I am back!

     Today we ran out of cat food. Normally that is not a big deal, Walmart is half a mile away and at only $11, it is doable. But today is the day before Thanksgiving. Say it with me...GROAN. Yup, angry people having to run last minute to put together a meal they normally don't cook with people they don't want to hang out with. That is right, the extended family. However, this year I am determined not to let those angry people annoy or frustrate me...so into the craziness I went, armed with a list and a goofy, happy eight year old.
     As we navigated through the isles of Walmart dodging moms with kids trailing behind, men staring at the shelf with clueless looks on their faces and on the phone "I don't see it, they are out I tell you!", and the standard grumpy people that look like they lost the their sense of humor sometime in the last decade on the side of the road. We smiled at people as we went, said excuse me and pardon me as we moved through the isles. So after locating all of our items on the list, we headed out to the register. It was while waiting to be acknowledged by the cashier (4 items in she said hello) it occurred to me...how did such a good intentioned holiday get so twisted? How is it that normally polite people will give each other dirty looks in the parking lot while vying for parking spaces, or elbow each other for the last pumpkin pie on the shelf? How did it go from Thanks giving to Thanks give me!?
     Okay, so I know that part of the problem is that I am a busy body and notice every thing going on around me at the stores...I try to keep my mind on my list, but seeing people do stupid things just is too entertaining! I want to show the lost men where the item their wives sent them for are located, I want to tell a good joke to the grumps. But sane people don't do those things (or so I hear), so instead I wear a ridiculous smile and compare prices with my girl and hope that she takes a page out of her mamas book and shops to the beat of a different drum. I would hate to think that the fruit would fall and roll far away from the tree, that she would not enjoy a good laugh or finds the little things though out the day to smile about...is that too much to ask?
     I want you to think about who you are this season, the person dragging your entire family around without noticing them? The person that can't find happiness right in front of you? The one that can't feel the happiness at all? Or the crazy person walking around smiling, looking forward to getting home to their family to give them all a big hug? Call me crazy, but that sounds like the best option out there...

Happy Thanks Giving Y'all!

Cents of Tumor

     Am I the only one that is guilty of being more lenient with my baby boy? As the youngest of my three, Adam just gets away with more. Now wait a minute, don't launch into a rant about spoiling him just yet. I am tough on all of my kids because I fear that they will turn out like me and need to have serious readjustment before becoming good people (I know, I am still adjusting!)
     The problem is that this kid has serious funny skills. I like that. Setti and Hugh are funny too, but Adam takes it to the next level. He can take a serious moment and just come out of left field with some comical look or gesture...and you can't stay mad at the kid! I have washed his mouth out with soap before for using a bad word (stupid) and had him crack me up when he said, "Can I have the other soap this time, I like how it smells on my dirty mouth." Really? Or when he yelled about hurting his bottom and said, "I can't reach my butt! I need it kissed!" Not too long ago I was sitting with him alone and he launched into a long story (in half baby talk- mumbling, excited looks, etc) so I went along with it and used a lot of Uhuh's, sure, and really?'s, and then he realized that I didn't know what he was talking about. Uh-oh. He shrugged, put his little hands out and said, "Jue know what I talking about Momma? Ju say yes? Okay, I going outside to fly." WHAT?
     Things like this is why my heart melts when I see him smile, when he comes into the room in the morning and without so much as a good morning, gets on my lap and cuddles, and when he holds my face in his little hands...oh the love for the youngest is so strong.
     Please believe me when I say that I do not single out my youngest. My daughter is one of the brightest kids that I know. She makes me shake my head at the insightful things that she says...and marvel at her quick wit. She has the best one liners and hilarious responses in the world! "Well how appropriate is that..." and "Well at least he has his mother to love him..." My favorite thing that she has ever said is, "I've got a great cents of tumor!" Someday she will have a blog that will make mine look lame in comparason. (Keep all sarcastic remarks to yourself please!)
     My son Hugh is the smartest kid, and he is shy just like his dad...and that laugh, it is contageous.  His sense of right and wrong is set...it is black and white, no gray in sight! Maybe he will become a lawyer...which is good because Adam might need one! It makes me very proud to see how much all three of them love eachother, at least to my face they do!
     Sure, I imagine that every mother feels that their children are the best at everything, the cutest, the smartest, the best. Period. I am no different. My kids are the one thing that I am the most proud of in my life. While I can count on two hands the things that I wish I hadn't done in my life (please, lets not elaborate), I can name three things that I would not change for the world. They in turn have made me a better person. I like who I am because of them.
     Sure they ruined The Body, but I forgive them. (The world couldn't handle The Body it anyhow.)

Retail Therapy

      In this economy we are all trying to save money, I am no exception to the rule. We look for those elusive deals, the great find that we can feel proud of so that we can feel justified for spending money...Retail Therapy we call it. Oh the adrenaline rush of saving a dollar, of beating The Man. The retail man.
     Not too long ago, our economy was such that it encouraged people to overspend, not just keep up with the Joneses, but to become the Joneses. Oh the days of the lines of credit a mile long, the more credit cards that you had in your wallet the more prestigious you appeared, and size of your car was a huge (pun intended) status symbol. Then reality smacked us right in the face. A whole generation that was used to spend now, pay later finds itself having to change completely how it operates.
     Having grown up poor I can remember really going through rough times (although I didn't realize that we were poor at the time) and even these adjustments are not life shattering. Do I want to give up going out to dinner anytime I don't feel like cooking? No. Do I want to give up designer makeup? NO NO NO NO! But will I if it means feeding my family? You betcha! (Sarah Palin accent and all) There is not much that I wouldn't give up to care for my family.
     I think that it is interesting that we can look back at the depression era and think, wow, those were some crazy times, they did anything that they had to do to survive...and yet, ourselves refuse to give up those frivolous material things that we call necessities. Have you ever considered what you could to save money in your day to day life? Will we be forced to (gasp) learn to budget, pay as we go and oh boy, eat homecooked leftovers!!! What will we do?? Oh my!
     Where we be in ten years? Will we be still clipping coupons and living frugally? I actually hope so, it would be a step in the right direction. There is one thing that I think would help us more than even clipping coupons and that would be to want what we don't have less and want what we have more. How is that for a foreign concept?
     Now, don't close the window just yet, it is possible...look around (unless you live in a shanty town) and say this out loud, "I am blessed. I have everything that I need, I need not for anything else." This week, when you run out to the store, before you reach for that extra something...put it back and send me the money that you saved. Hey, Susie Orman makes money from financial advice, why should I stay poor?

Rose colored glasses

Everyday I get dressed and complain about how it looks,
The pants are too tight,
The bras bursting at the hooks.
 Nothing feels just right...

Oh tell me Why, Oh Why, do I fuss so,
When my hair frizzes up
And how is it that my skin lost it's youthful glow?
Everyday I feel closer to teeth in a cup...

We move around in our day to day lives,
Worrying about the mundane and petty issues.
Cleaning dirty hands, and comforting cries.
Feeling a little like dry dirty tissues.

When will I learn that beauty,
Is in the eye of the beholders?
So I guess it is my duty,
To hold my back straight and square my shoulders.

When I ask my husband,
"Honey, does this make me look fat?"
As long as he wears that wedding band,
he responds, "No, you've never looked better than that."

Moral of the story, Train your honey to respond to dumb questions and you'll never have an ugly day again!!

Fall to-do list, please help!

     My, how they grow up fast. That is what every parent says at some point when they look at their children at the Kindergarten graduation, the Sweet sixteen party, and while waving them off to college. So am I so strange that I say that every time I see my girl wearing  pair of pant that fit high watered? Or when the boys do amazing stuff like learning to put the lid on the toilet seat down after handling their business (no sitting on bare porcelain in middle of the night for mama Fee).
     When I dreamed of having kids, I pictured myself sitting on a rocking chair holding a tiny baby (mind you in the daydream I was perfectly made up, my hair was done, and all of my garments were perfectly pressed.). Flash forward 10 years and I am the all American (Mexican version) stay at home mom. OK, vanity still has a hold of me (make up is still a must), but the hair and perfectly pressed clothes, well...thank  goodness for wash and wear blouses, jeans and ponytails!!! The great thing is that to my kids I am beautiful.
     I got to thinking, you know how when you look back on your childhood and think back on where you grew up you only remember the good stuff? You don't remember the chipped paint on the fences, the faded curtains, or the threadbare sheets. Just the Good stuff. Like eating watermelon on the front step with my cousins, or playing baseball in front of our house with all the kids from the ranch, perhaps my favorite memory is of sitting up in the pomegranate tree eating them until my stomach hurt and my fingers were stained. Sorry...I got carried away...so I digress. It made me think that someday my kids will look back and I wonder what they will call The Good Stuff. I'm going to work hard on doing more activities with them so that the answers are not watching mom clean, hearing mom yell, and the best...ohhh....cleaning our rooms! As fall starts to peak around the corner I want to do fun things with them and I am requesting suggestions from my friends. What are some of the fun things to do with little kids that are inexpensive that you remember doing as kids? I will make a list and post it on my blog at a later date. Either post it as a comment or on my facebook. Thanks for helping me make sure my kids don't grow up too fast without enjoying them...
   

Leave my mullet allone!

     In every ones life there inevitably comes the day when you ask yourself, "When did I stop being cool?". You will do this regardless of whether you were ever cool or not (cool was never a word commonly associated with teenage or young adult Fee). And this day is devastating for all of us, nobody ever sets out to lose that which they think makes them young! I came up with a few indicators of losing your "cool". If any of these apply to you, don't worry. You can get some of your cool back and I will go into that later, after we review some of my (and a few borrowed from friends) moments of sadness.

-You walk into a store and you find out that whatever your favorite style of shoe or jeans have been discontinued to keep up with the time, or as the sales associate calls, "getting rid of last decades horrors".

-The hairstyle you are sporting is also being sported on TV, on the flash backs to when the characters where younger!

-The infomercials on late night TV for the music of the best time in your life is described as "music that meant something, songs that told a story..." and, "they don't make music like that anymore..." What is wrong with "Once, twice, three times a lady..."???

-All the dance moves that you know are featured on spoof movies. (Running man anyone?)

last but certainly not least,

-All the shows about dating (Bachelorett) rub you wrong, simply because well, you looked hotter than that so many years ago! (I know in my mind I did!) I have a blurry, out of focus picture taken at dusk from a 1000ft away to prove it!!!

     So say that you have reached this moment...what do I do Fee? you ask, well the answer lies in you my friend. Do you really want to toss everything that you own every season and buy all new to look like you stepped out of the glossy magazines? Do you want to spend everyday trying to learn new lingo, new dance moves and look like an idiot showing off your moves trying to impress others? The truth is that I have no experience with losing what makes me cool. HAHAHAHA!! I jest! I don't have the answer or one size fits all fix. I try not to let my hairstyle get too far out of date, I try not to look like a goofball when I get dressed for the day...but if I fail at it, I forgive myself because God really only cares about what we look like on the inside and I remind myself that ultimately that is what is more important. I can look like a reject from Napoleon Dynamite and still get to heaven...thankfully we still have hope!!

Btw- I love all three people that read my blog faithfully! You all rock!!

Everyman for himself.

     As a mom, I always worry about what will happen if I were to get too sick to care for my family. Would they survive a day, a week? Now, the hubbers, he would survive- a debit card and a drive thru, yup, he would make it. What about Setti? Well, she would probably use my debit card to order pizza everyday, yup, she would survive. (Until the money ran out that is!) But what about the boys?

     Those poor, sweet, adorable, innocent, helpless boys... Okay, lets be real. They may be three and four, but they are not helpless! Today I feel a little under the weather, so I'm camped out on the couch trying to get some much needed rest and sipping on tea. It got very quiet in the house, and I heard the boys discussing why mommy left toast on the counter for them. (I didn't leave it for them, I simply forgot to eat my toast.) At some point I dosed off and in true mommy fashion, kept my ears open. I heard noises in the kitchen and for the most part, ignored it because my children would never do anything bad, right?? Hmmm...

     I woke up when I heard, "Get the knife Adam, get the biggest one that you can find. This is going to take work." WAIT- WHAT??? So Adam has a butter knife (that's the only knives that they are allowed to touch), and both are trying to cut their sandwich in half. Sure, it had so much peanut butter that it made my cholesterol go up just by looking at it and the jelly was more on their shirts than on the sandwich, but it could only be called a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was actually impressed! I am a little ashamed that I did not make it for them, after all, aren't moms supposed super women who make pb&j sandwiches and cutoff the crust to make them easier to eat? I suppose that I can take a day off and let them help themselves.

     Now if I could only teach them to bring me a snack...and a Rockstar.

The Mountain

It rises into the sky,
and like 60's trip the colors are fiercely contrasting.
Do I look directly at it or am I too afraid?
My heart skips a beat, now two.
Breathing is labored more and more.

Sometimes I am a warrior and attack,
Most always I am proven a coward.
If only everyday was Sunday I would be okay,
Oh how I wish my resolve was unwavering.

Armed with only Gain and bleach I go into battle,
Separate colors and whites.
I lose nine tenths of the socks I wash,
And I grimace at the stubborn stain that did not come out.

One day they will invent disposable clothing,
I will buy it for my kids.
The washer and dryer will be but a distant memory,
but until then...into the mountain I will go.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

     I admit it, I am a little bit vain. Ok, a little bit more than that. I am moderately vain. Don't get me wrong, I will not spend outrageous amounts on clothing or shoes. (Besides being vain, I am cheap/thrifty-I know, what a combination!) In the last few weeks I have learned a few things from my children when it comes to lookin' good and a few reasons to scale the vanity back!

     * Dogs don't like lipstick, and once your dog has licked your $20 tube of lipstick...chap stick looks good!

     * Your favorite bra usually has the best elastic, which usually means that when one kid holds it, it will let allow the other to run a long, long distance before snapping and reminding them that it was not a toy. (It's OK to say, "Did you learn your lesson?" to the injured party at this point!) Take note-It will no longer be your best bra after that, it usually becomes the one you where when you fall behind on the laundry.

     * High heels aerate the grass. And the heels peel when worn for a game of tag.

     * The nicer the shoe, the more fun it is to run around in. Or set your PB&J sandwich in.

     Now I know that none of this is done with malice, I would even venture to say that my kids are good kids. (After all they are my kids.) Eventually all the beatings should stop them from getting into situations like this, if not then we try lobotomies. ***DISCLAIMER*** That was a joke, I don't beat my kids. The lobotomy, well, that is still up for debate...lol! I know that looks and material things aren't everything (and aren't we glad that they are not!). Every single one of these events have become a great story for us to share about our kids and in time I might forgive them... After all, styles change and beauty fades...but happy childhood memories last forever!

    

When I grow up...

          As a little kid growing up in a migrant camp in California, I only knew the world based on what I saw on TV, read in books and experienced with my family. Not only was I a book worm, but I watched  shows that were far removed from what I knew. Maybe it was my adventurous spirit, maybe my restless soul, but I wanted to be famous! Not Paris Hilton or Kim K famous, no, I wanted to be...ready for it? Connie Chung. Yup, a news anchor. I wanted to let people in on what was going on in the world around them.

     This is what I pictured a day in the life of Fee Chung...8 am, get up and get made up, wear neat clothing. Have a wonderful breakfast with interesting people. 10 am, meander into work and do pretty much what I want to do because I am the star of the show. 12 noon, Read books and watch fantastic movies. Have long interesting conversations with people of different opinions than myself. 5 pm, showtime! This would be the hardest time of the day for me because I would have to come up with something new and enticing so that I would not lose my fans. 6 pm, go for a nice walk around town to see how the 'others' live, and I rejoice in the fabulous life that I live. 8 pm, get together with someone special for a late night entertainment. Bedtime at around midnight.

     Lets compare that to my current life as a stay at home mom. 8 am, I have already been up for at least and hour or two and have my make up on. My clothing is neat, yup- I never wear wrinkled clothes unless I don't want to iron. LOL!! Breakfast time is always with interesting people, have you ever listened to what kids have to say (especially mine) and not been completely sucked in? 10 am, I meander into the laundry room and lets be honest, I do only what I want to do that day because I am the star (mom).  12 noon, I read books (Where the Wild things are and any other request the kids may have.) And I watch fantastic movies everyday, Princess and the frog, God made you special, Beauty and the Beast, etc. 5 pm is still showtime, anyone who has ever had to make dinner for a family day in and day out knows how hard it is to come up with something new and enticing every single day. It feels like the biggest production of the day! 6 pm, walk around town, only instead of looking like Sarah Jessica, I look like Sarah plain and small, with an entourage of scooters and tricycles in tow. I see how the 'others' live, and still thank God and rejoice for everything that I have. 8 pm is still entertainment time. Try getting three kids into bed without a huge production, prayers for everything from the family to the curtains and the carpet, reading of the bible, and the usual, "I am thirsty, hungry, have to use the restroom, mom he's talking, stop coming into my room....MOM!!!" Oh, it is entertaining alright!! And last but not least, bedtime is still at midnight.

     So all things considered I think that I have the best life that I could have asked for. I had a job that I loved, but I was missing out on the things that mattered the most to me. I wanted to kiss cocos (injuries) and debate peanut butter vs. grilled cheese, and be the recipient all of those spur of the moment hugs and kisses.  Do I wish that I was famous now? No, being the star of my crazy life is enough, celebrity would distract from that which is important in my life, following God, being the best wife that I can be, and raising my children to follow God. My hope is that through everyday interactions I can influence people in a good way and that my life is something that I can bring before God and not have to feel ashamed.

     All things considered, I could have been rich and famous and married to Maury P. EEewww...well, thank God for His enormous wisdom and for unanswered prayers.

But I'm hot, right?

         I read an article that said that men make up their minds within milliseconds of meeting a woman whether or not she would be a good fit for him. They say that based on 'ancient' genetic preferences that men use to determine whether the woman would be fertile and able to keep thier blood line going. Milliseconds? Sure! Either we are ugly to them or not. It is really not that scientific! You need geeks in lab coats to tell you the obvious and give us some phony balony hypothesis to go with it? Let me break it down for you in plain English and without sugar coating...not animal lab testing required.

     I was not always married, so I know a little bit about how to attract the opposite sex. Take a woman with average build, average looks. Clean any trace of make up off of her, put her hair in a pony tail, give her eyeglasses and some mom jeans. Take the same woman throw on the hollywood makeup, a skimpy dress and let the hair flow...any wild guess which woman that the men find more fertile? If you said momma Helga...you are smoking whatever the 'scientist' that put together those findings were smoking...

     Now, mind you, I am not against attractive people- my goodness, have you seen me (THAT IS A JOKE!), but lets just let human nature be without making excuses for it...I hope that clears a few things up.

                                                                                       Fee,  PhD in pointing out the obvious.

Sing it girl!

    Last night I was driving with my eight year old daughter in the car, when she put on a song that she loves and she started singing along...loudly. Not only was she singing, but dancing. Granted, it was dark out and nobody could really see her, but I tell you that she could not have cared if we would have been going down main street during a parade- she would have done the same thing!
     So this morning when I got behind the wheel to take a two hour drive to my sisters house I started thinking. I could not remember when the last time that I let loose in the car, I mean really let loose. Sure, I sing along with the radio...but, mouth open wide, loud howling that can only sound good in my own head, dancing like I was auditioning for America has Talent...yeah...nope, I can't remember that at all! So I looked around- a quick look around to make sure nobody was looking, popped in my favorite cd and acted like an eight year old. And it felt GREAT! Of course I immediately expected to be voted off just like on American Idol but, Simon never came by to tell me that I sounded like a wounded lovesick baboon. Yay!!
     The funny thing is that when we are young, we let our happiness show without any reservations...so then at what point do we start filtering our joy? I want to literally laugh out loud (not the lol that means, I ran out of things to text u back after that last dumb text) but the kind of laugh that says, "This brings me joy!". I want to tell people that I love them and hug them full on (not that fake one arm up and no commitment kind of hug)...I want to show my happiness!
    
     Today I am putting it out there, when you see me flying down the freeway or driving down main street and I am singing and dancing like a loon, smile and wave at me and just do me a favor...don't tell Simon that I think I am the next Carrie Underwood...just let it be so in my head. Until next time, remember to let your happiness show, hug tightly, and sing out loud!!! I know that I will...

Welcome to the madness aka the life of a mom.

I have gotten a few comments from friends whom have said they love what I have posted on facebook, so for them and anyone crazy enough to read on- this blog is for you! I will not promise that this will be an insightful and all encompassing instruction manual for anything, but I might be a good alternative to reading those lame 'news' stories (and I use the term loosely) on yahoo or other online source. By the way, please let me know if there is anything that you would like for me to talk about or anything that I may not have stated clearly.

This is new ground for me, and I want to be honest with you...I hope someone reads this. One of my favorite songwriters has a song that has a great line, "we'll see how boring I really am...". 

So most of you know that I am a stay at home mom with three wonderful kids and I am married to the hottest man ever. (Dustin, you owe me $20 for going through with it!) Seriously, I feel like everyday is a blessing and a gift from God. Thank you is small compared to the gratitude that I feel for the family that I have been given.

The greatest thing about having your own blog? You have a lot more room to write than just facebook!! Haha! Thanks for checking out my blog, I promise one thing - You will always get an earful, sometimes random tidbits of wisdom, sometimes random forgettable babbling, you will laugh, you will cry (wait, that was for the movie review) I digress... but you will always get it just like I see it and always, always...straight from Fees mouth.