Project Forgive on the Flip Side

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Please consider making a donation to Shawne's project. Her team is actually fundraising without her knowledge as a birthday present for her. Will you help? See her video here. 

My friend and someone who I have learned a lot from, Shawne Duperon, is starting a new project called Project Forgive. It is a really neat project. It is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ProjectForgive, on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/Project_Forgive and there is an official website: http://forgive.tv/ .

Check it out. YOu will find it inspirational and really blends well with my Flip Side mission. Today I went out of my comfort zone to create a little video blog about Forgiveness. Spoke on the fly. Take a look.
(dedicated to my biggest video fan, CharlieNitric :)

Have you forgiven someone? 

You Saw My Blinker...

It's nice day. The sun is shining. Music is playing. I am on time for my destination.  Traffic is moving smoothly. Then some, we'll just say, impolite driver cuts me off. No biinker. No wave. Just zeeked right in front of me. No, it wasn't a close call accident but rude rode manners. Grrrr.

Another day, I'm running late. I'm a little crabby. My son left his backpack in the car at drop-off.  I'm looping around to take it back to school when a driver in front of me stops to make a left turn with no blinker to alert me to go around but instead backs up traffic. Again, rude rode manner. Hooonnk!

Another occasion, I was driving with my husband to lunch. As he is changing lanes, he says, "Darn it, my blinker is out and people behind me think I'm not using my blinker."  Then he says, "Hey, there's a flip side for you."

Seriously? He's right. We are so quick to judge why people do certain things that we don't consider that there may be a very good reason. My husband said he wouldn't even have known that his blinker was out if his car didn't tell him (another nice feature that my caveman van doesn't have).

So how many people who appear to not use their blinker actually don't even know it is not functioning?Hmmm.  And then, how many of them,  like my husband, have to wait for the part to come in to fix it and still have to drive around without a blinker, ticking people off. Hmmm. Something to think about.

So, when you are driving, contemplate this:

Don't flip them off.....look at the flipside.

On the Fence

Many people are on one side of the fence or the other. Some  of us wonder if its greener on the other side and take a leap of faith to find out. Others of us like to sit on the fence. I am one of those.

Am I uncertain?
Am I indecisive?
Am I uncommitted?

I think sometimes I am all of the above. Mostly, I am someone who likes to listen to both sides and take the information from each side that works for me.

I just I explained to someone that I am not much of a debater.
I call myself a fence sitter. I admit that I veer away from controversy and conflict.  It doesn't mean I don't feel strongly about things but I am always open to hearing another point of view.

It isn't such a bad thing to be "on the fence" once in a while because it means that you are taking a moment to see both sides which will either reaffirm your position or reposition you.
 Being "on the fence"  doesn't mean that you have to climb all the way over but it allows you to see things differently or see something new.

We are products of our environment, our families and our experiences. People influence us daily and have done so our entire lives. I am just noticing how many times I have fought a position that I had because that is what I learned from my parents or another person who influenced me. For instance, going to a chiropractor. I heard time and time again that it is bad for you. Without knowing much about it, I refused to go and tried to fight my case without the knowledge behind it. After years of discomfort and often pain, I opened myself up to understanding it better and learning more about it and found that it has actually helped me feel better.  I fought against it without truly taking the time to understand it better.

Politics are the same way. As we are growing up, we are learning our political views from the people around us. Unless we take the time to really understand both sides, how can we really make a clear choice. No one can really say that one political view is absolutely perfect. Sometimes, I believe, winning seems to be more important to people than being knowledgable about what we are debating about.  It seems to be more important to clash and fight against each other rather than come together for the common good.

Things change. So, what you saw on the other side of the fence some time ago , may have changed since then.

http://www.timsgardencentre.com.

The point is that if you never leave your side of the fence and never take a chance to sit on it once in a while and contemplate the view on both sides,  you might be missing out on a new perspective (or it may confirm the one you already have.)

Are you a fence sitter?

What is Your "Bookprint"?

Have you read something, an article, a story, a quote, that has impacted your life, left a memory or it was just what you needed to read right at that time? I'm sure, for most people, that would be a yes. I read an article on scholastic about just that; You can learn a lot through five stories: A My Bookprint guest post
So, on Flipsidestories Facebook, I posted my 5 books that I think are a part of my imprint.


The first is Boxcar Children. I was a really good reader growing up but later figured out that I had a harder time with comprehension because my mind would and still does, drift. It was very frustrating for me. I never wanted to read. One day I read The Boxcar Children. I loved it. I loved entering a world where the parents we count on aren't there for us and where the siblings had to figure out how to survive alone in the woods. It empowered me to believe I could survive if I needed to. It inspired me to use my creativity to live without our basic needs and necessitates. In adulthood, I carry the closeness of the siblings who took care of one another and I teach my children to take care of each other. Family comes first. I enjoyed the book enough to realize that there are books out there that I CAN read and comprehend.


The next book was Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Eric Carle. It is simply a book I loved while learning to be a teacher. I love the illustrations and how much children love it too. It inspired me to start collecting books and writing for children.

One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength and Personal Growth was a book that got me through a tough time. I was making a major change in my life. I was scared, happy, lonely and confused, to name a few emotions. This book helped me guide those emotions and it gave me power. It made me stronger. It organized my thoughts. I don't even think I made it through the whole forty days. I didn't need to. I actually passed it on to a friend who was also going through a tough time. I told her to pass it on when she was done. 

Left to Tell, the Immaculee Ilibagiza story was one that just stuck in my head. It is an inspirational story of survival under horrendous circumstances. As sad as the story was, it was far more uplifting than you'd think. It put my life in perspective. When I think things are tough, I remember her story or I think of other people who have things much worse. Great story. Gripping.


A Place of Yes, by Bethenny Frankel, is my last story that brings me to date. I liked her from Housewives of New York. Don't judge me by what I watch. I do a lot of analysis when I watch those shows. It is really interesting to see their interactions and what seems so important in their lives. Anyway, I liked Bethenny. She is frank, honest, sassy, sharp, sweet, sensitive and a good business woman. We all assume we know her by watching her show and how it seems like her successes were handed to her. She has an incredible story of survival (not compared to Immaculee Ilibagiza), perseverance, struggle, ambition, rejection and more. It was not handed to her. Her book is filled with inspiration, honesty and empowerment. As I journey into my new authorship and Flip Side Stories as a business, I found that her book empowered me to achieve and be real. I really enjoyed it. I gave it to a friend (www.mollycoddle.com) who I thought would enjoy it. She loved it. She shared it with a friend, too. 




So there you have it. There are so many more books but these are significant times in my life where these books had an impact on me as a person. I'd love to hear what books did that for you. You don't have to go into detail if you don't want to .  Just a list.


What is your book print? I'd love to know. Share in the comments.

Shoely You Know Her

Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

Every shoe has tongue,

Click here to see who's shoes.

They all have a sole.

Every shoe has a heart

And a story to be told.

No matter what they look like

Whether old or new,

They are all quite different

Every single shoe.

Take the time to learn

What they have to say.

A whole different person.

Will be revealed today.

She is really smart.

And a friend indeed.

Sometimes afraid of failure,

But will often take the lead.

She was born on 19 September 1979 and she was nearly twelve when she first attended private school.

She is an overachiever who excels academically, and is "very logical, upright and good". 

Her parents are dentists and are a bit bemused by their odd daughter but very proud of her all the same.

She recalled being called a "little know-it-all" in her youth.

She has a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure. 

She has the ability to retain an encyclopaedic wealth of knowledge.

Her name is derived from William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. 

Her parents liked to prove how clever they are...gave [her] an unusual name that no-one could pronounce. Her original last name was "Puckle". 

She is an only child.

Can you guess who's shoes these are? 

Lights out for Mommy!

No, it's not my birthday but if it was, I'm 21! (wink)

I was feeling guilty not having the time to write on my blog recently. Hey, that's ok. That's real. Be real. this is a repost from a little while ago.

A few weeks ago...

I actually had a pretty crappy day yesterday (at least half the day). Not as crappy as some, I am sure but in my moment in time and space, it, quite frankly SUCKED!

Let's back up a moment to 2 days earlier...

Earlier in the week, a fight broke out, ok a brawl broke out between my daughter and son. I know, you pictured Norman Rockwell here in the Flip Side house. Sorry to burst your bubble.

I broke up the brawl only to have my daughter turn on her heel and tear after my son in a vengeance (much like Voldimort after Harry Potter). She attempted a Karate kid fence post kick which launched her slip on shoe hurdling into the air (yes, I am watching this in slow motion) straight into my, my, (my eyes grew like saucers and if I could have gotten on my knees fast enough to pray...) into my onyx pendant light over my granite counter top.

Literally, as if in slow motion, in unison, I, with my head in my hands and the pendant fell toward earth in silence. I knew what was next. Then the shattering sound of rock hitting rock penetrated the air as muffled shrieks from within my hands followed and then silence.

Exhibit A in front and

Exhibit B in the back

I didn't want to look. My heart broken. I know they are just lights. Just 200 dollar lights that I searched high and low for... I know.

"Sorry mommy?" A questionable sorry as if she knew the her life may be in danger.

I momentarily lost it and decided to leave the light hanging with a giant chip as a reminder to them what their fight caused.

Two days later...

Long and short of it. My son, a big ball, the knowledge that blasting it around the house was unacceptable and the one big, ceiling high bounce that once again happened in slow motion so I could witness it all (but not slow enough to get on my knees and pray). I watched this giant green ball ricochet off my..."NO!"... my, "Please God,  NOOO!"  ( I know, not worth the prayer), another Onyx pendant light.

Rock hitting rock (now a familiar sound). Afraid to look.

I nearly fainted in disbelief. My son nearly did too, like those fainting goats avoiding ensuing danger.

Those lights have been up since 2008 and in one week, two of them kissed granite. I admit it. I cried. Shallow. Material. "How can this happen to me" cry. Then, I came to my senses and realized that it's no big deal really. There are worse things that can happen.

Something good came of it. All three of my kids helped me clean the entire house as a consequence. I mean really clean (to avoid the wrath of mom). This week my husband's word for them was "Accountable". I held them accountable for their actions. Their actions of anger toward each other and disrespect toward rules and others hurt innocent people around them. Ohh, and those poor Onyx pendants. Sniff.

They had to do some work and my son was grounded from his friend coming over (even though his friend was on his way over-embarrassing for both of us). I am usually a softy. But not when I can get my house clean. We all actually enjoyed working together. My oldest actually said he liked it. Amen.

Accountable: be responsible for actions or decisions;

As a parent, if this happened to you, how would you have reacted? 

Launch Weekend!

Launch Weekend! 

See the pictures from the events!

Thanks