Blogging

October 17, 2016

Breaking the Ice, and Getting Reaquainted

Hello Old Friend! Long time no connect! WordPress recently reminded me of our anniversary and like any newlywed who forgets a special day, I felt bad. I started this blog about a year ago and, whereas, it is always on my mind it seems to settle at the bottom in the kaleidoscope of tasks I try to accomplish every day.

So, what has been going on?!

My youngest started Kindergarten in August and I had glorious dreams of fully embracing my inner Artist. However, reality has a way of twerking one in different positions. First off, it’s all about the Benjamins. Since I will have student loans until I’m in my 60’s a steady income is needed. I started back at working part time substitute teaching. I love it and hate it. I love that I can pick my days but hate the role. When you are a full-time teacher you build a rapport with your students and you set rules from the beginning that students adjust to. When you’re the sub it’s a different set of kids and classroom routine each day. I don’t use my teaching license to work full-time because I want to be an Artist and with all my other obligations I honestly don’t think I have time to work outside the home every day. Quick shout out to the Husband, if it weren’t for his hard work and good job I wouldn’t have the option.

lady-tired-overworked-housecleaning-clipart-watermark-mum-clipart-rgmsb7-clipart

So what is my normal day that I have lost time to blog and don’t have time to work a regular job?

Ready?

Hold on, its going to get bumpy….

First off I don’t really have “normal” days. I literally have to look at my day planner every night to know what is going on the next day.

I am: a substitute teacher 3xs a week.

A football Mom 2 games a week.

A cheer Mom 2 times a week.

(This will change to Basketball and Cheer Extreme Mom in a couple weeks.)

A   Pink Zebra Consultant and

A possible Thrive promoter.

Ope, and a negligent blogger.

On top of those titles and their responsibilities I have:

A house that looks like a tornado hit

And 6 children to keep up with

Oh, and Husband is graciously giving me money to haul wood as of late.

There are not enough hours in the day or parts of Jenn to go around.

Under all this though, is a happy woman. My children are happy and healthy. Our drama level has been hovering at, right around 4% which is nearly nothing, HooRah!! My marriage is better than it ever has been. I think it has taken the poor guy the first 10 years to come to grips with my crazy Libra self.

I am not happy with my career though. I guess I should quit saying I’m not an Artist because whether I sell my creations or not I still created. Days come and go then suddenly a whole week has passed where I haven’t even gone out into my Shed. This is a matter of prioritizing, organizing, and energy.

To address the energy issue, I have started the Le-Vel Thrive for women system. I bought a four-part system of: Balance at night to help detox, capsules with lots of water in the morning, followed by a shake that I actually started craving by Day 3, and a patch that keeps me going all day and I look like I’m quitting smoking. Today is Day 4 and it really is delivering what it promised! I am overweight but I’m not a fan of women who look like twigs so I’m fine with being heavy. It looks like I could hold my own in a strong wind. However, I have no energy, cramping legs, and according to my Dr., heart issues. My past behavior has been to watch what I eat, cut sugar, drink more water, and walk everyday. I would stick to it for about 2 days so I needed something that would give me a jump-start. I kept putting off trying Thrive because of the cost of it. However, when I look at how much I spend to see the Dr., on fast snacks at McDonald’s, and over-the-counter supplements its worth it! I wanted to change how I felt without changing my lifestyle.

As far as priority and organizing….I tried 3 tasks a day last week and accomplished some but still didn’t make it to the Shed. Three things a day was a system I had read about for goal setting where I would write 3 tasks I wanted to accomplish for that day.

Example:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Laundry Mow Vacuum pool Kitchen Bathroom
Girls clothes Living Room Car Paperwork Boys room
My room Girls room Refrigerator Dining room Wash Dog

 

The idea was if I got the 3 tasks done when my head hit the pillow I would feel like I accomplished something. It worked in a way, except I was too tired after teaching to really get anything done.

So this week I’m doing the hour at a time idea. Since the kids got on the bus I have changed my activity from housework to business every hour. So far so good, I’ll update you next week because YES! I plan on blogging more. When I went back over my previous blog posts I was reminded how much I like writing and that I’m not half bad!

Thanks for the ClipArt at    Tired Mom Clipart

 

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April 15, 2016

Baby Animal Activities and Poems

Baby Animals

Oh, baby, baby, so young and so tame,

Oh, baby, baby, so what is your name?

 

Baby cow is a calf,

Baby deer is a fawn,

Baby goat is a kid eating grass on the lawn.

 

Baby bear is a cub,

Baby hen is a chick,

Baby swan is a cygnet so graceful and quick.

 

Baby goose is a gosling,

Baby seal is a pup,

Baby cat is a kitten drinking milk from a cup.

 

Baby sheep is a lamb,

Baby turkey’s a poult,

baby horse is a foal, or a filly, or a colt.

 

Oh, baby, baby, so young and so tame,

Oh, baby, baby, be proud of your name!

-Meish Goldfish

: Make a poster of baby animal names. Have children paste photos and drawings of the animals beside each name. Older children may want to investigate why some of the animals have the baby names they have. For example, in Gail Gibbon’s book Whales, she discusses the reason why a baby whale is called a calf. (Because whales evolved from an animal like a cow).

The class could explore animal group names such as a pod of whales, by using Ruth Heller’s book A Cache of Jewels and other Collective Nouns (Putnam, 1989) Baby Animals by Margaret Wise brown, illustrated by Susan Jeffers (Random house, 1989) is a wonderful resource to have on hand.

What the Animals Said

It’s still dark, Said the lark.

What’s that? Said the cat.bulldog steves pic

I want to sleep, Said the sheep.

A bad habit, Said the Rabbit.

Of course, Said the Horse.

Let’s have a spree, Said the bee.

But where? Said the hare.

In the barrow, said the sparrow.

I’m too big, said the pig.

In the house, said the mouse.

But the dog said — Bow-wow,

It’s too late now!

-Old German Nursery Rhyme

Activity: Children might enjoy playing the roles of the different animals and calling out their lines. Simple puppets can be made from small paper bags as the various animals. Encourage imaginative play by using different voices for animals.

Animals from A to Z

A is Ape, B is Bee,

Cis Clownfish in the sea!

D is Deer. E is  Eel,

F is Fox who wants a meal.

G is Goose, H is Hog,

I’s an inchworm on a log.

Jay is J, Koala’s K,

L’s a Lion, far away.

M is Mule, N is Newt,

O’s an Ostrich, tall and cute.

P is Pig, Q is Quail,

R’s a Rat with curly tail.

Snake is S, Turkey’s T,

U’s the Umbrella bird flying free.

V is Viper, Worm is W,

Bird’s “X” are hatching. Does that joke trouble you?

Yak is Y, Zebra’s Z,

Alphabet animals for you and me!

-Meish Goldfish

Booklinks

Miss Bindrgaren Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Ashley Wolff (Dutton, 1996)

Amazon Alphabet by Tanis Jordan, illustrate by Marin Jordan (Kingfisher, 1996)

 

 

December 1, 2015

Apparently I am Human

Dropped the ball

Bit off more than I could chew

Too many irons in the fire

Yes, this is me! As a functioning adult I do not seem to always function very well. During the month of November I took on Writing 101 and Blogging 101 through WordPress. Loved it! Could not keep up! These were free courses offered to help new bloggers get into their writing and understand the blogging community. It is also for experienced bloggers to hone skills. I wasn’t thinking about Thanksgiving, the 6+2 kids, or new orders coming in for dolls.

It was something I was doing for me and of course it got pushed to the back burner. Just like diet, exercise, meditation, and even my business. I also am very aware that I am taking on more and anything I can get my hands on to avoid the hard feelings. The grief of losing my father-in-law, the void created by my oldest moving out, and the scared deer in the headlight feeling freezing me in my tracks over the guy my daughter is dating.

I did fairly well keeping up with blogging 101. It was an awesome way to figure out how the site works from commenting to publishing my own page. Writing 101 gave great pointers on keeping the writing juices flowing. Both courses offered a commons area where we could all ask questions and post our links to the things we were writing. Feedback is a major part of blogging and knowing that you are part of this awesome community of writers and readers is a great place to hide for an hour or two if you can spare it.

I plan on retaking the writing 101 on its own in the future when I can focus. Maybe January or February when there is nothing to do outside and its too cold to go anywhere.

November 23, 2015

Burn Sky Until We See Lines

Don’t worry I am not trading in my Betty Crocker ways for Leaving Las Vegas. Burn sky until we see lines is a Star Wars term, likely uttered by the handsome Hans Solo. It means to fly until you get to hyperspace.  I am not a Star Wars junky by any means but I did grow up with Luke, Hans, Jabba, and my Ewoks. I recently found a blog post all about the lingo. In this post he breaks it down in how George Lucas may have formed words. I then found this site of Star Wars terms. As pointed out it the original post I read, Lucas builds on our own language, like codger meaning an old man, and other languages such as Latin and Spanish.

It was an amazing article for me because, like most writers, I aspire to that one great story to set me apart from the fabric of time. The story that will make me the J.K. Rowling of my generation. Yet!, to be set apart, so should your language, your lingo!

When I read The Tale of Despereaux by Jamie Michalak to my boys a few years ago it was an easy read because the way she manipulated language and story telling. It sucked us in on page one with, “Come a little closer” because we knew, something was about to happen! It was like laying on Grandma’s feather mattresses and listening as she made of stories of little people in a land we could only find on the first day of Spring. Yes, I have a Storyteller’s blood in me, just trying to find the voice.

The Giver by Lois Lowry was the hardest read for me! The first three chapters I was so detached. Then all of a sudden it was like Whoa!! something is happening! That was in middle school, now there is a movie out and I learn that it was the first in a trilogy. The second book was even  more confusing and the third book ties everything together. (So says a favorite bearded friend who teaches science) I want, but cannot suffer through the second book to get to the third. Although, reading them as an adult when it isn’t required might make the difference!

Jedi

Muggle

Oz

Lorax

One word that meant nothing in the English language until an author made it up. Sure you could throw together a bunch of vowels and constants but unless your reader can connect it to something, even if it is a reach, it means nothing. Muggle, you can just feel some days your muggle through work. Lorax, Lore plus ax, the story is about not cutting down the forest.

So don’t be a Fraidee-frog, you are not Force Forsaken if you cannot make your own language. Just wait, like I do, for those half a heart beat thoughts between falling asleep at night and waking in the morning. That is where my Muse waits. Little Duriet!

 

November 20, 2015

Hump Day Headway

blog on

Blogging and Potty training. Real Life People!

So it isn’t Wednesday you say?

Yes, I did know that, but this is to set a goal. As we all know to set a goal and actually attain it you should tell others and gain support. So starting Wednesday I will have Hump Day Headway.

What shall it entail?

When I started branding my Art Shed it originated from my husband relinquishing control of a had-been chicken coop for me to transform into an art studio. However, he wants nothing to do with it so that means no help cleaning out his mess, hanging shelves, or gaining electricity, which would be nice for heat right about now. So every Wednesday you can look forward to seeing pictures or stories of the life and times as I try to go from disorganized craft hoarder to a bonafide Artist!

For now, enjoy the weekend! I’m going to find this kid some pants! (so he can just take them off again!)

November 13, 2015

Find your Friendly in the Blogging Community

How easy it is to sit down and be clickety-clacking about on the keyboard, lost in our own world! Especially on those days when our Muse has allowed us to sleep and we wake refreshed ready to let out our inner ideals to the world through our blog. Yet we shouldn’t forget the backbone of blogging, other bloggers! If you find yourself in a rut then branch out and check some tags and categories of those who you normally wouldn’t. I decided to figure out what this freshly pressed tab was all about under Reader. I found myself in four completely unrelated areas but found each one interesting. I commented, liked and started following blogs I normally may miss. Thus getting my friendly on!

Here was my favorite of the four: Make a new word to further your fiction. Whereas being born in 1978 I grew up with Luke as my boyfriend and snuggled my Ewok at night, I have to admit I am just an ordinary Muggle. I needed this article in my life! I’ve had an idea for a story but thought ugh, its so been done. What better way of making it unique than using his suggestions? He put time in this one so enjoy!

Another was something every new Mom needs to read because guess what? We don’t have to love every minute of a crying, snotting baby! Laud have mercy! I love the way she candidly puts it out there. The thoughts many of us have but feel if we share everyone will think we have Post-partum depression and not leave us alone with the baby. (No offense meant to Moms who go thru it, after my brood I know the feelings!)

So you have toddlers too? Did you know Sesame Street has a character with Autism? I didn’t and not only that but I never would have thought of how someone with Autism may view this character either! This writer gives us an open letter to Sesame Street to shed some light on the Oops made by our favorite educational show.

Finally I happened upon a new word: Pantser. Boy do I know this word! Someone who flies by the seat of their pants. Like a few of us have done, or do on a regular I read along as this writer struggles with a novel where characters and plots are not fully developed. Writing as a Pantser. Have a look and send some love! We have all been there!

Until next time!

Howdy Friends!

Peace, Love and Puppies!