I'm such a sucker for romantic movies. I absolutely HATE IT when the hero and heroine don't get together in the end or one of them dies. I don't think it's "poetic" if you ask me it's a total bummer! I always leave the theater feeling jipped when they don't ride off into the sunset together. So here are my top ten end-of-the-movie-guy-and-girl-finally-get-together (or back together) scenes (that I secretly wish I could be the heroine in):
10. Johnny and Millie in "Because I Said So"
Okay, kinda dorky movie but my sappy heart just melts when Johnny looks deep into Millie's eyes and says "Me, I get you".
9. Benny and Joon in "Benny and Joon"
I've always wondered if you really can make grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron. Plus, I fell in love with my husband while watching this movie with him.
8. Justin and Birdie in "Hope Floats"
Who wouldn't want a guy to show up at your work, give you wildflowers, pick you up and drive you off in his truck all while Bryan Adams sings in the background?
7. Jake and Melanie in "Sweet Home Alabama"
Kissing in the rain on the beach in a wedding dress? Count me in! Although I've kissed in the rain before and it was really cold..........well, it's #7
6. Jonathan and Sara in "Serendipity"
Total nail bitter, you really, really don't think they are going to find each other. He gives up and lays down desolate on the ice, it starts to snow and then........there she is! More "cold kissing" though....burr!
5. Captain Navarre and Isabeau in "Ladyhawke"
He's just soooooo happy to see her! You can see how much he adores her and is grateful to be human with her again. There's nothing like a reunion with your soulmate after you have been a hawk and he has been a wolf for years.
4. Simon and Emma in "The Saint"
This whole movie turns me on not just the ending....ask my husband what happens to him every time I watch it!
3. Cappie and Maggie in "Lucas"
Cappie: Are you interested in politics?
Maggie: So so.
Cappie: Are you interested in cars?
Maggie: No.
Cappie: Are you interested in wide receivers?
Maggie: What's that?
Cappie: The position I play.
Maggie: Oh, is that what you do? Sorta.
Cappie: Are you interested in being kissed?
Maggie: Yes.
Me too, me too! I want to be 16 again and be kissed by a hunky football player on the hood of his car too! Only he'd have to be a redheaded defensive tackle named John. Teenage tingles galore!!!
2. Keith and Watts in "Some Kind of Wonderful"
They say if you're friends first it makes for a lasting relationship. And those huge diamond earrings are a nice bonus!
1. Jerry and Dorothy in "Jerry McGuire"
I have to list that one as #1. My husband and I got engaged the day we saw this movie and our wedding invitation said "God completes me with you" on the front. Apparently I have always been a total sappy girl!!!!! But I do truly love the scene where Jerry walks into the the living room during the Angry Divorced Woman's Support Group and declares his love to his wife.
So what romantic movies do you wish you could step in at the end when the guy and the girl get together?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I Hate the Responsibility............
..........of figuring out how to "treat" Bear's autism. The experts all have differing opinions about what's the best "medicine" for autism and over the years Hubby and I have struggled to educate ourselves and pick through the various options to do what makes the most sense to us. However, there has never been a clear cut answer for treatment. The results of anything we've tried have always been subjective and that's frustrating. Yes, Bear has come a long, long way baby. He was non-verbal until about age 3 and now he can carry on a short conversation with just about anybody. He used to only "line up" his toys and now he dresses up as a superhero and participates in imaginary play with his brother. Bear can read at a 4th grade level and is fully mainstreamed in academics at his school. So whatever we've done to help him has seemingly worked. But sometimes I wonder if he wouldn't be in the same place even without treatment. Bear seems to improve no matter what new treatment we try or don't try. I long for a blood test that would dictate what would truly make a difference in Bear's behavior.
What has me fretting about all this today is I took the plunge and took Bear off his Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free (GF/DF) diet this week. He has been on it for 3 years and the limited research on kids participating in a GF/DF diet has shown that many kids can return to a normal diet after a couple of years on the diet. The thing is there is no real "test" to see if he is no longer being harmed by gluten and dairy. I wish they could just do a blood test and poof have the answer but we have to watch his behavior and that is subjective and like all humans, never consistent. When we took removed gluten and dairy from his diet there seemed to be a big difference in the first few weeks. And back then when he accidentally ate wheat he would get very, very hyper and make these jerking movements. But he's been eating gluten and dairy for 4 days now and no jerking, no hyperactivity. Still I can't help but worry. How do I know eating gluten and dairy isn't harming him in ways I can't see? I'm afraid too that it's harming him in ways we will be able to see and we will have to go back to GF/DF. Bear has been REALLY, REALLY enjoying his new found food freedom and it will be hell if we have to make him eat his sandwiches on Rice Bread again.
So, I'm worrying, keeping a watchful eye and hoping that we are not harming him. I'm also hoping we do not have to revert back to a GF/DF diet again! I am looking forward to cooking one dinner for the entire family, being able to go out to eat easily and watching Bear enjoy real birthday cake next week when Baby Girl turns 1 year old!
What has me fretting about all this today is I took the plunge and took Bear off his Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free (GF/DF) diet this week. He has been on it for 3 years and the limited research on kids participating in a GF/DF diet has shown that many kids can return to a normal diet after a couple of years on the diet. The thing is there is no real "test" to see if he is no longer being harmed by gluten and dairy. I wish they could just do a blood test and poof have the answer but we have to watch his behavior and that is subjective and like all humans, never consistent. When we took removed gluten and dairy from his diet there seemed to be a big difference in the first few weeks. And back then when he accidentally ate wheat he would get very, very hyper and make these jerking movements. But he's been eating gluten and dairy for 4 days now and no jerking, no hyperactivity. Still I can't help but worry. How do I know eating gluten and dairy isn't harming him in ways I can't see? I'm afraid too that it's harming him in ways we will be able to see and we will have to go back to GF/DF. Bear has been REALLY, REALLY enjoying his new found food freedom and it will be hell if we have to make him eat his sandwiches on Rice Bread again.
So, I'm worrying, keeping a watchful eye and hoping that we are not harming him. I'm also hoping we do not have to revert back to a GF/DF diet again! I am looking forward to cooking one dinner for the entire family, being able to go out to eat easily and watching Bear enjoy real birthday cake next week when Baby Girl turns 1 year old!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
I'm an Idiot for the Idiot Box
It's National Turn Off Your TV Week this week, April 21-27th. I'm making my kids participate (and they aren't too happy about it) and I am participating too but I'm not doing so well. I made it until about 8 pm last night and I gave in. Well, it's really boring sometimes nursing Baby Girl! I can't read a book while I nurse her because, um, well, I'm a bit too "blessed" in the chest area and I have to "hold it up" while she nurses. So breastfeeding for me is always a two handed activity. Then the baby was up about 5 times last night, still not feeling well and I "had" to turn on the TV to stay awake and take care of her. After only 24 hours of the "Turn Off the TV" thing I'm discovering already how dependent I am on the idiot box. So my new goal is to keep the TV off all day and just use it at night after the kids are in bed. I know, how hypocritical of me...............
The thing is, I don't let the kids watch that much TV anyway. Most weekdays I don't allow them to watch any at all. Usually on Fridays I will let them watch it afterschool and sometimes an hour or two during the week. My boys watch about 2-4 hours a week and that's far below the national average of 28 hours per week. So, I feel pretty good about myself as a parent until I add up the hours my boys play Wii every week.........
Bear and Monkey spend about 10 hours a week in front of our Wii. I think video games are a little bit different than TV because they are actually doing something with their hands at least. When I agreed to get a Wii Nintendo game system it was because I thought the Wii was different and the kids had to stand up and move around for all the games. However, what I've discovered is only a handful of the Wii games require total body movement and most of the games are sit down and use your hands only like video games have always been. So really video games are just about as stationary as TV. When I really think about it, my kids need a "Turn Off the Wii Week".
But getting back to me and MY TV habit. I probably watch 15-20 hours of TV a week. Yikes! I watch it mostly when I'm nursing Alita but I find that when I'm done nursing I leave it on for the "company". Geez, how sad is that? I really miss how our home was set up in Arizona. Our TV was upstairs and I spent my day downstairs. I got a lot more done and spent more time with my kids with the TV out of sight. I'm concerned that even though I don't let my kids watch that much, I am setting that example. Not to mention that sometimes they see things they shouldn't when I am watching TV. I always quickly turn the channel when something innappropriate flashes on screen but the "flash" is probably enough to cause harm.
I guess the long and the short of it is I need "National Turn Off Your TV Week" more than my kids do. I am definatly committed to keeping it off all day and maybe not just for this week. And I'm also going to make a committment not to watch anything that might be innappropriate around them again. I don't want even a "flash" to harm their dear little minds and hearts.
The thing is, I don't let the kids watch that much TV anyway. Most weekdays I don't allow them to watch any at all. Usually on Fridays I will let them watch it afterschool and sometimes an hour or two during the week. My boys watch about 2-4 hours a week and that's far below the national average of 28 hours per week. So, I feel pretty good about myself as a parent until I add up the hours my boys play Wii every week.........
Bear and Monkey spend about 10 hours a week in front of our Wii. I think video games are a little bit different than TV because they are actually doing something with their hands at least. When I agreed to get a Wii Nintendo game system it was because I thought the Wii was different and the kids had to stand up and move around for all the games. However, what I've discovered is only a handful of the Wii games require total body movement and most of the games are sit down and use your hands only like video games have always been. So really video games are just about as stationary as TV. When I really think about it, my kids need a "Turn Off the Wii Week".
But getting back to me and MY TV habit. I probably watch 15-20 hours of TV a week. Yikes! I watch it mostly when I'm nursing Alita but I find that when I'm done nursing I leave it on for the "company". Geez, how sad is that? I really miss how our home was set up in Arizona. Our TV was upstairs and I spent my day downstairs. I got a lot more done and spent more time with my kids with the TV out of sight. I'm concerned that even though I don't let my kids watch that much, I am setting that example. Not to mention that sometimes they see things they shouldn't when I am watching TV. I always quickly turn the channel when something innappropriate flashes on screen but the "flash" is probably enough to cause harm.
I guess the long and the short of it is I need "National Turn Off Your TV Week" more than my kids do. I am definatly committed to keeping it off all day and maybe not just for this week. And I'm also going to make a committment not to watch anything that might be innappropriate around them again. I don't want even a "flash" to harm their dear little minds and hearts.
Why is TV so hard to turn off???????
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Sprinter Enters a Marathon
The hardest thing for me about motherhood, hands down, is the endurance needed to do it day in day out, month after month, year after year. The fact that there are very few "breaks" in mothering has always been my biggest challenge. And when I do get a break they are typically shorter than what I personally need to recharge. I've always been more of a "sprinter" than a "marathon" runner when it comes to life. I can dive in to a situation and go all out, work hard for 20 hours a day and get no sleep for a week or so and then I need to crash for a week and do nothing but recoup. I'm an adrenaline junkie who runs on emotion and I've never been good at pacing myself. This sprinter living and being a mom do not mesh well since motherhood requires one be excellent going "slow and steady to win the race" (Although I don't think there is a finish line in this business!!!!!). I am learning to be more of a tortoise than a hare but it's hard to go against how God made me to be.
I 'm now almost at the end of a race that exhausts even the most "even" of mothers. My baby girl was hospitalized for 2 days with pneumonia. I was depleted before we even got to the hospital. She had been very sick for two weeks leading up to being admitted to the hospital and I had been up with her night and day being nurse and mom. The worrying alone wiped me out plus being vigilant with the medications to help her breathe, nursing her (she's still on the breast), comforting her and cleaning up tons of vomit, snot and whatever! Not to mention taking care of the house and the boys. So needless to say by the time the doctor said, "I'd like to admit her to the hospital." I was spent. I hadn't showered in 2 days or eaten much. I'd been running on coffee and adrenaline and was ready for a break. I thought the hospital would be that break. Ha ha, ha, ho, ho I forgot that nobody rests in a hospital least of all mothers of sick infants!!!!!
We started out in the Concentrated Care Unit which I found out was really a fancy name for Intensive Care! I'm glad I didn't know she was being admitted to an intensive care unit or I may have lost it. I didn't find out we were in a higher level of care until the nurse told us they were moving her to the Pediatric Unit. "Where are we now?" I asked. When she told me intensive care I freaked for a moment and then remembered that she was better and they were moving us now. Whew! The Concentrated Care Unit was definantly very concentrated for me. Even thought the nurses we had were absolutely fabulous there and waited on us hand and foot I still had quite a bit of work to do. Baby girl was up literally every hour the first night we were there coughing and vomiting. So the nurse would clean her up and then I would get her back to sleep, which was no small task with a sick, distressed baby. She also had tubes and cords attached to her body everywhere so even holding her to soothe her was a challenge. It seemed I was constantly trying to just make her comfortable that first night. I got almost zero sleep. But Baby Girl improved dramatically in just 24 hours and they moved us to the "regular" unit where I reached the point of exasperation several times......
Going from Concentrated Care to the Pediatric Unit was like going from a 5 star resort to a dumpy 1 star roadside motel. First off we had to share a room with an infant boy and his mother. The boy had a cough that sounded like he was dying of TB and I worried constantly that my baby could get what he had on top of what she had!!!! Then we had nurses coming in and out for both the boy and my girl so my sleep was interrupted twice as often. And the nurses did not seem 1/2 as competent as the ones from Concentrated Care. I had to remind them to give my baby her medication, suck out her nose, etc. They didn't clean her up when she vomited, they just handed me a clean gown and bedding. When they did their "nursing stuff" they had me hold her down which was physically and emotionally taxing. Over in the Concentrated Care Resort the nurses were so skilled they could do their thing and hold her down at the same time or they brought in another nurse to help. So I was doing it all and on zero energy reserves. The only good news is that my Baby Girl was sleeping through it all and getting better and better. After one night in the Pediatric Unit Baby Girl was ready to go home! Praise God above!!!!!!! I cried tears of joy when the doctor said he felt she was ready to be discharged.
Now we are home and I have to go back to life. My sweet husband still played homemaker yesterday and let me sleep. He cooked dinner last night and got the boys in bed by himself but even so I'm still not ready to go back to being a SAHM today. Frankly I have not recouped enough yet to take on the house, care for the boys and a still ill baby. I found myself snapping at my sons during breakfast and crying before 8 am. How I'm going to pull it together and get through today will be interesting to see. There will be lots of prayer of course. Prayer got me through the whole hospital experience and I will be speaking to Jesus often today. I will have to rely on Him to regenerate my waning spirit. Praise be to God that we can call on Him in times of trouble and weakness. I was encouraged this morning when I realized that this valley in my life can bring me closer to Him. I will choose to be thankful for this trial as it is an opportunity to shine a light on our Savior's goodness and provision. Even just typing this whole experience out I am encouraged. It always helps to simply get things off one's chest.
God bless all the mothers out there who are depleted today. May we all find rest and ways to pace ourselves through the valley of our current circumstances. May we trust God to provide that respite and regeneration. May we also find encouragement in each other.
I 'm now almost at the end of a race that exhausts even the most "even" of mothers. My baby girl was hospitalized for 2 days with pneumonia. I was depleted before we even got to the hospital. She had been very sick for two weeks leading up to being admitted to the hospital and I had been up with her night and day being nurse and mom. The worrying alone wiped me out plus being vigilant with the medications to help her breathe, nursing her (she's still on the breast), comforting her and cleaning up tons of vomit, snot and whatever! Not to mention taking care of the house and the boys. So needless to say by the time the doctor said, "I'd like to admit her to the hospital." I was spent. I hadn't showered in 2 days or eaten much. I'd been running on coffee and adrenaline and was ready for a break. I thought the hospital would be that break. Ha ha, ha, ho, ho I forgot that nobody rests in a hospital least of all mothers of sick infants!!!!!
We started out in the Concentrated Care Unit which I found out was really a fancy name for Intensive Care! I'm glad I didn't know she was being admitted to an intensive care unit or I may have lost it. I didn't find out we were in a higher level of care until the nurse told us they were moving her to the Pediatric Unit. "Where are we now?" I asked. When she told me intensive care I freaked for a moment and then remembered that she was better and they were moving us now. Whew! The Concentrated Care Unit was definantly very concentrated for me. Even thought the nurses we had were absolutely fabulous there and waited on us hand and foot I still had quite a bit of work to do. Baby girl was up literally every hour the first night we were there coughing and vomiting. So the nurse would clean her up and then I would get her back to sleep, which was no small task with a sick, distressed baby. She also had tubes and cords attached to her body everywhere so even holding her to soothe her was a challenge. It seemed I was constantly trying to just make her comfortable that first night. I got almost zero sleep. But Baby Girl improved dramatically in just 24 hours and they moved us to the "regular" unit where I reached the point of exasperation several times......
Going from Concentrated Care to the Pediatric Unit was like going from a 5 star resort to a dumpy 1 star roadside motel. First off we had to share a room with an infant boy and his mother. The boy had a cough that sounded like he was dying of TB and I worried constantly that my baby could get what he had on top of what she had!!!! Then we had nurses coming in and out for both the boy and my girl so my sleep was interrupted twice as often. And the nurses did not seem 1/2 as competent as the ones from Concentrated Care. I had to remind them to give my baby her medication, suck out her nose, etc. They didn't clean her up when she vomited, they just handed me a clean gown and bedding. When they did their "nursing stuff" they had me hold her down which was physically and emotionally taxing. Over in the Concentrated Care Resort the nurses were so skilled they could do their thing and hold her down at the same time or they brought in another nurse to help. So I was doing it all and on zero energy reserves. The only good news is that my Baby Girl was sleeping through it all and getting better and better. After one night in the Pediatric Unit Baby Girl was ready to go home! Praise God above!!!!!!! I cried tears of joy when the doctor said he felt she was ready to be discharged.
Now we are home and I have to go back to life. My sweet husband still played homemaker yesterday and let me sleep. He cooked dinner last night and got the boys in bed by himself but even so I'm still not ready to go back to being a SAHM today. Frankly I have not recouped enough yet to take on the house, care for the boys and a still ill baby. I found myself snapping at my sons during breakfast and crying before 8 am. How I'm going to pull it together and get through today will be interesting to see. There will be lots of prayer of course. Prayer got me through the whole hospital experience and I will be speaking to Jesus often today. I will have to rely on Him to regenerate my waning spirit. Praise be to God that we can call on Him in times of trouble and weakness. I was encouraged this morning when I realized that this valley in my life can bring me closer to Him. I will choose to be thankful for this trial as it is an opportunity to shine a light on our Savior's goodness and provision. Even just typing this whole experience out I am encouraged. It always helps to simply get things off one's chest.
God bless all the mothers out there who are depleted today. May we all find rest and ways to pace ourselves through the valley of our current circumstances. May we trust God to provide that respite and regeneration. May we also find encouragement in each other.
Monday, April 14, 2008
I Now Own a Vera Wang......
Thanks to Kohl's (I know I said I wasn't going to shop there anymore after the "Candie's ad" but maybe I was having estrogen "issues" that day.......) Anyway, thanks to Kohl's I now own not one but two Vera Wang gowns. Nightgowns that is! They are the most comfortable and most flattering sleepwear items I have ever owned. I feel comfy and sexy in them which is not a combo I find very often. If you need new sleepwear check them out they are luxurious and they were on sale this weekend!!!!!
Do You Have Estrogen "Issues"?
Here are 10 ways to know if you have estrogen "issues"......
1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
2. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You 're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that says:'How's my driving-call 1- 800-'.
6. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from 'outer space.'
8.Your sweet children seem to have been replaced by nasty beasties who want to suck out all of your life essence
9. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.
1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
2. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You 're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that says:'How's my driving-call 1- 800-'.
6. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from 'outer space.'
8.Your sweet children seem to have been replaced by nasty beasties who want to suck out all of your life essence
9. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Mi Vida Loca!
I have not been a very faithful blogger these days! Thanks to all who check my blog and I'm sorry that I've been silent the past couple of weeks. It's mostly due to 2 reasons:
1) Our family has been hit by two nasty Spring viruses in a row. One in the head then one in the chest so I've been busy being "nursemaid" to 3 kids and hubby while trying to heal myself!
2) We are house hunting! We actually put in an offer on a fantastic place last week. It's a short sale though so it may be 60-90 days before we find out if we got it or not. More on that later..........
I have a couple of things to blog about so hopefully I will find some time soon! Until then...........
1) Our family has been hit by two nasty Spring viruses in a row. One in the head then one in the chest so I've been busy being "nursemaid" to 3 kids and hubby while trying to heal myself!
2) We are house hunting! We actually put in an offer on a fantastic place last week. It's a short sale though so it may be 60-90 days before we find out if we got it or not. More on that later..........
I have a couple of things to blog about so hopefully I will find some time soon! Until then...........
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