I'm a dangerous mom.

So my favorite family member that is not related to me, gave me & my boys the most wonderful book the last time I was in SA.  50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do).  We've had so much fun doing little things that the book says are dangerous.  The kids even spent a little time doing blogposts themselves about their latest adventure.

Being extra adventurous this week, I cleaned out the hall closet and found an old printer that refused to print any more.  So we chose to have a little fun doing #34 Deconstructing an appliance.  My mom and Margie have bought some small ones for when we get back to SA, but this was good practice.  At first they just wanted to get it in pieces until I sat down with them and talked about learning how they are put together and what goes where and why.  The next time we do this we should learn so much more.

So far we've licked a 9-volt battery, driven a car, spent an hour blindfolded, and learn the art of swordplay.  Hmm, maybe we should whittle next - but hopefully with pa-pa in charge.

Day Two: NaBloPoMo

For those of you not paying attention it is NATIONAL BLOG POSTING MONTH. Today is day two and much like the number my day has been all about seconds. Its like everything looks like its going to be great and it turns out to be not quite great but almost great. For example: Today was an amazing day. Perfect weather. Sunny 75 degrees. I worked a little, always like to be productive and bring home a little cash. Came home, ate a rather boring lunch - I thought it was going to be okay, but it turned out to be really unappealing.

Then I went out to take pictures because I'm also participating in Project 365. The premise is you take a photo(s) a day, read a page in your camera manual and look at an image every day of the year and you improve your photography. See my incredible fabulous photos here. I ran out - around the lake - took the every popular picture of my favorite foot bridge - then popped into the car to the bath house and bam did I hit the mother load - perfect shot of downtown over the lake - a ton of geese and 7 pelicans. I also brought my BIG LENS. Its a 1000 mm mirror lens my dad got back in the 70's. It fits my Nikon and shazam is a 1500 mm lens on the digital. Guess what haze. Everything was a hazy and with the big lens I couldn't get all of downtown. Can you believe it? I only got 3 buildings. I also went got some pictures of the pelicans, but I had the polarizing filter on and it just didn't work out right. I'm hard pressed to find what I want out of today's shots.

So I picked up the kids, my adorable little things mocked me at every turn. Do you homework was answered with, but Mom its nice outside. Don't you want us to spend time outdoors. Soon it won't be nice enough for us to get out of your hair. 1) WHAT? I mean seriously they are 6 & 8 where do they get this stuff? 2) Out of my hair is not a bad thing. Anyway soccer practice was cold and I was wearing flip flops. I ended up grabbing a pizza for dinner which blows the diet and when I had to go to Target for double sided tape for the PTA program entry I grabbed a bottle of wine, because well, its just been that kind of day.

This month better turn around soon, because between the Halloween candy and the pizza I may be in fat camp by December.

Welcome, 2009

I hate resolutions - nobody ever keeps them.  I resolve no resolutions.  I am determined to lose the excess poundage I have not gotten rid of since the birth of my two sons.  I'm not exactly sure the best method, but I'm going to attempt first by starting to exercise.  Once I have that routine down, I will change my food intake.  Sound good?  I hope.  I've started a blog for my weight loss journal.  A place for me to be true to my task - keep up with my exercise, weight and keep a food log and maybe some good recipes I find.  I've made it private for now, but if you need a laugh or are on the same journey - I'll be happy to extend an invitation.

I also want to be happier.  I'm kind of a worry wart - kind of my a$$, I am the QUEEN of Worry!  True story.  So, hopefully that can get worked on too.  I want to be more calm, I want to be healthier and more accepting.  I'd like to work on my writing more and explore the spirituality that has been lacking over the past few years.  These are not things that can be changed overnight or by yourself, so I know that it will be a long process, but turning 40 last year awakened something in me that I just can't explain and I don't want to drift anymore, I want purpose.  So I shall find purpose and drive and determination by exploring the world around me until it all falls into place.  The husband loves me, wants me to be happy and is always willing to let me do or try so I'm finally going to take him up on it.

Wish me luck!  I also challenge you to explore something new in your life - whatever it may be and find a new peace, a new obsession or even a new plane of awareness.  

I am monumentally bored...

I don’t think in the history of the universe I have ever been so bored. I am currently in the office and we have a ton of stuff to accomplish, but are waiting on either printers or deliveries. I can’t stand to be doing nothing. I have absolutely no desire what-so-ever to do anything that might help me personally. Like search for recipes or books or find something educational to read. I have filed everything, re-organized everything I can find and well am about to scream out loud just to get a reaction out of somebody.

I’ve called my husband, who has absolutely no desire to talk on the phone. He’s not a phone talker, unless of course I am talking about sports, which even though I understand most sports – I could truly care less about stuff like La Cross or Soccer; I’m more of a Hockey, Basketball or Football kind of girl. I’ve been working weekends so long, that now that I’m not, I couldn’t tell you a football players name to save myself, unless they are/have been or might be dating some ridiculous celebrity that shows up on every trashy website on the planet. I can barely keep up with the TV shows I’ve recorded much less learn sports guys names, teams and stats. Now, the only exception is really hockey, because well there is a propensity for blood, it’s the kids’ favorite and well, its fast moving. I also have a texting/tweeting buddy during the game I get easily distracted and all the stops and starts in football tend to make me lose focus and our basketball team falls apart in the 4th period so why bother.

I totally want to change the direction of my life at the moment. I don’t really know how to approach this subject with the rest of my family. Parents, husband etc. I so want to be more creative. I’ve always had a very creative mind, but I’ve always been pushed to use my left brain, be a teacher….be an accountant. Job security, stability, etc. etc. I hate boring jobs like that. I like working Real Estate, because for the most part no two houses are alike and I work with a group of very diverse people with interesting personalities. So professionally I’m happy. Personally, I would like to find the time to write more, maybe dip the toes into writing some short stories. Have the time to research some options with my poetry. I’d love to take pictures all the time, but its hard to balance home, family and hobbies. Since I’m working more, I have less time to keep the house – of course part of the problem is years of pack-ratting stuff. I’m very much in purge mode, which I did in the kids room yesterday. I dumped a 30 gallon bag of trash and got almost all the stuffed animals out of the room. My kids would not allow me to get rid of them, but maybe I can get them to forget about them after a while and “POOF” they are gone. Ooooh, maybe a squirrel could get in the attic and tear them apart. SHHH! Don’t tell.

I’m hoping to work on cleaning out the attic and garage. Having a garage sale, getting some stuff on Craigslist or Ebay. I might even venture further, but need to talk to the hubby first.
I must go plan my organization of closets. Peace out.

I'm not depressed - I swear

I'm in a dark and contemplative mindset today. I feel like letting my mind wander till I find the answer to a question I didn't ask. Or maybe pondering the book of Proverbs. Or even escaping into the lives of others in a book. Rainy, dreary days do this to me. I've been listening to morose, depressive music that you tend to only listen to after a break-up. I don't know why, my husband and I haven't even argued in the last week. OMG - did I actually say that? He has accused me of nagging, which I probably did but we've actually been on a fairly decent run of no stress and strife so I can't blame this on him either.

I really should be writing poetry today. Mindsets like this produce my best poetry. Oh, idea! See I just needed a creative outlet. Writing helps solve everything. I'm going to lock myself in my room later and create.

And I'm putting labels and stamps on envelopes at work today and I think I need some Goo Gone to get the sticky off my fingers.

Give me a book and I'm happy. HAPPY! My mother told me once if I was reading she wouldn't ask me to do stuff around the house. I avoided chores for years. I read almost every genre there is although I have to say I usually stay away from biographies. I'd rather watch TLC or The History Channel or BIOGRAPHY.

Some of the best books I've ever read in no particular order:

• Praying for Sleep, Jeffrey Deaver
• A Maiden's Grave, Jeffrey Deaver
• All the Stephanie Plum Novels, Janet Evanovich
• The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
• The Brothers Karamozov, Fyodor Dostovesky

Authors I rarely pass up

• Jeffrey Deaver
• Janet Evanovich
• Michael Connoly
• Greg Iles
• Clive Cussler - I love the Dirk Pitt novels
• Dan Brown
• Nelson DeMille

I probably will hit myself on the head and realize I left out 3 of my favorite authors. I could read all day, every day and well do. I read everyday, I try to write everyday.

I read blogs everyday, see them on the left. Check them out. The best writer out of all of them, Krista.

I hate that with all the new books being written every year Hollywood has to remake the same movies over and over and over. Can we get some new material!

NOW WHAT?

18 months ago, my husband bought me a laptop to write my first book. He said that this way I could lock myself up in my room and write away. The problem with that is that I like to be in the thick of things not locked away in a corner. I find myself writing more on my blog in the middle of total chaos that when it is all quiet and no one is bothering me.

I'm sitting at my desk at work (shh, don't tell my boss - although I will say I have no work pending at the moment) contemplating my next big thing and my friend Charlene, aka the cheerleader, keeps telling me I need to write my book. Well, maybe I will sit in the middle of my children's playroom while all hell is breaking loose and start my first book. I say first, because if I ever get one done, I will be on to number 2 in a heartbeat because then, I won't have to get a real job. I don't like real jobs they drain you of brain cells. I like hobbies and passions, or as Oprah says I need to experience my bliss.

Well here is to my next big project. I hope that I can decide which one of the 1000 outlines I have been working on over the past decade I feel like starting on first. Wish me luck.