Funny Photo Friday and Day Dreaming Again

It's Friday and that means I get to post a funny photo. Lexi got her first cell phone last weekend. Actually, we bought her a set of keys and a cell phone, so I have something to give her when she begs for mine.

I am also in the mood for day dreaming again (surprise). This morning, my mind is on travel (another surprise). I talked to one of my brothers about planning another international trip with them all. Actually, I have missed out on most of their great trips, so I should instigate the next one. I think I'll make a list of places I'd like to go. The list could go on for ever, so I'll stick to ones I might be able to talk my family into going to.

1. Spain and Morocco - I'd like to fly into Madrid tour Spain a bit. Then, head across Strait of Gibraltar and spend at least a week in Morocco. This one might be expensive for me because I love shopping for Moroccan things.
2. Peru and especially Machu Picchu - I've been curious for a while.
3. Costa Rica - culture, rather inexpensive, snorkeling, diving, surfing, and eco-tourism.
4. Brazil - I have a brother that lived in Sao Paolo for 2 years and speaks the language fluently. I am sure he would love to go back and we would have a tour guide.
5. Mount Kilimanjaro - I would love to go and they have been talking about it for years.
   

I will limit my list to 5. If I put too many, we'll never pick a place. I should e-mail it to them today...

**Even though several of the links go to places that provide guided tours, we always wing it.

Tags: travel, daydreaming, Spain, Morocco, Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mount Kilimanjaro, family trip

Dreams Gone Awry

Doesn't every kid have grandiose dreams of what their life will be like? We are always told that we can be anything we want to be, so we think big. When we grow up, we will be famous movie stars, sports heroes, political giants, noble peace prize winners, amazing scientists, leaders of the UN who crush world hunger, or astronauts. Even Disney movies portray a hero battling dragons or evil witches. It all sounds so exciting.

Then, the reality check hits. Most of us grow up to be just as boring as our parents seemed. We shop at the grocery story, work in an office, struggle with bills and the only real battle we have is traffic. My life has a lot of joy in it, but I still want to know what happened to the amazing dreams.

Tags: grow up, dreams

Book Tag!

Tere tagged me for a meme on Books. I must admit, that I am not an avid reader. After all the reading I do at work, pleasure reading rarely happens. I guess that just makes me pickier. Here are the books, I found enticing enough to read:

1) A book that changed my life: For Those I Loved by Martin Gray. I was probably about 14 when I read this book. It was the first biography I ever read and it was incredible. His attitude and experiences with the Holocaust as well as personal life tragedies are truly inspiring.

2) A book that I've read more than once: I can't think of any books I have read more than once, but I am considering the Princess Sultana Trilogy by Jean Sasson. The books are about a real princess in Saudi Arabia. Her stories are funny, sad, realistic, and heartfelt.

3) A book I'd take to a deserted island: SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John Lofty Wisemen. Hey, it has been way too LONG since I went camping.

4) A book that made me laugh: Dead? By Lawrence J. Law. My dad wrote this book and it is full of his bizarre sense of humor. I guess I could have picked this one for #2. Now that he passed away, it is a nice way to remember him.

5) A book that made me cry: Do They Hear You When You Cry by Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir. This book does a wonderful job of conveying the need for cultural understanding and acceptance, major immigration reforms in the US, and for people to take action against injustices.

6) A book I wish had been written: Most of the Biographies I read are about people whose lives are way too intense for me to wish that upon myself. So, I'll go with practically any book by my two favorite fiction authors, Patrica Cromwell (only Scarpetta Series) and Amy Tan.

7) A book that should never have been written: I am sure there are a lot out there that I would pick, but the only one that comes to mind is Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi. I am not saying that it is a bad book, but I only got through the first chapter and was completely freaked out. I couldn't even look at the book after that. I had to throw it away.

8) A book I'm currently reading: a handful of books by Sandra Boynton. They are quite catchy and Lexi loves them.

9) A book I'm planning to read: I looked up a few books on Amazon & these look interesting to me: Daughters of Tunis: Women, Family, and Networks In A Muslim City by Paula Holmes-Eber and The Places in Between by Rory Stewart

10) Who I'm tagging next: Paige (since she belongs to a book club) and Anna (because she loves being tagged as much as I do). If this strikes anyone else as interesting, I'll be happy to tag you too.

Tags: books, biographies, library

Mandatory Ear Piercing

Before having Lexi, I did not realize that it was mandatory in South Florida to get your baby girl's ears pierced. Apparently, that is the only way people can tell that the baby is a girl. My mom did not allow me to get my ears pierced until I was 7 years old. I have always planned to have my daughters wait until they ask for it, but not allow them to do it before kindergarten.

I know most people down here get their baby girls' ears pierced when they are two months old. I don't see anything wrong with it, but I would rather not. The whole thing has never seemed like a big deal to me until I had Lexi.

You would not believe how many people ask me if she is a boy or girl and 99% of the time she is wearing lots of pink. They have all said that they could not tell because her ears aren't pierced. I happen to think that this logic is funny, but Steve gets slightly offended.

This weekend, I decided to dress her in a little outfit that was definitely for "boys." We were going to visit her granddad and uncle, so I figured they would get a kick out of the little University of Miami fan (besides there was a game).

We went out to a few places while we were in PSL and got lots of comments about our boy, including one about her being a future ball player. I just laughed and told everyone that she is a tomboy for the day. I also teased Steve that we could call her "Alex." He wasn't too happy about that. I guess I need to get a bow for that outfit. As far as the ear piercing though, I will wait until kindergarten or later. Head to toe pink should be a good enough indication.

**If you are thinking she might need therapy once I get done with her, you're probably right. My mom used to dress my sister, Paige, in a navy blue sweat suit when she was a baby and she is a real wacko. (hahaha)**

Tags: ears pierced, gender, girls

Plug for the Sis-In-Law

As all of us know, it is not easy trying to make ends meet and be a SAHM. My sister-in-law has decided to supplement their income by becoming a personal shopper for Shade Clothing. She chose them because their clothes are more modest (Mormon owners). Along with that, the shirts are 3" longer than average shirts. She is 6' tall, so that is important. Anyway, they are having a sale today & tomorrow (half year sale). If you put in her personal code, LAW23300, you get an additional % off. Go to the site or don't go to it, it is up to you. Hey, who knows??? Maybe some of you would like to become personal shoppers.

Tags: Shade Clothing, SAHM, sale

Miami Cross Blogination

While reading Tere's blog and later greenerMIAMI, I found out that Miami Bloggers were organizing something called Miami Cross Blogination. It sounds interesting, so I signed up. Here is the announcement:

Calling all Miami bloggers! In the past month we've been working on creating more of a "blogging community" here in Miami. Today, I'd like to announce the first ever Miami Cross Blogination!

On September 19, several Miami bloggers will do a bit of a switcharoo. Each blog will feature a post written by another blogger in the group. The post will be related to the blog on which it will be featured. It's basically going to be a fun, silly day in which we can use our blogs to create a bit of confusion, mischief, or maybe just great new content by a guest blogger!

Blogs on board so far (please click at your own risk, some blogs go beyond the PG-13 rating that we have here on gM): Critical Miami, greenerMIAMI, Miami Vegan, Stuck on the Palmetto, Sex and the Beach, A Mom, A Blog, and a Life in Between, Transit Miami, "Klotz" as in "Blood", Fanless, 26th Parallel, Urban Paradise, Hidden City, Freckle Face Girl (new!), Miami Beach 411 (new!).

If you are a Miami based blogger and are interested, please go to greenerMIAMI or email her and she'll get you on the list. Deadline to sign-up is Sunday, September 10, 2006.

I think this will be an interesting experience. Not only what I have to come up with on someone's site, but to see what poor person has to figure out the theme of mine.

Tags: Miami Cross Blogination

Fun Photo Friday & Top Ten for Dreaming

Yesterday, I realized that I hadn't posted any photos for 2 weeks. I am going to try to add one at least once a week (Fridays). Can't promise though.

I also decided it would be nice to do a meme today. Since it is Friday and I am in the mood to do a little day dreaming, I'll make this a meme for Labor Day weekend.

Every night when my head hits the pillow, I think of a top ten list to day dream about. This is my method for going to sleep quickly. One of my favorite is the Top Ten List of What I Would Do if I won $_____ (usually $ 1 mil, sometimes as low as $20k or up to $1 billion). You would be surprised, but I'm usually out by #5.

Top Ten Things I Do If I won $1 million (besides help family):

1. Pay off all our bills
2. Quit my job to be a working SAHM ($1 mil doesn't go that far)
3. Move to Katy, Texas
4. Buy an SUV (with gas consumption & size in mind)
5. Start my own consulting company with GREAT computer equipment
6. Seriously think about having another baby right away
7. Plan an amazing vacation oversees
8. Get a maid
   
9. Buy an elliptical machine and treadmill
10. Put money away for plastic surgery after having kids (tummy tuck & a little more) - I would want to look completely awesome

Of course, it could go on for ever. Since it is nice to dream about positive things, I'll tag Paige, Emily, Misha, Anna, Issy and anyone else interested. Let me know & I'll be more than happy to add you to the list.

Tags: $1 mil, daydreaming

Queen of the City of Stubbornville

My mom was always the tough love kind of mom. Her mothering style focused on teaching independence. From an early age, I had chores that most mothers don't even consider handing out until the pre-teen years. For example, at the age of three, I had a long fight with her about the unfairness of having to re-hang my clothes after my one year old brother pulled them down. What's that you say??? - A three year old hanging clothes? Yep! That was about the same age that I was given the responsibility of making my own lunch. I did fine, but you should have seen some of the crazy condiment creations my brothers made for themselves.

While growing up, I thought that people had kids so they wouldn't have to do so much house work. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that her method was probably a lot harder than just doing everything by herself at least when we were little. It takes a great amount of stubbornness on her part to raise her oldest three the way she did. That is probably why she was not the same with the youngest 2 kids; we wore her out.

I have a strong feeling that if I would have popped out kids in my early 20s, I would have been a lot like she was with us. Back then, I had the fiery stubbornness that is required. However, my personality has changed with age. My brothers always comment that they want to know what happened to the strong willed sister they knew. I guess life has taught me that there are many different ways to approach life and I have learned to let many things go.

I still think independence is important for kids, but it is not the main focus of my mothering. Actually, I am much more laid back and probably more affectionate (the goofy mushy kind) than I would have been. My mothering skills are closer to what my mom was with her youngest, Paige, although I am not quite that laid back.

Despite that, I have been lucky enough to get a daughter who is chalk full of fiery stubbornness. With a little guidance, she'll be just as independent as I was. I guess my point is that in my family the Queen of Stubbornness seems to relinquish the crown around the age of 30. It always gets passed to the oldest daughter and isn't something that has to be taught.

Tags: stubborn, independent

Real American?

Tuesday, I brought Lexi to the office dressed in jeans. Two of the girls (one from Puerto Rico and one from Nicaragua) mentioned that she looks like a real American. I laughed and said, "She is." I know they meant she is an all American/jean wearing type girl.

That brought me back to something I think about often. Why do people refer to Caucasian Americans as "Americans" and others by their ancestral origins? There are Cuban Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, even Native Americans, and many others.

I don't really mind all the distinctions, because I think people naturally want to categorize things. If it isn't origins or race it is by sex, age group, fashion tendencies, hair color, etc. The problem for me is referring to Caucasians as Americans. The US should be all about integrating all the different types of people. When we say Americans, we should mean everyone who is a US citizen. If we are talking about Caucasians, we can call them European Americans or something. I guess I just feel weird about it.

Tags: nationality, American

Tropical Storm Dud

Ernesto turned out to be a dud, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was more like our regular afternoon thunderstorms. Weak Hurricanes and Tropical Storms still hurt the real estate market. I thought it had started to pick up after a very slow July. To be honest, our landscaping has not fully recovered from last year's storms. I certainly don't want anything to discourage potential buyers, so the dud wasn't all bad. (**Sidetrack/ Update Time: our agent said everyone who has come to see it, loves our house. The problems are the market and finding buyers that can qualify for that amount.)

Unfortunately, because Ernesto fizzled too much, the storm did not turn out the way I wanted. My whole joy of tropical storms and hurricanes centers on bonus time off. This dud meant only 2 half days off instead of one full day. It is better than no time off, but it is one of those cases, when two halves don't equal a whole. I still had to go in twice.

It wasn't bad for everyone, Lexi got to enjoy her first storm because daycare was closed. She spent the half day yesterday with me at the office and she is spending today at home with Steve (he has a WHOLE day off). I like my job, but I like having a day off even more.

Blah, blah, blah...the point is Ernesto could have been better (for me).

Tags: Tropical Storm Ernesto