Something made me think of one of my favorite childhood TV shows the other night…Gilligan’s Island.  I watched it EVERY day, saw the episodes numerous times (but not nearly as much as Brady Bunch ones!)  So I mentioned it to my husband who was equally excited about the show and we decided we needed to introduce our children to it. 

I netflixed the first disk of Season 1 and it got here today.  We put it in at lunch time and the major culture shock was…it was in BLACK AND WHITE!   Our 8yo son couldn’t understand why there wasn’t color and we had to explain that most TV shows back then had no color.  We also reassured him that eventually they added color.  (I have distinct memories of Gilligan’s red shirt and where else would I get those?)

I sat through the first episode and kept thinking of all the other things I could be doing.  I’ve never seen so many idiot characters on one show (outside of maybe SpongeBob.)  How did we used to sit through this and consider it entertainment?

Sadly, the husband and the 8yo actually seemed to enjoy it.  The 9yo has more sense and didn’t get into it.  *g*

Next, we’re getting the Brady Bunch.  Surely it can’t be as bad.  I’ll probably be able to not only sing all the lyrics to the opening song, but I’ll be able to say the dialogue along with the characters as well.  Or at least remember the endings.  I just hope it’s in color.

Anyone remember other vintage 70s “must-see” TV we need to poison expose our children to?  I’m thinking Emergency.  The Love Boat.  What else?  (Obviously I’m on deadline and need important things to ponder! )

Because clearly we’ve lost ours!

Or alternate title:  Hissy Fits R Us

Tonight we drove an hour south of town to get a new kitten because, you know, we were down to only 3 (lazy, overfed) cats.  We fell in love with Moxie from her picture in her ad:

So anyway, we get there and there are four kittens.  All are as cute as Moxie (our name for her.)  My husband starts worrying that  maybe the kitten will be ostracized by our other 3 lugs and looks at me with this expression that is 100% trouble.  He says, “I think we should get Moxie and the yellow one.”

Normally I’m the one pushing insane catness, so to have my husband switch roles was…interesting.  And doomed from the start because I am weak.  I have a large S for SUCKER on my forehead.

We were adopted by BOTH cats.  Please welcome the newest Knupp critters, Moxie and Poseidon (Po for short.)  And pardon Moxie for not being able to sit still long enough for a single photo to be in focus. 

The three old lugs are NOT happy, but I’m sure eventually everyone will settle down and become BFFs.  I hope.  Say a prayer or twelve, please.

A couple nights ago, my husband and I did something stupid.  We finally bought a cheap basic Monopoly game to introduce the boys to.  Why is that stupid, you ask?

They LOVED it.  They’ve proclaimed it’s the best board game EVER.

I’m not a big Monopoly fan, frankly.  It goes on and on and on and back and forth and on some more.   Until someone finally cries Uncle and says screw it just to get their life back.  In the boys’ debut, it came down to me vs. the husband.  He had the 3 red properties, I had Boardwalk and Park Place.  We had hotels on all of them.  Around and around that stupid board we went, trying to end it properly while the boys looked on (stayed up late to do so, I might add.)  Finally, an hour after their bedtime, we said “one more time around.”  After that we counted our cash and Justin was declared the winner.  (I feel the need to point out that we did not count our properties and if we had, I might have come close.  Sore loser?  Maybe. *g*)

Of course the boys can’t wait to play again and now I’m wondering why I shelled out nine bucks for this ongoing torture.

So does anyone out there actually like Monopoly, this supposed most popular game of all time?  (I’m guessing on that…don’t quote me.)  Is there something I’m missing?  I need an attitude adjustment because I have a feeling I’ll be succumbing to the pressures to play it over Christmas break.  A lot.

It’s that time again, really the only time of the year anymore when personal mail actually shows up in the old-fashioned mailbox.  Holiday card time. 

Some years it seems like sending out cards is just another item on the Big Holiday To-Do List.  A chore.  It didn’t used to be this difficult, but now we take into consideration photos or not?  Just kids or whole family?  Professional or homemade?  Letter or not?  Etc. times ten.

I admit it, I love to receive photos with cards.  Love to see how my friends’ children have grown, to keep track of long-distance friends and family and who’s sporting what color of hair and who lost 20 pounds.  I also enjoy receiving Christmas letters, especially when the writer infuses humor into it instead of making it one long family brag.  (In case you’ve sent us a letter this year and are worried I’m talking about you…we’ve only received the fun, humorous kind so far. ) 

Christmas-letter writing in our family falls to my husband, who is much better at it than I am, writer or not.  He has a way of letting people know the highlights of our year while hopefully making people laugh.  Instead of waxing on about how angelic and over-achieving our children are, he reports on how loud the younger one is and how lost-in-dreamland the older one is.  (This on top of sharing their interests and adventures, of course.)  He receives compliments each year on his Christmas letter comedy. We decided, however, that we’re not doing a letter this year, mostly because we’re lucky just to have cards and photos of the boys ready to go.  (Um, almost ready to go.  Addresses and stamps?  A minor matter.) 

So what’s the verdict…do you send cards?  Photos?  Letters?  Do you enjoy receiving Christmas letters or are you in the hate-the-boasting-and-rehashing camp?  Sure, some letters are better than others, but in my opinion, it’s better than a bill.

Congrats goes out to lucky comment #13, Maria Cresta!  Maria, please email me and let me know which two books you’d like (you can find more info on them here) and the address to send them to.

Thanks to everyone who shared your “news” to enter.  Glad I’m not alone on the cold weather and the too much to do! 

* It’s 7 degrees here.

* We got 19 inches of snow when all was said and done.

* I prefer 19 inches of snow to 7 degrees of stupid cold.

* I have line edits due Tuesday.  Haven’t started.

* I have revisions due at the end of the month but wanted them done by the 18th so I could take time off for the holidays.  Not gonna happen.

* Today I have to go to school not once but TWICE for the winter tea because they have separate times for each grade.

* All the above makes scheduling a good nap an extreme challenge.

* I haven’t done a giveaway on my blog for a while so…why not?  I’ll do one today.  The prize?  Any two books from my backlist, signed, plus a 2010 Firefighters calendar…all three will go to one winner.  If you already have my books (THANK YOU) consider having me sign them to someone else to give as holiday gifts.   To enter, just post your own brief in the comments here, even the temperature where you live is fine.  I’ll randomly draw a winner Sunday afternoon and post it here.

* I’m also at Writeminded today so hope you’ll drop by over there.

* T…G…I…F!

Welcome to Wisconsin!  That’s what everyone keeps telling me, even the people who aren’t here.  This is our back deck…18 inches and it’s still snowing.  (You can see the bottom of the chair where you sit…the snow is almost up to it.)

School is canceled, the university shut down…most tragically the MALL is closed!  (Haven’t checked on the bookstores yet…)

Who else got blizzardness?  Ice?  And if it’s above about 50 degrees where you are, don’t tell me.  It will hurt me deeply. *g*