Mom update

Many of you have asked me via email for an update on my mom. Thanks for asking, that's really sweet.

She's doing great. She's still in pain and gets 'hapo' so easily (winded...or out of breath). She's been out of the house a few times. To see her doc, to Kohls and Mervyns, and once even to the Commissary. We have to wheel her around in her wheelchair when we go shopping. At the Commissary she learned how to run one of those chairs with the cart attached. She knocked over a candy display but otherwise she was a pro at it, zipping up and down the aisles and weaving in between the grumpy retirees (she didn't hit any of them, thankfully).

She's been to church twice and our pastor hugs her everytime he sees her, followed by mom saying "Thank you for the prayers" and then she cries. Mom gets so emotional. It's the Vicodin, she says.

She hates being on meds and wonders how people get addicted to Vicodin because it makes her feel like crap: dizzy, nauseated, floaty, sleepy, and not like herself. If it weren't for the pain in her back and armpit she'd like to pour the Vicodin down the drain.

She's able to watch Lauren with the help of my sister. She just can't pick her up and I occasionally catch them snoozing together on her bed. Very sweet.

She's on her way to recovery and gets annoyed by the whole breathing thing. She used to take walks everyday and do her exercises in front of the TV. Now she can barely walk around the house without getting winded. She's no longer using her walker so that's a good thing. Her doctor said it will take months for her lung capacity to increase...and mom's patience is wearing thin.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers for her recovery. She'll be up and dancing before you know it!

Thanksgiving Menu

Our Thanksgiving menu is almost finalized...here's what we've got planned:

Appetizers:
Salami Crisps with Basil and Sour cream
Chestnut Soup with Sourdough Crostini

ThanksGiveMe Turkey with all the trimmings:
Citrus Marinated Turkey
Cranberry Orange Relish
Creamed Corn Gratin with Fried Onion Rings and Bacon (OMG this sounds so good)
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato dish (still searching for a new one...if I can't I usually make this super simple and easy version)
Chris is making a butternut squash dish
Jen (my sister's friend) is bringing bread or rolls
Dressing/Stuffing by Mom P.

Desserts (we never have less than 5..seriously)
Thanksgiving Two-Fer pie (Pecan and Pumpkin in one pie. Together! Yum? Not sure how this will turn out)
Misc. Pies and sweets to be brought by Mom R. and my bro's family
Apricot Almond Cake (if I have time)

I'd better start prep TODAY!

Go Pinoy!

We Filipinos, especially Filipino Americans tend to be full of pride when we find out that any celebrity, athlete, politician has even 3 drops of Filipino blood mixed in. Sometimes we claim them as one of our own if they're even married to Filipinos (like Wayne Brady and Dusty Baker). A few prominent Filipino American Celebrities: Lou Diamond Phillips, Tia Carrera, Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame, Rob Schneider, the girl from the Pussycat Dolls, Vanessa Minillo...and now welcome to the club: Giants Pitcher and Cy Young award winner: Tim Lincecum! Woot woot!

Most of you might not care, but I am a huge Giants fan and didn't know that Tim Lincecum was half Filipino...he does not have any obvious Filipino/Malay features and most Giants fans were unaware, even my bro who is THE WORLDS BIGGEST GIANTS FAN. The Giants had another Filipino American pitcher, Eugenio Espineli, but he doesn't rock as much as Lincecum. I believe Timmy the Freak is the first ever Filipino American Cy Young award winner. Now that the word is out (he talked about it during his press conference after winning Cy Young) I bet sales of his jersey in Daly City are gonna go way up.

LIke a Sponge

One of Lauren's favorite books to read at bedtime is Chaat & Sweets, part of the World Foods series of kids' books. The book describes different Indian chaat with colorful illustrations and paper cutouts depicting the various foods. She loves the colors of this book; vibrant yellows, bright pinks and greens, and ornate curlicues.

There's one page with the line that goes: "I like chutney and paneer pakoras, fritters made of CHEESE!" (I usually add a dramatic flourish to the "cheese") Well, last night I was about to turn to that page and before I even got to it she exclaimed, "Tsis!" I did a double take...did she just say "Cheese?!"

I was blown away! She didn't just recognize the illustration, she knew it was coming up on the next page before she even saw it! To test and see if it wasn't just a fluke, I reread from the beginning and again, before I turned the page she said, "Tsis!"

Even though I like to think she's smarter than most kids (every parent thinks their kid is gifted..til they come to the realization that..um..well, maybe not) she's probably right on track..neither advanced nor behind. What's blowing my mind is that for the first time I'm realizing that OMG she's paying attention to everything we say or do. She's like a sponge absorbing all the words, all the colors, all the tastes and sounds...good and bad. Here I thought she was only paying attention to the colorful pages of a storybook when she was really taking in so much more. She was learning the sequence of the pages, and probably recognized the rhythm and the rhymes.

I promise I will not complain the next time she hands her book back to me and says "Boo?" (translation: please read it again!)

If you've got little kids, the World Foods board books by Amy Wilson Sanger are the best. There's first book of Sushi, Yum Yum Dim Sum, Hola Jalapeno, Let's Nosh (Jewish foods), Soul Food and Mangia Mangia! I've got them all memorized! When I go to a sushi restaurant, I can't help but say, "Miso in my sippy cup, tofu in my bowl. Crab and avocado fill my California Roll!"

Overheard at Grandmas....

T (my niece): Grandma, knock knock.
Grandma: Who's There?
T: Ba
G: Who's Ba?
T: GRANDMA! You didn't do it right!!
G: Huh?
T: You're supposed to say "Ba Who?" Like "Baho" (which means "Stinky")
G: Oh, Baho...hahahaha...
T: ...grumble grumble..

Say Cheese!

Cheeeeeeeee!!!!!!

See my 4.5 teeth?

Blogthings

I stole this from Vicki....

This is so true. Especially the last line. Everyone knows that when I play board games or any kind of group game, I will get all Monica on you...(that's an obscure 'Friends' reference in case you were wonderin...)

You Are Chinese Checkers

You live a hyper, fast paced life. You rarely ever slow down. You are good at juggling many things at once. You are the ultimate multi-tasker. You enjoy being in a group - in fact the bigger the group, the better. You are an enthusiastic competitor, and you can be a little ruthless when you play games.

What Board Game Are You?