No Splaining Necessary.......

Classic humor never dies, at least not in this house. For those of you that know us, you know we are pretty fond of the boob-tube. Family movie nights, catching up on episodes of Rome after the kids are in bed, getting our daily dose of politics from Colbert, we tend to stay pretty plugged in.

Current shows however leave us longing for the days of t.v shows that respected the humor and intelligence of its audience. I know that shows like Everybody Loves Raymond were a huge hit with mainstream America. There is just one problem with that....our house isn't exactly mainstream. That is why we have hopped into our proverbial DeLorean in search of something better.

Here is where the journey has taken us so far....

I am a HUGE I Love Lucy fan. This show can make me smile, even on the most mundane of days. Getting to share it now with Matt and Amber has made me appreciate its humor even more. Most 9 year olds have no problem sitting and watching t.v for an hour. There are an endless supply of shows on Nick Jr. and Cartoon network to prove it. Most of these shows are aimed at just that, kids, and don't usually make for good family t.v watching.

The timeless repartee and healthy doses of slapstick in I Love Lucy however, have kept up with the ever changing "mainstream household" and its inhabitants since it's debut in 1951. Next time there is a parent-teacher conference day or the sun just isn't shining enough...sprawl out on the couch, find some I Love Lucy (believe me, you'll find it somewhere) and enjoy.

You're welcome.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Amber isn't the only one being introduced to something classic. I had heard of Mystery Science Theater before, but aside from a random episode I caught somewhere, I had never really watched it. Well thanks to modern technology (Netflix) what is old has become new again...again.

Matt grew up watching MST3000 (nod to Jeff) and therefore knew of the offbeat and hilarious antics aboard the Satellite of Love. I however, am just now getting up to speed on what Joel, Tom Servo, Gypsy and Crow have been up to all these years. Not only do you get to watch a quirky show about a guy stuck in space with his robot friends, you get the added bonus of an often campy, usually black and white and always entertaining B movie.

Next time you are sitting there on the couch trying to decide what to watch...don't. Find some I Love Lucy or put in an episode of MST3000 and put the remote down.

We do the thinking so you don't have to. Again...You're welcome.

Who's Your Daddy?

We've all seen pictures like this, an adult animal taking care of a baby animal out of love and most often necessity. We are easily amazed that a dog will raise a lamb or a cat will raise a mouse. Are we as amazed when a middle age couple adopts a house full of special needs kids? Or when a young father steps up to raise a child that he thought was his?

I was always under the impression that being a parent meant you gave birth or raised a child. Having become an instant step-parent myself, I've learned a lot of things about parenting in the last year. The biggest lesson being that giving birth doesn't make you a parent and the term "raised" is VERY subjective.

Here are a few things I've learned so far:

• Giving gifts instead of boundaries, doesn't make you a good parent
• Parenting means being able and willing to be the good guy and the bad guy when necessary
• It's getting over your fear of cooking because making them breakfast makes you and them happy
• It's watching the same movie 100 times and enjoying it like it's the first because they do
• Don't make promises you can't keep because their disappointment is your heartbreak
• They already have friends, they need you as a parent
• It's putting the kids first no matter how tired, stressed or busy you are
• Realizing that they are going to become their own person no matter how much you don't approve.....then loving them regardless
• Knowing when you're hurting more than helping and taking a step back not because you want to, but because they need you to 

The nuclear family has changed, significantly. Some people believe that only a household with a mother and father are healthy for children. A mom and dad, two moms, two dads, grandparents, step-parents, foster parents, adopted parents, aunts, uncles, single dads, single moms.....these are the households of today. Everyone has their own opinion on what makes for a good parent or a healthy household. 

All I know is this. 

I may not have given birth, but I've given everything else of myself that I can...willingly to my kids. They may not call me mom, but I know that I am no less a parent than if I had given birth to them. That being raised in a house with a mom and a dad is the least of it. Putting your kids first is what matters.     

For Matt

I love you honey.  

Is it wrong to be this excited about a kids movie?

We are taking the kids to see Toy Story 3 tonight. I haven't been this excited to see a movie all year! Toy Story 1 & 2 are big in the Assume household. Hand me down Buzz and Woody dolls (thank you Riley) are everywhere it seems.

How will the story of Buzz and Woody end?! You know you're just a little curious. Matt will provide a review in the Plugged In section later.

Off to the movies!


Image by Disney

IMDbPro??!!

**REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THE HEADLINE :)**

So I'm cruisin right? I'm watching Pretty Persuasion (see Plugged In shortly for a brief review) with Lindsey, and I've got IMDb open.. of course (everyone looks up the movie they're watching to get cross-reference-able facts in case the movie is awesome and they want to watch something else by the director, writer, actor, etc.. right?).

I digress.. So I am popping over to Steve Spielberg's page to check out what he's got coming down the pipes for us next. I of course got there by looking up the writer to the movie I was watching, and saw that he'd written/directed a short about the capture of James Wilkes Booth- so naturally I thought of the upcoming Lincoln movie he's making and clicked on it.

What the hell do I find? IMDbPro, that's what.

Usually we could get facts on upcoming movies, but now anything that is labeled as IN-PRODUCTION is directed to IMDbPro... for a fee... of course... I'd say a word that rhymed with brothertruckers...

So yeah, IMDb just lost sainthood for us.. punters..

Fishy News of the Day- June 17th, 2010

You have GOT to be kidding me..(click on title to see what I'm referring to).

any excuse eh?