a birthday party!

not amori's... yet. =)

it was zachary's 2nd birthday - the first birthday party amori has ever gone to! there were lots of kids, Little Tikes swings and slides, more adults, and a big white-icing-frosted-chocolate birthday cake.

Amori wanted to play like the big kids but she's still too little to get on the swings and slides, or even go up and down the fort her papa built.





she loved observing the other kids though... and then again maybe it was only because it was her nap time and she was really sleepy already. thankfully, not cranky... just a bit glassy-eyed.



but she got her second wind and was awake enough to check out the giveaway from the birthday boy.



it sure feels different BRINGING a little one to a kid's birthday party. i used to just be one of the Titas that takes photos, helps with the cake, and distributes loot bags!

going back in time

i'm sure you remember this as clearly as i do:



here's the show that came after it:



according to Wikipedia:
"A new Superbook series is currently in pre-production for 2007 release."

yaay! at least there is hope out there for cartoons that are not meant for adults!

oh and it's available on DVD too!

scammed!

i've been looking for work-at-home jobs over at vancouver.craigslist.org - some of the ads are for admin assistants who can telecommute and transcriptionists. one day an ad for a data entry position popped up so i replied.

here's the reply i got:

"We are part of a growing enterprise started by 3 stay-at-home moms looking to earn income from home. This is a legitimate offer for self-motivated people wanting to make some extra income. You have the flexibility to work WHEN you want and HOW MUCH you want and therefore dictate how much you earn. This is a great way to make money for stay at home moms & dads, college students, retirees to pay off holiday debt, or just supplement your existing income.
Position Description:
We are looking to fill 15 positions by 4/27/07.
Your responsibilities will involve processing responses from online ads (this process is fully covered in the step-by-step training.) You may choose to work part-time or full-time, and earn $100-$300+ per week. You do not have to contact anyone by phone.
All you need is a computer with a valid e-mail address and basic typing skills. Each ad takes approx. 15-20 minutes to process - you will have a virtually unlimited amount of leads so you may work as much as you want and at the time you choose. There is no contract to sign and the amount of work you choose to do is up to you. This opportunity has unlimited possibilities - a perfect option for anyone whom wants their work to revolve around their life, and not the other way around.
Compensation:
You will be paid $10 for each order that you process. Payments will be made directly to you The typical rep will make $30-50/day with 2-3 hours of work."

either i'm too naive or too desperate for a work-at-home job that i didn't see thru it. i ended up paying the $10 to see what it's all about - only to get a 10-page "training manual" that basically says i have to repost the ad that i read if i want to earn. in short, con more people and get their money too.

now i'm not about to send more bad karma into the world. i don't understand how some people can do this kind of thing. the person who posted the "ad" - who says she is Kimberly Jennings (even on PayPal) even sent me a message with the "training manual":

Pia,

Welcome to the team! Congrats on taking your first step toward earning supplemental income. I have attached your training materials. (Sorry it's taken me so long, I've been running errands all morning).

Regards,

~Kimberly

kainis. i know it's bad to wish ill upon anybody but... may all her teeth turn black and fall off one by one til she can only eat baby food. and may she have perpetual hemorrhoids from this day forward. hmph!

so please, please, please learn from my stupid mistake and be extra careful when answering work-at-home jobs. the worst part is that people seem to be targeting stay-at-home moms these days... why, why, why???

obviously because we are desperate for jobs that will spare us from leaving the kids in daycare.

the easter that was

i feel like a real grown-up now... because last easter, i was a quintessential cooking mom. i was fussing in the kitchen over my first turkey lunch - it took 4 hours to roast the 6.5 kilo turkey, and prepare stuffing/dressing and gravy from scratch (no wonder people just buy the pre-cooked sets come thanksgiving)... but only took a quarter of that time to eat it! thank God for the internet and for Maya's Mum - the turkey turned out pretty good despite the fact that i didn't have a meat thermometer!

maya and her folks came over to celebrate easter with us, and they brought easter treats and a bunny cape that we put on the girls. there's nothing like friends, family, good food, and kids to celebrate Easter!



aldo even whipped out Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Heaven and made a Bailey's Bread & Butter Pudding for dessert - yum, yum, yum!



we were so stuffed and beat that amori and i fell asleep on the couch when everyone went home. =P



i can't wait for next Easter - Amori and Maya will be old enough to understand an easter egg hunt by then!

a greeting from the easter bunny

whirlpool

whew, what a month. (more like what a crazy 7 weeks it has been.)

i tried working part-time in an upscale grocery downtown as a result of a shit-what-will-i-do-after-maternity-benefits-are-over panic attack. i realized that there are only 4 months more of parental benefits from employment insurance. so i looked for part-time work in craigslist and found the job; applied for it, and got hired... without really thinking. LOL. so i worked a total of two hundred hours - weekends and evenings. it didn't work out in the end though... working evening hours ended up screwing aldo's work schedule, and at the same time, we found a bigger place we liked, so we moved out of downtown.

which brings me to the next fact... we moved to the suburbs. goodbye buildings, Vancouver Public Library, BC Place, GM Place, and hourly screaming police sirens... you shall all be missed.



things are still in boxes, and we're still unpacking... the unpacking part of moving is the worst bit! of course it goes without saying that it's a much slower process when there's a little crawler trying to get into opened boxes too. LOL.



amori's Cheerios skills have improved... she can now get them into her mouth! the other day we moved on to baby yogurt and she loved them too.

thankfully, no walking yet... just lots and lots of crawling, creeping, and holding on to anything sturdy nearby (reminds me of my 80-year old lola that has mobility trouble hehehe).

i can't believe how fast Amori is growing... seems like it was only a minute ago that she was this non-moving baby i could leave in the sofa asleep. now i can't even trust her to stay put for one minute!

this was then

this is now

if there's anything i learned about the whole part-time work shebang though, it's that i shouldn't jump into the working world too soon, because i might miss all of amori's coming tricks/antics/special firsts if i'm looking out the window too much. after all, i've still got a few months on me. *bops her head on the wall to remind herself of that fact.*

ack, i think parenthood is sending me into a panic frenzy. even aldo thinks i am worrying too much. LOL.