Momo-Mama

Momo and Mama

2011-08-25T22:24:00.001-07:00

Momo and I were photographed the other day at our annual Japanese Community Picnic. I can't stop looking at the photo because
1: I actually like the way I look (or at least I am not appalled by it)
and
2: I can't get over how grown up Momo looks.

Seriously...she seems to have grown up overnight! I love it and it makes me sad, all at the same time.

Last night as I was putting Momo to bed she suddenly started singing Brittany Spears (which is not at all her type of music)...anyhow, she plopped down on her bed, got in her covers then sang out (ala Brittany) "I'm not that innocent" to which I replied "Ughhhh, you better be". It was pretty funny but pretty much captured how I have been feeling lately!

Happenings

2011-08-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Momo is growing up.
She graduated from 8th grade in May and is really looking forward to Freshman year (which starts next week).

Mango is growing up too...He's going to be a junior this year! Luckily Momo and Mango (and friends) all enjoy hanging out together.

All in all, the kids are cool and so are the dogs...

Cut To The Chase

2011-04-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have blogged, but I have something to say and I'm just gonna cut to the chase.

The other day after school Momo told me that one of her friends had snuck away with a boy during lunch and proceeded to give him a handjob and let him touch her...down there...

My response (internally): GOOD FUCKING GAWD!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!! YOU GIRLS ARE ONLY IN 8th GRADE!!! CRAP-SHIT-FUCK-DAMN!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!

My response (externally): Wow Momo...how do you feel about that?

Despite my calm external demeanor, thankfully Momo was as distraught as I was internally.

She said she felt sad for her friend, and worried that she would get a bad reputation.

She wondered how her friend could do such a thing even though she has "good parents" then she reflected that though this girls parents are "good", like a lot of other parents they are not ones she could really talk to about things.

She talked about how much pressure there is for girls to do things that they are not ready to do and then said that this was a big reason why she doesn't want a boyfriend.

All in all it was a good conversation. Momo learned more about herself and what she wants and she also got to explore the idea that someday she might feel differently. Ultimately, I was so happy that Momo still feels safe enough to talk to me about anything...and that she does.

We chatted a bit more then Momo went upstairs to do some homework and I went to the kitchen where I proceeded to (externally) do the dishes and (internally) scream GOOD FUCKING GAWD!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!! YOU GIRLS ARE ONLY IN 8th GRADE!!! CRAP-SHIT-FUCK-DAMN!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Sweet 16

2010-11-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Last night we attended the end of the season water polo banquet where Mango received the Boys Varsity Water Polo - Warrior Award.

It is a huge honor as it is the coaches favorite award and reflects the character, commitment and courage of the awardee.

Mango's coach teared up as he gave the award to Mango...he told him that he was proud of him and though he has faced much adversity (being an openly gay high school water polo player) Mango has shown true character and fearlessness...It was cool.So, that was last night...and tonight we are celebrating Mango's Sweet Sixteen!

I cant believe it!

Mango is 16...Dear Gawd....

In case you were worried, he WON'T be driving any time soon.

Oh no...NOT ANY TIME SOON!

The Great Straight Alliance

2010-11-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

This is going to crack you up...

Mango participates in just about every club he can possibly manage in his schedule and at the high school football game this past Friday he had to work at 3 different booths doing fundraising. I am still not sure how he managed to be at all three booths at the same time, but the social butterfly that he is... He managed.He managed.

Anyways...Mango has been working really hard with a few other students at his school to form a GSA club. They have been meeting and organizing and finally, at the football game, they began fundraising.

Mango was at the GSA booth selling rainbow cupcakes and pride-filled brownies when one of his waterpolo teammates mother walked by. She stopped and said hi to Mango and proceeded to ask him what GSA stood for. Mango, without flinching (because he is out and proud, remember) said that GSA stood for Gay Straight Alliance.
Mango told me she paused for a moment and the old man next to her seemed to freeze.

Mango says it felt tense for a moment then his teammates mother asked again "what was that Mango?". Mango pridefully told her again that GSA meant Gay Straight Alliance to which Mango said, she puffed up a bit and replied

"Oh wonderful mango! The GREAT STRAIGHT ALLIANCE!"

OH NO SHE DI'INT!!!!!

Oh yes she did!

She thought (or hoped) that GSA, the new very active club on campus, was the Great Straight Alliance. This wasn't much of a surprise to me (actually I am surprised that she didn't get mad) because despite living on the coast in California in what appears to be a little slice of heaven with a side of hippie surfer...our town is regrettably conservative (and intolerant).

We have a fundamentalist church in town that is trying to take over and the masses are buying the message (which is wrought with intolerance and contradiction).

Anyhow, Mango told me that he and his friends were stumped by the woman's stupidity. She was happy to support the Great Straight Alliance by buying one of their rainbow cupcakes and as she walked away one of the girls whispered "yeah, that's right...bitch better buy a cupcake"

Which I think was the perfect response.

NABLOPO-NO!

2010-11-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

I failed!

AGAIN!

I was so busy yesterday and forgot to post something!!! I actually talked about the fact that I needed to post something, but we were visiting my parents and I just plain didn't have time!

I am so peeved at myself but I am going to try my best to keep posting...

Please let me know if there is anyone out there who will even read my posts!

I try to keep it random and fun...just like these cucumber and salty plum (ume) sushi rolls.

Charlie and R. Kelly

2010-11-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic of our puppy Charlie with his "uncle" Milo a.k.a. R. Kelly.

Please take a second to read about how R. Kelly got his nickname (and it wasn't for his good voice!)

Duggar Food

2010-11-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

Do any of you watch the Duggars?

You know, the family with like 19 kids...

Well, I don't watch the show that often, but I have seen it often enough to know that Michelle Duggar (the mom) loves her some casserole.

The scariest thing I have seen her make is "Tater-tot casserole". And it is wrong folks...on so many levels it is WRONG! I, myself, am not a big fan of casserole and Momo detests the stuff (she calls it "Duggar food") so I can just not fathom...

ANYWAYS, Mango and HWMNBN do enjoy the occasional casserole. I attribute this to the fact that my father-in-law is from Kentucky and hence there must be some kind of casserole eating gene being passed down to the men in the family.

I somehow got the I want to be a Duggar (minus the religious fervor) gene...really I did! I think it would be cool to walk around in a prairie dress all day while caring for my 19 children in a huge house in the middle of nowhere, I'm serious...I could see me doing that. I want to hang out with Michelle Duggar and teach our kids how to sew clothes and play the banjo or something. I'm not kidding! Either way, I think this thought makes HWMNBN want to vomit more than casserole makes me want to vomit...but I digress.

Since Momo and I are going over to my mom's for dinner, I made some lovely Duggar food for my boys (in the form of a lovely tuna casserole). I hope Mango and HWMNBN enjoy it because I don't want ANY leftovers!

F'ing Piece of....

2010-11-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

Do you have one of these? I know we do!

In The Oven

2010-11-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's official, I have one in the oven!

I really didn't think it would happen again.

After all, I have been working so hard at losing weight and getting back into those skinny jeans of mine.

I am very excited though, and I think the family is too...

Even thought they didn't really want it to happen, they have always seemed to love the end product, you know?

I mean...who wouldn't love something so beautifully crafted, something we can all share and love and savor.

Yes, I will savor it, forever and for always...or at least til it gives me heartburn and saddle bags and..and..

Oh god!.

Should I even have it?

Is it worth it?

I have been so happy lately, and I like wearing my skinny jeans...

Oh dear...maybe I shoudl just give it to one of the neighbors when it is done...They might like it...maybe they'll even love it.

Help, bloggy world...tell me what to do!

I really want to eat the pizza in the oven, but I'm not sure if the lovely pesto sauce and sun dried tomatoes, and feta cheese are worth it.

What is a girl to do?

I Can't Handle This

2010-11-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

My daughter showed this to me the other day and I seriously can't handle it...

I keep hearing this song in my head and I can't stop picturing this kids(?) face.

It's too much for me, but I love it... see if you feel the same way.

Celebrity

2010-11-05T19:17:00.001-07:00

The founder of NABLOPOMO asked Momo if she could babysit her kid tomorrow. (She can't, cause we are previously committed) but I had to tell you because:

1. I'm participating in NAPLOPOMO and have to post something every day this month

and

2. This is the closest thing to a celebrity sighting we have had since we saw Jay Leno and William H. Macy at our wedding. (Eden, you've got some serious celeb status in the month of November and my kid still wants to babysit your kid, next time for sure!)

The Truth About Charles Darwin

2010-11-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

I haven't told you the whole story about our puppy Charles "Charlie" Darwin.

It's a pretty captivating story...

A mad dash to a kill shelter
A stray dog snipping at Momo
A shady deal made behind a van
The insatiable neediness of a one and a half pound pup
The first sweet visit to the vet and the second one that was tragic...
The sleepless nights and the paralysis that seemed to be spreading

All this in a matter of 2 weeks.

I'd love to tell you the story but I REALLY busy today, so I'll have to leave you hanging...

Hope you don't mind!

As Promised: Part 1

2010-11-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I promised to tell you all how I handled the anal sex question from Momo .

So here goes.

Somehow, the topic of anal sex came up while we were all driving down the 405 freeway in Los Angeles. Those of you who read my blog regularly know that my kids ask LOTS of questions and there really is no subject that is taboo in our house.

If they have a question, we try to answer it in the most age appropriate way (and if we can't, we try to find someone who can...most of the time).

Anyways, on our ride through LA, Mango (for whatever reason) reported that he thought anal sex was gross, to which I replied that he might have a change of heart as he got older. My rationale being that considering he is gay, it might be one of the ways he is intimate with a partner. He wasn't super convinced, and I chalked that up to the fact that
1. he's not there yet
2. society has told him it's gross so he believes that.
Whatever...In time, he'll figure it out for himself.

Momo, on the other hand, got a kick out of the discussion and how it was making Mango squirm. She's the rebel rouser around here.
She proceeded to giggle and tell Mango that he WAS going to have anal sex when he got older to which he said "shut up Momo".

Then out of the blue Momo says, "Mom, how do people actually have anal sex? I mean, do they like spread their cheeks and rub their buttholes together?"

Needless to say, HWMNBN and I busted out laughing and Mango in his most exasperated voice said "Oh my god, Momo...you are weird" .

It was classic and she was TOTALLY serious.

After I pulled myself together and focused my attention back to the crazy traffic I was navigating, I realized that I was stumped. Despite wanting Momo to be informed and have the right information running around in her brain, I also loved that my little girl was still, well...a little girl.

Honestly, I felt relieved that were things that she still didn't know despite living in this sex saturated society... and I liked that.

I could have told her the truth and answered her question but something in me made me shrug and say, "Momo you crack me up."

She dropped it and seemed content that I wasn't going to give her any more details. The subject eventually changed and we giggled about other things as we drove home. Poor Momo was none the wiser.

I sometimes wonder if I should tell her the truth. I have the opportunity every once in a while, when she will bring it up again by saying something like, "I just don't understand why people would want to rub their buttholes together".

And after I get up off the floor from laughing my guts out, I think about how much I cherish the bits of innocence that still remain in my kids...

and this my bloggy friends, makes me laugh and smile and keep my mouth shut.

The Kid is a Fruit

2010-11-02T18:02:00.001-07:00

As you know, my kids are "nicknamed" after fruit.

One of my very first posts was about how Momo got her nickname. She carried this nickname since she was little then a few months into my blog it became her only name I used when writing. You see, Momo was a little p.o.'d that I was using her and Mango's "real names" so I had to rethink what I would call them while blogging.Momo was an easy transition for me as I often did call the kid "Momo". Mango, on the other hand, was a bit trickier. For several years, we jokingly called Mango, "Coconut".. .since his head (and hair) looked like a little round coconut. Actually, my hubby HWMNBN used to joke and ask Mango if he wanted to go to the grocery store to visit his cousins in the produce aisle...we're cruel like that.

Anyhow, over time we began to notice that Mango was a little different than the other kids...it wasn't just that he had a head that looked like a coconut, but rather, it was that he was really into showtunes, wearing long flowy wigs on Halloween and would rather act as my personal stylist at Nordstroms than go through a football with HWMNBN.

We recalled an "old" SNL skit of a character named "Mango"
And a new nickname was born.

You see, mango is a type of fruit, and "Mango" IS a fruit...

We've known for years (or at least suspected) that Mango was gay and when he finally came out 4 years ago (at the ripe age of 12), I wanted to throw him a party.

I'm like Kathy Griffin that way...I just love the gays. The whole point of this post is not to out Mango (though he gave me permission to out him on my blog as he's pretty much out in every realm anyway) but rather to say that I am so happy that Mango is my son and not someone else's.

There are so many reasons for this, but a big part is that in our house, his gayness is just one more great thing about him. He is great, cute and gay and we love him.His sexuality will never be an issue, he never has to feel bad or unsure about who is. He can talk about crushes, bring home his boyfriends and paint his nails with Momo. He knows we have his back and that when he grows up, he is going to have the most fabulously gay wedding and we will help him figure out how he can have kids.

Mango is a lucky kid I think...there are a lot out there whose parents aren't like us. We have met them and it breaks my heart.

But before I get too sad, I have to send you off with a little promise. 1. I promise to let you all know how I handled the anal sex question from Momo and 2. I have to tell you how Mango came out...it was FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!

As Told By Mango

2010-11-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

I just ran across some photos which were taken last year right after Mango had his wisdom teeth pulled.

I did not feel very well today, so Mango (via his post op pictures) is going to help demonstrate what I was going through.

I woke about 20 minutes late this morning and though I was feeling a bit sluggish, I could see the sun coming up, the house was cozy and Charlie (the puppy) was snoring so I was sure I could get a nice shower without interruptions...It appeared to be a good day.
I got through the shower and as I rushed through my morning routine I noticed that I was feeling a bit dizzy.
Despite the ickyness, I drove to work, handed Charlie over to Grandma for the day, drank some tea and tried to get though my morning meeting and a couple of clients. The whole time I felt a bit like I was drunk (I had some serious vertigo accompanied by some nausea).

By the time 11 a.m. rolled around, the nurse who works across from me asked if I was okay "because I was looking a little green". Ughhhh. Luckily my 3rd client of the day was someone I have been seeing for a while so I checked in with him and told him we would have to reschedule. At this point, I hightailed it out of my office.

I don't remember much about the drive home but once I got here, I passed out on the very same couch Mango can be seen on in these pics...and I probably looked just like this...

Then this...

And eventually, after a nice long rest... I was feeling a bit better.
I'm not sure what was ailing me, and I still feel a little icky BUT I have a WHOLE bunch of work to get done before tomorrow so cross your fingers for me that I keep on, keepin' on.

BTW: If you ever see Mango around, please don't tell him about this post. He might disown me.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 6am this morning thanks to my little nightmare, Charlie.Being that he looks like a stuffed animal and acts like a baby, for Halloween Charlie is planning to dress up as a real dog...

As for the weirdos, Mango is going as a hippie (pics to come) and Momo is going on her 3rd costume. First, she was Robin hood (for school), then she was Bellatrix Lestrange ( for a Harry Potter party), and tonight I think she is going to be Tonks (from Harry Potter) OR a Gold Digger (yes, you heard right).

She ain't nothing but a gold digger, she ain't messing with no broke, broke...

Anyways, I will let you all know what she chooses. For now, I only have a pic of her in the Bellatrix costume. Here she is with her friend who is dressed as Harry Potter.

I think Momo's costume came out pretty good though I think she looks more like me in high school than Bellatrix Lestrange. That's my prom dress after all...
We love Halloween around here, or for that matter, any excuse to get into costume.

So on that note, I hope you all dress up and I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween from my weirdo family to yours!
p.s. Momo carved the "Hello Kitty" pumpkin...I think it looks pretty cool don't you?

Seriously folks...

2010-10-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

I am back.

I promise.

I am planning to participate in NABLOPOMO starting in two days, and with that I am committing to post on my blog EVERY day of the month of November.

I miss blogging, and think about it all the time...especially when we are driving down the 405 freeway, in the midst of L.A. traffic and Momo asks me things like:

"Mom, how do people have anal sex? I mean, do they like spread their cheeks and rub their buttholes together?"

Yeah, that's my life...and I am gonna share it with you!

Are you up for it?

Sesame Gaga

2010-05-15T13:06:00.001-07:00

When I was little, my mom got a lot of inspiration from Sesame Street.

She took me to the beach and let me feast like cookie monster.She dressed me like Ernie (ala Ernie and Bert) and stuck me in a box like Oscar the Grouch.
And as I got older, she let me express myself in my "death rock" garb in homage to The Count (that's me in the lower left...don't laugh!)
Anyways, my weirdo's have their own sources of inspiration that influence their actions and attire.

You see, they Vogue like Madonna.
And, mad dog like Billy the Kid and Annie OakleyMango, of course, is an aspiring Abercrombie Model and we all know that Momo is a total rockstarI mean, just the other day she dressed as Lady Gaga for school...
And she totally rocked the look.

Vegan Mama

2010-05-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

HELLOOOOO OUT THERE!!!!
It's been so long my friends! I have been up to my neck in grading, teaching, team-momming etc... I have missed my bloggie universe and my friends!I have so much to tell you, but I have to go to work right now (I am procrastinating, big time).
Things I want to blog about in the next few weeks:
1. I became Vegan about 2 and a half months ago...you gotta hear about it...really
2. Momo is turning 13 in a week YIKES!3. I think I want to drop out of society and live on a hippie commune...(delusions from no meat?)
4. My kids are weirdo's and there are lots of weirdo stories to share .

So much to say, so little time.

I will be back SOON...I PROMISE!

Gotta run!

Abercrombie Model

2010-01-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Mango wants to be an Abercrombie model...
Tell him he has pretty eyes and his response will be:
I know...

Tell him he has an awesome tan and his response will be:
It's natural

Tell him he has a great body and his response will be:
Yeah...I work outI'm telling you, the kid is vain...

His self proclaimed nickname is:
The Hotness

Good thing we can now add one more title to sir Hotness...

He ia a total Gleek !

So...Happy New Year from Sir Hotness the Gleek and the rest of us weirdos!

Re-deployed

2009-12-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

Remember the story I told last year, about my friends whose husband came back from Iraq and surprised the kids when they were visiting Santa at the Mall?

You can read the story here

Anyways...the father/husband in the story has been redeployed (just before Thanksgiving) and will be gone for another 11 months.

This really makes me sad...and angry...

And wishing those kids would have their daddy here for Christmas this year...

Mango and his date(s)

2009-11-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

Things I'll have to tell you about it later...

1. Yesterday was Mango's B-day.
2. Mango won an award at his Water Polo banquet last night
3. We are heading off to Disneyland today..YIPEE!

And most importantly

4. Mango went to Homecoming last weekend and had 5 dates... then spent the night with them...

Full story, coming soon...

Harro...Japan Calling

2009-11-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

I am missing Japan today...

I miss the history and culture that surrounds you,
Really, there is SO much history...The time we spend with family when we are there,
Like my grandma...(Momo loves hanging with her great grandma)And my uncle, the high fashion photographer...
who, just the day before this photo, was busy shooting a cover for J.Lo
And I miss the food...
dear gawd...I miss the FOOD!
Yum...
And the shopping (at both cheap and chic stores)
The souvenir's that we inevitably buy every year for all the gai-jiin (foreigners) back home
The transportation system...
(b/c I really love not driving everywhere I go)
The thick summer air...today I actually crave it
And the condoms...
No...Not really...I don't miss the condoms, but you gotta read the signs...too funny!

Day 2

2009-11-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Today is Day two of NABLOPOMO and I have already failed...

I forgot to post yesterday.

It was the first day (and apparently the last for me)!

This picture of Momo captures the way I feel about my failure... So sad.

Where Oh Where?

2009-10-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Where Oh Where...Have I been?

1. I have been BUSY
I have been to volleyball practice with Momo 3x per week
I have been to many games and tournaments with both of the weirdos
I have been teaching 4 classes with 35 students each (and tons of grading)
I have been trying not to neglect HWMNBN

2. I have been LAZY
I have been spending my downtime happily on my couch.
I have been watching the tv (that takes my mind off how busy I feel)

3. I have been HUNGRY
I have been eating (or thinking about eating) a lot...to keep my mind off of busy

4. I have been NOT BLOGGING
I have been unconsiously avoideant of my blog for a good 2 weeks and NABLOPOMO is upon me...just 2 days away...I hope I can do it?!?

Bacon Potato Pie

2009-10-09T07:42:00.001-07:00

Mc Donald's in Japan is something of a dream.

Not only are they immaculately clean and amazingly service oriented, they have some great items that we are seriously deprived of in the great ole' US of A.

One of these items (that I dream about from time to time) is the Bacon Potato Pie.
It looks just like the apple pie sold at Mickey D's in the US, except it is filled with a savory concoction of potato's and bacon...HELLO!!!

Ah-May-ZING!

Playing with the Devil

2009-09-29T09:46:00.001-07:00

Should I warn Momo about playing with the devil?

Public Humiliation = Good Discipline (Pt. 3)

2009-09-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very busy day.

Mango played in a Water Polo Tournament all morning and into the afternoon down the coast in Malibu.

He's the goalie there in the red/white cap.

They did very well for a very novice team (only 2 of whom have ever played the game before) but in the end they got clobbered by both teams they played against.

In the meantime, Momo, HWMNBN and I got sunburned in the hot California sun and by the time we left the tournament, everyone was a little grouchy...and HUNGRY.

The kids wanted burgers and fries so after about an hour of driving, we trekked over to one of their favorite spots, Red Robin, which is housed inside a semi-local shopping mall.

My kids were getting grouchier by the minute and all the eye-rolling and purposeful sibling annoying was getting on my nerves.

I decided it was time for some good old fashioned discipline (MomoMama style) and I found these outfits for my kids to wear. Forget their demoralized expressions and please notice their subservient posture and hint of apology in their eyes...

Public humiliation works people, it works!

Just minutes after donning the banana suit and bee costume, my dear children were back to their normal, non-eye-rolling selves.

Mango was running around Target in a banana suit, making friends with anyone who would look at him...

and Momo was bouncing up and down in some America's Best Dance Crew vibe shouting "Yeah...I'm a Bee...What? What?...I'm a Bee Y'all"

You see, you never know how public humiliation will turn out, but in our house, with the weirdo kids and weirdo parents (and even weirdo extended family members)...
"Goofiness" = our normal state of being and
Public Humiliation always = "good (fun) discipline".

For more of my fantastic parenting stories, check out Public Humiliation = Good Discipline Part 1 & Part 2

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-08-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you found an escalator to be this much fun?

Swine Flu and Pig Love

2009-08-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

We have been really sick around here and HWMNBN is convinced that we have/had swine flu.

HIGH fevers (103.4 was the max for the kids, 102 for me and the hubby), bad coughs, super achy muscles, stuffy heads, sore throats, major lethargy, and major difficulty getting better.

Mango was actually the first to get sick about a month ago and despite antibiotics, his symptoms never really went away and now he is totally sick again...on round two of antibiotics. HWMNBN and I are both about 75% better and though we are up and functioning again we still have residual symptoms that won't seem to go away.

Momo, on the other hand, seems to be the only one who got sick and got better within a relatively normal amount of time.

I think this has something to do with her connection with swine...The girl loves pigs...she sleeps with 3 (of the stuffed animal variety) every night. She has one who that she is completely attached to (which looks just like this little fellow that we saw at a toy store in Japan)..just the sight of this little piggy brought tears to Momo's eyes.She is a bit dramatic, of course, but I think she believes the "piggy's" made her better.

Forget Antibiotics, maybe I should get Mango a stuffed piggy to sleep with too...

Monchichi

2009-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ever since Mango was a little boy, we have thought that he looks like a monchichi.

He has grown out of it a bit recently, losing the baby fat, getting taller and changing his hairstyle...but every time we see one, we still think of Mango.

Anyways, one day during our recent trip to Tokyo, we were strolling down the street and lo'and behold, I saw monchichi's...
I told Mango that I had found his ancestors.

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-08-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is probably my favorite picture of my little brother and I...
Though he is taller than me now, he still warrants the title "Little Brother" due to the fact that he is approximately 9 years younger than me and at least 70 lbs lighter.

It has always been that way...the many pounds lighter and years younger, I mean.

We often joke that we look like the number 10 when we walk down the street together...he, with his tall thin stature, beside me, with my short body and gigantic hips and behind.

Honestly, what the hell does he need a killer metabolism for...it's really not fair!

This photo has a really cool angle, a gigantic Buddha and one of my favorite people in the world by my side and the fact that it doesn't really show our major (body) disparities makes me love it all the more.... yeah, I love this pic (and my little brother) a lot!

Mango Lost It

2009-08-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

We have been home for about 3 weeks.

It's been nice getting back into the swing of things and with all the summer activities the kids have, it feels like there has been little rest.

Fortunately I took a lot of wonderful pictures in Japan with my lovely camera that HWMNBN gave me for X-mas.

Mango also took a ton of pictures with a camera given to him by his paternal grandpa just before we went on our trip. Everywhere we went, Mango was snapping away with his camera.It felt as though every time I wanted to snap a shot of him, he was snapping a shot of something else.
He actually got a lot of really great shots.
And by the time we got home, Mango had personally taken about 1500 pictures. Which he scrolled through and manipulated for hours...
Then... he deleted them.

1000 of them to be exact.

With a few clicks of his keys and a major lapse in judgment, Mango "accidentally" deleted 1000 of the photos (taken at the beginning and middle of our trip)

It was a totally "Mango-ish" thing to do (given that he often does things without thinking of the ramifications), and once my irritation (and panic) subsided, I felt kinda bad for him...

Poor Mango...he really lost it...1000 "it's" to be exact.

Japanglish=Disaster

2009-07-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

The Japanese love using the English language whenever possible.

In Japan, it is not uncommon to see English writing on everything from Billboards to tee-shirts to toothpaste.

The unfortunate problem is that most of the time the English is way off.

Japanglish is one part mixed up translations+ one part Japanese grammar+one part weird pseudo-English. Spoken or read, Japanglish is sure to bring a smile to your face.

I found a great example of it yesterday when I was walking in park in Tokyo. The Japanglish came in the form of a huge sign alerting pet owners about the rules of the park.On the surface the sign looks informative, but take a closer look...Needless to say, I could hardly hold the camera still enough to take this picture...I was laughing so hard.

Just a Few Things

2009-07-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few things we have been up to while in Japan

1. Bonding with Great Grandma2. Eating delicious (and cheap) Ramen
3. Hanging out in the middle of the city, late at night, with tons of other people
4. Being silly
5. Seeing the sights of Japan (lie this super old/big Buddha in Kamakura)
6. Hanging with my brother (eating delicious and expensive $600 dinners)
Just a few things...

Fireflies

2009-07-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

I saw Fireflies tonight for the first time in my life...
It was really beautiful.

There was a very light rain while we walked through the perfectly manicured Japanese garden. The air was warm and damp and the earth smelled wet and fresh.

The only thing missing was my hubby, HWMNBN...
Unfortunately it was too dark to take any pictures once the fireflies were out.

For that reason, I am really glad that I took some pics before the sun went down.

On our pre-sunset walk, we saw Koi fish,
Two weirdo kids, being silly with their uncle,
Some waterfalls,
A pagoda from the 16th century,
A pretty entrance to a noodle house,
And a very old watermill,
After walking through the garden and before seeing the fireflies, we were treated (by my grandmothers dearest friend, Chono-san) to a very wonderful buffet dinner at the 4 Seasons Hotel.

The dinner cost over $100 per person and it was totally worth it. We ate everything from sushi to noodles to the most succulent beef...

Momo even ate GOLD...
She insisted I take a picture of her eating the gold flakes that topped her chocolate cake...too bad she finished the cake before i could get my camera out!

Big Buddha

2009-07-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

We walked all over today and went to many shrines and temples...I'll tell you more about it later...right now, I'm going to bed!

Asparagi and Other Musings

2009-06-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

How do you say Asparagus plural?

Is it Asparagi?

The reason I ask is because today, I saw the smallest bunch of Asparagus I have ever seen in my life... It was hardly worthy of the title "bunch".

See that little bunch there...the one with like 4 "asparagi"...

how many people do you think that will feed?

I'm gonna guess a (Japanese) family of four. Especially if you get creative and cut them up then wrap them in bacon like we did...Yummmmmmmmmmm!Everything is small here. Look at these very cute, colorful and TINY snack bags...think super mini bags of Doritos (flavored like shrimp or seaweed)

In Japan you would hardly think of buying a whole watermelon...these slices are more than enough. Partly because no one would eat a whole watermelon and partly because a regular size, whole watermelon is a minimum of $70.All the small stuff aside, let's talk about Japanese food.

If you were a regular Japanese person, you might opt for one of these friendly creatures to feed your family...

Or you might get them all prettied up like this...
Or this...Mmmmmm...this sashimi looks good to me. I'll opt for these two...And this roll with cucumber and salty plums...None of those work for you? How about some frozen food then? There's lots to choose from...Japanese Chow Mein (Yaki-Soba), Dumplings, Pizza's you name it!

If you've got a sweet tooth, my brother has a suggestion for you.

Chococo Cookies = Yum!

Or you could get some candy...
Or something cold...

Or some fresh pastries...made today...

Along side these sweet breads...
To wash it all down, some soda...

Or any kind of ice tea, coffe, juice, water of your choice...

If you're like me, you'll have a little bit of everything. Here's my plate at one point during my home cooked dinner tonight...
Believe me, the items on the plate changed frequently and it was all delicious!

Now it's time to hunt down my immaculate dessert...

Tired...So, So Tired

2009-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

That is how many steps we took yesterday..I am sooooooooo tired today.
I wasn't able to blog last night because I could barely walk.

We spent the day in Roppongi and Ginza, two very hip exciting areas of Tokyo.
My mother is an artist and she has a piece in an artshow in Roppongi at the National Art Center.
The building is really amazing...After we left the show, we walked around Roppongi.

Something I love about Japan is how you can walk amidst super high tech, high rise buildings and in between stumble across so much history...

The little alleyways with old structures, and the temples...these are some of my favorite things.
I like journalistic photography...natural, unposed, spontaneous. But Mango likes it when I say "hey Mango, stop here and smile" that way he can get his "pose" on!

Don't worry Momo, the restaurant is close!
We had lunch in Roppongi at restaurant called Gonpachi. It's most famous for the fact that the famous fight scene from "Kill Bill" was filmed inside.
It has a really cool atmosphere and great food which I will tell you about later!
Next, we went to a very pretty place called Roppongi Hills where we cooled off by the fountain, gazed at Tokyo Tower and...
Took a picture the giant spider alien from War of the Worlds.
After a quick hop on the train, we ended up in Ginza which is a very wealthy and beautiful area to browse and a great place to shop if you are filthy rich! Mango was in heaven!
Momo had a chance to pose with one of her favorite Japanese Characters, Peko-Chan...when she was little, she looked just like her!
There was a lot more to our day, like walking through a tunnel that looked liked Japan from 60 -70 years ago.

It was really cool inside (I'll show you more of that later too!)And before heading home on our super, super, super crowded rush hour train where we were packed like sardines into a time train car that had to be at least a 100 people over capacity, we stopped at this little shrine to give us strength and so Mango could pose.

Slip and Slide

2009-06-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

Did you know that June is rainy season in Japan?

I did, but that didn't stop me from wearing my favorite flip flops when we went for a walk today...IN THE RAIN!

It really wasn't that bad when we started off...

just a light sprinkle.

Walking through my grandma's neighborhood with the fresh smell of rain was actually quite beautiful.I loved looking at all of the Japanese style houses...imagining which I would love to live in.

I particularly liked this one...the wall, the height, the green...

Momo commented on how quiet Japanese neighborhoods are.

Then she proceeded to talk (loudly) the for the rest of the walk and I told her that neighborhoods were no longer quiet.

Like I said before, the light sprinkle was really nice and added some ambiance to our journey.
On the way home, however, it rained hard.

So hard that my umbrella failed me and despite holding it over my head the whole way, I was soaking wet.

Dripping hair-soaking wet.

And my flip flops became my own personal slip and slides.

I didn't get any pics of that part of the walk.

I was just trying desperately to walk upright, not break my leg and get home...

According to my pedometer I walked 9,688 steps...
Too bad there wasn't a way to measure slips and slides.

Of Bib's and Barbeque's

2009-06-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday night here in Japan and we just came home from a very delicious and fun dinner.

We had something called Yakiniku ortherwise known as Korean Barbeque.

The fun is in the way the food is presented and prepared...

You order all of your meats a veggies raw, then you cook them in front of you on a small bbq pit that is built into the table.You also get rice and soups and salads and many other interesting side dishes to go with your flavorful bbq meats.
To make it even more exciting (and less messy), this restaurant also gave out bibs...

Momo and Mango both enjoyed wearing their bibs and a few food stain disasters were averted due to how they covered the wearers lap...

I really think I should get Momo and Mango to wear bibs more often...

Or maybe just Mango seeing as he didn't wnat to take his off!

Stay tuned for more of our Japanese adventures...I'll be posting more shortly!

Walking in Japan

2009-06-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

Did I tell you that my hubby He Who Must Not Be Named (HWMNBN) did not come with us to Japan? Poor guy...he's at home working hard to support our adventures.

Anyways, I am going to post a lot of pics everyday to keep him (and you) informed about what we're up to. This is a really long post but if you like my weirdo kids and/or are interested in Japan...read on!

Today we were out ALL DAY walking around two of our favorite areas in Tokyo called Harajuku (of Gwen Stefani fame) and Shibuya.

We started off on the kyuko (express train) which was not crowded at all and only took about 35 minutes

We got off the train at Omotesando in Harajuku. The street is really gorgeous and has TONS of designer stores.

It's actually called the Champs Elysees of Japan.
One of our favorite stores on Omotesando is Kiddy Land, where you can find every weird gizmo, gadget and toy you could imagine.

Mango and my brother liked the electronic gadgets...

While Momo was obsessed with the stuffed animals.

These are her people...see how they are all stunned by her presence!

After Momo bid her farewells to the stuffed population at Kiddy Land, we visited a few more stores then hit the road for some more walking.

When we got hungry we stopped into this little "go-around" sushi shop where you sit at a table and watch sushi come around on a conveyer belt.

You pick whatever you want and at the end you are charged by the number of plates you have. Momo and Mango had a field day...

I think we ended up with like 20 plates!

Then, with our stomachs full, we set off to Shibuya.

The walk was about 20 minutes and the hot Japanese sun was beating down on us all the way.
I think the heat made Momo a little loopy...
You know how she gets a little "weird"?

Well, she got real weird...

And we had to take a break for a minute so she could compose herself...

Mango had a sip of Japanese soda while he watched Momo weird out on us...

Momo never did fully recover... but we kept on trekking.

We're used to her weirdness and weren't the least bit suprised when she bought a big pink bow and proceeded to swagger down the streets of Shibuya like the gangsta she is...

To top of her look she bought some crazy 80's sunglasses ...

They actually were quite cute!

Mango had to get in on the action and he "mango-fied" his look with some aviator glassesA little more walking...and stopping...and talking...and shopping...Then we ended up in a game center where Mango tried diligently to win a prize but came out empty handed.

Momo on the other hand scored a really cool stuffed animal and a huge tin of candy thanks to some "skills" she learned from HWMNBM.

"You have to tip it in mom, that's what dad taught me"

And she was right... She won...The game center people even came out to congratulate her for winning. Seems as though they have made it a lot harder to win lately and they were surprised that this little girl could win...twice!
After the game center we walked and shopped for a few more hours then we headed back to the train station.

Unfortunately for us, it was rush hour and we had to go through the "most crowded crosswalk in the world" literally, it is the most crowded crosswalk you will ever see...
The train was PACKED and I couldn't snap a shot hold on to Momo and secure a spot all at the same time but I will try to get a busy train pic at some point.

By the time we stopped at the grocery store to buy stuff for dinner Mango was tired
and Momo was done...

I don't blame her though because we walked a lot today...

13,091 steps to be exact!

Live from Japan...A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-06-25T04:36:00.001-07:00

Momo and Mango are small town, California beach kids at heart...but they sure love being in the big city.

Day two in Japan and we have already ventured out a bit.
Momo and Mango love riding the densha (train). I must admit that it is a lot more fun than trying to drive in Tokyo!

Big in Japan (part Deux)

2009-06-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here I am...sitting in my grandma's house in Japan.

We got here last night after a day full of flying (on my birthday).

I am going to take tons of pictures and post as often as possible. But until then, I will direct you to read one of my old posts about how "BIG" I am in Japan

In the (less than 24) hours that I have been here, I have already been lectured about how I should lose weight "for my health". Though I know the message is given to me in kindness, it bugs me because I know that there is a lot more to it than worry about my "health".

I would like to lose a few pounds, but overall, I am so okay with who I am... I inherited the Irish genes passed down from generations of "thick, sturdy women" on my biological-fathers side, I have a big butt (which my husband loves), I love hearty Persian food (thanks to being raised by my Persian dad) and as Popeye would say

"I am, who I am"

That's all that matters, and I need to remember that.

Sometimes...

2009-06-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I think they really like each other...

At 12 and 14 years old...there are a lot of days that Momo and Mango can't stand each other. Most of the time they bicker like an old married couple and intentionally try to drive one another (and me) crazy.

Once in a while though, I catch a glimpse of them when I think that for a a split second in time, they are happy to be siblings

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-06-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

Check out Mango's 8th grade graduation! He looks so happy!

But wait...Look again
Momo doesn't seem to be sharing in Mango's enthusiasm...

You see, Momo wanted to be in the photo with Mango and a semi-mutual friend. But, a split second before I snapped the photo, Mango shoved Momo out of the pic.

Check out her face...it breaks my heart and makes me laugh all at the same time!

Stuff We Call Life

2009-06-13T16:12:00.001-07:00

Life has been BUSY!

Really busy

There have been Volleyball Tounaments to win

Swim meets to dominate

Birthdays to celebrate

Pool party's to swim at

End of Year dances to attend

Awards to accept

Graduations to attend

And now...with the last day of school behind us...

we are on vaction count down.

Tokyo, here we come!

Happy Birthday Momo

2009-05-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago today I gave birth to my little Momo
Ever since that day, she has been the light of my life...
Her energy, vibrance and adventurous spirit is everything I could have wanted in a child...
And every birthday she has, I am amazed by how much she has grown
I have honestly loved watching her change
And as I write this, I am realizing that today...on her 12th birthday...we are entering her last year as a tween
And though I love watching her change and grow into herself...
She'll always be my little girl!
Happy, happy 12th birthday Momo!

Mommy loves you!

(Three) Thousand Word Thursday

2009-05-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

We're a happy family

Really...we are...

I swear.

Visit the Mom-Jen to see more pictures worth a thousand (or more) words!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-05-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sand angels...That's how we do it California.

This One and This One

2009-05-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

This one...she's a real firecracker!

She is always full of life...And she is always up to something...usually it's something funny...
Most of the time, it's something weird!Now, this one...he'd like you to think that he is the quiet, reflective...pensive one But he's not...He's just a bit "slower to warm" than the other one...It takes him a minute to "get into" whatever we are doing but eventually he comes around...And on rare occasions, they find each other...And if they are on the same page...Well...it's magic!

Fire on the Mountain

2009-05-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

We live in a comminty that is flanked on one side by the beach and mountains on the other.

It's really fantastic because we have awesome views from every angle and we usually have an amazing "California Beach Climate" that resides in the mid to low 70's most of the year.

Anyhow, Momo, Mango and I went to the beach yesterday after school...and the day before...To look at the smoke from a raging wildfire just a few miles up the coast.
The fire is so bad that many of our friends and family are currently evacuated or being told to be ready to leave at moment's notice. Schools from 3 districts are closed (as well as the college where I teach).Nearly 40,000 people have been evacuated in the last 3 days... The emergency shelters are filling to capacity and those not in the evac zones are taking in "refugees".
My parents are in a warning zone and may end up over at our house, My dear friend and her daughter Apple are evacuated and may make there way over here today. It's a precarious situation...the high winds and heatwave we have been having aren't making anything better.
Over 75 homes have been burned, several fire fighters have been injured and the fire seems to be taking over...Remember how I said the temperature around here generally reside in the mild 70's (because of this most of us don't have air conditioning, our windows work just fine)
...well in the last few days we have been running above 100 degrees and let me tell you...with power outs, smoke and 100 degree temps (and my asthma)...the conditions really suck.

Keeping it in perspective though...we are in our home and safe right now. For that, we are thankful. The fire has begun heading in this direction as of this morning, but it has a way to travel before I get too worried.

Check out this article from the Sacramento Bee to see some INCREDIBLE pictures and read a bit more about the fires.

Keep your fingers crossed that pur brave fire fighters and other public safety personel get this under control...

Goodnight Frankie...Goodnight...

2009-04-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Frankie Manning, the "Ambassador of Swing" passed away this morning in New York just 1 month shy of his 95th birthday celebration.

I wrote about his influence in our lives a while back...click here to read the post.

Please take a moment to watch this great video tribute which was made 15 years ago to commemorate Frankie's 80th b-day.

Swing dancing is an American folk art that I never want to forget...thank you Frankie for being an inspiration to me, my children and many around the world. You will be missed!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-04-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy...oooooooh boy!

I just booked our tickets to Japan! I can't wait!

One of my favorite things to do in Japan is EAT!

Look at all the scrumptious sushi! It's SOOOOO tasty!

I have blogged about food in Japan before...click here to read more ...

You Better Call Grandma And Tell Her

2009-04-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

The other night one of my dearest friends and her daughter surprised us with an afternoon knock on our door.

We were excited to see them and after hanging out for a while we all ended up lounging on our couches munching on goodies and talking about nothing.

At one point Momo got a mischevious look on her face and ran off to my bedroom where I could here here rustling through my bookshelf.

She quickly ran back into the living room and pulling something out from behind her she said:

"I have a very special book to read to you all...It's called..."
Now, it's important for me to preface this story with the fact that my dear friend who was all cozied up on my couch...well, we met back in the day when we were both sex educators, so the arrival of Momo standing before us, insiting that she must read a "sex book" to us was a welcomed and funny sight.

Anyhow, my friend noticed how old the book was and after I told her the book was given to me by my mother when I was about 10 or 11, she said:

"Cool Momo, read us the book!

And boy, did she read it!

It was so funny...Momo, sitting on the coffee table reading then pausing to ask questions of me and my dear friend. Mango and my friends daughter (let's call her Goldie) were listening intently, laughing a lot and occasionally asking questions.

Goldie, having the mom that she does, is also very open to talking about sex, sexuality etc... but by nature she is more reserved and contemplative than Momo and Mango who are the proverbial extroverts. Given their personality differnces and the fact that Goldie is 3 years older than Momo (and about 6 moths older than Mango), it was a given that she would get a kick out of listening to them talk about everything from "does the penis go in and out or round and round" to "why do my friends call semen JIZZ" to "oh, by the way Mom, have you ever tasted it?"

A-N-Y-W-A-Y-S...

So many funny things were said and many good lessons learned (for one...I learned that Momo CAN indeed make me blush!) but all that aside, one of my favorite things happened after our guests left and I was putting Momo down for bed.

It had been a very long day and Momo was really tired. I was prepared for our typical "Go To Bed" routine...I was not, however, prepared for what happened instead.

After the tucking and kisses goodnight, I was just about to leave Momo's room and she asked me if I had a minute to answer a question. "Just one" I told her and this is what ensued:

Momo: Mom, can a woman have a baby when she is really old?

Me: Ummm...well, women are having babies later and later but most women go through something called menopause when they are around grandma's age. That means that their bodies stop releasing their eggs and they stop having their periods.

About midway through my explanation Momo's eyes had closed. Then she was silent for a moment...

Suddenly she popped up and said: YOU MEAN GRANDMA COULD HAVE SEX ALL DAY LONG AND NOT GET PREGNANT !?!

I giggled and nodded...

Then Momo lied back down, closed her eyes and said: You better call grandma and tell her

The Weirdness

2009-04-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

They're just...

WEIRD!

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-04-16T09:04:00.001-07:00

This is bad...REAL bad...

It goes against my morals in many, many ways and I am shocked that I allowed it.

I really have nothing to say for myself except:

1. This is not a real gun
2. Momo has not been recruited by a militant religious group
3. I need make sure my brother hides his Air Soft stuff more effectively
4. What kind of weirdo mother casually takes a picture of their child all armored up and pointing a gun at them?

Bad...bad...bad...

Peace Be With You

2009-04-05T11:43:00.001-07:00

Why is it that I cannot have Peace?

I am not asking for a lot

I don't ask for Peace all the time...

I don't even expect Peace all the time...

I'm a simple gal and I only really want a little bit of Peace in my life...

Just a moment or two...

In the bathroom!
I mean, seriously...with the way that Momo and Mango stalk me outside of the bathroom door you would think that I had a dayglo toilet and a graffiti wall for them to draw on...

I remember back when Momo was a toddler and she would often enter the bathroom with me. I didn't mind and neither did she. It was actually a bit cute to watch her play with toys or hold a conversation with me as though I were not ermmmmm "busy"...

One time we were at Nordtrom's in the women's lounge and of course I brought Momo into the stall with me. She was talking and looking around then she paused, looked right into my eyes and in her cutest, high pitched, chipmunk baby voice she said: "Mama...you poopin?"

It was cute...back then...

But I thought that by 11 and 14 years of age this business would stop.

Not that Momo and Mango join me in the bathroom anymore, but I thought they would get the point that when I enter the bathroom, it's my time...

Oh boy have I been wrong.

Sure, they let me slip away, get comfortable, pick up a magazine...

Then BAM...one of them is at the door asking benign, unimportant questions that they need answered RIGHT NOW or one of them is yelling for me from another room, for no apparant reason, other than to sabotage my PEACE!

I will sometimes ignore them or plead with them to leave me alone and every time this happens, Momo and Mango take it upon themselves to then yell..."MOM"S POOPIN---Leave her alone"

And I swear there is nothing else that could ruin your Peace than the thought of the entire neighborhood knowing your business...

I mean COME ON!

The only rememdy I could think of was to tell Momo and Mango that the next time they bug me, come to the door, yell out for me etc when I am having some ALONE TIME...I am going to make them come in and join me.

We'll see how it works, but in the meantime

If you ever see my weirdo's...could you please ask them to give me a freaking minute of PEACE!

I need it!

Pearls In Unlikely Places

2009-04-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've had a rough week.

Life seems to be throwing more stuff at me than I can handle right now and I feel really at a loss...

Relationships, illness, mounds of work, messy rooms, taxes, paperwork etc... On their own, quite manageable but all at once and I am feel really overwhelmed.

Not to mention that I feel like I have allowed things to get to the breaking point. Like the lava boiling within a volcano, just ready to erupt and cause irreparable damage to the beautiful landscape of my life...

I cried today...a real breakdown cry...and it felt good. Funny thing is that it was really hard to open the floodgates. I was so pent up with frustration and anger and hurt that I really was like a dam...barely holding it in...Then the tears came and I think I cried for 4 hours straight...at times sobbing with that heart-achy feeling engulfing my whole being and at other times sitting stoically with tears flowing...no emotion attached.

Either way, I needed it.

It felt good.

Anyhow, earlier in the day (while stoically crying) I found a few photos that I didn't know were on my computer.

They were grainy and fuzzy, as most pictures taken on a cell phone are...but I wanted to post them anyways so I made a note of where they were and thought to myself that I needed to think of a story to put with them.

------------------------------------

So here I am, several hours later, feeling a lot less tragic (for now) and I have a story...
Weird: Check
Involves Momo and Mango: Check
includes odd "Pearls of Wisdom" gathered from a very unlikely source: Check

So here goes...

Last summer Momo, Mango and I began going to a semi-local Japanese Buddhist Temple to learn special dances Bon odori for the summer Obon Festival. Obon is a very special time in the Japanese Buddhist tradition as it is a time to celebrate and remember our ancestors...generally there is a festival of traditional music, food and dance... Anyhow, The pics I found today were of the Obon last year.. That's Mango on the left with two of his gal-pals taking a break in between dances..

And here's a pic of Momo and Mango (check out Momo's purple locks)! At one point in the festival there was an announcer on a loud speaker who said "A kid with purple hair just walked by me...now I have seen everything". It was very funny...

ANYWAYS...

Mango decided to rent Karate kid II tonight (the one where they go to Japan and participate in an Obon festival) and as I cozied up on the couch to watch it with him, I began to feel that dreadful feeling come over me again...

But then...

Mr. Miyagi started spewing his words of wisdom and I started to feel some of the heaviness lift off of my chest.

Yes folks, Mr. Miyagi made me feel better.

At one point early in the story when Daniel-san was having a bad day, Miyagi said (in his weirdly broken English):

When feel like life out of focus
always return to basic of life...
Breathe
No Breathe- No Life

I rewound it like 2 times just to hear Miyagi say those words again then Mango was like:

Mom...WTF...who talks like that? My [Japanese] grandmas don't even sound that weird...OMG are you writing down what he said?...you are so weird mom...

Despite Mango total loss of respect for me over my frantic attempt to capture the words of Mr. Miyagi, I took a breathe and remembered how much I need to practice mindfulness in my own life.

In that moment I realized that for the last several days...I have hardly been breathing...both figuratively as my mind, heart and body have been so clouded and heavy and literally as I am having a gnarly case of springtime induced asthma.

Either way, I took note that I need (and want) to go back to the basics of life. Man do I need that right now...

Then, just as I had processed the profoundness of Miyagi's words he went and said:

Never put passion before principle...even if win, you lose

WHOA...that hit me like a brick... I can't share why, becasue I am not entirely sure how to put it into words...but, boy oh boy, did that feel profound to me...

So I sit here, mindful and breathing, getting ready to stretch and get in tune with my body and I must say...

thanks for listening, and...

Domo arigato gosaimasu, Miyagi sensei...

A Thousand Words...

2009-04-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of my Momo...taken in the Spring of 2005.

Looks as though she is trying to eat an ice cream cone with as much gumption and passion as one can have on a cold blustery day in the Bay Area...

My favorite part of this picture though, has to be Momo's expression.

Reminds me of a little kitten gnawing on something she shouldn't be.

6th Grade Safari

2009-03-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

A while back (Monday, January 19th to be exact) a bloggie friend of mine Coach J wrote a post about her experience with a "One-Upper" (a.k.a someone who always needs to be better, grander etc than everyone else).

The post was really funny but it didn't resonate with me as much then as it does today...I mean, I have met my share of one uppers in my life, but I have never really felt emotionally triggered by it...UNTIL NOW.

You see, Momo is in the 6th grade and you may not be aware of this...

But 6th grade is the natural habitat of the "One-Upper".

Really, it is...I mean, not only can 6th grade be potentially fatal (if not emotionally or socially) it's also a relatively well known fact that "One-Uppers" lurk in hallways, bathrooms & lunch areas of middle schools world wide.

Don't get me wrong... elementary school has some beasts of it's own but Middle School really breeds a whole new animal.

Momo has has spent a lot of time this year learning to navigate the new terrain and, more impoartantly, how to develop a way to categorize the cannibals which inhabit 6th grade.

She has found that they range in fierceness.

Some of the more docile ones partake in a general fluffing of feathers, no real harm done, other than being sure that you (and everyone else) knows that they have the better shoes or the newer bag or the cooler jeans.

On the other end of the spectrum lie the really vicious variety. They seem to take innate pleasure in watching you squirm and writhe in humiliation when you don't measure up. Then there are the ones who seem to be your friend but they have a constant desire to make sure you know that they are better. The "One-Upper's" who spend the night at your hourse only to make comments about how much better their stuff is. The ones who compete with you in every mundane way (i.e. whose sneeze is funner, who feels most tired, who's hair is more brown).

Now, this last variey I mentioned doensn't appear particulary horrible, and at first glance they really aren't that bad. But, I assure you that constant "One-Upping" from those you beleive to be your friends can get on your nerves! Sheesh...it get's on my nerves and I only have to hear it (not experience it) from the front seat of the car as I play chauffer.Needless to say, Momo had enough! She spent one too many a night wondering why she could never just have fun and be happy...why EVERYTHING had to be a comptetion.

Anyways, last weekend she went to a sleepover with some "new" friends and when she came home she said that she had "the best time of her life". She talked about all the fun things they did and how there was no fighting or "One-Upping". I think she has finally figured out what she wants in her frinds, and that it does not include constant put downs and invalidation.

To this, I breathed a deep sigh of relief...Relief that Momo seems to be gaining a new awareness of what she will and will not tolerate in relationships AND relief that the 6th grade safari is nearing an end...

But...oh Gawd...what the hell is 7th grade going to be like?!?

Lick It Like A Lollipop...

2009-03-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the song "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent?

Well my 11 year old has... and now she is singing it!

I guess some of the boys in 6th grade have figured out that the song has some (how should I say) SEXUAL OVERTONES in it, and they have decided that the song is their new anthem.

Thankfully Momo has only caught on to the chorus.

Anyways... today, as we were finishing up a "wholesome" afterschool snack she looked me dead in the eye and sang:

"I'll take you to the candy shop, I'll let you lick the lollipop"

I looked back at her, probably with my mouth half open in a frozen state of shock/confusion, then she said:

"Oh my gosh mom...the boys are so gross...they keep singing this song and I just can't get it out of my head. Can you believe it means oral sex...uh...GROSS"

Then she rolls her eyes in disgust, puts her dish in the sink and climbs the stairs while humming the tune of Candy Shop... Now...I am sitting here wondering what I should say/do...

We have talked about music and appropriateness (in regards to sex, violence, cussing etc) in the past, but this seems like something different to me...Partly because Momo has expressed how overly sexualized the 6th grade boys (and many girls) are...

Honestly, even though Momo and I can talk about anything EVEN SEX, I'm a bit stumped with this one because I don't want to get to preachy with her...

Anyhow, I'd love to hear what you all think! Use the comment space to share your ideas!

By the way, if you are not familiar with the song...you have to read some of the lyrics:

CANDYSHOP - 50 Cent

I'll take you to the candy shop
I'll let you lick the lollypop
Go 'head girl, don't you stop
Keep going 'til you hit the spot (woah)

You can have it your way, how do you want it
You gon' back that thing up or should I push up on it
Temperature rising, okay lets go to the next level
Dance floor jam packed, hot as a teakettle
I'll break it down for you now, baby it's simple
If you be a nympho, I'll be a nympho
In the hotel or in the back of the rental
On the beach or in the park, it's whatever you into
Got the magic stick, I'm the love doctor
Have your friends teasin you 'bout how sprung I gotcha
Wanna show me how you work it baby, no problem
Get on top then get to bouncing round like a low rider
I'm a seasons vet when it come to this shit
After you work up a sweat you can play with the stick
I'm tryin to explain baby the best way I can
I melt in your mouth girl, not in your hands (ha ha)

Give it to me baby, nice and slow
Climb on top, ride like you in the rodeo
You ain't never heard a sound like this before
Cause I ain't never put it down like this
Soon as I come through the door she get to pullin on my zipper
It's like it's a race who can get undressed quicker
Isn't it ironic how erotic it is to watch em in thongs
Had me thinking 'bout that ass after I'm gone
I touch the right spot at the right time
Lights on or lights off, she like it from behind
So seductive, you should see the way she wind
Her hips in slow-mo on the floor when we grind
As Long as she ain't stoppin, homie I aint stoppin
Drippin wet with sweat man its on and popping
All my champagne campaign, bottle after bottle its on
And we gon' sip til every bubble in every bottle is gone

Holy Bananas Batman!!

2009-03-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

WHOA!

It's been a LOOOOOOONG time since I have had a chance to sit down and write anything! Thanks for the emails from those of you who have been missing me, but no worries, I have just been super busy with work and the fam!

I have some stories to tell...but no time to tell em' just now...so give me a day or so and I will do my best to give you some Momo and Mango flavored hysterics!

XOXO
Momo-Mama

Like...Gag Me With A 4x4

2009-03-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

I grew up in Southern California in the midst of Valley Girl talk. As you may know, "Valley Girls" had their own way of sounding uber cool.

Words like "Totally", "Like...", "Gag Me", "Awesome" and "So..." were combined with other words to create the unique Valley Girl vernacular that I honestly love (and still sometimes use)...phrases like:

"I'm, like... so tired"

Or

"You are like so totally awesome"
and my personal favorite

"Like...gag me with a 4x4!"

ANYWAYS...

Right now...I feel like I have been gagged with a 4x4.

I woke up feeling really exhausted...like "hit by a truck" tired...but I had to go to work, so I got myself ready and went in to teach a couple of classes.

Midway though my first class I knew I was in trouble. My stomach was achey and I had the icky feeling that I might vomit...Ewwwwwww!

Anyhow, kept my composure and I made it through the first class...I knew I had to at least talk to the second class, to get them up to date with all the things they need to do in the next week and I was able to make it most of the way through our class session thanks to an activity that made them do most of the work.

I got home feeling REALLY bad and when Momo came home, she too stated that she had a headache and a stomach ache. She is laying next to me right now... asleep since about 3:00 in the afternoon.

The worst thing about it all is that HWMNBN and Mango feel just fine and they decided they had to make chili dogs for dinner...

And the smell is like so totally killing me!!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-02-26T16:42:00.001-08:00

This is a photo of me and my cousin ("Boots") taken about 16 years ago. The camera snapped this shot just as I was getting ready to take little Boots on a sit-n-spin ride.

Boots is A LOT younger than me and because of this I have many fond memories him growing up.

Boots (who gets his nickname due to the rainboots he wore for the first 3 years of his life) was one of the funniest little kids I have ever known. He often said and did the most hilarious things...

One time, while looking for videos at or local video store Boots encountered his first "little person". Boots must have been about 3 or 4 at the time and as he turned a corner in the store, he came head on with the manager (a little person) who was about as tall as Boots. Boots stopped dead in his track and shouted "WHOA...THAT GUY IS SO SHORT!!!"

I think the entire store froze...like those awkward moments you see in the movies where no one knows what to say or do. Then Boots just shrugs and stomps away in his little rainboots.

AND...as a toddler and preschooler, Boots was always dressed up as some kind of ninja (with rainboots on). He loved ninjas and was always karate-chopping or head butting anyone within arms reach. Short little guy that he was, that meant that he often hit the groin area...It was quite hilarious (and painful) and he could literally made grown men cringe in fear just by entering a room...

Anyhow, even though Boots is my cousin, I have always thought of him like a little brother and when he turned 18 last week I was as shocked as I was excited for him.

I am so amazed at what an awesome person Boots has become... and I love that he and my kids have a close relationship despite their age differnce...
Aside from his habit of sitting on my dear Momo, Boots is one of my favorite people in the world...

Happy Belated Birthday Boots!

My Faves

2009-02-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

I just learned about a fun contest over on another blog called Barking Mad. Click HERE for more info.

Basically, the idea is for me to share my own favorite posts from my blog (which happens to be something I have wanted to do anyways) and in the process I could win a $250 Target Gift Card!

Anyhow, here are my absolutely favorite posts that I have written thus far. Some are funny, some are tear jerkers, and all of them give you a little insight into our weirdo lives.

Enjoy! Oh...and by the way...let me know what you think. I'd love to know which of these is YOUR favorite post!

1. Mom, What's a Sex Shop?
A glimpse into how we handle "sensitive" topics like sex, condoms and wet dreams

2. Mom, They Called Me An Atheist
When kids question religion...what would you do?

3. Did Mesopotamia Stink?
About a school project gone bad...real, real bad!

4. Like Funky Without the "F"
A homage to my little brother...the greatest 23 year old uncle in the world

5. Public Humiliation=Great Discipline
My take on discipline...it always involves public humiliation!

6. Public Humiliation=Great Discipline Pt. 2
More words of wisdom on how to create future therapy issues for your children

7. I Heart Japanese Food"
Mouthwatering photos of some of my favorite foods

8. Cry, Cry Baby
A funny picture of Momo and some killer "Japanglish"

9. Uncle Do You Have A...
A little post about Momo's never ending quest for knowledge...about anatomy!

10. A Real Tear Jerker..
A sweet story that'll make all you big babies cry

Poop the Baby Out

2009-02-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Momo: Mom...when you have a baby, do you like, poop the baby out?

Me: Ummmmm, you mean out of your butt?

Momo: Yeah...like where your poop comes out. (with a very serious look on her face) Someone told me that, but it just doesn't seem right.

Me: Yeah, well... you do not poop a baby out of your butt...a baby comes out of your vagina.

Momo: Like where your pee comes out?

Me: Not quite

Momo: Like the hole behind your tiny penis?

Me: (laughing hysterically) TINY PENIS?!? Wha..?!? (Then I figured out what she was talking about)

Once I regained my composure we were able to wrap Momo's mind around female anatomy and childbirth. As always, it was a fun conversation. I was glad that at least Momo wasn't deluded enough to think that a baby comes from a stork These bedtime conversations with Momo always make me laugh.

Anyhow, just before I kissed her goodnight Momo decided she needed to know just one more thing:

Momo: Mom, what year were you born?

Me: 19_ _

Momo: WHAT! (genuinely shocked) I thought you were born in like..18 something

Me: Gee thanks Momo, that would make me over a 100 years old

Momo: Gosh...sorry, what am I supposed to think mom...I mean, you're like really old

It was at this point that I realized that I really need to get a math tutor for Momo and Mango...'Cause I am SOOOOO not old!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-02-19T09:16:00.001-08:00

This photo cracks me up...

We were in a train (in Japan) going back to my grandma's house after a little mini-vacation to our favorite beach resort. While there, we swim a lot, eat great Japanese cuisine, soak in the warm humid air and sight see around the village. Momo also enjoys a lot of time spent in fantastic Japanese arcade within the hotel.

Anyhow, in the photo Momo is flanked by her Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa and for some reason she has all the luggage on her lap. Great-Grandpa (or Papa, as we call him) is probablly ruminating about the cigarette he wants to smoke, great Grandma (or Grandma Tokyo, as we call her) is happy as always, but it is the expression on her face that is truly "worth a thousand words"!

P.S. It's been a while since I have posted anything, it's not that I don't love you all...I Do...

Rather I have just been SUPER busy! I promise to write something in the next day or so...I have another great Momo "Sex Ed" story to share!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-02-05T08:38:00.001-08:00

I don't like to post pictures without a supporting story to go with it, but I am strapped for time this morning so I am going to share this pic with you then ask you to go read my last post "Mom, They Called Me An Atheist"...please take a minute to read it, and let me know what you think!

Momo, circa 2005 Japan.

Uncle Do You Have A ...

2009-02-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

I know I have been blogging about some weird stuff lately i.e. Puccini and Vajayjays, Momo's bloodthirst and the joy I get from publicly humiliating my kids...

So I thought I would share a nice, wholesome story with you.
This story is about how Momo used to ask everyone she met whether they had a penis or a vagina.
Momo: Well, I was wondering...since you made me do that really lame pose and I completely humiliated myself, can I ask you a question?

Prince Charming: Why, of course dear Momo...ask away.

Momo: Well, I was wondering...Cinderella, do you have a penis or a vagina...cause you've got a lot of makeup on, and I'm kind wondering if you are in drag...

Cinderella: Oh my!

Momo: And, um...Prince Charming...you're prettier than a lot of girls I know so, I'm just curious whatcha got going on down there..?

Prince Charming: Hahahaha, you're quite a funny one Momo! Indeed I am pretty, but alas... I have a penis"

Cinderella: And I have a "puccini"!

Oh...don't get your panties all up in a bunch...Momo, DID NOT ask Cindy and her Prince about their junk...

But back when she was a toddler (about 2 -4 years old) you could bet that she would have.

You see, remember how I said that I thought slang words were often a lot worse than the "real"words for things. Well, I decided very early on that I wanted Momo to use the anatomically correct words for body parts, so that's what I taught her.

Her arm was her arm, her knee was her knee and her vagina was her vagina.

She started off saying these words just to talk about the facts i.e. "I have a vagina, boys have a penis" or "I don't have a penis, I have a vagina"...

It didn't take long however for her to realize that there was a lot of power in these words. After saying them a few times in front of unsuspecting adults (or better yet, her then 13 year old uncle and his friends) Momo learned she could make big people laugh and giggle and squirm and in some cases run!

Believe me, she used this power to it's fullest...finding the most opportune times to ask people about their anatomy. The lovely elderly teachers aid at preschool, people in a checkout line at the store, family friends who happened to stop by and probably most horrifying of all, my brother (the 13 year old uncle).It never failed, he would walk by, or we would pick him up from school or he would come home with a group of friends and Momo would yell

Uncle...do you have a penis?

To which he would always reply (good sport that he was)

Yes, Momo...I have a penis.

And honestly folks...that's about as wholesome as it gets around here...

Now-a-days we're talkin' condom tips and wet dreams!

Puccini and Vajayjay

2009-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else think the word "Puccini" sounds funny?

It sounds funny to me...

"Poo-Chee-Knee"

It sounds sorta like a "dirty word" to me...

Like "Poonanny" or "Poontang" or "Vajayjay"...

Just imagine the possible uses of the word:

"Get your disguting Puccini away from me"

"I don't want your filthy Puccini"

"Keep your Puccini to yourself"

"Shut up you...you...you Puccini"

Now that I think about it, have you ever noticed how slang words often sound a lot dirtier than the actual words for which they stand in?

What the heck is that all about?

Oh, and by the way...I'm itching to call someone a "freakin' Puccini"

...maybe I'll try it out on HWMNBN tonight!

Hold On Mom...I'm Going to Kill Someone

2009-02-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

My Parents had a little Superbowl shindig today.

Momo, Mango and I showed up at their house, right around half-time.

We had planned to go earlier, but just before we left our house, Momo decided to remember that she had a little bit of homework that she needed to do...

Unfortunately, Momo's "little bit" of homework turned into two and a half hours of me sitting around wondering whether or not I still wanted to make the drive to my parents house, especially since HWMNBN wasn't planning on attending the party with us (none of us are real football fans and he had some things to do around the house).

Anyhow, as soon as Momo was done with her homework we piled into the car and drove the 20 minutes or so, up the coast, to my mom's house. Half time was just about over and my dad was so sad that we had arrived after some 3D commercial that he thought was really great.

He had gotten tons (and I mean stacks) of 3D glasses for the event and he proudly showed me some pictures he had snapped of the party goers all wearing them.

Needless to say, Momo and Mango really wanted to see the commercial (and wear the goofy glasses) so after the game was over my dad informed the kids that he would rewind the DVR so they could watch it.

Mango got his 3D glasses and made a bee-line for the couch but Momo was so caught up in some computer game that she didn't hear my dad calling her over.

I went over to her, tapped her shoulder and said, "Hey Momo, your Baba is putting on the 3D commercial for you, go over and watch it" To which she replied "Ok...Hold on mom, I'm going to kill someone"

Apparently she was successful in her murderous game, and as soon as she made her kill, she picked up Milo and posed for this pic

Weird in Japan

2009-01-30T14:02:00.001-08:00

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...

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-01-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

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!

Serves Them Right!

2009-01-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

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

A Little Bit Laura Ingalls

2009-01-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

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?

Borrowing Scarves

2009-01-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

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!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

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!

What a Twit!

2009-01-21T20:14:00.000-08:00

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)?

2009-01-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

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.

HIstory in the Making

2009-01-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

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.

Public Humiliation = Great Discipline Pt. 2

2009-01-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

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!

Koala Dog

2009-01-16T09:28:00.000-08:00

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?

The Fatness

2009-01-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

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:

Momo-fied

2009-01-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Please ignore the crazy mess...

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

Public Humiliation = Great Discipline

2009-01-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

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.

It's Like Speed...With A Prescription

2009-01-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Grandiose Ideas

2009-01-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

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...

Deflective Sea Bags

2009-01-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

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!

Sick Day(s)

2009-01-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

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!

Brotha From Anotha Motha...

2008-12-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years I have been noticing that my kids, Momo and Mango, are not really in-touch with an important part of their identities. When we went to Olivera Street the other day I was all too aware that my kids are in need of a cultural identity intervention.

You see, I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned this before, but we are a blended family, and with the blend, we have gained a lot and lost a bit...

He Who Must Not Be Named (HWMNBN) and I met about six and a half years ago when Momo was 5 years old and Mango was 7. I was a young, single mother to Momo and HWMNBN was a young, single dad to Mango. The kids were young, Momo and Mango had virtually no contact with their other biological parents and HWMNBN and I have the same ethnic/cultural backgrounds (Half Japanese/Half Irish American) so when we got serious, the blending of the family was quite smooth.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of our wedding... Momo and Mango get along quite well and (from what I am told about siblings who are close in age) their infighting is quite normal. They rarely refer to each other as step siblings, but a few months back they came up with funny nicknames for each other...Momo calls Mango her "Brotha from anotha motha" and Mango calls Momo his "Sista from anotha mista"...it's actually quite funny.
Anyways, back to my point.
With our very homogeneous blending of families, our kids have really solidified their Japanses American identities and because both of them have another biological parent who they have no contact with & who is Latino, they have almost completely lost that part of their identities.

In fact, I think they are culturally retarded when it comes to this part of themselves. .
As a teacher who discusses cultural identity development in almost every course I teach, I really have been thinking about this for a while, and as we walked around the very quaint and historically interesting Olivera Street, I was sad that my kids are completely out of touch with this rich history and culture that also belongs to them. I realize that Olivera Street isn't the answer...despite being a cool place to explore some of the history of Los Angeles, it is kind of a tourist trap.
But, nevertheless, it still made me sad that as we walked around, I was made more and more aware of how out of touch my kids are...My heart hurt as we passed a beautiful Aztec costume, Momo said: "Hey mom, look at that cool Egyptian stuff" and when I told her that it was Aztec she said: "What's that?" And I cringed everytime I heard Mango (a child who once spoke Spanish) butcher simple Spanish words like Calle, Olivera or Historico...I guess what I am trying to say is that I want to do my best to help my children gain better awareness of their cultural backgrounds. I want to help them develop wholey and securely in the many facets of themselves.

Maybe that will be on the top of my list of New Year's Resolutions...

To make a more concious effort to help my kids learn about and accept the many diverse aspects of their identities.

Yeah, I like that...

Happy New Year---Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu---Feliz Año Nuevo

Week 2...What To Do?

2008-12-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

Momo and Mango are officially in Week 2 of their Winter Vacation.

Yippee...Yahoo...What the hell should we do?

That's exactly what I thought when I woke up this morning.

I have 2 more weeks of the kids looking at me saying : "So mom, in what fantastic way are you going to entertain us today?"

And me replying:"You're 11 and 14, isn't there some way you can entertain yourselves without driving me and each other crazy"

And they (with crazed looks in their eyes) retorting: "Mwuahahahaha...we are evil robot children come to take away your sanity by having 3 weeks off of school, fighting incessantly and repeatedly asking how you are going to entertain us...Mwauhaha...hahaha...hahahahaha...."

Ok, so maybe that last part didn't really happen, but I bet you that's what they were thinking...

I mean, look how "evil roboty" they are...

Anyhow, after I woke up this morning, I was wracking my brain trying to think of some new, fun and interesting things to do with the kids this week. I came up with a good list of things I wanted to do but everything I came up with was in Los Angeles, which is about 1.5 - 2 hours from our house (1 way)... I chalk this up to the fact that I have a little cabin fever in our small (population 11,000) beach town.

I decided that over the next two weeks, we would do at least a couple of the things on my list, maybe make one day trip this week and one next... and then like a wonderful epiphany, I realized that maybe, just maybe, my parents would be interested in hitting up some Japanese markets in L.A. and maybe we could hitch a ride.

And look...It worked! My parents showed up at our house no less than an hour after I called them and we were on our way to The City of Angels! Here's a pic of my dad driving...

My mom, the evil robot children, and Milo the dog sat in the back... My mom would say she sits in back because I get car sick, but I think it has more to do with the fact that her backside is a whole lot smaller than mine and therefor offers a more comfortable and spacious ride...

It took under an hour and a half to get to this part of the journey... I always get a little tingly inside when I get close to Hollywood... Having grown up in the larger L.A. area, I spent some of my most formative years roaming around Hollywood, and various parts of Los Angeles... I really do love it!Ohhhh...loook! There's downtown L.A.! And yes folks, that is a freeway we are sitting on with all those other cars...It was about this point that I had my second "grand idea" of the day...Realizing that both of my kids are like little country bumpkins who hardly know the little treasures that exist in Los Angeles. I asked my parents if they wouldn't mind stopping at Olivera Street so we could take the kids around a bit. And...Drumroll...guess what? It worked!

Here are some pics of our stroll down the historic street...
Momo and her grandma pausing to fidget with Milo...Mango desperately looking for a hat to buy...And a beautiful little store we passed with amazinlgy, vibrant merchandise...There really are a zillion more photos that I really want to share, but I'll save those for another post... I know this is long, but stick with me, it's worth it!

After Olivera Street We decided to hit up Little Tokyo. It's definitely not our favorite place to shop but there was "little hole in the wall" Ramen Shop that my parents insisted we had to try. Apparently everyone and their mothers also thought they needed to eat there, so we ended up waiting on the sidewalk for about 40 minutes... The wait was well worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was everything they had promised and much more... Once inside we were given a booth but check out the cool "ramen bar" typical of little ramen shops in Japan: And for a little hole in the wall place, the ambiance was really great... lots of old Japanese advertisements and t.v./movie posters covered the walls: but better than anything was the food...check out what we ate:
Japanese Pickles:Fried Spicy Tuna (spicy tuna wrapped in shiso leaves then fried in tempura batter) Amazing!!!!Gyoza (a.k.a. pot stickers)And the infamous Ramen, which tastes a lot better than it looks in this photo:Mango loved it And so did MomoWe were all full and satfisfied and really happy...even my dad...who picked up the tabAs I made a run for it...No, not really, I didn't run. But he did drive AND give up his day off AND pay for our yummy dinner (and I did thank him and my mom) but maybe, just maybe I am the evil robot child in this story, who needed to be driven all over L.A. fed and entertained...Muahahahahaha!

I Got It

2008-12-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

I got a camera!

YIPEE!

I am so excited...I am going to take a ton of pictures and torture you with them later!

Merry X-mas Everyone!

Swingers

2008-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Did I ever tell you that Momo, Mango and I are Swing Dancers?

We started dancing about 2 years ago (when Mango was 12 and Momo was 9). Initially my husband and I went to a beginners class, but after one lesson, HWMNBN decided that he was not interested in continuing, so I was on my own.

One night, for whatever reason, I decided to bring the kids with me to my class.

The kids pouted and whined and annoyed the crap out of me on the way to the lesson. they continued to pout when we got there but they quickly found seats in the corner of the ballroom and told me to "have fun neglecting their every whim for an hour" (not really, but I know that's what they were thinking).

About 15 minutes into the class, however, I noticed that both Momo and Mango were in the corner of the ballroom trying all the steps that the instructor was teaching. They danced with each other that night and by the end of the class they both wanted to sign up.

And...the rest is history! Momo and Mango fell in love with swing dancing and we were soon on our way... advancing through various levels and adding Lindy Hop and some Charleston (even a little Balboa) and we now want to add Shag and Jitterbug to our repoitaire.

Here's a pic of Mango and Momo warming up for a leasson

Now, it's important to tell you that the classes that we go to are dominted by adults. Occasionally we run into another kid but they are few and far between. This is not much of an issue for Mango (who is about 5'8" tall and can dance with just about anyone) but for Momo (who is barely over 4 feet tall) it leads to a lot of dancing with partners who are much taller than she is.

Here's a pic of Momo and one of her much taller counterparts, John (who happens to be a fantastic dancer and one of our favorites)

Funny thing is the size issue never seems to phase Momo. One of my favorite memories was one night when there was this very tall guy who must have been at least 6'2". When it was his turn to dance with Momo, he was very gracious and he took some hints from the instructor to lift Momo through some turn and other moves and it turned out to be the first time she did a couple of aerial style kicks in the air!

Both Momo and Mango are pretty good dancers but for Momo the judgement is harsher becasue of her size and misjudgement of her age. Momo is actually really good and it is not uncommon for new people kind of freak out that they have to dance with her (a kid they think isn't going to be any good) then they're shocked when she really shows them how it's done!

Here is a funny video of Shorty George and Big Bea (2 well known dancers from back in the day...Momo's dancing dilemma looks something like this, just the other way around)

On a differnt note, last year we had the privilige of going to a workshop with the legendary Frankie Manning (he was 93 years old at the time). We all fell in love with Frankie and at the end of the workshop, we got some great pictures with him along with a wonderful autograph for Momo which says "To Momo, my youngest and most beautiful student, keep on dancing...Frankie Manning".

Frankie Manning will be celebrating his 95th birthday on the same weekend as Momo's 12th B-day in 2009. This year they are throwing a huge birthday bash for Frankie in New York City and we REALLY want to go. Right now, our beloved and world reknowned teacher Sylvia Sykes (who is friends with Frankie) is trying to help us figure out how we can finance the trip and possibly find someone willing to host us in their home so we won't have to pay for a hotel.

Sylvia is really encouraging us to come to the party, and has even offered to let the kids hold bake sales and other fundraisers in the ballroom. She really wants us at the party and just last night (at a fun holiday dance) she told us again how much she wants us to be there. Sylvia has said to me on many occasions that Frankie was so happy to meet Momo and Mango and after we met him he told her how grateful he was that his craft would continue to live on in these young kids who are learning to "hop".

Mom, what's a Sex Shop?

2008-12-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

Just the other night, after telling my kids to go to bed, I began tidying the house a bit so I could relax.

He Who Must Not Be Named (HWMNBN) has labeled this fit of cleaning anxiety "Mom's in a mood"'

...but I just call it "I can't relax if their is shit all over the place, because I'll keep thinking about it until I clean it up"

Anyways...I was organizing the mess on the coffee table, stacking, arranging, throwing away etc. I moved on to the kitchen, putting a few things in the sink and straightening the counters.

Then, in a last fit effort to "relax" I stopped by the bathroom where I found my latest copy of Vanity Fair sitting on the counter.

The magazine on the counter was not a problem (as was the toothpaste which was inevitably left capless and the little remnants of HWMNBN's morning shave that were all over the place) I mean, there is always a magazine or two (or ten) in the bathroom but this one was open to an article about a Sex and the City Tour through New York.

The page which was on display, was one that I recalled folding over and reading earlier in the day (yes folks, I read in the loo).

The article itself was pretty bland but there was a large cartoon of a woman and large bold text saying "WE PULL UP TO A SEX SHOP. THERE'S A BUZZ OF ANTICIPATION".

My first thought was:

"Great, Momo used this bathroom today...I wonder if she read the article???"

My second thought was:

"Oh well, if Momo did read the article, she'll probably ask me about it later and I'm sure it'll be a hilarious conversation" ...

You see, Momo just finished a Sex Ed class at her school and since then we have been having some great conversations about...well...SEX!

In all honesty, I thought the class would be some "this is your body", "you will begin to menstruate", "stay away from boys", abstinence only type program, and to be honest, that sort of turned me off.

I mean, I want Momo to know about her body and to stay sex free for as long as she can, but as a former sex educator, I wanted her to learn about how to take care of herself, how to be safe and most of all, to know that there was someone out there that she could talk to about this stuff (be it me or her teacher or some other responsible adult).

Funny thing is, I was not quite as prepared for Momo learning about sex as I thought I had been...

My first notion of just how unprepared I was, came when I was tucking her in one night and I made a little joke about the baby in my tummy (I'm not pregnant, but I was very full from dinner and developed a pooch). Anyhow, We all laughed at the joke then this conversation ensued:

Momo: (very seriously) Dad, I do not want a baby brother or sister, so when you use a condom, make sure to squeeze the air out of the tip okay? Otherwise some sperm could get out.

HWMNBN: (mortified and turning to walk out of the room, looks back and says), "Okay Momo, I'll make sure to squeeze the tip"

Me: Wow, Momo, did you learn that in Sex Ed?

Momo: Yeah, we're learning a lot of stuff...I just wished that kid didn't ask that one question...

Me: What question?

Momo: Oral sex...It's really gross!

Honestly, I don't remember what happened next...I think I said, yeah that's kinda gross but I really can't be sure I didn't fall on the floor and die for a minute... I mean, I'm glad that Sex Ed isn't about chastity belts and promise rings... and avoiding the reality of teenagehood in the year 2008, but my Momo is only 11.

Anyways, few nights later, also at bed time, this conversation took place:

Momo: Mom, is it true that boys ejaculate in their sleep when they have "the dream"?

Me: (cracking up, because I knew my hubby would be mortified by this) "I don't know, ask daddy if he has ever had "the dream"

Momo: Well dad...did you ever have "the dream" where it makes you ejaculate in your sleep?

HWMNBN: (mortified and turning to walk out of the room, looks back and says) "Yeah Momo, but it usually only happens to boys when they are young...teenagers, I mean.

Momo: Does it happen to Mango?

Me: Probably. (Yelling playfully to Mango who is washing his face in the bathroom) Does is ever happen to you?

Mango: What?

Me: Say yes.

Mango: Yes...wait, what did I say yes too?

At this point Momo and I are cracking up, then she tells Mango what we were talking about he looks at us, walks to his room and says:

Mango: "Oh my god...you guys are so weird"

Momo: "But does it happen?"

Mango: (Walking into his room, shutting the door) "yes..."

Believe me, it was a hilariously funny conversation and at the same time, very heartwarming (not the talk of wet dreams but the bonding). I mean, I think the biggest lesson learned from all this is that even though I wasn't totally ready for Momo to be learning about squeezing the tip of a condom, or what oral sex is...I am totally cool with the fact that both of my kids feel like they can talk to me about anything!

Me-me-me-me-me...Meme

2008-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

I just got my first meme from a fun blogger named Lisa over at Left Coast Cowboys

Here are "the rules":

1.Link to the person who tagged you.
2.Post the rules on your blog.
3.Write six random things about yourself.
4.Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5.Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6.Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I am totally up for the challenge, but I am a little confused...

Being that I am sorta new to this whole blogging thing, I am not totally hip to the etiquette (I mean, is it okay for me to just go ahead and tag other bloggers?..what if they don't like meme's?..should I let them know first?..what if I don't even know 6 other bloggers?..) I guess the best thing for me to do is to just go ahead do it.

I can post my "6 things" then tag some bloggers that I know, and hope I don't get out casted... right? (crosses fingers) Here goes...

6 Random Facts About Me:

1. I always sit on the left side of my couch. I don't know why, but the left side of my couch, nearest the wall, has become my favorite spot in my house. Unfortunately, this spot isn't as comfortable as it was when I adopted it, what with the deflation of the cushions due to my ever growing backside and a large (single pane) window that lets a draft in... the spot is not the best, but it is mine...

2. I don't know how to drive in the snow. I'm sure that sounds completely lame to those of you who live in colder climates, but I grew up in Southern California and there really was no reason for me to learn. Actually, I have only been to the snow a handful of times and unless it snows here on the beach, I may not see it again for a long time...

3. At the very beginning of my pregnancy with Momo I had this insatiable craving for lasagna with tortilla chips. I thought about this food combo all day and relished the moment I got home, microwaved a box of frozen lasagna and finally sat down to scoop the lasagna with tortilla chips..WEIRD! Funny thing is, that within about 3 or 4 weeks, my tastes changed and for the rest of my pregnancy I loathed the smell of marinara sauce...smelling it would send me into a fit of nausea and vomiting and thinking about it wasn't much better.

4. I don't really like this particular meme because it is too random...I don't like semi-structured things...either give me rules and structure, or let me do what I want!

5. I have only received 3 Christmas cards so far this year...that seems really low. I guess I shouldn't complain considering I haven't sent my cards out yet, but I sure I hope I get more than 3...

6. I really miss that magical Christmas feeling I had as a kid. You know, that anticipation that builds and builds and on Christmas morning you feel as though you are just going to burst...I miss that and I hope I can create it for my kids at least for a few more years...

Okay, all done! Here are the people I am tagging for this meme, some are public, others private and one is my dad (who really needs some motivation to "get writing"...maybe this will be it) I hope you’ll all stop by their blogs (if you can) and see what you think!

Coach J at Hey Coach J A self proclaimed "professional crazy person" who is a much more than your typical mommy blogger

Frank at Frank's Blog (this is my dad's blog...he's in need of blogging motivation)

Karen atBrian and Karen's blog (this one is private, but I wanted to tag Karen anyhow>

Erika at Erika Jean a very funny "un-employed college graduate...who really needs to find a real job"

Lynilu at Never Ending Journey who has some fantastic posts about old memories & present thoughts.

Eden at Fussy I'm kinda embarrassed to tag Eden as she is a "big time" blogger (and founder of Nablopomo) and I don't know if she does meme's. *remember, I don't really know blogger etiquette... so I hope I don't offend...just in case, here's a pic of Eden's son Jackson and my Momo about 2 years ago (maybe this'll soften her to my meme)

Anyhow, I really did think about contacting the bloggers that I tagged, to ask if they would be okay with participating in a meme. Then I thought about what the person who tagged me, said about this whole meme/tag process:

"... it’s not really tag unless someone sneaks up behind you and screams, 'TAG YOU’RE IT!' really, really loudly in your ear"...

So that's what I did, don't be mad okay, just write fast and tag someone else!

A Real Tear Jerker...

2008-12-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

I spoke with a very dear friend mine today, I'll call my friend "Super-mom" (because she is a fantastic mom to 3 of my favorite kids - aside from my own). In fact, her oldest daughter is one of Momo's oldest and "bestest" friends from back when they were toddlers AND I cared for her 2nd born from the time he was about 6 months until he went off to preschool...

Anyhow, Super-mom has a husband who was deployed to Iraq last May. It was a real shocker to everyone when he got his orders, partly because he is a reservist and partly (I guess) because no one is ever really prepared for the news that a loved one is going to a war-zone FOR A YEAR!

So, Super-mom's husband has been gone for about the last 7 months and the whole family misses him, something terrible. Today, Super-mom took the kids to visit Santa and take some pictures. The kids weren't too excited because as the Holidays approach, they are missing their dad even more and as the time wears on, the missing seems to be harder and harder to handle.

Super-mom told me that her 8 year old son (the one I used to take care of) told Santa that the only thing he wanted was for his daddy to come home. It was painful for me to imagine this little guy, sitting on Santa's lap, looking into his eyes and wondering if...

Super-mom then told me that her youngest (who is about 4) listed a few fun things she wanted then added that, she too, really just wanted her daddy to come home.

The oldest (Momo's BFF) was last to talk to Santa. She kept telling Santa that she didn't really want anything (typical 11 year old, not sure about whether or not she wanted to indulge in the whole Santa thing) but after some prodding she told him that actually, all she really wanted was for her dad to come home.

Super-mom said Santa was really touched... as were his elves...I think everyone was teary eyed at the sight of these three children sitting with Santa and wishing beyond all wishes that their daddy could come home.

It was just about this time that one of Santa's elves told Santa that he had a very special UPS delivery outside, and could he please come out to get it. Santa got up, and told Super-mom and the kids to please wait a moment while he retrieved his special delivery.

Santa was gone for a minute or so, and when he came back in he brought with him...

Super-mom's husband and the Daddy who was so lovingly missed and wished for! The kids were flabbergasted and broke down in sobs and squeals and hugs and love and Santa's magic.

You see, Super-mom found out (just a day or two ago) that her lovely husband had been granted a 15 day "release" to spend Christmas with his family and she planned the very best reunion that I am sure her children (and Santa) will remember forever...

X-mas Photos...Sans Beach

2008-12-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

So...my camera has finally seen it's last days...

This is the main reason that I only post old photos...I don't have any new ones! **Hint to "He who must not be named"... if you read this, a new camera is at the TOP of my X-mas list!)

Shameless begging for gifts aside, I was able to get some new photos of the kids, for our X-mas cards this year. As I mentioned in my last post, I had hoped to get the kids photographed on the beach, but since my dad was the photographer (and I didn't want to drag my very busy parents to the beach for a photo session) we settled for their front and back yard.

Despite having to take photos with foliage instead of sand and waves, we got some cute & festive shots. Here's one of Mango, Momo and R. Kelley (note the short, shorts and ugg boots on Momo):
It really is amazing how a photo captures just how much our kids are growing! They seem so much older in these pics than the in the photos from the last post which were taken in 2006 (I think).

Jeez...am I a bad mom that I don't know when those old X-mas pictures were taken? Sometimes it's hard to keep track of all this stuff! Kids are a lot of work, and keeping track of their growth is even harder! I generally do a good job of this stuff but at times, I feel like this:
On days like that, we call Mango and Momo "the neighbor kids" and we ask them why they are in our house then we tell them to go home.

Anyways, back to the X-mas photos. This was one of the contenders for our X-mas cards, but I didn't like the way Mango was sitting and the fact that we could see the bottom of their shoes, it just didn't flow well:
So, we went back outside for a re-do, and this is what we got: and...drumroll...
I loved it!!! This weirdo mom thought that this was one of the best pics our weirdo kids took! Needless to say, this pic made it onto our X-mas cards!

So, you see, I can be pretty sure that these weirdo kids are mine...simply because they are just about as weird as me...

Bottom of shoes- OUT
Gimpy looking kids - IN...totally IN

Christmas in California

2008-12-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

A few years back I took my kids to the beach a few blocks from our house in an attempt to take the quintessential "Christmas in California" photo.

Here is the photo that I used for our Christmas cards that year:
I chose this one because both of the kids had Santa hats on and I thought the sky was absolutely amazing.

This one was a close second, but the Santa hats in the first photo won out.

I also like this one a lot. I think it totally captures Momo's spirit. She is naturally funny, always up to some sort of mischeif and frequently adding a perfect punch line to a situation:

This one captures Mango's spirit...He often seems to look right through the camera... into your soul...with eyes that say "I'm too sexy for this beach"...

I was thinking about doing another round of beach photos this year to add to our X-mas cards. I wish I had done it earlier this week because the weather was in the mid 70's and I would have loved the have the kids wear their swim suits with Santa hats...maybe even playing in the water or building a sand castle...

Unfortunately, today was the last of the "good weather" and we are now bracing ourselves for a weekend with "high's in the 50's"... (I know this sounds downright idiotic to those of you who live in truly cold weather) but 50 degree weather in our California beach town is enough to cause a mild panic and the occasional "STORM WATCH" breaking news report... As if that's not enough, as soon as the the minions feel a slight nip in the air, they clad themselves in various weird outfits such as:

-mittens, turtle necks & miniskirts
-Ugg boots, hoodies & super short shorts
-cozy scarves, comfy jeans and teeny, tiny tank tops

Us California beach folk are weird!