Low Key New Year's Eve

I've never been really big on the whole New Years Eve thing. Going to first night in Boston has always sounded great, but when I stopped to think about it there is no way I want to walk around in the freezing cold with drunken fools. I much prefer staying in my house and ordering Chinese and watching a movie with my honey.

This year I am doing just that. Of course it doesn't help that my oldest daughter has a nasty cold and I think it's just better to stay in. We were invited to a friends house kids included and it was tempting, but I just don't want to drive home after midnight with all the other nuts out there. So we are just going to stay in have some take out which I already had to order and relax. After the busy Christmas we had it feels good to not be going anywhere. My husband is picking up some Champagne as well for us to enjoy. The only problem is I hope I make it to midnight. The last few years I haven't. What can I say I like my sleep. It will become 2010 whether I'm awake or not.

I hope everyone has a very safe and fun New Year's Eve. Please be careful if you go to a party or event. Use common sense. If you're not okay to drive find someone who is. Also be aware that even if you use common sense there's many others out there who aren't. It's just a dangerous night on the road. Please be careful.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sherlock Holmes a Winner

Last night my husband and I decided we would take the 12 year old to the movies. The 8 year old had a play date so that meant we could go see Avatar or Sherlock Holmes. My 8 year old didn't want to see either and I'm not sure she's really old enough for either. They are both rated PG-13. She just isn't ready for those types of movies yet. Anyway we had the opportunity so we check the times on Fandango.

We really wanted to see Avatar in imax as the theater near our house just got this. Unfortunately the time that coincided with the play date was all sold out. It's a 3 hour movie so the other times wouldn't work either. No big deal. We wanted to see Sherlock Holmes as well. I am a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan. I really can't wait for Iron Man 2.

Sherlock Holmes was the perfect role for Robert Downey Jr. His facial expressions crack me up. He really just delivers. I loved his interaction with Jude Law. They make a great pair and are really entertaining to watch. I have never really been a fan of detective shows or the old Sherlock Holmes books. They were never my thing, but I really enjoyed watching how he figured everything out. Really amazing.

My daughter also loved it. I heard her laughing through most of it and she had a smile on when we left. She told me she really liked it. Of course I think she also liked going to a movie without her sister. It's nice to get mommy and daddy's attention.

I would totally recommend seeing this movie. It was really entertaining and I hope they'll make another. I would definitely go see it.

Glee on DVD Today

Yes, you heard right Glee is available on DVD today. I personally am having a Glee withdrawal. It's just not right that we have to wait until April for new episodes.

Obviously they are trying to appease us by releasing all the current episodes on DVD. This may work, but I still want new episodes. I actually wish they would do this with all TV shows. I find it very difficult waiting for new episodes, but if I could purchase half a season of a show I love to rewatch I think it would be easier to get through hiatus season. I think the whole idea of releasing half a season of a TV show is a great idea. Of course I think the price should reflect that. Some people may feel this is a waste because they'll probably release the full season sometime in August. Well some of us can't wait that long so I like this idea.

Well my daughter really wants this DVD so I'm thinking she'll get it for her birthday which is just around the corner. My girls both have birthday's very close to Christmas.

Anime and My Tween

My daughter has spent the day watching anime that she got for Christmas. I am a huge anime fan and have passed the love of it on to my tween. Of course not all anime is appropriate, but since I've seen so much of it I know what's okay.

She received Fruits Basket and His & Her Circumstances . These are both Shojo anime's meaning they were made with girls in mind. The main character of both anime's is a girl.

She simply adored Fruit Basket. This anime is about a girl who looses her mother and ends up moving in with a mysterious family that is cursed. Anytime anyone from the opposite sex hugs them they turn into an animal from the Chinese zodiac. It is very funny and touching all at the same time. My daughter basically devoured it and wanted to know if there was another season. Sadly I had to tell her no, but it's based on a manga that will tell the whole story.

Now she just started His and Her Circumstances so I'm not sure what she thinks, but so far I've heard her laugh quite a bit. This story is about a girl who goes out of her way to be perfect and pretend to be someone she isn't so people will like her. This works out fine until another student shows up at school and he is just as smart and likable. She begins to compete with him only to find out she is falling in love with him. It's a very sweet story about growing up.

I'm glad I've been able to share the love of anime with my daughter and I hope she continues to enjoy it as much as I do. You don't have to be a child to enjoy anime. I don't think I'll ever get sick of watching it.

Feeling Under the Weather

Yeah, well this is so typical. I've been running around with my head cut off for about 2 weeks and now that I can slow it down and relax a little I have a head cold. My head literary feels like it's going to explode. My oldest isn't feeling all that well either. I think we both caught the same cold. What a way to ruin vacation week.

The only thing I can do is rest and drink lots of fluids and I guess be happy we really didn't have any plans for the break. It's just a bummer. I was really looking forward to having a really great vacation with the girls. I'm sure we'll have some fun, but it's just not as enjoyable when I'm not feeling my best. I'm not sure I'll be able to tolerate The Chipmunk's movie with a headache. We'll have to see about that. My youngest really wants to go and normally I wouldn't mind taking her. That may have to happen later in the week. I'll just will myself better. It's not like I have time to be sick.

Surviving High School App for Tweens

Well my daughter has been waiting for Christmas to arrive with the hopes that Santa would bring her an itunes gift card. Well Santa delivered. She quickly entered the code and downloaded a game she had been playing, but only in the lite version which basically just gives you a taste of the game. If you want to play the full game you need to purchase it. This works really well for her because she can try out a game first before spending any money on it. Well she had been playing the lite version of Surviving High Schhol and really wanted the full version

She has it now and loves it. This game let's you choose who you'll be in high school. You can choose if you'll be a jock or popular or goth. You can choose who you'll hang out with and then face the results of your choice. She's been having fun with this one and I guess her friends have as well. I find that they all download similar apps and talk about them nonstop.

It does sound like fun and I may have to see if she'll let me have a try. Well that's her favorite app right now. Who knows next week she may find another one to grab her interest. They're are so many apps to explore out there and they're so addictive.

Merry Christmas 2009

I wish everyone a very safe and merry Christmas day. I know it's almost over, but I wanted to make sure I sent out my holiday wishes to everyone. It's been a busy day.

The girls woke up around 8:15. Santa leaves their stockings on their doors so it keeps them busy so we can sleep in a little. We ask for 8:00 and they usually comply. My youngest was up first of course and she was sitting outside my door when I opened it. She was so excited.

We headed down and they opened their presents. They loved everything and we had to start opening things up right away. Why do they make it so hard to get toys out of the boxes? My fingers are killing me. What a mess. It was a good mess though. We sat for a little bit before it was time to start cooking.

There was a lot to do and I was worried about the timing, but everything was great in the end. We of course had too much food and way too many desserts. Can anyone say left overs? Oh well I have no intention of cooking tomorrow. Actually I have no intention of doing anything tomorrow.

I find myself sitting here smiling remembering the wonderful day I just had with my family. We had wonderful food and wonderful company. We enjoyed each other and isn't that what it's all about? I hope everyone out there had a great day as well. Now it's time to clean up and get some sleep.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve the most magical night of the year is here. As I've stated I love Christmas time. I love the energy the kids have and giving presents. I love giving presents to people and seeing the look on their faces. It's the most wonderful feeling. Besides what other night could you catch a guy riding around in a flying sleigh.

Today we'll be busy cleaning up because Christmas dinner is at my house. We will also make yummy Christmas cookies for Santa. Busy day.

Tonight especially is amazing. We head off the mass around 3:30. My youngest daughter has been asked to be Mary in the Nativity they have right before mass and I am so excited. She is ecstatic. I think it will make a very special memory for her. It's an honor to play Mary. So thanks to my friend for asking. It means a lot.

After mass we will head to my mothers for a delicious fish dinner (spaghetti for my youngest). I just love Christmas eve. We will get home and usher the girls to bed as soon as possible. They never fight me on Christmas Eve because they know Santa doesn't come till they're fast asleep. Yes, then I will have 5 minutes with my husband before we collapse into bed for the early morning wake up. It really doesn't matter how old they are. They always get up early on Christmas morning. I don't mind though. I did the same thing at their age.

I wish everyone out there a safe and magical night.

Last Day of School Before Christmas

Yes, finally the kids are done with school till the 4th of January. My thinking is that it's one less thing I have to deal with and they need a break from school. I need a break from all the homework. When Christmas break arrives it's at the right time for everyone. We've been rushing around doing every Christmas activity imaginable and the kids are just spend and let's be real so am I. The day after Christmas you'll find me stretched out on my couch in my pajamas for the whole day. Thank you vacation.

My girls had a Christmas nativity show that they take part in at the school yesterday. I really enjoyed it. I love Christmas music and the kids all look so cute and excited. Well except for the middle school. They look limp and uninterested. I know it's the age, but still they could give it a try. My 12 year old is in 7th grade and they had to sing We Three Kings. They were hard to hear and I know they couldn't wait to go sit back down. They survived though and my daughter appeared to do her part. She looked cute and all grown up. When I picked her up she told me her friend next to her was lip syncing. Her father knew it too. He thought it was the best lip syncing he'd ever seen. Oh well. Now my younger daughter is in third grade and they sang Do You Hear What I hear and they rocked it. They really sang their little hearts out. It's sad that the older ones just aren't as interested. It's just not a cool thing to do at their age. Personally I think they should give them livelier songs to sing. All in all I loved the show. I am thrilled that they are now done with school till the new year.

My Girls Favorite Christmas Specials

Who doesn't love Christmas specials? Ever since I was little I have always loved watching the Christmas specials. My parents would let me stay up late and watch them. My bedtime was 8:00 and that's usually when they were on. I loved them all, but I think my favorite was always Santa Claus Is Comin to Town. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Why isn't it Rudolph ? Well it's a close second along with The Year Without a Santa Claus . I think I just really loved watching Santa meet Mrs. Claus. Yes, it's true I was a hopeless romantic at the age of 4.

Well now it's so easy to watch these specials because they have them on DVD and well there is the wonderful DVR so I never had to keep them up past their bedtimes. I think we own almost all of them and they do watch them at various times throughout the year.

Now my 12 year old's favorite Special is Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I think she likes the penguin and well the romantic aspects like me.

My 8 year old like Rudolph the best. Now I think if you ask kids as a whole this will be the winner. Who doesn't love the song let alone the movie.

So which one is your favorite?

Holiday Dog

Today I brought my dog, Penny, to the groomers to be all prettied up for Christmas. Penny hates going in the car and really hates to be away from me. She's a miniature Dachshund who basically spends her day following me around and sleeping. She looked so sad when I handed her off to the groomer and had the nerve to leave.

When I came to get her she practically jumped into my arms. She looked adorable and they gave her a festive kerchief to wear. This is the only clothing I put on her because she doesn't like clothing, but she doesn't seem to mind kerchiefs.

When my girls got home to school they couldn't wait to see her. They told me I should post a picture on my blog so here is my baby. She is all ready for Christmas. Don't you think she's cute?

I'm Exhausted and the Holidays Aren't Even Here Yet

Okay it has been a very long week. My youngest daughter had her Holiday Dance show which took up two evenings if you include the dress rehearsal on Thursday night. After the dance show I had a holiday party to attend which I enjoyed very much, but had to leave early because my older daughter and I were volunteering on the Polar Express. The Polar Express was exhausting. Some of the moms do it every year and I honestly don't know how they do it. Today my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to have a nice early holiday dinner with us. We always do Christmas a little early with them.

They just left a little while ago. We had a very nice after noon and the girls are excited about their gifts, but I'm exhausted. I cooked a big dinner and cleaned up the whole kitchen. Luckily my husband helped and the girls or I don't know how it would have gotten done. The dinner was really good and luckily there are leftovers which should make the week easier. I was worried about these au gratin potatoes I was making for the first time, but thankfully they were a big hit. A few people had seconds so that was a relief. I really don't like trying out recipes on company, but luckily it worked out.

This week looks to be even busier. The girls have things going on a school that I need to attend and well then there is Christmas Eve and Christmas. I love this time of year honestly I do. It's just that I end up feeling I'm being pulled in too many directions and there just isn't enough time to get everything done. Oh well there is no way around it. I'm just simply going to sleep all day on December 26th.

Take a Ride on the Polar Express

Every year my children's school holds a Polar Express fund raiser. They rent a train for most of the day and have 4 rides. On these rides passengers are treated to hot coco, a cookie and visits from some special guests. They take about a 30 minute train ride that we tell them goes to the North Pole just like the real Polar Express. Then its another 30 minutes back. The train is set up just like the book The Polar Express and the movie. There's a conductor and servers and they have a reader who reads the Polar Express dressed in their pj's. In fact we encourage all the passengers to wear their pj's. Most of the children do as well as a few adults. everyone really tries to get into the spirit.

The kids are treated with visits from Santa who gives out the first gift of Christmas. Mrs. Claus, Frosty and Rudolph and many elves make an appearance as well. Each child leaves with their very own silver bell.

Today was the day that this took place. My oldest daughter wanted to be one of the elves this year so I volunteered to be a server on her train rides. We got the early shift which meant we had to be there from about 11:00am until 2:30pm. It was crazy. There were so many people and little kids. The children were so excited about everything and people really seemed to have a great time. They just loved when we arrived at the North Pole and all the visitors started coming through the train. They even had letters ready to give to Santa's elves. There weren't any complaints. Though there were some sleeping children as they headed out. My daughter made an adorable elf and she had a great time with all her friends.

I'm completely exhausted. I really just want to go to sleep, but I need to clean my house as we have company coming tomorrow. The holiday season can be so busy.

Holiday Dance Show

Whenever my girls have to perform or participate in an activity where others are watching them I always worry that something will go wrong and they'll get upset. I mean what if they're doing a dance routine and everyone is going right, but they're going left. Yes, I realize it's not the end of the world, but to a child who is on stage performing it seems like it. I get this pit in my stomach and I sit on the edge of my seat until she steps off the stage. Actually, I have this feeling till I collect them from backstage. If they have a smile on their face everything is as it should be. I really just want them to have a good time. That's what dance is all about. If they run to me crying well, let's just say it's never a good thing.

Tonight my daughter had a holiday dance show. She was doing a jazz routine and would also take part in the opening number. She was so excited about the last part as she had never done that. I was thinking great one more thing for me to worry about. Honestly, though I don't know why I worry. I guess it's a crazy mom thing.

Well the music started for the opening number and the dancers came out one after another and bam she nailed it and I could see her face light up the stage. Next I was treated to a great show while I waited for her to come out for her routine. Now I actually had real concerns for this one because there was an issue with the costume the night of the dress rehearsal. Part of the costume was driving my daughter crazy and instead of concentrating on the dance she kept fiddling with it. I was hoping they had fixed it. There was nothing I could do about the item that was causing the issue because it had to be pinned on and she started the show in a different costume and moms aren't allowed back stage. When she came out on stage for her number I immeadiatly let out a sigh of relief. They deep sixed the annoying garment and what a difference it made. The girls and one very talented little boy did awesome and most importantly they all looked like they had a great time.

When I retrieved her after the show I was treated to a fabulous smile and hug and none stop talking about the show. Another great night and once again there was nothing for me to worry about. Though truth be told I don't think I'll ever stop. They'll always be my little girls.

God Bless Dance Teachers

Just got home from my daughters dress rehearsal for a holiday dance show she has tomorrow night. These kids are already so excited for Christmas coming and to get them to pay attention and listen to the instructions takes the patience of saints.

I was what they call a wrangler. Basically I sat with my daughter's class and made sure they didn't go anywhere. Not too difficult, but someone always has a question or wanders away to get closer to the stage to see the older kids perform. When it's time for them to go on stage I have to line them all up and make sure they have everything. Then there was the changing of costumes and the getting everything back together to go home. I really hope no one forgot anything. I checked twice, but you never know.

I'm home now, but there were still many more acts to go on after my daughters class was done and all those dance teachers were still there trying to talk over the giggling girls. I know a few of them won't have voices tomorrow. Even with the microphones they still had to yell. Well I wish them a quick end to the night, but I know that's not going to happen when they have each group redo their routines 2 or 3 times. It's crazy, but they just keep on trucking with smiles on their faces. I know I wouldn't be able to keep smiling so God bless dance teachers for giving time, patience and love to my daughter and all the other little dancers out there. They really do have a special gift.

Crazy Third Graders

Today was a special day for my daughters 3rd grade class. Each year the 3rd grade class at my daughters school buys presents for children at a local after school program that maybe don't get as many Christmas presents as they do. They are each given a name along with the age of a child. My daughter got a 10 year old girl. The price limit was $20.00. I had my daughter use her own money and pick out the gift she thought the girl would like. She loved doing this. She picked out a Harumika kit and a make-up kit from Justice. These were things she would like herself and they were things I thought a 10 year old would like. Of course we could only hope this was the case because we knew nothing about the little girl. We just hope she'll really like them.

The moms were invited into the school today to help them wrap the presents. We were asked to send in wrapping paper, tape and bows. This was such a good time. The kids had a blast wrapping all the presents. Most of them wanted to do it all themselves with just a little help from us. When they had them wrapped they attached a colorful bow and these great Christmas cards that they created for the kids. I think the cards were the best part. You could tell they really worked hard on them.

When the wrapping was done they were given these puzzles to color and had a snack. I wished the teacher good luck when I left because these kids were all hyped up. She told me she thought the rest of the day would be a wash. It pretty much was because I returned to the school later to help with art class. They were so wired. You can definitely feel Christmas coming. It's always fun to see the kids so excited. This is such a fun time of year.

Play Auditions For Alice in Wonderland

Today was the day that drama club started for my 12 year old. They are doing Alice in Wonderland this year. I find that very crazy considering she is now obsessed with the Alice movie that just aired on the SyFy Channel. Apparently Alice is haunting us.

Anyway she had to audition for a part today. Of course all the big parts always go to the 8th graders, but she's still hoping for a good part. She even had to sing. The teacher who runs it told her she did awesome so she came out on cloud nine. That's always a good thing. I really love it when she comes out with a smile on her face and today she totally did. I just hope she gets a part she'll like.

She wants me to get a hold of the old Alice in Wonderland movie so she can get acquainted The funny thing is I think I own every other Disney movie. Oh well Alice is really big right now. There's also the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland coming out in February. I have a feeling I'll be going to see that as well.

Alice a Hit With My Tween and Her Friends

As I mentioned last week there was a new mini series on the SyFy Channel entitled Alice. Basically a different look at the story of Alice. A very different look than the Disney version I saw as a child and to be completely honest I haven't had time to sit and watch it though I will at some point. I caught a few minutes only.

My 12 year old however went to a sleepover on Saturday and they watched all 4 hours of the mini series. They loved it. They fell in love with the Mad Hatter who was played by Andrew Lee Potter. Apparently there is a romance between him and Alice. I know that didn't happen in the Disney version. They love him more than Edward and Jacob from Twilight. That I can't believe, but hey he must be the flavor of the week. He is cute. I guess the chemistry between him and Alice was very well done. When my daughter came home from school today she said they were starting a fan club for him. I thought that was so cute. They're really serious about it. They even have an idea for a t shirt.

I look forward to seeing it now. I need to find the time. Someone out there needs to add more time to the day. I'm just so busy getting ready for the holidays now there is no time to sit and enjoy a good show on the TV. I guess that's why they show so many reruns this time of year.

Again I thank the brilliant people who created the DVR and on demand. It makes it so much easier to catch up on things I missed.

A Really Long Day

It's Sunday. I wanted to get a lot of things done today. The good news is that I pretty much got everything done I wanted to do. The bad is that it's about 10 pm and I am sitting down for the first time today. I'm totally exhausted, but happy at the same time that I got what I set out to do done.

Since it's Sunday I always get every one's clothes ready for the week. Since my girls wear uniforms they have to be ironed. It's a pain, but it must be done. I don't care if they say the clothes are wrinkle free they still look wrinkled to me and my kids don't go to school looking sloppy. So I spent some time doing all the laundry and ironing.

I went on my treadmill for about an hour because if I don't no one will do it for me. I always feel lousy when I don't work out in some way.

Before I knew it the day was coming to a quick close. I made a nice dinner which I along with my 8 year old had to wolf down as she had dance practice for the holiday show she's in. She's in the opening number this year and she's had I think 4 extra practices that have all landed on the weekend. It was pouring out so it was a pain getting there. I dropped her off only to return an hour and a half later. When I came back there was no where to park because it was almost the whole dance studio practicing. The waiting room had no room as there were coats, bags and Ugg boots everywhere. Luckily her class was one of the first to be dismissed and we made our way to the car. She was so happy. She had the best time and is so excited to be in the opening number with all the older kids. That made it all worth it even if we were both soaked.

When I got home I had to hurry her into a bath and get ready to make my chocolate truffles. I make them every Christmas and give them as gifts. It is a very long and tedious process, but one I wanted to get done today. I have to make the chocolate mixture that is the soft inside of the truffle and then let it harden for about an hour. When it hardens I have to roll it into balls. This takes forever. Sometimes the girls help me, but because I started so late they couldn't help. I finally finished and they are all in the frig and ready to be covered with another layer of chocolate tomorrow. No time left to do that tonight, but I never thought I'd get to that so I'm done for today.

I am so tired right now and my bed is looking very inviting. I'll be heading there very soon.

The Princess and the Frog

Well as far as my daughter and I are concerned Disney has a winner here with The Princess and the Frog. My husband and I took them to the 10:30 am showing this morning. I have to say I'm a huge fan of early morning movies. They tend to be less crowded and it leaves the rest of the day for other things. Not to mention the fact that it's cheaper. We were lucky this morning as we had two free tickets to the movie that we received while we were in Disney World in November. It was a great deal. If you had purchased entrance into any of the Disney Parks you received one free child's movie ticket so since there was two of us we got two tickets good only till the end of December. Never the less it's expensive to see movies so when you get any kind of discount you have to take advantage. My girls both wanted to see this and to be honest so did I. I love all the princess movies.

So how was it. It was fabulous. It had everything that I have been missing lately in Disney movies. I know that 3D is the new thing, but honestly I don't enjoy them all that much. I don't care for the glasses and well I just prefer the way the old movies look. My 8 year old hates 3D movies. She completely freaks out. Needless to say I loved the animation in this movie it was colorful and real. The characters were fabulous. Tiana is a wonderful addition to the princesses. She's a hard working girl that you really route for. You want her to get her dream and it's wonderful to watch her fall in love. The prince is also very entertaining and you really see him grow up throughout the movie. The supporting cast of characters are also great. You really come to love Louis the crocodile and Ray the firefly. Oh and Tiana's friend Charlotte is hysterical.

The villain wasn't too scary though he may frighten really small children though none in our theater seemed disturbed and we had some real little ones in there. They kept him very colorful. My girls weren't bothered by him though they are 8 and 12.

My youngest loved the movie she really liked Louis and Charlotte. She thought they were hilarious. Oh and I should mention that my daughter loves frogs. In fact if you ask her what her favorite animal is she'll answer a red eyed tree frog. I have no idea why she has just always liked them. Her favorite color is green so she loved that the princess turned into a frog and then her dresses seemed to always have a shade of green in them. This princess won my daughter at the get go.

My advice go see this movie whether you have children or not it is vastly entertaining. The music is wonderful the animation refreshing and the message wonderful. You should always work hard for your dreams to come true, but never loose sight of what's important.

Christmas Shopping Done

That's it I'm done. I have just returned from the mall with my girls. It was crazy packed which I wasn't really expecting. Usually after school and dinner time it tends to quiet down. Well not today. We only got a parking spot because we were lucky enough to go down an aisle when someone was leaving. It was a great spot too so that was good.

The mall was so hot probably because it was so full. I couldn't wait to get out of there and wouldn't you know my daughter couldn't decide what she wanted to get her friend for secret Santa. Oh and not to mention when we enter a mall they want to go in all their usual stores. I understand that and I tried to accommodate, but it was hot and I was tired and hungry. I'm still hungry. I have to make dinner, but I really don't want to get off the couch where I'm typing this.

We finally were able to find what we were looking for and I can't think of any other presents I need to purchase. I don't have to go back to the mall and I don't plan to. I don't think they'll miss me though. That place was packed like sardines.

Of course this doesn't mean I'm done with Christmas stuff. I still have other things to do, but I'm done with the mall. The surprising thing is my girls wanted to leave as badly as I did. That never happens.

No More Glee Till April

I can't believe there won't be another episode of Glee until April and neither can my daughter and her friends. They are not happy. They look forward to this show every week and so do I.

The fall finale as they called it was great. The didn't leave us hanging which I appreciated, but they did leave us wanting more. Let me give you a quick run down of what happened in the exciting fall finale.

First off Rachel tells Finn that Quinn's baby is actually Puck's baby. He was so not happy and quit the Glee club and wanted nothing to do with any of them. Also Mr. Shue is unable to go to Sectionals so he asks Emma to take over for him which causes her fiance to get angry. At sectionals the group finds out that the other two groups have stolen their numbers because Sue leaked their set list. This set things in motion for the dramatic return of Finn who comes to save the day with an awesome song choice. You Can't Always Get What You Want It was great one of the best ones all season. Oh and by the way Rachel did an amazing solo to Don't Rain On My Parade The girl really is talented. The final song they did was My Life Would Suck Without You The kids sang this for Mr. Shue when they get back from sectionals. They won by the way.

Oh I almost forgot Sue was suspended for leaking the set list and basically recking havoc on the Glee Club. Yeah justice for a change. She vowed to return and really go after them. Should be an awesome spring. Oh and the best part is Mr. Shue running to stop Emma from leaving the school. She quit when her fiance dumped her and she decided it was just too hard to look at Mr. Shue and be heartbroken. Apparently she doesn't have to worry about that because the episode ended with a kiss. Now what will happen? I have no clue but I look forward to more. I just can't believe we have to wait till April to get new episodes. It's just not right.

The Snow Day That Should Have Been

I knew it was coming honestly I did. I saw the weather last night and so did my girls. It called for snow changing over to rain When the change over would come and how much snow we would get was a mystery. It's always a mystery. It's not the weather mans fault. Things change hour to hour around here. We're used to this.

Well I woke up this morning and looked out my window and it was really snowing. I thought well the girls probably have the day off or at least a delay. Oh no there would be none of that. I checked on the Internet and they had school so I woke them and my husband early because I knew the ride would be horrible. My oldest was fit to be tied. She looked outside and looked at me like I was crazy for telling her she had school. She grumbled until she got in the car. I suspect she grumbled all the way to school. I don’t blame her. Who doesn't want a snow day? Snow days rock as my 8 year old would say. You get to hang around in your pj's and watch movies and go out and play in the snow. What's better than that?

Well a tractor trailer couldn't get up a hill near my house because the roads were not plowed well. This caused a major back up. My husband sat on that street for a good half an hour. He managed to get them to school by 9:15. That wasn't really all that bad, but he told me most of the buses hadn't even arrived at the school yet so the girls weren't marked tardy. I really didn't care if they were I was aggravated they had school at all because it didn't look like it was going to clear up anytime soon.

Around 1:00 I was volunteering at my 8 year old's art class so I headed to the school. It finally changed over to rain and honestly it just made things a sloppy mess. It was just gross. Oh and the school parking lot wasn't plowed yet. I don't know what was taking them so long. Inside the school everyone was complaining about the ride in and what a mess it was out. I told them it really wasn't getting that much better. When I came out of the art class I was thrilled to find the plows had arrived and were plowing me in. This day just keeps getting better. I quickly got to my car getting my pants soaked in the process and headed out of the parking lot. I had to return an hour later at this point we were having terenchal rain and the wind was blowing like crazy.

I'm finally at home and happy to be here out of this awful weather. It amazes me how crazy the weather can be here in New England. As I sit here and type this we are having a thunder and lightening storm. This has been one crazy day that I wish could have been spent at home. Let me rephrase that it's a day I should have spent at home.

Wisp a Great Product for Tweens with braces

Most tweens need braces. It's just part of growing up. You go to the dentist and then wham it's time to visit the orthodontist. This was not a surprise. Honestly, I knew my daughter would need braces and she wanted them badly. When I was taking pictures she would try to hide her teeth. I felt so bad. She had prefect baby teeth, but when the new ones grew in they grew out a little too far. It's normal for that to happen and can be fixed very quickly by braces. In fact she's had her braces for almost a year and you can really see the difference.

One of the great things I've discovered in this whole process is this great product Wisp that Colgate put out there. It's a tiny toothbrush that already has a dab of toothpaste on it and no rinsing is required. It's so great for her to take to school to brush her teeth quickly after lunch. It's a pain for her to bring a toothbrush and toothpaste. Food is always getting stuck in the braces. When I pick her up after school for her tightening she can quickly brush them in the car. They are truly a great invention. They come in 3 flavors peppermint, spearmint and cinnamint. My daughters favorite flavor is cinnamint.

I love anything that makes my life easier and this definitely does so thanks Colgate. Of course I always wonder why didn't I think of that?

Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation a Hit

Well we sat down and watched Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation and all I can say is it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it. It had everything you would want in a Christmas special.

Basically Phineas and Ferb want to thank Santa for all the things he's done so they build him a rest stop. However, things get turned around when Dr. Doofenshmirtz decides that he doesn't like Christmas and everyone in town gets put on Santa's naughty list. Phineas and ferb take matters into their own hands and sing a song on a local radio station that gets Santa's elves attention. They come to get to the bottom of things, but it's too late to have Santa deliver presents so Phineas and Ferb and the whole gang have to take over for Santa in their town. In the end they find out that Santa knew the whole time and was just trying to make Phineas's Christmas wish come true. Apparently Phineas wanted to be like Santa. It was a very cute special. My girls without a doubt would watch it again. My 8 year old has already watched it twice. Even my 12 year old enjoyed it and with her you never know anymore.

If you get a chance sit down and watch this with the kids. I think it's a fun show that everyone can enjoy.

Alice on the Syfi Channel

My daughter is so excited because the Syfi Channel has a new miniseries starting tonight with a new take on Alice in Wonderland. My daughter has a great imagination and very much like me she loves science fiction and fantasy shows so when she saw this advertised she cued it right up to tape. It will be on too late for her to watch tonight. I sometimes let the bedtime slide a little, but the show starts at 9 and ends at 11. That's much to late.

I'm not sure what I think about them making a more modern movie. Honestly sometimes I think they should just leave things alone. Maybe they're running out of ideas. I did enjoy Tin Man last year, but I just thought of it as a completely different entity because honestly it was just so different from the Wizard of Oz that I grew up on. I think that's the way I'll look at this show and I hope I will enjoy it. Most of all I hope it doesn't disappoint my daughter. I'll let you know what I think and what she thinks after we catch it later this week.

Phineas and Ferb Christmas Special

One of my girls favorite shows is Phineas and Ferb. Even my oldest will sit and watch it for that matter my husband loves it. Sometimes I come downstairs to find him watching it when the kids aren't even around. I have to admit the show is funny in a very silly way. You really can't help, but laugh.

The basic premise is that these 10 year old boys Phineas and Ferb come up with these crazy things to do every day. When I say crazy I mean they built these massive things like roller coasters in their back yard or fly into space. Their sister Candace is always trying to get them in trouble with their mother, but by the time the mom comes to look the contraption they've built is gone.

There is also a side story with Perry their pet platypus who is actually a secret agent in disguise who needs to stop his arch nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz. He gets foiled every time by Perry and it usually ends up having something to do with what Phineas and Ferb are doing.

Well they have a brand new Christmas special coming out tomorrow on Disney XD. My husband set it to tape as soon as he saw it advertised. They are also planning to air it on the Disney Channel and ABC Family. I'm sure it will be great, but I will give a review after I watch it with the kids. I will say if you haven't had a chance to check this show out you may want to give it a try. It's something fun you can watch with the kids and my guess is you'll enjoy it as much as they do. Sometimes it's nice to just sit down and watch something silly.

Cupcakes Always a Crowd Pleaser

Ever since my youngest was about 4 years old I have made cupcakes whenever there is a play date. I don't know why I started doing it, but the kids have always seemed to like it so I continued to do it.

I usually have them made and then let them frost them and decorate. It's both an activity and a snack. I figure you can't go wrong. They love it and it's fun to watch them make these crazy looking cupcakes and eat them.

Now my older one doesn't seem to be as interested in the cup cakes anymore (though she still eats them), but my youngest is still in full cup cake mode. Today I had two of her friends over after Brownies. I got them pizza and I had the cup cakes ready at home. I told them I had them for them and the shrieked with delight. That made me smile. It's nice to know little things can make them happy. Now if only it would remain that way.

Well as long as the girls enjoy the cupcakes I will keep making them. They definitely enjoyed them today. The mom's were happy to receive some to take home as well. Everyone likes a sweet treat once in awhile. I may even sneak one later. They just look so good.

Finally on Glee

Last night on Glee we were finally treated to one of the characters getting a clue. Mr. Schuester was searching for his pocket square and stumbled upon her baby bump padding. I'm not sure if it was my daughter or me but someone in the room yelled "Yes, about time." It took all season, but finally Mr. Schuester has found out that his wife has been faking her pregnancy. How he didn't know before now I have no idea. I mean really she wouldn't let him even touch her. What husband doesn't feel the real baby bump? Now we just have to hope that he'll divorce her and get together with Emma. My guess is they'll drag that storyline out for awhile. I'm just happy he knows about the wife.

Now the Glee club kids were all worried about taking a yearbook picture because it usually gets vandalized. None of the kids wanted to take the picture except for Rachel. The fabulous overachiever that she is. In the end they took a picture and came together as a team. It was fabulous. Now onto the regionals.

Best song of the night was definitely their rendition of Jump that they performed while making a commercial for a local mattress store. It was so much fun watching them jump around on the mattresses singing this song. It really made me want to jump around like crazy. All in all another great episode. Really looking forward to next weeks episode.

The Goonies Still a Great Movie

Last night while waiting for my husband to watch what we had on the DVR from Monday night I was flicking through the channels. I do this a lot. Not just on the TV but also in the car. I can't help myself. Anyway I came across The Goonies on some cable channel. Honestly can't remember which one there are just so many. Needless to say I stopped on it and couldn't stop laughing. It was right at the beginning where Data comes flying through the screen door using one of his crazy inventions. Then they are getting ready to move out and the mother hires a Spanish speaking housekeeper to help her get things ready. She is unable to speak Spanish so she asks one of the boys, Mouth, to help translate. He tells her all kinds of crazy things and my daughter and I just couldn't stop laughing. I'm telling you it is just such a great movie. I remember going to see it twice in the theater when it first came out in the 80's. To this day it remains a movie that I don't mind watching again and again.

I really liked that my daughter was enjoying it too. It's nice to know that movies that I liked at her age still hold their entertainment value. We didn't watch the whole movie as we ended up watching Lie To Me. I love that show. Never the less The Goonies has been on my mind today and just thinking about it makes me smile. What a fun movie. If you've never seen it check it out. It's about a group of kids that end up going on a treasure hunt right before their homes are going to be destroyed by land developers. It's a great adventure and it's rated PG so it's good clean fun.

Growth Spurts

Okay so I'm looking at my 8 year old the other day and I notice her pants are looking a little short. Now those pants were just bought in September so usually they would last at least until the spring. I'm hoping it's just those pants, but no such luck most of her size 8 pants are looking short. No problem. I still have her sister's pants and Christmas is coming so I'll get her some new ones for Christmas. It's a little bit frustration though. The child is getting really tall fast and she has these really long legs.

Okay one child having a growth spurt is one thing, but the other one said to me this morning. "Mom I need new school pants these are getting too short." Seriously they are both growing out of their clothes at the same time. Oh and right before Christmas. I don't want to be buying uniform pants when I just bought them 2 months ago. You would think they could at least have these growth spurts at different times to save mom some money, but no that would make my life too easy. We wouldn't want that to happen.

Oh and did I mention my oldest is just about taller than me. Not that it's a difficult feet to accomplish. I mean I'm only a little over 5 ft and my husband is 6 ft so it was bound to happen. I just didn't expect it so soon. Can't they stay my tiny little girls a little longer? Is it really too much to ask?

Homework Meltdown

I'm fairly certain that the meltdown I just had to endure was a result of going back to school after a long weekend. This morning when the alarm went off I'll admit that I grumbled and didn't want to get out of my nice comfy bed and get ready for the day. It was even worse when I had to wake the girls up. They never really want to wake up to go to school, but this morning was ugly. There was a lot of grumbling and pulling of the covers over their heads. I managed to get them out of the house on time so everything seemed fine.

Well when they got out of school everything still seemed fine. Same old same old. We came home they had a snack and then it was homework time. My 8 year old did it with no problem. Of course her homework is a spelling sheet and a math sheet. It was the 12 year old that lost it. She had to make up a periodic table for science class using anything she wanted. It didn't seem that bad to me and I'm sure if she stopped and calmly thought of it she would have thought it was fine as well. Unfortunately that's not what happened. There was complaining, crying and more complaining. I tried to talk to here during this whole thing, but that only made it worse because apparently I don't understand. Actually I understood perfectly well. Her teacher gave her an assignment that required her to really think about something and she really just wanted to come home and veg in front of the TV. I still understand she's tired, but it's tuff. She wants a good grade in the class therefore she needs to do her homework end of story.

She was able to complete it in twice the time it should have taken her, but she is done and so am I. Is it time for bed yet? Oh, no it's not she actually has plenty of time to make a disaster out of my kitchen because she felt like making chocolate chip cookies after the meltdown. Chocolate really does make everything better. Oh and not to mention it will be a late night because the Patriots are playing in the Monday Night Football game. I'm a sports nut so I will stay up and support my team, but they better win. Go Pats!

The Aftermath of a Sleepover

Anyone who has a tween has had to deal with the dreaded sleepover. There is no way to avoid them. I held off as long as I could, but by the time the my oldest was 10 I had to give in. She's fairly seasoned at this point and so are we. We know she will go and have a great time. It's the next day that makes us all sorry.

Last night she stayed over at one of her good friend's houses. It was a sleepover party and there were 5 tween girls. This is all good. These girls get along great and they barely ever fight. How can this be you may ask? No, clue but at least that's one thing I didn't have to worry about.

My main concern is if sleep is going to be involved in the sleepover. Well my daughter was the last to fall asleep at the lovely time of 2:00am and was awoken by the child who fell asleep at 11:00pm very early. So early in fact my daughter was grumbling about it.

I arrived to get her at 11:00am and I could tell it was going to be a long rest of the day. She looked exhausted, but had a great time. This is the way it goes. There is no way this day was going to turn out any different.

My youngest daughter gets the brunt of it. There was a lot of slamming of doors and yelling at each other before my youngest decided she would head outside and play with the neighbors. She knows a no win situation when she sees one. That leaves me and my husband to watch the implosion. She has stubbed her toe and scratched her own face. Not really sure how she did that. I convinced her to take a shower and we think she just went upstairs to have a rest. I won't call it a nap, but I'm hoping she falls a sleep for at least an hour. She needs to sleep. We all need for her to sleep.

Santa Parade and Afternoon with Hubby

Today was the day my youngest was dancing in a local parade with the dance studio she attends. My oldest wasn't into it so she opted out. Anyway we had to get her to the meeting place a half hour before the parade dressed a certain way. Now it's not really what I would call really cold yet, but there was quite a wind blowing today. The car was being blown all over the place. When we arrived at the meeting place my husband had to drop me and my daughter off and circle the parking lot because everyone else in town was getting dropped off as well. The place was full of parents running their kids to meet up with their groups. It was organized chaos. The best kind.

When I arrived at my daughters group I was given bobby pins and a toy soldier hat to put on her head. I knew she was wearing a hat that's why I put this massive bun on top of her head. It looked like she was wearing a crown. The concern was the hat would blow off in the crazy wind. I put as many pins as I could in and got a couple complaints as I did it and had to readjust. All I could do was hope the hat would still be there when she passed me on the parade route.

I walked all the way back in search of my husband. Next we headed off to friends who live on the parade. The parade started and it was so much fun. My friends little boys loved it and my nieces and even my older daughter got into the swing of things. Different groups threw candy and that always gets the kids excited. My daughters group was adorable. They danced as wooden soldiers and saluted us and she waved as she passed by with a big smile on her face. She was looking for us. We stand at the same spot every year so it makes things easy. Oh and the hat stayed on her head. That was a miracle. There really was this crazy wind. A few minutes after she passed my husband hopped in the car to pick her up at the end of the parade. He got her back in time to see the end of the parade. She got some candy and the most important thing of all she got to see Santa riding on a fire engine. She was thrilled last year she didn't get to see any of the parade herself. Well we aim to please. Everyone had a smile on their faces including my husband and me because the kids all packed into my mother's car to spend the afternoon helping her decorate for Christmas. Well my oldest was going to a birthday party, but the point is we were child free for the afternoon.

We headed out for a nice quite lunch and the went to the movies. It was my husbands pick and as long as it's not a horror flick I'm fine with it. Well we were going to see The Blindside, but the timing was off so he picked Ninja Assassin. All I'm going to say is that this movie is in no way for kids or for some adults. I had my eyes closed for 75% of the movie. There was so much blood I honestly wonder if the majority of the budget for the movie was spent on fake blood. Now don't get me wrong I love action movies and that's what I thought this was and to some extent it was just with way to much blood for me. My husband thought it was okay. You never really know till you see it. We are now hanging out at home watching The Chronicles of Riddick. I love this movie. I am a huge Vin Diesel fan. Now this is an action movie I can enjoy.

My youngest should be home any second and my guess is she will be exhausted from dancing down main street. So my afternoon off is just about over. That's okay I look forward to seeing my little munchkin. The oldest is staying over a friends so it should be quiet. No fighting over the TV.

Black Friday

I'm not one of those wake up early and camp out at stores to get the Door Buster deals. I just can't do it. Last night I was stuffed and feeling quite content. I had no desire to set my alarm and head out in the pouring rain. Not to mention if I did I'd have to stand out in that rain to get those great deals. Also there wasn't anything that really got me excited in the flyers.

However, when I woke up around 8:30 I thought I want some Dunkin Donuts coffee and the kids would probably like some munchkins so I headed out. Well there is a Target a couple of minutes from my house and I thought why not. There were a few things I could pick up. It was crowded and I was surprised to see so many families out shopping. The thing I like about Target is even when it's crowded the clerks are happy to help you and the lines seem to move rather quickly. I appreciate that. They didn't have the items I wanted, but a clerk did go out of his way to check for me so props to Target's costumer service.

I returned home and got the kids ready and my husband for a trip to the mall. Yes, I'm crazy, but my daughter needed to get her good friend a birthday present and she wanted to get it at Aeropostale. My husband really didn't want to come with me, but he wanted a book at the bookstore and honestly I didn't know if I would last long enough to get what he wanted. Well we headed out and you know it's not going to be pretty when the road going to the mall is jammed. My husband was not happy especially after we had to drive around for quite awhile to get a spot. We got a fairly good one, but again it's pouring rain.

The mall itself was crazy and why was everyone in Aeropostale. Oh, I know because everything except the bear my daughter wanted to get her friend was 50% off. Well they were pretty organized. They had people taking hangers and security devices off while we stood in line. Oh and gave us candy canes. So again props to the people at Aeropostale for making my shopping on Black Friday not too crazy. My husband could not find his book so we headed out because we didn't need anything else and there was no point in staying in the mob. We tried another book store for my husband and unfortunately they didn't have the book either so he got a different one and then we were basically done and went home to have left overs.

We survived Black Friday and I hope everyone else out there did as well. I bet some people got some great deals. Someone had to because they were all gone by the time I got my butt out of bed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is one of my favorite holiday's of the year. The one we spend surrounded with family eating wonderful food and being thankful for everything we are lucky enough to have in our lives.

I am very thankful for all my family and friends that I have in my life and will remember the ones who are no longer with me. I miss them all very much and keep them in my thoughts today. The holidays can be hard when you're missing family, but I know they're with us in spirit and always will be. They will never be forgotten.

Now as I sit hear typing this post while my daughters watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and arguing with me about what they're going to wear (seriously my 8 year old used to wear whatever I put on her bed) I realized I need to get my butt in gear and get busy. I have a broccoli casserole to make and I'm due at my mom's house around noon. So I wish every one out there a very happy, safe and delicious Thanksgiving.

Grandparents Day, Linner and Baking

Today has been busy since I dragged myself out of bed this morning and I'm still not done. It started with getting the girls all ready in their formal school uniforms (my oldest hates this and I made her wear her skirt) for Grandparents Day at school. Every year on the day before Thanksgiving their school puts on this wonderful show or as they call it a liturgy for the grandparents of all the children. The grandparents love it and so do the children. It's just a very busy crazy day.

First the grandparents are offered a breakfast and then are allowed to visit the kids in their classrooms. They allowed the parents to join this year so I got to go with my parents. The girls were so happy to see them. My younger one showed them her desk while the older showed her locker neither one all that neat, but what can you do. Then it was time to head over to the over crowded church to enjoy the liturgy. My parents were able to find a seat, but parents are asked to stand. My feet are killing me. I shouldn't have worn heels.

Each class performs one or two songs. The girls did great, though my older daughter's line got mixed up and she ended up behind a much taller girl by mistake. It was really too bad because one set of grandparents weren't able to see her. Nothing I could do there, but I felt bad. I could barely see her. They had a great time doing it. Everyone was happy. Then it was a mad dash to dismiss them from their classrooms. I tell you it's like a stampede. I was able to maneuver my way in threw a side door and come out with them fairly quickly. Thank you to whoever opened the side door. Then it was home and time for them to change for linner. They would never go out in their uniforms if it can be avoided.

Linner is what we call a meal between lunch and dinner. I have no idea if other people use this word, but we do and we think we're very clever. HA HA. We ate at the Longhorn Steak House and it was great. I hate cooking a meal the day before Thanksgiving so linner helped me avoid that. Yay me!

Now I have to end this post as I have to make a chocolate cream pie and brownies for tomorrows dinner at my moms. I love Thanksgiving. I really can not wait to sit with my family and enjoy a delicious meal. Oh and maybe a nice glass of wine.

Parent Teacher Conferences

My girls were lucky this week. They have had half days of school Monday and Tuesday and of course Wednesday. The school does this so they are able to have conferences during the afternoon on Monday and Tuesday.

Today was my day to meet with the teachers. I always get nervous. I get this nervousness in my stomach and my palms get sweaty. Oh and the night before I have difficulty sleeping. I honestly don't know why this happens it's just the way I am. It really is the strangest thing because I have never had a bad conference for my girls and I have already seen their report cards which were great.

So I head in with about 5 teachers to see. My 8 year old still only has 1 teacher, but my 12 year old has like 7. I asked her who she wanted me to see and there were really only 4 so that made it easy.

No problem with my 12 year old. In fact one teacher looked at me and asked me why I was there. I told her my daughter wanted me to check in with her so the conference honestly lasted about a minute. I found that entertaining. All of her teachers think she's sweet and doing her best so no worries.

My 8 year old again is a really hard working student and her teacher loves her. The only thing is we need to work on her spelling. Not necessarily her spelling test, but her being able to retain the words she has already been tested on. I feel for my daughter. I'm a terrible speller and so is my husband. I just thank God for spell check or I would be in big trouble. Her teacher gave me some ideas and I'll definitely give them all a try. I want her to be confident and have a great year. All in all nothing I wasn't ready to hear or didn't already know.

So why the nervousness before the conferences. Well I think I always want the best for my children and I want their teachers to know that they are great kids and are doing their best. I want the teachers to see my children the way I do and thankfully they do and I'm so happy with all of them this year. Hopefully it will continue to be a great year.

Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping

Every year it's the same and every year I try to avoid the nightmare of holiday shopping, but no it doesn't seem to matter when I hit the grocery store before Thanksgiving. It's always going to be ugly.

I usually do my weekly shopping on Monday or Tuesday so I was going anyway to restock the house. The place was crazy. The parking lot was getting really full when I arrived, but I didn't have a problem finding a spot. Lucky for me. The aisles inside were so crowded because not only were they full with people trying to find everything to make their holiday perfect they were also full with clerks trying to restock the shelves that had been emptied. It was like an obstacle course. To make matters worse many people in the aisles seem to believe they are the only ones shopping so they park their carts in the middle of the aisle so you are unable to get by. If you say excuse me half of them ignore you and continue about their business. It's very frustrating. I held it together though and smiled and said excuse me till my throat hurt.

When I completed my shopping I headed for the check out lines. They were all open and each one had at least 3 people waiting. Again I just grinned and bared it. I was in the home stretch after all. I spoke to the girl at the check out and she told me it had been this crazy since yesterday. I felt bad for her because she said there was no time for them to have breaks. I don't think that's right. Everyone needs a break.

I headed out to my car and found that the parking lot was completely full. In fact someone saw me heading for my car and followed. They sat with their blinker on waiting while I loaded my groceries. I find that so annoying. It makes me feel like I have to rush. Needless to say I did and headed out of the lot hoping that I didn't forget anything because I don't want to go anywhere near that place until after Thanksgiving.

Another Fun App for Tweens

Well as I've already told you I had a car full of tweens yesterday. Well a couple of them had their itouches with them. My daughter being one of those. We really do have to pry it out of her hands.

They were all talking about and playing this game called Wedding Dash. It's very similar to Cooking Dash and Diner Dash. Basically you are a wedding planner and you run around seating people and getting them their food and handing out gifts and any other wedding things you can think of. Basically just trying to make the guest happy. It's crazy fast paced. Needless to say the girls really love playing it. They were all huddled around the two itouches telling each other what to do. So if you're looking for a new app to try this one may be a good choice.

My Tween Loved New Moon

Just returned from taking my 12 year old and 4 of her friends to see New Moon. They loved it. They were squealing before the movie started, during and after. It was definitely a hit with them and they can't wait for Eclipse to come out because the movie left them with such a cliff hanger.

My daughter is a huge Edward fan, but a few of her friends like Jacob so there was some silliness going on with who is better for Bella. They were so cute about it. Both Edward and Jacob fans had their moments in the movie so everyone was happy. Oh and they all loved Alice. There was no debate about that.

My head is still spinning from the car ride, but I'm glad they had a great time enjoying the movie together and well I got to see it again so I can't complain. Looking forward to when the DVD comes out. I wonder how many deleted scenes there will be. I want more.

New Moon

Well today I attended the 10 am showing of New Moon with a friend who luckily arrived when the doors opened or we wouldn't have been able to see the show. She told me there were swarms of fans going in when the theater opened. It was a little frightening. The theater was packed full of women and even a few guys. Luckily they weren't a rowdy bunch. That's one reason I never attend midnight showings of any movie. People tend to be so excited that you can't here the movie.

The movie itself was awesome. It was a wonderful adaption of the book. There were only a few things I found disappointing. I was really hoping that we would see when Bella and Edward were flying back from Italy and the scene when they arrive back home and Bella won't let go of Edward. Yes, they are minor things and honestly I understand that not everything from the book can be in the movie. They're just scenes that have always stuck in my head.

I found the acting to be so much better than the last movie. I absolutely loved Alice. She was just like in the book. Bella was wonderful. You really could feel her pain and anguish. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked Jacob in the movie when in the book I found him annoying and immature. Props to Taylor Lautner on winning me over though I will always be and Edward fan. I loved the Volturi scenes though I would have liked more of Jane. Edward was amazing in them and Bella was as well.

All in all worth the money and a second viewing I will be going with my daughter and her friends tomorrow. She's a little upset with me that I saw it before her. I guess I'm a mean mom because well I made her go to school and well all the shows for today and tonight are completely sold out. I really don't enjoy going to the movies on Friday nights anyway. It tends to be the annoying audiences at that time of night.

I'm sure my daughter will love this movie, but I will give a full report of her and her friends reaction tomorrow.

Glee a Winner Again

Well another Glee and another happy smile on my face and my daughters. The only thing missing last night was Sue Sylvester the cheer leading coach. She's crazy funny, but the show was still great without her.

This one had to do with pairing up and singing a ballad to your partner. They have to pick the partner out of a hat. This leads to some interesting pairings.

Rachel ends up with a crush on Mr. Schuester. It's very funny and gives us some great songs.

Mr. Schuester sings a melody of Don't Stand So Close to Me . It was great. Rachel didn't get the hint, but that only made it more fun.

Rachel and Mr. Schuester sang Endless Love it was great.

Finn sang I'll Stand By You to his unborn baby. This was so sweet.

The best of all was the full cast singing Lean On Me to Quinn and Finn after Quinn gets kicked out of her house when her parents find out she's pregnant. Finn's mom takes her in.

All in all another great episode not my favorite of the season, but I enjoyed it and look forward to next week. Bring on the Glee!