Ara at Church

Ara and I went with my Mom to her church last Friday to hang out while she cleaned. Members of the congregation take turns cleaning and it was my Mom's turn. I originally wrote that last sentence with "Woman of the church..." then I changed it because it sounded sexist. The sad part is that "Woman" was more accurate. Damn this world we live in where both woman and men perpetrate the stereotypes and pigeonhole all of our potential to live as equals! Lol.

What an outburst.
Sorry.

Ara is cute thought, right? Wow, I need to work on shorter picture descriptions!

On the bus after many schedule mishaps!

I'm in Like with You

"Draw my thing" it's an online game like Pictionary. I just stumbled across it tonight and I like it, although it's difficult to draw with the laptop mouse pad thing.

Puzzle

Itty Bitty Sports

Last night was the first practice for Ara's Itty Bitty Sports league. When we got to the park I had trouble even getting her to walk with me through the park to join the group. She sped off in every direction except the one I wanted her to go in. I had to pull her off of the play ground and then the second we got withing range of the team she dissolved into a screaming fit where she proclaimed to not want anything. After a while she and I approached the group holding hands and one of the coach's' introduced herself.

Ara screamed.

Coach Lizzy and Coach Dave were kicking soccer balls and the kids would run out and dribble them back to the starting line. We watched a few other kids do this then Ara's name was called.

Ara screamed.

Then we chased the ball out into the field. (still holding hands)

Ara was doing really well kicking it back until coach Dave blocked her path and yelled, "You gotta get by me!"

Ara screamed..
...and ran away.

The rest of the night went pretty much like that but she did warm up and she finally let go of my hand.

Ara would do hilarious "ara" things when she was supposed to be kicking. She would be feet from the goal with a ball and suddenly decide she would rather be running to the swings. Once, she stopped mid-kick to pull up hand fulls of grass and throw them into the air like confetti. She learned how to do spitting raspberries in her team mates face curesy of one bleach blond little boy with an ornery streak in him. She refused to kick any ball except the pink soccer ball. She started pretending to fall flat on her back..

After practice she was completely unwilling to cooperate in anything that meant leaving the now dark park and I had to strap her into her car seat against her will.

While she screamed.

Then she screamed some more.

Then, after she had scarfed down a surprising amount of food, she declared that she would like to do soccer again tomorrow! Haha. It's so hard to keep up.

Go Team Toddler Tigers!

Woo

M&M day! Fondue yum

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture because it was sent from my phone but the general idea is there right?  Delicious melted chocolate is all you need to know.  M&M day was really fun and the food was amazing and I am feeling a lovely mix of full and relaxed.  The first part of the meal was melted white cheeses with garlic and other amazing flavors.  We speared bread and vegetables with our long forks and dunked them into the melted cheese.  The only thing I can't figure out is why I don't do this with everything I eat on a regular basis.  Melted cheese makes everything so much better!  Seriously, I would dip my cell phone in if I ran out of dippers and still had cheese... Fortunately it didn't come to that.  Next was a salad.  Which was really good but in hind sight eating lettuce and tomato's was just a waste when I should have been saving room for the chocolate!  Strawberries, rice crispy squares, bananas, marshmallows... It was like heaven.  No really Megan and I agreed this was actually like HEAVEN.  The Melting Pot is officially my new favorite restaurant, sorry Pei Wei.  How can you compete with a bowl full of melted chocolate?  You can't.

 

Happy M&M Day everyone.  Yay!

(Next year Vegas, baby!)

Shoes

Wonder-Fall (or is it summer?)

This morning I played a fundraiser for the Community Food Bank with the Flute Club. I had no instruments (again) so I ended up borrowing 2 different flutes and a piccolo. One of the things I really like about this city is that there is a thriving pool of community musicians. There were several groups donating their time and talents today and that is a wonderful thing to see.

In the afternoon Ara and I were picked up by my family caravan. It took three vehicles to transport all of us to the Pumpkin Patch Farm. All nine of us! The weather was unseasonable warm 94F made the whole day sort of hazy and dusty and HOT. We browsed the stands of crafts and fruit and I bought Ara a marionette puppet. Then we checked out the petting zoo. It was actually really nice. Each animal was held by it's 4H volunteer and they just seemed like really sweet natured, clean, happy farm friends. Ara was enchanted, she loves animals as much as I do, actually probably more. After the petting zoo part of our group wanted to try the corn field maze. I wasn't excited about the prospect. Last year we wandered aimlessly in there for 2 hours and that was before Ara learned how to throw the worlds most annoying fits every 5 minutes. I was going to opt to wait outside but my Dad paid my brother and soon to be brother to carry Ara on their shoulders. Ara is going through a phase that makes her scream ear piercing screams if she finds herself more than a few inches from me... so off I went into the maze. Ara refused to let anyone carry her so she actually walked with us for more than 3 miles. It took a long time and it felt like the sun was so intense. My Sister bought a map this year and successfully led our slow moving group complete to all the check points and out again. I was grateful to say the least. It's funny how I saw the maze as a tiresome duty but Ara.. well she was talking about it when we got home, she will remember it as something wonderful. So I'm glad I went and I'm also glad I kept my negative comments to myself because in the the end the fact that Ara had a great time is all I really wanted. After the maze, I wanted to sit in the shade and drink gallons of water but it was finally pumpkin patch time! We hopped on a horse drawn carriage and were transported out to the fields. The hot dry fields. I sounds like such a complainer but that is my exhausted frame of mind, at the time I was happy and excited. Everyone spread out looking for that special pumpkin. Ara found these little plants that grew pods with little green fruits in them and was very satisfied with unwrapping as many as she could find. I took a million pictures and chose 3 big pumpkins for carving next week with Alison and Charles. My Dad found the perfect little weirdo pumpkin for Ara that had a perfect handle for her. Then we hauled all of our pumpkins back on the carriage, paid, and left! It was a good day for family and memories. Next year Ara and I will go again, and hopefully it will feel less like summer!

Ballerina Inturrupted

I finally found a leotard that was small enough for Ara... or she finally grew big enough to fit the smallest one..

Either way I found one!

We had a lot of fun today playing dress up, taking pictures, dancing, and laughing. She is just the cutest (and clumsiest) ballerina ever!


Ara has been testing me lately. She acts as
though she can't even hear me when I ask her to do something she doesn't want to do.. or stop doing. Actually it feels like she is especially testing my patience and possibly my sanity. Sometimes it's about something small, like putting her plate in the sink when she is done eating. Other times it's scary, like when she decides to make a chase game out of "don't go in the street!". I have honestly been beside myself in frustration. Today was better though. I have been cracking down on the small stuff, I think I let too much slide usually. I have reinvented the time out punishment. Instead of sending her to her room (filled with toys) she has to sit on a kitchen chair for 3 minutes with no talking. Every time she gets up the time starts over. I can see that my struggle is not over by a long shot but even some small improvement is welcome.

Tomorrow we are going to the corn field maze! I am excited. I took Ara there with my family last year for the first time and there are horse drawn carriages and a huge pumpkin patch and over priced hot dogs and fun fun fun!

I took my flute to Bill (the flute fixer) and he gave us a pretty nifty tour of his piccolo factory I will take a camera when I pick my flute up because I want to talk more about it!

Ara says I stink.

From fluteloop

Italian soda

To do

Bank, target, flute repair, safeway.. Boring but so much easier with a car!

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I forgot what my original topic was.

The weather has been so amazing! It feels like fall finally and I feel drawn to go outside as often as possible. This is really like spring as far as the plants are concerned, everything is green from the monsoon rain and happy with the sunshine and mild temperatures. Yesterday my Mom, Joey, Ara, and I took a $5 pizza to the park and had an easy picnic. I helped Joey put together his new lego sets on a picnic table and the sunshine felt like a warm blanket while a slightly chilly breeze kept us cool. Ara ran my Mom around the park playing soccer, sliding, swinging, exploring. It was a very nice day and we found a creepy giant moth dead in the grass. I took a picture with my phone and uploaded it yesterday but I don't think it looked like much in the picture.

Usually on Tuesday I take Ara to the YMCA and either do the elliptical or afro aerobics but we have been home bound since the car died. I could take the bus but I never have any cash! I think tomorrow I should look into a bus pass. So, just to get out of the house and enjoy the weather I strolled Ara down to the park again. We had the whole place to ourselves which is really rare expecially with the schools around here on fall break. Don't the kids go outside anymore? I sound like such an old fart saying that lol. "Why, when I was your age young wipper snapper..." But seriously it was nice not to worry about the dog people, and the sports people, and the creepy guy people. My aim was to tire Ara out for nap time, I ended up only tiring myself! Still, it was fun and although it was no afro aerobics I did get in some excersize.

I still don't have an oven but I am still considering making a Batman cake for a co-worker of A's. The landlord said he would get us a working oven about 6 weeks ago and last week he mentioned he had been 'looking' for one on craigs list. Comforting. I plan to gently remind him again in a week. I would like to be able to bake something for Thanksgiving at least. The oven hasn't worked since we moved in May.

I am still excited about the cake, practice for my Dad's wedding! I even discovered tonight that You Tube has a bunch of 'how to' video's on cake decorating. Of course, what DOESN'T You Tube cover? Awesome.

I am going to bite the bullet tomorrow and call Bill (the flute fixer). My poor flute has been in terrible shape for waaaay too long. I am hoping it isn't going to cost a ton but I'm afriad it will be a complete overhaul situation. It will be lovely to have flutey in good working order again though! Oh how nice it will be. I may have a cheapy flute but it's mine and it has served me well! I borrowed a student's flute for the Stravinsky concert last Saturday and that was nerve wracking. Trying to feel comforatable on a different flute in a few hours.... Reminds me of my piccolo fiasco last year on the Finko Concerto. Everything was fine though and I am de-stressing as we speak.

Going to the park

Giant dead moth

Ara Playing at Church

Went with my Mom and Joey to church on Sunday, I have mixed feelings about it but Ara did enjoy their swing set!

Rehearsals TCO

It's been a tense and hectic week of rehearsals. The concert is tomorrow and really hope that there will be an audience full of optimistic supporters. Losing our director/conductor so suddenly at the end of last season has put the orchestra in a difficult position. Luckily it has some dedicated members that are working to ensure it's survival. I really enjoy playing with this group. I thrive in a chamber music setting and I want to play, damn it. What? That was me being optimistically supportive!

My flute has crapped out on me, I can feel the thousand 'I told you so' coming from the thousand people who have told me I needed to have it fixed. It was still semi-playable until about.. last night. There is just simply no more mileage in my pads no matter how hard I mash down my fingers... and the foot joint has been broken into 2 pieces since last year. (gogo scotch tape) I know, I am so ghetto. I just hate to have to be without my flute for any length of time.. but it's time. This Stravinsky is difficult enough without having to compensate for leaks. I make life so much harder than it has to be sometimes!

I've got my eye on you!

Beads

Ara and I did some bead work today. She likes to pick out the beads and then I usually string them although she is getting pretty good at it! We made this bracelet and a book mark (which I was really excited about).

We also played a board game today. My sister gave it to Ara for her birthday and I put it up in the closet. I thought she wasn't ready for such an advanced game. She noticed it today up on the top shelf! I didn't see any harm in giving it a try and although we didn't 'exactly' follow the game we did have a lot of fun. It was so cute, I would say, "Ara it's your turn to pick a card" and she would carefully pick up one ladybug card. We would read the number on the card. If it said something like, "move ahead 3 spaces" she would move 3 spaces.. and then 4, and 5, and 6... all the way to 14! She is enthusiastic if nothing else.

WoW treadmill race

I thought this was an interesting little experiment. Wouldn't it be a perfect world if we LIKED doing things like running on a treadmill to power a game character! When I used to play FFXI I tried using an exercise ball as a chair. Not quite in the same league as these guys but, hey I tried right?

Speaking of, I haven't been to the YMCA this week.. and I feel it. I am missing the freedom that having a working car gives you. Not that it's life or death but it's so much more of a hassle! I missed flute club rehearsal tonight because I couldn't get there. I would have had to leave early to get to the TCO rehearsal but still it would have been good to go since I think it's the last chamber rehearsal before a couple gigs. I don't know.. I am terrible with remembering dates. I ended up practicing the Stravinsky which I REALLY needed to do anyway. I am frustrated that it is taking me so long to understand this piece. I feel like I am cramming and my brain isn't processing the information! The last two nights I have gotten less than 4 hours of sleep, so tired. Sleep. Soon. I hope.

Blurry but cute

Areon Flutes

Areon Flutes, I am so excited about this group! They won bronze at Fischoff and are really paving a path for professional flute ensembles. Check them out!

TCO Concert this Saturday

Ara needs wings

So we are in the car late afternoon and driving west facing a setting sun.

Ara says, "the sun is over there, mama you want to drive past it?"

I say, "it does look close but the sun is actually very high up in the sky"

Ara says, "but the birds could reach it!"

I smile at my brilliant girl and say, "that's good thinking, they might be able to fly so high"

I know thats a fib, but I don't want to shoot down her ideas all the time.

Ara says (more to herself than to me), "I need wings"

Five Friends "vote while you poop"

"You can literally register to vote while you poop, if you have a laptop"


I'll admit it, I registered today. Go ahead and judge I deserve it!

Ara

Just so pretty

Red dress

Purple Car Oh Purple Car

The purple car is sad...


...the transmission is dead now and it's worth more than the car so that is that.

Time for something new(er).

I have always had hand-me-down cars (I'm not complaining) but this is totally new territory to me to be looking at cars. I have a choice? Well, not really but in this situation I have more choices than I have ever had in the past.

So I have seriously weighed my options, and I've decided I would like a sparkly kinda silvery blue color! Hahahaha....haha...hah....ah.

To DO...

I am having one of those days where I am constantly remembering things I need to do.. a mental to do list. The problem is that I have the short term memory of a.. stuffed animal? I want to organize the bookshelves, find someone to watch Ara during rehearsals next week, wedding on Sat. (probably going to need a ride and ara at the ceremony?), preparations for car dying and being stranded, practice, call Bill to have my flute fixed (the tape holding the solder on the foot joint is starting to feel ghetto). Is that how 'solder' is spelled? It doesn't look right but spell check let me slide.. Look at the dinner menu this week and figure out how to make the things I planned (haha)
What is it about recipes anyway.. they always assume I have some idea of what I am doing! I want to make stuffed bell peppers tomorrow night and the recipe says to mix all the ingredients together and stuff them in the peppers but I keep wondering if I am supposed to cook the meat first? And what about the rice? It seems weird to stuff things with raw meat and rice.. I have no idea, it doesn't say to cook it first so I guess I shouldn't?

The car is dying again. Well it has always been dying but it has some new symptoms lately. The transmission is broken now or something because the car slips out of gear on turns and stops now (automatic). Also one of the tires is low. So I need to put air in the tire and decide what to do with the damn car. I hate things that break.

I have aerobics tomorrow and I've already gotten a good head start on the house so now it's time to relax a little before bed. I promised myself no physics game..

What I do instead of sleeping...

This Contraption took me waaaay too long to tweak but it was fun!

Swept Away!

Fantastic Contraption: A fun online physics puzzle game

My ingenious contraption (by that I mean a random design that somehow worked)

It's a fun game but I'm stuck on a level with steps that is making me crazy!

Bday fun

Ara and George

Ara, Today, and my Book progress!

Ara is really picking up on the letters! She has been able to recognize the letters in her name (I know I know her name isn't supercalifragilistic or anything) for some time but now she is retaining several other letters. We have been trying to work alphabet lessons into everyday life as much as possible, before meals, while we color, driving, and anywhere there is an opportunity. I am feeling pressure to make sure that my "mommy school" does not fall short of daycare.

Today we visited with my Mom at her house and then had lunch with my grandparents and Steve (Mom's significant other). I have been wanting to thank Steve for the help he gave us when Ara was in the ER and since I always forget to bring a card I thanked him over lunch. I really wanted wanted him to know what it meant to me that he made it possible for both my Mom and A to be at the hospital with us. I would have broken down if not for them! He said it was nothing and I thought about how the small kindnesses we show others can mean so much more to them than we can know.


I finished the Da Vinvi Book last night.
I have been trying to watch the Da Vinci movie today but the longest I have been able to devote to it has probably been about 10 minutes. I am feeling annoyed with what I feel are far to many plot holes and lame writing tactics from the book. The movie so far is good although I find it kind of creepy that the two main characters are so far apart in age. In the book there is a 10 year difference, the actors they chose were more like 20 years apart and I keep thinking "she could be his daughter!" Don't get me wrong, I love Tom Hanks. I would see the movie just for him but still.. a tad creepy and hard to belive (for me anyway). I did like that books descriptions of the art though. I had never looked that closely at Da Vinci's work. To be honest I would look and think.. awkward! But after reading I did what probably everyone else did and I googled the images. I feel smarter already and also.. stupid. I have the other book on the reserve shelf and now I am having second thoughts. This book was starting to test my patience for lamo suspense tricks and plot holes I don't know if I need to read another Dan Brown so soon.. I will start it anyway since I am waiting for Eclipse.

I better start the battle to get Ara's hair washed or I will never get her out of the bath and into bed!

Ara requested a target trip..

...and I'm a sucker!

I'll admit I was amused that she has the same shopping impulses that I do. We went inside and she fell in love with this huge toy horse thing. She tried to pick it up and asked me in such a cute way if we could buy it. I was looking at her struggling to pick up this heavy toy and I fought the urge to buy! I told her that Momma didn't have enough money and she said, "we could get some from the bank!". She is my raptor (Jurassic park reference). I did end up buying a toy for the birthday party we are attending on Saturday and I found Sesame street flash cards for the alphabet. I was going to make my own flash cards but I thought these might be more durable. I am on my third cup of green tea in today and I am thinking faster than my fingers can type!

Last night I went to the chamber ensemble rehearsal for the flute club and played a train wreck of an audition (I still made it in). The director is an old professor of mine from the UA and I had a great time catching up and reminiscing with her. I'm glad I've decided to re-join the club I really am rusty after a summer off and I am enjoying seeing some old friends. Flutey friends! I need to get my flute to a repair man before the TCO season starts, the tape holding my foot joint together is starting to feel a little ghetto...

Peace Out? WTH was I thinking?

Afro aerobics yay! Ara didn't want to let me go so I ended up being 15 minutes late and missing the warm up but once I got going it didn't matter. I am going to show Ara the moves, she is really excited to do some momma dances! I think I will even see if I can download some of the music on itunes! I have a student coming any minute so.. Peace out Mofos!

A Glimpse Into a Distracted Mind.

I made chicken and dumplings tonight in the crock pot! I am so proud of my new found skill in crock potting! It seems I can cook as long as I use some gadget thing. I am a master foreman griller and now a great slow cooker-cooker! Tomorrow night is roast beef! The first time I tasted chicken and dumplings was in Germany and I remember thinking that it was delicious but being unable to identify the ingrediants in the dumplings I spent the meal wondering if it was something gross. I was really proud of my dumplings and Ara and I thought they were yum!

Ara is excited about Halloween and I am excited about her excitement for holidays! I just love this time of year when the weather changes (please.. soon.. need less HOT) and all the holidays are lined up ahead of you. I can't wait to start thinking of costumes for Ara. I've tried getting her involved but I don't think she has any idea what I am talking about. So far she has expressed interest in dressing up as... red. Not little red ridding hood or a red train, just red. I think I'll be purple. She is so refreshingly original, no "box" thinking for her!

There is a baby gecko in my house. I just saw the poor little guy scoot behind the entertainment... the TV ( couldn't think of what to call the thing the TV sits on) I hope he finds a door before my cat finds him.

I have afro aerobics tomorrow, I am thinking of doing my toenails because I have to be barefoot. How vain am I? What I should do is find a magic spring that will give me super powers to get through that class with some grace and energy! I am kind of dreading the soreness in my calves I remember from last week. That was insane.

I am starting to get desperate to read eclipse. I keep re-reading parts of Twilight and New Moon but it's not the same. I love being addicted to a new series, it reminds me of old times with Harry Potter. There have been a lot of comparisions between the two series. Mostly I guess because they are both fantasy and both wildly popular. And probably because the Twilight movie has been put into the old HP movie slot (so sad). I know I am only 2 books into the Twlight series but HP still shines in my mind. I am starting the Da Vinci Code tonight and it looks pretty beefy so I hope it can hold my attention until I can get my hands on eclipse.

Time for sleep. I hope this all made sense I have been hopelessly distracted and I have 7 tabs open so I can jump wherever my thoughts take me. I have internet attention disorder.

They will Bite YOU!

Ara has been so moody lately I feel like I am starting to wish I could turn off my ears at will. The fits.. oh the fits.

Tomorrow I have the whole morning filled up so that I can keep her busy until nap time. That's the plan.. diversionary tactics. YMCA and then the library. I am excited about the library because one of the books I have on reserve is in, Dan Brown the Davinci Code. I wish Eclipse was in I am DYING to continue the Twilight series but paying $20 for a book I will read in 2 days tops seems wasteful.

This weekend I came up with a strict budget plan and we have been trying to change our thinking and spending habits. So, borrowing the book from the library is in line with being thrifty. Unfortunately I am not a patient person by nature! Let's hope Dan Brown keeps me occupied for a bit. I am like #94 on the reserve list so it could be a while. I just had a thought while I paused to think.. how ironic. I have been trying to think of ways to remind myself to live green. I want to think about wasting less, recycling more, and being creative in reusing. So, while I paused to think I realized I could look to see if the library has a book on being green!

Oh, while I am on that subject... I was watching You Tube's National Geographic channel the other day and there was an episode about sharks. We have brought the entire species of sharks to the brink of extinction (as we do with all large predatory animals). The documentary blamed game fishing and commercial fishing for foods such as shark fin soup. Damn the Asians and their shark fin soup! I thought that sounded a tad strange.. I have never been offered shark fin soup and I'm Asian so I'm positive I have all the facts.. you know.. because I'm brown and stuff. Sorry I should filter my thoughts... Anyway I was sitting there watching this video feeling all righteous because for once I can say that I am not part of the problem. I don't eat seafood. But then I thought about how I eat meat in place of eating seafood and there are probably several species that have suffered so that meat farmers could clear land and raise meat. Then I thought about becoming a vegetarian so that I could clear my conscience... and of course I came full circle, thinking of the acres and acres of land cleared for agriculture. So what is the answer? Depopulation I guess.. how very bleak.

I'm done... but I still feel sad for the sharks. Apparently the perfect predator, the shark hasn't changed since before the dinosaurs were alive... that's right.. before I was alive! Harhar. So funny with the "I'm old" jokes right?

Shwiggy woo

Blogger Templates are Fun!

I was messing with templates tonight and then I my eye lids started to droop and this is the one I happened to be using at the time... I hate it. I chose it because it had the dimensions I wanted for my own picture banner and then only afterward did I realize the layout is so ick... I will fix it tomorrow.. or whenever the inspiration strikes me again! I will sleep now and worry later.

Ara with flowers

Feeding the birds at the park

Test

Testing updates via phone

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I can shake shake shake my booty!

Workout: Yay I made it to the afro aerobics class! The teacher is this perfect tall blond who is actually really sweet but is a jerk for having a reflection that makes my reflection look so crappy. I loved the music which had intricate drum beats and such energy. The moves were fun and although I looked horribly awkward it felt like dancing and was SOOO much better than the never ending monatony that is the elliptical. The teacher brought sarongs for us to wear and the whole class was barefoot haha. Sadly, I woke up sore this morning and after the class my soreness has doubled. I need a hot bath and a massage!

After the class Ara and I came home and ate a lunch of leftovers. They were good leftovers so I wasn't complaining. I am an excellent microwaver. I had to clean the house for my student and then I put the sleep resistant Ara to bed. She was silent for probably 45 minutes and I don't know if it was her active brain or the sound of power tools from next door (landlord AGAIN) but she was very awake when I went to get her. The student I saw today is making great progress, this is her first year in High School and her first year in a band of any kind. I think the whole expirience is helping her to push herself foward. I've been teaching her since she was 4 so it's hard for me to see her as a freshman! And... you know where that train of thought led me.. SOMEDAY ARA WILL BE 14!~ /dramaqueen off

Sunny Park!

Workout: 55 minutes (that's right I gave up 5 minutes short of an hour and I suck)

After the Y Ara and I ate our lunch at the park. The weather was incredible. It is lovely to be outside and not bake. Ara made lots of friends and I chit chatted with some Mom's which is unusual for me because I am usually too shy. We seem to have invited some of the bazillions of flies that live at the park to come home with us though... I hate bugs in the house! I put my PB&J down at the park for a second to stop Ara from doing something and when I looked back it was black with flies. Needless to say I shared Ara's sandwich and the birds finished off mine. I brought plenty of grapes so we had enough to eat but I mean.. eww flies.

I signed Ara up for Itty Bitty Sports today! It starts mid-October and she even gets a special shirt to wear like a real team. She will be learning 4 different sports and I am bubbling with the excitement, I just KNOW she is going to love this!

I also signed up for Afroaerobics for tomorrow, I hope there will be enough people for the instructor because I am looking forward to something other than an elliptical.

Monkey Monkey

Ara and I borrowed the Curious George movie from the library last week and she is very pro- "kurris George" now. I've been reading her Curious George stories for bedtime and her favorite story is one where George follows a duck to the park and finds a dump truck. He also sees a family sitting on a blanket in the park eating a picnic. So dump trucks and picnics have been her favorite topics lately! Tonight we took her to the park to have a picnic, she was ecstatic. The poor kid has recently grown and she can barley run 5 feet without tripping on nothing and sprawling head first into the grass. I'm so glad she inherited my ears and lack of grace... Ara doesn't let it slow her down though, she shakes it off and runs another 5 feet. She wasn't thrilled with the part of the "picnic" where she had to actually sit and eat though. It was like pure torture to her that we forced her to eat a bread stick before she ran off. She plays a little on the slides and enjoys throwing her red ball around a bit but mostly she just likes to run. She is pretty fast too, her little legs are a blur of motion as she sprints in one direction, falls, then as something else catches her eye she rushes off in another direction. She always gives off a feeling of pure joy as she plays though and it fills my heart up to watch her smile and laugh and even fall. Personally, I think she is pretty great even if she is impossible to take a picture of!

I don't know why I'm still awake, I feel like I have a flu or something and I need to close my eyes.

Red isn't just a suggestion

I ran a red light on a left turn arrow and the stop light took my picture and mailed me a $280 ticket. Only my second ticket ever so I'm bummed and a little paranoid now that the "man" is watching me! I don't even get to be righteously indignant because the pictures and video of me committing the act are pretty indisputable. Soo... it's off to traffic school for me, hopefully I will learn to be less of a danger on the road.

Ara's Eye

We had a hard day today. Ara scratched her eye with a juice box straw and then rubbed it frantically and managed to get all of her upper eyelashes stuck under her eye lid. She wouldn't let me near the eye to see what was wrong but by the way she was screaming I felt a trip to the ER was in order. Lots of feeling powerless while she cried hysterically and was held down by countless doctors trying to pry her eye open in sued. The first doctor kept yelling at her that she was 3 and she was old enough to know to open her eye. He tried twice, when he returned to the room the third time I wasn't going to let him touch her again but luckily he had decided the same thing and he sent us onto another part of the hospital.

The third time they tried to hold her down it took FIVE people.

She screamed for me.

Over and over.

"It hurts"
"Momma!"
"No thank you PLEASE"
You have never felt your heart break like it breaks when you are powerless to help your child.

She was terrified and traumatized. So the stupid resident comes back into the room while she is sobbing into my shoulder and says that I have to choose; either to sedate her or to let their child life specialist talk her into allowing them to do the procedure while she is awake. I'm sorry but why had no one called a child life specialist before they terrorized her 3 times? I was like.. "she is scared of you and everyone else wearing scrubs, that's not going to change because a lady with a smile and some toys comes to play with her". I chose to have them sedate her, I felt like it was the only choice. The resident didn't like it, he tried to talk me out of it by listing all of the dangers involved. He pointed out the machine they have for reviving her should her heart stop or should she stop breathing. I took a deep breath, said a prayer and repeated my wish. In the end they got it done, and she woke up a different girl. Since the eyelashes were out of her eye and they had put some numbing drops in she was finally out of pain (6 hours of pain and no food or drink would make anyone mad) Ara was like a different kid. All of the nurses loved her and they fed her Popsicles and let her waste their ace bandage stuff by making bracelets.

Cornia abrasions are particularly painful because the eye has so many nerve endings but they do heal very quickly. In a 3 year old they said to expect a full recovery in 2 days. We have some sort of goop that I get to "try" to put IN her eye 4 times a day to help ward off infection and motrin for the pain. Other than that she is as good as new. Oh yeah and I worked out today.

The end.

breaks suck

Workout: (fail) 30 minutes elliptical, 20 minutes strength

I had no energy.. but I blame my cat for spilling my cereal before I had a chance to eat any. When in doubt, blame your cat (he doesn't care!) I was so excited to finally take the afro aerobics class but I guess they didn't have enough people signed up before hand so the class was canceled. I was a sad panda! I guess I am just paying for being lazy about working out lately. I need to get back in the game, October is coming up fast and avoiding the treadmill won't help me much lol.

WOW ~> http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. Someone take me please!!!!!!!!!!

I Have Tools, Now What?

Workout: 25 minutes crossramp, 20 minutes strength, 35 minutes treadmill.

I usually do an hour of cardio in one go but today I just felt like mixing it up a bit. I put the strength circuit in the middle. Variation is always good but I think I will start with treadmill next time because that is where I really want to see improvement. The trainer left me a note... I was expecting it but it still sucked. She noted that I have been falling short of my goals lately and asked if I was logging all of my workouts. Oh well, I am back and focused again and ready to make up for the 2 week break.

I am trying to put Ara's trike together today. She has been asking about it everyday, the poor poor deprived child lol. It's harder than I thought it would be. The instructions and the way they label the different sizes of screws sort of boggles my brain. I am frustrated trying to hammer an end piece that will hold the wheel onto the shaft. There is nothing to hold the other side in place, so when I hammer it just slips out of place. Punk instructions.

I have been working on a wedding invitation for A's sister. They want something similar to the invitations I make for Ara's parties. I thought that would be no problem until they emailed me the picture they wanted to use. It's a black lab wearing a bridal veil. I was a little discouraged because the picture wasn't great quality. It was taken indoors with flash so the lighting is harsh and the eyes are little reflective white circles. I have been working on it for the past two nights and I am pleasantly surprised. Instead of being super weird it looks cute and once I put some more time into repainting eyes I think I will be happy with it.

So You Had a Bad Day....

Workout: Never made it to the Y because the car ran out of gas in the middle of an intersection.

Down with the FEET!

Workout: 30 minutes elliptical, 25 minutes treadmill, strength/cardio circuit.

I reversed the arms on the elliptical on Tuesday so that I was pushing, mostly out of curiosity because I have always ignored that setting. It turns out.. I have muscles there and I have not been using them! I was sore.. in my shoulders, sides, and even abs. Almost a good sore but a when taking a deep breath makes you aware that you have ribs and they hurt.. not so much good. So today I struggled, I am still feeling like I am "getting" sick, unless I'm tired then I actually feel sick. Does that make sense? But I have been away from working out for almost 2 weeks, I will pop a vitamin and be at the gym in the morning before I let that go on any longer. I felt like a wimp today, kind of moapy and grumpy. My feet are really bothering me on the elliptical, they go numb and hurt at the same time. Like a spiky painful numb. I might look at getting some cushion things for my shoes next time I'm at Target. It really bums me out because I enjoy the elliptical, if only I didn't have feet. I knew feet were up to no good! Down with FEET!

Back to the Y

Workout: Yay! Back to the routine. 62 minutes elliptical, 30 minute shower lol.

I was dreading working out after such a long break but it was surprisingly good. Yay for that. I noticed a new class happening today at a time I can actually attend! It's afro aerobics and it sounds really fun! Hopefully it will be a regular class, if it's still on the schedule next week I am going to try it! I think I will also try to make a step class on Sunday if A doesn't mind too much. We have a busy weekend ahead... as usual.

Plastic bags and dead bugs

I just did the grocery shopping for the week and I'm feeling guilty about using plastic grocery bags.

Are Plastic Grocery Bags Sacking the Environment?

My dinner plan this week:

(it's hard to type with my cut finger /whine)

Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Roast Beef (yay Crockpot)
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: Stew
Friday: out

I'm not feeling well, hopefully I just need a little r&r and I will be as good as new. The last two weeks have been so busy that a lot of things have been getting shoved aside. Things like.. sleep and working out! Today is catch up day, I already filled the fridge with food for the week, I need to clean the house, write the bills on the bill board, and give Ara a bath. That will free up the week so that I can get in morning workouts, return library books, update and have my business cards printed, and focus on potty training with Ara. She has made some progress but I feel like I need to make it a priority so that we can be done with it (woots for no more diapers!). I wish there was an easy button for this because I feel like a dork noob.

The studio I use for lessons on the northwest side of town has expanded. There is now a counter set up in the lobby area for instrumental rentals. I'm really glad to see that Mike, the owner has found a way to supplement because it has been slow for him with students. I love teaching in the space, it's roomy and the location is convenient for my students. I am hoping I can pick up a few new students with the school year starting. I would love to add another day of teaching. I'm also thinking of returning to Flute Club. I need to play more before I forget how! Soon I will only be able to qualify as a flute holder....

David Finko, the composer of the pic concerto I premiered last spring sent me a recording of another soloist playing his arrangement with piano. In some ways I preferred the piano accompaniment because the scoring with the orchestra made balance difficult in the mid range. Still I think overall the orchestral accompaniment offered more interest as far as textures and colors. The piece will be performed my Mimi Stillman this fall! I'm excited about that, I hope David sends me a recording so that I can compare myself and feel utterly inadequate... wait what?

Ara just brought me a dead beetle... she dropped it into my hand and asked me what it was. Gross. What is the purpose of all the tiny beetles....

Well on that note (dead bug) I will stop typing!

Excited

Can't wait!

Opps I'll have to wait!

On August 14, the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was moved to summer 2009.

Artist

Dreams and Cakes

I wish that I had a mouse arrow in real life that I could use to hover over things so that a little explanation box would pop up. You could be driving along and when that angry guy cuts you off and you're like,"what the heck? are you really that big of an a-hole?" Then you could place your mouse over him and it would tell you what his problem is! Which might help or it might just confirm your suspicions that he is fact a jerk face but either way you would understand a little better.

Ara's Birthday was a very nice day. She kept saying, "Momma? Happy Birthday!" Which was so cute. We wanted to take her out to a nice dinner, unfortunately we ASKED her where she wanted to eat... so we all had delicious chicken-type products from McDonalds. I decided last night that I will make her birthday cake instead of letting A's Mom buy one. I love baking, the only flaw in the plan is that our oven hasn't worked since we moved in. So I finally called the landlord about it today. He came over and decided that it doesn't work. He said he will bring in a different oven (I wish the word "different" were replaced with the word "new") but I doubt that will happen quickly enough for the party on Saturday. So I will be making fun trips to my Dad's to bake the cakes, and I will decorate them here. The only problem will be getting the cake to the party without it melting into a frosting puddle. I miss AC in the car!

A Birthday Letter To Ara

To Ara on your 3rd Birthday,

I can't help but think about what was happening 3 years ago on the eve of your birthday.  I was so impatient to see your little face and when you were finally here I couldn't take my eyes off of you.  You were so beautiful, your eyes were perfect almonds of deep brown and your lips were an adorable pout.  You smelled sweet and the weight of your tiny body in my arms made me feel so fulfilled and scared at the same time.  Being your mother is the most wonderful, challenging, and scary task I have ever undertaken but I wouldn't change a thing.

This past year, your two's, were not as terrible as people say they will be.  You are opinionated and stubborn but you are also kind and sweet.  This year I have had to realize that you are not a baby anymore.  You are so brave, you charge right ahead into any situation and my instinct is to always protect you.  You don't mind me there but you don't need me to hover over you anymore. 

This year you have developed a sense of the world around you, including the dangers.  You talk to everyone you meet about thunder.  For Halloween I worried about taking you somewhere people would be wearing scary costumes.  So we took you to the Children's Museum where.  You were dressed in a Minnie Mouse outfit that I made, it didn't look much like Minnie Mouse but you were happy with it anyway.  It was so much fun, we painted pumpkins, played in a pretend grocery store, and even played in the train room.  Trains are still one of your favorite things.  You also love your Dora blanket and sheets although you don't really watch the show much.  I think you love it because we let you pick it out.  Your newest craze has been ponies.  It started with an old DVD we borrowed from the library but now we check out books about real ponies and horses and you love them.  We still watch a lot of Charlie and Lola but we pick new videos every other week at the library so there is variety. 

We used to go to the play groups and storytime groups every week at the library.  You loved to interact with the kids and to color in the children area but you had such a hard time sitting still for the stories.  You love to move.  Trying to stop you from dancing and singing felt futile.  After our trip to California to see your great great Grandmother we started going to the YMCA instead.  You love the helpers and kids at the Y.  Everyone knows your name and they all smile when you walk in.  You love to sing the "YMCA" song and even though you're not supposed to the workers let you go back behind the counters.  Your smile lights up the building and everyone smiles back.  We usually spend about 2 hours there a couple times a week.  The other days you help me do the grocery shopping, house cleaning, and general errands.  These are boring things but you don't seem to mind, in fact you are always thrilled to help Momma. 

You are very artistic.  We spend as much time as we can drawing, painting, coloring, and even making beaded jewelry.  I am amazed at the control you have.  You can draw shape and little characters.  When you want to color something I like to draw a few pages for you.  A few months ago I drew you a page that had a bunch of balloons.  When I walked over to check on you expecting to see that you had colored in my drawing I was shocked to see that you had turned the paper over and drawn balloons of your own.  You concentrate so hard and you draw recognizable birds, cats, and even people.  You are always so proud of your art and so am I.

In April we moved into the new house and we moved you into a toddler bed.  The transition went fairly smoothly although we had a couple sleepless nights.  We decorated your room with pictures I made for you and a special colorful rug your Daddy picked for you.  You helped us to organize your toys into bins so that it's easy to find what you are looking for.  You are good at helping put them away now.

You have a step stool in the bathroom that makes you feel like a big girl.  You love to wash your hands and brush your own teeth now that you can see the sink! 

We just got back from a camping trip at Canyon Lake (AZ), your first camping trip in fact!  We went with Grandpa, Ann, Auntie Emily, Uncle Victor, Erin, Shawn, and Shane.  Heather, Preston, and little Jackson came up for the day on Friday and Saturday as well.  I loved to sit and watch you play.  You had an expression of joy and curiosity all the time.  You were so brave in the lake I had to remind you not to pass the buoy that marked the swimming area which was way out in the deep part of the lake.  You kept telling me not to follow you, so I had to give you some space (not too much though!).  You loved camping so much you would go and go and go until you finally just passed out from exhaustion.  The very first morning you woke me at 5:45 am and said so sweetly, "Momma, the sun came up".  Even something as small as that amazed you and made me smile.  I love to see the world through your eyes. 

One of our special games is to make up songs.  You think of something like a door and I think of a song.  If I can't think of a real one I just make up a new one.  You love this game and you remember the songs!  You have such a sweet voice and even your Dad is impressed with your pitch and he is the picky one! 

You bring me such joy and I hope you feel like the most special and loved girl in the world tomorrow! 

Ara's first camping trip!

Camping on Canyon Lake.

Today Ara and I leave for a camping/boating trip with my family. This is Ara's first camping trip and I am a little nervous about how she will sleep and keeping her safe.

Will I be a Mom noob her whole life?
Maybe.

I originally planned to pack light and simplify. That never works. I have a tent bag (clothes), beach bag, car bag, and bathroom bag. Not to mention sleeping bags, shoe bag, sheets & blankets, toys, and life vest. I am sitting here not feeling well trying to finish up last minute odds and ends. Paying bills, calling students about Sat.. I still need to throw the trash, do the dishes, make lunch, do the dishes again.. lol. Oh and get the camp stove down from the loft without killing myself.

It has really poured rain the past two nights and our leaky seals on the car have turned the car in to a SMELLY Venice. I freak out if anything touches the floor because it's so gross and wet and gross. GROSS. The car is so endearing with it's many many many problems. It makes me think of the smelly canals in Venice. Not that I've ever been there, but the book I just finished was set there and smelly rivers of rancid water sounds about right. I would like to shampoo it before we leave but I won't have time. Maybe it will all work out. Maybe the car will become self cleaning. That seems likely.

I sound grumpy but I am really looking forward to this trip. It will be nice to be out on the water, swimming, wake boarding (I think I fear the ski's too much we'll see), sitting by a camp fire. I think Ara will have the time of her life! My Dad has a little birthday party planned for her on Saturday so the grand total for Ara parties this year seems like it will be three! Three parties for a three year old cutie. It's a dangerous precedent, I know.

Well one last bill to pay and then I can go dangle on the ladder with the camp stove.

Packing. Yay.

I want to go to China!

:P

Workout: 30 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill

I'm tired, I'll write more tomorrow :P

Friday Rolls Around Again

Workout:
30 minutes elliptical
30 minutes treadmill
15 minutes around the strength circuit

After a 2 day break (1 day intentionally, 1 day because Ara was sick) I was dreading dragging my butt back to the gym. I should stop with that expectation because whining about how hard it is to come back after a break is a drain on my motivation. Plus there are so many other things I can complain about, it's really a waste lol.

After the Y, Ara and I went swimming at my Mom's pool. I forgot her floaty (it seems I am incapable of NOT forgetting at least one crucial thing when we leave in the morning). It was actually good though, we worked on swimming skills and she seemed to really enjoy it.

I had Ara's invitations printed last night and they came out pretty well. I wish that I hadn't had to crop so much but the basic design is intact and it's legible which is pretty important. It was only $5.70 to have 30 glossy, personalized invitations printed in an hour. You really can't beat that with a stick!

Side note: Egees pina colada not as delicious as a real one :P

I'm a Google Head!

Reading Material

Ara and I are going to the library tomorrow and I am making a list of authors I might look for.


Karen Joy Fowler
Jane Austen
Philippa Gregory

That is... if Ara lets me look at "Mommy books" and there is a very real possibility she won't. I chose the book I am finishing tonight by zooming past the shelves and grabbing the first cover with the "New York Times Bestseller" icon. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler has been a pleasant read so maybe my selection process is "win" after all!

Tomorrow the plan is:

• Bank
• Craft Store
• Library
• Clean house
• Make phone calls

1. Party reservation
2. Health Insurance to choose a primary care

I also need to dig out camping equipment from the loft to see what Ara and I will need for our trip next month.

The Car and I Need TLC

Workout: [62 minutes elliptical] Today is one of "those" days. The outsides of my calves and ankles are sore from the treadmill yesterday so this morning I decided to give myself a small break and do the elliptical. 12 minutes in, my toes were already numb and sending mad spiky pains up my shins. The workout itself was fine, easy even, but the pain in my feet, heels, and shins was almost unbearable. I had to stop a few times just to shake my feet to try to restore some feeling to them. I went backwards periodically to change the pressure on my feet. Still, the entire hour was pain. I think running in my $15 shoes from Target is going to cause more setbacks than anything else. I need to look into better shoes. The arch on my right foot hurts to even walk on. I don't want to sweep and mop and I don't want to peel things for the crockpot meal I had planned.

Oh speaking of that... guess what? We bought a Crockpot! I like gadgets. Even if they are for the kitchen. Last night I went to the grocery store and after several confused minutes staring at raw meat, finally picked out a beef roast. I have an onion, potatoes, and carrots to add to what is supposed to be a meat roast dinner thing. The recipe is actually from the instruction booklet from my Dad's crockpot, mine might have one of those too, I haven't opened the box yet to find out. But... I just want to elevate my feet and think about how nice a massage and a hot tub would be right now.

We have our car back now, my Dad replaced whatever belt was burning and making all the smoke. The AC compressor is door knobs.. as in dead as. Long hot car rides don't agree with me. They make my grumpy and when I am grumpy and hot I just want to be left alone. Picking up A every day from work is going to be interesting, especially if Ara shares my low tolerance for sweating in the car for an hour.

The Bus!

Our car died yesterday in a blaze of glory, literally.

I had my nephew in the car and we were on our way to pick up A and Ara to have lunch when suddenly the AC went hot and smoke started billowing from under the hood and through the vents into the car. I had visions of the car bursting into flames so I was a tad alarmed. I had to wait in the middle of the intersection to turn left, all the while smoking like a campfire. I parked in an empty lot behind a Circle K and took Joey to sit in the shade away from the car. My phone was on it's last little bit of battery but I managed to make 2 phone calls. One to my Mom, who had her phone off. The other to my Dad who was at work. He called my Sister, who was also at work but not too far away. Emily, left work to come get us, I felt bad I had her son out in the Az heat and about the whole explosive car thing! So we were saved but we had to leave the poor purple car behind in mirage-like heat. It looked sad and alone. My Dad was able to look at it last night. The AC compressor locked up and died apparently. So it should run (until the next thing that breaks) but we will no longer have any AC in the car.

Since we had no car this morning, A took a cab to work and I took Ara on her first bus ride! It would have been an easy day to slack off but I wanted to stay on track with the workout. Ara was ecstatic, she has been fascinated by the city bus and she thought it was a great adventure. I was so worried about missing our stop that I got off a stop too early. Which added a pretty long walk to our adventure. As we walked we sang songs and talked about every-single-tiny-thing on the ground. By the time we got to the Y both Ara and I were sweaty and happy to be back inside.

Workout: OMG the treadmill. I hate it. I went 3 miles at a walk/run and I hated it. Hopefully it will be easier tomorrow!

Schedule (I need new shoes)

5-Week 5k Training Schedule

Week 1:

Monday - Run/Walk 15 minutes, Tuesday - Run/Walk 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run/Walk 15 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run/Walk 25 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 2:

Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run/Walk 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run/Walk 20 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run/Walk 35 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 3:

Monday - Run 25 minutes, Tuesday - Run/Walk 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run/Walk 25 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 30 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 4:

Monday - Run 25 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 30 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 45 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 5:

Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run 20 minutes, Wednesday - Off, Thursday – Run/Walk 15 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday – Race Day, Sunday – Off

My Treadmill Fears.

Workout: 64 minutes elliptical.

So hard after 2 days off!

I have been thinking about.. (remember I said thinking) tossing around the idea... of participating in a friendly family run/walk partial marathon. That sounded really wimpy. The idea intimidates me, I have never liked running (that's code for "I hate running"). I just like the idea of having a goal to keep me motivated with working out. Last week my goal was to get out of my 3 times a day rut. I failed... I completed my 3rd workout today and it's Saturday. It was a hard week, there have been issues keeping me up at night and it has been emotionally draining. I was exhausted just being alive so I skipped my workouts on Thursday and Friday. I didn't feel good about that at all. Every week I have had a goal and met or exceeded it for 2 months (almost) until this week.

Now I am beating myself up and that's counterproductive, let's stop that!

Soooo I have found two YMCA events one is in October and the other in February.

The one is October has 2 parts; a half marathon (nonono) and a family 5k. Obviously I am considering the 5k lol.

Soooo.. this means I have to stop being an elliptical baby and get onto the treadmill. I am so scared of the treadmill! I think it's going to suck me in! I have many moments on the elliptical when I close my eyes and get a little dizzy. Then I have visions of falling off and maiming myself on the pedals! If I get dizzy on the treadmill it's going to throw me off and I will probably die a horrible death. A smelly gym floor death. And the gym people will hover over me and probably drip sweat on my lifeless body. Gross.

Shmoopie Poopie

This has been a crazy week and I missed my workouts Thursday and Friday. I am exhausted and I feel like I could lie down and sleep right now, it's not even 9 pm. Tomorrow I teach through the morning and afternoon, after that I plan to get a good workout at the Y I went to last Saturday. I don't actually know what kind of strength machines they have (besides the "muscle people" ones) but I would really like to get a full workout in. I will try to be brave enough to find the room, I don't know why it intimidates me but it does.

After the Y I am going to my Sister's for a "girls night". I'm not entirely sure what it's all about since the invite was via text message. There was something about a lady who will do nails and then we will have a few drinks. Sunday, I will be watching my nephew again while my sister is at work. Actually now that I think about it I might just stay there Saturday night since I will already be there and I will have to come right back at 6:30 am the next morning. I don't know my brain is slower than usual tonight!

Two Sentences woo.

Workout: 25 minutes bike, 37 minutes ellipticals, strength

Feeling like I am getting sick today, sore throat and tired.

Explaining old and older posts.

I am just archiving old blogs that were on fluteloop.com because I don't want to lose them.  So basically I am using blogger as my personal back up!

Old Blog

My thoughts are now being posted HERE. Trying out a blog engine that is supposed to (somewhere down the road, around the bend, over the hill) make my life easier. We shall see.

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3/20/06~ 9:30 PM

These pictures were taken last Thursday. It was my Dad's Birthday so we dressed Ara in her special party outfit. It was too cute for words. So my sister set up a little photoshoot and Ara was delighted. She loved everyone standing around admiring her and she really hammed it up! Anyway these are the pictures from our camera. My sister took just as many with her's so this moment was well documented! Ara is eating bananas this week and she seems to really like them. Time seems to fly when you think about your children's development. It seems like just yesterday she was a tiny infant and now she is getting ready to crawl and trying so hard to talk! I seriously think about her going off to college all of the time. She has outgrown all of her 0-6 month clothes and I keep meaning to give them away but I can't yet! I keep picking out outfits and remembering some wonderful day when she wore them. Her memory box is already full... what is a Mother to do? We have started trying to teach her sign language. It's a tiny bit early but I figure it can't hurt to just show her the signs. I would love a little insight into that bright little brain.

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3/15/06~ 9:14 PM

"The white color is due to the fact that the main ingredient is sock lint, which combines with dead skin, dirt and bacteria. Black, blue and other sock-colored cheeses are common in people who dress a little nicer. "

~Rich Maloof

Source article

Even when your life is a swirling mass of scary you can come across something that sneaks up on you and makes you smile. Whenever that happens I feel comforted.

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3/13/06~ 2:24 PM

Yes, that is the same dress! Made by my Great Grandmother for me when I was a baby. I had no idea what to do with it all these years and then suddenly.. I have a daughter and she is just the right size! Actually my sister dressed Ara and took a bunch of photos of her in it. When I arrived she already had the two pictures up on her screen. I could never really see the similarities in our features until now. I've shown this picture to my whole family and everyone always says, " so they are YOUR ears!" then they laugh lol. So they are. So they are. Oh by the way Ara is on the left. She is eating solid food now and talking and just generally filling our lives with happiness and sunshine!

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2/17/06~ 12:26 AM

Go ahead.. give her your heart.

Ara is 6 months old now and she is bursting with personality. She loves to laugh and talk (babble). One of our guilty pleasures is dancing together to corny pop songs. She seems to really like the song with Ashley S. and Missy E. (no idea at ALL of the spelling) I actually don't know the title but they spell out LOVE a lot. Ahem.. lol. Every morning we try to catch Charlie and Lola on Playhouse Disney. It's the cutest thing ever. On TV that is because Ara holds that title in life of course. Umm.. what else.. (looks at the ceiling lost in though).. The End.

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2/10/06~ 12:42 AM
I'm feeling a little stressed this week. I have my annual student recital this Saturday and I still have so much to do before I am ready. It is so much work to pull this thing off each year and I always think how much easier it would be if I was the sort of person who was.. organized! The other thing sort of weighing on my mind is having enough milk for Ara while my Mom watches her on Saturday. Getting stressed about that particular issue is very VERY counter productive. (takes a deep breath) I sometimes catch myself thinking about how Ara is almost 6 months now and she will be eating solids very soon and I think for a second, "what a relief". Then I feel sort of sad and achey. All this time I thought I was just "getting through" breastfeeding and now I realize how much I will miss the closeness I feel. Sure it's really hard with working and sometimes it would be nice to come home and relax for a second instead of being "on tap" as we call it. But, there is nothing like the feeling. I know some people find breastfeeding gross and awkward. I admit I was among the population who felt very uncomfortable around breastfeeding Moms.

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2/4/06~ 12:30 AM
It's been forever since I updated this although I am constantly thinking of topics to write about. I spent every free second I got today (not many) working on a new css for this site. It hasn't gone well. Ara has discovered she has a love for banging on the keyboard so sitting with her on my lap is out now. That's a big blow to my productivity considering I can only sit here now if she is asleep or otherwise occupied. Anyway, it's been sort of a long day I have been feeling sick for 3 days now and not getting enough sleep. Ara must be feeling sicky too because she is grumpy grumpy grumpy. I just pulled the pictures off of the camera from Friday and today and I look just awful. Why is it when I look in the mirror I don't see the huge bags under my eyes or how hideous I am? SOooo, I won't be posting any of those pictures lol. I will put up a few of baby girl playing this morning in her big-space-eating play thing. She is asleep for the moment so (cross your fingers) I will try to get some sleep in too.

One last parting though.. if you don't have kids yet enjoy your sleep! Seriously, cherish it while you can!

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12/9/05~ 12:21 AM

Grandma on the left and Great Grandma on the right. Sometimes I adore her so much it is actually physically exhausting. She is perfection, I can't take my eyes off of her!

I must sleep...

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9/2/05~ 2:40 AM

Going on the 6th hour of crying baby. She is trying to mpk us!