3 Kids. 3 Hours.

10:30am - Mar dropped off the kids. Curbside in front of my building.

10:35am - turned on Toy Story 3. Roman woke up. (That's what's happening in the picture)

10:45am - Mia was so over the movie. She wanted to play Bingo instead.

11:00am - Mia was over Bingo. She wanted to play with Isaac's Lightning McQueen laptop, which sent both kids into a frenzy. Auntie Cat came up with a solution--Let's draw! So, I got out all the markers and drawing paper, and they drew and drew.

11:30am - Auntie G and Uncle Ryan arrive! Yay! Auntie G feeds Roman.

11:45am - Started baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with the kiddos. I should have taken pictures of how they came out. Such funny shapes.

12:00pm - Mia started itching because I didn't know she was allergic to milk chocolate, and I only gave her 2 chocolate chips!

12:15pm - The kids ate lunch.

12:30pm - Mar came back and brought lunch for the rest of us. Gave Mia some Benadryl for her itching. Auntie Cat felt so bad she didn't know!

2pm - The Villas go home.

Whew! What a day!

I got my mojo back!

I haven't baked in a long while, but with holiday festivities in full swing, I've been baking more than Betty Crocker herself. At first, I was a little rusty, but 2 batches later, I got my mojo back... Now I'm a baking machine!
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That's a Wrap!

I just spent about 4 hours gathering, boxing, wrapping, tying, and labeling almost all my Christmas presents. I decided to try out online shopping this year, and it turned out to be quite successful. I'm still waiting for two more presents to arrive, but everything is purchased! This is certainly a first... I NEVER get my shopping done before the winter break starts. My tree doesn't look so sad and lonely anymore!


I put my parole at my window. It looks pretty awesome from outside. Thanks, Dad and Mom for passing this on to me. I love it. Ardon thinks I now have the dopest window in the building.

It's a Condo Christmas

It's that time of year to bring good cheer!
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Winter... Or Fall Wonderland

All by myself. Snowed in. Cable is down. The streets are glass, yet the city is gorgeous. So I sit, listening to Christmas music passing the time writing my Christmas cards, sitting by the window enjoying the view of a snow capped city and a cold Lake Union. Not so bad.
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Happy Feet!

Attention all ladies! Forget Band-Aids or sticky inserts. I found the answer to avoid blisters when your shoes rub up against the bone right above your heel!

I was rushing around this morning looking for the sticky inserts to line the inside of the back of my shoes. I couldn't fine them anywhere. I thought, "Well, Band-Aids are going to drive me nuts and fall off after 5 minutes. That's why I bought the inserts in the first place." So while looking for my inserts in the medicine cabinet, I came across my skin glue. I figured it dries smooth and kind of rubber-like, so I thought I'd give it a try. I applied some on the inside of the back of my shoe where it would rub up against that bone and cause a blister... And it worked like a charm! All I had to do was paint it on, give it about 5 minutes to let it dry, so I packed my lunch and loaded the dishwasher while I waited. Then I put my shoes on and was on my way! I reapplied a little bit during my lunch hour just to make sure that I really wouldn't blister, but I think I could have gone without the second application. I wore my shoes for about 10 hours today, and am blister-free!

I highly recommend this to anybody who loves wearing that cute pair of painful flats. I will definitely keep a bottle of skin glue handy, not just for when I get deep cuts, but to also make fashion more comfortable.

I give myself props for this little discovery :)
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Nerds and Gorillas

Ardon and I just celebrated three years of being an item. Time flies when you're having fun. I can still remember the night we met. It's such a classy story, really. It was around 1:30am and I was pretty wasted coming out of Tia Lou's with my best friend Stephanie. We were walking toward the hotdog stand when we heard somebody yelling "Stephanie!" from across the street. Next thing I remember, this funny looking guy with a big afro and glasses ran up to us. Stephanie introduced us, and in typical Ardon and Cat fashion, our first words to each other were spoken in a Vietnamese accent. I had him at "What doing?" Three years later, here we are... still conversing in Vietnamese accents.

If there's one thing besides me that Ardon LOVES, it's music. Being with him, I've learned so much about music--making music, local music, the music business, producing, scratching, and so much more. I can see why he loves it so much, and we enjoy going to shows together, whether big or small. I have also learned to love it all. Music is music and it's all good.

So in celebration of our splendid three years together, we had a two-day celebration. Our actual anniversary date fell on a Monday, so after work we had a lovely dinner at List in Belltown. The following night we went to the Gorillaz show, and opening up for them was N.E.R.D. It was so dope. (I've also learned to say dope after three years.) We really enjoyed the show. Ardon, especially, was giddy like a little boy throughout the Gorillaz set. It was a wonderful celebration with a wonderful dude after three wonderful years. Cheers to many more!

Pharrell and N.E.R.D rocking the stage.

The Gorillaz set up was awesome. Definitely cool to watch.

Do They Have to Grow Up?

Isaat.


"Quirks McGee"

Hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and Mia climbed over Isaac's legs.

Isaac: OW! Mia, you hurt my yegs. Auntie Cat, my yegs hurt.

Me: Mia, you hurt your brother. Can you tell him you're sorry?

Mia: Sorry, Isaat.

Isaac: It's okay.

Mia: I yuv you, Isaat.

ASB Card

At 28 years old, I still get an ASB card. Too bad I probably look exactly the same as when I got my first one issued at Saltars Point Elementary.
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X Man

6:30 pm to 9:30 pm and still going!



Auntie Cat wore him out. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
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Pumpkin Patch!

There's a GI Joe and a peacock hunting for pumpkins.
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4th Grade Science!

I had to go out and get 40 crickets for science class. We're studying ecosystems, and the kiddos got to add crickets to the terrariums they built. It was quite the experiment.
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Stressed Out

This is what I have on my plate:

• 2 days after G-Pa's funeral, I headed back to work.
• New grade, new team.
• At school from 7am to 7pm at least 3 days a week.
• At least 3 meetings a week--before school, during lunch, or after school.
• 27 sassy students in my class.
• Going to school one Saturday a month to study for my Professional Certificate (Pro Cert) in order to keep my job.
• Working on my Pro Cert a couple of hours a week.
• Regularly taking work home, even after I said I refused to do so.
• I haven't been trained in 4th or 5th grade science yet, and I need to find time to do that after school on top of everything else.

Work has been consuming my life. I knew this would be a challenge, but I didn't think it would be a life-changer. So far my weekend has consisted of calling parents on a Friday afternoon to tell them about their childs' behavior in class, babysitting until 11pm, only to wake up the next morning to go to Saturday Pro Cert class from 9am to 4pm, taking a nap, grading papers, waking up on Sunday morning and writing papers for Pro Cert and planning lessons for Monday so that I'm not crunched for time in the morning because I have a meeting. I can't seem to find a balance like I did when I was teaching kindergarten and 1st grade. I want time to be with family without having to SQUEEZE it in. I want time to myself without having to SQUEEZE it in. I want a break. Something's gotta give.

What did I get myself into?

WE DID IT!

Ardon and I finally took the plunge... WE ATE AT JOLLIBEE! We knew we wanted to find an off time during the weekday to go in order to avoid all the Filipino chaos, so we drove down to Tukwila tonight after Ardon got off work. Since the opening of Seafood City about a month ago, I've been hearing about how it's so much like being in the Philippines. I had to experience it myself, and just like everyone said... it's just like being in the Philippines! As soon as I walked in, I felt like I was in the Philippines. We arrived at Seafood City at around 8:30pm, and it was poppin like it was in the middle of a sunny Saturday. The place was bursting at the seems with Filipinos pushing carts, carrying around baskets, up and down the aisles, behind the counters, everywhere. Playing on the overhead speakers was a Tagalog ballad by Sharon Cuneta. I saw pan de sal on one end and tsinelas on another end of the store. We exited Seafood City and entered Jollibee and there were WAY MORE FILIPINOS! We were determined to eat. After about 10 minutes in line (which I hear isn't bad), we ordered our meal--spaghetti and chicken joy combo and a peach-mango pie. It was delicious as expected. After we ate, we stopped at the bakery and bought some chicken pan de sal and other pastries that I can't wait to bite into. I'm already looking forward to going back to eat my Yum!

Staying Connected

I haven't been to the Philippines in 4 years--a record for me. I've gone at least once a year from 1993-2006. Every so often Ardon will ask about the Philippines, and we'll talk about it for a little bit. Today he asked me about the indigenous people of the Philippines. I told him about the Igorot people and that they live in the mountains. He asked to see pictures, so I did a little research online and showed him some pictures. I stumbled upon a couple of cool things. I found a photo blog of the Philippines that captures the small parts of the everyday lives of Filipinos. I think it's a fun way to keep up with the Philippines (without having to watch TFC). I also learned interesting factoids about Igorots.

Made out of pine wood, nails, bearings, and hinges, this scooters is powered by gravity and inertia and can travel up to 80 km/hour on a downhill ride. I want one! Unfortunately, they're not available online.

Batek (tribal tattoos) are a symbol of beauty for women and a symbol of strength for men. Some women would walk away from the tattoo process because the pain is excruciating and the swelling would take 2 weeks to heal. Those who chose to not decorate their bodies were considered weak and a bad omen for the community. Over the years, Batek has become a lost art.

Lucky Us

My students and I are so fortunate to be at a school that is located so close to the Puget Sound. Just a couple of blocks west of Gatewood is nestled a little wonderful place called Lowman Beach. At the beginning of the year, the students submit their walking field trip permission slips which is good for the whole year. So we are free to walk to the beach whenever we want. We took a little stroll down to the shore at the end of the school day in celebration of a successful first full week of school... And an introduction to our ecosystems science unit that starts on Monday. Maybe we'll just spend the whole science unit at the beach!...
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I Gave In

Ever since I started teaching, I made a vow to myself to not bring my work home with me. Work is work. Home is home. Well, for the first time since my first days as a teacher, I brought my work home. It's a Sunday evening and I'm sitting at my dining table reading over tomorrow's lessons, grading papers, and making labels. It had to be done. I will not let this become a habit. Oh, if only teachers got paid for overtime...
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Mic Test One Two.

Testing out the new mobile blogger method. Maybe this will help me to update this more often.
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In a Year and Four Months. . .

I know it's been quite some time since my last post--a year and 4 months to be exact. Lots has happened since that post. I'll do my best to cover all the highlights in chronological order, and I'll do my even better to keep up with this blog more often.

• Tin and Michael got pregnant and had a boy named Xavier who is now 7 months old. He's such a chill baby and so easy for anyone to babysit because he NEVER cries! Click here if you want to meet him!
  

• Mar and Vince got pregnant and had a boy named Roman who is now 3 months old. He's my little peanut. He is Mar and Vince's chill one so far. Isaac is almost 4 now and Mia is 2. Click here if you want to catch up with their growing family.
  

• Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's and we're all doing the best we can to help her keep her spirits high and keep her moving and healthy. Being around the grandchildren is a great remedy.

• The cousins brought camping back in the summer of 09 after almost a 10 year hiatus. We set up camp at Twin Harbors along the Pacific coast right here in WA. So much fun!

• Mom, Dad, Mar, Tin, all the children, significant others, Ardon, and I all took a trip to Seaside, OR. It was fabulous. We hadn't taken a road trip, just us, in a long time. Nor had we been to Seaside in a while. It was a great little getaway. Ardon and I got a little glimpse of some of the woes of parenting--waking up in the middle of the night to hungry babies, and rising super early to the pitter-patter of little feet.
  

• Teaching has been a whirlwind. During the 2009-2010 school year, I switched back to teaming with Donna and Mason. I taught straight first grade, and my students were my golden group. Best group I've ever had.
  

• My college friends and I started a monthly Happy Hour. There are 4 of us that meet up every month, and each of us takes turns in picking a place to meet each month. All the places we've been to so far have been pretty awesome. Seattle is filled with great food.

• At the end of '09-'10 school year, the principal emailed the staff and asked if anyone was interested in teaching 4th and 5th grade multi-aged. I replied and expressed interest. I didn't hear anything back. A month later, went to a staff meeting and saw my name on the 4th/5th grade roster. It was official.
  

• Ardon and I traveled to Palm Springs for Cousin Cathy's wedding weekend. He met the Gacad side for the first time and we had so much fun.

• The summer of 2010 was full of life-changing events--all so bittersweet.

• In June, I packed up my first grade classroom for the last time.

• In July, I took my last road trip with Mario before he moved to Guam. We packed up, hopped in the car, and grabbed G. We went down to Cali. San Jose first to hang out with Al. Then over to Yuba City to visit Mario's family and pick up Cousin Bobby. Then to Vegas where it was 114 degrees. Then up to San Francisco, and then home to Seattle with Bobby in tow.

• Also in July, Tan left home to begin his adventures serving the country as a private in the US Army. The brother I never had is all grown up now.

• In August, Mario moved to Guam. We've been great friends since first grade and have always been within 10 minutes of each other, from first grade and into adulthood. It's quite the change for both of us.

• In August, my parents sold the Oakbrook house. The house that I was born into. The house I grew up in. The house that EVERYONE knew. The house that was synonymous with Picardal. The house full of so many memories. They bought a one-level house in Bothell, which is really exciting for my parents and the rest of us. They will be close to their grandchildren and Mom can be more independent in navigating her way around the house.

• In August, Grandpa Perfecto had a massive stroke and passed away almost 2 weeks later. It was such a shock, and we were all devastated, but we all felt a little more at peace knowing that he's with Grandma Nory again.
  

• Now, I'm in my first year of teaching 4th/5th grade, and I feel like it's my first year of teaching all over again. So far, so good. Then again, it has only been 3 days.
  

There you have it. Stay tuned for more.