My Real Life

October 16, 2009

Under Attack

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:07 am
Tags: , , ,

I’m going to start this post with a disclaimer.  I write some of my blogs ahead of time, and this is one of those blogs.  Those of you who live in my area were all shocked and dismayed to find snow falling from the sky yesterday.  A good amount of snow.

Some have even asked if today’s blog will be about the snow.  To that, I say no.

I am ignoring the snow from yesterday.  I don’t believe in snow in October.  It didn’t happen, as far as I am concerned.

And so, I continue with my autumn blogging.

 

You may think that living in the suburbs allows a certain amount of safety from the dangers of the world.

You may think that fall in the suburbs is just beautiful colors and raking leaves.

And part of that is true.

Here are some pictures of our yard.  It’s still early fall and everything hasn’t really changed as much as it will in a few weeks.

MOREFALL 001

MOREFALL 002

MOREFALL 003

MOREFALL 004

MOREFALL 005

Looks peaceful.  Looks like it will be a heck of a job to rake.  However, looks relatively safe.  Yes?

NO!!!

In the fall, we are constantly under attack.  We have to run from the front door to the car.  When the kids play outside, they need to wear helmets, because you never know when the missles will be flying.

What are these missles of which I speak?

Acorns.

I swept my deck the morning I took these next two photos.  I took these photos at 1:30 pm.

MOREFALL 006

MOREFALL 007

It would be one thing if the acorns were just gently falling from the trees, but I am convinced that the squirrels and chipmunks are actually sitting in the trees, taking their aim and hurling them at us. 

My van has little dents in the roof and hood from being pelted from the acorns.

Monkey Girl was actually awoken the other night by a particularly loud load of acorns being thrust out of the trees at the house.

Look at the lawn!

MOREFALL 019

I don’t actually make them wear helmets, but we’ve all been hit in the head with the acorns and let me tell you, it’s not fun.

So, sure…come and visit us in the suburbs…but be careful.

You may be taking your life into your own hands.

MOREFALL 020

October 15, 2009

My Quest

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:31 am
Tags: , , , , ,

My adult life has been one long quest.  I am searching for something that is elusive.  Something that I’m not sure I’ll ever find.  Something that I long for.  Something that I need to continue on in this life.

I am on the quest for the scariest movie ever.

I want to see a movie that scares me so much I am actually up at night, afraid to fall asleep.

Yes, that sounds strange and sick, but the truth is, I love to be scared.  I love haunted houses.  Before Baby Monkey started having the seizures, Real Man and I had booked a trip to Salem for our anniversary weekend.  I wanted to stay in one of the haunted inns they have.  I love scary things.

However, I am consistently disappointed.  Sure, some movies are scary, but not scary enough.

As a child, I fell in love with scary movies.  Poltergeist created my fear of clowns.  The original Halloween is, by far, the most suspenseful film I’ve ever seen and I still yell at the screen “Laurie!  He’s sitting up in the closet!  Turn around!  He’s alive!  He’s alive!”

When Real Man and I started dating, we were told that the scariest movie ever made was this movie called “The Last House on the Left.”  Guess what?  It wasn’t.  It wasn’t even a little scary.

Let me clarify…when I say scary, I don’t mean gory.  Gore isn’t scary.  It’s just fake blood and stuff.  That doesn’t scare me, nor does it particularly gross me out.  Gratuitous violence isn’t scary either.  Scary is suspense.  It’s things that could possibly happen.  It’s supernatural.  It’s…scary.

As an adult, there have been a few that have gotten close.  “White Noise” scared the bejesus out of me.  It wasn’t a particularly scary film, but the whole idea of the dead speaking through static…creepy.  And, maybe possible.  That’s what creeped me out.

However, “The Ring” was the closest I’ve ever gotten.  Seriously.  She climbed out of the well and then through the television screen?  That long black hair in her face.  Seriously scared me.  Lights on that night and for the next few nights after that.

I thought that I might have finally found it, tonight.  The movie “Paranormal Activity” has been touted as the scariest film of all time.  There were reports that people were leaving in the middle because they were so scared.  I think they were leaving because they were so bored.  It stunk.

So, tis the season to be scared out of your wits and I’m sitting here quite disappointed.  So, I’m asking you to share with me the scariest movies you know.  I’ve got Netflix.  I’ll rent them all.  But I need you to share the titles with me.

Please…help a girl out!

October 14, 2009

Ick

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:16 am
Tags: , , , ,

I have to take a break from our regularly scheduled programming today to share something with you that I found absolutely hysterical but SO disturbing last night.

Do you remember the opening scenes of The Empire Strikes Back, when Han Solo and Luke were on the ice planet Hoth.  Luke had passed out or was frozen or something and Han was trying to get them to the rebel base?  Then, their big animal, the Tauntaun, freezes and dies as well?

What does Han do?  He slices open the animal and shoves Luke and himself inside to keep warm.

I can still remember the sound it made as the tauntaun’s guts spilled out on to the frozen tundra, and even though it was a movie, I was always sure I could smell it…particularly because Han even mentioned how bad it smelled.

Well, last night on Facebook, a friend of mine shared this link:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/bb2e/

tauntaun-sleepingbag

Ew!!!

It is a Taunton sleeping bag so that your child, too, can sleep inside this large animal from the ice planet of Hoth.  Look closely…they’ve even drawn intestines on the inside.

This is absolutely hysterical and yet so disturbing to me on a fundamental level.  My kid sleeping inside an animal, snuggling into the intestines?  Ick.

Great marketing.  Very creative.  Very gross. )

October 13, 2009

I Love Football

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:54 am
Tags: ,

I think anyone who has been reading the blog this month understands how much I love fall.  However, I have failed to mention another reason I love fall.

Football season.

There is just something about fall and football season that make me feel all warm and snuggly inside.

Maybe it’s the memories of going to games with my Dad when I was a kid.  Having no sons, my Dad took me to different games all season long. 

We saw college games, pro games.  It didn’t matter.  If he could get tickets, we’d go.

I love the game of football.  I don’t really care who is playing…I just like watching a good game.  I cheer for everyone and get excited over good plays, despite who makes them.

Real Man is a Giants fan, so we catch the Giants game every week.

That, in and of itself, is a warm snuggly, homey experience.

Because, we always watch in the basement, with some yummy football snacks, which bring out the kids.

Monkey in the Middle always pulls out his Nerf football and tosses it with Real Man during the whole game.  Luckily, we have a dvr so that Real Man can go back and watch everything he misses from Monkey heads getting in front of the screen.

This week, we watched with tortilla chips, hot melted cheese, and pretzels.

MOREFALL 018

I just love football.

October 12, 2009

Baking Fiends

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:16 am
Tags: ,

In fall, I love to bake.  I love to bake cookies and brownies and cakes and cupcakes.  Basically, anything I shouldn’t eat, I love to bake.

Today was a definite baking day.  However, I didn’t want to have all that nonsense around that would be tempting me.

So, I looked around and found that, since Baby Monkey had been in the hospital for the better part of the week, we had some way overripe bananas.  He’s the big banana eater in the house.

My decision?  Let’s make banana muffins!

These always go over big with the kids and they are way easy to make.

You need:

MOREFALL 010

1 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium) (I usually use more to make them more banana-y)

3 tblspns vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups Bisquick Original Baking mix

½ cup raisins or chopped nuts (if desired)

Baby Monkey is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, so we don’t use those.  We also had no raisins in the house today, so our muffins are sans extras.

Also, I don’t buy Bisquick.  I make it.  Here’s how:

 To make 1 cup of Bisquick I use –

1 cup flour (we use whole wheat flour, but either is fine)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

¼  tsp salt

1 tsp shortening

MOREFALL 011

So, you mix together the bananas, oil, egg and sugar until you get a really lumpy mixture.  Then, add in the “Bisquick” and extras (raisins, etc.) and blend until you just moisten the baking mix.

Pop them in the muffin pan. 

MOREFALL 012

You can see that I use silicone muffin cups.  I love these things.  However, at the moment, I’m dismayed because the boys lost three of my cups while playing “bakery.”  There are nowhere to be found.  So, for today, I only have 9 of my beloved silicone cups.  I’m hoping to get a few silicone baking mats this fall, as well.  Much cheaper than parchment paper.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees and cool them for 5 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire cooling rack. 

MOREFALL 013

We eat them warm, with butter.  They don’t last long.

MOREFALL 014

MOREFALL 015

October 11, 2009

Real Sticky

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 9:23 am
Tags: , , , ,

So, I think the stress of the week finally caught up with me and by Friday, I was sick, sick, sick.

However, as those of you with kids know, being sick is not an option when there are little monkeys in the house.  So, I had to figure out what to do that required minimal effort on my part, but maximum time-eating-up on the part of the activity.

My genius idea?  Making caramel apples.

I had picked up this quick and easy package at ShopRite last weekend.

fall 003

We always have apples in the house, so I pulled out the package, washed off the apples, set it all on the counter and let the kids go to work.

First they all picked their apples.  Baby Monkey immediately began to eat his apple.

“But, Baby Monkey, if you eat your apple now, you won’t be able to put caramel on it!”

“I don’t like caramel.  I like apples with no sauce.”

fall

Okay Bubba…whatever you say.

From there, it was easy.

The big monkeys wrapped up their apples and put in the sticks…

fall 001

…placed them on the tray…

fall 002

…baked for 5 minutes at 200 degrees and Voila!

fall 006

Icky, sticky, gooey goodness.

I had a few bites, but it was way too sweet for my tastes, and now, just thinking about it makes me a little sick.  Does that ever happen to you?  You try something when you are sick and then, psychologically, whenever you try it again, it makes you sick since you were sick the first time you tried it?  Anyone?  Yes?  No?  Really?  I’m alone in this?

Let’s just forget that last paragraph.

Anyway, the whole caramel apple thing made the kids feel crafty, so Monkey Girl pulled out her quilt and started working on it…

fall 004

…and the boys went upstairs to the craft table and started making “Get Well Mommy” cards.

And me?  Well, I got to lay down and rest.  I put up my feet, closed my eyes and let myself begin to drift away.

For a full two minutes. 

Because of course, then the boys started yelling that someone got marker on someone else and he took my paper and Monkey Girl needed help taking out a mis-stitch and I realized it was time to get dinner started and there was still laundry to be put away.

So, up I got and started working.  Because really…how can you refuse a face like this?

fall 005

October 10, 2009

Changed My Mind

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:02 am
Tags: ,

So, you  may remember that on my Real Annoying page, I have an aversion to the Kindle.

Well, I am woman enough to admit when I was wrong.

In the hospital, I read the book that I brought and found myself bookless. 

So, I whipped out my iPhone, downloaded the “Stanza” app, and the downloaded a book.  Voila!  I had a book to read and the world was right again.

So, while I still prefer a book made from beautiful, wonderful parchment…in a pinch, I’m not going to turn my nose up at a digital reader.

Take note of this.  I’m not often wrong. 🙂

October 9, 2009

Real Good People

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:39 am
Tags: , ,

I want to take a moment to make a shout out to an organization that made our hospital stay much more enjoyable than it could have been.

Hospital 018

The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports hospitals and sick children.

At the hospital where we were staying, the Starlight Foundation was responsible for the playroom.

Now, we couldn’t take advantage of the playroom until the third day, as Baby Monkey was tethered to the wall, however, we were able to take toys and bring them to our room.  And, on the third day, when he was un-tethered from the wall, we spent a few hours there as we waited for results.

Check this place out.

Hospital 003

Hospital 006

Hospital 012

Hospital 016

Hospital 021

They had books, games, instruments, toys, computers, a craft station, a big screen tv for playing movies or video games, a Wii, Nintendo DS, GameBoy, trains, trucks, cars, blocks…basically anything a small child or teenager could want. 

The one thing that kept going through my head while we were in the hospital was that I was so grateful that Baby Monkey wasn’t sick.  Because there were a lot of kids there that were.  There were many kids who had been there before we got there and were nowhere near ready to go when we left.  There were kids who are there at least once a week for one treatment or another.  Other kids who come in and can never really go home.

It breaks the heart.

So, the Starlight Foundation exists and it helps those kids make a really crappy situation bearable.  It doesn’t cure them, but it certainly helps them forget, even if just for a short while.

My friend, Michaela, used to work for Starlight.  I remember the amazing things she used to talk about the foundation doing. 

So, if you are thinking about any charitable donations in the coming year, I would encourage you to keep the Starlight Foundation in mind.

October 8, 2009

Real Relief

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:27 am
Tags: , , , ,

Three days in the hospital and the results are good.

EEG clear.  MRI clear.

This means we don’t know anymore than we did on Sunday, but we do know what it isn’t, and at this point, that’s major.

I’m not going to bore you with every detail of the stay, but I do have a few things to say.

First of all, the bravery of Baby Monkey leaves me speechless and moves me to tears.

Despite the fact that he is terrified of loud noises (remember this post?) he didn’t even flinch when they hooked him up to the 20 EEG wires with glue and a loud dryer.  He just lay there, like this…

Hospital 009

..and occasionally made silly faces like this…

Hospital 015

Once the wires were on and the head was wrapped in bandages and he was tethered to the wall for three days, his smile never left his face.  He stayed busy with the toys they brought him and the books and game we brought from home.

Hospital 017

Hospital 014

Hospital 002

QUICK PLUG FOR HOSPITAL FOOD

So, let’s be honest…any food that I don’t have to prepare tastes fabulous.

However, the food at this hospital was unbelievable.

Here’s Baby Monkey and his breakfast from Day 2.  Waffles covered in whipped cream with strawberries, bacon, vanilla yogurt, an orange, milk, blueberry muffin, orange juice, and corn flakes.

Hospital 010

And here’s my lunch from the same day.  Is this not one of the most beautiful fruit platters you’ve ever seen?

Hospital 020

Yeah, it was all fantabulous.

Back to our regularly scheduled brag about Baby Monkey.

On day 3 when they used a very smelly solvent and scissors to get it all off of his head, he smiled his way through it.

Hospital 004

Hospital 008

Every doctor and nurse and hospital staff member that he came in contact with said that he was the most laid-back, best behaved patient they had ever treated.  They couldn’t believe that, at 3, he took it all in stride.  I was so freaking proud of that boy.  Particularly when they couldn’t find a vein for the IV and they just kept jabbing away until they got it and while he didn’t smile at that, he also didn’t make a fuss.  Just snuggled into Mommy and dealt.

Hospital 001

And, of course, in the end, he smiled all the way home.

Hospital 011

October 6, 2009

Day One

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:52 am
Tags: , , , , ,

So, day one is done and Baby Monkey did great.
We played games, read books, did puzzles, watched movies and had a mice day together.
He’s a trooper.
They wanted him to be sleep deprived as that often triggers seizures, so we were up until 2 am.
The only bad part was that his pulse oxygen monitor kept coming off of his finger while we slept, waking me up with loud beeping every half hour. So, I’m more than a little sleep deprived! The good news is that once he was out, he was out.
We’ll be here until Wednesday. It’s a nice hospital. I’ve only been in the one where I gave birth to all the monkeys. They sent us here because they said thee wouldn’t be as many sick kids and it is quieter. They were right
So, I’ll let you know how today and tomorrow go. They decided to do the MRI last, so I won’t know those results for awhile.
Thanks to you all for your well-wishes. They are much appreciated!!!

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Theme: Rubric. Get a free blog at WordPress.com