Earthquakes Shake It Up!
The soccer season isn't over yet, but Fluffy's team is locked in for first place AND they are going to the regional playoffs in January!! Yippee!

Scooter's team took first place in his first year in U10, and I'm sure Fluffy remembers how exciting that year was. He told her the other night, "It's not like the other trophies; this is a TALL one, like this big," and he gestured like it was about three feet tall. Ha ha!

She really wants this trophy. She has a lot of other "first place" trophies from basketball and softball, but as she says, "Everybody gets those just for playing. And the basketball tournament where we really took first place, you know I didn't do anything for that one." That's true, she has no clue what she's doing and she doesn't care, but don't let Guido hear her admit that!

Soccer is a different story. She's scored three goals so far this season. She is so short, but she can run really fast. Yesterday she had to defend a girl who was more than a head taller, but she kept on her and prevented her from getting near the goal.

Fluffy's Friends
Is this creepy or what?

New Fall Season 2005 - Rockin' Rainbow Maidens
The Rainbows are at it again. The usual suspects, plus a few new faces. It's going to be a fun year!

Rainbow Regroup - our first gathering for the new fall season

Trailblazer Bike Ride Along the Beach - Six Rainbows and one Dreamboat

We Need $$ for a Soap Box Derby Car!

Life is Tiring Me Out
Wow, I haven't written anything in about a month and a half. I'll have to backtrack.

Fall Soccer Season is Here
West Torrance United vs. The Current

Water on the Brain
On Monday, Fluffy was complaining that her ear and jaw hurt. Yesterday morning she was still complaining, and her face looked kind of chipmunk-like on the right side and felt kind of swollen. I thought, oh no, maybe it's strep throat from her sleepover friend, or worse, the arthritis is back (the doc said just last month that he doesn't need to see her anymore). Turns out it's "swimmer's ear." Ear drops and no swimming for the next few days and she should be back to normal (?).

Aaack!
Got a call last night from the parents of one of the girls at Fluffy's sleepover. She came down with strep throat over the weekend. Now I have to call all the other parents to let them know. How nice.

Happy Birthday Fluffy!
What a fun weekend! On Friday, Guido, Fluffy and Scooter picked up Fluffy’s friends Kristen, Ashley and Caitlin, and met Vickey and Lauren, Janet and Thea, and me at King’s Hawaiian for a pre-birthday dinner (minus Janet, who went off with Dan on a “date”) for Fluffy. Fluffy got her traditional paradise cake with a candle, and we ordered cupcakes for rest of the kids. Then we all went home for a slumber party!

The kids played for a while (it’s cute how Scooter gets along with Thea and Lauren), then spread out their sleeping bags on the living room floor and watched a movie. (This was a perfect opportunity for glow-in-the-dark light sticks.) It was really hot, and I was pooped from all the previous late nights of housecleaning and getting ready for the party. The kids managed to stay up pretty late, even after we turned out all the lights and told them to be quiet, but what else would you expect at a slumber party!

On Saturday morning, Guido, Scooter and I set up the EZ-up (finally, after having it for more than a year, we finally used it!), Vickey’s folding table, and assorted camp chairs in the back “yard” and the kids had breakfast al fresco. This had to be the hottest day of the summer, and I was rushing around the kitchen, trying to scramble eggs, fry bacon, and cook hashed browns, while Guido cut up a watermelon. It was a great feast! I bought cute plastic “goblets” and melamine serving trays at Pier 1 which were perfect for outdoor dining. Scooter was very helpful in serving and cleaning up.

The girls went back into the house while I cleaned up the breakfast things and got the table ready for some crafts. The night before I had a sudden brainstorm for a “make your own Groovy Girl” activity, and drew a bunch of generic bodies on white card stock, and cut out dozens of wrapping paper “clothes” and accessories. After this was set up, Fluffy opened presents and gave each girl her own real Groovy Girl doll, and then we went outside to design our paper Groovy Girls.

While they were busy designing Groovy Girls, I went back into the house to download and print pictures I had taken for the next craft, which was designing your own picture frame. Each girl glued a slumber party picture to her frame and we put magnets on the back so they could put it on their refrigerator at home. We finished just in time for Kristen’s mom to pick her up for her piano lesson.

I had planned on making “tea” sandwiches for lunch, but the girls wanted pizza, so I ordered a couple huge ones from Georgios. Just as the kids finished and went back in the house, Vickey came by for pizza, and then Janet and Dan came by, and we dragged the kids outside for birthday cake.

After Lauren and Thea left with their parents, we dropped off Caitlin and Ashley, and came home to clean up the house. I’m so glad we were able to do the food and crafts outside. There wasn’t much to clean up inside the house, just move furniture, roll up sleeping bags, put away toys, throw away birthday wrapping paper, vacuum, and wash some dishes. And even with eating dinner out on Friday, ordering pizzas and a cake, renting movies, and giving Groovy Girl dolls as favors ($10 each), this party was under $200.

Fluffy had a great first sleepover / birthday party, and she is now sleeping in her new bedroom on brand new girly sheets.

Happy birthday, my little fluffball, my best girlfriend in the whole world!

Fluffy Can Swim!
Mood:  happy
After four years (plus) of lessons at Akai, Fluffy can swim! Guess we'll be spending next summer with the Torrance Aquatic Club. Yippee!!

Scooter's Home
Scooter survived a week at camp. It sounds like it was a camp for misfits from the way he described the boys in his cabin - one with a serious phobia of water to the point where his hands were black from never being washed, another with all kinds of "issues," and a cabin leader who had brain surgery when he was younger. Still, it sounds like he had a good time. His allergies didn't bother him, his skin looks better than ever, and he didn't have any bathroom problems. He told me he was very responsible, eating salad everyday and drinking milk at every meal, whereas some kids had meals consisting entirely of Chee-tohs. He says he didn't have fun, but from the way he's been talking about all the activities, I think did. I told him before that he can hate me for sending him, but I did it because I thought it would be good for him, and it sounds like it really was good for him to get away from us and our hectic life in the 'burbs.

I on the other hand missed him like crazy and had to sleep with his stuffed animals while he was away. I don't think I can send him away to college.

The Js in Holland
Rainbow alumni Joanna & Jexenia are leaving in just a few days for Holland, where their husband/dad is being transferred by the Air Force. Vickey invited us for an impromptu pizza/pool party. Just Joanna, Jexenia & Jasmin, Vickey & Lauren, and Fluffy & me. The girls swam while the moms watched and talked story. It was really nice.

Jexenia was with us for just one year, being a transplant from the disbanded Navajos, and she is one of the nicest girls we've ever had in our tribe. She's a year older than our girls, but two grades ahead (very smart). She and her older sister Jasmin are so sweet and a credit to their parents. We'll miss them and hope they have a wonderful time living in Holland and visiting the neighboring European countries. They'll be there for World Cup Soccer in Germany!

Scooter Goes to Camp
After flip-flopping for the last few days, Scooter was shipped off for a week at Camp Round Meadow. I had signed him up even though I didn’t want him to go, because I thought it would be good for him, and both his teacher and the Y director who has known Scooter for four or five years now said it would be good for him. At first, Scooter said he couldn’t wait to get away from us. As we got closer to camp day, he started saying he didn’t want to go.

I spent the past week running around (in between getting stuff for his Marymount classes) getting all his camping stuff. I hunted all over for a wheeled duffel bag, since there was no way he was going to fit a week’s worth of stuff in the bags we have, and a bigger bag would need wheels or Scooter would have a miserable time carrying it plus a sleeping bag. I called the Y summer camp director and he reluctantly said it was okay to have a wheeled bag. So on Wednesday night I bought the cheapest one I could find ($45 plus tax), put his name on it in permanent Sharpie, and on Thursday morning Guido called me at work to say he didn’t want Scooter to go camping because there was a fire near Round Meadow. Augh!

I told Scooter he wasn’t going to Round Meadow after all, because of the fire. He had already told all his teachers he was going to miss a week, because he was going away to camp, so he would have to tell all his teachers on Friday that he would be here for the next week after all.

I still wanted Scooter to go to camp, so I spent Friday morning talking to the Y camp director, the fire tracking people, the visitor’s bureau, and the ranger station. The fire had been put out by Wednesday night, and it had been pretty far from the actual camp. The air was clear and the quality was fine. The roads were open. Rangers routinely patrol the areas daily looking for fires and hazards. And camp was still on. So I persuaded Guido to let Scooter go. What a surprise to Scooter when I picked him up from day camp and told him he needed to pack all his stuff to go camping the next day!

I packed like crazy. I had to make sure I didn’t forget anything, ‘coz it isn’t like one of our family camping trips where I can hop in the car and drive down the road to pick up anything I forgot to pack. I tucked a little surprise beanie penguin and disposable camera in the bag when Scooter wasn’t looking.

We dropped him off at the Ken Miller Rec Center at 8:00 in the morning. Guido wanted to leave right away, but I asked Scooter if he wanted us to stick around until they left on the buses and he said yes, so we waited outside while all the kids got checked in.

It was very touching to see all the kids come marching out an hour later, grouped by cabin assignments. Each group had their own theme, with hats or other accessories, and they filled up five tour buses. They were all so happy, excited, and optimistic, except for Scooter, who obviously didn’t want to be there. He wouldn’t say goodbye or look at us. It was a weird feeling, watching those buses drive off, taking our kids away for a week. It makes me misty to think about it.

Fasten Your Seatbelt, We're Going to Have Some Fun!
For the last couple of years, Guido has been saying we need to replace the minivan one of these days. Yeah, yeah, I don’t put much thought into it because this could go on for years, and anyway, I figure, like the minivan, he’ll pick what he wants no matter what I say. Way back in 1994, when Scooter was four months old and we were run off the road in my little Mazda 323 by a “big” minivan that decided to make a right turn in front of me from the left lane of traffic, I decided I wanted a solid, boxy Volvo station wagon, but we got a Quest minivan instead because it was cheaper and had a bigger engine, unimportant details to me.

My only requirement this time is that it has to be an SUV, and it has to be of a substantial size, but not too big (smaller than a Suburban but big enough to seat seven people). Four-wheel drive would be nice, but not imperative. It should have a good roof rack and I really want a tow bar so I can mount a bike rack. Japanese or American, it doesn’t make a difference. I just don’t want another minivan!

I don’t pay much attention to what Guido does (there, I just admitted it). He had some brochures and stuff, so I knew he was starting to look and compare. He always does calculations ahead of time and figures out what we can afford, what is a good price, what he’s going to offer, etc.

I must say, as we get older, some things do get easier. We know exactly what we need and what we want, and we can actually make the distinction between the two. The bells and whistles are nice, but if it means more money, we can just say no and it’s fairly painless.

After we dropped off the Scooter boy for summer camp (wah!), Guido wanted to check out some car dealers in Long Beach and Carson. And this is where Guido scares me sometimes - we bought a Honda Pilot from the first dealer we went to. We test drove one, and I let Guido pick out the color he wanted, since I had the monopoly on colors of the two cars we’ve bought in our lifetime so far (grey minivan, brown Accord). Naturally, he picked out the ugly green one instead of a pretty champagne, red or blue one.

We all went inside to haggle over the price. Fluffy was bored, so we left Guido and went to try out all the unlocked cars in the showroom. Fluffy didn’t care about the Accord and Civic. She liked the big Ridgeway truck. And she loved the gaudy metallic yellow S2000 sports car. I was pretending to drive it, making vroom vroom noises, and a salesman came by, put the hood down, and said, “There, now you can see where you’re going.” Ha ha!

I showed Fluffy how to use the clutch and shift gears, and she loved it. We "drove" to Washington, New York and Mississippi (I have no idea why). We kept going from one car to another, but she always wanted to go back to the yellow car, and at one point told me, “Fasten your seat belt. We’re going to have some FUN!” Oh boy, she is going to be a lot of fun when she starts driving.

More School
Scooter and Fluffy started Marymount. I took Scooter and Guido took Fluffy, since they are going to different schools this summer. Fluffy is at Towers again. Scooter is at West. I took him on a tour last week so we would know where his classes are on the first day.

The whole registration / check-in process was so messed up. They sent us schedules a few months ago to confirm their classes. Then about a week ago, they sent another set of schedules. They looked identical to the first ones. I didn’t realize they had changed Scooter's class times just slightly. Then when we got to school, we found out that they had changed the schedules again, and everyone needed to stand in a long line that went out the front of the campus to the street. Not even the teachers knew where they were supposed to go. So stupid. We finally got out of line with some other people and said we would wing it. Scooter’s schedule hadn’t changed anyway.

Scooter says his teachers are mean, but I’ve met every one and they are all nice (except the Spanish teacher who seems kind of out of it). I can’t believe they have homework. Scooter has to do a report and an oral presentation on a famous dead person.

A lot of people who have gone in the past decided to drop out this year. A lot of our friends with kids Fluffy’s age were especially disappointed in the first grade program. That year was a real dud, for all grades. None of Scooter's good friends are going, but there are enough kids that he knows from school or sports that he doesn't feel totally alone. Fluffy actually has a quite a few friends in her class.

4th of July Weekend
We spent the weekend in San Diego doing the usual. Drove down early Saturday morning and went to Sea World. It wasn’t too hot or too chilly, and it was very crowded. I think we saw every show this time. The Clyde and Seamore show was finally updated. It looks totally different. I think the other shows are pretty much the same.

Fluffy fed the dolphins. Scooter didn’t want to, then changed his mind and went in with no food. A dolphin bit him on the arm. Serves him right for pretending he had food.

Fluffy wanted to see EVERYTHING this time. We usually kind of breeze through certain things, but this time I waited whenever she wanted to see something. I figure one of these days she’ll start to get bored so I should humor her as long as she’s still so enthusiastic about everything.

On Sunday we got up kind of late since we were all so tired from the day before. We didn’t have definite plans. I wanted to see more of San Diego, but we ended up going to Legoland. Scooter is kind of a chicken about roller coasters these days. The rest of us rode Technic while he waited, and I noticed that the car would kind of lift off the track at certain times. I thought to myself, Scooter could become an orphan today. When we got off the ride, one of the workers said the ride was normal. Fluffy wanted to ride again, but now I’m the chicken.

Just like the day before, Fluffy wanted to ride everything, especially the little kiddie rides, so while Scooter and Guido went off to do their thing, Fluffy and I rode the helicopters and airplanes.

On the way home on Monday, we stopped at the Carlsbad outlet. Fluffy, Scooter and Guido got new shoes. Scooter also got some socks. Fluffy got some new Gap tops. Guido bought luggage (something I never would even think of). Why is it that I’m always the one who wants to stop at the outlet, but when we walk away, everyone has something except me? Oh, wait, I got something – the bills.

Soccer Camp
Scooter and Fluffy spent the week at Paul Krumpe soccer camp. Poor Fluffy’s eyes are so sunburned, they look like they’re bleeding. We made her wear sunglasses and a hat the last two days.

They seem jazzed about some new soccer skills they picked up. Maybe I’ll sign them up for another soccer camp right before pre-season starts. Those MLS camps are pretty expensive, though, and I’ve already paid for the Y, which I won’t get refunded. We’ll see.

Anyway, the Paul Krumpe is a great camp as a refresher before soccer seasons starts as well as a way to gain new skills. The only problem for us is that it starts at 9:00 and ends at 3:00, so I go in to work late, and Guido has to leave early, but it's just one week, and we think it's worth it.

Landfill
I have YEARS’ worth of kids’ school papers. I hate to throw away anything they’ve done, even little crayon scribbles that Fluffy did when she was in preschool. Every piece is a work of art. Well, let’s see, eleven years’ worth of Scooter’s scribbles and school papers, tests, and homework and seven years’ worth of Fluffy’s add up to a lot of paper. It’s in piles all over the house. On top of that, our house is one huge dustbowl. I can’t figure out how everything gets so dusty when we hardly open any windows. Anyway, I finally gave in and started to throw out some stuff. Sob! It’s so hard to throw away all their hard work. Of course, they’re a little disappointed that I’m throwing away their work, but I think it’s even more traumatic for me to let it go.

I managed to get through part of one school year. This is going to be a very long process.

Summer Vacation is Here!
Yay! School’s out! Well, not really. Scooter & Fluffy will spend a week at soccer camp, and then four weeks at enrichment summer school.

Guido took yesterday off and picked them up when school got out early. They made the rounds of the school so Scooter could say goodbye to all his former teachers and Y staff.

Today we all took the day off from work and the Y, and went to the King Tut exhibit at LACMA. It was pretty impressive. Hard to imagine all that stuff is thousands of years old. The artifacts were in excellent condition, and the workmanship was unbelievable. It just blew me away, the amount of detail that went into each piece. I wonder what it was like living back then. Were there just enormous amounts of gold and lapis lazuli (or whatever that blue stuff was, I forget) everywhere you looked? It sure seemed like that.

We didn’t see the actual mummy, which I think was what a lot of people were expecting to see. Instead there was a video and some photographs that were superimposed one on top of the other to simulate the layers of wrappings and compartments.

After the exhibit, we drove a few blocks to the Farmer’s Market. I thought I had been there once before, but it wasn’t familiar at all. I never knew there were so many food vendors. Scooter and Fluffy had Italian, and Guido and I had Cajun. There was a band playing live music. What a great way to kick off summer vacation!

Summer Warmup
Monday marked the start of the last week of school. Believe it or not, Scooter had a math test. Thank goodness, it was the last one. That teacher is crazy (but we like her). The poor class had math homework over the weekend, while everyone else has been cruising for the last week. Anyway, now that that's over, it's parties for the rest of the week.

Since Scooter has neglected his valet service all spring, he is working the valet line all this week. We almost blew it off entirely, because, first, we never got a notice when he was supposed to start, and then we always had trouble getting to school early on Mondays. However, he got invited to the valet party, so we have to at least partially fulfill his obligation. He says he doesn't like it, but I think in a way he does.

On Monday, Fluffy's class went to the park for a picnic field trip. It was pajama day for the 5th graders, but of course Scooter is kind of a party pooper in the dress-up area. On Tuesday, all the 5th graders went to the same park for a BBQ, water balloon fight, and games, and Fluffy's class had "brunch." They also got their yearbooks. (This year's book isn't as nice as previous years.) The big 5th grade softball game was this morning, and this afternoon, the second grade portfolio day. Fluffy is turning into an extremely prolific, imaginative writer. She's either very creative or insane. Maybe both.

Tomorrow is the last day of school, and Scooter's last day at Towers. There's no graduation or big to-do like at other schools. Guido is taking vacation, so the kids don't have to go to the Y when they get out at 11:00.

I can't believe it's been six years since he started going to that school. Time is going by too quickly.

Weekend Wrapup
Our activities have been winding down, and our weekends are more “normal.” Friday was the usual dinner at Rascal’s and basketball practice at Adventureplex.

Scooter, Fluffy and I had haircuts on Saturday morning, followed by the annual Rainbow Tea Party at Vickey’s. It’s a pretty low-key event. Kid-friendly food, Disney Radio music, and the girls make their own fun. After everyone left, Fluffy and Lauren played in the pool until they were shriveled. We had dinner at Pat & Oscar’s, and then browsed for books at Barnes & Noble. What a fun day!

On Sunday, we all went to see a sneak preview of “Herbie Fully Loaded.” Going to the movies is not a cheap date anymore. Even with bargain (?) matinee prices, with snacks & drinks, I paid over $60. Wow! The movie was okay (the only G rated one out there right now). We were debating who is a better actress – Lindsay Lohan or Hilary Duff. We like Hilary, because her roles are more wholesome. However, all her roles are basically the same person, so it’s hard to say who’s got more talent. I was just reading an article about Hilary in People mag this week. She and her family are very conscious about preserving her image and making her a good role model for young girls. I hope she is sincere and doesn’t flip out like some of these other young stars do when they turn eighteen. For now, she gets the Bunny vote.

After the movie, we all went to the park across the street. Fluffy practiced on rollerblades with Guido, while Scooter and I practiced taking soccer shots on goal. That little boy is so sweet. It’s funny to see how our roles get reversed. He’s a good soccer player, and I stink. He kept making one goal after another, and he always stopped mine. He started kicking my shots in over the line and saying, “Yay, you scored!” like he was the parent and I was the kid. Eventually I had twice as many goals as he did.

We took Guido to his favorite place for dinner, Coyote Cantina. After dinner, we played Uno. We made up our own Speed Uno, where only two people play and you get only three cards instead of seven. That way we could play a lot of short games instead of one long one.