Working with Mommy

This is from a few weeks ago...
Annabelle has a few minutes of patience when her mom checks email.

Should Annabelle learn Mandarin Chinese??

If you know Bill well, you'll know that there are few subjects where he has no opinion. And there are some subjects that, well, you really get an earful from him. (Poor Nilma was one of his recent victims). His latest beef is that Annabelle should learn Mandarin Chinese, if she learns a second language some day. I can't help but feel that Spanish would be more practical especially since we live in "Mexifornia." And besides, exactly how would we go about teaching her such a language??? I can help with Spanish homework, but the thought of quizzing her on Chinese characters makes my brain hurt. Before I go wandering the streets of Chinatown to try to find an answer, I'd love to know what the consensus amongst the blogging public.

From Bamboolearning.com..."Mandarin is the language for today's children to learn. Influential independent organizations and businesses are predicting a shortfall of English children able to do business with China. Universities are already viewing favourably any English speaking applications with Chinese Mandarin as a second language."

As China grows into the next world super power, I'm sure this intriguing debate will continue. (Matt Lovell,Paul Sonderegger & Stephen Power, if you are out there and reading this blog, I can imagine that you would have a lot to say about this). Stephen Woods was in town to visit this weekend, and he's actually trying to learn Mandarin. I did not enjoy watching the smirk on Bill's face when Stephen told us this. Argh!

Should Annabelle learn Mandarin or stick with Spanish??? Is Bill actually right here? Or has he gone mad? Help us settle our feud by commenting below....

In the war over java, will head or tummy prevail??

As the aroma of coffee deliciously percolates through our house this morning, my stomach begins a gargling frenzy. After indulging in a half of a cup (yes, not even a full cup) of Peet's New Guinea blend yesterday, my tummy suffered for hours. Argh! You see, I love coffee. Dark roasted coffee from Peet's with a creamy swirl of Coffee Mate. I love the smell. I love the the ritual of waking up to a warm, cozy beverage. One little bit of consistency in a chaotic world. And most of all, I love the mental edge that coffee gives me that no other beverage can. My morning mental fog increased a few inches after having Annabelle, and coffee has given me the lift that I need each day, gives me my game face. Sadly, my stomach detests the stuff. So, my body has declared war over java: tummy 1, head 0.

OK, so those of you who know me well, you'll quickly point out that this is not a new battle. I've had a love/hate relationship with coffee for as long as I have been a drinker. Co-workers have heard me complain over stomach woes at work or my inability to function on the days that I swear it off. People always tell me to switch to tea, and I have tried it on numerous occasions. But c'mon, this thin, herbal liquid is a sorry substitute for coffee. The only exception would be The Coffee Bean tea latte (like the double vanilla tea latte I am drinking right now). The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf www.coffeebean.com, a CA-only coffee / tea chain, has this wonderful vanilla powder they mix in their beverages so that tea actually becomes heavenly. This is no solution to my woes because the tea lattes cost $3.50 a pop.

There is talk of stomach-friendly coffee today. Some coffee companies have heard enough complaints, so they are coming out with kinder, gentler versions of their coffee. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=health&id=4418574
Will this solve my coffee dillema?? We'll see. Until then, if you see me walking around in a decaffeinated haze, you'll know what's going on.

All Smiles!!!

Peas & Carrots!!!

Mom recently introduced peas and carrots into my daily diet. It is a nice change from that bland organic rice cereal.

Thank You Sean - Montage

This is a photo montage in honor of my cousin (I think that's our relationship), Sean Barney, who was recently wounded by a sniper while serving in Iraq. Get well soon!! It is also to thank all of the men and women serving valiantly at home and overseas in the U.S. Armed Forces. And Dad also loves to post photo montages, so while mom's asleep, Dad will blog.

The Baptism