More than just a laundry list

So tonight I actually have more to say than just a laundry list of the weekend's activities. Maybe not a whole lot more than that, but at least something more. We've had our usual share of activity, including Noah's flag football game Saturday afternoon. A little trip to the mall with Emily (thankfully she was spending *her* money, not ours!) and a whole lotta housework this afternoon.

Tonight Brian and I played a game with the younger kids called Kids Battle the Grown-Ups. We've been trying to find time to play it for a while now; Halle and Joel got this game as a birthday present from friends back in Omaha. Let me tell ya, it really was fun. The game is a virtual tug-o-war between the adults and the kids, with each side getting to pull the "rope" closer to its side of the board with each correct answer (or incorrect answer from the opposing team). There are cards designated kids/adults, containing 3 trivia questions on each. There are also "Who Knows?" cards that are opinion questions, giving everyone a chance to see how well they know the others in the family. Some of the "Who Knows?" questions we got tonight were: "What famous person can you imitate the best?", "Who was the best President of the United States?" and "Who is the hardest working person you know?" By the way, the kids beat us. I'll challenge them to a rematch soon.

I pulled 21 movies out of the kids' rooms this evening. They are forever taking movies upstairs to watch before bedtime, but for some reason, most never make it back down here. Latest favorite DVD is Meet the Robinsons. I keep finding myself humming Little Wonders, by Rob Thomas. I foresee an ITunes download in my future.

I caught the last half of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tonight. What a gorgeous house! I love stone on a house... What really got me was the room they built for the dogs. A while back, I told Brian I thought when we built our house after settling down, it would be neat to build a dog-friendly room... a place the dogs would enjoy being in when we weren't at home, with access to the outside. Brian thought I was crazy. Well, maybe I am, but obviously I have company. That's exactly what the design team came up with for these folks. It was almost like they read my mind. (OK, I will admit I would never have thought to put in toilets for the dogs to drink from. But I guess you wouldn't have to worry about them running out of water, would you?)

Hoping the fact that the clocks went back an hour last night will mean the kids fall asleep faster tonight and wake up more rested in the morning. Maybe that will work for me, too.

Still kickin'

We're all still alive here; I've just had plenty of other things to distract me from writing since my last post. Nothing bad or exciting, just the usual list of things to accomplish each day. By the time I've had time to write, I've been more in the mood to just see what everyone else has to say rather than post my meager offerings.

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Just 3 weeks left of school for Emily. We may have a little more here at home, trying to finish up things. At any rate, we are going to continue with math through the summer and I also want to focus on writing skills as well. That's something we didn't do enough of at all this year. I think that will be just enough to give us something to do inside during the hottest part of the day.

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You know I have to put in my 2 cents on Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. I don't want to say I was happy to see Ian leave DWTS, but I think he was the obvious choice. I am thinking it will come down to Joey and Apolo. I really want Joey to win. I totally agreed with Len's assessment of Apolo's cha-cha: lots of raunch.

I really think there was no easy decision on AI. I like all 3 of the top 3 for different reasons. I guess I agree with the outcome, mostly because I think Jordin and Blake are just more marketable than Melinda. I have no doubt Melinda will go on to great success, though. She should actually be glad she didn't win, as she'll probably be able to have greater input into her first album than if she had to sign the AI contract. That said, I honestly don't know which one I want to win the whole thing... I'm not a "Blaker girl," but I guess I come close. (I've got his studio version of You Should Be Dancin' on my IPod.) I think I'm leaning towards Jordin. Guess we'll find out in a little less than a week!

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We'll probably take the kids to see Shrek 3 tomorrow evening. I'll also be "Fandango-ing" tickets for the 8pm show of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 for next Thursday night. Everyone in the house is looking forward to that one!

Wednesday ramblings

Ah, Hump Day, lovely Hump Day! It's all downhill from here. Although I suppose that's technically not true, since we have as many things planned for the last 2 days of the week as we had for the first 2-3.

Not even sure where to start today; I've had several topics/thoughts simmering somewhere in the back of my grey matter and I'm afraid if I don't try to pluck them out today, I will totally forget them. My short-term memory has been like a sieve lately... as in handing the tv remote to a child and then no less than 10-15 seconds later, looking for it as if I thought I still had it. On that note, I submit to you this video, emailed to me by my friend Rick (I swear, I thought he had bugged our house after I watched this!):

Guess I will get the TV stuff out of the way next. Heroes is getting better and better. I cannot believe there are only 2 episodes left. I am loving the twists and turns in the plot so close to the end. I am just hoping the ending isn't too much of a cliffhanger. Dancing with the Stars had some great dancing this week. I am totally shocked that Joey was in the bottom two. Does not make me happy one bit! And I felt bad for Billy Ray Monday night. He knows he can't dance. It really wasn't necessary for Bruno to call his dancing "crap." After weeks of enduring their criticism, that was the last straw for Billy Ray and he let Bruno have it. I think he was really hurt and I have a feeling he also regretted letting his temper get the best of him. Lastly... American Idol. Very interesting choice of Barry Gibb night. Should have made it easy for the ladies, since Barry usually sang in their range anyhow! Jordin was my favorite of the night. I thought she sounded great on both of her songs. Kiki didn't do it for me with either of hers. Hated both of them. Melinda sounded great on both of hers, but eh... she always does. I'm with Paula: she needs to give us something else to make us love her more. And despite the fact that I'm not really a beat box kind of person, I really got into Blake's You Should Be Dancin'. His second song was "a'ight," but would probably have been more enjoyable if he'd done something we all knew. I'm looking for Kiki to get the boot, but I guess Blake is vulnerable as well. I won't be happy if he goes this soon.

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I don't think I've mentioned on here that we are planning on moving into base housing as soon as something is available. That could be as early as next month or it might be the fall. From what I am hearing from folks I know on base, based on our position in the list and anecdotal references about who is moving out and when, the June/July timeframe sounds very possible. It is becoming increasingly expensive to live off base around here; we spend at least $1000 over our housing allowance each month to cover the rent and utilities. Of course, there will be trade-offs. We'll be downsizing from around 3400 sq. ft. to about 1400 sq. ft. Can you say "garage sale?" I knew you could. Thankfully, anything we don't want to part with but can't fit into the house will be kept in climate-controlled storage for us. Oh, and we don't have to move ourselves. Glory Hallelujah! There's nothing I enjoy less than packing and moving my own household goods. (OK, maybe there are a few things....)

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Today we have an orthodontist appointment in the morning for Noah. Then tomorrow morning, Halle gets her second tooth pulled. She already pulled the one that was loose, so that means she will be done with the extractions. Tomorrow evening is piano lessons for her and Noah. Then Friday morning we have a homeschool group activity on base. I have to remember to get to the store for some items I need for it before then. No new movies this week, so we should have a nice evening home on Friday night!

Holding out for Heroes

Oh. My. Holy. Heck. Last night's episode of Heroes had to be the best one yet. Didn't see it? Get thee to the website and watch it online. I imagine I will be rewatching this one. I can't believe Emily wasn't here to watch with me; we would have had so much fun last night. She is a blast to watch TV with. I texted her afterwards (knowing she was already in bed in Chicago at that point) to find out if she had gotten to see it, but her reply this morning was in the negative; her group was still at the Navy Pier when it aired. I so wish I had this episode saved on the DVR (which we still haven't used to record anything... just to play DVDs) so we could watch it on a bigger screen together after she gets back. She'll have to settle for watching it online.

I get to go pick her up from the airport tonight, though! And tomorrow night we pick up her dad. Maybe I need to figure out how to use the DVR today.... we'll miss both shows of AI because we'll be on the road during that time. Nah. I'll just look at the clips on YouTube tomorrow.

It's back!

Actually, 2 its. It number 1: the mysterious stomach bug working its way through the family. When I went to wake up Emily for school this morning, she told me she had been up half the night throwing up. Needless to say, I let her stay in bed. She was better by afternoon and will be able to go to school tomorrow.

It number 2: Heroes! After what seemed like forever and a day, the first of the last 5 episodes of this season aired tonight. For some reason, this episode just had a different feel to it for me, and was a little harder to follow. But I cannot wait to see what happens next week.

We also watched Dancing with the Stars tonight. Joey is still my favorite, but I also have a soft spot for Billy Ray. It will be interesting to see if he makes it past elimination tomorrow night. I'm thinking (and hoping) John will get the boot instead.

TV Meme

I found this at Carrie's:

List your top six favorite TV shows currently on the air before looking at the questions below.

1. Heroes
2. House
3. CSI: NY
4. Criminal Minds
5. NCIS
6. ER

Now answer the questions:

01. Who is your favorite character from #2?

House, of course!

02. Who is your least favorite character from #4?

Emily

03. What would a crossover between #1 and #5 include?

DiNozzo would be hitting on Niki/Jessica, while Gibbs and McGee hunt down Linderman. Abby and Mohinder pair up to work on isolating the genes from our Heroes; We find out Claire has a sick sense of humor when she challenges Ziva to a contest to see who's the toughest.

04. Who is your favorite ship from #6?

Assuming this means relationship.... I guess I'd have to say Abby and Luka.

05. If you were to set up one person from #3 and one person from #6 on a blind date, who would they be?

Stella from Criminal Minds and Ray from ER.

06. If you could meet one person from #4 and spend the day with them, who would it be, and what would you do?

Well, since I'm married... probably Mandy Patinkin. We'd spend the day singing show tunes. I know, I'm so lame.

07. If you could change one thing about #2’s plot line, what would you change?

Oooh... I'm getting tired of the Cameron/Chase thing; Either make them decide there's a relationship there or stop the mindless s3x. OR Find House a woman.

08. Explain a relationship between two people (not necessarily romantic) from show #5, and why you like the relationship between them.

I have to borrow Carrie's answer on this one. Abby and McGee. Past dating history, yet still great friends and very supportive of each other (however, if I could change it, I'd probably put them back together).

09. If the lead title characters (first name in the credits) from #1 and #3 were both drowning, and you could only save one, who would it be?

I'm not even sure who the first character in credits is in Heroes. On the website, it's Isaac. So between Isaac and Gibbs... probably Gibbs.

10. If you could change the title characters’ order in the credits for #4, what order would you choose?

Well, I'd keep Mandy at #1, but move Shemar Moore up to #2, and then Kirsten Vangsness (I love Garcia!), then Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas Gibson, AJ Cook, and Paget Brewster.

11. If you were able to add a new character, any kind of character you wanted, to the storyline for #6, what would the character be like, and what would their role be?

I'd add a nurse anesthetist... I'm tired of people thinking docs are the only folks who do anesthesia. Maybe make him compete for Neela's attention with Tony. Plenty of time together in the OR to develop a relationship.

12. What happens in your favorite episode of show #2?

Oh gosh.. I don't think I have a favorite episode; I like them all.

13. If you could kill off one of the characters in #1, who would it be and how would you do it?

Hmmm, either Niki/Jessica or Mr. Bennett's boss.

14. If you got the chance to visit the set for either show #3 or show #5, which would you choose?

CSI: NY

15. If you could date anyone from any of these shows, which show and which person?

I’m married.

Live bloggin' AI Top 10

Gwen Stefani, huh? She's a pretty girl; loved how she looked in the video clips with the contestants. The "normal" makeup is much more attractive on her than the over-the-top face she puts on for her videos and concerts. I'm not a fan of her music, so any NoDoubt or Gwen Stefani songs tonight will be new to me. So what's my impression of the top 10 tonight?

Lakisha: Last Dance was an interesting choice for her. I guess it's the first time I've heard her sing something that uptempo. I was glad the camera didn't do too many closeups; I get distracted by her lisp sometimes. She was good, but it probably wasn't one of her best.

Chris Sligh: Why couldn't he keep the beat with Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic? Vocals were fine. He looked like he couldn't really figure out what dance moves to do, though. Just not in his element.

Gina: Oh. My. Word. Now that had to be her best performance yet! I wasn't familiar with the song, but she kept my attention and I really enjoyed listening to her. I don't think she'll be leaving this week.

Sanjaya: Forget Hair Idol. Please go home. Didn't know or like the song, hated the hair, and am just tired of him.

Haley: Doggone it, this was almost as bad as the night we couldn't hear her. I love her voice and agree with past comments that she is probably more of a recording artist than a performer. She was fine, but just not super fabulous. We'll have to see how the others do before knowing how much in danger she is. Loved her hair and outfit.

Phil: He was just a little too mild and mellow on Every Breath You Take for me. Very bland.

Melinda: OK, it's Melinda. What am I gonna say.... she sucked? Of course she was great. Love her hair now that she has cut it, and tonight's "flip" looked cute and fun. Didn't care for the pattern of her dress, but the style was great. Didn't know the song, so nothing to compare it to.

Blake: He has such a mellow voice.... very easy to listen to. Did he beat box tonight?? Did I miss it because I was typing?? Another new song for me.

Jordin: Didn't know the song... hard to understand her, especially in the lower register. Not my favorite performance of hers. She's been my favorite so far, so this disappoints me.

Chris Richardson: He has that nasal thing going on again. Cute song (again, one I don't know; I'm so out of pop culture. Guess that's why this is the first year I've ever watched AI.). He was a'ight.

Favorite performance of the night: Has to be Gina. I can't think of anything bad to say about it.

Who should leave: We all know the answer. Only if the tweenyboppers' parents hide the phones tonight do we have a chance for that happening.

Potpourri

Naw, not the kind you smell.... I just have several things running through my head that I want to talk about and don't know where to start first. Lessee... how about books? The Spring Reading Thing started 4 days ago (is that all?), and I have knocked out 6 books from my list. I cannot say enough good things about Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn series. "Life-Changing Fiction" is her tag line and I have to wholeheartedly agree. I am still processing much of what was revealed to me through the characters and situations in the stories. And I want/need to go back and read the earlier Redemption series, as well!

The last book I read this weekend reminded me of why I stopped reading Stephen King in the first place. There was a time I liked his writing, but it seems like the last 10-15 years, his works just haven't appealed to me. But I heard so many people say that Lisey's Story was so awesome that when I saw it on the shelf at the library, I thought I'd give it a try. It did nothing for me. I didn't feel a connection to the characters at all. It was.... stupid. Give me a good Dean Koontz novel any day. Next on my list: The Westing Game. Once I get through the fiction books I have on hand, I'm sure the rest of the list will go a bit slower.

And then there was much rejoicing. Tonight was the finale of Grease: You're the One That I Want. I don't think I've ever followed any competition as closely as I did this one, at least not since the first year or two of Star Search (I guess I can say I remember Rosie O'Donnell and Brad Garrett back when...). I definitely had my favorites and was quite thrilled when they both made it into the top 4. And even more pleased to see that in a rare if not unheard-of occurrence (that being that America and I actually agreed upon something), they won! Congratulations to Broadway's new Danny and Sandy, Max Crumm and Laura Osnes. Now, who wants to bankroll my trip to NYC to see the show???

Great day with the kids today. Everyone was up and ready to go to church on time with no fuss. It was a good time of worship and we got to hear a singing group from William Jessup University. I also found out that one of the coaches from Halle and Joel's gymnastics gym attends there. She and her husband came in a little late and sat by me today. I was sitting behind someone I thought looked familiar and then afterwards Emily pointed out that it was her PE teacher. I think I could get used to worshiping with folks I might get to see more than once a week.