Rachel McAdams (ok, she may be a little “hot” to play me, but I’ve been told we bear amazing some similarities, so that’s my choice and I’m sticking to it) stars in the comedrama Choices as Sara Mason, a highly successful magazine editor who leaves her career behind to stay at home with her two children. The film follows the harmlessly deluded (read: scatterbrained) but emotional/passionate stay-at-home mom through her daily life full of typical motherhood laughs and frustrations–potty training, cross-dressing toddlers, preschoolers with attitude, play dates gone wrong, food “fights,” and even anger management. The film uses clever cinemetography to illustrate how her choices completely altered her future and the future those around her–for the better, despite her misplaced desire for “something more.” Also stars: easy-going but supportive husband Topher Grace and mom friends Jenny McCarthy (sorry, Erica, you know I had to!), Keiko Agena and Jessica Alba.

I know it sounds a bit like Ally McBeal but I was thinking more like a modern, more comedic It’s a Wonderful Life or Butterfly Effect, with a little humor but without the creepiness.

This week’s Fun Monday was brought to you by Janet:

Hollywood has come calling. They want to make a movie of your life story!

So here’s what I want to read about: Write the brief synopsis of this film that you might use to pitch this project and cast the principal players. Who would play you? You can either cast or ignore significant others, children and/or pets. This is, after all, YOUR movie about you you YOU! Illustrate as needed with casting photos or filming locations. Your life not interesting enough? Hey, this is Hollywood. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

As host of this week’s Fun Monday, Mariposa wants to know: What’s in a Name and What’s on your Plate!

What’s in a Name?
When I started blogging, I knew I wanted to write about motherhood. I had just recently had a friend, who doesn’t have any kids, tell me I was a “supermom.” My reaction was a weird mix of pride and sadness. I realized I had been successful in appearing like I had it all together but inside all I could think was “if you only knew …” So, I made a decision then to be more transparent. But I also didn’t want to write just about motherhood, because there is more to me than “mama.” It seems me and my mom friends are often talking about how motherhood seems to take over once you have kids, so by some divine intervention I can only imagine, I came up with Mom-Me: a site celebrating the “me” in “mommy.”

What’s on Your Plate?
As for my favorite dish, hmmm, not sure if I can narrow that one down. The one entree I just can’t seem to get enough of is pizza–with lots of cheese and pepperoni and a sprinkle of green pepper. I like my homemade pizza, cardboard pizza, Pizza Hut deep dish pizza (even though they won’t deliver to my house any more!), Alfredo’s thin crust pizza, Georgio’s deep dish pizza, Chicago-style pizza … you name it! Not far behind would be Mexican, tacos with nachos and cheesy enchiladas in particular. You might be noticing a “cheese” theme … that’s no mistake, because I do love cheese. 

When we decided it was time to move out of our two-bedroom apartment in Crystal Lake and into a house, I never imagined that it would require Divine intervention, but it sure did.

I fell in love with a 1920s cape cod fixer-upper with a big yard located right off the bike trail. My husband feared the amount of work it needed just for us to live there–and there were other issues with it being in an unincorporated area, too. (It’s a bit ironic when we realize where we finally ended up, but I digress.) So, after much debate, we decided to wait. We prayed together for the right place. We knew we’d have to make sacrifices, but it wasn’t right if we both weren’t content with our choice. I cried and cried, grieving the loss of the house I thought I wanted (although more than anything Isimply wanted a house).

Less than a week later, we received a call both from our realtor and friends about a place in their neighborhood that went up for sale that day. We took a tour and knew that this was it! This is a big deal for us because we tend to be quite indecisive, especially the bigger the decision. But we walked through on Wednesday, made an offer on Thursday and finalized it on Friday night. We closed on March 15, 2002.

The farmhouse, built in 1892, is even older than the previous home and has many of the same unique charm that I loved about the other–hardwood floors, original doors, solid construction, two stories, two-car garage, beautiful trimwork. There’s not a right angle in sight, but we love it anyway. This was no coincidence! It also was right off the same bike trail but on the other side of the river and had an even bigger yard. 

Of course, we have no idea what would have been waiting for us in the other neighborhood, but after almost 6 years here, we are in love with our neighbors. We have made many close friends here and have come to enjoy the close-knit community we’ve moved into. Our quiet (well, except during rush hour when people like to speed through our neighborhood as a shortcut!) location in our village’s historic district has led to many opportunities for friendships, neighborly advice and home improvement help. With a park at the end of the street that was recently renovated and homes constantly being remodeled, it’s changing all the time but for the better. As a historic community, there is respect for the homes and for the people and we couldn’t be happier located here.

Now, if we could just finish remodeling our home …  We’ve completed two bathrooms (each complately gutted; one of which I write about on our family site) but a complete kitchen remodel and upstairs addition are in our near future (I hope!).

For more Fun Monday entries, visit the host of this week’s assingment: Kitten’s Homeschool.

Lest anyone think we have it all together at this old house (though I could scour the earth and not find a single person who thinks that I suppose), here is a list of our unfinished household projects:

A sinkful of dirty dishes–I list this only because it is the case most every day! 

Scrapbooking–I am stuck on my daughter’s second birthday, my son is about 8 months, and in my own scrapbook, I’m not even four years old yet!

Exterior painting–We started this project when we moved in five years ago. One area above the front porch and all of the back porch hasn’t even been scraped and primed yet.

New windows–We replaced the glass in our three bay windows but have yet to do the other 10 leaky windows.

Downstairs bathroom–We remodeled this room last winter but it is missing floor and custom door trim.

Upstairs bathroom–We remodeled this room three summers ago and it also still needs the custom trim on the floor, door and window, as well as some tile that needs to be laid once that trim is in.

Refinish the wood floors–When we moved in, we refinished the office with the plan to do the rest of the first floor, but it hasn’t happened yet.

My family is Scandinavian, so it’s no surprise that our table at Christmas reflects that. And I do mean “reflect.” The table is so white, the glare can blind you. The only standout is red jello. Among the holiday fare is lutefisk (further explanation probably required but not necessarily wanted), lefse (my personal favorite), Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and romegrot.

Lutefisk is whitefish, usually cod, that has been soaked in lye (reminiscent of the days Vikings would preserve fish they were carrying on  their ships). It is every child’s worse nightmare on Christmas Eve. I have no idea how to prepare it and probably never will. All I know is that there’s no mistaking the smell once my mom has opened the package. The rule in our house was you had to eat your lutefisk to open your presents … The secret is to shove the slimy stuff inside your Swedish meatball and plug your nose as it went down. In my family’s defense, however, there are some who like lutefisk, it’s just not for me!

Lefse is flatbread made from potato, milk, cream and flour, and cooked on a griddle. Each of the girls in my family “earned” a griddle as a wedding gift when we got married, so this I know how to make. You spread it with lots of butter and sugar for a rich treat, although it’s considered a side dish, not a desert!

Rommegrot is white cream mush pudding favored by the women in my family. Topped with brown sugar, it is a warm, creamy desert.

Following our traditional meal by candlelight, we would clear the table, wash dishes, then have a program featuring the Christmas story from the Gospel, maybe a short play when we were younger, and a display of talents, including me playing Ode to Joy or Joy to the World on the clarinet! Finally, then, we would open gifts late into the night. We took turns opening presents, starting with the youngest (me!), so we had to learn patience and appreciation for everyone’s gifts. Santa was downplayed in my family, so the stockings Christmas morning would be filled with some candy, toothbrushes and other toiletries or accessories, and maybe a Barbie or small toy. It was still exciting, but kept the focus on giving to one another and being thankful to family for the gifts they gave. [That's me in the  upper left in our family program as Mary, with baby Jesus, on Christmas Eve 1981.]

Because we opened gifts the night before, Christmas morning and day were reserved for sleeping, trying out new gifts, playing games and overall relaxing together as a family.

This week’s Fun Monday was hosted by Deborah, The Humble Housewife: