Joseph Stanley on the Sattelite of Love

I am a big fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The only person who I can say likes it more than me is my son Joseph. I think he watches an episode a day on average. Many more if I would let him. He knows everything there is to know about the show. He is obsessed with every thing there is to know about Tom, Crow, Mike, Joel and TV's Frank. On one hand he makes me proud and pleased that my son shares my sense of humor. On the other hand, I hear so much about the show on a daily basis, I can't keep up with his enthusiasm.
I find it ironic that we both warmed up to the show after much resistance. I would watch the adds for it when I was 19, thinking "That looks SO DUMB! I know I would hate it." One time it was on after another show and the tv just never got turned off. It took less than 10 minutes for me to be converted and I was recording ever episode I saw. Many years later, when I watched it as a mom, Joseph would run screaming in the opposite direction every time. so I stopped watching them except for special occasions. It was one of these special occasions that Joe fianlly was able to watch it in a way that didn't scare him. He has been converted, ever since.
Joe's greatest regret is that the show is not still on the air. His goal is that if the show hasn't returned by the time he is an adult, he will bring it back himself. I am behind him 100%.
Hit the button Frank!

Elisabeth is 6!

September 23rd was Elisabeth's 6th birthday. She is growing up which I have mixed feelings about. I started the day by
giving her a manicure and pedicure. Tim made Strawberry Pancakes and I took her to get a haircut which is totally adorable on her. I kept it a surprise until we walked into the salon and the smile on her face when she realized what we were going to do was worth the wait. She jumped up and down and everything. She is always jealous when we take her brothers to get a haircut but not her. When the stylist asked if she wanted about the same length or to go shorter, Elisabeth exclaimed without hesitation..."Shorter!" I got my hair cut too at the same time so it could be a mommy-daughter outing.
We didn't plan on throwing a big party this year but her friend had her own party on Elisabeth's birthday. She got to do all the fun party stuff, hang out with her friends, AND we didn't have to put on the party. Kind of nice. But, I feel like a slacker mom and feel guilty about it somehow. After the party she opened all of her presents. She recieved some money from her Grandma Judy and she went to the store to spend some of it.
We took her to Fuddruckers for dinner but they didn't have her favorite dish anymore (Mac and Cheese) and they brought her birthday sunday before they brought the dinner. They didn't sing "Happy Birthday" to her either. Kind of dispapointing, but she was a good sport about it all. This is one of the many reasons we love her. We came home and had cake and ice cream.

School rituals

On Joseph's (my first child) first day of school 3 years ago, we started the tradition of sitting down after school and letting him show me everything he brought home from school. Joe would always hold the bag in his hands and pull each page out,showing and explaining them to me, one at a time. He has had a a lot of fun surprising me with fun things like his book order deliveries and school photos. He often amazed me with his ability to keep the secret from me until it was time for the unveiling.
This year my daughter began kindergarten. I have been anticipating this a long time. Before we had lunch after her first day, I insisted we look at what she brought home from school. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't what happened next. She pulled all of the papers out of the bag at once and plopped them on the table. "Here they are mom." I was thrown for a second trying to figure out what was different in this picture. Why was I thinking something was missing? I then realized that my two kids who seemed similar in many ways, each had their own little style of playing out this simple little daily ritual. Maybe, she was always annoyed with the way Joe made us wait. Perhaps food is a higher priority to her than my attention. Whatever it is, it represents how each of my kids make my life interesting, by being unique from eachother.