Missing something(s)

My girls spent the night with Grandma/Granddad and 4 Aunts & Uncles tonight. They could not be happier.

I got to drive home in a quiet car with my husband and stop at Yogurtland without having to buy my kids yogurt with gummy bears on it. When we got home, I was able to get out of the van without the kids "hiding", or fighting over something, or screaming on the way in.

All of these things were great.

But when I walked by their rooms and saw them empty.... I too was empty. A break from kids is always so nice. I enjoy the peace and quiet. But I also realize the emptiness when they aren't around...they complete me.

Please Lord....

Let there be avacados in heaven.

Say What?

3 overheard conversations this week.

Situation 1.
I'm at Starbucks. Trying to enjoy my coffee and a serene moment with my book "Eat Pray Love". You have to understand this book to know that it is about being quiet...being serene...spending time in silence with God. Not that I expected that to happen at Starbucks, but hey, I'm just reading the book.

I attempted sitting inside. The music was too loud. How can I identify with a girl in India taking a vow of silence before God while Jakob Dylan is singing in my ear???

So I go outside. It's nice and quiet. Until the paramedic students roll up.
2 girls. They take a table beside me and proceed to study aloud for their test that was going to happen the following day.

Conversation 1. (I will sensor.)
"I have to touch his Di#k?
"Yes."
"And the bal#s."
"Gross"
"And the girls va-jay-jay."
OKAY SERIOUSLY??? HELLO!!! DO YOU NOT SEE WHAT BOOK I AM READING????? I AM ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY HERE...CAN'T YOU SEE I AM SEARCHING FOR SOLITUDE???
I left.

Situation 2.
MOPS (Mothers of PreschoolerS)
Location: Our Church
Conversation at my table:
Girl 1 "Hey, I know you...from Sarah's party"
Girl 2 "Yeah, that was me,"
Girl 1 "What was your name? I was TOTALLY buzzed and can't remember anything from that night."

Me... Ah...so this is Mops.

Situation 3.
TARGET.
1 aisle over.
Boy "So, did any good movies come out today?"
Girl "YEAH! Sex in the F-ing (full word used) City."
Boy "Oh, I thought we had Sex in the city last night" followed by that "huh huh huh" sound that boys make when talking
about sex.
Girl " What? Oh yeah...

Me...turning the corner (cause of course I had to see the people in conversation) only to discover they could not have been 16."

Wow. What will tomorrow bring?

IQ is 5.

Hi. I'm Kristi. I'm dumb.

It just took me 2 websites, and 15 minutes to figure out how to put the collar on my dog so we could take a walk.

Embarrassing.

Pissed at Politics

It's wearing me out. Let me summarize my frustrations.

1. Both sides lie.
2. If they would take the money they have spent on their campaigns so far, they could put it towards helping the poor, rebuilding Louisiana/Texas, providing more healthcare...etc., you know...the stuff they say they "care about". But instead, they use it on themselves. There has GOT to be a better way.
3. I hate the way it divides our country.
4. I HATE the way it divides my friends and they way people try to make you feel stupid if you don't vote for their candidate.
5. Even though both campaigns said they were going to run a "different campaign"...it is still negative. I'm over it.
6. I'm saddened that people don't know the facts on either candidate but will vote for who is the "most popular" in their circles.

There is an interesting website I came across called www.factcheck.org
It is bipartisan. Both sides get called out. Check it out. It's rather depressing to see how much the truth is stretched....or just not told at all.

So, as much as I like the excitement of politics...I am just worn out. Worn out with both candidates. Worn out with the drama.

And I don't know if either one of these guys can fix the mess we are in right now.

Missed the memo.

Lexi is potty training. She doesn't quite know how to wear the undies yet.

Mountain People.

Our family tradition with Curtis' parents is to go to Oak Glen every year during apple season. We usually wait until October, but went a little earlier this year. It is such a great escape to a more quiet way of life. I love it.

Here's a glimpse of our day through pictures.

Every trip begins with the honorary visit to Bob's Big Boy.

Unfortunately, the U-Pick Apple Farms were closed. So we made alternative plans. We stopped into this farm where we sampled the apples & the cider.

Tired out from all that sampling, we had cider and apple cider doughnuts. We headed out to a picnic table and enjoyed the cool breeze under the chestnut tree. And even I made the exception to the doughnut rule for this one....YUM!

Since we couldn't pick apples, we picked Raspberries. This was the most delightful part of the whole trip.





Haley was my "picking partner"...but I'm quite certain we ate more than we picked.

"Fruits of our Labor"



Of course, no visit is complete without an apple turnover.

Nylons & Converse.

So today on our way to the mountains (more to blog on that later)...we stop into Bob's Big Boy. This is a place where all kinds of people gather, but from my experience, tend to lean towards the over 60 crowd.

Bob's Big Boy is a sweet reminder of the past for me. When I walk into the restaurant, I am greeted by a room full of people who look at me with their eyes as if to say "welcome home."

So we walk over to our table, and Haley announces that she needs to use the restroom. "Good idea" I think, and decide to accompany her. We walked in behind an older woman (late 70's) with a REALLY short hair cut. At first, I was slightly fearful that Haley would say "is that a boy or a girl?" but we survived our initial encounter with no gender related questions being asked.

The lady politely allowed us to go into the Handicap stall, which I immediately hesitated since I was raised to always leave that open for the handicapped or elderly, and she fell into one of those categories. But no, she insisted. She knew it would be easier with my "little one."

So we go in. Go through our routine. Haley is finally sitting on the potty where she looks down at the floor of the next stall and says,"Mommy...what is she wearing? Socks?" "I don't know Haley...I can't see them." Now we exchange places and I am sitting down (sorry for the visual image here) and I notice that she has nylons on with her sandals. Hmmm....I remember those. Then I look down at my shoes. Blue Converse. I smiled.

Now this may seem weird, but I thought this was a sweet moment. I remember nylons, cause my mom's generation and the one before it would (until recent years) have never dreamt of wearing anything but nylons. It was the thing to do. So, I pictured this lady as a kid, growing into a woman, putting on nylons, day after day. I wondered if she ever hated them as much as I. (Which then decided she probably didn't since she was still wearing them in her old age.) I thought about her putting them on for her wedding day, her first day at work, her last day at work, her granddkids celebrations, etc. I concluded that she was probably a pretty dignified, traditional, conservative lady who thought that even sandals deserved a good pair of nylons. Granted, these thoughts were coming quick...I wasn't sitting there forever.

Then I thought about my shoes. How they define me. Where I have worn them...where I will wear them. I'm definitely not dignified, and some may question if I am a lady. I'm not too traditional...not too conservative. I think my shoes say I'm fun, practical, and easy-going. I also consider them to fall under my "dressy shoes" category...since I am usually just in a pair of flip-flops.

Now I'm wondering what it is that I will be wearing when I am in my 70's and eating at Bob's Big Boy. Converse? Will I kindly give up the handicap stall for a young mom and her daughter only to hear her kid say, "Hey mom...what is she wearing on her feet?"

Lesson Learned

Tonight's conversation with Haley...

Mom: Haley, did you learn something new in school today?
Haley: No...just made a gingerbread man.

....I already knew this info, so I said...

Mom: Did you learn any new letters?
Haley: No...just the same old letters. They never change.
Mom: Ah yes...good to know.

Creative People - Share some Ideas!!!

So we are planning a night of worship at our church. This is the first time we've ever done anything like it. It falls the week before Thanksgiving and so thankfulness would be a general theme.

We are having a meeting to start planning it out tomorrow. Here's what I need from you.

Share with me a meaningful time of worship. Maybe it was at a church, a small group, outdoors in the mountains...whatever. What is something that you walked away from and thought, "Wow...I was with God. I worshiped him." Really...it could be anything. OR share with me something you've thought about that you would like to participate in.

We have a blank slate...I'd love to hear your ideas.

I don't know who reads this. Maybe this post my cause someone to post a comment that doesn't normally. If you think about posting something - please do.

We Welcome You Now...

I'm not good with birthdays, anniversaries, or remembering dates of any kind. I tend to procrastinate in everything I do...including adding names to my blogroll even though I read these people's blogs all the time. I hope that they aren't insecure like me - and look over to make sure my name is on their blogroll (assuming of course that if it isn't...I'm not really their friend.) Sad. I know. But true.

So today...I am taking the time to roll out the red carpet and to have my greeter (let's call him Sal) welcome these new friends to the blogroll...be sure to check them out. (They are listed in Alphabetical Order...not by the friends I like the most to the least...in case you were wondering.)

Dionne
Edie
JD
Jen W.
Jewels
Lisa P.
Mandy Bo Bandy
My friend Rachel
Robbie P.
Sarah T.
Stephie S.

Enjoy reading. And as Sal would say "Have a nice day."

Here's How I Know I'm a Mom...

"Quiet Time" at home used to consist of putting my feet up and watching Oprah. Now I scurry to clean out the fridge without the offspring pulling out anything from carrots to beer saying "Can I have some?"

Sigh.

Haley's 1st Day.

Back to school. Back to schedules. Back to peace.

Haley started school on Monday. Here are some pics...



I had to drive separately...so I pulled up beside her and took this picture.


Hugs before saying goodbye.


Lexi wanted to hug "sissy" too.


Saying hello to her teacher "Mrs. Forsberg".

I'm a little suspicious of this pic. She seems a little too happy to be leaving Mom. Look at that embrace. And what the picture doesn't tell is that it went on for over a minute. Hmmmm....I think she was whispering in her ear "Thank you for rescuing me from that boring mom of mine." Who knows?

But we are thrilled with her teacher. She sent a note to the parents about her plans/dreams for the year, and sent an individual note to Haley which is so precious...it is hanging on our fridge. It looks like the 4 year old class will be much more of a "challenge" since she has already come home with homework!

We're off to a good start. Looking forward to what the year has to bring!

McDonalds is LAME.

WARNING - if you are Ronald McDonald...do not read this. I might hurt your feelings.

The last time I remember liking McDonalds was when I worked at Benetton @ South Coast Plaza and used to eat the 2 Cheeseburger Meal (minus the meat) during my lunch break. That was 15 years ago. Yes, I'm old.

To my credit, I gave Mickey D's a shot out a few months back about their Premium Iced Coffee. I thought it was good. But the overwhelming smell of grease in the drive-thru whist picking up my coffee started to turn me off. Then I was reminded with every sip out of that big, giant straw that it was a drink from McDonalds. There is nothing premium about McDonalds.

So I got this idea...in order to reach out to the Starbucks connoisseur such as myself (he hem...said in that uppity British tone)...they should change the straw to make it more aligned with a Starbucks straw...thin and ONE color (not the big ol' white straw with red and yellow stripes.) I mean come on, I am a grown-up now...drinking coffee and I deserve a grown-up straw.

So I thought I should email this brilliant idea to McDonalds. I go on their website to look for a place to send them my idea, and look what I found:

Thank you for your interest to share an idea for a product or service that you believe would be beneficial to McDonald's. Please know, however, that it is McDonald's company's policy not to consider unsolicited ideas from anyone other than our corporate employees, franchise owners and dedicated suppliers.

As a result, we must decline your invitation to review your idea, and hope you can understand and appreciate our business reasons for making this company decision. We do, however, greatly appreciate your interest in McDonald's.

Um, HELLO? Whatever happened to customer service???

Alas...it's back to Starbucks where they listen to my ideas and have a skinny straw. It's worth the extra $2.

Happy Day.

Haley took this pic of me on Tuesday. It was not a happy day. It was an awful day. If you can get past looking at my knobby knees...you'll see the tiredness, sadness, helplessness, and exhausted look in my eyes.

Today was a much better day. A day that started with reconnecting with old friends and ended with a date with my hubby. That tired, sad, helpless, exhausted look has been replaced with contentment, joy, peace, and happiness. What a difference a few days can make....

I won't lie...

Today, I got my hair done. At 2pm, I was done...but hungry. So I went next door to La Salsa. I was going to get it to go, but forgot I had my book (Eat Pray Love) in my purse, so I wanted to take a few moments to sit, read, and eat. It just so happened I sat next to two guys who were having a great discussion about how this (extremely skinny) man found size 44 pants in his drawer.

Oh man. My ears perked up. I needed to hear this story. So, like any good voyeur would do...I kept my book up in that "I'm totally into this book" position and pretended to read, while I listened to this fascinating tale.

Only thing is...I couldn't hear the rest. Something about the housecleaner. But were they the housecleaners? Or were they somebody else's that the housecleaner put back in the drawer????!!!! AAGH. I will never know. I was half tempted to turn around and ask. But oh well....I guess that's what I get.

Back to my book...

Breath of Fresh Air.

10 years ago, I met a girl named Jen Smith at college. She got married and changed her name to Jen White...and I never saw her again. But through this whole blog world and Facebook business, we have reunited (and it feels so good.) Last week, she came down to Huntington Beach and we spent a fabulous morning at the park and then walked downtown to have lunch. She brought me my favorite cup of coffee and in turn, I wanted to buy her lunch. So we get to our favorite BBQ joint "Mo's" and I announce to her that I will be buying lunch. She TOTALLY fell for it. I had left my wallet in the car (on purpose of course) so I could get free lunch. Okay, not really.... I was HORRIFIED!

But we had a great time together....talking over our pasts, thinking about the future, discussing politics, kids, dreams, and life. It was great. There were moments when I was looking at her and thinking how special it was to have someone that I knew so briefly come back into my life and my kids' lives. Here are some pics of the day....





Thanks for such a fun day Jen!!!

How I Really Feel about Sarah Palin.

4 years ago, my boss sat in my office and told me that I should think about taking a different job because he was "going in a different direction and wanted a man (that played guitar) in my role." I was 6 months pregnant at the time.

That opened my eyes to the harsh reality of this world. As a woman, I believe we should have the same opportunities as any man. We obviously do not.

After Hillary's speech at the DNC and after the introduction of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential Candidate, I knew instantly that the world would be different for my daughters and I was overcome with emotions. I'm still working through those.

Please let me state here...that I am not a Republican nor am I a Democrat. I am registered independent and my intentions are not for this blog to lean towards one party or one candidate. Quite frankly, I have no idea who I am voting for. I'm not convinced either way.

With that said...I am amazed at the comments I have heard on t.v., on blogs, and in actual conversation on how Sarah Palin should not run for V.P. because she is a mother and she has kids that have issues.

I happen to like the fact that she is a mother and has kids that have issues. I am a mother and I have kids with issues. And I like seeing someone on the ticket that I can relate to. I may not agree with all of her platform issues...but I believe in her. And I believe that she has the right to pursue anything she desires. Just as Obama, Biden, and McCain do.

What Sarah and Todd have chosen to do may seem unconventional to many. But it is their decision. Is she putting herself before her family? I have no idea. Only she does. I would imagine this decision was discussed in great length - pros and cons - with her family. And obviously, they decided that for this season, this was what they should do.

What I absolutely do not get are the questions that pertain to how she will handle being a VP and a mother? She has a husband who is willing to stay at home with the children, but I guess that is not good enough. Not one person has questioned how Obama will handle being the president with his children, and everyone PRAISES Biden for taking the Amtrak home to his family each night...but Sarah Palin is questioned and ridiculed for thinking she could be both the Vice President and a mother.

Is it because she is Republican? Are Republican women supposed to stay home, homeschool their kids, and teach Sunday School? There seems to be a double standard here, because there is a strong outcry from Democratic Pundits on how is she going to get this done. Of course, I understand that. Both sides are looking for any reason to cast doubt on the opposing team.

I have no doubt that being a Vice-President and being a mother will be a challenge. I think it is a challenge that exists in the life of women all over this country. I have dealt with it since my daughter's birth. I LOVE my kids. But I LOVE working. I am energized by it. I'm passionate about it. I think I am a better person because of it. And there are often days when I wish I could work more. In my line of work, I see the potential of changed lives because of what I get to do and that fills me with determination. I have a feeling that Sarah Palin feels the same way.

Unlike my experience four years ago, I love that McCain sat in a room with Sarah Palin and said, "I think you should take a different job...I'm going in a different direction and I want a woman in this role."

Olympic Divers???

Since I was an Olympic Addict, Haley saw her fair share of Olympic Sports. She claims that DIVING was her favorite. On the second day of vacation, she walked up to the side of the pool and flipped in. I freaked out thinking she would hit her head on the side of the pool...but at the same time thought it was pretty cool. She must have done it 20 times in a row. About the 8th time in, she would stand...wait for us to look at her...nod her head (which I think is more of a gymnast thing...but hey...whatever) and then she would perform her jump. Here's a few pics...


Lexi got in on the action too.

Taking a break from the pressure of diving.

Well...it's not a gold medal...but they seemed just as happy.

I NEED CAFFEINE AND SOME ADVICE!!!!

So my 4 yr. old daughter Haley is seriously throwing a party in her room every night between 2 - 4am. I'm not kidding... have you got an invitation, because I'm pretty sure all of her friends are invited?

I have no idea what is going on. It started harmless enough as her just getting up to go to the bathroom. But that was 2 months ago. IT WON'T end. We have tried everything...no drinks after 7. No naps in the afternoon. 2 nights ago, I told her she can get up, but mommy is not tucking her in anymore. She has to take care of that herself. IT DOESN'T MATTER - she's still raging in the middle of the night.

She gets up, Goes to the bathroom. Blows her nose for half an hour. And then she is WIRED!

2 nights ago, she woke up saying "I can't sleep...there are commercials in my eyes." Last night she was crazy in her head and started crying because she doesn't want her Grandmas to have old hands. "They are wrinkly and I want them to soft like mine." WHAT THE? I could speak no sense into her.

I have not slept through the night in 2 months....I'm SO exhausted. Need an IV of caffeine and someone to help.

Any ideas?