Movie-going

I went to see Hunger Games last night...

by myself...at the theater...by myself...

it was very suspenseful (I know that sounds ridiculous since I actually read the books, but it was)...and I sat there by myself...did I mention that I went all alone?

This was not one of my better ideas...nope...me and suspense don't get along too well...I would venture to say that I missed about 30% of the movie due to the fact that I put my jacket over my head and peeked periodically through the zipper.

I must say that I was relieved to see that the theater was not filled with young teenagers, but rather the college scene and a few women clearly there to escape doing late night housework and munching on large bowls of popcorn...

(I missed out on the popcorn part of the evening, but never fear, I had a baggie filled with jelly beans and sprees hidden in my purse:)

So...the movie...

After reading all 3 books and seeing the movie, I still stand firm in my belief that this is not a film or book set that I would recommend to young teenagers or tweens...seriously, it was almost reminiscent of Lord of the Flies or Children of the Corn...mixed with Animal Farm and some love story twists of Twilight...

I'm not trying to bash the movie or the books...not by a long shot...

One thing that makes literature GOOD literature (in my opinion) is the author's ability to congure up imagery in the minds & imagination of the reader through the weaving of his/her words...the ability to not only create a painting in a reader's head, but to cause the reader to become fully engaged, mentally & emotionally within the story...almost to immerse the reader so that when they close the book, it takes a few moments to collect oneself and remember that it's just "words on a page"...

The thing is though, with good literature, it's not just words on a page...IF it's really good and it's done it's job, it changes you...it can cause you to see life in a different way, it can change a belief or perspective...it can even sometimes confuse your ability to discern between reality and make-believe...most often it makes you feel...sometimes emotions that are incredibly strong and set you toward a purpose...other times, just feel good or even angry...

The underlying threads (lessons, if you will) that were woven into the story line were ones of hope, choice, perseverence, spirit and will...You saw them in the determined eyes of the main character and even in the voice and actions of the crazy mentor, Haymitch...

It's a shame that it had to be coupled with the lack of regard for human life...innocent lives of children.  I think I may have been able to stomach it more if it had been bad guys being murdered in the blood bath...but they were children, still in shock from being "chosen" in the "reaping"...just doing what they were told to do in order to survive...others killed because they lost touch with humanity...they had clearly given up....

Don't get me wrong...I was "obsessed" with these fictional writings too, there is something sickeningly attractive to the plot...fortunately, I had recognized my inability to put the book down and forced myself to think about other things...because really, the "sci-fi" part of this book, although sometimes just plain difficult to imagine, had the emotion that is still the same...and I could "feel" myself, FEELING with the storyline...

They were well-written..plain and simple...and the movie did a good job of trying to put on screen what people had congured in their heads (you can thank the Hugo Cabret movie for explaining that phenomenon) Books are always better, in my opinion...just because you can take pages upon pages to develop a character...whereas in a movie, you have to try to sum it up in a few seconds so that you can get on with the plot...

I think I'm just most disturbed with the whole thing not because of Susanne Collins and her writings...she is clearly a gifted author...what irritates me is that the media spun the whole thing to teens and even younger.  There are kids at our elementary school that are wanting to read these books because of all the hype (actually some are reading them)...Junior Highers, who do not have a necessarily long life experience with which to compare the feelings that they are sure to encounter...I know that there are genius kids out there that could probably get the "lessons" or the underlying premise of the story...but is it necessary to subject them and even entice them to desire to "see" and "feel" the murder of children their own age?  UGH...what happened to riding bikes, doing hair, and experimenting with make up?

Call me the UNcool mom...the one that was JUST introduced to 80s music by her husband a few months ago...I was a nerd, I wasn't allowed a lot of things...and yet, my REAL life offered me the chance to grow up stinkin' fast...I didn't have to imagine it or see it on a screen...so, I guess for my kids, I just want them to enjoy where they are...I don't want them to be niave, obviously...but at the same time...do they have to experience SPECIFIC things in order to grow or value other things?

I'm not going to force my girls to drink powdered milk so that they value the milk we buy in the gallon jug...but I still want them to value it...can I find another way?

I want them to enjoy their peers and the "latest trends" but, does that have to be at the expense of innocence of feeling and thought? 

I already have to face discussions with my girls at an earlier age that what I want...because I'm forced too...if I don't do it, the school will do it first, and if not them, then their peers...in secret...and therefore I feel like some control is taken away...I don't know...

I know that it seems like I"m making a big deal out of a silly fictional read/movie...and many will think I"m going WAYYY over board...and that's okay...because really, I"m only responsible for my own girls, not everyone else's kids.  I guess I just cringe when I remember my time in the classroom as a teacher, listening to 4th graders discuss topics that their bodies and minds aren't developmentally ready for, no matter how intelligent they are...

Someone has taken a larger than life complex story and "dumbed" it down enough so that it's not so gorey and repulsive to people, but enough so that it's attractive...I mean, we could just read historical accounts of the holocaust or have elementary kids read the Mark of the Lion stories by Francine River (which I again, highly recommend to adults:)  We wouldn't let our kids get obsessed with reading and watching documentaries on the death of innocent people...reliving it in their imaginations...we realize the seriousness of it...it makes our hearts sick because of it...and yet, it is easy to glorify to the teen scene, the possibility of an arena where children fight to the death...because "it's a cool love triangle between Katniss, Peeta & Gale"...is it just a slow fade? 

bottom line about the movie (and the books)...they are really good..well-written...great actors...would recommend it to MY peers and young adults, those that see it for what it is and can maturely handle the brutality of the plot:) (without it just being about going ga-ga over the actors)  It's not often you find books that grab you like this...but, it will be a long while before I'll feel comfortable letting my eldest crack it open:(

Things I learned from a road trip

The girls and I headed up to visit my parents (brother, sister in law, nephews, aunt, sister, sister's boyfriend, another sister, brother in law, grandmother...you get the picture) It the was the girls' spring break and time for Daddy to do some "honey do" stuff around the house.

So after charging to COSI all day Monday, attacking the ZOO on Tuesday and then burning the rest of our energy running around outside all morning & afternoon on Wednesday, we piled into the car and headed on our way..

And we had a blast...we went to schools to see Papa teach, we ate at restaurants, made fishing poles out of stray lines and fished in the river, played with Ebby, took pictures of 4 generations of girls...

we had face painting and balloon making...

traveling up to Uncle Don's house we experienced the trampoline, watching turtles go down slides, and I even was able to partake in a Green Smoothie consisting of spinach, celery, apples, bananas and I'm sure some other things that they didn't tell me:) 

And although we (and by we, I mean ME) are a tad on the tired side:)...we had an unforgettable time!

It was on the way home, traveling in our new van (did I forget to mention that part?...that's a whole 'nother story that I will relay at a different time...) that I learned a few things...

#1 do NOT give your children large sodas for the car ride, not matter that they are "DYING of thirst" and promise that they won't have to go to the bathroom because, goodness knows, they JUST went before we left.

#2 your children WILL have to go to the bathroom 30 minutes later...except for your youngest, whom will swear up and down that she does NOT have to go and that she has "no pee pees" left...

#3 once you pass every since rest stop, fast food restaurant, gas station and every other imaginable stop and there isn't a sign in sight...it is at that point that your youngest will announce, "Mommy, I have to go pee NOW!"...

#4 don't bother searching for a restaurant listening to the tune of  "hurry mommy, it's coming!"...just stop on the side of the road and proceed with helping your youngest with a nature tinkle...

#5 have a clean napkin available during long trips...wiping young children's bummy with ketchup and mustard smeared napkins will indeed cause the rest of your children (including yourself) to be a tad grossed out.

#6 car rides are more fun with another adult in the car:)...or at least a bit more manageable:)

Looking forward to a new week...one in which bathrooms are merely a few steps away:)

Signs of Spring

I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous to say that Spring has arrived...it's not foreign to us midwesterners to discover ourselves knee deep in snow in April...so I am hesitant to "make it official"...

However, I have seen a few "signs of Spring" around our house...and I thought I'd share them:)

It's always fun to see sneakers traded for crocs and flip flops chosen over mary janes...no, not exactly the most "princess-esque" fashion style, but I am known for dressing for comfort rather than what's "in style"...my girls tend to follow suit...therefore...sandals, here we come!

Next up, are the buds on the trees...I think my father in law counted around 36 trees in our yard one year...we just keep adding more...sure, it's something to mow around, but I have such high hopes of telling grandchildren about "when Granddad planted this tree...blah blah blah"

Of course, with tree buds, come flowers and with flowers come something that I'm not necessarily looking forward too...I've adopted my mother's fear of these flying insects and with allergic reactions running in Italian Stallion's family...let's just say that I'm none too pleased to see these things already:( Although, they do make my little tree look beautiful!

When the girls get out the sleeveless dresses and the skorts and start rompin' in the backyard...ahhh, I know spring has to be around the corner...We love being outside...picnics, swings, chalk drawings, bikes & scooters...it's great!

BUT...NOTHING says warm weather is here, than the annual burning of the Christmas Tree:)

Italian Stallion makes himself a "big ole white man fire" while we girls run inside for safety...good grief! He only did part of the tree this weekend, and for that I am thankful...visions of gauze and extinguishers fill my dreams, so the slower he takes it, the better sleep for me:)

What hints of Spring have you found already???

Nibbles, Little Munchkin & St. Paddy's Day

With this Lenten season, I've started to pay more attention to what I spend my time on.  I realized that most of the time, I just "get" through days...it's not that I don't enjoy them, but I guess I don't live purposefully...instead, it's just more spontaneous and haphazrd.  And while there isn't necessarily anything "wrong" with that...I just felt like I was never finishing anything...and never doing anything really well...that lovely "jack of all trades...master of none" thing...

And so, a few days back I started taking stock of what was important and what I really wanted to be doing...

I realized that investing into my girls and husband was definitely at the top of the list...NOT that they had moved mind you...it's just that I didn't have a list persay...everything was just crammed into a big ole box of "stuff" and I got to when things needed to be done or happened to float to the top...

So what does this mean in real life terms?  Basically it just means that I'm trying to pay more attention and living not with just a check off of chores, but figuring out what really means the most and purposefully focusing on those things in a day. 

Wow...I'm totally being vague and I know it, but the point is, is that it makes sense to me...it translates into really trying to figure out my tween Sweetpea and concentrating on being more patient with her.  It means sitting down with Peanut and doing homework with her instead of letting her do it at the table while I make dinner.  It means letting Little Munchkin "share" some of my make-up in the mornings as we get ready for our day.  She likes to point out my "nibbles", which is her word for Mommy's Acne:)  FUN  It means consciously being aware of what I'm eating and purposefully exercising, even if it means it does nothing to my waistline:(

I haven't spent as much time on facebook, or email or even reading a ton of books...but, I have saved up ideas for crafty things for Little Munch and I do to...right in time for St. Paddy's Day too:)

We've enjoyed our days at the zoo and riding bikes...afternoons at the park and grocery shopping...painting our nails and baking things together...even coloring huge murals...just because:) 

I'm forcing myself to just tackle one part of my house at a time...and trying not to get frustrated when it's not perfect...

We had a great bonfire tonight and just relaxed together while the girls performed some craziness around the fire pit:) 

Life is good...I want to remember that and keep my focus as such:)

A Glimpse at my Mornings

I am not a morning person. 

It could be because I stay up too late at night and therefore the sun rises way to early for my liking.

Must mostly, I just think I'm wired that way.  All my ideas come to me at nighttime, not in the morning.  In the morning, I'm too concerned with trying to figure out which way to lay in bed so as to block as much sunlight coming from the window OR wall light reflecting from the mirror in the bathroom as my hubby readies himself for work.

I don't like morning breath, bed head or the fact that I have to shower...don't get me wrong, I LIKE to shower...it's just that it's one more thing on the list of to-do every morning...

It starts like this:

this is usually the time I roll over to watch the clock...I know, I know, it's "late" for some of you, but for me...after getting to bed...ohhh, around 1-ish, this is just soooo stinkin' early...

It's then shuffle to the bathroom to brush my teeth so that Italian Stallion will kiss me goodbye before he leaves and then I head downstairs to make coffee...

Of which I will microwave to heat up AT LEAST 8 times in 2 hours...see below:

Then, it's off to packing lunches, waking the girls, making pancakes, brushing hair, fixing juice for Munchkin, finding socks, locating shoes and then getting them out to the bus whilst still in my pajamas...because let's remember, this Momma ain't a morning person...bless the people at the bus stop who don't mind my pajama bottoms and no-make up face each and every morning!  We're not vain here at the Italian household...nope, not one bit:)

Once the older girls are off to school, I come back inside usually to find Little Munchkin plunking Jingle Bells on the piano.  It's the one song she has memorized and likes to let me listen to it many times in a day...

I then do my customary, "Umm, Mommy needs to use the bathroom sweetheart, you just drink your juice and why don't you watch Super Why for a bit?" At which point, I scurry upstairs, grab a book and have some "private time" until my brain starts to actually warm up to the fact that I am awake and need to stay that way for the WHOLE DAY!

At this point, I know that the "torture" portion of the morning has finally arrived...and I head down to the dungeon to do the deed...

I really don't know why I continue to do this to myself other than the fact that I tell myself that it must be good for my heart to continue to run, lift weights and contort my body into positions that cause pain on a daily basis...because, lord knows it's doing nothing else...

By the time I'm a big sweaty mess, I need to check my facebook, email and find an adult to speak to for just a few moments...poor Anne-Marie is usually the person who is graced with my voice each morning...she is a patient woman.

And then...I shower...and the day begins...officially...

Now, I'm normally about 30-45 minutes OFF schedule for whatever I had planned for the day...but Little Munchkin is forgiving...and as long as I "let her win" at a game or two...there is peace in the house:)

That's the jist of my mornings...I lead a charmed life...what can I say:)

Things and Stuff and other Paraphernalia

This post really has nothing important to say other than the "stuff" that is going on in my life...so please just make your way through the paragraphs, or skip it altogether...the weather has finally turned cold and I'm frozen to my chair at the moment and my fingers feel like icicles...

Peanut's basketball season is coming to a close...only one more game and we're finished with that sport (hopefully just until next year)  I gotta admit, I have enjoyed getting back to my roots (at which point my husband will fall off his chair laughing at this statement...but, I'm going to continue regardless)  I played basketball as a youngster-ish person...I joined the junior high team in 7th grade and continued through high school.  Now, granted, there were only about 7 or so, girls on my JV team, so I was probably ON the team for the simple fact that I existed and had a body.  My greatest asset (I was told by the Varsity coach) was that I could set a pick.  For me, that consisted of me crossing my arms in front of me (although, really, not much there to protect...but I digress)...closing my eyes and locking my knees.  I would often get plowed to the ground, but I was so short, noone ever saw me coming:)  yippee for my team!

Soccer will start up again for Sweetpea...and Peanut has decided to give it one more go...we'll see how that pans out.  I'm looking forward to wearing my Christmas white/black polka dot boots and running up and down the side lines screaming to the girls whilst my husband shoots me dagger eyes and texts from his coaching stance, "WHERE ARE THE OTHER CHILDREN THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING DURING THE GAME???"

The workouts are continuing, however, I feel as if I could probably sit on the couch, eat peanut butter covered bananas and pop jelly beans all evening and I'd get the same results.  It's a sad time approaching 40:(

We got our taxes figured out and I'd like to say that although I do understand and fully comply with God's word on the matter concerning "rendering unto Ceaser what is Ceasers"...I am in pretty much full hatred of Ceasar...I have discovered that as a "small business owner", I only get to keep about 1/2 of what I make...HALF...50 %...5.0.  After I pay out for the CDs, covers, ribbon, paper, ink cartridges, camera straps, etc... etc...etc...I then get to give half of that which is left over to the politicians that run the country:)  I suppose they need it for new socks and whatnot...UGH...

I'm a little bitter...

Little Munchkin and I are having quite the fun times during our days together of late...she's learning to read and I'm learning how to be patient...she's doing a great job, but I do have to be sure to change things up every 7-8 minutes because she gets bored with the same ole things...it keeps me on my toes at least:)  When it gets too tiring for me, I just read to her and then we end up sitting there for a longgggg time...I'm trying to relish in these moments, as they will be my last...until grandchildren I suppose:) She needed to reiterate this fact to me the other day..."Mommy, I am your third baby right?...You had 3 babies, but you are not having any more babies right?...and you can't have DOG babies...can you?"

We might be getting a puppy this spring.

The principal at my girls' school asked me when I was going to get my teaching certificate renewed and head back into the classroom...I replied, "umm, probably never...but thank you for considering it and even asking:) "  I think I'd like to substitute teach perhaps, but not sure about the whole "I'm going to be in charge of the classroom" thing again...actually, I'm kinda "sure" that I DON'T want to do that again...but I never know what will happen once all my girlies are in school full time...WHICH brings me to the fact that we have made an important decision of late, and that is to hold Little Munchkin for another year instead of sending her to Kindergarten in the fall. It's not because she's not academically or even socially ready actually, because she sorta is:)...it has more to do with the fact that, since she's a summer birthday, we CAN...we get to keep her home an extra year...one more year to have her under our roof before we send her into the great world of the unknown, as a teenager:)  I'm so thankful for our school (whom I've already informed of our decision) and the teachers are so incredible that I don't need to worry about "if" she'll be bored...they will challenge her regardless, so no big deal...worse case, I'll be available to "help" in classrooms and I"m sure "mommy" can come up with some challenges if need be:)

My husband is cleaning the kitchen as I sit here pattering away on the keys...he just got finished complaining about my collection of mugs...he just found one from Easter Michigan University Presidential Competition in 1991, of which I apparantly was a participant.  HE is finding much humor in calling me a Nerd...

Said husband is working on finishing the basement.  I am having fun pinning all sorts of ideas to pinterest in the hopes of finding the right decor for down there.  This was the 'basement project' that began LAST March...the same one "we" promised would be finished by the end of the summer or at the latest, by Christmas...and by "we", I mean, "HE"...

SO THERE...nerdy mug finder!!!

I love my husband:)  We make a good team...

well, except if we wanted to coach together...he won't touch that idea with a 10 foot pole...'cause let's face it friends, I'm pretty awesome when it comes to basketball remember? :)

We've Been Reading

Let me give you the back story...

I like to read (duh, no surprise there)  I think I mentioned awhile back that I also tend to "live" in my books...they become very real to me in my imagination and sometimes there are certain books that I literally can not stop thinking about...it's usually the books that are extremely well-written and/or have complex characters and plot lines.  It just gets my brain going and it won't stop. 

Recently another mom had suggested I read Hunger Games...now, after reading a couple other books recommended by fellow moms, i.e. The Help, Sarah's Key...I had a feeling that I was going to be in for it once again...

What do I mean exactly?  Oh, just that I was probably not going to be able to put the book down, I'd think about it constantly and force myself to wash dishes and take a shower because it would be hard to pull myself away...

I was not mistaken...

The series was intense, well-written (except for the last book where the author completely dropped some of the characters and left us hanging)   I know that I shouldn't be surprised, but I guess I am still shocked that today's society feels this would be an absolutely appropriate book for young adults (which translates into later elementary school for some families)  The content and imaginative graphics were even much for me to handle...As a "thirty-something" I found myself immersed in the storyline...

Being an adult, I was able to recognize myself slipping into that "obsessive" realm and quickly grabbed other books to pull my mind away...

To some, I know that might sound silly...but when you "devour" books like I do...you have to be aware of your own self and tendencies...therefore I wrote THIS post about my girls and how I tend to be a tad overprotective of what they read...for me, there is emotion and experience linked to stories...and therefore, I want to be sure that they read things at the appropriate time for their maturity level:) 

Anyhoo...all that to say...I thought I'd write down the books that we girls HAVE been reading or have read in the past...especially since I have such stellar organizational skills and when Little Munchkin grows a bit more, we'll need to revisit these books...

I know that I've already mentioned in the past:  Ramona Series (by Bevery Cleary) Trumpet of the Swan & Charlotte's Web (E.B. White),  Clementine Series by Sara Pennypacker (LOVED this series)Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series, American Girl Historical Books, Boxcar Children, and the Disney Fairies "novels" :) We've been through many of these and they are great "filler" books for those in between times as well...

Some other great read alouds and independent reads (depending on the reader's level)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Trulane by: Kate DiCamillo
     *beautiful story, very similar to "Hitty, her first hundred years"
Kenny & The Dragon by: Tony DiTerlizzi
     *LOVED this book...you can do voices with the characters...fun for boys too
The Myserious Benedict Society by: Trenton Lee Stewart
     *just discovered this series...puzzles to solve, really gets your brain working. It reminded me of the idea from XMen with the good versus evil with a plot to take over the world...this is on a MUCH lower level...the "evil" being secret messages coming through the TV:)  I really enjoyed it and Sweetpea's reading it now:)
Zoo School by: Laurie Miller Hornick
     *Peanut loved this book as an independent read...just fun:)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by: Brian Selznick
     *unique...unlike any novel I've read aloud before...
Princess Academy by: Shannon Hale
     *one of my favorites...it has a scary scene in it, so Peanut had to wait awhile to read this one, but it's so strong with character development and emphasis on learning...I just loved it!
The Moffets by: Eleanor Estes
     *my girls liked this more than I did...just a fun read...older story though...set in 20-30's
The Penderwicks (3 in the series) by: Jeane Birdsall
     *favorite series of ours...the 3rd book came out last year I think...we have enjoyed this...it opened discussion about blended families, because the mom has passed and the girls' dad finally remarries...just sweet, realistic, but not "mean" relationships shown...
Peter and the StarCatchers by: Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry
     *Sweetpea loved this book...can't say I'd recommend the rest in the series, and if you have grown up loving Peter Pan & Tinkerbell...this is just a new twist:)
Half Magic by: N.M Bodecker & Edward Eager
     *Peanut loved this one...this one made us laugh in that the premise is that they have a coin that works half magic...so basically it gives you only HALF of what you wish for...it's tricky how they figure to use it:)  Fun book
Harry Potter by: J.K. Rowling (just the first 2 books...we're deciding on #3 for our 4th grader currently???)
       *I loved this series because of the author's abilit to write and weave words...however, the content, as the series continues, is one that I am hesitant to expose to my girlies...Peanut does not read these, but we've allowed Sweetpea to read the first 2 so far...Again, goes back to that "obsessive" thing...although evil is a reality, even in our day now...not sure she's ready to handle the depth of it at age 10 in the world of Rowling's created world:)  We'll see how it goes as she gets older:)

I know that I have mentioned some of those before, but we just sat at the table quickly before the school bus and put a quick list together of some of our favorites...I'm sure I'll need to add more as they come to mind:)

My youngest Little Munchkin has her own "books" that she likes to listen to currently:)  She is listening to the entire series of Mercy Watson by: Kate DiCamillo.  I'm not going to say that Ms. DiCamillo is a literary genius, because quite honestly, these books annoy me a tad:)  However, I do think that Little Munch likes the fact that she can be like her older sisters and listen to books on CD:)  We are also listening to fairy tales, folk tales, etc read by Jim Weiss...if you need some good travel CDs, his are awesome!  We love listening to The Lion and the Mouse, Stone Soup, Three  Billy Goats Gruff, etc..

We still do lots of picture books with Little Munchkin too, but she's wanting to get into "chapter" books to be like her sisters...so we've discovered lots of Fairy books, Katie Woo, Hopscotch Hill School and others similar to that:) 

Currently, all 3 girls are listening to me read The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick...it was recommended to us by my nephew (who happens to be 8 years old:) If we like it, we have the rest of the series on hold for them to read independently...Then I'm going to peruse Summer of the Monkeys & Cricket in Time Square as options for the next read aloud:)

 I think I will always enjoy reading aloud to the girls...I hope they'll let me do it for many years to come!