Every time MJ has chocolate milk, and I do mean every time, he spills at least some of it. Today, CJ made him some and of course, it got spilled. CJ asked MJ if it was a prerequisite of his drinking; if it just had to get spilled. Then CJ asked if MJ was just “giving one for his homies.” It was quite possibly the most ridiculous, yet most hilarious, things I have ever heard him say.
My family is amazing. 🙂
This afternoon, I overheard the tell-tale giggles of a tickle war happening without me. CJ was in the playroom with the two older kids and they were having obvious fun.
We ended up in a massive pile on the floor; even the dog got involved by licking any exposed faces. CJ hates his feet being tickled, but I somehow managed to pin his feet between my legs. He was going to lose! MJ had CJ’s underarms, Q has his ribs and belly. Poor Daddy.
Our downfall came when Q decided to stop what she was doing to pick up one of the toy phones. She starting yelling “hello” into it and I informed her that “Now is not the time to make a phone call.” She took this to mean IÂ also wanted to talk on the phone, so she began holding it up to my ear so I would talk as well. With this distraction, CJ was able to shift the tide in his favor.
Needless to say, CJ won. Another tickle battle lost in our eight years together. One of these days, I swear I’ll win one. Oh, who am I kidding? I probably won’t. But it sure won’t stop me from trying.  🙂
Today I tried out Russian cinema for the first time. Still deciding.
My sister introduced me to a movie a while ago that was…well, okay. Having read the book, I was fully expecting the male protagonist to have a Russian accent. He did, but I was curious to see if he was actually of Russian decent or if he was just a good actor. So I turned to my old standby, IMDb, to look him up. I love IMDb. It is such a wealth of information. (and no longer do I have sit there going “Ah! What else is that person in?) But I digress…
Turns out this actor has only ever been in one American Hollywood movie. Everything else he has ever acted in has been Russian. So I decided to check some of it out. I thought he was a good actor and he has won awards for some of his Russian films. So today, I watched My Iz Budushchego. I watched it in Russian with the English subtitles.
So, as far as my one, brief foray into Russian movie watching, I noticed there was not much in the way of an exposition. Within the first seven minutes, there had been two fights I did not fully understand even though I was reading along. I eventually caught up. Kind of.
Once the main problem occurred, I really enjoyed most of the war scenes. Which is saying something since I don’t really like them in any movie. The rising and falling action kept me intrigued and there were even moments of good humor. The denouement – and I use that term loosely – was…weird. Obviously the movie ended but it was after an overly dramatic scene in/at a lake and a strange scene in a square the just felt awkward and I wasn’t really sure how they were supposed to wrap up the movie.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie and look forward to trying out some more Russian cinema to get a better view of it. I’ll probably stick to the same main actor though since I don’t really know anything about any other actors or directors in order to look up their stuff.
All the wrapping paper has been thrown away. The last of the gift bags have been folded and stored for next year. As I have been going through everyone’s gifts and finding homes around the house for them, I was able to pay a little closer attention to the charm my parents (well, Mom) had gotten me for my charm bracelet. It is a simple silver heart engraved with the words ‘Best Mom.’
When I first opened it, I didn’t realize it was engraved, so I only thanked them for the charm. I wish I would have noticed the words sooner, because I would have liked to thank her for them as well.
My mother does not hide that in both our child rearing and career paths, my sister and I have differed from what she herself did and what she believes to be best for us. Therefore, this gift really struck a chord with me. You don’t buy this type of gift for someone if you don’t believe it yourself; at least a little. It means so much to me that even though we do/did things differently, she still thinks I am a good mom. Well, I think she’s a good mom, too.  🙂
Peeing without an audience
Finishing a meal in one sitting
Eating/drinking something at the desired temperature
Not having to take my boobs out in public
Leaving the house in under thirty minutes
Watching an “adult” movie (be it raunchy or scary) before 8pm
Staying up past midnight without being a monster the next day
Driving past McDonald’s without screams from the backseat
Uneventful and quick trips to the grocery store
Singing along with the radio without a backseat critic – who made him Simon Cowell anyway?
Shaving my legs more than once every few weeks
Keeping my glasses fingerprint free all day
Getting 5+ hours of sleep during two or more consecutive evenings
Sleeping in on Saturdays
Using an alarm clock
Being addressed by my first name
Cleaning the house and having more than two seconds to admire the handiwork
Date night
Personal hygiene (some days are better than others)
Quiet
But I still wouldn’t trade my munchkins for anything.  🙂
No one ever thinks they will find the broken leg of a three year old to be a blessing in disguise, but lat week, I did. CJ’s company graciously let him work from home on preschool days while MJ has his cast on. Since he stays home with the girls, I have been going over to the library to work on my book while MJ is in school. This has given me the ability to write thousands of words at a time. It has been an amazing experience to throw myself into my book like this.
Because of this opportunity, on October 2nd 2015, I was able to write the words I’ve been so looking forward to writing since this book was just a concept in my head.
Ahh! My hands shook while I took that picture to send to CJ because I couldn’t even wait until I got home to tell him.  🙂
Now, finding a way to print it so I can begin draft two. I can do this. I will do this. And you’re all invited to the book launch and subsequent movie premiere lol.
MJ is not a complainer. He is the definition of “no muss, no fuss.” He’s a Bumble and as we all know, bumbles bounce. So when he fell off the slide yesterday afternoon, CJ and I knew something was wrong. MJ normally … Continue reading
Last night I sat with CJ and discussed what I should do about my ankle, as I had injured it earlier in the week. Then I thought how sad it was that I was having this conversation with my husband instead of with my doctor. But having this conversation with CJ was free and a doctor’s visit with an X-ray? Two weeks worth of groceries we can’t buy for our family. And that’s with insurance.
We spend tons of money per month on health insurance we never use simply because we are penalized for not having coverage. Yet our copays and deductibles are so astronomical, we avoid going to the doctor’s like the plague; even if we have the plague. My “white coat syndrome” shouldn’t stem from fear of being unable to pay my bill.
Today, after lunch, we had two very angry little girls I had to take care of so CJ took MJ outside to help him mow the lawn. Shortly after I heard the lawnmower stop, I went into the kitchen to get some water. CJ was showing MJ how to swing a bat and they were having a great time with each other. They had no idea I was watching and I’m glad I was able to catch such a moment. It made my heart melt. I am blessed to have those wonderful boys and my beautiful girls.
Lately, I very much feel on the periphery of things. I want to find something to excite me; that makes me want to participate. Most of the time, my writing makes me feel this way, but I am hesitant to being a writing session because I don’t have as much time to devote to it as I would like and interruptions are guaranteed in my house. I dislike nothing more than getting into a good writing groove and having to abandon it mid-stride. I sincerely hope that the things we are planning in the near future pan out the way we hope so I will have more “me” time; for my writing, to find hobbies I will enjoy, to make some friends.
Recently I reconnected with a friend from high school. I last saw her at the baby shower my family threw for me while I was pregnant with MJ, so it’s been over three years. We decided to get together because of any of the friends that we both still have, the only ones with kids live really far away. She just had her first child a few weeks before EM was born. Both our husbands played on the playground with MJ and Q while we chatted and played with the babies. I had a really nice time.
I feel like this post is a little disjointed. These first two paragraphs were written in an exhaustion induced semi-coma. Had to work an extra long shift last night then wake up early with the kids. It was rough, to say the least. I was so proud of Q today though. She was amazing. And I’m really looking forward to taking MJ to his preschool orientation next week. First day of school pictures to come!
Amber Batdorf's Blog 