A Madison Mom: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Remembering the 70s one show at a time.

Zoe and I were just watching Scooby Doo. I haven't watched it in ages... but it seems about right this week.

Ana has been obsessed with watching The Magic Garden (OVER and OVER and OVER again). I bought the DVDs for myself. It was a favorite show when I was Zoe's age. I have a record (an actual vinyl record) from the show and when I searched online for a cd version of the record I came across the dvd set and had to have them. (I found the album on iTunes too.) Now... it's just about all Ana will watch.

Zoe mentioned Godzilla because someone must have brought it up on the bus. She started randomly saying "Godzilla... Godzilla?" and then finally asked me "is godzilla a bad word?". I couldn't quite figure out how to explain Godzilla... so I Googled it. The next thing I knew we were watching animated Godzilla episodes from 1978 on Hulu EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. I completely forgot that I actually watched that cartoon until I heard the theme song start. Wow.

So we seem to be stuck in the late 70s. I wonder if it has anything to do with my birthday last week? Not that I did it on purpose... but it's interesting that as I edge closer and closer to 40 we're suddenly watching my childhood favorites. Or perhaps I'm just generally nostalgic. Who knows. Whatever it is we're watching Scooby Doo now. Scooby Doo with Don Knotts as a detective.

So... we're enjoying the 70s. Our TV viewing has gone slightly retro. You know what I think? Those 70s and early 80s writers were brilliant in a way I only see now as an adult. I'm thinking I might adopt a little Scooby Doo into my every day life. There is definitely no reason I can't end every single day in the same way every episode ends.

"... and I would have finished the laundry too.... if it hadn't been for those meddling kids."

"... and I would have made it to the food store too... if it hadn't been for those meddling kids."

"... and I would have exercised every day this week... if it hadn't been for those meddling kids."

Sounds good right?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Too old to be 2

Ana is wearing a big chunky sparkly plastic ring. It was in a goodie bag that Zoe brought home for her from a party yesterday. You can flip the top up and it's actually got some glittery gloss inside ( but don't tell Ana that).

I just told Ana "that sure is a pretty ring you have."

Ana's response?

She gazed at the ring... looked up straight into my eyes... and said "It certainly is" and then flipped her head and left the room.

The girl completely cracks me up. I don't believe she's just 2 1/2.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Admitting Defeat... sort of

Last January I signed up for a challenge.

100 books in 2010.

Let me just say... I failed. I didn't get anywhere near 100 books in 2010.

If you followed my Reading List you might know I read 31 books.

So... 31 books in 2010.

While that is a far cry from 100 books... it was at least a couple dozen more than I read in 2009. 31 books works out to about 2 1/2 books per month. (Had I really done the math and realized I'd have to read about 2 books a week to get to 100 I would have toned down my challenge.)

So... I failed 100 books in 2010. Oh well.

(Unless you count the Fluffy books Zoe brought home EVERY SINGLE WEEK ON LIBRARY DAY... and the other random children's books I read aloud every day... then I totally rocked the 100 books.)

I'm making my own challenge this year though. I would just like to read more books in 2011 than I read in 2010. (I've read 4 books already this year!!!)

So... how about 32 books in 2011? Anybody think they can do it? Anybody want to outright say they can totally beat my 32?

I challenge you!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Grace in Small Things - 108

1. Sunshine.

2. Blue skies.

3. Melting snow.

4. Temperatures above 50.

5. The feeling that maybe, JUST MAYBE, Spring might actually be trying to chase away this truly wintery Winter.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Long time no see....

Well hello there! I was posting so regularly there for a while. I'm not quite sure what happened.

It might be that my life is currently just a blur.

A blur of ballerinas...
(Ana is right in the center)

A blur of t-ball players...
(Zoe is the only girl in the class)

Time spent chaperoning Kindergarten field trips...
(Seussical... opinions? Love it? Hate it? I was kind of "meh".)

The sweetness of Valentines Day and the fun of attending school parties...
(Being a class mom does have it's perks... but I will be trying my hardest not to open my mouth and volunteer again next year. I think. We'll see.)

We also had 3 birthday parties last weekend.

And Zoe had her first Daisy meeting this week.
(which had me nostalgically thinking of friends from my Brownies troop... and the fact that my mom was my troop leader and maybe I SHOULD have said yes when I was asked to be the leader... but that might push me over the edge so it's probably good I said no for a change. And... any Brownie friends reading... did we REALLY learn to polish our fingernails at 1 meeting? Did I imagine that or was that a real meeting???)

And Ana has her first field trip tomorrow.
(which is more a small school bus ride to McDonald's drive thru to pick up pancakes to eat at school. Because it's National Pancake Week next week. Could there BE a better field trip for toddlers??? A bus ride and pancakes???)

And I actually went for a moms-night-out with a bunch of the kindergarten moms and we had a pretty good time. (and I realized that if you hadn't had a Guinness in longer than you can remember... and you have a Guinness... you will want more Guinness. When's the next moms-night-out?)

And Zoe has a 1/2 day tomorrow. (Is there really a point to a 1/2 day of 1/2 day kindergarten?)

And next week there is no school on Monday or Tuesday for Presidents' Day/Winter Break (and they could TOTALLY take those days back in place of those snow days as far as I'm concerned.)

So... a blur I tell you... life is a blur.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Grace in Small Things - 107

1. A nice quiet Tuesday night dinner out with my sister-in-law.

2. A not so quiet Thursday night girls night out with the Kindergarten moms.

3. The way 2 little girls notice when you're dressed up just a little. (Ana definitely approved of my bright deep pink sweater... and Zoe always approves of any lip color.)

4. The times when the girls are perfectly behaved during a ridiculously busy day.

5. Having a time to sit and be still while Ana "naps" and Zoe is still at school.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Wednesday's Ice

I've run out of things to say about the weather. January snow came in crazy amounts... and then February brought in the joy (yeah right) of ice.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Our Sleepy House

Ana is taking her normal nap.

After all of the ice/snow/slush/yuck removal today Nick decided he would go up and take a little snooze too. (Mostly because he took today off for his birthday... and this morning it was "Happy Birthday Nick!!!! Now clear that driveway!!!"... Not that I actually said that or anything.)

Zoe was playing Wii and I was clicking around online when Zoe came and said "Where's Daddy? I want to play with Daddy." I told her he was snoozing and she'd have to wait. She went to play the game for a few more minutes and then came back to say she was going to go rest with Daddy.

I warned Zoe that she couldn't go up there and get in bed and wiggle around and fidget. She'd wake Daddy up and he might not be too happy about that.

Her answer "But I'm tiiiiiiiired... and my baaaaaack hurts... and I'll just stay very still on yoooooooour side of the bed."

So... being the great mom that I am (you know... the one that doesn't want to argue with a whiny kid on a snow/ice day with no school AGAIN) I told her she could go rest with Daddy (because I totally thought she would lay still and not wake up her snoring Daddy. Really.)

Up went Zoe.

20 minutes later...

Nick came downstairs and after wandering around a little asks "Where's Zoe?"

I explained she went up to snooze with him. He tells me she didn't.

Nick went back upstairs... and I thought... "seriously... how did you not see her under my side of the covers?"

Nick came back downstairs.

Zoe is cuddled up in her bed... SLEEPING.

SHE'S SLEEPING PEOPLE.

THE 5 1/2 YEAR OLD IS TAKING A NAP. WITHOUT ANY COAXING FROM ADULTS. SHE IS TAKING HER FIRST NAP SINCE I DON'T REMEMBER WHEN. SELF IMPOSED NAP.

Is there some celebration one should hold on this occassion?

If there's not... there seriously should be.

Instagr.am Obsession

I recently downloaded Instagr.am to my iPhone. It's become a quick obsession. You can take quick shots and add fun treatments.

I then found you could easily automatically share the photos to Facebook and Twitter. And THEN I started a Tumblr site because you could autoshare from Instagr.am to Tumbler which would autoshare with Facebook and Twitter. One click and you're sharing everywhere. (And... um... I guess I'm obsessed with sharing.)

The one place I can't seem to autoshare with is here. This is, of course, the one place I wish I COULD autoshare with. (Someone should totally get on that sync up.)

For now... I'm sharing some of my favorite all at one time here.

As a side note...
You can friend me on Facebook.
You can follow me on Twitter.
And now you can follow, or subscribe, or I don't know what on Tumblr.

My movie star...