I'm His Girl

Last night on the way to oh-so-yummy Red Robin for dinner, 
Drew and I were listening to the radio when the Beastie Boys song "Girls" came on.


You know the one... 


Girls - to do the dishes
Girls - to clean up my room
Girls - to do the laundry
Girls - and in the bathroom
Girls, that's all I really want is girls


Well Drew and I were talking about the lyrics, and he says "you're my girl 'huh Mom?"...


after I finished laughing, I said "yes baby, I clean your room, do the laundry and the dishes... so I guess that does make me your girl...  at least until you're 18, then you're on your own."


He said, "no way, I'm never moving out. I don't want to do that stuff by myself."


I sure do love being Drew's Girl

President Mommy

As if I might ever need another reason to love my little munchkin more... 


Last night Drew gave me another one.. 


While we're laying in our my bed watching HOUSE and getting ready to get some sleep, Drew asks "what do you need to do to become president?"...


I have no clue where this question came from... but I went with it.. 


"You have to tell the people of the United States that you want to be president, and then whoever gets the most votes win."


Totally did not see the need to explain the technical presidential candidate process.... along with the fact that I can't honestly say that I know what it is.. Lol 


So my little angel thinks about it for a second and says, "I think you would win Mom, because we have a big family and they would all vote for you.... and I would definitely vote for you."


Mommy for President... with Drew as my official campaign manager


XOXO love that sweet kid of mine....

Randomness

Nothing major to report... 
So we'll just do a little catch up...
and throw in some random "facts" for fun... 


Last Thursday we had Game Night at our house again...
we were short a few guests, but still had a blast with Megan & Enrique.

This time we played Scrabble JR., Twister, Ker-plunk and Sorry.


And had funnel cake for dessert... yummy way to end a fun filled night. 

*FYI, melting Reese's cups in the microwave for a minute is NOT a great idea, thanks for the lesson Meg =)


**That night I learned that Twister requires months of yoga in order to prepare you for the crazy positions your body will end up in.


**Who in the world doesn't like strawberries? I have never heard of such a person until my crazy little cousin Meg makes the announcement that she in fact, does not care for strawberries.. How completely un-American... I'm calling Obama to have her deported to a strawberry hating country.... sheesh!!


Saturday my little monster had a baseball game and a play date with 2 boys he's known since they were all 2 years old... 
it was a long afternoon, but the boys had a blast... and I suck because I didn't take a single picture of the 3 of them... 


And Saturday night I was supposed to have a .... well, ... something.. (not sure what to call it).. with my on going "male friend"... but at the last minute I canceled, and decided I'd rather make lemon bread with the munchkin and have dinner with our neighbors/in-laws...


**This lemon bread recipe called for the peel of the lemon, but no juice.. I thought that was pretty strange, but just went with it. Turned out good.. but not lemony enough for me. 


**That night I was reminded of how everyone parents differently... I don't like it, but I am (kinda sorta not really) working on accepting it... 


Sunday was such a good day.... 
well, aside from the fact that my allergies were killing me ALL day... 


After the cable man showed up at 7:55am to fix the cable... 
Drew and I went out front to sweep & clean up the porch and drive way.
When we finished, he decided to ride his bike... which he's ridden about 3 times in 2 years... obviously, he's not gonna be a biker boy... 


and again I suck, because I didn't take a single picture of the rare event, but I'm ok with that because I was too busy enjoying my son.... 


that afternoon we took the 2 crazy dogs to the park... 
and while walking around the lake, checking out the ducks and turtles, we came across an egg.. 

Not sure if it's a duck or goose egg... but it was cool to see... 

unfortunately, it was cracked a little, so I doubt whatever is inside will survive.... 

and that night, I went for round 2 with the lemon bread... 

this time I added some of the lemon juice which really helped the flavor... score 1 point for me!!

Sunday night I also came across something that made me smile from ear to ear and also melted my heart just a bit.... 

It's kinda hard to tell in the picture... but after I had shampooed our carpets last week, some how there's this tiny little foot print now on my carpet..... 

Right next to our chair in the living room, is a footprint stain from Drew.... 

and I LOVE it... 

It was a great weekend... and so far the week is starting off well.

What Defines You?

This morning... I had the pleasure of reading a blog that made me think.. and smile...


Blondie 'N' SC posed the question "what defines you?"



And for me it's the simplest answer ever...

Drew.... 

I am Drew's Mom... 

100%, through and through, every single ounce of me... 

every second, of every day for the rest of my life... 

I am Drew's Mom.

Some say that there is more to it...

They say I am also a daughter, an aunt, a cousin... 

A friend, a co-worker, a woman, a district administrator... ect.... 

But I say no... 

I am Drew's Mom... 

Sure those other labels may be true... 

but they do not define me... 

Nope...

In my eyes... in my heart... 

In my soul... 

This six year old..

hilarious, cautious, quick thinking, giggling,

absolutely adorable, 35 lb., genius, football loving,

Oreo eating, video game playing, sweet boy... 

defines me... 

I am Drew's Mom.

And I can't think of anything else in the world that I would rather be. Not even for a second...

Spring Break

After another baseball filled weekend... 
Drew is officially on Spring Break.


Which actually means nothing in our house.
Since I still have to work during the week, Drew spends the day at daycare...
which sucks, but they go on field trips so it's not too bad for him.


But we did go to the beach on Sunday,
and it turned out to be a lot colder than expected so we didn't stay long.
We headed home and baked cookies, and enchilada pie and played video games.

spilled a little flour.. but who cares when you're having fun.. 

And I took the day off yesterday so we could go to Disneyland & California Adventure... 

Happy Spring Everyone!! 

Overwhelmed.. Party of 1...

Last night I was on the verge of hosting my own private pity party... 


I was officially overwhelmed...
and it felt like this juggling act I've been perfecting for the last six years, was about to come crashing down in my face....


I've been a single mom since the day my son was conceived.
It's been Drew & I from day one, and I've never wanted it any other way... never


It hasn't always been perfect.. or even easy for that matter.. but it was us, and I was more than content. 


Household chores have always been the last thing on my To-Do list,
I've always put our play time, homework, or trips to Disneyland before any sort of errand, work, chore or obligation.... 


Happiness first... 


But we've always had a schedule... ALWAYS... 


When Drew started Kindergarten last year, we started a new schedule that revolved around school and homework... but we always had time for the extras.. 
the long bath times so we could play Ninja Turtles... the trips to get ice cream after dinner & take a walk... the endless hours of board games & video games...


There was always time... 


But for some reason, with this new adventure into Little League, 
all time is lost... 
our schedule is ever changing... and pretty much non-existent... 


Which is driving me insane... completely overwhelming me..


By the time we get home from practices or games it's late.. 
it's past our normal dinner time...
it pushes everything in our schedule out at least an hour and somethings just have to be neglected all together... 


Don't get me wrong..
I love watching Drew play baseball... it's a big change for him... and he's loving it.


But having to rush through our daily lives because of baseball is not fun... it sucks.


Last night I looked around the house at all the things that need to get done that I just haven't made the time or effort to do... I thought about our upcoming weekend and the following week... between practices, games, Disneyland, the beach and family stuff, I'm afraid we'll barely have time to breathe...


And so for a moment I started feeling sorry for myself... 
wondering how other single mothers managed... 
how single mothers of multiple children would possibly ever manage... 


Then I realized that I am not alone... 
there are mothers and fathers going through this and more on a daily basis... 
I am not the only one.. and I certainly don't have it the hardest.. 

And then this morning I was slapped in the face with an even harder reality... 

another reminder that my life is a cake walk compared to the things other families are dealing with...

This morning I found out that my best friend... a woman I've known for 16 years... 

is dealing with the fact that her mom... my 2nd mom... has a brain tumor... 

How dare I feel sorry for myself...

So today I'm thinking of mom.. and the entire Toro family... and wishing for the best possible outcome..

I am not overwhelmed... 

I am in fact lucky...

The New Wednesday...

Between the ages of 19 and 21
practically all of my Wednesdays meant one thing...


Mr. Garcia


Wednesdays meant carefree, reckless, passionate, dangerous, silly, and fulfilling days and nights...
Wednesday meant semi-drama, "working" late, hotels, kisses, urgency and lots of water...


Between the ages of 21 and 23
Wednesday blended in as just another day of the week in the beginning... 
but by age 23 Wednesday became about one of my least favorite things...


Sharing


Sharing Drew...


Wednesday Drew's dad got off work early so it became the day he would pick Drew up and keep him over night... at this point, I resented Wednesdays... 
Wednesdays became nights of tears, sadness, and an empty spot in my our bad... 


Then between age 23 and 26
Wednesday began to revolve around Mr. Garcia again... 


Since Drew was gone every Wednesday, it just became our night again... 
strange coincidence...
But this time around things were slightly different.... 


Wednesdays included dinners, American Idol, Taye Diggs, what-ifs, the YL house, trips to Wal-mart laughs, sewing.... (this list could go on forever... )


And now at age 27
Wednesday nights have changed once again... 


Drew now owns my Wednesdays....
Drew and Little League... 


My Wednesday nights are now spent at the ball park watching my son practice baseball.
Running for the ball, batting, stretching, and catching... 


Drew still goes home with his Dad on Wednesday nights....
and I go home to my empty bed... 


But I like these Wednesdays....


I get more time with my son..
More time to watch him grow... watch him laugh and smile... 


Thank you Little League for giving me half of my Wednesdays back.

Thankful for the imperfections...

Last night was my Parent-Teacher conference at Drew's school.


Last year in Kindergarten, all of our conferences went well...
Very well...
Drew is nice, smart, polite, above average, well-mannered, quiet....ect....


Our first conference of this year, 1st grade, also went very well..
His teacher mentioned that Drew finishes his work quickly, then becomes bored waiting for the other kids to finish, but never distracts them... and she said he isn't very patient when it comes to her reading the directions to the class, he prefers to read for himself and work on his own.. but still a pleasure to have in class....


Last night was a little different... 
Not bad.. just different...


Last night Drew's teacher went over some of his test with me and showed me where it was very obvious he wasn't taking his time to read thoroughly.... 
I thought maybe he was rushing so that he could be done first, but she said that wasn't the issue.. 
the issue is that Drew is OVERLY confident in his scholastic abilities..,
(if you know Drew at all, you know he is overly confident in anything he does... otherwise he won't do it)
Drew simply takes a quick look at a problem, writes down his answer and moves on... 
She wasn't overly concerned with the problem, just a little frustrated since she knows Drew is more than capable of answering these problems correctly. 


I, on the other hand, was not happy .... 
It's not just the information in the problems the teacher gives that he knows... I know that Drew knows how to correctly and affectively solve problems, whether it's a grammar problem, math facts, or any other subject... 
My son knows the correct way to handle his school work, and he's simply chosen not to. 
That is frustrating to me... 
and unacceptable in our house.


Then she tells me we have a potential "bully issue"...
How in the world could MY sweet, shy, tiny, adorable little angel possibly ever be taken for a bully? You've got to be kidding me...... 


Apparently Drew likes to "borrow" pencils from one of the little girls in class... 
He calls it borrowing because he asked once before and she allowed him... 
She calls it stealing because he never asked again after that day and when she asks for her pencils back, he refuses.... 


My kid is a pencil thief.
And if he didn't have a HUGE collection of random pencils at home, I may not have believed the teacher so easily... 
But she had me on this one.... 


So we talked about the pencil drama... reminded Drew he could go to jail for stealing pencils (hey, it got the point across... I hope) and he apologized. 


So my little love is not so perfect after all..... 
Yet I am thankful... 


I am thankful for the little boy that sleeps next to me every night (even though he kicks me)
I am thankful for the little boy who has the attitude of his mother and the smile of his father
I am thankful that I have my little boy.. at home with me.. in my arms... 
I am thankful for my son.. 


Tonight there will be parents going to sleep with out their children... 
and I am thankful that I am not one of them... 


I am thankful for my imperfect angel...

525,600 Minutes...

This weekend was a good weekend...


Drew had opening day for T-ball Saturday morning, and then a game after the ceremonies, so we spent most of the day at the ball park...

First time up to bat

running to first base

waiting at 1st while Dad pitches

Drew, Nate & Miranda

Drew had a great time at the game and absolutely loved it.... 

He was up to bat twice and each time he hit the ball without having to use the tee and ran as fast as his little legs would carry him... 

I had a great time out there too...

It's our first experience with an organized sport like this, and so far we're loving it. 

It was hard for me to stay in my seat though...

I kept getting as close as possible to take pictures and had to stand up and yell and cheer for my baby as often as possible. 

Technically, they don't keep score for T-ball... but we WON!!! Go Angels!!

Then on Sunday

our family had a girls day out... 

Drew went to Disneyland with his dad,

while my mom, sister, 3 cousins, 2 aunts and grandma all went to see a performance of RENT.

First we had brunch at my aunt's house out by the pool, then headed to the theater.

Aunt Dena, Mom, Aunt Doreen, Sister, Amanda

Grandma & Jordan & Shakespeare

I had never seen a performance of RENT and I barely watched 5 minutes of the DVD because I just wasn't getting it at all.. and honestly it just seemed a little weird to me... 

But the show was great. We had so much fun.. laughed hysterically, shed some tears... and really enjoyed the whole thing.

Me, Mom & Sister

After the show we walked around a bit and then went to dinner. 

It was a great day spent with my amazing family..... 

Luv U Grams

Just wanted to take a moment... 


To say thank you...
I love you..
I appreciate and respect you....

Grandma, Mom & Me

My grandma is truly one in a million... 

and the thought of my life with out her is unimaginable... 

I love you grandma... 

Today, Tomorrow & Forever.... 

Learning to Sew

Last night while Drew was playing Madden...


... AGAIN.....


I decided to sew a few more rows onto my rag rug...


Of course once Drew sees me doing this, he decides he wants to sew too.
He wanted to sew the rug with me, but since the layers are so thick I didn't think it was a great idea, so we grabbed two loose strands of fabric and decided to let him sew them together.


He was going good.. neither of us got poked... 
but once I showed him how he had sewn the 2 pieces together and they weren't going to come apart, he asked what we were going to do with them.. ( I was planning to just remove the thread and use them later on the rug... umm.. not so much..)


Drew decided he would make himself a hat out of it... so he kept sewing a little more... 

Drew's Hat... 

He put the hat on and was very impressed with his work.. 

He says "Mom remember one of the Lakers wears one like this?"... 

Ummm.. ya babe.. of course Mommy remembers...

Modeling his new head ware... 

The show off had to be in the picture of my rug-in-progress.... 

My Itty Bitty

Last night right before bed
Drew and I started looking through his baby book.


Drew liked reading about the toys he had as a baby
and the friends he met in daycare.


We filled in the chart about his first loose tooth 
and then I went to record his current height and weight....
and my heart broke just a little bit....


The height and weight chart only goes to age 5.
The yearly fill-in pages for info only go up to age 5.


According to the baby book, my son is no longer a baby....
This was very disappointing.. 


So I just took matters (and a pen) into my own hands
and added the sixth year onto the charts... 
along with the info.... 


Check out my boy rockin the Buzz Lightyear chonies... 

sorry for the horrible picture quality..

have i mentioned how much I HATE this camera?

The love of my life... my 6 year old...

Weighs 36 pounds and is 42 inches tall.... 

Yep, he's an itty bitty one....

Best friends....

In other news....

The street in front of my office has become the official 

city dumping ground for dogs...

(ok, maybe that's not officially true, but keep reading and judge for yourself)

Every.Single.Day there are at least 2 different dogs running around down the street in front of my office...

Along with these random dogs are the dogs that I'm convinced the neighboring office uses for breeding, out there running loose in the street...

Monday this lovely little man graced me with his presence...

I am a true dog lover.... LOVER...

every time I see a dog out there, I want to take it home...

and this guy was such a sweetheart and was begging for attention..

Unfortunately my landlord (grandpa) says my yard isn't big enough for a large dog...

otherwise this beauty would have become our 4th family member for sure.

Then Tuesday, by the end of the day I had counted 7 dogs that had run by at one point or another throughout the day... SEVEN...

After trying to catch the first 3... who weren't so friendly and ran away....

I gave up for the day... 

I am currently working to convince my boss that we need at least one (or 8) office/yard dogs... Doesn't every office NEED a dog?