Random Realizations

Ok, some of you out there will understand this post entirely too well, while others may not really get it quite yet. It is simply about loosing some cultural phenomeon knowledge.

For example, I had never really heard of the Twilight book. I remember reading about it on Jen's blog and thinking, well I don't know if that is for me. But apparently I couldn't escape it. I saw the movie on the shelves, at the PX, resisted renting it (again having no idea what it was about) and then when I told my friend Shelly about watching it, she made me promise to read the book first. Well, this continued on from a number of people (including but not limited too) Katie, Kelsy, Anne, Heather, Lindsay and Carrie. Of course, this put my reading it on hold because I didn't have a copy of the book and the library doesn't have one here.

On Tuesday last week, one of the other moms from Thomas' t-ball game was talking to me about how she was reading the series for the fourth time. I told her I hadn't read any. Her jaw nearly hit the grass and sure enough on Thursday she showed up with the original first book. So, after reading that and watching the movie (I will continue to read the series) I really do like it. I can see how its a hit with people (hey I am a sappy hopeless romantic).


Ok, so I thought, well I am getting back into the swing of things and that got me thinking. Before I got married and had kids and even up to a point where I had children, I still knew things. Movie stars trivia, random crap from gossip magazines and lots of stuff. I knew movie stars, the latest music and what band sang it, head books on the best seller lists, hot series on tv, things like that. Stuff you have time for when you have a life of your own.

After Thomas turned two, things get fuzzy. My knowledge started getting wiped away and replaced with things like nusery rymes, how do I decorate the kids' room? Blues Clues, Little Einsteins, Thomas the Train (and later Dino Squad and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury) replaced movie watching time. Suddenly folding the laundry got to be more important than finishing the chapter in my latest James Patterson novel and going to the park, grocery store or school meant listening to made-for-kids CDs in the car as we drove. No more Matchbox 20 (my favorite) or Second Hand Serenade. And getting to the movie theater (forget it for a while)! Here in Germany everything comes to us really late anyway, so we are clinging to our netflix deliveries so bad that when one comes in the mail we act as if we just won the state lottery! There really is something magical about getting to watch a movie NOT meant for kids where you can digest and talk about the subject matter with serious conversation.

I'm not saying this is bad! Please don't take it this way. I don't regret anything and I know someday my kids will understand (and hopefully thank me for sacrificing all that stuff to spend time dancing like a chicken while I sing the alphabet song so they can learn it while laughing.) I am just accepting this fact as being normal life when you transform from one person to a family. (Hey I have three happy healthy children and am married to a pilot people, a helicopter pilot! I am also living in Europe for while, how wonderful is that!) I love being a mom and all the rewards I have with it. I know someday I will be able to talk to adults again about the latest news, movies and books. My memory card will just be swiped clean and loaded with new things.

But I will say this, when I buy a copy of Us and Star and People for the first time in YEARS, sit down to read them and only recognize a handful of the names and faces of the stars I read about and see....I sure do realize things have changed!