1. Thing One who grabs my face vigorously and kisses me (drool and all) when I most need it.
2. Thing Two, who likes to cuddle and hug and strokes my hair at any given moment.
3. Teresa, who knows when I need to scream and run the other way and comes to my rescue with coffee and a great conversation.
4. Strong coffee.
5. Sandra, who checks in on my from time to time to say, I thought of you today and your never forgotten.
6. Uninterrupted bathroom time.
7. Rocio, who brings over Fabian and lets me know that her “married mom” status is not very different from my “single mom” status. We both don’t understand our kid’s tantrum, why we love them so, and how simple a trip to the park can be (or not). Thank you for sharing motherhood and toddler stages with me.
8. Eating hot meal the first time around.
9. Claudia, who delights me with her crazy stories of guys, friends, and sports. You keep me in touch with that side of me I think gets lost in mommy hood.
10. Mail that is not junk mail
11. Mami, who shows me courage, strength, when she is showing signs of aging. Even with aching bones and limited mobility you manage to watch the kids while I shower, come to events, and let the kids climb on you.
12. Coupons on the things I really use
13. Grandpa Big Cheese, for the moments you take my kids out of my hands when we visit and show them the yard, the birds, the cat, take them for a walk, build Thing One Lego buildings, let Thing Two play with your glasses. They learn so much in those brief moments.
14. My blackberry. I have a place to escape, text, watch an episode of Grey’s anatomy I missed, watch a funny video, and just catch up with the rest of the world.
15. Nana Big Cheese, for know EXACTLY what my kids love. Dolls that talk, balloons, microphones, crackers and not candy, juice, books. Oh and remembering them all the time, Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, when they don’t feel good.
16. A place to work and the people that I enjoy doing that with.
17. Uncle Big Cheese, for spoiling my children and keeping them entertained when they are with their daddy. They never stop talking about you!
18. Microsoft, word, excel, PowerPoint, and outlook. Without you my job would be A LOT harder.
19. Mommy Bloggers. I am not the only other insane mom out there, I’ve seen a million out there in blog world!
20. The librarian who doesn’t look at me funny when one of my kids is yelling at the top of their lungs like a wild banshee.
21. Heat and serve nutritious meals.
22. Drive thru's with not so nutritious meals
23. Baby wipes
24. Chayo, who cares for my babies like they are her own grandchildren and lets them do things I wouldn’t. She encourages their free little souls
25. U2, Journey, Pink, KOST, KBIG, KDAY, Jack FM Biggie, Dixie Chicks, and news radio. Thank you for coming along with me on my 605 freeway hell drive every morning and evening.
26. A roof over my head.
27. God answering my prayers
28. God not answering my prayers so that I am able to learn that I can get through ANYTHING.
29. Seat belts and car seats that keep my babies safe as the crazies drive around me.
30. Roadside assistance.
31. Male married friends who remind me that not ALL guys are jerks.
32. Child friendly restaurants.
33. The bad economy. Without you I wouldn’t have pulled my resources together and found out that I am capable of living without a few luxuries, but not without the love of the simple things like food, a roof over my head, a job, my babies, my momma, and time with them and my friends.
34. Free family oriented activities in the community.
35. Dollar Tuesday scoops at Baskin-Robbins
36. My Mami’s friend Maria who takes her to lunch once a week and listens to her when I can’t because of my time constraints between the kids and my job.
37. Higher education
38. Street savvy
39. Emotional intelligence
40. 24-hour Super Wal-Mart. Yes people need diapers and beer at 2 am!
41. My sister Chica who checks on me and asks how I’m coping with being single, the kids, and the mom.
42. Mc Donald’s Happy Meal toys that travel in the car.
43. Text messages. Because the moment I pick up the phone one of the kids start screaming out MOMMA!!! So much easier to actually communicate with adults.
44. Music that makes me nostalgic
45. Nick Jr. and Sprout channel. Because without you I wouldn’t be able to cook a meal, lock myself in a bathroom, read a book or blog. I don’t care if that makes me a bad mom, it helps me maintain my sanity! LOL
46. Movies that don’t involve a singing cartoon.
47. Disney Movies
48. Downey wrinkle releaser.
49. Gigi my hairdresser. Who lets me invent and re-invent myself with the blink of an eye and does a fabulous job.
50. My niece Little Chica and her fabulous hubby Big Phil. You set the bar high when it comes to marriages.
51. Tears. It lets me know I’m human.
52. Gymboree. Without you I wouldn’t have an amazing group of people that I like to call my extended family on Saturdays. We have watched our kids grow together, bond as friends, and we have learned parenting along the way and made friend with each other.
53. Birthday venues that take care of everything, just show up.
54. Under-eye cover up.
55. Teacher Kristen at Gymboree (Christmas as Thing One likes to call you) – for encouraging and teaching my kids how not to be afraid to climb up or down a big structure. Now they won’t stop climbing! LOL
56. Red flyer wagon that take me and my kids on new walking adventures.
57. My put-put. Your old, but paid off and you get me and the kids where we need to go.
58. Sunday “Snapped” marathons. (Again, I’m not the crazy one, THEY are!)
59. Cranberry vanilla bagels from Panera bread.
60. Free Wi-Fi
61. Pandora radio. Where else can someone who likes random music categories go to?
62. Juice boxes and Goldfish crackers
63. Dollar tree treasures.
64. Family from Mexico City that reminds me where my roots were and are.
65. Homemade Ecuadorian meals from mom. They just warm my soul.
66. The right to vote.
67. Taquitos from Olvera Street.
68. Washable Crayons, paints, and markers. Otherwise we would go through a lot of ruined clothes
69. Consignment shops
70. Diapers on SALE
71. Accurate reports that are actually accurate at work.
72. Making cupcakes with the kids. Messy, yes! Still it makes them think we are celebrating something when we make them. Thing One : “who birfday?”
73. YouTube
74. Google maps, Google, Bing
75. My classic favorite books that now my kids enjoy.
76. Potlucks at work.
77. JcPenney photography in Arcadia, CA. You capture my kids personality and create memories
78. My digital camera. To capture randomness in our daily lives.
79. Swim classes in the summer that both Marcus and Lilli love.
80. Sticky notes
81. The memory of my dad parenting me. He gave me a good basis of what I wanted to be for my kids.
82. Meetings that actually mean something to me.
83. Cougar Town. I need to laugh sometimes
84. Turning 39. Just old enough to remember my youth and remind me of how much of grown.
85. Being the oldest mom on the playground but not acting like it.
86. Sleeping past 4:30 am on most weekends.
87. Cheerios. It’s a snack, a breakfast, and can be incorporated into any art project.
88. C-Dawg who every time we talk, wishes she could be here for me the way I was there for her and Maile. Just saying that warms my heart. I know she would, if it were not for the distance.
89. Tide stain removers, Oxiclean, and scrub brushes.
90. Semi-legible handwriting to decipher my meeting notes.
91. Digital archives
92. Little Cheese and Cheeto. Thanks for being great examples for your brother and sister.
93. Flashlights that help me find a doll, Spiderman, or pacifier that has fallen in the middle of the night, without turning on the light and making all hell breaks loose.
94. People who actually hold doors, say bless you, let you into their lane when your turn signal is on.
95. People in the service who sacrifice time and families for this country.
96. Breast cancer advancements
97. Sunglasses that hide my bags, the sun, relieve my migraines, make me look made up, when I’m not.
98. Black Friday and Cyber Mondays.
99. Facial powder and lip gloss.
100. Last but not least. Big Cheese, the kid’s dad. Even though we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, our kids love you. Thing One loves that you play the “ewww” food game with him, and spider man webs. Thing Two loves to wear your hats and get away with murder when she bats her eyes at you. I know that at least we can try to parent our children the best way we can.
THANKS AND LOVE EVERYONE!
