Group Work

1/30/2008 06:42:00 PM 2 Comments »
It sucks. The problem with taking a morning class at a JC is that all of the people in the class are young. In my Spanish class, which is the third semester and a little difficult for me, we are required to do a skit that is part of our test score. We are supposed to write it up together, memorize it, and present it to the class. We were only given-total-about 10 minutes to work on it in class, and the rest should have been done via email. My group mates, who are both about 18 or 19, and I , decided to break up the work and communicate via email to finish the project. It is due tomorrow and after sending out numerous emails, I still haven't received the rest of my groups' work. It's due tomorrow morning at 9am. It is now 7pm. This is gonna suck.
Peace Out,
Mom


update: It is now 9:30, and I still haven't heard from them...
update 2:It is now 6:30am and I never heard from them...
update 3:The girl tossed me her part on a piece of paper 10 minutes after the class started and said that her email must have screwed up her replies because she was sure she sent it. Are you effing kidding me????

Hand-Holding

1/27/2008 04:04:00 PM 3 Comments »



We went to Sea World yesterday. It was really fun! ;-) My hubby didn't go because he was at work, and my sister didn't go because she was at work, but her boyfriend went with the boys, my parents, and I. We saw a few shows and walked around a bit. Really, we just meandered, but it was pretty fun.

I was walking behind my parents at one point and they were holding hands. I flashed back to being a little kid in the same place-walking behind my parents at Sea World. Sometimes my friends would come with us, and we walk straggle behind my parents and they would walk in front of us, holding hands. They would be whispering in that grown-up talk that was just their own language-something that we wouldn't understand. I would feign embarrassment, and my friend and I would moan about how embarrassing it was to walk behind two grown adults acting like teenagers in love. Oh the horror!!!

But really, I loved it. I loved that my parents were still in love. My parents, unlike so many of my friends' parents, were still very happy together and actually enjoyed spending time with each other. They hugged and kissed, and they even shared a laugh or two with each other.

Yesterday, I looked at them holding hands. They are still very much in love, still whispering things to each other and looking back to check that we're keeping up.

I can only hope that after 33 years of marriage, my hubby and I are still holding hands and murmuring words of love in each other's ears.

Peace Out,
Mom

So I Did It

1/23/2008 07:59:00 PM 3 Comments »

I applied to SDSU. Hopefully, I will be starting in the Fall when my little man begins Kindergarten. I only need 33 units to get my BA, and it should only take me three semesters if I go full time. I hope I can pull it off. I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm really nervous about making this jump at this age. I know a lot of people do it, but it's a little unnerving. It's about effing time; that's all I'm saying.

Peace Out, Mom

Martin Luther King, Jr.

1/21/2008 11:36:00 AM 0 Comments »



Back in September, I posted my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr quote. I thought today would be the day to do it again. It's so very wonderful to know that, in my lifetime, I will see an African-American President. I would like for it to be Obama, but if not, there will still be an African-American President in my lifetime. A woman president will be not too far behind. Maybe a woman Vice President, and an African-American President. Wow, that would be fantastic.

Here is my favorite passage from Martin Luther King, Jr:

"The hour has come for everybody, for all institutions of the public sector and the private sector to work to get rid of racism. And now if we are to do it we must honestly admit certain things and get rid of certain myths that have constantly been disseminated all over our nation.One is the myth of time. It is the notion that only time can solve the problem of racial injustice. And there are those who often sincerely say to the Negro and his allies in the white community, "Why don’t you slow up? Stop pushing things so fast. Only time can solve the problem. And if you will just be nice and patient and continue to pray, in a hundred or two hundred years the problem will work itself out."There is an answer to that myth. It is that time is neutral. It can be used wither constructively or destructively. And I am sorry to say this morning that I am absolutely convinced that the forces of ill will in our nation, the extreme rightists of our nation—the people on the wrong side—have used time much more effectively than the forces of goodwill. And it may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, "Wait on time."
Peace Out,
Mom

Favorite Walt Whitman Quote

1/18/2008 01:24:00 PM 0 Comments »
From I Sing the Body Electric:

"You would wish long and long to be with him, you would wish to sit by him

in the boat that you and he might touch each other."

It reminds me of my husband. It reminds me of that secret electricity that sends shock waves through your body when you touch in a room full of people or on a fishing boat full of grisly fishermen.

That's all I have to say about that.
Peace Out,
Mom

One of the Top Five Things That I Detest Doing

1/17/2008 08:25:00 PM 0 Comments »

Cleaning my sons' bedroom. My middle son is a pack-rat. He collects everything, and he finds it hard to let go. So every once in a while I clean his room to clear out the clutter. He is a messaholic and needs some sort of twelve-step program to change. I don't know how I created such a child. I love him, but dangit! He's making me crazy. This time, I'm doing my best to maintain my anger and frustration, but boy is it hard! I will finish it tomorrow. Now I get to do some homework. Oh the joys of parenting and trying to do a million things at once.

Peace Out,

Mom

Vacation

1/13/2008 04:01:00 PM 0 Comments »
Well, we were in New Jersey for about ten days, and then we had a little over a week back at home. It was very nice and relaxing. I really like my family. I adore my husband, and my boys are a lot of fun. It's really nice when we all get a break from our busy lives and just spend time together. The boys went back to school last week, and I go back tomorrow. It all goes back to normal. Bummer. I was telling my husband today that I wish that we could just hang out together everyday and get paid for it. Wouldn't that be fantastic??? Anyway, all is well here.
Peace Out,
Mom

Football

12/16/2007 03:29:00 PM 1 Comment »







It's the end of the football season. It was number 10's first year ever playing, and I am so proud of him! He wasn't supposed to be in this weight class, but he got bumped up because he was right on the line and the team had too many boys on it. I was so nervous in the beginning. He even came home from practice the first day ready to quit. But he went back the next day and really put his all into training. I'm not a huge football fan, but I'm really a fan of number 10! He is such a good boy. AND he was one of only five boys to get an award for academic excellence. Don't get excited...his grades aren't that great, but I guess compared to the others they are!! We put school first. There were a lot of nights when he was doing homework pretty late after practice, but he really stuck to it. I'm really very proud of him.
Peace Out,
Mom

My Mission

12/04/2007 06:57:00 PM 0 Comments »
My new mission, which can also be described as a Christmas miracle, is to win tickets on our local radio station to either Disneyland or the Wild Animal Park! I'm broke, and the boys would just love it!!!!! It could happen, right????
Peace Out,
Mom

Little Man...

11/27/2007 06:25:00 PM 0 Comments »
So my little guy caught the bug. I really don't like missing work. But, hey...they don't get sick just on weekends, right? He's so cute when he's sick...minus all of the mucus, coughing, and sniffling. He's all snugly and lovey. He's much more chipper than the big boys when he's sick. He keeps saying he's not sick anymore. Cute! Anyway, I think one more day at home will fix him up good...I hope!
Peace Out,
Mom

Feeding the Ducks

11/24/2007 11:10:00 PM 1 Comment »

101_0370
Originally uploaded by not-so-normal-mom
I like when we find simple pleasures on days off. We went for a walk to the grands today, and on the way back, we stopped by the "pond" at the golf course to feed the ducks. I think the two youngest were convinced that they could befriend them. It didn't work so well! The dog just really wanted to eat the ducks! I love them all. It's great.
Peace Out,
Mom

Finding the Christmas Spirit

11/24/2007 12:42:00 PM 0 Comments »

I have begun my Christmas shopping-on line. I spent my "Black Friday" washing dogs at my sister's dog grooming shop. I preferred that to braving the insanity at the mall. I think that is why I hate to work retail during the Christmas season. I see people and commercialism at its worst, and it makes me sad. I want this year to be more fun. I want us to make paper chains and decorate the house. (I got the idea from the movie Elf last night!) I want to read the boys the story of the birth of Jesus so that they really know that it's not all about Santa. Even though I know that they know that there is no Santa, I had that discussion with them last week. I told them that they're getting bigger and that Christmas changes as they get older. It's about spending time together and having family time. This year, we will be leaving the day after Christmas to go to New Jersey, so they won't have that week long-play-with-everything-you-got-time. It will be like Christmas all over again when we get home! Anyway, I'm kind of looking forward to family time. We are a very busy family. I miss us.

Peace Out,

Mom

ARGH!!!

11/19/2007 02:57:00 PM 4 Comments »
My boss can be such a fuck-face!

I've Caught a Bug

11/14/2007 07:14:00 PM 0 Comments »
As much as I hate to admit it, I've caught a cold. I pride myself on never getting sick. I must have mocked the sickos one too many times. Oh well. I took the day off to nurse my cold, but I just feel like I'm wallowing in illness. I guess I'll go back to work tomorrow and attempt functionality. I hope I'm not too bitchy.
Peace Out,
Mom

Off To Camp

11/07/2007 04:39:00 PM 0 Comments »
My middle son left for 6th grade camp on Monday. I am feeling really sad about it, and I'm not altogether sure why I feel this way. Well, that's not true. My son is being bullied at school. He is really the nicest boy in the world and boys are assholes. They take advantage of his niceness and have decided that he's gay. They pretend that he has a disease and walk around him. I'm afraid that when he gets back, he will have had a really bad time and I'll feel like a really bad mom for sending him away. I'm really hoping that he is having a fantastic time and that all the boys will bond and forget all of their previous animosities. Wishful thinking, I know, but a mom can hope, right? When my oldest left, I wasn't worried at all. He had a great time and has nothing but happy memories about camp. I'm hoping that it will be the same for my middle guy.
Peace Out,
Mom

More Random Thoughts

11/03/2007 12:13:00 PM 1 Comment »
I quit my job counting money at night. I did this for two reasons: They were moving the job to a morning position, and I have another job in the morning. Also, if I were to continue on at the company, I would have to work on the sales floor. At Christmas. Yeah...no.
Hopefully, I will now be able to spend more time with family and friends. I'm looking forward to it! I already have plans this Saturday and next...when people found out I have some more free time, they started calling!! This is a good thing, but I could use some more "me" time.
My middle son is going to camp on Monday!! To be honest, I'm a little nervous. When my oldest went away two years ago, I wasn't so nervous. He is a bit more mature and makes new friends easily. He is really gregarious and cocky! However, my middle son is a different kind of guy. He is VERY nice. I tell people all the time that he's then nicest boy I've ever met, and I mean it! But that means that people take advantage of him and pick on him, which hurts me. I hope that he has a good time at camp. I want it to be a positive experience for him, and not something that he looks bad on as the time "mom sent me away to be abused for a week." Ya know??? Oh, my nerves.
We've made travel arrangements to go to New Jersey for a little over a week starting the day after Christmas. All five of us. I am looking into things we can do in the area so that we aren't cloistered in the house with my mother-in-law all week. She is no longer accustomed to the noise and activity of three rowdy boys. I don't want to see her look of disapproval pointed in their direction. I'm barely used to it pointed in my direction.
Peace Out,
Mom

On This Hallow's Eve

10/31/2007 05:49:00 PM 0 Comments »


I'm not feeling especially Halloween-ey. I don't really know why...Usually I love this holiday, but my kids aren't so into it this year and that kind of rubs off on me. I am also really tired...as usual! I've quit one of my jobs so that I can have some more time. I'm really looking forward to it! Friday is my last night counting money at night. Yeah! I hope everyone goes out tonight and has some mischievous, wicked fun!!!

Peace Out,

Mom

We Made It!

10/27/2007 10:31:00 AM 1 Comment »






These are a few images of our fires. When you look at the map of San Diego county to see what was burned and who was evacuated, it is really quite devastating. If you watched TV long enough, it almost felt apocalyptic. All day for three days, the only thing that was on the news was fire coverage. The skies are cloudy, and there is smoke and ash everywhere. They are telling people that although the fires are diminishing, the air quality will be awful for days. We are all due to return to school and work on Monday. It has been a strange week.
On Monday morning, they were announcing school closures on the radio and I had flash backs to snow days in Washington state. The difference is, on a snow day, you could play outside in the snow all day with your friends, and in this case, we were all inside cloistered around the TV waiting for the notice to evacuate. I know this is not a unique thing. People all over the world have to endure this scare, but when you have to pack up what you think is important, it really makes you realize what you really care about. All of this stuff in my house is mostly just "stuff." Many people have lost their homes, but amazingly, only three people died. Two of them were a couple that refused to leave their home and went down in the fire. Sad, really.
I've heard on TV that people are making a connection between San Diego and New Orleans. They are speculating that because SD is a rich, white county, that is why our evacuees were treated "better" by the US government. Let me tell you that when they started evacuating to Qualcomm stadium, they asked for donations from the community, and they got it. They got so many donations that they had to ask for the donations to stop. Animals were taken care of, people were housed and fed, all because our community stepped up. The federal government didn't help out until days later. On a side note, in SD county, whites are the minorities! So, whoever is pulling the race card doesn't know what the hell they are talking about. This has been devastating for SD county, put the community is stepping up. Maybe that's what the difference is.
My family is all safe. My friends are all safe, too. We know someone who lost his house in the fire, and our cousin moved back into his house yesterday. His house survived while some of his neighbors' houses burned. He was lucky, as are we.
Four years ago, there was a big fire, the Cedar fire, that burned a lot of our county, but it was nothing like this. It will be a time for change in our communities, but it will get better! San Diego is a beautiful place to live.
I appreciate everyone writing and commenting their well-wishes. Thanks. And thanks to the firefighters who kept us safe and those that are still out there trying to get this fire put out.
Peace Out,
Mom

Our city is on fire!

10/23/2007 11:18:00 AM 3 Comments »

We can see the fire if we step outside. It really is quite unnerving. Yesterday, we went to work in the morning until they sent us home. The winds were whipping around and my hair was flying. The scent of ash and smoke was in the air, and I suddenly thought of the movie Firestarter. I felt almost powerful. I can't really explain it. Then, we were called to pick up the boys. Three boys, three different schools. All of them were complete chaos. Parents were freaking out, kids were relishing the excitment and fear in the air. This is something that they can talk about with their friends when it is all over...Where were you when the fires were threatening our schools, our homes, our businesses? My feeling of power soon gave way to feelings of powerlessness as I looked out and saw the fire creeping over and down the hill. It is right by where we got married. It makes me sad and reminds me that life is treacherous.
We are not supposed to use our cell phones, but it's hard not to want to call everyone you know just to find out if they are okay. We have packed the van with our papers, photos, and overnight clothes. I let the boys put a bag together with their keepsakes, just in case. They are worried, and we do our best to explain things to them, but they are worried about their friends, their schools, and their "stuff." My oldest asked me if I had my most prized posessions packed away in the van. I looked at him and told him that my most prized posession was standing right in front of me, and I will make sure he is safe. All I care about is that we survive. The rest is just "stuff."
My heart goes out to everyone who is in danger. Be safe. And if they tell you to leave, get out!

Tired and Busy

10/17/2007 10:26:00 PM 0 Comments »
I was remarking to a blogger friend that I may have finally reached the point where my foundation is cracking. I am growing weary of this busy life. It is just non-stop! I need a break. My brain hurts. My kids are great and they really help to keep me sane. They are the reason I work so hard, and yet they are the reason I don't want to work at all. Weird, huh? Back to the grind...
Peace out,
Mom
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