Pan blandito delivery.

Yesterday Abuela surprised us with a FedEx delivery of pan blandito (soft bread), or pan dulce (sweet bread) to some. The last time SS and I stuffed our faces with this delicious bread was almost a year ago in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We went to get some for P the night before we returned home but they were closed. Pan blandito is one of Auuela's few food weaknesses (cheesecake is the only other that comes up), the woman eats very little. But when it comes to this bread she can go through half a pound without realizing how much she has ingested.

P has never tried it, but was not about to fill up on bread when there was a hot pizza to eat. He could not believe when the three of us went for the bread. Who in their right mind would stop for bread in the middle of pizza? Puerto Ricans, that's who, and the three of us dismissed the silly Caucasian who does not understand the great joys in life. Before anyone gets all offended about cultural mockery, my children change their cultural identity in the blink of an eye when food is involved.

SS recognized the bread immediately and grabbed a big chunk, and there's plenty more. We have about four pounds of this piece of heaven. 

The funny thing about this picture is that SS had already finished a slice of pizza, then proceeded to chomp away on bread. The girl can carbo load when we least expect it. She then asked for another slice of pizza and polished that as well. That meant that the kid did not eat all day at again. That is something we need to work on, but really have no pull when we are away from SS.

Some morning love for her pan blandito before school today. Thank you Abuela for the yummy treat and blast to the past for JJ.  He had not had it since he was 12.

Fairmount Park

We took advantage of the wonderful weather on Sunday and headed to Fairmount Park.  We thought it'd be good for SS to see some ducks and geese, her under the bridge friends where we used to live. I was blown away by how much the park has changed. That's what happens when you have not visited a place in 20 years.  Back when JJ was a youngin there was a small pond, grass and a few benches.   
Now there are three playgrounds, a second pond/lake, an interactive fountain (tiny for such a big park), and all the weird you can get on a Sunday afternoon.

After we tired SS enough, foolishly hoping for an early bedtime, we went to pick supplies for dinner. We had planned to barbecue and while at the park I decided to add one more item to our shopping list. Why didn't I think about adding corn on the cob? Because it's freaking January, darn you Southern California and your deceiving weather! Not that we are complaining.

Don't know what's going on with SS's arms, but lately she can't keep them still. 

SS saw her first low rider, and it even bounced a few times, much to her amusement.

This play area with the carousel theme was beyond cute.

It did not take SS long to find a boy to play with her.

Drums!

In case you are wondering (I was), this is a pirate ship.

This is her mean pirate face. Is there such a thing as a nice pirate?

SS was busy during her winter break.

We knew first grade was not going to be a walk in the park for SS, especially with the major change she was about to tackle. Our goal was to have SS at grade level by the end of the year.  We vowed to stand by the slow and steady wins the race motto. The last thing we need is to have SS permanently scarred. And her first semester of first grade was not easy. No one likes hearing that their child is behind.  Add the concerns about SS's development, the upcoming neuro consult, physical therapy, speech therapy, and getting glasses... Dang it, it turned out to be more changes than we expected. P and I have never been fans of long breaks from school. A three week winter break is two weeks too long for us. SS's teacher asked if we would be willing to work with SS on sight words and reading during the break. She did not have to finish the sentence before we were on board.

SS was on break, but we were not, and JJ offered to help. Mrs. S provided us with a book, and stated that if SS could manage to read that book over the break she would be at grade level. Again, we were hoping for progress, little by little. We did not want to pressure SS. JJ followed through and that was a God sent. We did not have to come home tired and cranky, then go over homework with our homework phobic daughter.  We also wanted to give SS weekends off, just like when she is in school.

As I was leaving the church yesterday P sent me a picture stating that he knew it would cheer me up. It was the results of SS's testing the day before.  The goal was for SS to recognize 75 sight words, and to move up four reading levels. We felt that was quite ambitious, and were worried about SS being discouraged.

SS exceeded our expectations, she reached her reading goal, and exceeded her sight words goal by 17. As bad a day as I had up to that point, that picture really made me smile.  We are very proud of SS, and thankful that JJ helped his sister study during her break.  And working with SS on homework deserves combat pay. More than once JJ has noted that SS is as bad as he was in middle school. As an incentive we told SS that we would buy her super hero books. When I gave her kudos about her progress that is the first thing she asked me. Yes SS we will get you more super hero books.

We mailed SS's calendars this morning.

I have been concerned about the amount of time SS spends on her iPad. She is too young to be addicted to electronics. A few weeks ago I entered my room and found SS on my laptop. She looked guilty as hell and I looked at what she was doing.  She was at the Lego website playing virtual Legos. Are you freaking kidding me? SS told me that P got the website for her. I was upset with my husband and told him that since SS has her own iPad, why does he have to hand her my laptop as well. The man had no idea what I was talking about, because our sweet girl lied. Yep, she knows how to get to the Lego website on her own.  She is now banned from using my laptop.  JJ came to the rescue again and somehow convinced SS that cool kids do not play Legos online, they put them together in real life.

It worked, SS spent all day playing with her Legos, did not get her grubby little hands on her iPad until 7:30 p.m.

It's too early in the year to have such a rough week.

Last Thursday, barely one hour into my workday, I learned a coworker had passed away. L was not just any coworker, we met the day we interviewed for the jobs we have. I was in my own little world, texting P, when L arrived, anxious and excited about the interview. She tried to make conversation, but all I wanted to do was text P, keep to myself,  and just get the damn interview over with. L was not deterred by my one word answers, nor by my body language. Within minutes I learned that she had three children, she was employed at a local casino, had a degree in accounting, and wanted the position so bad. She explained that while there is nothing wrong working on your feet, and wearing a uniform, she wanted to set an example for her kids to aim higher. Ironically she had attended a funeral, and in typical CA fashion (ever seen that SNL skit?), told me in detail the route she took to get to the interview.  She wore me down and I am glad she did, because I've learned so much from her these past eight months. We worked in different programs, and of course trained in different classrooms, but she always made a point to look for me during breaks. She graduated a month ahead of me, and was so genuinely happy when I graduated and came to the office permanently.

L was very hard working, extremely kind and helpful, but she was struggling at work. It was difficult to hear her supervisor and assistant supervisor belittle her in public, and on a daily basis. She was afraid that every day would be her last. It was that fear that made her come to work sick, She had been unable to shake a cold, was coughing a lot. Now that is not unusual in our office. I'm perhaps the biggest annoyance, because my asthma and allergies kick into overdrive whenever I'm at work. But there was obviously more to L's cough. Early Thursday morning her eldest daughter checked on her when she no longer heard the ever present cough. The daughter was initially relieved that her mother was getting much needed sleep, only to be horrified by what she found.

Early this week we received news that another coworker went to the ER with flu symptoms, and  in a very short time was in the ICU on life support.  I arrived at work yesterday to find my supervisor in tears, C passed away Wednesday night. That one was not such a big shocker, since we knew he was on life support. Then my supervisor delivered even more exciting news, a young coworker (25), CM had been hospitalized that morning with... you guessed right, flu symptoms. I have never before seen so many people reach for their Clorox wipes and frantically scrub every item in their cubicle. L and C were only 47 years old. And while I'm sure there are many contributing factors to their early demise, what everyone at the office is focusing on is the flu. Cough and you are looked upon as though you are Typhoid Mary. Besides the paranoia there's been incredible sadness. I was surprised (and P plain worried) at how hard I took L's death. She confided so much in me and a lot of my tears were fueled by anger at how lousy she was treated.  That afternoon I found another coworker in tears in the stairs, She too had heard the vile words from the supervisor, assistant supervisor, and other coworkers. We could not comprehend how someone so hard working and kind could be treated in that manner. 

Today I attended my first funeral mass in eight years, last one was for P's grandpa.  It was also the first funeral related thing I have done alone. P offered to take time off to go with me, but it was barely half an hour from home, and I did not want him to use his hours. You know us, always thinking what if SS gets sick. L's son is an altar boy at their church and was part of his mother's mass. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it was. L's children are 20, 17 and 15. They are stunning and incredibly poised for their age. They are also kind, giving, like their mother. The 17 year old ended up comforting me. I have no idea how that happened. L was a single mother since shortly after her youngest was born, No child support, and forget emotional support from the father. L did an amazing job raising her kids, and there are many relatives surrounding them. The kids will be as OK as they can be given that they lost their only parent. L, thank you for not letting me keep my head buried in my phone last April. Thank you for coming over to that last table in the break room and making conversation. Thank you for confiding in me, and for never speaking an ill word about those who shamelessly tormented you. Rest in peace my friend, you will be missed. 

I've understandably spent more time than usual watching SS sleep this past week. I think this is my favorite SS asleep moments. She really spread those arms.

We had our first glasses mishap yesterday.

SS is back at school, happy to be with her friends, and even happier to be back at B&G Club with her other friends. She spent her winter break at home enjoying our days off with us, and spending much needed time with her brother three days a week. She is back to her old self, you know, like a sullen teenage boy in the mornings. SS also had two speech therapy sessions and does not seem to have any hang ups about participating. P enjoyed those three weeks the most because he did not have to contend with said sullen teenager in the mornings. We are wondering when we are going to get this we both work routine down. In the meantime we are all looking forward to Maui. SS's new slogan... It's Maui again baby!

Yesterday I saw SS's glasses on the dining room table shortly after they left for B&G. Not bad, it was the first time they forgot them. Except since SS must wear them full time I wondered how sleep deprived P was that he did not notice. I drove to B&G to drop them off. P quickly texted me to ask how the staff reacted to my rare visit. He had pictured it perfectly, just like an M&M commercial... She does exist! P was enjoying himself too much at the expense of my discomfort. I know it should not bother me to be thought of as an absent mother, but it does sting a little.

When I arrived home yesterday afternoon SS was working on homework and P was outside. P returns inside and says, "Let's try this again SS, where did you leave your glasses?" Oh no, it happened, she misplaced her glasses. SS said they were in her jacket pocket, P got the jacket from the van and nothing. I called the club and was told they had not seen the glasses but if they found them when they cleaned up before closing they would hold them until the next morning.

Oh no, that was not going to work for us. SS was playing outside when P arrived, and her jacket and backpack were on the grass by the play structure. Someone could easily step on her glasses and we would be SOL. Big surprise here, we procrastinated and have yet to order SS a spare set. Guess what we are shopping for Saturday? P knew I was anxious and texted me when he found them, on the grass, just like he predicted. That wasn't enough for me, I wanted to know if they were in one piece. Thankfully no one had trampled them. SS got a stern lecture about placing her glasses in the hard case she keeps in her backpack. And we will follow with daily reminders, because we know she won't remember. The girl is only six, and her age group is not known for their meticulous care of their belongings. Even if the belonging in question helps her see.

Minor scare aside SS has done very well with her glasses. We expected the full time wear to be a thorn on our side. But SS has done very well so far, only asking to take them off when she is wearing headphones. The padding of the headphones presses the frame into her head. We can't blame SS for not liking that discomfort. Let's hope all future glasses crises are so easily solved. Ha, yeah right.

I had been looking for a toy organizer for SS for a while. The downside to SS's all in one bed is that there are no other pieces of furniture to add. The finish on the organizer obviously does not match SS's bed, but it will do. She now has more space to store her super hero paraphernalia, and has her buddies close by at night.

RC fun on a beautiful sunny winter day.

SS is more than ready to return to school.  We never thought she would look forward to waking up early and being out of the house at 6:30 a.m. She has some serious cabin fever and is ready to be out of the house. That was not the case last Xmas break, but I was home with her.  We had a beautiful day yesterday, hard to believe it's supposed to be winter. SS took advantage of the awesome weather to play with her RC car.  When I saw the car I thought it was perfect for a novice like SS. The remote control did not look complicated. very child friendly. I need to start reading before buying, because the remote is different from what I had seen before. It doesn't just make the car move forward and backwards with one joystick, the are two buttons and each control one pair of wheels.  Plus there is a small extra wheel in the middle to help with tricks. SS is learning to control her new toy and having fun. Albeit in her unique style.

Look, the little  girl from The Ring came out of the well to play.

Feliz Dia de Reyes 2014!

SS can't catch a break, up at 5:30 a.m. again, this time because I had to work. As I have explained, we celebrate DDR to keep whatever little of my culture I can alive through JJ and SS. They are both well acquainted with the food, no concerns there. As SS grows, we will discuss age appropriate aspects of my culture (colonization, commonwealth status, etc.).  But for now DDR and food will do. SS was not too upset with me, since I did not blast music to annoy her and did not use the flash for pictures.  SS received a remote control car, a set of building toys (a helicopter, a bulldozer and a helicopter), and an Angels jacket. The jacket was intended as a Xmas present that we forgot we had. SS is on an absolute rampage against anything pink. We think all the prodding from people finally made her snap. She is downright vile about the color and what it represents. Once she outgrew her Angels dress we could not find a replacement, any girl Angels wear in red and white. You know, as in the team's freaking colors. P was so excited to find this one, because we are never getting another red Angels cheerleader dress. *Sniff* SS loved her gifts but went right back to bed. She was snoring in bed when I left this morning.

By the time I arrived home this afternoon SS had depleted the RC car's batteries, and she did not get a chance to show me her moves. She ignored me because she was assembling her race car with a lot of help from her brother. 

I was very surprised to spot a pink case that we had hidden way in the back of the top shelf of the spare room closet.  It was a lovely gift, but not age appropriate for SS. I wondered how it got downstairs, better, how did it get down from the closet. P had cleared that room in November, and somehow SS got her grubby little hands on it. I reminded SS that she was not old enough to use the contents (nothing awful, just make up and nail polish) and was about to tell her how disappointed I was.  Then SS said "But I put actual cool toys in it."

And that she did people, she happily opened the case and showed me its contents. I was wondering why the same girl who freaks over anything pink on her body would even touch that case. Revenge, she brought cool to the case. This precious girl makes me love her more each day with stunts like this one. Don't change SS, stand firm for what you like and believe.

Finally that race car came together. Thank you big brother.

We had to post this again because SS is so darn cute. This was taken January 2011, when we got rid of our tree after Dia de Reyes. I still stand by my explanation while trying to comfort SS. P says it's the best glossing over the tree concentration camp tale that ended in a wood chipper.

P's first day off in eleven days.

Yesterday was the last day of P's self-imposed 11 consecutive days of work. He did a heck of a lot better than I expected. His gratification came from knowing that the biggest part of our very short, blink and you'll miss it trip to Maui is paid for. Last night we took it easy, had a nice dinner and watched old 48 Hours and 20/20.  This morning P asked me what I wanted to do, specifically where I wanted to go. It would have been nice to go for a drive, and I a had a few places in mind. But as selfish as I can be I knew he was really tired. My totally loco husband did this so we could enjoy a little getaway, and I'm very grateful.  SS is bursting at the seams at the thought of returning to Chicken Beach.

Our day consisted of not much, more murder mysteries, and we also watched Elysium and Don Jon. The former was meh, the latter was pleasantly good.  I had read some negative reviews, especially how it portrayed Italian Americans, but the slimy Guido redeemed himself at the end. It did not surprise me that P was in bed and dead to the world by 7:00 p.m.  He is going to spend much needed time with SS the next two days.  Just kicking back at home, relaxing and paying attention to his baby. 

SS is enjoying her recliner and about to petition the Olympic committee to add the first sport ever to be in both Summer and Winter Olympics.  SS is going to introduce freestyle reclining, and is busy perfecting ways to use her recliner for anything other than its intended use. 

Oh wow what a concept sitting on your recliner.

I walked in from work Thursday to find SS very comfy doing this.

Guess who has a driver's license... and two daddies.

P and JJ had to go to DMV in December and I asked that they take SS and get her an ID card.  It's something we have had on our to do list for a while. And after having to prove that I am SS's mother it became more important.  This is SS's new driver's license:

Of course it is not a driver's license, but SS thinks it is, and she feels like a grown up. She now has a DL that looks just like ours. After gushing over how cute she looks, I focused on the blue and red lines. Age 18 in 2025, and age 21 in 2028. There is no better reality check regarding your own mortality than looking at those dates.

The day the ID card was issued they had picked up SS at school before heading to DMV. I did not braid SS's hair because I wanted her beautiful long hair to show on the picture. What I did not take into account was that SS was going to put a full day of school. Like most kids her age, SS is not a picture of perfect grooming after school. 

P told me that afternoon that he felt like the most inadequate father in the world. There were two ladies behind the counter, and one immediately chided, "Dad fix her hair." As he is doing just that the second added "Dad fix her collar."  First, what the freaking hell is it with people calling someone mom or dad? Sorry to rant again, but it just bugs the HELL out of us to hear that. We are NOT your mom/dad, it's condescending and unnecessary. Back to P, he felt like an idiot. I asked him how bad was SS's hair and inadvertently poured salt on his wound.  He asked me if I thought he'd allow her to be photographed looking messy. No of course not (my bad, my really bad).

During the grooming lesson J had joined them, gave P some bad news, and that made P be short with JJ and roll his eyes at him. Then it was JJ's turn to be photographed and get his DL. I had a nagging suspicion on the back of my head at this point, giving JJ's and SS'a last names, but did not want to bother P further. I was giggling inside thinking about their assumptions. Then P surprised me and said that when JJ started processing his request it dawned on him that the women most likely thought that SS did not have a mother, that they were her daddies.  Thankfully P has come a long way from the days when he was taunted for similar issues. I cringed when he said it because I did not want the incident to put him in a bad place again. My husband is way past all that shame, that otherness, and had a great laugh about the whole thing.

P even said that it was such a set up for the women with him being short with JJ and rolling his eyes. Great, that poor girl's daddies are having a spat in public. And Poor JJ took his husband's last name, that is why the girl and him have the same last names. Darn, it was quite funny.  I asked JJ the next day about his impressions, just asked about the grooming request. My son went straight to the issue, "Mom they SO thought we were a couple, it was obvious. And while P is getting her ready, I could see the judgment ooze from behind that counter.  That poor girl needs a mother." Other than the judgment part JJ thought it was hilarious. And like P, he did admit that the eye roll business was just the "clue" the Mc Judging Twins needed to reach their conclusion.  I was grateful that it happened here and not in The Conservative city where we previously resided.  There, like they did with SS's Social Security Card request, they would have made up an excuse to deny SS the ID card. Even though our move to sunny So Cal has brought some thorns, I am so grateful that there's more diversity and tolerance. And let's not forget the great weather.

******Before I'm misinterpreted and flamed, I have nothing against conservatives. You'd be surprised how conservative P is about some things.  But that city wore that conservative word like a badge of honor. I wished they had been honest and said that they were ignorant bigots.  And when the result is us driving to Sacramento get SS's Social Security card, her right as a citizen, and many other plain discriminatory practices to minorities... That is plain wrong. *********

The Mission Inn lights.

After our scrumptious Cuban meal we headed to The Mission Inn for SS's (ours too) first look at their lights.  I thought we were so clever visiting after Xmas, but the place was a nightmare, packed to the max.  We found parking on the second parking structure we slowly drove around, and thanks to P's quick thinking when he spotted someone about to leave.  We had seen pictures of their light displays and decided SS could use another light fix before the end of the year.

What we did not expect was a two hour plus wait to enter the lobby.  Since we had not mentioned to SS that was the plan we did not feel bad just walking outside. SS was taken with all the lights and just having a nice walk. Unbeknown to me P's wheels were already turning and he decided we are staying one or two nights at the Inn next Xmas.  The prices are a lot less than I expected.  We have certainly paid more for a run of the mill room when we have gone on a spontaneous escapade. That way SS will be able to walk around the lobby all she wants, and just people watch from our room. 

SS liked the carriages but had to get a dig in that they were "girly, like princess girly, yuck." Get ready to be girly next Xmas, because we decided you are riding one with us.

I'm not sure what SS was doing here, it was taken while I used the restroom. Quirky little thing.

Snowflakes were big with SS this Xmas, she drew them, she crafted her own, she admired them on displays. I told P it would be a good idea for SS to experience one white Xmas. Notice I said ONE, because we are California wimps, we do not do cold. P had his fill when he lived in Idyllwild. Let's see what we can come up with in the future.

SS is crazy about penguins, just like her Baba (I'm partial to them as well). We waited so long to take her to see the Penguin Encounter at Sea World, but just can't bring ourselves to visit. Way before Blackfish came out I had serious reservations about their treatment of Orcas. Now knowing how they callously ripped the babies from their mother's was more than either of us could rationalize in order to take SS to visit. SS will have to get her penguin fix some other way.