Twin Baby Boys Have A Conversation

I've heard twins have their own secret language. Now I know it's TRUE! Boy(s), do I ever feel sorry for their parents. It's hard enough communicating with kids, speaking the same language. I can't imagine adding a language barrier to the unsolvable cub rearing equation.

For a HILARIOUS subtitled version of the twins' discussion of the Bronx Zoo Cobra, click here. Enjoy.

Kitten Barrel Roll

Besides all the cuddling, the best thing about having two kittens is watching them. They're like free TV!

Surfing Lesson Number 1

Internet, Kelly Slater started out on a boogie board, too. Gio could be on his way to some world surfing titles. Or perhaps he's creating a whole new sport, Yogic Mind Surfing.

Mommy Boots

One day, while out shopping, Gio screams, "Brian D's Mommy has those same boots!"

"Really?" I say.

"Mommy, can I pleeeeeease try them on?" asks Gio. "I don't care if they're girls' boots."

Surfing With Vinny

Created with PicSay on my Droid

I had the best day with Vinny. First, we had a chat with Aura Master Rob Robb. Rob was kind enough to explain to my son, "if you keep engaging with bullies, you will only find yourself in bigger trouble."

Which is pretty much what I said, but it helps to hear it from fun people who aren't your parents, when you're nine, I suppose. Thanks Rob, oh Wise One!

Then Vinny and I picked up some grub at Whole Pay Check, where I almost coughed up my lung, but didn't, thanks to my inhaler.

"Phew."

Next, we hit the beach. We only had boogie boards, as I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my new surf racks. The old surf racks, mysteriously made their way to Goodwill. Or so Hubby thinks. They could be lurking in the garage. Somewhere.

After an hour of boogie boarding, with no booties, I was cold.

"Can we go now?" I ask Vinny.

"No, not yet," says a super stoked Vinny.

"Chatter, chatter, chatter," say my Teeth, in reply.

"Okay, sorry we really have to go now, because the parking meter is going to expire," I say 20 minutes later.

As we're leaving we see our good buddy Noah Greenberg, President Extraordinaire of Carmel Surf Lessons, who was at the beach to give surf lessons to some eager students.

"Hey, I have extra surfboards in the van, you're welcome to use them," offers Noah.

"I'm frozen, but if you want to try riding a surfboard, I'll go back out," I say to Vinny.

"Sure!" shouts Vinny.

We feed the ravenous, snarling parking meter more money, and I put on my hood and gloves. Sadly, I couldn't find my spare pair of hidden booties, in case I ever drive to the beach without my regular pair of booties. Hmpfh.

Finally, we paddle back out. It. Was. So. Fun. Yes, the waves were only knee high. But with Noah's helpful pushing Vinny into a some waves, we were able to ride three or four waves together.

It was awesome! We spent over three hours in the water, on top of the hour and a half I surfed this morning. I hope I can move tomorrow............

But even if I am sore tomorrow, hearing him say, "Surfing was so much fun!" makes it worth enduring a bit of pain.

Left To Their Own Devices.....

"There are doggy labor laws, prohibiting this sort of thing," says Nadia The Dog.

"Mom, will you carry my boogie board," whines Gio at the beach.

Even if he had said, "please," which he didn't, I would have said no.

"You're responsible for your own stuff," I remind him.

"Wah!" he screams.

I ignore him, and the beach-goers glaring staring that say, "you're a mean Mom! Help the poor kid for Peet's Coffee."

Poor kid? More like, poor Mom. However, left to his own devices Gio quickly came up with a solution to his problem.

"He, he, he," laughs Gio, amused by his own cleverness. "I attached the boogie board to Nadia."


Poor Nadia.

Maru The Cat

Who needs cat toys, when there are boxes!

Sugarland On American Idol Tonight!

When I first saw Sugarland was covering Madonna's "Like A Prayer," with Little Big Town, I wasn't sure I'd like it. But I'm happy to report, "I LIKE IT!"

Sugarland is performing on tonight's episode of American Idol Results Show.

"Honey, can you please Tivo and green (save until I erase) American Idol tonight?" I ask.

"Sure," says Hubbby. "Oh wait, I can't there's no room on the DVR."

"It's full, sorry," Hubby says, walking out of the room.

"What?!" I shriek. "Wait. I don't even watch TV. It's your job to make room, pleeeeeease."

I'm pretty sure he doesn't watch TV, either, but I had to say something to keep him from leaving.

"You don't watch TV, well, that explains why there's 32 episodes of Glee then," pokes Hubby.

And if Sugarland gets voted off the show tonight by Bieber-loving teeny-boppers, I am never, ever watching American Idol, again.......

My Fish, Vinny.

Just like the movie My Cousin, Vinny, but with an oceanic backdrop.

Argument For Birth Control

My brain on children.

"We never would of had to deal with any of this if we hadn't had kids," says Hubby.

"That attitude isn't going to help anything, but that's exactly what I was thinking," I confess.

Emerson - Mommy's Nose Is Scary

"Mommy you look pregnant," says Gio tonight laughing. At least, he didn't seem to be afraid of my belly, like Emerson is of his Mommy's nose.

Reading, It Does a Family Good!

Reading, good for the brain, and most importantly good for the parents.

Surfing After Heavy Rain

The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is check the buoys. This morning buoy 42 was ringing it at 19 feet. Holy dolphin!

"The wharf might be big enough for me, but not too big for Vinny," I think to myself.

"Do you want to go surfing?" I ask Vinny around 6:30am.

"Yeah! " says Vinny.

I was beside myself with excitement. Going surfing with my son! It doesn't get better than that.

We ate, packed up our stuff, and headed to the beach.

The waves were smaller than I expected, around knee high. But I didn't mind because I was going surfing with my kid.

"We're out there!" I say.

"Why is the water brown?" asks Vinny.

"Because it rained last night," I say. "Keep your mouth closed, and you'll be fine."

"Eeeeeeeeeeew!" shrieks Vinny. "The water stinks!"

"The water does have a sewer smell to it," I think to myself.

"No way, am I surfing in that brown water," protests Vinny. "You can go out I'll hang out on the beach."

"If you're not surfing here, I'm not either," I say. "It's too small for me. Come on let's just paddle out."

"I can't," says Vinny apologetically.

Ugh.

"Okay, I'll take you home, and then I'll go surf somewhere with bigger waves," I say realizing there would be no changing his mind.

"I want to go surf bigger waves!" says Vinny.

"No way, you're going home," I say.

After dropping Vinny off at home, I went surfing, but it wasn't much of a session. I did get one really good wave, that made it all worth it. I also received a nice welt on my temple because the wind, which was really strong, kickflipped my board into my head.

"Ouch!"

Overall, I would have rather surfed micronic waves with Vinny. But he made a wise and healthy decision not to paddle out after a heavy rainstorm. After all sewer water isn't great for the sinuses. He definitely doesn't get that from me. My surf stoke usually wins over my sensible side......

Hardcore Surfers

"You guys don't want to go to the beach in this stormy weather, do you?" I ask.

"Yeah we want to go surfing!" cheer the boys.

"But it's turbo windy, super cold, and I think it's going to rain," I say in a convincing tone.

"So," they both say in unison. "Let's go surfing."

There's only one person who can be blamed for my kids hardcore surfing attitude. Me.

And honestly, the wind and the cold weren't bad at all. But when the rain squall hit, we all made for the car.

The boys were in wetsuits, not to mention the ocean, and the rain couldn't have made them wetter, no matter how hard it tried. But the dog and I were easy targets, me in my water absorbent clothing, and the dog in her fur, were soaked to the bone.

"That was traumatic," says Vinny afterwards. "But totally worth it."

And it was. Watching my sons play joyfully in the sea, while screaming, "Yahooooooo," is even better than going surfing myself......

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

"Mommy are you Irish?" asks Gio. "Because if you're Irish, that means you're a leprechaun."

And in other leprechaun news:

Little Old Lady Leprechaun

"So Leprechauns wear capes?" I ask Hubby, slightly afraid.

"It looks more like a shawl! " howls Vinny.

Mismatched

"Vinny, you're shoes don't match," I notice one day after school.

"Don't worry," he assures me. "The match is at home."

Well, that's not what I was worried about, but okay thanks. I took him to school that day, and I'm not surprised neither of us noticed his mismatched shoes.

But the next day I was on it, and him.

"No, you cannot wear two different shoes to school," I protest as he's leaving for his kid job.

"Mom, I like these two because they're easy to put on," says Vinny. "Besides, it's fun."

"Wear the matching shoe, now," I growl.

And he did.

Today, however, he snuck off to school without me noticing his shoe rebellion. Yes, we are back at square one, with intentionally unmatching shoes. I guess I'm going to let this one go. They're a close enough match, and if he can live with the embarassment, then so can I.

But I wonder how Vinny would feel if I wore two different shoes.

"I'll take that bet," quips Vinny.

wendysurf!

All photos by Christina "Canada" Riley


Floatin' it!

A few pictures of me doing (surfing) what I love, thanks to my BFF Canada! (Hint: click the pic to make it bigger)


Failed aerial attempt, but at 42, at least I'm still going for it.

California Coast Surf Report

Trestles, looking fun!


I got some photo surf reports from Hubby today. Guess what that means, Internet? Hubby is coming home on the train! My third single parenting stint is coming to a close, phew. I mean I can't wait to see Hubby!

"Trestles looks really fun in that picture you sent me," I say. "How come you said they were anklebiters?"

"No, Trestles wasn't good," says Hubby. "But you know what was going off? The Ranch, and so was Jalama."

Good thing I wasn't on board. Goddess knows I would have flung myself off the train to surf The Ranch.










Rincon

Daylight Saving Time 2011

"What time is it?" I ask. "My watch says it's 7:55 a.m. But the clock says it's 8:55 a.m."

"Well, the clock is radio controlled so it must be right," says Vinny.

"Oh no it must be daylight savings time!" I say. "How am I going to go surfing before you have to be at the party at 11?!"

"I don't know, but I'm going to take a shower!" says Vinny, running faster to the shower than I've ever seen before.

"Did the time change happen?" I text my BFF.

"Yeah, you didn't know, Lol?" she texts.

"No, and now I don't have time to surf," I complain text.

"Haha, ur phone changed tho, right?" she texts.

"Yeah," I grumble text.

Normally I welcome the time change with it's sexy longer days, but today it's cramping my surf style. Somebody make it stop.

My next text is from Hubby.

"So it's 9 o'clock now, right?" Hubby texts.

And so, the time change madness continues.....Happy Spring Forward everyone. :0

Opening Day

Saturday morning and we had to be at the T-Ball field at 8:45 A to the M, for Gio's team pictures and a game.  Or so I thought.

"This is going to be real quick," says Gio's Coach.  "They're only going to play one inning." 

Though the hour and ten minute round trip drive seemed excessive, for one inning of T-Ball, especially with the price of gas hovering at four bucks, I was glad to be done much sooner than I expected. It was like I was getting a "Get Out Of Jail Free," card."

But in my case it's a "Go Surf Right Now Insanity Prevention," card.

"Weeeeeeeeeee!"

California Tsunami Warning

Tsunami watchers.

On the way to school, I thought I'd drive by the beach to check the surf.

"Mom, is it really a good idea to go down to the beach when there's a Tsunami warning?" asks Vinny.

"Are you talking back to me? I ask authoritatively.

"I'm not talking back," says Vinny. "I'm trying to warn you."

"Isn't it kind of stupid to go down to the beach to look at a tsunami?" says Vinny.

"He does have a point," I think to myself. 

And then he went on to elaborate the danger we were in "oh look a tidal wave!   Uh oh, it's dragging me out to sea. Ahhhhhh! Now I'm drowning! This isn't any fun."

After that monologue, I got the point and drove the boys to school. 

Oompa Loompa

I'm not sure what look Gio is going for with this get up, but in my head I can hear the Oompa Loompa's singing, "Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo, I’ve got a perfect puzzle for you. Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-dee."

Kelly Slater Wins 2011 Quik Pro

Kelly Slater has done it again! He's just won the first event of the year of The 2011 World Surfing Tour. This is his career third win at the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks.

The final produced craptacular waves, that even I would hesitate to paddle out in, and I will surf just about anything that swells. Guess that makes me a regular surf slut. Slater was still exciting to watch, even though he never scored above a 6 out of 10.

Taj Burrow, his competitor in the final, on the other hand was painful to watch, though eventually he did pull out a decent score. Without a back up score, however, Burrow was unable to knock Slater off Cloud 9, err 10, no make that Cloud 11.

If it were a surf contest judged on one wave, instead of two, Burrow actually would have won. Burrow's highest wave score of 7.17, trumped Slater's best score of 5.93. Slater beat Burrow by just over one point. Burrow, was so close and yet so far, as usual. Poor bloke.

Taj your time for winning a world surfing title is running out, mate, so get on it!

What's next for the 39 year-old surfing freak of nature? Is the sky the limit? He could just keep getting better and better and, well that's pretty good news for the rest of us aging surfers now isn't?!

Because if Kelly Slater can continue to progress in his surfing, then so can we!

"Woot!"

Slater's Victory Speech.

2011 Roxy Pro Snapper Rocks Final Carissa Moore vs Tyler Wright

Well, if the guys didn't have Kelly Slater, I reckon the women's surfing contest would probably be more exciting to watch than the men's. Right now it's about a tie.......



Though Jordy Smith vs Joel Parkinson was definitely a nail biter. And arguably the best men's heat was Taj Burrow vs Adriano De Souza. Looks like De Souza's shotgun gesture backfired on him.

"What's his problem?" asks Hubby of De Souza after he simulated pointing a gun and firing at Burrow.

"He's a Brazilian surfer," I say. "They're aggronauts."

Who knows maybe, Burrow could finally win a world surfing title if enough competitors egg him on?

"Taj you're such a wanker."

2011 Roxy Pro Snapper Rocks Carissa Moore Wins!

Oh em gee!

I just watched the most exciting contest in the history of professional women's surfing!

The 2011 Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks just crowned it's champion Carissa Moore, who took down fellow shredder Tyler Wright, Owen Wright's sister. The lead went back and forth a few times. It looked like Wright was going to get a perfect score, after coming cleanly out of a screaming barrel. But Moore made a winning tactical move, using her priority snatching the wave out from under Wright's feet, forcing Wright to straighten out on the wave.

"I would have lost if I hadn't taken that wave from you," says Moore, apologetically to Wright on the winner's stand.

Moore's path to victory in the final, was exciting as well. Trailing Sally Fitzgibbons, with 10 seconds to go in her semi final heat, Moore caught a wave, and went ballistic pulling a reverse and a 360.

Women's surfing, right now, is great. But I have a funny feeling it's going to get even better. I will be posting a few of Moore's heats as soon as they're up, so stay tuned.

UPDATED: 10:39 PM 3/7/11

Carissa Moore vs Sally Fitzgibbons Semi Final 2 Roxy Pro Snapper Rocks.

Kelly Slater 11th World Surfing Title

It's Sunday evening.  I'm sitting here with the kittens in my lap, watching Kelly Slater surfing in the third round of the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks in the Land Down Under.  

He's already gotten two nice tube rides, and switched out his board for a fresh one.  The 10x World Champ looks crisp and loose. I know it's early but he looks like he could be on his way to an 11th World Surfing Title.

To watch it The Quik Pro at Snapper Rocks in Australia live now, click the link.

Update 10:30 PM Sunday March 6, 2011.



True, Slater's heat score, 14.93 out of 20, is not the best. But Slater knows better than anyone, there's nothing worse than peaking early, and it's only the third round. As long as his momentum keeps building, and he continues to have "fun," he could take the 2011 Quik Pro.

The Book Thief Markus Zusak

True confession: I haven't read any books lately, because I've been too busy surfing and playing scrabble on my phone. There I said it. I'm addicted to scrabble. I love getting Triple Word with Triple Letter almost as much as surfing, and definitely way more than reading.

"I really need to read a book," I say to myself. "But my bookclub isn't meeting right now, what to do?"

"I've got it!" I say to myself.

Next, I order two copies of The Book Thief, which I hear is riveting.

"Honey, we're going to be in a bookclub together," I say, without asking.

"I have to meet with your bookclub?" he asks nervously.

"No," I say.

Hubby let's out a sigh of relief.

"We're making a new bookclub," I say. "A bookclub of two, just you and me. And we're reading The Book Thief this month."

"Do I ever get to pick the book?" asks Hubby.

"Not if you actually want me to read the book," I answer. "We don't like the same books."

"Okay?" says Hubby.

The next day.

"So have you gotten to the part where the lady spits on the door?" asks Hubby.

"No," I say. "Someone spits on the door? That's weird."

"Well, do you know who Rudy is?" asks Hubby.

"Who is Rudy?" I ask.

"How come I'm further ahead than you?" asks Hubby.

"Um, because you've actually been reading the book today, while I've been playing Scrabble and surfing......."

TGIF

So many books, and so much time to read them. After all the weekend is just getting started............

"Woooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Goldilocks and the Two Kittens

"Somebody's been sleeping in my bed, and THEY'RE still there!" says Goldilocks.

It looks like the kittens are finally getting their revenge on Goldilocks.......who eats the kittens' porridge every chance she gets.

Crazy Train Ozzy Osbourne

"Hey, Ozzy Osbourne must be the husband of the woman who wrote the Magic Treehouse book series," says Vinny.

"Um, no," I say.

"Yes he is," argues Vinny. "Mary Pope Osborne wrote the Magic Treehouse books."

"Well, that's not Ozzy Osbourne's wife, I promise," I say.

"How do you know?" persists Vinny.

"Because Sharon Osbourne is no Mary Pope Osborne," I say.

So I'm thinking to myself, "Leave it to a bookworm to confuse a children's author with a rock star's wife......"

But guess what, Internet?! Sharon Osbourne, music manager extraordinaire is not just a reality TV star turned talk show host. She has authored books including her own autobiography. Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography, has a four out of five star rating on Amazon, and has sold over 2 million copies.

She revitalized Ozzy's career and was ranked the 25th richest woman in Britain on the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List.


What an amazing woman! Phew, I'm getting all hot and bothered here. I feel a girl crush coming on..................

I Love Babies

"Mom, the cats don't like me," whines Gio.  "They always sleep with Vinny. They never sleep with me."

"That's not true, and I have a picture to prove it," I say showing him the picture.  "See,  they love you, too.  Now do you believe me?"

"They do love me!" realizes Gio. "Hey, when did you take that picture?! " asks Gio.