Those mushrooms are called Goombas?

So, my boys have recently discovered Super Mario Bros.  I'm not talking Mario Kart or whatever the kids are playing these days.  I'm talking the best of the Nintendo games, circa 1985.  (The fact that we play the game on our Wii and not the original Nintendo is not at all relevant.)  

I love this game.  It was pretty much the only game I ever played on Nintendo as a kid.  I vaguely remember playing a game where we had to do the 'up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start' to get 100 extra lives, but, mostly, my game was Super Mario Bros.  I remember the excitement we felt to learn all the secrets, from the hidden coins and extra lives to the warp zones, and how thrilled we were when we finally saved Princess Toadstool from that dragon thing. 

We downloaded Super Mario to our Wii a few years ago, and, I swear, I played every day after school work for a week.  It brought me back to the 4th grade - in my parents’ basement, fighting for a turn while watching my brother and his friends try (unsuccessfully – ha!  you jerks!) to rescue the princess.  Now as an adult (sort of), I could play to my heart's content.  No fighting with brothers or neighborhood kids.  I still remembered all the hidden coins and extra lives.  How to jump on the double Goombas and knock through the Koopa Troopas (thanks, Wikipedia!). Not to mention the wonders of the warp zones.  Why go through the whole game when you can warp?

The game was simple then.  You could only go in one direction, forward (a doy), and you had to pass each level before going onto the next (well, except for that warping thing).  It's not that way with current games.  I watch my 7-year-old play his Star Wars and Indiana Jones games and I am a) confused and b) bored out of my mind.  I just don't get them.  How do you win?  How do you know which direction to go?  When do you know it's over?  Is it ever over??

I admit it took me a long time to master SMB.  I think I only saved the princess once, but I did it.  It’s a memory I didn’t know I lost… until I went looking for it.  I did beat the game, didn’t I?  I’m sure I did.  I had to have… right?

Anyway, my family was over on Sunday for dinner and my mother and I talked about our old Nintendo while we watched the kids play.  She doesn't remember us ever owning a Nintendo.  To add to that, she doesn't remember us owning an Atari, either (seriously, where was this woman while we were all in the basement fighting [literal fisticuffs] over next turn?!).  At least I'm (somewhat) aware of what my boys do. 

I might be bored to death by their games, but I do know about them.

Before dinner was ready, my 7-year-old asked me to play a round.  I snatched the control away from him so fast He handed me the control in a mannerly way.  I showed them where several hidden treasures were and how to kill those pesky ninja turtles.  For a moment, I was the Coolest Mom in the Whole. Wide. World.  I rocked!  I got us to Level 5!

Of course, it was short lived as I quickly reverted back to being a big meanie (according to my 4-year-old) by forcing them to turn off the game and eat their (delicious & nutritious) dinner.

But, for a fleeting moment, I was awesome.  It lasted only as long as it took for me to die (with my several extra lives), but it happened.  And I will cherish it forever. 

Currently

So, my sister thinks I need to do one of these. Not sure why, but here you go, Mar.

Currently…

Current books

I took out about 5 books at the library on Monday. Don’t ask me why. Oh, fine, I’ll tell you. I make my book selections lately by scanning what’s being showcased at Target. There. My secret is out. I’ve started with One Day. So far? It’s kind of dumb. Thanks, Target.

 Current playlist

Currently, I am listening to my “tonight” playlist, which I made last summer for a party we hosted. It has a lot of fun, upbeat, summer-appropriate songs on it. Since it’s January, I have to do my part to forget that it’s winter.

Current color

This is a hard one. If you ask my sister, she’ll tell you my colors are black, gray and black. I admit I have about 9 black cardigan sweaters (and I just now remembered one I recently bought! 10! Hooray!).

But, as a little girl, my favorite colors were pink and purple. And I’ve since gone back to them. 

Look, I live in a male-dominated house.  There’s only so much blue one can take.

Current food

As I am on the P90X2 meal plan, I am currently eating chocolate fruit! Fruit and protein! Vegetables! Lots and lots of vegetables!  

      

Current favorite show

Um, the Bachelor? Only so I can make fun of it?

Current needs

Well, 'need' is a pretty strong word. The Beatles said that all you need is love, but I think food and water top that. And sleep.

Current outfit

Oh, I look supercute today. Black yoga pants.  Tank top.  Gray hooded robe.  But let's pretend I'm wearing this:

Current excitement

I was able to add images!

Current mood

Apprehension – I do another P90X2 routine in an hour.

Current indulgence

Chocolate chip cookies Pinterest – my funnest waste of time

Current triumph

I was able to add images to my blog! (did I say that already?)

Current bane of my existence

Paper.  And Nerf gun bullets.  They're multiplying by the second.

Current #1 item on my wishlist

To get over my silly fear of flying so I can happily go here:

 

And go back here: 

Current new years resolution

To not have a new years resolution – damn!

Oh, it's been brought.

So, I started P90X2 over the weekend. I’ll admit, I was pretty excited to start a new exercise routine. While I gave up in the 7th week of P90X (don’t tell anyone), I’ll admit, I did feel better while I was exercising regularly (don’t tell anyone). And, as you know, I’ve been fairly sedentary the last couple months, so I needed someone to kick me in the ass.

And, boy, did he.

As we did last year, my husband and I do the first DVD together. I always enjoy doing this stuff with him. He used to train a lot in his single days, so he knows a lot more about exercise than I do. Plus, it helps to have someone tell me if my form is good (I want to punch him in the throat if he tells me it’s not, but that’s neither here nor there).

So, there we are, in our new basement, with our new TV, prepared to sweat. And then Tony’s big head comes on screen (he doesn’t really have a big head, it just looks ginormous on our gigantic TV screen – Hi Tony!). Okay, fine, I am happy to see him. While he irritated the crap out of me the first time around, I found myself missing him after I quit like a baby stopped.

(This, of course, did not make me start back up again, but don’t tell anyone.)

The first exercise is something core related. When he says, “Core”, I hear “Pain”. The first thing I notice is that I am way more coordinated this time around than I was the first time doing P90X. So, that’s something. That’s about the only good thing I can say. We finish the routine without dying (okay, second good thing I can say). I wasn’t even in that much pain afterward (fine, three good things).

I come back for more the second day. This is where I almost die. And watch the woman on screen (with a cute haircut) do all this with a smile on her face. A smile. Bitch.

PS.  My 4-year-old is in the basement with me this time, playing with his Legos. While I am dying a slow death.

“What will this be like for him,” I wonder, as I gasp for air, “watching his mother die right in front of him. All because of stupid exercise? How could I scar him like that? I should quit. I mean, think of the children.”

It’s no coincidence Plyocide sounds a lot like suicide.

But, as you can plainly see, I do not die. I get through the routine a little worse for wear, but I survive. And, even though my 4-year-old shows me up with one move, I feel good that I got through the entire routine without shutting the TV off with an “Eff that.” I should be rewarded!

My reward, however, is sore muscles. It hurts to sit. It hurts to stand. But, I was much worse last time, so that’s something (four good things!). And, I rather like the pain (five!).

I could totally be the spokesperson for P90X2. Where IS that phone call?

Bring it.

Happy pinning!

So, I received an iPad for Christmas this year. Or, rather, my husband had 2 and he, after 6 months of me asking for one of them, reconfigured one of his to me. Thanks honey!

To be honest, I didn’t really want the iPad, so I didn’t care if I ever got it. I have an iPhone and a Mac (yes, we are an Apple Family), so I didn’t really need it.

That is, until I got it.

Man, this thing is fun! My sister has had her iPad for a few months now, and gave me a bunch of apps to download. Flipboard (I still can’t figure out the purpose of this one, but whatever), Whiteboard (this is a really good one for the kids) and Pinterest (this one has become an obsession of mine).

Pinterest is a site used to organize and share images you find interesting. You “pin” these images to themed boards (decorating ideas, party ideas, etc.) to your home page. You can repin other people’s pins and follow fellow pinners (how many variations of the word pin can I use in one sentence?). You can’t just join the site, though. You have to be invited (which I was – thanks, Mar!). So, now I have my own boards and can pin anything I want to them. It has become addicting to see what ideas I can steal borrow from others, what foods look good, what exercise routines seem fun doable not horrible.

…

Okay, let’s be real. This site actually holds no value for me. While I have pinned good ideas to my boards, I have yet to use. A. Single. One. Also, I can’t figure out why my one cousin continues to pin pictures of wedding dresses and bouquets. She’s been married for over 20 years. And, I swear, she’s on this thing 24 hours a day. No way can you pin that much and have a life.

But, I do enjoy seeing what’s out there. And, the ideas are good. We have a long winter ahead of us (ugh), so any crafts I find I can do easily with the boys will be a hit (if I ever use them). My sister has made some recipes from the healthy recipes pin on my board. And, I’ve looked at a 28-day food detox challenge on my cousin’s board, took the quiz, and learned that I don’t need a detox. Whew! Woo!

And then there’s Polyvore. It’s another website I’d never heard of, but easily fell in love with. On this site, you can browse fashion trends other people in the community have put together. They match tops with bottoms, add shoes and accessories. It’s really fun (if you’re into that.)  (Which I am.). Not that I can afford any of these items, but it’s still fun. It’s like playing dress up with your Barbie when you were a kid. (Of course, not the Barbie of today. This year, my niece received Streetwalker Barbie [from my mother!]. Sigh.) And once you put together an outfit, you can pin that to your board on Pinterest (or, if you’re like me, skim through what others have put together and pin things I like. “Did you put this together?” “Yes. Yes, I did.”).

I now know how my sister (and, apparently, my cousin) can be on the iPad all day long.