Just Vote

Since it seems like the whole world is taking to Facebook to express what they are thankful for as well as presidential candidates, I'm going to dedicate this post to both topics.  For the record, I voted 2 weeks ago in the early voting.  It is off of my To Do List.  Voting early has made it easier for me to ignore all of my strongly politically opinionated Facebook friends.

This year, I am thankful to be living in a state that is clearly not a swing state.  When I lived in Florida and California, the months leading up to a presidential election were torturous.  Getting bombarded by political ads, mailers, hand-outs, signs and is rather horrific. 

Several years ago, I got to see local political corruption at its worst.  I witnessed it at the City of Miami Beach.  It left me sick to my stomach for a few months.  Ever since then, I have an aversion to the whole system although I recognize that Miami is known for their corruption and it shouldn't taint my view of all politics.  Don’t get me wrong, I see the value of the government and I appreciate what they do.  I just hate politics – even office politics. 

This year, I am happy I live in Texas.  We all know who is going to win here, so the candidates don’t even bother to campaign to Texans.  Maybe they do a little, I don’t have cable or even local television channels.  Almost all of the bumper stickers and signs that I've seen have Mitt’s name on them.  I haven’t even received anything in the mail. 

I don’t consider myself a Republican or a Democrat.  I like to look at the issues and vote for the candidate I like best.  A few months ago, I took one of those online matching tests that identifies which candidate lines up with your views best.  It was back before the Republicans had picked their candidate.  The results were that 77% of my views were shared by Mitt Romney and 75% of my views were in line with Obama all of the other Republican candidates were a distant 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, etc.  I just laughed, so much for Romney & Obama being polar opposites. 

I think that is as far as I want to go with my political talk.  I am not here to convince you to vote for either candidate.  I believe that we give too much credit to the office of president.  Whoever wins will not have nearly as much power as we believe they will unless congress sides with them.

This post isn't over yet, I do want to mention our celebrity sighting.  It has been a while since I posted one of these:

Photo from Oprah's Magazine

My kids happen to be rooting for Mitt Romney, because he goes to church with my mom in La Jolla, California.  He is there almost half of the year.  My mom, the kids and I have been around him and his family.  First of all, his hair really is that thick.  He also LOVES his grand-kids more than you hear/read about in interviews. They sit in his lap at church and adore him.  He is very cute with them.  I’d say more than most men in his generation.  He is very funny and personable.  

People often talk about his handsome sons.  It is true, they are.  However, the thing I remember the most was how absolutely GORGEOUS his daughter-in-laws are, especially the mom of the two on the far left (one standing & one waving).  Sadly, I can't tell you her name.  I am better with faces.  She is a complete knock-out.  In fact, she is so perfect that you would expect her to be the biggest snob you've ever met.  I was pleasantly surprised by how genuinely nice she is.  She, her husband and kids ended up living in the Romney's La Jolla house for one summer while we were living in California.  Her sons were in the nursery at church with Jordan so I saw and talked to her quite a few times.  

By the end of today or maybe in a few days, we'll know if Lexi & Jordan can say they met the president.  

California Trip & Fam Reunion

Our trip to California and our trip within a trip (family reunion in northern Utah) was pretty great in many ways and a little difficult in a few others.  That is pretty much how life is meant to be I suppose.  The family reunion was amazing, but mainly because I LOVE being around my siblings, cousins, aunts & uncles.  Lexi and Jordan hadn't seen their first cousins (my brothers' kids) in two years.  Plus, they had second and third cousins there.  That alone was worth the trip.  They got to play, run, ride wave runners, get know each other and have a blast.  How often do your kids get to know their second and even third cousins?  Not enough as far as I am concerned.  We even got to stop in Utah and stay at one of my dearest friend's house two times (on the way up & on the way back).  I just love being around her.  My mom even tried to convince me that I should move up there.  I seriously considered it for a few days, but the reality of not liking cold weather, not having enough money to move anywhere, and that the schools really are better in Texas made me rethink this temporary moment of insanity.

Our time in California was nice too, except that it was a difficult month for my mom.  Her work brought in a new head director, who wanted to bring in his own team.  He started cutting the department heads, one of which was my mom.  That brought a level of sadness and relief to her as well as me.  She has been helping me financially, but I know her job was overly stressful.  She also had major surgery scheduled RIGHT after we got back from Utah.  She was in the hospital for a little while and then recovery time.  I am guessing that it is easier to relax and recover without little ones running around, but she has had plenty of practice since she had five kids of her own.  One other thing that happened was that my baby sister moved out of my mom's house.  She got an apartment with our step-sister.  I helped her move, especially since my mom wasn't supposed to be lifting ANYTHING.

We ended up spending quite a bit of time at the San Diego Zoo.  My mom renewed our annual passes.  My sister's boyfriend's band (Steam Powered Giraffe) had a contract to play 4 shows a day for 70 days straight this summer.  If we wanted to see much of her, we had to go there.  We got to see quite a few of their 20 minute concerts.  They are singing musical automatons.  Here is a picture of the kids with my sister and The Rabbit.

Yes, they are quite different, but the steam punk movement is spreading like wildfire and they have catchy songs, several of which my kids are still singing.  Here is one (double click for full screen):

  

Summer Trip

I didn’t have any big plans for this summer.  Given the fact that I am poor, I thought we’d have a summer just like last one.  We would just stay here.  We could call it a staycation since we enjoy our community pools, splash parks and parks.  We live in a community that has AMAZING pools that are open in the summer.  The HOA fees are high enough that I want to get whatever I can.  That was my plan anyway. 

One night about 2 weeks ago, my mom called and asked if she could fly the kids and me out to Cali for the month of July.  I was quite exhausted when she called.  It sounded like a nice offer, but too difficult.  She told me to think about it and we could talk the next day.  

When I woke up, I felt differently.  I realized it wouldn’t be fair to the kids to miss out on the opportunity.  Not only would they be missing the vacation to California, but my family is having a big reunion at Bear Lake, which is on the border of Utah and Idaho.  Many of my siblings, cousins & second cousins will be there.  My mom & step-dad are driving their RV, so we would be able to go with them.  Sadly, we don't even get to see my brothers very often, not to mention cousins.  It has been 2 years since I saw one of my brothers and 2.5 years since I saw the other two.  My kids should spend time with their cousins.  

I decided that the main hurdle was my work.  My boss has recently bought me a new laptop, but I needed him to buy several different kinds of rather expensive software in order for me to use it.  I also needed a new computer case.  The laptop is unusually large, so finding a case isn’t easy.  Anyway, I decided to ask if they had any objection to the trip and listed my concerns.  They thought I should go and got busy buying everything. 

The tickets are booked and now I am figuring out how to complete my to do list along with getting ahead of 2 big work deadlines, entertaining kids this week, and everything else I normally do.  Lately, I’ve been working on not beating myself up for dropping some of the balls I am trying to juggle.  In some ways, this trip adds stress and in others it greatly relieves stress.  It’s all good.  

Sunday in my City

One of my favorite blogs, Relish My Relish, has a Sunday tradition. She calls it Sundays in my City. She posts pictures of an activity her family experienced. Apparently, she belongs to an Australian blogging group and they all do it. It is an interesting way to see some of the great attractions from Down Under.  Today, I am going to copy that idea and share a San Diego gem. 

As my time in California grows short, I realize that there are many sites/activities/adventures we are going to miss. The La Jolla Cove will definitely be on the top of the list. I decided to head there this afternoon with the kids.  We walked around, looked at the seals, listened to the sound of the ocean, climbed trees, and had a good time.  I should probably admit that there is one thing I have not and do not plan to do in California and that is get in the ocean.  Ten years of living in Florida has completely spoiled me as far as ocean temperatures go.  Anything below 80 degrees is just torture.  The temperature of the water here was 60 degrees today, which is beautiful to look at and that is about it. 

Excuse #2 for Not Dating

Excuse #2:

California is just a pit stop in my life.  Ok, so it is two years in limbo land.  I don't plan to stay here and really have no desire to make strong ties with anyone.  I realize that two years is a long time for a pit stop, but there it is...  I see it as temporary.

Along that note - This morning, I got a call from my tenant in Texas.  They are looking for a house and would like to know if I would be willing to let them out of their lease early (6 months left).  I would LOVE to, but the timing isn't right at all for me.  I am sure that my company isn’t ready to talk about full time yet.  I want it & they want it.  How torturous is that? 

Munchkin Houses

Have I mentioned that we are living on a small mountain?  It is a rather famous little mountain in San Diego for several reasons, but the main one is because there is a huge white cross on the very top that is a Veterans Memorial.  I posted a picture here: http://frecklefacegirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/views-near-our-house.html. 

There is a lesser known attraction on the mountain as well.  It is more of an Urban Legend.  I first heard the story about four years ago, when I came out to La Jolla to visit my mom.  She told me all about the "Munchkin Houses."  According to the legend, several little people that starred in the Wizard of Oz used their earnings to build small houses on Mount Soledad.  I immediately liked the story.  It just sounds cool, but I was skeptical because I had read a story about how the little people didn't get paid very well from the movie.  She even took me to see the houses:

They really are cute houses with small doors, steps, and gates. Supposedly, according to the legend, there were four original houses, but a few of them have been renovated for regular sized people. I decided to look it up on the internet recently. I read that it is just an Urban Legend.

That is probably true, but there has to be more to the story. It also said that the houses don't have smaller features. That part of the fact finding is wrong. Perhaps, they were not built for little people, but the doors, steps, gate, and a few other things are definitely not normal sized. It also says that the houses sit down from the road making them look smaller. That isn't true either. In fact, the second picture definitely shows that this one is quite higher than the road. I took this picture sitting in my vehicle, which is a crossover and fairly high off the ground.

While the story is interesting, the best part about the houses is how unique they are. I happen to like architecture, but these houses are special. They have inspired a whole Urban Legend for heaven sakes.

Airbrushing

For some strange reason, I haven't felt like posting personal or meaningful things going on in my life.  Possibly because there isn't much to share. 

However, I have been fascinated by the crazy drive for perfection and beauty that many Southern Californians seems to have.  Lately, that interest has made me a little more fascinated with airbrushing.  I don't really have anything negative to say about it.  As long as everyone understands that the ideals don't really exist even in women that are considered amazingly beautiful by many, I don't think it is harmful.  These are interesting: 

Fighting for Moms

Before I start, I need to say that this post has nothing to do with my ex-husband or lots of great fathers…. 


The number one reason, that my cousin’s divorce has stressed me out and turned me off of men is the custody battle. In California, there seems to a huge movement to view fathers as equally capable of taking care of kids (which I know that quite a few are). Like lots of ideals, the drive to force this equality often comes at the expense of people who don’t deserve to be penalized. In this case, it is the mothers. This topic really gets my blood boiling. While I can appreciate the role of a good father, I can’t stand the fact that great mothers have to give up 50% or more custody of their kids.  I mainly see it as a way to rip out a mother's heart.  Many men seem to fight for custody so that they don't have to pay child support.  I wish California judges & lawmakers would wise-up.  Here are some reasons:

**What does it take to make a baby? For a man, it simply involves sex during a fertile time. I am guessing that most men don’t even have baby making on their mind during this act. In fact, they do it hundreds of thousands of times without resulting in a baby. For a woman, it involves sex, pregnancy (9 months of discomfort and often many horrible symptoms), and many sleep interrupted nights to feed the baby (usually a task mainly handled by moms).

I found this interesting quote:

Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. ~Aristotle

There is no question for mothers, who have about 9 months of carrying the little guy or girl. The bonding begins quite early for moms.

**What about the number of possible off-spring? Men are physically capable of producing 100s of babies in their life time. Average women can only reproduce during an approximately 20 - 25 year span and at most have 5 – 8 babies. (Mrs. Duggar is not normal.) Most women in the US will have 1 – 3. For great moms, they become the most valuable people in her life.  I have learned that it is NOT easy to share them with anyone including grandparents, teachers, friends, etc. 

I can also come up with lesser reasons why the bias should favor moms…

**Does equality in parental duties really exist? How many studies have shown that even when there are 2 working parents, the woman still does the majority of the housework and parenting tasks? I am not saying that men can’t do it, just that mothers tend to go out of their way to make sure things run smoothly while many men are happy to step back. I have been told by quite a few divorced fathers here in California (that have 40% or more custody) that they didn’t do nearly as much as they do now. …hmmm

**What about adding the little touches that mom's usually handle? I can’t count how many times I have seen a cute little kid with mismatched clothes and messy hair and realized that they were with their dad that day. I am not going to say that kids must look cute all the time, but they should be put together most of the week. Dressing for success is important for school too. People are treated according to how they present themselves. Quite a few men don’t seem to think that this is worth the effort. Let’s face it, dressing kids often involves an argument and so does brushing girls’ hair. I know this seems like a lame reason, but it used to really bother me when I saw what my sister looked like after spending the weekend with my dad.

**Is it even what the kids want?  Most people I know have a closer bond with their mothers.  I would like to know how many people out there would have picked their fathers if their parents split up while they were young.

I am not suggesting that kids shouldn't spend time with their dads.  A good or great father is a wonderful thing for a kid to have.  I just think that 50% is way too much.  If you agree and you are a woman, avoid divorce in California.  If you are a man & disagree, I guess this is the state for you. 

Anyway, my arguments are not well though-out. This is mostly an emotional response to seeing the agony of a great mom (my cousin) who has to fight to keep her kids when her ex is anything but a good father. 

The Cove in La Jolla

I snapped a few pictures yesterday when we were at the Cove.

Quite Happy

I realize that my last few posts were either depressing or neutral. It is time to tell you that overall we are quite happy. It is nice getting help with the kids and there are lots of fun things to do in San Diego.

Searching for Friends

Moving to San Diego has changed a lot of things in our lives including going from an area where we all had lots of wonderful friends to a place where we have none. I am ok with it and Jordan isn't doing too badly, but Lexi really misses playing with kids. We go to the park and lots of places with kids around, but not anywhere to develop relationships.

I have tried a few things. I started by going to my mom's church. I thought that would be the easiest way, but I was very unimpressed. I also looked for playgroups online. There are very few whose categories we fit into. The best ones seem to be for lesbians or moms with babies. I found one that looked promising. They meet at a park on the beach every Thursday morning. I got the kids ready and headed there this morning. I was greatly disappointed. I would not have classified it as a "play" group. It was a bunch of moms exercising with their kids were strapped into strollers. The playgroup I am looking for will actually have the kids playing. It isn't about me, besides I prefer to exercise on my own.

I guess I'll start taking them to library reading time and see if there are any fun looking moms & kids there. We've also signed Lexi up for ballet lessons. Perhaps, we'll meet friends there. Other than that, I don't know what to do. Does anyone have suggestions?

Not a Pet Person

I can’t pin point when I changed from a pet loving person into a non-pet person. Not to say that I am anti-pet; I actually love other people’s pets. I just don’t want to own one. When I grew up, my family always had outside pets. I remember lots of cats as well as a wonderful golden lab named Tracker. I always thought I would own pets when I grew up.

Perhaps, the changed happened when I was single living in Miami. I worked for a company that often sent me on last minute business trips to amazing places in the Caribbean. I lived in my own little apartment and thought it would be fun to have a pet, but I definitely wanted to take advantage of those trips. Having a pet would have made dropping everything and heading out quite difficult. I also didn’t want the added expense.

I thought that I would want a pet once I had kids, but my desire for one was even less. Mainly, I didn’t want one more thing to clean up after. However, I think pets are great for kids and I really like animals. Fortunately, my kids get to experience the joy of having a dog and a cat without me taking care of it. That is one of the perks of moving in with my mom and step-dad. The kids are LOVING it.

Views Near Our House

This morning, I put the kids in the jogging stroller and walked up to the cross on the top of the mountain in La Jolla. One of the best things about living here is getting a chance to enjoy the views. I love looking out at the ocean. That was something I enjoyed in Miami too.

Made It

We made it to California. I don't have much time for blogging though. I still have a lot to unpack and put away. Plus, my work is backing up and somehow I have to find the motivation to get started on it all.

...and thanks to some low down thieves in San Antonio, I have to do research and figure out how to protect the kids and me from ID theft. It all started on Friday night. We pulled into a nice hotel (Drury Inn) in San Antonio. I parked in a seemingly safe location where we could see my vehicle & u-haul trailer from our room. That didn't seem to stop the thieves though. The next morning, when we were ready to pull out, we discovered that the lock was broken and the trailer door was open about a foot. They didn't take much, but they did manage to steal one of the most important things in there. My file box with all of our ID documents was GONE. Our birth certificates, social security cards, tax returns, old resumes, old drivers licenses, and probably more that I just can't think of was in there. I have been angry and sick to my stomach ever since. I feel so sad for the kids. I can imagine evil people using their documents to sneak illegal immigrants into the country and wrack up loads of credit cards. It makes me boiling mad.

See why I never blog anymore??? All I do is complain. Hopefully, sunny California will help turn this train wreck around.

Lightning Speed

Our place was listed on the MLS on Thursday night, so things were completely crazy this weekend. It turns out that keeping it spotless isn't nearly as bad as having to evacuate every time someone wants to see it, especially around nap time. We had a showing on Saturday, two on Sunday, and three on Monday. Apparently 5 out of the 6 wanted it, which means that we should have asked for a little more. Perhaps another $50 a month. Oh well. We took the first good applicant. The realtor is running a credit & criminal background check. We should have a report by tonight. The future tenant wants to move in on August 1st, so we have approximately 3 weeks.

While this is very good news, it has also added a whole new level of stress. This makes it all very real. We have to start packing. Plus, Steve still doesn't have a job and doesn't know what he is going to do at the end of this month. That makes us both very nervous, but him more so of course. I am just glad we'll have someone giving us enough money to make our mortgage payments.

The job hunt is going fairly well considering the poor economy. Steve is great at networking and talking to anyone and everyone. He also has an amazing gift of being able to talk to strangers. I am hitting the e-mail and internet side hard. He has two companies that are interested in hiring him. Unfortunately, one of them THINKS they'll have a project for him the middle of August. The other one wants him if they get a project. Basically, the search continues...

Not Ready to Leave

Our time in California is quickly coming to an end, and honestly, I am not ready to leave. I know I have been here for about 6 weeks, but it feels more like two. Time certainly flies when you are mostly having fun. I would probably stay longer, but there are some pressing issues I need to attend to in Texas. Besides, I am not sure that a working vacation is considered "real life." Then again, who wants to deal with the reality of life?

One of my friends from Texas called about 2 weeks ago to see how we are doing. She jokingly asked me if I plan to stay indefinitely, because she knows that I am not exactly the kind of person that establishes roots. I had to laugh. I really like Texas, besides I just can't imagine how people can afford to live in San Diego.

After talking to her, I decided to do some simple price checking. First, every item in the grocery store seems to be at least $1 more than it is in Texas. Also, gas is about $0.40 a gallon more. Now for the big things, a tiny studio apartment is slightly more than we pay for our mortgage, property taxes, and home owners association fees put together. There is also a little church on the corner by my mom's house that has a child care program. I checked out their website and discovered that sending one child there 2 half days a week costs the same a month as sending my two kids to 3 days from 9am to 2:30pm. That was a big shocker. I didn't look into anything else, but I am guessing that things like car insurance and utilties are substantially more too.

So, HATS off to the Californians for finding a way to make it all work. I know there is no way to put a price on some of the benefits like the beach, moderate weather all year, and of course the ability to go to SeaWorld every day for one low price. I will miss it all.

**Should I even mention that the thought of adding California to the list of states I've lived in seems exciting? Yes, I am crazy.

Easter with my Mom

This Easter I learned a very important thing.... Easter should always be spent with mom. I was completely spoiled. It started off with a surprise Easter basket that Lexi found when she was looking for hers. I can't even remember the last time I got an Easter basket probably the last time I lived with her. It contained a Sees chocolate egg, a chocolate bunny, and bath products. Simply Heavenly! Besides the basket, we had lots of fun activities for the kids. Then, in the evening, we sat down for a wonderful Easter dinner that I didn't cook.

Hmmm... I could get use to this life. Soon, my mom will realize that spoiling me makes me never want to leave & then she'll wise up. :)

Good Friday

When your working in an office, every Friday is a good Friday. Now, that I work from home I tend to find myself working on the weekends. I guess the good thing about the weekends though is that my in-box for my work e-mails isn't as active with things I need to take care of. I also don't feel as guilty if I don't manage to make time for work.

Speaking of that, working from home really isn't as ideal as it sounds, at least when you have little kids. Ideally, I could get all the work done when they are napping or in the evening after I put them to bed. In reality, my workload is either insane or practically nothing. During the insane times, working while trying to keep them happy and life moving forward becomes extremely stressful. Imagine trying to write a meaningful blog post with your kids screaming in the background. Now, add a pay check to it, with people counting on you, and a deadline. Tough, right? My neighbor has told me to "just pop a no-doze and work through the night." That makes me laugh because I am not a college kid who can do that for a few days and then recover by sleeping for a full day. Life must go on. Kids require some sort of schedule even if it is only eating, sleeping, and playing. I must keep everything going.

I guess I sound like I am complaining, but I would not trade this to go back into the office. I just want to say that it is quite a bit more stressful and that I am looking forward to next fall when both kids are in the mother's day out program for three days a week.

I don't even know why I went off on this tangent that started with Good Friday. Mainly, I wanted to say that I am still in California. I've decided to stay here until the end of April. With my mom & sister's help, I have been able to work, entertain the kids, and actually get some much needed sleep. Perhaps, this will help me deal with real life when I go back to Texas. Anyway, today is good Friday and I just want to say.... HAPPY EASTER!

SeaWorld

I have always thought it would be kind of fun to visit all three SeaWorlds. I have been to SeaWorld Orlando many times throughout my life. I have even been to the one in San Antonio. After today, I can say that I have been to all three.

Dolphins

Flamingo

Shamu


Penguins

Walrus

Happy St Patty's Day

We are in San Diego and are having a great time! I hope everyone else is enjoying St Patrick's Day as much as we are.