Friday, January 30, 2009

Weird in Japan

The weirdo's have the day off from school today so we decided to come over to my mom's house to hang out and eat her food (she always has yummy goodness around).

As Momo and Mango sat on the couch enjoying the luxuries of Baba's (that's what they call my dad) big screen TV, I decide to look through my parents picture files.

Lo' and behold, I found two sets of pictures from Japan that I had never seen before!

Did you know that Japanese summers are very hot and humid and there is a rainy season in June with lot's of thunder storms and typhoons(hurricanes)?

We usually go during the rainy season because it is exceptionally cooler than the later summer months...I love August, for all it's festivals, but it is HOT! Like walking in a freaking sauna, drench your clothes with sweat kinda hot.

Anyhow...as I was looking through the photos, I was laughing at some of the funnier shots, like this one of Momo being her usual weirdo self...dressed up as an old lady and freaking Mango out





Momo and Mango heard me laughing and immediately ran over to the computer to see what I was up to.

Momo got really nostalgic, pulled up a chair and asked me to go through each of the photos while she commented on things she loved or remembered about our last few trips to Japan. She stopped me when she saw this last photo because she thought I looked pretty...Actually, she said "Wow mom, you looked so...so young..." Then she touched my cheek and looked at me in disbelief.

Thanks Momo, I will take that as a compliment, I think...

Mango, on the other hand, was not as nostalgic as Momo. Instead, he went into total "Queer Eye" mode and began dissecting his fashion choices in each photo...I think he almost fainted when he saw this outfitAnd I had to remind him that he was at the beach, getting ready to swim, and that his outfit was totally acceptable under those circumstances.

He looked at me and said "Mom...I totally have to go back to Japan so I can dress really well (translation: "fierce") and everyone can see me".

Vain much. Mango? Geez!

But again, I digress... I wanted to show you photos of Japan, not just my weirdo kids...but this post is getting much too long so I will end with this lovely pic of Momo, Mango and I at a temple in central Tokyo. I love this photo...the depth, the smoke...We got a lot of really good pictures that day.

I have so much more to share...lot's of food and temples and even our trips to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea...

Thursday, January 29, 2009

A Thousand Words Thursday

Cheaper Than Therapy

I love this photo of Momo. It was taken 3 years ago in a grocery store in Japan and I think she looks so cute with her hair pulled back and all the colors of the candy in the background.

Let me tell you, I love the store we were in when i took this photo (which is attached to a large open air shopping mall that is designed to look like an American shopping center). It's the same mall where you can rent a pet.

Anyways, as much as I love the mall, the grocery store is really fantastic... It is beautifully designed and there are a bunch of added perks like a little sushi shop, an ice cream counter, a candy store, a tea counter, a bakery and a gourmet snack shop (not to mention the most beautiful produce, meats fish and other yummy Japanese treats, (like this stuff).

I miss Japan...I'll have to tell you some more about our upcoming trip...and maybe share some more pics from our previous adventures there. So come back you hear!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Serves Them Right!

I need to get one of these for my back yard...Enough said.

Monday, January 26, 2009

A Little Bit Laura Ingalls

This post is random...and totally irelevant.

Read at your own risk, there are some cute pictures, but this could be a total waste of your time...

I'm just saying...

Anyways, last year Momo participated in "Mark Twain Days" at her school. Her class had just finished reading the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and they were learning about what life had been like for children of that time.

All the kids got dressed up in period costumes. The girls (and their moms) get really into it

I put together a great costume for Momo. She won first place for her pretty little outfit!

In addition to getting all dressed up and acting out some scenes from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, there were a ton of different things for the kids to do throughout the day.

Like "bobbing for donoughts"...

And a jump rope relay...

And square dancing...


All in all, it was a really fun day and it was pretty interesting to think about what life used to be like...

I mean, do you think Laura Ingalls ever did this?

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Borrowing Scarves

I just watched this great little video on Juggling Scarves and I just had to share it.

The video is funny, inspirational and (in my opinion) patriotic.

If you have 3 minutes, take a look-see and let me know what you think!


p.s. Have I mentioned that Obama ROCKS!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thousand Words Thursday

Cheaper Than Therapy

Last week I learned about a really great thing called A Thousand Words Thursday over on Cheaper Than Therapy. The idea is that we all have pictures that we stumble upon in our files that take our breath away, make us laugh, make us cry etc...

They are pictures that are "worth a thousand words" and on Thousand Words Thursday, we can choose a picture to showcase on our blogs...

I really like the idea and decided to participate last week with my Fatness post.

As soon as I participated last week, I knew exactly which photo I wanted to share this week.

This here is a pic of my wacky, weirdo kids: Mango and Momo. It was taken in Japan Town in San Francisco about 2 or 3 years ago...look how small the weirdos look!As usual, Mango looks like he is wondering why he has to hide his fabulousness behind a big board (the kid is totally vain, I tell you!) He never passes by a mirror without primping, it takes him a hour to get just the right outfit and style his hair, and last night while eating dinner he said:

"Mom, I know I have nice eyes, and people stop me all the time to tell me how beautiful they are, but do you like the color?"

I told him to quit fishing for compliments about his looks because he knows he's "fierce".

Momo, on the other hand, is making her usual attempt at being the center of attention. She is a funny kid. Really great comic timing for an 11 year old, she always seems to know just the right thing to do or say to make people laugh. in this photo, I think she was just trying to look like a cat...

I think she is FREAKIN' ADORABLE!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

What a Twit!

I have so much work to do, prepping for classes that start next week.

Due to the fact that there aren't enough things in my world that distract me (like looking through old photos and wondering why I don't look as cute as I used to)... ...I joined Twitter.

Why I joined this really weird little internet world... I don't know.

Why I want to make random musings to the world about the lint in my bellybutton at 6:45 p.m... I don't know.

Why I can't freakin get to work and finish up the things I need to do... I really don't know!

Could it be that I, Momo-Mama, am a bonafide Twit (who now likes to Tweet)?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

As predicted I was a "Blubbering Mess" as I watched the inauguration this morning.

I wept with pride, hooted with hope and cheered with excitement as I watched the 44th President make his amazing speech.

Something that I find really uplifting is that Momo and Mango (who are 11 and 14 respectively) are just as excited about Obama's presidency as I am.

Mango wore one of his Obama t-shirts today which resembles this great one from cafepress He was hopeful that his U.S. history teacher would allow the class to watch the ceremonies and he made sure that I recorded it on our DVR.

Momo, on the other hand, was conspiring to convince her P.E. teacher that it would be much more relevant to the kids in her class to watch the inauguration than it is to play dodgeball. Good thing the inauguration wasn't during her Sex Ed Class because I know she wouldn't try to get out of that!

Anyways, I feel good about this new era and I believe that change will happen and that my kids will have more opportunity to be really proud of being Americans.

And that's really what matters.

Monday, January 19, 2009

HIstory in the Making

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow... I'm going to be a blubbering mess.
Every time I think about the history in the making, I get all teary and weepy.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Public Humiliation = Great Discipline Pt. 2

A fellow blogger commented on my Public Humiliation=Great Discipline post, the other day, by saying this:

I know this works! It always worked on me! My mother had this awful pair of bell bottoms and would threaten to make up some excuse (pretending I had forgotten my lunch... that sort of thing), which would give her the opportunity to wear the awful bell bottoms inside my junior high school (late 80's-early 90's) in front of EVERYONE. GASP! This was often a threat when I refused to clean up my room.

I don't have any kids, but when I do... I have a lovely velour leisure suit from goodwill that is just waiting to be put into action.

I love this post. Thanks for letting me reminisce!

Sweetie Pie

Ahh...to reminisce...I really do hope that is what my kids do when they grow up. Reminisce vs. "work through their traumatic memories" of me publicly humiliating them.

Speaking of memories, Sweetie Pie's comment cracked me up and reminded me of another funny Momo incident which happened just a week or so ago.

I know I have mentioned the oh so "Beach Town California" habit of wearing short-shorts with Ugg boots and I know I have shown proof of it...like this...
But what I have failed to tell you is that Momo has been cutting her shorts...really short.

On a side note, Mango has been teasing Momo about her shorts with uggs and she has retorted with "well at least I don't wear a jacket with no sleeves" i.e. the new vest (seen in the picture) which Mango is in love with.

Anyways, Momo's shorts have been getting shorter and shorter and shorter every time she walks down the stairs. Seriously, the other day, there was a little cheek hanging out!
I mean, I know that the kid is a volleyball player, and is used to really short-shorts, but the denim booty shorts are just NOT cutting it!

Of course, we would never let Momo out of the house in these appalling denim panties, and I really don't think she is trying to be sexy (she just wants shorts like all the other girls have) but nevertheless, she really likes her short shorts and she has had a few meltdowns when I have told her that she MUST change.

She cries and stomps and throws clothes around her room. She tells me I am evil and mean and that I "just don't understand style". It really is a bit heartbreaking (and annoying when we are in a hurry).

So the other day, when Momo came downstairs in too short shorts, I asked her how she would feel if I wore her outfit to the mall. I also asked her what she thought the people at the mall would think about me (and her) if I wore her outfit. Momo really seemed to get it and she decided, all on her own, to change.

When she came back down the stairs, I told her she made a good choice then I told her that next time she wears super short-shorts, I'm going to cut off a pair of my jeans...REALLY short... and wear them to pick her up from school.

Needless to say, Momo donated all of her too short-shorts to the Goodwill. And now I will have to deal with the Karma of passing my booty short problem on to some unsuspecting thrift store shopper...

You just can't win!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Koala Dog

Remember my mom's dog, Milo, the super cute, little white fuzzball who pee'd all over me?

The one I nicknamed "R. Kelly"?

Well, he has a new nickname...

Introducing: "Koala Dog"
I mean, how freakin' cute is that?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Fatness

I am fat...

I have gained approximately 45 pounds in the last five and a half years and I am sick of it. I not only hate the way that I look but I also I hate the way that I feel physically and emotionally.

At my wedding, back in the summer of 2003, I looked like this...

And, I felt great. Not only because I was getting married and looked really great in my clothes, but because I felt like I had some control over my world, like things were happening the way I wanted them to...I had respect for myself and I felt it from others.

The most recent picture of me was taken last Sunday, while celebrating my mothers birthday. Just look at the fatness... When I see this, I see how puffy my face looks (maybe slightly due to the prednisone) and I also see how uncomfortable I look, like a sausage that is over stuffed.

Now, there have been periods of time during the past five years when I have gotten back into my old habits of really taking care of myself...exercise, eating right etc when I have looked and felt pretty good. The last time was about 2 years ago at Christmas. I wasn't as thin and fit as I had been at my wedding, but I was taking care of myself and it showed in my body, actions, emotions etc...

Being ill over the last week and a half or so made me realize just how bad things have gotten. My body did not handle this most recent episode of asthma and respiratory infection as well as it has in the past, and I felt REALLY sick. I haven't been hospitalized in a long time, and I felt like it was a possibility this time...

I attribute this to how out of shape I am, and how much I really need to start taking care of myself again...

Anyhow, I woke up on Monday morning and for some reason, I decided that I was going to reclaim my old self, my old ways and my old feeling of power, control and self respect.

It wasn't planned, I don't have any grand scheme or weight loss goal or size pants I want to fit in (well, a single digit would be nice) rather, I am just focusing on me and what I need in my life to feel good...

Yesterday, that was an awesome salad Which I think I am going to make for lunch again today.

Wish me luck...and I'll keep you posted.

Edit: added @ 4:15 pm
My "fatness" picture is my tribute to Thousand Words Thursday. For more info click the link below:
Cheaper Than Therapy

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Momo-fied

Please ignore the crazy mess...

But did I ever tell you that she's a little weird?

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Public Humiliation = Great Discipline

One day we were walking through the grocery store when, as usual, Momo and Mango began bickering like an old married couple who were forced into marriage and are only together because they see no fathomable way out...

(oh, god, wait a second...that is exactly what thy are...they didn't choose to get married and live happily ever after...HWMNBN and I did, and we brought Momo and Mango along for the ride...poor kids, no wonder that they fight so much...they have been mismatched- it's an arranged sibling-hood gone bad!),

Actually, I don't think they are that mismatched, they have fun together but I do wonder if my kids are they living their lives constantly anticipating what they can do to cause the other one to meltdown and attack? could they possibly be doing all of this on purpose? Purposely trying to annoy one another just to see what happens? I mean, REALLY?


But I digress... We were walking through the grocery store, Momo and Mango are bickering over something really stupid and mundane, like maybe Mango touched a bag of chips that Momo wanted touch but nevertheless WWIII erupted and then I began to sing.

Yep, you heard right folks, I began to sing.

I think it was a Disney princess song (or something of that sort) belted out in near full volume and hopefully decent pitch... but whatever it was, Momo and Mango looked at me completely mortified and shouted "Mom! STOP IT! You are so embarrassing!"

At this, I felt that evil little "Muahahaha" laugh reverberate through my body and I realized that I was on to something!

So I responded, "Oh, but I like to sing...and I especially like to sing when you guys are driving me crazy...it kinda takes the edge off, you know? But, let's make a deal, you guys stop acting up and I won't sing, m'kay?"

And, I'll admit that I was being a little snarky, but one can only take so much in a day, and I was DONE with the annoying bickering. Without a second to spare, the kids flanked me on either side, Momo holding my had in hers and Mango grasping on to the cart and saying things like "Okay, mama we won't fight anymore, I love you, please don't sing" and "Yeah, mom, we'll stop, please don't sing... would you like me to push the cart for you? I promise I won't run in to anything"

It was as if the ceiling opened and some heavenly light shone down on Momo and Mango, causing them to wince and be reborn (if only for the remainder of the grocery shopping) into obedient and helpful kids...I tell you, it was a miracle and from this day on I whole-heartedly believe in "public humiliation" as a discipline tool.

The kids have come to expect it, and it adds light to a situation that could easily become really bad. Nowadays the kids anticipate it...Mango will say something like "Momo, we better cut it out, mom looks like she's gonna start dancing" and then we all crack up and they stop doing whatever it was that they know they shouldn't.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

It's Like Speed...With A Prescription

I have had asthma since I was about 8 years old and it has afflicted my life in many ways. My "condition" borders between moderate and severe, and has a daily impact on my life. When I am sick, things get A LOT worse and that is what I am dealing with right now.

When things get this bad I have a medication regimen that I utilize in hopes of keeping me out of the ER. Yesterday, I realized that my breathing was really not going to well. I was struggling so much just to get the slightest breath and my inhaler wasn't working.

So, I started myself on a fairly high dose of Prednisone (an oral steroid) that I like to call "Speed, with a prescription".


You see, in addition to being a virtual life saver when it comes to restricted breathing, Prednisone also has some pretty hardcore side affects when taken at higher doses.

My faves (yes, I am being facetious) are:

-insomnia --- anxiety --- muscle twitching or tightening
-euphoria --- mania --- confusion --- dizziness
-extreme changes in mood and personality
-depression upon withdrawal

All in all, when I take this medication, I usually feel as though I am self inducing a manic-bipolar episode that totally throws my body and mind out of whack.

I become mentally hyper, very irritable and overly productive (especially with random craft projects). It is really not a good feeling, because it feels out of control and I feel the substance in my body. When I feel as sick as I do right now, it is especially difficult because my body isn't able to keep up with my overly active mind.

And....I have to work extra hard to be nice to the fam...

Because EVERYTHING gets on my nerves.

Momo, has so much energy that I get really overwhelmed...and she is so cuddly, always in my face, asking a question, talking about something, sitting right on top of me...
I love the kid, but good grief I get claustrophobic

And Mango, tries to be sweet, and ohhhhh does that irk me when I feel like this...It's like, "here I am, I'm ready to spar and you want to be nice"...
Ugh...the nerve.

Oh, and HWMNBN...he doesn't stand a chance when I feel like this. As much as I try to be patient with the kids and control my Prednisone induced fury, HWMNBN gets the brunt of it all.

Poor guy.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Grandiose Ideas

Momo and I are still not feeling well today. We spent most of the morning sitting on the couch relaxing.



Around 2 o'clock this afternoon Momo wanted to go rent a movie so we ventured out for the first and only time today. On our way home from Blockbuster I decided to stop by Vons to get some ingedients for Chicken Noodle Soup.

Due to all the congestion and ickyness, both of us have rather suppressed appetites, but soup sounded good.

As we walked through the produce section of the store, Momo caught sight of some lovely bok choy, and she insisted that we should have Bok Choy Soup instead of Chicken Noodle.

I agreed with Momo. My Bok Choy Soup is pretty yummy...so we got what we needed and headed home.

As I was preparing to cook, I had the grandiose idea of blogging the recipe and my attempt at cooking it.

Honestly, I am no cook...I experiement with stuff based on what I think tastes good and I often just make things up...so I have no idea what made me think I could "food blog". Oh well, let's blame it on the illness...

(Tastes better than it looks) Bok Choy Soup:

Several months ago, my neighbor gave me a recipe for Egg Drop Soup. I have made it several times since then, each time changing things depending on my mood (or more accurately, I make things up because I can't remember the darn recipe). Anyhow, overtime, the soup has been renamed in my house and this is simply a retelling of what I did today...

What I used:
1 large bunch of Bok Choy (you can also use 4-5 bunches of the baby variety)
2 large boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs
2 32oz boxes of low sodium chicken broth
2 cups of water
And the seasonings (which I'll tell you more about later)

The first thing I like to do when making this soup, is boil the chicken in a mixture of the chicken broth and water.

While the chicken is boiling, I like to take the bok chok apart and give each stalk a thorough washing. Bok choy tends to be pretty dirty, so I always do this before cutting. What I end up with looks like this:

Then I cut the ends off the stalks and chop the bok choy into "slivers". After chopping, I like to rinse the bok choy one more time, just to be sure... I'm kinda paranoid that way...


Once the chicken has boiled, I remove it from the "soup" and set it aside to cool. Then I add the Bok Choy to the soup to cook.
As soon as I add the bok choy, I add some soy sauce to the pot. This time I think I used about a 1/4 of a cup.
It's also about this time that I add a few drops of the Sesame Chili Oil (it adds a great smell and some nice flavor, but be careful because it can be HOT!)

Once I add the soy sauce, chili oil and some salt and pepper, I let the bok choy boil for about 10 minutes then I turn the heat down, cover and simmer for about another 5 - 10 mintues. While the bok choy is cooking, I shred the chicken into very small pieces.
When the time is right (i.e. the bok choy is tender) I add the chicken back into the pot and turn the heat back up, one last time. As I wait for the soup to come to a near boil, I crack two eggs and scramble them. Once the water is nearly boiling, I slowly pour the eggs into the soup, swiflty scrambling them with the end of a long cooking chopstick.

Now...it was at this point that I kinda messed up today. I actually forgot to turn the heat back up so when I added my eggs, they didn't form the pretty white stringy egggy things, instead my soup got a little cloudy with tiny little egg bits, but it still tasted good.

After adding a little more salt and pepper, and letting the soup sit (covered) for about 5 minutes, it was ready to eat...I must say that it was really good, just what we both needed!


Oh, and by the way...I don't think I like recipe blogging very much...it's really time consuming and, well, I found that there were so many little side stories I wanted to tell but the post was getting to long...Tomorrow, I will be back to my normal Momo and Mango Hyjinx blogging...I promise!

I would love to hear what you think though...

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Deflective Sea Bags

I'm still sick...And as always, I felt a little better this morning but come noon, it was all down hill.

Anyways, I wasn't going to blog anything but just a minute ago Momo made me laugh and I thought I would share.

My hubby, He Who Must Not Be Named (HWMNBN) asked me if there was anything I needed, and lo' and behold my tea cup was empty, so I asked for a refill. HWMNBN took my favorite mug from me and walked off to the kitchen while Momo and I continued to lounge on the couch (she, playing a video game and I reading blogs).

Mid task, from the kitchen, HWMNBN called out to me and what followed was what made me laugh:

HWMNBN: "Have you ever had a defective tea bag?"

Me: "Ummmmm....no"

Momo: "what's a deflective sea bag?"

Me: "A what?"

Momo: "A deflective sea bag...(giggling)sounds weird, what is it"

Me: "Momo, you're a weirdo, daddy said a defective tea bag"

Momo: "Oh...well, what is that?"

Me: "A tea bag that is broken"

Momo: "Oh, well then whats a deflective sea bag?"


I'll admit, Momo can be a weirdo, we all can (and we pride ourselves in it). But she is generally not this much of an airhead (I hold that place in this family)...

Unfortunately, I think the Deflective Sea Bag issue has something to do with her claim that she is not feeling well.

And that is all I need... Momo never gets "a little sick", this kid gets REALLY SICK. When she was a baby she would have fever induced, febrile seizures every time she got sick. More recently, she just goes down for like a week. The last time she got really sick she ran a really high fever and when I asked her how she was doing, she replied "I feel like I have a pickle on my head"...

Weirdness - Yes
Pickles - No, please no pickles!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Sick Day(s)

I'm sick.

Stuffy head, sore throat, congestion, a fluctuating temperature, etc and so on. Up until yesterday evening, I thought I was just coming down with a mild cold but since about 8:00pm last night, it's feeling more like the flu.

The nice thing was that I didn't have any kids today. They are in the last week of their winter break and trying to live it up. Mango is visiting his grandparents for a few days and Momo is having a sleepover at a friend's house.

Anyways, with my new found freedom and incapacitation I spent most of the day on the couch and now I am not tired enought to go to sleep.

The problem is...I feel like crap and want to go to bed...

I guess it doesn't help that I just finished crying my brains out (and increasing my nasal congestion) due to watching The Duchess I really enjoy period movies, and I did enjoy the film, but GOD did I cry...Such a sad and tragic story. I recommend the film to anyone who is in the mood for a good cry, some feminist angst and amazing fashion.

Anyhow, I am going to try to go to sleep now...I really want to feel better tomorrow so wish me luck!