If THIS doesn't invoke the holiday spirit...

Dear Santa:

For Christmas this year I would like to have a mom that doesn't neglect me whilst doing last minute Christmas shopping at her favorite boutique Naartje allowing me to roam freely near the sharp-edged baseboards in the store and trip and fall so I have to go to the ER which was quite frankly a hellish nightmare and have 20 stitches and be totally sedated so the plastic surgeon my mom insisted on summoning to the ER could sew a straight line so I wouldn't look like Frankenstein forever like when I start to date in 20 years.

Thanks again,

Sweet Little Charlotte

(All photos snapped on my phone)

(this one even still just makes me want to cry right this second)

Dear Santa,

I would also love it if you could slip a coupla vials of the antidote to incessant/unproductive motherly guilt in my stocking, while you're at it.

Besitos,

Karen

Digging Deep

Jackson: "Mom, what do you want for Christmas?"

Me: "A Bosch." (top of the line mixer for aspiring domestic goddesses such as myself. My friend Carol Fawson is schooling me in the art of bread making).

Jackson: (perplexed, as he should be) "Way to dig deep, mom."

This is the same Big Guy who, as of late, has been sneaking up ever so early on Sunday mornings, (his father and I ignoring the clanks and clatter in the kitchen at 6:30am on the only day we get to sleep in). He's produced a couple of extremely edible breakfasts.

I'm talking waffles, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon (microwavable, but still).

Love you, my nine year old chef.

"Ode to Pumpernickel"

(skirt above courtesy of Aunt Steph)

This chick kills me. The outfits she comes up with. I gave up trying to suggest clothing ensembles (matching is over-rated) and hairstyles (she can do her own ponytails, thanks).

Her non-conformity both inspires and frustrates me.

Everytime she comes downstairs "ready for preschool, mom!" with a little funk in her trunk, so to speak, I just have to smile and tell her "I love your outfit." This gives her joy.

I imagine what a strong/independent woman she will become. This gives me great joy.

Behold, the spunkification of America:

Yo, Mexicans Know How to Party.

Catholic Church in La Jolla (below)


Que viva la raza on this one. Long live Mexican weddings. The Vildosola family is very special to me. Even McTrepidation kept commenting on what a nice family they were by the end of the night. Mariachis galore. Karlita, the bride having a bucket of Diet Coke and McNuggets brought in from McDonalds during the reception. In-N-Out Burgers delivered to the dancing-weary revelers at midnight? You bet your culito. Karlita's personality came through on EVERY detail of this wedding. Thankfully the airport in San Diego opened back up (after being closed to incoming flights due to heavy fog) and we were only an hour late to the two hour Catholic Mass (in spanish). Mr. McNoHablaEspanol was not saddened by this delay.

Classy or Puritan?

Option #3: Found this shirt at J.Crew. Kind of victorian Ralph Lauren combo. I love the necklace. My daughters didn't want to go to bed they were having so much fun doing the photoshoot. They even did my hair...

Need a post, Bekz?

Dilemma du jour:

Black tie wedding this weekend in San Diego.

(Old friends from Mexicali).

I'll mail anybody a $20 bill if they can find me a floor length evening gown that covers my parts.

And doesn't make me look 84 years old. Why the dearth of modest dresses?

Naturally I blame global warming.

{lacy short dress}

{Black cashmere sweater w/"sugarcane" ballskirt. I do so love the raspberry clutch.}

Photos courtesy of my four year old Ellison.

Too-short drapes courtesy of our landlord.

It just occurred to me...

that the photos on my sidebar are officially over one year old. Perhaps I'll update one day.

The People Have Spoken. u,,ljgh.n

That last part of the title is courtesy of my Charlotte, who is currently attempting to dance on the keyboard whilst I type.

History made. First African-American President. Prop 8 passed. Prop 102 passed. These marriage issues are obviously far from over, but at least for today traditional marriage is protected from being radically redefined by unelected judges.

Beautiful First Family. Did I vote for Obama? Nope. Do I have immense hope for the future? Absolutely. Do I think he's probably a good man/husband/father? From what little I know, yes. Did I sleep wonderfully after he gave his jaw-droppingly inspirational speech?
That's an affirmative.

Now we just wait and see which of his rhetorical lullabies will be translated into real policy.

Doom and gloom? No thanks.

The one redeeming thing about my Defensive Driving Class today.

So b.o.r.e.d. I will never ever ever ever run a yellowish light again.
I can't remember the last time I was bored. For reals.
[BORED] to literal tears, cascading down my cheeks today. Until this.

And they say the field sobriety tests are set up for failure. Ha.

Potpourri

Primp-a-Thon.

I look like I coulda maybe used a little more primping that day.

Oh, and look what my lovely cousin Liz painted.

Big Deal.

Proposition 102.

Before I agreed to dial up utter strangers at the phone bank to help garner support for Prop 102, I had to analyze the issue further. Although major proponents of this constitutional ammendment do include the Catholic, Mormon, Evangelical and Jewish churches, I found that this issue doesn't necessarily boil down to religion vs. secularism.

Interestingly, even the secular/socially liberal French have published some incredibly strong arguments in favor of preserving traditional marriage (between one man and one woman), that have nothing to do with religion. These arguments are based almost exclusively on reproductive and societal pragmatism, given that the family is the basic unit of society. The vitriolic rhetoric (from both sides, I admit) during an election cycle is unbearable. I was reading the arguments for and against Prop 102 (which would "provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state"). One argument (against, perhaps?) stated that Prop 102 is "a pointless attempt by extreme right wing special interest groups to write hatred and bigotry into our state constitution." Once again, the hate card played because there are those who don't subscribe to The Church of Gavin Newsom.

I don't feel like a hateful bigot today. For voting to preserve marriage and the family unit as it has been since the beginning of time. Not since the 1950s. Not since the early 1700s. Not even since cavemen allegedly dragged their women into caves by the hair. But since the beginning of human history.

All that aside, I love this article that resonates with my personal religious beliefs on the divine institution of marriage. I do not want my children to grow up in a genderless society. It's been interesting to watch the silent majority of people wake from their former political apathy and get involved in this literally society-altering issue.

Surprise! We're cool parents.

Yep, Disneyland. Despite scorching temps, (did I really need that mock turtleneck in 92 degree heat? Think not.) we chalked Disneyland up to a huge success. Nobody pooped their pants, threw up, or got lost.

Events transpired like so: (kids, if you're reading this, please log off without further delay). Thanks. Love you.

OK. Marc and I (who had been planning this trip for three whole days--I love doing stuff on a whim!), decided to surprise the kids. It was Fall Break. Marc had the whole week off, too. We gathered the kids around and asked them what fun stuff they wanted to do this week. They rattled off stuff like the park, movies, friends over, bike rides, Jungle Gym, etc. and I pretended to write them down and put them in a hat. But I discreetly wrote "DISNEYLAND" on all the slips of paper and then let Ellison (age four) choose what we were going to do out of the hat.

As can well be expected, Ellison achieved instant superstardom status in our household when she picked out---DISNEYLAND. The kids kept waiting for the hammer of reality to fall, but we told them to get in the car and we were off. (I had previously packed all their stuff and it was in the car ready to go). Thanks for the hat idea, SIL Melanie.

We stopped over in E.C. briefly for dad's b-day dinner, and to drop off Charlotte with my sis Sus. (18 month olds SO not invited to the big D this time).

Caroline kept saying over and over on the way up: "This is a dream come true. I can't believe I'm going to Disneyland!" She and Jackson had only been once when Caroline was a baby, and Ellison had never been. Disneyland was breathtaking with the festive fall decor all around.

Go Ahead, Wish Upon a Star

Can you guess from this photo where we went for Fall Break?

Hint: Very good corndogs.

Modern Fairytales.

Yesterday. Me. Marc. Yoga class. Together. Him staying past the 15 minutes I implored him to stay for. (Suffered through entire class, VOLUNTARILY, I swear.) This is why I love McStiffasaboard. Big points.

B.I.G.

Namaste.

A Reconciliation of Sorts...

I had to break up with my boyfriend last month. Mr. Net (first name, Inter). The McHusband was feeling neglected (he was). Blogging was a drag (not anymore). So I opted to spend more time with McSciFi in front of the TV (instead of blogging) and even suffered through Eureka just to sit by his side on the couch (Eureka not so bad, really).

With my fate as as a Fantasy Basketball Widow secured in the immediate future, I'm back in action. I've missed you.

So Much Stuff, So Little Time.

I'm totally behind the proverbial "eight ball" on this one--I meant to post this amazing benefit auction on Friday, but just got back from a fab camping trip tonight. Still, I wanted to pass along the amazing auctions that are taking place in Stephanie and Christian's behalf.
I have just spent, well, a LOT o' time, browsing the almost 300, yes, 300 auctions that are taking place only until tomorrow night (Sunday) at midnight. There's some cool stuff out there. Oh, my, what to bid on? I'm thinking a vintage apron? Perhaps some hair clips for my mini-muffin? Some hand-made jewelry?

See the Auction of the Century for yourself here.

Up, Up, and Away!

Yesterday, along with other NieNieDialogue fans around the world, we released balloons filled with well wishes for Stephanie and Christian.

I, for one, can't seem to get this family off my mind. I can't imagine not being able to see my four kids indefinitely, when that would be ALL I CRAVED. They've moved to Utah to be with Stephanie's sisters for a few weeks. At least they will be well cared for and loved like crazy. Recovery updates on Nie's sister Courtney's blog.

On a Very Somber Note

My cousin David is married to Liz. (the plucky blonde in beach photos from last post). Liz has a brother named Christian. Christian and his wife Stephanie were in a horrific plane crash on Saturday in Eastern Arizona. They are in critical condition here in Phoenix with severe burns, Christian with a broken back. They have four beautiful kids about my kids' ages (thankfully none of the kids were with them on the plane).

Blogging is a peculiar medium. Blogs paint a fairly intimate portrait of a person's life. I've never met Stephanie (NieNie), but her site was always a bright spot in my day. I surmise that she is a classy woman with many talents to share. I had asked her to do some silhouettes of my sis Susan's kids (one of her many talents).

I scarcely know what to type to convey my feelings of sadness for this whole family. Please let this young couple hold their children again soon. Please let this family feel some semblance of comfort and serenity. That is my prayer.

[CHILLAX]: (verb) To chill and/or relax.

For the past 25 years, (maybe more), my mom and dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins from my dad's side have rented the very same beach cottages in Mission Beach (called The Beach Cottages, appropriately). Mom and dad have occupied Room 210 for as long as I can remember. Too many memories to count. This year was even better. Because my sister Sus had the common sense to bring 19 year old babysitters. One for her, one for me. Not lugging a cantankerous 16 month old everywhere (Legoland, Balboa Park, out to dinner, etc) made the trip, well, downright relaxing for the first time since we had kids.