My kids can shoot

Now that we have our new digital SLR camera, we've become less concerned about the well-being of our old point-and-shoot camera. So this afternoon I gave in to the boys' pleas and allowed to them to play with the camera for a little while. I looped the camera strap around 3Po's wrist and told him to take a photo of whatever he thought looked nice, as many photos as he wanted, then did the same for CleanBoy.

The resulting pictures were quite interesting. It may have been luck, but I thought some of their shots were very well framed. At the very least, it's an interesting glimpse into a 4-year-old's aesthetic sense. So in keeping with this week's Photo Hunter's theme of Thirteen, here are 13 of 3Po and CleanBoy's best photos:

Time to Feast!

I haven't participated in a Fridays Feast meme for quite a while, so here goes..

Appetizer : Name a color you find soothing.
Powder blue, the blue of my bedroom.

Soup : Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.
I was 17. My instructor was a funny little man who kept droning, "shift", "clutch", "half-brake", until I got it.

Salad : What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?
Soft, comfy knit cotton.

Main Course : Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?
I don't think Iwould ever spend the night in line for tickets for anyone -- I'd rather watch it on TV!

Dessert: What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?
The letter "A" -- it appears 6 times in my full name (I have 5 names in my full name!)

For more feasts, click here.

A Blast from the Past

Since it's just about time to celebrate Love Thursday and since the Pea recently celebrated her 7th birthday, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and look at photos of her past birthdays.

Here she is just two weeks ago, celebrating her 7th birthday...

And here she is last year on her 6th...

Her fifth...

Her fourth...

Her third...

Her second...

Her first ...


And here she is on her real birthday.

Just looking at these makes my heart want to burst with all the love I feel for her. Even after all these years, she's still my Sweet Pea.

Book Giveaway: Parenting, Inc.

Attention, new and expectant parents: Do you know the difference between Bees, Cameleons and Frogs? Between a Mei Tai and a Bjorn? Do you know who Phil & Ted are? Should you care? If questions like these are making your stomach flutter more than the baby kicking inside you, you ought to read Parenting, Inc: How We are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers -- and What It Means for Our Children. And for the next 2 weeks we're giving you a chance to read it for free. Head on over to my book giveaway post, leave a comment there and get a chance to win a free copy of the book!

A Twisted Tale

Talk about karma: after teasing Alfie's mother mercilessly for her antiquated laundry methods (i.e. she dries her clothes on a clothesline), we now find ourselves with a broken dryer and fifty feet of clothesline strung out on the side of the house. I've had to twist it back and forth through the trees so that I have enough space for all of the wash.

What a twist. I, the eternal laundry procrastinator, who likes to leave at least a week, preferrably ten days, between laundry days, now find myself having to do laundry daily. Ugh.

Click here to read more about my laundry sob story on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog.....

And for more twisted stories, click here.

Allergies: Nothing to sneeze at

Fridays Feast is having the day off today, so I thought I'd try a different meme today: Aloha Friday. All you have to do is post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

My question of the day is related to allergies. I used to be allergic to chocolate and shellfish. Thank God I outgrew the chocolate allergy; eating shellfish still causes me to break out with red, watery, itchy, swollen eyes (it's not pretty). But lately I've been having allergy attacks nearly every day. Actually, my whole family has been suffering (Alfie does get spring allergies but the kids don't have any allergies that we know of). Our theories regarding the cause range from our neighbor's jasmine tree to increased pollution to the spray that Bay Area counties are using to get rid of the apple moth infestation.

Come to think of it, nearly every family we know has some sort of allergy these days: peanuts, wheat, gluten, pollen, you name it. When I was growing up, we were the only family I knew that had any allergies at all. What's happening? Which bring me to my question:

Do you suffer from allergies? And have you noticed an increase in allergy suffering among the people you know in recent years? What do you suppose is the reason?

Play the Game, Save a Life

I hated mosquito nets. I slept under one for almost every night of my childhood, for almost 18 years, until my parents could no longer force me to set one up. It seemed like the silliest of things. None of my other friends in Metro Manila used mosquito nets; they relied on airconditioning to keep their bedrooms cool, and consequently, mosquito-free.

What a child I was, what an innocent, self-centered child. I don't think I was ever at serious risk of contracting malaria, but I failed to see the importance of that silly pink plastic cover. I didn't realize that there are millions of people around the world for whom mosquito nets can save lives. And I didn't realize that there are millions of people around the world for whom mosquito nets are an unaffordable luxury.

It only takes $10 to deliver a net, protect a family and save a life. And from now until April 25, it actually won't cost you anything. Check out Deliver the Net from Nothing But Nets. Just play the game and they'll send a net for you. What could be easier?

An American Girl Fashion Show

For The Pea's 7th birthday, her grandmother and I took her to an American Girl Fashion Show . Despite the $45 price tag, we naively weren't expecting much; a few nibbles and a nice fashion show in some function room. All I can say is, the folks at American Girl must be secretly tutored (or owned) by Disney, because just like Disney, They. Go. All. Out. In other words, Bongga.

The show was held at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, an absolutely gorgeous located on the former estate of William Randolph Heart's mother. Driving up the winding road to the clubhouse (note to Bongga Sister, who plans to move to Pleasanton in June: boy, have I got the perfect neighborhood for you to go house-hunting in!), we passed well-manicured lawns and putting greens and pools and fountains that screamed, Money! Class! Don't forget our No-Denim Dresscode!. The parlor room where people picked up their tickets and waited for the show to begin proved to be just as elegant.

The show's main sponsor, Girl Ambition, had a booth with some freebies, cute shirts and a Celebrity Interview station where they interview girls who are willing to get in front of the camera and talk about why they love their American Girl dolls. The Pea and her friend were too shy to volunteer.

There were a few souvenir items for sale, like posters and notebooks and doll outfits with matching girl-sized tshirts. Whyever didn't they sell the matching girl-sized skirt as well? If they had, they could have pried another $15 from our pockets.

They had an assortment of door prizes as well as a separate raffle with some really fabulous things, such as dolls, backpacks and beds. Raffle tickets cost $10 and I never win at raffles, so I decided to resist entertaining the fantasy of paying $10 and winning a Mia doll.


Upon entering the ballroom, each little girl was given a special American Girl goody bag with stickers, a notepad, keepsake book and coloring page (I quickly made a mental note to photocopy it for future "Mama I'm bored" days; click here for the coloring pages). We proceded to our table, gawking and gaping at the beautifully decorated ballroom.

Instead of nibbles, we found quite a substantial lunch at our places (thank goodness we didn't have time to stop at a McDonald's on the way over!).

The fashion show itself was really cute. Models walked the runway dressed to match the American Girl dolls they held in their arms. We saw the well-loved American Girl historical characters like Kaya....

Addy....

Kit...

Julie, and all the others.....

.... as well as a bunch of girls in contemporary clothing (The American Girl of Today).


I was totally surprised by what a good show they put on and how much I enjoyed it. A cheapskate like me doesn't usually say this, but it was totally worth the money and I'd pay it again if I had the chance. Look at it this way: people pay $100 for Cirque du Soleil or $40 for The Nutcracker every Christmastime. Your little girl will appreciate this just as much.

Speaking of little girls, The Pea loved it. It was absolutely the perfect birthday present. She was thrilled to dress up and join us and her doll and her best friend and other girls and mums and grans, all dressed up and acting like little ladies. Her table manners were impeccable. She was thoroughly transfixed the entire time. When she saw her own Just Like Me doll appear on the runway in one model's arms, her entire face lit up. And as much as I enjoyed watching the girls on the runway, I preferred watching my own little American Girl.

Sunshine in a bottle

The green bottles used to hold Italian soda, the blue one used to hold sparkling water. 99.9999999% of the time I throw them into the recycling bin, but something made me hang on to these three. That was around 7 or 8 years ago. I still love how the sun shines through them. Funny how ordinary bits of colored glass can brighten up a kitchen windowsill.

For more pieces of glass, click here.

We heart baby dolls

As far as photo quality goes, this one ranks with the lowest of the low, probably the worst of all my Love Thursday posts. But I couldn't resist featuring it. Alfie's parents recently bought a vintage motorcycle model and the boys were thrilled to find that it was just the right size for their baby dolls, Pansy (in the pink suit) and Jane (on the motorbike). The motorcycle is not a toy, but Alfie let Pansy and Jane ride for 5 precious minutes each.

Yes, 3Po and CleanBoy play with dolls (they used to belong to The Pea but she gave them up so that all 3 could play dollies together). They dress them and serve them tea and make them speak in baby voices to each other and generally love them to death. And I couldn't be happier. It shows they are loving and nurturing human beings. Hopefully the way they treat these dolls will be the way they treat kittens, babies, and other people later on in life.

For more expressions of love, click here.