Ponderings of a Middle-Aged Mom: Writer's Workshop

Showing posts with label Writer's Workshop. Show all posts

Six Words, Revisited

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Linking up with Mama Kat and her Writer's Workshop today.

I chose prompt #1

I spent this past weekend in Dallas for Bloggy Boot Camp with SITS. As part of the Writer’s Workshop Francesca and I conducted we resurrected the Six Word Memoir. Add an image to your own Six Word Memoir based on…well anything.

Do you have six words about your life or family?

Writer's Workshop: Things I Miss about life before Mamahood

Let me preface this by saying that I love being a Mom.

I love my daughter with my whole heart and soul and would not change a single thing as far as she is concerned.

But . . .

There are a few things that I miss about life before mama-hood.

I miss being able to go to the bathroom by myself. I thought it was bad when she was little but I swear it has gotten worse as she has gotten older. I have to lock the door to be able to pee in peace. That's just not right.
I miss being able to eat the food on my plate without out having someone (Ahem, Kaylee) wanting a bite of whatever is on my plate. And this happens constantly. Even if she has already eaten something, I must share with her.
I miss being able to spontaneously up and go. Once you have kids going anywhere requires lots of planning. And if you are going somewhere kids can't go, then you have even more planning to do.
I miss having alone time. And I mean having more than thirty minutes to myself. I want a few hours. To myself. All alone.
I miss having lazy days. It seems like once you have kids you are always on the go. To the doctor. To school. To soccer/baseball/football/softball or some other sporting/extra curricular event.

I'm sure I could sit here and come up with a list longer than this but these are the things that stand out to me. These are the things that I miss the most about life before motherhood.

What about you, what do you miss?

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Linking up with Mama Kat and her Pretty much WORLD FAMOUS Writer's Workshop.

I chose prompt #5: Share something you miss from before you were a mom.

Check it out, choose a prompt and link up yourself!

A Crafty Mood

I like to make things.

I like to work with my hands.

But I also have to be in the mood to craft.

Sometimes the things I make turn out pretty nice. . .

And there are other times that they don't.

My latest obsession is making things out of duct tape.

Wallets, purses, bracelets. . .

The list of things you can make is only limited to your imagination.

Over the weekend I was inspired by the leftover 'legs' from a cut-off pair of jeans. The more I looked at them the more I could picture them being turned into something.

I have seen tutorials where people have used material for the inside of their duct tape purse. . . So I figured, why not put the material on the outside?

After about an hours worth of measuring, cutting material and taping things up this was the end result:

A Jeans-Tape purse with a coin pouch on the side!

This is now Kaylee's favorite purse. She carries it wherever she goes.

I had made her a duct tape tote bag for Easter this year as well.

She ended up carrying this to school as her 'backpack'.

So that's what I've been up to craft-wise.

Duct tape.

It also comes in handy when the kid gets mouthy.

Just kidding.

But only a little bit.

Hee hee!

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Linking up with Mama Kat and her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

I chose prompt #5: Time to get crafty! Share something you've been working on.

They say hindsight's 20/20. . .

Ahh 2011. It is no secret that I am happy to see you go. . .

But I figured I would do a year in review of sorts. . .

Some favorite posts of mine from each month that has gone by. . .

This time last year Randall was in the hospital fighting a flare up of gastroparesis. So already things are starting to look up.

In January we had several visits to the hospital and I wrote about the one time that I let my armor crack. I also had a talk with Kaylee about boobs. That girl is something else.

In February, I realized that I have the tools at hand to keep Kaylee in the loop, where her Daddy is concerned, when he is sick and in the hospital.

March rolled around and with the nudging from a friend, I tried writing with The Red Dress Club (now known as Write on Edge). My first attempt was writing memoir about a room from my past. A few days later I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried my hand at fiction. A fiction post about water. . . How it can give life or how it can take life away. . .

March is also my birthday month, so I shared a memory from my nineteenth birthday. The memory of a gift given that I wasn't totally prepared for. . .

April. . . Well, April I didn't blog very much. But I did find some new found respect for my MIL. I also went on a field trip with Kaylee's class to a local rock quarry and found an awesome rock. There also may have been a post about Kaylee being able to peel the paint off the walls with her farts. . . But don't take my word for it. Heh.

In May we celebrated Kaylee's ninth birthday. I also wrote about losing touch with my BFF from high school, missing my sister and making one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.

June brought around me complaining about the weather, my first guest post and the last day of school.

In July, I talked about the Fourth, Ten Thought Tuesday style. I also talked about how I'm not a fan of other people's kids, how one time, I thought Taco Bell was feeding hookers and then I got serious and talked about one of my miscarriages. . .

August brought around another bout with pneumonia for my Mom. She was hospitalized. It also showed me the dysfunction that is my family.

September came around with the first day of school. Kaylee got sick half-way through the month and about drove me nuts and I wrote a letter to my Mom.

I spent the beginning part of October avoiding everything and ended it looking for my voice. . .

We started November off with an awkward and embarrassing moment. Then I was diagnosed with diabetes. And I ended the month wondering something that I think every Mom wonders at least once while their kids are growing up. . .

December started with a giggle {because I might be a little crazy} and I like to tweet. I shared memories from a day that changed my life forever. I also shared memories from a time when I made some pretty bad decisions.

And that wraps up the year.

It wasn't as bad as I remember it being.

But I am still ready to see 2011 hit the road.

How about you?

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I chose prompt #1, This year in blog posts. . . Choose a favorite post from each month of 2011 and share.

I admit that I cheated. I chose more than one.

Sue me.

Pretty sure I've done worse.

Heh.

Happy New Year! ;)

Bacon. It's what's for. . . A lot of things. . .

I know I am not alone when I say that I love bacon.

Who doesn't like bacon?

If you don't like bacon then maybe we shouldn't be friends any more. {Just kidding. But, really? You don't like bacon? For the love of all that is holy, What the fuck is wrong with you??}

Heh.

Back to bacon.

I present to you my top 10 reasons why bacon is awesome.

10. You can wrap bacon around other meats to make them even more tasty.

Bacon wrapped chicken, steak, pork chops, etc.? Yes, please and thank you!

9. Denny's had a tribute to bacon. They called it Baconalia. Bacon ice cream, double bacon BLT's, Bacon meatloaf amongst other delicious goodies.

8. Enid, Oklahoma loves bacon so much that they have a festival every year. Oddly enough, it is called Baconalia. Imagine that. {I think Denny's owes Enid some love. Or money. Or. . . Something.}

7. There are several bacon related Facebook pages. No, I have not 'liked' any of them yet. But I will. Oh yes. I will.

6. Bacon is so awesome someone went and made gummy bacon. CANDY shaped like strips of bacon.

Sadly it is not bacon flavored.

5. One word: Baconnaise. Because the world needs bacon flavored mayonnaise.

4. Have a boo-boo that needs a bandage? I have just the thing for you:

Although I would probably end up wanting to bite the spot the bandage is in.

3. Do you like popcorn? What about flavored popcorn?

Mmm. I can only imagine. . .

2. Bacon can add flavor to anything. Really. Anything.

No chance of my lips chapping and I get bacony goodness? YES!

1. Bacon can be orgasmic.

I do not even know what to say. Hot, bacony sex, anyone?

Why do you love bacon?

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Inspired by Mama Kat and prompt #2 Top Ten Reasons Bacon is Awesome

Come check it out and see what everyone is writing about!

Lessons Learned

As parents, we not only spend our time trying to teach our children various different things, we spend time being taught as well.

I am sure that I will only learn more as Kaylee grows older.

10. A kiss on a boo-boo makes it all better.

9. Don't be so serious all the time. Kick back, relax and enjoy the small moments.

8. Ketchup makes everything taste better. Kaylee puts ketchup on EVERYTHING. Chicken, steak, pork chops, burgers. Ketchup is just that good. Or so I'm told. ;)

7. Love unconditionally. There is nothing like the love of a child. No judgement. No hate. No animosity. Just love straight from the heart.

6. The act of taking a nap, does not exist. Kaylee was never one to take a nap. And if I did happen to luck out and get her to sleep? She would be awake in thirty minutes. I am positive hell is full of tired, screaming babies that refuse to take naps.

5. It's fun to make up lyrics to popular songs and then sing them just as loud and obnoxiously as you can. Hell, I still do this and I'm an adult.

4. Always, always speak your mind. No matter what.

3. It's quite acceptable to snuggle with your favorite stuffed animal when you are scared or upset.

2. Ask questions. Even when you know asking them will fluster or embarrass the person you are asking.

1. Silence usually means that trouble is brewing.

If your child is being loud and playing and having fun? Then suddenly is silent? GO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON! Make-up is being gotten in to. Scissors are being used to cut hair (or other things). Toys are being thrown in the toilet and flushed.

Something is happening that will probably result in you becoming angry {or laughing your ass off if you're the easy going type. Or becoming angry and then laughing your ass off}.

What about you? What are some lessons that you have learned from your kids?

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Inspired today by Mama Kat and prompt #4:

10 Lessons your child could teach you

4. A country you would like to visit.

A country I would like to visit. . .

The problem is there is more than one.

There are many.

So do I pick just one?

Or do I make a list of the places I'd like to visit?

Let's do the latter, shall we?

Top Five Countries I would LOVE to visit:

1. Ireland- Somehow I don't think the pictures you see of Ireland do it justice. I think you have to see the rolling green hills in person before you can truly appreciate them.

2. Germany- I took German in high school. I had the chance to go in 11th grade and turned it down. Have since regretted that decision.

Even though the only phrase I can remember is "Ich spreche nur wenig Deutsch." I want to go and make a fool of myself and maybe make a German or two laugh.

3. Italy- So much to see and do in Italy! I would probably eat myself into a food coma. Lots of tasty treats to be eaten there.

And some nice sites to be seen also.

But I would really be going for the food.

Really. I like to eat.

4. France- Eiffel Tower. 'Nuff said.

5. Egypt- I want to see the pyramids.

And the Sphinx.

And maybe go on an archaeological dig and discover something completely new and amazing and become filthy, stinking rich and famous.

Or maybe just famous.

I'm pretty easy going.

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What about you? Where are some places you'd like to go?

Check out Mama Kat's Pretty Much WORLD Famous Writer's Workshop and join the fun!

1.) Six Word Memoir: Write about a significant time in your life in just six words.

On life right now:

Things can only get better. Right???

Must stay positive. No breaking down!

Survival is necessary. Never give up!

On my ever changing daughter:

Heartbeat heard. Happiness, tears, amazement.

Baby born. Little girl. Life changing.

Once a baby. Now? Young lady.

Misc.:

My family: Forever in my heart.

Young at heart, old in spirit.

Words can hurt worse than punches.

Lost too soon. I miss you.

Attention span short. Look! A squirrel!

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You would think coming up with six words would be easy, right? I'm here to tell you that it isn't as easy as you might think.

And then when I least expected it? Words came flowing from my brain like a river.

Funny how stuff works like that.

Y'know?

How about you? What would your six words be??