You know that eTrade baby?
Well…
I think…
Our little cutie could give just as good stock advice!
July 20, 2011
July 18, 2011
Getting Through It All
My apologies for slacking in the blogging department.
I’ve been spending my days like this:
Tiny Monkey wakes me up to eat, and I feed him in our bed and we both drift back to sleep.
Monkey in the Middle comes in and wakes everyone up.
We head downstairs and Tiny Monkey hangs in the exersaucer or the Bumbo or lays on the playmat while I get breakfast for the big kids and start unpacking more boxes.
After breakfast, the big kids go outside to play and I unpack until Tiny Monkey starts yelling “Hey, lady! Enough! Pick me up!”
So, then I carry around Tiny Monkey and try to unpack with one arm until I realize the futility of that, and remember that it’s much more fun to blow raspberries on a baby tummy than unpacking anyway, and so I scrap the unpacking for awhile.
When Tiny Monkey finally goes down for a nap, I race around the house doing as much unpacking as I can, and even though I feel like I’m unpacking a thousand things, when I look around, I’m not sure I’ve made any progress.
I head outside or to the basement and unpack while playing and interacting with the big 3, and then when Tiny wakes up, I feed him and the process starts all over again.
So, there isn’t much time in there for blogging, and even if there was, there really isn’t much happening to blog about, unless you want to read about how many boxes we have stacked in the garage to be recycled or how many boxes are yet to be unpacked or how many times Baby Monkey has asked me “Where exactly is that bathroom down here?”
So, I promise to try to be more creative as I continue to “move in” and the process won’t last forever, and hopefully, before the summer ends and I head back to work, I’ll find some free time to write!
July 16, 2011
Cartoons
I used to love my Saturday morning cartoons.
My kids don’t really understand the whole “Saturday morning” part.
“Why could you only watch them on Saturday mornings?”
Which, of course, leads to the whole “only 5 channels” discussion and that blows their mind.
Now, don’t get me wrong…I think there are a lot of great cartoons out there, but because there are so many channels dedicated to cartoons, there is also a lot of crap.
But then, who determines it is crap?
Because, one of my favorite cartoons was “The New Schmoo.”
In fact, I call Tiny Monkey “Schmoo” all the time.
Why?
Beats me.
Not familiar with “The New Schmoo?”
Here are the opening credits.
What were some of your favorite cartoons as a kid?
I’d love this to be an interactive post…always interested in what others enjoy!
July 15, 2011
Home
There’s a certain feeling you get when you know you are home.
It’s hard to put into words, but it is a feeling that doesn’t come at any other time.
It just feels right.
We’ve lived in four houses.
The first one was the first one and we knew it wouldn’t be the last.
So, somehow, subconsciouly, we never really settled in, although we lived there for three years.
Our second house was great, and we did feel home, but we filled it up and thought we might need more space.
In our third home…we just didn’t fit.
I don’t mean spacially.
I mean…it just wasn’t right for us.
We never truly felt at home there.
And then, yesterday, we moved into our fourth (and last, if we can help it) house.
And…
…we’re home.
And…
…we’re happy.
July 11, 2011
When We Were Young
When Real Man and I were dating, we used to head down to Seaside Heights for a day or two, each summer.
While there, we would spend considerable time and money on the boardwalk, playing games, having old time photos taken, and doing whatever else we could to part with our hard earned cash.
One weekend, we decided to partake in the “See What Your Future Children Will Look Like” booth.
Basically, it took a shot of my face, then one of his face and then blended them to show us what our future children would look like.
Here were the results:
Apparently, these two kids are what a perfect blend of Real Man and I should look like.
Hysterical.
Even more hysterical is that after spending the $5 to do it once, we got the boy picture and spent $5 more dollars to do it again!
Who knows, though, how it all really works out…she gets his nose and mouth, but my coloring. He gets my nose and eyes, but his Dad’s athleticism.
Kinda cool to try to figure out which pieces went where.
But, as for the possible children photos?
I think we did a little better than that.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Mancini.
July 10, 2011
Five Question Friday on Sunday!
Since I had no connection this past Friday, I figured, we’ve done it on a Saturday…why not a Sunday???
1. Do you think cursive writing is overrated? (Schools in Indiana have now voted to take teaching cursive writing out of their curriculum.)
I do.
In the digital age, I don’t think that what your writing looks like is important, rather the content of what you write. We need to focus on WHAT they are writing…not what it looks like.
Monkey Girl has terrible handwriting but is remarkably creative. She writes a phenomenal story and loses points for handwriting? Why can’t she just type the darn thing? As an adult, how much handwriting do you do, anyway?
2. Do you still use a pocket calendar or notepad or do you keep your info on your smart phone?
Given my answer to Question #1, I find it funny that I use both.
I enjoy writing things down on my pretty calendar I bought from Barnes and Noble, and I have a family calendar that we keep in the kitchen with everyone’s info, however, it all also gets stuck in my iPhone, and I have a Google calendar that I share with Real Man.
What we’d like to have, and have talked about many times, is a digital family calendar in the kitchen. We’re working on it…maybe in the new house.
3. What 3 things would you save if your house was burning down? (family & pets are already safe)
The CD’s that have our family photos on them. Aw, heck. Probably the computer because we haven’t downloaded them all to CD yet.
I guess our old photo albums, as well.
Other than that, I guess my laptop or my phone. I’m not a very sentimental person, so the only thing that I have that can’t be replaced would be the photos. So, other than those, I guess my laptop, since it has other photos of the monkeys and my work stuff saved on it.
I’m wondering what this answer says about me. Am I going to read other responses and smack my head and say “Oh…I totally should have said that!”
4. Country Mouse or City Mouse, err Person?
Honestly?
Country Mouse.
I want to live in the country.
Wide open spaces and all that jazz.
I have always wanted to live in the country. There is something very attractive about living out in the country with dirt roads and nothing to see for miles on end. Slower pace. Quieter life.
I want that.
5. If you could pick ANY reality show to go on, which would you pick?
Oh, I don’t know.
I’m not really interesting enough to be picked for any reality show, so I guess I’d go with American Idol, if I didn’t already WAY exceed the age requirement.
American Idol for Moms.
That’d be my pick.
And I’d rock it.
July 9, 2011
Reflections on the Shore
Last week, we went to the Jersey Shore for our summer vacation.
For some reason, the beach house in which we stayed seemed to impede my 3G connection, so even though I knew I wouldn’t have WiFi, I had assumed that I would still be able to update the blog from my phone.
I was wrong.
So, sorry for the week long hiatus.
For our family, the Jersey Shore isn’t a vacation that was inspired by the MTV show.
I’ve been coming to the Jersey Shore since I was 3, and I believe Real Man and his family have been coming just as long.
We stay in Ortley Beach, which is the next beach over from Seaside Heights, the setting for the original season of “Jersey Shore.”
One night a week, we hit the boardwalk at Seaside, and the kids ride rides and play games and exhaust themselves.
The street we stay on leads to Joey Harrison’s surf club and we’ve always enjoyed watching the parade of ridiculously dressed teens on their way to Teen Night.
However, it seems as though our family oriented little beach town has changed, and not for the good.
The show, “Jersey Shore,” was truly a characterization of some of the people that we’d see while on vacation every year. Yes, there were some people who dressed, spoke, and acted the way that Snooki and the crew did, but they weren’t necessarily the majority.
True, this is Jersey, yo, and we’ve got the guidos and guidettes galore, and the boardwalk has always sold the “#1 Italian Bitch” t-shirt, but these past two years, it seems as though Seaside, and unfortunately, Ortley, are trying to embrace the “Jersey Shore” characterization.
While most people who live in Jersey cringe when we hear that people think that NJ is like what is portrayed on the show, it now seems that these two towns are enhancing that image…trying to live up to the types of people and experiences that made them famous.
As I type, yesterday was July 3rd and Joey Harrison’s was packed. People were waiting in line to get in and the people were bursting out the seams, spilling out onto the beach. The bass was thumping so loud and my in-laws and I cringed as the DJ shouted out “Hey all you f’ing people! You like this f’ing music? Let’s get this f’ing party started!”
Really? When did that become appropriate?
I admit, I love a good show, and we’re definitely getting that this year. Standing in front of Real Man’s aunts cottage last night, we saw the parade as they made their way to Joey’s. Short shorts that can’t even be categorized as clothing, paired with stilettos so high, we called them “Eiffel Tower shoes.” Shirts that left nothing to the imagination, and men who thought their oily, brown-tanned chests shouldn’t be covered by shirts at all.
We mothers, in the family, take it as an opportunity to teach our daughters what is and is not acceptable to wear, and they nod and shake their heads and even throw out a few “What the heck is she wearing’s?” as the parade walks by.
I’m by no means a prude, and as I said, it is a good time. And, maybe if I had those bodies I’d be wearing those outfits as well, but my guess is probably not.
But, I’m cautious about getting too wrapped up in the “show” that I don’t miss the fact that what was once a great place to bring a family is becoming a place where we need to cover their ears and avert their eyes. I’m all about letting kids experience and learn from that experience, but at the same time, there’s only so much a 5 year old can see, take in, process, and make meaning from.
So, for now, we continue to watch the show and hope that “The Show” hasn’t completely ruined Ortley for good. We hope that, perhaps, this too shall pass. And, maybe now that “Jersey Shore” has moved to Italy for last season, maybe Roma can take its fair share of the Snooki-ites, because I think we’re full up, ova heah.
July 1, 2011
Five Question Friday x2!
First of all, this week has gone WAY too quickly.
I feel as though I was just writing my responses to last week’s Five Question Friday.
Time needs to seriously slow down, as we all know how I feel about the passage of time.
Anywho…
I found two different sets of questions for today’s installment of Five Question Friday, and rather than choose, I figured I’d give you double the insight into my soul.
Or, double the answers to strange, random questions about my life.
Anyway, here goes…
- Of the five weekdays, which is the easiest to get through?
Now that summer has arrived, they are all fairly easy to deal with, so I guess I’ll answer with a school year answer.
I’d have to go with Thursday. It’s not Monday, which is just tough for everyone, nor is it Tuesday which holds a lot of promise after Monday, but then you realize that you are still in the first part of the week. It’s not Wednesday, which everyone hails as “Hump Day” in the middle of the week, but it’s kind of like the Summer Solstice of the week…the longest day. Friday is exciting because, well, it’s Friday, but there is always a lot to get done on Friday so it isn’t hanging over into the weekend. Saturday and Sunday seem like they would be givens, but weekends are usually full of errands and playing and parks and while most of these days are fun, they are also exhausting.
So, yeah, Thursday.
- Which of the five little piggies is the most bizarrely characterized?
Seriously?
The one who ate the roast beef.
Is this even up for consideration? The pig is eating cow.
No contest.
- Of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, from which do you draw your power?
Hard to say.
My gut tells me to go with fire, because I have a fiery temper, however, I love the ocean and could spend all day in the waves, just moving with their flow.
Don’t like metal. Hard. Unyielding.
I’m going to go with wood. I never feel more peaceful or get better thinking done than when I am hiking in the woods. The trees, so tall above me, providing shade, have been there for hundreds of years and I think they are just amazing. I love the woods and always feel refreshed after spending some time there.
- Haribo Gummy Bears come in five flavors: pineapple (white), strawberry (green), raspberry (red), lemon (yellow) and orange (orange). Which is your favorite?
My favorite flavor of anything is raspberry.
My answer is always raspberry.
- Which of the five basic tastes (sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and savoriness) best describes your personality?
I’m not sure I understand the taste of “savory” so I’ll go with that, as most of the time, I don’t really understand myself.
1. If you had the opportunity to bungee jump, would you?
Absolutely. If I could find someone to go with me, I’d go in a heartbeat.
I’m also hoping to go skydiving someday, as well.
2. Would you rather go to the movie theater or to the drive-in?
Movie theater.
I’m all about the comfort.
3. Do you have your groceries delivered?
No. It goes completely against my frugal nature to spend extra money to have them delivered. I’ve ordered online before, and gone to pick them up, but even doing that made me feel terrible. I can get through the store with 4 kids, stick to my list, use my coupons, and get out with everyone alive. Is it the most fun I’ve ever had? No, but it’s doable.
4. Eyebrows: Do you wax, thread, pluck, or stay au naturel?
I pluck, however, I like to have my eyebrows waxed, because it just looks so much better than when I do it myself (with the exception of the 2 hours directly afterward when my ridiculously sensitive skin gives me away with redness and swelling). I have only done this twice, though. Again, seems silly to spend money on something I can just do myself.
5. Would the people you went to high school with be surprised by your life today?
No. I’m friends with most of them on Facebook and those that I’m not didn’t really know me anyway.
I married my high school sweetheart and teach at the middle school I attended. Not a lot to surprise anyone.
