Dawning

Planes, Trains and Automobiles... only without the trains or autos

2012-05-21T02:21:00.002-04:00

Or something like that.

It's been a while since my last post.

Oh, alright!
It's been a month...
And a few days...

I've been busy.
Or not.
But mostly busy... sort of.

HeMan Hubby left today.
No, not for good...
Or, at least it better not be for good.

I.
Would.
Miss.
Him.
Terribly!

No, he left on a business trip.
To California.
3000 miles away.

On a plane!

And that my pre-tend friends is the problem.

I don't mind him going, it's his job and well, it's his job.
And it's not like he will meet a beautiful starlet named Poppy...
with long flowing red hair and a quirky smile...
and run off with her...
Right?

No, the problem is that he had to fly there...
or spend 4 days driving there...
but by then the week would be over and it would be time to drive back so...
Flying was the only possible travel choice.

But I am afraid to fly.
And apparently I am afraid for him to fly.
Like deathly afraid that the plane will suddenly plummet to the earth without warning.

I actually told him to not let the plane crash.
Like he has any pull with the pilot at all...
or that he could fly the plane should a problem develop?

But, being the HeMan Hubby that he is he promised that he would come back to me, no matter what...
Kind of like Jack in Titanic...
Only he didn't actually hold up his end of the deal there...

I know, right?

Good news is he made it to NY for his layover without any problems.
I know because we were texting while he was waiting to board his connecting flight.
I don't know why he had to fly north to fly west but apparently, he did.

More good news...
he made it safely to California.

I know this because...
1) there were no planes reported falling from the sky...at least between here and Cali between the hours of
4pm and 11pm EST...

and...

2) I accidently left my phone at home when I went to work so we could not text.
(No - that's not the good news...)
SO...
I was trying to email him to find out if he made it to the hotel okay... you know without being mugged or getting lost ...
But he did not answer the email so...

I called him.

From my computer.

There is this cool phone call thingy you can use from Google where your computer calls any land or cell phone...

So I did.

And it works!

HeMan Hubby answered on the 3rd ring...
I guess he was waiting for my call, or my text, or something...
Or maybe he found HBO and was watching the season finale of Game of Thrones....

He answered using his work voice and work name... which is NOT HeMan Hubby...
then he said Hello.
and then he said HELLO!
and then he said HELLO???

And then I realized that my computer has no microphone and I had inadvertently just crank called the love of my life...

I'm pretty sure he was already awake when I called...
at least he sounded awake...
and not too ticked off about getting a crank call...
at midnight...

ANYWAY...
back to #2...
He made it safely to California, and the hotel...
and that's all that really matters...

For now.

More Writing Prompted by.... Someone Else? or Not...

2012-04-19T03:52:00.002-04:00

Yes.
This is yet another post that was prompted by...

You guessed it... The Writer's Workshop at Mama Kat's Losin It

I have a ton of topics that I want to write about...
That I thought up on my own, but...

I just can't seem to get motivated...
to do anything...
at. all.

So... here is a little something based on prompt number...3? for this week...
Enjoy!

3.) Tell us something you learned about a grandparent that surprised you.

So, this is the part where you would expect me to say that I was surprised to learn that my grandmother was a flapper in a speakeasy...
But she wasn't.

Or that my grand dad was a fighter pilot in the war...
But he wasn't.

I cannot recall when I learned this little tidbit about Grams, but I do remember thinking...
Wowsers!

Apparently, Grams and Granpa got married when Grams was very young. I think I always knew this, but I didn't really KNOW it...
Know what I mean?

Just like I knew that growing up in the hills of Ohio in the 1920's was hard...
no, it was REALLY hard.

But just how hard I didn't understand.

The story goes that Grams met Granpa at a barn dance.
They liked one another.
They dated? ( or stepped out or courted, whatever they called it back then...)

Grams and Granpa were married on August 23rd.
It was Granpa's birthday... his 21st to precise.
Grams' birthday was August 16th.
She was a young girl... he was an older man... guy... boy...
whatever...

But this is where the story gets ...
let's just say odd, or fuzzy.

Grams was one of many children... My mom would be able to say how many and name them in correct order in a hearbeat... I, alas, am not that good... I have to cheat and look at the family genealogy she wrote to get it right.

So, there were a bunch of kids and Grams was one of the younger ones. Her dad was off working somewhere else... like in another state or a different town because, well, that's where the work was.
Probably a coal mine or steel mill.

Anyway...and here is the fuzzy part....
the kids were farmed out to families in the area... relatives or not it seems...
because there were too many mouths to feed?

Apparently this was not an uncommon occurrence back in the day...

And then there was a flood.
And some of the little ones got washed away?
And then there was a fire.
And some of the little ones perished?

And somehow, someway, someone got Grams mixed up with one of her older sisters?

She grew up believing her birth year was 1920...
so she got married in 1937... when she was 17... right?

Wrong... evidently when she applied for a Social Security number...
as an adult...
Mom of 3...
because she needed one for a job...

She was informed that she was born on August 16, 1923...

And if you do the math correctly...
and Granpa REALLY was celebrating his 21st birthday the day they got married...
and Grams REALLY was born in 1923... instead of 1920...

Then they got married 7 days after she turned 14...
Yeah...
The reason, I was told when I questioned that no one knew she was 3 YEARS YOUNGER!!!,
is this...

She was always big for her age so she easily passed for one of the older kids who had drowned or perished in the fire or whatever...

although how anyone could have mistaken a 3 year old for a 6 year old...
I don't care how big for her age she was...seriously?

It seems that there is yet another twist to this story...
and again it is, we'll say, fuzzy...

She knew her name was Kathryn Nancy...
I mean you know your name, right?

But she was wrong!

Yep, her name was REALLY Nancy Kathryn...

you know, the one born 3 years later...

but they lost the family bible with the kid's names and birth dates in it...
I don't know, in the fire or the flood or ... whatever... so anyone could have been anyone at that point...

Is it any wonder that tracking down the family tree is so time consuming???
confusing?
convoluted?

And don't even get me started on the side of the family whose family tree is really a wreath!

I know, right?

Writer's Workshop - Meet My Good Friends...

2012-04-12T05:37:00.000-04:00

Welcome to another round of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop!

For those of you not familiar with the Writer's Workshop it is basically a way to get new and perhaps even thought provoking blogging topics out there. Bloggers are encouraged to write a post using one of the topics listed for that week and then link it to the posts other bloggers have made using the same list of topics. Not only does this help to get the proverbial creative juices flowing, but it helps the blogging community to get to know another as well...

So, on to this week's topics of choice... for me, at least!

5.) Name a celebrity you would like to be your "in real life" friend. What makes him or her a perfect match for you?

The crazy thing about this subject is that I really and truly was discussing this just the other day with BratChild and HeMan Hubby...

and not at the same time, but on 2 separate occasions within the same week..

So, this must really be the topic of which I must blog...

So just who is it that I would like to be my real life friend... celebrity-wise that is?

Well, I already know some real celebrities, but we're not close, at least not any more...

Ask any of my family members who my celeb friends would be and they will tell you straight away without having to take a breath ...

Paula Deen and Rachel Ray, of course!

Every time I see Paula on TV or in a store display I say,

"oh, look! It's my good friend Paula Deen!"

Because seriously, you all, if I lived in the Savannah area Paula and I would be friends...

There's just something about her sense of humor and sense of self...

that I admire and somehow make me feel like I could be myself around her and she would still be my friend...

But then, she is a charismatic woman who has made her fortune by making people feel good ...

albeit with food...

so good in fact that they readily shell out great sums of money for the privilege of eating food prepared by Paula Deen...

I would stop by her house and whip up a batch of cookies or a butter rum cake...

we would discuss the merits of champagne vs. sparkling wine in a Mimosa...

and whether or not there is such a thing as too much rum in / on a rum cake, really?

Now that is a lady that I think I could be great friends with.

Rachel Ray, if I lived in New York, would be my good friend.

I can see she and I sitting on a sofa, in jeans and a raggedy sweat shirt from a university neither of us actually attended, sans socks...

drinking some Yellowtail Merlot or Shiraz from the totally wrong kind of goblet...

while eating popcorn and raisinets...

watching Steel Magnolias or It's a Wonderful Life on an all-day marathon.

We would just hang out and talk about nothing...

and everything...

marriage...

work...

and recipes...

What kind of sauce with calamari?

Remoulade or marinara?

Tempura batter or panko breading on that calamari or catfish bites?

I think the reason that both of these lovely ladies appeals to me,

draws me in and makes me feel like they could be my Very Good Friend...

Is that they seem to be exactly what they portray themselves to be...

regular people with regular lives...

who are famous...

who just happen to have found a way to make a living doing something that they love...

just like me...

aside from the famous part...

and minus the making a living doing something that I love part...

Other than that...

My Very Good Friends, Paula Deen and Rachel Ray, and I have a lot in common...

Or at least I think we will...

if we ever actually lived near one another...

and had the chance to hang out together...

and actually had something in common...

Yeah...

THEN we would be the very best of friends!

All you can eat buffets... what a way to go

2012-04-01T00:10:00.000-04:00

So, since my gall bladder was removed...
In December...

I just can't eat much of anything with any sense of security.

So what do I do?

I go to the All You Can Eat seafood buffet.

Yeah, probably not the best idea I have ever had but...
One can only eat so much Progresso light chicken noodle soup and Chobani yogurt.

One would think that after the attempt to eat out last month...
the one where I did not make it home fast enough...

I would learn my lesson.

And, in a way, I guess I did.

Now I only eat at restaurants within 5 miles of my house.

So... I sit here wishing I could go to bed because I am exhausted...
But my tummy troubles won't let me.

The lesson I should have learned is probably to stick to chicken soup and yogurt and relish the weight loss that has resulted from this very strict diet...

But similar to the pains of childbirth...
the memory of the pain and inconvenience of tonight's dining experience...
and the resulting 5 hours of misery...
will soon fade into the recesses of my aging brain and be forgotten...

and I will once again attempt to eat real food...

Hopefully, it won't be for a very long time...
gotta run!

Common Courtesy... Not So Common

2012-03-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

HeMan Hubby and I went to a surprise party last night.
We had a nice time.
We were headed home by 9pm.

Imagine my surprise when we pulled into our drive and saw that the rose bushes I had planted along the property line had been cut down.

Not trimmed or pruned...
Cut to the ground!

By the neighbor who owns the property on the other side of the property line.
The State Police Officer who destroyed my personal property.
The rose bushes that I had gotten from my grandfather's garden before my grandmother died.
The ones that cannot be replaced.

I guess I should be glad that I did not plant the peonies there too or I would have nothing left from my grandparents garden...
The one I spent so much time in...
Watching my grandfather prune and pinch back and weed...

The flowers he took such pride in.

Whatever happened to common courtesy?
To asking if one can cut your grass or your bushes or move your trash cans...

HeMan Hubby does not see the issue...
oh, he feels that it was wrong of them to cut down our bushes without asking...
and he even suggested we extend the fence all the way to the street to make sure they don't do it again...
but to him they are just that, bushes...
while to me...
They are a last little bit of my childhood memories with my grandparents that I could touch and see and smell...

Common courtesy... apparently not so common after all.

Procrastination... It's Making Me Wait!

2012-02-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Why is it that when you have a million things you need to do ...
You spend your time doing all those little things that are just busy work?

Yep, that is what I have been doing all morning.
Little tasks that needed done, but not emergently or anything.

Instead of writing
or doing dishes
or laundry
or getting all the tax documentation together...

I updated my Google calendar.
I took care of some bills... did you know that auto payments scheduled for the 30th of the month reschedule themselves for the 29th if there is no 30th?

Now you do... You are Welcome!

I finally got the sweater I knitted steam blocked.
And then I worked on the pleated skirt I'm crocheting until I ran out of yarn...
Now I have to add running to the store for more yarn to my list of things to do... yay?

And I watched, and subsequently deleted, about half the junk I had DVR'd the last few weeks.
And then I went through the pile of junk mail...
and found the Emissions Notice for the truck that is due...last Friday?
oops!

Then I updated my status on FaceBook and tweeted some links for my other blog (Color Me Thin)
and checked the tweets from TeenBoy's AP History teacher to make sure I know what his homework really is...

And I listened to SmartGirl's lungs to ascertain whether she is actually, really and truly dying...
not to worry it seems to be a sinus thing, not a lung thing.

I took a shower and actually did my hair.
I cleaned out my makeup basket and made note of the Covergirl Outlast lipcolor numbers that I simply adore and seem to have run out of. They go under yarn on my new mental shopping list.

Placed my Melaleuca order ... almost out of the hair spray that keeps my hair from frizzing and the facial cleanser that gets rid of my wrinkles and fine lines...not to mention some nice moisturizing body wash... and all made to be environmentally friendly...

Yes, I have spent the morning doing busy work and now...

I'm ready for a nap.
Quick before BratChild and SIX get home from school and I have to take them to pick up a pair of LAX goggles for her and some socks for him.
And Outlast.
And yarn.

Or I could do the dishes or the laundry or...

Or I could just sit on the couch and look at TV...

Yeah... that sounds good.

Procrastination... the name of the game for today.

No Thank You Card Required... or how to turn your dad into an addict

2012-02-07T02:07:00.001-05:00

I have just discovered that Jenny...
THE BLOGGESS...
Author of ( what I am sure will be) an amazingly detailed accounting of her (almost) true life...
Writer of satirical comments for several online publications...
And a sex toy company...

Has her own column on CafeMom!

I know!
No one told me either.
It was a total, utterly shocking, and very nice, surprise.

For those of you who have never read Jenny's work...

And I can call her that because we are ( in my mind and if we actually lived next to each other we could be) friends...
( just like Me and Paula Deen and Rachel Ray!)
and because it's her name.

Anyway, you should totally read what she has to say because, well...
there may actually come a day when you are facing annihilation by Zombies and...
if you had read what Jenny had to say you would, maybe, sort of, have a chance at survival.

Or, if you were in a second hand shop and saw the most awesome stuffed groundhog on earth...
we'll call him Orville...
You would know the correct technique needed to haggle a good price for him from the shop owner (or how to get the owner to give Orville to you just to get you out of his shop- whichever).

I showed HeMan Hubby some of The Bloggesses posts and...
He is hooked on Jenny like an addict on Crack!

Come to think of it...
I think I heard them call it Jenny instead of Crack on Ellen just the other day...

And what does a good addict do?
Hmmm?
He puts the RSS feed on the desk of his FATHER's laptop so HE can become a Jenny addict too!

Yes, I have shared a little Jenny with my family ...
And I have created a monster... or an addict...
Or a Jenny fan.

Whichever...
You Are Welcome Jenny...
No Thank You card required.

Anti-Social Media...yeah

2012-02-05T14:44:00.002-05:00

Twitter.
Tweets.
Hashtags.
Mentions.
Pins.
Pinning.

Does anyone know what I am talking about?
Does anyone understand how these things are supposed to work?

Yes, I have a Twitter account.
Yes, I tweet.

Sometimes.

Not because I have nothing to say but because I don't know how to do it correctly.

When do you use a hashtag? And why?
And a mini-url? I know what it is but where does it come from?

I am not Twittering with Sophistication or Savvy and am fully expecting to be cut from Twitter any day now...
Bratchild says they will do that if you don't have any followers...
how about if you don't have anything for your followers to read?

And that Pinterest?
Okay... I have requested to be invited to join...
because I keep getting links to really cool things ...
like photos of idea rooms, recipes, art work and so much more...
pinned to their boards...
from online friends and bloggers for me to check out, find inspiration in and just enjoy.

The problem?

Yeah, Pinterest says I will be getting an invitation to join soon...
Apparently there is a waiting list there...
and I doubt that I will make the cut.

It's like that really cool club you used to just walk right into...
when you were 22 and looked hot and sexy in a mini-skirt and ankle boots ...
it was the 80's people...stay with me here...

but if you tried to walk in now?
That hottie at the door would have you at the curb and into a cab on your way to anywhere else before you could blink an eye!

At least that's how it feels.

I could be wrong.
I could get that Pinterest invite any second now...
And I could go to a club and walk right in and dance all night...

What?
If I'm gonna dream I may as well Dream Big!

It's a Wide, Wide, Wide... Web?

2012-02-03T14:37:00.001-05:00

There are tons of things available on the internet that just 10 years ago were unavailable to the public at large.

There was no Facebook.
There was no Twitter.
There was no Skype or YouTube or Xbox Live.

There was AOL and chat rooms.
There was online news forums.
There was email and online shopping and research sites.

With the innovations that have grown the world wide web into a truly WORLD WIDE WEB of information and accessibility it seems that the world in general has gotten smaller, more restricted and more impersonal.

Where GoodMom and SmartGirl and ManBoy used to spend hours on the phone getting dating advice, giving dating advice, sharing wardrobe secrets and the private thoughts and dreams of the American teen...
spent hours with friends doing their hair and makeup, playing ball in the street and just hanging out and having fun...

Where I once had to shout " Hang up now!" and " It's time to come home!"...

Everything is different.
Everything is changed.

TeenBoy and SIX and, yes, even BratChild communicate with friends online...
.
BratChild Skypes with friends from her soccer team...

SIX plays video games with the kid down the street...

TeenBoy hangs out with Anime enthusiasts...

And none of them leave the house!

All of these social activities...
the ones that used to require actually getting dressed and going outside...
That required one to have an understanding of at least a modicum of personal interacting skills...
like how to meet a person with a handshake or quick hug or air kiss or knuckle thump...
how close to stand to a person before it gets to be too close...
how to make eye contact and appear interested in what another person is saying...
how to actually be in the same room with a person without being rude or offensive or inappropriate...

All of these activities and interactions can be carried on from the comfort of your own home using your home computer or laptop or personal tablet.

Okay.... I will admit that when BratChild said she was talking to D on the Xbox Live while SIX was playing a game with him I thought it was nice that the kids were finding a way to hang out together with their friends...

And then... I found out that D was not the one that lives around the corner but D, a boy SIX found online who lives in Minnesota!

The conversation went something like this...
BratChild- It's pretty warm today. It's that cold? That's a lot of snow! What grade are you in? Do you go to school? I'm looking you up on FaceBook now...

WHAT?

Okay that is the side I heard so... it being 60 degrees out and having had no snow lately... I had to ask..
Me- Where did D get snow? You know what grade he's in, he's in your class!

Which led to...
Bratchild- Not D that you know, this is D. He's a boy my age and he lives in Minnesota. It's really cold there. And they get tons of snow.

And then...
Me- Do you even know where MINNESOTA is?

BratChild- I know it's far away... and cold?

And then... she looked up D on facebook and then looked up Minnesota on Google Earth and then checked out the average temps and snow accumulation and... Voila!

She actually learned something... and made a new friend in the process.
But I won't tell her she learned something... that might ruin the whole experience.

I still don't like that the things that used to be done face to face...
that life lessons and life skills needed to be able to succeed are being over looked and forgotten...

But perhaps this World Wide Web isn't all bad...
maybe it's power can be used for good, not evil...
and maybe, just maybe, the skills being learned are the skills that they will need to succeed in this new world where boundaries do not seem to exist and distances no longer seem to matter...

And as long as those personal interactions and skills are learned and developed...
I guess there are good things to come of all this technology...

Sometimes I just have to look real hard to find them

Motivate Me...

2012-01-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

I have fallen into a funk.

That place where my thoughts run rampant but my body just doesn't seem to have the energy to keep up...
That place where I find myself in the cold, dead of winter...
That place that makes me doubt my purpose in life...
and feel helpless and listless and drained.

I have been in this place more times in my life than I'd like to admit.
I always come out of it, but each time it feels like a piece of me is forever gone...
Unretrievable... although I am sure that is NOT a real word...
it is what I feel happens to me with each episode of this funk that I encounter.

I know that life is what you make of it...
I put on a happy face...
I do what needs to be done...
but my motivation to do more....
to be more....
seems to have left me.

I know that it will get better.
When the sun shines brighter...
and the earth warms in the spring....
my outlook on life will improve.

Until then, I will continue to do what I must...
to take care of those I love...
and who love me...

Because that is what a good wife...
a good mother...
a good daughter...
does...

I'm an Aunt... or is it Ant???

2012-01-18T12:12:00.001-05:00

Yes, I became an Aunt for the ... well, whatever time on Monday.

And NO, his name is not Martin or Luther or King...
although he may be treated like one, a King that is...

Which is wonderful and awful for several reasons.

First, it's wonderful because, well a new life has come into the world and has the most amazing parents...
Secondly. it's wonderful because it is a HE ... which is what the sonograms said it would be so ...

Kudos to modern medicine on getting it right...
because, let's face it, they don't always, you know?

And it's absolutely awful because... they live 1200 miles away from The Busy Family.
It's awful because we won't get to see him, and his adorable big sister and brother, until, well, who knows when!

I am thrilled about the new baby.
He came a little early, and a little late.

He was due around the beginning of February but... well he came in January... which makes him early...
and yet...
my birthday was the 11th and I so very much wanted a birthday twin ... they run rampant in our family...
so coming on the 16th makes him just a little bit late...
but then, he is a boy and you know how independent and strong-willed THEY can be!
Okay, girls, especially the ones in THIS family, can be that way too.

So, it's a little bit awful and a whole lot wonderful at the same time ...
The being an Aunt again... or is it Ant...
You know the English language can be so hard to figure out...
Is simply wonderful...

Well, I'm off to read, or is it reed, or perhaps it's reid... oh, never mind...
I think I'll just go write, or right, or maybe rite???

Oh forget it!
Think I'll just go watch some TV...

What I did for my Birthday... or not

2012-01-12T00:10:00.002-05:00

What I did for my Birthday... or not

It's 11:44pm on January 11th.
Technically, it's still my birthday for about 16 minutes.
I should be in bed now.
I have to get up early to take Bratchild to the orthodontist.
Tomorrow is THE BIG DAY...
her braces are finally coming off.

But, for now I am sitting here and reveling in the solitude of the last moments of My Special Day.
Or not.

Actually, I am waiting for my tummy to calm down so I can go to bed.
Why?, you may ask, am I having tummy troubles.

That's easy.
Because I wanted one thing, and only one thing, for my birthday.

Chinese Food.
That's right.
I wanted some crab rangoon and Kung Po chicken and won ton soup.
So, after some argument from BratChild about how no one in the family likes Chinese but me...
I mean, come one, it's my birthday so I should get to choose the food I want to eat...
and I didn't think I should have to cook dinner AND make my own cake...

I got her to pick something from the vast menu of Thai, Chinese, Sushi and Sashimi.
She picked sweet and sour chicken.
The boys wanted orange chicken and lo mein.
HeMan Hubby wanted General Tso's chicken...

Why is it when I make chicken they complain but when given the choice of any meat known to man ...
You got it, they all chose chicken!

Me?
I got my Kung Po chicken...
not because I actually wanted chicken, but because all seafood and red meat is off limits since having my gall bladder removed 3 weeks ago.
And that leads me right back to my tummy trouble.

Apparently eating half an egg roll ( SIX said it was too much to eat so he gave me some of his) is half an egg roll too much.
And eating a spoon full of Kung Po chicken and fried rice is just that much too much.
I never even attempted the crab rangoon or won ton soup...

or the Thai calamari...

or the spare ribs...

or the lo mein...

Chicken is the only meat I have been able to eat without regret...
that is, until tonight.

So, I sit here and wait for my stomach to stop complaining as I work on the skirt I am crocheting for this weekend.
And watch the time tick by to the closing minutes of yet another birthday.

Today I am 46 years old.

Today I became one of the millions of those across the world in their mid-40's.

Today, like a fine wine that mellows with time, I have become a little better...
a little more secure in who I am and content with the life I am living...

Even if it includes TeenBoy and BratChild and SIX...

Even if I will never be able to enjoy Chinese food, or popcorn or chocolate... oh heck, anything that is really yummy, ever again...

Because today I realized that it's not how old I am...

It's how young I feel, and today...

I feel pretty darn young...

Probably about 39...

Happy New Year... I'm only a few days late

2012-01-05T08:48:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know it is January 5th but...

I have been busy.
My laptop broke.
I haven't felt well.
I had surgery the week before Christmas.

Excuses, excuses, excuses...

Yes, these excuses are all true but...

Making time to write, or in this case, blog has not been on my list of priorities since early December.
And although I don't do Resolutions as such I have decided to set aside time each day to do the things that are important to me...
and the things that I have to do, like my freelance writing gig.

November was hectic, to put it mildly...
And December was even worse.

Add a father in law who had cancer surgery that did not go as smoothly as we had hoped.
The death of a friend and a quite unexpected gall bladder issue that landed me in the hospital and required surgery with 10 days notice...

Today seems to be a good day, even though TeenBoy and Bratchild over slept, as did we all, and missed the bus.
And SIX is home from school with what appears to be the beginning of the dreaded FLU.

I feel pretty good.
My stomach is not acting up ... no I haven't eaten yet, but then I can't really eat much since the removal of the offending organ formerly known as My GallBladder.

Good news is that I have lost about 7.5 pounds since surgery and am trying to make that number even bigger as the days of my recovery continue.

Still not allowed to exercise, other than walking...
and even if I tried I would be so exhausted after a short time that I would need a nap.

Such is the recovery from major abdominal surgery in your 40's...
Really sucks but what can I do...

My birthday is next week and my goal is to be able to get through next week performing my normal activities...
running kids here and there...
managing youth group activities...
getting some much needed house work done.

See, I don't want much....
I just want to feel like myself again...

Only better...
Thinner...
More healthy...
and Pain free...

Oh, and while I'm at it I might as well win the Lottery too!

Moral Outrage

2011-12-05T05:08:00.002-05:00

I am a nice person.
Perhaps too nice.

I am not a gossip-monger.
Nor do I spread rumors or tell tales.

I do keep in touch with people from the past for various reasons.
When asked how So and So is doing by WhomEver I pass along public knowledge types of information.

Things like...
She got married to That Guy and has 2.2 beautifully behaved children and lives in a house on a hill in the middle of NoWhereVille, GA.
You know, the kind of stuff that you can find if you were to Google someone.

I am nice, but not stupid...
or so I thought.
Until today.
When I opened an email and was floored...

Someone contacted me under false pretenses.
Someone would like me to tell tales, pass along misinformation, rumors and innuendo...?
provide names of others who would do the same?

Well....
I know nothing.
I will continue to know nothing.
and that is the truth... the whole truth...
and nothing is to be gained by trying to make the truth anything but what it is.

Writer's Workshop... 5 Things

2011-12-01T05:42:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am at it again... or at least trying to be.
Here is this week's offering to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

Of the 5 topic choices I picked this one because... well because it was the only one that seemed to apply. Enjoy!

2) Five Things.
List 5 things we don't know about you,5 things you're knowledgeable about, 5 things you know nothing about, and 5 things you believe. (inspired by LouLou’s Views)

5 things we don't know about you:
1- I hate asparagus
2- I get tired of being nice all the time
3- I am lonely most of the time
4- I never went to college even though I got a scholarship
5- I never planned to have any kids... funny how that one worked out, huh?

5 things you're knowledgeable about:
1- Kids
2- birds
3- health care and medicine
4- fundraising
5- crafting and decorating

5 things you know nothing about:
1- computer programming
2- computer networking
3- HeMan Hubby's computer networking engineering administrating job
4- being in jail
5- jet engines

5 things you believe:
1- I believe that what goes around comes around so you better watch out
2- I believe that what you do is more important than what you say
3- I believe that no one should ever go hungry or be homeless in the US...
4- I believe that more people need to recycle
5- I believe that raising your children to be good, honest, productive adults is the only job that really counts...

So, now you know all my deepest, darkest secrets...
Okay, not really....

Positive Day... Not a real holiday but it should be!

2011-11-07T00:30:00.004-05:00

Today is a typical cold and rainy Fall day.
It is also a Positive day.
What is a Positive day you may be asking.
Well, it is a day that I decide to look at the Positive's in my life and choose to ignore the negatives.

Look at the weather. Instead of looking at the rain as YUCK, I will look at it and see it as the life giving necessity that it is... I still wish it wasn't cold, but...

The leaves have turned, creating a brilliant display of red and gold and burgundy outside my windows that fills me with a sense of sadness while at the same time comforts me and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Fall is my favorite season.
I love Sweater Weather... or perhaps I should call it Sweatshirt Weather.

The crisp, clean scent of soil and leaves with just a hint of wood smoke...
The sound of leaves crunching underfoot as I stroll through the yard...
The sight of brightly colored leaves dancing on the wind as they fall to the ground...

Yes!
Today is a Positive Day...

It may not be a national holiday like, say, National Chocolate Day or National Secretary's Day ...
or is Administrative Assistant....

No, today is just a day, like so many others that go unnoticed but should be....
A day that reminds me that life is full of promise and new beginnings...

Yes...
Today is a Positive Day...

The World As I See It... feel it too

2011-11-01T09:50:00.001-04:00

I have been decidedly lax in my blog posts of late.
Okay, I have been lax for the better part of the summer season.

That, however, was not my intention.
I had intended to write at least 3 days a week, but...

You know how life has a tendency to get in the way.

I resolved to start blogging with more regularity once the kid's soccer and football season, and the ensuing mad rush to be here, get there, do everything at once, had subsided.

Much to my chagrin I realized this was not going as I had planned when I tried to sync my Google calendar with my Blackberry calendar and got an error message that in effect told me that I could not be in 4 places at the same time... every single day of the week.

I figured out a way to over ride this little computer glitch...
Obviously the computer programmer who designed this wonderful syncing tool has never had the pleasure of trying to manage a household that is comprised of teens who are active in sports and youth groups; does not take an active role in community activities and act as an adviser and committee chairperson for these organizations; nor does this computer person try to balance all of this with bill paying schedules, work schedules- for both themselves or their spouse, while trying to keep up with all of the necessary things in life...
like grocery shopping, clothes shopping and being at every HS football game to video tape it for the coach.

And so my life has gone...
until...

Last week I felt awful.
For days I could barely move from my big, comfy couch...

And then, just when I thought I had shaken this, whatever it is...

My back has decided to act up.
I have no memory of pulling it or doing anything out of the ordinary, however...

It is letting me know that my life is too hectic, the pace that I keep far too fast and stressful...

My back is letting me know that the over-booked life that I lead is just too, too much.

Just finding the energy to cook dinner, fold laundry- forget carrying it to the laundry room- or sit long enough to write a blog post is not only difficult, but these seemingly simple tasks are excruciatingly painful and exhausting.

And so...

As I see it, the world is my domain...
and my world, for now, consists of my sofa and my bed and my blessedly soothing jacuzzi tub...

For now, that is enough....

October is Lupus Awareness Month... Did You Know??

2011-10-18T13:09:00.000-04:00

This is a re-post of a post I wrote not long after getting the diagnosis of Lupus with Fibromyalgia ... since the original post I have also been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and neuropathy of the hands and feet and a mild seizure disorder - Lupus related- that has since resolved but leaves me constantly on the look out for a recurrence of this problem. If you know someone with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, RA , MS or any of the ever increasing auto immune illnesses and syndromes please take the time to let them know you care, give them a hand, lend a listening ear... You have the power to make a difference in someone's life... Use it!

LIVING with LUPUS

DID YOU KNOW?

MORE PEOPLE HAVE LUPUS

THAN AIDS, SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA, CEREBRAL PALSY,

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, AND CYSTIC FIBROSIS

COMBINED!

Source: Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., Lupus Fact SheetProvided by the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.

This Means SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS LUPUS!

Some of you know that I was diagnosed with Lupus just over a year ago. Of course the disease was around long before that , and I like many others, went through a series of frustratingly disappointing tests and dialogs with Doctors over many years along the way to accurate diagnosis.
I try not to talk about my illness with people in general... only those who have it, or an equally debilitating problem, that can relate to how I feel and what I go through daily trying to Live with Lupus.
But I decided to change my focus and see where it leads me... thus far I think it is leading me in a positive direction that I think will help me to help others.

What is Lupus?

Well, that is a loaded question so I will give the easy to understand version, but you must bear in mind that it is much bigger and more vastly affecting than I can even begin to describe here on my simple blog pages.

Lupus is an AutoImmune illness.
Simply put it means that my immune system is attacking and destroying the cells of my body like they would a germ or bacteria that cause the flu or a cold. For whatever reason, my immune system has become the Super Hero-SUPER IMMUNE SYSTEM ! It takes on all cells- friend and foe alike- without discrimination. Ok, anti-discrimination is great when you are talking about equal housing opportunities, job candidates, college scholarships... but when we are talking about the building blocks of every being, it is not such a good thing to have a Super Hero on your side!
SUPER IMMUNE SYSTEM causes inflammation and swelling in the soft tissues and connective tissues within the body; like the heart, lungs, kidneys and liver. It cause joint pain and swelling, which lead to arthritic-like pain and often the inability to sit , stand or walk for significant periods of time. It causes pain for no apparent reason that is random and unpredictable, that comes and goes without any warning, and can leave a person writhing in pain and exhausted beyond belief.
Our Super Hero can also attack the Central Nervous System ( CNS) by causing swelling and cellular changes in the brain. These symptoms may come and go without rhyme or reason with increasing severity along the way. Forgetfulness, confusion, severe headaches, vision disturbances, loss of coordination and notable difficulty making your body do what you ask it to do, like lift a leg to go up a step, become more frequent as time goes by.
Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, insomnia... these are all familiar symptoms known to those of us LIVING with LUPUS and our friends and families.

The Bad News is ...
There is NO CURE for this illness or those related to it like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Scleraderma and the many, many more that I cannot possibly list here.

The GOOD NEWS is...
Research is being done to develop new medications and treatment programs to make increasing the QUALITY OF LIFE for those LIVING with LUPUS an attainable and long term goal.

How can I make Others Aware of LUPUS?
This is the question I asked myself.

What can I DO to MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
The Answers I gave myself are these...

Tell SOMEONE about LUPUS and Show Support for Lupus Research...

DID YOU KNOW?

World Lupus Day - May 10World Lupus Day provides both a day and a forum for various findings to be shared with the global lupus community. In addition, observing World Lupus Day offers lupus patients the comfort of knowing their condition is recognized and being addressed on a global level.

OCTOBER is LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH
It doesn't have to be October to help spread the word about lupus.If you want to know more about lupus, contact The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.

Follow Your Bliss... Say WHAT?

2011-10-14T13:38:00.000-04:00

Imagine this...

A refrigerator magnet. About the size of a business card. On a refrigerator. Go Figure.

On this magnet is a cartoonish drawing of a lady who is obviously pregnant walking... er, waddling, along.

Under the figure of the pregnant lady are the words:

Follow Your Bliss

I liked it. Actually, I really liked it. The image of a woman living her life and happy as she is about to embark upon the adventure that is Motherhood.

However, it got me thinking.

What does Follow Your Bliss actually mean?

Okay...

Follow your dream... that I get.

Follow your heart... I get that.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road... I can even understand the sentiment behind that...

But Follow Your Bliss?

Say WHAT?

The dictionary definition of Bliss is:

Perfect happiness; great joy; utter contentment; the joy of Heaven; a state of ecstasy

Alrighty then!

That clears it up.... Not At All!

I think this is one of those things that is situationally interpretive...

I mean that it means something different to everyone who reads it and it's meaning changes as the circumstances of that person change.

For me... Follow Your Bliss means...

Take the path that leads to my own personal happiness and contentment with my life and the choices I have made.

Would the picture be that of a pregnant woman happily strolling along?

Probably not, at least not at this point in my life.

However, about 15 years ago... yes, yes it would.

Back then I had been told I would not be able to have any more children.

Back then I wanted to have one with HeMan Hubby... I wanted to create a life with him, a family with him and I believed that I would not be able to give him one of the things that he wanted most in the world... a child.

Of course, miracles do happen and we were able to have not one, but 3 children... and the doctors have no idea how or why I was able to carry those children to term.

Six years ago the image would have been one of a healthy, fit and trim woman walking along, holding the hands of her children... my health was deteriorating, I was over weight, constantly tired from either just getting off work or getting ready to go to work or taking care of a baby or running one of the older kids here or there; I was ill and in constant and often agonizing pain...

Then I had a hysterectomy, and 3 different types of cancerous lesions and cells were found and removed, and my body began to heal, the pain to abate and become something that although not gone is at the very least, bearable.

Now? The image that would accompany that statement would be that of a woman who is strong in her sense of self, happy and secure in her place in the world, this woman would look a lot like Katherine Hepburn and give off her aura of self- confidence...

Follow Your Bliss... for me it means finding a way to be the person I want to be, not the one I think I should be, a way of balancing the woman I am on the inside with the woman that I am perceived to be on the outside...

I started blogging as a way to give voice to my feelings and thoughts and fears and dreams on my journey to finding out who I am and what my purpose in life truly is... I'm working on it and I think that I need to

Follow MY Bliss...

And perhaps, just maybe, so do YOU!

Worrisome Worrier Am I

2011-10-12T13:00:00.007-04:00

Many of you, at least I am assuming there are many of you reading this, know that I am a busy Mom of 6 children.
You also know by now that not all of my children still live at home.

There is GoodMom who has entered her 30's, has a husband, a mortgage and two adorable children, FancyPants and BabyG.

Then there is SmartGirl, not quite in her 30's and only recently employed in a field related to her college degree and more recently moved into her very own apartment.

Finally, there is ManBoy, who went to college, for a while, now works at two jobs and was the most recent, like within the last month, to move out and into the life of an adult-like person. Thank goodness for his room mates or he would not have been able to move out at all!

That leaves me, BusyMom, and HeMan Hubby, the most wonderful man on earth, home with 3 teenage children who think that they know absolutely everything about absolutely everything.

TeenBoy is 15, BratChild is 14 and SIX is 13.

I worry about our financial stability. Our ability to meet the needs of the children, beginning with TeenBoy in a very short 3 years, and followed rapidly by BratChild and then SIX as they graduate from high school and begin their pursuit of higher education.

How the heck am I going to put 3 more kids through college?

Add to this constant concern is the very wonderful, yet awful event that has made me feel even more guilty and inadequate where the kid's futures are concerned.

A local private school approached us about SIX. They want him to play football for them. They want him to take the entrance exam. Money? We can work that out...I spoke to several parent's of children currently attending, some were strangers but surprisingly some were not. I know them and know that they, like us, do not have the resources to afford 13k a year in tuition for high school. Do not worry they all said. The money will appear, it is amazing how it works out.

Yes, this is amazing. If my child scores well on the tests and the coach really wants him to play the school will find the money for him to go... and yet...

What about TeenBoy? What about BratChild?

I cannot afford 1 year for 1 child let alone any years for 3 children. But how can I send SIX and not send the other 2? Can I give 1 child the opportunity to go to a school whose graduates historically are accepted, and recieve amazing scholarships to, NYU and Stanford and UNC and Harvard and Yale...

While their current school, the public school, has graduates that are attending the local community college, Morgan State College and Mt. St. Mary's University and Frostburg and ITT Technical College...

Is it fair to offer advantages to the one child and not the others?

I know life is not fair, but a parent should be.
We should love our children equally.
We should provide the same opportunities and experiences to all of our children equally.
We should never let our children feel that one is better than another, or give them a reason to think it, even if it is not true.

I know some will say I am being overly concerned about this. And yes, I know that I am. But with good reason.
My older brother went to private school because my parents felt the public school was unsafe. He then went on to the college affiliated with the prep school he attended.
WE, my brothers and sisters, we went to the public school, the one my parents felt was unsafe, or not good enough, whatever, for our oldest sibling, but was apparently just fine for us.
We did not go to college, there was no discussion about any higher education in our home, no plans made for scholarships or college brochures ordered or visits scheduled.
We got the most from our public school educations and planned for our futures while in high school.
Me, I went to nursing school while in high school.
My sister? She did work study with a government agency and went there to work full time upon graduation. My brother? He followed in her footsteps and worked right out of school for several years until he found a way to be able to afford to go off to college and earn a degree.

My guilt is enormous. I helped the older 3 when and how I could.- college tuition, help with rent, money for groceries, or the actual groceries from my pantry when they needed it.

I am not where I thought I would be at this point in my life. The economy has made all of our plans null and void. All of the things we thought we would be able to do for, to provide our children are no longer possible.

But I can provide equal attention and love. I can make sure they have the best opportunities available within our means. I can make sure that they are all treated the same and never feel that one is better or worth more than the others...

So, my decision kills me inside, but it is the only one I can make and live with.
SIX will go to public school with TeenBoy and BratChild. He will play football with TeenBoy. He will be in Geometry with BratChild. All of them will travel in the same circle of friends and have similar high school experiences.
We may have to move, to downsize to be able to afford college for them and I am fully prepared to give up our home and sacrifice what we worked so hard to hold on to...

For my children I will do what I need to do...

Because that, after all, is my job as a parent...
To give them all the best that I can in every way that I possibly can

My Song... A Writer's Workshop Endeavor

2011-10-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

Every week Mama Kat sends out 5 writing prompts. The idea is that bloggers can choose one of the prompts to write about and then link it to the Writer's Workshop on Mama Kat's site.
This week I am not crazy about any of the prompts but I'm going with #2:
---Tell us about your song---

The only problem with this is...
I don't really have A song.
Sure, I have songs that I really like.
Songs that I sing along with on the radio.
Songs that make me cringe or smile or wonder what the heck the censors were doing the day that one was released.
But a song that I consider My Song... Nope, nada, can't think of anything.

Unless you count the songs that have meant something to me at various times throughout my life.

Queen's We Will Rock You / We are the Champions...
that was my football team's song back when I was in grade school and a cheerleader for the community football league... the team that won the county championship every single year for 6 years running.

Then there was Slow Dancin' by Johnny Rivers

That is the song that I had my very first kiss to... I was 12 and he took my face in his hands and slowly leaned in and gave me a lingering, heart felt kiss... it was Labor Day weekend and the summer of swimming and holding hands while we took long walks in the woods by the river was at an end...

Then there was Sweet's Love is like Oxygen and The Bee Gee's Too Much Heaven...

Or any BeeGees song for that matter.
My first True Love and I loved the BeeGees. We would sit in his room and we would put on a 45 and drop the needle randomly on the record then would guess the song... in as few notes as possible. The BeeGees, Queen, Alabama, Lee Greenwood, Styx, Air Supply... I know, it was the 70's and let's face it, music was going through some serious transitioning back then. These songs take me back to when things between us were really good and we were really in love and planned to spend the rest of our lives together... before we grew up and got married and had kids and it all went so very wrong...

The 1980's were my high school years. My trying to find myself years and the music that was being put out there was perfect for me... Soft Cell and Adam Ant ...
And Blondie and Madonna and Pat Benetar and Joan Jett and Loverboy...

Disco and Pop and the beginning of Rap and Techno all being played on the same radio stations... it was totally awesome!

Blasphempous Rumors by Depeche Mode and Corey Hart's Never Surrender....

they are the songs that take me to that day in July when my brother was killed in a car accident. Corey Hart's song came in the radio for the first time as I was driving home from identifying his car and personal effects... and it said everything about my brother that was worth remembering...

Bryan Adams and Garth Brooks and Faith Hill and Green Day and Fire House brought me into the 90's and into a new marriage and more kids and more stress and strife and... the chance to be myself for the first time since I was... well in a very long time. I could wear what I wanted, color or cut my hair, have my own friends... and always have the support of my husband in everything I wanted to do.

Butterfly Kisses... that is the song that is my husband and my youngest daughter's song... the song that I heard for the first time when I was driving home from the hospital to take a shower, get fresh clothes... she was 6 days old and had been in a coma for 3 days and the doctor said she may not make it... that her daddy might never get to play soccer in the yard with her, see her off on her first date, walk her down the aisle...
But miracles do happen and she pulled through and she has grown into the beautiful, spoiled, intelligent and caring BratChild...

Linkin Park, Killers, Good Charlotte, Bruno Mars, PINK, Katy Perry... I love them all but I think that the song that best describes me, the me the way I see me?
Well then it would have to be..a song that is a little off, a little strange but in a good way... it would have to be Mr.Big's Green Tinted Sixties Mind...

The Life and Times of.... BusyMom!

2011-10-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

BusyMom here...

Yeah, I know it's always me and I'm always Here.

But sometimes, okay, a lot of times...

I wish I could be somewhere else.

Like...
When I come in from a long night at work to find TeenBoy asleep in the dark on the sofa instead of on the school bus I just passed coming up our street.

When I come down in the morning only to find half-eaten bowls of cereal and cups of hot chocolate on the computer desk and breakfast room table, milk and cereal splashed everywhere, covered in ants who believe they have found The Promised Land and quickly sent out word to family and friends... all one million of them!

When I get in my van and am hit with the noxious fumes from the dirty cleats and sweaty t-shirts and shorts and Under Armor soccer and football gear someone, Not Me most likely, has shoved under the back seat.

When I walk into the living room only to discover I am standing in yet another puddle left by StupidDog for me to find... usually the day after I steam cleaned the carpet, of course.

When I look at my day planner and calendar and try to sync them only to realize the computer program just won't let me be in 4 places at the same time... Silly computer! Doesn't it understand that I am BusyMom- a Super Hero in my own eyes?

I have been known to think derogatory thoughts about women who walk away from their children, their maternal obligations, to live lives unencumbered.
And yet...
Sometimes...
Just Sometimes....

I think that maybe I can understand the need to just be somewhere else...

And then the kids come home from school...

And SIX gives me a hug and a smile and that daggone dimple in his chin and the twinkle in his baby blues just gets to me...

BratChild hands me an order form for her soccer uniform sweats and I am so proud of her starting position on the High School soccer team I could cry...

ManChild drops by to spend a few hours before going to work... something we don't get to do now that he has moved out and is making his own way in the world like a real ADULT...

When GoodMom calls just to tell me BabyG smiled or FancyPants is finally interested in potty training...

When SmartGirl has a day off and goes to TeenBoy's football game with me and I see her cheering for him and the pride that shines through for her not so little brother...

The same pride and love that all of my children show for one another... on occasion and not usually in public

I cannot imagine being anywhere else, living any other life, having any other family...

So...
BusyMom here...

And Here is where I'll stay.

I Will Survive... October's Theme Song

2011-10-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

In the words of Gloria Gaynor-

You think I'd crumble? You think I'd lay down and die?

OH NO! NOT I!

I WILL SURVIVE!

These words, this song has inspired millions of women...
and men...

To overcome incredible odds...
To fight the un-winnable fight...
To Dream the Impossible Dream...

Choose to Support Cancer Research TODAY!!!!

Music is a strong motivator.

Music is a strong sensory memory trigger.

Just hearing the 3 opening notes to Queen's Another One Bites the Dust

transports me instantly to my childhood

to the county football field

to a sunny Fall day

to yet another win for the team I cheered for

and the team I played street football with

and the tackle that really messed up my knee

that I didn't tell anyone about because...

well, I was a girl in a cheerleaders costume playing tackle football with the football team...

I Will Survive...

just those 3 words...

inspire
uplift
give hope
give strength

So...

For all of my friends who are searching for...

In need of...
Praying for...
The strength to carry on....

This is me...
sending a little bit of mine...
To You...

I HEART BOOBIES.... available @ Keep a Breast Foundation

and Zumiez

Writer's Workshop... Where I am From

2011-09-22T04:09:00.000-04:00

Well Hello.

It's been a while.

I. Know.

To get back in the proverbial saddle I am doing a post using a writing prompt from the ever popular and always insanely witty Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

This is the template ( fill in the blanks style) from the SITS Girls- masterminds behind Bloggy Bootcamp- the one I did not get to go to...
So Here Goes! (pssst- it's a lot harder than it looks!)

I am from metal clamp on roller skates that never fit the way they should, from Hostess HoHo's and Wonder Bread, tins of Charles potato chips and Coca-Cola Dad traded for Twinkies with the Coke man around the corner.

I am from the middle of the road, one-story oozing Patriotism, of Soap Operas and the voices of Beau and Hope and the songs of Sonny and Cher, the comedy of Laugh-In, where windows stay shut and curtains are never opened.

I am from the New Dawn roses in the front garden, from the lilies and crab apple tree that bloom out back in the Spring, from the land of weekend lawn mowers and running through sprinklers and climbing trees with the boys next door.

I am from Summer visits with Grams and Grand Dad, month long family vacations and standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, from Black Irish and blue eyes, from Raymond and Irma and Toy and Kate.

I am from quick tempers and long memories, from too many brothers and not enough sisters, from being the middle child in a family without one.

From Good, Better, Best... and Do Unto Others... and what will the neighbors think...

I am from perfect attendance in Sunday school and questioning the Old Testament and Adam and Eve and people who see you on Sunday but see through you on Monday. Finding a way to find my way again.

I’m from the East Coast by way of Pennsylvania and Ohio and Poland and Germany and Ireland, sauerkraut and pierogis and golabki and Whoopie Pie.

From the one-legged turtle that terrorized Grandpa and the school where he worked, the way he could tell the story that had you convinced it was coming for you too, and Uncle Joe shooing the rabbits out of the tomatoes like Farmer Brown with the Flopsy Bunnies and the soporific properties of lettuce.

I am from vinyl photo albums with plastic sleeves instead of pages, family portraits and graduation pictures hung over the fireplace, family trees and genealogies written and published by Mom and favorite recipes meticulously compiled for each child, grandchild and our foreign exchange sister complete with family stories and pictures of ancestors long gone but not forgotten. From keeping those who have gone ahead in our hearts and in our lives through our children and their children and the generations to come.

I am from a past that is present and traditions that I make up as I go along, to parents who did the best they could in a world where change happened in the blink of an eye, where children grew up too fast and childhood was left behind far too soon.

I am from places and people that I will never know but who I am sure have always known me.

It's Great to Be...

2011-07-19T04:38:00.000-04:00

Today was a busy day.

And tomorrow?

It promises to be even busier than today.

Why?

Why do I do this summer after summer, football and soccer season after football and soccer season?

Oh, you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?

Then I envy you.

No, I ENVY you...

You must be one of those lucky families whose kids don't play sports or join clubs or have friends who all seem to live across town...

I SO want to be that family...

I think...

Or not...

Never mind...

You can keep your life...

and I'll keep mine...

Shhhh...

Don't tell the kids but I think I would go mad with the inactivity of those other families lives so...

Back to being BusyMom to TheBusyFamily...

Ahhh... It's GREAT to be back!