Mi Familia

Toothpick bridge contest at gee!

2012-01-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

This is a placeholder for my ideas on a new competition at gee! I did this in 5th grade and it was super fun. I think I got third place without the internet or any books on bridge building. I just used nine million toothpicks. :-)

I think the summer is the best time for this activity. Keeps the kids engaged and they are still learning. Most of the work is done at home, so they don't have to come to a class.

Have an intro meeting. I should make a bridge before and bring it in. We could have toothpicks and glue there for kids to play with. Maybe hand out a box of toothpicks and a bottle of glue to everyone?

A prize for the winner? A prize for all participants? A certificate and a photo? Maybe the certificate has how much weight it held? Keep track of the record. Make a plaque which will keep track of the winners?? Have a special trophy or ribbon ready when the record is broken in a future year??

Different divisions? 8-12 year olds; 13+ year olds

Timeline:

July 13: Toothpick Bridge Contest!
June 29: Have intro meeting- hand out box of toothpicks and bottle of glue
June 16: Make toothpick bridge
June 15: Announce competition!
June 1: What will be the prize for the participants?
May 15: Finalize contest rules & select date
May 1: What will be the grand prize?
April 15: Start putting together contest rules, websites; how much do toothpicks cost?

gee! Toothpick Bridge Contest Rules

Who can make the strongest bridge made of only toothpicks?

Bridge can only be made of toothpicks (round or straight) and white Elmer's glue.
Any number of toothpicks can be used.
Toothpicks can be used whole or in pieces.
The bridge can be of any shape, but it needs to have a space on top in order to add weights.
Weights will be books.
Bridge may not be coated with any material (i.e., paint, stain or glue).
Must span a 12 inch gap. +/- .75 inch

Links:
http://www.pisymphony.com/toothpick/toothpick1.htm
http://www.toothpickdesign.com/trusstoothpickbridges.htm
http://www.mrg-online.com/bridge.htm

Competition video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3GouVpD5WE

Bridge building game: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/build-bridge-p1.html

Contest rule links:
http://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/2010ToothpickCompetition.pdf

Virtual bridge contest in January: http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/overview.htm

Valentine's Day!

2012-01-21T00:32:00.001-08:00

Just posting some stuff I want to do...

Maybe we could actually have a date night??

Monday, January 23: Choose photo to print
Tuesday, January 24: Print photo for grandparents

Friday, January 27: See if Rachel wants to stay with auntie or grandma on the 11t; buy cards for Pooh & Rachel; buy frames for photos

Tuesday, January 31: Make valentines for grandma & Pa

Thursday, February 2: Mail valentines to grandma & Pa
Friday, February 3: Buy gift for Pooh & Rachel; buy lollipops for Rachel's valentines

Tuesday, February 7: Send valentines to grandma & Pa
Wednesday, February 8: Decorate box for valentines; buy Helen Grace candy for Pooh, aunties, Nathan, grandma & grandpa, park moms

Thursday, February 9: Make Valentines

Saturday, February 11: Date night
Sunday, February 12: Shop for Valentine's dinner and potluck

Monday, February 13: Take valentines to grandma & grandpa
Tuesday, February 14: Make a great dinner at home; make potluck item

Wednesday, February 15: Valentines at Park Day

Christmas Traditions

2011-11-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

I just want a spot to jot down the stuff we like to do during the holidays, so I can start planning. :-)

Sunday, 11/6: ~~Patchwork Craft Fair~~
Monday, 11/7: Select photos for Christmas cards

Wednesday, 11/9: ~~Brass rubbings/park day~~
Friday, 11/11: ~~Paint N Glaze~~

Saturday, 11/12: Design Christmas cards
Sunday, 11/13: ~~Celebrate Auntie Kohl's bday~~

Monday, 11/14: Fix advent calendar
Tuesday, 11/15: ~~Make potluck item~~
Wednesday, 11/16: ~~Dragtontree potluck~~
Thursday, 11/17: Find candy cane reindeer supplies
Friday, 11/18: Start making kids gifts; ~~celebrate Grandma's bday~~

Saturday, 11/19: ~~Go to Mirror,Mirror~~
Sunday, 11/20: ~~Gardening~~; look for a mama gift? (Cheryl, Karri, Katheryn, Paige, Erica, Ngoc Tram, Crystal, Pam, Tiffany)

Wednesday, 11/23: ~~Make side dish~~
Thursday, 11/24: ~~Thanksgiving~~
Friday, 11/25: ~~Shopping!~~

Saturday, 11/26: ~~Recital~~; decorating inside; listen to Handel's Messiah
Sunday, 11/27: ~~Decorating outside~~

Monday, 11/28: Have dinner with Uncle Ed; wrap SF gifts
Tuesday, 11/29: Order Christmas cards
Wednesday, 11/30: park day
Thursday, 12/1: Make candy cane reindeer
Friday, 12/2: Look for doggie treat bags/buy mama gift items/doggie treat ingredients; wrap SF gifts

Saturday, 12/3: Knotts Merry Farm; decorating inside; listen to Handel's Messiah
Sunday, 12/4: Make tamales; write Christmas cards

Monday, 12/5: Mail SF gifts; make doggie treats for holiday bazaa; wrap doggie treats
Tuesday, 12/6: Make fudge for holiday bazaar, sing-along, & pizza party
Wednesday, 12/7: Dragontree Holiday Bazaar
Thursday, 12/8: Recital; prepare mama gifts

Friday, 12/9: send Christmas cards; Living Nativity on Wardlow
Saturday, 12/10: Buy tree
Sunday, 12/11: Buy cupcakes for sing-along & pizza party; Messiah Sing-along!; Dom's pizza party!

Monday, 12/12: Bake for cookie exchange
Tuesday, 12/13: Make potluck item
Wednesday, 12/14: Dragontree potluck, cookie exchange, gifts for kids, gifts for mamas
Thursday, 12/15: Wrap gifts

Friday, 12/16: Peace and Human Rights Night at New City
Saturday, 12/17: Bake; see lights in Sleepy Hollow
Sunday, 12/18: See lights in Naples

Monday, 12/19: Take tamales to Cheryl and Karri
Tuesday, 12/20: Bake
Wednesday, 12/21: Check Lowe's for 50% off
Thursday, 12/22: Plan Christmas breakfast
Friday, 12/23

Saturday, 12/24: Make side dish or dip; sprinkle reindeer food on lawn; Christmas Eve
Sunday, 12/25: Christmas
Monday, 12/26: Shopping!

Thursday, 12/29: Target goes to 75% off

Sunday, 1/1: New Year's Day
Monday, 1/2: Rose Parade

Halloween Party!

2011-09-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

Rachel wants to have a Halloween party. I think this is the beginning of her tween social group.

We'll need to finalize the guest list, menu, decorations, and activities. She has told me no crafts. Hijola. Does that mean crafts are not cool??

Party will be Saturday, October 29, 5pm-8pm.

Invites will go out October 8; addressed October 1st; & created September 23rd.

Guests: Natalie, Lindsay, Camden, Jasper, Dylan, Madeleine, Angelina, Nathan

Favors: hand sanitizers, candy, pencils

Decorations:

white mini lights
purple,orange, and black streamers
purple,orange, and black balloons; order October 23
pinata- jack o'lantern

Set table with purple tablecover.

Menu:

pizza
hot dog mummies
hummas graveyard with crackers and brocolli
eyeball (ambrosia) salad
sorbet punch
salad for grownups
cupcakes: sweet embellishments (order 10/23)
candy corn & chocolate in "coffins"
water

Games:

Pinata
Monster parts: 5 boxes with lids to hold small bowls inside - cold cooked spaghetti (intestines), grapes (eyeballs), candy corn (teeth) , jello (brains) , dried apricots (ears)
Guess the number of pumpkin seeds in the jar
Pumpkin bowling: use 6 empty 2-liter bottles and 3 small $1 pumpkins (remove the stems)
Web weaving game: ball of string (30 ft) for each child; teams of two; place each member of team opposite each other; best with 3 or 4 teams; tie the string to the first player, toss ball to team mate; wrap around them once and throw back to team mate. First team to use all string wins.

Prizes: 2 boys, 6 girls

Schedule:

make pinata - 10/2
decorate - 10/28

Party day:
10am: decorate

3pm: pick up cupcakes
5pm: make mummy hot dog, order pizzas

Homeschool Learning Centers

2011-08-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get asked about other learning centers in Southern California and the whole state. So this is just a place to hold the info...

Huckleberry Creative Learning Center - Santa Clarita - http://www.hucklc.org
Excellence in Education - Monrovia - http://www.excellenceineducation.com
WISH - co-op in Sherman Oaks - http://www.wishclasses.com

Urban Homeschoolers - Near Griffith Park
http://www.wix.com/annasmith772/urban-homeschoolers#!__la-resource-center

Creative Learning Place - Westchester - http://www.creativelearningplace.com
Rose Scharlin Afternoon Enrichment - Silverlake - http://rosescharlin.com/afternoon-enrichment-program/

El Monte Park Day and Workshops - contact Sandra Baca at adpower@charter.net

Homeschool Campus of OC - Costa Mesa - http://www.homeschoolcampusoc.com
Logos Learning Adventures - Brea - http://www.logoslearningadventures.com

The Learning Collective - Upland - http://www.tlc-education.org
My Learning Connection - Murrieta - http://www.mylearningconnection.net/

And, of course, gee! Great Educational Experiences - Long Beach - http://www.geeclasses.com

Rachel - June 2011

2011-06-04T19:58:00.001-07:00

Let the planning begin!

2011-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

I don't really plan many summer trips, because I'm usually preoccupied with planning Rachel's bday party. It's 3 months away and I always do this. This year she is torn between our typical backyard party with a marine/sea life theme and having her party at the local arcade. I vote for the arcade. :-) But we'll see what happens. All I know is that it will be on her actual bday, Saturday, July 30, 2011. It's a miracle that her party will happen on that day. One year we postponed it one day so that I could turn in her fair entries. It's a bit of a drive to get there and I really couldn't do it the morning of her party.

The only touchy part is that because she is not used to her party being on her actual date, she is expecting that we do something special with just our family on her bday...but that's when her party will be. Decisions, decisions. Stay tuned!

Rachel and her cousin

2011-05-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

My 50th in Vegas

2011-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

We took Rachel to the Mirage to see the dolphins and white tigers. They have a lovely set up there. It's only $15 for adults to go in and while they don't have a set schedule to interactions with the animals, they seem to be doing something every few minutes. There is a small snack bar there that is nice to sit and watch the dolphins. I was actually surprised by how much time we spent there. We had mild weather, so I'm sure that helped.

We ended up staying at the Signature at the MGM Grand. These are condos behind the hotel/casino. The condo towers are connected to the casino by a moving walkway. It turned out to be the same price as a regular hotel room, but there is alot more personal service. Perfect for families. They take your bags out at the door and bring them up to your room minutes after you get there. There is only valet parking, so we just made sure to only use our car once a day. The MGM Grand is one of the monorail stops, but we never used it. There is a Starbucks and lounge in Tower 1 (where we stayed), but Starbucks is only open till 5pm. There is a very tiny gift shop with candy, soda, chips, and other small items.

Mt. San Jacinto - January 2011

2011-02-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

I've never been to Palm Springs and technically, I still haven't gone, but I was near it! We took the Palm Springs Aeriel Tramway up to Mt. San Jacinto. Amazing! We went from the desert floor at a comfortable 60F degrees up 8000 ft. to 35F degrees and snow.

January 2011 - Wayfarer's Chapel

2011-01-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'd never been to Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes. My aunt was married there in the 60s and I knew it was a place that shouldn't be missed. However, I kept missing it. The chapel was designed by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1951. It is a glass chapel nestled among the trees overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

1961

2011-01-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

John F. Kennedy is inaugurated President of the United States
The Dodgers move to LA
The first human goes into space
West Side Story wins the Oscar for Best Picture
Pascual and Carmen are married
and Jessie & Amado have their first daughter

While I think of ways to celebrate my birthday this year, I thought I would plan some stuff I've never done in my time on this planet...

January: ~~Palm Springs~~
February: Mission San Gabriel
March: Yosemite in spring
April:
May: the new Getty Villa
June: Monterey Aquarium, Alcatraz, & the Redwoods
July: Venice Beach, The Grove
August: Sacramento
September: The Gamble House
October: Museum of Latin American Art, the Skinny House, Rancho Los Cerritos
November: Oak Glen
December: Disneyland during the Holidays

Christmas in San Francisco

2011-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Rachel is 8!

2010-08-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

Blogger swag

2010-07-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

So I've been doing my Long Beach Family blog as a hobby. I'm always finding events and passing them along to friends. I figured I'd just put them in one place and not send so many emails, haha. Well, I got onto some kind of publicity list and now I get alot of emails asking if I would mention this event or that product. Some of the companies even offer to send me samples to try. After all, how can I write about it if I don't know anything about it? That is all well and good. I've been getting kid/family DVDs like Tooth Fairy and Percy Jackson, but I also got Avatar. They offer to do giveaways and the companies send DVDs to some of my readers. I get all kinds of other products, too, like baby equipment, lotions, supplies, as well as stuff for older kids and families. We also got tickets to a Dodger game and various other events. Well, I was recently invited to a "blogger" lunch in Manhattan Beach. Very swanky and surprisingly relaxed. There were companies there like Pottery Barn, Dyson, and Toyota giving away samples and prizes. I ended up winning a bunch of toys from Backyard Safari. Rachel loved it. It's been quite fun getting this swag, especially now when we don't have alot of funds for extra stuff. Here are some pics:

Nature Center

2010-06-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Camping! - Kern River - June 2010

2010-06-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Tree hugger!

Fishing

Great form!

Peekaboo!

Our camp

Rachel's play room

Sequoia

Massive

Kern River

June 2010

2010-06-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Rachel and her friends' puppy

2010-05-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

LA Times Festival of Books

2010-05-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Rachel's first major league game

2010-04-05T09:49:00.001-07:00

I finally have a chance to post some pics. We got some free tickets to see the Dodgers and Angels in their exhibition game at Dodger Stadium. Rachel loves to watch all kinds of sports, but we had never taken her to a baseball game.

She loved it so much we stayed till the end. :-)

California Wolf Center

2010-04-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

We went to the California Wolf Center in Julian yesterday and it was quite impressive. We didn't know what to expect at all, but it was an amazing experience.

The Wolf Center is located in Julian, CA, a 3 hour drive from Long Beach (with only a bathroom break in Oceanside). Allow more time if you want to have lunch before you get there. The program is only a couple of hours at the Wolf Center, so it might be a good idea to make a day of it and check out the small town of Julian.

The route from the South Bay area is the 5 south to the 78 East. You pick up the 78 a little past Oceanside, so that's a good point for a potty break and to pick up a drink. The 78 *freeway* ends at Escondido and you go through town to pick up the 78 again. This is another good place to stop if you haven't done so, yet.

When you pick up the 78 East again, you will pass by the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the San Pascual Battlefield Historic Park, and the San Diego Archeological Museum. If you have enough time, you can add these to your learning for the day.

78 East goes through the town of Ramona and then you will hit Julian. In Julian, turn right at Main Street and then turn right onto the 79 South. You will go about 5 miles and see a sign for KQ Ranch Resort, turn left here. You go a short distance up to the entrance of the resort and there you will see a sign for the California Wolf Center. Wait there for an escort.

The dirt road to the center was washed out, so our escort lead us through the campgrounds to the Wolf Center. We parked next to a big house where our presentation would begin.

At the end of March, it is very cold up in Julian. It was 44F degrees when we were there. Definitely bring coats, scarves, and gloves. However, we heard the wolves are more active in cooler temperatures.

We went down to the house for our presentation about wolves. We got to see the difference between a coyote pelt and a wolf pelt. Wolves are definitely larger! After the presentation, we went out to see the wolves! The center is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of these wild predators in North America and has a few wolves in captivity.

The wolf enclosures are only a short walk away the house. We walked up to the fence and the wolves were definitely interested in us. We had to snap our pics quickly, because when they figured out we didn't have food, they started wandering back to where they had been laying down. We stayed out there for awhile, though, and they back round again.

After that we went down to see where the Mexican Gray Wolves were housed. They hung out by the fence almost the whole time we were there. It was easy to snap a photo and our host provided lots of info on wolves in general. We were invited to hang out outside a bit longer or go back to the house to check out some artifacts. The wolf pelt was soooo soft!

We hung out a bit, checked out the gift shop, and soon it was time to be led back to the highway. Rachel was sooo fascinated by the wolves and it was amazing.

We headed back to Julian for dinner and then we were on our way home.

An oldie, but a goodie!

2010-02-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

2012?

2009-11-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

A trip to the Jeffers Petroglyphs
1800 miles one way
Stops on the way to Minnesota: Vegas, southern Utah, Colorado, Nebraska
Stops on the way home: South Dakota, Wyoming, Salt Lake City, Utah or Nevada
Two weeks
May 2012?

Irvine Regional Park

2009-11-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

Boo at the Zoo

2009-11-08T08:40:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Baby Chewbacca

2009-11-01T16:07:00.001-08:00

Chewy's first day of school?

Homeschooling Convention

2009-09-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is one convention we didn't actually get to attend. George was a speaker and I thought we might go one day, but I got laid off. So with my new job, I can't take any time off (for now). Luckily, George's session was on Sunday night AND we got free passes to Disneyland! Actually, I would've been thrilled with a ticket to DL, but these were 4-day park hopper passes -- whoohoo! And we got one for Auntie Kohl, too. Shoot, when we went to checkin, the dude asked me how many we needed. I could've said 5 or 6! Oh well, I'm too honest for my own good.

Anyways, we got there, got our tickets, parked, and went to look for food. We actually found a decent, inexpensive place near the pool at the Grand Californian. If you go to DL and need a cheap meal, head to White Water Snacks.

We got George over to the room where he would be speaking at. He got all settled, started his presentation. I took some video, Kohl took some pics, and we were off to California Adventure.

When CA closed, we headed back to the Grand Californian to pick up George. It sounded like he had a great session. When we went into the room, I left the door open in case people walking by wanted to join in. However, one the participants closed the door so that he could hear the presentation without all the hallway noise. Nice that someone was that interested in what George was talking about. A few people stayed to chat afterwards and it seemed they really got something out of the presentation. Go George!

Layoff #7

2009-09-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't heard, I received another layoff notice at the beginning of August. Although, I knew my boss was looking for new assignments for us, I thought that any notice would be 60 days. Wrong. We had two weeks. I guess I just assumed I wouldn't find anything so quickly. Usually when you start a job search, it takes two months just to start getting the interviews. Luckily I was wrong. One of my old co-workers put me in touch with her old boss. My checkout with HR was on a Thursday. My new boss contacted me Thursday morning. He asked me to come in Friday morning for an interview. Since Friday was technically my last day, that worked out. By Friday afternoon, they had canceled my layoff. Thank goodness! Now I'm even closer to home and working right around the corner from my parents. It's actually the same area I started working 20 years ago and it's changed so much! However, they could only promise me work for one month. Apparently the whole department is in the same boat and we just have to wait for the final decision. Keep your fingers crossed!

Huntington Library and Gardens

2009-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Catching up on summer here. I finally took Rachel and George for the first time. As usual, we didn't have time to see everything. Must go back in the spring.

Rachel's 7th Birthday Party!

2009-07-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

My baby will be 7 this week!

2009-07-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

Shuttle Against the Sun

2009-05-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Isn't this amazing?

A dramatic photograph released by Nasa has also captured Atlantis en route to Hubble, in silhouette against the Sun. The image was taken from the ground on Tuesday using a telescope with a solar filter.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article6292923.ece

CA Special Election - Tuesday, May 19

2009-05-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Vote!

Prop 1A: Changes Budget Process. Limits State Spending. Increases "Rainy Day" Budget Stabilization Fund.

Prop 1B: Education Funding. Payment Plan.

If both 1A and 1B are passed, then General Fund revenues would be taken from the Budget Stabilization Fund and paid to K-12 schools and community colleges until the entire $9.3 billion due them under Prop 1B is paid; these payments cannot be suspended by the Governor. These props will also extend the sales tax increase from one year to two years.

Prop 1C: Lottery Modernization Act.

Allow proceeds to go to the state budget rather than to schools directly. The state would increase payments from the General Fund. Increase prizes to encourage more tickets sold. Allow the state to borrow from future lottery profits.

Prop 1D: Children's Services Funding.

Allows temporary use of a significant portion of Prop 10 (First 5) funds to pay General Fund costs for existing programs for children up to age 5. Will delete the allocation now provided for anti-smoking ads.

Prop 1E: Mental Health Services Funding.

Amends the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63 of 2004) to transfer funds, for a two-year period, from mental health programs under that act to pay for mental health services for children and young adults provided through the EPSDT. In 2009-10, $226.7 million would be redirected; in 2010-11 between $226.7 and $234 million would be redirected. The redirected funds would offset state costs for the EPSDT otherwise paid for by the General Fund, thus achieving savings to help balance the budget.

Prop 1F: Elected Officials' Salaries. Prevents Pay Increases During Budget Deficit Years.

Would amend the state Constitution to prevent the commission from approving salary increases in years when the state is expected to run a deficit.

Click here to find your polling place.

17-year-old gets nursing degree

2009-05-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/12/20090512cr-younggrad0513.html?&wired

"One of the biggest lessons I've learned in going through nursing school and my education thus far, is to never let my age inhibit me from achieving my dreams," McBurnett said.

McBurnett was home schooled and began taking college courses at Chandler Gilbert Community College when she was 12. She received her high school diploma and her associate degree (with a 4.0 grade point average) when she was 15.

"I definitely think it was the best of both worlds," McBurnett said. "It was a perfect opportunity for me to learn and get to meet people and, most of all, become a nurse, which has been my dream for a long time."

Cute!

2009-05-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Can't We All...
http://www.zazzle.com/cant_we_all_j_u_s_t_color_t_shirt-235832994886561043

Rocket Day

2009-05-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

Rachel's science class had rocket day! It was super fun and I went to work early that day, so that I could be there. Rachel's rocket went super high and far, but landed in the trees. Kids from the lacrosse team got it out of the tree for us. :-)

Ahh, to be 6!

2009-04-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Video by Auntie Kohl

CSA Day

2009-04-05T09:03:00.001-07:00

We joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) last year as part of our homeschooling group. We receive a box of produce each week for $20. We usually get lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, radishes, potatoes, etc. The selection changes seasonally.

Well, the family that owns the farm invited everyone in the CSA program to visit the farm and see where our veggies come from. :-)

Radishes.

A scarecrow.

Carrots.

Rachel is picking cilantro.

Washing the veggies.

Chopping up our lunch.

We got tofu, too. :-) Our veggies and tofu (along with some oil and garlic salt) were wrapped in foil and put on the grill. In the meantime, we made a salad and had our first course. Our veggies turned out scrumptious. Who knew how good cooked radishes were? Also, they had grilled some Maui onions (we will get those in our boxes in a couple of weeks!) and some beets. Wow, beets! I had to have a few of those. :-)

Rachel's first salad. Well, she used to eat lettuce when she was little and she and George pretended they were catepillars. :-)

The strawberry patch which included Maui onions.

Filling our baskets.

Have a bite!

2009-03-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

First Annual Kite Day!

2009-03-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

The World Famous San Diego Zoo!

2009-03-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Unilingual children

2009-03-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

Interesting post:

I learned English when I emigrated to the United States at age 8. My daughter, now age 8, and son, 7, don't speak a word of the mother tongue I grew up with, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Read the rest here.

El Dorado Nature Center

2009-02-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

Photos by Auntie Kohl!

Snow!

2009-02-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

We went up to Big Bear for the weekend and there was a ton of snow! Rachel was happy just to play in it all day. The main road up the front of the mountain had been closed for most of the week. They opened it two hours before we left, but we decided to take the old, slower route. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to get to the house we rented. It was a very nice home and it fit 8 people comfortably. Thank goodness we decided to bring food to cook that first night. When we got there, we were tired and hungry. We made a scrumptios spaghetti dinner and Kathy made some cookies.

Rachel was actually not feeling too well and I put her to bed. We then watched the last episode of Conan. The next morning Kathy and Natalie were already in the kitchen and I took a quick shower. Natalie made pancakes -- yum, yum -- and then we decided to look for hill in the neighborhood to go sledding.

Rod found one around the corner from our place and we headed over there. However, the snow was just too deep for us adults to traipse up and down. Nathan took off to the top of the hill and he made a few runs before we decided to go to the snow park. So off we went. As we were standing in line for tickets, though, Rachel said she'd rather just sit and watch, so we grabbed a snack and a seat. We passed the time chatting with a mom from Orange County and then Rod came to pick us up.

We went back to the cabin and decided to build the kids their own snow hill. Rod and George worked on that while the rest of us tested their handiwork. Then Rachel and I built a snowman -- my first, too!

Finally, it was time for dinner. We went into town for ribs and surprisingly I couldn't finish mine. Highly unusual. :-) After dinner, we did a little browsing in the shops.

At the cabin, we made s'mores. We let the kids stay up late until Rachel asked me to put her to bed. I actually had planned to get up again to watch a movie, but I guess I was sound asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Sunday morning, it started to sprinkle, so we decided we'd pack up asap. We stopped for a hamburger on the way home and that was our weekend. :-)

SoCal in the Winter!

2009-02-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

We went to the Great Park in Irvine. It is still a work in progress, but for the next month they will have free ice skating. You need to go early as the tickets go quickly. You get a ticket for a 45-minute session. We got there at 11:30am and got tickets for 3pm. They had crafts set up for the kids and there is a free balloon ride. Actually, FREE was the word for the day. While we were in line for the skating tickets, we got free mittens. A booth raffling off orange bikes was giving away frisbees. The sample chai tea from Starbucks was free as the hot chocolate. Peete's Coffee even gave away regular size cups of coffee for free. The Anaheim Ducks were there with hockey games for the kids. You can even spin a wheel to win prizes: drink holder, cap, or hockey puck. We ended up going to the Irvine Spectrum for lunch and came back in time for skating. While skating, two of the Duck cheerleaders came onto the ice and the Ducks mascot skated, as well. We ended up staying till 5pm. A lovely, lovely day.

From the Boston Globe

2009-01-29T10:22:00.000-08:00

Amazing, including the detour to the ER

2009-01-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

All is well. Although the trip didn't go as planned, we had a wonderful time and it was totally worth not paying off a credit card!

We did our last minute stuff on Saturday before we left. I needed to put together a medical authorization letter for Rachel and get our suitcase to my sister who was leaving that night. We only needed to carry our backpacks through the airport. Cool! I also arranged for Rachel to get a little gift every morning we were gone.

Before takeoff at LAX.

We got to DC at 6pm local time. We caught a cab to the hotel, which was in Arlington (Crystal City), just over the bridge from DC. The hotel turned out to be perfect as it's connected to an underground mall and a Metro station. My sister met us at the hotel and soon our other friends showed up. We put on CNN and MSNBC and tried to figure out how we were going to get to DC. All the bridges would be closed that night. The Metro stops running at 2am and starts up again at 4am on Inauguration Day.

We went down into the underground mall to have dinner and found tons of people mobbing the vendors. It's like Obama was a rockstar around here. Everyone was joking that the Inauguration will bring DC out of the recession. The hotel was full of kids going to the Inauguration. The energy was wild.

We figured everyone would be jumping on the Metro at 4am. We were pretty much the last stop before DC, so we were thinking the trains would be full by the time they reached us. Also, the official Inauguration website was suggesting that everyone within 2 miles should walk. We were within two miles. Hijola!

We actually decided that we'd start walking at 2:30am. However, my sister had the brilliant idea of catching a cab to the 14th St. bridge to cut down on the time we're in the cold. Ummm...we pretty much didn't sleep all night. We were still on west coast time, so midnight still felt like 9pm. I wanted to get the latest on the news reports. If we were going to leave at 2:30am, I figured I'd start getting ready at 1:30am. Didn't seem to matter to sleep for an hour. I didn't feel it until sitting in the waiting room of the ER later that night -- more about that later.

Waiting in the hotel lobby at 3am.

We went down to the lobby and Starbucks was already getting ready to open. We asked for a cab for 5 and the front desk was like, "Now?" :-) As we were waiting in the lobby, though, people started coming downstairs to start waiting for the Metro. We needed to get going. We decided to take two cabs. I actually said, "Follow that cab." LOL

The cab drivers got us on the freeway straight to the 14th Street Bridge, however it was closed. We needed to get to the pedestrian path. Of course, we had no idea how to get there. Miraculously, though, as we approached the bridge, the state trooper backed up his car to let us through!! We could not believe it. We just told the cab drivers to get us as close to the Mall as possible. Amazing!

We tried to get to 4th Street as that is closest you can get without a ticket. However, they were only letting ticket holders go that way, so we headed to 7th Street. On the Inaugural site, they had a walking map of the area showing pedestrian entrances. That confused me as couldn't we just walk up any street? Apparently not. They actually had the entire city surrounded by fencing. I couldn't believe it. They must've started that around midnight or something. And watching some people on TV, I suspect they were out all night long. Hijola!

We actually got to the National Mall around 3:30am and there were already people waiting to get onto the Mall. We were standing at 7th and Independence Ave. At first, there were two lines along the fence, but as people started getting off the metro at 4am, they just started filling the street. The rumor started going around that the gates wouldn't be opened until 7am and people started to get antsy as we saw people walking around inside the Mall (I think they were security). I'm so glad they finally decided to let us in at 5am.

We had no idea what the temperature was going to be that night. We were watching the coverage on CNN and MSNBC and they didn't exactly have a weather report. If we had known it would go down to 8F degrees, we may not have went out there. So maybe it was good that we didn't know. I just assumed it was 20F degrees. How would I know? I don't know the difference between 10F and 20F. :-)

We finally got to our spot about 5am. I'm so glad I brought a blanket. There were cardboard trashcans all around and people started tearing them apart to sit on. The ground was sooo cold. I also brought those silver emergency blankets which Liz, Julie, and Kathy used, but I'm not sure how effective those were. They laid down for a bit, but George and I just huddled together. At one point, I couldn't feel my toes anymore, so I put some toe warmers into my shoes. Those really helped. I have to say the warmers were the best thing we brought. I was hungry when we got there, so I had a pb&j sandwich that I made before leaving. I might've had a snack later, but we pretty much didn't eat (or drink) the entire time.

We went with our friends Liz and Julie and my sister Kathy. Liz has been to DC numerous times for work, so she knows the city very well. Kathy has been once before with Liz and it was Julie's first time. They arrived on Sunday and managed to get to the concert. Liz also scoped out the jumbotron she wanted to see. LOL

Can you tell it's cold?

We were in front of the second jumbotron (the first one on the north side of the Mall). It pretty much was at the front of the non-ticketed section. Later we heard that the street behind us had been closed, so no more people could come into our section. We ended up having some space around us as I think some people left during the night.

Cell phones were not working. I'm so glad I learned how to text before we left. :-)

The energy was unbelievable when President Obama appeared. We were given flags to wave and people were cheering. There were actually alot of older African-Americans there and I can just imagine they remember when their parents couldn't vote.

Although, Obama's speech didn't have a "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" line, I thought it was superb. I loved the ideas and the promises for our country. It was perfect.

Around this time, though, George said he was very cold. We were all cold, of course, but I had one last body warmer and we put that under his jacket. However, during the poetry reading, he was suddenly thristy and was not feeling well in general.

After the Inauguration.

We decided to go into one of the "warming stations": the Air and Space Museum. Everyone was just sitting on the floor of the museum or standing in line for the restrooms. We found a spot and dumped our stuff. When George took off his jacket, it was wet inside. ?? Not sure why that would happen. Then he got the chills and I suggested he change one of his shirts for the extra sweatshirt that I brought. He didn't want to as he thought he would get colder. He went to the restroom and then we stood in line for coffee and something to eat at the McDonald's inside the museum. This was the biggest McDonald's I've seen, I think. George managed to eat something and have a bit of coffee, but he couldn't get warm. We decided to go to first aid.

The EMT arrived and took George's temperature. It was 102F! He wasn't cold, he was burning up. The EMT took George to the first aid office which was very warm. Finally, George took off his jacket and started to feel better. However, we heard that the Metro station was jammed and they were telling people to go to the next station which was about 7 blocks away. There was no way we were going to find a cab now and we couldn't have George walking for two hours (if we walked back to the hotel). So we decided to call an ambulance.

They were the nicest. I'm sure they wondered why we'd go to the hospital for a fever, but we didn't want to risk it getting any worse. They ended up taking us to the other side of town, because the nearby hospitals were prepared for a disaster.

The ER doctor was very funny. Apparently, George's fever had gone down and the doc asked George where we were from. The doc said, "That's your problem! You're from California. I've been getting people all day from Florida and California!" He did order an EKG and we waited.

All of that actually didn't take that much time, but the checkout procedure actually took two hours. Hijola. George met a nice lady, though, in the waiting room and that made the time fly by.

When we were ready to leave, however, we couldn't get a cab. Ummmm...it was the night of the Inaugural balls. There wouldn't be a cab anywhere. We asked the security guard about the Metrobus and a man standing next to him offered to take us to the station. We said sure! Apparently he drove some kind of hospital shuttle, but how do we know for sure? All turned out well, though. We got to the station. The person working at the Metro told us which line to take and we were on our way back to the hotel.

Security.

I have to say I'm totally amazed that there was not one arrest. The crowd really was there to have a good time. I'm wondering if the discrepancies in timing of the Metro and the security sweep were done on purpose, so that no one knew exactly what was going on. A very strange thing happened to us *three* times. During the Inauguration ceremony, a man walked up and took a picture of our backpacks and then walked back to his spot in the crowd. George and I saw him and couldn't figure out what the heck he was taking a picture of. All of our packs were in a pile on a blanket. I was standing behind them so that people didn't step all over them.

Then when we were in the museum, a woman came up and took a picture of my backpack! In that split second when you're wondering what was going on, I didn't think to ask her what she was doing. The weird thing was that when I went to the bathroom, the same thing happened to George! All I can think is that it's some kinda security thing. Maybe they wanted to see what our reaction would be?? I have no idea.

Wednesday, we decided to just take it easy. We woke up late and took our time getting ready. We watched a little bit of the Inauguration recap. We had some yummy sandwiches at a rib place and I had a melon margarita. No driving, whoot! We did some souvenier shopping, then went back to the hotel to rest. Soon it was dinner time. We found a place called San Antonio and assumed it would be Mexican food. However, they had all kinds of things from Cuban, to Peruvian, to Puerto Rican. And of course, I had another margarita. It was great just to spend a day lazing about.

On Thursday, we decided to try to get out to the National Mall for a bit of sightseeing. George had never been to DC before and wanted to get a bearing for where we were during the Inauguration. However, a huge pro-life demonstration was happening on the same spot.

We walked around a bit and got as close to the Capitol as possible, then went over to the Museum of the American Indian. We didn't have a lot of time to look around, so we stopped at the cafeteria before heading back. I have to say that was the best cafeteria/museum food I've ever had!

New Year's Eve

2009-01-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

We spent NY's in San Francisco. George's grandfather learned how to make cioppino from co-workers and George's dad is continuing the tradition of making it on NY's Eve.

Tamalada

2009-01-14T06:59:00.001-08:00

I need to catch up on my posting here. Before Christmas we helped my mom make tamales. Okay, my mom did all the prep and we just came in and wrapped them. However, we are making plans to do all the work next year, so we can actually *learn* how to make them. Whoohoo!

Getting ready for DC!

2009-01-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

(For Susie :-D)

But in the meantime...Rachel and my sister went ice skating at the beach. It was 80F degrees on Saturday!

Eeek! We're going to the Inauguration!!

2008-11-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

DC here we come! We bought our tickets over the weekend and the price was not too bad. We were just going to to go for two nights, but the airfare went down dramatically if we added on another day. Whoohoo! Liz reserved a room ages ago, so we are staying with them. This is George's first time in DC -- I hope it's not too cold! :-)

A DIY Christmas

2008-11-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

This post has 34 ideas for a handmade Christmas. I think I'm gonna try the homemade truffles. Yum, yum!

President Obama

2008-11-05T13:07:00.001-08:00

Holiday Timetable

2008-11-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

And if we're already talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas is not too far behind! Here is a 12 week timetable for the holidays. I love planning! I will add my comments in white. :)

Week #1 - List Week
October 5-11
Make your lists of gift recipients, Christmas cards, menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, goodies to share or to give, favorite meals to prepare ahead, decorations needed, and gifts to make.

Yep, already did the gift lists (even mine :)) and Thanksgiving menu. No menu for Christmas or New Year's as we visit family. However, Rachel has been asking about us hosting Christmas. Maybe next year. And I've set the date for holiday baking. I just need to decide what. I need to verify tamale day with Mom. Gifts to make? I am thinking of having Rachel make ornaments for the grandparents. Decorations to make? Maybe hang a zillion stars from our dining room ceiling (can be seen from the street). I better get to that!

Week #2 - Browse Week
October 12-18
Develop and record ideas for gifts and decorations. Ask yourself the following questions:

What would our ideal Christmas be like?
What activities are particularly important to our family at Christmas?
How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas?

We've decided no gifts for extended family except for the kids and I have to tell you, it feels so liberating! I'm actually not worrying about what gift to give whom and having alot of time to plan activities that we enjoy.
My sister does a pizza party for family and friends. I'm hoping to help her a bit on that.
We will be making tamales with my mom. I really need to learn to do them.

Week #3 - Supplies Week
October 19-25
After inventorying supplies on hand, purchase non-perishables needed for holiday baking, supplies needed for gift making, film, batteries, gift wrapping, and Christmas cards as needed.

Hmmm...did she consider the family photo to go on the card? I've set aside a weekend for that and discovered that CostCo has the *cheapest* photo cards for Christmas. Gift wrapping - check. No need for film. We are digital, baby! Start making paper stars for dining room.

Week #4 - Baking Week
October 26 - November 1
Set aside the time needed to complete holiday goodie making. Make lists of toys, books, and clothes that children would enjoy and keep the list handy for telling family members who ask what they would like.

We bake at the end of October? I had no idea! Do cookies last that long? Hmmm...maybe we'll start baking next weekend. :)

Week #5 - Gift Making Week
November 2-8
Focus your energies on completing gifts to be made, setting aside gifts that aren't coming together, and writing a Christmas letter. Find family photos suitable for inclusion with Christmas cards.

Okay, I will get over to Michael's and figure out if we'll do ornaments for the grandparents. I was thinking of doing a Christmas letter this year. She finally mentions a photo.

Week #6 - Shopping Week
November 9-15
Decorate your home for Thanksgiving and focus on gift buying for prepared list. Wrap and label packages as you go. Set aside needed shipping boxes.

I will decorate for Thanksgiving as soon as the jack'o'lanterns are gone. I've bought one gift for Rachel. I really need to get on the ball.

Week #7 - Shopping Week #2
November 16-22
Complete as much shopping as possible. Take advantage of many items that are on sale before Thanksgiving! Check Thanksgiving menus and grocery lists: purchase any additional, needed supplies.

Week #8 - Thanksgiving Week
November 23-29
Use this week to prepare Thanksgiving dishes, pies, homemade rolls: enjoy the holiday with your family.

Week #9 - Mailing Week
November 30 - December 6
Complete package wrapping for gifts to be shipped. Complete addressing and mailing of Christmas correspondence.

Week #10 - Meal Making and Decorating Week
December 7-13
Prepare some favorite meals and other baked goods for the hectic days ahead. Decorate. Involve children in memory making!

Week #11 - Final Shopping/Wrapping Week
December 14-20
Complete last minute details and enjoy holiday parties, concerts, and family activities.

Week #12 - Celebrate!
December 21-27
Enjoy the Holidays with Family and Friends! Take time to drive the neighborhoods to enjoy holiday lighting displays. Enjoy family traditions and special meals. Enjoy, and please let us know how it works out. We would love to have your feedback!

Thanksgiving menu

2008-11-05T11:15:00.001-08:00

Now that Halloween and the election are over, it's time to talk turkey!

We've decided to have Thanksgiving at our house. It's about time we give my mom a break. :) So I'm thinking about the menu. We will just go traditional for our first time out. I'm just hoping the food will be warm when it gets to the table.

Thanksgiving Menu
-----------------
Turkey (natch)
Shrimp cocktail
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes (Mom)
Gravy
Green beans almondine
Yams (Natalie)
Green salad (CostCo)
Cranberry sauce (Trader Joe's)
Spinach dip
Biscuits (Kat)
Pumpkin pie (CostCo)

Schedule:
Get all recipes 11/7
Create shopping list 11/14
Do non-perishable shopping on 11/22
Go to Trader Joe's 11/23
Finish shopping 11/25
Buy pumpkin pies, flowers at CostCo at 11am 11/26

Rachel's first loose tooth

2008-11-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

The chica has been waiting for this for a year, haha. Last year in school, there were alot of kids turning 6 and they were losing their first tooth. They got a special "tooth bag" when that happened and their name went up on a board. I guess Rachel was feeling a bit left out. So she has been anxiously waiting for this and then Sunday night she announced her lower tooth was loose! I felt it and sure enough it's true. I'm sure it could take awhile until it finally falls out, but I better get a couple of gold dollar coins soon just in case. :)

Simply vacation

2008-11-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this will be a recurring theme throughout the next year. We are on a decluttering/purging mission. If it doesn't have a place and I haven't used it in six months, out it goes. Sometimes we think there is no way we can get rid of that much stuff. Don't we need it? Wasn't there a reason we got it in the first place?

I'm sure there was, but a great way to see what you really need in life is to go on vacation. Stay in a condo for a couple of weeks. Preferably a condo that has a washer and dryer in the unit. These are usually furnished with your basic necessities: towels, cooking ware, etc. How many clothes would you bring? Not a whole lot fits into a suitcase or two.

Something strange starts happening. You can get along with *only* 12 towels. You can live with *only* five pairs of underwear. You figure out how to work with only two pairs of shoes, etc.

You discover that you really can live with less.

Yeah, in real life, you'd probably have more stuff: your computer, photo albums, books, DVDs, a couple of pairs of nice shoes. But probably not too much more.

Try it sometime -- it's an eye opener. :)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Historic election indeed

2008-11-04T11:30:00.001-08:00

I loved this article.

My wife made me canvass for Obama; here's what I learned.
by Jonathan Curley

Charlotte, N.C. - There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization.

I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.

Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.

I encouraged my son to join the military. I was proud of him in Afghanistan, and happy when he came home, and angry when he was recalled because of the invasion of Iraq. I'm white, 55, I live in the South and I'm definitely going to get a bigger tax bill if Obama wins.

I am the dreaded swing voter.

So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.

At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.

Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.

We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"

"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.

Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.

Young people came to the door rubbing sleep from their eyes to find out where they could vote early, to make sure their vote got counted.

We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work.

I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."

It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected.

It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore.

I don't see either of the candidates as having all the answers.

I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.

Jonathan Curley is a banker. He voted for George H.W. Bush twice and George W. Bush once.

Reaching your Dreams

2008-11-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

Great post on accomplishing your goals.

“So I posed a simple question. ‘If you were going to become an artist, what would you do first?‘

“Chris answered easily. ‘I’d set up a little studio in my basement. Maybe rent a booth at the local artist’s market and try to sell something.’

“‘Yes, making a living as an artist is tough,’ I replied, ‘but setting up a studio doesn’t mean you have to stop working to make a living, does it? Would you be willing to take that small step and see where it leads?’

“That’s the key: Take a small step toward your ‘unreasonable’ goal. I find clients almost always have a plan in mind—they simply need ‘permission’, as it were, to act on it. That’s Step One.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T15:15:00.001-07:00

I know I'm a geek

2008-10-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

The beginning and end of the only full-scale rendition of the Millenium Falcon.

In this age of three-dimensional rendering and clusters of super-fast, AMD-driven computers it is easy to forget that only two decades ago the film industry had to depend on skilled manual workers to build the sets and props that they relied on the make their magic. Nowadays it is computer artists who craft so much of the environment we see on the silver screen, but before the advent of digital technology it was carpenters, lathe operators, painters, plasterers and a whole army of craftsmen who did much of the work.

Boo at the Zoo!

2008-10-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

My brother and his family have been going to this event for the past 3-4 years. We could never make it until this year. The Japanese princess and Indy had fun. :-)

A homeschooling path

2008-10-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

This is kinda how we view homeschooling.

Get Rich Slowly

2008-10-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

I like this basic financial advice:

Money is more about mind than it is about math.
When we overspend, we’re making mental mistakes, not math mistakes. We all understand the math. Fortunately, we can do things to trick ourselves into making the right choices, and eventually those choices will become second nature.

Goals are important.
Without financial goals, you have no direction, which makes it easy to spend money on things you’ll regret later. But if you know that you’re saving for a house, for your daughter’s college education, or for a new car, your goal will keep you focused.

Spend less than you earn.
Track every penny you spend. Avoid debt. Avoid debt. Avoid debt. Easier said than done, I know, but the fundamental rule of personal finance is this: in order to get out of debt and build wealth, you must spend less than you earn. There’s no way around it.

Pay yourself first.
Before you pay your bills, before you buy groceries, before you do anything else, set aside some percentage of your income to save. Start small if you have to — even 1% is good — and increase your savings as you’re able. Aim to reach 20%. (My wife saves 25% of her paycheck!)

Small amounts matter.
Don’t be frustrated if you’re only saving $25 per month. I started small, too. Though the going seemed slow at first, these small moves helped me develop good habits. And don’t underestimate the power of just one small change. When I cut my cable bill from $65/month to $15/month, that extra $50 made a huge difference.

Large amounts matter, too.
It’s good to clip coupons to save money on groceries, but it’s even better to shop around for the best deal on a mortgage. Everyday frugality can save you a little money consistently, but by making smart choices on big ticket items, you can save thousands of dollars in one blow.

Do what works for you.
Each person is different. What works for one person may not work for another. There’s no one right way to save or to invest or to pay off debt or to buy a house. Don’t believe anyone who says there is. Be willing to experiment until you find methods that are suited to your life.

Slow and steady wins the race.
The most successful people are those who work longest and hardest at something they love to do. Find ways to make frugality fun. Recognize that you’re in this for the long haul. You’re making a lifestyle change, not looking for a quick fix.

The perfect is the enemy of the good.
Too many people are reluctant to start getting their finances in order because they don’t know what the best first step is. Don’t worry about getting things exactly right. Choose a good option and do something. Optimize later.

Failure is okay.
It’s okay to make mistakes. Even billionaires like Warren Buffett make mistakes. We learn from failure. Don’t let a single mistake drag you down. It’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all. Use failure to learn how to do better next time.

It’s more important to be happy than it is to be rich.
Don’t become obsessed with money and wealth. Remember Ebeneezer Scooge! Money gives you more options, but happiness makes life worth living. I believe that if we’re able to stay happy and in control of our lives, money actually becomes easier to manage.

Do it now.
It’s easy to put things off. But the sooner your start moving toward your goals, the easier they are too reach. Further reading: Getting to now: Beating the procrastination habit.

Our new chef?

2008-10-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

So last night Rachel announced she was going to make dinner. Ummm...I was checking my email...ummm...sure. Well, Rachel came up with some unique concoctions. Cold tortilla strips with ham and salsa. Goldfish crackers and salsa. A ham sandwich with salsa. And for dessert, banana with chocolate sauce. They were all rather decent, but I could've lived without the goldfish crackers. LOL

'Nuff said

2008-09-18T22:38:00.001-07:00

Our homeschooling path

2008-09-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Our story is long. I never imagined we would be homeschoolers. Only 6 years ago I was a fervent supporter of the public school system. George and I went to some of the worst schools in CA and still managed to get an education. I figured we were in a bit better neighborhood now, so the schools should be fine for Rachel.

Well, we do attachment parenting and it just seemed to be the antithesis of the philosophy to put our child in a school for 6-7 hours 5 days a week. Preschool was a bit of an easier transition. Only a few hours in the mornings. However, none of us were thrilled with our preschool choice (just went with a friend's recommendation) and I happened to get laid off at the same time. I was getting a nice severance package and decided that after a 20 year career, I would take a break.

It turns out alot of AP parents turn to homeschooling. I found a local group and started attending their classes for little kids. I also, began selling children's books and booked a stall at the local homeschooling convention. I liked the idea of homeschooling, I liked the people I was meeting, but I was still fine with public schools. However, the convention opened up George's eyes. He was not to sure about homeschooling at that time, but he attended a session on teaching gifted children and it clicked for him.

After I went back to work, George quit in order to get his license. He became Rachel's primary care giver and started teaching her at home. Nothing formal. Just your basic ABC's and numbers. Rachel picked things up quickly. She was on the verge of reading when she started kindergarten.

She did go to kindergarten last year. They had her reading in two months! However, we kept getting the feeling that we didn't quite fit in that environment. While other parents were gushing about how much the kids were learning, we were blowing off the homework. Rachel was sick alot (remember no preschool) and sometimes
she just preferred staying home. No problem for us, but we got a letter from the school about all her absences.

For us, it's also a lifestyle choice. Every night I had to worry about getting home, having dinner, cleaning up, taking baths and getting to bed on time for school. And she started school at 10am.

For first grade, she would be starting at 8:00am. That meant that when I got home at 6:30pm, we would have exactly 2 hours before she had to be in bed. I didn't like that idea at all. I also saw that as she went through the higher grades, the homework would get more intense. Don't these children learn enough in 6 hours of school?

Rachel is sensitive, smart, and inquisitive. She loves art, dance, and music. She seemed to learn lower case letters in one day. ?? And can sometimes do math in her head. Yesterday, she learned about the continents and how fast the Earth spins.

We actually had a very difficult time deciding to homeschool. It would mean George would have to restrict his private practice. His work is something that he *loves*. However, we are figuring out ways for him to have his work and also to homeschool our daughter. Although we talked about it for years and went back and forth all summer, we didn't make the final decision until a week before school started.

The day before school began, I withdrew her and we went to return her uniforms. She chose a bunch of pretty dresses instead.

Eight years ago today...

2008-09-16T12:20:00.001-07:00

I love you, Poohberry!

9/11

2008-09-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone remembers where they were on 9/11. We're on the West Coast, so we were still asleep when my mom called to say we were under attack. We turned on the TV and couldn't believe our eyes. I didn't go into work and it turns out they sent everyone home. We were across the street from LAX and they were worried there would be more attacks. My co-worker said it was eerie with no flights going in or out of the airport.

It was 5 days before our first anniversary and 4 days before Rod and Natalie's wedding. One of their groomsmen couldn't get out of NYC, but the rest of the festivities went off without a hitch. Some people may not think so, but it was the perfect time for a wedding: celebrating friends and family at an unbelievable time.

That night we decided to start a family and Rachel was born the following July.

Rachel's 6th Birthday Party!

2008-08-04T07:22:00.001-07:00

Rachel is 6!

2008-07-29T09:43:00.001-07:00

Origami Festival

2008-07-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

Japanese Garden
California State University, Long Beach

Kindergarten Pageant

2008-07-07T15:50:00.001-07:00

My sister just gave me the pics she took of Rachel's last week of school. :)

4th of July!

2008-07-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

Rod and Natalie invited us to go bowling on Father's Day and we had a great time. It was only the 2nd or 3rd time I've bowled. Boy, do I need alot of practice. :-)

Digging For Gems

2008-06-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

OceanView Mine
Pala, CA
June 2008

Waiting to dig.

Mi familia.

Queen of the Mountain. This was the last bucket of the day. They still look excited and not too tired.

Screening.

Our finds. We also found some small pink stones and a couple of crystals.

From Wikipedia:

Morganite was first discovered together with other gemstone minerals, such as tourmaline and kunzite, at Pala, California, early in the twentieth century. This started a bonanza for these quite popular gemstones which drew the attention of gemologist George Frederick Kunz, who knew that pink beryl was quite a rarity. [1]

In 1911, Kunz suggested naming the pink variety of beryl "morganite" after J.P. Morgan (the famous financier), his biggest customer at the New York jeweler Tiffany's. [2]. Ever since, the stone has held a certain popularity with Tiffany's, though it still remains a relatively scarce gem.

Let's Stop The World

2008-04-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

We firmly believe in slowing down. Before meeting George, I was used to going here and there and getting there on time. After all, I only had one of me to take care of. However, when I met George, he definitely walked to a different drummer. Why do we have to do so many things? Why can't we just veg at home and see what comes up? So I did have some practice with this way of thinking before Rachel came along and it's really saved our sanity.

When I found that I was rushing about and getting more stressed by the second, I stopped. Okay, what did we *have* to do? Sometimes it was okay to be 10 minutes late. No one is going to die. Sometimes I didn't have to do everything on my list. I also made sure I had plenty of time to get ready. You should've seen me when Rachel was a baby. It took me 3 HOURS to get us both ready and out of the house. May sound lame, but we are a pretty calm household.

I also noticed that when my temper got short, Rachel got more upset and the whole thing just escalated. I make sure to keep my stress level low. We just don't plan very many activities. Being in LA, we would love to do everything, but we've decided that we just can't. We've prioritized what is important to our family and if we have to say no, so be it.

To this day (Rachel is 5), I try to accomodate her drummer. Yeah, if she would just get her shirt and pants on, we could be out of the house in 15 minutes. But, really, what's wrong with slowing down? I've discovered that if I just take 3 minutes to sit and breathe and be with my child, she is more than ready to get to the next task.

She goes to kindergarten now and I know that she could get dressed, eat breakfast, and I can do her hair within an hour. But when I take her to school, I wake her up about 90 minutes before school starts. We take our time and I don't rush her. It may seem like an eternity to you, but does it really matter if she puts on her shirt now or in 2 minutes? Those 2 minutes can make all the difference in the world.

And I always take the opportunity to just hug my baby for five minutes. At least once a day. (Works great for hubbies, too!)

My Whole World

2008-04-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling Redux

2008-04-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

So it looks like we are leaning towards homeschooling again. Believe me, this was not planned at all, but it's a decision that feels right all around. Rachel has been at a public school kindergarten this past year and it's okay. I guess that's the problem. It's okay and there hasn't been anything that made us feel like, "yeah! I really love that they are doing this in school" or something like that. It even took until April for Rachel to excitedly tell me she learned something new in school (chess). Sigh.

And after visiting the classroom during Parents' Day, we didn't come away with a warm fuzzy feeling. There is just so much 'stuff' in the room and the walls are crammed with artwork and posters. It's all about stimulation and nothing about calmness. And as for socialization, Rachel hasn't found a best friend in the whole year. Oh, she has fun with the other girls in class, but there's no one that she's bonded with.

On the other hand, she and DH went to a local hs park day and old friends were there. There was a little girl that Rachel hadn't seen in 6 months. The girl ran up to Rachel, gave her a big hug, and announced to everyone that she has known Rachel for 2 years and she is her best friend ever. So sweet.

Well, that's where we are at the moment. Who knows? After summer vacation, Rachel may be begging to go back to school. Stay tuned.

Office to Share

2008-02-13T10:19:00.001-08:00

Keeping Perspective

2008-02-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

So I got another layoff notice last week. I've already lost count how many I've received in a career that spans 20+ years. And I really hate looking for a job. I hate it with a passion. Have I mentioned I hate it? BUT the day after we got our notice (100 people from top to bottom -- considered a plant closing -- thank you very much), Rachel got the carpeting put in her room. AND this is the most important thing that happened in our family for the week of January 28. :)

Christmas 2007

2008-01-08T15:34:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-12T14:59:00.001-08:00

Theresa and Marco took us out for ice cream in Modesto.

Rachel on Thanksgiving Day.

Match-y pals!

Rachel helping Grandma make the pumpkin pies.

Rachel's first school picture

2007-11-07T14:27:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2007

2007-11-07T14:23:00.001-08:00

2007-10-10T08:38:00.001-07:00

My day yesterday:

6:42am: Wake up an hour later than usual, because I forgot to set the alarm.
11am: Leave work to drop George off at his friend's.
1pm: George is still waiting for friend, so I take off to pick up Rachel from school.
2pm: Pick up Rachel, meet George, and we have lunch
3:30pm: I get back to work.
5pm: Rachel takes a nap.
6pm: I leave work.
6:05pm: My car doesn't start.
6:15pm: I pay for my lapsed AAA membership.
6:30pm: I call for a tow truck
7pm: Tow truck arrives. It barely fits in the parking structure. My battery must really be dead, because the tow truck cannot jump it. We wait for another truck to bring the portable charger. Works like a charm.
7:30pm: Finally leave work.
8pm: Go out to eat with starving family.
11pm: Finally put well-rested child to bed. Mom promptly falls alseep.
11:30pm: Well-rested child says she's hungry, send her to Dad.
Midnight: Now cranky child starts crying that she misses the purple coat she sold at the yard sale two weeks ago. Crying child falls asleep in mother's arms. Mother thinks she fell alseep 2 seconds later.

Confessions of a Public School Parent

2007-10-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's probably no secret that public school was not our first choice for Rachel. Don't get me wrong, before 5 years ago, I was very pro-public school. If we all abandon public schools what will be left? However, with this No Child Left Behind (NCLB) crapola, things are going from bad to worse. AND when I got laid off, I joined a group of homeschoolers and discovered they are really cool people. Shocker. :-) But we thought long and hard and decided that we couldn't afford private school and even entertained the thought of starting our own school. However, the best thing for our family was for Rachel to go to public school.

And I have been pleasantly surprised. Yes, Rachel has already learned that she is rewarded for being quiet. Sigh. But her teacher has been an angel as the transition has been a bit rocky. Mrs. J lets Rachel hang out with her at recess and lets Rachel draw when she is feeling sad. Rachel's reading has just exploded. She wants to write all the time and tries to sound out everything. It really is wonderful to watch.

Purging

2007-09-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

So we are in the middle of a purge. A house purge, that is. George and I went from two households to one and never really sorted and threw out stuff. Well, 7 years later, that's what we're doing. When we moved from the condo to this house, the movers must've thought, 'piece of cake'. But when they showed up we had 100 boxes and probably enough furniture for a 4 bedroom house. Needless to say, we were able to furnish each room in our new home. Well, the place is getting cluttered. Actually, it's been cluttered forever. My office is just a storage area and the back room is not much better.

George decided we needed to have a yard sale. Well, I just gave 5 bags of clothes to the veteran's group, I didn't have anything left to sell. Ummm...I was wrong. I've been going through each room and I'm shocked with how much is stored and NEVER used. Out it goes! Our sale is this Saturday. I need to do more purging! :-)

I know I'm a Mom...

2007-09-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

I wrote my first "sick" note last week. :D "Dear Mrs. J, Rachel was absent from school on Monday because she had a fever. Mrs. C."

First Day of School

2007-09-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

My baby has started Kindergarten! There were a few tears. We had it all planned out where I wouldn't take her on the first day. Ummm...we should have stuck to the plan. We got there and Rachel jumped into line, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving right then, because there were still a ton of parents milling around. And Rachel started crying again. We ended up ushering her last into the classroom and the teacher took her by the hand. George and I jetted out of there and tried to figure how we could homeschool. :) Although, Rachel didn't say she *loved* school, she did say she liked it. Yeah!

The Getty

2007-08-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

We went to the Getty on Saturday. They had a children's concert (Justin Roberts), but Rachel would have none of that. We said we were going to a museum and she wanted to see art, dammit! :D We finally left at 8pm, but Rachel didn't want to leave until we promised we'd be back.

Growing up

2007-08-13T10:22:00.001-07:00

More and more I feel Rachel is growing up. She is expressing her interests and we're taking them into consideration! Before, she'd just go wherever we thought she'd like. Now, she is making suggestions. She wanted to see the "Underdog" movie. It didn't get good reviews, but it was sweet enough. And for Rachel, an hour and a half watching a dog on the screen is pure heaven! And then we took her to see "Go Diego Go". We can, like, go to the theatre and stuff. Still, it's a kids' show, but it got us out of the house and functioning like normal people, haha.

Schools, schools, schools

2007-08-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

Public school starts in one month and we still are not sure where Rachel is going. Sigh. Yes, we are working on a private school, but we started so late getting this up and running for the fall, I'm not sure it will open in September. And if Rachel doesn't have anywhere to go on September 5th, she is going to the local public school. I really hate all this uncertainty, but that's just the way it turned out. I'm just glad we have a space for her. So I gotta get her uniforms in order and get her some shoes. Oh and some school supplies. She'll love that. :)

Rachel's 5th Birthday!

2007-07-31T07:49:00.001-07:00

Attachment Parenting

2007-07-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Why is this considered out of the mainstream? *sigh* I really can't remember how I happened upon this form of parenting. I do remember a friend telling me he was never spanked as a child. I would say he had a pretty unique personality -- certainly not like anyone I had ever met. He seems to be very generous with his friend -- I don't mean materially, either. Something I had read when I was in high school put me on the AP path, I think. I read a study about altruism. In it, researchers were trying to figure why some people helped Holocaust survivors and some didn't. They looked at nationality, religion, etc. What they found is that those who risked their lives for a total stranger were not spanked as children. That was very profound to me and here I am.

I did want to subscribe the traditional tenets of attachment parenting -- really I did. I wanted to breastfeed, but both Rachel and I had issues, and I just pumped for a month. I wanted to babywear, but Rachel developed reflux and she was put on an apnea monitor. I wanted to co-sleep, but Rachel was perfectly happy in her basinett and, later, crib.

Luckily (?), she caught a cold when she was 7 months old and started to co-sleep. She is still in our room, but this is the year of the big transition. :)

While I would have loved to do all those things, to me, attachment parenting is about being 'present' for your child. We have so many things distracting us during the day. Even if you're a SAHM, you'd like to cook and clean once and awhile. But I believe AP is about balance and sometimes the balance goes towards your child and a messy house.

We've also made financial sacrifices so that one of us would be at home. No longer are we going to Hawaii every year. We didn't eve have a summer vacation this year. But if it means my DH can stay home, then everything is worth it.

My Day in Court with Marilyn Manson

2007-07-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Marilyn (aka Brian Warner) did not show up, but his lawyers did. I'm sure he and every other celebrity gets sued every day of the week. In this case, two guys said that Manson's bodyguard accosted them, made one erase his videotape, and took the videotape of the other. It would have been nice if they had some evidence. You know maybe I could believe a security guard grabbed one of them and pushed them back inside the venue. But all they had was Manson's bodyguard saying his name on the audio portion of the tape -- the picture is too dark to discern anything. Doesn't mean he's the guy that did the pushing. And did they bother to bring in the police report? How hard is it to get a copy? Nope, nada. I can understand they didn't file one because they didn't know anyone's name. That is plausible, so why not tell the truth? When you start lying, it's hard to believe everything else. So the case took all of two days and we took all of two hours to decide. I think it took longer for the judge to get the paperwork to us. It was a nice change of pace from work, but, please people, if you want to sue someone, have a shred of evidence.

An exciting venture!

2007-07-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Ummm...we're starting a new school. Yep, with teachers and kids and curriculum and all that jazz. It's actually very exciting. We keep hearing horror stories about public schools and not everyone is comfortable with homeschooling. Sooo...we are coming up with an alternative school. It will only be for 3 days a week. We are really at the beginning stages, but it looks like we are *very* close to getting a site. I think that is probably the biggest hurdle. It would be nice to find someone who'd love to set up a curriculum, but we are okay with just signing up people to do individual classes. So, I gotta learn about private school laws, etc. Did I already say this is all very exciting? I think it's something that is severely needed in our area. It's, also, something we can participate as a family and as a community. It's wonderful to think that we may create something way bigger than ourselves. Yes, very exciting. :)