My Real Life

November 27, 2011

Searching

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 9:46 am
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One of the features of WordPress is that, although I can’t see who comes to visit the blog, I can see what phrases people typed into search engines that got them here.  I realize that most of the people weren’t actually searching for my blog, but when they searched, they clicked the link and came to visit.

I always get a kick out of the things people searched for and can’t help wondering, sometimes, what exactly they hoped to find.

Some are pretty straightforward:

“Amy Bozza”

I’m guessing that person was looking for me, but I’ve googled myself and there is also an Amy Bozza who participated in a marathon somewhere called Spring Lake, and I’m sure there are many more of us, worldwide, so I won’t be so self-important to assume it was me they were looking for.

“saddle shoes”

Probably looking for some cute shoes and came across last week’s Five Question Friday about what outfit from the past I wish I could wear.

“Eddie Rabbit”

Love that someone typed in “Eddie Rabbit” and they came to my blog.

If he was still alive, he could have googled himself and came here!

Or not.

“monkey amy love”

Hmmm…starts to get interesting here.

A girl named Amy who loves monkeys?

Someone who loves a monkey named Amy?

This blog?

Hard to tell, hard to tell.

“girl smiling with braces and one leg”

Okay.

Not sure how this led them here, but it’s an interesting thing to search for, nonetheless.

“Alicia Bridges accent”

Love this one, and Erin knows why.

And here are some others that make me giggle, smile and sometimes wonder “What the heck?”

“Pork chops and applesauce, ain’t that swell?”

“Handcuff nurse”

“Zasto va golim”, which is, apparently, Serbian for “Why I Love Him” which, in Serbian has been searched for 3 times to get someone here and 53 times in English.

“Full Diapers”

“I am a glutton for the cane”

“Microwave phrases”

“Took an old thumb”

“Toilets Home Depot”

And, my favorite…

“قلم” (which, apparently, means “fountain pen”)

November 20, 2011

Satellite Radio

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:15 pm
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Real Man has Sirius Satellite Radio in his Jeep and I gotta tell ya, I’m hooked.

I enjoy scrolling through all of the channels, but I especially love the channels based on certain decades.  They only go back as far as the ’40’s but I actually spend quite a bit of time listening to that as well as everything on up through the ’90’s.

The thing I enjoy about the decade channels is that they don’t just play the most popular music of the decade.

They play all the music of the decade.

I’m hearing songs that I had completely forgotten about and they make me smile and sing at the top of my lungs.

Okay, any music makes me sing at the top of my lungs, but you get the picture.

You get a much fuller view of the decade by listening to it on satellite radio because it’s all there.

I had forgotten how many songs in the ’80’s had the “talking” in them.

Not rap, per se, but just strange sections where the singers started to talk.

Hysterical.

I love it.

So, for now, I’ll leave you with this little ditty by Oran Juice Jones.

Oh yeah, that’s his name.

Anyone remember this one?

(You gotta be in it for the long haul to get to the talking but it is so worth it!)

(And the video is 100% 1980’s.)

November 19, 2011

Another Saturday Night…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:10 pm
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…yet, unlike the song, I got lotsa somebody’s.

Four little ones and a big one.

Still, gotta love that song.

As usual, before I even start, I digress…

It was a good day around here.

Lots of family things to get done, and then my colleagues from the school musical came over and (after holding auditions this past week) we cast the play.

It went smoothly and I think everyone left happy.

We finished around dinner time, and I realized I hadn’t planned for dinner.  Had nothing defrosting, and as I looked through the pantry and fridge, I realized that, much like Old Mother Hubbard, our cupboards were bare.

So, since we’ve not been out in awhile, I proposed to Real Man that we treat the kids.

We got in the car and headed to Wendy’s.

We had to make a quick stop on the way there, to pick up some food that I needed to send into church with Monkey Girl tomorrow.

Since Stop-n-Shop was on the way, we stopped there.  I’ve been in there only one other time, and we were only there to pick up a floral arrangement, which we got right at the entrance.

I never actually walked through the store.

Tonight, however, I had to get to the dairy aisle, which took me all the way through the store.

I can’t go back.

Too.  Many.  Things.  For.  Me.  To.  Buy.

Food, books, movies, everything.

I managed to get in and out with just what I went in for.

Well, and a tray of brownies because they just looked so good.

But that’s beside the point.

So, we get to Wendy’s and as soon as we walk in, I’m struck silly because the guy behind the counter is wearing a chic, fancy Burberry type surgical mask.

Huh?

Real Man and I couldn’t look at each other because we had a case of the giggles (okay, Real Man doesn’t giggle, but you know what I mean).

The scary part was that we weren’t sure if he was afraid of being infected by us or if he was afraid that he was going to infect the food.

The latter, we chose not to think about.

Real Man pointed out that he didn’t wear gloves, so he was clearly afraid of something airborne, but not so worried about handling filthy money all day.

Anyway, we sat down and started to eat.

While we ate, the monkeys chatted away and it was just a nice meal.

I sat facing the window and I could see, reflected in the glass, an older gentleman, sitting alone, a few tables behind us.  He kept turning and looking at us.  Real Man gestured and mentioned it, as well.

Real Man also mentioned that the man was wearing two baseball caps.

One on top of the other.

Didn’t know that baseball caps could be worn in the layered look.

At one point, he got up and actually walked over to the table.

He said, “So, I see you are all eating potatoes.  Do you know where the first potato came from?”

After getting over our “Huh?” moment, the monkeys started trying to think of where the first potato came from.

He finally said “The ground.”

Kids thought it was hilarious, but laughed quiet nervous laughter.

I’ll be honest, I was getting a little nervous myself, but Real Man was there, and I had no doubt that no matter how this went, we were safe.

Then he asked how old the monkeys were and once we told him he nodded and said, “You know, this seems like a really happy family.  Just a happy, happy family.  It’s good to see.”

And he smiled and walked away.

Routine trips out are never boring for our family, so this was just another typical outing for us.

Shopping temptation, people in masks, joke telling, dual-cap wearing strangers approaching.

And a happy, happy family.

November 18, 2011

Five Question Friday

Filed under: Five Question Friday — Amy @ 10:29 am
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Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood?

As a matter of fact, I do.

I have two.

“Tub Thumping” by Chumbawumba.

You know, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, and you’re never gonna keep me down.”

Love it.

The other one is an oldie, but a goodie and it never fails to get me out of a funk.

“Ooh Child” by the Five Stairsteps.

“Ooh, child…things are gonna get easier. Ooh, child, things’ll get brighter…”

Good stuff.

Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake one?

I’m a faker.

A real tree, while nice and yummy smelling, is just one more thing for me to feed and take care of and it doesn’t smile at me and tell me it loves me, so I don’t love it.

We have a fake tree and I love it.

What are you thankful for?
I’m thankful that I was born in 1972 and not 1872 or 1772, etc.

I’d be dead.

I would have been doomed from the get-go.

I was born with a dysplastic hip, I have asthma, terrible allergies, am legally blind in one eye.

There’s no way I would have made it.

So, thank goodness I was born when I was born so I could survive and have all these wonderful babies, for whom I am eternally grateful!

Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?
The poodle skirt with a pair of black and white saddle shoes.

Cute. Cute. Cute.

If you want to go in the WAY past, I also really love the dresses women wore in the middle ages.

Like this:

So pretty.

I’ve always wanted to rock one of those.

Do you wait until the “low fuel” light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?
I do.

Usually.

Unless Monkey in the Middle has noticed that I’m getting low.

Then, he hounds me until I fill up because he is terrified we’ll run out of gas in the middle of some field somewhere and be left for dead.

You know, because there are all those fields in the Jersey suburbs.

November 14, 2011

Reconciliation

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:07 pm
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Real Man and the Monkeys are Catholic, and in the Catholic church, in second grade, children perform two sacred rites…First Holy Communion and Reconciliation, AKA First Confession.

I think seven is a bit young to be confessing…I mean, let the kids actually accumulate a couple of hearty sins before asking them to confess.

But, I digress.

Anyway, for whatever reason, my kids seem to share extremely guilty consciences. You may remember the story of Monkey Girl in tears, sure that she was going to wind up in Juvie?

Par for the course around here.

So, now it is Monkey in the Middle preparing for his Reconcilliation and he’s completely burdened with anxiety over it.

Now, to be frank, he has more to fess up to than Monkey Girl ever did, but I’ve got some pretty damn good babies over here. Yet, they were completely petrified at the thought of having to confess their “sins.”

I find it interesting that the more “moral” people are, the harder it seems to be for them to discuss their failings, yet, people whose moral compass usually points in its own direction seem to have no problem with talking about their deeds.

Do people become more comfortable with their bad behavior the more they engage in it, and therefore become less embarrassed by it?

If I started doing one “bad” thing a week, would I find myself more and more willing to talk about the ways I was “sinning” as it became a behavioral habit?

Just some questions that popped into my head as we talked about Reconciliation with Monkey in the Middle tonight.

And, as for me, I’ll be watching that ceremony with great interest.

And, believe me, it won’t be the kids who are trembling on the way to the confessional that I’m worrying about.

November 13, 2011

Writing

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 10:22 am

Onviously, I’ve had a lag in my writing on the blog, lately.

However, it’s not that I’m having a hard time knowing what to write.

It’s that I seem to have too much.

My brain is awash in thoughts and stories and creative things, and I’m a little stuck on where to begin.

Part of the problem is that there hasn’t been a spare minute in my day to sit down and write.

Parent conferences have kept me late at work and a sick baby has had me with Tiny in my arms, every second I am home.

So, hopefully, soon, I’ll not only have an update for this blog, but also one for my writing blog, as well.

In the meantime, I’m thinking about writing…I am.

And, I’ll be back…soon!

November 1, 2011

Powerless

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 9:40 am
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Another few days without power, and it’s beginning to feel almost normal.

I have a feeling that, next time, we all lose power for a few days, there will be less panic and concern, because we are all learning how to do without.

I’m not sure this is a bad thing.

I have a feeling, throughout the state, there were more books being read, more board games being played, more toys getting dusted off as the electronics started to collect the dust for once.

We’re back up and running now and enjoying a second day of from school together.

We’re negotiating the kids trading in their Halloween candy for a game and we’re doing the laundry that didn’t get done this weekend.

So, is it inconvenient to lose power?

You betcha!

Is it the worst thing in the world?

Not so much.

October 28, 2011

Five Question Friday

Filed under: Five Question Friday — Amy @ 11:24 am
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Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?

Flannel.  I like to be warm and snuggly when I’m sleeping.  Even in the summer, I like being covered up and snuggling in.

We keep our bedroom window cracked in the winter so the air is cold and we can bundle up, and in the summer, we like the air on or a ceiling fan going so we can bundle up.

I think I’d do well in a cabin out in the woods with lots of flannel and a wood stove for warmth.  Sounds divine!

What time zone are you in?

Really?

Kind of a boring question.

Anyway.

Eastern Standard.

What is your favorite part of the holiday season?

The excitement of kids.

It is absolutely contagious and it is just so magical.

Makes you believe again, just a little.

What is your favorite “wintry” drink? (It doesn’t have to be an “alcoholic” drink!)

Dunkin Donuts is completely rockin’ my socks with the hot apple cider.

Although, I’m completely down with a cup of hot cocoa with a bunch of whipped cream on top.

Both of these send my blood sugar through the roof, but I gotta say…I think it’s worth it.

In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

A job is a job is a job and anyone is lucky to have a job, so it’s hard to say any job would be the worst.

So, from a personal standpoint, I would think that an awful job for me would be working in a slaughterhouse.

I just couldn’t stomach it.  I would cry every day, vomit every day, and be miserable.

I consider myself lucky that I have other options.

October 27, 2011

That Age

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 9:25 am
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I was in ShopRite on Sunday with Tiny Monkey and a woman stopped me and said, “Oh!  You are so lucky!  I just love that age!  Don’t you?  They aren’t running around and are just sitting, happily in the cart.  It’s my favorite age!”

I smiled and said, “It’s a good age!”

Because, it is a good age.

Everything she said is right.

Later that afternoon, we had been out shopping with all the monkeys who took to being dragged all over creation for boring things that didn’t interest them quite well.

We decided to take them to McDonald’s for dinner as a special treat, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I didn’t feel like cooking dinner that night.

Nothing.

Anyway, as Real Man and Tiny and I sat at one table and the other three monkeys sat at another table, and I thought to myself, “You know, this is a good age, too.  Independent enough to want to sit alone, but not so independent that they want to be out of our line of vision.  A good age, indeed.”

Because I happen to be so prolific in the creation of monkeys, I hear a lot of comments from people about the ages and stages they are in.

I get comments, like the one in ShopRite, on a fairly regular basis about all of the monkeys.

Most people seem to have a favorite age.

Or a least favorite age.

And, I get it.  I do.  I can see where certain aspects of an age might be exhausting or frustrating, but there are always balancing aspects that are exhilarating and phenomenal.

Right now I’ve got someone who is growing teeth and trying to crawl and getting frustrated by the things he is trying to communicate, but that same little guy is also so sweet and snuggly when I’m feeding him and lights up with a smile when we walk into a room and it is magical to watch him discover all the new things that life has to offer.  8 months is my favorite age.

I’ve got someone who is learning how to “do” school and is figuring out peer relationships and is dying to be just like his brother in so many ways, and yet he is making leaps and bounds with his independence and amazes me every day with the new things he has learned, because, in my mind, he is still just a baby.  5.  My favorite age.

I have a boy who is anxious about almost anything that comes his way and can wring the last ounce of patience out of me on a regular basis as he fails to see that the little brother who is always wanting to do what he does isn’t trying to be annoying, but is participating in little brother/big brother hero worship, however, when that same boy sneaks into my room in the middle of the night and snuggles in and whispers, “I love you, Mommy” there is nothing…nothing that soothes my soul more.  7 is definitely my favorite age.

And, there’s the girl.  The girl who is becoming a pre-teen and is full of more drama than you’ll see on Broadway or in Hollywood combined.  Everything is fair game for becoming the next reason for foot stomping and tears, and yet, as I watch her develop into this lovely young woman who is bright and funny and articulate and sweet, I couldn’t be prouder of who she is becoming.  10 is SO my favorite age.

And people tell me, “Oh, you are so naive…wait until they become teenagers.”

But, you know something, I became a middle school teacher because, quite frankly, I love that age, too.

And when they go on to high school and come back to visit with big hugs and stories of their almost adult lives, I realize that, wow, I love THAT age!

You gotta take the bad with the good, because while it may not be all good, let’s face it folks, it definitely ain’t all bad, either.

October 22, 2011

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 7:03 am
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Last night was a rough one.

Tiny seemed to have quite a bit of trouble sleeping, and then when he finally was logging in a few hours, around 3 am, Baby Monkey started talking in his sleep, which woke up Monkey in the Middle and Monkey Girl, which resulted in loud voices and crying from Monkey Girl’s room, where they were all sleeping.

So, I went in and pulled Baby Monkey out and brought him into our bed, where he continued to do little whimpery cries until he finally fell back to sleep, around 4 am, at which point Tiny woke up again.

I brought him into our bed to feed him, and when he fell back to sleep, I tried to creep back to his room to put him in his crib, but my foot hit a laundry basket on the floor which made a loud sound and startled him awake.

So, I took him into his room and just rocked with him in the glider until he started to fall asleep.

Yet, right before he fell into a true sleep, he decided to poop.

So, as he lay in my arms with his eyes closed, he started the pushing noises that only a baby can make so unashamedly.

Then, happy with his full diaper, he opened his eyes and smiled.

At this point, I realized it was time throw in the towel, so I went back to my room and got my glasses.

Once my glasses are on, I’m up for the day, so I don’t put my glasses on until I am absolutely sure I’m not going to be able to go back to sleep.

Glasses on, I took him into his room, turned on the light, changed his diaper and brought him downstairs.

It was 5 am.

I got a blanket, turned on the tv to catch up on some dvr’ed shows, and started to feed him.

At which point he fell fast asleep.

So, now it is 6:55 am and everyone else in my house is fast asleep and I’m wide awake on a Saturday morning.

It’s quiet and the sun is just starting to rise.

There’s nothing like New Jersey in the fall (except for New England in the fall, so I hear) and the way the sun is hitting the orange leaves as it slowly lights the sky gives the neighborhood a bit of magic.

So, I think I’ll just hang here on the couch, under the blanket, with a book and just take in the morning, as it’s rare to be able to actually experience a morning without running around and noise.

Later there’s time for tennis lessons, football, grocery shopping, laundry, and dishes.

For now, it’s just me.

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