Four Tornadoes and a Coffee Mug
At the airport yesterday, I drove around in circles for thirty minutes waiting for my niece and nephew to appear at the arrival point. After about five trips around the tarmac (are they still called that?) I arrived at the right gate at the right time to stop long enough for two well tanned beach bunnies and three oversized cargo bags to jump into my son-in-law’s Jetta before the gate commander rushed us back into traffic. Hawaii (and her Mama) will miss them, but they’re mine now — well, they were for about three hours, before I had to release them from custody and ship them on their way home to Lamar, to his Mama. While here, we decked out a computer with photos and slide shows of their adventures on the reef in Hawaii (no shark tails), and family outings.
Brenna and I and the babies took them out to dinner and we laughed our little hearts out about the differences in French Fry dippers. Amy likes sour cream and catsup, Brenna prefers mayo and catsup, and I just sprinkled my catsup with pepper. No biggie, we all tried the variety and decided it’s all pretty tasty. We only allowed Amy to have two speckled lemonades and escaped just before the waiter brought her a third.
The best part of the visit was listening to them chatter on and on about their trip to Hawaii. (Mostly, because getting Mike or Amy to say more than a few words in a visit is a miracle and they were little chatter monkeys about the trip!) I loved it. They were so animated and happy, it was fun to watch and listen to.
And then…
We took our little spider monkey to the hospital and found out he’s up to 12 lbs. 8 ozs., quite an accomplishment for a little guy who spent a week of his first month in Children’s Hospital. We’re happy and he’s a contented little camper, snoozing next to his Mommy early on Friday morning.
About midnight…
Long before the sunrise, the buzzer rang and I clicked the button to let whoever in out of the cold… The first tornado arrived with a hug, a big tall paper coffee cup and arm fulls of bags. I thought he had seven arms with all the bags he was carrying. (At least five!) Following him were three more tornadoes with more bags. They tramped up the stairway, in the door, and right into the living room and started dropping bags on the floor, on chairs, on the couch and everywhere else they could find to drop them. My little army of worker bees was home. And they brought with them most of Lamar — is there anything LEFT down there?
I wasn’t so much interested in what they brought, as I was that they were here… safely and securely back in the fold. I miss my kids when they’re gone… even if they are little tornadoes when they return.
Pillow Abuse and Comforter Abandonment
Sleep deprivation - the cost of living a high-rise life?
When it all started, I honestly believed it was normal. You know, the constant fights with my pillow, when the pillow won… It is stronger at 3 AM, you know! Then my comforter abandoned me and I knew I was in trouble. Dreams haunted me. Nightmares took a toll. Life became unbearable and I’d drift off sitting in a chair in the afternoon. Sitting at my computer didn’t even stop the drowsiness, I felt doomed to the dozing syndrome I’d despised in other older folks surrounding me. Then it slapped me up side the head and I knew… I’d just admitted I was older folks.
The world stopped turning, my eyes failed on me, and life as I’d known it ceased to exist. I was lost in the masses of older beings stranded in a time warp. The attack of the gray hairs was the least of my worries, I’d been mooned by cottage cheese and tackled by the sandman — and there was no chance of escape.
Then along came Christine Hohlbaum and her ludicrous Power of Slow.
The realization that women were supposed to take a moment out of life each day and just catch up with themselves meant something different to me. As a mother of four with two grandbabies running around the house (well, one of them is dragged mercilessly around the house) each day, and a son-in-law about to go off to war (basic training), with a baby well on the way to arriving any minute, I don’t have time to slow down… and there isn’t much slow about my life. Besides all that, it’s tax season and I have clients calling me every waking hour of the day, Bless their hearts! It’s been a wild tax season already and I know it’s going to get wilder, yet.
The Pages of Parenthood are definitely turning around here. So what am I supposed to do about the gang of pillows attacking me at 3 AM or the renegade comforter that keeps attempting to strangle me on the way out the door?
At about the moment I found myself deep in despair, my daughter called my name and asked if I’d come hold the baby. Honestly, there is no way in the world you can live in a frinzy and hold a loving and miraculous little being named Colm with eyes of liquid blue. It just can’t happen. Life slowed down. My pillow poofed up into a soft resting place, and my comforter snuggled around me. Colm took over my life, just as Elizabeth had a few short years earlier.
I love being a Gramma!
Work at Home Rules from a Home School Mom
3 Rules for Working at Home
By Laura Wheeler
In my work with small business start-ups I run into myths that exist in the
world and in the minds of people, which stand in the way of their ability to
succeed at a home business. The three rules here will help you to see good
opportunities, and then to succeed at whatever you choose to do.
1.. If it is easy, it won’t work. If you love what you do, you are more
likely to be able to do the work that a small business requires, but it is
still work. You have to learn about your business, set it up, and promote
it, no matter what it is. You even have to do that with a distributorship or
business package. If it is not work, it does not pay.
2.. There are no secrets, only skills, strategies and techniques. Anyone
promising to tell you Secrets, or teach you Tricks is on the shady side of
integrity. There are no secrets, and there are no tricks. There is
knowledge, time saving strategies, key bits of information that can
transform your understanding from unworkable to workable, and techniques
that make the job either simpler or more successful. You need knowledge,
tools, and experience. So look for that instead of looking for something
that does not exist.
3.. If you want to make money you have to work every day. Ok, so you don’t
have to work EVERY day, but you have to work every day that you reasonably
can. That means you have to FIT IT IN! It has to be your priority. If you
are a weekend warrior, then you have to work the majority of the weekends.
If you are a work at home mom, then you need to find time each day around
your family and get in at least a few minutes of work. If you are committed
to replacing a full time income with working at home, then you’ll have to
put in 4-8 hours a day more days than you take off. You have to give it the
same dedication that you would a standard job. You cannot just let the days
drift by, and not schedule in time when you HAVE to work. Just DO it… and
stop making excuses.
Working at home is very doable. It is often chaotic, frequently frustrating,
and always hard work. But I do it every day. It has become part of who I am.
I learn and grow in it, and I gain more understanding all the time.
Build on common sense, and keep these rules in your mind when you measure
your options, and you will succeed in ways you cannot see ahead of time.
Written by Laura Wheeler
Owner of Fabulous Frugal Websites - www.fabulousfrugalwebsites.com -
Laura writes instructional materials, produces info-sites, and builds
affordable websites for her business start-up and small business clients.
Laura works with small businesses in a way that no other website designer
does, and always with the business owner’s best interests at heart. Laura is
a busy mom of eight, home schooler, and home business owner.
This article may be reprinted if it is unaltered, and if the signature line
is included with the article.
Article Source: 3 Rules for Working at Home
Breath Deep and Run with IT!
Twitter trumps the social media with hard hitting, on topic “TWEETS” that grab attention and make life happen at an annoyingly positive pace. So, how can real world people miss the impact of TWEEPLE on Twitter.com? Are you sure you want to wait it out and miss the opening of the best action in the conservative world?
Go to twitter and type in #tcot in the search and see how many posts can come up while you’re reading the first page of tweets. Or get specific and type in #healthcare… In the political realm, Twitter.com speaks loud and clear. We are winner take all, and we know how to win. The world has witnessed the experiences of Tweeters grabbing policy changes and making them pass “muster” with chaos from phone lines, overloaded with callers demanding government listen to the people.
Political prisoners have been released, votes in Congress have been changed, the house of representatives has been forced to listen to their constituents because Tweeters passed out phone numbers and contact information to get their voices heard. The most prolific swarm of conservatives have lodged voices toward Washington since George Washington crossed the Potomac and their voices have been heard.
When a conservative wrapped up Massachusetts, the liberal political machine took a step down. Health Care reform will not be the single payer system that socialistic forerunners have denounced as failure. The Cap and Trade bill lost power along with the scientific fraud of Global Warming. Now, tax bills swooping down on the good people of Colorado will FAIL. The people have a voice and they will be heard.
America you know how to breath deep, speak out and get your voices heard. Now IT makes it easier than ever. Twitter.com offers tweet options to make your voices reach further than every before in history. Go to www.Twitter.com and sign up — add me at JanVerhoeff.
Wrapping Up - January Goals
New Year’s Resolutions got caught in the realm of new babies and life here this year. While the rest of the world rushes to meet their goals and seek out new business, I struggled to maintain my website and have time to wash my hair on any given day in January - and it’s almost over.
While Shannon Luecks breaks records and surfs the waves in Hawaii, I’ve focused on helping my daughter deliver a grandbaby (what a lovely baby he is) and played Grandma at the park, at McDonalds and here at home. I’ve spent hours working with a business partner at developing a seminar to help others build their businesses (so they could play Grandma - or surf the waves), and more hours working for a local candidate making his website look spiffy for the 2010 political race. I’ve written articles and posted them for the world to see, and managed to bring in tax clients from a new basis. Is business good? It’s booming. Is it profitable? Of course. Have I met every goal I set before the first of January? Not really, but I’ve met the major goals.
When I wrap up the month next week, I’ll have accomplished my goals and enjoyed the first month of 2010. That’s more important than most any other venture I could imagine — other than that Gramma thingie…
Can’t think of a single goal more important or better than that one.
Birthday Bash - Marine v. Army
Set the stage with one Marine running for U.S. Senate and a new Army recruit roughing up to challenge Basic Training and what do you get? A Birthday Bash and a Baby Shower integrated into the Playoffs for the Superbowl. YAY - it’s a Viking v. Saints game next week, and the challenge is on…
Tatia’s twenty. Her wish for the day was brownie sundaes with Mom’s Chocolate Sauce and plenty of vanilla ice cream. She loves the ice cream any time, but definitely with the Bookworm’s Brownies. The Candidate stopped by to visit her newborn baby nephew, we had good company and plenty of laughs for the afternoon. Discussion, of course centered around new babies, life in the big city and all the joys of participating in family life. We chattered about grand babies and children who promise great adventure, more miracles and the joys of parenthood, with Tatia expecting her first baby in less than two months.
Somewhere during the brownies and chocolate sauce, the Marine realized the new Army recruit was training for basic and began offering solutions and suggestions for the process. Building muscle and getting into shape before he left for basic was suggested up front, along with boots, carrying a weapon and loading up a back pack. He shared the good, the bad and the ugly differences between the Army and the Marines, offering suggestions for moving up the ranks, and recommending serious training (a minimum of two hours per day from now until he leaves for basic) to get into shape and be ready to leave.
A new daddy in March, leaving for basic in April, my son-in-law understands the rush. He knows he hasn’t got much time to live the good life before he sets out to learn the rigors of military training. But that doesn’t stop him from having a second brownie.
We talked about the political frame, Scott Brown from Massachusetts and how much we are all behind him, supporting him and even promoting Scott Brown as the winning candidate. We need conservative political figure heads in Washington who will speak up for the people. We talked about the importance of moving steadily forward to put conservative candidates in office here in Colorado.
And we discussed the Superbowl. (Go Vikings!)
Tatia had a happy birthday! Another of my children pass those precious teen years and begins adapting to adulthood and life after teens, although, this one has long since left teen-dom behind in exchange for living her life dream of becoming a mommy and a wife.
Time marches on…
Inspired to Write - the Purpose of Blogging
“Mom, will you make me sausage gravy and biscuits?” My daughter asked as I left her sleeping daughter once again on the bed. She’d been up several times, realizing Mommy wasn’t the one taking care of her, because she wanted my attention. She’d gotten it. But it was nearing midnight and cooking breakfast wasn’t on my agenda. I was tired too.
“Please mom. I didn’t feel like eating earlier and I’m really hungry now.”
At nearly forty one weeks, my daughter’s baby was past due and the cravings had gone wild.
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys?
Sitting in a hospital room bouncing my newborn grandson on my knee and listening to my daughter chatter on about the cowboy she named him after, and other men who influenced her life positively, I realized her heroes are cowboys, too. But, I can’t stop there. In the midnight quiet, with sirens screaming through the night outside my window and dawn threatening to light up the day, I stop long enough to consider the whole concept.
There was a night, nearly 25 years ago when Fred came riding into town in a light blue limousine. No doubt in my mind that he saved the day, gave me a new lease on life, and made me promise to keep his secret, although it wasn’t much of a secret. Anyone who saw us together knew Fred. He was somebody special who just happened along at the right time, rescuing me from the worst kind of fate a new mother can have - desperation. He asked nothing in return for the gift he gave me, only my friendship for life, and that he has.
There were cowboys before Fred, and there have been many since… Some, nobody would recognize as heroes, and a few everybody would recognize, but nobody would call them anyone’s hero. Beezer was an outlaw, music man with a heart and soul. His blue eyes told a story, promised depth and perseverance, holding on to the truth of the day. His life meant something to someone, and I remember how precious I considered his friendship.
Making a Life - Making Money
The night after my daughter’s C-section, I listened to her dreams. They weren’t big imposing dreams, rather dreams of doing what I had done - stay at home and raise her children. But… as a single mom, that option isn’t easy. She’ll need to support her children and have a life.
The call to stay at home and raise your children is a noble calling, one that meets the full aspect of Desire and God’s Will. Marnie Pherson, on her blog “Monetize Your Gifts” talks about living your desires through your calling to serve God, by way of the gifts you’re given. Many of the mother’s I’ve known, lived their calling in this way.
Reflecting Back on 2009 - Moving Forward to 2010
Looking back over the past year, I wonder where it went. But then… I look back over the past decade and know that it evaporated in the Y2K hysteria, as I begin to realize what the hysteria was REALLY all about.
On New Year’s Eve 1999, I gathered with the rest of our church for an overnight with the youth in the fellowship hall. One leader, his sense of humor operating in full glory, kept reminding me that computers, cars and all would be dead and gone when we awakened the next morning (since I was the only member of our church at the time, making my living with a computer). We laughed when the lights remained on at midnight and even louder when we realized (you know how foggy New Year’s Eve brains are) that the United States had been past the Y2K events for several hours before Y2K hit Colorado.
