it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

a neighborly day for a beauty, won't you be mine? could you be mine...? i wonder if Mr Rogers is still on tv... Sam refused, REFUUUSED to watch him, said there was somefink odd about him (at 2 years old no less...). hmm, i always liked him (but i do seem to be drawn to oddities)

Trader Joe's way more chocolate chip cookies were the giveaway item today. we go to the tasting hut daily for our morning snack and coffee. no matter what they are serving Danny exclaims "hmm-mm!! i wuf this Mama!! i want to buy this!" so i do and when we get it home, he never touches it again. but i have a feeling the way more chocolate chip cookies may be the exception to the Dandy Pipkin rule :)

on the way home we talked about Air Force One and Air Force Two and why the president and vice president always travel separately. he was curious about the vice president, his name and about his pets and thinks that Jimmy Neutron would make a great replacement president for Obama:) he apparently is too smart to just be the vice president...

something weird is going on with my nose today - i have a ski slope nose, but today it is definitely more pronounced because i can see it clear as day when i look left with my right eye or right with my left eye. maybe a biore pore strip would help... the forest of blackheads ripped out when i use them these days is quite pathetic, i think they put less sticky on them for all the wusses who don't like pain :( either that or my daily skin dose of confessional-in-a-bottle (clean and clear astringent cleanser) is actually working

sigh back later.. off to walk (yuck)

it's wednesday... right?

(looks up and checks)
i slept with the windows open last night. i love to sleep with the windows open so i can actually snuggle under the quilt (it's always too hot here). then i remembered why i don't.... a skunk sprayed in our yard during the night and the smell was so bad, i've been laying in bed wanting to kill that skunk since 3am. damn you, mr skunk!

he usually comes into our garage to steal pet food and sprays in there - he's a little asshole, i tell you

so... we are renting the perfect Michael Mancini beach house next week. last time i was there a three storey (the english spelling... story just looks wrong to my eyes) mansion was being built next door and i have been pondering whether the construction would take a little something away from my beachfront zen experience. so we called the realtor and she duly went to take pictures..... sent them back and they are of the alley at the back of the house, 6 pictures of it and not one the beach........ arghhh!!!

if you want something done, you so clearly have to do it yourself - so i am going to drive up and look at that beachfront for myself :|

back later with more tales of the unexpected...

in love with 'love'

i am listening to 'here comes the sun' from the beatles 'love' cd

i really love 'love' :)

i haven't listened to the original versions of 'while my guitar gently weeps' and 'something' since i bought it. the 'love' versions are that sublime

george is my favorite beatle

he used to be my least favorite when i was 4, ringo was my number 1 :)

then paul was my favorite. his ballads lulled my babies to sleep perfectly

before 'love' came out, i would listen to the beatles in mono so i could hear every perfect note and intonation

i have seen the beatles 'love' show twice. i want to see it again and again and again. and again

we took Sam to see it when he was 5. he still talks about it :)

i want to take Danny when he turns 5, he loves 'get back' (or jo-jo as he calls it)

i love the 'lady madonna' sequence but it makes me cry

last year we toured 'love' backstage and it was fascinating and so sooo cool (thank you SO MUCH Karen!!)

i'm a bit of a beatles fan, it could be said

when we went to NYC we passed the dakota and mentioned that was where John Lennon lived and was shot. Danny whipped around and asked with the saddest little face why anyone would kill Jo-Jo... (sob)

my favorite beatles song ever is 'michelle' :)

mother's day

having passed countless hallmark displays in the past month, i have been pondering who should truly get to be celebrated on mother's day....

surely not sisters? or aunts? or even grandmothers for that matter - they have had their moment in the spotlight, for heaven's sake! now it's OUR turn to shine! i think to qualify for mother's day, one should use the following scoring system - if you do any of the below, give yourself 10 points each time. if your score comes to 150,000,000 within a year, then you are officially entitled to reap the rewards on mother's day :)

• answer questions about whether sand sinks into quicksand while trying to merge safely onto a deadstopped freeway in rush hour
• answer questions about whether motorcycles sink into quicksand while trying to get off dead stopped freeway in rush hour
  
• make weetabix sound more exciting and delicious than fruity pebbles with a bag of sugar dumped on top
• cook chicken noodle soup at 7:30am (bleck)
  
• make 22 perfect little brownies for your kid's class and try very hard not eat them before delivery
• slay monsters who hide under the bed and explain over and over and over that dinosaurs will NOT break into the house during the night and eat us
• exhibit oscar-worthy acting skills when emphatically kissing invisible boo-boos
• make shots sound like noooo big deal when you are quaking with fear inside (20 points for this)
• give up your last bit of water on a 100 degree day
• ditto with the burger when your kid drops theirs
• ditto with the icecream cone. and the cotton candy. and your precious dairy milk
• pretend not to be freaked out by getting poop on your hands
• or blood
• or vomit
• carry 50 pound sleeping child covered in sand and water up 75 beach steps without dying of heat exhaustion
• run in a blind panic around the house looking for Ducky Dinosaur because you left your kid in the car unattended with the doors locked for 45 seconds
• use your last $3 on a happy meal for your kid when you are dying of hunger
  
• hold your pee all the way home because your child is napping
  
• cheerlead your kid to do the grocery store self-scanner as fast as possible, because they insist on doing it themselves and you are getting the 'death look' from the people in line without kids
• feel guilty ALL the time for absolutely every little thing.... such as telling this little boy off for kicking the groceries to smithereens... and turning round and seeing this heartbreaking tearstained little face :(

earlier... at the beach

even earlier, taking Sam to school

him shooting me shooting him



ocean front Trader Joes - very housewives of OC :|

pics with the new camera

taken in the pitch dark :| thanks Mr UPS man, you rock my world ;)

all f5.6 with the cheap-as-chips $100 kit lens on the new canon T1i that looks and handles like a rebel xt :)
1600 iso

3200 f5.6

6400 iso


12800 iso

more testing tomorrow...

still no camera - and it's going dark :)

i should just put the bucket of ketchup up there, huh? Mr UPS man, i am never making small talk with you ever again!!

some pictures!! from the camera that has never been a primadonna about showing up on time. from the camera that doesn't require it's batteries to be charged when it does finally show up. from the camera that still works even after hurtling down countless helter skelters and braving rollercoasters and roaring rapids... the camera that remains my true love, my trusty XT (mother's day gift 2005 :)




we booked YMCA swim classes - it called for a dance routine

in superwalmart

if i were president, walking into a shot, like that woman in blue is doing, would be a felony

Taylor Hicks is coming to walmart. i don't know who he is.... but Danny left himself a voicemail to remind him on thursday at 4pm

dear Mr UPS

what happened? did you have a life-threatening emergency...? are you ever coming with my present...??? i haven't peed in 8 hours... and i really need those raisins... and i have now polished off an entire baguette and stick of butter. if i didn't really really want that camera, i would so totally prop a bucket of ketchup and mustard above the door to dump on you when you finally show up (but don't think i haven't thought about it)

i love Barack Obama. yadda yadda... same story different day, i know. but he is so cool! i had to save his presidential talk thingie for a night where i really needed something lovely to watch. and it was... he is so poised and professional and calm and assertive - i bet that Bo really listens to him ;) though i was a tad disappointed the questions were all so work and no play... i would love to know if Bo has had any potty accidents yet and whether he can do any cool tricks (our dog can army crawl, roll over, hi-five, you name it:)

another cool thing about Barack - his flickr account. annnnd there's even exif data - how cool is he??!

back later with latest news on 'the camera' and a review of tonight's meal - philly cheesesteak a la hell's kitchen :)

best mom e.v.e.r.r.r. (that's me, sometimes...)

got up at 6:30am to make steel cut oatmeal (from scratch, no less!) and canadian bacon sandwiches for breakfast (and let me tell you... i hate touching bacon)

then went to walmart at 8am sharp, to buy 12x HB2 pencils,bottles of vitamin water in flavor 'focus' to help a certain someone FOCUS at school, and icecream/magic shell/peanuts for an after school treat.

yup, it's star testing this week....

found and purchased "chicka chicka boom boom" song for Danny (he argues that i get the words all wrong... no more, i say!!)

bought boys cameras for the beach house trip (it's next week!!!!)

ordered the butterfly larvae to arrive on thursday (after the testing is over for the week)

bought the world's most awesome black and white gingham comforter for Sam... it's so cool, i bought it in king size so i can borrow it sometimes :) annnnd, it was only $99. i saw it at some fancy dancy place for $304. what on earth will i do with that $205 saving??!

now i am patiently waiting (ok, not so patiently) for Mr UPS who is bringing my new camera today! i may be sick with the stress. and i cannot use the toilet, chance i miss him. i cannot go for a walk or run to Sprouts for the golden raisins i need so badly. i need to sign for my gift, you see! everytime i hear a big diesel engine i almost jump out of my skin. i have acne from the stress. i have eaten way too much french bread whilst waiting (patiently). i think big diesel trucks that sound like the big brown diesel truck should be banned from driving through my neighborhood on days that i am expecting a UPS delivery - they could cause a heart attack for heaven's sake! urgh. waiting. it's the absolute worst.

off to work on my photo book thingie some more. i have 354 pictures that are essential to the telling of the story :| this could take some time..........

i before e except after c......

i don't know why it bothers me so terribly much, but i hate hate hate poor spelling. especially simple words like receipt and believe that i see (spelt correctly, i might add) on Sam's weekly spelling test. and address. and than/then.... how do you misspell than/then? i give up.

and another thing that kills me about the most heinous massacre of the english language - mommy talk : diapers are 'diapees'. wipes are 'wipees' (i've seen it spelt wippies, just to cover thing one and thing two). last thing i heard the apple dippers in mcdonalds were.... (insert vomit burp) 'dippies'. stop the insanity!! teach your children the CORRECT terms. if a penis has to be a penis then a dippy should be a dipper, right???

yesterday we had the best indian food ever. bar none. we have searched the world over and the best indian food is about 1.6 miles from our house, $6.99, for all you can eat. who knew! we spent the entire afternoon in bed (boys were at the circus), sleeping off our indulgence and boy it was a goooood goooooooood day :)

off to superwalmart to stock up on hollyhock, cans o' biscuits, baby shampoo (they're still babies...), elastic and a big bag of bones. that is why i love walmart............ one stop shopping, no muss no fuss :)

front cover collage from 'the book'....

yes i did..............................

seem do a lot today. but when you add it all up it doesn't look like anything

but i did get dog food and cat food from the evil tustin ranch Costco, and was served by my nemesis Steve, and i am alive to tell the tale so i feel some kind of euphoria

i'm craving indian food very very badly. but we're having pizza for dinner :|

today i edited 181 pictures and uploaded them to make a fancy vacation book. sure i still have to make the book but the editing is the part that kills me slowly, one 'welcome to delaware/new jersey/maryland' picture at a time

i parked one tire a teensy bit in the red at Sam's school and after the shenanigans of losing our car for a similar "crime" in NYC two weeks ago, i seriously almost died of STRESS waiting for that damned bell to go off. so i am thinking of bringing about a lawsuit against the cowardly lion Michael Bloomberg, for the PTSD New York has caused me :|

my camera is at UPS in phoenix, arizona, still not knowing what it's mother looks like and that makes me sad. i wish i lived in arizona because if i did, it would be home now :( (and they have dunkin donuts and waffle house there :)

i signed up for a blog on Barack Obama's website today! i was all set to write my first post when i noticed all the other blogs are really really boring and no-one shares their top 3 presidential crushes or posts heartwarming pictures of him hugging Michelle or playing with Bo... it's just not sassy and fun at all!

i found out today that Friday Kennedy, JFK Jnr's 'pound puppy' wasn't from the shelter at all... i don't know why it bugs me but it does.

back later with pics...