Friday, May 22, 2009

Zig! Zag!

Welcome to the most hodged-podged, Free For All Friday ever and today I really need your help. With all this writing about bacon, being sick and keeping up with Taste of USA I have some how been caught off guard and my regularly scheduled content isn't ready. So hang on because I'm not really sure what you're going to get. Zig and Zag!

While I was at home on Wednesday wishing I just had a bad hangover and able to eat a slab of bacon to cure it, I watched some TV in between dosing. I watched Trading Spouses where the mom from Grapevine switched with a mom from a south Dallas. The twist to the show is that the mom's get to decide how the other family gets to spend their prize money of $50,000. I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of this Grapevine ladies mouth! She expected this new family to fix her coffee and make her meals. She acted like she was coming in and "rescuing" this family. Back home she had her dear 70 year old, Japanese mother in law waiting hand and foot on her and her family. The south Dallas mom quickly caught on to the fact that MIL did all the mom's work. The mother in law got a bulk of the money. Has anyone seen this show? What are your thoughts?

I also watched Ellen. She's hilarious. She gave away the Flip cameras that are so cool. I wish I had one to give away to you today. But I don't. She had last year's American Idol winner singing on the show. I know we have some American Idol fans out there. Not me. I haven't watched a single show. I tried to get into it but I got so irritated at the beginning of the season when they focus so much on the horrible singers for comedic purposes. But, I hear it was a huge upset the other night with Kris winning over Adam. Maureen, are you still reading? I know you were cheering for Kris! Who were you cheering for?

I also watched Oprah. Her show focused on a family giving up all technology. It was only for seven days but still. No TV. No video games. No computers. No cell phones. AND- they couldn't eat out. They had to shop at the grocery store on a budget. (Y'all probably all do that anyway, don't you?) At first, they were in shock but as the show went on they realized that they liked doing things together. There was a time period when I was unplugged. Not the "No eating out part" because I don't cook but the no technology part for sure. The boys weren't old enough for video games yet, I didn't have a computer at home, and we did have a TV but we didn't have any service to it. We lived in the mountains on the basement level so antennas didn't work. We did watch videos though. That may have violated the rules.

My point is, could you do it? Could you? Would you? Give up all the technology that comes into your home and reconnect with the people that live there?

Today I am going to my very first Field Day with my boys so I will be unplugged for the day. Scheduled events include the shoe toss, the wooden spoon/egg relay, the sponge/water relay, tug-o-war, 50 yard dash, sack races, the balloon toss and MORE! I took the day off from work and I'm just going to soak in the sun, fun competition and snow cones extending my Memorial Day weekend even longer. Life is grand! Do your kids have Field Day?

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me on this unscheduled content. Now, feel free to discuss TV, debate Ellen vs. Oprah, unplugging from technology, or your favorite field day event. I will check in with you at the end of the day and can't wait to see what y'all have drummed up. Make it good! And juicy!

Signing off until tomorrow...

P.S. I'm sorry you have to work today, Margaret. I hope it's the fastest day ever so you can get on the golf course!

10 comments:

Heather said...

Okay let's see
trading spouses, Ellen, Oprah, technology and field day...

Trading Spouses: I think sometimes it provides an eye opening experience for the women to realize there is a world outside of their own. I do think we have a tendency to believe that the way we do things is the RIGHT way to do things and anything else is the WRONG way instead of ANOTHER way to do them. It is funny to see how the women allocate the money to the other family because they typically assign it to the things they value instead of to what the other family values.

Ellen: I LOVE Ellen! Seriously, she is just so much fun and full of life. We so need Ellen to become a sponsor of Highlowaha!!!

Oprah: Not as big of a fan of Oprah. I feel like she "uses" her past when it suits her and forgets her past when it suits her. Just my 2 cents though.

Field Day: Lily doesn't have field days yet but I loved them when I was a kid. They filled the competitive spirit in me.

Okay I think I hit on all the topics. Wow have we ever zigged and zagged this week...what would Claudia be thinking if she were here this week?!? When the cat is away the mice will play!

Chaotic Kristi said...

I don't watch much TV... we DVR Ellen once in a while, but talk shows mostly annoy me... I fast forward thru most of it :-)
Have not seen the other 2... but as for technology? budget? etc... I could do all of it but the phone... I don't like not being in touch with my son. Even tho he is too old for Field Days now, we still occassionally play hooky! I don't have a video game thingy, Oprah annoys me, and we budget everything around here, down to the cost per ounce or pound. Even the cat litter gets cost comparison. When you run an animal sanctuary out of your home, your spouse gets "not quite laid off" and your mortgage does not care about HOW you use your home, you pinch pennies. As for the MIL on TS, if I were her I'd kick out the useless DIL & use the $50K to get stuff done so I could relax for whatever time I had left!

b.k.root said...

I'm not a big American Idol fan, but I did start watching when it was down to the final three. My favorite out of the bottom three didn't even make it to the final two ("Adam Gokey, or something like that?).

Kat said...

Trading Spouses- I really like this show. I rarely watch it, but when I do, it is fascinating. I love all of the unusual people that they find. It cracks me up when the husband will say "Don't come in here and try to change how we do things!" I just want to say, "Um, sir, that is the whole point of the show..."

Ellen- My favorite! She is so real, and she genuinely seems to have fun with most of her guests. I like it when she has kids on her show.

Oprah- I don't really like or dislike her. Sometimes I will watch if the topic interests me, but I don't watch very often.

Field Day- One of my favorite parts of school! I was always really nervous because I wanted to do well for my team. Mostly I remember it being horribly hot though. I hope today isn't too bad for you guys!

Peggy said...

Trading Spouses, good for entertainment when bored and there is nothing better on tv.... that little ole Grapevine TX must not be that small... I saw an episode of Split Ends (where they trade hair stylists) and another food show that show cased the town... never heard of it before 1 year ago!

Oprah, can live or take.... some topics are interesting... but at times she seems holy-er than thou...

Ellen is funny at times, when there is nothing else on.

My kids both had field day in June on what seemed like the hotest day of the year... it was fun if the teacher had all the equipment needed for the games.

I could only live without the technology if it was taken out of my house, I have no discipline. We budget a lot, but have had to change the budget as the teenage son began to EAT more! And then of course, both kids started to grow out of their clothes every other month!

Robin said...

Field day is in a couple of weeks for us. I'll go paint faces for the 11th year in a row!

Katie said...

Good morning!

I have never seen the trading spouses show where they get to award money to the other family. I have just seen the regular one where they swap spouses and think it has a good purpose behind it, but not sure if the effect is lasting though. Its good entertainment though.

I like Ellen more than Oprah. Ellen is just flat out hilarious and does not seem full of herself. In fact, I think Ellen seems quite down to earth. Then again, what do I know?

I love field day! The other intern I am working with mentioned that we should play a field day for the orientation leaders we are working with! We may have to look into that further! When I was in elementary and middle school we had the Olympics during the last week of school. Kids from each grade were placed on a team and the 8th grader was the team captain! When I was in the 8th grade, my team won! We were the Oscar Meyer weiners!

Have a great Friday, everyone!

eknoxuk said...

Trading Spouses-drives me nuts:) I get so uncomfortable about the extremes they show and then how the moms think they're so much better than the families and need to change them

Ellen-I used to really like, she's getting a little too political-which I don't like about Oprah, but I like her sense of humor and that she keeps it fun and not such serious topics as Oprah

Field Day-Grace won a sack race for preschoolers last year!

AI-Danny Gokey was my favorite, but Kris my second favorite!

Technology-at this point in the pregnancy, I want anything that helps make life easier:)

lindsaymarie said...

i love ellen!! she's so hilarious and i love to dance along with her. i used to be kind of back and forth about oprah, but when i went to chicago with invisible children a few weeks ago, she put us on her show for the first 8 minutes or so, totally last minute, so now i kind of love her.
i probably could go without technology for a few days, but i'd feel very disconnected and anxious... being a student, most of my school's communication with me is through email, so i'd be nervous about missing a registration deadline or something else important. i could go without tv easily, though.
my brother's field day was on wednesday. it was fun to watch because he is VERY competitive.

Cheryl Houston said...

Field Day Rocks! That was so much fun but I'm way exhausted and really hungry. We just spent our first full hour by the pool (they were shivering by the end of it) and we're cleaning up to go get a bite to eat.

Y'all aren't that juicy... :)