Heat

Me - Heat, wow! I hate the heat! It's been really hot here. On Monday, when we had no school, my sister was running around in her underwater. She kept hogging the fan. Every time it turned, she got in front of it and danced around it. When it's hot, I just want to sit inside under or next to a fan. Under one fan and next to another is even better. Fans on all sides would be the best, but I am not able to have that. I don't like to go outside in the heat unless I am swimming. When it's hot, I wish I could just stay underwater in a pool the whole day long. I don't like walking too and from the pool, however. I don't want to step out of my door. On hot days when I have to go up and down the stairs of my house a lot of times, it makes me even hotter. I wish I had someone to carry me around and fan me all day. That would be nice.

Mom - The past week or so we have been having a heat spell. It's been so bad that my husband actually broke down and turned on the air conditioner. He usually doesn't do that until mid to late June at the earliest. I hate the heat. Even with  the air conditioner, it is still hot, and we have fans blasting in almost every room. However, it is still not really cool unless you sit right next to the fan. We actually have our neighborhood swimming pool right up the street from us. However, on a really hot day the walk to and from the pool seems a lot longer than that. Also, I hate having to get changed into a bathing suit, put on on sunblock, and get everything together to go to the pool and then turn around in a hour or two and come home get changed, showered and put everything away again when the heat has made it unbearable to be outside at all. We do go to our pool sometimes, but other times I would just rather stay at home in the air conditioner and in front of or beneath a fan. So I'll just sit here and think about the cold weather and when that comes I won't like it either, but at least with cold you can keep bundling on more and more clothes. There's nothing you can do about heat.

And that's our view. What do you like to do when it's hot?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

TV Season Finales

Me -TV season finales, wow! Some of the TV show season finales this season were really good. However, some of them were the complete opposite of good. The Glee season finale was terrible. It was super sad. They broke up Rachel and Finn,  who I think are a terrific couple. I can't believe they broke them up again! I think it is so cute that they are dating in real life now. On the Big Bang Theory, Howard went in to Space. Before that, he and Bernadette got married.  The wedding was really good. Bernadette looked really pretty. The episode was really funny. Amy was especially hilarious as usual. I loved that she was wearing the tiara that Sheldon gave her in another episode. Raising Hope was really hilariou too. Lucy, Hope's serial killer Mom, was not actually dead. She decided she wanted Hope back and would fight for her in Court. When Lucy won and was going to take Hope away, Jimmy was going to go with them. It was really funny when Lucy got run over by a bus while trying to stab Sabrina with a knife to keep her away from Jimmy and Hope. While I enjoyed these finales, for me, the TV season is not really over because my favorite Disney shows are still having new episodes.

Mom - So here it is, another traditional TV season has come to an end. Nowadays, it isn't really the end as TV series are always starting and ending their seasons all the time. However, I don't really watch any of those series that run in the summertime except for The Glee Project. In the summer, I catch up on watching all the DVDs we accumulated over the course of the year. So for me, it still is the end of the TV season. Here is my view of the TV season finales I watched. I loved the Big Bang Theory's season ender.  I am glad they went through with the wedding of Howard and Bernadette. Also, having known Melissa Rauch, as she was growing up, it was good to see her get married even if it was only her television wedding. Raising Hope's finale was funny as usual but more unrealistic than ever. I mean an allegedly executed murderer turning up alive - come on really?! However, I do give credit to Raising Hope for keeping the show funny even though Jimmy finally managed to land his dream girl, Sabrina. Usually, that is the kiss of death for a series when the soc called. starcrossed lovers are united. Glee's finale had its moments. The end although realistic in terms of the plot was sad. I don't see how the series is really going to go on from here with many of the graduated seniors allegedly going off in so many different directions. In any case, it won't be the same without all of them hanging out in the music classroom or the school auditorium anymore. While I grew to like Smash, despite my initial indifference to it, I did not like the finale. The ingenue taking over for the established star at the last minute is so cliche. Also, pregnancy in which their are two possible father's is a staple of soap operas and that overused storyline seems to be where Debra Messing's character is headed. Nevertheless, I will probably still watch Smash when it returns midseason or at least at first I will. So over all, I liked TV's season enders for the most part, but I am a kind of glad that for me at least another TV season has come to an end, and I can get caught up on other things.

And that's our view. What was your favorite season ending episode?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Funny Friday- Breastfeeding With An Audience

Me -

When my sister was little,  my Mom was breastfeeding her. My sister was holding on to my Mom with one hand and waving to my Grandma with the other.

Mom -

When Melia was little, we were in the supermarket. She plopped herself down on the ground, lifted up her shirt, put her baby doll to her breast, and said "My baby's hungry. I have to breastfeed her,"
.

We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .

Dog and Cat movies

Me -Hi! I love movies about dogs and cats. Once I saw a movie called Space Buddies. It was about dogs. There was  a dog named Buttercup. Buttercup loved to eat. When the dogs, accidentally went on  to a rocket that went into space, Buttercup was eating. One of the other dogs said "Buttercup, get in your seat." Buttercup said; "But I was just up to dessert." My Mom and Dad and I all thought that was hilarious. I also love the movie, Cats and Dogs, only the second one though. The first one I hate. It was too scary.  I love Marley except I didn't like it when he died. I cried.  I love every other moment of it though. I really want to see Marley the Puppy Years, but that should have been the first movie. I also would like to see more of the dog Buddie movies. I loved Hotel for Dogs. I also loved the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies. My Mom has one on DVD that I haven't seen yet. I had one recorded, but I got in trouble, and my Mom erased it before I could watch it.  I also saw the Aristocats. I liked that too. I would like to see 101 Dalmatians. I would also like to see Lady and the Tramp. Dog and Cat movies are the best.*

*The above is guest post by little sister, Aurella as dictated to Mom

Mom - In our family, we are crazy about dogs and cats, and we love movies about them. Over the years, I have seen and loved many dog and cat movies. I really liked Marley. I really liked Benjy, the original one, none of the sequels were as good. My girls  haven't seen that one yet. I don't think they would like it because at one point one of the dogs, Tiffany, gets kicked and it appears that she is dead. It turns out that she is not, but it would still bother my girls especially Melia. Melia wouldn't even go see Marley because she knew Marley was going to die in the movie. I liked the movie My Dog Skip. I love the Disney animated movies Lady and Tramp and also The Aristocats. When I was little I even had a stuffed Lady dog from Lady and the Tramp and a stuffed Duchess from the Aristocats. I also like 101 Dalmatians, the original only. I do not like it when they make sequels to classic movies just to make more money. I think they should leave well enough alone and not mess with the classics.I did not really liked Cats and Dogs although my younger daughter loved the second one. I prefer cat and dog movies where the cats and dogs act like cats and dogs and do not talk unless it is a cartoon.

And that's our view. What cat and dog movies do you like?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Kindergarten

Me - I will miss, and I won't miss kindergarten. I will miss my teachers. I will miss  my friends, a lot of them will be going to different schools. I will miss sand. I will miss computers. I will miss housekeeping. I will miss Chocolate bear, our class mascot. I will miss sitting at tables instead of desks. I will my miss afternoons with my mom. I will miss lunches with my mom. I will miss talking with my Mom and my sister on the long walk to school and  talking with my Mom on the long walk home from school. I will miss only having a little bit of homework. I will miss short school days.  I won't miss the long walk to school when it's raining or snowing. I won't miss waiting outside the school in the cold. I won't miss my classroom or the long walk from the front door of the school to my classroom. I won't miss having to write  about what I did over the weekend on Monday at school. I won't miss having to read the teacher's message every single day. I won't miss having so many assemblies because they are too loud. I am looking forward to a shorter walk to school especially in the bad weather. I am looking forward to not having to rush as much to get to school. I am looking forward to a bigger school playground and more time to play on it. In kindergarten, we hardly ever get to go on the playground. Next year, we will have recess almost every day, and sometimes even extra recess.  I am looking forward to being in the same school as my sister even though we will only be in the same school for one year. I am looking forward to making new friends. I am looking forward to a great year and a lot of fun in first grade.*

*The above post is a guest post by little sister, Aurella as dictated to Mom.

Mom - Next year, Aurella, my last baby will be in first grade. I can't believe the time has gone so fast. It seems like just yesterday her older sister, Melia was starting school. I will miss having someone home with me in the afternoons although I hope not having to come and go as much will allow me to get more done in a day. Probably it won't though. No matter what I never seem to get as much done in a day as I would like to. I will miss someone to eat lunch with. On the other hand, maybe I will eat less if I don't have to sit down and wait for somebody else to finish their lunch. It certainly will be a good for my diet not to have somebody's leftovers to finish just because I cannot stand to let good food go to waste by throwing it out. I will miss the long walks to the kindergarten because it is better exercise than the short walk to the elementary school which is literally behind our house. I will especially miss our talks on the way to and from school. I will not miss the rush to get out the door to make it to the school on time nor will I miss the long walks to school in the bad weather. I will miss going to school every Friday to be the Mom helper. I will miss having the opportunity to see and speak with my daughter's teachers every week especially since Aurella is on the quiet side and does not like to ask her teacher anything even when she needs to. I will miss knowing all my daughter's classmates and seeing them every week. I will miss the sweetness of the kindergarten kids. Once they get to elementary school, they get that attitude, and it only gets worse as they get older.  Most of all, I will miss having little kids and babies in the house. Now, I only have big girls. I am proud and happy to have two big girls, but I am a little bit sad too.

And that's our view. What did you feel like or what do you think you will feel like when your youngest child finishes kindergarten?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Funny Friday - Applause Applause

Me -

When I was little, my Mom was watching TV every time the people on the TV clapped I clapped.

Mom -

During the Olympics when my younger daughter was around 2,  her Mommy and Me teacher gave her a plastic gold medal. My daughter would put it around her neck and stand on the living room table waiting until we sang the national anthem and clapped for her.

We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .

Fashion Star

Me - Fashion Star, wow! Fashion Star just recently ended on Tuesday. It was a good show. I liked to watch it with my Mom and sister.  I watched it every week except for one or two weeks they watched without me. It was fun to watch. I liked to see the runway shows and talk about whether or not I liked the clothes. I knew Kara was going to win for almost the whole show. She very much deserved it. Out of the mentors, I think that John was the meanest and Jessica Simpson was the nicest. Nicole Richie was in the middle, but she certainly took an interest in Nzimiro or Zimimi as she called him.  Out of the buyers, I think that Terron was the hardest to please, but then again, Saks Fifth Avenue is  a very very high end store. Caprice was nice, but Nikki was a smidge nicer. As for buying the clothes, the way my Mom and I see it, we can buy from H & M, we can buy from Macy's on sale, and we can never in our lives buy from Saks unless we win the lottery. I really liked most of the clothes. Some were just too weird or too baggy or too something. Hardly any were perfect to me. I really liked Fashion Star, and if they had another season, I would definitely watch it again.

Mom - I had no intention of watching Fashion Star, but I happened to be at a friend's house when the first episode was on, and I ended up watching it, and really liking it. I mean what is not to like about a show that is all about fashion. My girls and I really loved looking at the clothes every week and seeing which ones the stores bought. Sometimes, we agreed with their choices, and sometimes we didn't. We were really glad that Kara won. Weeks ago, we said we could see her winning the whole thing. I really think that of all the designers she showed the most range. I also liked that the mentors actually worked with the contestants during the course of the show and that when they gave their opinions they were not nasty about it. Even the judges tried to be kind in their criticism.  I like that there was no voting involved, and the people who would actually be buying the clothes decided who would be getting eliminated from week to week. I liked that because there was no voting, there was no necessity for a results show. I always think results shows are a waste of time. Just tell me who got eliminated and get on with it. I like that there was a broad range of stores represented or as we call them around our house - H & M, a store where we can afford to shop; Macy's, a store where we can shop when there is a sale; and Saks Fifth Avenue, a store we can't afford to set foot in. I only wish that the show's episodes had been longer so they had enough time to show every designer showing their clothes on the runway every week. I didn't like when they just recapped what happened with some of the designers each week instead of actually showing it. To me, the best part of the show was looking at the clothes on the models and seeing whether any of the stores bought them. My girls and I are so excited to go look up all the clothes that were sold on the show on-line and look for them in the stores now. We aren't necessarily planning to buy any, but it will be fun to see clothes that we've seen on TV in the store and to know who designed them. We might not be convinced that we immediately have to go out and buy the clothes, but we are definitely sold on the show, Fashion Star and can't wait to watch another season.

And that's our view. Who is your favorite designer?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Lee Ann Rimes Concert

Me- Last Friday, my family and I went to a Lee Ann Rimes concert. The opening act was a less popular singer named Corey Wagar. At first when Corey came out I thought it was Lee Ann because it was dark and my glasses are broken so I wasn't wearing them. But then once she started singing I knew it wasn' Lee Ann.At the intermission Corey went to the lobby and sold c.ds. She also gave away a single album, autographed and gave away posters, and sold c.ds. Aurella got a poster of her,and I got a poster and a c.d. The concert was great the singers both talked to the audience a lot. Lee Ann sang one of my favorite songs of hers Somethings Gotta Give.  She had on a weird shirt but cute pants and shoes. It was a really great experience forr everyone.

Mom- Last week, the four of us (My husband and our girls and I )  went to a Lee Ann Rimes concert. I had been to see her twice previously, once with my husband and once with my younger daughter, Aurella, but this was the first time we all went together. When I was younger, I didn't really like country music at all. The older I get, the more I like it. With country music, it always sounds like they are singing. That is not always true about some other types of music. I became a fan of Lee Ann Rimes because of Martina McBride. Martina McBride sings my wedding song , Valentine, so when she was appearing  at a concert near us my husband and I decided to go. It happened to be a double concert, Martina McBride and Lee Ann Rimes so we saw Lee Ann too and ended up really liking her. Musically, I liked that concert the best since I didn't really know many of her songs, I couldn't be disappointed about what she sang and didn't sing. Now, even though I like the songs she chooses to sing, there are always songs I am disappointed I didn't get to hear. All in all, her most recent concert, was good. The opening act, Corey Wagar had a pretty voice and her songs were likeable. Lee Ann looked and sounded pretty. She kept up a good banter with the audience throughout the concert despite the fact that she was suffering from a raging tooth infection.  I liked all the songs she sang even the new ones although like I said there were others I would have like to have heard too.  The first time I saw Lee Ann, it was at a big outdoor extravaganza. The last time and this time, it was indoors at a much smaller venue. I equally enjoyed the concert both ways. I mean it's nice to be a part of a crowd of thousands all enjoying something together, but it is also nice to be part of smaller quieter more intimate gathering doing the same.

And that's our view. Who's your  favorite singer?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Funny Friday - Whose Is It?

Me -

My sister, Aurella, got mad at my Dad because he put his jacket on the back of a chair. Mom asked Aurella if it was her chair. Aurella nodded yes.

My sister, Aurella got mad at Mom because Mom was sitting on a step stool in our kitchen.
Mom asked if it was Aurella's step stool. Aurella nodded yes. Mom asked if the high chair was Aurella's chair. Aurella nodded yes. Mom asked if all the chairs in the kitchen were Aurella's. Aurella nodded yes.

Mom -

My Dad and my stepson and I were riding in the car. My Dad was talking about his car.

"It's not your car, " said my stepson, "It's Grandma's car."

"Grandma doesn't own anything." replied my Dad.

"She owns this car." said my stepson.


We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .

Candy

Me - Some of my favorites kinds of candies are Bunch a Crunch, Sugar Babies, Hershey Bars, and M & Ms. If I really told you all of my favorites, it would take too long. I love candy that is chocolate. Chocolate is my favorite kind of candy. Whenever we go to the movies, we go the dollar store and get a bunch of candy. That is the only time we are allowed to eat a lot of candy at once. Even on Halloween, we are not allowed to eat that much candy. We are not allowed to eat more than 4 pieces a day. When we go to the movies, we all share our candy or at least Mommy and Daddy and I do. Melia doesn't like everything that we do. Daddy actually likes the most different kinds of candy. He likes almost everything. He likes Good and Plenty, and we don't. He loves Twizzler and could eat a bag of them every day, but none of the rest of us like them. Mommy doesn't mind when Daddy brings Twizzlers in the house because she won't touch them so it is good for her diet. She can't stay away from chocolate though. When my brother was little, Mommy and Daddy used to eat all his Halloween chocolate because he didn't like it. My sister and I love chocolate so we eat our own. I really love candy.*


*The above is a guest post by little sister, Aurella, as dictated to Mom.

Mom - I have always been addicted to chocolate. Both my daughters and my husband are very fond of chocolate as well.  I especially like the combination of chocolate and caramel. Milky Ways and Twix are two of my favorites. When I was young, there used to be these really long bars of chocolate filled with caramel. They were called Marathon bars. They were my favorite candy bars ever. When I was a kid, I was able to get them a lot because my best friend's father owned a candy store. However, when I got older, they stopped making them. They are not even like one of those retro candies that you can still get somewhere. They just do not exist anymore. I have been told that Cadbury makes a similar product, but I have never seen it. I am sure it would not be the same anyway. I believe that there actually are bars now called Marathon bars, but they are not candy, they are energy bars. Aside from milk chocolate, I also like white chocolate, but I do not like dark chocolate. I love chocolate with crunchies, don't mind chocolate with nuts, and don 't like chocolate with coconut. Aside from chocolate, I like star burst fruit chews and an occasional lollipop or sucking candy, but over all, I am not fond of non-chocolate candy. I used to chew gum a lot when I was younger, when I got off my braces that was  the first thing  I couldn't wait to do. Nowadays, I don't really chew gum much although my older daughter is fond of it. I think it is a habit she picked up from my Dad since my husband doesn't really chew gum much either nor does my younger daughter. In general, gum chewing gives me a headache. However, I would definitely stock up on gum though if I was going to be going on an airplane because I would rather chew gum than have my ears pop. I once had the experience of having my ears pop after flying on a plane and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life and not one I care to repeat.

And that's our view. What kind of candy would you miss if you couldn't get it anymore?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Nannies On TV

Me - Nannies on TV, wow! On one of my favorite shows, Jessie, is a girl who came to New York to find a job and  a little  girl Zuri got her family to hire Jessie to take care of her brothers and sister and herself.The show is sort of a spoof on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie except for they spend time with their kids and on Jessie the parents don't. The parents have only been in like three episodes each and they are always off working and making movies and stuff. However, you always see pictures of Brad and Angelina and their kids. In a few episodes, there was a super duper mean nanny named Agatha. She was nice to her kids but not other nannies and their kids. She was already on two episodes, and she is going to be on the next new episode. I can't wait! It looks like a really good episode where Agatha's sister tries to take over Jessie's job. On TV, they make it seem like it is fun to have a nanny. The kids don't even seem to care that they hardly ever even see their parents. However, I am glad that I never had  a nanny, and my Mom and Dad have always taken care of my sister and brother and I.

Mom - When I was young, there was a show called Nanny and the Professor.  Nanny was wise and even magical, but not particularly funny. There was Alice on The Brady Bunch  who was more of maid than a nanny. It was strange to me that she actually lived with the Bradys. They allegedly were just an average middle class family, and I didn't know any average middle class families that had live in maids. Also, Alice seemed a little too happy to be living with and serving a family that wasn't even her own. In fact, she seemed a little too happy in general. I mean who is that happy about having to pick up and clean up after other people and barely having a life of their own (although she did occasionally get to date Sam the butcher). On The Nanny with Fran Dresher, the nanny was always funny and sometimes wise. However, it was kind of hokey that she ended up falling in love with and marrying her boss, Mr Sheffield. On Who's the Boss, Tony and Angela also fell in love after they met when she hired him to take care of her house. He wasn't really so much of a nanny though just a housekeeper. Nowadays, there is Jessie on the Disney channel. She is bit younger than most of the other nannies I have seen on television. She literally fell into her job and in lot of ways seems to be learning right along with her charges. Also, unlike most TV nannies, she like Alice actually works for a family with both a mother and  a father. The family clearly seems to be a spoof on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their family with parents with high powered careers and a bunch of multicultural children including a daughter named Zuri (Brad and Angelina have a daughter named Zahara). Ironically, while I am sure Brad and Angelina must have nannies with all those kids and their busy movie careers, they do seem to spend a lot of time with their kids. You always see pictures of them with one or more of their kids. The parents on Jessie, however, hardly ever spend any time with their kids which doesn't make them very good parents because it's fine to have a nanny if you need to and can afford it, but that doesn't excuse parents who don't spend any quality time with their own kids.

And that's our view?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Funny Friday - I don't Share

Me -

When my sister was a baby, we were waiting  in the doctor's office. My Dad was reading me a book. Every time, he started reading my sister would grab the book and run off with it.

Mom -

When Melia was little her friend came to play. When he started playing with a toy, Melia grabbed it away. I  gave him another toy to play with. Melia grabbed that one away. I gave him another toy. Melia grabbed that one too. This went on and on. Every time, I  gave him another toy to play with, Melia would grab it away.

We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .

Love Objects

Me -  Love object, wow! When I was little, my favorite toy was a Boo doll from Monsters, Inc. I grabbed the box in the store and said "Me Want. Me Want." As soon as my parents agreed to buy her for me, I grabbed her and ran off with her.  Boo and I went everywhere together and did everything together. She was my BDFF (best doll friend forever). At first my parents didn't want me to sleep with her because her face was a little hard, but I wouldn't let them take her away. I slept with her every night, and I never got hurt.  She was so loved that she developed bald spots from being carried around everywhere.  I even had a backup Boo that we kept at my Grandma's. I loved that one too, but not as much as my original Boo. Boo was like a combination best friend and my own baby. She did things with me liking watching TV and going places, but other times I treated her like she was my baby  changing her diaper and feeding her and stuff. One Thanksgiving, a group of our friends and relatives sat around hysterically laughing as they watched 2 year old me diapering my baby doll. I was always leaving Boo places and my father was always finding her for me until one day, I lost her and he couldn't find her. I remember she was wearing a really pretty dress when I lost her. I still have backup Boo and someday I  hope to give her to my own daughter

Mom - I don't specifically remember ever having a  love object myself, but both of my girls had one as did my stepson. My stepson had an old blanket called Blanky. Melia had a Boo doll from the movie Monsters, Inc. My husband and I saw the movie when Melia was a baby, and it reminded us of her so we got her a Boo doll at the Disney Store. Up to that time. Melia was never too attached to any of her toys. However, the moment she saw Boo, it was love at first sight. Boo went everywhere with her and did everything with her. They ate together, they slept together, they watched TV together. She was like another member of our family. We even had to get her a separate Boo doll to keep at my mother's house after she woke up one night when we were sleeping there crying not for Mommy or Daddy but for Boo who had accidentally been left behind. That was not the only time Boo got left behind. I can't even recall how many times my husband to return to places to retrieve Boo after she had accidentally been left behind. In the end, the original Boo was lost when she was left behind during a day of shopping, and we couldn't find her again. By that time, Melia was already about six. Aurella had  a doll named Baby. Her real name was Lola, but Aurella always called her Baby. Like Melia and Boo before them, Aurella and Baby went everywhere together and did everything together. Luckily, we were able to have a replacement Baby doll  too because when Aurella chewed the doll's foot off, it became necessary to replace her. At first, Aurella actually thought Daddy had fixed Baby and went around proudly telling people "My Daddy fixed Baby." However, she soon figured it out and started telling people "My Daddy got me a new Baby." and it didn't seem to bother her at all that it was a whole new doll.  My niece, on the other hand, couldn't even stand the smell of her love object, Bunny, after Grandma dared to wash it.  Now, that my girls are older their favorite toy seems to change from day to day and sometimes even from minute to minute, but I sometimes can't help missing the days when Boo and/or Baby were members of our family and my babies were still babies.

And that's our view.  What's your kid's favorite love object?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.