My Real Life

December 12, 2009

‘Tis the Season

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 8:20 pm
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I’m not a decorator by any stretch of the imagination.

Also, I don’t enjoy decorating.

At all.

If there were no monkeys, I would do my best to persuade Real Man that decorating for the holidays is a waste of time.  Seriously.  I kid you not.

However, monkeys there are, and so one day, each December, we open the Christmas tunes folder on the iPod and start rockin’ out as we assemble the tree and decorate.

Yes, yes.  I said assemble the tree.  A few years ago, I put the kibosh on the whole real tree debacle. 

You need to find just the right tree, and for perfectionists like Real Man and I, no tree was ever good enough and we always felt like we were settling.  Also, we could never agree on a tree.

So,  few years ago, I said “Let’s just buy a fake tree.  Pre-lit.”

We headed to Agway, after Christmas, and got a fake tree, on big-time post Christmas sale.  Plus, it was the floor model and the last one in the store.  We love a deal.  We took it.

Ever since then, I haven’t had to sweep a single pine needed, nor have I had to water the tree.  I have a problem keeping things alive.

Plant life, that is.

So far, I’ve got a pretty good track record on growing humans and then keeping them alive.

It’s a really nice tree and it makes the holidays less stressful for me and makes one aspect of holiday decorating more manageable for me.

Anyway, today was decorating day and the kids had a blast.

Now, you  may have noticed that every picture of Baby Monkey shows him hanging ornaments on one section of the tree. 

That’s his thang

He doesn’t move around, doesn’t look up, doesn’t look down.  Just takes every ornament and hangs them all right next to and on top of each other.  It’s…interesting.

We do a little “re-distributing” when he leaves the room.

And in the end…

…it comes out just fine.

I’ll still be looking to put it all away on December 26th, but for now, it’s up and looks very pretty.

The monkeys are thrilled with it, and that’s really all that matters. 

Oh, and lest you think my monkeys only care about Christmas for the presents, let me tell you what the Hess trucks were doing while we were decorating.

They were busy protecting the baby Jesus and everyone else at the manger.

December 10, 2009

Creative List for 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 9:26 pm
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Elsie, who owns one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess , listed her “Creative List for 2010” today.

I guess it is that time of year where we start making our resolutions and start setting goals for ourselves in the New Year.

I like the idea of a “Creative List.”  There’s so many creative things I’d like to do, but just don’t seem to get around to.

So, here’s my Creative List for 2010.  (Thanks Elsie!)

  1.  Make the time to quilt more often.  I love to sew quilts (probably because my house is so cold) but find that I continue to push it to the back seat in lieu of other things, like television at night, or as my Grandma would have said, “my stories.”
  2. I want to write more often.  I have a thousand stories in my head.  Unfortunately, they aren’t doing anyone any good sitting in my head, so it’s time to let them out.
  3. Paint a few rooms in the house.  Monkey in the Middle is sleeping in a pink and purple room.  I’m not into the whole “Boys must have blue” thing, but he’s mentioned he’d like something a little less girl-ish.  I also need to paint the room where we have the treadmill and recumbent bike.  It still has the drywall and spackle showing on one of the walls.  What’s that?  Oh, yeah…we had that done 6 years ago.
  4. Move my blog to my own website.  I enjoy the WordPress template quite a bit.  It is 100% user friendly and so far, I’ve had zero problems.  However, I’d like a little more freedom to be creative and use different formats for the blog, and so I’m considering paying for a domain and creating my own little space out there, on the web.
  5. Take more pictures.  Rumor has it that there may be a camera for me on Christmas, and I’ve opted for something a little smaller and more user friendly than Real Man’s camera. (If you’ve seen some of the fuzzy shots I’ve posted lately, you understand.)  My initial idea for this blog was to be full of images and words.  Lately, I feel like I’ve got the words down, but that I’m slacking in the images department.

 I think, for now, that is a pretty good start.  How about you?  You have a creative list?  If so, feel free to post it in the comment section.  I think we could all inspire each other!

December 9, 2009

Hope This Brightens Your Day

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:05 pm
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Here’s a little something to help make your day.

He had been cracking himself up for 5 minutes by the time I thought to pull out the recorder.  So, this is the end of the giggle fest.

Enjoy!

Giggle Baby Monkey

(It’s an m4A file…I can’t open it with Windows Media Player, but I can open it with QuickTime…I’m hoping you can open it with something!)

December 8, 2009

Christmas Lists

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 11:34 pm
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The monkeys made their lists for Santa today.

Monkey Girl wants books, books, and more books.  She also asked Santa for some video games.

Monkey in the Middle asked Santa for Lego City stuff.  That’s it. 

Baby Monkey wants a real baby.

Wanna guess who’s gonna be disappointed on Christmas?

December 7, 2009

Should Have Trusted My Instincts

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:20 pm
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So, you know how sometimes you just know something is going to be a disaster, but there is that little piece of yourself that says, “It just might be okay…It might!” and then you go ahead and do it and it turns out to be a disaster and you want to kick yourself because you knew all along that it would be?

I had one of those nights.

Tonight was Baby Monkey’s “Celebration” at nursery school.  Basically, their winter concert.

You may remember that at his last Celebration, he just sat and smiled at me.

Somehow, I knew that wasn’t going to happen tonight.  I could feel it in the air.  I even told his teacher that I wasn’t sure I was going to bring him.  He doesn’t really enjoy these things, and I’m not even sure why I ever take him.  I guess for the whole experience of doing it with his class.

Anyway, he was really in a great mood during dinner and seemed to have a good day at school, so I thought, “What the heck?”

May I share with you some photo evidence of his “performance?”

It started out just fine.  He and I sat together in a pew and waited for him to be called.  (Real Man was at Monkey in the Middle’s basketball practice with Monkey Girl.)

Then, he was called up and the singing began.

For everyone else.

For Baby Monkey, however, there was this:

And then he started with the tongue…

And then…they gave them flashlights.

So, I wrestled with myself.

“He’s three,” I told myself.

“Yes, but so were most of the other kids on the stage who were sitting and singing nicely,” I told myself.

“You knew he wouldn’t do what he was supposed to do, but you brought him anyway,” I told myself.

“Yes, but he should participate,” I told myself.

At the end of the day, it is what it is…or I guess I should say it was what it was, and now it’s over and tomorrow is another day.

But next time…I’m going with my gut.  It has never steered me wrong.

December 6, 2009

Carol Sing

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 9:41 pm
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So, tonight was my church’s annual Carol Sing.

There is a dinner from 5-6, and then from 6-6:45, everyone sings Christmas carols. 

I was going to play my flute in the “carol sing band” but then Real Man got asked to go to the Giants game with his nephew, and rather than have my Mom wrangle the monkeys alone, I opted out of the band and sat with the family.

The kids had a blast.  They loved the dinner and loved the dessert.  We shared a table with my old friend, Dave, and his kids, his mom, and his sister.  He chatted with Monkey Girl for awhile.  About what, I don’t know…couldn’t hear the conversation.  I’m sure it was interesting.

Then, we folded up the tables and rearranged the chairs for the singing.

Monkey Girl sang her little heart out.  So did Baby Monkey. 

Except, he decided to sing in Spanish.

He doesn’t actually know Spanish, but he thinks he does.

You’ve never heard Silent Night until you’ve heard Baby Monkey’s Spanish rendition.

He also did a little dance while he sang. 

Seriously, who needs tv when you have kids?

Monkey in the Middle wasn’t feeling the caroling love.  So, he just snuggled up next to me and went to the bathroom about twenty times.

At one point, they call all the kids up to play instruments for two songs.

The monkeys were in heaven.  Baby Monkey, who will grow up to be a drummer…there is no doubt, chose rhythm sticks.  Monkey in the Middle had some other thing that I can’t think of the name for, but it’s the same idea…you hit it to the beat.  Monkey Girl had jingle bells to shake.

Afterward, my friend Julie said that the monkeys had some great rhythm.  I know that to be the truth…if there’s one thing they inherited from me, it’s rhythm.  You should see me dance. 🙂

Julie also told Monkey in the Middle that having good rhythm is instrumental in being a good basketball player.  He chatted about that all the way home.

“Mom…did you hear that lady?  She said that because I’m a good drummer, I’m a good basketball player.  And I am!  I’m a really good basketball player!  I need to drum more so I can get even better at basketball!”

Love that boy.

In the end, it was a nice evening.

Until…

(you knew there had to be an “until”…right?)

…we drove my Mom home.

My parents have a ridiculous driveway.  You not only have to drive down a steep driveway to get to their house, but it also curves in very strange places.  They can’t get a plow guy to plow them out in the winter.  No one can make the turns.

It snowed here yesterday, and although most of it melted, there were some patches of ice on the driveway.

My Mom was worried about falling if she walked down the driveway, which I totally understand, so I drove her down.

And couldn’t get back up.

My wheels were spinning, I was burning rubber, and wasn’t moving an inch.

My Dad came out with the salt and started salting the driveway and we tried again.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Still there.

Baby Monkey said, “This is an adventure!”

Monkey Girl said, “Is that the kind of salt they put on french fries?”

Monkey in the Middle said, “Someone needs to comfort me because I’m scared we’ll have to sleep in the van!”

I explained that Grandma and Grandpa would probably let us sleep in the house if we were stuck and that Daddy would come get us after the Giants game. 

Finally, when my Dad had used the entire bag of salt, I gave it a final try.

I rolled down my window and said to my Dad, “Look…if I get out of here, I’m not stopping to say goodbye…we’ll talk tomorrow.”

He understood.

I gunned it and shot up that driveway like a bat out of hell.

And made it.

Ahhhh…

So, overall, a pretty good evening with the monkeys. 🙂

December 5, 2009

My Addiction

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 3:08 pm

We all have them.   

You know it’s bad for you, but you just can’t help yourself.

That one thing that is your total weakness.  No matter how in control you are, it is the one thing that causes you to lose control.

Are you thinking about yours?

Well, today, I gave into mine.

I went…

to Target.

Oh, Target, how I love thee.

The most interesting thing about my addiction to Target is that I really hate shopping.  I mean, really hate shopping.  I’ll do just about anything not to have to go shopping.  Malls, ick.  Department stores, ick.

But Target?  Yum…

There isn’t a single thing in Target that I don’t want to buy.  I could rationalize the need to buy every single thing on the shelves in that store.  Can I get an Amen?

I actually haven’t been to Target in months and months.

This was a conscious decision.  

Yet, last night at Dinner and Sports Night, my friend, Sharon, had her twin boys in their jammies and they were wearing these cute coats.  She told me that she bought them at Target for $7 each.  Then, we talked about Target in general and found that we share this addiction.

Maybe we should start a recovery program.

Ever since my conversation with Sharon, last night, I’ve been thinking about Target.  It’s been calling to me.

“Amy…” it whispers.  “I miss you…you’ve been neglecting me…come shop!”

So, today I gave in.

I had a reason…I needed to buy a birthday gift, so I went with a goal in mind.  Because, if you don’t have a shopping goal, you’ll be tempted to buy everything.  And that would be bad.

So, after piano lessons this morning, Monkey Girl and I got in the van and headed to Target.

It was like seeing an old friend after a long absence.  So familiar, so comfortable.

Monkey Girl and I were really in control.  We went right back to the toys and found the gift and put it in the cart.

But, you see, the toy department is in the back of the store, and now we have to walk back up toward the register.

And pass things.

Things that were calling me.

So, then I remembered that I had promised to get Monkey Girl a new stylus for her Nintendo DS because hers got lost in Real Man’s truck and we can’t find it.

The DS accessories were right across the aisle from the Wii games.  I’ve been reading up on Wii Fit Plus, and oh, guess what?  It was right there.

Then I remembered that I am hosting the holiday party for my team (about 30+ people) at work and I was in charge of the paper products.  So, I picked those up.

While walking to the greeting cards to buy the birthday card, we passed the art stuff.  Monkey Girl has filled up her sketch pad, so I thought she needed a new one.  She thought she needed two, one for home and one for school.  Ooh, and I saw some neat art pens that would be great for her to draw with.

But, then, we were passing the books and there was a cute Phineas and Ferb Christmas book, which I just knew the boys would love.  Oh, and in the same aisle were some PC games and Monkey Girl was eyeing up a typing game.  It’s educational.

On the endcap of that aisle were cheap, cheap movies and there was a Veggie Tales Christmas movie…they’ve got good morals and the kids love them.

The boys section had cute bathrobes and Monkey in the Middle has outgrown his, as has Monkey Girl, so I found two cute robes for them.

Monkey in the Middle has also outgrown his footie pajamas and NO ONE has footie pajamas like Target.

I knew I had to leave.  I knew I had to break the spell and get out of there immediately.

And I almost did.

I was almost free.

But as I walked to the checkout counters, it kept calling me back.

“Amy…I saw you looking at them.  You know you want them.  You have to have them.  You won’t be happy unless you buy them.”

I fought it.  I did.  I fought the good fight.

I lost.

December 4, 2009

Mr. Basketball

Yes, I believe I called Monkey in the Middle “Mr. Football” not too long ago.

However, it appears that we have a bit of an all-season sports guy on our hands.  He played fall soccer, plays football with Daddy every day, and tomorrow, he starts basketball.

Tonight was the annual Dinner and Sports Night at my school.  It begins at 6 and from 6-6:30, there is a pasta dinner for the kids and their parents. (You can’t get in unless you are accompanied by an adult.)  Then, at 6:30, we move from the cafeteria down to the two gyms.  In gym #1 is the Student/Faculty Basketball game.  In gym #2 is the Student/Faculty Volleyball game (there are two nets up, so two matches going on at a time in the volleyball gym.)

This is a really special event at our school, and we get a great cross-section of kids participating.  My friend, Tara, and I work the basketball scoreboard, so we always get to see the basketball game.  The teachers play hard and there is no “letting” the kids win.  In the 6 years I’ve been there, the kids have won a few and the teachers have won a few.  Each win is meaningful because it is definitely earned.  Same goes for volleyball.  Last year, one of our 8th grade math teachers was playing volleyball, came down wrong on his ankle and severed his Achilles tendon and was out of work for a few months while he underwent and recovered from surgery.  Again, I say, the teachers play hard.

Anyway, Real Man had to be at work until late tonight, so I brought the monkeys with me.  They had a great time and were extremely well-behaved.  Real Man got there around 7:15 and was going to take the monkeys home.  Monkey Girl and Baby Monkey were more than happy to, but Monkey in the Middle looked at me and said “I want to stay here with you!”

Of course, I said yes.

So, he moved his seat, so he was right in between Tara and I. 

Have I mentioned how much my monkeys love Tara?  She has babysat for them a few times, and comes over for play stuff, and has gone on walks with the monkeys and I.  The monkeys are the founders and official members of the Tara fan club.  Her being there tonight was big stuff, and there were some heated negotiations between the monkeys over how to take turns sitting next to Tara.

But I digress…

Anyway, he sat between us and I let him work the clock.  He cheered and cheered for the teachers and kept giving Tara and I updates on the score, despite the fact that we were the ones updating the scoreboard.  He absolutely loved it.  We need to get this kid to some professional games.  Don’t really think it matters what sport.

At half time, we had a foul shot shooting contest.  The prize was this really cool, solid basketball hoop and child sized ball.  So, one of our students was on fire and was making basket after basket.  He won.  After that, he came over and someone tossed him the ball and said, “Hey…you won!”  He said, “I’ll come back, cuz I’m still playing.”  and off he went to continue playing.

As the second half went on, Monkey in the Middle was playing with the ball, bouncing it on the bleachers.  He just held on to that ball.

When the game ended, the student was talking to some other guys near where we were sitting, and Monkey in the Middle was bouncing the ball.  I said, “Sweetie, give him the ball…it’s his prize.”  The boy turned and tossed it back to Monkey in the Middle and said, “It’s okay…he can have it.”  I said, “I don’t think you understand…you didn’t just win the ball…you won the net, too!’  He said, “Oh, I know…but he can have it…he’ll probably use it more than I would.”  Monkey in the Middle immediately said “Thank you,” and started shooting the ball at the hoop.

Don’t ever let anyone bad mouth middle school kids.  I honestly believe that they are the best kids around.  Trust me, I wouldn’t have spent the last 15 years teaching them if I didn’t truly believe that. 

So, as parents left with their kids, the teachers cleaned up, and Monkey in the Middle started shooting his new ball at the big hoop.

This little tiny guy and this tall hoop, so high.

For 40 minutes, he shot that basketball at that net.

He made about 7 baskets, but every other shot, with the exception of a few, were near misses.  Hitting the rim, hitting the backboard…  He’s really pretty good…we were impressed. 🙂

We were finally ready to leave and Monkey in the Middle turns to me and says, “Hey…that boy forgot his net.”  I said, “No sweetie, he gave it to you!”  He said, “I thought he just gave me the ball!”  I said, “Nope…it’s all yours.”  The smile was a megawatt smile.

So, here he is with his new ball and hoop.  I had to do some fancy business with the seats in order to fit it in the van, but home it went.

We decided to put it in the exercise room (lest you think I have a gym in my house, it’s just a room with my treadmill and Real Man’s recumbent bike) and make a little basketball corner for him.  He is absolutely thrilled because his Little Tykes basketball net is on the deck and isn’t really available to him in the winter.  Now, he’s all set for basketball all winter.

The exercise room is right off of our bedroom, and the last thing that Monkey Boy said to us before he went to bed tonight was, “I’m gonna get up really early to play basketball.  But don’t worry…I’ll close the door.”

I could just eat him up.

December 3, 2009

Nice Afternoon

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:48 pm
Tags: , , , ,

I had a nice afternoon, today.

Okay, it didn’t start out so nice, but it ended well.

It started with  my visit to the ENT where she numbed my sinuses and then poked a scope with a videocamera on it up into my nostril until I felt it in the back of my throat. 

Twice.

Then, she stuck a foot long Q-tip up my nose until I could practically feel it behind my eye so she could send it to a lab.

Twice.

(Twice…you know, since I have two nostrils and all.)

Anyway, that lab will come back on Monday.  In the meantime, despite the fact that I just finished up 28 days of antibiotics on Monday, I’m now on a new antibiotic for the next three weeks, at the end of which I will have a CAT scan to see what’s going on with my sinuses.

Good times.  Good times.

However, after my appointment, I picked up my Monkey Girl and we went to the eyeglass store to pick up my new glasses.

I like ’em.  They are brown, tortoise-shell out the outside and pink on the inside. 

I feel fancy in them. 🙂

Anyway, after getting the glasses, Monkey Girl and I were walking down the sidewalk, which happens to pass the local diner and I said, “Hey…you wanna go in and share a plate of french fries?” (No comments, please, on the whole diabetics shouldn’t eat potatoes thing, please…I was bonding with my girl.)

You would have thought I told her she won the lottery.

We went inside, shared a plate of fries and just had some Mommy/Monkey girl talk.

It was just a nice treat for Monkey Girl and an extra nice treat for me. 

I love that girl so much…I don’t think she’ll ever understand how much.

December 2, 2009

Here’s What Happens…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 11:25 pm

…when you have an 8-year old Monkey Girl who reads way above grade level.

Monkey Girl:  “Hey, Dad?”

Real Man: “Yes?”

Monkey Girl: “What does ample mean?”

Real Man: “It means ‘enough.'”

Monkey Girl:  “Oh, okay.”

Pause

Monkey Girl: “Hey, Dad?”

Real Man: “Yes?”

Monkey Girl: “What does bosom mean?”

Real Man: “Let me see that book.”

Luckily, it was just describing someone’s old aunt and was completely appropriate, but yeah…so it begins.

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