Balance

I've been having a bit of an internal tug of war lately.

I've been feeling a bit guilty about the amount of time I spend writing this blog about my family (and reading other blogs) versus the time I spend, you know... spending time with my family.

I purposefully took a little break from both (a little cold turkey), and found that once the cycle was broken, I didn't feel the need to keep up with all the blog reading I had set up for myself. I had a bit of withdrawal, but I think I am able to go back now, and pick and choose from among the few dozen blogs I liked to peruse and pare down my list to a choice few.

I also learned to forgive myself for not blogging every single week. Or twice a week, for that matter, as I had been trying to do. In my internet wanderings I once found a badge you could put on your blog that said "Guilt Free Blog" showing your determination to not allow your blog to take over your life; not to feel bad if you don't constantly blog. I never put that badge up but I think I can live by that principle and write when it gives me pleasure or I feel so inspired.

I know it dismays the Grandmas when there is a big lag between grandchildren reports. And I know some folks who pop in daily to see if I've written a new post might wander away with boredom if I have long lags (I hope you folks will discover feed readers instead!). On the other hand, it pleases the hubby to have me hang out and watch a movie with him instead of using free evening time to write and photoshop. And perhaps adding other activities into my life might be beneficial. Yoga has piqued my interest lately.

On the other other hand, I have about a thousand photos waiting to be imported, culled and filed. Which actually gives me pleasure when I sit down and do it.

So, I have been thinking a lot about, and trying to achieve, some balance.

Anyway... I haven't abandoned you! I will come in, sometimes daily, sometimes weekly, sometimes every 20 days... but I will keep on posting. I just won't let this blog, which has given me a lot of pleasure, become a tedious job.

So, there.

(grin... wink!)

And on that note, I leave you with the easiest of blog material ever... (which maybe I should use more often since it is so full of grandma-pleasing-goodness) VIDEO! Video of me just sitting down with my kids and seeing what they do. Nothing hysterical... just day in the life.





Okay, Mom. Feelin' better now? ;^P

25 Things

Over on facebook, there is a wave of people doing a "25 Random Things About Me" meme, and I have been having so much fun reading all my friends' lists. Most of them have tagged me since you are "supposed" to tag 25 people. I often ignore this kind of peer pressure, but I could use some blog fodder, and I figured if I am going to write that much about myself, I am sure as heck going to make it a blog post!

The rules are to write 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. Hmmm...

Okay, lets see how this goes.

1) I got this far and ended for the night.

2) I was born in Findlay, Ohio but now live in San Diego. I first moved to CA when I was 18 to visit my friend Cathy, and moved out here about a year later. I have since moved back and forth about 8 or 10 times, probably because I miss my family in Ohio so much and love the land, the weather and culture here in California.

3) I have a mom and a dad and one brother. My parents live in Sanibel Island, FL most of the year now, but still have their house in Findlay. My brother lives outside of Cleveland with his wife, son and daughter. I also have a Japanese exchange-student sister who never really went home after her year with us, who lives in NYC now and is a painter. And I have Bill, who is like a brother/uncle to me. He lived in our house for most all of my life, and has always been part of our family. He still lives in our house in Findlay, and holds down the fort while my parents go off and play in Florida. These people are my family.

4) My husband's family is pretty awesome and I am thrilled that I like them so much. His parents are loving and so generous with their time, resources and love. His brother and sister are amazing people who I would actually love to be friends with and hang out with, even if I had never met their brother.

5) My mom is a genealogist and has traced many lines of our family tree, one of them back to (I think) the year 400. Some of my mom's lines have been here in America for 400 years, and my dad's parents came here as immigrants. I am related to lots of odd people from history, including Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor. But you know what? You probably were, too.

6) I am madly in love with my three sons. We only planned for two, and the twins were a shock, but I can't imagine not having them in my life.

7) Even so, I am really disappointed I will never have a daughter.

8) My husband, Michael, is the best thing that EVER happened to me. He is 7 years younger than me, and I didn't meet him until I was almost 30. I joke that I waited so long to get married because I had to wait for the perfect man to grow up. He is handsome and kind, patient, respectful, he can cook, do the laundry, fix the car and the computer, and is an amazing parent. He is everything I ever wanted in a partner.

9) I believe that "thoughts are things". Some people call it prayer, some call it meditation, some call it positive thinking... but I believe that whatever you think gives power to make things happen. It won't MAKE things happen, but it will give power to it. I once sat down and got quiet and focused, and I asked the universe to send me the perfect man for me, and I described him down to the smallest detail. Then I asked for him to be sent to me, said "Thank You" and patiently waited and trusted that he would come. I met him two weeks later. He is my husband, Michael. I have used that trick when I really need and desire things in my life. It works. A lot.

10) I have always had a driving need to create art but have never been that talented in the actual creation of it. This is why I think I love working in theater and photography so much. In stage management, I can use my organizational skills and people skills to help theater artists (directors, actors and designers) to stay grounded and on task, so that some pretty awesome art can be created. And with photography, while I cannot draw an image that strikes a chord with people with any skill, I can see these images in the world around me, capture it, and show it to others with photography. I think my best actual creative art is the skill I have been building using Photoshop to manipulate images. I have SO MUCH FUN doing that, I think, because it is creative art, and I am pretty good at it.

11) I worked at South Coast Repertory Theater as a production assistant/ASM in the stage management department for 7 years. I loved being back stage, in the middle of the action, making things happen, and putting out fires. I met some really awesome people back then, and miss it a lot. I gave it up when I got pregnant with Noah, and we moved to Ohio so Michael could do his medical residency.

12) I really need to make these things shorter. I am going to lose readers. I tend to go on and on more than I need to.

13) Nothing makes me feel as comfortable and at peace as being in the forest. I love San Diego, and its one of the most awesome places I have ever lived, but a part of me knows I would be more "at home" in a town in the forest. San Diego is the desert on the ocean. Most all of the plants here have been actually planted. I miss moist earth.

14) I never want to live in the snow again. Finding a fantasy land where there is forest and no snow, and is within 2 hours of grandparents is no easy task. Thus, San Diego. lol

15) I used to get my "forest fix" by attending Rainbow Gatherings, which is an event where thousands of people gather deep in a National Forest every summer for a few weeks to build a community. There is music and good food, workshops, and drum circles. It is down-home village life. There is no price to get in. It's free and the food is free. You can donate money if you wish, but there is no pressure to do it, if you cannot afford it. People build about a hundred funky and fun kitchens in the woods with downed wood and tarps, mud ovens and hiked-in grills. Once in, you never see a car or hear amplified music. It's an amazing heart-filling experience. I plugged in with the crew at the Info Booth for 15 years before becoming pregnant with the twins and then we decided to take some time off until the chore of hiking in with small kids became easier. That just might be later this year!

16) I am a Pepsi addict and have been since I was a teen. I have since switched to caffeine-free Pepsi since I discovered it tastes just the same! YAY!

17) I decided to force myself to drink coffee just before going across Europe on a backpacking trip with my friend, Carla. I was bitter that people who drank coffee always had free beverages everywhere you went, and wanted to hang out in cafes across Europe and drink coffee. I have since become an addict of coffee, as well.

18) So, yeah, I went to Europe with a backpack in 1989 and it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life. England, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Germany, East Germany (GDR), Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. We visited Berlin and went through Checkpoint Charlie to the East Berlin. I watched the wall come down on TV three weeks later absolutely stunned because there had been absolutely no hint of it happening when we were there.

19) If I could change one thing in my life I would arrange it so I could travel more. I have an unending thirst to see the world. The most amazing place I have ever been is Thailand. Michael and I went there on our honeymoon. While I always want to go someplace I have never been before when I travel, I would happily go back to Thailand in a second.

20) I check my email way too often. I leave my computer on all day, and as I go about my day, parenting, cleaning, taxi-ing, I sit down at the desk and refresh my email inbox and my facebook page at least once every 45 minutes, unless there are children on both computers. I am a hit-and-run computer user.

21) I love houses. When I was a kid, I would sometimes go to open houses with my dad, and loved to see how other people lived. Not just rich houses, but any houses. I love thumbing through magazines with log cabin floor plans, websites about home design and decorating, going on home tours, visiting historic homes, and just voyeuristically peering into peoples front windows while I take walks through the neighborhood. (No, I don't put my nose on the glass, I just keep walking!) I love Victorian houses and Craftsman design. Not in the same house, of course.

22) I almost never watch TV anymore. Parenting twin toddlers really prevents that during the day, and I just lost touch with what the good shows are anymore. I tape the shows I do still watch, and that is limited to Lost, Weeds (which isn't as good as it used to be) and Mad Men (which you really should be watching... from the beginning). I also watched The Shield up until it recently ended because a friend of mine was in it, but also because it was a great show.

23) My favorite movies seem to have been made quite a while ago. The ones I can watch over and over again are Harold and Maude and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I never really go to the movies anymore unless my sister-in-law gets me into the awesome independent movie theater she manages while my mother-in-law babysits. Otherwise, we watch movies on DVD.

24) I don't have time to read books anymore. I hope I do again someday. But my brother gave me the bright idea of listening to audio books while I go about my day on an iPod I wear on my arm. Now, when the kids are being self-sufficient, I can listen to a book while I wash the dishes or clean the bathroom! I love books that take place in other cultures and times (that are accurate depictions) and also love my science fiction.

25) I have been feeling kind of overwhelmed since the twins arrived and like I have set aside so many of the things I love to do to be a mom of 3 small kids. I am so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel now that they are all learning self-sufficiency and do better without their mom every minute of the day, and have been fantasizing about what I can do to put a little me-time back in my life. I have been neglecting my health (mental, physical, spiritual, dental!, etc.) for a couple-three years and am considering taking a Tai-chi or a yoga class, or maybe having the family join a gym with child care so I can work out with the hubby without hiring a babysitter.


Wow! That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! I am not going to tag anyone, but if you feel inspired to do one of these yourself, be sure to let me know so I can come read it!

The Change of Seasons

Mmmmm… the weather has been lovely. It is autumn in San Diego. And a warm one at that!

It’s nice because, like the Midwest, we do get the change of color, albeit not the glorious ubiquitous colors seen back east. And we do get the crunchy leaves underfoot on the sidewalks, though not quite enough to rake into a pile one could jump into. Well, I guess you COULD jump into your pile of leaves, but not safely. Watch that tailbone!

We don’t get that smoky fall smell of leaf piles illegally burning in your neighbor’s back yard, either. Which I admit, I actually miss quite a lot. We do, however get the blustery-sweet sweater weather and the dramatic clouds.

In exchange for this not-quite-as-stunning-as-the-Midwest autumn, we get to have our autumn without the ominous impending doom of winter. Oh no.

Our winter rocks.

In SoCal, we get rain in the winter. We get moist, drenching rain, and kids wearing puddle-jumpers and wellies. We get umbrellas and windshield wipers, followed by gloriously clean, blue, wide open skies. We also get bright sunny days when you can wear shorts and a sweatshirt. One Christmas, when I lived in LA County, we had a barbecue and a rousing Frisbee game because it was 80 degrees! We also get the silliness of Christmas lights strung around palm trees and Santa sleighs out on the green front lawns of tract homes. Strange but sweet. Rain, sun, a few fallen leaves...

And then the magic happens.

Most of our year, the wild grasses on the mountains that surround us are brown. Sometimes they are even on fire! But in the wintertime, like some kind of Brigadoon, the world renews itself. With the rain comes green grass on the mountains, new life and wildflowers! It is southern California's renewal, its true spring.

And it's just around the corner...

Oh...

And if we want snow, we drive up and play in it.

So there!

Letter To My Teenage Self

This post was written a little while back in response to this writing challenge over at Mom's Daily Dose. I saved it for a time such as this when I have nothing to give you, and my readership is dwindling because all I write about is my booty. Spoils. Winnings. Whatever!

You can read some other people's letters to their dumb teenage selves too, by clicking on that link.

I wish I had some nasty old picture of myself in high school so you can see who I am writing to, but I burned all those before leaving Ohio.

*************

Letter to My Teenage Self (circa 1982)


Karen,

Hi, its me, from 2007!

Yeah, weird, huh?

I just wanted to write and let you know that you rock! Don’t believe me, huh? Yeah, well that’s a self esteem thing you are going to carry around for awhile before you get over it. But you know, all those popular girls are going through it too, they just hide it better.

So, lets see, it’s a good opportunity to give you some good advice.

First thing’s first. Stop Brushing Your Hair!! No really… Do you want to stop looking like a bush? Get some of that stuff that some of the girls use to make their bangs really tall. It’s new. It’s called Gel. Wash your hair, rub this stuff on, scrunch it with your hands, and don’t brush your hair!! Just let it air dry! You will look far more like Farrah Fawcett if you do this, than you do now using that curling iron to make that “tube” down the side of your hair. And if you insist on curling your hair back, get it feathered for god’s sake!

Next, you remember that interview with Joseph Campbell where he talks about his theory called Follow Your Bliss, where if you don’t know what to do with yourself, just aim yourself towards whatever feels blissful and you will go forward on a path that will bring you happiness? Remember how you thought that might be a good way to live your life?

It is. Do it.

For now, though, don’t worry so much about everything. High school FEELS so incredibly important, but really it’s not. In fact, looking back, I have so few memories of high school because I almost never ever think about it. Or I blocked it out. One or the other.

And stop trying to fit in so much. All those popular people who are big fishes in that little pond, are going to be LOST in college, I tell ya!

LOST!

One of them, who you will swear now doesn’t even know your name, will stop you on a sidewalk at college and talk about how long it’s been, and ask you to hang out. You might want to be slightly more polite to her than I was. That’s just the kind thing to do. She probably feels in college like you do now, in high school.

So, college? You are gonna LOVE IT!! So much so, that you will attend about six of them. You will thrive like you never did in high school. You are eventually going to have this urge to follow your bliss across country to California, which will lead to a cheap education in junior college. Do it. You will make some of the best friends of your life there, and they will be the ones you stick with and who support you through the years, even if visits with some of them are few and far between. You will have your first real long term boyfriend there too, and will stay friends with him forever.

That idea of taking theater classes for fun because no one REALLY makes a living in theater?

Wrong.

A few of those friends are going to do pretty darn well for themselves. At first I was tempted to just tell you to quit floundering around and go major in theater, but if you do, you may never meet your future husband (yes, it does EVENTUALLY happen) who is currently 9 years old as you read this. Yep.

And by the way… he is going to be everything you want in a man.

And more.

Before that though, you are going to have to go through some hard-lesson-learning. You are going to date a guy for three years. He will teach you SO FREAKING MUCH about life. He is so wonderful, and such a mess at the same time. He will shape your philosophy of life, religion, politics, what music you listen too. He will steer you toward the person I am today. He is not easy to live with. Stick it out. But only for two years. That last year? It was a year too long. Don’t believe him when he says he is nothing without you. He will be just fine.

You will eventually work in professional theater and it will be the most creatively rewarding thing you do until you have children.

And, oh, about the children. That idea of tea parties and pink tutus and playing house?

Ain’t gonna happen.

No matter how much you or your future husband plan on having little girls? Again, ain’t gonna happen. Three boys. All completely different from each other. All completely awesome. Start studying little boys now. They are mystifying.

Basically, if you follow your bliss, everything is going to work out for the best. You are going to feel like you are constantly blessed. You do most of the broad strokes just right.

Otherwise, I would say...

*Travel internationally more.

*Stay away from that DJ in Anaheim, he’s married, but he won’t tell you that.

*Keep the hotel room door closed if you are ever passing through Las Vegas with a cat.

*That year in Davis, CA? Nothing really gained. Waste of time. Except you get to live in a Victorian flat and a warehouse loft. That’s cool.

*Floss! My teeth are a mess thanks to you. You owe me 3000 dollars!

Oh, and you know that little company called Microsoft? And that little nest egg you have been saving? Spend it all! Buy stock. As much as you can.

No, really.

Love,
Karen, circa 2007

"Eoo By Myself"

As most of you know, Noah has started kindergarten and has been learning to read and write much more intensely than ever before. His teacher is wonderful, making them write every single day in a section called Writer's Workshop.

They sit down with a blank piece of paper and draw a picture to illustrate their "story" in the top half and then write their "story" in the bottom half. I put story in quotes because it usually consists of one sentence describing the picture. What is cool, is that even though these kids do not know how to spell more than 6 or 8 words, she encourages them to just sound out what they want to write, and spell it the way they think it might be spelled. They haven't quite figured out the rules of spacing between words, but we have been just thrilled with the results! Especially when Noah wants to "write a story" at home.

He spends a good 20 or 30 minutes on each story and then holds it up and yells, "Mommy! Daddy! Here! Read my story!!!!"

This statement is met with some trepidation as he often shows me great works of art that are what I would call abstract, but which Noah sees more as photographic realism which should be obvious to all. I have learned the great mothering phrase: no, not "What is THAT??", but instead, "Tell me about your picture!". Well, when it comes to reading stories, we are faced with breaking his little heart if we can't make out his sentences.

But!! I have to say that most of the time, we have been able to actually work out what he has been writing! And it makes a proud Mama just want to cry sometimes...

Here are some examples. I will interpret them so that you can follow along, until you get the hang of how it works:

"I like to see the baby bear."

"I am a person who likes to buy cars."

"I like to go to the science museum."

"There is a fire and the police have to come."

I have to say, that some of these are fiction, some non-fiction. I will leave you to wonder!

This one was one of Daddy's favorites...

"Dear Dad, I wrote this story all by myself."

Ain't Gonna Lurk on Maggie's Farm No More...

(Okay, the title is a pun on a Bob Dylan song for you so-not-cool-like-me people!)

I am a lurker. I am.

For you bloggy-newbies, one definition of a lurker is a person who reads blogs but does not comment, one who stays on the fringes, a wall flower. Me.

I read a lot of blogs now. Actually, I am way way behind on my blog reading but I do TRY to read a lot of blogs. I have found quite a few that give me more pleasure than any magazine I used to subscribe to. I read comments too, but I rarely jump in and say anything myself.

But isn’t that the true spirit of blogging? Not just to get your viewpoint or your information out there, but to get a community started, however small it might be? To get a little conversation going?

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE when I get comments! Love it! I remember my first comment ever was from Pam, one of my friends I moved across the country from, and it was like chatting over coffee all over again.

I was reading over at a blog called Milk Money or Not, Here I Come about this great idea that she and a couple of her friends came up with… its called the Great Mofo De-Lurk of 2007, and it is TODAY! October 3rd!

I pledge today to go to some of my favorite blogs and leave a comment to celebrate, to come in from the fringes, to de-lurk, to de-flower my wall!! (hmmm… didn’t exactly come out the way I meant it…)

And I urge you to do the same!

Hey! Start here with my blog! If you have been a lurker, leave me a comment! If you don’t have an account, sign up for one just so you can leave a comment! It’s quick and easy, and your computer will memorize your password so you don’t have to remember it each time you want to drop me a note at the end of a post. Get in on the conversation, START a conversation! Just stop in and say hello, let me know someone out there is reading, let me know where you are from! If you have a blog, I will come by and visit!

(edit: Willowtree informs me that one does not even need to sign up for an account to comment here!! Just click on "other" or "anonymous"! But you know I prefer to hear who it is you are!!)

I love company.

Happy Great Mofo Delurk!! Wooot!

Fun Monday: Why Do I Blog??

Hey everyone,

I decided to join in with another group of bloggers who post on specific topics. First there was Mama Says Om, which gives a topic each week and then asks folks to submit some writing, a photograph, or some kind of work of art on said topic. I do that occasionally when the topic hits home, but being a photo-junkie, I tend to just submit photos instead of written articles.

Then, of course, there is Wordless Wednesday which I love because it specifically implies that you don’t HAVE to write anything, just tell a story with a photo. That I LOVE to do.

But I ran across this one that is new to me, and decided that between MamaSaysOm and this one, Called FUN MONDAY, that I would occasionally be inspired to write. So, on Fun Monday, each week, there is a new host. That person comes up with a topic to post on your blog about, and if you want to participate, you write a post, and put your link on the host’s page. In the past, topics have included “White Lies You Have Told”, “A Look Inside Your Fridge”, “Your Favorite Treat”, “Favorite Place to Relax”, etc. It seems like a good way to let my readers know more about me, so I decided to jump on in.

This week’s topic is a good starter. It is hosted by Lisa’s Chaos and the topic is:

WHY DO YOU BLOG?
I’d like to know more about you, what makes you tick. I’d
like to know how you started blogging. Did you keep a diary under lock and key
safely hidden as a child? Do you still? Do you share the same things on your
blog that you would have, or do, in your diary? Why did you start blogging and
why do you continue? May as well throw in any roadblocks you have run into while
blogging. If you still have your old diaries we’d love to see them.

So here goes:

I had seen some blogs around and had read only a few when I met a woman in a Mom’s Group called Move It Mamas. She said she had a blog called Wannabe Hippie, so I went and checked it out. I had been feeling guilty about the fact that I had again recently moved myself and my family far away from my parents and my brother’s family, and I was so so bad at keeping in touch with phone calls and emails. Reading Wannabe Hippie was a revelation! I had never even HEARD of Mommy-blogs! On one of her pages she has this great HUGE list of links to other Mommy Blogs and I started reading through them.

Being alone in a new city, without a job to go to each morning, I was beginning to feel a bit isolated. But in these mommy-blogs I found a community of women with the same kind of life that I have, going through the same challenges, joys, and frustrations that I was having! And it was a supportive community, with lots of posts where people were venting and then getting comments from strangers about how to get through, how they were not alone, and encouragement.

And I also realized that this is an amazingly easy way to share with everyone who is interested in my little (did I say LITTLE?) family the mundane day-to-day activities of our brood. And an awesome way to share photos with friends and family that are across the country and around the world!

Why do I keep blogging? Because I now feel a part of that virtual community of isolated women who are reaching out with ideas, encouragement, laughter, support. It’s also shown me that the problems that I deal with are really not so bad compared to the day to day life of some people. People who deal with children with disability, husband’s with cancer, infertility, loss. It keeps things in perspective.

And! And I realized that it also makes up for something I was feeling bad about. With my first son, I diligently kept a baby-book recording every new word, every tooth, first steps, etc. With my twins, I just didn’t find the time. I bought adorable little matching books, glued their name tags into the front, filled out about two pages and then got very busy raising three boys. But I realize that this blog, in a way, is a better gift to give them in their future than any baby book. How many men cherish a baby-book anyway. Maybe their future wives would, wondering about the comparison of daddy to his baby. But a day to day story, written by Mom, of their childhood? That is an awesome hand-me-down.

So, I plan to occasionally back up my blog writings and save them to disk so that if one day Blogger crashes, I will not lose all these posts. And in the modern world of memorabilia, I can pass down a box with their little first outfits, their baby hat, a print of their feet taken at the hospital, and a disk with all their childhood photos, right alongside one of their Mama’s Blog, documenting their childhood. Day after day.

Some Good Reads

So, I have discovered what happens when you start a blog…

You want to know what other blogs look like so that you will get ideas on what to do on your own. And eventually, you begin to run across ones that make you laugh, or cry, or even look at things in a different light.

I have been reading quite a few pretty religiously. And I thought I would send a couple new faves some linky-love, by pointing them out to you guys so you can check them out.

Many of you know about sweet/salty which is a blog written by a woman named Kate who had a son, became pregnant with identical twin boys, had them come way too early and after some severe brain damage, lost one of them, and brought the other home perfectly healthy. She continues to inspire me with her writing, never pulling punches about her grief, her anger, her joys, her guilt. She is a constant reminder to me about how lucky and blessed I am.

On a completely different level, I almost always laugh out loud at a blog called Boobs, Injuries, and Dr. Pepper. Crystal is a wrong-side-of –the-tracks Mama who loves her kids but also enjoys torturing them as much as they do her. She writes in such an irreverent manner about her everyday life. She is a crack up with a great gift for seeing the hilarity in the mundane. If you don't like a bit of "rough" language, I would skip this one.

And lastly, I was surprised that I liked this one so much, but it’s a blog by a woman married to a cattle rancher, living life out on the range. Its called Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. Ree documents ranch life with a load of photos and wit. She has a bunch of posts that come with 10 or 12 pictures each, often taken within seconds of each other, explaining each moment by moment. You can almost hear her Oklahoma drawl. She also has a recipe page which rocks because she photographs each and every tiny step which is awesome for a wannabe cook like me. I was never interested in ranch life, but her blog has me hooked.

Lastly, I wanted to clue you into a great series of posts on a blog I do NOT read, but may look into when I have more time. I was directed over there from 5minutesformom.com which said that this story was such a good read. It was. The blog is called Antique Mommy and her true story is called “The Box” and it is written over 6 posts but is gripping and heartfelt and made me cry at the very, very end. Awesome writing. Check it out. You can get to the first page here, and then click on the next page’s link in the upper right hand corner of her page.

Happy Reading!

Haiku Mama!

Over on a collective blog I like to read sometimes called MAMA SAYS OM, they are having a contest. There is this great book by Kari Anne Roy that inspired it. She wrote HAIKU MAMA: (because 17 syllables is all you have time to read), which I think is the funniest title ever.

The winner who writes the best haiku on parenting gets an autographed copy of the book.

.

Well, a couple nights ago, trying to get to sleep, I laid in bed and actually came up with a few of my own. It was pretty easy! So I thought I would enter the contest.

.

For those who forget high school english class, a haiku is a poem with three lines, with 5 syllables in the first line, then 7, then 5 again.

.

Here are the ones I wrote:

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Baby talk all day

Thank God there is NPR

For my sanity!

I feel like their moon,
Guarding o’er their cribs at night.
They are my bright sons.

This is Mama Love:
Cupped hands, running to the sink
Caught all your vomit.

Sleep, Sleep, Come on Sleep
They finally let me sleep
Cruel Insomnia

Stomping through the swamp
In the land of little boys
Toys to trip me up.

Well-behaved twin boys.
It’s much too quiet in there.
Wait, this can’t be good…

Reaching for the sky…
Found you both on table top
Chandelier like stars!

Comments

Hi Readers...

I just wanted to say that some of you have been commenting in the wrong places. I mean, its a free country and all, but the way my template is set up, it looks like there are lines separating each blog entry.

In truth, there are lines separating each entry from comment button. I understand the confusion completely but I am unable to move your comments to the appropriate places. I think you can delete your own comments. Or ask me to, and I can delete them. And then you can re-comment elsewhere.

But its been happening a number of times.

For clarification...

To Comment: Push the Comment Button at the bottom of each post, below the line. I changed the phrasing to say, "comment to above post"... or should it be "comment to post above"?

-kc-

My Job

You know what's odd....

I have only had this blog for a couple-few days and when I am just browsing the Internet, looking at my usual pages, I click on my own blog to see if there is anything new on it....

...then I realize, that's MY job.

Stumped already...

Wow..

My second post and I am wondering what to write already! I should be putting my oldest son to bed for his nap, but he is dozing off while watching Powerpuff Girls on the tv. So... why not sit here beside his cute little face and "blog". What a wacky verb.

blog...

Last night, Michael went to go see Jason's play, Enchanted April and I stayed home with the kids which is a bit of a challenge when you have to get all three to bed at the same time. We (still having much unpacking to do) came across a box with our old family videos in it, and I pulled out the one where Noah was the same age the twins are today.

He was the same size, but looked SO DIFFERENT than they do. He had the same hair he has today, all mop-top. He was a linguistic GENIUS I swear! He still loves to learn big words. But in the video we are showing him flashcards and he is telling us the letters on some of them.

OK to be fair, he was 19 months old in that video and the babies are now nearly 18 months, and they were born 6 weeks early so they are really even younger, and I didnt have all the one-on-one time with them.... but MAN! That boy knew a lot of words!!

I did eventually get them all toothbrushed and in bed. A bit later than usual but what the hey. I did it alone! Woooooot!!!

On sunday (Mother's Day) I get to go see the play, and Michael will stay home. These are our dates. Take turn dates.

Wow... a blog! Me???

I'm not even really sure how blogs work...

I have looked at a few, and thought, "hey! this might be a good way to let my parents know what is going on with my life" since I seem to be so inept at calling them. And since the only time I have in the world to call them is when it is 3am where they are.

I keep thinking I don't even have time for a shower or a meal half the time, how could I possibly "blog"?? And am I enough of a geek to figure it all out on my own? But I figured I would give it a try after looking at a few other Mama's blogs and getting so inspired.

So, here it is...

I do not promise to amuse you or to entertain. I am not the witty one. That is Michael. I am the one who steals his funny lines and uses them as my own. He is the one who allows it, without letting others know he is the one who made up the joke.

I do not promise to be consistent. I may write everyday for a week and then once a month and then once a year. Who knows. I get interested in little projects many times, and then peter out on them. But I am hoping to let you all in on a bit of the family minutia that you all miss out on by not being IN our house every day. And to relieve the guilt of having moved far away from you all to this beautiful wonderland (San Diego) where we can live in sunshine and happiness.

I WILL try to share some pictures since it takes me so long to send them out via email. I WILL try to let you know some of the things the kids say or do that you would not know about otherwise, because I always forget those by the time I call any of you on the phone. I HOPE this is a good way to keep in touch with you all on a more regular basis... my friends, my family, my friends who are like family...

I WILL probably write a few posts before I let anyone know this blog exists, just to get the hang of it, make sure I will write occasionally before I get all your hopes up and see if I can figure out the photo thing.

I hear there is a way to subscribe to this blog. Since I am such a newbie, I don't know if that means you will get emails when I update, or if you have to go and check it. Figure it out for yourself! (then let me know!)

So, as Lou Reed once said... It' the beginning of a great adventure!

-Karen-
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Lou Reed - Beginning Of A Great Adventure (snipped a bit...)

It might be great to have a kid that I could kick around
a little me to fill up with my thought
A little me or he or she to fill up with my dreams
a way of saying life is not a loss

I'd keep the tyke away from school and tutor him myself
keep him from the poison of crowd
But then again pristine isolation might not be the best idea
It's not good trying to immortalize yourself

Beginning Of A Great Adventure
Beginning Of A Great Adventure

I hope it's true what my wife said to me
I hope it's true what my wife said to me
Hey I hope it's true what my wife said to me
She says, baby, it's the Beginning of a Great Adventure
Baby, it's the Beginning of a Great Adventure

It might be fun to have a kid that I could kick around
create in my own image like a god
I'd raise my own pallbearers to carry me to my grave
and keep me company when I'm a wizened toothless clod

I hope it's true what my wife said to me
She says Lou,
it's the Beginning of a Great Adventure