The Force Unleashed

Yet another blog about Star Wars.

It consumes much of my day. Not only does Miles obsess over it day and night, but Ryan has taken to playing the game "The Force Unleashed", every night after bath time. I mean he plays it at least for 1 hour every night. Miles is in pure unadulterated Star Wars bliss.

Claire just strolls around in front of the tv trying not to get in the way. It is hilarious when she ducks down, but she really doesn't need to.

Right now Miles and Ryan are sitting on the floor, playing and discussing what the next maneuver should be. ARGH!!!!!!!!! I am sick to death of Star Wars. And if Ryan is any indication, Miles will NEVER grow out of it.

Thank god Claire is dancing around in her purple feathered Barbie shoes to offset the testosterone in the house.

Now if I could just send George Lucas an angry letter, all would be right in the world.

Very random thoughts for a lazy Sunday

Today started out like any other Sunday. Just lazy. And remained to be so all throughout. It was cloudy and drizzly and I stayed in pj's until about 2 pm.

I did load after load of laundry and watched a movie I DVR'd. I have been waiting to see it for sometime. Across the Universe. LOVED IT!!!!!! I think it may be one of my all time favorites. If you don't know about it...let me catch you up. Set in the 60's during the Vietnam War. All based on the music of the Beatles. Now if you know me you know I love the Beatles. I do not care for the main actress, Evan Rachel Wood. She is gross dating Marilyn Manson and whatnot, but darn it all if she can't act. It didn't hurt that the main character was beautiful and had a great voice. Jim Sturgess. British and way too young to have my patented tv crush. But.....he was very talented and it WAS an awesome movie. If you watch it and think..."what the hell?" Sorry. I like movies like this.

Then outside to rake up those damn pine needles with Ryan and the kids. Fun. I am so happy it is sweatshirt weather finally. And it seems like it will stay that way for a while. AHHHHHH!

Dinner with the neighbor. I made chili and had to portion a little for the neighbor as he is a veggie. And now I am sitting, blogging and rocking out to Rick Springfield's Jessie's girl. God I love the internet radio. The 80's station is my very favorite. I tell you....every time my girlfriend Anne is over, every 3-4 minutes we hear...."great song!" She is a product of the 80's as I am. And we love our Duran Duran and Madonna.

The kids are downstairs with Ryan watching him play The Force Unleashed. The kids love to watch him play. It is nice for me. They think they are kicking me out of the basement and getting something special. But little do they know I get kid free time and Ryan gets video game time.

Everyone wins! Yay Lazy Sunday.

Fall is here!!!!!

I love Fall. Not just for the weather, but to be completely honest.....I love the new fall season on tv.

I can just curl up on the sofa or in bed and watch all my old favorites. It's like welcoming friends into my home and catching up. Sad.....but I mean really. Who doesn't love to see their favorite shows return?

Tonight is one of the best. Thursday! Ugly Betty, The Office, ER and Grey's Anatomy.

Don't call me. I'll call you.

Done and Done

My friend from the pre school once told me that her son, who loves Star Wars, was sad that she had cut her hair.

Why you ask? Because she didn't look like Anakin Skywalker anymore. Priceless right? She definately laughed a lot about that. It is a dream of a parent, I am sure, to be compared to your kid's beloved movie or tv character. Layla, when young, told Jill I was on tv. It was Ann Curry. Thank you Layla.

I did in fact cut ALL my hair off last night with the exception of the longer sides because of my big fat round face. I like it. I do feel a little exposed. I haven't had hair this short in about 8 years. Oh well just hair.

I knew Ryan would like it. He told me he prefers short hair on me. Jill thinks it is because when Ryan and I first met I was going through the "punk" phase of my life and had really short hair. That is really sweet. Most men seem to like long hair. I am ok with either one.

But I digress. The main reason for NOT cutting my hair all this time is because I don't want to look like Suzie Wong or Dora the Explorer.

First thing out of Miles' mouth when I walked in the door? "MOM YOU LOOK LIKE DORA!!!"
Crap.

Welcome to Walmart. Can I help you?

I met my friend Deb at the mall today. Sans kids as they were in school. 2 and one half hours of bliss. Deb had her youngest with her. He is 1. We were sitting having coffee and talking about what the flibberty jibbit we are going to do when all kids are in school.

Now granted I have a good 3 more years to worry about it, but hey, I thought the same thing about Miles and he is pre screening in October for Kindergarten.

I thought about going back into Social Service. That didn't seem all that enticing. I mean it is very fulfilling work but with 2 kids and that type of work one can burn out quick and take the entire family down for the count too.

Then there is the very part time retail position. Now I did retail for years. I managed an Express all through college. NOT FUN. And the hours are bad news bears.

I guess I will be the BEST classroom mom in town. It seems like the most logical thing to do, unless we are so broke from inflation we have to move into my parents basement.

But as Deb said......"you never know, you could get the call there is another baby". I am sure Ryan would love that. I guess it may be about time. Usually when Deb says something like that to me (where she predicts something to do with kids) it happens. Darn that Deb!

It's about that time

Cindi got her hair cut today. It is super super cute! I love it. And 2 years has come and gone and I still have long mom hair.

Just wait 6 months from now I will want long hair again. I just can't win.

Why can't we be like those dolls we had when we were little? You know the ones where you cut their hair and then you pull what is left and there is long luxurious hair all over again. I would imagine the hair has to come from somewhere though. Let's not got there.

Good bye hair! Nice knowin' ya!

Ryan

Happy Birthday to you! You live in a zoo. You smell like a monkey......
AND.......you look like one too.

I love you.

Fight the Power

Tonight I was walking on the treadmill. I know I know.....but I was. Anyway I was watching the movie "Do The Right Thing" by Spike Lee.

I forgot that I LOVE this movie. I saw it in the theaters when I was in high school. Then of course I had to see "School Daze" and "Jungle Fever". Man that Spike Lee was a genius. He talked about everything. And didn't apologize for anything.

I think it helped me, a Korean in white world, to understand where people are coming from. Especially in that time of adolescence. It was a time I was hanging out with Koreans being raised by Koreans. I was able to see that prejudice was all around. They called me "white girl" cause my family was white and in essence to them I was too.

Well....I sit here thinking about it while I fight my own power of fitness. Yuck. I hate the treadmill.

Cindi

Today is my little sister's birthday. Sept 22nd. She is 27.

She has become one of my best friends. She is funny, loving and really just great to have around. I am thankful for her all the time but especially when our family needs to pull together. I thank God she is here in Mn to commiserate with me on a regular basis on anything family related. She is the one person who "gets" it.

She is a wonderful mother and step mother.

She can also drive me crazy like little sisters do. Even though she is an adult I still think of her as just that, a little sister. I think we are very alike in much of what we do and who we are. That is why she can make me nuts. But I love her.

Thanks for being such a great friend and sister. Happy Birthday! And ha ha.....I did the People Magazine Crossword before you. I don't think I have ever done it that fast, but I knew you were coming to the house soon.

LOVE YOU CINDI!

Birthday party

We celebrated Ryan's birthday a little early this year. Had a few friends over for dinner and drinks. We also played Guitar Hero. It was like a tournament with that game last night. All of us lining up to TRY to beat Jill. Poor Brian Skog.

The kids had a blast. Playing with Layla all night. And little Parker slept through a lot of monkey business. But then was up wide eyed at all the people and sounds.

Jay went out to get cheese. Ha ha. This cracked me up. He found some fancy cheese shop in Woodbury. I laughed at him and mocked him until he came back with some of the best tasting cheese ever. And man did it go well with the Lambic.

We were able to meet some new people. Chris brought a new lady around. Very nice and she said I am NOT standoffish. Me....standoffish. Sorry Sk3tch. I am letting it go.........right.......now.

Some left around 10. Others left at 11. Then there was Jay, who poor guy, was working until 2 am in the office here. Anne left without him so he drove Ryan's car home.

All in all a fun night. Ryan received a lot of alcohol for his birthday and some cigars. Lots of alcohol consumed, lots of gaming, lots of eating and A LOT of laughing.

The only casualties were sleep for our whole family, my guts from belly laughing, and Ryan's cell phone. Can't find it. And he is going to have to tell his boss, who knew he was having a party with drinks, that he lost his phone. Should be an interesting call. I told him to blame it on the kids.

Things that make me happy

~Napping ( I just did it and loved it!)
~My kids laughing with each other
~My husband waking me up in the morning with a kiss and a good morning
~My family, parents and sisters included
~My best friends
~Coffee
~Fresh laundry folded and put away
~When Ryan suggest all on his own to "get dinner"
~Having our friends over for dinner
~The Fall (season, not falling, which I do often)
~Yummy desserts
~Fancy hotels
~Finding new tv shows that other people don't know about yet, and telling them they HAVE to watch them. And they love them too.
~Making a new friend who really is fun to be with and is seemingly thankful they met me too
~I am most happy with the fact these things happen pretty often with the exception of getting dinner and hotels because we aren't made of money. ;)

Tangental thoughts on Parents and Family

As a parent I hope to God that I am doing alright. I think my parents did an ok job. Not perfect but ok. I turned out to be a nice productive member of society. I mean I haven't been in jail and I pay my taxes on time.

I was talking to Jill about parents today. What we want for our kids and how we treat them. We also talked about family. I have decided that parents set the tone for how the family is run and in turn how you treat your own kids as a parent.

Sometimes parents are able to let their kids go after a certain age and treat them like the adults they are. Sometimes there are parents who can't do that and will do whatever it takes to keep their kids "needing" them. Then there are the worst type of parents, who say they want their kids to be happy and healthy and independent, but really are sabotaging it so that the kids are miserable their whole lives. I mean for instance.....passive aggressive behavior with your ADULT kids is just wrong. It is mean and uncalled for.

I also think that when you have a parent like this growing up you do one of two things. Either you embrace that type of living with your own kids and teach them that talking behind others backs and backstabbing is ok, as long as you tell them to their faces they are loved and part of a good family. No one in this family lets it out and everyone is feeling like everyone is talking about them. Because of course this is how your family works.

Then you have the parents who won't stand for it because they hated it growing up. They are open and honest with their kids. They don't let things fester inside and then blow at the smallest strangest things. They also discuss feelings. Whether angry or not. Yelling or talking. It is getting taken care of so you do realize you are REALLY loved and part of a good family. No secrets.

Like I said.....my parents weren't perfect. But the did allow us to talk about everything. It is all out there all the time. Sometimes it throws Ryan. And it certainly throws my sister's husband Tye. But we all know where we stand. And there is no passive aggressive actions. Unless I am fighting my dad or Cindi for the People Crossword.

I know it will be over sooner then I think

Today has been a good day. I had my 2 1/2 hours alone. Claire did great at school. The kids are playing and I wonder sometimes. How long until they start fighting?

Usually they begin the day ok. Not yelling at each other yet, but then the day wears on and the yelling and lecturing and bossing around gets worse. The latter two are all Claire.

But once in a while I know my kids really love each other. Miles will make sure to grab Claire's hand in a parking lot so she is ok. Claire ALWAYS makes 2 art projects at school. One for her and one for Miles in case,"he didn't get to do one in his class".

It is the little things that they do for each other that I love to see. But then I am snapped back into reality when Miles is yelling, "No Claire that is really mine!" and Claire yells back, "No Miles you have to share with me!" then proceeds to bawl her head off. Then in complete unison I hear....."MOM!!!!"

But I suppose I should relish the times I have with the kids. They are little, but growing so fast. Before I know it they will be teenagers and I will be wishing for these days.

10 Things I LOATHE

1. Taxidermy (really it is a phobia) Don't judge
2. Bare feet. Keep em away from me
3. Whining kids
4. Uneven hanging towels in a bathroom
5. Barney, Teletubbies, Dora, Diego
6. People being late
7. All the words that make me cringe
8. A messy linen closet. Towels and sheets have to be perfectly rectangle
9. Bad spelling, bad grammar, people who complain about it but still do it (you know who you are)
10. Star Wars anything

Gaysians

Dave and Brent are over for dinner tonight. We were lamenting about the old days getting together at BOOM, a gay bar in NE Mpls. It is closed now. But we have decided to open our own bar. We'll call it.......

GAYSIANS!!!

Purely exclusive. Ryan and Brent will run the bar and kitchen. Our house drink will be the gaysian fizz with a twist. Dave and I will be in charge of the door. Door gaysias. Because you know, we know, who are the ones to let in to make that club fab-u-lous!

Thoughts?

(I know pure monkey business. But wine will do that to ya)

Asian Invasion in Duluth

It was rainy, cold and windy. But we still had a great time. We met with some friends who also have several Korean kids.

We were certainly outnumbered by kids. 6 adults to 8 kids all under the age of 5.

First we met in Canal Park to throw rocks in the lake and run the pier.

Then off to Two Harbors to walk out onto the breakwater. Super rainy and windy but so fun. The kids and the adults were all drenched. But it was cool to be 150 yards out into the lake. We also saw a "real" steam engine. The kids loved that. It pulled up and blew off some serious steam. Ryan and the kids were right there in the steam. Ryan ran for his life, kids in arm, as soon as it started. He said he remembered how on Thomas the Train it did that. Funny. Life lessons from a cartoon. Needless to say it was hilarious. Ryan and the kids were safe.

Next was Gooseberry Falls. Driving up there the kids yelled and waved their arms in what Ryan has dubbed "the Turbo Tunnels". The kids climbed rocks by the falls and sure enough Miles fell up to his neck into the water. Good thing we had pj's in the car.

Back to Duluth Canal Park for dinner at Katie and Lyle's hotel. That was great. We had the corner all to ourselves and the kids had a blast on the high bar stools.

Last a trip to the candy store by the pier. Even Ryan got candy. He did check the ingredients thoroughly and was happy to see the toffee was PHO free.

The drive home was long. The kids fell asleep around 9 and we arrived home around 11. Rain and fog all the way home. Thank god Ryan drove. I was asleep. It was the beer Deb coerced me into getting at dinner.

An exciting and fun adventurous fall trip to Duluth with the Paulsrud's and the Johnson's.
Lord save us if there are any more kids added next year. I doubt many restaurants could seat us. And after all, aside from the outdoor fun, for us grownups, it's all about the coffee and food. *wink wink*

On the way home......

We held out all hope for the kids to be asleep when we arrived home from the Dian's. It was difficult to tell. Miles was certainly awake. Singing along with the Beatles. His rendition of "When I'm 64" is too cute. But Claire, we thought was sound asleep. Quiet as a mouse with her Hello Kitty sunglasses on. Strange visual I know but really adorable and hilarious.

We were at the stoplight right by our house when all of the sudden we hear, "RED! NOW GREEN!! GO FAST!!!" Yep. She duped us.

It's 10 PM and she is still awake crying like a lunatic. And we have to get up and at em really early tomorrow for our hike in Duluth. Should be fun.
*note the sarcasm*

Just another Friday night

A great night tonight. Dinner with the Dian's. Big fat lasagna (has to be BIG and FAT) best ever! Guitar Hero, kids playing together and riding bikes. Framboise Lambic and IPA.

Isn't this was best friends are for?

Great news, Funny news

My sister in CA just got a job with the Chamber of Commerce! Yay RA!!!!

My other sister, here, was in a bad car accident a few weeks ago and just got her rental car. It is a full size conversion van with no seats but the front ones. Hee hee. Poor Cindi. Thankfully no one was hurt in the accident. But she went from a Mazda Protoge to a full on Partridge family bus. I wish I could see her drive it. Ha ha ha ha ha. Hilarious!


Thanks sisters for giving me something to cheer about and something to laugh at. Love you both!

Not my baby anymore

When do you know when your youngest isn't a baby anymore?

When she yells at her 4 year old brother,
"Don't yell at me! I am a baby!"

And knows she can get away with saying that to him. He will accept it as fact and leave her alone or apologize to her. Sneaky right?

That tells me she is no longer a baby and is 2 going on 12.

When Ryan asks her to do something she will hold up a finger and say, "hold on one minute!"
Seriously?

I was totally like her when I was a teen. And she is only 2. Yikes. Poor Ryan. He claims he will go camping every month with Miles once puberty hits her. I say that Claire and I will go shopping once that happens. More fun for me at least.

I do not heart Star Wars

Everyday begins the same here. Miles wakes up humming the song for Darth Vader. He began his Star Wars obsession a few years ago when his friend from school told him about it. His friend had almost his same level of obsession. Just ask his mom.

I mean, Star Wars has all the elements to teach a good story. Sympathy and camaraderie, good and evil, family and friends. All good life lessons. But I have to say I am sick of action figures all over the house and car. I am sick of McDonald's Star Wars bobble heads. (We must have 12 and actually I am sick of McDonald's but that is another issue). I am sick of the video games the movies and the magazines.

Not only is it the Star Wars action figures and ships and stuff, but he is totally into the Star Wars Legos. We have millions of them. Ships, planets, and characters. Donated from friends and family. Totaling at least 20 kits. All of which Ryan has had to put together. Hee hee. He also has 5 Star Wars Tee shirts. Which I faithfully wash every week.

The worst part of it all is his sister has started. She calls herself Princess Yay la. And both kids wear their bathrobes with the hoods up and pretend they are jedis. Fools running around with their respective light sabers. And to boot R2-D2 is following them beeping and screaming thanks to our friend Eric, who donated a 2 1/2 foot robotic R2-D2. Oh my lord. Anyone who knows or has even met my kids understands.

The reasons I do not heart Star Wars:

1. Crap all over the house
2. Legos all over the house and crying when they break
3. Lots of laundry
4. Eyes poked out with light sabers
5. Batteries running down on R2-D2. Which goes through batteries
like it is 2 dollar crack
6. Ryan humming Darth Vader's theme song absentmindedly this morning
7. Me doing the same damn thing without even knowing it

I thought I was part of the MTV generation

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is not apple picking or looking at the fall colors. It is watching the MTV VMA's. I can't explain it. They were celebrating their 25 anniversary this year. I am sure I have watched at least the past 20 if not all of them.

I would love to see who was matched up with who to present, what they were wearing, and enjoy the free music of the bands I loved. Who can forget Madonna rolling around the stage in 84? And I have to say I particularly enjoyed seeing Duran Duran when they were really big in the 80's and their "comeback" in the 2000's.

I just watched the most recent VMA's and I have to say......it is time to retire my addiction to them. I had no idea who most of the groups or artists were. I was actually pretty annoyed with most of the artists. They were over indulgent and had really terrible music.

This is one of those moments I say...."Holy! Am I old!"

Maybe when the kids are older I will learn to appreciate the current music. Or I will be the one who complains about that darn rock and roll being too loud. Or I could like totally gag them with a spoon by listening to only 80's music all the time. Ah the golden oldies!

Hairspray

This morning I watched Hairspray. (Free HBO and Cinemax this weekend.) And I was hopeful. I loved the original John Waters Hairspray. Super smart and clever. Very John Waters. Just enough kitsch to be Awesome. I mean Sonny Bono and Debbie Harry! Genius. And I love Divine.

I didn't watch the "new" broadway version out of annoyance, but my mother assured me it was just as dark and clever as the original. Which I am most definitely sure she did not see.

So I watched it this morning. Can I just say.....WHY! It couldn't be any more annoying. Nothing interesting except watching John Travolta try to dance in a fat suit and in drag to boot. Bad. I do believe that I have hit an all time overload of that Zac Ephron. And I have no teenage kids.

I sure hope John Waters got a lot of money for that movie remake.

I can't wait for the broadway production of Pink Flamingos.

Surly Fest

I just picked Ryan up from Surly Fest in Brooklyn Park or Center or wherever.

He is drunk drunk drunk! 4 hours, 5 pints of Surly, and no dinner make for a rambunctious Ryan. And he is all about playing with the kids. It is 9:30 PM and they are running all over the house. Oh brother. Looks like a long night.

Thanks Surly! Too bad you don't have babysitting services tomorrow when they all are crabby. Lucky lucky me.

A night with the Austad's and Sk3tch's new lady

A fun night was had by all. As you can plainly see. We had dessert and drinks. We got to meet Eric's new lady. She fits right in. Love her!

Sadly the night took a turn for the worse when we discovered 3 Asians trapped in the dog kennel.

Could they look any more pathetic? FYI that is Cynthia with my kids in the crate. And just so you know they were told to look sad. The rest of us were laughing at them. For once I was on the other side of that laughter.

But really.....3 Asians in a dog crate. Hysterical.

Daily Affirmations with Stewart Smalley

When Al Franken political ads come on tv is anyone else waiting for him to say, "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"

I just keep waiting for it and it never comes.

Just a thought.

We have to get up early tomorrow

I know it is late (10:45PM) and I can't help but watch my 3rd recorded episode of Kate and Allie. Hello 80's! Goodbye beauty sleep. But really y'all Kate and Allie! Love it!

This new fangled tv

We have recently changed from Comcast cable to Direct TV. I love and hate it. But I have to say there are tons more choices of cartoons for the kids.

I am still having difficulty with all the commercials on the cartoon channels. I used to let the kids watch only PBS. Miles got bored pretty quickly. Then I allowed the Disney channel. I got annoyed pretty quickly. So I gave in and switched to Nickelodeon. The shows are much less annoying and Miles and Claire both love it.

But now all these new cartoon channels are killing me! I mean Sprout which is a PBS channel has commercials. But Noggin which is Nickelodeon doesn't. I don't get it. Now also there are like 4 other ones that have infomercials on instead of commercials. Once in a while Miles will bust out with.......say.....the water globes infomercial....and he will say, "Hey mom, did you know that the water globes are just that easy?"

Hello Marketing.

And don't get me started on the damn movie channels. My sister claims that she is unemployed and she is watching things she has no business watching, but hey Sara? New channels will do the same thing. I can't tell you the last time I went to bed before 12. I mean who really needs to watch The Holiday more then once, and after 10 PM? Oh FYI my hand is raised.

OH NO!!!!

It's an epidemic. My sister Sara in CA has her own blog now. Thanks to yours truly. Ha ha. She is hilarious and very clever. Check it out.

caligal-noncents.blogspot.com

First day of Preschool

Today was the first day of preschool for Miles and Claire. Don't they look happy? Once there Miles was glad to be with his friends again....Claire? Not so much. But we have a whole year to get her comfortable and then summer. Then we do it all over again. Ouch.

We went for lunch with school friends after class and that was a huge hit. Thank god it wasn't McDonald's. I am sick to death of Star Wars bobble heads. I keep seeing them all over the place in the house. Just so you know I don't like things that are disproportionate. Especially big wiggly heads to little bodies. Freaks me right out.

Either way both kids were seemingly happy to be leaving for school today. Star Wars and Ho Ho Titty in tow.

Teasing me

I would just like to preface this with....I AM NOT STUPID.

I have a friend whose husband teases me like I am totally stupid. He treats me like I don't have a brain cell to spare.

I also have another friend whose husband teases me but in an intelligent way which will lead to somewhat clever banter. I love this by the way.

How do I know if the first friend's husband thinks I am dumb? I suppose I could ask him but then that just makes me look.....DUM.

Spying

This morning Ryan told me he saw our neighbor leaving in fatigues. He is a St. Paul police officer and I assume in some branch of the military. Maybe the National Guard. Oh well...I looked out the window and sure enough there he was all fatigued out.

Wonder where he was going? The Convention? I assumed he was going to be there at some point. I have been watching the news and saw all the brew ha ha about the anarchists and the police response. I have to admit I am not a Republican supporter. I am not a fan of the police response. I do encourage people to use the Free Speech and the right to assemble. But I don't like to think that my neighbor, who I like very much, could have pee thrown at him. That is just disrespectful and stinky.

See what spying will get you? Breakfast time thinking about Republicans and pee.

EWWWWW!!!

Words that make me cringe....

PANTIES

ROUGE

MOIST

Are you with me?