We're Off to See the Wizard

I spent my whole life hearing about Midnight Cowboy - one of my parents' favorite movies. It was originally rated X, but my parents insisted that ratings have become more lenient. When I was in high school the three of us rented it and at one graphic point in a movie about a male prostitute which I was watching with my parents I had to exclaim, "uh... guys... could this be why this movie is rated X?!!?" Word to the wise: don't rent Midnight Cowboy with your parents.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow has always been in my repertoire of 'go to' songs when children are melting down. No, not because I'm a huge Judy Garland fan, but rather because I'm a huge Tobias fan and it gets stuck in my head.

Last week I realized Carolena was probably ready to fall in love with Dorothy and the gang and we grabbed a copy of the dvd from the library. I warned her that the movie "might be scary" but what was I thinking?! This is the kid who's favorite character in Frozen is the snow monster. At one point during the movie she announced to Chris, "This isn't scary! It's just a guy in a lion costume!"

So, if you are interested in coming to our home anytime soon know that you are coming to the land of Oz where Ding Dong the Witch is Dead plays continuously and you will be referred to as a "cutie" (I just can't convince her that they are called munchkins).

I fully expected to be referred to as "witch" from henceforth. Demands to cackle while a kid threw water on me seemed imminent. Surprisingly I've been shoved into the role of Dorothy! My job is to lie on the floor mumbling "there's no place like home" while Auntie Em puts a cool washcloth on my face. Not bad. It's not bad at all.

Speaking of Judy Garland... I sing a lot of Liza Minelli's Caberet music to my kids. So much so that Carolena can sometimes be heard singing things like, "dee dee dee dee two pancakes... I like them..." I can't wait until she's old enough to watch that movie. She is going to be so surprised. It's like a fabulous joke 18 years in the making.

Oh... Karen and Jim... now I just see what you did there. Yep, you got me!