Break... Challenge... Memories

We weren't planning on another trip this year but I personally needed a short get-away at this moment in time, the boys could always use one, and this was an incredible opportunity and something Stink really wanted... and I wanted that for him. After all there is no way I would want us or I to miss out on the Sergeant's first out of state soccer tournament.

Family Traveling: Mom's number one challenge as a single parent so far. I have been mastering yard work and the laundry is always kept up with. There's not much else I ever had help with so the unachievable isn't a distant thing to me. It shouldn't ever be anyway... you can do it, whatever it is I've learned. But yes, this parenting job was certainly meant for two- it has it's hard moments for two, and double hard moments for one. I'm happily rid of a few things so in some ways it's a whole lot easier. Though these trips can be a lot of work for me, the prize is worth it all. In three days I squeezed in the exercising, manicure, cleaning, shopping and packing plus worked 10-13 hour shifts <------ Exhausting. Prize-time.

So off to gorgeous La Jolla, California where S. Stinks tournament took place... a beautiful place! We added it to our collection of favorite beach cities along with Carlsbad and Del Mar after our 5 day experience. I get in a different moment when the windows are rolled down and it hits you when your there- that moist fresh air with a hint of sea salt. It flows through Benny's cotton (his hair) making dewey locks concentrated with his baby smells... makes me crazy. He just wears it with a jolly, teasing smile knowing I want to tackle him with my kisses. I wish my hair had that effect in the humidity, not so... at all.

Now for the soccer, sweet soccer. The fields were soft, the air was cool, and the attitude was right. My Sergeant was ready to take on these Californians with his team. Being out of state sparks a little fire in him I see.

They won the first game, not without a whiny fight from the opponents though. Our coach got thrown out when California realized we were going to win and a couple of yellow cards got thrown in... one of them on Stink. The second game was loss for us, but we got to explore La Jolla Shores and experience the greatest pizza at this dive pizza parlor run by only one guy. So I say it wasn't really a loss. The next day's game score was a tie. A win, a lose and a tie... not so bad. The team played absolutely phenomenal though. They looked great and it was fun to watch. The Sergeant stated he doesn't like how California kids play... and I will agree it's different... but what a great experience for him and all of those boys.

There was only a couple of disappointing things, one of them being Coldplay's newest full album I was excited to listen to on the trip... and the other being some dear children of mine who took advantage of a napping mommy. That second one caused a night in that could have been a great night out in our beautiful new place we were visiting. Challenges. Lesson's learned.

We had a late night filled with the best nachos shared and a cheesy San Diego ghost tour.
I decided to stay an extra day for a full, relaxing run of the beach for just our family. We set up our spot and it rained. The boys hardly knew it, but I surely felt it in my little bikini. We got two hours of sunshine that we took total advantage of (very, very nice). We had to take advantage of the rest the weather brought too of course (just nice). Stink decided to teach a buddy he met how to skim board. Benny was out at sea... diving into the waves as he just loves to do and did for hours.

Some friends recommended surf lessons from a nearby surf instructor that the boys were totally all over. It's been something they have wanted to do for the last couple beach trips, so on our way home I decided to make a stop for the lessons. Just when I thought I was improving on my geography I was reminded of how pathetic my sense of direction is on the road. We got there, and like I wrote: the work is worth the prize. My prize was seeing their little muffin butts in wetsuits- made me get my pincher's out. ***More to come on this surf topic***

La Jolla: Thank you for this break that I really-really needed, challenge my dear son will never forget, and more memories we made. See you soon. Love, Nens

Stinky's Sequence of Events

My Sergeant and I finished a school project together... called the penny time-line. S. Stink had to pick out pennies to represent all the years of his little life he has had so far.

Then we got to dive into the real fun when he needed to pick out a favorite story from each year to go with each penny. I create and keep picture books for the boys that I try very hard to keep up with. I always know these books will be much appreciated some-day but they most definitely came in handy for my dear son and his project. So we started going through all of Stink's books from birth to the current day.

I couldn't wait until the day Stink took his first steps... not knowing at the time that the walk just means a new level for toddler exploring and getting into things. Then once that's quickly mastered we run... everywhere.

Brother-bear was born and not only did he love holding Benny, I would always catch big brother in his crib checking on him and playing with the weird Baby Einstein mobile I hung for both the boys (that thing was a popular hit). Or better yet pushing him in his automated swing sometimes sending me flying across the room when I thought he was trying to see how high his brother could go.

Then there comes the laughs with the farm goats that I frequently introduced Stink to, obviously. There are many pictures of us on different farms and events where I stuck my poor son in front of these things and his little face shows sheer terror and fright in every single one. I'm sorry honey... maybe mom thought it was a fear you needed to conquer or something. Whatever it was I can tell you now your over it.

Oh how my Sergeant just adored Thomas the Train and spent hours at his train table humming the tunes from The Island of Sodor. He even told me one day that he was cross... and I knew right where that sort of lingo was from. I remember painting Stink's room in bright blues with all Thomas decor. He even went to the first day of preschool with the whole Thomas set up: shirt, shoes, and backpack... you-were-it.

Stink went to his first day of school and just trotted on into the class like he's done it for years. I was the one that was crying... the sort of good tears. That's how you want your child to take things on but it was a unique sweet to taste. Then there was our trip to Disneyland... unforgettable for all.

My sports fanatic son found his personal love in soccer... in which I am currently watering that seed. Your fabulous. Stink really enjoyed our summer trip on the cruise where we celebrated our bonds, our tight family, and escaped the everyday for a bit.

I love you Sergeant Stink! This was fun, and again I'm sorry about the goats baby. Way to go on your grade in this project too... 65/65!

Back to Banner!!

Here is the first day of the new job as well as the boys' first day of school. Other than Stink being home sick with his Mexican flu-bug all was great.

We were so very excited, for school and Mom's new job. Thrilled with the idea of a more consistent schedule with free weekends. Glad to dive into something new to keep me on my toes. Things seemed great! They aren't always what they seem, even with thorough research done. This was a classic case of the grass not being greener on the other side... just as my Grandpa says.

I was sure this was a sealed fab deal. Some reserves but not too many ideas otherwise. Stuck in a high of "something new". Gave away my Banner scrubs and threw away my clipboard with brain sheets and any other sheet laying around. Wrote a sweet sayonara card to my dear 7S.

I'm now back at Banner... and I got my card back during the first shift. My card had a personalized cover card full of kind notes... thank you. I was taken back in, quicker than I ever would have thought. Not only taken back in, but welcomed with hugs and sweet words I will never forget.

I learned a lot. There are flaws and trials in everything of course... but this was the first time I left something that made me realize how great it was to begin with... despite the flaws and trials. It's a unit solid in foundation and full of loyalty, integrity, and honest/caring people. Respect greater for me than I had for it. ***hard to find***

I'm so glad to be back. Back to a place where my hard work and love for my patients is not only appreciated but shown by my other co-workers as well. Which is what matters and just what I need my career to be surrounded with.

Plus the Monday through Friday thing I was finding wasn't as hot as I really thought either. I need a full weekday here and there to fill with my gym classes, lunch dates, school volunteering, good cooking, and errands... in addition to I really hated grocery shopping with the boys.

Change is good. It can sometimes bring new opportunities, or make you thankful for and realize the value of what you had. You know my take!

I love you "Nurse Goddesses" I work with, kiss-kiss!!

A Vent Here, A Vent There

It's been an odd last couple of weeks... just different. It was a tiring shuffle with a brief disappointment there in the mix. I never know what comes before me, and it takes a lot to surprise me these days. But I always face it, with the best face I can show.

We went through the usual routine this morning- back to our usual that is. Glad to be back, btw. I was ready to send my boys off to school. As I get them out the door in the morning, instead of being in my gym wear while smothering my boys with kisses and wet handed hugs from breakfast dish duty, I was dropping them off at school all dressed up. They told me I looked pretty this morning. They examined my colored lips that are usually uncolored at this hour. That caused a brief hesitation before our kissy part this AM. They didn't know where I was going, some meeting I told them. Mom's on a quest... to fix some things that have been bothering my children.

I've been feisty. There are three things that can switch me to this mode. Hunger is a minor one of them. Messing with my kids or patients are major others. Both of those major types put some serious trust in you while they are in vulnerable times. I don't take that lightly, and a different side of me can be seen if I sense others treating those without sincere concern. Your wrongly brave if you get in the way. No one is perfect... not me nor you. I don't ever expect perfection from anyone but I do hold high standards. There is not one reason for me not to have those types of expectations.

I have done some worrying lately, which I believe is unnecessary and counterproductive for me. I don't like to do it and I need to just stop it because things always work out the way they are supposed to. That's always been a hard thing for me to remember though when it comes to my "majors".

The babes came home to a relieved mom today. I squeezed my sweet boys who smelled like sun and school... mom's quest is going in the right direction, and so are you two. I will always do my best to help you with that.

Ok... sigh of relief... things are better... de-feist done. :)

Tooth, Be Gone

Excuse my unmake upped face and dirty feet... I was on a mission.

I had a dangling tooth to pull. I planned this when I stole a glove at Urgent Care earlier that day. I bought a tube of orajel later on in the day. My plans were coming together. Then I broke the news to S. Stink... he was about to have the childhood gap of missing his two front teeth. He was excited... after all the front teeth are the high-dollar teeth according to him and his note to the tooth fairy about his other front tooth he lost before.
He goes around the house acting like he's a vampire... hissing and making this odd wrinkle as if that's what he thinks vampires actually do. To answer your thought, yes, I do feed him. I fed him corn on the cob the other day and just when I realized how cruel that was he had cleaned half of the cob already with his side teeth. It was amusing to watch. Happy hissing love-bug. xoxo

PS- Thank you Benny for the action photo-shoot. ;)

PSS- The tooth-fairy is not cheap!

Belated Birthday Post

We were at church this morning and Benny went with mom as he only sometimes does to "the big service" as he calls it. He told me he was going to miss me over the next three days so could he please go. During service he was twiddling my hair in his fingers and playing with it, putting it behind my ear and then smoothing it out. He took my hand and examined it with his, comparing the size. I thought... this hand of his is going to be so much bigger than mine some day- so I captured that sight tight in my mind. Then I remembered that Benny of mine had a recent birthday that I needed to back blog about.

It was right before our trip on the ship that my sweet boy-Jenny-Benny turned 7. We celebrated it on the very day (July 16th) with a summer slumber party including 10 boys I think. I pulled out the blue "Birthday Boy" ribbon pin that I have had since the boys were really little. They look forward to wearing it on their birthday every year. I want to savor every ounce of their childhood so I got technical with when he actually turned 7 this year. I told him all day he wasn't really 7 until 6:27pm.

I had him in the evening... it was a perfect day. I woke up and was supposed to have a Doctor's appointment with one of my favorite doctors... Dr. Grade. But I woke up with labor pains, strong ones I could even feel in my back. They made me gasp and lean over onto the kitchen counter. So instead of that appointment I met Dr. Grade at the hospital. I didn't have time to curl my hair and put lipstick on for this labor like I did with the Sergeant... this was coming quickly. He was turned the wrong way in my belly. I gave Dr. Grade the look of "I don't want to have a cesarean". She stripped my membranes and externally maneuvered him. Two things that watered my eyes and hurt so bad a wanted to hit her. It worked, so worth it it was. I didn't have curls or colored lips, but I was still beautiful and felt ready to meet my baby boy. I pushed longer this time... about 30 minutes... he was a much bigger baby for me. He came out 8 pounds and 4 ounces, 21 1/2 inches long. He was out, suctioned and laid right on my chest... then nursed perfectly. He slept and snuggled with me all night... which to this day still loves to do. It was nothing but gorgeous moments.

So at 6:27pm and 6:27pm only the boys were allowed to get out their noisemakers and let them reach their peak. I pushed on an air-horn and my house was instantly crazy noisy at his particular minute. Then crazy fun.

We played water games, a few inside games and a basketball game. Benny got tackled with silly string. A couple of boys spent the night for movies and popcorn. I got to wake up to this in the morning:

Wild cotton Benny. I picked him out right away.

Burrowed Sergeant Stink. Took me a minute to figure out who was in there.

I also woke up to some white odd substance in the hallway. I wasn't surprised but shocked that this was it. I mean my feet still stuck to the floor in some spots of my kitchen and the kids' bathroom was a little funky but that was really all. It took me a minute and I figured out that the white crap went to a candle that fell and chipped. For some reason my poor hallway always takes the brunt of the birthdays.

It was surely fun, Benny had a blast... Happy birthday baybshz!! ... I love you. Tons.

Summer Family Trip

I couldn't wait until our vacation... It was much needed. So needed, I probably could of used a pre-cation before the actual vacation. Mom was getting cranky, snappy and short with people. Toward the end of summer I don't tolerate what I usually can. My battery gets depleted, which yes, is pretty hard to do. The summer can drain the juice from me- keeping the boys active and occupied during these hot days require a whole lot of energy on top of my usual expense. This is why I like to plan a little something-something for us toward the end of summer. I wanted a different type of vacation than we have had before, something new. We decided on a cruise... to Mexico. Off we went from mom's tight home ship to a much looser one.

It started with a couple of giggles. I admit, I am geographically challenged. I am also a sweet girl, however not so on the road. I have a heavy foot, ride peoples tails, sing and sometimes think the rules of the road don't apply to me. My kids now call me Mario. I am that annoying driver. These challenges and driving habits of mine tend to not mix well. Jen-Jen decided to hit the road and had the confidence to hit it without a Tom-Tom. I made it to Huntington Beach when I knew that though it was a nice place, things weren't quite right. I had made great time due to my lead foot, but went about 25 mins too far. Just when I wanted to shout out to the world all things wrong with mapquest.com I stopped. It was me. I was probably messing with my phone, applying lip gloss or eating when I missed my turn. Yes, I multitask in the car on top of all the other rotten stuff too. I didn't know if it was the caffeine I had ingested or the fact that I might be lost that gave me mild tremors. The boys chuckled in the back as I was having a hard time. Stink tells me I will figure it out, I always do. I did. I stopped and played the lost little girl like I was to a cute surfer boy and got hand written directions. Made it... early!

On to the next giggle as we get into our teeny-tiny room (which I don't mind... we like to be cozy).

The boys exchanged some brotherly dialogue as they looked at each other and caught a little gasp of air between laughs.

We had a freakin' blast!! Waking up to sea breeze and ocean waves takes me to a different place, on a ship or off. I was thankful that my cell phone didn't work... I thoroughly enjoyed getting away from electronics, some people, and even forgot what day and time it was at one point. We went to Catalina Island, where we para sailed and did some kayaking. The para sailing was my fave... so peaceful way up there, and I had my two bundles of joys right by my side. My babes faves was the kayaking. The water was so clear, so beautiful. We kayaked most of the day, down to Turtle Rock. Towards the beginning, midway and end the boys took dips in the Pacific. Benny freaked for a moment when a piece of seaweed touched his leg as he was swimming. I shouldn't have asked, "What is that?" as I looked at the weed in the water next to him. His eyes got big and he swam to the boat, quick-quick-quick. When we arrived in Mexico, we took a tour where the guide put Benny and I to sleep on the bus literally. The boys enjoyed seeing the blow-hole and we did some shopping afterwards while chomping on fresh churros. Stink was kind of scared at all the screaming they did to get you into their shops, so he left the haggling to mom. We found quiet people and decided to go into their shops. The boys got a handmade gift with their names on them. There was a purse that caught my eye... and I strayed from Vittorio until I can get to one of his shops. Until then I will be happy with my piece made by a faux Italian.

Here is Benny... writing a note to mom about how he is going to be respectful at the next nights dinner. It's difficult for kids to jump from wild ship to fancy dinner, but we couldn't leave out the fancy dinners so we had to make some minor adjustments to behavior for this. My cupcakes were excited to dress up for our evenings... my handsome little men. They looked sweeter than the desserts that were served. Sergeant Stink and I danced at dinner... just like we do at home sometimes together. We were thanked by a stranger for our show the next day. The food was delicious and always available... made me glad I continued with my running obsession on deck 12.

The ship had so much for the kids and I to do. I decided to spend and afternoon with each son of mine, individually. Benny and I played golf, shuffleboard, ping-pong, and his favorite of going down the water slide. We had a special lunch together and didn't talk about our concerns... just had pure fun. Stink got gypped out of his afternoon because he caught a Mexican flu-bug. I thought he was getting motion sickness until he spiked a fever and had complaints of a headache. I was just glad that this happened on the last day so my love could enjoy some of his trip. It didn't stop him from the hot tub, so that's where he plopped. It did halt our afternoon with just each other though, so we re-scheduled our date together for when he is feeling better. His brother got a little more time with mom, but this has been a harder year for him. He needed it. His love language is quality time and he for sure got his love-tank filled by mom this trip. It all worked out just the way it was supposed to.

Benny discovered room service. I was snuggling my sick one when he asked if he could order. Of course I said yes and I kept one ear nestled with Stink, and the other listening to this event. I hear him ask over the phone, "What is the dessert for the day? Oh, cheesecake, that sounds good... can I have two pieces? Oh wait, I also want a chocolate cake and some cookies with milk. 3 milks." Just as I was about to fall asleep with the Sergeant I look over my shoulder to find Benny with a tray full of sweets on the floor. He's in his underwear, holding his fork with a piece of chocolate cake watching Phineas and Ferb. It was heaven on ship for him. The boys also learned a little bit about tipping this trip as well. I kind of missed the room service guy (sorry) but the boys enjoyed tipping our steward Some-Butt for the animals made out of towels and the chocolates left on our beds after dinner. Some-Butt told me I looked so pretty as we headed out for dinner one night. Stink told me the same thing before, after I put my dress on. The sun-kissed glow and scarlet lips got Some-Butt a nicer tip for being such a gentlemen. Benny ran out of the room with the tip and I hear him say, "Hey Some-Butt, thank you for the towels and thank you for telling my mom she is beautiful."

I also spent some time with Judy... A massage therapist who made me feel like my back was made out of large bubble wrap. Thank you for fixing that. I also fed my head with the dry, dirty humor I need once in a while. Chelsea Handler is a fabulous author who gave me lots of laughs as I layed out and got my fix.

We were crazy about the ice cream cones on the ship... one of the best that kept us coming back. So we left on our last day at 10:30am, going out eating morning ice cream cones.

We were sad to leave, but always glad to come home where our heart is. I must have gotten the question more than a couple of times on the ship, "Is it just you and your boys here?" Yes. The only person I could see that truly figured out my response was another single mother who was older than I that I met at dinner. She took a trip with her two boys... only they were about grown. If I had a choice of who to take on a vacation it would of course first be the little loves of my life... they are so important to me and spending time with them is what matters most and makes me happy. I could be anywhere in the world with them and love it, so would they... but on a ship and away from it all was the perfect ending to our summer break. I love you two pickles... wink, wink ;)