At the start of the school year I got together with one of Little Man's friend's mom and we decided to have playdates at each other's homes every week. One, it would help give us a day with some extra time to get errands done without having to worry about picking up our kids by the designated time. Two, it was nice for the boys to have more time to socialize and develop. Plus it was just nice to have a friend for both of us. Anyway, our little group of two soon became a group of three. The third mom and her child were more than welcome to our group. The boys all played well together and the moms all got along well. It was a happy little play group. Until I made the mistake of inviting The Bitch.
The Bitch, she has no name since all I can think of when I see her is Bitch, is a single mom. She and her husband had divorced, and supposedly it was a quick divorce with a long drawn out custody battle. They were originally from CA and moved to NY. Than, supposedly, he cheated on her so she took their son and fled back to CA without telling him. Umm, that's kidnapping. But that's just my opinion. She is somewhat fucked up since she than flew back to NY and tried to reconcile with him. But when she found out he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, she flew back to CA and her family. It's a whole big drama, which I've heard her side. But after my interactions with her, I'm starting to doubt her side of the story. I'm sure she wasn't as innocent as she makes herself out to be. And I'll tell you why.
During the first two or three months of school, her son would follow Little Man and his friends all around the playground. Let's call this boy Eugene for simplicity. Anyway, no one wanted to play with Eugene. He was at least a year younger than the playgroup boys and he was a little immature. So I felt bad one day and invited The Bitch and Eugene over for the playdate I was hosting. They both came over and The Bitch basically told me her sob story. How she's an attorney who works from her, but she was living with her parents about 30 minutes outside of Satellite Village and it was so hard having to drive back and forth especially when she had meetings in downtown LA. So I volunteered to take him if she had meetings, so she didn't have to worry about him. So she jumped on the offer and I felt good about myself. Plus she was bemoaning the fact that all the moms here were standoffish and it was so hard to make friends. Since she had lived in NY I felt a connection to her. That was my first mistake, because living in NY for 6 years does not make you a true NYer, or even an honorary one. She was just a poser, and I learned soon enough.
Anyway, I agreed to take him the following week. So that week came and I picked up all the boys, four in total, and watched them until 4 pm which was the designated pick up time. Anyway, when The Bitch showed up, I asked her how her day was. I thought she had a meeting in downtown LA. Instead she tells me she had a productive day. She went to the gym and Costco. Umm, I thought you needed help on the days you had work meetings. Not shopping and gym days. But soon after she somehow inserted herself into our playgroup. One mom had Mondays, I had Tuesdays, another a Wednesdays, but The Bitch couldn't host because she lived so far away. So for about two months she was getting 12 days of day care without putting anything into our group. Finally she moved into her own place. Well, it was her parent's rental investment property and she said she would start hosting playdates. Well, it turns out only one Thursday a month, because Eugene has to go to San Francisco to see his father three weekends out of the month. But she still was sending him to all our houses for playdates. I think that's a pretty sweet deal for her, 12 days of day care for one day. And it turned out Little Man couldn't go on Thursdays because he started baseball, and practices were Thursday afternoons.
Meanwhile, another kid and his mom tried to muscle in, and I had the unfortunate pleasure of hosting 5 boys at my house one day. It also happened to be the day we were getting new windows installed throughout the entire house. I thought I was going to lose it, and decided I couldn't take so many boys anymore. So I spoke to the original play group mom and we decided to take a break and ask all the moms who would take which day and how many days they would send their boys out to other homes for playdates. The Bitch came out and said she could only host one day a month, and that Eugene can go to every one's homes. No shame! You still want all this free daycare and you can only contribute ONE DAY A MONTH?!?!? Hello??? Are you that greedy? So I said I can only have three boys, and since Little Man can't go on Thursdays, that I wouldn't take Eugene since that seemed fair.
Well, after that incident (which was around February), The Bitch has stopped talking to me or acknowledging me. Which is fine with me, because now I know what kind of user she is. And I felt like the biggest sucker believing her tale of woe and loneliness, of difficulty meeting mom friends, or setting up playdates. Because you don't make an effort, you just insinuate yourself into a group and than take advantage of all the other moms. No one wants to be mean and call you out for being a user, so they just suck it up and take Eugene every week. Than one day, after I pick up Little Man from a playdate, he asks me why I don't like Eugene. That's a strange question, so I ask him why he's asking me that. Turns out Eugene told Little Man that the reason why Eugene can't come to Little Man's house to play anymore is because I don't like him. Not because there were too many kids. Not because it doesn't make sense to host someone when Little Man can't be part of the exchange. And to top it off, The Bitch told Eugene I didn't like him. What kind of mother tells her child that someone doesn't like them? To purposefully crush their self esteem. To make them feel bad about themselves? Well, The Bitch does. She obviously doesn't think very much of Eugene if she purposefully lies to him about the situation and says something to hurt his feelings. Thinking that it will explain why he doesn't go to Little Man's house anymore. She just didn't own up to the fact that she was taking advantage of all of us.
So I had to sit down and explain to Little Man that I never said I didn't like Eugene. That obviously The Bitch (I don't call her that to Little Man, I'm not that snarky) has a problem with me and it was very unfair of her to bring Eugene and Little Man into her issues. That she lied about me and that was a very nasty thing to say, especially to her own child. That Eugene couldn't come to out house because there were too many kids. Abut after hearing about what The Bitch said, Eugene will never come to our house again because I refuse to have anything to do with a mom who lies about me and says nasty things like that.
So the next day at school, this I heard from the snarkiest friend I have in Satellite Village, that Little Man and Eugene were walking together. Little Man turns to Eugene and says, "You can never come over to my house because your mom says nasty things about my mom". The Bitch was there and immediately pulled Eugene away from Little Man. I felt glad, because now she knows that I know she lied about me and talks trash about me to her son. That in and of itself is just ridiculous. Who talks trash about another mom to a 4 year old? Yes, Eugene is still 4. And she going to send him to kindergarten with the rest of the boys. This kid still pees all over the toilet seat and the floor. He doesn't wash his hands after he pees. He walks in the middle of the street. He yells and hits The Bitch. He doesn't understand the concept of personal space. He likes to yell and push. And he's basically like a mini rabid dog. But The Bitch doesn't discipline him at all. There are a bunch of us who talk about his horrible behavior, and are amazed that she doesn't do anything at all. But that's really not my concern. As long as Little Man doesn't pick up him bad behavior, I could care less if Eugene kicks and hits The Bitch. She obviously deserves it for being a mean and callous mother.
Which brings me back to me idea that maybe she isn't as innocent as she painted herself to be with her divorce and custody battle. If she obviously had no qualms lying to her child, who knows what she did to her husband. Maybe she drove him to cheat. Maybe she cheated and he retaliated. Maybe she's just cold and crazy at home so he was forced to seek someone else. All I know is she is fucking crazy and I just hope and pray Little Man isn't in the same class as Eugene next year. I also don't know why she has to send Eugene to our school district if she still lives 20 minutes away. At least move into the district, or go to your own. And Eugene isn't a remotely sharp knife in the kitchen drawer, so I don't know why he is going to kindergarten. She should really send him to remedial or another year of preschool. But I just hope I don't have to deal with these users anymore.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
5 Year Olds Going on 20
Do you remember what it was like growing up in the 70s/80s? Let's just say I'm pushing middle age and so that was around the time I was growing up and being a kid. I remember playing outside, making mud pies, taking skating lessons, running around like a terror in the backyard. I don't remember a fascination with clothing, or television, or anything outside of my immediate little world. Maybe a lot of us were like that, we didn't have the distractions of television and social media bombarding us all the time. Commercials telling us what to wear, what to play with, what to eat, and how to dress. Reality television wasn't showing us the cruelty that exists in human nature, the deceit and duplicity that people will unapologetically display in order to get ahead in a situation. Though the older generation will state that the 50s were a great time to grow up, I think the 70s/80s were just as wholesome and innocent. Maybe I'm biased, but I think a lot of the people I know who grew up in that era are pretty well adjusted and grounded. Of course your environment will affect you as an adult, which we all know is a big factor out here in Satellite Village. But that's a whole other psychological study I have yet to undertake.
Anyway, Little Man is finishing preschool this year, and next year he will start kindergarten. He is extremely excited to start a new school (though it's on the same campus) and I'm excited to meet some new moms. Hopefully out of the potential 60 out there a few will be "normal". But what I'm more worried about are the girls. I'm not talking about the teacher aides, or the teachers, or even the young girls in the elementary school. I'm talking about Little Man's classmates. Well, two girls I know of in particular. For the past year, these two girls have been boy crazy. I don't mean they just like boys, but they will literally chase the boys every day at school to kiss them and try to get them to be their "boyfriend". And they go through "boyfriends" like a sick person goes through Kleenex. I remember last year, one girl's mom told me that this particular little girl would try to have sex if she knew how, that's how "sexual" she was when she would have playdates at her boyfriend's house. Um, that's just disturbing when the parent is telling you her then 4 year old is sex crazed. Plus, these little girls like to wear fishnets and goth style clothing to school. Hello...you're five and why are your parents letting you dress up like mini sluts for preschool? The other little girl, her mom isn't a mom at all. She acts more like a friend or buddy to her child. Meaning there is no discipline or boundaries in place. This little girl has spit and kicked the teachers in the past, and has an attitude when you talk to her. But that Mom will just laugh and sigh, as if it's all very cute and adorable. Meanwhile I just want to slap her for spitting or kicking and telling her to mind her manners. But I just bottle it all in and remind myself to stay clear of this woman and her child. The last thing I want is Little Man picking up these bad examples. So when you put these two Wonder Twins together, you definitely get the feeling that you know who the fast and loose girls in high school will be.
I'm not saying that all the girls are like this, only these two. Meanwhile, the other 10+ girls in the class are the typical "normal" girls you would remember as a child. Playing with play dough or dolls. Riding tricycles or swinging on the swings on the playground. Looking for roly poly bugs, making sand castles or trying to hula hoop. These are the sweet little girls I remember from my youth, who I would want Little Man to play with, and Little Miss to be when she turns five. Not the two boy crazed disrespectful creatures who troll the playground for boys and kisses. I understand that the current generation grows up a lot faster due to media and all the highly sexualized content they are constantly bombarded with on a daily basis. But there is something to be said of a nice respectful and modest girl. Who may have an interest in boys, but won't let that become her overwhelming distraction in life.
I actually sat Little Man down and told him that there are two paths he can take in life. One is to study hard, make/have friends that are his equal, and be respectful and conscientious. Or he can take the path that includes kissing at the age of 5, not studying and basically becoming a high school drop out with no job prospects and a dead end life. Of course he decided to chose the path of success and hard work, and that means (as I told him) avoiding the kissing girls when they come around to bother the boys. Sure, you can play with them if it entails swings or the sand box or tricycles. But when they start trying to kiss you, you walk away and tell your teacher that you don't like that. I feel that this type of behavior has to be nipped at the bud now, and obviously the parents don't since they aren't very effective as told models/disciplinarians. So maybe the teachers can try to exact some control over the playground. If not, at least I'm telling Little Man to be aware and to refrain from that behavior. I just hope The Wonder Twins aren't in his kindergarten class. The last thing I need is having to deal with these moms for another year, and trying to refrain from slapping the sluttiness from their girls.
Anyway, Little Man is finishing preschool this year, and next year he will start kindergarten. He is extremely excited to start a new school (though it's on the same campus) and I'm excited to meet some new moms. Hopefully out of the potential 60 out there a few will be "normal". But what I'm more worried about are the girls. I'm not talking about the teacher aides, or the teachers, or even the young girls in the elementary school. I'm talking about Little Man's classmates. Well, two girls I know of in particular. For the past year, these two girls have been boy crazy. I don't mean they just like boys, but they will literally chase the boys every day at school to kiss them and try to get them to be their "boyfriend". And they go through "boyfriends" like a sick person goes through Kleenex. I remember last year, one girl's mom told me that this particular little girl would try to have sex if she knew how, that's how "sexual" she was when she would have playdates at her boyfriend's house. Um, that's just disturbing when the parent is telling you her then 4 year old is sex crazed. Plus, these little girls like to wear fishnets and goth style clothing to school. Hello...you're five and why are your parents letting you dress up like mini sluts for preschool? The other little girl, her mom isn't a mom at all. She acts more like a friend or buddy to her child. Meaning there is no discipline or boundaries in place. This little girl has spit and kicked the teachers in the past, and has an attitude when you talk to her. But that Mom will just laugh and sigh, as if it's all very cute and adorable. Meanwhile I just want to slap her for spitting or kicking and telling her to mind her manners. But I just bottle it all in and remind myself to stay clear of this woman and her child. The last thing I want is Little Man picking up these bad examples. So when you put these two Wonder Twins together, you definitely get the feeling that you know who the fast and loose girls in high school will be.
I'm not saying that all the girls are like this, only these two. Meanwhile, the other 10+ girls in the class are the typical "normal" girls you would remember as a child. Playing with play dough or dolls. Riding tricycles or swinging on the swings on the playground. Looking for roly poly bugs, making sand castles or trying to hula hoop. These are the sweet little girls I remember from my youth, who I would want Little Man to play with, and Little Miss to be when she turns five. Not the two boy crazed disrespectful creatures who troll the playground for boys and kisses. I understand that the current generation grows up a lot faster due to media and all the highly sexualized content they are constantly bombarded with on a daily basis. But there is something to be said of a nice respectful and modest girl. Who may have an interest in boys, but won't let that become her overwhelming distraction in life.
I actually sat Little Man down and told him that there are two paths he can take in life. One is to study hard, make/have friends that are his equal, and be respectful and conscientious. Or he can take the path that includes kissing at the age of 5, not studying and basically becoming a high school drop out with no job prospects and a dead end life. Of course he decided to chose the path of success and hard work, and that means (as I told him) avoiding the kissing girls when they come around to bother the boys. Sure, you can play with them if it entails swings or the sand box or tricycles. But when they start trying to kiss you, you walk away and tell your teacher that you don't like that. I feel that this type of behavior has to be nipped at the bud now, and obviously the parents don't since they aren't very effective as told models/disciplinarians. So maybe the teachers can try to exact some control over the playground. If not, at least I'm telling Little Man to be aware and to refrain from that behavior. I just hope The Wonder Twins aren't in his kindergarten class. The last thing I need is having to deal with these moms for another year, and trying to refrain from slapping the sluttiness from their girls.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Common Sense is Lacking Here
When I have to drop off Little Man at preschool, I have to park the car and walk him into the classroom every morning. Which means the car is parked either on the street, or in a parking lot across from the street. The parking lot is tucked away behind a wall of trees, so it's secluded and quiet. Though it takes me between 5-10 minutes to drop off Little Man at school, I always take my purse with me when I park the car. I think that's just common sense, why leave valuables in the car even for a short period of time? It's like you are tempting fate, looking for trouble, eager for a throw down with a potential smash and grab robber. Yet at least 3-4 times during the school year I'll get an email from that Passive Aggressive Director about another mom's car being broken into and her purse stolen.
Seriously women, why would you leave your purse in the car? Are you so deluded that you think you live in a bubble and no crime will happen here in Satellite Village? Let alone crime will touch your gilded lifestyle? And what gets me is that after the initial email, usually in September of the school year, these women STILL leave their purses in their cars while they walk their kids to school. Come on, we all know which mom got robbed, we see the police cruiser/motorcycle on the side of the street with the officer taking down their information. Yet some brilliant woman decides to still leave her purse in the car to tempt fate. Do you think you're immune? That bad things will never happen to you in the same location and time as the previous incident? And you leave your purse in the front passenger seat, not even trying to hide it under the seat of in the trunk of the car. What is with these women? How many times do you have to get an email saying another car was smashed and a purse stolen? You think the robber doesn't know that a lot of stupid ass moms leave their cars full of possessions in order to drop off their kids at school? Having the common sense to take your purse with you is a good thing. Having the development of common sense after getting emails about robberies is also a good thing. But ignoring them all and continuing to leave your purse in a car is just plain stupid and maddening for me.
So when another smash and grab is reported and the upteenth email is sent warning us about leaving purses in cars, I'm just exasperated by the total stupidity and ignorance of these women. And to tell you the truth, I have no sympathy for you and your stolen purse. I think, good riddance. Maybe this will knock some sense into that bleached head of yours, past the silicon bobbing along in your bloodstream, and make your realize that you're no better than anyone else. That taking your purse with you, even for 5 minutes, is worth the trouble. And maybe you'll be an example for your children, teaching them to be safe when in public, and to not tempt potential criminals with laziness and small mindedness. Until that time, I'm betting that I'll get another email soon, before the school year is up, about another smash and grab. Seriously, if I was a criminal I'd be all over this area with the easy pickings. People just don't seem to learn from other's mistakes, or they are just too idiotic to care.
Okay, I did get another email from the Passive Aggressive stating another four cars had been broken into. At this point I'm almost wishing for more break-ins because people don't seem to understand the concept taking valuables with you instead of leaving them on the seat of the car!!! Stupid...just stupid.
Seriously women, why would you leave your purse in the car? Are you so deluded that you think you live in a bubble and no crime will happen here in Satellite Village? Let alone crime will touch your gilded lifestyle? And what gets me is that after the initial email, usually in September of the school year, these women STILL leave their purses in their cars while they walk their kids to school. Come on, we all know which mom got robbed, we see the police cruiser/motorcycle on the side of the street with the officer taking down their information. Yet some brilliant woman decides to still leave her purse in the car to tempt fate. Do you think you're immune? That bad things will never happen to you in the same location and time as the previous incident? And you leave your purse in the front passenger seat, not even trying to hide it under the seat of in the trunk of the car. What is with these women? How many times do you have to get an email saying another car was smashed and a purse stolen? You think the robber doesn't know that a lot of stupid ass moms leave their cars full of possessions in order to drop off their kids at school? Having the common sense to take your purse with you is a good thing. Having the development of common sense after getting emails about robberies is also a good thing. But ignoring them all and continuing to leave your purse in a car is just plain stupid and maddening for me.
So when another smash and grab is reported and the upteenth email is sent warning us about leaving purses in cars, I'm just exasperated by the total stupidity and ignorance of these women. And to tell you the truth, I have no sympathy for you and your stolen purse. I think, good riddance. Maybe this will knock some sense into that bleached head of yours, past the silicon bobbing along in your bloodstream, and make your realize that you're no better than anyone else. That taking your purse with you, even for 5 minutes, is worth the trouble. And maybe you'll be an example for your children, teaching them to be safe when in public, and to not tempt potential criminals with laziness and small mindedness. Until that time, I'm betting that I'll get another email soon, before the school year is up, about another smash and grab. Seriously, if I was a criminal I'd be all over this area with the easy pickings. People just don't seem to learn from other's mistakes, or they are just too idiotic to care.
Okay, I did get another email from the Passive Aggressive stating another four cars had been broken into. At this point I'm almost wishing for more break-ins because people don't seem to understand the concept taking valuables with you instead of leaving them on the seat of the car!!! Stupid...just stupid.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
DIY Means I Have Too Much Time on My Hands
I like to be busy, not frenetic busy and stressed, but I like to have something to show for at the end of the day. Maybe it's just a product of working for all those years, but I like to be productive. For a while, after we moved here, I felt adrift and lost. I didn't know what to do with my time. There weren't any museums or parks to explore with the kids. And the shopping was definitely depressing, plus how many times can you go to the local mall a week? So after we purchased the house, I started working on the house.
First I painted the interiors. I did all but two rooms and the baths. I would drive to Lowe's or Home Depot at least twice a week with Little Miss. I'd buy all sorts of paint and drop cloths and brushes. I also changed the locks in the house. I switched out electrical switches and outlets and some plumbing fixtures. I did landscaping and mulching. I did all I could with a baby at home, which basically meant no real demolition or serious home improvement. Maybe when she starts school I'll have the opportunity to switch out sinks and vanities in the bathrooms. So I did all I could do on the house with my limited time and with Little Miss.
Next I decided to take on some cooking. I started out making things I missed from NY. I made rainbow cookies and black and whites. I made my own bagels (which I discovered I need a more powerful Kitchenaid since the dough is too stiff for my Kitchenaid) and pretzels. Than I started tackling macarons and cream puffs and gougeres. I made spicy bacon caramel corn (yum, who doesn't like bacon?) and NY Style Crumb Cake. I made chocolate soufflés and florentine lace cookies. Than I started getting fat and decided I need to take a break from all the sweets.
So now I'm in the beginning of my latest obsessions - skin care. For a while I wanted to see a dermatologist, but it seemed that a lot of the ones I checked out on the internet were big proponents of botox and fillers. I don't need to see a derm for him to make me feel worse about my skin and push products on me that I don't even want to consider. So I really resisted my need to see a derm. For a while in the past I was an avid user of Tazarac cream which I loved, and I'm seriously considering getting back on for what little vanity I have left. So I thought I should first explore vitamin C serums, and happened across a website called skincaretalk.com. Holy crap, talk about hardcore women who concoct all sorts of potions and creams for their faces. All based on organic and holistic ingredients. I'm no hippie but I try to buy organic and recycle when I can. But I'm not hardcore. So when I saw a DIY recipe for vitamin c serum, I knew I had to try it. I also saw a DIY recipe for Rodin's Olio Lusso. Now I was also contemplating Darphin's 8 Flower Nectar Oil, since my skin is so dry out here I need more moisture, and Olio Lusso seemed relatively similar in composition. So I decided to try to make some of that as well.
I spent about two weeks researching oils and websites, trying to figure out what I wanted and where to buy them. So between three different websites, I purchased about $350 worth of oils (essential and carrier) and bottles to start mixing up my new fangled potions. I started out with a simple vitamin c serum, which is nothing more than lactic acid, glycerin, distilled rose water and a few drops of jojoba and vitamin e. It's a bit thin, but I can feel the tingle and who knows if it's really working or not. But in order to make it more of a "serum", I bought some ferulic acid, sclerotium gum, and phenoxyethanol. As for my DIY oil, it actually seems pretty good. I realized I don't need to wear my old standby La Mer anymore since the oil is moisturizing enough at night. Maybe I'm mixing too many essential oils in, I got a couple more that I'm going to toss in. So far my little foray into DIY skin care seems to be working. It was a pretty big initial investment, but with all the oils I purchased I can make enough to last me for a couple of years. Plus I'm going to make some for when my friend comes to visit me in May. She'll get to experience my DIY skills. Hopefully she won't break out as a result.
Anyway, I guess the point is I'm constantly looking for ways to occupy my time during the day. I hate feeling like I wasted a day, and when Little Man has play dates and Little Miss is napping, and I like to be productive. I started looking into DIY shampoos, but that seems a little too hardcore for me now. I'll just stick with my serum and oils and see what I look like 2 months from now. Maybe some of those "freckles", aka age spots, will fade away. Than I'll move on to something else to DIY.
First I painted the interiors. I did all but two rooms and the baths. I would drive to Lowe's or Home Depot at least twice a week with Little Miss. I'd buy all sorts of paint and drop cloths and brushes. I also changed the locks in the house. I switched out electrical switches and outlets and some plumbing fixtures. I did landscaping and mulching. I did all I could with a baby at home, which basically meant no real demolition or serious home improvement. Maybe when she starts school I'll have the opportunity to switch out sinks and vanities in the bathrooms. So I did all I could do on the house with my limited time and with Little Miss.
Next I decided to take on some cooking. I started out making things I missed from NY. I made rainbow cookies and black and whites. I made my own bagels (which I discovered I need a more powerful Kitchenaid since the dough is too stiff for my Kitchenaid) and pretzels. Than I started tackling macarons and cream puffs and gougeres. I made spicy bacon caramel corn (yum, who doesn't like bacon?) and NY Style Crumb Cake. I made chocolate soufflés and florentine lace cookies. Than I started getting fat and decided I need to take a break from all the sweets.
So now I'm in the beginning of my latest obsessions - skin care. For a while I wanted to see a dermatologist, but it seemed that a lot of the ones I checked out on the internet were big proponents of botox and fillers. I don't need to see a derm for him to make me feel worse about my skin and push products on me that I don't even want to consider. So I really resisted my need to see a derm. For a while in the past I was an avid user of Tazarac cream which I loved, and I'm seriously considering getting back on for what little vanity I have left. So I thought I should first explore vitamin C serums, and happened across a website called skincaretalk.com. Holy crap, talk about hardcore women who concoct all sorts of potions and creams for their faces. All based on organic and holistic ingredients. I'm no hippie but I try to buy organic and recycle when I can. But I'm not hardcore. So when I saw a DIY recipe for vitamin c serum, I knew I had to try it. I also saw a DIY recipe for Rodin's Olio Lusso. Now I was also contemplating Darphin's 8 Flower Nectar Oil, since my skin is so dry out here I need more moisture, and Olio Lusso seemed relatively similar in composition. So I decided to try to make some of that as well.
I spent about two weeks researching oils and websites, trying to figure out what I wanted and where to buy them. So between three different websites, I purchased about $350 worth of oils (essential and carrier) and bottles to start mixing up my new fangled potions. I started out with a simple vitamin c serum, which is nothing more than lactic acid, glycerin, distilled rose water and a few drops of jojoba and vitamin e. It's a bit thin, but I can feel the tingle and who knows if it's really working or not. But in order to make it more of a "serum", I bought some ferulic acid, sclerotium gum, and phenoxyethanol. As for my DIY oil, it actually seems pretty good. I realized I don't need to wear my old standby La Mer anymore since the oil is moisturizing enough at night. Maybe I'm mixing too many essential oils in, I got a couple more that I'm going to toss in. So far my little foray into DIY skin care seems to be working. It was a pretty big initial investment, but with all the oils I purchased I can make enough to last me for a couple of years. Plus I'm going to make some for when my friend comes to visit me in May. She'll get to experience my DIY skills. Hopefully she won't break out as a result.
Anyway, I guess the point is I'm constantly looking for ways to occupy my time during the day. I hate feeling like I wasted a day, and when Little Man has play dates and Little Miss is napping, and I like to be productive. I started looking into DIY shampoos, but that seems a little too hardcore for me now. I'll just stick with my serum and oils and see what I look like 2 months from now. Maybe some of those "freckles", aka age spots, will fade away. Than I'll move on to something else to DIY.
Preschool Semantics for Adults
For me and the Big Man, our children are important and their schooling is the one thing we constantly thought about in our search for a house. One of the paramount reasons why we settled in Satellite Village was because of the "Blue Ribbon" schools here. First of all, every school we've driven by touts itself as a Blue Ribbon school, so I don't know how prestigious this moniker is. But supposedly our Unified School District ("USD") is in some top percentage in the state, not sure what but all the realtors would spout off some figure which I can't seem to substantiate. Maybe the USD is just average and I got duped. Coming from NY and believing up until a couple of years ago that I would be spending the next 20 years applying to private schools and filling out multiple applications for preschool/kindergarten/elementary/middle/high school, I was somewhat relieved about a good reputable public school. After all, I was a product of the public school system and I think for the most part I turned out okay.
Satellite Village's USD seemed relatively benign. Nothing to really complain about, yet nothing to really extoll to my friend's back home in NY who had kids. For what it's worth, it's probably a good USD considering the parental brain power here to start. So the first September we were here I enrolled Little Man in the local preschool, which is located on the grounds of our designated elementary school. Maybe I was being naive, or just lazy because this was public school. I admit I didn't do my due diligence about the preschool, but it seemed like a relatively nice school. Granted, it's no Kidville (where Little Man took early childhood classes while in NY) or the Ethical Culture School (where I was going to apply for Little Man if we stayed in NY), but it seemed adequate.
The preschool, like I stated earlier, is located on the same grounds as the elementary school. It touts itself as a touchy feely school where they allow kids to develop at their own pace in a "nurturing" environment, similar to a Montessori but not quite. Art plays a big part in the curriculum, which is somewhat useless for my Little Man since he's not an artsy fartsy type of child. But he enjoys a random project every once in a while. So to make up for the lack of academic rigor I had enrolled Little Man in Kumon classes when he was three and a half. He was reading and doing math before he was four. Though we stopped Kumon after a year (Big Man thought it would burn the Little Man out before he went to kindergarten), I continued to give him homework at home so he would be challenged and ahead of the state's minimum academic requirements. Like I stated earlier, I have big plans for my Little Man. And those plans don't include some UC Blah Blah Blah I've never heard of, or any state school. God forbid he goes to a junior/community/vocational school. He's smart enough to get into a private 4 year institution in the New England area.
Back to the preschool. The teachers in his classroom are wonderful. I will have to admit that they are kind well meaning women who really care about the kids. And I like them as people, they are just nice women. But the Director of the school...ugh...talk about a bad copy of a Passive Aggressive Stereotype. First of all, this woman comes across as a fake person. She always has a plastic smile slapped on her face and she never comes out and just says something to you. It's always in a form of a question. How are you today? Did you remember to bring snack today? Is Little Man signed up for Early Care? Did you park in the fire zone? All these questions when she's either watching me carry snack into the class, policing the Early Care room, or standing by the fire zone watching us all park to drop our kids off. If you know the answers, than just come out and tell me not to park there. I'm a big girl, I can take a directive. What I don't appreciate is this passive aggressive nonsense you like to spout off. I don't know how long she's been here as a Director of the preschool, but some other people have told me that she used to be really fat and lost a lot a weight. Ummm, what do I care? And what difference does that make? Bully for her, but that doesn't mean she's a better person. Oh, and that she goes to some local church every week. Yeah, well there are a lot of evil people who believe in God and go to Church. Being a practicing Christian doesn't automatically make you a better person. Seriously, are people here so small minded that going to church and getting gastric bypass is a free pass for bad behavior? Anyway, she's just a bad pill for me to swallow twice a day when I pick and drop off Little Man at school.
Because I wanted continuity for Little Man, I had to suck it up and deal with this farce of a human being for two years. Otherwise I would have just switched preschools to another place that treated me as an adult instead of a mentally challenged two year old that needs constant nagging for the simplest of tasks. I swear, this woman makes me rue each check I have to write out every month for preschool. That I'm supporting her and paying for the food that goes into her already distended belly just makes me resentful for all the nasty comments to me and the mis-identification I had to deal with for the first six months. Oh, I forgot to mention that she didn't know who I was for the first six months we attended this preschool. She kept thinking I was another mom, and would approach me and talk to me for a few minutes before I noticed her glazed expression showed confusion over my face. And she would also tell other moms I was someone else. They would correct her, and she would question them over the veracity of my identity. Basically, she is clueless and could do no right in my mind.
Every day at school I have to navigate fake pleasantries with her, when all I want to do is her to bug off and leave me alone so I can have a somewhat pleasant day without her mug in my face. It's bad enough I'm cutting you a check for several hundred a month, at least give me the courtesy of leaving me alone. I don't need to feel pandered to by you giving me a fake greeting every morning. Ugh, it's all I can do to just be civil to her. If there is one thing I can't stand is being fake. I won't be fake to you, either I like you or I don't like you (or I'm indifferent, which just means I'll ignore you since I have no feeling toward you at all). All I know is that when Little Miss starts preschool we will be going to another school. Though I love the teachers, I can't stand having to deal with this passive aggressive director twice a day. So I'd much rather find another school (preferably a Montessori) and send her there. I'll be sad to say goodbye to the teachers here, but I can't wait to never see this hag of a director again. I just hope I don't run into her anywhere in Satellite Village. I'm also counting down to June when Little Man is done with this place too. Than I'll never have to deal with this idiot again.
Satellite Village's USD seemed relatively benign. Nothing to really complain about, yet nothing to really extoll to my friend's back home in NY who had kids. For what it's worth, it's probably a good USD considering the parental brain power here to start. So the first September we were here I enrolled Little Man in the local preschool, which is located on the grounds of our designated elementary school. Maybe I was being naive, or just lazy because this was public school. I admit I didn't do my due diligence about the preschool, but it seemed like a relatively nice school. Granted, it's no Kidville (where Little Man took early childhood classes while in NY) or the Ethical Culture School (where I was going to apply for Little Man if we stayed in NY), but it seemed adequate.
The preschool, like I stated earlier, is located on the same grounds as the elementary school. It touts itself as a touchy feely school where they allow kids to develop at their own pace in a "nurturing" environment, similar to a Montessori but not quite. Art plays a big part in the curriculum, which is somewhat useless for my Little Man since he's not an artsy fartsy type of child. But he enjoys a random project every once in a while. So to make up for the lack of academic rigor I had enrolled Little Man in Kumon classes when he was three and a half. He was reading and doing math before he was four. Though we stopped Kumon after a year (Big Man thought it would burn the Little Man out before he went to kindergarten), I continued to give him homework at home so he would be challenged and ahead of the state's minimum academic requirements. Like I stated earlier, I have big plans for my Little Man. And those plans don't include some UC Blah Blah Blah I've never heard of, or any state school. God forbid he goes to a junior/community/vocational school. He's smart enough to get into a private 4 year institution in the New England area.
Back to the preschool. The teachers in his classroom are wonderful. I will have to admit that they are kind well meaning women who really care about the kids. And I like them as people, they are just nice women. But the Director of the school...ugh...talk about a bad copy of a Passive Aggressive Stereotype. First of all, this woman comes across as a fake person. She always has a plastic smile slapped on her face and she never comes out and just says something to you. It's always in a form of a question. How are you today? Did you remember to bring snack today? Is Little Man signed up for Early Care? Did you park in the fire zone? All these questions when she's either watching me carry snack into the class, policing the Early Care room, or standing by the fire zone watching us all park to drop our kids off. If you know the answers, than just come out and tell me not to park there. I'm a big girl, I can take a directive. What I don't appreciate is this passive aggressive nonsense you like to spout off. I don't know how long she's been here as a Director of the preschool, but some other people have told me that she used to be really fat and lost a lot a weight. Ummm, what do I care? And what difference does that make? Bully for her, but that doesn't mean she's a better person. Oh, and that she goes to some local church every week. Yeah, well there are a lot of evil people who believe in God and go to Church. Being a practicing Christian doesn't automatically make you a better person. Seriously, are people here so small minded that going to church and getting gastric bypass is a free pass for bad behavior? Anyway, she's just a bad pill for me to swallow twice a day when I pick and drop off Little Man at school.
Because I wanted continuity for Little Man, I had to suck it up and deal with this farce of a human being for two years. Otherwise I would have just switched preschools to another place that treated me as an adult instead of a mentally challenged two year old that needs constant nagging for the simplest of tasks. I swear, this woman makes me rue each check I have to write out every month for preschool. That I'm supporting her and paying for the food that goes into her already distended belly just makes me resentful for all the nasty comments to me and the mis-identification I had to deal with for the first six months. Oh, I forgot to mention that she didn't know who I was for the first six months we attended this preschool. She kept thinking I was another mom, and would approach me and talk to me for a few minutes before I noticed her glazed expression showed confusion over my face. And she would also tell other moms I was someone else. They would correct her, and she would question them over the veracity of my identity. Basically, she is clueless and could do no right in my mind.
Every day at school I have to navigate fake pleasantries with her, when all I want to do is her to bug off and leave me alone so I can have a somewhat pleasant day without her mug in my face. It's bad enough I'm cutting you a check for several hundred a month, at least give me the courtesy of leaving me alone. I don't need to feel pandered to by you giving me a fake greeting every morning. Ugh, it's all I can do to just be civil to her. If there is one thing I can't stand is being fake. I won't be fake to you, either I like you or I don't like you (or I'm indifferent, which just means I'll ignore you since I have no feeling toward you at all). All I know is that when Little Miss starts preschool we will be going to another school. Though I love the teachers, I can't stand having to deal with this passive aggressive director twice a day. So I'd much rather find another school (preferably a Montessori) and send her there. I'll be sad to say goodbye to the teachers here, but I can't wait to never see this hag of a director again. I just hope I don't run into her anywhere in Satellite Village. I'm also counting down to June when Little Man is done with this place too. Than I'll never have to deal with this idiot again.
Monday, March 12, 2012
My Daily Morning Surprise - Dog Poop in a Bag
I have a neighbor who I HATE. Granted, I only know two of my many neighbors (who both just happen to be on either side of our house), and only one I have actually spoken to. It's the one I have never spoken to that I hate. First of all, I know hate is a strong word. And in the beginning I was a little miffed at this family. First of all, they only talk to and acknowledge Big Man. But whenever they see me they will literally look right through me and ignore me. Just the other day they had a bunch of gardeners out redoing their front lawn and the gardeners smiled and said hello to me, which I happily reciprocated. At the time of this happy greeting/exchange, the Fat Ass Matron Neighbor was standing literally 5 feet from me and pretended I wasn't even there. Your freaking gardener was saying hello to me and yet I'm not even worth acknowledging. But that same evening as Big Man came home from work, she had a whole conversation with him about her gardening plans and blah blah blah. She's a bitch, plain and simple. Plus she had the nerve to tell our gardener not to park in front of her house. He has been working at our house for the past 16+ years and had always parked there since it was easier for him to roll out the equipment. But as soon as she moved her Fat Ass in some pseudo faded mom jeans next door, suddenly the street in front of her house is private property. She even had the nerve to tell our Pool Guy to park somewhere else. Thanks a lot bitch, yet you have your loser friends park in front of our house 4 days out of the week. Sometimes I'm tempted to spray those cars with shaving cream, but I don't because Big Man would have a conniption if I ever did do anything like that.
She's like George Jefferson in that she used to live in a crappier house and they moved into this house last year, so suddenly she's moving on up to a deluxe house in Satellite Village. I did my reconnaissance on her, and they literally lived a couple of miles away and decided to upgrade their dwelling last year. My Columbia MBA isn't going to waste here, I'll use whatever I have to find information on my enemies and entertain me at the same time. So these people have a grandiose idea that they are just better than everyone else. So good in fact, they don't even have to carry their own dog poop.
So for a few mornings when I went out to drive Little Man to school, I noticed these little black bags of dog poop on our front lawn. It bothered me since I suspected it was Fat Ass, but I didn't have any proof. Than one morning as I was getting Little Miss out of bed and opening her shades, I see Fat Ass and her dog walking in front of our house. First of all, is there a leash law in CA? Because her dumass dog was without a leash. And he was running all over our lawn and our other neighbor's lawn. Than he decided to squat down and take a shit. This is the same lawn that Little Man and his friends would roll down for kicks. That just grossed me out and you can bet I put a stop to rolling of any kind on the front lawn. So Fat Ass's dog takes a shit, she bags it and than TOSSES it back on the lawn. She did this again when the dog took another shit at the next house down. I'm standing there flabbergasted and totally disgusted. You're too good to carry your dog's shit? So you just leave it there? Is there a law against that? What about some HOA rule? I don't care if you come back after your walk (which isn't working since that ass is as fat as it was a year ago) and pick it up. That is just disgusting and oh so lazy!! Seriously, you can't even carry it with you? You just leave bags of dog shit on everyone's front lawn like a trail of breadcrumbs? Are you so stupid you don't know how to find your way home? I swear, this just made me HATE her. I'm debating if I should take some pictures or video and submit them to the HOA. But I would have to take them from another angle, otherwise Fat Ass would know it was our house. But I'll bide my time. If anything, my time here makes me think of ways to exact revenge and my pound of flesh.
She's like George Jefferson in that she used to live in a crappier house and they moved into this house last year, so suddenly she's moving on up to a deluxe house in Satellite Village. I did my reconnaissance on her, and they literally lived a couple of miles away and decided to upgrade their dwelling last year. My Columbia MBA isn't going to waste here, I'll use whatever I have to find information on my enemies and entertain me at the same time. So these people have a grandiose idea that they are just better than everyone else. So good in fact, they don't even have to carry their own dog poop.
So for a few mornings when I went out to drive Little Man to school, I noticed these little black bags of dog poop on our front lawn. It bothered me since I suspected it was Fat Ass, but I didn't have any proof. Than one morning as I was getting Little Miss out of bed and opening her shades, I see Fat Ass and her dog walking in front of our house. First of all, is there a leash law in CA? Because her dumass dog was without a leash. And he was running all over our lawn and our other neighbor's lawn. Than he decided to squat down and take a shit. This is the same lawn that Little Man and his friends would roll down for kicks. That just grossed me out and you can bet I put a stop to rolling of any kind on the front lawn. So Fat Ass's dog takes a shit, she bags it and than TOSSES it back on the lawn. She did this again when the dog took another shit at the next house down. I'm standing there flabbergasted and totally disgusted. You're too good to carry your dog's shit? So you just leave it there? Is there a law against that? What about some HOA rule? I don't care if you come back after your walk (which isn't working since that ass is as fat as it was a year ago) and pick it up. That is just disgusting and oh so lazy!! Seriously, you can't even carry it with you? You just leave bags of dog shit on everyone's front lawn like a trail of breadcrumbs? Are you so stupid you don't know how to find your way home? I swear, this just made me HATE her. I'm debating if I should take some pictures or video and submit them to the HOA. But I would have to take them from another angle, otherwise Fat Ass would know it was our house. But I'll bide my time. If anything, my time here makes me think of ways to exact revenge and my pound of flesh.
The Lazy Lazy Chef
In NY eating out, or at home, was a virtual smorgasbord of ethnicities and cuisines. If you went out to eat, you can have anything you desired. From super dirt cheap Chinese, Michelin star restaurants serving the gamut from exotic meats to foie gras to super stinky cheese (yum), to real farm/rooftop to table establishments. I remember organizing a dinner in business school at an Ethiopian restaurant, an ETHIOPIAN restaurant, simply because it was close and I was craving lentils and injera. Turns out the place closed because of some money laundering issues, but that's besides the point. The point is the variety of food was tremendous and gut busting. Plus, when compared to the cost of buying and preparing your own meal, eating out was sometimes cheaper for a couple. So for most of my life in NY, prior to having kids, we were a restaurant or delivery type of couple. Sure, every once in a while I'll break out the Mauviel and cook a meal. But it was usually cheaper and quicker to order in. I even had a binder filled with a pretty large variety of restaurants who would deliver to our building. It was broken out by cuisine and in alphabetical order (OCD thank you very much). That binder was our Holy Grail at 6 pm - and we would agonize over cuisine and restaurant whenever we wanted to order in. Than I had Little Man and started becoming a weekly (sometimes twice weekly!) Fresh Direct customer. You could order anything in NY. Groceries - check! McDonald's - check! Diapers - check! Prescriptions - check! Everyone offered delivery, and if they didn't, messengers were still around to pick up and deliver for a heftier fee. I basically never left the apartment for real household errands. I left for museums, for Kidville classes, lunch with my old co-workers downtown on Water Street or Union Square (depending on the time of the month - the end of the month was always busier since deals were closing), or shopping. Oh how I miss shopping, the sample sales and the beautiful windows at Bergdorf. But that's a whole other story.
So when we moved out to Satellite Village and I realized my dining options were chain restaurants or fast food joints, I realized something had to change. That something was me. Delivery is a joke here. The only thing you can get is pizza, pizza, or pizza. I think there are a couple of Chinese places that deliver but their food seems kind of sketchy. I used to always get the fried chicken wings in NY, but they were no where to be found out here. And what is this Egg Foo Young? I thought that was an urban legend, I've never seen that on a menu before. But it's here and there are about 6-10 different varieties of it. As a result I've had to start cooking. And with kids I can't really cook what I like and miss. So I went out and bought a crock pot.
To tell you the truth, I have never touched one before. Growing up my mom never wanted to get one since she was convinced it would burn the house down since you were leaving an electrical appliance on ALL DAY LONG cooking food. But I decided to get one and try it out. Can I just tell you that I LOVE this thing. You can pick one up super cheap and it is a dream! I just plop in whatever I can think of, turn it on and walk away. Granted certain things take a lot longer to cook, but it's easy and it's only one pot to clean up in the end! Oh Crock Pot, where have you been my entire life? Why have I fought you for so long, when you are nothing but a godsend to me! Can you ever forgive me for doubting your prowess? Than I discovered that there are blogs about crock pot cooking. People even try to use it 365 days out of the year! How insane, yet totally ingenious is that? So tomorrow night I'm going to try to crock pot some short ribs. There's some pseudo Korean recipe I found which I'm going to try. I know it's pseudo since the sauce is made with onions and sugar and tamari. But I'm going to try to authenticate it by adding garlic and chili flakes and scallions. But regardless of the ingredients, I know it's going to be a lazy cooking day for me tomorrow.
The crock pot has made me a lazy chef, always searching for a recipe I could slap in the crock pot and walk away. But the flip side is the extra time allows me to try to recreate the foods I miss most about NY. Like the gougères from Churrascaria Plataforma, the rainbow cookies, black and whites and florentines from all those bakeries and delis dotting the city, macarons from Bouchon Bakery, bagels from H&H (so sad the one on the UWS closed) and anything else I can remember eating and missing. I'm still hoping to find an Ethiopian restaurant out here but I am not holding my breath. I don't know when I will ever get a chance to have injera again. But maybe one day I'll try to recreate the lentil stew (Misr Wot) in my beloved crock pot.
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