It is The Greatest Show!

The movie that was so poorly marketed that I had no desire to see it?  The Greatest Showman.

The movie that created a huge buzz on my Facebook newsfeed by many of my friends and prompted me to want to see it?  The Greatest Showman.

The movie that had me running back to the theatre to see it again and again?  The Greatest Showman.

The movie I couldn't believe how many of my friends told me they went back to the theatre to see it again?  The Greatest Showman.

The movie that has us singing the soundtrack on a continual loop?  The Greatest Showman.

WOW!  What a movie!  This is my newest obsession; trying to convince everyone I know to stop what their doing and go see the movie ASAP.  It is amazing!  And totally lived up to the hype by my friends who had seen it before I did.

Gosh, I love a good musical!  And when you go to see it a 2nd time, you get a big smile on your face because you know how great it is going to be.

PS. I can count on one hand the movies that I felt compelled to see again in a movie theatre.  I believe the last time was "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".  And before that it was "Hidden Figures" and "Goodwill Hunting".  And before that "Grease".

Snow, please.

We are in that time of year when we closely watch the weather forecast and hang on every word the meteorologist says wishing to hear that lovely word "snow".   From Winter Break to Spring Break it's rare to have a full week of school.  There have been teacher work days, school holidays, and a string of two hour delayed openings having us be successful so far.

The county we live in is very quick to be overly-cautious and close school in a heartbeat if there is any sign of ice or snow accumulation. The kids wake up each day and ask if they have to go to school that day or if its opening on time.  It's pretty funny. We've had a string of chances of snow or a light dusting, but nothing report worthy.

We want a big snowfall.  A blizzard would be nice. Something that shuts the city down and gives us a chance to be stuck at home.  A chance for the kids to go sledding.  A chance to get sick of the snow.  This is what we all want. We have all these snow days built into the school year -- 13 of them!  We don't get them back if we don't use them, so let's use them!

The last two years have been disappointing on the amount of snow we've gotten.  Each year the kids and I get hopeful that this will be the year...another snowmageddon!

New milestone.

Ian is in full Bar/Bat Mitzvah partying mode.  On average he is going to one every other weekend.  The majority of them Jeff and I are not invited to and we do a drop-off and pick-up for Ian.  Each party has its own uniqueness to it. 

This past weekend he attended one that was kids only and they turned the community center into a big dance environment, complete with DJ, loud music, and neon, strobe lights.  The DJ has an assistant or two and they orchestrate games, dancing, and lots of activities to keep the kids entertained. 

I picked Ian up and asked him if they played any slow songs for the kids to dance to.  Ian said "Yes."  Of course my next question was "Did you dance with anyone?"  Ian said "Yes" again.  You can see where this is going...I had to ask "Who did you dance with?".  Ian said it was with the Bat Mitzvah girl herself.  From the information Ian shared with me, all her friends came running to Ian and said, "You are going to dance with Andie, right?"  So Ian said yes. While Ian was dancing with her (only one other boy was dancing with a girl), all Andie's friends were circling around them taking video with their cellphones. 

Oh my gosh.  How cute is this??  One can only assume that Andie must really like Ian.  Aw.  I asked Ian if this was the first time he had ever danced with a girl and he said yes.  This was a milestone moment for Ian. 

I am begging Ian for someone to text the video they took of Ian and Andie dancing  Which by the way, went on for 3 songs!!!  Ian isn't going to any great trouble to get it to me.  Of course not, but I can hope.  I am just impressed that Ian even told me as much information as he did.

The end of crazy

I wake up each day with a sense of freedom that I haven't had in a very long time.  My part-time job with The Crazy Man has dwindled down next to almost nothing.  He has moved to his new place; a retirement community in Chevy Chase, MD.  This is a good thing.  However, he has abandoned his house he was living in and there is still a ton of crap all over the place that needs to be discarded.  It's either old furniture he no longer wants, or filing cabinets filled with old files, or shelves that hold a whole wall of books, or closets full of all kinds of clothing.  Its not pretty what this house looks like. So that is not a good thing. 

The realtor can't begin renovations to get it ready to sell until everything is gone.  Meanwhile, The Crazy Man is paying both a mortgage and a HUGE monthly fee to live in this posh community.  This is going to pose a pretty big problem for him sooner rather than later because he really needs the proceeds from the sale of the house to afford him the new place.  Not only does he not have enough money to keep this going for much longer, but his ability to check his balance on his bank accounts is not so easy for him to do anymore since I stopped working for him and gave him timely updates on what funds he has available. Again, not a good thing.

Randomly I'll get a call or two from someone he has hired to work for him looking for something specific. It's an easy question for me to answer and then I'm done.  I am intrigued by this because the person who calls me has a strong accent and I know for a fact The Crazy Man can't deal with people who don't speak English as a first language.

There are many more idiosyncrasies going on, but honestly, its exhausting to think about.  I do know I set up the appointment for Verizon to install his new phone, tv, and Internet, plus forward his new number to the people who call his old number.   He missed being there for the appointment and Verizon left.  The reason The Crazy Man missed the appointment?  Because he was busy visiting 3 different ERs and hospitals that week.  OY!  It only gets better when he calls Verizon to reschedule the missed appointment and the whole order is replicated as a new one.  There is now a completely new phone number assigned and no new number is being forwarded.  What a mess!  But you know what?  It's not my mess.

There is a weird void in my day and I often find myself wondering what new trouble he is getting in to and what off-the-wall stuff he has someone doing on his behalf.  I certainly don't miss working for him, but I have to think I have a bit of PTSD after 6 long years of visiting his brand of crazy.  It's a weird feeling to know that I am done.  I really never thought I'd see the day.

Sort of growing up.

Apparently its a thing for kids in middle school to meet at our local shopping center and just hang out.  I've heard about it from one of my mommy friends who have kids Ian's age.  Only her kids are a bit more popular than Ian and seemed to be moving at a faster speed in doing new things.

We recently had a teacher workday and the kids found themselves with a free day.  Ian gets a text the night before from one of his friends asking if he'd like to meet at this shopping center the next day.  Ian comes to me and asks if its ok?

Ian (totally nervous): So um, Brian texted me and would it be ok if I met Brian tomorrow at University Mall?

Me (not letting Ian know that I knew it was totally a thing for kids his age to hang at the mall):  What's the plan when you get there?

Ian:  What? 

Me: Yeah, when you get there, what will you do?

Ian: Um, you know, I'll have some money and my phone (saying this in a very nervous voice).

Me: Ok, fine with me.  Just let me know what time I should drop you off.

Ian comes back in my room 5 minutes later and says Brian just texted him and he is being forced to go ice skating with his younger sister and her friends so tomorrow is off.

Ha!  I had to laugh.  These kids are trying so hard to be independent and make plans.  But as quick as a snap of the fingers, their plans can change and they have to do what their mom wants.  This kid Brian sounds like a good kid. I haven't met him but I like him already.

Ian, Sam and I decided to go to Dave & Buster's during our day off.  As we are walking inside Ian tells me that if we see anyone we know, I shouldn't say hi.  He is torn between wanting to go to Dave & Busters and not wanting to be seen with his mom and sister. It's a tough age to be.

Dinner Fail.

Several months ago, I jumped in to the deep end with the Instant Pot mania that has taken over our region. I embraced it without hesitation and have had many successes to speak of.  Even Jeff is most impressed when I put in a bunch of uncooked ingredients and voila!, in no time, we have a yummy dinner and no pots or pans to clean. It's like magic.

This past week I found a recipe to make that had the most amazing comments describing it..."Best dish ever!"..."Everyone loves it!"....."So fantastic!!"  "This one's a winner!"  and "So easy!"  It had all the ingredients (chicken!, broccoli!, rice!, cheese!...yum, right?) that my family loves to eat and sounded like a no-brainer to make on a busy weekday.

So I loaded all the ingredients in to my magic machine and set the manual button for the required time.  It was so easy and so fast.  I felt like I was winning at this dinner thing.  The table was set, the family came home and the instant pot beeps it is finished turning my pile of ingredients into a fabulous concoction. 

As I go to scoop out a heaping spoonful I notice the rice is not cooked. Not even a little. Every other thing looks cooked perfectly, but the rice looks like it just came from the bag.  It's crunchy and the pieces are tiny; many, many tiny pieces.  Way too many to take out of the dish.

What can I do?   What options do I have with a family ready to eat dinner?  The only thing that comes to mind is to serve it anyway.  Everything else is cooked, it's just the rice that isn't.  Can't the majority on this be enough?  So yes, I gave my family uncooked rice to eat.  And not just a little of it, but a lot of it!

Each person in their own way, took a bite, made a face and then commented that next time I should cook the rice.  It was very funny.

Here's the thing...the dish was yummy!   We can all imagine just how much better it will be with cooked rice.  I've since tried to figure out where I went wrong and have come to the conclusion that using brown rice was the issue.  Brown rice takes a lot longer to cook than white rice. Even the easiest dishes can be a problem in the wrong hands.  Next time I will get it right. 

End of the Year Wrap-up: 2017 Edition

I find myself getting more nostalgic as the years go by.  Maybe its because I recently spent more than a few hours putting together a slide show for Ian's Bar Mitzvah and it gave me the opportunity to pour over thousands of photos.  It's really hard for me to remember the kids at 2 years, 5 years, 6 years of age, even sometimes just last year. I mean, I know I lived it and was here for every single second right next to their side, but it all quickly becomes a blur as one season melts into another. 

Each new stage we enter seems like the best one to be in.  The kids can now stay home on their own.  They can get themselves breakfast, pack lunch for school, put away their laundry and many more milestones.  Sometimes Jeff and I are around just to handle logistics and get them from one activity to the next.  One of the coolest things is to have conversations with them and hear their ideas and what they are thinking.  Seeing life through our kids' eyes is a beautiful thing.   

And so we find ourselves, whether we are ready or not, to say good-bye to 2017 and hello to 2018.  When I was a little girl, the year 2018 seemed so, so far away.  And now, it's just a few hours away.  Again, I'm getting nostalgic for a time when life seemed so much simpler and our children's issues were much easier to deal with.  (Caveat:  Samantha's pooping problems was never easy and caused much angst for years.) 

Travel this year:

February:  Ian spent a weekend at Capital Camps

April:  Kids with Jeff's parents for 2.5 days.

April:  Virginia Beach for 2 days

April:  Orlando for 4 days (Samantha and me)

May:  Ian in Orlando for 4 days

June:  Jeff in England and France for 9 days

June:  New York City for 3 days

July:  Kids go to Orlando for 12 days (Jeff is there for 4 days, Robyn is there for 7 days)

July:  Ocean City, NJ week at the beach

July - August:  Both kids at Camp Ramah for 27 days

August:  Jeff and Robyn in NYC for 2 days

November:  Week in Orlando for Thanksgiving

December: New York City for 2 days (me and the kids with Susanne, Anna and their 6 kids)

December:  Pennsylvania for 4 days (me and Samantha for 2 days, Ian the whole time)

Two things stand out looking at this list:  1.  I didn't take one trip by myself in all of 2017.  And, 2. There was no girl's weekend.  None, Zip, Zilch.   What's up with that???

With that said, I was so pleased that Jeff went to Europe.  He very rarely does anything for himself.  And this trip was for purely social reasons.  He had a great time and it was good for him to go. So if someone was able to get a girl's weekend in, I am glad it was him.  :)

I am also so incredibly delighted we managed 3 (yes 3!!) trips to NYC this year. It is truly a favorite city of mine and the kids; maybe even Jeff's too as he more than "tolerates" it and seems to enjoy himself.  Or, maybe he is just happy seeing me and the kids enjoy it so much.  Either way, each trip is very memorable and unique in its own way.   A true highlight this year was making "Hamilton" happen.  The love of theatre is a spark that is growing in both kids.  I couldn't be prouder.  Singing show tunes with the kids in the car always puts a smile on my face.  Getting to see the performance come alive on stage is priceless.  Ian and I saw "Chicago" and "In the Heights" this year. As a family we saw "Hamilton" and "Kinky Boots".  The kids and I saw "School of Rock".  Jeff and I saw "On Your Feet", "Avenue Q",  "The Great Comet"and "The Book of Mormon".  Lastly, I saw "Mean Girls" with friends.  All this year.  I'd say that's a pretty darn good year seeing musicals. 

And, the icing on the cake is making the week at the beach happen again this past Summer.  It is a truly wonderful memory we make with the kids and our extended family.  There is nothing like it.  It's good, old fashioned fun, where we slow down the clock and simply enjoy being at the ocean and all that it involves.  

Ian has finally found his groove at Middle School.  It was a bigger transition than any of us expected.  He has a great group of friends (all good kids..I've made certain) and I am not so worried about him as much anymore with regards to school.  Ian stays on top of his assignments and needs very little hand holding getting his homework done.  Additionally, he is studying incredibly hard for his Bar Mitzvah (it's in MAY!!), and I know he will do his father and I very proud.  I am delighted with how serious he takes his work.  Drama is his extracurricular activity of choice.  It's always so much fun seeing him on stage and having a blast acting.

Samantha is being very challenged in the 4th grade. Jeff and I spend most of time worrying for her and how hard school is, not to mention how much she hates doing homework.  We've got the school making accommodations (paper tests/ not computerized, strategic seating, having a text book at home, and tutoring 2x a week), but its a constant amount of energy expended making sure Samantha is understanding everything and nothing slips through the cracks.  The best news is that I don't have to convince the world that 6x7 is 56.  We can all continue knowing it is 42.  For a few days there I thought it would be easier to get the whole world on board with 6x7 = 56 than Samantha believing 6x7 =42.  Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, we are good.   Sam's extracurricular activity of choice is horseback riding.  She really loves it and I love watching her enjoy something that doesn't make any demands to learn, memorize or read something.  There is a very sweet side of Samantha that I absolutely love and adore. Each morning I wake-up and say a little prayer this sweet Samantha will be the one that wakes-up too.  My prediction about Samantha's future?:  She will run a big company and be very successful at it.  Her fierce personality will do her justice later in life.  In a bit of surprising news, the other day Samantha dropped in conversation something about her college dorm room.  Jeff and I looked at each other and all I could say was, "You know what I got out of that sentence?  That Samantha sees herself in college."  That was literally the first time ever Sam spoke of her future and have it include another 4 years getting a degree.  Obviously Jeff and I were both delighted.

Jeff had a great year at work and continues to enjoy his job.  He is always quick to help me when I've scheduled myself in 2 or 3 places at the same time.  I really appreciate that more than anything.  

Lucy has been with us for more than a year now!  It feels like she has always been in our family.  All of us (including Jeff) have their special thing with Lucy.   Lucy sleeps with Ian in his bed every night.  She comes into my bed at 5:00am most mornings to snuggle with me before I have to get up for my day.  She helps wake-up Sam each morning before school.  And she loves to lay next to Jeff at the end of the day and rest her head on his leg.  Lucy is incredibly sweet.  Other than being dog aggressive to dogs on leashes, she is perfect!

Last but not least, me.  Another year of being on the go.  Although I will say, I haven't scheduled us as much as I used to.  I did an awesome job continuing to exercise at 5:30am and love the group of women I get to work out with.  Another thing I am happy about was taking the time to schedule lunch with my girlfriends throughout the year.  I didn't let 'life' get in the way.  Spending time with my friends is like chicken soup for the soul.   I am still dealing with weight issues...I lose, I gain, I lose, I gain, I lose some more.  It is what it is and I am no longer trying to analyze it.   I am back on my losing streak...hello!  I have Bar Mitzvah pictures to be in in 132 days and I'll be damned if I have 2 chins doing it.

Also, this was the year that I binged watch many awesome shows.  Wow!  There is some really amazing original programs being created by Netflix and Amazon.  Most of it is much better than what's on regular tv.  Although, I will always have a place in my heart for "General Hospital" and "This Is Us".

Somehow I also found time to read.  Since April 1st, I've read 25 books.  I am most impressed with this number. 20 books since July!   I think its been years since I read this much in such a short amount of time.  Definitely before having kids.

The Year ahead in 2018:

I can't even think beyond Ian's Bar Mitzvah.  The very idea that he is going to be 13 and be a Bar Mitzvah is mind blowing to me.   I have very little else on the horizon and very much look forward to this one event more than anything else this coming year.

But if I had to take a moment and outline some other things I am looking forward to:  My sister Meghan is graduating college!!  This is huge and something we've been waiting for quite a long time.  She is actually graduating a week before Ian's Bar Mitzvah, so the month of May is very important for our family. 

We have both kids registered for a month of camp this Summer.  Yay!  I am not sure if our week at the beach will happen again this Summer.  Money is quite tight and I've had to make some compromises. It would take a lot for Jeff to be ok with us booking a house, but stranger things have happened in the past, so we will see.  I never count anything out until the very end.

A New Year's Resolution I have is to say "No".  No to shopping, no to eating out, no to being on Amazon, no to going on spontaneous trips, no to planning vacations or weekend getaways, no to multiple trips to Orlando (other than Meghan's graduation of course!).  Just no.  I feel like if I put it out there in the universe, it could actually happen or come as close as I'll ever get.

I'm also going to try hard to keep my mouth shut more.  Most of the time I feel like I talk way too much and half of it is probably not even necessary.  I hate walking away from a conversation feeling like a dork because of something I said. No more!  I'm going to stay quiet.  :)

And, last but not least, I am on a major clean-out of my email inbox.  I am saying buh-bye to a countless number of opted-in email newsletters/discounts/promotions/whatever from everyone under the sun (from The Washington Post to Tires.com to Hanes.com to Specialious.com and many, many more).  I must instantly delete up to 90 spam emails a day without even looking at them.  No more.  I am opting out of EVERYTHING!


My New Year's Wish:

I always tell Ian as he heads out the door, "Make good choices."   I think this is wise for all of us.  Let's make good choices and be kind.  Kinder than necessary and make someone's day doing random acts of kindness.  It is truly a great feeling to know you've brightened their day.  You just never know what that person may be going through and the effect a kind gesture can have.  Happy New Year!