All Things I Brake for Werewolves.

So one day after picking up the girls, Alex nudges me and says, "Look Mama, a werewolf..." I turn and spot a jogger, dressed in denim cut-offs and I laugh out loud. Clearly, my kids are as supernaturally obsessed as I am. No, I couldn't resist snapping this photo with my phone because, well you know, I found it funny.

I actually stopped my car to let him cross the street but was laughing too hard to snap the picture right at that moment. So to the person behind me, who waited patiently while I took the picture -- thank you.

For the rest of you reading this, well, yeah I am that silly Mama driving in front of you. Did you not see the Twilight decal on my car?? It should say, I Brake for Werewolves. Of course, you all know, I prefer vampires, right? Right?!? Anyone still taking me seriously?? Please don't. Now go focus on a silly moment in your life and remember to laugh about it.

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All Things Eclipse Me.

So as I play catch up on my posts, I know that the Number One question on your mind is...did I go and see Eclipse at the Midnight Show??

Of course, I did. Silly Rabbits. I did. Not only did I see Eclipse. I saw Twilight and New Moon, too. You see my friend, Miss Snarky Blogs, and I went to a triple feature. I know you're in shock but listen, it was hot and stuffy and we didn't want to wait in line for the Midnight Show. This way, we sat in a theater and watch all three movies back to back.

It was definitely the way to see it. We traveled back to Forks. Back to the beginning when Edward was the brooding, mysterious boy in high school and Bella was the new girl.

Then during the weekend, I took my favorite Boy Child to see it. And look what we saw parked in front of our theater?? Yes, Edward's car. I looked around for him but alas, he must've been worried that he would sparkle in the sun and he probably ducked into an air conditioned theater.

Did I love the movie, you ask?? I LURVED it. LURVED it. The best of the three, so far. If you haven't seen it...hop into your "stupid, shiny Volvo"...I mean, car, and go catch it. Trust me, it's good.

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All Things Easter Bunny.

Egg dyeing, it's a Process in our family. And I have to admit that Ken coached the kids through it this year.

Note how, he was a Smart Daddy and used Alex's old baseball shirts?? That was due to the Red Dye Incident a few years ago, when he dropped a bowl of Greek Red Egg Dye which stains beyond permanently. They say the mark of a good man is his ability to learn from mistakes. See, I knew I picked a Good Man.

And then the next day, we attended Easter Service. Notice, how they're all dressed, coiffed and wind-blown? Our weather has been highly uncooperative this year. But it's been wonderful for special effects. I just asked Alex "to, please, put your arms around the girls..." and he did. Miracles do occur on Easter Sunday.

Bella made an Easter Bonnet at preschool. I loved her use of pink, blue and yellow. Watch out Paris, London and New York, you may have a new designer in your ranks one of these days.

The kids made Twilight eggs just for me. Edward was supposed to be "red" I was assured. So why is Jacob orange?? And in our Egg Cracking Game, Edward won. Just like in the books. I knew you'd want to know. I think Ken may have rigged that somehow.

And then look, a Spring Faerie showed up. The snowflakes on the right were just decals on the door but somehow, it makes the picture look more magical, doesn't it? I'm pretty sure the Spring Faeries would welcome this new addition into their court.

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All Things Volturi.

I know, I haven't documented All Things Twilight for a while. But yes, I did get New Moon, on Blu-ray, of course. And my favorite Little Helper was there. Seriously, not only is she NOT named after the Main Character but notice how she can take on the Head Volturi (i.e. the Bad Guy) on her left?? Watch out Fictional Bella, the Real Life one is in da house.

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All Things New Moon.

Oh you, expected this post, right? Yes, for all of you who know, I am by all means "one of those" Twilight obsessed people. And well, because I have kids, I take it to a whole other extreme.

For example, on the day of New Moon's Premiere, Bella (no, she's not named after the main character, I solemnly swear!) and I ventured into Burger King for lunch. And well, look who we, literally, ran into. Yes, Edward. To all my Twilight Mom Friends, yes, it's Edward and Bella!

Edward may be a vegetarian vampire, but Bella and I enjoyed his burgers nonetheless. And the fries. Oh, also the commemorative cup of Diet Coke. Why not?

Then, yes, my two wrist bands. There a was a showing of "Twilight" prior to the Midnight Show of "New Moon". So, let me just say, that there are definite advantages to being an adult because you immediately purchase tickets to both shows. That way, you don't have to wait in line. Just sit in the warm theater reciting lines and giggling with your friends.

Okay, see, this is proof that I'm not the only one? Really, I'm not. Our local yogurt shop, U-Swirl, is also "bitten". By the way, if you haven't stopped by U-Swirl on Damonte Ranch, do so. They're yogurt is Beyond Divine and no, not just for the Twilight Tie-In!


The best part of it all was seeing this sign as we walked out. Yes, folks, the saga continues this summer with "Eclipse".



Or the next day, when I received a little package from a Twilight Mom Friend Who Shall Not Be Named in which there was a Prince Caspian ornament (okay, it's the actor, Ben Barnes, but work with me people - it's still funny). It reminded me that next year at this time Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be released. I am suppressing a silent squee.

Oh, and my darling son, made me my own Vampire Edward ornament. Because he loves his Mama. It says, "Be Safe at Xmas, Mama" on the back. For those wondering, he did indeed design, color and complete it himself.

Just as an aside for those friends and family who are reading this and wondering What In Heavens? My love of Twilight has introduced me to some incredible women - creative, fun, funny, challenging. I am very lucky to know you all and you all know who you are.

For those who haven't read the Twilight Series, go on and read the books. Fabulous, romantic, sometimes silly drivel but at it's heart are some important themes - love, family and sticking together in spite of it all. Now, at the very least, go see the movie. This one is actually good.

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All Things It Was A Dark and Dreary Night.

Halloween. It's the beginning of the holiday frenzy for us. And sure enough, this year, we had a gazillion things to do - Halloween Parties, Pumpkin Carving, Pumpkin Seed Roasting, Costume Decisions to be made. The list was never ending.

But the costumes were chosen, at last. A Death Eater. A Witch. And for the second year in a row, A Sleeping Princess. Yes, Bella was determined to be Princess Aurora one more time. Here's to recycling!

I wore my Witches Hat again. I mean, if the hat fits then by all means, wear it. Right?


Here's a sampling of the pumpkins we carved. The Headless Horseman's Head was carved two times. Once for scouts (see post below) and once again on Halloween. Kata requested Snow White. And Bella really wanted Ariel (again) for the second year in a row. Are you noting a trend with her?? She's a Do-Over kind of person. Bella also gussied up a little pumpkin for her Preschool Contest. She won a ribbon for "Best Use of Glitter". She is so like her Mama. One can never have enough glitter in one's life.

Below is the pumpkin our dog "helped" carve. Yes folks, it was going to be Tinkerbell but I left it on the patio and uh-huh, the dog ATE it!

Before long, it was time for the little Trick Or Treaters to go out into the night to greet everyone. So they did. One door at a time.

While Ken took the kids out, I stayed home and passed out candy. Oh, it was so fun to see all our friends and neighbors stopping by. We had about 60 little ones.

I also enjoyed my wonderful set of Twilight Pumpkins that my talented friend, Annie, carved for me. And yes, I queued "Twilight" on the Blu-ray. Why not?? It was a necessary indulgence with my glass of merlot and the spotlighted pumpkins.

This was last year's pumpkin -

And debuting this year, The New Moon Pumpkin -

I know. Annie's uber talented. The carvings are unbelievably life-like.

And where was Ken, you ask?? Well he was scooping out FIVE pumpkins and helping with the costumes. But mostly, he was enjoying these -

Wishing you a peaceful start to what will no doubt be a busy holiday season. Enjoy.

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All Things Vampire Baseball.

It all started with the exciting news that Reno was getting their very own AAA baseball team, the Reno Aces. The above is a picture of the new stadium. You can imagine the excitement in our sports filled household. I'm trying to relate it to something I would be enthused about, let me think, ah, it's almost like a Fantabulous Shoe Sale at Dillards Moment.

So the day after I took the above picture, Ken's mind was clearly residing in Clever Land because my phone recieved a series of texts. My darling hubs, as usual, picked up on everything sports related in my Twilight obsession. While I was on a playdate with Kata, he and Maka, Alex and Bella attempted to play baseball in the park. Here's the transcript of his texts complete with the pictures he sent -

Text: "Cue the Vampire Baseball Music" -


Text: "Bella's going to play baseball?"

Text: "Vampires play baseball? It's the American past time."

Text: "It's time."

Text: "Victoria's not the only one with a wicked little curve ball."

File Under - Reasons Why I Love My Husband. He can make baseball interesting for his Non-Sport-O-Wife by quoting her favorite movie. Nice.

Wishing you a moment where someone surprises you with their thoughts, intellect and ability to please you. Hmm. Amazing indeed.

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All Things Twilight (yet again).

Just checking in to make sure that you got your copy of the Twilight DVD. I mean, honestly, you should. Alright, it's my thinly veiled attempt to generate even more revenue for Summit Entertainment. Not that they need it.

The day before the DVD's release, Kata and I got our nails done with the appropriate Dazzle Filled Theme. Honestly, my nail tech did a better job than ILM in making things Glitter. Hmm. Perhaps my nail gal can work the special effects in the next movie - just a thought?


We stopped by Wal-Mart and touched all the new merchandise and our Bella posed next to Twilight's Bella. File Under - Things That Are Apropos.

And then the next morning I rose...(see the glow of dawn?)...to go to Target because I wanted the Blu-ray version and only two stores were carrying it, Target and Best Buy.Of course, our Pocket Edward had to make an appearance. Because after all, it is his movie. *giggles*

I have to add that Twilighters are some of the nicest fans. There were about thirty of us waiting for the store to open and I haven't laughed that hard for a long time. I've also made some incredible on-line friends all because of this shared passion (you know who you are because you are reading this right now and yes, I'm sending all of you (((hugs)))).

We got our two copies. One for us and one for a friend who was working and couldn't get away. And hey, our bonus?? We got the digital copy with it! Go Tarjay. I knew there was a reason I've dropped literally thousands of dollars there over the years. Now, I can watch it on my iPhone.

The girls were so excited that they wore their Twi-tees for two days in a row. Please note they picked out different styles. Kata loved the movie poster picture. And Bella, my Bella, picked out the one that said Team Edward. It can't get anymore perfect, can it?? Nope. Not for us.

Wishing you a moment when you indulge in your passion whatever it is and really delve into it. And I hope you make new friends because of it. I can't tell you how much fun I'm having with this shared moment of sheer obsession. I mean look - aren't we all happy?? I love being a crazy, silly Mama sometimes. Hope you have a crazy, silly moment today.

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All Things Tea Party.

There are some famous tea parties out there. The Boston Tea Party. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party. All valid in their own way.

But then, there are our tea parties. And they have their own themes and uses. This one was the Track Break's Almost Over and We're Killing Some Time So Let's Have A Tea Party. I am sure you've attended these before. If not, next time, we'll be sure to send you an invite.

See, first we make the tea. And set out our prettiest tea cups and saucers. Of course, there are plenty of biscuit-like cookie treats in lieu of scones and sandwiches. Or in a pinch, we clean out the Girl Scout cookies from our pantry.

We wear our grandest hats.


Invite the finest of our dolls. Sometimes there are even surprise guests.



And when it's all consumed and put away, we feel better. Isn't that the very purpose of tea time? Not sure, but this theory works for us.

In the mean time, yes, you noticed that Alex got a haircut. Finally. And I completed the infamous Gryffindor scarf. Track Break can now, indeed, end.





Wishing you a tea break. Enjoy. And yes, watch out for those surprise guests, some of them can be quite deadly (that's a nod to my Twilight friends).

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All Things Reviews with No Spoilers On the Side.

I know, you've been waiting with bated vampire breath to read my review of "Twilight."

I have to admit that after seeing the Midnight Screening on Friday morning, I was left with a Not Like The Book But It's Still Good feeling. Oh, there were parts that bothered me...a LOT...especially a much loved, pivotal scene that was completely altered and not for the better or so I thought at the time.

But then, I snuck in to see it again yesterday afternoon. Ken, earning himself a Great Daddy & Husband Award, took the kids to see "Bolt" all by himself. Fortunately Bella, who hadn't napped at all that afternoon, fell asleep almost immediately and Kata curled herself up in the chair and dozed. So, no one needed a Bathroom Break or two or three and no one whined about Equal Candy Distribution. The stars had aligned for us once more.

So upon viewing the movie again and knowing more of what to expect, I thought hey, this is
quite good. Yes, things were not Exactly Like the Book. They couldn't be. The movie was already two hours long.

But on its own merits the movie presents the original concept of the book - a great and impossible love story. And it captures you in its plot and holds you until you are rooting for the couple to make it. The changes, which originally irritated me, made sense when I took into account the movie's need for plot continuity and fast paced character development.

My recommendation? Go and see the movie this week. And I wish you a moment like I had - an escape into the plot of beloved characters and a chance to get lost in their problems and resolutions for at least two hours.

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All Things Twilight.

So if you're wondering where I will be tomorrow night at 12:01 am, let me stop your guessing. I will be viewing the much anticipated "Twilight" movie after consuming mushroom ravioli (it's in the book, trust me on this) and pomegranate martinis (because, well there is a vampire theme).

Here enjoy my favorite clip from the movie -



Wishing you a moment where you are indeed, "dazzled," yes that's also from the book. So run, go get the book, see the movie and remember to just laugh, love and oh, yes simply...BE.

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