My Real Life

When I was in middle school, I was a latchkey kid.

I was a latchkey kid before middle school, but my story takes place in middle school.

When I was in middle school, I was a latchkey kid.

When I was in middle school, we got HBO.

It was awesome.

Anyone remember HBO in the early days?

The camera going down the streets in the fake city while the HBO theme music played?

“Da da daaa, da daaa, da da da da…da da daa, (dadadumdadadum) da da daa (dadadumdadadum)…”

Anyway…

I watched a lot of movies on HBO after school while “doing my homework.”

One of them has always stuck with me.

Maybe because for a two month period, it was on at 3:00 every single day so I watched it a gajillion times.

Maybe it was because, even as a seventh grader, the movie moved me to big, enormous sobbing tears.

The movie was “Six Weeks” with Mary Tyler Moore and Dudley Moore.

MTM had a daughter who was a ballet dancer, and is diagnosed with leukemia.

Somewhere along the way, they meet Dudley and the adults fall in love.

The night before the daughter gets her dream of performing in the Nutcracker she performs a pretend wedding for her mother and Mr. Moore.

The vows always make me cry.

“…for now…for there isn’t any always…”

Ugh.  Because she knows she’s dying and for now is all there is.

Get it?

Awful.

Then, she dances in the show and dies in her mothers arms on the subway.

Oh, sorry…spoiler alert.

I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

I may need to see if Netflix has it.

If I watched it now, I might find it horrifyingly cheesy, but I doubt it.

It was my first real tearjerker.

Not my last.

Kim can tell you.

We saw Steel Magnolias together.

“I could jog all the way to Texas and back…but my daughter can’t!”

We also saw My Girl together.

“Where are his glasses?  He can’t see!  Where are his glasses?”

Surprised we didn’t flood the town with our tears.

I saw Marley and Me a few years ago.

I had specifically not watched that film because I knew it would make me cry.

Then, one day while on maternity leave, it was on.

Why not? I figured.

Why not, indeed.

Poor Real Man got a call that went something like this:

“What’s the matter with you?  Why would you leave me home alone to watch a movie like Marley and Me?  Do you know about this movie?  Do you know what happens?  The dog…that sweet, sweet dog!  It’s awful!  Awful!  Why would you let me watch this?  You have to monitor what I watch…you know I can’t watch sad movies like this!  This is all your fault!”

All of the above said through heaving sobs and sniffles full of snot that could not be contained as the tears ran down my cheeks.

Poor guy.

Anyway, I’ve been feeling kinda sappy lately, and I keep thinking about Six Weeks.

Do you have a go-to sad movie?

One that you watch when you just want to wallow for awhile?

I’d be interested to hear.

Because I’m always up for a good cry.

We had no school on Monday due to the Jewish holiday.

Happy New Year to my friends who celebrate!

I’ve been missing my kids like I’ve lost a limb since school started (although passing Monkey Girl in the hallway every day certainly helps) so I decided to make the best of the day.

We started with me making pancakes and the kids stuffing themselves full of them.

Then, we hit the park in a neighboring town.

It’s a park we frequent often, however, we didn’t go throughout the summer because parks + heat make us all grumpy.

We’re fall park people.

Which means, Tiny was in a stroller or carseat when last we hit this park.

He had a blast.

They all did.

We spent a good few hours there and then met Real Man for lunch.

Came home, did some laundry, Monkey Girl baked some cookies, big boys played with cars and Tiny took a nap.

Then, we drove Monkey Girl to voice lessons, and the boys and I hit another park.

No time for pictures there, as Tiny had figured out how parks are done and he was on the move.

We’re fortunate to live in an area that has so many amazing places for kids to play.

Side note: I’m typing this post on Monday night after the kids have already fallen asleep.

Baby just came in to tell me he had a bad dream.

What about?

A tornado.

I’ve always said this kid had a sixth sense.

(If you are confused right now, go back a few posts and find the one about all the dreams I’ve been having about tornadoes lately.  And, no…I did not discuss this with the kids.)

I’ve been having a lot of dreams about tornadoes lately.

Last night, the dream was that I was in Wooster, Ohio (where I went to college).

My friend, Sharon, asked if I wanted to go to church with her, so I said okay.

She drove Monkey in the Middle and I to church and we found the last spot in the parking lot.

We walked to the door together and MiM and I walked in.

Some woman waved me over and said, “He can come with me,” and he went off to the children’s activity and I turned around to ask Sharon where she wanted to sit, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

However, suddenly Real Man’s sister was waving to me from the back of the church, so I went over to her.

We sat together for, what felt like, and interminable service and when it was over, I said, “I’m going to get MiM.”

We went to the kids room where he was involved in some activity with paints and glue.  He was very happy to see me.

We walked out into the parking lot and Sharon was standing there, tapping her foot.

“$475,” she said.

I was like, “Huh?”

She told us that she had, apparently, parked illegally and the cops had come and she now had a ticket for $475.

She was furious, as you can imagine, and as she’s talking, MiM starts tugging on my sleeve.  I look down at him and he’s staring into the sky.

I follow his gaze and see an enormous, black tornado swirling toward us.

Sharon, me, MiM, Real Man (who suddenly appears), and my sister-in-law hop into Sharon’s BMW (not really sure what kind of car she drives in real life) and she starts backing up to get away, however, it’s too close.

The car starts spinning and spinning, but staying on the ground.  Real Man is holding on to MiM and I for dear life (once we got in the car, his sister disappeared) and the car just spins and spins and then the funnel just disappears up into the sky.

Real Man, Mim and I hop out of the car and just start racing toward campus because all we can think about is finding Monkey Girl, Baby and Tiny, and then I woke up.

That’s how most of my natural disaster dreams are.  I’m in the midst of it, either alone or with one of the kids, and after the tide recedes, the funnel goes back into the clouds, the winds die down, I am running like the devil is at my heels to get to the rest of the family.

One website I checked said that tornado dreams mean you are feeling overwhelmed or life is chaotic.  I can definitely get on board with that explanation, these days.

I wrote about that very thing the other day, however, I don’t feel like life is out of control.

Or, maybe I do and I just don’t realize it.

My dreams are always quite colorful and intricate and I usually remember them upon waking, so they offer me a lot of fodder for self-reflection.

Hopefully tonight, instead of dreaming about almost being swept away by a tornado I could dream about winning the lottery.

That would be a much nicer way to wake up.

Right now…

…Monkey Girl is lying on her bed, reading, as she’s been doing for the past hour and a half.  Almost done with one book, ready to pick up the next.

…Monkey in the Middle is playing basketball on the deck with Real Man, after having a football catch in the backyard, after taking a walk around the neighborhood.

…Baby and Tiny are taking a break from playing together, having a snack in the kitchen, one heading toward a nap when he’s done, the other heading to the basement to continue his play.

…I am finishing up some schoolwork that I worked on until 9:30 last night when I finally called it a day.  Hoping to head out to shoot a few hoops with the big boys, unless they wear out before I get there.

1. How long did it take for you to find your wedding dress? (Wedding dress pics anyone?)

1 day.

I hit a store in town, tried on 5 dresses, said no.

I hit one store in another town, saw my dress hanging, fell in love, tried it on and that was that.

I’m pretty decisive about things.

2. Someone in your general vicinity releases a NASTY smelling fart. Do you say anything or blow it off?

Depends who it is that is in my general vicinity.

Real Man/my parents/the kids…I say something.

Anyone else…I blow it off.

They’ve gotta be embarrassed as heck.  Why add to it?

3. What is the scariest thing that happened to you or scared you recently?

I looked at myself in the mirror.

Okay, okay…I kid.

Truly?

I caught an episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

Trust me.  It qualifies as scary.

4. Favorite brand and flavor of ice cream.

It’s a tie.

Baskin Robbins Peanut Butter Chocolate or Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip.

However, since they both have to be distant memories for me, Edy’s No Sugar Added Triple Chocolate satisfies my sweet tooth in small amount.

5. Are you able to sleep well in hotels?

Like a baby.

But, that may have to do with the fact that I’ve never stayed in a hotel with the monkeys.

Just maybe.

School has started and we are all adjusting to the new routine.

Some days, Monkey Girl and I are up and out of here before the boys are even blinking their eyes.

(Not including Real Man who is up at the crack of dawn to exercise)

We drop off Tiny on our way to school, and hit the ground running once we get there.

After school there is field hockey, football, ice hockey, voice lessons, youth group at one church, CCD at another, dinner, baths, showers, books and finally (blissfully) bed.

I don’t say this to complain.  We are no more busy than any other family I know, and everyone seems to be fully enjoying school and the activities with which they are involved.

Nighttime routines have changed, as well.

Monkey in the Middle is allowed to stay up half an hour later than he used to, and Baby Monkey has adjusted well to going to bed alone.

Monkey in the Middle has also decided he doesn’t want to sit with Baby while he is read to before bed.

Instead, he brings his own chapter book into Monkey Girl’s room and reads on her bed, next to her.

(Of course, he wanted me to know that, every now and then, he wouldn’t mind hearing some of those books we pick out of the library…particularly the Halloween ones.)

So, Baby gets Real Man and/or I all to himself during books, which makes going to bed alone more palatable.

By the time Monkey in the Middle is done with his reading time, Baby Monkey is fast asleep, and Monkey in the Middle is soon to follow.

And then there is Monkey Girl who would stay up reading all night if we let her.

However, she too has a bedtime and when it comes, we go in and tuck in that long body of hers, kiss her and tell her how very much we love her.

And then go collapse in our bed.

For ten minutes until Monkey Girl comes in to tell us something she forgot to tell us before bedtime.

And then wants to be re-tucked in.

Some things never change.

🙂

Another thing that never changes is dinner.

It remains one of the highlights of my day as we sit around and share stories from our days, adults and children talking to each other and over each other, but still listening to each other, Tiny shrieking his own little sentences from his chair, desperate to be part of the conversation.

It’s a new routine…very different from the laid back ease of the summer.

It’s chaotic on the best of days, and yet…

Life is good.

Well, let’s start with the winner of our caption contest.

Baby Monkey got a good chuckle out of all the entries and was delighted to be the focus of the blog.

Yet, who was most in tune with the 6 year old mind?

It was Heather, with this entry:

{sung to the tune of spiderman theme}
“SpiderCorn, SpiderCorn, does whatever a SpiderCorn does”.

Congrats, Heather…apparently, you are a 6 year old at heart!

However…

I must say that Tracy’s entry set his little giggly self into near convulsions, as well.

Tracy’s entry was:

Holy Smokes, Batman! Spidey’s been eaten by a pony! – Robin

Therefore, although he picked Heather for first prize, Tracy, we are going to award you a special, second place prize.

Ladies, I’ll be contacting both of you for your mailing information and CONGRATULATIONS!

Now, on to the musings…

1.  So, my fall scary movie quest as begun again for this Halloween season.

I know, it’s not exactly the Halloween season, but the scary movies are starting to come out.

I’m in heaven.

Real Man and I saw “The Possession” on Saturday night.

Good premise with a bit of a twist.

This time, instead of a Catholic demon possession, it was a Jewish demon who had been captured in a box.

The commercials will show you that a little girl gets the box and gets possessed.

Story is good, some good solid scary stuff, and great acting.

The little girl who plays the lead is one cute, and alternatively, scary as hell little kid.

Kyra Sedgewick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are some of my favorites anyway, so I knew I’d be good with the adult acting.

I’d recommend it.

Scariest I’ve seen?

No, but I was happy.

I keep seeing previews for “The House at the End of the Street” with Jennifer Lawrence from “The Hunger Games.”

Looks good.

Plan on seeing it.

Soon.

I’d love to hear what you think is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen.  Always on the look out!

Aside from scary movies, Real Man and I also recently saw two older movies that I really enjoyed.

The first was “In Time” with Justin Timberlake.

Excellent premise.

Everyone ages until they are 25, then they don’t age for a year, and then they die at 26.

Except, your year is marked on your arm, digitally, and you can get and spend time like most people do money.

There are many, many metaphors about time and living day by day in the film, but I found it to be a smart movie that I really enjoyed.

It does get a little predictable in parts, but it was much, much better than I expected it would be.

We also finally saw “Contagion.”

Sheesh…scared the bejeebers outta me.

Not in a nightmarish kind of way, but in an “OMG, I have to get to the store right now and begin my stockpile for when the biological warfare begins.”

Really, really good.

When I saw the commercials, I turned to Real Man and said, “Hey, I think we saw this movie when it was called “Outbreak.”

Similar, but different enough that you could forget the other one.

2.  I have a new favorite snack.

Well, it’s not new, but I haven’t told you about it yet, so it’s new to you.

I have to be careful, obviously, about what carbs and sugars I eat, but because I’ve been exercising I need to make sure I’m eating lots of protein.

I’m a cheese-a-holic, which is full of protein, but is also full of fat, so I always need to be careful there.

So, my new favorite snack?

A nice (thick) slice of fresh mozzarella cheese and some slices of Hormel turkey pepperoni.

The mozzarella is fattening, no doubt, but as far as things I could be eating, it’s one of the healthier fats.

Plus, it’s got a lot of nutrients that I do need in my diet, and so it’s a good pick.

The “turkey” part of the “turkey” pepperoni takes away most of the fat and it’s so spicy, it satisfies my palate.

Good snack.

3.  Speaking of my health, I am walking in this years Step Out: Walk to End Diabetes event.

The event takes place on October 27th and I am looking to raise $500.

If you are so inclined, please visit my page.

Feel free to just visit to read my story, or make a small donation.

No pressure…but definitely wanted to share!

4.  I think if I had been a rock star in my early twenties (which I was clearly meant to be…someone must have just missed the memo) I would have been like Taylor Swift.

Not as pretty or as talented, but I think I would have written music a lot like she does.

Her songs are not incredibly deep, but they are so catchy and tell you exactly what she is thinking and feeling at the time.

I kinda dig that.

Sometimes we don’t need to get deep.

Sometimes we just gotta get it out.

My favorite, favorite of her songs is “Ours.”

Not entirely sure the video does the song justice (kinda like the crazy karaoke videos), but it’s always nice to have something to look at while you listen.

5.  Busy boy this fall.

Someone has been sleeping really well.

6.  I’d love to re-institute Truthful Tuesdays around here.

So, if you have any burning questions for me, Real Man or the monkeys, please leave them in the comments below!

Clothes and shoes have been purchased.

Supplies have been bought, notebooks have been organized.

Hair has been cut.

Bedtimes have been returned to their normal state.

Bathing suits and towels have been retired for the season.

Calendars have been updated with practices and appointments and meetings and Back to School Nights.

We spent a weekend together, doing the things we have been enjoying all summer, grasping those last few moments of togetherness before the hustle and bustle of homework and schedules interfere?

And now…it is time.

I return today, the kids return on Thursday.

New school year, new possibilities, new opportunities, new challenges, new joys.

Here we go!

1.  Monkey Girl and I played Band Hero on Saturday.

It’s been awhile since we’ve played, and we decided to change it up.

Usually, she plays drums or guitar and I do vocals, or I play guitar or bass and she does vocals.

I decided to try the drums.

I rocked those drums!

Granted…I was on the easy level (not beginner…one step up) but I was jammin’.

I think tomorrow, I might go for medium.

I think I have a new future.

2.  I’ve been watching Arrested Development while on the treadmill.

Never watched this show before, but people always said it was a show they thought I would like.

Good call, those people!

I’m loving it!

Always a Jason Bateman fan, and the rest of the cast is just as awesome, and the story is ridiculously hysterical.

Great show.

3.  I haven’t logged into Twitter for awhile.

I guess I kinda let it go for the summer.

Didn’t mean to…just forgot about it.

I use Twitter as a professional learning network.

I subscribe to a variety of different educators and educational journals and it’s a main way that I keep abreast of what is new and exciting in education.

I logged in Saturday night and caught up on a lot of great reading, just in time for the new school year.

Oh, and was surprised to see that, apparently, I must have somehow accidentally subscribed to follow Hugh Hefner on Twitter, as well.

In case you were wondering, the Saturday night movie at the mansion was Chariots of Fire.

4.  Tiny is utterly delightful.

Am I biased? Perhaps.

Don’t really care, and I’ll say it again, delightful.

He is in the stage where is vocabulary is bursting open and it is hysterical.

And delightful.

His newest thing is “I don’t know.”

You say, “Tiny, where is the White House?” and he says, “I don’t know” and shakes his head mournfully.

Say, “Tiny, where is your ear?” and he’ll touch his ear and say “Ear.”

Say it again and he’ll say, “I don’t know.”

He’s also really into “Awesome.”

It used to be “Cool!” and now it’s “Awesome!”

The other day, we were hanging in the bathroom, because one of his favorite games is “Pull all the bath toys out of the closet and throw them in the empty tub.”

Keeps him occupied for at least 15-30 minutes at a time.

So, while we were in there, he was chatting away, declaring things to be “Awesome” and so I pulled out the camera and recorded this little smidge of delightfulness for you:

One more time.

Delightful.

Until I had to clear the bath toys back out of the tub.

That was not delightful OR awesome.

5.  I was filling in our calendar for September (I use the Cozi app…phenomenal) and I suddenly realized that between work and carting the kids to all of their “stuff” after school, I may not have time to read another book until Christmas break.

That sucks.