25 Random Things About Me

Okay, if you're on facebook, you've probably already seen this. However, I know some of you have not joined yet (or will never join), so this is for you. Enjoy! (or not...you may want to go watch "Tool Academy" or something equally entertaining)

25 Random Things About Me

1. I am totally in love with my daughter. Head-over-heels love. I had no idea that I could love someone so much and so intensely. Even when she's 2 feet away from me, I miss her. I finally understand why "they" say, "Having a child is making a decision to forever have your heart be walking around outside of your body." My greatest fear is something happening to her that I can't control.

2. I crushed my knee in 1995 on a white water rafting trip. You might remember that year...it rained the entire month of March. Rivers were way up. I had 3 surgeries and was on crutches for 8 months. I was supposed to get a total knee replacement in 2005 but that has yet to happen. Keep fingers crossed...

3. I was a Jehovah's Witness growing up. To those of you who don't know much about that, I was taught that anyone who wasn't a witness was bad and not to be friends with and I was taught you all were going to die a fiery death when Armageddon came and the day of judgement caught you all in your horrendous deeds. I've been waiting for that day to come and so far...nada.

4. My greatest regret (to date) is that I never finished high school. I dropped out after sophomore year to be a better Witness. I became an Ordained Minister (I could have performed marriages at 16!) and finished high school through the mail. However, my dad never paid the final bill so I never got my diploma. I couldn't go to college until I was 21 because of that.

5. I have one tattoo and don't need any more. I fear that if I get another one, they'll just keep multiplying like rabbits.

6. I was a bartender for 2 years at a pretty nice restaurant in Cherry Creek. Still miss that hoppin' lifestyle! But...I can make a mean Cosmo!

7. I can play the piano, violin, oboe, drums, xylophone (the real one you see in bands and orchestras...not Maelin's toy one), cello, clarinet and the flute (although not very well). Music is the one thing that seems to be lost as I get older. My piano is still at my friend's house while I make room for it here. I plan to bring it home soon. Violin got hocked to pay rent when I was 19.

8. I taught English in Italy for 3 months in 2002. Best experience of my life (besides Maelin, of course). I had never been out of the country by myself before and I cried like a baby the entire first night. Was too afraid to cross the street in France to go get some dinner so I stayed on my hotel bed and ate the oreos my mom had given me before I left. However, this remains one of the things I will be most proud of accomplishing. I recommend it to everyone: being on your own in a foreign country forces you to figure out real quick who you are. This is one of the reasons I'm so in love with Italy and its people.

9. I plan on retiring in Italy (specifically Umbria or Sorrento or Rome) one day. Kevin and I disagree on this. It's good we have a few years to discuss because I'm going!

10. I am terrified of heights. I start shaking on staircases that you can see through. Don't get me started on Seattle's Space Needle or the Eiffel Tower. Very pretty to look at but only from a safe distance. This fear gets worse as I get older...

11. I love Disneyland, Disney World and the Magic that is Walt Disney. They really are the "Happiest Place(s) on Earth!"

12. I'm the first one in my family to get a Bachelors Degree...I'm also the first one in my family to get a Masters Degree. Very proud of both of those. Went to school at night and on weekends while holding down a full time job to finish both. Took 5 years for the BA and 3 for the MA. Will take 10 times that long to pay off the student loans.

13. I would not be who I am today or where I am today without my friends.

14. I love my Mother-in-Law. Really!

15. I do not own an IPod. Or an IPhone. Or an MP3 player. Or much else. I'm somewhat a tech-phobe. I figure if I need it, Kevin will get it and share.

16. I have no idea what music I'm into these days because Maelin insists on only "Mamma Mia" playing in the car. Nothing else will do. If I try to play something else, she'll quickly scream, "NOOOOOOO...NOT MIA, NOT MIA!" Our commute to and from work is getting unbearable.

17. My job is okay. Neither love it or hate it. I figure I'll keep doing it as long as "they" tell me I'm still good at it. Too tired to figure out something else I could do that still gives me good retirement benefits (see # 9) and summers off to be with Maelin.

18. I suffered from Post-Partum Depression for 14 months after having Maelin. Incredibly debilitating. Especially when working full-time and having to do a good job there as well. Just recently got off the drugs and I feel like I'm doing okay. Have most of my energy back and have stopped thinking awful thoughts.

19. I've been to Brazil, Italy, Canada, Mexico, France, England, Netherlands and Belgium. Italy is my favorite. (what, you couldn't guess that????)

20. My youngest sister lives in Seattle and I would seriously consider moving there if need be. Only other place other than Colorado I'd move to. I totally love it. I love the feel of the city, how it's always green and flowers are everywhere, how everything is independent and you don't see strip malls and chain restaurants on every corner. Maybe someday...

21. I HATE cleaning my house. Despise it. Loathe it. Why even bother??? It just gets messy again. Especially with two very furry cats and a toddler who's favorite game is to hand me dirt from the house plants. Some of the best times in my life was before Maelin and we could afford a cleaner once a month. My God. Total heaven to come home from work and find the entire house gleaming. Smells of lemon and sunshine and rainbows. Even the toilet paper was folded into a pretty little point. I told Kevin I would stop eating dinner to save money so we could have that angel come back but he didn't believe me. Sigh...it's awful when you have it and then it gets taken away. Even now I walk into my dusty house and think, "I must tell the maid to dust that next time she's here....!"

22. I am incredibly and fiercely jealous of stay-at-home moms. What I wouldn't give to be able to stay home with Maelin every day and be able to play, read and sing with her. Instead I'm in a room with 26 8-year-olds who don't care much about school and yell and scream at me while I miss 2/3 of her life. Hmmmmm...maybe I should revisit the drug thing (see #18)

23. I know how lucky I am to have most of my immediate family living nearby.

24. I'm terrified of having another baby. We think we want one soon, but I'm really nervous about going through the awful pregnancy (mine was torture), the depression, the lack of sleep, the money issue, etc. (we really want Maelin to have a sibling. I LOVE my brother and sisters and really want that for Maelin.) Maelin was 1000 % worth all of it so the hope is that the 2nd one would be worth it too. We'll see.

25. I'm getting ready to start another business. Stay tuned...


My favorite place on earth...Sorrento, Italy.

Another Story About My Students

The officers who donated all the gifts to my classroom for Christmas wrote a story about it and published it on their Air Force website. Here's the link to the story if you want to take a look.

Just so you know, it adds a few quotes from the officers who were involved and gives another aspect to the story. Grab some tissues before you read it: you may need them. :-)

Auntie Vanessa's Visit

My wonderful sister Vanessa was just here for a visit and we love having her! She lives in Seattle now (which I would move to in a second if I had the chance) and is a manager of a gorgeous flower boutique there so she doesn't get a whole lot of time off. The last time she was here was for Maelin's 1st birthday so she got to see a lot of new things: our new house, Maelin counting, Maelin saying her ABC's and all sorts of other stuff.

We had a fantastic time. We picked her up from the airport and headed downtown to Osteria Marco. Wonderful restaurant. Can't say enough good things about it. GO if you get the chance. We had lots of fun hanging out there with our other sister Heather, Aunt Kat, my friend Emily and Vanessa's friend Charity. The best part was at the end when our rich (?) sister whipped out her credit card at the end of the meal and paid for everyone...hmmmmmm. Maybe she can afford to pay for Mae and I to go visit her this year too...

The rest of the weekend was pretty chill. We hung out at our house a lot and played with Maelin. We went to Green Chili Night at my Dad's house (which he is famous for) and we took Maelin and her two cousins, Ryan and Cole to Casa Bonita! They LOVED it there. We were all laughing because nothing has changed there. They haven't updated or changed a darn thing in the 20+ years we've been going. In a way that's comforting, but disturbing at the same time.

Anyway, Vanessa finally had to go home and after she left, Maelin walked around the house saying "Auntie?" with her hands in the air. Where did Auntie go? Very cute and sad. Here are a few pictures of our time with my "Single and Fabulous!" sister!

"America Got A Little Bit Cool Again!"

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

I haven't posted in a bit because my wonderful little (not little...she's 30 but I'll always think of her that way) sister was in town visiting from Seattle. I have some great stories and pictures from her visit that I should be able to get posted tonight or tomorrow so hold on for those...

In the meantime, I want to honor the change that took place here in America and around the world yesterday. I know there are millions of posts out there about what happened yesterday, but I wanted to put in my two cents...

We now have a new President. Thank goodness. As you probably know, I have never been a fan of our old President and I've been worried for years on the direction he felt was right for our country and for the world. In my travels abroad, I came across numerous people who ALWAYS said, "We like Americans but we hate your President" or "America is okay but your President is an idiot" or "Do you realize how your President is alienating the rest of the world?" I always agreed and was a bit sad that our foreign relations had gotten to such a new low. I hoped someday, someone would come along to change that.

That day has FINALLY arrived. After 8 long years of waiting, we now have an articulate, eloquent President.

Someone who wants to bridge our relationships with the world. "And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect."

Someone who wants to spend time and money making public education work for our students. "...and we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age."

Someone who is interested in the benefits that immigrants bring to this nation and wants to create a legal, safe and fair way for them to get here to realize their dreams. "Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more."

Someone who thinks that all citizens are valuable and worthwhile: not just the wealthiest of our society. "...and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."

Someone who wants to protect our freedoms and our safety...without terrifying us to do it. "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

Someone who will FINALLY invest in different sorts of energy and change health care into a RIGHT, not an PRIVILEGE. "We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. All this we can do. And all this we will do."

I'm feeling very hopeful this morning. I am so excited to see where our new President leads us. For the first time in a long time, I'm feeling proud of being an American again...here and in the eyes of the world. To quote someone in Britain that I read online last night:
"America got a little bit cool again."

Thank You For Being Santa Claus!!!

My class has written "Thank You" letters for all their wonderful Christmas gifts that YOU helped to give them. I have taken pieces of their letters to share with all of you. THANK YOU for all the wonderful generosity you have shown these kids! It's something they'll never forget... (I didn't correct their spelling...) :-)

“…I really like what you gave me because I was brock and I berley had some soks now I hav plenty of soks.” ~Aaliyah

“…thank you, it was my best day!” ~Juan

“…thak you for presns bekze santa detent com to my howz. I like the spidrmn glvs!” ~Axel

“…I know you really care about us and spended a lot of money but do you know how happy Mrs. Corzine was she was crying because she never ever seen us so happy.” ~Esynce

“…Thank you for all the stuf you got me I wos so happy I almost fanted and it is a day I will never forget.” ~Emily

“…my favorite presents is the jacket because it is blue and one of the air force gentleman sade my blue jacket made my eyes stand out.” ~Faythe

“…thank you again and can you please come visit one time?” ~Christina

“…thank you for buying me presents and I hope I can see you some day!” ~Nickolas

“…I appreciate all the presents we had was greater than anything and it was better than a best party and awsome.” ~Adrian

“…thank you for everything! It was awesome that day and I was so happy!” ~Mckayla

“…thank you for the socks, hat, gloves we needed all of that stuff! Thank you again and I hope I see you around! I will do very good in school!” ~Robert

“…Thank you for all you bot me. I am really appreciateing because I needed soks and hats and more swuetrs.” ~Karla

“…it was the becst day of my life and I will never friget it and thank you for all the stuff! I love my new book the Chinese Dragon Painter is great!” ~Eric

“…The thing I liked most was the Hannah Montana sweater because Hannah Montana is my favorite. It was so nice of you to do that. Thank you!” ~Jade

“…When Air Force man came, I was very surprised. I almost cry for all those things. When my dad come he was very excited too. Thank you for all those things and thank you again!” ~Darcy

“…I like the gloves and sweatr that go with it and that was a grat Christmas I had.” ~Tazia

“Dear Air Force Guys I was really surpiresd wen you brought the jump ropes and the hats and balls it was the Best day ever.” ~Delilah

“…thank you all my mom was happy so thank you love you it was a good day.” ~Miguel

“…I also liked the cloths that you gave us because I didn’t have harly any cloths but now I do so thank you very much! I will do what you said I will do good in school.” ~Gabriel

“…Thank you for all my stuff! My mom and dad were surprised when I brouth all the stuff home and I love my new stuff!” ~Valery

“…Also it was fantastic because nothing like this hade happen and I like the sweter because it was fluffy and I promise to be good in school.” ~Jasel

“Thank you for my High School Musical sweater I love it. You people are the best I mean that’s the bestest thing that happened in the world. I’m most likely positive that that will never happen from somebody else. Sargent Alex please tell your Wife thank you for the cookieys they were good.” ~Domonique

“…I appreciate all the things you got for our class. That Friday was an awesome day. I was so excited that I was running around everywhere. It was just like my birthday because it was so fun. Thank you for the books and stuff!” ~Angelique

“…thank you for the hats that you bought me and the ball and the sweater! When I got my presents I was very exited for everything.” ~Alexis

“…Thank you so much for the gifts because my brother was happy because I share the legos with him. Then, thank you for the clohes and gloves and the hat so on cold days I wear them. Last is thank you for books and the balls. I will do better at school!” ~Daniel

“..I love my presents especially my legos. Thank you so much for all the presents!” ~Christian

The Death of a Dear Friend

An Obituary printed in the London Times.......

Interesting, and sadly rather true

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Our Smart Little Girl

I'm not a fan of bragging. I also think that every parent thinks their child is amazing, a genius, gorgeous and/or talented. However, we all know that there are a lot of funny looking, not smart and couldn't carry a tune kids in this world so SOMEONE has to be bragging a bit...or stretching the truth a tad.

As this is my blog and you have the complete right to stop reading right now, I'm going to brag just a bit. My daughter is a genius.

She's only 21 months old and she knows ALL her ABC's. She knows them backwards and forwards. If she sees a random x somewhere, she points to it and says "sssssxxsss". She knows what it is. Just now we were playing with her 52 piece ABC puzzle and she knew EVERY letter. She went right to every single one (lower case and upper case), said its name and then said something that letter started with. Example: M was for "moke" (milk). A was for "appl". She knows them!! It's totally crazy. My friend Kate teaches kindergarten and she's always talking about how she gets kids who are 5+ years old who don't know what letter their name starts with or what the color red looks like. My 21 month old can do light dances around those kids! (which is actually pretty sad, if you think about it)

I have a quick story to emphasize my point and prove that I'm NOT stretching the truth. We were at the Children's Museum on Sunday for my nephew Ryan's birthday. We were playing with a computer and a little boy who was about 4 or so and his daddy were playing with us. The daddy was trying to get the little boy to find the letter "D" on the keyboard. He was saying, "Find D...D for Donovan!" He kept saying it over and over and the little boy was pointing to random letters...first he tried A and then S and then P (which I thought was pretty good because P does look a bit like D) and the Daddy was saying, "No, that's not D...where's D?"

Maelin was probably getting a bit tired of this because after about 2 minutes of them looking for "D", she looked at the boy and reached across him and hit the letter "D" and said, "D!" Then she looked at me and went back to playing with the computer.

The Daddy started laughing and said, "Wow...how old is she??" I didn't want him to feel bad so I said she was 2. He said, "Boy...girl genius!!" I smiled and said, "At some things...she still eats dirt!" to make it seem like I wasn't bragging, but deep inside I was.

Look at my little girl...showing the 4 year old how to find his letters!!! If there was a way to do a little tap dance then and there, believe me, I would have. (not really). I'm just so stinkin' proud of my smart little girl.

I'm not foolish enough to think that this means she's going to get a scholarship to Harvard or something ridiculous like that, but a parent can dream, can't I??? Maybe she won't be a genius all her life, but that won't stop me from being excited about it for now!!!


p.s. She also knows all her numbers...in English and in Spanish. :-)

Time off work...good thing???

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much time teachers get off of work. It's great...sometimes referred to as ATTO (All That Time Off...you know you've heard that or maybe even said it yourself!).

Anyway, teachers do get ATTO: we have to. The kids get burned out, the teachers get burned out and everyone needs a rest. However...

It's actually pretty hard. When you have a little one, your life thrives on schedules and routines. Bedtime, naptime, lunchtime, etc. are all built around schedules. Throw in something different and it wrecks havoc on your little one's life: they're just not used to it. For example:

During the school year, Maelin goes to bed by 9. She's always asleep by 9:30. I have to wake her up at 7:15 every morning (which is awful...she's always exhausted) and we leave right away for daycare. No breakfast or anything. She eats a cereal bar in the car on the way and gets oatmeal when she gets there. Naptime is around 1pm and we get home by 5:30 every night. Then dinner and playtime and bed.

During ATTO, life is a bit more relaxed. Maelin loves to sleep in and not being one to hate that myself, I let her. She usually sleeps till at least 8:30am (which is heaven) and we get up and lounge around in jammies. Breakfast comes around 10 which is usually pancakes or eggs or something like that. Naptime is around 2pm and bedtime (last night anyway...the child was awake!) is at 10pm.

So my thought is...tomorrow I go back to work. I HATE that...I love being home with MaeMae and I'm really sad at the thought that I'm back to missing 2/3 of her life. Anyway, I have to try to get her back on her schedule tomorrow. I have to try to get her to go to bed early tonight, I have to wake her up tomorrow, I have to try to get her to remember Sandra at daycare and I have to get her used to the commute all over again.

It's actually really hard. She never wants to stay at Sandra's after a break...she gets really clingy and it's awful. So we're in for a tough few days. For her and for me...I'm going to be very sad having to wake her up, having to immediately get her dressed and not let her watch "The Wiggles" in her jammies with a bowl of cheerios in the morning (which is what she's doing right now), having to force her into the car (which she hates first thing in the morning), leave her at Sandra's (which she's NOT going to like...very much dreading that) and then try to do it again the next day.

Also, ATTO gives me a glimpse of what my life COULD be like if I was a stay-at-home-mom. It's a big tease. It's not real because I'm getting my paycheck and we don't have to worry about $$$ like we would if I didn't work. However, it is a quick look at it and it's wonderful. I'd love it.

So my point in all this is: ATTO is amazing and I know as a teacher, I'm lucky to have it. However, it does come with a price when you have a little one. Getting them back on their schedule is not an easy task...especially when you have an opinionated little drama queen who does NOT like change.

Send some positive thoughts my way for tomorrow morning. It's not going to be a fun day.

Why I Love Winter Vacation

In the past, I've done a few lists of things I loved, things I hated, etc. With my winter vacation rapidly coming to an end :-( I thought I'd do a quick list of Reasons Why Winter Vacation is Awesome...including a few pictures of course!

Why I Love Winter Vacation

1. I get to stay home every day and play all day long with my funny little girl (I thought that should be number 1 since it's the most obvious...get it out of the way)

2. We sleep in (oh yes...for those of you who remember my posts last year about how sleep-deprived I was...no more!!!) Maelin goes down for the night during vacation around 9:30pm and sleeps the whole night through till...8:30am! A few days this week, I had to go wake her up!! It's wonderful

3. Breakfast in our jammies

4. Feeling like I know my little girl again and I know how she spends her day

5. Being there for each new word and discovery...instead of hearing about it 2nd hand from the baby-sitter

6. Naptime. This is by far the best part of our day. Maelin and I take naps together when I'm not working. We snuggle in in our big bed and she falls asleep with her head on my arm and is so peaceful and beautiful and wonderful...then I fall asleep with her and we both wake up about a hour later and she pops up laughing and excited because I'm there and she loves the big bed. It's fantastic

7. Going places we don't have time for during the busy work week: the zoo, the mall, the park, Grandma's work for lunch, lunch with friends, etc. Today we wandered down our street and stopped by each neighbors' house to say hello as we threw rocks into the street. Lazy fun days

8. Not feeling exhausted every night

9. Not feeling guilty every night because I only have about 2 hours every day to see Maelin in-between work, the commute, laundry, dinner and a million other things I have to get done every day

10. Having time to actually cook dinner...and sit and enjoy it

11. Reading endless books with Maelin...she LOVES books and I'm usually too tired and worn out at the end of the work day to spend too much time reading to her

12. Seeing my friends again! Because I've spent all day with Mae, I don't feel guilty leaving her with Daddy or Papa Dan to go hang out with my friends for a few hours. That does not usually happen while I'm working because I want to spend my few free hours with my baby girl

13. Feeling like a real mommy: not just the lady who pops in at the end of the day to see how she's doing

14. Spending time with Kevin: he's been off too a lot the past couple of weeks and I remember how much I actually like the guy!

15. Moving slowly. During the work week and the weekends, I'm always so busy. I have so much to do during the weekends to catch up and prepare for the following week, that we never get to just hang out outside for hours...there's always something happening next. This vacation I purposely didn't make many plans so Mae and I could enjoy just being...not rushing from one activity to the next

16. Getting to see every smile, every burst of laughter and every giggle...before they're gone. Mae is growing up so darn fast and my biggest sadness about working full-time is that I'm missing a lot of it. Vacations give me the opportunity to catch up on those things and makes me feel (even if for a few weeks) that I'm not missing a thing

17. Not setting the alarm clock at night!!! Isn't that the best?

18. Not having to wear work-clothes or worry about what I'm wearing the next day

19. Spending time with family we don't get to see very often (cousins, Nana, Aunties, etc.)

20. Watching Mae and Kevin play together is priceless. They have so much fun when it's just the 2 of them and he's really busy during the week too so he misses her just as much. Today they spent about 2 hours outside just rolling in the dirt, playing in the sandbox, throwing sticks...they had a great time

21. Loving my girl full-time is amazing. She's just the brightest ray of love and sunshine ever. She's amazing and I'm so lucky to be her mommy

I think that's about it. Here are a few pictures that show some of the things we've done during our vacation. It's been great...

How many days till Summer Vacation???