Some people are morning people, some are not.
It is like this almost every morning. Katherine is the bluebird of happiness, Caroline the grumpy old man.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
These Are Our Mornings
Looking at the photo below, can you tell which of the girls should NOT take an 8:00 am class when she gets to college?
It is like this almost every morning. Katherine is the bluebird of happiness, Caroline the grumpy old man.
It is like this almost every morning. Katherine is the bluebird of happiness, Caroline the grumpy old man.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The Battle Against Sugar
The battle in the Lim household against refined sugar officially ended on April 20, 2008.
We'd done a pretty good job for 2 years, 8 months of keeping the girls away from sugary cakes, cookies and candies.
However, today the girls ate birthday cake and for the first time actually seemed to enjoy it. They finished off the party with a huge Rice Krispie square. What made it even worse is that Katherine followed the cake around for a good five minutes before the candles were even lit, waiting for her piece of cake.
Here are some photos of the sugar binge and the birthday party, just to officially note the date of surrender:
We'd done a pretty good job for 2 years, 8 months of keeping the girls away from sugary cakes, cookies and candies.
However, today the girls ate birthday cake and for the first time actually seemed to enjoy it. They finished off the party with a huge Rice Krispie square. What made it even worse is that Katherine followed the cake around for a good five minutes before the candles were even lit, waiting for her piece of cake.
Here are some photos of the sugar binge and the birthday party, just to officially note the date of surrender:
Katherine enjoying her cake with frosting.
Caroline wouldn't look up at me because she was afraid I would take the cake away!
Devouring a Rice Krispie treat on the way home.
The effects of a sugar high.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Who knew 24 hour pharmacies were hot spots?
Last night around 9:00 p.m. Caroline was starting to wheeze and cough from a cold she caught over the weekend. Turns out it was a minor asthma attack brought on by the cold.
She is fine now, but I spent the better part of three hours with her in the emergency room, just to make sure.
By the time I got Caroline home and back into bed, it was close to 2:00 a.m., and I needed to have her prescription filled so that she could take her medicine first thing in the morning.
Terri found a 24-hour Walgreens near our house, and so at 2:05 am, I set out to fill Caroline's prescription.
I expected to find the Walgreens staffed by a single cashier, sitting on a stool behind the register of an empty, semi-lit store, reading a frayed copy of People magazine.
Instead, when I walked into the store, I was greeted by the blast of rock music blaring from a radio. Up and down each isle, stock workers were busy stocking shelves, each singing their version of the rock song in Tagalog. It was a like American Idol in the Twilight Zone!
There were actually two or three customers shopping in the store. And I'm not talking about people in their pajamas picking up a bottle of milk or diapers. One woman was pushing a cart going aisle by aisle as she scanned a list coupons held in her hand.
Who knew that Walgreens was a hot spot for Tagalog karaoke and all-night marathon shopping?
She is fine now, but I spent the better part of three hours with her in the emergency room, just to make sure.
By the time I got Caroline home and back into bed, it was close to 2:00 a.m., and I needed to have her prescription filled so that she could take her medicine first thing in the morning.
Terri found a 24-hour Walgreens near our house, and so at 2:05 am, I set out to fill Caroline's prescription.
I expected to find the Walgreens staffed by a single cashier, sitting on a stool behind the register of an empty, semi-lit store, reading a frayed copy of People magazine.
Instead, when I walked into the store, I was greeted by the blast of rock music blaring from a radio. Up and down each isle, stock workers were busy stocking shelves, each singing their version of the rock song in Tagalog. It was a like American Idol in the Twilight Zone!
There were actually two or three customers shopping in the store. And I'm not talking about people in their pajamas picking up a bottle of milk or diapers. One woman was pushing a cart going aisle by aisle as she scanned a list coupons held in her hand.
Who knew that Walgreens was a hot spot for Tagalog karaoke and all-night marathon shopping?
Friday, March 07, 2008
Truck Stops and Andy Capp
So this weekend we were in Southern California for a wedding. We drove down Interstate 5.
We stopped in Los Banos, about 130 miles south of San Francisco, and stopped in a truck stop to let the girls run around (Yes, a truck stop. I realize it's not the best place to take a toddler for a break, but on the I-5, you take your breaks where you can find them.).
As the girls played with about 50 windchimes on display in the lobby of the diner (no one seemed to mind all the noise they made), my eyes were drawn to a sign:
Now for those of you not into comic strips, Andy Capp is a long-running strip about some English guy and his wife. I remember Andy Capp comics very vividly because:
We stopped in Los Banos, about 130 miles south of San Francisco, and stopped in a truck stop to let the girls run around (Yes, a truck stop. I realize it's not the best place to take a toddler for a break, but on the I-5, you take your breaks where you can find them.).
As the girls played with about 50 windchimes on display in the lobby of the diner (no one seemed to mind all the noise they made), my eyes were drawn to a sign:
"ANDY CAPP CHEDDAR FRIES!! On sale now! $0.79."
Andy Capp Cheddar Fries.
Now for those of you not into comic strips, Andy Capp is a long-running strip about some English guy and his wife. I remember Andy Capp comics very vividly because:
- Andy Capp was featured prominently on the front page of the L.A. Times Sunday comics sections throughout the 70's and 80's, my formative Sunday-comics-reading stage.
- Andy Capp was featured along with "Peanuts" on the front page of the L.A. Times comic section, so I figured any comic that shared the front page with "Peanuts" had to be funny, right?
- I read Andy Capp faithfully for over 15 years with the above reasoning in mind.
- In over 15 years of reading Andy Capp, it was NEVER FUNNY. Ever.
Most of the jokes had to do with Andy being lazy on the couch, or making fun of his wife. Or he would be at a bar and end up chasing someone angrily out of the bar. Occasionally he would play soccer, but being English, Andy Capp called it "football." That gag usually had Andy chasing someone around angrily for no good reason. Somtimes Andy would hit on some attractive girls, and then the gag would end with his wife chasing him around angrily. Like I said -- NEVER funny. Did I mention, "EVER"?
Andy Capp - Not funny.
So I hear I am in Los Banos, watching my kids with one eye, while my other eye is fixated on this ad for Andy Capp Cheddar Fries. I wondered, "Did I miss something in all those years of reading Andy Capp comics? Somebody must think that comic is funny or they wouldn't give him his own bag of chips, would they?"
And why in the hell was I seeing these chips for the first time in Los Banos?
Of course, I had to buy a bag. I plunked down my $0.79 and was rewarded with a bag of potato and corn sticks sprinkled liberally with orange cheddar-flavoring.
After eating the whole bag of chips while driving, I reached three conclusions:
- Driving while eating greasy "cheddar fries" is hard, because it makes the wheel slick.
- You get what you pay for.
- Andy Capp Cheddar Fries are about as tasty as the Andy Capp comic strip was funny.
Below are some photos from our car trip NOT related to Andy and his fries:
Caroline reading in the car.
Katherine with her milk.
Hills along the I-5.
A red barn.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
The new "improved" San Francisco Zoo
You probably know that on Christmas Day 2007, a tiger escaped from the San Francisco Zoo, killing one person.
As members of the Zoo, we went back there about a week before the big cat exhibits were scheduled to reopen. All the newspapers said that the tiger exhibits were closed. Signs at the zoo said, "All big cats will not be on display until improved safety measures are put into place."
So imagine our surprise when we turned a corner and ran into this:
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the creature I photographed above a . . . TIGER?
The same type of tiger that attacked and killed someone on Christmas Day?
The same tiger that the signs around the Zoo said "Were off exhibit for your safety and theirs"?
The tiger was about 12 feet from me, separated only by a thin wire mesh fence. Other than good common sense, there was nothing to prohibit me from sticking my hand through the cage.
A zoo employee who was standing nearby merely commented, "Aren't they magnificent?" To which I wanted to ask her, "What do you mean, 'they'? Isn't this the last one left after the other one got shot?" But good manners stopped me from making scene.
Luckily, we survived our encounter with the Big Cats, and took these other non-tiger photos:
As members of the Zoo, we went back there about a week before the big cat exhibits were scheduled to reopen. All the newspapers said that the tiger exhibits were closed. Signs at the zoo said, "All big cats will not be on display until improved safety measures are put into place."
So imagine our surprise when we turned a corner and ran into this:
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the creature I photographed above a . . . TIGER?
The same type of tiger that attacked and killed someone on Christmas Day?
The same tiger that the signs around the Zoo said "Were off exhibit for your safety and theirs"?
The tiger was about 12 feet from me, separated only by a thin wire mesh fence. Other than good common sense, there was nothing to prohibit me from sticking my hand through the cage.
A zoo employee who was standing nearby merely commented, "Aren't they magnificent?" To which I wanted to ask her, "What do you mean, 'they'? Isn't this the last one left after the other one got shot?" But good manners stopped me from making scene.
Luckily, we survived our encounter with the Big Cats, and took these other non-tiger photos:
Caroline & Katherine at the Meerkat Exhibit
(click on photo for larger view)
With Grandma checking out a big owl.
(click on photo for larger view)
Everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. A miracle!
(click on photo for larger view)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Grumpiness is Hereditary
If I have any doubt that Caroline is my daughter, all I need to do is wake her up every morning.
It is safe to say that I am NOT a morning person. Caroline is exactly like me in this regard.
When I go into the girls' room to wake them up to get ready for school, Caroline will look up at me, then quickly roll over onto her stomach in the classic, "If I pretend I didn't see him, maybe he'll pretend not to see me."
If you try to say "Good morning!" to Caroline, she will quickly tell you, "No! Be quiet!" Trying to sing to her to raise her spirits is like poking a bear with a stick. A bear that has just woken up from her winter's hiberation, I might add.
When you pick her up to change her diaper (or have her sit on the toilet, as we begin potty training her), she screams bloody murder. If CPS were in the house at that very moment, they would probably take her from us just on the volume of her cries.
It is not until about 10-15 minutes have passed that Caroline will fully wake up and begin to interact. And it is only after she's had some milk or some cereal that she will feel ready to smile and give you a hug.
I hope she never has to take an 8:00 am class in college. I would fear for her roomates.
It is safe to say that I am NOT a morning person. Caroline is exactly like me in this regard.
When I go into the girls' room to wake them up to get ready for school, Caroline will look up at me, then quickly roll over onto her stomach in the classic, "If I pretend I didn't see him, maybe he'll pretend not to see me."
If you try to say "Good morning!" to Caroline, she will quickly tell you, "No! Be quiet!" Trying to sing to her to raise her spirits is like poking a bear with a stick. A bear that has just woken up from her winter's hiberation, I might add.
When you pick her up to change her diaper (or have her sit on the toilet, as we begin potty training her), she screams bloody murder. If CPS were in the house at that very moment, they would probably take her from us just on the volume of her cries.
It is not until about 10-15 minutes have passed that Caroline will fully wake up and begin to interact. And it is only after she's had some milk or some cereal that she will feel ready to smile and give you a hug.
I hope she never has to take an 8:00 am class in college. I would fear for her roomates.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Throwing Away $$ At the Food Court
Today is a rainy, windy day, so after church I took the girls to the local mall to run around.
The girls love to eat at the food court, so after checking out the patio furniture at Sears (much more entertaining for the girls than toys!), we headed over to the food court.
Feeding the girls has become so much easier now that they are 2 1/2 years old. No more packing bowls, utensils, or special cups. They can sit in adult chairs and eat with paper plates, plastic utensils, and love love love to have their own "adult" cups of water.
Today I ordered a Hot Dog On a Stick for Katherine, and a chicken burrito for myself and Caroline to share.
Katherine promptly gnawed about three bites of cornbread off the hot dog on a stick before proclaiming, "I don't like it." Katherine then proceeded to eat 1/2 of my burrito, but only the tortilla. Caroline picked apart her 1/4 of the burrito to eat all the black beans and tortilla, and left the rice, chicken, and cheese in small heaps on her paper plate.
The Hot Dog On a Stick cost me $2.75. The burrito set me back another $5.99, of which I ate 1/2. For about $1.00 I could have fed the girls a can of black beans and Mission brand tortillas from home!
The girls love to eat at the food court, so after checking out the patio furniture at Sears (much more entertaining for the girls than toys!), we headed over to the food court.
Feeding the girls has become so much easier now that they are 2 1/2 years old. No more packing bowls, utensils, or special cups. They can sit in adult chairs and eat with paper plates, plastic utensils, and love love love to have their own "adult" cups of water.
Today I ordered a Hot Dog On a Stick for Katherine, and a chicken burrito for myself and Caroline to share.
Katherine promptly gnawed about three bites of cornbread off the hot dog on a stick before proclaiming, "I don't like it." Katherine then proceeded to eat 1/2 of my burrito, but only the tortilla. Caroline picked apart her 1/4 of the burrito to eat all the black beans and tortilla, and left the rice, chicken, and cheese in small heaps on her paper plate.
The Hot Dog On a Stick cost me $2.75. The burrito set me back another $5.99, of which I ate 1/2. For about $1.00 I could have fed the girls a can of black beans and Mission brand tortillas from home!
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