bring your child to work day...

Yesterday, was an exciting day for the kids. It was "Bring your child to work day." The office has hosted this event for several years now in which the kids get to spend the day with you at the office.

Boring... you might think. But they actually have various fun activities for the kids to do. And every year it's a different theme. This year's theme was the BM express.

The morning started with breakfast and introduction. The kids got their name tags and little caps. Afterwards, they got to go around to each floor in which they represented different countries.

Our floor represented China. And one of the games played was "Pin the tail on China". My son was blindfolded and had to pin his sticker where he thought China might be located on the map. He began taking his sweet time and I said to him, "You have to hurry, there's other kids waiting in line." He finally pins the tail and ended up in Russia. When he removed the blindfold and saw where he put the sticker, he says to me, "Mom, I pinned it on Russia because you rusha me...!

The kids all got candies, goodies and prizes, including a t-shirt. At the end of this event, the kids got to create their own art work and were also provided with lunch.

The kids and the people from the office who participated had a great time and are always looking forward to upcoming year. In fact, they make it so much fun, that kids actually think going to work is nothing but fun and games!

Ha! If they only knew....!

flowers for you...!

I love tulips! 

enjoying a cup of coffee...

This morning, I actually got up a half hour earlier. And because of it, I was able to get the kids and myself ready without having to rush.

I also get to enjoy a nice cup of coffee. Mmmmm...! 

strike a pose...

Chiquis 

...tail

 

...

 

tulips

 

green grass

 

"moms don't show belly buttons...!"

Finally, warm weather! These past few days have been absolutely fabulous!

Unfortunately for me, I have gained a couple of pounds (o.k. more like 15 lbs!) this past winter. And now that the weather is warming up, I'm having a hard time fitting into my summer clothes.

When I looked outside the window, I saw people strolling by wearing their shorts, sleeveless shirts or tank tops. Oh... to be able to wear those types of clothes.

As I looked in mirror, I realized how disappointed I am with myself. I'm definitely not comfortable wearing tight clothes.

Yesterday, I put on a tank top under my shirt. It fit way too tight on me (I felt like a balloon ready to burst) and it kept creeping up over my belly button.

My daughter sees this and she says to me, "Mom... (as she's pulling down on my shirt)... Moms don't show belly buttons!"

I went back inside the house and changed to a bigger shirt that covered up everything!

uniform pick up day...

This week, I’ve been busy with household chores.  And now that baseball season has begun, I have also been busy volunteering and helping at the baseball field.  

Yesterday was uniform pick up day.  When I got to the clubhouse, there were two lines forming from the clubhouse snaking all the way outside.  And of course, there were only three girls assisting with getting the children’s names, confirming that they paid and writing out receipts for those who owed still money.  And only a few guys helping out with making sure they saw their “paid in full” receipt to pass out the uniforms.  How hard can it be right?  When you have a mass of people and they are all bitching and complaining… well let me tell you, it got chaotic!  

Not only parents were getting frustrated because they had to stand and wait in line but others also complained because they didn’t have all the money and were told they couldn’t pick up their kids’ uniform (even though on the day of registration, they were told “all monies must be paid by uniform pick up day or you will not be given a uniform”).

I recognized a few people from registration day and others from my son’s team of previous years.  One lady looks up at me and smiled.  She recognized me from when we registered her son.  She pulled out her money but unfortunately was $5 short.  The person in charge of taking the money asked her if she had the $5 and the lady said, “I don’t have the $5, can’t I get the uniform now and I’ll pay you later?”  The girl responded.  “I’m sorry, but without full payment, you cannot pick up the uniform.”  The lady got upset.  “You mean for $5, I can’t get the uniform?” “Sorry, that’s what everyone was told, you must be paid in full.”  The lady’s face began to change from a friendly face to one of anger and disbelief.  “I can’t believe this, it’s ridiculous, for $5!  I want my money back!

If it were up to us…yes, we would probably have given her the uniform, but we couldn’t do it.  I told her in Spanish, “Señora, I’m sorry, but if we give you the uniform, we would have to do the same for the rest of the people waiting in line behind you.”  The people behind her were looking to see if we were going to give this lady a break.  She huffed and puffed and took her money and left.     I think I just lost a potential friend.

If you go to the grocery store and end up short in cash, would they let you take your groceries?  No!   And believe me, when we’ve given people breaks, it gets harder to collect the money later and/or everyone else will expect the same.  It just gets too complicated.  Oh well…you win some you lose some…

We had to explain (over and over) that if they were not paid in full, they could not pick up the uniform.  Some claimed that they were never told.  Others wanted to cut in line with different excuses as to why we should let them go first…they were waiting in line far too long… they had to leave soon… they couldn’t come back later, etc.    A few were complaining amongst each other and one lady actually cussed us out.  

I don’t blame all the parents for complaining, as it was a little disorganized but this is what happens when you only have a small number of people helping out.  And it’s always the same small group of people…there should be more volunteering.  Everyone got information either verbally or by mail.  They’ve all been told WE NEED more VOLUNTEERS.  But the reality is that the people who are the first ones to bitch and complain never step up to help out or volunteer.  

PEOPLE…this is a not-for-profit organization.  NO ONE gets paid to do this job.  The few you see working are taking time out of their busy schedules to volunteer and ensure that this program is up and running… it takes a lot of time and effort…we’re doing this for OUR KIDS!

Why can’t they understand that?  

...

After washing dishing and sweeping, I decided I no longer wanted to be inside the house.  I got the kids to go outside with me and clean out the yard instead.  I had forgotten how hard yard work can be.  Especially, since it hasn’t been done since last summer.  In fact, now that I think about it, I did most of the yard work last summer, since my hubby has been and still is too busy.  

A few months ago, we had our tree trimmed.  My husband decided he wanted to keep the wood for our fireplace, so the tree trimmers left a huge pile of wood in the middle of our yard and has been a mess since then.  It took me about an hour or so to finish picking up the pieces of wood and set them aside and out of the way into smaller piles.  That alone was quite a workout. I also raked the leaves left over from last Fall.

Even with all that work, I didn’t mind it because I was outside enjoying the weather, the sun, being with my kids and burning a few calories while I was at it.  

It was truly a gorgeous day….the weather was just perfect!  The sun was out and there was a nice warm breeze.  What more could I wish for?

Wish I could have been taking in the sun and enjoying a good piña colada!

my new dryer...

I finally got my new dryer installed yesterday afternoon!

The nice thing about my new dryer is that it dries my clothes in less time than the old one. In fact, by the time my wash is finished, my dryer is ready for a new load.

The only problem is that there was a small piece of sticker stuck where the name of the brand is located on the face of the dryer, and when I tried removing it, some of the plastic cover got scratched off. My dryer is brand new and I’m excited about it, but when I look at the scratched part, it really ticks me off! Now why did I have to go and do that? Oh, well…

So guess, what I’ve been doing since yesterday…. loads and loads of laundry!

I’ll be done with most of my laundry for today.

I’m soooo happy!

one day at a time...

I’m not so sure if I can be a stay home mom.  

Since Friday, I’ve been off from work and so far, I’ve been having a little trouble (o.k. more like I’m going crazy) being home all day.  

It’s getting to the point where I’m feeling depressed.  I can’t handle this.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like being a home… more than most.  But with all the things I have to get done which have been put off for so long and now have become too overwhelming.  

I put too much pressure on myself to get things done.  That’s because I’m used to it at work.  Hurry, hurry, rush, rush… everything has to get done by the end of the day.  That approach definitely does not work in the home place.  Nope.    I have to take time to organize not only my thoughts but also my house in general.  Being home makes me realize that it’s in a chaotic state.  I got too much “junk” in every room.  I need to get rid of things that are just making clutter and organizing the things I want to keep.  

I have done this in the past.  Just when I think I have it under control, I turn around and I’m back where a started.  How did everything get out of hand? What the…?  I almost want to cry…!  

There is this feeling of frustration that begins to creep up on me.  And I ask myself, “Why does it always happen to me?”  I’m supposed to be on vacation.  Remember?  Why is it when I take time off instead of relaxing there’s more pressure, stress and work to do.  It almost makes me wish I were back at work (what does that tell you?).

I know what you’re thinking.  How come the hubby and kids aren’t helping you?  To answer that question, my husband is too busy with work and other activities to do much around the house.  As far as the kids, I do have them help clean (well, once in a while).  And that’s my problem…I’m not consistent with them.  I ask them to do chores one day and then do not follow up or continue to have them do it everyday.  Plus, I start feeling guilty because they too are off on vacation.  And if I’m feeling this way, imagine them.  

I have to keep reminding myself, don’t worry…just take one day at a time… one room a day to get things organized.  I can do this… I have to think positive.  

And now to end this on a good note… I’m getting a new dryer delivered tomorrow.  Yay!  That just made my day!

feeling gray...

I'm on vacation from work, yet work at home never ends. There's so much to do, and I don't even know where to begin. What makes matters worse is that my laundry is piling up and the dryer is out...sigh...

Beebo & Dem

sketched 6/13/98 

Dem & Beebo

(taken 4/10/06)... Nothing's changed.

Love is in the air...

A heart made in heaven... 

Have a Nice Day...!

As I looked up at the sky, what do I see hanging from a tree?

Is it a sign?

Thank you! Have a nice day! :) 

8 seconds and counting...

Hurry! You got 8 seconds to finish crossing the street!

The city has new walk signs placed in certain major busy streets that allow you approximately 21 seconds to cross before the light changes. Now you can keep track of how much time you have left before you get caught up in the middle of the street trying to run to get to the other side.

Signs of Spring...

 

left speechless...

Yesterday my sister A called me to ask, “What are you making for dinner?” I said, “I don’t know… you know me… I never know or plan on what to cook for dinner!”

She said, “I made a pork roast and it came it delicious!”
“Mmmm… that sounds good” I say.
“Do you still have the pork roast in your freezer?” She says to me, “If so, I can come over and cook it for you if you want.”
“Sure!” “But it’s frozen.”
“Well take it out and by the time I get to your house it should be defrosted.”

Wow! My sister A is coming over to cook! Yay me! It just brightened up my day!

When she finally came over, she began seasoning the meat. Then she cut up some potatoes and carrots, puts it all in a plastic cooking bag and went straight into the oven. That quickly and that simple. Two hours (and three beers) later, the pork roast was done.

By then, my hubby came home…just in time for dinner. And let me tell you--mmmm…. the pork roast came out tender, juicy and absolutely fabulous! My sister is definitely a great cook. Even my daughter who hardly ever eats meat had some of it and she said, “Wow, this is really good!” Of course, when I heard her exclaiming how good it was, I have to admit, I immediately got a little... o.k. a lot... jealous…! After all, I hardly ever hear her or anyone else for that matter say to me how “good” my cooking is!

I turned to my daughter and said, “Oh, so you like AC's cooking?” “Yes, its delicious!”
I say, “Oh…when I cook, I never hear you say anything about my cooking!” To which she replies without skipping a beat… “Mom, when we eat your food… it’s..it's so good… it leaves us…well… speechless!”

Enough said!

...

Sunday, I woke up early but was not feeling up to doing much.  It was a cloudy and gloomy day.  Ugh!  I hate days like these.  I forced myself to get up and make myself a cup of coffee.  After I had a cup, I washed a few dishes left in the sink, swept the floors and cleaned my bathroom. I even went downstairs and cleaned the basement.  Yeah…so much for not doing anything!

Once I finished my chores, I decided I wanted to go back to bed.  Screw it!  I’m not in the mood for anything.  I turned on the TV and the movie “The Wedding Date” was just about to begin.  So I got under the covers and began to watch the movie.   By the time I got out of bed again, it was already late in the afternoon.  

I finally got the kids to call my sister A to wish her a happy birthday.  While my son was talking to her on the phone, he turned to me and said, “Mom, A wants to talk to you.”  Well, what you know…I guess she wasn’t mad at me after all.  I should be mad at her for bitching at me…but anyway.  I took the phone and said, “Happy birthday!”   She replies without much enthusiasm, “Thanks.”  “What are you going to do today?”  I ask.  “Nothing.  I don’t feel like doing anything!”  She says.  “Me neither.”  I replied.

“I’m bored and I don’t want to do anything.”  She adds.  “Well, why don’t you come over, maybe I can cook something.”  I tell her.  “Oh, o.k.  Let me get ready and I’ll go over.”  As soon as I hung up, I began to prepare one of my specialties … pasta with chicken, broccoli and cauliflower dressed in olive oil with garlic.  

My sister A finally showed up and you could tell she was not in a good mood.  As soon as she sat down to eat, her cell phone began to ring.  It was my dad wishing her a happy birthday.  He wanted to know what were her plans and she told him she was just going to hang out at my house.  Then it followed by more calls from family and friends.  

Originally, we were going to go out for dinner to celebrate her birthday but, at the last minute, my sister decided she didn’t feel like going out.  I guess my dad called everyone because next thing I knew, my brothers and sisters came over to my house.   We had a few cases of beer, pizza, wine and a seafood dish that my dad help prepare.  My son even baked a yummy cake for my sister.  Everyone was surprised that he actually baked it and it tasted good.    

That evening, it started thundering and lightening.  And pretty soon the rain came pouring down like cats and dogs.  But we were inside the house drinking, eating and having a good time with family and a couple of friends.  If this would have been planned, I am sure it wouldn’t have worked out as well.

my little drama queen...

I guess I can now say my daughter enjoys acting. She asked me, "Mom, how can I get into those shows... you know like "That's so Raven" and "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody?" I didn't know what to say, "It takes a lot of work and commitment." "But if you like acting, it starts by taking part in plays like this one."

I invited my brothers and sisters to come see her act in her first role in a play. Unfortunately, most of them were not able to make it as they were helping one of my sisters move out of her apartment. But to our surprise, my little sister showed up and she brought with her my little nieces and my mom.

My daughter was so happy and excited that they came to her play. But I could see that she kept looking for my husband hoping that he was going to make it. He was also busy with a prior commitment (her play was originally going to be during the middle of the week but was later changed for the weekend instead).

At the end of the play, as we were walking out, she saw her dad who had been watching the play all along from the back row and to see the look in her face... well see it for yourself in the picture below.

My little dream weaver...

"Monsters in the Closet"... a play about.... well... monsters in the closet! This play reminded me of a similar story (shorter version) to "Monsters Inc."

My daughter had a part in it and she looked beautiful dressed in her role as a dream weaver.

Everyone did a great job acting out their roles but the the funniest one was "Murray (the monster)". He did an outstanding job...!

The play was definitely a success! The audience seemed to have enjoyed it as much as the actors. It was witty and funny to watch as the sound of laughter from the audience was heard throughout the play.

I have to say...I am especially proud of my daughter!

Although, seeing these pictures made me realize that my camera sucks (as well as the photographer... to say the least). I couldn't get a clear picture by zooming in so all the pictures looked very far even though we were in the third row. I really need invest in a better one...!



 

...

Well, I never heard back from either sister. Today is my sister A’s birthday. We were supposed to get together and go out for dinner to celebrate. Now, I don’t know if we are going to or not (at least I probably won’t be included).

We’ve bickered and gotten mad before but we managed to call each other up no matter what and we’re always there when we need each other.

So I thought (again, me and my big ideas)… just for the heck of it, I should call her up (it was 8:00 a.m. then) to wish her a happy birthday. But then again, I thought against it. No, I better not! I knew for sure, she would definitely kill me!

I’ll wait and see what happens during the day. I’ll have the kids call her later this afternoon to wish her a happy birthday. Should I try to be the one to call her and talk to her? Or just leave it as is and see if she wants to talk to me?

me and my big ideas...!

This morning, I got up early to the sound of my hubby’s voice, “Oh, no…it looks like it’s going to rain!” “It’s cloudy and gray outside!” He had planned a clean-up/cookout for the baseball fields and was looking forward to it. All parents and kids from the league were invited to participate.

I got up and went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. He says to me, “I’m going to have to take the pick up truck.” “I have to be at the field by 9 a.m.”

He had me call my sister G’s boyfriend to have him bring back the pick up truck, which was at their place since they used it last night to move their things to their new apartment. I called him around 7:30 a.m. I told him we needed the truck by 8:30. I could tell in his voice he was still in bed but he says to me, “I need to move a couple of mattresses and other small items but… o.k. I’ll get up and do that now so I can take the truck back.”

Later that morning, I asked my hubby, “Do you really need to take the pick-up truck?” He replies, “I don’t have to, but if I take our car, how are you going to drive our daughter to her school for her play?” So I told him, "By the way, I don't think I am going to go all the way over to the field for just an hour since I will have to come right back to shower and get ready."

Then I thought of an idea. I should call my sister’s boyfriend back and tell him he can keep the pick-up truck, if somehow I can get one of my sister’s to drop me and my daughter off at school, then afterwards I could go to her house and help her out. So I checked my cell phone for his number… and for some reason, I could not find it anymore. I think I somehow deleted the number. I tried calling my sister G a couple of times on her cell phone and she did not answer.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I did this… but I decided to call my sister A on her cell phone to try to get the number (knowing too well that she’s not a morning person, and I would be interrupting her sleep). I guess I figured since she told my sister G to call her early I thought…why not wake everyone up so they can get an early start?

When she finally answered her phone, she was definitely not happy that I woke her up. I told her what I was trying to do and she was fuming! She told me a thing or two and by then, I got mad at her too and hung up on her! She calls me back and is about to give me the number but she had to let out some more steam. I told her it’s 8 o’clock. She yells, “It’s still 7!” “Why did you have to wake me up so damn early!” “It’s five minutes before 8!” I yell back. “You know what, just forget it, go back to sleep!” And I hung up on her for the second time. Go back to sleep…yeah right! The damage was done. She was now wide-awake and she was pissed!

I heard my cell phone ring again and knew it was her calling. I didn’t pick up. Oooh, I’m gonna get it now! I listened to her voice mail message…she was steaming but in the end she gave me the phone number.

After all that… and my sister G never returned my calls... my sister A was pissed off at me...and my hubby was not happy that I didn't go help out! I was already getting too upset over this and then decided…screw it! My hubby will have to do without me... after all I have to attend my daughter's first play; I’m not calling the guy back... he can bring the truck to the house; and everyone will continue on with their business. That’s what I should have done in the first place. I should have left it alone…. I should have minded my own damn business!

As far as the move goes...who knows? As of yet, I still haven't heard from my sisters! And to boot, tomorrow is my sister A's birthday!

the packing...

It all started last night. My sister A and I went over to my sister G’s house to help her move. She had to move out the next day. We had a late start and, of course, my sister G had no newspapers or boxes to pack.

My sister G knew that my sister A was at my house before we went over to hers. It’s not that we mind helping out, but why did she wait until last minute?

My sister A got a little upset because she had to drive back to her house to pick up boxes she was saving for when she moves. And I went back to my house to pick up leftover newspapers that we use to start the fire in the fireplace. My hubby owns a small pick up truck (which luckily he wasn’t driving that night) and my sister was able to use it to move out some of the heavier things.

When we got back to G’s house, I could tell she was already feeling tense. She did not look like she was in a good mood and it didn’t help matters that my sister and I gave her a lecture. I told her she needed to look through her things and pick out what was not useful to her so she can throw away. I also said to her, “Didn’t you learn from me?” “You saw how I kept everything all over the place…by the time I had a chance to clean things out, it became too overwhelming!”

“I know, I know.” “But I don’t have time for that now!” I have to get everything out by tomorrow!” My sister G says to me. To which my sister A exclaimed, “If you knew you were moving, why did you wait until the last minute to do this?!”

Through the course of the night, everyone was getting a little stressed out and nerves were running high. She had too many things to pack and it was already getting late. I saw it in G’s eyes that she was ready to quit. I tried to make a joke out of things or dismiss the remarks that my sister A was making because by that time, she too was getting moodier by the minute. Especially because my sister G was not feeling up to moving and she was not speeding up the process! I knew if we stayed any longer everyone was going to end up angry at each other. There was just too much to do in so little time. I tried telling my sister to take one room at a time and to get as much out as possible so that the clean up would be easier on Saturday. I don’t know if she took my advice. But if she didn't get with it, she would be looking at a heavy day the next day.

When G asked me if I was coming over the next day to help, I told her that I had a busy day and might not be able to. And my sister A adds, "You picked the wrong week to move!" "If you're gonna want me to come help you, you better call me... early!"

We left my sister's house a little before midnight. Instead of it making it a girl’s night (drinking beer, talking and helping pack), it almost became a catfight!