Pearl 07/14/11-02/21/12

Pearl

This beautiful little girl was our Pearl.   


She passed away unexpectedly on February 21, 2012.  She was 8 months old.


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That was Griffin, our dog.  he misses her too, but he does not know his alphabet, so he ca cant write it, he can only tap on her picture.

We first met our sweet kitty when my daughter spent the night at a friend's house back in July 2011.  The family told me of the little homeless kitten they had been feeding.  They named "him" Hobo-Meow-Meow and "he" was the cutest thing ever!  Then again, which kitten isn't cute?

We were still struggling from losing our first cat, Diego, after he ran away from our move to a new place.  I guess after 8 years of living in the same place, the move was too stressful for Diego to take.  We also adopted a puppy, so perhaps all that was too overwhelming.  That loss of a pet is a painful thing to go through, so we were not looking to adopt a new kitten so soon.  It had only happened 4 months earlier, so the wounds were still fresh.  But how could we resist?  We decided to take Hobo home and make her a part of our family.

Pearl & dangly things

Apparently, Hobo missed the memo and hid out under a bed for a couple of weeks.  Once we figured out he was a she, we renamed her Pearl.  Little by little she came out of her shell, though she still ran if we made any sudden movements.  She was so skittish!  We enticed her with toys and socks, the dangly things she seemed to like most.  Her reluctance made her loving moments more endearing.   It took her about two months to come close enough to lay down on us, and purr when we pet her, but eventually that's all she wanted. 

Pearl & Griffin

She could not sleep without the dog either.  She would curl up next to Griffin and they would sleep all morning, just to run havoc in the night time.  Jerks.  I think they planned that one together.  No one could sleep if those two were awake!

Pearl would stay up long enough to see me make my cup of coffee groggily.  She would stick her whole head into the machine trying to figure out where that magic water came from.  I would have to shoo her so she would not get burnt with the hot coffee coming out.  She would do the same thing with anything she could not figure out.  Like the printer.  She heard the whirr of the parts turning, she would stick her head in the compartment to see what was coming out.  She was so curious! 

What is that?

The computer and television were other things that threw her for a loop.   She would stare at them trying her darnedest to figure them out.  Her sudden fearlessness in our home was amusing to see considering her flight reflex to stay alive. She was clearly comfortable in our presence. 

I think you can figure out that we miss her terribly.  When people go in for a routine procedure, we do not expect them to die.  Same situation here, we did not expect Pearl to die from spaying.  Her sweetness was only 5lbs and her heart could not take the stress of the surgery.  We do not hold our vet responsible, as they have always been good to us. 

Life is full of surprises.  You never know what is going to happen and you have to treat each day like it is your last.  You do not want to have any regrets. So right now, hug those you love and tell them so.  I can guarantee that no human (or pet) can hear those words enough. 

Long Time No See

Yeah, it has been a while since I have posted.  No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth or fallen into any deep depression.  Thankfully, my life has gone in the opposite direction - my days have been chockful of...STUFF.

I have been attending this place called college, volunteering in my children's classrooms, packing and unpacking my household for a move, and writing for my college newspaper.  Not to mention ferrying my kid's to their friend's houses, sports practices and games, and extra-curricular activities - in a nutshell, I have been living life.

My youngins are at a point where they are still young enough to enjoy spending time with me, but awfully close to thinking that I am uncool.  I am spending as much time as I can imparting all my wisdom (while they are still listening) and attempting to not lose my patience (and sanity) at the same time.  The patience needed to raise children is INTENSE. 

And my marriage? My goodness, I have never worked harder in anything in my life!  Celebrating twelve years in a couple of days, and I deserve every piece of silk (or whatever traditional gift it is) coming my way.  Not that it's a struggle, but in this world we live in, any day over one that you stay married deserves a medal. 

So, since I have been neglecting my beautiful blog of moments in my life as a Mexican-American, I have decided to get back on track.  I can bust out a couple minutes of writing a day and post at least once a week. 

However, until I get used to that again, I will post things I have written but not posted.  It's always nice to have things on the back burner. Until then, hope everyone has a wonderful spring break and Easter holiday.  Celebrate whatever it is that makes you happy!!!

Faith

“Hello, my name is Monica, and I am unemployed.  It has been six months since I held my last job…” 

I cannot believe it has been that long.

Not that I have been idle, far from it.  Going to school, applying for work, taking care of my kids and my health has all taken a toll.

The picture could not be painted more clearly: Yes, the economy DOES suck.

However, life could not be better.

When I was little, my mom used to always say, “God does not give you more than you can handle.”  I don’t think that is necessarily true.  I believe God hands you the tools to endure life’s tribulations.  But as with everything, we have a choice as to what decision we will make. 

I am not going to lie.  When I discovered my unemployment compensation ran out this past weekend, I was incredibly worried.  How were we going to pay rent? Eat? Have enough gas to get to where we needed to be? Pay electricity?  Afford prescriptions?  WHY ME???  I wallowed in self-pity.

Then, I snapped out of it.  I started making a plan.  Our family had survived on one income in the past, even less than now, so I knew we could do it again.  Sacrifices needed to be made, but starvation and homelessness would not be the end result.

I do spend an incredible chunk of my time with my children, and since they are my most precious gifts, I am content.  The time will soon come when their friends will seem to know everything, so now is the time for me to impart all my wisdom.  They seem to be asking a lot of me lately, so perhaps staying home is a good idea for now. 

I have accepted where I am, but that does not mean I have settled.  I am thankful for the opportunities time off has afforded me.  While schoolwork (and housework – BARF) rule my life, and I have not received as many call backs for jobs as I am accustomed to, I figure it is all in God’s plan.  And I am okay with that.

http://theanchorbaby.tumblr.com/post/13204677878/faith

Anchor Baby EStories: Board Games: Do They Cause Sarcasm?

Anchor Baby EStories: Board Games: Do They Cause Sarcasm?: Harry Potter Clue Playing a board game as a family is not like in the movies. It is not all fun and games. Well, not in my house anyway...

Board Games: Do They Cause Sarcasm?

Harry Potter Clue

Playing a board game as a family is not like in the movies.  It is not all fun and games.  Well, not in my house anyway.  Guess what I am doing right now?  I am ignoring my children as they argue with each other over a game of Harry Potter Clue.

"Ignoring children?  What a horrible parent!"  I can hear the reproach from here.  I figure my kids need to learn to argue effectively to be in good relationships in the future.  It's not like they are toddlers, so no tantrums are allowed (unless they are mine).

To my chagrin, they ARE using their words...unfortunately, it's in a loud and sarcastic way.  I have only myself to blame for that one.  Still, pretty soon I will lose my patience (or my hearing, not sure which will go first) and I will have to end the "fun" the way only this mom knows how: time to put the game away.  And then I will get, "But Mommy..." as if I haven't heard all their excuses already.

Sometimes, it is a struggle to get my almost-middle-schoolers to treat each other with respect.  Then again, I wasn't exactly a princess towards my brothers.  Maybe my plan IS working.  They just finished their first game, and are starting their second.  Let's see how many insults I hear this time!

Been Gone Long Time

It has been FOREVER since I have posted anything.  I am actually quite ashamed to not have kept up with my personal posts.  Have I just lost interest and no longer want to write?  No, it is just life that has ruled my little universe.

Number one: Football season.  This was my son's 4th year and he has become a little beast.  He has a stocky build and is not afraid to use it.  Fearless.  His adrenaline pumps as he smashes through the line and tackles someone down.  With practices being held three days a week and games on Sunday, I had no time for anything else.

Number two: College.  I upped the ante and hit the books.  Three classes to the start of a new working career.  The end is near for the semester, and I am so happy to have made the decision to return to school.   

Number three: Elementary School.  I have always been room mom for one of my kids classes, but this year, I got the privilege to be host to TWO classrooms.  Not as many parents are able to donate their time or money due to finances, and I was not going to leave those kids hanging.  I just helped out yesterday with the book fair, and let me tell you, it is so much fun helping the kids pick out books!

Number four: Family and Friends.  I had the pleasure of meeting my nephew, Rylie, for the first time.  The little bundle of 6-year-old energy was a blast to hang around with in Pennsylvania.  I cannot remember the last time I had played with Transformers or Legos.  Fun times.  Many friends were also having babies, so visiting them held my baby urges at bay :)

And finally, number five: Reading and Writing.  I have been trying to catch up on my reading.  I have a HUGE stack of TBR books, and it has only gotten bigger as I find new books to read.  The writing has taken form as a book review and an article for the school paper.  Might as well throw myself in there, right?

Okay, enough excuses.  I promise to write on a more consistent basis.  At least post once a week, if only to keep my sanity.  I have so many drafts saved of events I was going to post, I just need to step it up and finish the darn things.  Until next time...

The Kids Are All Right

There's so much hate in the world, sometimes you wonder if you're children are going to turn out all right.

Every day there are newscasts filled with stories of discrimination, abuse, rape and murder. Even at school you hear kids mimic what you can only assume they learned at home.

No matter how much you try to teach your offspring to do what's right, there is temptation out there to go another way. Amidst all this, are any of your lessons getting through?

I'd like to think so. Since I've lost my job, we've had to cut back on certain things, including allowance and things our children are used to getting (like video games). Instead, we split up our change between the children.

My son wanted to know how much he had amassed, so we took his change to the bank and he had a grand total of $15.36. Did he want a video game? Pokemon cards?

"I want to give my money to kids with cancer." I'd say they are turning out all right.