Pictures

I went out for a friends birthday on Saturday night. Here are a couple of pictures from that evening that sum up exactly the kind of place we went to. It was GREAT people watching:

Not a Princess

I am definitely not a princess.

You know how I know? I have been laying on a piece of popcorn for the last 20 minutes and never even felt it!! The monkeys and I watched the second half of Bedtime Stories (which we LOVED) in my bed and I allowed them to eat a bowl of popcorn in my bed. Silly me to think that they wouldn't get it all over the place just because I was holding it.

Sigh!!

I had a packed weekend (and sadly it doesn't look to be letting up in the next couple of weeks) but today friend's called and asked if I wanted to get a massage. Since my in-laws were over (with the monkeys' cousin) I jumped at the chance (they were going to hang out with the monkeys anyways). I got the most amazing 1.5 hour massage at one of those "foot massage" places. The reason "foot massage" is in quotes is because it is actually a full body massage (get your minds out of the gutter). You are in a big room with many massage sofas and they give you a massage right there. You keep your clothes on (but wear loose clothing) and the massage is over your clothes.

The best part - it's $20/hour!!! Today's was pretty darn awesome. Afterwards we went to Pho next door. This was the best 3 hours I've spent in a while - a great massage and then laughs with friends!!

I'm still exhausted but a little more mentally awake.

Quick Note

Everything ran over today. didn't get to do what I wanted, but at least got done what I needed.


Off to get ready for a Birthday party!


Here's a picture of the big monkey at her Taekwondo testing (which she passed):

Friday

TGIF!!

Thank you everyone for not making me feel like an insane person about the testing situation.

I'm still pissed - but now I feel like I am correct in my outrage. I've reached out to a couple of people so hopefully within the next couple of weeks I can figure out how to independently get her tested.

Right now I am EXHAUSTED thinking about the past week and about how crazy my weekend is going to be!

A friend of mine on Facebook posted an update asking if they still made Calgon. If they do:

Calgon take me away!!

She Pissed Me Off

Disclaimer: I am not the mom who thinks her kids are perfect. FAR FROM IT.

Today, I was thoroughly dismissed by the big monkey's teacher. She sent about a 1/3 of the class to be tested for the gifted program and my monkey was not one of those kids. When I called to ask her about it, she basically told me that she didn't think that she would do well on the test. According to her, it was primarily a math test.

Now, this is the same teacher who just last week told me that she was doing REALLY well in math and reading and that she just needed to work on comprehension. This was in response ot me asking what the monkey could work on in the summer to do well in 2nd grade.

She also spewed some BS about it being a "spacial" test but couldn't explain to me what that meant! Then she pretty much dismissed me.

I'm PISSED OFF!! I wouldn't be pissed if my monkey didn't do well on the test and was found out not to be gifted. I am PISSED OFF that she dismissed me by giving me a BS answer.

I think I'm going to get her independently tested. This is not because I think that she "MUST BE" gifted - it's because you CAN'T tell me "no" to something that involves my monkey's future and expect me to take your word for it.

THAT'S.JUST.NOT.ME!!

Today

Today. I am tired. I went to work. I came home. I exercised. I helped with homework. I am lying here trying to motivate to take a shower. I am lying here trying to motivate not to eat any sweets or yummy french bread.

I am taking every minute as it comes. Hopefully, I won't fall asleep right here with my workout clothes still on, on top of my bed.

I wish I could snap my fingers and be showered and energized.

That's not likely.

Strawberry Bread

I took a sick day today. I woke up to some weird inflammation in my right eye so off to the eye doctor I went. I feel like every couple of years something brings me to the eye doctor - and I have 20/20 vision. Very odd.

Like a typical parent, being home sick still means that I go to the grocery store, go to the bank, pick up the kids, etc... The only reason I wasn't at work (which would have been less exhausting) was that it would have been hard to look at the computer screen all day long.

After picking up the big monkey from school, I decided to make strawberry bread. With all the amazing summer fruit, it's time to take advantage of it. Everything went fine until I realized that we were about to be late for Taekwondo, approximately 40 minutes in to baking the bread (ugh!). So I turned off the oven and left the bread in it while we were gone.

The bread was SUPER EASY and quick to make.

STRAWBERRY BREAD

1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 c. sugar, divided (used 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of Splenda)
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (used Whole Wheat White flour)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. soda
1/4 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup butter melted

Preheat oven 350. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
Sprinkle strawberrries with 1/2 of the sugar and set aside.


Combine dry ingredients including sugar.


Beat eggs until froathy. Add vanilla and melted butter.
Combine with dry ingredients. Put in strawberries and stir until mixed in.



Bake 60 to 70 minutes until a toothpick comes clean.

The bread finished cooking but wasn't as light and fluffy as it would have probably been had I baked it the whole time.

That's why I don't have a picture of the finished product.

However, it is quite tasty.

It's Almost Summer Time

So I didn't go to the gym tonight. I did go grocery shopping instead. It's a good thing I didn't go work out - I would have probably sprained something.

I was so brain dead, I picked up like 4 or 5 different items than I had coupons for, gave coupons that I didn't buy the product and totally lost track of my items for the buy 10, get $5 off promotion.

Oh well, I got home in one piece. I will try to make up for the gym later this week.

I am so excited for the summer - although I am not sure why, since I am still working full time. May be it is the thought of not doing homework with the big monkey for a couple of months. Maybe it's the thought of getting together with out family friends and not rushing to get home on Sunday night.

It's probably also just the thought of endless possibilities, even if the road stays untaken.

A Weekend of Recitals

It's finally over! At least for one of the dance schools :)


Last Weekend - Pictures
Wednesday and Thursday - Dress Rehearsal
This Weekend - Recital


The monkey's were ADORABLE, they danced very well, remembered their routines, and want to do it again.

I, on the other hand, am exhausted!!

My monkeys are the bird and the purple Scooby girl on the right.

Saturday

Why can't I ever just do NOTHING on Saturday? I never learn....

My in-laws offered to cart the kids around to their activities today. I took that opportunity to:

• Go to the farmers market by myself at 9am. I even took some pictures for a future blog post.
• Pick up two friends and head down to Melrose where we hit the Penguin sale and the Ed Hardy store closing.
• Went to the Grove and picked up some "evil eye bracelets", had lunch, shopped the Anthropologie and Banana Republic sales.
• Came home, spent some time with the kids, who had recently come home, forgotten that I needed tights for the big monkey for her recital, sped off and picked up the tights.

The I came back home, picked up the kids and off we went to the recital.

Got home at 9pm!!

I'm TIRED!

Chillin in My Beamer

OK, I do not drive a BMW. But that song is n my mind right now. Possibly because that is the song that the big monkey is doing her hip hop routine to this weekend.

Also, I am catching up with my Millionaire Matchmaker episodes. Wow! What can I say. The men are misogynistic pigs. But then again, they have been trained that they can be, just like Pavlov's dogs. If they pull out the wad of cash, the 10s will come. They all say that they want "TRUE LOVE" but that they just can't find it. What they don't understand is that while women only "LOVE" them for their money, they only "LOVE" the women who are HOT!

How is it that these "entrepreneurs" that are pretty darn smart in their respective fields, are so dumb that they can't see the true problem?!?! They want a wife that is willing to love them for who they are as long as she is perfect in every way. If you've ever been married, you know that that is IMPOSSIBLE.

Patti, the host, CRACKS ME UP!!! In this episode she is talking about the petite little "spinner" - who spins on a guys lap. She must have said that phrase at least 10 times. Man, is that woman FUNNY!!

If you've never seen the show, give it a shot. In between the bouts of moral outrage and nausea most people feel upon first watching the show, you will probably find it pretty hilarious.

So close and so far

I was able to rush home after taking the older monkey to recital rehearsal and make it in time for Latin Jam!

I came home and ate a fairly healthy dinner. Of course, after dinner I ate two dark chocolate Russian candies (sigh).

It's so difficult to be good! No matter what it is we are talking about ;)

Last night I was thinking about cycles, you know, the ebb and flow of things.

As a kid, we play repetitive games - and we play them repetitively. Oddly enough, these games do teach us about life.

Red Rover, Red Rover - that teaches us about being picked for your strengths or weaknesses. About being able to penetrate a seemingly immovable force.

Dodge Ball - that game is too cliche to even mention (yet here I am, mentioning it).

Even jump rope songs tell us about who we love and what life is "sure" to bring us.

Life is one big series of ins and outs, back and forths, teaching us the "same" lesson over and over again. There are times when we are in a good place, and a day later we are in a bad place. Then we are in a good place again, thinking "Wow, I have finally got this under control". And then the next day we are out of it again.

My blog is Sometimes Lucid. Apparently, today is not one of those days ;)

Accountability

Since I said I would try to take better care of myself, I went to the gym today. At 9:45pm. And ran, which I haven't done in a long time. Ugh, accountability is a bitch ;)

I am too tired to write anything meaningful, so I will leave you with this:


Traditional Marriage;)

Tuesday update

After working an almost 11 hour day today, I still went to my Latin Jam class. I still tried to eat a relatively healthy dinner.

I also took a shower as soon as I got home, I went through some clot my mother-in-law gave me and laid down earlier than usual.

Even though my work day SUCKED, I'm trying to stay on the right path :)

Procrastination

It is June 1st.

For some reason, today has been a day of reflection. Today is the beginning of a new month. I have been slacking in MANY areas recently. I have been cooking less, working out minimum days instead of striving for more, not eating as healthy, letting things slide (like blog posts and coupon shopping).

I am choosing today to recommit. I do not know if I will keep up my dedication (I already had a small piece of cake today) but if I don't try, I have already failed (yes, that's way too deep).

Tonight I worked out a little harder that I have in recent months. I came home and found the file I was looking for. I went through the mail piled up from the last couple of days and threw away the junk mail. These were all tiny steps, but ones I'm hoping to build on.

I tend to get complacent, and then wonder why....

• Why am I gaining weight...while I have cake several days a week and am only exercising a minimum number of days.
• Why am I not cooking as often...as I get lazy and lay in bed instead.
• Why can I not get control over my mail...as I let it pile up for weeks.
• Why are certain facets of my life not moving forward...as I struggle to make some difficult choices.

So, I hope to make a dent in some of these issues in the next 30 days. I want to look back and feel like these next 30 have made a difference. Hopefully, this momentum will carry me past June, in to July and beyond.

Please remind me to post updates on some of my goals and wants.