Classic Horror

Halloween is coming up, which means my annual Halloween party is coming up, too.  In fact, the party is two weeks from tomorrow, and I have so much to do to prepare for it. I still have to sit down and write up my shopping list for all the food, and make a schedule of what needs to be made and when.  Some things I can prepare ahead of time, but other things need to be done right before the party starts.  I usually host the party on a Friday night, but this year, because of all the hours I work, I decided to host it on a Saturday.  That way, I have all day to make sure the house is clean and decorated, and all the food is ready. I don't expect much help from the kids.  They will probably spend the day playing some type of dot game online.

To get in the Halloween spirit, Kasi and I have been watching some scary movies.  My child loves horror movies, just like me.  Last year for Christmas, one of the things she wanted most was the original Nightmare On Elm Street.  We had seen the remake, and when it was over, I told her it was nowhere near as good as the original. I mean, there is nothing better than a classic horror movie. Luckily, I found a disc that had the first five Elm Streets on it, and she has watched them all.

And she loved them! This year she has asked for Psycho, which she has already seen and loved. I want to find a copy of the original Dawn Of The Dead.  We have watched the remake, and while we both liked it, I want her to see the original.  There is just something creepy about the zombies in the original that walked super slow.  To me, that is scarier than the ones in the remake that ran like they were running a marathon.

I could use a little help thinking of old horror films that we haven't seen.  Let me know what your favorite scary movie is.

Kasi And I Love Being Scared

I like to do things individually with each of my kids so that they each have one on one time with me.  Brandi likes to shop and go out to eat with me.  Ryan likes to torment me by taking me fishing, though we haven't been in a very long time.  Kasi is most like me, though.  We spend time together watching scary movies.

I don't remember what the first scary movie was that we watched together, but I know she was hooked after that.  In fact, for Christmas and her birthday, she always asks for dvd's of her favorite scary movies.  Last Christmas, she wanted the origina; Nightmare On Elm Street.  I lucked into finding a dvd that has the first four movies in that series on it, and she watches them all the time.  We watched the remake they did a few years ago, but it is nowhere near as scary as the original.  At least that is my opinion.  In fact, we have watched remakes of several scary movies, and they never live up to the originals.  Seems to me like they are less scary, and more sexual.  The remake of Friday the 13th could even be considered porn.  Thankfully, Kasi knows to avert her eyes when those scenes come on the screen.

I think that given the opportunity, she would play vampire games online, like exmortis.  I know she loves the Twilight series, and she recently started reading The House Of Night books, so I know she likes vampires.  I myself read that series of books, and I would love it if they made them into movies.  I know they are written for a younger audience than me, but they are so good. If they did make them into movies, Kasi and I would be right there on opening day to watch.

Kasi's Birthday

Kasi's birthday is in less than a week.  She is going to be 14.  I am sitting here wondering when I got old enough to have two teen aged kids.

It really blows my mind, because I don't feel like I am almost 40.  I don't act like it either.

Anyway, she has decided that she wants me to take her and a couple of her friends to the movies for her birthday, and then come home and have more girls come over for a slumber party.  Sounds like fun, right?  You wish you were me, don't you?

Thinking about parties got me thinking about Ryan's birthday, and I was trying to figure out how I am going to do his annual Halloween bash in this apartment.  I have already been looking at Plus Size Costumes trying to find something that I could wear.  Now that I am separated, I can do what I want and dress up.  I found some pretty cute Halloween Costumes | Plus Size Costumes | Childrens Costumes at HalloweenAdventure.com, and I am thinking about ordering costumes early this year so there is nothing to worry about in October when money gets tight.  I'm not saying that money isn't tight now, but if I start buying one costume at a time, I think I'll be alright.

But before I do any of that, I need to get through Kasi's party next weekend. 

Wish me luck.

Kasi Wanted A Change...

...so we dyed her hair burgundy.  It came out really dark, with a hint of red at the top.  I think it looks awesome.

Should We Rent A Photo Booth For Kasi's Birthday?

 I can not believe it is almost April Fools Day.  This past month has gone by so fast.  I seriously hope this next year goes by just as fast, because I can not wait to be divorced.  Kasi has a birthday coming up in May, and I am not sure what we are going to do for her.  I know that will be right around the time we are going to be moving to my mom's house, so the house will be mostly packed up.

I need some party ideas that are not only inexpensive, but fun as well. If the weather is nice enough, I can hope mom has the pool open and I can let her have a pool party.  Otherwise, the girls will have to hang out outside, which means no slumber party.  Unless they want to pitch some tents and camp out.  Now that would be fun for me, because I would make sure that I found a way to scare them in the middle of the night.

I was also trying to think of ways to make her party special, because of everything that is going on around here.  Two years ago, we had to skip her birthday party because I had surgery and we were moving.  I don't want that to happen again.  I know I can't afford to rent photo booth, even though that would be pretty awesome.  The girls would love having keepsakes, and I am sure they would come up with some interesting poses.

For now, I am going to try and find a way for her to have her slumber party.  My best friend volunteered her house, so that might be an option.  Or I might see if she wants to do a bowling party or something.  Any ideas on what type of party 14 year old girls would love?

Crazy Hair

 

Last week was "Just Say No" week at Kasi's school.  Every day, the kids had to do something different.  On Monday, they had to "dress like a friend".  On Tuesday, they had to wear a hat to "put a cap on drugs".  On Wednesday, they had to dress like someone from the 70's.  Thursday, they had to dress like what they wanted to be when they grow up.   I think Kasi's favorite day was Friday, when they had "crazy hair day".  Luckily, I bought some colored hair spray when the Halloween stuff at Walmart went down to 90% off, so I had some for her hair.

What do you think?

Me And My Beautiful Daughter

Kasi and I ~ September 26, 2010

Aren't we beautiful?

Sorority Row

Most of you know that Kasi and I are big horror movie buffs.  It is one of the things that her and I do alone together, without Ryan and Brandi.  This past weekend, we rented Sorority Row.

When this movie first came out, there was a lot of talk about it because it was Rumer Willis' first "big" movie roll.   (for those who don't know, she is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore)  A lot of people were wondering if she could act, and I have to say, she did a pretty decent job. 

The story itself was pretty good, too.  A lot of horror movies are pretty predictable, but I was surprised when we found out who the killer was in the end. 

I recommend this movie for all you horror movie buffs out there.

Kasi Finally Let Me Get A Picture Of Her

I think most people who read this blog think I only have one child.  Being the youngest, and the biggest ham, a lot of the pictures I take are of Brandi.  Ryan and Kasi are both becoming a little camera shy.  Or maybe a better way of saying that is that they know if I get a picture of them, it will most likely end up here, on my blog, and they kind of hate that.  Being the awesome mom I am, I always take that into consideration and try and honor their wishes.

Yeah, right.

My New Favorite Deodorant

I am a creature of habit.  I like doing things the same way, at the same time every day, and if my routine gets interrupted, for whatever reason, I get a little cranky.  I am also loyal.  When I find a product that I love, I never buy anything else.

That said, I think it is time for me to make some changes.  Why, you ask?  Well, I received two deodorant samples in the mail to try, and they were not my normal brand.  I have been using the same deodorant since I started wearing it as a teen, so I was a little nervous about switching.

Let me tell you, this Suave deodorant smelled really good!  I have always used a "powdered" scent, because perfume bothers me.  This deodorant was "wild cherry blossom" scented, but not too strongly.  There was just a hint of fragrance, which was really nice.  I decided to take this deodorant with me on vacation last weekend, and I really put it to the test.  After a day of walking around Dollywood in the heat, I still smelled a little like a cherry blossom, and I was dry, too.  I have to say I was pretty impressed, and will most likely buy Suave in the future.

That was my experience, but like I said, they sent me two samples.  The other one was for Kasi.  Unlike most teens, she was excited to try a new deodorant.  At 13, she has been using deodorant for a couple of years already, and thankfully she is pretty good about wearing it every day.  I am lucky in that my kids still love to tell me everything about their lives, and we talk about everything.  As far as I know, we have no secrets.  So even on the rare occasions when Kasi comes home a little stinky, I can let her know about it without hurting her feelings.  She has been using the Degree deodorant for about a week now, and she loves it.  It smells feminine, but like the Suave, it is not overpowering.  She has come home every day stink free, and dry.  I am pretty sure she will request I buy her a new one once this one runs out, and I will be happy to.

For those parents who would like more information, Unilever has a website called DontFretTheSweat.com.  It is here that parents can find information about talking with their kids about the changes going on with their bodies, and how to find the right deodorant for their specific needs. I also found some pretty awesome coupons.  I am all about saving money, especially when it is on a product that I love.

And I think I can honestly say that I love this deodorant. 

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Unilever and received the items necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

New Comforter For Kasi

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Linens 'N Things. All opinions are 100% mine.
Kasi's birthday was last Friday, and I still haven't gotten her a gift.  I want to get her something special, because it was her 13th birthday.  I keep asking her what she wants, and she always says she doesn't know.  So this means I have to decide all on my own.

Great.

I was thinking that maybe I would buy her a new comforter for her bed.  We are not allowed to paint the walls here, so when we moved in, I let the girls pick out big stickers for the walls in their room.  They picked big brown and pink circles.  At the time, I only had money to buy matching curtains, so Kasi has been using her old comforter, which is kind of childish.  I started looking online, and I found a cute comforter at Linens 'N Things.  

I think it would look great on her bed.  It has the pink and brown, and also purple, which is her favorite color.  It was kind of hard deciding which comforter I thought she would like, because there were so many to choose from.  Linens 'N Things carries more than just comforters, too.  They have a nice selection of  kitchen gadgets, bathroom supplies, and even vacuums.

Now that I have found what I want to get for Kasi, I am going to show it to her first, just to make sure she likes it.  I would hate to get her something she didn't love.  If she decides she likes it, I am going to order it, and get free shipping.

How am I going to do that, you ask?  Well, I have a coupon code for Mommy Bloggers like myself to use.  It's MOMBLOG.  Easy enough to remember, right?  It can be used on all orders over $26 until June 1, 2010.

So get shopping!

Getting Crafty

I'm still on vacation, enjoying spending time with the women in my family.  I wish Kasi was here, too.  I spoke to her last night and she said she had a great birthday.  She had a friend over, and Junior took them out to eat last night, and then the girls spent time doing some crafts.  There is no question that we are a crafty family.  My mom gave my girls a bunch of rubber stamps when she moved, and they love making things with them.  I don't have the patience to use them.  In fact, I would probably get frustrated using address stamps.  Having to be so precise, and one mistake messing up the whole project is too stressful for me.  I would rather use a paintbrush. 

The girls have fun with the stamps, though, and I love that they can be so creative.  It's just one of the many traits that I inherited from my mom that I passed on to my girls, along with my stunning good looks and awesome sense of humor.

The History Of Horror Movies According To Kasi

There are times when my kids do things that just reinforce that they are my children.

Did you follow that?

Let me explain.  I love scary movies.  I have ever since I was a kid.  I have great memories of watching Dawn of the Dead, and Night of the Living Dead with my dad.  Weird, I know, but true.  The only movie that ever scared me, I mean really scared me, was the original Halloween.  I still cringe whenever I hear that music.  The thing of it is, unlike other horror movies, this one had a believable storyline.  I'm not talking about the end, where Michael comes back to life. The scene that scared me the most was when Laurie looks out the window, and Michael is standing across the road, by the tree.  A second later, she looks out again, and he is gone.  Seriously, I still get freaked just thinking about it.  Babysitting was never the same for me after that movie, I can tell you that. 

Kasi shares my love of horror films.  Whenever a scary movie comes on one of the movie channels, we turn out the lights and watch together.  Most of the time, we have our eyes covered, because let's face it, the movies made today are a lot gorier than the ones I grew up watching.  Anyway, Kasi had to a "The History Of..." project for English class, and she chose horror movies.

Yes, she is definitely my kid.  The fun thing about this is that she had to start with old horror films, so she asked me which were some of my favorites from way back when.  Of course, the first to pop into my head was Night of the Living Dead.  I mean, who can forget the old, "They're coming for you, Barbara"?  I wanted her to be able to watch it, so we planned a trip to the library to see if they had a copy we could borrow.

No such luck.  Ryan suggested that we look for free movies online, and sure enough, I found it.  In fact, I found a ton of old horror movies, some of which I have never heard of.   I am looking forward to watching some of them, though.

This site also had other types of movies, from comedy to westerns, and several different television shows.  The best part is that you can watch for free, which is great, because I am cheap.

I know what Kasi and I will be doing for the next couple of weekends - watching horror movies.  I mean, it's considered research.  Right?

Sudoku

My oldest daughter, Kasi, loves to do Sudoku puzzles.  I enjoy doing them, too.  My only problem is that when I get stuck, I get very frustrated, and just start putting random numbers in the squares, which just messes me up even more.  I can find help with this, though, through a series of books called Getting to Grips with Sudoku.   This series of books features a step by step solved puzzle in each book, which is pretty cool, because I would love to see the logic behind solving harder puzzles.  These books can be found at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and through the books website. 

I think I found the perfect gift for Kasi's upcoming birthday.

My Mommy Guilt Is Kicking In Big Time

I have a secret.  Well, maybe I should say that I had a secret, but now it is okay to share it with you.  But just a little, because there are still some secrets that go along with it.

Confused yet?

Let me explain.  Sometime in January, my sister approached me and asked if I would be willing to do something special for our mom's birthday this year.  She's turning 60.  Of course I said yes, so a trip was planned.  We are taking mom away for her birthday weekend.  She doesn't know where we are going, only that she will need to pack comfortable shoes and clothes she won't sweat in.  Brandi will be coming with us, because she doesn't want to stay home, and honestly, if I left her behind, I would be worrying the entire weekend that she is home crying.  I know she's 8, but I have never been away from her for more than a few hours, and really, it's not a big deal that she comes.

Anyway, we are leaving May 13th, and coming back on the 16th.  This is where my mom guilt kicks in, because Kasi's birthday is May 14th, and I won't be here for it.

And it's her 13th birthday. 

Yeah, I know.  It's been killing me.  She says she doesn't care if I'm not here, and we are planning two different parties for her the following weekend.  But, I know if my mom missed one of my birthdays, especially the one where I became a teenager, I would be a little upset. 

This is Kasi the day we brought her home from the hospital:

She was jaundice, but perfect.  I was so happy that I had a little girl.  Don't get me wrong, I love my son to pieces, but I wanted a girl so bad. 

Anyway, Junior plans on taking Kasi wherever she wants on her birthday.  In fact, I told him to make the whole weekend special.  And I plan on making the following weekend special for her, too.  We are planning a slumber party for the 21st, and a big party at my mom's house (with the pool!) on the 23rd.  My grandmother and favorite aunt are coming up from Florida that weekend, so Kasi will get to see them.  They haven't seen my kids in about six years.  That will be special, too.

I just wish I could get rid of the guilt I feel for missing Kasi's birthday.  Any suggestions?

Peaceful

After such a long day, it was nice to finally sit back and enjoy the view for a little while.

Just Because She's Beautiful

I have been writing a lot about Brandi lately, so I thought I would post a picture of Kasi.

Kasi

Kasi's birthday is coming up in a couple of months. She is going to be the big "13". I am not sure if I am ready to be the mother of two teenagers. When I was thirteen, all those pesky woman issues started, and I am not looking forward to that at all with her. I am really not looking forward to when Brandi becomes a teen, and thankfully I have five more years to prepare for that.

But, in five years, Kasi could be planning a wedding. She could be picking out invitations and china patterns, and Junior and I could be crying. Don't get me wrong, I want all three of my kids to get married someday and give me lots of grand babies, but not right out of high school. That is too young, in my opinion. I want them to go to college, and get a great job that they love before they start a family. That way they won't struggle financially like Junior and I do.

For now, though, we will put all our effort into making sure Kasi has a great 13th birthday.

Kasi Got A Haircut

Doesn't she look great? The girl who cut her hair thinned it out a lot, and it is much more manageable. I took her to one of those "quick cut" places, and while I love the end result, this is not the cut she asked for. She wanted it to be shorter in the back, and angled longer in the front.

Not only did the girl not give her the cut she wanted, she also parted her hair in the middle, instead of on the side, so when Kasi got home and fixed her part, I had to trim some strays. I guess we got what we paid for, because it only cost $11. But, I know that in the future, if Kasi wants to get the cut she wants, we will have to check out dallas hair salons, and have a professional cut it instead of some kid right out of beauty school.

Now she is trying to talk me into letting her put some color in her hair. And by color, I mean purple streaks. While I am all for encouraging my kids to express themselves, I am having a hard time giving in on this one. I think she should wait a few more years before she starts damaging her hair.

What do you think?

Going Back To The Dermatologist

Kasi goes back to the dermatologist about her back in a little over a week. The ointment we are using on her back seems to be making it softer, but it still not completely gone. I will admit, though, that there are days we forget to put the ointment on.

It's her fault, not mine.

I kid. I kid. It is totally my fault. As the parent, I should remember these things. If I keep forgetting, we may end up at a Chicago Dermatologist for a second opinion. A spider bite still seems a little odd to me, but my therapist said she has seen this before; a little spider bite getting bigger and bigger until it was treated.

I just hope the dermatologist decides we don't have to go back. This driving an hour each way is getting a little old.