XiaolinMama

MOMocrats - Barack Obama answered OUR questions!

There are times in your life when you KNOW unequivocably that you are part of something amazing -something that will change the course of your life, something that will change your world.  As of late for me that amazing experience has been being part of the illustrious women of the MOMocrats.   We are a group of 22 women who are committed to getting a Democrat in the White House in 2008. 

Politics has always intrigued me.  I've volunteered for phone banks, done precinct walks, gone door to door for candidates and have helped create outreach strategies on the local level, but I have never ever been part of such a powerful group of do-ers.  You know the type of women, who just make things happen.  The kind of women who squeeze keeping candidates honest in between carpool, before/after work, ballet class, in between client meetings, making dinner and baseball games.  These women are serious. Together we know a lot about the issues and together we have pieced together a network that would astound most.

I admit, there are moments that I feel I don't have anything brilliant to add to the conversation.  I soak it all in, learning as much as I can from my new friends and mentors about foreign policy, the war in Iraq and alleged power mongers. They have given me the gift of a real political education - one where we teach each other the value of our individual opinions, can agree to disagree and we leverage our "Big girl voices" to make our opinions known.  I am more confident and even more clear, that any democratic candidate has got to work for my vote. I am voting for the one who will assure me that that he/she has some real solutions and will be sincere in making the table bigger.

This past week has been a whirlwind. Last month, we collected the questions from Momocrat readers and contributors that we wished ABC would have asked at the debate.  We sent them to the Obama campaign and voila Barack responded to five of our questions!  Yes, BARACK OBAMA responded directly to our questions - and they were not, "What is your favorite ice cream flavor or Please give us your best parenting tip."  They were real policy questions about real issues - the ones we wished our country were focused on.  Go to the Momocrats site to check it all out. You'll be impressed, I assure you!  Read his answers, ask more questions. Be part of a movement of mothers/parents who are asking our candidates (and all us) to DO more and BE more.   

Maria Shriver

At a private screening with the brilliant Maria Shriver. Wow! Greatest gift to kids- let them know they are perfect the way they are. Her books written to create dialogue.

Coupa Palo Alto

Mamas Night Out - SVMB style

What do four Silicon Valley Mom Blog Contributors talk about when they get together live and in person?  Blogging, of course!  Oh that and new businesses, loving sports, our children, our husbands, our single days, purse obsessions and dreams/nightmares of vacations at Disneyland and Hawaii.  Whether we should Twitter too? and how we manage to keep it together - or not!   

Tonight Janet (Go GO Mama), Robyn (Who's the Boss) and Nicole (Not Just a Working Mom) and I had the rare chance to meet up in San Jose's Santana Row. We met at Roux and were introduced to a new drink - Champange in a Can.  Yes, I know I don't get out often and am certainly not that cool - but what has this world come to??  At $10.00 a can, I was sure that Cristal was not worried about the competition.

We also had a great Greek meal and oohed and aahed over the flaming cheese. Lighting anything up with a shot of brandy and then dousing it with lemon-even a hunk of greek cheese- is always a good idea. And it sure was!   Letting our hair down, shopping without kids asking "Is it time to go home yet?" and breaking bread with melted flaming cheese and hummus with girl friends was well worth missing Grey's Anatomy!

Annuale

As I am feelin' a bit hormonal today, this video seemed apropos!   Courtesy of my pals at Daily Take and SNL.  Tina Fey is hilarious!

Today you are FIVE!

Dear Kiley Cat-

Today you are five!  I started this blog almost a year ago as a selfish indulgence - a way to process my daily life and all that fills its 24 hours.  But I have quickly learned that this blog is really my way of processsing and chronicling OUR lives.   The days where you and your brother fight like cats and dogs.  The days when you are too cute for words and the evenings where you crawl into my bed and try to convince me that if I let you in for just a minute in my bed, then you will be able to last all night by yourself.   

This is your last year in pre-school.  I am exhilarated in you finally joining your brother at the same school, but am devastated to think that MY baby is growing up.  I spent a lot of this year hugging and kissing you obnoxiously because I want to remember you like this forever. 

You are precocious and brilliant - nothing gets by you!  You are spunky and your expressions tell us exactly what you are thinking. Sometimes you are tattle tale on your big brother.  With your hands on your hips and head tilted to the side, YOU like to tell HIM what to do.  I know I shouldn't, but it makes me laugh. It makes me proud to know that MY girl is a strong one.  MY girl - you-will ALWAYS tell people what you think. 

You dance everywhere you go. You sing Alicia Keyes at the top of your lungs and you live in pink and anything sparkly.  One day you will wonder why I dressed you that way. My response will be - yes, I chose most of those clothes - but those combinations were ALL you!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl,
Momma

Week 4: Operation Bathing Suit Ready

This week has been a bear with deadlines for work, but somehow I have been able to squeeze in three workouts - a session with Danielle (my trainer), a step class I haven't been to in 6 months and a spin class.  While I am proud of myself for adding an extra workout, I am freakin SORE!  There was a reason that I ditched that class - oh how quickly I forget.  Ugh!

I still need to work on eating - though I switched  from my usual full fat hazelnut latte to a skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks earlier this week - that has got to count for something.

But on the bright side, I bought my first bathing suit of the summer - a simple black one piece by Speedo.  I picked it up at Costco and low and behold it fit.  It's not a cute bikini quite yet, but it will do for laps in the pool and should hold up well with over chlorinated water at the YMCA. 

Most exciting thus far, I can feel muscles beginning to form when I do situps.   By golly, I do have a six pack - it's just hidden underneath a couple of inches post baby fat!  There is hope yet. 

Educating kids in the real world

From the day my kids entered day care, like many parents, I have pined over every school decision.   Is this the right pre-school? Parent participation, bilingual or back to basics; it was so overwhelming.  It still is - but we've luckily found a school we love and my preschooler just got into the same school - whew.  But now that they are "settled", I am ready to throw out all that research to the wind. 

I've caught myself wondering how they will learn about the world, different cultures and different ways of adapting to the world around them.  I admit I really want to hit the open road and show the kids the world.  I think education has to be more than memorizing formulas and reading, but being able to experience it - so what is a full time working momma to do?  Short vacations just don't cut it.  Maybe we could join the Hannah Montana World Tour?  Uh - no!

So here is my newest, most brilliant idea ever - take the kids to live in another country for a year!  My husband is not completely sold on it yet, but we have 4 years to make it happen.  My son will be graduating 8th grade and my daughter in 4th grade.  Hey, I can teach her about California missions in China or Guatemala or any other country that is crazy enough to hire me to teach english, right?   

Anyone have experience with this?  Would love thoughts on how to make this a reality.  Better yet, anyone want to come with?  We can rent out our houses, get international job transfers, pack a bag and board a plane - this will be better than any text book, I assure you!

Originally  posted to SV Moms Blog.

Basketball reflections

March Madness is always the best and worst time of the year for our household. In the course of one month, we, I  am super high with the prospect that my team the BRUINS are going to win it all and then without fail, my hopes are dashed with a loss:(  We threw a little get together this weekend with some die hard fans with the hopes that we would all celebrate together or at least console our losses together.   Beer and alot of onion dip helps.

I was thinking this evening about how much of my life has revolved around the NCAA Basketball Tournament: One year I found out I was pregnant minutes after the final game in 1999. (that year UConn won and our life changed) Another year I remember watching a play-off game in Oakland with my son's soccer coach and thought "wow, someone who loves the team as much as us and wow, how is it that I have a 7 year old?"  Most recently, we watched the game with neighbors, 3 men who were my children's coaches (baseball, soccer and basketball) friends from church and family.  The 10 or so kids played in the backyard or throughout the house - tea parties, video games and soccer matches all at once.  It was a full house; like my full life.  It was great and UCLA basketball was an excuse to force some of my worlds to collide.

Oh UCLA Bruins!  How you let me down. Oh UCLA Bruins, how I had plans for the money I was confident that I would win. I suppose my new sunglasses will have to wait a little while....  Oh Bruins, having our fight song as my ring tone, seems a little silly in retrospect.  Oh Bruins, how I love you and will do it all again next year.  Only 335 more days till next year!

Hey Kansas Jayhawk fans - that was a well deserved win! The 3 pointer at the end was phenomenal!  Check out Laptop Television Mom's Post Game recap - now she is almost as obsessed as I am - another reason to love blogging!!  Where else would another mama like me:) ?

Silly dinner fun!

Sometimes dinner out is a HORRIBLE idea. Tonight was pure comedy.

The girl sang an Alicia Keys song at the top of her voice. The boy taught us the finer points of burping. Some random woman asked us to sign a petition while we ate - uh no! And I learned I could blog and walk at the same time.