Best of 2006- TV

Surprise, surprise TV is big in our house. This year there were a few shows that we really got into. We enjoyed our usual Miami Ink and some Dog the Bounty Hunter. But the entire family went a little crazy for this years season of American Idol. Joey or I had never really seen the show too much before, but this time we watched every single episode. And this was before our TiVo days. If you have been reading this blog for awhile then you know how bad we got into this show. And we were Taylor Hicks fans all the way.

I really was into a few shows this year. Lost, The George Lopez Show, Oprah, Days of Ours Lives (been watching that since high school thanks to Sam!), reruns of Reba, a TLC show called Surviving Motherhood, but my favorite show of this year has to be Ugly Betty. When I began to hear talk about a show that Selma Hyack was doing I knew I would be interested. I love Selma! I want to be Selma! I fell in love with the show. It is funny and smart and the man who plays Daniel Mead is one hot man ( my fondness of white guys goes w-a-y back )

Joey has spent countless hours watching HGTV (I wont tell you what I think HG stands for). Yet despite the thousands of home make over shows he has watched it has yet inspired him to do one thing around the house. Strange.

To balance his masculinity out he also watches a lot of biker build-off, orange county choppers, and other motorcycle shows. See my husband really really wants his own motorcycle. And I really wish I could get him one. I could totally see him on a hog with the little black helmet and his massive goatee flapping in the wind. Maybe one day.

I read something a while back that said that kids should not be exposed to television until 2 years old. When I got back up off the floor and wiped my tears from laughter I realized that I would not have survived the last year with The Phi without TV. Her favorite shows are Curious George, Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, and Blues Clues. I think out of these my favorite is Blues Clues. It is a pretty good show and Joey and I have discussed in length who is the better host, Steve or Joe. Joe hands down is the better host. Did you know that "Joe" is a 28 year old who was born in Guam.

Well this is the last post for 2006. We are celebrating the new year here in SB with my sisters and some family. We plan to eat, drink, play poker, and just hang out and make it a mellow affair with a small group of good peeps! We are hoping and praying that 2007 brings us back together and this commute thing is over soon. We hope it brings us back to Ventura County and we all stay healthy and happy. Hope you all celebrate safely and I hope 2007 rocks for all y'all.

Christmas 2006

So here is the recap of our Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve (like every Xmas eve of my life!) and my Nana & Tata's house. The Phi wore a Christmas dress that her Grandma Kim bought for her.

I know. I can't stand the cuteness either.

From the moment we got to my grandparents people were giving The Phi gifts to open.

Here is Lili with Big Nana completely overwhelmed by her first Christmas

Felix realizing that his mother his crazy.

The Phi with Santa. She was a bit freaked out, but my little trooper didn't cry!

The festivites lasted until well after midnight and with about 50+ people crammed into a small house I was so ready to go home. As so was The Phi.

Christmas Morning!!





The Phi and Chone exchanging gifts. Notice the nice new chair Santa brought for The Phi!

Guess Punk Rock Dad was good this year because he got the alarm clock he asked for





Ouie opening the twins new Kings hats!

Elaine with her new Kings book. We all got books this year, with bookmarks of $$$!!!

Chone with her American Girl Doll designed to look like her.

What to get the man with everything? A new rifle! (my Dad hunts)

And booze! Great combo Mom!

And soon the bubble wrap was flying and Xmas morning was over.

But Xmas was not done for The Phi. We then headed out to Joey's grandparents house where she loaded up on even more toys. The kid made out like a bandit! We hope that your Christmas was filled with as much good times as ours was!

PRP Best of 2006- Comida!

Comida (food!)

We had some favorite foods of 2006. The Phi went from baby food jars, to eating almost everything we do. (minus the eggs, nuts and bananas of course!) She has become a picky eater and these days will only consume, pastas, fruit, chicken nuggets, crackers and french fries. While on our Hawaiian vacation Joey and I found some great foods. His favorite is the kahlua pork and mine is the moco loco. Made with rice, a hamburger patty, an egg, cabbage and brown gravy. It is so good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We were lucky to find a pretty good Hawaiian place here that can satisfy my Moco-loco cravings. Of course it is not as good as the ones in Hawaii, but I think the fact that I was overlooking Waikiki beach at the time had something to do with that

While at a mall in Hawaii (yes we even went to a mall on our honeymoon!) we stopped at the food court for some manapua. So freakin' good and impossible to find in my neighborhood. I have yet to have another tastey doughy ball of pork goodness since my Hawaii adventure, but 2007 will be the year of some serious manapua hunting.

Joey was obssessed with sushi this year. When we first started dating I was shocked to know that Joey had never had sushi. So we were on a mission to have some but everytime we went to a sushi restaurant they were closed. Seriously like 3 or 4 different places and times! It was like the sushi gods were against him. He fianlly tried it at a dive place in Walnut while visitng the Bumia crew and he has not had enough since. I swear he craves it constantly.

123 Xmas Style

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Three
Appetizer

What is one of your Christmas traditions?

Every Xmas Eve my whole family gets together at my grandparents house. Even though that house is W-A-Y too small to fit us all anymore. We are at almost 70 people now. We cram into this house and it gets way too hot and everyone is eating tamales, hanging out with family, laughing and talking. And without fail every year Santa finds us about 10 pm and has presents for all the kids. Then when the clock stricks midnight we all hug and kiss and exchange gifts. I cannot imagine Xmas any other way.

Soup

Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for?

Oh man. I guess our secret santa gifts were the easiest because of the website I put up where everyone put up their wish list.

Salad

What is your favorite Christmas scent?

I love the small of Xmas trees. We have a fake tree in our house so our Xmas tree smell comes from a can. :(

Main Course

If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift, who would it be and what would you give them?

I would give Suvii confidence and a mirror that would tell her every day that she is a beautiful strong Latina woman. So that she never ever forgets that!

Dessert

What's something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)?

$$ this commuting this is killing us!

Xmas #1

We had Grandma Kim (Joey's Mom) over for dinner last night so that we could spend some Christmas time together and exchange gifts. The Phi was super spoiled by Grandma this year!!

Here is The Phi with her new pig flashlight. When you squeeze the handle it 'oinks', the mouth opens and there is a light inside. Notice on the right is a Backyardigans cup. It has a sports bottle top and the bottom screws off to put in snacks. It goes with her Backyardigans plate set from Grandma. She even got a new baby doll.

Here is Joey opening up our family gift. ( a flashlight that never needs batteries or a new bulb!) He is showing me that there is no L in Noel. Joey and I also got super soft and cuddly robes.

Even Roo got a gift bag from Gidget (Gma Kim's doggie!)

And the greatest gift of all!!

A Hello Kitty tent! The Phi LOVED this gift. She started putting her dolls inside and even put her car in there for awhile. This thing is huge and after we put it up. (which was surprisingly easy!) She ran in and would look at us out of the windows screaming!

PRP's Best of 2006- La Musica!

Music


well 2005 was the year that I realized how much I liked Weezer, but 2006 was all about The Killers. Just like weezer they just kept coming out was some great songs and after "When You Were Young" had been on the radio for while and then "Bones" came out I knew that I was a fan. The killer formed in 2002 in their home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. With 4 members they released Hot Fuss in 2004. Their sophomore album Sam's Town was released this October.

The big surprise for me this year was JT. Talk about bringing sexy back. JT brought it! This song was stuck in my head all year long. It even made it to my ringtone. At one point me and my sisters all had this as our ringtone. Yea, it got confusing when we were all together and a phone rang! Then "My Love" dropped and that was just as good. Even his new single "what goes around comes around" is great. Now since my NKOTB era (1989-1991) I have always had a soft spot for the boy bands.

Joey was excited for the +44 album to come out. We are all aware of his man-crush on Travis Barker. The first single was very Blink-182-esque. After the sudden break-up of one of the best pop-punk band of my generation when Tom left the band. Mark and Travis stayed together and developed the band +44. Named after a European phone code, the album just came out and so far we have liked everything we have heard. Despite a fractured arm, Travis has been kicking ass on drums and Mark has always been one of my favorite voices to listen to, even if its about farts and prank phone call.

On The Phi music front there are 2 cd's that were on permanent rotation in her boom box. (Yes of course my Punk Rock Kid has her own boom box. duh?) The Curious George Soundtrack by Jack Johnson & Friends is still what she falls asleep to every night. With its upbeat kid-friendly and even good lessons lyrics it has been a family favorite. It is a great album and perfect for bedtime. It even has a track called Lullaby. We were not the only ones to like this album. It was the first movie soundtrack since Bad Boys to top the music charts. It was released in February and sold over 149,000 copies!

Thanks to Nino JZ and reinforced by our trip to Oahu we have fallen in love with the ukulele and surprisingly soft voice of Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole other wise known as IZ. Best known for his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (think Rice Krispies commericals) this CD is filled with fun fast songs, some slow romantic songs, and even songs in Hawaiian. While on our honeymoon we heard IZ music everywhere. The moment this CD comes on, The Phi's little body starts moving. She has her very own little hula dance that she does when she hears that ukulele go.

Scaredy Cat

I am a chicken. Dogs barking and creaking and moaning of the house and furniture at night scare me when I am home alone. And I am home alone alot. I have never lived alone. I lived with my Mom and my burly manly Dad who I know would have not hesitated to shot anyone who tried to hurt any of us. When I first moved out of my parent house I lived in university owned apartments with Crissy and 2 other girls. With 4 hunky Latino men directly upstairs. Good to look at and good for security. Then when Crissy and I moved off campus I wasn't scared because we lived in a big complex and well Crissy always has a plan. Then I lived with my ex-husband and then back to my parents and then with Joey. But now I am home alone with The Phi about 3-5 days a week. Last night Roo got up about 3 am and ran outside to the side of the house where our rooms are and barked and barked for about 20 minutes. The sensor light the neighbors have went on and I freaked out. I checked on The Phi about 3,467 times and I walked around the house. I was convinced that someone was trying to break into the house. Convinced that someone was under the house and trying to find their way in. Needless to say I got about 4 hours of sleep. I laid there listening to every single little sound amplified in my mind X 1000. Roo's stomach digesting made me jump. I laid there and tried to figure out what would I do if someone did break in. Do I grab The Phi and lock ourselves in my room or make a dash out the front door. I even had my phone open and the 9 already dialed just in case. In my half sleep I was panicked. So as you can imagine today I am tired.

Punk Rock Parents Year in Review

Here is a recap of our world in 2006, Punk Rock Parents Style.....

January- The wedding plans started moving at light speed. We went dress shopping with Ouie and Rosie, we found the location and set the date. The Phi came down with a cold. We reviewed how much The Phi looks like her Dad, complete with Baby Picture of Punk Rock Dad. Boo went skiing. The Phi started saying "Dada" and hasn't stopped. I had a strange dream about Vince. I completed my life mission of finding a coconut latte (thanks Java Jones). My sister announced that she was pregnant. We had a great Super Bowl Sunday with Tommyma the big wiener! We took The Phi to the zoo for the first time. Rosie was a super star and came to visit and watch The Phi for an evening.

February- Joey began his battle with Iritis. We booked the honeymoon and I stressed over how many days to spend in Hawaii. There was an impostor of Roo in my neighborhood. My precious wrecked Neon was sold for a mere $300. Phi came down with the flu. The Phi fell in love with Curious George (they are still going strong). The Phi got a second tooth. We spent an entire day working on Punk Rock Dads Valentines Day gift. J-Dub announces she is pregnant! We stalked the Target for the Curious George Movie Soundtrack CD.

March- Phi started crawling and we spoiled her with a "Know your Name Elmo". I explored my driving paranoia. I revisited some great childhood memories with the Sweet Pickles gang. We tossed all our baby bottles and The Phi moved on to the sippy cup. It was so cold there was some snow in our yard. After calling Punk Rock Dad out on an empty threat we ended up celebrating St Patty's Day at Hooters. Phi begins eating real food. My sister finds out that she is having TWINS!! Taylor Hicks-mania begins in our house.

April- Phi gets sick with an ear infection. Kelly Mae is born. Punk Rock Dad asked that I blog about Niko Niko Sushi. The Phi can't keep her shoes or socks on anywhere. Even in public. I explore my Gardner guilt. I confess my Curves membership and then mess up my ankles. Phi loses the demons and gets baptized. I got some cool old family photos. The big boycott happened and I debate how much TV is too much TV for The Phi.

May- We took The Phi on her first park adventure. The Phi starts standing. My bathroom gets a bit cooler with a new shower curtain. I give some much deserved props to my sister. The Phi celebrates her 1st birthday with a Curious George party. Punk Rock Dad turns 33. The family enjoys a 4-D ultrasound of the twins. We encounter bullies in a waiting room. Taylor Hicks wins American Idol. The Phi gains a new friend when The Creep pillow joins our family. The Phi begins riding front way in the car and drinking real milk.

June- Video hits PRP with The Phi's dinner conversation. I start having honeymoon jitters. Good times with a bachlorette party with fondue and drinking. Bridal shower with family. The Phi gets pink eye. I marry the love of my life on a perfect June day on a beautiful beach with all our friends and family helping us celebrate.

July- Recap of the wedding and the honeymoon complete with pictures. Review of The Phi's week with Nana and Tata. We have a big baby shower for Ouie & Luis. Phi starts walking and then almost immediately starts climbing in things. We expose The Phi to some Mexican art at the Palm Springs Art Museum. I remember the rabbit in the moon. My dad celebrates his b-day with a coconut bra. Rosie comes back from a south american adventure with the coolest sweater for The Phi.

August- Punk Rock Dad is Juror #7. I showed the world why Roo is sometimes called Fried Chicken. The Phi starts with the temper tantrums, but does is super cool with rock star p.j's. The Phi sees an allergist. We finally see a movie at the drive-in. I remember the Sweet Valley Twin book series. Felix and Lili enter the world. The Chone turns 7 and I learn to never let The Phi have a build-a-bear party. The Phi is scared of the new babies and runs away from them. The house goes on the market.

September- Punk Rock Dad starts a job in VC. My Mom celebrates her b-day with a family trip to Solvang. The Phi does her first Meme. We spend an entire day at the LA County Fair. I did a tribute for a victim of 9/11. I discover my plumbing skills. We take a trip out to SD where the Phi and Dad explored Balboa park while Mom got drunk from some good wine. We visited Chicano Park and the Garcia boys. Nina Patty has a b-day. We learned that Dad has too much time on his hands on his days off. We begin our campaign to raise $ for diabetes research. Elaine turns 21! We find out what The Phi is allergic to.

October- Big Nana has a b-day. We see what the girls do at work. I can't take a good pic of The Phi, but my aunt can. I sprout a grey hair. We eat avocado ice cream after a walk on the beach. We participate in the Diabetes Walk. My kid gets bigger and bigger everyday. I get a bad bad bad haircut. Frida lives in our backyard. Things start to get rough but Weird Al helps. Chone starts a blog. The Phi refuses to eat and the fires get close to our house. I turn 29! and my sister and Luis ask us to be Lili's godparents. The Phi is Dorothy for Halloween. Punk Rock Parents turns 1!

November- Gabriel Jr wins the race. The Phi laughs at Mr. Noodle. The Phi gets the flu all over me. Peanut Butter Jelly Time invades our house. Car troubles. We go to Simi's wedding and have a blast. Gpa Bobo and Uncle Matty get older. Punk Rock Dad becomes the manager. We spend Thanksgiving with family and The Phi looks girly. Leash or not? The Phi celebrates her half birthday.

December- The Phi is bored at the Auto show. Nina Patty becomes Professor Nina Patty. We feast. The Phi sends her email to Santa. I find some new hot guys to drool over. La Virgen has her day. We do our Xmas shopping and Phi enjoys trees and light.

2007 has been an amazing year for us. We have had some wonderful time and I am so glad that we have been able to share it with all y'all.

The Light in Her Eyes

They say that when you have kids that you see the world differently. You start to see things through their eyes. Well this Xmas season I have experienced this for myself. The Phi is learning new words everyday and one of her favorites is "lights". With all the houses decorated for the holidays all car rides are an exciting experience for her. I find myself crusing side streets and taking the long long long way home so that she can see some lights. On saturday Punk Rock Dad and I took her to a street that goes all out for Xmas. Even thought it was cold and rainy we still walked it so that The Phi could get the full effect.

Good thing she had this new hat Nana bought her. It was super cold.

This was her favorite. I love how the mailbox is mailbox from Blues Clues.

And we call this..Dinner at Nana's house. A pint of Ben and Jerry's

Xmas Shopping with The Phi

The Phi's hair is officially out of control. While Punk Rock Dad was home last week we did our Xmas shopping. He was in charge of getting The Phi ready for the shopping trip and there was nothing he could do qith her hair. So this is what she looked like when we left.

I know I am her Mom and totally biased, but this is one cute ass kid.

We went out to the outlet mall one night and we walked the entire thing. This is how we keep The Phi entertained. She was great the entire time and we even finished all our shopping!

122

Feast One Hundred and Twenty Two
Appetizer

What was your very first job with a paycheck?

The first job I ever had was at Ultima Image Salon. I worked about 15 hours a week for probably minimum wage. It was a fun job and I learned about about hair products and hair color.

Soup

Did you ever lose something really important to you?

Back when my first marriage was falling apart I lost my wedding ring. I wasn't wearing it anymore and I am pretty sure that it fell down the toilet (oh the symbolism)

Salad

What is the best Christmas present you ever received?

I have had some good ones over the years but maybe because it was so recent, my gift from Joey last year was one of the best. It was such a surprise. I had no idea and I love it. I wore the necklace on my wedding day.

Main Course

Tell about a favorite "hang out" place for you and your friends when you were in high school.

What I remember most was the bagel shop in Moorpark. I remember that us girls would get off campus as fast as we could to get there to be able to get the pizza bagels. If the guys got there before we did they would not be enough for us. We also once bought and ate a ice cream pie after finals.

Dessert

Name something that always brings a smile to your face.

The Phi can always make me smile. That kid is HI-larious.

On your day

I have spent many hours researching, reading and writing about you. And many have come to the conclusion that you are a fraud. That your apparition never actually happened and you were just a big ploy by the Spanish to trick the gullible natives to convert to Catholicism. The height of this controversy came about when Juan Diego was proclaimed a saint. Some believed that a man who may or may not existed, who may or may not have witnessed a miracle should not become a saint. Well I have debated these ideas in my head for years, but I have concluded that whether or not you really appeared on Tepeyac hill on that December day over 400 years ago is not one bit relevant. It does not matter. At all. You, and the belief in you has grown to much much more and it doesn't matter if it really happened, because you are real. You are real in the hearts of millions and that is all that matters. You give people strength when they are weak and guidance to help them find their way. You are a constant in the lives of people all over the world. And with your new found crossover popularity you are being introduced to a whole new audience. Man you are like the new J.Lo! Little punk rock kids all over the world are wearing you on shirts and tattooing you on their bodies. Look all around you are more real now than you ever were. And not a day goes by that you are not the strength for my family. Please enjoy your day, enjoy the songs, the flowers and the candles. It is the least we can do.

With a Rebel Yell

Something to help keep you warm during this cold December...

I have never been a big Wilmer Valderama fan. I mean besides the whole " yea i support my fellow latino" kind of way. But The Phi has been watching his new Disney cartoon called Handy Manny. Wilmer does the voice for the main character who is a handy man who owns his own fix it shop along with his talking tools. And it is a latino character who speaks in Spanglish, who is super friendly and polite and it has given me a bit of a crush on Mr. Wilmer.

Now if you have ever been in the car with my Mom than you had heard an Il Divo cd. I never thought much of these guys but they were on Oprah the other day. And you know that if Oprah likes them, then I have to like them. They were performing and it was the first time that I had ever really seen what these guys look like. Well one of them is really hot....

His name is Sebastein Izambard and word around the Internet is that he was once a pop musician in France before he became 1/4 of Il Divo. Lets say that I have a new appreciation for opera music and I completely understand my Moms obsession with these guys!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

Well here is my second letter to you. So this year has been so much different than last year. I mean last year I was barely crawling, so of course with all the walking and running it has been easier to get myself into a little trouble, but you gotta understand Santa, I am an independent Chicana woman who needs to discover the world on my own terms. And discover I have! But even with all the exploring and all the learning I have been pretty good. I mean my parents put in the car for hours and hours at a time and I am good about 85% of the time! Well Santa I have pleaded my case. There is not much that I want for Xmas this year. All I really want is to see my Dad more. I want him to come home so that we can lay in bed and watch cartoons together everyday. I guess some new clothes and new toys and books wouldn't be too bad either! Well hope your year was as fun as mine was. It was great to see you again! See you next year and don't forget to find me on Christmas at my Nana and Tata's house!

Peace Out! Rock On!

The Phi

Friday Feast 121

Feast One Hundred & Twenty One

Appetizer

Which language would you like to learn and why?

This one is easy. I would love to learn Spanish correctly and completely. Then I could read great Mexican authors and even watch those crazy spanish novelas! And people would stop looking at me with great disappointment when I say "no hablo espanol".

Soup

What's the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week?

I read this article about a Mom who had her 12 year old son arrested for opening his Xmas gifts early. Pretty funny stuff. Can you imagine being the cop called to that scene.

Salad

Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing?

I have tried watching this movie twice and both times I could not get through it. The Matrix. I know there are people out there who LOVE this movie, but I just could not get through it.

Main Course

If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name, what would the day be called?

Hmmm. It would be called National Chicana Appreciation Day. People would wear brown and walk around reading Sandra Cisneros books and hugging any Chicana they see and people would give cards expressing appreciation for all the hard work they do.

Dessert

Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see.

I was talking to Tommyma the other day and he mentioned that he wanted to see Apacolypto, the new Mel Gibson movie. I had no interest until I saw a preview. The movie is nothing like I thought it would be. I thought it was an action, war or the worlds, type. And it is an action film but based on the end of the Mayan civilization. I have taken many a classes on the Mayan civiliation and now I am interested in Mel Gibson's point of view on this.

Sorry for the lack of posts peeps. I have been in a funk. Kind of depressed and sad. Finding it hard to get out of bed every single morning. But Joey is home until tomorrow so I am feeling much better and today we are taking The Phi out to see Santa. I am anxious to see how she reacts this year. Last year she was all smiles, lets see if her and the man in red get along this time around.

Somewhere Down in Fullerton

I am so excited to share this great news with everyone. My cousin Patty (The Phi's god-mother) was just offered a postion at Cal State Fullerton as an Assistant Professor in the Chicano/a Studies Department. It's a dream job! Before 30 she has landed a teaching job at a university. Go Patty. So what should The Phi call you? Professor Dr. Nina???

In that morning daze

This morning as I was just starting to wake up and I could hear the beautiful sounds of waves crashing on the shore. I know that sound well and it is the most peacuful and calming sound in the world. I inhaled deeply waiting for that the salt air to hit my nose. As I began to become more alert I realized that it was just gusts of wind whipping through the tree in the front yard. Bummer.

LA Auto Show

Okay guys are we seriously here just to look at cars??

New Concept Camero.

The water interested her.

This is what Ouie will be driving if she has anymore kids. Seats 15!!

As close as I am ever going to get to actually having one!

My manly man in a manly car.

Me being girly in a manly car.

New concept Mustang

The Step Van from Honda. We both really liked this, but I said that I would have an uncontrollable urge to sell ice cream out of it.

Ssssoooo B-o-r-e-d!!

I had many great opportunities to get some shots of Joey's tiny butt.

I have mentioned Joey's man-cruch on Travis barker, so you can imagine how excited he was to see Travis' car there.

34 inch rims. WHY? WHY? WHY?

RE-diculious

Seriously guys, get me out of here before I lose it!!