I count when I put things up...

...I start at 1 then to go 10 - and then when I get to 10 - I start back at 1 until everything is where it should be.

I love the Gilmore Girls, Little House on the Prairie, The Cosby Show (before Olivia).

When I sing to Iz, I make my voice have a vibrato so it sounds professional.

If I could eat any food for the rest of my life it would have to be Filipino food.

Just some things about me - blog readers - I figure we should get to know each other better.

But something that few people know about me is that I HATE confrontation.

I don't like confronting people about something that bothers me but I've learned to do so more and more as I get older. I realize that if I don't - then the person that is hurting me, bothering me, or doing something to irk me - will never know and it's not their fault they annoy me, made me cry, bug me.

But, I use my ninja skills when I have to face a potentially awkward situation. I use my sharp tongue, odd sense of humor, sarcasm and quick thinking . I find that if I catch someone off guard - it diffuses the situation or makes the person wholly uncomfortable and then they just go on with their bad selves and leave me be.

When I was 9 months pregnant - I guess I had a sign that said "Please rub, touch, caress my large, rotund, belly." Because I had random strangers put their paws all over my Titanic tummy without batting at eye. I would uncomfortably turn away (and being 9 months pregnant - a quick shift is hard). But one day I had had it. I was done with randoms putting their grubby hands on my belly as if I was a lucky statue before the game. So the poor, unsuspecting stranger, got a bit of my quick thinking....a lady made the normal conversation - how many months, are you nervous...and then she went in for the kill. She started to inch her way towards my belly and I grabbed her hands before she could, looked at her and smiled, put my hands on her stomach (oh - and she wasn't pregnant - a skinny little thing...she needed a cheeseburger or two), and said "wait - me first." Hmm...don't get why she went away so fast...

But fast forward to yesterday. I guess my new sign is "Please touch my child's hands and face - we have insurance - so a doctor visit from your nasty germs will be covered." I thought it was sweet when people would ooh and ahh over Iz. She is a cutie. But, unless I know you - touching her little face is NOT ok! I give the cordial half smile to strangers to acknowledge their existence but it's not meant as in invitation a la AT&T - there is no need to 'reach out and touch someone' - that someone being my Iz. So finally - after a day of randoms touching her face and me feverishly wiping her chubby cheeks with Wet Ones - I had had it. So, when the stranger reached for her hands (which I was ok with but cringing the whole time) and then went for the kill as she said "She has the cutest little face and lips." And went to touch her lips - I looked at Iz and said "BITE HER!" Weirdest thing...the lady turned her cart around and mumbled something about "rude girl..."

Ninja like quick thinking. Works wonders.