Irish Trouble

The next step

2010-08-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Monday night is Family Dinner night. Danni comes over and we all sit down for dinner, we are going to have to change the day with college classes Mondays are not working.

Last night we sat and talked about general stuff but then moved into talking about the wedding. Everyone will have jobs, big or small; everyone will have something to do. Its looking like it will be a small affair which will be nice. I have told her that I will not put up with any snide remarks from her step-mom but also I wont be the one that makes her leave … I will make sure someone else has that pleasure.

It is odd talking to her about what she wants for her wedding how she sees it what she hopes it to be… My hope for her is that she is relaxed and enjoys her day; I also hope that it is everything she wants it to be. So many people have asked to be a part of her day that I think she is a little overwhelmed and it goes back to trying to make it smaller event. Hard to do with just the massive size of our family and that doesn’t count her fathers side of the family. She is wondering if some people would be offended it they are asked to leave kids at home. She is figuring if the kids don’t know who she is then why should the kids be at the wedding? I understand that thought but then I think that the kids or the families are part of the community that you as a married couple will be living in, and making your own family for. But I understand space constraints. What I have told her and what I will continue to tell her is it doesn’t matter what happens, what matters is that at the end of the day they are married. She doesn’t want drama, I understand that. She will not be able to control others but what she will have is people around her to make sure she doesn’t know that the cake is wrong, or that no one has shown up due to a traffic issue, or that the toasting glasses aren’t here, or that the flowers didn’t get done until hours before the wedding. Many things that past brides didn’t even know were going on until much later. (In some cases MONTHS later)

This year will be a big one… she turns 21 and she gets married. For BOTH of us. A big year.

New School Year

2010-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

School started this week… for all the kids. Two are now in college and one in 3rd grade, it doesn’t seem possible. I found myself getting all teary eyed when I watched my son go on his merry way to college. He was excited and joyful to go to school; it reminded me of his first day of preschool, kindergarten, middle school and high school. None of my kids have ever had a problem with going to school leaving Mom and the ‘nest’, if fact they have all run in headlong into the next adventure. I didn’t cry when he graduated from High school (ok I didn’t cry much) but some how him going to college gives me reason to pause and think about this little boy who is quickly becoming a Man, one that I am proud of, very proud. Now he has had the first week of college and he has found out that teachers don’t like it when you are late and that you have to read the college catalog to make sure you sign up for classes that don’t require a pre requisite, small lessons.

I think about the next few years, he will continue going to college and maybe even make it overseas to school. My daughter will get married and continue school. The youngest will continue happily along always working to do better. Meanwhile my eldest he will be working hard as well and I couldn’t be prouder of all of my kids, the three I have raised and the one that I didn’t have the privilege to raise but love just as much. The next couple of years will be ones of great change. When the kids were in school (regular school) things didn’t really change you know they changed teachers or schools but they were at home and all the issues were the same, but now they have other things to consider and broader choices. The family will change and in ways that makes me happy and sad at the same time.

I am the first of my group of friends to have kids that are old enough to move out and move on… its scary, fun, and a little lonely. I am not opposed to the kids growing up in fact I LOVE IT. I guess I am getting closer and closer to the time that I will need to figure out who I am without the kids. Where I fit in, hopefully I have done that to some degree. Identified who I am, I am not just a Mom, but more than that.

I still have time the youngest doesn’t even get out of High School for another nine years. :)

June in a Nutshell

2010-07-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

Whew! June has been fast a furious with all kinds of stuff going on.

Brennan had Prom, the last days of school and Graduation. All of that just by June 10th! I am glad Brennan went to Prom! Not that he HAD to go just that I knew that he would have fun with his friends and they wanted him to go. And he did tell me later that I was right he did have fun!

Then there were the last days of school I have to say it was odd surreal even to be on campus on the last few days of school the energy is so cool excitement for the Sr class as a certain level just a little bit higher than the other classes. Some things I had forgotten just how much June means to school kids, I think as adults we tend to forget just what the excitement is when it comes to the end of a year of school. More so in High school than I think in any other grade. Seeing it on campus like I did (I was on campus everyday since Feb) was a great reminder of what it was like.

Graduation was really good! I like the way that MITA is small and they are able to make this celebration very personal. So very proud of all of the kids, especially Brennan, not that they made it but that they made it with style!

Then of course we went straight into a weekend of Harmony (feel the love) in Santa Rosa. The boys (Sebastian and Brennan) both worked all weekend long. Three long days of Santa Rosa in the heat, dust and crowds. Just to recover enough to start building the Pirate festival in Vallejo after just a two day reprieve.

Pirate Festival was GREAT!!! Queen Anne’s Revenge Rocked! Such an amazing group I am so honored to be a part of them. Beverage Rocked! Sea Dogs Rocked! Things look good that we broke the Guinness book of world records for the largest congregation of costumed pirates in one place at the same time. I only got a little bit burned; I thought I had covered up all the way… oh well.

Oh that’s right and smack dab in the middle of that I interviewed and was hired for a new job!! WHOO HOO!!!

June has been amazing!!

Washington DC with Brennan

2010-07-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last month (May OK so I am a little behind) I went to DC with Brennan and his class. The Sr Class as part of their graduation requirements pick a DC site and do a report on it and while we are there they must give a verbal report (become a docent of sorts). This report makes up almost half of their grade for the Government class.

I have to say that it was a different trip than the one I took with Danni, not in what was seen or what we did but more in the way it was run. We never got lost. We had lunch delivered (WAY COOL) We ran on time (some of time), I think the kids had more “free” time. My feet didn’t come home damaged and we had coffee stops. We did have the “forced march” and “herding up” that was started three years ago with Danni’s class. With all of that the kids still had fun you could tell. As with the other class the kids were amazing. Well behaved, great travelers, considerate to others on Metro. Something to be proud of.

Watching the kids give the reports was great! Some I knew would do wonderfully, I was never concerned about them speaking in public if these guys had been going to MITA the whole time (since sixth grade) they have given verbal report after verbal report. I was very impressed with several of them on the scope of what they thought was important about their particular site. I have to say that you could tell how much they all cared about the site that they were reporting on, and how much each and everyone of them wanted the others to do well. Everyone cheering for the other and celebrating when everything went well!

Of course we had a great amount of fun! Jess getting piggy back rides, letters/flowers/pictures left for the veterans, playing cards, sleeping and of course just goofing off! Watching the look on Brennan’s face while reading the words on the wall at the Lincoln memorial, which in photos never looks as big as it really is in person.

We went different places we never made it to Arlington, but then Danni's class never made it to the Zoo. All in all both trips were amazing for me as a parent.

Hopefully my kids understand what it meant to me to be able to join them on this trip, it’s hard to put into words, it’s like watching them in their final act of being a kid or watching them move into becoming more of an adult. More than the graduation or an 18th birthday, this is something that they have worked on for MOST of the year, and a great amount of pressure was put on them to get each and every milestone of this project done they did it, and at the end they were able to stand the site and give their report in front of teachers, fellow students and a few parents and more than once a random stranger would stop and listen to them.

23 Years

2008-11-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

23 Years ago I held him in my arms. He was born and I understand that while I was in labor the waiting room filled up with all kinds of people. Friends and Family were waiting for him to be born. Boasts where made, wagers placed but once he was born all that mattered was that he was alive and he that had his birth-father's nose. The hospital let us do things that were not normally done, everyone that had waited for his arrival was able to see him; I was kept in the delivery room way past time for me to be moved to my room. I had some time when it was just he and I where I told him just how much I loved him, how I hoped that some day he would understand, forgive me, and want to see me again. Then his Mom and Dad came in, they were so happy I don't think she ever stopped smiling. It gave me peace. The hospital allowed our friends and family meet him, to see him. They did it again on the day that we both were released from the hospital, we were able to see him one more time, hold him, and allow his Great-great-grandmother meet him. Again I knew what I was doing was right that they were right.

Yesterday I met him again. I was given a chance to know my Son. He wanted to know me, to know his siblings. To be part of our lives. I am blessed. Spending the day with him was beyond everything I could imagine. I found out things that we shared traits, likes, dislikes and hobbies. Things that he does or says are very much like his birth-father. He punched a hole in the ceiling to make the neighbors be quite much to the delight of Fiona, she thinks he is very strong. His laugh sounds like his birth-father. He reads like I do, even some of the same books, even let Brennan borrow some books. Danni and he have taken the same sociology class they even traded ideas and authors names. I watched him talk with Danni and Brennan about all kinds of things. I watched his face, he has my eyes, my Grandfathers chin, my curly hair and of course his birth-father's nose. I found my self just watching him listening to him. He talked about things that we agreed on like how books are better than the movies they are based or how he likes fish and hates large cities.

I gave him up for adoption when I was 17. It was the single hardest thing that I ever did in my life. He was always a part of me, someone that I have thought about all the time. I almost never thought that I would get the chance to meet him to be a part of his life. But he hugged me, he called me Mom, he told me he loved me and admired me. And I held him for the first time in 23 years.

Seeing History

2008-11-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

Last night I was able to watch my kids "see" history.

I was blessed to know my Great Grandmother. Even more so that she was around to meet Danni (five generations) and she passed at the ripe old age of 104 one month before Brennan was born. She was born the eldest of 13 kids, she went to school in a one room school house, grew up on a vineyard, worked for C&H and left her first husband because he was abusing her, one of her husbands worked on the railroads and she traveled the country with him, one of her sons died in WWII, and she used to make applesauce and canned all her own fruit. In her later years she did a very complete genealogy of the family the old fashion way by writing letters, my sister and I helped her since at that point she was legally blind. Her birthday was right before the 4th of July and that was her very favorite holiday. She lived by herself until right before she passed away. She was one of the strongest people I knew. She saw a lot of history and she was often amazed by it all. I often wondered what I would be able to look back on and say I saw in the making.

Last night was one of those moments that I KNEW I was seeing history. We all watched both speeches... Fiona was a little confused she finally just said "But Mommy who is the President? I don't understand" So we tried to explain to her that the first guy was saying he wasn't running for President anymore and the second guy was the new President, I think she got it... She did understand that the two little girls on the stage were getting a new puppy and that he was a good parent for getting them a new puppy.

I will remember that my oldest was able to vote in this very important election, that my son was interested in the democratic processes and that the little one was immersed in the whole process even if she didn't understand it all. Danni won't remember the wall coming down just two weeks after she was born and Brennan won't remember that the 'cold war' was declared over just days after he was born, but this is something they do understand and will be able to tell their grandchildren like my Great Grandmother told me about her very first time being allowed to vote and how she demonstrated for the right to vote. I remember as a child watching the first steps on the moon, I was two, but I remember pieces and snips about the day the adults all being very happy about something and standing around the TV. Later on in life I asked Mom about the day and she said that my memories match what happened that day...

I am hoping that Fiona being six will remember this day even if it is only to remember that two little girls with dresses that she liked got a new puppy.

A Good Start

2008-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

So last night we (the voting people in the family) were talking about the current Props that are up for a vote this Nov (or sooner if you mail in your ballot). Since this is the first discussion so far we really just looked at the basics of each one with out really digging down deep. Now in the household we have three very different generational ideas going on. It was very cool to hear what some things each one of us thought was important and how we viewed each and every issue. Some issues were very volatile while others we all seemed to be thinking the same way. Of course there was the whole well if you would like this to end up one way make sure you vote this way... very confusing.

One of the issues that I didn't think would really generate a lot of conversion was the speed train issue (Prop 1~ I think) the amount of money and how it would be paid back and does it ever really get paid back? Would it be a benefit, would people use it? Would people be able to afford to use it? The IDEA is great... but would it pay for its self like they are projecting? Personally I hope it does pass. And I hope they do build it.

The other one that Danni had real issues with was the abortion one where the Doctors must inform the parents of a un-emancipated minors 48 hours before they perform an abortion. She really went back and forth on this one, on one hand she wondered why the Doctor would have to inform the parents. And then she wondered what right did the Doctor have to inform the parents. Like I told her I would hope that any child of mine would be able to come to me and let me know what was going on and if not me then one of the trusted adults that are around. She just smiled and agreed with me.

All in all I think it was a good conversation.

Where to go?

2008-09-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Its odd the last few years have been in a state of flux.

Not knowing what to do, not knowing how to do it, not knowing if what I am doing is the right thing. I need to move forward, to stop just standing still just hoping that no one will notice that I am really just afraid of what comes next. Of the hard choices I have to make since no one else will. About the only things I don't need to 'change' are my job (THANK GOD) and my kids. Everything else is up for grabs.

I have always said I want to finish school. So do I start that now? How do I start that? How do I manage that? I am back to being a single Mom... and in there lies another choice. Honestly I don't like being a single Parent but at the same time I really am not sure I know how to be a parent with anyone else. Even when I have had a partner it was never a full partnership. Then there is money, the kids, school, work, and play. Medical things that I have been putting off.

So do I start with a list of things to do? A game plan? I guess right now it just starts with a list then a game plan. So list, of things that need to be done, that I would like to have done, things that I/we need and things that I/we want. Wow looks like I have work to do.

This week…

2008-05-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

This week…
Has been such a mixture of all kinds of emotions and experiences in some ways it has really been a bad week and in others it’s been a very rewarding week.
Everything from very simple pleasures like the girls washing my truck or listening to Fiona talk to her new pink dog named Fifi “no Fifi you don’t need a leash you are a stuff animal” and then having her tell me “Mommy I have powers to make my stuff animals real!”
To receiving praise and acknowledgements for talents that I have and haven’t really been using a lot of lately and feeling very proud of myself. Sometimes it is the littlest things that make your day like someone telling you that you did well.
To extremely bad moments this week like the realization that things will never be the same and that truly is really a very sad thought.
To also getting bad news at work, I interviewed for a job (kind of a promotion) and I didn’t get it. In the whole scope of things I still have a job and they love the job I am doing but very disappointing to say the least.
To working for www.handsonbayarea.org the company I work for organized a “Community Day” where we shut down the offices. Everyone from the President to Sales people to Warehouse people went out to different projects around the Napa/ Sonoma county area and did everything from painting to pulling weeds to sorting food for the local food banks. IT was HOT! It was a GREAT day it really felt good to do something not work but still work. If that makes any sense at all I am not sure that it does.
That’s my week in a nutshell. It was all over the place.

Just an Update... fast and dirty

2008-03-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Well the first two months of this year have been busy but not full to the point of no relaxing. We have been able to spend time with family and friends.
I attended the Sea Dogs Xmas exchange it was great fun as always. The kids and I also had a great time with 12th night!! My Mom got a puppy, which means we have a puppy when we go camping this summer. Then came, Brennan’s 16th birthday, which was celebrated with a small fanfare. We did manage to make it up to the snow for a great weekend at Snowflower, the place were we normally spend many a camping weekend. The kids were quite pleased to find out how Snowflower got its name… Whew that was just January!! February has been a little quieter, babysat for friends for the weekend, two birthday parties and one crab feed… I am helping to teach a sewing class.

March proves to be very FUN. I leave for Paris on the 12th I can’t wait I am going with a few friends and leaving the kids at home (NOT by themselves) it will be a good trip. Its not like I NEED to get away from them, this is a trip that has been in the works for about a year and a half… When I turned 39 I was bemoaning the fact that 40 was just around the corner so the idea that was posed by friends was to go on a big trip I chose Paris… And we are really doing it we opened it up to whom ever wanted to with us! There are seven people going should be so much fun, I love to travel. I had to get a new passport I have been haunting Paris websites. Making lists of places I would like to go, things that I would like to see, things that I have to pack. I will be flying by myself, something I NEVER have done. Spending a whole day in France by myself and truly I can’t wait!!!

I have to say it was odd making all the arrangements for this trip, choosing the seats on the airplane for one, looking for a hotel for one. When the idea was first broached I thought my hubby would be going with me but in the last year in a half we have separated. I also thought that my best friend/sister would be going also it was mostly her idea… But her ‘real’ sister is getting married this weekend across the country so two trips in the same month is not in the cards. My other best friend/sister is going but she will be arriving several days after me but I am so looking forward to this trip so I am on the plane by myself… which on one hand sounds pretty GREAT and on the other is sounds a little well scary.

The best news is I will have some kind of computer in Paris and internet access… so I will try and post to here while I am gone if for no other reason to keep it all straight in my own head.

The Drill

2007-12-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a different story…
Anyone who talked to me on Saturday got the totally hyped up version of how I was feeling. Sorry if I was over excited but it was VERY COOL!!!

The day started at 10:00am at the fire dept’s training grounds. We were briefed on what the emergency was and then we were given a few minutes to get some basic stuff taken care of, who was in charge and who were his minions. I become triage supervisor and Danni was one of the medical personal. My job: place my team with search and rescue teams, make sure that they had all the supplies they would need and help if needed. Danni would be part of the team that would take over as soon as we got them to the ‘hospital area’. Seeing as we found more wounded than we had teams I was called out to do some transporting of people.

We had five boys from St. Pats High school that were given parts to play and lots of really cool makeup to make it real. When the earthquake hit the kids were home alone and had been having a New Years Eve party some were in the house and some were in the abandoned apartment building next door, the kid that was the ‘owner’ of the house also was babysitting his younger sister (CPR Dummy).

The first victim we found was a DOA, (a CPR dummy) he was on the roof when the earthquake hit, we had to black tag him. We moved him later in the drill. I had to move two of the victims. One had an arm laceration LOTS of blood all over the place, I mean I was kneeling in it in order to attach him to the backboard for moving. (It wasn't until later in the day that I looked at my jeans and wondered what I had all over them...it was fake blood) He was a smaller than Brennan and I have to say it wasn’t easy to move him. The second person I had to check (but not move) was a leg injury with protruding bone… (Make up was so cool) Luckily with that one, another person on the team had it all together and all I needed to do was bring some splinting materials. The last move I helped with was a (CPR dummy) guy trapped under a pile of rubble. We were out of backboards so someone from the S&R team found some plywood and we duct taped the patient to the plywood with me wrapping the duct tape around the patient and the plywood, being careful not to put any duct tape on the patients skin but also making sure he didn’t slide around. My Poppop would have been proud of me, he used duct tape the way Greg G. uses glue! We got kudos for that idea as well as me securing pieces of wood to either side of him as bracing for his neck.

The last thing that we had to do before they called an end to the drill was make sure we had all the victims. The kids kept saying that we were missing someone named Matt. Finally we took the one kid who was least injured and had him identify the DOA we found in the beginning… He was a great actor really reacted well when we had to identify ‘Matt’… Yes they named him Matt since he fell off the top of a three-story building and was flat as a mat… get it? There was quite the discussion on weather or not to bring the ‘kid’ over to identify a body. Even though it was a drill and I knew were where going to be showing him a CPR dummy it was still something we in the medical tent talked about before doing it. It really made it real.

The drill was over when the ‘fire dept’ showed up to take over. We ended up with one green tags (walking wounded), two yellow tag (serious) and four red tags (critical) and one black tag (poor Matt). That was what we were supposed to have! Whoo hoo!

Then we debriefed afterwards, what worked, what didn’t… what we could have done better. All in all it was great. The kids took pictures of their makeup, and mourning poor Matt and Capt told them that they did have to take it off before school on Monday.

Then we were sworn in as disaster first responder volunteers. I have to say there was sense of duty to raise my right hand and swear to up hold the Constitution of the U.S and of California. Puts a lot of things into place. I don't know if I feel 100% prepared in the event, and I am not sure you can ever feel 100% prepared. I do know that I have the skills to help if needed and that feels good.

Psychology

2007-12-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

The last class not so much fun.

Last Tuesday we had our last class before the drill/test. It was a sobering class. In the other weeks Danni and I came home feeling jazzed and that we learned something new that if needed we could help someone or even just ourselves and our family. Tuesday’s class was different we focused on the psychology of disaster and the reactions that range from just taking it in stride to just completely coming unhinged. There is no “normal” response. We covered everything from how to deal with a dead body to how to protect ourselves from any blood-borne germs (HIV or hepatitis) or even air-borne germs (TB) and even food transferred illnesses like E. Coli.

We also touched on what is terrorism. I say touched because it was a lively discussion one that other people’s political views came into play. After 9-11 the U.S. Government defined terrorism as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” Okalahoma bombing terrorism... Columbine not terrorism… other events were also discussed trying to make us see what is and what is not terrorism. Other things may feel like terrorism or them may cause you to feel terrorized but it doesn’t fall under the definition of terrorism as set by the U.S. Government. It was an emotional conversion one that made you think, debate with yourself. Danni and I talked about it later in the evening and really it is hard to separate the feeling of being terrorized with true terrorism.
They did keep blaming the Irish for the beginnings of terrorism, as we know it today. They were sighting things that happened, about Michael Collins time frame and the beginnings of the IRA, and I really wanted to argue that point but that wasn’t the point of the class. :)

http://www.timesheraldonline.com//ci_7742703?IADID=Search-www.timesheraldonline.com-www.timesheraldonline.com

Search and Rescue

2007-12-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind with this post:
I was looking forward to this class, what I wanted to be when I grew up was a forest ranger not the one that takes your money as you enter the park but in search and rescue. I know this is a different type of S&R but really all the principles are the same.

In an event we would be required to first see to our family then our neighbors.

We looked at all the different forms of structures found in our fair town… being a lot of it has been around for quite a while some of it would not even make it through a large event. We were shown pictures of buildings and houses around town that may look good on the outside but since they were build 70+ years ago chances are they are not reinforced for earthquakes.

Mostly we were shown what type of things to look for and when it would be safe for someone of our skill level to enter a building and search. What to do after we entered the building, how to search and how to rescue someone trapped. We learned how to ‘crib and lift’ what it would take to get someone out without hurting them more or hurting ourselves. How to mark the buildings so that people would know that we searched it and what we found. When to go for help because the job is too big for us or the building was just too damaged.

We were broken up in to three different groups and each group would ‘rescue’ someone (training dummy) out from underneath rubble. The first group got up and went to work, the second and third groups learned from the first group. I was in the second group while they were setting up our victim we went into the classroom to devise a plan of attack. When we got out there to assess the damage… myself and another classmate looked at the poor victim and how buried he was and pretty much said… “he is too crunched we are black tagging and moving on” we were told no we had to get him free… Of course we were told later on if it had been real life our assessment was correct. Now I didn’t have physics in school, but I understand the basics. We had to stabilize the debris in order to lift it and free the victim. I had my corner to deal with making sure that it was shored up enough to make the lift safe for all involved. It was like stacking blocks to build a tower that wouldn’t fall over. It was good to be hands on about the whole thing I found out what would work and what wouldn’t work.

Danni was in the last group and I am not sure how it happened but she was team leader. She blew Capt away… she went out there the team assessed the damage and she put everyone to work and in record time the team had that guy rescued. It was very cool to watch. She was cool and had a plan and executed it and even with her being the youngest NO ONE in her group questioned what she was telling them to do. One of our classmates told me that they could see her as a firefighter or something along those lines, that she has a presence about her. I was very proud of her.

It was a good class.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com//ci_7683149?IADID=Search-www.timesheraldonline.com-www.timesheraldonline.com

My Daughter is Florence Nightingale

2007-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.timesheraldonline.com//ci_7623671?IADID=Search-www.timesheraldonline.com-www.timesheraldonline.com

Okay not really but we were trained this week how to splint, tape, bandage and even (if we really had to) try and pull a bone back into alignment. ICKY GROSS, so not what I ever want to do and really the only reason we would even attempt anything like that is the absence of a pulse lower than the break.

As far a splinting, wrapping, bandaging, and dressing burns all of that is really just basic. But that isn’t very fair it is basic to me but I have taken first aide classes, helped the girls through the first aide patch for girl scouts, and well I have been hurt so you learn how to do the basics… and really what we learned was an extension of those basics. We also learned how to deal with burns and impaling objects, oh and heat exhaustion, and hypothermia. When she asked for the signs if heat exhaustion both Danni and I raised our hands and gave the signs and different ‘cures’… J How to use what might be in the area for supplies and how to conserve all supplies but still make sure that the patient is taken care of to the best of our abilities. What was also new was how to do a full assessment and when people are in shock/hurt the type of questions to ask, what to watch for in the body language that will help us, help them.

There is a picture of Danni doing a general check on a “patient” while I take notes, those notes would then be passed on to medical personal when they show up. Those notes also would be kept confidential which made sense to me but some people in the class questioned, “why not tell the press, or someone saying they were friends or family?” And it all comes down to privacy where we are not held to the same stringent restrictions as Doctors but we are held to some restrictions. Like I said there were some people in the class that didn’t really understand why we wouldn’t just tell people who we had in our “sick bay” and what injuries they had sustained. Thinking about it from an outside point of view sitting there and watching some disaster on the TV only to be told by a reporter that my family was injured is not the way I want to find something like that out, I think most everyone understood by the time Capt was done explaining.

Of course Capt had us fill out the “patient” forms with names she challenged us to come up with good ones… Mine was Paddy O’Door… he sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his arms, a broken right leg and a head injury… hehehe for those who don’t know Paddy O’Door is DK’s Dickens faire name… LOL! He was very damaged.

Medical Training

2007-11-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

Last week we started in on the medical part of the training... both of us, Danni and I, managed to get mentioned in the paper. Of course our names are spelled incorrectly (well my last one is just WRONG)

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_7561625

It was strange to go through the whole tagging people. Capt had cards out with situations like: 30 year old women comes running to you with a baby in her arms she is screaming. Bleeding slightly from legs. At the bottom of the card has her vitals. From that information you are supposed to tag: green (walking wounded), Orange (wounded but not critical), Red (critical), Black (can't be saved). Well as a first responder you sometimes try to up grade people to a higher "tag". Because of age, mental, or physical state. If they were unable to walk before the accident and still can't walk it doesn't but them at higher 'risk'. One of the cards had a 12-year-old girl bleeding profusely, unresponsive and breathing at only 4 breaths per minute. We had to black tag her... not an easy thing to do. Luckily in the 20+ years that the Capt has been doing rescue she has never had to "black" tag anyone.

Danni is thinking, she is wondering if we have radios between Grandma's house and our house if that would work for communications, in the event. I told her we might have to look into CB radios just to be sure. We have list going know of things to do and things to get for "in the event" its not an earthquake box it will be an "event box"... 'cause you never know what is going to happen but you can be ready for anything. One of the main statements that Capt has said is no matter what is happening you deal with it mostly the same way. Earthquake: you have lost power, lost water, maybe lost place to live. Flood: you have lost power, water, place to live. Fire same thing, terroist attack, explosion all the same. You need a safe place to stay, food, water, clothing and medical care. Those are the things that we are being trained to help with and my friends you too will be bugged about putting together an "event box" and a plan.... Everyone must have a plan.

What to do on a Tuesday Night

2007-11-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago while talking with some of the local Firefighters they told me about this program in Vallejo called ALERT. http://www.timesheraldonline.com//ci_7441308?IADID=Search-www.timesheraldonline.com-www.timesheraldonline.com

So Danni and I signed up, Capt Cavanaugh is so excited to have her first Mother/Daughter team! Anne was involved in Danni's (and Froggy’s) fifth grade class and was happy to hear that Danni is 18 and the youngest to go through this class.

The first week we went through how to be prepared, for fire, earthquake, flood, and even terrorist attacks. Things that we can do around the house now in order to help ourselves, family, friends and neighbors not if this happens but when. And how to deal with the first 72 hours. It made me go home and look out the very out of date earthquake box I have, there are still diapers in it for youngest… NOTE: she has been potty trained since she was 2 ½. So our homework was to update and create an emergency box, and plan. Who would be your out of state contact? Do you have food? Water? Clothes? Chocolate? For the first 72 hours? Also for those who have special needs: heart, asthma, diabetes, or even blood pressure meds, do they have a supply that could get them through the first week? Tuff stuff we are still complying.

The second week, last night, we got to play with FIRE… they taught everyone how to use a fire extinguisher… on two types of fires. This being the fire department they of course had this nifty BBQ looking thing that was fueled by propane and with a flip of the switch they could start a fire and in groups of two we went in to put out said fire. Now Capt Anne said that humans have a natural fear of fire that it is hard to overcome… yeah must have missed our genes. I have a cousin that is a fire fighter and most everyone knows that my all time fav holiday is the 4th of July! My grandfather was the king of blowing things up! Needless to say we (Danni and I) were one of the first people on line and we were not afraid of the fire and both of us managed to put the fire out in record time (10.4 secs for me and 8.5 secs for her)! Danni was so jazzed that she help discharge the fire extinguishers after the class (by using them up on more fire) then she had to call her cousin to tell him how much fun it was to do this!

Next week is Medical stuff basic to advance first aide and the week after will be search and rescues.

A Day That will live

2006-12-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Today is a day that we should all reflect…
Really, most of you know I am a Navy brat; my claim to fame is that I was almost born in Canada… still pretty bitter about not having a dual citizenship.
Maybe today affects me more because of the town I mostly grew up in Vallejo was the home of Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Just about my entire family worked out there at some point. My maternal Grandfather wasn’t allowed to sign up after Pearl Harbor, his job on the shipyard was far too important, that didn’t set too well with him at all. My Grandmother had a cousin that was at Pearl Harbor… He had just gotten off of duty and being a good Irish Catholic went straight to church, that’s where he was when his bunk was blown up. My other Grandfather missed the bombing only because the ship that he was on went out earlier than planed for “maneuvers training” they were several miles the other way and didn’t make it back to pearl until the next day. Something that happened years before my mother and father were even born should affect me is somewhat baffling. I have been to the memorial and it effected me deeply. It’s truly hard to put into words the feeling that you get while out there over the sunken ship… So in honor of the fallen, in honor of the day. Please take a moment.

Wiggles

2006-11-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

People are just finding out that one of the guys from the football field. I don’t get it… you have people that would kill to be healthy and others that are just bent on killing themselves giving themselves heart problems at the age of 16!! Crazy I tell you!!
We tell the kids to go out and get involved with a sport to be healthy so they aren’t sitting there in front of the TV, computer or game system. So in order to play the sport they need to gain weight to the point it damages their hearts… Insane.
I will pull my kids from sports before I allow a coach to tell them to gain weight or loss too much! There needs to be a balance...

What we did this summer:

2006-09-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

It’s the age ole question one that causes you to think on how you spent your time while not in school…

Unlike other summers where all of our time is spent getting ready, doing and cleaning up after a faire we had time… time to clean up the back yard. Time to go camping. Time to do swim lessons, summer school and internships.

We went camping (well Miss Bee and I) a grand total of four times… Once to the Russian River with Grandma, Sparkles, Froggy, and Sparkles BF… just for the weekend but the kids had a great time playing in the river and just relaxing, it was really HOT that weekend but still the river was great fun. The next camping trip involved friends and Miss Bee and I again to the river and with more kids (two god children and one YOTC) we had a fire both nights, good food and great company. Then Grandma, Sparkles, Froggy, Miss Bee and myself packed up for a week in Yosemite!!! That was great fun! We managed to hike up to three waterfalls: Bridalvail, Vernal and Yosemite falls the hardest one being Vernal but we made it all of us and Miss Bee hiked like a champ! We also hiked to thru the Mariposa meadows and up to Sentinel dome the second highest peek it was wonderful! Now we have to get Grandma’s camera to give up the pictures! Technology doesn’t like Grandma very much it hides things from her… or so she claims. The last trip was the three-day-weekend Miss Bee and myself went up to Yuba Gap in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and set up the site, Grandma and Froggy joined us Saturday after his football game. Then my sister and Brother-in-law joined us for one day also, it was a really great weekend!! We will have one more weekend in Oct we will spend the weekend at Apple Hill. GREAT Fall fun!

Camping is one of my fav things to do for me its relaxing. We play cards, just sit and read, just sit, get away from stuff…

All Things New

2006-08-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Just wanted you to know that Sparkles is now part of the working force... she has a job, not a babysitting job, not a volunteer job but a real paying job... she is working for Papa Murphy's Take and Bake Pizza... she starts training Today.

Now I am of mixed feelings about this job thing on the one hand she needs the job to help pay for her insurance and gas money and her Senior Year (I am already trying to figure out the bill for that one: Homecoming, year book, senior pictures, Washington DC trip, Grad night, Prom, Graduation....)(UGH!!) And now with the new driving laws until the kids are 18 they have a driving curfew of 11pm. good right? But for Prom night well that means a Limo... so she wants a job to be able to get the extras... But on the other hand she has, well her Senior year... she has one College class that she needs to take in order to graduate and to finish her internship, and to well do her Senior project to be presented at the Washington DC trip, she normally does Color Guard and she is talking about dropping that (which I have mixed feelings about) then there is all the committees that she wants to be on: Prom and Senior activities I don't think she said anything about yearbook but I know that she was really upset about how it was done last year. Whew! I just hope she can juggle it all... I know she has watched the best of the best (Barbara) let’s see if she can put what she has learned into practice.

The other wonderful news is Froggy... he will be a freshman this year and instead of signing up for Soccer he signed up for Football... Now Froggy has put on quite a few inches he is 14 years old and is 5 foot 5... but still a rail thin guy... Think build of say a string bean. So I will be on the bleachers every Friday night hoping (a) that they play him - he is a freshman and (b) he doesn't get hurt... they are trying him for kicker (he played Soccer for many years as a goalie he can kick) but they were also talking about the guy that passes the ball back to the quarterback (Center?) you know the one that gets mushed since everyone is trying to get to the QB... lovely... fun... just what I wanted him to do... ugh but I don't tell him that I just grin and tell him he can do it! Ugh the things you do and say when you are a Mom.
(note after writing this he came home from practice and :They have signed him up for Receiver… panic ensues.)

Luckily the only thing Miss Bee right now wants to do is go to swim lessons which she is doing quite well at and really loves but I am lucky in the respect that all of my kids have the love of water that I have. Miss Bee is even starting to do a freestyle stroke (well kinda) its really cool to watch. I sit there and watch my kids and wonder “God I hope that my Mom had as much fun watching us and I do my kids”... and really all parents should have this much fun watching their kids try something new and succeed at it or at least do their very best. I may complain about Prom or Football or whatever but really I love watching them grow and expand and not be afraid to try something. To attack the world with such fearlessness...

I am proud of Froggy for not staying at home and playing video games and for going to the football field. I am proud of Sparkles for going out and getting a job, and proud of Miss Bee for loving swimming lessons even if she doesn't get the same teacher each session. Even if I am scared, concerned or even doubtful that they can manage all that they take on I am very proud of them and I wouldn't tell them any different.

Promotion

2006-06-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Praise youth and it will prosper ~ Irish Proverb

Promotion... instead of graduation is what they call it now... and Frogs was Promoted to HIGH SCHOOL last night... WOW... I have this image in my head of him playing rounders, not at faire but at a park in Oakland when he was very little... its very hard to believe that he will be in High School, a freshman... They grow up far to fast, of course Mr Sullen Teenager doesn't believe that a big deal should be made about this but its a milestone none the less... Last night while doing my Mom duty of helping out the school, making sure that all the kids were in the lines they were supposed to be and NOT chewing gum, and making sure their cell phones were turned OFF!! Its like herding cats… “No you can’t climb that on that table, NO really I need you to stay with the rest of the class, NO I don’t know when we are going to start.”

One of his old teachers showed up, this particular teacher is the type that makes an impact on all of his students and for reasons that where his alone he had to go back out to the corporate work force leaving the school a situation neither he, the kids or the school wanted. Anyway he showed up and all the kids were very happy, even Frogs, he walked down the lines he talked with each and every one of them! And when he walked out of the hallway that we had the kids lining up in, he was crying. The kids on the other hand were just so happy to see him they didn’t realized what kind of impact they made on him how proud he was of them and how much he missed the chaos that is Middle School. I was privileged to be a part of that to see the kids really just so happy to see this teacher of theirs, to watch just how nervous some of them were, to see how much fun that they all have together and I realize that for him (the sullen teenager) this is the last time that I will do that… I mean when they graduate High School a Jr. parent is involved with the behind the scenes stuff. I only have to be there and sit in my seat and wait for it all to begin or end depends on how you look at it…

Its strange to see your children grow up you know its coming but you still don’t think that it will ever get here and then it is and you don’t know where the time went.

Weekend business

2006-06-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Okay so the last few weekends have been “get things done weekends”… we have done yard work, dump runs, and garage sales. We have more yard work to do and now that the garage sale is over maybe one more dump run…

The kids have been a wonderful help. NO really they have! Even the sullen 14-year-old! And of course the 4-year-old is always great help (she says drolly). I feel like we have really accomplished something and this summer we will continue to do weekend ‘work parties’! So I am going to keep a list here simply because it will keep me honest and I can update the list as I go.

1) Plant the veggies for the garden
2) Finish cleaning up the back yard
3) Paint the living room
4) Clean up the garage now that a lot of stuff is gone time to re organize
5) Clean gutters
6) Hang shade cloth on those windows that get way too much sun
7) Paint the hallway
8) Get camping stuff together
I am hoping that with this list of “things to do” I will get some things done, lets see how I do!

Alice

2006-05-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

Again just a little something that I found funny...

"How can one possibly pay attention to a book with no pictures in it?"

~ Alice, bored with her history lesson.
Alice in Wonderland, 1951

My Commute

2006-05-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Okay really within the Bay Area my commute is one of the best I am sure only topped by my Mom’s commute which was walking the block to the school she used to work at that was a rough one. Really I drive 30 miles each way, away from The City and through some salt marshes and vineyards… tragic I know.

Over the last week or so some very interesting stuff has been happening on my normally non-exciting commute that I just have to share.

Tuesday on the way home I have to come to a quick halt all the time saying ‘geese, geese, geese…” my friend that I was talking to on the phone must have thought I was insane (okay she knows I am but really that’s not the point). So I am driving down a two-lane highway when waddling across the road is a family of geese… Momma, Dad, and three baby goslings, walking like they don’t have a care in the world and didn’t just make two people come to an abrupt halt in order not to run any of them over… One parent in front of the flock and one parent in the back herding three baby geese across the highway safely. I could just hear the Momma scolding the Daddy… “I told you to wait, why do we need to go this way? You are going to get us killed!” OR “We are walking, walking” Or something along those lines. It was very comical so much so that myself and the other lady who had to stop coming the opposite direction was laughing at the little family as the waddled themselves across the road.

Wednesday morning I had to stop and get gas (don’t get me started on how much I had to pay to fill my tank… its really sad when you get happy that you are paying 2.99.9 a gallon!) anyway on my way to the gas station I am driving past a construction site and what do I see some guy driving a bulldozer out into traffic. I am sure he was taking the dirt in his bulldozer somewhere it needed to go but he was on his cell phone!! While he is driving a multi-ton vehicle on the ‘real’ road he should not be on his cell phone… I KNOW there are laws against that. If there isn’t there should be!

Also this week as I was driving home one evening on HWY 37… think two lane highway with a wall dividing the road simply because there were too many head on collisions bordered by salt marshes on either side… 10 mile stretch of road that is some of the most beautiful views … really. So what happens I am driving a pretty good clip seeing as its about 5:30 in the evening traffic is going about 45 – 50 miles an hour not too bad. When behind me there comes a motorcycle along the shoulder and he passes me like I am going 10 miles an hour!!! He is on the shoulder of one of the roads that has more accidents than I care to think about… good grief!! I like driving what I don’t like is when other people take my life into their selfish hands.

I just had to share.

Mother day

2006-05-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

"But Mother, I don't want to grow up!" ~ Wendy, from Peter Pan, 1953

So Mother's day was nice...
Went over to my sister's house to have Mother's Day Brunch made by by BIL, SIL and my kids. Wonderful day spent in the backyard, while Ms Bee played in the sprinklers and the grown ups drank mimosas...

I enjoy days like that were we sit around, talk, play, and just relax... it was good.

Easter fun

2006-04-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

So the older kids are too old to hunt for Easter eggs or so they think but they had a lot of fun hiding them… of course the youngest one LOVED to Easter egg hunt until one of her Uncles told her that they none of the eggs were good eggs since they weren’t full… so poor Miss Bee is running around the yard picking up little plastic Easter eggs and tossing them aside because they didn’t rattle… ergo they are empty and no good so says her Uncle… she found three that were “full” (a smaller egg had been stored in a larger egg) so she did find some… But here she is picking up eggs shaking them to see if they rattle and when they don’t she tosses them aside just in time for one of her cousins to come in after her and pick up her rejects. Sigh… later in the day we did another egg hunt and she was told that all of them were good eggs and she ran around with great delight picking up as many eggs as would fit in her basket. So not to scared…

Events beyond my control

2006-03-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

So this weekend on the way to yet another and second to the last Color Guard event for the season, Sparkles, Ms Bee and I were driving down the freeway it was raining (again). The windshield wipers stop working… I am in the fast lane and the rain is coming down with a vengeance. So I try to very calmly exit the freeway… with out being able to see really well and all the while explaining the driver in training that when faced with a situation like this the best thing to do is get off the freeway as quickly and as SAFELY as we can! So I get off the freeway pull in to the first parking lot I find and pop the hood… NO I do not have much mechanical knowledge… I know how to check and add the oil, windshield wiper fluid, the break fluid and the transmission fluid and coolant. I know where the fuses are and the air filter… After many hours watching ex boyfriends and friends work of their cars I do know a little bit but really what did I think I was going to do but what do you do when your car stops working you pop the hood and hope that something jumps out with a sign that says… FIX ME!!! Anyway I am able to identify what I think is the motor for the windshield wipers and I play with the wires that are going into the box… and they start working again… so I laugh and get back into the car and continue down the road.

Later that day (yes its raining on and off) once we get to the event I am walking up a ramp and I slip and fall… kinda twist my left ankle and really banged my right knee. YEP I am a mess. My only defense is there was no music so I do not have to be graceful.

So Sunday really goes well we have a friend come over and put in some lights for us and then we all head off to a wedding of a really dear friend… the afternoon off with out a hitch. My knee kinda bothered me but only when I was carrying Ms Bee. So I did not carry her made her three year old little legs carry her.

Monday shows up and its sunny and brite news said no rain until late in the evening… I try the windshield wipers and nothing… I open the hood and play with the same wires and nothing. So the news said not rain until later I will go to work and call the auto shop, make an appt for later in the afternoon to have the car fixed KNOWING its going to rain… it started raining early… at noon. So I call the auto shop tell them that there is no way for me to make the appt and can I bring it in first thing in the morning? No problem… Now how to get home? Luckily one of my co-workers lives in the same town as I do so she lead me home in the rain with me trying to see in between the rain drops… stressful to say the least. Tuesday the car is fixed and it only cost $300.00 electrical problem…

Meanwhile my knee is starting to really cause me some concern so I go to the Dr (also Monday night) and get some x-rays just to make sure I did not really pull a number on it… I like not being in pain when I dance, walk or carry my child. Anyway the ER Dr said “Well it looks like it COULD be a plateau fracture of the tibia but I am not sure Ortho will have to look at later on but right now lets put you in a cast….”

I think about this for about .5 seconds and say “I would rather that we not put it in a cast until we know for sure one way or the other can I get away with a brace of some kind?” He agreed and so I am now hobbling around in a knee immobilizer…sucks! Appt on Friday for Ortho… I don’t believe its broken I am in some pain but I have to believe that if it were really broken I would really feel it.
And if that were enough this week is crazy it’s the last week of colorguard, the whole season has been leading up to this week… we had two comps last weekend, and this week we have one exhibition on Wed and then leave on Friday for the Tournament Of Champions. So pretty much between practices and shows I had one day off from CG, Oh yeah that was Monday… busy, busy, busy week. I have to say I do not feel in control this week at all.

Parenting

2006-03-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

I don’t consider myself an expert on parenting. I make mistakes and my children make mistakes. BUT I get a little amazed when people are amazed with my kids, how they act, how they talk, when they sleep. This last weekend we were at a color guard competition for Sparkles it normally takes a good part of the day if not all day… Saturday was no exception we left the house at 1pm and didn’t get home until after 11pm. LONG day… Froggy doesn’t like to go but Miss Bee does, Sparkles has been competing for the last five years this is the beginning of season six, this has been part of our lives for a while and Miss Bee has been there since before birth. She sits for hours watching other teams, playing nicely with her little toys and books. I make sure we have enough treats and drinks. When she was really little it was very easy just to let her nurse and no one even noticed. When she got a little older potty training was a little fun, bathrooms weren’t always close by but we managed and she did great! The other parents that have been doing this as long as I have love to bring little snacks (and they ask me first) or occupy her with little stuff ooh’ing and ahaa’ing over her drawings, books, or toys… we do this for seven weekends, eight competitions the last one being an all weekend thing. Miss Bee always is mostly well behaved and generally calm and self contained.

This particular weekend was nothing out of the norm but one of the other families brought their two year old with them, they don’t normally bring her and let me tell you she was a small terror. She crawled over everyone and wanted everything and was just so tired that she really just couldn’t see straight… I am not delusional enough to think that my children have never acted that way BUT when they have I am hoping that I have disciplined them, taken them out of the situation, and/or apologized for their behavior. This parent didn’t do half of that about the second time that the baby screamed and cried they finally took her out of the gym. When she finally fell asleep and she only slept for about 30 min. Miss Bee crawled into my lap and put her head on my shoulder and fell asleep and slept for about 1.5 hours…slept through Sacramento State Drum Line performance. Did I say that these comps are done inside in a basketball gym? Miss Bee can sleep anywhere and through anything for that matter so can Froggy and Sparkles.

I don’t think that I demand too much from my kids but I do require them to behave in many situations. Another child (not with our group) was running around the floor in-between comps. The teams have 10 mins to set up, perform, and tear down. Some of them have props and floors, ect. This child started to run around the floor as another team was starting to set up and she nearly tripped the student that was setting up, it was a little dangerous not only for the team setting up but for the child and the parent did nothing… and didn’t stop the kid from running around again it took a line judge to go over and talk to the parent and probably let them know that it was an unsafe situation and to keep the child off the floor. We couldn’t believe that it took a line judge to talk to the parent… it astounded us to know end. I then made the comment that “I would kill my child if they acted like that” I was then told that my children would act like that because they have a better sense of responsibility or etiquette. That I have a better sense of responsibility or etiquette I never really thought of it that way… The PARENT needs to have the sense of responsibility/ etiquette. How can we teach the child if the parent has no clue, how do we expect the child to know if the parent doesn’t?

I have had many compliments about my kids everything from ‘they are false advertising’ to ‘I wish there were more kids on the plane like yours’. I am always surprised on the compliments they are always unexpected sometimes in my brain I am remembering the times that they didn’t do their chores or talked back to me instead of listening, It gives me a sense of pride to know that even if I think that they can be rotten children and deserving of a weeks worth of restriction that other people think them well behaved human beings.

I don’t know if I expect/demand too much from them or if the rest of the world doesn’t expect/demand enough from everyone else. I do know that I am proud of my children. I am happy that I can take them traveling, dinner out (fancy), to parks, to social gatherings, to weddings and they know how to act and most of the time will do it without embarrassing the heck out of me!! The only thing that I can think of that I do with my kids is I bring them places… always have, always will. I have often said “have baby will travel” they have slept on hay bales, in cars, at soccer games, and during drum comps. I also believe that if they don’t experience HOW can they know how to act? You have to teach them so that they know.

I am proud of my kids and I am in constant amazement that they are as graceful, thoughtful, caring, helpful and wonderful as they are…

Batteries

2006-03-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

So the other night I was getting Miss Bee ready for bed and she looks out the window and exclaims:
“Mommy the Sun is going down…”
I say “yes it is”
she says “I guess it needs new batteries…”
so after I giggle a little and try to tell her that the Sun is really going to the other side of the world to give the other people light I put her to bed and walk away still giggling and amazed at the thoughts of a Three year old…

Batteries and Tape fix everything… I wish life were that simple.

The epic move

2006-03-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we have moved around the kid’s bedroom. Froggy gets a different bed and we have tried to move it so that he will get more privacy from his little sister. But of course that meant selling the old bed, taking apart old bed, buying a new bed, putting together new bed, ‘cleaning’ the bedroom and re-arranging the whole thing!

Massive undertaking.

We started out one weekend just cleaning the bedroom… I was surprised to see how much Froggy was able to ‘let go of’ I guess being 14 and in the whole I don’t care mode works well in this case.

The next weekend we started by taking apart the old bunk beds, carrying the mattress down stairs to sit in the living room and making the bed a pile of lumber and bolts. Just in time for the person who was buying it to pick it up and take it away. Craigslist is a wonderful tool!

Next comes putting the new bed together with the help from a friend of ours the three of us managed to get it put together. For the record I hate it when the directions come in diagrams only and NO really written instructions. While putting this bed together we are rearranging the room… moving things around trying to give the 14 year old some privacy. So we ended up moving the bookshelf three times and this isn’t any small bookshelf its one of the big ones about 6 feet tall so we have to unload it, move it, re load it, figure out it didn’t work, unload it again, move it, re load it. CRAZY!! So we get it all arranged and the bed put together and the room settled a little and stuff… it wasn’t so bad…

Now to go to work on the garage.

I do have to say the Froggy was a great help in all that needed to be done you know once you get him motovatied to move he really does it and mostly enjoys himself.

Relax

2006-02-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year I received the BEST present that anyone could get… a gift cert for a 1 hour massage… ahh bliss

So why was it that I couldn’t just relax? The massage was great and she was wonderful but for whatever reason my brain just couldn’t shut off… I keep thinking of the things that I have to do making a mental list: 1. Laundry 2. Clean living room 3. Take clothes to the good will. 4. Pay bills. And the list continues. So I would mentally shake myself and try to put myself in a relaxing state…

Think of the ocean sitting there watching the sunset, hearing the waves crash upon the shore… my brain then takes another turn and I start to think about the past and faire and “the great Shinning Ocean!” the fun times that I had the wonderful people that I have met, the people that are no longer with us, the people we just don’t see anymore because life changes. Okay brain still is roaming about… think of something else.

Green trees, forest the sounds of water flowing by in the creek, I am swinging in a hammock and its warm but I am in the shade the wind is blowing softly through the leafs and the evergreens… some how I start thinking about what I need to pick up at the store: 1. Lunch stuff. 2. Salad makings. 3. Cat litter. STOP it!

Meanwhile the massage continues and she is working hard to relive me of my knots in the shoulders that I own… its great but I can’t get my brain to shut down… I try to focus on the lovely music that is playing in the background it’s a wonderful instrumental piece that is slightly Indian in sound. Its nice but it doesn’t quite get me to completely shut down my brain… NOPE that is still working. I have now started to think about what kind of exercise program I want to start, I have lost some weight but now its time to start exercising so that I can lose more and tone what I have… I would like to swim but life being the way it is I don’t know if that will work so my brain starts to work on schedules on how it would work and how do I get the kids were they need to go and pick them up from where they need to be picked up from… or do I just get up early every morning and do some kind of exercise tape. I give up… I give in I start to just breathe and plan and let my brain take me where its going to take me and try to relax through that…

The upshot is I know what chores need to be done at the house, what I need to pick up from the market for this weekend, I think I have a plan on what I can do by way of an exercise program, the menu for next week’s dinners are planned. I have thought through what needs to happen for the next few days: school meetings, work deadlines, field trips, and the children’s schedule as well. So maybe the massage was worth it, maybe I really did relax or at least got some very good planning in I would like to try to stop my brain from working… I guess it means another massage. DARN or I could always try this.

Figment

2006-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

So we spent Christmas in Dinseyworld. One of the attractions in Epcot is called Figment at the end of the ride we are able and invited to play with computer programs and we made this picture of Ms. Bee... Cute huh? I have to say that the trip on the whole was a great time... it was so needed and we had been saving/planning for quite awhile for this trip... I know we shouldn't have gone only becuase DH has been out of a job for several months but god it was so much fun!
The kids and I had a great time... My mom and a very close friend also joined us also had a great time, DH was sick most of the time and spent alot of time in the hotel I was sorry that he wasn't able to spend more time with us at the parks... Anyway Froggy was your typical 13 year old, grumpy teenager, Sparkles was I think enjoying the whole trip nicely and Ms Bee was loving every single mintue of it... she say most of the Princesses and all of the fireworks, some parades and went on the ride that she wanted to go on Dumbo! I had a great time watching everyone else and relaxing, not stressing on where I needed to be or what I needed to be doing... it was a wonderful vacation and a great way to spend the holidays. There was no well its Christmas morning we have to get up make breakfast so we can open presents and run over the other family to open presents there to the run somewhere else and pick up this or drop of that... Christmas morning we woke up, walked to go and get Bengets (small donuts things...) and hot coffee or hot chocolate and wonder what park we were going to spend the day... We ended up in MGM to make sure we watched Fantasmic for Christmas day... Wonderful... Fantasmic is my all time favorite fireworks/piro/muscial display... LOVE IT!! Counting the days until I can go back... Truly a magical place.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…

2006-01-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

So starting at some point in September my ex voiced the idea that he would like to have Sparkles and Froggy join him in Las Vegas with his family for Thanksgiving… Okay fine we do the whole trading holiday thing and it generally works okay… I say generally. Well this year he wanted to save money in transportation by having his Brother drive the kids out to Las Vegas were the family would be meeting to spend the holidays. Well one hitch if the brother’s wife went then there wouldn’t be enough room in the car for both kids, if the wife didn’t go then no problem there would be plenty of room. The other issue we would not know until a few days before they were supposed to go how they would get there and in what form of transportation they would be taking and what my role would be in the getting them to the form of transportation. Needless to say I wasn’t pleased… I like to know what is going on, I can be spontaneous, but when it comes to a trip that involves taking time off of work or arranging babysitting or something of that sort, a little advance notice is great. And quite frankly necessary contrary to popular belief I am not at the beck and call of my ex husband… EX being the most important part of that phrase. Okay enough of that rant.

So here it is the week before Thanksgiving and the kids don’t know if they are seeing the family or if they will be left home. Where they love my family they see them all the time they don’t get to see the other part of their family but once or twice a year. So my Ex calls and wanted to know if he could come and take them out of school for two days so that he can drive down from Idaho take them home back to Idaho and then drive them down to Las Vegas. I said NO. Then he wanted me to drive them to Reno where we would meet and then he could drive them the rest of the way down to Las Vegas. I said NO.

So this is what really ended up happening. The kids got on the Train in Martinez up to Reno were during the trip some moron drove their truck onto the tracks where it got caught in the tunnel so they were late meeting their Dad (which is just as well he is normally late so much better that he had to wait then them). Once in Reno the then drove the rest of the way down to Las Vegas. They spent a nice Thanksgiving with their Grandparents, assorted Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. On the way home… Sparkles went home via Airplane and Froggy went home via Uncle’s car. The Airplane was late arriving which wasn’t too bad I was almost late for work but really not an issue… the Brother (Uncle) miss judged the traffic coming home from Las Vegas to California and ended up doing a 100 mile stretch in 7 hours. Now I would have stopped and maybe even turned around but not the Uncle… so they got in around 3am and Froggy ended up missing a day of school.

The moral of the story… THERE WILL BE NO LAST MINTUE HOLIDAY PLANS. If the ex wants the kids next year then the travel plans must be made no later than 20 days in advance of departure.
SO SAYS MOM… LAW HAS BEEN MADE.

Thanksgiving

2006-01-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

Yeah I know its late but I just found it already writen so here it is...

So this year for Thanksgiving the family went off in several different directions.

Sparkles and Froggy went on a trip to see their Fathers side of the family (read Planes, Trains and Automobiles). DH and Miss Bee went to see his family for dinner. I stayed home, went over to my foster Brothers house for one dinner and then over to see my Mom.

I have to say that in the now five Thanksgivings since my Grandmother passed away and the extended family has scattered to the four corners of the universe I really don’t enjoy the holiday as much as I used to…

Thanksgiving to me used to mean a time to get with my very large family (we have numbered in the 40’s for dinner) for a lot of laughter and bonding. I miss it a lot. I have 12 cousins and most of them have S/O’s and/or children… so even logistically speaking getting everyone to eat in the same place was getting very hard, but very fun. Most of our family jokes all came form one Thanksgiving or another and a lot of our family traditions have come from those meals as well.

To say that we need to start our own traditions and our own holidays is not the same I can make all the same recipes and feed my family with my Mom and Sister but really its not the same I miss seeing my Aunts and Uncles, cousins and the orphans that always ended up at the table. The laughter and the jokes, the food and the leftovers, watching for the first time one of the ‘kids’ are allowed to drink wine with dinner. Seeing all the new babies and how much the kids have grown, reconnecting with my family.
The general chaos of the day…

We had great times I have wonderful memories I don’t want them to be just that memories. I want them to be living breathing moments. Maybe next year I will see if we can all get together again… I would have to rent a hall. :)

Doctors Office

2005-11-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

Took the whole day off of work… and then spent the whole day in the Dr. office. Nobody is a sick, just yearly check up time. Froggy and Miss Bee both in one day complete with weighing in, height, blood presser, and eye tests…

NOW you try and give an eye test to a three year old, they have the little pictures of an umbrella, an apple, and a house, poor Ms Bee she got a huge case of the shyness and couldn’t come up with any of the names. Of course our ABC book at home is A to Z by Sandra Boynton and I believe for U they have ukulele or something like that for ‘U’ not an umbrella so she was a little confused. I bet if they had pictures of Disney Princesses up on the wall she would have had no problems what so ever identifying the images.

Now Miss Bee had fun she was given a book and talked with the Dr who informed me that she is doing great even if she is a little of the small side of things, she is still growing and she is smart as a whip.

Froggy was very happy to find out that he didn’t have to have any shots and that he didn’t have to undress for the Dr. (he hates that part the most) and he doesn’t have to go to the eye Dr. because he has good vision. He also found out how to deal with the acne that has started…

They ask all the same questions do you have any concerns? Of course I have concerns… am I giving them enough attention? Are they well adjusted kids? Do I need to worry about the sullen teenager act? And how soon will it go away? Good grief am I a good enough parent? Am I making the right choices for my kids? DO I have any concerns? I smile and shake my head and say no not really…

Love School

2005-10-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

So Sunni’s name has been changed to Sparkles… there is a reason it all has to do with her English teacher and the first essay she had the kids write but enough said that Sunni is now Sparkles.

School has started with a bang… what with school, soccer, color guard and all of the other varies ‘Back-to-school’ nights, Student conferences and Booster meetings, I don’t seem to have a free moment. I can’t wait for it to start to calm down a little, get into the groove as it were. We generally hit a stride just about Nov. things hit a rhythm and we are able to do other things also. October tends to be one of the busiest months of the year, some people have other months we have Dec. I have no less than 10 birthdays one of them being mine… Plus the last few years it seems that we keep having a wedding to go to… Soccer games every weekend, and of course Halloween. Which in my household is a very important event.

Well I am lucky that Ms Bee would like to be a princess this year for Halloween, last year she was Boo (from Monsters Ink) this year she has chosen Belle, we are a very Disney family. Sparkles is thinking about being Bat Girl … if she can borrow leather pants from a friend of ours. Of course the boy child (13) has taken the view that Halloween is a day to pass like every other day. No need to dress up or anything he is perfectly happy to stay at home and hand out candy. AHHH teenage boys, UGH!! I thought the girls were moody!!

I always look forward to this time of year, the weather changing and so much going on but at the same time I dread this time of year, the weather changing and SO much going on.

Stress Stress and more Stress

2005-06-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

So Summer has arrived and things around the house tend to get a little more free flowing. Of course my job is in HIGH stress mode. They are starting a new dept (of which I am part of) and out of 11 people four of us have been doing the job for the last six months and the rest are BRAND NEW. So it is up to us the four more expericnce to train the others. I want to change my name. I thought a two year old was bad but now I have two (sometimes three) people, calling my name and asking for help. Is not that I mind giving the help or answering the questions but its hard to get my own job done, not to mention I am being trained to do a new part of the job.... So Stress has become my middle name. And to top it off things aren't rolling along at home the way that I would like them to, so that is adding to the stress. I need a few days off and away from everyone. But that isn't going to happen any time soon. I just want to complain a little so here it is! Damn its not fair that I have to be the one to fix dinner after a long day at work, do the laundry, and the shopping. ::: stamping my foot::: But of course when I bring it up the DH and he just says that the kids can fend for themselves and it really doesn't matter that they dont get what I call a proper dinner. They will survive on cereal for dinner... he is right that once in a while its perfectly okay to have "snack" for dinner and not a real dinner but not on a regular basis. So if I want dinner then I have to cook it myself. It really doesn't seem fair but oh well, I am trying to find things that dont add more stress to my life and in some way may reduce the stress and I am still looking. I think I am losing it I can't remember what things I have done and what things I haven't done. I know this will all get better people at work are getting trained more and more each day. And home will get better also. Its just right now I need a sanity break...

Princess, Princess, Princess

2005-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

So my Goddaughter turned 6… let that sink in a little. Pause. All right it’s sunk. I can’t believe it she is six! And a wonderful little girl also she is smart and polite and very cute! Did I say talented? Well she is that also. But she can’t be six. She can’t be going into 1st grade ugh! Wasn’t just the other day I was cutting her umbilical cord just moments after she was born? She still doesn’t believe me when I tell her I helped make her belly button! I also was the one to feed her strawberries for the first time, I still supply her berry habit. I cried just last year watching her dance at her first dance recital (she was a very cute bumblebee). We have danced to Phil Collins “You’ll be in my heart” from Tarzan right after she was born, she fell asleep while Mom was resting or showering or something. I have taken her on rides at Disneyland (she had to ride with Auntie). She is the daughter of my best friend/chosen sister. SHE CAN’T BE SIX.

I was video taping parts of her “Princess Party” her mom had arranged a real live princess to show up (much less scary than a clown). She was entranced with the princess and with all of her school friends! She even had time for her little cousin; she made sure that Miss Bee wasn’t left out of the circle. Watching her sit on the couch and play the games that the princess was leading them in was amazing to me, all I could see was her taking her first steps, the look on her face when she realized that I wasn’t just hers that I had two other kids that laid claim to me and my lap, watching her hold Miss Bee for the first time, or the feel of her little arms around me when she gives me hugs. I can’t believe its been six years since she was screaming at all of the nurses making her voice heard that early May morning.

The funny part about this little rant is I do this with all of them all of the kids close to my heart. My own kids, my godchildren, my friend’s kids, my nephews, and my cousins all of them, I come from a large Irish family! Need I say more; there is always a new baby around, there is always a birthday or something. I understand the circle of life, (I have watch Lion King) but why is it I am so surprised when they gain another birthday? Or hit another ‘Life’ event? Okay she is allowed to grow up, breathe, another in through the nose and out through the mouth. I understand what my Grandmother used to say “cherish every time you see them, hold close every moment, and always remember BUT allow them to grow, learn and make mistakes above all LOVE them” My Grandmother was very wise! No wonder she cried when I did something learn to drive, graduate for school, get married, have kids, get a divorce and get married again. She always had a little smile on her face when one of us kids would reach a goal! I guess I never verbalized just how hard it is to watch them grow up, I have moaned and groaned that Frogs is no longer a toddler, or that Sunni isn’t in elementary school, that Miss Bee has outgrown a favorite outfit. But its just hard to watch them make the mistakes and the learn from them on their own. Its wonderful to watch them succeed: a first dance recital, a perfect color guard performance, a great soccer goal save, the first time they can work the swing all by themselves or have the courage to go down the slide without help and no one to catch them at the bottom. Watching your kids (and that includes the ones you claim and didn’t have to give birth to) fail and succeed is the hardest thing to do and the best thing to do! I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.

~“Cherish every time you see them, hold close every moment, and always remember BUT allow them to grow, learn and make mistakes above all LOVE them”~ Tutu

Driving and all it magic

2005-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

So just yesterday Sunni tells me in a very enthused voice “Hey Mom I am almost done with my drivers training! I only have one more section left to do!” When she is done with that, she can go down and take the test to get her permit! And be allowed behind the wheel of a car, with adults mind you but still behind the wheel of a car! I don’t know if I am ready for this! I know her Aunties and Uncles are not ready for this most of them still see her sucking her thumb and holding onto her silky (her own name for her security blanket). And she is about three, pushing four when she finally got rid of her silky. She can’t be ready to drive a car! Not yet! And yet on the other hand she gets her license and I don’t have to leave work early and drive her to the college for a make up exam and then to a audition and not get home until 10:30 at night after a long day at work. Or I don’t have to worry about how she and her brother are going to get home from school everyday or to color guard or to soccer practices throughout the year, but I do have to worry about car accidents and insurance and another car. So do the pros out weight the cons.
Cons
Extra insurance
Car accidents
Extra gas (and right now its at an all time high of $2.52 a gallon)

Pros
No more car-pooling for: School, Soccer or Color Guard
Being able to send her to the store for Milk on a Sunday morning
She can pick up little sis from school/daycare

I am not sure, luckily I have about six months before she can even take her test to get the drivers license and then another few weeks or months before she can really go and drive by herself. Calif. has a Graduated Licensing program… learner, provisional, and full-licensure… So I have time to make sure that she is ready to drive and that I am ready for her to drive!

What a Weekend!

2005-05-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

So how do you know you are crazy or at least in over your head? I say it comes when you have one daughter going to the prom and the other having a third birthday party the next day! Oh and throw in a sister-in-law’s baby shower on Saturday just for good measure. Just to complete the insanity you choose (yes I said choose) to get up at 4 in the morning to watch them dance up the sun. I am still shaking my head in wonder… trying to figure out where my brain is and how much do I really think I can slam into a 36 hour period.
So I started my weekend by renting a huge bush mower to cut down the jungle that is our back yard. That took me about three hours all told, between getting the back yard picked up enough to get the mower and renting and mowing… It really went by quickly! Froggy had the honor of raking up the grass leavings as best as he could, Sunni and I both worked in the yard doing little things like pulling weeds. Froggy also mowed the front yard. We (Sunni, Miss Bee and I) went to the baby shower that was probably the most relaxing part of the weekend. We stayed about two hours or so and the rushed home to start getting ready for Prom. While Sunni was getting ready I was finishing up part of the bathroom we had started remodeling it two years ago and because of money issues and manpower issues it is just now getting done! I really wanted a sink in the bathroom! And I got one YEA!!! So Sunni left for the Prom, boy was she dressed wonderfully, I know she is growing up and mostly I am okay with that but she really is a very beautiful person! My sister came over to take pictures and Sunni was properly exasperated with the both of us. We just kept telling her wait until next year when we really will be taking pictures! I also informed her that next year I will be a chaperone for the prom but I wont do it for her Senior year! Man I just can’t believe that she is growing up that she is going to be in her last two years of High school. It will go by fast they always do! Anyway my BIL and I finished the sink (while cooking dinner) and finally got to bed at 10pm… DAY WAS LONG!
The night was even shorter; the alarm went off at 4am… I jumped up (Okay staggered up) got dressed, made tea, woke up Sunni and was picked up by a friend who always goes with us, or should I say drags us along. We managed to get there on time amazingly enough. It was a wonderful site: in the middle of a large field with several Oak trees around speckling the countryside, hills on both horizons. The tall grass had been mowed down into a large circle for dancing and watching, they had placed candles and flowers all along the path and around the circle, the fog also added to the magic of the morning by just circling us not too close but it was like the lights from the candles kept it at bay. The sound of music and bells in the quite morning air didn’t take away from the silence of the morning but added to it. Then as the sun breached the hills in the East the wonderful sound of bagpipes, I know you say “wonderful sound of bagpipes” there is something to be said about bagpipes played well… you certainly understand why the English hated them so much. The sound bouncing off the hills and trees is enough to make you hair stand on end! Lovely! We watched dancing and cheered when the sun peeked its bright globe over the hills. Even managed to dance a little ourselves, a really nice morning. Followed by a trip to a great bakery just out of Sebastopol picking up bread, coffee and breakfast rolls. Then racing home to finish getting ready for the birthday party.
Manage to go shopping, take delivery of a jumpy house and set up for a party in just a few hours. I had help from two really great friends or else it never would have all gotten done! So then the party started and people started to arrive, kids started jumping, parents talking and everyone eating! Miss. Bee was waited on hand and foot! At one point she had both the Grandmas sitting next to her, like she was holding court! She had her ‘happy cake’ and opened all of her LOOT! I know that they say that toddlers are toddlers until they are four but really Miss Bee is becoming her own little person so very quickly its amazing to watch. At one point I looked out over the back yard and was very happy just about everyone that I really cared about was there from family to chosen family! What was amazing to me is that this group of friends or chosen family has grown over the years not really added anyone but they have all had families of their own, and it is so wonderful to see everyone and watch all of the kids grow! Everyone started to leave and we started to clean up… my kids stayed in the jumpy house even as we made dinner. Miss. Bee was in the jumpy house as the guy came to take it away, she told him ‘tank you for brining a jumpy house for my happy day’… and when we had to take it down she gave him just the biggest pouty face, he looked at me with a pained look on his face and told me ‘oh man I should just leave the house with you!’… It was very funny. All in all the weekend was very good, very busy but very good!

Star Wars

2005-04-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

The trials of youth
SO… my poor Froggy, my 13 year old boy, was about to blow a casket this morning on the way to school.. We listen to Alice 97.3, the Sarah and No Name show in the morning and this morning they were having a contest… STAR WARS TRIVIA… the person that could answer the most questions would win a portable DVD player and a chance to win tickets at the opening… FROGGY GRABS my cell phone frantically trying to dial the number, it’s busy… Sunni takes the cell phone and re dials.. Busy, she re dials again… busy, she re dials again… still busy… they come back on air and say they have the two contestants that will be trying to answer the questions and win the prizes… Froggy says re dial again if they can't answer maybe the will let me… still busy.

The first question: what does TIE stand for… FROGGY YELLS from the back seat (which is only 12 inches from my ears) Twin Ion Engines… both people on the radio get that right.

The second question: Spell the name of the world that the Wookie comes from? Froggy rattles off the spelling KASHYYYK! The people on the radio both get it wrong! Froggy is correct… he moans and he groans and calls both of them stupid!

The Third question: Who was the only NON-Jedi to use a lightsaber in the original three movies? Again Froggy shouts HAN SOLO on the planet of Hoth! Only one of the guys on the radio got that right… he (Froggy) calls the other guy stupid!

The Fourth question: What parts did Kiera Knightley and Sofia Coppola play in Episode I? Well poor Froggy didn't know who they were at all… and neither did the guys on the radio! (By the way Kiera Knightley played one of Queen Amidala's handmaidens (the one that switches places with her in the battle scene at the end where they think they have QA and they really don't) I am thinking that Sofia Coppola also plays one of the handmaidens also haven't looked that one up. AND just for the record I just found out about Kiera Knightley it was in a bio I was reading.)

So had Froggy been able to get through he would have won!! Poor kid. I did think he was going to die though. And if you weren't keeping score Froggy correctly answered three of the four questions and the guy on the radio that won only answered two correctly.
Just thought I would share.

Banks and Money

2005-04-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Since Miss Bee was born we have had issues staying employed. Both DH, and myself I just thank the powers that be that we weren't out of work at the same time. I would say that about two years ago was the last time that we were able to just spend money... it was at Disneyland the hotel we had reservations at didn't think that we really meant it when we said we needed the room to be wheelchair accessible... so they had no room for us, But we "fixed" the problem by staying at the Disneyland Hotel and it was Okay, not great, but Okay.
That was two years ago a month after that trip I lost my job and it took me eight months to find a Temp job... and then the day that I started my temp job, DH lost his job...
He found a new one a few months later and ever since we have been playing catch up! Well I am happy to say that we did finally catch up (insert happy dance here)
Well then the bank pulled a whammy on us!
They, the wonderful bank, put a hold on my payroll check! Now they have done it in the past and they just randomly do it I have called and moaned and complained, yelled and screamed EVEN stamped my foot (not that it did any good while I was on the phone.) SO since they put a hold on my payroll check we bounced checks... And are now $200 in the hole!!!! Sucks. I could cry! So when I called again this morning to see if they would reverse the bounced check fees they said we should always allow time for the deposit to clear until we try to draw off of the check and that they could and will put holds on checks that they think will bounce to them. It’s their policy... I think I am looking for a new bank... Okay probably not but I do want to sit down and cry for a long time... I guess we weren't as ahead as I thought. So I guess we will really be up to date Next month!
Why is it that Banks and Money hold so much power over you? Its like they have you by the balls and you can't make a move without permission. I am learning how to control the money not let the money control me... That’s not as easy as it sounds.

Prom and all the trappings

2005-04-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Okay so Sunshine is going to prom... She is only a sophmore but one of her friends is a senior so she has been asked to go with her friend. The girls should have a good time! So we had two weeks to find a dress... THANK GOD for Auties! We went over to raid one of my best friends closets... and it was the first dress that Sunshine but on, she went and looked at it in the mirror and she said "hey Mom we are done!" boy that was eaiser than I thought it would be! And of course we were able to find in the same closet shoes, a jacket and purse. That just leaves jewlery, hair, makeup and nails to take care of, buy/make appts. I told her that it was a good thing that we didn't have to "buy" much for this prom since we know we have two more yet to endure! I can't believe that she is old enough to be going to prom or high school for that matter it really just seems like a few days ago she was dancing to 'Little Mermaid's ~ Under the Sea' song. Oh thats right is was just the other day she was dancing with Ms. Bee... Okay what I mean is when she was Ms. Bee's age. It is sometimes too much to take in, Sunni was competing this weekend for color guard with school and I get misty eyed just watching knowing that she only has two seasons left and she is no longer in High school. We have even gone and had a meeting with her school seeing where she stands for graudation. What she has completeded and what she still needs to do in order to 'stay on target'. (Every time the teacher said that all I could hear was the line from Star Wars "Stay on Target" hehee it really was hard not to laugh.) So for the next two weeks we will be consumed with getting ready for Prom and Ms. Bee's third birthday... I realized a short time ago that Sunni will graduate in June and Ms. Bee will start Kindergarden in Sept of the same year! Wow!

So it starts

2005-04-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Many of my friends have been doing this so I thought I would give it a try not that I think people will really want to hear/read what I am thinking but who knows...

I have always mantained that I am not the writer in the group, I sing, I dance and sew... I don't act or write. I leave that up to the real talent and when surrounded by the group of people I am surrounded by let me tell you just saying that I sing and dance is minor in comparison. My group of extended family consists of probally some of the most talented people around, they are all performers, some are writers, dancers, singers, musicians, and most can improv with the best of them. And we all dress funny!! We volunteer to perform at Renissance and Dickens fairs here in the Bay Area. But I digress. So writing this will be a labor... but I think it will be something that I will learn to like or even love to do and maybe I will let the kids read this so that they will know what is going on... maybe not. I have always wanted to start writing about what they are doing or what they have said maybe this will be easier. I type much better than I write and it looks neater too!

I have three kids: they have several nicknames from differnt sources. The Eldest is a girl, Sunni, I used to call her Sunshine when she was little, it works for here. She will be driving soon, much to my delight and dismay all at the same time. The next child a boy, Froggy, only because he had a passion for frogs as a small child and still enjoys them now. He has reached the age where you just say well he is a teenager and a boy.... "what are you going to to?". Then last but not least is Miss Bee. She will three next month... so if you are counting I have a 15 year old, a 13 year old and an almost 3 year old... yes I am crazy!