My Real Life

September 27, 2009

Afternoon at the Library

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:14 am
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The monkeys and I hit the library once a week, every week. 

We take out tons of books and then one dvd for each monkey. 

Baby Monkey likes to start reading his books right there, in the library.  He’s an instant gratification kinda guy.

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He goes from one book to another.

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Monkey Girl likes to look things up on the online card catalog.

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Gotta tell you…online card catalogs rock my world. 

Remember when you used to have to pull out a little wooden drawer and find the index card with the book you were looking for?

Now you can cross reference, check if other libraries have what you want, reserve things, place things on hold.  My favorite is being able to renew items from home by just logging in.  So convenient!  Love the helpfulness of the high-tech library.

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Now, today was the first day that Monkey in the Middle noticed the computers.  He usually spends most of his time pulling out one dvd, then finding another one and putting the first one back, then getting another one and putting that one back, etc. 

However, today he was lured to the computer.

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At our library, there are a few computers that have kids games on them.  So, he found Pajama Sam: Thunder and Lightning Aren’t So Frightening.  Despite the fact that we have this game at home, he was thrilled, so I let him play for awhile while I read to Baby Monkey and Monkey Girl searched for some more books.

We left with 3 dvds and a pile of Halloween books.  I’ve always loved the library and I am so pleased that I’m instilling that love in my children.  It’s such a part of our lives that I know that they’ll grow up to continue to be library users.

Makes a mama proud.

And, on the way home, even though I have a minivan that seats 7 quite comfortably, my monkeys like to all squish together in the back seat.  They’d always rather be together than be apart…even just separated by a seat.

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Makes a mama prouder.

September 26, 2009

Update on Baby Monkey

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:27 am
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So, while the questions pour in, I figured I’d give you an update on Baby Monkey.

He had another “episode” last Saturday morning.  We took him into the neurologist on Monday and the two that we’ve seen can’t seem to agree on a treatment.  One wants to put him on anti-seizure medication.  The other says he’s too little and that he’s not convinced it’s a seizure.

So…next Monday and Tuesday (5th and 6th), he and I are checking into the hospital.  They will sedate him and do an MRI, then they will hook him up to the machines for 48 hours to do a 48 hour EEG.  We are hopeful that this will give us some answers.  If it happens again before then, they will put him on the medication to cover all the bases.  I’m hopeful that won’t happen.

For now, he’s fine, though, and continues to be my happy-go-lucky little Baby Monkey.  That’s the good news and that’s what keeps me going until we get some answers.

September 25, 2009

Real Questions

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:05 am
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So, we’ve been doing pretty well here at My Real Life.  I’m averaging between 40-70 hits a day with a few days that have gone over 100.  So, although I don’t know who is reading, I know that quite a few of you are!

I do get questions, from time to time, about my family and my life.  People read the blog and then are curious about other aspects of our lives that I haven’t gotten around to writing about yet.  Some people just have general questions about me.

So, this weekend, I’m opening the blog up for questions.  If you have a question about myself or the monkeys (or non-personal questions about Real Man), you can e-mail me at amyboz3@yahoo.com  I’m going to give everyone until Sunday at noon to get their questions in.  Then, I’ll respond on the blog.

I’m excited about this and hopeful that people participate.  No question too big or too small.

So, let’s see whatcha got!

September 24, 2009

Stress Relief

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:22 am
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So, you ever have one of those days? 

You know the ones. 

The kind where you can’t shake that grumpy feeling, no matter what?

Well, today was one of those days for me.  However, in my house, those days are catching.  It is rare that just one of us is having one of those days.  When one of us is down, we’re all down.  I guess it’s nice.  Like we’re a big team.  One for all and all for one.  Yeah, nice.

So, today was one of those days.

I had a meeting after work and then picked up Baby Monkey at daycare.  Apparently, I got there right before snack time, and even though I assured him he could have a snack at home, the tears started in the car on the way home. 

We got home around 4:30 and my Dad had been watching the big monkeys.  He couldn’t get out the door fast enough.  He gave me a “I don’t know how you do it,” and headed out.

Turns out Monkey Girl was tired and grumpy and Monkey in the Middle was taking advantage of her grumpiness to push her buttons.  The end result was a lot of drama.  My Dad doesn’t do drama.

So, I checked everyone’s homework and got dinner started.  Baby Monkey was crying that he wanted his dinner “a little hot.”  I don’t even really think he knew what he meant.  Monkey Girl was crying, saying that she was going right to bed after dinner because she couldn’t stay awake, but then the next second saying that she wasn’t tired and wanted to stay up late.  Only Monkey in the Middle was relatively unscathed by the mood, however, he hates the sound of Baby Monkey crying, so he was covering his ears, crying a little himself.

It was quite a scene.

We had Back to School Night for Monkey in the Middle tonight, so the monkeys and I ate early.  After dinner, the four of us were just sitting at the table, looking at each other with grumpy looks on their faces, and I knew I had to do something.

So, I headed to the living room, turned on my iPod, and started dancing.  It took less than a minute for all three monkeys to join me, and it turned the whole evening around.

Here they are dancing to “All The Single Ladies” by Beyonce.

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I apologize for the fuzziness.  I can’t quite figure out the action setting on Real Man’s camera.

Here they are with “Thriller.”

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I don’t let my monkeys dance alone.  I always am in on the action.

Monkey Girl wanted to take a picture of me dancing.  She can’t figure out the action setting either.

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So, after about a half hour of dancing, we collapsed on the couch, snuggled for a bit, and then they all went off to play, happy again.

Dancing.  The answer to the world’s problems. 

We should mandate a dancing break in Congress.  Get those Democrats and Republicans to dance across the aisle to a little Britney Spears and watch those partisan issues disappear.

Works for us.  What works for you?

September 23, 2009

Real Boys

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:48 am
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So, I used to wonder what it was that little boys did in their free time.  I was a girl (duh!) and my oldest is a girl, and so I always wondered, as Monkey in the Middle grew, what it is that he would enjoy.

Monkey and the Middle and Baby Monkey love, love, LOVE to play with cars.  The more the better, as their favorite car game is:

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TRAFFIC JAM!!!

You’d think we lived in the city, the way these boys can set up a jam.  Baby Monkey always gets to decide exactly what the cause of the jam is.

Today, it was a stalled bus.

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Now, left on his own, Monkey in the Middle will still play cars, although, lately, chess is making a play for first place in his heart.

However, left on his own, Baby Monkey will…well…

Did you see the movie Parenthood, with Steve Martin?  Remember his youngest boy who had the bucket on his head and kept ramming the wall?

Yeah, I got one of those. (minus the ramming into the wall piece)

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He frequently comes into the room like this.

Or like this:

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But, that’s a post for a different day.

Another game that the boys love when they are together is “Church.”

The boys go to church with Real Man every Sunday.  They are Catholic and I am Presbyterian.  Those boys know that Catholic service, let me tell you.

Here they are, after “processing” down the aisle.

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After this, they go to the piano.  Baby Monkey sits down and waits for Monkey in the Middle.  Monkey in the Middle “reads” from the Bible.  The stories are usually something like this:

“So, God said to Jesus, ‘Hey…you want some ice cream?’ and Jesus said, ‘Yeah, but only if you have mint chocolate chip.’ And God said, ‘Okay…here you go.”

He follows with, “The word of the Lord,” to which Baby Monkey responds, “Thanks be to God.”

Then Baby Monkey plays his version of “Hallelujah” on the piano and they sing at the top of their lungs.  He may not be playing the right notes, but the beat is accurate and they’ve got the words down.

It is quite a scene.

So, are they typical boys?  Sometimes.  Other times, I’d say they were interesting boys.

However, I can’t imagine loving any other boys more.

September 22, 2009

Real Travels

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:51 am
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Okay, indulge me one more day in my trip down memory lane.  Tomorrow, back to business as usual here at My Real Life.

So, as I said in an earlier post, I was looking through my photo boxes the other day.  You may also remember me talking about my bestest friends, Kim, Erin and Michaela.

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Now we’re all grown up (well, sorta) but it wasn’t always that way.  Once upon a time, we were teenagers.

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Well, as I looked through the gajillion pictures in my picture box, I couldn’t help but be struck by how many were of the girls and I.  I also was struck by how many of the shots of the girls and I were of us in different states or islands.

We were in the youth group at our church, as well as in our handbell choir.  Our youth group would travel every summer to Appalachia and build homes or fix up homes for the extremely poor families that were living there.  I remember one year, we built a bathroom for a woman who had never had one attached to her house before.  Another year, we peeled our way through 13 layers of wallpaper in someone’s kitchen.  We always had a great time, and we met some really cool people along the way.

In our handbell choir, we traveled around in the summer, playing concerts and entertaining the masses.

Here are Erin, Michaela and I in Bermuda with Sara, another ringer.  I loved Bermuda and have always hoped to get back there someday.  It was so beautiful there.  Clear water, hidden coves.  Just a beautiful, beautiful island.

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Here we all are in Michigan, watching the fireworks on the Fourth of July.  (We were always on tour for the Fourth.)  To this day, I cannot be at a firework display without thinking of this firework display in Michigan.

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This one is of us in Michigan, outside of our hotel.  That tour was our senior year and was definitely the most special.

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I could literally overload WordPress with all of the photos I have of the girls and I over the years.  However, I just thought I’d share a nice little trip down memory lane.  I know exactly how lucky I am to have these women in my life, and I like to celebrate it whenever I can.

September 21, 2009

Real Brother

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 8:12 am
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I’m the only child of two only children.  So, family reunions were breakfast every morning.

However, although I was technically alone, I believe I’ve already made clear the relationship I had with my sisters-not-by-blood, Kim, Erin and Michaela.

Yet, I’ve neglected, thus far, to mention my brother-not-by-blood, Mark.

Mark and I were Frick and Frack.  Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.  Salt and Pepper.  Peas and Carrots.  We were kinda like Jenny and Forrest, however, I’d like to think we were both more Jenny than Forrest.

Here’s Mark on the bus in eighth grade.

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Look at those teeth.  I’ve always been jealous of those perfect teeth.

That pose is inherently Mark.  He’s the most full of life person that I know.  His enthusiasm for life is contagious and being around Mark always makes me happy.

Mark and I went to the eighth grade dance together.

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Weren’t my friend, Sari, and I lucky to go with the Miami Vice guys?

However, we went to high school and Mark moved to Texas and left me.  It was a very sad time for me. 

Until, that is, I realized that now I had an excuse to fly to Texas every Spring Break!

And so I did.

The first year, Michaela and I went.  The second year, Erin, Michaela and I went.  The third year, Kim and I went. 

I don’t have a lot of photos of these trips, but what I do have are videos.  Michaela is working on transferring them to dvd as we speak, and when she does, you can be sure I’ll try to figure out a way to get it on the blog.  Oh, and trust me, these tapes are more embarrassing to me than they are to anyone else on them.

During our high school years, recording studios were also the new, big thing.  So, we have many, many songs that we all recorded together.  I’m not so sure I’ll be sharing those, although Michaela has already transferred those to CD for us.

Anyway, remember how I said Mark’s enthusiasm for life was contagious?

Let me share a little bit of my wedding reception with you.  Disclaimer beforehand…lest you think that this was the result of drinking at the wedding, it wasn’t.  This is what happens to us when we are with Mark.  It happened when we were eight and if we could ever all get together again, it would happen again now that we are in our late 30’s…um, I mean late 20’s.

Here are Michaela and Kim with Mark.

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Here is just Kim and Mark, trying to get every last bit of fun out of those bouquets.

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As always, Mark rubbed off and Michaela got in on the action.  Princess Leia, eat your heart out!

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Finally, she almost crossed the line that would have resulted in my mother kicking her butt all over that reception hall.

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Mark…get your butt up here to NJ!

September 20, 2009

Real Cautionary Tale

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 2:42 am
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You know the saying “The grass is always greener on the other side?” Well, I’ve always wanted curly hair. However, it was not my lot in life.

I was born with pin straight hair.

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My Mom would try to curl the ends to make it more…interesting, but to no avail.

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Look at my face. I’m thinking of ways to curl my hair, even at the tender age of two.

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 My friend, Snuffleupagus and I spent many hours together, contemplating how I would look with curls.

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Eventually, Mom  just looped it up in an effort to contain it’s thick straightness.

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It got longer and longer. Here I am, four years old at the Bicentennial celebration. Look how colonial. Look how long and straight the hair.

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It was fairly soon after that picture that I was watching Sesame Street in my basement and decided to make a nest for Big Bird. I had no straw handy, so I used the next best thing. My hair. Only one side of it, though. Lopped a braid right off, right above my ear.

 My Mom…not happy.

Eventually, however, I became a teenager and gained control over my straight locks. I spent the summer after eighth grade at my Grandma’s in Ohio. Grandma, you may remember, was a beautician.

Three bottles of perm solution later, voila! I had the hair I had always wanted.

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That curly hair made me feel wild.

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(We can talk about the clothes in this picture later. I loved that yellow shirt with the black paint splatter. And how about those cuffed jeans? Oh, the 80’s…how I miss you.)

However, a perm must be maintained.

I didn’t have the cash to keep reperming, and I also worried that my hair would start to fall out if I kept frying it with perm solution. So, after a fabulous freshman year with my awesome hair, I began to let it grow out.

After four years, I was still growing it out.

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I still had the curls at the senior prom.

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However, by graduation, it was almost out and Michaela (who also is of the straight hair variety) had more of a wave than I did.

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By freshman year in college, I was back on the straight and narrow.

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While we’re at it, how about this fancy pose?

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 What do you think I was thinking about? I wish I knew. It’s quite the pensive pose.

So, after all this, you’d think that the lesson I was trying to impart was, be happy with what you have. However, after seeing the perm pictures again, I’m itching for the curls. I’m 37.

I think it’s time to be wild and free again.

At least with my hair.

Gotta go heat up the curlers.

September 18, 2009

Quick Brag About a Friend

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 5:36 pm

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a moderator at the forums at a website called The Frugal Village.  The woman who runs the site, my friend, Sara Noel, is a syndicated columnist, as well as having a few websites which she runs.

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Anyway, today, Sara is all over the news.  She’s quoted on MSNBC, Business Week, Yahoo!News, and in a total of 3,690 news outlets, via an article from the AP.

I’m really happy for Sara and all the publicity that she and the Frugal Village are getting today. 

So, that’s it…just wanted to brag about my friend 🙂

Real Memories

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:35 am
Tags: , , , ,

I was feeling a bit down yesterday.  Just that kind of day, you know.

So, I started looking through my old pictures.  Some on the computer, some in albums and boxes.

Little by little, I started feeling better.

This one helped a lot.

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 This one made me smile…big.

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This one…Lord, help me.

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My friend, Sharon has twin boys, Connor and Ryan.  The other day, Sharon said to me, “You know, Amy…I spend a good portion of my day trying not to eat my kids.”

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I get it, Sharon.  I totally get it.

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