The Kids are Back in School

First Day of School with Mom! My babies.

My kids started school this week. It becomes a bit of a panicky time for me. I get a little crabby (rowwl), a little weepy (sniff) and a little excited (squeal).

Notice it says "flip". :)

It is my job to teach my kids responsibility and accountability. I took them school shopping to help pick out their school supplies.

Oh, the fun for them as they toss supplies into the basket like they've won a free shopping spree. I hear "Can I have this? Can I have that? I NEED this. So and so has that."

I am bombarded by lists and office supplies and art supplies and voices (some high pitched whines. Because that works? I think not) and background noise of the store. Great for my ADD. i want to run to the clothes section for ME and get swallowed up by the racks and disappear. I hold strong and stay calm.

The weekend before school starts, we drag out all of the supplies and begin to sort them. Again, it is easier to do it myself but the teacher in me says there is a lesson in here somewhere. Another voice says insanity is sure to follow.

School supplies are strewned wall to wall and now mixed up because I have misplaced their lists. Note to self, don't start project without all ingredients laid out. Disaster is imminent.

Now they are old enough to pack lunches. Teaching moment, right? But it's easier if I do it myself but we must teach independence. The mess comes first then hopefully the ability to care for themselves comes later (sooner than later).

Backpacks are packed, endless notes and information cards are signed and checks (all their college money) are made out to someone named Holy Name. Breathe.

Kids are off to bed while it is still light, dragging their feet trying to make summer last but one minute more. That would be that minute that I mentioned in previous posts that I don't love about being a mom.

One of our favorite books.

Get to bed! Get to bed! Get to bed!  GET TO BED! Before they put me in a straight jacket or your father hears that one more time and makes it his mission save mom from being taken away leaving him to be the sole caregiver.

I try to stay calm and loving so they will have a perfect first day of school.  Perfect is relative. Our perfect includes a little bit of a crazy mom. They scramble when it appears the paddy wagon is coming for me.

Then I spend the rest of the evening getting a special breakfast ready, tying up loose ends and laying out clothes to make the morning routine go smoothly (I know, the clothes,  another teaching moment- tomorrow). I am always hopeful I can make this a common routine but it usually wanes after a week or so. Ok, after a couple of days.


Today is the third day of school and it is a full day for everyone. I dropped off all three of them and watched them walk into the school all by themselves. My little Kindergartener walked in ahead of the other two with his backpack on his back, faded into a pack of kids, turned the corner to his classroom and never looked back. The other two (second and third grade) repeated the same turning the opposite way to their classrooms. I was left at the outside door by myself wondering if they will be ok and more so, will I be ok?

Is There A FLip Side?

I am home now. Do you hear that? Silence except the fish tank burbling, the breathing dogs and....and.....what's that? Ahhhhhh-ahhhhh-ahhhhhh. Choirs of angels singing. I am free. Cause I'm free to do what I want,  any old time. For the first time in 8 years, I have a full day to do whatever I want.

Guess what I am doing today? Lunch duty!!! hahahahahahahaha!

(I do have a mani-pedi later too)

Daddy walking with Kindergartener. 

Leave a comment to let me know you visited! Thanks!

Guess Who Walks in this Shoe!

Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

click this link to see who this is.

Every shoe has tongue,

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.

He fights the tabloids who print the lies.

On each and every page.

He's like a bottle of good wine.

He gets better with age.

 In middle school, he developed Bell's palsy, a debilitating condition that partially paralyzes the face.  His left eye would close and he was unable to eat or drink properly, earning the nickname Frankenstein.

The United Nations awarded him with the 'Messenger of Peace' in January 2008 in recognition of his efforts with regard to the Darfur crisis.

He lived in his friend's walk-in closet for a year. Now he lives alone in an 8 bedroom Tudor home. 

In 1979, he played basketball with the Kentucky Basketball team. 

He offered $1 million dollars towards hurricane relief and donated his Oscar gifts to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims. 

And, like a good wine....

Click the picture of the shoe above to reveal who it is. Make a guess first below before you look. 

Let me know what you've been here by leaving a comment or a reaction below. Thanks! :) 

A Mirage, A Memory

Olympic Mountain Range

  

Today as I spent many a moment reflecting on my day while driving,

I found myself at the peak of a path toward home.

There I saw a majestic sight which always takes my breath away.

There, beyond the shoreline, across the Sound, 

       lay the mountains they call Olympics.

I saw the road which leads to the tree tops and points toward one

             of the prouds of the Pacific North West.

Mount Rainier playing peek-a-boo.

I scanned the horizon in hopes to catch a glimpse of the grandest

            of grand mountains.

Grand Rainier plays hide and seek today, as it is one of its favorite sports.

My eyes return to the breathtaking view ahead.

Olympic Mountain Range

The powder-blue sky embraces the white peaks which flow into the pale blue water.

The pale-blue pours over blending into the distant blue-grey shoreline.

Which is framed by the green tips of the pines. 

You could swear the tree tops had a drip of blue on them as though

           they had been the paintbrushes that shaded the horizon. 

As I descend down the asphalt way. 

The panorama of picturesque beauty dips below the skyline and soon 

           reappears as I soar anxiously toward the untouchable. 

This sight is but a vision, an illusion which makes my soul smile. 

It is the shades and shapes which make up the view I see. 

I have been to this place and I have captured its image like photographs in an album.

It appears in many forms and conjures many feelings. 

Today, I drove toward those mountains and reflected on my memories.  

Today I traveled far. 

Ok, not camping but close
enough. They were nasty.
Took Nyquil to sleep.

Now let me tell you about this piece. My sister lived in Seattle for many years and I would go and visit her. I love the Pacific Northwest (minus the rain and slugs) It is one of the most breathtaking places I've been. When Mount Rainier decides to show itself, it is almost spiritual. August is the best time to visit Seattle. I have been on Mount Rainier and I have camped on Mt. St. Helen. Eesh. I have climbed through the lava tubes and tree roots that the lava burned out. That is a must if you visit the West.

These are the lava tubes. They
are tree root systems burned out
by the lava. You can crawl all
the way through them. So cool.

With all of my trips out there, I have captured photos in my mind that I carry with me always. One day while i was driving home down a road I've driven thousands of times, I noticed something spectacular. My mind played tricks on me. As I reached the top of a hill on the road, I could see over the tree tops. There in front of me were cloud formations that miraged views of the Pacific Northwest. It was just as I described. The clouds formed mountain peaks and formed shorelines.  It was truly amazing. I could have sat there and imagined for hours that I was there. I came home and wrote about it.

I have always seen things slightly different than others. I see things within things. That is why I like photography. I have even photographed a book series for children that would even make you see things differently. I should actually make an e-book out of it. It would be great for that.

So the next time you are driving or walking or riding or whatever you are doing, take a closer look at what is around you. YOu might see something in a little different way...a new perspective.



I'd love your feedback or just let me know who has stopped by by leaving a hello comment or a response below. If you share it, let me know so I can send thanks.  :)

All That and a Bag of School Supplies

So it is that time of the year to gather the kids,  pile into the minivan and hit the malls, Target, Sport Authority and everything in between to gather school supplies, new clothes, new shoes, sports equipment and everything in between.

Our kids are getting older and older. Deep Sigh. Which means we are getting older and older. Deep Sigh. Cough. They are becoming a reflection of our fleeting young selves, though inside we still feel like that young care-free youth craning our necks at a good-looking passerby. Ouch, my neck.

My kids are still very little but now they are ALL school-age. The first time in 8 years, I will have a full day to myself to work, to clean, to shop (much to my husband's chagrin), to have lunch with gal-pals and everything in between.

Do you hear that? The choirs of angels singing?

I have loved every minute of being home with my kids....ok, not every minute, but I wouldn't trade it for a minute (except the minute I didn't love, then I'd trade that minute).

My friend on the other hand has an older daughter that puts us (she and I) to shame in a bikini. I even wanted to throw a towel around her at the pool the other day. Not to hide her from boys but so no one would compare her to me. Jeez.

My friend enlightened me with her trip to the mall for school shopping. Something I had never contemplated before. As they walked through the mall, my friend noticed boys, men and those in between, throwing glances their way. My friend's inner youth strutted by feeling like "all that and a bag of chips" only to realize that their eyes weren't leering at her but gazing at her daughter who was naively unaware.

What the h@## are you looking at? Obviously, not me anymore. They are looking at my daughter. After a moment of disappointment and realization, mother hen emerged. "Pull that down." and "Cover that up." "Let's go!"

It was a moment of realizing "they aren't looking at me anymore," to "holy crap, they are checking out my little girl." What do you do with all that?

Before we realize it, we are on the flip side. The side our parents were on when we thought we'd never be on that side. We can do all we want to hide it, change it, disguise it and defy it but it is going to happen even we make ourselves look like a 70 year old Barbie that melting in the sun. I am not saying I wouldn't do anything extreme to stop the aging process. I dye my hair, I lather on creams, I stay out of the sun and everything in between. I have not yet done anything severe (yet?).

My hope is to grow old gracefully. I think the better you feel about yourself and the life you are living, it shows everywhere else. I couldn't be happier where I am and who I am with and all that I am doing so I believe that shows.


Through confidence and role modeling, I will teach my children to walk tall and be proud of who they are and who they grow up to be. My daughter watches my every move so I have to be careful what she is picking up from me but I also have to be who I am and be honest with her and myself (along with a bottle of hair dye).

Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.  ~Martin Buxbaum




Comments and/or reactions much appreciated!!

Fight for our Little Girls

In 2009, my friend and I made the commitment to walk 60 miles in three days in a race for the cure for cancer. My friend is a survivor of breast cancer and my hero. If she did it, I could do it. So we trained for over 500 miles through rain, sleet, snow, heat and weekend fun to prepare as the Lovely Bunch of Coconuts for the race for a lifetime. It was the ultimate experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. It built a strong relationship between us and a greater awareness of the fighters and those who lost the fight and the loved ones left behind. As sad as it sounds, it is the most invigorating, challenging, emotional, exciting, inspiring experience I have ever had.

I could have done without the tents which are hot in the day, cold and wet in the night and very small. Oh, and the tenters around you that didn't read the rules or etiquette for tenting and awoke in the wee hours of morning answering LOUD phone calls. Really? Is your tent made of wood or leaking water like mine. WE CAN HEAR YOU!

And some girls next to us who thought other things were going on in our tent as our fans vibrated through the night. Yikes. FANS! Only fans, really.

I can't forget the snorers and those who had too many beans for dinner. All of which makes you laugh and giggle. We wore earplugs by suggestion of the veterans.

The food... so good. Though I am not a picky eater. I just love to eat anything and everything. Every two miles there was food and drink like a convenience store. For the first couple of stops, we loaded up our fanny packs (cool fanny packs-I think) thinking this was the last of the food for....two miles.  Yay! MORE food! You don't lose weight on the walk. You gain weight. You might lose your feet in the end, though.

I could go on and on but the video will give you a longer than you probably want, glimpse into the event. This is the shorter version, too. You'll see each day, each tent, all the food, the friends we had, the friends we made, our families and the finale.

I post this in honor of the Michigan 3 Day Breast Cancer walk going on this weekend. Walk on Girls (and boys-there are some).  I honor the ladies I walked with who fought the fight and won and for my friends who didn't win but fought like a champs. I especially honor a friend, Katy, who we walked with and fought the fight and won and is being challenged again with another bout of breast cancer. Kick it's a@# Katy and we will do the walk again!



For the survivors, for the fighters, for those we've lost,  for our children and for a future without breast cancer. For our little girls.

Is there a Flip Side? Yes, not helping in the fight to cure a horrible disease that afflicts way to many of the people we love. God Bless.

Running

Running

We run, not away

from   and   not to

anywhere special. We

share the surrounding

space  with  our every

tread,  our  every stride.

Our  rhythmic  breath

enters  our  being  cool

and  escapes  in a puff

of warmth.   Our soles 

pull the earth,  the 

resistance  grows

stronger yet our

spirit becomes

satisfied. Our

goal is mutual,

to accomplish,

to feel free. 

A.Housey

1997

 I wrote this poem when a friend and I started running together. I had never been able to run and I'd even had dreams about not being able to run from someone. It was something that bothered me. I came across an article about how to start running. It was one of those run a minute, walk a minute and continue to increase every week. I thought I would do exactly what it said and see if it worked and it did. What an accomplishment. As a bonus, one of my best friends was my running buddy and we had a blast doing it. 

6 Word Sum Up

Empowering Rules that are Inspiringly Frank-el.

A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel

Recycled Bad News Beads- A Flip Side Project

Are you sick of bad news? Is it hard to find something uplifting and creative to read in the newspaper? Well, I have an idea for you and your kids (and you will enjoy it just as much as your kids).

This the flip side to bad news.... Recycled Bad News Beads!

What you need: sheets of newspaper or magazine toothpicks glue scissors Ruler pencil nylon thread or cord Here's what to do: 1. Mark the top of the newspaper or magazine at 1" intervals all the way across. 2. Then mark the other side, beginning 1/2" from the edge and continue to mark 1" intervals on this side, all the way across. 3. Draw lines connecting the mark at the top to the marks at the bottom creating long triangles. 4. Cut out the triangles on the lines. 5. Lay the triangle down with the wide end nearest you. Lay the toothpick on the wide end and begin to roll it on the toothpick. 6. Then glue inside strip. Wind up until point is securely glued. The point should be in the middle of the bead. 7. Remove toothpick and let bead dry. 8. Make about 10 beads. 9. Thread beads onto a piece of nylon thread or cord. Tie ends. 10. Wear as a necklace!