And Today's Weather...

I usually turn on the news in the morning to check for the weather. I was in the kitchen getting my breakfast ready & The Princess was sitting at the table with hers. She looked up & said, "Weather says be cloudy 'day." A few minutes later, the report came on again. The weather forecaster was talking about the Halloween segment that was on just before she came on. The Princess said, "Weather be 'pooky 'day."

Flu Shots - UGH!!!

Took the munchkins for their flu shots yesterday. Originally, Casinodad was planning to go w/ us, but he got a later appointment to also check for a sinus infection (which he did not have, by the way!) So, I called my mom to see if she could meet me there for support. I didn't think I could console all three kids while trying to calm myself down, too! See, I've always had this thing about needles. In high school, when I got a booster shot, I made my mom pull over so that I could get sick. I just seem to work myself up over them. Last year, after my flu shot, I had to pull over because I felt dizzy & sweaty. Now, you'd think that since I've been through childbirth three times, I wouldn't mind this little thing, wouldn't you?!? Knowing my fear of needles, when my sister had her first child, she had a picture taken of her arm, focusing on the IV.

The Archangel asked prior to his shot how long it would hurt. I said it would probably sting for about 10 seconds or so. As we were walking out of the doctor's office, he said, in his normally loud voice, "That only hurt for one second, I thought it would hurt for ten!" The nurses were still talking about his comment an hour & a half later when Casinodad went in for his.

On the way home, The Princess said, "Me not know Dr. xx have bandaids!"

And, not to leave out The Prophet on comments - my mom brought along the Halloween bags that she gives the munchkins each year. I told them that she decided to mostly give candy this year because of all the toy recalls. The Prophet, who's been worried about all the recalls, said, "Mommy, I want you to call everyone & tell them I don't want any toys made in China for my birthday or Christmas because of the lead paint."


By the way, I survived the shot this year! My arm is still a little sore, but other than that, no sickness, no weakness, & no dizziness (other than the normal motherhood dizzies :)

Peace, munchesmom

Angels and Babies

October is Respect Life Month. Check out this beautiful book about a baby & its Guardian Angel. I got the link from one of the mothers in my Catholic homeschool group. It’s a great picture book for adults & children. You can read it online. It only takes about ten minutes (faster if you have better internet service than me!) & is well worth multiple readings! www.angelinthewaters.com/onlinebook/coverpage.htm

I just finished reading “Coffee With Nonna: The Best Stories of My Catholic Grandmother” by Vincent Iezzi. As a young boy during WWII, he spent most of his time with his grandmother while his father was in the war & his mother was working to help the family & soldiers. Many of the important lessons he learned in life were a result of the stories his grandmother would tell him as they sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. For the most part, the stories were not true, but they provided Vincent with a great faith background & ways to handle the situations he faced at school, in the neighborhood, & at home.

His grandmother was born on October 2, the feast day of the Guardian Angels & she had a great love of angels. One day he asked her if angels talked to babies. The following is her response (from page 139-140 of the book).

“Oh, yes! They talk to babies while the babies are sleeping. You can tell when an angel is talking to a baby because the baby will be smiling. Remember, the souls of babies are just moments away from God, and they are still blessed with the memory of being with Him.

“Angels talk to the babies and tell them about all the good things God created in life. They also tell them of the good things they can do to help others that will make God happy. They tell them how they can help spread God’s Holy Word. And they always remind them of the promises of the good and holy things of heaven.

“Now, when babies cry in their sleep, it means that the angels are telling them they will soon forget having been with God, and soon angels will stop coming and speaking in their dreams. The angels do promise that they will always be with them and will watch over them at all times. They also tell tabbies of the bad and sad things in life that they must grow up with but stay away from.

“When a baby is not crying or not smiling and is just sleeping, his guardian angel is singing a lullaby to him. During these times the baby is calm and at peace, and the baby sleeps and grows strong. Angels are often talking to babies in their sleep, because things are new and still uncomplicated. As we grow, angels still visit us in dreams, but their visits are disguised and confusing, and we may not understand what they are saying. That is because the older we get the more complicated we get and the more confusing we make things.”

I, too, believe that babies can see & talk to angels. I remember numerous times when The Prophet was a baby. He’d be lying in his bassinette staring at one spot on the ceiling with the biggest grin on his face. He would coo & giggle like all babies do. I could actually sense him having a conversation with his guardian angel. Babies’ minds are not crowded like ours with the stress & worries day to day, so their minds are free to accept an angel’s presence.

Peace, Munchesmom

The Princess Speaks Again...

About a week & a half ago, we took the munchkins out to play since it was such a beautiful day. I got out the sunscreen & told The Princess that I was going to start w/ her & put some on "All Y'all!" She looked up at me & said, "Me not All Y'all, me (Princess)!" I then asked her who All Y'all was & she said, "The kids." Apparently when we talk about the kids, she doesn't think she is one of them - it's just the boys.

A few nights later, I was taking her up to bed. She walked straight into the boys room & said, "Me kiss the kids."

Junior Astronomers

My dad called this evening to let us know that the International Space Station would be passing over tonight around 7:30. So, at about 7:25, Casinodad, the Munchkins, & I headed outside to look for it. As we were watching the southwestern part of the sky for it, a bright light suddenly appeared (almost out of nowhere!) & we watched it for about a minute. Because it was moving toward us, it looked like it was moving very slow, almost at a stand-still. Casinodad said that it wasn't what he expected & was about to go inside. All of a sudden, The Princess points over our house & says, "There two stations!" We said no, there was only one, but she kept pointing. I stepped off the porch to look & sure enough, a light was steadily moving over our house, heading northeast.

So, what were we watching for the first minute? you ask! A bright, shining star!! Thank goodness we had a 2 1/2 year old looking out for us or we would have missed it altogether!

Peace, munchesmom

Movie Review

Casinodad went out with his friends last night, so after I got the Munchkins in bed, I decided to watch a movie I'd gotten at the library the other day - Sweet November, with Keanu Reeves & Charlize Theron. It came out in 2001 & I couldn't remember if I'd seen it. Turned out I had not. What a beautiful story! Keanu's character is work-driven & who has no time for fun & freedom in his life. Charlize's is the total opposite - she left a huge career & became a free-spirited individual, who takes time to enjoy life. She meets him & says that she can help him. All he has to do is stay at her apartment for one month, not doing any work. The movie really makes you think about your priorities in life. What really matters in the long run?

I've like Keanu Reeves' movies off & on over the years. He's had some good ones, but also some not-so-good. Out of the few romantic movies of his, this is the first where I could actually feel his romantic side. In the others, he was too stiff of an actor & the story actually felt forced (like A Walk in the Clouds).

Sweet November is rated PG-13, so I wouldn't recommend it for kids. There are a couple romantic scenes & some questionable characters, but the overall storyline was beautiful & heartfelt. (P.S. - Make sure you have a tissue or two!)

Peace, munchesmom

Movie Meme

AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies

The movies I have seen are in bold and the ones I really liked are also in italics. Some of these movies listed are beyond me as to why they are in the Top 100. I could definitely think of better ones!

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. Casablanca (1942)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. Gone With The Wind (1939)
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
7. The Graduate (1967)
8. On The Waterfront (1954)
9. Schindler's List (1993)
10. Singin' In The Rain (1952)
11. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
12. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
13. The Bridge On the River Kwai (1957)
14. Some Like It Hot (1959)
15. Star Wars (1977)
16. All About Eve (1950)
17. The African Queen (1951)
18. Psycho (1960)
19. Chinatown (1974)
20. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
21. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
23. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
24. Raging Bull (1980)
25. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
26. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
27. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
28. Apocalypse Now (1979)
29. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
31. Annie Hall (1977)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)
33. High Noon (1952)
34. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
35. It Happened One Night (1934)
36. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
37. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
38. Double Indemnity (1944)
39. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
40. North By Northwest (1959)
41. West Side Story (1961)
42. Rear Window (1954)
43. King Kong (1933)
44. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
45. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
46. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
47. Taxi Driver (1976)
48. Jaws (1975)
49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
50. Butch Cassidy and the Sunshine Kid (1969)
51. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
52. From Here To Eternity (1953)
53. Amadeus (1984)
54. All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)
55. The Sound Of Music (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. The Third Man (1949)
58. Fantasia (1940)
59. Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
60. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
61. Vertigo (1958)
62. Tootsie (1982)
63. Stagecoach (1939)
64. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
65. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
66. Network (1976)
67. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
68. An American In Paris (1951)
69. Shane (1953)
70. The French Connection (1971)
71. Forrest Gump (1994)
72. Ben-Hur (1959)
73. Wuthering Heights (1939)
74. The Gold Rush (1925)
75. Dances With Wolves (1990)
76. City Lights (1931)
77. American Graffiti (1973)
78. Rocky (1976)
79. The Deer Hunter (1978)
80. The Wild Bunch (1969)
81. Modern Times (1936)
82. Giant (1956)
83. Platoon (1986)
84. Fargo (1996)
85. Duck Soup (1933)
86. Mutiny On The Bounty (1935)
87. Frankenstein (1931)
88. Easy Rider (1969)
90. The Jazz Singer (1927)
91. My Fair Lady (1964)
92. A Place In The Sun (1951)
93. The Apartment (1960)
94. Goodfellas (1994)
95. Pulp Fiction (1994)
96. The Searchers (1956)
97. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
98. Unforgiven (1992)
99. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967)
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

We Interrupt Your School Day for the Following Field Trip!

At about 9 this morning, as The Prophet sat doing his Religion worksheets, I had the urge to go to the zoo. It was simply beautiful outside & I thought it would be the perfect impromptu field trip. We've been studying fish in science, so we decided to start w/ the Coral Reef building. The munchkins got to pet starfish, urchins, crab & snail shells. Then we walked through the rest of the area where there is a huge floor to ceiling aquarium. We got up close to the tank & tried to pick out as many different types of fish that we could find. There were bottlehead sharks, stingrays, & hundreds of fish in different shapes & sizes. The Prophet found it really neat to see their gills & scales up close as they swam near the glass.

Our next stop was the manatees. They only have two now. We were there in the Spring & there were at least three then. From what I gathered, the others had been released back into the ocean. Because manatees have such large lungs, they can hold their breathe under water for quite a long time. We got to see them push off from the bottom of the aquarium & go up to the top for their breath of air. It was so cute to see their little snouts just above the water.

We also went to the reptile building, where the munchkins got to pet a snake - even The Princess wanted to pet it. They had some amphibians in the building too, including a blue poisonous frog. The Prophet enjoyed seeing it since we had studied frogs a few weeks ago. He was fascinated by the Poison Dart Frogs we had read about then.

We took a lunch break & ended up table jumping because the bees were attracted to our PB&J sandwiches. Ever since The Princess got stung last month, she is very tentative around any flying insects. Finally, we decided to just eat as we were walking!

Next stop, Asia - elephants, cranes, red panda, rhinos, & tigers! I got a reallly good picture of the three elephants together (actual elephants, not the munchkins - although I did get some cute pictures of them, too!)

On the way out, I let them look around the gift shop a bit. There are some really neat items there, but very pricey! So, all in all, we had a great trip to the zoo. Another great benefit of homeschooling - we can take off on field trips anytime & not have to worry about permission slips! Besides the great weather, it wasn't crowded at all. There were a few school groups, but even those weren't very big.

Peace,
Munchesmom