Funniest Preview to a Preview I Have Ever Seen

Have you heard of the upcoming movie Bolt? Before the preview was shown at tonight's HSM 3 viewing, there was a special preview to the preview that I found hilarious. Here it is:

HSM 3

I took Grace to see HSM 3 in the movie theater this evening, and I have never had a better people watching experience. There were so many tweeny boppers there with their moms, dads, and friends. I'm really surprised that I didn't run into any of my students.

The movie itself was alright. Acting was more believable, singing was a bit stronger, and the overall theme was just as predictable as the first two HSMs. But I'm serious about the crowd. That's what made the movie. The clapping after each song... The cheering when Troy showed up at Stanford... The squealing when any close-ups of the boys were shown... OMG.

After observing this audience this evening, I solemnly predict that I only have 3 years, tops, to enjoy doing things with just Grace and have her enjoy doing things with just me. Most girls at the show were about 3rd to 6th grade and were there with their friends. They didn't even sit by their moms! I know, I know. It seems naive; all tweens are going to push away their moms at some point. I see it happen as a teacher. I'm just sad when I think that I have such limited time to spend with my little sweet pea before she pushes me away.

Constant Noise

Rob and I both appreciated this F Minus cartoon by Tony Carrillo this morning.

Robby is constant noise. Lord above. Constant. He doesn't stop, no matter how much we beg/plead/yell/weep. With toys, he has them battle and dive bomb each other. Without toys, his fingers argue, dive bomb, and zoom past imaginary buildings. He can sit still, but I am worried that in kindergarten, he will be the one the teachers talk about.

"Man, have you heard that Spencer kid? Holy crap! He doesn't shut up! He was reinacting some World War II battle with his crayons during writing workshop. There was buzzing, crashing, and some tiny voice shrieking for help. I'm worried. Do you think his parents know?"

Yes, we know.

Lament of a Rock Band 2 Widow

My children want to play along. I am humming it without knowing. Rob could barely sleep last night. I do like hearing the songs, most of which I enjoy. However, I would like some eye contact by my husband in the near future. :) I love you, Sweetie!

Answer the Damn Question!

Can Sarah Palin answer a question that is given to her? Really how hard is it to participate in a debate and answer the question. I can't wait to see Tina Fey just run with this on SNL this weekend.

You Wanna Piece of Me?!?

Grace dropped from the monkey bars after school on Wednesday and ended up with a distal radius ulna fracture, or a broken wrist. Oops! She had X-rays Wednesday evening and got her cast Friday morning. Grace even got to choose the color. She has been a very brave girl throughout the whole experience, which makes Rob and I very proud.

I blame McDonald's.

Every year when I see these signs throughout Ortonville, I weep for all of those huge children being sold.

I also call Amy to see if she wants to buy any.

I Love Science!

I suppose you've heard about the new Large Hadron Collider. Very cool. I am so excited about the possibility of new discoveries in astronomy, physics, atomic theory, etc. Even the idea of all these scientists working together to complete it is inspirational.

I don't understand it all very well, but I tried to explain what I did know to my students. Some even went home and impressed/confused their parents. This rap video, done by an MSU student, will help those not too science-literate understand a bit more. Check it out!

Sarah Talks Politics

Watching the conventions has been difficult for me. I think the hardest part has been trying to sleep after watching some speeches. How on Earth can these people believe this way? Have they not seen the U.S.? I mean the entire U.S., not just the suburban areas? I am just astonished, and frankly, a bit disappointed in many Americans and their blinders.

I get so frustrated. It's too bad that no one can hear my witty retorts to their hypocritical remarks. Except Rob. Sorry, Rob. I owe you.

Politics completely and utterly suck.

Their our Alot off Typo's!!!

It is a very good thing that I did not hear about the Typo Hunt Across America. I would have gladly participated, most likely resulting in probabtion just like my idols Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson of the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL).

Due to the new laws in Michigan, I would have to notify my personnel department at school if I was convicted of any crime. However, would they be upset since as a language arts teacher, I would have been fixing public typos?

See http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/22/sign.vandals.ap/index.html for the whole story.

It's a Success!

We had our garage sale this past weekend. Amy, Alicia, Addy, and Madison came down to help and try to sell some stuff that hadn't sold in their garage sale last weekend. We were going to have just one mammoth garage sale this past weekend at Amy and Lisa's, but we decided that we had way too much crap to haul up. It would have taken several trips in the van, which would have had us spending whatever we made on gas. So Amy and Lisa had their own earlier.

Rob and I had been purging our house, as I had mentioned on my previous blog entry. No, Mom, we didn't sell any of the Polish pottery. We just sold the things we haven't used in over a year and did not ever anticipate using again. So, yes, we did sell the baby stuff. It was bittersweet, and I was all emotional at times. Poor Alicia had to witness both Amy and me tearing up throughout the weekend, especially when we had to pack up. Then, on my way to drop the remaining items off at St. Vincent's and the Salvation Army, I was very emotional. *sigh* I just need to rememeber that it is all just stuff. It wasn't doing me any good. It was just taking up space. (Besides, I kept a few things that I couldn't bear to part with that no one else would find nearly as precious as I do.)

Speaking of space, we filled (and I mean filled) six 6-foot tables and a large table made from sawhorses and a piece of paneling from our basement. We also had items filling a 5-shelf system, a garment rack, and lots of stuff lining the driveway (out to almost the end on the right and out about halfway on the left). Lots of stuff. And as Amy said, I priced it to move. I did not want to make more than one trip to donate the remaining items.

Business as a whole was pretty slow. We didn't have anyone buy anything on Saturday until around 10:30, and we had opened at 8:00. I was worried, but while Rob and I left to test drive our new car, Amy sold her little heart out. Apparently, she could have had a promising career in retail, too. In the end, we made quite a bundle, and Amy made almost enough to cover her dumbness. :)

Here's hoping that I don't stay too attached to "stuff", that I can have a garage sale again next summer, and that I don't have nearly that much stuff again to sell.

Just a Quick Stop, Then We're Off!

Some people stay in hotels over the summer. We seem to visit our house like a hotel instead. We are home for an astonishing 68 hours before leaving again, this time for Tennessee. The only problem is, no maid comes in to make the beds, empty the trash, clean the bathroom, etc. Although we aren't really home that much to mess it up.

Amy's blog is right. The worst thing about vacation is the thinking about everything that has to be done when you get back. Now granted, we don't have to haul our camping stuff downstairs. That sure does make it easier. But we tend to still bring in several loads of crap, from laundry to dirty dishes to purchases made while on vacation. It seems to get deposited by the front door, making a nice "gate" to keep Lily away from the stairs. However, it is a not-so-pleasant reminder of what still needs to be done.

Luckily, Rob and I, in between Rockband, surfing the Internet, NCAA Football '09, lounging on carpeting and comfy couches, and Wii, have managed to unpack and put away everything, do all the laundry, put it away, and pack for this next trip. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

That's the thing, though. I don't get overwhelmed about laundry, dishes, or cleaning when I am camping. It's not that we don't do it. The camper still gets cleaned and swept. The outside mat gets swept. Toys and books get put away. Dishes are done and put away before we go to bed each night.

I think it is that we take only what we need. Anything extra is scrutinized as to whether or not it is worth the extra space to store it. When Rob and I come home, we see everything that needs to be done and all the crap we have accumulated and don't need. It's nice to have some of the stuff, but why have so much that we barely use a couple of times each year?

Some things are important to me, and I love my collections. But as I look around, I realize that I don't need or want quite a bit of what I have. How do I go about purging the unnecessary to unearth the things most important and dear to me? The garage sale is a good start, but I need more. I need to find a good charity that would appreciate the crap I like, but don't need.

Coming back from our long vacation is like seeing my house through refreshed eyes. Do I really need to redo the kitchen soon? No, it is functional right now. Not ideal or beautiful, but it works for us. Do I need to redo my bathrooms? Yes. Crappy sinks and floor=crabby Sarah. Do I need to fix my landscaping? Yes, both in the front yard and in the backyard. I enjoy being outside during the summer, but not when I embarass myself with my backyard. Ugh. Damn weeds. Do I need to repaint my "sunset" bedroom? Eventually, but I am not up there too much during the school year anyway. By being gone so long in the summer, I have a chance to think about what really bothers me about our house and what would just be nice to do. The nice-to-do can wait.

Early Summer Vacation

Who would have thought a measly thunderstorm would have brought so much joy to the Spencer household, or at least to me? This is to be our last week of school and as of today (Wednesday 6/11) I have not stepped foot into my building yet. My school, as well as Grace's, have been without power since Sunday evening. Even though we only had partial power on Monday school was still in session. Unfortunately, our daycare was not in session because she had lost power and water so I stayed home with Robby and Lily. On Tuesday and Wednesday our district closed our schools because they still did not have full power. So here I sit on Wednesday afternoon writing this little blog instead of working on profiles or grades or the many other end of the year things I should be doing at work. I have enjoyed my time off with the kids except the many hours I have been on the phone with Directv (that's another blog) and the fact that I have not had a vehicle and have been stuck at home. Here's hoping we have power at school tomorrow just so I don't have to stay late or go in Monday to get things done. Only 2 more days until summer break officially begins!

Change of Plans

We cancelled our camping trip this weekend. We were supposed to go out with the Yeloushan bunch, but with the forecast calling for rain on and off all weekend, we opted not to go. Eric also did not like the idea of hanging out in the camper with their four kids for the next two days.

Instead of camping, we will probably go out shopping for bikes for Rob and me, put away the mounds of laundry taking over the bedrooms, look for potential garage sale items, file the stack of bills, EOBs, and receipts, eat ice cream, and rest. Plus, Lily still has a runny nose and a fat lip (Lily's face, meet the floor. Floor, meet Lily's face.), so I am betting that regular naps in her crib would help her more than anything.

Lost Finale Part 2

Oh boy! What an awesome episode! Some posts were upset, saying that the producers are taking the easy way out with the person in the coffin, but I was totally not expecting that. I can't stop my mind from theorizing. My mind is reeling. Good luck to me going to sleep tonight. Maybe I can pass out from exhaustion. Let's just hope...

Lost Finale

I'm so excited about the Lost finale. I don't typically enjoy any dramatic series, but I am hooked on this show. I haven't seen the first 2 seasons or even half of the third, but I have spent countless hours on lostpedia.com reading up on characters, events, and making connections between them. I may not be able to identify Ana Lucia by sight, but I can tell you every event she has been involved in.

I have been careful to only read the typical spoilerish stuff I normally read, since the finale has been leaked scene by scene. I really enjoy a couple of sites in particular, and both those sites have taken precautions against the leak. I know some details, but only enough to intrigue me even more.

Only 15 minutes until the reshowing of last week's finale Part 1. I am going to watch this, even though I watched it last week, because they are including a few different scenes. Then Part 2 will start. 3 solid hours of Lost. Yea!

This show gets me thinking like no other show has ever done. I have learned a lot, and have even made connections to science fiction and the Bible. It's so very entertaining. Only 11 more minutes!

Memorial Weekend Movies

In between the Piston's games this weekend Dan and I partook in just a couple of movies. In order from worst to best here are the movies we saw and a quick review.

No Country for Old Men (DVD) - Holy crap! What in the world were the voters for the Oscars thinking. This movie was horrible! The plot went absolutely nowhere. How does something like this get made let alone win an award? Don't waste your time.

What Happens in Vegas (In Theaters) - This is the type of movie you see when you have 4 hours to kill before the Pistons game and you're already walking around Great Lakes Crossing. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great. It was exactly what you think it would be. It was funny at times but the plot was so forced. Especially the conflict at the end. Wait for it to end up on TBS or TNT.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (In Theaters) - I think this movie could have been much better than it was. I felt the whole thing was very stereotyped, the evil soviet communists, the overbearing FBI agents (What was there part in the movie anyways), and the slacker "greaser kid". It was also very predictable and slow at times. The overuse, and bad use, of CGI and horrible sound effect placement was also distracting. Like Brad said earlier, if you enjoyed the first three you'd probably enjoy this one too. Wait for DVD or don't blame me.

The Great Debaters (DVD) - Great movie about a debate team from a black college in Texas who went on the compete against Harvard. Great movie on the racial problems of the 1930s without being to preachy. Great character development and a great job by Denzel Washington. See it!

The Chronicles or Narnia: Prince Caspian (In Theaters) - This was a very fun, enjoyable movie. It was quite a bit better than the first. The effects were well done and the scenery was beautiful. Character development was a little sparse at times but this movie flowed from one thing to another and at the end I was ready for the next chapter to begin. Enjoy it how it was meant to be seen, at the theaters.

Top Ten Tips for Watching Pistons Playoff Basketball with Rob

10. Don't use your witty sense of humor to ease the tension in a close game. Bad idea.

9. Limit your demands for quiet viewing only to when you jump from a spontaneous clap.

8. Close the kids' bedroom doors.

7. Occupy yourself with something else. Anything else. Checking your email, organizing hair accessories, washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, reading, Sudoku, etc.

6. Replace items within reach that can be thrown onto the floor with soft, fluffy pillows.

5. Make sure that your DirecTV receiver is fully functional and not prone to freezing.

4. Conversation is bad. Never talk to just talk.

3. Don't call with four minutes left in the fourth quarter when the Pistons are only up by four points.

2. Let Rob have the couch. More room to flail.

1. Leave the house. Listen to the game on the radio in your car instead.

Being a Spectator is Hard Work

Grace and Robby both started swim classes again this week, and boy, was it hard. Let me explain. Grace has been taking swim lessons on and off for the last 18 months or so. She has gone through preschool, level 1, level 2, and level 3. In every one of those classes, Grace was clearly the best or one of the best (in these non-biased father's eyes). She was always around the same age or size as the kids in her class. Grace was able to do everything that was asked of her very well and excelled at all of it. This time around it has been much different.

Grace and Robby both waited for their classes to start and as they made their way to their groups I realized something that I had never seen before. The Spencer children were the smallest. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought my kids would be the smallest at anything. In Robby's case, it didn't matter much because they are just working on the basics and becoming more comfortable in the water. In Grace's class it made a big difference.

In Grace's class they are working specifically on the different strokes (free style, back, breast, butterfly, etc.) and are practicing these strokes by swimming lengths. It doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but Grace is at least 2 years younger and 4 inches shorter than all of the other kids. Being that much smaller than all of the other kids means only one thing. She is also the slowest. In comparison to most of the other kids she is painfully slow. None of this is her fault. She's able to do all the strokes as well as the other kids and is just as fearless as all of them, but when you can't completely touch the bottom without covering you mouth in water and the kick board is longer than your torso it can really affect your speed. Now I know that she is in the correct class. If she was moved back down a level she would not be learning a thing, but she would be the best. So what is better? Being the big fish in a little pond or being a smaller fish in a bigger pond. I know that she is in the right spot, but it is very hard to watch your child be on the lower end of the group.

None of this really affects Grace at all, which is all that really matters, but it does make me quite anxious. Do other parents look at her and think, "Is she in the right class?" "My child is not getting enough instructional time because we have to wait for that slow girl to finish" "Why would her parents put her in this situation?"

I know that these thoughts are irrational, but I also think dealing with the irrational thoughts is one of the biggest challenges of being a parent. I don't expect my kids to be the best at everything they do, but it would be nice. It would definitely make it easier to watch. Please pray for me when they actually start competing in things. Maybe we should just put the athletic equipment away and get out an instrument.

I love lists.

One of my favorite times of year has begun - packing the camper. I have an extensive list of supplies that we not only keep in the camper from trip to trip, but that we load in before each trip. Each year, I modify the list as needed, spend an evening in the camper crossing off what we already have in there or don't need to replace, and then spend a couple evenings restocking for upcoming trips. The goal is to only have to throw food and clothes in for a weekend. That way, we only have to unpack clothes and food when we get home. It makes the thought of preparing for a weekend away camping much less intimidating.