I used to run my weekly errands pretty regularly. In fact, every Tuesday you'd be sure to find me at Target, little ones in tow, looking for the newest DVD releases. Oh, and pediasure, Special K, and yadi-yadi-ya.
Not anymore. In fact, there are a number of things I don't stay on top of anymore, ever since I found this new thing called blogging. ;)
Besides that, shopping with the monsters can be downright nerve-wracking sometimes! I try to make sure to schedule it around meal or snack times - and especially around nap times.
It can be gruesome... I don't even bother going to Costco with the Hubz anymore. He's worse than the kids! He lets them stop, with the flatbed, at every single food station - leaving me to carry my 4 gallons of milk and a 4-pack of fresh OJ by my damn self. And when I give him the eye from across the way, he just shrugs and looks at the kids.
Um, who's the parent here?
But there are those moments - you know what I'm talking about - when you wonder to yourself, "Why did I even bother?" My face could tell you a million things in an instant - but when I start talking to them thru gritted teeth, they know they've crossed the line.
at This Woman's Blog wrote a post about a child being spanked in the park, then told not to cry. Which made me sad, actually - simply because the child wasn't allowed to express himself, especially after being so publicly humiliated...
Me?
I usually do the "voice" and perhaps, even the corner, if the monsters don't behave while we're out. But there have been a couple of occasions where a bottom had been smacked...
But I wouldn't tell them not to cry. At this point, I'm already kneeling down at their level, reminding them why they got busted, and what the proper way to behave is.
And it never never never ends without a hug.
Last time it was just before a little league game, and someone was throwing a full-fledged fit coz he wanted some churros. Hmph. You can bet that if someone's crying for it, he's definitely not gonna get it.
Can you imagine? These aren't 20-second conversations. They can go on for a few minutes, and I KNOW heads are turning. Look, Mom, we have an audience.
But in that moment... everything around us has vanished. All that matters is the little one in front of me.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Don't Push Me, Child
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I Think He's Got It Backwards
Potty training has been pretty darn cool.
(Huh?)
It only took a couple of days of taking him to the potty at regular intervals. After that, he'd just come and tell me when he needed to go.
The first weekend, we went to the zoo. Then to the carnival. This last weekend we went on a road trip and spent the whole day at Knott's Berry Farm.
No accidents. :)
Well, not with #1, at least.
This knucklenut doesn't seem to have a problem taking a dump in his pants. Aarggggh....
And what is it with kiddies wanting to run nekkid thru the house all the time? Forget running, he's happy as pie kickin' it watching TV with no bottoms on.
"Joel." I have to remind him. "Quit playing with your pitot."
Thank God I'm not at the stage with him yet where I have to say, "You need to go to your room if you want to do that."
lol. Yikes!
And every other time I turn around, he's decided not to put his pants back on after going potty.
He can take them off just fine. Go potty on the toilet just fine. Flush, then wash his hands just fine. He doesn't even tell me every time he wants to go potty. He just goes.
Guess he'd rather just get some air down there... Which normally wouldn't be a problem with me - but you remember what I told you about #2?
He came running to me, beaming. "Mommy! Mommy! I poo, I poo!"
I just wish he came running to me from the bathroom. He was in the kitchen.
And this fucker likes to shit where he stands.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Hope the Neighbors Aren't Up Yet
Okay - this hit me a little harder than I thought it would.
Today, my baby enters into his first day of high school. And while I was cool when he entered Jr. High, even through graduation...
I find that my heart is friggin' fluttering.
I'm actually impressed that he wanted to enroll into summer school... But after meeting with his counselor, we found that this would give him a chance to take some choice electives, and ease up his schedule come junior and senior year.
"Have you got your cell phone?"
"Did you pack a water bottle?"
"Do you need some cash?"
"Did you brush your teeth?"
"Yes, Mom," he says quite patiently, "I brushed my teeth."
lol - ease up there, Mom.
So I'm watching them back out of the garage, and am trying to ignore that butterfly inside my chest. I've already reminded him to pay attention to his surroundings (he's so damn clueless sometimes), and to just have fun and be himself.
"You get to see your friends today..." I said in singsong. And he gave me a smile.
But Hubz must've been trippin' off of me, watching me watch them, and wouldn't you know it -
Done KNOCKED over the damn trash bins at the curb. Yes, it's trash day today.
lol - he started to say something smart to me but I waved him off with a smile and the finger, and proceeded in my nightgown to try and flip this thing back upright and toss the unloaded bags back in.
Snapped me out of my daze. All in my glory.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
No. Friggin'. WAY.
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,
Saturday, May 17, 2008
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. ;)
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?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
He Must Love Me
hen I told him that I wanted new silverware and a new rice cooker for Mother's Day, he about fell over.
"That's not what I thought you'd ask for," he explained.
"Yeah well, I'm tired of running out of forks and finding the coating from the bottom of the rice cooker in my food," I said with a shrug.
We went out and before I knew it, not only did I get new silverware and a new rice cooker, I got new dinnerware, new capris, new tops, a couple new dresses and EVEN my absolute fave - new pajamas.
If you don't already know the Hubz, I should tell you - he's a cheap bastard. He once gave me hell when I spent 5 bucks on an embellished hand towel for the guest bathroom. 5 bucks. So I'm serious when I say - he must love me. Or maybe he feels guilty for hollering at everybody this morning... ;)
I actually had fun shopping for myself today - don't get to do that very often! Even picked up some MUCH needed new clothes for the kids since they all seem to growing like weeds right now.
After a lobster dinner, we finally came home and my 7-year old presented me with this:
Life. Is. Good.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A Mother's Love...
Special thanks to Naomi for sharing this with me! In turn, I'd like to share this with Alexandra, Cassie, Katy, Sue, ApplesH and anyone else (including YOU!) who'd like to join in celebrating this upcoming Mother's Day. :)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Pass the Bucket on the Left Hand Side...
Oh wait. That's probably not appropriate here. Does anyone else have that song stuck in their head now?
I almost wish it was a dutchie and not a bucket. On Saturday, we packed up the fam and headed over to the stadium for a game of baseball. Single A, nothing big. But I'm "from the city" so I'm a "wuss," and I had to get everyone cleaned up before going to bed.
My butt was still in the shower when Hubz came in to tell me Jacob had gone to bed already.
>>"Yeah, he showered and dressed - then went to bed." Slight confusion on his face.
Sh*t. That means he doesn't feel well.
So at 12:30am (we're actually asleep), Hubz shot up in bed and woke me with, "Someone just threw up."
It must be one of those Momma perks you automatically get configured with when you bring life into the world. I jumped out of bed without a daze and went STRAIGHT to Jacob's room.
And found him hunched over and hurling. Dark purple vomit sprayed across the bed, the headboard, the wall... the dog.
Poor babe.
Jacob was sick all day Sunday, and stayed home today from school. "Mom," he said to me quietly. "I don't like the flu."
But thankfully he's feeling better now, so it looks like he did alright on his first round with this bug. Him and the littlest monster drove me batty today, so it looked like things were getting back to normal.
Until we picked up JC from school.
(sigh)
I just brought him the bucket. Oh and, I forgot to tell you. Joel went to bed early tonight, too.
:(
That dutchie is lookin' really good right now... Hmph. I wish.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
What are your kids listening to?
hese days, so many songs seem to be centered around love and hate. Some of the kids singing these songs are way too young to really, truly understand what it means to "love."
The others? Well, they're part of what brings a bad rep to hip-hop and rap music.
I mentioned before that I'm a fan of old school hip-hop and rap. That and country, pop and Christian rock. But sometimes, a girl just wants to get funky and uh, sorry, but - "The Good Stuff" just ain't gonna cut it. ;) Talk about an eclectic mix, huh?
Anyhoo, with a 13-year old in the house listening to the same music as I am, we really need to be subjective about the songs we download from iTunes. So when my inaanak (goddaughter) Ling told me about this video from YouTube, I had to check it out.
A teen's mathematical prodigy of Fergie's Fergilicious
OMG, JC and I were laughing our asses off! JC really got a kick outta it, especially having kicked butt in the math bowl - and was pleased to tell me that he actually knew all of the stuff mentioned in the video. (Glad to hear it, coz most of it was only vaguely familiar to me!)
Talk about creative - it's really neat to see these kids having fun with school and applying their talents into productions like this these.
And not cruisin' the neighborhood lookin' for trouble.
Check out his video - I think one of my favorite parts is when he's (LOL) dancing in the background and when he says, "Hold, hold, hold up - check your work!"
Friday, April 25, 2008
The Traveling Daycare
met a new blogy friend Syn and was reading up on her latest post called Syn's Life: The Kids Won.
At first, I was crackin' up. Thinking of her and her 4 kids at a music recital with her cute-as-a-button 2 year old telling her she wasn't clapping fast enough and the nasty old grandma who thought she was at an opera instead of an elementary school.
But then Syn had to go and start talking about other people's kids joining hers. As if four weren't enough.
Hot. Friggin'. Dog.
Why IS it - that when everytime we go out - a basketball game, a football game, an afternoon at the park - whatever. I always end up with more than my own load?
Seriously. I got tired of going to Jacob's games coz I was packin' my own damn daycare whenever we went. I'd have the blanket laid out, portable DVD playing SpongeBob (groan) and snacks to boot. Sh*t. I have a toddler. I need to be prepared.
I just didn't realize ALL the other toddlers would be chillin' with Joel, hoggin' the screen, kickin' off their shoes and asking me for their juice boxes.
Granted, some of the parents came over and asked if it was okay.
>>"No, bitch. Pick your kid up already."
lol - just kidding. But that would've been fun. (sigh)
Actually, for a bunch of toddlers, they usually did alright. The worst part?
Not being able to keep an eye on the game.
I had mine on a half dozen lil' squirts.
See Syn - you just had to get me goin', didn't ya? ;)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Invisible Monster
After another crazy busy day balancing work at home and the kiddos, it's finally time to get the little ones into bed. And after they're all tucked in, I happily sneak back into the kitchen.
"Yes! Finally - some quiet time for just me," I think to myself.
Of course, not 2 minutes later, I hear a little scuffle in the hall - and figure it's probably the dog chasing the cat again.But before I know it, a tiny little figure in white has slowly appeared before me. I snatch up my camera to get proof:
~ Meet the Invisible Monster ~
On those occasional nights when he can't fall asleep right away... or doesn't feel like reading in bed anymore or singing songs with LeapTad...?
Little friggin' Joel will toss on Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak and creep back out into the living room.
Does he REALLY think I can't see him?
He's 3 years old. Sure, he does. ;)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Hosed Down
To my 3 year-old monster:
See now - this is what happens when you don't listen to Mommy. I told you that we don't play with the water hose.
But if you're thinking of not minding me, you might wanna turn the hose AWAY from your face:
Friday, April 18, 2008
Did I forget something?
♪♪ Freedom... FREEDOM! ♪♪
left the house in a hurry. After 2 back-to-back conference calls followed up by a doctor's appointment, I had just enough time to grab a book for the waiting room and then I rushed out the door.
After parking at the doctor's office, I came back to the car - twice - trying to shake that feeling that I had forgotten something...
And then it came to me: No kids attached!
No packing snacks. Or drinks. Or diapers. No packing toys, cars or a Nintendo DS. No arguing, fighting or crying. Nobody pulling on my jeans or lifting my top up. (Dag nabbit - does that ever happen to you, too?!)
Hubby came home to watch Joel so that I could have my annual check up in peace. Can you imagine? Trying to explain THAT to a toddler?
No thanks.
It was so weird, not having any of the monsters with me. But you wanna know the best part of this new found freedom?
Coming home to a little rugrat who exclaims, "Mommee!" as soon as I walk in the door, rushing over to give me hugs.
Unless, of course, he tore into something while I was out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On a side note... today's visit at the doc's totally got me motivated to get back on track - with my weight-loss goal. They say it works better if you post your goals and results somewhere, someplace to help keep you accountable.
Hell - what better place than here? Now I'll REALLY have to keep myself in check. lol - stats are below, just beneath my archives to the left. You're not really gonna look, are you?
Nah... lol.
How much ya wanna bet that Hubby won't even see that cool lil' widget? Asking me all the time, "How much do you weigh now, Dette?"
Eff that. I stopped telling him when he started asking too much.
18 more pounds to go...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Complaints of a Teenager
How many times have you heard that? Hmph. Like I needed to ask right?
A peek into our household from last night: JC is just d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g around the kitchen as he's pulling the trash and recyclables out. I've already washed all the dishes and was starting to wipe down the counters... 'cept now he was in my way.
"Jeez, JC. Can you move a little faster, please?" (No, not even trying to hide my irritation.)
"But I'm tired, Mom.... Have you ever done wrestling?" he asks me.
"No..." I reply. "But I've worked 2 jobs trying to raise a kid as a single mom." Pause.
"When I was still a kid."
Shut that mutha up, didn't I?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Little League: For the Kids or the Coaches?
I haven't seen anyone get fired up for a fight in a while. Not since high school, at least.
So when hubby got pulled in to manage Jacob's little league team, it didn't occur to me that fist fights might be a coaching hazard.
You should've seen this guy - the other coach? We actually played a few games against him in basketball last season - he's got his kids foulin' ours and pushing, pushing, pushing - aggressive as hell.
With 6 year olds.
Oh, yeah. Mr. Competitive. He's a killer, alright.
It wasn't a surprise to find that he was coaching one of the little league teams as well. Guess he just wasn't expecting this lil' ol' rookie team to call him on his illegal line up.
Our scorekeeper hollered out, "Where's #8? Number 8 needs to be out in the field!"
His response?
"Why? This is the way I've been playing all season, so... oh well!"
We didn't want to make a big stink about it, so we let it go. Hubby took a minute to show him the, um, rule book, for future games. But it looks like he didn't appreciate it, coz he had a few words for one of our guys.
Our first base coach moves out to take his position in the field.
>>Killer: "Hey - you'd better tell that scorekeeper of yours to keep her trap shut."
>>First Base Coach: "You know what - she just wants the kids to be able to play a fair game."
But Killer keeps mouthing off - during the game and in front of the kids! Now the other teams parents are closing in. What the hell?!
Our guy is a good one - and he tells him, "Let's just let the kids play."
But Killer just gets in his face.
>>Killer: "Oh, ya feeling froggy? Feeling froggy there, buddy? C'mon - you wanna jump me?!"
OMG. No he didn't.
Our guy told him right off, "Are you serious? You really think I wanna fight you - HERE - in front of all the kids? No. I don't think so. But if you wanna see me in the parking lot afterwards..."
Surprisingly, the rest of the game went alright. Not surprisingly, Killer didn't really mean what he said up there.
I've no idea why sports for our kids turn into competitive matches for the parents. Or maybe I do... What the hell do they think they're teaching their children? Our children? What kind of example are they setting?
For real, though - all the action (and drama, apparently!) are in the bleachers behind home plate. You miss too much sitting on a blanket behind 3rd base.
Tonight was WAY more fun than any of the other games. We can actually see what's going down! And Joel miraculously sat through the WHOLE GAME between me and JC on the bleachers.
Happy as pie with his drink, his churros and some chips to munch on.
Just like his mom. ;)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Mom - Get Your Head Outta the Gutter
"Whore. Whore!"
That's my 3-year old. Pointing to something that this Momma obviously can not see. Which of course, frustrates him even more.
And me? I'm like, "Where the F*cK did he learn that word?"
Okay, I admit. I have a helluva potty mouth. But that is NOT one of my choice words.
So now he's starting to lose it. "No Mooom!" Shaking his finger forecefully at SOMETHING across the way. "Whore! WHORE!"
Oh for crying out loud. Can the neighbors hear him?
Miraculously, I get him to calm down without fulfilling his neverending need to be understood. (I have to repeat everything he says so that he gets confirmation that I understand him. Or maybe to check if I'm listening - lol.)
And I silently cuss out Skinny Ass coz HE'S used that word on several occasions.
***
Fast forward a couple of days and I'm getting ready to strap Joel into his car seat on the way out to Target.
"Lo Mom - a whore."
Crap. Here we go again.
"What honey?" As if I didn't hear him.
He gets all excited and exclaims, "A whore!" And he scrambles down and picks up a shiny coin on the floor and proudly presents his new find to me in the palm of his hand.
"A whore!"
Wouldja believe? It was a friggin' quarter.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Buccaneer Bash
Everyone busted out their raffle tickets, and we started drawing numbers to raffle off the other prizes we had. Just a couple more bouquets and chocolate covered oreo stacks – all made at home without costing any more moola. ;) CREDITS (I just received this gorgeous handmade card from Joe & Tammie - isn't it beautiful?!) Mama & Papa: For driving in from San Diego and backing me up with absolutely anything and everything (including my costume!) - I could never even THINK about doing something like this without you guys… The Ortega’s: For driving in from Rancho Santa Fe and helping with everything from setting up the flags and balloons, whippin’ up some Beef Steak at the last minute, and helping put all the tables and chairs away… Grandma Belen: For helping in the kitchen and with the hostess duties… Auntie Virgie: For making almost all of the food and helping run the kitchen… The Javier Clan: For running the grill and stockin' the food... The Reyes’: For driving in and making the Chicken BBQ and Fruit Salad… Auntie Irene: For hosting the desserts… The Simeon's: Daisy and Eddie - for all your help with the kids and with the food... Daisy, Ling and JC: For being our official greeters and especially Daisy for running through all the guesses… Michelle and Diane and the other Hurley Moms: For taking charge of giving out prizes and distributing cake and ice cream… Corrie… for helping me run all the games and organizing the tables and chairs for Joe… The Meneses Family: For taking the day off to be able to drive in from LA to spend the day with us and for that crazy generous gift...!!
Well shiver me timbers – I can’t tell you how RELIEVED I am that party day is over. Aside from all the celebrating, it’s just a LOT of work!
I should probably mention that we don’t do birthday parties very often around here. We usually go out somewhere… Local spots like Chuck E’ Cheese’s or a Family Fun Center, or day trips at Disneyland, Legoland, Sea World or Knott’s Berry Farm. Ending the evening with a mini-party of cake and presents.
BUT… for some reason, we decided that every 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th and 18th birthday – a party is a must. lol - just please don't ask me where those numbers came from.
And since birthday parties don’t occasion every year for us, we like to splurge a bit. ;)
You figured out what theme Jacob picked for his 7th birthday, and got a sneak peek at the invitations:
Aren’t they cute? We had a whole assembly line going. After I printed the custom invites, I’d trim ‘em (to center them) and we’d burn the top edge. When they were ready, we rolled them into scrolls. Jacob would be responsible for holding 1-2 scrolls at a time, and JC would tie them up with raffia.
After the scrolls were ready, we opened the “Message in a Bottle” invitations, tossed the standard invite that came with it, and slid our customized scrolls in. Voila! We made about 4 dozen of these, hand delivered most of them and mailed them to out of town guests.
SETTING THE SCENE
My favorite holiday is Halloween, so this was a perfect excuse to bust out some spooky decorations, topped off with some pirate party stuff we found online.
Driving into the neighborhood, kids would see the two crossed pirate flags at each corner, marking the spot to turn for moms and dads. Red, black and gold balloons lit up the driveway, but as you crossed closer to the front door, a buried skeleton seemed to rise up from his grave, and another skeleton kicked it by the front door in chains. Black crows and little rats scurried about (not really!) in the fog, and “Hoist the Colors” from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” played in the background.
What scene wouldn’t be complete without costumes? The boys and I properly got into gear – the hubby was perfectly fine loaning his costume to JC.
FOR THE KIDS
Upon arrival, our greeters gave each child a pirate name tag, then took their guesses for 3 different guessing games: Treasure chests filled with gold bubble gum coins, skeletons and gummy skulls.
The mates were steered to the backyard and started the afternoon off with a bounce and slide in the Palm Tree Bounce House. The shy ones hung out with their parents for a bit or gravitated towards the playground.
FOR THE KIDS AT HEART
As each adult walked through the door, our same greeters gave them 2 metallic bead necklaces and a raffle ticket. You remember the game where you can’t cross your arms or legs? Same thing here, except (lol) we’re at a birthday party and not a baby shower. But who cares? ;)
Most of the adults headed for some grub or picked up the mic for some video karaoke (videoke). Dads grabbed a beer from one of the coolers, and Moms had a Blue Hawaii (or 2, or 3)!
PARTY GAMES
We kept the games simple this year, and played just four:
-Hot Crab [Hot Potato]
-Booty Race [Musical Chairs]
-Peg-Legged Race [3-Legged Race]
-Swab the Deck
Swab the Deck was a hoot – the kids split up into teams and raced to see who could “swab the deck” the fastest by pushing a ping pong ball with a broom from one end to another and back. Different colored balls totally help with this one!
And since we don’t like to have any losers, each child won one of the following after each game:
-Pirate Bandanna
-Bling – Gold Coin Necklaces for boys and colorful Rhinestone Rings for girls
-Pirate Tattoos
-Loot of Golden Nuggets (bubble gum in a bag)
And Pirate Grabbers for the winners of each game. Cheap suckers… but they worked!
THE GRUB
This is, after all, a Filipino Party. (heh heh) Here goes: Pancit, Shanghai and Vegetable Lumpia, Okoy, Marinated Beef BBQ, Marinated Chicken BBQ, Chicken Skewers, Beef Steak, Stuffed Tilapia, Garlic Shrimp, Pinakbet and Kare Kare. Desserts: Brownies, Fruit Salad, Kutsinta, Puto, Pitsi Pitsi and Supin Supin.
Man – and to think we lightened up the menu this time!
WRAPPING IT UP
With cake and ice cream, of course! Afterward, we announced the winners of the three Guessing Games, awarding them with the respective treasure chest and another Pirate Grabber - thank goodness they hadn’t already won one from either of the games!
Then we pulled everyone outside to see who won the most beads. (If you caught someone crossing their arms or legs, you took all of their beads.) First place winner chose the free movie passes, and the runner up got first dibs on one of these chocolate candy bouquets I made for the party:
The final giveaway was the loot bag we gave to each child when it was their time to walk the plank – a little “thank you” for coming out to celebrate with us.
TIMELINE
Some people started arriving as early as 12pm to help us get everything ready. The party officially started at 3pm, with me trying to cram everything into 3 hours for our guests. While the last winner was called out at 6pm, Jacob’s classmates slowly started taking off by 6:30pm, and relatives started to head out about 9:30pm.
But it didn’t end there. The Ortega’s and The Reyes’ hung out with us (and Mama and Papa, of course!) until after midnight. It was the first time Rachel and I got a chance to hit the videoke all night! A couple rounds of Patron got us going, and this is also when Jacob started tearing into his gifts. It was a full day - we had a blast.
And thank GOD that it’s over. ;)
Special thanks to everyone who helped us pull this off –
we couldn’t have done it without you!! 
And to everyone else for all these wonderful gifts (Jacob's got some notes to write!) and most especially... for carving time out of their weekend to wish Jacob Happy Birthday and join our Buccaneer Bash…!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Tuesday Toot | The Empty Pot
We've got a budding actor in the house - meet "Ping," from "The Empty Pot."
They drama team offered 3 showings to a packed house:
- --Friday Night Dessert Theatre
- --Saturday Night Dinner Theatre
- --Sunday Afternoon Matinee
(Ahem) Not only did our boy take the lead in the annual drama production, but he also made his first directorial debut in a vignette entitled "The Magic Brocade."
This proud momma whooped and hollered during the credits - lol. Even if the lil' sh*t is now officially taller than me, he wasn't the least bit embarassed. He's all, "That's my mom!" :)
"The Empty Pot" by Demi is a lighthearted Chinese folk tale which teaches children the importance of honesty.
Do you have any favorite folk tales from your childhood?
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Styrofoam Pit
Our kids just loved those ball pits - like at Chuck E Cheese? Except I'd never let them play in there coz everytime we'd come home, someone would soon catch a cold or cough. How often do they clean those out anyway? Am I the onle one that can smell pee in there? Eew.
Of course, kids are too smart for Mom. And to improvise, they made their own version of the ball pit here at home. You've seen those styrofoam peanuts, right?
Are you getting a mental image yet? Here - let me help you:
Coupled with 6 various piles of vomit in different parts of the house... guess the dog shouldn't have jumped on the table for those chocolate bunnies, huh?
Aren't you glad you're not here at my lovely house? ;)