Time to Slow Down

These last few weeks seem like they are part of a tesseract.  We have been so busy with Thanksgiving, book fair, and getting ready for the faculty party last Saturday, that we have not had a chance to really sit down and enjoy the season.  I am hoping this week will be slightly different.  It's still full of activity but it feels more planned somehow.  Tomorrow is N's class holiday party and we are having our former neighbors over after school for a play date.  We miss them so much.  We have awesome new neighbors, but still, we miss the days of hanging out with our buddies.   Thursday is the school sing-along at 7:45 a.m. and then Daniel's class holiday party at noon.  N has a sleep-over at school that night, too.  She is so excited!  Friday, I want to take the kids caroling around the neighborhood.  It's so much fun.  We did this once in Houston with our friend Kevin and once in Boston with our friend Susan.  I really want to have a posada which is a traditional Mexican celebration of the holiday season, but it entails too much planning so we will stick with caroling this year.  We'll put the posada on the list of things to do next Christmas...Sunday is David's birthday!  I can hardly wait.  I think I am always more excited about his birthday than he is.  The kids and I have been stealthily collecting a stash of gifts for him.  I am thinking of having a birthday party for him, but haven't had time to organize it.  Isn't that sad?  Ok, that's it.  I'm sending out the invitations right now.  TTYL...

Rethinking Old Posts

Is it really December 8 already?  Chairing a book fair the first week in December might not be the greatest idea I've ever had.  We have two weeks left of school now and I am still not done Christmas shopping.  This weekend we are hosting David's faculty party so the house needs to look spic-and-span.  Remember what I wrote in my Domestic Goddess post about having a plan figured out to have my house looking nice all the time?  The plan only works when you are not running out of the house every day at 7 a.m. and coming back home at 7 p.m.  My house is a wreck right now. With the Christmas tree falling over on Monday and spending what little time I had in the evenings making it look good again, I have not had a chance to "maintain."  I am feeling the urge to call in some hired help and have them clean it up....it's very tempting and we have done it in the past, especially the year I was pregnant, but we'll see how I manage this week.  Wish me luck.  

I should really be asleep right now, but my sweet 17-month-old has a cough and woke me up about two hours ago and for the life of me, I cannot go back to sleep.  Remember what I said in an older post about how nice it was to cuddle at night with your kids?  I guess that doesn't apply when they are sick.  

Must go back to bed if I am going to be a sane momma tomorrow....TTYL.

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home after a quick visit to my family in the Rio Grande Valley.  I am totally sleep-deprived and suffering from heartburn after binging on my mom's home-made tamales, but my heart is brimming with joy-- the unique joy that comes from spending time with your loved ones in the town where you grew up.  

I love taking my children back home to visit our extended family.  My dad had thirteen children and my dad's brother had sixteen and those two families have grown tremendously. Thanksgiving Day down there is like a big open house day.  Relatives, neighbors, and friends drop in throughout the day to taste the delicious Mexican-style turkey my mother makes, her tamales, and her tres leches cake, and to catch up with the family.  My kids especially love spending time with their many cousins.  Remember how much fun it was to go visit cousins when you were little? 

I also enjoy sharing with my children the spaces and places where I spent the first 19 years of my life. I am overcome by emotion at the thought of my children playing in the same beach in the same sand with the same rocks with which I played when I was a child.  That's when I ponder the insignificance of my 40 years of life on this earth which has been here for 5 billion years.  My great-grandchildren's grandchildren will probably play in that same beach in that same sand with those same rocks long after I am gone. 

My kids love to stand in the room where I slept as a little girl. They can't believe their mom was once a little kid just like them. My parents have combined my grandmother's old room and the room  that my sister and I shared into one large guest room, but sometimes late at night when I walk into that room and see the moonlight coming in through the window, I feel like I am an 8-year-old again looking out my bedroom window.  

I love visiting my childhood home, but I also love coming back to my very own home where my children are creating memories of their own. 

TTYL.

Public vs. Private, Take 2

Well, it's official -- the Obamas have chosen Sidwell Friends School, a Quaker-run institution, as the place where their girls will be educated.  I'm kind of OK with that; I think.  I mean, come on. They have to worry about privacy and security - they don't want reporters harassing their girls and they don't want to worry about their girls getting kidnapped.  Those are definitely reasons to send your girls to private school if you're the President of the United States.  But wait a minute, weren't those same girls in private school in Chicago before their daddy was elected President? What reasons did the Obamas have then? What reasons do most Americans have to send their children to private school?

I've been mulling that question for some time.  A few days ago, I was fortunate to have breakfast with two good friends who are educators and finally had a chance to discuss the topic with them.  One of my friends sends her children to private school, but she is a public school teacher. "Do you really think your daughter is getting a better education?" I asked her.

She said, in her opinion as an educator, she did feel her daughter was getting a better education. The school her child attends requires that every student take an academic test and only those that do well on the test are invited to attend the school.  That means the school doesn't have to deal with children with learning disabilities or low performers.  The school can then focus on propelling those students who arrive with good academic skills already to higher levels.  

She also said she is sending her daughter there because she wants to shield her from the crazy things that happen in some public schools.  For example, she said that at her current school which has a special behavior unit, a boy grabbed a girl by the neck and pushed her against the wall because the boy was angry. That could be scary.  She would rather her daughter not witness those types of events.  

The final reason she gave was because she feels that in public schools, teachers need to focus on the low-performers and the high performers are ignored and that can cause high performers to not develop a love of learning.  

I respect my friend's opinion and all those reasons make sense.  And I guess when it comes to your own child's education, you have to do what feels right for you.   For us, it feels right to send our children to public school.

Both of my children attend the school where my husband is the principal.  It is a Title 1 school which means the majority of the children attending the school come from low socio-economic backgrounds. I think my children are getting a great education.  Their teachers have fostered my children's love of learning. My children love to read.  They love to write.  (My son has his own blog.)  They love science and math.  They are learning to get along with people from different backgrounds.  They are learning about compassion and empathy by seeing first-hand that there are other people in the world less fortunate than they are.  They are cognizant of the fact that they are privileged.  Those are lessons that many American children need. Would they get all that in a private school? Maybe.

Of course, I shouldn't be so hypocritical as I am the product of private universities.  It was exhilarating to be in a school where most students were serious about their studies; where most students could discuss issues in depth; where partying was a recreational activity not a major; where many students felt their lives were to be used to further a cause; where freshman writing seminars consisted of eight students working closely with an English professor; and so forth and so on....but the interesting thing about my private university is that the majority of the students, like me, came from public high schools. Hmm. Go figure.  And of course, I have many friends who got excellent educations in public universities.

But truth be told, if my husband were not an educator, I would send my children to private Catholic schools because I do think it is important for them to get a good foundation in their faith. So I guess I'll stop harassing the Obamas now.  I'm sure they can convince themselves that they have good reasons for sending their girls to private school even before their move to D.C.

TTYL.

Public vs. Private

I was somewhat ticked off at the Obama's last week when I read an article that said the Obamas are not even considering public school as an option for their little girls.  My first thought was, "What?  Are they too good for public school?"  But then as I read more articles about why the Clintons, and so many other high-ranking officials chose to send their kids to private school, I am starting to understand the Obama's choice a little better.

Hillary said that she was advised by several people to keep her daughter out of public school because the reporters would otherwise never leave Chelsea alone.  The truth is that with the Freedom of Information Act, any reporter could request information about the girls from their public school. That is pretty scary.  

I still can't get over the price tag.  The Washington Post reported that the Obama's will spend more than $50,000 per year on private school tuition for their girls.  Wow.  If a school like Sidwell, one of the two schools they are considering, has 1200 students and each student pays about $25,000 per  year, that means that it makes about $30 million dollars a year.  Can you imagine what a public school could do with that much money?

It could hire more teachers to reduce it's teacher-to-student ratio.  It could invest in a fully-equipped science lab and a science lab director.  It could invest in a computer lab with a full-time computer lab director.  It could fully stock its library.   It could have special ed teachers available full-time...the list goes on, and one, and on...

I am glad for the Obama girls who get to go to fancy private schools, but I am saddened by the thought of  how many more children's lives would be changed for the better if the Obamas decided to send their girls to public school.

TTYL.

 

Book Fair Stress

Who was I kidding?  My baby is still teething and she is still feeling miserable.  Thankfully, today was Little Gym day and she was busy balancing on beams, throwing balls around, and chasing bubbles.  That got her in a better mood.  I hope the tooth comes in soon!

I must go to bed early tonight.  Long nights are not good for someone who is just recovering from a sinus infection.  I still feel tired and now stressed.  I am in charge of the school's book fair and getting volunteers to work it has been rather difficult.  The fair is scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving.  If we had to do it over, I would not pick the week after we are all going to be out of school.  This means that the fair needs to be set up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and reminders about the book fair need to go out too far in advance.  I'm sure it will all work out but right now I'm feeling a little bit of pressure.  Who said stay-at-home moms don't have stress?  :)

TTYL.

See Sylvia Run

Life is hard when you have a teething baby in the house.  Everything was a crisis for her today. Poor little thing.  I know she's in pain, but can I get one tiny break from the screaming?  Please, baby?  One tiny little one?  

I finally put her to bed at 6:45 pm and she was out by 7:15pm.  When I came out of the bedroom after she was down for the night, I was so ready to run away for a few hours to decompress by aimlessly walking the aisles at Target or Wal-mart.  But I was so moved by the scene in my family room -- the kids in their pjs sitting on David's lap while he quietly read Rapunzel's Revenge to them.  How can I run away from that?  I couldn't do it.  I let them finish their chapter and then the kids were sent up to bed after brushing their teeth.  And it was only 7:25 pm!  Bonus!  I can't remember the last time the kids went to bed before eight.  

So instead of running away, I decompressed by cleaning the kitchen with David, packing lunches, and then reading books on the couch together.  I am in a much better place now and tomorrow is a new day and a new chance to start all over again with my little baby.  

TTYL.

See Pug Run

I am so happy.  Tonight, for the first time ever, my kindergartener read Green Eggs and Ham all by herself! She has been reading those little Scholastic Bob books since she turned 4, but those don't really count because they aren't even real books.  For example, here is the text from the first 3 pages of Sam, one of the Scholastic gems to which I am referring:  page 1, "Sam and Cat."; page 2, "Mat and Cat."; page 3, "Sam, Mat, and Cat".  See what I mean? 

Tonight, we were reviewing her homework after dinner when we realized that we had not done one of the items on her list.  I was supposed to read her a book and she was supposed to follow the words with her fingers as I read them.  She loves Dr. Seuss so she picked up Green Eggs and Ham for me to read, but before she gave it to me, she read the title.  Then she read the author and next thing you know, she was reading the whole book.  I wish I could capture the look on her face when she realized what she was doing.  She was beaming, and I guess I was, too.

Every time our children hit a milestone, it brings back memories of my own childhood. The first book I ever read was called Pug.  I still remember the first few pages of that book, probably because it is so similar to the Scholastic gems I was just talking about--Pug.  See Pug Run.  Go, Pug. Go.  Run, Pug. Run.  I guess we all have to start somewhere.  

I wish all kids had a chance to get excited about books early in their academic lives.  I was lucky to have two people in my house who were avid readers: my grandmother and my dad.  I have this vivid memory of my grandmother sitting under a tree reading her favorite book to me. I am supposed to be playing outdoors with my little neighborhood friends, but instead I am sitting right in front of her fascinated by her story.  She looks so cute with her glasses on and that look of total concentration on her face.  She is reading The Three Musketeers. That is such a happy memory for me.   

My dad also loves books.  He has a special affinity for westerns.  We had many, many books and many, many bookshelves in our house growing up.  We didn't have children's books, but we had two encyclopedias - Childcraft and Brittanica, six huge dictionaries where you could look up any word in 10 different languages, many religious books (my dad was educated in a seminary), many science fiction books, including a large collection of Isaac Asimov's, many books on math and physics, and hundreds of other books all over our house. We, kids, all loved the Childcraft Encyclopedia and we all read it from cover to cover by the time we were in fourth grade.  I still love those books.  My bookshelves don't look right if I don't have a set of Childcraft Encyclopedias on it.  Those books must mean a lot to my siblings, too, because at least two of them also have a set in their house for their kids. 

I was lucky, too, that my first grade teacher had a passion for books and she shared it with her students.  She had a loft in her room decorated like a tree house.  We all loved climbing up into that tree house to read.  I wonder how many of those 6 and 7 year-olds are still readers today because of that tree house?

Some people say that they associate whole periods of their lives with certain music.  They hear a song and all these memories flood back.  Books do that for me.  I hope they do that for my children some day, too.

TTYL.

Stars and S'mores

We were supposed to go camping this weekend, but since we were expecting it to freeze, I was sick, and IK was incredibly cranky because she's teething, we decided to cancel the trip. It was for the best. We ended up having a very productive and fun weekend. Well, mostly David was productive. I spent most of Saturday on the couch watching him do laundry and clean the kitchen. He even found time to entertain the kids (and one of their friends!) with a trip to the library and the mall while I took a nap. Yes, life IS good.  

They brought home The Island of Blue Dolphins from the library.  I read that book in jr. high. It was such a treat to read it with the kids.  It's probably not age appropriate for N, but she seems to be enjoying it and keeps asking lots of questions.  We spent most of Sunday morning reading it. We did a few house projects in the afternoon and we thought we would just have an early Sunday dinner and put the kids to bed, but once we fired up the grill, the kids and David insisted that we have dinner in the backyard even though I thought it was too cold.  When we finished eating our burgers, there were still hot coals in the grill.  We decide to pretend like we were camping and had s'mores for dessert.  The kids loved roasting their marshmallows and assembling their chocolaty treat. 

After dessert, to continue with the pretend-camping idea, we went on a "midnight hike" around the neighborhood. The weather was perfect for it and the kids really enjoyed being out getting some fresh air.  It's amazing how a walk can have such a calming effect on children.  Even IK who had been drooling and whining all day was a happy baby on that walk.

Since it was only 6:45 pm when we got home from our hike, we decided to finish off the pretend-camping night with a real look at the stars.  Our neighborhood has too much light to really see anything in the sky so we drove to West Cave Preserve, a light-restricted area in the Hill Country somewhat near us.  The drive to the preserve was peaceful and relaxing. The kids were in their pj's and drinking hot cocoa and everyone was in a talkative mood.  The one slight problem with this plan is that by the time we actually got to the preserve both girls were already asleep and D was about to doze off.  The sky was just too gorgeous to not wake up N and let her see it.  She was glad we did.  D remembered to bring his binoculars and the four of us stood outside our van, huddling together to stay warm, looking up at the Milky Way, the Seven Sisters, Cassiopeia, and a billion other stars for a long, long time.

TTYL.

What I Know For Sure

I was sick as a dog two days ago - so sick that I had to visit the doctor for the first time in a year.  The doctor diagnosed a sinus infection and sent me home on antibiotics. He also recommended I get "the real Sudafed". You know, the kind you have to swipe your ID for.   

There must be something in that "real Sudafed" because a few hours after I started talking it, I felt like a million dollars.  I only took one Sudafed that day because I went to bed early that night, but I  woke up the next morning at 5:30 a.m. full of energy.  The only reason you could tell that I was sick was because I sounded nasal. Otherwise, I was just having another busy bee day.  That night, however, I realized that you shouldn't take non-drowsy Sudafed right before bed.  You really don't get drowsy. The same day that I woke up at 5:30 a.m. I stayed up until 3:45 a.m.  I was up 22 hours.  Exactly what is in that "real Sudafed?"

While I was up lamenting my lack of sleep, I began to ponder "deep thoughts" as always happens when I have insomnia.  I had just had a conversation with a dear friend about family and I guess that got my brain going.   I began asking myself, Oprah-style, what do I really know for sure about family, friendship, love and just life in general?  Below are some of the crazy thoughts I came up with at 3 a.m.  after being up for 22 hours.  This list is in no particular order and by no means, is this list exhaustive, but I thought I'd share it anyway. 

What I Know For Sure

1. Family loves you no matter what.  You can be the meanest person to your mom, but she loves you just as much as she did when she first held you as a tiny baby in her arms.  Same goes for other family members. 

2. I don't think people realize how much their parents love them until they have children of their own.

3. True friends are the ones that don't mind listening to your issues over and over again.

4. It doesn't matter so much what I wear.  What matters is how I feel.  If I feel good, I will look good.

5. A parent's job is to teach their children to be productive, compassionate members of society. If you model compassion, your kids will be compassionate.  If you model selfishness, your kids will be selfish.  On the other hand, you can't blame it all on your parents, you make your own choices, too.

6. Seize the moment.  Some opportunities only come once in a lifetime.  You don't know how long your life is going to be.  Carpe diem!

7. There is no greater passion than the love between two married people (or people committed to each other) who are sharing the ups and downs of life together.

8.  Life is a lot about attitude.  If you have a positive attitude, you will have a positive life.

9.  Volunteering makes you happy.  Somehow dealing with other people's suffering makes you realize how good your life really is.

10. Life is a little about the destination and a lot about the journey.  My grandma used to say this to me all the time, in Spanish.

11. Don't let somebody who is having a bad day make you have a bad day, too.  Smile and move on.

12.  You can't really get to know someone else until you get to know yourself.  

13.  The guy tail-gating you is probably just in a hurry.  Move over and let him pass you.  There are few things in life more satisfying than watching him get pulled over a few blocks ahead of you for speeding.  :)

Okay.  Your turn.  What do you know for sure?

TTYL.

Lizards and Snails and Gecko Tails

Bugs. My kids love them. Yesterday afternoon I was repotting a mum when I discovered a tiny little speckled gecko. It looked so cute just sitting there at the bottom of the pot. I called my daughter over, "Hurry, come see this!  Get your brother!" Both kids ran towards me. 

The excitement in my voice must have startled the little gecko because that thing flew out of the pot and landed right on my foot. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed so loud it scared my kids. "What's wrong, Mom?  Are you OK?" they wanted to know. "The, the, the lizard is on my foot!"  I yelled again. 

Both kids looked down and started laughing. The little gecko was quietly sitting there about a foot away from my foot. "Mom, it's just a tiny gecko. You're not scared of it; are you?"  D reached down and tried to pick it up. Its tail broke off. N picked up the tail. "Cool, it's still moving!" she said.  D picked up the gecko and held it up to me. "Here, Mom. Touch it." I reached out my hand, but for the life of me, I couldn't do it. You see, I grew up with the fear of bugs in me. I was taught to let out a blood-curdling scream and smash any creepy-crawly I saw. 

My kids, thankfully, have not adopted my ways.  They have opted to go with David's.  David loves bugs, too.  He picks up spiders and carries them out of the house.  Instead of swatting flies, he catches and releases them outside.  He has taught the kids not to step on ants, but to observe and admire them.  He has modeled respect for these creepy-crawlies and the kids have taken this to heart.

"Come on, Mom. Just a quick touch.  You can even close your eyes."  I closed my eyes and gave it a quick swipe with my index finger.  It felt rough and scaly and a little creepy.  The hairs on the back of my neck all stood on end, but I did it!  I touched a creepy-crawly! I have never done that before!  And I did it all because of my kids.  And my husband.  

TTYL.

Plastic Bubbles

Last night at dinner, my son spilled orange juice all over the kitchen floor and as he was cleaning it up, he got a nose bleed.  Boy, was he mad!  "I am bad luck today!" he shouted as he stormed off to the bathroom holding his nose with the paper towels he had just used to clean up the orange juice. A little while later, his sister accidentally hit him on the nose while they were playing and he got another nose bleed. "This is torment!" he shouted.

After he calmed down, I reminded him that people who don't do anything never get hurt or never get nose bleeds.  "It's better to go through life with a few bumps and bruises than to always live life in the sidelines," I told him.  His daddy chimed in, "You don't want to be the boy in the bubble." That was all it took.  D wanted to know who this boy was and why was he in a bubble.  

So instead of reading his bed time book, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, we googled "the boy in the plastic bubble."   I had heard about this boy but had never taken the time to learn his whole story. It is heart-breaking.  

David Vetter's parents already had a healthy daughter but wanted very much to have a baby boy to carry on the Vetter name.  They had had a boy already, David Vetter III, but he had died at the age of 7 months from an infection.  He had been born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).   Going on the advice of three ambitious doctors who were doing research into a cure for SCID, the parents decided to have another baby.  The doctors warned that this baby had a 50% chance of being born with SCID.  The parents agreed to take that chance and their new baby boy, David Vetter, was born with SCID.  Within seconds of the C-section birth, he was  transferred to a sterile plastic bubble where he was expected to live until a cure was found.  My guess is both the parents and the doctors thought this situation would be short-lived. 

Unfortunately, they were wrong.  That little boy lived in that bubble for twelve years never having felt a human hand on his skin until he was in coma as a result of failed bone marrow transplant from his sister.  His mother was not allowed to hold him before he was put in his bubble for fear of infecting him. Can you imagine not holding your baby right after the birth? Can you imagine a life without human touch?  The lack of human contact had psychological repercussions for him.  He was assigned a psychologist early on to care for his emotional needs.

I cannot fathom wanting to have a child so badly that you would take a chance like that.  What was the quality of life for that little boy? But it is easy for me to do some Monday-morning quarter-backing, we have been blessed with easy conceptions and three healthy children.   I am more upset with the doctors who would ask these young parents for a baby for their experiment.  That is a human life they were experimenting with!  That couldn't happen today; could it?

N was so enthralled with this story that she even dropped her Fancy Nancy book and came over to read with us and look at the pictures.  "Why did they put him in there, Mommy?"  she kept asking.  We tried our best to explain why anyone would do that to their baby. "That is very sad," she said. We all agreed.

D was very pensive.  Then he said, "I'm glad I don't have to live in a bubble."

  

TTYL.

Photo: Courtesy of the BBC UK.

Once

Do you ever watch a movie that makes you feel like a different person after you've seen it? 

We just finished watching Once, a musical about a chance meeting between a guy and a girl that evolves into an uncharacteristic romance.  The movie was filmed on a $100, 000 budget, but it is one of the best movies I have ever seen.  Partly because it is unpredictable.  Partly because it is so real that you feel you are one of the characters yourself.  Partly because it makes you question your life.  Partly because of the music. 

Oh, the music.  The music is just fabulous.  The movie won an academy award for Falling Slowly, my new favorite song.  Listen to it so you can see what I am talking about:

You listen to this music and you wonder how it is possible for a brain to put notes together like that to create something so beautiful.  It literally brought tears to my eyes.  

I love movies that make you question your life.  The characters in this movie have simple jobs. He fixes vacuums.  She cleans houses and sells roses.  But they both have a passion for music and that is what gives them both hope.  What is my passion?  I am 40 years old and I have spent half of my life (19 years) in school, six years working in the oil and gas industry, five years working for government, and the last four full-time parenting.  I love politics.  I love computer systems.  I love math.  But what is my passion?  I'm not sure I know and that's why I think I am lucky to have watched this film tonight.

TTYL.

Short and Sweet

Today is short and sweet.  Everything seems so easy.  Do you ever have those days?  Making lunches and breakfast was actually fun this morning with everyone helping.  IK slept in until 9:30 a.m.  (unheard of!)  I got my book fair plan completed and mailed out before IK woke up. I found out a good friend is getting back with her husband after being separated for more than a year.  I got all my errands run. 

I even got 10 hours of sleep last night.  I accidentally fell asleep with the baby last night at 8pm and rose at 6am to the sound of my husband running into a toy on the floor while trying to wake up our four-year-old who also managed to get in bed with us last night.  Ah, yes, I know. I've heard it all.  "Don't let your children into your bed.  You'll never be able to get them out." But it's so much easier than completely waking up and taking them back up to their bed and it's a myth that children can't sleep by themselves if they have been sleeping in the family bed.  My 8-year-old slept with us until he was 3 and he was perfectly happy to move into his new room and sleep all by himself in his new big boy bed.  Same with NK.  She still comes down to our room occasionally, but for the most part, she stays in her room at night.  I actually love snuggling with them.  They are not going to want to sleep with us forever so why not just enjoy it?  Seize the moment because tomorrow morning they will be different children than the ones you're snuggling with tonight.  

Now I am sitting here watching IK deconstruct her tiny sandwich.  She only wants to eat the turkey.  She refused her veggies and fruits and now she wants more turkey.  Hmmm.  That's a lot of nitrites for one little human.  I should cut her off.

I wish parenting were as easy as everything else has been today....TTYL.

   

Victory is Ours!

I have been humming "Victory is ours.  Victory is ours.  Victory is ours today!" all morning.  I want to sing it at the top of my lungs, but IK is still asleep.  It was a late night for everyone last night.  I have two reasons to celebrate.  The obvious one is Obama, the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.  Woohoo!!!!  The second reason is that my son DK won his own bid for VP at his school today.  Woohoo!!!!!    

I have been up most of the night reading reactions, both from Democrats and Republicans, about the outcome of the election.  Yes, I actually read the National Review.   I stopped when I got to the article that equated allowing abortions to allowing slavery.  Huh? 

Overall, most people are congratulatory.  Obama overcame many obstacles and ran an excellent campaign.  Conservatives agree that the Republican party needs to regroup and devise a new agenda that appeals to the middle class.  What they need  is to start the difficult task of separating themselves from the religious fanatics that make up their current base.  I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's one of the main reasons you lost, folks.  The American people decided they do not want a right-wing evangelical that close to the presidency.  What part of separation of church and state do you not understand?  Some of you might think I feel this way because I am not religious.  Wrong.  I am a Catholic.  I believe in God.  I believe in Jesus (which by the way, wasn't Jesus also a community organizer?)  Maybe where we differ is that I believe in helping people not just in telling them how they should act based on my own personal beliefs.

But back to my literature review, the most disturbing part is that the majority of the opinion pieces I read on the National Review did not seem to blame Palin for their loss. How is the Repulican party supposed to regroup and appeal to the general public when they are tied at the hip to these right-wing evangelicals?  Not that we don't have our own left-left-lefties, but for a party to win it needs to appeal to the middle.  I'm sorry, but in America, the middle is not made up of conservative, evangelical Christians, guys.  Time to do your homework, Republicans, or you're going to be in the same boat in 2010 and 2012.  

Must wake up IK to go to Little Gym class...TTYL.

Don't Count Your Chickens

The vice-president speeches at my son's school this morning were anti-climactic.  I didn't even have time to set up the video camera to record DK's speech before he was done saying it.  Oh, well.  At least I got to take a picture of him giving it and he knows it was important to me because I actually showed up at assembly.  I have only been to assembly one time this year and that was for the first day of school.   I am blessed that my husband takes the kids to school with him every morning.  But today I was nervous and excited for DK and his speech so IK and I made the half-hour trek over to school.   It was actually very nice being there to watch assembly and now I'm wondering if I shouldn't help my hubby out on Mondays and take the kids in... Nah.  

Speaking of speeches reminds me of elections. We are actually thinking of getting a sitter and going to the Driskill tomorrow night to watch the election results with other Democrats.  We would love to host a party at our house but most of our friends have kids and would need to go home about the time that the results are starting to come in from the polls closing.  Bummer.  

Sometimes I get nervous that we are counting our chickens before they hatch.  Every where I look, I read some analysis of what went wrong with McCain's campaign.  Yes, selecting Palin probably made him go down in the polls eventually, but People... IT'S NOT OVER!   Anything can go wrong.  Today on NPR, they were saying that small town voters will have a big impact in some of the swing states.  That worries me a lot -- small towns are full of Republicans, right???Then they had a story about how long the lines are expected to be tomorrow and that might deter the younger voters who are overwhelmingly for Obama.  They interviewed a young man in a swing state who had been waiting in line for 3 hours to cast his early vote.  It was the first time he voted and he said he didn't mind waiting that long because he knew he was casting a historic vote.  I hope other young voters feel the same way he does.  

I am so glad the election is tomorrow.  I cannot go on like this.  I can feel the anxiety inside of me.  I hope with all my heart that Obama wins.  Can you imagine the celebrations that will ensue if he does win?  I will be the first to go out on the streets and light some candles and sing something.  Hallelujah!  The first Black man to be elected President!  The feeling of victory is starting to pump into my blood and it feels GOOD!   

But there I go again, counting chickens....I wish it were 10pm Tuesday night already....

TTYL.

You Miss 100% of the Shots You Don't Take

My son is running for Vice-President at school and tonight he wrote his speech.  He is already in student council as a class representative, but he really wants to be an officer.  I had a great time working on the speech with him.   DH and I wanted him to embellish it with a call and response type cheer or at least a chant. My sister suggested he say "DK is our man!"  I suggested, "DK, DK, he's our man, if he can't do it, nobody can!"   His dad suggested, "A vote for me is a vote for excellence!"  (That's the school's theme this year. ) I told him his favorite candidate has one - "Yes, we can!" but he did not budge.  In his speech, he simply says his name, what position he is running for, and why people should vote for him.  And he closes by saying, "Please vote for me for Vice-President. Thank you."  

I had him practice saying it slowly and pausing after each sentence.  I reminded him to look at the audience which he reluctantly agreed to do after watching one of Obama's speeches on YouTube. He also made two very simple posters.  I really wanted to make the posters for him, but resisted the urge.  It's his responsibility.  What am I teaching him if I make the posters for him?

I imagine most parents are thrilled to watch their child want to be involved in this type of school activity, but I am more nervous than he is about this election.  The other two students running for vice-president are in fourth grade.  DK is only in third.  What if he doesn't win? Will it affect his self-esteem?  Will he cry?  What will I do to support him if that happens?  If he wins, how do we teach him humility?  

My brother says I make parenting hard because I over-think everything.  Maybe he's right.  I should just let my child enjoy his moment in the spotlight. He can't win if he doesn't try.  Go get 'em, DK!  Have fun!

TTYL.

This and That

The fog is finally clearing out of my head.  Boy, that was some party last night.  We hardly ever go to parties, especially on a school night, but I have to hand it to our neighbor who organized it for his company, boy knows how to throw a party!  We had such a fun time dancing to 80's hip hop music so much fun that we lost track of time and got home much later than we had planned.  But I know it was worth the late night because I am sitting here smiling when I think about it.  Thank you Jason and Mari for inviting us!  "All the party people in the house say 'Hey!' "

On a totally different note, I am getting ready to go to Costco to buy some snacks for the PTA bake sale today after school.  It's our first one of the year.  We want to make sure it's successful.  We have a wonderful group of ladies who are totally into PTA this year.  Only one of the five speaks English which means we have to have translators at every PTA executive board and general assembly meeting.   I am very proud of them for wanting to be involved in their children's school. One of them wants to raise enough money to send all the fifth graders on a trip to DC.  When I was in DC with the girls last weekend, we calculated how much money we would need to take the entire fifth grade and it was A LOT.  We would need $30,000 just for the airfare! But if we start raising money with this year's Pre-K class and if we apply for grants and corporate donations (from airlines!), we should be able to do it.  The ladies want to bring this up at the PTA board meeting next week.  Their enthusiasm is contagious!  I love it.  I hope more parents get infected with it.  

I'm off to buy snacks.  Happy Halloween!  TTYL.

I Am My Brother's Keeper

I am supposed to be getting ready to go to a Halloween party but instead I am feeling like writing.  That's unusual for me.  I'm usually feeling guilty that I haven't been keeping up this blog, but not so much that it compels me to do it. I figure I should go with the feeling....

Did you watch the Obama infomercial last night?  My husband made such a big deal about watching it that at exactly 7:00 p.m. he excused himself from the dinner table and announced that anyone who wanted to hang out with him should move to the family room where he would be watching Obama and later the baseball game.  Two seconds later everyone except for me and IK were in the family room.  IK was strapped to her high chair screaming at the top of her lungs to be let out so she could join everyone else.  So much for a family dinner. 

Oh, but it was worth it.  Every time I hear Obama speak, he moves me so much that tears start flowing.  His personal narrative is so inspirational and his desire to help mankind so strong, I just can't understand why anyone would not want to vote for him.  I am especially dumbfounded by the conservative religious folks.  I love watching him say, "I am my brother's keeper! I am my brother's keeper!"  Aren't we all our brother's and sister's keepers?  And isn't that what Jesus was and tells us to be?  So why is the conservative religious right so anti-Obama?  Is it really all about gays and abortion for them?  How can people be so one-issue minded?  What about helping those in need?  Why do conservative religious folks feel that is not the role of government but they feel government has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body?

I just don't get it.  Do you?

Husband on the phone asking if I'm ready for the party...I gotta go!  TTYL.

Life is an Adventure

Does your life feel like an adventure?  That's what my friend's life coach asked her.  If it doesn't she said, you are doing something wrong.  

My friend asked me that question and almost without thinking I answered, "Yes!"   But now I'm mulling over that question and I'm wondering, what constitutes an adventure?  Is it something big, like taking a trip, or is it simply a break in your routine, like taking a different route for your morning walk?

And if you're always off on an adventure, how do you fit in mundane chores?  If you're always rushing around from one adventure to another, how do you achieve the stillness you need to hear yourself think?  

In order for your life to be an adventure, do you have to have an adventure every day?  Or do you save the adventures for the weekend? Or do you make life choices that result in exciting opportunities for the rest of your life?

For instance, for the last few years I have been telling David that I am dying to go to Paris and spend some time there.  His response was, "Well, get a job there and lets move there for a year." What the?!  That's all it takes to uproot this family out of our little suburban cocoon? The other thought we had was to go to China to teach for a year.  Can you imagine the learning opportunities that would provide for the kids?   Now that definitely qualifies as an adventure.

Part of me wants to move to DC to capitalize on my policy analysis background, especially after this past weekend's trip.  Part of me wants to stay here and let the kids have a hometown like both David and I did.  Can we stay here and still feel like life is an adventure?  

And how do you instill this sense of adventure in your children if you don't model it yourself? This weekend I met a young man in DC who had back-packed his way through Latin and South America.  He traveled down the Amazon on a raft with four other guys and a guide.  Who does that?  Someone who has grown up knowing there is a bigger world out there.  He is from a small town in Alaska (no, not Wasilla!).  My husband back-packed through eastern Europe.  He is from a small town in Wyoming.  Maybe that is the key.  Let kids grow up in a small town and they will be hungry to learn what else is out there...TTYL.

Catechism 101

I'm sorry, but can someone please explain to me why any Catholic can, in good conscience, vote Republican? If you really know what the Catholic church is doing in terms of social justice, I seriously doubt that you would even consider voting Republican.  I think many just vote Republican because they think that somehow two issues - abortion and gay marriage - supercede all others. (See video:  www.catholicvote.org)

The church makes it clear that those two issues are not more important than any others. Earlier this year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops published a guide for voting Catholics, titled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,"in which they urge Catholics to vote strictly on the issues, but they make a special effort to emphasize that there are many issues, not just abortion or gay marriage.  The bishops advise that Catholics review ALL the issues and vote for the candidate that, in the Catholic voter's estimation, best supports the mission of the church.  

The more I read this document, the more convinced I am that Catholics should not vote Republican in this election.  And apparently, I'm not alone.  (See video: www.votethecommongood.org)

Somehow, those two issues - abortion and gay marriage - have clouded the social justice mission of the church.  This has caused a split in the church.  On the one hand, we have the conservative Catholics for whom abortion and gay marriage are the issues of priority.  On the other hand, we have the progressive Catholics, the ones who still believe the Catholic church is about social justice not just about protecting the rights of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.  But whose view of the world is the correct one?

At the risk of boring you (even more?), I am summarizing the seven key themes from the Faithful Citizenship document so you can see for yourself that progressive Catholics have it right:

1. The Right to Life and Dignity of the Human Person - This is the belief that ALL human life is sacred (i.e., not just unborn babies).  Catholics oppose:

• abortion
  
• euthanasia
  
• human cloning
• destruction of human embryos
• genocide
• torture
• unjust war
• use of the death penalty
  

Catholics support:

•  pursuing peace
  
• overcoming poverty
  
• overcoming racism and other conditions that demean human life.
  

2.  Call to Family, Community, and Participation - "The family based on marriage between a man and a woman, is the fundamental unit of society."   Catholics support families, as defined above, being a priority for economic and social policy.

3. Rights and Responsibilities - Every human being has a right to life and we are responsible for one another, our families, and our larger society. Catholics support:

• the right to have religious freedom
  
• the right to access things required for human decency - food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing

4. Options for the Poor and Vulnerable - "Those who are in greatest need deserve preferential concern." Catholics support policies that favor the unborn, those dealing with disabilities and terminal illness, the poor, and the marginalized.

5. Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers - "The economy must serve people, not the other way around." Catholics support:

• Decent work at fair, living wages
  
• Opportunities for legal status for immigrant workers
  
• Opportunities for all people to work together for the common good through their work, ownership, enterprise, investment, participation in unions, and other forms of economic activity.

6. Solidarity - "We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences."  Catholics support:

• Pursuing justice
  
• Eliminating racism
  
• Ending human trafficking
  
• Protecting human rights
  
• Seeking peace
  
• Avoiding the use of force, except as a necessary last resort

7. Caring for God's Creation - "Care of the earth is the duty of our Catholic faith." Catholics support policies that ensure a safe and hospitable environment for human beings (doesn't say anything about animals) now and in the future.

When I look at McCain's platform, clearly he is pandering to conservative Catholics.  One of his platform issues is titled "Sanctity of Life" and in this section he states that he will start the end of abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade; he will pursue policies that make a traditional marriage the standard family unit; he does not support human cloning or stem cell research or the destruction of human embryos; but where is the discussion about ending the death penalty, or not torturing alleged terrorists, or invading a country under false pretense, like Bush did with Iraq?  His platform says nothing about overcoming poverty or racism.

Regarding the rights of workers and solidarity, McCain has a primitive plan to address undocumented workers.  He wants them to either leave the country or follow his prescribed path to legal status.  His path calls for undergoing criminal background checks, learning English, paying back taxes and fines, and passing a citizenship course.  McCain's platform makes no mention of decent, fair, living wages, of ending human trafficking, of protecting human rights.  

Finally, with regard to taking care of "God's creation", McCain purports to be a maverick because his platform is "greener" than most Republicans would want, but his voting record, with regard to the environment, casts some serious doubts on his commitment to really be green.  

Obama's platform is all about social justice.  He repeatedly mentions ending poverty, eliminating racism, helping the people access basic needs like healthcare, education, and housing. He is definitely pro-environment.  His job as a community organizer is a testament to his commitment to the poor and the marginalized.  It's actually kind of scary how closely aligned his views about social justice are with the Catholic church.  

So, you see, my friends, Catholics are really more Democrat than they are Republican.  :)

If you're still reading this, I commend you for staying focused and thank you for listening to my rant.   TTYL.

Nature-Deficit Disorder

Ok, walking IS fun!!! We walked the hike-and-bike trail this morning and it was totally worth it.  It was very peaceful and quiet walking among the trees.  Somehow, seeing the early morning dew on the grass and the tall trees in the background invigorates me.  We will  have to take that path more often.  It turns out there is a shortcut from our house to that park that we took the kids on Sunday.  It took us 40  minutes to get there on Sunday.  Today it took 10 to get home from the park using that shortcut.  I will have to take the kids on it today after school.  They love being outdoors. 

Recently, David and I attended a fundraiser for the West Cave Preserve, a 30-acre geological treasure in the Hill Country.  The speaker was Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.  He spoke about children suffering from nature-deficit disorder.  He said most adults who care about the environment had a transformational outdoor experience as youngsters.  His main worry is who is going to care about the environment in the future if today's youngsters spend most of their time indoors watching TV, playing video games, or on the computer?  

It's a very compelling argument.  I think back on my childhood days and recall fondly being outdoors most of the time.  Partly because we didn't have air-conditioning and partly because my grandma would send us out to play and we couldn't come back until she was done mopping or cooking dinner.  Most of the neighborhood kids were out there with us, too, for the same reasons, I suppose.  We invented Olympic games, fairy games, races.  We climbed trees.  We built forts out of branches.  We hid in the tall grass.  It was awesome how much time were outdoors. I also remember going to the beach almost every weekend once the weather got hot and we went fishing at the port year-round.   I remember building forts out of mud at the port while our parents were fishing.  That was so much fun!

We want our children to care about the environment, too, and I wonder if we are doing a good job teaching them to love and care for the outdoors. Our friend's house backs up to the greenbelt and her boys and DK love spending time out there "exploring" and building forts and tree houses.  We go hiking any chance we get.  We just started going camping regularly with the kids the last few years. But is that enough?  

I am actually thinking of starting a nature club at school.  Louv recommended that.  There are many organizations who offer nature club start-up kits.  I'm envisioning a group of kids that:   1)  goes hiking regularly, 2) plants a garden at school and then sells their plants/produce at the farmer's market, and 3) listens to nature-oriented speakers regularly.  I guess starting a club like that can be a goal of mine for my last year at home.  I need to work on finding a teacher to work with me so we can incorporate what we are doing with the lessons in school.  This could be do-able.

Ok, I'm off to pick up the kids from school.  TTYL.

Walking is Fun, Walking is Fun

I need to keep reminding myself that walking IS fun.  The days are getting shorter and much cooler making our 7:30a.m. walks very difficult.  We decided to go at 8a.m. today but I just didn't feel up to it.  We are going to go a little bit later when it's warmer and the sun is out.  I hope we go on the hike-and-bike trail.  We have lived in this neighborhood for 4 years and I have only been on that trail a total of three times including the bike ride with the family this weekend.  That is sad.  I drive by that trail every day and long to walk it, but I can't figure out a way to actually get it done.  Ok, that's it.  I'm going to walk it right now.  TTYL.

Lazy Monday, sort of

I love Mondays.  I need them to recover from the busy weekends with the kids and hubby at home.  This weekend was especially full.  The kids and DH had baseball practice Saturday morning, followed by a trip to the Zilker Botanical Gardens for the DinoLand Exhibit.  They have life-size statues of dinosaurs at the gardens and from the pictures, they look fantastic.  DH's school took 340! people to the exhibit.  The kids loved it.   

I was planning to go but decided against it because we kept the kids up too late the night before at the school's faculty fall picnic.  That was so much fun, too.  The teacher who hosted it had delicious barbecue, hay rides, pony rides, and horse rides for the adults.  It was hosted at her father's ranch.  It was fun, but the kids stayed up until 11pm.  Not a good idea.  Isabella was a wreck Saturday morning so I opted out of Dinoland and instead went to the farmer's market and to thrift stores for the day with my friend Julie.  We had a wonderful time. I wish we'd gotten to the market earlier though.  They were out of fresh eggs and a host of other staples by the time we got there.  I love the different foods they have there!  We had spanakopita (sp?) and fresh-baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  Yum.

That evening I went out with Julie and Lila on a girl's night out.  We went to Guero's for a yummy Mexican dinner and margaritas.  I ran into a couple of teacher's from David's school there.  Then we went to the Belmont which is a bar on sixth street.  Coincidentally, Julie's high school was having a reunion there for the class year before Julie's so she saw a lot of old friends.  I also ran into another group of teachers from David's school at the Belmont.  It was kind of funny to see so many of the same people I had seen the night before at the picnic.  I didn't realize Austin was such a small town!   The girls, most of whom are in there mid to late 20's and were there with their boyfriends/spouses, were wondering why I was out without my DH.  Where is he?  Home with the kids?  Why are you out by yourself?   Maybe the idea of a girl's night out doesn't sound that great until you have little kids at home and need a small break to just visit with your lady friends and have a drink together.  I was the designated driver so I really only had one drink with dinner but I still felt like I'd been run over by a bus the next morning when I had to get up at 7:30 a.m. for church having only slept a total of 5 hours.  But truth be told, I don't think I've ever been able to sleep less than 8 hours and feel like myself the next day.  

Sunday morning we were busy with church and religious ed (RE).  We had a big brunch at home after church and DK suggested we go on a bike ride on the hike-and-bike trail near our house.  I was surprised that NK was able to ride her bike the whole way to the park which is about 2 miles from our house.  She is still on training wheels, but she was trooper.  They were excited to find that at the end of the hike-and-bike trail is a playground.  That was a real treat for them.

 

We got home just in time to change and get ready for BASEBALL!  Last night was our second to last game of the season.  Both NK and DK play so we basically spend our Sunday evenings at the ball field.  DK's game ended at 8pm.  We got home very late for a school night.  NK fell asleep on the way home which was too bad because she really needed a bath after all the biking and baseball she had today.  Oh, well.  She can always take a shower in the morning.  :)

I was so tired when I put Isabella down last night that I fell asleep with her for a couple of hours.  When I got up, DH was just getting back from watching the Red Sox lose.  Bummer.

I was so tired this morning that I did not hear the kids or DH get up for school.  I woke up 10 minutes before our pest-control guy came to our house this morning.  I always feel so bad when I can't help David get the kids ready for school in the morning.  He can do it by himself but I'm sure he appreciates the help.  Tomorrow.

I've done the dishes already but still have a lot to do today - clean bathrooms,  make beds, and do laundry,  but it is so much fun to sit here and write this while I sip my coffee.  As I write this I need to add another chore to my list of things today, I must now vacuum because Isabella has just pulled out all of the tissues from the tissue box and has proceeded to shred every single one of them on the rug in the family room.   She needs better supervision!  :)   TTYL.

Domestic Goddess

Today feels like a sad New England early fall morning -- cloudy and cool.  My morning walk was fun but felt shorter than usual.  Maybe that's because we took a different route through the neighborhood and a new friend came along with us.   This weather always reminds me of my days in New England when DK was a baby.  It makes me feel like baking cookies or bread. I know for sure it makes me want to cook stews and pot roasts.  Maybe I'll go with that feeling.

I should really feel like a million dollars this morning because I went to bed with IK at 8pm last night and slept until 6am this morning.  Wow.  Haven't gotten that much sleep in a few months.  Which is why I don't understand why I am still tired????

I'm looking at the title I chose for this entry and wondering why I've written so much already and haven't gotten to the point.  This week I've been feeling more domestic than I have in a long time.  I cooked up a storm. Last night we had Brunswick Stew which is a 19th-century recipe from Virginia that I found in Cooking Light.  It actually calls for squirrel, but they opt for chicken.  It was so GOOD!  

I've been home for four years now and I finally feel like I know how to do the housework in a way that doesn't feel like I'm always doing housework.  It requires doing a little bit every day before going out and doing errands.  I have a few things that must get done in order for the house to feel like it's tidy:  1)  I have to make my bed every day.  2)  I have to do the dishes every day 3) I have to do at least one load of laundry every day.   We have four bathrooms to clean so I clean them in pairs (2 upstairs on Monday, 2 downstairs on Thursday).  I think our grandmothers had it right when they said, "Monday is for cleaning.  Tuesday is for washing..." 

For me, having a cleaning schedule is really working.  There are still busy days when I don't get everything done around the house and it drives me nuts but for the most part, I feel like we are not living in constant chaos.   The weekends, when we are all home together, we have to make a special effort to put things back; otherwise, the house looks like a wreck.  I don't normally schedule outings on Monday so I can put the house back together.  

I guess this whole thing started working for me when I realized that cleaning is never-ending.  It's maintenance.  You're probably saying "duh" but for some reason, I always felt cleaning was something you did once a week and the rest of the week you undid the cleaning.  This epiphany has really done wonders for our house.  I'm not saying it's spic and span, but I don't feel like I have to rush around putting stuff under the bed and in closets, when an unexpected guest rings the door bell.  Of course, as I'm writing that, I'm looking around and there are toys strewn on the floor our family room.  Halloween costumes that we used for our Halloween dress rehearsal last night are lying on the couch and a mattress pad is dangling over three chairs so it could air dry.  Would I really want an unexpected guest to see my house like this?  

I am a little sad to say that my domestic goddess days are coming to an end as this is my last year at home.  When we first decided that it would be good for me to try to stay home with the kids, I thought I'd do it for a year and I'd go nuts.  But I didn't.  I loved it.  By the time I go back to work it will have been five years since I've worked.  That is a long time to be out of the work force.  I feel if I stay out any longer, I will have a hard time getting back in.  Also, it will be very nice to have the extra income.   

We were talking about this at dinner the other night.  David thinks I would make a great teacher.  I'm not so sure.  I was telling David that I don't really know if I know how to teach. My eight-year-old chimed right in, "Mom, teaching is easy.  All you have to do is talk, talk, talk."

Great.  I wonder why he thinks I would be good at that???   More on that later.  Have to go "tidy."  TTYL.

Food for Thought

Today was all about food.  I woke up early (5:45 a.m.) to make bacon and egg tacos for the kids and David.  Then I prepared a yummy chicken dinner and put it in the crock pot.  That was followed by grocery shopping.  Lunch consisted of a pita with hummus and cucumber slices.  For dinner I made Mexican rice to accompany the yummy crock pot chicken, a salad, and apple crisp.  I don't remember the last time I cooked that much.

It was a nice way to spend a rainy day with IK.   I didn't have to pick up the kids from school today because David offered to bring them home after NK's karate class ends.  IK took a long nap today and it reminded me of the days I spent at home when DK was a baby.  It's so different when you just have one to worry about.  Poor IK naps in her car seat regularly because her nap time coincides with school pick up time.   She hardly ever gets to sleep this long.  So her long nap today was a special treat for her and for me.

I had big plans for today, but I still have tons of laundry to fold and more to wash.  I didn't vacuum and I didn't clean all the bathrooms, but hey, at least I cooked.

Oh, did I mention, that Isabella is finally walking on her own!?  It is so cute to watch her.  Will post video soon.  TTYL.

Rock all Night and Party Everyday

Inspired by my husband's cousin, Carrie, (or is it second cousin once-removed? she's actually the daughter of his first cousin...) and the writing workshop I attended a few weeks ago, I will start blogging as of today. 

This is really my second attempt at blogging.  I tried it a few months ago but could not manage to get interested or excited about writing in it.  I think I need to think of a topic or theme for the blog, but there are so many to choose from.  I guess I can start by telling you about our trip to Mexico this weekend.

We just got back from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico last night. We went to my niece's wedding.  I thought it would be a quick trip but the travel gods had other plans for us.  We were cruising along I-35 heading south when we came to a screeching halt just outside of San Antonio.  The whole freeway turned into a huge parking lot in a matter of seconds.  We were stuck in this traffic for more than hour.  Why you ask?  Because apparently the DOT thinks it is a good idea to repaint the lane markers on the road at 11a.m. on the Saturday of a holiday weekend.  Four lanes of highway were merged down to one!  

Then we hit another snag getting our car permit in Laredo.  There were no directions posted anywhere and no one seemed to know what we needed to get a permit and five people into Mexico.  They had us go through the same line three times and each time they kept forgetting to ask us for a copy of this document or that one.  One-hundred and forty dollars and one and a half hours later we were finally back on the road.  Unfortunately, we had one hour before the wedding was supposed to start.   Darn.

Once you cross the border, the drive down to Monterrey from Laredo is 145 miles.  (It's 225 from Austin to Laredo).  When we realized we were going to miss the actual wedding ceremony, we decided to just enjoy the drive.  Well, I decided that.  The kids and David had decided that the moment we left the house.  It was hard to enjoy the drive at first because the drive is not so pretty right out of Nuevo Laredo.  All you see in this segment are trucks parked on the side of the road, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, cardboard houses, stagnant water, and blown out tires.  The scenery changed dramatically once we were half-way to Monterrey. Breath-taking views of mountains and valleys appeared.  The dessert valley was covered in tall cacti and bushes with beautiful white blooms.  It was easy to relax in this gorgeous scenery.

I got nervous again as we approached the city because we had no map of the city of Monterrey. All we had was the address of the hotel, but due to a fortuitous alignment of the stars, the hotel was on the main highway we were on as was a Sam's Club and Church's Fried Chicken and many other American companies.  In some parts of the highway, it felt like we were back in the states.  It was sad and disappointing and I couldn't help but wonder why people in Monterrey would want to eat Church's fried chicken when there are so many other delicious Mexican foods to choose from?

By the time we got to the hotel, we had missed the wedding ceremony and we still had to change into our party clothes.  I thought we were going to miss the party, too, but I was SO wrong.  When the cab dropped us off at the beautiful ballroom an hour latear, they were just finishing up the civil ceremony. It was 10pm when the party finally started. We got to dance and have dinner - very late @ 11pm! - and enjoy ourselves until the wee hours of the night.  The kids napped during the early part of the reception and woke up in time to play with cousins and dance with us.  The dance ended at 3 a.m. but the party continued at my brother's house until 6a.m.   This last part of the party is called the torna boda and they serve menudo and tamales. Yum.  But we were so exhausted that we took the chartered bus to the hotel from the ballroom and went straight to bed.  We probably didn't fall asleep until 4:30a.m.  and we were up at 9a.m. the next morning.  After a leisurely brunch at my brother's house, we were ready to head back home around 2pm.  We tried a new bridge -- there are 3 in Laredo -- but it still took us 1 hour to cross it.  We got home at 10pm and we had parent teacher conferences this morning at 7a.m.  What was I thinking when I scheduled those so early in the morning?

Despite the lack of sleep, we had so much fun that we are thinking of driving to Veracruz for part of our Christmas break!