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Archive for May, 2008

The weather was absolutely perfect today.  No clouds in the sky, light breeze, one of those days impossible to remain indoors.

We took a drive to Long Beach and wandered around that little plaza that has a Wahoo’s with the perfect outdoor patio, a Bevmo and a little cake store that makes really amazing mini bundt cakes.  Went home for naps, took Big Mochi to tumbling (Baby Mochi slept through her gymnastics class), and then headed back out to walk around Seal Beach to eat Cold Stone.  We were going to pick one of those restaurants out that way, but decided to pick up at Sam Woo instead for their Chow Mein.  Best day ever!!!! 

16) Try as many things as you can.  You’ll never know what you like or don’t like until you do. 

Elmo and most of the gang left Sesame Street and put on a show for us at the Nokia Theater today.  It was all about exploring what you want to be when you grow up.  Pretty fun stuff, except I had to ask Big Mochi who a couple of the new guys were.  And when did Prairie Dawn lose her braids?  She’s got a bob, and frankly, I’m not sure I’m too impressed with it.  What I was impressed with was Cookie Monster doing a somersault.  Mr. Snuffleupagus (sp?), Barkley and anyone human stayed behind. 

Speaking of, do you remember when no one could see Mr. S except Big Bird and the kids?  I think I enjoyed being a part of that secret back then and was a little bummed to find out later that he was no longer invisible to any non-adult.  I even remember when Barkley was introduced.  I remember wishing a real dog existed that big and lovey.

Across the street from the Nokia Theater, which is beyond awesome, by the way, is the Staples Center.  So we all took a stroll over there to pick up some Lakers gear for the playoffs!!!!!!!

I am having an emotional day.  I think I need to go to sleep and refresh.  Check back again tomorrow, please.

Okay, just as promised, here are the potentials:

• Jin Patisserie in Venice – I’ve never been but my friend raves it’s good.  Their website is impressive and everything looks beautiful, but it’s damn far for me and with the gas prices over $4/gallon, I’m wondering if it’s gas-worthy.
• Sam Woo in Cerritos - Lisa said she’d rather go eat dim sum, but I have never been to a Sam Woo that wasn’t totally awesome.  This one rocks.  We don’t go as often as we’d like to because it’s family style and it’s better when you go with lots of people so you can have lots of everything.
• Tofu House in Cerritos - this restaurant is a little pricey, but they serve a LOT and it’s great Korean food.  Gotta love a place with metal chopsticks and scissors instead of knives.  Plus, they make their own tofu and that burnt rice soup thing at the end is always a treat.  I think they took away their soft serve machine, which is a bummer.
• Gerry’s Fish – It’s a filipino chain that opened up in Cerritos.  Grand Opening going on right now.  Their pancit wasn’t the greatest, but their ahi steaks and chicken skewer things were amazing.  My mochis sat there completely silent just chowing down on everything.
• Roy’s at Fashion Island in Newport Beach – Lisa and Roy, they’re like this (see my fingers crossed?).  Great sampler meal and cannot dine there without eating their chocolate souffle.  I’m not a chocolate fan but this cannot be passed up. 
• Yard House at Long Beach pier – Me and G’s date night location.  Best appetizers, beer, and their chilean sea bass is heavenly.  I dream about it.  Their onion rings and poke and even something as simple as edamame is better there.
• Ango Tei in Costa Mesa next to Mitsuwa – there is always a line, which is annoying, but it’s because they have the best quality sushi you can find.
• Inka Grill in Costa Mesa – they have the best lamb stew in the universe
• Arte Cafe in Cerritos – another one of me and G’s date nights.  Super atmosphere and fabulous food. 

If only she were here for a full month, we could hit them all!  Even Rubio’s or Wahoo’s for fish tacos, Boudin for their crab cake sandwiches, Sushi West, aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

When Lisa comes to visit, we will spend our time eating.  There are so many to choose from but we’ve narrowed it down some:

• La Creperie in Long Beach - Been there about 4 times in the past 6 months and it never disappoints.  Great food, great service, great atmosphere.  The only complaint I have is parking, but even that is not bad.
• Bruddah’s in Gardena – the best Hawaiian plate lunch place around.  Their sweet sour spare ribs cannot be beat.  Or their poke.  Or their adobo.  And their beef stew is just like my mom’s…
• Sweet Divas Cottage Bistro in Brea – the place is beautiful, the scones are the best you can find, the tea is superb.  The service is lacking but I don’t go there for the service so I return.
• Mamma’s Sushi in Lakewood – this is my family’s favorite local Japanese restaurant.  Their service is great, the food is always good.  They have rolls and specials that you can’t find anywhere else.   Not to mention Happy Hour even on the weekends is sooooooo worth it!
• Ferraro’s Cucina Italiana in Long Beach – Another one of our local favorites.  I think they’re family owned/run and they are amazing, nothing more can be said.  We love their house chianti.
• There’s this dim sum restaurant next to Lee’s Sandwiches on Pioneer.  I think that’s considered Artesia.  It’s in the corner and it has authentic dim sum comparible to Chinatown in LA.  Go on the weekends because their menu expands to the extra good stuff like rice cake!

Those are the definites.  Tomorrow I’ll get to the potentials.  By the way, all of these, with the exception of Sweet Divas, are totally kid-friendly.  Let me know what you think!

Our favorite song is the “Everywhere I Go” Noggin in-between sung by Moose, not only because it’s cute, but because Big Mochi sings along.  Baby Mochi will sometimes dance, but for the most part, she waits until she knows when the cow will appear and says, “Moo” right before he does.  It’s the cutest thing watching them.  I’m sure a million other 4-year olds know it by heart as well, but I will fight to the death to argue that MY mochi sings it better than yours.

Days are the sunniest
Jokes are the funniest
Rabbits are the bunniest
Hives are the honeyest
Elephants the ton-iest
Troubles, they’re the none-iest

Everywhere I go!

Straws are the bendiest
Time is the spendiest
Cards are the sendiest
Books are the lendiest
Fun’s the pretendiest
Friends are the friendiest

Everywhere I go!

Berries are the fruitiest
Shoes are the bootiest
Puppies are the cute-iest
Treasure is the lootiest
Teams are the rootiest
Horns are the tootiest

Everywhere I go!

Birds are the tweetiest
Candy is the sweetiest
Socks are the feetiest
Tricks are the treatiest
Drums are the beatiest
Lunch is the eatiest

Everywhere I go!

Flowers are the smelliest
Jams are the jellyest
Rain’s the umbrelliest
Tales are the telliest
Wishing is the welliest
Buttons are the belly-est [but ew, Z's piko freaks me out]

Everywhere I go!

Skies are the blue-iest [here Baby Mochi says "Moo"]
Cows are the mooiest
Gum is the chewiest
Ghosts are the booiest
Goo is the gooeyest
You can be your you-iest

Everywhere I go!

People who know me know that I don’t share.  It’s totally overrated.  I remember when I was little and someone was telling me how sharing is the right thing to do, and I kept thinking of how absurd that was.  If I share, that means I have less and why would I want that?  And you know I’m talking about food, right?  That’s a given.

But being a parent changes all that, doesn’t it?  You teach them to share with each other and praise them when they do.  You share with them, and surprisingly, I find myself going without to supply the demand from little mochis saying “pleath” and “peesh.”  I remember my mom used to go without and acted as though she genuinely was okay with it.  Now I know what she feels like.  There is something so great about giving the little ones what you so enjoy.  And when I give them a snack and they automatically offer some to the other without hesitation, they are enjoying some of that, too. 

But believe me, this sharing thing is a hard thing to do when it comes to the perfect Japanese pear, a Mrs. Field’s milk chocolate chip cookie, or the last slice of pie.

Today was the big UFC fight: BJ Penn vs Sean Sherk.  Great food, great company, great entertainment.  Great day overall, except that I forgot that I took my car in for overnight service last night and since G had to work today, I don’t have mobility until he got back around lunchtime.  So Big Mochi’s hair never got cut and I didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked before people came.  I had a great time, though.  So did the mochis, although Baby Mochi seemed a little upset that it was so late before we fed her, bathed her, and put her to bed.  She was a sport, stayed up late, and cheerfully said good night to everyone before heading off by herself to her crib… as if she could climb in there all by herself.  Even Big Mochi went down without complaint an hour after her bedtime.  Now, it’s time for mine.  I hope to get a morning bike ride in tomorrow so I’m signing out.  Peace.

…mine, at least.  Know what that means?  Free babysitter, baby!!!  Well, sorta.  Not like we have big plans to go anywhere.  Tomorrow is a busy day.  Gotta do some major laundry and clean out the guest room, which turns into storage when no one is here.  But starting this weekend until the end of July, we have non-stop guests coming in.  Gonna go get Big Mochi’s hair chopped off.  Then I need to get food for the big UFC fight night at our house.  Sean Sherk and BJ Penn.  I will stop at Marukai to get some Hawaiian Sun juice (which is on sale this week) and there is a Beard Papas there so gotta get some of those yummy cream puffs, too!  If you don’t know what they are, look it up.  It is the BEST you will ever have.  Ever.  Seriously.  Meals, naps, bath, food preparation… it’s a big day!

If my back/neck is completely healed up and the weather lets me, I will try to take a bike ride on Sunday morning before the mochis have tumbling/gymnastics classes in the afternoon.  Ooh.  Just thinking about everything makes me want to take a nap.  But maybe on Sunday night G and I can have a quick date night while the grandparents stay in.

 It’s late.  I’m going to watch the Brave Little Toaster and get to bed.

I just remembered I used to sleep over at Lisa’s house a lot.  We lived 15 miles apart, which is really really far when you live in Hawaii.  And Lisa used to sleep over my house a lot.  And when we were at my house, we spent a lot of time eating and watching late-night tv.  When we were at Lisa’s house, we spent a lot of time swimming and playing backgammon.  We spent the summer between 8th and 9th grade at the beach every single day floating in the ocean.  And waiting for the bus to take us to one home or the other.  Sometimes we went around the island on the bus.  It was always just the 2 of us.  Those were different times, of course.  Safer times.  We were good girls.  We never did anything bad.  We didn’t have cell phones.  Awesome times.  My poor little mochis will never have that kind of freedom.  No way would I let either of them venture off with just a friend.  It saddens me, but then I wonder – What the hell were our moms thinking!??!?! 

15) When it comes to something that you REALLY want that isn’t a necessity, wait 7 days.  If you still REALLY want it after 7 days, go get it.  That will get rid of buyer’s remorse.  And sometimes it’ll be on sale.  If it’s gone, it just wasn’t meant to be.

We started out at age 11? 12?  That’s when I met Lisa.  We were in intermediate school and I was fascinated by her advanced vocabulary and directness.  I don’t think we hit it off from the very start, but after all these years, we remain loyal and true.  It seems we spent most of our teenage years waiting.  Waiting for the bus, waiting for our moms to get off work, waiting to get older so we could get jobs, waiting for the weekends, waiting for school to end so we could finally get off the island.  And then we did.  I went from Hawaii to California and stayed here.  She went from Hawaii to Vermont and would call me and say, “It’s 2 today,” as in 2 degrees, never as a complaint, but as a statement of fact.  That’s right.  She willingly chose to be there.  Although she’s never said so, I can imagine with some clarity the looks and thoughts that ran across people who discovered she came from Hawaii – to Vermont. 

Eventually she returned to Hawaii to thaw out, and now she’s back in Boston getting way too smart. 

But it seems she will be taking a little vacation and coming to visit her favorite daytime superhero: ME!!!!!!!!!!  In less than 2 weeks!!!  She’ll meet up once again with Big Mochi, who was not even sitting up on her own the first time they met.  And she will meet Baby Mochi for the first time EVER, though they are not strangers in each other’s lives.  And best of all for me, we’ll get to go eat and drink and eat some more, just like we used to!  Except back then it was entire batches of rice krispies treats in one sitting, not even bothering to put it in a pan but instead, just pulled it out of a bowl in large chunks.  And lots of hot tea.  Trumps championships, backgammon, hanafuda, you name it, we ruled.  Ahhh… those were the days…

If you remember, Friday was a bust.  Big Mochi had a blazing fever and remained horizontal all day and night.  I slept with her on the livingroom floor and woke up with a stiff neck.  She recovered and I got a cold.  I was now Batman with a cold.  I’ve had stiff necks before but since I wasn’t exercising regularly, I wasn’t stretching.  I only stretch when I exercise.  So I carry on with my life.  A litte pain never hurt me.  I took Baby Mochi to tumbling class on Sunday while Big Mochi napped.  She climbed on a mini trampoline and sat down.  I stepped up onto the slightly bigger trampoline next to hers and jumped on it, showing her what she was supposed to do.  My brilliant child caught on quick and we both jumped for a while.  Loads of fun, but most likely compacting the damage to my neck/back.  I went to work Monday but later woke up in the wee hours of the morning unable to move.  It was that pain that shoots through you making you inhale sharply.  I had G help me to the shower, longest walk down the hallway EVER… and after a few minutes of hot water on my back, my neck went POP! and I was able to move slightly again.  As soon as I got out of the shower, though, I stiffened up again and was in pain pain pain.  Poor G had to take off work to take care of the mochis and get me to the chiropractor.  Of course, it was Tuesday and they work from 3-6 on Tuesdays.  I know, right??  So I go to G’s chiropractor and guess what?  Tuesdays they work from 3-6, too!!!!!!!!  What’s up with that?!  Anyway, it just got worse and worse.  I couldn’t even work from  home because the Time Warner guys up the pole outside meant our internet was down.  I eventually made it in to the chiropractor and he adjusted me after a lot of stretching and pulling, which left me breathless and near tears.  It wasn’t relief, but at least I knew I wasn’t completely broken.  Still in pain, I downed an Advil.  Then I realized that the one I took in the morning didn’t do anything, so I took another one.  While it didn’t have the effect of an epidural, which would’ve been fabulous, it took the edge off, and that I can appreciate.

There is only a handful of people who get this post, but it cracked me up and I’d like to memorialize it.  Yesterday I prepared the only gourmet meal I know how to make.  Agedashi tofu and vegetable-stuffed chicken tempura.  In these 2 dishes, it’s all about the sauces.  As you know, tofu has no taste.  So you deep fry it with a flour coating (corn starch would’ve worked better, but it’s been over 14 years since I’ve made this dish before so all I remember is white flour-y tofu cubes.  Anyway, it makes for an absorbant skin that will soak up the tempura sauce with grated daikon and ginger and green onion Os.  The superfabulous chicken tempura sauce (shoyu, mirin and sherry with some grated garlic) gets absorbed by the tempura batter and the vegetables (bean sprouts, onions and carrots) rolled inside the chicken.  The chicken is double-saran-wrapped and boiled so as to hold its shape while you tempura it.  Like that?  I used tempura as a verb! 

My dishes were awesome.  At least G and I thought so.  Baby Mochi opted, instead, for some Kraft Easy mac, some green beans and half a banana.  Big Mochi was annoyed that her beloved tofu (which she eats in cold raw naked cubes) was now warm and soggy from a brown sauce which she didn’t particularly care for.  Instead, she just ate rice and the chicken, but she peeled off its tempura skin and removed the vegetables inside that I worked so hard to put IN there!!! 

In the end, I still had a big fat 6″ piece of daikon left.  I don’t do anything with it so I sadly told G I was going to throw it away, to which he replied, “You cannot make ‘um yellow or something?” 

I said I didn’t know, but leave it to my faithful Hongwanji Cook Book to give me the recipe for takuan!

The next morning, my stinky fridge told me it was ready, and with the exception of it being white (because I don’t own food coloring), it tastes like home!

There comes a time in every baby’s life when crayons just don’t appear tasty anymore.  For Baby Mochi, that day was today.  She drew this masterpiece on her blue Mammut table from Ikea while sitting on her blue Mammut chair next to Big Mochi. 

Shortly after, however, she realized that crayons are not limited to paper.  That giant blue slate of table also serves as a nice canvas for her newfound talent.  That’s okay, because I have PIKA!

My pika is the Japanese melamine foam wondersponge that you might have seen the bald and smily Mr. Clean claiming as his own (except he calls it a Magic Eraser).  But let’s give credit where credit is due, folks.  The Japanese version has been around a long time - back before before Mr. Clean was little bald Baby Clean, before he grew his own hair, freaked out his parents by getting his ear pierced, and then disguised his receding hairline by shaving and polishing that nice shiny head we all know and love.  Just kidding… it was only around the mid-80s, I think, but still, it started in Japan because let’s face it, the Japanese are crazy.  They come up with the most unbelievable stuff, like a pre-deodorizing toilet drop that actually works … but I digress.  Umm, what was my point?  Oh yeah… my pika sponge.  Not only does it remove beautiful artwork where it doesn’t belong, but it even took off the Sharpie drawing Big Mochi did a few days after the we got the table!  Sharpies are permanent, guys!  How cool is that??

It’s beautiful outside.  87 degrees.  Big Mochi’s fever broke and she’s talking and singing and eating like normal, but there’s a hint of sleepiness to her and she’s not jumping around like normal.  I gave her a warm bath this morning so she’d feel better after lying on the couch all this time.  Little did I know she G and Baby Mochi were outside waiting in the car for us to go get some Robek’s.  We rushed out and had a nice drink.  Then since both Mochis were happy to be out, we ran to Sam’s Club to get some Drano and soup.  It was fairly early so the food testers were just getting started and we got to sample tons of stuff.  The only thing they got us on was the flat pretzels.  The rest were okay, I mean, we all got full eating, but we didn’t bring any of it home. 

On the way home, we passed by a tiny library next to a big park, and saw that little kids were riding ponies.  G stopped, let Big Mochi and me out, and then took Baby Mochi home with him to put her down for a nap and put the groceries away.  Well, once we left the car without her, Baby Mochi threw a fit and so he had to put the food away and turn back.  Turns out there was a very cool Library event.  A mini fishing pond (blow-up kiddie pool) was set up with magnetic poles and plastic ducks and fish.  If you got one, you got to pick out a toy.  There was face painting, pony rides, bubbles, a juggling/magic show, and hot dogs and drinks.  Everything but the food was free.  And when you checked in, there was a table full of brand new kids’ books you could pick out and free t-shirts.  Very cool.  Inside the library was a little play area for the littler kids.  We had a great time.  I just wish I had my camera with me!!!

Now everyone’s asleep.  My cold is slightly worse than yesterday so I’m going to take a nap, too.  Nigh-nigh!

Last night everything was fine.  Mochis were happy, G and I watched a really dumb movie, but had a good time with it.  I went to bed happy.  At 2 am, Big Mochi wakes up crying.  She is burning up and is miserable.  G doses her with Tylenol and water and lays her out on a comforter on the livingroom floor where it’s cool and keeps a wet towel on her head.  I check her temperature, doubt the thermometer because she is way hotter than it reads.  She sleeps next to G.  Baby Mochi wakes up happy and when I check on the big one, she’s still super hot.  I dose her with more Tylenol and water, and she lies back down on the couch.  A few minutes later, she bolts up, whimpers and we run to the bathroom where she empties her tummy.  She doesn’t cry and is a great sport considering the horrible circumstances.  I take Baby Mochi to Aunty’s house and call the doctor on my way back.  I pick up breakfast for G and I, eat, and then head out to the pre-school to get paperwork taken care of, and then to the doctor, where they tell us that something is definitely going around and if she’s got it, it will not last long.  We get back home and Aunty calls me asking me to pick up Baby Mochi, who might be sick as she is inconsolable and has been yelling for hours.  I head out again, and she’s fine.  She misses her big sister, it seems.  At home, she’s fine, eats well, plays and is happy.  Naptime was a little more adventurous, as she got into the little tower of drawers that held my craft supplies.  She reached between her crib bars and emptied out the top drawer.  Crafts everywhere.  For 45 minutes she must’ve been working on all this.  It took me almost another 45 minutes to clean it up and then I put her back and she took a long nap.  Had dinner and baths and my day is finally over.  Did I mention I woke up with a sore throat today?  Yeah, and it just got progressively worse throughout the day, spreading to a cough, watery eyes, sinus troubles and a very hard heavy headache.  That being said, I am now going to bed.

Today is my Friday.  For you, it’s Thursday but since I am not going to work tomorrow, it’s my Friday.  On Fridays we do something fun.  So tonight’s big adventure is going to the mall and letting the girls play in the indoor playground and then eat dinner at the mini tables and mini chairs at the food court.  And if Big Mochi has to go potty, this food court has a family bathroom with mini toilets.  Way cool.  Since I’m not a big fan of feeding Baby Mochi fried foods, I packed her green beans and toddler pasta and banana and she is a happy camper.

Tomorrow G and I are signing up Big Mochi for pre-school!  I can’t believe how fast this snuck up on me.  She’s been asking me for a while when she will go, and it’s time.  >>>I’M<<< finally ready.

This morning on the way to Aunty’s house, Big Mochi tells me very seriously that cars cannot be made out of cheese.  The sun would melt it flat and then we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.  But you can throw pepperoni on it if you want.  How about houses, I ask?  Can you build houses out of cheese?  That’s disGUSting!  And NO, you canNOT put pepperoni on those!

 Deep thoughts at age 4.

I Netflixed P.S. I Love You last night and Harry Connick Jr. has a character without “filters.”  Meaning, he says whatever pops into his head regardless of it being rude or inappropriate.  He explains that it’s a syndrome and he can take pills for it.  Then during one scene where he’s saying something kind of rude to Hillary Swank, she asks him if he took his pill today.  Cracked me up.  Like Cordelia Chase: “I think it, I say it.  It’s my way.”  Love that.

It would be a cool excuse to have once in a while… to be frank and totally say what you mean and then claim that you forgot your pill, wouldn’t it? 

3) I spend dimes and pennies and take all my nickels and quarters to Vegas to cash in.  Coinstar is a ripoff, and my banks charge ME for depositing MY OWN money into MY OWN account?!!  That pisses me off to no end, I tell ya.  We still have a lot more dimes and pennies from our piggy banks to go, but eventually we’ll break it all down.

4) I subscribe electronically to every place I frequent.  That way I get updates, coupons, sales, free shipping offers and reminders.  Comes in very handy when you all-year Christmas shop!  We also get a lot of freebies during our birthday months… particularly the ice cream shops!

5) I have belonged to a very cool survey website for about 9 years.  Not only do I complete the surveys they send, but they also send me a lot of stuff to try out before it hits the market!  The Press N Seal Cling Wrap?  I got to try that out before it hit the stores.  I am now sampling Garnier Fructise Shampoo and Conditioner, which I am kinda digging.  I have gotten lots of diapers and wipes (in huge packs), food, detergent, etc.  I was a loyal Tide detergent fan until I sampled Gain.  Lots of fun and the rewards add up!

That’s about all I got stored up in my brain right now.  I’m too tired to think.  Good night!

There are things the mochis do every single day that makes me sit back in amazement and go WOW!  The sleepless nights and the crying fits and the helpless times when they are sick and miserable… it’s all worth it.  You stare at them and smile and give them encouragement and reflect back that you did OKAY.  This little person is YOUR little person.  They are happy, healthy, growing, learning, and are confident that they are loved and love you back.  You make sacrifices for them and go without just so they can have that extra care they deserve, and you don’t even think twice.  It’s what you do out of love, never expecting a thank you or any type of compensation. 

My mom sacrificed a lot and still does.  I take a lot of my parenting from what she and my grandmas taught me growing up.  And when I come across people who just don’t seem to get it, I always remind myself that not everyone was raised the same way I was.  So here’s to you, Mom!  I love you!! 

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

1) I like to walk to 7-11 and pick up the Sunday paper on Saturday.  That way I can preview the ads and make sure if there’s something REALLY good I want, I can run to the store and get it before it’s gone.  I also like the USA Weekend or Parade section because it’s like a short fun magazine to read.  There is a super short Q&A section on Evan Handler (Sex and the City), who just recently had a baby girl and I loved his quote when he was asked how his daughter changed his life.   He replied, “In no way could I have conceived of the relentlessness of the obligation and responsibility of it.”  Amen, man!

2) I subscribe to a couple of magazines and can I just add here that it amazes me how I sometimes cannot find the time to flip through it in a 30-day period before the next one arrives.  Anyway, as in every magazine, there are things in each one that I like, whether it be ideas, crafts, recipes or websites I want to check out.  So I rip out the pages and when I have time, I cut them out and paste them in a notebook if it’s something I’d like to keep for a while (like how to make a Halloween costume for when my mochis get older, or for next year’s Valentine’s Day goodie bags, or a cool birthday cake).  That way I don’t have to keep the whole magazine and I have just what I want.  In my notebook, there is a section for “cool things I want when I get rich.”  But today’s pull was from this month’s Real Simple magazine.  I want these:

I think they’re so pretty.  It will be a while before I actually CAN wear them, since Baby Mochi would find them nice to pull on and/or eat, but still… one thing to cut out and put in my notebook.

I just realized what time it is.  I need to go to bed.  I am well aware that a list isn’t really a list if there are only 2 items.  I’ll continue with this later another day.  Cool.  Then I’ll have 2 lists going on.  Ha.

When playing pirates, a map to the treasure has to be drawn.   What’s the treasure?  Umm, lots of gold and silver.  The more you have, the richer you are and all pirates want to be rich!

Humming as she draws a picture of me with a giant red ‘X’ on my head, Big Mochi states that Mommy is where she’ll get rich.  Aww, because I’m such a treasure?  Or because of my jewelry?  NO!!!  Because of all the silver in my hair!!!!!! 

There is a base box that remains on the floor next to the treadmill.  It has a burned out fuse.  G replaced it, but it burned out again and he can’t figure out if it was the wrong fuse or what, and since that was 2 years ago and no one is complaining, it just sits.  There is a big hole in the center of it.  That hole is the perfect size that fits the balls from Playskool’s Busy Ball Popper.  It’s built like a funnel, so once the balls go in, they can’t come out until you open the whole thing… so Baby Mochi’s Ball Popper isn’t that Busy these days. 

Last night we went out for sushi and I ate soooooooo much and was quite happy and relaxed.  I prompty fell asleep on the couch at 8 pm with Big Mochi next to me.  Later, G put her in her bed and covered me with a blanket and left me there.  At 1:20 am or so, I got up to go to bed and on my way, checked in on the girls as I always do.  I thought I smelled pee, but Big Mochi’s bed and pants were dry (and she doesn’t wet her bed) so I figured it must be the hour playing tricks on me.

This morning at 5:10, I can hear Baby Mochi in her crib.  She’s not saying anything, but she’s fidgeting.  After a few minutes, she calls MOMMY!  MOMMY!   Her clothes are all wet, her blankets are wet, her elephant buddy is all wet, and the sheets, of course.  I pick her up and grab a change of clothes, a diaper and wipes.  When I take off her pants, one of the diaper straps was off so her diaper was hanging on one leg, hence the pee everywhere. 

UGH.

I clean her up, change her, and put all the sheets and blankets in the washing machine.  This would all be fine and dandy except that part of her morning ritual includes her relaxing on the couch watching tv with one of her blankets (both now soaked with pee and being washed) while I brush my teeth and get her sippy cup of milk for her.  She’s fidgety and something is obviously wrong.  When she gets her cup of milk, she likes to throw a hot pink fuzzy princess pillow on the ground, lie down on her back (she always misses the pillow) and while holding the cup with one hand, she grasps on to her blanket with the other.  So when I bring her cup of milk this morning, she throws her pillow down, misses it with her head as usual, and then when I give her her cup, she bolts up and looks around.  Then, reading her thoughts, I’m thinking no no no no no no shh shh, don’t cry.  “BUGGYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!” (that’s how she says blanket)  So now I’m like Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!

But never fear!  I brave the neighbors in my grossly oversized t-shirt and purple pajama pants with sheep [baa!] all over it, run into the garage, and jump into my car to get her “car blanket,” a small and yellow but adequate substitute for her pink pee-soaked blanket now being washed.  All is well in her private little mochi world.  She smiles with her buggy and drinks her milk.  WHEW!!!!!!! 

My heartrate has already been raised and it’s only about 5:27 am.  [pooped]