I had a really good day today. I was walking to get my kids from the gym daycare when I was done working out, and bracing myself against the rain, when I realized that:

a)it wasn’t really that cold out
b)it wasn’t windy at all
c)I didn’t have to assume that walking in the rain was an unpleasant experience

I started walking normally and allowed the rain to fall on my face – and smiled.

When I was walking the kids to the car, I didn’t rush them to get out of the rain.

When we were walking into the grocery store, I purposely parked far away and encouraged them to tilt their faces up to the sky and enjoy the feel of the raindrops. They even stuck their tongues out to taste the rain.

I sang “I’m Singing in the Rain” with them. It was fab.

I came home and watched the youtube clip of Singing in the Rain with them. I also had them watch ELO’s “I’m Alive” from Xanadu on youtube. I really love that song (and the kids thought the special effects were really cool, lol!). Then I bought the movie on ebay so I can watch that beginning scene in the mornings to get my days started on a positive note. Music has an incredible effect on my emotions, so I might as well use that to my advantage.

Normally, taking care of two small children pretty much 24/7 (thank GOD for the gym) takes its toll on my nerves. While this may not be your situation, I’m sure you all have your own El Guapo to deal with on a consistent basis. Your perspective is what matters.

My perspective seeped into the rest of my day today, and I got a lot more things accomplished than I normally do on a Monday (usually my slacking day)…

When I was a little girl, I spent the summers with my grandparents. I would leave my home the day after school ended, and stay with them until the day before school started. They lived in a secluded forest area in northern California, and I remember spending lots of time outside playing with their aussie Sheba, while my grandpa worked in the garage and my grandma worked in the garden. I remember watching game shows and soap operas with my grandma. I remember my grandma sneaking into bed with me at night because my grandpa’s snoring got too loud. Every morning she would make me what amounted to a chocolate shake for breakfast, adding an egg in so it would have some substance. Mostly, I remember how much they loved me and how much I loved being there with them.

My grandma was – by far – the most wonderful person I’ve ever met and think I’ll ever meet. I can’t even describe how kind, loving, compassionate, and selfless she was. I can only aspire to have a small fraction of the heart she had.

And I know she loved me more than anyone will ever love me. My father told me that when my mother was pregnant with me, my grandpa told him not to burden my grandma with babysitting duty after I was born. My dad agreed and complied, but within a month my grandpa came back asking him to please let my grandma watch me. My whole life she has been nothing short of ecstatic to see me or hear from me.

Last week my dad called me and told me that my grandma was in the hospital. She’d been having a lot of back pain recently, and my grandpa finally convinced her to go see a doctor about it. The doctor urged her to go to the hospital, and she must have been in a serious amount of pain because she agreed. She hated doctors, hospitals, all that type of stuff. She rarely complained about anything… never wanted anyone to worry about her.

They diagnosed her with stage 4 lung cancer among other things. We still haven’t gotten a full report except to say that it was very bad. They had no idea how bad it was – they didn’t even have her on any type of vital-stats monitoring equipment.

She passed away Monday evening.

I didn’t get the chance to see her or say goodbye, although I did see her over the Christmas holiday. She was happy and I watched her playing with my kids and laughing with them during the visit. One of the things that saddens me the most is that I know there is little chance that my kids will remember her. I wish I could change that more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.

She didn’t want a funeral or any other services… just another example of how truly selfless she was. The last thing she would ever want is to cause anybody any problems. I really don’t know how I’d have gotten through it in one piece anyway.

But I still need to write this all down, to tell somebody about her and how much I loved her. I wish I could tell myself that she is in a better place now, but unfortunately I don’t believe in an afterlife. Trust me, right now I wish I did. It would ease the pain I think, but I am what I am and faith is one thing you can’t just decide to have.

In any case, whether she is gone completely or only in body, the world is a much better place having had her in it. My wish for all of you is to feel the kind of love and acceptance that I have felt. For that I can never thank her enough.

We took a trip to the Railroad Museum in Old Town Sacramento… had a great time! It’s an amazing place. )

Continue on for a few more pics…

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We had a wonderful day yesterday! We took a trip to San Francisco… took the little monsters to the Aquarium of the Bay, and they got to see loads of fish, sharks, starfish, and cool stuff like that. They were uber-happy…

Take a look at this post for a couple more great pics!

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This is going to sound absolutely horrible and I will explain in more detail below. I have found the best motivation to exercise, which says a lot coming from an anti-exercise woman like me: a few hours each morning without my kids.

Explain, you say! Alright, I will.   I haven’t worked since I got pregnant with my daughter, about four years ago. I don’t have family around, and up until a few months ago I didn’t even have a babysitter for the occasional night out with my husband and friends.  So basically, I’ve been with my kids, almost 24-7, for the past three years. And now they are both TODDLERS!

I need the break.

So, I joined a gym. They have a wonderful nursery and great facilities. And the motivation to actually go there and exercise is the relaxation I feel, even while working up a sweat. I tried using the bowflex at home, but that motivation just wasn’t there.

I have lost 10 pounds in the past two month, due mostly to my exercising at the gym. Another thing I learned is that when I exercise regularly, I don’t really get as hungry. Odd, but refreshing.

I’m still working on the flattening the mommy-tummy. That’s going to take a little longer, but I have confidence that it will happen.

Check out this spot-on poem about the trails and tribulations of curly hair:

http://lorivelarde.blogspot.com/2008/07/to-my-curly-haired-comrades.html.

Had me actually lol-ing! Enjoy!

Here is a quick recipe I whipped up using what I had in my kitchen! It came out great, and can easily be the centerpiece of a meal instead of meat… If you like the taste of sour cream and onion potato chips and the taste of mushrooms, then you will probably like this recipe. It doesn’t look super appetizing in the picture, but I’m sure you can spice up the look if you so desire. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

I am at a loss for fun activities I can do with my two toddlers. The older one is almost three, and the younger one is almost two.

We can’t go outside to play in the yard for the most part, because we don’t have a fence around the yard and I can’t keep two toddlers safe from running into traffic at the same time. So I’m looking for some indoor stuff to keep them entertained and also help them learn.

My biggest problem is that both I and my husband are the babies in our families and we have no practical experience with kids. We really have no idea what we are doing (don’t tell anyone…)!

If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them!

I just LOVED the Indiana Jones movies as a kid! It’s great to see it back again… click on the title to see a preview! Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, feel free to comment on just how absolutely adorable my daughter is… I just had to post these. If only she behaved as well as she is cute!