See What You Started, Fievel Mouskawitz?!

A month or so ago, the movie An American Tail, was on free HBO, so I recorded it for the kids. After all, it has always been a favorite of mine, and I like when we can bond over things that I enjoyed as a child. I absolutely love that movie! Great songs, heartwarming story, mice that I don't want to kill. It has it all!!

But here's the thing about An American Tail. I always cry!! I swear, I could watch that thing 10 times in a row, and still end up crying when he finds his family! Megan, my oldest, asked why it made me cry. I told her it's the way he whispers, "Papa..." when he hears his father's voice calling for him. It just gets me every time!

And then I started thinking about all the other cartoon movies that pull on my heartstrings. I'll be the first to admit that I tear up over just about any sappy thing, ( Like this one Oreo Cookie commercial from the 90's, where the teenage girl lets her dad twist her Oreo for her, just like he did when she was a little girl. I know, I know....pure sap.) But there's something about animated stories, that really get to me. And I swear Disney is the worst!! They like making people cry, I think.;)

So, here are some animated movies that make me feel like a crying fool.

1. Bambi. I'm good until he cries, "Mother!!" Mooooother!!" You know, I might have been OK with that part, if they would have just left it with the gunshot. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that sound means. I was a little kid when I first saw it, and I figured it out. Scarred for life I tell ya. Scarred. For. Life.

2. The Land Before Time. And once again, the animators felt the need to kill another mother. (I'm surprised it's not a Disney movie.) Only this time, the poor little dino had to actually witness his mommy dying! Then, later thinks he sees her, but it ends up being his shadow. And the Diana Ross song at the end!!?? Are you kidding me with this?! Evil. Pure evil.

3. Dumbo. ( See, didn't I mention Disney was evil?) Oh, let's see. How about we take an elephant with ginormous ears, have everyone around make fun of him for being different, then, lock his mommy up in a cage so they can't see each other. Yeah!! That's the ticket!! Then, we'll make it so he's able to visit her, but is only able to see her trunk! And how about we have her rock him with her trunk, and play a sad song, all at the same time!! Thank God he had that mouse to take care of him for awhile. You know, the same mouse who got him, a baby elephant, drunk!! Good times. Goood times.

4. All Dogs go to Heaven. At the very end, when Charlie is saying goodbye to Ann Marie, and she says, "Charlie, I love you." It's just sad.

5. Lady and the Tramp. When Trusty is hit by the truck, and Jock starts howling. Oh, sad, sad howling. OH, and the sad dogs in the pound!! Animals make things more sad I think...lol


6. The Lion King. And once again, Disney kills another parent. Typical.


I'm thinking I should have just typed, "Every Disney movie made, before 2000." LOL

Well, I think this list has gone on long enough. The sappiness can go on and on for days.;)

What are some animated movies that make you tear up every time? Come on! Don't be shy! I know I'm not alone here!;)

The Princess And The Frog

A few days ago, my youngest daughter Holly, was excited to get outside and start her favorite spring/summertime hobby, catching frogs. We live along the Tippy River, and are surrounded by trees and nature. A Tomboy's paradise. I don't mind her doing it, just as long as she's gentle, and puts them back where she found them. You know, after she's done giving them rides in her Barbie jeep.

After some time, I had to come inside to use the bathroom, and while I was in there, I heard Holly come inside, and go into her bedroom. I walked out of the bathroom, and went to the computer to check Facebook. While I was there, Holly walked out of her room, closed her door, and looked at me and said, "Mommy, there are no frogs in the house."

This of course means, " Mommy, I soooo have a frog in the house!" So I said, "Holly Jane, did you bring a frog in here?"  "Yes....:-)" she said with a big smile. "It's so cute, and I wanted to take a shower with it!"

I replied, "Go get the frog and take it back outside so it can go home!......where is it?"  "In my jewelry box." she said. 



(A picture of one of her froggy friends from last year.)

 I had to laugh! Her pretty pink jewelry box, with a dancing ballerina, was the perfect temporary home for her "froggy friend".

Only my Holly.

Weaning, And Biting, And Tears...Oh My!!

I've dreaded this experience for over a year now. Even when I was pregnant, the feeling of sadness would wash over me if I thought about it too much. Now it's here, and I must face the music. I have begun to wean Noah off of breast milk. He's 13 months now, and I feel that it's time. If you're not a mom, or are a mom that has never nursed before, this probably sounds like something I should be rejoicing about. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Yes, in the beginning it's like someone has rubbed your nipples with sandpaper, and yes you look a little like a person out of a National Geographic magazine, but once you get past the first few weeks, it's just so natural! There's just something so wonderful, when you're nursing, and your baby makes eye contact with you. Or the sound they make when they know they are about to eat. (Maybe my kids only did that. If  the sound were given words, it would probably be something like, "Oh boy! Oh boy!! Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!!")

My heart is just full of bitter sweetness! I of course want my kids to grow up, and experience life to the fullest. But, a part of me is saying, NO!!! Stay little!! This was never this difficult with my oldest daughter, because I always knew that I would be having another down the road. And when my youngest daughter was born, although we thought we were done having babies, I didn't go through this because I decided to formula feed her. (Although, I DID nurse her a few times in the hospital.) And transitioning her from bottle to sippy cup, was a piece of cake. She cared more about her pacy than the bottle. Now Noah, well he's a different story all together! He has never taken a pacifier, and chooses to use mommy as one instead! Granted, he's gotten better about that than the first 6 months or so, but he still finds such comfort in it. And with him being my last baby, (  I can say that with certainty, because I had a tubal ligation during my c-section.) I'm not on as strict of a "wean schedule" as I was with Megan. But the time has come to slowly take his daytime feedings away. Because the inevitable has happened..........

Noah is a Biter!!!

Megan, my oldest, Never bit me!! And I nursed her for just as long! She was completely done my 14 months. Noah will whine and fuss until I let him nurse a little, and then after a few minuets, he'll bite and pull!! This doesn't happen every time, but it's enough to make me get the ball rolling, you know? But even after being bit, I'm still sad!

Weaning Noah, means the end of a chapter of my life. A part of my life that I hold so dear, and have wanted since I can't even remember. I would probably have 2 more if I was given the chance. I loved being pregnant, and feeling the anticipation of a new life that I helped create. I loved the feeling of seeing my baby's face for the first time. I loved their smell. There's nothing like baby smell. It's like God made them smell that way, so that we could breath them in, and make that memory last forever, because they're only little for a blink of an eye. Oh, why can't they stay little for just a little while longer?

So, with tears in my eyes, I'm left with the depressing fact, that my baby, doesn't need my milk for nourishment anymore. My baby, doesn't need to nurse to fall asleep.

My baby.

My baby......is growing up.



One Day Old





11 1/2 Months Old



If I Were Bella.....

My husband bought me Eclipse for Christmas, and I finally got around to watching it this week. Since then, I've watched it almost every night. I'm such a sucker (no pun intended) for the Twilight movies! It's just the perfect fantasy love story! What girl wouldn't want, not one, but two super hot, and equally nice guys with super human powers, drooling over her?! I must admit to myself that if they weren't so easy on the eyes, the story might not go too far for me. (Just to make it clear, I only allow myself to be shallow in these particular situations.) The only thing I can hardly stand about the story, is that she has to choose between the two lovelies. So, here is what I would do.

I would be like, "Hey, guys!! Let's move to Utah and live happily ever after!!" "It's allowed here, don't ya know?!" (It IS a fantasy after all, right?)

P.S.  Real Amy SO does NOT believe in polygamy!!  Actually, I wonder if they allow wives to have more than one husband, instead of  a husband having more than one wife? Oy. Leave it to me to over think a fantasy.

Winter Madness

While most people talk of how they will retire in Florida or Arizona, or someplace of equal heat, my husband and I always tell people that we would like nothing more than to retire in Maine someday. We live in northern Indiana, and although we get the snow and cold, the scenery is much to be desired. Not to mention that there are some years that we ( in my opinion) get totally gypped in the snow department.  Which is crazy, because if we lived just an hour or less north, we would get crazy amounts of lake-effect snow! But alas, we are stuck waiting on system snow, or maybe an inch or 2 of lake-effect, if we're lucky. I want to live where I'm pretty much guaranteed of a white Christmas every year, and a winter that stays winter until spring. Will we actually move to Maine someday? I have to be honest with myself, and say no. More than likey we'll try to stay close to our kids. But if 2 of them decide to move to the heat and yuck, and the other stays in a cooler state, we'll go with that one. Picturing my husband in socks and sandles, with a Hawian shirt on, is just not something I ever want to see!! And me in a moo-moo?! Yikes!!!