The Standard Prayer

Whenever Fernando is on the night shift, I often struggle with avoiding my biggest weaknesses. There are good reasons that they are called the "better half". Last night was no exception. I started out with the simple desire of finishing the first part of the John Adams HBO movie (kind of a let down for me, kind of like Amazing Grace. Both about amazing men, but became too side tracked to be as powerful of a movie as those could have been.) Fernando called from the hospital at the half way point in the movie and suggested I go to bed. He warned that if I didn't stop now, I would stay up too late. This accusation is based on countless previous offenses which bring unfavorable results (AS IF WE NEEDED THE REMINDER OF MAMA MIA AND THE CHURCH FIASCO.)
After the flick, I decided to see what was on tv. I walked right into the trap. I flipped between lame shows before settling on a duo of True Beauty (lame) and a fantastic show about Polio. (No sarcasm should be taken there. My favorite shows are based on history. Really, if you have time. . .that link takes you to the show to watch online.) By the time that show was over, I felt a little less guilty since it was an educational show (really amazing. Ok I don't want to build it up too much). By this time it was midnight. I collapsed on my bed and tried to sleep.
I kept feeling the need to check to doors to make sure things were locked. I had already hit the point where sleep was just a few moments away. Still, I couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling. Even after trying to make my suppositions into fact, I went too see for good measure.

Gratitude for listening to that prompting came at the front door. The door wasn't even locked. At the back, I found the door ajar. I don't need to go through all the what if's that came rushing to my mind. I instantly thought of my standard prayer phrase. Every night I try to pray my thoughts and feelings of the day almost in the manner I would tell a friend. Yet, I keep a phrase in each nightly prayer "Please watch over our home and keep us safe." Every morning I thank Heavenly Father for answering that prayer, but last night my prayers overflowed with gratitude for answering my prayers in such an obvious blessing.

What do you do in the Summer Time?

I was going through my pictures and found a treasure trove from last summer. We, I should say I, missed the boat on getting Sea World Passes. Strangely, I did have the parking pass for the season. I didn't know if Sea World was the destination for me and the 3 kiddos this last summer. The idea of me trying to keep tow excited kids safe while packing around a 3 month old didn't sound fun or safe. With no pool in our community (hopefully I can change that soon), we were hurting for some aquatic adventure. Thanks to fun primary people, we had a riotous time in the church parking lot. As you can tell, cheap entertainment is still entertainment.





All of the fun games included water, but in ways I never had seen. For example, transferring water from one tub to another via a plastic cup on your head. Another fun one dealt with Frisbee and splashing water. The rest included catch the water filled balloon and scope water into the next bucket.

Still, this year I think I am busting down the walls of uncertainty and get the pass. I am sure that sun block companies will love my economic stimulus they'll be getting this year.

Just Take a Cold Shower

A typical morning in our household involves all three kids getting dressed and fed while I still wreak of morning stench. I don't mind usually since I often head to the gym after taking Mia to school. Showering then is more then a necessity. It was one such morning that required a speedy shower since one of my sisters I VT was coming over. It often takes our shower about a minute running before the hot water comes on. To speed up the process I decided to get all soaped up so as soon as the water was hot I could hop in and rinse off. One minute, two minutes. . .hmmm the water is actually cooler then warmer. . .five minutes and it was go no go time for rinsing off. My heart never got a bigger jump start. Ice cold water has a fantastic way to focus the mind. Many squeals and shrieks later, I was fumbling for a towel to stave off hypothermia.

It seems our water heater decided that it needed some time off. In the morning, we would have hot water, but by the middle of the day the only water coming out was near freezing. Luckily our home in still under warranty so if needed, we could get the system replaced. But Fernando and I both think we are clever enough to fix things on our own and so we attempted to troubleshoot the situation ourselves. Fernando found a reset button on the tank which revived the hot water. . .so it seemed. We hoped to buy enough time.

By the way, do you know how much you rely on hot water? Aside from showering (which I just decided to shower at the gym), washing clothes and more importantly dishes becomes obsolete. Luckily the water heater revealed it's problem. After resetting the thermostat again, Fernando noticed smoke rising from the heat proof Styrofoam. The thermostat had exploded and was melting everything in its path. Problem two came in finding a store that sold that particular part. Here is where Fernando's and my path split. I voted on a professional checking out the system to prevent any potential explosion (I get a little dramatic sometimes). Fernando insisted on doing it himself.

Being the bully I am, I persuaded professional intervention. Strangely, even though the until was under complete warranty, we still had to pay someone to come fix the problem. Cost $60. Cost of the part that was replaced $15. Time taken to repair the part. . .5 mins. Peace of mind=Priceless. Well, Fernando the optimist thought it was worth it. I was more then disgruntled. Why should I have to pay a dime to fix a manufacturing defect? Oh well, what is done is done and I finally could do the dishes.


PS The pictures were just for fun. Tiago and Mia decided to dress up fancy. The Talia picture was an attempt to capture her scragamuff hair do that was found after a nap.

Something I'm Not

"Mommy, sometimes I look at you and think that you look like a really old lady, but your not right?" This profound and perplexing question was asked by a very concerned Mia on Sunday afternoon. I asked her to elaborate. She pointed out the clear indications of old age. "Look at your hands. See those veins and wrinkles?" Now, most children think anything older then 20 is pretty old, but this wasn't the same age relativity problem. She was pointing out specific signs of aging. While there isn't anything wrong with wrinkles and veins, I'm not even 30 years old and many aside from my daughter think that I am at least 40+.

Before anyone feels like I am emotionally distraught about such conversations and revelations, I'm not. I am paying the price for trying to be something I wasn't. I always wanted brown skin, but tanning never worked for me. I would burn and peel. How many times did I ignore the warnings of a wise mother who told me to wear sunscreen and not wrinkle my forehead. So, word to the younger looking bunch of you. . .be yourself. Embrace your pasty skin (if it is pasty). Sunscreen and lotion are your friends. No wonder the cosmetic industry is booming. It is the direct result of trying to be something we are not. May be I should just get this guy to help me get beautiful:


Tiago is curious and will sometimes go get decked out in my make up. Usually he says he is being a warrior, but this day he just wanted to see what it was like to be a girl. I loved the lipstick bordering his lips and the mascara all over the place.

As an aside, I have been wanting to get some new clothes. I have quite a hard time finding something that looks my age. (note, not the 60 year old version, but my actual 28 year old self). I am done with buying stuff that looks like a high school student would wear. And I am not ready to sport the classy Mature style my mom wears. If anyone has some tips, I'm still looking.

Move over Escargot. . .

Our busy girl Talia seems anxious to explore any and everything. One can often hear her squealing with glee as she cruises towards any open bathroom door. Which brings us to curious taste tester number one of this past week: the toilet scrubber thingy. You know that bristly cleaning tool to scrub off all the "stuff" you don't want in the throne? I happened to run down stairs for what felt like was a few minutes in order to throw dinner together and heard a crying Talia upstairs. It didn't sound serious so I ignored it as I was almost finished. Not long after, the crying stopped. I figured it was Mia playing with her to help her calm down. To my horror, she wasn't in the toy room with the kids, but in my bathroom. What is nice about our bathroom is that the toilet is actually in its own enclosed room. What is not nice, is that the door to that particular room is left open to help Tiago take care of business on time. Although I did not personally witness it, all evidence pointed to at least a few moments of inspection. As much as I tried to convince myself else wise, I have seen her "investigation" processes on other items. What is that process? Touch with finger tips, grab with hand, shove the object into the mouth and repeat. Seeing as how the brush was found several feet out of the bathroom, she must have crawled with the brush into the main part of the bathroom. This process is usually done with the object in her mouth. I even sniffed her for possible smell matches. Sometimes its better not to know.

Taste tester number two: after library story time, there is a craft. I allowed Talia to crawl around while I helped Tiago make his craft. When I picked her up to leave, I noticed she was gnawing on something. I proceeded to squish her cheeks thinking I would find a discarded Cheerio. Instead I pulled out a decapitated lady bug.

Taste tester number three: At this point, you might be wondering why I let her crawl at all. After my Zumba class Saturday night, I found Talia chomping away on some other kids Binky. Who knows how she managed get it. More then that, it confused me since she gave up on the binky idea by her self several months ago.

Aside from the various things I have seen Talia eats with her two half grown teeth

(and many more I haven't witnessed), she keep s growing and exploring.

She goes up and down our stairs.
She loves to stand and cruise along the furniture. She is figuring out how to say hello and goodbye. She loves music and dances by bouncing up and down. We love having her in our family.

So long Christmas

Information and communication is vital for a successful life. When one moves into a new area, they rely on various sources to function in that new community. It is important to know where the nearest stores and banks and post offices are located. It is essential to know when your trash will be picked up. And, for those states who love mother earth, the recycling pick up dates as well. Sometimes one forgets to ask the all important questions like "What do we do with our dead Christmas tree?" I knew well enough that I couldn't sneak the 8-9ft (as labeled at the lot) kindling into the trash nor did I want to since it could be mulched. I had to turn to the source of all wisdom: GOOGLE. (they should pay me for that) The search was murky, but I finally found a somewhat clear answer. Unfortunately, I read it wrong and missed our date to put our bonfire waiting to happen out on the curb. It sat for weeks waiting to move on. I finally dragged it to the Civic and pulled out a small saw. The kids enjoyed watching mom whittle away at the tree. Tip for the next person needing to fit an over sized tree into a compact car's trunk, wear gloves. Those dry needles are well like needles.
Mia wanted to give it a go. Yes I realize that the helmet isn't really going to prevent her from cutting her leg off. . .she just got off her bike.

I drove it to the Bitters Road Recycling Station which had an eerie stillness like it was set up to shoot a suspense movie. Staffed with random but silent workers and a small group of people anxious to load their trucks with free Christmas tree mulch, I was unsure of what I needed to do. No one really knew anything and didn't really care to communicate that lack of knowledge. Oh, well. I dropped the tree off in some clippings heap and the kids loved seeing the big machinery. I was the smallest vehicle there, but I completed my own Honey Do List item in time to go to the gym and clean the house. Here is where one could do the snap and arm wave of "You Go Girl!" glory.

BumbleRide The ride of your life

The walk to Mia's school is a fantastic way to get a little meaningful exercise in the morning. Plus it allows us to spend some time together outdoors. We have been using this run down DuoGlider double stroller and it makes the whole process very tedious. Tiago has to go on front, but feels uncomfortable sitting so upright and Talia inevitably sloshes around in the back. I have been looking for a good alternative, but hesitated. I love the movability of the stroller we have but it stinks at doubling as a jogging stroller. A jogging stroller is limited by it's lame and rigid front wheel. Then I found the BumbleRide which claims to be the ride of your life.Aside from the fantastic color scheme, the various ergonomic adaptations make this stroller amazing. I love that the seats can be adjusted independently of the other. I love the fact that the stroller can be used as a jogger with ease of use. Having the safety feature of a five point adjustable safety harness and infant headrest & shoulder pads makes the idea of using it as a jogging stroller that much more possible. We have a DuoGlider and have not been very pleased with the overall feel or storage capacity (and look). This stroller seems to be a perfect fit for our family. To make things even better, they are having a giveaway from the site I Never Grew Up. Someone has to win and hopefully it's me. Check it out.