tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49839621446428655102024-03-13T13:14:09.488-07:00hatching a patchSarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-72640345566678712722011-04-05T18:51:00.000-07:002011-04-05T19:12:43.873-07:00More Photos for Grandmama<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4641u1kyiA/TZvLyyA15aI/AAAAAAAABj0/NraphGti4RE/s1600/DSC07492-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4641u1kyiA/TZvLyyA15aI/AAAAAAAABj0/NraphGti4RE/s400/DSC07492-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592287435589805474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WuVvGxDTcpo/TZvKAwKuSvI/AAAAAAAABjs/wjSsIKA16JE/s1600/DSC07496-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WuVvGxDTcpo/TZvKAwKuSvI/AAAAAAAABjs/wjSsIKA16JE/s400/DSC07496-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592285476589292274" border="0" /></a>We took a walk to my school's campus and I gave the girls a tour.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uLKRFVmQCE/TZvJgfaNQ7I/AAAAAAAABjk/jAQ46HtnPKQ/s1600/DSC07503-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uLKRFVmQCE/TZvJgfaNQ7I/AAAAAAAABjk/jAQ46HtnPKQ/s400/DSC07503-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592284922335019954" border="0" /></a></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-54124071329601676352011-03-31T21:56:00.000-07:002011-03-31T22:56:47.378-07:00Here You Go, Grandmama<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbCiS4Oq0Gc/TZVo1hPDrDI/AAAAAAAABjU/MSXocxwOmUA/s1600/184793_1809218906831_1130724506_2127640_2838097_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbCiS4Oq0Gc/TZVo1hPDrDI/AAAAAAAABjU/MSXocxwOmUA/s400/184793_1809218906831_1130724506_2127640_2838097_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590489781114219570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQi20Mwgvks/TZVkk9RqWGI/AAAAAAAABjM/AAHnpt7R7CE/s1600/IMG00325-20110313-1412.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 383px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQi20Mwgvks/TZVkk9RqWGI/AAAAAAAABjM/AAHnpt7R7CE/s400/IMG00325-20110313-1412.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590485098537048162" border="0" /></a>My mom requested some pictures of her grandchildren...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JudxAjqhupU/TZVijwzLb4I/AAAAAAAABjE/DeWQ4k5RZck/s1600/Dec%2B2010%2B122.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JudxAjqhupU/TZVijwzLb4I/AAAAAAAABjE/DeWQ4k5RZck/s400/Dec%2B2010%2B122.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590482878984843138" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUfhzSHDeGc/TZVij8aXLGI/AAAAAAAABi8/8PONCuZNVWI/s1600/Dec%2B2010%2B147.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUfhzSHDeGc/TZVij8aXLGI/AAAAAAAABi8/8PONCuZNVWI/s400/Dec%2B2010%2B147.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590482882101980258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VBs3oOmvwg/TZVhDVerNOI/AAAAAAAABi0/Nys1qKKPvI4/s1600/DSC04348.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VBs3oOmvwg/TZVhDVerNOI/AAAAAAAABi0/Nys1qKKPvI4/s400/DSC04348.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590481222383645922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi9HPedq5_0/TZVhDPfsz4I/AAAAAAAABis/ogOSYT5cCQY/s1600/DSC04333.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi9HPedq5_0/TZVhDPfsz4I/AAAAAAAABis/ogOSYT5cCQY/s400/DSC04333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590481220777332610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iWxdhCePebs/TZVhCyx-IpI/AAAAAAAABik/v8m1KVWbhaU/s1600/DSC04330.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iWxdhCePebs/TZVhCyx-IpI/AAAAAAAABik/v8m1KVWbhaU/s400/DSC04330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590481213069337234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QdADb5iI1wk/TZVhClpumiI/AAAAAAAABic/ut_iQ_vRDIk/s1600/DSC04327.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QdADb5iI1wk/TZVhClpumiI/AAAAAAAABic/ut_iQ_vRDIk/s400/DSC04327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590481209545103906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4TqED23McaI/TZVhCTwMExI/AAAAAAAABiU/au6Dd7Bmgjo/s1600/DSC05142-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4TqED23McaI/TZVhCTwMExI/AAAAAAAABiU/au6Dd7Bmgjo/s400/DSC05142-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590481204740363026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mm57R_TXF-U/TZVeDeof_RI/AAAAAAAABiM/oE5c1wi0dVc/s1600/DSC05456.JPG"><br /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hw6VUXxnlnE/TZVcX3a61sI/AAAAAAAABhc/Ulcm6XSWXyI/s1600/DSC06501.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hw6VUXxnlnE/TZVcX3a61sI/AAAAAAAABhc/Ulcm6XSWXyI/s400/DSC06501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590476077533943490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RE_-LJBu95Y/TZVeDH5epcI/AAAAAAAABiE/elhJZwwc__w/s1600/DSC05218.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RE_-LJBu95Y/TZVeDH5epcI/AAAAAAAABiE/elhJZwwc__w/s400/DSC05218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590477920203089346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dfm9OrsMqLY/TZVeDHbOMjI/AAAAAAAABh8/IALhCATMjfI/s1600/DSC05139.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dfm9OrsMqLY/TZVeDHbOMjI/AAAAAAAABh8/IALhCATMjfI/s400/DSC05139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590477920076182066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8FQo9d3RVV8/TZVeC-Pt_2I/AAAAAAAABh0/wnT9s_XNwbo/s1600/DSC04840.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8FQo9d3RVV8/TZVeC-Pt_2I/AAAAAAAABh0/wnT9s_XNwbo/s400/DSC04840.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590477917612015458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BNp46ivYXSM/TZVeChqdRNI/AAAAAAAABhs/k4Q6LhvHq28/s1600/DSC04837.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BNp46ivYXSM/TZVeChqdRNI/AAAAAAAABhs/k4Q6LhvHq28/s400/DSC04837.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590477909939537106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EcZ23j_XdVA/TZVcXqICiEI/AAAAAAAABhU/GME0OrNDpgM/s1600/DSC05979.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EcZ23j_XdVA/TZVcXqICiEI/AAAAAAAABhU/GME0OrNDpgM/s400/DSC05979.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590476073965094978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cfV1WUA-tss/TZVcXDeUs9I/AAAAAAAABhM/di9Ze67FhiA/s1600/DSC05970.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cfV1WUA-tss/TZVcXDeUs9I/AAAAAAAABhM/di9Ze67FhiA/s400/DSC05970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590476063589577682" border="0" /></a>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-43319231707749029562010-07-01T10:11:00.000-07:002010-07-01T10:33:06.603-07:00I'm Still an A Student<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/TCzNo1fFGyI/AAAAAAAABg0/qc1rtAm9DRA/s1600/May+2010+385.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/TCzNo1fFGyI/AAAAAAAABg0/qc1rtAm9DRA/s400/May+2010+385.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488988147293690658" border="0" /></a>I don't often find myself with nothing to do these days. I got a promotion at work and am pretty much working full-time now. But I like my job so that's cool. I finished another semester of college; got an A in my African American History class. Thank goodness I planned a June Vegas trip back in January--I ended up needing it more than I thought I would! We just got back from Vegas a few days ago after spending 3 days there with friends from different states. I don't gamble but I still feel like I won.<br />My sister came to visit us from Virginia. She also took care of our kids while we were in Vegas. How great is that?! My sister and I went rollerskating together and we also did some karaoke. I think she had a good time.<br />I am not taking any summer classes this year. I remember taking a class last summer, having homework 4 nights a week and a research paper to write, all while planning my husband's birthday and our kids' birthday party...NO THANKS! <br />Raquel has finished Kindergarten. She starts 1st grade September 14th. She learned so much from her teacher this year, it is AMAZING. We loved her teacher so much, we gave her a nice gift on the last day of school. How a teacher can teach a 5-year-old how to read is beyond me. And I'm proud of Raquel for being the young lady she is--she's outgoing, smart, friendly, funny and creative. She's everything a mother could want in a daughter. She'll be 6 years old July 7th. :)<br />I'm currently dealing with a toddler full of temper...Maxine. She'll be two on July 25th. She's sooo sweet when she's happy but when she doesn't get her way, she's red-faced-angry. Raquel was never this way. Maxine is a very different child, though, and I'm learning as I go. <br />Thanks for checking in :)<br />(The picture above is a bento box I made for Raquel recently)Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-50538211989982968712010-03-24T23:06:00.000-07:002010-03-24T23:10:21.415-07:00My Maxine in Shoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6r9fX2Rh1I/AAAAAAAABgs/jDpQW8Dv57Y/s1600/March+2010+261.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6r9fX2Rh1I/AAAAAAAABgs/jDpQW8Dv57Y/s400/March+2010+261.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452449014304835410" border="0" /></a><br />Maxine struttin' her stuff in a pair of new shoes...Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-89264040814537482272010-03-24T11:37:00.000-07:002010-03-24T12:31:33.821-07:00Incited by The Short-Sighted<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6poOMDR8tI/AAAAAAAABgk/ZEd2flFpgDg/s1600/march+2009+361.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6poOMDR8tI/AAAAAAAABgk/ZEd2flFpgDg/s400/march+2009+361.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452284891847848658" border="0" /></a><br />Today, a father questioned whether or not he should quit his 9-5 job to go back to the "easy" life of dealing drugs and taking vacations at will. This incited me to think of my responsibility as a parent and also as a citizen of the world. I feel sorry for a person like this father whose sight is so short. Does he have any expectations of his own child? Is he satisfied raising a career-bartender or <span style="font-style: italic;">worse</span>? Does he at least realize that going back to selling drugs to the public is, at best, just perpetuating the status quo? Am I special because I think my own life and the lives of my children are destined for greatness? I thought everyone felt that way. Does not everyone feel their lives are special?<br />Every chance I get, I make sure I am not raising bitches, bimbos, douches, snots, assholes, wallflowers, doormats or dummies. I fully believe my daughters have the potential to be powerful, influential, creative, inspiring, philanthropic leaders. To me it goes without saying that all parents must have this same opinion of their own children. But I'm probably wrong.<br />When I was a kid, my dad used to say I could be president. I never wanted to be the president of anything but hearing him say that and be genuine about it was good for my heart and ego. As far back as I can remember, I have always felt like someone special; I'm meant for something important and some day I'm going to find out what that is.<br />I feel the same way about my kids. They're going to be great adults. I raise them with this in mind <span style="font-weight: bold;">constantly</span>. Kids are not just mindless whippersnappers who like to ruin your day and piss you off. This is just part of a parent's obstacle course. The REAL job is teaching them the concept of respect. I believe this is where it all begins. One way to instill this concept in them is to <span style="font-weight: bold;">never </span>make fun of people in front of your children. This is obviously not a priority to some folks, which is evident when you encounter a bully in public. I'd bet $100 the bully's parents are bullies themselves. These parents have no idea what monsters they're creating by disregarding the concept of respect. Disrespecting others in front of your children is one of the worst things you can do to them. If you think this isn't a big deal, you're dead wrong. You are disrespecting your own progeny when you forget to teach them respect and they grow up without the <span style="font-style: italic;">option</span> to be respectful because YOU failed to be a good example. You will give your child no choice but to be an asshole. That is, until someone teaches your child a hard lesson or two.<br />If nothing else in my life, I hope to raise my children to be great adults. This is my mission.<br />Thanks for reading.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-72992640091375288752010-03-18T16:22:00.000-07:002010-03-18T18:16:17.031-07:00Had a Birthday, Got a Job...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LKx5Ilq1I/AAAAAAAABf8/3MrXmxEz_fs/s1600-h/March+2010+021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LKx5Ilq1I/AAAAAAAABf8/3MrXmxEz_fs/s320/March+2010+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450141457570966354" border="0" /></a>Grandma, this blog is for <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span>.<br />I had a birthday in February. About 15 of my friends joined me at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale for a little rollerskating party. Most of us hadn't been rollerskating in a decade or two; some fell, some fell more than once but ALL seemed to enjoy the evening very much. I would actually like to go rollerskating every weekend if I could. It is good, fun exercise.<br />For school this semester, I am only taking one class. It's a history class and our term project is to write a 12-15 page paper about a grandparent, including a family tree and images from their time as a child. When I saw this was our major work of the semester, I had a big smile in my heart. I knew exactly who to write about and I think it should be quite rewarding.<br />I started a part time job a couple of weeks ago. I won't say who I'm working for because I don't want to associate them with my blog at all but I will say I'm enjoying it for the most part. Being on my feet all day and smiling all the time can be exhausting. Who takes care of the kids when I'm gone? My husband, who makes his own hours and organizes himself around my work/school schedule, thank goodness.<br />I got to go on a kindergarten field trip to China Town last month with my daughter's class. We all took the Metrolink and spent a couple of hours there. I got several cute pictures. This is one of Raquel and her best buddy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LKyhtXmII/AAAAAAAABgM/axZ1xq8ddbM/s1600-h/Feb+2010+307.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LKyhtXmII/AAAAAAAABgM/axZ1xq8ddbM/s320/Feb+2010+307.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450141468462651522" border="0" /></a>Raquel went to Big Bear with my dad for a 4-day weekend in February. I hear she got homesick the first night but after that she enjoyed herself. We missed her and were glad to have her home. I'm thankful she has grandparents and great-grandparents who adore her and make her life so wonderful. Speaking of, here is Grandma (Raquel and Maxine's great-grandmother)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LPVDKBNpI/AAAAAAAABgc/kpH3-zFuh_E/s1600-h/December+2009+1130-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LPVDKBNpI/AAAAAAAABgc/kpH3-zFuh_E/s320/December+2009+1130-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450146459603252882" border="0" /></a>Little Maxine is about to be 20 months old. We bought her 2 pairs of nice shoes from Stride Rite last weekend and, to my surprise, she is taking to them quite well (for a chronic tip-toer). She used to hate shoes. Now, she seems to like them. It is a big relief to me to see her take this next <span style="font-style: italic;">step</span>.<br />Maxine picked up a fork at a restaurant and taught herself how to use it. Nobody helped her or told her what to do--she just took it and ran with it, so to speak. She is looking so grown-up and talking all the time. She mimics us, even counts and says the alphabet but of course it's in her own dialect and isn't exactly correct.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LPUqkX9SI/AAAAAAAABgU/ekHlJ6JISpw/s1600-h/Feb+2010+517-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S6LPUqkX9SI/AAAAAAAABgU/ekHlJ6JISpw/s320/Feb+2010+517-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450146453002908962" border="0" /></a>I'm going to end this post now. Whatever I've forgotten will be included in an upcoming post. Maybe I'll do an all-pictures post.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-91816241836187203112010-01-24T16:18:00.000-08:002010-01-24T16:27:58.511-08:00Change of Taste<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zlKGQVwYI/AAAAAAAABdY/KTqOJOAENgk/s1600-h/January+2010+417.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430467212342575490" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zlKGQVwYI/AAAAAAAABdY/KTqOJOAENgk/s320/January+2010+417.jpg" /></a><br /><div>The four of us went to the birthday party of a 1-year-old boy yesterday at a place called My Gym. Raquel and Maxine got to play with several kids their age and romp around on the play equipment--they even had a zip line for kids to try. Maxine's favorite activity was the trampoline and, surprisingly, she was really good at it!<br />The sun shone this weekend, which put me in an instantly-good mood yesterday morning, playing loud, happy music while sweeping the house.<br />I'm getting really bored of eating the typical healthy groceries I've been eating since January 4th but I haven't had a chance to do any grocery shopping so I have eaten some not-so-healthy things, like cereal. What a disappointing experience this has been--eating cereal, that is. My taste buds must be refining themselves! I used to be a cereal fanatic, all my life, and now? Not even my old favorite, Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch, does anything for me. What else has been a disappointment? Cheeseburgers. I haven't had a really good one in a year or more. I feel like I'm on a quest for one worthy of my sacrifice [of calories], because to waste calories on mediocre would-be delicious food doesn't even reach the point of satisfaction. It rather leaves me seeking that taste I long for after eating brown rice and veggies day after day to "make my tummy smaller" as I explain to Raquel (who keeps me on my toes about what I eat, now, mind you).<br />Where have all the good chees<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zj9zgdnHI/AAAAAAAABdI/ZtrQhgg8brQ/s1600-h/January+2010+480.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430465901639867506" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zj9zgdnHI/AAAAAAAABdI/ZtrQhgg8brQ/s200/January+2010+480.jpg" /></a>eburgers gone?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zj-OHTk1I/AAAAAAAABdQ/ZfLMJtStTKs/s1600-h/January+2010+477.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430465908782109522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zj-OHTk1I/AAAAAAAABdQ/ZfLMJtStTKs/s200/January+2010+477.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zj9mc6LQI/AAAAAAAABdA/v3vOdJSbhUM/s1600-h/January+2010+493.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430465898135301378" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1zj9mc6LQI/AAAAAAAABdA/v3vOdJSbhUM/s200/January+2010+493.jpg" /></a></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-23222897954964554302010-01-20T11:42:00.000-08:002010-01-20T12:43:58.393-08:00Weather-Induced Cabin Fever<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dqPxrAb2I/AAAAAAAABco/1ZFL9X7qdm0/s1600-h/nicks+rainbow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dqPxrAb2I/AAAAAAAABco/1ZFL9X7qdm0/s400/nicks+rainbow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428924695082725218" border="0" /></a>(Photo taken yesterday by my friend Nick Romero. I told him I had to steal it.)<br />Southern California is having some type of El <span style="font-size:100%;">Niño revival and I'm not enjoying it. Fortunately, our house is above ground by about 4+ feet and we haven't incurred any flood damage, NOT that the water is that high but it <span style="font-style: italic;">has </span>been raining nonstop since about Sunday (I think). The lack of sunshine really gets to me. I have been cooking and reading recipes out of boredom. That's not such a bad thing--better than drinking up everything in the booze cabinet!</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dgnaDQwlI/AAAAAAAABcY/MDKH-XMr7Bs/s1600-h/January+2010+236.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dgnaDQwlI/AAAAAAAABcY/MDKH-XMr7Bs/s200/January+2010+236.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428914105942590034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dgnDqY3tI/AAAAAAAABcQ/EGGBHd_q-Ts/s1600-h/January+2010+235.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dgnDqY3tI/AAAAAAAABcQ/EGGBHd_q-Ts/s200/January+2010+235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428914099932683986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dgnmVGRMI/AAAAAAAABcg/cEaf4yd_nBE/s1600-h/January+2010+358.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S1dgnmVGRMI/AAAAAAAABcg/cEaf4yd_nBE/s200/January+2010+358.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428914109238625474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Actually, my kitchen fun started </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Friday night when we had "Maki Night". I made several different nonfish maki rolls for Jose and the girls. After that I fried up some banana fritters. It was really fun for me to make this fun meal for them. They all liked it very much and even pretended they were at a sushi restaurant and I was the slow waitress/chef. And yesterday I made two simple but <span style="font-style: italic;">unusual </span>potato salads: teriyaki was one and c</span><span style="font-size:100%;">urry was the other. Raquel liked the teriyaki one. I put the curry one in Jose's lunch today and have yet to hear his opinion. I do not care for potato salad so I have not tried either one. I'm glad I have two guinea pigs to try my funky recipes.<br />Raquel has been home sick for two days. She will most likely go back to school tomorrow. Maxine only got a mild version of Raquel's flu. Jose and I are fine, so far. We have a couple of plans this weekend so I hope we stay healthy.<br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br /></span><h1> </h1>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-79141524174206550172010-01-12T19:54:00.000-08:002010-01-13T00:27:31.229-08:00Dude! : A School Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S01KjG3mgrI/AAAAAAAABcI/YhNNBeQweXg/s1600-h/January+2010+039.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S01KjG3mgrI/AAAAAAAABcI/YhNNBeQweXg/s320/January+2010+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426075093051015858" border="0" /></a><br />The Fall semester ended for me December 17th. Checking for my final grades online during Christmas time offered no news, so I waited until today to check again. Let me preface the results by telling you a little something embarrassing I ended up doing during my final writing assignment in Art History...<br />I missed class one day. It couldn't be avoided. But wouldn't you know that was the day our professor talked about <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suprematism">Suprematism</a>. It must've been the day I was gone because I knew nothing about it. I studied the text book to prepare for writing my final paper and for some reason, I did not study <span style="font-style: italic;">this </span>one piece of art history. And it was never brought up in any of the other class sessions in which I was present. When I walked into class that final day, I had hoped that up on the projector screen there would be a piece of art I recognized, at least for its style, if not the artist, and that I could at least speculate about the artwork and do my best writing. Well, that's when the professor popped this piece up for us to ponder and write about:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S01FRGgi_6I/AAAAAAAABcA/PfIffULssbU/s1600-h/1918-malevich-supremacy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/S01FRGgi_6I/AAAAAAAABcA/PfIffULssbU/s400/1918-malevich-supremacy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426069286158532514" border="0" /></a>The class of 100 gasped, then giggled. The professor said, "Back then, they didn't laugh." I think my brain started to sweat bullets. I had absolutely no clue what this was supposed to be. The assignment was to write about what style of art <span style="font-style: italic;">we think</span> this is and why. And, though it wasn't required, we could venture a guess at the artist's name. All I could do for at least five minutes was sit and think. Many students were already well on their way to finishing their answers. And then something clicked and I went off on a tangent about Monet and Impressionism. When I got home from class, I searched for and found this painting online and found out I was completely mistaken, which made me feel so embarrassed. It is a piece of Suprematist art--the art for which I did not study. My bubble burst and my hope for an A evaporated.<br />We mysteriously and abruptly go from <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>to this : My tangent on Monet paid off, evidently, because yadda yadda yadda, I got an A in this class. Yes, I am celebrating. I won't know what my teacher had to say about this paper until I go pick it up from his office but I'm quite interested in finding that out.<br />I also got an A in my speech class. I'm very glad of that, too, just not surprised. The Art History grade is what I'm so thrilled about. Thank you!Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-82671701509778479362010-01-01T16:26:00.000-08:002010-01-01T16:58:55.607-08:00Christmas Pictures. Enjoy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6UIPRdwnI/AAAAAAAABbg/y6-RUWNPEZE/s1600-h/December+2009+1258.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6UIPRdwnI/AAAAAAAABbg/y6-RUWNPEZE/s400/December+2009+1258.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421933870660305522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6VJdkPPzI/AAAAAAAABbw/M1DWl5TQrb8/s1600-h/December+2009+1035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6VJdkPPzI/AAAAAAAABbw/M1DWl5TQrb8/s400/December+2009+1035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421934991188639538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6VJP5nkcI/AAAAAAAABbo/hPRfis2O8hg/s1600-h/December+2009+1267-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6VJP5nkcI/AAAAAAAABbo/hPRfis2O8hg/s400/December+2009+1267-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421934987520217538" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6UHw2UrII/AAAAAAAABbY/HyQur5eu3nw/s1600-h/December+2009+1110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6UHw2UrII/AAAAAAAABbY/HyQur5eu3nw/s400/December+2009+1110.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421933862493400194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6Vvkpq1YI/AAAAAAAABb4/FTNNvT2a4ww/s1600-h/December+2009+1113.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6Vvkpq1YI/AAAAAAAABb4/FTNNvT2a4ww/s400/December+2009+1113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421935645925496194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6UHm18B9I/AAAAAAAABbQ/6VSn8O5FuP0/s1600-h/December+2009+1106.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6UHm18B9I/AAAAAAAABbQ/6VSn8O5FuP0/s400/December+2009+1106.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421933859807430610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6TbfNHTpI/AAAAAAAABbI/yaMnN-ucusw/s1600-h/December+2009+1105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6TbfNHTpI/AAAAAAAABbI/yaMnN-ucusw/s400/December+2009+1105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421933101842910866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6TbJymC9I/AAAAAAAABbA/qOQK3usViBw/s1600-h/December+2009+962.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6TbJymC9I/AAAAAAAABbA/qOQK3usViBw/s400/December+2009+962.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421933096094534610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6TawxSQqI/AAAAAAAABa4/iOhHm8Qens8/s1600-h/December+2009+862.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sz6TawxSQqI/AAAAAAAABa4/iOhHm8Qens8/s400/December+2009+862.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421933089378157218" border="0" /></a>Thanks to all our friends and family for the thoughtful gifts we received and for making it such a great holiday season with lots of happy memories. I'm very grateful to have such a delightful family to be with at this special time of year. I just wish more of us lived closer together so we could share all the fun with <span style="font-weight: bold;">everyone</span>.<br />As a reward for making it this far, please click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMxmTJaps-g">here </a>to watch a short, funny video from Christmas Day at my dad's house; just a sample of the goings-on.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-23335469139000860152009-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:002009-12-21T12:03:08.077-08:00Longing for a Traditional ChristmasIt's true: I only devote the very last smidgen of brain cells to writing the posts in this blog. That is all you get. <span style="font-style: italic;">That </span>and sometimes cute pictures. Now...<br />When I was a kid we spent 95% of our Christmas Days at my maternal grandmother's mobile home in Chatsworth, CA. It wasn't a tacky mobile home park like the stereotype would have you think; it was pretty, well-organized and well-preserved, kinda like Grandma, herself, when she was alive, at least. Gosh, she's been dead for almost 12 years! She passed away at the young age of 70, right before my 20th birthday. She didn't deserve to die like that, from Cancer, I mean. Isn't it strange, for lack of a better word, when someone who has lived a healthy, low-salt, low-cholesterol, low-fat life, dies a horrible death like that? I don't understand.<br />I am thinking of those old Christmasses. I miss them very much. Back then I took it for granted that it would always be that way. The adults had their table and the kids (me, my siblings and cousins) had their table. The adults drank boxed wine and maybe some had whiskey with 7-up. After dinner the kids would retreat to the guest bedroom where grandma kept a few toys for us to play with and we'd laugh up a storm the rest of the day/night. Of course after we opened presents we'd have a lot more to play with and when that was out of the way the adults would gather around the table again for all kinds of card games and more drinking, which made for lots of funny noises us kids would laugh at from the other room. "Shh--Listen! Our parents are so dumb when they're drunk! HAhahaha....!" When it came time to leave, I'm sure we cried and tried to sneak into each others' cars to go home with our cousins instead of plain-home. And it was always a kind of slap in the face how <span style="font-style: italic;">ready </span>our parents were to get the Hell out of there when the night came to an end--they'd had enough, which I now understand as I have wild children of my own and I, too, am older and less spirited, just like those adults seemed to me back then. <br />We were Catholic and Scotch-Irish-English. That's how it went down. And we loved it.<br />Another slap in the face was going home to our dachsunds having gotten their revenge for being left home alone--our new Christmas gifts were sometimes chewed to shreds or at least slightly mangled. Thinking back on this is comedy.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-81955431586318309582009-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:002009-12-13T19:51:50.239-08:00Christmas Potluck Last Night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SyWzPDFNCfI/AAAAAAAABag/awUB34NPhg8/s1600-h/December+2009+354.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SyWzPDFNCfI/AAAAAAAABag/awUB34NPhg8/s400/December+2009+354.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414931198089431538" border="0" /></a>That picture is my new favorite snapshot of the girls. Those dresses were given to them by my dad's wife, aka, Grandma Debbie :)<br />Our friends a few blocks away threw a fantastic Christmas party last night, complete with games for the children, a table full of potluck goodies, craft activities, cookie and cupcake decorating station and even Santa himself paid a visit. Raquel was thrilled to see Santa. Maxine was frightened of him. He gave presents to all the children and eventually made an exit through the sliding glass door at the back of the house. <br />I made two trays of different open face sandwiches inspired by<i> Smørrebrød</i> or <i>smörgås</i> of Scandinavia and one tray of shortbread topped with cream cheese and sweet things. It took several hours of work and my neck is killing me today because of it!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SyWzP4kFLVI/AAAAAAAABaw/W16hZPGRbOw/s1600-h/December+2009+333.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SyWzP4kFLVI/AAAAAAAABaw/W16hZPGRbOw/s400/December+2009+333.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414931212446018898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SyWzPWcNMDI/AAAAAAAABao/DAml_tKC0yw/s1600-h/December+2009+326.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SyWzPWcNMDI/AAAAAAAABao/DAml_tKC0yw/s400/December+2009+326.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414931203286183986" border="0" /></a>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-44112539735595270812009-12-03T23:16:00.000-08:002009-12-03T23:41:31.814-08:00Joyfulness<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sxi3fO-zRfI/AAAAAAAABaU/69Cs02D3q9Q/s1600-h/December+2009+025.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411276699510982130" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sxi3fO-zRfI/AAAAAAAABaU/69Cs02D3q9Q/s400/December+2009+025.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Rudolph was on tv last night! We pigged out on doughnuts and milk and enjoyed the show together. I have always loved this tv special.</div><div>Before the show, I took Raquel to Payless to get a new pair of shoes for school. She had received a special gift card from her school--many <em>more fortunate</em> people donate food baskets and gift cards for the less fortunate students at her school--Raquel has been designated as one such student. We have also received tons of groceries in the past week. All of these donations were a HUGE surprise to us. I didn't know they knew we needed it! Jose and I can't believe how much food we received. It filled our pantry! Writing this and thinking about how much people care really makes my eyes wet. It has given Jose and I one less thing to worry about but not only that--the feeling of<strong> joyfulness just</strong> <strong>makes everything better</strong>.</div><div>Then I woke up this morning with a somewhat mysterious burst of positivity. It carried through all day and into my evening class. I had to give a short presentation. Just yesterday I was worried about it but this sudden confidence made it a snap. I felt like a different <em>Me</em> because I just wasn't nervous. And guess who got to be the first one to present? :)</div><div>Two weeks from today this semester will be history. And a week after that is Christmas. It's gonna be a good one. I am feeling <strong>joyful</strong>. </div><div>Thanks for checking in.</div><div> </div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-48818217433248800112009-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:002009-11-17T17:44:02.638-08:00The Holidays are Very Different This Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SwNQqWJiRbI/AAAAAAAABaM/sf2COlC7Wik/s1600/November+2009+046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 387px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SwNQqWJiRbI/AAAAAAAABaM/sf2COlC7Wik/s400/November+2009+046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405252666205029810" border="0" /></a><br />Usually I'd already be in the swing of the holidays. I would have already asked Jose to bring up the boxes of decor and lights from the basement. I would have already baked and stored 5 different recipes of cookies in my freezer. I would have already planned what presents to give out. I would also be ready to embrace the season and the revival of warm memories of holidays passed. Things are different this year. Who would have thought a <span style="font-style: italic;">little </span>adjustment to my schedule and priorities could have such a dramatic effect on my life?<br />Of course, I'm talking about <span style="font-family:georgia;">COLLEGE</span>. A year ago I had just quit my job as a barista to stay home and raise my kids full-time. I wasn't in school or even thinking about going to school. One year later, here I am with text books, extensive writing assignments, the responsibility of group research with a 20-minute presentation, another presentation on some volunteer work I did, finals to study for, a kid in kindergarten who cannot read her own homework instructions yet and then all the other extra-curricular stuff like a baby, a husband and a house. Oh, and myself! HAhahaha, that's funny.<br />Last Thursday in my art history class all of us students were asked to participate in an anonymous evaluation of our instructor. I had only good things to say. I am enjoying the class so much. It may be the best course I've ever taken and I wasn't even expecting it to be such. He's not easy. He assumes all 100+ of his students are <span style="font-style: italic;">seasoned</span>. Sometimes I get my assignments back and I re-read what I wrote and wonder, <span style="font-style: italic;">Where did that come from???</span>, in a good way! I take super fast, messy notes and a lot of them. The only one who needs to read my writing is me :)<br />My other class is giving me a lot of grief. The text was written by the professor. It's terrible. The book, I mean. Oh, but so is the class. This is probably the WORST class I've ever taken. The professor simply reiterates what she has "written" already in the text (I use those quotes because she didn't <span style="font-style: italic;">write </span>anything--she stole it all from other books). Pretty much word-for-<span style="font-style: italic;">cliche</span>-word. It's a 3-hour class and she keeps us the entire time. We have a TON of work due in the next few weeks. This is what weighs on my mind all the time now. I hope we get to evaluate her; I have a lot of suggestions to improve the course structure. One suggestion is: don't make all the big assignments due on the same freaking day, especially when we also have to study for the final.<br />Thanks for letting me vent.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-36659352725024761152009-11-14T11:26:00.000-08:002009-11-14T11:55:34.348-08:00Good Griddlecakes Recipe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sv8I5TcuWcI/AAAAAAAABaE/TUEuzMPCxBc/s1600-h/November+2009+106.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Sv8I5TcuWcI/AAAAAAAABaE/TUEuzMPCxBc/s320/November+2009+106.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404047858434202050" border="0" /></a><br />Jose and I woke up before the girls this morning, strangely enough, and he requested pancakes for breakfast. That was when I realized we hadn't had breakfast together in a long time, I'm talking about several months. How sad?! He made a pot of coffee and I got out my cookbooks to find my little penned notes next to the recipes I had liked in the past. I made this one from an old Country Cookbook (I modified it just a little by adding vanilla):<br />2 C flour<br />5 tsp baking powder<br />2 tsp salt<br />3 tblsp sugar<br />1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />2 eggs, beaten<br />2 C milk<br />6 tblsp oil<br />1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract (to your liking)<br /><ol><li>Combine dry ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl.</li><li>Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla to flour mixture. Mix well. It will be kinda lumpy.</li><li>Cook on a greased griddle and flip when bubbles pop open on top, as usual for pancakes.</li><li>While cooking the rest of the batter, keep griddlecakes warm in a 170 degree oven on a cookie sheet, adding butter to each cake on the sheet. This keeps them from drying out while staying warm and of course butter tastes good.</li><li>Serve with your favorite syrup.</li></ol>These were so fluffy and filling! Jose only ate two before he got full. I have made many pancake recipes this year. This one was my favorite so far.<br />********<br />Raquel and Maxine have been sick this week. Maxine has been sick for one week now and Raquel just came down with it on Thursday. She is faring much better than Maxine, who seems to really be miserable. To put it frankly, she's pissed off. That girl has a temper. Raquel is just the opposite--very pleasant and sweet, even though she, too, has a fever. My sanity thanks goodness for having at least one child with a calm attitude about being sick. The mad child is driving Mommy a little crazy. I have found that giving Maxine a nice, warm, playful bath helps calm her down significantly. But that's the only trick I have.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-63823386683461546462009-11-05T17:00:00.001-08:002009-11-05T17:14:23.310-08:00The Short of Our Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SvN4R4FVAbI/AAAAAAAABZ8/0Pe2QhEJt7Q/s1600-h/October+2009+747.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SvN4R4FVAbI/AAAAAAAABZ8/0Pe2QhEJt7Q/s200/October+2009+747.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400792626655199666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>Raquel said, "Mommy, you go to college. You know EVERYTHING!"</li><li>Maxine had a little turd in her mouth.</li><li>I put a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in my oatmeal.</li><li>Yes, Maxine actually had poop in her mouth for a minute.</li><li>The oatmeal was good.</li><li>Maxine is my <span style="font-style: italic;">gross </span>child. She tried to eat her own puke once, too.<br /></li><li>Raquel still likes hats, jewelry, make-up and other non-gross things.<br /></li></ul>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-36036870483611087372009-11-01T13:16:00.000-08:002009-11-01T14:01:06.721-08:00Friday's Fail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Su4Dh5KZQlI/AAAAAAAABZk/7lQNYi0w-P0/s1600-h/October+2009+1090.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Su4Dh5KZQlI/AAAAAAAABZk/7lQNYi0w-P0/s400/October+2009+1090.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399256884078789202" border="0" /></a>Early last week Raquel was sent home with a notice to us (her parents) that she would be receiving a 'special award' at Friday's awards assembly. We were to keep it a secret so she could be surprised when they announced her name. Jose couldn't stand not knowing exactly what the award was so he found out by asking around (I would have preferred to be surprised). Her teacher invited us to the assembly which was to be at 10:20am Friday, October 30th. Already planned this day was the school's annual Halloween Parade at 1pm. Since the children were not permitted to wear their costumes to school in the morning, parents who <span style="font-style: italic;">could </span>were allowed to arrive at 12:30pm to dress their children and apply makeup in the classroom. Raquel's costume was a clown with full facepaint and a wig. I was also in charge of bringing Halloween cupcakes to the after-parade party in the classroom. Jose was able to switch shifts at work so he might help me in the morning with everything but he wasn't able to stick around past noon. I am getting ahead of myself, hold on...<br />Friday morning I painted clown makeup on my own face, Jose dressed Maxine in her witch costume (which had been Raquel's 4 years ago) and I packed the truck with diaper bag, makeup case, bag of costume and accessories for Raquel and 3 containers of cupcakes. Jose got caught up with a business associate on the phone and I thought I would be late so I strapped Maxine into the truck and took off to the awards assembly (we were taking separate cars anyways since Jose would be leaving from the school to go to work). Confused yet? It gets worse. So, I'm driving on the 210 freeway hoping not to be late to the assembly when upon exitting the freeway Maxine got carsick all over her pretty costume. Her carseat was a complete mess. And since she hadn't gotten carsick in so long, I didn't bother to bring towels or extra clothing--assuming we were in the clear was a huge mistake. I must have uttered the F-word 20 times while parking the truck and wondering what my next move would be. I carefully took off the witch dress and threw it in the bed of the truck, leaving Maxine in her dampened undershirt and black tights and smelling like vomit. I smelled that good, too. We walked into the assembly and sat with my sister-in-law in the audience. I was in a terrible mood but Maxine was cheerful as could be.<br />Anywho, Raquel won an award for creativity. She really is the most creative child I have ever known. After the assembly we gathered outside to take pictures of the award winners with their teacher. That's when Jose showed up and boy was he mad. Apparently, he had left the keys to our other vehicle in the truck, which I had driven to school, obviously, leaving him at home without keys. I was so involved in getting to school on time and then cleaning up Maxine's puke that I didn't even notice him calling my cell phone. We were both very unhappy that morning to say the least.<br />Jose then took Maxine home and changed her into clean clothes and came back to school. In the meantime, I travelled back and forth from my truck to the classroom, dropping off the cupcakes and the Halloween costume bag and makeup case and then I sort of cleaned out whatever I could in the truck. Jose put the other carseat in the truck and I put the yucky one in the bed of the truck. Then Jose left for work and Maxine and I hung out at Raquel's school until we were allowed to enter the classroom to put her costume on. Maxine's bottle was empty by now and she was cranky. I was hurrying to do a decent job on Raquel's clown makeup. The classroom was hot, stuffy and crowded. Raquel's teacher was kind enough to carry Maxine around while I was busy with Raquel (she couldn't bare to hear her cry). I was sweating and anxious for this ordeal to be over. It was supposed to be fun and I wasn't having any fun. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Su4CrZBxi0I/AAAAAAAABZc/thoQjrcZIg0/s1600-h/October+2009+1096.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Su4CrZBxi0I/AAAAAAAABZc/thoQjrcZIg0/s400/October+2009+1096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399255947739761474" border="0" /></a>The parade seemed to go off without a hitch even though we stood outside a while in the sun and heat waiting for all the classrooms to get lined up. There was even a drum section from the middle school across the street, the drummers being mostly female, which all us mothers thought was so cool. Raquel looked cute and Maxine seemed to be entertained enough to forget she needed a nap and a bottle. She was pretty content in the Bjorn and even feel asleep for a few seconds to the beat of the marching band drums. Everything was OK from then on.<br />When we got home, I was beat. I don't know how single mothers do this day in and day out.Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-55526397369352709592009-10-31T22:56:00.000-07:002009-10-31T23:00:22.786-07:00Raquel's Halloween Costume<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Su0jfbzkAbI/AAAAAAAABZU/NYej30JGYQQ/s1600-h/October+2009+1262.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Su0jfbzkAbI/AAAAAAAABZU/NYej30JGYQQ/s400/October+2009+1262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399010551234036146" border="0" /></a>I'll write a full blog on all the haps over the past few days at a later time. For now, here is Raquel as a scary clown for Halloween. She was a hit!Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-35759823688949415262009-10-28T17:12:00.000-07:002009-10-28T18:15:39.116-07:00It's Been So Long!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SujsQgicMoI/AAAAAAAABZM/YidqMFH1pK4/s1600-h/October+2009+852.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 301px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397823921759990402" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SujsQgicMoI/AAAAAAAABZM/YidqMFH1pK4/s400/October+2009+852.jpg" /></a> <div><div><div>Gosh, I haven't blobbed in a while! I have so much to say but will limit it to the most interesting/pertinent items.</div><div>We have just been informed that Raquel will be receiving a "special award" on October 30th at her school's awards assembly. I am so anxious to know what it is! We are not supposed to tell her about it. She's going to be so surprised! I cannot wait to attend my very first awards assembly as a parent and my own kid is getting an award! I'll be showing off her pictures this weekend.</div><div>Also this Friday is Raquel's school's Halloween Parade. The children and their parents will actually be walking the block around the school, in costume, and then returning to their classrooms for Halloween snacks and treats. The problem is the children are not allowed to wear their costumes to school--rather the parents have to show up a half an hour before the parade to get the kids gussied up in their respective classrooms. I can imagine how chaotic this will be! I'm not sure how I'm going to get Raquel ready while Maxine runs around the classroom. So, this Friday I have the awards assembly at 10:20am and then I have to show up again at 12:30 to do Raquel's costume. A busy exciting day!<img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397823354453887330" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SujrvfKICWI/AAAAAAAABZE/YXuk6-Ghwcg/s400/October+2009+381.jpg" /></div><div>Maxine is growing up in leaps and bounds. She signs the word "Eat" when she wants to eat, though she can verbally say the word, too. Other words she can verbalize are "hi", "Dada", "baba" (bottle), "sissy" (sister), "soss" (socks), "hat", "eyes", "bubble", "tickle" and she also says a very enthusiastic, "Ooooooh!" when she sees something interesting, like yummy food or a bird in the sky. She is extremely sweet and affectionate. Her favorite activity is putting random objects into drawers and into the bathtub. We finally have her drinking whole cow's milk now that her little tummy is ready for it. She enjoys getting her teeth brushed and actually has her first molars now. Hind sight being 20/20, I think the reason she was waking up at 3am last month almost every night was probably because of those big molars cutting through her gums. She now sleeps through the night every night. Also, she hasn't gotten car sick since we stopped using a formula called "Nedo", and she actually behaves pretty well when we have to drive around running errands. She still hates shopping, primping and waiting for <em>anything.</em></div><br /><div>I'm doing well at the half-way point of my college semester. I got an A on the one midterm I had and in my other class I have gotten all As on the writing assignments except for one B. I am really enjoying my Art History class but glad to be moving on from Renaissance art to more interesting art (in my opinion). There are over 100 students in that class! <img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397821740292888018" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SujqRh8J1dI/AAAAAAAABY8/z-MqG07TAzg/s400/October+2009+504.jpg" /></div><div>Last weekend Raquel and I did volunteer work at her schools' Beautification Day. The PTA provided coffee and breakfast treats and we picked up trash, raked leaves, dug up sod, transplanted dirt, all kinds of sweaty dirty work. I was the only one there with a camera, which I had brought to document our work for a presentation I have to do at the end of this semester. The lady in charge was really glad to have me to take pictures of everything--I felt really useful. I will be emailing them the best photos. They have since recruited me to serve hotdogs and popcorn at the upcoming "Movie Night" at the school.</div><br /><div>Jose works nonstop, just about. I hardly ever see him. I miss him. I also miss being able to leave the girls at home with him while I run errands. </div><div>The end!</div></div></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-55575434417892534122009-10-11T10:36:00.000-07:002009-10-11T12:01:18.230-07:00Saturday Doings<div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/StIfoUhBZ5I/AAAAAAAABYs/AymOX9UyLdc/s1600-h/October+2009+272.jpg"><span style="font-size:180%;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391406481478346642" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/StIfoUhBZ5I/AAAAAAAABYs/AymOX9UyLdc/s400/October+2009+272.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"> We spent a lovely evening with in-law's yesterday.</span> <span style="font-size:180%;">This is a picture of Maxine walking away from me, toward Guapo who is behind the wooden fence where lies his dog house. In the background you can see Raquel and my nephew Ricky talking to Guapo. Guapo is still a puppy (a pretty Boxer) but he's just about full-grown and very hyper. He would knock over any of these kids with his happy love if he were let out. Maxine isn't afraid of him one bit--she even knows how to say his name. </span></div><br /><div>Also, I made homemade gnocchi yesterday. This is something one must make when the baby takes a nap. It's a bit time-consuming with lots of repetition but the process is extremely peaceful and simple and yields a beautiful thing you don't see in many restaurants here in Southern California.</div><br /><div><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391418738934938626" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/StIqxzGZ_AI/AAAAAAAABY0/1ssmgONqaCI/s400/October+2009.jpg" /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-28979415692968501682009-10-08T16:00:00.000-07:002009-10-08T16:47:50.299-07:00My Wreef<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Ss53gq0VvJI/AAAAAAAABYk/K1soj153tlY/s1600-h/October+2009+191-1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390377207142399122" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Ss53gq0VvJI/AAAAAAAABYk/K1soj153tlY/s320/October+2009+191-1.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Yesterday the girls and I had some fun shopping at Michael's. Maxine gnawed on a wooden cat figurine while Raquel and I chose fixins for our Autumn wreath to go on our front door at home. She chose the crab apples and the sunflower. We like the way it turned out but I'd actually like to do another one, a silly one without pretty faux flowers but rather with little turkeys, pumpkins and other cute fall-ish items. We could put it on the inside of the front door and gaze upon it all day if we want.</div><div>For now, we like this wreath and will enjoy it every time we walk up to the front door.</div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-20718686653702948462009-10-04T17:14:00.000-07:002009-10-04T17:31:11.134-07:00Great-grandbabies Round-up!<img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 344px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388903161423216226" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Ssk636mcPmI/AAAAAAAABYc/YqgKcufABn4/s400/October+2009+040.jpg" />My sister, brother-in-law and their son, Lucas, are in town for a couple of weeks. They drove from Virginia and Lucas isn't even one year old yet! I couldn't do that with my one year old but Lucas is really good at travelling--what a blessing. This weekend they spent at our grandparents' house in the San Fernando Valley. I took the girls over there yesterday. It was our first time meeting Lucas and it was their first time meeting Maxine. My cousin was also there with her husband and their newborn daughter, Evie. She is a little doll. Maxine was very curious about her and tried to wake her up by shaking her seat and touching her little face. Maxine was also interested in her cousin Lucas and he in her. I think my grandma was in Heaven having all her great-grandkids at the house. Everyone was happy and well-behaved :)<br />Here are Maxine, Raquel, Lucas and his mommy (my little sister) Samantha in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard swing. Samantha is pregnant with Olivia and happens to be due on Lucas' birthday, which is also her husband's birthday--wow! <br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Ssk63cTasFI/AAAAAAAABYU/CzRs9mRUZ5w/s1600-h/October+2009+082.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388903153290358866" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Ssk63cTasFI/AAAAAAAABYU/CzRs9mRUZ5w/s400/October+2009+082.jpg" /></a> <img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388903144404114706" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/Ssk627MxXRI/AAAAAAAABYM/haoU-Bb1zS4/s400/October+2009+081.jpg" /> <div><div> </div></div></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-60589842412852689662009-09-28T08:21:00.000-07:002009-09-28T09:43:45.098-07:00Horror: My Little Pony 2009<div>Have you walked through the toy section lately? Hasbro has redesigned the regular My Little Pony line and the result is a pony-like alien species sporting big frying-pan eyes, lollipop heads, skinny bodies and overall nothing like the originals. I'm very, very bothered by this. Their faces are smashed in, as if to appear more humanoid because, of course, it's every little girl's dream that ponies will look more like human babies with four legs and 0% body fat. Oh yeah, the torso of the ponies has shrunk down to almost nothing. Their ankles have more width than their mid-section. I am disgusted.</div><br /><div>*<a href="http://toyfair09.asmzine.com/gallery/hasbro/hasbro-my-little-pony/index.html">Click here to see the new ponies</a>*</div><br /><div>Why should I care so much? My 5-year-old is a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">MLP</span> fanatic. She mostly collects the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ponyville</span> series which are miniature ponies with little houses and accessories (surely taking after The Littlest Pet Shop) but she also has a lot of original <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">MLP</span> from the 1980s and a few ponies from recent years. The subliminal messages she would get from these revamped ponies is not one of natural beauty, humility and health--these new ponies, if that's what they even are, tell little girls to dumb-it-down, strive for a waistline tinier than an ankle, wear too much eye make-up, make sure your pupils are always <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dilated</span> to the point of no return (and you <em>know</em> what it takes to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dilate</span> pupils...), be annoyingly cheerful 24/7 no matter how you really feel inside, be obnoxious about being "cute", in fact, be OBSESSED with it. The list could go on. You could even say the smashed-in pony muzzles might send the message to girls that having a nose is only for ugly people.</div><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386557534174795874" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SsDlicKxWGI/AAAAAAAABYE/JpugMsiHa9Y/s400/ponyg1.jpg" /><br /><div>The original ponies (as above) were not malnourished, happy-go-lucky idiots. They looked, well, nice. They looked gentle and calm. Their proportions were closer to normal if not <em>chubbier</em> than a real-life pony. This was charming, lovable, respectable and marketable because they looked like ponies while maintaining a delicate <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">cartoony</span> quality that made them a <em>toy</em> instead of just a figurine. </div><div>A most important aspect of the originals was their inherent <em>humility</em>. Humility is no longer a virtue for kids these days. They don't even know they're being robbed of this crucial personality trait. It is evident in today's popular toys. Show me a current popular toy that looks humble. Show me a current popular toy that looks <em>sober</em> even. Show me a doll that doesn't have giant eyes and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dilated</span> pupils surrounded by inexplicable <em>crystalline</em> sparkles. </div><div>I don't have a new pony in front of me but if I did I could pinpoint even more disgusting changes. Go to the toy section and take a look for yourself.</div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-18166605523851920062009-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:002009-09-16T14:16:54.186-07:00School Lunch Dilemma<div><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382170955056736882" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SrFP97iU6nI/AAAAAAAABX0/OfMrNMi6Ly0/s320/September+2009+257.jpg" />At Raquel's school, the cafeteria can only accomodate so many students, so each grade goes into lunch at different times and each group is ushered out to make room for the next group. This is a problem for me because Raquel is a SLOW eater. At first, the <em>lunch lady</em> was tossing Raquel's uneaten food in the trash, so I enclosed a little note requesting that any leftovers be kept in the lunch box--this is so I could see what Raquel had eaten. Turns out she's not eating that much. There is nobody around to make sure she eats <em>enough</em>. Jose wants me to give up on making her lunch and just let her eat school food. I don't want to resort to this, even if it is just one meal a day. All they serve is pizza, chicken nuggets and hamburgers. Making her lunch myself gives me a sense of accomplishment--that's me being selfish, I know. But I would feel like I'm not doing my part if I let Raquel eat the crappy food her school serves.<br /><div>There aren't many things I have control over. I don't have much say in what happens to my kid at school. I trust she is getting a good education but I don't trust the school's way of doing lunch. Do I relinquish what little control I have on this issue until Raquel is a little older (and hungrier)? (that is a picture of Raquel's lunch today. I packed less food.)</div><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 317px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 71px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382176982602343266" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SrFVcx5L42I/AAAAAAAABX8/CeG_TNwarmw/s400/preview.png" /> <div>When I was a kid I got white bread, white rice, processed cheese, lunch meat---these were everyday parts of my diet. My mom made dinner for us every night, including some kind of vegetable or salad but we ate a lot of unhealthy stuff. This was in the 1980s. Back then we didn't have as much information available to us about nutrition as we do now. My children are pretty much damned to have pot bellies or huge asses, not to mention high blood pressure, because of heredity. I would like to do <strong>whatever I can</strong> to prevent this. Right now, that means feeding them a well-balanced and varied diet to get them started out right. When they're older they will eat what they want but I will have done my part. </div><div>About her education, I know she has a good teacher. Raquel has learned the days of the week already and she's only been in school for 5 days. She goes around the house singing the songs her teacher has taught the class. I enjoy hearing her sing these songs.</div><div></div><div></div></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983962144642865510.post-45517179421114185852009-09-12T11:45:00.000-07:002009-09-12T15:02:53.601-07:00Daddy Bento #3<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SqwaWOygcqI/AAAAAAAABXs/XUC4mahjvmo/s1600-h/previewCAOYR333.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 40px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380704624030282402" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SqwaWOygcqI/AAAAAAAABXs/XUC4mahjvmo/s400/previewCAOYR333.png" /></a> <div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SqvsdZCX0MI/AAAAAAAABXk/ERjnAaEM5FQ/s1600-h/September+2009+234.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 350px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380654169505386690" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rQvczZNzKa4/SqvsdZCX0MI/AAAAAAAABXk/ERjnAaEM5FQ/s400/September+2009+234.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Other than this beautiful bento box lunch I made for Jose today, I am feeling like a failure. This whole post could be a spewage of negative thoughts so <em>ttfn</em>. </div><div>p.s. my camera does no justice to the things it photographs. Sorry!</div></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626127460601479303noreply@blogger.com2