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Showing posts from January, 2008

12 Days in January

These last 12 days in January, my lovely kids have brought to me: Twelve loads of laundry! Eleven sprints to the bathroom Ten cartoon DVDs Nine Popsicles Eight "Lean over the buckets!" Seven days of crying Six bedding changes Five more loads of laundry! Four feverish foreheads Three boxes of Kleenex Two runny noses and a mommy who is dreaming of Tahiti ...

It's about a sunrise

Our little friend Avery appeared in this music video for the Obama campaign. As she is not old enough to vote, she has not political leanings; she just loves to sing! She is the one with braids and a pink striped top.

Reflections on MLK

I asked Grayson to share with me what he knew about Martin Luther King, Jr. "Martin Luther King, Jr. was really nice. He didn't want to fight or have wars or anything. He just wanted to be nice. But there were ghosts who didn't like him, and they didn't want him to have a parade. But he had a parade anyways, which was the right thing to do, just like when that lady, Rosa Parks, do you know her? She wouldn't give up her seat on the bus even though the bus driver asked her to and called the police. That was the right thing to do, too, because some people used to steal other people and them sell them! How can they be so stupid? Some of the people got away and used the Little Dipper to follow an underground railroad to a house where they would be safe. I REALLY want to go on that railroad sometime! And some kids had to go to school really far away from their house just because they were white. Isn't that stupid, too? So the police took Martin Luther King, Jr. to ja

Goodbye, Germina

January 11th marked a sad day in Santa Barbara. Germina, the famous giraffe with the crooked neck, has died . Zookeepers reportedly euthanized their star attraction after she stopped eating for two days. At 21 years old, they suspect she was suffering from "old age." Moral of the story? Don't turn down that hot dog when visiting the zoo.

Keeping Up with the Jones'

It took us nearly 4-weeks to figure out trash day when we first moved into this house. By week three we were stalking for curbside trash cans like big game hunters in the African savannah. And still, our prey alluded us. "Where have all the trash cans gone? And isn't that a Paula Cole song from the 90's," we asked in our confusion? Eventually the trash pile began to lean against the house and prevent the gate from closing, so we used the last resort; calling the waste management company. "Friday morning," we heard, and immediately put Operation Trash Day into action. Thursday after work, still no signs of neighborhood trash cans. "Maybe we leave them behind the gate, and the trash man gets it from there," we rationalized. "Or perhaps it all happens during the work day while we are away." But no, then our trash from previous weeks would've been retrieved. So feeling every bit the homeowner virgins that we were, we rolled those overflow

Lucie's First Day of Preschool

I just got the noon time report from Silva, Lucie's teacher, in her thick Armenian accent: "You will not believe it. It is like this girl is born in this house. She is a leader of the other kids and so excited to try everything. During music time she is shaking her butt and putting her arms up and down, and so happy and dancing! It is melting our hearts. She even did her hands in the air with the other kids for "Twinkle Little Star." I have never seen a child have so great a first day as this one."

Corporate Sell-Outs

Rob was watching "The Power of 10" tonight and was shocked by the following Q&A: "What percentage of Americans would place a corporate advertisement on their car for $500 a month?" The answer? 20%. $500 a month? 20%? People, hello! For $500 a month, I'd put advertisements on all four sides of Vanna White (aka our white Toyota minivan). It is a minivan, after all. How much worse can it get? Rob said there were no boundaries to his own corporate greed. He'd even take $500 a month to drive a Subaru Forester (voted the gayest vehicle of 2007) sporting a Vagisil ad. So Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Stayfree -- we've got a couple of vacant spots. You know where to find us.

Juno

Shhh, don't tell! The mommies skipped bible study last night and camped out in the dark silence of the movie theater instead. It was GLORIOUS. We felt like high fiving our freedom and ingenuity, and laughed ourselves silly at "Juno." Grab a girlfriend and go; it's the must see film of the season. Good thing, since it is probably the only non-animated film I'll see this season. (Although I can heartily recommend "Hairspray" on DVD for tons of fun energy and risque jokes that will go right over your little pitcher's head. I can also steer you away from "Mistress of the Spices." Not even looking at Dylan McDermott for 84 minutes could save this stinker.) I'm still laughing at the teaser for "Juno":

Post-Christmas Letdown

Forget the one-of-a-kind Powell skateboard, the two-way Motorolla radios, the spaceship, the Build-a-Bears, and the Converse sneakers. When Grayson was asked to share with the class "What I got for Christmas" today, what do you think he said? "I got a dog but he bit me and when I went to the movies my mom and dad took him back without even telling me and they are SO mean." I have to agree. We suck.

Dog Gone It

In accordance with California's three strikes law: STRIKE ONE: Escaping through the gate and needing to be chased around the block (3x). STRIKE TWO: Peeing on the carpet (2x). STRIKE THREE: A ferocious and unprovoked bite to Grayson's hand (fine now - only bruised). He's out! So long, Scruffy.

Motherhood - Not for the faint of heart

My picture of hell: one soggy rainy day, two healthy energetic children, three solid days of DVDs, one dog that needs to pee but refuses to get wet, and me. Alone with the carnage and contracted to get 4 hours of work done. And just to frost the cake, Lucie can take off her pooy diaper now, which delights us all, but especially the dog, to no end. These days it is sort of a toss up for who has left the pile on the carpet. Lucie? Dog? The fact that it landed on top of a princess high heel is good indication the culprit was of the two-legged, shoe-loving, Oreo-eating variety, which makes it only slightly less disgusting to remove behind a 28-ply Kleenex. Pray for sunshine.

Extreme Doggy Makeover

Driver! Move that bus!

Happy 2008!

When dressing to party like it's 1988, non-aerosol hairspray just doesn't do the trick. Swatch watches, mint green eyeshadow and metallic green taffeta will more than make up for the rookie mistake, though. The line of the night came from Tim Hoover, who, upon hearing the first strains of "Ice, Ice, Baby" yelled to his pregnant prom date, "Kelly! Bring the baby! Let's kick it!" One thing that never changes: 17 years after our last prom and my date still spent every slow dance trying to look down my dress. I am a dancing queen!