Thursday, June 30, 2011

Parenting Pet Peeve

Kids are people too. Even when they're really little people. Some are shy. Some have language barriers. Some are goofy and flip. But they're all people!



I always tried very hard to resist the temptation to answer for my kids (or on their behalf) while they were standing right there! Even if another adult asked them a question and they just stared blankly. Or mumbled. Jumping in and "talking for them" never helped anyone learn how to speak up or speak for themselves. I always imagined that chiming in, correcting (or embellishing) their stories or cleaning up the grammer or style of their speech....in front of others!!....MUST communicate to them that I don't consider them capable of expressing themselves. OR, that somehow I'm using them to impress others. Parenting, is, after all....NOT about us (the parents and how well we are or aren't doing our jobs) but it's about the kids. And they're people too! And will speak for themselves when given the chance.

I also stopped telling pee, poo, food, sleeping, sickness, behavior, and embarrassing narratives about my kids while they were anywhere within hearing distance at a very young age. Way under one year. THEY KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THEM!! And they're people too! I tried to ask myself...would I want someone to be telling everyone in the room "this" about me? If not...it was time to button up. With silly, fun, happy stories...or tales of accomplishments...I tried to remember to ask them if it was ok to share the story before I did.
We all need parent support - friends with whom we can share our parenting challenges. But let's talk when our kids aren't around to hear us discussing them (goes for moms and dads too!!) I'm sure I failed to stick to this ideal at times...but this was a goal I had...and listening to parents talk for or about their kids right in front of them...well, that's truly a pet peeve of mine!

"Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say 'Listen to me'
Children will listen"

Stephen Sondheim

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Not Feelin' It


It's a perfect summer evening.
Late setting sun.
Warm breeze, no humidity.
I'm just not feelin' it.

I want to be woven into its spell.
Taken over by summer's magic.
But I'm not feelin' it.

I don't like being taken over by
melancholy.
I don't mind being sad, if there's a reason.
But formless, rootless
melancholy...
wish I could say
I'm not feelin' it.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Friend who Matters!


"Be who you are and say what you feel because
those who mind don't matter and
those who matter don't mind."
Dr. Seuss

today's the birthday of a friend that matters. she's helped me to be who i am and say what i feel. and helped me to learn that those who mind really don't matter.
today, as most days, i wish she wasn't quite so far away.
i hope she knows how much she's loved...

Saturday, June 25, 2011

A Must Read...

....or Listen!
0 miles ~ leaving home
386 miles ~ dad's house


































On last week's solo road trip I listened to a book! I had never done this before, but I loved it. Not only did it make the trip go by more quickly, but I got to enjoy a wonderful book. I listened to Rob Lowe read his own autobiography. For anyone of our generation, it's a must read. He had me laughing ... yes, out loud, alone in my car. And crying. The stories he tells are fascinating. The humility and honesty with which he tells them...very moving. I guess I think it's a great read for anyone ~ but a must read for our generation, because you'll remember where you were when the astronauts walked on the moon as he's telling the story about being woken up out of a deep sleep to watch with his mom. And you'll have many other memories stirred as well. It was a great journey ~ reliving things as he tells stories, marvelling at the hollywood royalty that color his story, and learning from him and with him as he analyzes his story. I'll say it again - a must read!

781 miles ~ home!

Friday, June 24, 2011

With You


If I could fly away tomorrow,
I'd fly far away with you.
The boss would get a postcard;
the kids would get one too.

I would not be counting pennies,
if this postcard dream came true.
The pressures would be left behind,
washed away by seas of blue.

Sigh....

Tomorrow I will pack my lunch,
juggle cars, and just make do.
No "if" to make me smile.
But, smile I will. Cause I'm

With you.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Reflection



Looking for myself
in the lily pond.
What do I see?
What does the lens capture?

A shadow,
a few whisps of hair,
the one
behind the camera.

The heavens loom large.
I am not much
against the marbled sky,
across the span of time.
Yet I am all.
All that I have, all that I can become.

Reflected in the pond,
Reflections in my mind.
Always chasing understanding.
In the shadows of now,
Looking to the light of tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Saturday Stroll


Several weeks ago I discovered a new blog that I really enjoy.
While wandering through old posts, I came across
on Debbie's blog It's All About Purple!!
She and her husband had been to Longwood Gardens,
and reading about their day gave me the idea to
invite my Dad and Liz to head there for the day while I was home.

It was a lovely, lovely day!
Nothing but wandering, talking and "ooohhing" and "aahhhhing"
over acres and acres of plants and flowers.
There's history, tree houses, waterfalls, fountains
and more flowers and colors that you can imagine!
I especially loved the lily ponds.
Enjoyed the variety of the flowers and the way the sky
and buildings
were reflected in the ponds.

Any excuse to take a couple hundred photos makes me happy, right!?!


Sunday, June 19, 2011

Treasure



 "His heritage to his children wasn't words or possessions,
but an unspoken treasure,
the treasure of his example as a man and a father." 
Will Rogers, Jr.

Breakfast with my Father.
Dinner with the kids...and their daddy.
Raised by a man who loves me
without hesitation or condition.
Raised my children with a man who loves our children
without hesitation or condition.
A day to celebrate these treasured men ~
and count all our blessings.























Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sneak Peak!

I don't usually do this...(actually, I've never done this on my blog!)...but when I opened the box that came from Creative Memories on Wednesday with the new July scrapbooking products in it...well, I got excited! Among the great new products was some super fun stuff to help us with sports scrapbooking.

A New Album Cover

New Paper and Stickers

And, my favorite part ~ new cutting and tracing templates that will help us create our own embellishments!

First, with the cutting template, we can cut out the shape of a ball.




















Then, using the tracing template, we can turn the plain circle 
into a soccer ball, or a base ball!





















The Possibilities are Endless!
There's a pennant, bat, base, two balls, hockey stick,
racket, football helmet and a football
With all sorts of patterns to trace to add finishing
touches to your pre-cut shape or page!
Can't wait to start creating layouts with these new
embellishments and tools!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Different Kind of Day


Today's a different kind of Friday.
I woke up in my childhood
home, eager for a walk down
memory lane. Dad will read his
paper. And our lazy morning will
turn into a day of quiet
conversation. The gift of time together.

On my different kind of Saturday,
we'll visit a famous local garden.
I'll play tourist as I search
my memory for remnants of visits
made in days long gone...thrilled
to make new memories, both grateful
for this gift of time together.

We'll begin our day on Sunday
just us two. He'll read his
paper and I'll sip my coffee.
Father. Daughter. Sunday is his day,
after all. And this year I'm
here, together with him. Making this
a different kind of Father's Day.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Out With My Girl!

I've tried to do this almost every Thursday because 'Mama Kat' sends us some writing prompts and that gives me ideas that I probably would never come up with on my own. There are also about 150 bloggers who usually join in with this link-up, and I enjoy discovering new blogs and seeing what other people do with her topic ideas.

One of her prompts this week was to talk about a recent 'Girls Night Out'. The first thing that came to my mind was a recent night out down town with my daughter.

It's pretty much a lifetime dream come true to have a daughter that's grown into a friend. And it's been a special blessing to have her living at home with us for about a year before she gets married. So she and I get some easy going nights in ~ like last night...no guys around, just us...chick flick, sharing scandalous celebrity gossip, laughing until we cried (mostly bird drama jokes), and just being together. Love the comfort from this kind of friendship ... talk when you have something to say, no worries about silence ... work on projects together, or share space while doing our own thing. Last week I shared about our Savannah road trip ~ guess whatever we do, we have a good time doing it!

Back to our night on the town! We had been given two tickets to the Broadway touring show Mary Poppins!! So we parked and walked around in the freezing wind until we found a funky Mexican Cantina for dinner. Our margarita's warmed us up, and the food was yummy. We headed quickly to the theatre, taking cheesy pictures of ourselves all along the way. The show was magical. I know we were both singing along in our heads...and loving every minute of it!


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Bird in the House!!!



My bird story is NOT about these birds. These are the beautiful hummingbirds that visit my mother in law's feeders in the summer. I "share" the porch with them when I visit ~ they come and feed if we are relatively still and quiet. And the sky is large and they are free to fly ~ to come and go as they feel safe.

Yesterday, as I was grabbing my purse to leave for work, a bird flew down my stairs, in front of my face (you know, close enough that I could "feel it" fly by!) and into the living room. I shrieked. Turned to run out of the room and promptly fell into my kitchen (ouch.) Got up....well, not all the way up. I was kinda ducking for cover. Cause that would make a difference! I took a second, trying to think "what should I do?" and then I heard the flapping...so I grabbed my phone and left quickly through the kitchen door. I walked around to the back of the house and opened the sliding glass door, thinking this would be a large, obvious route of escape. At first, I cowered in the corner of the deck...not wanting to get in it's way if it wanted to exit. Heard a thud. It had flown into the wrong half of the sliding glass door. Shrieked again.

I worked up the {ahem} courage to cross in front of the open door, and proceeded to make some phone calls. Husband out of town. Both kids at work. Should have been on my way to work, but there was no way I was leaving until I SAW that bird leave my house! Called a friend, who was about half an hour away. He said he'd come chase the bird for me. So I stood, watched and waited.


It took about 40 minutes, but the {huge, scary} sparrow flew out of the door...without being chased! When my friend arrived, about 5 minutes later, I had him take the air conditioner out of my bedroom window, so I could securely close the window and be sure to get a good night's sleep. Poor sparrows lost a nest (they love to build them under our air conditioner)...but I did get a good night's sleep. When I posted this picture on face book I got some sympathy, some laughter and some tales of bats (which I remember from childhood and are NOT fun either!) Today I just have a bruised knee, and feel a tad foolish ~ I mean a sparrow, really!!?!

I learned two things. First of all, even if bird drama has made you late to work, look in the mirror and brush your hair before you leave for work. Otherwise you will shock yourself when you get to work and go to rinse your hands and look in the mirror.
Hard to tell from this picture,
but there were whisps of hair flying
in every direction!

And, lesson number two...don't look through scrapbooks trying to find "bird pages" to use to illustrate your bird story blog....cause it will just make you wish that you were in Oregon!!


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Wedding Nostalgia ~

My girl had a whole lot of fun as a flower girl.
In just a few short months she'll be a bride.
With lots of flower girls of her own!!
I love these memories of her ~













I ask you, does it get any sweeter than that??

Monday, June 13, 2011

My New Treasure!

I've had an idea in my head for about a year now.

Wouldn't it be great to get a small secretary desk for my living room, so that I can scrapbook while the tv's on, and easily hide my mess when I'm not actually working on the project?

Watched craigslist for months...and finally found the perfect desk! Right size, right price!  So, I got in my car and drove for an hour to collect my treasure! And, tonight, I used it for the first time.

Bruins game is on (of course!) and I'm putting together my calendar for my workshop space.

I can work and watch!!
Perfect size workspace for two 12x12 pages to be side by side!
Tools, stickers etc...there are drawers and storage cubbies ~ love it!
And, how nice and neat it looks now!
It doesn't take much, I guess to float my boat ~ cause I feel like I've found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Superhero


"Sometimes being a brother
is even better than being a superhero"
Marc Brown

This last couple of weeks my brother has been my superhero ~
He has swooped in and calmed my heart.
From high atop his Maui volcano, he has responded to
my call for help.
His super power is hidden in his words of wisdom, 
his tales of chiseled statues
and his emails seasoned with dry witticisms.
I have a feeling I'm gonna be a tad needy these next few months.
(ahem)
Good to know his powers are limitless,
renewed by sun and surf,
and at my beck and call!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Near to Us


Who is this woman? And who
are these children? Today she claims
that Happiness truly found her when
she was near the ocean's edge.

What, then, does that say about
all her other days with us?
Does she know she's left me
feeling like I am never enough?
Today she lives regretting all that
she sacrificed to raise her kids.
And treats us like we asked
this of her. And owe her.

Wish I could find that woman,
take my brother's hand, and say,
"Mom, I wish you could find
happiness just being near to us."