Thanks for the Memories

My mother moved to Las Vegas this week where she had bought another house to retire in. She will be sharing the house with her cousin and her husband. It also means that our childhood home, the house that she has lived in for over thirty years is now being sold. We loved this little house. It's where we grew up in. Even our friends say they hate to see this house. It has anchored many of us even after we had moved on out on our own. We all still had strong ties to this house. Now, those ties will be permanently severed.

Of course we know it's not really the house that we are tied to, it's the people and the memories that were in it. I know it has to be doubly difficult for my mother, but as she said, she's getting old and living by herself in this old house has gotten more difficult every year. Ever since my grandmother passed away last year, my mother has been feeling her age more and I guess she is now also feeling a vulnerability to her own mortality. I don't blame her. She saw her mother age and go through sickness.

She had started worrying what would happen if she fell or got sick and there's no one there to help her. She had considered those medical alert buttons that you can push when you've fallen and can't get up (lol) my grandmother had one so my mom's familiar with it and all the other devices made for senior safety. But it's just a different feeling knowing that there's another person in the house with you. I guess that's why, when she had the chance, she jumped on the opportunity to move somewhere where there will be someone in the house with her. Besides, she loves Vegas! We're just hoping she doesn't spend all her money at the casinos.

So as my mother makes her way to her new home, we are saying goodbye to our old home with sadness. The only comfort we take in letting the house go is that my mother is still strong enough to make a major move like this in her life. She is taking that anchor and all the memories with her, and she will now serve as the beacon for us to follow home.

At least when she's in Vegas, there will also be many other seniors that she can interact with on a daily basis. They will all probably be wearing medical alert bracelets, but that's ok. It's another phase in her life and she will adjust as we all will...

So for now, goodbye house, goodbye home. Thanks for the shelter, the laughter and the memories.

How was your weekend?

My oldest daughter, who's been away at college, came home last weekend for her baby sister's birthday. She hasn't been home since she went away in August and we've missed her. It sure was nice to have her home. She also missed my cooking so it was a good thing she came home on her sister's birthday weekend, we cooked up a mess of food and she went away happy and with all the leftovers. lol!

It was tiring for me since I had to go pick her up last Friday and when we've gone to her school in the past, her dad always drove us. This was the first time I drove the 6 hours roundtrip on my own. Then it was the same way again when it came time to take her back on Sunday. We got started late yesterday so it was late last night by the time we got home. I'll have to find something now to remove dark circles under eyes, but that's ok. It was worth it just having my three girls home at the same time.

The first thing my daughter asked for when she got home is, Tocino! It's what she wanted for breakfast, so Saturday morning, this is what she ate.

The Saddest Thing Ever

This is the house I and my two sisters grew up in. My parents have owned this house for over 30 years and we've had some of our best memories at this house. However, these days, it has a for sale sign in front of it.

Our mother who has been a widow for seven years now has found it too much for her to maintain. She reasoned that before the house starts falling apart, around her, she would cash in and retire in Vegas. She has already bought a house in Vegas and as soon as this sells, she is moving. She says that by moving to Vegas, it would be more affordable for her to live on her retirement income and social security disability benefits. We're happy for her, really, and it will probably be fun visiting her in Vegas instead of L.A. but we can't help but feel sentimental about this old house which played such an integral part in our growing up.

If I had the means, I would hang on to this house. Probably fix it up for my mom and hopefully my daughter will have as much happy memories here as we did.

The New Norm

Last night is quickly becoming the norm in our house. The husband and I were left to ourselves and we didn't quite know what to do about it. Jade had gone out with her friends straight from school and was spending the night out too. Asi had gone to visit her friend and was out for the night. My youngest, Mara, went to sleep early, exhausted from school. So by the time I got home at seven, the house was eerily quiet, clean and smelling good. My husband has gone through his pre-weekend cleaning spree, the girls were not home to mess up the kitchen and their usual bickering and teasing was strangely missing.

I missed the cacophony. Will I feel this way when they are permanently gone from the house? I wonder. It won't be long before they go off to college and we'll be left with an empty house. The thought of having an empty house is a bit depressing. I just hope I won't be like those people you hear about who either go through some kind of mid life crisis or have need for depression treatments when faced with an empty nest.

It could be just my mood today though...

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

When we were teenagers, my mother developed a quarter sized bald spot on her scalp that started to grow wider the more mischief we got into. She had three girls, pretty much like where I am at right now. Thankfully, my hair is still intact albeit a little thinner. I think I'm developing more wrinkles than she had at my age but I don't know that that is directly related to my teens as I know he balding had a direct correlation with us.

My girls are actually good girls. They haven't gotten into half the trouble we got into at their age. They are doing well in school and so far, so good. Now all I have to do is find the top wrinkle creams and I should be fine.

Allow me to plug a series of small articles I am posting on Amoores on How To Talk To Your Kids. It's a seven part series based on the comments I received when I ran a giveaway on how to communicate with your kids. Drop by over there and check it out. People left some very good tips and suggestions.

Fire up the Grill!

It's that time of year again, and yesterday we fired up the grill for the second weekend in a row. We grilled some hamburgers, hotdogs, pork chops and fish. I know, it seems like a lot but we'll eat off all that meat for at least three days. During the summer months, when we'd rather be doing something fun at the end of the day rather than cooking, it's a godsend!

The garden is also starting to put forth its bounty and yesterday, I harvested a basket full of green beans and peas. We made a quick salad of it and along with some potato salad, we had a feast on our table!

Grilling time actually makes us eat healthier and lower fat foods. Combine that with the fact that we also do more outdoor activities, why it's way better than the best diet pills you can buy! The girls and I have started walking at least a mile everyday when I get home from work. They're out of school now for the summer and they are cooped up most of the day playing video games, watching TV or on the computer. We all need the time outside for some exercise and fresh air. This is the perfect time to do it too since it's not yet oppressively hot.

So have you fired up your summer yet? I'm so glad the for the warm weather!

They grow too fast

It seems only yesterday when we were sending out birth announcements. Kindergarten came way too soon. This week, I felt like like I've been through a whirlwind. My baby, my youngest daughter graduated from elementary school. Whatever am I going to do?

My baby will be in middle school next year and if her sisters are any indication of how fast time flies, she'll be graduating from high school before you know it! Oh, I know it's all part of the great cycle, but I just can't help but wish I could have held on to them a little longer. I miss when they were barely toddling and I could smooch them and hug them all I want. Now they are all biting at the bit, raring to go. Go, where, they're not sure either but go is what they want to do. If only it was easier to let them 'go'.

Chasing Bubbles

My youngest daughter will be transitioning to middle school by the fall. It seems like I just dropped her off to kindergarten! So what happened? Why is she going to big girl school all of a sudden?

She decided to attend an arts magnet school and I just went and registered her. She's excited because she will finally be getting courses that she has been wanting to take but was not offered at her elementary school. For her first couple of years she is scheduled to take guitar and piano. She has always wanted to play piano since she was six. She and her sisters have been teaching themselves on a keyboard but since she's going to be taking lessons I guess we'll have to think about buying a piano now. The only problem is finding a space in our small house to put it.

Back to Regular Programming

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been away for the last couple of weeks to be with family in California. My lola (grandma) who I always talk about passed away earlier this month. She was such a huge influence to so many people and it hit us kind of hard that she won't be around any longer. The remaining consolation is in knowing that she won't be in pain anymore.

The bright side, and I don't mind seeing the bright side because I know she would do the same, is that we got to see a lot of family we hadn't seen in a long time. She would have enjoyed the turnout for her going away party. The chapel was full of her nieces, nephews, grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. The food for her reception, she would have loved. This woman loved to eat and we didn't disappoint. We went to her favorite place to go, a chinese buffet complete with shrimps and crab legs. It was a true mile long buffet that would have most people digging for the Leptovox after wards. Not our family though. Believe it or not, after we left the luncheon at the restaurant, everyone went back to my mother's house for more food!

Anyway, that's where I've been the last two weeks. This week, I'm catching up at the office, at home and here on the blogosphere.

A Rainy Sunday

Today's a rainy Sunday. It's cold, it's dreary, it's gray. It's a perfect day to stay inside and enjoy the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend. Speaking of which, how was your Thanksgiving?

Ours was good, thank you very much. We went to my sister in law's house for the feast and it was good as usual. We pigged out, we watched movies and had fun just catching up on news. The girls had fun playing with their cousins and re-connecting. Best of all, we ate, then ate some more. :)



We probably ate too much, but that's what Thanksgiving is all about. Isn't it? :D Well I don't think we'll be needing Phentermine yet, but we still have Christmas in a few weeks, so we have time. LOL!

We're going to the movies!

Remember when I said I entered a drawing for VIP tickets to the movie Twilight? Well we got it! We have two tickets to the early showing of Twilight tomorrow night!

I am so excited. I have been debating which of the girls to take with me but I think we'be got it resolved now. Tomorrow also happens to be my husband's birthday and I was kind of feeling bad about leaving him to go to the movies on his birthday this is even though he forgot about mine. :-P But, love is not all about getting even, is it? So tomorrow, it will be me and him, on a date to see the greatest vampire story of all time. LOL! Seriously, I can't wait until tomorrow night. I'm getting off work early so I can make sure the girls have something to eat for dinner before we go out.

Campaign for Real Beauty

I stumbled across something today, Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. I'm sure you've seen their ads, the ones that show real women not airbrushed skinny models with fake breasts. Although the Dove campaign has received some criticism, I believe in the message they are trying to promote. It's the same message I've been trying to teach my girls since they were little; that beauty comes in many forms, sizes and colors. Being of one type or the other doesn't make one more beautiful or less than the others.

I hope that message is sinking in. I know it takes a lot to debunk the ideals of beauty that women are bombarded with day in and day out. Heck, some women my age are still suffering effects from this idealized beauty hammered into our brains. I fall into the trap still even though I know better.

I think my girls are pretty balance though. I hope (crossing fingers and knocking on wood). The photo above is from a week or so ago. Asi (center) and the Clone (right) decided to get their hair cut. Both their hair were down to their waist and they were getting tired of dealing with it. I think their new shorter hair is cute. It has also cut 10 minutes from our morning routine since now I don't have to comb and braid the Clone's hair. She can fix her own hair now! Hallelujah!

Now if only everything were that simple. Asi has had her driver's permit for a couple of month's now. She's been practicing driving with me and her dad whenever she gets a chance and now she's talking about getting her actual driver's license. I'm trying to persuade her to wait a while. My excuse is so she can get more practice in. The real reason is I don't want to pay for the high North Carolina auto insurance yet. LOL! Our rates are going to double as soon as we add a new driver to the list. I am really not looking forward to that.

So they're growing.... and fast...

That's how it always is around our house.

A Fall Like Weekend Already

The temperature this weekend dipped to the 60's during the day and low 40's at night. By Saturday morning, they started predicting possible frost so we decided to salvage what we can from the garden.

Top of the list, the basil. Basil is notoriously against the cold. Let it taste a bit of chill and it just goes black and dies. Next, the peppers and tomatoes. When the fruits get a taste of frost, the flesh just gets all dark, soft and rotten like. So we picked a bunch of green tomatoes. We can either make fried green tomatoes or let them ripen in the cupboard. The peppers, I just dropped them in some vinegar and they will be good until forever :)

After we did our salvage job in the garden, the girls and I went to browse at Target for a while before going into the grocery store to get some lunch items. Jade was looking for cheap t-shirts that she and her field hockey team can paint on for the seniors on the team. They are coming up on their last game and they wanted to present their team mates with something to remember them by.

After our shopping trek, we went back home and cooked up something deliciously spicy. Will post the recipe for that soon.

The State is not Fair

Today is the first day of the North Carolina State Fair and the girls are home sick. They had caught some kind of stomach flu and head cold. This does not bode well for our annual State Fair affair.

Just this morning, The Clone, who was the only one feeling well enough to get up this morning, asked if we're still going to the fair this year. Her birthday is next Friday too, she reminded me. I told her that if she and her sisters ever get rid of this stomach bug that keeps them running to the bathroom, maybe we can take our chances and risk going to the fair for the munchfest.

See, the food is the only reason we go to the fair. Well, the only reason I go anyway. The girls claim they go for the rides. Perfect! Eat all the fried, greasy and cloyingly sweet food that you can then go churn it up on the rides. hehe! We'll be right back where we are now where everyone is puking or we'd be needing some top rated diet pills.

Last year, The Clone and I went by ourselves. Their dad never wants to go in crowds. Jade and I go for the food but I also like to browse the exhibits. This year, Jade wants to go see a concert and Bobby Flay. Yep, he's supposed to be at the fair too.

We won't be going to the fair this weekend, but hopefully by next weekend they will be feeling better.

A Day to be Proud

We recently had a wedding in the family. Our niece got married and so it was another chance to get together with family and old friends. The girls had a great time with their cousins and we felt even older looking at how grown they have all gotten. When I joined my husband's family, Brooke, the bride, was only twelve years old. Now look at her...

While the wedding celebration itself was fun, the day was made even more memorable by the trip it took to get there and back.

Read about the Pride Day road trip.

Fair Fare

I was just reminded the other day that it's almost time for the Country Fair again. It has become a ritual for my daughter to go to the State Country Fair every year, which happens to be around her birthday. Last year, we went on a weekday so it was just the two of us, without her sisters. It was a nice bonding day for mom and daughter.

Whenever we go to the fair, one of the places we make a beeline for is the food court and a day at the fair just wouldn't be complete if we didn't at least have a funnel cake and lemonade.

How about you? What's your favorite fare at the fair?

I may be old but I'm still Daddy's girl

I was talking to my pop last night. I had called him to thank him for the package he sent me last week. See, my dad loves to shop and this time around he shopped for me and my husband. My husband always loves what my dad picks out for us. For me, especially. He says my dad has a good eye for women's clothes. I jokingly told him it seems to have gotten better too, after his lasik eye surgery. LOL! That's because he sent me two fully coordinated outfits that were more trendy in style than the usual stuff he sends me. I asked him how he knew what style and size to get for me and he says he just found a woman about my age and size at the store and asked her what's good and what size is she? hehe! That's my dad, he's pushing 70 but can still talk to the ladies. :)

Teens Who Talk are a Gift

We had an old friend in town for business the last couple of weeks so he's been coming over to our house for dinner on his free nights. The girls love having him over for dinner. I think it's cause we eat better than our normal weekday fare. LOL! No, I think they seriously enjoy talking to him and he to them. He commented how it's so nice that our girls would stay on at the dining table even after eating, to talk. They talk about everything under the sun it seems like. And some days it's like a blessing but other days it seems like a curse. haha! I'm joking.

Even as much as my girls talk and as much as they seem comfortable talking to us, I know they don't tell us everything. As they should. I don't expect them to tell all, we are all entitled to our secrets after all. So sometimes, well ok a lot of times, I worry about how they are doing. I worry if they are getting everything they need. It makes me sad when I hear of other teens who seem to have gone so far off track. Click on the link and read about a sad story.

Last night was our friend's last night in town so he came by the house for dinner and brought the girls some presents. You know they were happy. He'll be in Florida next week and he says he'll miss having friends in a city where he's doing business. There will be no one to visit in Florida, he says. But then, there's always Orlando golf courses to maybe take his mind away from missing his family.

Bingo!

You remember playing Bingo as a kid? Bingo is probably one of the easiest and most fun game to master. That's why you still see a lot of people playing it as seniors. :) I remember a time in high school when, for some reason or other some friends and I got addicted to playing bingo. So much so that we even had a bingo night at school as a fund raiser. I don't know if it's the prizes or just the fun and camaraderie of being with friends (prizes :-P ) but it was an activity that we all looked forward to . However, we had to keep it on the down low since it just wasn't cool to be playing bingo when you're a teenager.

When my girls were younger, bingo was a game we used to play a lot with them too. It taught them to recognize their numbers and letters, taught them rules, patterns and taught them how to enjoy just being together with their family. As with most classic games, Bingo has gone digital. I don't know if my girls have outgrown playing bingo, but I think any kid would love to play Disney Bingo. Actually, I know the girls would love playing this Disney Bingo with their little cousins.

The Disney DVD Bingo can provide hours of fun as kids learn their numbers and colors with their favorite Disney characters. The DVD is designed for kids 4 years and older. If you know a kid who would enjoy Disney Bingo, make sure you visit Amazon.com or Drugstore.com to purchase your DVD. Check out the video below:

Just Proud to be her Momma

I talked about my daughter going to the art school for the summer, so I thought I'd show off some of her work here too. She really loved going to this summer school where she got to do what she loved best. She became more confident and more independent. Amazing what a few weeks can do. It's not just about the work she was able to accomplish, it's the boost to her self esteem that just amazes me. It gladdens my heart to see she has found something she is passionate about.