Grey's Anatomy Season Finale, Season 8

Warning: If you can't handle ridiculous discussion and speculation of a fictional TV Show, please stop reading now.

Tonight is the night. The Season 8 Finale of Grey's Anatomy.


Now, I know many previous fans of Grey's have since moved on, feeling like the show jumped the shark when George and Izzy left. Others have continued to be faithful viewers through thick and thin. I believe, though, that Grey's still has a strong and passionate fan base, which keep the writers motivated season after season.


I will be honest: I did not start watching the show until Season 7.  I caught the end of Season 6, where the shooter went rampant through the hospital and many Seattle Grace employees and patients lost their lives.  Starting that Summer, I began to watch syndicated reruns on Lifetime.  Each day, Monday through Friday, I could catch back-to-back episodes of past seasons from 1pm-3pm. Which was perfect, since that was during nap time.  I soon became hooked, and couldn't stand to miss a day. It was not long until I was caught up and ready to start with the current episodes when Season 7 started.  


Sure, Greys has its ups and downs. Some story lines get old, old characters leave, new characters are introduced, and we sometimes just miss the good old days when the residents were just starting as interns. The drama, the scandalousness happening in supply closets, the secrets from the past, the family tension, and the amazing medical situations.  I like the the writers on the show, the chances they take (I may be in the minority, but I give them props for last seasons Musical Episode).  Despite the ups and downs, I'm still in.


And I'm pretty nervous about tonight's finale.


Last week, after our Residents (original interns Meredith, Christina, Alex as well as grafted in Mercy West interns April and Jackson) completed their medical boards, many of the doctors were in flight to help a surgery at another hospital.  We were left at the scene of a plane crash, where our doctors were wounded, fighting for their lives, or completely missing.


OH MY HEART.


It was also released that one of our Seattle Grace doctors would be dying during this finale.  We're not completely sure who boarded the flight, although in the "scenes from next episode," we confirmed Meredith, Lexie, Christina, Mark and Derek were on board.  So, we could speculate up and down about who we lose this season.


Some good news on the horizon: Patrick Dempsey has renewed his contract, so we can assume he won't get the axe.  Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Yang also reportedly renewed their contracts as well. 


So who will we lose?


Will Mark lose Lexie, now that they are close to rekindling their relationship?  Will Alex be taken, now that he has come out on top as a star resident?  Will it be Kepner, who is facing rejections after failing her boards (and dealing with the awkwardness of her one night of steaminess with Avery)?  


How will things change at Seattle Grace - and how will it shape the next 2 seasons?


In a few hours we will know.


Until then, I want to hear your thoughts, speculations, theories and ideas.  Leave a comment here, or join our Grey's Anatomy Discussion Day over on the Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom Facebook Page! 


If you dare, here is a sneak peek of the first 6 minutes of tonight's finale (thanks to Megan for sharing!):

Skunked {A Cautionary Tale}

It was about 11:00pm when I trudged up the stairs to make my way to bed this past Friday night.  The kids were in dreamland and Hubby was finishing up a few more things downstairs before he hit the hay.  I quietly stepped into the bathroom to brush my teeth, when I noticed a really funny smell. Not funny like haha funny, but a curious unsettling kind of funny. But not as bad as this historically disgusting funny, which wasn't very funny at all.


We live in the Mushroom Capital of the World, so funny smells pervade our house on a weekly, if not daily, basis. But this smell did not have the fresh hint of manure.  It was something more diabolical, a smell I've sniffed before.  I thought perhaps a dirty diaper had made it's way into a corner only to be forgotten. A quick search turned up nothing. Maybe the tub or sink drains needed to be cleaned?  But I bravely whiffed each, and neither smelled suspect.


I stuck my head into the hallway, and the smell followed me. As I rounded the corner and made my way up the final set of stairs to my bedroom, I was overcome by the stench.  Suddenly I knew where I'd smelled this before.  Memories of whizzing by roadkill on the side of the street, I finally placed the smell.


Skunk.


I smelled gross, icky Skunk spray.


This time, though, it did not pass as quickly as it does when you drive over a dead skunk carcass on the road.  As I tried to ignore it and lay in bed waiting for Hubby to come up, I kept getting hit with new waves of grossness.  This was not one skunk who was spooked enough to squirt a quick stinkbomb.  No, this smelled like a gang of skunks had a deadly squirmish with a rival gang of skunks thrown in with a few dirty diapers and a trashcan filled with raw chicken that had been left out in a heatwave.  


I swear I could taste it in my mouth.


My mouth, people.


While I was ranting about the smell, the attic door, which is accessed from our bedroom, creaked open a bit.  The sound made me jump. And my mind, already woozy from a skunk-induced high, created a thought that filled my stomach with ice.


What if the skunk was in the house?


Like, in the attic.


The attic whose door is roughly 5 feet away from where I am sitting.


What if the skunk, reloaded with stank ammo, was making it's way down the attic steps toward my bedroom this very moment?


My mind raced to decide whether this assessment was logical: I guess a skunk could have made it's way into our attic. Squirrels and raccoons have been known to do this in other houses.  But those animals climb, right? I don't think skunks can climb.  And where would the sucker have gotten in anyway?  Would I have heard it scratching? What is my plan of attack if a skunk flies out of the attic door? I feel safe on the bed, but only in as much as a 5 year old convinces themselves they are safe from the monsters that reside beneath their sleeping haven.  If a skunk could get into my attic, then it could clearly jump onto my bed. FOR ALL THAT IS SACRED AND HOLY, what if it sprayed the entire room?  Do hose it down with tomato sauce? Wait. It's tomato juice, right? WHAT IF IT HAS RABIES?  IF THIS SMELL GETS ANY WORSE I AM GOING TO GO CUCKOO BANANAS CRAZYPANTS.


As I was about to grab a pocket knife from Hubby's nightstand to be at least somewhat prepared for battle, Hubby stomps up the stairs.  He doesn't notice my blood-drained face, wide eyes and rapidly-beating heart when he asks, "Do you smell that? What is that? Burning rubber?"


I take a moment to find my voice, so as not to make him panic when I relay that there is a good chance we might have a rabid skunk smellicating our attic.  "That smell is skunk, sweetie."


Realization colors his face. "OHHHHHH.  It smelled so bad downstairs!  I cuoldn't tell what it was!  Dang that smells bad."


Downstairs.  He could smell it downstairs.  Which means that the smell is probably outside, and not directly above us.


I make a decision right then and there not to detail my last 60 seconds of horror and speculation.


"Hey, the attic door keeps creaking open. Can you lock it?"  Better safe than sorry, right?


He rolls his eyes, as though it was a ridiculous request since I was only a few feet away. What he doesn't know if that I haven't regained motion in my legs yet.


"Sure. I can do that," and he closes the lock on the door.


Despite the fact that we were plagued by the invasive skunk stench all night, I feel asleep peacefully knowing that a skunk was, in fact, not in our attic.


But hey, it totally could have happened.


Don't judge me.

A Terrible Realization

I realized this today when I started thinking about tomorrow.  


::sigh::

Never Will I Ever: Be A Carnie

"Carnies.  Smell like cabbage. ::whispering:: Small hands." -- Austin Powers

Carnivals creep me out.


Something about how one day they eerily pop up out of nowhere, and a few days later there is no trace of their existence.  The greasy food.  The rigged games.  There is just something not right about carnivals.


Luckily, Hubby is not fond of them either.  And after a quick stop at a local carnival last night, I am proud to report that Little Chica wasn't too impressed by her first carnival visit either.


When I was little, I got just as excited as the next kid when a local fairground popped up for the week. To a kid, there is something thrilling about going to a place filled to the brim with rides, games and food.  People chatter away as you walk, and there is opportunity to win prizes around every corner.


And then you get older, wiser and more cynical.

Note: There were no clowns at this carnival. But clowns are at the circus. And circuses and carnivals are cut from the same cloth in my book. Clowns also creep me out. After watching this movie as a a child, I've never been able to look at Bozo the same way again.  Have you seen it? Tell me it's not insane.

You begin to look at carnivals a little differently. You realize how disgusting the food is.  You are rubbed the wrong way by Carnies who salaciously attempt to lure you into playing their impossible games.  Upon further inspection, you find the stuffed animal you just won has matted fur and is filled with sawdust.  You begin to question an establishment that is assembled and dismantled in the matter of hours.


Like I said. The whole system is suspect.


So to start this Monday, I thought I'd share with you the 

Top Reasons Never Will I Ever Be A Carnie 

(in no particular order):

The Temporary Skyline

I find it unsettling that everything about a Carnival is temporary.  This same exact Carnival will be someplace else next week, creeping out a completely different town.  One day, it's an empty parking lot. The next day an entire town made of metal is erected.  3 days later, it is as though the fair never existed, save for the lone funnel cake carelessly shoved into a nearby bush. The only consistency is the eccentric staff of transient nomads that run the rides and games from town to town (aka Carnies). More on this later.

Tinker Toy Rides and Death-Defying Fun

You will NEVER catch me enjoying a ride at a Carnival.  Well, for what it's worth, you won't catch me enjoying rides at an amusement park either. I hate rides.  Mainly because they make me sick. But it is completely disconcerting to me that Carnival rides are built in a day. A DAY, people.  Like some oversized Erector Set.  How safe can that be?  You really think they are double checking every bolt and screw?  How certain are you that the "Zipper" will take you up 50 feet in the air and deliver you safely back on the ground?  Yeah. I don't think so.

Now, I am all about appreciating science. And I completely understand that part of the thrill of amusement rides is the physics of it all. Gravity. Centrifugal force.  But do we really need to put ourselves in ridiculous situations to have fun?  Take this bad boy for example:

The Freak Out

A ride that seats you in "safe" baskets on the end of a long arm. The ride then throws the baskets up in the air, and while a dangerously far distance from the ground, proceeds to spin you around until your stomach resides where your brain used to.

What ever happened to simple fun? Like Scrabble. Or Gardening.

Food

Sure, I love the occasional funnel cake. And as a kid, I though carnivals were a food-lover's paradise.  But as I grew up, learned about nutrition, and how money worked, it never fails to amaze me:

1) the disgusting food offered at carnivals (Deep fried oreos? How gross is that? Let me count the ways) 

and

 2) how much money some people are willing to spend on a limp hotdog or a soggy plate of nachos.  Suddenly a "fun day at the fair" rivals the cost of a classy dinner.

Carnies

Need I say more?

Torture Devices Disguised as Fun

Tell me this doesn't look like a torture device. I dare you.  Like, wasn't this featured in the movie Saw? Oh, and if you have difficulty reading the fine print, it says "Riders do not experience any sickness because the spinning changes directions and keeps each rider's inner ear balanced."

You sit on a throne of LIES.

Does this need any more explanation?

Don't say you haven't been warned.

PS - who wants to go back with me later this week?

An Open Letter to Moms

Hey you.


Yes you, the Mom who is reading this post.


I want you to know...


I think you're kind of awesome.


That's right!


You are all total class acts in my book.


No, really!


Why? Why do I think you are awesome? 


Well, where do I begin?  First and foremost, you have agreed to take on one of the most difficult roles on Earth: caring for another human life. You made the conscious decision to parent this small being, to provide for every one of her needs, to put his life before your own, and to one day make the equally difficult decision to let them spread their wings and fly.


I think each and every one of you is a hero. That's right. Partaking in motherhood is nothing short of heroic.  Day in and day out, you love your kids. And despite what the movies tell you, love is hard.  It means making the choice to love when you are tired. When you are frustrated. When you are lonely. When you are afraid.  When you want to do anything but.  


You choose daily to love and do what is best for your children.


So this letter, my dear friends, is for you.


This goes out to the moms who submitted to the hours and hours of hard labor to bring a child into this world.  The agony, the suspense, the healing.  Think about it: a life, a small being, came forth from your body!  Doesn't that just amaze you?  Can you believe you did that?


I can, because you are awesome.


This goes out to the moms who underwent surgery to meet their child.  Maybe you were awake, maybe you were asleep. But you sacrificed your body to give your little one life.  I can imagine in the moments before you met your child it was a little frightening!  Are you floored that you experienced that?


I am, because you are brave.


This goes out to the moms who endured the long process of adoption to bring their child into their homes.  The countless packets, the fundraising, the signing of signatures, the mailing of papers. The agony of not knowing if you'd ever be approved, if there would ever be a perfect match for your family.  The long plane rides halfway across the world to see where she lived. To finally have that life-changing moment where you meet her face-to-face. Have you ever thought about how amazing that is?


I have, because you are beautiful.


This goes out to mothers who only knew their children for a short time before they were taken away.  Some of you only knew them weeks within your body.  Some of you endured months of pregnancy before your child was taken Home.  Some of you had the joy of knowing your children in the flesh, for moments, weeks, months or years before you had to release them.  My heart goes out to each and every one of you, for knowing the love of motherhood and the pain of loss.  You are, and forever will be, mothers.  Never forget that.


I won't, because you are strong.


This goes out to the Moms-to-be.  You are working so hard to grow that small life in your womb. You may feel anxiety as you face the unknown of Parenthood, and the simultaneous excitement of bringing your child into the world. Welcomed into the World of Motherhood!  Did you know that you are already a mom, as you walk through these 9 months?


I did, because you are glowing!


This goes out to every woman who has taken on the role of mother, whether biological or not.  You have come into a child's life and vowed to care for him, raise him, love him, provide for him.  And he will be all the better for it.  


You are life givers.  You are healers. You are magicians. You are chauffeurs. You are cooks.  You are storytellers.  


And above all?


You are beautiful.


Every. Single. One. Of. You.


Nothing humbles me more than to meet another Mom, to hear her stories, and to celebrate her greatness.


This Mother's Day, I celebrate you.


Stay classy, Mommas.

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

Just to give some inspiration to those of us who will be serving (or contributing to) Mother's Day Brunch this Sunday, I thought I'd throw out a few of my favorite brunch recipes.  I made sure to do a good mix of "breakfast" and "lunch" items. Because that's the point of Brunch - that it's a partnership between the early and mid-day meals.  Too often I've arrived at a late brunch that starts at, say, 11:00am, only to find mainly breakfast items. This does not constitute Brunch, my friends.  That is a late breakfast.


So give the Mommas in your life an elegant brunch.  They deserve it!


This brunch menu actually goes really well for any brunch occasion. I make the Breakfast Casserole and Monkey Bread every Christmas Morning!


Here is my Quintessential Mother's Day Brunch Menu.  Enjoy!

Beverages

Mimosas

Orange Juice

Coffee

Iced Tea

Appetizers and Sides

Asparagus Roll Ups

Warm Tortellini and Cherry Tomato Salad

Main Meal

Breakfast Casserole

Dilled Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Desserts/Pastries

Fruit Pizza

Cannoli Dip

Monkey Bread

What items will you be serving on Mother's Day? What are your favorite Brunch recipes? I'd love to hear from you (and snag a few recipes while I'm at it), so leave a comment!

Are You Mom Enough?

By now most of us have seen the provocative cover of Time of a mother breastfeeding her 3-year old, plastered with the question, "Are You Mom Enough?"


And us Moms?  We aren't too happy about it.


I personally do not prescribe to the Attachment Parenting philosophy. I have some great friends who do.  ALL of us have great kids. And I would unequivocally say each and every one of us is "Mom Enough."


The recent cover of Time Magazine has done not only a disservice to the Attachement Parenting philosophy, but it has only stirred the boiling pot of Mommy Wars.


There is plenty of cat-fighting in the Mom community.  Disagreements fly over how we feed our kids, how we sleep our kids, how we raise our kids. We all have different perspectives and philosophies when it comes to parenting. And while some have strong and exclusive feelings on the topic, most of us can look around and say, "Hey - you've got to do what's best for you and your kids."


Because in the end? We're all in this Motherhood thing together.


So I say BRAVO to the mother who works hard to breastfeed her child past the first year.  And I applaud the mother who could not breastfeed her child at all, but made she her child was nourished and loved just the same. I commend EVERY mother who wakes up EVERY DAY and makes the choice to love and nurture her children.


Parenthood can be a daunting, frightening, and overwhelming place.


We need to stick together.


So to answer Time:


YES.


I am Mom Enough.

And so are some of my awesome Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom Readers.  Here is what they have to say:

Mom enough to never give up..and also for the past year I've also been Dad!

What about you? Are you Mom Enough?




(The answer is, YES. Yes you ARE).




Join Kelly and I by sharing your pictures and posts stating why YOU are Mom Enough by using the link below:


Grab a button and link up below to join the movement in being proud of your parenting choices!
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