...what rules do you play by?

Ok, so...Kyle and I have already decided on a girl's name, if, in fact, the baby is a girl *crossing fingers*

...Lyric James Lake...

Lyric, because if you know us, you know it's totally appropriate...
James, because that's my nickname, and anyone that's special to me calls me that, and it's only fair that after birthing two boys who are as rowdy as their father, I deserve a little girl to be my pseudo-namesake...

But to be fair to the little one, if the baby is a boy, we wanted to be prepared :)

I have a particular name in mind, that I choose not to disclose at this time, however, I know someone who has already named their son the same...I'm not *close* friendship-wise with this person, however, we are in the same extended family and it seems like it would be weird-bordering-awkward if Kyle and I see them on special occasions/holidays and would have to say, "Oh, we named our son ____, too!" I think I'd be pretty pissed if I was on the opposite side of the situation...

But I've like this name for a very, very long time...It was one of my picks before the twins were born, but it didn't seem fitting for them, for some reason...but now, I'm in this preggo-hormonal mindset that if this little baby is a boy, his name *just.has.to.be* this...

So what do think? What rules do you play by??

...my kind of town...

I'll be traveling here immediately:



Apparently, this is real town in New Mexico...seriously? That's awesome...

give love,
james*

...two months too long...

I think this is the longest I have gone without posting...but I have just been too lazy to deal with the repercussions of anything I have to say.

Instead, I've employed Ayurveda, yoga (and friends) to help me from jumping off a cliff deal with my problems.

But then I thought, "Wait, but I don't go on here solely to vent...I go on here to share, remember?" Although facebook has taken up my time and effort in terms of the "Status Update" department, and my ENTIRE family (seriously) is on there, I admit that I've ditched this blog for too long now.

*...there there, little blog...i'll write again...*

So what's new, you ask?

Well, the kiddos are 21 months now...I used to be so annoyed by parents who would tell their kids' age using months, but really, it's the only way to go! We, parents, are so consumed with every amazing development that saying "A year-and-a-half" doesn't do the kid justice, and saying "A little over a year-and-a-half" or "Almost two" doesn't suffice either...so there you go.

Wendie Tobin, (Mommytopia), recently said something along the lines of, "Tell me, straight to my face, that you're a mother that has never felt like running away from your life so I can sock you in the throat." (or something like that!) And I was one of the moms that totally agreed...mommy-hood is getting more and more challenging by the day...

Moving on, I finished the CalStateTEACH credential program and am awaiting my results from the RICA exam: released December 28th at 5:00 p.m. You bet your ass I'm going to be *refreshing* my computer and iPhone screens constantly until I read my score!

I started researching Masters Degree programs, and the least expensive that I've found (University of La Verne) is $575.00 per unit...*sigh*...oh, wait, it gets better...multiplied by 33 units! Oh god, that's close to $19,000.00! Whoa. Might have to wait on that for a while, huh??

26, and still haven't totally given up on the pre-mama Jaimielynn...These were my "goals" when I was growing up (Honest---Girl Scouts Honor, these are the things that I knew I just had to accomplish):

Finish college: check
Get my teaching credential: check
Marry at 25 or 26: check
Have two kids by the time I turn thirty: check (and in the luckiest way!)
Get my Masters Degree: pending

I'm still working for O&R Protective Services, but things are slow right now...the economy explains why no one is throwing super-extravagant parties these days...or maybe they are, and we're not invited...Either way, it blows...

Moving on to something that doesn't blow, I'm entering the TJ Maxx/Marshall's video contest! DRock so graciously and generously bestowed upon me the most appropriate Christmas present, a few weeks early: The Blue Snowball microphone! I am entering the contest 4 times, singing each of the presented songs: Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and two originals from Marshall's. Now, I know I'm not the greatest singer, but I also know that I'm not toooo bad, and judging by the competition, I have a pretty good shot of winning something! Woohoo, cheer me on! You can view the contest by clicking here.

Oh, I almost forgot to share Gypsy's story! Well, for those of you who know me well, I'm extremely terrified of cats. I mean, scream-in-your-face afraid! This cat started coming around our house, Kyle would tell me about how she'd follow him down the driveway in the mornings on his way to work...Gail would tell me that it was by the back door, and how she'd give it food. "Cool," I'd say, not really caring because cats freak me out! Well, Kyle was outside one evening petting this mystery cat, and I decided to go balls out and pet it, too. She looked friendly, and she kept going up to Kyle for love...I thought, "I can do this, I can do this..." I brought out a little bowl of milk (So cliche, right? Kyle looked at me with a puzzled face, "James, cats don't really drink milk...give it water! But I brought milk anyway.) and when she came running towards me, I screamed and ran inside the house...

But then, I realized my irrational-ism and went out there...she came up to me, and it was lovely. She is such the sweetest thing...needless to say, I stayed out there with her for a good 45 minutes, made her a bed, and hoped she was there in the morning.

The next morning, I brought Jonas out with me and introduced them...Kash was still sleeping when I filmed this little video:

She was still there!

When Kash woke up, I introduced him, too...and both the kids fell madly in love with her...I re-made her bed, with better insulation and softer towels, and Kiku donated some food until I outgrow the laziness to go to the store.

Now, every morning, the kids walk into the front room, see the front door, and call out, "Gippy?? GIPPY???"

I'm still very far from being a cat-lover, but I do enjoy this particular kitty cat that my children so endearingly call "Gippy." So that's that.

And on that note, I shall say peace out...

love,
james

...give love, make peace, be brave, speak truth, have joy...*

Renee and Jeremy's NEW CD!

I can't even tell you how meaningful Renee & Jeremy's music is...it has made every single hum, every tune, every note I've sung to the boys a song of love and commitment to be the best mother I can be...

Celebrate the bond of parent and child. Celebrate great music. Celebrate life...and enjoy R&J's free download here:

Testing, Testing, 1-2-3

Testing out my mobile blogging...

If it works, and it's true that I can blog from my new berry, you'll be hearing from me quite often...

Love,
james*
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

...as fast as i can...

Good morning, Life.

I woke up at 6:30 today, along with Kyle--who is driving Kane's car today for some time-trial thing in Fontana. Jase went along too; I love that he hangs out with our friends :)

Anyhow, instead of going back to sleep, I decided to take the reins of today and get busy. In my office, I wrote some AP checks, organized, and tied some loose ends...slowly, slowly, slowly trying to integrate Ayurveda into my lifestyle. My Vata-Pitta-ness calls for waking up at 5:30 a.m. and going to bed between 10-11:00 p.m. I have mastered the latter, working on the former.

Kyle and I did yoga in the Man Cave last night. Kate (my yoga teacher) sent me home with a recording of our private session last week so I could create a home practice while she's away (getting married! At Notre Dame, then flying off to Ireland for a month! Whoohoo!!). Usually, after the hustle and bustle of dinner, Kyle watches the telly while I go off to work in my office. It was nice to actually spend some time together before we fell asleep.

------time elapsed------

As I sit here, 10:48 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, I am surrounded by: Ellen, Annie Cakes, Tom, Paige, Pyng, Derrick, and my lovely, lovely hub, Kyle...I had an iced coffee [courtesy of Paige and Pyng] and I am, most definitely, awake...

Let me fill you in on yesterday's events...my mom and I decided to take the kids to the zoo...Yeah, seriously.

It was blazing green donkey balls---my mom and I thought we were going to pass out walking the hills of the L.A. Zoo. Sweating, I mean, dripping sweat, and I was in jeans. Oh, and don't let me forget my humorous running through the aisles trying to escape the bees. Last thing I needed was for my throat to swell up and to break out in hives. Anyhow, after a whopping less-than-an-hour spent there, we meandered over to the Griffith Park Carousel. Bird had a fever, so before leaving for home, I felt the need to make it up to Bear and take him on the carousel. Ride Number 1: Jonas petrified. Ride Number 2: Jonas petrified, but enjoying himself just a little bit...By that time, Bird and my mom had walked down the hill to watch us go 'round and around...and then, a traffic-less ride home.

Last night was a rough night. Bird woke up around 2 a.m. and was sooo hot with a fever. Poor thing. I held Bird and rocked him, trying to sing any comforting song that might lull him, but to no avail. I was so tired, I finally had to ask Kyle to take over. He was able to get Bird to sleep for a few hours on his chest, but poor Kyle had to sleep cramped up and squashed with his head scrunched against the headboard.

Luckily, Bear slept in until 8:30 a.m., giving us just enough sleep to function.

After breakfast, we went to Target. Although Bird should've stayed home to rest, how would he really rest? I mean, how do toddlers rest? I knew he wouldn't lie still and watch t.v. in bed, so I opted for the fresh air and sunshine...We took the boys on a field trip to Target and bought them...Power Wheels.

Our original objective was to get them those Little Tykes cars [yellow and red, climb in and walk it around, Fred-Flintstone style]...but can you believe they didn't have them? As we searched for something else comparable, not wanting to let the little rascals down, we found Power Wheels ATV thingies...they were the same price as the yellow cars we were going to get, so against our better judgement, we bought them. I mean, we bought them!! Uh, let me mention, they go 2 mph. How fast is that in toddler speed? They have to charge for 18 hours, so I guess we'll see tomorrow morning.

My doshas were in harmony today...why, you ask? Because Kyle and I finally rolled up the carpet in the playroom and mopped the entire thing. Why hadn't I done it sooner? Well, I was in the "just f*ck it" mode of thinking...I mean, why clean my ass off if no one cared to keep it clean with me? I was slacking, only doing the bare-bones minimum to be tidy. But my kids come first, and I just couldn't let them play on that carpet anymore. Plus, the Power Wheels will speed along better on the hardwood. It looks nicer, too. Ahh, the smell of freshly mopped hardwood. Ahh, the look of a cleared floor, happy toddlers, and good acoustics for singing. Lots of happy produced by cleaning that room.

Moving on to more happy...Kyle took another field trip with Bear to the grocery store. Bird and I watched a movie in the kids' bedroom...I think it was WeeSing Big Rock Candy Mountain? When the boys got back, I helped Kyle prep for dinner while the boys ran around under the watchful eyes of us, Tom, and Gail.

First upon arrival: Derrick. Whoohoo! We shared a glass of white, chatted about Oregon, promotions, and life. Next, Pyng and Paige, with Cokes and ice in hand. Then, Kane, Annie Cakes, and Ellen...

Dinner:

Linguine with Broccoli Rabe, Summer Squash, Ground Pork, and Asparagus

ToeJam Salad [newly coined]

-----sadly, I've lost my train of thought on this one...This blog was originally started on Friday, July 31st...it is now almost Wednesday, August 5th...needless to say, this blog is done. Catch ya'll on the next one!

james*

give love, make peace, be brave, speak truth, have joy...*

...follow the stream-of-consciousness into la-la-land...

-now i understand why authors used pen names...the minute i think of a clever one, i'm starting a new blog and not telling anyone about it; you'll just have to stumble upon it on your own...then i can't talk as much sh*t as i want and you'll never know :)

-i'm officially chemically imbalanced.

-i've lowered the expectations i have for myself; this allows me little victories. for example, my one, absolute "to-do" today was a first draft of a security proposal for the 52nd annual grammy awards...and i finished it. as soon as i clicked 'send', i didn't dote on the other things i needed to do...i just patted myself for completing my one little goal. then, all the other things i completed were little bonuses...extra credit, if you will.

-i hope wendie tobin [www.wellhonestlynow.com & my favorite at www.evilbeetgossip.com] doesn't hate me for using her "word.word.word." style. it's just so effective and every time i want to use it, i backspace because i respect her too much as a writer to copy. but how else can i emphasize the following: you're. smoking. crack.

-tried to spend quality time with my grandmother for her birthday today. drove the kids to downtown l.a. to run around and wreck someone else's house for a change. only made it through three hours. then, made the trek back home. they wouldn't sleep [they're ferber-ized to their cribs] and they were getting sooo cranky. they slept in the car, and i laid them in their cribs immediately. they slept for another hour, bird for 2.5 hours total. today's field trip: fail.

-hub went to havana house after work and met up with friends, dj kc and d-rock. this is after a mid-week boys' night out to a strip club on wednesday...hmm, sounds a little jon-gosselin-y, doesn't it? just kidding....man, i'm such a bitch. anyhow, they all came back to the house and i didn't get to spend time with the guys 'cause i was in my office working the whole time. blah.

-anyone read the latest issue of 'real simple'? [wow, that alone makes me sound so "mom," huh?] anyway, one little article titles what i'm doing right now "social notworking." pun intended. love. it. [wendie, do you hate me? my jiminy-cricket conscience feels like you can't jack a fellow writer for their entendres; either she'll be pissed or honored, i can't tell.]

-i started reading a new book...and to your surprise, it's not from the self-help/self-improvement section! what in the world?!

-i have yoga tomorrow at 9 a.m. i think i should be going to bed now.

-goodnight, humans...give love, make peace, be brave, speak truth, have joy...and lots of it.

james*