So I'm aggravated.........

I put in the movie "Personal Effects" last night hoping to be entertained. Instead I was purely put off within the first 1/2 hour. I don't know who directed the movie, but I thought it might be a fairly decent movie since Michelle Pfieffer, Kathy Bates and Ashton Kutcher were in it. The movie infuriated me so much, I shut my eyes and went to sleep. This morning hubby asked, "Do you want me to tell you what happened in the movie?" I replied, "No." I promptly packed that movie up and threw it in the mailbox, off to Netflix it goes. Good riddance. By now I'm sure you're wondering what in the world? I'm about to tell you.

The movie has a good premise. Ashton Kutcher moves back with his mother (Kathy Bates) to help her get over the the murder of his twin sister. While at a group grieving therapy session, he meets Michelle Pfieffer who is there because someone killed her husband. So the more time Ashton spends with Michelle and her son and helps them through their grief, he is helped through his grief as well. That's a great premise. I love that, and definitely find it to be true. The bible even tells us to get the focus of ourselves and put it on others and we will be blessed. So how come I'm so freaking mad at this movie? It's because Michelle's son is portrayed as being deaf. (Whether he is or not in real life I don't know.) So why has this got me so flippin mad? Because they portrayed the "deaf son" as being in special ed, mentally off, stupid, and agressive. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Has the director of this movie or any of the actors never met a person who was deaf? People who are deaf are not special ed material anymore than a hearing person. They are not mentally off, stupid or aggressive anymore than a hearing person. Come on, this portrayal of a deaf person was insulting. People who are deaf are no different than hearing people and for Hollywood to put this mis-information out there infuriates me. I wish that someone out there in La La Land would get a clue and try to portray something accurately. Don't they realize that their stereotypes make it harder for people like my son? Don't they see that those who might see this movie might pick up on this bias and discrimination and classify my son in that category without even knowing him? This crap just gives bullies and other mean-spirited people food to torment with. I'm so freaking upset over this I'm tempted to find out who directed it and send him/her some real information regarding people who are deaf. Can you Hear me?

And so it begins

Today is the first day of school for Max. He was pretty excited about going to school today. In fact, he was so excited that he didn't go to sleep last night until around 9:45 pm, so I'm sure you all know how he responded to the 6:30 am wake-up attempt. Not very well. I kept trying to get in his face, so he could read my lips, to remind him that it was the 1st day of school. But it was hard with the dog wanting to also get in his face to lick him, he wouldn't open his eyes for any length of time to get in close. I finally just had to stick the coil on his head announce that it was the 1st day of school AND THEN he was ready to get up. I don't know why my kids are so gung ho about this school stuff.




I give Emily exactly one more day and Max two more school days before they refuse to get out of bed and be in a good mood. Sure they're in high ho spirits now, everything is new: new teachers, new rooms, new classmates (except for Max who is still a master in his harem of females), new backpacks, lunch boxes all new. A few more trips and it will soon become just as old and boring as it was last year. Then they will remember my griping and complaining that school shouldn't be starting yet, that the pool is still out there and summer finally got here last Friday. They'll be wanting to sleep in, stay in pajamas until we put on bathing suits and stay in bathing suits until we put pajamas back on. I don't think any school should open their learning doors until after Labor Day. That's what they did when I was in school and I turned out fine, didn't I? Anyway, when I literally have to drag them out of bed at 6:30 every morning and throw clothes on them and force feed them breakfast, then they'll remember my sad, sad school is starting days and how I griped and complained that it was too early for school.




And so it begins, the 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hour drive everyday, the gas, the traffic, the freakey drivers, the lunches, the homework, the rush of dinner, the rush of backpack packing, dragging people out of bed, trying to force Miley to do her thang (the outside thing) so I can lock her up before we leave, and the prayers that my children are safe and let their light shine to others. Can you Hear me?



(Believe it or not, this was the mileage on the car when we left the house this morning. I'll have to post the ending mileage on the last day of school.)

I'm MAD at you!!!

I really didn't think this was going to happen but it has. I don't know why I didn't think it would happen with Max, maybe because he was a boy, maybe because he is the baby or maybe because he would feel so indebted to me for giving him life. But he did.

We took Emily to school for her first day yesterday. We (Max and I) then traveled to Wal-Mart to get in some desperately needed grocery shopping since I went to a conference over the weekend. Like everyone else, I don't like taking my kids to the store. They whine and complain and about going, then ask for everything from clothes, to toys, to cereal I would never buy, to candy as the last final hurrah at the checkout. I am more inclined to buy them something when they are not with me as I feel guilty for going without them!!!! Anyway, I only had Max and we went straight to the food section and there it begins. He wants yogurt. O.k. and I pick up the big container of Wally world brand yogurt but no, he doesn't want that yogurt, he wants the little yogurts. Ummmm, no, this yogurt is cheaper and there's a lot more. We get this yogurt or none at all. He then wants string cheese. O.k. string cheese has good nutritional value. He wants Sponge Bob, again no, we will get Cheese Head, more and cheaper. Moving on.........we get to Yogurt Bites. Yogurt bites are bits of yogurt in a crunchy sort of shell like thing. Tastes and reminds me of candy. Max wants yogurt bites. No. I am not buying yogurt bites, we have yogurt. He keeps asking. I keep denying. At this point he hollers, "I AM MAD AT YOU!!!" and storms off. Not too far, just about a 10 foot difference between us.

This shocks me even though I'm thrilled that he is able to tell me specifically what type of emotion he is feeling. So, I tell him, join the club buddy. Your sister's been getting mad at me for awhile too. Can you hear me?