Kate Plus 8 Goes Bye Bye

Last night I had to watch the series finale of "Kate Plus 8." Husband was less than thrilled to have to switch from baseball during commercials to watch this show. But I felt somewhat lead to watch it seeing as I had started watching the series when it began six years ago (back then it was "Jon & Kate Plus 8.")

At the time I was mesmerized by the cute sextuplets (who were born the same year as our youngest) and what seemed to be two super parents.

I have to admit that I also found it compelling because it was one of the first shows to feature a Caucasian mother and an Asian father. (For the longest time our youngest would say "I'm half Filipino and half human!")

I found myself laughing along with the toddler antics and relating to the frustrations of parenthood. Yes, I know all about sleepless nights, yes, diaper changing seems endless and oh my gosh, the noise can get incredibly loud at times! Whether you agreed with their child-rearing methods or not, viewers could at least see the commonality, even if theirs was eight times the work!

In the end I thought it was sad. As Kate basically reviewed their "TV life" with flashbacks of previous episodes, I thought she was sincere shedding a few tears with her own reminiscing. But that's only my opinion and others may disagree.

Whether you watched their show or not, I for one will miss those cute little faces who showed viewers that bringing up children isn't always fun and games, but that parenting, in reality, can be hard work.

Contagion - Will You Watch It?

Husband and I watch a ton of movies (DVDs, that is) and I recently heard a lot about the new Matt Damon film called "Contagion" which hits theaters today.

I'm not a germaphobe, well just a little, but I'm amazed at the star power in this film! Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, just to name a few...

This morning on the radio, someone who was reviewing the movie said it's definitely not for kids under 13. The main reason being that young children could believe that this pandemic could happen (and who says it couldn't) and then freak out when the kid next to them in class sneezes. Gee whiz.

I guess the reason for all the media hoopla is that this movie, according to the New Yorker, "evokes memories of the bafflement and the sense of outrage and helplessness that greeted the H.I.V. and Ebola viruses, in the nineteen-eighties, and the swine-flu scare a few years back."

So is this your form of entertainment, or will you pass it up? I'll let you know in about six months when "Contagion" is out on DVD!

Let 'Em Fly

Between the Facebook and blogging posts, it seems many of us are having a hard time of letting go this school year. I guess it's a good thing. It shows we care and even though there are those of us (meaning me) that long for routine, it can certainly tug at the mommy heart strings. I was listening to this song while doing work and it made me think of the mommies. Here's to another season of school.

We're Laboring On Labor Day

I never really posted our "after" photos of our youngest daughter's bedroom. That's because we've been crazy busy. Plus moving to a new (old) house will do that to you. Even today, Husband and our son were digging a fire pit in the backyard and then Husband primed a bathroom wall.

We're laboring my friends, how appropo for today's holiday.

So anyhoo, we painted the walls, took off valences to reveal pink curtains (ah! Free!) We bought a bed frame and box spring off Craigslist (read about that adventure!) and then I added clearance decor and hand me down items to finish off the rest of the room. (Light fixture below stayed, because Husband figured it will come back in style soon and we can call it "vintage.")

My new neighbor generously helped me sew a comforter for our daughter's room.

• sheet from Goodwill (as seen) - $3.49
• old faded comforter - $0.00
• old pink sheet  (underneath) from my mom - $0.00
• brown twin size bed skirt is from Target on clearance - $3.58

The old sheet, comforter and top sheet were tacked onto a quilting rack, we used needle point thread to "tie" the sheets/comforter together and stitched the edges.

It took awhile, but our little princess loves it. And I love that when she decides that pink is no longer her favorite color, we won't have to re-paint the walls, just changed up the accessories!

I'm linking up with Sarah!

Desperately Seeking Salad

Texas Caviar

We have a party to go to tomorrow and I volunteered to make a salad. I'm kind of tired of the ones I've made. Any ideas? I have lettuce, red onion and chopped walnuts. Could I make this into something? Help!

There's Music In The House

...Or, "How To Get Your Kids To Practice Piano, Even When They Don't Want To."

Like many other parents, I want my children to be well-rounded. Husband is the "sports" authority, whether it be teaching our kids how to shoot a basketball or how to throw a  baseball, that's his territory.

I, on the other hand, am completely useless in the sports department.

However, since I started teaching piano at a music school, I've had to take lessons and practice more seriously. This includes how I view teaching my two older kids. Our son has since moved onto guitar and my 13-year-old also plays clarinet in band, but I still teach her piano and I still expect her to practice.

I'm not going to get into anything technical here, but rather, if someone is not a self-motivator, how do you motivate them?

You show them this on You Tube:



Here's the thing, aside from the fact that practicing can get long and mundane, you can still find balance in that too. Yes, she has to master her major and minor triads and work on "Andante" by John Christian Bach, but after that, she could be playing something cool too.

(So I watched this video, bought a similar rendition on iTunes and I'm learning it by ear, so I can teach her. Sidenote: technology can be our friend!)

This isn't a gimmick or a trick, but rather honing in on what interests your child/student. Funny, she was on the people twice yesterday...the second time without my prompting.

My students at the music school are going to love it when I play this at our Christmas recital. Rock on.