Tuesday, January 24, 2012

What do you do when your kids ask for a visual?

So, this was supposed to be a witty post about a survey I circulated amongst some people I know, but  I have to push out that post yet one more time. Why? I must share that my daughter made me stutter and I have not done that in years.

My 8 yr old loves watching the nightly news which is totally depressing and inappropriate for any age. The older children enjoy those animal shows where the animals kill each other in the wild and shows with exotic pets mauling the owners. Yes, I recognize those aren't feel good shows for children but they ask many questions that I feel I answer appropriately. I certainly agree, tigers are beautiful animals but we should not have them in the breakfast nook because they are wild animals. It's not the tiger's fault;  it's the person's fault for supporting exotic animal trade which is simply deplorable in my opinion.  However, my precocious just turned 7 yr old daughter came up to me last night and said, "Mommy, I want to know how babies are made. Don't tell me the stork. There is no stork." I said, "Au contraire my little Princess! There are storks, but you are correct. Babies do not come from storks." I wanted to be candid yet not too clinical. However, before I could describe how babies are made, she asked to "See an example of how this happens." What??? A visual? Is there an age appropriate DVD or book for this question? Did Phineas and Ferb do a special episode on this topic? No that was the show with Jamie Lynn Spears.  My first inclination was to go get Barbie and Ken but that felt innately wrong. The dry erase board certainly wasn't an option, and no....no. I was at a loss. She is a chatterbox so I knew that whatever I said would be repeated to others.

What to do? Hmmmm. After a brief description in 7 yr old language of how babies are made, I then referenced a recent show on Animal Planet. I told her it is something done in the privacy of your own home. Or jungle or den. I felt like I was digging myself a giant whole, but I did clarify that humans do not sit on an egg waiting for the babies to hatch. And yes, it's unfair that the male birds are generally more attractive than the females, but such is life.  I'm not sure if I handled any of this correctly, but no topic is off limits with my little people. Although, some admittedly are more awkward than others. I want my kids to be able to ask anything, but I just need to better prepare myself for those requests. Can't wait for the next "awkward" question...

Friday, January 20, 2012

A ton of observations

So my husband thought he was being funny when he insinuated that I would soon need a vitamin aimed at women over 50. Ha!!!! We will see how funny it is when Ryan Gosling comes to his senses and launches Eva Mendes for me and I say, "I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you." Yes, in some countries that's what it takes to make a divorce happen. I will get custody of the dog while he drinks expired milk and stale cereal because no one knows how to close the box. Speaking of expired milk....

I had to go to the dentist today. Allegedly, I'm allergic to my crown( sadly it's not my Miss America one) and it's causing some icky stuff in my mouth. So the dentist comes in and says, "you are such a beautiful girl and if we don't remove the crown your face could become deformed." Haaaa! Who did she think she was talking to? It's been a downhill slide since 26, so I don't think this replacement crown is going to turn me into Angelina Jolie. My caca meter is excellent. It's about the $$$. Anyway, the hygienist was very heavy. I recognize obesity is an epidemic. Listen, if I wasn't quasi-health conscious and self conscious about my weight, I would gladly pour a triple thick milk shake over my frosted flakes and toss in a bag of chocolate chips and peanut m&ms for good measure. I would devour every bite and wonder where my post breakfast snack is. I should absolutely be ashamed to admit that, but it's the truth. However, I can't do that.  So, I am always fascinated by those stories of people who haven't left their house in years because they can't get thru the door or have to be removed by the fire department. It's horribly sad and I feel bad for them, but I wonder what the tipping point was. Seriously. How did we get from quasi mobile to one more x-large pizza with everything can't hurt, right? And many drink diet soda. Are you kidding? At that point it's probably acceptable or perhaps expected to acknowledge that a 0 or 1 calorie soda isn't the root of the issue.  And to top it all off, we live in an incredibly looks biased culture. It's crazy and people can be exceptionally cruel.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend (I originally typed fried-oops and yum!) was visiting and we were discussing a health show. A woman was discussing her goal of reaching a ton. She weighed over 800 pounds. This is how she made her living. People paid to watch her eat. I can't get this out of my mind, because I certainly respect the fact that she has to make a living. However, I am extremely uncomfortable with people watching me eat, so to have a camera set up so people can  watch you eat was just too bizarre for me to comprehend. They had some creepy people commenting on how they loved watching people shove food in their mouths and that they wanted to help her reach her goal of weighing a ton.  What??? What do you wear at a ton?

Anyway, I bring this up because the hygienist today could only stand for a couple of minutes before she started gasping for breath. She seemed like a nice lady albeit a bit too chatty for me as I don't really know how I can answer questions with a suction tube in my mouth. But prior to getting started, she was letting the chair back and grabbed her chest and started gasping for air. Holy caca! Was she going into cardiac arrest and was I going to get a concussion because the chair was going into an inverted state? Was this Pilates meets polishing?  I stood up and asked if she was okay and she said "it happens from time to time." I felt bad for her because I know it affects her dexterity and I know it is difficult to lose weight. But gosh, we are only going around once (at least in this format) so we should try to make the best of what we have.

Okay, enough on my serious view of the crisis of obesity. It should be a great weekend of football. First, I should confess that I love the Harbaughs. I think they are both adorable! But I think it will be 49ers versus Pats in the Super Bowl. I can't remember who Michael Wilbon picked but as soon as Tony K gets on his last nerve, I am so ready to be on PTI.

Next blog post? Yeah, it's about a survey I conducted amongst my "readers." Hopefully, my funny will be back. It's on hiatus in the public forum but in overdrive in my head.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Where are my cards ? Knowing when to hold'em and when to fold'em

It's been an interesting week. So interesting that instead of indulging in WHOLE milk (it's the equivalent of slapping a container of butter on your thighs) today and a bowl of Cookie Crisp, I should have had a glass of tequila with salt and a lime. I'm just out of sorts and I can't get back to me. I feel like one of those peeps on Hoarders. You know, the ones where the cleaning crew has arrived with a mask and a hazmat suit and the Hoardee (is that a word?) says they haven't really noticed the odor of 3 years worth of trash and black mold growing in the house because they have a Renuzit air freshener in their condemned kitchen. Yeah. And they whip out a bottle of Febreeze to emphasize their dedication to fresh living. I'm a bit of a clean freak so this isn't the appropriate analogy. The washing machine belt broke earlier this week so the laundry piling up is making me feel a bit anxious. Not even hearing "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba this afternoon could lift my confused spirits.

It's nothing really but I believe that our mind holds answers to any questions we have. I did a great deal of research on this theory . The problem is that our minds are so cluttered with stuff (particularly mine with US Weekly, Dlisted.com, NYPost) that our thinking is frequently cloudy. Or maybe the term is clouded.  Anyway, I have this special deck of cards I use to ask questions, but it takes a while to break the cards in to where they "work." My "official cards are missing and the new deck doesn't feel right. The real cards are red with a brown bear on them, so if you find them send them back to me please. I can't really put up a sign that says "MISSING-ALLEGED USEFUL DECK OF CARDS FOR LIFE QUESTIONS." People will think I am totally crazy!!  So, I went back to my use of license plates in the interim. If you are reading this you think I am officially insane, but it helps me unclutter my mind. Try this. Concentrate on a  yes or no question, and when next car passes to the left, check the letters of the plate. A y, e, or s means the answer is yes and a n or o means the answer is no. But you have to start with easy questions you know first to get the ball rolling. And if the plate has none of those letters, refocus, concentrate and ask again.  This is highly scientific wouldn't you agree? Did Plato or Einstein subscribe to these theories? Nah, but I have to use what I've got.

Blah! Listen, I don't want to sound ungrateful or whiny because it's a silly thing. I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down. Right on. The kids were watching "Little House on The Prairie" tonight and Pa was transferring explosives with Louis "An Officer and a Gentleman" Gossett Jr. Pa did it to get $100 for 10 days worth of work. I wasn't paying attention to the rest of the show so I am sure something depressing happened like an explosion or Pa's boots fell apart causing him to have to walk barefoot 300 miles to get back to Walnut Grove to see Carolyn and the kiddos. Anyway, gotta keep on keeping on and put on a happy face. And spread sunshine all over the place.Triple salchow, triple toe loop, triple lutz.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Lifetime Movies-What do they say about our society?

Who admits to watching movies on "Lifetime"? Please. You know you have and it's okay to admit it. I developed an affinity for these movies when I was pregnant with my oldest son. They took my mind off the fact that I looked like a 5'4 butterball turkey. I mean, my socks were cutting off my blood circulation but my issues paled in comparison to these peeps!  I love any movie that starts with "based on a true story." There are essentially 2 themes to these movies. A woman is wronged and/or a crime is committed in the name of a life insurance policy. I have 3 that I love. The first stars Judith Light of "Who's the Boss?" fame.( I guess the transition from sitcom to Lifetime is seamless, so there are many opportunities.) She plays a woman who grew up poor in Alabama, and people around her mysteriously die while she is the benefactor of all of these life insurance policies. The people begin to wonder why everyone around her is dying so someone decides to exhume some bodies and voila! She was serving everyone arsenic in their grits. Where is the southern hospitality in this situation? Then, to avoid going to prison, she fakes her own death and comes back to the town posing as the alleged long-lost twin of assumed dead woman. Did you follow that? How convenient! Only now she has dark hair versus being a blonde. She takes up with the widow (but he's not really a widow) of her assumed deceased sister. I guess that would be her brother in law, but since it's Judith Light anyway you look at it,  she is back with the husband only as a brunette. A DNA test from Maury isn't necessary on this one.  However, one lady at the processing plant figures out that she is not really a twin but rather wanted for attempted murder after running her fake social security number. Where is Judge Judy when you need her? She dies of hypothermia at the end as she refuses to go to prison.

The 2nd is a Canadian flick starring Elisha Cutherbert. She plays a teen who develops a gambling habit and goes to some seedy underground club with her new gambling addict boyfriend to settle up an enormous debt. To emphasize that the night is going badly, there is a band in the background singing a bad cover of Asia's "Heat of the Moment." In the end, Elisha leaves penniless and must face the (ha) music to the man she owes. How does he want her to repay the debt? That's right. He wants her to star in a skinnemax like film with his wife, but the police intervene at that moment the tripod is arranged. They all but say, "Don't cry. Now that I've found you." The smile had left Elisha's eyes, but at least no scandalous flicks were made to cover a few hands of 5 card draw gone bad. Yes, I did get references to all 3 of Asia's hits in that paragraph.

The 3rd and final fave is another Canadian flick. Funny thing about the Canadian Lifetime movies is that they try to tell us it's NYC, when clearly it is the big TO. Hi CN tower!  Anyway, this one stars some chick that was Brandon's  girlfriend on the original version of 90210. ( I guess she managed to escape Dylan's bad boy charm, but girl can't escape a woman in a Navigator). 90210 is going through a challenging time and has automotive woes, when a glamorous woman cuts her off on the highway causing her to miss her job interview. Instead of calling her a bad word or giving her the finger, she has other ideas. 90210 girl is not going to let her get away with this type of behavior. Where was her turn signal???Never mess with a scorned woman! 90210 girlfriend tracks her down and shows retaliation by running her off the road only to have the glamorous lady pull out the gun conveniently located in her SUV and shoot her! Over a lane transition? Cheers. Yes sir. Lifetime shows that you CAN hold a grudge and get a movie as a result of said behavior.

So all of this left me thinking....who would play you in a Lifetime movie? I asked and will share those results on the next episode of the blog.

Friday, January 13, 2012

This is why I don't like making resolutions and is it ever acceptable to change your child's name?

Happy Friday the 13th! I have not written since January 1st which is precisely why I don't like making resolutions. Because much like the Dallas Cowboys or San Diego Chargers, resolutions never live up to the hype. Toss in some "life" issues and BAM, no blog. But just like "Friday the 13th Part 28-Michael Myers Takes on Pleated Jeans", I'm back.

2 years ago at this time, I was awaiting the arrival of my 3rd and last child. The name was undecided but I was sure once we saw the little bundle of snuggles the name would come to mind. We had girls' names, but boys were a struggle. I bring this up because I hate that Liam is now the 4th most popular boy's name in the US. I should have known when a Liam starred in "Thor" and another dated Miley Cyrus that popularity was just around the corner. I wasn't trying to be different and name him Blue Oyster or Cactus Cooler.  I just wanted something where the likelihood of there being 8 other kids with the same name in his class small. Just like when Corey Haim took the driving test in "Licensed to Drive", I FAILED. I liked Romeo and Samson, because hopefully this child will be famous and treat his devoted mom to a personal trainer and a masseuse. I kid!! Okay, I was a bit ahead of myself but I'm a Sagittarius and we have vivid imaginations. My husband liked Alasdair which had me visualizing a baby wearing  a tweed jacket with suede patches on the sleeves and wire rimmed glasses. Mmmm. No, there was an Alasdair on "You Can't Do that on Television" which was a Canadian based show on Nickelodeon. He was on the same time as Alanis Morrisette. Isn't that ironic?  I digress. Alasdair wasn't going to work.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea. The dog's name is Atticus, but it was Teddy when he was at animal control. Could I change his name back to Teddy and name my son, Atticus? I love the name Atticus. Admittedly it's unconventional to force the dog to give up his name, but well, I'm not exactly conventional so this could work. I had a friend who named  her dog and son Jake. The dog was frequently referred to as "Jaker Dog" so there was a slight difference.  At least she only had to remember one name when telling someone to come inside.  I looked at my fluffy friend and said, "Would you like to be called Teddy again?" He didn't really say anything but I thought this would get confusing for the rest of the family. After one last try for Samson or Romeo (I was just trying to help him sound ultra clever when he introduced himself on Sunday Night Football) the names were vetoed. And I have an adorable, funny little boy named Liam.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy 2012! Predictions and Resolutions

Happy 2012! I'm excited about 2012. This past year was kind of crazy, but I learned a great deal about myself. I learned I'm not very good at taking time off or taking vacations. Actually, I already knew that as I was on a conference call when I was in labor with my oldest son. I told my boss that "I'm probably going to have to hop off soon because my contractions are coming on top of one another." Thanks for letting me get off the call early K! Columbus is my favorite city in Ohio!

However, I would like to take this time to make a few predictions for 2012 as I am indulging in a glass of merlot in a glass with a smiley face. Yes, the wine makes me happy too. Here is what I have come up with so far...

I predict JLO will get married in 2012. I don't know to who, but it doesn't matter as it won't last long. Hopefully she doesn't change her driver's license with each of these marriages.

One of the Olsen twins will break the 100 pound barrier.

Lindsay Lohan will try to stay in the spotlight. Perhaps she will star in a sitcom with Tara Reid and Kate Gosselin called The Irrelevant Three? That would be a great name for an indie band.

Kim K will date Kobe. Wouldn't that make for a clever reality show with Khloe and Lamar? I don't know how anxious Kobe will be to get married again since his pending divorce is going to be rather expensive. I know she hasn't given up on love, so someone will get to participate in a tv wedding again. Those unions always have longevity. 

 And finally, I know the season is still on, but neither the San Diego Chargers nor Dallas Cowboys will go to the Superbowl next year. Every year is "their year" and inevitably every year ends the same. I have no idea what will happen in the offseason, but it probably won't lead to the playoffs.  However, the Chargers get special props for planning that Super Bowl parade a couple of years back only to have to cancel that soiree.

Now on to some resolutions....

I resolve to be more fun in 2012. I resolve to be a better friend in 2012.  I resolve to laugh more in 2012. I resolve to totally relax when I'm not working. Cheers!