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One of the things that I love most about my neighborhood is, well, the neighbors themselves.
Well, yeah, there's this one family...
Kidding.
The vast majority of the neighbors are awesome people. They watch out for my kids, have kids in the same age groups, and we have two functions every year that are neighborhood based. There are 42 houses in the subdivision, and I'd venture to say that at least 30 of them have kids. Many of the families have been here since we moved in, 9 years ago today.
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Pumpkin Carving Kits are marvelous things. Especially for bossy 9 year olds who know absolutely e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about everything.
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I cannot possibly be the only adult that does not like Halloween. In fact, the only reason I tolerate it is because my kids love it so. I like to see kids dress up in cute costumes and have a good time - but I despise the amount of candy that they rake in and the battles/arguments/whining/sneaking of said candy. Also -I HATE to be scared. Hate it, hate it. Don't like gore, don't like clowns (what? shut up already!), and flat out just don't like to be scared. Tuesday cannot come fast enough.
November is my very favorite month. It's MAH BIRTHDAY MONTH, and my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving. I start to fret, dread, plan for the holiday season - and I get downright excited to see what I plan for people. I already have a lot of ideas. Now just to get the money. Always, it comes down to the money.
My house looks like a tornado hit it. A day off from school + very cold, rainy weather + Gabe's birthday party + an uber busy schedule = mass hysteria, home style.
I had an extra bad customer service experience at a place where I spend a ton of money, time and effort this weekend. It really opened my eyes to the fact that my family is just not as important as I thought that we were to this particular place - and that hurts, to be quite honest. One person did what they could to smooth it over, and the owner of said facility called - but I have yet to listen to the voicemail. Have you ever been that angry?
Friday Nik gets his impacted wisdom teeth removed. Next Sunday's SOC should be all.kinds.of.fun. One month later, Allegra does the same.
Speaking of Allegra, I have a funny feeling she has a cracked rib.
Did you get snow? I can't BELIEVE all the rotten weather this weekend. Geesh. What's going to happen in January/February??
Giving away $100 here, $250 here, and Holiday cards here. Get busy entering, already.
This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…
Now…
1. Grab the button
(it’s over in the sidebar)
2. Write your post.
3. Link up here.
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I posted this on my Facebook and it became a run away thread, and it got me to thinking.
What are the things that you just.don't.get - those things that other people rave over and just leave you cold?
Here's my list:
What are your "I'll never see the allure" items?
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Saturday night a bunch of forces collided and I ended up at Mass with just my youngest.
I don't know the last time that I went to Mass with just one kid, but it happened for a variety of reasons and it was a very good thing, indeed. A certain person needed some extra attention to remember the appropriate ways to behave - I offered a crash course in these classes:
All in all, a productive evening.
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So the picture is a year old. I still really like it.
This year has been a rough year for that kid up there. It followed two of the toughest years I've ever faced in my time of being a parent - we've had tons of challenges, difficulties and struggles. Every time we leap over one hurdle, we turn around and trip over another, even more insurmountable one. Seriously, enough already, universe. You OWE us a good year or two.
Being a parent is RIDICULOUSLY difficult. Name a challenge, and I can probably give you not only a date that we faced it, but a laundry list of tips/tricks/cures/secrets/voodoo chicken dancing that we've tried to fix the situation.
Being a parent of a child who is struggling, and struggling hard to overcome things that other people a) don't see b) don't believe happen or exist or c) tell the parent, "Well, we don't see ANY evidence of this at all!" with the inference that the parent is lacking in basic, standard parenting skills - well, it makes it that much more difficult to keep a polite and sunny face.
But. Despite it all, that kid up there has remained a sweet and polite young person, one who is unfailing kind and caring, especially with those younger than himself. In fact, he will make an excellent father/big brother/uncle/baby sitter - he really shines in relationships that allow him to mentor. This child carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and worries incessantly about how he can fix things for which he is in no way to blame or responsible. He often sees that half full glass as "half full of something gross and probably bad for me, but I might as well have it to save everyone else from needing to deal wiith it", which can be trying -
but he gets up, every day, and looks each day dead in the eye and goes again.
He's brave.
And today, he is twelve. The baby that was more than two weeks late, who weighed just 7 pounds, born with blond curly hair and bright blue eyes exactly 2 months before Christmas - who now has darker close cut hair (because hair gel makes him insane and the cowlicks make me more nuts) and grayish blue eyes - the kid who works harder than just about anyone I know to overcome obstacles and gets defeated but gets back up again and again, that boy who loves Legos and Star Wars and reading and pizza and spaghetti and fruit and veggies more than life itself -
That boy is TWELVE.
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I am exhausted.
Seriously. Like, ridiculously tired. I've been working out a LOT, had a butt ton of family drama, and a couple of my kids are being super uber needy.
So. A typical day.
In lieu of anything of substance here, I direct you to the following:
My post on Fitness was picked up on Yahoo! Shine today. I could use some love over there - IF you are so inclined and if you are not tired of reading that post.
I have a piece on Diets In Review - Halloween Party Eats that won't Haunt Your Waistline
And tomorrow, Gabriel has a birthday. My teeny tiny baby - the one who was 2 weeks overdue, the calm and laid back ringlet curled, blond haired, blue eyed cherub - is 12. in years past, I've written birth stories and early years, and I wonder if I've done that to death.
Help a girl out. Please. Otherwise, I'm apt to go all zzzzzzz and drooly on you.
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This is a sponsored post for Blogher. All opinions expressed in this post are alllll my own - no one else has them and you can't either. :)
Today's Prompt:
How do you stay happy and engaged while working?
I do quite a bit of online work. As my work load increased, I found that I was having a difficult time a) staying focused b) staying organized and c) getting my work done in a timely fashion. I find myself to be scattered, unfocused and eas - oh, look - something shiny!
Where was I? Oh, yes, easily distracted.
We created an office for me - a place that I can call my own, a place to do all of my work with no distraction, no dirty dishes (except for the times that I eat in here, and uh, realize that there's no maid - something my kids have yet to realize!) - and no clean wash that requires folding.
Music makes me very happy - and my tastes are varied, so I go between Broadway Show tunes, 40's music, and old school country - Johnny Cash and such. We recently bought a music tower, and the fact that I can plug in my iPhone and play Pandora all day keeps me happy and helps to get the work done.
I also set timers like nobody's business and promise to just work on (whatever project I'm dreading) for just ten minutes. I give myself permission to stop after that timer goes off - and often find myself working well beyond that alloted time. And, it's helpful if I close the social media tabs - the Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are my biggest time suckers and wasters ever.
How do you stay happy and engaged while working?
I'd love it if you'd share your answer on the Blogher site, as opposed to the comments section here. (Psst - you should probably do so, because if you check out this link and leave a comment - you can win $250!)
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I'm once again bumming off of the genius that is Fadra again this week. I LOVE SOC Sunday, simply because it's often a way for me to process what I'm thinking about that won't usually make it's way into a complete blog post.
So. Let's get started. And I'm numbering, because I keep better track that way. Lots of people who write SOC tend to focus on one topic, but I'm more scattered.
1- Riley wrote a book about a princess. Gabe drew a dragon breathing fire for the illustration, and then he typed up her book for her. It KILLED him, but he spelled everything exactly the way that she did.
2- I drink a lot of Lemon Propel Zero. Well, wait. I have a 32 ounce bottle. I put one packet (made for a 16 oz bottle) in there. I drink 3/4 of the bottle, refill it and drain it. I do that about 6 times a day. So, maybe it's not so much that I drink a lot of Lemon Propel Zero as I just drink a lot of water.
3 - I love tights. Love them so much because they cover the grossness that is my legs. Now I need to figure out what else to wear, because I've got brown boots and black tights, and uh, no.
4 - My house is a disaster. I don't even know if I could possibly explain the depths of disarray - just know it needs work. And desire to DO said work.
5 - I'm going to get to work on the book proposal again this week. If you happen to know anyone who is a publisher/editor/has a book deal, would you think of me? I'm sick to death of thinking about this over and over and over.
6 - I went to Sat evening Mass, partly because everyone who altar serves (all except Riley) were on schedule for the 7 a.m. - and I do NOT get up that early on a Sunday - and partly because Riley is desperate to make me breakfast in bed tomorrow. I am grateful that I did so, because I heard the absolute perfect homily for me and I need to reflect on it. It's going to be a topic this week, that's for sure.
This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…
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If you've been reading here for a while, you know that I love Love LOVE my camera. I take - or to be more correct - took a lot of pictures. I'm not a photographer, but I have a good eye for a picture. It's only been fairly recently that I've been able to transform what I see in my mind into the photo that results - it's been years of bad shots, missed shots, overprocessed photos and clashing results. I'd never brag that I was a photographer - but I've done ok, especially recently.
When I was on a blog junket for Ford, I lost my camera. I was juggling my bag, my camera, a large umbrella, my purse - and trying to change a lens while talking to another participant meant that my attention was divided. I set my bag down and walked away.
I was stupid and careless.
When I went back to the place where I thought it was - it was gone. Despite massive efforts, it was never found. I cried all the way home from Detroit. I hated telling my husband, who'd bought the camera - as well as a special black bag with a pink lining (he knows I love black and pink and he worked hard to find the bag he thought would be the best represntation of me) - as an anniversary gift.
My only consolation was that I'd left the zoom lens at home. In the bag was my beloved macro lens, my sunglasses, some cash, my hotel room key and my heart. What good is a zoom lens without a camera, though?
I took lots of photos over the summer with my phone - but those just aren't the same. I felt a deep, physical ache anytime I saw someone with a nice camera, or a shot that I'd have tried to capture. A phone, no matter how nice, simply doesn't replace a camera.
I took on any extra work over the summer that was sent my way. Slowly, I built up the cash to replace the camera. Twice I thought I had it, and a bill came due. But finally, in September - I was able to replace my camera. The new camera is not exactly the same, for they don't make my old camera any more. I bought another macro lens, and I bought a camera strap that would virtually guarantee I'd see my camera any time I looked for it.
I have a new bag as well. A bright, shiny bag that is more beautiful than anything I've ever owned.
I feel like a part of me has returned. A long lost part. The learning curve is a bit more steep than I'd like, for the camera isn't quite the same - but I'm game to learn.
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