choked up today

today is martin luther king, jr's birthday. so i got some books on him and his life. unfortunately only one picture book came in so far...and one longer book that is too much to sit and just read to maeve (she'd never stay interested)...hoping more of the picture books come in this week...

anyway so we're reading MLK's story today and i got all choked up! seriously, i canNOT believe that this country of mine could ever be so absolutely horrid!!! i mean, i believe it but it STILL shocks me!!! doesn't it shock you??

i was reading about MLK to my daughter...her first time hearing about him, i believe...and i was really hit hard by what he did for us! he seriously was a HERO!

and then, the comparison some people are doing with obama. i get it. sure, its not exactly the same...but perhaps we'll see some degree of similar change in the next 4 years. there's so much hope in the country right now. its really wonderful to be a part of!

and *I* can proudly tell my children that *I* helped make history happen! because *I* voted for obama! and i'm very proud of that! i'm proud to have been a tiny piece of history! it just occurred to me that that is what i did and it really makes me feel good!

oh there is so much hope in the air in this nation right now...i really think this is going to be a fantastic time to be an american!

tomorrow we get our first african american president. it was only a little more than 45 years ago that MLK made is "I have a dream" speech in washington D.C. ...isn't it just AMAZING how far our country has come in such an incredibly SHORT TIME??? a black man as our president, just 45 years after MLK's fight for equal rights for blacks!!! how unbelievable is that???

what else is going to happen? what else will i live to see? what will my kids live to see? the possibilities are just endless! this really is an amazing country! we learn from our mistakes and we move on to bigger and better things...i am really proud to be an american today. :)

oh gosh, choked up again!

i love rainy days

so funny...today i was driving in the greyness of today (which eventually started raining)...and was thinking how i really wanted to blog about it. :)

i love wet days...not when there are tons in a row (but we don't get much of that happening in the central valley)...but here and there...i LOVE them!

today i was driving my kids around and it was grey and gloomy and i just loved it because it started to get wetter and started raining...in fact i was listening to the radio (something i don't usually get to do with maeven in the car, she insists on specific cds...but this was after i dropped her off to play at a friend's house) and the perfect grey day song came on for me..."sunglasses at night" by corey hart. i LOVE corey hart! i was a HUGE fan in the 80s.

this was my FAVORITE album, back in the day! (this is "boy in the box", and didn't have "sunglasses at night" on it...but this was my FAVORITE!)

oh my, i love youtube! here's the song:

so funny cuz that's the first time i've ever seen that video.

oh lookie, he has a website! WOW, he still looks good! :)

anyway, so that song came on...and i was immediately in an even better mood...the greyness was nice, but corey hart ROCKS! LOL!

then it started to rain...i'm stuck in traffic but i don't care! cuz guess what came on next? U2!!!



just gorgeous! i ADORE U2 too! :) this band always makes me remember an old boyfriend (high school days) who was really into them...but i just adore them for the tingly good feeling from all the intense emotions their songs evoke and all the good stuff that i know that band has done.

bono and corey on a rainy day...could it get any better??

wow and then i drove past shaw and blackstone where there was a protest going on against israel? something about israeli acts of terrorism in gaza? i still don't know anything about this but there was a LOT of people out there on the corners...with signs and banners and peace flags and a lot looked of middle easter decent and had some strong emotions on their faces...it really touched me to see people standing in the rain on a cold day, nearly dark (and after dark when i went by them again later)....to feel so strongly about something to do that...it was really intense for me...i choked up and my eyes filled with tears. that's not something that happens often to me. i now need to do a little research and learn what it was they were protesting because i haven't a clue.

but wow, what a day. great music, great weather, great emotions. i'm feeling really high on it all.

and then i got home and told adam about it and it got me to reminiscing about when i lived in new jersey...because it rains a LOT there. but it rains more during warmer weather...all summer long, in fact. it almost never rains here when its warm. in jersey we could go out and play in the rain...and enjoy killer thunderstorms. and i remember how the wet asphalt from the street would smell SOOOO good when it rained...and the way the electric lights reflected off the wet streets. oh there was no feeling like that! its difficult to put into words.

i remember i used to love driving around in my little '64 bug in the rain with the windows down to smell that wonderful rain smell and hear all the nighttime rain sounds of the town i lived in. there was this one intersection in particular that i just ADORED. it was a busy intersection with gas stations on every corner...and i used to keep doing circles to come back to that intersection over and over sometimes cuz i just LOVED the way all those electric lights were just a rainbow of beautiful colors bouncing off the wet streets right there...and the sounds of the cars and people and just the smell and it was sooooo uplifting to me. it was like a life high. i get highs off of lots of things about life, LOL...i'm just funny that way.

certain songs...certain smells...certain commercials or tv show scenes...of course my kids and my husband...i often get a tickly tummy about a loved one from loving them so much for something cute or funny or (in my hubby's case, sexy) fun that they do or say...there's a lot in life that excites me and gives me a high. its so cool! i LOVE it! :) who needs drugs?? LOL!

anyway, it was a good day. :)

something to really think about

this was forwarded to one of the groups i'm on, and i really loved it, so i thought i'd share it here
(it is NOT by me)
=============================================

Young@Heart
By Pam Young

I was at Michael's (the craft store) in the late afternoon when I
heard a conversation in the next isle between a mother and her
six-year-old child.

"Oh, Mama, look at this!"

"Uh huh."

"I love this!!"

"Uh huh."

"I have one don't I!!!"

"Uh huh."

"You made it for me didn't you Mama!!!!"

"Uh huh."

As I listened to the excitement and love for her mother in the child's
voice and the drone of her mother's responses, tears welled up in my
eyes. I thought about how many times I'd done the same thing with my
children when they were young. After all, I had a centerpiece to
make, a decoration for the coffee table to think about, colors to
consider, people to impress and not enough time! At that moment in
Michael's I would have given anything to go back to just one time in
the isle of a store, hear my child's voice and not miss what was
really happening. Love, joy adoration. The stuff of Christmas!

My kids are grown now and I'll never again hear their little bell
voices exclaiming their joy over something. That time is gone forever.

I had to get to the next isle and see the child! With tears streaming
down my cheeks, I peeked around the corner and looked at the child's
happy little face. She had a dress on and her hair was dark brown in
shoulder-length curls. She was holding a Christmas stocking with a
Santa Claus on it. She looked up and smiled at me. Then I looked at
her mother. She was tired. I could see it in her eyes but when she
looked into mine she smiled seeing my love for her child and the moment.

I told her what had gone through my mind listening to their
conversation and with misty eyes she said, "Now you're making me cry."
She dabbed her eye with the back of her wrist, "Thank you, I needed
to hear this. I get so busy and it's easy to neglect her natural
enthusiasm." I told the mother it was obvious that the child had not
been neglected, because she was such a happy child, and that I
understood how easy it was to get wrapped up in our own thoughts and
miss these holy moments.

I left Michael's knowing I wanted to write about this. Your children
adore you and they are like little joy dispensers, especially during
this time of year. Since it is also an especially busy time for you,
it can be so easy to miss those gifts of love and joy your children
are eager to give to you. They are gifts that can't be wrapped up
with festive paper or charged on American Express. Stay awake! This
is a holy time.
Merry Christmas!
Pam

mother's oath

i so needed this. i was reading one of the blogs i subscribe to, and found this:

"Attention all parents of multiple children, especially those with babies and/or toddlers, and definitely all new homeschooling families -- raise your right hand and repeat after me: "My children will not always be this age."... Babies will eventually detach themselves from Mom's chest, toddlers will eventually learn to obey the Voice of Authority, and the preschoolers will eventually get the cereal poured into the bowl instead of directly onto the floor. Your job right now, Mom, is just to survive today with a little dignity intact. You might even get a lesson explained. Ok, half a lesson. But you have just started, and by next week things will go a little smoother. I promise. (But notice I did not quantify "a little.") Remind yourself as often as needed that your children are growing up, they are maturing, they are learning. (Also remind yourself that anyone daring to criticize your homeschooling and/or housekeeping skills probably does not have the same number of children underfoot that you have, or they would know enough to keep quiet.)"

i bolded the part that i REALLY liked! LOL!

here's a link to the whole thing.

Motto to live by!!

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!' "

housekeeping mission statement

i was reading this blog, and it led me to this blog, which is where i got the idea below:

MY housekeeping mission statement...

I want my home to be “a soft place to fall.” I want all of us living here to feel glad to be home. I want our home to be cozy and warm and colorful. I want it to be clutter-free and as stress-free as possible. And I want to be able to find things when I want them! I want it to be organized and I want it to make it easy for us to keep it clean. I want it to be pleasing to all the senses--bright, cheery colors, lovely/yummy smells, soft things to sit on and touch, yummy things to eat, and fun and soothing sounds...and I want it to be full of joyful laughter!