We have two daughters attending a certain University up North. It's out of state and we don't see them often, but text or talk, every day (sometimes every hour) (twice, one of them called the home phone and one my cell phone--at the same time) They don't plan this.
They like to get our opinions on EVERYTHING, AND then NOT do any of our suggestions. This is all right, they eventually learn that our suggestions were actually good and they act on them, but, they have become THEIR suggestions by that point. Yep, they are becoming adults!
I like change, and have said so. But, when my phone rings and I see that it's one of my daughters, I cringe. Chances are they have changed their minds about something we spoke about only moments ago.
During the past week, Pip has wanted me to contact my sources and help her get a job at a child-care facility, informed me that she has an in for a job in a nearby city, that she wants to be a Nanny back East, be a nanny in Germany, get her job back at the shoe sales store, stay at school and work, AND during the last hour we received the following texts:
Pip: I’m going to apply for DisneyWorld
Us: Maybe you can be Donald Duck?
Pip: They have a college program that fits my track system and my roommate is applying too.
Us: You might make a better Goofy.
Pip: HaHa, Whatever. I am serious this time. I am applying right now! You told me to find a job. What’s a better place than the “happiest place on earth”?
Us: Sounds great.
Pip: I know! It’s kinda like a Study Abroad program cuz it’s Disney WORLD, but, you get paid!!
Us: We certainly can’t argue with that…
Oh, to be a college student, single and have your whole life ahead of you. I remember those days. I believe she is a lot like how I was. With that in mind I know she will eventually settle down. And in the meantime she will drive her parents crazy with the wonder of it all. I know I did.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Do You Sell Prince Albert in a Can?
My daughter, Pip and I sat in church watching a little boy play with a folded up paper, like origami, where his fingers fit into the slots and he asked, "Pick a number" then counted; and then he asked, "Pick a color" and spelled out the color; then he asked a question and had the answer revealed under a folded corner.
Pip exclaimed how she played the same game when she was younger--not that she's that old now--and 35+ years ago, I played it too. And, in much the same fashion.
This got us thinking...How many generations of kids have played the same Urban games?
How about the "string game?" My daughter calls it "Cat in a cradle". We explained the game to my mom and she remembered it as well.
"Ring around the Rosies" has been around since the plague. How fun that must have been.
How about the Urban rhyme sung while jumping rope:
"Cinderella, dressed in Yella, Went upstairs to kiss a fella. Made a mistake and kissed a snake, how many doctors (or stitches) did it take?"
My mom didn't remember that one, but she did remember the kissing game and spin the bottle.
Have you ever met the King of Siam and had to chant OWA TANA SIAM, faster and faster; or have you been in the desert with a blanket on you and had to remove something so you wouldn't die of dehydration? Always funny as the clothing came out from under the blanket when common sense should have screamed, "TAKE OFF THE BLANKET, IDIOT!"
My book club talked about how they had a group "Doorbell ditching" last weekend, and dare we mention "Chinese Fire-drills"--a car load of teens did one in front of my car a couple weeks ago--they laughed and ran until the light turned green and piled back in their little Chevy Shove-it and drove off.
Is it as much a relief to you as it is to me that some nuances of childhood remain the same in the fast paced world of today?
One thing that has not stood the test of time is prank phone calls. THANK YOU MR. CALLER ID. So your refrigerator is probably running, but you don't need to catch it. And, you probably don't sell Prince Albert in a can.
I hope to play Hide-n-seek with my grandchildren and swing on the swings and have them say, "We're married Grandma." I hope to watch and listen to them enjoying jump rope and hopscotch rhymes. And... I'll be grateful to have these precious little moments free from the distractions and hindrances of technology. Some things were not meant to be changed.
Pip exclaimed how she played the same game when she was younger--not that she's that old now--and 35+ years ago, I played it too. And, in much the same fashion.
This got us thinking...How many generations of kids have played the same Urban games?
How about the "string game?" My daughter calls it "Cat in a cradle". We explained the game to my mom and she remembered it as well.
"Ring around the Rosies" has been around since the plague. How fun that must have been.
How about the Urban rhyme sung while jumping rope:
"Cinderella, dressed in Yella, Went upstairs to kiss a fella. Made a mistake and kissed a snake, how many doctors (or stitches) did it take?"
My mom didn't remember that one, but she did remember the kissing game and spin the bottle.
Have you ever met the King of Siam and had to chant OWA TANA SIAM, faster and faster; or have you been in the desert with a blanket on you and had to remove something so you wouldn't die of dehydration? Always funny as the clothing came out from under the blanket when common sense should have screamed, "TAKE OFF THE BLANKET, IDIOT!"
My book club talked about how they had a group "Doorbell ditching" last weekend, and dare we mention "Chinese Fire-drills"--a car load of teens did one in front of my car a couple weeks ago--they laughed and ran until the light turned green and piled back in their little Chevy Shove-it and drove off.
Is it as much a relief to you as it is to me that some nuances of childhood remain the same in the fast paced world of today?
One thing that has not stood the test of time is prank phone calls. THANK YOU MR. CALLER ID. So your refrigerator is probably running, but you don't need to catch it. And, you probably don't sell Prince Albert in a can.
I hope to play Hide-n-seek with my grandchildren and swing on the swings and have them say, "We're married Grandma." I hope to watch and listen to them enjoying jump rope and hopscotch rhymes. And... I'll be grateful to have these precious little moments free from the distractions and hindrances of technology. Some things were not meant to be changed.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fiction is my Sword
I have another blog titled Fiction is My Sword. It's my "writing blog". Be sure and trot on over to find out about the Caveman Summit!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
My Take on the LDStorymakers Conference
I can't believe that I have waited this long to go to a writers conference. It was fab-u-lous to meet all these wonderful people that are like me--in a writing world.
I now have a strategic list of things to do to improve my writing and more importantly; a great group of friends that have the same goal I have of getting published.
I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to drink my diet coke openly in a conference such as this. You've probably seen those--take a sip from the brown bag type of people. That would be me. But for lunch almost ALL they had was caffeinated drinks. What was I so worried about? After all, everyone there were writers, probably up at all hours of the night writing and thus addicted to the sip-n-write-n-stay-alert drink of choice--at least for Mormons.
One of my favorite quotes from the conference was from Dan Wells: "How do people without insomnia get anything done?" My thoughts exactly!
I was also overly anxious about the manuscript review I had with Krista Marino an editor with Delacorte Press. She gave me ideas about where my book stands in the marketplace as well as lines to re-work and character ideas. It was a great learning experience and I would definitely recommend that anyone going to a writing conference with the chance to sign up for a review or a pitch session to DO IT! Agents and editors are not scary people. They want us to succeed as writers.
My work is cut out for me. This week, between cleaning out those blasted planters out back (I swear I purchased magically spawning flower pots they appeared so perfect in the store--they're not--they are a spider-toting-weed-infested-spawn-of-the-devil-by-springtime-pot) and I need to get my pool ready to open, should I even mention what that is like?
Maybe just one thing: I find when I open the cover that those 8 legged creatures from the pots tend to enjoy a good swim thus gravitating to the water where they dive in and swell up to probably thirty times their natural size during the winter. Do you know what that does to an arachnophobe? My hands are shaking just typing up the description. My stomach is doing a butterfly thing. I stopped breathing while writing this. Enough about that.
This week, after I get those things I said done, or hired out to my son who owes me because he went to Boondocks, then I will begin another draft of my manuscripts using all the new info I learned at the conference, starting with the invaluable reviews done on my first chapters.
Cheers to all you writers out there and my new friends. Loved the conference, loved meeting inspiring people and loved the input and suggestions I received. Now, I'm gonna get to work, processing and using all that advice I learned.
It was a dark and stormy night...Oh wait: SHOW DON"T TELL
The absent sound of computer keys grew less noticeable as her breath drew inward with shock...
I now have a strategic list of things to do to improve my writing and more importantly; a great group of friends that have the same goal I have of getting published.
I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to drink my diet coke openly in a conference such as this. You've probably seen those--take a sip from the brown bag type of people. That would be me. But for lunch almost ALL they had was caffeinated drinks. What was I so worried about? After all, everyone there were writers, probably up at all hours of the night writing and thus addicted to the sip-n-write-n-stay-alert drink of choice--at least for Mormons.
One of my favorite quotes from the conference was from Dan Wells: "How do people without insomnia get anything done?" My thoughts exactly!
I was also overly anxious about the manuscript review I had with Krista Marino an editor with Delacorte Press. She gave me ideas about where my book stands in the marketplace as well as lines to re-work and character ideas. It was a great learning experience and I would definitely recommend that anyone going to a writing conference with the chance to sign up for a review or a pitch session to DO IT! Agents and editors are not scary people. They want us to succeed as writers.
My work is cut out for me. This week, between cleaning out those blasted planters out back (I swear I purchased magically spawning flower pots they appeared so perfect in the store--they're not--they are a spider-toting-weed-infested-spawn-of-the-devil-by-springtime-pot) and I need to get my pool ready to open, should I even mention what that is like?
Maybe just one thing: I find when I open the cover that those 8 legged creatures from the pots tend to enjoy a good swim thus gravitating to the water where they dive in and swell up to probably thirty times their natural size during the winter. Do you know what that does to an arachnophobe? My hands are shaking just typing up the description. My stomach is doing a butterfly thing. I stopped breathing while writing this. Enough about that.
This week, after I get those things I said done, or hired out to my son who owes me because he went to Boondocks, then I will begin another draft of my manuscripts using all the new info I learned at the conference, starting with the invaluable reviews done on my first chapters.
Cheers to all you writers out there and my new friends. Loved the conference, loved meeting inspiring people and loved the input and suggestions I received. Now, I'm gonna get to work, processing and using all that advice I learned.
It was a dark and stormy night...Oh wait: SHOW DON"T TELL
The absent sound of computer keys grew less noticeable as her breath drew inward with shock...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Ready or Not...
I am heading for my first writers conference this week. Wow! But, I do feel like I felt when going to my first Prom--where I wore a borrowed dress (it looked like one a polygamist women would wear, this was the early 80's) and of course I couldn't dance. If any of you have seen the "Elaine Dance" on Jerry Seinfeld than you know what I'm talking about; And, there's nothing like seeing a polygamist doing the Elaine Dance. All this preparation and getting ready, and I'm not sure what to expect.
I have had almost 5 months to prepare and this is where I stand: One manuscript that I decided to redraft (again) last month; One Screenplay (still written in spiral notebooks because I can't decide which screen writing software to purchase; and an unfinished manuscript, which happens to be the one I decided to review with an editor from Delacorte-an imprint of Random House. What was I thinking!
Well, I will go, learn the ins and outs, meet writers and enjoy.
My biggest fear is that, since it's an LDS writers conference, they'll be patting us down to make sure we don't bring in any contraband--like Diet Coke!!!
I have had almost 5 months to prepare and this is where I stand: One manuscript that I decided to redraft (again) last month; One Screenplay (still written in spiral notebooks because I can't decide which screen writing software to purchase; and an unfinished manuscript, which happens to be the one I decided to review with an editor from Delacorte-an imprint of Random House. What was I thinking!
Well, I will go, learn the ins and outs, meet writers and enjoy.
My biggest fear is that, since it's an LDS writers conference, they'll be patting us down to make sure we don't bring in any contraband--like Diet Coke!!!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
I Can't Make This Up
So...it's spring break in Utah and we have 5 inches of snow on our green grass. We chose to remain home this year and work out in the yard and take some hikes. Well, that isn't happening. Instead we've been seeing movies and reading.
This morning we awoke to beautiful snow covered trees and took some dazzling pictures. If I can figure out how to unload them from my Nikon and onto my blog, I will. We then went to an action packed movie, and as we exited the theater it was SUNNY!
By the time we got home it began to get cloudy, my daughter began to read and my son began to play his new drum set. Because the sun is such a mood enhancer I began to get irritable. I told my daughter that I felt myself withering, and she said, "Mom, it's just Seasonal Depression."
The sun is behind the clouds, the drums are playing in the background so I decided to have some Vitamin D. I offered some to my daughter. She said she already took one. I told her you can have up to 50,000IU a day and I was going to take 2 of them because they are like taking little pills of the sun. She said, "I don't want to be TOO happy." And in the background we heard the drums...ba da ba ding, right on cue. And...our bird starts to laugh. Really. Now who needs a sun pill after that?
Little flakes of snow began to drop from those heavy gray clouds in the sky. So, I took SEVERAL sun pills AND a vitamin C. Then the bird sighed. Really. I guess he's dreaming of a tropical paradise too.
This morning we awoke to beautiful snow covered trees and took some dazzling pictures. If I can figure out how to unload them from my Nikon and onto my blog, I will. We then went to an action packed movie, and as we exited the theater it was SUNNY!
By the time we got home it began to get cloudy, my daughter began to read and my son began to play his new drum set. Because the sun is such a mood enhancer I began to get irritable. I told my daughter that I felt myself withering, and she said, "Mom, it's just Seasonal Depression."
The sun is behind the clouds, the drums are playing in the background so I decided to have some Vitamin D. I offered some to my daughter. She said she already took one. I told her you can have up to 50,000IU a day and I was going to take 2 of them because they are like taking little pills of the sun. She said, "I don't want to be TOO happy." And in the background we heard the drums...ba da ba ding, right on cue. And...our bird starts to laugh. Really. Now who needs a sun pill after that?
Little flakes of snow began to drop from those heavy gray clouds in the sky. So, I took SEVERAL sun pills AND a vitamin C. Then the bird sighed. Really. I guess he's dreaming of a tropical paradise too.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Trying to fix my layout...
As you can probably see I have layered multiple templates in trying to achieve an onion effect of some sort--NOT!!--Actually, I am so computer illiterate that I did some crazy thing wrong when I was trying to change my template. Hopefully I will have this fixed soon, or someday. If not, at least the colors match! If and when I figure out which html code to remove and not mess up my precious blog I will get it fixed.
Doesn't this just sound like something a super hero side-kick would do? Screw stuff up? I'm going to go and remove the sticky notes my kids put on my back that say "Idiot" and "We told you not to press SAVE."
I can't wait for the blogging conference in May! I may not learn how to fix this until then!
Doesn't this just sound like something a super hero side-kick would do? Screw stuff up? I'm going to go and remove the sticky notes my kids put on my back that say "Idiot" and "We told you not to press SAVE."
I can't wait for the blogging conference in May! I may not learn how to fix this until then!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Superhero Workshop
I attended my first writers workshop yesterday, with all those League of Utah Writers. A friend has told me that they sound like a Superhero Club. If that was so, then at best I might be considered a side-kick! So me, the side-kick, paid some annual dues and joined.
It was suggested to me to make up some business cards. Thanks DeNae! (For great entertainment and a good laugh you should check out her blog)I took her advice and made up some business cards the night before I went--Seeing as I'm only a side-kick I printed them up myself. But, I felt so ready, with my spiral notebook stuck inside my purse along with my last-minute-but-way-cool-business-cards as I walked in and took a seat amongst the Superheros of the writing world. I'm sure the Superheros sitting there with their laptops, netbooks and flash drives didn't even notice me yanking my blue spiral notebook out of my purse.
Two people introduced themselves to me and I felt really awesome handing them MY CARD, until one of them told me how he had prepared! He had, in fact, come REALLY prepared. He had brought extra chapters and a full manuscript with him and was able to give his first page to an editor there--WHO--read it and then asked for the rest of his manuscript...I think at that point he ran to a phone booth and opened his shirt, pulled out his manuscript, ran back and calmly handed it to her, and stepped back with his hands on his waist and his cape waving in the wind.
Bottom line...I wish I would have come this prepared! I may never pass the test to become a real Superhero, but, I am determined to learn from them and grateful for all that I was taught yesterday!
----Side-Kick Wendy
It was suggested to me to make up some business cards. Thanks DeNae! (For great entertainment and a good laugh you should check out her blog)I took her advice and made up some business cards the night before I went--Seeing as I'm only a side-kick I printed them up myself. But, I felt so ready, with my spiral notebook stuck inside my purse along with my last-minute-but-way-cool-business-cards as I walked in and took a seat amongst the Superheros of the writing world. I'm sure the Superheros sitting there with their laptops, netbooks and flash drives didn't even notice me yanking my blue spiral notebook out of my purse.
Two people introduced themselves to me and I felt really awesome handing them MY CARD, until one of them told me how he had prepared! He had, in fact, come REALLY prepared. He had brought extra chapters and a full manuscript with him and was able to give his first page to an editor there--WHO--read it and then asked for the rest of his manuscript...I think at that point he ran to a phone booth and opened his shirt, pulled out his manuscript, ran back and calmly handed it to her, and stepped back with his hands on his waist and his cape waving in the wind.
Bottom line...I wish I would have come this prepared! I may never pass the test to become a real Superhero, but, I am determined to learn from them and grateful for all that I was taught yesterday!
----Side-Kick Wendy
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I met a real writer today...
I have a special friend who lately has been encouraging me to get out of my shell and go forward by signing up for writing conferences and meet authors and actually comment on blogs. I have taken her advice and have found that, although I consider myself lacking in people skills, I actually have it in me to do these things. Even though I still feel awkward and nerdy.
Today I met author Josi S. Kilpack. She has 11 books published and today she did a presentation at my son's Jr. High for career day. She did a fabulous job on her presentation to these scary Jr. high kids--which I would be very intimidated by--she had them, as well as myself, hanging on every word!
I met her in Mrs. Gray's English classroom. She was so nice and answered my questions very patiently. When it came time for the kids to file in and for her to do her presentation, Mrs. Gray asked me if I would like to introduce Josi in front of the students. I chuckled. Somehow she had gotten the impression that Josi and I were best buds! I'm sure she received this impression because of the friendliness of Josi, herself. And...of course I would have been honored to introduce her as my best friend and author of 11 books, the one and only Josi Kilpack! With a round of applause from the audience. Maybe someday...
But, in the meantime, I recommend any of you to pick up one of her books and read it. I am going to buy her book Lemon Tart. Check out her blog, listed above. If any of you have read it or have any comments please write them below. And...thanks to many wonderful friends and family who are encouraging me in my profession. I appreciate you all!
Today I met author Josi S. Kilpack. She has 11 books published and today she did a presentation at my son's Jr. High for career day. She did a fabulous job on her presentation to these scary Jr. high kids--which I would be very intimidated by--she had them, as well as myself, hanging on every word!
I met her in Mrs. Gray's English classroom. She was so nice and answered my questions very patiently. When it came time for the kids to file in and for her to do her presentation, Mrs. Gray asked me if I would like to introduce Josi in front of the students. I chuckled. Somehow she had gotten the impression that Josi and I were best buds! I'm sure she received this impression because of the friendliness of Josi, herself. And...of course I would have been honored to introduce her as my best friend and author of 11 books, the one and only Josi Kilpack! With a round of applause from the audience. Maybe someday...
But, in the meantime, I recommend any of you to pick up one of her books and read it. I am going to buy her book Lemon Tart. Check out her blog, listed above. If any of you have read it or have any comments please write them below. And...thanks to many wonderful friends and family who are encouraging me in my profession. I appreciate you all!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
My Writing Side & Names
I have not posted for a couple weeks; I have been preparing for a writers conference I signed up for in April-the LDS Storymakers Conference. I am very excited about this conference. Last week I sent in a few of my first chapters for the First Chapter Contest they are having.
I am showing a new brave side of myself. I even went to a League of Utah Writers chapter meeting this week. While there I discovered so many ways that I can improve. One of which is grammar. I know that my dear mother, and my brother-Sassafras-(who edited my chapters for me)will both be very glad to know that at this meeting they covered grammar. I learned a lot and hopefully some of it will STICK in my brain.
Another area where I can improve--one of many other areas I'm sure--is coming up with character names. My children think I'm very lame when it comes to names--my middle daughter especially--she hates her given name. My husband, who is a police officer, saw her name on a missing persons milk carton and we fell in love with the name. It is a boys name, but I happen to know an actress with the same name, but somehow that doesn't make it OK for my daughter.
This became especially apparent when I made HER an OBGYN appointment and the Doctor's office called me back. They had to make sure we called the correct Doctor and that HE needed this type of appointment. I felt really bad. Last week when SHE went to a drive through and handed them HER debit card, they would not give HER the hamburger SHE wanted until SHE proved that SHE was the person named on the debit card. SHE showed them HER drivers license and proved it! They should have given the poor GIRL a FREE MEAL!
I am sure that anyone who doesn't know my daughter's real name is wondering what it could possibly be? How bad could it really be? If I ever decide to not be paranoid-remember my husband is a cop-then I'll tell ya. But, her nickname is Neuman--which I'm sure doesn't help AT ALL!
Well...back to my books...I'm going for 10 pages today...How about the name...Bob? I'm much better at nicknames!
I am showing a new brave side of myself. I even went to a League of Utah Writers chapter meeting this week. While there I discovered so many ways that I can improve. One of which is grammar. I know that my dear mother, and my brother-Sassafras-(who edited my chapters for me)will both be very glad to know that at this meeting they covered grammar. I learned a lot and hopefully some of it will STICK in my brain.
Another area where I can improve--one of many other areas I'm sure--is coming up with character names. My children think I'm very lame when it comes to names--my middle daughter especially--she hates her given name. My husband, who is a police officer, saw her name on a missing persons milk carton and we fell in love with the name. It is a boys name, but I happen to know an actress with the same name, but somehow that doesn't make it OK for my daughter.
This became especially apparent when I made HER an OBGYN appointment and the Doctor's office called me back. They had to make sure we called the correct Doctor and that HE needed this type of appointment. I felt really bad. Last week when SHE went to a drive through and handed them HER debit card, they would not give HER the hamburger SHE wanted until SHE proved that SHE was the person named on the debit card. SHE showed them HER drivers license and proved it! They should have given the poor GIRL a FREE MEAL!
I am sure that anyone who doesn't know my daughter's real name is wondering what it could possibly be? How bad could it really be? If I ever decide to not be paranoid-remember my husband is a cop-then I'll tell ya. But, her nickname is Neuman--which I'm sure doesn't help AT ALL!
Well...back to my books...I'm going for 10 pages today...How about the name...Bob? I'm much better at nicknames!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Reminiscing About My Valentine: The Nyun Nyun Man
I have had the same Valentine for over 23 years! And...I am happy to say that in yesterday's day of reflection, I am still happy he is my Valentine!!! Oh let me count the ways...
There are the great days when he is full of humor and fun, teasing the kids, the dogs and the bird. Yeah, he is a big tease.
He has this thing we call the "Nyun Nyun Man." We have two long sets of stairs in our house and we are often terrorized and chased up the stairs by the "Nyun Nyun Man." When I was young I used to have this nightmare about a crazy-black-skinny monkey with lots of arms chasing me up the stairs. To my dismay, and the dismay of my children, we have the Nyun Nyun Man who is instantly behind us with a deep voice yelling, "NYUN NYUN NYUN NYUN NYUN..." all the way up the stairs as we flee, taking two steps at a time! I relapse back to when I was a child having my multi-armed monkey nightmare. Instantly sweat pours out including shivers up the spine with a flight or fight psyche all induced by the words "Nyun Nyun" being called out as we go into panic mode running up the stairs. Poking and pinching are not even involved.
This occurrence has stricken us with the need for Nyun Nyun therapy. We are physically unable to go up the stairs at our home with someone behind us. Let alone at the Mall or any other public place with stairs, or escalators.
Clearly there is no sane reason behind this intense response we have to the Nyun Nyun man! But, he keeps things fun at home and we love him for it.
Another addition to the Valentine counter would be not having to sleep alone! When we first got married I looked forward to being able to cuddle every night! Of course reality stepped in and (I have been told that this is the case with most men) this lasted only during the honeymoon. After that I was TOO HOT! Apparently men enjoy an internal temperature that measures everything in polar regions and women measure by the temperatures along the equator.
I am ok with this turn of events since I found out he (like many men) picks his nails while watching the news in bed. I discovered this one morning when I awoke to find toe nails stuck in my knotted morning hair! It was disconcerting to see the nails hanging in my locks, randomly situated in my hair after he had been unable to sleep and had turned on the TV during the night. Apparently, immersed in the headlines and unaware of where he was casting his picked off toenails. But, he will make the bed occasionally and I love him for it--even if he does it because he is brushing off the abandoned nails!
I recently saw an interview with the actress, Julie Andrews where she mentioned that her husband was "delicious" including his irritations and all! This must be a British phrase, but I picked up on it immediately. How wonderful to view everything about the love of your life as "delicious" even the idiosyncrasies. I have used this term on occasion as I found myself miffed by something that my Valentine did and have found it to be a positive way of lifting myself above the "pricking" at him.
There are so many ways that I am grateful for my Valentine that I could go on and on! Mainly I'm thankful that he makes me laugh and feel loved and that we can continue to grow together, even during those "delicious" moments!
There are the great days when he is full of humor and fun, teasing the kids, the dogs and the bird. Yeah, he is a big tease.
He has this thing we call the "Nyun Nyun Man." We have two long sets of stairs in our house and we are often terrorized and chased up the stairs by the "Nyun Nyun Man." When I was young I used to have this nightmare about a crazy-black-skinny monkey with lots of arms chasing me up the stairs. To my dismay, and the dismay of my children, we have the Nyun Nyun Man who is instantly behind us with a deep voice yelling, "NYUN NYUN NYUN NYUN NYUN..." all the way up the stairs as we flee, taking two steps at a time! I relapse back to when I was a child having my multi-armed monkey nightmare. Instantly sweat pours out including shivers up the spine with a flight or fight psyche all induced by the words "Nyun Nyun" being called out as we go into panic mode running up the stairs. Poking and pinching are not even involved.
This occurrence has stricken us with the need for Nyun Nyun therapy. We are physically unable to go up the stairs at our home with someone behind us. Let alone at the Mall or any other public place with stairs, or escalators.
Clearly there is no sane reason behind this intense response we have to the Nyun Nyun man! But, he keeps things fun at home and we love him for it.
Another addition to the Valentine counter would be not having to sleep alone! When we first got married I looked forward to being able to cuddle every night! Of course reality stepped in and (I have been told that this is the case with most men) this lasted only during the honeymoon. After that I was TOO HOT! Apparently men enjoy an internal temperature that measures everything in polar regions and women measure by the temperatures along the equator.
I am ok with this turn of events since I found out he (like many men) picks his nails while watching the news in bed. I discovered this one morning when I awoke to find toe nails stuck in my knotted morning hair! It was disconcerting to see the nails hanging in my locks, randomly situated in my hair after he had been unable to sleep and had turned on the TV during the night. Apparently, immersed in the headlines and unaware of where he was casting his picked off toenails. But, he will make the bed occasionally and I love him for it--even if he does it because he is brushing off the abandoned nails!
I recently saw an interview with the actress, Julie Andrews where she mentioned that her husband was "delicious" including his irritations and all! This must be a British phrase, but I picked up on it immediately. How wonderful to view everything about the love of your life as "delicious" even the idiosyncrasies. I have used this term on occasion as I found myself miffed by something that my Valentine did and have found it to be a positive way of lifting myself above the "pricking" at him.
There are so many ways that I am grateful for my Valentine that I could go on and on! Mainly I'm thankful that he makes me laugh and feel loved and that we can continue to grow together, even during those "delicious" moments!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Housekeeping or Keeping House?
We are in that time of year when organizing our homes often becomes a priority and spring cleaning becomes an issue for many of us. In the past I have oftentimes become completely overburdened with the idea of a total organization makeover. Those were the times when my children were small and I actually thought that keeping the house clean with small children was difficult. I now know that cleaning the house with teenagers is much more of a chore! After all, they don't like the Barney song anymore--so I hired a Housekeeper.
This was a few years ago. I had a friend that was fabulous at cleaning and I hired her--unfortunately, this lasted only 30 days. It was a lovely 30 days! Although I always seemed to straighten before she came and I can't think why. But, she was wonderful and it ended tooooooo soon!
Why did it end, you ask? Well, one day I told Peter and Neuman to clean their rooms and they informed me--in a very snooty fashion--"We have a housekeeper for that!" So, of course I had to let my cleaning friend go. "M" and I were not raising Paris Hilton's. Basically, I was punishing myself, because my kids said they were quite fine with a messy room!
For quite a while I resorted to taking the car keys away and I even broke a cell phone during a 'mommy fit'--once again--only punishing myself. Who do you think had to call and request another cell phone AND pay for it? CLEARLY, I am not proud of this--and if you are rolling your eyes either you still have young children or you're lying to yourself.
It was after this that I began to think of some creative way to get the help I needed with the house chores. I do need to make it clear that I don't live with complete slobs, and they do help out--it is just difficult to GET them to FINALLY do it AND to DO IT WELL!
One day I had this incredible burst of energy and cleaned the whole house, the 4 bathrooms and the kids rooms which included all kinds of dirty items on their floors and I did this because I had a crazy, but very creative plan...
My daughter's Peter and Neuman came home first.
"Wow! The house looks great, mom!"
"Yeah! I hired a housekeeper!" I lied--this was part of my crazy plan.
"You did?"
"Yeah! It's this girl named Maria and her younger brother who is on work release from High School, the same high school you go to." I continued my lie. There was a lot at stake and I was being very convincing.
"He goes to our high school? How cute is he?" Neuman said.
(Great! They were buying it! But, I couldn't sound too excited about his looks--that would be weird!)
"I guess you'd say he was way cute...kinda like a younger X-men guy." I said very nonchalantly.
"Like the wolf man?" My oldest daughter said. (This was sooooooooo working!)
"Yeah."
"So which one cleaned my room?" My younger daughter said.
"He did. Maria did the bathrooms." I was even convinced myself.
"Mooooooommmmmm! I had dirty underwear on the floor!" She said.
"Oh..." I said.
"I'll never be able to show my face at school."
"Well, they fit our home in today and they have a very odd schedule and will be unable to give me more than an hours notice. So you will just have to keep your rooms clean. Then they can concentrate on the rest of the house. Keep your bathrooms picked up too. I'm sorry, but they do a great job." I absolutely wasn't sorry and was very excited that this crazy plan was going to actually work!
It worked great! My husband didn't even know until one day I was scrubbing the floor and he came home early! He thought I was absolutely nutso! But, I convinced him to keep it quiet and I let him in on my reasoning. This went on for about 6 weeks. Until.........
One evening after dinner I was doing laundry and asked for help with folding the clothes and it backfired on me!
"Girls, come fold these clothes, I just finished dinner and it's the least you can do," I said.
"We have homework," said Neuman.
My older daughter then said to me, "It's not like you do much anymore anyway with Maria and her brother coming."
Are you kidding! I suddenly felt an aneurysm coming on! Out of the corner of my eye I could see my husband smirking.
The girls went on until "M" stood up and said, "YOUR MOTHER IS MARIA! SHE MADE MARIA UP! NOW START FOLDING THOSE CLOTHES!"
It was dead quiet! What was I supposed to say? I've flipped and I now have several personalities? Maria and her brother are two of them? Doing this to myself would create a good blog post someday?
We all laugh about this now. But, I have to say, I think it was worth it. Without spending any money I had a clean house and I was in better shape, like getting a gym pass and a clean house--all for free! If anyone has ideas or ways you have enabled your kids to clean, I am all ears!
This was a few years ago. I had a friend that was fabulous at cleaning and I hired her--unfortunately, this lasted only 30 days. It was a lovely 30 days! Although I always seemed to straighten before she came and I can't think why. But, she was wonderful and it ended tooooooo soon!
Why did it end, you ask? Well, one day I told Peter and Neuman to clean their rooms and they informed me--in a very snooty fashion--"We have a housekeeper for that!" So, of course I had to let my cleaning friend go. "M" and I were not raising Paris Hilton's. Basically, I was punishing myself, because my kids said they were quite fine with a messy room!
For quite a while I resorted to taking the car keys away and I even broke a cell phone during a 'mommy fit'--once again--only punishing myself. Who do you think had to call and request another cell phone AND pay for it? CLEARLY, I am not proud of this--and if you are rolling your eyes either you still have young children or you're lying to yourself.
It was after this that I began to think of some creative way to get the help I needed with the house chores. I do need to make it clear that I don't live with complete slobs, and they do help out--it is just difficult to GET them to FINALLY do it AND to DO IT WELL!
One day I had this incredible burst of energy and cleaned the whole house, the 4 bathrooms and the kids rooms which included all kinds of dirty items on their floors and I did this because I had a crazy, but very creative plan...
My daughter's Peter and Neuman came home first.
"Wow! The house looks great, mom!"
"Yeah! I hired a housekeeper!" I lied--this was part of my crazy plan.
"You did?"
"Yeah! It's this girl named Maria and her younger brother who is on work release from High School, the same high school you go to." I continued my lie. There was a lot at stake and I was being very convincing.
"He goes to our high school? How cute is he?" Neuman said.
(Great! They were buying it! But, I couldn't sound too excited about his looks--that would be weird!)
"I guess you'd say he was way cute...kinda like a younger X-men guy." I said very nonchalantly.
"Like the wolf man?" My oldest daughter said. (This was sooooooooo working!)
"Yeah."
"So which one cleaned my room?" My younger daughter said.
"He did. Maria did the bathrooms." I was even convinced myself.
"Mooooooommmmmm! I had dirty underwear on the floor!" She said.
"Oh..." I said.
"I'll never be able to show my face at school."
"Well, they fit our home in today and they have a very odd schedule and will be unable to give me more than an hours notice. So you will just have to keep your rooms clean. Then they can concentrate on the rest of the house. Keep your bathrooms picked up too. I'm sorry, but they do a great job." I absolutely wasn't sorry and was very excited that this crazy plan was going to actually work!
It worked great! My husband didn't even know until one day I was scrubbing the floor and he came home early! He thought I was absolutely nutso! But, I convinced him to keep it quiet and I let him in on my reasoning. This went on for about 6 weeks. Until.........
One evening after dinner I was doing laundry and asked for help with folding the clothes and it backfired on me!
"Girls, come fold these clothes, I just finished dinner and it's the least you can do," I said.
"We have homework," said Neuman.
My older daughter then said to me, "It's not like you do much anymore anyway with Maria and her brother coming."
Are you kidding! I suddenly felt an aneurysm coming on! Out of the corner of my eye I could see my husband smirking.
The girls went on until "M" stood up and said, "YOUR MOTHER IS MARIA! SHE MADE MARIA UP! NOW START FOLDING THOSE CLOTHES!"
It was dead quiet! What was I supposed to say? I've flipped and I now have several personalities? Maria and her brother are two of them? Doing this to myself would create a good blog post someday?
We all laugh about this now. But, I have to say, I think it was worth it. Without spending any money I had a clean house and I was in better shape, like getting a gym pass and a clean house--all for free! If anyone has ideas or ways you have enabled your kids to clean, I am all ears!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
My Blog Facelift
Today I was able to give my blog a facelift thanks to a friend and neighbor. Thanks to her, my blog is more fun and more me!
But, first let me back up: A couple weeks ago I discovered that this wonderful friend was into blogging too! I was amazed by her knowledge and expertise, wrote down her sites and then she said she would be willing to come over and help me gain more knowledge.
So that evening after we talked I came home and pulled up her blogs. WOW! I had no idea that she was actually the QUEEN of BLOGGING! Yeah! Mine was but a pre-school image compared to hers. In many circles she is known as Motherboard and she is one of the creators of Mormon Mommy Blogs. Yet somehow she still found time to come over and teach me how to make my blog better.
Don't you love it when someone who could totally say, "I only play with the big girls now" is willing to still teach the lowly! Thank you MOTHERBOARD! Now if I could only remember what I learned about linking, which proves once again I can be a very slow learner!
But, first let me back up: A couple weeks ago I discovered that this wonderful friend was into blogging too! I was amazed by her knowledge and expertise, wrote down her sites and then she said she would be willing to come over and help me gain more knowledge.
So that evening after we talked I came home and pulled up her blogs. WOW! I had no idea that she was actually the QUEEN of BLOGGING! Yeah! Mine was but a pre-school image compared to hers. In many circles she is known as Motherboard and she is one of the creators of Mormon Mommy Blogs. Yet somehow she still found time to come over and teach me how to make my blog better.
Don't you love it when someone who could totally say, "I only play with the big girls now" is willing to still teach the lowly! Thank you MOTHERBOARD! Now if I could only remember what I learned about linking, which proves once again I can be a very slow learner!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Think Twice Before Saying YES!
If you have read my past posts than you know our dog had 6 puppies in November. One of the families who took a pup home is a neighbor and friend. They were very excited about their new pup, but had a family vacation this past week and I unwittingly declared I would watch him while they enjoyed themselves. This was basically a nice thing to do and I have always thought of myself as a nice person! But...this has been a week from &#** and because of my constant complaining about this...loveable puppy...I have come to grips with the fact that I am NOT a nice person.
Firstly, I did not mistreat this...loveable puppy...my family and I were very nice to him...considering! Secondly, I do not have any...animosity...towards anyone...Yes you do!...No! I don't!...Yes, you do!...NO I DO NOT! I AM A NICE PERSON!!! Really, I believe the mother of this family has reached Sainthood.
I believe she has reached Sainthood because she has this dog in the house, whereas, we keep the pups mother outside. They are large dogs!
You know how when you go to Seaworld and barking seals are cute? Well, barking, crying seal screeching from a puppy at 2:00 am & 3:00 am & 5:00 am because you did not allow him to sleep in bed with you is NOT CUTE! OH! And did I say he does it during the day too?
He whines during the day because he isn't potty trained and whenever I'm trying to do things like put the laundry away or take out the trash he is trying to pull everything out of my arms so I oftentimes need to lock him up to get stuff done.
Needless to say I have had to become pretty creative when it comes to keeping this active puppy busy. He is a bird dog & our African Grey parrot, Jumanji, has been very entertaining for him. In fact, he has been an outright babysitter! They will stare at each other and Jumanji will say "Good Boy!" which boosts Champs (the pup) self confidence, especially when the rest of us are constantly yelling things like "down!" "No!" "Give that back you #@$$##!!#@" "Get off of Louis!" (That last one is about our little Yorkie who has been victimized all week)
Champ has also taken up licking up all Jumanji's feathers and eating the food Jumanji willingly shares with him by hucking pieces of sunflower seeds and corn out of his cage. Personally, I can see the wicked look in Jumanji's beedy eyes which clearly states he views the seeds like a human views spit wads. Champ has become entertainment for Jumanji!
We soon learned that it was a bad idea to allow Champ to clean up after Jumanji. This was unfortunate for me because I hadn't had to vacuum up around the cage for days! Yesterday after Champ had cleaned up the floor, we put him in his cage for 2 hours so we could go to the hospital and visit a friend. We returned to find Champ had evacuated the seeds in a way that we needed Hazmat suits to clean the mess in his kennel! Since we didn't have hazmat suits and my kids informed me that it was all my idea to have him stay with us, I had to be the one to....go in! Thank goodness for Clorox Wipes which work wonders when you wad them up and stick them up your nose. This was the only thing that stopped my gagging reflex.
Well, tonight Champs family will be coming to pick him up. Oh, so sad! We will tell them, "Great to see them" and focus on their trip, not on our week with the pup. I really am a terrible liar. My only hope is that Jumanji will not give away how we really spent the week by yelling his new words: "Damn you Champ!"
Firstly, I did not mistreat this...loveable puppy...my family and I were very nice to him...considering! Secondly, I do not have any...animosity...towards anyone...Yes you do!...No! I don't!...Yes, you do!...NO I DO NOT! I AM A NICE PERSON!!! Really, I believe the mother of this family has reached Sainthood.
I believe she has reached Sainthood because she has this dog in the house, whereas, we keep the pups mother outside. They are large dogs!
You know how when you go to Seaworld and barking seals are cute? Well, barking, crying seal screeching from a puppy at 2:00 am & 3:00 am & 5:00 am because you did not allow him to sleep in bed with you is NOT CUTE! OH! And did I say he does it during the day too?
He whines during the day because he isn't potty trained and whenever I'm trying to do things like put the laundry away or take out the trash he is trying to pull everything out of my arms so I oftentimes need to lock him up to get stuff done.
Needless to say I have had to become pretty creative when it comes to keeping this active puppy busy. He is a bird dog & our African Grey parrot, Jumanji, has been very entertaining for him. In fact, he has been an outright babysitter! They will stare at each other and Jumanji will say "Good Boy!" which boosts Champs (the pup) self confidence, especially when the rest of us are constantly yelling things like "down!" "No!" "Give that back you #@$$##!!#@" "Get off of Louis!" (That last one is about our little Yorkie who has been victimized all week)
Champ has also taken up licking up all Jumanji's feathers and eating the food Jumanji willingly shares with him by hucking pieces of sunflower seeds and corn out of his cage. Personally, I can see the wicked look in Jumanji's beedy eyes which clearly states he views the seeds like a human views spit wads. Champ has become entertainment for Jumanji!
We soon learned that it was a bad idea to allow Champ to clean up after Jumanji. This was unfortunate for me because I hadn't had to vacuum up around the cage for days! Yesterday after Champ had cleaned up the floor, we put him in his cage for 2 hours so we could go to the hospital and visit a friend. We returned to find Champ had evacuated the seeds in a way that we needed Hazmat suits to clean the mess in his kennel! Since we didn't have hazmat suits and my kids informed me that it was all my idea to have him stay with us, I had to be the one to....go in! Thank goodness for Clorox Wipes which work wonders when you wad them up and stick them up your nose. This was the only thing that stopped my gagging reflex.
Well, tonight Champs family will be coming to pick him up. Oh, so sad! We will tell them, "Great to see them" and focus on their trip, not on our week with the pup. I really am a terrible liar. My only hope is that Jumanji will not give away how we really spent the week by yelling his new words: "Damn you Champ!"
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A Glass Slipper Family...
In August 2009 I calculated the size of our household carbon footprint and it was 37.65 tonnes of CO2! Since then we began recycling, changing lightbulbs, driving less, planting a garden, trying to buy organic and locally grown items. I went back and recalculated our carbon footprint and it is now 5.73 tonnes! We have gone from a BIGFOOT to a Glass Slipper size in just 6 months! Of course, I must be honest and say that when I add in my daughter, Boo Boo, it does go up to 8.79 tonnes. But, she is a college student and lives here in between school semesters and/or times of lack of money. We are not perfect recyclers, but we are doing the best we can. Bottom line: if we can do it--even the little that we do--CLEARLY anyone can do it!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
In 2010: Just Go For It!
If I don't keep writing something in my posts I am going to lose those few followers I have! My problem is I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and often write something and don't end up posting it because I think it isn't entertaining enough or worth taking the time to read. But, this is a new year and a more informed me--I have discovered, to my relief, that blogging is not meant to be a perfect medium. Whew! So here starts 2010 A year of possible mishaps in my blogging with an attitude of "just go for it."
Let me summerize the end of 2009 for my family and I: In October my dear husband brought home a dog, another female wirehair pointer to be friends with Sadie our other wirehair pointer. But, two weeks after having them together we needed to separate them because Maggie was very mean and we discovered we had purchased a pregnant dog who was very hormonal! The puppies would whelp right around Thanksgiving. Great! We had the whole family coming to our house to eat! All 42 of them!
The first part of November, my girls and I went to Germany to stay with a friend who was absolutely the best hostess ever! We traveled southwestern Germany visiting castles and the Black Forest and took a four day trip to Paris and saw the inspiring artwork, fashion and ate a lot of crepes! On our plane trip home I sat next to a German guy and we talked about our dogs. I told him about our "German Wirehair Pointers." He said he had never heard of that breed!
Two jetlagged days after we returned home we had 6 puppies! The week before Thanksgiving!
Five days after having the puppies our kids wanted to keep all of them! Including the puppies we only have 10 pets! We're not talking fish here--we are talking 9 dogs and 1 large bird! And all 10 of them bark!
Three weeks after having the puppies, our kids were alright with giving up a couple of them.
Four weeks after having the puppies, we needed to feed them four times a day, the older dogs needed fed 2x a day, the bird 1x a day, the kids (including second breakfasts and second lunches--they are growing teenagers) 6x a day. This didn't count the cleanup after everyone! The kids were ok with just keeping one pup.
Six weeks after having these puppies they didn't like staying in their whelping box anymore. The large wooden box was pretty gross and they wanted to explore. We had cornered off a section of our garage for them. During this time my husband was fixing some decals on his and my sons motorcycles. The motorcycles were placed right next to the, now disgusting, whelping box making a very tightly crowded area. As my husband was getting off the bike he slipped and landed in the whelping box, which was more like a litter box, very gross! Pups were ok--husband was sore & dirty--he discounted the ad he had run and we had them sold within a week!
We are now back to normal with only 4 barking animals. And my husband can tinker in the garage without fear of what he may land in! He threw that whelping box in the back of our trailer to take to the dump--I guess we won't be recycling that one!
Now! I'll just not be afraid, press Publish and Go For It! And--may you "go for it" too in this new year and not be afraid to do something you keep putting off!
Let me summerize the end of 2009 for my family and I: In October my dear husband brought home a dog, another female wirehair pointer to be friends with Sadie our other wirehair pointer. But, two weeks after having them together we needed to separate them because Maggie was very mean and we discovered we had purchased a pregnant dog who was very hormonal! The puppies would whelp right around Thanksgiving. Great! We had the whole family coming to our house to eat! All 42 of them!
The first part of November, my girls and I went to Germany to stay with a friend who was absolutely the best hostess ever! We traveled southwestern Germany visiting castles and the Black Forest and took a four day trip to Paris and saw the inspiring artwork, fashion and ate a lot of crepes! On our plane trip home I sat next to a German guy and we talked about our dogs. I told him about our "German Wirehair Pointers." He said he had never heard of that breed!
Two jetlagged days after we returned home we had 6 puppies! The week before Thanksgiving!
Five days after having the puppies our kids wanted to keep all of them! Including the puppies we only have 10 pets! We're not talking fish here--we are talking 9 dogs and 1 large bird! And all 10 of them bark!
Three weeks after having the puppies, our kids were alright with giving up a couple of them.
Four weeks after having the puppies, we needed to feed them four times a day, the older dogs needed fed 2x a day, the bird 1x a day, the kids (including second breakfasts and second lunches--they are growing teenagers) 6x a day. This didn't count the cleanup after everyone! The kids were ok with just keeping one pup.
Six weeks after having these puppies they didn't like staying in their whelping box anymore. The large wooden box was pretty gross and they wanted to explore. We had cornered off a section of our garage for them. During this time my husband was fixing some decals on his and my sons motorcycles. The motorcycles were placed right next to the, now disgusting, whelping box making a very tightly crowded area. As my husband was getting off the bike he slipped and landed in the whelping box, which was more like a litter box, very gross! Pups were ok--husband was sore & dirty--he discounted the ad he had run and we had them sold within a week!
We are now back to normal with only 4 barking animals. And my husband can tinker in the garage without fear of what he may land in! He threw that whelping box in the back of our trailer to take to the dump--I guess we won't be recycling that one!
Now! I'll just not be afraid, press Publish and Go For It! And--may you "go for it" too in this new year and not be afraid to do something you keep putting off!
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