Happy National Popcorn Day!

It is with great excitement that I celebrate National Popcorn Day. I absolutely LOVE with a capital LOVE, popcorn. Whether covered in orange finger-dying cheese, sticky sweet tooth-decaying caramel, or just dressed in a little butter and salt (and sometimes, all of the above, God bless Garrett's, amen), there is just no snack that inspires such emotion and happy memories in me.

Popcorn was really one of the very first things that I learned to make as a kid, and I was so good at it (yes, I'm patting myself on the back on this one), that I became the family's Official Popcorn Maker, a title I wore with great pride. My whole family loved popcorn, and we would have it often, but the best time was when we'd sit down to watch a movie together. We lived far from "town" and didn't have a lot of money to actually go to the movies, so our family movie nights were special. My dad would go to the local convenience store, Haddad's (no Blockbuster out in the sticks), and get a movie or two, and I would be commissioned to make the popcorn.

Even after we got our first microwave, we always preferred making it fresh. My mom would make sure to always get a few of her groceries in paper bags instead of plastic so that I could serve the popcorn in the bags, and yes, 4 people could eat a GROCERY BAG of popcorn in an evening! First, I'd get my bags ready by rolling them down about halfway to serve as our bowls (the paper bag was great at getting the extra oil out and just made the experience more fun). Then, I would get the huge stock pot on a low flame and melt 2 tablespoons of oil (sometimes Crisco) and 1 tablespoon of butter. I'd keep the flame low so that the butter wouldn't burn, and once I saw a little smoke, I knew it was time to put the popcorn in. Mom knew that I wouldn't settle for less than Orville Redenbacher's even though it was more expensive than the store brand; we were not just sold on the marketing -- it popped and tasted tons better, like movie popcorn. Once I'd measured out a half-cup of kernels, I'd evenly spread them out to cover the bottom of the pot and get the lid on. I'd give it a few shakes to get things moving and wait for the first kernels to pop. It was always so exciting to hear the first pings against the metal lid, then I'd really get to work shaking the pot so the kernels wouldn't stick and burn. The whole process only took a few minutes, but the result was so satisfying! Hearing and feeling the popcorn exploding like crazy in my hands was tons of fun, especially when the lid of the pot threatened to blow off. Once the popping slowed, I'd take it off the heat and pour all of that hot, buttery-smelling corn into the paper bags (I always added just a little more melted butter and salt to it just to take it over the top) and give a good shake to mix it all together. Every minute I took to perfect the popcorn would be excruciating to my family, but worth it when they got their bags. We learned pretty early that we didn't like to share, so Mom and Dad got their own bag, and my sister and I got ours. It was truly a special time for us.

Recently, my hubby and I took our 2- and 3.5-year olds to our first movie together as a family ("Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" -- not horrible as chipmunk movies go). Even though I can always eat popcorn, we had just eaten dinner, so I only bought a drink for us to share until Micah saw other people with popcorn and asked if he could have some, too. Of course, I couldn't refuse and bought enough for us all to share. I don't know why, but it gave me such joy to watch my children giggling at the movie and voraciously devouring handfulls of popcorn. I guess it wasn't really about the popcorn, but more the feeling of family that it invoked. So, now that my kids are old enough to not choke on it, we have popcorn together more often, even if I just zap it in the microwave. I hope that our popcorn nights bring up pleasant memories for my children when they are adults as they did for me. In fact, let me go check the cupboard now to see if I have any Orville's in the jar. Thanks, Orville!

Happy 75th birthday, Mama

I miss you so much. I wonder what you would have been like at 75. I know you would have spoiled Micah and Maia amd fallen in love with N'Gai. We'd still laugh at silly thongs, sing songs and watch Wheel of Fortune. As I grow older and remember things you did with me as a child, I use them with my own children, so you are still teaching me. I hope Heaven has a special place for you and that you are happy and that one day we'll see each other again. Until next time, your loving daughter.

2012...Recycling Renee

The motto of how we process waste material in the U.S. is "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle," and I hope to also apply these principles to myself and how I live my life in 2012 -- not only by putting paper, plastic and glass into the right bins, but also in sorting and prioritizing various aspects of my life. The origin of my name, Renee, is from the French, meaning "reborn" or "born again". It excites me to think that each New Year's that I am blessed to see, I'm reminded that I have yet another opportunity to renew myself in different ways. So, here goes...

REDUCE - It would be wholly appropriate to say that I have a strong desire to reduce my weight in 2012, but instead of merely saying that, I will say that I'd like to reduce the amount of damage I'm doing to my spirit, my health and my body by not treating it like the temple it is. I need to reduce my waistline by reducing the importance of food and being sedentary in my mind. I also need to learn to love my body for all of its wonderful attributes and accomplishments: great legs, smooth skin, nice smile, soft hair, pretty nails, strong limbs and lungs, quick brain (sometimes), ability to carry and feed two children, etc., and not focus so much on the things I perceive as negative about my body or beat myself up when I don't achieve some physical goal. I often employ humor to degrade myself in front of others, and I know I need to emotionally give myself a break. I will REDUCE THE SELF-ABUSE!

REUSE - Just as recycling is as much about repurposing items as it is about reformulating old items into new, I know that there are many lessons I've learned or things I've done that have worked before and continue to be beneficial, so I hope to revisit some skills or ideas that I haven't focused on in a while and find ways to REUSE them. If it ain't broke, REUSE it!

RECYCLE - Yes, I definitely need to go through my house and literally get rid of a lot of things that have served their time well with me and would likely have a better home somewhere else. But, thinking about recycling figuratively was a bit more challenging. How can I emotionally "clean house"? What I came up with was recycling any energy and time I have previously spent on negativity or worry and focusing it more on positive thoughts and attitudes. I don't think I'm any worse in this category than average, but I definitely feel like there can always be an improvement. My negative and/or misinformed perceptions of people or situations, whether real or imagined, take up a lot of valuable emotional and physical energy, and as I've been on a "Path to Happy" for a while now, I know that I can make a direct impact on the role that I actively play in my own happiness. It doesn't mean that others will change or become better (or worse) in my eyes, but more so that I will be slower to anger, to judge, to gossip, to react and give things time to play out. This will allow me to then act more wisely and more efficiently in the sense of managing my relationships and not wasting time and energy on my own preconceived notions or prejudices. Not trying to sound all high and mighty because this will definitely be a work-in-progress and I will surely fail at times, but I'm going to keep on pushin'. RECYCLE MY MIND AND MY ACTIONS WILL FOLLOW.

I hope that you also have a truly Happy New Year and Happy New You in 2012, everyone!

On The Eve of All Things New...and Exciting!

It is the last day of 2011, and I'm happy to be able to reflect on the year with happiness. Our family has had so many wonderful changes this year: we've moved to a new city and state, changed jobs, met new people, and learned a new way of life. I am nearly vibrating with excitement at what new changes 2012 will bring, although I partially hope that it's not quite as exciting as 2011. I definitely look forward to so much growth -- the continued growth of my marriage and friendship with my husband, the ebbs and flows of my children's lives and how each day with them is a wonder, my relationships with my family and friends and the hope to build on that.

I will delve more deeply into the changes I hope to personally make in 2012 in tomorrow's post. Until then, have a fun, safe and blessed New Year's Eve. I can't wait to see you all next year!

A Really Short Post - One Question

Why won't my daughter go to sleep????? She'll be two in a week and a half, so shouldn't that mean that her aleep pattern should be getting better instead of worse? It's 11:43 and she has already woken up once since we put her to bed at 9. I'm sure that the fact that her achedule has been all over the place (i.e., going to bed at 9 instead of 8, 1 nap instead of 2) for the last few weeks is likely to blame. But I also wonder if she might be atarting to get some of the childhood fears that kids get, like being afraid of the dark. I do know that she already somewhat has this fear as she doean't love going into dark rooms during thw day, but I'm wondering if it's crossing into nighttime as well. We have a nightlight for her, but it seems as if she ian't as able to aleep until she's in the room with us. It reminds me of my own fear of the dark and running into my parents' room to jump into bed with them, and how I always slept best when I laid my head on my mom's arm (not the best sleeping for her, though). So, instead of being impatient and cranky when Maia cries again at 3am, I will try to remember my own fears and need for comfort at her age and be more empathetic...but I'm not gonna say it'll be easy. Wish me luck!

Reliving My Childhood Through My Kids (But Not in the Scary "Dance Moms" Way)

Congrats on surviving the holidays, everyone! We've made it through Thanksgiving and Christmas and are now in that lovely vacation limbo right before New Year's Eve (collective exhale...AHHHHHH). We had a wonderful, fun holiday. I was so excited to give the kids their gifts that I made up excuses to give them one here and there in the days leading up to Christmas. "Look, honey, Micah went to the potty on his own -- we should let him open a present." "Maia ate most of her food -- that warrants a present, right?" At 3, Micah's getting to the age where he can understand, anticipate, and get really hyped about Christmas, and it rubbed off on all of us. I almost felt like I was the one getting the presents just watching them open theirs -- I guess I was getting a gift in being able to see that joy in my son and daughter's eyes. This is some of the real fun in parenting.

Not only have we gotten to open (and play with) presents with the kids, but also we've watched some of our favorite holiday programs with them: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (N's fave; I was never a CB fan), "Frosty the Snowman," How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "The Sound of Music" (ok, only I watched that one), but the list goes on and on. And again, it's a really special feeling to be able to share something that brought back good memories of our childhood with our children. Like every other kid, we couldn't wait to watch these movies every year because they were a vital part of the whole Christmas experience.

We just took the kids to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" (not bad, by the way) and it was the very first time the whole family went to the movies together. N marveled at how many children were in the theater and how much mayhem ensued. I forgot that this was his first time doing it (I had taken the children and my 15-year old nephew to see Cars 2 earlier in the summer), so I was amused at how many times he attempted to encourage Micah and Maia to sit quietly and watch the movie -- didn't he realize we were in a kids' movie and were therefore out of control? I tend to be a little more anal about making sure my children are controlled in public, but even I felt like this was an opportunity for me to loosen the reins. I really honestly thought all of the kids in the theater were very well behaved considering the hour (7pm), the age range (1 to teens) and the sheer number of people in the theater (lots!). I expected a lot more than the light giggling, cute kid commentary, and occasional coughing (actually, this was the only thing that bothered me. I kept thinking about that movie "Outbreak" and was giving the child's parents the telepathic evil eye for bringing their sick kid to the movies). There wasn't even any crying or screaming. To me, a good night out at the movies...with the kids. Let's be real, though, as nice as it was, there's a big difference in going to the movies with your kids than just going to the movies alone or with another adult.

At any rate, we had a great time watching the movie, eating popcorn and M&Ms, and drinking a cherry Icee (a rare treat for all of us), and generally, sharing the fun of going to the movies together. These last few days of watching kid movies, opening presents and playing trains and tea party have reminded me of how great it was to be a kid AND how great it is to be a parent experiencing Christmas for the first real time with their children. It also reminded me to be thankful for these moments and how fleeting they are. Talk to you later, have to play with Micah's remote control car now that he's asleep.

Help! My Sleep Is Broken!

I almost missed posting today because Maia has decided that, after months of sleeping through the night on her own, she'd much rather wake up several times throughout the night to see how many different ways she can say "Mommy" or "Dada" until we pick her up and bring her to our bed in a desperate effort to make her stop. I know that this is karma biting me in the rear for bragging to a friend about how quickly Micah began sleeping through thw night when she asked for advice on sleep training. Needless to say, today has been one long yawn.

So, during one of the many lying awake periods waiting for Maia to wake up last night, I began to think about what an interesting phrase "broken sleep" was and how many other seemingly intangble or conceptual things could be broken, which is a very literal and physical action. I came up with "broken spirit", "broken promises", "broken heart", and "broken will", among others.

I don't have anything else particularly meaningful to say about this (particularly simce my brain is mush) other than hoping that one day Maia is impressed at how much of an impact she had on my thought process by breaking my sleep. Good night, all (I hope).