I Failed!

Well, it looks like I failed my for the first time on my list...good thing I have 900 and some days to try again.  I was making an attempt to drink green tea everyday for one month.  I forgot to yesterday.  Oops!  I think I'll start again on Monday.  No biggie.

I know I also said I was going to go to the theater this weekend, but after looking at the listings, the only movie I was somewhat interested in seeing was Dear John.  I decided to forego spending the money because I had read the book.  Usually when I read the book and see the movie I'm disappointed one way or the other.  I think I'll wait until it comes out on Redbox and save myself $8.00 and change.  Anyway, I have plenty of time to get my 5 movies in and I want to make sure I enjoy them!

I did rent three movies this weekend.  Only one of them was what I would call somewhat decent.  It was called Motherhood with Uma Thurman in it.  It was interesting, though not a real attention grabber.  I suppose it held my attention enough though strictly because I have a child and could relate to much of the movie.  The other two I rented were called New York I Love You and Serious Moonlight.  I wouldn't wish them on anyone.  Meg Ryan, I have to say, I am very disappointed in you!!!  Ech, enough of the critique, I could go on for quite a while.

In other 'my life is so boring' news, I went to church today.  Another miracle has occurred!  I still have to blog about the whole religion thing.  I have it together in my head, I just don't think I've found the courage to put it down on 'paper' yet for everyone to see.  Judgement and the fear of sucks!

Finally, I took my green bags shopping to both Walmart and the grocery store.  The grocery store had new super big, super cool green bags (okay - the color is not so cool, but...) for $1.00.  I bought two of them.  They rock!!!!  I'm an addict.  Do they have meetings for that?
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Today I am grateful for my daughter, that I get to watch the men's Gold Hockey game, and for this really nice lady at church that goes out of her way to talk to me and make me feel welcome.

2:00am Ramblings

1. I love the way the British say, "Oh My God!" And why does the "f" word sound so graceful and appropriate when used in a sentence that comes out of their mouth?  I must be a sucker for accents.  Check that, I am, I definitely am.
2. Why does EVERY movie I see that's filmed in New York City seem so romantic to me?..even if it's not a romantic film. NYC = romance, at least to me. I wonder, if I lived there, would I meet the love of my life? Would I be proposed to in Central Park on one of the boats? Will I be too old by the time the kid graduates or could I possibly have my chance? I guess I may never know and I guess for now I'll continue being a dreamer.
3. I often wonder how my daughter sees me...does she think I'm beautiful?   Does she see my many faults?
4. Nine years later, I still cry when I see pictures of the World Trade Center.
5. The smell of cigarettes and bus exhaust is one of my fondest memories.  It's my sensory memory of Chile.  I know those two smells are disgusting, but together they remind me of some of the absolute best times of my life.  I was so alive then!
6. I should have learned by now not to rent movies with above a "B" rating.  I'm not sure if that's telling me something about my mentatliy, maturity, or artsy-fartsy side of me.  If it's telling me I'm not artsy-fartsy, I'm ok with that.
7. If there is a God, why is there so much chaos, hatred, war, devastation in the world?  What kind of God would do that?  I wouldn't be bored if there were peace.  Come on already and give it a try!
8. Why do people feel the need to euthanize an animal that should be in the wild when it harms a human?  Would you want to be wild and then kept in a tiny cage?  Expected to perform on command?  (Hell, I have arguments with my alarm clock every morning!)  Do they not realize that deer are the leading cause of death by animal in the USA?  You don't see vigilantes going around euthanizing every deer out there. 
9. What if I die alone because I won't let anyone in now? 
10. I know that one person is reading my blog, but I want to be a web-sensation.  Does that make me a realist or a dreamer or a bit of both?  ...Most likely a dreamer.
11. Does anyone ever really move on?
12. I always swore I was NEVER going to be a Republican or a Corporate sell-out.  I now believe that I am both...when and how and why did that happen?  And what am I going to do about it?  Probably nothing.  I can pay the bills and I bitch about welfare.
13. How do you form your own opinion when you have a father that is ultimate Christian, a mother that is religious when it suits her and a BFF that's anti-Christ?  I don't want to please anyone, I want to be me, believe in what I believe and live.  I have my doubts, serious doubts...but I'm ready to be convinced all the same.  Note:  Convincing does not equal being preached to.
14. What if we had selective amnesia?  Wouldn't it be a wonderful world?
15. Does being a mother give you a green card to openly criticize your daughter?  I know I'm fat already!
16. I want soooo badly to live in NYC.  But I can't stand living in an apartment here.  How would I fare living in a flat there?  Would the city get the best of me that I could just deal with it?  Will I ever find out?
17. Is every PTA always composed of former HS Cheerleaders who aren't ready to leave their youth and popularity behind?  Like, OMG, gag me with a spoon!
18. Why are things that are so bad for you so damn good?  Who invented them anyway?  My 3 guilty pleasures are wine, salt & (salty) cheese.  Maybe I was meant to be French, oui?
19. Does everyone get stuck in their generation of greatness?
20. I hate the city, this city in which I live, but there are three I would give an arm and a leg in to live:  NYC, Paris and Santiago...I'm in love!!! <3
21. I just heard a movie line, boy:  "If you could go anywhere in the world, would you go?"  girl:  "Well, I don't have anything with me."  boy:  "I will buy you a toothbrush in Rome."  Umm.....what about fresh underwear????
22. I'm giving up space for privacy.  I hope I'm not clausterphobic.
23. Give me the name of one person that is truly happy.  Then prove it.
24. Can you make a living being a dog walker in NYC?  How could that not be the ultimate job? (aside from picking up the poop).
25. We don't have earthquakes, hurricanes or landslides where I live.  The most we have are tornado warnings that are issued when lightening strikes.  What's our greatest ailment?  Snow.  Which is the lesser of all evils????  I guess I should consider it that we are fortunate...yet boring and cold.
26. Are all your 'friends' on Facebook really your "friends?"  Most of mine are aquaintances that I like to touch base with.  The people who request my friendship that I don't care about can stick it...I'm sorry, you want to be friends with me why????
27. I love hockey.  I'm just not quite sure how I discovered the relatively new love of my life.
28. I've known someone for some time...and then I tried attending their church.  Was invited to their parties until I decided their church was not for me.  I believe friendship and church should be two separate entitites...this leads me to believe we were never friends.
29. I have a bucket list that I'm afraid I won't accomplish before I die. Most of it includes travel.
30. Does everyone indulge in a bit of nostalgia?  Do they ever let go?  Or is that what keeps them going?
31. As stupidly wrong as I think reality tv is, I love watching the Bachelor.  And even more so, I love yelling at the tv and telling him how wrong his choices are!
32. (Proceeding #30)  Who am I to criticize?  Like I've made the best choices????!!!!!???
33. Why does the mayor advertise Chicago as being breathtaking?  The only thing I see "breathtaking" about that city is the 10% sales tax.
34. War is stupid.
35. My parents named me XXXX, if I were to be a boy I would have been named Zack.  All that comes to mind is the Lego theme song from the 90's, "Zack, Zack, he's a lego maniac."  I named my daughter XXXX, if she were to have been a boy I would have named her Christopher.  Would there have been something wrong with that? 
36. Why are some people granted the divine miracle of parenthood while others are not?
37. Are professional athletes really as stupid as they sound? 
38. Tall, dark and handsome?  Says who?  Why don't you ever read "Short, fat and bald" in a romance novel or see it in a movie?
39. They say, "living with Lupus,"  but "slowly dying with lupus" sounds more appropriate/accurate to me.  Some days are a real bitch.
40. Hello, my name is Anonymously Me and I'm a toilet paper addict.  Don't let me go to the store when toilet paper is on sale AND I have a coupon....no matter if I already have 80 rolls at home in my closet.  I'm telling you, if there is ever a toilet paper crisis the nation will be lined up at my door because I'll never run out.
41. I hate the part of parenting that includes the word "discipline."  Why can't children just be born perfect?  And why can't we be perfect parents?
42. I believe in gun control.  I believe it would save a lot of people from a lot of nutjobs.
43. John Corbett is my movie star fantasy.  I don't know why, but he just does it for me. 
44. What does my neighor possibly do every night from 12:30-1:30am and how did he manage to find the ONLY squeaky part in the floor during that time?
45. I wish I could sit down with my pastor and ask him all of my questions...but they would probably piss him off.
46. I decided to coach kids basketball after I found out that I had cancer in the fall.  My rationale was that if I could keep up with the kids, the cancer wouldn't beat me.  Who was I kidding?  Seven 1st-3rd graders are beating me, they are exhausting!!!
47. I am a dork.  Always have been and probably always will be.  But right now my daughter thinks I am the coolest mom ever and that's all that matters.  Who else sings Hannah Montana on the top of their lungs on the way to school at 7 in the morning?
48. I refuse to pay for cable.
49. I love Black Friday shopping at Walmart.  Does that make me a redneck?  I don't go in my pajamas.
50. I remember when the Challenger blew up.  I remember the Gulf War and the fear I had as a child thinking about our nation going to war.  I remember where and what I was doing on September 11th.  What things will my daughter's generation remember?

Emotionally Mixed Day

DISCLAIMER FOR BEING OVER-EMOTIONAL:  I've been battling a lupus flare up this week, which usually causes me to get very emotional.  It's not out of frustration or anything like that...it seems to be that lupus flare ups cause extreme sadness and tiredness in me.  I've been meaning to blog about it, but now I'm just at a loss of words to describe how I feel.  There are more pressing things going on in the world than one person dealing with lupus, right?

Today was a very mixed emotion day for me.  I've been sad all day about the earthquake in Chile, as I mentioned in my last post.  Then, for the past hour or so I've had the Olympics on and then they cut over to a program about September 11th.  Nine years later seeing the footage and hearing the stories still make me cry.  I just can't help but wonder what in the world is going on?  Seriously, if there was a God why is there all this devastation and hatred circulating the world?  What kind of God would do that?  (just the beginning of my issues!)  It's so sad to me that people think they have a right to take another human life, or that people can sit by and watch another suffer....it's disgusting.

Well, I've probably said enough cuz goodness knows I could rant and rave about that subject.  Today I just don't feel like really getting into it because I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts in an understandable manner.  Ugh!
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Anyway, today I took my green bags to Trade Joe's again.  I seem to be addicted to that store as well lately.  I love their little appetizer type things you find in the freezer section.  And its super easy for me to pop those in the oven when my daughter is with her father for the weekend.  It sure beats cooking a meal, and it's so boring to cook a meal for myself and then sit at the table - ho, hum.

I also FINALLY am PARTICIPATING in Postcrossing.com.  Soooo cool!  My postcards came this morning.  Super fun!  I got 100 postcards from Amazon.com for $0.13 per postcard, plus it was free shipping!  Where in the heck can you buy a postcard for $0.13????  (they even came in a keepsake box) Anyway, I signed up for 5 to send, which is the maximum you can send until you receive one.  They send you random addresses...my addresses were from Mass., USA; Finland; Taiwan; China and Germany.  I love getting mail and I love hearing from people from all over the world!!!  So much fun and so interesting!!!  Off to the post office on Monday I am!!!!

I went to the library today and started reading my new book for March, "Dating is Murder" by Harley Jane Kozak.  We'll see how it goes.  She's a new author to me.  I'm branching out, what can I say?

I think that's all I've really accomplished that is new.  I still have to eat my yogurt today (ugh! so not in the mood), but I drank my water, put my buck aside, blogged, etc.  My photo of the day, however, I did not take today.  I honored my sister country of Chile by posting one of my favorite pictures from my travels...such a peaceful place in a breathtakingly beautiful country!

Chileno de corazon...

I was saddened this morning when I woke up and the first thing I saw was that an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile early this morning.  I spent a year of my life there, at times I feel like I left my heart there or at least a part of it, and will always, always have something deep within tying me to that wonderful country. 

I immediately contacted my friends & family that I have there and they were all alright.  Scared, but ok.  Thank goodness!  (Bless Facebook mobil!)

Reading about it and watching the news makes me so sad.  There is so much destruction!  This earthquake, they say, was more powerful than the Haitian one.  Luckily Chile has strong building codes and there wasn't as high of a death toll like Haiti. 

I believe in the president (Bachelet), I believe she'll make things right and there won't be tent cities for years coming like I've seen when devastation struck Peru.  I believe that she'll do right for her people...until March 11th, but I can only hope the new president elect will see everything through.

Today I'm thinking about the people of Chile and hoping that they pull together like I know them to do and soldier on.  It's a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. 

May they all feel a little peace before night falls.







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Today I am grateful for my daughter, that my friends in Chile are safe, and for the awesome clearance sale at the department store!!!

Amelia Earhart & My Little Sweetheart

My daughter studied Amelia Earhart this week as one of the 6 great American heroes they are learning about.  She was fascinated by her being the first woman pilot. 

Anyway, the kid remembered when she was alive...and I mentioned to her that great-grandma (who is still alive) was alive during the same time.  The kid got super excited and out rambles, "Ohmygosh mom!  Was great-grandma friends with Amelia?  Cuz if she was I TOTALLY have to interview her!"

PRICELESS!!!!!
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This week I feel like I did pretty well accomplishing things.  I accomplished my daily goals that I'm working on (water, yogurt, $1.00) and then I also wrote my letter to the military person, watered my plants, partook in my Facebook free day (today), photologged, green tea, etc.

Today I accomplished a new one.  I did 4 loads of laundry and put it all away right away.  I even made the beds fresh as soon as the sheets were done.  Yes, my friends, a miracle has occurred!

For the week, I also accomplished a new one.  I packed my lunch every day for work and I ate it.  It's really not that difficult, but lately cravings seem to overtake me.  But hey, I did it and I made it!

This weekend I am going to make an attempt to make it to church...ugh!  My issues just get in the way.  More on that another day...but I have not failed yet, so we shall see.  I like having my list to keep me in check and my blog to bitch about it.

I Would Never Be a Good Judge

I decided last night that I for some reason just HAD to sit up and watch the women's free skate competition.  I had heard so much hoopla over the Korean skater Kim Yu-Na and Canadienne Joannie Rochette...

I wanted Yu-Na to win the gold  (but let me just say she TOTALLY deserved it!).  Why?  Because the media kept making such a big deal about her and about how if she didn't bring the gold home how devastating it would be and how people would treat her.  She's just a kid for God's sake!  16 years old!  And she has to deal with that kind of crap.  Now granted, I suppose if you are going to the Olympics you figure that comes with the territory, but I still think it's wrong.  Yes, she's phenomenal at what she does!  Yes, she's a trained athlete, an icon for the nation of South Korea, but to have read about how people tell her she failed if she falls, etc., to me is just sad.  Cut the kid some slack, everyone is entitled to have a bad day, fall (Lord knows I do it just walking on my own two feet!), or not be a "Perfect 10."  Why should anyone have to deal with that kind of pressure?

Then of course, my sympathies went out to Rochette.  I totally wanted her to medal because she had so much courage and strength to go on about her business after losing her mom at the Olympic games.  What a powerful woman! 

I would have like to have seen Rachael Flatt medal, I liked her...but Nagasu was adorable as well!

So like my title says, I would never be a good judge.  Those two would have won a medal with my vote being solely based off of sympathies...they could have fallen on all of their triple lutzes and jumps and I still would have voted for them. 
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Today I am grateful for my daughter, freshly laundered sheets, and work at home Fridays!

"Life’s a bitch. Be its pimp."

"Life’s a bitch. Be its pimp." ...I saw this on a webpage today and nearly died cracking up.  I sooooooooo need to make that my motto!

Stupid thoughts that have crossed my mind today:
1.  Why is it even though I always start the gas on the grill I can never remember which way it goes when I have to turn it off?  I have to pull the whole damn tank out just to see the little arrow.
2.  If a nun cuts infront of you in line, is she exempt?  Yes, this did actually happen to me today and no, I was not above giving her the most unholy of dirty looks.  "No skips" was a lesson we were taught in Kindergarten!!!
3.  Why do people subject themselves to the humiliation of being rejected on national television?  And why has our nation become addicted to it?  What happened to TGIF (Full House, Family Matters)????  I say BRING IT BACK!...and I don't mean as part of the cast on Dancing With the Stars (is the rumor that Candace Cameron is going to be on it true???)

Things I accomplished today:

1. I packed my lunch again...one more day to go to complete my 1/10.
2. Drank my water, put $1.00 aside, ate my yogurt.
3. And da, da, dah...took my green bags to Trader Joe's.  I believe that makes 4/10!!!!  I have become addicted to them and have created a monster in my daughter with them.  Every time we leave the house now she asks, "Mom, do we have the green bags?"  I feel strangely "French" when I go shopping with them...I just need a loaf of bread sticking out of one one of these days.  LOL.
4. Ooo!  And last night I finished my book.  I read Dead Guilty by Beverly Connor.  Good book.  I like murder mysteries. (1/33).  Off to the library tomorrow. 

I suppose that's all.  I wanted to blog about something completely different, but my crazy thoughts took me in a different direction tonight....maybe another time.
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Today I am grateful for my daughter being 100% agreeable 99.9% of the time, sour cream, and the sunshine!!!!

Today I am Grateful...

Today I am grateful for my beautiful daughter, that I got on the scale and weighed 3 lbs less (I couldn't believe it, I reset the scale 3 times!), and for a quiet night at home tonight!

Boredom Strikes

1. Is there ever a point where people let go of someone?
2. After reading my pastor's blog, I'm insanely jealous that I can't be a part of the Honduras mission trip!!!!  I want so badly to be a part of this...I'm fluent in Spanish, love helping people and love the Latin culture.  I believe that I belong there this time!
3. Why does my big mouth make someone believe in me when I have trouble believing in myself?
4. Looking at the Barbie through the Decades book my daughter brought home tonight made me realize how Barbie deprived I was as a child and how totally spoiled she is!  LOL...but it was still fun to look at!
5. I'm sick of this damned snow...and the cusp of Spring is nearly impossible to wait for.  I...NEED...SUN!
6. My daughter asked me when I was born and I told her 19XX.  Her response was, "Whoahooooaaaaahohohohoa!  That was sure a long time ago mom!"  Next time someone cards me I think I'll consider it a courtesy/compliment/flattery now.  I apparently walked with the dinosaurs, I should be grateful I'm not a fossil.
7. The doctor I saw today had the most terrible bedside manner...I wonder how he is still in business?  People must be desperate.  I know I won't see him again!

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Today's accomplishments:
Packed my lunch, drank my green tea, put aside $1.00, ate my yogurt, drank my water, and had fish for dinner for my 1x a week, played 4 boardgames with the kid, my daily photo out of 30.
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Today I am grateful for my daughter, my flexible boss, and the ability to let things go when I know it's necessary.

CPR Needed

How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!
~George Elliston
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What a busy, suffocating weekend I've had.  First off, my BFF has been over at my house since Friday.  I need some serious space...maybe even CPR (just not from him!).  I'm definitely, after being on my own for 7 years, not the kind who can have someone (other than the kid) around 24/7.  I like spending time by myself.  I like reading before bed at night, blogging, etc.  BY MYSELF!  Unfortunately, my BFF is one of those that can't be alone.  God love him, he is the best person a person could be, loving, kind, generous, dependable, fun, etc., but man I need my space!  I just cannot share the air. Okay, now that I've got that off my chest...I can almost say I'm glad to have come to work today.

The Weekend Update:
I have an artiste on my hands!  About two week's ago the kid's name was mentioned in the school newletter and it stated her artwork was being displayed at the District Offices for the month of February. Friday I took the kid to see it. Her piece was chosen out of all the students (approx. 800 kids!) at her school to represent that school at the District for the month.  Her artwork was her own rendition of Van Gogh's Starry Nights.  Below is a picture of her artwork.

Also, in the beginning of the year, she had entered a photograph she took in a contest sponsored by the PTA. She came home two weeks ago with a certificate and letter stating that she won and was passed on to the District level (40 schools and over 400 entries!).The recognition program for the photograph she entered is tonight.

All this time I was wondering why she doesn't like sports? Ha! Maybe because she is artistically inclined? Anyway, I'm so proud of her! It's really exciting to see her love creating art and being good at it at only 7 years old! (Of course, being her mom, I'm totally biased!)  All in all, two pieces of her artwork were passed on in two different contests!  THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!

On Saturday then we went to the AHL Hockey Game.  We had dinner first and had a great time laughing and cracking jokes...the three of us, the kid, my BFF and me.  The kid made the statement at the table, "Mom, I'm having so much fun being here because we keep laughing."  That was a moment I'd like to set in stone.  We went on to the game then.  It was nice because this time they had a free funfest before the game.  The kids got to try on real hockey gear, which was a trip!  Play beanbag toss, shoot pucks in the goal, puck tosses and then meet and take your picture with the mascot.  It was a really nice thing to put on and FREE!  The game was awesome!  We creamed the other team 7-1.  It was exciting, fast-paced and just plain fun!  The only real disappointment was that the refs didn't let them sock it out.  I have to admit, I hate violence, won't even watch a movie with guns in it, but there is NOTHING like a good, tear-me-down hockey fight!  Every game we have ever seen has included at least one, but the refs didn't let anything fly this time.  Boo.

Toward the end of the night tragedy struck.  The kid had a giant foam hand that was stolen in the stadium.  She cried all the way home, in bed and the next morning.  I felt so bad for her!  I decided to email the hockey team and tell them what happened.  Let me just say, there are still good people left in this world!!!  The PRESIDENT of the hockey team called me at work about 1/2 hour ago.  They told me that they felt horrible about what happened and are giving her a new foam hand and tickets to any hockey game we wanted to attend!  I could not believe it!!!!  I am so happy and feel so good that someone is going to make the kid a very happy person and now she will see that there are also people who care when bad things happen.  I'm telling you, I am eternally grateful to them!

Yesterday, naturally I shopped...which leads in to my accomplishments.

Accomplished:
73.  Take green bags to the store.  Do this ten times.  (3/10)
77.  Keep a photo log for one month. One pic a day. Blog it! (3/30)
and the usual, water, $1.00 and yogurt.

NEW!  This week I'm working on:
69. See 5 (mommy) movies in theater in one year...Disney and Pixar do not count! (0/5)
84. Pack a lunch every day and eat it for a week. Do this 10 times. (0/10)
96. Drink one cup of green tea every day for a month. Do this 10 times. (0/10)

Today I want to accomplish:
98. Start a traveling savings account. Put $25 a month in this account. (0/33)

My photo log photo will be posted later tonight, when I am ALONE (at last!).  I'm looking forward to a more peaceful week and upcoming weekend.  Now I must go research what movie I want to see this weekend, there are so many good ones out there right now!!!
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Today I am grateful for my daughter's easy-going manner, the hockey team we love & their kindness, and my new wallet.