get out of class and go home. I had just parked the car at home and was walking toward the front door when I heard 'Shroom's voice. Wow - I didn't realize that the kids were so audible from the outside of the house [note to self: before yelling at kids, be sure to close the windows].

I walked in the house and realized that the lights were on in the backyard and the kids were NOT in bed. I walked over to the patio door to see what the deal was (hopefully they were not picking up more dead chick carcasses).

I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

Air Boss had cooked me a birthday dinner and he and the kids WAITED for me to come home from my Thursday night class to eat dinner with me. Wow! The backyard was beautiful! Air Boss and cannibalized the Christmas tree lights and strung them on the pergola and there was a candle lit dinner waiting for me (with flowers and a bottle of sparkling cider). The kids were understandably hungry but were pleasant and excited for me.

What a great surprise. Thanks Air Boss for a beautiful romantic and kid-friendly (is that possible?!?) birthday dinner. =)

They came, they saw...

2009-07-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Boy with the biggest toys wins.
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...they cut,
they sledge-hammered,
they dug,
they killed [as in my new green grass],
they ripped [as in buckling concrete sidewalk slabs]...

...they dug some more...

2009-07-22T22:45:00.002-07:00

And here is the culprit.
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...they discovered [as in huge tree roots],
they pulled,
they tugged,
they yanked...

...they eventually gave up...

2009-07-22T22:43:00.004-07:00

A growing pile
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...they poured...

2009-07-22T22:41:00.004-07:00

Pouring concrete
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...and the other 9 men watched (some in their big rigs)...

...and three stayed behind....

2009-07-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

Prettying it up
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...and I blogged.

Things you don't expect to see on new sod

2009-07-16T22:21:00.001-07:00

Luckily I was not home when Air Boss found this in our backyard. It was also a good thing that it wasn't there BEFORE he mowed the lawn.

Apparently a new bird family has settled into the birdhouse in our backyard (the one we forgot to toss out in the trash amidst the busyness of the landscaping). Unfortunately (for us and for the birds), it appears that the chick mortality rate is quite high.

I find this pose morbidly humorous

2009-07-16T22:17:00.001-07:00

. . . guess the nest wasn't big enough

2009-07-16T22:16:00.001-07:00

Heavenly Peace

. . . a total of three dead birds today. I tell you, that birdhouse needs to be tossed in the trashcan.

Hot Vegas

2009-07-16T21:55:00.001-07:00

Unauthorized Dam Operations!
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

The kids and I (along with Air Boss and his extended family) all survived 111 degree weather in Las Vegas. Air Boss said that it got as hot as 119 but I was probably passed out unconscious from the heat so I didn't even know.

Poor kids had a tough time. They wilted right before my eyes and I was worried for Lolli whose face flushed almost as soon as we stepped out of the air conditioned car at the Hoover Dam (can you see her very rosy cheeks in the photo?).

Poor 'Shroom. His noggin' got a big whack at the MGM Grand Hotel. We were there to see the lion habitat which would have been a lot more spectacular if the lions weren't sleeping away the afternoon. Visitors could walk under the Plexiglas bridge where the lions were sleeping and see the underside of the lions (why one would want to see the underside of a lion, I don't know). Well, Air Boss being the doting father and wanting to give his son the best view possible, hoisted 'Shroom up on his shoulders. On second thought, 'Shroom sitting on Air Boss' head would be even higher and provide the best vantage point.

WHACK!!!

I guess the ceiling wasn't as high as Air Boss had thought. 'Shroom's head had hit the Plexiglas ceiling so hard, it made the lioness sleeping two inches away from his own head stir in her sleep. That Plexiglas ceiling was supposed to be sound-proof. I guess 'Shroom's head was strong enough to break the sound barrier! [poor 'Shroom cried and cried but I think it was more out of embarrassment as everyone had turned to look at him]

Anyway, Hoover Dam was quite fascinating. Quite an engineering feat but I was too overheated to marvel at the structure. Don't let my smile fool you - that's my sneaky grin as I try to release the dam . . .

Green Carpet

2009-06-25T16:03:00.001-07:00

Day 9 - Sod is perishable.
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Our green carpet is here! After being without back yard grass for as long as we've lived here (7 months), we finally have something that resembles a yard! Yay!

Day 8: - it's getting there!

2009-06-24T22:22:00.001-07:00

Day 8 - white rocks and pavers
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Eight days later, the landscapers have made a ton more progress than I have on my papers that I have to write and pass in these next couple of weeks.

Still no sign of a single blade of grass (which shows me how much prep work needs to happen before that green stuff appears) but the sprinklers are in and have been tested. I hear that they'll be rolling out the "green carpet" tomorrow so hopefully tomorrow's photos will look substantially different and (fingers crossed) better.

I've included this photo that Air Boss took today. This is the area right outside our front door and you'll be happy to note from this picture that we've been trying to reuse and recycle bits and pieces from our old landscape. The cement pavers and clay bricks are all reused!

Now I just have to go post on freecycle.org if anyone is looking to donate some tree branches or clippings . . .

Okay - time to get back to work . . .

Day 3 progress

2009-06-18T06:29:00.001-07:00

Day 3 - trenching for sprinklers and planter wall
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

It's been three days since the landscaping team has pulled up in their trucks and taken a machete (literally) to our trees, bushes, weeds, and anything else protruding from our property (organic and inorganic alike).

What a great team of workers. The project lead has his 77-year old father helping out and this elderly--but super strong--man cleared our entire backyard by himself. As you can see, we have trenches dug for our planter wall and for part of our irrigation system. Yup. He did all that himself, too.

Anyway, each time we leave the house, the kids think it's funny we have to cross the "moat" to get to our cars parked on the street. Part of the driveway has been cut and trenched (resembling a rather skinny moat minus the alligators) to accommodate piping for the irrigation system in the front yard.

Everything is an adventure when you're a kid!

Last Day of School

2009-06-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

All done with kindergarten!
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Today was the last day of school for 'Shroom. After a surprise family picnic (surprise for the students, not the parents), 'Shroom received his little certificate that he was going to first grade.

What a year.

Looking back, we have no regrets retaining him for his second year of kinder. However, I'm hoping with summer school and mommy homeschool, he'll stay on top of his game and not forget everything he's learned these past two years.

I think I'll give him a day off before starting with the summer school lessons. What do you think? =)

Congratulations 'Shroom!

The fruit tree of all fruit trees.

2009-06-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

Here is a bigger photo of the frea--I mean, fruit tree that originally started out as a lemon tree. It is now a lemon-limon-orange-grapefruit-orange tree (two types of oranges).

I really hope the grafting works because that would be really neat to have a variety of citrus fruits growing on the same tree (takes up less landscape - would be perfect for NYC gardens!) If this citrus tree works, I'll have to think of a way to get an exotic fruit tree going - one that will produce mango, pineapple, papaya, and parsimon. The melons will come right after with cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon all on the same vine!

Mmmm . . . now I need to get me some fruit to eat.

Landscaping Project - Day One

2009-06-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first full day of landscaping work at our home in Torrance. The project began last week when our landscaper showed up to dig up some old shrubs and spray weed-killer on our grass (which just weeks before, I had been trying to coax to thrive). We are excited to finally be able to have the kids play in the backyard as well as dine al fresco in the balmy SoCal breezes (contrary to what I used to believe as a pre-LA resident, the summers here in the South Bay are very pleasant, mild, and quite enjoyable - not at all steamy, hot and humid).

Here is one part of our backyard. Right now, we have one lone tree - a lemon tree that has recently had its branches shorn off (I'll have to get a close up of it another day). The story behind this tree is that I had mentioned to Air Boss' parents that I didn't like the lemons this tree produced since the lemons had thick tough rinds, big seeds, and super pulpy juice which made filtering freshly squeezed lemonade a pain in the behind. Air Boss' parents were so gracious and brought clippings from their lemon tree and grafted them onto our lemon tree in the hopes that this tree to produce juicy limons (half lemons-half limes). The tree is somewhat of a "freak" tree as it now has grafted branches of two type of oranges, a variety of grapefruit, limons and lemons. Right now it looks like a overgrown petrified bonsai. But I digress . . .

This is the view of our very bare back deck. See, no furniture, no shade, no personality. No fun. We're hoping to add a pergola in the back that will give us some nice indirect shade for our outdoor meals. Oh, the palm tree in the pot is probably the only thing growning (other than the freak fruit tree mentioned above) in our backyard.

The photo below is a section of our front yard which I call our "courtyard". Our roof extends over a portion of this which makes it hard to grow anything that requires any amount of sunlight. We may end up throwing down white stones or river rocks in this area. The fence you see on the left side encloses the courtyard. It's coming down along with the white brick wall. Maybe the mailman will now feel inclined to deliver our mail in our mail box which is behind the fence.

Anyway, stay tuned for more photos!

Trying to fly under the radar....unsuccessfully

2009-06-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the second killer day with public school math class observations during the day and evening classes at night. I had my one and only meal of the day at at 8:30 PM after I put the kids down for bed. I guess that meal would be called "brunner."

Anyway, I'll make this short as I promised to email my project group tonight . . .

In two of the math classes I was in, the teacher had me stand, introduce myself and say something interesting about myself (nothing like being put on the spot). In the other classes, I just tried my best to blend with the bulletin board or the building mechanicals in the back corner.

This one class must have been bored becaused they noticed me. Actually, one kid noticed me and he was sitting in the opposite corner of the classroom from me.

"Hey. What is that little Asian girl doing there?" he asked.

Several heads turned in my direction. They couldn't have been talking about me because I wasn't even standing. How could they have know I was little?!?

Unfortunately, it was me and part of the HVAC system in the back corner of the classroom. I'm betting $5 that I look more "Asian" than than the HVAC system.

How dare they call me "little" and "girl"!!!!!

And to make matters worse, it was a FRESHMAN class. What do they know anyway?!?

One day down....47 days of summer school to go...

2009-06-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

While I didn't fall asleep during my first day of class, I went to my 4 PM class with jitters and butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't nervous about being a student again (after a 16 year hiatus from academia) nor was I necessarily intimidated by the 5 hours of classroom lecture that awaited me this first day.

A few days prior, I had received the course syllabus for one of my classes (an intro teaching class the was the prerequisite and stepping stone for all other teacher ed classes). While the 7 page syllabus didn't seem that extreme - even for a 6 week class - the 30 hours of fieldwork did. I would be spending just as many hours OUT of the classroom as IN the classroom doing O&P (observation and participation).

"How can this be?!" was my indignant first reaction. "Public school gets out in two weeks! What is there to observe? Senior skip day? Class field trips?!"

I hadn't yet read the part that I'm also required to teach a class in my subject content area as well (guess reading stories in 'Shroom's kinderclass wasn't going to cut it as an upper level math lesson). Lesson planning won't even be covered in my grad class until AFTER public school lets out for the summer.

See my reasons for freaking out?

The prof's sympathetic response was "I guess you'll need to find a year-round school. Good luck!"

Grrr.

Well, needless to say, I still enjoyed my first day of school. More accurately, I enjoyed my second class (substantially more than the first class). I'm looking forward to learning more about classroom management skills (such as identifying and stopping a fight before it becomes a fight, how to combat cheating and the enabling role technology plays in this problem, and how to motivate kids).

Tons of work to do. I don't think my problem will be fighting to stay awake in these long classes. It will be more like trying to complete all the assignments on time . . .

Wish me luck. I'm needing it!

Pinky

2009-05-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

our new little friends
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

We've been meaning to take down the old wooden birdhouse that has been attracting a lot of bird activity in our backyard. At least the evidence of ubiquitous bird dropping was giving us the indication that there were lots of feathered friends frequenting the box hanging on the exterior of the chimney.

Yesterday, Air Boss was showing a landscaper the scope of work that needed to be done on our backyard. As I followed the guys, I noticed a small pink thing on the edge of our patio. The pink thing was MOVING.

"Funny, I didn't know that little frogs started out pink," I had thought to myself. Then I saw the pitiful flap of a small tiny wing. It was a bird that was no more than a day old and it was trying desperately to move somewhere.

I don't recall if I shrieked (which wouldn't be totally out of character for me when I'm faced with some hurt animal) or casually called out (which would have been my hopeful reaction) to Air Boss to come and help the bird out.

We figured he must have fallen out of the birdhouse. How he survived a ten foot drop was nothing short of a miracle but then we noticed the bag of top soil in the corner. That probably broke his fall (and perhaps some fragile bones).

Air Boss got a ladder, took the birdhouse down, and the landscaper pried off the roof of the little house to see if there was a nest inside. Lo and behold - Pinky had two siblings.

We didn't know if the mother bird was still caring for her chicks but the wooden house was carefully placed back near the chimney (not quite so high this time) with a newly crafted ledge on the slope of the chimney. Should Pinky decide to bungee jump (without the bungee or wings with feathers), hopefully the ledge would prevent him from tumbling down to the ground.

This morning I went out to check on the bird family. This time, I recall quite clearly that I let out a shriek. I nearly stepped on a quite dead Pinky. His little featherless body was smashed with some bird juice surrounding his tiny body. The ledge apparently didn't work.

I went back into the house, slid the patio door closed, and closed the blinds. Yup - that was sure going to take care of the carcass on the ground. I claimed to a surprised Air Boss, "I don't want Lolli to see it and get freaked out."

"Aren't you going to clean it up?" he asked. No waay. No siree.

I never made it to the birdhouse to check on the other birds until later on in the afternoon (after Air Boss had graciously cleaned up the aftermath). Pinky's siblings were fine and as a matter of fact, another bird had hatched. They were all alive and moving. The two older ones were opening their mouths for food. Sorry. No worms in our parched backyard.

Pinky's younger sibling was even tinier, pinker, and scrawnier than him [after posting this link, I've taken a second look at the photo . . . I believe there are four surviving birds].

Needless to say, we believe that momma bird shoved Pinky out of the house in his injured state where he fell to his death. Survival of the fittest? Don't know.

But what I do know is that I'll be very careful to look where I step tomorrow morning when I check on the chicks tomorrow morning.

Blackhawk, meet Blackbird

2009-05-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

After searching the internet for used car deals, we've finally made the purchase and have now graduated from a "one-car family" to a more normal (at least for this area) "two-car family." Wow - I feel like I'm back in high school with a newly minted driver's license and permission from the 'rents to drive the family station wagon. It definitely feels good to have a sedan and not feel like I have to burn through 2 gallons of gas to get 'Shroom to and from school (actually with our minivan, nicknamed Blackhawk, it's realistically just under 1.5 gallons to drop off and pick up 'Shroom at school each day).

The whole car buying thing off Craigslist was a bit scary. I believe that you gotta know your stuff or else be willing to suffer potential fall-out from being scammed. To make a long story short, we had thought we were purchasing a car from a private seller. The 2005 Honda Accord looked to be in fairly good condition with perhaps average mileage for LA (but I would consider it high for New England driving). Even the mechanic said it was a nice car in great condition.

Well, as Air Boss went inside what I thought was the seller's home office to take care of the business transaction, the kids and I sat in the Blackhawk and waited in the parking lot of the apartment complex. A few minutes later, an older gentleman claiming to be the owner of the very vehicle Air Boss was paying cash to purchase was trying to sell the car to another family (they had just walked off the street into the parking lot).

"What is going on?!" I had thought as I suspiciously watched the used car dealer charade. Apparently the owner/seller/dealer knew something about the car because he knew the mileage and the make/model/year of the vehicle. I stepped out of my car and simply said, "I think someone is buying that car."

The owner/seller/dealer/who-knows-who-he-is then took the family to another car on the other side of Blackhawk and proceeded to sell them ANOTHER car. I took a quick scan of the cars in the lot and realized that our Blackhawk was perhaps the only car not for sale. And, the building no longer looked like an apartment complex as I saw two Lexus RX300 pull into the lot (both of which had the bright neon yellow numbers on the front windshield).

Huh. We've been duped.

So much for figuring we were buying it from a private owner. I phoned Air Boss who was probably at that time forking over $K's to the first owner/seller/dealer/whomever inside. We later find out that the guy's line of business is an importer/exporter of luxury vehicles to Korea. Hmmm . . .

In the end, we bought the car (which incidentally is almost identical in color to Blackhawk, hence the name Blackbird). It's still too early to know for sure if we've been scammed or bought a lemon. At least we didn't fall for this scam:

"The transaction will be closed only through a 3rd party because this way we will both be protected. My time is limited due to my job in the army so I decided to use a service from PayPay which will serve as our 3rd escrow party in this transaction. To begin the transaction I'll need your full name and shipping address, I will forward the details of our transaction to PayPay and then you will receive an invoice from them. The car will be shipped insured to your location with DAS and you will have 5 days for inspection, I will pay for shipping."

Who would have "thunk" buying a used car could be so scary?

A traitor amongst us....

2009-05-02T14:52:00.001-07:00

new Angels fan
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Yup - with this photo as proof, 'Shroom has publicly declared his defection over to the "dark side" (which is also ironically called the Angels).

We drove out to Anaheim to purchase tickets for the Sox/Angels game in a couple of weeks. For several weeks now, 'Shroom has shown he is not one to cave to peer pressure, parental threats, or anything else of the like. He has staunchly taken his position and is now a lone Angels fan living in Red Sox Nation (i.e. our house).

Now let's just hope for the sake of harmony in the household, he remains a Celtics fan . . .

Happy birthday Lolli!

2009-04-30T21:51:00.001-07:00

Thank you!
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Half a decade. Can't believe the little girl now uses all her fingers on one hand to show her age. Wow - time sure flies by.

For the first time, she read her birthday card by herself as Air Boss, 'Shroom and I made it a point to write her individual notes in her card. The only word she had trouble with was "daughter."

This week also marked a small milestone for her. She had her kindergarten screening (called "kindergarten round-up" here) and was able to name her colors, count, say the alphabet and write her name. If she got turned away from school, it would have been my fault. School administrators had stamped my paperwork "incomplete" even though her medical & dental forms were present along with her birth certificate and two proofs of residency.

Alas, it was my driver's license which still had our old address. Even though we had updated the information online with the DMV, there was no sticker that was issued in the mail. We were instructed to simply write in the new address on the back of the card. Oops. Forgot to do that. Left me scrambling to find a permanent marker (no luck) and then furiously trying to scratch the address on the shiny card with a ball point pen, a roller ball, and finally a felt tip.

Messy, barely legible but good enough for a "pass". Phew! Lolli is now enrolled. Hate to think I would have to home school her just because I was inept at writing my address on my license.

Anyway, Lolli is now asleep after enjoying her birthday cake (which was simply a stack of "Fat Boy" ice cream sandwiches). Happy birthday Lolli!

Campus Tour & Doctor Drama

2009-04-23T18:10:00.001-07:00

the studious type of the family
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

I signed up the family for a private tour of the Cal State school I'll be taking classes starting this summer. From what the tour guide told me, the 13,800 students (not sure if that's undergrad and grad combined but judging by the size of the campus, it may be everyone including faculty, administration, service providers, pets, daycare students, visitors and construction workers) are the most diverse university student body west of the Mississippi. Hmm. Interesting. Honestly, I didn't find the campus that diverse at all but then again, "diverse" may cover an over-represented ethnicity.

Nonetheless, Air Boss and I were amazed at how new the buildings were. I graduated from an east coast school where some buildings were almost as old as the US state in which they resided. To give you perspective, the oldest buildings at CSUDH were built in 1960 when the university was founded.

Anyway, the tour was short but I got a good sense of the campus. It felt nothing like undergrad so this will simply be a whole new experience with nothing to compare it to.

On a different note, Lolli had her annual physical and everything went fine except for the shot at the end. She screamed and screamed. Thrashed. Kicked. Negotiated. Thrashed some more. Sobbed. Nothing worked. She definitely gave the pediatrician a reason to contemplate early retirement. I thought these shots get easier as the kids get older.

Tomorrow we go back for a school required shot. I'm sure tomorrow will be another exciting day . . .

Why do parents make their kids do silly things?!

2009-04-18T21:46:00.001-07:00

YMCA Kids
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

. . . so that we can thoroughly embarrass them at opportune moments . . . say, like when they get married.

Okay - so not fair. Half the kids aren't even ours but they're related so I guess that gives us enough "right" to exploit them (hopefully my brother- and sister-in-law aren't reading this and if so, er-- "thanks for a fun weekend with your kids!")

'Shroom and Lolli are having fun this weekend with their West Coast cousins (okay, I guess I can drill it down to "LA cousins"). Right now, the foursome are sleeping like Pocky sticks on a box (that would be "packed and parallel"). This second night of their weekend sleepover had them falling asleep much faster. Must have been the non-stop day that started at 6:30 this morning.

Tomorrow, we're going to hit the beach and enjoy the sand and the waves. Hopefully they'll sleep in a bit more because brunch at 7 AM doesn't quite sound brunchy to me.

Oh yes - the YMCA pose. For this young generation, YMCA is a place where you work out, take classes, and learn to swim. I don't think they've ever heard of the song - or the People from the Village. =)

[photo: taken on location at our local Costco]

I've always wanted to be a ninja

2009-04-07T21:44:00.001-07:00

Sanding Ninja
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Today was Day 1 of our spring break home makeover. The "to do" for this first day included sanding down the bathroom sink vanity and painting the vanity and walls. It would have been nice to have the kids' bathroom back online tonight for them to take their showers, but no such luck. They would have had to take their shower with the toilet tank in the tub with them.

Anyway, this photo was taken by Air Boss who thought I was totally "overdoing it" with the goggles and face mask. I tell you, there was dust EVERYWHERE and there was no bathroom door to close. I just don't find it fun to breathe in this stuff.

The funny thing about this bathroom is that we had picked a color that matched one of the multi-colored stripes on the shower curtain. All that careful planning was for nothing. When the blue paint went up on the walls, it looked strangely familiar. I peeked out the bathroom to the last room in the hall.

Yup.

Looks just like the blue in Lolli's and 'Shroom's room. Hope they don't mistake the bathroom for the bedroom, or even worse, the other way around.

Stay tuned for the BEFORE and AFTER pictures.

Lolli's Artwork

2009-04-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

As the saying goes, "the accorn doesn't fall too far from the tree." One of Lolli's latest drawings shows that she's definitely daddy's little girl.

Interpretation of drawing:

Air Boss is in the cockpit (do helo's have cockpits?) with Lolli sitting behind pilot Air Boss. Mommy is behind Lolli and we can't see 'Shroom because he's sitting on the other side of the helicopter.

Looks like Air Boss is practicing (or showing off) his hovering technique as the ground seems quite close to the skids.

At least we all look happy and not freaked out!

A Toro is not just a snowblower...

2009-04-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

So, after taking a full year to take and pass my teaching exams, pull together my paperwork, get my fingerprints sent to the Dept. of Justice and FBI, get my forearm pumped with a "bubble" to confirm I didn't have tubercuolosis, and re-discover that I DID take a college level math class (thank goodness for those official transcripts!), I have been accepted into a teaching program at Cal State University (Dominguez Hills). The bottom of my acceptance letter said "GO TOROS!"

Huh? Go snowblowers?!

Where I come from, a Toro is the trusted red snowblower that gets pulled out of the garage when the winter white stuff hits the pavement [I believe they also make lawnmowers too but somehow Toros remind me of just the snowblowers].

Anyway, I had shown the acceptance letter to Air Boss and told him, "somehow the acceptance thrill isn't quite the same as my undergrad acceptance." Maybe I'm getting old and the emotions are wearing down. Maybe I'm already old and the thrill and excitement of life just isn't there anymore.

Nonetheless, my level of excitement was short-lived as I quickly logged on to my newly activated student account and looked at the summer class schedule. For the entire months of June, July and August, I'll have 16 hours of classroom instruction each week. I'll get the last week of August off before the fall semester begins (yippee skippy - not).

I gave my children and husband sad kisses good-bye and tearful "it was nice knowing you" hugs. I won't be able to sit down and eat dinner with them this summer and I won't be able to tuck my kids in bed at night. If Air Boss and the kids go camping, most likely they'll have to go without me. I didn't realize the sacrifices of teaching would start so soon.

"Can't you delay your start until the fall?" Air Boss had asked me.

"Summer, fall, spring - I'm going to have to take these classes sometime," I countered.

"What's the big rush? Aren't 10,000 teachers going to get laid off?"

Hmmm . . . pretty hard to argue with that logic.

Anyway, classes aside, I now know (as the brilliant scholar that I am now) that the Toros have nothing to do with blowing snow. Yes, if it weren't for my years of high school Spanish--or more truthfully in this case, the obvious school mascot--I would still be scratching my head about the "Go Toros!" shout out.

Do NOT read if you have a weak stomach (unsavory contents)

2009-02-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

You'll be glad that I've decided to forgo photos on this blog entry once you read the details of my kindergarten morning. I knew that helping out in 'Shroom's class today was going to be a crazy day as the originally-scheduled parent helpers weren't able to make it. Sooo . . . I had volunteered to "fill-in" for two people.

The day was fairly normal until after snack and recess time. Back in the classroom, 'Shroom's morning class was joined by the afternoon class (today was an "overlap" day where the AM students and PM students overlap for an hour). As 'Shroom's teacher managed 48 kids on the rainbow carpet while the other teacher was at lunch, I tried to finish my long list of to-do's before the day ended.

"Mrs. Yee! Mrs. Yee*!" The was no mistaking the urgency in the teacher's voice. "I need your help RIGHT NOW!"

I rushed to the rainbow carpet where there were several students standing. One of 'Shroom's classmates was heaving and ralphing. The teacher had quickly grabbed the nearest trash can and placed it under the boy's previous splatter. Uggh. It was a mess. Vomit (chunkage and all - remember, this is after snack and recess) was everywhere as this boy had walked while barfing. It was my lucky day. I got to hold the trash can as the boy continued to toss his cookies (or whatever it was that was in his stomach).

I waited a bit before escorting the boy to the bathroom. After a moment's hestitation, I turned back and grabbed the trash can. Just in time. Another heave. And more spewing. Somehow we made it to the boys' room where I looked at the poor kid. I didn't know where to start. Clean his face? Get the bits out of his nose? His dripping hands? What about the hair?

I'll spare you the details of the clean up, however, when I went back to the classroom to get a plastic bag to hold his soaked shirt, I saw two other boys stripping down to their undershirts.

"Oh no!" I thought. "There are more kids barfing!" I found out moments later that the boy had thrown up on two other kids (thanks to minimum days with 48 students crammed on one rainbow rug). One victim had vomit on his face -- and it wasn't even his own vomit.

Needless to say, when I walked back into the boys' restroom, I noticed another disturbing scene. Some child had used the toilet (no bathroom stalls or doors around the toilet) and had explosive diarrhea. The evidence (and aftermath) was in the toilet, on the seat and yes, even on the walls.

Well, even with the interruption, I still managed to finish my to-do list. I think I should get bonus points (or extra credit of some sort) for mopping up vomit and wiping diarrhea off the bathroom wall.

Yeah, mothers seem to have flabby stomachs from pregnancy and stuff. But I tell you, we may have a jiggly mid-section (okay - so maybe I'm speaking only for myself here) but our inner stomachs are made of iron. IRON.

* I don't mind posting this name as it isn't even my surname. Somehow, so many people mangle my (rather simple) three-letter last name that I now respond to this on a regular basis.

Design on a Dime

2009-02-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

Ever since we've moved into our new house, I've been wanting to paint our very vanilla walls in our living room and dining room. We've managed to paint most of the upstairs rooms and half the downstairs rooms before we moved in but we've been wracking our brains on what to do with the high ceilings.

Air Boss and I aren't quite ready to pay for a painter to take care of our two-story living and dining rooms. Nor are we quite ready to rig a scaffold in our stairwell so we can try our hand at painting 16 feet up. So in the meantime, I thought an easy way to splash some color on the walls was to simply slap some large-scale painting on the walls.

But then I remembered that I'm cheap.

I couldn't bring myself to spend $100 on some mass produced abstract artwork that I thought my kids could paint for way less. So that's just what we did (little did 'Shroom and Lolli know that they were being exploited for their creativity).

For less than half the price, 'Shroom and Lolli have injected some--er, very colorful---original artwork that's prominently on display in our living room. As they do on HGTV's show "Design on a Dime" here is how I spent my money:

1. acrylic paints and paint brushes: $8

2. aprons for kids: free (they just used their Home Depot aprons)

3. drop cloth: free (reused from a previous home painting project)

4. two 36"x24" stretched canvases: $44

5. painter's tape: FREE (leftover from painting upstair rooms)

6. warm CA sun that dried the paint in less than half hour: free

7. finished artwork: PRICELESS

The results, I believe, turned out better than a "paint-by-number" project that I attemped many years ago. I simply had 'Shroom and Lolli "wash" the entire canvas (both panels) in a dark plum acrylic paint. After the paint dried, I used painters tape to section off areas that they would fill in. They picked the colors. They picked the shapes. The final product was a pleasant surprise.

Hmmm . . . I wonder if I can convince the kids that climbing scaffolding is like playing on a jungle gym . . .

25 things about me

2009-02-02T16:17:00.001-08:00

Jeanie and Drew 8370
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

I've been having so much fun reading other people's "25 list" that I thought I would post mine on my blog (that way I won't have to tag you folks - many of whom have already written your list).

1. I gave birth to my children in the same hospital in which I was born.

2. I was in a car accident where someone T-boned me. Two days later, I was almost hit again by the same driver at the same spot at the same time of day. I was not happy.

3. I used to want to be a photo journalist, a pastry chef, a doctor, a freelance writer, a musician, an accountant, a financial analyst, a fashion designer. Now I want to become a school teacher because I hear it pays really well.

4. I'm a self-professed anal-retentive, meticulous Type-A neat-freak. This has changed since having kids. Now I'm just a self-professed freak.

5. I started kindergarten not knowing much English at all (Chinese was my first language). I remember being teased on the bus because I didn't know I was saying certain words in Chinese. I was so embarrassed I decided never to speak Chinese again. I regret giving up my ability to speak my native language.

6. When I was a little girl, I used to sleep with 17 stuffed animals. I fell out of bed more than once because it was a bit crowded.

7. Speaking of sleep, I used to be a really light sleeper. I could wake up if I heard a fruit fly buzzing around in the kitchen downstairs. Thanks to Air Boss (who is an avid and proficient snorer), I now sleep through crying kids, barking dogs, and alarm clocks.

8. My teeth were so crooked, if it weren't for braces, I would have three rows of upper teeth. Seriously, when I bit half-way into a banana, my teeth marks would make a "china man" complete with slanted eyes and a mouth.

9. I had private piano lessons from age 5 - 12 and all I can play from memory is "chopsticks" (is that even a real piece?) and "Long Long Ago." I'm now working on improving my repertoire.

10. What I miss about Boston: my family, my friends, my church, my old car, the green house where we had lots of fun memories, the Charles River, the restaurants, our community, watching my nephews grow up, the seasons (like a beautiful spring and a gorgeous fall), tree-lined streets, the rich history and New England architecture, and my weekly runs to Target with my sister (perusing the dollar bin aisle).

11. Although I find watching medical procedures and surgeries quite fascinating, I can't stomach gory movies. It must have to do with something called "controlled bleeding."

12. I'm a really boring person and this list could be condensed to "5 things about me."

13. I believe I'm numerically dyslexic as I frequently invert numbers. When I hear "3-4" I would write "4-3" or when I see 729, I would remember 279. Pretty scary as I worked two years managing my church's finances and am now considering being a math teacher.

14. When I was in high school, I used to be able to leg press the entire stack (must have been 400-500 lbs). That must explain why I'm not even 5 feet tall.

15. I have had two breech babies and for my first born 'Shroom, both the OB and NP thought the baby was heads down all along. Turns out they had mistaken his butt for his head. A surprise C-section involved a knife-happy doctor who cut me way too wide and stapled me shut with 25 non-galvanized staples (not sure if galvanized staples are used in the medical profession but the staples rusted on me). It hurt like heck when the staples were pulled out 4 days later. The faulty doc's response in all this? "oops" (thanks. a lot.)

16. Things that make me cry: chopping onions, hearing about starving and abused children, praying my heart out to God, watching the last 15 minutes of "Extreme Home Make-over", hearing 'Shroom say to Air Boss "today was a bad day because Mommy was mad at me."

17. The last time I was spanked for being a naughty child was when I was 14 years old. My mom really hurt her hand. I guess she decided I was too old and too big for spanks when I doubled over laughing.

18. I used to read Stephen King novels in about 2 hours. Now I can read 2 magazine articles in about 2 weeks.

19. At one point in my life, I could type 108 words per minute. And that was using a typewriter.

20. I once got stuck in the middle of a bomb scare at the Pentagon. I was in the ladies room taking care of business and somehow didn't hear the evacuation notice. When I came out to wash my hands, I saw a bunch of yellow tape and a bomb squad. They were not very happy. Neither was I.

21. When I was six years old, I thought we could pick our gender. I picked boy. I was not very happy to discover that I had no choice in the matter.

22. I've played a random bunch of musical instruments (with a wide variety of proficiency): piano, violin, cymbals, bass drum, baritone horn, xylophone, glockenspiel, and bass guitar. Now I'm back to playing piano - nothing like coming back full-circle.

23. I used to "file" my paper recyclables in college by date. More than once I had to pull out papers that were mistakenly thrown out. Many of my friends laughed at me for this practice. They are no longer my friends.

24. I don't like to cook, clean house, or do grocery shopping. So what am I doing "managing house"?!?!

25. I wear a women's size 5 shoe. Also equivalent to a kid's size 3.5. And no, not all my shoes have velcro.

The happiest place on earth

2008-12-22T13:49:00.001-08:00

The Happiest Place On Earth
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...is not in my minivan in the insanely crowded Costco parking lot (I shall spare you the details of my crazy Costco shopping trip this morning).

Since our Disneyland annual passes expire this month, Air Boss and I took the kids to see the "land of black rodents" (our newly revealed code name for Disneyland - rendered useless by 'Shroom ) one last time.

We saw a bit of the fake snow they create with bubbles (I know you East Coasters, mid-Westerners, Northwesterners, and everyone else not in SoCal, Texas and Florida do not find the concept of fake snow amusing at all) and lots of Christmas decorations.

We had waited close to 11 months out of the 12 months we had the annual pass to ride "It's a Small World" boat ride again (shortly after getting our passes, they closed the kids' favorite ride to make major repairs). We noticed that the new boats were smaller and they would frequently skip rows in the boat if the Disney employees felt that certain boat occupants appeared to exceed the "average adult weight."

For the first time, we even saw the fireworks that start at 9:25 PM. Okay, so we didn't wait among the throngs of humanity for this magical spectacular moment. I figured that since the trams and parking lot structure get totally jammed up after the fireworks, we should watch the fireworks from the comfort and warmth of our Black Hawk (which conveniently was parked on the upper level with no obscured view of the sky).

We were home just after 10 PM - about the same time others were queuing up for the tram to take them to the parking garage.

Well, bye bye Mickey Rat and friends. It will be awhile before we see you again.

Octopi bus stop

2008-12-17T20:56:00.001-08:00

Octopus home
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

Well, after I had a bunch of armless octopi floating around the house, I finally got around to crocheting the 40 arms (for five of the beady-eyed creatures).

Lolli had lots of fun building a "shelter" for them. Now with their arms in place, they no longer look like peanuts.

Now they look like aliens trying to pass themselves off as octopi.

101 Uses for Placemats

2008-12-17T20:42:00.001-08:00

Placement Bags
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

#98. (cloth placemats) In a pinch, can be used as hot pads

#99. (waffle rubber 'mats) help loosen the stubborn lid of a pasta sauce jar

#100. (vinyl 'mats) protect tables from plants and occasional plant spills

#101. (cloth 'mats) make idiot-proof purses

I'll be the first to admit that I have no knack for sewing. If a button falls off a shirt, I learn to live with out (provided it's not revealing anatomical parts that should be concealed). Rather than hem pants, I'll cuff them even if it's a total fashion foible.

I totally did not inherit my mom's sewing inclinations. She made her own wedding dress and all her bridesmaid dresses. She made my prom dress. She's hemmed countless trousers, replaced many lost buttons, and even tailored my wedding dress.

Soo...when I found that there was a really simple way to make purses with placemats, I jumped on it. Well, as the picture proves, these placemat purses are indeed idiot-proof. I made four in one day with no pattern and no sewing skills.

I love how the coordinated napkins worked as handles and a contrast detail on the bag itself. It's the perfect size for holding a wallet, phone, keys, a small notebook and a water bottle.

Now, if only I can sew placemats into slippers for the kids...

How many people can you fit in a...?

2008-12-14T23:12:00.001-08:00

Framed Portrait
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

This reminds me of my college days when the car to student ratio was about 1:437. And when a friend with a car (and back then, anyone who HAD a car was considered a friend) was going to the grocery store, the car had a minimum of 6 passengers . . . in a 3-door hatchback.

Well, today our old small groupies got together and we were able to jam 13 of us in one photo frame (not the 4x6 desk frame, mind you).

It was a good thing Air Boss was able to crop out the "excess" as what happened OUTSIDE the frame wasn't all that pretty.

Doesn't it look like we're having fun re-living the college years? =)

Our Family Christmas Photo...

2008-12-14T23:05:00.002-08:00

Framed Portrait
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...NOT!

although this perhaps came out more fun and whimsical than our actual family photo. Why does Air Boss look like he's climbing out of the photo? and 'Shroom looks like he's barely IN the photo?

Like kids in a candy shop

2008-12-13T21:05:00.001-08:00

Marking my own house
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

This weekend, the kids and us adults participated in a fun gingerbread house decorating contest. 'Shroom and Lolli worked on their own house, Air Boss was assigned to a team of two people and I was assigned to a team of three.

The kids had a ton of fun smearing gobs of icing (pink, of course, for Lolli and red for 'Shroom). Even if you didn't know what Lolli's and 'Shroom's favorite colors were, you would be able to tell which half of the house Lolli decorated and which half 'Shroom--well, er--expressed creativity.

Since my decorating team was located out of eyesight of the kids, I kept glancing over to see how the kids were doing. Luckily Air Boss and his decorating partner were right next to the kids. Every third time I saw them, they had a different piece of someting in their hand or mouth.

I had to put a stop to the sugar intake. I didn't blame them for wanting to taste the sweets but there were TONS of candy and other "construction materials" too readily available to the kids.

It was after 9 PM and 'Shroom was just about to take a bite out of a cookie.

"'Shroom, no more sweets. That's enough for today," I told him.

There were plenty of people around and definitely within earshot. That's why a whole lot of people laughed when 'Shroom responded.

"Don't worry, Mommy. I'm not going to eat it. I'm just going to hold it with my teeth," he deadpanned.

I had to laugh, too. Must be the result of all the licorice I ate.

What was I thinking?!

2008-12-12T23:36:00.001-08:00

Three's Company
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

How hard can it be to crochet a few cute animal friends for some moms in my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group? Since "small" was a key operative word in these creatures, I figured I could bang out an animal during one half-hour sitcom.

Haha. Joke's on me.

So, six hours later (not all consecutive hours), I have the head of one medium-sized octopus, eight arms (all detatched) and the head of a smaller-sized octopus (the medium-sized took too long).

Now 'Shroom and Lolli play with the octopus heads and call them "little peanuts." The medium-sized head has been nicknamed "pink peanut" and I've found myself referring it to by that name as I'm yelling out to the kids, "Where did you hid the pink peanut? Give it back to me!"

Well, I'm still going to have a go at it. I'm going to see if I can finish seven octopuses (or is it "octopi"?) with a total of 56 arms by this Thursday's meeting.

Maybe if I make them with only seven arms, no one will really notice. So that's only 49 arms. Sounds a little bit better.

BTW, why octopus for moms? Because we've all wished we had more arms.

...and the winner is...

2008-12-02T20:47:00.001-08:00

Flooring
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

...well, it was hard for me to decide since it wasn't a clean-cut right or wrong. There were a couple of detailed responses (and good ones at that), and one that was simply referring to a part of the house but didn't say why and how the buckets were used. "E" Hettinger has won the IKEA coupon because she had guessed correctly the application of the buckets. Here are the details on the buckets:

The buckets (there were 35-40 buckets in all) were not used for the concrete patio at all. They were staged there since all the flooring on the first level (carpet and linoleum flooring) got ripped up.

As you can see from the photo, we had hardwood floors installed. Part of the hardwood was installed directly on the concrete slab as opposed to the wood subfloors in the raised living room. Since they could only glue the wood to the concrete (and not glue AND nail the planks as in the living room), the installers had to rely on clamps to hold the planks tight against each other and heavy weight to ensure a tight bond between plank and floor.

That's where the heavy buckets with water came into play.

Soo . . . the buckets were used as weights. And why water in trash bags? I guess so it made transporting them easier (no sloshed water on wood floors).

Great guesses!

Puzzler of the Day

2008-12-01T10:29:00.001-08:00

Color buckets
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

During the nine days between closing escrow on our house and moving in, Air Boss had managed contractors (at one point, four different trades were represented in one morning) as well as rolled up his sleeves in countless DIY home improvement projects.

One morning, we noticed all these buckets lined with trash bags and filled with water on our back patio.

Can you guess what they were used for?

Answer will be provided tomorrow. First person to respond with the correct answer will be mailed a $25 off IKEA coupon.