I think Doctor is Out of the Question

I'm thinking that the chances of Megan becoming a doctor when she grows up are slim to none. She went to see Twilight with a friend and her mom on Friday (because we all know how often her parents actually take her to the movies). You know me and movies. I'm just not into them. And the ones I'm into are usually filled with the good stuff - sex, violence, language, etc.., things the kids can't watch, obviously. So the kids only get to see movies when they go with friends or when my parents are nice enough to take them.

So, Megan went to see Twilight. Its rated PG-13 and she's only 8, but I read a review and it didn't sound too bad. Plus, she will be getting the book for Christmas and her friend (who is a 5th grader at a private catholic school) already read the book. So I let her go.

It turns out the movie had gory blood scenes toward the end. It had such an intense effect that it made Megan throw up. Her friends mom (my neighbor) took her to the bathroom to get cleaned up and regain her composure. You'd think that was bad enough. No. On her way out of the bathroom, Megan passed out.

Just what a mom needs to hear. The girls came home and told me about this before my neighbor had a chance to come tell me. I almost didnt believe them. Apparently, my neighbor was convinced that Megan had fainted due to the blood scene. After coming to, Megan convinced her that she was fine and that she didnt need to call me (Megan knows all too well that we wouldve freaked out and come to get her). It still bugs me that she wouldnt have called me from the movie theatre right away to tell me though. If I were the parent in that situation, I wouldve made sure to call the parents immediately regardless of how I perceived the situation or what the child said.

Although my daughter portrays a tough exterior, she really is innocent on the inside. I forget that sometimes. It takes things like this to remind me that she is just a little girl.

Giving Thanks

I started thinking about things I am really thankful for. Not just the things you're supposed to be thankful for, but the things that I feel made my life a little better and more meaningful. This is what I came up with:

1. My trip to Spain to visit my grandparents. Specifically, the day trip my grandma and I took together. We took the train to a little town outside of Madrid. Its well known for the pristine shape the castle walls around the city are in. It really meant a lot to me because I know she is getting old and my time with her is limited. My grandma means the world to me and it was a day I will always remember.

It began with the espresso and porras (delicious fried dough thingys) in a little cafe. It was nice because my grandparents have always been against spending money on frivolous food outings. This time, I could tell that my grandma was just relishing the moment, just as I was. We spent the rest of the morning visiting the castle and the little shops. She wanted to buy me an expensive ring from a local handmade jewelry shop, but I wouldn't let her. Then we went to lunch at a bar (bars in Europe are unlike bars in the US. They are similar to small restaurants that serve coffee, beverages, and small meals). We ordered a large salad and a side dish of papas bravas (diced potatoes drenched in tabasco sauce and mayo). Then we sipped on another espresso and took the train back home. It was a day that I will never forget and a day that I will forever be thankful I had.

2. My weight loss. I've always been fat. It sucked. I am sooooo thankful that I am now at a normal weight. My goal is 140, although people keep telling me I shouldnt lose anymore. I'm at 150, and weight charts show that for my height I should weigh 130-167. So even if I don't make it to my goal of 140, I will still be happy.

3. My husband. I've always been thankful that I have such a supporting and loving husband, but there have been a few events lately that have made me realize how horrible my life could've turned out if I would've made different choices earlier in life. I am forever thankful for the life changing decision that I made in that Honda CRX so many years ago.

Graphic Artist?

you will most likely have to click on the picture to read the writing

I had to show this off.


1. Because Megan is an expert at shoving positive lovey dovey emotions deep down somewhere in her subconcious. She only allows them to surface on rare occassions. I thought this happened to girls around 13, but apparently Megan reached this milestone at 7.

2. I'm amazed that an 8yr old can create something so elaborate on such a simple program as Paint.

3. I finally got her to admit that although my food is healthy, its still good.

Fun Times

My life has changed quite dramatically since moving to Reno. When we were living in SoCal, going out was somewhat of a dream to us. Granted, our kids were quite young but I'm not sure that was the entire reason. Despite Reno's overwhelmingly bad rap for having some of the lowest IQ's and highest PWT levels, I've managed to meet a ton of really cool people.

Last weekend we went out with a friend of mine from high school and his girlfriend, who teaches high school and lives within a mile of my house. We hit it off and had a good time hanging out that night. Then I ended up subbing for her on Friday, so that was really neat. Not to mention that this economy is making a huge difference on the amount of sub jobs out there, so its always nice to make a connection like that.

Last weekend we went on the wine walk with Lisa, Alex and Brandi. The wine walks are always fun. You get to stroll through a lot of the downtown shops, bars, restaurants and sample all the different wines. The more stops, the happier you get. This was Alex's first time on the wine walk and I got the distinct impression he didn't have high expectations. By about stop 6 though, you could tell he was enjoying it. He was quite floored when he realized that we still had 15 more stops to go. Oh yeah, and Lisa and Brandi totally hit off, which is awesome. Its a compliment when your friends think you have cool friends.

Next weekend we are going to try the beer crawl, which apparently is similar to the wine walk. We have made plans with another set of friends, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with them.

After that is Thanksgiving. My mom "volunteered" my house for this gathering. ;o) Except that this year we are celebrating on Friday so that we can accomodate my brother and his wife, since this year its their turn to spend the holiday with her family. Luckily, my mom does most of the cooking, so I just provide the facility. :o) I'm not a fan of Thanksgiving food. Turkey - yuck. Green bean casserole - yuck. Marshmallowy yams - yuck. I'll take a salad please. Even the desserts are gross.

And get this. The weekend after that we have a "mid-life crisis" party. This is how you know youre getting old. When your friends are old. Ok, so he isn't that old. He is turning 36. But since the average male lives to be 72, this is what he is considering "mid life".

So thats my month in a nutshell. Friends, family, food, and drink. What else could I possibly ask for?

Am I Smarter than a Third Grader? Not Usually.

I discovered a way to get my children to behave in the grocery store. I'm so amazed that it worked, that I wanted to share it with everyone.

About 30 minutes before leaving, I had them all get out a piece of paper and gave them the following instructions: Make a list of 3 items that you would like to purchase for yourself. One of these must be a fruit, the other a vegetable, and the other can be anything you want (no candy, cookies, and all the normal things I don't usually buy). Not only were they excited to pick out the foods THEY wanted, but it made it so they would be excited to actually eat the food they picked out. Since they were the ones who picked them out, there would be no whining over the disgusting vegetables I made for dinner!!

They were so engrossed in finding their food choices, that they all managed to behave during the outing. Dinner tonight was also a success and snacks and dessert have consisted of the fruits (cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapple) that they picked out.

I have to admit that this was pretty brilliant. If only all my ideas were this good, parenting would be much less difficult.

Scary times

I'm no economist but things are getting pretty scary out there. The word "bailout" is being thrown around left and right. Bank bailouts, mortgage bailout, auto industry bailout, credit card bailout. What's next? This morning I read about a plan that federal regulators proposed to allow lenders to forgive huge portions of credit card debt. It was nixed. Just the other day, Nancy Pelosi called for a rescue of the auto industry. Where does it end?

The recent bank bailout package received a lot of criticism. And rightly so. Apparently it was a necessary evil to maintain the financial stability of our country, but many people thought that money should've gone directly to the homeowners. However, these homeowners are just as guilty as the lenders who preyed upon them. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to realize that your $50k salary will not afford a $500k home. And believing those people that said the home would soon be worth a cool $1 mil was just plain dumb. Nobody forced interest only loans on anyone; it was a decision and risk that homeowners took. Worst case scenario is that they now must go back to apartment living. No more lavish vacations and new cars paid for through lines of equity, but they will most likely still have a roof over thier head.

The proposed auto industry bailout is another story. Most Americans believe in the free market. That is, until the free market screws them. Everyone knows that a Honda or a Toyota is superior to a Ford or Chevy - yes even those wrangler wearing, hat tipping, wouldn't be caught dead in anything other than a Chevy truck guys think this. They just don't admit it. So why should we rescue the American auto industry? Jobs. Lots of them. Like I said, I'm no economist, but this bailout could possibly be like putting a band aid on an arterial wound so I'm still not sure how I stand on this. Not that it matters since lawmakers seem to be ok with making so many rash decisions lately.

My posts are starting to get boring... I know. I have the wine walk this weekend, the beer crawl next weekend (no, I'm not becoming an alcoholic, thank you!), Thanksgiving dinner, and a party the weekend after that. So I'm sure I will have something more interesting to blog about shortly. I promise.

Prop 4? Who cares about that when you have Prop 8.

I've been meaning to blog about this but I kept getting caught up in the whole Prop 8 debate. I'm extremely surprised that people supporting Prop 8 paid such little attention to Prop 4 - the proposal to require parental notification before a minor can get an abortion. The thought that my daughter could get pregnant and go and have an abortion without her parents having any idea is appalling.

My kids went for a yearly visit to their pediatrician this morning. There are only two people that could've taken them and given consent for the doctor to perform the check up; Jake or I. This is for a check up people! Yet, its ok to allow a doctor to perform an abortion on your underage child for which you are solely responsible for, without the parents' knowledge or consent? Wow.