A New Era

The other day we went to visit one of my dearest friends and her family. They are a family of 5, with 2 daughters and a son. Heather is one of the first real friends I made while in college. She is part of the wonderful trio-Heather, Shelly and Hanna. We spent our glory-ahem, well we spent our first 4 semesters together at West Valley College. At 1st we met by chance, Shelly and I had a class together and so did Shelly and Heather. Later, we took several classes together, and Heather and I even worked together... It's been a great thing. Now we are respectively, Auntie Heather, Auntie Shelly, and Auntie Hanna. It's been 15 years this year and while we now have to jostle our schedules around to create visits, we are still very close.

The odd thing is this: while we chatted-Heather and I, Jose with Matt, the kids played (my 2 match ages with her younger 2 almost perfectly). Heather and I cruised through a series of topics. At one point, we were discussing our health. She has recently moved back to the South Bay and has the same insurance we have. I was suggesting some doctors that I have enjoyed having. Then we shifted to various health issues. We discussed cholesterol, anemia, thyroid, etc. All the fun stuff.

After a bit, we packed up our brood and headed home. It was a super nice visit. Totally different than those in the past, simply because it was so simple. Bring the kids over, men talk, women talk, and kids play.

As I was thinking over our visit I started to chuckle. Our topics of conversation have changed so drastically. We used to drool over guys, talk about music, fashion, classes, and places to get out to-and often while we cut class at a local cafe. Now we are discussing face creams and aging skin, budgets and recipes, cholesterol and health issues, and kids.

Admittedly, we are growing (or already grown) up. In fact, I turn 33 today. Shelly celebrated in October and Heather will enjoy this new age in April. I seriously have no problem with adding another year (although the number 33 is a bit daunting to me-perhaps the solidness of the double 3's?). It was just another reality check of how my life has meandered into new realities. Long gone are the carefree college girl days. Long gone are the financially irresponsible days, and long gone are the days when life was simple.

I am so wonderfully blessed for the realtionships I have been in and have been able to maintain for so long. It is nice to have friends that support me and match me. We have built a friendship that has contained somuch of our life and I am well aware it will continue for much longer. We will be discussing wrinkles and grey hairs and high school rebellious children in our next era.

If that is the only reason to go to college, then I sincerely recommend it! Well that and the education and career that follows....

Friday Tidbits

Well I have a thousand and one things to say, and can't seem to get 1 post together, so I am doing it in blurbs.

• I am 1 lb short of my birthday goal-Monday is the BIG DAY
• Bri has peed on her little potty quite a few times now. We aren't intentionally training, but it's nice to see soem real interest. Makes me feel like I can turn it into something with purpose soon enough. She won't be 2 until April!
• I had an xray today for a lump on my finger. It;s a somewhat painful lump at the base of my index finger. I 1st notice it with some pain when holding things. Then I felt the bump. It's my 4th lump-all are different things!
• My dr also referred me to a dermatologist for a scary mole. YIKES the thought of skin cancer freaks me out. The thought of ANY cancer freaks me out!
• My in-laws will be here starting Thursday, for about 3 weeks.
• I just canceled my MYSPACE page because it was phished. That freaks me out too.

That's enough for now...Just wanted to let you all know I am here, and not fading out.

Peace out!

Sacrilege I tell Ya!

It is a sad sad day for me.... I come to report the downsizing of yet another icon in our lives. It started with Ice Cream, and Cereal and Gum. In the last year, these are some of the items that have been made smaller, as a result of the current national financial state. I understand that cost cutting and allowances must be made for there to be a balance. This however, is the straw that broke that broke the camel's back.

Honeymaid has made the graham cracker smaller! Yes folks, you read it right. I pulled out a cracker to appease (no, read this as "quiet so that Mommy can play more on the computer") my toddling daughter. As I pulled it out I noticed how much smaller it was. Narrower and shorter. (I will share a picture as an example.) Not only is the cracker smaller, the box is too. Instead of a 16 ounce box, I noticed it is a 14.5 oz box. So much for the simple things staying the same....

















Consumers, watch carefully. Especially for products that are your staples. The companies are banking that you will not notice the changes and will continue to pay the same or even more for your regular items. The 2 crackers are from different companies. The bigger one is the Safeway generic graham. The smaller, is as noted the brand name.

As my kids don't notice the difference, I am thinking I will pay the lesser amount for more product. I happened on this box last week, simply because of an awesome coupon from Safeway. A box for 99 cents. So for this price, I am not feeling duped. But in times to come, I will be more wary. Oh, and what's up with the funky shape? There is no regularity....

Customize Me...

If I had my way.....

I would design my body to my own standards. This is yet another topic I came up with while I was running.

I would have my legs and but from my teen years, but would keep my hips and curves from motherhood. I would take my "badge of honor" from childbearing-my baby pouch-and use it to rebuild my poor lackluster boobs....they took a hit from nursing....

I don't want to be a stick slim no curves gal...I don't mind having some "extra". I would like it to be not saggy, rolling, or lumpy. I would even accept the stretch marks.

I don't mind running and sit-ups and leg lifts and arm curls and squats. I don't particularly like these things, but I would glady trade doing them half heartedly once or twice a week for the conditions stated above...I am not looking to be Mrs. Mom America, only to be a fit more refined. Where is my fairy godmother? A flick or her magic wand could do this right away....

Until I find her (or she finds me) I am resigned to my dietary and exercise agenda. 3 more lbs til my birthday goal, and 8 more to my total goal....

Getting Involved

Another instance of my brain thinking BIG things! WATCH OUT!

I was running the other day, and as I huffed along, my brain meandered through a variety of ideas. I saw someone's extra large lot and chaotic garden. While we have one of our own, this one reminded me more of a community style garden. Well that streamed my thinking to other gardens I have seen in cities that promote Community Gardening...and that led to the fact that we don't have one here in my town. That led to my involvement with some seriously rocking mamas here in town, that would appreciate a community garden and quite possible could be huge factors in creating one.....Yeah, that's my plan.

I am tossing around the concept of proposing a community garden to our City Council, and if that doesn't get accepted perhaps in conjunction with the school district. When I lived in San Jose, there were several, one being at the school I taught and others at various parks I worked at with the Parks and Rec Dept. There is an awesome one where my mom lives....

A community garden has so many positives outcomes to it! I am so excited at the prospect of proposing this and hopefully being involved in launching it. Our Council is very conservative and so embroiled in internal politics due to city growth and financial failures that I think our proposal has to be well thought out and planned. It needs to have a clear outline, with expected outcome, and city involvement. Some of the results I hope to achieve are:

• A heightened awareness of organic gardening-including composting
• Helping people to understand more ecological water usage (assuming we aren't rationing water due to drought....)
• Utilizing "dead" or underused urban spaces.
• Teaching people to appreciate producing their own foods-and getting a bit further away from processed foods.
• Involving the youth
• Bringing people together in the interest of neighborhood and community in a city that tends to be full of commuters.
• Reconnecting with our town's agricultural history

To begin my quest, I have started to talk it up with some mamas that I think are likely to be interested, and focused. I also have been researching online, and hope to investigate nearby cities that have successful gardens. My mom has informed me that I need to find a Master Gardner to help in the planning. Let's face it, my talents are still developing as a grower of green life. Our family garden is mostly due to the talents and energies of my dear husband. BUT I am motivated and LOVE projects. I am committed to our town of residence, and to public education....it will be a teaching moment of grand scale.....

I will update as I proceed, but I thought it would be nice to share this with my blog friends. If you know of any fantastic Garden models, or have any words of advice, I am all ears.

Loss Prevention

Today my youngest child, of age 22 months, decided to practice her craft. We were doing some shopping. Our mission was looking for Valentine's Day shirts. While we were in GAP, I had let her out of the stroller. It is a nice way to teach her to stay close and have some freedom while behaving in public places. This is easier to do when it's just me and the little one, her sister being in school. SO, back to the topic at hand....As I was browsing possible outfits choices, Bri Bri had taken it upon herself to also do some shopping. My sweet one was stuffing packs of pajamas into the basket below the stroller. I had seen her doing this, and reminded myself to correct it before we left. I forgot. Could it be that her massive tantrum about being returned to her seatbelted stroller took dominance of my mind? I paid for my 2 shirts, walked all the way around the shopping complex to where we parked. As I looked into the basket for a wayward paci, I saw the loot.

Oh SHIZZLE! I had to walk all the way back (something to be said for the exercise at least). Back into GAP I strolled, already embarrased. As I was piling the packs onto the counter, the cashier walked over to me. I explained that my child had done some shopping without permission. She was very understanding about it, thanked me for my honesty and asked if I wanted any of it. NOPE, it was all 3-6 months boys pajamas. Seriously, not a thread of it useful. After completing my task, I walked yet again (4x's!) back toward the truck.

Silly girl....guess I will have to be watching out for my little sticky fingers...

Why Do I Blog? Possible Pity Party-Be Aware

There has been a teeny tiny little nagging voice in my head lately. It might explain my lack of posts lately.

Why in the world do I blog?

Sharing everything from my internal innards to my beautiful babies to my mindless ramblings. It is a personal and vulnerable experience.

So why do I do it?

I originally set out to blog because "all my friends were doing it...". Well, sort of. I was introduced to blogging by Lia. She made it seem so appealing. Her blog is well layed out-with great graphics. She has a fantastic following with people who interact with comments. She has even branched out into various blogger groups. There are fun conferences with goodies and perks.

I loved blog stalking. I felt like I was being invited to peek in on her world. I started to read other people's blogs as well. It really gets to be quite time consuming to check in daily with all the blogs on my favorites list.

I always maintained that I was intriqued about blogging but surely I couldn't keep up with the commitment of regular posting. Afterall, I was having trouble staying on top of my various online groups. One more thing was a bit over the top especially with the ever increasing demands of my daughters, household, and husband.

Then, my friend Lizzie started hers. Damn! I decided to jump into the mix. Fishy Tales was born.

I found that there were many parts that I did enjoy. The 1st was the challenge of setting up my blog and learning the ins and outs of this type of technology. I thrive on this. It is how I have learned everything computers/laptops (I seperate these 2 items), internet, and software programming.

I also found that I enjoyed the mental exercise of writing. It helped to imagine the readers and their reaction, taking it from basic journaling to a more exacting article. After years (4 now) of not working, and feeling like my brain is getting mushier and mushier, this is refreshing.

I hoped that my family and more distanced friends would utilize my blog to keep up (regularly) on the happenings in my life.

Finally, I did enjoy the anticipation of the readers. I not so secretly hoped for a following-like Lia and some of the popular bloggers.

Lately I find myself re-evaluating the reason for my blog. I haven't had my friends (real-life) and family reading unless I send the link. There is a small group of people that have been reading (THANK YOU!) on a regular basis. So, where does this leave me? I do still enjoy learning about the technology, and I do still find it nice to collect my thoughts through writing.

But do I need to do it publicly? Therein lies my biggest predicament. Would I continue if I were writing into a traditional journal? Would I do it if it were a word doc? Probably not. I know myself...there seems to be something about peer motivation that keeps me moving.

For now, I have decided to continue-but do share your feelings-especially if you blog.

Also, consider yourself warned that I may indeed close up shop some day, if I can't silence the voice....