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DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that the guy who wrote "I Like to Move It (Move It) from Madagascar -Sacha Baron Cohen is Borat?!! Yes, same guy! Wow!

THE FISH STORY

So the other day I take Chi Chi to a jungle-theme park in the city with the Bruja and kids. We're having a great time, looking at all the animals: monkeys, crocodiles. orangatans etc...We walk over to the lake where the flamingos are and in the lake there are some beautiful fish swimming all around: orange colored, white, big, small. All the kids in the area were all admiring the fish and their parents kept saying "Oh look how beautiful." "Oh, that's called a coy fish." "Oooh, look how pretty." And my daughter opens her mouth and says, "I just wish I had a fishing rod so I could fish it right out of the water and my mommy can cook it, put some lemon on it and I can eat it." Can you just imagine!?

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." ~George Burns

ONE OF MY MANY COUSINS

Maritza Cabrera, is an up and coming actress in Chicago, who had the good fortune of being cast as a stand-in for Angelina Jolie in the Universal Pictures feature film “Wanted,” scheduled for release in 2008.

Cut & paste the link onto your web browser then click on her picture that says "WANTED" (that's the name of the movie)

http://chicagoactor.com/

VACATION OVER

I am back after seven long days of vacation with the kids and the hubby. All I can say is don't ever go to a studio/efficiency style room or ANY cramped quarters with a baby, a 5-year old and your husband!!!!!! OMG! Can I tell you I thought I was gonna shoot myself the first four days. Okay, I know, who goes to the beach in December but this is Florida, right? Well, our first day there = 49 freakin' degrees! The second day = 55 degrees! Stuck in the room! Crying....hearing "I'm bored" all the time...watching ESPN...aaghhh!!!! Luckily, by the end of the week, the weather got better and some friends arrived and then it was much better! On a positive note, we celebrated out baby''s 1st, so that was exciting! The family came from the Big "H" and celebrated. Of course I will post pictures as soon as they become available. I'm just so happy to be back and able to post on my blog. It helps me maintain my sanity! What's left of it...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you & yours.....

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." ~ Agatha Christie

SENSELESS CRIME

I watch the news all the time. It's never anything good but I'm use to hearing about car accidents, robberies, murders etc...It is not pleasant but somehow you become oblvious to the real danger of it all. Until, yesterday when I read about the horrific crime that took place right here in South Florida in a mall that I use to shop at!!! A mother and her eight-year old daughter were killed. That's right, 8 years old! What is the sense in that? This news hit me like a ton of bricks. How scary is it to know that this poor lady went shopping with her little girl and never made it home. Not because of a car accident or some freak accident of nature. No, some BASTARD, tied them up and shot them both point blank. They were found the next morning in their SUV that was still running. The police think it may be the same guy who abducted another mother last summer in the same place. I cannot tell you how frightening I find this news.

What is the world coming to that someone would resort to killng an innocent littel girl and of course her mother. They say it was a robbery but to kill a child over a robbery seems kind of bizarre. The scariest part is that the guy is still on the loose. Are people that seperate for money or just that sick? We have to do something!

You take every moment for granted until you hear something terrible like this. I am publicly acknowledging how grateful I am for my family my children and pray to G-d that they will always be safe and healthy.

I hope they catch the son-of-a-bitch who did this and fry his ass. Until then, we must all be more vigil and cautious especially during the holiday season. May G-d Bless this poor woman & child's family.

THE THINGS SHE SAYS...

Some of the things my daughter says to me that just makes me laugh:

1) Upon making her dinner the other night, she says, "Mmm, mommy, your dinner taste so good you cooked like a chef in a restaurant." (All I did was throw a skirt steak on a pan!)

2) I met with her teacher the other day and she tells me how Chi Chi has not been doing her work in a timely manner and is socializing a lot (big surprise, right?) So I later explain to her the importance of doing well in school and how important it is to get good grades and pay attention blah blah blah. I tell her, imagine if all your friends move onto the 1st grade and you stay in Kindergaten. She responds, "but mommy, I love Kindergarten, I want to stay there forever!" Imagine, how do I respond to that one!

3) Our baby was doing something really amazing the other day, and I turn to Chi Chi and say, "Wow, we have a really smart baby." She leans over, kisses him on the forehead and tells him: "I've taught you so much Tuki." Of course, she gets the credit!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"Human beings are the only creatures on Earth that allow their children to come back home." ~ Bill Cosby

NEW PICS

I'm back! Yes, I've been MIA for a while with Hanukkah in full swing I haven't been focused on my blog but I'm back. Not with much to tell but with a few new pictures!







COLLEGE-BOUND

Our college-bound teenager has been accepted to the college that he really wanted to go to, so we're all really excited and happy for him, except of course, Chi Chi, who cried because she thought that meant he had to leave a.s.a.p. I convinced her that she can visit him very often. Congrats Air....

POKEMON CLUB

Do you think it's any indication of future behavior that my daughter is tricking boys already at age five?! Yikes, I hope not. Yesterday, she comes home and says "Mommy, I tricked Zach today and I tricked Jay and Daniel too. I asked them if they wanted to join my "Pokemon club" but i's really a Barbie club, she says laughing. So apparently she told the boys they could join this made up club and she signed their names first and last names to make it official but the truth is it's a Barbie Club and she hasn't told them! I couldn't help but crack up when she told me the story. I know I shouldn't encourage such trickery but it's too funny! LMAO!!!

MOMISMS

I was reading through a book about "MOMS" and I found these great "momisms" that we've all been told at one time or another by our moms OR have told our kids. I thought they were fun. Here are a some:

-"Look with your eyes, not with your hands."

-"Stand up straight."

-"NO swimming after eating"

-"It's for your own good."

-"Because I said so."

-"I have eyes in the back of my head."

-"Answer me when I'm talking to you....don't talk back to me!"


TO ALL MOMS OUT THERE: "Keep up the good work! Somebody does appreciate it!!

THANKSGIVING

Have a safe and very HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my loyal blog readers!


GOALIE WITH AN ATTITUDE



Believe it or not, Chi Chi actually saved the other team from scoring at the end of the game and they won 4-0! You'd never know it from the pose!

THE BLUES

Feeling blah. Chi Chi = walking pneumonia. Oy vey! Worried about a cousin of mine (in TPA) with POTENTIAL lymphoma/tumor. Praying it's benign! One of those weeks...

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." ~Cardinal Mermillod

SUPERSTITIOUS EMAILS (Chain)

I'm wondering, why do people insist upon sending emails that threaten your safety or well-being? Like if you don't send this to 10 people, something terrible will happen to you and your family or you will have bad luck for a hundered years. Really? What is the point to these emails? They make me crazy!!!!!! I usually just go ahead and delete when I recognize the subject line but man, there are times like today when I get suckered into reading crazy religious freaky bad-luck crap emails that makes me nuts! Please please don't forward these stupid emails that only make people wonder if their bad luck is because they didn't forward the damn email. Send a note to say hi, send a funny joke, send some pictures, send commentary but NOT religious, chain bad luck emails that are made up by some schmuck with nothing better to do!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~ Dr. Joyce Brothers

THE ACTUAL CONCERT

Like I mentioned in a previous post, Marc Anthony was amazing. Just hearing his one song, "Valio La Pena" was worth the drive, the ticket price and everything else. He kicked a$! He sang for one hour and kept the crowd dancing and smiling the entire time. Oh! He even did an excellent rendition of Journey's "Open Arms" and dedicated it to his wife. That's when the audience went crazy.

When J.Lo finally came out about 10p.m. she looked as fabulous as I had seen in all the pictures. She danced her butt off and spun and jumped and walked around in those heels like the diva that she is. Her outfits were gorgeous. The gold one is the one that gave away the baby bump big time. Although, with all that dancing and spinning, Debbie & I were doubting if she was really pregnant. Damn, we thought. Remember when we were five months pregnant. I'd be luckily to get in a walk around the block let alone one hour of non-stop dancing & singing.

There had been so much talk about her not performing up to par since she was supposedly pregnant. I had been told that her previous concert on Saturday night was okay but she did not dance like her usual self. Can I tell you, she out did herself ( I mean you know for a pregnant performer!) As she pranced around and sang, you could hear audience members mumbling stuff about the baby and is she really pregnant etc..

Well, she too sang for one hour and then at the end, she came out dressed in this beautiful long gown (turqouise color, I would say.) From the left side of the stage, out came Marc to join her in a duo. The crowd went nuts. They sang beautifully together and when the song was over they kissed and embraced. An embrace that lasted an eternity for being on stage. When she moved away from Marc, it was like she was surprised to still see the audience. It was so cute. At that moment with a big smile and teary-eyed, she held Marc's hand and walked closer to the audience. She started talking about how great her 1st tour was and her first Spanish album and her 1st this and that.

She stressed how throughout the whole tour, they (she & Marc) wanted the tour to be only about the music and the concerts but NOW, this was their last concert night. She thanked the crowd once again and wanted to share something with them/us. She said, ""Marc and I are expecting." Now the crowd REALLY went wild, myself included!! I know, how did this happen, when did I become such a groupie? Probably since I don't have to work in the business anymore, I can really show how I feel about an artist, and I have to tell you, I LOVE these two!!


Marc looked rather shocked that she spilled the beans and he said something like, "I didn't expect her to talk." Still he bent down and kissed her belly. Then the most climatic moment of the whole concert. They sang one more song together. A song that seemed perfect for them, although it was written way before they were even an item, it was perfect. As she stood a few feet away from him, he sang, "Dime porque lloras?" She responded, "De felicidad." And so they finished off "No Me Ames." You have to be bilingual to truly appreciate this moment and this song and it's lyrics. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful conert.

Good luck to them both and thanks for an amazing girls night out!

CONCERT WITH THE GIRLS

I was wrong. Girls night out was NO fizzle, it was fabulous!!! I should have known better. Although my Chi Chi had a fever the night before and was extremely sleepy, the concert outting was great fun and oh so memorable! The night started out with me & Chi Chi getting ready at home. Luckily, her fever went away. She was so excited to be going out like a big girl with me & Debbie. I let her put on a little lip gloss and she put on her styling pink leggings and cute J.Lo-like top and I did the best I could (dress-wise) and we were off by 6:45p.m. The car ride was long (1 hour) for her but luckily she had her dvd player.

We arrived by 7:45p.m. and met with Debbie & her friend. By the time we got some munchies and got our seats, which were pretty good by the way, it was time!

Marc Anthony came out with a bang. His voice is amazing. He held a note forever! He was awesome. Debbie & I were jamming away dancing and moving and Chi Chi just kept saying, "Mami, when is J.Lo coming?!" Imagine, this was only after the first song and he was going to sing for one hour!!! Chi Chi sat (well, danced in my arms) for about four songs and then I told her it was okay to fall asleep and I would wake her when J.Lo came out.

One hour later, I was hugging, kissing, shaking and whispering in Chi Chi's ear to wake her up. J.Lo was coming on. She had been waiting for this moment for so long and here she was zonked out! I finally got her up and then the best concert began!! She sat there in awe not knowing if she should stare at J.Lo or at the big screens. She loved it but in the end the sleep was greater than the excitement and she fell asleep in my arms again and woke up for the grand finale and BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

WE WERE THERE!!!!!!

MIAMI (AP) -- Jennifer Lopez told Miami concertgoers Wednesday night that she and husband Marc Anthony have a baby on the way.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony married in secret in 2004.

"Marc and I are expecting," Lopez told the crowd in Miami.

After her announcement, Anthony kissed Lopez's belly. "I didn't know she was going to talk," he said.

Lopez, 39, did not say when she was due to give birth.

Lopez and Anthony married in 2004.

Designer Roberto Cavalli confirmed, perhaps inadvertently, that Lopez was pregnant in October.

Asked what types of clothing he designs for celebrities, the fashion designer told People magazine: "Well Jennifer Lopez, at this moment, she requests something very special because she is waiting for the baby."

GIRLS NIGHT FIZZLES

So my girls night out has turned into kind of a flop and I haven't even gone out yet! Murphy's Law - of all the days, Chi Chi woke up this morning with a fever! Not that there is any good day for a fever but man!! I tell her first thing this morning that if she doesn't take medicine she cannot go with me. If you don't know her let me tell you that she absolutely REFUSES to take any kind of medicine. Doesn't matter how horrible she's feeling she will NOT. The only thing she insisted upon through all her tears was "Mami, please let me go to J. Lo with you!"

So I guess we'll see what happens. Her big sister is not going with us ("unexpected" plans came up!)and I have to meet "La Bruja" somewhere, so it's not really the plan I envisioned. I just pray my Chi Chi feels better and holds out for J.Lo because Marc come out first! Yikes! Let's hope at least the concert is good. So much for so much planning!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"The best inheritance a person can give his children
is a few minutes of his time each day. ~O.A. Battista

NOVEMBER 5th

Tonight I was playing with the kids in the play area and I thought I heard Chi Chi say something "mom." So I say "what did you say!? (because she calls me "mami")and she
says, "Is your mom here?" I look at her in shock (because she meant right then and there!) She says, "was your mom's name Mercy?" And I of course remembering all those freaky movies I've seen, say Why is she here now? She smiles real big and says no she's invisible. Then she goes "Nah, I was just kidding, she's dead remember?"

Too freaky for me! NOTE: today, Nov. 5th would have been my mom's birthday and I did not mention that to anyone today.

(Yeah, that's my mom!)

CANES & THE ORANGE BOWL

So all excited I tell our 5-year old she will be coming with my husband & I to the last Canes game at the Orange Bowl and she says, "What is that? a giant bowl you eat in? "No! I go on to explain. You'll have fun with us besides "Ibis" will be there,you love The Ibis I say." "I've seen Ibis a lot on TV, take pictures, I don't want to go!"
So much for my bright ideas! Bubble burst.

NOV. 4th

Remember, daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 4th. Clocks will need to be moved back one hour. Don’t forget to change the batteries in smoke detectors

GIRLS NIGHT

Okay, so remember how I told you about my "girl's night" out for the J.Lo concert? Well, I've decided to literally make it a girls night out and take the GIRLS, my girls. I'm taking Chi Chi and her older sister, Loo to the concert and we're meeting my good friend, Deb a.k.a. "La Bruja." Deb & I have gone to a million concerts alone in all our partying music biz days, so I figured this would be a different experience, especially for my munchkin. Not to say she hasn't already been to some fabulous concerts (luckier than most kids I would say): Gloria Estefan, Diego Torres, Victor Manuel, Juanes & Laura Pausini. A few perks from when we were in the biz. But now it's back to the old fashion way. Pay an arm & a leg for concert tickets! Doesn't matter though that the tix were $$ or that it's a school night, right? I mean really, in the whole scope of things does it really matter if she gets to school the next morning at 9 or 10 instead of eight a.m? I think not. It will however, make a big difference to go to a fantabulous "(big people") concert, especially with her big sister, who she adores (or is it whom?)

I haven't told her yet so it should make for a great surprise. She did tell me though that she wants to go b/c she heard me talking to the hubby about it. So we'll see what happens and how long she'll sit through the double concert. I can't wait to find out!

INSPIRING

Cut & paste this short film onto your web browser:

http://www.aish.com/movies/shaya.asp

FUN PICTURES





SO EXCITED

I don't know why I'm so excited but I am. J-Lo is finally pregnant. As cheezy as this may sound she is one of (if not) my favorite actress, singer, dancers. Don't ask me why. It's just the way it is. I'm not ashamed to say I've seen "Maid in Manhattan" like 10 times with my little girl! (Yeah, she loves that movie too!) I've been in the music business and met lots of singers and should NOT be a groupy by now but I can't help it. I've never met her and I'm sooo excited b/c yours truly and one of my closest friends (a.k.a. "La Bruja") are going to see her in concert (along with her hubby, Marc Anthony.) That also implies my first girls night out in more than 5 years! Imagine!

I'm really happy for her hat her greatest wish finally is coming true - to be a mom. I just hope she can still dance her butt off from here to Nov. 7th or I'm gonna be real disappointed.

Congrats J.Lo from L.Ro

40 PLUS

So as my impending 40th birthday approaches (still a bit to go but I'm anxious about the b-i-g 4-0), I read this excerpt by Andy Rooney and loved it!!

BY ANDY ROONEY:

"As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all.. Here are
just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night
and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think. If a
woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around
whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually
more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a
screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive
restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot
you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous
with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be
unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess
your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a
woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women
are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off that you are a
jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you
stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of
reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart,
well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in
yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.
Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when
you can get the milk for free?', here's an update for you.

Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women
realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!"

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

So for those of you that know me or have been reading my blog for a while know that we have this whole kidney transplant thing going on with my hubby. He needs one! I really wanted to be the one to help him and be a donor but unfortunately I am not a match for him BUT there is a program that we are going to look into that might be the answer. It's a cross-match program. " There is a paired donor program, whereby, they pair 2 donors and 2 recipients that are not compatible with their own donors to another donor. The surgeries are arranged to take place at the same time so that no one can back out."

I'm going to check with www.unos.org or google kidney transplant to get more 411 on this. A bit scary but it's worth a shot!

CUTIE PIE!

Isn't my friends son the cutest??? I just had to share this picture!

FUN WTH FRIENDS

Recently had a great time with old friends and kids at the Seaquarium.
Day off from school, sunny day and fun times:








DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know?
* In 2006, there were 28,930 organ transplants
* In 2006, there were 14,755 organ donors (deceased and living)
* Every 11 minutes, a name is added to the national transplant waiting list
* More than 97,014 people currently await transplants
* An average of 18 people die each day while waiting for organs

"Despite continuing advances in medicine and technology, the need for organs and tissue is vastly greater than the number available for transplantation. You can make a difference by inspiring others and spreading the word about organ donation."

www.unos.org

KIDS

"Take care of your baby!" she yells at me as the baby cries" (like she's MY mother!) "Dora The Explorer is for babies" (as I naively try to have her watch it on TV) "Mommy, what are boy cooties" (Oy! already I think with these silly school-aged games.)

These are just a few of the things coming out of my little girl's mouth recently. Where along the line did she already grow
up? I mean really "Dora The Explorer is for babies." This was fine for her not even 6 months go. Dora was her life. IS she turning into a big kid already? I can't handle that! I know I know, she's still a kid but the other night, after this huge pow-wow we had at home with our "ever-loving volatile teenager", it hit me that you only get a few good years with kids and then bam it's all drama after that!

Seriously, I know it sounds dramatic but it was quite depressing. Doesn't matter how much love, attention, gifts, affection you give a kid, when they hit adolescence, man it's the wrath gone wild. They want to get away from you as fast as they can. College seems like a field of dreams! You have until about age 7 maybe 8 when things are still peaceful, then starts pre-teen years, then the horrific teen years and then the I'm almost not a teen anymore but I still need you to support me years! Aaghh!!! This is why those few little comments out of my little munchkins mouth along with the pow wow left me in such a blah mood.

You never really appreciate your parents until they are gone or at least until you become a parent yourself. I know I appreciate mine sooo much now. I just pray I can enjoy my children's childhood for as long as possible. So in the whole scope of things, when she ask me to sleep in our bed with us, I will say yes. When she wants to play outside, I will not say it's too late, or it's too hot, when my kids want to wrestle with me and be silly, I will willingly oblige. I'm in no hurry
to explain Cooties or have Dora The Explorer out of our house!

INVISIBLE

So I am now dealing with invisible friends. Not to panic, don't call the psych ward yet, I'm talking about my 5 year-old's invisible friend, who of course has a name, SOCCOLES. Soccoles has been around since she was about 2 and a half and seemed to be gone for a while but now has re-emerged and has comeback with much more intensity. For some strange reason, this "friend" Soccoles seems to love in the bathroom, specifically in our shower! I know I had an invisible friend too when I was young (two as a matter of fact) with quite the weird names, Piristan and Olocarlo. I know how bizarre! I guess it's hereditary. I'm sure all kids go through this phase of invisible friends but sometimes I wonder if it can be just like that movie
with Robert Downey Jr. when he's the little kid that has guardian angels that only HE can see. Hmmm???

She's been really in tune with Soccoles lately and he seems to be everywhere we go. The other day I was driving to
my old neighborhood and I had the babysitter in the car with us and she was in the back seat with the kids. I went by
some place and I wanted to show her, so I point to my right towards the passenger seat towards the window and Chi-
Chi yells at me, "Mommy, you just poked Soccoles eye out!" How was I suppose to know he was riding in the front seat?

SO TRUE

Black and White
(Under age 40? You won't understand.)

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE .. and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option . even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah ... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T; SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING.


Pass this to someone and remember that life's most simple pleasures are very often the best.

F#%$#@ MORON

"George Bush vetoed health care for sick kids -- and he did it while he
continues to pour money into the war in Iraq...some of it going to
companies like Halliburton and Blackwater.

Fortunately, this disgusting act of political calculation can be overturned."

Send a letter to Congress right now:

http://www.democrats.org/FightForKids

"... In only his fourth veto ever, he blocked health care coverage for millions
of uninsured—and mostly poor—kids. The Washington Post is calling this
"the biggest domestic policy clash of his presidency."

Bush is totally out of step with public opinion—even 61% of Republicans
support the children's health care bill. We need just 15 more Republicans
in Congress to break with Bush to override the veto."

RAINBOW

"Before one can see a rainbow, it must rain..." - SR

VALUABLE LESSON

The other night I was reprimanded by my 5-year old
and rightly so. I was with the kids at night trying to
make dinner, feed the baby, clean up- you know, the whole
nightly crazy routine without any help because the hubby
was not home.

I'm carrying the baby in my arms and I grab a container
of "banana puffs" to give him. (You moms know what that is!)
And bam, he smacks my hand and spills puffs ALL over the
floor. In my frazzled state I yelled (rahter loudly): MIIII--CHAEL!!
and put him down on the floor, as I attempt to clean up the
puffs.

Well, Chi Chi was right there wathcing the whole thing
and yelled back at me. "Hey, don't yell at your baby!"
You hurt his feelings. You don't yell at babies. Say your
sorry." I said, "You are right, you're right, I'm sorry, I got
frustrated, I shouldn't yell." "No, don't say sorry to me, she says,
say sorry to Michael!" I humbly apologized before my children
and realized how very fragile they are and at the same time
how strong they can be.

At that very moment I knew I had done the right thing in
giving my little girl a baby brother to love & protect
and cherish forever.

NEED I SAY MORE?

I am the luckiest mom in the world to have a kid that
entertains me so much. NO I did not tell her to put
any of this on!! This is all her own crazy ideas. She
just knows who to come to to get her picture taken!

HMMM?

Doesn't this sound like a fabulous place for my disco bday
bash!!?? Any venue locations, ideas welcome! You know
I love party-planning!

Swig Bartini & Bistro
1744 Main St.
Weston, FL 33331
954-349-2102

Go on, take a Swig. "Upscale without the attitude" is the motto of this
Weston establishment. Sit at one of three bars, shake it on the dance floor,
feed your face in the dining area or watch games on the television sets
positioned around the room. Although you can stop by for a fine meal after
4 p.m. any day of the week, this bistro, lounge and club becomes a friendly
21-and-over hub of activity on weekend nights. The staff dresses strictly in
black, while the crowd suits up in casual-but-classy attire.

The $5 cover charge provides live bands on Fridays and DJs on Saturdays,
giving those of you who want to break in your dancing shoes a place to cut
loose. The dance floor stays cramped with an overflow of movers and shakers
swaying to sped-up dance versions of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and,
believe it or not, Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name."

GRACIAS

To all my fabulous cousins and friends and avid readers
of my blog, I just wanted to say thanks! It's inspiring
to know someone is reading! Have a great night!
XOXO

DISTRACTED

I've been so busy with my designs
(http://www.cafepress.com/miamoondesigns)
and obsessing over Facebook that I really haven't
had time to write much. Just wanted to post something
as to not disappoint those who check frequently
on this blog. Though now I'm beginning to wonder if
anybody still does??

The fasting has begun (Kippur) - can't wait til sundown
tomorrow. Gotta go to sleep for now , I'm way too hungry.

~Live, Love & Shop...

CRUEL BUT FUNNY

So we're celebrating the Jewish New Year and I'm preparing the
memorial candles and my daughter says, "Mommy, can I blow
those candles out?" I say, "No way, you know those are in
memory of our loved ones. We will light one for my mommy,
your sister & brothers mommy, and Papi's mommy." She says,
What about Papi's Daddy? Oh, my goodness, you're right,
I forgot," I say. She replies, "Oh, and why don't we light one
for Abuela, she's almost dead."

Can you imagine?! I didn't even bother to ask which of her
great-grandmothers she was ready to "kill off." She's been
quite worried lately since they both turned 80. She knows
eventually time runs out and was ready to jump the gun and
light a candle. Yikes!!

I'm sharing this here ONLY cause I know my grandmas
won't be reading this blog! LOL!

L'Shana Tovah...

L' SHANA TOVAH

CUPCAKE CUTENESS!!!

Eyegal's (my friend) Little Man:

MUSICAL BIRTHDAY

RED CARPET ENTRANCE:



So we recently celebrated our munchkins "official" birthday
the HIgh School Musical way and it was a blast for all. It
started out a bit slow and I was not a happy camper with the
music mix up. The music player was not working up to par
but in the end the kids danced and ran and had a blast with
their inflatable guitars and fake microphones. It was not your
normal party with just a few kids b/c we do things the Latin way,
with the whole family joining in. Actually, if the whole famiy would
have joined in I would have needed a bigger ballroom! LOL!
There was tons of food because my fabulous hubby always makes
me feel that I don't have enough, so I had cake for 100 people and
3 dozen bagels and cold cuts to feed my family and MORE! Lots of
left overs!

The best part for me was of course taking all the pictures.
I love to see the smile on kids faces having such a great time.

These pictures say it all:








BABY BRO:







BIG SISTER:




BRUJAS & THE BABE




SLEEPLESS IN KINDERGARTEN

So we made it through the first week of Kindergarten and
now we're almost done with the second and I can honestly
say this waking up early thing sucks as much as I thought
it would!

Take today for example, the baby wakes up at 4:45a.m.
(after going to sleep at 11p.m.!) I start feeding him quietly
in the kids room and he's starting to fall asleep again and
bam at 4:55a.m. in walks "Little Miss Thing," who had been
asleep since 5:45p.m. the night before! All her energy in tow,
she begins to "whisper" Mommy I need to tell you something.
Her whisper of course, wakes the baby completely out of
his slumber. All you have to do is breathe and the baby
wakes up!

So now here I am at 5a.m. totally dying to go to sleep
and I've got two kids wide awake. One making happy
gurgling noises, the other requesting pizza for breakfast
and cartoons. Oh this is the life!

How things have changed! When I used to have pizza at
5a.m. it was because of some fabulous late night outting,
now it's sleep deprivation 101.

You'd think I'd be sleeping right now considering I'm bitching
about all this sleep deprivation but it makes me feel so
much better to vent about it! LOL!

Oh, and I didn't tell you, that dreaded first homework
assignment finally came in to due over the long weekend.
Of course, I procrastinated and we ended up working on it
Monday night. Why I said "we" I don't know , it was ME,
my Kindergarten assignment was to cut out pictures of
the family and paste them onto a cardboard house, plus
write some stuff. Seriously, she did a lot of the work.
As you can see below she was not thrilled at all, even
with her "Abba" cheering her on.


I'm gonna get some sleep NOW!

HIBA"CHI" NIGHT

Well our little munchkin is officially a "big girl" in her world
(of Hannah Montana and High School Musical.) We celebrated
her birthday the other night Hibachi style as per her request:






It's amazing how time flies. Just the other day I was on
the way to the hospital scared sh@*#%, not knowing what
to expect but now I know motherhood is the most awesome
experience ever. I have also been blessed with the funniest
wittiest kid ever which makes it that much more fun! Every
day is a new adventure filled with a funny story sometimes,
not!

DISCO NIGHT

So we went this weekend to G.E.'s birthday party which I had been
so excited for because it was a 70's theme but turns out I was very
disappointed. You know when you hype something in your mind so
much and then reality does not live up to the expectations. Well,
that's what happened to me. Honestly, I don't know what I was
expecting. After 10 years in the music business I've met a lot of the
artists and been to hundreds of concerts but for some crazy reason
I thought I would be attending a more intimate gathering since it was
a personal invite. But nope, there were hundreds and hundreds of people.
They were all decked out in their 70's attire, and I mean decked!

You can check out PerezHilton.com for pictures of this event because
unfortunately, they made me leave MY camera in the car!

Ser & I were very modestly dressed with semi-bell bottoms and our peace
signs. It was fun though to people watch. We got there around 9:30p.m.
and G.E. finally arrived around 10:30p.m. She looked great in her polyester
suit and crazy afro wig! She said hi and hugged Ser, as they are old friends.
She congratulated me on how cute the baby is and right then and there I
wanted to be with my little munchkins! My Jack Daniel/Club days are way
behind me and I most definitely do not miss them. I enjoyed them enough!
LOL!

I must say though it was the first time in a long long time we had a baby-
sitter for both kids (a sleepover!!) and it was great having date night!
But just when we thought we'd be alone for the night, bam, the two older
ones show up at home! Never a dull moment but always adventurous!

This is us before taking off to the party:

KINDERGARTEN WOES

Hi there!

Well, so far it's been two days of kindergarten and Chi Chi likes it,
although she is adamant about "no homework." She has yet to
get any!! :o)

Poor baby, she has to wake up soooo early! 6a.m. everyday -
no later than 6:15a.m.!! Today I woke up at 5:30a.m. b/c that's
the time the baby woke up. It was such a struggle to get her to
wake up this morning. She was crying saying she was sleepy and
tired. She had her head under the pillow just like me back in
the day!!

I feel her pain! G-d I hate waking up early. After only two days
I'm thinking what I can do to change the school system! Why
must these little kids start school so early????

Seriously, they have the rest of their lives to wake up early with
20 + years of education and THEN work work work! Oy! give
them a break! Why not start school like at 8:30 or 9a.m., doesn't
that sound reasonable?? And what ever happened to "old school"
kindergarten when you use to be able to nap? Nap and play nap
& play. That's what I remember from kindergarten! Now they
have to worry about Math and Science and homework. Imagine,
homework in kindergarten. What is the world coming to?

Anyway,back to Chi Chi and kindergarten. The first dy she was
soooo anxious and excited. She woke up at 1:30a.m., 4:30a.m. and
5:45a.m. When she finally got up at 6a.m. for real, she got dressed,
took pictures with her older brother and posed for me (hence the
"Mammarazzi!") Though she was extremely sleepy at first,
she was totally cooperative.

THIS IS HOW THE DAY STARTED:




Then it got better as she got dressed and realized she was really
going to the same school with her brother.







HAPPY ON THE FIRST DAY WITH THE NEW TEACHER:





On the first day, she had Science class and she really enjoyed
that, seeing hermit crabs, and other creepy crawly creatures.
She was thrilled at the end of the day when her fahter & I picked
her up and she bragged how she had no homework.


THE 2ND DAY STARTED WITH
A LITTLE LESS ENTHUSIASM:




I finally got her up and out but not too happy at all. We took the baby
with us this time since he was already up, so that helped a little during the
car ride. She was fine by the time she got to school and saw her friends.
She had P.E. and Music this time and enjoyed playground time
as usual. And once again upon pick up she bragged how she had no
homework.

She was asleep tonight by 8p.m. which is a miracle for us!
So here I am now blogging away and waiting to see what OUR
next day in Kindergarten has in store.

SUNDAY NIGHT

So what do you think I'm in store for in the future when my four year old
is lying in bed (EARLY) tonight as we prepare for the BIG DAY tomorrow -
(Kindergarten starting) and she turns and says to me, "Mommy, I wish
there was a hot tub in here." I didn't even bother to ask why!

Go figure!?

Well, in less than 12 hours or so it's the end of an era and the real world
begins! My little munchkin begins a whole new world. It's a hole
diffrerent ball game once you step into the academic choo-choo train.
Luckily, we've got a great teacher (yeah, WE cause I'm going through
this too!!) and lots of friends in class.

Stay tuned for more stories. Wish us luck..we both don't
do mornings!

Goodnight for now...

STARTING SCHOOL ALL OVER

Okay, so there are only 3 more days and school
officially starts in our household! Yes, we've
still technically been on summer vacation.
Can you imagine?

It's going to be an interesting year with a
kindergartner and a senior in the house (in
the same school!!!) My little kindergartner
will be a little v.i.p. among all the cool seniors.
That's not the part I'm freaking out about.
What freaks me out is the realization that for the
next 20+ years I have to deal with school all
over. Ugghhh! I thought that was it, no more
homework, no more listening to authority and teachers
who sometimes are genuinely clueless. My G-d did
I hate school. I was a pretty good student in the
whole scope of things but yuk, just the whole concept
of having to sit there all day and then come home
and DO homework!! How in the world am I going to be
a good example? Yikes!

And lets not even talk about the waking up early part.
I spent my high school years waking up at 5:45a.m.
to make it to school on time b/c I lived so far away
and now here I go again!! My little munchkin has
to be up by 6a.m. to make it to school on time. I know
I know I'm whining already but I really don't do mornings
well. So I guess this weekend is MY last official
weekend to sleep and be homework free for a long long
time!

I promise myself I will try to be the best possible
example and help with homework, wake up early (joyfully)
(yeah right!) and always respect authority in front
of my children!

Wish me luck!!

MY LOVES

MAMMARAZZI-LESS


Here I am with this blog called MAMMARAZZI LIFE, boasting on how much
I love pictures and I've realized, I haven't posted any real pictures! How
boring! I'm gonna fix this by posting this fabulous picture of the
new love of my life with all his little attitude!