Eternal sunshine of my spotless mind

Because of my computer problems and super laziness, I have been slacking in my writing...

Little One is in Kamaaina Kids for the summer. He shocked me by coming home from the YWCA and told me that he took his swimming test and got a yellow band. That is the same color band as Musson-girl a.k.a. the little mermaid. Then he got all shy and told me that he went into the wrong bathroom at the Y. I was confused and he said that when he went into the bathroom to change he was shooed out by a bunch of girls because it was the GIRLS bathroom! OOPS! I guess I neglected to tell him that mom takes him into the girls bathroom because it's the only one I can go into and that when he's by himself he needed to go to the boys bathroom.

Tomorrow he's going camping at Camp Timberline. Yikes! His first overnighter away from home and mommy. Can he handle it? I'm quite sure he'll be fine. Can I handle the fact that he's growing so quickly? NO!

My mood: missing my little baby, but such a proud momma

Posted by Cora at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have the best kid in the world! This morning we were talking about gross things we can do.

Me: I could suck on my toes if I really wanted to.
C: Mom, that's gross!
Me: But I though being gross is being cool? Don't you want to have the coolest mom ever?
C: Mom, to be the coolest mom ever, you just have to be yourself.

Aaaawwww! That was possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life. Best Mother's Day present ever!

My mood: a little teary but with the warm fuzzies

Posted by Cora at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I realize that my child is growing every day. He's almost out of Kindergarten and on to 1st grade. I am awfully impressed with his math skills (of course, I have no one else his age to compare him to), but this weekend, grandpa gave him a pocketful of change and told him he could keep it if he could count it. And except for a little help adding up the quarters, he did great. He managed to count out $1.50 in coins! Woohoo!

In addition (no pun intended) to adding quite brilliantly for his young age, he's been quite creative in his expressions. Last week he said "Mom I love you more than bean burritos." and this morning when I tried to wake him up for school, he rolled over and said "sock monkey." I often wonder if it's because he's a guy or if it's because he's a kid, that I just don't get what he's talking about. Or maybe, I'm just not a young and hip mom and "sock monkey" is some slang? Hmmm.

Oh, and we're so proud of him because he's got his new belt!

Here he is with T, his partner in crime (they're in the same class and played soccer together too!)

My mood: proud and amused and have a weird cramp

Posted by Cora at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The other morning, on the way to school, my child asked me where babies come from. Or, rather he asked me how the baby gets out of the mommy. I am sort of for telling kids the truth, no stork stories here... I started to explain how there's a special place where babies come out from the mommy. He, being the ever-too-inquisitive child, continued to question about exactly where they come from so I finally said that they come from an opening that's between mommy's legs. So then he asks me "You mean, they come out of their butts?"

Needless to say, now my child knows the word "vagina." Although, I told him that it's not a word we say in school! And we never ask people about them... when I glanced in the rear view mirror, he looked totally confused.

I am glad to say, that after that morning, all questions about babies stopped. Phew!

My mood: enjoying my quiet weekend.

Posted by Cora at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My child is the television/movie wuss. I can't watch anything with him in the room because everything is too scary. He made me laugh one day because he came home from school and told me that they watched a scary movie at school. I asked him what it was about and he said he didn't know what it was called but there were 100 dogs in it! Yikes. If 101 dalmations is scary, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he refuses to watch the 2nd Transformers movie. He loved the first one, but the second one scares him because there's apparently a scene where they try to take out Sam's brain and it freaked him out. The Magic School Bus show with the bees also scared him and most episodes of Scooby Doo. As you can see, this is also why we don't go to movies in the theater or watch Cartoon Network. He only watches PBS Kids and Playhouse Disney programs.

My mood: amused in a good way

Posted by Cora at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Graduation day for Little One. He took his test today for the next belt. Now he's a white-orange belt. I'm pretty impressed with his interest in martial arts. He knows the names of the moves that he does and is very good at it. He tends to be less sure of himself in class because he's watching the other kids and then copies them, but they're usually doing the wrong thing! I'm one proud momma.

Will have a cat/butterfly update tomorrow...

My mood: going to bed

Posted by Cora at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No, this is not an entry about butterflies, but I was inspired by them. For Little One's 100 day project we folded 100 paper boats and then set them afloat on a blue river of ribbon. I was thinking of the Mariposa hanging at Nieman Marcus. We finished pretty early. Mostly because I folded the last 45 boats by myself (it was way faster).

My mood: good, but have a cold.

Posted by Cora at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay, I have become one of those parents who do their kid's homework for them. Okay, not entirely, but I did more than half the job because it was too hard for him to do. It's his 100 day project. We decided that we would fold origami boats (I know, what was I thinking???). First we were going to paste them onto a poster board, then the boats were too big to fit on the poster board, so I had the brilliant idea of stringing them up and making a mobile. I know, I'm crazy and obviously the work is not all his. But he did help me fold a lot of the boats AND he did help me string up the boats onto the ribbon. I should have picked something easier, but I just love to make my own life difficult because I have not enough things to keep me busy as it is...

Plus I need to make something for the party at school. Plus I need to buy valentines day cards for him to give out at school.

Caterpillar update tomorrow??? I'll try...

My mood: really tired. I feel another cold coming on.

Posted by Cora at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was inevitable that the Little One would want to play soccer. He was too young to play this past season, so we signed up for the U5 (under 5) soccer clinic. It's basically a bunch of drills to teach kids how to play soccer so that they can then feel more confident when the soccer season starts in the fall. I also think it's a shorter session so that parents can figure out if their kids like soccer and want to play in the regular season. He, of course, loves it. Great, that combined with martial arts will complicate life in the fall, especially since I work until 5 and most practices and classes start before I get off work. I hate to think that he can't participate in both because of my schedule. Guess we'll just have to see if Grandpa is willing to chauffeur him around for a few extra afternoons (thanks Grandpa!!!). He'll probably have to drop one of them when his school schedule gets tougher. It's hard to decide which I prefer, especially since he looks cute in both uniforms!

My mood: not really looking forward to being a "soccer mom"

Posted by Cora at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For Little One's reading log, he is required to now read 20 books and then do a drawing with a description of something that happened in the book (I get to write out that part for him). He read See Pip Point by David Milgrim. I was quite impressed with his artwork:

Milgrim's book:

Little One's homework:

My mood: happy that most of the Christmas stuff is put away

Posted by Cora at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today when I checked Little One's homework, he had a turkey w/a five feathered tail. On each feather he's supposed to write what he's thankful for:

1. FAMULEY = FAMILY
2. US
3. TV
4. HOWS = HOUSE
5. MOMMY

I was pretty impressed with his spelling skills (he just turned 5). In school, they're supposed to sound out words and try to spell them first before getting the "correct" spelling. After much discussion he decided that US was the same thing as FAMULEY, so he changed US to TOS (TOYS)!

My mood: grateful for wonderful family moments like these.

Posted by Cora at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Meet my son, the happy new graduate.

He went from a white belt to a white-yellow belt (yes, there is a difference between a yellow belt and a white-yellow belt as in he's just a tiny squirt). Either way, he's darn proud of himself (I'm proud too)! The graduation ceremony was very cute, but hard to see him and I couldn't get any pictures because he was on the opposite end of the class from where I was sitting (no, I'm not one of those embarrassing parents who run into the middle of the field just so that I can "capture" the moment.

After the graduation test and ceremony, there was a demo by the black belts and that sucked me in. I was definitely interested in letting him continue with the classes, but as of today, he's a tiger cub and I'm $$$$ poorer.

My mood: proud mamma and not suffering from buyers remorse

Posted by Cora at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the prices you pay as a parent is the joy of fundraising for education. Fundraising can come in various forms from selling cookies, chicken, or gift wrap to doing activities like fun run/walks or attending luaus. Plus there's the dreaded Scholastic book fair (they do it 3 times a year, and we spent $50 for the first one)! Yesterday I had the joy of Fun Fair. The kindergarten class does bake & popcorn sales. So, I spent a fair amount of time and money on butter mochi and brownies. Then I went to the fair and spent more on $20 worth of scrips, $7 at the cafeteria on food, and $10 on snack pacs fundraiser for the preschool class. And they say public education is free... HA!

Overall he had a good time. The cafeteria food was actually ono. The only issue I had was with the obstacle course, which I didn't realize was a competition. So when we went to do it, the guy at the booth had his kid (a 3rd grader) race against mine. Talk about unfair. Needless to say, I knew it would end badly and it did. There was some crying, although he's getting much better at stopping quickly.

My mood: good

Posted by Cora at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ugh. Halloween over! I love Halloween, but it's a really busy time of the year for me. Between work and my home life, I'm exhausted. This weekend was no exception. Yesterday was spent cleaning and doing housework, followed by our annual trek to the Musson side of the town for trick or treating. This year seemed less busy. Normally her neighborhood is just full of kids, but this year it seemed like less traffic. There was more space on the sidewalks. Last year, we were walking partly on the road because the sidewalks were too crowded. At our house, grandpa was also not as busy giving out treats. Of course, it could be because of the large truck that parked in front of our gate. Hmmm.

Today we woke up early for the literacy walk at WCC. Then it was off to our new session of swimming at the Y w/Miss Shannon (we had Miss Shannon the first time we ever took swimming lessons). Then it was back home to get ready for C's birthday party w/our friends.

Keiki before the hunt for sweets.

Birthday cake for this year.

The pumpkin kings.

My mood: exhausted and going to bed

Posted by Cora at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hard to believe that this little man is now 5-years old!

Posted by Cora at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This little conversation deserves its own entry...

This afternoon I was attempting to demonstrate to Little One how to write a lower-case "a," when he turns to me and says "Mommy stop it! I'm tired of your madness!"

Where on earth did he get that phrase from? [sigh]

Posted by Cora at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For lack of anything else to say...

Little One's a pre-teen at 4-yrs old. Here's his new favorite songs:

Alyson Stoner-- Dancing in the Moonlight

Linkin Park-- New Divide (song from the newest Transformers movie)

Daughtry-- What about now

Green Day-- Know your enemy

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday was Little One's first day of kindergarten. He woke up in the morning crying and asking to go to Aunty Margie's house (former sitter that we went to visit last week). We had a good discussion about school and then off he went.

After school, I asked him how his day was and he said it was "terrific." Yippee! I thought I was going to have problems, but I think he was just nervous.

My mood: need sleep

*********************************************************************************************************************

Backward Chronology of our Summer 2009

We're excited about school!

No hurricanes in sight, it was a good day for the beach

Things you find lying around on the beach

Do they ever get tired of bouncing?

Making good use of those water park passes

Little Monsters

Still into trains...

Anxious train riders

Do they look guilty or what?

Posted by Cora at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So today was Little One's first day (sort-of) day of school. Well, it was Kinder KAMP. Basically a 3-hour orientation. I won't bore anyone w/details.

Me: Are you nervous about school?
LO: No.
Me: Do you know what nervous means?
LO: No. What does it mean?
Me: It means that you're mostly excited, but you're a little bit scared too.
LO: Oh. Mommy?
Me: Yes?
LO: I'm nervous.

The best part about it was my buddy, Darren was the MC. Two other parents there were classmates from the same elementary school. Gloria and I were really good friends early in life and were in the same kindergarten classroom. Our kids are now in the same class, although she has a girl and my boy thinks that girls are Decepticons. Pretty sure she's not gonna be hanging out w/him!

My mood: warm (just drank some hot tea) and happy and not worrying too much about Hurricane Felicia.

Posted by Cora at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Conversation today between me & Little One:

LO: Mom, you remember yesternight when I was watching t.v.?
Me: You mean "last night"
LO: No, I mean "yesternight"
Me: Sweetie, you mean "last night" there's no such thing as "yesternight"
LO: [imagine exaggerated sigh accompanied by major eye-rolling and attitude] Uh, you know, YESTERDAY is yester-DAY and YESTERNIGHT is yester-night????

All I can do is laugh, because I don't even know how to explain that one... I just tell him that people don't say yesternight, they say last night instead.

My mood: constantly amused and sometimes wishing for a 4-year-old who acted like a 4-year-old (or is there even such a thing?)

Posted by Cora at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am determined to get my child swimming. At least enough to get across a pool and back. Maybe enough so that he will learn to love going to the beach to swim (not just to play in the sand). So, I signed him up for swimming lessons at the Y. Not really intense, but he gets some basics. He seems to enjoy it so far. Now if I can only remember to go on Sunday mornings, that would be helpful (I almost forgot last weekend!!).

My mood: good (but tired)

Posted by Cora at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The other day at the mall, my child was throwing a fit. He started yelling at me "You're not the boss of me. Jesus is the boss of me."

Great, Jesus can give you a ride home from the mall. I did try hard not to laugh.

Today as we were driving, he pointed at the mountain.
C: Mom, what's that?
Me: A mountain?
C: No! It's Jesus.
Me: Huh?
C: Jesus is everywhere and he made everything.
Then he points to a tree and we have the same conversation. Oh, and apparently, Jesus is a construction worker too, cause he made the concrete sidewalk.

At least I know that he pays attention in chapel.

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is just the cutest thing. I can't believe how cute they are! They sung songs (Jesus loves me, I am special, and The more we get together the happier we'll be), had a graduation ceremony, slideshow, potluck, and preschool entertainment afterwards. Enjoy...

Graduating is wicked cool!

His first school BBF -- Spencer

After graduation he wouldn't keep his cap & gown on, it was super hot!

The green lei has Bakugan, Transformers, and gummi candies (his favorite things)

My mood: happy, proud, hot

Posted by Cora at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So in response to the "Are my eyeballs growing?" question, I found out from a fellow Facebooker, Lia (from high school), that eyeballs do indeed grow. I conveyed this answer to him. And being the cute little thing he is, he then followed up with the question "Mom, do hips grow?" My response was "Well mine sure did."

Here's praying the inquisitiveness pays off in college scholarships or Jeopardy winnings.

My mood: sunburnt (went to the swap meet this afternoon)

Posted by Cora at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we had the KE Taiko Ensemble at the library (yes, LOUD drums at the library-- I love loud and noisy). Very cool program. Got lots of positive feedback from the crowd. At the end of their performance, they let people from the audience play the drums. So, Little C got to learn Taiko from the master himself.

Okay, here's my American Idol commentary (without saying too much for those who are behind in the "Tivo"ing). Love everyone (sorta) in the top 5. Was too bad that most of the girls got eliminated, but the boys are definitely better singers. Sorry sis, but Lambert is one of my faves, and of course, Danny. But, dang, that Kris is growing on me too. Wonder if the heavy testosterone levels in the top is due to major female crushes or based stricly on talent? Maybe a little of both?

My mood: proud mamma

Posted by Cora at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For lack of anything interesting in my life (or yet another entry about American Idol), I opted to post some pictures from the busy life of my offspring instead... enjoy.

Hanging out w/the pups.

Our annual EGG man.

Hanging out w/friends.

CP & his Peeps.

Taken today at his field trip.

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have realized that I need to brush up so that I don't appear to not know what I'm talking about when my child asks me a question.

C: Mom, am I growing?
Me: Yes.
C: Is all of me growing?
Me: Yes.
C: Are my eyeballs growing?
Me: Ummm. I think so, maybe just a little bit.
C: Do they stretch when they grow?
Me: Maybe, hey do you want some chocolate?
C: Yeah!

Chocolate always makes me look smarter.

My mood: always amused

Posted by Cora at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Child of mine is now asking to play video games. Yikes. I think he's a little young, but we've started playing with the Wii and I've busted out my old Gameboy Advance and we've started playing Banjo-Kazooie.

He still gets really frustrated when he can't get it to do what he wants, but he's much better. Now he just hands it over to me after trying too many times and asks me to do it for him.

And on the trip, he was always playing Erin's Nintendogs on her DS. I think he's gonna be asking for one of those too...

I knew it was inevitable, but was hoping to keep him from them for as long as possible. Especially since I'm not into video games.

My mood: annoyed that I have to get ready for work now

Posted by Cora at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When my child was born, one of my very good friends gave me an orchid plant. I kept it for a while and then it died (because ALL plants that I keep die quite easily--my thumbs are whatever color is the opposite of green). Or I thought it did. I eventually put it outside and it sat neglected for years near the fence. Grandpa found it a month or so ago and moved it to the front yard area. One day I was walking past and I noticed that there were flower buds on it! Miracle-- that darn thing was not only alive, but apparently thriving (I guess). When the flowers came up, I made him come down and take a picture holding his miracle plant.

My mood: awesome

Posted by Cora at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yikes, we just found out that the preschool is raising their rates. Next year, 6:45-6:00 will cost $710! Holy smokies, that's a lotta moolah. Of course, I don't keep him there that long. Only until 2:30 (which will cost $610). Thankfully Grandpa can pick him up and watch him until I come home. Yippee!

Still deciding where to send him to school. I guess I need to make up my mind quickly.

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How can one little child have so many scabs and scars? He's got:

1. A 2-inch scab running down his belly like he tried to commit seppuku.
2. A blistered burn on his left index finger from touching the stove.
3. A peeled hangnail that looks like it might get infected.
4. Assorted scars on his body from scratching various insect bites.
5. If you look in his nose you can see remnants of dried blood from a nose bleed sometime last nite in his sleep.

*sigh*

Oh, and the Nerf dart shooter is on a time out because it almost took out my new t.v.

*sigh*

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cutie Pie playing w/his toy camera from Disneyland

CP: Say "cheese robot" (he's pretending to fix me-- the robot)
Me: Cheese robot
CP: No say "cheese"
Me: Cheese
CP: Hey this picture won't change (the little cube spins and the camera says phrases from the movie)
Me: I guess it's broken then.
CP: I guess we have to go back to Disneyland and buy a new one... [smile]

Ha ha ha. He says this on a weekly basis. "I guess we have to go to Disneyland..."

Too smart.

My mood: great

Posted by Cora at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am extremely lazy and tired and not ready to write about Christmas. We had an enjoyable day (mostly, except for the no-nap antics) with family (miss my Sis!). He was quite thrilled with his loot. He got a LOT of toys and games and very few clothes, except Transformer shirts, so that counts as cool. Surprisingly he got 7 (yes 7) Transformer t-shirts and not one duplicate.

Christmas w/the family was at Natsunoya. It was planned by the O clan. Next year is the S's turn. Woohoo, I don't have to do anything! Not sure when it's our turn again...

Here are some shots from Christmas this year -- not from today. I'm too lazy to upload the shots, maybe this weekend???

A shot by the tree...

His first Gingerbread House, which he decorated by himself. It has a milk carton frame covered w/goodies.

The usual ride on the Christmas Train. Will be sad when he's too tall for it. Maybe we'll get to ride it for one more year???

My mood: jolly and exhausted.

Posted by Cora at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Tues, Dec 9, my Cutie Pie was scheduled to have storytime w/my favorite children's librarian at his preschool. Now, she is only doing storytime because I asked her to do it and she loves Cutie Pie (not thrilled with this name, thinking it's gonna change again). On Mon, Dec 8, his stomach was sore at nite and he proceeded to vomit everything he ate onto everything in sight. He even was sick in his sleep. He woke up on Dec 9 and SAID he was fine. I, being overly optimistic, decided he was fine and able to go to school to see Auntie Nina do her Christmas storytime. Everything is going well. We get in the car and near Craig's Bakery (or the former site of...) he says to me "Mommy I don't feel good." I say "Okay, hold on we'll go home." Next thing you know... Bleah. All over the back of my car. YUCK!!!!! Words cannot describe the grossness of it all. Fortunately, he managed to get most of it all over himself. So I get him out of the car and into the bath and there's NO WAY he's gonna go to school now. Tantrum begins.

Auntie Nina calls me immediately after the program and asks "Is he sick?!" I tell her the whole gross story. She's devastated and says that he should come to the regularly scheduled storytime on Thursday and skip school because he missed it. I agree that it might be a good idea. He seems cool with the plan.

On Thurs, Dec 11 we awoke to a storm. Not just a storm. A bad storm. Electricity cuts out at the library at 6:30 a.m. and cuts out at home at 7:00 a.m. I am again, overly optimistic (or stupid) and we get into the car. I have to take him with me because no one else is home and I am convinced that his school will just close anyway since most of the public schools were shutting down (they did close the school). I figure the power would come back on and he could watch storytime and then Grandpa could pick him up afterwards. WRONG. Not only did we not get power back on at the library, but Auntie Nina lives where the water was high enough that she couldn't leave her street. So guess what? Storytime is cancelled and we ended up shutting down the library because the school campus closed and pools of water were beginning to form in our parking lot. He cried AGAIN.

Auntie Nina says we HAVE to do a storytime. So she did a special (unadvertised) Christmas program for my Cutie Pie, Trini's kids, and Heavenly (who happened to be in the library w/her Aunty at the time). He was thrilled. I was too.

My mood: exhausted-- I've got so many things to do before Christmas I don't even know where to begin...

Posted by Cora at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Decided to dress up dessert last nite. Idea was from Carleen...

We put the reindeer in snow (ice cream).

Stupid computer won't let me reinsert memory card once I eject it unless I turn computer off and then on again. And my darn cough still won't go away. It's been 3 weeks.

Raining again. That storm forced me to close my library because the power was out for 3 hours and then my A/C died (then restarted). Not like anyone would come there in the storm. Our parking lot was a lake and the preschool on campus got flooded. I felt bad because all I kept thinking was "I hope my library books are safe and dry." [yikes]

My mood: ready for the weekend

Posted by Cora at 07:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

He's been vomitting for the last 4 hours and I've done a load of laundry because he's thrown up on the floor of the hallway, his bed, my sofa, and the bathroom. At least the last few times it's managed to make it into the toilet so there was no messy clean up. Ugh. Need to do more laundry tomorrow, but I'm too tired to start another load tonite.

Been too lazy and busy to write much. Plus, I have the cough from hell and there's not much going on to write about...

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So we're in the car the other day on the way to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving. C-Man tells me "Jesus lives in your heart." Okay, standard verbiage for the church preschool crowd... right? Then he says "When Jesus died, they cut him up into small little itty bitty pieces so that everyone could get a piece of him in their heart. He needs to be really small." NOT standard, I'm sure.

My mood: amused

Posted by Cora at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I realize my child is growing up when the following conversation took place yesterday. I noticed that he's not been eating his grapes from lunch and I asked him about it.

Me: How come you didn't eat your grapes?
C-Man: I dunno.
Me: You don't like grapes anymore?
C-Man: I do. [pause] Mommy, how come you have to cut my grapes?
Me: Because they have seeds in the middle. [pause as lightbulb goes on in my head] You don't want me to cut your grapes?
C-Man: No, cause only babies need to have their grapes cut.
Me: If I dont' cut your grapes will you eat them?
C-Man: Yeah.
Me: Okay.
C-Man: Can you make a puka and take out the seeds? But don't cut them in half, kay?
Me: Uh. I don't know. How's about if I just look for grapes that don't have seeds next time?
C-Man: Okay.
Me: Can I still cut your apples into slices?
C-Man: Mom! You have to cut the apples. I can't eat a whole apple!
Me: [loud audible sigh] Okay.

Today I sent him off to school with his sandwich and some whole, uncut grapes (with seeds, I tried to dig out the seeds and it wasn't worth my effort-- too bad -- crunchy grapes for you). He came home with half of the grapes, but at least he started eating them again.

Oh, and he will eat cut grapes at home. Apparently, if he's at home it's still okay to slice his grapes. Just don't do it in front of his friends.

My mood: feeling old

Posted by Cora at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today C-Man went to the doctor for his 4-year check up. There's a questionnaire I fill out to see where he is developmentally. You know, draw, hop on one foot, can he get dressed all by himself, etc. There was one question that read:

a. A horse is big and a mouse is __________
b. Fire is hot and ice is __________
c. Your mother is a woman and your daddy is a __________

C-Man gives the following answers:
a. small
b. cold
c. child

I think all the answers he gave were correct. Woohoo and a high-five! Ha, ha, ha. I love it!

My mood: good

Posted by Cora at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Was very disappointed today that we were not able to make it to the pumpkin patch. We've been there 2 years in a row, but 2 days of downpour have resulted in our decision not to go and face the mud that awaits. Too bad, at least C-Man was able to get there with his preschool class. His original pumpkin was too big for him to carry, so Miss Gloria told him to find one he could carry. They should check the pumpkins before they let them take them home. His was starting to rot, but we made the best of it. Our friend, Jack, lasted the nite, but we tossed him out the next morning cause he was stinky and starting to look slimy (he's missing half his backside).

Proud papa

Ooops. Apparently there's a soft (really soft) spot in our pumpkin

The Pumpkin Kings

My mood: enjoying my relaxing day (though I should be doing laundry and cleaning)

Posted by Cora at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aah, another year done! I can't believe how much I stress over a little gathering of friends. I kept going over and over in my mind what things I was going to make and do. My ideas are grand, but as the date draws near, my plans always dwindle into "hmmm, what do I have time for?" Overall, it was a great evening. Here's the proof...

The spread: smokies, hot dogs, Milton's vege lasagna, sausage & mushrooms, fish sticks, meatloaf, pasta salad, musubis

Close-up of the musubis (cute, yeah?)

Decided to do an activity, so they all made their own masks

The cake (actually it's a brownie). Took me about 1.5 hours. Not bad, huh?

At least I know they enjoyed it

Time for presents! He's been waiting all nite for this part

Have you guessed the theme yet? Notice he still chose to wear Thomas for his birthday!

My mood: exhausted

Posted by Cora at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

4 years ago, tomorrow...

1 month down. The Grouchypotamus

1 year - happy as can be

2 year - artist at work

3 year - playing at the gym

4 year - at Disneyland

My mood: happy, but tired and still sore

Posted by Cora at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I look at my son and realize that he's growing quickly. I think he's a teenager now. The other day he said to me about something (don't ask me what...) "Mom, that's wicked cool."

Yikes! He'll be asking me for the car keys next.

My mood: joyful

Posted by Cora at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

C-Man came home with a third accident report today. This one was the worst so far, scraped the skin off his right elbow the size of a quarter. Yikes! He says his "friend" Spencer pushed him off the bicycle. Miss Kristy and Miss A fixed him up. On the report it says " cleansed wound, applied bandage, gave TLC and comforted him. Of course, I later noticed that under student's name, his first name is listed as Corky . Ha, ha, ha. I've been teasing him all nite. What a cutie.

My mood: thankful to have gotten rid of my migraine and quite enjoying my previous top 12 list.

Posted by Cora at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Conversation on Wednesday evening:

Me: Who's birthday is tomorrow?
C-Man: Mine?
Me: No. Mommy's.
C-Man: Aaaw, I want it to be my birthday.
Me: You're birthday is coming up, but my birthday is first. It's okay, cause Mommy's birthday is not as exciting as yours. Mommy doesn't get lots of presents like you do.
C-Man: Why not?
Me: Because when you get old, it's not as important.
C-Man: Mommy?
Me: Yes?
C-Man: When I get old, I'm gonna buy you lots of presents, okay?
Me: Okay.

This morning when he woke up he sang Happy Birthday to me. It was the best present ever.

I used my day wisely. I spent part of it at work, part of it visiting friends, and part of it with family. It was very tiring, but very satisfying.

I think I'll go pass out now...

My mood: tired, itchy, feeling not a second older than I was the day before

Posted by Cora at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I asked C-Man what he wants to be for Halloween. He tells me he wants to be a Transformer named Optimus Prime.

Now I have lofty ideas for a costume involving cardboard boxes, paint, and cellophane.

Off to the mall to cool off and get a gift for our little Miss Musson (who's 9 this year!).

My mood: tired, we had issues last nite at 2:00 a.m. involving pee, massive phlegm, and a bloody nose (don't ask)

Posted by Cora at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

C-Man: How I spent my summer of 2008...

In the sun:

In the shade:

Making cookies:

Making snowmen:

Lounging:

Standing in the pool on my own (finally tall enough!):

Celebrating the 4th (Bad Mommy, why don't I have my shoes on?!):

Hanging out with family:

Body surfing like a future president:

Enjoying my cousin:

Posted by Cora at 06:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I was talking to my children's librarian and she found out that the church preschool where I send C-Man has famous (sort-of) clergy-women. Cool. Cool because they are married women (to each other) and both hired by the church. They were on the reality show the Amazing Race. Never watched it, but I think Sis does.

Today I asked him what he learned in school (today was chapel day with Deacon Pat). He says Jesus says that fighting is bad. I asked him if he was going to stop fighting. He said "No, because I'm a bad guy and bad guys have to fight and shoot people. Mommy can I shoot you? I'm only pretending to shoot you with my finger, oh, wait... where's my gun?"

What a lovely child.

My mood: headachy, itchy, and not looking forward to work tomorrow.

Posted by Cora at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Only when one becomes a mother does one spend 10 minutes contemplating in Longs about whether to buy the new triangular shaped Crayola crayons for her son or stick with the Walmart purchased $0.25 box of 24 Crayolas with the classic 8 pulled out and labeled neatly for her newly preschooled son.

On with the weekend...

My mood: fabulously happy

Oh, and guess who now owns crayons that will help with his grip? :-) :-) ;-)

Posted by Cora at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have come to realize that my son's outgoing personality is not from me. He is a constant flirt and always finding someone to talk to when we go places. For example: we went into Sephora and he finds a cute Japanese girl to talk to who works there. She ends up giving him a strand of "mardi gras" type beads. I ask him if he said thank you. He runs up to her and gives her a hug. She says "Aaaw, that's the best thing that's happened to me all day." Then when we get to the register, he gets a balloon from the lady at the counter. She cuts one down from the register (they were not giving out balloons, they were just on display) and hands it to him. At Old Navy, he managed to get some worker bee to fetch his shoe out from underneath the stroller. He throws a ball and someone fetches it. This happens at almost every store we go to. The register people are always entralled by him. His head is easily inflated by hearing people ask me (over and over again) "He's sooo cute. How old is he?"

He is also the little manipulator. For example: when I'm mad at him he says things like "Mom, you're so cute. Why don't I give you a kiss?" and "Your're so pretty mommy." and "Mom, I love you."'

**************************************************************************************************

I've recently discovered ebay and all it's bidding glory is quite useful for a mom trying to update her child's toy tastes which can change as often as a woman's taste in shoes. I've been to chicken to bid on anything, but in the past, other people have bid on stuff for me. So my latest dive into the realm of online bidding is (of course) Transformer toys. I have sis bidding on a few things for me. But I am just amazed at what people sell. For example: one can by transformers Vintage starscream fists. They're currently going for $3.75 with $1.50 shipping. Who would buy fists? I dunno, but apparently there are a lot of body parts for sale. They even have lots that are comprised of various parts. Very strange, although as a recent buyer of such toys, they do come apart quite easily and I can see how one can lose fists. Our Brawl currently is missing his right arm and one of the missles of someone else blasted off into the atmosphere of Hurricane C-Man and his domain and has never been seen again. Maybe I can find one on ebay? Or maybe someone can learn not to break off limbs of his toys when he gets frustrated transforming them... [sigh] Or maybe mom could get a clue and stop buying the ones that are so hard that even she needs to use the instructions to figure out how to turn them back into a vehicle... [more sighs]

Of course, I'll never learn that lesson. Our most recent Transformer buy is a Transformer crossover w/Marvel. It's a Spider-Man Transformer. It is so complicated, that I can't figure out how to change him one way or another without looking at the damn instructions.

But he's cool. I couldn't help myself... I'm such a sucker.

Here he is converted to motorcycle.

My mood: hot (been traveling upstairs and downstairs trying to find ingredients for some dessert to make)

Posted by Cora at 06:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the summer reading program the theme was bug related. One of the prizes (which is his favorite) is a plastic bee. It's about 1-1/2 inches long and has clear plastic wings and most importantly it has a stinger.

He spent part of one evening stinging me, which promted me to put the bee on a time out for the rest of the evening. The bee came down off the refrigerator tonight along with the threat of additional time out for repeated stinging of mommy. So the bee happily came down and proceeded to sting the trains, sofa and cousin. The bee did not sting me once.

C-Man says "Mommy I'm not stinging you." Then he begins to shoot me with the bee's antennae accompanied by loud laser gun noises and spittle.

My mood: sore feet from retail therapy. Did not do much damage, which is sad but good for my bank.

Posted by Cora at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been three fabulous years. Thank you Aunty Margie!

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well the days are numbered at Auntie M's. We're down to our last 2 days.

He has been with Auntie M since he was 8-months old. 3 years of his life he spent more waking hours with her than me. She is truly an angel and I don't know what I would have done without her. There are not enough words to express my gratitude for everything she's done for us. I'll miss seeing her and all the other kids. But it's time for us to move on and for her to impart her wisdom and love on another blessed little keiki.

Tonight we went to orientation at his new preschool. He seemed very comfortable in the fact that he was going to be in school starting on Monday. So that's a relief to me. He won't cry. I probably will.

My mood: getting sad, but happy that he'll make a smoother transition than I will

Posted by Cora at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am feeling sad because my Little One is going on his last month at Auntie M's. He's been with her since he was 8-months old. We'll be moving over to one of the church preschools. He should have lots of fun there, I think he's been getting bored being with all the little keiki. He needs companions that are closer to his age and I really want him to start learning his alphabet. He's been resisting me, so maybe with another teacher he'll be more willing to try. I never realized what decisions I would have to make as a parent. Decided against the big preschool and refused to send him to a school with a uniform (he's 3, if he wants to wear Transformers, he should get to) or with a no candy/cake policy (please, he's 3! Let them eat cake! What's wrong with cake?).

My mood: clean

Posted by Cora at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Why is it that at 10:00 p.m. my child is wide awake and hopping around while I am struggling to stay awake?

Quote of the day:
"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." - Rudyard Kipling

My mood: ready to crash

Posted by Cora at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The other day C-Man was trying to explain something to Auntie M. She started paying attention to another child and he got upset. He told her that "she was distracting him and that she destroyed his words and it was all her fault."

In the car, the song Bleeding love came on the radio and he was quiet. After a few minutes he asked me "Mommy, why is that lady bleeding? Did somebody shoot her?"

His new favorite phrase is: "It's not fair!" and "It's all your fault!" usually followed by a major tantrum.

[SIGH]

***************************************************************************************

Finally got my iPod shuffle. Woohoo. Don't have to carry the big one around when I go walking or go to the gym.

My current playlist (on the non-shuffle):
Losing my religion-R.E.M.
Time of my life-David Cook
If I had eyes-Jack Johnson
New Year's Day-U2
Hotel California-Eagles
Sorry-Buckcherry
Bad day-Daniel Powter
I can see clearly-Johnny Nash
I'm yours-Jason Mraz

My mood: Friday happy

Posted by Cora at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even in art, he dreams of robotic adventures...

This is Optimus Prime (yellow) and some other red Transformer climbing up the hill. It's raining. Clouds provided by EMusson. Sun painted by me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY!

Posted by Cora at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you can guess from the title, it's not been a fun few days for me. C-Man has a fever and he's been coughing up a storm, refuses to blow his nose and his galas are plugging him up big time at night. And the vog is NOT helping. So for the last 2 days he's thrown up on a bunch of stuff and I'm tired of cleaning. I'm sure he's tired of barfing and coughing. It is now 11:30 p.m. and I just started a load of laundry. Unlike Sis, I am not usually a late, late night owl. Now I think I will watch Spiderman 3 (no, I haven't seen it yet) or something else, since I have to stay up to finish the laundry. More work tomorrow, more book buying. Am tired of shopping --what???

Rewatched Bulletproof Monk. I love that movie (am now wondering if I own it). Chow Yun Fat is such a hottie.

My mood: grossed out, tired and hot

Posted by Cora at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My child's new obsession: Transformers. Don't worry, he's still into trains and construction vehicles, but what a dream toy--- a vehicle that turns into a ROBOT. The trademarked Transformer toys are pricey, so we only have a few of them (okay, more than a few). We also have the cheapo Pricebuster kind (that are cheap for a reason-- you do get what you pay for). The thing I absolutely hate about Transformers is the transforming. Because I am the transformer. You would think they would make these things simple enough that a child could transform them, but NO. Sometimes I can't even figure it out. And they don't just change once, they change 3 to 12 times a day. Multiply that by the number of vehicles we have and that's a lot of transforming. For the price, you'd think there would be a button to push and have it change by itself.

The thing I am most impressed with is C-Man's ability to create a whole fantasy world with these things. Our Optimus Prime is electronic (complete with movie quotes and transforming sounds). He never turns it on and prefers to do the voices all by himself. One day, he was playing with them and one of them accidentally killed his friend and the other one says "God-damn it, what did you do?" (or something like that). I wanted to laugh and scold him at the same time, while I'm thinking to myself... do I say that? (which I must). I went with ignoring and it seemed to work, I haven't heard it since then.

I am excited at the possibility that he may be ready for the movies this summer. Woohoo. Am contemplating taking him to see Speed Racer. It's PG for stuff like intense action, smoking and possibly language. Apparently he's exposed to that stuff already, so I'm not concerned. I bought a Speed Racer video from the booksale and he loved it, so he might be ready? Not sure. He did sit through Transformers (the new movie) twice, the last Pirates of the Caribbean, and Underdog. Of course, he thought Enchanted was scary. So I have mixed feelings. Maybe I'll just have to wait for it to come out on DVD. I, on the other hand, am dying to see Iron Man.

My mood: frustrated (can't finish this stupid sudoku puzzle and it's driving me batty)

Posted by Cora at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today, my child tells me that his mouth is sleepy and he can't get it to work right. It's because I'm having difficulty trying to understand what he's asking me for. I keep hearing "Papa nickel bread" (which makes me think of the Beard Papa cream puffs),but finally the mystery is solved. He says it's from California and suddenly the light bulb goes on in my head... I ask him "Do you mean pumpernickel bread?" He smiles and says "Yes!" Don't ask me how pumpernickel and California are associated, cause I haven't got a clue and don't ask me where he's found out about pumpernickel. What can I say? My child is strange.

Sometimes when I really can't make out what he's talking about, I just fake it and say "Ohhhhh, I understand." And he seems happy with that. He can only tolerate me guessing 3-4 times before frustration sets in (for both of us). It's a learning process. I guess I'll understand him for a few years, then he'll start to speak teenager and I'll be clueless again...

My mood: tired of work, glad to have the weekend again (even though I still have to do a few things for work), and I'm really itchy (from stress).

Posted by Cora at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

C-Man has been eyeballing this toy that was bought for someone else. It's a Transformers set. He's very drawn to it and will sit and stare at it for 10 minutes at a time. He's been asking for quite a bit of toys lately due to his recent robot obsession (mainly with Transformers).

Conversation yesterday while he's admiring the toy (yet again):

C-Man: Mommy, I don't have this toy yet.
Me: No you don't.
C-Man: Can we go to the toy store? Then you can buy it for me.
Me: No, we don't have time to go to a toy store. How come you keep asking to buy toys? You have too many.
C-Man: No I don't. I don't have all the toys.
Me: And you're not going to have all the toys. We have no room and you're not going to get spoiled.
C-Man: Well, Mom, if you really love me, you would give this to me.
Me: Ummm. I do really love you and that's exactly why you're not getting it.

Where on earth did he learn that phrase? If you really love me... Of course, the crazy thing is that I've been wanting to give it to him (even before he asked for it). Now I can't give it to him because he'll think that he got it because he's been whining about it all weekend. What's a mom to do?

My mood: been feeling down lately. Need a pick-me-up of some kind. Possible cures I'm debating are: a mai tai, a couple of days off, or a full day of retail therapy.

Posted by Cora at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

discs of cheesy dough,
gives me a tomato and
pepperoni high.

fruit snack: a rainbow,
pearly, gelatinous goo;
sugary sweetness.

a chocolate chip:
food of gods contained in small,
bite-sized perfection.

licky, sticky spoon
covered with peanut butter,
I need some milk please.

blueberry pop tarts,
when will you be done toasting?
your middles I seek.

My mood: exhausted

Posted by Cora at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was C-Man's first visit to the dentist. Some books say to visit the dentist when they get the first teeth and others say wait until most of them have come in. I figure, my pediatrician didn't ask until his age 3 visit, so age 3 it is. Okay, he's actually about 3-1/2, but close enough.

The visit went surprisingly well. I'm glad to report we have no cavities (Woohoo) and he rather enjoyed having his teeth cleaned. He didn't even protest to the fluoride. I was shocked. He got a new toothbrush, a Cars' sticker, and the dentist took his picture for her bulletin board. It was very cute. As a reward, we walked over to Pricebusters and he picked out a new toy. They have fake transformers and he was pleased as pie and so was I (they were only $4). And as an added bonus, there was barely protest when it was time to brush teeth tonight (although I'm sure the new toothbrush was a good incentive).

My mood: proud mama

Posted by Cora at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

C-Man has taken to the phrase “I’m bored. I have nothing to do.”

I brought home this skunk craft from story time for him to do tonight. The craft is to color and cut out the skunk and glue it to a Popsicle stick and make a puppet with it. So he starts to color the skunk. He makes it orange, pink and brown. Very cute. Then he asks me where the butt is, so I point it out and he starts to draw brown scribbles at the feet of the skunk, along with a green and brown line. I ask him what he’s doing. he tells me that he’s drawing the grass and dirt and that the skunk is making doo-doo. Lovely. I then cut out the skunk and make the puppet. He was so proud of his skunk he wanted to show it to Grandpa. Later on, he finds 2 monkey pod seeds (from his pocket earlier in the day) and proceeds to give me a show of the skunk taking a walk and then the skunk says “I have to make doo-doo” and drops the seeds on the ground.

I just have one question… is this going to get him into Stanford?

Oh, before I forget: Happy Birthday Baby Bro. OMG-- THIRTY!!!!!

My mood: amused

Posted by Cora at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every morning when I give my C-Man a peck on the cheek before waking, he always leans towards me for a hug or snuggles.

C-Man (5 mos) & Zin (5 yrs)

My mood: awake

Posted by Cora at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

3-year old nightmare: "Mommy, I had a bad dream -- someone took all my bacon."

My mood: stuffly

Posted by Cora at 07:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grandpa's been replacing pipes and I thought he turned off the water to my section of the house because the toilet and tank were both empty. He said he didn't and came upstairs and flushed. The water swirled and swirled and then came up, up, up and out of the tank. YUCK! Fortunately it was only water and shredded bits of toilet paper. Turns out that C-Man missed the toilet so he used TP to wipe up the mess. Grandpa asked him how much TP. He shrugs, tilts his head and says "I don't know. Lots!" So I drained the toilet so it wouldn't spill more water on the floor. Grandpa plunged the toilet, I cloroxed the floor and all was well in the world again. Grandpa told C-Man not to put too much TP and then tells me that C-Man scolds him for using 3 sheets of TP to wipe up messes. He is only to use 2 sheets. Hmmm....

Made it to the gym. Did 6 miles on the eliptical and treadmill combined. They have new eliptical machines which they're replacing the stairs with. Kathy says they cost $8000 a piece. The new machines are tricky and difficult to get used to. I ended up stopping after 30 minutes because my toes were getting tingly. Did about an hour on the treadmill. Boring, but effective.

My forehead is starting to peel. It's the stupid part next to my hairline that I must have missed with the sunscreen on top of Mokapu‘u. Lovely.

Had a picnic with Trini & her youngest at the park. Trini's mom joined us later on. She's fun. C-Man loved her basket on her walker (it made a good basketball hoop).

Thanks to sis for sending the music, eagerly awaiting the next piece.

My mood: itchy from my sunburn

Posted by Cora at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The other evening I looked up a picture of a skeleton on the internet so I could show C-Man the difference between a skull and a skeleton.There was apparently an argument the previous day between C-Man and Grandpa about the difference between the two. He now understands and even knows that different animals have different bone structures, but some things are the same like most animals have skulls. He is mildly obsessed with bones, blood and skulls. He can tell you that there are no bones in your tongue, ears (outside), nose, and a certain male-only area. And that without your bones, you'd be a shapeless blob. Don't be surprised if he walks up to you and asks "Do you have bones?"

This evening I had to look up what the definition of cumulous clouds. I know what they are, but it's difficult to explain to someone who's only 3-years and 5-months old, especially when it's dark outside. Maybe I need to show him the cirrus clouds so that he can see that there's a difference between the 2 types? Maybe I just need to tell him that they look like cotton candy and the other kind looks like feathers or like grass in a field? I dunno and I feel stupid trying to explain it.

Thank goodness for the internet.

Now I wonder, is his curiosity normal? Am I giving him too much information?

Example of when I should keep my mouth shut:
C-Man: Mommy, I want to stay with you forever.
Me: I know sweetie, but one day when you're grown up, you'll meet someone and leave me.
C-Man: [starts crying] I don't want to leave you.
Me: Baby, I know you don't want to leave me now, but some day you'll get married.
C-Man: I don't want to get married.
Me: You don't need to worry because it would be a long time from now, like when you're a really big boy, taller than Grandpa. If you don't get married, you can stay with me forever.
C-Man: Mommy, are you going to get married?
Me: No. But even if I do get married, you get to stay with me, I don't leave you.
C-Man: Do you have to grow taller than Grandpa first?

Ha, ha, ha.

My mood: amused and feeling like I should know more so I can keep up with my child

Posted by Cora at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Text and Pictures by Aunty Jean:

Greatgrandma gives C-Man some chocolate Easter eggs that she got at daycare on Friday.

C-Man decides that the way to eat chocolate is to squish it all up...

But then he's left w/ the job of cleaning up the mess...

Oh well, might as well enjoy what's left of the chocolate...

Happy Easter!

***************************************************************************
Final notes on Easter 2008:
C-Man's likes licorice flavored jelly beans...

Dying eggs is a dangerous job. Must wear protective head gear...

My mood: great

Posted by Cora at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s not a wonder why a mother is often overweight. I have consumed mountains of leftover hot dogs, pizza, rice, broccoli, chili, hamburgers, ham, carrots, peas, loco mocos, macaroni and cheese, etc. in the past few years. All the leftovers I get to eat are often soggy and always cold. In the case of fruit, I often get the rejected parts. With grapes, I always get the squishy ones. With other fruit, I get the parts that are brown, bruised, or sour.

I’ve gotten smart in my old age and sometimes the leftover food gets divided up among the 3 canine family members. I’ve never had any objections or refusals on their behalf, so everyone’s happy. I do occasionally indulge in his rejects, so today’s momma leftover menu included soggy Apple Jacks, half a hamburger, a few fries, and the crust of a slice of pepperoni pizza.

There are few things that are never leftover:
- Chocolate milk
- Juice
- Candy (Gummi Bears, Jelly Beans, MnM’s, Fruit Snacks, Chocolate, etc.)
- Ice Cream
- Mochi
- Whipped cream on any dessert (which works out great because I hate whipped cream)

I refuse to eat leftover:
- Vienna sausages
- Hot dogs
- Spam
- Something that’s been regurgitated (He once ate rocky road ice cream and spit out all the nuts)
- Anything that’s been licked (Once, he licked all the chocolate off the top of a chocolate covered glazed doughnut)
- Any beverage (he still backwashes)

I hate when:
- He says he wants more food, I get more and he eats 2 bites and says he’s pau.
- He says he wants something, I buy it and he takes one bite and then doesn’t want it.
- I ask him what he wants to eat, I buy it, but someone else is eating something better so now he doesn’t want what he has anymore.

My mood: loving my long weekend; looking forward to spending the day with friends tomorrow and family the day after that...

Posted by Cora at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talking on the phone to KK today, the following conversation took place:

C-Man [Drops a phone on my lap and runs into his room]: Ring, Ring
Me [talking on the phone so I ignore him and say nothing]:
C-Man: Mom! I'm calling you. Answer the phone!
Me: I'm on the other phone. You need to wait.
C-Man: Why?
Me: Because I'm talking to Auntie KK. I can't talk on 2 phones.
C-Man: Why not? You have 2 ears.
Me [laughing]: You're right, I do have 2 ears, but I can't talk to you right now.
C-Man: Why not?
Me: Because Auntie KK will be confused and she won't know if I'm talking to you or her.
C-Man: Oh.

Musson says I should have told him that I have only 1 mouth.

*************************************************

On Friday, Auntie M asked me if Uncle MO was bald and if he had a beard. I told her yes he does shave his head, but he doesn't have a beard. She said she wasn't sure if she believed C-Man's story. First he said that Uncle MO is bolohead. Then he said that the hair doesn't grow on his head, only on his face. Then he said that Uncle MO eats dead zebras. I assured her that he is bolohead, has no beard, and I'm almost positive that he's never eaten a dead zebra. C-Man started to argue, so I let it go. [Sigh] And people wonder why I'm so tired all the time (lack of sleep has nothing to do with it).

My mood: amused

Posted by Cora at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Becoming a mom has taught me several things.

I have learned the meaning of unconditional love. You love your child no matter how many times he's peed on his bed, accidently spilled entire cups of liquid onto the floor, and managed to turn your living room into a tornado swept area. It doesn't matter. You clean it up. You count to 100. You give him a hug and kiss. You look into those big eyes and everything bad disappears. No matter how frustrated or angry you are, your heart just melts and the slate is clean. Life is good again.

I have learned patience (sort of). If you've known me forever, you know that I come from a long line of people who have little patience for most things in life. I am slowly learning that patience is, indeed, a virtue. One that I lack, but am constantly working on. I am getting better.

I have learned that I could possibly body slam another 3-year old child who is attacking my own cub. Let me explain. The other day I was at McDonald's with the Mussons. The babes were playing in the playground and there were 2 boys who were horrid little monsters. They were tossing everyone's shoes, whacking other kids at random, and causing a lot of havoc. C-Man was sitting in one of the tubes with Musson-girl, when one of the little monsters crawled into the tube and took a chunk of skin off of C-Man's face. I saw him move away and then I heard C-Man crying. I ran to the playground in time to see the monster start to edge toward's C-Man again. I slammed my fist into the stupid netting and shouted at the kid to leave him alone. I then crawled into the stupid structure so that I could rescue my son. The monster crawled high up into the structure and other mom's were calling their kids to come out. Everyone vacated the area except the monster who was high in the structure. His mom who was just as monstrous, grabbed a broom and was poking at the structure, yelling that she was going to leave him there. Eventually he came down and she left with the 2 beasts. My son, was crying still. He has a huge piece of skin missing from his face. In the aftermath, I realized, that I was lucky that there was a stupid net separating me from this kid. I think I would have yanked him away so hard, he might have been slammed into the shoe rack behind us. That's a scary thought. My first instinct was to protect, regardless the cost.

My mood: tired

Posted by Cora at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Warning: Contents are of a 3-year old nature, be prepared to laugh...

This morning, C-Man had to make doo-doo, so he's sitting on the potty doing his thing. He calls me and the following conversation takes place:

Me: Are you pau?
C-Man (sitting on the potty kneading his testicles): Mommy, what's these balls
Me: Those are called testicles.
C-Man: What are they for?
Me: Um, when you're a big boy, you need them to make babies.
C-Man (looking confused): I am a big boy.
Me: No you're not.
C-Man: Yes I am.
Me: Okay, when you're really big like Uncle Nate or Grandpa. Are you pau?
C-Man (still fondling himself and smiling): Mommy... I'm squishing them.
Me: Um, don't squish them too much. It's gonna hurt. Are you pau?
C-Man: Yeah.

Auntie M calls me tonite at work to tell me of the following that took place earlier today. He announced to everyone at the sitter's the following: My mommy doesn't have a penis. My mommy has hair. Her hair makes she-she.

Again I ask: Is that normal?

My mood: beside myself

Posted by Cora at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The story today goes:

At Auntie M's they're playing in the pool (it's the first day in a few weeks that there's been enough sun to be outside) and C-Man says he's pretending he's a penis (yes, that's what I said). Then he tilts his head in the water and lets the water drip from the from the hair on his head. He says to her "See, I'm peeing" She tries to change the subject without laughing too much.

Is that normal?

Posted by Cora at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This morning on the couch, C-Man was curled up in a ball. He looks up at me and says with a slight British accent "Mummy, I'm quite cold." Huh? Yes, I did say British accent. Don't ask me where that's from.

Auntie M calls me at work to tell me this story. C-Man and Kekama were using the Legos and it's time to clean them up. C-Man emerges from the room and she asks him why he's not helping Kama pick up the Legos. He says "I'm just pretending that Kama made that mess all by himself."

What a nut.

My mood: chilly

Posted by Cora at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping w/C-Man. We bought stuff for the Superbowl party. I didn't see if I had a can of spinach at home, so I decided to buy one at the store. When we brought it home, I looked in the cabinet and told him that we already had 2 cans in the cabinet. He says to me "Now we have 3 cans." My jaw dropped. I didn't realize that he could do math, any math. Of course, it's not like he figured out the square root of 1521 or anything, but I thought it was a big deal.

This morning when we were cooking, I took a can of spinach out of the cabinet and was talking him through the recipe for the spinach and artichoke dip. When I took out the can, opened it and then tossed it, he said "Now we have 2 cans."

I asked my teacher friends and fellow mommies if that was average or more advanced. Trini says that it's more advanced because he didn't see the cans in front of him. She thought it was pretty good that he could conceptually come to the correct answers.

Oh, and more mommy bragging. I borrowed A cat and a dog from the library. After reading it to C-Man twice, he can now "read" the story back to me. Meaning he can look at the pictures on the page and he remembers what was on the page when I read it. He does get some of the words wrong, but the content is correct.

I'm thinking full-scholarship to Stanford...

Posted by Cora at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Conversation earlier this week (not verbatim, as my failing memory cannot even recall what I ate for dinner last nite):

[Background: Grandpa has been trying to prepare C-Man for my Vegas trip for the wedding. He's not coming and will spend several days alone w/Grandpa]

C-Man: Mommy, why is Aunty Chris getting married?

Me: Because her and Uncle Rob love each other very much. Aunty Chris is getting married to her boyfriend Uncle Rob.

C-Man: What's married mean?

Me: When 2 people love each other very much, they get married so they can spend lots of time together.

C-Man: Are you married?

Me: No, but I have a boyfriend.

C-Man: What's a boyfriend?

Me: Uncle Rob is Aunty Chris' boyfriend because she loves him very much. Do you know who mommy's boyfriend is?

C-Man: Yes, Uncle MO

Me: Right. And Uncle MO has a girlfriend, do you know who his girlfriend is?

C-Man: [shrugs] I don't know.

Me: It's mommy.

C-Man: Mommy. I want a boyfriend.

Me: No you don't.

C-Man: [yelling and on the verge of a tantrum] I want a boyfriend!

Me: Sweetie. Boys don't have boyfriends. Boys have girlfriends, most of the time. When you're a big boy and if you eat all your vegetables, drink milk and get lots of sleep, you'll be a big boy and then you can have as many girlfriends as you want. Okay?

C-Man: I want a girlfriend now.

Me: How about some milk?

C-Man: Okay.

My mood: tired, frustrated, PMSing, and I have a headache. I might also be catching a cold.

Posted by Cora at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight's conversation:

C-Man: Mommy play with me.

Me: What do you want to play?

C-Man: I want to play bad guys.

Me: I don't want to play bad guys.

C-Man: Why?

Me: Because bad guys are bad and I don't want to be bad.

C-Man: No mom. They say sorry to people when they kill them.

Me: [Speechless]

C-Man: [Acting out a scene with the bad guys where one knocks the other off the table. He picks up the one standing and leans him off the table and says...] I'm sorry I had to kill you, but I'm a bad guy and I want to run you over with my train.

Me: [Head downstairs to have a talk with Grandpa] What the heck are you guys watching when I'm not at home?

*****

Yesterday's Incident

Last nite I watched him play with his trains. He says "Watch this mom." He puts a plastic toy dog down on the floor, gets his train and then runs the train over the dog. He looks up at me and laughs. Then he says "That was fun. Watch me do it again."

My mood: speechless and slightly amused and horrified at the same time

Posted by Cora at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the weekends, C-Man's sleep schedule gets thrown way out of whack. Last nite I came home around midnite and he was wide awake. He went to bed at 1:00 and woke up this morning at 6:30. Then I find out he only had a 1-hour nap. When I came home tonite at 11:00, he's still wide awake and his room look like it exploded. We spent quite a bit of time cleaning up blocks, legos, marbles, trains, garbage trucks, construction workers, etc. off the floor. I brushed his teeth and got him into bed with the usual protesting:

-This bed is broken. It's not letting me go to sleep.

-My eyes are not working. They won't stay closed.

-My eyes are not tired.

-I;m thirsty.

-I can't go to bed. My head is not ready.

My mood: tired--- I want to go to sleep, but I've got stuff to do that hasn't been done yet...

Posted by Cora at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday, I left my last set of interviews (Woohoo!) early, so I decided to go get C-Man (formerly known as Little One) and start my weekend early.

I got to Auntie M's and first he didn't want to leave. I keep thinking to myself Do all the kids do this or just mine? I found the answer. One by one, the other kids went home with their parent eager and happy. My child complains, wants to be carried, starts to fuss. Then when I think it can't get any worse, he throws a full blown tantrum in front of the car. We're talking major screaming and stomping and waterworks.

The tantrum was because I wouldn't carry him from the house to the car. I had refused several times and according to those stupid parenting magazines, I'm supposed to stick to my guns otherwise the tantruming will become habit.

I did try to pick him up and stuff him into his carseat, but that didn't work very well. He does that stiff as a board thing and I can't get him into the seat. I tried to get him back into the yard so that I could just leave. Then I could call Grandpa to pick him up. Didn't work. Finally after about 15 minutes of tantrum, he finally succumbed to my second attempt and shoving him into his carseat.

I was drained, deflated and needless to say, my day was now shot.

When we got home. I got him out of his seat. He hugged me and said "I love you mommy"

Life is good after all...

My mood: hopeful

Posted by Cora at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday was all about the C-Man. No longer a Little One.

We did our annual pumpkin patch venture. This time I restrained myself and got only 1 large pumpkin and a pair of cuties. Don't know when I'll get around to carving him. We had ourselves a hay ride, saw JB w/his kids, and let them ride a few rides. Those PP people must make buckets of money. You think your pumpkin is fairly cheap, but when you throw in the $3 parking, hay ride, etc. it's a pretty pricey pumpkin after all.

Came home and prepared food for the masses. Homemade Mac n Cheese came out fabulous and went surprisingly well with the Saracco. My favorite wine ever. Also had hot dogs for the pints, in addition to chili, spanakopitas, hummus, and chips w/mango salsa. All in all a decent menu for a last minute shindig. As you can tell, the UH game was a bust. Couldn't get good seats and we would be scattered throughout the section, so we decided to depend on ESPN for updates and let it be. No matter, a good time was had by all and we won! 8-0 baby! 12 in the AP and 11 in USA today. BCS rankings are not available yet. I think it will be good.

My mood: great -- plans for today include P.F. Chang and Lion King. No kids, so not spending the day with C-Man is sad, but will make it up to him later.

Posted by Cora at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy, Happy Birthday Little One, Little One!

My mood: exhausted, but happy

Posted by Cora at 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)