my exciting news

I promised you some exciting news, right? I also gave the caveat that it was exciting "TO ME" kind of news.... :)



But I am really excited.........



I love, love, LOVE when people get stuff they want. When people get a new car or a new job or a new home--whatever it is that they've wanted for some time, worked for, and then gotten. It's a beautiful thing and I share in every "get stuff" celebration that I can.



That being said--my professor/editor/ friend (whom I've mentioned in here before) is finally getting his thing. The movie he wrote and starred in is done......almost. They're down to needing their final $15,000 for editing.



And it's a funny thing--my support of this movie, I mean. For the most part, I'm a straight-laced, right-winged, country-lovin', God-fearin' kinda girl. ***This movie is about a vet with post-traumatic stress disorder who believes he's being pinned as a terrorist.*** And yet, I am such a believer in the beauty of the combined word and cinematic style that is "Person Of Interest". Of the voice it gives a very real population. It is, essentially, poetry on screen. I put my money where my mouth was and donated to see this film completed.



So, now I'd ask that you PLEASE take 3 minutes and 9 seconds, have a look at the trailer and see what it's all about....if nothing else, at least watch J. Reuben without his shirt on being the cutie-patootie he is :). And maybe, if you're feeling generous, donate a bit. It's linked to Pay Pal, and even $1 would be genius--I promise.



Thanks ladies! I hope you all get 'stuff' soon so I can celebrate with you too :) Happy Monday to ya!

friday fotos: busier than a one-armed paper hanger

You'd think judging by my lack of posts, I'd had a slow blog week...but actually it was just that my week was sooooo busy, I barely had time to think about my blog (I KNOW!). Ethan's back in school, I'm back in school, Zane's nearly back in school, and Liam starts homeschooling after Labor Day. Throw in a bunch of side projects I have going on, and I find myself doing an awful lot of "serenity now!"-ing.

But, honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. Being busy reminds me that I'm alive, productive, and needed--all good things.

Here's what we've been up to this week :

Ethan walking up to school. I always stay in the van and watch him get clear to the playground...I miss him as soon as he's gone :(.



Liam and James built a fort in the middle of the living room then pimped it out with a DVD player. It stayed up for 3 days, because I'm a firm believer that when kids build a fort--you keep it around!

We had our big adventure at the Fair again! Much easier to take them by myself this year than last. We're practically old pros at doing stuff alone now!....

ummm....James was having some problems with the last 3 on here, but they let us on anyway!

See how happy I am? It's because my hiney fit in the train seat...barely :) ! You can also kind of see my newly red hair. It's subtle..but it makes me not look so pasty!

We had to stop and rest....mostly me rest. I drank a milkshake and 1/2 and then went on a spinny ride. NOT a good combination....just so ya know!
I always make sure we stay until night so I can get a shot like this...

Z ready for his second overnight Boy Scout campout...good thing he had his friend here to help him pack all that stuff on that backpack...I had NO IDEA how to do it :/ .

I'll be back on Monday with some exciting (to me) news! Until then...

~Happy Weekending!~

i've been shot in the head

Any of you who have read my blog for a while will know that I LOVE to have new experiences! As a writer, I am always seeking out opportunities to get out of my comfort zone and learn something new. So, when I meet a person who has "a thing" they like to do....I somehow manage to convince them to teach me about it.

This is my buddy from our church group. We'll call him..... "The Ninja"..... His "thing" is paintballing.

After months of pleading and several large cash transactions, I finally talked him into taking me.

Am I not looking especially **hot** in this tri-colored camo? (and I'm attempting to flex my muscles, although I realize it resembles me having a stomach cramp)


The Ninja let me shoot at trees and water bottles for a while until I got the hang of it...and then the battle began.....

You'll have to trust me that this is me behind the scary robot mask. My hands give me away....

2.3 minutes into our game, the Ninja (claiming it a total accident--whatever) shoots me..........with a pink paintball..........in my head. Yes...MY HEAD!!! All I could think about was: If this was a war, and the paintballs were bullets, I would be really, really, really, really dead right now.

Feeling guilty, the Ninja said he would give me a chance to shoot at him. I guess his plan was to walk a considerable distance away from me, then turn around and tell me to shoot. But, I didn't get that memo. Instead I waited till he was about 12 feet away....

and then I may or may not have ACCIDENTALLY--------------- shot him in the neck.

Because that's the way I roll with my slippery trigger finger.

I'd like to think he'll fondly remember his friend Jennifer P. every time he looks at the scar....

Do you believe me when I say I feel really, really, really, really bad? Or should I just say that's what he deserves for shooting a girl in the head....even if she asks for it? :)

What new experience do you have planned for today?

spilled

So....this is SO not the post I was planning on doing tonight. I wanted to show you pictures of my new barstools and my new shower curtain--easy stuff--and instead I'm sitting here, somewhere between bliss and misery, and needing to write through it all.

It's been nearly a year since my divorce was finalized, and 16 months since we separated. I hardly recognize myself anymore. In some ways that's a good thing. I'm stronger. I'm more confident. I remembered how fun and funny I was. I ride a long board and shoot guns and wear Star Trek shirts. I really do love my life as it is. But, it's still so stinking....unsettled. I don't think I've ever spent this long inching through the dark before. I know that light is at the end....I can feel it....but I still hope I'm going the right way to come out on the bright side.

The main thing is I had tricked myself into thinking things were starting to take on some form of normality again. I could see my future to an extent--who was in it, where I was, what I would be doing. And then....then.....well, it's like when I take a 1/2 hour cleaning up the boys' toys at night. I organize them all into these plastic containers because my kids claim to like things really clean. Then, I go to unload the dishwasher and sweep the floor---and I come back to the playroom, and things are spilled all over again. And I want to go "aaaaaugh! Why did I go through all of that?!?! Why can't you just keep stuff where it's supposed to go?!"

I'm kind of spilled right now. And I want to just stay cleaned up for a while.

All that organizing and planning I did is increasingly gray and fading. God seems to have other things in mind for me....only, as usual, He doesn't seem to want to tell me outright what they are. People I love are sick and dying. My kids, bless their sweet hearts, are quickly figuring out how to exploit all my weaknesses. Distance is becoming too hard. I'm questioning my abilities way more than I should. I feel loved by hundreds of people.... and no one at all.... at the same time.

I guess what I'm hanging onto is a feeling that as goofy as I feel right now, as disconnected, and unsettled, and yes--spilt, that there are some pretty cool things in store for me still. I may not be doing everything I need to right now to find them, but I know I somehow "qualify" for them because of what I've cheerfully endured. And that each time I get spilled, there is a chance to purge out the junk and what isn't needed and only put the good stuff away.

Does that make any sense?

...Because I'm known to ramble....in case you haven't noticed.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Any advice? Any stories? I'm up for it all.

a single mothers guide to vacationing with young children

Remember that vacation we took almost two weeks ago? Yeah...guess it's about time to write something about it! Although this post is a bit tongue in cheek--we really all did have a ***fabulous *** time and are very indebted to our hosts for their overwhelming generosity. Now, may I present....

~A Single Mother's Guide to Vacationing With Young Children by Jennifer P.~:

1. First take them to a place hustling and bustling with city life and activity.....


2. Next, make sure your accommodations aren't too nice. Children on vacation will naturally be a little rough on their environment. Some shabby place like this should be fine.....

And make sure they have lots of tall bar stools on wheels to sit on. Certainly none of them will fall off one and bust their chin open!.....

3. Make sure they're dressed appropriately for the climate. Pajamas, no shoes, sippy cup of kiddie coffee (chocolate milk). Yup. That should do fine!......

4. Make sure you visit lots of places that are umbrella stroller friendly. Like earthquake fissures in the forest.....

and deep sandy beaches....

and unrestored ghost towns with debris-strewn dirt streets.....

and rickety old churches....preferably with lots of stairs.......

and lovely hiking spots!.....(read the sign)




5. Finally, make sure to throw in lots of expensive activities, like rock throwing....



and visits to the community skate park....

And you, too, could produce vacation photos with happy, smiling faces like this.....



In fact one of your children (let's say...the 5 year old) might be so happy that he will actually refuse to be in the picture because he's weeping tears of gratitude and joy for the wonderful vacation and doesn't insist you carry him wherever you go at all.

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I'm just sayin'.... :)

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What's the best place you've ever taken your kids to vacation?

Friday, August 14, 2009

friday fotos: passing the time

It's that time of summer when you wonder how the end of the season is going to swing. We've had some cooler days that have signaled we're at the end, but it could just as easily heat up again and push on for another 6 weeks. We've stayed inside when it's been too hot, and stayed outside for as long as we could on the less-sweltering days---and just kept generally busy!

Here's what we've been up to this week:

Can you see what's in that Magnetix creation? Ethan and Zane designed a "traveling cage" for the gerbil. It took several models to make one that she couldn't escape from!




Lookie! Lookie! It's my new long board! It's like a skateboard that's longer in length, higher, and with sturdier trucks---built for street riding. I haven't been on a skateboard since I was 14, but since my 11 year old has taken an interest in it--I decided to bond with my boy! Got a great deal on this one. I'll have to take a picture of me actually ON it one day....when I look cool enough to be photographed :):

I brought t-shirts home for the boys to decorate. Here's Z putting together his creation. He is a detail-oriented boy like his mama :) ....

J requested that I draw a "hot dog" on his. I don't know if this is what he was expecting, but he loves his "dog on fire" now!

And L did an alien theme with his. Very cute! (the boy and the shirt!)

And as for my plethora of vacation photos....well, we'll just save those for another day :). They could take up a couple of Friday Fotos! In the mean time, go enjoy the more or less heat of wherever you're at!

~Happy Weekending!~

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

when i come back, i come back with a bang!

As I sit here reviewing this day....I have to laugh. At first I thought of the back-to-school stuff I did with my 9 year old. I thought of the awesome strawberry-blueberry smoothie I whipped up in my new blender. I thought of how well my littlest is doing with potty training again now that we're back from vacation and in a familiar place. AND THEN I THOUGHT...... "oh yeah self! Remember how we also got in a car wreck and poisoned ourselves today?!?!" hahahahaha!!!

It's true.

I did that.

Both of that's.

On my way to aerobics class this morning, I was sitting in the turning lane just minding my own business singing along to the Eddie Money song on the radio ("I got 2 tickets to paaaaradise...") when BAM! I feel the back of my van jolt. I look into my rear view mirror and into the very scared eyes of the young man in the black VW behind me. I get out of my van, legs shaky, and motion him to do the same. We both check the bumper of my vehicle and agree that we see no damage (at least I agree. He didn't speak much English. And, no, that's not me making any kind of judgements--that's just how it was). I take down his plate number anyway, and hop back into my van before the light even turns green.

Fast forward to lunch time. 3 out of 4 of the boysquad request pb&j for lunch (the 4th one requested 12 packs of Nemo fruit chews, but, yeah,...no). I whip up the sandwiches, then go to charge my cell phone. I notice the plug is out of the wall, and as I push it back into the socket--I (unknowingly) brush my hand against the Glade scented oil plug-in that resides in the socket above it. As I'm walking back into the kitchen, I notice a rather large glob of yellow stuff on the side of my hand. "Mmmmm....leftover peanut butter" I think---and. lick. it . off. (like any self-respecting, peanut-butter loving mom would do). Except.....kack! gag! ick! bluck! The nasty taste of coagulated cinnamon/nutmeg air freshener is spreading across my tongue and numbing my throat. I can taste it in my brain it's so nasty!!!

After rinsing my mouth out for 5 straight minutes and eating 3 Hershey Kisses trying to make the taste go away, I give up and just wait for it to fade. It's time to leave the house to go get my son's hair cut now anyway. At the salon, I start to feel woozy, then sick, then have to run to the salon bathroom to throw up. Then I call poison control.

"I'm feeling much better now" I tell the lady on the other end (whom I can tell is trying not to giggle at my story). She says it's a good thing I threw up or she would have sent me to a doctor. Then she instructs me to drink milk (or, as I swear I heard her say...'eat ice cream') and go to the doctor if any symptoms return.

My favorite part of the call? Probably also the reason I was feeling so **giddy** amidst the seeming craziness of the day-----um, yeah, the nutmeg/cinnamon stuff was loaded with alcohol---so, I was drunk, kinda.

Hmmmm......Maybe I should start every day with a big old lick off the Glade Plug-In :)?

Friday, August 7, 2009

episode 3: taking the road less traveled

I am so excited to be guest blogging for Jennifer today. Three years ago I started my own blog. I thought for a long time about what I wanted to blog about, but I never could find a blogging rhythm that worked for me. Did I want it to be for family? Friends? Strangers? Did I want to be funny? Insightful? Too many decisions. So instead, my blog became a big filing cabinet for fun ideas I found all over the internet. Projects that I had no time to tackle right now, but if I didn't keep them in one place, I wouldn't be able to find them when I did. And that is how my blog, Be Different...Act Normal came to be.
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But every once in a while I get a hankering to blog about something else. And a couple of weeks ago was one of those times. About 2 seconds after I talked myself out of posting it, I found Jennifer’s post about a guest blogger. So I jumped at the chance.
My senior year in HS, I was in the running, along with 4 other students, to be the class Valedictorian. (If you check the spelling or grammar of this post too closely, you may not believe that statement).

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Half way through my senior year I was quickly on my way to getting a B in AP Spanish. I will spare you the details of my teenage emotions that accompanied that event, but needless to say, I was pretty upset. After some thought, I ended up dropping AP Spanish and taking a drama course. A ‘B’ in AP Spanish was equal to an A in any regular elective course. I could work my butt off trying to get another B in Spanish, or I could do pretty much nothing and get an A in Drama.

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Now, you could look at that and say that I quit. I gave up. I took the easy way out. And I did. I chose the path of least resistance, but I believe I am actually better for it.
I had to make a choice. And choices are really all that we have in this life. I chose to enjoy my last semester of high school instead of stressing about studying for another AP test. My dream of being the Valedictorian was already lost, so I changed my course. Instead of being devastated, I set new goals. That year I played Jo in Little Women. That experience is one of my fondest high school memories.

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I have found, even as an adult, that allowing myself to choose the path of least resistance, without guilt, has changed my life. Sometimes I just put my daughter’s hair in a bun instead of combing out the tangles. For my sons 8th birthday he had his first store bought cake. I made the choice to give him a sane mommy for his birthday instead. I even blog about other people’s crafts so I don’t have to make crafts of my own.

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My daughter’s tangle free hair and my son’s homemade cakes aren’t going to be my fondest memories. They aren’t going to make me a better person. They aren’t going to bring my family happiness. And more and more I have found that sometimes what may seem like the easy way out is actually the road less traveled.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

episode 2: if this doesn't make you laugh--you're made of stone, honey!

Aubrey is one of my favorite bloggers ever. She ALWAYS makes me laugh in her "I'm on the verge of losing it" kinda way. Thanks so much for making me laugh Aubrey--and one day when you get your childless, dream house, I promise to come cry with you because you'll want all those destructrive little bodies to come back and give it a good messing-up :)

I never thought I’d ever get to guest post for anyone, so I’m trying really hard to play it cool.

And I tried to muster some wits, but I’m afraid most of them abandoned ship a long time ago. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity Jennifer!

I have three and a half kids. They’re nuts. They get it from their father. Even the unborn one is constantly moving 90 miles an hour—more frequently than his siblings ever did. Chaos is constantly erupting. I’m pretty sure their main goal in life is send me to the loony bin so they don’t have to change my diapers when I’m old. Little do they know it is just that revenge that keeps me barely on this side of sanity.

However, they know my weak spot. It’s the house. They’re bent on destroying the house. Sometimes it’s little trickles and some days, it’s massive destruction where I am sure they’re recruiting toys and books from their friends, because no way have we acquired that much stuff.

Then, of course, there are the days they decide that non-toy entities are all of sudden free game. Those are my favorite.

Like eggs.
And a full pitcher of grape juice.
Look, the culprit is thirsty.


And sticking utensils in empty milk jugs at dinnertime when Mom's not looking.
I guess we have too many forks.

And then. there's the baby powder artwork that probably gave us all asthma, including the vacuum.



The entire bottle of soy sauce in the carpet equated the removal of the hall carpet. (Just so you know, for future reference, because I know I'm not alone in this parenting game, it actually didn’t soak through to the pad and through to the floor underneath like I was sure it was.) That one was compliments of private enemy #1, a.k.a. Mr. Destructo.


And would someone please remind me not to buy the ultra-mega-huge rolls of Charmin? Once they get unrolled by the 2-year-old sidekick, it’s impossible to re-roll them because they just. don’t. fit. Most of the time, we’re pulling scraps out of a basket.

Sometimes they don’t stick to making messes, but do things like turn the fridge to it’s coldest setting so the carrots freeze (but our drinks were nice and frosty), or flip the switch in the furnace room so we think the only-three-years-old air conditioner is broken on the hottest weekend in July (did I mention I'm carrying extra, moving, weight and always overheated?!).

Don’t get me started on the newish couch. I honestly thought I wouldn’t have to wash the slipcovers that much.

I’ve had to ration myself to once a month, or to leaky diaper and red Crystal Light spill emergencies. And it’s never just one or two cushions, oh no—thanks to the scientific phenomenon called splattering, it’s always the whole entire thing. Did I mention my children are very thorough?

One thing I would like to know is how ‘Let’s pick up,’ is interpreted as, ‘Hurry and get out more and spread it farther!’

I believe I lose more battles than I win, but their father, the Sergeant General who believes in corporal punishment—or at least prolonged corner cell jail time—thinks we’ll win the war yet. Every day I lament that our house will never be clean again. I’m glad he’s optimistic at least. But then, they listen to him.

One day this dream may come true:

Meanwhile, this is my reality. Though I probably wouldn't trade it for anything.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

guest blog episode 1: on friendship

I am soooo grateful to have Angie from Seven Clown Circus as my first official guest blogger! She's this cute, creative, hip mom who isn't afraid to admit she's had trials, but doesn't let them overwhelm her. She's always been a great commenter and even sends me an email when she wonders if I'm feeling more than what I'm saying. I'm honored to have her as a (blog) friend and loved reading through her thoughts on friendship. Hope you will too!



I've been thinking about friends frequently lately. As we've moved to a new location and my children are branching out and making new friends, I'm reminded of the friends that have paraded through my life.
I'm reminded of the things we did together, the things we had in common, the things I liked about them, the things I didn't. I recall when and how the friendships were made......how long they lasted. Why they ended. If they ended. I ponder the healthy friendships and the not so healthy ones.
I've come to the conclusion that it has taken the span of my life of trial and error to find and appreciate and cherish my true friends. And that scares me a little bit as I watch my children embark on the friendship journey.
I've seen my children pick and chose their friends....or have their "friends" pick and chose them. I've loved some of their friends, and some--not so much. I've seen the gentle kindness shown by some of their friends, and have felt my heart swell as if that kindness was shown to me. I've seen my children hurt by friends and wanted to cry with them as they tried to work through the why's and how's. I've wanted to pull my hair out in frustration when they've persisted in going back for more. I've tried to help my children chose good friends, but there is only so much I can do.
I hate that. I want to spare them the heartache that inevitably comes when a friend doesn't turn out to be who we thought they were. But I can't.
I want to make sure that they are good friends to others. I wish that I could insure that they never hurt others, and that they had the maturity and foresight to steer clear of the unfair give and take that can exists in some "friendships".
Since I've had a hard time navigating this path on my own though, I'm not silly enough to think I can do this for my children.
I just WISH. I. COULD.
I guess I just have to learn from my experiences and hope that my children are much smarter than I've proven to be and that they align themselves with good people, like I now try to do.
I have some really exceptional friends, some in-person, and some I've never even met. Some astound me with their depth and generosity and spirituality and intelligence. Those are the friends I like to align myself with.
What about you? What character traits are most important to you in a friend?

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