Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Music Monday

May 8, 2012

Today, I’m going to review one of my all time favorite albums – Madonna. Yep, her first and self-titled album from 1983. Wow – that was almost *choke* 30 years ago! Yipes. Anyway…I think I bought this last year from a used bookstore and am so glad I did! I haven’t cracked it out in awhile, but last week I did and guess what? It felt like summer 1983 all over again! I’m remembering feelings and things that I haven’t thought about in quite a while, but I digress. Here are the songs and my thoughts on them.

1. Lucky Star – Like it! Did I mention she wrote all the songs on this album? I really thought that was cool back then because there weren’t too many female singers who did.

2. Borderline – Love it! Still remember the video too – one of my favorites. I also loved that outfit she wore in the video – black
tank, cool skirt (kind of a mini), and orange pumps. Yeah, I sort of had a few outfits that were similar back in the day. Minis? You bet!

3. Burning Up – Kind of trashy yes, but I love the music to this one! It’s unrequited lust – now haven’t we all been there? George Clooney – hello. Only back then it was Simon Le Bon :-).

4. I Know It – Another one of my favorites here. A song about knowing that your man is going to ditch you but in the end he’ll be sorry. Yeah, right. We’re always the ones crying. On the other hand, we have to show strength and not let them see that vulnerability when we’re making that decision to let a relationship go.

5. Holiday – Absolutely the best song on this album and a perfect summer song! It’s about taking time for peace in our world and in our lives. The tune though – so happy and upbeat and just reeks of summer sun, pools, and the like. I need a holiday too :-).

6. Think of Me – A great dance tune and I do like the lyrics too. It’s about a girl telling her man that he’d better start paying attention to her or she’s going to leave.

7. Phyisical Attraction – Love this song too except for the repeating lines at the end – oh how that drives me batty. So, I just click it up to the next song when I’m listening to this album :-).

8. Everybody – The one song on this album that I’m not keen on. It’s a dance song about dancing – kind of redundant but whatever. Apparently, it’s also the song that got her noticed. Well, okay. It just doesn’t do it for me though. Sorry.

So, there you have it – Madonna’s first album in a quickie review. It’s really hard to tell about my feelings, because they are bound up in what was going on in my life at the time. But, it is a summer album for me and I will enjoy it each and every summer and remember those times gone by.

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What a Week!

May 6, 2012

We started last week off with severe storms and ended it – at our house anyway – with a stomach virus that is still working it’s way through family members. Oh, and trying to get our first week of school done after break as well. So, here’s a quick recap.

After all the storms blew through on Monday night I went to bed and to sleep. Unbeknownst to me, Chris was up during the night throwing up. When I got up Tuesday I noticed his car was still here and I ran upstairs to get him up thinking he had overslept. That’s when he told me he was sick and had already called in. Oh goody – a stomach virus – I knew what that meant.

Everything was okay until Thursday when I came down with it. Mostly I laid around like a lump for most of the day while kids quietly did schoolwork and also helped make lunch. I sent Mike out for supper since I was still too weak to make it or eat it. It’s a good thing I preserved my strength because by early evening Katie was the next to get sick. So much for resting for mom. She was up off and on all night and some overnight and I helped her and cleaned as needed.

Yesterday, Saturday, I felt much better and went shopping in the morning. Everything seemed fine until around 11pm when Becky started tossing her cookies, immediately followed by Maggie. UGH. I just stayed up all night knowing that Nurse Mommy was going to be on call. I did get a couple of hours of sleep, but that’s probably going to be it until later. Much later.

SO, today I’ll mostly help the sicklings and do some cleanup as well. I think tomorrow we’ll take a sick day from school and I’ll do some more clean up and nursing kids back to health. We’ll see if the other two get sick today or tomorrow as well. Oh, and we’re supposed to get more storms today – baseball sized hail is possible. Wow – sounds like fun.

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Ridin’ The Storms Out

May 2, 2012

Yep, that’s right – storms in the plural. We’ve just finished a four day run (although I think this all started Thursday) of storms and each day/night the severety increased. I was up watching storms for 3 nights in a row! After Monday night’s action I was able to wind it up early (2 am) and got some good zzzz’s for a change. Here’s what we’ve been having – in a nutshell.

Friday night it seems like I was up at some point, but I don’t think it was really bad. Saturday night I know we were up around 5am due to bad storms in the area, but luckily they passsed through and they weren’t too bad, but I think we got a lot of rain from those. The girls got up because of a crack of thunder that shook the house so they kept me company. I

Sunday evening we had a tornado warning in our county – it was almost in our town but the tornado decided to drop down in the next little town over. They still blew the storm sirens here though because it was so close. I stayed up off and on during the night and the girls fell asleep on the couch so they stayed downstairs all night too. Yes, I do not sleep much in tornado weather. I probably should get one of those NOAA weather radios.

Monday early evening into the early morning hours was the real doozy. I knew when that storm started pulling in that it was going to be trouble. The clouds just looked weird and as the storm grew they skies grew more ominous. The air was heavy and still and all you could hear were crickets chirping. I stepped outside a few times to look at the clouds to see what they were doing and it was getting scary. That storm grew to huge proportions and ended up mostly in the county east of us, although some of it leaked into our county just a little. By 7pm tornado warnings were going off for that county. There were also storms in the counties west of us – about 2 three counties away – that were headed our way too. And yes tornadoes were in those as well.

So, it was a long evening and that storm to our east took 3 hours to get through that one county because it was just poking along. They did get a few tornado touchdowns and there was damage, but the biggest issue was the flooding rains that went with it. Then the big storms from the west moved in and at first it looked like it was going to be really bad, but then they lined out and weakened and that’s how they went through our town – in a line with high winds. After they went through our county, they torqued up a bit and more tornado warnings east of us. What a hellish night for those poor folks over there! The NOAA warnings on the radio seemed to never quit – severe storm, tornado, and flood warnings were all going off constantly it seemed. Finally at 2am we were in the clear and it was over FINALLY! So, I went to bed.

The rest of the week will be quiet – thank you God – so we can all catch up on our sleep. It will also be hot like late May, but that is fine by me. Beats the four days of storms we had!! I took a few pictures of that first storm from the back end as it was just so awesome. The dark cloud in front was really moving and looked like a big ship passing the big white cloud in front of it. So, there you have it – all of our severe weather for the month in four days (I’m hoping anyway).

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April Progress Report

April 28, 2012

Progress? What progress? Well, we’re in restoration mode with all that it entails and it’s difficult, but if I can just get through this year, then maybe next year won’t be so scary. We might actually be able to get new furniture then too :-).

Weight loss progress? Well, I did have this light bulb moment today. Why am I so careful about skin care – the outside of my body – if I’m not taking care of the inside?! I mean, let’s face it, isn’t having a healthy heart better than having good skin? So, with that thought, I crunched some numbers. Lessee, 17 weeks gone by already and that leaves 35 weeks left. Multiply 35 weeks by a 2 pound per week weight loss and that would be…a possible 70lb weight loss by the end of the year. Hey, that’d be pretty good now wouldn’t it! Even a one pound a week loss would be 35 pounds and that’s a darn sight better than where I’m at now. Okay, if we go for middle of the road it would be 50 pounds. Well, I like all of those numbers so what am I waiting for?? I keep making excuses and right now I have none. Zero. Zip. Nada. SO, I’m going to try to start next Monday – really start. Yeah, yeah, how many times have I been saying that. Well, maybe it’s time to get serious and really try and not worry about failing or whatever it is I’m worried about. Ya know? So, I’ll keep you posted on a plan of action – I’m the girl of 100 lists remember? And stick to it the best I can.

I’ve read another book – Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth – and that was really good. It finished off my Amish reading very nicely and gave me a lot to think about.

I pulled together lesson plans and books so we can start school on Monday for our last 3 months of work for this school year. So, we’re ready there.

So, I guess that was April. Here’s hoping I can really get over whatever mental mishmash is going on in my head that’s keeping me from doing what I need to do to lose weight and maybe I can lose some stress once we get over the “humps”.

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Awards and Winnings

April 26, 2012

So, here it is – my post about Steve’s big win in the local writing contest. Only, I’m sneaking a oouple of other winners from our family in here too. Hey, I’m allowed – it’s MY blog and I’ll write whatever I want to :-). Okay, so maybe you really can’t sing those words to that tune. Anyway, I digress….again…

Back at the beginning of the year, the 2012 Annual Writing Contest was announced at our library. Well, Steve kind of hemmed and hawed, but finally decided to write something and enter it. It was a story called “A World Apart” and he let me read it when he was done. I have to say, I was very impressed! I proofread for errors and he tweaked a couple of things and sent it in barely in time for the February 1 deadline. And then he waited and waited. I know he asked at the desk a couple of times about the contest and he may have even called about when the judging was going to be. We waited some more.

Then, on Friday, April 13, a call came in. It was from the library for Steve and I just held my breath.

“Well, wait a minute, are you his mom?”

“Yes”

“Well, Stephen has won an award in the creative writing contest!”

“REALLY?!?!”

“He really did!”

“Oh, then you need to tell him – I know he’d want to hear it from you.”

“Okay.”

“Hold on – STEEEEVVVVVEEEE!”

So, Steve got on the phone and found out that he had won SECOND PLACE in his age category!! The prize was $50 and I know he was thrilled about that too. The award would be presented the following Monday at the library. Only, when we got to the library on Monday, we found out it was being held somewhere else. Luckily, that place was across the street. Here’s the photo of Steve receiving his award:

He has since framed the certificate and cashed the check, but that honor will be with him for his whole life. I think maybe he might have a good chance as a writer as well – you never know.

Now, Chris has also been a winner around here lately. Last December it was announced (and he got a letter in the mail as well) that he had made the President’s Honor Roll. This is an honor bestowed on students who make nothing less than A’s in all their classes – I believe he had a 4.0 grade average that semester. Now, and this is funny, Chris recently found an unopened letter on his desk, and he apparently made the Dean’s honor roll in the spring of 2011! Yay Chris – belated because we just found out – hehe! As I write this, he is enrolled in a local state college and will be entering as a sophomore in the fall.

ALSO, Matt and Chris made apps for a contest Blackberry was running and they both won…wait for it…FREE Blackberry Playbook tablets!! Now for the real kicker – Chris entered again and won a second one!! He says they’re his trophies :0).

Lest I forget about Jeff, I do know he has submitted one of his writings to an actual publisher/magazine and we shall see how that turns out. Even if he gets a rejection slip, it’s not a loss, it’s just another rung on the ladder of working your way up.

SO, there you have it – winning kids and I’m proud of them ALL! :-)

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Friday At Last

April 20, 2012

It’s been a busy week and this weekend will be busy too. Here’s what’s going on in my life:

1. Monday Steve received an award in a local writing contest – he came in second! More on that later.

2. Tuesday we had the plumber come out to fix the drain in the laundry room. Again. He found out that a pipe was broken and needed to be replaced and re-routed. So…

3. Wednesday the plumbers came out to fix the pipe and the kids and I went on a field trip! We went to visit the Little House On the Prairie historical site in Kansas. That was awesome! I cried. No pictures (forgot my camera) but the kids and I really enjoyed it. Okay, except for Steve. Fifteen year old boys and Little House on the Prairie don’t usually go together. Came home to a whole new plumbing outlook for the washer – now we’re in “do all the laundry you didn’t get to do for four days” mode.

4. Thursday was beginning the catch up on laundry and finishing birthday shopping for the two birthday boys – Joe and Chris. Yes, their birthdays are only 3 days apart and it’s wild every year. At least this year no one’s birthday landed on or around Easter.

5. Friday (today) is being spent baking and frosting a Cocoa Goodie Cake, wrapping gifts, and celebrating Joe’s birthday. He is 13 today. Happy Birthday Joe!

This weekend will be grocery shopping, clothes shopping for the girls, and celebrating Chris’ birthday. Then on Monday is Chris’ dentist appointment and Maggie goes in to the dentist on Tuesday. The rest of the week will be spent getting ready for the start of school again the following Monday.

Phew! What a wild time we’ve been having lately! I’m ready for things to settle down again. Maybe in 9 years :-).

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Music Monday

April 16, 2012

Today I switched on Pandora for listening music while I made cornbread and decided on the “Bread” channel (ha- ironic no?). You remember the group Bread don’t you? Songs like “Aubrey”, “Diary”? Yeah, of course you remember them! It’s just been a long time since you’ve heard anything by them! Don’t feel bad – I don’t often hear their music either. Except today I was feeling 70’s-ish I suppose. Anyway, the song “Everything I Own” came on and as I listened to the lyrics I realized that it was not a love song at all – not in the sense that we typically think. Nope, it was a tribute to a parent! At first I thought maybe David Gates wrote it for his mother, but it was for his father. As I listened, the words seemed more profound now that I am older and have lost my own father. I’ve also seen the passing of other precious people in my life and this song is a good reminder to not waste the time we have on this earth and to tell people how much we love them and care for them while we can. And if you can’t tell them show them. Pick up the phone, email them, send a card, whatever you can do with what you have. I need this reminder most of all.

So, here, read the words, go listen, and see how big of a kleenex pile you have afterwards.

You sheltered me from harm
Kept me warm, kept me warm
You gave my life to me
Set me free, set me free
The finest years I ever knew
Were all the years I had with you

And I would give anything I own
And give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again

You taught me how to love
What it’s of, what it’s of
You never said too much but still you showed the way
And I knew from watching you
Nobody else could ever know
The part of me that can’t let go

And I would give anything I own
Would give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again

Is there someone you know?
You’re loving them so
But taking them all for granted
You may lose them one day
Someone takes them away
And they don’t hear the words you long to say

And I would give anything I own
Will give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
Just to touch you once again

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What I’ve Been Reading

April 9, 2012

Yes, I am the Crazy Book Lady remember? And, not only that, but I’m also Frugal Mom too. What do we get if we add them together? The Crazy Frugal Book Lady Mom! Oh yeah baby, that’s me all right. SO, here are the frugal book finds I’ve found this year and it also serves to let you know what I’ve been reading as well.

1. Amish Peace and Amish Values For Your Family by Suzanne Woods Fisher – I have finished both of these and they were very good (and easy) reads. I may go back and re-read, however, because she has questions at the end of each “chapter” which help lead the reader into a deeper investigation in their life and see if there are changes they could make for a simpler more meaningful life. Those are worth investigating! Price? I bought the bargain books at $5.20 each!

2. Wear This Toss That by Amy Goodman – I may have said before, but if I haven’t, I loved What Not To Wear with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly. However, I’ve not been able to watch it for the last 3 years since we downgraded our Dish and haven’t re-upgraded it again. BUT I’ll save that post for another day (What Not To Wear that is). So, when I saw this book pretty much doing the same thing I couldn’t resist! She uses visual cues – like showing a picture of a good blouse and a bad blouse – to let you know what to keep in your closet (or buy at the store) and what to toss and why. I also like her little “age alert”(s) because there are certain things a woman of a certain age shouldn’t wear anymore and I do fit some of those rules now. It’s not just clothes but shoes, bags, skin care, and makeup too. Bonus? My girls love looking at it too :-). Price? Again, a bargain price of $10.80!

3. Menopause Sucks by Joanne Kimes and Elaine Ambrose – Couldn’t resist simply because of the title :-). It is a good informational book on the Change O’Life, but there is a good dose of humor throughout as well. Let’s face it ladies, it’s what we need at this point in our lives! I’m not into tomes on the subject, just good basic info and this fits the bill. I’m not done reading it yet, but so far I’m loving it! Price? Bargain price of $5.18.

4. The Winter of Our Disconnect by Susan Maushart – Does the title sound familiar? It’s a play on Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck, however she was actually inspired by Walden (Thoreau). Maushart decided to disconnect herself and her kids from technology for six months and this is a diary of sorts of how she did it and what happened during that time. I’ve only read the first chapter or two so far (up to the point where she is cutting the power to the tech toys) so I can’t really review it. However, I do like the idea of a tech diet and am trying to keep it minimalized these days. She also throws in some interesting statistics on modern connectivity and how much time the average child (and adults) spends on these devices. I’m hoping to get back to it this month. Price? Well, I got a super bargain on this one as the bargain price kept going down until I snagged it for $3.32!! Woot!

5. Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki – I read this book (took it out of the library) in 2010 and loved it. I was hoping to get it for myself, but forgot about it. Until I saw it at Amazon at a bargain price and then I snatched it up in a heartbeat! This is the true story of a real geisha in Japan. Iwasaki was also the most popular and highly paid geisha of her time (1960’s). She tells how she came to be at the geisha house and all the training she had in classical Japanese arts (dance and music) to be a geisha. It is a fascinating read and to be honest, I’d recommend it before I’d recommend Memoirs of A Geisha which has more untruth in it than truth. And that’s also why Mineko Iwasaki wrote this book, because she had helped Arthur Golden on Memoirs and then he twisted the facts to Hollywoodize it. So, read this first if you want to know what a real geisha’s life is about – or was about. It’s getting to be a lost art and it always makes me sad when cultural things start passing into obscurity. Price? Bargain price of $5.78!

6. The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays by Maika Drucker – No we’re not Jewish, but I had originally taken this book out of the library at Christmas time to read to the kids about Hanukkah. It is a beautiful book in word and picture that tells of all the holy days of the Jewish faith. I read about Passover last week and it served to strengthen my own faith as I read about the Seder. So, this is a good book for Jews and Gentiles alike and even if you don’t have kids. I know we’ll be referring to it throughout the year. Price? Bargain Price of $6.80!

So there you have it – my frugal book finds so far this year! Do I ever pay full price for books? Yes I do when it’s a book I really want (or need as in the case of books for school) and there is no bargain price, but I generally try to find used or bargains first. Here’s to being a Crazy Frugal Book Lady Mom!

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Happy Easter!

April 8, 2012

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,

Radiant in the brightness of your King

Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!

Darkness vanishes forever!

This is our Passover feast,

When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain

Whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers

This is the night when first you saved our fathers;

You freed the people of Israel from their slavery

And led them dry-shod through the sea

This is the night when Jesus Christ

Broke the chains of death

And rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us

Had not Christ come as our Redeemer?

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,

Which gained for us so great a Redeermer!

The power of this holy night

Dispels all evil, washes guilt away

Restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth

And man is reconciled with God.

–From the Exultet – Mass of Holy Saturday

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What I’ve Been Watching

April 7, 2012

So, yesterday it was music, today it is music! Don’t worry the book list is coming too :-). Anywho – here’s what I’ve been watching for the last 3 months or so.

1. “My So-Called Life” – I watched this on Netflix Instant back in December, and then I bought the set (I think I mentioned that) and watched it again along with the commentaries too. Fine, fine writing and also memories of a time gone by.

2. “Hey Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill A Mockingbird” – This is a documentary of Harper Lee’s life and her writing of To Kill A Mockingbird. It also goes into reactions when the book came out and the climate at the time it was published. Many interviews with writers and teachers which add to the beauty of this “film”. If you love To Kill A Mockingbird then this is a must for you.

3. “Temple Grandin” – This is a fantastic movie about a woman named Temple Grandin who has lived with her autism and made it work for her instead of running against it. Clare Danes does a beautiful job of portraying Miss Grandin and the movie portrays autism in a way that the rest of us can understand. You cannot go wrong with this one.

4. “Fahrenheit 451” – Yes, the movie from 1966 that is based on the book by Ray Bradbury. It is a good interpretation of the book, but it does fall short in my opinion. I usually read the book first and then watch the movie and alot of times it helps to fill in gaps that movies just can’t get to. All in all though a great movie and Ray Bradbury was definitely ahead of his time and a bit of a prophet of our modern age as well.

5. “The Muppets” – A great family movie although it really is more for the generation that grew up on the original Muppet Show in my opinion. My only caveat is that Frank Oz does not do Miss Piggy which I think is a travesty. He made that character – he IS that character – and only he can do her justice. Overall though, it’s a good movie that’s fun for everyone.

6. “Bridesmaids” – Fair warning – this is a vulgar chick flick. That’s right a chick flick written by girls and for girls, but it’s vulgar. Kind of a weird combo to be sure but it kind of works. I saw scenes of it on the Oscars and thought it looked funny so that’s what made me try it. Although overall I thought it fell flat in a lot of places, some of it was good. The bits about friendship are great. One thing that stood out for me is how women go out of their way to compare themselves to others and this tendency is brought out in one brilliant scene. Also, it has something to say about relationships with the wrong kind of men and how they make us feel if we are honest with ourselves. So, watch it if you dare, but like I said, it’s vulgar and some of it I just didn’t like. I think only women will get alot of it as well.

7. “Catholicism” – Yes, I’m following up my review of a vulgar movie with one that is the opposite :-). This is a great commentary on the Catholic faith by Fr. Robert Barron. There is just so much meat and potatoes in this that you can watch and watch and get more to think about each time you watch it. So, if you want to learn more about the Catholic faith or strengthen your faith if you are already Catholic you cannot go wrong here. If you can’t afford the dvd set, get the book by Fr. Barron by the same name – it’s going to be about the same except without the scenery.

8. “Out of Africa” – Here’s an oldie from way back when! I thought it looked wonderful when I was younger and it is lush and beautiful. But without information behind the story I think it doesn’t make sense. I had no idea it was a true story! So, do watch the commentary after the film. Otherwise, I liked it.

9. “The Way” – This is a movie that Emilo Estevez made and the lead character was made for his dad, Martin Sheen. It is also a collaberation between the two film makers – father and son. The movie is about 4 people who make the Way of St James – El Camino de Santiago – and find things out about themselves and each other along The Way. It was actually filmed on the pilgrimage road and the pilgrims are not extras but real pilgrims. They Way is 500 miles long and for the film they actually walked 300-350 miles of it and it took 40 days to film. A wonderful, powerful not to be missed movie and, again, watch the movie with the commentary – lots of good stuff there.

So, there you have it – what I’ve been watching for the last 3 months or so. Maybe you’ll find something to pique your interest too.

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