Katie's Movie Reviews

Gene and I have gotten on the ball and finally started using our Blockbuster membership again. Since we don't know any of the movies that are out anymore, we figured we would start with the ones that won a bunch of awards. I knew this was risky... that can often mean they are weird. But all were highly reviewed by users on Yahoo Movies, Blockbuster, etc.

All three movies could be described as "artsy." Sometimes I can go for an artsy movie, but sometimes they are really lost on me. I'm including very brief "Katie Reviews" below in case anyone is interested.

Movie 1: Atonement

Synopsis:

The film opens in England, on the hottest day of the summer of 1935. Thirteen year old Briony Tallis and her family live a life of wealth and privilege in their enormous Victorian Gothic mansion. As the family gathers for the weekend, the combination of the oppressive heat and long suppressed emotions coming to the surface create an ominous sense of threat and danger. Briony, a fledgling writer, is a girl with a vivid imagination. Through a series of catastropic misunderstandings which take place that day, the lives of Briony, her sister and her sister's newfound lover Robbie Turner - who is also the housekeeper's son - will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had never before dared to approach, becoming victims of the younger girl's scheming imagination. Briony will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt of which will colour her entire life.

Katie's Review:

This movie was strange but interesting. It really held my attention the whole movie. It is not a feel good movie. I am glad I was not a nurse in WWII. And I wanted to use the closed captions because of the British accents, but Gene hates using it so I had to really listen carefully!

Movie 2: No Country For Old Men

Synopsis:
The plot follows the interweaving paths of the three central characters (Llewelyn Moss, Anton Chigurh, and Ed Tom Bell) set in motion by events related to a drug deal gone bad near the Mexican-American border in southwest Texas in Terrell County, Texas. Llewelyn Moss is a welder and Vietnam War veteran who, while hunting Pronghorn, stumbles across the aftermath of a drug-related gun battle which has left everyone dead except a single badly wounded Mexican. Moss finds a truck full of Heroin and a satchel with $2.4 million in cash. He takes the money, but leaves the Mexican alive, which ignites a hunt for Moss that stretches for most of the remaining novel.

Katie's Review:

I hated this movie. I did not get the point at all. Killing, killing, killing pretty much sums it up. And lots of depressed people. This is from a person who generally doesn't mind a good serial killer movie. It was filmed in that "grainy" sort of way where it has the feel of a 1970's movie. I have no clue why this was so highly reviewed and even won best picture this year?!?!?

Movie 3: Michael Clayton

Synopsis:

Michael Clayton, a high-priced-law-firm's fixer, leaves a late-night poker game, gets a call to drive to Westchester, and watches his car blow up as he's taking an impromptu dawn walk through a field. Flash back four days. He owes a loan shark to cover his brother's debts (Michael's own gambling habits have left him virtually broke). His law firm is negotiating a high-stakes merger, and his firm's six-year defense of a conglomerate's pesticide use is at risk when one of the firm's top litigators goes off his meds and puts the case in jeopardy. While Michael is trying to fix things, someone decides to kill him. Who? Meanwhile, his son summarizes the plot of a dark fantasy novel.

Katie's Review:

"Meanwhile his son summarizes the plot of a dark fantasy novel." ???? Oooh kay.... you can tell just from reading the plot synopsis that this is an artsy one. I enjoyed watching this but it won't ever be on my top 10 list. The plot was pretty straightforward so don't expect any huge twists and turns as there are in a typical suspense blockbuster. The lawyer chick in the movie won best supporting actress which I don't get at all. Her role is fairly minimal in the movie.

Lyrics to Live By

I don't know if anyone has heard the country song "You're Gonna' Miss This" by Trace Adkins... but I LOVE that song. Ironically enough, we have discussed the importance of contentment quite a bit lately at church. This song reminds me how much I am going to miss these tough but wonderful years with a toddler someday.

She was staring out the window of their SUV
Complaning, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"

She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"

Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school

Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride

In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by

He tells her "It's a nice place"

She says "It'll do for now"

Starts talking about babies and buying a house

Daddy shakes his head and says

"Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater

Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'

One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'

And she keeps apologizin'

He says "They don't bother me.

I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23.

Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Baby Gear of the Past - New Use for a Toddler

I had pretty much decided all baby gear has a "useful life" of about 4-6 months. Then the kiddo is onto another phase and wants nothing to do with it - just another $25 - $75 down the tubes for mom and dad!

But Katelynn's baby swing has been resurrected, at least for a bit. She saw it in the closet last week and got very excited about it. I don't know how she recognized it since she was about 7 months old the last time she snoozed in it. But somehow she did, so I snapped it back together and she now spends time every day playing in it (and scaring mom with her gymnastics). Definitely no more snoozing in it though!

Mugging for the Camera

Katelynn has definitely figured out what to do when the camera points her way!

Officially a One Nap Baby

Oh, the transition stages of naps. For a couple of months now, we have been in the one-nap-a-day versus two-naps-a-day transition. Each day, mom (that would be me) makes a random judgment call on what we will do that day. Sometimes I call it right. Often I am wrong... and if I tried for the one nap, she is crashing out on a car ride... or if I tried for the two naps she refuses to take one of them and screams her head off in her crib for 30 minutes. I know you always read that you are supposed to look for "signals" they give off that they are tired. Maybe I am just not perceptive enough; I don't ever recognize them properly it seems!

Anyway, lately it has FINALLY become apparent that we can consistently do one nap a day. I kind of miss getting two breaks, but at least I know what each day will bring. The only crummy thing is that sometimes she seems to think that a one hour nap is enough. I pray for two hours. Sometimes I get lucky and she will go 2.5 hours.

Now I just have to hope she holds onto this one for awhile, unlike some of my friends who have 2 year olds trying to completely drop their naps already!

Easter Fun

To our surprise, Katelynn seemed to "get" the egg gathering thing pretty well. Thanks Uncle Griff & Aunt Jen for organizing an egg hunt for her!

Katelynn apparently LOVES PEEPS. The picture pretty much says it all.

Happy Easter - Ways Kids Are Like Peeps!

I saw this in a parenting magazine and thought it was cute.

WAYS KIDS ARE LIKE PEEPS:

They're sweet, though almost always a bit sticky.

You can give them a squeeze if they're yours, but not if they're a stranger's.

They're a known cause of stubborn belly overhang.

It can be hard to stop at one, but after two or three, the mere thought of having another may make you queasy.

OUTSIDE

I can tell it is coming...Katelynn has nearly figured out how to say the word "Outside." It is all over after that; it is all I am going to hear from her little mouth. This child would spend her every waking moment in the outdoors if it were up to her. She gets irritable inside, wants nothing to do with the TV... I know these are good things, but her mom is more of an indoor girl! I enjoy our daily walk, and a little bit of playtime in the yard, but I have my limits. Plus I'm the one that has to fix all the meals, keep the house clean, get the laundry done, etcetera.

There is an adorable little blonde girl in our neighborhood named Peyton. She has those gorgeous platinum ringlets all over her head. She has been running around outside since she was teeny. She has two brothers that are much older than her, and she is always following them around. The other day, Gene said "I wonder if Katelynn is going to be like that little blonde girl?"

It is a good thing we live in a moderate climate. Even if we didn't, Katelynn wouldn't care. But it would be all the harder on me if I had to take her out in 30 degree weather every day! Maybe this is another reason we need to move to Hawaii. I would want to go outside all the time too if we lived there. :-)

Forecasts for DFW versus Hawaii below.

DFW's isn't too bad, but Hawaii's is better!

The Car Wash

I know that most kids love the car wash - that is why they have a special viewing platform just for the little ones! Still, it was so fun to put Katelynn up there for the first time and watch her animated expressions and pointing. (She loves to point at everything.) It reminded me of the old commercial for etoys.com. I am probably dating myself, I know... They had a little boy going through the car wash with his dad, then his dad goes home and buys a car wash toy for him on etoys.com. Boy, that was some good marketing if I still remember it!

Katelynn however will not be getting a car wash toy out of the deal.

The Curse of the Pacifier

My favorite reference book was very clear about this subject - NO PACIFIER after 4 months, or you will be stuck with an addiction that requires a lot of work to get rid of! But did I listen? Of course not! (In all fairness, when it is the only thing that gets your kid to fall asleep without screaming, you do what you need to...)

Now I'm at the point where I am pretty sick of dealing with the pacifier. As my reference book promised, I have to make many trips up to her crib in the middle of the night to find one that has been chunked out of the crib and onto the floor. This happens at least a few times a week. It interrupts my sleep for about a half hour when it is all said and done. 5 minutes listening to her fuss on the monitor. 15 minutes to give her the pacifier and rock her. Then 10 minutes, if I'm lucky, to get myself back to dreamland.

My cousin had her little boy mail his off to the "pacifier fairy" which I thought was a great idea, but Katelynn is still a little young to get that concept. Another idea I had was going to the "Build A Bear" store and putting all the pacifiers inside the bear. But, again still a little advanced for a 15 month old. Plus my mom had visions of Katelynn going after the bear with a knife!

She doesn't get it too much during the day anymore and seems to be doing ok with that, but I have the feeling that taking it away at night will result in disaster. Do any fellow parents out there (the two or three of you that actually read this blog, that is) have suggestions - especially if you got rid of it around the 12-18 month mark?

Mommy's favorites to buy. Note the tag - 6-18 months. Only two more months before Miss Katelynn is officially "too old" for these things according to Avent!

Katelynn's "Future Husband"

My friend Kelly and I refer to her son Bobby as "Katelynn's future wife". And vice versa. Sooner or later we are going to have to cut it out so as not to traumatize our children, once they are old enough to understand and be offended. In the meantime we can have our fun - and isn't he CUTE?!

Poppy

Katelynn's vocabulary is slowly starting to blossom. Her foreign language babble seems to be getting closer and closer to English. All this has led to both her grandparents and parents constantly prodding her to say words. But, usually she is unwilling to perform for us.

Tonight, completely on her own though, she gave Grandpa his official name. She pointed at him and said over and over, "Poppy!". Then when we were leaving she gave him a hug and said "Bye Poppy." It made everyone's hearts melt!

Barf Protection

This is my invention to keep Katelynn from barfing on her car seat. Well, it isn't really an invention; it's just a towel with a hole in it. It is a huge Deloitte beach towel that I got for free. (Apologies to Deloitte...but did you really have to make the logo so darned HUGE? It's really too embarrassing to use that way anyway!) She thinks it is fun for awhile, but gets irritated when she can't figure out how to get to her arms/hands.

So far she has yet to urp on it. Once again this phase seems to have passed. But at least I will have my towel around now in case it decides to come back again.

"H-Mart" - Is the H for HEAVENLY Produce?

Gene is always nosing around online looking for new Korean restaurants for us to try. We still haven't found the perfect one for us. While researching that topic, he noticed a lot of internet buzz about a new grocery store coming to town, not too far from our house. He said "Let's go check it out. It's supposed to be like a Whole Foods."

Okay...so I was skeptical. The main Korean grocery store up till now, which we have visited, is a little questionable. Not so clean, old... I would be hesitant to purchase meat there. But I figured we would check it out. At least I could pick up a can of kim-chee.

So, this place was AWESOME. The produce section was enormous and all of it was so fresh and beautiful. And the prices were unbelievable - way cheaper than my local Kroger. Large tubs of blueberries for $0.99 (at least $4.00 at K)... pound of asparagus for $2.00 ($4.00 at K)... perfect pears for $0.79 pound ($1.79 and up at K). I could go on and on. Also, the meat section was expansive and not scary at all. Chicken breasts for $1.49 a pound ($3.99 at least at K, even $2.79 at Costco)

They had a ton more selections for beef than any American grocery store. The seafood section went on and on and at much better prices than Whole Foods or Central Market...Gene and I don't really eat things-that-swam so that's not a big attractor for us. They even had lots of things-still-swimming - lobster, clams, tilapia, even crawdaddies! That got little Katelynn pretty excited.

I will be visiting often now, just for the produce and the wide variety of beef. And we will be grilling bulgogi tomorrow night at a fraction of the cost of any Dallas Korean restaurant!

An Empathetic Little Girl

Katelynn demonstrates very sweet displays of empathy sometimes. For Christmas, we purchased "Tickle Me Extreme Cookie Monster." We really couldn't pass him up after cracking up at the internet demonstration. When you push his belly, Cookie Monster begins to laugh. He shakes and then falls over backwards. He sits back up and tries to control his laughter. ("oooooh it's too funny....") He gets a second bout of laughter, rolls over onto one side and chuckles and kicks his legs. He then rolls onto his back, has a few more laughs, rolls onto his other side, then rolls to his back, and in a very funny effort, sits up after a few tries ("oooooh, me got to get up now..."). He then stands and the motion ends.

However, Cookie can never make it all the way through his routine. Katelynn starts to cry, and picks him up and pats his back. She thinks something is wrong with him, and it is her job to fix him.

When she sees the picture of Mr. Brown getting struck by lightning in the Dr. Seuss book, she cries and points repeatedly as well. Hee hee, it really makes up for her previous habit of grabbing our noses/ears/hair/lips/etcetera and pulling very hard, which her grandfather nicknamed "face ripping."

My Favorite Diaper Bag

My favorite diaper bag is, of all things, the free one that Similac gives out while you are at the hospital. It is very boring and un-cute, but I have not been able to find one that can touch it in terms of form and function. Then, after about a year of use I decided it needed a good washing and threw it in the washer. It hasn't been the same since.

So I bought one on ebay and had a very bad transaction. The "brand new" bag arrived reeking of smoke, and with a rip in the bottom! Fortunately I was able to get a refund, but for awhile there I thought I was about to experience my first ebay ripoff. It was a sigh of relief.

Then Cheree came to the rescue - she didn't want her free Similac bag. She donated it to me and I got it from her Friday at lunch - THANKS CHEREE!

In trying to find a picture of my bag via google images (I'm too lazy to just take one and upload it...) I came across a very interesting campaign to get rid of the free bags:

OK, puhleeze... I am thankful for my free and well designed bag, and - newsflash - the bag had no influence whatsoever on me since I still chose to breastfeed. Does anyone think that a couple cans of free formula in a diaper bag would actually be a decision maker for a new mom on this issue? The last time I checked, we are absolutely surrounded by marketing of all types in our society.

Really Cool Parrot

For hours of internet fun, check out the videos Einstein the parrot, plus her blog is pretty funny too. Yes a parrot with a blog. My dad works with the owner.

Apparently taking care of this parrot is equivalent to taking care of a two-year old human. Except, unlike a human, the parrot doesn't "grow up" and get potty trained or go to college, AND the parrot lives 75-80 YEARS! However, she is at least as entertaining as a human toddler, if not more so. And it looks like her owners have lots of fun with her.

http://www.einsteinparrot.com/index.html

http://einsteinparrot.blogspot.com/

Billy is Kicking My Bootie

To lighten up a little from my previous post...

I have been a Billy Blanks Tae Bo fan for awhile. Recently I have been getting most of my hard exercise by doing his DVD's during Katelynn's naps. But, I was getting sick of the same 2 workouts! So I read some reviews and decided to try his "Bootcamp" series which I purchased on ebay (the only way to go for exercise DVD's!). You use those resistance band thingies for about half the workout.

Man this thing is hard! I am still on the "Basic" DVD. It will be awhile before I can move up to Advanced. It is majorly sculpting my abs and upper body though - hooray!

Deep Thoughts

Lately, I feel as though I have too many "friends of friends" with very serious sad events happening in their lives. My heart feels so sad and a little overwhelmed for all these people and my thoughts have been more on the "deep side" lately... In all these situations people are relying on their Christian faith to get them through, which is fantastic. I find my own faith is challenged a little as my brain wages a mini battle with my heart. My brain knows what the Bible says, and knows that God is good, and that one day all these things will make sense in light of His great plan. But my heart wonders why life has to be so difficult and even downright awful sometimes, especially for these wonderful people who are all "fighting the good fight."

If you would like to help with praying for any of these people, see below:

• Jennifer - she is my age with two little girls and battling breast cancer. She is good friends with one of my best friends, but through one of those strange twists of fate, I knew her as an acquaintance in high school AND her mom taught one of my high school courses!


• Grace - a little baby with two heart surgeries under her belt already. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gracecooper


• Scott - undergoing a very difficult neuro recovery http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/scott.walker


• Jennifer & Richard - fellow Aggies who lost their sweet baby girl a couple weeks ago at the tender age of three months http://lillyinspirations.blogspot.com/

I Hate Daylight Savings - My Soapbox

Day light savings time is a cruel joke played on parents with small children. I have never liked it, but doing it with a toddler is even worse. Combine that with the fact that there were only about 3 stinkin' months between the time switching now - WHAT IS THE POINT? Politicians, just pick a time and keep it there the whole year!

Last year, Katelynn was about 3 months old so it really didn't matter. She was still trying to figure out the whole sleeping/waking/napping thing anyway. But this year, she is Miss Scheduled. So of course she slept until 8:30 instead of 7:30 (her normal time), and I now have to back up her evening bedtime by 10 to 15 minutes per night until she is re-adjusted.

This is just arbitrary messing with our internal clocks. I can travel 4 time zones away to Hawaii and it doesn't mess with me nearly as much as having the time change just one hour at my own house! Oh but wait...it's actually 5 time zones in the summer since Hawaii doesn't do Daylight Savings. They are smart, but doesn't it add to the confusion even more since some states opt out? All the more reason to END THE MADNESS! At least Americans didn't invent it...some crazy British guy did that in 1905. But we have the power to end it!

Lots of info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time

Here is another website on the subject. It doesn't look very professional but it has a lot of interesting information on it. I also thought their "proposal" was unique and works just fine for me.

http://www.standardtime.com

http://www.standardtime.com/proposal.html

Loves Office Supplies Just Like Mommy

Katelynn discovered the fun of pulling out post-it flags. I have to admit it is personally satisfying to pop one out, so all the better to pull out 25 in a row! I decided it was worth sacrificing one thingy of post-it flags to let her have her fun, plus get some cute pictures. One of my favorite things is to wander the aisles of Office Depot....maybe Katelynn will follow in my footsteps. I wonder if "office supply fetish" is a gene?

Inadvertant Reward for Barfing

Everytime Katelynn barfs on her car seat (see previous posts if that statement is surprising), it comes inside for a thorough cleaning. And oh, how she LOVES for it to be inside so she can play on it. I am banking on the fact that a 15 month old hasn't made the connection of: "If I barf on it, I then get to play on it!" That would be a pretty big logic connection for that age, so hopefully I am safe to let her play...

I'm As Big As a Shoebox

Katelynn took on kitty cat tendencies, trying to fit herself into a small shoebox in the closet, where I was trying to organize. I must say it was very cute. Note her stuffed toy - a monkey wearing a Texas A&M sweater. Many would say that is appropriate, huh?! They had other choices, but Gene really wanted the monkey...

Sleeping Beauty

Occasionally I have to wake a sleeping baby because we have to go somewhere...never my first choice but it does happen sometimes. The other day she was completely konked out. Nothing was waking her up! So I figured I might as well use make good use of the situation for an adorable photo opp.

SNOW DAY!

Well, it wouldn't be Dallas without very random weather events. Since it was over 80 degrees last week, of course it had to snow today, in March - lots and lots of snow! Katelynn stood at the front door watching it pour from the sky; she was completely beside herself because she wanted to go outside so badly. She carried on for a long time in her foreign babble until I finally gave in and bundled up. See the results below.

Hmmm, this might be kinda cool. Feels pretty neat on my tongue.

I don't know about this... stuff is pelting me in the face. Ouch!

Now I'm just a big confused mess. I didn't like getting pelted in the face. But I didn't want to come inside. I'm not sure WHAT I want!

It Was Not a Rock

Today we made our daily excursion outside, where Katelynn likes to wander the sidewalks after her afternoon nap. It is like one huge toy box for her; she is supremely happy when outside. She likes to pick up rocks, sticks, snail shells, and other random items and show them to me while saying "ooooh". Today she showed me a boring rock and quickly put it back in her little clenched fist. Later she tried to put the rock in her mouth (no surprise). It was then that I discovered it was not a rock...it was a hard piece of dog poop. Ewwwwwwwww..... It was reminiscent of the time I, as a child, found a very colorful and beautiful rock in our neighbor's backyard. Our neighbor later explained to my mom that their dog was fond of eating boxes of crayons!

Well at least I got it away from her before it went IN her mouth! And we had an extended hand washing session upon returning indoors!

Why Expensive Restaurants Are Sometimes Worth It

We ate at a fabulous restaurant while in Maui called David Paul's Lahaina Grill. Gene had meatballs that were apparently packed with diamond chips because they cost something like $40. Gene asked me to see if they would send the recipe. They sent me the recipe and we had a good laugh as a I read off all the ingredients. Here is the list:

-ground pork

-ground veal

-ground beef

-egg

-chopped garlic

-onion

-milk

-demi-glace (huh?)

-fresh basil

-italian parsley

-worchestershire sauce

-tobasco sauce

-ricotta cheese

-asiago cheese

-marscarpone cheese

-dried red chili's

-ground black pepper

-panko flakes (huh?)

That is just the meatballs. The sauce has an equally long list.

Now, I am sure that google could help me understand the mystery ingredients...I was actually feeling a little proud that there were only two I didn't recognize! And with a trip to Central Market I could procure all the items. But I think it would cost me more than $40 just to buy the ingredients!

Still, I may be up for the challenge sometime. It's cheaper than a flight back to Maui.

Katelynn's Sneaky Trick

Katelynn has figured out that mom eats up hugs from her baby girl. So, she stands up on her changing table and reaches out to give me a BIG HUG, right around the neck. Of course I can't resist that. Then she wraps her legs around me and - surprise - she is now off the changing table and being carted around by mom! Toddlers are smart...

Renewed Appreciation for Nanna

Nanna (my mom) usually watches Katelynn once a week while I go to work. She is having knee replacement surgery... So I knew I would be nanna-less for a couple of months since she will need no-baby-lifting recovery time. So Katelynn now goes to "Kids Day Out" at a nearby church once a week so that I can go to work for a bit.

I have always appreciated my mom immensely for her dedication to watching Katelynn. She wakes up at 4:30 in the morning and drives an hour from her house to mine, then watches a demanding kiddo for 9 hours, then stays for dinner so the horrendous metroplex traffic can clear. So she doesn't get back home till after 8:00 pm.

But, I never had to get Katelynn delivered somewhere until this past week. That creates a lot more preparation in making sure I have her blanket, food, sippy cup, pacifier, etc. (I know many of you reading this already knew that...but this is new for me!) Kids Day Out is only 5 hours long, too. This meant I had to book it to work, keep my head down working my tail off for 4 hours, then book it back to pick her up. No more time for lunch with Gene, or my weekly trip to get cheap stuff at CVS with the grocery game.

So mom, I appreciated you before but now I do EVEN MORE! XOXOXO to Nanna.

A Memorable Gift

Gabe, a friend from work, left the most beautiful gift on my desk this week. It is a large spiral notebook, bound in a very pretty pink cover complete with Katelynn's name in calligraphy and her 1 year picture on the front.

Along with the gift he left a note: "One of the most fun and gratifying memories for me and Mark was watching his writing progress. I hope you'll enjoy watching Katelynn's." (Mark is Gabe's son who is now in college and is Gabe's pride and joy.)

Gabe doesn't even know that writing has been a long-time passion of mine and always what I excelled at in school, so this gift really meant a lot to me. Now I have a special place to document Katelynn's writing samples in the upcoming years, starting with her first scribbles all the way to her college application essay. I also have a great future gift idea to steal from Gabe!