Fridays Feast #156

Appetizer: Describe your laundry routine.
Behold my laundry routine:

1. Wait until we have no more clean clothes to wear or until my husband complains.
2. Then all the laundry in one go so that by the time I'm done, I'm so sick of laundry that I put it off for as long as possible.
3. Go back to step one (see photo above)
   

Soup: in your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?
I'll start feeling old if ever I need to be cared for like a baby: when I start needing help to get dressed and fed. I hope I never become a burden to my children!

Salad: What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?
To be a happier parent and a happier person.

Main Course: Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.
Three things come to mind:
1. I recently blogged about the Pot-Smoking Mom, and it still boggles my mind!
2. All the recent toy recalls from China leave me wondering, what next?
3. Finally, maybe I ought to move to this town in Italy and get paid to lose weight!

Dessert : On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?
Life is good! No time like the present to work on being a happier person (see Salad, above), so I'll say 10.

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Bonggamom rocks!

Jennifer has bestowed upon me the Rockin' Girl Blogger award; who knew that this little hot-pink badge could make a girl feel so good! To celebrate, here's a great back-to-school coupon for Free Shipping at Land's End (till Aug. 21, 2007). And here's how to get it:

1. On the Billing Information page, go to the section labeled “Source Code” (below the credit card payment box) and click the “add” button.
2. Enter the Source Code FALL and the PIN 457826560 in the space provided.

Or if you have a Lands’ End “Personal Shopping Account”….

1. Make your selections
2. Click “edit your payment information” on the Order Review Page
3. Enter your Source Code and PIN (shown above).

Or call 1-800-800-5800 and give your Source Code and PIN to the customer service representative

For those who care, I'm not being paid to endorse Lands' End. I just like their products and love free shipping. A Thanks! You rock! is payment enough :)

Now that it's time to pass the award along, I can't think of anyone right now who deserves a bit of recognition more than my future sister-in-law, Erica. She works full-time, pays her younger brothers' college tuition, maintains a long-distance relationship with her fiancee (my brother), who's halfway around the world from her, and is planning her wedding almost singlehandedly. She's even found the time to creat a neat little wedding wedsite to make sure that everyone is in the loop. Rock on!

Pot Smoking Moms

Now here's a hot topic that seems to be burning up the blogosphere lately: Pot-Smoking Moms (brought to my attention by the Ravin' Picture Maven, a fellow Maya's Mom participant). I try not to be a judgmental person, especially when it comes to parenting. I've had enough crazy moments of in my three-plus years of being a full-time parent not to appreciate how difficult it is, and I honestly think that many or most parents are really trying to do the right thing by their kids. And I think smoking pot -- just like smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol or dancing at clubs all night -- does not necessarily make one a bad parent.

But in this case, we're not talking of moms who smoke pot when their kids are in bed; this is about moms who smoke pot with their kids. In "I'm a Better Mother when Stoned", Pot-Smoking Mom writes, "It turned out I could not only manage taking care of my son while I was high; I could excel." Oh dear -- that's definitely not bongga. I'm all for sipping martinis at my daughter's soccer game, but I think I'll draw the line at this.

Pot-Smoking Mom claims that getting stoned helps her relax, focus on her child, "get down to his level", appreciate things from his point of view, and rediscover the simple, here-and-now pleasures with him. All very well and good, but honey, someone still needs to be the parent. So who's the responsible adult while you're stoned? Who's going to set limits and ensure your child's safety? Yes, it's great to wander around the mall with your child, delighting at the baubles in the windows and throwing coins into the fountain, but who's to say you won't decide to jump into the fountain with your child in tow? Yes, it sucks being the fuddy-duddy, boring old parent, but someone's gotta do it.

Everyone wants to throw away their cares sometimes and be focused solely on their children. But surely there are other ways to achieve the same end? How about spending some time away from your kids? That'll relax you and recharge you for the next time your kid has a "Kid from Hell" moment. Hire a babysitter and get thee to a spa. Or watch a movie with your partner. Or shop (that's my favorite method). And if you can't afford it, lock yourself in the bathroom with a glass of wine and/or a box of chocolates. All perfectly legal and guaranteed not to endanger your child.

What gives you goosebumps?

I get goosebumps all the time. Nights in the Bay Area are chilly all year round, and the medication I take tends to slow down my metabolism (okay, I'm also too lazy to throw on a sweater and socks). But the best (and sometimes, the worst) goosebumps are the ones that have nothing whatsoever to do with the temperature. Here are ten of my most memorable goosebump-inducing moments:

1) Receiving my first real kiss from my first boyfriend;

2) Seeing beams of light streaming through the stained glass windows into St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican;

3) Seeing the peaks and falls from Yosemite Valley for the very first time;

4) Hearing the Flower Duet from Lakme for the very first time (I will always love my husband for playing it to me);

5) Seeing the view from my husband's (then boyfriend's) bedroom for the first time and knowing without a doubt that I wanted to wake up one day staring at that view;

6) Hearing my husband (then boyfriend) tell me he loved me for the very first time;

7) Seeing image after image of courage, sacrifice and loss during the months following the Twin Towers Collapse on 9/11;

8) Feeling my newly-born daughter being laid down on my chest;

9) Hearing a door slam, seeing my two-year-old son's finger trapped in a door, and upon extricating it, seeing his poor little pinkie squashed as FLAAAT as a pancake (it was broken, of course).

10) Hearing my son run into our bedroom at six in the morning, feeling him snuggle up to Alfie and me, and smelling his sweet baby scent as he falls asleep between us.

What gives you goosebumps? Find out what others say here.

Photo Hunters: Row

This is the only time in my life I've had cornrows in my hair. I had so much fun with them that I resolved to get them done every time I went to Hawaii. Unfortunately, that was almost six years ago, and we haven't been to Hawaii since :( Oh, well, one of these days (or years) we'll be back.

For more rows, click here.

Fridays Feast #155

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of pie?
Apple pie, with a crumb/streusel topping.

Soup
Name something that made you smile this week.
My daughter's first sunflower bloomed earlier this week :)

Salad
What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
Go to an indoor airconditioned mall and shop!

Main Course
You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
I'd pick our living room, and to spruce it up I would buy my husband a wide-screen TV. The poor dear has wanted one for so long!

Dessert
Fill in the blank: My ____ says ____, but I ____.
My horoscope reading today says there has been a lot of change in my life lately, but I disagree.

Hungry for more? Click here.

The Pea dives as well

Not to be outdone by her brother, The Pea decided to get over her fear of the diving board and give it a go. Her first couple of tries were almost belly flops, so it's no wonder she's still a bit nervous, but in the end she managed to hit the water feet first.

Eat it or Wear it

Overheard at breakfast:
(Pea is trying to convince me that she is big enough to pour her cereal and milk into her bowl all by herself)

Pea: Mama, may I pour the milk on myself?
3Po: You don't want to do thaaaat, you'll get all sticky!

Back-To-School Savings at Gymboree

I can't believe we have less than three weeks left of summer vacation! The Pea starts school on August 28th, and her brothers begin a week later. My mother, who is here for her annual "see the grandkids" visit, brought a ton of hand-me-down clothes for The Pea, courtesy of my aunt and my 11-year-old cousin, and my sister sent along her 7-year-old son's clothes for the twins. Since both my aunt and sister are certified shopaholics, all three children have more than enough clothes in nearly-new condition -- and to them, it's just like getting new clothes anyway.

But for those who can't rely on hand-me-downs to stock up on their kids' back-t0-school wardrobe, here's a Gymboree back-to-school coupon I got in the mail, good for 20% off your entire purchase (one-time use per customer, expires August 15, 2007). Just type in the promotion code below when you check out online:

210503818173

(For those of you who care, I'm not being paid for this post, I'm just a mom who loves to shop and hates to pay full price). I'm sorely tempted to use it myself, but the kids' closets are already bulging with stuff! So use it with my love, and Happy Shopping!

Jammy dives in

I'm sure Jammy isn't the youngest person ever to jump off a diving board; somewhere in the world there's probably a 1-year-old who's toddled off or a 9-month-old who's crawled off. But I'm proud of him anyway. Maybe it's because he looks so absurdly small compared to the length of the board and the distance from the water. To me, it was like he was jumping off the cliffs of Acapulco. I was terrified he would slip and hit his head on the way down, but Jammy showed no fear whatsoever. He just cautiously made his way to the edge and calmly stepped off into his teacher's waiting arms. That's my boy!