Happy birthday grandma...!

May 30 was my kids great-grandma's birthday. She is 79 years young!

My grandma is an amazing woman. Even though she went through tough times in her life (my grandfather died when my mom was 9 years old), she was able to pull through with 8 kids. She had an interesting, hard life, full of experiences. But that only made her a better person. She's funny, doesn't hold back and she tells it like is.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy birthday to my hubby...

May 28.

My husband had a good birthday. After a long weekend coaching his softball team. He got the best gift of all... his girls won the Memorial Day weekend tournament. For a coach... that meant a lot to him. He was happy and excited.

We spent the rest of the week cleaning out the yard and finally got to relax a little!

Happy birthday my love... :) ! 

Memorial Day weekend softball tournament...

My husband's junior traveling team competed in a Memorial Day weekend tournament. They had already played three other games and beat the other teams they played against. This was their fourth and final game.

It was the bottom of the 7th inning. They were tied and the other team was last at bat. Our girls had one girl hurt coming home. Everyone was biting their nails and cheering hard for their team.

Our fast pitcher got on the mound ... 1, 2...3, she struck them out! It was nerve wrecking! I cannot imagine what it must be like being in the game itself! Fortunatley, they had to go for another inning to break the tie. Who will win?

It was the top of the 8th inning and our team managed to get three runs in. The fans were cheering and clapping with excitement. Whoo hoo! Go SC!!!

Finally the other team was up and was their last chance at bat to score runs. The pressure was on for our pitcher. Can she do it? Will the other team catch up and beat us?

I heared my husband yell out to our pitcher, "Come on now! Don't give it up... you can do it!" "Just focus... one batter at a time!" The pitcher closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She began to fully focus on each pitch. She was on full concentration mode and she was fast. She was on fire...! She struck the first batter... then the other... and finally the last batter!

Hurray! The crowd went wild! They won the the tournament ... 8-5!

Congrats to SC! 

camping...

May 26-28.

My daughter went to her first Girls Scout camping trip. They went horseback riding, hiking, and swimming at the beach. She got to camp out and enjoy time with her friends.

 

Blue Sky...

Picture taken May 25. 

Amy's b-day...

May 20, 2006.


After my daughter's game, we celebrated Amy's birthday by going bowling and later had a sleepover at my sister's house.

Happy birthday Amy! 

Congrats to Class of 2006...!

May 20, 2006.


My godchild graduated from HS!

Even though mygodchild and her family have gone through difficult times, she has shown us that she is not willing to give up on herself or her family. She managed to survive HS and has finally made it through this point in her life! She chose the right path... and that was to finish high school and soon, by midsummer, begin college!

Congrats! We wish you well and are very proud of you! 

teenagers...!

I’ve been doing a lot of yelling at my kids lately.  They just don’t seem to listen.  My son has a tendency to argue with me when asked to do something.  “Why do I have to do it?” He asks.  “Because I’m asking you,” I reply.  To which he begins with a whole slew of arguments as to why he shouldn’t do it.  “It’s not my turn… I didn’t do it…it’s not fair.”   And he won’t quit until he makes his point.  I get exasperated because all I wanted from him was to do what I asked him to do.

My daughter is on the sensitive side but she’s now starting to rebel…she’s 13!!!  

She’s had a study guide to complete at least three weeks in advance before her test.  The teacher e-mailed me on Thursday informing me her test will be this Monday.  I was upset because I know it takes my daughter at least a week of studying to become familiar with her study guide.  I told her dad about it and, knowing she wanted to go to her school dance last Friday, he told her she had to completed the study guide by that day or she wouldn’t be able to go.  As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t going to allow her to go to her dance.  I wanted to show her that she had to take responsibility and that there are consequences if she didn’t.  Am I wrong on this?  

I had a talk with her on Thursday and told her that she was going to have to study all weekend for this test.  “You have your cousin’s birthday party to go to and it’s a sleepover.”  “But since you waited too long to complete and review your study guide, you cannot stay for the sleepover.”  She says, “O.k.  o.k. I know.”  “Alright, I just want to make sure we’re clear on this,” I say.  She did complete her study guide by Friday and her dad let her go to her school’s dance.    But just because she completed the guide didn’t mean she studied and knows her questions.  

Yesterday, morning, she had to go to her friend’s house to finish a school project.  She later had to go to her softball game.  Once her game was over, we went to her cousin’s birthday party.  First, we went bowling and after that we went to my sister’s house where they were going to have the sleepover.  When it was getting late, I told my daughter, “Come on, it’s time to go.”  “But why?!”  “I want to stay,” she moans.   “It’s getting late!”  

All the cousins said at once, “No.  Can’t she stay?!  Please!  It’s a sleepover!”  My sister then says to me, “Why can’t she stay?”  “Let her stay.” “I’ll take her in the morning.”  I said to her, “No, she can’t stay.  She knows what she has to do.”  We went back and forth on this (now I know why my son is this way) and my sister was getting upset with me too.  “Why do you have to be this way?”  “I said I’ll take her in the morning!”  But knowing my sister and the kids, they will be up all night and getting up really late.  I wanted my daughter to get an early start on her last day of studying.  Especially when she has a game scheduled for later today.

I began to feel bad and a little guilty for not letting her stay and wondered if I was doing the right thing.  Didn’t we have this discussion already?  Somehow I knew this was going to happen.  

We eventually left the party. Once we got home, I went upstairs to my daughter’s room to have a talk with her.  I was a little upset with her for putting me in that position.  I felt like I was being the bad guy here!   I began to reminder her of our little discussion that we had earlier and she began to cry.  “Why do you have to be that way?”  “Why couldn’t I stay?”  “I completed the study guide and I studied on Thursday.”  “You never let me do anything!”  

Should I have let her stay?  Was I wrong in not letting her?  Am I being unfair to her?  She doesn’t get to do anything?  Wait a minute here... she did get to go to her school dance and she went to her cousin’s party.  Why would she say I don’t let her do anything?  

I went to bed upset knowing that this was only the beginning.  Wait until she’s in high school…I don’t think I’m ready for this…!  

The challenge...

I went to the doctor this afternoon to get a physical.  

The major concern…I’m overweight!  I got on that scale and I almost died!  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Was the scale broken?  Would it help if I took off all my clothes?  I knew the numbers flashing at me were correct…after all, it was a digital scale.  OMG!  Is that really how much I weigh?  How could I have let this happen to me?!!!

I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and have a tendency of eating when I’m stressed even when I’m not hungry.  I know this is bad but I still do it!   Why?  I have no idea.

My brain talks to me and tries to reason with me.  It even tries to put some fear in me but my mouth and stomach tell me a different story.  It’s like the angel and the devil on my shoulders.  

The Angel:  “No, don’t eat it.  You’re just doing it because you’re stressed.  Walk away, you don’t need it!”  

The Devil whispering in my ear:  “Doesn’t it look good?  I bet it tastes soooo good.  Come on, I know you want to try it.  Just take one bite that’s all.  Mmmm…just one bite… go on, it’s not going to hurt you.”  

So guess who wins?  I keep thinking to myself, “No, I don’t need it, I shouldn’t.”  as I take a bite.  “No, I must stop,” as I continue to take another.   And the next thing I know, I’m eating away.  My problem…I can’t just have one bite.  The minute I have a taste (especially if it’s good), I can’t seem to stop myself.  I keep going… and going… like the energizer bunny.  

As I’m speaking with my doc, I tell her, “I have no will power, and I’m starting to consider taking diet pills or… and before I even finished my sentence she turns to me says, “It might seem like an easy way to do it, but there is no easy way.  Best thing to do is exercise and follow it with good well-balanced meals.”  

My doctor asked me, “How much weight would like to lose?”  I wanted to say 60 pounds but only thought to myself.  Of course, I had to be more realistic.  “I would definitely like to lose between 30-40 lbs.”  She looked at me and said, “You can do it.”  “Just cut back on the breads and pastas.  Reduce your sugar intake and avoid drinking sweet juices or sodas and I assure you, if you do, you will lose those pounds!”

Sounds easy, right?   Yeah, right!  It’s going to be tough not eating what I love…mmmmmm breads, muffins, bagels, sweet rolls and donuts!  How can I fight the temptation and say “no” to them.  Especially, when at work there is always someone bringing them in the morning.  When someone offers me a muffin or donut (even if my mind is yelling out “No, don’t take it!”), my hand immediately goes for the muffin…I just can’t seem to refuse!  

I have to put my foot down!  

I’m setting a goal for myself to losing 40 pounds within the next 6-8 months;  
I will make an effort to walk more (at least 30 minutes a day);  
I will exercise at least three times a week (at least an hour of exercise); and
I will try to reduce my food intake and avoid the fatty and fast foods.

I know it’s going to be a great challenge… let’s see how and if… I CAN DO THIS!!!  

And it begins right here… right now…with me getting off this computer and getting my BIG BUTT off this chair!

...

I’ve been very busy with the kids in baseball/softball.  They’ve been having a game almost every day.   They had actually scheduled a game on Mother’s Day but luckily it got canceled.  

The thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve been doing a lot of driving.  If you know me…I don’t drive.  I HATE DRIVING!  I’M SCARED OF DRIVING!  But lately, I have no other choice.  My husband has his own softball team he’s carrying, my daughter is in another and my son is in another baseball team.   I’m still nervous about driving.  Slowly but surely I’m getting a little more confident behind the wheel.  

I often wonder…why me?  Why can’t I be more like everyone else?  Why is it difficult for me to get behind the wheel?  This is so stupid!  I see young kids and little old ladies driving.  So why can’t I?  There are times when I actually cry over it, and many more times when I’ve fought with my hubby over this.  But when I think of my kids, I’m doing this for them.  If they only knew the pain and suffering I go through everyday!    

Today, I had to drive my son to the field for his game.  After dropping him off, I had to drive my daughter to her practice/meeting at another field and stayed there until they were finished.   I then had to drive back to my son’s game and got to watch one inning.  It was the last inning and they were 5-5, one out and my son was up to bat.  He had two strikes on him and on in his last attempt to bat, he hit a line drive past first base.  He ran to first, continued running to second, then to third.  As he was running he slid to third base and tore his pant pocket.   Everyone was screaming and cheering for my son.  He had a proud look on his face.  

All we needed was one run to win the game and since they were last at bat.   Unfortunately, the other two batters struck out and the game was tied.  It was a great inning and a good game against a team that last time slaughtered them.   My son’s team is tough and never gave up!  

I was glad when the game was over because my main concern was getting home safely.   Ay, ya yay!   What am I going to do?  

Four Generations...!

 

Happy b-day Italee...!

Saturday, we celebrated my little niece's birthday.

Happy birthday Italee! 

Coke or Pepsi...?

I'll have the water!

My little artists...

May 4, was the silent auction for the artwork created by the children who attended the "Bring Your Child to Work Day". The funds are donated to The Windy City Habitat for Humanity.

I was not able to attend this event due to my kids playing their baseball games that afternoon.

All children's art work were placed in frames for bidding. I soon found out that my children's artwork was bought and sold for a nice price.

Today, and to my surprise, one of the persons whom I've worked for in the past, outbid the others for my daughter's masterpiece and gave it to me. How cool is that! Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a picture of my son's drawing. Guess what theme he drew? Cubs, of course! Apparently, from what I've been told, his artwork was sold a little higher than my daughter's.

I'm so proud of my kids! 

Happy birthday mom and dad...!

May 6 is my mom and dad's birthday. They were both born on the same day but four years apart.

My dad is in Mexico visiting with my grandma while at home, we all got together at my mom's place to celebrate her birthday and to visit with my grandma (her mom) who is in town for the summer.

My uncle, who is an excellent cook, cooked pork ribs in red chile and baked stuffed chickens. My brother's MIL cooked arroz con gandules. The food was delicous!

After dinner, the kids gathered around my mom and sang happy birthday to her.

Later that evening, we sat in the livingroom to watch the boxing match. 

Happy b-day JC...!

May 5 was my little sister's 25th b-day. My other sister threw her a party at her house. She also baked this cake. Mmmm....!


Not only was there a DJ at the party but they also set up a mini tattoo parlor. One was getting a tattoo while another was getting piercings....!

And no... I didn't get a tattoo.... nor a piercing...!

happy b-day Chiquis...!

May 5

Chiquis is a year old! 

Hey pitcher, pitcher...!

May 3 - My daughter pitched her first game of the season. She is not the fastest pitcher nor the best but she almost pitched a perfect game... she was pitching strikes.

In the last inning, the second batter up was able to hit off of her but before long, she struck out the batters. They won their game 9-0.

grandparents day...

May 4 was "Grandparents Day" at our kids' school. My mom and grandma were able to attend this event.

My sister AC went to pick up my mom and grandma at their house and drove them over to the school. Unfortunately, on their way there, she was stuck in traffic due to a train crossing. They arrived at the school a half hour late.

By what my sister and mom later told me, when they saw my son, he had a look of disappiontment on his face and was very upset. Last year, my mom had promised my son she was going to attend and in the end was not able to because she became ill.

This year, my son was looking forward to having grandma visit with them at the school. He called her on the phone several times to remind her and to confirm that she was going to make it.

I'm sure he was looking around for them and when he did not find them, he assumed they were not showing up (again!). My poor son, I could only imagine what was going through his head...

Eventually, when they got to the school, my son and daughter were very happy and excited to see them. Especially because my grandma (their great grandmother) had also attended (she arrived two days before from Mexico and will be staying here for the summer). The kids were able to leave the school for lunch and they got to spend a nice afternoon with their grandparents.

true fans...

Baseball season has begun and I have been extremely busy with the kids.

And of course, since my kids are in different teams and different age group level, they play their games at different times and in different fields. But there will be times when they will also have their games at the same time.

My daughter is playing softball. My hubby doesn't coach her team anymore since he moved up with the junior girls. So we now have three games to watch.

The sad part is that, due to conflicts of schedules, my hubby and I will end up missing one of my daughter or son's game at one point or another. I know it's going to be hard having to miss watching them play. But hopefully it won't be too many of them.

April 29, my daughter was playing her first game. That day was cold and drizzling. But the girls were tough! They continued with the game and won! They girls played hard and well and the fans (us parents) were out there cheering them on!

millenium park...