Peter Pan

Are you familiar with the story of Peter Pan?  There are so many stories and movies- all based on the works of J.M. Barry.  The Disney version is maybe the best-known for my generation.  Even now, C will watch it over and over (and over...).  I was lucky enough to be IN a stage production of it a few years ago- it was community theater with a director from New York & his opera singer wife as Peter Pan (it IS traditionally played by a woman- think Mary Martin).  I was cast as "Grown-up Wendy," who only appears the last five minutes of the play.  It worked out well, since B was still a preteen (but "mature" enough to not get cast as a "Lost Child") so old enough to be left at home while I had rehearsal- but not TOO often.  I was the last person on stage... and the director reassured me mine was the part he was least worried about.  I don't tend to stage fright & had my 5-6 lines pegged, so he knew I would pull it off :)  (Hmmm- I have the video somewhere, and never HAVE gotten to see all of it...)  Anyway, I digress... the point is, I know the story VERY well, and love it VERY well, also.

There are any number of film versions and even movies based on stories BEYOND the play.  'Finding Neverland' with Johnny Depp as the playwright is good (young Freddie Highmore is excellent).  And our movie tonight (until D started falling asleep!):  'Hook'- with Robin Williams & Dustin Hoffman.  Dame Maggie Smith (pre- HP McGonagall!) plays an even OLDER Grown-up Wendy.  Some say the story is ridiculous, but I'm loving it (I've seen it many times) yet again.  It's all coming back to me as I watch, and it's almost as if I've lived the story.

But there ARE new things I've never noticed before (much to my delight).  For instance- I commented to D that the one pirate looked way too young/wrinkle free to be the age they had "him" looking based on the very obvious wig & fake beard.  In Googling for images for this blog, I learned it was actually Glenn Close!  It makes me wonder who else may be hiding in the cast...

But the MOST important part I noticed... my "take-away, " if you will... was Peter's wife (and Wendy's granddaughter) trying to convince him to spend more time with his children.  I don't know the exact wording, but it went along the lines of "It's only a short time- a few years- when they WANT to be with us" and how we need to make the most of those few years.  Wow.  I thought about how FAST the last 20-25 years have flown by (since High School, basically) and then thought about B's childhood.  It went by in an instant, it seems.  The years when she really "needed" us AND "wanted" us around (they don't always overlap, of course!) were really just a blink of an eye when I can remember things from 35+ years ago.  And the same thing is happening as C & E are growing.  I can already see C getting SO independent at times, and even E is getting where Mama isn't always the favorite (she's a Daddy's girl)- heck, there are days she could care less where I was!

Value these few short years.  The days can be long, I know, but the years are short.  Fast.  My younger mama friends can't even fathom how fast the next 15 years will go.  Don't wish them away and don't blink; you'll miss them.  Both the years AND your babies.  Good night- time for me to go kiss MY babies one more time.

Ooops- I did it again...

And NO, it's not a post on Brittany Spears!

Instead, it's another apology for ignoring this blog for so long- not quite a MONTH since I last posted.  I've thought of it many times, but never had the time I thought it deserved.  Or I was brain-dead at the moment.  Take your pick.

I *have* become more determined that I *will* post more regularly as soon as our fall schedule gets underway.  C will be in preschool 2 mornings a week, and while it will partly be time for one-on-one with E, I'm also hoping to make those my blogging days: Tuesdays and Thursdays.  So much for my MWF blogging ideas!  Eh- I'll do them anyway :)

So- I'll end THIS post since I DO have an idea (& time to write!) for this week's Whatever-Wednesday.  Toodles!

I-Made-It-Monday

Yes.  I know.  I have been VERY bad about blogging lately.  Very bad. 

But- life happens.  And I don't want to miss it as it goes by!  Summer is VERY busy for us, especially this week, with Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons & birthday parties.  Pretty sure I won't be back on again this week!  But...

For THIS Make-it-Monday, I am featuring one of my greatest creations ever:

Happy 4th birthday, Little Miss C.  Mama loves you!

Make-It Monday : Taco Salad

So, it is Monday again, and I have missed many (many) days of blogging.  But we DID make something this Monday!  However, it was the Banana-Chocolate Chip muffins from an earlier week, so I can't use that again!  However, we had a family reunion this last weekend and I made a family favorite for it, so I choose that Taco Salad to share with you today :)  The perk for me is I don't even have to go get the recipe to copy it over for you!  B had this at her graduation party last year, and after 15-16 batches, I kinda know it by heart now...

Taco Salad
1# hamburger, browned & seasoned with
1 package taco seasoning (as on the back of the package)
1 head lettuce, ripped into pieces (or a bag of lettuce)
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Co-Jack, whatever you'd use on tacos)
Doritos, broken into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2 a "Family Size" bag)
Western (Wishbone brand) dressing- about 3/4 of a 16 oz. bottle

Assemble everything in a large bowl, pour the dressing over the top & stir.  Add more dressing as needed.  Serve chilled.  Feel free to add other taco fixings your family likes- onions, peppers, beans, etc.

So- there you have it- FINALLY- a blog post from me!  I'm hoping to get back on track with posting so I finally feel gutsy enough & worthy enough to let others in on the idea that I even HAVE a blog... must.get.more.followers...

Happy Holiday Weekend!

To my Canadian Friends: I hope you had a Happy Canada Day on Friday!

To my U.S. Friends: Have a good Independence Day tomorrow!

Isn't it funny how summer holidays always seem to take a full weekend? It always seems nicer when the 4th falls on a Friday or a Monday- automatic long weekend. I like it THIS year because we sang all sorts of patriotic songs in church this morning :) As my mom commented "We should sing these every Sunday- everyone sang out so well!" The pastor was also able to incorporate the holiday into his sermon. He started out talking about how in years past (like 20 years ago), the patriotic part of the holiday- talking about justice & liberty- seemed to be a footnote to people's celebrations. But since 9/11 and the battles in Afghanistan & Iraq, people have come to realize the meaning of the holiday more. Prayers for peace and the safety of our soldier's have come to the forefront, instead of being an after thought. Isn't it sad it takes having our servicemen and women being killed to make the holiday have true value for some??

So- enjoy your holiday weekend, and pray for peace that next year our loved ones will be home to celebrate with us. Amen- Let it be so.

Pretend it's still Monday...

OK, I know for many people that's a scary thought: Monday is long enough! I mean in respect to me not getting "Make-It Monday" posted yesterday. For the same reason the goodies I was going to MAKE yesterday didn't get made until today: D has relatives around from out of town, so we've been gone visiting a lot. A LOT. But- the goodies have now been made, partially DEVOURED & soon to be packed up to share with said relatives.

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Anyway~ the recipe this week if for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. My sister shared this recipe with our mom. I also thought bananas and chocolate a strange combination and told myself I didn't like it. HA! The muffins are sooooo good. They are also EASY! C, at almost 4, LOVES to help mash the bananas and pour in ingredients, and today we realized even 18m. E can put cupcake liners in the pans! (OK, yes, she crumpled them more than anything, but cheap entertainment & she considered herself to be "helping".) I don't even use a mixer to make these, so clean up is simple, too.

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1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder & some soda (we don't know WHY it calls for soda, too, but put it in anyway...?)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. mashed bananas (I just use 2 or even 3 if I have them handy!)

1/2 c. melted butter

1/4 c. milk

3/4 c. chocolate chips

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Basically- mix everything in a bowl! I add everything but the chocolate chips, stir thoroughly with a rubber scraper, add the chips (before my "helpers" eat them all), and they're ready to go! The recipe says 32 minutes at 350 degrees, but that would be for 12-18 full-size muffins. My girls LOVE mini-muffins, so we are to make 48 muffins and bake them for 16-17 minutes. Let them cool as long as you can stand, and then EAT! Even little E can eat 3 or more of these at a sitting! (We won't talk about how many her mama can eat at a sitting...)

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So there is your Make-It-Monday-on-Tuesday post. If I send D & C to go fishing with all the rellies this afternoon & E naps well, you MIGHT even get Whatever Wednesday a day early! Check back to see where my mind is wandering off to this week...

Clowns

OK- This isn't completely random this week. We're going to the circus tomorrow, so it has it's own relevance. But I have definitely had random thoughts on clowns before!
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I told C tonight that we are going to the circus tomorrow. She is almost 4, so this will actually be her 3rd time going (4th if you count Yakov Smirnoff's Circus show in Branson a year ago!) Between faint memories of past years and what she's seen in books, she has a general idea of what to expect. I've been to this Shrine Circus MANY MANY times through the years, so I *really* have an idea what to expect. I told here there might be elephants, tigers or lions, trained dogs, etc... Her response: "But NO clowns, OK, mama?" I reassured her there may be 1 or 2, but that they would just be people acting silly and that would be OK.
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So WHY do we associate clowns with the circus when it seems so many little kids are freaked out by clowns? I don't even particularly like most clowns. Just NOT my thing, I guess. I used to have a poster of the famous Emmett Kelly clown on my wall in H.S. It was fine until I rearranged my room & could suddenly see it at night. I had to take it down! It scared me in the dark! (Also why if E had been a boy, the name Emmett ended up out of the running.) And do my children not like clowns as well because of my subconscious influences?
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But it's NOT just me... Look at Toy Story 3- the clown is a sad sack & little scary at times. And horror movies with scary clown dolls (don't make me find a reference- I need to be able to sleep tonight). And movies where the bad guys wear clown costumes to pull off a heist or even a murder. It's a cultural icon! Yet, some people LOVE clowns & clowning... I'm trying to think of other items/personnas in our society that seem to have such polar reactions- and I'm not finding too many (but that could be because my brain is tired...) Strangely enough, most I can come up with (OK- I've tried different ways to end that phrase without a dangling preposition & just CAN NOT do it tonight) have to do with things directed toward children.

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Here's the deep, though-provoking part (or not)- Is there something in each person's psyche that relates the fear of clowns to the fear of being SEEN as a clown? We are afraid to seem foolish in front of others, so we fear those who purposely appear foolish? As if it may be contagious? So maybe those who LOVE clowns are also those who have learned to be comfortable in their insecurities and see the world as a safe place where it is OK to let others see the slapstick in their soul? (Oooh- I like that phrase...)

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All righty- that's all this tired little brain can handle tonight. I was thinking of opening this blog up to more friends, etc, but I may have to wait until a better (less random?) post than this one! Thanks for reading anyway & putting up with MY foolishness for the day :)