From 80 degrees to 30 degrees

It's been about 2 weeks since Miles got back and he is still on Hawaii time. Sleeping in 'til the afternoon, staying up til 12am. I haven't been able to work on music cause I just knock out with him.

He's pretty excited for today because his gramma & papa are arriving and are celebrating their first Christmas in the Bay with us! I hope they pack enough clothes to layer up, it's like NY here at night, hitting low 20s. We don't have snow but we have the weather to go with it. I can't believe Christmas is literally just a few days away. I haven't even thought much about what I will cook! I'm just living each day-by day, really. It's been less stressful, cut back on doing three much cause I realized that I'm not superwoman. Gasp! All you parents know the deal. Having a family is a blessing but also a struggle. In the words of Kweli, "A beautiful struggle." That pretty much sums it up. Can't have one without the other--the struggle makes you see and appreciate the beauty, and the beauty makes you determined and willing to fight for it. On a side note, in a conversation with Jus, he asked me, "how many people can actually say they know their life purpose?" And I really can't answer that. I don't ask everyone I know, "do you know your life purpose?" I use to think my life purpose was so specific but now feel it's a bit more general, encompassing many goals. I guess it has grown with me.

Do you know what your life purpose is?

Holidays

This semester is officially a done deal after this week is over and I can't believe two years of pre-reqs are over. Miles will also be leaving preschool this week. It's bittersweet. His teachers have been great and I'm sure he will be missing them as well as his buddies at school.

Miles in the courtyard of his preschool.

Before he left for Hawaii, he took note of the fall colors of the leaves and wants to see how much it changes within a week's time.


He has one year left before going to kindergarden so I will be homeschooling him--shouldn't be hard (crossing my fingers). It's been fun, doing some research and finding simple lessons that I can do with both Miles & Darrien. I've also been looking into enrolling him in age appropriate classes offered by the Rec department so that he'll still be able to interact regularly with other kids. It's been a crazy roller coaster of a month! We are pretty much looking forward to spending the holidays with our family, ending this year on a good note, and starting the new year with strength and new wisdom.

Miles has been having so much fun, getting in the Christmas mood and getting crafty at home. Here's a fun ornament recipe you can do at home:

What you need:
-1/2 cup salt
-1 cup flour
-1/2 cup water (add more if needed)
-rolling pin
-cookie sheet
-toothpick
-cookie cutters (we used his playdoh tools)
-acrylic paints (we used glitter paints)
-Mod Podge
-Ribbons or ornament hooks for hanging

How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Mix together, salt, flour, and water until dough is formed.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour, continue to do so until stickiness is gone. Do not add too much flour, this will dry out the dough and will cause it to crack before you get a chance to bake it.


4. Roll out the dough to about ¼” thick with a rolling pin that has been dusted with flour.


5. Use cookie cutters to cut out as shapes as you want or make your own.


6. Get Messy!


7. Use a toothpick to make a hole toward the top of the shape. Poke the toothpick into the shape, then holding toothpick straight up and down, make a circular motion as if you were stirring something. Keep circling until the hole is the size you want.
8. Place all shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and place into the preheated oven.
9. Bake for 2 hours.

10. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

11. Paint, let dry, and apply Mod Podge to seal.



Miles has been busy spending plenty time with family, for Thankgiving/takin' (if you're leaning toward the far left)...

Grandma Helen with Jasmine.

Aaron!



The boys at it again (peep the gats, dios mio! no bueno!)

Aunty Rhea's 17th birthday...

Of course, Miles has to blow out the candles.

And Darrien too...


We also celebrated Zayden's binyag...

Ninang Maritess, Zayden, & Dave


Ninang Jen x Dengs x Ninong Bob

Ninang Maritess x Uncle Eric= E & M Cafe!

Miles also had quality time with our family in Hawaii on his mini-vacation with Jus. It was a good trip for them because they got to spend a lot of time with each other too. I'll post pictures from their trip tomorrow! I'm spent. Good night!

Add Love, Watch Them Grow

Can you believe Christmas is almost here? And in just a couple weeks, it will be 2010. These past years have seemed to fly by all too quickly for me. And Miles reminds me of how much time has passed just by looking at him, and having conversations with him. I mean look at him--definitely not a baby nor a toddler. Will I be blogging about this kid until he's a man!? Sike. Well let me not get way ahead of myself here, he is still just a boy. New year's day marks his 4th birthday. Come to think of it, I can't believe he's only been in our lives for 4 years. It seems as though he's been my buddy for a lifetime. One thing's for sure, he is love manifested.


January 1st, 2006.


Made with love.


I miss those fat, fat legs and rubber band wrists.


The beginning of Darrien + Miles BFFs.


Toddlerhood.


Miles' 2nd birthday.


Darrien's 2nd birthday. And Miles' adding some Staphylcoccus aureus to the cake.


Rolling with his Kuya Andre.


I love you Miles.

High five Jus, I think we make a good team ;)

Summer + Winter

Miles' pops @ Mighty 4 Hawaii (picture taken by the Lightsleepers fam @ Lightsleepers.net)


Miles and his cousin, Isley.

Miles and Justin have been in Oahu since last Thursday. Justin was out there to DJ for Mighty 4 on Saturday. We thought it would be cool to surprise Miles' grandma and fly him out with his dad. But, we ended up telling her in case it would be too much of a shock! I heard Miles is enjoying his escape to summer weather vey much. Oh, and so is his dad, being in his element. With both my loves gone, it's been too quiet in our place. I fill the air with jazz music while I'm getting as much studying done as I can for my last exams. I heard there are 40 foot waves in North Shore right now. I'd love to see that! I woke up here to 30 degree weather, hearing that it has snowed in parts of the bay and Northern Cali! I'd trade the cold for beach and the warm sunshine anyday! So as a mother and wifey with so much free time on my hands, I've been able to study (a lot!), gig w/o rushing to get home, have girls night out, record with Miles' ninang Erica (DJ Amerriica--look out for Analog Girls), spend time with my mom, bros, sisters, and dad, and do all the laundry. That's amazing come to think of it, I still have more time to study and session with DJ Lady Fingaz. But with all that I'm able to do without my boys home, I'm so looking forward to being reunited with them on Thursday! :)

The Green Toy Gun

Friday was an exciting day. New Moon was out and I planned to watch it with a bunch of cousins, sisters, brothers, & my mom--we bought our tickets way in advance. Papo agreed to babysit Miles, Dengs, and Aunty Helen was bringing Aaron & Andre over too. Anyway, I felt a little anxious, when I was at the theater but ignored it, thinking maybe I was just excited about the movie? There was a scene in New Moon, where Bella gets cut by glass and gets stitched by Dr. Cullen. During that scene, Awts tells me that she's done sutures and has sewn people up at her past residency and I was thinking, "wow, that's impressive and a good skill to have." Anyway, the movie ends, we're all talking about it, on our way home, and while I was suppose to just get dropped off back to my house, I had a hunch that maybe I needed to go back to my parent's house to check on Miles. And it's a good thing I did follow that instinct.

When I got there, I learned that he got hurt. The kids were playing, he just so happened to be at the bottom of the stairs and one of the boys threw down a green toy gun and Miles got hit smack in the forehead. I just wanted to go home to take a look at what was underneath the band aid, to clean it up and go from there. Sure enough, it looked pretty bad and Awts confirmed that yes, he needed some stitching! I was horrified! I mean, this was the first time Miles ever got hurt like that. I know every experienced parent will say, "those things happen..." "boys will be boys..."..."get use to it..." But yo, it was one of those moments as a parent where you're just plain scared when something like that happens. I called Justin at work so he could come home and bring us to the ER.

I don't know how I will be a nurse when I don't even like being in the hospital. I'd like to avoid taking Miles there if at all possible with h1n1 and all kinds of deadly bacterial organisms being rampant. It was 1:30 am by the time we got there. Miles was pretty nervous about what was going to happen. When the nurses and doctors asked him what happened, he said, "A gun fell on my head!" And I got some dirty looks! While it took what seemed like forever, he was pretty patient and cooperative with the doctor. Luckily, she was really good with him and wanted to avoid the trauma of being strapped down & stitched so she used dermabond aka people glue. Miles wanted to understand what she was doing and she told him, "we have to put your forehead together again just like humpty dumpty when he fell of his wall." By the time we left it was about 5 am and he was surprisingly still happy. Maybe it was cause he got a new bear, Charlie, and a coloring book from the nurses.

Moral of the story: Always listen to your motherly (or fatherly) instinct and intuition. I'm so glad that I decided to check on him after the movie--not something I usually do, trusting that he's OK.

Yesterday Miles remembered that the green toy gun that fell on his head was the same toy he had screamed his head off for at the county fair during the summer (Aunty Xtina, I'm sure you remember!). While we didn't buy it, his Aunty Jen got it for him--he said, "I don't know why I wanted that toy gun mommy. I don't know why I cried for it so much. I'm not going to get a toy gun again." Amen! I thought it was pretty reflective, how he was connecting that memory and his emotions then to his trauma with it Friday night. Miles will remember this as we all did when we were kids, getting hurt for the first time and having to go to the ER (or not!). Plus, he'll have his battle scar as a remembrance. That scar will always remind me to pay attention to my intuition!

But the playing must go on!







He's just fine, especially when he's hanging with his BFF, Dengs :)

The Jones

For all the adults & 18+(due to explicit lyrics in some of the songs), enjoy my new mix, The Jones. I made this inspired by my man and also as an ode to the LOVER in you...

Mama Feelgood's THE JONES Mix

Mama Feelgood

ENJOY!

p.s. Miles' favorite cut in here is Honey (E.Badu) & Outstanding (Gap Band)..he knows the lyrics! ;)

Wow, 3rd week into November.

Is it just me or did this fall season zip on by? I just realized that next week is thankstaking, i mean--thanksgiving. Peace to all indigenous peoples still living in this country. Miles wants to just fast forward past thanksgiving because he's going on a quick vacation to Hawaii with his dad! And then around the corner is Christmas. And you know this kid is pretty excited about that. Aunty Erica gave him toy mags from the newspaper and he's been busy clipping away, getting his Christmas wish list in order. He preferred making a collage for "Santa" instead of a list. It's great that he has some toys in there besides the usual cars, robots, weapons he thinks are cool. He included a Barbie play kitchen and a Barbie van. Not my steez to enforce gender roles--want to raise this kid open-minded.




He's also been busy with his decorating projects.



I have one big presentation left, 2 lecture exams, and 1 lab exam but I really wish I could escape to Oahu and fast forward to the summer season real quick. Been feeling surges of inspiration here and there so I finally finished "The Jones" mix which I'll be uploading to the Mama Feelgood podcast! Thank God for this balance.

Music=therapy.