Rain Rain Go Away, but Not For Too Long

It is raining here in my neck of the woods....and when I say neck of the woods, I mean small patch of concrete.

We here in Southern California have a love/hate relationship with our weather...I realize that I am saying "we" like I am a Southern Californian...but it is just an expression people y'all know I am an Iowan through and through...

Anyhoo..."we" Southern Californians really we have a love/hate relationship with a lot of things. Our cars (we love them, but spend entirely too much time in them), our houses, (have you seen real estate prices in this area lately...Whoa Susanna!! even with the recession they are OUTRAGEOUS), our beautiful mountains (except when they are on fire)...but our weather, now that is a whole other story.

We do get snow believe it or not, and even within the short 8 years that I have lived here it has snowed in Malibu...yeah it did look it up.

Now snowing in Malibu is WAY different than snowing in Des Moines, Iowa. I know what snow is and let me tell you the fluffy, white, wimpy stuff that fell in Malibu (and didn't even stick on the ground) was not snow. Where I come from it could be blizzarding so that you can't even see your hand in front of your face and we still drive into town to go to the bank. My friends, we Iowans know all about snow.

We here in So. Cal. are constantly in need of rain, and we are always complaining about our lack of it...but when it comes we are totally unprepared. The fires burn our mountainsides and then the rain causes mudslides. Our roads don't drain, our UGG boots are not waterproof, and our half naked bodies (and this is where I am REALLY stretching the use of the word "our" as my body has NEVER been half naked anywhere in public) don't handle the sudden drop in temperature and windy conditions, our convertible tops really aren't meant for bad weather, and certainly our fashionable Gucci umbrellas look much better slipped into our Prada briefcases than turned inside out carrying a 95lb super model down Rodeo Drive. Not a pretty site people.

Lets just say that 24 hours after the first drop of rain has fallen we wave the white flag and say enough is enough, even though we haven't had enough rain to even make a dent in the amount of rain we need. A few inches of rain and we are looking for pairs of livestock following an old man with a long white beard. Come on now, it's not that bad...all you need to do is pull out the golf umbrellas, the yellow slickers, and the Lands End duck boots and you'd be plenty prepared. We are really wimpy (again see above on my use of the word "we")

Now to be fair we do one kind of weather really well...sunny and 70's...too bad we don't see that kind of weather very often.



...oh wait...we DO see that kind of weather...yeah we see that kind of weather about 75% of the time...

...c'mon now...don't be a hater.


More Later

-A Ro

Random Dozen

Well here it is another edition of 2nd Cup's Random Dozen. Gotta love it!!!

1. I've always wondered why we were taught both printing and cursive. Do you prefer to print or write cursive? (Keyboard is not a choice.)

I am probably like most and do a combination of both. In fact if you ever look at a handwriting book like my daughter had in 3rd grade the cursive looks SO foreign. Especially look on how you are supposed to make a capital Z...very odd. But to answer the question I like to do cursive.

2. Are you a dreamer or a realist?

Here is another one of those pesky Linda questions...I'd like to say that I am a dreamer, but I am a realist...almost to a fault. By the way, I have a lot of dreams, just not a lot of confidence that many of them will come true. However, a lot crazy kismet things have happened in my life for me not to think that dreams really do come true...I mean come on I am dating my high school sweetheart...and we reconnected 1500 miles from our home state by total accident. Maybe I need to re-think this one...

3. Billy Joel or Elton John?

Billy Joel and if you have ever seen the Broadway show Movin' Out you'll know what I mean. But they did go on tour together a while back...did I go??? Of course not...I never do anything fun.

4. What is the scariest movie you've ever seen? Not limited to horror flicks but also includes ones where the tension or suspense is killer, for example, Flightplan (2005): A bereaved woman and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet the child vanishes and nobody admits she was ever on that plane.

I am the kind of girl who hates any kind of scary movie, in fact my family teases me and tells me the if Chevy Chase isn't in the movie I won't watch it...BUT I did watch Sixth Sense and it scared the beejeezus out of me.

5. Now what is the scariest real-life moment you've had?

When my doctor told me that I had non Hodgkin's lymphoma...but one bone marrow scan, and major surgery later we found out he was wrong...thank goodness...I am just cystic not cancerous.

6. What word do you misspell without fail?

This one is very sad...when I am typing I always spell CHORUS CHOURS. The sad part about it is I am a teach Middle and High School CHORUS. BUT when I am just writing VACUUM always fails me and all those pesky I before E except after C words. Hey...maybe I am just a bad speller...yeah that is it.

7. Name something you like to do but are not really talented or good at.

Boy I feel like I am in therapy on this Random Dozen. First I have to admit that I am not a dreamer and now I have to admit that I am not talented at something...Geez...don't you know I am a diva and these are hard things to admit.

Anyway I have to say that I am one of those people that if I am not good at something then I usually don't partake...However being a music teacher AND a singer I love to sit at the piano and play, but I am not really that good at it...but I really do love it, but only when really good pianists are not in the room.

8. Do you get your emotional/mental batteries recharged by being around people or by having alone time?

I love being around people that I know. I don't like being around people I don't know and therefore am forced to make small talk and be charming. I love just being able to be myself and hang out with friends. However, I also love putzing around my house by myself...

OK if nothing else this Random Dozen is making me realize how much of a Fence rider I am...

9. Have you ever been on TV?

Yes, I was in an opera with my college that the local PBS station picked up...and then there are those horrible security camera TVs that you can't help but stare at even though they make you look horribly unappealing, but I am pretty sure that is NOT what you mean.

10. Apple or pumpkin pie? (Don't be greedy.)

PUMPKIN PIE WITH LOTS OF WHIPPED CREAM...that was my excited typing voice, 'cause baby, it is pumpkin pie season. ***although I have been known to enjoy myself a piece of apple pie warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream***

11. How many magazine subscriptions do you have?

Four - Cooking Light, Family Fun (although my kids are quickly outgrowing the activities...and I mean quickly) All You, and my mom gets me Martha Stewarts' Living (which when I find the time peruse consists of me saying "ha...never have time for that" or "really Martha how you expect me to fold my napkins like that?!?!?" or " what the hell is flat leaf parsley" or "honey, I think we need a mudroom"

12. What lesson do you have to keep re-learning?

Besides the I before E except after C rule...or how to type CHORUS...I think the lesson that I have to keep re-learning is...I feel good when I eat healthy and exercise...I mean I feel REALLY good. Duh...

In summary: I need to learn how to spell, learn how to dream big, trim down my magazine subscriptions, and make a pumpkin pie...

...thanks Linda!!

More Later

- A Ro

Curiosity Didn't Kill the Cat...Only Us Moms

Oh to be young again and be able to do silly things...


What possesses a young man of 3 years old to stick a hanger down his pants?

My sister in law told me that he was trying to be a monster...

My nephew Joseph is one of those kinda kids who has an amazing imagination and is always on the go thinking of crazy things. I know he sometimes gives my sister in law fits, but as my dad used to always say "It would be really easy to raise stupid kids...it's the smart ones who give you trouble" Joseph is definitely one of those smart ones. He is so entertaining to be around and he is just so very busy!!


My kids were like that too, but in very different ways. My son would go into his room for hours and just create. Create block structures and elaborate car towns. He would continue these for days on end. (Which when you accidentally clean one up always included a major melt down.) Our walks included walking around each and every car he came across, carefully looking and studying the tires. I could always tell that his little mind was always on the go, but in a very inward quiet way. On the other hand my daughters curiosity was a very outward kind. She was the kind of kid who would empty the entire Cheerios box on the floor, climb back into the tub completely dressed while the tub was draining, and pull every last Kleenex out of the box. She was very curious in an exploratory way. When we went on walks she would always find "treasures" on the way and it took me finding these "treasures" in my lint trap before I decided maybe we should carry a bucket on our walks. Even to this day she is always asking me "Hey, you done with that, can I have it?" Creativity to me is such a refreshing trait to have.


My dad was a very wise man, he taught me that if you had to teach a child how to play with a toy it wasn't a toy...



...he also taught me that if only I could just get the screws out of my dirt devil canister vacuum I could fix it....





...oh wait that was my own idea.


And a very very Happy Birthday to my nephew Joseph...thanks for being such a special little boy!!!

More Later

-A Ro

Weekend Update

Are you ready?



I am not sure you are



'Cause the most exciting thing about my weekend wasn't laundry, or grocery shopping, or steam cleaning curdled hot chocolate out of my car.


Or even Bella winning her soccer game, or Andrew having a great baseball game, or even trying out my new crock pot...


It is something way cuter...


something totally irresistible...




I got new pictures of my niece Abby...

My heart can hardly take it...

Can you hear it bursting into tiny pieces?

I will hold the world hostage...for ONE MILLION DOLLARS...

Now I realize that I am not there to be woken up every two hours....

...or to play the "why is the baby crying" game at 2:00 am

but in the words of my sister-in-law "I NEED TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS BABY"!!!!

More Later

-A Ro

P.S. Not sure why the first four pictures are tiny...geez too much to figure out about this blogging stuff!!!

Ramblings of a Crazy Person

I visited and participated in 2nd Cups Random Dozen Meme. Her last question got me a thinkin'. The last question was name something you are trying to control. I, of course, instantly went to my weight. Now here is where I struggle. I am a healthy person. I have a very low resting pulse. I have great blood pressure and good cholesterol. I exercise everyday and my diet is pretty good. However I am constantly thinking about my weight. I have a man in my life who loves me for who I am and thinks I am beautiful just the way I am. Why do we as a society do this to ourselves??


I read an article today about a country where they force feed their girls about 16,000 calories a day so that they are fat. The men in this country love their women plump. The "camps" these parents send their girls to to fatten them up so that they will be able to attract a man are torturous and abusive. I was appalled at what this society accepted as OK behavior and views. I then got to thinking about us. We don't force our children to go on strict diets, but we as a society strongly encourage it. Whether intentionally or not it is happening. We "say" it is because we want to be healthy and not just skinny, but I would venture to say that we as a society don't particularly promote a healthy lifestyle either. So our young girls see commercials where the skinnier the model the better and then the next commercial is of a super size meal, followed by an ad for diet pills.


I am a product of this society and a contributor. My kids think that I am just fine. They think I am a perfect weight. However I am constantly weighing my food, I am constantly working out, I am constantly turning down dessert...What kind of message am I sending my daughter??

I need to find the balance between being healthy and being happy and I hope one day my daughter will too.



Now where did I put my therapist's phone number???

More Later

-A Ro

Lessons Learned

This post was going to be a "poor me" post, 'cause I had such an awful morning yesterday. Actually Bella had the bad morning which, of course, rubbed off on me. First she couldn't find her swimming bag and couldn't find her lunch box...AND spilled her entire hot chocolate in the back seat of my car (hence the rubbing off on me part). She felt awful and couldn't stop crying. She kept saying that everything was all her fault. I felt bad for her because I really could empathize with her. There are so many days that EVERYTHING just goes south.

But thankfully I saw the teachable moment with my daughter and took full advantage and in the process really helped myself. I told her that she had a choice. She could either put the entire bad morning behind her and make an effort to make sure that the rest of her day was good OR she could continue to wallow in her bad morning and let that ruin her whole day. She really pulled herself together and by the time she walked to her class she had forgotten all about her bad morning.

I really tried to listen to my own advice. I had some other issues today, but I really think that I put them into check and tried to enjoy the wonderful moments of my day...and being a teacher there are many many wonderful aspects to my day. Truthfully...I had 4 1/2 hours of rehearsals in a row and that much time interacting with kids could do nothing else but help push me into the correct mindset despite all the other crap.

I keep a saying on my wall. "Life is not the way it is supposed to be. It's just the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference." I think Bella and I learned our lesson...


...for now.

More Later

-A Ro

Random Dozen and GOOOOOOOAL

I forgot to mention in all my goings on that my girl scored her first soccer goal last Sunday. I thought I was going to explode. She has never played soccer before AND it was only her third game. I screamed my head off...later she told me that if she ever scores again that I shouldn't scream so loud. I tried to explain to her that kind of behavior was what she gets, and she should have thought about that before she picked me as her mother...she wasn't buying it.


And now on to "A Second Cup of Coffee's" random dozen...

1. On an average, how often do you splurge and buy something for yourself?

I love to buy other people gifts. I love to spend money on other people. Having said that I will splurge on bargains for myself. Does that make sense? I don't really like to spend a lot of money on anything. I guess that really doesn't answer the question, now does it.


2. Are you more like Hall or Oates? Just kidding. Real question: What is the last creative project you began/finished? Feel free to post a pic of it.

I am more like Oates...the genius in the background...ha ha...hmmm...I did this picture wall for my entryway. When my sister got married there were a lot of great pictures of the people I love the most who I don't get to see very often. I decoupaged some wooden frames and surrounded the larger family picture. I just love this...however, if you haven't noticed already, I have not finished it...go figure.

3. OK, Goldie Locks, do you consider your house too big, too little or just right?

My house is just right. I am not a picky person with regards to houses. I can make any space big or small a home...awwww

4. What is your favorite outdoor chore?

I am not a big yard worker kinda gal, but I love raking leaves. Yes I know I live in California. Yes I know that we don't get a typical "fall"...maybe that is why I like it so much...ha ha

5. If you knew that cigarette smoking was not bad for your health but would be a weight loss tool, would you use it? Why or why not?

Doesn't matter how much weight it would make me lose they would still stink and cost an arm and a leg...so no I guess I'll just have to stick to diet and exercise...wow did i just say that?!?!?

6. On a road trip, would you rather drive or ride?

I would MUCH rather ride...always...I hate driving.

7. What do you consider a trivial pursuit?

I think in general...trying, by any means, to look younger. Now I know that I am at the ripe old age of 40 and just MAYBE I might change my mind, but all those pills, and lotions, and lifts, and tucks, and serums, and injections see like a trivial pursuit. (By the way, I had to look up the definition of trivial pursuit and all I could find was the board game, so I really hope I answered the question correctly...)

8. This weekend, we downloaded the movie "Duplicity" with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Within 5 minutes, I was bored and annoyed, but I kept watching 5-10 minutes at a time hoping it would get better between small chores. I finally gave up and Jorge watched it alone, and then regretted wasting that time because he disliked it intensely, too. So ... how long do you watch a movie or read a book before giving up on it?

It takes a lot for me to give up on anything...I am my father's daughter...and you can read all about how that ruined my weekend awhile back here. Violence of any kind will usually send me out of the room or the theater, but other than that I usually will waste my hours and wish for them back.

9. Is there a song that you really love but are embarrassed to admit because it's not cool or it's racy or because it's by Hall and Oates?

I really don't like Miley Cyrus, but every time I hear "The Climb" I start to cry...gets me every time. It is now that I wish I knew how to embed a youtube video. I want to be cool like everyone else...maybe someday...a girl has got to have dreams.

10. On a scale of 1-10 (10 = extremely) how spontaneous are you?

Can you be flexible and not spontaneous?? I feel like I love to plan and have a plan, yet I am a very flexible person. Being a single mother and a teacher sorta throws you into flexibility whether you like it or not. So I am going to say a 5. How's that for riding the fence??

11. Are you a food and/or beverage snob?

nope...I'll eat anything...did I mention I need to lose 15 pounds???

12. Who/What are you trying to control in your life?

Did I mention that I need to lose 15 pounds???

Thanks for stopping by and reading my random thoughts...

More Later

-A Ro