Rundown

Busy busy busy. Hello, sorry for the babbling, really tired, more later! This was my week as far as I remember...

Monday
-Morning meeting and Monday reports, check
-Evie’s first day at camp, arrive two hours early and fifteen minutes before everyone else and appear lost, check
-Assure Evie that she’ll be perfectly fine and should let go of your leg before she cuts off circulation, check
-Assure screaming toddler that his sister wasn’t abandoned somewhere and WILL be returning at some point, check
-Get back to work to solve mystery of the mysterious mystery which turned out to be a nothing but got you frazzled beyond belief because it had to be solved, “NOW!” and “Here!” and “This WAY!”, check
-Monday 3rd cup of coffee, check check
-Pick up Evie who says, “Awww…already? I had fun Mommy! Can I go back tomorrow?” check
-Take Evie to get measured for a student violin for her upcoming violin lessons, check.
-Plop Evie in the living room to hang out with the Sweet Pea and Grandma while trying to finish up work, check
-Plop the Sweet Pea out of the office so that I could finish up work, check
-Plop the Sweet Pea out of the office so that I could finish up work, check
-TOSS.THE.SCREAMING.SWEET.PEA.OUT.CHECK!
-Grab Sweet Pea for a quick hug and kiss and "Sorry honey but Mommy REALLY has to get some work done" and then tossing him out again, check.
-Balance Sweet Pea on lap while typing and working over his shoulder, check.
-Realize, God, it’s only Monday. Imagine divine chuckling…but it’s only Sweet Pea.

 

Tuesday
-Physically remove Evie from bed and get her ready for camp day no. 2 as she refuses to wake up and insists that she actually hated camp and would like to sleep some more, check.
-Do morning meeting and Tuesday morning work ritual, check.
-Half way through first issue of the morning realize that it’s swim day at camp and have no idea where Evie’s swim suit is and that we are half an hour late, check.
-Run around like a chicken with head cut off searching for swim suit, check.
-Put Evie in ugliest swimsuit on planet of striped neon green, yellow, and blue that my mother bought from Vietnam where all the child swimsuit designers must have been colorblind or stuck in the 80s, check.
-Relieved to find that Evie’s regular swimsuit had been in one of her bazillion backpacks this whole time, check.
-Pry screaming toddler from leg to drop off little girl at camp an hour late, check.
-Rush back to desk to remember holy shit, it’s the first day of Summer Session, check.
-Get to class 15 minutes late and realize that UC Berkeley is incredibly old and dirty and that thank god I own a ton of sanitizer, check.
-Receive urgent work issue in the middle of class, check.
-Half pay attention to lecture and half work on urgent work issue while laptop battery appears to die, check.
-Pick up Evie and head home to work some more, check.
-Plop the Sweet Pea out of the office so that I could finish up work, check
-Comfort screaming toddler at the office door, check.
-Plop the Sweet Pea out of the office so that I could finish up work, check
-THROW.THE.SWEET.PEA.OUT.NOMERCYTHISTIME.CHECK!
-Balance toddler on knee and sigh. Check.

 

Wednesday
-Morning meeting and Wednesday morning reports, work life a complete blur, check.
-Completely forget what happened with work on Wednesday because it was that exciting, check.
-Evie waking herself up for once and exclaiming, “Oh, VIOLIN CLASS!!”, check
-Disappoint Evie by telling her violin class is actually that evening, check.
-Ensure third day of anxiety in overly anxious 5 year old by telling her that it’s roller skating field trip day at summer camp, check
-Work issue, lose track of time, check
-Evie loses important letter containing field trip permission slip, money, and instructions to camp counselors on how to distribute said money, check.
-Get flustered as busy with work and can’t believe Evie lost the envelope containing all that, check.
-Yell at child like bad mother, check.
-Self righteously punish child for back talk and attitude and refusal to look for said envelope, check.
-Child draws on wall because she was “bored” which inspires her little brother to also draw on the wall, causing serious amount of frustration and yelling, check.
-Wipe crayon off wall and imprison child on sofa with invisible force field consisting of psychological threat related to verbal instruction of, “or else.” Whatever that means, check.
-Explain to child the dangers of doing things one knows are bad whilst bored = JAIL and RUINING OF LIFE, check.
-Imagine jailbird daughter and bang head on desk, check.
-Drop child off at camp, one hour and 45 minutes late, check.
-Wondering where the hell you were in regards to work, check.
-Work work work...
-Peel toddler off lap and work some more.
-Pick up Evie, pick up McDonald’s for my dad who all of a sudden insists on McDonald’s because he has a craving and head to violin lesson which I thought we would be really late for but confirmed that my cell phone sucks and did not register a voicemail from the teacher which would have saved me a lot of frantic rushing as she wanted to let me know that she wanted to move Evie’s first lesson to Friday. Um, Check.
-Violin teacher squeezes Evie in for a half hour session anyway, yay. Check.
-Provide what I think is good parenting by encouraging Evie to try her best, not worry about making mistakes, and telling her she was doing great for a first lesson during a short break where she asked the teacher if she could talk to me for a second and indicated that she was “sorry” for making so many “mistakes”. Check.
-Believing my own advice because I’d been raised by parents who expected a lot of ME and didn’t believe in making mistakes, only achieving or failing, check.
-Violin teacher mentioning how she thinks Evie is quite ready for the violin, is making a good start, and is relatively getting quite “far” in half an hour (versus the usual 45 minutes). Check.
-Go out to search for school books and finding less than half, check.
-Go home, toss toddler out, check.
-THROW.THE.SWEET.PEA.OUT.IMEANITTHISTIMELITTLEMAN.CHECK!
check work, grab toddler for hugs and kisses and “I la boos” (I love you), and falling asleep with him in my arms. Check.

 

Thursday
-No more checking, just doing on autopilot.
-More morning meetings.
-More work.
-More camp.
-2nd Day of Class, only 12 minutes late.
-Pick up Evie.
-Encourage Evie to practice violin in which she only accomplishes about 15 minutes due to a certain overly curious toddler.
-Work some more.
-Play with Sweet Pea.
-Go to sleep exhausted despite shortened activity list.

 

Friday
-Work hard.
-Play? What play? Do we mean the toddlerscreaming/mommyhastowork dance?
-Last day of this camp, tell Evie she’s going to a different camp next week. “Aww…Mommy, what about my friends?”
-More work.
-More exhaustion.
-Blame hubby on irritability as he predicts he will be having a horrible day at work as he is forced to go to Great America (a large amusement park) for some “team building”, enjoy himself, go home early.Bastard.
-Friend R. comes to get me for lunch with her sweet newborn baby and hangs out for the rest of the afternoon. Nothing like dim sum and a baby to make it all better.
-More kisses from Sweet Pea and yet another “I la boo Mommy!”
-Sigh relief at the thought of Friday night.

Quotes and Conversations

Thank you to all of you for being SO supportive of Evie and me as we try to figure out what to do with the mean kids and bullies in our lives. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I can identify with so much of it as I was bullied a bit as a child too, still knowing how it hurts, it hurts me even more to know that all I can do is be supportive of Evie and letting her handle as much as she can on her own. Luckily, we have the summer to figure out the logistics. In the fall, I'm going to keep a better eye on how Evie feels she is being treated. I've been giving her extra hugs and lots of extra attention in addition to signing her up for activities I know she'll like this summer (ie swimming class) as well as planning some fun weekend trips we can do together as a family. I'll write more about those later. As usual, there's what I want to write about and then there are the little things that just make me smile and have to be documented. But for now, something a little more lighthearted, here are some quotes and conversations I've heard or been a part of lately. Sometimes they seem so old, but they're just little children still.

*****

The kids are lying in bed (yes, they still sleep with us; no, I don't see anything wrong with that; yes, I know Evie's almost in first grade - they have the rest of their lives to sleep and be away from us, bedtime is when I get to cuddle with them; that said, by second grade...promise) around bedtime after storytime.

Evie: "[Sweet Pea] Can you turn off the light please?"
Sweet Pea: "Oh-tay!"
Sweet Pea switches off the light and comes back to bed.
Evie: "Thank you."
Sweet Pea: "Weh-gum!"
Evie: "I don't have any gum."

Evie went to the office with me yesterday. In my office building's lobby there's a reception desk where visitors have to get a visitor's pass. Evie and I walk up to the desk.

Lien: "Morning, does she need a visitor's pass?"
Security: "Who?"
Lien (pointing at Evie): "Her."
Security (looking puzzled): "Who??"
Lien: "My daughter, she's right here!"
Security (a rather short woman herself, standing up and trying to look over the reception desk): "I don't see anyone."
Lien (realizing that Evie is about two feet shorter than the reception desk, takes her over to the side where the security lady and receptionist can see her): "Her!"
Security: "Ohhhhhhhhhh! Hello sweetie!"

For some reason, Evie was quiet and attached to my leg throughout that whole exchange. I wonder if she got a kick out of it.

In the car on the way to the grocery store.

Evie: "Mommy mommy there's a bug in the car!"
Me: "Open the window and let it out honey."
Evie rolls down the window.
Evie: "Shoot! Shoot! SHOOOOOOT! It's not listening to me Mama!! SHOOOOOOT BUG! SHOOT!"
I look out the rear view mirror to see that she's pointing frantically at the open window while yelling at the little bug.
Me: "Maybe you should move it along rather than point out the window honey."
Evie: "Oh, okay!" (Moves her hand near the bug.) "There it goes, bye bug!"
I think about correcting her by saying it should be "Shoo" and not "Shoot" but think the better of it.

Various times Sweet Pea has looked me dead in the eye with his most dead serious face and said, "Picy."

- Upon catching a glimpse of a red pepper.
- After eating a red hot cheeto.
- After he's had some of his "fruit flavored" infant's allergy medicine.
- After biting into a slice of nectarine.
I think the boy's confused, but he's so sure of himself. Hmm...

At Denny's for dinner on Tuesday whilst eating our nacho appetizer.

Me: "Nachos aren't really Mexican right? Weren't they invented in the US?"
J: "Yeah, they're Mexican American. Tortilla chips were invented in LA or something."
Evie (Wide eyed): "Nachos are made of Mexicans Daddy??"
I forget what J said after that, I believe I was too busy laughing.

In the bookstore last night.

Evie (speaking to the back of a clerk): "Excuse me, where can I find the children's section?"
Clerk (turning around, not seeing anyone, and then looking down surprised): "Oh it's that way."
Evie: "Thank you."
Clerk (laughing and looking at me as she realizes I'm Evie's mother): "I was expecting a big person! I didn't think I could hear such a big person voice coming from something so small."

Exactly.

Mean Girls

Evie told us that some girls were mean to her at school. These girls made her cry. They told her she was ugly. They made her feel unwelcome by saying she wasn't invited to some party they were gloating about and probably intimated that they would never invite Evie to anything. The main girl who is doing this is Asian so it's not racism at play here. Her mom seems nice, but the school year is over and I'm finding out too late. Too late do anything. Too late to react in a way that would make a difference. Too late to be involved in something that was troubling my child for awhile because I was too worried about going back to school and going to classes. Too late to do anything except tell myself that it will be good for my little girl to develop a thick skin.

I'm telling myself that I can't do anything about the other little girls, but I can certainly try and make my little girl feel better about herself and encourage her not to listen to bullies. Evie herself is not the best behaved child on the planet and she can be a bit insensitive and bossy sometimes. Still, overall she's a good, kind, polite kid who doesn't deserve this sort of treatment from her peers. Unfortunately childhood is not sunshine and rainbows and wisdom doesn't spring from unmarked time. As much as I want to rip those other girls a new one and email or call their mothers about their kids and how they've hurt mine; I can't. I have to let Evie manage these things on her own terms.

J and I are advising her to essentially tell these other kids to stop being mean and walk away. I've been telling her that she's beautiful just the way she is and that those other kids are just rude and don't care or associate with rude people. It's their problem not hers and she should try her best to ignore them. Still, is that enough? Did any of us really believe our parents over our classmates back in the day?

I can't hug her enough, I can't love her enough, and I feel so much pain right now just thinking about how hurt Evie must have been to have cried "a lot" (her words) because of these other children. I wish I had paid closer attention sooner but now all I can do is try my best to make the most of this summer and help her understand that she is a valuable human being. Unfortunately, easier said than done.

Any advice here would be most welcome. What would you do?

Practically Twins!

It came!!! He was already REALLY sleepy when I got home today, but of course I had to put it on him and take a picture. Yeah, the costume was better, but for the life of me I couldn't find a toddler sized one. (What's up with that StarWars.com???) Still, looks pretty darn cute.

10 Things: The Blogaversary Edition

One year ago today I started writing about various things about my life, my family and my thoughts. Here are 10 random things I've found out or confirmed thanks to this blog:

10) There are some really weird people out there searching for some very weird and sometimes disturbing things and they somehow manage to find my blog through some of their very weird and sometimes disturbing searches.

9) I am really eclectic.

8) I am a very inconsistent writer and my grammar is horrendous. I'm a literature major, not an English major.

7) I love lists.

6) There are some awesome people out there and I am only aware of their awesomeness because they comment on this blog and/or email me thanks to this blog. For that, I am truly thankful.

5) I'm not so alone after all.

4) It is hard finding a balance between internet anonymity and letting it all out. Sometimes I will forget to use aliases and have to go back and edit. There was mixed horror and relief when I let out that we call the Little Goose Evie out in the "real" world. The Sweet Pea will probably remain Sweet Pea for awhile, but I accidentally type his name quite often.

3) It is hard not writing much about my extended family and friends although they play a huge role in our lives. Sometimes it feels as though we give the impression that we're very isolated when we're actually surrounded by people all the time. We're very lucky to have a huge and close extended family and many friends. Perhaps I'll be writing more about the other important people in our lives soon.

2) It is hard not complaining about some of the people around us...ahem, like my parents.

1) Having a record of me, of us, is so precious. It's not even a matter of looking back someday far in the future. I'm looking back now, at posts from a year ago or less and I'm amazed at how we've changed and grown.

It's been hard, on occasion, finding time to write something meaningful (or even something that made sense). Thank you readers for leaving such kind comments despite all that and for following along on our journey of just living. If you've never commented before, please drop us one. It's our blogaversary after all. =)

Parenting Priorities: A Multi-Cultural Upbringing

There’s something comfortable about having a separate culture, language, and heritage that you can wrap yourself in. Growing up, Vietnamese was a secret language and Vietnamese culture was something that I could talk about with other people and find a special bond simply because of shared cultural experience. It was easy for me to retain the Vietnamese language and some of the cultural practices (as far as my parents knew them anyway) when all my family members were Vietnamese and all our family friends were Vietnamese. In terms of identity, it is easy for me to claim that I am Vietnamese American, because my life and existence has been so engrained with Vietnamese linguistic and cultural knowledge and practice. That practice was only possible for me because of the family and family friends who shared the same heritage. My children however, will have another culture to wrap themselves in, but it won’t be Vietnamese, though it will contain Vietnamese elements.

The Little Goose and the Sweet Pea are going to have a multi-cultural upbringing. Even if I wanted to, no amount of effort on my part will prevent the fact that they will not have a “typical” Vietnamese American upbringing. Their dad isn’t Vietnamese, the 1980s and 1990s are long gone and the people they have surrounding them by the bonds of blood, marriage, and friendship are not only solely Vietnamese. Their upbringing is going to be radically different from mine. It’s my job as their mother to help them appreciate all of it.

My children are blessed with the fact that they have a pan-Asian American heritage and they have a claim to each and every culture. They may not have the experience of children who have parents of the same culture, but they will at least have the option of learning about these different cultures and understanding that once upon a time, an ancestor of theirs was someone of that culture and that they owe their existence to them. Some of these cultures will be more prevalent in their lives than others. I’m fully Vietnamese American and my parents play a huge role in the lives of my children. They are both somewhat bilingual because they spend so much time with my parents. In the fall, Evie is going to be enrolled in Vietnamese school so that she can retain as much of the language as possible. The Sweet Pea will probably be enrolled in Vietnamese school in the future as well and so long as we live near my parents, something of Vietnamese culture will rub off on the many trips to the temple with my mom or perhaps through the stories and songs my grandma sings to them.

In addition to the Vietnamese, they’ll be exposed to Korean culture through their Korean great grandmother and her cooking. Because of their Korean heritage, they understand what it feels like to wear a hanbok. They’ll know that kimbop and sushi are two different things. While J and his mom aren’t really knowledgeable about Korean traditions or language, J would never leave out that he is of mixed cultural heritage and his mom would never say that she was anything but Korean American. Part of a Korean American heritage includes wearing hanboks on special occasions and eating galbi, kimchi, soon du boo, and kimbop while telling your great grandmother that you love her, even though you can’t speak her language you practice saying kahmsahmnida. And maybe, just maybe, when you grow up, you’ll take a class and learn some more to reclaim the history that was lost but was preserved, if only a little bit, by food and love.

Or maybe, just maybe, the Little Goose and Sweet Pea will want to learn more about Japan and their Japanese American heritage. Perhaps they’ll remember all the Anime we have in stock just waiting for them to be old enough to discover. I can only hope that their great grandfather will be around when they’re old enough to ask about the internment camps and what it meant to be Japanese American once upon a time in the land of the free. In the meantime, they’ll spend at least once a month or so with their grandpa, picking fuyu persimmons off the tree in the back yard and occasionally going to a daruma festival or two. J and I will probably take them to a Japanese American museum, like the one in LA so that they can remember where their last name came from. Perhaps I’ll even get them to understand that no family gathering on the Japanese side is complete without Uncle R’s spam musubi.

Of course, to say that my kids only have Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese American cultures to choose from is limiting them to just the cultures of the people they are related to by blood. More than likely, they’ll also be exposed, if only by a little bit to the cultures of the family members who are related by marriage like their Filipino aunties, their white grandfather, their Taiwanese grandmother, their Chinese uncle and future Hispanic uncle; not to mention all our friends who range from African American to Indian American to a whole bunch of things together. Who knows, perhaps in the future as my cousins and siblings get older and marry, they’ll be exposed to even more as new family and friends are added to the mix. No, my kids won’t have Vietnamese American culture to wrap themselves in, they’ll have something even better, they’ll have an upbringing that is as multi-faceted as they are and their culture will be more unique than anything I ever had. That’s a good thing. I’m so glad I get to experience it with them and I can’t wait for more.

RiceDaddies Empowerment Through Diversity Challenge

The Rice Daddies are calling on all their readers to help them in their first philanthropic venture. They've included three projects in their DonorsChoose challenge, all of which include improving the education of diverse students. If you're interested in helping them with their fundraising, you can find out more here.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Over the past six years J was a rather lackadaisical college student. He wasn't necessarily because he was lazy (I can't tell the internet that you're lazy can I babe?) but more that he didn't exactly know what he wanted to do with his life and who was I to push him in one direction or other? (Other than his wife and the mother of his children who were looking increasingly shabby for the lack of the ever crucial second income as we are insane Bay Area dwellers. But I digress...where was I?)

Lucky for me, he finally picked something, finished his bachelors while taking care of the babies part time. He worked really hard as a student and stay at home dad. He always made sure the kids were changed, fed, entertained and in the presence of someone who loved them. He did his best in school and while his grades weren't stellar, it was because he put his family first. Unfortunately, poor J had to suffer some stigma due to the fact that he was a student/SAHD for so long. Many, including some friends and certain family members who shall not be named (don't forget to apologize mom and dad) assumed the worst; that he'd be a "bum" forever. They couldn't imagine the amount of work required to be a stay at home parent and one that worked and went to school part time no less. I've been home alone with my children during the day. I can only attest to the fact that I enjoy my rose colored glasses when I'm at work. I can't imagine the insanity that my poor hubby had to fight off over the last 5 and a half years of parenthood having to stay at home with two very young children and attempting to get his homework and various projects done. (To all the SAHMs and SAHDs out there, I salute you! I could not do what you do. I love my children, I just don't like them all the time and I need my space. It's not the kids, they're just being kids. It's me. Judge what you will.)

Alas, J's days of working from home and hanging with the kids part time are over. My darling J got a job. A "real" job; meaning a full time job that's not retail or fast food (take that you-know-who!) It's not that he's never had a full time job before, but rather it's been a very long time since he's held one. He's very excited and he starts at 8:30am today as a project manager for a large publishing company. I'm so very proud of him.

*****

To borrow from some of your video game speak. Good luck babe. Have fun on your first day. Don't die now that you're back out in the "real world" because you know I worry and there are just some crazy mofos out there. Sorry this wasn't better written, it's 2am and I'm not home to wish you luck on your first day. Thanks for taking care of the kids so that I could study for my finals at my cousin's house. Love you lots. :Muah:

Asking Permission

This video has not gotten NEARLY enough attention or views, but it's awesome. In 59 seconds it presents one of the biggest challenges Asian Americans face in terms of being treated as perpetual foreigners. Check it out...

In the Land of the Free...

Ah yes, no one tells you that all that stuff in the Declaration of Independence is not actually the law. You know the part. The stuff about, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That's not actually promised or what you get or anything. Which is why while the rest of America is screaming, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

She's able to say, "I'm Paris Hilton bitch!"

Update: Paris Hilton is going back to jail. Mad props to Judge Michael Sauer for laying down the law. Apparently Paris was screaming "It's not right!" when she was taken away from the court room. Oh, but Paris it IS right. This wasn't some minor traffic violation. You didn't just do a rolling stop or make an illegal U-Turn on an empty street. You were driving while drunk, which means you could have killed someone or gotten killed. Just because you didn't doesn't mean you shouldn't have been punished. (And you obviously need to be punished because you obviously don't get the fact that "alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and nonfatally injure someone every two minutes (NHTSA 2006).") With the number of times you've gotten DUI's it's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured. You're rich enough to hire a chauffeur and could have avoided all this but no... And yeah, I totally agree with halfmama. If you were my kid, I'd be smacking you upside the head and screaming at you to shut the fuck up and suck it up.

Celebrating the Arbitrary

No one told me parenting would be such a bittersweet thing. I look at the past five and half years of my little girl's life and it's gone by all too quickly. I remember how excited I was when she first uttered a semblance of "Mama". I remember quietly regretting all the complaining I did about having to carry her around the first time she walked away from me. Potty training was a huge deal. The first time she wrote her name was cause for a lot of fussing and hugging. All the wonder of the simple things fade into sepia colored memory as you mark off all the things on your list of normal child milestones.

Next week is the end of kindergarten. It feels like the end of an era. Before you hit the numbered grades, your baby is still just a little thing really. You may say that she's a big girl once she can walk, say her first word, complete her first sentence, go without a diaper, or walk away from you on the first day of school; but it doesn't really hit you how not so little your baby really is, until she's done with kindergarten. All the milestones which indicate that your child is a normal child (hopefully) are pretty much settled. All the last vestiges of babyhood are gone by the time kindergarten ends. The cheeks aren't quite as round somehow and the legs became too long for chubby thighs and all that's left in front of you is a vast expanse of years marked by birthdays and the ticking off of to do lists. Instead of physical and developmental marks now you'll have to find other marks to celebrate.

I realize that it may seem that I'm writing this in a hushed and reverent tone as if the best years of my little girl's life are over, or rather, the best years of our life together are over; but that's not the case at all. I look out at the expanse before us and I can't wait. I can't wait to take her to a museum and actually have her understand and truly appreciate the art, science, or culture that I hope she learns from those wonderful places. The idea of putting her on a bicycle for the first time and holding on till she's ok with me to let go gives me goosebumps. I think of all the little things I can teach her like where to find Orion and Scorpius, how to make a daisy chain, and how to make baking soda foam over a clay volcano and I get giddy with excitement.

Over the last few weeks we took the kids hiking to see a waterfall, on a tour through a cave, and to the north coast to see tide pools. While she was scared of the cave, she still thought that the fact that the formations could glow was cool. She loved the waterfall and dipping her toes in to the cold pool of water. We saw butterflies and she listed all the species of butterflies she knew (all of two) before she realized that Mommy knew about as much as she did and perhaps less on the subject. And while her brother threw rocks in the ocean, she paid attention and oohed and ahhed at the little sea creatures her Daddy pulled off the rocks for her to see.

Next week is the end of kindergarten. My baby girl is no longer a baby and is no longer little, but now, instead of marking off a list of items her body is supposed to do with or without us, we're marking off a list of what we want to do with her and for her that she can actively participate in. I probably won't throw a party, but I'll remember to hug, and proudly exclaim, "Hey my kid just did her first algebra equation!" I might even get misty eyed, sniffle, and sigh at yet another "milestone", but then, that's a part of the job I guess.

Update 6/13: Evie had her kindergarten graduation. I've added a picture of her and my mom at the event.

What I Will Do To My Child...

Pretty awesome eh? Many thanks to Daddy In A Strange Land for finding this hubby approved shirt for me. Can't wait till it gets here...

Would I? Could I? Should I?

I'm going to try to post a bit more this June as it is my blogiversary month. I'm still really busy these days, especially with finals looming, but I thought I'd post at least once every other day. These probably won't be very long or insightful posts, but may some pictures or thoughts of the day. I've had a lot on my mind but not much time to write about them so we'll see how this goes.

Anyhoo...Random post and thought of the day...

********************

I've probably hinted in the past that I'm an R2-D2 fan. No not a Star Wars fan, just an R2 fan. I have a small R2 collection for R2 rocks. I mean without R2, the rebels would have never been able to get the plans for the Deathstar. Heck, Luke and Co. would have been crushed by a trash compactor had R2 not did his technological magic and shut the thing down. If it hadn't been for R2, many doors would not have been opened, primitive nets could not have been cut and many a Star Wars "plot" would not have unfurled. R2 is the Star Wars resident geek. (He's a geek, I'm a geek. See? This obsession totally makes perfect sense!) It's really too bad he has that little speech impediment and requires the annoying robot to translate for him all the time.

I have an R2 mug, an R2 bank, R2 beanie, R2 key chain, a mini Hasbro voice activated R2 who develops his own personality over time (it is just the coolest thing EVER! THANKS BABE! BEST XMAS GIFT FOR YOUR BUDDHIST GEEKY WIFE OF ALL TIME!), R2 M&M (Thanks E! Best thing anyone's ever brought home from one of their vacations for me!) and various other R2 toys. If it weren't for the fact that I value family vacations more than TV, I would have bought an R2 projector and home theater thingie.

I understand, that this R2 thing is just my thing and while I struggle sometimes to save my children from a life of laughable geekdom...I can't help but think....

Great GBH, Sweet Pea would look Schwweet in this.

Alas, lucky for him, I'm not THAT selfish.

UPDATE: Thanks to Superha, halfmama, and Mamazilla, I was about to order this when J completely ruined it. He looked over at my monitor, saw the look on my face and said, "Don't order that?! WHY? I thought you weren't going to be cruel to your children! Huh?!" :sigh: Normally this line of reasoning would not perturb me but I said, "Fine" so that he would stop poking me in my side...which hurt. Cruel hubby. Hmph.

5 Going On 15

Can someone please tell me what happened to this little baby? Did I like...blink or something?