Short and sweet as I slip back in to the real world, after putting together an elementary school yearbook, making sure my daughter and her friends pulled off their song at the talent show, and assisting my child with the building of the Mission of Santa Cruz.
I am going to post a Millie version of Haiku. I was just thinking...wouldn't it be fun to post a Haiku, using only 2 5-syllable words and 1 seven-syllable word? I'm sure it's been done before, but I'd never thought to try it...
So here's what I came up with...
Cannibalism
Individualistic
Ingurgitation
Okay, so it's probably only funny to me : ) I can appreciate that.
A to Z Challenge
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Review: The Written
You can find The Written here.
I started this book ages ago. Then things got busy, you know NaNoWriMo, Christmas, paying taxes, kids, heck life. So it sat in my kindle half-read for quite some time. I recently have been working on my daughter's school yearbook. I've gone through so many pictures my eyes started watering and I couldn't distinguish a first grader from a sixth grader and decided to take a break. So, I finally finished reading The Written, by Ben Galley.
This story is Ben's first, but I know there's another just waiting to be loaded into my kindle. I'm looking forward to returning to the world of Emaneska to find out how the story will mature and to see if Ben's writing also matured. I really enjoyed this action packed fantasy novel. The story is unique and powerful, the characters are fully fleshed and come alive. I really wanted to give it five stars, but there were a few things that kept me from doing so. Nothing major, so it still receives a 3 1/2 to 4 star rating from me. I'm so wishy washy I can't decide which to give it. One more edit, with a little heavier red pen and this would deserve the full five stars! I felt like there were times when four or five words could've been taken out and replaced with just one. And some just didn't need to be there at all. I know, picky picky. It's just that with a story of this magnitude, those extra little words make it drag a little. But here's the deal, I did enjoy the story, and I do want to read more. That's all a person needs to know, right?
I won't bore you by rehashing what it's about. If you like magic, DRAGONS, and lots of action and suspense, go see if it's your cup of tea!
Monday, April 8, 2013
I'm so slacking...
You may be wondering where I've been. I've not been kidnapped. I've not gotten lost out in the woods, all alone, and had to try to follow breadcrumbs home. I've not been in a coma for the past month. I've been slacking. But, only with my writing. All things writing have sadly had to take a back seat.
March and April just about kill me. I create my daughter's elementary school yearbook. I could work on it all year, but then it'd drive me crazy for a whole year, instead of just a couple months (so I put it off till the last minute). I don't do it entirely on my own, but I do the majority of the work. That includes taking pictures of events, begging other parents and teacher's for copies of their pictures, going through all the pictures and picking the best to use, resizing pictures, renaming pictures (if I've received them from kind folks who title all their photos with really long names), uploading pictures to the yearbook software, and so on. I'm in crunch time now...two weeks till the deadline.
On top of that, my daughter is in fourth grade, and has her California Mission project to finish. The writing portion for her is easy, done. Lucky me, she inherited some writing ability. But, we have a model to make. So, this week is finish Mission Santa Cruz.
Add to that the talent show this week. And, yup, Sierra is in it. She is singing never fully dressed without a smile with a few of her friends. Too darn cute! That means 3 nights of this coming week are shot.
So, I'll keep trying to sneak a post in here or there. Just know, I'm still alive, though my sanity is only so-so.
Monday, March 18, 2013
My top ten movies...that's really difficult to choose. I know once I publish it, I'll think of another that I would choose instead. But, off the top of my head, which is still reeling from the greenish festivities of yesterday, here's my list.
1. Raider's of the Lost Ark
2. Willow
3. The Princess Bride
4. Wizard of Oz
5. The Lord of the Rings
6. Dead Poet's Society
7. A Christmas Story
8. Star Wars
9. 300
10. A Knight's Tale
Well there you have it. I know these films generally aren't the critics choices, but what can I say. Generally I like films that either make me laugh, take me to another world, or keep me on the edge of my seat with lots of action.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Flash Fiction - A woman knows
Today, I thought I'd share a little seventy five word story, hope you enjoy!
“I’m not surprised. I knew this day would come.”
“You knew? How? I was so careful.”
“A woman always knows when her man is cheating…”
He chewed his lower lip. “Honey, your just imagining things.”
“Should have told her not to call the house…she left a message. You didn’t pay her last week.”
He cringed. “God, no! It isn’t what you think.”
She smirked, “So how many boxes of Girl Scouts cookies did you buy?”
“I’m not surprised. I knew this day would come.”
“You knew? How? I was so careful.”
“A woman always knows when her man is cheating…”
He chewed his lower lip. “Honey, your just imagining things.”
“Should have told her not to call the house…she left a message. You didn’t pay her last week.”
He cringed. “God, no! It isn’t what you think.”
She smirked, “So how many boxes of Girl Scouts cookies did you buy?”
Monday, March 4, 2013
Teaching Respect - Part One
Okay, so what do I have to bring to the table as someone who would write about parenting? Nothing but my own humble opinion. I am fortunate to be a stay at home/work from home mom. Because of that, I have spent many hours involved in my daughter's schools and outside activities. I helped a friend run a very large girl scout troop for many years. Just like most everyone else in this world, I have two eyes and two ears and I observe.
As I was plopping myself into bed last night, I started thinking about mommyisms, which can be daddyisms too, I am not thinking these are things only for mom to take care of, nosiree! It's just that these are my opinions - so my mommyisms. There are things that I notice watching and interacting with the kids at my daughter's school. These things I've been noticing for years, but it seems to me they are worsening. Somehow, parents are seriously falling down on the job, in my humble opinion and missing out on teaching their children about respect.
Respect, to me, is a huge topic with many facets, today I only want to tackle how children talk to their parents. This is where learning respect starts. If you have no respect for your parents, why should you respect any other person?
I once witnessed the most adorable little girl at the park turn into a little banshee of a beast. She sat in the swing, legs pumping, her mother pushing her from behind. Mom stood chatting with her friend, while pushing her daughter. The little girl decided she'd had enough and said, "I'm done. Stop pushing me." Her mom, engaged in conversation didn't hear and gave another little shove. That little towheaded cherub turned her head around, scrunching her face into the ugliest gargoyle grimace and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Stop pushing me! I told you to stop!"
My jaw dropped. This little tyke looked to be around 4 years old. I couldn't imagine any of my children EVER screaming at me, unless they were hurt or scared. The mom, still in conversation with her friend, stopped the swing, and let the child run off to play. No words of admonishment, no look of horror, nothing. It dawned on me that this is an everyday occurrence for this family.
Watching that unfold before me, I felt saddened. This little girl never said please, never said thank you, and screamed at her mother! How will she behave with her teachers? How will she talk to other children's parents when she is allowed to visit at their homes?
This is just one example. I see it all the time, children bossing their parents around and parents blithely obeying their child's demands, or looking embarrassed by their child's behavior but not doing anything about it. You are not their friend, you are their parent! Take charge and teach them a valuable life lesson.
I dunno, maybe it's just me, and I've already become an old fuddy duddy. Back in my day, (Yikes, I am getting old) I would never have raised my voice to my parents, and not because I feared a belt to my backside either. It was just something taught, something expected. Respect is a retro concept that I would love to see come back in fashion.
I have two daughter's that are now college age. You know that old "Ugh, teenagers," thing that lots of people say, with a roll of their eyes? I never felt that way about them. Not to say we always see eye to eye, or have our disagreements, but they are never sassy with me. Or, if they forget themselves and start with words or tone of voice I find objectionable, all I have to ask is, "Who are you talking to like that? I'm pretty sure you didn't just speak to your mom like that." Every time, they get a sheepish look and apologize. They have a boundary, and realize when they cross it. Now, this goes both ways. As a parent, I do not use a snotty tone of voice with them, nor do I yell at them. I expect them to treat me similarly to how I treat them, with love and respect.
As I was plopping myself into bed last night, I started thinking about mommyisms, which can be daddyisms too, I am not thinking these are things only for mom to take care of, nosiree! It's just that these are my opinions - so my mommyisms. There are things that I notice watching and interacting with the kids at my daughter's school. These things I've been noticing for years, but it seems to me they are worsening. Somehow, parents are seriously falling down on the job, in my humble opinion and missing out on teaching their children about respect.
Respect, to me, is a huge topic with many facets, today I only want to tackle how children talk to their parents. This is where learning respect starts. If you have no respect for your parents, why should you respect any other person?
I once witnessed the most adorable little girl at the park turn into a little banshee of a beast. She sat in the swing, legs pumping, her mother pushing her from behind. Mom stood chatting with her friend, while pushing her daughter. The little girl decided she'd had enough and said, "I'm done. Stop pushing me." Her mom, engaged in conversation didn't hear and gave another little shove. That little towheaded cherub turned her head around, scrunching her face into the ugliest gargoyle grimace and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Stop pushing me! I told you to stop!"
My jaw dropped. This little tyke looked to be around 4 years old. I couldn't imagine any of my children EVER screaming at me, unless they were hurt or scared. The mom, still in conversation with her friend, stopped the swing, and let the child run off to play. No words of admonishment, no look of horror, nothing. It dawned on me that this is an everyday occurrence for this family.
Watching that unfold before me, I felt saddened. This little girl never said please, never said thank you, and screamed at her mother! How will she behave with her teachers? How will she talk to other children's parents when she is allowed to visit at their homes?
This is just one example. I see it all the time, children bossing their parents around and parents blithely obeying their child's demands, or looking embarrassed by their child's behavior but not doing anything about it. You are not their friend, you are their parent! Take charge and teach them a valuable life lesson.
I dunno, maybe it's just me, and I've already become an old fuddy duddy. Back in my day, (Yikes, I am getting old) I would never have raised my voice to my parents, and not because I feared a belt to my backside either. It was just something taught, something expected. Respect is a retro concept that I would love to see come back in fashion.
I have two daughter's that are now college age. You know that old "Ugh, teenagers," thing that lots of people say, with a roll of their eyes? I never felt that way about them. Not to say we always see eye to eye, or have our disagreements, but they are never sassy with me. Or, if they forget themselves and start with words or tone of voice I find objectionable, all I have to ask is, "Who are you talking to like that? I'm pretty sure you didn't just speak to your mom like that." Every time, they get a sheepish look and apologize. They have a boundary, and realize when they cross it. Now, this goes both ways. As a parent, I do not use a snotty tone of voice with them, nor do I yell at them. I expect them to treat me similarly to how I treat them, with love and respect.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Mommy daughter dolphin date
I shared with you Sierra's special weekend with her dad. Well, I thought I'd just pop up a couple photos of something special Sierra and I did last Friday.
The Six Flags near us, in Vallejo, California, has a dolphin experience. I'd been wanting to get Sierra over there for some time, but it just never happened. They offered season pass holders a 1/2 deal. So, for two for the price of one, we both got to enjoy a magical afternoon with two special dolphins, Bodie and Cortez.
That beaming smile warms my heart.
I even got a little kiss. How lucky am I?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)