Some movies I've seen recently

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I know a good movie when I see it." - E. Wood

I've watched a few movies recently that I thought were worthy of comment. We have the Encore set of movie channels that comes with our digital package, so we have the opportunity to catch lots of "new" movies about two years after they hit the theater.

We watched Invincible a couple of weeks ago. I highly recommend this movie. Not only is it a true story, it's told with lots of heart and is well-acted. And for me to say that I liked a football movie, you know it has to be good. It's also the first football movie I've seen that makes playing football look like a tough job, which I liked.

The other night we saw The Night Listener. Awful. Just awful. The audience is deliberately misled in the beginning, and it just gets worse from there. Don't even watch this if you're a Robin Williams fan.

Then there's The Guardian. Now, this could have been a good movie. But it had some major problems. First of all, there's no clear beginning. And then there's no clear ending. And then there's all the stuff in between. I had the privilege of studying screenwriting with a bona fide professional and I can tell you she would rip this script apart. But the story itself is enjoyable and life-affirming and worth watching. So this one gets a mixed review. Watch it if you're an Ashton Kutcher fan.

Fight Club. Now this is one screwed up movie. If you can stand the blood and violence, it's worth watching. Though I have to admit Hubby and I figured out the secret very shortly into the film and weren't surprised at all when it was "revealed." Still, it was interesting.

My favorite recent film was The Prestige. We figured out the big secret only a few moments before it was revealed. Hubby loved it because Nicola Tesla was in it, among other reasons. I just thought it was brilliant. Watch it, then watch it again. Because you'll want to.

What movies have you enjoyed recently?

The next hurricane should be named after my son

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I've seen less destruction from a tornado." -H. Hunt

When we visited the science museum in Tampa, they had a whole section about disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods. I'm thinking of suggesting another topic for that section of the museum: toddlers.

Here is a sample of what my three-year-old can do with five minutes of free time:First, he pumped half a bottle of lotion into the bathroom sink.Next, he found an unopened pack of diapers and spread them around the floor.
Then, he got some safety scissors and scrap paper and did his impression of a shredder.And finally he went into the schoolroom and threw all the books off the low shelves and dumped stuffed animals on the floor.

Do you think we could apply for disaster relief?

Still feeling bad

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Never underestimate the power of one little germ." -H. Hughes

The last few weeks have been really... not fun. Between my migraines, killer sinus headaches, vomiting, fever and now head cold, I'm worn out. I'm tired of feeling bad.

The boys have been sick since last week, too. My oldest is still running a fever, so I'm going to give the doctor a call today, much as I hate doing that. Let's take a group of five people who have been fighting off every illness under the sun for the last week, and go to a doctor's office where everything they haven't caught yet is waiting to attack them. Great idea.

Hubby and my eight-year-old are the only ones who haven't gotten it yet, and Hubby's voice was sounding awfully scratchy yesterday.

Next winter, here's my plan: we will not leave the house. There are places that deliver food and other essentials. We will barricade the doors and windows against intrusion. Any arriving packages will be thoroughly disinfected before being touched. Sometime next spring, like all the other hibernating creatures, we will emerge from our cave.

Just to give you an idea of how bad my oldest son feels, he got a new Bionicle set on Sunday and didn't put it together until last night. Now that's bad.

The return of Dancing

Fake Quote of the Day:

"This isn't reality; this is fantasy!" -S. Guttenberg

When yet another of the children has succumbed to the nasty stomach thing of the weekend, is it any wonder I like to escape to an alternate reality? The alternate reality of reality t.v., that is. Dancing With the Stars is back and it's looking like an exciting season!

So far, the women have the men beat. This might finally be the year for a woman to win again! I knew when I saw Kristi Yamaguchi's name on the list of stars that it would be a good season. She is really amazing - I could definitely see her taking the trophy.

I want to like Priscilla Presley, I really do. But I can't stop looking at her hideously over-Botoxed mouth.

Marlee Matlin is amazing. Simply amazing. Her dancing is easily on par with all the other good dancers, and they all have the advantage of being able to hear the music. You go, Marlee!

The only two men who have a shot are the football player (sorry, my brain automatically blocks all football players' names from sticking) and Mario. Both of them are shockingly good, though not as good as the other Mario (Lopez).

Last night, the first half of the show, the judges were ridiculously hard on people. I especially felt sorry for Steve "Dancing-is-the-key-to-world-peace" Guttenberg, who wasn't nearly as awful as they seemed to think. Monica Seles, on the other hand, is more awful than they give her credit for. You know those dance routines where one partner pretends to be a mannequin while the other one moves and poses her? It's a lot like watching one of those.

Then, the second half. I said to hubby that they must have a bottle hidden under the judges' table or something, because their moods definitely improved. The stars seemed to be taking last week's comments into account and improving their dancing, and the judges love that.

Overall, I think Monica has to go. With the men, it's a toss-up. Could be Penn, could be Adam Carolla, could be Mr. Enthusiastic Guttenberg.

How was your Easter weekend?

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Sure, Happy Easter - that's because you don't have to work!" - P. Cottontail

How was your Easter? Aside from the vomiting, fever, and taking care of others with vomiting and fever, mine was wonderful. It figures half of us would be sick. You know, I can't even remember the last time we made it to church on Easter. Every year it seems like somebody is too sick to go.

We did get out the eggs yesterday and dye them. I think out of 32 there are probably 24 left that didn't get cracked. At least the boys like hard-boiled eggs.

Anyway, I'm going to skip my workout this morning - my stomach is still not feeling 100%. Hopefully by the end of the day I'll feel normal again. Whatever that means.

If this robot wants to take over the world, at least it'll be a clean world

Today's Fake Quote:

"I could have told you to get a robot." -R. Jetson

As I sit here typing this, the bane of my existence my basement floor is being cleaned. My wonderful, handsome, intelligent, hard-working husband got me a little something:This is a Scooba, from iRobot. While I relax, blog, and drink my coffee, Scooba is downstairs vacuuming, scrubbing, and drying my floor. I used it yesterday on the bathroom floors and the upstairs kitchen and it did a fine job. Now it's tackling the filth of my basement floor.

It automatically goes around the furniture and any other obstacles. I did have a slight problem when it got to the cabinets - the baseboard is off temporarily and it kept getting stuck. I blocked that off and now it's happily buzzing around down there.

Ah, life is good. Now if I could just get a robot that would pick up toys, we'd be set.

Pet tips - from me to you

Quote of the Day:

"This is more fun than giving medicine to a cat!" - Me

Saturday morning I noticed something odd about our cat, Smokey. Odd may not be the right word. Gross or disgusting perhaps might better describe it. He had yellowish pus oozing down the side of his little cat face. Quite a lovely sight, let me tell you. Naturally, our vet is closed on the weekends, so we had to wait until Monday morning to call.

The vet kept him overnight, cleaned out his wound, and returned him to us along with a bottle of antibiotics. For anyone who has never given medicine to a cat, you don’t know what you’re missing.

It starts with the towel. This is a trick we learned from some random cat book, a trick that served us well when Smokey was attacked as a kitten by some unknown nasty assailant and left severely wounded. He had to be given medicine something like twenty-seven times a day, and on top of that he needed drops for ear mites. The towel kept all of us from needing antibiotics to treat all of the cat bites and scratches we certainly would have otherwise received.

What you do is, you wrap all but the cat’s head in a towel, then force his mouth open and medicate him. First, of course, you have to find him. Because I guarantee you, when the cat sees you coming with a towel, he will disappear, and quickly. Last night, for example, he hid in my closet, where it is nigh on impossible to see him, let alone get him out.

Once you’ve caught the cat, one person must hold him while the other wraps the towel tightly around the body and all four legs. The cat’s head sticks out, but you have to be quick. If the person administering the medicine is not fast enough on the draw, the cat will disappear inside the towel like a turtle, except he’ll come out the other end of the towel and make a break for it.

If you’re fast enough, grab the cat’s jaw and gently pry his needle-like teeth apart with your bare fingers. Slide the dropper into one side of his mouth and release the medicine. Usually about half of it will make it into the cat, the other half will decorate his fur with a nice pink stain. I don’t worry about that – I figure if he licks it off, as cats are wont to do, he’ll get the full dose.

Then release the cat and stand back. Depending on the cat, you might be on the receiving end of a playful swipe of the claws as a little “thank you” for helping to keep him healthy. He loves you, really he does.

And you only have to repeat this process twice a day for ten days! Nine days left to go…

Gotta run (read to the end)

I went to the doctor yesterday. I haven't had a physical in a while, not since I lost all this weight. The doc was quite impressed. In fact, he asked if I'd used any pills or supplements to lose that much. No, I replied, it was just changing what I eat and how much of it I eat. And exercise, but that came pretty much after all the weight was gone.

Anyway, he gave me a new scrip for migraines, so hopefully I can knock them out before they start. And now I have a nose spray to clear up my sinuses, so that should help the chronic sinus headaches I've been having lately.

I need to get some blood drawn sometime to check my cholesterol levels, etc.

Ugh - the five year old just walked by with poop in his pants. This is going to be a fun day, isn't it?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today's Fake Quote:

"Actually, my favorite color is blue." - St. Patrick

Enjoy this very Veggie explanation of St. Patty's Day!

Normal

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I think that's perfectly normal." -A. Yankovic

Hubby and I had a nice dinner out last night. You would think it would feel weird to sit down and have a meal without children complaining, yelling, singing, and all the other things my kids do at dinner. But it didn't. It felt... normal. And sometimes a mom needs to feel a little normality.

A friend and I were talking the other day about how we feel "normal" again now that we've lost our baby weight. And it's really true - I feel like me again. Only with four kids. I like to think that people see me walking through the store with the boys and think, "No way are all those kids hers! She's too young and thin!" Yes, maybe I'm delusional, but whatever gets you through the day, right?

We'll be heading home tonight, but for now I think I'm going to go do something really... normal.

Alone at last

Today's Fake Quote:

"Sometimes it's nice to get away for a little while." -R. Crusoe

Today this blog is coming to you from King of Prussia, PA. Hubby had a business trip, and he asked his mom and sister if they would stay with the kids so I could come along! Woo hoo!

He had to take the car, so I'm just chilling at the hotel. They have a nice hot breakfast here, and after I go check out the exercise room, I'm going to spend the afternoon working on my novels - lots of revision to be done. I need to find a different place to sit, though - this desk is at chest level, which is not really optimal.

We'll head home tomorrow night, but for now I'm just enjoying the silence.

Top 12 - Week one

Today I'm feeling... about the same. I have a dentist appt this afternoon - maybe I'll ask him to novocaine my whole head. My migraine cleared up enough for me to enjoy AI last night, though. Well, most of it. Some of it was just not enjoyable.

What a shock, too! My favorites totally bombed (honestly, David H. - way overdone, and David A - if you're going to sing something, learn the words, dude!), but David Cook once again blew me away. I just wish SO hard that he would do something with his hair!! The girls were unimpressive except for Brooke, who comes across really honest and believable to me. I agree with Simon about her. And hey, consistency is one of the keys to winning this thing.

But my favorite of the night, and the biggest surprise to me for being my favorite, was Chikezie. His biggest problem right now is that he's not consistent. But if he keeps doing what he did last night, he's going to go far.

In negatives, let's see - Syesha didn't do anything impressive. Ramiele was bo-ring. So was Michael. I mean come on people - you're singing Beatles songs! Some of the best songs ever written! At least try to pick interesting ones! And the country thing Kristy did was totally over the top. Cute, but not good.

My pick for who's going home tonight - Ramiele. Could also be Kristy or Syesha. It won't be a guy.

Ugh

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I hate Tuesdays almost as much as Mondays." - Garfield

Last Tuesday, the eleven-year-old had a fever and we couldn't go to co-op. This week, he's been throwing up since yesterday. So here we sit again. The eight and five year olds are going to be disappointed not to go again, but what can I do?

It's probably just as well I'm staying home - I don't feel all that great myself. I had a killer sinus headache all day Sunday through yesterday, and last night it mutated into a migraine. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm fighting the nausea now, but whether it's what my son has, or whether it's from the migraine I can't tell.

So, how's your Tuesday?

And maybe a combination lock

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I don't know what you're complaining about; the house looks clean to me." - S. Wonder

I just deleted a very depressed-sounding post about how dirty my house is. You've all heard it before. Cleaning up after four boys is just not in the realm of the possible. Not unless they aren't here.

So Hubby and I are escaping. We are finishing the floor in our new master suite and soon we will be able to move over there, lock the doors, and leave the rest of the house to the children. They will not be allowed to set foot in my bedroom, and they will only be allowed into the suite to use the laundry machines.

Sounds like paradise. I love my kids, but I really need a sanctuary.

PPL - Spring limerick!

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We're going back to the trusty limerick this month. For some reason, limericks are not easy for me. But since I must prove my poetic genius by using any or all of the following words: green, irish, leprechaun, shamrock, Easter, Spring, kite, windy. --- Here we go!

Irish leprechauns all dressed in green,
Four-leafed shamrocks that good luck mean,
Easter Day at first light,
Windy days with a kite,
All are signs of each Spring that I've seen!

A leprechaun wanted to go
To town for the big Easter show
He let out a big cheer,
"Spring is finally here!"
Then he tripped and fell face down in snow.

900!

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Nine hundred isn't so much." -C. Ripken

That's right, this is my 900th post. Don't worry, I'm not going to list 900 things about myself. I never even did 100 things about myself. I figure if anyone's that interested in me, they can go back to day one and start reading. Eventually, they will cull at least 100 interesting facts about me from my archives.

So, who watched the boys last night? Why do they call them boys? Is it in deference to those under 18, or is it because they call the female group girls? Anyway... I still have my two favorites, both named David - Hernandez and Archuleta. But a surprise contender has emerged - the other David, David Cook! He did a version of Lionel Richie's "Hello" that was absolutely amazing. David A. and David H., on the other hand, weren't as good. So I cast my vote for David C. this week. I'll be shocked if all three David's don't enter the Top 12.

As for the other guys, I'm betting it will be Luke's turn to go home, but I'm not sure who the other will be. Jason Castro was awesome, so it better not be him. It might be Chikezie (Oh, please let it be Chikezie). I doubt it will be Danny or Michael. Hmm, I'm forgetting one. Maybe he'll go home, since I can't even remember who he is!

And did you watch "New Amsterdam"?? Wow. More on that later.

Good morning!

Tomorrow marks my 900th post! I just passed my 3rd blogiversary, as well, so that's roughly 300 posts per year. Not bad, for rambling aimlessly about nothing. Then again, look how long Seinfeld was on.

I should be at co-op right now, but my oldest son is running a temperature, so we're staying home today. Yesterday I couldn't talk for most of the afternoon. Imagine trying to control four boys with no voice. It doesn't work really well. At least I got some rest.

The weather turned warm yesterday. I hope it goes back to cold and stays there a while before spring. Winter is entirely too short here. But it's better than in Louisiana, where we had about two weeks of winter and a little ice could shut down the whole city. There are some things I miss about Shreveport, but that's not one of them. Now, the food... oh, the food! How I'd love to go eat at some of those restaurants again. Hubby and I have talked about taking an eating tour of the south sometime, just going from restaurant to restaurant and taking in the local delicacies. Mmm!

Okay, was this post rambling enough for you? I'm going to go relax before the boys wake up.

Is divorce ever right?

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This month's topic for Marriage Monday: Is divorce ever right? This is a tough topic for me because I don't want to come off sounding judgmental. I am not, nor will I ever be, divorced, and that's a decision I made before I chose a husband. It's not a choice that was ever on the table, and we both agreed on that before we got married. So for me personally, divorce is never right.

But what about for other people? Well, Jesus states pretty clearly that if you are divorced and then remarried, you commit adultery. Pretty harsh, but there you have it. Now obviously, I don't advocate anyone staying married in an abusive situation. But whether they should get remarried, well, I would encourage them to search the scriptures and seek counseling before choosing to do that. Likewise, if you were divorced and remarried before becoming a Christian, you should seek counseling - I honestly don't have answers for that situation.

Remember, if you are a Christian, your marriage is to be a model of Christ's love for the church. He will never come to us and tell us things just aren't working out and He'd like to separate for a while. No matter how many times we sin, He will always take us back. He will never stop loving us. And I think that's an example we can all stand to emulate in our marriages.