Lena M. Martinez
Our dishwasher has decided all on its own it needs to be replaced. Julio begs to differ ‘jokingly’ stating I probably did something to it and I’m now rejoicing at the prospect of finally replacing the darn thing. Ok, I’ll be honest the darn thing is white, ugly, old, rusted, noisy and yes I’ve always wished for something newer, nicer, and stainless steel. But honestly, I’m unsure whether I should celebrate [yay! finally get to replace that old piece of junk white d.w. with a new stainless steel one…] or I should cry [crap, this stupid d.w. finally has taken revenge on my dirty talk about it’s bad looks and pain-in the butt configuration, blah blah blah… darn it, looks like we’ll have to fork out $700 or so for the stainless steel one, just fabulous :S ].
The stupid thing has a nasty smell that prevails well through wash cycles; of course it must be coming from the puddled water that’s permanently logged in the bottom of the tub, quite disgusting!! Do I even have to mention the bits of food that are floating in that water?? So the dishes only look clean after they are washed, but they’re being washed with dirty water, and the last rinse is filled with old food goodies-- omg, I think I could puke!!
So… we’ve tried several things in what’s only been futile attempts to fix the darn thing. We (well, Julio really, I wouldn’t touch that thing) even hand emptied the sitting water, disassembled the inner goods where water is supposed to be drained through, cleaned it out, and put it back together. Turned on the lowest cycle, and again got a puddle of water sitting nicely in the bottom. Fabulous. :S There’s not much else we can do, and I’m not calling a plumber to pay him and arm and a leg to tell me we need to fix [whatever is wrong, read: $$ for repairing a 2002 d.w.] or we need a new one because this one finally gave in. I guess I’m deciding to give the d.w. a death with dignity… or am I? I’ll be putting it (and quite frankly myself) out of it’s misery soon and replacing it with a newer, better, sleeker stainless steel model. I’m not going to tell that to the d.w. though, I couldn’t be that cruel. ;)
So, should I celebrate or cry?? Moral of this story: Goodbyes are never easy… and somehow we always get screwed one way or another. Ca-ching!
Lena M. Martinez
Just thought I'd mention that Julio discovered yesterday that there are some visual issues with my blog when using an Internet Explorer (I.E.) browser. I use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox and notice no issues whatsoever, so it came as a surprise when he mentioned it.
With I.E. the left straight edge of the blogging space (tan colored) overlaps about half an inch into the area where entries are posted (white notepad area) cutting into the entry titles, blog entries, etc. as seen in the following pic:
Sometimes the overlap disappears (as I noticed when I expanded the browser to it's maximum, taking up the entire screen of the computer) and goes back to where it's supposed to be, but other times it doesn't. Sometimes if you move the cursor around the blog (specifically on the blog entries area) this overlap happens and sometimes readjusts to its normal position again. It's only a visual problem, and does not affect the written content in any other way, other than being simply annoying (and perhaps somewhat distracting). The following pic shows the normal blog template and how its supposed to look:
I don't know if there is a solution to this issue, and if so what that is. In any case, I thought I'd let you know in case you've been thinking I must be crazy for choosing a distorted looking blog template while viewing it through an I.E. browser. If you've been seeing it the wrong way you can try accessing my blog from a different browser such as the ones I use (Chrome or Firefox). Let me know if you had/have any issues viewing my blog. Thanks!
Lena M. Martinez
I'm amazed at the things I come across, so randomly. Here’s an article I found online, published in the New York Daily News on January 6, 2010 by Brooke Parkhurst that literally made me LOL, and then almost cry. So worth the reading!
Mommyhood As Reduction Sauce (*How to boil a girl down to her essence*) »
Lena M. Martinez
With toddlers there’s the occasional poop incident (sometimes usual, though not our case), and Nico is no stranger to this. Today, Julio went to get him from his crib when he woke up in the morning and found Nico in his birthday suit (aka naked) and wearing a hula-hoop something as an accessory. Wait, that was really the diaper which was still attached at around his waist, but he’d managed to rip the bottom part and released all the poop all over the crib and himself. Apparently playing with poop is fun. Who knew? Needless to say Nico got a bath. Immediately.
Here comes the best part of the story though. I had just finished showering and Julio paces quickly into the bathroom, places Nico in the bath tub, and runs into the shower. He mentions the good morning ordeal he had to confront, and so I laughed and bathed Nico. To my surprise (although really at this point nothing surprises me much anymore) when Nico finished his bath and we went into his bedroom I noticed the entire poop mess was still in the crib. [at this point you could que in the horror music from the movies] My dear husband had not even picked up the poop pieces laying in the crib, and the diaper was still nicely thrown right in there in the mix. I yelled at him for that and his response was “Well, how was I supposed to deal with that? I don’t know how to pick that up.” I mean, really?! Use darn baby wipes to pick up the poop, put it all back in the diaper, and get rid of it. And to think he’s got a PhD. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised, but I was annoyed and somewhat upset at his lack of [insert what you please]. Men can be idiots, I guess. (Sorry Baby, I know you’ll eventually read this). So who ended up doing the dirty job, or cleaning it rather?…the slave to all. Call me the maid, or whatever. I think this entitles me to an opinion about men, and it’s not a good one in this case. Thank God for women.
Lena M. Martinez
Today was a perfect day! It started off with a foggy morning, but as noontime approached the day unfolded into a bright and sunny splendor, with clear blue skies, no wind or rain, perfect 50s weather. I could not help but smile with excitement, and as if magic was in the air I felt a jolt of energy, enthusiasm and overall well being which filled my heart and soul. Nevertheless, I decided to let Nico take his nap much later in the afternoon than usual with the excuse of taking him to the neighborhood park. I’m not sure who was more excited, my little bright eyed prince, or his Mommy, hehe. As we strolled out from the garage I felt an ever so slight breeze, barely there, but it made me look up at the sky and close my eyes for a second. I took it all in, and it felt timeless. Nico kept saying “parque” (park) repeatedly, perhaps trying to speed me up so he could get to the slide and swings and let the real fun begin. I wondered about how he could still remember the park even though it’s been months since we last went there and the word hasn’t even been mentioned since then. It’s always amazing to see how much and how fast he learns. As we approached the park he pointed at it and kept saying “alli esta” (there it is). He smiled and could not contain his excitement. He had a blast, and also loved interacting with other kids though they were a bit older. I was so happy being outside, but even happier to see him enjoying himself so much. He even climbed up the stairs of one of the play houses, sat at the top of a slide and slid down all on his own… it must have been like a thousand times, lol. He was so excited and proud of himself. I was too, and in that bittersweet moment I realized once again how fast my baby is growing. Right there in front of my eyes.
I met a neighbor who was there with 3 of her kids. She was very nice and upbeat. We’d waked past her house on our way to the park just minutes earlier, and even back then she’d said hello and commented about the gorgeous day. We started talking about the kids, the neighborhood and activities, where we were from, when we moved here, etc. I mentioned I was joining the local MOMS Club at the next meeting, and coincidently she said she was a member and loved it. We had a wonderful chat, and after a good hour at the park we came back home. I came back with renewed energy and a sense of ‘wholeness’. After Nico went down for his nap I enthusiastically got several things done on my To Do list, I even enjoyed them. Warm sunny days are just filled with endless possibilities and opportunities. Everyday should be warm and sunny!
Lena M. Martinez
As I listen to the glorious sounds of birds chirping and singing outside I realize spring has finally arrived. I hope I’m not jinxing it, God knows how much I’ve been longing for the new season and how through I was with winter the day it started. I love being at home, but winter seemed to be endless and I’ve felt like a bear in hibernation. Who wants to go through the hassle of putting on and taking off all the winter gear, not only for yourself, but even more painfully for your 21+ mth toddler in the middle of winter, nevertheless having to battle the ruthless cold, snow, wind, even rain? Certainly no me. Oh, and did I mention I was in my second and third trimester of pregnancy? Thank God Spring has finally arrived! (A bit early it seems, and I’m hoping it’s for good. No more cold and snow please!) It seems like forever ago that I heard the birds and their joyful sounds which are so uplifting to the spirit. Oh how I’ve missed them! I can’t wait for the trees and shrubs to start flowering and the greens to start sprouting, announcing in full colors spring has arrived!...and of course, also announcing Victoria's soon arrival! How exciting! :)
Lena M. Martinez
Just a few days ago I learned my (much older) step-brother’s grandson, Brendan, was just diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called
angiosarcoma. If that’s not devastating enough, let me tell you this little guy is only 6 years old. His mother is only a year older than I am, and as a mother myself (and someone who knows firsthand the hell it is to experience and fight a direct family member’s cancer) I can only imagine the horror she’s living. From what I’ve understood, it was pure luck that they caught it at its early stage. The doctors found some tumor(s) in his foot while evaluating him for some complications he had in the healing of a broken bone (toe or such) that happened months ago. I’m not sure of the details, his specific prognostics, or the treatments he’ll be getting. All I know is that the road that lies ahead is not going to be an easy one for Brendan or his family. Ever since I got the news I cannot stop thinking about him and how the odds played such a strange roll in his case. I’m so humbled, and so grateful for my family’s good health; I thank God every day. I pray for Brendan and his family daily, and I keep reminding myself to not ever take my blessings for granted.
Brendan’s story reminded me that I should continue to spread the word on cancer awareness and screenings. Not that I haven’t been doing so over the course of the last two thirds of my life. Telling my personal family cancer stories over and over again over the years has been a means of spreading the word on awareness. It
can happen to anyone, anytime. When the disease is such a global epidemic I don’t think anyone should think that these stories are too personal to tell. There is definitely no shame in any aspect of it in any way. It’s only made us all stronger.
