Speedy Movie Review #1

I have never really considered myself a movie buff, but I do SEE a lot of movies (Starchy is a fanatic).  I had the opportunity to get away from my mom duties and see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" last night.  

Can I ask you guys something?  Am I getting old?

I figure I must be.  Why else would I have found myself bored and uncomfortable during a large part of the movie? I have seen raunchy movies before (Monster's Ball anyone?) but there were a ridiculous amount of sex scenes.  Many of which included positions I didn't even know were possible!  Then there was the nudity.  I counted 4 male FULL FRONTALS!  Wieners.  It was so awkward.  I felt like I was watching soft core porn.  Yuck.

The movie did have funny parts.  But it was not the I-am-going-to-pee-my-pants funny that "Knocked Up" and "The Forty Year Old Virgin" were.

Let's just put it this way.  I wouldn't EVER want to see this movie with my parents or in-laws.  It would be 2 hours of awkward torture.

HP's New Glasses

As most of you know, HP had surgery on her eyes last month.  Everything has healed beautifully and her vision is improving.  She will probably always need glasses, but when they are this cool looking, they are more like a snazzy accessory!  See for yourself...

Happy Mother's Day!

Why my mom is awesome (by Rikki):

-She has the uncanny ability to take a phrase that everyone knows and make it her own.  My favorite: "If you can't say anything nice, shut your face!".

-No matter how hard she tries she cannot say aluminum or linoleum correctly.  Why is this awesome?  Because in order to get my mom you have to be fluent in Momanese.  The woman has her own special language that makes her endearing.

-She takes care of herself.  My mom is the poster child for turning your health around.  She went from being unhealthy and inactive, to a woman who walks daily, does yoga, plays racquetball and has just started RUNNING!  She is also world renowned (okay maybe that is an exaggeration) for her kick-ass salad making skills.  My mom is going to be around for a LONG time. 

-She is SUPER creative.  Every year on my kids birthdays, my mom makes them "Birthday Posters".  These gigantic posters (which she sends early enough for them to be here for the kids' birthday parties) are picture collages from the kids' most recent year of life.  We usually leave the poster up long after the party is over because they are so much fun to look at.  

-She makes a long-distance effort to get to stay connected to her family in the states.  Every time she sends a package to her grandbabies, she puts a picture of her and my dad in the return address.  Even though the kids can't read, she wants them to know they are loved.  

-She likes to have fun.  The last time my mom came to visit, I took her to a OHS basketball game.  You would have thought we were at the NBA finals!  She whooped and hollered and was in awe of all the pomp and circumstance surrounding a small-town high school game (NOTHING like the games at home where cheerleaders and bands are nonexistent).  Everything is fun with my mom.  And although she loves to eat healthily, she likes to have a beer and a burger even more (gotta love her for that!).

-She is cool for her age.  She rides a scooter to work.  Enough said.

-She does the best stockings.  For real.  Growing up, my brother and I would be more excited to open our "super colossal" (another momism) stockings on Christmas morning then we were the presents.  These giant stockings (they were so big that we have a picture of HP in one of them for her first Christmas) would be bursting with magazines, socks, liquor, condoms (my mom said "if you don't need them, give them to one of your friends that does"), chocolate, bath stuff...the list goes on and on.  It would take us a good hour to get through all of the goodies. Starchy loves his super colossal, and I am sure my brother's girlfriend Chipmunk (not her real name, and in NO WAY does she resemble a rodent, she is actually gorgeous, but just really good at saving, hence the moniker) does too.

-She loves her family first and foremost.  There are certain people that like their family and love their friends.  There are others that put up with their family, but couldn't really care less if they stayed connected with them or not.  My mom's #1 priority is her family.  And THIS is why she is the best.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Love you! xoxo

Caterpillars

I have a crippling fear of caterpillars.  Yes, the fuzzy, little harmless insects that live in trees and eat leaves.  Those caterpillars.

It stems from an incident at my childhood cabin when I was 8 years old.  I was pulling on my bathing suit (it was really snazzy, with a traffic sign pattern) when I noticed things didn't feel right.  So I pulled my suit back down, and there were caterpillars in the butt of my suit (I get heebies just writing about this).  

This incident has traumatized me for the past 21 years (I should mention that my fear was compounded by my dickhead brother chasing me around the backyard with every caterpillar he could find).

Fast forward to the other day.  

The Dude is playing in the sandbox when he starts swatting at his hair.  

The Dude: "Mom, I think I have a bug in my hair"

Me: "Let's take a...oh...dear God...um...Bud, hang tight (at this point I was trying not to pass out)...(I BRAVELY get a stick and get the little THING out of my son's hair and on to the edge of the sandbox).

The Dude:  "Isn't he cute Mom?

Me:  (No response, I was a good 20 feet away, trying to stay upright).

Here are the pictures.

Rikki- 1

Caterpillar- 0

Yes, THAT is the caterpillar.  He was small (I admit) but he could have GOT me. 

What's My Name?

This is my first try at posting video.  I was messing around with it yesterday and caught this funny conversation with Peanut on tape.  Note:  I have no idea who Anna is, but Peanut sure does.

Sink Oh Day My Oh

We had the day of all days yesterday.  It was a Mexican Holiday (which the kids frankly, couldn't care less about).  But seeing it was a chance to broaden their horizons I tried anyways.  

This was our theme song for the day (to the tune of 10 Little Indians):

"Uno, dos, tres Amigos.

Quattro, cinco, seis, Amigos.

Siete, oco, nueve Amigos, dies Amigos aqui."

The kids started out the day on the jumping machine.  Why we call it that, I don't know.  I guess we can't come up with a cooler name.  Nevertheless, the kids love it.  Even Sissy.

They then moved on to playing in the sandbox (HP and The Dude), picking 'daffodils (really, dandelions)' (Peanut) and driving the tractor (Miss. Thang).

For lunch we feasted on taco's!  The kids got to "decorate" the tacos to their liking.  It was messy (but really, what meal with 5 kids isn't?) and fun.  I am no Martha Stewart, but all of the kids gobbled them up.  Could it be that my culinary skills are improving?  Or maybe it was the 452 activities we jammed into 90 minutes that made them hungry.  One will never know.

After a three hour nap (they were WORN out!) the kids took a whack at the pinata.  It was fun to see their personalities come through.  Peanut was cautious and didn't really like the concept of the blindfold (she kept peeking out under it).  HP simply refused the blindfold, she wanted not part of it.  Miss Thang was a trooper and gave a few good whacks.  

The Dude was in his glory.  

He couldn't believe that he had PERMISSION to use a bat to hit something as hard as he could. It took a good 10 minutes, but after whacking (and then punching with his fist) The Dude broke through the Dora paper and it rained candy!  

Such a good day.

The Crew

I take care of children for a living.

This (I hope) will give me a whole bunch of good blogging material.  

I have obtained permission from their parents (to post picture of the little cutie's) so here is The Crew (in no particular order) and their blog moniker:

Peanut

HP

The Dude

Miss. Thang

Sissy

Drooler