I'm going to pinch you, Mom!

My mom.  I LOVE my mom.

My mom raised us to be HARD workers.  Left with 3 daughters and sporadic, if NO, child support [dad was a deadbeat (true, but we're over it now), mom did not fight it in courts like she should have and had his wages garnered so his kids would NOT have to be in the projects while he and his "new" family - his words back then, not mine -  were in a house with a pool.  But I digress.], mom taught us nothing is free. Nothing is owed to you. You EARN it.

She hated food stamps.  Back then, it was actual paper stamps in a book, not these debit cards moms get today.  When you handed those coupons to cashiers back then, you would get looks of disgust.  I kid you not.  The looks my mom would get.  We needed those food stamps.  Four women and one of them making $15k a year before  taxes.  We needed those stamps.  Mom eventually refused them.  She was tired of the embarrassment   What did she do? She took on a second job.  We took on fast food jobs to have money for ourselves.  I smelled like a Whopper for most of my high school evenings.  Burger King gave me a job and a scholarship.  Love them.

I sit in Walmart now, watching a woman in high heels, jeans, full makeup, nails done to the nines, Coach purse, handing the cashier her WIC Debit card and I do not get it.  What the hell?  Sell that purse and buy some respect.  See, no one cares anymore.  No one cares if you "get over" on the system. That's sad.  Mom taught us if you want something, you EARN IT.  No one owes you $%^+.

This is one of David and my favorite skits, by the way.




I'm digressing again, back to mom.  She raised 3 very different girls.  Very different, but we share the same work ethic.

When Mother's Day comes around though, SHE KILLS ME!!  She sends me a card, with money in it!  A check or money order for $50 or $75 will show up in the mail every year.  And I want to PINCH HER.  STOP buying me a Mother's Day gift, I tell her.  You're OUR mom, we do stuff for you!

She sends the card and then I'm all "Dang!  Now I have to make sure I buy her stuff equivalent to this!" I laugh.  We're just exchanging money for goods.  She is one tough cookie to shop for, especially since she lives on an island and I can't see what she needs for her home, what size she's wearing, what article of clothing she's needing.  I scour the stores and end up buying her something, hoping it'll work for her.  Some times, the shoes won't fit, the pants won't fit, etc. etc.  UGH. Pinching her the next time I see her.

I love my mom.  Happy Mother's Day, Mami.  Te amo muchisimo.

That Patch Blanket

I have not taken a picture of our patch blanket since 2007.

Here it is then.

And here it is now.

Crazy, huh?  We've had this since Jake was a Tiger in 2000.  I love seeing the progression of his scouting and then just the progression of places we've been to.  The last ones on here are from a video game from 2012 and Busch Gardens Tampa from 2012.  We have not had any for 2013.  I need to remember to get them when we go places. 

The Sexiest Thing Ever

Watch until the end.  You'll see why.

The Tiffany Aching Adventures (A Disc World series)

I started reading Terry Pratchett because he wrote a book with one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman.  Together they wrote "Good Omens" which was just hysterical, witty, clever, smart.  Everything you'd expect from Gaiman.  About a week after finishing, I read a review over on Epbot for Pratchett's "The Wee Free Men" and thought I'd check it out.

What a fun book it was!  I didn't know the series was set in an already-established universe called Discworld.  Pratchett's been writing Discworld books since 1983, but you don't need to read those to get into the Tiffany Aching stories, about a young girl who is a witch-in training and her protectors, the Nac Mac Feegles or the Wee Free Men, little blue fairy folk with a love of fighting, cursing, fighting, stealing and fighting.  They also like to fight.

Full of funny Scottish-sounding talk, sheep, ointments, and thieving Queens, this book was an incredibly fun Young Adult read.

"A Hat Full of Sky" was the second book and I was charmed by it. It's not often I can say that I found a second book actually better than the first.  Tiffany's growing up a bit and learning that witchcraft really isn't about magik with a "k" (the hocus pocus, boiling cauldron, bells & whistles type) but about how you deal with others less fortunate.  How you attend to their needs and their wants, even if they never thank you.  How you respect them even if they're poor and ignorant.  It was wonderful fun, with a moving message.

In "Wintersmith," an almost 13-year old Tiffany accidentally garners the affections of "Winter" himself, and has to deal with inept witches, cranky witches and clumsy wooing attempts by two different suitors.  Oh, and the Nac Mac Feegle are around, helping take care of Tiffany and adopting her Lancre Blue cheese named Horace.  (I pretty much busted out laughing at the living cheese wearing tartan.)

Now the fourth book, "I Shall Wear Midnight" I have not read yet, and Jen over at Epbot was not happy with it.  At all.  I have about 15 books in a pile I still need to read, but when I get around to it, I'll get the 4th book and hope it's every bit as good as Pratchett's first 3.  *crossing fingers*

Back at Universal Studios

I am extremely happy to say that after two years without our passes, almost to the day (April 2011), we are official annual pass holders once again and I could not be more excited.

David tries to go as fast as humanly possible.
Notice that I am not on the ride.

We've only had them for 2 weekends right now, and with Jacob working weekends, we have to get there early to have fun before having to leave by 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. to get home in time for him to go to work, exhausted beyond belief.

We've only done bits and pieces of both parks on those 2 days, but once summer break is here for both kids, Jacob can go whenever he wants during the week when he does not work, and I am planning to take a day off here and there to take Isabel. Plus, She and I can go on weekends without Jake too.  Summers are horrendous at the parks, but I don't mind.  David hates the summers there so he'll probably pass most of our visits until the fall, when it's gorgeous and less crowded.

We're just happy to be back, and happier that Isabel is officially tall enough to ride every single ride.

In the Single-Rider line for her second Hulk ride.