Educated decisions

As a mom, I want to do everything that I can to make life easier for my daughter. The most important among those, I think, is to educate her so that she can make informed decisions. Yes, from time to time, it will be biased, but I would encourage her to find out about both sides of the issues, etc. However, when it comes to health care, you can never give enough information.

There is a Bill before Congress called the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act (see http://www.cancerschmancer.org here for more information). Basically, it requires the head of the National Cancer Institute to delegate funds for the early detection and screening of ovarian cancer. A "no brainer," right? Right.

Having a family member that was diagnosed with ovarian cancer (and kicked it's ass!!), I am proud to pass on this information for those of you that actually read my blog. Check it out and stay informed. The life that you save may be your own, or that of a close friend or family member. For me, it may be my daughter's life.

Click the link below to pass the word onto your Senators and Representatives. I am proud to say that Barbara Boxer, a WOMAN SENATOR FROM CALIFORNIA, was the original sponsor of the Bill.

Torn

I recently found out that the mother of an ex-boyfriend passed away. And I am torn. I was with him for four years... how would she not be a big part of my life? I have not seen her (or my ex) for some years now, probably about 5 or 6 years. But I still have a (warning: cliche ahead) special place in my heart for her and the family. I looked for my ex and his sister on facebook.com and myspace.com. Despite being torn, I sent my condolences to the sister, and hopefully it won't seem too weird that I sent them. Personally, I would be touched if ANYONE, stranger or friend, offered sympathy in a time such as theirs, but maybe I am wrong.

To binky, or not to binky...

So, our daycare provider attempted the seeming impossible/unbelievable task of breaking Bella of the dreaded B-I-N-K-Y. Yes, we spell it in our household (along with swear words).

She went all day (nap time included) without it! YAY! So, I played along, and did not give it to her at home at all. She never even ASKED for it! So, then I pushed the envelope and tried putting her down for the night without it. Screaming, pleading, and foot stomping ensued. Being the "enabler" (thanks Bridget) that I am... I gave it to her. But I would say for her first day without the binky, it went pretty darn well!

Now, if only I could get lipstick on a pig! wink, wink

Finally settled in

Hi all. Finally settled in with the house and new job. Yes, I am actually used to getting up at 4:30 a.m. now. Sleeping in on the weekend (until 7:00 a.m.) is fantastic!

Bella is changing so much everyday! She is getting taller and losing the baby fat, learning so many words, and starting to gnaw and drool on everything in sight to get those second year molars on the move! She said "thermometer" yesterday! She is in love with Dora and Boots, and says "Swiper! Swiping!" (It should be "Swiper, no swiping!" but who am I to critize?) She still plays "mute" when others are around, but never stops when she is at home with Ben and I. See video below for our little inside joke!

Catch-up

Sooo... did you miss me? Yeah, it's been awhile. Been moving, grooving and sweating my butt off doing it! I can only say how much I truly appreciate air-conditioning now. Our rental has none. I mean, it has an A/C unit. It blows (not just literally), but not cold air. It has been over 90 degrees in the house the last three nights. So, I had it checked out yesterday. Compressor is shot. Getting a new unit today. YAY!! **HAPPY DANCE!!**

So, guess what we are doing this weekend?! MOVING!! AGAIN!! But not us this time. My mom. But it only like 2 miles away. Should be way easier, but we shall see!

In other news, Bella is still teething. I stupidly thought after the arrival of the first-year molars we would have a break. But, the eye teeth are rearing their ugly heads. Poor thing. I feel for her. I hate when my teeth hurt! She is also parrotting everything we say. She likes to run into our shower (or open the sliding door then run in) screaming "BATHTUB!BATHTUB!" It is so flippin cute. She also likes to get up on our bed, sit at the top and pull the covers over her legs (yes, even when it is 90+ degrees in the house). She can say "up", "doggy oh no no", "bad doggy", and "who dat?" Can you tell we have to yell at our dogs pretty often?

The job is working out well. I will be "let go" next week to do my own thing (sans trainer watching over my shoulder). YAY ME!! My brain hurts when I get home, so I guess I am exercising some flabby, lazy brain cells that thought they were on a permanent vacation!

Can you hack it?

You look at the wheel spinning ever so quickly. You think, "I can do that. No problem!" You wait for exactly the right moment. You hop on. You are able to keep up (for a while). You get tired. You slow down, but the wheel does not. This is what happens!



Answers from yesterday's trivia: 1. Billy Madison, 2. Tommy Boy, 3. Super Troopers, 4. SNL: Justin Timberlake (D!ck in a box), 5. Seinfeld, 6. Married with Children, 7. The Simpsons, 8. Home Improvement

Movie and TV trivia

If you can tell me what movies or TV shows these are from(or in reference to), you are my hero!

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
P.S. I know the answers! I'll post them tomorrow!

I am smarter than I thought I was...

So, on the road to becoming a better person and finding a career that I can love and do for the rest of my working days... I turned to teaching. I have always wanted to be a teacher. You know the old adage "those that cannot do, teach"? WELL, I CAN DO, but I also want to TEACH! I love breaking things down for people and "showing them the way." Plus, I could put a lot of my organizational skills to good use. *wink, wink*

So, I applied for Project Pipeline back in May. This is a program where you can earn your teaching credential WHILE you are putting in real time in a real classroom. I was missing a couple of prerequisites to get into the program, and realized that I had all of 13 days to study for a HUGE test... the CSET (California Subject Examinations for Teachers), in order to be a Life Science/Biology teacher (which happen to be in HIGH demand these days). I broke it all down into how many hours a day I needed to study. I took a week off of work. I lost a lot of sleep and subsequently time with my baby girl. In the long run, I knew that it would be to her benefit (having me home during the summer), so I tried not to feel too bad about it. Anyway, the CSET subtests I had to take were two general science subtests, and a biology concentration subtest. This was about 150 multiple choice, and 7 essay/short answer questions.

On paper, it did not seem so bad... but in reality it covered a lot of ground, all of which I had been taught in college, but at this point in my life could not remember. Physics and Geology and Astronomy, OH MY! I read somewhere that only like 15% of the people that take all three tests at once pass. So, odds where definitely not in my favor!! Notes, flashcards, endless hours on the computer... I was more prepared that I could have ever imagined. The day of the test, I could not even bring myself to look at the material. If I did not know it by now, I was not going to know it! The first and second tests were okay, not easy, not difficult. By the time I reached the third test (Biology, which should have been easy for me), I was totally brain dead. I was yawning every two seconds, having to reread questions multiple times... then I got to one of the essay questions asking about the Greenhouse Effect, and all I could think of was "COW FARTS." It just so happens that methane does cause it, and I was not just mentally "losing it" at that point. That was the last question I answered.

I felt like I had been run over by a truck, then thrown into a wood chipper. I was exhausted. I could not keep my eyes open the rest of the day (except for the drive home) and the next day. I still had to wait A MONTH to get my results. That day was yesterday, and you know what?

I PASSED ALL THREE.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Yes, the fear of FRIDAY THE 13TH! According to John Roach ("Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History", National Geographic News, August 12, 2004), "It's been estimated that $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day" in the United States. Luckily, there is only one FRIDAY THE 13TH this year, however, there are THREE next year (Feb, Mar, Nov). Now, I am not superstitious, but if I saw Jason Voorhees coming towards me, I would probably shat myself, then change my mind!! BUT, in light of all that...

Beware Of The Friday 13th Virus
It will recalibrate your refrigerator's coolness setting so all your ice cream goes melty.

It will give your ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend your new phone number.

It will mix Kool-aid into your fishtank.

It will put a dead aardvark in the back pocket of your good suit pants and hide your car keys when you are late for work.

It will give you nightmares about circus midgets.

It will pour sugar in your gas tank and shave off both your eyebrows while dating your girlfriend behind your back and billing the dinner and hotel room to your Discover card.

It moves your car randomly around parking lots so you can't find it.

It is insidious and subtle. It is dangerous and terrifying to behold. It is also a rather interesting shade of mauve.

For the ladies: It will leave the toilet seat up. It shaves over your bathroom sink and then leaves the hair to clog your drain. It will drink all your beer and leave dirty socks on the coffee table when company comes over.

It prevents scurvy, but it gives you mega garlic breath as it does so, which makes the net results negative.

It cheats at Scrabble. It can forge your signature.

Longing for simpler times...

As I am beginning to pack up our house (in anticipation of moving sometime in the next month), I wonder what life was like without Cuisinarts, Kitchen Maid mixers (hand mixers for that matter), and ornate cups, glasses and dishes. I am sure that it was more time-consuming and a general pain-in-the-ass to bake cookies, pies, and cakes... but would it not have made it more special? You would not need a huge-ass kitchen just to hold all of your small appliances and modern day conveniences either! *sigh* And the amount of toys that our children accumulate? YIKES! Jacks, marbles, handmade dolls... what happened to those?

This gets me thinking... did the importance of education get kids out of the fields helping their parents with crops and into the classroom? What about learning life lessons? Life lessons: anything worth doing is worth doing well. I'm not saying that education isn't important, or that modern conveniences are a waste. Just wondering how it is that our kids got so sheltered and spoiled. Aren't "street smarts" just as important as "book smarts"? If Pa had to go out and kill a chicken for dinner, or one of the farm animals died, a life lesson presents itself and viola! your child learns the ways of the world. I'm sure that kids don't really understand where their chicken nuggets or cheeseburgers come from these days, until much later in life. I can only assume at that point it is met with disdain and horror, promising never to eat those food items again...

....ah, simpler times...

Hump Day Humor

OK, these made me laugh today. Hopefully, you will laugh, too! It's LOG... AND, I have a soft spot for pirate humor. Not sure why...

Bella and her purse

Ok, so when I go out to water the flowers, Bella is ususally barefoot, so I spray her feet. On this day, my mom was watering and Bella was carrying her purse in the crook of one arm, and her cell phone in her other hand. She gets so excited, and dances!! Check her out!

Twiddling my thumbs

So, here I sit waiting to hear about the JGI job. I was supposed to have an offer by the middle of last week, but then there was a second round of lay-offs at LLNL. *Eek!* So, the HR guy said he would *try* and get me the offer by today. I am a bit impatient about it!!

This past weekend, we had the three cousins photographed together. Getting a 3 months old, 13 month old, and a 30 month old to sit still and smile at the same time is JUST AS DIFFICULT as it sounds! Bella was deliriously giggling, running around and trying to run out of the photo studio (much like her 12 month pictures). Good times.

I think that she is teething or hitting another growth spurt... she keeps waking up between 3:30 AM (yes, "ante-meridian", look it up!) and 4:30 AM doing the "eat" sign before I even get her up out of her crib. Even after she POUNDS a 6 ounce bottle, she still makes the "eat" sign, and I think she must be crazy (or have a hollow leg). I put her bed, and she talks to herself for 30-60 miuntes. Then, I have to get back out of bed, and rock her back to sleep. *Yawn* Tonight, I am going to try to stuff her like a little turkey, and hope she sleeps all night.

Oh, and by the way, Taylor Swift ROCKS! She is just amazing! Not bad for an 18-year-old!

Welcome!

Hopefully, this blog will keep you entertained, and coming back for more!

The title is a play on a quote from "Elf" (my favorite Christmas movie)!!


But I think that people's favorite color says a lot about them. Currently, my favorite color is purple. I think that it changes with the different stages of my life. I happen to LOVE purple on Bella. It is definitely her color. I guess that really defines the current stage of my life... the "new mommy" stage.

Here is some insight about your favorite color:
White: Symbolic of purity, innocence and naivete, white has strong connotations of youth and purity. If you are an older person, your preference for white could indicate a desire for perfection and impossible ideals, maybe an attempt to recapture lost youth and freshness. It may also symbolize a desire for simplicity or the simple life.

Red: The color of strength, health, and vitality, Red is often the color chosen by someone outgoing, aggressive, vigorous and impulsive—or someone who would like to be! It goes with an ambitious nature but those who choose it can be abrupt at times, determined to get all they can out of life, quick to judge people and take sides. Red people are usually optimistic and can’t stand monotony; they are rather restless and not at all introspective, so they may be unaware of their own shortcomings. They find it hard to be objective and may blame others for any mishaps. Quiet people with a preference for red may feel the need for the warmth, strength and life-giving qualities of the color, or they blanket their true feelings under a sober exterior. Red is usually chosen by people with open and uncomplicated natures, with a zest for life.

Pink: This color embodies the gentler qualities of Red, symbolizing love and affection without passion. Women who prefer Pink tend to be maternal. Pink desires protection, special treatment and a sheltered life. Pink people require affection and like to feel loved and secure, perhaps wanting to appear delicate and fragile. Pink people tend to be charming and gentle, if a trifle indefinite.

Orange: This color of luxury and pleasure appeals to the flamboyant and fun-loving person who likes a lively social round. Orange people may be inclined to dramatize a bit, and people notice them, but they are generally good-natured and popular. They can be a little fickle and vacillating, but on the whole they try hard to be agreeable. Orange is the color of youth, strength, fearlessness, curiosity and restlessness.

Yellow: The color of happiness, wisdom and imagination, Yellow is chosen by the mentally adventurous, searching for novelty and self-fulfillment. Yellow usually goes with a sunny and shrewd personality, with a good business head and a strong sense of humor. It is the color of intellectuality and all things to do with the mind. Yellow folks are usually clear and precise thinkers who have a good opinion of their own mental capacities and who have lofty ideals. They may at times tend to shun responsibility, preferring freedom of thought and action.

Green: The color of harmony and balance, Green symbolizes hope, renewal and peace, and is usually liked by the gentle and sincere. Greens are generally frank, community-minded people, fairly sociable but preferring peace at any price. Green people can be too self-effacing, modest and patient, so they may get exploited by others. They are usually refined, civilized and reputable.

Blue: Soft, soothing, compassionate and caring, blue is the color of deliberation and introspection, conservatism and duty. Patient, persevering, conscientious, sensitive and self-controlled, Blues like to be admired for their steady character and wisdom. They are faithful, but are often worriers with somewhat inflexible beliefs and can be too cautious, and suspicious of flamboyant behavior.

Turquoise: Complex, imaginative and original, Turquoise people drive themselves hard and may be in a state of turmoil under their outwardly cool exterior.

Purple: Purples are highly individual, fastidious, witty and sensitive, with a strong desire to be unique and different. Temperamental, expansive and artistic, a Purple person may become aloof and sarcastic when misunderstood. If you chose Purple, you tend to be unconventional, tolerant and dignified, likely to achieve positions of authority.

Brown: A Brown person has stamina and patience, tending to be very solid and substantial, conscientious, dependable, steady and conservative. Browns are not impulsive, and may be inarticulate and tactless but they love responsibility and are reliable and kindly. If you chose Brown, watch out for a tendency to be obstinate and inflexible.

Black: Dignified and impressive without being showy, Black people want to give the appearance of mystery, but their preference may also indicate a suppression of desires and worldly aims, suggesting hidden depths and inner longings.