Uncle Sam I am Wants You!

As I’m driving The Boy to school this morning,
He begins to explain to me how the morning will proceed.
Mom, when you drop me off at school, you go in daycare and vote
You vote for the California Gobener Mom, he continues.
I know his school is a polling place,
but I do my best to explain to him that I vote at a different school.
We’re rushing through our routine and he takes my explanation for what it is.

At the end of the day, I pick him up from school and tell him we’re going to vote.
He’s pouting a little because I just shot down his request of going to the skate park.
After about 30 seconds of silence, he begins to ask me
Mom, why do people need safety vests?
To keep you safe son, I answer.
To keep you away from the fish and the creatures, he continues.
A life vest. Yes, I explain, it keeps you from drowning in the water.
Are we going to be in the sea or the ocean, he asks.
Son, what do you mean? I’m very confused at this point.
Then the puzzle comes together…
Life vest,
Creatures and fish,
Sea or ocean.
Son, I try to hold back my laughter, we’re going to VVOTTTTTE
I try to emphasize the difference in letters.
We’re not gonna float.
We’re not going on a boat.
We’re going to VOTE!

Float? He asks
Boat? He says.

No, VOTE!
I do my best with a Kindergarten analogy.
Let’s say your teacher is going to choose a line leader.
She says who wants to be a line leader?
And you and Jacob choose to be one.
The teacher will then ask all the other kids, who wants The Boy to be a line leader.
5 kids in class raise their hand for you.
Then she asks again, who wants Jacob to be the line leader.
3 kids in the class raise their hand for Jacob.
(He’s my son, I had to make him the winner obviously)
So you would win Son.
That’s what voting means.
We’re choosing who we want to win.

Silence, I’m so proud of myself for such a great explanation.
I’m thinking, he gets it, as I continue to snicker to myself.

We make a right turn into our tract
And then I hear.

Are we going in a sea or an ocean?

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You're Up then You're Down

My name is Janelle, and I love to eat.

So I’ve gained some weight.
I’ve blamed my past surgery- it must be hormonal I say.

I also try to convince myself that I don’t care,

I’m happy with the way I am, I think to myself.
But when clothes are no longer fitting properly

and my muffin top has now become a cupcake with extra topping

I realize that I’m kidding yourself.

I try eating right again.

Getting on the treadmill a few days a week.

How to Love

We were having dinner at a local Mexican cantina that we found The Boy, Teen 2, hubby, and I.

The Boy is a restless eater.
He can never sit still.
At home, he leans back on the chairs lays down,
rolls around in the chairs
slips out from under the dining table to fetch a glass of this or that

At the restaurant, he finishes a portion of his taco plate
stands up and makes his way over to me

I look at his little face thats growing and changing
I stare into his warewolf eyeballs that change colors
I admire the little freckles across the bridge of his nose and upper cheeks

I look at his face, pull him in close to me and say "I love you son"
He looks at me, smiles, then turns away.

Son, I love you. I repeat.
He gives me that one raised eyebrow crooked face.

Tell me, you love me. I plea.
I look at his dad with that "you better make him tell me he loves me" face.
Hubby nudges the boy, tell your mom. iloveyou.

he quickly says without looking at me.
Sheesh, who taught you how to love, your dad? I ask.
With a straight face, he looks at me and replies- Little Wayne.

It Takes a Bush

Our family tree is not grown perfectly upright

with all its branches and leaves pruned just right
where the green grass grows all around and around…
where the green grows all around

We’re better compared to a bush

As my Stepmom’s husband
(who, just to clarify, is not my Dad)
would say.

And our bush has been growing wildly.

Hence my absence.

Teen 1 has since grown all up-
graduated, married, had a beautiful baby boy, and moved out
(not particularly in that order, but hey, that’s how we do)

Teen 2 is now a senior- Yikes. That’s all I can say about that.
She has a job, earned enough credits early to have minimum days at school, and is deciding what to do when she grows up

And our rambunctious little toddler is now a full grown boy.

Raising teenagers is no walk in the park.
It’s been beyond challenging.
I know I was no angel, if you recall this blog-http://daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/2009/07/life-changingteen-pregnancy.html
this was a doozy on my parents.

I often talk to my parents and tell them I don’t know how they dealt with it.
How do you deal with a teenage pregnancy, knowing yourself how hard it is.
Knowing the discrimination your child will go through.
How do you deal with your child raising their own child in your home.

I’ve also been that mom that’s gone into a house party at midnight to search for my daughter, grabbed a hold of her, and yelled at anyone & everyone in my way.

And probably would’ve beaten the living crap out of her if I knew they weren’t watching.

It’s
Been
ROUGH
to say the least.

But life is challenging.

I’m sure I’m not alone- even though I felt as though I was
Many times throwing my hands up in the air and giving up
Wanting to quit the roll of being the mom

But with the help of my husband and all the branches of our bush

We survived.

We’ve come out better people.
Things have calmed down (knock on wood)
Everyone has branched out into their own person
Although I know it will change
They will change
We will grow more branches
Which will produce more little leaves

Colors will change with the seasons
We will continue to love and nurture the bush
And we will all be there to support one another
We hope you follow along as we grow
Janelle

A bouffant, a bomber, and a walker

walk into a bar
no seriously...

I drive through a very large, very diverse city on my way to work
I actually love this city,
There are beautiful old Spanish style homes
Great big mansions on the hill
Older, poorer neighborhoods nestled in between gorgeous 1920's Victorian homes
A small little downtown area where everything is in walking distance
Quaint older shops and dirty sleezy motels with hookers walking along the main highway
And the only traffic circle that seems to exist in SoCal

On this particular morning, I’m driving down a long stretch of the road
I look to my left and notice a 70ish looking woman with a I Love Lucy red bouffant and little twisty bun
She’s got on a pink v neck tank and a grey velour sweat suit and wedged flip flops of course
She’s walking along with an older man in a cap and a bomber jacket down the alleyway
It’s 7:40 in the morning and they’re pointing up at something on the building while discussing it
I look up at the sign and realize that they are at “Til 2am” bar

They must own the joint and are talking about the exterior that needs to be fixed, I’m thinking
I drive a few feet further
I see the even older guy sitting on the bench outside the joint like he’s the bouncer
Until I notice that he’s got his metal walker parked in front of him

I chuckle to myself

It’s 7am, and this their spot
As I’m getting older, I realize that you never really feel like you’re older
Of course you’re stressed
You deal with “adult” things
Work
Bills
Raising kids of your own
But deep down inside, when you’re hanging with friends
Or really enjoying life, you don’t feel any older than you did in your prime-
Whatever age that may be.

So go on with your bad self
Enjoy every moment of it!!
Big red bouffant and all


http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/

Ask and You Shall Receive

The Boy was told to do his homework by his Daddy.
Not just once, but several times in passing.
The Boy was in the back family room and each time in passing his dad would firmly say,
Son, you better get your homework done.

I was in the dining room, fooling around with some papers or something.
After a few minutes of hearing the T.V. blaring
And watching The Boy run in and out of the kitchen
I intervene.

Son, I say as I’m walking to the family room, you need to start working on your homework
I am, he insists as waves his hands over his papers that are spread out on the coffee table.
His pencil box is open.
And his apple is standing on it’s bottom- eaten to the core.

I grab the remote control and turn the T.V. off
You have to get your homework done or you will lose your T.V. privileges, I explain.
I turn around to walk away.
By the way, what does that mean anyway, he asks inquisitively?
What does what mean?
T.V privileges, he says shyly.
It means you won’t be able to watch T.V. at ALL, in my most dramatic voice.
I’m secretly smiling inside that he’s asking when he doesn’t understand bigger words.

Then he continues on, ok, but for how many weeks?
1 week, I quickly reply!!

This kid is making it too easy!


http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot/

In the Dog House pt. 2

Ta-daaah!

I wish I would've taken pictures while we were painting

but I was so scared it was going to turn out terribly.

My inspiration was Mexican Riviera, Dia De Los Muertos,

I just wanted bright & colorful for this giant piece in my backyard

that was lounging by our pool

I knew what I wanted, but wasn't sure how to get there.

We started with terra cotta base color

then painted bright aqua blue in the middle section

We decided that the baseboards and corner pieces should be blue

but it was pretty horrendous from beginning

to 3/4 of the way painted

I was too scared to admit that it looked like crap

and hubby kept giving me that sideways look

but I kept smiling through it and crossing my fingers

(when he wasn't looking of course)

that it would turn out fine.

and heck,

if not,

there's always more paint!!

I recruited Teen 1 to paint the bigger dog face

the littler one is my attempt

Overall I'm pleased with their Siesta Siesta spot!

http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/

Do you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth?!

We sat around the dinner table as we do every other night
We share stories about the day when there's not too much estrogen flowing,
Listen to The Boy tell a million stories and vie for attention while we listen to the girls
Laugh at the corny jokes Teen 1 tells, they're definitely getting better
I choose my nights carefully when to bring up the subjects of chores, bills, responsibility, and the dreaded future planning of their lives.
I know that when you're talking to a teenager, if they don't like the first 5 words of your sentence.
THEIR EARS SHUT OFF
they can act like they're listening
but I can almost guarantee that the voice in their head
"Seriously, I'm 18, I'm so much smarter than my mom will ever be"
is speaking 10 times louder than the words coming out of your mouth

Somehow the subject of bills came up
so I whip out my handy dandy planner
and show them all of the bills at a glance,
I challenge them to review it and give us their idea of what a good plan for budgeting would be
we talk about college,
then I utter the words...

Let's talk about a 5 year plan

You need to have a plan, I explain to Teen 1.
And no, not the one that ended with you becoming a stripper or a single woman with 5,000 cats.

A real life plan.

I go on to tell her that one of my teachers in high school would not give me my last 10 credits to graduate until I wrote out a 5 and 10 year plan.  I found the plan years later and realized that I had actually accomplished quite a few things that I had written down.  I was 15 at the time and thought it was silly too. But I remember writing down that I wanted to buy a house, and by 19, I had actually acomplished that.

I felt like I should at least try to pass the idea and concept on to my own kids.

We chat some more and then everyone leaves the table.

A few minutes later, Teen 1 calls me out to the kitchen table and goes over her plan
It's scribbled on a piece of a paper
Not really much to it
Go to school
Move out
things that an 18 year old thinks her mom wants to hear.
She reads them out to me
Is that what you wanted? she asks in a sarcastic tone.
This isn't for me, I replied, this is for you.
It's your life, it's your plan, I continue. Then I turn around to walk away.
She crumbles up the paper and throws it in the trash
I bite my tongue.

The next day, she calls me after school as she likes to report the daily happenings.
Mom, she says, I told Chris(her boyfriend) to write out a 5 year plan.
Oh really, I ask curiously.
Yeah, I told him he needs to write out a plan for school, what he wants to do. she continues.
That's good, I say.

That's it. I say nothing else.
It takes everything in me not to say anything else.
I just smile.
It worked,
she listened,
it meant something.

That's good enough.

http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/

I Do Nail Fo You

I've had a new obsession lately

Nails

as in finger nails

I love all the cool designs and simple ways to display your creativity

It started last summer when crackle was all the craze

Then the cheetah designs

The ring finger painted bright teal while all others were hot pink

I've been trying some new designs lately

check

them

out

Pac Man!

i see spots

 neon stripes

 ghost tips

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On Top of a Mountain All Covered With Snow

me: alright, i got this. I don't need know stinkin instructor!

me: oh sh*t! I'm really doing this, ok drop it down low, butt out

me: focus, arms out, balance

instructor to hubby: way to go bro

instructor: yesterday i was getting some sick air like this

hubby: no way man

me: whoooooaaaaaaa, watch out!!!

instructor: oh no, was that your wife?

instructor and hubby: she's going down for sure!

hubby: you got this right? (walking away)

me: slips, tumbles, .. aaahhhhhhh, (flips) I'm ok!!

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In the Dog House

 Meet Little Boy Blue or Dougie Fresh (its still up for debate)

He came home so that Sir Arthur would have a much needed pal

Arthur, who was once a little guy, is now a huge beast

Hubby decided they needed a dog house for the backyard.

If you know hubby, you know that he does nothing small, he does nothing simple.

He will always find the most elaborate, best thing out there and will figure out a way to build it…

So off he goes and buys some wood, a saw, and some insulation, yes folks, insulation!

And begins to build…

with precise measurements of course

 6 1/2' by 5 1/2', it's a big one!

  They each have their own room

and a hallway to share 

Hinged roof

 because sometimes we gotta pull them outta there

The Boy is laying down some carpet for comfort

The puppy was comfy and asleep within minutes

2 days of hard work and

The structure is complete...

What a beautiful piece of bare canvas

can't wait to get my hands on it
Hubby is not as excited about my ideas
I'm thinking of a mexican riveria theme since they'll be basking in the sun by the pool

Will post the finished project soon!

http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/

Mostly Wordless Wednesday...The Writings on the Wall

Hubby and I landed at a quaint little shop in Solvang

on our weekend adventure up the Central Coast

I walked into this craft store and fell in love

with the writings on the wall...

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Confessions of a Shopaholic...Now You Done Gone and Pissed Her Off

I’m normally a happy, easy going person.
I laugh all the time
I smile at everyone
I’ll start a conversation almost anywhere
I usually end up talking to creepers the most random people
and end up in the most akward of conversations
(maybe I’ll should write about those)

But lately
I’ve noticed a change

Maybe it’s frustration
Maybe it’s anger
Maybe it’s the stores ripping me off
and the second you question the cashier,
they look at you like you just grew a 2nd head.

Seriously?!

I do NOT understand why when I ask the cashier to double check a price
I get the sigh
I get the eye roll
I get the complete attitude

Hey, I’ve been in their position before…
I’ve worked in the Customer Service field in some way or another most of my working life
I understand people have bad days, but c’mon people.
What’s with the all of the attitude?

This past Sunday I was uber-excited
because the Halloween costumes were on sale for $12 at Target.
I sent Teen 2 with The Boy to search the aisles
as I picked up other items on our shopping list.
As I approach the Halloween aisle,

Teen 2 holds up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume that The Boy chose.
I check the price on the rack and the tag shows a $12 sale price over the regular price
We throw everything in the cart and stroll up to the register
I place the costume up on the register belt first
Then I begin to unload the rest of my items
The cashier scans the barcode, and sure enough $20 appears on the screen.
She scans another item.
How much was the costume, I ask?
She squints into her computer screen, $20.
The display shows that it’s on sale for $12, I explain
No, it’s $20, she says.
Sigh* here we go… This aint my first price war lady!
Can you please check because they’re on sale for $12, I ask.

The cashier in lane 7 chimes in-
$12 for the costume, she chuckles as she picks up the weekly ad
Look B*tch, I want to say, but I compose myself.
My cashier flips the switch on her #8 light pole for some help.
over walks her supervisor
She says it’s on sale for $12, the cashier explains to her supervisor
The supervisor swipes the barcode
She turns the computer screen to face me.
It’s $20, see, it says here in the computer.
She points- this right here- says that if you didn’t have a receipt and returned it, you’d get $20
That means it’s never been on sale.

At this point, my blood is boiling and the line behind me is building up.
Ok, I say, with a twitch, I could feel a little crazy comin' on
Now they done gone and pissed me off…

Unfortunately I wasn’t wearing the most comfortable shoes
so I didn’t have the strength to walk to the all the way to back of the store again
and it was apparent her lazy supervisor wasn’t going to entertain the customer standing before her.

I go home with determination to confirm the price is only $12
That’s $8 they’ve just taken from me, I’m thinking.
How many people are there today buying costumes and not double checking their receipt?
How much extra profit are they making without the consumer realizing it.

I look over the ad, yep $12.
I go online, sure enough $12.
I take off my cowboy boots, throw on some slippers, gather my Target bag, and receipt
And put on my boxing gloves
(Well not really, but wouldn’t that have been funny?!)

Ahem, I digress

I stomp into Target
Walk all the way to the back of the store
find the exact Teenage Mutant Ninja Costume
It’s right there, The Boy says as he points to the ground.
it fell off when I took the costume off Mom.
He certainly is my kid, he knew exactly what I was looking for
I pick it up.
The Sale Sticker showing $12 clearly states
“Rafael, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle”
The Boy and I march back up to the register.

I take my costume and receipt out of the bag.
I was overcharged, I tell the cashier, I want to get my money back.
I show him the sale tag.
He re-works the transaction and gives my $8 back.

I ask him if the lady with the glasses on is the manger
She’s the supervisor, he replies.
Tell her to believe the customer next time, I instruct him.
I will, he quivers.
I’ll show her this he says as he holds up the sales tag.

I take my Boy, his costume, and my $8 and vow to never shop at Target again.

I know that won’t really happen, but damn they pissed me off!!


http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/

Mostly Wordless Wednesday...Cheese please

Teen 1 is such a cheeseball sometimes

She picked the header for our photo booth photo shoot

give mama a kiss

 

Beauty and The Beast!

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Moments of Serenity

I despise homework

My fourth grade teacher helped to solidify my disdain
I already had a dislike for it
Mr. O’Mally didn’t believe in it. Period.
He told us so
In fourth grade
My little brain attached to that concept
He was smart, he was a teacher
He dressed up as a leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day for goodness sake
He taught us how to construct wooden napkin holders with real saws and workhorses
He taught us how to build rockets that actually flew through the air
From that year on, I didn’t believe in homework either


As life would have it, I would end up with 3 kids of my own
3 kids that would obviously go to school
3 kids that would have homework
The thought of their homework makes me irritable
I try, they try
I get frustrated, they get frustrated
I explain, they roll their eyes
I instruct, they complain

I curse you Mr. O'Mally *shakes fist in the air*

Thankfully the teenagers are in high school
and I’m pretty clueless so they hardly ask for help
The Boy has started doing his homework at daycare

Wheh…

Until yesterday,
Teen 2 was at the dining room table working on her homework when I stepped foot in the door
The Boy had completed some pages at school,
but I told him to sit down and study his spelling words and math
Teen 1 must’ve felt the homework bug in the air and came out of her cave bedroom
to inform me that she needed help with her school assignment, a resume
So here they are, all 3 of them
At the table, looking at me for guidance to do their homework

I tried to remain calm

The Boy complained that I didn’t pronounce the word “hand” correctly as I quizzed him.
Mom, You said had, you tricked me
Seriously, kid? H A N D …geez!!

Teen 1 tried to reel me in,
Mom, I want to be a photographer because they I won't have a boss
You’re gonna be 18 in how many days? I’m thinking
The thought of her being an adults absolutely terrifies me.
I inform her, that she will indeed have a boss
and her customers will most certainly be in that category
Teen 2 and The Boy push each other’s papers at each other
Sighing and glaring at each other with irritation.

The Hubs knowing to stay clear of the warzone and offers to cut up ingredients for dinner

But for just a minute, one solitary moment
There it was
Peace
As they all followed directions
As they all sat there doing their homework
Teen 1 asking and accepting my answers
The Boy re-writing words that he needed to study
And Teen 2, just knowing what to do
Relief

I exhaled, serenity, I thought to myself

MOM!!!!!

Even if just for a moment…



http://www.daysoffivelives.blogspot.com/

Akward Family photos part deuce

remember when i was so worried about taking family photos?

If not, read here.

It turned out that there was no need to be nervous,

Jack was amazing as usual, this kid has a true gift.

Check out his blog when you get a chance.

We were absolutely ecstatic when we received the cd,

we popped it in the player

and we were all happy with the way we were captured

The portraits of the kids were true to their beings,

the way The Teenagers look at The Boy is pretty typical
and I loved it

Teen 2 hates to be hugged and loved,

this was perfect...

We even got a few of ourselves that we loved

Then these started to roll through the playlist

awww, how cute, we thought

until we looked closer at the boy's face -

the cheesy smile

and what's with the hands?

obviously this kid is just too cool,

and we just had no idea...

lean back

seriously? akward...

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