Return to LA

I realized I don't travel through Los Angeles when I visit my parents.  It's wild to see my old haunts with Michael.  What a lifetime ago it was!  We just passed Hollywood and we're headed to San Fernando Valley.

Cousins Together Again!

The three musketeers are together again!  And so are their devices.

But so is the fun!

Christmas Moon

On Christmas Eve, there was a full moon and a strange halo surrounding it!  Upon closer inspection it looked as if the halo was a rainbow because there seemed to be a faint spectrum of colors!

Motherlode

I hit the mother lode of tea this Christmas!  

Michael got me so many different types.  My favorite so far is the chamomile and lavender, but I also enjoyed the white tea earl gray.

Hole Investigator

Max saw a tiny hole at the knee of his sweatpants and he just had to investigate.   The hole had been as large as his little finger so he set out to see if he could fit his entire hand through it. 

Results:  He can. 

Slow Cooker Success

I used to associate slow cookers with working mothers who need to efficiently get their family home and get dinner ready at a reasonable hour.  I never think of stay-at-home moms who are home to watch the pot as the yummy ingredients simmer to perfection.

But I have changed my perception of who uses a slow cooker.  I prepared a chicken enchilada soup at 10 am.  I left and came home at 2 and it was complete.   My day suddenly opened up!   No more did I dread the arrival of 4pm which is when I usually start fretting over dinner.  You know what I did at 4pm?  I went to the store with the kids and did some shopping.  F. U. N!

I don't think I've ever seen a recipe for Sinigang (tamarind soup) in a slow cooker, but I think I'm going to develop it and right a cookbook all dedicated to my new friend the slow cooker.

Queens and Princes

I was looking for the kids the other day. And I found them playing near the woods. I asked them, "What are you doing?" Simone said,  "Queens and princes!  We just tortured a guy. He died so we buried him and put a headstone on his grave."  As if it were a regular day at work for queens and princes ...

"See that little orange  (maple) leaf, Mommy? ... That's his headstone!"

Lovely.

Michael's Serenade

I heard Michael singing in the shower.   By the tone and rhythm, i thought he was singing a rat pack song a la Frank Sinatra.  But his lyrics were peculiar, 

"I would pay your rent ...
If you'd wear some deodorant ..."

Simone's Heaven

We were all sitting around this morning,  slowly waking up.  Simone said,  "What if heaven were real, and some ancestor like Grandpa Bear would write a note and drop it down and then we would read it and it would say,  'Heaven is real.  From Grandpa Bear.'"

I was so touched by Simone's thinking of her grandpa.  Max joined in with his special brand of imagination, "What if Grandpa Bear came down and he was only wearing his underwear and white wings?"

It's Still Fall!

Today's high was 71°!  That sounds plausible in Los Angeles or in Tampa at this time of the year, but not in DC! 

Chapped Lips

Now that it's colder, the kids bundle up when they play outside.   Rain will stop them, but not mere lower temperatures.   They wear poofy jackets,  gloves, beanies, and scarves. 

One part of their bodies,  however,  that does not get protected is their face.   Max's cheeks get so pink from wind exposure.   Simone's upper lips in particular get very raw. 

Last night she needed Eucerin to soothe her lips.  Max mocked his sister's mustache so I slathered my lips to show solidarity against the plight of the dry. 

Max ended up doing it too.

Inquiring Minds ...

Simone is drawing and just asked,

"Does God have a mustache?"

Good question.

The Imaginations on These Ones!

I came back from a run and Simone ran up to me frantically. 

"What year were you born, Mommy?"

I told her it was 1973.

She then explains that she and her friends are playing make believe.   Gabe is a dinosaur; Roman is a German.  Simone is a 1970s Colombian version of Francis Scott Key, composer of the Star Spangled Banner.  Max is an Irish caveman. 

Michael thinks Max's title is redundant.

Asian Ice Cream

The kids and I had Japanese food for lunch.  Max was intrigued with what looked like chocolate ice cream.   I informed him or was red bean and he wanted to try some.   Simone food too, but also wanted to try green tea. 

The verdict: Max liked neither but Simone approves of green tea.   She thought the red bean had a weird aftertaste. 

No Number

Max said this morning,  "I don't have a number,  so don't call me ... maybe."

Slingshot

Max came in and showed us the slingshot he fashioned out of a branch he found!!  The little guy is so resourceful!

Self Storage

We were coming home from the gym last night when Simone spotted a sign advertising a self storage facility.   She commented,

"What in the world is 'self storage?'  Is that where you keep yourself?"

Best Birthday Present!

My parents always spoil  me on my birthday, Christmas,  and on Michael's and my wedding anniversary.   This year, they sent me a humble but highly precious set of pictures of when I was wee Gi. 

Thanks for giving me life, Mom and Dad!

Spelling with Anatomy

Sometimes our regularly scheduled Spelling lesson veers off into a different direction.  One of the kids - for whatever reason - uttered, "Cankles" and my juvenile self giggled. 

I just had to draw and demonstrate what this word meant.

Appropriate

On our way to the cashier, Max asked me to look at some candy.  I had already let him pick out candy for himself so I want to eager to go back to shopping.  I just wanted to pay for what we had and get out of there. 

But Max convinced me, "I found some candy that is uh-poh-pre-eht for Daddy!"

My little man used the word appropriate!  I was so impressed that no matter what he showed me, I would get it because I was so proud of his word usage.  

He showed me a little carton in the shape of a Christmas - decorated house that was full of Whoppers,  one of Michael's favorite candies!   It was indeed appropriate!

Sparkly Eyes

We were driving to the Exchange yesterday and Simone said to Max, "What are you up to, Max?" 

Max was confused by the accusation and asked what she meant.  She explained that he had a sparkle in his eye.

Max then sighed, "Just because my eyes are sparkly doesn't mean I'm being mischievous!"

Mommy, smell!!!

One of the things that brings dread into my heart is when my child comes up to me and says,  "Mommy!  Smell my finger!"

To which I say,  "No way!!"

Math Minute

The kids resemble Michael and me very much.  As different as he and I are with our love / hate relationship with Math (I love it,  Michael would like to throw all math books in the fiery depths of Hell),  so are Max and Simone.

Max told me there's only one manner in which he wants to be like me, "I want to be smart in Math!"  Simone's eyes,  however,  glaze into a daze when I talk about addition and subtraction.

Yesterday morning,  I tested Max on addition past the combinations of 5 and he did so well!   "Max, what's 6 + 2?"  He took one second and then shouted, "8!!!"  I asked him how he knew that and he said his brain counted it.

Later in the day,  we were driving in the car and I decided to practice with Simone some subtraction.  I asked her, "Simone,  what's 10 - 2?"  Her response to me was, "Whyyyy?"

Eastern Maryland

This weekend we ventured away from the D.C. area and attended a wine festival in the eastern part of Maryland.  What beautiful landscapes one can find when driving away from the metropolitan area. 

When I gaze at all the land available for just one house, I entertain the thought of settling above the Mason Dixie line.  But then I remember ... Winter is coming!!  And it would be wonderful if we could settle somewhere where snow just doesn't visit at all.

And It's Off!

Max wiggled his tooth so much that it came off already! 

After brushing his teeth,  he came up to me and noted that he felt his tooth was gone.  I dismissed him, thinking he was playing another practical joke.   But then he said he felt it gone after he brushed his teeth.

*gasp!*

Sure enough he has lost his first baby tooth!!  I panicked that the momentous tooth fell  down the drain, but we luckily found it in the sink.

Bravo Max!

Max's Obsession with Gingers

When we were in Ft Belvoir, one of Max's good friends was was a boy named Conner, who had a bright crown of red hair.   Max  then became obsessed with who is a ginger,  aka "a redhead." 

Just now I overheard him tell his sister that he thinks Sofia the First could possibly be a ginger.

I think it started when I explained the definition of a "ginger" to him.  We had a neighbor with two bloodhounds that reminded Max of his cousins' dog Ginger who is a beagle, a similar-looking breed.  When he saw the two dogs, he would shout, "There's those Gingers!!!"  In addition to clarifying the real breed of our neighbors' dogs, I explained to him that the G-word is considered insulting and that he shouldn't just shout it out willy nilly. 

Max then met Conner, a real deal ginger and everyone's complexion was under his careful scrutiny, even those of Disney princesses. 

Awesome Autumn

I surely love the changing of the guards in the East Coast!

Halloween 2015

We actually did our trick or treating in the RV park!  The were a few kids running around, and even more campers giving out candy.  Lots of older folks were prepared to give candy!   There were some families that didn't do it and outright left the park and I suspect it was for religious reasons but I was too embarrassed to ask. This left more candies and cupcakes for us!

Michael helped decorate the bus and carved the kids' design on the pumpkins!

Loose Tooth

Yesterday Max had a quesadilla last night and bit on something harder than usual (big ball of quest maybe?)  This morning he told me about it and showed how his tooth was hurt.  He wiggled and I squealed that he was starting to lose his first tooth!  He smiled and ran to tell his sister and daddy!

Simone is Sick?

I used to think the worst time to be sick was at Thanksgiving.   But I now know there is a worse time if you are a child ... Halloween.

Simone had a slight fever the All Hallow's Eve's eve.  It subsided during Halloween Day, but after trick or treating, she came down with a major fever that persisted for two more days.  

We took her to an urgent care and that was inconclusive because they said it wasn't Strep Throat nor the flu.  They sent us on our way home with the instructions  to do BRAT.

Our visit was actually not so harrowing as evidenced by these jovial pictures! 

Camping Oven

1 year after having bought our Weber grill, I'm happy to report that it has exceeded our expectations!   We now also use it for our baking needs!  Halloween is going to be tastier than usual!

Litter Lady

The kids were fighting over a slinky one day while we were driving in the car to the laundromat.   Simone had brought Max's toy to the car without Max's permission.  Max was furious and they bickered and threw punches in the back seat.  I warned them that of they didn't stop fighting I was going to take that slinky and throw it out the window.  

I thought I had struck fear into their hearts.   Obedience was imminent, I thought.  

What I got was this retort from Max:

"If you do that Mommy,  you're littering!"

Well, he got me there. 

Lack of Enthusiasm

Brandon just turned 11 and from the look on his face, I only have 3 years left before Simone gets tired of my kisses.

Barkada

In Tagalog exists a word for one's "group of friends": Barkada.  They're you're favorite posse and it feels like home when you hang out with them. I think the kids' is at Ft. Meade.  Here's about 2/3rds of the crew.  

Halloween Ramp Up!

These two are on the lookout for anyone who isn't the Halloween Spirit.  You've been warned.

Commutative

I recently taught Simone (and Max, but I doubt he was paying attention) to the concept of something being commutative.  When a process is commutative it doesn't matter which order things are done.  This applies to addition.  You can add the numbers in whatever order and you will still get the same answer.  This is not so with subtraction.

The book we were reading gave examples of non-commutative processes.  The order that you put your socks and shoes is important.  So is brushing your teeth and heading to the bathroom.  You have to do one thing before the next part can be done.  Do give them another example of something that is not commutative, I said, "You wouldn't put your pants on first and then your underwear, right?"

They agreed with a giggle, but before I could continue with the rest of the reading Simone thoughtfully added ...

"Unless you're a superhero."

Work Out More, Mommy!

We went to a new LA Fitness that opened up close to our bus than the original gym we joined.  I dropped off the kids in a pleasant-looking childcare room with some play structures that resembled a cartoon forest and then danced my heart out at a Zumba class.

After a good hour of shaking my bootie and sweating off the Kettle chips I ate the night before, I retrieved the kids from the gym's care ... much to the disappointment of Simone.  She must have been having a great time because she asked me to work out more.  I could see what intrigued her about the room. Not only were there nice, smiling kids playing calmly, but there were little cars that Simone has always loved to play in (their movement is propelled by the child's feet a-la-Flinstones) since she was a wee one. 

But I had dinner to make and it was getting dark.  Ok, ok.   I had no desire to work out more.  Simone though wanted to use all her debate skills to buy more time to play.  So after I told her no, we have to go home, she retorted ...

"But Mommy!  You're still fat!"

Ouch.

Caught

I walked into the bus after cleaning up outside and I found this scene.

Ok, ok ... we recreated what I saw, but it was a mere 10 seconds after I caught him that he posed similar to how I found him.  It was pretty harmless.  He was trying to get a cup.  I doubt it was for a glass of milk because the kids now copy their dad and drink the milk straight from the box.  He might have been getting a cup to play with water, hence the guilty look on his face.

Late Night

Sometimes we continue watching TV after dinner.  It can be tough if we don't tell the kids to go through their bedtime rituals (changing clothes, brushing & flossing their teeth, and peeing).

Max has the extra problem of cleaning his face after a dessert of pocky sticks.

Back in Virginia

One evening,  we're MD Living, the next morning, we're supernoVA