DC Femella

Man, I thought that giving a dog a bath was rough.  A cat is 100 times worse!  This is compared to a huge German Shepherd.  I shampooed him twice with this yummy lavender shampoo that I bought at PetSmart.  It was a challenge but with two kids, I was able to do it.

I was impressed.  I stayed super late at work, and I was worried the house was going to be destroyed.  Everything was perfect, and he was totally lounging on the carpet.  He uses his litter box and doesn’t even attempt to poop or pee on the carpet.  Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE bodily waste.  Ick!  

The kids and I are now watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas!” while Haji dries himself.  I still feel crappy.  My back and hips hurt, and my stomach feels queasy.  I don’t think I am going to work tomorrow because I was suffering today.  I hope to feel better tomorrow.

Yesterday, I tried going grocery shopping at Wegmans. It was horrible. There were tons of people there. It was to the point that you couldn’t move, so I decided to do Peapod. I haven’t done it since I was working in DC (never again), but now that I am super busy, I think it’s time to do it again. Here we are awaiting the arrival of the groceries. The kids did their homework, we are watching Monsterquest, and I am typing away. It doesn’t help that I am cleaning the oven, so it smells pretty gross in here. Yesterday, an entire apple pie landed at the bottom of the oven. It wasn’t very pretty, so now I have to sit here and smell the self cleaner. The kids keep asking when the groceries are coming, and all I can say is that they have til 9:30. Yawn. I’m probably being super patient because I went to my spin class today. I had to after dealing with my ex this entire weekend.

He had the kids this weekend, but the kids both had games. I told him to put Isabelle’s soccer outfit on while Cebastian raced. When I arrive, she is wearing this dirty outfit. I was so upset. I told him to go to the car and change her. After her crying, he finally got up and took her. My mother and cousin came, so I was glad to have other people there to talk to. We head to Wendys to eat lunch. He turns to me and says, “You are going to have to pay for their lunch because I don’t have any money.” It’s his weekend, and he didn’t think that the kids would need lunch? I paid for my kids’ foods. For a minute, i think he thought I was going to pay for his as well, but he was very wrong.

Yesterday, he says for us to meet at seven. I told him to make sure the kids eat dinner. When I arrive, they hadn’t eaten. I was so pissed, but I have realized there is no point of arguing with this guy. As always, the clothes the kids had on Friday are missing. I just said to him on Gmail if he could please ensure that he gives me back their clothes. He said ok, but I know better.

I think he tries to do the opposite of what I ask him on purpose. It’s like he thinks he is a man if he doesn’t do what I ask. I guess I will just start telling him the oppositeof what I want him to do. Maybe that will help.

I volunteered to be the teacher for the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) program in Cebastian’s first-grade class.  Every month we feature a famous artist and teach the children about him/her.  Additionally, they create crafts, so they can further learn about the artist’s style.  I jumped at the chance because I love Art, and I want my children to have an appreciation for it.  If I am able to do that for them, I will feel that I achieved something.  Another reason why I volunteered is because I want my children to remember me there with them when they are adults.  In this way, they will hopefully be active participants in their own children’s lives. 

My mother never participated in anything, and I remember watching the other children’s moms with envy because I wished my mom would come and do something in my school.  Now that I am older, I know that it was because she was a working mother, and she didn’t have the chance to telecommute the way I do.  It’s one of the reasons I went into writing is because I wanted a flexible job that allowed me to work from home whenever I wanted, and in turn, I could do things with my children. 

The project was a success.  The children were really cute, and I felt happy being around them.  If you are ever in a sour mood, go do something fun with a child.  You will see a smile creep up on your face.  I’m glad that I had children, and I hope to have more one day. 

I leave you with my favorite Escher work of art.

Bond of Union

I leave you with these great links about the importance of Art in a child’s education:

http://www.atriskstoriesofhope.com/if-sir-ken-robinson-is-right-how-do-we-produce-creative-thinkers

http://www.aplaceofourown.org/question_detail.php?id=104

http://www.arvartscenter.org/education.htm

My daughter has refused to play soccer.  You can read all about it in my “Taking Them to Practices But…” blog entry.  I was ready to give up, but my ex told me to keep with it.  This is the first time in a long time that I am glad that I agreed with him.  We went to take soccer pictures, and she wanted nothing to do with it.  She took the pictures, and then clung to me. 

At the soccer field, she wouldn’t play until I went out there with her.  Of course, I didn’t kick the ball or anything, but I was encouraging her.  She said she was tired and sat down.  All of a sudden, a miracle happened!  She asked the coach if she could play, and she went out there on her own.  In 10 minutes, Isabelle had already scored four goals.  Of course, being the paparazzi of the family, I took like 20 pictures of the grand event.  I am so proud of her.

Tomorrow it’s Cebastian first meet, and I am also super excited for that.  I love having children.  They bring me so much happiness.

I have always been deathly afraid of bugs. It all started at the age of four when I was visiting my grandparents’ house. We lived in Panama, and in those times, there was no concept of air conditioning. The weather in Panama can reach up to 100 degrees, so people would leave their doors opens and ceiling fans turned up high to keep the house livable. Due to this, creepy crawlies would sneak into the house.

I remember that fateful day I was sitting on the toilet when I saw something scurry by. The fear of being alone in a small room with a grotesque, dark creature freaked me out so bad that I began screaming at the top of my lungs. My mother came in and tried to console me. She had to spank me in order for me to stop the high-pitch wails that were coming out of my mouth. Till that day, I can’t see a bug without going crazy. It’s a phobia that I hate because there are insects everywhere, and for some reason, they are deeply attracted to me.

After a bug landed in my hair for the 10,000 times, I decided to do some research. It seems that some people give out a sweeter scent than others that attract bugs. In another instance, I would have felt great, but knowing that I am not attracting the group that I want to is not exhilarating.

This morning, the kids and I were already running late. I make them breakfast and head to take a shower. My plans were thwarted by a brown spot on the ceiling. A closer inspection made me realize that it was a house centipede. I was in a trance and couldn’t stop staring at it. My son Cebastian came in and started talking to me, but he realized that I wasn’t paying attention. His gaze went up to the ceiling, and he said, “Mommy, it’s a bug! I’ll get it.”

He grabbed his shoe, and I turned the fan on because those centipedes hate the cool air. It did the trick, and the bug ran down the wall. After 15 minutes of trying to kill the bug, Cebastian finally got it. I’m weird, but I felt sad. I am afraid of them, but I don’t want to kill them. If it weren’t for the fact that I wasn’t so freaked of them, I would have tried to have him throw it outside.

I’m glad that my son hasn’t turned out like me. He is brave and is ready to do anything. I haven’t seen that he has any of the phobias I have, and I am glad. My daughter Isabelle is deathly afraid of bugs as well, and I always thank my sister Kristine for that. One day she was babysitting them, and she saw a spider in the car. Her phobia is spiders. She watched “Arachnophobia” one too many times. She started screaming and panicking. Her fear made my daughter fearful of insects. I always thank her for that. At least we both have Cebastian, our knight in shining armor and a shining shoe.

house centipede