Radical Chicana

My husband works in downtown Los Angeles for a non profit organization that works for a variety of causes for blue collar workers. One of the movements is called Justice for Janitors. Recently my husband came home from work with a very special gift for baby girl. A children's book called "Si Se Puede" autographed by the author, Diana Cohn. This children's book is a story about a young boy who is very proud of his mother who is a janitor.

My husband tried his best to explain to baby girl how special this book is.
Hubby: Mija, this is a very special book. You have to take very good care of it.

I chime in:
Me: Yes mija, you can't write . . .or color on this book . . . or wrinkle the pages. You have to take very good care of it.

My Hubby continues: . . . If you take really good care of this book,. . . when you get older, you can give this book to your children.

Baby girl looks up with her eyes as big as I have ever seen them and answers back:

. . . . But Papi. . .I don't want kids!


Sorry Papi, this little Radical Chicana is already challenging your assumption that she is supposed to grow up and bare children . . .Si se puede! ♥

Conversations in the Car

So today was the first day of school for baby girl and big sis. After work, I make my rounds to pick up baby girl and big sis from school. On our short ride home, I get all the juicy 8th grade and 2nd grade gossip. . . Apparently, there are already cougars in the 8th grade. . . There is a girl in the 8th grade who likes dating 6th graders! ♥

Why I'm late for work

I'm really sorry I'm late for work. . .I actually got to work on time but I've been sitting in my car in the parking lot, plucking out the grey hairs that I just spotted when I looked in my rear view mirror. ♥

Detention Lady

While chatting with my daughters recently, they both became rather inquisitive about my job. I assumed they knew where I work since I have spent my entire career in the same field, but to my surprise, they had no idea what I do.

Big Sis: Mom, . . . so, where do you work again? Oxnard or Ventura?
Me: . . . I work in Ventura sweetie. . . that's why they call it Ventura College. . .cuz it's in Ventura.
Big Sis: . . . Ohhhhhh!

Baby Girl: But, I don't understand. . . what is it that you do at your job mom?
Big Sis tries to explain: Mom works at a college. . . kinda like your school.

Me: I work at Ventura College . . .I administer financial aid.

Now both look confused and I quickly realize why this seems like such a foreign concept to them:

1. My daughters have never experienced college and
2. My daughters have no concept of finances

Finally, baby girl looks at me as though the light bulb just went off in her head:

Baby Girl: Oh, I get it!. . . So are you like the detention lady?
Me: Yeah!. . . . Something like that. ♥