The Unperfect Mom

The Joys of Being an Old Married Couple

2011-05-24T04:56:00.002-06:00

Mr. Bennet to Mrs. Bennet, "You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least." (Pride and Prejudice)

I am reading some classics in literature trying to play catch up for this next year of student teaching in a high school. I have seen the movie "Pride and Prejudice" but have never bothered to read the book. May I say that there is some delightfully funny one liners written throughout the story, especially from Mr. Bennet. As a woman who has now been married twenty years I can completely relate to the idea of being very familiar with those persistent complaints that come up, that to the spouse who is listening, are suppose to sound brand new. I wish I could throw out some witty comment like that above and have my man be oblivious to the sarcastic nature, but at last we have been married to long and he completely understands all my sarcastic helpful ideas.

Sunday Movies

2011-05-22T08:10:00.000-06:00

I have a one good and one bad. Wait, not bad, horrible. Wait, what's worst than horrible? Let;s start with the surprisingly good.

Easy A

This movie falls under the teen comedy slash romance. Now right away I am feeling a bit queasy about watching a teen film. At 45 I have decided that I tend to not find too many things funny that say a 14 year old would. But it's on instant viewing (NetFlix) and the family takes a vote, Easy A it is. Short plot summary: Girl starts rumor she slept with someone, rumor spreads, until the rumor becomes her life, good and bad. I think that sums it up. So what makes this movie so great? It is laugh out loud funny. Emma Stone could tell me her grocery list and I think I would be laughing. Her parents, played by Patricia Clarkson and Stan Tucci, are laugh out loud, stand up because laughing gave you cramps, funny. This is a PG-13 movie and it works perfectly. There is no sex, though there is some sex talk but nothing crude. My husband even had to sit up (he was lying down) because he laughed so hard. What I'm trying to say is this movie is good clean fun and my entire family was gratefully surprised.

No Strings Attached

I don't think I'm a prude, I just don't want to have sex hurtled at me for 1 hour and 50 minutes. And that is what No Strings Attached does. For almost two hours you are given nothing more than sex, sex in various places, sex in various positions, just sex. What the director wants you to believe is that these two people who like having sex together, all the time, will eventually fall in love, because after all that is what sex does to people right? This movie is rated R and believe it or not I would say it is more for the dialogue than the sex scenes. This is a raunchy movie, every organ is publicly discussed, rated and inspected. This movie works best when they stopped pushing the sex, then there were small moments of comedy. I found this movie offensive after a while. Not all American women are soooo independent that we just want sex from a man because we don't need or want them for anything else. And not all American women need alcohol to discuss how they feel. Don't watch this movie if you want a good laugh because instead you will walk away feeling dirty and not to proud to be a woman.

Finals

2011-04-24T07:59:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I'm finishing my third year of college! I taught this semester for 50 hours at a local high school. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with the English Language Learners (ELL) and I can see myself going back to school to become certified to teach this core.

Now it's crunch time, one non-fiction essay and two history essay's. Keeping my fingers crossed that my last two finals are take home XXXX. (It might help if the computer with all the mindless, time sucking games and of course my beloved Bollywood movies would stop distracting me).

A List by Any Other Name is Still a List

2011-04-23T20:16:00.002-06:00

There are lists for everything these days: best movies, worst movies, the very rich, the worst dressed, the best dressed, top 100 lists and bottom 100 list. I’m a list maker myself but usually more on the “Things I have to do” kind. Unfortunately when I start these lists they become pages of things I need to do and then I sit down and watch bad TV because there is no way I will get anything done. There is one list that I have never made, though I think of doing it often, and that is a Bucket List.

I didn’t know what a Bucket List was until the movie with the same name came out in 2007. Then it was what all my friends were talking about and they would ask me, “Do you have a list?”. “Have you done anything from your Bucket List?”. Uh, no. A bucket list requires a conversation with your soul. This list that will contain your hearts desires, all of the things you want to do, that you feel will make you complete (or at least a life lived well). First off, how do you decide how many things should be on this list? I’m a planner and I require some structure if I am going to make this list. Second, are there rules for the kinds of things I can put on this list? If you’re married do the things have to include your spouse? Where would I get the money to do the things I write on my list? Does world peace seem too extreme?

Probably world peace would not go on my Bucket List because I am under the vague assumption that the items on this list are meant to be about just you and well I don’t see how I could accomplish world peace on my own. I think it all comes back to fear. Fear that there is the possibility that you have wasted this one life given you and that there was so much more you could have done. Which if you think about it seems a rational train of thought because let’s be honest, unless you’re Bill Gates you will not accomplish all of the things you are capable of imaging. I have apprehension that I would make the list and then have too many regrets (depression) that I wasn’t able to do the things I thought I wanted to do. This would then put me back in front of the TV for more really bad reality shows.

I found a book with an accompanying website that will help me create a list. How To Live Your Best Life - The Essential Guide for Creating and Achieving Your Life List, the book contains nine exercises to help you determine exactly what you want from life, as well as a detailed road map to help you achieve it. At 45 you would think that I could decide on my own what I want from life, thank you very much. There are websites out there that divide the list by season or how old you are. But all it really takes is a pen, paper and determination. Look at Susie Mann, a 79-year-old grandmother, who has always been a bit of a daredevil. She's gone swimming with sharks, paddled down a foaming river on a raft, and even harnessed herself to a bungee cord for a 400-foot cliff dive over Africa's Zambezi River. She also has been diagnosed with terminal intestinal cancer. Maybe I need to wait till I’m older to make a list, perhaps old age helps you narrow down the things that really matter.

There is some motivation for making my list now, apparently Princess Cruise’s has a contest for the best Bucket List and I would like to take a cruise, someday. Perhaps the movie the Bucket List has put too much pressure on people to live this exceptional life. After all it isn’t as though I don’t have a life; it just isn’t all that I think it could be. I have a spouse, kids, job and a new career on the way. Plus as a bonus I have three great dogs and two cats, really does life get any better than that? If I decide to jump off a bridge (which I won’t because I don’t like heights) and soar through the air like a bird, until the cord rips my body back up to the bridge, will I have lived a better, more fulfilling life? Personally I don’t think so but there is that part me that wonders if I am missing out on some grand adventure that life had planned for me and I missed the boat. Maybe that is what making a Bucket List is all about, a list of all the possibilities you might have had if you had more money, time and less trepidation.

William Ross Wallace once said, “Every man dies – Not every man lives”. I take that to mean that getting up every morning, brushing your teeth and dressing for the day does not qualify you for living. There was a bumper sticker that I think is relevant, “I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry, because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?” That I could live by. Who am I kidding I probably couldn’t even do that, I like clean clothes and so does my family. Plus if I didn’t do the laundry it would go on my ‘To Do” list and that would just give me more anxiety.

A list could be selfish, in that it is all about you (or me if I ever made one). There are other people, usually, in a person’s life that must be considered. Take a spouse for instance, how would my husband feel if I said I’ve always wanted to sleep with a foreigner, so I’m off to find me one so I can cross it off my list. I’m thinking that could lead to some problems short and long term. So what this tells me is that there are rules as to what can be on a person’s Bucket List.

Maybe I’m just a realist at heart. I know that if I make this list most of it won’t happen and I’m not sure if that would make me feel worse about myself or even maybe I would get mad at my guy (and myself) for not making more money so I can go do the list. Men are always so great at pointing out the obvious, like Sven Erikkson’s quote, “The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure”. Really I didn’t know that. I’m much more inclined to positive thinking like when Kris Kringle sings with the Winter Warlock, “You never will get where you’re going if you never get up on your feet”. I think that is the problem with making a list, you have to go somewhere, away from here. I like my here and I like my now, too. Maybe the key is to stop watching Hollywood movies because really is there any way to live up to the big screen version of life?

Lists, rules and agendas are not for the living. Maybe they are for the people who are closer to dying because what do they have to lose? Those that are still kicking it and hoping to be doing so for a bit longer really can’t afford to up and leave those we love and be selfish in fulfilling our hearts desires. Somewhere there has to be a middle ground, somewhere between the teenage angst of not knowing what you want in the world and midlife contentment that what I have for now is good and will hopefully get better. Life is what you make it, or so they say (not sure who the “they” is but whatever). For today anyway I choose not to make my “Bucket List” and save it for another day, when I feel that perhaps my tomorrows won’t be coming around.

Sunday Movies

2011-01-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Charlie St. Cloud

This movie is listed as a romantic drama, which I suppose in a round about way it is. It stars Zac Efron as a brother tormented by the death of his younger brother. It is my understanding that the movie left out a lot of information from the book that would have made the movie easier to follow. My guys and I were trying to guess throughout the movie what was going on, what was real and what wasn't. It does have a choppy feel to it, like an editor had to have a heavy hand to make this movie come together. I will give Zac Efron some props though, he does have some great moments when he acts with his brother ( played by Charlie Tahan). The teenagers watched this (boys) and agreed that it was missing something, it never got you emotionally involved but you did care and wanted to know more so that you would be invested. ☺☺☺

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Saw this in the theatre in 3D, my first advise is don't see it in 3D. There is nothing worth seeing in 3D that wouldn't be the same in normal viewing. The previews were the only part cool about watching in 3D and the best 3D images were from a ad for a 3D camera. This was not my husbands favorite movie in the series and I have to agree. There is only Lucy and Edmond and their really awful cousin. There are only a few Narnian creatures and really no chemistry between the actors. I will say this for the boy who plays the cousin (played by Will Poulter) he eventually steals the movie because while you hate his voice, mannerisms and just his presence at the beginning of the movie, about halfway through you realize he is the movie and it becomes a love hate relationship. So my advise is rent this one and save yourself some money. ☺☺☺

Florence & The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

2010-12-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

I love this sound! Makes me want to jump around and smile!

Sunday Movies

2010-12-19T08:26:00.001-07:00

How to Train Your Dragon

I can't say enough about this movie. I even watched it twice to make sure I wasn't swayed by my glass of wine. To my joy, it wasn't the wine that made this movie so adorable. I'm not a collector of anything but I want to collect the figurines from this movie, I even want some stuff animals of the dragons. So why is it so good? It covers every human emotion, I cried, laughed, cheered, booed, it pulled me in to movie. Gerad Butler (always a plus) plays the very large viking dad, who never seems to understand his rather scrawny son, who doesn't seem to have any viking potential. The main dragon, Toothless (I so want one), is adorable, fierce, funny and loyal. There are a few things that may be disturbing to young viewers. There is a dragon raid of the village in the opening scene, these are not your friendly dragons. They are carrying away sheep, other livestock and people. There are battle scenes with the vikings and the dragons with both sides having causalities. Towards the middle we see some of the loot that the dragons take being dumped into a large pit, where a even meaner larger dragon lives. At the end this dragon comes out for the biggest battle. Now I don't want to give away anything else but right at the end there is a scene which is very heartbreaking and it will be OK but not for a little bit. Whew, I hope that doesn't spoil it. So I give this movie ☺☺☺☺☺

Toy Story 3

Before you ask, yes I watch adult movies, sometimes. But its hard to find movies that one female and four males all want to sit down and watch. So, anyway, I liked this movie too, which I was very surprised about. I wasn't a huge fan of the first two, I thought they were good but I didn't want to see them again. This one is the best of the three. It is appropriate for most ages, though the mean teddy bear and the creepy baby doll might scare some of the younger audience (the baby doll does come back around to the good side, not so much for the bear). I cried at the end, not because its scary but because I'm a mom and the ending is written from a mom's point of view, or at least that's how I saw it. The whole child grows up, leaves the house and is no longer a child thing, oh yeah, I cried. So all you adults out there, give into your inner youth and watch both these movies, you won't regret it. ☺☺☺☺☺

Books, books and more Books!

2010-12-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

This last semester was all about literature. I had one class about 18th century British literature and two classes about teaching literature and writing to middle school and high school students. I had to read a lot of books. Now that I have this break I wanted to share some of the books that I read, the good and the bad. My boys love to read (not sure where they got that - wink, wink) and I am constantly reading what they read and then trying to find new books to engage them in. So here goes my Saturday Book Club slash review.

First I am currently reading book one in a young adult fiction series called 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson. I will let you know next week how it is. Feel free to join me in this exploration of books. They won't all be young adult novels but I am trying to find books that I can use at the middle and high school level.

Now on to a review of a series that I have read. FYI, two of my sons have read this series and my husband is about to start book one. The first book in the series was a required read this past semester as an example of a good book with possibilities for using as a "whole class" read. Meaning I could use this novel to teach literary terms, it has possibilities for teaching writing techniques and with some homework on the teachers part could be used to do a literary analysis.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Let's get the basics out of the way, I liked this series. It was fast paced, easy to read and it kept me hooked until the end. For those of you who care, rumor is they are making these books into a movie. This is a three book series, Mocking Jay (book three) just came out. The premise is a world divided because of war. You have small communities of people with one central government who controls everything (for the good of the people, not so much). Every year they have the Hunger Games. Two people are chosen from every community to go and participate in a game of death, last one standing wins. The story focuses on one particular city and one girl who changes the course of the games and then eventually the course of the world. I think that is as much of a plot summary as I can give without telling everything.

What the book as going for it:

A.     This is not a "mirror" book, this is not written in the way that kids speak everyday. There are new vocabulary words and the dialogue is intelligent.

B.      The author uses description techniques really well, the movie making process in a readers mind needs very little help.

C.      You care about the characters and you can become easily emotionally involved. My boys would tell me that they were upset about how something went down or if they wanted a scene to go a different way.

D.      There is plenty in these books to have discussions about; war, ethics, loyality, decisions, consequences, accountabilty, etc.

Things parents might not like:

A.     Strong violence, battles - group and individual. Children die, sometimes in cruel and visual disturbing ways. Torture, cruel words and hurtful conversations.

B.     There is rebellion, children and adults. There are kids breaking rules and asserting their independence.

C.     There is no sex but there is kissing, though not written in any descriptive ways, just they kissed.

This book is for teens, though I would caution that it should be read by emotionally strong teens. If I were to teach from this book I would use it in 8th or 9th grade. I haven't given it to my 6th grader because I don't think he's ready to process the cruelty that is done, one human to another. This is a book that I would recommend to teens and adults. Happy reading!

Another One Bites the Dust

2010-12-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I did it! I have just finished my first semester of my junior year at college. Next semester I start student teaching, it is truly mind blowing.

Now I just have to wait for grades to be posted and I can relax until mid-January when the madness starts all over.

I hope to get caught up on all my favorite blogs and see what's new in the community. Of course I will also be watching junk TV, reading some great books and of course watching some Bollywood movies (still dreaming of going to India).

Unspeakable Joy

2010-11-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Do you remember in the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" there is the part where his heart grows, so much so that it might grow bigger than his icky green body can contain? Well that's how I felt yesterday for a brief moment and I wanted to capture it here forever.

My 15 yo son and I were running some errands in our small little town and getting him some driving time on icy roads. We were at our last stop the Dollar Store, the parking lot was icy except for by the front of the stores, there it was slushy with puddles. As we leave the store and are on the curb, I am looking at the slush trying to find the least wet spot when my son reaches over takes my hand and says "OK on the count of three!" and we jump the slush. He doesn't let go of my hand right a way and in that moment I know that I love him. Not the he's my kid or he was a cute baby kind of love but the love that expands your heart and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt this love will last forever not matter what might come in the future.

The Future Looks Bright I Oughta Wear Shades

2010-11-23T08:40:00.001-07:00

I just got done reading the Hunger Games series because, a) my kid was readying it b) my teaching class suggested them since they are high on the young adult novel list. Here is what I think or though after I finished.

1. The books are entertaining and easy to read.

2. Young adults will not (most of them) understand or grasp the truth and sadness in the books. The idea that another human would treat someone so cruelly and cause so much pain seems unreal or unlikely to a young adult. That a government would destroy another country filled with innocent people is unfathomable.

Today I read about North and South Korea shooting missiles at each other and the rest of the world is sitting back doing nothing or passing judgement on who's right and who's wrong. In the books that is what the Districts (mini countries) do. They have become complacent and accept all that is told to them without thought or checking it out for themselves. It is the teens in the book, the children who cause a rebellion to stop the madness, will it be the same for us?

Writing

2010-11-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't actually blogged in a while, partially because with school and family I've been very busy. However the other reason is that this semester I've had to do some writing, duh English major, and it hasn't been very good. Well OK not all of it and I suppose a "B" is good for some but I wanted to do better.

The one comment I keep getting is I don't have enough voice and my transitions suck. These comments led me to start thinking about how I would teach kids to put voice in their work. Like blogging when I write I tend to hold back, worried about what the person might think when they read the piece. While I know that a writer should not be so worried about this, as long as they are writing to their attended audience, it is still something I struggle with. (So are run-on sentences, but one thing at a time).

This idea of not censuring yourself to cater to others made me think about blogging and who I admire in the blog world who write to please themselves and two blogs stand out to me for two very different reasons. First up WaystationOne aka Brian. Here is a man who can write about anything, in any format. In the three years of college and the half dozen writing classes and a lot of books, he is one of my favorite writers. As far as I can tell there isn't a subject he can't write about and no format is to hard. I laugh, cry and sometimes just sit back and think about what he's written. to me he is what a writer is meant to be and say.

The second blogger is a little different but just as powerful. Over at Life Accourding To Candice you will always be surprised, sometimes shock and other times down right embarrassed that you like reading her blog so much, though to caution those with sensitive eyes it should sometimes come in a brown wrapper. Candice writes with the most extreme honesty, I've never read anything like it, is it shocking, R rated and even X rated at times? YEP. But she writes what she feels and regardless of what people might think she says what's on her mind. Her words are witty and metaphors and similes are priceless. I hope before I leave this earth I am able to capture a little bit of her in all that I say and do.

Sunday Movies

2010-11-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's Thanksgiving break and I can read what I want for fun and get caught up on movies! Yeah Me!

First up - The Karate Kid

I liked it, though it was predictable because of course I've seen the original. My boys who I don't think have seen the original loved the Kung-fu moves at the competition. Actually I was a little worried that afterwards they were going to try them in my living room by common sense prevailed. It gets a little cheesy with scenes between the boy and girl but roll your eyes through those and the rest will slightly entertain you older people and younger guys will really like this.

The Last Airbender -

I have a son who loves this series on TV and he was so mad that he left watching the movie to come tell me how bad it was. The characters are portrayed incorrectly, even down to their names being said wrong. The story lines have been changed, etc. I asked him if he hadn't been a fan would he have liked it and he said no. I thought perhaps he was biased so I asked my other son who doesn't watch it on TV and he thought it was lame. So if you're a fan don't watch it because you'll be knit-picking it apart and if you haven't well it sounds like it would be a waste of your time.

Letters to Juliet -

This is a beautiful movie to watch but then so is any movie shot in Italy. The story line is cute and predictable. I don't know I can't really tell you much because it didn't say or do much. The acting was fine but there were moments where it felt more like cue card reading? It's rated PG so young girls can watch it, my boys thought it was dumb. I liked it because it entertained me but when I was writing this I thought that it was the scenery that kept me going not the story line.

PEOPLE ARE AWESOME

2010-11-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Are they talented or crazy?

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts Official Video

2010-11-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Woodchucks - GEICO Commercial

2010-11-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday Movies

2010-10-24T08:02:00.000-06:00

Again I have to give you some recommendations from my family because homework has left me with very little time ti actually watch movies. I would have watched a movie last night but instead I had to pay to watch the UFC fights which were ok, except the main fight, which was to go 5 rounds, last a little over a minute! Ok so I transgress here are some movies that my guys (yep I am the last of the females) have recommended for you. (Please be warned I have not personally watched any of these in their entirety or some not at all).

Ok first up Jake (youngest) would like you to watch the Sandlot Kids and he would also suggest that you watch all three. Uh he thinks they're great and fun to watch. He wants me to tell you to have a nice day (such a great kids).

Next we have Sean (middle) he thinks you should see Date Night. It's really funny and he thinks Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are way funny. He likes the part about the kill shot and how Tina's character can't control herself around Mark Wahlberg when he's shirtless (which is the whole movie).

Lastly Zech (oldest) he thinks if you have Netflix you should watch the Robin Hood series. This is a very well done BBC series that seems to have lasted 3 seasons. I have watched a few and they are decent family entertainment. The boys in the family do seem to get a bit worked up though when a character gets out of line or does something contrary to what they think should be done. Alright then have a great week, see you on the Web!

Sunday Movies

2010-10-10T04:22:00.000-06:00

I haven't had time to watch movies a lot recently with school and now midterms but I did take some time to see a few.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Nicolas Cage is delightful, charming, witty and fun to watch. This is really his style of movie lately. However as good as the movie could have been I couldn't stand the guy who plays his apprentice and it ruined the whole movie for me. His name is Toby Kebbell and he played the part so wimpy it made me cringe. He always looked uncomfortable in all his scenes and I get the idea that the apprentice was suppose to be reluctant but ugh, he just made me want to look away. I will say to Mr. Kebbell's credit this way of acting worked really well in the very funny and highly recommended move "Fan Boys", but no so much in this movie. If you are a Nicolas Cage fan watch the movie, otherwise I'd skip it.

Me and Orson Welles - I didn't like this movie but wait my husband really did, go figure. I thought it was long and boring and kept getting up to go do other things. However, my husband thought it was funny and very interesting. He liked the dark humor and thought the guy playing Orson Welles (Christian McKay) did a great job. So my only recommendation is if you like Orson Welles or if you are a big fan of Zac Efron you might like this movie. There is no action and it moves along really slow.What I did learn was the Orson Welles slept with just about any female who walked by, literally.

Something Old is now Something New

2010-10-09T08:16:00.000-06:00

I’ve just discovered the ………………..Beatles! That’s right at 45 (just had my birthday Monday) I have discovered something that the rest of the planet has known about for – well forever. I just never seemed to care for their music, not sure why. Then yesterday and this morning (at 8 am because I had to drive two boys to a soccer game, which I then have to drive one boy to a football game at 9, watch the soccer game and then go to a different field to watch the football game 10, just wanted you to have a play by play of my morning – all on one cup of coffee!).

Where was I, oh yesterday and this morning I was listening to NPR and they are featuring John Lennon because it’s his birthday today and out of the blue I hear some explanation of the meanings of some songs, they play a clip and I love it, can’t wait to put it on my MP3 love it.

So folks I have final found another way to enter into the human race with my new found love and joy of the Beatles.

Will TV's really be obsolete?

2010-10-02T08:31:00.000-06:00

I was reading an article the other day that was purposing that TV’s would soon be obsolete. Not only would it be our TV’s but our lap tops but even normal in home computers. These would all be gone because we are such a mobile society we will all have some kind of hand held to work with instead. We won’t need cable because we can stream TV and movies through our wireless. Netflix and Hulu.com already have made several venues obsolete. It’s been at least two years since I’ve been to a movie rental store.

I’ve looked at the hand held devices and I’m not sure I’m ready for a smaller screen and I don’t think I’d want to type my work using a screen the size of TV. I did try to stream YouTube through the TV using the wireless system of Play station 3 and the quality wasn’t very good.

I think what I find interesting is that I am of the generation who grew up without any of these gadgets. Shoot we didn’t have a dishwasher or microwave until I was in my teens. Now it seems everything is changing and fast. Best Buy is shutting down their music division because people don’t by music anymore, they download their favorite songs. I haven’t bought a movie in over a year as well. Why should when I can watch it for free online or through Netflix’s Instant watch? What is this saying about where we are heading as a society?

Teenage Boys

2010-09-29T07:45:00.000-06:00

I have four, hungry and hungrier, growing and still growing, teenage boys living in my home right now and it's killing me. No really its killing me.

They eat non-stop, Zech opened a box of Ding-dongs (I love that name) put one in his mouth and one in each hand. When I politely (because that's what a great June Cleaver mom I am) asked what he thought he was doing, he replied, "Well I'm hungry and you said dinner wouldn't be ready for 15 minutes (surely that must be a lifetime) and you did say first come first serve, so I came first and I'm serving myself. (Smart-ass 15 yo)!

I shop on Saturday and no joke all my food was gone my Tuesday! 3 gallons of juice, 3 gallons of milk, two loaves of bread and a variety of not so healthy snacks.

I'm going to get locks for the frig and pantry (not like that would help, after all they are teenagers and could find their way to food in a corn maze).

So tonight its back to the store but I'm buying 3 gallons of prune juice, rye bread and goats milk (I'd drink it but I think the name might turn them off)!

British Literature

2010-09-28T08:10:00.000-06:00

This semester I chose to take a British Literature class (because nobody stopped me). The Syllabus tells me that among other genres of British Literature we will be studying the pornographic novel. Now if that had been the course description I think the class would be fuller.

So far we've read "Moll Flanders" a woman who exchanges husbands and lovers for money and don't forget has 13 children but doesn't raise any of them, she leaves them behind. After she gets to old to bargain herself as a commodity she then spends the rest of her life as an accomplished thief.

No we are reading "Pamela" from Samuel Richardson and I think it might kill me. The guy (Lord of the house) in the first half of this very long novel keeps trying to rape this 16 yo girl (a maid). Then supposedly because of her virtue he changes tactics and decides to marry this lowly maid. The entire novel is told in letters, mostly hers and really can anyone talk about virtue for 500 pages and still keep the reader interested? Not today but the interesting thing is that both these novels, especially Pamela were huge in 18th century, like Twilight huge. Pamela was the first book with merchandise, fans, cups, banners, plates. Operas, plays and songs were written about it, all I can think is that people back then must have been really hungry for some entertainment.

I have to give a group presentation on this book Friday - so wish me luck.

Sunday Movies

2010-09-26T07:26:00.000-06:00

Remember Me

I can’t remember why I put this movie on my list to watch. Perhaps the previews made it look like it would have a Romeo and Juliet like presence? The point is it doesn’t, in fact this movie has no point, no plot and no reason to have been made or watched. Rob Pattinson is the same character in this movie as he is in Twilight, slow, quiet and never really making a complete sentence. The movie opens up with a mother and daughter in a subway and two thugs shoot the mother. Now it was dramatic and left you wondering what this was going to do with the movie and the answer was NOTHING. The daughter didn’t seem too messed up by it (Pattinson’s girlfriend), the father might have been messed up by the incident or maybe he was also the brooding, yelling, tough cop, strict and overly protective parent all along. Who knows and therein lays the problem to this movie, things happen and you are left wondering why or why should I care. Since I’m not worried about anyone reading this actually watching the movie let me say that in the end (I know hard to believe I actually watched the whole thing) the boy (Rob) seems to be getting happy, he seems to be healing his broken relationships and then he dies in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, end of movie. Never saw that coming and it was not a good thing. So no stars for this movie, I can’t even think of one good thing I did like. Wait Pierce Brosnan looked.

Eat Pray Love

I liked this movie and noticed that I did not say loved this movie. I thought going into this it was a chick flick, you know tears would be flowing and love would be shown on the big screen in its perfect form. Well it wasn’t, at least not for me. But what it did do is something only really good films can do and that is instead of entertaining me to tears, it had moments where I felt like I had been pinched. The idea is that there were moments of really dialogue that sounded like things I wanted to say and moments where I wanted it to be me on the screen. The acting was good and the story was good, only as a woman said in the restroom after the movie, “I’m not sure what to take away from this movie, should I leave my husband and do my own thing, follow my own heart’s desire and hope everyone forgives me/” . What Ms. Gilbert did was courageous and maybe everyone would love the opportunity to do what she did but it is not a possibility for most and the reality is most women couldn’t imagine just leaving or putting themselves first for a year (ok reality check they don’t have that kind of money either). SO if you are a woman watch the movie, it is good and there are moments where you are reminded that it is up to you to make this life a better one for you, because you matter. If you are a man (who is married to the person sitting next to you) probably not going to be your thing, unless you want to go to bed wondering if your mate secretly doesn’t want to be married! P.S. I did read the book after the movie and it was the same as the movie.

Sunday Movies

2010-07-03T04:31:00.001-06:00

Legion - This movie was a hugh disappointment. We usually like movies about angels and the end of the world. The previews have a setting of good vs evil and angels as warriors coming to fight the demons and protect a girl and her unborn son. What it does do is rip off Terminator in a lot of it's ideas. There is way to much swearing and Dennis Quaid is awful in this film. The ending is left wide open and so unclear. I would not waste my time on this one at all.

The A-Team - If you liked Wild Hogs than this movie is just for you. I actually laughed outloud in the theatre much to the embarrasement of my family, though they laughed too, just without the squeal thrown in. Things blow up, the impossible is accomplished, the acting is good, the lines are funny. I will so go out and buy this movie as soon as it comes out and watch it again. There were kids of all ages in the theatre my youngest is 11. They kept the theme from the TV series shot 100 rounds and no one seems to die, well not in front of your eyes.

The Perfect Getaway - Nice twist in this movie, kindof creepy. I liked the way they filled in the blanks and let you in on the secrets of the story, not all at once but little but little. If you like suspense and on your edge of the seat moment you'll like this movie. Not for young children the killing is there along with the blood, but not in a gory kind of way.

Boys why oh why?

2010-07-02T05:43:00.002-06:00

Thing one and thing two are at wrestling camp this week - yeah me! On Wedneday just as I pulled into the parking lot of work (Have I mentioned I'm working this summer, not sure I like it but I do love paydays!) Anyway here's the call:

Some Guy: Hi is this Thing One's mom?

Me: Why yes it is (Ok probably not so proper but yeah sounds like a teenager)

Some guy: I have Thing One here at the trainers office and we believe he has dislocated his finger or maybe broke it, would you be able to meet us downtown at the clinic?

Me: Why of course, I'll just leave work and come right down, no problem (Ok again maybe I said that but what I was thinking was, now I have to call into work, drive 30 minutes to get to him and he will probably be just fine)

So away I went on my 30 minute drive and then I had me some mommy quilt. Poor Thing One was in a lot of pain. He did dislocate his finger (see below pictures) and because of the way it was bent he probably tore or ripped away some of the ligaments. So hand surgery here we come. I did stop at Sonics on the way home to get him a treat for having an owie! There was also the plus side for him that some hot blondie athletic trainer took him the clinic!

Mama Kat's Assignment Time

2010-07-01T09:15:00.002-06:00

5.) A snappy comeback! This is the prompt I chose because I just read this one on the web yesterday and I've been dying to use it - ready? Want to join the fun then fo check out Mama Kat!

Amitabh Bachchan gave a funny dialogue of a South Indian film, "I will hit you so hard even Google will not be able to find you",

Trying to Be One of the Guys While Camping

2010-06-28T05:32:00.002-06:00

Last weekend we went for a quick 3 day camp trip to start our summer. We found a camp sight without anyone else there,which worked out great since we brought two of our dogs. Dad and sons thing 2 and thing 3 left Thursday and thing 1 and I came up Friday.

We had a great time, except I forgot to pack marshmellows so I was severely scolded every evening, though it didn't stop them from eating all the chocolate and graham crackers.

We (meaning I watched because I don't like pain) spent the weekend beating the crap out of each other with these nerf battle swords. I though nerf meant something soft but these were hard rubber and left welts, which they proudly had to show off. The men tried to climb trees like lumber jacks with their flip flops on, not much success there.

We played hide and seek and tag a lot. We also went to the river which was flowing really fast and very high. The men (really all immature toddlers) swam in an eddy and out to this rock, bringing the dogs with them. So the eddy is on one side of this rock and the fast, rapid flowing river on the other side. The men decide this is the prime time to learn how to do back flips - really! From my vantage point it looked like they were smacking their heads on the rock, they all survived, thankfully.

So all in all it was a nice relaxing (somewhat) weekend. I did get a two hour nap on Saturday which was blissful. Glad to be back home and to be back on-line!

Sunday Movies

2010-06-27T08:34:00.000-06:00

Invictus - This is a good motivational and inspiring movie. Like all sports films it has its happy ending but along the way you learn a lot about the man Nelson Mandela. I would have liked the movie to focus more on his past story since the rugby theme was a given to be successful. At times the accents make it a bit hard to understand but Morgan Freeman does an outstanding job as well as Matt Damon. I think for me the problem was that while this was a great movie there were alot of smaller characters that you are given a glimpse into their lives that had great stories to be told but they are left incomplete. This movie is age appropriate for everyone and for young kids it is an opening for conversation about history.

Dear John - Another Nichols Sparks book made for the large screen. If you are a fan of the Notebook I feel you might be disappointed. This lacks the same emotional depth that the Notebook had. It has some good moments enough to see you through to the end but the ending is strange since the time frame is never completely detailed so you are left wondering how much time has gone by and then you are asking where some of the characters are. Overall its ok but not one I would watch again. I did cry a little but it had nothing to do with the two main characters or their story. The father of John stole this film, actor Richard Jenkins does a great job and he is the only one that makes you feel anything. So enjoy this movie but keep it mind it is mostly fluff and time filler.

Routines

2010-06-16T05:29:00.000-06:00

I never before realized that I am a creature of my routines. I always thought I was in control free to vary from routine to routine, never tied down to any one pattern in life. I was wrong.

How did I make this startling revelation? I’m working, ok no big deal but I never blogged and worked before. My blog is fairly new and I’ve been a student since I started, which means I would get up before classes and write in blog and read all the wonderful blogs I could. But with this work thing I’m all out of whack!

I get up at different times of the day (instead of the constant 6 am) and I get home at different times as well. I have discovered I don’t like to blog with other people awake in the house and that trying to read blogs while the boys are around is also not productive because I can’t read a whole blog without interruptions or they are reading over my shoulder ( I can’t stand that).

So I am going to have to make some adjustments in my mindset if I am to blog and read blogs this summer because I am not going to let something like a scattered routine steal these moments from me. Though I am going camping this weekend for four days , that might throw me off a bit, so I’ll try again next week. I am after all a very professional procrastinator! (Which has nothing to do with my ability to write and read blogs).

Sunday Movies

2010-06-13T06:53:00.000-06:00

Black - I can't say enough about this movie. It is a beautifully told story about a deaf and blind girl coming out of the darkness and into the light. It has a Helen Keller feel about it but still it is touching and heartbreaking. It also instills the desire that we don't work hard enough to accomplish our dreams and that we take a lot of things for granted. There are subtitles but this is an easy movie to follow and appropriate for all ages. I give this movie five gold stars!

The Princess and the Frog - I'm a big Disney fan and so I was very disappointed with this movie. None of the music is catchy, matter of fact at the end of the movie we all tried to remember one song or a line from a song and out of 5 people nothing stuck. The voodo man is scary and when he is taken to the underworld, well this is not something a young child would want to see, I thought it was scary and even my teenage boy thought the demons were creepy. Overall I wouldn't buy this movie or watch it again and nothing about this film will make it a Disney classic.

Shutter Island - I was so pleasantly surprised by this movie. It keeps you guessing with its many twists and turns, We watched it Friday night and Saturday night we were still talking about it. It has a creepy feel to it so this is not a youngster movie. My teenage boys watched it and were fine, matter of fact they are doing most of the talking trying to figure the movie out and what was real and what was imagined. Again not a hugh Leonardo DiCaprio fan but he does a great job in this film. This movie takes place in a psych prison for the worst offenders but it Leonardo's visions or memories that are the most disturbing. My family wants to watch this again to see if we missed any clues!

Mama Kat's Assignment

2010-06-10T05:55:00.002-06:00

Mama Kat has once again posted her writing assignments and this time I had a tough time choosing. I went with prompt number 2: Before I was a mom... (inspired by Loukia from Loulou's Views)

Before I was a mom I was one very confused young girl. I am a single kid who was raised by two gay women, in a small town in the 60’s and early 70’s. I didn’t know my mom was gay until she told me at 13. I suppose the reason it didn’t seem so odd to me was that I never hung around kids my own age but was always in the company of adult gay couples, it was all I knew. It was until we moved to a larger city in my junior high years that I realized that the reason I didn’t have friends was because my parents were gay. In a small town it was frowned upon. I didn’t go to birthday parties and was never invited to anyone’s house. I mention all this because later in my life things would get really out of hand. My mom would leave me with her lover when I was 16 and then I just went wild.

I was the girl that we all hope our teenage girls would not become. I was looking for a hero, a savior to come and rescue me and make it all well. I married the first guy who seemed to fit that bill, but mostly I fell in love with his family, though we did produce a beautiful little girl. I’m grateful that to this day my ex and I, as well as his parents are still very close and friendly. From 21-25 I jumped from the shallows to the deep end. I quit my normal 9-5 job, became a bartender and partied all night long. Quickly I lost all control and drank too much and became addicted to cocaine. Then in October of 1990 I just had enough and knew I had to get my act together. I quit my job and alcohol and drugs cold turkey. In November I met my new husband and we married that December (12-28-90). One year later on November 9 we had our first daughter. Twenty years this December and I can honestly say my life has done a 180. Now I am in college and now I know what I want to accomplish in life. Perhaps life doesn’t go as plan but it is still an adventure and the end has yet to be written.

Communication Breakdowns

2010-06-08T08:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was our first real day of summer (which means it didn't rain) and when I got to work I thought I'd really like to a have a frappachino. So like a good wife I call my husband who should be leaving work to come home at this time ( I work a block or two away from home) and I of course assume he will be more than willing to stop and get me one and bring it to me.

Me:    Honey are you on your way home? ( Ok I know he is but I don't want to appear pushy)
Him:   Yes why, what do you need? (Not very lovingly)
Me:    Well I was feeling rather tired and I have to work till 11pm, so I was hoping you could stop and     get me a frappachino. I don't care which coffee shop you stop at, any one that's convenient for you! (I thought this was very considerate of me since Starbucks would have been out of his drive home)
Him:    Why don't you just get a coffee drink from the store or a Monster drink?
Me:     But honey they aren't blended!

There is about 2 minutes of him explaining what his plans are and where he is going, then:

Me:    Love muffin, I don't need it right now, just whenever you can get it here (again nice consideration on my part)
Him:   Fine.

About an hour later my son walks in with a coffee but it's an ice coffee not a frappachino. Really, we did have the conversation that I could get an ice coffee from work right? Oh well it's the thought that counts, so I just said thank you and drank my coffee.

Grocery Store Moanings

2010-06-07T08:41:00.000-06:00

I'm back to work at our local grocery store ( I worked there 11 years before going to college) and I have some grips about the general population, not anyone reading this blog, of course.

First I think that all stores should get rid of the store cards that the customers are forced to carry in order to get "in store discounts". The cards are meant to instill loyality but all they do is give the checkers headaches. Why not just offer great prices because you are that kind of store? Plus I asked a lady for her card and she pulled out two hugh (really big) stacks, rubber banded togethers and looked through each one for her card.

Second when a checker asks you (realize that you are the bazillion customer who has been asked) for your store card, please, please don't just rattle off your phone number as if you are the fastest speeding train in the world. And then when the checker has stopped what they are doing to find the new screen that you input the number on and asks you to repeat the number, don't talk in slow motion as if they are now stupid.

Third, please take a moment and put the person who you are having a very important phone call about who so and so did last night on hold, That way I can ask you for the store card and you can respond or at least pay in a timely fashion. Besides I don't want to hear about your personal life and who you went home with last night.

Fourth if you are an older (much older) person and can barely write a check and have no clue which buttons to push if you do try to use a debit card and require a half hour just to pay your bill. Plus you shake so bad you can't write or push a button I have some very big concerns about the fact that you drove to my store.

Ok so that's what I have after being back to work for a week. Thankfully I am flaoting around to different departments while people go on vacation otherwise I think I'd get really cranky!

Random Thoughts

2010-06-04T06:40:00.000-06:00

I'm working again for the summer at my old job, which is great because being home with three teenage sons all summer - well didn't sound like a great time for me.
What's to eat and where can I drive them, was about the sum of what my summer would have been like. Though really after not working for two years this first week has been hard. I'm tired and cranky which is no excuse for not blogging but its the one I'm going to use. THe funny things is when I don't blog I don't read blogs either, which makes no sense because I think about the blogs I'm missing and it's not like I'm not on the computer or anything.

Have you ever been in a room where two teenage boys and their father are all playing Call of Duty? Well don't, it is heartbreaking to see that all your motherly parenting to be kind and to not use name calling has been completely wasted. I just leave the room, it gets so ugly. Like really! This is a game you are not really blowing off your dad's head and why is it so funny to sneak up behind your son and blow him up? I just don't get it but I must say they seem very happy - for hours!

I did something extrodinary yesterday, I went shopping at Walmart. Now wait it was no ordinary shopping experience, picture this, no kids, no spouse and all the time in the world. I returned an unused battery (car problems) and then I walked up and down every isle of Walmart. Here is what I learned about myself, I'm cheap. Well maybe frugel is a better word. I picked up lots of stuff and went oohhh and ahhh and then put it down. I've been wanting a new purse for years (really) but I couldn't find one I liked. This weekend we are at Macy's and hubby says buy a purse. They were all $80 and up, no way would I spend that kind of money but at Walmart I found a purse for $16 and I was so happy. I need shopping therapy!

So today I will read my favorite blogs and then go to work and I will feel complete!

Sunday Movies

2010-05-30T05:13:00.002-06:00

The Messengers - I thought this would be real heart breaking movie but instead I hated the characters of the two men who deliver the news of soldiers killed to their families. Instead of being a movie about compassion or even how hard a job this is, it was about what jerks these two men were and how messed up they were. It left me thinking less of the military instead of appreciating what a difficult job that would be.

It's Complicated - This is a must see movie, funny, so funny. My 15 yo son though so didn't get it and couldn't figure out why my husband and I were laughing so much. This movie had both of us laughing out loud which was a very hard thing for me since I have this cough and I would have to stand up and hold myself because I would start coughing so hard. Mr. Baldwin is one hairy dude - gross but funny. Meryl Streep is fabulous! Being an ex (however a long time ago) I could relate and in general this is a funny movie for anyone.

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief - This is a movie which is totally geared towards a younger audience. My 11 yo son thought this was one of the best movies he's seen. My husband and I just kept saying things like. "How did she know where those buttons were?" and my husband wants to know how you put an entire horse’s ass in a wheelchair and keep it hidden? So there are little things like why doesn't the boy get upset when his mother dies or at least he thinks his mother is dead, he just goes on with the day - really? My recommendation is if you are 10 yo and younger you'll love this movie, otherwise skip it.

Om Shanti Om - I had to throw in a Bollywood movie! This has great songs and dance numbers, a little cheesy but I'm getting used to it. Story of revenge and love and there is a great scene where over 32 Bollywood actors all show up in a dance scene in cameo roles.

Kites - This is a Bollywood movie that has been edited down from almost 3 hours to 90 minutes and it is at your local theatres now. I just say it and I have to say I liked it though I did miss the big dance numbers. Guys will like this because there are guns shot outs and lots of cars being blown up. You have a love story, murders, gangsters, robberies and more love story. So it has something for everyone - a good date night movie. Since it is shot mostly in Las Vegas and Mexico there is plenty of English spoken. The two love birds have the problem of one speaks Spanish and the other Hindu, so there are some subtitles on the screen. If you have been hesitant about seeing a Bollywood movie this would be a good one to start with.

Teamwork - Kind of

2010-05-28T10:49:00.000-06:00

My oldest son worked on his death poems and got them finished just in time. I wanted to share what we came up with. He had to have art work with his poems so I've included what he picked as well.

The Sound of Life

Thump, pause, thump

Thump, pause, da thump, pause

Pause, thump, silence.

Thief

Death has come to me like a thief in the night,

He gave no warning, but left his calling card.

As I slept in blissful slumber, death stole by dreams,
He snuck in and snuck out taking the sunrise with him.

Death has made a mockery of love, what should have been forever,

He has now made eternally his and I am left alone.

Everybody Hurts

Pain.

Everybody knows.

Your heart aches

as though the hand

of God has closed around

You and breathing which once was

Second nature has become the hardest thing

to do, you’ve lost all feelings except one,

the pain that seems to fill your

entire body, your bones feel

it, your skin is

crawling with it.

Everybody knows.

Pain.

Suffocating

Bullets flying by, orders being yelled

-Move, move, cover your right!

I watch in disbelief as a car explodes

I can’t breathe, I can’t move.

My hands are tingling; my eyes are filled with tears.

I looked to my left to speak to Joe,

But only part of him has been left behind.

I can’t breathe, I can’t move.

All around me the sounds are dying out,

The colors of the flames and the blood

are muting into gray and black.

I can’t breathe, I can’t move.

Seven Lives

If I can get a redo on this life,

If when I die I can come back to you and do this all again

I will.

If there is more for me to learn and

If I must come back

I will.

If has become the now

If wouldn’t wait for you but

I will.

Death in the Morning

2010-05-26T07:19:00.001-06:00

Death in the Morning

I couldn’t sleep last night because my oldest son asked for help on his English project. He asked me to write five poems about war and death. They could be separate or together and then were some rules about what they had to contain. Ok I know why am I writing the poems?

Me: Why?

Him: Because you wrote other sons poems.

Me: silence…got nothing to say

Me: How many?

Him: Five and hey mom they can’t be that good, so don’t try to hard.

Me: silence again

Him (to dad): its cool mom’s an English major, it comes in handy.

So I was up early this morning trying to think about death and all the glorious ways it could be written about because hey that’s how I like to start the day. When son came down for breakfast I told him I had been working on them and he again told me to make sure they weren’t too good because he doesn’t want to have to read them aloud in class. So I have three done and I have to take a break from death besides now I have to think about how to write bad poetry.

The Same is the Same Everywhere

2010-05-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

I’ve come to understand of late that no matter what blogs you read or write at some point you will read about love, laughter, sadness, grief and joy. There are no emotions that are not expressed somewhere out there in the world of the WWW. I have read blogs that spoke to the sadness and despair that I was feeling at that same moment that I could have claimed as my own story. As well I have read stories that made me smile, giggle and laugh out loud (which is always hard to explain to those around me). Then there are the blogs which complain about some physical ailment and surprise I’m going through the same thing.

I suppose what I’ve come to realize that is that bloggers have a lot in common. We might look different, live in different parts of the world and our homes may have nothing in common but the human race is not as complex as we have been led to believe. It is a shame that we can feel compassion, sorrow and joy for those we have never seen but we know nothing about our neighbors or our own families. Perhaps it is because if we are offended or made uncomfortable by a blog posting we just stop reading that page, no harm no foul. Whereas our neighbors and families are a face to face contact and not so easily removed from our lives.

I hope that my experience of emotions that I have had in reading the blogs of strangers in the virtual world might someday carry over to having more compassion for those in my real world.

Sunday Movies

2010-05-23T05:14:00.009-06:00

On Netflix you rate the movies you've watched in a 1-5 star rating, 5 being the "I loved it" category. The first movie I want to tell you about I gave 5 stars too, but I didn't like the movie, I hated the people in it, I was enraged at their actions and sat in disbelief that this story was true. Tears ran down my face as I felt helpless and ashamed that I could do nothing. The Stoning of Soraya M. is a powerful, sad, though provoking story. Based on a true story of an Iranian woman whose husband wants a divorce so he can marry a 14 yo. He falsely accuses her of adultery and the story proceeds. This is not a movie for young people but as a woman I feel like everyone who is able should see this film and then look around you and be grateful and blessed that you do not live in a country (hopefully) that would condone this behavior.

The New Daughter stars Kevin Costner and is a supernatural thriller, or so it says on the dvd. This is a good movie, nothing to gross and a few good made me jump moments but what makes this movie a bummer is that the ending is so open. You really never get a sense of what really happens at the end. My husband thought perhaps they were leaving it open for part two but I think it is just a crappy ending. It has an interesting idea as its main idea but really never builds upon it or gives you enough information.

Planet 51 is an animated movie which we as a family rated as we didn't hate it but we didn't love it. Dwayne Johnson is the astronaut but I couldn't tell it was him, plus I thought it was werid that his character is very white, with red hair? Just seemed a bit odd. It is very predictable and fits most standard in space animations. Nothing real exciting.

Mama Kat's Assignment

2010-05-20T05:23:00.001-06:00

I haven’t written anything for a while and even reading Mama Kat’s reading prompts was hard. I seem to have a bad case of writer’s block. Maybe because school is out my brain took a vacation too! But I made myself choose one so I could get back in the swing of things, so here goes it.

5.) “You know a happy ending isn’t really the end. It’s just the place where you choose to stop telling the story. Why not make everything work out when you have the chance?” Where would you could you place your happy ending? (inspired by The Myth Of You And Me pg. 137)

     Happy endings remind me of an end to the movie, the screen credits roll up and “The End” appears. You leave either thinking good thoughts or wishing you could have those few hours back to do something worthwhile. Perhaps that is what life is all about. Our happy ending could be the end of our life, with contemplation of how we lived our lives or it could be at the points in our lives when we felt we had achieved some measure of success, self-worth or milestone.

     I tend to think in Technicolor so my happy ending would be like something out of a Bollywood movie, lots of singing and dancing. Happy endings would come at times like graduations, weddings and births. Though, even some deaths would need to be celebrated with song and dance for a life well lived.

     Personally I envision a happy ending when I finish college and walk the isle to get my college diploma. I don’t think I will literally break out in song and dance but later I will. But I hope the story doesn’t end there. I am a long way off (I hope) from having the credits of my life rolling up. But every day has the possibility if a happy ending!

School's Out and other Tidbits

2010-05-15T07:33:00.002-06:00

Schools out for Summer! Can you hear me cheering and doing obscene gestures with my hands, ok probably not because the kids might see me but in my head I’m doing cartwheels and such! Now the process of waiting for grades to be posted, I did hear that they have to be done by next Friday, so that’s not too long.

My son (13yo) and I did something very interesting yesterday; we went to a worship service or prayer service at a mosque. We had to take our shoes off to enter and the men were very nice. I say men because the women go to a secluded room to worship and hear the sermon so we never saw them. The gentleman in charge answered some of our questions about what to expect and other things about India and Pakistan. We sat on chairs in the very back corner of the room and watched as the men came in and did their private prayers and then there was a 20 minute sermon which was basically keep your prayer live in tact because that will be what keeps you from doing wrong and how you can’t go and do something wrong thinking your prayers will make it all right. It sounded a lot like what I would hear in a church of my own faith. Then just as we thought it was all over the men all move forward and stand shoulder to shoulder as tightly as possible and pray together. When they sang (chanted) together it was truly breathe taking and beautiful. Afterwards my son asked some questions about things like why they touch their face, hands open by the side of the face. He was told that it is a sign of submission to God that they are here and listening. Also when the wipe their faces after prayer it is to remove the prayer from their lips and leave it in God’s hands. It was interesting because the men all come from different countries or sometimes just different regions of the same country and might do the gestures just slightly different because of their culture. The men did not shake my hand but were very warm to my son and shook his hand and wanted him to ask questions. In preparation for the two of us to go to India next summer we have volunteered to help some of the new refuges with their English, especially the women. There was one college student young man who spoke English fine (along with 6 other languages) but wants help with writing. So my son and I are looking forward to helping him because he is going to teach us Hindi and Arabic and will help him writing and conversational English.

Unbelievable the Things that are News Worthy

2010-05-08T07:35:00.000-06:00

World Cup Welcome: A Billion Condoms and 40,000 Sex Workers

Prostitutes wait at a bar in a plush northern suburb of Johannesburg August 22, 2002.

(Credit: Juda Ngwenya / Reuters) CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- The taxi drivers hustling around the bars on Long Street in Cape Town say they are ready for all the soccer fans that will flood the city in June for the World Cup. So are hotels, restaurants, breweries and, inevitably, prostitutes.

Arguably, the soccer World Cup is to the sex industry what the holiday season is to candy shops, a temporary surge of excited people feeling collectively festive, willing to pay for a bit of extra indulgence.

South Africa's Drug Central Authority estimates 40,000 sex workers will trickle in for the event from as far as Russia, the Congo and Nigeria to cater to the wide taste spectrum of some 400,000, mostly male, visitors and their apres-soccer needs.

Henry Africa, 49, drives a taxi in Cape Town and, aside from the usual airport pickups and winery tours, he also operates the "Bright Red Tour," which he expects to be a hit among soccer fans. For the equivalent of 500 dollars, he'll shuttle customers from strip bar to strip bar all night and even bring them over to a safe-sex practicing prostitute, a relevant selling point in a country where one in five adults are estimated to be HIV positive.

Just Becayse its Good

2010-05-07T06:18:00.000-06:00

Just like a good song, book or movie, when you come across something that touches you, it is important to share with others. I read this blog yesterday from If Mom Says Ok and it made me think, smile and tear up. It's not a long post and it is so worth your time.

Sometimes other people are better at expressing your life than you are at the time!

Early Morning Inspirations

2010-05-06T06:05:00.000-06:00

I can’t sleep, woke up at 5 am and my brain won’t shut off. Perhaps it’s the finals I have to finish today or perhaps it’s my grand plan or something else. Whatever, I’m up and I can’t really turn on all the lights to work because everyone is still sleeping. Besides if I turn on the lights the three dogs will wake up and get all excited thinking its food time (two of them are here in the same room with me, sleeping on the couch and no they shouldn’t be). So I’m sitting in the glow of my lap top, listening to music, reading twitters from foreign countries (India is 24 hours ahead of us) and surfing the web.

A song came on and I started to think about why I put it on my MP3. I’m not a big rap fan, well not a rap fan in a small way either. This song though appeals to my soul. I think about the words and what they mean. The song makes me think about what it must be to live in war torn countries. I wonder what it must feel like to be a refuge and separated from your family.

There is a line in the song that refers to “Buffalo Soldiers”, here is what it means:

The Beginning

African Americans have served proudly in every great American war. In 1866, through an act of Congress, legislation was adopted to create six all African American Army units. The units were identified as the 9th and 10th cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st infantry regiments. The four infantry regiments were later reorganized to form the 24th and 25th infantry regiments.

These fighting men represented the first Black professional soldiers in a peacetime army. The recruits came from varied backgrounds including former slaves and veterans from service in the Civil War.

The Nickname

The nickname buffalo soldiers began with the Cheyenne warriors in 1867. The actual Cheyenne translation was Wild Buffalo. The nickname was given out of respect and the fierce fighting ability of the 10th cavalry. Overtime, Buffalo Soldiers became a generic term for all African American soldiers.

So not sure why this song won’t leave my life, I only heard it one time on the radio about a year ago and it keeps coming back. I have two videos of the same song, one is a represntation of the somg and the other is about the FIFA World Cup which is in Africa 2010, they choose this song as the official theme.

Your Gone

2010-05-05T06:07:00.000-06:00

You walked out the door,
I cried, I got scared,
I begged you to come home.

You walked out the door,
I cried, I got worried,
I waited for you to come home.

You walked out the door,
I shed a single tear,
I moved on.

Homework Block

2010-05-04T12:07:00.000-06:00

So I have no classes and as I have already blogged I should be getting ready for finals, but I'm stuck.
Everytime I get near my homework, I freeze up and move on to something else. I...hold on....I....I even cleaned the house, caught up on the laundry, baked and downloaded music, but homework not so much.

What am I going to do, two of my papers are due Friday. Of course I did stay up til after 1 am last night watching another Bollywood film but I had good intentions to get up and going today, you know conquer the world.

I have a Netflix disc of Grey's I could watch fo rmotivation, no, no stay away from the TV.

Ok after I post this I am going to spend at least 1 hour doing English homework and then reward myself with well not sure, another hour of literature homework?

Anyway pray to the homeworks gods I get through this please.

Dead Week

2010-05-03T07:13:00.000-06:00

So this is dead week at college, not sure why this is since the professors continue to lecture and give new information that will be on the finals next week. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I am looking forward to ending another successful year!

It is so hard to believe that this will be the end of my second year. I know we all notice how fast time goes by, still it bears remembering sometimes. So I guess I will have to stay off the computer these next weeks and focus on doing well on my finals, no more blogging, reading blogs, watching Bollywood films online (sometimes watching the same movie two-three times. My family will have to feed themselves and clean the house, answer my every need, and acknowledge that I need perfect quiet!

Oh yeah I just woke up from that dream! Like I would every up my movies and there is no way they would feed themselves or be quiet. Since the rest of my dream is not going to come true I'll still be here with you!

Sunday Movies

2010-05-02T07:41:00.001-06:00

So I haven't watched a lot of movies this week. Well I watches some foreign films because duh - that's my new thrill but I only have one of those that I want to recommend. So here are my two review for the week (don't be fooled by the number, it's just some of the movies were ok but not worthy of a review, neither bad nor good).

Where the Wild Things Are

I remember vaguely reading this book as a child and/or reading it to my kids, but in no way was I prepared for how much I would dislike this movie. After the first scenes before he runs away, my husband looks at me and says "What is wrong with this kid, he is the worst kid on the planet." We couldn't find one redeemable aspect about him and the movie never really tells you why it is ok for this kid to be so angry, so violent (he bites his mom). We watched the whole movie and then put it on our worst movies seen in 2010 list. I didn't even save it for the boys to watch but returned it.

Kal Ho Naa Ho

So this movie is more than the sum of its parts. Let me explain, I told you I’ve watched a few Bollywood films this week and for the most part they ok, nothing to write about. As I began to watch this movie I was thinking to myself oh no here we go again another cheesy movie. About half through (it was entertaining) it grabbed me. No really, I couldn’t decide which man she needed to be with, and then I was crying and cheering. This is a love story on the grand, grand gesture scale. I was still crying when it was over and then again as I downloaded some of the music to my MP3. Really if you watch this movie, get over the first half and wait, if you like PS I Love you, then this movie is for you.

2010-04-30T05:05:00.003-06:00

“Reality is a sound, you have to tune in to it not just keep yelling.” Anne Carson Autobiography of Red

This was a class project where he gave us quote and we had to use the words in a different order to make our own poem.

You kept yelling
Not having it

Reality yelled
Sounding in tune

Just a sound
Not real

I Need a Tracking Device

2010-04-29T06:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I took some me time, well not like the really good kind of me time, just errands but I took my time doing them. I get out of school at 1:30, walk with my friend to the car and talk until I don't know sometime after 2. (I talked a lot about my plan!).

I then drove to Barnes and Noble to return a book, at 3 o-clock promptly my youngest calls.

Him: I'm home

Me: Good

Him: When are you coming home?

Me: Not until you get done with wrestling (8 pm). (Just for the record I did tell everyone in the house my plans for that day)

Him: I have to walk!

Me: Yes

Him: Well what can I eat?

So then the conversation ventures off to the fact that I am also going to the grocery store so just find something and telling him that yes he must do his chores before he can go play with a friend.

Now I am still at B & N reading the backs of romance novels, looking at India travel guides, and Indian cookbooks, having the time of my life. I get 4 more calls two from the oldest, and two from the other two. All three seem obessessed with where am I and what time will I be home? Also the question of food come up again and having to walk home from track and to wrestling, though I do assure them I will be home in time to pick them up.

Next stop get the tires rotated, 4 more calls. Where am I now? What am I doing?

Last stop grocery store, but I confess I sit out in the parking lot for 1/2 hour reading one of the romance novels. 3 phone calls, each boy telling me they are going to wrestling (cell phones) and where am I?

Pick the boys up, go in the house, I have dinner ready (did I mention my stove is finally fixed after what 2 months - yeah) and all the boys and the man now ask me where and what I did all day!

I think I have a plan!

2010-04-28T05:48:00.001-06:00

You know how some people believe that if you put something out in the universe then it will happen? Well I'm putting something out there. I thought I was going through some mid-life crisis with all the Bollywood movies I've been watching and all the Indian music now on my mp3. Because you see as I walk through campus and I listen to my music I smile, a lot.

So here it is universe pay close attention. I want to go to India next summer and teach English. Then I want to go every summer until the last boy graduates from high school. After that I want to teach full-time overseas. There I said it and I meant.

So if you read this put out some good karma for me because even typing this makes me smile!

Why I Should Avoid Sports that Involve Flying Objects

2010-04-27T06:50:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a nice day here in Idaho, a little breezy but still nice. The man and oldest son wanted to go golfing. Great I was thinking, because the other two were off at an overnighter for Young Marines, so I should have the house to myself.

But no the boy had to go and invite me and as I stood there in complete silence for about 5 minutes thinking off all the excuses I could use not to go like:

     1) This is time for the two of you to bond, father-son moment!
     2) I have homework (Which I didn't)
     3) I need to clean the house (which I wouldn't have done)

So I went,

It was a nine hole green and I did get a par 4 on one hole but let me tell you it is nothing like playing Wii. Plus I had to carry a golf bag which again no need for one on a Wii.

But that is not the best part of the day. At around the sixth hole, I'm standing twenty feet to the right of my husband and maybe 10 feet down from where he is hitting (sorry don't know the technical stuff). I was standing next to a tree-bush, when all of a sudden I look up at he hits the ball right at me and nails me in my upper thigh. How high, well he thought I was going to be singing like a soporno(sp) but not that high and I'm not a boy, but close. But I was brave I didn't cry, yell or swear, just walked around and told him to leave me alone for a bit.

So now I have a golf size bruise on my leg (literally) and I have a counter attack for when he teases me about breaking the new TV while playing golf on the Wii.

Sunday Movies

2010-04-25T07:43:00.000-06:00

How About You - This movie was a nice surprise. Was surfing through Netflix's instant movies and picked this one. It has a great cast - Vanessa Redgrave and Joss Ackland to name a few. The movie is about a retired peoples home and the four residents who make life miserable for other residents and the owner. They smoke pot in this movie and there is some minor language swearing. But overall this is a quirky and funny movie with the idea that at any age you have to choose to keep living a full life.

Last Chance Harvey - The first 30 minutes of this film Dustin Hoffman's character made me uncomfortable. He is so strange and unconfident that I just wanted him to be quiet. I suppose that's a sign of good acting. He does get better later in the movie. Emma Thompson is nice as a counter balance to his character, though at times shes a little off as well. The funniest person is Emma's mom, she thinks her neighbor is a Polish serial killer. Funny now that I think about it this movie also speaks to the fact that in life you have to take risks in order to life a full life.

Ninja Assassin - Ok I didn't watch this one, but all my boys did. Myhusband watched it first because it's rated R. But according to all the males this is a great movie. Very bloody but in the way 300 was bloody and unreal, so no nightmares. They liked all the ninja fighting moves and super skills. So if that's your thing then here you go watch this one.

Defendor - This stars Woody Harrelson and again I didn't watch this because well not a big fan of his and I don't watch stupid humor movies. Again 4 men/boys watched it and it got mixed reviews. The big man said it was very good but the three smaller men didn't even finish watching it and said it was boring. That's the best review I can give it, I was in the other room watching foreign films, go figure.

Swades - I love this movie because it gave a lot of background to the India behind the song and dance. It showed the cast system at work and how it can cuase the ruin of an entire family. It also shows hoe culture and religion while a good thing can hold people back because they don't see change or how maybe some culture and religious values are outdated and maybe not a good thing anymore.

Rab Na Bana Di Jodi - I think this is my favorite love story I've seen come out of Bollywood yet. I think what impressed me most was the strong male character who is willing to do anything to make the love of his life happy, even give up his identity. At the same time he has some great lines about how he wants her to love his soft, quiet heart and to see him for those qualities. This movie made me laugh a lot and also reminded me that when you fall in love it should be because you see something greater than yourself and your ideals in them.

Sunday Movies

2010-04-18T08:13:00.001-06:00

It's movie review time again and I am sad to say that out of four movies only one is really good, one is entertaining and the other two are so bad just seeing the movie jackets at a movie rental business would make me gag, so enjoy!

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - I am a minor Nicolas Cage fan but if this was the only film I ever saw him in, well I'd tell him never to act again. This movie has no reason to be made, not even just for dvd sales. He is a bad cop, drugs, bribes and gambling, who is just well bad. My husband agrees that this has to be the worst movie he's ever made.

Brothers - This is the good movie. Very moving and perhaps it hits too close to open as to what happens to some of our soldiers out in the field but is never talked about. Toby Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman all give outstanding performances. This is a heavy movie and is rated R, so I would recommend mature audience only, though it is a good platform for some great conversations with older teens, my older son watched it and since he wants to join the military, his dad talked with him about some of the situations.

The Men Who Stare at Goats - Who doesn't like George Clooney? Well not in this film! The only thing funny is the trailer. We watched this movie thinking any minute it will kick in, uh never. There are a lot of well known actors but it doesn't help, ever. Save yourself and don't see this film. Peaceful warrior monks who have been trained by a druggie who has found enlightment, yep that about sums it up. Even Kevin Spacey couldn't save this movie.

Dhoom 2 - Ok so if you watch this foreign film remember they haven't quite caught up to Americans in realism yet, but they are working on it. This is Pink Panther, James Bond film. Probably suppose to be more James Bond, but refer to sentence one. Two of my boys watched this with me and they at least thought it was funny and that the over the top stunts were cool. They even liked the dance scenes. The speak some English but it's not hard to follow the subtitles. Again this is for entertainment value only, no life lessons in this one, just good looking actors and actress, some cool stunts and gadgets and very nicely done dance numbers. Go Bollywood!

The Rewards of Honesty

2010-04-16T06:40:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my middle son (he's 13) and I were just finishing dinner and we were putting our dishes away when I asked him some questions about something or other and he replied "Would I lie to you?". Now normally I would have flipped out some reply like "Sure all the time or Yeah every chance you get", but without giving it much though I just said "No".

You could have heard a pin dropped (at my house that's considered a miracle). He stopped and just stood there, I thought he might cry and then he said, "That means the world to me and I will always rememeber that you feel that way. When I say that to my friends they all say yes and other statements, it hurts my feelings because I think I am a very honest person."

I thought about it later that perhaps I am too quick with flip replies without really first hearing the questions or statements being made. And though it may get a laugh it also might hurt someone's spirit.

Stop, Wait, Go

2010-04-13T07:07:00.000-06:00

Stop

please reconsider

Stop

you're going to fast

Stop

life won't pass you by

Wait

there's time

Wait

take a slower pace

Wait

life is worth experiencing

forward with no regrets

but arrive safely

appreciate what life offers.

Life Threw Me a Curve Ball

2010-04-12T05:45:00.000-06:00

I’m not sure how this post will turn out or even if I will say what is in my heart properly. I have been looking forward to becoming a grandmother again. Even though the circumstances were not what I would have liked for my daughter, I didn’t judge or lecture. We went and looked and crib sets, baby clothes, we went to her first doctor’s appointment and I went with her to get on the WIC program to help her with the cost of food. There were baby names picked out and plans made to use her cradle that her daddy built. In all there were a lot of plans made and they were made together.

This past Tuesday I, my mother-in-law and my daughter were all suppose to go to her next appointment and hear the heart beat of my grandchild. Sometime during spring break the father of the baby and his parents convinced Jasmine to have an abortion. I only found out because I held her phone and there was a text and I read it. When I confronted her she told us that she wasn’t planning on letting us know, she would have let us go to the appointment and then tell us some story later. We begged her to reconsider, that if she didn’t want to keep the baby there were families who would love to have her baby. She went back to campus on Sunday and she would not return any calls or texts. There were a lot of people reaching out to her, I learned on Wednesday from her sister that the appointment was this past Thursday. I sat around Thursday hoping beyond all hope that she would call me and tell me she couldn’t go through with it, but she did.

I didn’t handle it well; I took it very personally, like if I had lost the child myself. I have never felt such sorrow or grief in my entire life. I haven’t spoken to her yet, though since we both go to the same college I will probably see her soon. We planted a rose bush in the backyard as a memorial for the child that as a family we loved. This has been hard on her brothers as well because they too were excited about being an uncle and they were hoping for a boy. I and my family are better today, we talked and cried and just stayed home together this weekend. I wanted to write about this because I need to remember a life that was loved and because the pain is still real.

Sunday Movies

2010-04-11T07:45:00.000-06:00

It's been a long week and I have a lot of blog reading to catch up, but that's a post for another day. Today I want to talk about movies.

First up is One Night with the King. This is the biblical story of Queen Esther and her plea to save her people the Jews. Visually this movie is stunning and is a very easy story to follow and enjoy. I thought the king was a bit soft and very feminine, almost too much. The cameos in this movie were very surprising Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole to name a few. This is rated PG and seems to be a close representation of the Bible story.

The Boondocks Saints II - All Saints Day. I don't have much to say because well I didn't watch this the boys and man did. I can tell you they gave it four out of five stars and they are sure that because of the ending there as to be a third movie. I did check the internet but I couldn't find any such plans - darn. Again can't give you personal feedback, just the males in the house really like it.

Avatar. We went to see this at the theatre finally but we are cheap and went and saw it at the dollar theatre. So for twenty dollars, five of us saw a movie and we each got popcorn and a soda, plus the manager paused the movie about half-way through for a bathroom break and gave is free refills on our soda - very nice. Ok now on to the movie, I liked it. Oh, you want more; well I thought it was a beautiful place to live and that the special effects have definently been taken to a whole new level. Also I'll be honest there is a message in the movie about how humans are bad, destructive, incapable of not being greedy and will murder all life for what they want. I'm not saying that history can't proof all those points but to sit through such a long movie and be slapped in the face with the information constantly is uncomfortable and perhaps that is a good thing. We didn't see this in 3-D but I don't think we missed out on anything. I'd see this again, it is very visual and fast paced and you do root for the natives and boo for the greedy white men, so it does its job of drawing you in.

Love Happens. This stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart, I thought this was a comedy but it is more like a romantic drama. Since his job is to discuss death throughout the whole movie there isn't anything funny about it. This is a slow story, shot in Seattle. I wasn't completely ever drawn in to the movie; there was just something that seemed old and cliché. Plus I'm sorry but Eckhart's hair drove me nutty, Donald Trump meets a bottle of hair gel, with no shower. Anyway it's rated PG-13 and its just ok, no wow factor or chemistry.

Bluffmaster. This is a very funny foreign film. If you have Netflix you can either watch it instantly or have it sent to your home. It is about a con man, which gets caught in a con right before his I Do, in front of his bride and family. Then it is about his redemption and well if I tell you more I'd give it away. Very funny and charming, probably wouldn't win an Oscar but it has wit and some very funny acting.

Post It Tuesday's

2010-04-06T06:20:00.000-06:00

Midlife Crisis

2010-04-05T06:20:00.000-06:00

Its official I am in the process having of a midlife crisis. Here’s how I know:

I never had teenage crushes; you know the kind that you have on singers, movie stars or sports athletes. I don’t have a great memory for the past but I’m pretty sure I didn’t even have posters up of any of the above mentioned people.

I’m here to say I have one now and if I was single I would have these poster blown up and plastered everywhere but I’m not single so having a crush seems dirty! So who is this new fascination, his name is Hirthisk Roshan and I saw him in Jodha Abkar. Here’s how I know this is a crisis, I have watched every YouTube video there is, all his dance moves, TV commercials, and lastly I joined Twitter just so I could see his updates. I am a sad, sad midlife crisis girl.

Good news is my mother-in-law thinks he’s hot too and my 23 yo niece. So I’m not completely out of line. So I just wanted to share my moment with you, I am sure it will pass but if not at least I have made advancement in technology and have a Twitter account now - you can find me at mamawheaton!

Sunday Movies

2010-04-04T06:21:00.000-06:00

Surrogates is "I Robot" meets "Gamer". Bruce Willis is good and the concept is relevant for today and the way we are becoming a society that uses computers as our social outlets. The idea is that we can stay in our homes and just use machines to do our everyday activities. The movie is a bit slow, in comparison to some of the other Bruce Willis movies like "Die Hard. Rated PG-13 it is suitable for most ages, some violence that's about it.

Jodhaa Akbar -What begins as a strategic alliance between two cultures becomes a genuine opportunity for true love in this epic romance set amid the opulence and glamour of the 16th century. Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar agrees to marry the Raja Bharmal's daughter, Jodhaa. But he never expected her stunning beauty, fierce intelligence and considerable charms to inspire him to win her heart. Ok so I thought this review summed up what I wanted to say better than the words in my head were doing. This is a long movie over three hours, but it is worth it. The dances and songs are beautiful, the love story is poignant and the acting is very good. This movie is in subtitles but it is easy to follow. The two main characters have great chemistry and they are both beautiful to look at. This is age appropriate for anyone, some violence but nothing seen. Below is a video of just some of the love moments between the main charcters, but men there is war, battles and politics as well.

Last movie is the The Box. Boring, really boring. Acting was unbelievable and since we guessed the plot of the movie rather early it was just well unbelievable. I wouldn't waste my time.

No Sex for Neal McDonough!

2010-04-02T05:42:00.000-06:00

Wow I never thought I would hear about a Hollywood actor who had morals and values and then stood by them. Now I like a tastefully done sex scene as much as the next all American girl but even I have to say that movies and some cable shows have crossed the line to soft or even hard porn to make some money.

I just watch an Indie film that had hot hot chemistry, great bodies and no sex, not even kissing on the lips and it was well worth my time. So bravo to you Mr. McDonough for putting your wife and family and your faith ahead of your career. He was fired recently from a new TV production for not doing sex scenes. (For the record I couldn't even find a picture of him shirtless, I wasn't looking for one it just stood out to me, since he has a great body and whenever I look at pictures of actors there are always shirtless photos, just sayin).

Mama Kat's Assignment

2010-04-01T07:40:00.000-06:00

3.) “Sometimes when it’s hard to see with the eyes I’ve been given, I strap on my camera and pray for new ones. I did that yesterday. It helped.”

Yesterday I was doing homework and the house was really quiet because everyone had somewhere else to be, I look out the kirchen window and see these two birds. Now I'm not sure why but my heart just filled up with joy to watch them. They stayed in the tree for a long time while the wind blew and the branches swayed. It's not like they were eagles our anything but maybe it was the quiet mixed with a touch of spring storm, not sure, but I know it brought peace for a while just to see them.

Just Because Life is a Circle Doesn't Mean You Should Hitch a Ride On Mine

2010-03-31T07:12:00.000-06:00

First let me inform you that the dogs came home about seven hours after their great escape. They appeared to be fine, just very tired and a little sore. I know their fine this morning because it is the same routine, wake me up, let them out, and now feed us. (Ok they might be hunger since they missed a meal yesterday, but that's not my fault).

I'm a mom and I used to think I was a good one until by three daughters went and jumped off the deep end, seeming to abandon all of what we thought we were teaching them in not only morals and values but life lessons. I was married, pregnant and divorced by 22, so was my oldest Laurie. I had no morals or values and did what I pleased until I was 25 and Savanna seems to be on that path. I had no concept of money and thought it was always available and spent myself into debt by the time I was 25, Jasmine is right on schedule.

I've talked to the girls (well not Savanna lately and as an update she closed her my space or changed it, I used to be able to see the front page and would know she was ok, but yesterday she shut it down) about each of their addictions or lack of judgments. They are each aware of their flaws but then close their eyes and keep going around and around.

I feel especially anxious today about Jasmine because I know what debt feels like and I know what worrying about money everyday feels like. She was given on March 3 a little over $800 in tax return money, it is all gone and she has nothing to show for it. Remember she is also pregnant and the dad is not stepping up. She is home on spring break and I tried to talk to her about it and she cried and boo hooed and then yesterday she spent what she had left. I'm not sure what to do with her. She moves back home to have the baby this May and I don't know how much control I should try to impose on her. We are open about our finances so she has a clear understanding of only spending what you have to.

I just don't understand why they seem hell bent on repeating the circle I've been on, even when they've been told and have seen with their own eyes. Why can't they find a different way?

Bad Dogs!

2010-03-30T08:03:00.000-06:00

I love my dogs, no wait I hate my dogs, no wait I'm not sure.

I thought I was a cat person when I got married 19 years ago but some how I have had dogs the whole time. Not small curl up in your lap dogs but the big kind, mostly labs. Now don't get me wrong their great except for the following:

1. Three big dogs eat a lot!

2. They seem to think that 6 am Mon. through Fri. is feeding time, regardless. And if you don't get up and feed them, they pace. This would also be fine but we have hardwood floors and all you hear is click,click, click, click.......drives me crazy.

3. The like to go on long runs, again no problem but they like to do it alone. last night we had a storm which blew the gate open, I let them out this morning and off they went for some exercise, now three hours later and they are still not home!

4. Dog hair, I'm so over all the dog hair. I sweep and then a breeze blows and these giant fur balls show up from no where, I swear they are attacking me.

5. Now I'm just venting because the dogs are out, but seriously I could use a year or two without a pet!

Councilman Booted for Tending to FarmVille

2010-03-29T08:26:00.000-06:00

Now if you play Farmville great, I completely understand. I love computer games but for what ever reason FarmVille has never gave grabbed my attention. Some headlines about this game have:

1. Anyone who plays FarmVille knows it is critical to harvest your crops on time. But maybe it's not as important as administrating the second-largest city in Bulgaria. Dimitar Kerin was voted off a committee assignment by the Plovdiv City Council for his inability to stop tending his virtual crops on the Facebook game during meetings.

2.FarmVille, a free online farm simulation game available through Facebook, has been accused of generating "hundreds of millions of dollars" from unsuspecting players, many of whom are children. (not sure where the parents are?)

3. Farmville, a simple, cute game where players plant crops, raise animals, and harvest them for profit, is the brainchild of Mark Pincus, CEO of San Francisco-based casual game company Zynga. "I did every horrible thing in the book to, just to get revenues right away," Pincus told attendees at the tech startup mixer. "I mean we gave our users poker chips if they downloaded this Zwinky toolbar which was like, I don't know, I downloaded it once and couldn’t get rid of it...We did anything possible just to just get revenues so that we could grow and be a real business."

So I guess buyer beware and perhaps inform your children not to click the extras so you don't get stuck with the bill!

Observations from my Diningroom Table

2010-03-25T07:03:00.000-06:00

Every morning (just about) I get up and sit at the dining room and have my computer time before school. Today is no exception, though today I don't have school but two 5 page essay’s to write, one about history and one about 'poetry. This would probably not be a problem except they're both due tomorrow at 9 am. But hey who's worried I have a little over 24 hours to write with inspiration and academic prowess.

So what I really wanted to talk about was ~~myself~~ what I notice just about every morning while I sit and drink coffee and check in with the world.

My guys can't fold laundry. Now don't comment and tell me they can because I'm sitting here and they can't. The laundry basket is on t he coach full of whites (which means socks, not very white) and they come down each morning and in the dark (not sure why they don't turn the living room light on - duh) they each empty the basket to find a pair of socks. No one even thinks to fold the clothes that are also in the basket. This would be a normal ok thing but I do fold socks and put them in their piles to go to their rooms probably 3-4 times a week. So what happens to those socks?

Anyway if I keep sitting here observing my space I’ll have to get up and do something with the now overturned, white laundry all over my dog haired couches and I can’t because I haven’t finished by first cup of coffee yet and besides two of the boys still haven’t found a pair of socks yet.

Boys Are Just Yucky!

2010-03-24T04:52:00.000-06:00

Conversation yesterday between Boy 1 (oldest son) and Boy 3 (youngest son)

Boy 1: Where did you get those shorts?

Boy 3: They’re mine!

Boy 1: Yes but where did you get them?

Boy 3: They were on the bathroom floor.

Boy 1: That’s gross I wore them to wrestling last night!

Boy 3: Well they are clean now.

Boy 1: Putting them in the dryer for a few minutes with the other clean clothes does not get my sweat off of them.

Boy 3: I got them wet.

Boy 1: What?

Boy 3: When I got out of the shower I stepped on them and that made them wet, so technically they’re clean…

Boy 1: ……………………….You’re weird!

Post It Tuesday's

2010-03-23T06:28:00.000-06:00

I seriously need to get some mental juice - seems like I'm running on empty these days!

Sunday Movies

2010-03-21T07:42:00.000-06:00

No time this week for movies except for one which has a slightly funny story to it. We were getting ready to watch the movie Everybodys Fine and the boys asked me what kind of movie is it. Not sure where I got my information but I told them it was a comedy. Well they were none too happy by the end of the movie when we all tears in our eyes. This is a slow but well paced film. There are no hurried moments it takes its time to unfold. For those of us with grown children it will hit close to home. De Niro is wonderful, though at times I wanted him to be more like his rougher characters but only because I also wanted to him to kick his childrens butts. Watch this I think you'll like it.

Savanna

2010-03-20T05:55:00.000-06:00

I have thought often in the last few weeks of writing this blog. Going over and over in my head how I want to word my thoughts, and then I would never do it.

This blog is a letter for my daughter Savanna; she is a beautiful 17 year old girl with ideas and opinions that have conflicted with the worlds for some time. She is the youngest of my three girls and perhaps the least likely to actively search you out for attention, time and love. Savanna left home in January and we have not heard from her since. It breaks my heart and I think of her every day.

Dear Savanna,

I know that you are aware that I have this blog and I can only hope that you are reading it in order stay caught up with the family news. I am thankful that you talk to Jasmine on occasion, because then I know you are ok. I’m sorry you feel unloved and are so angry. I honestly don’t know where all the anger comes from. Your dad and I have done the best we could and yet it was never enough for you. I’m not sure there was anything more we could have done. But that doesn’t stop us from worrying about you. I think of you every day, every birthday, and every family get together is not the same without you.

I’m not sure if you feel like you can never come home or not. The last time you spoke to us, you said we were out of your life forever. Forever can be a very long time and over time ideas and attitudes soften. Mostly I want you to know that you can come home, we do love you and we care about you. If you ever need us we will be there for you. I love you my darling girl. Love Mom

Who's Rowing Your Boat?

2010-03-18T05:29:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when our lives don’t match our expectation we forget that the boat we are in is built for two. Oh it’s all fine to row together when the seas are calm, the sun is shining and you can stop at all the local ports of call without worry of spending too much.

But what happens when the storms come in? I unfortunately am the first one to panic and stop rowing. I think it comes from my childhood and the life I led before I married my husband. I felt alone and abandoned and was sure that anyone who was in my life would use me, abuse me or leave me. My husband is not any of the above but still when things get tough I bail.

I panic and withdraw into this quiet depression that speaks volumes of my faith in him to get us out of another hard situation. And the worst part is after 19 years and many storms and many rescues, I still bail with the clouds get dark. I eat and shut down and shut out, instead I should be holding on to him and trusting him. I also know that I should keep rowing and pulling my weight instead of leaving him to do it all alone.

You would think that since I have the insight to know such much about myself and how wrong I behave I would change but it is harder to change what seems so instinctive to my nature. I can know in my head that I need to behave better but it feels surreal and I respond badly in spite of myself.

So here’s to another storm trip with the hopes of sunny days ahead and I want my guy to know I love him and he is my rock and my anchor. Thanks for putting up with all my bullshit! I promise in the next storm I’ll try harder.

Post It Tuesday's

2010-03-16T07:35:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday which means Post It's. I really like this idea of a miniature version of what I've been thinking. Give it a try. To participate in Post-it Note Tuesday go to SupahMommy. Get on over there and check it out!

Things to Teach Your Children to Prepare Them For College

2010-03-15T06:22:00.000-06:00

I was pretty naïve when I started college; I assumed that everyone there was excited about learning and getting an education to improve their station in life. Well this is not the case for most or at least not right now. So I thought I would share some insights which might help you in preparing your kids for college.

1. Do not buy your kid a laptop for college. Ok so most of you will do this because it does seem logical that they would need one. But the library has lap tops they can check out if needed and there are computer laps all over campus. My reason for this is that 90% of the kids, who bring their laptops to class play games, visit Facebook or shop. Which means they are being rude to the professors and are not learning anything in the class, which also converts to the pocketbook because they will probably have to take the class again? Just a side note on this issue it is also very distracting to sit behind someone who is doing the above mentioned activities.

2. Make your highschooler have homework! Most professors tell their students the first day of class that you will have about 3 hours of homework for every 1 hour of class. Now even I don’t study that much but it does take at least an hour minimum for each class. I sit with students who tell me they are unprepared for homework and assume that the assignments are no big deal and can be done whenever. This leads to point number three.

3. Does your student understand a deadline? There is no such thing as late work in college, not even the next hour. Most professors won’t take late work unless you are dying and have a note. Those that do, take a lot of points off. In high school these days turning your assignments in right before report cards are to come out is fine, just get the work in, this will not fly in college. Also you cannot miss a test (except for the dying excuse), unless you are an athlete leaving town that day, test day is test day! And if you do poorly you cannot take it over to get a better grade (again a popular practice at high school to help raise those class averages).

So there are a few tips to get you started on preparing yourself or your kids for college!

Sunday Movies

2010-03-14T08:38:00.000-06:00

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, it has been mid-term week at college and I have been studying and stressing. But now that's over for a while so back to blogging! Here are the movies I watched, though to be honest one of them I more or listen too, so the review is from the perspective of my guys.

The first movie is The Boondock Saints. This is the movie I listen to and didn't actually watch. The boys (two of them plus dad – the older boys) loved this movie so much I was asked to get online immediately after it was over and reserve the sequel. I’m not sure what the appeal to this movie is accept it is a comedy not a drama. It has guns, murder, bumbling assassins, thick accents and the most important and funny scene seems to be the accidental shooting of the cat. Now I thought perhaps it was just my men who were twisted but when I brought this movie up on campus you would have thought (for the men) that I was talking about the Playboy channel. The guys on campus love this movie and most own it. They watch it all the time and even have the bonus material cd. Not sure what that says about the mentality of our college students but you might give this one a try, if the subject matter appeals to you.

Next we have what I think was suppose to be an epic movie. I however felt that 2012 was boring and unbelievable. The special effects are wonderful but the acting not so much. For me it loses some of its punch when we are introduced to Woody Harrelson’s character that is so whacked out and over the top, it becomes very awkward. From there it just seems to get corny and more unbelievable. I would much rather you watch The Day After Tomorrow then this movie.

Up in the Air – uh….this one has me stumped, I liked it but it was such a different experience that it is taking me a while to process. The scenes are short and quick, camera changes, scene, dialogue all take place in mini groups. The main idea of the movie is completely relevant for today economy and the acting is great. I don’t think I would watch it again but only because it is a film worth thinking about, not merely entertainment. So I guess yes I would recommend this one, there is brief nudity and some swearing but overall this is a class act movie – you’ll just have to figure out why on your own, I think it will be different for everyone.

What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love and Oh Yeah don't forget the 42 Million Condoms

2010-03-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

I know it seems I have a condom fetish but really this just makes me sick. The World Cup is to be held in South Africa and what are they most concern with? The 40,000 expected prostitutes that are expected to come in to Cape Town to Johannesburg. So the President of South Africa has requested from Great Britain 42 million condoms. Personally I didn't know that the Brit's were so sexually active that they had that big of a stock pile lying around, but whatever it’s the quiet ones you have to worry about or so they say.

Here is why the country will be in such great need: The South African government estimates that up to half a million visitors could travel to the country, raising fears of a rise in prostitution and sex trafficking from neighboring countries and eastern Europe, and creating a potential HIV time bomb. Well I’m sure putting a band aid on this problem will keep it from exploding don’t you?

It does sadden me to think of the people behind the politics of South Africa. The suffering of the children and those who are infected without knowing or consenting is not to be taken lightly. An estimated 5.7 million South Africans are living with HIV, about one in every five adults. There are about 1,400 new HIV infections and nearly 1,000 Aids deaths every day.

But it is hard to understand a country where on one hand they are asking from help from all resources to cure this disease but are being lead by men who have no regard for the lives of others, even those close to home.

Critics accuse South Africa's leadership of undermining the fight with denialism and hypocrisy. Former president Thabo Mbeki's unwillingness to act has been blamed for the premature deaths of 300,000 people. President Jacob Zuma, while being tried on charges of raping an HIV-positive family friend in 2006, was ridiculed for testifying he took a shower after sex to lower the risk. He was acquitted of rape. Earlier this year he again did not use a condom when having sex with the daughter of a family friend, who subsequently gave birth to his 20th child. (Sarah Boseley, health editor, and David Smith in Johannesburg The Guardian, Tuesday 9 March 2010)

Post It Tuesday's

2010-03-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday Movies

2010-03-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Not sure what I've been doing that was so important that I couldn't watch any movies. Maybe it was the Olympics, since I broke the awesome new TV, we only have the one and the man likes his Olympics. Or maybe it is because I have 3 young men in Club Wrestling who are at practice 4 days a week and don't get home till 8! At any rate I only have two movies to review - Moon and Law Abiding Citizens.

Let’s start with Moon. This stars Sam Rockwell - who according to his movie credits has done a lot of film but nothing that stands out to me. The voice of the computer is Kevin Spacey and I have to say even his voice is a great actor! We watched this film (me, 1 man, 3 boys ages 11-15) and only 2 of us stayed awake. Now it was a busy a day, so I'll take that into account, still it was a really slow movie. There is one actor so it is like a one man show except you see two of the same guy. There is the possibility in the movie for some interesting twist but they only slightly come into play. There is language so it is rated R. My husband wants you to know this is not an eye candy movie so you need to be alert and ready to think the process out. This is thinking movie, we discussed it more in length the next day and we agreed that after discussing the movie it was more interesting than we thought and perhaps if we watched it again we would understand it better.

Next we have eye-candy (for the women) with action (for the men). This is an action flick but it is more than that because up until the bad guy crosses the line you are rooting for him to beat the system and proof his point of corruption in the judicial system. This movie is for older kids because there is some brutal killing, and rape and plenty of bad language. The acting is great and believable; the action is intense and brutal. This is movie making a statement about the corruption or ease that judges, prosecutors and attorneys make deals that affect people’s lives forever, mostly to further their own careers instead of standing up for justice.

Here is some eye-candy for those who appreciate!

Baby Update!

2010-03-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

I took Jasmine to her first OB appointment and well it was cool!

1. Very glad it's not me on the table.

2. The baby is due October 15th (my birthday is the 4th - just saying)

3. The baby is the size of a Raspberry! Which in 7 weeks is a hugh growth from a orange seed!

4. Next visit we hear the heart beat!

While this may not have been the way I thought her life would go, it has brought not only her and I closer but her and her daddy as well. I love her and support her and we get to laugh at all her stupid questions and try to answer the real questions that are prompted by fear. I think we all be ok and survive this bump in the road of life.

Mama Kat's Assignment

2010-03-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

It's time for Mama Kat's writing assignment!

1.) You’re so vain. You probably think this post is about you…don’t you?

All About You

You live in a world not of this reality.

The smiles, the whispers never make it to your realm.

A raccoon gazing at himself in the river,

always preening & adjusting to look just so.

Using your beauty to attract the gold.

You shimmy, you sway.

Vanity is your calling card.

Shame is the rug you tread on.

Regrets are rungs upon a ladder,

brown dwarfs accumulating into dark matter.

What you see in the reflection is an illusion,

for the mirror is damaged from rage.

A freshly made puddle would be a truer expression,

if truth is what you intend.

Look deep, only you can bring this to an end.

Post It Tuesday's

2010-03-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday, it's time to participate in Post-it Note Tuesday with SupahMommy. Get on over there and check it out!

Emergency shipment of condoms headed to Olympic athletes

2010-02-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

That's right these athletes we admire and stay up all night to get a glimpse of are out of condoms. They are receiving 8500 more condoms and they should have been there by Thursday - hopefully. They have been giving free condoms to the athletes since 1992. Because being in the Olympics means you drink and have all the sex you can handle with as many partners as you can find. Maybe sex can be the next new Olympic sport!

After trying to watch the Olympics on NBC, which was an awful experience, I saw more ads than events. I think the glory of the Olympics is over for my family.

With athletes going home because of bad behavior (American halfpipe bronze medalist Scotty Lago volunteered to leave the Olympics on Friday after risqué pictures of him showed up on the Internet) and other events such as the Canadian Women's Hockey after win photos it all starts to feel a little like Hollywood. These athletes, unfortunately for them, are now nothing more than celebrities, we wait for the next one to fall. I don't remember the Olympics being that way when I was a kid. Why do we take something that works and break it?

Becoming Obsessed with Holidays

2010-02-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

I found some new holidays that we are suppose to celebrate today!

1.For Pete's Sake Day (Cus Paul Just isn't Worth it) A world wonders: after all these years, who is Pete and why do we do or not do things for his sake? So today everything you do, do for Pete!

2.Levi Strauss Day - The inventor of the blue jeans - AAHHHHH! Has been a company for 150 years - that's a long time. Did you know you can find lesson plans on the internet on how to teach about this historic celebration? Not sure the best way to celebrate this would be except to wear jeans all day, maybe you could wear them to work and tell your boss about the holiday, spread the love.

I am an equal opportunity blogger, so I want to have something for everyone.

3. National Personal Chef's Day - I'm expecting my chef at anytime now because I am so sure my husband put in an order for way in advance. Knowing that I would truly appreciate this holiday and the food and the chef! How about you did you get your order in?

Mama Kat's Assignment

2010-02-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

It's assignment time from Mama Kat. I chose to do 3.) “What images inspire you immediately? Open a magazine and create a piece of writing (poem, story, essay) about the first image that captures your imagination.” (inspired by writingfix.com)

The only change is I don't have any magazines so I used an image that I came across while working on a college collage project.

Deception

From a distance you looked

so warm and inviting, calling

me to come and bath in the sun's

warm glow.

I could use the rest and the calm

that it offered, so eagerly I

went to lay claim to my spot

to refurbish my soul.

But what is this! you lied.

I can't lie here, I can't trust

that I won't get hurt.

I'll bleed and once I am down

I won't be able to get up.

I should retreat, find another

but maybe I could just get use

to the prick and the pain.

Old Poetry

2010-02-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

Everybody Before the Old Woman

There once lived a very old woman who smelled like fish soup,

she never bathed and she never shaved and stank like poop.

She was alone in a town that was very pretty and quaint,

40 years past she came down the road and made everyone faint.

The baker was there before the old woman, baking,

the prostitute was before the old woman, faking.

The teacher was before the old woman, teaching,

the preacher knew the teacher, while he was practicing his preaching.

One whiff of the old woman sent everyone running,

and now only the skunks think this is all very funny!

Post It Tuesday's

2010-02-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from The Ratio of Failures (love her blog) And there are more post its at Supah's!

I like these prearranged blogs, because sometimes I've got nothing going on up there!

George Washington's Birthday

2010-02-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the George Washington's Birthday, which is great but it's not like I can send him a card or gift! So how do we celebrate the birthday of the someone is gone on before us (in his case way before me)? I'm all about history and keeping the next generation aware of the past but when it comes to holidays or days of celebration what are we suppose to do, we have lives and bills, where do we put this man's birthday into our daily schedule?

Here are some ideas to help you incorporate Mr....President Washington into your Monday.

1. Brush your teeth - yeah enough said!

2. No your limits - even Mr. Washington knew when to quit when he refused to run for a third term.

3. If you have a cold stop whinny it could be worse - Our president suffered from the following illnesses : malaria, smallpox, tuberculosis, malaria, dysentery and pneumonia

4. Always remember that no one is perfect - George Washington owned slaves.

5. Don't be so stubborn that you won't go to the doctor when you feel really sick - Our first president died from a throat infection.

Sunday Movies

2010-02-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Good day to everyone! I have three movies today, one don't bother, one not to big a waste of time, and one really funny but for a mature audience!

I would not reccommend The Stepfather, the trailers are better than the movie. The first 10 minutes are the best part of the movie. This won't be giving anything away because obviously the stepfather is the bad guy. Anyway in the first part he is changing his idendity(physical appearance), just drinking some coffee and as he is leaving the camera shows the dead family members still sitting at tables or dead on the floor and he has flash backs on how he killed him, very creepy. However after that - lame. The next hour is the son and his girlfriend arguing about if the stepfather is a bad guy or a good guy. Even the climax fight scene at the end is not as good as the trailer made it out to be and while I won't ruin the ending for those who have this on their must see, it is anything but believeable.

Next is the new release Whiteout, I'm not completely sold on this movie but I think that is because it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. If I get around what it wasn't it was a good or at least an ok movie. I won't tell you what it is but I will tell you what it isn't in case you are in the same frame of mind as me and my family were. This is not a supernatural/spooky film. There is nothing going bump in the snow to scare you. So without giving anything away there you go. Not Kate's best piece of work but if it is the only movie on the shelf it's ok.

Now the movie I would recommend is the Invention of Lying, I would be careful of little ears though. Since no one lies there is a few scenes that talk about masturbation repeatedly. Didn't know this as my 13 yo son was watching but we just laughed nervously (instead of outright) and moved on. After those parts we all agreed it was a funny film. There is I should mention a lot of conversation regarding God, though not directly and in the end it is denied as being real, just a lie, just in case this would offend you. A lot of cameo appearances, Ed Norton, Tina Fey and others I can't remember their names. Fun movie for a laugh at home!

Big News

2010-02-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

So my news is big for me but I want to say that when I first heard about it I was not excited. My daughter Jasmine is going to have a baby. While this is, as I know, an everyday occurrance, Jasmine is not married, 18 and finishing her first year of college. I suppose right not I am just trying to be supportive because I don't think she really has a clue how this will change her life. The young man who is the father is also being supportive and has stepped up to the plate ( they have been together about 2 years)

So I'm torn between a whole lot of worry and some excitement and then trying to balance them together. She's not due until October so there is a lot of time for adjustments but I wanted to share because somedays it seems like the kind of news you share and other days it seems like I shouldn't be telling anyone!

Beauty in Blogging!

2010-02-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

So I received my first blogging award? Not sure that's what you cal it but it makes me feel good. I accepted it gracefully and shed only a few tears and I think I remebered to thank everyone. Mostly I needed to thank Putting the Fun in DysFUNctional, without her this would not be possible!

Now I am suppose to tell you seven things about myself that you might not know.

1. I have 6 kids, 3 girls and 3 boys, I have one granddaughter and one more grandchild on the way.

2. I am 44, just wanted you to know that I was young still, even after all the kids.

3. I don't like housework, I can do it but I get side tracked by all the other things I like doing better like anything on the computer.

4. I am a college student, English Major - secondary education, with a minor in history. Big history test today, facts dates, essays.

5. I love to cook but I also like it to look the picture which my husband says is unnecessary since it all makes a turd. So you can see that at times I would be less than enthusastic about cooking anything special.

6. I love a movie that can make me cry.

7. I have a secret pleasure of reading trashy dime store romance stories.

There seven things! Have a great day!

Post It Tuesday's

2010-02-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from The Ratio of Failures (love her blog) And there are more post its at Supah's!

President's Day

2010-02-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know how we are suppose to celebrate President's Day? Is there a special meal? Do we eat out or maybe a BBQ? From a reliable source aka the TV it would seem I am suppose to go spend money on items I probably don't need but hey they'll put it on creidt!

Here are some ideas from the web:

Step 1 - Bake a cherry pie. Or just eat one. Um well no one in my family likes cherry pie so that would seem like a waste of time and money.

Step 2 - Attend the Birthnight Ball in Alexandria, Va. In British tradition, the birthday of the ruling monarch was celebrated with a ball. Now this sounds like fun! I wonder if I could still find a gown, a ride, a ticket, a prince and a fairy godmother.

Step 3 - Learn to dance a Virginia line dance. From who and where should I learn this special dance?

Step 4 - Read the Gettysburg Address in the quiet of your home. Now see I think this would much more fun to go stand on a corner and read it really loud, maybe have other people who stop and stare take over some of the reading.

Step 5 - Visit the Lincoln Memorial and Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. Take a tour of the Capitol and visit some of the other sites associated with Abraham Lincoln. I think who ever came up with this list of helpful ideas was relate to Bill Gates because they sure want be to travel at the last minute.

Step 6 - Make a Lincoln penny pendant. Wear it to celebrate Lincoln's birthday. Or carry some pennies with you - easier and much handier for throwing in wishing wells.

Step 7 - Read the inaugural addresses of all the presidents. Really I think this might just suck all the fun out of this jolly holiday.

So there are some ideas but I'm open for better ideas if you have some.

Sunday Movies

2010-02-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Getting a little behind on my blogging but it isn't my fault. You know how you have a routine and then the men in your life screw it up by changing theirs - yep that's what happen. I'm supposed to have Saturday's to myself, for homework, blogging, computer games, bad TV, blogging and homework. This Saturday they were all home doing nothing which meant I did nothing because doing nothing is contagious! Been busy this week so only have a few movies to review.

Though I did get through another DVD of Grey's Anatomy and I watch an old Stargate Mini Movie but those aren't really review worthy.

So here’s my first movie. My man and middle guy took me to the movies Friday night and we saw the new Wolfman movie. For the record I wanted to see a chick movie but I was voted down, which seems really unfair considering I was the one asked out!

So this movie reminded me of the new Sherlock Holmes movies. Visually it is great to watch, there are lots of moon shots, and transformations from man to beast. The director also does a lot of time elisaping scenes to get you from one full moon to the next. I will say that Anthony Hopkins does not disaapoint, he is commanding in every shot and when he is cold, callous and just a bad man he is so very good. I would watch this at home if you like this genre, it does have its moments. It is also very bloody, really it is very bloody. The other thing is the movie does have three or four make you jump out of your seats moments, which are always fun, especially when you are not the only one!

I reserved this from Netflix for my guys but being that Saturday turned into a do nothing day I watched this. It was a who can beat each other up the worst possible way movie. The actors were old but technology made them look like they could still fight, It is a save the world by killing at least 100 people with gunfire and other means while their bullets never hit the good guy. Since I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone, I'm posting some eye-candy from a much younger Jean Claude-Van Damme for your viewing pleasure.

Mama Kat's Assignment

2010-02-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

Which one will YOU choose?? Mama Kat has these writing assignments and most of the time I read them and then chicken out, you know worried it won't be funny or written well and then I had a moment (think light bulb) that this is my blog and I can write bad and not funny and it's ok, I'll do better next time!

5.) Write a poem to your love for Valentine’s Day. :)

The ground nurtures brown and cold,

the wind blows arduous and fierce.

Love will conquer all I’m told,

though today the battle seems to pierce-

I look for solid ground to stand

an anchor to shore me against the surge,

without much thought I take your hand

warm and strong, together we emerge.

Life has brought us here this far,

not perfect, not where we thought we’d be,

though perhaps here is where we are

together still, God heard our plea.

Now we walk towards our destiny,

two made one - by fate you see.

Post It Tuesday's

2010-02-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from The Ratio of Failures (love her blog) And there are more post its at Supah's!

Sunday Movies

2010-02-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

It is that time again where I get to share with you my guilty pleasure of watching movies, though once again I was bored with one and walked away from another but who knows they might be your cup of tea.

Our first movie is Fame (not the new one it sucked). I told my 13 yo that since he sat through the new version he should sit through the old one because it was so much better. Well perhaps it was 20 years ago! Can you snail’s pace and so dramatic. Also has anyone else noticed that they swore a lot in the 80’s? Lots of booby shots, boys spying on girls in the locker room stuff. And to be the honest the dancing and singing really weren't that much better than the new one. A big disappointment to my memory physic should have left it alone.

Next we have Nine. A bit slow but sweet. Loyalty, end of the world, etc., etc., of course we humans kill our self’s and now there is no one left. So the ending for me was weird because if these little machines breathed into life survives so what?

Next is Final Destination (who cares about the number). I will admit I am a fan of one and two. But this one is nothing more than how many ways can I gross the audience out with ways to die, over and over and over and over. This is the one I left about 20 minutes into the show. No plot, no suspension just repetitive dying.

Last but kind of least is Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. I was bored, there I said it. Yes it is a feel good movie and yes it has some great moments but most of it was dull. I did like the father and the camera man who knows how to do everything. The best scene is at the end between the father and the son. I would recommend watching it once, I just wouldn't buy it.

Sagging or Jailin

2010-02-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sagging (also referred to as low-riding in the United Kingdom) is a manner of wearing trousers (slacks, shorts, pants or jeans) below the waist, hanging around the buttock area. Sagging is predominantly a male fashion.

After my last post the whole idea of the pants falling off kid's or adult's asses really bothered me. So being the student that I am, I set out to research this gross fashion trend. (Note to self I should be doing homework)

First it orginated in the prison system but the idea it was to let others know you were available for sex seems to be for the most part shot down as a myth but the jury is still out for me. The term is called sagging or jailin and it is because the prisoners are given outfits that were too big and they were not allowed to have belts for worries about suicide and using them for weapons.

Now I ask you what is attractive about this and worse he has a belt. Have you seen the way they have to walk. I was just asking my husband the other day if the way they walk would be permanent, you know their legs spread far apart to hold up the pants, can they walk normal after years of walking like they crapped in their pants?

See if his belt was around his waist the police officer would have known where to stop and start the search!

Why?

2010-02-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have been preoccupied lately and I have to say I am so impressed with the blogs that I follow because they write daily. I come and read daily all their blogs and then I sit here staring at a blank screen thinking of something really brillant to say and I turn the computer off.

Here is what my brain at 6:46 am came up with as I head out to school:

1. Why do I have to walk up three flights of stairs to get to the second floor?

2. Why is high school sports costing me over $300 to particpate in? (Not me but my son in wrestling)

3. Why is wearing your pants down around your ankles attractive or sexy?

4. On that same note has anyone besides myself been tempted to just yank some punks pants all the way down when you see them walking like they just had an accident in their shorts?

5. Why am I the only person in the house who can operate anything electronic? (I'm just saying there are 4 gentlemen who live here, shouldn't they know something?)

Winter has Arrived in Idaho

2010-02-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

We have snow! Which of course is not a celebration for anyone except my husband. I think perhaps he was born on an ice cube. Just to capture the moment I went outside and took a picture of my weed. I know it is a tree but when it first started growing I insisted it was a weed and needed to be pulled and removed from my yard. My nature loving husband refused, claimed his manly right to till the ground as he sought fit and wahla! We have a tree!

Rick and Jasmine went skiing a few weekends back and I was so nervous about them spending the whole day together - alone! See Rick loves kid’s just not adolescent teenage stupidity. Jasmine loves herself and everyone around her. Life is the bomb for her and well sometimes the two of them clash about everything. So when he got home I casually asked how it went. Rick paused (I panicked) and then he said he was pleasantly surprised because they talked and laughed, he even went as far as to say he would go again - alone! Yeah a new milestone in father-daughter relationships has been reached!

Sunday Movies

2010-01-31T05:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a rather off week for me and mine but we got through it! We only watched two movies - yeah! Because this means we should have been productive in other areas (maybe?).

I am a hugh Gerad Butler fan, ask my husband. If my guy Gerad is in a movie my honey will ask me when will we be watching your boyfriend?

So I was very excited to watch Gamer because Gerad was in it, it was action and he would be looking good. So the best thing I can say is he looks good. Not a whole lot of dialogue going in this movie. Blood, guns and can I say some very gross, distrubing and sick sexual stuff. Um I will not buy this movie nor will I ever watch it again. Which makes me very sad, good thing I have this pictures to get me through the disappointment.

The next movie is All About Steve with Sandra Bullock. Now I did go into this movie thinking that the trailers looked stupid but I'm a fan so why not give it a try. The first half of this movie is as dumb as the trailers make it out to be. And when I say stupid I mean the kind of squirm in your seat and look the other way uncomfortable its so bad kind of way. The second half is much better (yes I sat through it). I would even go so far as to say skip the first 30 minutes and you will enjoy the movie. Have a Great Week!