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The Nat Pack: The super fashionable, super mod, super hip family consisting of Nat, Pete, Jakob, Brock, Troy, and Ivy. Like The Rat Pack, only younger, cuter, and not as rich or famous.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Cheese-tastic Mormon Musicals and My Overactive Tear Ducts

So. Been having a rough...week. Or so. I'm pretty sure it started last Tuesday, which coincidentally or not, that's when I started potty training Brock. And come to find out it fell right into my body's womanly schedule (a lovely TMI tidbit), even though I didn't know that until today. So I could blame it on PMS, too. But I think it's been, like, the perfect storm of happenings to make me turn into the demon wife/mother that I've been lately.

Also, I hate World of Warcraft. That's all I'm going to say about that. Anyway...

My sister Lex called me up, and invited me and my sister and my Grandpa to "The White Star", which is the sequel to "Saturday's Warrior". It's 35 years later, and now Jimmy, the main guy from "Saturday's Warrior", is a dad. The first part of the show they basically sing snippets of all the songs from "Saturday's Warrior", and then segue into "The White Star" after that. When Jimmy started singing "Brace Me Up", the tears started flowing.

Who am I, where am I going?
Here I sit all alone not knowing why.
Brace me up, I'm so discouraged.
Help, I think I'm gonna die.
How it hurts to be a no one.
How I wish I was someone really loved.
Brace me up, I'm such a failure.
Heaven, help me, up above.
Isn't there someone with a hand to spare?
Who can share what they have for my hunger?
Isn't there someone who will take me as I am?
Brace me up, not put me down.
Make me feel like I'm as good as another...

Um, yeah. My thoughts and feelings as of late EXACTLY. Basically, I've just felt...all worn out. Just tired of being a mom right now, and dealing with the kids and the laundry and the cooking. And the cleaning, the endless cleaning... Kind of emotionally drained, if you will. I think as moms we just give and give and give, and don't get much in return. Well, that's how it is for me, anyway. Lately I've just felt like a slave, and I've kind of lost me. I've been doing my job so much that I've become my job.

Does any of that make sense? Well, even if it doesn't, it does to me. So there!

Back to the musical: I liked the overall story, though some (most) of the songs were cheesy. But that's kind of to be expected. After all, the person that wrote the songs in the sequel was Janice "Crap" Perry. (I don't hate all her songs. I love "Love is Spoken Here" and "A Child's Prayer". But "As Sisters in Zion"? Gag.) The singers were amazing. I'll admit, though, some of the story line was crazy. Like, Jimmy's son gets visited by his dead brother that he never knew he had. And his Mormon Scottish ancestors had a girl that never got sealed to them. (Sounds kinda soap-opera-ey, huh? But it's not.) And it's this huge big mystery about why Jimmy fell away from the church again. Then he ends up seeing his dead sister at the end, after his son has head trauma. Yes, now you're all intrigued, aren't you?

Anyway, feeling better today, though the potty training is still very much an issue, and will be for some time, I fear. But at least I can be cleaning up bodily fluids while new crazy songs run through my head.

9 comments:

Ben said...

Did you see this as a play? Or on DVD? And if it's on DVD, was it set in a road-show-like manner with horrendously cheesy production values? Or is it all modern? Please tell me it isn't all modernized! :)

Nat said...

Oh, Ben. We saw it as a play. But during one song where the boy is singing about his dad, they had a slide show going in the background, showing the guy that plays Jimmy with I'm assuming are his real kids. Then during some kind of vision part, they had crazy waves going. It looked like a big screen saver.

It was very road-showy, with just a simple stage set, like on the DVD of "Saturday's Warrior". Just some stairs on one side. And some couches on the other. And occasionally they'd push a "bed" on stage for the son's "room".

During the recap of the "Saturday's Warrior" songs, they KIND OF tried to modernize it. Like, added some crazy beats to "This is the Summer of Fair Weather" (you know, the "bad kids" song) and took out the rockin' guitar. And they didn't wear neon colored spandex shorts, either.

But it was like watching the highlights of the movie. Can't wait for the DVD release of "The White Star"! (Actually, I can wait. A really really long time.)

Kar said...

Hey, mystery SOLVED! THAT'S why you are "angry Natalie." Now don't get mad when I say this, but um, when it's that time of the month, you're not a very happy camper. So you were wondering why you were so angry, and there's your answer. It will go away in a few days, and we can have Happy Natalie again. And potty training can push any woman over the edge. I was wondering if you were crying, but I didn't want to look right at you and ask you. :) I was crying during "Gentle Savior."

Unknown said...

KK. so I need a mommy vacation too. What do you say that I bunch of us mommy's plan a "I'm NOT mmomy weekend" Even if we just go to one of our parents house for the weekend and leave the kidlets with DAD. I think that would be so much fun... kind of an adult sleepover for the girls (this way dad can't cop out and "accidentally" let the kids bug us). Anywho... let me know what you think! :D

Nat said...

April-sounds FAB! Even just a Saturday or something...

Layton Mom said...

Don't you know that you are supposed to let your good friend and neighbor in on these tough weeks? Just call and say hey can I send my kiddos over to play and I will most happily say, why of course you can. And then, a "really" good friend and neighbor would bring you yummy cookies or something when she returned said kiddos. But since I have not done any baking I wouldn't be a "really" good friend and neighbor. :)

Amy said...

I'm sorry it has been such a bad week for you. I wish we lived closer. Then we could have seven kids to deal with- but two moms. Not a bad deal. I heard that Pete had an interview at Micron today. Are you guys looking to come join the Utah bunch again? You know we'd love to have someone else close by that is totally out of the loop too. :)

Mosers said...

I use to watch Saturday's Warrior like a million times a week when I was a kid... I think I had a crush on Jimmy??? Anyways, is it a play, or a show, or what. Where can we see it? Hang in there, it's movie day, and at 2:00 is a splash party at the Johnsons (flooding their yard) so come and get some mommy emotional release and understanding time! I think Arin and Zoe will be there too!

CHELZERS said...

Nat--I sooo know how you feel. I've been 'lost' for a while now too. It's so hard. I don't ever wish I wasn't a mom permanently, but just for a couple days...Is that so much to ask??? I don't remember what a good night's sleep feels like. Hang in there. I hope that the potty training will just 'click' one day soon! {hugs}