Monthly Archives: February 2012

Surfing

Posted on by February 25, 2020

I’m not talking ballet here. I’m trying to explain the hedony. I throw myself forward lusting into the Dionysian spontaneity. The arena is carnality alive, and all of us are hungry sybarites while the music plays. We blare, and trumpet, and thunder. I do not fall into their arms expecting asylum.  And yet, there is a safe core where the rhythm is deep enough to hold me if I dive in, so long as I keep time with my body while I ride to the shore. This is not sanctuary but an entry point. The dance begins in the air.

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Linking up here with Trifecta, this week brought to you by the word “safe”.… Read the rest

Celebrate CALM Part 2

Posted on by February 16, 2012

Today, I’m still on about Celebrate Calm and Kirk Martin. He gets special needs kids, and he also gets the need to give practical advice. Many of these gurus try to sell a thought process (and to be fair, Martin does, too, more in a minute) with this attitude that ‘believing this leads to my results’. Martin generally gives targeted advice instead. He has tips that don’t  require me to dip into my own unraveling patience to address a situation without blowing up. So, like I said, I’m sufficiently impressed, and the CDs I’ve listened to since the conference haven’t let me down.… Read the rest

Celebrate CALM Part One

Posted on by February 25, 2020

I attended a mini-conference last week, and because I am me, I’ve been mulling it over ever since. It was one of these parenting seminars destined to be either spectacular or spectacularly dumb. I should assert here that my inner skeptic was expecting the latter.

A little background. I do not approve of parenting via the fluffy-cloud method.  Scott and I once paid some $400 for a parenting course that was ALL 1970s schmaltz.  The class text even used the phrase “hang-up”. Does it get more 1970s than “hang-up”? And yet, I loved that syrupy thing. Every annoying idea that irked me actually had practical applications that were anything but stupid.… Read the rest

Valentine in Blue

Posted on by February 25, 2020

I’m linking up today once more with Galit Breen of These Little Waves and Alison of Mama Wants This for their monthly Memories Captured meme.

My little Valentine comes with a story. Last month, Missy over at The Literal Mom hosted a blog giveaway with a random commenter to win scrapbooking software from the folks at My Memory Suite. And I won. I am still learning how to play with my new toy (which, as Missy noted, is bloody complex and takes an AGE to download), but I am enjoying it very very much. The learning curve is worth it, and I used the software to create the image above.… Read the rest

Shop-IN

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Caroline has reached an age where I don’t post everything she does online. Sam’s still young enough that pretty much any exploit can be attributed to age when viewed in retrospect. My baby duck, though, is growing up. Which is why it surprised me today when she said, as we walked out of JC Penney together, “You’re going to put this on your blog, right Mom?”

“Well, yes,” I said. But I hastened to add, “I’m not going to say what we bought.”

Mostly, I wanted an entry about this Sunday’s shop-in. I haven’t even attempted to explain this to her in any depth, and she, unlike me, loves to shop, yearns for more opportunities to do so, and doesn’t really care about the excuse.… Read the rest

Street Scene

Posted on by February 25, 2020

“Well, that’s a first.” Caren added the last of the bound carpet strips to the furniture piled at the curb.

Todd grunted an answer, but she couldn’t hear him, because he was hunkered behind the sofa, while she stood in front of the recliners. They still needed to flip those up onto the couch in order to fit the whole mountain on the narrow grass stripe between sidewalk and street. These tenants left so much that hauling it and the carpet out took them well into the night.

“We ought to get a management company,” Caren went on. “My back isn’t up for this kind of lifting.”… Read the rest

Before and After

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Before

After

Ooooh. That felt good. Let’s do it again.

Before

Aaaand After

I couldn’t get them all, as a Sam’s club manager kept hovering. He knew I was up to something. But as I never actually TOOK any books, and he didn’t seem to notice that they flopped around an awfully lot, I could at least remove the worst offenders.

Just doing my civic duty.

… Read the rest

My Life In Music February 14

Posted on by February 25, 2020

I’m so excited! Bella over at If This is Motherhood and I are teaming up to present a new Meme every other week. Here’s the story. A few weeks ago, Bella posted an entry about her favorite group, Nickelback. I gotta admit, I’m no Nickelback fan. But her post showed so eloquently why she loves the band that while I was reading her entry, I WANTED to be a Nickelback fan.

In that post, she said she would someday do a series about her life in music, and when I read that, bells went off in my head. I e-mailed her fast saying something to the effect of “ZOMG I want in!”… Read the rest

Why I Love Winter In the South

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Because it’s February, and the daffodils are already in full bloom.

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Participating in my first ever Wordless Wednesday hosted by the ladies at Spilled Milkshake and My Own Little Corner.


… Read the rest

Cruel Summer

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Billy Squier crooned “In The Dark” on Trevor’s boom box. Trevor lay on the top bunk, while across the room, Paul pounded a joystick. “Be careful with that thing!” Trevor warned.

Paul said, “It’s gonna die soon anyway.”

He was right. When the boys opened the gaming console at Christmas, they gazed unbelieving at the box. The machine inside was used, but very real. Nonetheless, one of the joysticks had been broken within a month, its red button jammed down until it wouldn’t spring up anymore, and there wasn’t any money for repairs. The second stick was held together with duct tape.… Read the rest