It's a Good Thing

Blech! That is all I have to say about slow shower drains. Blech! But I have a new solution that does not require pouring poison where my sweet babies take a bath.


From: Martha of course

Pour 1/2 cup baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup white vinegar, down drain, and cover with a plug or rag. The mixture will work to break down any fats into salt and harmless gas. Flush with boiling water.
Tips To prevent clogs, make sure your drain has a screen that keeps out solids. In the kitchen, never pour fat down the drain. In the bathroom, brush hair before getting into the shower. And go easy on soaps, shampoos, and especially conditioners and products that contain oils.

Totally works. Filled the tea kettle twice for our shower. Blech! Sorry is this TMI? The good news is when you are married to a dental student though you can't afford Drain-o, there are copious amounts of baking soda laying around.

Please leave your green(and therefore probably cheap) cleaning tip as a comment. I can use all the help I can get.

There is nothing standing between me and happiness

There are a few days in my life that stand out of course as the best days of my life. My kids being born, marrying Pat, asking Christ into my life. Then there is today. The day of all days. I have often said that the only thing standing between me and happiness is a DVR. And boy was I right!

Today the man appeared at my door, much like you hope Elijah will during a passover Seder. He was here representing DirecTV, and if I wanted the current special he could have it installed today. Today.

The keen Lisa observer will remember that I tried to have DirecTV installed when we moved in, and when after several calls I couldn't get a response, I took it as a clue from Jesus to live within my means. Well folks apparently Jesus has plans for me to conspicuously consume because there was Phil at my door at 11:50 am.

So if there was any question as to how I would be spending my money from Uncle George we now know. Though like our friend Sam used to say, I will probably be spending that money 3 or 4 times. That's me doing my part to boost the economy. Seriously how was I going to spend it, put it in a Roth-IRA?

And for this I spent four years in college?

Yesterday was a wonderful Mother's Day, made possible because of my loving husband(and loving sister-in-law). Since we have the perfect marriage and perfect children it all came together perfectly.

No it really was wonderful, I just felt myself turning into one of those people for a second. My sister-in-law actually gave me the best card this year(my husband can't afford cards). Inside she thanked me for being a great mom. Loosely translated that means thank you for going another year without beating my niece or nephew even when it would have been justified.

At least weekly, sometimes daily, I am reminded that being a stay at home mom is not at all what I thought it would be. This really is not surprising because as I think back on my childhood I don't think I knew even one stay at home mom. It's sort of like being hired to coach rugby without ever having watched a match. Same number of injuries as rugby too.

I always thought that SAHM was what people fell back on. The really intelligent, highly qualified, achiever types got real jobs like doctor, lawyer, Indian chief. I was an AP/IB student, graduated from the University of California, and yet find myself at times vastly under qualified for a job that's main position focus is "prepares snacks". What I have figured out is that to be a bad mom takes little or no effort. In fact you can actively be trying to ruin your kids and still be considered a mom. It's becoming great mom that presents the challenge.

I want to cook nutritious, yummy meals, at a discount. Have a home that is near perfectly clean. I only want as much dirty laundry as will reasonably fit in the basket. I want to love my husband, and be an example to our children. I want to be patient with every tantrum, read every book, play every game, dress every Barbie. I want to be deeply concerned with my kids spiritual, emotional, and social growth at all times. I also don't want to be too high strung.

I want to be a mom in the 99th percentile.

I read that before becoming the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi was a stay at a home mom for 17 years. I think of this often when I am pondering my future. Who even knows what amazing things lay ahead of me. I may be under qualified for motherhood but if I can get my kids to stop whining I will be qualified to broker peace in the Middle East.

Things Ella's grandparents will find fascinating

Below are a few quotes overheard while going about our silly life with Ella.

While riding near campus we saw someone riding a Segway. I explained to Ella that it didn't need gas, you just lean forward to move and lean back to stop. Her reaction, "What happens when you dance?" (not if you dance, when)

While gardening yesterday we were separating the half flat of Alyssum and placing it around the flower bed. "Mommy put them closer together, they are used to being next to each other." When I explained that I was doing it correctly, "How will they get to know the other plants?"

After noticing the mole on Pat's foot. "Daddy your disgusting." She's right BTW.

This morning we were discussing how much trouble Jack is and options for adoption. I explained that yes he is a lot of work but we keep him because he is so cute. "Yeah, if he was ugly we would for sure give him for adoption."

Last but not least..."Ella, please do your morning routine."
"But Mommy, it's Cinco de Mayo."

Midterms

I hate midterms. I know, I know, I am not a student but I hate Pat's midterms more than I ever hated my own. First of all I was never as good of a student as he is (naturally gifted), and I didn't have these two kids screaming at me while I was studying. The other day I decided that the only thing worse than mopping (once a day people!) is having your son chase you screaming and army crawling through the wet floor while you mop. This is the kind of pressure I am under.

Tonight we had dinner at Costco. Don't judge me, it is midterms. And as though our house were not enough of a pressure cooker our air conditioner went out today, more closely approximating the steamy aspects of a pressure cooker. I was not about to turn on an oven and make it 1 degree warmer in here. The real bummer is I have been killing myself getting deals on groceries just so I can kill the budget with a berry sundae. Did you know you can get them with chocolate soft serve? I digress.

At Costco I am getting Ella some water and Pat starts yelling my name. Ella is about to blow. She had been saying her head hurt, but frankly so did mine so I didn't think anything of it. Until she starts to spew into my diet coke cup. Yum.

Thankfully she curled up and went to sleep in the stroller because MOTY (mother of the year) still had to get diapers. I know that making your sick child sleep through a shopping trip is about the worst thing a mom could do, but it ranks just under having to leave your baby in the same diaper all day so I did my best. As my friend Connie would say, "We all make choices"

And the worst part of all of this is that it was not even really that bad of a day. 100 degree heat, screaming baby, puking child not really that bad when you consider its midterms. Just imagine what it will be like during finals. When he takes his boards we are leaving town.

(Two) Milestone

Tonight I went two miles. Though this is not a big deal for most (my husband refuses to run anything less than two miles) I think it is the first time in my life ever to have gone two miles. As a matter of fact my only memory of running before is the President's Physical Fitness testing in the 8th grade, and that was a mile that I whined through.

With each marker as I have been running these last two months I think of those words of Christopher Robin to Pooh "You're braver than you believe and you are stronger than you seem." Running, like parenting, pushes you to your limits and then when you are brave you go a little further. Children don't wait for you to be brave to push you beyond your limits. They don't even wait until you are awake.

Jack is getting his "maxillary central incisors" which look positively ugly bulging through. I am not sure which I dread more, not sleeping for the next few nights or him inevitably biting me. I suppose now is the time to be brave.

Pat is ruining my life

When you stay home all day with a person who doesn't speak you have a lot of time to think about how you would like to redecorate your house and how you might like to change your hairdo. And since as Pat and I often discuss, to decorate your house you need a lot of money or a lot of time, and we have neither I have started obsessing about getting bangs.

Pat is opposed. He thinks they are too fussy. I can sort of understand his point as he remembers 80's bangs sprayed with Aquanet hairspray. And he just keeps saying over and over, "They hang in your FACE!" as if this is not the most obvious feature of bangs. My two greatest argument for bangs are that some of my cutest friends have them and at least its something different for God's sake.

Okay fine, maybe we need a dog. On a walk we met someone with a Puggle. Very cute dog, and upon further inquiring found out she got the dog for 1/2 price, $600. Holy smokes, the rent on our first apartment was less than that!(insert old joke here) Pat reminded me that he is far too busy saving the world one tooth at a time to pick up dog poop and that would fall to me. Like all of the other poop duty around here. Our lease also does not allow for dogs. Minor detail.

After a full weekend of IHOP for family night(kids eat free M-F, 3-10, and they have a Dr. Seuss menu!), Newport Beach(let's move here Pat), Kyle's 6th birthday, and church we went to Ohana for yogurt. Sitting outside Coffee Bean, watching Ella dance and Jack marvel at the misters and fountain, I reached frozen yogurt Nirvana.

Just then a striking red head walked up with one of those really cute, really angular haircuts prompting me to suggest to Pat that maybe I should cut my hair short. His response:

"You should get bangs."