Put It On Paper

I know that I should be blogging more often. I will be somewhere, anywhere and something happens. Immediately, it churns into a blog idea with every intention to put it on "paper", but it soon escapes as time passes me by.

I will make the commitment to blog more so that I don't lose these precious moments, albeit some not so precious, they are indeed learning experiences.

Sassy Nakia

Moments that make me laugh.

Just about done with their bath, I asked Nakia Jordan to get up and out from the bath. She continues to play in the bath.

"Nakia, are you coming or what?"

"Or what," she states calmly.

Oh. my. gosh. Again, I can't help but laugh. My kids are hilarious.

Running to Kai

Moments that make me laugh.

We are in the car. I slowly approach the stoplight with two bambinos in tow. A runner crosses the street and Kyan Xander asks me, "Mommy, why is she running?"

"She's exercising."

"Mommy, is she running errands?"

Oh. my. gosh. I couldn't help but laugh. It is still hilarious.

Bad Dream

It's the middle of the night and I am half asleep when Be (my mahal) is trying to wake me up. He says that I'm screaming. Barely awake, I was able to muster the words, "bad dream".

I know what I was dreaming about. I was trying to help Chelsea King. Chelsea is the 17 year old Poway Senior that disappeared from her jog in Rancho Bernardo.

I did not know of her until her disappearance, however, one of my students did know her since the 4th grade. Evidence was found this morning, pointing to signs that she was raped and murdered. I do not know details as of yet, but the world of the King family has been turned upside down. I am so sad for her. I wish that this didn't end in tragedy. I pray for the family and friends of Chelsea King. I pray that they celebrate the short life she lived.

Granola

I can barely resist to share this.

It's a Sunday morning and getting ready to go to church. I grab my daily yogurt and granola. I crush my granola because I like my granola as fine as I can get it. I grab another pack of granola for Kyan Xander who wants one then Nakia asks for a Fiber One Oats & Chocolate bar so I grab one for her and her Daddy.

We are in the car and I open both my yogurt and granola. The way I eat them takes longer than usual as I pour some crushed granola into my yogurt and spoon out a combination of both.

So on our way to mass as I am halfway done with my yogurt and granola, Kyan says, "Mommy, I have some crumbs left in my granola bar (wrapper) for you." Awwww, I was smitten with love. He was sweet enough to think about me, even moreso observant of how I ate my yogurt and granola. That kid loves me and that moment just made my heart sing.

Complaint Unnoticed

As I am browsing through documents on my Macbook, I run across this:

September 1, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

I am disappointed that I have to write this letter. I was in your UNIVERSITY TOWNE CENTRE store, 4485 LA JOLLA VILLAGE DRIVE SAN DIEGO, CA 92122 Store Number: 97 Phone: (858) 450-0291on Sunday, August 31^st 2008 and was very upset by the behavior that was drawn onto my sister and l by the acting manager, Chelsea B, at the time.

We arrive into store #97 on a Sunday afternoon. Two employees are standing in the front of the store, one being Chelsea, did not offer any greeting of welcome. My sister and I noticed a sale for two hoodies for $60. There was only one in particular (gray and silver) that caught our attention. I asked Chelsea if there were any other smalls and she told me everything was out on the floor. Fine, I’m okay with that. I replied, “Can we check with another location to see if they have another small in their store?” She said yes, but did not move from her position, and continued folding tank tops. The other employee continued to organize clothing, without interjecting. I asked Chelsea how much it would cost if I just bought one. She responded with the price in an unkind tone. Her attitude was cold and unresponsive.

I then, took it upon myself to ask Melvin, the other employee behind the cash register to see if we can check other locations for a small. Melvin insists that he check in the back to see if there are any other smalls.

I turn around and my sister tells me that Chelsea, using no caution to her environment, is complaining to the other employee that she already told me that everything is on the floor. If she had heard me correctly, I was not asking Melvin to check the back for other small sizes, but asking him to call the other locations. Melvin took the initiative to check the back with no hesitation. When he returned, I asked who the manager of the store was. He told me that Tao was the manager, but was not in the store that day. I asked who was the manager at that time and when he pointed to Chelsea, I was even more disgruntled that a person of leadership would carry on such an attitude.

Even after that, I still decided to purchase the hoodie so that I could guarantee that I would have at least one small. Melvin spoke with the Mission Valley Store #160 and put a small on hold for me. My purse was with my sister who had already walked out of the store so I went to find her to retrieve it so that I can purchase the only small silver and grey hoodie they had. Her attempt to apologize was of such poor gesture that when I returned with my purse to purchase the hoodie, she was nowhere to be seen.

We are loyal customers of Pac Sun. We have enjoyed the products and services we have received, until Sunday. I am sure that Pac Sun prides themselves on their employees, let alone their management, to provide the best possible customer service they can offer. If that is something that is going to be compromised, then I would certainly reconsider remaining a customer in this store, as well as other locations.

I hope that this situation will be tended to, as I would not want anyone else to be treated in the manner that my sister or myself were treated.

Thank you for reading.

Note: Even after all the effort placed into this complaint letter, I never got around to sending it to them. Darn.

Path to Healthiness

2010 and I have made the decision to hold myself accountable for my physical fitness. This is definitely not an easy feat, but reassured I am committed to heading down the pathway of healthiness.

First day back at the gym in years and it feels good to actually get back into training my muscles to work again. My brother's gf, darling sweet Tracie Viles, got me working. I began my core yesterday and will be working on my chest and tris today.

My eating habits have already changed. I started READING labels and cutting down on empty, useless calories. I am working on portion control as well and eating more greens. I am truly fortunate that although I've put on quite a bit of weight, I have a husband who still loves me for who I am and continually tells me that I'm beautiful. At the same time, he encourages me.

My ultimate goal is to lose the babyfat in my midsection. Having two 9lb babies and getting sick gave me an excuse to let myself go. I know there are many mommies out there that have many more babies and still look physically fantastic. I want to be that good, physically fit mommy.

I want to be happy with my physique again. Daily, I find myself looking in the mirror and figuring out what clothes could make me APPEAR thin. I don't want to do that anymore. So I will work on my body as it is a temple. Cliche, but "we truly are what we eat" and I need to get it in my head that "a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips". I believe that now.

Before the kids came, I could eat anything and everything and my weight would not change. After I had Nakia Jordan, I lost all of the pregnancy weight and then some, however it was due to my illness. I could barely eat anything. Chewing was not an option so my diet consisted merely of very soft foods like oatmeal, soups and Ensure. As soon as I was able to chew food again, I ate and ate and ate.. and ate. I always said that I would rather be fat and healthy then skinny and sick.

Now I just want to be healthy and healthy. So as I move towards to my weight loss and nutrition improvement, I call to all of you for moral support which I'm sure I will inevitably receive. I thank you in advance.

Pamilya Update

It's been ages since I've done a family update so here's one, long overdue.

Be/Mahal

• He hardly plays his ultimate favorite game SWGB because most of the players have gone onto a new game called O. It pretty much rules your life. He tried it out, but he had to stop because he couldn't monitor it 24-7. He does still have a full time job.
• He organized the kitchen so it is more user friendly.
• He will be learning more about stocks so that he become a rich dad, not a poor dad. hehe

Kyan Xander

• My babyboy is very much growing up! He continues to blow me away. At 3.5, he is well into reading and writing his name. He already knows the basics; ABCs, colors, shapes, and even science.
• Kai still loves music. The other day, while we are listening to the radio in the car, a song comes on that he likes. He begins singing, "How low can you go? How low can you go?" Then I ask him if he knows who sings this song. "Ludacris." A-wha! I was surprised. I didn't expect him to get it. I then told him that I met Ludacris. "Mommy, I wanna MET him too." hahahha
• Kai is definitely a typical boy. He loves planes, trains and automobiles. He's still great with identifying all kinds of makes and models.
• KX is really beginning to be a lot more like me especially in eating habits. I am definitely trying to steer him away from that.

Nakia Jordan

• Nakia is truly a gem. She has learned so much so fast upon enrolling her in preschool. She just started to doing lessons this week and everything she has done is beyond our expectations.
• NJ also loves music. You will always find her singing; in the car, in the house, in the bath, playing, everywhere. Her favorites are Papparazzi, I Gotta Feeling, Down (she calls this one the "sky is falling down song").
• Now when it comes to eating, Niki still eats anything and everything. She has developed a sense of taste for what she likes, but she will always try something first. If she doesn't like it, she will express it. NJ is much more like her Daddy when it comes to appetite.
• For months, we have been trying to potty train her. You can most certainly see her moods and emotions evolve. She can be stubborn sometimes, thus the months of trying to get her on the potty. She has, however, made some progress this week. Last night, she made it known that she needed to go potty. I followed to sit her on the potty and she tells me, "I need privacy." I walk out of the bathroom then next thing you know I hear her peeing in the potty. I got so excited for her! Maybe, perhaps, this is the last box of pullups we buy for her.

I know I can add more to this .. and I probably will later, but for now this will do. :)