But we just got her!

Mark has been laughing at me all week because over the weekend, I was lamenting the passage of time and made an unintentionally humorous comment about Photobaby.

I do that all the time, by the way – lament. You should try it sometime.

Anyway, we were talking about how big she’s getting and how much she’s changed and grown in the last month. And I said, “But we just got her!”

Pause for hysterical laughter here.

What? You don’t think it’s that funny? Mmm-hm, I knew you all were my friends for a reason.

Mark’s point was that I made it sound like Photobaby is a car or some other item we purchased recently. Maybe. I guess it might have sounded like that. Hardy-har-har.

But really, I said exactly what I meant. God has entrusted us with this smart, spunky and irresistibly adorable (if I may say so myself!) child for just a short period of time. Of course, I pray fervently that the period of time lasts as long as I do. But assuming I make it past her teen years, she’ll eventually move out of my house and into her own, independent life.

And though she’ll always be my baby, she won’t be fully mine any longer. Not that she ever was…

So when I see her pulling up to stand and crawling down the hallway at Mach 4 and saying “thank you” in sign language and shouting, “Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!” every time our cats walk by, well, I can’t help but exclaim, “But we just got her!”

One of the most touching moments in Freaks and Geeks was in the second to last episode, Smooching and Mooching. Lindsay feels that her dad helping her friend, Nick, is unfair compared to his strict treatment of her. Her dad says, “You know the difference between you and Nick? You’re my daughter. And every minute that you’re not in this house, every minute that I can’t see you…is torture.” [This is paraphrased; please don’t quote me.]

Of course, she points out that she can’t just stay inside forever, to which he responds with a mock scowl, “Why not?”

You hear that, Photobaby? Why can’t you stay little? Don’t grow up! Let me give you a bottle every night and tuck you in and give you 763 kisses every single day! Why not?

I wish I'd never seen it...

In the last episode of Freaks and Geeks, Mr. Rosso loans Lindsay the Grateful Dead’s album, American Beauty. A Deadhead in the cafeteria spies the record that Lindsay’s holding and says that American Beauty is so great that she wishes she never heard it…just so she could hear it for the first time.

That’s how I feel about Freaks and Geeks.

Just two short weeks ago, I had not watched a single episode of this 1999 cult hit. The Judd Apatow series has been lauded by many, including my friend Triple, who has been telling me for years that I’d love it.

And I’ve been telling her for years that I’m sure I would, and I would love it, and I promise I will watch it. Someday.

Triple’s known me for quite a while. So she wisely took matters into her own hands, getting together with Chelley to give me the entire series on DVD for my birthday.

With no excuses left, I went about watching Freaks and Geeks like I do with any tasty treat. I savored it bite by bite, taking time to fully appreciate the flavor and texture of each morsel.

Ummm, no. I devoured it. Gulped it down, forgetting to breathe or eat or sleep for the good part of two weekends.

And just like that, it’s over. I’ve watched the whole series, all 18 episodes. At first I thought about saying it's like Wonder Years meets That 70s Show, but it's really more than that. It was possibly the most realistic and evenly acted portrayal of high school I've seen. Kind of the anti-Dawson's Creek. (Not that I didn't love me some Dawson's Creek, because ummm, I did.)

But now it was all gone, never to be seen again. Well, that’s not true. I can watch it any time I want. Plus, the DVD set has hours of extras – deleted scenes, interviews and commentaries. So I will actually be enjoying the antics of Lindsay, Sam and their friends for, quite possibly, years to come. In the meantime, brace yourself. I’ve received much wisdom from these 18 episodes, and it is my duty, nay, my honor to pass it along.

Not today, though. I don’t actually feel all that wise today. Maybe tomorrow.

For today, let me just say that I had no idea how many people had starred or appeared on this show! Even Ben Stiller appeared in the last episode. Here’s a quick list of the actors I recognized (and what I knew them from before F&G entered my life):

• John Francis Daley (now appearing as “Sweets” on Bones)
• Seth Rogen (well-known for his roles in several Apatow movies, including Knocked Up and Pineapple Express)
• Jason Segel (also known as “Marshall” from How I Met Your Mother)
• James Franco (mysteriously appearing in many films as a “pretty boy” or “hot guy,” including the Spider-Man series. I don’t get this one.)
• Busy Phillipps (has reprised her role as a prickly jerk in both TV – Dawson’s Creek – and movies – Made of Honor)
• Thomas F. Wilson (or, as he’ll forever be known to me, “Biff” from Back to the Future)
• Matt Czuchry (I fell in love with my husband all over again when he said, “Hey, it’s Logan from Gilmore Girls!” I was so proud.)
• Shia LaBeouf (since I’m not sure how to pronounce that name, I prefer to call him “that kid from Indiana Jones”)
• David Krumholtz (you can call him “the guy from Numbers” all you want, but I know he’s really the big elf from Tim Allen’s Santa Clause movies)
• Lizzy Caplan (from another short-lived sitcom, The Class, as well as Mean Girls) [Fun fact: In the last episode, Jason Segel accidentally called her by her real name (Liz) and not by her name on the show (Sara).]
• Rashida Jones (the actress who apparently wants to be called “Karen,” as that’s her name both in this show and on The Office)

[Note: If you'd like to learn more about this show and/or the DVD, I recommend going here for a better review than you're ever going to get out of me.]

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday (as in, this TV show certainly worked for me!). For more relevant life-enriching tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Have it your way?

Part of my weight loss journey relies on my ability to make different food choices. And that’s hard, after 30 glorious years of enjoying pounds of M&Ms and bags of Doritos. I mean, those were good years!

Then again, they were also years fraught with agony over shopping in the women’s section and panic over once life-threatening blood pressure.

I guess the different choices might not be so bad after all.

And really, they aren’t. Granted, forcing myself to eat more fruits and vegetables is harder than it sounds. (I’m telling you, I don’t care if carrots could somehow eliminate my blind-as-a-bat need for glasses, they would still taste gross.) But let’s be honest – I’m not going to give up good-tasting food, and I’m not going to completely revamp the way I live (or magically find three extra hours in the day to cook those healthy meals I see on TV). So I’ve got to find some compromises – different choices that fit within my life, different choices that I can stick with.

Today I’m happy to report that I have found a couple good ones. Maybe they’ll help some of you in your health goals, too. Those of you who eat out more than you should and aren’t afraid of the golden arches or flame-broiled anything.

First, the fast food winner: McDonald’s Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich. It’s 9 points (420 calories/10g fat/3g fiber), which is a lot for a sandwich but not a lot for fast food. And it’s good! So far, I’ve gotten it with the mayo, but as I progress in my different choices strategy, I’ll probably leave it off. It’s that good.

And now for the fast food loser: Burger King’s TenderGrill Chicken Sandwich. This one is 11 points (510 calories/19g fat/4g fiber), and it’s not nearly as good as McDonald’s offering. My chicken was dry and overcooked, and there’s no way I’d attempt it without some sort of sauce (you can get it with honey mustard instead of mayo, and the stats are a bit lower). I was pretty disappointed in this choice…and glad I opted for onion rings, despite the 7-point price.

Finally, the best healthier food choice I’ve made recently was at California Pizza Kitchen. I had a cup of tortilla soup, which I’d classify as okay but filling, and then I had the most delicious salad I’ve had in a long time: the BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad (I had a half salad). According to the information I could find, this perfect-sized salad was only 7 points. If they would have brought it with the dressing on the side (as I requested), it would have been even lower.

I know that many of us start new diets – or healthy lifestyle programs – in January, and some of you have mentioned being a part of that group. In your efforts to eat better, have you made any discoveries? (I know Brenda has – check out her delicious grapefruit photo!)

Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays.

Well, here we are. Full-fledged into January, embarking on another new year. Twelve months of opportunity, staring us in the face.

Uh-huh, staring. Waiting, expectantly. Blinking. Waaaaaaaiting…

Does anyone else get a little overwhelmed when starting something new? Despite talking around the issue for almost two weeks now, I've had a hard time really getting revved up about my New Year's resolutions. After all, will it really work? Is there even a point?

Now, you know I love me a good list. And I love setting goals and making plans. But (as I may have mentioned a time or twenty), follow through often proves difficult for me.

Largely because I so love my quality time with the TV, and partly thanks to my ever-growing obsession with the blogosphere.

But no matter the reason (and oh yes, there's always a reason), I have left pages of lists and plans and yes, resolutions, behind me over the years.

Here’s where my case of the Mondays comes in. Or the Januarys. Or really, any time period that allows me to start over.

Of course, we don’t have to wait for any magical day. We can start over at any time. Lamentations 3 – one of the most encouraging books I’ve found, with its barefaced admission of pain and bittersweet recognition of God’s mercy even in those valleys – reminds us that God’s compassion and love is new every morning. And with his love comes forgiveness and a clean slate.

Every morning, we’re given another chance. One more opportunity. Hmm...that's a whole post in itself! But for today, I'm focusing on what that means for January and resolutions and me.

So with that in mind…

This year, I believe, will be different. I’m setting tangible, measurable resolutions and committing to detailed plans to achieve them. And the icing on the cake? I’m even asking for accountability from you all. Right here. Right now. After all, if Tam and Mandy can do it on their blogs, surely we can do it here, too. (But please, for the love of all things musical, do not expect me to write you any songs!)

In 2009, I resolve, commit, determine to…

• Embrace a healthy lifestyle with the help of Weight Watchers (losing weight along the way, of course!).
• Return to a daily quiet time by subscribing to Proverbs 31 Ministries devotions. Also, continue working through three-year Bible reading plan at home.
• Improve personal finances by paying $50 extra toward debt each month and saving $1500.
• Spend quality time with Photobaby each day by reading a book to her before bedtime. (This might seem obvious and easy, but since I work full-time, PB and I often run errands in the evenings, making the night-time ritual rushed and chaotic.)
• Start doing my part around here by signing up for recycling service by the end of January.

I’m not even putting floss on there. Because really, I’m not sure you all want to be my accountability group for that one. And besides, I’m setting myself up for success this year with attainable goals and all that.

Those are my goals for this year. Do you think they sound do-able? Will you help me stick to them by reading updates every now and then (and asking for updates if I fall back to my typical slacker ways)? Is there anything I can keep you accountable for in 2009?

If I Could Turn Back Ti-ohm

When Will & Grace ended their final season a few years ago, they had a Very Special Going Away Goodbye Episode. It showed clips of their funniest bits over the show’s lifetime, including the many scenes involving one or all of the cast singing. Though those extremely talented actors have more impressive scenes, one of my favorites is the short bit Jack had with Cher. He thinks she’s an impersonator (or drag queen) and tries to show her how to properly sing “If I Could Turn Back Time.” You can watch it here.

And maybe someday if you’re lucky, I’ll share my own Cher impression with you. If you’re lucky.

It seems like sitcoms these days don’t include nearly as much music as they used to. Of course, you can point to How I Met Your Mother’s tribute to “I Would Walk 500 Miles,” but even though that episode was…wait for it…legendary, the actors weren’t really making music themselves. (See the clip here.)

So for you, I’ve spent my entire morning on YouTube and have some great musical sitcom memories to share. Oh, the things I do for you.

My mom was a big fan of The Monkees. So I learned to love Davy Jones early in life. But my favorite TV memory of that short British singer (5’3”!!) was on My Two Dads. (And I’d totally forgotten that Paul Reiser was in this show!) Check it out here.

Another one of my favorite shows from back in the day was Perfect Strangers. There’s just something so loveable about that wacky Balki Bartokomous! Turns out that he was always singing something, but the one that’s stuck with me all these years is a brief bit of him singing “What’s Love Got to Do With It” while dusting. If I’m ever home alone and dusting (not that this is a common occurrence, let me assure you!), you can bet I’m belting out that song. See it here at 1:02 (it’s a long montage). And for more musical fun with Larry and Balki, go here and here.

One of Photobaby’s favorite sounds to make is “Bah.” So naturally, I respond by singing “Bah-bah-bah, Bah-Barbara Ann.” And for some reason, this has brought Bob Saget to mind. Well, mystery solved. While I remembered the episode of Full House where the whole Tanner family goes to a Beach Boys concert and sings “Kokomo” (see it here), I’d forgotten that they also sang “Barbara Ann.”

I found this on a desperate YouTube search for Danny Tanner singing Moon River at the end of a date. I swear it exists. But despite the trillions of videos online with Full House musical bits, I found no trace of this one. So it’s possible I just made it up. (Anyone else remember that?)

Finally, one of the most striking musical scenes in a sitcom, at least in my opinion: the four Designing Women lip synching “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” You can see their talent show performance here, but to get the full effect, you can learn about why the song meant to much to those ladies here. This episode was one of the first times I learned about – and was moved and disturbed by – domestic violence.

On a lighter note, when I grow up, I SO want to be Julia Sugarbaker!

All right, now it’s your turn. What songs have appeared in your favorite TV shows? Or, what songs make you think of TV shows? Or, what songs make you – randomly – think of Bob Saget? And last but not least...anyone else who had a crush on Uncle Jesse?

We partied like it was 1993.

In years past, Mark and I have hosted several New Year’s Eve parties. Not the glamorous sort with flowing champagne, cocktail attire and live music. Although…

One year we had a champagne glass pyramid. Another year we convinced my brother to play Auld Lang Syne on my piano, which he did with his typical flair.

So, really, I guess we were just missing the fancy clothes. And when I think about the pantyhose and girdles and pointy shoes involved in that mess, I don’t believe I actually “miss” fancy clothes after all.

This year, we really kept a low profile. Between a 15-month-old baby, a family get-together scheduled for New Year’s Day, and Mark scheduled to work on both Wednesday and Friday, there wasn’t much we could do.

Until I decided to invite Chelley and Smitty to come over. (I invited Triple and Mad Dog, too, but they had made plans with Triple’s sister back when they thought we could head up north and go with them.)

It was then that a Very Special New Year’s Eve Girls Night was born. I bought People magazine and junk food and grabbed 13 Going on 30 out of the $5 bin. I pulled out the three semi-chick flicks I own (I rent movies, folks; I don’t buy them!), and covered many mini pretzels in white chocolate. I even put green sprinkles on them.

Sprinkles on the pretzels, not the movies.

And then Mark got off early. And Smitty brought over a movie. And Chelley suggested board games.

It was then that a Very Special New Year’s Eve, circa 1993, was born.

Just like Smitty and I did during our freshman year of high school, we all ate Cool Ranch Doritos, drank Mountain Dew and watched A Far Off Place.

We also played a torturous game of 90s Trivial Pursuit – It is harder than it sounds, people! Did I sleep through the 90s or what? – and several rounds of Taboo. Mark had the good grace to lose every game, as is only appropriate when you crash a VSNYEGN. And I showered my closest friends with much spit as I said repeatedly, “Shhh! There’s a BABY sleeping here!”
I know it doesn’t sound like it…but we really had a good time. It’s my educated opinion (based on years of junk food research) that you just can’t beat the combination of rot-your-teeth-sweet Mountain Dew and oh-so-ranchy Cool Ranch Doritos.

And A Far Off Place? Well, that one started as an inside joke and has now become a tradition we will repeat every New Year’s Eve.

Just kidding, Chelley.

It’s actually a 15-year-old sad and serious Disney movie starring Reese Witherspoon that Smitty and I watched back in the day. And though we finished the original movie marathon (that also included Jack the Bear, a realllly sad Danny Devito movie) feeling slightly depressed and confused about her mom’s taste in movies, we also latched on to a running gag in the film about cat food being confused for pate.

I don’t know. We were 14. It was funny then.

And okay, it was funny this time around, too.

But the best part of the whole thing was spending the evening with three of my favorite people – Mark, Smitty and Chelley. That, my friends, is how to ring in the New Year!

I know this question is coming about, oh, 8 days too late…but how did you celebrate New Year’s? What your favorite/craziest/funniest New Year’s memory?

I can't believe I forgot!

Back when I was helping Triple plan Chelley’s surprise birthday party, I did a little research into the year she was born. 1978 also happens to be the year I was born, so I was doubly interested. We didn’t end up needing the pages of information I found, but I planned to share some tidbits with you all. On my birthday. And then I forgot.

So, even though we’re now past the 30th anniversary of Chelley’s birth and mine, I still want to tell you about a few other things that were born in 1978. For extra credit or something.

First – everyone’s favorite dog-hating, lasagna-loving cat, Garfield. The comic strip drawn by Jim Davis debuted on June 19.

Next – the original primetime soap, Dallas. This long-running TV show about a wealthy, dysfunctional family in Texas actually began as a miniseries in April.

And what about food? Surely there was a food-related discovery in 1978? Why yes, yes, there was. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop in a renovated gas station in downtown Burlington, Vermont, on May 5.

Now, I want to see a show of hands. Who out there has one of these collecting dust on a shelf somewhere? That’s right, folks. Precious Moments began cranking out those round-headed figurines just over 30 years ago. Say it with me: Awwww.

Did you realize Whitesnake has recorded more than 50 songs they believe should be rounded up and plopped onto a collector’s album? Honestly, I had no idea. The band was formed in 1978, but it would be 9 long years before I ever heard one of their songs. “Is This Love” or “Here I Go Again,” anyone?

And last, but certainly not least, we have a movie. Or perhaps I should say, A Movie. After all, we are talking about the film that brought us Olivia Newton-John in black leather. That’s right – Grease came out 30 years ago, showing us the danger of being a beauty school dropout and encouraging good girls everywhere to go bad. Well, you know, as bad as it gets when you’re bopping around a fairground singing, “Boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy, Shoo-by doo-wop she-bop, Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop.”

There you have it. The most notable events of 1978. Just kidding. Many more important things happened, of course. But I thought these were fun.

What do you think? Are you a fan of summer lovin'? What’s your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s? Are you offended that I assumed all Precious Moments figurines are dust-catchers? Were you allowed to watch Dallas back in its heyday? Do you love lasagna or hate dogs? And really, most importantly, what is your favorite Whitesnake song?

Next week I'll be serious.

But this week, I'm getting all my fluffy posts out of the way. Plus, I mentioned to Brenda that I'd been thinking of posting about OUR celeb lookalikes...and she said she's looking forward to it.

So you know I have to do it now.

Okay, here's the thing: Hollywood will never make a movie about my life. But just in case it does, I want to be prepared. I want to decide who should play me. You should do the same.

Come on, it'll be fun!

First, the actresses I have been told I look like:

Brooke Shields
(My grandad said this when I was a kid.
She was younger, and I was cuter then.)

Christine Baranski
(I don't get this. She is old
and not who I want to look like.)

Neve Campbell
(I don't want to look like her, but I kind of do.
Well, I did back in high school,
which was when this was said.
Several times.)

Apparently I am a bit mannish-looking.

Whatever. This is my make-believe movie, so I pick the lovely Michelle Monaghan. She's not mannish at all.

All right - it's your turn. Who have you been told you look like? Who would you pick to play you in a movie?

"No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough."

(Quote by Roger Ebert)

In an effort to fulfill one of my many goals, I watched a bunch of movies over the long New Year’s weekend. (The goal being to watch a bunch of movies, you know.) And because I know you all wait for my reviews, trying to decide which flick to rent on Friday night (“Should I watch that one? I don’t know…did Photo like it?”). Right.

So, for you, my friends – the reviews.

Traitor – starring Don Cheadle. This movie is about the CIA, the FBI and terrorists. So if you’re looking for a light, fun movie, this would not be your best pick. It wasn’t even terribly exciting. But it was serious and thought-provoking about extreme Islam and the mindset of a terrorist. Heavy, but good.

Drillbit Taylor – starring Owen Wilson and a bunch of kids. I definitely did not expect to enjoy this one. But I did. It was fluffy and predictable…and cute. And I’ll be honest, I kind of like Owen Wilson. Yeah, he plays the same character in every movie. But I kind of think he’s funny.

Hancock – starring Will Smith. I kept hearing that this movie was not what you’d expect. So I went in with few expectations. What I found was a funny movie, but a serious one, too. Will Smith isn’t his usual likeable Fresh Prince guy. But you still root for him. I really liked this movie.

Iron Man – starring Robert Downey, Jr. Now this movie wasn’t what I expected! It was kind of a superhero movie, but not really. And it had some serious stuff, but it was very clever and funny. Also – did you know Gwyneth Paltrow was in this movie? I guess I probably knew, back when it came out, but I had forgotten because it was such a comeback vehicle for Robert Downey. I liked this movie the most out of all my rentals.

Eagle Eye – starring Shia Laboeuf. I saw a preview for this movie back in the summer when we saw Indiana Jones, and I knew right away I wanted to see it. So I’ve been waiting months for this movie to come out on video. And last weekend, it was out. And I was completely disappointed. It was silly and just not good. Boo.

But wait, there's more! And no, I'm not talking Ginzu knives. See, on top of these fine films, I’ve also watched most of the complete season of Freaks and Geeks (thanks, Chelley and Triple!). I’ll review that once I finish the last few episodes.

So – have you been pleasantly surprised or sadly disappointed by anything lately? (Doesn't have to be a movie, of course!)

The Missing Ingredient

Lose weight. Read my Bible more. Floss daily.

Resolutions made…resolutions broken. I do it every year. I start January 1 (or in the case of 2009, January 5) gung-ho, raring to go. And apparently, rhyming.

Anyway, I get highly motivated at the beginning. The beginning of the year, and later, the beginning of a month (March rededication, here I come) – it’s time to start over, to begin new, to really do it this time.

The problem is that I just can’t stick to it. I don’t have enough stamina.

I found I was missing stamina over the weekend, too. I took Mark to the College Basketball Experience and attempted to school him in the regulation version of Pop-a-Shot. Turns out, all those years of standing on my driveway and shooting until I made 10 baskets in a row paid off. I’m actually pretty good from the free-throw line…for about 20 seconds.

And then I got tired. So very tired. My shots were veering to the left and then, even sadder, not even making it to the net. If the game had been 30 seconds long, I would have had a chance at beating my much more skilled (and in-shape) husband. Alas, it lasted a full minute. And I got stomped.

The interesting – or frustrating, depending on how you look at it – thing is that the only way to build stamina is with exercise. That just doesn’t seem right, does it?

I don’t have a solution or a clichéd summary to put here. I just noticed the correlation between my sad attempt at hoops and the difficulty of reaching goals in general.

So I’m asking you – How can we reach more goals in 2009? You don’t have to call them resolutions, and it doesn’t have to be related to anything we start in January. But help me out. Help us all out – how have you stayed motivated, finished a project, fulfilled a dream?