And even though every year we would talk about doing another garden, it would never happen. This year is different.

IN PREVIOUS YEARS

It used to be that we would have all kinds of things growing in the summer.

Lots of herbs like basil, cilantro, and other Vietnamese herbs.

All different kinds of tomatos: Romas, cherry, grape. Pepper plants, okra…

Cucumbers…

Green beans…

I even tried to grow some edamame.

Zucchini and squash are always easy.

This was our raspberry bush then but now, it’s taken over the entire area.

We have these two large bushes in front of our bedroom window.

See our two bushes that cover our windows? We have to trim them back because they grow like mad and  block all the natural light from coming in.

Look how overgrown they are! I trimmed them back but they still looked hideous. I decided, time to rip those babies out! It’ll make more room and light for the garden anyway.

Here’s Dick below helping me to remove all the branches that I cut.

POPEYE AND THE GARDEN BOX

We had found this great “handy man” that is a sort of jack of all trades. POPEYE can build things, fix things, do carpentry work, electrical work, renovations/additions…just about anything and he only charges us $15.25 an hour…all we have to do is buy the material.

I remember the first time Dick paid him…he was surprised that Popeye had set some complicated rate like $15.25 rather than an even $15. Strange for someone that works for themselves. We always wonder and laugh about how he came up with that rate. We’re not complaining…it’s just interesting and cute.

We found Popeye through word of mouth from our homeschool co-op friends. They’ve used him for all kinds of renovations and additions, raving about how he does great work and is so reasonably priced. He’ll even travel out of state if you pay his expenses. He shows up promptly at 8am daily and works until 4:30, taking a lunch break in between. He’s a chain smoker but is super diligent and honest.

I’m so glad to finally have a good handyman…it’s like finding an honest mechanic. They’re priceless.

Anyway, Popeye showed up at 8am as usual in his truck with his tools. He started by pulling out the bushes first. Look how much better it looks without them!

He then built a frame so that we could have a level garden, rather than sloped. All the water drains out and it’s difficult to keep the dirt moist.

Here’s a picture of Popeye. He is a simple Southern man who I was surprised to learn,  drives about 1.5 hours to get to my house. He LOVES my grits too, btw. I’m sure he thought it was weird that a little Asian lady could make grits. LOL

The framework is ready so now all I have to get is the compost.

Thanks Popeye!

COMPOST TIME

I call my “compost guy” who, when I had a garden, would come deliver compost or mulch to my house.

Today, he’s coming with a truckload (what he calls about 5 yards  - and that’s not a length measurement, it’s volume for land.) of horse compost for $100, delivered.

There it goes…right in the box.

Well, most of it anyway.

Now what we have to do is rent a tiller to loosen up our existing dirt, then mix it with the compost. Compost is too potent to use on it’s own.

DICK: GARDEN PREPPER AND TILLER

Whereas I would normally be the one to go rent and use the tiller, this time I’m just too pregnant. There are some things I’ll still do, like cut the grass, but I don’t think using the tiller would be wise. I don’t want the gyration and vibration of the tiller to send me into premature labor. So, it’s Dick’s turn this year and because he wants the garden so bad, he’s willing to do it.

Dick’s shoveling the compost around, trying to spread it evenly.

Then mixing up the existing dirt with the compost.

It’s a repetitive process.

Shovel.

Till.

Shovel.

Till.

Shovel.

You get the picture.

 While Dick is busy outside, I’m inside.

I put Benz to sleep in the garage/playroom, close to where the girls were going to be on our back patio.

And I bring the monitor out to the girls…

Who are playing with the water outside.

It’s quite sunny and hot today.

I think we need a pool.

Later, Benz wakes up and I see that the girls had been worried, despite having the monitor, that Benz would launch himself off the bed in the garage/bonus room. They’ve put pillows and cushions all around the bed!

Lord! A mess! But, Benz would be well-cushioned should he fall off.

So, like I said, I’m inside, doing my mommy thing by getting snacks and drinks for everyone.

Then I tell the girls to take care of Benz while I go help Daddy.

And look what they do to my poor Benz.

Remember how they already started putting him in girl’s clothes when they put Benz in the Snow White outfit?

Luckily he is still oblivious at this age.

Louise is watching the baby first…

But, after a while, she gets bored (as they do) and so decides she wants to help with the garden. So I take a break and watch Benzie.

In unison.

Then it’s Thelma’s turn to watch the baby (they often bicker about who’s turn is who’s – drives me nuts!).

I after the kids are all situated, I go help Dick.

I decide to wear this roller derby girl outfit I bought because I didn’t want any tan lines on my shoulders. Yeah, that’s right…to garden. It’s like terrycloth material so it’ll absorb all my sweat and yes, no weird farmer tan line.

And sweat I did!

After we were done, Dick cleaned off the tiller.

And now our garden is ready for the plants!

Except, I’m not ready yet…need to germinate or go get some plants!!

-Jane, Roller Derby Gardener.

Our shed looks like a total dump. It’s one of those places where we keep stuffing shit in it and never organize it. It’s one shitty shed.

Actually, it’s a great shed when it’s organized because it does store quite a bit given that there are two rooms and a closet. It even has electricity and a phone line. But, we just use it for our shit. Shit we don’t want to keep in our house.

I mean seriously. Look at the overflow of shit.

And it would annoy the hell out of me because I couldn’t get to any of the shit I needed. Any walkable space was already taken up with even more shit.

And for months, we kept saying, “We need to clean the shed.”

Finally, one day, after I got so sick of hearing myself say that over and over again, I decided it was time to stop talking shit and starting getting rid of shit…or at least, let’s organize this shit!

ORGANIZING THE SHIT

To start, we have to basically start moving stuff out of the shed first. Look through it. See if we want it…do we need it…are we selling it…giving it away…or are we keeping it?

So, all the big stuff got moved to the back patio in the meantime.

Remember how I always say it always gets worse before it gets better?

Once again it rings true…Such is the case now.

Of course I enlisted the help of my husband this time.

Too much of this is his shit and he needs to help me organize it!

And after a few hours, we are able to see the light!

A clear path! Ahhhh…

Dick did a pretty good job organizing the shelf.

And even though it still looks like a mess, it’s really my “organized chaos” of a mess. A much smaller pile now and there’s room to walk. Finding stuff in this pile is do-able.

FROM OLD TOYS TO NEW TOYS

We had a bunch of toys from when the girls were small. We were supposed to have gotten rid of them long ago but what do you know…we’ve come full circle again and now they’re becoming of use again. Recycling…it’s great. I don’t have to buy yet more shit to take up space in my house.

To help convert the girls old toys to Benz’s new toys,the girls have been drafted to wash them.

We’ve had this kitchen and car forever…since the girls were about 2 years old.

Of course, we like to make work as enjoyable as possible, so they girls always take breaks to play.

We started car wash training early.

Nice, like new, clean toys.

Thelma and Louise would rotate in and out, watching the baby, helping to clean. I would rotate in there too.

Benz gets the luxury of just enjoying himself, playing with his toys outside. The girls are always commenting, “He’s so lucky.”

Well, he is quite lucky actually. He gets loved on so much by everyone.

I adore my girls.

They are so awesome and really help me so much.

So awesome are they at taking care of and loving their little bro.

Little Mommas they are.

I’m so glad to finally have our shed cleared out.

Yes, I’m nesting big time!!

-Jane, Shit-filled Shed Cleaning Mommy.

The girls couldn’t be more excited.

Benz is not a fan of such strong water so we chill by the sidelines.

Of course since we didn’t plan on going, no swimsuits.

And no towels.

Oh well.

Another great day with the family.

These are the days to truly treasure.

Love days like these.

-Jane, Family Girl.

We barely get there in time for the start but we make it…on time.

Dick and Louise ran ahead first to register while Thelma helped me get Benz and all our shiz together. You know that always takes ages.

We get everything loaded on the stroller and we’re off to the start line.

I look everywhere and I don’t see them anywhere.

But, there’s tons of people.

Thelma runs into one of her teammate from Volleyball last year!

She’s running it with her mom.

I’m actually glad I’m pregnant…gives me a good excuse not to run.

The race has started and Thelma and I keep looking for them but no such luck.

There’s so many people!

After they take off, Thelma goes to the playground to kill some time.

But, it was super hot.

So we left to find a cool spot to sit and chill.

Thelma sees this huge staircase and wants to climb it.

She’s addicted to staircases. Better you than me, girl!

Reminds me of that never-ending staircase that Uma had to climb in Kill Bill to get to her Kung Fu Master. (Pi Mei?)

We find a picnic table to park ourselves.

And I break out the watermelon. I’m so glad I brought this!  It’s sweltering hot and the watermelon is OH SO REFRESHING! I saw these young guys at the table next to me ogling our watermelon out of jealousy.

After we kill some time, I wanted to get back to the finish line (which is also where the start line was) because last year, Louise surprised me by being one of the first to cross the finish line.

Such a skinny fragile looking thing…Dick says she is a natural runner and built for it.

She’s so proud of herself, as is her Momma!

I guess I’m even more proud because I know how difficult it would be for me to run 5k. I don’t like running.

Sister Thelma is proud of her sister as well!

We’re all so hot, sweaty, and thirsty!

As we were leaving I see my friend, Thelma’s friend’s Momma.

You go girl!

Funny thing is her hubby is the assistant coach for the University track team here.

I asked her why her husband didn’t run it!

“Shoot! He’s so lazy!”

So proud of my young lady!

They’re growing up so fast.

-Jane, Mommy to Runner, Louise.

Then I looked over to one of the tables and I see a dude that looks just like Alice Cooper.

You know, from the 80s Rock Band…Alice in Chains.

Except, he doens’t have that scary eye-make up thing goin’ on.

I was so tempted to go ask him if he was Alice Cooper.

But, upon closer examination, now that I can zoom into the picture I see that it may not be him after all.

Thank goodness I didn’t make a fool of myself and ask him.

Which reminds me of an incident the other day where I was with my sister, Prince Abubu and the girls. We were enjoying a game of cards when all of a sudden, this lady comes up to us and says to my sister,

“I’m so sorry to interrupt your game but I just wanted to tell you that you have a twin! I have a daughter-in-law that is Phillipino and you look JUST LIKE HER! I turned to my husband and said, ‘Doesn’t that look like [xxxx]? I have to go tell this girl she has a twin!’”

I already had my doubts when she said the girl was Phillipino. Then the woman takes out her wallet  and shows my sister and Prince Abubu a picture of the girl.

I took one look on Prince Abubu’s face and knew the girl looked nothing like my sister. He was like “Oh…yeah…”, unassuringly and half-assedly.

So, I had to see what this woman was talking about. Grabbing the wallet, I said,  “Let me see.”

I took one look and was like,

“Uh huh…”

It’s really all I could say.

After the woman left, Prince Abubu was like,

“She was like an ugly version of you.”

The girls were laughing too.

“She looked nothing like you!!”

Oh my lord. You should never tell someone that they have a twin. They never look like that person…especially to that person! This girl looked nothing like my sister. Seriously people, not all Asians look the same. Anyway, at least we all got a good laugh about it.

-Jane, Seester to Phillipino look-alike.

Now that’s a Persian nose if I ever saw one. Hopefully it’s just “the angle” or an exaggeration of the ultrasound. LOL

Hmmm…maybe…maybe not.

And here’s one of just a regular 2-D ultrasound.

Funny enough, the ultrasound tech somehow got an image of #4 giving us the finger…these are the words of the tech. Can you see it? Showing some sass already. Wonder who this one is taking after…

And no, we’re still not finding out the sex! You know, it’s really funny how people will ask me what the sex is and they’re always in shock that we want to be surprised. And even though I tell them “we want to be surprised”, regardless, they proceed to tell me what the baby’s sex will be.

“Oh, definitely a boy.”

“Honey, you’re having a girl.”

Ummm…didn’t I just say I want to be surprised?!?!

-Jane, Sass-a-frass.

Now, before you go thinking I’s some swanky chick who uses a Gucci bag while cutting the grass, it actually happens to be a FAKE Gucci bag and the story of how I acquired it goes like this.

I’m not sure how I came across this style of bag but when I saw it, I wanted it. However when I saw the price, over $500, I immediately went on eBay to see if I could find it.

Well, I found one stating that it was a genuine Gucci Belt Bag and had the authenticity cards to show it. I got it for about $225, which I thought was a great bargain, considering they were $530 new.

However, as soon as I got it, I was so disappointed because I knew it was a fake. Not because it was of poor quality, but my uncle’s ex-wife was a total fashionista and I remember she had mentioned something about fake designer bags.

She LOVED designer cloths and would spend all kinds of money to look fabulous, except she was a total Maverick at finding bargains. She explained to me how designers are meticulous about their designs and quality and one way to tell if the bag is authentic is that the material will be cut symmetrically. Therefore, the left edge and the right edge will be cut where the pattern is the same. Am I making sense? Meaning, for example, if the fabric on the left was cut right down the middle of the G logo on the left side, the right side would be as well.

Anyway, I get the bag and sure enough, it’s fake. So I threaten the seller that I know it’s a fake and was going to leave negative feedback and report him to eBay, etc. The seller then said he “didn’t know and that HIS supplier assured him they were real”. Uh huh.

Obviously, he was lying through his teeth but I just wanted my money back. I insisted on a full refund, including return shipping and he promptly agreed to refund except he told me I could keep the bag.

Great! I no longer cared that the bag was a fake because now, I just got a bag for FREE. I absolutely LOVE this bag. It’s so great for just a few items and it’s the most stylish FANNYPACK I’ve ever seen…even it Gucci wants to call it a BELT BAG.

Well, as you can see, the bag has been through a lot and but is still in great shape. I decided it would be great for carrying my phone and my camera (which I was using to take the picture).

Now, I can look stylish, have a place for my phone and camera AND cut the grass. LOL

Oh my lord, my mirror is heinously dirty. Look at my kids’ fingerprints everywhere! Obviously I have chosen to ignore this dirtiness and have overlooked it. They show up more on the pictures  than in real life.

Yes, I know I’m 6-months pregnant and am cutting the grass.

I am adamant about doing all the things I normally do while I am pregnant and cutting the grass is no different. Remember, I cut the grass while pregnant with Benz too. I believe this helps me stay fit to be healthy enough to have my baby naturally.

I’m going to weed wack first because the grass is incredibly overgrown.

I bring extra string because you know I hate it when I run out mid-way through and then have to stop and go back to my shed to get the string.

And look down so I can put it in my fannypack and realize that I can no longer see my feet.

Bending forward a bit, I can now put the extra string in my fannypack…which is coming quite handy.

I wack and wack and wack.

And when I’m done, I’m plastered in grass leaves.

And it’s stuck to my sweaty body. Nice huh.

And that was just from doing the backyard.

Let me tell you weed-wacking is some major work for the biceps.

Who needs a gym???

Of course, as I’m wacking the front yard, I run out of string.

Luckily, I have it handy.

And while I’m at it, I decide to trim my cherry tree because some of the branches are long and smack me in the face when I’m on my lawnmower.

Dick would never take the time to make it so nice.

That’s why I always cut the grass. He is NOT ALLOWED.

He’s so damn lucky to have me.

What pregnant woman would do all this?!?!

I finish the weedwack, then mow the lawn, then leaf blow and finally, after 3 hours, I’m done.

Now I can sit and enjoy my yard. I love it when it’s cut. I’m always commenting to the kids and Dick after I cut the grass, whenever we leave the house or as we’re pulling in, “Doesn’t our yard look so beautiful?”…cause you know they don’t even notice unless I point it out.

It’s like housework, the more diligent you are and the more you work hard to make it beautiful, the less it’s noticed or appreciated. Such is the way with women’s work at home. But, when Dick works his ass off, he’s totally whining and complaining about how hard he works and how he’s due for a break. When does Mommy get a break???!?!?

-Jane, Sweaty, dirty, pregnant, lawn-mowing, spectacularly awesome wife!

It’s a 1988 Super-Pimp Suburban!

I know it doesn’t look like something I would drive but I actually love it!

It’s my Swagger Wagon.

Actually, do you remember in Kill Bill, how Uma had the Pussy Wagon?

This is MY P-Wagon!

If I had money to just throw around, I’d totally Pimp this Ride.

For it being a 1998, this car is in EXCELLENT mechanical and physical condition.

It’s already a classic.

However, because it’s so old, one needs CRAZY muscles to close these doors. Unlike the pneumatic doors on my Benz, this is COMPLETELY the opposite. You have to use ALL YOUR MIGHT to shut (and open) the door. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Not great for the baby sleeping in the back.

And, you wouldn’t believe how many gawkers we get or how many people have complimented us on this car. Mostly men, of course.  I had this one young guy scream from his truck as he was passing me,

“Sweet ride!”

People are always shocked to see me, a little Asian girl driving such a big truck.

Imagine the look on their face when they actually see me get out and I got my big ole belly hangin’ out. Not what one would expect to see driving this thing.

Oh wait, I gotta put my arm like this in order to look “proper”.

Now I fit in with the Metropolis locals. LOL

INSIDE THE P-WAGON

This 1988 Suburban is equiped with power windows and locks…and that’s about it.

The side-view mirrors are manually adjusted…which kinda sucks if you don’t have a passenger to help you out with the passenger side.

Plus, if you have more than one driver, it’s a huge pain adjusting it manually for each person every time. Again, quite the opposite from the Benz, which had memory settings for 3 drivers for all mirrors (including rearview) and seats. Sigh…

It’s got the old-school steering wheel…huge and skinny!

But, it’s surprisingly such an easy drive.

Love the old, round gauges…so many of them!

I love the old school dash, and that it has the red metal to match the exterior. They never put metal in the interior anymore. It’s all plastic and fake wood.

And look, it comes with a wood top console that holds this old-school Cobra CB.

I don’t know how to work this thing but I remember my uncle used to have one in the 80s. He used to talk to the truck drivers or tune into the police stations all the time when he would go on long trips.

Dick loves having the old-school windows that you push and angle out for extra air.

There is no tape deck let alone a CD player.

Just an old AM/FM radio with the retro knobs. Love it!

And don’t you just love the slide controls for air?

I actually love the simplicity of it.

It took me a while to figure out all the digital controls on the Benz.

The old-school seat belts that make that nice “Click” when you secure the belt.

And the metal push-button receiving end to the belt.

This truck also comes with 5 ashtrays! Five!

I guess back in the 80s they were huge on smoking in the car, cause they were sure concerned they didn’t have enough ashtrays.

One in the middle of the front console (the large red square next to the rear air control switch).

Two on the second row passenger doors.

AND two more in the armrests for the third row rear passengers! Wow!

We won’t be smoking in the car so I’m thinking this will get filled with kid trash.

DETAILING THE P-WAGON

Like I said, I have to get rid of the “old” and clean it up so that it’s “new” for us.

We gots to give it a TOTAL DETAIL.

Whenever we get a new car, I detail the shit out of it…even if it’s for a client. It may not be a new car, but it’s new to them. So, I like for it to be ultra clean.

It is not beneath me to clean, as you know from me being the “cleaning crew” for our rental properties. I like to put my love and good energy in whatever I do. And, I don’t like any remnants of the previous owner.

And, from my early years with Dick when I was in college, I used to help him detail his car, so I’ve grown to enjoy it. All I need is to blast my stereo from another car (cause this one only has a radio) and we’re rollin’!

This car is a one-owner 1988 Chevy Suburban that has only 42,000+ miles on it.

Yes, you read that right. 42k!

Even still, the car needs a major detail so I’ve got to cleaning tools ready.

First, a rag to wipe down the consoles, doors, anything plastic…to remove all the dust, dirt, and grime.

Ewwwww!

Before.

After.

Before.

I mean, look at all the crud at the bottom of the cupholders.

It’s not THAT bad but still NASTY!

After (and still kinda wet).

I’ve got my must-have tool: the toothbrush.

This old toothbrush of the girls is great for getting in all those difficult to clean crevices.

Notice, I’m DEFINITELY wearing gloves.

I also wipe down and toothbrush the insides of the doors.

Before.

During.

After.

And if the toothbrush can’t get it out…

For something like the door handle…

I use a toothpick.

Much better!

THEN ALONG COMES DICK

After I get the console pristine, Dick comes along and helps. He’s in charge of cleaning anything cloth.

Cause he’s got the “Tuff Stuff”, which cleans all upholstory by just spraying and scrubbing.

 ”Baby I gotta look TUFF since I’m using Tuff Stuff!”

LOL. He makes me laugh so much.

“You’re so lucky you have a husband like me that makes you laugh so much.”

LAWD. Every compliment gets to his head.

Check out the pimp, chrome rear A/C vents!

Tuff Stuff is awesome. The seats look grrrrrrrrrrreat!

(As Tony-the-Tiger would say.)

CAR WASH

After we get predominantly done with the insides, we head to the carwash to clean the outside (which has a layer of yellow pollen on the it) and vacuum.

We take it through and then Dick likes to use this spray-on turtle wax, which needs to be applied when the car is slightly wet.

Just spray it on.

Then wipe it off, working in sections.


Dick is also on window duty.

And then there’s of course vacuuming!

And here’s my newly cleaned super-pimp P-Wagon!!!

We ready to cruise now and paint the town red!

 Yeah, the truck suits us. Dick loves driving it.

We actually bought a Land Cruiser as our family car but this truck is so cool, the kids love it so much, that we’re keeping it for now and using it as our daily cruiser around town. Not many people would trade their Mercedes for an old truck but whatevvs…you gots to do what you gots to do when you gots a growing family of 6!!

So, no MINIVAN for this Momma!!! (Not yet anyway.)

-Jane, Huge-ass Truck Driver.

I know, how could I sell the car that our son was born in?!?! Whereas I am very sentimental about many things, I had to learn to part with my beloved Benz. One cannot be too attached to material things. It was sad but we did end up selling it. I’m going to really miss my sweet S500. It had so many options that I didn’t even know how to operate them all.

I would have taken more pictures of the options in the car but we sold it faster than I thought we would. It had heated and cooled seats…front and rear. It also had pneumatic doors where when you closed them lightly (you know how annoying it is when a car door isn’t closed all the way and you have to shut it and close it again), it would pull the door pneumatically to shut it tight. Loved that when the baby was sleeping!

The S500 also had what is called distronic cruise control…which is kinda like putting the car on “autopilot” when it’s on cruise. Basically, you set the distance between you and the car in front of you and the car will slow down when it approaches that distance. Loved this for long distance driving!

There were also individual controls for lumbar for the rear seats as well as individual vanity mirrors in the rear! What girl doesn’t love that?!?!?

So yes, this is the very back seat where Benz was born.

You guys probably know by now, I’m not a name brand whore, nor am I one to spend money frivolously. However, I love cars and I appreciate the technology, craftsmanship and design of luxury cars.

I’ve had people ask me, is there really a difference between luxury cars and regular cars. HELLS YEAH! It’s not just fancy badging. The ride and performance are super smooth and quiet…very noticeable difference between a Mercedes S500 and a Ford Taurus.

Would you believe that in 2002 this car was close to $100K new?!?!

Some swankly lawyer in Atlanta wanted a pimp ride and PAID well for it.

He even paid an extra $1200 for lighted door sills. Seriously?!?!

So you think someone would pay that much if it were simply a matter of looks?

Sniff sniff. I do miss my car greatly.

-Jane, Former Benz driver.

Sadly, the one close to my house, and the one where I would go daily during Thelma’s pregnancy and order a large vanilla and chocolate swirl with one scoop M&M’s and one scoop of strawberries…has since closed, forcing me to leave my bubble to sooth my cravings.

There are two that are somewhat “local” to me. It’s about 15-20 minutes from my house versus the TWO it took before so quite  a big difference! This one is a bit ghetto and is at a BP gas station where there is a Buddy’s BBQ.

I really only go here when I’m desperate cause I hate it when they make a huge sloppy mess with my TCBY and have it dripping off the sides. AND, this one doesn’t take the frequent user card that I have that have…and with the amounts I’ve been buying, this is a must!

Now there’s one that is somewhat closer to my house (10-15 minutes) so I took the kids with me the other day. All of them. This TCBY also has a drive-thru window so I don’t have to try to lug Benz out of the carseat and then fight with him to get him back IN to the carseat. We just cruise through and order our yummies.

I’m straying from my usual today…somewhat. I decided to get a parfait…which comes with three toppings but I find that three is too much so I tell them to skip the first layer. Then, as usual, vanilla and chocolate in between a layer of M&M’s and topped with strawberries. I know, not that different from what I get. Why mess with perfection?

I decided it’s about the same size as my large but about a dollar cheaper since I get toppings as well. So, it’s the same, but different. Ha!

So here are the girls with their yogurts and look at poor Benz.

“Why aren’t you guys sharing?”

He wants some too and he’s not afraid to demand it!

Yank, yank. “Gimme some!”

We don’t want him starting off so early addicted to sugar so instead, Organic Cereal Puffy TREATS! Yum!! Yum!!

Cause that’s just as good.

Poor Benz.

-Jane, TCBY Obsessor.

Anyway, Dick’s lateness has rubbed off on me as well.  My lateness can be expressed like an exponential graph where the more kids I have, the more I am exponentially late. My nerdy engineer insides are showing….exponential graph…Lawd, hep me. (Said like the true Southerner that I am.)

So, the other day, there was a Bookfest right by my house. It’s held every year and it’s where we discovered our neighbor and Art teacher for the girls, Magda. The hours were from 10am-2pm so I thought we would go around noon. Magda was sure to remind me that she was going to be there again running the art station at the Bookfest.

Dick is out of town so it’s just me and the three kids. I wanted to take them though because it’s always fun and there’s all kinds of activities. However, despite intentions to get there around noon, we actually don’t get there until around 1:30…an hour and a half later than planned.

There was a tent that had people singing.

Kids were playing everywhere.

Tents with local authors who have published books.

I wanted to make sure to go see Magda first so we go look for her station.

Magda is so excited to see Benz and the girls.

They do a paint splatter craft.

They draw…hurriedly…so they can go see other things.

What they really want to do is go to the “jumpy thing” that is set up out front.

Poor Benz wants to go too.

Sorry honey, you have to just sit and watch with Mommy.

So, the girls only got to spend like 15 minutes doing art and 15 minutes on the bouncy thing.

Nothing to do at ALL with BOOKS. And we missed all the other activities because everyone had shut down right at 2:00. Yes, I’m feeling like Mommy of the Year.

Luckily, my girls are resilient and when they remembered there’s a stream right there, they headed right over to play.

Poor Benzie, watching from a distance again.

Well, that’s just the way it goes in our family. If we make it anywhere at all, it’s a miracle all on it’s own let alone make it on time! Making it anywhere on time takes SUPERHUMAN powers that we do not possess.

-Jane, Consistently Late Mommy.

Today, we got eggs (from my parents’ chickens but recycling Eggland’s Best container), a roll of Bounty, two mangos, and some fresh basil and cilantro (They had tons! Why let it rot?!?!). Oh, and how could I forget the fresh cut flowers!

Since Spring is here and all the flowers are in blossom, I cut a few branches to liven up my house. I LOVE fresh flowers!!

This is an uber beautifully fragrant climbing rose that is thornless.

LOVE.

Then, I cut a few sprigs of Azaleas.

Fresh flowers in the bathrooms just makes it more quaint.

Rhododendrons are just gorgeous for an arrangement.

Very thankful to have my parents in such close proximity.

-Jane, Flower lover. 

Country boy and Benz.

Oh wait, that’s three words.

I meant to say two things.

Some pictures that I took of my “country boy” outside of where we meet for our homeschool co-op.

Benz has super sharp eyes that can detect the tiniest things.

He’s also fascinated with grass and pulling it out.

There’s that “I’m innocent” look again.

“What??!?!?”

I just love watching him study and be so inquisitive about every day things.

I love it because it reminds me that we as adults need to think through the eyes of a babe.

No judging. No labeling. Nothing but pureness.

Thank you dear Benz for the reminder.

Please, keep reminding me.

-Jane, Mommy to Inquisitive Benz.

That’s the Branding video they did that shows all the boats they have.

 Click HERE for the video of just us on the 217 Deck Boat.

It’s super nice.

Dick was like, “We should have told them to just give us the boat instead of pay us.”

Uh huh, cause I’m SURE they would do that.

2012 Bayliner 217 Deck Boat | Bayliner Boats.

Here are some stills that I took from the videos.

…with my added touch of photo editing.

It was such a fun and beautiful day to be out on the lake.

Thoroughly enjoyed.

-Jane, Bayliner Model.

Visiting my sister and Prince Abubu, spending time together with the family without distractions of every day work and life.

And aside from all my blogs about what we did, here are snippets of the things I caught on camera  that I didn’t blog about.

We played.

We They make cupcakes.

We laughed.

We were in the car alot.

Look at all 5 of us stuffed in the back of the Prius.

Which means we were in traffic alot.

We played some more.

We I napped.

And Benz too.

We hung out a lot at home too.

Lucy is obsessive about doing laundry. She loves doing laundry.

Whatever. I’m just glad she loves it. Wish you lived with me.

In LA, I guess it’s gotten so overly populated that people convert their houses to duplexes so you have weird addresses like 8701 and 1/2.

We walked around alot too.

The girls would go into all the fancy furniture stores and try them out.

I was so worried the shop owners would come and kick us out.

But this guy was so nice and even showed them how to lower the lamp.

ALL THINGS LA

And we got to see all things LA, like this fancy McDonalds.

A fancy EZ Lube??

I’d like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association…

The diverse LA fashion.

Sweat pants as a hat. Inneresting.

This chic towers over her friend in these bright orange boots. Love it with the gray but I’m feelin’ for the short girl.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this white antique car.

Of course, only in WeHo can you see billboards like this.

I’m not sure I understand the ad but whatever, it’s eye candy.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a KFC like this one.

So farewell Los Angeles. You have well entertained this family of 5  (almost 6) for a great three weeks. We really needed the vacation. Now, it’s back to the real world.

A huge huge huge thanks to my lovely and sweet sister, Lucy and the prince in her life, Prince Abubu for being such super duper hosts to our family. We all had such a great time thanks to the two of you. You will be dearly missed. The girls are already counting down to when the next time we’ll see each other again.

Lucy and I were already tearing up the night before and you know I’m a slobbering, emotional, hormonal, cry-baby preggar so that didn’t help at all. I was a blubbering mess that morning as we were getting ready to leave for the airport. Love you Seester!

-Jane, Seester to Fabulous hostess Lucy.

PERSIAN

I totally forgot to take pictures of all the Persian food we ate cause it was so often.

Of course, Persian breakfast nearly daily.

This is us having Persian ice cream in Westwood.

I’m having a Persian sorbet called Faloodeh.

Faloodeh is a rose flavored shaved icee-like sorbet that has bits of rice noodles mixed it, topped with a little bit of sour cherry syrup and lemon juice.

OMG YUM!!!

It was my addiction while we were in LA.

I liked it so much I would buy it at the Persian grocery store so I could have it at home whenever I wanted. I wish I could get this in Metropolis. The benefits of living in a large, culturally diverse city.

Louise was having the pistachio ice cream. Also super yummy.

Of course, Benz loves it!

AMERICAN

Remember our breakfast at the Newsroom Cafe?

JAPANESE

I know they warn pregnant women not to eat sushi, and my mom would be freaking out to know that I do. But, I  LOVE SUSHI!

And so long as it’s fresh, it should be okay.

I’m still alive and well.

ITALIAN

OMG, I was SO craving this simple tomato basil pizza the other day!

KOREAN

We didn’t go to a restaurant for Korean, we bought all this stuff at the Korean grocery store.

FRENCH

We even got to hang out with a couple of my good friends from Metropolis. who were in LA for a business/pleasure trip. That sounds kinda kinky huh, pleasure trip. Ha!

Do you remember Daisy Duke and Boss Hog from the Halloween party?

I’ve known Daisy since the 3rd grade!

I have this one memory of me trying to cheat off her science test in the third grade. Luckily, I didn’t get caught.

We’re at a place called Le Pain (which means “Bread” en Francais).

And remember, we went to that Crepes place in Santa Monica and a French breakfast at Champagne after meeting up with Dick for the maration?

PAN ASIAN

We met up with Daisy and Boss Hog for dinner at a Pan Asian place called Rock Sugar.

Inside is a huge, elaborate, Asian-style restaurant.

Daisy and Boss said they saw one of the Wayans brothers, Keenan I think.

I missed it.

Boss could not get enough of the food here.

INDIAN

We went to this fantasic Indian restaurant.

I love Indian food!

So delish!

CHINESE

We were craving some Dim Sum so we headed to  LA’s Chinatown for some yum yum dim sum.

For those who don’t know, if you’re ever in a Chinese restaurant and you are out of hot tea, just tip the lid on it’s side and that will signal to the waiter that you need more tea. This also works in Vietnamese restaurants.

Louise was dying for and trying to scope out the mini custards.

Finally she spots the lady with them on her cart and tells her to head to our table.

VEGAN

Aside from heading to Cafe Gratitude for some vegan eats, we had a vegan burger and fries at this yummy burger joint.

VIETNAMESE

This is us, on our last night in LA, eating at a Vietnamese restaurant in WeHo called Phobulous. Actually, it’s not as the restaurants in Little Saigon, but it’s too far to get there! My Viet homies are all shaking their heads in disgust and shock, I’m sure. Going to LA and not going to Little Saigon?!?!?!

I had more Persian food than I did Vietnamese!

But, I get the best Vietnamese food right at home, with my Dad’s fabulous cooking.

Yes, we LOVE food and we eat pretty much EVERYTHING.

Jane, Food Lover.

And like his Mommy, one second he’s up…

And the next, he’s out.

Everyone loves cuddling and sleeping with the Benz.

Yes, one minute UP.

And the next, OUT.

He can be a squirmy little bug in his sleep too.

Constantly changing positions.

Now that’s some cleavage!

Yeah, that’s the baby bump.

Looks like Thelma found a comfortable pillow to rest her head on.

So did Louise.

Of course, there’s nothing like Mommy’s pillows.

Look at my babies and Lucy AND Oscar all on the same bed. So cute.

Of course, the car definitely puts him to sleep.

I remember when the girls were small, there were days we were so desperate to get them to sleep, we’d drive them around in the car until they did and then put them in bed. The things parents will do when they’re desperate. Luckily, this is not a problem with Benzie.

With Ducky.

Going…

Gone.

So dang sweet.

Me loves me some sleeping Benz.

(And it’s not just because I can then get some peace and quiet…but it’s part of it. Ha!)

-Jane, Mommy to sleepy, squirmy Benz.

If you want to catch a tour bus, they’re located around the infamous Chinese Theater. So, we drop them there.

Obviously you can see why they call it the Chinese Theater.

Pretty cool looking.

A SEPARATION

And actually, Dick and I had just been to the Chinese Theater one night to see the Persian movie that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film…A Separation. Dick had been wanting to see it since it won and it’s only being shown in certain cities…of course, LA being a Persian Mecca, is one of them. So Lucy and Prince Abubu ever so graciously volunteered to babysit for us while we went to see it.

The Chinese Theater at night.

Inside of the theater.

That long corridor has posters of celebrities here at this theater.

Oh and for you Jennifer Aniston fans.

Her hand prints from when she was here on July7, 2011.

I was thinking, her signature looks like crap.

But then, what do I know about autographing in concrete?

Nothing. Love her.

I think this is our first movie in like, 6 months or something.

That’s what happens when you have two girls, a baby, and one on the way.

The movie starts.

I’m notorious for being able to fall asleep anywhere. This was known prior to even having kids. And now that I’m pregnant and not getting fully rested because I have a baby, I’m super tired.

The movie is a drama about a Persian husband and wife who are getting divorced. The acting is superb but the movie is heavy. I’m not a fan of heavy dramas. So, I totally fall asleep for the entire movie.

Dick says at one point I was even snoring. Of course, it happened to be during a serious, quiet moment so Dick was like, “We’re watching an Oscar winning movie and the atmosphere in the theater is tense and here you were snoring so loudly!”

He’s laughing and knows me all too well. Sorry baby, you know how I am. Neck back, eyes part open, mouth open, snoring. That’s my usual upright sleeping position.

Anyway, as much as I’m sure it’s a beautiful movie, too heart wrenching for me and I’m glad my body just shut down. I’m glad we went so Dick could see it though. And although he said it was a great movie, he agreed…heavy, sad. I don’t like movies like that!

Back outside the Chinese Theater, it’s quiet and the air is brisk and foggy on this week night.

Oh look! Donald Duck’s feet and signature on the Hollywood Boulevard.

We walk around the area for a little bit just to see what’s in the area.

We’ve never done the touristy thing in LA.

We look around for a bit but it’s time to head home to the kiddies.

What a date, right?

HOLLYWOOD TOUR BUS

Because we never do the touristy things in LA, the girls really, really wanted to experience being on top of the open Hollywood tour guide buses.

So here they are, taken from Dick’s phone camera.

And of course, you have to pose and get a picture of the people that are all dressed up as famous characters or celebrities. This is how they make their money, folks so don’t forget to tip Wonder Woman!

SUCCULENTS

While Dick and the girls were “touring” LA, Lucy and I decided to just hang. We were stopping by a couple of shops on our way to the Grove when I saw this awesome Nursery that carried mostly succulents. You guys know how much I LOVE these mini-cacti that  are so beautiful.

I take a bunch of pictures for arrangement ideas when I get back to Metropolis.

I bought that bonsai looking tree for my sister. It’s a Jade succulent.

I totally forgot to bring a stem home though.

If you just pluck off a stem and plant them, they continue to grow and multiply.

LOVE this one in the old chair.

After we look at all the succulents, we head to the Grove to hang and enjoy the weather.

We had some coffee and we bought some desserts for everyone. Eclairs and creme puffs. Yum!

I’m going to miss my sister so much.

Whenever it gets down to the last day or two, the two of us are always sad ahead of time.

She just needs to forget LA and move back to Metropolis. LOL

-Jane, Sad Sister to Lucy.

Well, since she couldn’t make it to Louise’s birthday, she instead came over for dinner one night.

Lucy had a small dinner party at her house where I made some Persian food.

We didn’t tell the girls that Jeannie was coming so they were so surprised and excited to see her!

Jeannie came with her husband, Freddy, the Hollywood Hunter, as well.

He’s a super nice, chill and cool guy.

They came with their friend, who told me was not a fan of kids, (which does not offend me in the least because I know not all people have an affinity for children). But that he thought mine were really nice, well-behaved and cool. I love his honesty and frankly, it’s a compliment from someone who isn’t fond of kids.

Remember Lucy’s friend who is also Jeannie’s good friend and stylist, who speaks better Vietnamese than me even though she’s not Viet? Shameful, I know. Lucy would tell me they would make fun of her Vietnamese, in Vietnamese! I got a good laugh at the one because I, too, make fun of my sister’s choppy Vietnamese.

And, we also had Dick’s friend Gino and his family over as well. Remember, he was the one who got my hubs all drunk the night before the marathon. He told Dick to thank him, saing it was probably the tequila that helped him to finish the marathon. LOL

Well, he brought MORE tequila so, the boys had a good ole time drinking it up.

Prince Abubu’s sister was also there. Isn’t she so pretty?

She, too, is a huge Jeannie Mai fan.

The boys.

The ladies.

I’m totally barfing at how I didn’t even make an effort to dress up.

You’d think that I would do better considering I was meeting a known TV Fashionista but sometimes I just don’t care and  apparently, I just wanted to be loungy-casual.

Jeannie’s probably like, this Momma of (almost) 4 needs a make-over!

I got to know Jeannie a bit after talking to her and I love her spunk, style and energy. We talked about life, kids, balancing work and family. Girlfriend is not just a pretty face on TV, but she’s super sassy, smart, engaging, down to earth, outgoing and always full of smiles. No doubt she will have lots of successes in show business.

While she was there, Jeannie allowed my girls to give her an interview!

Ain’t she just adorbs?!?!

And super thoughtful too.

The night before we were leaving LA, her and Freddy came over to drop off gifts for the girls and a nice note for our family. So incredibly thoughtful and sweet!

The girls were so excited to be able to see her (and you too Freddy!) one more time before leaving.

It just made their night (and trip)!

Thank you Jeannie and Freddy!!

You guys are such a cute couple.

-Jane, Mommy to huge fans of Jeannie Mai.

Look how yummy!

I don’t love-love pancakes but every once in a while, they’re okay.

I prefer savory foods.

Aunt Lucy is munching and wants a taste.

The girls LOVE whip cream, but I never buy any. So when we first came to Lucy’s place and they saw that there was whip cream in her fridge, they were ecstatic.

“Would you like some pancakes with your butter?”

That’s what I asked Louise because if you look above, she put this huge slab of butter on her pancakes. You wouldn’t think that with her tiny, skinny frame that this girl eats so much but my girls are eaters! (Like their Mommy and Auntie – yes, I’m including you too!)

Meanwhile, I made some other things for breakfast as well.

Turkey sausage.

Persian omelet.

Of course, there’s always cucumbers.

Dick wanted oatmeal.

But look, he’s munching on Louise’s pancakes, which she is carefully keeping track of the  number of bites he’s taking.

“Daddy! Remember you’re vegan!”

Reminding him that whip cream, butter, and milk are a part of the pancake ingredients. NOT vegan!

Yeah, since completing his marathon, he’s being a little more lax about the foods he’s eating.

After breakfast, my lovelies help with the dishes.

Prince Abubu is such a trooper. Instead of watching golf like he wanted to do on his Sunday afternoon, the girls bombard him with requests to play games, like LIFE and CLUE.

And, they take over the TV.

Forcing him to watch some Disney stuff with Demi Lovato…Camp Rock or something?

Poor guy.

Thanks Prince Abubu for being so patient and hanging out with the girls!

-Jane, Mommy to pancake-loving girls.

As soon as we set off from Cafe Gratitude, I see a “sign”.

Apparently a sign that I’ve been waiting for.

I search my mind and go blank. I haven’t been waiting for any sign.

We pass this private school.

I seriously love succulents. I wish they could survive here in Metropolis.

The sidewalks here are all busted up from the roots of the trees.

So, if you’re in high heels, you better watch it!

Dick is super sore from the marathon so he’s checking out this massage parlor.

Massage parlor sounds so kinky.

Probably why they decided to call this place a “wellness center”.

More beautiful succulents! So pretty!!

The girls recognize this magazine stand from some movie and want a picture with it.

I’m like, surely this is not the only magazine stand that looks like this but whatever.

Look who’s out. Nap time. Sweet thang.

We run into these girls who are wearing these “Greenpeace” bibs.

I’m all about green peace but I’m not interested in talking about it right now.

We move on.

Thelma showing off her hoola-hoop skills.

We pass by a shoe store. These retro New Balance shoes are pretty nice…for Dick.

Then we spot these outRAGEous shoes that are showcased in the center of the store.

Like these leopard father/son high tops.

Or these weird black and white whatevers…I don’t even know how to describe them.

One is some cow hide loafer with buckle.

And the other a tennis shoe/funky boot hybrid.

And the jean winged father/son high tops.

On the way back, we see the infamous Hollywood sign.

So, that’s it. That was our walk around Larchmont.

-Jane, Larchmont Tourist.

Since he lives not too far from Lucy’s, we decided to walk there.

The pool is at the TOP of his building.

With a great view of LA.

I hate it when the wind blows my bandana up like that.

Bandana erections suck.

Look at my hubby’s half-shaven legs, from when he had to shave for the kinesiology tape for the marathon. Pulling them off gave him a good waxing as well. I happily volunteered to remove them for him, with plans to pull them off nice and slow. Like the one time we tried waxing his back. It was like that scene from the 40-year Old Virgin and I so thoroughly enjoyed it…such a mean wife I am.

Poor Benz wants to join his sisters in the pool but it’s too cold and this Momma ain’t going in!!

And, it’s too hard to keep up with him crawling so fast…he could launch himself easily into the pool.

So, for his protection (and my sanity), I plopped him right through this lounge chair.

You know, between the plastic thingys…to keep him immobilized. 

Yes, a lounge chair. HA!

Remember how I told you I was great at improvise???

Sorry kiddo! It’s for your own safety!

I know, I deserve a Mom of the Year Award, right? LOL

So momma’s, next time you’re at the pool and you can’t figure out how to keep your mobile baby safe, just stick him in a lounge chair. Just a trick of the trade from one EXPERIENCED mom.

-Jane, Baby Imprisoner.

I made it so inviting that the girls decided to bring their games and play out there.

They’re playing “LIFE”. Lucy and I used to LOVE playing this as kids.

Poor Benz caught wind of this and was admiring them from the bedroom doors.

Except, there’s a iron gate blocking him.

From his perspective, I’m sure it seems like he’s in jail!

Poor thing is watching and wishing he could be down there with his sisters.

However, as much as they love him, they know he’d mess up their game and so they don’t want him down there.

So is the life of a baby/toddler. The big kids don’t want to play with you!

Poor baby. You’ll have a playmate soon enough!

And this is why we’re not freaking out about having #4.

Benz definitely needs a friend his age.

-Jane, Mommy to Jailbird.

Hence, maybe you’ve seen that new ridiculous reality show by Ryan Seacrest, the Shahs of Sunset, that feature over-the-top, super materialistic Persians. Let me start by saying this is not how all Persians behave and the show is so super duper stupid that I can’t believe they got picked up for a second season.

Anyway, I have a great Persian family. They are so sweet and wonderful so of course we had to visit them while we were in Cali.

This is Dick’s second cousin above. She is always so wonderful to us and insists on taking such great care of us.

“I am like your mother!”

So, when we came to visit her, she cooked up an elaborate dinner…and because Dick mentioned he was vegetarian, she made all the Persian dishes vegetarian. So super sweet.

Any time you have a large family gathering of Persians, there is always fabulous food to be had.

It was just delicious and, if you didn’t know, Persian food takes FOREVER to cook, so I appreciate so much the time and effort she put into all this fabulous food.

The girls also had a lot of fun hanging out with their cousins…I guess that would make them 3rd cousins or something crazy like 1st cousins thrice removed. Whatever, they’re cousins!

On a second visit, Dick was so pleasantly surprised to see his mom’s uncle, his great uncle, who he hasn’t seen in many many years.

He’s such a sweet, lovely man.

I also brought Lucy and Prince Abubu with me too.

Since we all live so far away and spread out, it’s not often that we can get together.

So, it’s always nice to catch up and see everyone.

The kids, especially, grow up so fast.

Such a large family and this is only a drop in the bucket.

We have so many more all over the world.

It’s super nice to have such a great extended family.

-Jane, Member of Huge Persian family.

But, as we kept walking and took a closer look,  we realized that it was a sedan called the Rapide!

Just absolutely gorgeous!

The doors are so inconspicuous that the rear doors simply melt into the aerodynamics of the car so it doesn’t look like your typical sedan at all. In fact, it doesn’t even look like a sedan.

Rolled out in 2010, the Rapide is built off the DB9 platform, has a V12 engine, goes 0-100 mph in 5.2 sec and is the epitome of lyxury,

This baby can be yours for the low price of $200k!! No, you don’t need a house, just buy this car and live in it!

-Jane, Cars Enthusiast.