A Day in the Life of an Unglamorous Mom, Installment #2

Day 2 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)

5:30 AM - Woke up with a start to see the light in Lauren’s room still on. Poked my head in to see Audrey lying in Lauren’s bed with her laptop open. Audrey explained she had to be up early to finish her homework before taking the train to L.A. Was glad I didn’t pounce on her like I almost did Andrea, yesterday! Went back to bed before realizing it was no use. Started a load of laundry instead.

6:00 - Checked on Audrey again and found her taking a shower in my master bath. Audrey asked me to make her a breakfast sandwich. At 6:25, she still wasn’t ready to head out. Wrapped sandwich in foil for Audrey to eat on the train and confirmed with her when her train was supposed to leave the Tustin station (6:42 AM!)  Realized with some panic we did not have much time to spare.

6:35 - Driving furiously toward the station, which was fortunately just one block from our neighborhood entrance, while preaching the virtue of timeliness to Audrey. Audrey justified that she had to wait “a long time” for the train on her first day of class and expected the same today. Swerved swiftly into the station’s parking lot just as train began to pull in. Audrey scrambled to get on the train platform with her bulging tote full of books and sewing supplies, in her tottering high heels. Other commuters were also hurrying to enter the train from different doors. Lost sight of Audrey for a moment, then train was already on its way. Could not see Audrey anywhere… either she’s on the train, or under the train tracks… it’s impossible to tell from where I was! Decided to go home.

6:45 - Edited my blog, “A Day in the Life…” for yesterday and today, having trouble remembering the succession of chores I’d completed or left unfinished during that period. Concluded that blogging was a time-sucking, self-absorbed, but slightly addictive, activity. Decided to stop writing at 8:30 out of fear that I might fall even further behind with my chores.

8:30 - Watered potted plants on my patio. It was witheringly hot yesterday, and the black-eyed Susan vine in my hanging basket looked like it might join the dead azalea tree in my green recycle bin soon. Only a few days without bleach and algae was already proliferating in my front-yard fountain, adding to the neighborhood blight. Headed to Target to buy bleach tablets and Miracle-Gro.

9:15 - Lauren informed me that Andrea had requested jasmine tea for breakfast, again! Convinced myself that this particular jasmine tea I purchased from a Vietnamese specialty store, "Vua Kho Bo" (Jerky King), must be at least a little more “nutritious” than the garden-variety tea found at Vietnamese supermarkets. Packed a Thick and Creamy French vanilla Yoplait and a peanut butter granola bar for Lauren, and Rainier cherries for Andrea, to take with them to voice and guitar lessons at Diana’s. Each girl was supposed to take on an extra 15 minutes of lessons today to cover for Audrey, who must already be at FIDM by now.  Andrea said she didn’t like cherries. Lauren didn’t refuse her snacks, but also wanted tea. What’s the deal?  Poured hot tea into disposable cups and reminded the girls to bring their music sheets and guitar picks.

9:30 - Peni arrived to take the kids to Diana’s. Natasha refused to come along, preferring to watch TV at my place. Promised Peni I wouldn’t run any errands and leave Natasha with Kiet while she's gone (these two never got along).

9:40 - Went upstairs to take my shower, telling Kiet I’d be down to feed him soon.

10:00 - Fixed breakfast for Kiet and entered daily patient log information from the office in my Excel worksheets.

11:30 - Stole some time on the computer to order an arbor from the Plow and Hearth catalog for my mom.  I'm supposed to help her redesign her backyard landscaping after she came back from visiting my brother Doca and his family in Temecula.

Montebello arbor from Plow & Hearth

Wandered online and saw that the Thai Prince fountain I almost bought several months ago was now on sale at neimanmarcus.com with free shipping. Ordered it for Mom as a surprise.

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod81350125&parentId=cat980731

12:15 PM - Washed dishes lying in the sink from last night’s dinner. Natasha offered to clear the clutter on my kitchen island, and ended up cleaning the upstairs bathroom sinks as well. Told her I would let Peni know what a good helper she was, but Natasha made me promise not to brag because Lauren might be jealous. Lauren had warned her cousin not to “hog all the chores” because she'd wanted to get the house ready for Allison's and Amanda’s sleepover herself!

Natasha migrated to the patio to Windex our outdoor dining table glass top. The girls planned to eat al fresco tomorrow morning.

Had to spruce up our bedrooms quickly! Why has my housekeeping devolved to an occasional dust-up only when guests were expected? Used to change sheets on a weekly schedule; now I couldn’t remember the last time it was done! Andrea’s bed was the worst dust-bunny collector, all because I was a wimp and failed to discourage her from buying a laddered bunk. I knew it’d be trouble but Andrea had insisted she could and would take responsibility for making her bed.  As with all the other household chores, pretty soon it became MY responsibility. It’s virtually impossible to tuck in the sheets at the corners while you’re crawling on top of the mattress yourself.  Aargh!!!

12:45 - The girls have come home. Told them what I had in the fridge to eat and hurried to the market to get mini chocolate chips, strawberries, microwavable bacon, and whip cream at Lauren's dispatch. Also bought ingredients to make steak salad for dinner. Lauren told me that Julie, another cast mate, might decide to join them on the sleepover. Rounded out my menu with watermelon and 4 pints of Häagen-Dazs ice cream (two each of Rum Raisin and Vanilla Swiss Almond).

1:45 - Finished putting groceries away with Peni’s help and took my blood pressure medications, which I forgot to do in the morning.  Put bleach tablets in two fountains, plus 4 toilet tanks.

2:10 - Allison and Amanda have arrived, bringing with them a ton of sleepover gear. Lauren and Natasha were so excited they almost jumped out of their skin with anticipation. They proudly led the Sheppard girls on a disjointed tour of our mostly clean home. It was sweet to hear Natasha refer to our home as HER house. She practically lives here anyway!

2:30 - After their chirpy chatter has subsided, the girls brought out their skateboarding gear and roamed the neighborhood, although it was sweltering out. They came back looking a little pink.

3:00 - Completed a rough draft of Lauren’s bio for the musical Hi Ho Robin Hood and an Evite for the event.  Left a message at the theater's box office to pre-order tickets.

3:15 - Spent 45 minutes online planning for our family's Las Vegas vacation scheduled immediately after Hi Ho Robin Hood's closing show. The accommodations best suited for our needs seemed to be 2-bedroom suites with fully-equipped kitchens at an extended-stay hotel off the strip.  Mom and I decided to be everyone's butler & chef and cook at least one meal a day for the duration of our trip in order to contain costs.

4:00 - Reviewed draft tax returns prepared by our accountant. I expected no unpleasant surprises with the corporation tax return, since corporate income was supposed to filter down to the personal level and only the minimum franchise tax would be due, but was a little worried about my personal return. I've always depended on my Excel worksheet to provide good estimates of my liabilities over the years, but my numbers were way off this time for some reason. Compared my own calculations with the accountant’s and discovered I was hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax. OMG!

4:30 - Have calmed myself down sufficiently and decided to defer the filing of my tax return until the extended deadline months away, even though I knew I would incur interest and penalties on top of my present liability. Vowed to be more proactive with tax planning from now on. Why did I bother to devise a complicated tax worksheet to keep myself abreast of my tax obligations if I never managed to make the required estimated tax payments anyway?

Emailed accountant to initiate minor revisions on my personal tax return and give him the go-ahead to e-file the corporation tax return.

4:45 - Pan-seared New York steaks on both sides with olive oil and stuck them in the oven to get rid of the pink (I still had a thing about bloody steaks). Prepared my homemade Vietnamese salad dressing with lime juice, Maggi, sugar, garlic and pepper. Decided I have to give up my nonproductive habit of re-washing tripled-washed packaged greens out of fear of E. coli poisoning.

5:30 - Steak salad was ready to eat. Not as good and authentic as my cousin’s, who gave me her original recipe which I’ve modified to suit our 30-minute meal plans, but my girls loved it! The Sheppard girls ate more watermelon than salad, but were unitedly effusive in their praise for my cooking prowess. Had a sneaking suspicion their parents had raised them to be exceedingly gracious and polite, and my accolades were actually undeserved.

Andrea wandered downstairs to pick up a plate of food and quickly retreated to her lair. She never liked to hang out with guests and was often openly disdainful of the girly activities that Lauren and Natasha thrived on. Allison and Amanda, however, were totally in sync with their present company.

5:50 - The girls headed back to my master bedroom to gather their stuff for musical practice. Cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher while waiting for them to get ready.

6:30 - Dropped off the girls at Newport Theatre Arts Center right on time for their rehearsal. I have been very good this summer as compared to the last!

7:00 - Talked to my cousin on the phone for a half hour. She told me her husband thought I should not replace the outdoor wall sconces at my rental property with security lights. Sat down to draft email to tenants explaining my decision:

"I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I have discussed the security issue with a few people including my handyman. Basically, the consensus was that motion sensor lights wouldn’t be of much help since they don't do anything for you in the daytime. At dusk, they would come on initially when an intruder goes near the area of installation, but their switching on and off is nothing more than distracting. People seem to think they offer very little in deterrent value, except for the psychological benefit.

My cousin suggested getting door alarms to protect your vulnerable entrances (see Radioshack link below). If you feel they could be of use, I'd be happy to get as many as you see fit. These are simple to install and I could just order them to be sent straight to your address.

I understand your concern as I have kids myself and the same thing happened to me while I was living in L.A years ago. My mom was babysitting my infant daughter when the burglar broke in, saw her and immediately ran out of our apartment. My mom was traumatized and lived in fear for an entire summer, but there were no other incidents and the burglar never showed up again. Most burglaries are crimes of opportunities and not planned well like robberies. In these tough times, I think it's more likely you'd encounter a one-time thief who’s reduced to commit this type of crime out of desperation rather than a career criminal who could hurt someone in the process.

Tifo"

Email sounded way too personal! Not sure how to revise it to strike the right tone, so saved it to Draft to allow it to marinate until I could view it again with fresh eyes.

7:30 - Put away clean dishes from the dishwasher. Dried and folded two loads of laundry. Managed a quick review of the office data input by Peni.

8:15 - Checked on Andrea’s billing progress. She was totally on task and had completed many more claims than I expected. Hurray!

8:30 - Headed out to pick up the girls from the theater. Julie, who played the wicked stepmother to perfection in last year’s production of Big Bad Musical, also decided to go home with us. The car ride was awash with girly chatter, Katy Perry's and Justin Bieber's music, and Twilight commentaries.

9:30 - The girls changed into their swimsuits right after they got home and headed for our community club house with me in tow. The night air was perfect, and the pool water warm from the retained heat of the late afternoon sun. I’m lying contentedly on one of the association’s lounge chairs looking up at the fluttering palm fronds and wondering why I hadn't done this more often. Almost drifted off to sleep but remembered I was here to supervise the girls. Right!!

10:45 - Ushered everyone home quickly as I had to pick up Audrey at the Amtrak station by 11:15.

11:15 - Tonight's train was right on schedule and Audrey looked happy to see me waiting by curbside. She asked me what’s for dinner, even though she'd missed the meal by several hours. Some things never change!  I suspected Audrey would be asking me the same question even after she moved out to be on her own.

Midnight - Fed Audrey a hearty meal and told her to go to bed early for once. Despite having endured a 12+ hr. school day, Audrey was bubbling over with enthusiasm when reunited with her sister, Andrea, at day's end. On the surface, these two appear to have nothing in common, but they absolutely adore each other and I’ve never detected even a smidge of sibling rivalry between them.

12:30 AM -  Julie, Allison, Amanda, Lauren, and Natasha sat around my kitchen nook discussing the merits of a proposed game where each girl would rate their friends’ physical attributes on a scale of 1 through 10 (eyes, lips, hair, overall style… even eyebrows!) The girls were dying to find out where they stood on their peers’ Style-o-Meter, but also fearful they couldn't be both honest and at the same time protective of one another’s feelings. Eventually, curiosity overcame reservations and Lauren began passing out makeshift scorecards. She completed hers quickly, rattling out numbers upwards of 7. Allison was typically tactful and politically correct, showering everyone with perfect 10’s but insisting that that was how she really saw her beautiful friends. She was so sweet and earnest in her proclamations that you almost had to believe her! Amanda followed suit. Julie fired off wildly divergent and off-the-chart scores – 200 for someone’s eyebrows as opposed to 50,000 for Allison’s hair! I continued to eavesdrop while washing the dishes, but eventually lost track of who was ahead. Natasha later confided in me that she ended up with the fewest points overall. It was totally understandable since she was the youngest in the group and lowest in the pecking order, but of course Natasha had to pout a bit about her hurt feelings. Reassured her that someone was bound to be disappointed unless everyone gave out perfect 10’s, and it was just a silly game that should be taken with a grain of salt.

1:30 AM - The sleepover gang ate Häagen-Dazs ice cream right out of the container and chatted into the night. I happily finished off their leftovers. After confirming with the girls that their parents wouldn’t be upset if they stayed up late, gave everyone a final curtain time and went around the house checking doors and appliances to make sure everything was shut and off before collapsing on Kiet's bed. The three older girls were supposed to take over my master and I've reminded Natasha and Lauren to stay in their own room, but I found out in the morning that they had predictably sneaked over and snuggled sardine-like in my King bed.

Natasha, Allison, and Lauren after the closing performance of last summer's Big Bad Musical

Update on Audrey

Audrey and I have adjusted to our respective schedules with her train commute to L.A. after the first few weeks of summer classes.  For me, it's actually worked out quite well since her drop-off and pick-up times (early in the morning and very late at night) never conflicted with her siblings' schedules.  I've come to appreciate how dependable and efficient the train could be for long commutes.  So far I've never had to wait more than five minutes for Audrey at pick-up time.  I felt really guilty last Monday when I came a little late and she was waiting on the bench in front of the station all alone.  Most of the other commuters were businessmen who drove their own cars and would disappear into the station's parking structure as soon as they got off the train at night.  It seemed like Audrey was the only FIDM student with an oddball schedule.  She told me the train attendant knows her by now and even "forgets" to punch her ten-pack ticket on purpose.  It is true that pretty girls often get special treatment!

I was very relieved that Audrey no longer needed to walk to the subway to take the night train home. As it turned out, FIDM used to have a student escort service (this sounds terrible, I know, but I'm not sure what an appropriate substitute term might be) available upon request, that was canceled due to lack of funds. In its place, a shuttle service was made available to students who needed to get to the subway from their classes. This is similar to the doorman walking students to their cars at the Irvine campus.  Audrey has never seemed to recognize the dangers of being on the streets of L.A. alone at night, but I made her promise to use the shuttle from now on.

One thing that still bothers me about Audrey's long days at the L.A. FIDM campus is she refuses to wear flats to school.  I remember myself as a college student walking to classes in sneakers, T-shirts, and jeans.  In contrast, Audrey wears impossible heels everyday while toting around her oversized bag full of books and supplies that must weigh at least a ton!  I've appealed to her vanity by pointing out the threat of varicose veins, but so far that scare tactic hasn't worked.  I might resort to getting Audrey to try sensible Naturalizer shoes and see if she can stick with them out of habit.

The popular misconception of Fashion Design being a "romance major" is just that... a misconception!  I never saw Audrey work so hard in her life as she is doing now.  Academics has always come easy to her and she got good grades without trying all through high school, but the rigor of her second-year college classes surprised me.  A few days ago, I happened upon her working intently on her first project of the quarter, designing a fashion portfolio taking inspiration from the Brooklyn Bridge. I knew if it were me taking this course, I would have surely failed!  Somehow the artistic gene from my dad skipped a generation and went straight to Audrey, bypassing me entirely!  Drawing stick figures is all I can manage past kindergarten.

A patient of my ex got in touch with me recently and while chatting about our respective lives, shared the news that her granddaughter, who also majored in Fashion Design, graduated five years ago and was unable to find a job!  She has since then switched gears and gotten into dental school.  My friend Christine told me the daughter of our mutual acquaintance, who also attended FIDM, gave up her dream of becoming a fashion designer when she discovered she liked sketching and had a talent for it, but couldn't really sew.  This girl also went back to school with a different major and ended up marrying a lawyer.  While those two outcomes could count as happy endings in some Vietnamese households, I doubt that Audrey would see it that way.  I just can't see her being fulfilled in any other field but her chosen career.

While taking the train home one night, Audrey drew a portrait of her friend, Jaron, from a photo of him stored in her digital camera.  She didn't believe she did a good job, but I disagreed (except for his Star Trek ears).  What do you think?

Lake Louise

My brother, Doca, and his family recently took a road trip to Banff (in the heart of Canada's Rocky Mountains), visiting Lake Louise, one of the region's most scenic landmarks.

Doca, Gisele, and Hanh in typical touristy pose with wooden bear

Gisele proved she was the better model by far posing solo with her soft pup.

She was all smiles upon arrival at the campsite...

It only took Gisele a minute to get the lay of the land...

And not too long before she allowed herself to behave like a native...

Doca's photos of Lake Louise were postcard-perfect!  Have you ever seen such an amazing montage of water and sky?

This must be where the word "aquamarine" originated

Watercolored sunset

These photos reminded me of Solvang, a Danish village in Santa Barbara County I visited a few years back...

Picturesque store fronts

Quaint architecture

Rustic flower cart

Cabin by the lake

My sister Terra got to join Doca's family on this trip.  Terra is everyone's ideal travel companion... always cheerful, ready to help in every way and eager to find redeeming fun in even the most disappointing tourist experience.  I remember a trip to Hawaii where our family fell prey to a cheap tour scam and got stranded on the side of a remote road on our way to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, waiting in the sweltering heat for connecting transportation that we feared might not ever arrive.  We were so relieved to finally see a rickety bus lumbering toward our stop to pick us up, but where was Terra??  While everyone else was busy griping and cursing, she had gone off on her own to capture "wildflowers" (weeds!) on her video camera.  I've thought ever since that if I could bottle her attitude for sale, it would make me an instant millionaire!

Terra, nature's child

Gisele is used to giving Auntie Terra a hard time, even on vacation!

Our cousin came along, too.  This photo shows him (on the right), Doca (in the middle), and Hanh's brother-in-law, in a rare and precious moment of male bonding. ;)

The nights were cold at the campsite, so Gisele was often bundled up angora-rabbit style...

Lake Louise offered not only breathtaking scenery, but also conventional tourist attractions, such as thrill rides, that suited Gisele.

Here I go up where I could touch the clouds!

Taking in the view with my dad & mom

This blog probably seemed so promotional it could pass for a link from the Banff Visitors Bureau's website, but I sure wish I were there in person to take in these sights!

Once back home in Temecula, Gisele will prepare herself for an important milestone in her young life... entering preschool.

Mommy was more than ready to wrap up her vacation, but Gisele looked like she still had a lot of mileage in her

On daddy's shoulder, Gisele looked back fondly at her cabin, home away from home for the past week.

Goodbye, Lake Louise!

Truyện ngắn: Con ruồi - Nguyễn Nhật Ánh

I found the following Vietnamese short story in my mailbox recently with this note from the sender:

Xin chuyển câu chuyện mang ý nghiã về thói đời & tình đời...

http://forum.vncnus.net/viewtopic.php?t=15583

Promise me you'll read the entire story in Vietnamese first before clicking on its Google translation.  Hilarious!!

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=vi&u=http://traphaco.6.forumer.com/a/con-rui-nguyn-nht-nh_post62.html&ei=jPVDTLiDIcP-8Ablmc3UDw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcon%2Bruoi%2Bnguyen%2Bnhat%2Banh%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ACAW_enUS304US304

A Day in the Life of an Unglamorous Mom

Some people live their life in intervals, precisely mapping out their way with successive five-year plans to nail down one milestone after another; some try (whether successfully or unsuccessfully) to control it down to every single occasion; while others sort of let fate be their guide. I’m among the latter. In fact, there was a time in my life when fate seemed to have got me by the tail and I became the unwilling participant in my life’s design.

A friend of mine once said about his own temporary troubles in a letter… “I take comfort in the belief that the problems I’m currently experiencing will eventually resolve in some form or fashion...” At the time, I thought it was a pretty fatalistic comment to make, but I’ve since partially adopted his attitude which has helped me find some consolation and acceptance during the more difficult periods of my life.

I’ve come to a resting point where I could appreciate my life the way it is – imperfect, disorderly, and sometimes bordering on unmanageable – despite it being terrifically mundane, thus providing the inspiration for the title of my blog.

Never a restless soul, I believed that being a mom was what life had in the cards for me and what I did best (partly by default, I might add, with some embarrassment). However, I had also mistakenly thought that once my days of diaper changing and baby bottle sterilizing were over, I would have all the time in the world to work at becoming a less harried and more attentive mom.

I was wrong!

Where has all my time gone? Hard to believe that Audrey is now a college student and I’m still as much a harried mom as ever!

I decided to keep a log of what I did around the clock, Bridget Jones style, for a week, to see where I was going wrong.


A Day in the Life of an Unglamorous Mom

Day 1 (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)

8:30 AM - Woke up from phone ringing. Decided to let whoever it was leave a message. Stumbled to the kitchen, feeling groggy and remembering that I’d pored over the office paperwork until 2 AM last night. Vowed to begin and end my day earlier from now on.

Played phone tag with Scott from Beach City Plumbing, whom I’d contacted to convert my BBQ from propane to natural gas. Watered my potted plants and refilled my backyard fountain.

8:45 - Checked business and personal emails. As usual, found too many messages that didn’t deserve recycling, especially from my personal email address. Spent a good chunk of time weeding them and opting out of catalog mailing lists.

9:00 - Shuffled upstairs to take a shower before the kids woke up. Suddenly remembered that the load of laundry I ran two nights ago was still in the washer, probably generating plenty of mildew by now. Made side trip to laundry room to throw musty-smelling clothes in the dryer.

9:25 - Came back downstairs intending to make a quick run to the market, but heard Lauren reminding me loudly from the top of the stairs that I’d promised to let her hang out with Megan today (Note: It’s not a play date anymore at her age.) Shouted back that she would have to wait until after I took Andrea to her BIG (Big Brothers Big Sisters) meeting at Madison Park. Endured several minutes of Lauren’s whining.

9:30 - Mapquested directions to Megan’s house and Madison Park. Felt quite relieved that the latter was in Santa Ana, not that far from our home. Megan’s, however, was a 25-minute drive to Newport Coast. Her family had moved there from our old neighborhood at the end of the school year. Lauren was excited to be the first among her friends to visit Megan at her new address.

Copied both sets of directions to my Destinations file for future access.

9:40 - Took my blood pressure medications and threw away almost all of the left-overs in my fridge. Realized that I really needed to make a trip to the grocery store for the kids’ sake, as there was nothing in the fridge worth eating. Made soft-boiled eggs and mi goi (MAMA instant noodles) for Kiet and called him down for breakfast. Asked Andrea if she wanted me to reheat homemade spaghetti from yesterday for breakfast and she said no, thank you. Brewed some jasmine tea for Andrea because she wanted it. Spent several unproductive minutes feeling guilty about feeding my kids basically Vietnamese junk food!

9:55 - Checked with Audrey (still in her bed) to see if I needed to take her anywhere on her day off. Audrey said yes, but much later. She had to complete her design project at the Irvine FIDM campus because she'd lost her sewing machine pedal during our move almost two years ago and still hasn’t replaced it!

10:00 - Thought I probably had enough time to shop for groceries before taking Andrea to her BIG meeting, but decided not to take a chance. Folded and put away clothes from the dryer instead. Started another load of laundry while waiting for Andrea.

10:20 - Andrea asked me to pick up her friend Ashley on the way. She has been catching rides with Ashley during the school year, and this was the only time I got to return the favor. Ashley is a year older than Andrea and has gotten her driver’s license for a while now. So did Nallina, Andrea’s other best friend, who was now in Japan on a Mazda scholarship. Felt like I was the only mom in the world who still chauffeured her teenage daughters around every day.

10:45 - Headed to Madison Park to drop off the girls.

11:15 - Returned home and prepared business deposit slips for my sister, Peni, to take to the bank. Determined the amount of employer contributions we could afford to make to the corporate SEP IRA for 2009 and drafted Letters of Instructions to Fidelity Investments. Had hoped to tag on a trip to Fidelity just before getting Lauren to Megan’s, but gave up the idea to avoid possible whining from Lauren.

12:00 - Dropped off Little Miss Demanding. Megan’s house looked amazing… in very exclusive Tuscany neighborhood with street names like Morning Light and Pacific Mist!

12:30 PM - Came home to a full house. Ashley’s sister had picked up both girls from their BIG meeting and dropped them off at my home. The other kids were up and my sister Peni has arrived for work with her daughter, Natasha. Gave deposit slips to Peni and discussed her chores for the day.

Kiet stopped playing Oblivion to ask me if there’s anything to eat. Made do by pouring him a glass of orange juice and reheating spaghetti. He said my spaghetti was the best! Felt sufficiently encouraged.  Kiet always makes me feel appreciated.

Audrey told me she didn’t want to eat because she wasn’t hungry. Suspected that she was secretly worried about gaining weight. Decided to leave her alone.

1:00 - Finished SEP IRA letters of instructions and mailed out copies to eligible employees. Emailed figures to accountant to give him the go-ahead to prepare both my business and personal tax returns for 2009.

Opened unexpected email from MetLife containing great news… my refinance file has gotten final approval after many months of delay. Instant mood pick-up!

2:00 - At Albertsons loading up my cart with plenty of fruits and vegetables, feeling smug. My day was going exceedingly well!

2:30 - Have finished putting groceries away and gotten a head start on dinner preparation. Potatoes and carrots were peeled and cut; broccoli and leeks washed. I even had pork chops simmering contentedly on the stovetop. Hallelujaj!

3:00 - Proudly taste-tested my huge pot of no-name soup/stew. Decided it wouldn’t make a difference whether my cooking was nondescript since the kids would eat it up anyway. Believe it or not, my kids have actually suggested once or twice that I write a cookbook. It just goes to show that loyalty is blind, especially in children.

3:10 - Received call from Lauren saying she wanted to delay her pick-up until much later in the afternoon when she had musical theater rehearsal.

Called and left a message for Diana, the girls’ voice instructor, to ask if they could have a make-up lesson tomorrow since we missed her because of a doctor’s appointment yesterday.

Felt quite relieved that I’d cooked dinner early and didn’t have to rush through the rest of the day.

3:15 - Decided to check emails. Immediately regretted decision because jubilant mood was spoiled by letter from our tenants saying the rental property was burglarized three days ago. Actually, it would only count as an attempted burglary, since the man of the house happened to be home and scared off the unsuspecting burglar, who fled on foot. However, his wife and her young son were still freaked out because the burglar had not been caught by the police so far. Email posed the question of what I could do to help them feel safer. Suggested options included installing alarm system, spikes on the side gate (which burglar leapt over), or motion sensor security lights at strategic spots along the home perimeter.

Forwarded email to ex, FYI only, since I was responsible for the health & maintenance of our rental property. Arrived at quick decision that I should at least attempt the minimum to ease the tenants’ concerns since they seemed to be nice folks (especially when compared to our former tenants). Wrote email saying that to be honest, I couldn’t afford to install and maintain a home security system for them, and spikes were out of the question because they would raise the association’s wrath, but I’d try to wrestle my landscaper from his current project to install security lights at the side gates ASAP.

Made mental note to self to gauge the tenants’ intentions regarding their long-term lease, which will be up for renewal in four months. My cousin told me her tenants just asked for a rent reduction, citing the bad economy. Was hoping I could keep mine happy with just a non-increase. Wondered if I should just sell the house and be done with it!

3:40 - Looked up security lights online and could not make up my mind between solar and electric. Wasn’t particularly thrilled to have Julio rip off and replace the new wall sconces I had him install just months ago with conventional security lights, but solar lights probably wouldn’t live up to their reputation anyway, as most energy-saving/environment-friendly devices have tended to disappoint, IMHO. And could I trust an amorphous solar panel, one 16’ cord, and three AA 1000 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries to give off enough light for my tenants’ peace of mind? Sounds too complicated! I’d just call up Julio.

4:10 - Audrey wandered into the kitchen to announce she was hungry. Took out the Panini press the kids gave me for my birthday to make a grilled turkey sandwich for her. Device refused to work even after I'd checked the electric cord and switched outlets several times. Made unauthentic panini in oven instead.

4:40 - Made a mad dash to Fidelity after driving Audrey to FIDM. Managed to make the SEP IRA contributions before Fidelity closed their doors at 5 PM.

5:20 - Returned home and checked phone messages. Audrey’s instructed me to look for her yellow tool box and bring it to FIDM at 7:15.

5:25 - Felt ravenous and realized I haven’t eaten anything all day except a piece of gum for breakfast. Stuffed myself with whatever was laying on the kitchen counter at the moment, which included one speckled banana, leftover Panda Express noodles that Peni bought for Natasha, and some old banana chips. Wondered if that counted as one or two servings of fruits & vegetables.

5:45 - Made Kiet eat his dinner early since I knew I would head out again soon. Kiet liked my no-name soup/stew. At least I could count on him to be consistently non-demanding.

6:00 - Checked on Andrea but her bedroom door was closed with the usual “Do Not Disturb! Bi is watching a movie” sign up. Drove Natasha to Megan’s house to pick up Lauren and dropped off both girls at Newport Theatre Arts Center for their Hi Ho Robin Hood musical rehearsal. Lauren reminded me that I owed her a trip to the grocery store to prepare for her friends’ sleepover tomorrow. Told her I had enough in the fridge, but Lauren insisted that she needed whip cream, strawberries, and mini chocolate chips to make pancakes for breakfast.

7:15 - Swung by FIDM to give Audrey her supplies. Audrey told me to wait in the car while she retrieved a USB flash drive from her tool box and ran back in the building to finish her project.

7:45 - Took Audrey home to rest. Asked Peni if she could take a break from work so I could use the computer for a while. Taught Andrea how to generate medical claims. Peni really needed help... she’s currently behind on billing.

8:30 - Andrea was a quick study, but after getting all the information down, said she’s sleepy and needed to catch some z’s before she could practice billing. I knew she’s been staying up past 1 AM in her room every night even though it’s summer and there’s no homework. Is every teenager’s circadian rhythm similarly messed up, or is it just my kids’? Resolved to bite my tongue for now. Andrea trotted off to her room for a nap, unaware I was about to give her a lecture.

9:00 - Natasha and Lauren have finished their practice session, but were still prancing around on the theater's lawn, refusing to leave. They went through an exhaustive merry-go-round of hugs and goodbye’s with their cast mates before reluctantly hopping into the car.

9:45 - Home at last! Lauren rejected my healthful homemade soup, preferring to make her own favorite standby – mi goi, boiled and sautéed with butter and MSG-laden seasonings. At least I’d made her eat a peach for snacks during the day!

10:00 - Peni relayed a message from one of the organizers of “You Can Dance”, who'd called to touch base with me regarding my girls’ scheduled performances in October.  Was too late to call her back, so I decided to wait until tomorrow.

10:15 - Tomorrow happened to be trash pick-up day. Took the trash bins out to the curb and on the way, noticed that my dying azalea tree has not improved. Realized I should have given it up for dead from the beginning instead of futilely practicing plant CPR for over two weeks. Stuffed the tree in my green recycle container to keep company with other dead plants.

10:30 - Peni has finally left! Worked for a good two hours on the computer, paying bills and reconciling figures, before feeling my eyelids droop. Dishes were still piled high in the sink. I decided to leave them there unwashed. Took my blood pressure medications and went to bed early (thirty minutes past midnight).

Tomorrow is another day!

Day 2 (Thursday, July 15, 2010) through Day 7 (Tuesday, July 20, 2010)

More to come... hopefully!

 Audrey took this photo of me with the sweetpea in my side yard as the backdrop

On Her Own

The time has come for Audrey to go away to college.  She had to leave the security of her cozy Irvine FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) campus for the big city.  Audrey was required to take all her second-year classes in Los Angeles.  Since she doesn't yet have her driver's license, Audrey plans to commute by train to L.A., like most of her Orange County classmates.

Exterior, FIDM Los Angeles Campus

Virtual tour of FIDM's Orange County campus

http://fidm.edu/about/campuses/orange-county/virtual-tour/

Virtual tour of FIDM's Los Angeles campus

http://fidm.edu/about/campuses/los-angeles/virtual-tour/

Just by coincidence, before Audrey's enrollment at FIDM, we moved to a new development in Columbus Square, where the train station is just a block away from our neighborhood's entrance.  Audrey could even walk there to catch the early morning train to L.A.  Unfortunately, she has a 6-hour class this quarter that runs from 3 to 9 PM.  There are no trains back to our station at that time, so Audrey has to travel the subway at night to board an Amtrak train going home.  It's almost midnight every time I drive her home from the Amtrak station.  I'm glad we only have to do this for 10 weeks before Audrey signs up for her new fall schedule! 

Audrey wasn't thrilled about the commute, but I was more worried about safety issues.  Being directionally challenged like me, Audrey needed help in navigating the big city.  Her close friends, now off to their own different colleges, offered to take her on a personalized orientation tour (or maybe she'd begged them!).  We pre-purchased a "Friends and Family pack" of tickets at the Tustin station the day before the Fourth of July, signaling Audrey's impending independence.

Audrey's friends picked her up at Avant Garde studio after her Saturday ballroom dancing class and they all went off without me.

As usual, Jaron was the designated driver... but only to the Tustin station this time, where all of them took the train to L.A.

The four friends touring L.A. together

Jen, always the fashionista!

Jen the city mouse & Audrey the country mouse (wearing her Superman T-shirt for luck on her first day in L.A.)

Note to Grandma:  Please don't freak out... the scribbles on Audrey's calf are from washable markers and not a tattoo!

Good luck, Audrey!  Try to graduate on time for Mom's sake!

San Francisco, June 2010

My kids went to San Francisco with their dad for a few days after the school year ended.  Kiet and Andrea pooled their money to purchase a new camera, which they took with them on the trip.  Kiet got to be the main photog for the first time.  He captured the city's famous landmarks...

And the graffiti and traffic as well...

Lauren was unsure where to go at first...

Kiet headed toward Chinatown.

 

Audrey the indifferent tourist, oblivious to it all!

On the way to San Fran, the kids took an excursion in "the countryside."  You can see Kiet wandering near the old wagon in this photo.

Lauren and Andrea got to pick blueberries from the fields.

Kiet got to jump from a log (these photos were captured in succession using the camera's burst mode).

Lauren had so much fun, she forgot to call me the second night from their hotel.  I missed her "Good night, sleep night, don't let the bedbugs bite!  Sweet dreams!" routine.

Of course, a visit to San Francisco wouldn't be complete without a photo or two taken near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Kiet gazed at the bay in his favorite golf-camp cap

Lauren looked like she's sprouted into a teenager overnight

The kids bought cheap tourist T-shirts and browsed in a home interior shop filled with funky chandeliers.  They said I would love the overpriced and outlandish furnishings there.  Hmmm...!

 

Lauren and Andrea snapping away

These wish stones looked cool

and the cloisonnée rings so pretty!

Audrey got her heart set on a blue antique piano.  But that purchase would have to wait until she gets a job (or wins the lottery).

Lauren was not above making ugly faces for the camera on vacation.  Here she is impersonating a frog (OK, wrong choice of word, but you get the idea!)

Kiet reprimanded the monkey for getting along well with his nemesis, Lauren.

The cutest sculpture of all!

Before heading back, Kiet took in the sights one last time...

Their brief vacation was over much too soon, but many lazy days of summer are still ahead for my kids!