My family is NUTS...

My family is NUTS! All of them. I am the only sane person that lives in this house. The craziness started two weeks ago around March 15 and has continued. It is MARCH mind you and the yahoos are swimming in the pool. This is a first. Typically they start in the pool the end of April beginning of May. This year March. It appears that each year they try earlier.

No wetsuits- no brains. Global Warming? Nah...warmer hot tub... That's the ticket. It is a "blustery" day as Tobbers said...and I am sitting outside watching them swim as I wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt. They run from the hot tub to the pool and back. Ah to live in California.

We are DTC! Tsing Tao's for Everyone!

Well we received an email from CCAI today (our new old agency) and here is what is said...
CONGRATULATIONS,
Here’s the news you’ve long been waiting for—your dossier was sent to China today (3/26/2009)!

Yes that is the news I have been waiting for....

Tsing Tao's for everyone....

Living with a Foodie does have its challenges...

Okay, so once again I am confronted face to face with my "I'm white trash mom" (WTM) guilt. So my Canoley is a budding foodie. She comes by it honestly with a home of food lovers and two parents that have a passion for all things food related. Where many kids her age would choose to watch Disney TV, my girl's favorite TV to watch is the cooking channel and her personal favorites are Ace of Cakes and Paula Deen.
So tonight after Kumon, I found myself too darn tired to be creative enough to think of something to fix for dinner. Mr T was in the San Francisco again and would not be home till late so I knew I could take advantage of his departure and just be lazy. In an attempt to make myself feel not so guilty about being a lazy WTM, I came up with what I thought was a great idea.
Last night we had Sloppy Joes (I was lazy last night too). The kids love them, I always have the ingredients on hand and I can whip them up in 10 minutes. Since I had some leftover, I came up with my brain storm on the way home..."Sloppy Eddie" Joes Cousin... Sloppy Sauce over Spaghetti. Brilliant or so I thought.
One the way home, I excitingly tell the kids about the great dinner we will be having when we get home. Tobbers and MeiMei were stoked about it. Canoley sat quite.

So we sat down for dinner and I proudly presented my Sloppy Eddie when my budding foodie asked
"Mom are you really going to serve us spaghetti with Ketchup and mustard on top?"
Me.." No, I am serving you Sloppy Eddie ... you know sloppy sauce on spaghetti"
Noley "Mom, I know how you made this sauce and you used Ketchup and Mustard and that is really bad that you cannot even use a real pasta sauce" Ketchup and Mustard is made for hot dogs NOT spaghetti"
Me "but there is meat in it"
Noley " and brown sugar" ...
Me "So I take it you are not going to try it?"
Noley "I will. But I will not tell anyone that my Mom serves us noodles with Ketchup on top"

tick tick tick...Ok its been 1 week now...

And I have not heard ANYTHING yet. Don't people know I am not a patient or tolerant person UNLESS I am getting PAID. If you are paying me, I will tolerate A LOT but when time is on my dime.... I am ANTSY, IMPATIENT AND IRRATIONAL...that and NEVER have a passport photo taken at Walgreen's. NEVER unless you are interested in looking like a strung out on meth or a poster child for Americans most wanted. Good Lord those are the nastiest photos in the world. If we get denied by China, I am sure it will be because of those photos!

We sent off the last of our dossier documents to our now new old agency. Our old now closed door agency sent us the original Chinese approval documents so I take that as a sign that they are done with us and we have...

Oh yeah, guess I did not fully explain. This past January after 8 months of paper chasing for Hoo Haa we were ready to send off our dossier to China to get logged in. While as fate would have it our agency Heritage Adoptions in Portland Oregon, informed us or more like failed to inform us as we heard through the Internet chat forum that they were closing their china program. Huh? What the? So what I thought was an Internet rumor was true and that we were being sold to...I mean handed off to another agency I had never heard of, nor had anyone else, somewhere back east. The whole thing did not sit well with me and made me want to barf on my shoes (slight weight loss opportunity I had thought for the moment) so I decided to take things into my own hands.

Everyone in adoption world told me there was nothing we could do and that when an agency closes families have to switch to the new agency with no recourse except to cancel the adoption and start all over. Well every ones advice fell on deaf ears as I would not be "sold" to another agency. If I am going to sell myself I at least want some say in the process.

So I wrote a letter to the head of our old adoption agency and the director of the waiting child program and explained what was happening to us and asked if there was anyway they could help us. I sent the letter over the three day weekend and did not expect to hear anything for several days. After all they are one of the largest adoption agencies for China and are quite busy.

Within 24 hours, I had a personal email from the head of the agency saying they would help us and take us on as clients again and bring HooHaa home. We have spent the past two months getting last minute transfer details ironed out. We sent them the last of our updated paperwork last week and are waiting to hear that our complete dossier has been delivered to the CCAA in China.

So here I wait not so patiently. The stitch in agencies will add 2 - 3 more months on our timeline but knowing that we are with the best of the best of agencies is quite reassuring. With them we know what to expect and no there will be NO hidden costs. Everything is explained upfront and traveling with them is like being on a five star trip. They are awesome. Traveling with the old agency scared the **** out of me since there were so many unknowns.

I'm hoping to hear something this week that will tell us that our package (bad photos and all) will be on their way to China.

A Past Glimpse at Set A

So today and I am sending off what I hope to be the last bit of dossier information to our adoption agency. Let's hope this is IT! and that we (our paperwork dossier)will be off to China next week. It has been too many months of paperwork He** and I am TIRED!

So I was asked to send four more "life photos" of Mr T and I and that is NO easy task. First off, I am the one always taking the photos so there are NO photos of me to be found. Second if there is a photo in which we are both present, Mr T or myself are wearing sunglasses which are a NO NO for these photos Urggg. Third, if by chance I have found a photo with both of us in it without sunglasses it will show us drinking COCKTAILS! Arrrrrghhhhh. So we are talking slim pickings here....very bad bad photos but hey I am desperate at this point so aside from buying photoshop and creating my own....China bad photos here they come! Side note, not that we will adopt again, after HooHaa...but friends and family if you are reading please take note...and take a photo of Mr T and I so that in the event that we fall off the face of the planet the yahoos will have a DECENT photo to remember us by!

In my 1o plus years of photos Ive just finished going thorough, I came across this adorable photo of Tomato Set A - KC and Linjit. Awe, you two look so darn CUTE!

Happy St Paddy's Day... A little bit O'Green to Y'all

Yes, so what tops, square root day, Pie day and Pi day?....well that would be St Paddy's Day. I still have fond memories of my first St Paddy's day parade in San Francisco as a little kid...in fact it might be the only St Patricks day parade I ever went to but it is still stuck in my mind. Green glitter hat and all.

Well, I have created green junkies. What does that mean you ask? Well it started back in the days of me bringing green bagels to work and sharing them with green cream cheese with those I worked when in my 20's. Now the Green bagels are gone but the Green still exists. The yahoos insist on eating all things Green on St Paddy's day. Yes, even tobbers the official NON eater of all things Green. He makes a special exception for this day.

So for breakfast we had, bagels with green cream cheese, green yogurt, green grapes, and green milk. For lunch green peanut butter sandwiches, green jello, semi green bananas and we will wrap up tonight with green(pesto) pizza and green mashed potatoes- hey not much for Irish food, but my yahoos have sworn to run away from home if I fix them a traditional Irish boiled dinner.

Mr T is off spending his St Paddy's day in San Francisco with work...yeah...good story and I am here in green world.

Well I gotta run becuase I have to go off and create the Leprauchuan treasure hunt before the yahoos are home from school ANOTHER thing I did once and am now stuff with doing each year. They have to find the treasure (chocolate gold coins) by answering riddles and questions that are on a scavenger map around the house and yard. This year it will feature many fractions, time, geographical directions and pronouns....Ha! they won't know what hit them!

Here's to wishing all a little bit of Irish Luck.

Hey It's Pi Day!

If you’re still longing for the mathematical high from Square Root Day last week, the wait is almost over: Tomorrow March 14, is National Pi Day. Ready to break out your calculator and celebrate?
Pi Day 2009: The Digits of Pi
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, March 14, 2009 is designated Pi Day because of its numerical date: 3-14, i.e. the mathematical constant of pi. The number 3.14, of course, is actually just a rounded version of the number — the figure itself has an infinite number of digits after its decimal. You can see the first 10,000 of the digits of pi here, if you’re so inclined.
Pi Day Activities
So what’s one to do on National Pi Day 2009, aside from reveling in the joy of 3.14? Some cities are holding official celebrations. You can find a slew of other Pi Day activities for kids at this site by Scholastic. And a detailed history of pi awaits you here. If you’re still itching for mathematical satisfaction, check out this page at the Joy of Pi. It’s bursting with 3.14-related activities and information.
The official Pi Day site also offers e-cards, history info on pi, and pi-related merchandise.
Pi Day is also Albert Einstein’s birthday. You can find a whole kit of games and activities to celebrate Einstein-style here.

And for those of you that are musically inclined I share with you the offical Pi Song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJJJmQojcLM&eurl=http://www.inquisitr.com/19904/pi-day-2009/&feature=player_embedded

So what will we be doing for Pi Day? (well considering Math was never really my thang....) Ah....baking a Pie - that's what!

A Shamless Plug for Americans Against Diabetes™ ( AAD ) Campaign Launches in California

First off Happy Birthday Linjit! And in honor of your pro bono media work to help out Kids, I will place a shameless plug for your cause....

To read the actual release you can visit: http://www.i-newswire.com/pr259411.html

LOS ANGELES, CA ( March 2, 2009 ) – The National Center for Public Research announced today its plans to bring 100,000 FDA approved at-home Diabetes Risk Assessment tests to California school children. Healthy Life Laboratories has committed up to $1,000,000 in laboratory testing and reporting services. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are over 60 million Americans at risk of developing diabetes. Early detection is the key to saving lives.

The Americans Against Diabetes™ Campaign, along with the support of individual and corporate sponsorships, will provide diabetes screening tests to at-risk children and education to their parents. Through awareness and education, informed parents can make healthy choices to reduce their child’s risk of developing diabetes, giving children the healthy future they deserve.

Distribution is planned through local California fire stations, blood banks, school systems, diabetes educators, local dental offices, drug store clinics and other healthcare and civic organizations. With synergistic goals and commitment to healthcare and awareness, The Americans Against Diabetes™ campaign will reach high-risk populations of school age children to provide testing and help educate families about diabetes prevention. The National Center for Public Research will be providing the distribution and financial management of the campaign.

Americans Against Diabetes™ has sought strategic partners to turn this vision into a mission. “By placing the best diagnostic medical technology in the hands of the dedicated health care professionals who can provide diabetes screening and education, we are confident that this program will succeed,” said Dr. Ron Schefdore, founder of Americans Against Diabetes™.

The Diabetes Risk Assessment Kit is the only FDA approved at-home test combining an accurate and reliable instant glucose test plus a laboratory-based hemoglobin A1c test using a single drop of finger-nick blood. Combining both fasting and long-term glucose measurement into a single screen increases the likelihood of detecting impaired glucose control, which is the precursor to diabetes.
You go Linjit! Keep up the good work with helping Kids! We are very proud of you!

Back from the Barista's

I left the cold pacific northwest or timberland and arrived back home in the California sun. The yahoos were happy to see me and I was happy to see them. Everyone was in one piece and appeared to be "scalped free" MeiMei even went so far as to tell me that her hair was just as it was when I left and that "she did not cut it his time." Mr T did a good job. The yahoos did confess that they ate cookies for dinner, went to Mc Donalds, Wendys, Fords and had Ice cream and candy for snacks. So... what can I say...the house was clean.

The US Barista Championship Competition was quite interesting---now not that that event was the only reason I was up there but it is the only one I will TALK ABOUT. Who would have ever thought that grinding coffee beans could be so darn interesting. I mean how much does a barista make? 18k, 20K, maybe 25K? Not to be a snooty educational elite, but I have to confess these talented coffee folks were impressive. They spouted bean knowledge to the degree of a sommelier. I learned about climate, acidity, altitude, and processing. Never did a coffee bean seem so important. Food Network was filming the event so keep your eyes open for non pierced non tattooed tall blond in the background and you'll see moi. Congratulations Mike Phillips for winning.

It's SNOWING!

Yes it is Snowing... Okay for some of you I know that is no big deal. But to a California Girl...it is HUGE!
I'm up in Portland the City of Rain...er ah I mean Roses...and I walk out of the convention center and voila! Snow...it was so cool that I did not mind the fact that I had to walk five blocks up hill carrying stuff. It did not stick, but it was cool (cold) nonetheless.
Mrs OW and I head home tomorrow after a four day stint in um....Rehab yeah that's it... (for those of you that remember my old rehab post from November). Rehab is what I like to call "My Time" and after all it does involve alcohol so it makes sense right? Because when you tell people you are needing to go there, or have been there or think about it fondly, they don't ask questions. If I told them was I was really doing...well it could get pretty ugly.
Tomorrow afternoon I head home and hopefully the children will all be in one piece with all of their body parts and hair intact---unlike last years scalping. Oh, I think I just heard the sound of a paper cutter and a bottle of wine open. Gotta go...

Happy Square Root Day.

Yes for all you math junkies out there...which by the way is NOT me. Today is square root day. This is third square root day of this millennium - the first two being 1/1/01 and 2/2/04. Next one will be in 7 years 4/4/16. Noley our resident self proclaimed "spicy math girl" celebrated by doing 250 math problems tonight. Yikes! Where does that girl get it?

Not So Bad After All...

Okay tonight we finished reading our first read aloud book "Red Sails to Capri." We were supposed to have it read in two weeks but instead it took us er um.... four. I must say it was a little slow those first four chapters but it picked up by chapter five and the in the end the yahoos really liked it. I must say I was a little hesitant at first because it seemed over their heads but no they hung in there and Noley always begged for more. MeiMei clearly could have cared less but hung in there as a trouper and listened. I learned from my Internet Sonlight friends that they key is getting the kids psyched about the ending and sharing the photos of the grotto, cove and cave that can be found on the Internet. Once the kids knew it was story about a real place their interested peeked and the loved the photos. Tobbers asked if we can visit the Island of Capri. Of course I said, sure if you're paying.... yes.

For the month of March we will be reading "Ginger Pye." Noley is quite excited as it is a story about a dog. Tobbers just wants to know if it is fiction or not and where it fits into our timeline of history. That's my boy!