So it was kind of a big week, blog-wise. Between guest posting for Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas, impressing Heather from Mama Knows, Honeychild with my (admittedly hilarious) moustache party food tags, and my wildly popular (for me) handmade Jesse Tree Set giveaway (I’m not one to name drop, except when I am and — you guys, Simcha entered!), I now have about 25% more followers and likes on Facebook than I did a week ago.
Pretty cool.
It doesn’t really matter. I don’t have any ads because they seem like a lot of work, and the ones that pop-up at you on some blogs bug me, and I want to maintain my amateur status so I can blog in the Olympics. So it doesn’t really make any difference how many “clicks” I get.
But I must admit to feeling a tiny bit like this:
And, I have every intention of being the kind of weirdo who tells Facebook when she goes into labor. So if you’re the kind of weirdo who likes that sort of thing and you don’t yet like Catholic All Year on Facebook, you might want to go ahead and jump on the bandwagon. All the cool kids are doing it.
In related news . . .
If you have a moment to spare, please consider voting for Catholic All Year at The Homeschool Post’s annual homeschool blog awards! Voting is open through November 18th.
Thanks so much to all of you who have voted already.
And speaking of the Jesse Tree Set giveaway . . . thanks to all of you who entered and for all your kind words. I am SO glad this set will go to someone who will be able to use and appreciate it. And that someone is . . .
RyAnne Carr! (Comment #60, which is the number the random number generator gave me.) Check your email, and send me your mailing address and I’ll ship it out to you asap.
If you didn’t win, you’ll just have to make your own. I made a tutorial here. It includes an easy version, and a really easy version, so don’t be scared.
I really enjoyed reading the recent posts by Dwija at House Unseen and Heather at Mama Knows on the concept of check-out-line evangelization.
I’ve written previously about the “You’ve really got your hands full” thing here, but it was interesting to read in both of the posts above about that moment of quiet after the exchange with strangers in a store or a parking lot in which the “regular” people are perhaps wondering what might have been . . .
Not immediately jumping to negative conclusions about people who say things like “Are they all yours” or “You’ve really got your hands full” has made a world of difference in my own life.
I’m unlikely to become a missionary in a foreign land or found a religious order, but THIS is what *I* do: I appear in public with many children. That’s my evangelization. And it works better if I try to be nice while doing it.
If you were reading my blog back in the way back days, you’ll know that Bonnie from a Knotted Life and I do not always agree on entertainment.
But you’ll also know that we are now great friends and have met in real life and everything.
So, when she said Freaks and Geeks was the best, I decided to give it a try.
And . . . I loved it so so so much. It’s funny and charming and kitschy and has amazing actors in it.
It addresses tough issues like divorce and adultery and even pornography in a very truthful way that shows how those things really affect kids. (How sweet is it when Coach Fredericks explains to Sam that what he found so disturbing in that film isn’t what things are really like?)
As a former knucklehead teenager, I could really identify with Lindsay. A lot. As a mother, the show takes on a different, horrifying dimension. But I just tried to stay in the former place.
It’s totally, totally great and you should be sure NOT to watch it, because it just . . . ends. After only one season. With nothing resolved. And at a moment of particularly disappointing decision-making by Lindsay.
And it’s kinda-sorta-but not actually sequel, Undeclared, is just awful and celebrates immorality in a way that Freaks and Geeks absolutely does not, but you will be tempted to watch it because so many of the Freaks and Geeks actors make cameos in it.
More Netflix streaming . . .
Buffy.
What can you tell me? I’ve heard so much about it, and I know the director has done a bunch of stuff since that I really like.
But I watched three episodes of the first season and didn’t really get it. It didn’t seem particularly smart to me, like Doctor Who does, even though that’s also an action show with a fairly ridiculous concept. Buffy just seemed like a Charmed/Zena Warrior Princess mash-up.
Does it get better?
And if it doesn’t, what should I watch instead? I like nerdy shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock, Freaks and Geeks, and the Walking Dead. I am generally uncomfortable with shows that don’t appear to present appropriate consequences for bad behavior or that don’t have a good guy.
It’s got to be on Netflix streaming. Once Upon a Time? Has anyone seen Land Girls?
And despite spending an inordinate amount of time blogging (even though I keep meaning not to) I am slowly but surely checking things off the “To Do Before Baby” list.
We’ve only got one week of school left before we take a very long semester/holiday/baby break.
I finished the baby blankets (one boy and one girl because we don’t find out) and two little shirts with the baby names on them. I’ve got newborn diapers and feminine hygiene products in stock. I have a few meals in the freezer, and awesome friends to rely on for the rest.
I have my bag packed for the hospital, thanks to a particularly noticeable Braxton Hicks contraction.
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| hair cuts and suckers |
I gave the kids haircuts that will hopefully last them for a while. We’ve done annual checkups at the pediatrician and the dentist.
I’ve still got one big sewing project not done, but I have high hopes for this weekend on getting that finished. What with not throwing any birthday parties at all — I’m trying to think positively.
And then I’m looking forward to what will hopefully be a quiet week or two of “confinement” before baby arrives. But probably some stuff will come up.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Hi Kendra!
I've been a reader of your blog for the last couple of months and just love it. Just wanted to agree with your love of the show Freaks and Geeks. I actually watched it a couple of months ago when I was on maternity leave. I, too, was so disappointed when it just ended…
Praying for you as you await the arrival of your newest little one.
-Sam
Yay! Congratulations, Kendra! That meme is hilarious, too.
Try Firefly! A great sic-fi/dystopian/space cowboy show by Joss Whedon. We watched the entire short run of the program on Netflix, and I know at least Season 1 is still on there. Definitely worth hunting down! (Warning: There is a character that's a concubine and there is some violence, so maybe not appropriate for pre-teens/younger kids.)
Sci-fi/dystopian/space-cowboy?! Yes. Yes. Yes.
Firefly is AWESOME and you should watch it, but be aware that the entire run is the one half season that was made before it was canceled due to network politics so that "leaving you hanging" feeling is even worse. It's worth it though.
Once Upon A Time is pretty good, and very addicting. I like the same swath of shows you do and I enjoyed it even though the computer graphics are laughable. Just started Land Girls…not sure how it's going to turn out. It seems pretty well done but not up to the caliber of Sherlock or anything. If you like mysteries, Foyle's War is awesome and British. 🙂 Good luck!
Chris and I liked Battlestar Galactica (2003) and Firefly. A warning, there is a scene in the first episode of Battlestar Galactica that involves an infant in a carriage and a cybernetic Cylon that is disturbing ( it is the Cylons goal to wipe out the human race). And there are sex scenes, but not in every episode.
I think I suggested this before, but have you watched Wives and Daughters yet? It is by the author of North and South. I enjoyed it.
One I have not watched yet but that keeps getting recommended to me, is The Forsyte Saga.
All of the above shows are on Netflix.
Are you an Amazon Prime member? Another one that has been suggested to me is Lark Rise to Candleford. There are four seasons available to watch instantly.
I hope you find something good to watch. If you do, please let us know! 🙂
I will keep you and baby in my prayers!
I have Wives and Daughters in my Netflix queue but I haven't been feeling very highbrow in my entertainment cravings lately. I did love North and South, but I cried SO MUCH.
I've seen the Forsythe Saga on there too. I've read it, and it's really good, but in a Brideshead/Gatsby "we're all rich and disaffected and miserable" kind of way. So, for me, not my favorite.
I'll definitely try Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Thanks!
I love, love love your blog. I like your parenting attitudes and I am extremely grateful for the example you set in how to live out the Catholic faith in your home with your children. Thank you for writing!
These shows were on netflix, but I am not sure if they are anymore…The IT Crowd and Better off Ted are funny, smart shows. Both are comedies about working in the corporate environment, only one is a British show and the other is American. They are both hilarious. The IT Crowd is especially nerdy.
I adore Buffy, I am not able to put it in words very well, except that show served as a distraction for me after a breaking up with my long-time boyfriend. So every time I watch it, it's a comfort to me. I love the characters, the plot lines and how the show seems situated in one point in time. It looks like the late 90s/early 2000s so much so, it makes me laugh now. I enjoy the pop culture references and witty one liners.
I have watched Once Upon a Time regularly since it started airing and I like it, but I don't think it's very good. The acting and dialogue make me cringe sometimes because it's so cheesy, like family-friendly-ish soap opera. However, I like the concept so I kept watching hoping for it to get better, which I think it has.
Thanks! I'll add both of those!
Have you tried Lost yet??? My husband and I were both philosophy/theology nerds and there's so much in there to get your head spinning if you want to crazy places and make weird connections.
I almost texted you when I saw Simcha entered. Like – YOU"VE MADE IT! – because Simcha knows who you are and wants what you want.
Hi, Simcha, if you're reading. I'm not weird. Really, I promise.
ALSO – RyAnne is a irl friend of mine so YAY for Ry!
Lastly, I literally fist pumped and called out "yes" when you said you liked Freaks and Geeks. Yes! to the porn episode and Yes, dangit! to Lindsey at the end.
Keep with Buffy! I LOVE that show, and really appreciate what Wheedon was trying to do with the characters. He's an atheist, but tries to tell stories that are true and that bring people hope (he's stated this many times). I say get that man some grace… But anyway, if you can make it to the final episode in the first season (I think there are only 13 episodes in the first season) I think you'll see why people love it so much. ~Mary
You've convinced me to try Freaks and Geeks. And I'll give another shout out to Firefly. I think Battlestar Galactica is pretty awesome and explores a lot of cool questions, but it's kind of hit/miss and the final season kind of crashes and burns in my opinion.
Enjoy your confinement! I'm off to make my daily vote!
Ok so to be honest I've only seen one episode but I really like Chuck so far! Computer nerd accidentally learns all the NSA's and CIA's secrets and now he's their most valuable asset.
Chuck is one of my ALL time favorite shows. My husband and I watched every episode together with two of our older children.. Love it!
Another Chuck vote! The first few seasons are definitely better than the last two though.
the fact that you go out in public with that many children IS a mission of its own kind. I always tell my husband that I feel called to go on a mission, and he looks around the dinner table and yells over the chaos, "THIS is your mission!!!"
You're pretty cool. Ya know, for a Catholic girl 🙂
Star Trek The Next Generation? It's free with Amazon Prime, I don't know if it's on Netflix. The geekiness in it is great (except their ridiculous biology — I'm a biologist and they talk about things like "their DNA is skewed" which just *don't exist*). Also, wonderfully, everything stays very PG and things like strong moral character, loyalty, and friendship are the main themes.
I've liked you forever, so I finally formalized our relationship on FB…! I'm sure that just made your day…!
Once Upon A Time is one of my favorite shows. I seriously love it. So many amazingly layered characters. Definitely fits your must have good guys criteria. And even though there are "bad" guys, they're created in a way where there's chances for redemption, which I love. The fairy tales they use are based on the Disney versions, but different enough to make it interesting. Give it a few episodes and I think you'll enjoy it!
I love once upon a time. But yes the acting and effects are pretty rough. I just love a good twist on a classic fairy tale (the musical Wicked!) and can't resist.
Oh, Freaks and Geeks. You broke my heart.
I love Once Upon a Time and am keeping up with it still. Another good Sci-fi type one is Supernatural. It's very good, but has an interesting inaccurate take on Christianity and God that starts coming up quite a bit in later seasons, so I would *highly* recommend watching it before kids and being prepared to discuss things afterward if you do let some of them watch it.
We really like Once Upon a Time and Downron Abbey over here. OUAT does a really good job of portraying good vs. evil and I enjoy the relationship development and flashbacks. Also, I really enjoy the spin on well-known fairy tales 🙂
Buffy gets better. Stick with it until at least through the first half of the second season. It definitely picks up. The husband and I loved Battlestar Galactica (2003). We also watch Bones. I loved Friday Night Lights. It is definitely not sci-fi nerdy, but you don't have to like or know much about football to enjoy it either. The storytelling is sensational. they definitely get some things wrong morally, they also get some things very right. The character development over the duration of the show is tremendous.
You can't base your assessment of "Buffy" on just three episodes! It doesn't get really good until Season 3. Skip straight to that season if you want; it's okay. You can fill in the other episodes later. At least watch through "Angel" (the episode, not the series…yet).
I do really like "Once Upon a Time," but it's still running, so making the commitment is trickier. It's a different kind of weird than "Buffy," because it has the same creators as "Lost."
you can't skip! the end of the first season is my favorite episode, it really captures the good of Buffy. I think the great thing about Buffy is that, while Buffy and crew are very much of the world, Buffy has a special, difficult, and dangerous vocation, chosen for her and she has to deal with it, honor it, run from it, live with it everyday. and it's funny.
Okay. This inspired me to go back and watch the beginning. And, yeah it was ridiculous, campy, and even a bit crappy, but it does get better. Stick with it. It rea.ly is worthwhile, and loses its 90210 meets shlock vibe by the second season.