Two A.M.!

I'm back. I'm tired. I'm just hangin' up the phone after an-hour-and-a-half conversation with my Fresh friend, and it's 1:20 in the morning! She has to go to work in a few hours. And go to workout... What is she thinking?!

Actually, what am I thinking? I have to drive my mom to the airport in 4 hours. Okay. Maybe I need to get my pictures up and call it a day. Why am I such a procrastinator? Why? Why? Why?

Since I'm pressed for time, I will simply put up a few pictures from the last two New York days. One day soon, I promise to write a decent post!

Outfit:

Lace top: Hand me down from friend. I'm wearing it backwards for the second time.

Grey Tank: Urban Outfitters. It's at least 15 years old. I think I'll need a new one next year. It's starting to fray.

Jeans: Hand me down from cousin. Gap.

Shoes: Goodwill. Kensie Girl.
I love the woman's face above HaHa...  (Top Photo)                   

HaHa with my good friend Khaled. (Middle photo)

HaHa being the social butterfly that she appears to be. In the bottom picture she was saying"Hi" to the woman hawking sunglasses at the airport! The woman loved her. Of course!

Mama's Guilt!

I'm about to leave HaHa for the first time since she was born. I will be gone for four and a half days, and I will be leaving her not fully weaned. In truth, I think I have begun weaning, but she really isn't wanting to, so I guess I am forcing her to wean this weekend...

I'm a little worried. What if I traumatize Baby HaHa and scar her for life? What if I experience the excruciatingly painful breast engorgement I experienced when I weaned Leo? What if I am so homesick for HaHa that I can't function on my assignment? What if the guilt eats me alive?!!!!

Ahhhhh, motherhood. That endless bastion of worry and regret. The fear. The judgment. The sleepless nights... Why, oh why, did I ever think I could, or should, do it?!

Call me crazy. I plead guilty.

And, by the way, I haven't lost any sleep over my parenting decisions yet! Mostly because I am exhausted!

Outfit:

Heather gray tank (under layer): Urban Outfitters. I bought this at least 15 years ago in NYC! I need a new one as soon as this year is over!

Striped shirt: Hand me down from friend. Gap.

Skirt: Goodwill. Forever 21. This is one of the items I got out of dry cleaning last week. I think I paid $5.99 for it, and it probably cost just as much to have it dry cleaned!

Shoes: Predictions. 

This is a shirt ChaCha made last night with a sharpie. If HaHa thinks she's a boy in the future, I'll blame Chach!

Finally Summer!

Today was the first day that I have really felt the feeling of summer. It was hot, the wind was balmy, drops of perspiration formed on HaHa's forehead in the back seat. The boys wore shorts for the first time this year. It took a lot of nudging to get my little C-Dawg to wear short-sleeves, but he did!

As for me, I did what I always do when I am pressed for time in the morning. I grabbed some things I knew I had not worn together, and I ran out the door. It was slightly too much clothing for the day, but it is cold in our class room, so I was fine. I did take off my pink shirt once I got home, though. I often change when I get home because I am certain to get slimed by my little bundle of joy. I dropped some clothes off at the dry cleaners today, for the first time in years, and every stain I pointed out was courtesy of HaHa.

I guess she is another reason I had been in a fashion rut. What's the point of getting dressed up if you know your going to be knee deep in stains?

On  a completely different note, Richard sent me this link which made me shake my head in shame. It is the year 2010. Come on people! Evolve! I think I should make a section of my blog called "Richard's Corner". If it were not for him, I would be lacking on leads for interesting fodder.

Outfit:

Black dress: Urban Outfitters. I got this dress at least 15 years ago.

Pink Shirt: Forever 21. I tied it in the back instead of the front, to get this effect.

Pink Skirt: Hand me down from friend. It used to belong to my "painless mother" Maia!

Shoes: American Eagle.

Also, I am co-hosting a clothing swap this Saturday. If you want to come, hit me up in the comments!

Sushi Sunday!

Today, I slept in, and luxuriated in the warmth of bed. It was great, and when I woke I felt rested for the first time all week! Let's hope the trend continues...

In the afternoon, Pollyanna and I went to The Galleria Market in Koreatown. We had a plan to make sushi for dinner.  The market is almost like a Korean Costco, but on a smaller scale. There are little demo stations, and delicious Korean food, and tons and tons of fresh produce, fish, and meat. It's busy and bright and it's a fun place to venture. Next time I go, I'm going to visit the rest of the mall above the market.

Our sushi adventure was thwarted by a rice mishap, and we ended up making a sort of nori- burrito with the messed up rice. It wasn't perfect, but it worked.

Outfit:

Gray Tank: Urban Outfitters. A million years old.

Print tank: Salvation Army. Also a million years old.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Shoes: Fit Flops.

This is a summer version of an outfit I've already worn, but it's not a repeat! Boo-yah-shakah-lahka-boo-yah!!!

HaHa in her "Hammer-Pants" enjoying watermelon with Nana.

A picture C-Dawg wanted me to share with everyone!

Fireworks!

I just got off of the roof where I enjoyed this year's fireworks! Climbing the ladder was a bit scary,  especially with  HaHa in my sling, but the risk was worth the excitement and howls of the boys. They were also a little scared, but they braved the heights, and had a good time. Ayiko, joined us, and she too, was very, very brave!

This morning, while I was taking a relaxing, 15 minute bath, I got to peruse one of my beloved unread Harper's Bazaar, and came upon an article which explained that it is now acceptable to wear "evening looks around the clock". The article was titled "Sequins At Breakfast". Sequins at breakfast?! How exciting! Now I have the green light to break out the fancy clothes for day! Whoopee! This will give me more wiggle room as I run out of things to wear. I also just love sequins.

So, having found this new fashion freedom, I decided to wear a dressier shoe with my daytime outfit. Leo picked out the shoes  when I gave him the choice between two pair. I must admit though, I felt somewhat silly at the grocery store and OSH walking around in gold heels. So, when I went to target with Ayiko, I wore my Fit Flops.

As I write this, Ayiko and Richard, are having an intense political and philosophical debate which is making it impossible for me to concentrate. If you ever want to talk politics, or religion, or any of the taboo subjects, come over to our house and sit down next to Richard. He'll debate about anything. ANYTHING. By the way, I should give a shout out to my brother and my cousin! They were both born on the Fourth of July, and they are both fine, kind, and upstanding young men. My cousin is a police officer who is dedicated and sincere in his desire to protect people. He is concerned about gangs and the youth who get sucked into that world. He is determined to see that the problem improves.

 My brother just graduated at the top of his class in the Air Force. He is in the engineering branch. He has always been at the top of his class! He's one smart cookie! Happy birthday officers!!!!

Outfit:

I call this outfit "Gypsy Meets House Frau".

Floral dress: Goodwill. Limited Express. This is a dress that I have decided I don't really love, butI am wearing it now because I need it. I got it when I was working in admissions.

Black dress: Urban Outfitters. I got this dress at least 15 years ago in New York. It's a keeper I guess. I rubberband-ed it in the back to allow the other dress to peek through.

Shoes: Goodwill. Jelly Beanz.

My Cute Kids!

I hate to brag about my kids. I really do. I mean, I do go on about them to a small select group of folks I think might be interested, but otherwise I just go on about how crazy and wacko they are. And they are crazy. But in a good way. Most of the time.

Now today, I was crazy because I had the idea of "working" in the classroom while the kids "entertained" themselves. Why was this crazy you ask? Because two of my children are just not quite able to entertain themselves without parental participation. There is one who likes to climb anything stable, or unstable for that matter. There is another who manages to play by himself beautifully, but has to show me everything he has made, or tell me 18 million stories that start off with, "Mom, look...".  And he won't tell me the story unless I am giving him 100% eye contact. I tell him I'm working and it stops him for a bit, but by then Haha has spilled something, or tried again to start the computer, or taken a dump, or grabbed a sharpie, or unraveled an entire spool of string. Really, it was just a perfect illustration of why little kids and the workplace don't work so well. Or, maybe it was a reminder to me that I need to have reasonable expectations for my kids.

Oh. My kid brag of the day? Making dinner while the three little ones drew together on the white board. I have to thank Jordan for hauling it out of the garage at Char-bar's request. It was so sweet!

Outfit:

Grey heather tank (underneath): Urban Outfiters. This is very old and I adore it. Unfortunately, it has a small hole...

Striped tee: Hand me down. Gap.

Skirt: Salvation army. I got this in high school! I can't resist anything sparkly!

Gray cardigan: I gave this to my friend many years ago, and she was getting rid of it, so I took it back!

Shoes: American Eagle.

Up The H!ill

Today we spent the day at the park. There was tree climbing, riding downhill without helmets, snacking, walking through a swarm of bees, playing, climbing up a huge, huge hill, and a lot of merriment.

One of the most hysterical things was HaHa pushing me away and saying "No, mama", as I tried to spot her during her tree climbing. She is so stubborn and fearless that it is quite scary. People on the playground were watching her and shaking their heads in disbelief as she climbed a 6 foot ladder and launched herself down slides without any hesitation. They were also surprised by her heckling of much older children. "No! No!" she exclaimed as she tried to dominate the equipment. She is really something. Her desire to be like her big brothers overshadows everything. Whatever they are doing, she is doing. She is like the chihuahua who thinks it's a pit-bull. She is cray-cray.








Outfit:

Grey Tank: Urban Outfitters. I got this a million years ago and it is starting to die. I will definitely get another one of these in heather gray in the future.

Silk Dress: Goodwill. I got this to wear under things. But I thought I'd wear it as a top layer today. I wore it backwards for "ba-ba" purposes.

Print wrap skirt: Goodwill. I always love anything sparkly!

Under skirt: Thrift store. Also a million years old.

Shoes: Fit Flops. I would have worn better shoes, but I knew I was going to be doing a lot of walking today. 

Here are some moments from the day. You can see HaHa's antics as she tries to prove she can hang with the big boys. By the way, the equipment HaHA was climbing with abandon was designed for 5-12 year-olds, according to the sign...

Sex ATC!

Okay. Although it pains me to admit it, every time I see an add for the new Sex and the City movie, I get a little giddy and I actually watch it rather than fast forward through it. When I lived in New York, I never saw a SATC episode. For starters, I didn't have a TV, and second, it just wasn't of interest to me. I even babysat for a woman who would constantly tell me that her best friend was one of "the producers of Sex and the City!" I would just nod my head enthusiastically and smile while thinking, "So what?" Later on I would look up said friend, and sure enough there she was on the credit list.

I also had a friend who was an extra on an episode and though I was happy that she had gotten some work, it didn't really matter that it was on that show. Again, I had no connection to the show, so I congratulated her and we moved on in the conversation. I didn't grill her about the cast, or Patricia Field, or being on set. Cut to March, 2001. I move from New York back to Los Angeles after 10 years of living in the Big Apple. 10 crazy and important years. Years I grew from girl to woman. Starting as an NYU freshman and ending up as a single pre-school teacher and nanny. I learned so much about life and myself in those year, and I had a lot of fun.

So it's  March 2001, I'm back in L.A. and I'm living with my mom and step dad thanks to NYU's exorbitant tuition that ate through my "moving to L.A." savings account. (But that's another story.) My mom has a TV, and she has HBO. I sit down to watch an episode with her and I am instantly filled with nostalgia and palpable love for the city I just left. I'm hooked. I relate to the story line and to the ladies as well. I can't believe I've been missing out on this pop culture treat.

After Charlie was first born I was alone a lot because we had moved, I didn't drive, and my friends and family all had jobs. Lucky for me, it just so happened that HBO was showing ALL of the SATC episodes from Season One to the present season! I can't explain what a comfort it was, but it was really helpful to me at the time. It gave me a daily dose of the city, and a dose of entertainment when I needed distraction.

So why am I telling you all this? Because The Richard and I are going to see SATC tonight and I am excited even though I am fairly certain it is going to stink up the joint. I liken it to fashion porn. It will be totally gratuitous and over the top, but can't a girl have a little mindless fun every now and then?

Outfit:

Inspired by SATC. I think there's a little Carrie in it.

Shirt: Goodwill. Isabel Marant.

Blue tank: Urban Outfitters. Very Old.

Pants: Massachusetts thrift store. Mossimo.

Shoes: Patricia Field for Payless. I saw these shoes in Lucky Magazine (shopping porn). My friend gives me her old copies. I thought they were very cute and I found them a couple of months later on sale for 12 bucks! Whoo-hoo! 

HaHa is feeling better! Thank you for the kind words!

Surreal Surreal!

I was at school today. I was working with a former colleague and current friend and we had a lot of fun. The class had a lot of outside activities today, so we had some time to catch up while we were editing papers. Good times!

When school was over we had a kindergarten visit day for Leo. The fact that my little LeeLee is going to kindergarten in the fall is quite amazing to me. What is also amazing is that he is going to be in class with some children who I met as babies because their older siblings were in my class! It is very surreal. Very surreal.

We had to bring HaHa to the visit and of course she was in rare form. Climbing on chairs, screaming  "No, Mama!", spitting cookies on Richard's leg, and being generally disruptive. Usually, HaHa is the picture of sweetness and calm, but today she could not be hemmed in by the expectations of her anxious mother. Oh well, I guess I better get used to it!

Outfit:

As I said I would, I am wearing yesterday's dress the way it was meant to be worn, as opposed to inside out!

Dress: Urban Outfitters.

Under Sweater: From Cousin. Mossimo.

Outer sweater- coat: Goodwill. Forever 21.

Boots: From friend. It was raining when I left the house. It was also chilly. Of course, by the end of the day the sun was shining! 

Aunt Janine sneaked a pink bow into HaHa's hair! She won't keep one on with me!

D'Oh!

Okay, so it's 9:58 and my friend just left, and it's poker night, and Haha hit her head and just fell asleep 20 minutes ago after being awake for the entire day, (save for a half hour nap en route to get the boys)... And I had a summer school meeting with the director, and then I came home and had to clean up and make dinner, and I am really, terribly disorganized and all of these are just lame excuses for why I do not have anything poetic or notable or interesting to write about tonight. And, that little monologue reminds me of something I might overhear on Grey's Anatomy while Richard is watching it and I am gagging on the sidelines because nobody talks like that and it is sooo cheesy. So what does all this mean? Chalk it up to writer's block or a bad case of PMS!

P.S. I think I may have found another lost member of The Brunettes!

P.S.S. My hair looks like one of Marge's sisters in this photo!



Outfit:

I think this outfit says "writer's block" too. As I said I had a "business meeting", so I tried to look semi-professional. However I kept my shirts loosely tied for better nursing access and I ended up looking sloppy.

Long sleeve blouse: Goodwill. Seen in Science is Real!

Green Blouse: Goodwill. Lux. Seen in Bieber Fever! Haha just happened to be playing with a matching Home Depot flag! She was also quite eager to pose (see below!)

Black Dress: I got this at Urban Outfitters probably around 16 years ago. It has cool beading on the front, but I'm wearing it inside out. Maybe tomorrow I'll wear it the right way. When I bought it, it was on sale for 50 bucks from a hundred, and at the time I remember thinking it was so expensive (I was a poor student)! This is the dress I was wearing the night I went into labor with Charlie. It's very stretchy (see swollen feet)!

Shoes: American Eagle. This is the first time I've worn closed shoes since I cut my heel. It was okay, but I might wear open heeled shoes tomorrow!

Following Up

First of all, I can't believe I left aunts and uncles off of my love list! Some of my first loves were my aunts Diane, Janine, Julie, and I adore my uncles Van and Broderick! I also have much love for my Aunt Mary and Aunt Mona. My life would be very different without them all. I am so thankful for their wisdom and warmth, their humor and kindness, their support and influence, and of course, their love. When I think of their lives, I am amazed by the many accomplishments and contributions they have made to the world! They are truly an amazing bunch!

Next, I wanted to explain my comment about doctors in yesterdays' post. I was feeling peeved because the doctor who saw Hollis in urgent care, was very dismissive when I told him I suspected a UTI. Even though I explained that her fever had gotten worse over four days, that she hadn't eaten, that she was lethargic, and that she had cried painful cries then said "Pee-pee", he diagnosed her as having a "virus", and only gave me a bag to catch Hollis' pee in because I insisted. He also did not leave follow-up paperwork, so that I could not get Hollis' urine analyzed without seeing another doctor in urgent care. I had given Hollis some unsweetened cranberry juice after we saw the doctor and the following morning my friend called to find out how Hollis was. After I told her our saga and that Hollis still had a fever after 5 days, she told me about something called D-Mannose and I thought that rather than go back to urgent care I would try it.

I went to Erewhon to pick up the remedy and I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the day. The sun was shining and I smiled thinking that it is winter, and yet, here I am wearing sandals. I gave Hollis some D-Mannose mixed with cranberry juice, and a few hours later her fever was gone and she ate food for the first time in four days. She also played for the first time in several days! So, although I have no way of proving that she had a UTI in addition to her viral infection, I am pretty sure her very high fever was caused by one. Actually, I still have her urine in the fridge. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get it analyzed just to prove my case!

Outfit:

Stayed home today, still on the mend!

Grey tank: Urban Outfitters a million years ago!

Turquoise Cami: Goodwill. From Express.

Brown pants: Goodwill. Moda International.

Shoes: None! I always prefer being barefoot!!!