So-niele

That was my breakfast this morning. Egg in a basket, or as my ma calls it Popeye. It’s just a piece of bread with a puka, (hole) in it and the egg cooked in that puka. And on the side is the bread made from the puka. Sure it’s easy peasy but Ma didn’t make it for me all the time. Only on Sundays! Ma didn’t have all the time in the world during the week, she was a working mama Monday thru Friday. My dad did the dinner cooking as he had the graveyard shift, so my dad was the one home with me afterschool. Saturdays were spent cleaning the house and then off to the grocery store to replenish the reefer and cabinets.

So when Sunday rolled around she would sometimes indulge me and make me a Popeye !!! And as I’ve said, sure it’s an easy peasy recipe, one that I’ve even found in The Joy of Cooking, but she only made it on occasion. Which made it rather spayshal (special) to me!!! And I do the same for my kids! I don’t cook it up all the time, I’m trying to make it a special thing for them too. And when I do make it… you better believe their plates are licked clean. heh.

I made this one just for myself tho. *shh Don’t tell the kids. J is off to school and N spent the night t my mom’s. M is here but she don’t know any better. But I swear she was eyeing my food as I tried to feed her her fruit and oatmeal mush, that she refused to eat. She never liked to eat the oatmeal/ rice cereal but I have to force her to eat the stuff b/c she’s borderline anemic, so her ped encouraged me to just keep trudging on and feeding it to her. She also said to try the drops and she won’t even take those. So whatever I can do to help her.

I’m tired, seems I’m always tired as of late. I blame the baby b/c despite having a full tummy, taking consistent naps, sleeping at the right time… she still wakes and OFTEN through the night as well as having her internal clock wake anywhere between 630 and 7AM. UGH. I’m not even going to ask what’s wrong with her not sleeping through the night yet. Her siblings didn’t do it, so why should she, right? It would be a nice thing, but I’ve accepted it!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and it was a good one. Being with the ones that matter the most and most importantly Mama wasn’t all the way across the ocean. Tummies were satisfied. Food was good! Now to figure out what to make for Christmas . I made piggies in blankies, lumpia, and pumpkin cheesecake. More than likely I will make lumpia and piggies again, but will do something different for dessert.

As in past years I braved the crowds with Mama Toots and did midnight madness. This year I didn’t. I just couldn’t fathom bringing the baby out at that hour of the night. I can’t leave her with anyone, especially not at night b/c I am her human pacifier, lest I be gone, sure as hell no one will sleep. Instead I woke at 530 and got ready and headed to Tarjey. Picked up a bunch of good loot for gifts and then headed back home to pick up lilman. For some reason the lilmiss had already been awake and was aware that I was heading out, she wanted to come too. Funny thing is she thought it was still night, b/c it was dark. And of course, had to bring baby along. They did very well. Then it was off to my mom’s to p/up mom and SIL. We headed down the peninsula and they went to town at both Old Navy and Guess. Crowds surprisingly weren’t bad at all the whole day. Thank goodness.

26 more days til Christmas!

It’s Parent Teacher Conference Week at J’s school. We were scheduled for today @ 1PM. It’s 1:08PM and I sent the BM to the conference. He’s normally working right now, but got the day off b/c he filled in on Monday. I’m always the one to go and honestly there’s nothing that they really tell me that I don’t already know.

And with J’s grades this quarter, there’s nothing much to worry about. Mostly A’s with the exception of a B- in a class he’s never really had other than attending church, Religion. And it’s laziness on his part more than anything! He claims it’s b/c it’s something new to him but really it isn’t.

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In other not so fun news, me and the lilman were hit with something ugly over the weekend. A case of food poisoning. ICK! Not fun! Lilman had basketball tryouts on Sunday too and spilled his cookies all over the court. There’s going to be 3 teams in the 4th grade b/c so many boys want to play. Wondering how hectic our schedule will be once that picks up.

babyM is sprouting 2 more teeth, to make it a totaly of 3. Thankfully she hasn’t been complaining much.

Lilmiss got her 1st official haircut yesterday. Just a trim so her hair can look healthy again. My mom trimmed off about 3 inches.

[eta:] So BM and lilman returned home in record time. Apparently there was nothing to say about J. He’s doing great. He just has a few problems with late work but other than that he’s doing good. Good thing I didn’t go. Lol.

So far it looks to be a wet one this year. The rain has graced us even a day, or at least a few hours early. A couple years ago I remember a light drizzle. Here’s hoping the rain subsides long enough for the kids to even get just a little bit of loot. Why, earlier, did I have a craving for a chocolate bar? That’s certainly not something I normally want to eat, so I told myself that I’d have to wait until I inspect the kids’ candy .

As for costumes… they’re finally complete. Lilman is going to dress up as a “brain donor” and his costume cost us a whopping $3.29! Lol. $2.29 for the head of cauliflower that will pose as his “brain”, and $1 for the fake blood that I have to put on his gauze. My brother snagged a hospital gown and some gauze from work and I scrambled around the house for a jar to put the “brain” in. Lilmiss is going as “Snow White” and babyM will be a panda. I fashioned a little red bow on the top of my panda’s head, just in case people wonder if she’s a girl or boy!?! And I’ve gotta snag a bamboo stalk from my mom’s house.

J’s school has a parade scheduled but it might be rained out . And we’ve got plans to t-o-t with my cousins and their kids while my mom and aunt stay home with the littlest of the trick or treating crowd! Woo hoo! I’m kinda excited! Let’s just hope everything pans out and the rain waits it out a little for the showers!

Happy Halloween everyone! Be safe!

Well…. maybe!?!?! There’s this school, close by even, that has 3-4 year old hula classes. Can you only imagine how cute that is? I’ve been wanting N to take hula ever since J started, but his halau doesn’t take them til there 6. Kumu wanted to be sure that they were serious and could follow directions. N would sit and watch the other keiki and even do a little of her own swaying. So I found this school even before she turned 3 and I’ve been wanting to check it out. She has her days where she says she wants to do it and other days where she turns her nose and head away and says she’s doing “nothing!”

Yeah she’s at that age, and as of late she has not been the princess she claims to be. OY! We’ve thought about running her through karate too, and even though they take kids at 4, they said they’d take N now. But I don’t think she would take them seriously. She grew up there and is pretty comfortable with ALL the instructors, even has a crush on one of them .

So back to hula, I emailed the school and I think we might check them out next week. See if she likes it and such. Right now she says NO! But I think once she sees the other kids she’ll definitely want to do it. She won’t be able to start until January though and by then basketball season for J will be in full swing. A lot on my plate.

But I’m really hoping we can fit it in and that she’ll enjoy it! It’ll give her something to do other than drive me up the walls. Right??!! I can hope!

The soccer one that is. They didn’t lose. But they didn’t win either. We thought for sure we were going to be walking out of there with our heads down low. But they scored, and so did the other team. And although they’ve tied before, somehow walking out of there with a goal is somehow better. They were all so happy, as well they should be.

We made a trip to the pumpkin patch for the baby’s 1st pumpkin patch visit. She was in snooze land when we arrived and I was very hesitant to wake her, but she was all smiles . Yay! I think I got some good pictures in. And funny babyM was the most cooperative of the bunch, even compared to the Daddy. Ha!

We were s’posed to be in many places today and made it to the select few that we did.

Oh yeah, think we might be on the hunt for a new school… AGAIN! Oy! This is annoying. Lately we’ve been missing out on some vital info from the school. Stuff that’s s’posed to be in the twice a month envelope that gets sent home, only it hasn’t been in OURS. And more than a month ago, I sent in a sheet of paper indicating that we’d be donating some food for the International Dinner. S gets to the school to drop off the goods and they’ve only got us down for 1 donation. The one that gets LESS points. WTF???? And then she nearly refused to accept the other one, and only gave us HALF the points. Biiiiiiiiiitch! He forced it on her! Bullshit! The damn school is so damned cliquish it’s annoying. J is doing absolutely fine, excelling even and I hate to pull him out when he’s made some good friends, again, but sometimes it’s better for our own sanity. It’s strange to me that tuition is so varying around the city. Oy! Decisions, Decisions!

Tonight I tried the 10 minute stroganoff recipe and it was a hit with the 2 big kids. Next time though I think I’ll omit the ground beef and just go full on mushrooms! Oh yeah and also add another can of cream of mushroom soup! .

I also had my first go around with making homemade baby food for babyM. My mom bought me this book from Ross today for a whopping $7. When she first came out with the book I was skeptical b/c she claimed to be the originator of mixing veggies in kids’ food. NOT! Some of the recipes seem rather fake too (as if her kids would eat stuff like that), but it gave me some ideas for the kids. The kids eat veggies more or less but sometimes it gets challenging.

I knew how to make the baby food but after reading the book it inspired me even more. I couldn’t very well feed her what the other kids were eating and I had some things in the kitchen. So I busted out my bamboo steamer and steamed her 5 baby carrots, a small sweet potato, and one of my mom’s homegrown apples. It said to puree in a food processor, and we have one but it’s a frickin pain to clean that thing just for that small amount. I just smushed with a fork and portioned out about 2 teaspoons for her to try tonight. I put the rest in the freezer. Well she inhaled that stuff like a champ and may as well have licked the bowl b/c she was looking for lots more!

I can’t wait to try spinach and butternut squash!!!

Since J started school, life has been rather non-stop. I like it and yet I don’t. I still never filled out my week-by-week calendar that is supposed to be on the fridge. I did find all my colored pens tho !!! Just need to squeeze in some time to play around with that. And that would probably be about this time at night b/c they’re all asleep and it’s ME time but I don’t wanna.

We had our first Catechism meeting today and it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. J did all this extra work for nothing. Pfft! Typical! Next meeting is in December so come then, I won’t be such a spaz on him. It’s his religious teacher’s fault. He told us to do it ALL! Always the overachiever , better safe than sorry right?

Soccer is winding down. They didn’t win this weekend, BUT they didn’t lose either! It was a tie 0 to 0 ! And basketball is about to start up and J is having second thoughts about it . Not a competitive aggressive bone in his body. But doing nothing is not an option. Karate is always in the wings but he still doesn’t seem into it anymore. Lilmiss, however, wants to do everything under the sun. Hula. Yes. Karate. Yes. And I sooooo want her to do it all, but these things are NOT cheap.

It’s heating up here again in these neck of the woods. Indian Summer don’t fail me now!

The holidays are creeping too! I’m rather excited for them b/c of the kids! Last year I was rather bah humbug only b/c my family wasn’t here, mainly my mom. But we’re making her stay for Thanksgiving and Christmas too!!! WOOT!

With the lilman this book WAS my bible, with all things baby. First time parent, clueless. I turned to the books. And of course my ma! I knew to look there to see where he should be developmentally. What he should and should NOT be eating. What to do when he had that funny rash on him.

Despite the age gap, and I really needed the mind refreshing I didn’t use it so much with N b/c I had a handful of friends who had babies all around the same time. I just called on Mama Toots or followed her lead .

So now with babyM, in some senses I feel like I’m a new parent. Especially with the feeding thing. I can NOT for the life of me remember what she’s NOT s’posed to be eating at her age, other than honey.

In the room move, I miraculously found my book!!! Albeit outdated, but last night I flipped through it. Still didn’t find that section of the book but I seriously feel like I’ve uncovered some buried treasure or something.

For breakfast today the baby had ‘nanas and blueberry yogurt. Hey at least it wasn’t lemon! She’s not big on babyfood. What. So. Ever. She still not eating meat and I’m still holding strong on that one. Oatmeal cereal has to be given to her first thing, just so she’s fooled by the spoon. She’ll open her mouth to ANY spoon. She stares you down when you’re eating. She’s really good with the puffs. Yes! Despite her lack of teeth, she does well with the puffs!!! Despite teeth, she loooooves texture. So forget that strained mush stuff she doesn’t do it!!!

Something FREE on your birthday?

Disney corporation is giving you a FREE ticket into the park of your choice: Disneyland or Disneyworld, on YOUR birthday!!!

More than likely we’ll be in Hawaii when J, N, or even my birthday rolls around. But maybe for BM’s? Even if you’re a season pass holder or have a multi day ticket you can still take advantage of a FREE something. Be sure to check it out and register!!!

We are soooooo itching to go to Disneyland!!!

My poor son’s soccer team lost their game today and secretly I think it’s b/c I wasn’t there. B/c I’m a good luck charm, or maybe one of his sisters is a good luck charm ? B/c none of us were in attendance. My brother took him and they lost 0-2. Or maybe my brother is bad luck, or his lady is bad luck. Hopefully this will be the only game I will miss this season.

The girlies and I attended a wedding for one of my close friends from high school. She was glowing. She looked lovely! I’m so happy I was able to attend the ceremony at least. I couldn’t do the reception b/c I just wouldn’t have been able to handle the girlies. I’m sure I would have gotten help from the JQ but the baby is so, UGH! Just UGH! Had the reception been super informal and I could have donned some sweats then I would have been all up in there but me dressed up wrangling the 2 girls= hot mess! I’m sad I missed out but that’s the price you pay when you have kids, right?

BM had his first day of training. He left the house feeling nervous and at some point I thought he was going to bail on this new found job b/c he was already feeling overwhelmed with the schedule they’ve given him. 8 hours later and he says it was cool. He says he can’t wait to go back tomorrow. Like what? YAY! I hope he stays as enthusiastic

So this morning, at about 6:30AM, the BM comes in b/c he heard the stirring of the baby to inform me that I would have to take her to get tested for TB! WTF? Mind you I’m soooooo not awake but he’s rambling on about a news report he had seen.

All day I had been stressing over the fact about being exposed to TB. Possibly being a carrier. And it doesn’t help that the baby and lilmiss are sick right now. I know for certain that lilman and lilmiss are in the clear though b/c they recently had TB tests come out negative.

So I finally got a hold of the actual news information and we are in the clear. Thank God!!!

Funny after hearing what the BM told me this morning and then thinking we might be carriers, I had been VERY weary about taking her out. AT.ALL. And exposing her to ANYONE.

So we’re safe for now. *whew*

We came home to appointments upon appointments.

First up was the lilman’s last Monday. We won’t get into how much he weighs, I think he’ll be embarrassed if I told the rest of the world. He is 4′9″ though in height and she said that if he continues to grow and grow like this he might just be 6′2″. He got a TB test and it was checked this morning, negative.

Lilmiss and babyM had theirs today. Lilmiss is 31 lbs, 25th percentile, and 36.5 in, 50th percentile. She’s looking good DrM said and she’s right on track. She also got a TB test and a shot, but she didn’t even cry! YAY. BabyM is 14lbs and 10 oz, only 10th percentile for weight. And she is 24.8 in, which puts her in the 25th percentile for height. I got the go ahead to try her on various foods, being that she didn’t take rice cereal too well. I’m thinking I might try her on some oatmeal just to keep her “regular”. Something she hasn’t been much of lately. I used to be able to count on a morning movement. Not so as of late.

Other than that the kids are doing well. Just now getting back into pacific standard time. And getting J back into school mode. UGH.

Okay this is kind of a funny post.

We have befriended the neighbors on the right of the house. I’m talking we have parties we invite them. They have parties they invite us. The kids get along, etc. We have extra things to share, we share. And we are reciprocated. It’s one family extended. The grandparents, their 5 children, their children’s spouses/ bfs gfs/, and the grandchildren. At any time there could be up to 15 people there, me thinks. Give or take.

Yesterday the kids were playing out in the yard. My kids were told specifically to stay outside with them! Somehow my kids and 4 of their kids ended up IN our house. OY! No one came looking for them. No one was yelling out the window b/c we can literally hear them next door. As I am typing I can hear them watching tv. Anywho they were here. Eating. Playing. Being all rowdy. I don’t remember how we got them out. But they left.

Today lilmiss heard them playing and to tire her out she was told to stay out there with them. But she’s not allowed to go on her own, her brother has to go to. He was reluctant to go but ended up going. He gets along with the oldest girl. She’s a bit of a tom boy. So, he was told that they were NOT allowed to come over to play. And the stinkin kid repeated it to them. How embarrassing! They were playing and we hear the door open. Hello. It’s not one of our kids. But the neighbor boy. He comes in with his slippahs on too!!! *shakes head* So he comes over to see what we’re going in the family room and goes looking for N’s scooter. My mom says to take it outside with him, mind you N was told she could only play with the scooter IN the house. My mom just didn’t want him inside. He leaves. He comes back and asks for a snack. I grab 5 and send him on his way. N comes back with another one of the kids and says she wants her backpack. They’re going to play school. Fine. She packs up her things and they’re on their way. Lil boy returns for the 3rd time. And then leaves. N comes back with friend to go potty. Then J comes back with 2 more of the friends while my mom is eating at the table. OY! J grabs a water stands around my mom, who is eating and they leave.

5:30PM rolls around and the kids are told to come in, it’s time for dinner. And we send the other kids on their way. J doesn’t want to eat b/c he’s got a headache but N gets her grind on. 6:30PM rolls around and it’s time for J to eat. There’s a faint knocking on the door and it’s the boy… again. He asks my mom if we have food and so she makes a plate for him. Oh man! No one is looking for him. Nothing. He’s 3. He’s here for a good half hour before we hear them calling for him. Oldest cousin comes inside the house and is just kinda standing around. She leaves. Boy still stays. By this time I’m cracking the hell up. He leaves, he only ate half of what was given to him. He came back… again around 8PM. He wanted to come in and watch tv, but my mom sent him home.

WTF??? A little too comfortable don’t ya think? I was telling my mom we need to lock the doors when our kids go out so the neighbor kids just don’t walk in. Shooots, what if I had been feeding babyM???

We’re back in the islands and it feels good. But I’m missing the mister something awful. We were s’posed to have an iChat date, right now actually but he had to do something for work and has rescheduled for 10PM HST, which is 1AM PST. Don’t think I’ll be awake then b/c I slept late last night, woke early this morning, and didn’t get any kind of sleep on the plane. But, I’m actually not tired now. The crappy thing is that the wireless is acting wonky right now so I’m restricted to sitting in the “office” wired. Pfft. This sux. I can’t watch my k dramas in bed.

The plane ride wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. Thank the powers that be! Woo! I gave lilmiss her dosage of Benadryl while we were still at the airport and she fell asleep before the plane ever left the gate. The baby fell asleep on and off too, so my flight was awesome, here’s hoping that my return flight is just as nice. Lilmiss woke up just in time for lunch, but the crappy thing about sitting in the way back is that they ran out of certain lunches. We were all hoping for sammiches but ended up with pasta. Pfft. I didn’t even eat any of it. Sux and I didn’t get much of a breakfast to begin with. So surprise, surprise the first thing I wanted to do when we hooked up with my mom was to eat. She had some Nanding’s Spanish Rolls that she had picked up before getting us. So we just munched on those and headed home for some of her homecooking. Managed to take a nap with the baby but it was interrupted a number of times by the boy.

We’ve already managed a trip to Walmart and Times . Baby needed some diaper rash cream and I actually need to get a flat iron for here. I decided that bringing one back and forth is lame and that I’m better off getting one for here. They didn’t have the one I was looking for. Grrr!!!

Baby is having issues with the heat, but other than that it seems the kids have already slipped back into their usual routine here. They even went out to play with the neighbors. Heh.

Alooooooooooooooooooooooooha!

Vamos day is creeping up on us. And I’m ready more or less but now the anxiety is creeping up too. I was thinking that the plane would be no sweat, well a teeny tiny sweat might break out but I think I could handle it. Now that the reality is getting closer, my sweat glands are about to burst!

I feel like telling people to not get behind me in the line. I’ve got shit to unload and people to get through. If only I didn’t have to take the laptop and camera out the bag I think I could handle it! B/c there’s still the matter of folding up the stroller all with the infant! Not in it of course. OY! The lilmiss will be getting the limo ride through the airport while the baby will be worn. And then being on the plane itself, here’s hoping that the lilmiss knocks the funk out for a good portion of it. What was I thinking getting the 3 seats in the middle? I should’ve opted to get 2 window seats and having the boy on the other side just so that N could be corralled and entertained with the window. But my hopes are that she’ll be, again, knocked the funk out. The baby I’m just hoping will be happy that I’ll be holding her the entire time. I mean really that’s what she wants now, why should she complain otherwise.

And then there’s the issue of my baggage luggage. We’re allowed a parcel for every seat we paid for, that makes 3. We’ve got 2 suitcases and I’m checking the infant carseat. But I’m worried the luggages might be overweight, what else is new? Then there’s the other issue of bills that need to be taken care of before we depart and then the spending money. Damn, maybe we shouldn’t be going?

What am I dreading over there? The mosquitoes. The heat. The humidity. The food. Yeah as much as I love to eat over there, it’s sure to put on some poundage that I got rid of. But it’s nice to know that my mom will be there so I can take a shower in peace knowing that the baby isn’t screaming bloody murder. I can’t wait to hit the beach either and work on my tan. Lol. I want to go swimming and get some aerobic exercise going.

I really shouldn’t be sitting here. But I needed to get some things off my mind. I think my anxiety is only escalating even more. Aloha for now…

So yesterday, at my mom’s request, I decided to take the kidlets back to church to attend mass. And also to pick up the bulletin and witness the kids name in print! LoL. Yeah they officially announced them in the bulletin as being full fledged members of the Catholic church. Not in those words exactly but you get it .

It didn’t start well. The boy went swimming earlier with my brother and so he was a bit tired. I had to “bribe” him that if he went without complaints or problems we would go to Target and he could spend some money. OY! I don’t know how many times I had to elbow him. And let’s not even get into the little miss. Since going with my mom, the kidlets are separated and the lilmiss sits with my mom closer to the aisle. Well she climbed into our pew and kept getting in. To annoy his sister, the boy decided that he wanted to sit on the aisle. OY! Anything to be difficult. Right? She turns around and sees where he is and without controlling her voice starts yelling at him in church and pulling him out of where he’s sitting. Remember we’re in church. Acoustics! Thankfully only a handful of people were in church but still. They were praying. OY! She gets over it and throughout mass she’s sooooooo fidgety. She decides she’s going to lie on the kneeler. Then happens to find the gum under the pews and wants to pull them off. Soooooo nastay! Nevermind that I’m yelling at her in a hush, b/c by this time mass is going on . Then there’s a procession going on b/c it is the feast of the Corpus Cristi this weekend, and she needs to be front and center. One of my mom’s friends in church tells her she can be on her aisle and as the priest who baptized her passes, she’s waving at him and smiling. There was no way he wasn’t going to ignore her so he gave her a smile. Mind you, she calls the priests “Master” where she got that is beyond me. They processed every aisle in the church and she managed to get my mom’s friend in front of us to let her watch from her aisle, remember the boy was in the aisle seat of our pew.

Thankfully throughout most of this the baby is asleep.

I got a good message in the Homily. That yes if I can spend so many hours on the computer or on the phone or hanging out or shopping or watching TV, I can give the Lord an hour a week. Right, but it seems my hour is soooo hectic when it involves my kids! I think He’ll understand when I’m not there all the time, but I’ll certainly make the efforts now, right? B/c then what’s the point in having my kids baptised and send them to Catholic school?

…. my brain. Or at least the thoughts that are currently inundating them at the moment.

Mother’s Day was low key. Saturday we went to dinner with my fams @ Broadway Prime. It’s become an annual tradition. But this year the prime rib wasn’t as “melt in my mouth fantastic” as it has been in years past, my plate wouldn’t have told you otherwise though, b/c I was grinding on that like it was nobody’s business! No point in wasting the food . Then we went back to my mom’s to have dessert and exchange gifts. Mmm cheesecake! Costco’s cheesecake certainly does not disappoint. I especially like the nonthick crust. Nomnomnom .

Sunday the baby reminded me that I was a mother and that I would have to wake up with her at 6AM. *rolls eyes* In my feeble attempts at putting her back to sleep: sticking the boob in her mouth, patting her, rocking her, pretending I was asleep… she decided otherwise. She was all giggles and smiles. So as not to disturb anyone else, I brought her to the living room and played with her and we both fell back to sleep. Only to be awoken by the lilmiss looking for us. Tried to crawl back in bed but that didn’t happen. As again baby was awake and bright eyed and bushy tailed. Oh well.

Opened up my card from the BM and kids and just milled around the house. Read the paper and then we all got ready and headed out to visit BM’s grandma. Hung out there for a bit and then sent the BM to pick up lunch from Ono and headed over to my mom’s. She wasn’t even home and being as hungry as I was, the lilmiss and I started in on the grindz. She came home and we chit chatted a bit. Then somehow I ended up in her living room taking a nap with the baby. And somehow my mom managed one too.

A low key Mother’s Day surrounded by the ones that mean the most to me, that’s all that really matters in the end anyhow right? Oh yeah and good food too .

In other news, the keiki are getting baptized this weekend. Yes. All 3. I still need to order the cake. The Toots Fam is helping me with favors. And I still need to finalize/remind the reception site. It’s going to be a small affair despite all 3 kids being baptized at once. Which is better for me anyhow b/c I didn’t want to have to deal with all the planning and stressing.

Mom is leaving next week , she’s headed back to Oahu on Tuesday. What am I going to do without her? Who’s going to feed us? No seriously! I haven’t really cooked since she’s been back and I’m not even really sure if the baby will allow it. And then there’s the whole thing about us heading out to the islands for the summer. The plans are to leave a few days after Father’s Day and return sometime before my birthday. That’s a nice big chunk of time at our second home, but tickets have yet to be purchased. Waiting on the BM’s tax return for that. And we’re wondering where it might be?!?! Tickets are frickin expensive too. AUWE!

Oh well I’ve emptied my brain for the night. Time to go to sleep.

It’s May did you know that? Sometimes I don’t know where the time goes. We’ve had something every weekend and this weekend is no exception. Both days gone. And Mother’s Day to boot. I’ve got some shopping to do tomorrow, here’s hoping I don’t run anyone over with my cart b/c I get irritated fast when it comes to annoying peeps and having to get things done. I’m on a mission and I know what I need to get and where it is in the store. Why I waited til the last minute, I don’t know. Well I guess I do, but tomorrow is when it’s happening.

The boy had sparring today after a month long break from it, and he was very excited b/c he didn’t have that kid he gets intimidated by. I think he stepped up his game. Which is good! He needed that boost of confidence. It sucks though b/c as he’s getting back into karate mode and being interested in it, he’ll be gone again for the summer as we’ll be taking our summer vacation to the islands.

The lilmiss has become quite the ham. She’s so outgoing and has a magnetic personality that she can nearly charm the pants off of anyone. Oh but she certainly has her moments. Don’t let her fool you. She’s a sh!t stirrer (not in the literal sense), she causes problems ALL.THE.TIME. But in the end always turns out becoming the victim. OY! This girl! From hitting her brother to waking the baby, it always becomes their fault! And then everyone makes noise at the same time, causing the blood pressure to rise.

The baby. Poor thing has a cold of some sort is all kinds of nasally and boogery. ICK! You can hear it when she breaths and nurses. And the only time I can relieve her of some of that ickiness is when she sneezes. She has become quite the cooer. And I ♥ it so much!!! Putty. In. Her. Hands. She’s got the sweetest smiles too. Oh and her pouts are adorable, followed by her screaming like a banshee, which isn’t adorable. At. All. But the screaming and crying have slowed down a bit. And so has the sleeping. DAMN! Heh! She’s awake for longer periods of time but she doesn’t like to sit. Just sit. It’s sitting with shaking. Sitting with swaying. Sitting with dancing. Sitting with jiggling. Which all occurs in someone’s arms.

The mama is leaving soon. Oh no. What are we to do? It’s only a short time that we’ll be apart from her though as we’re headed to the islands in June! Hopefully. That’s still up in the air as plane tickets have yet to be purchased.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Lmao… couldn’t think of another title. With the new belt comes the change of schedule. We’re back to Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I prefer Mondays and Wednesdays better b/c the latter end of the week is free. The boy is back to most of his friends which is nice and most of these people were surprised to see babyM. Most were thinking she’s only weeks old. Heh. Lilmiss of course was excited to be hanging out with her homies. Heh. TOo cute! They were giggling away in the corner, making tons of noise. But the nice thing is that no one complained and actually got a lot of smiles and laughs b/c they were being so cute. I was the one that was constantly telling her to calm down.

They started a yoga class at the school too, during the boy’s class, only upstairs. And I would looooooove to try it out but I have no one to watch babyM and the lilmiss. I’ve actually never done yoga and I’ve wanted to try. I could use some stretching and breathing exercises. I need to step up my game if I really want to keep up this weight loss. Funny as of late, I’ve been getting people tell me that I look like I’ve lost weight, which is always a nice thing . But it’s the maintenance that I need to keep up with. I feel like my appetite has been picking up again, which it should b/c I’m eating for 2. Literally. And I will be until she’s roughly 6 months. I’m going to hold off feeding her solids. Seriously. I just can’t handle the stink-ier diapers. OY!

But as an aside, I’ve decided to TRY and make the babyfood this time around. I came across the Beaba which looks like a very useful tool but @ $140, I think I’ll just need to stick with the Magic Bullet.

Today after running errands for my brother, the girls and I went trolling the mall. I had an exchange to do at Gymbo and then just decided to kill some time and do some laps and window shopping. Found out the mall is possibly getting a Trader Joe’s. How nice for the SFSU students! But it’s kinda crazy considering there’s one about 2 miles away. Hopefully then it’ll reduce the traffic @ that location! Went into H&M. I normally don’t go in there, but like I said I had time to kill. I only really shop for the girls there but they had some cute dresses! Didn’t but anything of course.

Spent quite a bit of time in the ladies’ lounges too. Had to do lunchtime feedings for the baby. Nordy’s is definitely nicer. There was a girl in the Macy’s lounge having her lunch in there. Literally. She was feeding herself which I thought was weird. Why would you want to eat in the bathroom with the sounds of the toilet flushing? I’m sure babyM felt the same way but I’m not about to air my goodies out to the public. I’m just like that. I totally forgot I should’ve gone into a dressing room! At least I wouldn’t have to hear the toilets flushing. Heh. But yeah the girl was just sitting in there enjoying her lunch. Even if I were alone, I would’ve gone outside to the mall to one of the benches or even the food court. Whatever floats your boat, I guess?!?!?

No plans for tomorrow and with the cost of gas here I really shouldn’t be going out. So I think I’ll stick to the homefront and try to get some housework done, here’s hoping babyM allows it. OY!

Essentially our weekends are gone until… well when we depart for our annual summer retreat to the islands. If that’s even going to happen . I’ve been looking at flights and it’s just so pricey for 3. The lilmiss can no longer lap it. Not that I would want her boo-tay on me for 5 hours, that girl has some MAJOR junk in that trunk . Well and she’s rather malikot anyhow. The baby instead shall lap it and hopefully sleep the majority of the way *very wishful thinking*. But with my luck that won’t happen, b/c I’ll more than likely be travelling solo with the 3 kidlets. And here’s hoping that the BM can finally join us in the islands for 1 week this year!!! But his 1 week flight costs just as much as our nearly 2 month retreat. OY!

On the kidlet front… the boy, who was once referred to as “lilman”, heh, finally got his BLUE belt in karate. It’s been a long time coming, if only he practiced and devoted himself to it we could’ve been there sooner. Oh well, no rush right? B/c really what would a 9 year old do with a black belt? There’s so much to the curriculum anyhow. It’s amazing how much these kids have to remember. The tests are cumulative and it was so heartbreaking to see so many kids have to leave their tests crying and not go on to the next belt b/c they just forgot. It was a long day and well… to be honest… the boy didn’t deserve it. He barely passed and he’s lucky he got the instructor that he did get. He knows he needs to practice. He’s just lazy. And as much as I yell or nag him, it just doesn’t happen. He has to have his heart in it and well hopefully this test opened his eyes b/c it seems his desire is back, it’s just a matter of his heart.

The lilmiss, still a very big handful. She’s hopefully coming down from a little bug that she caught from me. Her nose has been a faucet and poor thing has rubbed it so hard that it got raw . AUWE! The bed thing has been a BIG success. No fighting. No crying. No finding her in our bed! YAY! Now let’s see how long it takes her to get to her OWN room.

The baby! Oh this baby! She’s finally smiling and cooing . Now it’s a matter of getting it on film. She still screams bloody murder in the car. She doesn’t like to have her clothes changed. And only sometimes does she like to have her diapee changed. And she still likes very much to be held and cradled. But she does spend a bit more time OUT of my arms as well. She’s getting used to being in the swing, like it or not . And I’ve tried her in the Bumbo as well, but that’s for reallllllly short. She hates to be on her back so the playmat doesn’t get used often. Her tummytime is short as well. OY!

Tomorrow we’ve got a baptism/ Red Egg and Ginger party!

Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!

Last night went well. Yay! She woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed. When I woke for feedings last night, she was fine. I was worried she might fall out being such a small bed and all. Her blankets actually stayed on her. She woke up before me, and when she saw that I was awake she turned to say, “Good morning Mommy, I slept good.” Good!

But tonight the kids were giving me a run for my money. *sigh* Rough night to say the least. Since leaving from karate the baby would cry on and off and off and on. I thought maybe she was hungry but she was being fussy with the feeding. Gassy. UGH! Tummyachers for her. Then of course lilman and lilmiss were at it with the constant fighting. J does things to irritate N and the crying and whinyness ensues. Once I got the baby settled, those 2 would be at it and get the baby riled up again. Lots of yelling and screaming on my part.

So I sent J to his room, which he gladly did and then it was just to deal with the unhappy baby. I hate when I can’t help her. And then it was constant shushing of the lilmiss so I can watch Gossip Girl, which I kinda did and kinda didn’t . OY! Then the topper of N peeing all over the bathroom floor. I just about done and had it, I grabbed a diaper and put the lilmiss in it. Yeah I did that! She didn’t object either which worries me. And sent her to bed and told her to close her eyes b/c I didn’t want to hear it anymore. Then I came back into the room to the wailing and screaming baby and burrito wrapped her super tight and just rocked her. Attempted to put her down a number of times only to have her wake and cry again *sigh*. I don’t even know how long it took me, but it felt like forever.

Everyone is asleep and I think I have my sanity back.

We had toyed with the idea of getting the lilmiss a bed for her room. Before the appearance of the baby she had been saying that she wants a Princess bed. Which just meant that we would get Princess paraphenalia for the bed (sheets, comforter, etc). Yes she still sleeps in the same bed. I’m a big believer in co-sleeping. We did it with the lilman and the lilmiss, and I wanted to NOT do it with the baby, but it just works that way. Nothing like watching your babies sleep peacefully and right next to you. They grow so fast.

The bed was never bought, it still will eventually but we have one of those convertible cribs that was being used as babyM’s dresser. Ghetto-fabuloso! So today we went out and picked up some toddler bedding. Originally it was supposed to be the Princess set, but of course, with our luck, they were out. N decided on Dora, and if you know me, I’m not very fond of her. Ick! Her other options were Diego, Thomas, and Mickey and with much persuasion on my part, Mickey was the one to come home . Now if only it could have been fairies or Kai-lan!!!

Knowing full well that this transition wouldn’t be an easy one, we moved the crib into our room as the toddler bed. She watched as I put the beddings on and she even dug up her Mickey Mouse stuffie to put on the bed. She sat on it. She laid on top of the blankets. And everytime anyone would ask her if she was going to sleep on it she would say, “Not yet!” Very strongly! So time came. She got in no problems. But she wouldn’t really lay her head down or pull the covers up. I kept telling her to lie down. She didn’t want to. I turned off the lights, but still had the tv on. Then the tears and whining ensued. Pleas to come out b/c she didn’t want to sleep there. I sat down next to her and she crawled out and into my lap, and then she made a break for her daddy’s side of the bed and tried to get in. I caught her before she could. Coaxed her back in with the bribe that I would read her 2 books. She got back in. I read the 2 books. Rubbed her back, her face, her tummy, her back again, and her tummy again. Then I held her hand. Then it was potty time. By that time, BM returned from his work dinner and she conned him too. Oy! This girl! Then she said she had to do #2 but I had to take her. So off we went to the bathroom again, she did NOTHING!. But I don’t have a problem with that. I’d much rather take her than have to strip the bed b/c of an accident.She got back in bed and it was back to hand holding. And sooner than I know it… she’s asleep.

The whole process took 2 hours! OY!

I’m wondering how long it will take tomorrow night. And I’m rethinking this whole thing with babyM sleeping with us for that long, although J slept with us much longer!!!

Today babyM had her 2 month WBC (well baby check). And at 2 months she weighs 9 lbs and 13 oz, which is in accurate btw, and she measured out to 21 1/4 inches. I say inaccurate b/c she weighed babyM with her diaper on, and that bad boy was full. LAME! I was really surprised with her weight actually. I’m not a good judge but still nearly 10 lbs!!!! No way. She is in the 10th percentile for her age in comparison to other children her age. But then again that’s inaccurate b/c she was born a whole month early! D’oh! Doc said her milestones might be a little off too b/c she was early!

I say she walks to the beat of her own drum, b/c her 2 older siblings ALWAYS scored well into the 90th percentile. Sometimes even off the charts . We’re not small people ya know

Poor thing got 3 shots and an oral dose. I thought for sure she was going to get the 1 vaccine that she missed @ the hospital, but her new Doc shrugged it off and said she would play catch up later, it’s not detrimental. Okay! I guess? Whatever you say. You’re the one with the medical degree. Anyhow, as expected, she held her breath and let out her usual screams. She’s doing well though, so well that I’m a little concerned.

This weekend is down and now to prepare for another week of busy-ness. Lilman is finally on Spring Break so I’ll have to anticipate for some headaches and fighting. AIYAH! Maybe I can mediate and make time for the park and outdoor fun. The weather was phenomenal these past 2 days but it looks like the fog and chill have rolled in.

BabyM is officially 2 months old today. Happy Birthday to her . Unofficially we had Beard Papa to celebrate . Yesterday @ birthday #1 we got to taste Sibby’s, and oh the yummy goodness! Birthday #2 had the most amazing Thomas the Train cake, too bad it didn’t taste as good as it looked. I looooooooooooves me some cake. Doesn’t matter to me how it looks, it has to taste right though. I’m not saying I’m a cake afficionado, I just know what I like.

Today it was just me and the girls hanging out at first. We headed to the mall for some orange chicken. Made a visit to the pet store to see the puppies, but apparently everyone had that idea so we couldn’t even see them. N now has a favorite visor from where else? The Disney Store! I asked her to choose between the Stinkerbell baseball cap or the full on Fairies visor. She chose the visor and surprisingly has been wearing it all day. She still is . Then got a call from my mom, she wanted me to bring her to my aunt’s house. So we did that and hung out there for awhiiiiiiiiiiile. She will be my hook up for Tagalog and Korean movies. Yay!

This week we’ve also got a Baptism class to attend, a birthday to celebrate, babyM’s 2 month WBC, and then a baby shower. Hope you had a good weekend.

We’re busy this weekend. Today, Saturday, we went to the Baby Toots 1st Birthday. I don’t know ’bout the rest of my fam but I stuffed my face with yummy goodness. I really ♥ parties with Pilipino food. Where else can I stuff myself senseless with lumpia. Mmm mmm good . Everything was delish and we got to take home a bunch of goodness too, which we shared with my mom and brother.

Tomorrow we’re off to a 3rd birthday. It’s a picnic in the park and I’m not anticipating any yummy goodness there but that’s okay. Just as long as there’s cake. Lol.

The kids are doing well. The lilman has become quite the helper and such a good Kuya as of late when it comes to the baby. He entertains her, carries her, etc when need be. There are just times where I can’t hold her all the time when I need to get things done around the house or go to the bathroom and it’s nice to have him here as opposed to having her scream her head off. Lilmiss gets too gigil for me at times though and just needs to be near the poor little thing or squeeze her hand, or touch her. AIYAH! The baby is growing. YAY! I’ve seriously gotta get on the move and set up her 2 month WBC b/c she’s due for some shots and I’m curious as to how much she weighs. I’m thinking she must be at least as much as her siblings when they came out. Heh. She is now 6 weeks and 3 days old *sniff, sniff* where is the time going? Her vision is getting better, thankfully, it was something I was worrying about b/c she wasn’t exactly tracking very well. I’m seriously hoping that it’s just b/c she came out early!!! I know that she’s growing b/c her clothes are getting snug. Lol. Thankfully she’s got plenty of hand me downs to last her But with all the parties, poor thing had no party clothes. As much as sleep n plays are cozy and all, they’re not all that cute for showing her off at parties. Thankfully I found some reaaaaallllly cheap little somethings. No seriously cheap I’m talking under $2 OUTFITS. With the way she’s growing it would be crazy for me to throw down any money on some $$$ clothes. Oh the life of the 3rd child. Right now she is currently sporting a Halloween outfit . Hey it’s jammies but I can’t help but feel the teensiest bit of ghetto for her. They’re actually super cute, too bad were in the midst of the beginning of spring. Heh. These hand me downs have seriously been lifesavers though!

In other news, thanks to Yano Christine I’ve been donating grains of rice by exercising my brain once again and building my vocab. I feel like I’m in high school again and studying for the SATs. Maybe I should share this with my niece, the little geek that she is, so she can practice. Try it you might like it too.

Hope you’re having a good weekend too.

Why am I not sleeping? My eyes are telling me I’m tired. But I’m not asleep. The girls are on either side of me ASLEEP. Sometimes when I realize I should be asleep already I figure I’ll just wait for the baby to wake and then go to sleep. Lame. I shouldn’t do that. I don’t even know how many times I wake in the night to feed either .

I wake fairly early most days too, averaging about 5 hours of sleep total. No naps for me. Not good. But I feel fine. Feeling fine and being fine are different though huh?

Anyhow today we swung by karate for a free picture with the Easter bunny. Sheesh mall bunnies are so stinkin expensive it’s ridiculous. I was hoping the baby could get a photo of her own, but it was madness at the school and there was a 1 photo per family b/c of the craziness, so it was all 3 monsters. The bunny there looked way better at karate and less ragged too. Heh. I was hiding babyM in the blanket and when I placed her on the bunny there were lots of Oohs and Aaahs. Heh. Probably b/c she’s still so small. She slept the whole time, of course. And surprisingly lilmiss was in top cheese form. heh. Last year she was sooooooo afraid.

After that we went to a birthday party in the city, at a CLUB! Was feeling kinda skeptical. But lilmiss had good fun and there were things for the lilman to do there too. BM even had fun, I thinks. He danced with the lilmiss while I hid the baby in her sling. Lilmiss even passed up lunch, who passes up lumpia? Heh?! To do what? Get her groove on. Crack. me. up. Oh yeah and I saw my childhood crush at the party. BM and MM of course had to tease me about it. All in good fun!

Tomorrow we go to my mom’s for fam bam lunch. I just need to get my things together for the deviled eggs as everything else has been cooked and prepped. Go me.

Have a blessed and wonderful Easter!!!

If they hadn’t induced me, today should have been babyM’s birthday. Which means she is 4 weeks old/ 1month tomorrow. My time is already flying by . She’s still teeny but I can tell she’s gained some weight b/c her carseat/infant carrier is getting heavier. I honestly can’t complain. She’s a good baby. I keep thinking it’s b/c she isn’t quite “ripe” yet. Heh. That she needed those extra 4 weeks that she didn’t get in the womb. But maybe, just maybe she’ll stay a good baby . *crossing fingers* The one thing I wonder is how big she would have been at delivery if she got all that extra time to “bake”??? J was a week late or maybe right on time. We got two different due dates for him and one was for the week before he was born and one was for the actual day he was born. Either way he weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. Lilmiss was forced out via induction at 38 weeks and weighed 7 lbs.

Last night I ordered a few of the announcements that I had been playing around with in PS and picked them up from Costco. They look awesome! So tonight I ordered more. And then while at the mall… we were attacked by the salesperson at Kiddie Kandids. They were having a slow day and trying to pull in customers. Soooo babyM took photos which got us 12 free announcements and a free 8x10. FREE!!!

Yeah 3 weeks already. But you wouldn’t be able to tell b/c she’s still so teensy, although the infant carrier is getting heavier . Funny thing when I wear the Peanut Sling, I often get questioned if there is a baby inside. Someone asked if it was a purse?!?! Yeah you can’t see her but still! Someone thought she was a doll. Now why would I carry a doll in there?

I’ve been thinking more and more about her announcements. I’m working on them, I thinks, heh. I have so many “ideas” in my head it’s just a matter of cracking out the ps and doing something. Marybeth, I nixxed the whole idea of the accordion style and just going to go with the simple. But thank you much for all your help…. always . What would I do if I didn’t have you to turn to?

Hump Day today… lilman is out of school early, we’re headed to the library. Lilmiss is with my mom again, she didn’t want to come home . We’re going to have a helluva time weaning those 2 apart. Still got plenty of things this week. Mom’s got an appt on Thursday and Friday. Lilmiss is going to watch Disney on Ice on Friday with my sister. Then the BM might have a weekend business trip.

The weather is lovely once again. The dishes are calling… then I’ve got to feed the baby and out of the house we go again.

To pick up the lilman from school. It’s lovely outside. Lilmiss is watching an epi of Comfy Couch on PBS and once this is done, we’ll be out the door. I’m thinking I’ll bring the camera with me. I’m not promising anything though. Lilmiss needs sandals. It’s capris and slippahs weather. YAY ! Unfortunately I have to wake the baby from her slumber right now, change her diaper, and get her strapped in her seat.