Wild Busy Day

Today was a whole weekend worth of activities in a single day!  It was nutso busy but it was fun.  Levi had soccer first thing and he is still playing a little slowly with his cold but he still has fun and gets his pulse rate up a little.  There are only a couple more weekends of soccer now and we have a breakup BBQ on Wednesday night after practice.  The kids won 5 - 4 so the match was really close.  At one point one of the boys on our team tried to kick a ball and missed it completely.  He, our team, the other team and all the parents thought it was funny.  No one feels to bad about it all and they are still making mistakes like own goals at times.  There was one a side this match.  Levi's good mate Robbie came to watch the match, with his dad Mark and that always boosts Levi's spirits a little.

After soccer we went to Levi's mate Ty's sister's birthday party.  Yes it was really that close.  Actually we were there to give Ty a friend when his sister had her special day.  It was a princess party and Levi dressed up as a prince.  He was gorgeous.  Sorry, he was handsome!  I am getting into trouble with him at times now if I call him beautiful or gorgeous in public.  I still get away with it in private!

 Look at this sweet tired face!

In the beginning, I took some photos.  Levi had to put on this growly face and it wasn't until later and a telephoto lens before I could get a shot of him without this face!  I love it because he was trying to look cranky but still he has the big smile that he can't resist!

After the party, we went and saw Ice Age, Continental Drift.  It was more about trying to slough off some of the party sugar, than it was about the movie.  We had both seen it before but the choice of children's movies at the moment is poor.  As we were choosing by time rather than by movie, Ice Age was the only choice.  Still Levi invited a friend and they had fun talking at the top of their lungs to and from the movie and being good and eating their body weight in popcorn.

Movie night

Today Levi got up at the crack of dawn.  Actually dawn hadn't cracked yet!  It was 4.30am.  That teaches me for being cocky about Levi's sleep pattern now!  I should have just shut up and ridden the wave but No I had to get excited and talk about it.  Jinxed it!  I should have known. 

I am not going to talk about tonight, that would be a nightmare.  Actually, I will.  Levi went to bed at 9.30pm so to say he was trashed would be an understatement.  I had a 40th party to go to but I only knew the lady with the birthday and another family.  Mim (from work) very sweetly offered to babysit Levi.  I vacillated; about everything.  I decided to not go to the party and instead I'd drop Levi off and go to a movie.  Then Jac called and wanted a lift to the party and I re decided to go to the party.  So dropped Levi off and drove toward Samford to go to the party.  Halfway there, Jac texted not wanting a lift and without someone there I knew, I re decided to go to the movies and drove back to a cinema next to where Levi was. 

It was actually I pretty good decision, even if it took me forever and several miles to decide.  I went and saw The Hunger Games and I am afraid that for all the hype, I was bitterly disappointed.  I thought the acting average, esp from whoever played Rue.  I am also amazed that the whole thing is seen as original at all!  It seems like a poorer mixed version of Richard Bachman's (Stephen King) books; The Long Walk and The Running Man (the book not the movie which was very loosely based on the book).  There were elements of Lord of the Flies as well but I suspect that the copyright on that has likely run it's course.

Anyway it was mindless drivel that helped me suspend thought for a couple of hours.  Well worth the money and time!

A Day For Me

Today was mine!  All mine!!  I had the day off today and Levi went to school and After School Care (he had chess).  I felt like I had a whole day to do the little things that needed to be done and to have a bit of 'me' time.  What I did was go to the movies.  I love losing myself in a movie and not thinking about what needs to be done or what's for dinner or any of those things.  I can be just somewhere else for a while.  I heard a fabulous quote today in one of the previews;

"It all turns out good in the end, so if it isn't good, it must not be the end"

I love the sentiment behind that statement and need to remember that more often when I am moaning about what is happening now or before.  The idea that the future is good is a very positive way to live life.  Most of the time I can do that but I will keep that beautiful thought in my memory.  I went and saw Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and it is a great movie.  Tragically sad in places as a family in multiple generations flail in their grief, but generally uplifting and true to the sentiment expressed in the preview (for a different movie).  The other concept that is very well portrayed in this movie is the idea of 'the worst day'.  The boy in the movie talks of 9/11 when his father dies as the 'worst day' but I think we all have them.  Days that will live in your mind.  Days where every sensation is heightened making every sensory input unforgettable and words and noises written on your soul.  I think that overall, we all have a 'worst day' and the degree of that depends on many different factors. 

I wonder about the 'best day'.  That day seems to have less impact, be less memorable somehow than the worst one.  Levi talks of his best day as one that has yet to occur and I hope that he stays that way.  I remember a quote (but not the person who said it);

"What's the best day of your life?"

"I don't know.  I haven't lived my whole life yet"

I can only hope that his best days are memorable and his bad days so mild that he doesn't render them any special significance.  I hope what all mothers hope.  I hope that he has enough tragedy to understand others in grief and build resilience, but that it is balanced (overbalanced?) by so much love and happiness that he is forever an optimist!

Movies

I have been watching more movies lately.  For whatever reason, probably because TV has been bad lately and my social life is pretty minimal!  Anyway, I tend to buy the DVDs when they are really cheap and Australia does these 3 pack deals and sometimes 5 pack deals that drop the price to lower than a rental.  Frankly, I have no idea how movie rental companies stay afloat when buying a DVD costs so little.  Anyway I was thinking about movies. 

I think that my all time favourite is The Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews made about a hundred years ago.  It is my favourite for lots of reasons, mostly because of the way he says "Sink Me".  I love that I think of my brother Bill who loved it as well and would use the same "Sink Me" regularly.  I love movies that make me think about people or even lines in movies that stand out.  One such movie for me was Return of the King (the last of the Lord of the Rings trilogy).  I remember going to see it the first night it was out.  Standing in line with Little Tom (who now towers over me) and the rest of his family.  It was the year that Frank had died and I was still struggling.  I was struggling with the decision to let him go.  I was struggling with a miscarriage straight after that.  Then a movie gave me the words, gave Frankie words to give to me.  Theoden says;

"My body is broken. You have to let me go"

It helped.  OK, I cried, but it helped.  It helped to know in the words that Frank never expressed, that there are times that you really do have to let them go. 

The other movie that I love for Frank as well is The Court Jester with Danny Kaye.  Now if Scarlet Pimpernel was made a hundred years ago, then this one must be a thousand years old!  It is really old but it is so much fun to watch.  Between that and Disney's Robin Hood, I can see Frankie watching them.  I can see him acting them out.  I can hear him talking about it and I can remember him, just a little bit more.  I love that the most.  I love movies that, even for a little while, give me back my brother and my son.

Quiet Day at Home

I had a great night sleep last night and woke up better for it.  I went to bed almost as soon as Levi did and sleep until about 6.00am when he woke up.  It was a slow get up for him too.  He wanted to snuggle and chat rather than jump to his feet as he usually does.  It may be that he felt my relief and relaxation.  I still hurt a little but it isn't anything to write home about.  I suspect even that will be gone in the next day or so. 

Today Levi wanted to learn and learn and learn.  We did about an hour of Mathletics.  He wrote lots of words out.  We did workbooks and reading.  He was unstoppable.  I am very glad that he wanted to do sedentary activities today as well.  My friend from work, Mim, came out for the morning to look after Levi so I could zone out and have a rest.  It was such a lovely thing to do.  It made all the difference.  She did the running around type things and I just supplied the things to do.  My work mates had made a little care package as well.  Some funny things for me and a few things for Levi as well.  I can't believe I am so lucky as to work with them all.  So Mim took Levi outside a few times to blow bubbles and blow off a little steam, but really most of the day he stayed inside.

Tomorrow we are going to see the movie 'Hop' and I am hoping that we will make it through the whole movie.  Levi's track record is poor.  He can watch DVDs without any problem but the big screen seems too much for him.  3D is definitely out, but even 2D movies tend to be too much.  He doesn't like the scary bits and won't watch after it gets scary.  I try to explain that if he waits long enough there will be resolution, or in his words "It will get better", but he won't wait that long.  So I don't have a lot of faith that we will make it through 'Hop' regardless of how non scary it is.