Mad About Kids

This week's Standing Ovation Award goes to...

Who’s Mad About Kids? That would be one of my first-ever bloggy friends, Michelle. I think I met Michelle thru Blog Catalog, and we both actually redesigned our blogs around the same time.

Here’s a bit of how “Mad About Kids” came into play:

I started writing “Mad About Kids” in early 2008 because I wanted to share my day-to-day life experiences with kids (my own, of course, but also other kids). I find children to be incredibly entertaining most of the time. Kids are also easy to love, and they make for great company. But, they can also be tremendously maddening at times. Writing this blog has not exactly been child’s play, but neither has it been headache-inducing donkeywork.

Michelle is a SAHM to 3 boys (ages 16, 7 & 5) and together with her husband, is working on opening an in-home childcare business. Isn't she brave?

You gotta check out her “Spotlight on Mad About Kids” interview over at Healthy Moms. (heh heh – I am *blushing* over here!!) And then drop on by at Mad About Kids and tell her I said hello!

Michelle ~ you deserve a round of applause!!

Who do you want to give a standing ovation to?

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Favorite Dad Bloggers Contest

It's time. Father's Day is around he corner, and as promised, we're putting together a list similar to the Mom Bloggers Guild...

A list of all our favorite Dad Bloggers!

Just for fun - we'll hand out the same:

Five Thousand Entrecard Credits.

So... you down?

HOW TO PLAY:

1. WRITE
   Write a post on your blog listing 1-3 of your favorite Dad Bloggers, including links to their sites. Descriptions are optional, but the best description out there will take home more EC's. ;)
   
   
2. LINK
   In your post, include a link to this blog - either to the home page or this contest.
   
   
3. COMMENT
   After posting, leave a comment here with your post URL to add your name to the list of entries.
   
   *DEADLINE: This contest will run for the next 2 weeks - posts must be published with comments received here by midnight PST on Thursday, 12 June 2008.
   
   **Winners will be announced on Father’s Day, 15 June 2008.
   

HOW TO WIN:

• 1st Place: 2,000 EC
  The blog with the best descriptive post about their recommendations and this contest will take 1st place
  
  
• 2nd Place: 1,000 EC
  Second best will take 2nd place
  
  
• 3rd Place: 500 EC
  Third best will take… you guessed it: 3rd place
  
  
• Bonus Draws: 1,500/10 = 150 EC (each)
  Ten additional winners at 150 EC each, to be chosen at random via http://www.random.org/
  
  TOTAL WINNINGS: 5,000 Entrecard Credits

This lil’ contest is open to all readers – you don’t have to be a Dad or an Entrecarder to enter (though EC’s are all I can afford to give away – lol.)

Let's give some much deserved love to our Dad Bloggers - good luck to all!!

Psst! We don't have any more EC's for the Mom's Contest, but if you don't see your favorite Mom Blogger listed there, feel free to leave a comment here so we can add her. :)

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You're Kidding. Graduation?

He graduates today. Middle School. Which means that this fall, he'll be entering a whole other dimension than what he's used to:

High School.

As if the campus isn't intimidating enough, especially coming from a small private school with 40 kids in the entire 8th grade. I hope he'll remember the letter we wrote to him at the beginning of the year. A letter addressing one of his greatest gifts...

August 12, 2007

Dear Josiah,

     What is the most important gift given to you by God? At first, I thought it might be your creative intellect. Smart and innovative (maybe not as organized!), but always looking for a better way. Then I thought it might be your optimism, your complete outlook on life, in general, and on a whole. But then, quick as a whisper… it came to me.

     Patience. It’s your gift of serenity from the Lord, allowing you to endure, tolerate and persevere. It’s where your ability to be positive and keep your cool comes into play. “Don’t worry, be happy.” Is that not your theme song?! You can be in the midst of a half dozen chores or minding your two crazy brothers during one of my conference calls – and even I have to stand back and admire your staying power.

     I love watching you gently teaching your brothers about something, anything new. I love how maturely you handle yourself, even when I lose my own temper. I know you’ll acknowledge this gift, and use it to stay true to yourself and your course in life.

     In this new year of school, remember it as new challenges arise, as well as in adverse or awkward situations. You’re 13! An adolescent with questions and uncertainties, I know you’ll have the patience to find the right answers in time.

     Remember we’re here for you always. It warms my heart to hear about your prayers during the course of the day. Let’s work on taking time daily to say your prayers regularly, to praise God, ask for guidance, and to thank Him for all of our wonderful blessings.

With Love and Faith,

Mom & Dad     

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change,
Courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Amen.”

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Damn - I wish I could groove like that!

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Not Your Puppy Love

I just put Baby Joel down for a nap, and was strolling through to the kitchen for some of Mama's pancit. Hubz was kickin' it on the couch, arms laid back.

Affectionately, I called out to him as I walked by. "Hey, bitch."

And he lovingly flicked me off. :)

I just started laughing. Mama says we're crazy.

But that's just how we are. ;)

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Random Facts | Friends Around the World | Arte y Pico Award

Hmmnnnn... shall we take a trip?

Some (maybe not so) random facts about yours truly:

1. When I was in elementary school in Hawaii, I was part of the LEAP (Language Enrichment Arts Program) during grades 1-5. Similar to the GATE (Gifted and Talented Program) you might be familiar with.


2. During those years, I participated in annual Speech Festivals and Writing Festivals.


3. And brought home the highest award (4 stars) almost every year. Almost.


4. I was invited to speak at different schools and clubs (though I can't remember those darned speeches).


5. And received letters from all sorts of VIP's (leaving me wondering who these "famous" people were).


6. In that particular class, I had the same teacher throughout all those years, who encouraged me to run for student body Vice President, even if I was a year too young (position held for 6th graders). We were moving after 5th grade, and they made an exception to allow me to run as a 4th grader.


7. During the campaign, some boy would constantly aggravate me during recess. I finally dropped my sign and pulled that boy across the yard. By his hair.


8. No one else messed with me after that.


9. And I won. By a landslide.


10. That teacher? Who coached me all those years? She still lives in Hawaii and I even had a chance to visit her some years ago, shortly after Hubz and I got married. To this day, we still keep in touch. I'm just not sure if she saw my little playground stunt.
    

That Crazy Mom, April, tagged me with this along with a similar one from Cathy at Me and My World and the lovely Verabear.

And now I'm taggin:

• Not a Day Goes By
  
• Irresistible Fascinations
• Stay at Home Mom
• Earthly Explorations
• Reflexes
  

My girl in Singapore tagged me with this - thanks Jade!!

::Start Copy Here::

Rule:
1. Copy from ::Start Copy Here:: through ::End Copy Here::.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. Just make sure to post this to each of the blog you added in the list.
3. Tag other online friends you know.You don’t need to be tag in order to join. If you want to join just post this one in your blog.
4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.That way, everyone is happy and can meet new friends too!
5. Come back once in a while to get the master list! Let’s see how this makes our Technorati and PR goes up!
6. DO NOT REMOVE THIS: scrap page made by Yen. Using alphas and tapes from Kate H., flowers from Ida,paper by Catrine.

1. Me and Mine 2.Creative In Me 3.Little Peanut 4. Pea in a Pod 5. Sugar Magnolias 6. Chez Francine 7. Le bric à brac de Cherie 8. La Place de Cherie 9. Supermodel Wannabe 10.Sweetheart Allen 11.Darling Allen 12. PinayLoveStories 13. FilipinoLifeAbroad 14. Bestfriend Blog's 15. Allen'Wifey 16. In The Life Of...Mne 17. Everything Has A Reason 18. In My Kitchen 19. Life and Me by PinayJade 20. Exploring Asia by PinayJade 21. Dance of Motherhood 22. YOUR LINK HERE

Okay peeps, if you're reading this, or if you're listed at the Link2Love page, you are OFFICIALLY TAGGED! :)

Naomi at Irresistible Fascinations just awarded me with this:

Thanks, girl!!

Art y Pico Award Rules:

1. Pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging atmostphere (regardleess of what language).
2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.
3. Award winners to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award
4. Please include a link to the "Arte y Pico" blog so that everyone will know where the award came from.
   

I would LOVE to pass this award on to:

• Mommy Moments
• Happy Meals & Happy Hour
• Life and Moi
• Can of Thoughts
• Verabear
  
  

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My Entrecard Advertisers This Week

Special thanks to the fellow entrecarders who have advertised on my widget this last week:

Mother’s Got a Dot Com
Wat da Wat
Angelika
On the Horizon
This Woman’s Blog
Hot Momma
Absolutely Moms

Mwah!

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No. Friggin'. WAY.

Is my baby really fourteen?

So why is it that I can still remember so clearly when you took your first step - almost toddlin' over coz your head was so damn big. Boy - after 2 solid hours of pushing (in EVERY laboring position that exists), no wonder the doc needed the vacuum AND the forceps to get you out. I think half of your 8 pounds came from your head alone - lol.

Or during the carriage ride in Seaport Village, you were 3 years old and when Uncle Dave busted out his camcorder, you turned to me and said, "Look! He's got TV!"

Or on my wedding day almost 10 years ago, when you made the decision on your own to stop calling him "Joseph" and start calling him "Dad..." I think you also proposed a toast that day by exclaiming, "Let's have a peanut butter!"

Nowadays I can't even help you with your homework, and you can solve a Rubik's cube in only 2 minutes. Even IF your teachers nickname you Einstein, a little genius who's hopelessly unorganized and endlessly distracted - lol - it reminds me to stop and appreciate the little wonders around us.

Now YOU inspire ME to be a better person... You're an incredible help around the house and especially with your brothers - I couldn't do it all without you.

Happy Birthday, sweetie... you'll forever remember 2008 since it's the year you surpassed me in height. But don't worry - it doesn't matter if I have to look "up" to you - I can still give you a good whoopin' if you piss me off. ;)

Love ya babe,

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Livin' With Me

This week's Standing Ovation Award goes to:

Melanie is the host of the Blogaholics Anonymous Club as well as Meme Monday. On top of which, she also manages several blogs:

• Livin' With Me
• Our Happy Happenings
• Our Crafts ~N~ Things
  

Mother of a beautiful daughter, Hailey, Melanie is also the loving and supportive wife of a hubby who's left the old job to find something in his niche. Something he enjoys.

All that and STILL working to provide for her family and being a great Mom on top of it all. Drop on by to give her a visit - you'll be delighted. :)

Melanie ~ you deserve a round of applause!!

Who do you want to give a standing ovation to?

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Hubby Needs to Get a Clue

I took a nap today.

Not after lunch. Not even in the afternoon.

I excused myself at 5:30pm, thinking I was going to take a 20-minute cat nap. It had been a rocky, chaotic day and I'd had my fill. To top it off, it didn't matter that I was already over on hours for the week, I still had a whole load of other projects to tend to before Friday.

Joel fell asleep when we went to pick up JC at 4:30pm, so after going through work email one more time, I found myself noddin' off at my desk. What is it about being emotional that makes me so sleepy?? Is that my defense mechanism?

I told the older kids we'd grab a bite to eat in a bit, and left them to their cartoons. The next thing I know, I woke up from a dream, not quite myself just yet...

And found that my clock said 7:30pm. WTF?!

I dashed out the room and found Joel still asleep. Well there goes bedtime, right?

And found the other 2 exactly where I left them. "You guys hungry?" I asked?

It was 7:30pm. They usually eat at 5:30pm. Of course, they're hungry - MOM.

But I started getting dizzy myself and told them we'd have to go out another night. We had a crappy combination of Kid Cuisine, chimichangas and pizza. It worked.

Skinny Ass came home at 9pm. And at 9:30pm, I put all 3 kids in the car and we took off for ice cream. Yes, I'm irritated with him today. Even if he's only part of it.

It amazes me that even though I'm a WAHM of 3, he still has NO clue of what it takes to balance my day. Balance work with the kids and the house... He called me for something he needed when I was going out the door to pick up JC, and at that point, I barely had time to brush my teeth that morning. Forget the shower.

He doesn't realize that what he's asking isn't always as simple as he thinks it should be.

Like going out to Starbucks to buy gift cards for work means either he goes for me, or I put 2 sick kids in their car seats to come with me. Or how errands need to be timed around nap times in between mealtimes or you'll have one grouchy toddler to deal with.

He can't even remember who needs to get picked up at what time on what day.

And when Joel was still awake at 11pm, he said to him in singsong, "You're still awake coz Mommy gave you ice cream at 10 o'clock at night."

No dipshit. He's awake coz he took a 3 hour nap. If you're gonna talk shit - get your facts straight.

I wish I could've enjoyed my Butterfinger Sonic Blast. But I just don't have an appetite when I'm irritated. Damn - I just realized... I could almost turn that into a diet plan.

Almost.

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Not the Scaredy-Cat I Am

We have a pond right behind our backyard. With bullfrogs that would keep me up at night (have you ever HEARD these creatures?)!

So guess what we have IN our backyard?

Hundreds of little itsy bitsy frogs. Not tadpoles. Frogs. See?

You can't tell how tiny they really are, until you see Jacob eyeing one over here:

Yes, that little speckle on the patio is the same frog. Looks like a big bug, doesn't it?

So what does Baby Joel do when he sees this "big bug"?

He grabs Samson's brush nearby and before I can say, "No-!"

WhAcK.


(Sigh) Obviously, the little guy isn't a fReAk with bugs like his mom is.

Or maybe he is.

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The Morning Screwdriver

Hubz left this out after cocktails last night:


Joel is being quite grumpy this morning and insisted I put some in his sippy cup. I was tempted to oblige.

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My Entrecard Advertisers This Week

Special thanks to the fellow entrecarders who have advertised on my widget this last week:

EZgreatlife.com
Mummifed X5
Cheaper by the Half Dozen
My Library
Internet Business Guide
The Mom with Brownies

This week has FLOWN by and I must apologize - I am missing one of my advertisers :(

If anyone knows how to pull a list of who's advertised on your Entrecard widget, please enlighten a hopeless fool?

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Off Her Damn Pedestal

It was hot out. Sweltering.

They were giving away silver baseballs to the first 500 guests - nice score for the kids. So we hung out and watched them get the field ready while the kids snorted their sno-cones.

We didn't last two innings - Joel was literally asking me to go to the car. He was ready to go home. Shoot - after a full day of splashing around in the neighbor's pool - I wasn't surprised. And since we had free tickets, leaving early wasn't a big deal.

Hubz and JC stayed, while the 2 monsters and I headed out.

Do you know what it's like walking around with a 3 and 7 year old? There is no urgency about them. Hmph - we're on our way home, so I figure - what does it matter?

It mattered plenty to the girls behind me.

The first time one of them stepped on the back of my flip-flops, I figured it was an accident. The second time, I got suspicious.

Especially when you're ready to say, "It's okay," to the inevitable, "Oh - sorry about that." Except they never offered an apology, the 1st or the 2nd time.

Then when I heard one of 'em say... "Can you walk any slower now?"

I got pissed off.

And slowly turned around to find three 18 or 19 year-olds, a head or two taller than me and twice as big.

I looked at each of them, one by one... which shut them the fuck up.

I'm sorry - I just don't have any patience for wannabe's who think they're cool by talking shit.

Why do people - kids, teens, adults, whatever - think they have to put people down to make themselves feel better?

I know, I know... insecurity and what have you. Need to put someone down to raise themselves up. Makes you wonder what kind of childhood they had... or what the school bully has to live with at home...

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What's Your Number?

A Work-At-Home-Mom's "To-Do" List.

Neverending, isn't it? My girl, Vhiel, tagged me with a list of the 5 things I do the most each day:

• EXERCISE
  Rise and shine to get my early workout in
  
  
• MEALS
  Fix a healthy breakfast for the boys before they leave for school, ready to go with packed lunches; Prep a homemade dinner for later that evening.
  
  
• PRE-PRE-SCHOOL
  Work on pre-school curriculum with my potty-trained 3 year old, going on scheduled snack/meal, recess and potty breaks
  
  
• WAHM
  Get four solid hours of uninterrupted [nobody hollering or crying in the background of a conference call] work time for my telecommuting job in hospitality
  
  
• PLAY
  After homework's completed, take the kids to the park for some after-school play time outside, and get ready for some snookie after they go to bed. ;)
  

Oh wait. That's a list of what I WISH I did every day. lol - not what actually gets done.

Realistically?

The kids will eat cereal with cocoa, and Jacob will eat lunch at school while JC brings in lunch from something we probably got at Costco. Ditto for dinner, unless I'm in the mood for a Filipino dish or something to throw onto the grill.

Our curriculum for Joel consists of KPBS and Noggin', with some choice books and DVD's - and maybe some outside play time in our humble backyard with the dog. And hell no - he ain't potty trained yet. We'll be working on that later this month (pray for us, please).

Work hours get squeezed in throughout the day, but my productivity is at its best if I can stay in the office for at least 2 hours straight. In the morning and the afternoon. Yeah, right - like that's gonna happen. Try that with a toddler who's fascinated with his nekkid self while you're on a conference call with your bosses.

Play time? Homework takes forever most days. I'm amazed at the amount of homework that comes in these days. And if they actually finish while there's still daylight out, you're hoping it's not scorching out there at 100+ degrees. Like it is today. At midnight last night it was 88. Eight-eight.

And hell - the snookie's been a little slow since I've been sick all week. Just twice.

Which I still think isn't bad. Tell me I'm not wrong. What's your weekly number?

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Got Tequila?

Lol - I just love that. Jose Cuervo or Silver Patron - bring it on, baby.

Hubz and I noticed that my drink choice tends to go with my mood. If I'm lookin' just to chill and relax, I'll have a Grey Goose and Seven. Feelin' girly? Cosmopolitan. A glass of wine with dinner? Merlot or a Reisling with dessert.

But if I'm in the mood to par-tay... I reach for the silver and gold.

What about you? What's your favorite drink?

Props to Jay at Dat Money for these snazzy new designs!
He was totally cool - whipped 'em up in a flash and even made a couple of revisions for me. Who's down for shots?!

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Wat da Wat

This week's Standing Ovation Award is being presented to

The "Wat da Wat" blog is authored by a fellow Filipino, Chris Austria. I remember one of the first times I bumped into him - his layout caught my eye and especially those RSS buttons. Coolio!

A daddy blogger with a huge family, Chris never seems to be at a loss for material. He's quite thoughtful, and his posts are always so poignant and expressive. A regular commenter here at the Dance of Motherhood, his 2 cents tend to crack me up. Laughing out loud over here all by myself. :)

Check him out over at Wat da Wat, and if you dare, challenge him to a round of karaoke. ;)

Chris ~ you deserve a round of applause!!

Who do you want to give a standing ovation to?

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Hold the Snow

You remember that Hubz took me shopping for Mother's Day? Well, after 4 hours I was spent. lol - literally.

So we asked the kids, "Where do you guys wanna eat?"

And Jacob bellows out, "Red Lobster!!"

Hubz and I just looked at each other and laughed. "Only our kids." But it was barely 4pm so we thought - hey - why not?

Sitting down with our menus, Jacob already knew what he wanted. Crab legs. So when Hubz orders for him, the little guy HAS to interrupt to correct him.

"Yeah, crab legs. Just not the snow, please."

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Medieval Madness

In studying the Renaissance era,

Josiah's school hosted a Medieval Feast in celebration this time last year.

Okay, okay - just another excuse for the tribe to get costumed up. ;)

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The Finger

This is what my 13-year old bought at the school book fair:


The shit that entertains this kid's mind never ceases to amaze me.

But this little thingamabob turned out to be a hit with his brothers as well. On the way home from Open House, Baby Joel starts trippin' and is crying over something.

On the phone and impatient to keep him quiet, I hollered to my helper:

>>"JC! Where's the finger? GIVE HIM THE FINGER!"

>>To which he gladly responds, "Sure. I'll give him the finger."

It must've been that wicked smile on his face - we just started bustin' up. Hell - it's nothin' new. JC likes to be a smartass sometimes, and I just flip him the bird.

And we just start laughing our asses off... Especially if I forget myself and do it at Costco.

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