Rachie's Place

IV-V-I has finally arrived

2008-08-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, the cards have finally arrived. For those of you that don't know, my who's bond-o has invented a nerdy music card game. We took the plunge over the summer and had 500 decks manufactured to be sold on our website, and they finally arrived yesterday. The pre-orders were shipped out this afternoon. :) If you're interested, check it out at http://www.iv-v-i.com and be sure to tell all of your nerdy friends.

Also, check out our group on facebook.

Happy (almost) Friday!

Kite flying!

2008-07-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, I bought the kids kites back in April, and totally forgot about them until we were at the park on Monday afternoon and saw someone flying one. Uly was so excited and just watched it saying "Kite, mommy, kite!" over and over again. I'm sure he wished he could fly through the sky like Curious George. :)

So, yesterday, we broke out the kites and headed to the park. Uly was excited, but lost interest after he realized I wasn't going to let go of his string (see Curious George reference above), so he headed off to play on the slide.

Here are some pics I took of Miss Nov flying hers.

It's in the air, yippee!! I sure wish I could get the bottom pic to go over so it would look as though she was flying it. Oh well. Here it is all in one shot.

And finally a video. :) Sorry about all the wind noise, but you do need wind to fly a kite.

Our Honey Done List

2008-07-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, summer has arrived and that has allowed the Who's Bond-o and I (and Nanny) the opportunity to get a lot of work done around the house. Over the past two weeks, here is what we have accomplished. I call it the Honey Done List:

~ laid a walkway beside the driveway where there used to be an ugly fence and old overgrown flowerbed.

~ had a ceiling fan installed in the dining room giving us much more light than the two old sconces on the wall.

~ fixed Nanny's door so that it will close completely now!

~ fixed the door leading from the kitchen to the garage so that the deadbolt can be locked.

~ cut down the never-been-pruned lemon tree in the backyard.

~ removed the old rusty shed in the backyard (lots more room back there these days).

~ removed some icky rosebushes that weren't flowering

~ Nanny finished painting her room and is currently hanging up pictures.

Not sure what our next projects will be. I'll be sure to add them to my done list though.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Worth the Wait

2008-07-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I haven't blogged since March 31st! But believe me, this one is worth the wait.

So, tonight as we are leaving the parking lot after the fireworks were over, allow me to recount the dialog in the van for you.

Who's Bond-o: "Bye! Thanks for taking our 10 bucks, it was better than a blowjob in Hayward!" (talking to the people directing me out)

Nov: "Yeah right dad! (pause) wait, what's a blowjob?"

Between me and Nanny laughing our ASSES off in the front seat, we listen as Who's Bond-o tries to get out of this one.

W: "Well, (pause) it has to do with a leaf blower (pause).

N: "I don't get it"

W: "There's nothing to get, but needless to say, you don't need to know what it is until you are 18."

To which I add, "and please don't go around asking anyone else what it is either, PLEASE!"

:) Ya gotta love parenthood.

MusicTeacherTools.com goes global!

2008-03-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

Our business at MusicTeacherTools.com has officially gone global. In the past week, we have sold fonts to people in Australia and Sweden. Ya gotta love the internet!

In case you're interested in seeing our newly updated site (customers can now download the fonts!) click here.

Happy Monday everyone!

Priorities

2008-02-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I finally got around to filling out the appropriate paperwork to get our local school district to allow Nov to finish out the year in her old school. Thankfully they didn't ask WHEN we moved, cuz I wasn't looking forward to telling them we'd moved before Thanksgiving!

At any rate, as we were leaving the school Nov is zoned for with the paperwork in hand, she asks me where she will be going to school next year. I tell her that Who's Bond-o and I are still considering our options. I elaborate to tell her that I doubt the new school district will allow her to go to the old school district next year. (translation: new school district doesn't want to lose the money the state pays per pupil to the old school district. We are in a budget crunch after all.) I explain that daddy and I are trying to decide whether to send her to school in my district (which I can do because I work there) or try to get her into a school in our home district where she already knows people.

She processes this and says, "but I wish I could go to both. I really like both of them."

I tell her that sometimes in life when you are having trouble deciding between two things that you want, it helps to think about the reasons you want each one and decide which reasons are better. She thinks and then begins to think out loud.

"Well, I want to go to (local school) because my friends are there. And I have two reasons for wanting to go to (mom's school district). The first one is because you work there and that would be neat. The second is because they have see-saws."

Huh?

Yes, folks, you read that right. See-saws. You see, Nov recently had a staff development day at her school, and rather than paying for her to go spend the whole day at her after school program, she came to school with me. I didn't have a class during recess time, so we went out to play. She spent almost her entire time on the see-saws. And she loved them so much, that apparently it was making it difficult to decide which school to go to.

:) Priorities!!!

The $1,000 lesson

2008-02-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

I learned my first lesson as a homeowner a few weeks ago. It was a Saturday evening around 8:00 and I had just gone to the room on the back of the garage to sort my laundry. I heard a dripping sound. Upon investigation, I discovered there was water coming up from the standpipe behind the washer. I pulled out the discharge hose and saw that water was indeed rising, and not just sitting there. Knowing I hadn't done any laundry, I wondered how this had happened.

I went to get a bowl and let Who's Bond-o know that we had a problem. As I used the turkey baster to keep the pipe from running over, Who's Bond-o got on the phone to a student of his that happens to be a licensed plumber. The student comes over and tries to help out. By that time I had gotten the water to stop coming out, and we discovered it would start again if someone flushed the toilet or ran water in the kitchen.

After discovering we didn't have a clean out valve on our 1950s house, we decided we had to call a plumber the next day. We packed our stuff and went to stay at a local hotel so we could take showers and use the bathroom.

Sunday comes and I get ahold of the local rescue rooter type people. The show up (2 hours later!) and give me the bad news. Since I don't have a clean out valve, it is going to cost me $600 to have them bring their heavy ass machine down the stairs to my house (I HAD to buy the house on the side of the hill, right?) and take the toilets off the floor and snake out the drain.

OR, I can pay the $1,000 to install a clean out valve outside so that the next time this happens, it will only cost me $180 to have it snaked out (or I can snake it out myself). So, by the title of the blog, I'm sure you have figured out which option I chose. :(

Two hours later I have the clean out valve in place and they snake the drain. They pull out the culprit.......baby wipes. UGH! I have been potty training U-man, and he has been not caring to poop in the pot. So when he poops in his drawers, I bend him over my knee and clean him up. Not wanting to throw the icky wipes in the trash can and stink up the place, I was putting them in the toilet. I thought I was okay with flushing after each one, but apparently not! Funny thing is that I hadn't put any down in over a week because I have gotten him to bring me a diaper when he needs to poop. Not the best of ways, but at least I don't have to clean poopy underwear!

So, heed my advice, don't put baby wipes down the toilet.

Dear Miss Nov,

2008-01-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

I so enjoyed our time together this afternoon. It was so fun to sit at the table with you drinking our hot chocolate and you eating your blueberry muffin. I liked shaking our butts at the Starbucks counter singing "hot, hot.....hot chocolate!!!" :o)

Sometimes I worry that I am too hard on you and that you will hate me when you get older. Thinking about it though, I realize you probably will (doesn't every kid hate their parent at some point?). I will always have the image of us enjoying hot chocolate and feeling like the best mom in the whole world.

I love you, sweetie. More than you know.

Love,
Mommy

Houston, we have some pee pee!

2008-01-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, today is the day I thought I'd never see. U-man actually peed in the potty!!! Two weeks before his 4th birthday. I was sure he'd go to kindergarten in diapers, but he has proved me wrong, and boy am I happy. :o) The best part is that he did it again before bed, with a huge smile on his face!

I'm one happy mommy!

Being sick totally bites!

2007-12-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

What a day it has been around here today. Both kids are home sick (I won't gross you out with details) and I am laid up with a strained back! 6 days til Christmas! Good thing I have all my shopping done. Now I just have to try to get everything wrapped with this bad back of mine. Ugh!

Thankfully the colleague I share one of my schools with has agreed to take care of my band kids at tonight's concert. Now I can concentrate on getting better.

I had hoped to post a Christmas card type letter here for everyone to read about our year, but that may have to wait until my back is a little better.

TTFN

D-O-N-E....done, done, done!!!

2007-11-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Today Nov and I waved goodbye to our Palomares Hills home for the last time. It took us over a week to get all of our stuff out of it, and we were VERY excited to take the last load of stuff out.

So, it's "goodbye renting, hello homeownership"!

If you'd like to see some pics of our new house (particularly the new kitchen floor we put in) check out Who's Bond-o's blog.

Once we have the boxes that are FILLING our garage unpacked and finish painting in my room, I'll take some pics and post them here. Hopefully that will be around the first of the year! Until then,

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

I have so much to be thankful for, and YOU are one of them. :)

In escrow!

2007-10-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yippee! We have finally found a house and gotten our offer accepted. Rather than retyping all the details, you can read all about it on Who's Bondo's blog.

Part one here

and

Part two here

We will have a 10-day contingency period, and then the house is ours! We have our home inspection on Monday afternoon, can't wait!

Happy Friday!

In trouble?

2007-10-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight while I was cooking dinner, I heard Nov scream at her brother, "Hey! You don't call me that!" I roll my eyes and try to ignore the yelling.

Always the tattle tail, Nov comes in and says, "Guess what he called me."

"What?"

"Novlyne James Hernandez!"

All I could do was shake my head and laugh!

Ya think Uman has been in trouble a little too much lately? :)

Another Novism

2007-09-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were all in the car on our way to dinner. Nov was in the very back seat of the van playing Ratatouille on her DS.

She says to us, "I can read French, I just don't know what the words are."

:)

Football Mommy, Football!

2007-09-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we watched our beloved Steelers beat the 49ers. Made even better by the fact that we live in the Bay Area, so I could gloat at school today. Ulysses watched the entire game with us (playing on the side). About the beginning of the 4th quarter, he started saying "Football, mommy. Football!" Who's Bond-o and I were like "Duh, you've been watching it for 2 hours now!" He kept pointing upstairs, so I assumed he wanted his Steeler football and told him to go up and get it. So he went upstairs, all the time chanting "Football mommy. Football!"

He finally came downstairs carrying my Jerome Bettis jersey. See, he loves his "football shirts" (jerseys). Something must have clicked at that moment as if to say, "Hey, I have one of those! Why isn't it on my body?!" He can't reach into his drawer to get his own, so he decided to wear mine. Now keep in mind that this is my dad's old jersey that I inheritted 3 years ago, and it is HUGE! But Uly wanted his football shirt, and I couldn't deny him. (And heck if I was going to miss the game long enough to go get his for him.) So, he rips of his own shirt, and we put the gigantic jersey on him. Here he is!

He'll fit into it one day. I'll save it for him, and he can wear Pap Pap's "football shirt".

Thankful

2007-09-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

Every night before we eat, we say one thing we are thankful for. Well, tonight I am thankful it's Monday. :) Monday is the only day that I can leave my school without carrying a bunch of stuff with me. Tuesday is the only day of the week that I start at the school I ended at the day before. So, this afternoon, I actually locked up my backpack, and walked out of my classroom with just my purse! It was a liberating feeling. :) It's the little things that get me.

10 years!!

2007-08-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago yesterday, I married my high school sweetheart. As I sit here and think about the past 10 years, I am overwhelmed by all that we have done. We have:

lived in 4 different states
lived at 7 different addresses (lots of moving)
earned music degrees from 3 different universities (him, not me)
given life to 2 children
gotten through the death of my father
started a business

And those are just the major events I can think of now. We've been through thick and thin and back again in our 15 years together, and I look forward to many more anniversaries with him.

Last week, we were actually able to get away for 4 days by ourselves (thanks, mom!). Who's Bond-o planned the whole trip and surprised me great stuff the whole trip. You can read about it on his blog, complete with online reviews for each hotel, bed and breakfast, restaurant and attraction we visited. We had a fabulous time together, and I especially enjoyed reconnecting with my sweetheart! Love you Who's Bond-o!

Man, are my cheeks sore!

2007-08-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I actually played my flute today! I had loaned it to my niece, but she brought it back when she came for a visit last month. My Who's Bond-o convinced me to get it out today, and we played together for the first time in years! It was fun, but my cheeks are really sore. Pretty funny, since it makes them match the rest of my body. I worked out with Carlos yesterday, so I am feeling my "Sunday Soreness." :)

Thank you, Who's Bond-o for convincing me not to judge myself too harshly. I didn't sound too bad. :) Heart you!

What a beautiful day!

2007-07-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

It was an absolutely beautiful day here in the Bay area, despite the earthquake in Oakland at 4:30 this morning (which I didn't even feel). :) Who's Bond-o and my niece both felt it. 4.2 and I slept through it. LOL

Today, my 14-year old niece and I went into the city for girls' day out. First, we had to stop in Oakland to register the name of our new business, which took AN HOUR! It was great fun watching all the other people in the County Recorder's office, though. Especially the ones that were coming in to get their marriage licenses. They had to fill out a form on a computer, and one couple didn't even know their own address. They knew the apartment number, but not the building number. WTF?!? LOL

Anyway, we finally got out of there and got back on the BART and headed to the city. We got off in the shopping district and did some shopping. We had some lunch at my favorite deli there and then did some more shopping. All told, she found a pair of shoes at DSW and a pair of jeans shorts and some tank tops at Old Navy. I got a Jersey Boys CD at Virgin for $10. (They are my new obsession).

We had a really nice time, and were beat by the time we got home. I'll be sad to see her go on Monday morning (and not just cuz I have to take her to the airport before the sun comes up.)

That's all for now. Two blogs in one week, that's a record lately!

Taking the plunge

2007-07-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today, we took the first steps in officially opening a business. I feel excited, scared, and hopeful all at the same time. About 3 weeks ago, Who's Bond-o and I decided to try our hand at the business thing. He worked very hard to finish up the work he started more than a year ago on a font for music teachers. Everyone we showed it to told us it was fabulous and we should definitely sell it. One person even wanted it right then....money was no object! :)

So, today, I went and got a post office box and filed paperwork with IRS to make us legit. So weird!

Who's Bond-o designed a postcard today, and we are waiting on it to come back from the printer. This is really happening.

Once the website is up and running, I'll post it here. Wish us luck!

Up to her old tricks again....

2007-06-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

Nov is up to her "I think I have a fever, can I take my temperature" tricks again. We went through this for a couple of months at the beginning of the year. Well, today she started up again. I told her to go upstairs and take it (mostly cuz I didn't want to witness the drama). She goes upstairs and a minute or two later she slinks back down the stairs with a glum face.

"Mom, it's says 99.1, but there's a F there, so I must have a fever."

:)

I assured her that the F meant Fahrenheit, not fever, and that she wasn't going to die. :)

Jersey Boys

2007-06-22T00:27:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing Jersey Boys in the city. GREAT SHOW! If it comes to a city near you, you should definitely check it out.

This show was the story of Franky Valli and the Four Seasons. It rocked, but it also had its poignant times as well. As the show ended, I had an slight feeling of sadness that I can't quite put my finger on. As I sat on the BART train on the way home, I wondered to myself why I was feeling this way. Here are somethings I have come up with:

1) The music in the show reminds me of my dad and our family road trip in the summer of 89. He bought some tapes (yes, tapes) of 60's music and he and I listened to them over and over in his old red truck on our trip.

2) Theatre in general seems to remind me of high school. It's where I met Who's Bond-o and another great friend. Thinking about all that was going on backstage (where we used to be) took me back 15 years. Even though I only got into theatre for a guy, I still miss it. I think it also made me miss doing the drama thing. I used to do the drama club in Indiana, and I think I miss it more than I realized.

3) Thinking about the story line and how these guys worked so hard to make it in the music business at the cost of their families (wives and children) is a little sad to me.

4) The show was so great, I didn't want it to end! I could have stayed there all night. Plus, I really enjoyed getting out with my Who's Bond-o for a night on the town.

That's all I can come up with now. Who's Bond-o suggested I take my mom before the show leaves in September. I can't wait to go back.

Good night everyone! :)

Potty training update

2007-06-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well.........last night U-man had a HUGE meltdown in the bathtub. I've never seen him so worked up. I think he was so stressed out from being asked literally every 10 minutes if he had to go potty. So, today (day 3) I decided to reduce the stress a bit. I put underwear on and then a pull up over them. I put him on the potty every hour. Today went MUCH better. He still hasn't gone on the toilet, but he was much more chilled out today. I think it also helped that it was just he and I at home today.

I'll give it a try again tomorrow.

Adventures in potty training

2007-06-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, today was day one of potty training for U-man. I put on his first pair of underwear at 3:30 (didn't get back from the gym til 1:00). When I took him upstairs and got the underwear out of his drawer, he said "No! put it back!" I should have listened to him.

Within 15 minutes he had gone into the kitchen and closed the door long enough to pee on the kitchen floor. I took his last pair off him at 8:00 to put him in the bath. So, between 3:30 and 8:00, he peed in 6 pairs of underwear. Not once did he pee in the potty despite being placed there no less than 5 times.

The worst part is that after he got out of the bathtub, Who's Bond-o put a diaper on him for bed. Within 10 minutes it was saturated!

Ugh! I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

Day 15

2007-06-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Been on Atkins (kinda) for 2 weeks now. Down 4.2 pounds. Last I heard Who's Bond-o was down 18! Yippee!

Day 9

2007-05-28T14:07:00.001-07:00

Can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. Actually I can, and all I have to say is thank goodness there are only 3 more weeks of school. The month of May is always so busy, but alas, it's almost over.

But that's not what I want to write about today.....

Last Sunday, at the suggestion of the Who's Bond-o, we both decided to start back with Atkins induction. So, I gave up my nightly dish of ice cream as well as my Honey Nut Cheerios with high hopes. I can only takes eggs for breakfast for about 3-4 days. On Thursday I added some sausages to the mix, and am happy to report that today is day 9 of eggs. (Thanks, Johnsonville for making maple sausage with only 1 carb!)

So, as of this morning (day 9) I have lost 2.8 pounds! Yippee! I am encouraged to keep going. Hopefully next week, I'll be able to report even more loss.

Thank you, Who's Bond-o for going through this with me. I definitely think it is better to do it together. And, congrats on your 13 pounds! Smooch!

Two funny Nov-isms

2007-04-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Nov came home with a LARGE brown streak down her shirt. (see pic below) Here's the conversation we had.....

Me: "Nov, what did you get on your shirt?"

Nov: (very nonchalantly): "Pudding. But I'm using my imagination to think that it's mud."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning she was relating a story to me about seeing a ladybug or something (I was busy making lunch). She said something about making pizza at Adventure Time.

Me: "Oh, you made pizza? That's cool."

Nov: "Yeah, garden pizza."

Me: "Garden pizza, woah." (knowing that she doesn't like veggies on her pizza)

Nov: (again with the nonchalance) "Yeah, it had 2 black olives and a pepper on it. I picked 'em off."

She is too damn funny!

(I'll have to post the pic in a few minutes. USB port is being taken up by husband-o's IPOD. And the screen says "do not disconnect". Don't wanna be in trouble. :)

The latest release

2007-04-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the latest movie made here in CA. Needless to say, we got a new camcorder recently, and Husband-o, Nov and her BFF have had fun making cute movies.

Enjoy!

Happy blog-iversary

2007-04-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Husband-o's 2 year blog-iversary! I just happened to click on his blog this morning and noticed he started it in April of 05. Then I was curious what the date was, so I clicked. Turns out it was April 20, 2005......he posted 6 times that day.

If you are so inclined to click here and scroll all the way to the bottom, check out the pic of our son stirring things up. (Sorry, it won't let me link the individual post.) I laughed out loud when I saw the pic. My how U-man has grown in 2 years!

Happy blog-iversary, sweetie! Love you muches!

Work it, girl!

2007-04-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

So there I was laying face down on the leg curl machine last week with Carlos telling me not to quit when two girls came up. All I could see was their back sides, and believe me, that's more than I needed to see. The dialog went something like this:

One of the girls to Carlos: "Yo! Don't this machine work your booty."

Carlos: "Actually, it works your hamstrings."

The girl: "Yeah, that, but don't it work your booty too?"

Carlos: "Yeah, kinda, but mostly your hamstrings which is the back of your leg."

Can't remember what was said after that. All I know is she had enough booty for her and her friend.

;)

The Divine Miss N

2007-04-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hop on over to Husband-o's blog to check out some video of The Divine Miss N. Currently up is a 2 minute movie that Nov, Husband-o and Nov's best friend made in the backyard last weekend. (That is in the post titled "Ain't No Party Like an HDEZ Party".) It is super cute.

Hopefully soon, he will have the video of her 2nd grade concert from the other night.

http://rafaelhernandez.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Oh yeah, come back here to comment :) I hardly ever get comments. LOL!

How do I love thee......

2007-04-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

I love the way you snuggle up to me when I come to bed late.
I love kisses on the forehead.
I love watching you play with our kids.
I love that you are so ambitious.
I love how you talk about your students as your "kids" just like I do.
I love that you cook better than I do.
I love you for more reasons than I can list here.....

Oh, husband-o, I love you so! I'm glad you didn't fall out of the van door 15 years ago. ;)

Feelin' old

2007-03-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Nov came home with a lyrics page so she could practice her songs for her 2nd grade concert next week. She was so cute telling me about the songs and offering to let me use the paper when she was done so I could teach the songs to my kids. Then, she said it.......

"We're also singing one other song that isn't on this piece of paper. It's called Put a Little Love in Your Heart......It's like from the 80s or something." (shrugging as she said it)

*sigh* I guess kids have a way of making ya feel old at times.

Dear Crayola,

2007-03-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for making your Washable Markers. Tonight my son decided he'd rather be purple (see post below). I threw him in the bathtub, and when I came back 10 minutes later to wash him, the purple was completely gone! Yippee! No need to scrub him til he turns red to get the purple off. Thanks for such a fabulous product!

;)

Sincerely,
RachieBach

Purple U-man

2007-03-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

I hope the Purple People Eaters aren't in the Bay area, cuz U-man got ahold of a purple marker tonight and decided he liked it better than his own skin tone. Silly U-man! In the mouth and everything! Remarkably, my walls were spared! (thank goodness, since they really aren't my walls to begin with!) ;)

I love my kiddos! ;)

A friendly letter

2007-03-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Dear fellow CRV recyclers,

People, please don't make me mad! I take the time to sort out my recycling BEFORE I head to the center. Please don't make me wait while you sort out your NASTY bottles and cans while pouring their contents all over the pavement. It's just GROSS! And a special note to the guy in front of me this morning, it helps if the cans are empty before you put them in your bag. Then you wouldn't have that "soup" at the bottom of your very thin plastic bag. I don't EVEN want to think about how much of that "soup" ended up in your car on the way in this morning. *blech*

So, let's review:

1. empty your bottles and cans BEFORE putting them in your bags
2. sort your recycling at home, and
3. it might help to invest in some plastic tubs so you don't get "soup" all over your car!

Okay, I'm done ranting now.

*grin*

Sincerely,
Rachie Bach

Special thanks

2007-03-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

A very special thank you to all of you that donated to Jump Rope for Heart! I raised $200 in memory of my dad. This is a cause that is near and dear to me. So, special thanks to:

Mom
Denise
Dawn
Grandma Horne
Mom Hernandez
Dad Hernandez
Karen Anderson
Carol Pease
Darcy Hawkins

Big virtual hugs to all of you! (Mom's the only one I can hug in person *pout*). I couldn't have done it without you! I am looking to get a shirt made with Dad's picture on it to wear when I jump in May. Anyone know of a website that could do that for a reasonable rate?

Until next time.

News from the gym

2007-03-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was weigh day and the news is good. First was the scale.....stepped on and haven't gained or lost a single thing. Not even a quarter of a pound. (Hey, I was just glad not to have gained anything *grin*)

Next was measurements.....some stayed the same, but most went down. Not sure how I can be losing inches and not pounds, but I'll take it.

Two inches from my waist - GONE!

One inch from my hips - GONE!

An inch and a half from my chest - GONE!

So obviously my body fat is down and muscle mass is up. Good news all around. And the best news of all is that he told me start using the elliptical again (which means I don't have to do the dang stairmaster anymore). Yippee! The stairmaster was okay, but I could never push my level any higher than 6 or I'd fall off the damn thing. I endured it for 3 months, and may go back to it every once in a while. I'm just happy to be back to the elliptical (one of my favorite pieces of equipment).

Sooooo, I guess my time with Carlos is beginning to pay off. Not discouraged by the stable weight. I would much rather be losing inches and no weight than weight and no inches. It will come.

;)

PS - Husband-o has been telling me for the past few weeks that the inches were coming off. Hard to notice when it is your own body.

I love you, Husband-o. Don't forget it!

Visit from a weee one

2007-03-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

So at Nov's after school program, they have been building leprechaun traps. She has built 3 total, including one made from 2 little green strawberry baskets. She tied them together with a pipecleaner on one side and leaves it open like a clam. She took it to bed with her last night so she could slam it shut when the leprechaun came in. Inside she put little hand drawn leprechauns along with some shiny gold cloth (to attract him).

The other 2 she put in Nanny's and my rooms. So Nanny and I went out last night to get some ice cream from the store, and also in search of some leprechaun loot. We couldn't find anything, so we got some shamrock cookies. Nanny happened to have a gold dollar coin that she put in her trap. I made a note on the computer that said: "Nice try, but you can't catch me. Here are some treats for your efforts." and left it with the cookies.

She was disappointed to wake up to nothing in her trap in her bed, and equally disappointed to find nothing in my trap. So I told her to go check Nanny's. She was sooo excited to find a gold coin. Nanny told her she heard the leprechaun struggling in the trap, but must have gotten away.

She took the leprechaun note and gold coin to school today. Her friends were all amazed! One even noted that she didn't know that leprechauns had computers. Funny, Husband-o made the same comment this morning.

:)

Money matters

2007-03-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, I took the day off to chaperone a field trip with Nov's second grade class. Before we left for the theatre, the kids ate the bag lunches they had brought from home. The following is the conversation that took place at Nov's table:

Nov: "Hey, mom. You know Sofia over there, she's from Mexico. She has a 2 dollar bill!"

Me: "Yeah, they actually do make a 2 dollar bill, it just isn't as common."

Nov: "Oh."

Me: "Do you know who's on the 2 dollar bill?"

Classmate: "George Clooney?!?"

:) Kids are so damned funny! I can't make this shit up!

Scary Stuff......

2007-03-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

This morning, U-man was snuggling with me in the bed like he does most weekend mornings. He had 3 coins in his hand and was playing with them for a few seconds, before he popped them in his mouth. Of course since he was laying down, they immediately went down his throat and he started choking on them. ! ! ! !

I shot up, pulled him up and tried to pull the coins out. Got one out....stuck my finger down his throat and felt the dime half way down. Flipped him over and smacked his back. He of course was flipping out as well. Screaming and trying to cough them out. For a few minutes he just cried and cried. I totally thought he swallowed the dime until I found it on the bed. Then I freaked out even more because the other 2 coins were quarters. I felt sure that a quarter would screw up his digestive tract. I decide to go call the doctor (ready for the sermon I would hear about letting him put things in his mouth). Just then, my mom sees the other quarter underneath him.

Thank goodness!

Definitely an episode I wouldn't ever want to repeat again!

A master's update.....

2007-03-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, the deadline for applying for the Master's program I mentioned earlier has come and gone. I decided not to apply for a few reasons. First, I spoke with a colleague that is currently in the program, and decided that it sounded too much like a leadership type program for me. I mean, sure I am a "leader" within my district (if ya wanna call it that), but I don't see myself ever getting to the point where I will be presenting staff development workshops or wanting to be principal. I am extremely happy with my life as a music teacher. I would never want to leave my job to sit in an office all day and make spreadsheets and stuff like that. :)

The second reason I chose not to apply was due to the financial commitment. The school is a private one, so the units would be around $350 each! That's times the 18 units I would take over the one year! That's a lotta dough! Especially when I can go to See Us Use Ebay for next to nothing since husband-o teaches there. I can take up to 6 graduate units for $27! Seems like a no brainer to me. AND, I would be getting a MUSIC degree rather than an ed degree. Much more useful in my day to day life.

So anyway, I won't be the master any time soon, as I will have to take my courses one at a time instead of 6 in one year, but I think I'll be much happier in the end. Now, I just have to get the ball rolling so I can get admitted and start my coursework! *sigh*

Jumping again!

2007-03-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

I have decided to jump in Jump Rope for Heart again this year. I did it 2 years ago, and raised $275 for the American Heart Association, and I had a really good time. The best part was showing my students that adults can jump rope too.

I hope to shed some more weight between now and the actual day of jumping so that I can look as good as I did last time. We don't jump for 2 more months, so I have a little time to work on that.

Here's a pic of me jumping the last time......(I know it's hard to see, but I was jumping!)

So, I gotta get the old jump rope out and start jumpin again. Can't have my little first and second graders showing me up. (heh!)

~*~*~ time for a plug ~*~*~

If you'd like to contribute to the American Heart Association in memory of my dad (and in support of me), you can get to my page through this link.

~*~*~ plug over ~*~*~

Thanks for reading y'all! I know I haven't written in awhile. 'Tis the busy season for the music department in my school district. Things will die down in a week or so. Don't give up on me.

Nowhere to run.....

2007-02-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today, I showed up at the gym ready to workout. Due to meetings and doctor appointments, I hadn't been since my session on Tuesday. I get dressed and make my way to the stairmaster only to find a 50-something guy running on one of the stairmasters. Now normally I'm not the kind of person that minds if someone is on the equipment right next to me. But I just didn't think I'd be able to spend 30 minutes shlepping myself up a never ending staircase with The Bionic Man next to me sprinting up the stairs like Rocky. So, I got on the elyptical machine instead.

20 minutes of that plus 20 minutes of weights, and I was ready to head home. I have 4 hours of rehearsals/ticket selling tomorrow followed by an hour long torture session with Carlos. I didn't want to overdo it.

Me, the master?

2007-02-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

Seriously considering going back to school to get a master's degree in education. I went to an information meeting this morning about it. Funny thing is, when I finished my undergrad eleven years ago (yikes, gettin old), I didn't want to ever go back to school again. No need, I thought. Teaching doesn't require a graduate degree.

Now, I've started taking on some leadership roles in my district, and the school I'm looking at will take that to the next level. The good news and the bad news is that the program only takes a year to complete. So, I could have a master's degree by May '08. Of course I'll have to work my ass of between now and then!

Not sure I have what it takes, but that is my M.O. Self doubt is my nemesis.

REALLY large implants!

2007-02-17T22:02:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not getting implants. ;) They're big enough!

Today at the gym, Carlos had me doing squats (which normally isn't too hard). But today, he made me stand on these thingys. I have no idea what they are called. But they were rubbery, about12 inches in diameter with little grippy spikes on the bottom and little dots on the top. I was to stand on them and balance myself while I did my squats. This was far harder than it sounds. They were extremely squishy, and to me felt like I was standing on HUGE implants. It was extremely difficult. So much so that I had to steady myself by holding onto to Carlos' hands so I wouldn't fall over.

On a side note, when we were done, I picked up the implants to carry them back to the trainers room. There were two girls that were on the ab machines a few feet away while I was working out. They smiled at me and said "you did great!" as I walked away. ;) I don't know if they were watching us cuz they knew Carlos or to get tips on different exercises to do. Either way, they thought I was working hard. Glad someone noticed. :)~

2nd class citizen

2007-02-16T22:22:00.000-08:00

Uman loves to come snuggle in my bed with me when he wakes up in the mornings (and the middle of the night). He is VERY much a momma's boy.

Yesterday morning, I was in the computer room after my shower. Apparently Uman came into my room looking for me. Husband-o was still in the bed. Uman looked all around the room, then turned on his heels and went back to bed!

Husband-o asked me if he was a second class citizen. Nope, just not the momma.

weigh in results.....

2007-02-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

So I had my Valentine's Day weigh in today (how do I always weigh in on or the day after holidays!) I am down 1 pound and most of my measurements stayed the same or went down. Most noteably, my hips are down and inch and my waist an inch and a half!

Yippee!

Slow and steady wins the race, right? Gotta keep telling myself that!

Right now I am logging everything I eat. Somehow I managed to not go too far over my calories last night, despite the margarita I had at dinner! Still not sure how that happened, but I'll take it.

I have another meeting tomorrow night (this being important thing is starting to get old :) so I may get up and do another early morning workout. We'll see how I feel in the morning. Right now I am dog tired since I was up so early yesterday and then out until 1:00 AM! The concert was great, and we had a good time being out. A HUGE thank you to Nanny for getting the kids and taking care of them all night so Husband-o and I could enjoy an evening out.

TTFN!

its 6:28 in the morning....

2007-02-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

and I've already been to the gym! Surprisingly, there are a lot of people at the gym at 5 am.

Happy Tuesday!

Be prouder!

2007-02-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

I baked 2 dozen cookies for Nov's Valentine's festivities, and didn't eat any! I'll admit to licking my fingers when I was done, but does that really count? ;)

Be Proud, Darnit!

2007-02-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

Monday has become spaghetti night around here. Husband-o teaches late on Monday and Wednesday nights this quarter, so we have been left to the mercy of my cooking. Now, it's not that I cook badly. I just only have a few dishes that I do. I'm not the type of person that can pull a bunch of stuff out of the cupboard and throw together a meal. Sort of a one-trick pony (maybe 3 or 4 tricks). So it has become known around here that Monday night is spaghetti night and Wednesdays are typically pizza or chicken divan.

Well, tonight I made chicken breast and I actually seasoned it with something other than garlic powder! I steamed some broccoli, and served it with left over potato salad. Not my usual, by a long shot. So, I just want the world to know, I can cook something other than spaghetti, burritos, chicken divan and pizza. And tonight's dinner is much more diet friendly. I didn't eat any of the potatoes.

:)

Concert tomorrow night in the city. Can't wait.

Too damn cute

2007-02-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

Go here for an exclusive look at the next great rockers to hit the scene.

http://rafaelhernandez.blogspot.com/2007/02/pinky-dinky-dos.html

Lemme know what you think. You'll love it, I promise.

Feeling better

2007-02-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling better today. I think lack of sleep and all this damn rain contributed to my icky mood yesterday. The sun is shining today (at least at this moment) so I am going to open the windows and soak it up while I can.

Happy Sunday!

Frustration

2007-02-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

I have my next weigh-in looming over my head this coming Wednesday (Valentine's Day). I'm am reaching the point of frustration with this body of mine. I have been working with Carlos since late October and am still at the same damned weight! I sometimes wonder why the hell I work so f'ing hard at the gym, and have nothing to show for it. Hundreds of dollars down the drain!

Why bother!

Pheromones

2007-02-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

They say animals can smell fear......

I think preschoolers can smell it when you are running late.

Love you U-man!

Red Bull Girl

2007-02-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

So I've been spending lots of time at the gym over the past several months. Being the people watcher that I, I've noticed some rather comical characters.

Take Red Bull Girl for instance. She comes in most afternoons and primps in the mirrors before going out to the floor. She must make sure that every hair is as it should be in her Pippy Longstocking braids and her sweatshirt is tied around her waist exactly the right way. Then she moves on to her make up, making sure her black eye liner isn't smudged.

Then.....and this is the best part, she heads out to the elliptical machine with her four cans of Red Bull. Yes! You read that correctly! She drinks FOUR cans of Red Bull! Now, I've never actually consumed Red Bull, but I'm pretty sure that drinking four can't be too good for you. That much caffeine on a daily basis! Aye!

If Red Bull gives you wings, what does FOUR cans give you, a heart attack?

Nov's eyes

2007-02-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I scheduled back to back eye appointments for Nov, Husband-o and myself. It had been several years since Husband-o and I had been, so it was time.

Nov, like most kids her age, WANTED glasses. Before the appointment, she browsed the optical shop next to the waiting room looking for the pair she would get when the doctor told her she needed them. The following is what she told the eye doctor.

Doctor: "So, how are your eyes doing?"

Nov: "Well. Whenever I am looking at an I Spy book, I look and look and look, and I just can't find the thing I'm looking for. I say it isn't there because I just can't see it. And then my mom shows me where it is. I think I need glasses."

I bet that's one he hasn't heard yet.

:)

Validation

2007-01-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I received a piece of paper from the state of California that has been a long time comin'. You see, when I first moved here, they told me in order to renew my credential, I'd have to jump through numerous hoops dispite my 9 years of previous experience. After months of delving into their website, I discovered that they evaluated my incorrectly. So I set out to fix that in order to drastically cut the number of hoops I had to jump through.

It took a call to the paper pushers during which I was on hold for no less than 45 minutes (thank goodness for cordless phones with speaker) and me paying the $55 application and waiting since July to fix something that wasn't even MY fault. Oh well, $55 is a lot less than the Master's Degree they were telling me I had to do. :)

So, once I renew this credential at the end of the year, I'll be permitted to teach in California until 2015. Crazy! I'll be 41 in 2015! Will I even be here in 2015? I dunno. We'll see.

I owe what?!?

2007-01-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

Hell-oo!!! I just finished doing my taxes, and I must be missing something. According to Turbo Tax, Uncle Sam owes me $1,400. Great! But then, apparently somehow I owe the Governator $1,300.

WTF!?!

How is that possible?

I MUST be missing something.

Happy Birthday!

2007-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my dad's 67th birthday.

Happy Birthday Daddy! Miss you.

Note to self....

2007-01-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

When setting the DVR for a big game, anticipate that the game will go over the time slot and set it to record whatever comes next. :) Sorry we missed the last 3 minutes of the game fellas. Won't happen next time!

I love technology

2007-01-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Husband-o has become quite the football fan over the past several years. Even though our Steelers aren't in the playoffs, we have enjoyed watching the games together. He was bummed that he had a meeting today at 3:00 and the 2nd game of the day started at 3:30 local time. So, it is currently recording on the DVR. When he gets home we will sit and watch it with our friend, The Stripper. The best part is we will get to fast forward thru all the commercials, and watch the game in about 2 hours (I'm guessing).

The only trick is making sure we don't turn on the radio or tv news before we watch the game. It would suck to accidentally find out the score before we get to see it. :) I also plan to answer the phone by saying something to the effect of, "Hello, we have the playoff game on dvr, and we haven't finished watching it yet! Please don't ruin it by talking about the game!"

Now if Husband-o would hurry up and get home, we can start the game and enjoy our chicken wings. :)

Go me!

2007-01-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

I climbed to the top of the Empire State Building today! And then I cycled around it for 15 minutes!

400 calories, gone!

Go me!

Jewelry

2007-01-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

I was thinking the other day about how sometimes I wear certain pieces of jewelry not because they match my outfit, but because they match my mood.

For example, when I am missing my dad (like I have been since I watched Grey's Anatomy last night), I will often wear a green ribbon pin that I have that was given to us by the organ donation people in Ohio. It says donor family on it. I could have an outfit on that doesn't have an ounce of green in it, but when I am missing him, I put that pin on. Kinda makes me feel like I still have him with me.

Another piece that has memories with it is my SAI pin from college. I usually wear that when I am doing a concert, or something musical like a conference or other professional thing. It reminds me of my college days and all of my sisters. I can even hear us singing our song. *sappy* :)

And of course, when I put on the beautiful jewelry that husband-o has bought me over the years, I remember our good times too......don't want to leave out the most important person. :) Heart you honey! Smooches!

This post has come to me several times. I'm glad I finally found the time to type it all out. And I'm glad that I have such fond memories to be reminded of when I open my jewelry box every morning.

:(

2007-01-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

Miss you, Daddy......more than you know.

Dear silver Ford Focus

2007-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

Dear jerk off,

I'm sorry that the EIGHTY miles an hour I was traveling on Interstate 880 this afternoon wasn't fast enough for you. There really was no need to get so close to my bumper and flick your lights and pass me so damn aggressively. That really is rude. Next time, just pass me, and speed on to where ever it is you are in such a damn hurry to get. I truly hope you make the most of the 2 minutes you save. I'm sure it'll take longer than that for your blood pressure to return to normal once you reach your destination.

Sincerely,
The slowpoke in the Quest

Nov's illness

2007-01-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

It all started back on the evening of New Years. For the second night in a row, Nov isn't feeling well.....Nanny had made cabbage rolls, and the queen of picky eaters wanted nothing of the sort. About half an hour before dinner, she began hysterically crying, hyperventilating and running around like Chicken Little. "I'm gonna be sick! I'm gonna be sick!" So she gets out of having to eat the cabbage rolls and never even vomitted.

The next night she is fine. We go to a restaurant with my sister and her family. As soon as we walk into the restaurant, Nov announces she is going to the bathroom. She is there about 5 minutes, and I swear I can hear her crying in there. So I go in there and she seems fine. I ask her if she's okay, and she says yes. I go to leave and she starts her Chicken Little thing again. Now, the darn bathroom is like the worst echo chamber ever, so I'm sure the entire restaurant can hear here. And she won't let me leave. Finally I get out and go back to the table where husband-o says he'll take care of it. He takes her to the mens' room. They come back in 5 more minutes and she looks sad.

To make a long story short, basically she has pulled this same shit for the past week. We took her to the doctor the morning after the Mexican restaurant episode. Told him she has pulled this before and I think it is just an evasion issue. I think he was able to read between the lines. He told her it would probably be gone in a few days and that it was probably just a mild stomach bug. (Yeah, right, one that only comes on at dinner time!) She was told to avoid citrusy/acidic foods and that she could take Mylanta when it did hurt. Needless to say it only took one dose of Mylanta to make her stop asking.

Well, Thursday night it morphed from "I'm gonna be sick!" to "I have a fever" and she was wanting to constantly take her temperature. We humored that for a day or two. It was actually kinda funny because she took it so much that she got chapped lips right in the center where the thermometer would stick out.

Sunday we decided that if she wanted to take her temperature, she'd have to pay $5.00 to use the thermometer. Believe it or not, she paid it twice. Once Sunday and then again on Monday. Tonight before bed, she actually said "mom, I forgot to pay for the thermometer." I had been at a meeting, so I asked her "did you take your temperature?" She said "no" so I sent her to bed.

Even as a toddler, she was this stubborn. I can remember an incident when she would call for us from her bed. I would come in and give her the "if I have to come back in here, I'm gonna smack your butt" routine. She'd say okay and wait a few minutes and call for me again. When I couldn't take it anymore, I'd get up and go in there. She actually stood up in her bed and turned around and said "mom, smack my butt." Ugh!!!!!!!

What am I in for 10 years from now? Heaven help me!

A word of advice....

2006-12-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

People! If your significant other ever tells you the Maury Show called and wants to give you a free makeover on their show, be suspicious! Odds are that your heart is about to be broken on national TV.

:)

And to all a good night....

2006-12-25T23:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Christmas Night, almost midnight as I sit here to reflect on my Christmas 2006. Didn't get too much sleep last night as I was up late and then U-man kept me up in the middle of the night. He isn't feeling well due to his most recent cold. Allow me to recap our Christmas morning.....

6:30 am - I'm awake torturing U-man with his inhaler. Man, does he hate that thing, especially in the middle of the night.

6:40 am - My hunger gets the best of me, so I head downstairs to get some cereal.

6:50 am - Back to bed knowing Nov will be up soon.

7:30 am - "Mom! Wake up! Santa came and left presents all the way to the fireplace!!" Needless to say she is excited. :)

8:00 am - We begin with the opening of the presents with Nov playing Santa's elf. Ulysses is NOT interested in opening anything after he sees his Mater (from Cars). He isn't feeling well anyway, and just wants to lay down and play with Mater. We basically had to open his presents for him. Anything that was Cars related he happily opened (after he saw the packaging), but the rest of the stuff was snubbed.

Everyone here made out like bandits. Husband-o's mother managed to score a Wii for the family (which looks FABULOUS on our brand new 50" HDTV!), so I got Husband-o some remotes and a game. Nov scored 4 games for her DS as well as a Disney Mix Stick (mp3 player) and various other goodies.

My mom surprised my sister and I with portraits of her. I think the last time she had her portraits done was when we got family portraits done when I was in grade school! Nice job, Nanny!

My big ticket gift from Husband-o (and favorite gift, even over the TV) was a BEAUTIFUL diamond necklace. And in true Husband-o style, he managed to give it in a special way. (Step one!) :)

So, as I look back at this Christmas, I am truly thankful for lots of things (in no particular order after #1):

1) diamonds! (love you husband-o)
2) handicap parking passes on Christmas Eve
3) extended family
4) my kids
5) surprises
6) Santa Claus

Okay, I guess I have bored you all enought for one night. To all of the readers of my blog (all 2 of you!), I wish you a very Merry Christmas. And in the words of a good friend "May the gods bless all that you love." Couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

Good night everyone.

U-man speaks!

2006-12-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had a good laugh at U-man's talking. Sometimes it takes a few listens to figure out what he is saying. I told everyone that I thought it was funny when he asked for crackers today, because it doesn't sound like crackers. Husband-o didn't believe me, so I told U-man to tell dad about crackers.

Both Grandma and Nanny burst into laughter when he asked for what sounded just like "f*ckers!"

And he kept saying "F*ckers, f*ckers, f*ckers!"

Too damn funny!

:)

2:30 am

2006-12-16T02:34:00.000-08:00

And why am I up you ask? Well, it seems that U-man has a MONSTER diaper rash. So round 1:30 he crawls in my bed for the 2nd time in 20 minutes. When I put him back to bed, he just won't stop crying. It occurs to me that perhaps his rash is bothering him. So I take him downstairs to change his diaper. Thankfully it was dim down there with only the glow of the Christmas tree to light my way. I say thankfully because if it looked 1/2 as bad as it smelled, I'm glad I couldn't see it.

So I put him back in bed with dad and off I go to Safeway for what we affectionately call "butt cream". And guess what.....there's NO ONE at Safeway at 2:00 in the morning! Next time I'm up this early, maybe I'll do my entire grocery shopping trip, as long as I can dodge all the boxes in the aisles. I come out to the parking lot and wonder if it was this dark when I went in. NONE of the frickin' lights in the parking lot are on! Wonder why they call it SAFEway. Anyway.

So here I am up at 2:40 am typing this out for all of you to laugh at the thought of me going out in my sweats in the middle of the night for butt cream.

Good thing I love him.

You keep laughing. I'm going back to bed.

Nov-ism

2006-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Nov is sick, so I made her soup for dinner. Campbell's Noodle & Meatballs. Here is our conversation as she ate it.

Nov: "I thought these meatballs were gonna be nasty, but they're okay."

pause

Nov: "What's inside these meatballs?"

Me: "MEAT!"

Nov: "oh"

:)

My day from hell....

2006-12-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that the birthday gods fooled me this year. Normally something awful happens on my birthday. This year nothing happened. Well, today is my half birthday, and I have truly had the day from hell. Tons of stress at work. Nobody's fault, but still stressful. Unfortunately, that means there is no one to blame or direct my anger toward.

I won't post things regarding work here since it is unprofessional (and it could get me in trouble). So lemme know if you wanna hear my tale of half-birthday woe.

:(

PS If there is a major earthquake in CA today, you can blame me!

Nov's nose

2006-12-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

So I'm at a meeting with a colleague at Starbucks this afternoon when my cell rings. Caller ID says it's Nov's afterschool program calling. Seems she'd been hurt and since it was a head injury they had to call me. Apparently the girl next to her on the playground was about to do a flip and forgot to tell Nov, so she got kicked in the nose. Of course she screamed bloody murder and cried a lot. The girl said she "freaked out a little".

This incident reminds me of a similar one from first grade. The third day of school, Nov was running around the playground with her eyes closed (well, so-and-so was doing it and it looked like fun!). It was all fun and games until she ran right into the basketball goal! It was so bad, I took her to the doctor to get it xrayed. Thankfully it wasn't broken.

Let's just hope that there isn't a third time with the nose. I'd hate for that to be the charm. :)

Yay Steelers!

2006-12-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

The boys are back in town! :)

Steelers 27
Browns 7

Yippee!

'bout time!

Ya Gotta Love Kids....

2006-12-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

So the other day I picked up Nov before U-man because I was on that side of town. Our conversation on the way to the car went something like this....

Nov: "Where's U-man?"

Me: "I haven't picked him up yet. That's where we are going next."

Nov: "Aw, man. I don't wanna pick him up! Do we have to pick him up?"

Me: "Nah, we could just leave him there. He could sleep there tonight, whatdayathink?"

Nov: "Okay!" :)

Me: "But, then they'd have to call the police. And the police will come and take me to jail."

Nov: "Not me! It's your plan!"

My mom, my twin...

2006-12-02T20:00:00.001-08:00

My birthday is the day before my mother's. Both being born in June, that makes us Gemini, twins.

The other day, my mom was telling me about how her thumb had been bothering her all day. Just under her thumb nail her skin became really dry and split. She said it was really sore.

Within a few hours of her telling me that, I realized I had a similar spot in almost the same place on my thumb. It looked like a paper cut, but I knew it was just from being so dry. So, I'm telling her about it and we're laughing. I say, "We must be twins." She said, "That's okay, I've got a toothache!"

LOL

:)

I could have, but I didn't.....

2006-11-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

After a 2-hour meeting with a colleague, I could have easily blown off the gym today, but I didn't.

:)

Pretty proud of that.

No gym tomorrow. I'm going rollerskating with Nov. I'll count that as my leg exercise for the day.

Day of reckoning

2006-11-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well, today I show up to the gym for my weekly torture session with Carlos. After doing 20 minutes of cardio, he tells me it's measurements day. Yippee! (she typed sarcastically) I jump on the scale and.....gulp! I'm up a pound. (dun dun dun!)

Carlos: "How was Thanksgiving?"

K, so my scale at home says I'm not losing, but my pants are fitting a tad bit looser, so that's a good thing, right?

So after he measures and pinches and types it all into his computer, we set to train. 30 minutes later I'm sweating my butt off and he says, "Let's go in here" heading towards the basketball court.

"Ugh!," I say, "I'm not runnin'."

"Sure ya are....gimme three laps." he says.

And to think I pay him dearly for this torture. How lucky is he? :)

damn tooth

2006-11-26T22:48:00.000-08:00

So I have had a toothache, on and off since late Friday night. Today it was mostly off, but of course now that I am about to go to bed, the damn thing is throbbing like it may explode. Hope it doesn't, I am starting to get used to my face. :)

Welcome to Rachie's Place

2006-11-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome all. I will warn ya that the husbando (pronounced "whose-bond-oh") does most of the cooking round here, and that's probably a good thing. So come on in, sit down and enjoy a little slice of my life. :)

If ya wanna read my old blog, go to http://novlyne.blogspot.com

I'll post here from now on.