Good mommy day

I feel like I have been a good mom today. Here's why.

The youngest, Joseph, has done well on his potty training. He has had a few accidents over the past few days, but this morning, he went both #1 and #2 in the potty, which is a big step. It took his older bro 2 months of going #1 before he felt confident to try #2. There is still the issue that if he is wearing any clothes below the waist he forgets to use the potty and wets, but today I had him go potty right before our walk, put the underwear and shorts on him, and he went potty right after we got back, and he was dry all morning. Yay! I really look forward to when he can wear the pants and take them up and down by himself. The kids and I get tired of seeing the nakey boy, but this is a tried-and-true method that works and is working.

And then there was our walk. Since I live in the hills, going for a "walk around the block" is an extreme undertaking. Now that I am in my 3rd trimester (as of tomorrow), I am not going for my long walks, so I have been taking only the 4-y-o. I didn't want to take Joseph, because I can't push the stroller up the big hill, and I was afraid he would ask to be carried. Today, I decided to take the chance since we could take our time, because the boys needed the exercise and so did I. So we went out and before we got down the second block it started raining lightly. The boys were SO excited. It NEVER rains here, and we have been in a very bad drought. They were so happy. And it was a warm rain (left over from hurricane Dean from Mexico). They were actually running up the back hill from excitement. And when we got home, they insisted on putting on their rain jackets and going back outside (poor little guys were sweating in their hoods because it was so warm). They were so cute and happy. Now they are napping, and that also makes me happy, so they can be awake tonight when their dad gets home from his seminar.

The 8-y-o is with his father this weekend, no doubt riding his new bike. He grew out of his old bike, and was given the youth bike that my dd grew out of a few years ago. He began riding it in the back yard for hours per day last week, and asked to take it to his father's house. I said that was fine. Especially since I'm not bike riding this year. Due to the pregnancy, and being on a blood thinner. Too risky if I fall.

Now for the older ones. DS-16 is finishing his last work day tonight. He works the 4:30 to 11:30pm shift at Knotts. I'm so proud of him for sticking out the summer there. It has been tough for him, working in the 95 degree heat. And that he managed to negotiate his way through working for a large institution, with all the bosses and coworkers and despite his rather severe case of ADHD, is really great. He signed up for his high school classes for fall, and he has 4 AP classes. He is going heavy on science, taking AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus, and AP American History. His other 2 classes are Spanish and American Literature. He and I were heartened to hear from some of his coworkers at Knotts that there was a kid who got into UC Riverside with a 3.3 gpa. I think DS will end up doing better than that, but it is good to know that he can get into a University of CA school and not have to settle for a State College, or a junior college. He knows already that he won't be qualified to get into UCLA or UC Berkeley, but if he pushes this year and does OK, he might get into UC Irvine or even better, UC San Diego. He'll just have to do his best, take his SAT in the spring, and make applications next fall, then see how things sort out. I told him this is his big year to show what he's got before his applications. He will either reap the rewards for himself or he won't, but either way, it sounds like he won't be stuck in too humiliating of a circumstance, in comparison to his big sister.

Speaking of big sister, she struggled this summer with her interpersonal relationships. She is still dating her marine boyfriend, who lives in Camp Pendleton in San Diego. It's not that. It was that she had problems at work with some coworkers and one of her bosses. The work environment (restaurant hostess at Knotts) ended up getting so stressful that she quit work about a week and a half ago. After which she has been sitting around the house relaxing and planning for her apartment, which she will move into around Sept. 5. I know that this is a lesson she needed to learn. She did admit to me that she shot her mouth off at work and went on a rant about how she was the hostess and that the others should not encroach on her territory. It was after that that things went south. I told her and John that the best workers keep to themselves, don't go on about their personal business at work, and put on a happy face while they do a diligent job. It is a hard thing to do, and hopefully, she will do better at hiding her volatile emotions on her next job. She hopes to get a waitress job near UCLA sometime this year or in early 2008.

The youngest unborn one seems to be doing well. He kicks and wiggles regularly. He has gotten ticklish, too. I noticed if I have an itch low on my belly and I scratch down there, he starts crawling vigorously, like he's trying to escape. :-D

And I'm cooking split pea soup from scratch. I had some leftover brisket from Friday night, and I remembered that split pea soup tastes good with brisket. I have had to make kosher modifications to my recipes since becoming Jewish 5.5 years ago. Also, the rest of the brisket has been chopped up for tacos. And DD is making fresh guacamole. We just got back from the store and dd already sliced the strawberries for dessert. I love fresh cooking!