DATE NIGHT! Without my husband?!

Mike and I are going on dates tonight... without each other.  He is taking his date out for ice cream and I'm taking my date to DeBrand (the chocolate store) and then to buy jewelry.  And, we're ok with dating other people!  Why?  Because our "other people" are these cuties:

minus the gigantic snowmen... more about that next week!

The girls have been in a funk lately.  The argue constantly and fight over the dumbest things!  Every little thing sets them off.  I thought about what to do over and over.  I consulted my mothering professional (aka my own mom) to see if she had any ideas or advice.  Mike and I are at the end of our rope!  We decided that we should try taking the girls on their own special outing.  Some thing that they get to do all on their own without sisterly competition.  We are going to try to do this at least once a month.  For this date, I'm taking J out and Mike is taking Taylor.  Next time, we'll flip it and I'll take Taylor while Mike takes J.  Hopefully the girls will appreciate the one-on-one time they get with us.  Being with each other 24 hours a day, every single day is starting to get to them.  Time apart is what they need.  Then, they can talk about what each did on their special date!  And honestly, I'm really looking forward to it!

Book vs. Movie: One for the Money

Close race... I'm giving it a TIE SCORE!  And that's big coming from this book worm!

 

One of my all time favorite book series is Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I love love LOVE these books! When I found out that they were finally making a movie for the first book, I was pumped! I knew it would be great!

I was not disappointed!  The movie was pretty much spot on.  From the Burg neighborhood to Stephanie's apartment... and everything in between!  I loved it :o)

The Cast 

Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum

The characters were cast perfectly.  Katherine Heigl played Stephanie Plum.  I was worried about whether or not she could pull off a character like Stephanie.  In the book, she is portrayed as this go-getter Jersey girl.  She isn't the toughest or the smartest, but she knows how to get what she wants.  Katherine Heigl played the role perfectly!



Jason O'Mara as Joe Morelli

Jason O'Mara was great as Joe Morelli.  He had the perfect combination of sass and charm.  I'm excited for him to step into his cop roll in later films.

Daniel Sunjata as Ranger

Ah... Ranger :o)  When you read the books, you picture a big, hugely built, brown man.  Kind of like a mixture of The Rock and Vin Diesel.  Daniel Sunjata was great for the roll.  My only beef with him as Ranger is that he doesn't quite have the "bad boy" look to him that Janet Evanovich portrays in the books.

Sherri Shepherd as Lula

Nobody more perfect than Sherri Shepherd could have been cast as Lula!  She was awesome!  I so look forward to her in future movies, scrambling for some cluck in a bucket :o)

Patrick Fischler as Vinnie and Ana Reeder as Connie

Then, there is Vinnie and Connie.  They run the bond office.  Patrick Fischler was the perfect little weasel for Vinnie and Ana Reeder was just right for Connie. 

Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur

If you've read the books, you know Grandma Mazur!  Debbie Reynolds did awesome as Gram.  Again, she really comes into character later in the series.  She did do a great job at shooting the pot roast, though! :o)

Other cast members include Debra Monk as Mrs. Plum and Louis Mustillo as Mr. Plum.  They both seem like the right people to be cast as Stephanie's parents.

Overall, the movie was great.  Mike and I double dated with my parents to go see it.  Mom and Dad have both read the book but Mike hasn't (still trying to convince him!)  Mike still enjoyed it and was able to "get it" even without already knowing the story line and the characters.  It was awesome!  Go see it :o)

Dating Again...

First, I want to congratulate Jackie!  She won the Madagascar LIVE! tickets!!  I hope you and your little sis enjoy the show :o)

Back to the topic: Dating AGAIN.  No, Mike and I aren't separating... I'm talking about Mom Dating.  It's funny how when I found Mike, I was happy to not be dating anymore.  The whole scene always seemed so fake to me.  Now, almost eight years later, I find myself in a similar situation.  I have some really great girlfriends but most of them do not have kids yet.  It's hard to make time to hang out with them anymore because I have the added responsibility of finding a sitter for the girls.  Plus, if the grandmas aren't free that evening, a $20 night out turns into a $40 night out after I pay my sitter!  Then, when we do hang out, I find it hard to converse because really, if you don't have kids, you don't want to hear about Ariel, Belle, or any of the other princesses that make up 90% of my conversations at home.  This middle ground is a little weird and uncomfortable at times.  It would be great to have more girlfriends that have kids.  Then, not only can I bring my cuties with me, but I have someone that can relate to my 26 minutes of personal time a day.  I have someone else that regularly carries around fishy crackers, crayons, and wet wipes in her purse.  I have someone else that knows how good it truly feels to sit down with a glass of wine after the kids are sound asleep.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I'm a blog stalker.  I find you and I hide behind the curtains and secretly watch you until I work up enough guts to say hello.  Silly, I know but that's the way I roll.  I am currently reading a certain mom blog.  I can relate 100% to this momma.  In fact, I know her in real life and actually see her quite often.  I just can't work up the courage to "ask her out."  It is so much like dating, it's scary.  What if she doesn't like me?  What if she thinks I'm annoying?  What if she doesn't want to hang out?  What if she reads MY blog??  Our girls are a year apart and they know each other.  It would be so much fun to get together with them, let the kiddos play, and just talk to another mom.  See?  It IS like dating again... and I thought I was DONE with that!