tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674Mon, 11 May 2026 10:08:06 +0000current doings38x365life with kiddoshere my mind wandersphotographson writingbook reviewnothing in particularmemoriesKansas Authoranother silly quizon making a homelove my 4-legged kiddosprocrastinationsroad tripCSAresolutionsDodge CityB4Beverything in particularhttps://goobmom23.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)Blogger1175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-8089693397875218388Sun, 27 Mar 2016 14:40:00 +00002016-04-17T09:41:26.990-05:00pear blossom in springcan't escape winter's blanketsnuggles still beneath https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2016/03/phone-note-haiku.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-6338758474765495601Thu, 24 Mar 2016 14:42:00 +00002016-04-17T09:42:37.735-05:00 Spring Morning On this spring morning icy pellets swirl, the sharp edge of yesterday's wind intimidates, urges me to turn around, seek warmth, stay inside. I walk anyway, cold burns my skin, fists draw into jacket sleeves, ears cower beneath an old woman's crochet headband--not my style--but full of sentiment. Each block I consider the return trip home until my mind floats free, bouncing from https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2016/03/phone-note-poetry-installment-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-9205219061435023408Wed, 23 Mar 2016 14:43:00 +00002016-04-17T09:43:45.332-05:00 Windy Day Today I take the usual walkfrom office to post office to bank,but when I close my eyes I am seven,feet upon dirt roads of my childhoodhome in western Kansas,arms outstretched,believing...with wind's next breath, I just might fly. https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2016/03/so-for-few-days-in-march-i-was-feeling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-1013469350505874997Thu, 08 Oct 2015 17:20:00 +00002015-10-08T12:20:09.059-05:00love my 4-legged kiddos Nancy Spring 2007 - October 4, 2015 She chose us in the fall of 2007. We had been in Emporia just over a year and the hubby came back in the house just after leaving from work one morning. "There's a pup on the front step. You should call the pound." He said later that he never expected me to call the pound, of course. She was thin and sick. I took her to the vet who said he'd give her https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2015/10/miss-nancy-pants-simmons-dog-who-didnt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-3528810092626847481Sun, 09 Aug 2015 19:00:00 +00002015-08-09T14:13:42.162-05:00here my mind wanders Me: doing a victory song and dance after installing a "self-healing" shield on my  new camera (aka smart phone)  "I've got military grade technology on my phone." Daughter Evie:  "You realize you had military grade technology the first time you bought duck tape, right?" A favorite image from my new camera... I can communicate with people on it, as well. I am nowhttps://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2015/08/meeting-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-6168201836182338376Sun, 24 May 2015 03:30:00 +00002015-05-23T22:32:16.836-05:00here my mind wandersI just went to the website of a local store that I really like. I like them because the employees are all so attentive! They are friendly and helpful. They have gone out of the way for me several times and helped me problem-solve when I've been working on projects that are a little out of my zone of expertise. So I was shocked to find the reviews of the store were filled with comments about rudehttps://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2015/05/i-just-went-to-website-of-local-store.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-5699638067095709869Thu, 21 May 2015 14:04:00 +00002015-05-22T07:14:10.153-05:00everything in particularI was surprised today when I saw that my Facebook profile said I was 44 years old. I have been calling myself 45 since 2015 began. It's easier to remember when I roll my age forward with the year. Birthdays aren't what they used to be and it is not because I avoid them. I don't mourn my youth (I do sometimes mourn a smoother, more youthful complexion). I get a kick out of the silver that is https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2015/05/i-was-surprised-today-when-i-saw-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-7318520354554181097Wed, 15 Apr 2015 05:01:00 +00002015-04-15T00:01:19.595-05:00everything in particularhere my mind wandersKansas Authornothing in particularon writingSo it is just over a year since I have attempted to blog here. Just over a year since I have given myself the power and freedom to just dump whatever it is, inside my head, out on the page. I thought I would blog about writing here, or about unschooling my three children here... and perhaps I have, occasionally, with various degrees of success. I have never had much success in dividing my life https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2015/04/with-years-worth-of-stuff-bottled-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-9140522212571583211Wed, 02 Apr 2014 02:49:00 +00002014-04-01T21:49:36.066-05:00here my mind wandersSometimes I really miss the person who had time to devote to blogging all that was inside her head. Sometimes when I feel I have the time these days, I just sit and stare at the screen. Then I turn the computer off and go to bed. At the same time, I'm happy to be busy and outside of my head more than I used to be. I think I needed the space away from myself. I think I needed the break from my https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/04/missing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-7380290671019499576Sun, 23 Mar 2014 13:17:00 +00002014-09-23T21:01:40.819-05:00life with kiddosShe didn't come with a set of instructions. We just sort of muddled through, picking up the details we needed to know along the way, understanding that we would make mistakes and need forgiving. She was my first close-encounter with my very own kind of miracle. The fact of her existence, evidence of my creative power, took my breath away. Then came the mind-boggling comprehension that she was https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/03/18-years-of-parenting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-2640576207452118916Fri, 14 Mar 2014 02:56:00 +00002014-03-13T21:59:57.275-05:00here my mind wandersI've always maintained the belief that creativity begets creativity. Writing, painting, composing... it doesn't matter the form. One creative act leads to ideas for at least two more. Most of the time I would claim to be engaged in creative work on pretty much a daily basis. Most often it is writing, but I've been known to draw a picture, pick out a tune on the piano, experiment with recipes or https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/03/anticipating-change-and-enjoying.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-5844046899549116791Tue, 25 Feb 2014 23:31:00 +00002014-02-25T17:31:01.191-06:00life with kiddos Sometimes I find myself sorting through a whole slew of responses, inside my head, that are not actually my own. I was sitting at the table when my middle kid (age 15) came in from a bike ride this evening. I kept thinking that there was something funny about the way the light was reflecting off her hair. Her hair is generally light brown. She was blond when she was little, but it's much darker https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/02/sorting-through-voices-in-my-head.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-4485005559816161855Tue, 25 Feb 2014 04:14:00 +00002014-02-24T22:18:27.997-06:00here my mind wanders It takes a certain amount of effort to be miserable. It simply takes a different kind of effort to be happy.  These are not Ann Patchett's exact words, but I've been reading Ann Patchett and this thought is one of my take-aways from Truth & Beauty: A Friendship.  I picked up Ann at the library a couple of weeks ago - This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. The book was billed as ahttps://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/02/misery-and-happiness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-3798423817642549692Sun, 19 Jan 2014 11:30:00 +00002014-01-19T05:30:01.652-06:00I went to a funeral on Friday. The deceased was the grandfather of a friend. He was also a client of the hubby's. I'd met him a few times. I remembered him as a very friendly man who was very proud of his granddaughter. She was our connection, and he was pleased to meet me, I felt, because of my relationship to her. That was several years ago, before I even thought of her as friend, to be honest.https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/01/inspiration-at-funeral.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-1894756014316036265Sat, 18 Jan 2014 03:47:00 +00002014-01-17T21:47:15.167-06:00life with kiddosI pulled out a photo book at random. It covered most of 2007, and a bit of 2008. The hubby and I flipped through the pages, enjoying the mini walk down memory lane, wondering at how much our three children had changed in such a short amount of time. Middle Munchkin was soon looking along with us, drawn by our smiles and our laughter. "You guys make having kids sound like fun," she said. It is https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/01/having-fun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-7980412937977030058Wed, 08 Jan 2014 03:37:00 +00002014-01-07T21:37:04.041-06:00life with kiddosMunchkin Boy, my baby, is thirteen now. When I back him up against the fancy-schmancey "family tree" where I've marked the tops of kid heads for nearly 18 years, he's almost 3/4 of an inch taller than he was two months ago on his birthday, which was nearly 5 inches taller than he was on his 12th birthday, which is exactly 3 inches higer than the sharpie mark designated "Tracy," added a few years https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-never-ending-awe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-3166554458083654102Mon, 30 Dec 2013 05:12:00 +00002013-12-30T19:17:03.846-06:00memorieson making a home So the truth is, I never meant to fall in love. Not in happily-ever-after-till-death-do-us-part love, anyway. I had this idea, at the ripe old age of 18, that a woman didn’t need marriage… didn’t need a man… didn’t need any relationship that might stand in the way of a career and an exciting, fun-filled live of travel and accomplishment. It’s funny how I still believe that, yet I’m glad I found https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/12/happy-23rd-anniversary-to-my-one-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-4258591990310028694Fri, 27 Dec 2013 16:08:00 +00002013-12-29T13:29:54.646-06:00 Image from www. mashable.com Once upon a time I was the self-proclaimed Queen of New Year's resolutions. Actually, I think a friend first called me that, but I latched on to the title and did not forget it. I not only made resolutions, sometimes spending the entire month of December analyzing and planning them, I stuck fast to them... All. Year. Long. Those were the days of always https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-year-to-come.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-7273334782130115807Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:09:00 +00002013-06-02T18:09:50.200-05:00I've decided to move my musings to my new site altogether. I'm not taking this site down, but obviously am spreading myself thin, so will be blogging about writing pursuits, books and probably even some family stuff (whatever comes to mind) at www.TracyMillionSimmons.com. Please feel free to follow me there, if interested. Even better, change any links you may have to this site if they remain. https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/06/moving-my-musings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-691897022084056791Mon, 13 May 2013 00:27:00 +00002013-05-12T19:27:26.469-05:00photographsroad trip...and I said I wanted to go to the castle at Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It's been on my list of things to see for years. What a lovely weekend with my family. It was perfect! https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/05/they-asked-what-do-you-want-to-do-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-6170337858895875216Wed, 08 May 2013 02:28:00 +00002013-05-07T21:32:39.161-05:00here my mind wanderslife with kiddosSo the hubby asked if he should take this blog off his to-read list and I said, "No. Not yet. There's still a lot of stuff bubbling around inside my head and who knows when I will decide I need a spot to put it. Yet, I recognize that my track record has been so poor, of late, that I've pretty much lost what readership I may have once had. I've been thinking that perhaps it's time to turn the https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/05/thinking-out-loud-about-blog-direction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-5039001344285117367Sun, 31 Mar 2013 05:05:00 +00002013-03-31T17:26:45.918-05:00Nah, just kidding. I'm moving my book reviews to my author page. If you've stopped by, check it out. My first novel is now available in both print and as an ebook. Or... join the Virtual Book Tour... happening now. Tiger Hunting, by Tracy Million Simmons When Jeni returns to her childhood home in western Kansas, she never imagines that she'll be hunting a white tiger escaped from the circus or https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/03/sunday-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-3583659172637430224Sat, 16 Mar 2013 20:45:00 +00002013-03-16T15:45:54.122-05:00I did it. Or I'm doing it. Or something like that. Tracy Million Simmons (author page) https://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/03/drum-roll-please.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-2891724785518980335Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:38:00 +00002013-02-26T15:38:45.242-06:00I have to admit that having two major snow storms in as many weeks has left me feeling a bit discombobulated. Though I often get a charge from shaking up my routine, when something shakes it up for me I don't always flow as smoothly as I wish I did. Since work and home aren't that far apart, and the whole family tends to be in one place or the other more often than not, it's tempting to justhttps://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/02/let-it-snow-let-it-snow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-8559559546424335051Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:06:00 +00002013-02-21T17:06:33.564-06:00I don't know why I still think of it as a snow day; it is simply a day full of snow and for that I am grateful. I mostly took the opportunity to work from home, which I often do anyway. Mostly, I have spent the day being thankful that we have some sort of moisture falling from the sky. It is desperately needed and any form will do. Our whole community must be truly understanding the lack, as I'vehttps://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-snow-day-is-good-for-its-simply.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracy Million Simmons)0